I'm returning to school in two days, and as such, my parents have limited my computer time to weekly. Weekly I tell you! Its an outrage! Well my sister lends my her laptop a bit, so I only have to transfer to the story over. So heres the too long awaited update, and now I'm going to download several fics onto the laptop to read. I have been deprived of fanfiction. Ask my friends, I'm suffering fanfic withdrawal.
On that note, I recommend 'web of lies' and its sequel to anyone who likes the plot-line of my story. It doesn't involve time travel (it's set after the tri-wizard tournament), but it's about Harry pretending to be a normal 'first year' named Alec. Great story. One that's great that does involve Harry going back in time to his younger self's body is 'Harry Potter and the Nightmares of Futures Past'. Also a great story though this one isn't finished yet. Still, it's updated regularly, and already has almost 200 000 words.
From last chappie:
Remus looked confused. "But if Harry still has that power then its like he's still been marked by You-Know-Who as his equal. Which is the prophesised child then? Is there any way to check if its still the power you got from You-Know-Who then?"
Harry brightened "Hello?" he asked, seeing if he could still speak in parseltongue. Seeing Remus and Snape's faces he reverted back to English. "I guess that answered that question. Now we just got to figure out how it works if two people are chosen for a prophecy."
"There's a way to find out." Snape started suddenly. "But it may not be possible. There's a department in the ministry, but it's level nine clearance…" he trailed off.
Harry however grimaced and finished Snape's sentence,
"The Department of Mysteries."
Snape looked at Harry, a flash of surprise crossing his features, before his face once again became blank. Remus however, didn't know what the department was, and said as such.
"The Department of Mysteries, is exactly what the title says. It's got all the things that no one understands. The part that Severus is referring to is the hall of prophecies. If we can get in and find the prophecy then we can see who's name has been added as the prophesised child." Harry tried to explain.
"It's best if it's done before 1991, as that is the year Voldemort begins to return. He's currently hiding out in Albania." McGonagall added thoughtfully
"Why don't you just stop You-know-who from returning altogether? Surely its worth trying?" Remus asked, confused.
McGonagall sighed "He survived a rebounded killing curse. If we try to kill him now, it almost definitely won't work, and according to some things that happened in the future, will only serve to strengthen him. Anyway, if the prophecy still stands, it probably has to be Harry or Neville."
"Is it just me or every time we get on a subject, we go off on a tangent about something that's barely relevant?" Snape intervened
"Yeah," Harry added grinning. "I was more interested in the part where I became really powerful."
"Brat." Snape stated, but without the usual menace for one not in his own house. "I will see what can be done about the prophecy, and you with the magic, I think you should let it develop. If you really are that powerful, try developing it without a wand."
Severus paused to glare at Remus. Again. "Just make sure only the wolf is around, no one else."
Remus responded with a faint smile. "I'll do my best to help."
"Good," Snape said, though his face showed his displeasure. "Then you can pass information for us. Suspicions are arising, and as such this visit has to be the last for a while."
"The Potters didn't seem to be suspicious…"
"No, Dumbledore is."
Remus opened his mouth to reply, paused, and closed it again. Finally he asked, "Got any fire whiskey?"
It was rather late that night, when Remus returned to Godrics Hollow with a sleeping Harry. When he arrived, he was greeted by James and Lily, who had opted to wait up for their son and friend's return.
"Have fun babysitting with McGonagall?" James asked, bemused. Remus just smiled slyly in response, handing Harry over, and returning to his rooms.
Lily and James looked at each other; finally Lily spoke. "Do you think he's got a thing for Minerva?" Lily asked, shocked.
"I don't know." James replied, equally shocked. He frowned sadly. "Poor mate, he probably does."
"Do you think she knows?"
"I sure hope not. He'd never live it down"
Lily shot him a glare. "It could work out…" she paused, her anger deflating. "Okay, it probably wouldn't. Well it doesn't matter, he wont ask anyone out anyway."
"Yeah, when he finds someone, if he tells them and they hurt him, I'll kill them." His face showed hard determination.
Lily went over to the kitchen and poured them both a drink of water. "C'mon, you're getting worked up over nothing. Remus hasn't got a girlfriend yet, and it'd take a long time before he'd tell one anyway."
