Disclaimer - I dont own Harry Potter or the characters of universe of such. I do however own my characters and story ideas which will be popping up sooner or later.
Harry slowly opened his eyes but saw nothing at all. It was pitch black wherever he was. Was he dead? Was this hell? The last thing he remembered seeing was Hermione transferring energy of some sort. The Beast had them more than trapped, but then... He shook his head, everything was fuzzy. The thought that he was dead quickly vanished; however, as he could feel the damp air around him. He inhaled slowly then patted himself down, looking for his wand. He couldn't find it so he extended his hand out in front of him like he was raising a broom off the ground, like he did in his first year. It was a trick he picked up over the years, and after a moment of concentration he could hear the shaking of the wand on the ground before it launched up and into his hand.
"Lumos," he whispered and was temporarily blinded by the light, but after holding up the light and looking around he concluded he was still in the chamber of Salazar Slytherin, but it looked as empty as it was when He, Neville, Ginny and Hermione had arrived. There was no sign that a battle had just taken place and no bodies either. Did she really pull it off? He would have to get out of the chamber and find out. He closed his eyes and focused on the front of Hogwarts, a memory that was fuzzy. Even for him. His attempt to Apparate however, failed. He tried a couple more times before he remembered one of the rules at Hogwarts... Apparating inside the walls was impossible. For everyone except… him... the old bastard himself. But if Harry couldn't Apparate now, that would mean the walls of the School are standing again.
Harry began tracing his steps backwards to get to the Chamber and hopefully up and in the School. As he stepped into the main chamber however, a low grumbling stopped him dead in his tracks. He turned around and fired three balls of light up on the walls so he would be able to see everything without the need to use his wand. He spotted something slithering on the ground, but it was massive. Even as it was lying flat down it still towered over Harry and that's when he remembered... the Basilisk.
"Caecusium" Harry yelled as the brilliant white light hit the giant snake in it left eye, It was a spell that Hermione had discovered while they were travelling through some ruins that were discovered shortly before the fall of Voldemort, Carved into a wall no less. Harry raised his wand again and this time the spell connected with the right eye of the snake, blinding it long enough for him to move into the shadows, preparing to attack. It all depended on the creature. He was going to cast another spell at it before he stopped himself.
Isn't his triumph over the Basilisk one of the things that helped him become the man he was? He came back for a specific reason and it had nothing to do with the snake before him. He turned and ran as fast as he could towards the entrance, after speaking to the door and watching it open, Harry moved through quickly and made sure the door closed behind him. It wasn't time for that thing to be loose yet. Harry lit the tip of his wand as he made his way towards the entrance of the Chamber of Secrets, his mind began racing with the thoughts. What if he did kill the snake? It was not like he was in his Universe anymore, wherever he was now; maybe he could change it and make things better. Maybe he could protect his younger self and maybe remove what he now knew to be the biggest threat to his life, Albus Dumbledore.
He was deep in thought still as he reached the entrance below the sink in the girl's washroom. He called up the hole in Parselmouth, and when he heard the entrance opening he tried something he never really had the chance to do, and that was to slowly begin to levitate himself up the hole.
It wasn't long before he reached the top and looked around. He spoke to the sink and it closed again, looking around and noticing the room was clear he walked towards the door and stepped through, just before he heard Moaning Myrtle begin to speak. He moved his wand over his face and winced in pain as he altered some of his features, it might not be best to be recognized right now. The scar around his neck disappeared as did the lightning bolt one that was still faintly visible on his head. His eyes changed to a deep blue color and his hair color changed to a much darker brown, bordering on black. His jaw widened slightly and his nose shifted also. The pain from the change was unimaginable but it needed to be done, he just wished he had picked up the Metamorphagus skill from Tonks before her death.
The changes stopped and Harry Potter looked a lot less like himself, hopefully enough to avoid notice at the very least. He transfigured a broken mirror into an emerald cloak and wrapped himself up in it. It appeared that the hallways were empty so Harry moved his way through the school and outside of the ghosts Harry noticed no one else. That was strange. He continued out the front steps, heading towards the gates. He passed no living person as he made his way across the grounds, which again, was strange but as soon as he passed the gates, Harry Potter apparated and found himself standing in an abandoned alleyway in Diagon Alley. He stepped back into the shadows as a couple of people ran past.
