Apparently, Albus Dumbledore, Prefect extraordinaire, had promised the First Years he would help them with their homework the first few weeks before being called to the Headmaster's office. And, if Harry was reading the situation correctly, he had actually forgotten he had told them to wait for him.

This kind of incident wasn't actually that rare, as Harry learned from a Sixth Year girl. Not forgetting students, he had only been prefect for two days after all, but there were so many things in his mind all the time Albus was bound to forget one or two if something new and shiny suddenly appeared and caught his attention.

Harry guessed that meant he was the 'something new and shiny'.

"Generally, remind him he has promised something," she finished. "He does keep his promises. He just… gets easily distracted."

And now that he was helping the First Years, Harry's window of opportunity of telling him he was a time traveller was closed until the next time the two of them were alone.

Harry sighed and sat on his favourite armchair. Or maybe the armchair that would one day become his favourite, he wasn't really sure.

If he ignored the people in the room, Harry could fool himself into believing he hadn't time-travelled and that either Ron or Hermione would come through the door after patrolling the school. Ron had confessed to him once he wasn't actually doing it most of the time and was just enjoying a nice and long bath in the Prefect's bathroom. After all, they would be huge hypocrites if he were to give detentions to students out of bed.

That was of course before Harry told him Myrtle was also haunting the Prefects' bathroom and that she liked ogling unsuspecting wizards.

Harry sighed. Not even twenty-four hours and he already missed his friends.

How long would it be before he could see them again? Even if the young Albus Dumbledore believed him and promised he was going to send him back to the future, he seriously doubted he'd manage this feat in a week.

When he came back and everybody was safe, Harry would swear to Hermione he would always listen to her from now on and never be rash and jump to conclusions. He had definitely learned his lesson this time. He was going to do as he was told, control his 'saving people thing', tell Dumbledore the strict necessary and not tell him too much about the future to avoid some catastrophic butterfly effect.

Really.

He had barely convinced himself he would follow on his new resolution that a Fifth Year boy with chestnut hair and brown eyes sat in the sat in front of him. "You're the new student Albus mentionned last night, right?" he asked.

He blinked. "Yes?"

The brunette extended his hand. "Elphias Doge. We share the same dorms."

Harry frowned and carefully shook the hand, wondering why the name seemed so familiar.

"Albus wanted to make the introduction last night but apparently you were tired," the boy continued. "You're Harry Potter, right?"

"Yes, yes." He dazedly shook his head. "Sorry, you said Elphias Doge?" he asked, still trying to remember where he could have possibly heard the name.

The boy nodded. "Maybe Albus mentionned me. We're friends."

It took several seconds for Harry to finally remember.

"Wait, that Elphias Doge?"

It had been dark that night, but he remembered that there had been an old wizard in the Order of the Phoenix' advanced guard whose name had also been Elphias Doge.

Harry knew it could have been somebody sharing the same name, like a grandson or something. Still, considering that wizard had apparently also been a friend of Dumbledore who had decided to leave the Wizengamot when Dumbledore had been kicked out, it was highly probable that this Elphias Doge and that Elphias Doge were actually one and the same.

The young Elphias Doge's face considerably brightened. "So, he did mention me?" Before Harry could say anything, he vividly began talking, "He is my best friend and I like to believe I am his. You see, I met Albus on the Hogwarts Express. We were in the same car and I just had suffered from dragon pox and..."

And, as the boy explained how he and Albus had met, Harry couldn't stop himself from smiling when Elphias told him that the two eleven years olds had finally sealed their friendship over two boxes of chocolate frogs and Berty Bott's Beans.

"That's the best way to," he admitted. That, and troll boogers.

"I had no money on me, so he bought the sweets and shared them with me. You will soon realize," he slyly said, "that Albus has quite a sweet tooth."

Harry burst to laugh. "No kidding!"

At the other side of the room, Albus turned his head at the noise. Seeing nothing too suspicious, he shrugged and took a Berty Bott's bean from the box on the table he promptly ate.

"If you ever want to bribe Albus," Elphias remarked when Albus's attention was back on the First Years, "use sweets. Anything works really, but he is rather fond of Berty Flavour Beans."

Harry tried not to grin and nodded.

"He is also a real mother hen so don't be too surprised if he reminds you to do your homework or if he tries to help you with Transfiguration even though you haven't asked him anything."

