Chapter 17:

Quidditch Begins

After the Order meeting had disbanded and Harry had returned to his room, he decided that it was time to have his conversation with Tom. Harry fell into a deep concentration and sent out a tendril of himself to locate Voldemort. Once he did so, it was obvious that Voldemort was in a towering temper. Harry smiled at Voldemort's rage. Then, he Apparated to the room where Voldemort was standing. The six Death Eaters in the room jumped in surprise when Harry appeared. They all drew their wands immediately, but Harry merely waved his hand in a circle while saying, "Stupefy." Each of the six Death Eaters fell over stunned. By the time that Harry had returned his gaze to Voldemort, Tom had his wand aimed right at the bridge of Harry's nose. Harry chuckled in amusement, "Put your wand away, Tom. You know that you can not do anything to me. I have come here to talk."

Voldemort took a step back, but did not lower his wand, "What do you want, Potter?"

Harry shrugged as he conjured a chair to sit in. Once he was comfortable, Harry said, "I am surprised that you are being this patient, Tom. I would have expected you to attempt hexing me by now."

Voldemort sneered, "I have already discovered that to be useless, Potter. I will not waste my energy."

Harry smiled, "Suit yourself. I am here to inform you that you failed."

Voldemort seemed to shake with rage, but he did nothing. He merely said, "I am aware of that, Potter. However, things have changed. My Death Eaters were never captured at the Ministry of Magic. My operatives are still in place, and there is little that you can do about it, Potter."

Harry chuckled again, "I think that you underestimate me, Tom. Although, I will admit that you have managed to screw up my life with your exploits in the past. Its nothing that I can't fix, but it is still annoying."

Voldemort laughed cruelly, "At least I accomplished something for my effort."

Harry sighed and mentally counted to ten, "You accomplished something more than that, Tom. You have managed to change the Prophecy."

Voldemort almost dropped his wand in surprise, "What did you say, Potter? What do you mean? How did I change the Prophecy?"

Harry laughed shortly, "Not in any way that helps you. I will let you hear just in case you're curious." Harry pulled his Pensieve out of his robes and waved his hand over it. Sybyll Trelawney's image rose out of the Pensieve and began to speak.

THE ONE WITH THE POWER TO VANQUISH THE DARK LORD APPROACHES…BORN TO THOSE WHO HAVE THRICE DEFIED HIM, BORN AS THE SEVENTH MONTH DIES… AND THE DARK LORD WILL MARK HIM AS HIS EQUAL, BUT HE WILL HAVE POWER THE DARK LORD KNOWS NOT, AND NEITHER OF THEM CAN SURVIVE AND LET THE WORLD LIVE…THE TWO MUST DIE FOR THE WORLD TO SURVIVE… THEY WILL DESTROY ONE ANOTHER OR THE DARK LORD WILL DESTROY THE WORLD… THE ONE WITH THE POWER TO VANQUISH THE DARK LORD WILL BE BORN AS THE SEVENTH MONTH DIES…

Harry smiled as the image of Sybyll Trelawney faded back down into the Pensieve, "I think that you should notice the difference from the original."

Voldemort smiled maliciously, "Yes, this means that you won't kill me because you have to die to do so."

Harry snorted, "Don't tempt me. As soon as I deal with all of your followers, so that there will be no one to carry on your legacy, I fully intend to kill you. Dying will be a small price to pay for insuring that the line of Salazar Slytherin ends with you."

Voldemort paled, "I think that you are bluffing, Potter."

Harry smiled, "Remember something, Tom. I don't have to kill you to make sure you never harm anyone again. I could just take your wand, destroy it, and then bind you for eternity in the frigid wastes of Antartica."

Voldemort sneered, "You won't try it, Potter."

Harry shrugged, "Perhaps not. There would be too much chance of you getting loose. So, I guess that I will just have to finish off your followers, and then kill you. Till that day, Tom. Adieu." Then, Harry stood up and disappeared.