First thing Harry had to do was learn the date. July 30th 1991... It was the day before he was to find out that he is a wizard. Remembering that day, Harry shuddered. His so called Guardians were currently dragging him across the country side to avoid the letters from the owls. Later on, Hagrid would burst through the door like the big oaf he is and announce my placement in Hogwarts. His mind often wandered to thoughts of Hogwarts, What if he had never went to that infernal school? Even this year alone, there would be a Troll, Centaurs and Quirrell
Wait a second. Quirrell! As if right on cue Harry spotted the quirky Professor Quirinus Quirrell walking past the alleyway he now stood. If Harry could figure out a way to, say, remove Quirrell from his position as Defence Against the Dark Arts; maybe, just maybe he can take the position for himself and keep his younger self safe. At least until he could get the locations of the last Hallow. Those last words filled him with Anger and, although he would never admit it to another living soul, fear. He stepped out from his alleyway and followed behind Quirrell never taking his eyes off of the back of Quirrell's turban. Quirrell walked straight to the Leaky Caldron and Harry continued as if he belonged there. Harry sat down at the bar, which was right next to where Quirrell sat.
"What can I getcha?" The voice brought Harry out of his concentration. He turned his head to see Tom the bartender leaning against the bar, all of these seemed too normal for Harry. In his time most people were too afraid to be outside for long, The Beast would pray on any witch or wizard who dared to use magic, let alone gather in large groups like this. Even muggle deaths were on the rise, but they attributed it all to a new plague, if they only knew the truth. Tom tapped his hand on the counter, getting impatient. Harry shook his head and looked up to see Tom turning his attention to Quirrell. Harry turned his attention now to Quirrell. Now the question that plagued Harry was how to eliminate his target without it clearly being a provoked attack.
Harry turned away from Quirrell and looked around the rest of the small pub. It was mostly empty except for an older witch who was very preoccupied with something that was on the table in front of her, and a very large figure sitting in the back. Upon further inspection Harry saw a face he hadn't seen in years, Rubeus Hagrid. The last time Harry saw him Inferi were devouring him alive. He could still remember the screams from both Hagrid and the Inferi; it was something he would take to his death. Hagrid was talking to another nondescript wizard so Harry began listening.
"Yeh, I have ter pick sumthin' up fer Dumbledore," He drank the remaining contents of his tankard and leant forward to speak softer. "I have ter track down a sneaky snake." Hagrid began to move out from the table so Harry turned away once more and looked down at the bar in front of him as he felt Hagrid move past him and out the front door. Harry scratched his chin as an idea began to form in his head. There was one way to get the attention he was looking for.
"Tom… Tom Marvolo Riddle…" Harry whispered as low as he could in Parseltongue hoping it wouldn't draw attention from anyone else. Harry continued to look around the bar, but when he turned his head to look at Quirrell he saw a look of pure horror. Quirrell wasn't blinking, but just staring at Harry now. "Oh come on now Tom, don't be shy."
At that moment Quirrell raised his wand and this was something Harry had been trained for. He pushed himself backwards and off of the stool in one smooth motion as he barely avoided the first curse that was sent his way. It exploded against the wall as Harry pulled his wand out and sent a simple Jelly Legs curse at Quirrell but it was blocked. Quirrell stood tall, not like his usual manner, and sent another bright blue ball of magic at Harry who deflected it, causing it to crash into Tom the Bartender. The female witch quickly took off, leaving only Harry and Quirrell standing in the bar.
"Who are you?" Quirrell asked, while still pointing his wand at Harry.
"You are just an instrument. I am talking to him." Harry now stood up straight then he heard a voice that reminded him of the past. It was a low hissing at first but then the unmistakeable sound of a voice. Quirrell shook his head like he was having an internal argument before he reached back with the hand that wasn't holding the wand. Slowly he unravelled the turban and turned his head. Protruding from the back of Quirrell's head was the face of Lord Voldemort.
"There is the bastard himself." Harry said, still speaking the language of the snakes. "This year won't go exactly as planned I'm afraid to say Tom."
"Who are you?" The voice of Voldemort hissed at him. This brought a smile across the face of Harry Potter. Quirrell's body was facing away from him so he knew he had the drop on him should Voldemort order an attack. He lowered his wand and grabbed a chair off the ground. He never took his eyes off of the face of Voldemort. Harry smiled and tilted his head to the side.
