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The Time Ship.
Harry watched his parents with something not entirely disgust, more like pity. " You two are adults," he told them slowly. " You are more than old enough to speak to your estranged son without an old man to hold your hands, you do know that, right?"
" Don't say that about Albus Dumbledore!" James retorted. " He deserves your respect!"
Harry snorted. " I think you'll find, in my world, respect is earned and not freely given." He looked the party at large a long, considering look. Finally he had to ask. " What do you want?"
Dumbledore opened his mouth before either Potter could. " Your parents wished to congratulate you on your performance in the First task."
The sneer on Harry's face spoke volumes. His parents nodding like puppets at the Headmasters statement not doing them any favours. " I think my parents can speak to me for themselves, old man. Do not forget my warning. It is non negotiable, and believe me. You don't want to see my bad side."
Dumbledore opened his mouth to speak, but Harry waved him away. " If they want to speak to me then let them, without you listening and speaking for them. Its time for them to learn to speak for themselves, don't you agree?"
Harry grabbed his parents, and pulled them away so they could have some privacy before the meddling old wizard could open his mouth. Finally a good few yards away from Dumbledore, Harry slammed their heads together. " What do you want?" he asked.
James rubbed his head. " What did you do that for?"
" We only wanted to talk to you," Lily winced at the pain in her head.
" Surely you could've done that without a chaperone. We're getting off topic, what do you want?" Harry asked at last.
Lily and James glanced at each other. This wasn't going as they'd intended or hoped for, the way Dumbledore wanted. Finally Lily decided to speak before her son could vanish again. " We just wanted to find out what you said to that dragon."
" And how you decided to speak to it." James added, realising it was a poor choice of words.
Harry quirked his brow. " Why shouldn't I want to speak to an intelligent, sentient being? That dragon has more common sense than either of you, or Dumbledore put together, and yet you simply don't want to understand. I am not like you. I spoke to it because it was the only plan I had. What would you have preferred, me rushing to the dragon and getting myself killed?"
Lily and James looked at each other, then Lily stepped forwards. " Harry?" she waited for her son to turn his attention to her. When he did, she shuddered when his eyes met hers. There was icy contempt, barely hidden in those brilliant emerald eyes. Her eyes. One of the few physical things that Harry and Lily shared. " Harry, Dumbledore has agreed to let you come home with us, for Christmas-"
" I think you've forgotten some facts, mother." Again Lily shuddered at the contempt. " Dumbledore does not control me. He can't even tell where I am living, nor will I let him. How can he give permission to let me spend time with you when he can't do that, or the fact I'm not a student?"
Lily and James had no response for that, which was more than enough opportunity for Harry to take the reins of the conversation.
" I can come and go as I please. You have no say in what I do. Neither of you are suited to be parents, and your actions speak for themselves."
" Harry," Lily sobbed. " Please give us the chance-"
Harry closed his eyes. Why couldn't this wretched woman get it into her head?
" No, the damage has been done. You abandoned me. Do you what it was like, waking up every single day in a cupboard under the stairs, never knowing if I would live to see my next birthday? Dumbledore's precious protectors were nothing more than filthy animals who deserved to die. If you both thought I'd forgive you for that, and Dumbledore had told you I would get over it, then the three of you need to have someone check your brains."
Harry turned to leave, but not before he added. " I hope for your sake you don't have any other kids, that the old fool told you to abandon them as well, because if you did then you'd better leave before it gets unpleasant."
Lily broke down sobbing, and she fell to the ground. She'd told Dumbledore leaving Harry with Petunia was a mistake in itself, but leaving him with Vernon as well was just asking for a graveyard plot to be arranged. But the old man hadn't listened to him, he never did. He had simply said Harry would forgive them when the dangers had been explained to him, but her son had escaped the Dursleys and made his own way.
Oh, how Lily and James had ripped into Dumbledore when the dead bodies of the Dursleys had been discovered and they'd examined the house, only to find the cupboard under the stairs. Lily had sobbed herself to death, hell she'd almost died of dehydration for a month as she'd dwelt on her mistakes.
She'd waited for years hoping to see Harry again, but she hadn't seen him until now. He was so different, older than she'd expected. How was that possible? She once again asked herself. Any attempt they'd tried to speak to Harry had been rebuffed. Her son had spoken to Dumbledore only, and had given him terms. Lily and James had been told to stay clear of Harry, and until now she'd obeyed that order from her old headmaster. Now she'd spoken to Harry, though it was a one sided conversation, Lily could now see her son had had a point though she wasn't sure about James. Harry was right when he said Dumbledore had integrated himself into the Potter family to the point where neither parents could think to themselves to the point where Dumbledore spoke, and they nodded like puppets.
Was that what she'd turned into, a puppet for her old headmaster? Her parents would be turning in their graves.
