Hey everyone,
This is going to be one heavy chapter. We are going to delve even deeper into Harrison's psyche and backstory, what he was like as a 32 to 38 year old man, how he felt when he found out about what Percy wrote in his journals and how he experienced the entire trial and its aftermath. And not once, but twice he will tell this.
Also, I am aware that Article 13 has been accepted by the European Parliament - or whatever - but I do not care, at least not yet. This whole act is not going to count for us for another two years, so until then I am going to continue posting updates every month. At least until as many of these stories are completed. Though I am hesitant to start new stories because of this as well, sorry.
That's going to be rough,
Venquine1990
Shout-Outs To:
Jostanos
V.L. Crawford
Daithi4377
Tyler'sPrincess
Kirsty
ObsessedWithHPFanFic
Kaykay25
Chapter 04
Two Painful Conversations
Grimmauld Place, London
12th of August 1995
Harrison's POV
"Before I start explaining what made me come back in time, there are a few things I need to tell you all. I will tell Sirius the same thing and hope you will do this for Moody and Tonks, Dumbledore, but you need to understand this. This timeline? It is no longer the main timeline. I don't really get what it means, but I was told that there is one main timeline and various others.
These others all have someone travel back in time to fix stuff. Though before you say anything, Hermione, no. You having used the Time turner back in Third does not make this derive from the main timeline, because you used it to keep things on track and keep with your schedule. Using Time Turners like that does not do this.
If someone were to send his soul, his knowledge or his magic back in time – or in my case his whole person – then they create a separate timeline. And apparently, according to the Unspeakables, that actually happens 7 times in an hour 24/7. Yeah, that's how I responded when I heard about this, when I heard this was a thing."
"So wait, there might be timelines where –?" Ron asks and I nod as I say: "Yeah, according to the Unspeakables, there are probably a dozen timelines where you, your mother, your sister or even someone like Dennis, Luna or even McGonagall went back in time in various ways to make the timeline a better place.
However, we will never know about those or what happened in them, because we are in this one. And as crazy as it sounds, when I left, a version of me was left behind to continue living that main timeline. There is, in 2018, a version of me that failed in traveling back and who decided to just continue living his life regardless."
This makes everyone look at me weirdly and I say: "Yeah, I didn't get it either when I was told this would happen. But it doesn't matter. What matters is that I am here and that I fixed what went wrong – or at least solved the issue that made me decide to go back in time. However, when it comes to the coming years, there are still rules.
And they suck, let me tell you." I deadpan at them all and the Weasleys share looks before I say: "The one rule I hate above all others is this. I cannot tell any of you who is and is not going to survive the war. If I do, if I tell you how one of you died, I basically sign your death contract and you will die on the day I told you about.
Trust me, I got told by the most honest and loyal Unspeakable, the one who was my friend before she took her job, that even if I tell you and we all come up with 7 plans, 10 contingency plans and another 19 emergency plans, the person I told you about would die, would still die the exact way I told you I remember him or her dying."
This shocks the whole group and Ron asks: "So you can't tell us anything? You can't even tell us if any of us are going to die?" But I shake my head and say: "I can't give you exact details. I can't say things like – and this is just an example, it didn't happen – McGonagall is going to get killed by a Cerberus on the 13th of November next year.
What I can tell you is something like this. Of everyone who was in the room just now – six people aren't going to make it through the war." Horror, shock and terror is now on all faces and I say: "I can't tell you who until they survive the day of their death, but I can set in motion plans that, without you knowing, can have you help me save them.
So even if you don't know why I ask you something, please just do as I say. You don't have to necessarily think this is to save a life, cause some of my actions might just be to make the next three years a little bit better than they were in my past. So my question is, can I count on you to help me see this all through?"
