Quick author's note (feel free to skip ahead to the actual story): First, I apologize in advance for the terrible rhyming in the sorting hat's song. I felt obligated to include it, but its really not very important and upon rereading I felt that it was on par with vogon poetry so you might want to save yourself the pain and only skim it. Second, in answer to the question where am I going with this, this story will deal with politics, corruption, and the ministry. I estimate it will end up being about 100,000 words, and will probably take a long time to get there. I enjoy reviews (hint hint) and I will answer any questions I can.
In the remaining week or so before school started Harry spent his time in the library, avoiding Riddle, and having tea with Professor Dumbledore. Dumbledore seemed delighted to have a student who wasn't intimidated by him. He explained the afternoon before school started that as fear of Grindelwald was rising and it was generally believed that Dumbledore was the only one who would be able to defeat the dark lord. Harry set his tea down and sat back thoughtfully.
"I sort of know what you mean. Last year- well, my last year- I found out that I was the only one who could defeat Lord Voldemort, and, well, even though the people didn't know it they kinda guessed cause of how the killing curse rebounded on me. Anyway, mostly people went back and forth thinking I was a dangerous nut job and a hero. I guess I had to learn not to care what people thought... and I guess where you're already a respected wizard people are less likely to think you're a nut job, but you still shouldn't let them dictate what you do," Harry rambled. He looked up to see Dumbledore smiling at him.
"What?" Harry asked, self-conscious.
"You're unusually wise for your age, Harry." Harry blushed and stammered out a question that he had wondered about since he had read Rita Skeeter's books.
"Is it true that you were in love with Grindelwald?" Dumbledore's face fell.
"I-I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked..." Harry stammered.
"It's alright Harry. I was in love with him, I suppose I still am, but it gave him too much power over me. So much power that he was able to sway my moral compass. I worry that if I face him again I will find out that he never loved me, and merely used me to gain power... and I worry that knowing that would destroy me." It was stated gravely, but Harry knew that any normal person would be sobbing their heart out when confronted with the array of emotions that the transfiguration teacher was facing. Harry thought of the vision he had recently had about Voldemort's interrogation with Grindelwald in Nurmengard.
"In my universe you defeated him even though he had the elder wand and he was imprisoned, and after you, erm, die, Voldemort goes to him to get information about the elder wand. He's killed by Voldemort cause he won't say anything about the wand. I sort of thought it was because he didn't want Voldemort to defile your grave... So even if he didn't love you, I don't think you were just a means to an end." Harry stared at his shoes as he spoke, wishing he could be more eloquent. When he looked up, Dumbledore had tears in his eyes. This made Harry profoundly uncomfortable. He was unsure if he should stay or go, and if he should go, what the proper thing to say would be.
"Thank-you Harry." Dumbledore said softly and sincerely. Harry took that as his cue to leave.
"Right. Thanks for the tea professor. I'll see you tomorrow."
HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP
On September first, Harry found himself unable to concentrate on anything. He spent the morning in the library as he had every day since arriving, but was found that reading was entirely useless. He would forget the beginning of a sentence before he finished reading it. Sighing, Harry closed the book about time turners and re-shelved it. He looked thoughtfully at the other books in the section before he decided to go see if there was still a copy of Quidditch Through the Ages in this time. Not looking where he was going he ran into Riddle.
"Oh! S-sorry Professor, sir," Harry cursed himself for stuttering. It wasn't as if he was scared of the young Voldemort, but it was disconcerting to not have noticed him. Unfortunately Riddle noticed the stuttering.
"No harm done, Mr. Potter. Are you alright?" He asked, looking concerned.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Harry said automatically, then added "Just nervous about school starting," which was true enough.
"Ah, I understand. It will be different to be in Slytherin this time around, won't it."
"Yeah, really different. Although I suppose it will be equally different to teach the Slytherins who were your peers last year," Harry replied, eager to get the topic of conversation off of himself. However, at Harry's comment, Riddle narrowed his eyes slightly.
"How did you know I was in Slytherin, or that I graduated last year?" At this question Harry felt his heart rate pick up.
"Just picked it up." He said, trying and failing to sound nonchalant.
"In the future?" Asked Riddle.
"Perhaps." Harry continued to fail at nonchalance.
