'This is a LOTE'
A Tale of Two Times
AU Snatched through time at birth, Harry becomes a time traveller. He discovers this at five when he meets his real parents, and goes to Hogwarts prepared... but he didn't realised Voldemort had a spy in Hogwarts and was trying to steal a dangerous artefact.
Chapter Twenty-One
Decisive Harry
January: 1992
Greg glared at Harry. "You are too happy for someone who has detention, you know."
"Well, sorry. I'm just waiting till later so I can tell everyone."
"Tell everyone what, exactly, Hazza?" Greg pushed a branch out of the way as Fang whimpered.
Harry couldn't contain himself. "Mum had the baby earlier today. She and baby are well."
Greg grinned. "So, what is it?"
"A baby girl. Maíread Grace Gryffindor."
"Is she cute?' Greg asked, but Harry didn't answer.
"Shit." He said dully.
Greg looked around to see what it was that had distracted the usually unable to be distracted, and nearly wet himself. "Harry, is that a dragon?"
Looming above them was the biggest Norwegian Ridgeback that Harry had ever seen. Not that he'd ever seen a Norwegian Ridgeback. It was black. Its skin was tough as armour. And it was hungry. Its saliva dripped from its colossal jaw. And around it's neck, hung a collar. Norbert.
Harry nodded. "I think it is."
They both turned to look at each other. "OH SHIT!" Dropping all pretences, Harry shot up red sparks and the two of them took off at top speed. They were out of the forest before they knew it, panting and leaning against the trees so that they didn't collapse. Hagrid, Marrok and Elizabeth and Edith Prewett all appeared about two minutes later.
"Wha' seems ta be the problem?" Hagrid asked gruffly, raising an eyebrow at the panting boys.
"The problem," Greg screeched, his voice an octave or two higher than normal, "Is that there is a DRAGON in the forest."
Hagrid waved a hand. "Norbert? Tha' lil fella wouldn't hurt a fly if it tempted him."
All the students exchanged glances. "I'm telling you, Hagrid, that thing was not little in the least. It was HUGE!" Harry spread out his arms to show the size of its head. AND IT WAS GOING TO EAT US!"
"Nonsense," Hagrid said, sounding injured. "Norbert wouldn't hurt a fly." He insisted.
Harry sighed. Greg sighed. Hagrid was obviously not going to see reason. He was too crazy.
After their detention, Marrok, Greg and Harry strolled slowly up to the castle, discussing the merits of becoming a dragon animagus. Harry was under the impression that Hagrid would adopt them and that they would not find this in the least bit fun, as Hagrid would probably treat them like they were his pets. Eventually, with both deciding against the dragon idea, their conversation drifted to their progress, with Marrok listening eagerly. They were by now about to learn how to transfigure a dead mouse into a dead guinea pig, and, without the use of a wand, turn it back.
Harry would have no trouble with this, however, the others might do.
By the time they met the others in the library to work on their animagus transformations, their conversation had turned to Maíread.
Greg began on his earlier line of questioning. "Is she cute?"
Harry nodded. "She has these big blue eyes, and her hair is all wispy and blonde, but she's kind of chubby. But then again all babies are chubby, aren't they?" Greg nodded what Harry assumed to be assent, and continued. "And she has the cutest little button nose, according to Mum, but I really can't see how a nose can be cute." He shrugged in a confused way as he pushed the library door open. "But we're going to have the proper naming ceremony on Saturday."
"Saturday? But that's just shy of a week away." Marrok exclaimed immediately.
Harry nodded. "It's 'traditional.' Doesn't make much sense to me, either. By the letter of the law, and in the eyes of the king, she's unnamed until then"
Greg sat down at the table, and Harry sat across from him. The others had caught the last of the sentence.
"Who's unnamed until when?" Hermione asked curiously.
"Maíread," Harry and Greg replied as one. The group looked passive at the news.
"Who's this Meraid?" Lilly and Louise asked as one.