Voldemort looked at the stunned Death Eaters lying around on the floor after Potter had left in disdain, "Fools." he muttered. Then, Voldemort waved his wand around and said, "Enervate." The six Death Eaters stood up.

One of them asked, "What happened, My Lord?"

Voldemort snarled, "Potter came into my inner sanctum. I want you to find out how he broke the wards."

The Death Eater nodded, "Yes, My Lord." Then, he departed from the room.

Voldemort turned to another one of the Death Eaters, "Bella, I want you to arrange for a spy on Potter. He will bear some watching."

Bellatrix Lestrange paused, "I don't understand, My Lord. Potter has never been a threat. You said so yourself."

Voldemort whirled around and pointed his wand at Bellatrix, "Crucio." Bellatrix screamed in agony as she fell to the ground writhing in pain. Voldemort released the curse after a few moments. He screamed at Bellatrix, "Never question my orders, Bella. The Potter boy is the most dangerous adversary that I will ever face. Now, carry out my commands!"

Bellatrix drug herself up off the floor, and bowed, "Yes, my Lord." Then, she drug herself from the room.

Voldemort turned to another of the assembled Death Eaters that remained, "Lucius, I want you to contact your son. I want him to keep an eye on the things that are going on at Hogwarts. I expect there to be a great deal of activity occurring at the castle soon."

Lucius bowed, "I will contact him immediately. You can count on my son, my Lord. He will be a loyal Death Eater."

Voldemort nodded as Lucius turned and walked from the room. Then, he dismissed the remaining members of his Inner Circle and sat down in a chair with the bitter taste of defeat in his mouth.

Harry returned to his room in Hogwarts, and looked around. He sighed, "Well, first things first. I have to do some rearranging in here. This is positively dreary." Harry spent the rest of the evening rearranging his room to his liking. Then, he went to bed.

The next morning, Harry awoke to sunshine streaming in the window to his room. He got up and showered before putting on his robes and then heading down to the Great Hall for breakfast. He sat by Neville, and received many odd glances. Neville, however greeted him warmly. Harry grinned and began to throw eggs onto his plate. The two Gryffindor boys sat and ate breakfast while discussing Quidditch and classes. Harry quickly realized that he wasn't taking the same classes when he mentioned Potions with Snape and Neville looked horrified. Harry decided that he needed to get a copy of his timetable from McGonagall before trying to attend classes. After breakfast was over, Harry walked up to Minerva and said quietly, "Professor McGonagall, I need a copy of my schedule."

She turned to look at him in dismay, "Don't you have one, Mr. Potter?"

Harry shrugged, "I'm sure I do, but I don't know where it is. It was obvious from my conversation with Neville that I don't have the same schedule that I know."

Minerva smiled, "Follow me to my office, Mr. Potter. I will retrieve a copy of your schedule for you."

Harry turned to follow her down the corridor while saying, "Thank you, Professor."

The two of them reached her office, where McGonagall retrieved a file and duplicated a copy of Harry's schedule for him. Harry picked it up and then said, "I have another problem."

"What is that, Mr. Potter?" asked McGonagall.

"I don't have a wand. I don't think that it would be a good idea just to start doing wandless magic in front of the rest of the student body considering they have no idea that I can. It might be a little surprising." said Harry.

McGonagall nodded, "I suppose not. I think that it would be feasible to get you a wand. You will have to go to Ollivanders."

Harry nodded, "I figured that I would get permission before going."

McGonagall eyed Harry grimly, "I'm not sure I like the idea of you being able to do as you please, Mr. Potter. It makes me think that you will be like your father was at school. I shudder to think of what would happen if you pulled the pranks James did."

Harry chuckled, "The Slytherins would never be the same again."

McGonagall shook her head, "The castle still hasn't recovered from the Weasley twins."

Harry laughed, "This castle will never recover from those two."

McGonagall actually laughed briefly, "I would imagine not. Those fireworks were quite a show two years ago."