"Always, mate." Ron instantly says, determination and a strong sense of fear for others showing on his face and I smile, knowing he and George were never really the same after Fred's death. Hating that I have to keep this secret from them for another three years, do I suddenly feel Mrs. Weasley giving me her infamous hug as she says:
"You poor dear. To know that some of us are – are – and not being able to properly warn us. That you actually came back here, knowing you would have to live through those years or months or even weeks before someone died again. I – I cannot believe you would do such a thing – for us. You really are the sweetest, Harry."
And here I decide to just come out with it all and say: "Harrison. I had to change my name upon my return so that there'd be no confusion between me and my younger self." Everyone nods and I sigh as I say: "Now I guess it's time I explain to you all what made me decide to go back in time. And please know, this includes the death rule."
Everyone looks concerned, but thanks to all I know and what I found out about Azkaban, do I know that this will be an exception to the rule. "In 2012 your brother and son Percy threw an honorary party for someone who died during the war, who I had been close to. However, he was also starting a new medication for his health.
And in that medication was some kind of spice that he was actually allergic to. It made it so that, because he took it just before bed –.""Wait, you can really tell us all this? I mean –?" Mrs. Weasley cries and I sigh as I say: "Trust me, Mrs. Weasley, it is all relevant to the reason I came back. So yeah, I have to tell you."
The woman nods, but I can tell she already feels horrible, as if she has already lost her son. This makes me grimace as she has no idea how right she is before I continue: "Like I said, because he took it before bed, his allergy hit him in his sleep. His lungs swelled up and became unable to continue breathing. He died in his sleep."
Hurt and pained looks are shared, proving that everyone here still cares for the lad, regardless of how he has been treating them this last summer. This makes me feel even worse as I know they will get convinced that caring for him is a bad idea in the worst way imaginable. And while I wish I could be elsewhere, do I speak on:
"Bill, at this time, was still working for Gringotts in England and so he became Percy's Will Enforcer. He was in charge of unsealing Percy's will, inviting all those mentioned inside, making sure the properties left to the parties involved would be given to them and to go through all items not in the will that still belonged to Percy.
Among this latter group was a group of journals that Percy apparently wrote in from 1986 to 1994. And when Bill went through these to see if anything of value was in them, he found an entry in the first one that broke him to pieces." And with that do I pull out the copy of the journal Madam Bones gave me earlier.
I hand it to Ginny, who I know will be able to handle this the best and say: "My sixth birthday. It's not pretty, but – please read it out loud. And Mrs. Weasley, that's not Percy's journal anymore, it's a copy of a piece of evidence given to me by Madam Bones." The woman gasps at this and Ginny pages through the journal and reads
"I've known for a few weeks that there is something not normal with Scabbers, due to him living longer than rats his age are supposed to, but to see my former pet change into a grown man that actually – WAIT, WHAT?" She yells at the end and puts the journal in front of her face, reading it over and over.
"To see my former pet – grown man." The girl mutters again and Ron growls: "He knew. That – that bastard – he knew." He then jumps up and shouts: "HE KNEW AND HE STILL GAVE THAT FILTHY RAT TO ME! HE DIDN'T JUST GIVE ME A USELESS PET, HE GAVE ME A GROWN MAN – AND HE KNEW IT!"
"And now you know why I came back. When this realization hit the Minister, who is actually currently a member of the Order, he instantly realized not just what Ron just yelled, but also that Percy knowingly and willingly endangered Hogwarts and its inhabitants for seven years in a row. He felt Percy deserved true punishment.
He and I worked together for six years in a row, going to several families and people who worked for the MACUSA, the Wizengamot, the Unspeakables and the ICW and convinced each and every one of them individually that sending me back in time was for the best. I also spent the last six years going over my school years.
Every event of the last four years and the next three was scrutinized and observed and notes were taken. From that we determined at which point in time it was best for me to return to, how to work on the aftereffects of things that had already gone wrong and how to prevent the war from running out of hand the way it did.
We studied the good things, the bad things, the deaths, the victories, everything. Whenever I wasn't studying this, having negotiations, convincing people to let me do this or coming up with plans, contingency plans and emergency plans, I was either eating, showering or sleeping. I practically breathed this plan for six years."
