Harry Potter and the Turning of the Sun
Disclaimer: All JKR's, not mine.
Summary: AU After OOTP- After Harry is thrust back in time, he has to contend with surviving the rest of his years in Hogwarts and living his new life around people that he knows will one day become Death Eaters. Can he find the balance between giving people a chance and doing what he knows is right or will he crumble under the pressure that comes with knowing the future?
A/N: Thanks for the reviews everybody. Oh, and review again!
S/N: Sorry for the long wait, I've been trying to decide how long I want this story to go. Right now, I'm pondering just ending it at the end of Hogwarts, and having some chapters after a time skip that show the future.
S/N 2: Again, I'm sorry for not responding to the reviews, I've been awfully busy lately. I promise I'll do a better job of it this time.
Chapter 21: Summer's End
After receiving his Hogwarts letter a day prior, Harry walked down to Diagon Alley from his room in the Leaky Cauldron, intent on buying all of the supplies he needed for his last year at Hogwarts. It hadn't hit him just yet that he wouldn't be returning to Hogwarts after the coming year, but he knew it would eventually, probably the second he stepped off of the Hogwarts Express and was in view of the castle. It was bittersweet for him—in one way, he was thrilled to be able to do whatever he wanted to do, to join the fight against Voldemort; on the other hand, however, he knew he would miss Hogwarts, his home, and all of the people that made it special for him, like Dumbledore and Hagrid.
He took his time as he walked through the various shops, gathering everything that he would need for the coming year. He went from place to place, store to store savoring every minute of his final Hogwarts shopping experience. Just as he was stepping out of the apothecary, from which he had bought most of the potion ingredients he would need for the year, he saw Sirius and James walking down the alley. Along with the two younger wizards, there was an older couple, who followed closely behind them, giving them their space but still staying near enough to help if they needed it. The older couple looked to be around the age of 70 or so, somewhat young in wizarding terms, but still on the older side. They had jolly looks, countenances that showed general niceness, unlike many of the other attendees of Diagon Alley, who all nervously looked around and had perpetual looks of fear on their faces.
Instantly, Harry's mind thought back to a conversation that he had had with Sirius during his time at Grimmauld Place. "When I was about sixteen, I'd had enough. I camped out at your dad's during the school holidays..." Sirius had relayed when the pair were looking over the tapestry, telling Harry how much Harry's grandparents' kindness had meant to him as a teenager.
"Wait, they can't be…can they?" He questioned with a small lump in his throat, wondering if those two people could actually be his grandmother and grandfather.
Before he could catch up and get a closer look, the foursome disappeared into the Leaky Cauldron, and by the time Harry had entered, they were gone. With a sigh, he exited the pub and went back to the alley, still having a few items to buy before he was finished for the day. As he was walking, he suddenly noticed that the alley had become darker than it was just moments prior. He moved his gaze up to the sky and saw a glittering green skull with a snake protruding from its mouth appear in the clouds, an omen of darkness that struck fear into the hearts of wizards and witches alike. "It's the Death Eaters!" He heard a voice scream out through the alley, then the loud bang of an explosion happen immediately following.
Suddenly, a horde of Death Eaters, wearing black cloaks and bone masks, invaded the peaceful alley, appearing with cracks and rushing out of Knockturn alley. They swished, flicked, and jetted their wands in reckless abandon, destroying and decimating everything in sight, from carts and shops to people and items. Storefronts were blown to smithereens as wizards and witches rushed away from the scene, hoping against hope to escape the danger and safely return to their home. The few Aurors that were guarding the alley hurried into battle, but most of them were immediately downed by numerous Killing Curses, being severely outnumbered by the dark followers of Voldemort.
Instinctively, Harry grabbed his wand and defended himself, blocking a jinx that had come his way. "Stupefy!" He said loudly, hitting a Death Eater with a jet of red light, where he fell unconscious to the ground. As he further entered the fray, a few other brave patrons of Diagon Alley began to fight off the Death Eaters as well, all willing to risk themselves in order to keep others safe from harm.
