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: 25

"It wasn't our fault."

McGonagall sighed and paused writing with her quill. She looked up from her desk at Harry where he was stood in a line with Daphne, Tracey, Michael, Luna, Neville, Susan, Nathan and Hannah. "Potter-"

"It really wasn't, Professor." Michael said from Harry's left and McGonagall's eyes sharpened on him. He swallowed and lowered his eyes to the floor. In fact, as Harry looked down the line it was only himself, Neville and Daphne that were making eye contact with the Professor. Susan, Nathan, Tracey, Hannah and now Michael were suddenly finding the floor very interesting and Luna was gazing up at the ceiling seemingly without a care the world.

"I understand the situation and acknowledge that you were provoked." Harry heard Susan let out a sigh of relief. He supposed she may of never been in front of McGonagall, or any Professor, this way before. "However, duelling no matter the cause is against the rules."

Harry raised his brows and made to speak but she cut across him and sent him a look, "I know you were provoked, Potter. I've mentioned it, it's been discussed, now the topic is moving on."

He nodded, surrendering, and watched as the Professor finished writing...whatever she was writing with a flourish with the quill and waved her wand. The piece of parchment lifted itself up into the air, floating above her desk, and folded into a small airplane not unlike the ones at the Ministry. She tapped it once and it hummed lowly before speeding away and out of her open office window.

She leaned back into her chair. "Miss Greengrass, Miss Davis, Mister Grey," Harry saw Nathan perk up out of the corner of his eye. Tracey was still looking at the tartan carpet as though her life depended on it and Daphne's demeanour didn't change, "I have sent a note to Professor Snape about my thoughts on the excursion this afternoon. He is at this moment brewing potions for Madam Pomfrey in his classroom. Wait for him outside of his office. Be assured that I will keep a close eye on the punishments gifted to both parties." She waved to the door, "You are dismissed."

Nathan and Tracey appeared to be all too ready to run to the door, but seeing Daphne hesitate, they too stopped and glanced at the others in the line. McGonagall sighed heavily but Harry had known her long enough to see the curl at the corner of her mouth and the glint in her eye. She was pleased that they seemed to have formed a strong friendship with Slytherins, or at least other people in each of the Houses.

"Keep faith that your compatriots will receive similar, if not the same reception from their Heads of Houses." As they nodded and left the room, McGonagall turned to Luna and Michael. "Mister Corner and Miss Lovegood, Professor Flitwick was obviously with me when we collected all of you and should now be finished with undoing the damage caused to the other students in the...spat. You are to wait for him in your common room and he will collect you shortly." After as Luna said goodbye to them all and Michael had held the door open for her and then walked out after she had drifted through, the Professor nodded towards Hannah and Susan. "I am sure you two know that I deplore the use of spells on the grounds to harm one another, however in this case it was duly needed, I suppose. Self defence is, after all, what we are teaching here at Hogwarts. You may go. As I understand it Professor Sprout has issued you both detentions with her on Friday night however you will have to converse with her on this to confirm. Dismissed."

They both practically sagged in relief and muttered thanks to her quietly. Hannah spared Neville a glance and Susan squeezed Harry's arm as they passed them both to reach the door.

The office door shut and silence reigned over them. Harry stepped closer to Neville so that their arms were touching and he felt Neville flinch slightly. McGonagall stared them both down for a moment, before shaking her head exasperatedly and standing from her chair. She walked over to a cupboard in the corner of the room, opened the doors and pulled out a familiar tartan tin. Harry's lips twitched as she walked over to them and pulled the lid off.

"Have a biscuit, Longbottom."

Neville started but reached out to take one per the demand. Just as Harry was about to extend his arm, she snapped the lid back onto the tin and tapped it with her wand, moving it back to settle on her desk. Harry gave her an affronted look which she returned with a cool stare.

"I suppose I should have expected that some of my students were involved. Especially you, Potter." Neville snorted and Harry saw McGonagall's mouth twitch. He rolled his eyes.

He clasped his hands in front of him, "Is this my cruel and unusual punishment then, Professor? Force feeding Neville ginger biscuits while I have to watch?"

Neville choked and actually extended his hand to offer Harry a bite of his biscuit as he was coughing. Harry raised an eyebrow and shook his head in response.

