Chapter 15: Carrefour

May 18, 1955, Wednesday

Bellatrix apparated to the mountainside just outside of Mergim Abaz's protections. For her, only a few days had passed. She needed time to make sure all her tracks were covered and there was no threat of detection. For Tom, nearly twelve years had passed. Twelve years with a dark wizard. It was a comparable time as she understood from Voldemort's history. The unknown was how a horcrux soul would change the outcome. For both wizards. If the clone survived in the first place.

Given how fast the other clone deteriorated, she was more prepared to learn Tom died years before that she was to greet the clone. She took out her wand and sent a jinx at the shield. When nothing happened she sat on a nearby rock. Tapped her wand on her knee. Finally, a hole appeared in the space in front of her revealing a house in the valley and two men walking up a steep hillside.

"We weren't sure when you'd be here. It took Tom a few minutes to gather his things," Mergim said. It sounded like an apology with an edge of annoyance.

Tom Riddle appeared to be older, not excessively older. It was encouraging. The body appeared stable. "I wasn't sure when I should come back either. I needed to consult some documents. The other Tom should be here in a few months." Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the clone bristle. He seemed annoyed that there was another Tom. "Should we obliviate your memory in preparation for your next pupil?" Bellatrix asked, choosing her words more carefully.

Mergim's chin went up in defiance. "I can keep secrets. Tom? This concerns you more than her or him. What's your preference?"

When the younger man considered the wizard, his face softened. "You're like a father to me. Of course you can be trusted. I'm not concerned."

"You see. I'll be here if I'm needed again," he said and turned to reenter the shield.

Once the old wizard turned his back, Tom lifted his wand and said, "Obliviate."

The dark wizard's step faltered, then the shield sealed itself. Tom looked innocently at Bellatrix. "He doesn't need to know I don't trust him. My brother should also have the full experience. I wouldn't want him to benefit from my hard work."

Bellatrix eyed him warily. She looked at the time turner. They had more than thirty minutes left before returning. "We have some time. Is there something you'd like to do before we leave?"

He shook his head and took out an ancient book. "No, we can stay here and read."

Confused, she sat awkwardly down and studied him. She had seen Voldemort be cruel to Death Eaters. He typically didn't treat those closest to him with such indifference. She needed to get him to the memories and remind him who she was.

~~/~~

May 18, 1980, Sunday

Arriving so far into the past was more disorienting than Harry anticipated. His vision blurred as he struggled for balance. Adding to the confusion, the field he stood in seemed unchanged, except the thick foliage that had surrounded the boundary in 1998 had disappeared. He was able to see into the distance and spotted his destination. Cassandra Trewlaney's cottage. She had chosen to spend her final days in solitude. It was understandable. From everything Harry learned about her in preparation for the visit she was a legitimately talented seer. Living in close proximity to other people would be challenging for a witch with her gifts wanting to retire.

They had chosen a date after the Ministry's collection of her prophecies to ensure he wouldn't accidentally trigger a prophecy from his life. Leaving the invisibility cloak on, he didn't think he would run into anyone, it wasn't worth the risk. As he approached the door, he was surprised it seemed to open of its own accord. Slipping the cloak off, he walked through.

"I made tea," a pleasant voice said from a small table in a sunroom.

Harry joined her at an empty seat seemingly set out for him. "You knew I was coming?"

She laughed. "No need to worry, Harry. I kept those visions to myself. Ask your questions. You don't have much time. And you have entirely too much time."

"You have a memory of the end of Voldemort?" he asked, recovering from the shock.

"I do."

"Do you know how you got it?"

"I don't."

"Do you know when you got it?"

"I do."

They both smiled at each other.

Cassandra picked up her tea cup, sipped casually. The silence continued to linger, until she seemingly changed the topic. "You know. I have a grandchild, Sybill. We had such high hopes that she would have the gift. Her mother couldn't even shuffle tarot cards, let alone read them. But we hoped it would just skip a generation."

It was Harry's turn to drink. Trying hard to cover his emotion at the mention of Professor Trelawney's lack of talent.

"Did you know that it's possible to give someone a prophecy without their knowledge of such things?"

"Are you saying you gave your granddaughter some prophecies?"

"I'm not saying that. I'm asking if you knew if it was possible?"

