Chapter 10

Hogwarts School, Headmasters Office, January 6th

All manner of trinkets and odd gizmos lined the shelves and sat upon the tables inside the auspicious office. Some of them you could buy copies of at the market if you knew where to look; whereas others were unique, one-of-a-kind pieces. Many of them had sat in this office for hundreds of years and seen through the terms of multiple headmasters. Others had only been added recently by the current head of the school.

While most sat quietly in their little corners and silently waited to be picked up and used for whatever bizarre function they were crafted for, a few of them were not so silent. One produced a small puff of smoke every seven seconds and expelled a little 'poof' sound each time it did so. A second had something akin to a weathervane atop a large cylinder, which whistled softly as its top slowly spun in one direction or the other. A third, a bowl containing some mysterious salmon pink liquid, occasionally gurgled a few bubbles accompanied by a disgusting 'plopping' sound. There were nearly a dozen unique items in this room constantly moving and sounding off. At first, one might consider them all annoying. As time went on, a person could get used to them and they'd become calming. Wait even longer than that and the constant rhythm could even develop into soothing.

Fawkes began to doze away on his perch as the familiar sounds lulled him slowly to sleep. One of his master's items had rung quite loudly earlier and it had awoken the phoenix with a fright. His master thankfully shut the accursed thing up before he then fled the room in great haste. Fawkes trilled something akin to a yawn and began to snooze softly. He could finally get back to his afternoon nap.

Unfortunately for him, he was rudely awakened a second time when the sound of a small explosion rocked the office. Albus Dumbledore had just apparated back into his sanctuary and was panting heavily. The wizened headmaster clutched his side with one hand and placed the other on his desk to hold himself up.

Dumbledore took a moment to examine the sensations he was currently experiencing and didn't like the results.

First off, based on how loud his loyal phoenix was squawking at him, he deduced that his apparition was not at all that quiet. While only fresh-faced amateurs made a loud bang or sharp crack when utilizing the technique; most experienced wizards, himself included, were usually able to quiet it to be nothing more than a soft 'pop'. Second, his knees were shaking and he seemed to be having trouble standing straight. Lastly, his heart was beating so fast it felt like it was preparing to burst out of his chest.

Albus tried to rationalize these facts away. Perhaps it was because he barely got away from being tortured that he was having difficulty standing upright. Surely the reason his heart was beating so fast was the high level of adrenaline coursing through his system for the first time in 13 years. The loud apparition could be explained away by him being in a rush and having to also tear down a containment ward. These were good reasons he told himself. They explained everything.

However, deep down he knew he was just trying to avoid the truth. A truth that all mortal men must eventually confront. No matter how prodigious or powerful they once were.

'Has my body really become so frail? Have I really become...so old?'

Dumbledore walked behind his desk and sunk into his chair. He tried to refocus his thoughts on the issues at hand, but the various sounds of his gadgets and Fawkes still screeching at him wouldn't let him think straight.

"SILENCE!" he thundered from the top of his lungs as he released a wave of wandless magic that hushed everything in the room.

Albus's head fell backwards against the top cushion of his chair and he rested a wrinkled hand over his eyes.

'How could a simple talk have gone so poorly?' he asked himself. Harry Potter was openly hostile to him, as were Remus Lupin and Sirius Black. He imagined things would be a little tense with Harry when he first made contact, but he hadn't dreamed that he would be attacked before he could get a chance to really say anything. Clearly, just waiting for them to cool down wasn't an option. Albus needed to offer them some sort of olive branch...But what?

He couldn't go through Ms. Granger. Involving her in any way would only further strain the relationship between him and the boy. Perhaps he could offer to train the boy in preparation for Tom's eventual return? No... Potter would never accept. He'd view it as Albus trying to control him again. Besides, it seemed that whatever education Harry was receiving under his surrogate family wasn't exactly inadequate. The incarcerous spell Harry used wasn't taught until the seventh-year curriculum. Perhaps it was just happenstance that Harry knew it, but Albus thought it far more likely that Lupin was teaching the boy everything he knew on Defense. What if he...no that wouldn't work. How about if...argh no not that either. Dumbledore just could not think of a way to get back into Harry's good graces for the time being.

