A/N: EM BACK! Happy? Not Happy? Well right now I am in too much of a good to care... Through many hardships and toils, I have finally posted a new story. Just between us, the story should have been updated in September but then Things came in the way both for me and my Beta, Alice In The Woods. Good thing that she managed to give such a thorough proof reading to this story otherwise it wouldn't have been worth it.

So here it is, a bit shorter but already complete. It has only three parts, I'll upload them on a tri-weekly schedule... Love it or hate it just don't forget to tell me. With that I sign out! Enjoy.

A twenty-five-year-old Harry Potter sat nursing a glass of fire whiskey in his hand as he stared at the morbid wall of the ramshackle house in which he currently lived. The wallpaper was peeling off from here and there. At some places, even the old, weathered and beaten looking bricks could be seen. But it was only reflecting the state of the house. Of the moderate size house, only one or two rooms still had a roof standing over it and broken furniture littered the whole house. This was the current home of Harry Potter, once the saviour of the Wizarding World and the Chosen one. Also functioning as the temporary headquarter of the resistance. Resistance against the Emperor of half of the world, Lord Voldemort.

He remembered vividly, the events of the last eight years which led him to this state. How could he forget the betrayals of everyone he once cared about? Masked under the guise of looking out for their own flesh and blood, everyone had turned towards the winning side. Dumbledore's Army, The Weasleys and even his long-time best friends. All had abandoned him in the fight against Voldemort.

All bar one.

It all started eight years ago, when he started hunting Horcruxes alongside his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. In the beginning, the hunt went as expected. There were a few bumps in the road but by the end of the year, they had destroyed almost all the Horcruxes. It was when they were heading to Hogwarts to destroy the last Horcrux that he received the biggest shock of his life.

Voldemort was waiting for them in Hogsmeade. Realizing that he had walked into a trap, he tried to hold onto Hermione so that they could immediately disapparate, only to find the bushy-haired girl's wand trained on him. Before he could make sense of the situation, he felt another wand jabbing him in the neck. Turning around, he found Ron smirking.

"It's not that we have anything against you. We just don't see ourselves winning and we have our families to think of." That was the reason he heard from the mouth of the girl he had relied on so much.

"Yeah," Ron didn't let go of the moment to rub salt in his wound. "Did you really think we could defeat someone like him by ourselves? I had doubted it from the beginning and when he contacted us with the offer to pardon us and our family if we helped in your capture then we thought, why not? You are a great friend Harry but we weren't going to put the life of our families in danger just for you."

At that moment he felt nothing. His mind had shut down completely. Darkness encroached upon his vision. The thing that he least expected, heck the thing farthest from his mind, had happened to him. His closest friends had betrayed him.

He would have preferred to die at that moment. He was ready for it. But even his own body wasn't with him then. Instincts honed from the very beginning to save his life awakened at that moment, and without being aware of it, he was fighting back.

He escaped from that trap and somehow made his way to the Weasley household, The Burrow. He had hoped to find some shelter at the place that he had come to recognize as home. The people that lived there had come to see him as their own son.

But what awaited him there was a harsh reality of how blood will always be blood. At first, they welcomed him with open arms. When he told them about Ron and Hermione, they assured him that they didn't know. They suggested that he sleep there for the night before going out again.

Once again, it was his instincts that came to his rescue. The death eaters would have stunned him and taken him away if he hadn't sensed their approach.

Disillusioned by everyone, he ran away. No longer was there anyone he trusted. For six months, he evaded his pursuers. Not because he wanted to live, but because there was nothing else for him to latch onto. The only purpose he had left was the destruction of Horcrux.

There was one person, though, where he knew he could find solace. But he didn't want to go there. For if he was rejected there, Harry knew he would truly die.

In the end, his luck ran out. There was so much he could run. More than two dozen Death Eaters tracked him down.

It was the hardest battle of his life. There wasn't a single part of his body which wasn't bleeding. Even his finger joints were broken. Yet, he fought back. Even without wanting to, he strived to live. There was a part of him screaming to survive. He didn't know why, but it did. Blinded by grief and shock, having his light blocked from him, he just listened to that voice and matched spell with a spell.

In the end, he managed to survive. It was a feat he hadn't managed to reproduce since then. His vision was blurry and his body and soul broken completely. He had lost so much blood, the number of broken bones counted more than the intact ones. He was sure then that he would die now. The one thing he had the satisfaction of was that Voldemort didn't see him dying, nor did his traitorous friends.

When he came back to reality, the first he saw was a curtain of red color, his favorite shade too. As sleep vanished from his eyes, he came to know that the curtain of red belonged to his favorite person.

He just couldn't hold it anymore. Clinging to Ginny Weasley, he cried like a baby. He hadn't cried since he was ten. But now, he couldn't hold it anymore, the weight of the treachery was too much for him to bear. He told her everything, of the treachery of his best friends and her parents. There was a small part of him that feared that she might have betrayed him too but seeing her in front of him, he couldn't bring himself to care anymore.

Ginny just listened patiently, occasionally offering soothing words as Harry cried on her shoulder while she rubbed his back.

When Harry had calmed down a bit, she told him about what was going on in Hogwarts, how Fawkes carried him here, how almost everyone had aligned with Voldemort. And, Also the beheading of Remus Lupin and his family. The guy had refused to abandon Harry and paid the ultimate price.

"I am alone Ginny, there's no one left," his voice was soulless, without a single spark of life.

Ginny just pulled back slightly and said one line which made Harry fall in love with her even more, if that was possible.

"No, Harry. Even if the whole world turns against you, I'll always be by your side. I'll fight the whole world with you."

And that was when Harry knew that this girl would never betray him, even if it meant going against her own family. That he had found a true companion.

And yet, here he was, after eight years, completely alone. Fate was cruel, he decided. First, it took away his parents, then his friends and then the love of his life.

A loud laugh reverberated through the whole house. This was the world of traitors, backstabbers, and selfish people, and he was trying to save it.

He resented it. Resented it that he was alive, resented that everyone he loved was dead. What did he ever do to deserve it?

A clang, the voice of glass breaking, and a splash. The glass fell to the floor and broke into thousand tiny pieces, But Harry's stupor was unbroken. He was lost in a world of memories.

Memories of Sirius in that gloomy Grimmauld Number 12.

Memories of Remus teaching in a kind way.

Memories of Tonks being clumsy.

But, most of all, memories of Ginny. Her smile, her warmth, the radiance of her red hair, the glow of her cheek, of them marrying, of them living happily in this house, of him becoming a father.

"WHY?" a scream that would have shaken the heaven, should have shaken the heaven, ripped from his throat. Tears streamed down his face covered with his hands as he tried to find words to express his sorrow.

"Why?" Nothing but this.

"Why?" no other word came to his mind. Furiously, he searched his mind for some other word to relieve his grief, yet the only thing he could utter was "why, why?" till it became incomprehensible among his sobs.

