Chapter One ~ Revelations and Reintroductions

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my imagination.

AN: please read the authors note at the end of this chapter for important story info.

The sunlight was blinding behind Harry's tightly closed eyelids, the shrill twittering of birdsong and rustling trees the only sounds in the air. Keeping his eyes closed Harry tried to take stock of his surroundings. He felt the tendrils of long grasses tickling his face, the solid feel of earth was a welcome presence beneath his back. He inhaled the familiar aroma of nature, the untamed scent of the outdoors and the undercurrent of strong benign magic. The sense of familiarity and security washed over his aching body comfortingly.

He opened his eyes slowly, shielding them with his hand from the bright summer sun. After looking around for a moment he blinked once in confusion before the events of the last hour caught up with him. Images flared like flashbulbs, the attack, being surrounded, the hexes, catching an unknown object, the flash of light, then unconsciousness.

Still clasped in his hand was the thrown object, a child's shoe, still faintly tingling with magic inductive of a portkey. That would certainly explain his location, he thought as he stared at the silhouette of Hogwarts, not to mention the sense of peace that suffused the entire area. He slowly got to his feet mindful of the lingering aches in his limbs and began the long walk to the castle.

Judging by the position of the sun he deduced he hadn't been out for much more than a couple hours. He was slightly alarmed that none of the Aurors guarding him had arrived with him, he hoped that they had just apparated to a different secure location. He pushed the distressing thoughts to the back of his mind, not wanting to get worked up without all of the facts and continued on towards the castle.


He was mentally going through his report to Dumbledore when his silent ruminations were interrupted by the sound of boisterous laughter. He stilled uncertainly near the front gates, aware that there shouldn't be any students on the premises. He quickly dug into his bag for his invisibility cloak, slinging it hastily over his head. His movements were sped up by the persistent uneasiness accompanying the deja vu he had felt upon hearing the laughter.

Wand clasped tightly in his fist Harry padded silently towards the energetic voices. He couldn't picture any Death Eaters chattering away enthusiastically, but certainly wasn't going to write that option off just yet. He tensed his body into a fighting stance, wand trained on the swiftly approaching voices. Moody's disembodied frequent exclamations of "Constant Vigilance!" echoing forcefully through his mind.

Sadly for Harry, no amount of vigilance could prepare him for the sound of a familiar yet strangely foreign exclamation of "Prongs!" Followed by the mirthful reply of, "yes, Padfoot?"

Harry froze in shock at the unmistakeable voice of his Godfather, every muscle in his body tensing almost to the point of pain. A small coherent piece of his mind was appreciative that he had his cloak on, for he certainly would have been a sight to behold, eyes comically bugged out and mouth gaping open.

His mind scrabbled frantically for any potential explanation, for anything that could possibly explain why he was hearing his Godfather speaking to his late father, save the obvious. Any possible conclusions or suppositions were shattered before they could be fully formed upon seeing the figures turning the corner and coming into his line of sight.

His heart sped up to an erratic pace, beating so loud it almost muffled all other sound. His vision greyed around the edges and black spots danced before his eyes. The world seemed to tilt on its axis as he watched what he was certain was his teenaged father, casually strolling by arm thrown over the shoulders of his Godfather, laughing with the carefree innocence he himself had long ago lost.

His mental faculties shut down and all the voices in his head screaming about the impossibilities of the situation faded into a dull roar. He remained motionless, his eyes trained on the two man procession until they both faded from his line of sight. The second they disappeared from view any internal forces holding him upright ceased to exist and he suddenly fell to his knees, the breath he didn't even realise he'd been holding leaving his body in one quick exhalation.


He took a deep breath, feeling like his coherency was slowly returning with every inhalation of oxygen. The ground ceased it infernal shaking beneath his feet and the sounds of nature became audible once again. He shook the confusion from his head like a dog shaking off droplets of water and stretched the tension from his rigid muscles then sank to the ground with a dull thud.

He stayed like that, just sitting in the middle of the road for innumerable minutes pondering the impossibilities of the situation, trying to convince himself that everything he had seen was nothing more than an elaborate hallucination. He smacked his forehead with an open palm as a thought suddenly struck cast a simple Tempus and all his questions were answered. The date 'August 22nd 1976' glowed with neon intensity from the end of his wand, the letters mocking him with their simplicity. A useless voice chimed in in the back of his mind reminding him that today was Percy Weasley's birthday.

He let out a deep breath and cradled his suddenly weary head in his hands. Sometimes he hated his life, not only did he have Dark Lords to vanquish now he had the intricacies of time travel to navigate as well. He chuckled darkly within the confines of his mind, allowing himself a few moments of self pity before resigning himself to his fate with grim determination.

Like every other seemingly impossible task he was faced with he would prevail, he would conquer whatever arduous task he was faced with and he would come out on top. He would accept these new circumstances as a new challenge to overcome, if he went into this with failure on his mind a failure he would become, this was just another stepping stone in the life of Harry Potter.


