To start with, i dont own the worlds of Eragon and Harry Potter. Those rights belong to Christopher Paolini and JK Rowling.
Chapter 25 – The return
The sun was shining down on the trio's as they flew over the border between Belarus and Poland. They had finished recounting what they could remember about their six years, and Maddie had reciprocated with a few stories of her adventures. Frozzaen turned out to be a good storyteller, though clearly a couple of stories were not one's that always showed Maddie in a flattering light.
Hermione stretched in the saddle – they had been sitting for a while. She wasn't clipped in as they weren't performing any aerobatic manoeuvres. "So, why do we need to go back to England for the ritual? Wouldn't it be easier to do it from Rider Island?"
"The ritual sends you back to where you were at that time – since you both were pretty much in England for your whole lives, baring holidays in France for you Hermione, we have to be there as the ritual can only send you back to a place in the country you are in. As such, if we did it at Rider Island, you would only go back at the most two years. I will be able to narrow it down to your Hogwart years at least"
Hermione nodded "so how does it work? It just sends us back in time?"
"No, this ritual isn't as simple as sending us back in time. It's more along the lines of it will be sending us to an alternate universe that is some years behind us." "Wait, alternate universe? What do you mean?"
Maddie sighed "Imagine the very beginning of the universe. There was nothing but one atom. As such, there was only ever one universe right?" She saw them both nodding. "Then, that atom exploded. At that point, the universe fractured into two – one where the atom exploded, and one where it did not. Then, the exploded atom formed into two atoms – but it fractured again, with a new universe made for every possibility of atom. What I'm trying to say is that every time there is a choice – where you can choose one option or another, the universe fractures, creating one where you make one choice, and another where you make the other choice. Follow?"
"Mostly" Harry said as Hermione said "Yes" at the same time. "Good enough for me. So, therefore, we will be breaking out of this alternate universe, and will be forcing ourselves into another alternate universe that is years in the past so that we can make new choices and hopefully create a better future. You'll be able to spend time with your friends and watch them grow old and live happy lives."
Hermione looked thoughtful "So, if we mess it up, will we be able to perform the ritual again and repeat it?" Maddie shook her head "Nope. The ritual takes a lot of power and magic. Magic is not confined to the universes – it spreads in them and outside of them. It exists in the space between universes. It's not really understood how, but Magic will recognize that we have come back and will prevent us from doing that again."
Harry spoke up for the first time in a while "Why couldn't we use an overpowered time-turner?" Maddie smiled at him "You raise a good point – time turners. You see, time turners are lower powered versions of this ritual. It doesn't require that much energy to go back 24 hours, as Magic recognizes that the number of changes you have made aren't going to be much. We are planning on going back years – that requires a huge amount of energy, and no time-turner would be powerful enough to do that – but this ritual will be."
Harry frowned "What did you mean by we would be 'breaking out of the alternate universe?'" Maddie shrugged "Well, this isn't the canon world. Don't worry about it, it's not that important" Harry raised an eyebrow but said nothing further.
Hermione leaned back "So why England? Why not Scotland?"
"I've chosen that because you were up in Scotland for 10 months of the year for six years – you were in England for two. It will give us time to recalibrate ourselves and to alert the appropriate people we can trust and to deal with any problems that rise from that. That won't be easy if we are stuck at Hogwarts – much easier over the summer holiday."
Maddie hesitated before saying "So, what are you going to do about Ron?" They both suddenly sat up and looked at her "What do you mean? I want nothing to do with Ron" Harry muttered. "That's all well and good for right now, but remember we're going to be going back to a time when he hasn't betrayed you – he was your best friend. He would notice and find it suspicious, and so would others, that you suddenly are angry with him."
Harry scowled while Hermione looked scandalised "Guys, do you actually know if Ron willingly betrayed you?" The hostility in Hermione's gaze reduced while Harry's scowl became less pronounced. "I'm not saying you should go back to fully trusting him – but keep an open mind and investigate, ok?"
They nodded and fell into comfortable silence. Hermione pulled out The Tales of Beetle the Bard while Harry laid back and started to doze.
Hours later
Night had settled when Maddie woke Harry. Yawning and stretching, Harry looked around and could see ocean and land. "Where are we?" Maddie pointed at the land "That is England. Normally I would call in and alert the government that we're entering the country. However, since we're going back in time, and Voldemort basically controls the government, I don't think it's a good idea. I also want you to see the camps for yourself. We can go from there."