By now the anger and hate that everyone felt over their realization of Percy has vanished and been replaced with awe and respect and I say: "I arrived at the Department of Mysteries and took my first step to ensure one death didn't occur. From there I went to Courtroom ten and hid myself, waiting for Harry's trial.
It started, Dumbledore made his – ahem – entrance (The man smirks as I say this, smirking back at him) and I decided that when he asked about charges that I would get this trial on the right track. I got Madam Bones to come down, gave her the journal, this medical report proving that Percy was never cursed by Pettigrew in anyway as well as the contract I was under by those organizations.
She arrested Percy and pressed the charges while I took Harry out of the chair for the accused, but then – well, something happened that I had been dreading as I knew it had to happen, but I didn't think it would happen like this. The Auror that took Percy down to the chair, forget to take his wand – and he cast a Killing Curse at Harry."
Instantly I cast a silencing charm on the door and most of the room as pandemonium breaks out and I yell: "HE'S ALIVE!" Silencing everyone else and I say: "I won't tell you how he survived, it's not my place to tell, that's up to Dumbledore. Yes Dumbledore, your little plan worked; it was also the biggest mistake you made in my time at least when it comes to execution.
Anyway, Harry is alive. He's in Limbo and I believe he will be there for sometime as, unlike when it happened to me, he will probably meet his parents there. However, like I said, he's alive and he will be back. I'm sure of that." Everyone looks at me, relief and happiness on all of their faces and all of them smiling at me proudly.
But I know Molly and I know how she's currently feeling. So I turn to the kids and ask: "So, now that you know all of this, how do you feel?" All five of them share a look and Ginny, who has closed the journal and laid it on the table before her, looks down as she says: "Well, shocked and angered and definitely betrayed, but –."
Ron goes on where his little sister left off and says: "Also happy and relieved that you worked this hard to set it all straight. You really have what it takes to make this war end on a much better note, mate. I'm sure of it." The twins and Hermione nod and I send Mrs. Weasley a smile, the woman smiling back gratefully.
I then stand up and say: "Molly, would you be opposed to joining Dumbledore in telling this tale to Moody and Tonks? Kids, why don't you go think up ways we can throw Harry and Sirius a party tonight. After all, with Pettigrew revealed to be alive, his freedom has been guaranteed and Madam Bones switched all charges onto Percy."
The group looks at this shocked and the twins mutter: "You don't do things halfway, do you?" I shake my head and leave, taking Molly and Dumbledore with me. Yet after we close the door behind us, do I decide to tackle another little issue that I know has always been a bit of a rift between the mother and her son, who never really healed of his twin's death.
I again dig into my bag and mutter: "Oh great, dangling it downstairs made all those blasted documents move all over the place. Give me a minute." The woman looks startled while Dumbledore chuckles and I use my hand to swipe all eight documents together before grabbing their pile and pulling it out of the really, really deep little bag.
"Here. This is something George wanted me to give you. He thought you might appreciate it the way you did in the future and the way you used to appreciate Percy's high scores." The woman takes the documents and her eyes widen as she realizes that they're awards. "Best store of the year? Florean has been winning that for decades."
"Read the name." I smirk and the woman goes back to reading, her jaw going slack before she yelps: "WEASLEY WIZARDING WHEEZES?" Making me cringe as there is still one major difference between the Grimmauld Place I lived in the last 20 years and this one. And that difference is quick to make herself known.
Walburga Black, Sirius' mother who hung her portrait in the center of the hallway, throws open the curtains that contain her and starts to yell, scream and shout all kinds of insults and profanities, both at Molly and myself and at everyone else she knows is currently a resident. Molly herself curses at this, but I stop her from rushing over.
Instead I snap: "Kreacher!" And the old House Elf appears before me. I crouch down to his level, ignoring how badly I still hate it when people yell, and say: "Kreacher, your Mistress is yours and yours alone. So why don't you move her to your room? That way you enjoy her and she won't have to be annoyed with us, okay?"