"Yeah…" James trailed off, knowing she was right. He downed the drink, before putting Harry in the cot. Lily walked down the hall to bed, and James followed her lead.
"Wingardium Leviosa" Harry chanted, again. The scrap of parchment, continued to sit on the floor, unmoving.
"Maybe it's time to take a rest." Remus suggested. "Wandless magic is very hard, you shouldn't expect to get it first time."
"I know." Harry sighed. "It's just annoying, I know it'll help, but it's like having to learn to control my magic all over again."
Lily and James both worked, and Remus acted as full time babysitter for his friend. Sirius was supposed to be coming over later that evening, but until then, Remus and Harry had the time to themselves.
"Yeah, but if this works, you'll be just as strong without your wand as you were before, with it." Remus replied, albeit rather tauntingly. He knew harry hated being different, the only consolation was the benefits.
Harry glared at him. "Maybe I should practice on you." He growled.
Harry stretched his hand out toward Remus. Before he had even said the incantation, Remus rose up into the air; much to both boys' surprise. Immediately Harry withdrew his hand, shocked that it had worked, and puffing from the drain by magical exertion. Remus was promptly dropped, much to his discomfort.
"Merlin! I think I've figured out the problem, at least. I read about it when I was at school." Remus smirked ruefully.
"What?" a shocked Harry replied.
"Well as you know, some powerful wizards can do wandless magic. It's easier with the incantation. Without an incantation and a wand is still almost impossible. Merlin, the only person alive that can do it is Dumbledore, and it wears him out even for simple things. But it seems you have a high suggestibility level, where words are involved, and you can do the other."
"Suggestibility level?" Harry cut in, curiously.
"You believe what you're told easier."
"How does that matter?"
"There are basic rules of magic that everyone must follow. Sometimes these rules aren't accurate though. The more powerful you are, the less rules that apply. It was once believed that a wand must be used for magic. The very fact that you can do wandless magic shows that you are already ignoring such rules. The problem now, is that without your wand, you didn't feel it will work, did you?"
Harry blushed, shaking his head. "I didn't think it'd work, but at least I was trying." He defended.
"Exactly. So when you stopped thinking about whether or not it'd work and just focused on the spell, you finally bypassed the rule. Before that, your suggestibility levels were unconsciously blocking your magic. Obviously now that you started without words, it'll be easier to continue that way for the time being. Your magic won't be as strong though."
"What, you mean I'll only be a normal wizard" Harry teased back.
Remus grinned. "Try doing it again, without words. Go back to the paper, as its small, and will drain your magic less."
Harry did as instructed, and the paper rose, but only slightly and seemed to waver, unsure of itself.
Remus intervened again. "Harry, you lifted me up. It's only your suggestibility level stopping you. Think of it as self-doubt. You know you can do it" he urged the kid on.
Finally the paper stopped shaking and rose higher. Harry moved his hand a bit, and the paper moved in a careful circle in the air, before settling back on the desk. After a few more goes, Harry was thoroughly exhausted.
Wordless, wandless magic was very draining. He sure hoped he progressed a lot more then Remus said Dumbledore had, otherwise this would definitely not be 'the power the dark lord knows not' that was supposed to stop Voldemort.
At the moment, this was his only option for that line of the prophecy, unless you counted the time travelling; that was hardly a power anyway.
His thoughts were interrupted as a ministry owl flew through the window and landed on the bench in front of the two wizards.
Remus took the letter. As harry watched him open, then read it, he saw Remus looked completely shocked. Finally, he spoke.
"I don't think the underage magic detectors are on wands alone." Was Remus' cryptic words as he handed the letter to Harry.
Reading the note, Harry groaned. He'd received one of these before. A warning against using underage magic. Sudenly he had a really dire thought. "Will the ministry know what I'm really doing? Is there any records or anything."
Remus hesitated before replying. "The spell will be listed, and they'll know a wand wasn't involved. We'll have to make it seem like accidental magic."
"But can't they tell the difference? Otherwise, I would've received heaps of these." Harry asked confused, remembering his bouts of accidental magic when he was with the Dursleys.
Remus grimaced. "We'll just have to convince them their recording devices are faulty. There's no way you should stop training till you're eleven, so we'll say the recording devices must have problems when encountering your accidental magic."