Harry waved a hand. "My newest sister. The name is Irish, 'Mehr-aihd'" he told them, a subtle aitch colouring the way he said it. He proceeded to tell them all about her.
"How much does she weigh?" Hermione asked finally.
Harry merely shrugged. "They didn't weigh babies 980 years ago." Hermione looked surprised, which in itself, surprised Harry. "You don't really think they were worrying about how much the babies weighed when most women died in childbirth and their babies along with them, do you?" he asked disdainfully.
Hermione shrugged, a ruddiness spreading over her cheeks. "Sorry," she whispered.
Tension filled the air for a second, before Harry shrugged. "Its okay,"
January: 1012
It was the day of the naming ceremony. The 19th of January. Harry was wearing his much hated formal Christmas robes, and only a few close family and friends were present. This included Cecil, Róisín, Godric, Rowena, Salazar, Helga, Nova, Merlin, Gills and King Gareth.
Gills looked as uncomfortable in her outfit as Harry was. They sat close together, and Harry noted her scratching herself where the rough material made contact with her skin. It really should have had a silk lining, but she'd ripped it on Christmas while playing with Harry and his friends, and not yet got up the courage to tell her father or her minders about it. A delicately wrought sparkling gold and diamond diadem sat atop her head, placed precariously over heaps of false curls that were falling out and frustrating her to no end.
Eventually everyone had settled into a circle, with a fussy Maíread placed in the centre. Dressed in the family's red and gold robes, it was clear that Maíread going to love getting dressed up as much as Harry did. She was wailing after being put down for a minute, and even when Rowena picked her up again she wasn't quiet. Eventually resorting to a comforting charm so that they could go on with the ceremony, Rowena was able to set her down. The circle joined hands, and concentrated on Maíread. A soft glow pulsed as they became calmer and silent.
Rowena released Godric and Róisín's hands, stepping forward, and allowing Godric to grab his oldest daughter's hand.
"As it happens that I am mother to this newborn child, it is my prerogative to give her a name to suit her as I please. So from this day forth, I call this child Maíread Grace Gryffindor, may you shine in the way of the pearls of the ocean and be graceful in all words and actions that you take upon. Do all agree with the decision that I make?"
Everyone nodded. "We agree most sincerely."
"Is there anyone who would contest my decision or deign to make any change to it?"
Those gathered shook their heads. "Your decision was the right one, none of us would wish to say it isn't"
This talking and agreeing went on for about an hour, and Harry could hardly hide his yawns. However, once the speaking had finished, they went to a feast, Harry whispering to Gills that this was always the best part of the formal ceremonies. Gills nodded and removed the tiara, handing it to Harry and asking him to store it in a time pocket. Harry did so and they went to the feast.
As it did at these occasions, talk emerged of Harry's own naming ceremony. It had been at the same time as Cecil and Róisín's, as Rowena had completely forgotten about it, and Godric had thought that it had been dealt with before Merlin had kidnapped Harry. Everyone had been most horrified to learnt that Harry technically had no name. In Rowena's defence, she had held a ceremony with herself to name Harry, but there had been no witnesses, so it was not legal. Because of this, Harry had two name blessings, the original: May the power that you hold guide you and may your secret not be forever, and the legal: May you look after your power and treat it with due respect, and may you be allowed your secrets.
"Mummy, I'm bored. Mummy, why do we have to do this? Mummy, can I go to sleep, Mummy, Mummy, Mummy!" Cecil whined while Rowena was talking to the king.
"Harry!" she called. "Can you please come and get your siblings out of my hair?"
Róisín, who had been standing at Cecil's side, giggled at the expression. "Yes, Mum." Harry sighed. He scooped his youngest sister into his arms, levitated his older siblings, and got Gills to make sure Nova was coming, before they headed off.