Harry smiled, "Yes, they were. I'll pop over to Diagon Alley and get some kind of wand from Ollivander. I'll be back in time for class."

McGonagall nodded, "Very well, Mr. Potter. I will see you at dinner."

Harry nodded and then Disapparated from the castle. He appeared with a pop in the Leaky Cauldron. Everyone turned to look at him as he appeared. Several of them started when they saw Harry Potter appear. Tom, the barkeeper smiled and nodded to him, "What can I do for you, Mr. Potter."

Harry smiled, "Nothing today, Tom. I just have to run pick something up in Diagon Alley."

Several people stopped Harry in order to shake his hand. He patiently exchanged pleasantries with each of them, and then tapped the bricks in the wall with his finger. The archway opened up to allow him access to Diagon Alley. Harry walked down the street and bumped into none other than Lucius Malfoy. Malfoy yelled, "Watch where you're going!" Then, he realized who had bumped into him, "Potter."

Harry smiled, "Well, well, what do we have here? If I had known that I would get the opportunity to kill you again, I might have fiddled with time myself."

Lucius' eyes darkened, "What are you talking about, Potter?"

Harry laughed, "So, I guess old Tom didn't let you in on the little secret. He must think that you are too daft to handle it."

Luicus drew his wand and pointed it at Harry, "I will kill you, Potter."

Harry laughed, "Now, Lucius, you don't want to call undue attention to yourself. You wouldn't want anyone to find out about that black smudge of a tattoo on your arm. It wouldn't do for you to be arrested on suspicion of Death Eater activity."

Lucius growled, "Get out of my way, Potter. I have work to attend to."

Harry swept out of the way, "By all means continue with what you were doing. Just remember, I will be watching."

Lucius gave Harry a scathing look before walking away. Harry continued to chuckle to himself as he walked toward Ollivanders. He entered the dark and seemingly dingy store, where he was immediately greeted by Ollivander himself, "Ah, Mr. Potter. What can I do for you today?"

Harry replied, "I need a wand, sir."

Ollivander's eyes narrowed, "What do you need another wand for, Mr. Potter? Has something happened to your other one?"

Harry nodded, "There has been a little problem with my other wand. I need one immediately since I have class in about half an hour."

Ollivander nodded and began taking measurements with the silver tape. Harry allowed him to do this. Once Ollivander was finished he climbed up to one of the shelves and brought out another wand. He said, "We will try something similar to you original wand, first." He handed the wand to Harry, "Try this. Ash and Phoenix feather. Twelve and a half inches."

Harry grasped the wand, and made sparks shoot out of the end of it with wandless magic. He smiled, "I think this one will do just fine."

Ollivander smiled, "A match on the first try. That is remarkable indeed." Ollivander handed the case to Harry. "That will be eight Galleons, Mr. Potter." Harry paid the bill and then stepped out into an alley before Apparating back to his room at Hogwarts. Then, he hurried toward his first class of the morning, Double Defense Against the Dark Arts.

Harry arrived in the Defense room with several minutes to spare before class. He sat down and inspected his timetable more closely. He discovered that the only differences were in the fact that he was no longer taking Potions or Herbology, and had replaced Potions with Care of Magical Creatures. He looked around as the class entered. His friends were present in the room.

After a few more moments, Tonks came into the room. She began the class by taking roll. Then, they started working on how to counter a Disillusionment Charm. Tonks turned to Harry, "Would you be so kind as to help me, Mr. Potter?"

Harry grinned, "I'd love to, Professor. What do you need me to do?"

The rest of the class stared in shock at the bright and sunny attitude that Harry was presenting. Ron and Hermione exchanged glances. This sounded like the old Harry. The one they had been friends with. The one that had seemingly died so long ago. Neville caught the glances that they exchanged and chuckled. He leaned over to Ron and whispered, "He's back."

Ron whispered back, "Maybe. We'll see."

Hermione just looked hopeful.

