NOTE: I seem to have forgotten my own little time shift. I had said that Harry had been sent to 1946, but because of the 10-year shift forward I implemented, Harry was actually transported to 1956, not 1946. I'm just putting this little note so as to save you from confusion. If you look at Chapter Two ("New Tasks"), I have fixed the little time problem.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chapter Three: Alliances
P.O.V.: Mohinder Suresh
Man is by its very nature a social being. Yet despite this, there are those of us, most especially among those gifted ones, who are convinced that they themselves are all they need. But in truth, though the power of the one is great indeed, without the power of the many, it is less than sufficient. When our enemies ally, the only hope is for our friends to ally just as well. The distances, the years, all that separate…will they ever come together? CAN they ever come together?
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry: 1956
Harry stood before Albus Dumbledore, still shocked. Dumbledore looked younger than Harry had last seen him; both his hands were whole, his hair still had an auburn color, and he just had a more lively air about him than when Harry last knew him.
This was the Dumbledore of 1956. Yet he apparently knew who Harry was, despite the fact that he, Harry had 34 years to go before actually being born.
"Sir…" Harry began uncertainly, "Professor Dumbledore…is…is it really you?"
Dumbledore smiled: that benign smile that Harry had missed; almost like finding a precious possession lost for years. "Yes, Harry. I am Albus Dumbledore, Deputy Headmaster and Transfiguration Professor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and Head of Gryffindor House."
"But…but if you're the Dumbledore from…then, wouldn't that make…I-I don't understand sir!" Harry sputtered; again Dumbledore smiled.
"I am from this time period, but I know who you are, and I know what I am supposed to do with you; in fact, I know everything my future self did, up to his death."
"Then…" Harry began again, "Then…but…how is this possible? How do you know who I am?"
"Ah." Dumbledore said, "Well I actually have myself to thank for that; or at least, my self from 51 years later. You see, you may not have known this Harry, but: I knew I was meant to die."
Harry blinked. "You…you foresaw your death?"
"Well, I would say I more of deduced my own death; judging by the fact that I was weak, the fact that I was unarmed, the fact that you were powerless to help me-by my hand, of course- and the fact that a Death Eater's son had me at wandpoint, I put all the facts together and came to the conclusion, that that was to be my final night on this earth. But before I did die, I cast a spell; a very advanced, and very powerful spell, the likes of which is almost unknown in the mainstream wizarding world: I merged my consciousness with that of this, my 41-year younger self: something successfully done only by one other wizard in history."
"Voldemort." Harry assumed, "His diary self which knew about his downfall 35 years after?"
Dumbledore nodded and continued. "So basically, I know everything about myself; I even know what I am going to have for supper in twenty years." Harry couldn't help but smile at that; he had so missed Dumbledore's wise wit and humor.
Then, he thought of something else: "But what about Hiro Nakamura? How did he know to take me here? Have you met him before?"
"Actually, I met him the year before you came to Hogwarts." Dumbledore explained, "He told me he was from the future, and that in order to ensure a bright future, I should try to find a way to go back in time on the night of my death. Now of course even for one as-forgive me- wise and intuitive as me, I was still confused by his message. But I managed to figure it out, obviously. Hiro Nakamura is a very improtant individual, Harry. You see: he is the link."
Harry looked confused. "The…link, sir?"
"The link." Dumbledore repeated, "He is the link, between us wizards, and another race of special beings: beings who like us, have abilities the likes normal men and women have not heard, remain hidden for fear of public persecution, and, like us, they've also got one of their own killing them in the name of power. I believe Nakamura called him 'Sylar'."
"Sylar?" Harry asked.
"I fear," Dumbledore continued, "That if Lord Voldemort has allied with Sylar, both races are in grave danger, and Hiro Nakamura is the link that will unite us. Only by uniting, and becoming a great alliance of heroes, can we hope to be victorious."
"So what is you want, sir?" Harry asked.
"To teach you one final thing." Dumbledore answered.
"Which is?"
Dumbledore looked intently at Harry. "The identity, and location…of the unknown Horcrux."