Harry put his cup down. Perhaps too forcefully. This was why divination was so frustrating. They seemed to couch their words in hypotheticals and vague details so people could interpret them after the fact. Conveniently finding the details that lined up and ignoring those that didn't. "Cassandra—"

"I was charmed by a young wizard a decade ago. He had a sharp mind and a flattering tongue. He wanted prophecies regarding a young girl. Hermione Granger. For the first time in my life, I was blank. Not even a sense of familiarity when he said the name. He visited me often. Bringing me some of my favorite sweets. Until one day, August 29th, 1971, I had a vision. That entire week every thought I had was about a young girl I knew to be this Hermione he sought. At the end of that week, I remember a visit from the one called Voldemort. He learned of my secret, but I had already hid the prophecies. Then a cloud came over me. A cloud that lifted mysteriously one summer day in 1979. As I shook off the veil and learned so much time had passed, I knew the truth. I had been imperiused. I had no proof. What I did have was a new memory. Placed in my head by someone else."

It was a lot of information. Harry tried to process it quickly. Tried to formulate the right questions, knowing if he left that house without asking them he would regret it. "Did he get the prophecies about Hermione?"

"No."

"You're very certain for someone who spent nearly a decade under his control."

"Because, as I said, it's possible to give a prophecy to someone without their knowledge. Once that gift is given, it can't exist within two people."

"You gave the prophecies you witnessed about Hermione to your granddaughter? Knowing it would put her in jeopardy?" As much as Harry didn't like Professor Trelawney it was still distasteful.

"Sybill Trelawney, a latent seer thought to be devoid of the gift, living in a world where Lord Voldemort was known to seek out and trust only the most talented of the day. The last place he would look would be a Hogwarts student with no particular talent for divinations."

"Why do you think you suddenly got these visions? And why did they suddenly stop?" Harry asked. Suspecting he knew the answer but couldn't be sure of the exact timeline.

"Almost like she only existed in this time for that particular week?" she answered. "And then a week after the imperius lifted. She was here for a few days."

Hermione's lost time. Harry was certain that that particular episode very nearly saved her life. "What did you see in 1979?"

Cassandra's eyes turned cloudy, "When time is broken, only two will know the truth and only one can make it right. Love chosen will save the mother's love given."

"That's about Hermione? About the night she made sure my mother would save me? Was time broken?" He had so many questions. Cassandra had no answers. "Did you give Sybill prophecies about me?"

"I'm not sure if they were about you, they seemed to be about Voldemort. Yes. I gave her those too."

"There's another prophecy you had. One that involved Bellatrix Lestrange?"

"I don't know about that."

"When the battle of Hogwarts nears its end and a mother's rage cannot be countered, disappear or live no longer."

Cassandra shook her head. Visibly upset for the first time. "Where did you hear that?"

"I didn't. Bellatrix found it in the hall of prophecies. It saved her life."

"She was able to take the prophecy?" she asked in hushed tones.

"Yes. Did you think it was meant for someone else?" Harry asked.

"Before Voldemort cursed me, it's the last thing I remember clearly. I said it to him. I thought it was about him. But maybe I had the vision because of him."

"One more question, if I could?" he asked, knowing his time was slipping away. "Does Sybill still have your prophecies about Hermione?"

"She does. Yes. I knew the Ministry would want to catalogue my prophecies and I was waiting for them to come before retrieving them."

"And they've been here?"

"Yes. Sybill is graduating this summer. I will see her then."

Harry knew she wouldn't see her then. Cassandra was going to die in a couple weeks. In his time, Sybill still had the prophecies. "Why didn't you want the ministry to catalog those prophecies?"

Cassandra shifted, uncomfortable for the first time. "I may be just a seer and not an Unspeakable but I know the dangers. It's one thing to have a prophecy for the future, it's an entirely different thing to have knowledge of the future. Despite my altered state, I understood the danger Voldemort is to our world. I also know how desperate he is to obtain those prophecies. I couldn't risk them falling into his hands. They need to go to the grave with me."

"For what it's worth. I'm sorry for what Voldemort did to you. No one deserves to miss nearly a decade of their life."

She waved him off. "I've lived a long life and have seen more than anyone of the age. Take care, Harry Potter."

He stood and returned to the field. Standing under the cloak he processed everything and tried to see how all the pieces connected. He couldn't do it alone. He needed to get back and see what he was missing. He was still thinking when he returned to the field in 1998. In fact, he was standing so still he realized his partner didn't know he was back. He watched her looking up at the clouds before finally taking off the invisibility cloak.

"Harry! You creeper. How long were you under there?"

"Not long. Come on, we need to talk before our meeting with the Minister," he told her and they apparated back to the Ministry.