Time lost all meaning as he kept crying. He didn't know when darkness overtook him and he fell down on the cold hard floor, unconscious.

Soft.

That was the first thing Harry felt when he woke up. It had been a long time since he had slept in a comfortable bed. It felt too nice to get up.

But then, the memories of the day came flooding and he sat up suddenly. He shouldn't be sleeping in a comfortable bed. He didn't have one.

His eyes wandered around. This wasn't the kind of room he had ever been in his life, his experience at the Hogwarts included. The soft creamy walls with a hint of golden, although bland, somehow looked grand and majestic. The king sized bed in which he was sleeping had curtains that looked to be silk. He hadn't thought that beds this comfortable existed.

As he got down from the bed, his toes dug into the velvety soft rug underneath. He couldn't help but sigh, such was the effect of the carpet. Or maybe he just had been away from such thing for too long. Harry couldn't help but wonder which one it was.

But the thing that had his curiosity was who would have put him in such a comfort. It couldn't be Voldemort. He would never give such comfort to his arch nemesis. Or maybe he would, the twisted mind of Voldemort was beyond his understanding.

Not that he cared, whether it was a friend or foe. Friend, that was nice. It had been a long time since he had met one. Foe, even better.

He looked around, trying to find a way out. There was a huge oak door right in front of him at some distance.

When he was walking towards the door, he realized that the room was huge. Bigger than the size of the whole boys' dorm in Gryffindor.

He tried not to think about it as he walked towards the door. Even eight years weren't enough to fill some wounds.

What faced him as he opened the door was a long straight corridor. Just then, he felt a pull at his heart, like someone was calling him.

He didn't resist it and started walking. His feet guided him through many twists and turns in the building that seemed never ending. After what seemed like a long time, Harry could see a door in front of him.

Reaching out, he placed his hand on the doorknob and turned it. Fascinated, he watched as the door opened to reveal a vast hall, decked out in the same off white colour that seemed to adorn the wall of this building. But unlike the room and the corridors that he had passed through, this hall was lavishly furnished. Woollen rugs were laid on the floor, a deep red in colour. Various painting and decorations hung from the wall, and right in the middle of the room was a large table.

His eyes were drawn to the three men sitting at the table. Men? Was that the right word? Their faces so clear yet so blurry.

"Come, Come Mr. Potter." The man in the middle spoke. He was the most elegant of the three, radiating an aura of authority and leadership.

His eyes flicked towards the man sitting on the right side. For a moment he was puzzled. With a head full of white hair and lines crossing all over his face he looked old, somehow older than time.

The man on the left couldn't be missed even in a throng of people. His face was expressionless yet his presence was larger than life.

"Mr. Potter." Once again the man in the middle spoke. "The dinner is getting cold."

For the first time, Harry noticed the top of the table which was unusual considering how famished he was feeling. It was laden with dozens of dishes emanating a sweet fragrance which only increased his hunger.

As he sat on the opposite side of the table he opened his mouth to ask a question but was cut off.

"Your curiosity will be sated Mr. Potter, but first it's the turn of your hunger."

Harry didn't need much convincing on that matter. As soon as he put the first morsel in his mouth he was blown away. Just what kind of food was this? Even the most delicious meals that he had eaten seemed drab and tasteless. His hunger that had left him since Ginny's death returned to him. In fact, he had never felt this hungry before.

After he had overstuffed himself with some delicious food, the dishes disappeared with a snap of finger replaced by steaming cup of tea.

"Nothing like a good cup of tea to go with such delicious food don't you think?"

Harry placed his cup down. "Not that I don't appreciate such good food, but where am I and who are you?" He asked firmly.

The man laughed, his voice rich and strong as it resonated through the empty hall. "Why don't you take a wild guess, Mr. Potter?"

Harry arched his eyebrow, "A wild guess? Let's see am I dead?"

"Not far as you would expect Mr. Potter, but neither are you right." The man answered. "You are in the afterlife but you are not dead."

"Great. So we do get an afterlife." Harry commented.

"That's not the usual response."

"Do you call many people here?"

"Not really. You are the first in centuries."

"Great." Harry smiled deprecatingly. "I am special even here. Hey, I have a question."

"Sorry, you cannot meet others who are dead." The man answered.

"Had to try." Harry sighed. "So you still haven't answered my question?"

"Surely you have some idea by now?"

"God?"

The man started chuckling. "No, nothing that magnificent Mr. Potter. Let me introduce us formally. Don't worry I am going to use names that are familiar to you."

"Familiar?" Harry muttered. He had a feeling since the beginning that these people were no ordinary men.

"This man." He gestured towards the old man sitting on his left. "is Time himself. One of the three guardian deities that watch over your world. He controls the flow of time."

"And this." He gestured towards the expressionless man. "Is Death. I think a popular name for him is Grim Reaper. The second of the Guardian deities."

"And I." The man inclined his head. "Am Fate. The final of the guardian deities. And this is," he smirked. "Our humble abode. Castle of Guardians."

Harry's mouth had dropped open and he was staring at them like a madman. When he had thrown god out there casually he wasn't expecting to be so close to the truth.

And then he remembered. All the injustices, all the betrayals and the tragedies that he had suffered in his life and they were probably thinking of making it up to him somehow.

His face contorted in disgust. "So what do you want from me?"

"Come now Mr. Potter, you are an intelligent man. Surely you have guessed what we want by now."

"And why would I want to be your tool?" Harry spat.

"Because you will get a chance to save the people that you love the most."

"You mean the people that you took away in the first place?" Harry questioned, his eyes smouldering with anger.

"Now Mr. Potter, it isn't our place to interfere in the world. We only watch and observe."

"You mean only when your own asses aren't on the line?" Harry stood up. "You don't give a fuck about what happens to people do you?"

"No, we don't give a fuck about people as you so eloquently put Mr. Potter," Fate spoke coldly. "It isn't our job to care about people even if we could care anyway."

Harry sat down, shock written all over his face. He wasn't expected to be rebutted in such a way. "T-then why?"

"Let's just say you have friends in high place." Fate was back to his usual smiling demeanour.

"Mr. Potter." This was the first time that death had spoken and he could already feel an immense pressure on himself. Death's voice was cold and the temperature dropped several degrees.

"We'll let this go this time Mr. Potter but don't forget we are no ordinary people."

Harry gulped and nodded. For the first time, he noticed the might of his company.

"So these friends in high places." He was eager to break this freezing silence. "Did God order you?"

Fate bowed his head and sighed. "To be honest, we don't know whether God exists or not."

"What?" Surprise was rapidly becoming his signature expression. "But aren't you, um, I don't know, the upper administration of the universe? Surely you have met God if there is one."

"Or many." This time, Time spoke.

"Yes many." Harry corrected himself.

"You humans are rather fixated on this question aren't you." Fate gave a wry smile. "Believe me, Mr. Potter, in my unbelievably long life, I have never met an entity calling Himself God."

