Chapter 3: New Years Eve

Harry felt all of the spinning stop all at once. He slowly opened his eyes and took in his surroundings. He seemed to be in some sort of alleyway, with garbage and discarded clothing littering the cracked pavement. His first thought was that he might be spotted, so he quickly made sure that the Invisibility Cloak was still covering him. He put the Resurrection Stone in his pocket and made his way into the street. He decided that it was either early morning or evening. He could not see any sun and a light snow was falling. Rather than looking picturesque, the snow only seemed to illuminate the depressing aura of the dilapidated street.

Harry steeled himself against the sense of loss that he felt. This was the first time (with the exception of that terrible night in the graveyard when Cedric died) that he was completely alone. No Hermione to provide reason and solutions, no Ron to offer companionship and humor. He realized with a start that Ron, Hermione, and everyone he knew did not yet exist in this time.

Harry mentally shook himself and tried to focus on the task at hand. He needed to find the orphanage, the place where Tom Riddle would be born and Merope Gaunt murdered. He had no idea where to start looking, any of the sagging, gray buildings before him could have been the orphanage. He was trying to decide whether to risk going into one of them and asking directions or just walking around when he was distracted by a loud gasping.

He turned around and searched for the source of the noise, wand instinctively ready. A lone figure stumbled into view, staggering and lurching as it made its way down the street. As the person drew closer, Harry saw that it was a woman. She was reaching out with one hand, as if to balance herself, and the other arm was wrapped around her middle. She passed Harry and her wild eyes looked near the place where he stood, hidden from view. Harry realized that it was Merope Gaunt, looking very similar to the haggard figure she had been in her father's shack. He could make out words through her breathless gasping and sobbing, "Tom...our baby...shelter...Tom...hurts..."

Harry felt pity well up inside of him. He knew that he should help somehow, but he was sure that this was not the right time to reveal himself. He raised the Elder Wand and cast a silent warming charm around her, wishing he knew the spell to ease pain. Merope seemed to be moving in a definite direction, so Harry followed her, ready to assist if needed. She slowed when she reached a set of steps, and grasped on to the railing to steady herself. Harry used a spell to help her climb the stairs, and waited while she banged on the door. It was then that he noticed a small battered sign above his head that read "Pewsey Refuge For Women and Children."

A tired looking older woman answered the door a few minutes later. Harry noticed a younger woman standing behind her, and he recognized a younger Mrs. Cole from the memory Dumbledore had shown him. He felt a surge of anticipation and dread. Grindelwald, who he had never met but had viewed through a memory, would surely be arriving soon. He would not be the frail old man that Voldemort had killed, but a strong, powerful wizard. Harry initially calmed himself by remembering that he had the Elder Wand on his side, but then realized that in this time period, Grindelwald had not yet been defeated by Dumbledore.

He has the Elder Wand too! Harry thought, feeling panic rise. How can that be possible? Will there be two wands? Or will the wand only recognize one of us as its master? He realized that if that were true, and the wand gave its loyalty to Grindelwald, he would be left without a weapon. He thought of his own broken holly and phoenix wand, left behind at Hogwarts, and wished that he had attempted to repair it before coming on this journey. Hermione would have thought of that.

"Yes?" The woman at the door said impatiently. "What do you need?" Harry felt a rush of anger. As Merope straightened up as much as she was able, her advanced pregnancy was obvious.

"I...I...I'm going to have my baby." She spoke in a soft, weak voice. The older woman turned to look at Mrs. Cole, who shrugged.

"Guess we can make some room downstairs." The older woman nodded and then turned back to Merope.

"You will need to pay for the services." She looked Merope up and down with a grimace. Merope put a shaking hand into her pocket and pulled out a single gold coin.

"I sold my locket. It was all I had left. Please..." She closed her eyes and clutched on to the bannister in pain. The woman took the coin with a sniff.

"Something you've stolen, no doubt. Well come in then, you're letting the cold inside." She moved away from the doorway, and Harry followed Merope inside. He wanted to reach out a hand to help her, but did not want to startle her. "Follow Amanda." The older woman ordered, gesturing to Mrs. Cole. She did not look at Merope again as she disappeared behind a door.

"Come along." Amanda said briskly, and led them down a narrow corridor. When they came to a set of stairs, Harry threw caution to the wind and put an arm around Merope so that she wouldn't stumble. As he feared, she jumped, but then closed her eyes slightly and leaned against him. Harry wondered when she had eaten last, he could feel how slight her frame was, even in the last minutes of her pregnancy.

At the bottom of the stairs, Amanda motioned for Merope to enter a small room. She did, and with Harry's assistance, gratefully lowered herself on to a thin cot. Harry backed away and watched while Amanda and another young woman who had entered the room prepared for the baby's birth. He did not know if Grindelwald would Apparate directly into this room, but all of his muscles were tensed in anticipation. He was momentarily distracted by Merope's scream of pain, and he felt more helpless than he had ever felt in his life. He glanced at her face, and noticed that she was smiling.

"Oh, it's over. Thank Merlin, it's over." She murmured. Amanda and the other woman each exchanged a bemused look, and Amanda mouthed "Merlin..?"

"You have a son." The other woman announced, and Harry heard a baby cry. He moved closer, and looked down at the angry, yet innocent, baby cradled in the woman's arms. He couldn't wrap his mind around the fact that this was Lord Voldemort, his enemy, killer of James and Lily Potter, responsible for the death of Fred Weasley and so many others...

But that was his purpose. He was going to make sure that James and Lily lived. That no one was ever murdered because of loyalty to the Dark Lord. The woman holding the baby moved to hand him to Merope, who stretched out her arms eagerly.

"Just a moment." came a voice from behind them. Still concealed, Harry spun around with the two women. Standing in the doorway stood a young man, possibly in his late twenties. He had long blonde hair and blue eyes, but there was no friendly twinkle in them. His mouth curled up in a sneer as he raised his wand hand.

Grindelwald had arrived.