"For years, most of my teenage years for that matter, were plagued by you. You were the monster in the closet, under the bed. To even say your name caused most grown wizards to cower in fear. But you don't scare me Voldemort." Upon saying the last word Harry began to twirl his wand nonchalantly in his hand, as if the scene before him was just another normal day.
"Answer me!" The voice of Voldemort screamed as the body of Quirrell spun around, but his speed was nothing compared to the reflexes of this experienced Harry Potter and in a flash of light, Quirinus Quirrell was locked in a full body binding spell. Harry got to his feet and walked over to the body. He leaned closely so that even if someone was nearby, they would have difficulty hearing what was said.
"I am Harry Potter, the boy who lived... the boy who killed you. It won't be today, it won't be tomorrow but there will come a day when you once again look in my eyes and you will see your end Tom. See you soon." The moment he finished speaking those words, four Aurors burst into the Leaky Cauldron and sent stunners in his direction. Harry managed to avoid them with little effort but made no attempt to retaliate. The Aurors walked forward still pointing there wands at Harry.
"Identify yourself!" The lead Auror said while looking down at the body of Quirrell. Harry took a breath and raised his hands to show no intentions of violence.
"My name is James. James Dunham." He said, placing his fake wand down on the table, His real wand was tucked securely on the inside the left arm of his cloak. Harry then motioned to the body of Quirrell on the ground. "I don't know this man's name, but he attempted to assault me. I was just looking to spend the night here but he suddenly went nuts and attacked me."
The Auror walked over to the body of Quirrell and turned it over, He recognized the full body bind curse and was about to remove it before he noticed the back of his head. A frightened gasp escaped his lips as he stood up straight. He turned to face the Auror nearest to him and as the blood rushed from his face he spoke.
"Get Scrimgeour, Fudge and everyone else down here... now!"
LINE BREAK
Dumbledore sat in his office looking over his desk. The news he had just received was very interesting indeed, just three days ago Harry was retrieved from the Dursley's and Hagrid had mentioned how he was kept from knowing the truth about his family and was seriously malnourished. It was regrettable but it needed to be done, the magic would only protect Harry from the harm he was sure to face from Death Eaters, as long as he was with the Dursley's. The other news was more troubling however, Professor Quirrell was attacked at the Leaky Cauldron and to just compound the trouble they discovered his connection to Voldemort.
This threw a major monkey wrench into Dumbledore's plans, as he not only needed to find a replacement for his Defence against the Dark Arts class but now Harry would need something else, a different threat or he would never understand the horrors that the world would soon be facing. If he was ever going to replace Dumbledore as the light everyone rallied around in the darkness, he would have to face trials. His attention was brought back to the present by a sharp knocking at his door.
"Come in."
Walking into the room was Minerva McGonagall, his deputy headmistress and close friend. Her face was always locked into a stern expression and that intimidated most of the students she taught. She walked up to the desk and stood before him, just watching and waiting for Dumbledore to speak first.
"What can I help you with today Minerva?" Dumbledore asked, leaning back in his chair. He tented his fingers in front of his face as he watched her take a few deep breathes before starting.
"What are we going to do Albus? With Professor Quirrell being attacked in Diagon Alley, There are rumors floating around that Quirrell was involved in very dark magic. What are we going to do?" McGonagall stood before Dumbledore visibly flustered. She didn't know the half of it, she wouldn't know either if Dumbledore had his way. It was best that less people knew of his plans, and besides, the man who attacked Quirrell likely didn't know what he was getting into either. That gave Dumbledore an idea.
"Worry not Minerva, I am sure that Professor Quirrell will be found to be innocent of these claims. I have a few ideas for the position of Defence Against the Dark Arts." He smiled at McGonagall to give off the impression that everything was under control. He knew however that his plan to begin Harry down the right path was put in serious jeopardy with Quirrell, and by extension Voldemort, being defeated by some wizard by the name of James Dunham. If Dumbledore could convince James to join the staff however he could have the perfect patsy to take the blame for what he had in mind this year for young Harry Potter. McGonagall continued to stand waiting for a response from Dumbledore.
