Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.
Chapter 1 in which things go awry
The black wolf skirted the edge of the clearing, trying to ignore the stench of blood and smoke and the fierce tingling from his left shoulder. Green eyes scanned the aria, bright and alert despite never drinking the wolfsbane potion.
Flashback…
The eighteen year old sat cross-legged in a forest meditating and reinforcing his occlmency barriers. An old man sat across from him speaking softly.
"Focus, you must become one with the wolf. One mind, one body, one soul."
"This is stupid I can't! If it were that easy people would have been doing this for centuries. Do you know how many werewolves there are? The wolf is too hard to control!"
"No, no! It is not control. You must not try and control the wolf. It is you, you are it. Do not fight yourself! Breathe. The wolf is strong, a hunter, trust its instincts, share your knowledge. Embrace your inner wolf and be one. Focus."
End Flashback
Harry pushed the memory away and focused on the scene before him. Voldemort had only brought three guards, obviously paranoid one of his death eaters might mutiny and try the ritual themselves.
There was an intricate design painted on the ground in loops and stars. The wolf could smell the blood disturbingly fresh. Voldemort was placing smooth pebbles etched with ruins in a perfect circle around the design, chanting in a language Harry didn't recognize. No attention was paid to the death eaters standing guard. Good.
As the third cloaked figure went down with a gurgle and a snap of teeth, the wolf returned his attention to his enemy. Tuning out the throbbing of his forehead, and the tingling in his shoulder, he braced himself. The dark wizard now had his arms raised as lightning jerked across a cloudless sky. Moving quickly the wolf ran into the clearing and lunged – straight into a barrier.
Harry fought to catch his breath, shakily noticing how far he had been flung. The wind picked up, and his fur stood on end from the sheer power within it. The wolf stood and prowled forward, intent, forcing his mind to calm and seek out his prey's week point. Using a trick from the Australian Aurors, he altered his vision to view the latticework of spells and wards. He watched for a moment as the magic flowed and rippled along the design like water.
Growling in frustration, he lunged at a weaker point, just as Voldemort seemed to finish his incantation. For a moment his heart skipped a beat as the Dark Lord was flooded with power, then he was flung from the circle.
"Ahhhh… a little Potter puppy. Back in England? You should have called, we could have done lunch." He gave a chilling laugh and raised his arms – then the world exploded.
XXXXXXX
Harry sat up in a grey room, noting absently that he was in human form as he surveyed his surroundings and searched for escape routs.
"Welcome human child." A raspy voice greeted, and Harry spun as a woman with green skin and golden wings appeared from nowhere (literally).
"Who and what are you?" he demanded, searching for his wand.
"It is not for you to question me mortal, but I will answer. I am many things: an Ancient, a sister of the Fates, a Guardian of the mortal plane, you would recognize me as Mother Earth."
"Really? Impressive if that's true." He answered skeptically. "Is this a hell/heaven thing? I didn't understand half your titles anyhow. Get to the point please…I was in the middle of something. Unless I'm dead?"
"You were caught between my sisters, me, and the one I seek to destroy." She narrowed her eyes at him.
"Okay…um, sorry about that?"
"You must forgive my sister, Chosen. She rarely deals with humans." A small girl with black hair appeared next to him. "I am Destiny; a mouthpiece of the Fates, or at least one of the mouthpieces for the One called the Mother, or the Weaver. The hierarchy of the gods and immortals is a bit beyond your comprehension, mortal; suffice to say I am a voice of the Gods.
"If you listen closely, all will be explained. Long ago there were rules set out to control how the lower gods interacted and meddled in the realms of mortals. It was and is the will of the higher gods that the mortals of your realm have free will. The details are unimportant to your case except that there are cases where the rules are less clear, and both you and the one called Tom Riddle fall into this gray aria.
"It was foreseen by the Fates, that you and Riddle would one day be drawn into battle, and a shift in the Balance would occur. These things happen every century or so as free will allows mortals to meddle in forces both Light and Dark. When such a prophesy is made, the mortals involved are called the Chosen. The Chosen, because they have been marked by the gods in such a way are traditionally left to their own devices until the time of the destined battle. You see many gods both high and low take interest in how the Balance will be influenced, and so will influence the Chosen. By allowing the Chosen a period of safety, they can build their own will and impressions of the world. Do you understand? No god will go against the Rules and take a mortal's free will from them, and by giving any Chosen a safety period, they can grow without the subtler influences at the gods' disposal. No god would have influence on their upbringing.