He raised his head from his hands and made himself comfortable, taking deep and even breaths, he allowed a meditative tranquility to wash over him as he went over the facts in his mind. The fight with the Death Eaters had taken place August 22nd 1997, so he had been transported exactly 21 years into the past. He didn't remember exactly what spells had hit him, he vaguely remembered one that had to do with time or age, but the rest were a mystery.

He remembered the spells hitting him the same instant as his fingers had curled around the portkey, the feel of magic had washed over him and with it came the subsequent tug of the portkey. Somehow the different spells had combined with the magic of the portkey and had transported him through time and space. He wasn't sure exactly why those variables in combination had produced such a result but he was highly doubtful the circumstances could be repeated.

Thankfully the portkey had taken him to Hogwarts, he knew that if he were to find any information on time travel it would be in the Hogwarts library, but even more importantly Hogwarts was home to the only man he would ever consider trusting in this kind of situation, Albus Dumbledore. Though he didn't trust the headmaster in all matters he did believe that he had always had his best interests at heart, he did have a propensity for keeping him in the dark and treating him like a child but Harry trusted him with his life.

Hopefully the man would be able to impart him with some sort of advice, Harry did after all have a prophecy to fulfil, and he needed to get back to the future for that. Or do I? The thought caught him off guard, he was alone in a time not his own, no one knew he was there, no one knew his allegiances, Voldemort wouldn't even know someone was after him until it was too late. He could kill the bastard before he ever got the chance to make him an orphan, there would be no rebounding Avada Kedavra, no resurrection during his fourth year, no battle at the Department of Mysteries, he had the chance to end Voldemort's reign of terror before it even really got started.

But if he did change the future what would happen? Would he watch himself grow up from afar, observe as he grew up happy and loved, while he himself continued on in the past, destroying the future as he knew it. Could he even guarantee that it would be a better future? What if Voldemort's death paved the way for an even greater evil, there was a very real possibility that he could make the future infinitely worse. For all he knew tampering with the past could rip a hole in the space time continuum and destroy the very fabric of reality.

On the other hand if he didn't find his way home he didn't think he could stand by while his parents and so many others died, but he also didn't know if he'd be able to change the past and destroy his future. He couldn't in good conscience change the fate of the world by himself, he needed to get to Hogwarts and speak to the headmaster before even contemplating doing anything rash. He could practically hear Professor Snape's sneering reprimand of "foolish Gryffindor"at the thought of doing anything with so many far reaching consequences without first taking into account all of the facts and analyzing all of the possible outcomes.

Speaking to the Headmaster of course posed its own set of problems, Harry didn't know exactly how much information he could reveal to him without exposing his true identity. Even the most well meaning acts committed with future knowledge could be devastating and irreversible, intent had no bearing on the reality of cause and effect.

He would have to walk a fine line for the foreseeable future, he had to make it clear to Dumbledore that if he had a chance to defeat the Dark Lord he might have to take it, but he couldn't give up too much information in case he wasn't supposed to change anything in this time. Also, without giving too much away, he had to make sure Dumbledore knew that he had no intentions of ever straying towards the dark. They were nearing times of war and every powerful presence would be sure to be treated with suspicion.


With new purpose, strength and determination guiding him, he stood up and confidently strode towards the castle. Sneaking in through one of the side entrances he oriented himself and found the nearest washroom. He was glad he had already figured out he had time traveled for there was nothing indicative in his surroundings that would have directed him to that conclusion. He suspected that the interior of Hogwarts had remained unchanged for hundreds of years, and would remain that way for hundreds of years more.

Ever since he came to Hogwarts when he was 11 everyone had told him about how much he looked like his father, upon seeing his father in person he didn't really see too much of a resemblance. They had the same hair and colouring, both wore glasses and both had slim seekers bodies, but Harry didn't really see any other similarities.

Years of nutritional deprivation had ensured Harry would never achieve his fathers height, but the long hours of forced labour growing up had necessitated the development of a more muscular figure. James was tall and broad shouldered, he wasn't visibly muscled but had a strong and sturdy presence. Harry was small and slender, his muscles more defined on his lithe frame. James walked with a cocky arrogance, taking long confident strides, he had the kind of boyish charisma that filled a room. Harry had a quiet strength to him, he was unassuming but had an aura of authority, the kind of presence you would dismiss at first, but upon reflection couldn't help but take notice of.

Though he hadn't seen his mother in person yet he suspected he looked more like her, from pictures he had noted they shared similar facial features, the same cheek bones, a certain tilt to their full lips, a gentle curve of the jaw. Whereas the James in him was more overpowering, Lily's characteristics were more subtle.