England: Unspecified location
Sylar entered the potions lab of Voldemort's lair, where Severus Snape was preparing a potion. He inhaled the scent of the potion and gave a soft chuckle.
"You know, I have a friend who can do that unassisted."
Snape turned his head slightly to the right. "Good for your friend." he said stiffly, "But is there a specific reason you are here?"
"Voldem- the Dark Lord," Sylar corrected himself at Snape's alarmed face, "He sent me to see how far along you're at with the potion."
"Tell him I just finished the batch." Snape told Sylar, who nodded.
"That I shall." He turned to leave, but stopped midway. "One more thing, Severus."
"What?" Snape asked in an exasperated tone.
"Uh, you don't suppose you can do me a little favor?"
Snape turned completely to face him, eyes narrowed.
"I mean," Sylar continued, "You think you can, you know, whip something up?"
"It depends," Snape replied, "On what you want, and what you're planning to use it for."
Sylar told Snape what he wanted and what he was going to do.
Snape hesitated for what seemed like a minute or so before speaking again: "Fine." he resolved, "I'll get to it."
"Take your time." Sylar told him, "At your pace, of course."
Snape nodded in acknowledgement, then turned back to his work, as Sylar left.
Sylar entered Voldemort's chamber.
"Is he finished?" Voldemort asked.
"Yeah." Sylar answered, "He's just had it owl-sent." Voldemort nodded.
"And your request?"
"He's begun making it." Sylar told him.
"Good." Voldemort said, "All that remains is the girl."
"Yes." Sylar said, "Then, we just let it all fall into place." He smiled. "Can you feel it? The excitement?"
Voldemort let out a cold chuckle. "All the time."
Chennai University, India
Claire and Noah Bennet, and Meredith went to the administration building of the University.
"May I help you?" the front desk person asked.
"We're looking for Dr. Mohinder Suresh." Noah said, "Which room is he in?"
The receptionist looked at her computer screen. "Suresh…Suresh…Ah yes, Dr. Suresh!" She hit a couple keys on her keyboard. "Oh, I am sorry. He left for England just a few days ago."
Noah frowned. "England?"
"Yes." The receptionist replied, "He was offered a teaching position at a foreign boarding school."
"Who the hell offers a college professor a teaching job?" Claire said incredulously; Meredith smiled lightly.
"Well actually Dr. Suresh was never employed here." the receptionist clarified, "He was just given a lab as a favor from the President, who was a very good friend of Dr. Chandra. But he left a few days ago with his charge and went for the job."
Noah nodded slowly. "I see… Well, do you know what boarding school he went to?"
The receptionist picked up the phone and called the President's office. She spoke in Hindi and asked him about Suresh. A few moments later she spoke again, then hung up. She looked up at the three before them. "I'm sorry, we don't know the name of the school he's gone to."
Noah cursed silently to himself and immediately apologized. "Well, thank you for your time." The receptionist smiled and bowed her head slightly in respect.
"So we go to England?" Meredith asked.
"Would it make a difference? All we know is he's in England." Claire replied, "Is he in London? Liverpool?"
"None of the above." a voice said; a voice Claire and Noah knew all too well. They all turned to the source of the voice.
It was the Haitian.
"You!" Claire shouted angrily; Meredith looked equally uneasy, almost anxious.
"Yes." the Haitian answered calmly, "I know I haven't been the most trustworthy of people as of recent."
"Damn straight!" Noah snarled.
"I believe I can at least begin to redeem myself," the Haitian continued, "by telling you where Dr. Suresh has gone."
"You know?" Meredith asked excitedly; the Haitian looked at her.
"Ah…" he said, "Yes I remember you. And yes: I do know where he has gone. But you cannot find it on your own. It is masked by very advanced security measures, and is nonexistent on any map of this world, the exception being…"
He took out a map which Noah recognized immediately as a Primatech map, which is notorious for having every location in existence on it. He pointed to England. "At King's Cross, there is a hidden platform between platform's 9 and 10. It appears as a brick wall to the naked eye, but do not be afraid to walk through it."
"Walk through a brick wall?" Claire asked in a clearly skeptical and sarcastic tone.