January: 1992
Masobelle stopped talking and walking mid sentence. "Hey, Harry, I just thought,"
Harry, Hermione, Lilly, Louise, Greg, Shane, Susan and Marrok stopped as well, crashing into each other. Harry glared at Masobelle. "Don't do that, Bellé, it's rather annoying." He picked himself up off the ground and dusted down his robes.
"Well, sor-ry, but I just thought, about Norbert,"
"That crazy dragon, yeah?" Harry asked, as they all got up again and they regained pace.
"Well, you know about the Staff? Maybe Norbert's protecting it."
Harry looked thoughtful. "You know, that could be right. Now, as long as we knew what we were dealing with, we might be able to find out why."
Hermione shook her head and rubbed her forehead. "We need more clues. It's just too broad a category."
"Yeah," Louise agreed. "And we need super magic to get past that veil, a dragon, duelling zombies, heart starter webs and probably more."
Susan and Marrok looked glum. "The chances that we'll ever get past that are well, hopeless. You'd probably need the dark arts to get past the veil alone," Susan groaned.
This time is was Harry that stopped and caused everyone to stop and fall over. "We really need to stop doing that," Lilly muttered.
Shane agreed. "Yeah, so, what is it this time, Harry?"
"I'm just trying to remember what Professor Fasset said about using the Dark Arts to overcome curses."
Hermione looked concerned. "Harry, you do know that using the Dark Arts will mar your soul, don't you?"
Harry scoffed. "That's bullshit, Mione, and you know it."
Hermione looked taken aback. Harry's tone softened. "Look, I'm sorry. I may not particularly like Fasset or even the Dark Arts themselves, but I will admit when they are useful. And besides, the Dark Arts have the same aura about them as any other magic spell."
"You can see the auras around spells now, Harry?" Susan asked, surprised.
Harry looked guilty. "I was going to tell you! It started about a month ago. Anyway, back to the issue of Dark Arts. Dark is just a man given title. Even the nicest spell you can think of could be used to torture, and the evilest spells to help."
Hermione looked sceptical. "The cheering charm?"
Harry was ready with an answer. "Used repeatedly when unnecessary could make a person go insane, or make them lose their grip on reality."
Shane thought for a second. "What about the killing curse?"
"Ever head of euthanasia?" Harry asked. When they all, excepting of course, Hermione, shook their heads, he explained. "It's giving someone a painless death when they have an incurable and painful disease. The killing curse doesn't hurt when it hits. Or at least, it doesn't seem to, so it would work effectively as a form of euthanasia. And what about when people have to put down terminally ill pets? Surely they'd feel better knowing that their death was painless?"
The group still looked a little unsure of Harry's ideas. Finally, Marrok spoke up. "So how do you think we should get past the veil?"
Flashback
Professor Fasset stood up stiffly in front of the class. After checking that his wand wasn't a fake, as had become ritual for him, he began the lesson in the same dry tone as usual. "Today during the course of the lesson we shall cover but theory." A suppressed groan came from every student in the class, except darling angels, Sibley and di Mildura.
"As the level of extent to which we have looked into the defensive uses of the Dark Arts as yet is rather dismally low, this is the main area which we shall be covering in the lesson which is to take place today. Is there anyone in this class who is not completely dull-witted and happens to know anything of this topic?"
Harry kept his hand down, for once. Not surprisingly, the hands of Sibley Fasset and her buddy, di Mildura, were waving almost – was in enthusiastically? – in the air. Fasset pointed at his niece. "The Pesky Pestis, Uncle Daere," she said breathlessly.
Fasset smiled, a rare occurrence. "Correct, Sibley."
He took a moment to motion for di Mildura to remove his hand from the air. "The Pesky Pestis. Abeo Pestis Pestis. As it would happen, despite the fact that this can be classified as a defensive dark spell, it is indeed a curse which one would not use lightly for fear of its danger, in the case especially where one is duelling using more than mere magic as a weapon. For the effect of this spell is to stop all magic for what has only been time roughly, and is assumed by most to be five minutes. The spell will stop any magical activity within twenty feet. Despite the fact the radius is low, the effect is indeed spectacular, and it is rather hard to come by a wizard, or indeed a witch, who would find it an easy feat to effectively activate the magic held within this curse, yes…"
They all looked at him blankly. "Oh, come on guys! Are you all so thick-headed that you don't understand the implications of this? We can use it to combat the veil."