"Then who gave you this job?" He couldn't help himself with the question. It all sounded so fascinating. He was never a religious person and had never given two seconds to think about the existence of a higher being. But here, sitting in the afterlife it all seemed so interesting to him.

"No idea." Fate shrugged his shoulder. "For as long as I can remember I have been documenting the happening of your world."

"Aren't you ever curious whether something like god exists?"

"Not really." He shook his head. "Curiosity, indifference, happiness, sadness. these emotions and feelings are the burdens of mortals to bear. We don't possess anything of such."

"Oh." Harry let out. "Then who are these 'friends in high places'?"

"Just someone." Fate answered. "Back to the topic at hand. We have given you a proposition Mr. Potter but we can't force you to accept it. So what is your decision?"

"Let me understand what you have told me." Harry shifted in his seat. "I get to go back in time, redo all this mess, save my loved one in the process and what do you get?"

"Nothing but the overturning of a great injustice." Fate smirked.

"Please." Harry rolled his eyes. "You said yourself you don't give a damn about people so why would you want to send me back."

"Everything that has a beginning has an end, you have heard that right Mr. Potter?"

"Apocalypse."

"Apocalypse, Judgment day, doomsday, Ragnarok, Qyammah, whatever you call it." Fate shrugged. "We call it End."

"So what about the End?"

"Well due to the machinations of your friend, Voldemort, it is fast approaching but your other friend, the one in the high place, he doesn't like the approaching doom so he asked us to overturn it and since the matter is of 'The End' we decided to grant his request."

"So if I decline your request, the world will end in another ten years?" Harry asked.

"No not that fast but around in the next five thousand years or so."

"Five thousand years!" Harry exclaimed. "That's a long time."

"Do you know how old is Earth?" Fate asked.

"Uh, I think four billion years?" Harry said remembering an old documentary that he watched with Ginny for laughs. They had just gotten a TV and she wanted to try it out.

"4.5 billion years." Fate corrected. "Does that compare to a measly five thousand years? It's like the blink of an eye."

"Huh," Harry said. "That's true."

"The approaching End aside, what would be your decision?"

"So no strings attached?" Harry asked slowly. "I can just go back in time and do what I want."

"As long as it results in the death of Voldemort, yes. Which I don't think I need to add."

Harry sat there, the steaming cup of tea long forgotten, his eyes narrowed. This was a tempting offer, really tempting. And that was the problem. Nothing in his life had ever come without an onslaught of new obstacles.

"You can doubt us all you want." Fate recognized the look on his face. "We have put everything in front of you and it is your decision."

What the hell, shrugged Harry.

"I'll take your bait."

Fate clapped jovially. "That's the spirit. If you wish you can begin your journey now or you can rest for a few more hours. Time really is of no essence to us." He pointedly looked towards the man on the left.

"No." Harry stood up. "I would rather go back now."

"Hm. See that door on your left?"

Harry swivelled around wanting to say what door? He hadn't seen any when he came in but to his utter surprise, there was a wooden door.

He smiled and shook his head, he was in the presence of Fate, he should have been expecting such tricks.

"One last time, are you sure don't want to take a few days to ponder over the situation and make a rough plan?"

"Nope, I would rather take a plunge now than later."

He got up and started walking towards the door resolutely. The door to his past, where everyone waited for him. Every single traitor and backstabber. And her. He couldn't wait to see her, even if it meant staring again into the face of everyone he now loathed.

Just as he reached the door he remembered something and turned around.

"You said guardian of this world. Does that mean there are other worlds?"

Fate started chuckling.

"I was wondering when you would get around to that, another one of the major concern of your people. As for the answer, I am not at the liberty to answer."

"Guessed as much." Harry shrugged. "Oh well, off I go."

"We wish you good luck Mr. Potter and may the flow of time be on your side this time." From the wizened man who called himself time, these words were disconcerting.

He opened the door. What awaited him was utter darkness. He couldn't see a single thing. The blackness threatened to engulf the door frame even. Gulping, he stepped into the darkness.

And that's when he remembered something important.

He had forgotten to ask how far in the past he would go.

He turned around to ask but it was too late now, the darkness had begun to engulf him.

He woke up with a start, the world a hazy blur to him, which was wrong. He was pretty sure he was wearing his contacts when he met with fates.

Fates.

Time Travel.

His hand reached towards the bed table abruptly, his hand coming in contact with his long forgotten glasses. He put them on and looked around. Red curtains hung around him and the bed was familiarly comfortable.

He was in Gryffindor dormitory.

Gingerly he got up and then fell down. His head swam as soon as he tried to stand up. His balance was off which was to be expected since his consciousness used to his much larger body had just gotten transferred to his younger body.

But that wasn't the main concern. The main problem was what year was it.

He cursed himself thinking how could he forget to ask such a simple thing.

"Mate!"

He froze, his blood ran cold and his face turned pale.

"Harry, you alright? I heard someone falling.

A face peeked through the curtain, a young pale freckled face with a shock of orange-red hair. He could detect genuine concern on his face amidst the sleepiness.

The contorted sneer maligned the innocent smiling face of his best friend.

Anger erupted inside him. A boiling hot lava that had been smouldering inside him for years. He wanted to reach out and strangle this creature, this mass of jealousy and insecurity that he had kept close to himself for so long, choosing to ignore all of his shortcomings just because he was his first friend.

Fucking traitor.

But now wasn't the time to grant his wishes.

"Ron which year are we in?" He tried his best to keep the anger out of his voice and thought he largely succeeded.

Not that the thick-headed bastard would notice. He internally seethed.

"What?" the bewilderment was quite evident in his voice. "You lost your memory or something?"

"Just answer the question."

"Geez don't bite my head will you and here I thought you were a morning person."

"Ron!" his incessant rambling was too much for his raw nerves and he let some anger seep into his voice.

"Fourth-year mate. You sure you're alright?"

"I am fine, now go back to sleep. We still have a couple of hours before we need to get up."

"No need to tell me twice." Muttered Ron, stifling a yawn as his face disappeared.

He could hear soft padded footsteps and then hear the sheets rustling before Ron's snores joined the cacophony that was his dorm room.

While before Harry may have just shook his head and ignore it, now it gyrated his nerves. The sound was like Styrofoam rubbing against each other or someone making a screeching sound with the chalk on the blackboard. Pure agony.

Abruptly he got up, his head swam with dizziness but he managed to control it this time. Grabbing his toiletries, he went to the bathroom performing his daily ritual.

After getting dressed, he left the dormitory as soon as he could. His consciousness was adjusting nicely to his body but he had to find out about his magical reserves. He was used to spending a lot more magic than his fourteen-year-old self.

He stopped at the turn of the stairs and stared. The common room should be empty at this time. It was fucking four in the morning but there she was sitting with her feet tucked in, her head leaning against the cushioned back of the sofa. The coppery hair was visible as a burning flame against the soft gold colour of the sofa.