He looked at himself in the mirror with an objective eye and began with his hair. He grabbed his wand and pointed it at his head, he didn't know any incantations but focused his magic with intent alone, picturing his hair growing longer and straighter. He watched as inch by inch his hair grew, the weight of it changing the messy curls into silky waves. He conjured a pair of scissors and layered it a bit, his 'bangs' the shortest hitting his cheekbones, growing longer and longer until it stopped just before brushing the tops of his shoulders.

The cut framed his face flatteringly and emphasised his eyes, he decided on the spot that he'd be keeping the look if he ever returned to the present. He cast a semi permanent colour changing charm and made it a light golden brown, the colour complimented his eyes but didn't quite go with his skin tone. He swept his wand over his body and watched as his skin darkened a few shades into a healthy bronze glow, the colour it normally was by the end of a long summer working in the outdoors.

The last thing he did was spell a glamour over his scar. It wasnt very visible with his new hair cut but he felt more secure just knowing it was there. He figured if need be he could get his eyes repaired, or at least get contacts.

He cast an critical eye over his new appearance, with the removal of his glasses he wouldn't look at all like his father or his mother. He was different enough that if someone in later years would remember him they wouldn't immediately note his similarities to Harry Potter, yet he wasn't so altered that he couldn't recognise himself.


Satisfied with his altered countenance he began to rummage through his bag for his school robes. Along with a Featherweight charm, his bag also had a never-ending-extending charm placed on it, and since the Death Eaters intercepted him as he was leaving the Dursley's for the last time he was currently in possession of all of his belongings.

He knew one way to ensure his credibility Dumbledore would be to arrive wearing his school robes, he had seen Bills old school robes one time and remembered their styling looked very dated. He also didn't want to chance being sorted, for he was almost positive he wouldn't have been able to talk his way out of Slytherin this time.

The events at the Department of Mysteries and the subsequent enlightenment to the prophecy had altered his countenance irreversibly, he was now a bit more cynical and wasn't as quick to trust as he once was, he was also significantly more self-sufficient than he once was, not relying on anyone's assumptions but his own. All in all save his propensity for charging headlong into danger and penchant for sacrificing himself for others, he was nearly the embodiment of Slytherin.

Harry knew Dumbledore would be a touch more biased towards Slytherin, he had nurtured the Dark Lord and as such would be more weary of another powerful cunning Slytherin than an honest loyal Gryffindor. The fact that Harry had thought this through already just proved his suppositions more. He wanted to create a positive first image and couldn't think of a better way than by displaying his Gryffindor colours with pride.


Harry cast one last assessing look over himself before nodding with satisfaction and heading out the door. The walk to the headmasters office was one he could have done in his sleep, if it weren't for the emptiness of the hallways and absence of almost all noise he could almost imagine that today was just another day. The stone guardians standing sentinel at the entrance gave him a cold dismissive look, which Harry promptly wiped off upon gaining entrance after guessing only two passwords.

Harry paused a moment to compose himself before striding self-assuredly into the room, he waited good-naturedly for the Headmaster to take his assessment of him, smiling in amusement as he watched the expression of shock morph into his characteristic twinkle. Harry knew the man wasnt as omniscient as he liked to appear, but it was still reassuring to be able to suprise him every once in a while. Taking in his new school robes, Gryffindor colours, and laid back posture Dumbledore met his eyes and fixed him with a genial smile of his own. "I'd probably best send for tea my boy, it looks as though you've got quite the tale to tell."


AN: When I first thought up this story it was just going to be a simple time travel fic, I wrote the prologue with that in mind. But a few days ago I was deciding where in the cannon storyline I wanted this to take place and this caused my entire plot to change drastically.

Now I am planning to have a much longer story than I originally intended, the Horcruxes and the Deathly Hollows will each have a major role in the story, though it will be quite different from the cannon.

This story begins soon after Harry's 17th birthday, but in the cannon storyline it takes place just after the Department of Mysteries fiasco. There are reasons I wanted Harry to be 17 in my story, so just imagine he had a few normal years (normal for him anyway, i.e. shit happened but no one important died) Also in my story Sirius lived, they thought he died but he just fell through the other side of the veil a week later, he's still in hiding at Grimmauld Place. If anyone has any questions feel free to ask.

I don't know how long each chapter will take me to write. Sometimes I just sit down and write a few thousand words without cessation, other times I sit at the computer for hours and only end up with a few sentences. I will try for at least one chapter a week, I confess I keep skipping over writing the first few chapters for ones with more action :P

I would also like to apologise for any spelling/grammar mistakes/run-on sentences that I have made, and for those which I am sure to make in the future as well.

So yeah… Anyway, thanks to everyone who has added this story to their alerts and favourites, and especially to the people who've reviewed. Every time I get an email notification I do a mental happy dance, So thanks for brightening my day ^_^

P.S just edited a few mistakes and Dumbles final words there, he kinda sounded like a pirate before.