"Got it." He paused. "What can you tell me about the others?"

"Oh right!" He startled. "You haven't met them yet. Do you want me to introduce you to the rest of our housemates?" Harry shrugged but the brown-eyed was already getting up.

And that was how Elphias introduced him to the Fifth Year girls who were giggling for some reason. Harry really hoped they not were laughing at him because they had somehow heard of the butterfly incident.

"This is Ariel Meadowes, Agatha Fenwick and Virgina Selwyn." He pointed at the blonde, the brunette and the red-haired as he introduced them. "Ladies, this is our new classmate, Harry Potter."

Virginia winked at him.

Harry felt his cheeks reddening and turned to Elphias. "And the… And the boys?" his voice croaked.

"Right!" Elphias turned on his left and walked toward two boys who seemed to be playing exploding cards. "Boys, this is the new student Harry Potter. Harry, the green-eyed is Ambrosius Bones and the blonde here is of course Arthorius Weasley."

Harry stared at the blonde.

"Wh-What?" The blonde Weasley startled and weakly asked, "Wh-Why are you looking at me like that?"

Malfoy blonde.

"Nothing."

"So anyway," Elphias asked him, "where do you come from?"

"Oh!" Harry dazedly blinked, suddenly remembering his lack of cover story. "W-Well, I've been there and there."

"But where exactly?" Bones crossed his arms. "Did you go to the Russian Empire? To our colonies? Unless you went even further." He startled. "Like Mahoukotoro! Did you study there?"

Harry considered his options. "Does it really matter where I'm from?" He winced and acted as if remembering was too painful. "I mean… I'm not there anymore and I'm here now."

If he focused on his friends, he wouldn't even have to pretend at all.


The first class they had the next day was History of Magic. And after that, Albus would have Arithmancy while the others would have Divination.

Elphias seemed to find this terribly poetic. "First we learn the past, then we learn the future." He nodded to himself as he refilled his glass of pumkin juice. "I still think you should have picked Divination, Albus. Aren't you curious about how the future will be like?"

Albus took the jar of honey and bemusedly shook his head. "Alas Elphias, I very much doubt that I possess the famed Third Eye. Why, I even believe I would be a terrible student."

"Don't say that," Elphias protested. "A wizard such as you, I'm sure you could master Divination like you did all the other subjects. Don't you think so?" He turned to the new student who seemed to be deep in thoughts.

Harry startled. "What?"

"Don't you think Albus could also be great at Divination?"

The green-eyed took a glance at him and shrugged.

"I mean, Albus is perhaps the smartest wizard of our age! I'm sure he will manage to see the future if he just bothers to try."

"My best friend is also smart," Harry remarked and slowly smiled. "Smartest witch of her age. She still dropped Divination. Found it to be a lot of rubbish."

Elphias looked so outraged Albus had to hide a smile behind his teacup. "It's not rubbish!" the brunette protested. "Divination is perhaps the most complex branch of magic we will ever learn! Maybe wizards are not as gifted as centaurs but we get by all the same! Those who believe divination is nothing but dragon dung are just close-minded-"

Albus decided to stop the discussion. "Unfortunatey, before attempting to lift the veil of time to see a glimpse of the future, there is still the past to deal with. And while it may not look like it at first glance, I can assure you that the past holds just as many mysteries as the future."


"So, how is the History of magic Professor?" Harry asked as they sat in History of Magic.

Albus paused. "He is… an eminent scholar," he carefully answered. Having listed all their teacher's qualities, he swiftly asked him what he was thinking of the subject.

Harry blankly looked at him. "I should have paid more attention in class," he just said. "Scratch that, I shouldn't have fallen asleep that day."

"I suppose it is not too late for you to correct that then."

Harry gave him a look. "Yes, I think it is."

"Nonsense!" he protested. "It is never too late to learn anything, let it be History of Magic, Potions or even knitting!"

The brunette's lips twiched. "Okay then." He took the quill Albus had lent him. "I'm not convinced but..." He shrugged. "If we're not studying goblin rebellions, I suppose I can give it a try."

The Gryffindor has barely finished his sentence that the door opened and a sickly-looking wizard with grey hair and in ratted red robes went to the front desk.

He posed his satchel on the desk. "This year, we will review goblin rebellions all thorough the sixteenth century."