"Well I won't ask you about it, since you seem so uncomfortable, but just so you know you can always talk to me about whatever may be bothering you," Riddle told Harry. Sure, when the pigs take to the sky, Harry thought, but replied,
"Thanks, on the off chance this is a dynamic timeline rather than an alternate one I'd like the future to be as unchanged as possible, and I think talking about it may change it." Harry replied. Riddle immediately looked interested.
"You don't think this is a fixed timeline?" He asked. Harry cursed himself, he really needed to learn to be more cunning if he was going to survive in a house besides Gryffindor.
"Its not. I've already ruled that out." Harry told Riddle.
"Fascinating, after the time turner was invented wizards began believing that the only time travel possible was in fixed timelines. This must mean you used a different method of time travel. I suppose if you are ever going to get back a new way must be invented." Riddle said. Harry looked at him thoughtfully, Riddle noticed his expression.
"What is it?"
"You sounded just like one of my best friends when she was talking about time travel." Harry answered truthfully. Riddle smiled charmingly.
"She must be a brilliant witch," He said, making Harry laugh.
"She is."
"I assume she was in Gryffindor too?" Inquired Riddle.
"Yeah, I don't think Slytherin will have anyone like her." Harry replied sadly.
"I assure you Slytherin has many brilliant people." Riddle said, sounding slightly offended. Harry grinned.
"I'm sure it does, I was talking about the fact that she was muggleborn," Harry replied, curious as to the reaction this would receive. He watched Riddle's face carefully. It went entirely blank.
"No, there probably won't be any muggleborns..." Riddle trailed off. When Harry didn't say anything, he spoke again. "I am curious how you came to be sorted in Gryffindor the first time around."
"You don't think Gryffindor suits me?" Asked Harry.
"I'm sure you are very brave, but I think there is more cunning in you than bravery." Replied Riddle. Harry nodded.
"The sorting hat thought the same thing. It only put me in Gryffindor because I told it not Slytherin." This surprised the DADA teacher.
"The sorting hat listened to you? I didn't think the students had any say in the matter."
"My headmaster told me that it was the choices we make that decides who we are, if that's true, then surely the sorting hat would factor your choice into the sorting." Harry replied easily. Riddle smiled an odd smile. There were a few seconds of silence before Riddle asked,
"So what changed this time?"
"I'm not sure, the hat really didn't give me a chance to respond before it sorted me... but I guess I've always wondered what would have happened if I hadn't met Malf- I mean this boy in my year who was a bit of a prick before the sorting. I met him, he went on and on about how muggleborns shouldn't be allowed into Hogwarts, and tried to make me stop being friends with my other best friend." Harry explained, once again cursing his tendency to ramble.
"Surely your parents would have had a more profound influence on what house you would have chosen?" Riddle prompted.
"No, they died when I was a baby. I was raised in the muggle world." Harry was curious if this news would get a reaction. It did: sympathy.
"I'm sorry. My parents also died when I was young and I too was raised in the muggle world." Harry blinked, and his brain caught up with him. Once again, he was talking to his parents murderer.
"I er, I have to go meet Dumbledore. For tea." Harry told Riddle. The DADA professor looked faintly confused as Harry's response, but smiled politely.
"Well it was lovely talking to you, I'll see you at the feast tonight."
"Yeah, er, nice talking to you too. Bye." Harry swiftly left the library. It was a bit earlier than his usual tea time with Dumbledore, but Harry headed there anyway. The transfiguration professor's office was a floor below the library, and Harry went down the staircase as fast as he could before jogging down three corridors. He was knocking on Professor Dumbledore's door less than five minutes after he left Riddle.
"Come in," came Dumbledore's voice from within the office. Harry closed the door quickly behind him as if there was someone chasing him and plopped down on the well cushioned seat in front of Dumbledore's desk.
"Something wrong, Harry?" the man asked, looking amused.
"Voldemort killed my parents." Dumbledore's expression grew slightly more serious, but his eyes continued to twinkle.
"Yes, you told me that already."
"I don't know if I can be around him all the time. I just- I don't think I can." Harry said, sitting back in the armchair and staring at his knees. He looked up to see Dumbledore looking at Harry with understanding.