A Death Eater noticed him and quickly ran at him, earning Harry's attention. Harry dodged the curse that came his way, rolling on the ground and thrusting his wand forward. A set of thick ropes jumped out of the tip of his wand, wrapping themselves tightly around the Death Eater's arms and legs. Unbalanced, the Death Eater fell to the ground and Harry immediately followed his attack up with a stunner, which hit the downed Death Eater square in the chest, forcing him into unconsciousness. As Harry got back to his feet, there was a blast to his left that blew glass into his face, which made him use his arm to block it from entering his eyes. Stepping over the glass that had fallen onto the ground, his gaze moved around the area, searching for someone to help or a Death Eater to duel.
Bodies began to fall all around him, Death Eaters and innocents alike. He swished his wand and a Death Eater that was dueling a shop owner was thrown into a wall next to him, as if some great gust of wind had swept him off of his feet. The Death Eater slithered off of the wall and onto the ground, where he stared up at Harry with a dazed look on his face, his bone mask having cracked and fallen off due to the force of Harry's spell. Harry pointed his wand at the man and, with a flash of red light, silently cast the stunning spell, which knocked the Death Eater into unconsciousness. As he stood over the Death Eater, he moved his gaze over the alley once more, searching for someone to help. There, about twenty feet ahead of him, he noticed a woman fighting a large Death Eater, her back facing most of the battle.
"Professor!" Harry suddenly screamed, seeing that it was his Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor Regula Moonshine in the thrust of battle. As a green Killing Curse flew towards her back, Harry swiped his wand through the air, and her legs were immediately pulled out from under her. The Killing Curse flew safely over her as a result, and hit the Death Eater she was dueling, who slumped to the ground, dead. As she was lying on the ground, an explosion above sent crumpled pieces of debris down upon her, covering her in a small pile of rubble.
Dodging various curses, hexes, and jinxes, Harry rushed over to the mound of debris, using his wand to quickly peel layers upon layers of rock away, trying to get to Moonshine. He saw a hex heading his way, which he blocked with a shield, before stunning a Death Eater that wasn't paying any attention to him and then returning to mound of rock. Quickly he dug and dug until, at long last, Moonshine came into sight, and mustering every ounce of strength he had, he grabbed her hand and pulled her from the rubble.
Just as Harry dragged Moonshine from out of danger, an army of Aurors, Hit Wizards, and other Ministry personnel apparated onto the scene, and immediately confronted the Death Eaters. "Are you okay, professor?" Harry questioned on bended knee, making sure Moonshine was conscious and aware.
"Thank you, Harry," Professor Moonshine whispered, grabbing her ribs in excruciating pain. She tenderly touched the left side of her chest, and winced instantly, nearly unable to breath due to the pain. "I think you saved my life."
"You would have been fine without me, I'm just glad I could help," Harry said with a small, tired smile. Harry watched the scene, Death Eaters were disapparating, apparently too cowardly to fight off the trained Ministry officials. Eventually, all of the Death Eaters were subdued, killed, or had retreated, leaving the Ministry to deal with the aftermath without fear of attack. "Are you sure you're okay, professor?" Harry questioned one more time as Moonshine got to her feet, and made to leave with a tall man that had arrived with the other Aurors.
"I'll be fine, thank you again, Harry." Moonshine smiled through the pain, trying to be strong for her student. "I'll see you soon." She said, before walking off with the wizard, both of them disappearing with a loud crack after a few struggling moments.
Just then, there were some more cracks, revealing a group of witches and wizards that started to appear in the alley. Harry's gaze moved over the group, and he recognized most of them from the Order of the Phoenix picture that Moody has showed to him back in his own time. They were younger, yes, and a little more cheerful, but easily recognizable as the brave wizards and witches that dared to fight against Voldemort and his forces.
He watched as they all joined in the effort to help out, healing whoever they could and cleaning whatever they came about. Looking around, seeing the destruction that the Death Eaters caused in such a short time, it finally hit him, he finally understood the fear that Mr. Weasley had referenced when speaking about the Death Eaters back in his own time. The Death Eater assault was sudden and vicious, instantly turning a pleasant alley into an area of death and disorder, even though the attack had only lasted a quick few minutes. The ability of the Death Eaters to appear from out of nowhere with no warning was a potent way to spread fear, as the Death Eaters could potentially bring their menace to anywhere in the country at anytime of day. While he had always understood why the Death Eaters had the power to spread so much fear, seeing it in person gave him a greater realization of it that no one could have without being a witness, without viewing it with their own eyes.