When they entered the atrium, Harry was relieved to see Gilford waiting for him. They still needed to observe the events in 1996. He took out the time turner and handed it to the Unspeakable. "Gilford. Can you go back now? See if Bellatrix gets the time turner the night the other devices were destroyed before our meeting this afternoon?"

The older wizard nodded. "I'll go at once."

"We've got a little over an hour. Come on. I need to get everything written down before I forget," Harry said, walking with purpose toward the elevators.

~~/~~

"Why are you living here? In such... filth?" Tom asked, trying to find a place to sit in the run down cabin.

"It was imperative that I stay away from places the Ministry was surveilling," Bellatrix said with defiance. "If they even knew I was still alive, I couldn't save you."

"Yes, well. I think we can find some place with better… amenities now that I'm here? You could at the very least transfigure the interior."

She looked around. It honestly hadn't occurred to her. She spent so many years in Azkaban, her tolerance for questionable environments was significant. "I was so focused on you. I hadn't considered…"

"Well. Let's consider it."

She shook her head. "You need to absorb the memories Voldemort stored for you. We'll—"

"Don't tell me what to do!" he interrupted. "I'm not ready yet. I need to understand what went wrong. Without his biased views in my head. Tell me, what started my downfall? From your perspective?"

Not wanting to disappoint the clone, Bellatrix was also willing to accept he needed time to adjust to his new life. She transfigured the kitchen to a more polished room. It wasn't a mansion, but more suitable.

He nodded in approval and sat.

With another few flicks of her wand, a fresh pot of tea was set on the table with some not quite stale biscuits. "What led to your downfall?" she repeated and thought long and hard. It was a complicated tangle of decisions. Not all of them she was privy to. "I think, from your perspective of time, the beginning of your downfall was Hermione Granger. Though not the beginning of our time now."

"Explain," he said, eyes narrowing.

"Well. Not long after we duplicated you, you found a way to pull a witch back in time to you. In your sixth year. She got away in your time and figured out a way to travel into the future. You see, time turners can take you back to the past, return you to your present, but will not take you forward. You grew obsessed with finding her and learning how she managed to return to her time."

"I have traveled to the future. So it is possible."

"You traveled to my present, not your future. Even this wasn't possible with the time turners that existed then. And the girl wasn't able to travel the entire time in one trip. She seemed to be moving forward in intervals. You spend years trying to find her. And the few times you did, she resisted your legilimency. It… distracted you."

"I see," he said, sipping on his tea. "Is she still alive?"

"Unfortunately, yes," she admitted and summoned the Daily Prophet published the day of Hermione's appointment.

He studied the moving images. "So much responsibility placed on one so young?"

"She made a statement. It was published in its entirety inside the paper. It might give you more context. Though they are her version of events."

He folded the paper, not reading but keeping it. "What else?"

"Since I just learned about this, I can't say for certain. I believe your horcruxes were also a problem. They gave you a false sense of security. You spent more than a decade without a body. Time squandered."

"Okay then," he said, assuming she was done.

"And then there was Harry Potter," she explained nervously. "There was a prophecy that convinced you that he was a threat to your life and your power."

"And was he?" he asked. He seemed offended at the missteps.

"This is hard to say. There are some who believe your obsession with the boy was what gave him power."

"Are you one of those people?"

"There were curious protections around the boy that were a real threat. I don't believe it was a mistake for you to focus on him at the time. I'm not sure how important he is now. How important any of this is now. You're alive, stronger than you've ever been and you should think about how to rebuild your empire without these distractions. The Ministry is still weak. There are still sympathizers to your vision of purebred rule. Harness that."

He nodded, and took the paper again. Flipping through the pages he found the transcript from the media conference. The more he read the angrier he seemed to get. When he reached the end, he slammed the paper down on the table. "I will talk to her."

"Dark lord—"

"I will talk to her. You just figure out how. And I will do it before I absorb the memories you have stored. So if that's important to you, you'll make this happen. Soon."

~~/~~

Harry paced the small space in front of the conference table. Dumbledore, Lupin, Williamson, and Tonks quietly read his report while they waited for the Minister and Gilford.

"Harry, this is…" Remus started.

"...disturbing." Tonks finished.

"We have to talk to Professor Trelawney as soon as possible," Harry said.

"I'm sorry we're running behind," Shacklebolt said, rushing in with Myrtle on his heels. "I read your report though. My previous meeting was… ceremonial."

"Harry," Tonks warned, and moved a chair toward him with her wand.

Sheepishly, he stopped pacing and sat; his knee still bouncing.