Casting disillusionment charms on themselves and the dragons, it took them half an hour to come across the first camp. The camp was large and spread out over 60 square miles, with fences and guard towers surrounding the camp. Maddie directed them to land nearby on the hill, and they got to the top of the hill. Harry and Hermione could see through the binoculars the guards and Death Eaters beating the prisoners, who appeared to be so thin that they looked like they would be blown over if a wind came through.
Hermione lowered the binoculars, her body shaking from rage "That's…. that's…." Maddie just nodded "Yep – barbaric. The choice is yours right now – if you want, we can storm the camp." Harry shook his head "we came here to go back, to prevent this from ever happening. That would be pointless if we get ourselves killed beforehand." He turned back towards the camp, and Hermione could see the guilt and anger on his face. She grabbed his hand which seemed to calm him down.
"Could we go see Diagon Alley?" Maddie nodded, getting up. Taking off, they cast a last glance at the camp before turning away.
It didn't take long to reach London, and after transfiguring their clothing, they sat in a park waiting for the time that they knew the Leaky Cauldron opened. Once that time came, they walked towards the pub. Hermione suddenly stopped before entering. "Wait – shouldn't we disguise ourselves?" Maddie just raised an eyebrow. "You two haven't been in the country for years. You've also changed your appearance already, and since you've grown and matured, your facial structure has changed slightly – enough that it wouldn't draw too much attention. As for me, they've never seen me so I'm not worried."
Walking inside, they weren't surprised to see Tom was still stood at the bar, wiping empty glasses. There were no patrons, and they didn't feel like becoming the first ones. Reaching the arch way, they were surprised to find that the archway was gone, being replaced by more fencing and a booth. A Ministry official was stood there, and as he stood to get up, Maddie waved her hand, leaving the guy with a confused look as they passed. Turning past the booth, Harry and Hermione stopped at the sight of the alley.
When they were last there, the alley was full of bright posters, colourful displays and large crowds. Now, the stores were bare, either with minimal products or were just abandoned. The building where Weasley Wizard Wheezes stood had been burned down and not replaced. The few people in the alley walked fast and with their heads down. They all wore armbands, with either "P", "H" or "M" on.
"We should leave" Harry muttered, turning around to find himself face to face with a group of Death Eaters. He stepped back as Hermione and Maddie whirled. "Well lookey here boys" the leader sneered as the others tittered. "Now, what are three magicals doing without their armbands?"
"We misplaced them" Hermione quickly countered. "Oh, is that right? Hand over your papers, now" As he said this, the other Death Eaters pulled out their wands. Harry and Hermione slowly moved into better positions to fight, noting that people were running into buildings and which ones they were.
"We don't have any" Harry said. The leaders face hardened "well then, you'll be coming with us. We'll find out who you are." Harry and Hermione chanced a look at each other before making a quick decision. They knew Maddie was nearby, but somehow she had managed to slip away without any of the Death Eaters noticing.
Harry nodded then snapped his hand up, sending a blast of air that knocked all the Death Eaters back. As that happened, Hermione conjured shields in front of them and also to protect the stores. The Death Eaters were quick to get back up, and started throwing curses towards them. Even though they were behind a barrier, Harry and Hermione stayed low and kept moving, throwing curses back. While they had other powers, they didn't want to cause the Death Eaters to move into other stores that they hadn't protected.
[Maddie where are you?] Harry yelled through their mental link as he hit a Death Eater with a Reducto. [{I'm above them – stop firing back and focus on protecting the people – I'll take them out}]
There were 12 Death Eaters still left in the group, but all were focused on Harry and Hermione. As such, they didn't notice until they heard the thud of something landing on their friend who gave an 'urk' as he crumpled into the ground. The closest turned to him and yelped, causing his friends to turn.
Maddie had jumped from the roof and landed on the head of the Death Eater, causing his neck and body to crumple. She had extended the armour, which covered her in gold scales from neck to toe, leaving her left arm uncovered. A dragon head shaped helmet was on her head, but what caused the Death Eaters to panic was that she was also on fire.