By this time, Tonks had explained to Harry what she wanted him to do. Then, she turned to the rest of the class. "If all of you will stand up and move to the sides of the room, I will move the tables out of our way."

The class complied and then she continued explaining, "I am going to Disillusion myself, while Mr. Potter has his eyes closed. Then, he will be trying to determine where I am and defending himself from my attacks." She turned to Harry, "Mr. Potter, are you ready?"

Harry grinned and raised his wand, "You bet I am. The question is are you ready, Professor?"

Tonks returned his grin in a challenging way, "We shall see, Mr. Potter. We shall see." The rest of the class gaped at Harry in amazement. This was more interaction than he had shown in well over a year.

Harry turned around and closed his eyes. Tonks cast a Disillusionment Charm on herself and then pressed herself up against the wall. Harry opened his eyes after counting to twenty, and turned around. His eyes immediately began darting around to look for a sign of Tonks. She attacked almost immediately, "Stupefy."

Harry went into a forward roll that got him out of the way of the curse, and spun while still rolling on the ground. He yelled, "Petrificus Totalus." The Full Body Bind caught Tonks in the leg and froze her stiff as a board. Harry stood up easily and walked over to Tonks. He pretended to point his wand at her while he waved his left hand and muttered, "Finite Incantato."

Tonks removed the Disillusionment Charm from herself and then smiled, "That was an excellent display, Mr. Potter. Ten points to Gryffindor." The assembled students in the class muttered amongst themselves as Tonks levitated the chairs and tables back into place. She began lecturing again as Harry took his seat, "As you can see, the key to fighting an opponent that has been Disillusioned is to wait for them to attack and reveal themselves. Then, as long as you manage to avoid the initial attack, you can locate them and counterattack. To do this you will need superb senses. A Hearing Enhancement Charm would be a good defensive technique in this situation." She turned to Harry, "Did you use one, Mr. Potter?"

Harry shook his head, "I didn't need one. You breathe too loud, and I have excellent ears."

Tonks gaped in astonishment at the candor apparent in Harry's voice as he grinned cheekily at her. The rest of the class just sat stone silent and stared at the two of them in amazement. Things remained that way until the bell rang a few moments later. Tonks said loudly, "Twelve inches of parchment on the Disillusionment Charm and its applications in battle. Due by next class. Mr. Potter, I would like for you to remain after class."

Harry finished putting away his books as he waited for the rest of the class to leave. Once they had left, Tonks waved her wand at the door, and it shut quietly. She looked at Harry closely, "You really are different, aren't you?"

Harry chuckled, "From what you are accustomed to. This is what I would have been like had the Prophecy been something different."

Tonks asked, "Aren't you worried that the Prophecy as it exists is what governs this time?"

Harry shook his head, "I don't have to worry about facing Tom under the guidelines of this Prophecy."

"Why?"

Harry smirked, "Simple. Tom wants to kill me more than anything. He knows that he can't do that without dying himself. He's not willing to do that, so he will attempt time travel again. I just have to wait, and then follow."

Tonks sighed, "I wish things could be different."

Harry laughed, "They will be and you will not even remember that this occurred. I am going to find out what Tom altered and fix it."

"Isn't that dangerous?" asked Tonks.

Harry shrugged, "As long as I don't irritate the Spirit of Time, then everything will be alright."

"The Spirit of Time?"

Harry nodded, "Every province of magic is governed by a different power that can manifest itself as a spirit. The magical fabric that governs time can't be upset too much or it will manifest itself as the Spirit of Time and destroy the one that caused the distortion. I just have to be careful."

Tonks sat down at her desk, "As much as I would like to continue this conversation, Harry, I have a class to teach."

Harry grinned, "At least you're calling me Harry. I was beginning to get tired of this Potter business. I'll see you later, Nymphadora."

As Harry started for the door, Tonks leaped up, "I have told you to never call me by my first name, Harry."

Harry smiled cheekily, "In the other timeline, I get away with it."

