Chapter 12:

First Time Interlude

The rest of the week passed by and then the next week began. After the Dueling Club meeting and dinner on Monday night, Harry and Ginny were walking up to the Astronomy Tower to look at the stars when Harry suddenly fell over onto the floor. The last thing that he heard before he slipped into unconsciousness was Ginny screaming his name.

Harry awoke in dark and unfamiliar surroundings. He was surrounded by Death Eaters, but none of them seemed to be paying any attention to the fact that he was present. Harry reached out to grab one and his hand passed right through the Death Eater. Harry thought to himself, "I must only be here through my connection with Voldemort." It was quickly obvious that Voldemort was casting the time travel spell. Once Harry got over the shock of being where he was, Harry heard a great deal of chanting. Harry walked towards where the chanting was coming from and saw the chalked circle that he had seen the previous week. Voldemort was standing in the center of it surrounded by Death Eaters. Bellatrix was standing back slightly from the throng, smiling. Harry thought to himself again, "You just keep smiling, Bellatrix. One day, we will meet and I will wipe that smile off your face." Harry continued to stand and watch as the ceremony progressed. Once the ceremony was almost complete, Harry concentrated on Voldemort's essence, so that when Voldemort jumped back in time, Harry knew exactly where he had gone.

A moment later, Harry awoke in the Hospital Wing with Ginny sitting in a chair beside him, asleep. Harry shook Ginny to wake her up. She jumped up, "Oh, Harry, I'm so glad you're okay."

Harry grabbed her by the upper arms, "Quickly, go to Dumbledore. Tell him that I went gallivanting."

Ginny gasped, and Harry disappeared. Ginny jumped up and went running pell-mell out of the Hospital Wing and then down the corridor towards Dumbledore's office. She reached the gargoyle and gave it the password, and then went charging up into the office. She found Dumbledore sitting behind his desk, reading. He looked up as she burst into the room gasping for breath. Dumbledore immediately rose, "What has happened, Ginny?"

Ginny caught her breath, "Harry has went gallivanting."

Dumbledore sighed, "Then, our worst fears have been realized. Now, all we can do is hope, and have faith in Harry."

Ginny smiled, "I always have faith in Harry."

Dumbledore returned her smile, "So do I."

Harry appeared smack in the middle of a war zone. He dove to the ground behind a rock, so that he could inspect the situation. A quick observation told him that this was a major battle. There were wizards all over the place, and it was obvious that there were Muggle bombs going off in the background. After a few minutes of trying to determine which side he should aid, Harry spotted Dumbledore leading an assault force of wizards. That decided it for Harry. He leaped up and followed Dumbledore and his men. They attacked the flank of the opposing army of wizards. Harry just joined right in.

It was readily apparent that Dumbledore's forces were being pushed back. Harry decided to lend his true power to the battle. "I command the winds to obey me. Swirl and blow. Hurricanos!" A storm of whirlwinds swept into the opposing army of wizards and scattered them to the four winds. A few more minutes of fierce fighting sent the opposing army running in retreat.

A wizard standing near Harry clapped him on the back, "That was amazing, my friend." The man stuck out his hand in greeting, "My name is Douglas Weatherby. Who are you?"

Harry replied, "My name is Harry. Just Harry."

Several wizards began to congregate around him to congratulate him on turning the tide of the battle. Dumbledore walked through the throng of wizards, "Come now. We have won a battle, not the war. Stay sharp, gentlemen, and get back to your posts." Dumbledore turned his gaze to Harry as the rest of the wizards dispersed from the crowd, "Now, why don't you tell me who you are, and exactly how you just cast that spell at your age?"

Another aged wizard walked up, "Lighten up, Albus. The boy saved our necks just now. The least you could do is hear him out before you assume the worst."

Albus sighed, "Very well, Nicholas. Come back to camp with me, boy. We will speak there."

Harry nodded, "Of course, Albus. Let's go."

Dumbledore eyed him suspiciously, "Do I know you?"

Harry grinned, "Not yet, but you will."

Nicholas asked, "What exactly does that mean?"

Harry chuckled, "Come on, and you will find out."

The three wizards walked back into the camp together. They reached the command tent, and stepped inside. Dumbledore seated himself at the desk that was at the center of the tent. Nicholas took a seat in a comfy armchair. Harry stood before the desk, and said, "I know that what I am about to request is going to sound weird, but I ask that you humor me until I can explain everything."

Dumbledore nodded, "Proceed."

Harry asked, "What year is it?"

Nicholas choked on the cup of tea that he had conjured and began to drink. He spluttered, "You don't even know what year it is?"

Harry shook his head, "I'm not from this time."

Dumbledore glanced sharply at Harry, "What do you mean you're not from this time? Interacting with anyone in the past is forbidden by the Ministry."

Harry nodded, "I know, but there are special circumstances that make this necessary. A dark wizard has come back in time to try and alter the course of events. I came to stop him. To do that I need to know exactly what is going on, and that makes it necessary to interact with certain people."

Nicholas gasped, "You could irrevocably alter the course of time. This is too dangerous to even attempt."

Harry replied, "Not doing it is even more dangerous than doing it."