"Harry, sooner or later you will have to decide whether or not you hold Tom Riddle responsible for Voldemort's actions."
"They're the same person, aren't they?" Harry asked.
"Each of us are on a path to becoming a certain person. Things in our lives influence whether we stay on the path or not, ultimately we decide where we go. However, we cannot see the future. Perhaps Tom Riddle does not see where the path he is on leads. Perhaps he can still choose to find a different path.
"After all that you have told me, Harry, I think of everyone in this time, you know Professor Riddle the best. Do you think he is the same person as your parents' murderer?" Harry was silent for a long time before he answered,
"I don't know."
HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP
Harry waited near the front doors until the students arrived in the carriages. As soon as the doors opened he slipped into the crowd heading to the Great Hall. IT was odd to not recognize anyone. When the students arrived at the Great Hall, Harry sat down at the end of the Slytherin table, looking longingly over at the Gryffindor table.
It was about five minutes after everyone was sitting down that someone realized there was a stranger at the Slytherin table. It was the boy sitting next to Harry.
"Hello, I don't believe I have seen you before." A young, expressive Lucius Malfoy look-a-like told him.
"No, you probably haven't." Harry replied. A flicker of irritation passed over the pale face.
"My name is Abraxas Malfoy," The blond tried again. Harry smiled.
"Nice to meet you, Malfoy."
"Call me Abraxas."
"Alright Abraxas." Harry smiled again and turned his attention back to the rest of the Great Hall.
"And what is your name?" Abraxas finally asked.
"Harry."
"Harry..." Abraxas trailed off, looking at Harry pointedly.
"Just Harry."
"I see, and your parents?"
"What about them?" Harry remembered the first conversation he had had with Draco Malfoy in Madam Malkins. He wondered if Abraxas would come out and ask if Harry's parents had been a witch and wizard just like Draco had.
"What are their names?" Abraxas asked after a moment's hesitation. Harry smirked. This Malfoy was clearly fishing for the same information Draco had, but had more tact than to come out and ask it.
"Their names were James and Lily."
"Were? I am sorry for your loss."
"Thanks." Harry watched to see if Abraxas would ask any other questions, he clearly wanted to, but Harry assumed he had been raised to be more subtle than just coming out and asking what he wanted to know. Finally Harry took pity and indulged the friendlier Malfoy's desire for conversation.
"What year are you?" Harry asked. The blond looked surprised at Harry's sudden cooperation.
"I am in seventh, what year are you in?"
"The same," replied Harry.
"Strange that I have not seen you in any of my classes before." Abraxas commented.
"Oh, not really strange at all," Harry responded dismissively. He watched as the first years walked in, shivering.
"Why is that?" Abraxas asked, ignoring the first years.
"I wasn't here before." Harry answered simply.
"Where were you schooled before?" Asked Abraxas just as Dumbledore came in holding the sorting hat in one hand and the three legged stool in the other. The transfiguration professor smiled at Harry as he walked past.
"Hogwarts," Harry replied, returning Dumbledore's smile.
"But you just said you weren't here before." Abraxas stated.
"I wasn't."
"But this is Hogwarts." It was hard not to laugh at this observation, but Harry managed by watching Dumbledore place the sorting hat on the stool.
"So it is," Harry acknowledged.
"And before this year you went to Hogwarts." Abraxas said even though everyone else had gone quiet and was waiting for the sorting hat to begin singing.
"I did," confirmed Harry.
"But not here." Abraxas whispered
"Precisely." Harry smiled at Abraxas just as the sorting hat started its slightly off-key song.
It's been a long and happy history
In this castle full of mystery
Here we've taught since time began
And here we'll teach for years on end
Four houses proud make up the school
Hufflepuff is home of the loyal
Friendships here will never foil
Ravenclaws value most their minds
They'll solve puzzles of all kinds
The brave at heart are Gryffindor
They stand their ground forevermore
Slytherin is all kinds of subtle
They're cunning, careful through every muddle
To which of these will you go?
That depends on the traits you show
The things you value most in you
Reveal a thing or two
About who you are beneath your skin
Regardless of who may be your kin.
So put me on! Let me sort you
Let me help each of you show
The traits in you beginning to grow.
