Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of his associates.
Chapter One: Back to Back Then
Harry looked at Albus' portrait, stunned.
"Truly, Albus?"
Albus smiled at him.
"Harry, my boy, you have lived through to much pain. If I can offer you a chance to be yourself, then I will, Harry. I only wish I could have offered it to you sooner."
"I had to stay, Albus. It was destiny, you know." Harry smiled at the silver-haired portrait. "I would have to do it again."
"Certainly, my boy. It is why I waited so long, but I, at long last, came to the conclusion that is not my choice to make my child. If you want to do this- to take this chance for something better despite all that it entails, then I will wish you the best."
Harry let his head fall into his hands and he rubbed his temples, thinking. Thinking of the past. Of the long year hunting for Horcruxes, first with his friends, and then without, when they left him alone. Of the unexpected gains- a friend he should've taken long ago- and losses. Remus. Tonks. Collin. Kingsley. Mrs. Weasley. Charlie. Fred. George. More- nameless corpses that haunted his dreams right along with those he had known.
"But...Draco..." Harry frowned. There was no one else left to leave behind but his blond-haired ex-enemy. But the chance of Draco waking from the coma, of his mind ever being the same, after what he had suffered for Harry...it was slim. The Healers had almost convinced Mrs. Malfoy to take him off the life support. And then there would be no one. No one at all.
"May I wait, sir? Until..."
"Of course, my child, come to me when you are ready."
So Harry waited the long months as the Malfoys made their decision. He was there beside Draco's bed when the spells were removed. He was there to witness Lucius' and Narcissa's tears. He was perhaps the only non-Malfoy ever to be hugged, cuddled even, by the two. He found acceptance of both himself and his plans there, and he cursed himself for his blindness in his younger years. He stood by them, as Draco's closest friend and the only non-familial recipient of his will, during the funeral. He shook hands of people he had never met, and kissed knuckles of generations of pureblood ladies. He said goodbye to Draco and his parents, and when he came to Albus on the one year anniversary of the final battle, there was no second thought in his mind.
He was ready to say goodbye.
He was ready to try again.
He was ready to see what the world had been.
"Redeo ut quis eram, quod animadverto quis vires si ego, ut undeviginti septuaginta septem."
Harry felt the magic from within him mix with the magic of the words and the ambient magic of Hogwarts. With one hand stuck in his pocket, clutching his miniaturized trunk, and one hand holding his school bag tightly, Harry Potter smiled and disappeared from that time forever.
He appeared with a slight popping noise in Hogsmeade, as Albus had told him to expect. A quick Tempus told him that it was ten forty seven on Tuesday, September 30th, 1977. Right on schedule then. Hefting his bag up higher on his shoulder, Harry walked through the half-deserted town of Hogsmeade. It wasn't as bad as it had gotten in his time, but people eyed each other suspiciously and bustled from one place to another rather than linger at their tasks.
Harry was eyed with suspicion as he strode towards Hogwarts, but he didn't let that bother him. He had faced much worse stares. Much worse suspicions, too, if he was truthful. As he reached the gates of Hogwarts, Harry realized he probably should have thought the whole thing out a little more thoroughly. How was he to get onto the grounds? He lingered outside the gates for a good thirty minutes and had just resolved to go back and hire an owl when Hagrid's friendly face made an appearance.
"You the'e, wha' you doin' lingerin' about, 'ey?"
"I'm sorry. I'm a new student. Harry White," A good, plain, unnoticeable name, if there ever was one, "at your service." Harry gave his small, shy smile. He'd never really grown used to smiling, not after years with the Dursleys and then the years in the Wizarding World. He smiled infrequently, and when he did smile, they were small smiles. But Hagrid, Hagrid always brought a smile to his face. "I am sorry I am running so late. I..."
"Tell it ta the Headmaster, Mr. White." Hagrid opened the gates for him and eyed him suspiciously as they walked up to the castle in silence. The only students on the grounds were far off, by the lake for some sort of Care of Magical Creatures lesson. Hagrid led him up to the castle and through the halls to the Headmaster's office. He muttered the password so lowly Harry didn't catch it and accompanied Harry up the staircase and banged on the Headmaster's door.
"Do come in, Hagrid." Came the familiar voice. Harry lurched forward through the doorway, looking at Dumbledore, so real, so alive, with something akin to awe.
"And who is this young man?"
"He was hangin' round tha' gates, sir. Says he's a new studen'. Harry White."
"Oh?" Albus smiled at him. "Well, I will handle this now, Hagrid."