The entire class groaned.

"I do not know who taught you History of magic," Albus regretfully said to a Harry who had dropped the quill at the wizard's entrance, "but whoever that person was, I doubt your teacher knows more about the subject than Professor Binns. It happens that the man has decided to consecrate his entire life to goblin rebellions and is the expert when it comes to this field. Maybe you will even learn somehing new with him," he tried to console him when Harry started hiding his face behind his hands.


Binns was alive.

Binns was alive.

He had known that ghost had been teaching there for a very long time, but he hadn't actually believed the rumours saying he had been there for at least a century.

And the wizard was as boring as his ghost. In fact, if Harry wanted to be poetic or imitate Professor Dumbledore, Harry supposed he would say Binns was like the subject he was teaching: immuable.

"Now that we've endured the past," Elphias jovially said as they walked up the Divination Tower, "let's go to the future!"

Harry sighed. "You seem to really love Divination."

Elphias grinned. "I suppose I do. I'm very curious about what the future can be like so if I could just get a peek… imagine what we could do with it! I could… I don't know… win the Prophet's lottery!" He chuckled in amusement. "And also the teacher is amazing. A real seer! I mean, was your former Divination professor a seer?"

Harry nodded. "Made a prophecy right in front of me."

"Now I know you're pulling my leg," Elphias laughed. "Next you're going to tell me… I don't know… Next you're going to tell me a centaur taught you the art of Divination!"

Harry bit his cheek to avoid grinning.

And started when he saw the crowd in front of the ladder leading to the Divination classroom. "Wow." Was Divination that popular these days? "Are… are you sure we'll all fit inside?"

"Yes, we do." Elphias shrugged as they waited for the others to climb the silver ladder. "The room is rather big, you know?" Not seeing Harry making a dubitative face he continued as they started climbing, "And, between you and me, it's my favourite in the entire school."

When Harry finally entered the classroom, his jaw dropped.

Ever since Harry had been there, he hadn't helped comparing this Hogwarts with his. So, without him noticing, he had been trying to see what was already here, what would one day disappear and what had yet to come. So far, he had to admit that, with perhaps the exception of the Whomping Willow, very little would change in a century. Some classrooms had different artifacts on the desk but that was it. And, if Harry had been startled in History of Magic to realize absolutely nothing had changed in Binns' classroom, he was this time shocked to realize how much the Divination's classroom would change.

The smell of incence Harry had been subconciously linking with this class wasn't present, nor were the chimtz armchair and the poufs, though the circular tables seemed to be already there. And if Professor Trelawey had never opened the curtains and preferred the light of her many lamps she had draped with dark red scarves, this Divination professor seemed to perfer natural sunlight and Harry finally discovered this room probably had the best view in the entire castle.

Finally, the weirdest thing in this room were the numerous painting of eyes on the wall which had been following his every movement since he entered.

"D-Do they always do that?" he asked Elphias.

"What? Oh them!" The Gryffindor waved it away as he went to the nearest table. "They'll get bored if you ignore them."

Harry tried to stop looking at the big red eye in front of him.

"Professor Mesmer is fascinated by them. I suppose it comes with the job really."

Elphias has barely finished his sentence that a door Harry had never noticed before suddenly opened and a middle-aged wizard holding a teatray entered the divination classroom.

"Morning everybody," the man mumbled, eyes on the tea service. "My Third Eye tells me this is your OWL year, so we'll begin reviewing-"

When the wizard raised his head, Harry noticed the wizard had the most electric blue eyes he had ever seen. It even seemed unnatural.

The wizard suddenly screamed and the tray fell, shattering the tea service.

"W-Well," the wizard shakily breathed under the class' incredulous eyes. "I-I admit I didn't forsee this." He rapidly blinked before violently shaking his head. "I-I suppose it's nice to be surprised once in a while. I wanted us to review tassomancy but..." He looked down on the shattered tea service. "I suppose we'll have to improvise," he dejectedly concluded. "Hate this but what can I say? So!" The Divination Professor pointed his finger at Harry, his electric blue eyes meeting Harry's green. "You, introduce yourself. What are you and why are you here?" Harry opened his mouth but the man as quicker. "And you better not lie to me because I hate when people lie to me."