Ginny.

He swallowed. Hard. There she was sitting just a few feet away from him, the only one for whom he agreed to this ridiculous plan. All he had to do was walk a few feet and then he can hold her again.

His feet started to move on their own, his mind too numb to process what was happening. With great reluctance, he managed to stop his feet. He remembered the thirteen-year-old Ginny. The shy stuttering one. He almost groaned. One more year. Why couldn't fate just send him just one year ahead?

It wouldn't do to startle her. He decided. He tried to turn back and return to the hellhole of the dormitory which could be made bearable by a silencing charm but it was too late.

"Harry."

She had turned around and was looking at him directly. In the darkness, he could feel the blood moving to her cheeks.

Her eyes were even more beautiful than he remembered. His heart fluttered and his palms became sweaty. All he wanted to do was to hug her and kiss her all over.

He gulped.

Stupid plan.

Thankfully his brain had started working again.

"Erm, yeah. Sorry to disturb you." He muttered.

"No!" her voice was an octave higher than he remembered. She must be feeling embarrassed, Harry realized.

"I was about to go up. I came here to erm," she fumbled. "Oh yeah, I came to get water."

"Right," Harry muttered to himself. He distinctly remembered each dormitory having its own drinking water supply to facilitate the students.

It would be hard, but problems don't go away by avoiding them. He had to start talking to her no matter how he wished that Ginny would actually be able to hold a proper conversation with him.

He didn't think he had enough time nor control to wait around for Ginny to regain her confidence around him.

"You don't have to lie to me." Harry started climbing down. "I know you still have nightmares about the chamber, especially the night when you return from home."

"Erm, I don't know what you are talking about."

Harry sat down on the couch opposite to Ginny and stared at her. She looked so young and innocent than what he remembered. In the dim light, he could see the tomato red colour adorning her cheeks.

"You can sleep here if you want. I'll wake you up before anyone gets here." Harry completely ignored her.

"No, No." She shook her head vehemently. "I'll go back to the dormitory."

"Don't be so stubborn." Harry snapped. "I know you won't be able to sleep there."

For a moment, he could see her eyes ablaze, a different kind of redness creeping up her neck. Her eyebrows twitched and Harry was sure she was going to yell at him. A momentary grin graced his lips. Yet it didn't happen.

It might just be fun getting to know her from this phase. Thought Harry.

"I am completely awake."

Her stubbornness made him chuckle. She never did well with being told what to do. And that rebellious streak was the reason he fell in love with her in the first place, aside from her being sinfully beautiful.

Nope, that's not helping.

"Why are you laughing?" She demanded.

That only made him laugh harder.

"WHAT?"

Harry jumped from the sheer force of the voice.

Alright, that was scary.

"N-nothing." His eyes darted from here and there hoping that Ginny hadn't learned her bat bogey hex yet. It was a particularly painful one, especially the groin variation that Ginny had invented herself.

Nope, Bill taught her before she came to Hogwarts.

The thought of the traitorous family was enough to end all the humour in the situation.

"You really should sleep," Harry spoke with a bit more serious tone. "Don't want to sleep during the first day of classes."

"And you?"

"I've slept enough. I am not used to sleeping after four."

"No, you wake up at six."

Right.

"I've changed a bit." He had to tell her at some point. She was the only support he could count on here.

"In a day?"

"It's a bit more complicated. Why don't you go to sleep, We'll talk during breakfast?"

With a wave of his hand, he conjured a blanket and handed it to Ginny whose eyes had gone wide in disbelief.

Uh oh.

"H-how did you do that?" She whispered.

He could feel fatigue setting in. Just that bit of magic had made him quite tired. He should have used his wand.

Note to self, no more usage of wandless magic.

"Shhh." He placed a finger on his lips. "Don't tell anyone, please. It's one of my secrets."

Ginny nodded slowly grabbing the blanket from his outstretched hand. She draped it over her shoulder and stared at him.

That's how she spent the next hour.

Not minding that Ginny was openly staring at him, he was used to far worse, Harry closed his eyes and started meditating. That magic had left him a lot more fatigued and he had to replenish his magical supplies as soon as he can. He might need to teach Severus Snape a lesson.

He delved deep into his mind, coming across the piece of soul that Voldemort had left in him. A shocking discovery, but He and Ginny were somehow able to trace the connection that he had with Voldemort back to this shard. He grimaced and decided to leave it alone for now. He would need quite a bit of preparation and time to remove it.

Leaving it behind, he dived even deeper till he came across his essence, the place where the magic originated.

He gauged his magic. It was weaker than what he was used to but he had to make do for now. He was about to break his meditation when he felt something.

His nerves tingled, his heart started beating faster and perspiration started coming out from every pore of his body.

His core was overloading.

He hadn't realized that his magic had come back with him in time. It was like he was completely here just in a smaller body.

A body not used to this enormous amount of magic.

Oh, Crap.

He slowed down his breathing, trying to control it. In the distance, he could hear someone calling for him.

He thought it would be a long battle, but it wasn't to be. The feeling went away as soon as it came but the power he felt was still here.

Somehow his body had absorbed the excessive magical power.

Strange.

He opened his eyes and saw Ginny standing in front of him, worry lined her beautiful face.

"Harry what happened?"

"Oh, nothing." He smiled. "Just another one of my secrets."

Just then Ginny noticed how close she was standing to Harry. A furious blush came across her face and she immediately retreated, almost falling down on the sofa.

And resumed her staring.

On the other hand, Harry became busy in checking his new, well old, magical power. He felt a lot fuller, like he was about to explode. His fingertips were vibrating with magic but otherwise, it was completely in control. There was no accidental burst of magic. No glass breaking, no flying objects which was always good.

That would make his plans easy.

Plans that he had yet to formulate.

He looked up at Ginny who was still staring at him. Finding his eyes trained on her, she flushed crimson and looked away.

"I don't mind you ogling, others not so much." A smirk played on his lips.

"I wasn't ogling." Ginny immediately shot back with ferocity before her hands clamped her mouth.

"Sorry." She muttered.

Harry immediately burst out laughing. Younger Ginny was so easy.

"You git!" She said as she realized Harry was having her on.

Harry just smiled at her. It was unthinkable that she wouldn't be on his side. But how would he tell her that her whole family was a bunch of traitors? That wouldn't be an easy conversation, pending that she actually believes that he travelled back in time.

And that was just one of the many problems. He had to take revenge and kill Voldemort. He wasn't just going to let them live because they wouldn't have a chance to betray him this time.

No, he would make them pay for what they did to him in the future.

And he was sure Ginny would be by his side when that happens.

There were many things that he had to do but first of them were to write letters. Letters to Remus, Sirius and Tonks. The three people other than Ginny whose loyalty he was sure of. Admittedly Tonks didn't know him in this lifetime yet but he had a plan to get her on board too.

