Chapter 7: The magic of the mind and time(zones)

I'm hitting dead ends.

For the past few months, I've practiced magic, both with and without a wand. In theory, wandless is less efficient, more controllable and incredibly difficult. In practice, I've found that it's actually easier when you've not gotten used to use a wand for everything, but it still requires far more concentration - which is why I've only learnt levitation and nothing else - and because the magic isn't focused it takes insane amounts of magical power to do anything big, power that I simply don't have.

So while I can levitate small to mid-sized objects, It's physically impossible for me to do much more until I'm older. Damn it. At least I can levitate my wand from my pocket into my hand, that's pretty useful and I'm doing it so much that I've gotten really good at it. If only me using that wand was as successful.

There's my main roadblock, you see: I've got a feeling my wand doesn't like me. When I sneaked into Diagon Alley to buy it, it seemed to fit perfectly with my magic, but the longer I have it the more it resists me. Ollivander said that the wand chooses the wizard, and this one seemed to have chosen Harry Potter - and now it's noticing that I'm not really him.

It's frustrating because the other wands in Ollivanders shop didn't respond to me at all, and now it's slowing everything I planned down. I'm still way ahead canon Harry, but far from the overpowered godlike Harry that I had planned to become.

My other projects aren't much more successful either. I talked Sirius and Remus to teach me the Animagus transformation, since every second fanfic ever has that, but my form turned out to be an octopus. A very clever animal, but unfortunately completely useless in 99% of all situations. Why couldn't it be a bird? Flight would be amazing! Or a cat? I could've sneaked around Hogwarts with nobody noticing! Even a beetle like Rita Skeeter would be useful. I guess I just have bad luck. So no, I'm not putting the extra time into learning to transform, I got better things to do.

Like hunting horcruxes. Oh wait, I actually hit a dead end there too. The Gaunt shack was easy to find, but it's surrounded by so much potentially deadly magic that I'm not going to get within a mile of it without Dumbledore at my side, and I have no idea how or when I'm going to tell him about it.

The only thing I'm actually making progress with at the moment is reading magical theory, especially the theory of soul magic. The Black Family Library has quite a few books too dark even for the restricted section of the Hogwarts library, so I've been spending as much time as possible trying to understand the soul piece stuck in my forehead. I really need to find a way to get rid of it that doesn't involve an Avada Kedavra in my face, and until then I need to block it's effect on me.

Given the need to protect my secret, I need to learn Occlumency anyways.

-HP-HP-HP-

"Hey, Hermione, could you do me a favour?"

"Sure, what is it?"

"Can you keep a secret? A really big and important one?"

"Okay?"

"I don't really know how to say this, but... I'm not really the real Harry Potter. I know this sounds crazy, but I'm actually a teenager from the future and I somehow ended up in this body."

"That... explains a lot."

"You don't seem very surprised?"

"Well, compared to all the other things you've told and shown me, being a time traveller isn't the most crazy thing about you. You are always acting strange and way too mature and you know everything in school."

"I actually wanted to learn to be more childish at school, but I kinda forgot about it when we started spending all our time together to learn more magic..."

"How is the future?"

"Not too different... I wasn't a wizard so I don't really know much about that apart from what I've read in books... apart from that, it was alright. Everyone had a pocket-sized computer with instant access to more knowledge and misinformation than ever before, a rich reality TV star somehow became the American President, oh and there was a sports car floating somewhere in space between Earth and Mars because why not."

"Seems.. crazy."

" Yeah... so, about the favour. I need your help to learn Occlumency so that I can keep this secret."

"The memory technique? Why would you... oh, you weren't joking about the mind reading, were you?"

"Well yeah, it's a rare skill, but there are wizards who can do it, Voldemort certainly can, so I need to learn to keep him and anyone else out, and I need your help with that."

"If there are mind-reading wizards, I definitely want to keep them out too. What do you want my help for?"

"I learned the theory, I can give you the books I used. But for practice I need someone to try to break into my mind."

"So you want me to do that? I'm still completely new to magic! Why not Remus?"

"Can you imagine his reaction if he finds out I'm not really James' son? Or that of Sirius? He still hasn't fully recovered from Azkaban, and I doubt he'll ever be mature."

"Fair point."

-HP-HP-HP-

I'm really hoping my plan worked. If it did, I helped hundreds of people around the world. If not... Remus probably had a rather interesting adventure.

The fire turned green and a very happy Remus Lupin caught Sirius by surprise.

"Remus, I've never seen you so happy after a full moon since our first adventure together back in fifth year, what is it?"

"It worked! Harry, it worked! Oh Sirius, you won't believe it, he totally solved my furry little problem!"

Sirius seemed totally flabbergasted. "Don't tell me he just cured lycanthropy."

"Well, it's not really a cure, but I thought of a way to block the full moon. Remus told me that werewolves tried hiding underground before, but a few hundred meters of rock never was enough. That got me thinking... what about an entire planet?"

"Planet?"

"The Earth," Remus explained. "I spent the night - or day - camping in New Zealand. The portkey was quite expensive but it was so worth it. I skipped the entire night."

"But why would... ooh. Time zones. Of course. Remus, why did we never think of this?"

"I honestly don't know. Brilliant ideas always seem so simple afterwards. Harry, that was one amazing idea of yours. I've already started writing the article for Magical Discoveries Monthly, the next full moon the entire world's population of werewolves will try this - you'll have your name in the history books in no time. The second time, that is."

It'll feel good to be famous for something I actually did. I still can't believe nobody tried this before - but that's probably just Rowling's storytelling.

-HP-HP-HP-

"Hey Hermione, how about we just go to your home and watch some TV today?"

"Sure, why not?"

This was kind of spontaneous, but I just remembered something about today's date.

"Harry, why did you turn on the news channel?"

"Just wait for it."

"Are you waiting for something special to happen?"

"Pretty much."

"Something you know from the future?"

"Yes."

"Harry, what's going to happen?"

I pointed to the TV where the news just started broadcasting live from Germany.

"That."

"What the.. MUM, DAD, THE BERLIN WALL JUST FELL!"

"It did, right on time as I remembered it. The Soviet Union should follow in about two years."

"So you really are a time traveller… Just how much do you know about the future?"

"Not much, this was a complete accident that I didn't prepare for at all. I just know the major historical events. I don't think I'll be able to predict anything post-2000 though, by then I'll probably have changed something major. Butterfly effect and all."

-HP-HP-HP-

"Alright, let's do this. Legilimency test number one. No Occlumency on my side, you just try to find out what I'm thinking."

"Harry, are you sure you want me to do this?"

"I am. Ready?"

"Ready. Legilimens."

I wasn't using any Occlumency at all, but I could still feel the rather clumsy legilimency spell in my mind. It was a decent first attempt though. I focused on the memory I wanted her to see as good as I could recall it.

"Finite. Are you alright?"

"Yeah. How much did you see?"

"A bit. Who was that and why was he never going to give me up or let me down? And stop laughing like a maniac!"