Go and catch a falling star,

Get a child with a mandrake root,

Tell me where all past years are

Or who cleft the devil's foot.

-John Donne

Grimmauld Place. London. December 2003.

After drawing carefully drawing the circle from Death's own grimoire with the appropriate runes, Harry placed Winky in the middle. He asked her one last time, "Are you sure Winky?"

Winky nodded and stared at him determinedly.

Harry knew that upon activating the circle and sacrificing Winky, he was effectively taking a one-way trip to the past. The Master of the Deathly Hallows was a lot of things; however, time traveling seemed to be a little beyond the abilities that Death was willing to give him at the moment. Harry hoped that by traveling to the past, Harry would be able to prevent Tom Marvolo Riddle Jr. also known as the Dark Lord Voldemort, from turning out the way he did—angry megalomaniac hell bent on killing every muggle and muggleborn.

While Harry did not agree with Voldemort's method's, Tom Marvolo Riddle Jr.'s original

precepts with the Knights of Walpurgis was sound. The ministry slowly banned tenets of magic to cater to the muggleborn populations. Until Neville Longbottom explained it to him, Harry was not aware that Halloween replaced Samhain, or that Christmas replaced Yule. Voldemort seemed in the right for instituting the conservation of magic and all the traditions that accompany it. Voldemort and Harry's muggle upbringing certainly made them more cognizant of their Wizarding Heritage.

Harry knew that he needed to meet up with Merope before she gave birth to the little dark lord. Perhaps Harry can marry her, and raise Voldemort as his son. That will probably give Tom Riddle Jr. more protection that just posing as Tom's older cousin and adopting him. Harry doubted that Merope's beauty would entice him. Harry remembered the memory that Dumbledore showed him, and how the matron thought that Merope was no great beauty, but others would see the merit of aligning themselves with the last descendants of Slytherin—no matter how poor they might be. If Merope did pass away before Harry could get to her, Harry will need to go ahead with the second plan.

Regardless, Harry prepared for this trip as much as he possibly could. He arranged his will in Gringotts. He accepted the blood adoption as Sirius legacy, this effectively turned him into a pureblood. He restored Andromeda and Nymphadora into the Black family. He set aside a vault for Teddy Lupin, to make sure that Teddy will always be taken care of and that his godson could live a life of reasonable comfort is Teddy decides that he does not want to work. Harry picked up a four-compartment trunk, and separated all the artifacts, galleons, potions, and books into each section. Harry wanted to pose as a wealthy and influential pureblood—having the means to do so will make his life easier.

Harry may not be the brightest crayon in the box, but even he realized that galleons make the Ministry go round. If it can pave the way the way for Lucius Malfoy, it can certainly help with the many plans he hoped to enact.

The Order of the Phoenix with their trump card Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, Undersirable Number One, the Chosen One, Heir to the Ancient and Most Noble House of Black, Heir to the House of Potter, the presumptive Heir of Slytherin and Master of Death won the war. However, the cost was too great.

Harry personally lost his parents, dogfather Sirius, Remus Lupin, his childhood innocence, and later a piece of himself too. Horcrux or no, that piece of Voldemort became a piece of Harry's, and Harry discovered that he has a possessive streak a mile long. Maybe Voldemort rubbed off him more than he thought.

Too many lives were lost on both sides, and after everything was said and done, Harry could not muster the interest to pursue a relationship with Ginny Weasley. He did not want to marry her, have a house with a white picket fence, 2.5 children and work as an auror. With Harry's position as the Wizarding World's Savior, he realized that many around him wanted to use him as leverage to push their respective agendas—Kingsley Shacklebolt wanted to be the new Minister of Magic, Hermione Granger wanted him to push for Muggleborn rights, and Ron Weasley wanted him to use his fame to improve the Weasley's lot in life.

Harry changed.

Upon the conclusion of the war, Harry Potter decided to step away from everything expected of him and just discover who is "Just Harry." Harry took his A levels, studied at Christ College in the University of Cambridge, and studied Psychology. Harry then had a better understanding of the manipulations of one Albus Dumbledore. He learned that Dumbledore actually groomed him into having a savior complex, latching on to the first people who showed him even a scrap of kindness and even manipulated events so that Harry would continue to make greater and greater sacrifices at cost of himself.

Dumbledore was a good man, but a flawed one nonetheless. Dumbledore did not have the right to play on Severus Snape's love for his mother. Dumbledore did not have the right to leave Sirius to rot in Azkaban. Dumbledore did not have the right to place him with the Dursleys for a "normal childhood". Harry could made an extended list of all the things that Dumbledore should not have done; however, that would just be a waste of his precious energy.

Instead, Harry chose to focus on the task at hand.

With Winky's sacrifice during Winter Solstice, Harry calculates that he should be able to go back to the year of Tom Riddle's birth (c.1926) and save little Tom from a life in Wool's Orphanage. Anything on his person will come with him. Once he is in the past, Gringotts will declare him deceased. The ritual, with Winky's sacrifice, will enable Harry to take up whatever new persona time decrees.

Stepping into the circle, Harry stuffs the invisibility cloak on the moleskin pouch on his neck, secures the Resurrection Stone on his ring, and slid the Elder Wand on his Wand Holster, next to his Holly and Phoenix wand. He fiddles with the shrunk trunk in his robes, making sure that they are appropriate for the period. He hands a jeweled Goblin made dagger to Winky, and the elf nods at his solemly.