'I suppose...I have no moves here but to wait for further developments. The boy will not turn me down when faced with the prospect of facing Tom alone.' he finally settled on. He'll just wait.

Dumbledore was always good at waiting.

He just needed the opportune moment.

Black Family Private Isle, January 8th

"Who exactly do you think is the guardian here pup? You can't stop me. I'm coming," Sirius stated in a very matter of fact way.

"I can't help but notice you didn't dispute my point that it's a very bad idea. There's a kiss on sight order for you back in Britain. You're staying here and waiting for us to get back. I'll have Uncle Moony with me and we'll be fine without you," his godson argued back.

"Kiss on sight order doesn't mean much if there are no dementors for hundreds of miles pup. You can't go with only Moony when he's still recovering from last night's full moon. He's operating at 50%, at best. You need me in case the worst happens and something does go wrong."

Remus just grunted from his seat at being mentioned.

"...and I'll even be Padfoot most of the time," Sirius finished.

"Nothing is going to go wrong Sirius." Harry tried to reassure. "I have my cloak. Remus knows half a dozen different ways to hide himself and you said it yourself 'Sunday night. Skeleton crew. Should be a walk in the park to sneak in.' Those are your words Sirius. It's going to be fine."

"Should be and will be are very different statements Harry. It very well may be a 'walk in the park', but when I said that I envisioned myself there as well. We're not discussing this anymore. I'm coming." Sirius was nearing the end of his fuse now. He only stopped calling Harry 'pup' when he was angry.

"No, you're not Sirius." Harry said stern as he could. "I'm not letting you walk into a government building when you're the most wanted man in the country. Not happening."

"Why are you being so damn stubborn about this!" Sirius bellowed.

"I could ask you the same thing!"

Sirius's face reddened as he truly began to shout."Because there is no scenario where you go sneaking around inside the ministry while I sit here twiddling my thumbs waiting for you to get back!"

"And I'm supposed to sit by and let my dad risk his life over something as basic as retrieving an orb off a shelf? URGGGHH!" Harry threw his hands up in the air in defiance and stomped off outside.

Sirius meant to follow and try to talk some sense into the boy, but he was frozen in place with a thought stuck in his head.

'He called me Dad'.

He was broken from his mild trance when a hand fell on his shoulder.

"Let me go talk to him," Remus intoned as he popped his back. "I can get him on board. I really didn't want to get in the middle of it, but I agree with you. There's no chance in hell we aren't doing this together."

Sirius sighed in relief and smiled at his best friend. "Thanks, Moony. I appreciate it. He listens to you y'know? Did you notice he dropped the 'D' word on me?"

"As a matter of fact, I did notice. I wonder if he did though?" Remus replied with a soft grin. "Why don't you start dinner while I talk with Harry? Something hearty. I need something to help me bounce back."

Whitehall Road, London, January 9th 1:30 AM

Two wizards and a shaggy black dog lightly sprinted under cover of darkness and several layers of cloaking charms towards what appeared to be an out of order phone booth. After crowding inside an invisible hand dialed 'magic' on the number keys and a robotic like feminine voice asked softly,

"Welcome to the Ministry of Magic. Please state your name and business."

"Don't worry Harry," Remus whispered into his ear. "It's just an automatically generated response from the booth. It keeps no records and there are no repercussions if you lie to it. You just have to say something to get it the booth moving. Anything really."

Remus leaned in towards the receiver and spoke a little louder. "Remus Lupin. I'm here because I know where the fugitive Sirius Black is hiding." Remus then gave Harry a soft nudge to signal his turn while Padfoot tried to look as unamused as possible.

"Harry Potter. I'm here to solve a mystery about a prophecy."

*DING*

Two name tags shot out of a slit in the phone box.

Remus Lupin. Has information on a fugitive.

Harry Potter. Mystery Solver.

Remus grabbed the two nametags from their dispenser and the telephone booth immediately began descending below ground. He gave a one syllable chuckle at the abbreviated message on Harry's nametag before he crumbled them both up and incinerated them with a very small flame spell.

"Put your cloak over us Harry. I don't know how many guards we'll be expecting," Remus instructed as he crouched down and pulled his shoulders in. It was the only way Harry could fit them all under it.