"Do not ridicule that which you know nothing of!" the Haitian reprimanded her urgently, "Listen: what you will see beyond the wall will be unlike anything, even you, Mr. Bennet have ever seen. You will find Mohinder Suresh at the final destination. It is a school for special individuals, called Hogwarts."
"Hogwarts." Noah said, more to himself as a mental note than anything. "And Suresh will be there?"
The Haitian nodded.
"How can we trust you?" Claire asked accusingly, "I made that mistake, my dad made that mistake, and apparently my grandmother made that mistake too."
"Mrs. Petrelli," the Haitian said, "is of no consequence to anything or anyone, anymore. Her fate was sealed along with Linderman's. Her time is coming: soon, she will meet her final defeat at the hands of those most hurt by Linderman. My fate is of no consequence to anyone…except one."
"One." Noah said, "Who?"
The Haitian looked at Noah with that same piercing gaze that Noah had known for years. "That will be revealed, at the end of all things."
He gave the map to Noah. "I've been a traitor to my own kind, and thus a traitor to my master. I only hope…that when all this is done, I can rest easy. Farewell…"
With that, the Haitian turned and walked away, as Noah, Claire and Meredith watched him.
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry: 1956
"You know the identity of five of the six Horcruxes." Dumbledore told Harry, "Two are destroyed, two are intact, and one is missing." He pointed at Harry's locket. "But as for the infamous sixth Horcrux, I didn't know what it was before my death. But I remembered what Hiro Nakamura told me, which is why I am here to help you."
"But how will we find out what the final Horcrux is?"
"Simple." Dumbledore replied, "We follow Tom Riddle. I am sure that it was in his sixth year that he acquired the item that would one day become the unknown Horcrux."
"How do you know, sir?" Harry asked.
"Same way I knew everything else prior in our little adventure: I don't. It's all guesswork until I am proved right or wrong. But I am sure that, if we follow Tom Riddle today, you will know what the final Horcrux is, so that you may destroy it and then go on to finish Voldemort."
Harry nodded. "But…how will we follow him without everyone else knowing?"
A gleam of slight mischief appeared in Dumbledore's eyes. "I do believe that you have your invisibility cloak, do you not?"
Harry took out his cloak. "So I cloak myself and follow Voldemort?"
"Precisely." Dumbledore said briskly, "I will be in my office. You know: Professor McGonagall's future office."
Harry nodded. "I follow Voldemort throughout the day and watch for any object he takes. And hope that I don't get caught."
Dumbledore nodded. "Return to me and tell me. Hopefully, fifty years from now I can do things differently and tell you the identity of all the Horcruxes. And maybe I wouldn't have to…" Dumbledore made a half-smile. He looked at Harry again. "I do not regret my decisions. I accept my fate, but I am not closed to the possibility of changing it. Variety after all, is the spice of life. But I digress. I must insist, Harry, that you do not fail this task, for this is your only chance to obtain the final link to Lord Voldemort's final defeat."
Harry nodded. "I won't fail you, sir. Not like last time."
"You did NOT fail me Harry." Dumbledore told him firmly, "Do not blame yourself for me."
The two of them stared at each other for a few moments, before Dumbledore spoke again:
"I suggest you get some sleep, Harry. Tom Riddle is an early bird; always was."
"Yes sir." Harry answered, "Good night."
"Good night, Harry." Dumbledore turned to leave the common room.
"Professor?" Harry called; Dumbledore stopped in his tracks.
Harry smiled. "It's good to see you again; even if only for a short time."
"Thank you, Harry." Dumbledore replied, as he left through the portrait hole.
King's Cross, England
Ron and Ginny Weasley and Hermione Granger entered the Hogwarts Express. Ginny left her brother and Hermione to join Neville Longbottom and Luna Lovegood, as Ron and Hermione made their way to the Prefects' Compartment.
As they made their way to the compartment, Hermione bumped into a man.
"I'm so sorry!" she said quickly, "I wasn't looking!"
"It's nothing." the man said in a naturally gentle voice, "I'm surprised you can see anything with all that hair in your way!" The way he made that remark carried no venom, no spite in it, but rather just a little lighthearted humor.