Five. At least the odds were better than the last time around.

While Ginny went up to her dormitory to get ready, he brought parchment down to the sofa. He didn't need to take classes so he had to spend the time somehow.

He was halfway through the first letter when Ginny came down. Seeing her curiosity piqued by the letter he answered for her.

"I am writing to Sirius."

"Sirius Black?" Ginny gasped. "The mass murderer? Why would you write to him?"

Oh yeah, she didn't know yet.

"Didn't Ron tell you?" He knew Ron didn't tell her.

"Tell me what?" She demanded.

"Come on I'll tell you on the way," Harry answered picking his bag and putting the parchment and the quill inside.

On the way, his hand almost reached out to grab hers but he desisted. Instead, he told her all about Sirius Black. Step one, incorporate her in his life.

There wasn't much that she said, her shyness had returned tenfold since she came back from the dormitory.

He fell silent as the doors of the Great Hall came near. He opened it and slipped inside. It was still early so not many people were there.

The breakfast was silent. He tried to engage Ginny in conversation but gave up partway through. She just wouldn't open her mouth, preferring to answer in grunts.

Halfway through, Ron and Hermione joined them on the breakfast table, much to Harry's annoyance.

"Harry, why didn't you wait for me?"

The question came after Ron had laden his plate full of food and crumbs had started flying everywhere which irritated him to no end, then again even Ron breathing would annoy him.

He didn't answer opting to remain silent while Hermione laid into Ron once again on proper etiquettes during eating.

The continued bickering was having a nauseating effect on him. How was he able to endure it before? He had no idea. Looking over at Ginny he found the same distorted expression on her face.

He smiled at her, hoping to put her at ease. Instead, a faint blush adorned her cheeks and she looked down.

At least she looks prettier this way.

Losing his appetite, he stood up and leaned over the table. Ginny seemed shocked to find Harry so close to her.

"Meet me after class will you?" Harry whispered.

"What are you whispering in my little sister's ear?"

For someone thick-headed, he sure noticed things that he shouldn't notice.

"None of your damn business." He turned towards the redheaded pig and growled.

"Harry!" Hermione gasped. "Language."

"Hermione." Harry imitated her voice. "Other people's business."

She swivelled back, a hurt look on her face. A guilty feeling rose in his heart seeing tears in Hermione's eyes but he quickly squashed it down. She was the same girl who sold him to Voldemort.

He picked his bag and turned towards Ginny.

"I have eaten enough. Later."

He marched towards the door and disappeared out of sights.

As soon as he left, Ron turned on Ginny.

"What was all that about? Why is he so chummy with you?"

Ginny gave him a scathing look. "Ask him yourself, you dipshit!"

She too picked her bag and went out of the great hall.

It was still early but Harry was already sitting in the class, formulating the best plan to avoid the

traitorous everyone and writing a letter to Remus and Sirius. They weren't terribly long, just asking them to be here the next Hogsmeade weekend and that he had something important to discuss with them.

The day went by in a haze. The classes kept coming and going. He completed his classwork as soon as he could and spent the rest of time thinking of his approach to the myriads of the problems he faced. A rough plan was beginning to form in his mind.

By the time the classes were over, the teachers were going stir crazy with the improvement he had shown. He was always one of the last few to get the spell right, mind you that was mostly because he and Ron were always up to no good but now he was the first one to complete every single assignment. Hermione had been shooting him worried glances but he managed to avoid her through the day.

After the last of the class had let them out, he stormed out of the class avoiding Hermione on the way who was moving towards the door like a bullet in order to intercept him. He was hoping Ginny was in the common room so they could get out of there before Hermione had a chance to corner him. He didn't fancy killing her yet.

His luck was holding out, he found Ginny sitting on the large sofa in the common room. Her head was thrown back and her eyes closed. She looked to be resting.

"Ginny!" He felt a bit guilty at disturbing her but there were more important things on his mind.

Her eyes shot open and she looked here and there scared out of her wits. Finally, her eyes settled on Harry.

He could see the tell-tale signs of anger in her but he just grabbed her hand and took off in the nick of time as Hermione came in the common room like a thunder. She kept calling him but he didn't listen.

As far as people calling him go, there was another furious person calling out to him, the one who he was dragging through the hall.

Better to hear it in one sitting than to have her yell again and again.

Reaching the Seventh floor, he let go of her and started pacing in front of the wall where Room of Requirement was.

"Harry what are you do….?" Ginny trailed off when all of a sudden a large door appeared in front of her.

"Let's go in, then I'll tell you everything."

He grabbed her hand and went inside the door.

The inside was a lush cream in colour with a blue coloured rug. Creamy blue sofas were lying around a large fireplace. Over the fireplace was a portrait of four people.

"This was our drawing room," Harry whispered, a dreamy look on his face.

"Ours?"

"Oh sorry. Let's talk after sitting. It's a long and unbelievable tale."

Curious, Ginny followed Harry to the sofas and sat down.

He stared at her, she stared at him. Her shyness forgotten in lieu of the great curiosity that she was feeling.

"What's happening Harry? How did you change so much? And why are you avoiding Hermione like a plague?" In the end, the dam spilled forth.

On Hermione's name, his face hardened and a mad look came in his eyes, so much so that Ginny started feeling fearful. Seeing her wide eyes, Harry's expression softened and he answered her.

"Because she betrayed me."

"I don't understand."

"Let me tell you from the beginning." Harry sighed and leaned back on the sofa. Truly the Room of Requirement was amazing. The sofa felt the same as it had when he lived in the house with Ginny. It had that same calming effect on him that it did before.

"Harry?" He was broken out of his stupor by Ginny calling out of him.

"Sorry." Harry grinned sheepishly. "Would you like something to eat first?"

Without waiting for an answer he called out. "Dobby!"

He knew that Dobby would be here. The fourth year had already begun and that's when the overexcited elf had started his job at Hogwarts.

With a loud crack, the elf appeared wearing a towel with a Hogwarts crest.

"Young master called for me?" He bowed and then lifted up his head. And that's when he saw Harry sitting there smiling.

"Master Harry Potter sir?" He tilted his head to one side, his large ears drooping. He had begun quite excitedly before his voice trailed off into a question.

"Yes, Dobby it's me."

"It is Master Harry Potter Sir." Dobby bounced up and down excitedly. "How did you know I was here."

Harry just smiled faintly in response. "Dobby we need something to eat."

"Oh, of course, Master Harry Potter Sir." Dobby stopped jumping and nodded enthusiastically.

"Dobby will get you something to eat."

The elf vanished with a crack, much in the same way as he came.

"How do you know that elf?" Her inquisitiveness made her forget about her worries for a moment.

"From the chamber." His words induced silence in the room for a few short moments which he himself broke.

"I cannot say this enough but I am sorry I wasn't there for you after the chamber. I was the only one who had shared your experience in the chamber, even if it was only at the end."

"Harry."