Tonks looked at him suspiciously, "Why would I let you?"

"I jumped in front of a Killing Curse and an Explosion Hex for you." said Harry simply.

Tonks looked amazed, "Really?"

Harry nodded, "At the beginning of my sixth year."

Tonks appeared to contemplate for a few moments and then said, "Just don't do it in front of anyone else."

"Done. I'll see you later, Nymphadora." Then, he walked from the room. Tonks shook her fist at him as he left.

Harry went back to his room and finished the Defense homework before heading down to lunch. He sat by Neville again and the two struck up a conversation about the Defense class. The two were talking animatedly, and basically ignoring all the amazed stares that Harry was receiving. Although, Harry was aware of what was going on around him. Ron, Hermione, and Ginny were whispering back and forth while shooting him glances and occasionally pointing. Harry assumed Ron and Hermione were filling Ginny in on what had happened in Defense class. Ginny appeared to be confused and amazed at the same time. Harry risked throwing a glance down towards the three of them. He caught Ginny's eye, and smiled broadly. A smile twitched at the corners of Ginny's mouth before she quickly looked down at her plate.

Once lunch was over, Neville and Harry got up and headed for the Charms corridor to get to class early. Ron and Hermione followed a short distance behind. Harry and Neville walked into Charms class to find Professor Flitwick already standing on top of his desk. Flitwick had been hearing rumors flying about the change in Harry's attitude over the weekend, but this was the first time that he had come face to face with the young man. He decided to test the waters and actually greet him. "Good afternoon, Mr. Potter."

Harry smiled and returned warmly, "The same to you, Professor. What do you have planned for class, today?"

Flitwick smiled and said, "We will be discussing wards, Mr. Potter."

Harry nodded, "Cool." He looked around, "I wish the rest of the class would hurry up." Flitwick chuckled under his breath as Harry and Neville took seats in the front. The rest of the class filed in and sat down.

Flitwick began the lecture, "Today, we will be discussing the use and application of various wards. Then, we will begin working on how to cast different wards on both items and locations." The rest of the class was spent with Flitwick explaining various wards and their applications. After class was over, Ron and Hermione approached Harry and Neville.

Ron said hesitantly, "Harry?"

Harry chuckled at something Neville had just said before turning to Ron and Hermione, "What's up?"

The two exchanged glances and then Hermione asked, "Are you okay?"

Harry laughed, "Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be okay?"

Ron said, "Its just that… well… you seem different."

Harry smiled, "I would imagine so. However, I am the same as I ever was."

Hermione looked puzzled, "That doesn't make any sense, Harry."

Harry shrugged, "It would if you knew what I knew."

Ron asked, "What's that?"

Harry shook his head, "Sorry, but that knowledge will wait for another day. Why don't the three of you come by my room, and we can do our homework on wards together?"

Hermione and Ron exchanged puzzled glances. Neville immediately accepted, "I could use some help with this. I'm not sure I understood everything that Flitwick said about Anti-Apparation wards."

Harry replied as the two wizards began walking away, "It's simple, Neville. It's the same basic concept as the Disapparation Jinx. All you have to do is expand it to account for an area as opposed to a person." Harry continued to explain the premise behind the ward.

Ron looked at Hermione, "When did he get so smart?"

Hermione shrugged, "I have no idea, but I am going to find out." Then, she followed behind Harry and Neville, leaving Ron standing alone in the corridor.

Once it finally caught up in his brain that everyone had left him, Ron yelled, "Hey wait up." He ran after the other three Gryffindors.

Later that night at dinner, the four friends walked in laughing and joking together like they did before. The rest of the students in the Great Hall looked at them as if they had lost their minds. No one had seen the trio act this way in a long time. Unfortunately, Malfoy had to attempt to ruin the moment, "So, Potter, I see you have your little MudBlood friend and her Weasel of a boyfriend back in your pocket. Wait, I almost forgot about the brainless oaf."