Harry briefly considered telling him he was the time-traveller just to see if he'd believe him. "Harry Potter, sir. I'm a new student. And I… I want to learn divination."

Professor Mesmer stared at him. "... I see," he slowly said. "A new student." The wizard seemed thoughtful for a few seconds. Finally, he nodded. "Well then, I suppose that seals it. We're going to do this today," Professor Mesmer said as he retrieved a pendulum from his breastpocket.

Excited whispers suddenly filled the room.

"I love when he does that," someone behind him murmured.

"Now, I have to ask. Have you any experience with this?"

Harry looked at the pendulum dancing. "No, sir."

"Alright, that'll be easier then. Look closely. From what you can see, what is it supposed to do?"

It would be easier for him to say if that thing wasn't swinging, Harry thought. He could barely see the green spiral on it, which sometimes seemed to be winking at him. Unless it was an eye, or-

The floor vanished under his feet and Harry fell. Before Harry could even scream, he was back on the floor.

"What the bloody hell is-"

He blinked and owlishly looked around him.

He definitely wasn't in his Divination classroom anymore. Or even in Hogwarts. In fact, it seemed like he was inside somebody's living room.

Harry drawed his wand and slowly walked around the room, heart racing. He stared at the red sofa where a wand was lying.

Harry didn't know what the oddest thing was. Was it the fact that he's been catapulted out of Hogwarts?

Or was it the fact Harry had the distinct impression he had been there before?

He went to the green kitchen and disturbingly looked at the pumpkins on the table. He then went to an office where many books on charms and transfigurations were exposed on the shelves over a mahogany desk.

Harry took the frame on the desk and fought a gasp when he saw a wedding picture.

"I'm in my parents' house," he whispered.

Because that was James and Lily Potter who were passionately kissing and waving at him.

Had he time-travelled again? Was it possible that, somehow, he had been sent home?

Maybe they were upstairs, Harry abruptly thought. He turned back to the door and almost ran to leave the room. Maybe he'd see them, he thought as he walked up the stairs and opened the door on the right. Talk to them, maybe-

"Hello Harry, darling."

But it was neither his mother nor his father on the other side.

Voldemort sneered over the crib in the middle of the room. "Welcome home, baby. How was your day?"

Harry stared at his parents' murderer. "How can you be here?"

"I was invited." Voldemort retrieved a piece of parchment and waved it. "By your parents' good friend, may I add. I've heard they wanted a good scare for Halloween and I hate to disappoint. The Potters live at 7 Hallow Street in Godric Hollow," he read the parchment. "It's the correct adress, isn't it? I wouldn't want to kill the wrong family by accident."

Harry gritted his teeth and pointed his wand at him. "Get out of here," he ordered.

"Or what?" His crimson eyes were laughing at him. "You will kill me?"

Harry dangerously took a step forward.

"Did you know? I was standing where you are currently standing," he remarked. "And you were there." He pointed at the crib. "That terrible night. If you cast the Killing curse –or worse the Disarming Charm- what is going to happen, do you think? Will your mother's love save me? Will the curse rebound on you and you will die?"

"Will you become me? Or will I become you?" he finished as Harry's wand started shaking. "Why don't we find out, together, who we truly are?"

This couldn't be real, Harry furiously thought. This couldn't possibly be real. Professor Mesmer must have done something to him and he was just making things up and-

"Yes, he did something," Voldemort interrupted his musings. "This is all in your head but, why, on earth, should that mean this isn't real?"

In that case, all he had to do was to use occlumency and Voldemort would vanish and-

"-and nothing. I'm here, in your head. I've been here for almost fifteen years. Maybe you will stop us from having a nice chat –you're a terrible host by the way, didn't your mudblood of mother teach you any manners? Oh right, I killed her- but I will never leave."

Harry closed his eyes and tried to clear his mind. To stop thinking about the monster in front of him and this house where his parents died. To focus on the Divination classroom. To only think of these freaking paintings of eyes following his every movement. Of Professor Mesmer's electric blue eyes. If he only focused on the place where he stood before this farce began, then maybe-"

"So he can be taught," Voldemort's voice seemed far away. "That's good to know. Still, come back any time you want. I rarely have people to entertain myself with these days. And, let's be honest, you need me if you want to survive here. Or even find a way home."

He didn't! His mind rebelled. And he would never come back.

"We'll see, we'll see. Never say never."