"The booth is taking us to the atrium which is the 8th level down in the ministry," Remus whispered just barely audible. "Once there, we need to cross the room and make it to the lifts on the other side without being noticed. However, I want you to have your wand out just in case."

Harry gave his uncle a silent nod to convey that he understood.

The telephone booth swung open and a security desk came into view.

With nobody manning it.

The two men and a dog crept out into the open area and looked for any sign of movement. Any sign that there was someone here at all.

But alas they were alone.

"Padfoot. Can you smell anyone besides us?" Remus asked in a low voice.

The dog shook his head in the negative.

"I know you guys said, 'Skeleton crew', but this is kind of pathetic. We are in the head of government building, right?" Harry whispered.

"No jokes right now Harry. But you're right," Remus replied as he continued to scan around.

The trio walked softly across the long atrium stepping as lightly as possible so there would be no sound of footsteps.

They reached the lift on the other side and Remus cast a silencing charm around it, preventing the metal grate from squeaking. Inside, a simple bronze plate displayed buttons for ten distinct levels.

Level 1 Office of the Minister of Magic

Level 2 The Department of Magical Law Enforcement

Level 3 The Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes

Level 4 The Department of Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures

Level 5 The Department of International Magical Cooperation

Level 6 The Department of Magical Transport

Level 7 The Department of Magical Sports and Games

Level 8 The Atrium and Visitors Center

Level 9 The Department of Mysteries (Employees only)

Level 10 Courtrooms

Harry pushed the button for level nine and the lift began to descend. The three crouched low to the ground under the invisibility cloak and waited for the grate to open at their destination.

When it did they found themselves staring down a long straight and narrow hallway with a large imposing door at the end.

And still there was no security.

"I don't believe this...," Remus muttered under his breath. "Has Fudge really slashed the Auror budget this much? The goddamn lunatic. Death Eaters could waltz in and do god knows what and there wouldn't be the slightest thing to stop them!"

The three approached the door and Remus held it open for the other two, ensuring he was the last one through it. Harry and Padfoot gazed around in mild curiosity at the huge circular room they now found themselves in. A dozen doors ran along the rim of the chamber with each spaced equally apart like the numbers of a clock. Remus entered and closed the door behind him, but made sure not to let go of the handle. With his free hand he conjured a piece of chalk and marked the door with a small white 'X'.

When Remus released his grip, the doors began to spin around the room at a nauseatingly fast speed. Like a merry-go-round set to overdrive they spun faster and faster until they were approaching being nothing but indistinguishable blurs. Eventually the doors slowed before settling into new positions leaving the door marked with the 'X' in a very different place than where it had started.

"You know, I still don't get why the Unspeakables thought that was a good feature to have. I bet they thought it would give the place a more 'mysterious' feeling. In reality though it's just annoying," Remus grumbled. "Come on we need the door 3rd to the left of the one we entered through."

"Uncle Moony, if you don't mind me asking, how is it that you know your way around down here so well?" Harry asked,

"Simple. This isn't my first time down here," Remus replied, his focus never leaving the correct door he was leading them towards. "Maybe one day I'll tell you that story, but now's not the time and when I do, we're going to need a lot more alcohol than we currently have at the house."

Before Harry could comment on that last statement Remus opened the desired door and steered the boy and canine inside.

This new room was filled with diamond sparkling light; and had clocks or other time pieces adorning every surface. Each on a different time and many were ticking at unusual paces. Some clicked dreadfully fast and others painfully slow. At seemingly random intervals across the room; huge shelves stacked dangerously high were lined with time-turners of various sizes and decors. Many were small like the model Hermione had received in third year and others were so large they looked like you'd need two hands to flip them over.

"The place we're looking for should be through the door at the other end of this room." Remus said before turning around and starring Harry directly in the eyes. "DO. NOT. TOUCH. ANYTHING. IN. HERE.".

