Harry stood in the back corner of the room beneath the invisibility cloak watching the others file in. He had smiled when he saw Mr. and Mrs. Weasley enter the room, looking younger than he remembered but he laughed when Mrs. Weasley began shouting about on how to organize everything correctly. Some things really didn't change.
He felt a stab of sadness when Tonks entered the room. She was currently wearing bright pink hair that could probably glow in the dark and was apologizing for knocking over the coat rack and making a racket as she came in. Her future was only one of many he hoped to save.
He nodded his head a little as Kingsley Shacklebolt entered the room. The man had done much for Harry, Ron, and Hermione in the days, weeks, and months after the war ended, done much to set things right for everyone across the country after the mess Voldemort had made and many of his implementations were still enforced today. He was retired now, living in a cottage out by the coast.
He just smiled when Bill Weasley entered. It was strange to see him without scars but he still had that cool, relaxed posture that Harry had seen when he first met him all those years ago. Or, a little under a year ago from this day.
His face turned grim as Mad-Eye Moody walked in, his wooden leg thumping across the floor, and his eye flicking everywhere. Harry knew that he, after Snape, would be the hardest to convince of his story. His eye was now pointing at Harry who knew that his cloak did nothing to help against it. Dumbledore had already informed the man of Harry's presence but he still glared at Harry with open suspicion. Harry didn't mind. His story did sound like nonsense. So long as he was able to save them all.
Part of him was disappointed Hagrid wouldn't be here. Of course, the half-giant was currently in the mountains attempting to negotiate with his brethren alongside Madame Maxine. But it would be good to see him in this time.
He felt his heart twist and his breathing quicken when Remus Lupin walked in. The man looked haggard, his clothes as shabby and worn down as ever. Harry wasn't sure if he was ready for this. This man had had one of the hardest lives of anyone Harry knew and had it stripped away from him just when it started getting better. He was one that Harry desperately needed to save. But there was one other…
And Sirius Black walked in.
"Hell, I hate that woman," he muttered, finally having managed to shut the curtains of his mother's portrait after Tonks woke her up. "We have got to find some way to remove her. Do you think we could try blasting her again?"
"Absolutely not!" Mrs. Weasley admonished, waving her hand. "Not after what happened last time. The confounded spell rebounded and nearly took off our heads. No, better to just leave it there and make do."
"Ugh," Sirius sighed, rubbing his eyes with his hand. "Alright, let's get this meeting over with then. What's it about then? Has Snivellus got another report of his outstanding bravery for walking into the basilisk's nest again? Because if I have to hear it one more time, I'm going t-"
"It's not that," Professor McGonagall interrupted. Of the three present for Harry's arrival, she was the only one currently here. "It's…hard to explain. I'd best let Albus do it."
"Hmph," Moody growled, eye still swiveled on Harry who gave him a wink. The man had once intimidated Harry but since then he had also joined the Aurors and become one of their top operatives. Now Moody only slightly intimidated him.
Plus, he needed the distraction. Because whenever he looked at Sirius, he felt his gun clench. He could still clearly see his godfather drifting away into the Veil and leaving him behind. That was why he had chosen this moment, among other reasons. If there was one thing he could not let happen, it was his godfather's death. He wanted this Harry to have something of a happy life after this, a parent there for him. And Sirius deserved a life after being denied one for more than a decade. No matter what, Sirius had to live.
Snape suddenly entered the room, taking a seat at the far end of the table, eyes still vacant as if lost in thought.
"Hey there, Snivellus," Sirius greeted and Harry saw Lupin roll his eyes. "Do we have any more exciting tidbits of your bravery in the face of death this evening?"
Snape didn't respond. In fact, it looked like he hadn't even heard Sirius, still staring at nothing.
"Snape?" Sirius asked, snapping his fingers a few times but still got no response. He turned to McGonagall. "What happened to him? Did he drink the wrong potion and lose his memory? Because if so, there are so many things tha-"
"Sirius!" Lupin said sharply, elbowing his friend. "I think that's enough. Are you all right, Severus?"
Still, Snape did not respond.
"Severus received some startling news this evening and has not yet been able to process it just yet," McGonagall explained.
"Are you all right, Minerva?" Kingsley asked. "Your hands are shaking."
"Yes, well, what happened was unprecedented, to say the least. I-I'm still not quite sure what to make of it myself." The others all shared looks of concern at that announcement. Except Moody. He just glared even more at Harry who was actively not looking at him now.
"Well, what is it?" Tonks asked, her chair squeaking as she shifted in it.
"I…I think it's best if Albus explains it."
"Yes, where is Albus?" Lupin asked. "I thought he called this meeting."