"I agree, we should interview Sybill," the Minister said acknowledging the recommendations made at the end of the report. "Lupin, perhaps you'd be the most qualified having been a colleague? Put her at ease?"

"I can go tonight."

"Good. We are checking the hall of prophecies for anything Cassandra deposited that hasn't been heard by the subjects." Kingsley looked sympathetic. "We should probably bring Director Granger in to see if any of the prophecies speak to her. It's possible the department of mysteries employees who catalogued the orbs didn't know about her travels to understand they referred to her."

"It's a paradox!" Gilford shouted as he burst through the conference room door. Fiona entered behind him out of breath. They both seemed to have run up to the meeting not wasting time with the elevator.

"Mister Gower?" Dumbledore asked, his face pale.

Fiona explained, allowing Gilford to sit and take some deep breaths, "Bellatrix. She created a paradox. That's why her actions aren't being recorded in the tempus tomes. In the past, she must have taken the time turner from the cabinet before it was destroyed. Then later, she returned with that time turner and took it before her past self could. She created a paradox."

"As soon as she did that, any action she took with the time turner from that point on could not have happened and are able to bypass the time record," Gilford told the group.

"So we have no idea what she's done in the past or what changes resulted from her actions?" Harry asked, horrified.

"Well, if she causes a change that is so obvious other people notice it, it will eventually be recorded, but only from their perspective. It will be as reliable as hearsay or second hand information. We won't be able to track the change back to the point where it was made," Fiona answered.

"We have to find her immediately. And we have to find out from her what she's done," Kingsley announced. "This is top priority."

Williamson nodded and stood. "We'll get on this immediately. I'll also recommend we increase the protections around Harry and Hermione's place," he continued and then looked directly at Harry. "You might even consider a fidelius charm."

"That won't go over well with Hermione. I'll talk to her. We'll increase our protections right away."

"I'll go with you, Harry," Tonks offered. "We'll lock it up as tight as we can."

"The good news is that not many people know we moved to Godric's Hollow. I've been waiting for the Daily Prophet to catch on to that. I suspect we owe your office thanks for that, Minister."

"It's a private matter as far as we're concerned here," he said kindly and then looked to the head Auror. "Williamson, let me know if you need additional resources. Harry, I know Hermione can't apparate yet, still it would be best if she comes in tomorrow if she's feeling up to it. The sooner we can find all the relevant prophecies the better prepared we'll be. Lupin, report back when you've made progress with Sybill," Kingsley recapped as Myrtle's quill took furious notes. "Am I missing anything?"

"We should review the time record closely and see if there is anything amiss that could be a result of Bellatrix," Albus suggested. "I'll join you if you'd like a second pair of eyes?" he asked Fiona.

She nodded, looking grateful for the help.

The immensity of the task and the ramification was settling on everyone in the room. "I'll escort Lupin to the school and return at once."

The group stood in unison, everyone had their assignments.

Harry followed Williamson through the door. "I want to be part of the search."

"I know you do, but you need to take care of Hermione. When I'm sure you're both safe in your home you can join the taskforce. I'll be by tomorrow to inspect the protections myself."

Watching his boss walk down the hallway, Harry had a sudden need to punch something.

"Come on, Harry. The sooner we get to your house, the better you'll feel," Tonks said and pulled him in the opposite direction.

"We should disconnect our fireplace from the floo. We just got it approved too," Harry said arriving in the atrium.

"Let's get there first," Tonks agreed.

Stepping into the Ministry floo, they bypassed the hub network and arrived in the living room in Godric's Hollow. "Hermione!" Harry called out before even stepping out.

Tonks bumped into him. "Watch it Harry."

"Hey," Hermione called from the study. "You're early. I'm just reading. Be right there."

He didn't wait and walked with purpose to the study. When he set his eyes on her, he felt some fear ease. "Hi, ah. We need to talk."

Hermione looked up, saw the tension in Harry and then saw Tonks. She closed her book and tried to steal herself. "What happened?"

He and Tonks sat in chairs across from her. As Harry tried to formulate his thoughts, Hermione pushed back from the desk. She crossed her arms around her stomach in defense for what was to come.

"We don't really know yet. What we do know isn't good," Tonks started for her partner.

Harry told her everything that they had learned and everything that had transpired. Hermione remained stoic until she learned there were prophecies about her. "Harry," she started to object.

"I know how you feel about divinations. These are from Cassandra. She's a legitimate seer. At the very least, we need to learn what her prophecies about you said," he countered.