Hogwarts was an interesting place for Harry though he was disgusted by what such a grand place had been. Harry had personally met the Founders of Hogwarts, and although he hadn't warmed up to Slytherin for what his descendents would eventually do, he had respected them for their dreams of uniting the magical world through education. That was what Harry respected, it reminded him of how George Washington had fought against the British, how Lincoln had been a voice in madness, how Van Gogh had worked hard despite being considered an insane nutter, and how Winston Churchill had been an equal voice in fighting the Nazis. As a time traveller he'd always admired history, and Hogwarts was full of it.
Harry was aware the school's portraits were keyed to the Headmaster, giving him the knowledge of what was happening without needing to ask student or teacher, so finding corridors where he would be invisible was practically easy. Hogwarts was a large place, larger than most castles, and the students occupied only a third of the space for teaching, mealtimes, learning and recreational spaces, and the dormitories where the students slept, and the rooms occupied by the teachers, so there were plenty of places in the castle where he could disappear.
Harry had explored a large proportion of the school during the short time he'd been here. He alternated between the castle, the TARDIS, and Central London. Dumbledore may have power over the students and the teachers, but the old wizard would never have a say in where and what Harry did or went. That sort of submission would make him dependent on Dumbledore, and that was the last thing Harry wanted. The miracle was the TARDIS's ability to move through the wards. But Harry knew not to underestimate the old man, whom despite his dislike, Harry had to admit was a highly intelligent though deluded wizard; he'd made the mistake of revealing technology that could work despite magic being present, so Harry had spent some of his time avoiding using the TARDIS too often lest the old wizard detect its presence. If the TARDIS fell in Dumbledore hands...Harry shook his head to purge the thought from his mind, and carried on exploring the castle.
After a few hours Harry began to feel hungry, and wished he'd had the opportunity to get to a genesmith to modify his genetic structure to enhance his body to make him less susceptible to hunger than normal humans. Another genetic miracle was his ability to find his way through the castle to reach the Great Hall. Harry's enhanced hearing could pick up on the students already filling said hall, laughing and talking. Harry had sat in on the Hall several times before, sitting at different tables though he knew he was far from welcome; the Gryffindors didn't like him because of his disdain for Dumbledore who was considered a hero by the fools, and he'd already made an enemy of a girl called Hermione Granger because of the fact he knew things about integrating technology without magic affecting it when the stupid girl had said it wasn't possible. Her arrogance had made him angry, and he'd already been threatened by the other Gryffindors for having an argument with her. He'd avoided the table ever since, not because he was a coward as they foolishly thought, but because he couldn't muster the energy to particularly care about the simple minded fools.
The Ravenclaws were the opposite of Granger, however, and they'd asked him a lot of questions about how he was able to do things without a wand. Unfortunately one of the girls, Cho Chang, a pretty girl in the house, was dating the Hogwarts champion, a Hufflepuff, and she'd made it clear she hated him for taking the glory from him. Following that logic, the other Ravenclaws hadn't hidden their disdain for Harry. They hadn't been as vocal about it as the Gryffindors or the Hufflepuffs, no they'd been as subtle as the Slytherins in their dislike. It never occurred to them Harry hadn't put his name in the goblet, so what was the point of telling them? They'd see it as an excuse.
On that note the foreign schools were no better, they believed he was a cheater. The fact he wasn't a student slipped their minds.
The Hufflepuffs hated him for stealing Cedric Diggory's fire, and the Slytherins hated him on principle.
Harry wondered where he would sit for tonight and whether or not he would need to threaten the table to let him sit down and eat something without being attacked when he came across three students, each wearing the green and silver trim of Slytherin house. Harry had seen them before, but they'd stood in the background so far, but Harry had seen them look at him.
He didn't like the look of them; the two large...boys behind the smaller blond one had the look of heavies, and the blond boy had a perpetual sneer on his face.
Harry came to a full stop, and his hands went to his pockets where he kept a couple of his weapons.
" Can I help you?"
The blond boy gave a sneering smirk which was possibly his version of a smile. " You're the lost Potter."
Harry quirked a brow. " Wow, it's taken you this long to actually say that? I've been around for a couple of months now, and it's only just this second you come to speak to me?" Bit slow.
The blond idiot's smirk vanished. " Watch your mouth, Potter, or-"
Harry tutted. " Just get on with it. I'm not in the mood for an argument, just tell me what you want."
The boy's face darkened like Harry had purposefully stolen his dramatic thunder, but he quickly got over it. " I can help you, Potter."
Harry sighed. " How?"
" It's no secret Dumbledore and your parents are fools, but you've entered our world without any knowledge some wizarding families are better than others," the boy puffed his chest out importantly as if he was delivering a message from God himself. " So, my father Lucius Malfoy, has asked if it would be possible to form an alliance-"
" Stop," Harry held up his hand to silence the boy. " Your father's name is Lucius Malfoy? The Death eater?"
Malfoy had a son, Harry knew from his intel, a boy called Draco. But why would the senior Malfoy want to form an alliance
Draco's face flushed about being interrupted, but he puffed his chest out. " My father is Lucius Malfoy, and he isn't a Death Eater. He claimed the imperious curse."