"Mate," A voice said from behind him, a voice that had come to know very well over the last few months. "I'm glad to see that you're okay."
"I figured you'd come," Harry replied, continuing to watch the Aurors as they went about counting the injured and the dead. "Working with the Order of the Phoenix, are you?" He questioned, turning around to meet his friend Edgar Bones.
"Did Albus tell you that I had joined the Order?" Edgar questioned, unsurprised that Harry knew about the Order of the Phoenix.
"You could say that," Harry answered with a shrug, not daring to tell him that Hagrid had been the one to tell him back in his own time. "Either way, I know about it."
"Is everyone okay?" Edgar asked, surveying the scene. Some of the various Ministry officials that had come were now wrangling up the downed Death Eaters, while the others sent for mediwitches and mediwizards to heal the injured.
"Not everyone," Harry said sadly, noticing a body in front of one of the shops that had been struck by the Killing Curse. It was a twenty year old squib, who had gotten a job selling owls to make a living that had helped Harry just an hour or so prior when he had asked for some owl treats. Harry was angry at the sight, knowing that the man was nothing but kind, and he did not deserve to die like he had.
"I hope we can get here sooner next time," Edgar sighed, turning and facing Harry, not wanting to see the bodies any longer. Then, wanting to cheer Harry up, he grinned. "I have someone for you to meet, but it'll have to be during the Christmas break."
"Oh?" Harry replied, raising an intrigued eyebrow. "Who?" He questioned curiously, which just elicited a smile from Edgar. "Who?" He pressed his friend to answer, wanting to know even more now.
"My fiancée," Edgar finally answered, to the surprise of Harry.
Later that night, it was late and Harry couldn't sleep. He sat in the center of his bed, a strange dragon contraption held in his lap. "Do I want to pursue a relationship with her?" Harry questioned quietly, looking down at the dragon. The water in the base sloshed and bubbled, before a puff of blue smoke entered the air. "I know the answer to that question then?" Again, another puff of blue smoke filtered out of the dragon's mouth. "I do want to pursue her," Harry admitted to himself, his stomach knotting and tightening at that realization. He put the dragon on his bedside table, and leaned back into his bed. "Would I be betraying Sirius? Betraying the Order of the Phoenix? Betraying everything that I stood and still stand for? I want to be around her, she makes me feel…happy."
As the summer started to wind down, Harry walked into Gringotts bank the day before he was to leave for Hogwarts. He patiently waited on line, looking around interestedly at the various people within the bank and the multitude of goblins that scurried about, before he heard a loud voice booming in front of him. "Boy, step forward!" A goblin at the desk sneered, looking at Harry with limited respect.
"Um, sorry," Harry replied, moving forward as requested.
"Key," The goblin demanded, reaching his tiny hand out towards Harry.
"That's actually why I'm here, I don't have one yet." Harry answered, staring up at the goblin with a curious gaze. He had come to Gringotts to procure a vault, not take money out of a vault he did not yet have. "I'm looking to get a vault."
"Over there!" The goblin snapped, pointing over to a short line on the far end of the building, where a few smaller desks were set up. There were no signs or directions saying anything about procuring a vault, which Harry had looked for before he stepped into the line.
"Thank you," Harry replied, giving a smile when he heard the goblin cursing in gobbledygook as he walked away. "Hello, I'm here to get a vault." Harry said, walking up to a goblin that called him forward after having waited in line for nearly ten minutes.
"Very well," The goblin nodded in a haughty tone, giving Harry a once over with his gaze. "From the looks of you, I would imagine you would like a higher up vault, no?"
"A small vault is fine if that's what you mean," Harry responded easily, not taking the insult for anything more than a subtle jab. He had no idea how much wealth was actually needed for a low vault, but he sincerely doubted he had enough to even approach such a vault. Additionally, there had been only one breach of Gringotts that he was aware about, and that was Voldemort searching for a particular item, not a random wizard trying to steal gold.