Harry nodded meekly and thrust his hands into his pockets. He wasn't going to touch anything. No siree. He knew that if there was one thing in this world you really shouldn't mess with it was time. Harry still didn't understand how it was that he saved himself and Sirius back in third year with that Patronus from the future. Then again, he doubted anyone truly understood how causality loops came into being. Maybe the Unspeakables did? That was what this room was for right? The study of time and the wacky illogical things that occur when you fuck around with forces that are best left alone? On that note he suddenly realized how absolutely insane it was that they gave a time machine, AN ACTUAL GODDAMN TIME MACHINE, to a teenage girl, just because she wanted to attend extra classes. Wizards were truly mad sometimes.

They reached the end of the time room and Remus ushered them through to their destination.

The Hall of Prophecy.

There was a strange ambiance to this room. It consisted of long rows of glass panels nearly 40 feet high and each one filled to the brim with softly glowing crystal balls full of swirling mist. However, despite the fact that there were thousands upon thousands of glowing prophecy orbs in this room, it somehow remained dark and eerie. Harry doubted he could see a person in this poor light if they were standing any more than 15 feet away. Padfoot morphed back into Sirius and the trio silently lit their wands with a lumos.

"Follow me and stay close," Remus whispered while staring straight ahead. "These should be arranged in order from most recent up front to the oldest in the back. If Dumbledore was speaking the truth about there being a prophecy, it would've been given sometime in 1981; or maybe one or two years before that. We just need to find it."

And so they walked. Past row 1, row 2, and then row 3.

At row 27 they saw a sign which had '1989' written on it, and Harry sighed.

"Uncle Moony, what are we supposed to do if the right orb is on one of the top shelves that's way up high?" Harry asked with some dismay.

"We'll cross that bridge when we get there pup," Sirius answered in place of Remus. "Maybe we'll luck out and it's on one of the lower tiers."

"If it exists at all..." Harry mumbled dejectedly.

As they continued onward, Harry noticed that a small number of the prophecy orbs they passed weren't glowing and had no opaque mists swirling about inside them. They were dull, lifeless and appeared no different from a crystal ball that you could buy at a muggle joke shop. The farther back in time they went, the more orbs appeared to be this way.

"What's wrong with those ones?" Harry asked, already having a guess in his mind.

"Those are prophecies which have already been completed. I don't know why the Unspeakables keep them when they're worthless now. Although to be fair, most of them were worthless in the first place. Prophecies can be about anything Harry. Anything at all. Which means that the vast majority of them are about extremely boring things. What someone will have for lunch in a week, a person being late for an appointment, stuff like that. True seers will spout off nonsensical prophecies multiple times a month. That's why there are so damn many of them. If you're featured in one that is actually important, well… that's a very rare thing," Remus explained in a bit of a rant.

"Well you know me," Harry said, his voice dripping in sarcasm. "Never one to be normal."

They spent the rest of their brief journey in silence, until finally reaching the start of year '1981' at row 91.

"Well, it's either in this year, the one before it or the one before that. I'd really prefer not to split up, but people will be coming into work in a few hours and we'll be here a very, very long time if we have to search the upper shelves. Sirius go down and look through year '79. Harry go look through '80. Notice how each orb has a tag attached? Look for anything which could relate to you. Don't try and take it though unless you're sure. Sirius that means you don't try and pick it up at all. Understand? Now go," Remus ordered as he crouched down and started reading tags along the bottom shelf.

Thankfully and against all odds, the powers at be took mercy upon Harry, Sirius, and Remus. In a stroke of good fortune entirely uncharacteristic of his life thus far, it only took 17 minutes before Harry found what he was looking for. On the 4th shelf up from the ground at the very beginning of row 95 it sat,

From S.B.T. to A.P.W.B.D

March, 1980

The Dark Lord and the Chosen One (Harry Potter?)

Momentarily forgetting that he was supposed to be here in secret Harry shouted, "MOONY! SIRIUS!"

The instant he did so, he clasped a hand over his mouth. Stupid, Stupid, Stupid! What if there was an Unspeakable sneaking around?

After a rush of footsteps, Harry found himself held at wand point by his uncle and his godfather, both with panicked expressions on their faces.

"You scared the life out of me pup," Sirius said quietly as he bopped Harry over the back of his head with an open hand.

"Sorry guys. My bad." Harry quickly apologized. "I just...I found it."

Harry then indicated to the orb and gave his uncle a look that asked, 'is it safe to touch?'. With a nod of confirmation, Harry picked up the glowing sphere and placed it inside a magical pouch Sirius produced from his pocket.