He held up a hand. "You were alone, you had nightmares. Nightmares you didn't tell anyone about. Your situation was so bad that your parents took you to see your favourite brother but that didn't help much either did it?"

Ginny had gone pale in the face.

"Eventually time healed it, the nightmares became less and less through the year but you still get them occasionally. You blame yourself for opening the chamber but there's a part of you that has never forgiven your brothers for discarding you the way they did."

"H-How?"

"How did I know?" The wry smile was back on his face. "Because you told me. Or should I say you will tell me, many years in the future."

"You aren't making much sense Harry."

"I know." Harry acknowledged. "But if I told you just plain and simple that I have come from the future you will not believe me."

"What?"

"When you died, you told me to take all of your memories. I don't know why you did it but now it will come in handy. If you'll allow me."

"Just wait a minute Harry." She threw up her hands. "What the heck are you talking about. First, you go off into such details about my situation and then you start spewing some nonsense which is just…. nonsense."

"Do you trust me?"

Ginny went silent, staring at him, in her eyes the conflict was clear. What Harry was asking of her was simply quite huge, but every instinct in her screamed to trust him.

The staring continued for a few minutes before she finally relented.

"Alright."

Harry grinned and brought out his wand. He muttered a few words and twisted his wrist halfway. Immediately a tendril of white light shot out from his forehead. For a moment, Ginny was scared but there wasn't enough time to react as the light entered her mind an instant later.

An explosion of images, of memories that she hadn't experienced but felt remarkably familiar. It was almost too much. The memories were accompanied by a searing pain in her head. Her head throbbed with agony but the memories didn't stop assaulting her mind.

Years passed by in front of her eyes as her mind adjusted to the inflow of information, learning from the memories and absorbing them. It was as if they weren't just memories but a shadow of the person whom these memories belonged to. A person that she was beginning to realize was her.

As the pain ebbed away, she was able to focus more on the memories. She saw the rise of Voldemort, Sirius' death, their kiss, their marriage and then her death.

But within them were terrible memories, memories that she didn't want to believe. She saw as her family turned towards Voldemort to save themselves and their subsequent murder. She saw herself consoling a broken and distraught Harry as they sat crying.

Most of all, with these memories came clarity, a broadening of her views. Suddenly, she found her worldview altered. An understanding of the terrible way the world worked. The chamber had already shown her much but now she found within her the hardness and firmness that came with years on the run. The shadow had completely imprinted on her personality. She felt like a thirteen-year-old and a twenty-four-year-old simultaneously.

All the while Harry sat a few feet away from her, incessantly chewing his bottom lips. Ginny had shrieked and writhed at the beginning but he couldn't do anything. It broke his heart to see her in such pain but he couldn't take the risk of breaking the memory transfer. It was dangerous enough as it was, the consequences of breaking the spell before it was complete would be dangerous.

They had found it in an old dusty book in the Black Library. A memory implant spell. At first unsure why such a spell existed, they had learned it in the hopes it would help them against Voldemort.

As hours started passing, he closed his eyes and entered into meditation. He was too restless to do anything else. Besides, he still needed to control his magic better.

He imagined a vast ocean, tumultuous and angry. Its waves crashing against the shore on which he stood. He imagined controlling the raucous waves, bending them to his will. He pushed against the might of the ocean with the power of his mind and then pulled. Sometimes he would succeed others, he won't.

By the time he heard Ginny sitting up, he had much better control than when he began over his magic. He opened his eyes, anxious to see that she was alright. Her hair had tousled up and her eyes had become red but otherwise, she looked fine.

"Oh, Harry." She sobbed as soon as she saw him.

Immediately, he was by her side, wrapping his hands around her shoulders and consoling her.

"I-I had no idea that's what you had to go through."

"It's alright," Harry answered, relishing in the feeling of her luxurious red hair and her warmness against him. "I am here so that we don't have to go through that once again."

"My family." She looked up with a despairing look in her eyes. "Did they actually do that?"

His jaw clenched. This was the moment that he dreaded. He didn't want to tell her but he nodded anyway, not wanting to withhold anything from her. He had done enough of that already.

To his surprise, she didn't say anything, only nodded her head and put it back on his shoulder.

"It's strange." She spoke after a few minutes of silence. "On one hand, we have shared so many intimate moments and I can recall each and every single one of them with perfect clarity, on the other I want to blush just because you smiled at me and run away."

"Are you alright?"

She nodded. "Yeah I am fine. It will take a bit of time before she and I become one. We have chosen for the future Ginny to be the dominant personality. She's much better than the younger one."

It was a bit disconcerting hearing her talk like that.

"I am sorry, that you had to go through that. I wish I didn't have to do that."

"No." Ginny sat up. There was still that innocent left in her. "I am glad that you did what you did. I want to be a part of the war. And if this is the way that we can save so many lives that so be it."

Harry smiled and shook his head. "I knew you would answer like that."

"Now shut up and let me rest for a bit. That was bloody tiring." She placed her head back on his shoulder and closed her eyes.

"As my lady commands."

They stayed like that for hours until it was time for dinner. At which time, Harry nudged her awake.

As expected, Hermione was waiting for him in the Great Hall quite agitatedly, stabbing her potatoes like they had killed her puppy. Harry looked around the table, but the only spot opened was where they usually sat. With years of sitting on the same table, everyone seemed to have a special place to sit.

"Where have you been?" The questions started firing as soon as they sat down. "I looked for you everywhere. Have you been avoiding me?"

"No Hermione," Ginny spoke quickly, not giving any chance to Harry to respond. She knew what Hermione did to him now and how much it had hurt him. And she also knew that it wasn't the time nor the place to get angry.

"Harry was just telling me something important." It wasn't like she had lied. Harry had told her something important.

"What could be so important?"

"Something Harry had to tell me."

"What?"

"It's private Hermione."

"Oh." She blinked. "Anyway. I have something to ask you, Harry."

Harry just grumbled.

"How did you do all of that?"

"All of what?"

"Those spells. How did you do them?"

"It's a little thing called magic Hermione. You might have seen other people doing it." Harry answered sarcastically.

"Harry." Hermione glared. "I am serious."

"Look Hermione. I owe you no answers. What I do, How I do it? It's none of your concern, so stop fucking butting in." He was practically seething by the end.

Ginny placed a hand on Harry's shoulder, partly to restrain him and partly to silence him. As she turned towards Hermione, she saw tears in the eye of the older girl.

"Sorry." She mumbled and pushed away from the table.

She felt bad for the girl as she saw him rapidly walking away from the table. She was reaping the fruit of the crop that she hadn't sown yet.

"Come on Harry." She patted his shoulder. "Finish your dinner. You'll need the energy."

In the days that passed, the biggest news was of the Tri-Wizard Tournament followed by the rudeness that Harry showed to almost everyone that he met, even his previous best friends. The docile and meek Boy-Who-Lived had everyone puzzled. Such kind of behaviour was audacious from him. But it did have the effect of everyone staying away from him. Everyone except Ginny.