"He is attending to a few things first. He should be here shortly." Harry knew that those things were the memories he had taken from himself and given Dumbledore for extra verification. He wanted to ensure trust between them. Otherwise this wouldn't work. Of course, his actions tonight should help solidify that. But just in case, he had selected the memories of his first real meeting with Dumbledore at the Mirror of Erised, his and Dumbledore's conversation after the events with Quirrell and the Philosopher's Stone, and their conversation after the events in the Chamber of Secrets. All three had no one else present and the memories had been taken straight from his mind. Hopefully, they would be the final proof Dumbledore needed, if he needed any at all.
The man was also collecting the item Harry had requested.
Suddenly, they heard a knock on the front door. "Ah, that would be him now. Molly, if you wouldn't mind?"
As Mrs. Weasley went to open the door, Harry wondered what his younger self was up to now. Probably hiding underneath the bushes at Number 4 Privet Drive to listen to the news without Uncle Vernon catching on. Trying to escape Dudley and his gang of bullies. That felt like a lifetime ago. In a way it was. And yet, it was also happening right now. And there came the headache he had been expecting. Yeah, time travel was weird.
Dumbledore walked in as Molly closed the door behind them. "Thank you all for coming on such short notice. Sorry for my delay, had to verify a few things first. And I wished to check up on Podmore."
"Did something happen to Harry?" Sirius instantly asked and Harry realized Podmore must be guarding his younger self that night.
"No," Dumbledore assured him. "Just wanted to be sure. Now, to the reason I have gathered you all here. Earlier tonight, a man appeared before me who claimed to have knowledge that would defeat Lord Voldemort."
At that announcement, the whole room sucked in their collective breath. Harry could see the Weasleys gasping, saw Lupin's eyes widen in disbelief, and Sirius frown in confusion at Dumbledore.
"Who was he?" Kingsley asked.
Dumbledore hesitated for a moment. "He claimed to be someone that I believed would be impossible. And yet, he proved it. Several times over in fact to the point where I have no doubt he is who he claims to be. You may not believe it at first, but you will."
"Well then, where is he?" Kingsley asked.
Dumbledore glanced to where Harry was standing. "Perhaps our guest would like to introduce himself."
The others all followed his gaze and gasped in shock as Harry pulled off the invisibility cloak. He was reminded of the moment many years ago when he had pulled a similar move against Voldemort in the final battle, revealing he was still alive to everyone. Now it would have a different effect.
Sirius was the first to see it and his eyes bulged in realization, knocking his chair back in shock as he shot upward. Then slowly the rest of the room realized it too. Lupin gaped at him while Mrs. Weasley sank heavily into her chair. Tonks nearly fell over in her chair but just managed to catch herself in time. Kingsley merely stared, not quite sure what he was seeing. Moody fingered his wand, his eye narrowed so much it was practically closed.
"Ho-h-how…what?" Sirius stumbled over his words.
"Hey Sirius," Harry said to him, fighting to hold back tears. "It's good to see you again." He looked around the room. "All of you."
"This can't be possible," Lupin muttered.
"That's…that's Harry," Mr. Weasley said. "But…that can't be Harry."
"It's me Mr. Weasley," Harry told him. "It's really me."
"How is this possible?" Kingsley asked. "Some kind of age-progression potion."
"That's a thing?" Harry asked, eyebrows raised. He hadn't heard of it before. He'd have to ask Hermione when he got back.
"It's a Death Eater trick," Moody growled, gripping his wand tightly.
"Wouldn't the better trick be for me to appear as my younger self?" Harry asked with an eyebrow raised. "Cause me appearing like this would just make everyone suspicious."
"So we should be suspicious of you?" Bill checked, frowning.
"I would be," Harry admitted. "But you don't have to be. I really am Harry Potter."
"He is," Dumbledore said and the room fell silent. "I had my doubts but he had passed every method of verification that I could think of. As hard as it is to believe, this is indeed Harry Potter."
Sirius had been staring at Harry with a similar expression to the one Snape was wearing but at Dumbledore's words he snapped out of it. "B-but how?" he asked.
Harry smiled and pulled out the Time-Turner again. "I traveled back," he explained.
"Time travel," Lupin breathed.
"So…" Bill said, folding his hands together as he leaned forward, "you came back from the future? Is that what you're saying?"
"Yes," Harry nodded. "From the year 2021."
Mrs. Weasley let out another small gasp while Mr. Weasley continued to simply gape at him. Harry had found their shock to be a little funny at first but now it was quickly becoming uncomfortable. "Look, I know this is a lot to take in but I promise you, I'm really me. Just a little older. And possibly wiser, though I think G…my wife might be the better judge of that." He decided not to tell them he was married to Ginny. That might make things awkward for him and the Weasleys present.