Molly's eyes widen at this and Kreacher wraps himself around my legs as he says: "Master Lord is kind, caring and smart. He truly is the future of the Noble and Ancient House of Black." And with a snap of his fingers does Walburga's portrait vanish off the wall, leaving an empty strip of wall behind with opened curtains.
Kreacher vanishes after this and Molly looks from where he vanished to where Walburga was at earlier and back and I say: "Same happened in Christmas of '98. I had moved in here after the war ended, but we were holding this Christmas party that went a little louder than it should have been and she woke up.
I got pissed at her because she was also insulting the dead so I started yelling back at her. But then suddenly Kreacher appeared and did this for us. Though I don't think he would have done it for you guys. I'm currently in a deal with Kreacher that makes him give me some of his trust and loyalty, which is why he obeys me."
Molly nods, Dumbledore smiling in intrigue as he watches all this happen and I smile at her as we have been walking up the stairs while I talked and ask: "So, what do you think about the fact that that joke shop won this award for eight years running?" The woman looks startled and I motion again for the documents still in her hands. She pages through them and her eyes widen.
"George really is the smart one of the two, you know? He worked alongside my Unspeakable friend and created this for me." I then say, pulling a small, simple looking pocket watch out of my pocket. Yet there is one thing that makes this pocket watch unusual as it doesn't have three hands, it has seven of them.
The woman looks shocked and says: "That – that's like my clock." I nod and say: "It is and yet it isn't. This one really is one of a kind. Whenever I am in some kind of place with people that died in my timeline, the hands multiply or decrease depending on how many of them there are. Also, the more the hands become wobbly."
I shake the clock and we both hear some of the hands shaking inside the device before I say: "The more I made sure these people aren't going to die on the day I remember. If the hand falls off, the chance of them dying in the war becomes completely zero." The woman looks amazed and then sighs as she says:
"And all this time I never gave their actual genius the praise it deserved." I put my hand on her shoulder and say: "Fred and George are masters at making people see only the surface of what they do, taking people the need to truly see how much work they put in their stuff or how smart they really are. You're not the only who made that mistake."
We share a smile and then reach the room that I know houses Tonks and Moody. This makes me grimace and want to look down on the watch as that is three of the six people, but for Molly's sake and because of the death rule, do I refrain myself. I turn to her and the Headmaster himself instead and ask: "You two explain them the story and rules, okay? I'll go do the same with Sirius and Lupin." Molly and Dumbledore nod and we part ways, me heading further up.
I reach the landing that houses my own old bedroom and while part of me wants to keep going, up to Sirius' room as that is where I started to sleep after the war, do I just knock on the old door and wait for recognition. Lupin tells me to come in and I open the door. However, when I do, do I get shocked as suddenly I am embraced.
Arms that have a weakened sense of strength to them, a body that is obviously trying to regain its former health and hair that still has a bit of a waxy texture to it, but looks well-kept. My Godfather, a man I haven't been able to be near for almost two and a half decades, holds me close and has an obvious need to comfort me.
"I don't know when I died in your time, but I promise you, it won't happen again." The man whispers, yet I sigh at this and pull away as I say: "You can't. You can't dwell on that and you can't promise it. That will make it happen. It's one of the rules that come with my kind of Time travel. If I give specifics on who dies when, they die then."
"And just the knowledge that he's not going to make it through the war?" Lupin asks and I snap: "He needs to forget. He can know that I will do everything I can to make the six deaths not happen, but he can't keep realizing that he's one of them or think of when it will happen. He just needs to keep living and nothing else."
"Not exactly easy with you being Lord Black." Sirius mutters but I shrug and say: "That's a weird side-effect. I didn't expect it. I thought if I went back I'd lose that title and just keep the Potter Lord title, because Harry is too young to be Lord. I don't know why I kept the title, but it's not the one I'm going to focus on and neither should you."
