Disclaimer- I've said this before and I will say this forever- the Harry Potter universe is unfortunately not mince and never shall be. I'm merely borrowing the characters and inserting them into my plot. Which, fortunately is mine.
A/N- Hello, dear sweetums! Yes, yes. It's pretty shocking, but it's true. I have managed to whip up another story. While struggling to fit in the updating of Veela's Magic. It's insane, but that's who I am! Basically, I wrote this story because it's been my dream to write a time travel story.
Guys, I'd like to give you a warning. I'm not at all innovative, so you probably won't find heart-stopping twists. My stories are pretty cliché. But as I always say- focus on the language, characters and the feel.
Cheerio!
~ Raaga-Malfoy
Sunlight streamed through the windows of 12 Grimmauld Place and softly illuminated the once-grimy interiors of the Noble House of Black. 17 year old Harry Potter sat at the kitchen table, sipping his tea and for once, was feeling peaceful and content.
As he sat there, he looked around the kitchen and remembered a few fond memories of the Order in there. He laughed to himself as he thought of the Weasley twins playing ingenious pranks on the Order members to elicit a few laughs in that gloom.
Just then, a distinctive sound of tapping on the window jolted him out of his reveries. He opened it to let the Daily Prophet owl in and retrieved the day's newspaper from it.
He flipped the paper to the front page to read the headlines, before groaning and crumpling the paper in annoyance. Not again? Wouldn't Rita Skeeter and her little band of minions ever tire of writing about him?
Since the War ended the month before, he had been constantly pushed into the limelight. It was always "Harry Potter this, Harry Potter that". For all the attention the public was showering, they might as well have considered him God! In their eyes, he would always be branded as the Saviour of the Wizardring World- that tended to happen when you had a famous past to begin with.
Maybe for any other person in his shoes, all this would have them on Cloud Nine. But in his case, the constant attention and publicity was driving him crazy! All he wanted was some peace and quiet. And amidst this ridiculous Harry Potter-mania, he was never going to get it- not at Hogwarts nor outside.
Feeling extremely frustrated, he decided to Floo to Dumbledore's office. Maybe the intelligent old wizard would have a solution for him!
At Hogwarts, Albus Dumbledore sat in his office and opened a newspaper similar to Harry's. He glanced at the headlines and sighed. He grinned at Fawkes and said wryly, "Ah…looks like a certain Mr Potter is having paparazzi troubles again!" Hardly had he completed this sentence when the aforementioned person burst out of the fireplace.
"Professor," growled Harry," I've reached my limit. I absolutely CANNOT take any more of this insane hounding!" he yelled in frustration.
"Hmm…I take it that you're referring to the…slightly persistent media attention?" asked an amused Dumbledore.
"Yes! Seriously, this is getting too much to bear!" said Harry, nearly pulling out his own hair, "I feel like I'm going to have a nervous breakdown any moment!"
Dumbledore gestured for Harry to take the seat across him and innocently offered, "Lemon Drops?" Giving him a scathing look, Harry replied, "No. Honestly, the only thing I need right now is a vacation. Away from this world. Is that too much to ask?"
Albus flashed that infuriating 'I-know-something-you-don't' look and said, "Well, using the right means, you very much can have a vacation away from this world."
Harry scoffed and said, "What, planning to send me to Mars?" Albus replied, "Actually, I had in mind something along the lines of time travel. You could visit the past, meet your parents and live a regular life for a while. But I think Mars works too!"
Ignoring the last part, Harry asked in shock, "Really, Professor? I can do that? I…goodness. Just, just give me a moment, please."
Dumbledore smiled in understanding and said, "Yes, Harry. I know it's a lot to take in, but it's true. Using one of my recent inventions, you can travel back in time, meet your parents and everyone else you've wanted to get to know. And of course, there's the bonus of not having the public running behind you. Brilliant, yes?
Harry's eyebrows drew together in deep thought and he said, "But Headmaster, why don't all people use it at their will to visit any time period they wish? And doesn't this pose a great threat to the balance of time? After all, one slip of tongue could completely change the present as we know it!"
In reply, Dumbledore said, "Harry, my boy, did you think I hadn't thought of all this? There is no reason for you to worry. Research shows that all incidents that take place with time travellers were supposed to happen all along. Time is a strange element, after all. And the reason people do not often use time travelling is because it requires great amount of magical prowess and skill. Not everyone has the capability to manage such a complicated and rare spell. But I'm sure- you won't be finding that a problem, Harry!"
He continued, "If you think my answers are satisfactory, do make your decision soon. The earlier you get to the past, the more time you get to spend there."
Eyes sparkling with eagerness, Harry asked frantically," Of course! I would never doubt your words, Headmaster. But do tell, when can I get to 1977? And for how long can I stay there?"