But no matter to which house you go
Remember the others are not your foe
Each house is different, true
But each may fit in another house or two
The house you are is not who you are
You are who you choose
So choose carefully, or this war we'll loose
Harry smiled at the hats final words. You are who you choose. He looked up to see Riddle looking at him. It unnerved Harry, and he quickly turned his gaze to the first years about to be sorted. Dumbledore took a scroll of parchment from his pocket and began reading names. When the first student was sorted into Gryffindor Harry raised his hands to clp, and then abruptly realized he was now a Slytherin. Before long the last first year had been sorted. The headmaster stood up.
"I have a couple of announcements. The first is that we have a new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. Pleas welcome Professor Riddle." There was a round of applause and then Dippet spoke again.
"The second announcement is that we have a new student joining us for his seventh year. Harry Potter, please stand up." Headmaster Dippet looked around for Harry before he continued. "Mr. Potter has been sorted into Slytherin. He arrived here under unusual circumstances. Mr. Potter is from the future and I must ask you all not to ask him too many questions about the future for the sake of the timeline. Thank you."
After the headmaster sat down there was a flurry of conversation. Harry sat down, closed his eyes, and pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance as everyone craned their heads to get a good look at him. Would he ever be rid of people staring at him?
When the food appeared Harry took advantage of the stupor everyone around him seemed to be in to get the first serving of everything. Abraxas was the first to recover his wits.
"I see, you attended Hogwarts in the future and that is why I haven't seen you," the grandfather of Harry's school rival stated politely. Harry chuckled.
"Yeah."
"So tell us, what is the future like?" Asked another boy who was sitting across from Harry and Abraxas. He had an air of elegance that Harry would never be able to achieve.
"Pretty much the same," Harry replied as he dug into his mashed potatoes.
"There must be some difference," Abraxas said. Harry looked around thoughtfully. There were the same four house tables, the same enchanted night-sky ceiling, the same floating candles, same uniforms, and so on.
"I guess the hair styles are a bit different," Harry remarked. Both Abraxas and the boy across from them laughed.
"My name is Orion Black. I'm in seventh year too," The boy across the table introduced himself. Harry felt a pang when he realized this was Sirius' father.
"Harry Potter. It's nice to meet you," Harry told him sincerely. Abraxas snorted
"So you tell him your full name, but not me." The blond was looking mildly disgruntled. It made the resemblance to Draco Malfoy uncanny.
"The headmaster announced my name, everyone already knew. Besides I was kind of curious how long you would go before asking me straight out." Harry told Abraxas. The blond grinned and the similarities to Draco and Lucius grew less pronounced. This is bizarre, Harry thought, I didn't know a friendly Malfoy was possible.
"How far in the future are you from?" Someone else asked him.
"Several decades," Harry answered, and became evasive when they tried to get an exact number from him. A couple second years asked him if they had become famous, some of the older students tried to talk politics with him, but Harry grew less patient the more questions were asked so eventually they stopped trying.
"What do you plan to do after Hogwarts?" Harry asked Orion, genuinely curious. He had never known what Sirius' father had done.
"Oh I'm the heir to the black family, I'll end up in the Wizagamot, but my father wants me to become an apprentice to a lawyer," Orion replied as the plates and bowls cleaned themselves and desserts appeared.
"I'll end up in the Wizagamot too, but I'll work in the policy making office." Abraxas told Harry. "What about you?"
"I want to be an auror." At this, both Orion and Abraxas, as well as the others listening in on their conversation, looked surprised. "What?" Harry asked as took a treacle tart.
"Not many Slytherins go into that field," Orion explained.
"Why not?" Asked Harry.
"Well, to get into the program you need an auror to agree to be your mentor, and not many aurors would agree to mentor a Slytherin," Abraxas said matter-of-factly. Harry was still confused.
"Why wouldn't they mentor someone just because they're Slytherin?"
"Because they think that all Slytherins are evil and that a Slytherin auror would be a corrupt auror," Orion replied.
"Oh." Harry replied. He hoped that this would not matter. If he was back in his time then surely he would have no trouble finding an auror mentor.
Several minutes later everyone had finished eating and the headmaster stood up again to tell everyone to go to bed. Harry stood up and mindlessly followed the crowd to the dungeons. He paid no attention to the stares he was getting, after all he had been stared at his entire time at Hogwarts.