The man nods and I sigh before I smile as I say: "Just think of it this way, now you have two Godsons to spoil and care for, even if one of them is three years your senior." The man laughs, a laugh that makes me glad I have my Occlumency shields up, because I know I can't really show signs of how much I missed him for another year.
We all sit down, me on Ron's bed and Sirius and Lupin on Harry's, the boy himself still lying in the same position I put him to bed in. Both men look at this worried and Lupin mutters: "He hasn't made any indication of waking up the entire time we were here." I grimace and say: "I doubt he'll wake anytime soon, really."
"This has to do with why you came back right?" Sirius asks and I nod as I say: "It does, but before I tell you that, let me explain a few things. There is, as you now know, a death rule. I can tell you how many people are going to die and how well I am preventing their deaths, through this." I again show them the pocket watch.
"But I can't tell you who's going to die or when they will die. Like I told the Weasleys, if I did that, we made several plans, contingency plans and emergency plans, none of them would work and that person would still die exactly the way I remember it. Even specialized wards against that person would not keep them from their time and place of death."
The two nod and I sigh as I say: "However, there is one exception to that rule. Why? Because his death put my journey here in motion. I'm talking about Percy Weasley." The two look confused and shocked and I say: "On the 18th of June in 2012, Percy held a party in honor of one of the war victims I was close to.
He had just started a medication for his health and took the first dose that same night. Turns out, there was a spice in that medication that he is apparently allergic to. He took the medication just before bed and fell asleep just as his allergy came up. His lungs expanded and became unable to provide oxygen. He died in his sleep."
Lupin, more than Sirius, grimaces at this, obviously because he knew the guy as a teacher a few years back and I say: "Bill was still working for Gringotts in England at this point and so he became the Will Enforcer. One of his jobs was to look through everything not in the will that Percy possessed and decide what to do with it.
Amongst these items, Bill found a stack of journals that Percy wrote in from 1986 to 1994. Bill read bits and pieces of these and in the first, he read the whole reason I came back." The two look curious and I state: "Percy, on my sixth birthday, found out about Pettigrew. He has known for the last 9 years and never reported it."
Both men look shocked and Sirius jumps up, shouting: "THAT NO-GOOD BRAT KNEW HE HAD THE REASON BEHIND ME BEING IN AZKABAN IN HIS HOME AND HE DIDN'T REPORT IT! HE HAD A MURDER – HE GAVE A MURDERER TO HIS BROTHER, KNOWING HE'D SHARE A DORM WITH HARRY!"
But before Sirius can storm out, do I shout: "That same spice is in Azkaban food. Percy is on his way to Azkaban RIGHT NOW!" Sirius stops at this and looks at me, his hand actually on the door handle and I think: "Kreacher, don't let Sirius out this room. The Lord of Black and Heir of Potter need their Godfather in their lives."
And while I really hope that Kreacher will follow my silent order, do I walk over to Sirius and say: "That's why I arrived at the Ministry first. To use Harry's hearing turned trial as a way to get Percy arrested and to instantly see him off to where he belonged. I would have vouched for the Kiss if I didn't know about the spice.
Percy is going to suffer. He's going to suffer mental trauma of the Dementors before he gets his meal and then he will die. I also checked the records and today is one of the days where the prisoners will be fed. He's not going to make it through the night." Sirius huffs and sighs at this before he mutters: "I can't imagine how Molly feels right now."
I grimace and just gently lead him back to Harry before taking my own seat back on Ron's bed. "There's just one inconsistency. You said Percy died in 2012, but you're two years older than Sirius. How –?" Lupin asks and I say: "I needed a lot of time to study the last 4 and next 3 years as well as convince several parties to let me do this.
I needed official statements proving official organizations were in agreement on this course of action, I needed facts about both good and bad things that happened and were going to happen and I needed to agree to a few terms and contracts before I could get certain parties to agree to what I wanted to go and do. It took a lot of time, effort and paperwork."