Before they even reacted, Maddie pulled her sword across the throat of two of the Death Eaters and then threw it at the third, burying it in his chest. As another stepped back, she summoned the sword which cause it to run through the one who stepped back. Another Death Eater threw a nasty looking orange curse at her, and she ducked and rolled before flicking a silver spell from her sword at him where he dropped when it impacted with him. She swung her left arm at the throat of the closest Death Eater, ripping his throat open, leaving him to drop to his knees with his hands at his throat before he collapsed to the side.
The remaining five Death Eaters tried moving, but Harry and Hermione had placed up barriers. One turned and tried to send a Bombarda at the building, but Harry hit him with an Avada Kedavra. Hermione took down another with a purple curse which caused the man to shrink down into nothing.
One of the Death Eaters threw his wand down and fell to his knees, hands in the air. His mask had fallen off, and he appeared to be really young. Maddie walked forward and kicked him in the jaw, lifting him off the ground where he fell back and collapsed. She turned towards the last two Death Eaters who threw Avada Kedavra's at her, but she blocked it with a conjured sorcery shield, before turning the shield into a bow and fired two arrows which hit the Death Eaters and took them down.
Harry and Hermione dropped their shields, and released the shields on the buildings, allowing the patrons to run out and away. They watched as Maddie cleaned her blade on one of the fallen Death Eater robes before shaking her arm, causing the armour to retreat back into the bracelet on her arm.
"That was impressive" Hermione said. Maddie chuckled "Thanks. Come on, it's time to go" she opened a portal and grabbed their hands, walking through and closing it just as more Death Eaters appeared in the Alley.
Stonehenge
They appeared in a secluded area near Stonehenge. "What are we doing here?" Maddie looked around and started casting wards, causing the people nearby to start leaving. "Stonehenge is on top of the most magical lay lines in England – 10 of them to be exact. Hogwarts is on top of 10 as well, but since that's in Scotland that removes that." She moved forward and started carving runes on a stone. "Here – follow the diagrams, we'll be done faster."
Harry and Hermione grabbed a diagram and moved off to the relevant stone to carve in the runes. It was tedious work, but after a couple of hours they were finished. "Now, I'm going to start singing, while throwing certain items into the fire. You'll need to keep the shields up, as they're going to know we're here." She crouched and started up a fire, humming as she worked. Harry and Hermione cast a shield around the circle, keeping an eye out. Ophelia, Polonius and Frozzaen, who were all on the ground, helped to keep an eye out and were prepared to help defend the ritual.
With the fire going, Maddie started to sing and sway, throwing small items into the fire. After the third item, people in black cloaks started to appear, throwing spells at the shield. While the spells bounced off the shield, it still caused Harry and Hermione to flinch. They turned to look as a whoosh sound and a flash of colour lit up the inside of the shield.
The fire was twice the size and was a green colour. As Maddie kept singing, more people appeared outside the shield. They started to cast in the same spot, and soon the shield started to fracture. As Harry and Hermione prepared to recast the shield spell, they heard Maddie yell and turned just as the fire exploded into a bright white flash, blowing them back.
June 1995, Hogwarts Express
Harry's eyes jerked open, taking in the sight of a cabin on the Hogwarts express. Across from him was Hermione, who also had the same look on her face. Unlike when they had left, she had bushy brown hair, and Harry could feel his glasses on the end of his nose. He sat up and looked at Hermione. "What was the last thing you saw?"
Hermione smiled but said "Maddie stood next to a fire that emitted a bright white flash" Harry sighed and leaned back "We did it – but why do we look like this?" Suddenly he felt a presence in his mind [[Maddie wants me to tell you that you have a glamour on you – it's so if you were near people they wouldn't be surprised by your new appearance. Just focus on removing the glamour]]
Harry frowned but pushed his magic into removing the glamour. The gasp from Hermione told him it worked, so he put it back. He sent out a mental probe to Ophelia, who replied and told him Polonius was there, and that they were currently flying above the Express. Searching, Harry could feel Maddie, which told him that she was in the UK.
He looked up at Hermione who was holding a copy of the Daily Prophet. "We're at the end of fourth year." A small smile crossed her face as she pulled out a notebook "So, shall we get to planning?" Harry returned the smile and moved across from her, and together they started laying out a plan on what they wanted to achieve.
A/N: They're back! This story will continue in the sequel that i'll post the first chapter soon. The chapters will be longer in the next story as they fight to save their friends. Thanks for reading and i hope you continue to follow!