"He looks awful like James, he does, Professa'." Hagrid said softly to Dumbledore as the elder man escorted him out.
"Yes, he certainly does, Hagrid." Dumbledore whispered, mostly to himself, "He most certainly does."
"Now, Mr. White, was it?"
"Yes, sir." Harry answered, head bowed. He couldn't look this man in the eye. Not now. Not after all that had happened between them. He had made peace with a dead man. This man was not dead. "I'm sorry to come to you so late in the year, sir. My, my, godfather," Harry choked back the tears that wanted to come, thinking of Sirius, and of Remus, "He was going to sign me up this summer- I take my N.E.W.T.s this year and he wanted me to have the best chance, y'know? But he got caught in an attack...didn't, didn't make...anyway, I had to deal with that and I couldn't get here on time." Harry said tensely.
"Oh, you poor child," Dumbledore said softly. "I am very, very sorry for your loss, Harry. If you ever need someone to talk to...I am here."
Harry nodded, not trusting his temper or his tears enough to open his mouth at this point.
"Well, let's just move on then. Do take a seat, my boy." Harry sat in the familiar chair, dropping his bag by his feet. "So you'd like to join our seventh years, Mr. White?"
"Yes, sir."
"Very good, very good. How many N.E.W.T.s do you plan to take?"
"Six, sir."
"My, that's quite a load! Which ones, then?"
"Defense against the Dark Arts, Transfiguration, Charms, Potions, Care of Magical Creatures and Astronomy, sir." His affection for the stars came from long nights with Draco, under the stars, sometimes asleep, sometimes running for fear of their lives, sometimes making love under the open night. Harry clenched his jaw. It was Draco's love, and therefore it was his.
Dumbledore jotted them down on a piece of parchment with Harry's name written across the top.
"Good, Mr. White. Now we'll just get you sorted..." The Headmaster accioed the raggedy hat and handed it to Harry. "Just place that on your head, my boy." Grateful that Dumbledore wasn't making him do this in front of the whole school, Harry plopped the familiar hat onto his head.
"Now, now now. Who do we have here? Done quite a bit in your time, haven't you, Mr. Potter? Now, now, don't fret, I can't tell anyone your secrets. We'll just sort you now...
Hmm, I do say you would do well in any of the houses, Mr. Potter, though Slytherin still fits you best. But no, what you need right now is GRYFFINDOR!"
Dumbledore beamed. "Very good, my boy. Now we'll just head down to lunch and announce you to the school."
Harry sighed, but nodded all the same.
James plopped down besides Remus and gave a gusty sigh.
"Was Care of Magical Creatures that bad?" Remus asked with a smile.
"That bad! That bad!" Sirius shrieked. "Remus you cannot imagine the torturous, horrific..."
"That is quite enough, Mr. Black," The Headmaster's amused voice broke in.
Sirius flushed and pouted.
"I'd like to introduce everyone to our new student, Harry White. He has been sorted into Gryffindor and will be joining the seventh years. Please make him feel welcome."
James looked for the boy. When he, the boy, that is, came out from behind Dumbledore, James gasped. He was lovely. He was slim and dark, his eyes and manner grave. James had long known he swung both ways, though he usually preferred women, but this boy, he was gorgeous enough to convince James to give up girls.
Harry slowly made his way over to them.
"May I sit here?" He asked in a soft tenor.
"Sure ya' can, old boy!" Sirius crowed, scotching over to make room for the new kid across from James. Peter sat on Remus' other side and Sirius opposite Remus.
"Where are you transferring from?" Remus asked. Harry looked up from his plate, which he had been filling slowly and looked the lycanthrope over. His lips quirked slightly in a slight smile.
"I was home schooled." James could not get enough of this boy. Sirius winked at him. James gave him the finger.
"Oh? That must have been interesting."
"Yes, I suppose so."
"Why'd you come to Hogwarts, then?" James asked, jumping into the conversation.
"M-my... my godfather thought it would be best for my N.E.W.T. year." Harry answered quietly. Everything about this boy was quiet- even quieter than Remus- and gentle.
"So why just now?" Peter asked. Harry glanced over and frowned, before glancing away at the doors.
"I...he, he, he died, at the end of the summer. There was a lot to, um a lot to take care of, you know?"
"Oh Merlin, I'm so sorry." Peter said in horror. James looked at Harry, who had captured his attention with a single glance, only to see that he was dashing away tears.
Sirius wrapped and arm around the new kid.
"Hey, mate, you're here with us now." He said in that way he had. Harry nodded and looked up at them, a perplexing look in his eyes.
"Yes, yes, I suppose I am."