Remus gave his wand a silent wave and the time appeared in front of him in smoky numbers. 2:27 AM.

"Well that went better than expected. Let's get the hell out of here. Trespassing in the department of mysteries comes with an automatic minimum sentence of three months in Azkaban," Remus said as he led the charge back to the door to the time room.

Harry glanced at his godfather...or rather dogfather, as he was now Padfoot again and gave him a look that screamed 'THREE MONTHS FOR TRESPASSING? WHY AM I ONLY HEARING ABOUT THIS NOW?'

The flight to freedom went completely without incident. They ran past all the rows back to row 1, through the time room, where Harry was once again very careful NOT TO TOUCH OR BUMP INTO ANYTHING, and then back to the lift. Just as Harry was about to push the button to return to the atrium Sirius transformed back into a man and grabbed his hand to stop him.

"Moony I know we need to leave, but I'm feeling that old marauder itch to be up to no good again. Do we have time for a 90 second detour?"

"Now really isn't the time Sirius..."

"Oh, come on. We got the orb, no one saw us, and what I want to do is for the public good! We can't just let the ministry think that this complete lack of security is okay. I just want to nudge them a bit in the right direction."

"Fine." Remus relented. "What specifically did you have in mind?"

Several Hours Later….

Cornelius Fudge stepped through the private floo connection that linked his ministry office to his manor. It was Monday morning and he knew what that meant. His secretary always brought fresh baked biscuits to the office on Monday mornings. Nothing quite like some home cooked food and a big cup of coffee to start the week off right. He exited the green flames and expected to see a steaming plate of them waiting for him on his desk like always. Instead he was treated to the sight of three Aurors in his office ripping the place apart and magically scanning every item they could get their wands on.

"Wh-Wha-What is the meaning of this!" Cornelius blustered.

"Ah Minister. So glad you could finally join us this morning. Do you always come into work an hour late?" came the harsh voice of the Minister's political rival and constant pain in the ass, Amelia Bones.

"YOU GET YOUR MEN OUT OF HERE AMELIA! THIS IS THE OFFICE OF THE MINISTER OF –"

"Sorry Minister. No can do." Amelia replied with a satisfied smirk. "We're investigating a security threat you see. Official DMLE business. I'm afraid this isn't your jurisdiction. I wouldn't worry though. It appears that nothing in your office has been tampered with."

Cornelius's face began to turn puce as he mentally built up another tirade, only for Amelia to cut him off once again.

"Actually, I'm glad you're here Cornelius. Maybe you can help explain something for us. My department was notified by your secretary after she came into work this morning and found this note on your office door. Would you care to comment on it?" Amelia then held out a small folded note which the Minister snatched from her hand.

Sirius Black was here.

Still innocent by the way. But you know that already. You really should increase security at night. It's pathetic

The color drained from Cornelius's face and he looked as though he may pass out. His expression told Amelia all she needed to know on whether the minister believed the note to be legitimate or not.

"Still waiting Cornelius...would the Minister care to make an official comment on the contents of this note?" Amelia asked with a devilish grin "There's going to have to be an investigation you know. Standard procedure. I'm sure you understand."

Cornelius folded his hands and slumped into a nearby chair. So much for a good start to the week.

Black Family Private Isle, Six Hours Earlier….

Harry pulled the prophecy sphere out of its bag and placed it on the kitchen table.

"So how do I listen to it?" he asked plainly.

"Well, all you have to do is...umm… you just need to..." Remus began, "Huh. I don't actually know," he finished with a dumbfounded expression.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"Pfftt- HAHAHAHA!" Sirius roared with laughter. "All night long you've been 'the man with the plan' Moony. A seemingly infinite well of knowledge. Couldn't quite make it to the finish line, though could you?"

"It's not funny!" Remus bit back.

"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches... Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies... and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not... and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives...The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies..."

"Harry what did you do?" Remus asked looking genuinely curious.

"I just tapped it with my wand," Harry replied as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. "More importantly...what does this mean for me?"

"It means...that we need to up your training. Significantly."

A/N: After this chapter there will be a time skip of a few months.