Hermione stood. "Just knowing what a prophecy says is enough to influence our actions. If Voldemort taught us anything it's that. He thought the prophecy was about you even though it could have just as easily been Neville. He made the assumption and set the events in motion that caused the prophecy to come true. I don't want to know what Cassandra saw."

"Tonks, can you start reinforcing the wards?" Harry asked, wanting privacy. When they were alone, he studied Hermione. "You know we can't retrieve the prophecy from the department of mystery without you. You don't have to know what Professor Trelawney says, but we can't do the other part without you."

"Well, good then. None of you will know and none of you will be influenced by the inane proclamations."

"You know that's not realistic. The Minister himself has set this task. Are you going to disobey his orders?"

"So it's an order now?"

Harry ran his hands through his hair. This wasn't the part of the conversation he thought he'd be getting pushback on. He hadn't even gotten to the recommendation to use a fidelius charm. "Of course not. You know you can share your thoughts with Kingsley and he'll listen to you. But you need to keep an open mind. With the paradox we're kinda short on information. Inane proclamations might be all we have to go on for now. We also don't know what Bellatrix knows. She could be convinced one of these prophecies is legitimate and we might find her through them."

"I'll go with you tomorrow. I'm not making any promises."

"We can't ask for more than that," he said and then thought better of it. "Well, I have one more ask."

Her hands dropped to her sides. "What? Out with it."

"Williamson wants us to have a secret keeper."

She sat. "Why is this still happening? I don't want to hide anymore."

"We're not hiding, we're protecting our home until we know what the threat really is. Tonks can be our secret keeper. The people we care about know the address. Nothing else changes."

"My parents. Do I need to protect them again?"

He pulled her up and held her tight. "We don't know there's a real threat. We just want to take some basic steps to protect you. Us. We'll find Bellatrix and put this all to rest."

~~/~~

Bottles clinked randomly from behind the closed door. Dumbledore shared a knowing look with Lupin. "Perhaps we should have given her advanced notice that we were coming."

Finally, the door opened. Sybill's hair wild, her shawl hanging from one shoulder. She tried to grab the loose end, but ended up spinning in a circle. Remus stepped forward, grabbed the corner of the lace and pulled it tight around her.

"Remus! Headmaster! I'm not… did we have a meeting?" she asked and then straightened. "I mean, I saw we were destined to meet, but the day was uncertain."

"We didn't have a meeting scheduled, Sybill. We have some important questions that can't wait. About some prophecies," Remus said, leading her back into her room and toward a small card table.

"One of my prophecies? Are you dying Albus?" She looked horrified.

"Not today, I don't think," Dumbledore replied seriously. "I'll leave you two to talk, I just wanted you to know how important it is for Lupin to talk to you tonight."

Once the door was closed, Remus and Trelawney looked at each other awkwardly. "How have you been?" Lupin asked.

"It has been a hardship. Staying here with so much negative energy."

"This might be hard to understand. In the fall of 1971 you gained some prophecies."

She perked up. "The first time I knew I had the gift. I was so excited. They happened while visiting my Grandmother. Cassandra. She was gifted with second sight. We feared her talent wasn't passed down to me."

"Yes. That day. We need to know what the prophecy said. We think it's very important today."

"Oh. Well it was very long ago. I was young and it was a very disorienting experience."

After several hours of trying, Remus leaned over and patted Trelawney's hand. "It's late. Perhaps we could both get some sleep and try again tomorrow?"

She smiled. "Maybe I can remember who it was about and that will help."

"What if that person were here? Would that encourage the vision?"

"Well of course. Prophecies are meant for the subject."

He stood and nodded. He didn't want to bring Hermione into the discussion, but it might be the only option. Walking through the familiar halls, he made his way to the headmaster's office. When he saw his library was open, Remus looked inside. Dumbledore was sitting by the fire staring into the flame. "Albus?" he called out, not wanting to startle Dumbledore. His gaze tracked to an empty wall he knew now to be a hidden door. He smiled thinking about Sirius and James.

"Any luck?" Dumbledore interrupted his nostalgia.

"I'm afraid not. They are buried deep. Cassandra hid them well. I think we only have one option. Hermione may be able to coax them out. If they are, in fact, about her."

Dumbledore nodded. It seemed he had already considered that possibility. "I'll talk to Hermione about it tomorrow."

"I think we can assume neither Bellatrix nor Voldemort have heard these prophecies either. Is it really necessary?"

"Maybe not. I'm not comfortable leaving that to chance."