Draco Malfoy had seen this another chance to extend a hand of friendship, thinking that Harry had finally seen the truth of everyone around him. He had found his food turned into horse shit every time he put a morsel in his mouth that afternoon, after being knocked down face first when he tried to talk to Harry. Thankfully no one was around to witness the exchange.

Come weekend, Ginny once again found herself dragged out of the common room.

"Harry!" she shrieked wrenching her hand out of his grasp. "What are you doing?"

"Sorry," Harry answered sheepishly. "I got too excited."

"That's all well and good." Ginny crossed her arms. "But you could at least show me the courtesy of telling me where we are going, before dragging me wherever the hell you were going."

"We are going to meet Sirius and Remus," Harry answered quickly. "I asked them to come to Hogsmeade this weekend."

"But wasn't Sirius travelling east? How could he get here so fast?"

"I asked him to give his location to Remus through Hedwig. She's the least susceptible to being intercepted. He took a portkey there and got him to England as fast as he could. He arrived just yesterday, you know."

"Oh."

"Anyway let's go. They are waiting for us in the Shrieking Shack."

Taking the secret passages under Hogwarts, they were in the Shrieking Shack soon. Sirius was pacing around the room looking quite agitated. While Remus sat in a half-broken chair with a small smile on his face watching Sirius pace.

"Harry!" Sirius was onto him as soon as they came out of the passage, grabbing his shoulder and engulfing him in a bear hug. "Are you alright? Your letter said it was urgent. What is it?"

"Sirius." Remus had stood up and calmly pried him off Harry who had started to have difficulty breathing. "Give the boy a few moments to rest. He just got here. Miss Weasley." He nodded towards the girl standing behind him.

"Weasley?" Sirius perked up. "That Weasley boy's sister?"

"Her name's Ginny." Harry offered sitting down on another chair. "She's a good friend of mine."

"Oh?" Sirius nodded. "Well, then what was the urgency?"

"I plan on getting Sirius out."

Sirius chortled at that and Remus couldn't help but smile.

"Harry we all want that but how are you going to accomplish that?"

"I know where Wormtail is."

"What?" Sirius stood up. "Where?"

"He's under a Fidelius Charm right now but I know how to get him out."

"Harry!" It was Ginny who had finally spoken, gently chiding him. "I think it would be better if you told them from the beginning."

"Right." Harry nodded. "I guess it would be easier if I just show you."

He brought out his wand. "Just stay still."

This time, it didn't last as long. It wasn't the same thing either. He just showed them his memories of the crucial things. Only the things that they needed to know. He didn't feel comfortable sharing anything else.

Remus was the first one to snap out of it. He rubbed his eyes trying to make sense of it.

"Harry what was that?"

"The future. Or what was the future, before I came back." He answered simply. "It was Fate who sent me back, to ensure that Voldemort won't take over the world and destroy it. And I intend to do just that but not because Fate wants me to but because I will take my revenge against him."

By now Sirius had also gotten up, a bit dazed from the overflow of information but otherwise sane. He turned towards Harry and blinked.

"What?" quite irritated by Sirius' continued staring, Harry finally asked.

"I was killed by a Half crazed bitch?"

The question was so absurd that he started chuckling, soon Remus and Ginny joined in and the Shrieking Shack was shaking with laughter.

"Might I remind you, Sirius." Ginny wiped the tears from her eyes. "That half-crazed bitch is one of the most feared followers of Tom."

"Tom?"

"That's Voldemort's real name. Tom Riddle." Harry explained.

"That explains it!" Sirius nodded like he had understood some great mystery. "I always wondered what kind of parents named their kid Voldemort."

"You mean to tell me Sirius that you actually believed that Voldemort was his real name?" disbelief was evident in the voice of Remus.

"What?" Sirius shrugged. "How was I supposed to know it wasn't his real name."

"Honestly." Remus just shook his head.

"Sirius' dumbness aside, we need to discuss the matter of taking care of all the wrongs," Harry said with good humour.

"Like me being killed by my crazy cousin." Sirius shook his head. "Nope, that just can't happen."

"It's all well and good that you want to take care of Voldemort Harry." It was Remus who spoke. "But aren't you afraid of changing too much. I think it's an unspoken rule that meddling with time is a very bad idea."

Harry rubbed his head. "Not really, I don't think I simply care enough. You have to believe me Remus, the world that I came from, it was simply a ruin. There was nothing left. Voldemort, he had taken control of everything. All of Europe, Africa, even America was under his influence. When I came back even Asia was falling under him albeit for a few resistances in the East. It was a dark hour, Remus. And it's not something that I want to see again. Anything would only be an improvement from that.

There was a bit of silence following Harry's impassioned statement. All of them sat there contemplating what he had said. Sure they had seen a bit of everything that had happened in the future but only Harry there had witnessed it first-hand. He was the only one who had seen the horror of that world. He was the only one who knew what it felt like living there fighting a losing battle every day.

Remus started rubbing his temple. He could feel a headache coming. It was all just too much to absorb.

"I know it's too much to handle. I have just turned your world upside down." Harry had sensed the unease in the wolf. "We don't need to decide anything today. I just wanted to tell you everything so that I could warn you about certain people. People who are certain to betray us. The only ones we can count on are in this room and a few others that we haven't known yet, but I intend to bring them into the fold as soon as I can. We need to formulate a plan as soon as we can and destroy Voldemort. But soon doesn't mean today. You can take a few days, sit on this information and ponder on it. Whenever you are ready, we'll move forward."

"What?" He once again found Sirius staring at him.

"Never knew you were a leader."

Ginny chuckled. "He's a natural, led us all against Umbridge during the sixth year, formed an illegal student club to fight that toad."

This time, Ginny found herself under scrutiny. "Sorry, still getting used to the memories."

"Ginny's a special case," Harry explained. "I had her own memories from before her death which I passed on to her, so in a way she has returned to the past too."

"That's all well and good, but how are we going to capture Wormtail?" Quite understandably the first concern on Sirius' mind was that of arresting their traitor friend, Peter Pettigrew.

"You have heard about the Tri-Wizard Tournament haven't you?" at their nod he continued. "Voldemort has sent a spy to infiltrate Hogwarts during the Tournament and to ensure his return to his full power. He has regained a body but it isn't quite functional. He hopes that by using my blood not only will he return to full power but also negate the protection that my mother gave me."

"A spy?" Remus asked.

"Barty Crouch Jr," Harry answered. "His dad orchestrated his death to get him out of Azkaban, one of the most fanatic followers of Lord Voldemort. He's also the Secret Keeper of the place where Voldemort is, at least that's what I think."

"Wow." Sirius' eyes had gone wide in disbelief. "Never thought the uptight old Barty would ever break the law like that, even for his own son. He sentenced him to a life in Azkaban himself you know."

