A/N In response to the reviewer who said that Voldemort was born in 1926...I found both dates online as his DOB and decided to go with the later one. Hope you are enjoying this story...I have not given up on War of the Heart, but this short story was in my head and wanted to be told! Thanks for the reviews...keep them coming! :)

Chapter 4: Confrontation

Before Harry could react, Grindelwald shouted out three spells, one after another in rapid succession. "Accio! ! Relashio!" The baby zoomed out of the woman's arms and into Grindelwald's outstretched one. At the same moment, both Muggle women were hit with the stunning spell, and fell motionless to the floor. The third spell bound their arms and legs.

"No!" Merope cried out, and tried to raise herself from the cot. Grindelwald smirked at her.

"So we finally meet. I'm very honored to make your acquaintance, Madam. You have guaranteed the rise of the Dark Side!" He gestured toward the now crying infant.

"What are you talking about?" Merope whispered. "Give me my baby! Please don't hurt him!" Harry tried desperately to think of the best course of action. He had the element of surprise on his side, so he decided to use it. In any event, he had to act quickly. Grindelwald laughed, but there was no humor in it.

"This child...this is the Dark Lord! He will destroy all of the Muggles who challenge him! After I have destroyed you, I will erase the minds of these worthless Muggles and they will be the ones to raise him!" Grindelwald raised his wand, and Merope cried out in pain as she tried to roll off of the cot.

Harry chose that moment to throw off the Invisibility Cloak. He did not have time to register Merope's cry of surprise as he only had eyes for Grindelwald. The wizard jumped back in shock, and almost dropped his wand. He recovered quickly and pointed his wand at Harry.

"Avada Kedavra!" Grindelwald shouted, and a green stream of light shot out of the wand's tip. Harry blocked it with a shield spell, and then used the Summoning Charm to get the baby out of Grindelwald's grip. Harry quickly put the baby behind him, and over Merope's sobs, shouted "Expelliarmus!" The Elder Wand glowed, and Grindelwald's wand shot out of his hands toward Harry. He reached up his hand to catch it, but as the two wands came close to each other, Grindelwald's Elder Wand disappeared. The older wizard sank to his knees.

"Who...who are you? How did you defeat the Wand of Destiny?" Without taking his eyes or his wand off of Grindelwald, Harry quickly said the words to immobilize Grindelwald and bind his arms and legs. Then he picked up the wailing infant and instinctively held it close to him. The baby stopped crying almost immediately, and cuddled against Harry's chest. He walked over to Merope and carefully placed the baby in her waiting arms. She looked up at him, tears still streaming down her face.

"It was you...you helped me down the stairs...you have saved my baby. He is all I have left of my Tom..." She began to cry again.

"Your Tom." Grindelwald sneered from his corner. "Stupid useless Muggle. It wasn't even a challenge to wipe his memory clear of you and deliver him back to his worthless parents! He doesn't deserve the honor of being the Dark Lord's father! If it wasn't for the fact that the Dark Lord needs to murder him, I would have done the deed myself!" Harry approached Grindelwald, keeping his wand carefully trained on the wizard.

"It was you? You caused Tom Riddle to stop loving Merope? I thought it was a love potion that wore off..." Merope shook her head.

"Tom loved me. I finally had the courage to speak to him when my father and brother were taken from the cottage. That was the best day of my life. I had never known such freedom...We became friends, and Tom even came over to patch the roof of the shack for me. When he found out how I had lived, how my father and brother had treated me, I saw a fire in him. We grew closer and closer after that. He gave up his inheritance and the respect of his family to marry me. When the Ministry officials wrote to me to tell me that my father was being released from Azkaban, I had to tell Tom the truth about what I was...what my father would do to him. Instead of leaving me, as I had feared, he planned our escape. We remained on the run until I heard that my father had died. I found out that I was pregnant not long after, and Tom was thrilled. We had so many plans..." She stared down at the baby in her arms. "One day, he came back from a walk and he seemed different. Harder. He told me that he didn't love me, didn't want the responsibility of a baby. He missed his family and he was going back home. He sounded empty, as though all of the love he had had for me had been removed from his heart."

"Imperiused." Harry whispered. "He was Imperiused and then his memories erased when he returned home."

"Oh very good." Grindelwald spat scornfully. "You've ruined everything, hero. What are you going to do now?"

"Kill him!" Merope shouted. "For what he was going to do to my baby. For what he did to Tom!"

"No." Harry said softly. "I know what fate awaits him. You're going back, Grindelwald, and there will never be a Dark Side." He pointed his wand at Grindelwald. "Accio Time Turner!" The hourglass flew out of Grindelwald's robes and into Harry's hands. As Grindelwald watched in horror, Harry spoke the spell that smashed it to pieces, and then Vanished the shards. "You will never find your way back here." He raised the Elder Wand and wrote the date of Grindelwald's defeat in the air. He swirled the wand until the glowing blue tip turned into a blue ribbon of light that surrounded the bound wizard. Harry watched as Grindelwald and the blue light spun around faster and faster, until with a final scream of fury, the wizard vanished from sight.

"Who are you?" Merope whispered. "Are you from the Ministry?"

"No." Harry said. "I'm from another place in time. I was sent here to stop that wizard from setting a chain of events into motion. What I need you to do now is give your son all the love that you can. Please get some rest now, we have to leave as soon as you are well." Merope nodded, and then gestured toward the bound women on the floor.

"What about them?"

"Well, they need a big dose of compassion, but I'm all out at the moment." He pointed the wand at them and quickly untied them and erased their memories. "When they awaken, they will not notice that any time passed. As soon as you are rested, we will find Tom...there is one more evil that has to be undone."

"Tom..." Merope sighed and closed her eyes. A moment later, she and baby were sleeping peacefully on the cot.

Harry picked up the Invisibility Cloak and put it on as Amanda and the other woman began to stir.