Albus gave a deep chuckle and said, "Slow down, Harry. You can go as soon as you're ready. You'll be beginning the year as a Seventh Year student at Hogwarts in 1977. You can stay there until Graduation or earlier. And when you wish to return, just inform the past version of myself. The letter I shall pass on to myself through you will contain the reversing incantation."
Harry beamed, but it slowly morphed into a frown. He said, "But I suppose I shall have to inform the Weasleys before I leave, yes? They are like family, after all."
With permission from the Headmaster, he grabbed some Floo powder and arrived at the Burrow. Just then, Molly Weasley spotted Harry at the fireplace and ran up to him to give him a bone crushing hug. "Oh, Harry, darling! What a pleasant surprise!" she squealed.
Looking distinctly uncomfortable, Harry replied, "Um…Mrs Weasley, I have something important to tell all of you. Can I meet everyone?"
She ushered him into the living room, where the Weasley clan and Hermione were gathered. Clearing his throat, Harry said, "…Hey, everyone. I'm, um, not going to be able to join you guys this summer. In fact, I won't be attending Hogwarts with you this time."
This caused an immediate uproar. "Mate, what do you mean, you're not coming to Hogwarts with us? Dumbledore hasn't chucked you out, has he?" said a gobsmacked Ron.
Harry groaned and said, "Blimey, no! Well, er, actually, I'm going to the Hogwarts of 1977.
Fred laughed and said to his brother, "Forge, now I truly believe that our bespectacled friend has lost his marbles."
Hermione glared at the twins and said, "Stop it, you two. I'm sure Harry has a perfectly reasonable explanation for this. And also, time travel is possible. Is that what you're planning to do, Harry?"
Harry gazed at her in wonder and said, "Sometimes, it amazes me how accurate your perceptions are. Sure you aren't secretly learning from Professor Trelawney?" He got a cushion thrown at him in response.
He continued, "But yes, Hermione's true. I've become sick and tired of the crazy media and public attention here. I couldn't stand it, so I asked Dumbledore for help. And lo! He allowed me to travel to the past for a year to stay with my parents at Hogwarts as a Seventh Year. So not to worry, Hermione. I won't be missing out on extremely valuable education!" he said with a chuckle.
"Why, that's wonderful, Harry! I'm sure, you'll have great fun there. The legendary Marauders will be there, after all! Ah, I remember those days when those young pranksters caused havoc all over the school on their first day in school with some crazy prank. Golden times, they were" reminisced Mr Weasley.
Ginny shared a look with Hermione and said, "Looks like we'll have to give Harry's Christmas present much earlier than we thought." So saying, she returned from her room with a gift wrapped package.
"Go on, open it" said Hermione as Harry took the parcel from Ginny. Harry obliged and gasped in surprise when he saw what the present was.
"A photo album!" he exclaimed. He flipped it open, and slowly looked through all the photos in there. Some were of Harry with Ron and Hermione, some with Ginny and the Weasleys and some with the Order Members. Right on the last page was a picture of his parents and him as a baby and below that was a picture of him with all the four grown-up Marauders.
Smiling to herself at Harry's reaction, Ginny said, "Hermione and I thought that you'd like to keep memories of your loved ones, wherever you are. After all, the War made us all realize that love is the most powerful emotion, and you are at your strongest when you are with your loved ones."
"So we decided to gather photographs of all of us, your parents and the Marauders to make an album so you could look back at memories whenever you wanted to. To remind you that no matter what, we're all here for you" said Hermione.
"This is…this is absolutely wonderful!" stuttered Harry, "I really love this! You have no idea how much this means to me. Staying away from all of you for a year will be hard, but with this book, it'll be much easier. Thank you so much!"
As a sudden thought occurred to Hermione, she pulled out her wand and muttered a spell at the album. With a smirk, she said, "There you go, Harry. I've put a spell on this that will enable only you to open the album. For safety reasons, of course."
Harry thanked the girls once again, and bid the Weasleys good bye. He went back to Grimmauld Place, packed his trunk and left for Hogwarts.
After he arrived at Hogwarts, Dumbledore handed a letter to Harry and said, "Here, be sure to give this to me when you arrive at school. It contains a detailed explanation for your appearance and the reversing incantation that I talked about."
He added, "Now, Harry, you must remember one thing- the element of Time is very fragile. Do not actively seek to disturb it. Try not to reveal your identity to the people of the past as a precaution. But in the case where they know who you are, do not fret too much. I will know what to do then."
Harry smiled as the Headmaster pointed his wand at him and pronounced the incantation that would take him far, far away. His last thought before his world exploded in a blur of colours was- This is going to be interesting.
A/N- Woohoo! That was pretty long. For me. I sincerely hope you liked this chapter. Don't forget to review! (Whether you liked the story or not, you still need to review. Get it?) Well, I'll put up the next chapter as soon as it's ready!
Until then- bye bye sweetums!