"You're married?" Sirius asked in a soft tone, as if not daring to believe it.
Harry smiled, thinking of her. "Yeah, I am. I, uh, have the life I wanted. The family I wanted."
Sirius sank back in his hair, a look of wonder on his face.
"So then why come back?" Lupin asked. "Why are you here? You're trapped here now."
"No, I'm not," Harry replied. "Temporal magic has changed in the last couple decades." He then quickly explained how his version of the Time-Turner worked. "So, once I'm done, I'll just head back home."
"Which then brings us to the main objective of this meeting," Dumbledore interceded. "Harry here is from a time when we have defeated Lord Voldemort. He is now bringing us the information to defeat him without losing more lives."
"Exactly," Harry nodded. "I can tell you exactly how to beat Voldemort."
"More lives?" Tonks questioned. "How many of us die fighting him?"
Harry gave her a sad look. "Enough," he replied after a few seconds. "I'm not saying who…or I might say a name or two to help prevent them. But the majority can be prevented easily once I explain how to stop Voldemort. And knowing who dies won't help you. It'll just weigh on you. Trust me, it's better if you don't know." The others didn't seem too pleased with that, but Dumbledore nodded for him to continue.
"The first thing you need to know about Voldemort is why he didn't die when he tried to kill me at Godric's Hollow. Professor, I think you already suspect the answer at this point but haven't confirmed it yet," Harry checked.
"Perhaps," Dumbledore nodded. "If what you are talking about are in fact…"
"Horcruxes," Harry nodded. "He used Horcruxes."
The others all frowned at the word except for Moody, whose eye widened a little and he cursed under his breath. "That's serious dark magic," he muttered. "That makes sense. Should have seen it before."
"Why?" Tonks asked. "What is it?"
"A Horcrux lets you split your soul into different pieces," Harry explained and the others all winced at the description. "Yeah, it's not pretty. Basically, Voldemort tore his soul into seven pieces and placed those pieces into certain objects, hiding them."
"That's horrifying," Tonks muttered.
"But it does explain a lot," Kingsley said, nodding his head.
"Am I correct in assuming Horace Slughorn's involvement?" Dumbledore asked.
Harry nodded. "Yeah, his memory confirmed Voldemort wanted to make several Horcruxes. Took a while to get it from him, he was pretty stubborn about it."
Dumbledore nodded. "But you did get it, and that's what matters."
"Slughorn?" Moody questioned, eyebrows raised. "The old potions instructor? What does he have to do with any of this?"
"He taught Voldemort back in his school days," Dumbledore explained. "Back when he was just Tom Riddle, an exemplary and charismatic boy before he truly became what he is now. I long believed that Slughorn provided Riddle, however unintentionally it might have been, the information Riddle wanted."
"He told Voldemort that it was possible to split his soul," Harry confirmed. "That was all he needed to move forward."
"Why on earth would he do something so monumentally stupid!" Moody growled, slamming his fist into the table.
"Tom Riddle was, as I said, very charismatic and persuasive as a boy," Dumbledore told him. "There was very little he could not coax out of someone. Slughorn probably detected no malice from him at that time."
"And Slughorn wasn't all that bright to begin with," Harry added.
"That as well."
Moody sniffed. "Knowledge like that should be destroyed, not shared," he muttered under his breath but still loud enough for everyone to hear. To him, giving anything to Voldemort even back then was an unforgivable crime. Given what he had been through, Harry was inclined to agree.
It was also why he had hidden the books about Horcruxes instead of returning them. They were protected by magic so he couldn't destroy them easily, but he could at least do his best to make sure they were never read again. Magic like that shouldn't be used again.
Moody grumbled something unintelligible, leaning back in his chair.
"So, You-Know-Who left his soul in seven random objects?" Mrs. Weasley asked, still clearly uncomfortable saying the man's name.
"Six," Harry corrected, shifting a little as he said it, not willing to divulge the actual seventh one just yet. "The seventh part of his soul is still in his body. And they're not random. He chose each one for a reason. It took a while to track them down but we did it."
"We?" Lupin asked.
"Me, Ron, and Hermione," Harry told him.
Lupin nodded, smiling. "Thought so."
"So we destroy these objects and then we can kill Voldemort," Kingsley surmised. "Is that right?"
"Yes," Harry nodded. "But unfortunately, it's not as easy as it sounds."
"When is it ever?" Tonks asked no one in particular.