Hermione smiled and looked up at the man, and barely suppressed a gasp.
Standing before them was a dark-skinned man of average height, curly hair and rather bright eyes. In other words, he was nothing short of (as Hermione definitely thought) handsome.
"I'm Hermione Granger." she said breathlessly.
"Ahhhh…" the man said, as though he had just had an epiphany, "I am Professor Suresh.: the man replied; he looked at the boy behind Hermione. "And you are?"
"Ronald Weasley." Ron extended his hand, which Suresh shook. "Are you the new Defense Against the Dark Arts instructor?" Ron asked.
Suresh nodded. "Kind of last minute, but yes, I am." A few moments passed.
"Well…" Suresh said awkwardly, "I must be getting to the Instructors' Compartment. If you'll excuse me please. Come, Molly."
They just noticed that Suresh had a little girl next to him and that he was holding her hand. Was she his daughter?
Ron leaned to the side and pulled an obviously stricken Hermione to the side. As Suresh passed them, Suresh gave one last smile at Hermione, who beamed.
When Suresh was out of earshot, Ron shook Hermione out of her trance.
"What the bloody hell was all that?" he growled, "He is a Professor!"
"So?" Hermione retorted, offended, "You don't think I'd…"
But not even she could deny what Ron had picked up as true; she WOULD.
They got to the Prefects' Compartment and did not speak to each other.
I don't like him. Ron thought viciously, I don't trust him, I don't like him.
But why don't you like or trust him? Another voice in Ron's head asked him.
He couldn't answer his own question.
Outside the train, Noah, Claire and Meredith emerged from the brick wall of platform 9 ¾, eyes shut as if expecting to crash. They opened their eyes and looked around.
"Unbelievable." Claire said in amazement, "He was telling the truth!"
"I guess we should get on board." Noah said.
"What'll we tell them?" Claire asked.
"Tell them you're a student and we're your parents." Meredith suggested.
"Mom, everyone's wearing black robes and jeans." Claire replied, "I'm wearing a pink Hello Kitty Tee with the midriff showing, and a denim miniskirt. I don't think 'I'm a student' will really be a valid alibi given my wardrobe."
"Claire, you're American." Noah told her, "These people would expect nothing more of you. Trust me, they'll believe you, if only too readily."
Claire nodded reluctantly. They made their way inside.
They made their way through the train, with Claire having to endure the stares and ogles from all the boys. They entered a compartment and got settled in.
"So we get to this school, find Suresh and the girl," Noah said.
"Then we find Sylar and kill him." Meredith added with resolve.
The trolley lady stopped next to their compartment.
"Anything from the trolley?"
Noah looked at her. "You have any cherry pie?"
New York
Niki, D.L. and Micah got out of the elevator of the hotel they were staying in.
"How sure are we that Petrelli is in Kirby Plaza?" D.L. asked.
"We're not." Niki said, "But it's our closest guess and until we get substantial information, that's all we've got."
They entered their hotel room. Inside, Hiro and Ando were waiting for them.
"You guys." Niki said in surprise.
Hiro and Ando faced the family and bowed. "We are here to help you." Hiro told them, "Linderman's people are still out there. And if we do not defeat them now, they can get revenge to us."
Niki and D.L. looked at each other, nodded, and looked back at Hiro and Ando. "Fine." Niki said, "The more the better. What do you guys know?"
Ando was about to speak, but Hiro spoke first: "Everything."
"Everything?" D.L. said, with a puzzled look.
"Everything." Hiro repeated, "I learned everything from my ancestor. And I know what we must do next."
Niki looked at Hiro. Then, a very Jessica-like mischievous smile came to her face. "Go on, we're listening."
P.O.V.: Mohinder Suresh
By their aspirations; by their futures; even by their pasts; fate always has its means of intertwining the destinies of various men and women. What we do with such fateful occurrences is our decision. Will we shun and reject the help of others? Will we embrace and be grateful for the love and company of our fellow man? At which point in our lives do we acknowledge that we are not alone, nor that we should be alone? In the end, it is the strength of the one that prevails, but it is the loyalty of the many that make it possible. What will they do now?