Winky, the sweet old thing that she is, plunges the dagger to her chest. A beam of light appears in the circle, and Harry disappears.


London. June 1931.

Harry groaned. He felt like he had the mother of all hangovers. It certainly did not help that he was hearing a cacophony of voices.

"Do you think she's all right?"

"Sir, I believe that we can hold off a better assessment once she is awake."

Harry hastily made sure that everything was on his person.

Trunk, check.

Ring, check.

Cloak, check.

Wand, check.

Breasts, check.

Breasts? He was a male dammit. He should not be in possession of any feminine bits.

Harry shrieked in surprise. The noise called the attention of both males in the room.

"Madame, I am Doctor Peterson, are you quite all right?" The doctor asked her kindly.

Harry blinked at him before slowly nodding. Harry realized that he was in a hospital bed of sorts, and a sheet was haphazardly draped on him. Harry clenched the sheets.

"You've been quite out of it for the past few days now," Dr. Peterson stated as he checked her over.

"My client, Madame, brought you to me after his carriage hit you." He continued to explain, waving his client over.

His "client" walked over.

Clearing his throat, the man said, "My sincerest apologies, my Lady."

Harry stared. And stared. And screamed.

The git who ran him over was apparently none other than Tom Riddle Sr.

After conversing with Doctor Peterson, Harry learned a few things.

Firstly, there is no doubt that Harry is now a female. He is now a she—with breasts and other female parts. Harry wonders if this was the result of the ritual. Since Harry sacrificed Winky, a female elf, Harry's new identity is now a female. This could have been avoided if Harry used a male elf, but the ritual stated that the sacrifice must be willing—and with Dobby and Kreacher dead, Harry was in a position that significantly lacked elves that could have served as willing sacrifices.

Secondly, Harry had to scrap the plan on marrying Merope Gaunt or posing as Tom Riddle's father. A female posing as someone's father seemed most foolhardy, and Harry laughed at the thought. Harry will need an entirely new plan of action. Perhaps Harry shall include Tom Riddle Sr. in said endevour. After all, the man did run him over of all things.

Thirdly, Harry arrived on summer solstice 1915. This means that Merope Gaunt was quite dead. Tom Marvolo Riddle Jr. is likely at Wool's Orphanage, and while the ritual worked, it was off a few years. Tom Riddle Jr. would be 5 years old at the moment. This would be, if Harry remembered childhood psychology correctly, the age where one shaped impressions that could be properly or improperly reinforced.

This body, Harry learned, belonged to Lady Helena Peverell.

Helena Peverell is a descendant of Cadmus Peverell, the original owner of the Resurrection Stone. Interestingly, Lady Helena Peverell did not study in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. She was educated in the Americas at the Salem Institute. This did not prevent her from pursuing a higher level of education—apparently this body also previously studied at the University of Cambridge. However, Lady Helena Peverell belonged to the college open for women, Lady Margaret Hall. Helena's father, a liberal and jolly chap, apparently believed that it was the appropriate place to find a husband to represent the family in the muggle House of Lords while Helena took over her father's duties at Wizengamont.

Apparently, Lady Helena Peverell finished visiting her recently deceased parents graves when Tom Riddle Sr. ran over her. Lovely.

Perhaps she can use this to her advantage.

Decisions. Decisions.

Should she use a love potion on Tom Riddle Sr?

No, Harry decided that would only backfire later. With his history with Merope Gaunt, he would unlikely be welcoming to witches, wizards or the magical world. Additionally, potions was not Harry's forte. Harry did not want to use the Imperius Curse on Tom Riddle Sr. but it would be more economical.

The poor muggle would be subjected to an unforgiveable due to Harry's shortcomings. Being frugal is not a crime, thank you very much. There is no need to spend more than necessary, not that Harry had to be concerned with his budget.

Oh well, it would be for "the Greater Good" as Dumbledore called it. After all, it doesn't hurt to take a page out of Albus too many middle names Dumbledore credo "For the Greater Good." Jeremy Bentham would be quite proud with how Dumbledore popularized the phrase, even if it is just in the Wizarding world.

Harry strengthened her resolve and cleared her throat,

"Thank you sir, but I am afraid that we have not been introduced," she looked at Tom Riddle Sr. rather pointedly once the Doctor left.

He blushed, "Ah, Tom Riddle."

"Helena Peverell, Lady of House Peverell," Harry introduces herself. She raised her hand at him. Tom Riddle Sr. took her hand, and placed a gentle kiss on top of her knuckles. Say what you will about Tom Riddle, he may be a muggle but at least he is a well-bred and an attractive one.

"A beautiful name for a beautiful lady," he tells her.

She mentally thanked Death! Trust Death to give her a nice body. Helena Peverell possessed long dark hair, emerald coloured eyes, and aristocratic features. Her face was perfectly symmetrical, and if she did not know any better, she would accuse it of having seen a surgeon. Americans loved that sort of thing, she thought bemusedly.

Harry smirks at him.

"Imperius," she intoned. "You will marry me, introduce me to your parents as your new wife, and permit me to raise Tom Marvolo Riddle Jr. from Wool's Orphanage as my own son."

Let the games begin, Harry thought.