"Name?" The goblin questioned, reaching into his desk and pulling out a form. He grabbed a quill and waited for Harry to respond, needing to fill out the form in order to secure a vault for Harry.
"Arold Dumbledore," Harry answered, watching at the goblin quickly jotted down the name, apparently not really worrying if the name was accurate or not. I have no proof that I am who I say I am outside of my apparition license, Harry thought to himself, I guess they really don't care, do they?
The goblin tinkered with a few things on his desk, and then reached into the top drawer, pulling out a small bronze key that looked nearly identical to Harry's old key. "Vault 181," He said, as small numbers burned bright on the shaft of the key, ingraining into the metal the magic necessary to open the vault door. When the numbers subsided, he gruffly handed the key over to Harry and then stared up at the wizard expectantly.
"Yes?" Harry asked, somewhat confused by what the goblin wanted.
"Ten galleons," The goblin replied, holding his hand out to accept payment.
"Oh, right," Harry nodded in understanding, feeling a bit ignorant while the process went on, having assumed that they would just take it out of his vault. He reached into his pocket and took out a fistful of galleons, before counting out ten gold coins and handing them over to the goblin, whose eyes were wide with surprise at Harry's actions. "Can I go to my vault now?"
"Traknud," The goblin called out, grabbing the attention of a young goblin that was organizing a few papers off to the side. "Take the wizard to his new vault."
"Very well," The young goblin nodded to his superior respectively, before looking over to Harry. "This way," He gestured for Harry to follow him, guiding them both out of the main hall and towards the carts. "Key please," He said to Harry when they arrived at an empty cart. Harry handed him over his newly furbished key and watched as Traknud ran a clawed finger over it. Instantly, four numbers appeared in gold lettering, showing just what vault the key served. "181."
The cart sped off as soon as both the goblin and Harry were in. It dipped into a tunnel that Harry had never gone into before, speeding a couple hundred yards before coming to an abrupt halt in front of a row of small vaults. "That was quick," Harry noted, recalling how the trip to his former vault back in his own time had taken much longer.
"These vaults do not go as deep into the ground as many of our more prestigious vaults do," Traknud answered, getting out of the cart and stepping onto the ledge in front of the vault marked 181.
Harry nodded in understanding, presuming that the deeper the vault, the more protected it was. He had heard rumors that there were even dragons protecting the really deep ones, though he had no idea if they were true or not and he assumed that they were not. Once he was on the ledge, he pulled out his trunk from his pocket and placed it onto the ground. Running his wand over the trunk, it grew and grew until it was back to its normal size.
Traknud, meanwhile, took Harry's key and opened the vault, before taking a step backwards to give Harry more room. "That trunk," Traknud said slowly, his eyes wide in confusion as he stared down at Harry's trunk. "It is infused with goblin magic."
"Is it?" Harry questioned, surprised a little by the revelation. "I got it as a present from a friend of mine."
"Little more than theft, that is." Traknud scowled, turning away from Harry's vault with a look of disgust. He disliked the human practice of handing things down to another by way of gift or inheritance, as he believed the maker of the object was the one to have ownership of it, rather than the purchaser, as was goblin custom.
"Right," Harry whispered confusedly, before turning his attention back to his vault. It was smaller than the one he had been given from his parents, but it would suit his needs just fine. Lifting his trunk upwards, he dumped a pile of gold, silver and bronze coins into the center of the vault, before stopping, seeing that it was about half the contents of his trunk. "That should do it," He finished, staring at the pile of money, trying to count it all up with his gaze. It was large, a little less overall than the amount of gold that he had seen in his old vault when he first learned about his wizarding heritage, which surprised him a bit, considering it was only about half of what he currently possessed. "I guess Sirius was loaded."
Bellatrix Black awoke at sunrise on September 1st, the morning that Hogwarts students were to take the express to start the new school year. After taking a shower, straightening her long black hair, and putting on her clothes, she walked over to the table that was next to her bed and picked up a small pin. She fingered the pin that had an H in front of the Hogwarts coat of arms, recognizing and understanding exactly what the symbol meant: that she was Head Girl. Silently, she fastened it to the front of her shirt, and then turned and looked in the mirror that was hanging on the wall. She gave a small, lifeless smile to herself as she stared at the reflection, before spinning and walking across her room.