Harry laughed, "Is that the best you can come up with, Malfoy?" Harry shook his head in disappointment, "You must be losing your touch. You're going to have to come up with better than that." As he said this, he caught sight of Crabbe and Goyle coming up to flank them. He quickly shifted his glance up to the Head table to see that none of the teachers were present yet. Harry grinned. He snapped the fingers of his left hand while muttering under his breath. Crabbe, Goyle and Malfoy all turned bright pink. Their clothes and everything. The other students in the hall burst out laughing. Harry said, "You know, Malfoy, that is quite a fetching color on you. You should wear it more often. It might put a bright side on your disposition."

Malfoy looked down to see that he was completely pink from head to toe. He growled, "You will pay for this, Potter."

Harry smiled broadly and took a bow, "I look forward to it, Malfoy. Until that day." Then, Harry spun around on his heel and walked towards the Gryffindor table. The other three Gryffindors smirked at Malfoy before turning and following Harry to the dinner table. Malfoy and his two cronies beat a hasty retreat from the room.

Once Hermione sat down, she looked sternly at Harry, "Harry, you can't do things like that. Malfoy could be dangerous."

Harry snorted, "That's a laugh, Hermione. Malfoy is a nuisance. Nothing more."

Ron laughed, "Yeah, Hermione, you're going to ruin the moment. We don't get the upper hand on Malfoy like that often."

Neville smiled knowingly, "I have a feeling that we will from now on though."

Harry smirked, "We'll see."

Hermione looked at the three boys, and then smiled, "Okay, you're all right. It was rather funny."

The four Gryffindors laughed merrily, but Harry's true attention was focused on only one place. Ginny Weasley. She had her eyes on him, and was gazing with rapt attention. He smiled to himself as he thought, "Maybe I have a chance. Maybe I can fix this." He pretended not to notice her staring to see how long it would go on. She didn't take her eyes from him until he started eating, and she finally bent her head to her own plate.

Harry returned to his room after dinner to sleep. The next day, Harry had a free morning that he spent down on the Quidditch pitch flying. It seemed like it had been forever since he had been on a broomstick. After lunch, he had Care of Magical Creatures with Ron and Neville. The three boys made their way down to Hagrid's hut. Hagrid greeted the other two bays warmly, "Hey, Ron, Neville." He said nothing to Harry, however.

Harry walked right up to him, and poked him in the stomach. Hagrid looked at Harry in surprise. Harry said, "Do I not get a greeting? I've known you longer than either of these two."

Hagrid continued to stare at Harry in shock and amazement. He finally managed, "Profess'r Dumbledore told me ye had changed, Arry, but I din't spect this much."

Harry laughed as he gave Hagrid a hug in front of the whole class. "I'm back, Hagrid. This time I'm not going anywhere, either."

Hagrid wiped a tear from his cheek as he returned Harry's hug. "I'm glad, Arry. I'm glad." Then, he turned to the rest of the class and began the lesson.

That afternoon, the Quidditch team assembled at the pitch. Ron looked at them, "Team, this is our last practice before the match with Slytherin. I want to mop the floor with them. We have our starting Seeker back, which puts Ginny scoring goals again. Now, let's get out there and work."

The team cheered and took to the air. Ron let the Snitch go and Harry caught in less than five minutes. The Chasers started running through their moves against Euan while Ron observed everyone. Dean and Seamus worked the new Beaters to death and got plenty of practice themselves. After about an hour, Ron called a halt to the practice. "That's enough for the day. I'm ready to eat, and the rest of you should have worked up an appetite by now."

Harry laughed, "Trust you to stop Quidditch practice for food."

Ron protested, "Hey, that's not funny."

The rest of the Quidditch team joined Harry in his laughter. They chorused, "Yes, it was."

Ron looked sheepish, and then grumbled, "I can't help it I'm a growing boy." Then, he landed his broom and headed for the changing rooms. The rest of the team followed.