" Doesn't mean he's not guilty. Why did he put you up to this when it's now well known I slaughtered a good number of his friends at the Quidditch world cup?" Harry asked, folding his arms. The Daily Prophet, or rather the Daily Rag, had reported it had been Harry who'd killed the Death eaters at the world cup, but so far nothing had happened though Harry knew something would soon. He wasn't worried though. He could simply leave and forget these people, but he wanted to do one thing before he left.
Kill Lord Voldemort in front of an audience, by crushing the stupid bastards head.
Draco seemed to forget he had to be both discreet and patient, and he reverted to his real personality; arrogant, bigoted, with a gobby mouth.
" Watch what you say Potter, or my father will-"
Harry interrupted yet again. " Your father will what? Bribe the Minister to have me sentenced to prison simply because you don't the like the way I spoke to you? Why do you threaten people with your father anyway? Can't you fight your own battles for a chance and act like a man, or is the Malfoy family so dependent on the heir's father to fight their battles they can't even see beyond their noses? The real world doesn't work like that. You've got to be your own person."
Malfoy didn't seem to listen. Instead he took out his wand, and snarled as the two hulks behind him cracked their knuckles and lumbered forwards.
" You'll pay for that insult, Potter-" Malfoy held his wand up to cast a curse, but Harry was faster.
Snarling angrily Harry kicked the wand from Malfoy's wrist, and slammed him into a wall. Flipping over to the surprised hulks, Harry grabbed one of them by the arm, and threw him into the other one. For one comical second Harry thought he could hear the cartoon sound of a bowling ball hitting pins. With both boys stopped in their tracks, Harry glanced down at Malfoy. He was groaning in agony, but he didn't care. Harry went over to him, and wondered what to do. He could easily kill the boy, but would it be worth it?
No.
Harry turned away, his hunger forgotten.
Dumbledore massaged his temples as he looked across his desk to stare at Harry, who was sitting calmly in the chair opposite. Not for the first time Dumbledore wished he could access the young man's mind, but somewhere along the way the boy's mind had become logical whether by chance or design, the old wizard had no idea.
Severus had gone mad when he'd discovered what had happened to Crabbe, Goyle and Malfoy, but fortunately Lucius hadn't become involved in the matter, otherwise it would blow out of proportion. With Lucius's partnership with Fudge things could do south very quickly.
One good thing, Harry had willingly come to him.
" Harry, do you know what you've done?"
Harry was unrepentant. " I didn't start the fight. Malfoy came to me, he said his father wanted an alliance. I stated Lucius Malfoy was a death eater, and his son claims he was under the imperious curse - seriously, can you people not come up with something a bit more imaginative ?- and then he attacked me. I was defending myself. Question is, what're you going to do about it?"
Trouble was Dumbledore could do little. Lucius Malfoy was a powerful and dangerous man, his power came from his connections and contacts in the Ministry. He used his money like a weapon, and he played the pureblood game like a master. Worse, his power was close to Dumbledore's level, but luckily James Potter and Sirius Black's influences were enough to maintain a balance.
When Lucius heard about this then it would take all of their political powers to stop him from making life a misery. Dumbledore was sometimes concerned about Malfoy junior; he constantly opened his mouth and blabbed his plans for all to hear, he threatened people with his father which was a weakness in itself. Dumbledore wondered what the boy would do without Lucius holding his hand.
Harry saw the expression on Dumbledore's face. " Would a memory be admissible?" Of course, his studies in the magical world made him aware they were, but he didn't want Dumbledore to know that.
The old wizard was surprised by the question, and he had to ask Harry to repeat it for him. Harry rolled his eyes and repeated himself.
" Memories are admissible," the old wizard, " though I have no idea what your meaning is."
Harry sighed. " I can submit a memory to ensure Malfoy senior knows what happened. I'll give it to you by the end of the day."
Inside his TARDIS, Harry breathed in and breathed out as he held up the wand he'd bought a few years before in America to his temple. Collecting memories was relatively simple, you simply focused on the memory, and the wand allowed you to extract a copy of it. Extracting real memories could cause brain damage, and Harry liked his brain.
He collected the memory three times. One for Dumbledore, one for Amelia Bones in the Ministry, and the third for Mr Lucius Malfoy himself. The first one was obvious enough, but Amelia and Lucius were the key. If Fudge heard about it then he would launch a band of aurors to arrest Harry without listening to a word of reason, but with this memory Harry was granting himself a measure of protection.
It would also alert Madam Bones about the possible issue of crime in Hogwarts, and make her suspicious of Malfoy junior. With Malfoy senior, it should spark a great deal of anger with the ' former ' Death eater that his son was incapable of keeping his mouth quiet. When all three of them were done, Harry started packaging the memories.
Harry chuckled as he finished the packages. Oh, how he was going to enjoy the fallout. It would be a great experiment to see the outcomes.