She picked up her wand and ran it over her trunk, shrinking it down to the size of a tiny matchbox. She then walked over to her owl's perch and handed her owl an owl treat, petting the top of its head as it ate. Once it was done eating its treat, she fastened the trunk onto the large owl's leg, and then opened the window and allowed it to fly out. When the owl was out of sight, she closed the window, took one last look around her room and exited out of the door.
Her parents were waiting for her at the door of their familial home, 23 Dungient Street, as she walked down the stairs. "Ready, dear?" Her mother, Druella, asked her in loving, yet somewhat cold voice. She was a petite female, with a strong jaw and light blonde hair, and had the same heavy-lidded violet eyes that her daughter had inherited. All in all, while the Blacks had a noble beauty about them, Druella had a more down-to-earth look that was masked by a cold personality.
"Yes," She answered simply, a reserved excitement about her. She didn't know how to feel about the impending final year of her Hogwarts life. In a way, she knew that she should be excited about the prospect of her future, of all the other adventures that life would have in store for her; however, she knew exactly what adventures that her peers, her family, and her friends wanted of her and for her: a life of being a Death Eater. And, if she was honest with herself, it was the life that she wanted in the back of her mind on some level, as well.
"Shall we then?" Her father, Cygnus, gestured, opening the door to the outside muggle world. He was a tall man, with a stout build, long black hair and the familiar gray eyes of the Black family.
They all exited the house, with her father closing and locking the door behind them, and then began the trek to the station. The trio of Blacks quietly walked the few blocks to the train station, with the parents giving deep scowls and other disgusted looks at the passing muggles, while the daughter was biting her lip. This is it, she thought to herself, my last time making this walk with them.
They arrived about fifteen minutes before the express was to leave. After quickly running through the hidden entrance to platform 9 and 3/4, they all stood on the platform, preparing themselves to say their goodbyes. "Bye dear," Her mother said, hugging her tightly before moving back and allowing her husband to say goodbye. "Write us whenever you can."
"Yes, like your mother said, be sure to write," Her father said, giving Bellatrix a gentle hug and kissing the top of her head. "Goodbye, Bellatrix."
"I will," She promised them, knowing that she would write a few times over the course of the year. Pulling away from her parents, she turned and took the step up onto the train. Waving to her parents one last time, she proceeded to walk down the aisle and to the front of the train, where the Head Boy and Girl had their own compartment.
"Bellatrix," Frank Longbottom said when she entered, having arrived just moments before she had. She nodded to him, but stayed silent, instead just taking her seat on the opposite bench and staring out of the window, pondering the reasons why she was made the Head Girl. Ever since she had received her badge in the mail at the beginning of August, she had been unsuccessful in trying to figure out why she was selected above the other girls of her year and why Albus Dumbledore had chosen her, especially considering the fact that they had only spoken to each other a few times and he had shown no prior interest in her studies prior to then. What had changed? What had made her worthy of being Head Girl two years after being deemed unworthy of being a prefect? Surely her reputation as not being a good and honest person didn't change over the past two years, had it?
As Bellatrix sat and gazed out of the window, Harry arrived at the train station about ten minutes before the Hogwarts Express was to leave. With his shrunken trunk in his pocket, he entered one of the carts and walked down the length of the train, searching for an empty compartment. At the back of the train, about four from the end, he found one totally empty and he entered it, taking a seat against the window as he prepared himself for the journey. Within minutes, the train lurched into motion and began speeding out of London, northwards to the highlands of Scotland, where Hogwarts was nestled in the country side.
A/N: As for 23 Dungient Street: 1) Dungient is a portmanteau of the words Dungeon and Ancient, i.e. the house is an ancient dungeon. 2) Is it a coincidence that Harry stayed in room 23? As for Bellatrix being made the Head Girl, all will be explained. And this chapter is one in which Harry did something that drastically changed the future, can you guess what? Here's a hint—check out chapter 15, "Problems Spelling."
A/N 2: The dragon object is the one that Harry received from Dumbledore in the 12 chapter, entitled "Happy Christmas War is Not Over".