Harry smiled wryly. "Horcruxes are protected by serious dark magic. It takes a powerful weapon to destroy them, something there is no real cure for. I really only know of two methods. One is Fiendfyre."
Nearly everyone in the room collectively winced when he said that, Sirius whistling softly. Harry couldn't blame them. He could recall perfectly the feeling of pure heat and the fires raging around him as he tried to escape the room of Hidden Things after Crabbe set the demon fire loose on it.
"What's Fiendfyre?" Mrs. Weasley asked.
"Demon fire," Moody growled. "Exceptionally dark and dangerous magic. Only ever came across it once. Saw five good wizards go down before we finally put it out." He glared over at Harry. "You actually used it?"
"No," Harry told him. "Or at least not intentionally. A…Death Eater follower used it on me and Ron and Hermione to try and kill us but we managed to escape. The Horcrux we were after got caught in the flames and broke apart."
"I attempted to control Fiendfyre once and was barely able to contain it," Dumbledore said and Harry's eyebrows went up in surprise. "I never risked it again. I believe Voldemort is the only one able to wield that power accurately, and very little at that. I do not think it is a viable option for us."
"No," Harry agreed. "What we used for our Horcruxes was Basilisk venom."
"Basilisk venom?" Tonks echoed. "Like from the one in the Chamber of Secrets?"
"Exactly," Harry nodded. "There really is only one cure for Basilisk venom which is phoenix tears. It's so destructive that it breaks down the dark magic of the Horcrux and destroys the piece of the soul inside."
"Great!" Sirius clapped his hands together. "So let's just take a stroll into the Chamber and harvest some venom. Snape, that sounds right up your alley."
"I do not think that will be necessary," Dumbledore interrupted while Snape frowned at Sirius, finally awakening from his daze. "If I am correct in what Harry is saying, we already have the perfect weapon for destroying Horcruxes."
"Yes, Professor," Harry said, smiling. "If you could please bring it out."
Dumbledore did so with a flourish, the sword of Godric Gryffindor shining in the soft light of the room. Several of the others gasped softly at the sight, Bill Weasley especially taking an interest to it.
"Wait, why is the sword…" Lupin started before his eyes widened in realization. "Because you stabbed it."
"Right. When I fought the Basilisk, I stabbed it through its mouth into its brain and its venom soaked into the sword, empowering it. Now, it can kill Horcruxes."
"Beautiful," Sirius grinned.
"Goblin made," Bill commented, nodding in appreciation.
"That's great and all, but can we move on to where these blasted Horcruxes actually are?" Moody asked no one in particular.
"Yes," Harry agreed. "Voldemort, when creating the Horcruxes, didn't want any old objects to do. As you may realize, he is extremely vain and proud of his own superiority and wanted certain objects important to magical history to serve the honor of holding his soul. Specifically, objects related to the founders of Hogwarts. Like this sword."
"The sword is a Horcrux?" Lupin asked, looking closely at the blade as if he could see the dark soul inside.
"No, no," Harry quickly said. "No, Dumbledore and I think he wanted to use it but never got hold of it. Instead, he used other items. A goblet belonging to Hufflepuff, a locket and ring belonging to Slytherin, a diadem belonging to Ravenclaw, an-"
"Diadem?" Tonks questioned. "What's a diadem?"
"It's like a crown, like a tiara," Lupin explained, holding his hands above his head in the shape of a crown. "You know?" Tonks looked at him amused and he blushed a little while Sirius just looked at them strangely.
"Wait, Potter are you talking about the lost diadem of Ravenclaw?" McGonagall asked. "But that's been lost for centuries. How did Voldemort find it?"
"Coerced it out of the Gray Lady," Harry told her. "He hid in the Room of Hidden Things." All he got were blank looks as he said that. "You know, the Room of Requirement." Still just blank looks. "Oh, right, I forgot you haven't seen it yet. It's a room of Hogwarts that will appear to you when you really need it. Like a bathroom," he nodded at Dumbledore whose eyes lit up.
"Ah yes, so that's what that room was," he nodded. "I thought it looked familiar. It's nice to know Hogwarts still has a few more secrets left to share. No matter now though, I have the diadem." He pulled out the diadem for everyone to see. Harry had asked him to collect it earlier, explaining how the room worked and where it was. The others all crowded forward to see it, at first in astonishment at seeing the fabled diadem and then with unease as they remember what lurked within. It looked exactly as Harry remembered it, just a discolored old tiara that didn't look like anything special. And yet he could practically feel the evil emanating from it. From the soul within it. He nearly took a step back from it but held his ground. He didn't like being this close to it. To him. It made his whole body shudder in horror. He just wanted to take that sword and end it right now.