"The problem is that the gods were too uninvolved this time. They were dealing with issues in other realms, and the workings of Riddle slipped their notice, until it was out of our hands to do any thing. The splitting of the Chosen's soul should not have been allowed to occur, and by the time it was noted, the track of your battle had begun. Only by a Chosen interfering in the realm of gods again could the gods interfere with the Chosen.
"Young Riddle has meddled in the realm of my sister Nature, and by doing so opened way to the Divine. Under normal circumstances, she would be well within her rights to destroy him; however, such a combination of Chosen and Prophesy has never been tampered in and the consequences of such an action cannot be predicted by even the Divine, with the battle at hand.
"So Chosen, the choice goes to you. We can alter certain things in your favor, and in return you would help us undo the mess Riddle made. Or we could destroy you both and hopefully eliminate loose ends."
"Umm…" Harry fought to process all this unexpected information. "So you're like gods – goddesses I suppose – and you made a mistake you can't fix on your own, so either I agree to help you fix it or I die?"
"It must be your choice. That is one of the rules. I am glad you understand so well."
"I think 'understand' might be a bit of an exaggeration. You threw quite a bit at me I don't understand. What is it you want in return?"
"Your loyalty." Destiny replied quickly. "You would become a Watcher, a mortal counterpart to the Guardians who protect your plane of existence. I believe the last human Watcher was the one called Merlin."
"You'll forgive me for not being thrilled at the prospect." Harry muttered.
"You would have free will, and you would be alive. Is that not what all mortals wish?" the girl asked tipping her head in puzzlement. "Is this about money?"
"I've seen enough to doubt you have the best intentions. What's the catch? I refuse to be a pawn again. How do I know you aren't toying with me? How can you ask for loyalty and still claim I have free will. What is the catch? You talk in circles and reveal nothing!"
"We would be altering time itself. Unraveling the pattern. We need a mortal for that, and you are the best choice. It's in the Rules."
"…Oh. Time. When in time is this supposed to occur?" he asked faintly.
"Approximately 19 years in your past there was a night of great magic that set your path in motion…"
"You - nine…years. – oh." Harry swallowed. "I can alter things from Halloween night. How much?"
"We wish you to destroy Riddle before he destroys the world. This will greatly alter the pattern; anything else you change would be nothing. Do as you wish. Although you should be warned: it is unlikely you will defeat the Riddle from your time before your past self banishes the Riddle from the current timeline. And one of our conditions would include not telling your past self about your identity."
"And your other conditions?" Harry asked sharply. "I'm not agreeing to anything if all you're going to give me is half truths and misleading bargains."
"You agree to three things: you destroy Riddle before he reforms his army; you keep certain secrets; and you become a Watcher."
"What secrets, and what is a Watcher?"
"You question every thing human?" Destiny asked miffed. "You keep your identity and ours secret from those you do not trust completely. We will give you some leeway there." Destiny smiled benevolently. "Any spells and/or rituals we decide to teach you in the future you keep secret. Your missions, should you choose to accept them" she raised an eyebrow at Harry's sudden burst of laughter and carried on ignoring him "you also keep secret.
"A Watcher is a mortal counterpart to the Guardians. They serve to protect the general wellbeing of their own plane of existence. I do not believe there has been a human Watcher since young Merlin gave up his title. Watchers are aids and advisors to the Gods. They provide perspective and provide safety for their own peoples in requesting aid of the gods. Watchers also provide a direct link between the gods and the mortal planes. Any god or goddess can request a conference with a Watcher to discuss a mission. It is all in the handbook."
"You have a handbook?" he interrupted incredulously
"Naturally. You can only stay here for so long, Chosen. You must decide."
"I agree to travel in time, I agree to vanquish Voldemort as quickly and efficiently as possible, I agree to read your manual and I agree not to tell the papers I've been talking to gods. Is that good enough?" Harry spoke carefully trying to eliminate loop holes.
"You are an odd mortal, human." Mother Nature grumbled.
"Thank you. Well?"
"I suppose -" Destiny clapped her hands and the grey room abruptly faded away.
Harry stood in the forest once again, back in wolf form he found himself facing the Dark Lord.
A/N: sorry about the cliffy. I hope that wasn't too confusing. Tell me what you think! Upcoming: battle between Harry and the Dark Lord and the horcrux demolitions.
Review!! Please? Maybe? Even just a 'hi' would be nice…