"What'll we do till then?" Harry didn't like the idea, but knew it was the best they could think of short of breaking into the department that dealt with underage magic use.
"Don't use your magic yet. Give it a few days, then we'll set up something that seems totally accidental."
Harry sighed, then had a brilliant idea.
"This means I can prank Sirius and Dad! Oh, we can have so much fun!"
Remus chuckled. "Yeah, this'll be settled in court, multiple underage magic uses always are, because of magical law. We can at least prank them for it, and they'll have to say what happened to the whole court."
Remus picked Harry up; walking to the kitchen for lunch "You really are devious you know? So, any ideas?"
"Don't worry, I have a few. We just have to figure out how to make it look like accidental magic." Harry smiled slyly.
That evening, James informed the others of the impending Order meeting. No one knew why one had been called, as Voldemort was supposed to be dead. Sirius however, showed everyone the headlines of that day's Daily Prophet, which left little room for guesses.
Needless to say, at seven o'clock, every order member was present in Dumbledore's crowded office. As the meeting was for everyone Lily came, and Harry was brought along.
Looking around, he hadn't realised there were so many people in the order. By the time he'd been a central player in his time, the war had already dealt a fatal blow to most of those present.
He knew Mad-eye, The Weasleys (though Bill, Charlie, Fred and George were missing), Mrs Figg, Hagrid, Mundungus Fletcher, Dedalus Diggle (who Harry still associated with the first time he'd been introduced to the wizarding world), The Longbottoms (who had brought their son too), Shacklebolt, and of course the heads of houses at Hogwarts.
There were still many he didn't know had been in the Order, as well as some he didn't recognise. Only one other family had brought a baby though; the Lovegoods.
Lastly, he noticed a familiar lady beetle on the windowsill. I wish I wasn't a baby. Then I could do something. He tried to think of a way to give her away.
"I call this meeting of the Order of the Phoenix open" Dumbledore intoned, his eyes serious, yet still holding a slight twinkle.
"First, I know you've all heard that Voldemort" Dumbledore ignored everyone's flinches "Is dead. I have strong reason to believe that he isn't"
At the cries of disbelief he held up a hand, effectively bringing silence once again. Voldemort isn't alive at the moment, but neither did he die. He is biding his time severely weakened and without a body; and I have several people out looking for his spirit. I hope he never returns and this will be the last Order meeting until such an event does happen. That is why I gathered you all here." He looked around the room, "Yes, celebrate at his downfall, but the Order is only lying quiet, when Voldemort returns I hope I can count on all of you to return to fight him."
"Lastly, it has been five months since Voldemort's fall. Many of the Death Eaters have been caught and given life sentences in Azkaban. However, there are enough still free and out for revenge, that the Longbottom's have had to remain under the Fidelius charm. Unfortunately a reporter, one Rita Skeeter, has revealed that information to the public."
"But that's impossible!" "Only the secret keeper could do that!" Several people muttered. Dumbledore held up his hand for silence.
"As the wards were around Longbottom Manor, anyone inside at the time of casting is also included in the wards, and as such; the power to reveal them. I believe Ms Skeeter was trespassing at the time, but nothing can prove that, and so the Longbottoms have agreed to move, to ensure both their safety, and that of their child. This information however, must be kept hidden from Ms Skeeter, and I'll need the Ministry officials present to ensure the information is classified." Three of the people Harry didn't recognise said that it would be taken care of.
Harry remembered how he and Snape had first begun to converse using legilimency. Using this, he told Snape about the lady beetle, and explained who it really was.
For the first minute, Snape was doubtful, so Harry showed him a memory of a clear picture of Rita. Snape grinned evilly, something which was not lost on those present.
Several scowled at him, thinking it was about the predicament the Longbottoms were in. Snape never grinned, and to do so…
"Do you have something you wish to add?" Dumbledore asked Snape.
"Yes actually." Snape drew his wand, careful not to point it at anyone. James, Sirius and Moody still drew theirs though, levelling it at Snape in warning.
"Accio Beetle" Snape cast, surprising everyone. He caught the Ladybug and made sure it couldn't fly away. Turning his attention back to those in the room, he spoke. "I know how that Skeeter lady managed to sneak into the house, in fact, she was attempting to spy on us right now."