The man nods, his eyes showing amusement and I take a deep breath as I say: "And that's why I'm here. To get Percy arrested, which I did, get Harry cleansed, long story ask Dumbledore, and prevent as much bull-crap as the war tried to throw at us – along with some of the bull-plop that happened before the war officially began.
I also want to ensure that some of the good things that I remember happening will still happen, but mostly that all of the bad things, like the deaths, won't. But my most vital course of action is to see all these kids lose the imprints that have been left on their cores all these years." And with that do we all turn to the sleeping Harry.
"He's really been through too much." Sirius mumbles, yet I notice him glancing at me as he says this and I show a small smile before I say: "You got that right, but according to all the facts and researched data, this is the best chance to create a turning point in that. This summer marked the transfer from dangerous years to wartime.
And it was that wartime era that made it impossible for Harry – and later me – to ever really let go of these imprints. I always associated them with the war and could never really let go of that. Trust me, I visited countless Mind Healers over the years, but they just never helped. The only solution they all came up with in the end was Obliviation.
I just couldn't do that as it would also mean forgetting all the good things that happened, even during the war." And just by looking at the two, do I know that they both understand how I feel. "So, why is Harry like this?" Lupin asks and I answer: "Because Percy sealed his own fate and because mum's sacrifice saved him once again."
The two men look horrified and Lupin mutters: "He didn't." But I nod and turn to Harry as I say: "He did. I myself had to do the same when I was at the end of the war and I met with one of the six that will not survive the war. But that person is still alive now, so, unless I'm mistaken, Harry is currently in Limbo with mum and dad."
Both men look at him and Sirius mutters: "He's not coming back anytime soon." But I smile at him and say: "Maybe not, but I know one thing. He will be very happy when he comes back – and will be even happier when he finds out that his godfather is now able to take him in." Instantly the man turns back to me and I smirk:
"Yep, just before I left the Wizengamot, I asked Madam Bones to honor mum and dad's final wishes and she cleared you of all charges. Fudge did try to stop her, but she wouldn't let him and reminded him that it was his assistant she just arrested. I then told Dumbledore he could find me here if he needed me and took my Port Key."
"That reminds me, how did you manage to Port Key in here?" Lupin asks and I shrug and shake my head as I say: "Don't ask how it works, but because I made the Port Key here in the future, it still works even now. I really don't get it, but then again, it's like I said. Time travel makes sense in such a way it makes your head hurt."
The man nods and Sirius asks: "So what are your most immediate plans for now?" And I answer: "I'm going to annul your disownment so you can be Lord Black alongside me, I'm going to honor Regulus and his sacrifice, story for another time and I'm going to make sure that taking Voldemort out happens better, faster and a lot safer."
I then smile at the two and say: "I also plan to do a little something that my Unspeakable friend helped me with and plan to make things a little easier for the whole of Hogwarts for the years to come. And you might not believe me – or even want to – but in my timeline, I managed to put an end to the Gryffindor-Slytherin rivalry."
Both men look at me shocked and flabbergasted and I shrug as I say: "To be honest, it was quite easy. There were just a few factors I had to work with and while I know that it will be harder this time around, thanks to people like Snape, McGonagall and Dumbledore, do I just love the memory of what that did for the students not to try again."
"But – how do you plan to start on that? I mean, how do you plan to do that if you want to help in the war?" Lupin asks and I shrug as I say: "You might not like it, Lupin, but Hogwarts does play a role in the war. There are kid Death Eaters there, there is a way to take Voldemort out there and Voldemort's main target is there.
So the best way to take him out and bring a better end to the war than the one I remember – is by becoming the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher." And with that do I leave the two men and the slumbering form of my younger self behind, knowing they are quite shocked, but knowing I also have work to do.
Well, that happened.
So, what will happen next? Well, I plan to make a little time skip. Not too far, just to dinner time. Harry won't be there yet, though I might make a small mention of what he is going through. I don't think I can do an entire chapter on it, but maybe make it part of next chapter. Have next chapter be half-dinner time, half Harry-time.
Sound good? Good,
Venquine1990