Ginny stopped Harry just outside the doors, "What's different about you, Harry?"

Harry smiled down at her, "Nothing, my love. I just have a very different perspective than I did."

Ginny looked at Harry in confusion, "What did you just call me?"

Harry laughed, "My apologies. I called you my love."

Ginny narrowed her eyes, "When have I ever been your love?"

Harry reached out and touched her cheek lightly, "Always." Then, he turned and entered the changing rooms, leaving Ginny lost in her thoughts.

The remainder of the week passed quickly. Harry continued to spend time with Ron, Hermione, and Neville. He had no more encounters with Ginny, but he noticed her watching him from the corner of his eye on several occasions. Finally, the day of the match dawned. The Gryffindors were all up early to get ready for the match. Harry and Ron walked down to the pitch together to check the conditions. Then, the two of them walked back up to the Great Hall for breakfast.

After breakfast, everyone milled around talking until the team went down to the changing rooms to get ready for the game. After changing into their Quidditch robes, Ron stood up to give them the customary pep talk. "Alright, guys."

Natalie McDonald interrupted him, "And girls."

Ron nodded, "And girls. We're ready for this match. Its time to get out there and do some damage to the Slytherins. We have to show them that Gryffindor owns that Quidditch Cup and we mean to keep it."

Harry stomped his foot, "Hell, yeah."

The rest of the team looked at him in surprise. Ron grinned, "Let's do it."

The team cheered as they jumped up grabbing their broomsticks, and ran to the doors to await their names being called. The announcer began by calling out the names of the Slytherin team. Then he turned to the Gryffindors, "Welcome, your team, Gryffindor. We have your Chasers. Ginny Weasley! Natalie McDonald! Colin Creevey! Next we have your Beaters. Dean Thomas! Seamus Finnigan! Your Seeker. Harry Potter! And last we have your Captain and Keeper. Ronald Weasley!." The Gryffindors cheered as their team entered the pitch. Ron flew over and landed in the center.

Madam Hooch entered the center ring and said, "Captains, shake hands." Malfoy and Ron shook hands, both attempting to elicit some reaction from the other by squeezing extra hard. Neither gave in as Madam Hooch released the Snitch and Bludgers. Then, they released each other and took to the air. Madam Hooch threw the Quaffle into the air and blew her whistle. Ginny dove after the Quaffle immediately and headed straight for the other end of the pitch with Colin and Natalie on her heels. It was quickly apparent that the Slytherins had no prayer against the Gryffindor Chasers.

Malfoy was marking Harry closely, but Harry paid little attention to this. He was accustomed to having Malfoy licking at his boots. An hour into the match, Harry caught sight of the Snitch just as Ginny scored another goal and put Gryffindor up by 180-70. Harry quickly dove after the Snitch with Malfoy directly behind him. However, it was too little too late for Malfoy. Harry had a head start and a faster broomstick. It was over in seconds as Harry rose above the stands holding the Snitch. Madam Hooch blew her whistle, and Owen Cauldwell proclaimed, "Gryffindor wins. 330-70." No one paid any attention to the three Slytherins who were racing at Harry's unsuspecting figure from below. Crabbe, Goyle, and Malfoy all crashed into Harry and knocked him from his broomstick. Harry went flying through the air, and smiled as he knew he was about to shock quite a few people. He cast a Levitating Charm on himself and floated to the ground. The entire stadium stared at him in shock as he settled easily to the ground instead of smashing face first into the packed earth.

Harry pulled out his wand, but cast an Igniting Spell with his left hand on the three Slytherin's broomstick tails. They burst into flame, and the boys sped towards the ground in an attempt to put out the flames. Harry just smirked as he waved his wand, "Accio Firebolt." His faithful broomstick zoomed right into his hands as he pocketed his wand, and then turned to walk into the dressing room as though nothing had happened.

A/N: I want to thank everyone who is reading and enjoying my story.

Athena kitty: Yes, Harry is going to have another trip. Thanks for the review.