McGonagall had moved around her desk once again and sat down in her chair. "No, Potter. Your 'cruel and unusual punishment' will be with Professor Umbridge tomorrow night at eight o'cl-"

"Umbridge! Profess-!"

"Potter! I don't have any say over who has any of your detentions. Professor Umbridge selected yours and Mister Longbottom's first and I have no authority nor means to deny her!" She took a breath and Harry clenched his jaw. He would need to find a way out of that. By any means necessary. Umbridge had been bad last time, but this time barely any students had gone to her class since term had started and no one at all from his year. This time Neville was with him as well and in his mind that could only make the situation worse.

Speaking of Neville, as Harry had been thinking, he had spoken up, "But Professor, as our Head of House surely-"

McGonagall sighed, "No, Longbottom. As I told Mister Potter, I cannot. Professor Umbridge has rights over any detention that she asks for first." She gave Harry a side-eye, "And since Potter has not been going to any of the fifty detentions that she assigned him on his first day in her classroom, I suspect that she was waiting on the edge of her seat to snatch him."

"Fifty?" Neville whispered from next to him but Harry ignored it and took him by the elbow.

"If that's all, Professor?"

McGonagall raised a brow but nodded. "Good evening, Potter, Longbottom. Try not to get into any more fights will you?"

Harry have her a smile that was all teeth and led Neville out of the door. When they rounded the corner of her corridor they almost bashed heads with a red-faced Hermione and Ron who were huffing and puffing like they'd been running.

"Harry! Neville!" Hermione gasped, tense shoulders dropping with relief.

Ron grinned and put a hand on both of their shoulders, though Harry thought it was more because he wanted to lean on something lest he keel over. "We've been looking for you two all over. Bumped into Corner on the way to lunch and he said that you guys had been in a fight with some Slytherins..?"

"Yeah, us two and Susan, Hannah, Daphne, Nathan, Tracey, Michael and Luna had something with some seventh years. No doubt they were working on Voldemort's orders. Trying to rile us up."

Hermione rolled her eyes, "More like rile you up, Harry. You're all alright though, aren't you? Michael said he and Luna were but that's about it."

Neville shrugged, "Pretty much. The Slytherins have got it worse though, I think. Greengrass, Davis and Nathan have got to share a dorm and common room with them now, don't they?"

"One problem at a time, please." Harry sighed and rubbed his hands down his face. He looked through his fingers to see his friends staring at him worriedly, "Umbridge has taken our detention."

Their reactions were how he suspected them to be. Hermione worried her lip but her eyes had only softened in pity and Ron had turned sheet white.

"Do you think she'll try something?" Ron asked and Hermione rolled her eyes.

"She won't, she can't. We might not like her Ron, but she's working on Ministry orders and let's not forget that Dumbledore is Headmaster. She can't do anything."

Harry shook his head to catch their attention, "She can try though."

"It probably doesn't help that she hates your guts, Harry." Ron said and Neville groaned softly.

Harry gave him a look. "Thanks, Ron. Really helpful, mate."

"No problem. You know me, always ready to help."

Neville cleared his throat and began to walk down the corridor. They all walked with him as they made their way down to the Great Hall for lunch. "I'm nervous for it. Should I be nervous?"

"Yes." Harry nodded and ignored Hermione's glare. "No telling what she'll make us do, Neville. She might make us wander into the Forest or something." When his friend paled, he clapped him on the back. "It's alright, though. Because there are two of us and, not to be all Malfoy-ie, but we're both important parts of our family lines. When you turn seventeen you'll become Lord Longbottom, and I'm already Lord Potter-Black-Peverell. So, she can't really hurt us in any way because then she can be tried in court, although with her limited education I doubt she knows that."

Ron grinned viciously as they rounded a corner and began to walk down the stairs, "Wow, I'd love to see that bitch in court-"

"Ronald, language!"

"What? Its what she is. I said nothing that wasn't untrue."

Harry nodded, "I agree with him there, 'Mione."

Hermione huffed and stormed ahead into the Hall, dropping into her usual seat and they filled in around her.

Neville nudged him and Harry turned to face him, "So what do we do? About the detention."

"I'm not gonna lie, Nev', I think it'll be more like 'detentions'. But...I've actually already got a plan."

Ron raised his brows as he filled his plate quickly with pastries, "Oh?"

"Yeah," Harry grinned, "I think we'll call it...Project Squash the Toad."