Dubmledore motioned for Nicholas to calm down, "Continue with your questions."

"What year is it?"

Nicholas replied, "It is 1945."

Harry swore violently, "Damn it! So, this is what he intends to do."

Dumbledore asked, "Who?"

Harry sighed, "Voldemort. I take it that you are in the middle of the war with Grindelwald."

Dumbledore nodded, "How did you know that?"

"I'm from the future. I am the Heir of Gryffindor." said Harry.

Dumbledore protested, "That's impossible. The only heirs that are still alive are Nicholas, Hilda Hufflepuff, William Potter, and me."

Harry shook his head, "You are forgetting the Heir of Slytherin."

Dumbledore's eyes widened, "Who is that?"

Harry smiled, "Do you remember Tom Marvolo Riddle?"

Dumbledore nodded, "Yes, he graduated from Hogwarts last year."

Harry continued, "Tom is the last remaining Heir of Salazar Slytherin, and he is the wizard that I have followed back in time to stop. He has fashioned himself a new name in the future. Lord Voldemort. He makes Grindelwald look like a boy scout."

Nicholas laughed, "The Ministry must be getting desperate to send a wizard as young as you back after someone with that kind of power. We have four Heirs leading the fight against Grindelwald, and we haven't been able to defeat him, yet. If this Lord Voldemort is supposed to be worse, how are you supposed to defeat him."

Harry replied, "I am the Heir of Gryffindor, and he is the Heir of Slytherin. The final battle was meant to be decided by us."

Dumbledore protested, "I'm telling you that the only remaining Heir of Gryffindor is William Potter."

Harry nodded, "I know. William is my grandfather. My name is Harry Potter."

Nicholas asked, "If this Lord Voldemort is so powerful, what are Albus, William, Hilda, and I doing about him?"

Harry answered, "You, William, and Hilda are not doing anything. You are all dead."

Dumbledore asked, "How?"

Harry shrugged, "I don't know about Hilda. She must have died before my time, because I have never heard of her. Nicholas, I am sorry to say that you and Dumbledore destroyed your Sorcerer's Stone to stop Voldemort from getting his hands on it. You died of old age as a result. My grandfather died shortly after I was born. I don't even remember him."

Nicholas snorted, "I think that this is a complete waste of time. This young man is obviously out of his mind."

Dumbledore mused, "I don't know, Nicholas. His story is just crazy enough to be true. What year are you from, Harry?"

Harry replied, "It is 1997 in my time. You are the Headmaster of Hogwarts. You take over after Armando Dippet retires."

"Does my future self know that you have come back in time?"

Harry nodded, "Yes, I sent someone to him with the message that I had departed to follow Voldemort."

Nicholas asked, "Why would Dumbledore let you come back when he would be much better suited to fight a wizard of this magnitude?"

Harry grinned, "Because I am the best choice to fight Voldemort. I am the only wizard that can come close to rivaling him in power."

Nicholas scoffed, "Are you suggesting that you are more powerful than Albus?"

Harry nodded, "That is exactly what I am suggesting. I am the Child of the Prophecy."

Dumbledore asked, "What exactly does that mean?"

Harry replied, "After you become the Headmaster of Hogwarts, you go to the HogsHead Pub in Hogsmeade to interview a candidate for the Divination job, even though you told me that it was against your inclination to allow the subject to continue at Hogwarts. You decided that you should at least hear her out since she is Cassandra Trelawney's great-granddaughter. Once you had concluded the interview, and prepared to leave, she went into a trance and gave you the Prophecy. It stated that a boy would be born meeting certain prerequisites that would have the power to destroy the Dark Lord. That boy was me. I have been fighting Voldemort and his minions ever since I have returned to the wizarding world."

Dumbledore asked, "What do you mean returned to the wizarding world?"

Harry sighed, "To protect me after my parents were killed, you sent me to live with my Mum's sister, who is a Muggle. I lived the next ten years in the Muggle world with no knowledge whatsoever that I was a wizard. Then, I received my Hogwarts letter, and was allowed to come to school. I have been at war ever since. I hope to end it soon. I finally have the power to destroy Voldemort, and that is exactly what I intend to do."

Nicholas said, "If you are as powerful as you claim, then let us see some kind of demonstration of this power."

Harry eyed Nicholas, "Curse me."

Nicholas appeared to be taken aback, "What?"

"You heard me. Curse me. Take your best shot." said Harry.

Nicholas drew his wand, and said, "Petrificus Totalus."

The curse hit Harry and dissipated. "You can do better than that. Let's see something that a first year can't cast."

Nicholas whipped his wand around and said, "Explodra."

Harry yawned as the Explosion Hex contacted him. "Now do you believe me?"

Nicholas nodded wordlessly and looked at Dumbledore in utter consternation.

Dumbledore cleared his throat, "Well, I think that settles the question of your power. What we still don't know is whether or not you are telling the truth."

Harry snorted, "What would I have to gain by lying to you about something like this. I think that it is obvious if I had underhanded intentions, then it would be quite easy for me to destroy the two of you. I am here for one reason and one reason only. That is to stop Voldemort and send him back to my time. That way I can deal with him without worrying about altering time."