HermioneGreen: Just have faith. Things work out just fine. Thanks for the review.

Austenhel: I'm glad that you think I'm doing my job properly. Thanks for the review.

Dragonclawz54: Don't think that I'm trying to brag or anything, but I have a 181 I.Q. I understood it all. Thanks for the review.

Junior1544: Don't expect to find out what caused the change. I'm leaving that up to each reader to decide for themselves. Thanks for the review.

US HP FAN: My theories on alternate universes and time travel should be more apparent in the upcoming chapters. If you still have any questions about my views after the book is finished, feel free to e-mail me. Thanks for the review.

Jaws2: I hope she gets to read it, and I'm glad that you're enjoying it. Don't fall off the edge of your chair. Thanks for the review.

Croberts: I'm honored. Thanks for the review.

Tempest Dragon: Thanks for the review.

Sillypaulie: Thanks for the review.

Dbgoku: Thanks for the review.

Croneus: That annoys me as well. That's why I make sure that I keep my updating quick. Thanks for the review.

Jeff: Thanks for the review.

Aalikane: I've always prided myself on being strong-willed. I think that I would be able to fight off the curse. ;) Thanks for the review.

Magik: Obviously, Voldemort remembers the original timeline as well. That makes both of them want to alter this one. Thanks for the review.

Cur03: No worries. This one gets better. Thanks for the review.

Solarflare154684: As I said in the e-mail, I don't have a specific chapter length. I just go with what works. Thanks for the review.

Kemporer: Thanks for the review.

Goddess of war and wisdom: Thanks. I enjoy the Good chapter remarks. Thanks for the review.

Katepotter13: It will make more sense later. Thanks for the review.

Lucugirl07: I'm confident that the explanations in the story will clear up any confusion. Thanks for the review.

HappySnakesRule: Just be patient. Thanks for the review.

SPASH Panther: Don't expect anything to happen that quickly. Thanks for the review.

Phred doesn't like you: You're exhausted saying goodies? LOL. Thanks for the review.

HP-wannabe69: No worries. I'm a huge Harry/Ginny fan so I won't keep them apart. Thanks for the review.

Lourdes: It was necessary for him to establish some kind of basis for leadership. Thanks for the review.

Volleypickle16: Thanks for the review.

Hunta: Thanks for the review.

Tatie: Don't worry. Thanks for the review.

Plasterwork: Ron wasn't hanging around with Malfoy, Harry just expected it to be Malfoy considering the way Ron addressed him. Thanks for the review.

Blind Faeri: He doesn't want either of them actually. That's why he's trying to get around them by going back into the past. Thanks for the review.

Ali: Then, I shall continue. Thanks for the review.

Harryp123: Thanks for the review.

RLupin1003: I'm glad that I can keep you guessing. Thanks for the review.

Sambow24: Thanks for the review.

Shelby Ryan: Nope. It's slightly over halfway. Thanks for the review.

Plasmafyre: No worries. Thanks for the review.

Mistress-Genari: I appreciate that. Thanks for the review.

Danny Boy: Thanks for the review.

Blip-dragon: Thanks for the review.

Fireboy: No worries. Thanks for the review.

Mad Scientist II: If you're anxious, I better get back to work. Thanks for the review.

h-ruff: Thanks for the review.

Lord of Darkness: I know it is a bit messed up. Thanks for the review.

Maria: You're not giving me any ideas. "Bad" Harry has ceased to exist, or rather never existed. You'll see. Thanks for the reviews.

Lunawolf: We'll get back to some Harry/Ginny fluff. Don't worry. Thanks for the review.

Teazer: I am glad to have you along for the ride. Thanks for the review.

Laen: Don't go crazy, or drop dead from shock. You'll miss the rest of the story. Thanks for the review.

Johnsonlam: I will continue to deliver. Thanks for the review.

Ted M. Hammett: Hopefully the explanations will clear everything up. Thanks for the review.