TITLE: Beforewards
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter.
A/N: Don't forget to leave a review.
SUMMARY: At Kings Cross, Harry meets someone other than Dumbledore. That someone sends Harry back in time to change things. Can Harry, with his future knowledge and new mentor, change his future for good? Or will this time travel not have the desired effects?
CLARIFICATIONS:
'Merlin talking to Harry in his head'
'Harry talking to Merlin in his head'
§Parseltongue§
CHAPTER: 21
After being told by Madam Pomfrey to leave, his friends had gone to their lessons and then he had been informed that he had the day off of lessons to rest a bit more, but could go back to his dorm and sleep if he wanted to, so he had chosen that time to go and visit Dumbledore. Merlin had come back into his mind as he walked slowly up the winding staircase to Dumbledore's office. The echoing voice suddenly talking in his mind had surprised him and he had almost fallen face fist onto the stone step in front of him. He managed to catch himself, take a deep breath, still his beating heart and then scold Merlin for surprising him. The man had been chagrined and quiet, and Harry had immediately let him know that he wasn't angry with hum for leaving him whilst he was with Death.
'Are you sure? This was a time where you would have needed guidance, and I was not there to help you.'
Harry shrugged a shoulder, 'I'm fine, Merlin. It's ok. And, well, there was something that Death said when I first got there. He put an image of my mother there and after said that it was to see whether I was me or you. What was that all about?'
Merlin chuckled, 'It would not be the first time I tried to trick him. He had wanted to speak with you since you got back. I thought you weren't ready as there were more pressing matters to deal with.'
'Thanks, Merlin.'
'Do not thank me. I am merely looking for ways to help you.'
'Still, thanks.' Harry said as he finally got to the shining gold door. He took a deep breath. He would see what Dumbledore knew and then have to lie a lot to the man, which was not something he enjoyed. He sighed again and knocked. He waited for a few seconds before hearing Dumbledore's voice call for him to enter.
Dumbledore was sat behind his desk, half-moon glasses placed on the end of his nose. In his hands were several pieces fo parchment with lots of writing on them; letters from people in the Order?
Dumbledore looked up when Harry sat down and smiled. He gestured with the parchment before placing them down in the table. "Letters from parents who have received letters from their children who are students here. Apparently you have convinced a great many people in this school, Harry, and in doing so, have made their parents think more and send me letters asking for information about the upcoming conflict."
Harry smiled brightly, "That's great. It means more people are believing us and not Fudge and the Ministry then, yeah?"
"Minister Fudge, but essentially, yes. That is what it means. More people are coming to their senses about the similarities to Voldemort's first rise; the disappearances, and of course, my warnings that something is coming. Of course, this time I am more specific and there are two of us, myself and you, but the message is the same." The man suddenly got serious and steepled his fingers and looked over them. "Although that is not what we are here to discuss."
Harry cleared his throat, heart beating rapidly. 'It is ok, Harry. Ask him what he knows and then we shall come up with a plan.'
So he did, Harry asked the Headmaster how he knew he was the Master of Death, and playing the innocent school-boy who didn't have a powerful wizard in his mind, asked what that was.
And Dumbledore had explained. He had explained what the Master of Death was. How there was the legend that if one wizard or witch retrieved all three Hallows, the stone, the cloak, and the wand, then he or she would be Master of Death and become immortal. But, then, he had said, "However, what did not follow with the legend of the Hallows was that within the story of the three brothers, the last brother, Ignotus Peverell, had become equals with Death. But, with that came the title 'Master of Death' because Ignotus was, when he parted life with Death by his side, immune to Death's strengths as Death was weak to his. The Master of Death is not in charge of the Eternity, merely an equal, but Death cannot harm him out of respect for his ancestor, the first Master. He cannot take his life away as he respects Ignotus Peverell's line too much. You are Ignotus Peverell's descendant, making you the last Master of Death. I gave you the cloak, your fathers cloak, in your first year, to see what effects it had." Dumbledore seemed ashamed of this. "I watched the elder wand for months on end to see if it came to you." At this he picked up the wand by his side and placed it in front of Harry. "After those years I knew that you couldn't just have one of the Hallows and become Death's Master, even if you were a Peverell. However, that night when the Order collected you from your home, brought you to us and we saw you for the first time, I knew that it was finally time. A dementor doesn't suck out a soul of the rightful Master of Death, they are Death's creatures, he made them. So when you said that they almost sucked out your soul, I obviously disagreed. You couldn't have known what they had done, after all. However, what I now think what happened was that they did suck out your soul, but Death swooped in. He saved his Master and when you had the whereabouts once again, you performed the charm to get them away from you and your cousin."
During this explanation, Harry had squirmed in his seat. So Dumbledore had known that he was Ignotus Peverell's descendant the whole time, that he was Master of Death the whole time and hadn't said anything. Although, in his first life, he hadn't had Merlin explain it to him, so he hadn't sought out getting the Peverell lordship and he hadn't sought out Death, so there was no reason for Dumbledore to talk to him about it. But now, he was sat and talking with Dumbledore about it with the title of Master of Death added to his many titles with the elder wand put in front of him. He looked down at it and Dumbledore smiled.
He leaned forward in his ancient seat, blue eyes twinkling madly, "Take it, Harry. It's yours now. It has always been yours, rightfully."
Harry's stomach became butterflies at once. He lifted a shaking hand over the wand, he closed his hand into a fist to stop the shaking. He closed his eyes and took two deep breaths. He could hear the wand vibrating quickly under his hand, a loud buzzing noise coming from it, like it was excited to be bonded with his real Master.
'Take it.'
And those words snapped him out of his nervousness and he opened his hand. Immediately the wand flew into his hand and his fingers curled around it with a natural ease. A cascade of black and gold sparks came out of the end of the wand and in the corner, Fawkes cried out, not in fear...but perhaps respect for the magical being in front of him. Harry's magical core was dancing around inside of him, the Death magic and the Peverell magic melting together with the wand, bonding quickly and naturally with the Potter and Black magic following behind easily. In front of him, Dumbledore's face had gone serious again but Harry thought that was just because of the magic he had just witnessed. What he didn't know, was that when his hand made contact with the wand, his eyes had glowed a bright, avada kedavra green and in the corner of the room, a ghostly laugh had sounded, like Death was pleased for his Master.
Harry smiled at Dumbledore, but then gasped, "What're you going to do without a wand, Professor?"
Dumbledore snapped out of the serious and contemplative state and smiled sympathetically at the boy in front of him. He reached into his robes and took out his very first wand that he had received at Ollivander's. "I will use my own, the very first one I received before my first year at Hogwarts."
Harry nodded, as long as Dumbledore wasn't without a wand. That would not be good at all.
Then Dumbledore broke eye contact, looked down at the parchments on his desk and frowned. He stood, Harry followed, and then gestured to the door, "Unfortunately, due to the many letters i now get, I have little free time. Thank you for coming to see me. Use the elder wand instead of your Ollivander wand from now on, but keep the other on you at all times, it is better to have two wands instead of one incase you get disarmed and/or taken off guard. Enjoy your day off, Harry."
Harry inclined his head, smiled and took his leave, quickly, putting the wand in his pocket with his phoenix feather one in the other pocket. He was cheerful as he walked down the staircase as the magic was still dancing inside of him and the wand seemed very pleased.
'What now, Harry? Rest?'
Harry shook his head. 'No. Now we're going to go and get the stone and the next Horcrux.'
A/N: Don't forget to review!