"Do you mind sharing with me?" she asked.
"Well the reports say that Quirrell attacked the man unprovoked and was defeated soundly. I thought why not talk to this boy and see how he could defeat our Professor with such ease..." McGonagall was visibly taken aback.
"You want to offer the job to someone who we know nothing about, not to mention the fact he attacked one of our professors?" She couldn't believe it. Dumbledore hadn't moved an inch since she started talking. He was content with just waiting. They both remained silent before quite some time before Dumbledore spoke.
"Trust me Minerva, now please send a letter to Miss Bones and inform her of my intentions to speak with this Mr. Dunham, as long as he is not being charged with anything of course." McGonagall looked like she was going to argue before she nodded her head and walked off. He sat back in his chair and began to think more about what he was going to have to do to begin Harry on the right path.
LINE BREAK
Harry walked through the front gate of Hogwarts, this time as James Dunham. He had the letter tucked away in his deep maroon robes as he made his way to the front door. Hagrid's hut sat nearby and he looked over at it for only a moment before turning his attention to the castle before him. It had only been 5 days since he beat Quirrell in that pub and now here he was walking into Hogwarts for a face to face with the man who lied to him his entire childhood.
After the Aurors arrived and found the scene, Harry stayed out of the way. Fudge showed up, as did Amelia Bones. They talked for quite some time about what to do before deciding to take Quirrell to a holding facility for further study. Harry was questioned extensively but that wasn't an issue for him. His years on the run in the future had made him an excellent liar, as was his training in resisting the effects of Veritaserum. After finally accepting what Harry was telling them was the truth, He was released and given the letter from Hogwarts asking for him to come for a meeting with Albus.
Harry stood before the entrance to the Headmasters office and after a moment it opened wide, stepping out was McGonagall. He was taken aback; he had forgotten how young she looked, despite still being advanced in age. Over the years she looked to age twice as quick and towards the end of the war against Voldemort, she looked frail. Not to mention the day the Beast was released. Harry felt his anger rise but quickly buried it back down as McGonagall paid him notice.
"You must be James Dunham. Welcome to Hogwarts, My name is Minerva McGonagall," She held out a hand and Harry shook it. She smiled and motioned to the stairway behind her. "Head up this way to meet the Headmaster." Harry said nothing but nodded his head and walked past her. He could feel her watching him but he continued pushing forward. Once he arrived at the top of the stairs he took a moment to compose himself, He had to keep himself in check if he was going to fool the old man.
"Come in," he heard from the other side of the door. Harry pushed the door open and walked inside. He handled himself quite well the first time he laid his eyes on Dumbledore, sitting behind the desk with that old twinkle in his eye. Harry walked forward and held out his hand.
"Hello Headmaster, my name is James Dunham." Dumbledore shook his hand in turn and Harry sat down on the chair. They sat in a silence for a moment as Dumbledore attempted to use Legilimens to read into the mind of Harry, Harry was prepared however and modified enough memories to make the ruse stand against such an attempt. Harry knew there was a good chance something like this would happen.
"Hello James, I called you here today because of the incident earlier this week. As I am sure you have had to recount the story so many times I will not ask you to do it again. I did want to talk to you about an opportunity that has arisen from the situation. As you may know, Quirrell was our Defence against the Dark Arts professor here and was well versed in combat techniques. The report says you managed to defeat him with relative ease. This is impressive." Harry – Nay, James – smiled. Most of it was for show, He wanted Dumbledore to believe that it was a challenge.
"It was either I defend myself or I die. I don't know what set him off but I had to do what I had to do. I am sorry for any problems that may have arisen due to this situation," He showed the most sincere look he could muster before adding the final touch to his plan. "If there is anything I can do to help you, please just let me know Headmaster."
Harry saw a smile cross the face of Albus Dumbledore, A smile that reached his eyes and he knew that the bait had been taken.
"I believe there is something you can do James. If you are interested that is."
A/N - Thanks everyone who liked and favorited the last chapter. I have quite a few ideas that keep cropping up in my head for directions this story can take and its proving to be quite exciting, I hope I can entertain and do Justice for all of you. I think that is about it.. I hope you enjoy this chapter and take a moment to write a review, They really do help and it gives me a good opportunity to see what everyone thinks so far.
- Until Next Time