Harry nodded. "Dumbledore has appointed Mad-Eye Moody as the new Defence teacher. Barty Crouch is impersonating him."

"Your story gets more and more disbelieving by the second Harry," Sirius said. "Now you are telling us, that somehow Barty Crouch got the jump on the ever paranoid Alastor Moody?"

"It happened." Harry shrugged. "Mad-Eye never told us how it happened, though, guess too much-wounded pride."

"I can imagine that."

"Anyway, I plan to incapacitate the spy and use him to lure Wormtail out."

"How?"

"Leave that to me. I have a plan."

"If you say so Harry," Remus answered glancing out of the window which was stained by the orange light from the setting sun. "You should get going now. It's getting late. People will start wondering where you are soon. We'll think about what you have shown us and get back to you as soon as we can. Right Sirius?"

Sirius nodded. "Till then, take care Harry and you too Ginny."

"Sure will."

"We should get going now, Sirius."

"Where are you planning on going?" Harry asked curiously.

"I have a rented apartment in London," Remus answered. "It's a bit small but it will be able to fit a man and his dog."

"Why don't you use the Black ancestral home?"

The very mention of that house had brought a scowl to Sirius' face.

"I know you don't like it Sirius but given the number of wards that place has, it's probably the safest place for you right now. Remus can go with you."

"I don't know, that place has just too much of my family in it. It isn't a place worth living in."

"Beggars can't be chooser Sirius."

"I guess you are right." Grumbled Sirius. "This isn't a time to be picky where I live. As soon as I get free, though, I intend to spend every Knut in Black Vault to get a better home."

"Yes, yes but for now live in that home. We should add a Fidelius charm to it too."

"None of us are capable enough to cast that charm, Harry." Remus reminded him. "Not even me."

Harry grinned. "But I am. It's not just my memories that returned to my past self. My magic also returned. I'll drop by someday and cast the charm. Remus can be the secret keeper."

"Well, that's all settled then." Sirius clapped his hand. "Let's get to that cheery house of mine."

Saying their goodbyes, The two men disapparated from the ruined building. Ginny and Harry too made their way back, chatting and gossiping about whatever the latest Hogwarts rumour mill was churning out.

When they entered the common room, they found Hermione sitting in a corner doing her homework. Harry didn't spare her a second glance but Ginny noted the way Hermione had sent a look of longing towards Harry.

Reaching the end of stairs, Ginny gave him a small hug. "Good night Harry."

"Goodnight Ginny."

She watched as he disappeared up the stair. She herself was about to go and settle in bed but found Hermione standing in front of her. There was a look of desperation on her face. Her nose was red and her eyes were puffy like she had been crying recently. Her hair also looked a bit more messed up.

"Ginny, can I talk to you?"

She knew what Hermione wanted to talk about. She knew she should find an excuse and get out of here. But she couldn't, instead she let Hermione take her hand and guide her to a couch.

They sat face to face on the two ends of the couch. She found it hard to meet the bushy haired girls' eyes.

"Ginny." Her voice was broken, like someone who had lost everything. "Please tell me what's going on?"

Hermione was literally begging her, pleading with her to tell her.

"Ginny." Her voice sounded a bit more distraught. "Ginny please look at me."

She knew it would be a mistake but she still looked up. There were tears in the older girl's eyes.

"You know I don't have many friends. You, Ron and Harry, you are the only one I can count on. I never had any friends while growing up. I was always the nerd of the class, the stuck up arrogant girl no one liked, everyone ridiculed me but not Harry. Even Ron said mean things to me but Harry never did. I may not look it but I cherished his friendship a lot, you know. I saw him as a brother I never had. But now, now…."

Her voice choked with emotion, she couldn't speak anymore. Furiously she wiped at her eyes. "Now, he won't even talk to me, won't even be in the same room as me. And I don't know what I have done." She once again broke down, bawling her eyes out. "Please, Ginny. Please tell me What did I do wrong? I'll do anything to make it right."

What Ginny saw in front of her was a young girl crying because she had just lost her best friend due to reason unknown. But in her mind, she also saw Harry, broken and wounded, crying on her shoulder like a baby, asking again and again what did he ever do to deserve this.

She couldn't put the girl who had betrayed Harry and this girl crying her eyes out to be the same. They seemed so different, so apart from each other. Yet, she knew they were the same. It was Hermione who had betrayed him in the future.

But it was in the future, a future which was redundant now? Would she still betray Harry given the chance? Ginny asked herself. It didn't seem to her that this girl, so distraught over losing him could ever betray Harry. She simply couldn't fathom that.

But it was a danger, a risk she couldn't take. Her memories also told of a similar Hermione and still she had turned on her best friend. No matter what her heart said she simply couldn't take the chance. She simply couldn't let Harry's heart be broken once again.

"I am sorry Hermione." She knew she will regret it for a long time but this was for the best. "But what you did, Harry will never forgive it. I can't tell you what you did, I can't betray his trust like that but it would be best if you forget that you and he were ever friends."

"W-What?"

"I am sorry Hermione." She could feel tears prickling her eyes. "I am truly Sorry." She couldn't stay here any longer, so she got up and climbed up the stairs as fast as she could.

Falling on her bed, she wiped her eyes. It wouldn't do to waste tears on the matter such as this. She had changed a lot in the last few days, but there were still parts of her that were innocent, that weren't altered by the experience of her future self.

It had been a week since it happened. Since she was changed irrevocably by what Harry had shown her. It seemed like a wild dream to her. The stuff of nightmares, but that's what had happened. The thing that had stood out the most to her were the betrayals. Her family, she couldn't believe it but these were her own memories. Even then, she found it hard to fathom that they were capable of something this vile, that they will turn on one of their own for the survival of others just because they were blood. It went against everything that her parents had taught her. She didn't know what to believe anymore.

Unbeknownst to her, though, Harry had watched the complete exchange between the two girls. Just behind the landing, he had stood and listened to their conversation. He didn't want to but Hermione had starting asking Ginny too soon without making sure he was gone, and when the talk started, he simply couldn't bring himself to move. When he saw Hermione crying like that, he had felt a pang of guilt, that he was the reason that she was crying like that. But it was quickly replaced by anger. She was the same girl who will betray him. He will not let her worm her way into his heart.

He was proud when he heard how Ginny kept his trust. Quietly, he had removed himself from the landing then. He knew it was hard for her. If someone told him that everything he had known for his whole life was a lie, he wouldn't have taken it so well. But Ginny was resilient, she had taken everything in stride and had once again decided to stand by his side. What did he ever do to deserve a girl like this, he didn't know.

They weren't as close as before though, he longed to hold her in her arms, to take long walks hand in hand, to feel those soft lips on his again. But it wouldn't come so soon. He knew her, she didn't know him. Even with the memories, he had to give her time to get to know him again. For now, he was content with her friendship.

Because he knew, no matter what, He and Ginny would be one once again.