Slowly it seemed to dawn on them. "Duh!" Harry said, hitting himself on the head in frustration. "Now all we need to go after this staff is the rest of the things we have to battle and–"
"To actually know what the staff is?" Shane interrupted.
Harry's shoulders drooped. "Well, that too."
February: 1012
Harry, Gills and the king were all in the room with the Key of Aeti'Quial again.
King Gareth had that look in his eyes of unrestrained ebullience that he got whenever looking at the key. Harry exchanged a glance with Gills. "Father," Gills began and he turned to look at her, the glint in his eyes not changing. "What is it exactly that you plan to do with this key? And what is it exactly that this key has the ability to do?"
Kang Gareth looked contemplative. "I shall explain the answer to your latter question first."
Harry and Gills both motioned enthusiastically for him to begin.
"Well, Jaylynn, Harry, it is of my great displeasure to inform you of this fact, Harry, as it is that I have always harboured feelings of jealousy to the way you can manipulate time. However, I have come to realise after contemplation of what I would do were I to have your unique power, that the things which you can truly do with it are limited. That there are things you can't do and you are ruled by time, are things that I have noticed most prevalently. The appearance is that you care not the one who owns the ability to manipulate time, for time manipulates you into doing things I am sure that you would not choose to do otherwise.
"So I took it upon myself to ask all my personal assistant wizards and witches, who are as you would probably already be aware of, the cleverest and quick-witted when it comes to their chosen subjects, if they were able to develop a way of travelling through time, so that I could change one event.
"As it is, you Harry, have never actually had the power to make an event a changed one, for you have merely made sure of the fact that everything stays the same as it should be, which I must say I believe is a very difficult and noble task. However, this is not what I had wish to do, for there is one thing I that I deem worthy of change through time, and as all I wanted to do was change one task, they made the key.
"It was my original wish for it to be formed in the shape of a staff, as it were less likely to get lost you see, and it would ever so much more grand in the hands of a king, though it was only within their abilities to make it in the shape o a key. It hold the ability to go back 100 years, and will leave you an hour to change one single event. It has a single use, which I requested, so I don't let the power get to my head, or anyone else's if it gets lost or stolen or maybe after my death falls into the wrong hands."
Gills looked at Harry worriedly. "What does he plan on doing?" she hissed from the side of her mouth. Harry shrugged, and looked back at King Gareth.
With nervous apprehension he posed his question. "Uncle Gaz, what are you going to change?"
There was a wait that seemed to stretch for forever, as the King contemplated not answering him. The key sat, glinting in the room, seemingly harmless, but not deceiving Harry or Gills.
"My Elfleda should have never died."
Gills bit back a gasp. "But Father, if mother were to have lived, I would have been the one to die." Tears glistened in her eyes.
King Gareth looked coolly at her. "Jaylynn, you must make sacrifices in your life. As a Princess of this court, you should be used to that."
Gills gaped in shock. "Well, sacrifices, yeah, but not my life!"
At the same time, Harry burst out. "But Uncle Gaz! How could you say such things? Surely you do not want Jaylynn dead?"
The king turned his head to Harry. "I need a male heir." He explained. "To take the throne."
Harry and Gills gaped at him, and Gills walked up to him, slapping him across the face as hard as she could. Harry shook his head in disgust as he cradled his cheek. "Stay here," he instructed stiffly.
Authors Notes:
Back to school! I'm not quite sure about my feelings on that subject… I did like being on the first floor! Anyway, as per usual, forum, in profile. Questions welcome, okay? Uh… got to run! Bye!