Nicholas asked, "So what do you think that he is doing right now?"

Harry laughed, "If I know Tom, then he is with Grindelwald right now. He's probably filling him in on how to defeat all of you. It would be in Voldemort's interest to allow Grindelwald to kill all of you and then to merely finish off Grindelwald, so that there will be no one to challenge his power in the future."

Dumbledore sighed, "So, that means that we will have severe difficulty defeating Grindelwald."

Harry nodded, "Yes, I am sure you will. However, since Voldemort plans on upsetting the balance of power his way, then I will just have to counteract that with my own power."

Dumbledore grinned, "Well, then I guess that it is time to plan the final offensive on Grindelwald's fortress. We will have to go meet with William and Hilda. Then, we can get on with it."

Nicholas stood up, "Let's go, then."

A/N: For those of you that caught it, the month was supposed to be September. I don't know why I put February in there. I must have a massive brain fart. Thanks to all of my readers.

Broadsword: I was talking about the House Cup not the Quidditch Cup. I apologize if the sentence structure was unclear. Thanks for the review.

Maclir: Thanks for the review.

Tabone: In Chemistry, molecular density and density are not the same thing. Molecular density refers to the tensile bonding power of molecules within a compound. If the bonds are weak, then the object is easy to break. If the bonds are strong, then it is very hard to break. Also, on titanium. It may not be very dense in the classic sense of the word, however, it is quite dense atomically speaking. Molecular density was the proper term. Although, it is nice to see that someone questioned my knowledge. Keep it up. Thanks for the review.

Aalikane: That gets a little tricky. Harry has gone back in time before Draco finds out. So, I will not be showing his initial reaction. You will see him attempt to get revenge though. Thanks for the review.

Silver Warrior: You are very right. Both fit quit nicely. Eliminating one of Harry's parents before his birth won't work. Another child would just become the child of the Prophecy. Harry has to die after he is identified as the Child. Thanks for the review.

Phred doesn't like you: No worries. I actually enjoy the goodies. Thanks for the review.

HermioneGreen: Put Narcissa out of your head. I have no plan to re-introduce her to the story. Thanks for the review.

Magik: Not really. However, the final chapter of this book is going to give you a glimpse of what things are like fifteen years after Harry graduates, and I am contemplating a shorter fic set in the interim of that time. It will play a major part there. Thanks for the review.

Maria: Thanks for the review.

Hunta: The traveling has begun. Thanks for the review.

Immortalwizardelf-fan: I must have lost it for a minute. Thanks for the review.

Talix: Harry is quite skilled at Leglimency, since Voldemort is. Once Harry was inside his mind like that, it would have been nearly impossible for him to tell an outright lie without Harry knowing it. I'm sure it was hard enough for Voldemort to hide information from Harry. Thanks for the review.

Blip-dragon: Thanks for the review.

Blind Faeri: There will be plenty of fighting later on. Thanks for the review.

HappySnakesRule: If you wet your pants, you will just have to go change them. Then, you can come back sit down and read the next chapter. Thanks for the review.

Athena kitty: You'll just have to wait and see. Thanks for the review.

US HP FAN: Thanks for the review.

Plasterwork: His character would be boring if you liked everything about him. Thanks for the review.

SeekerGinny: Its good to know. Thanks for the review.

ExpectoPatronum0: No, I don't lack for reviews, but I enjoy everyone of them, so keep them coming. Thanks for the review.

Dragonstorm316: He isn't going to find out that way. Sorry. Thanks for the review.

Yugioh/Potter/Pokemon fanatic: Sorry about the short chapters, but within the framework of the story, that is all I needed to happen. Thanks for the review.

Eminus: That was a goof-up. Sorry. Thanks for the review.

Lunawolf: The moon just controls the window of time. Thanks for the review.

PlasmaFyre: I don't expect anyone to be disappointed with Bellatrix's end. Thanks for the review.

Joulez: The chapters will come marching one by one. Thanks for the review.

Katepotter13: No worries. Thanks for the review.

Volley pickle16: Thanks for the review.

RLupin1003: Thanks for the review.

Bizodge: Thanks for the review.

Dragonclawz54: I'm trying not to get to graphic with how they die. Thanks for the review.

James: No worries. Thanks for the review.

Cur03: Not exactly. I'm most likely going to do some more stories set in this universe, but it won't be a sequel. Thanks for the review.

JoBy: Thanks for the review.

DMP: Thanks for the review.

Shelbyrayn: I'm getting there. Thanks for the review.

Janet: you won't see it. However, you will see his attempt at revenge. Thanks for the review.

Jbfritz: Thanks for the review.

Mugglenet27: Not yet. Neville will be around for Bellatrix's death. Thanks for the review.

Goddess of war and wisdom: He will talk to their past selves if that is what you mean. Thanks for the review.

HP-wannabe69: I did a little dance myself. Thanks for the review.

Froggyy1: So, what do you want the baby to call you. Grandma, mawmaw, grammy, granny. Just a few suggestions. Thanks for the review.

Potter and the Weasley: Not exactly. There will be more combat with Death Eaters, just not because they went hunting. Thanks for the review.