"You see, I was surprised to hear there's actually a law saying animagus' had to register their forms." Snape said sarcastically, ignoring Sirius' low growl.
"Especially when there are only a few people recorded, compared to the amount of illegal animagus' running around." And with that, Snape cast the spell that made animagus' transform back into human form.
There was a collective gasp as the object of their talk appeared in front of the room. She scowled at Snape, but subdued, remembering what was going on.
"Uh, hello Headmaster." She spoke to Dumbledore nervously. His twinkle was back in full force.
Remus returned from a chat with the professors very pleased with himself. When Harry inquired as to what was the occasion he was more then happy to answer.
He and Snape had reached an understanding with an even that had happened, and Snape no longer blamed Remus for it. Harry didn't let on that he already knew about the werewolf incident, instead congratulating Remus on the good news.
Snape had finally dropped the distain usually associated with visits, and the two men were becoming almost friends. Remus also had one other piece of news.
"We were talking about your 'accidental' magic, and how to have more done. Severus Minerva and I think you should wait before doing any more, as so much so soon will be suspicious."
"Suspicious! I'm one year old, how can any one suspect anything?"
"It's not that" Remus corrected. "Minerva said you don't like unnecessary attention, and it will interfere with plans anyway. Children usually start accidental magic when they're around five."
"I am not waiting till I'm five!" Harry argued desperately. I need to practice if I'm going to save my friends! I cant afford that much time. In the end, it was agreed that they would start soon after Harry turned three. Even waiting that long was bad, but Harry did need anonymity. Still that's over a year of using no magic! Harry thought grimly.
Remus did have the upper hand though. They'd decided if Remus could convince Harry to wait until he was at least three, then they could start proper training soon after.
McGonagall had suggested Alastor Moody, now they just had to figure out how to hide his identity from that magical eye of his. The bonus of this was that he'd also been trained in hand to hand combat, like most high ranking aurors.
Kingsly Shacklebolt was also a possibility, and Harry's secret would be kept easier. Remus just had one last point. "Now, you can't go off and get James and Sirius like we planned. I promised Severus that he could be part of the pranking too."
Harry grinned at that, maybe Severus wouldn't be so loathing toward the two marauders if he got revenge. Maybe.
Harry drew his cloak tighter around his small form. He walked the length of Diagon Alley, telling himself he'd be fine as long as he wasn't recognised as a little boy. Who would recognised me though? He thought wryly. He was soon to be three, ad had decided it was time to make preperations.
The place was silent, the shops closed. Still, he kept his face hidden in the shadows of the hooded cloak, and walked with an air of purpose; looking just like a dwarf or goblin would, going about their business, albeit a very shady business, as it was just past midnight, and the street was deserted.
Walking up to Gringotts, Harry entered the wizarding bank and went to the front counter. The goblin he had approached looked at him warily, and Harry was glad of the notice-me-not charms he'd had Remus apply to the hood. His stomach clenched. I can't get found out, not now.
Getting to Diagon Alley had been a problem, but he'd managed to get a bit of money from his mother's purse for the knight bus. He had felt a twinge of guilt as he'd went through it, but that was nothing compared to what he was doing now.
"Good evening." Harry intoned, holding his hand in the goblin signal that meant 'May your gold always flow'. Humans weren't supposed to know any goblin hand signals, as they were from the numerous goblin rebellions and uprisings that had happened through the centuries, and Goblins never trusted outsiders.
It was only when the goblins sent several of their best fighters to support the order that any humans were introduced to it.
That allegiance was in the future though, and as such, the fact that he knew something that no other human should; he hoped, get him a little respect and a better chance for his plan to work. It was barely legal.
The goblin, Montague (by his badge) stiffened, the only sign of his surprise. He signed back 'What is it you are wanting?' and watched for Harry's response.
Harry relaxed a bit; things could've gone a lot worse. He signed back 'help' and 'a business dealing'. It was the closest he could say in the basic signals. Montague gave him a curt nod, before calling over the nearest assistant goblin.
After hushed whispers, the assistant Goblin ran off, and Montague turned back to Harry. "If you'd follow me sir."
Yeah, my updating has been reduced to weekly, but I'm making sure my chappies are longer. Don't be mad, R&R. Please?