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An Old and New World
by Lens of Sanity
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Chapter Fifteen: Let the Chips Fall Where They May
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"Should you not be trying to find some clothes?" asked Hermione. The two strode side by side toward the seventh floor and Dumbledore's Office, Luna wiping her hand absently across her bare chest and looking curiously at the still damp bloodstains.
"Probably." said Luna turning from her friend, and when it appeared to Hermione that she'd done talking the blonde continued, "I would dearly love to take a shower also, but time is of the essence. The attack will begin in a little over five hours ago, so we don't have much opportunity to dawdle."
The tenses of Time‑Turning were not new to Hermione so she just took them in stride, but it was something else which was bugging her, and although the teen had a pretty detailed suspicion, she still had to ask.
"How do you know this, and why do you look so much different? And why does it look as though you've got chunks of your own dead body in your hair?"
"Well, that's because I kind of do have chunks of my own dead body in my hair..." she stated absently. Coming on the stone gargoyle that acts as the guardian to the Headmaster's Office, Luna began another series of hand gestures. When a bright ball of pale blue light sprang up in front of her palms she commanded: "Move out of my way guardian or I shall blast you into rubble, I do not have time to argue!"
The gargoyle just sneered before it was brutally smashed into ten thousand pieces of cold inert stone.
"You did that without a wand." Hermione commented as the two made their way up an animated spiral staircase.
"So I did."
"I've never seen even Harry command wandless magic like that."
"True, but it wasn't wandless magic. I've been living in China for the past four years and I stopped using a wand altogether about a year after I arrived." said Luna, rooting around in the Headmaster's oak desk, and after almost vanishing in one of the massively expanded draws, came across a familiar hourglass necklace. "I've been using Wu Jen exclusively since then."
Suspicions confirmed Hermione briefly wondered if most of the populace would come to the same conclusion, or if it was just because she was friends with people who did not appear to believe there were things which were impossible.
"So you are a time traveller then?" asked Hermione, quietly hoping that she was just experiencing a psychotic episode, and that none of this was real. Unfortunately for her the blonde woman just nodded. "May I ask how old you are?"
Pressing her nakedness against the teenager, Luna wrapped the Time‑Turner around their necks, just before they vanished across time she looked deep into her big brown eyes and answered the query. "Twenty five. And do not worry, this time we are going to win the war."
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"So, what? Everyone died in the fighting or something?" Hermione asked looking out the office window, seeing the school grounds bathed in early afternoon sunlight.
"Meh. They're not dead anymore so who cares." Luna waved if off negligently. "Would you mind calling Fawkes?"
Hermione just looked at her in confusion. "Fawkes?"
"Yes Fawkes, he is a Phoenix." Seeing as she was about to protest, Luna went on, commanding, "Humour me."
"What? Just call his name or something?" The blonde nodded and Hermione uncertainly said, "Erm, Fawkes can you come here please?"
There was a bright flash of flame as the immortal creature appeared between them, then it glared at the naked blonde woman as if to say: Should you not be trying to find some clothes?
"Would you mind fyreflashing us to the outskirts of the Dark Lord's main base?" asked Luna, and the Phoenix looked over to Hermione who kind of nodded, her weirdness meter already beginning to max out.
"Are you implying that I have a Phoenix at some point in the future?" Hermione manically whispered the question.
The two were consumed to the very core in cleansing fire, reappearing on the outskirts of what was once the town of Greater Hangleton, and Luna said, "Not at all. You have one right now!" The bird tilted its head then took to the air, winging off at an incredible speed in the hopes that it may yet support its current bond-mate.
"I-I, Bu-, I, What?"
Hmm, Luna mused, I think I may have broken her.
"Come on," she said aloud, "there is an attack underway and we need to try and call a retreat before they all get eaten by the monster."
Hermione chased after her barefooted companion as she vanished into the dark, ominous looking forest. Despite the current circumstances one thing which was not lost on the girl was a casual use of the word monster.
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Moving the Solace Beam onto her offhand, Tam set about conjuring a flight of infectious arrows, sending them toward the incoming threats. Things were not going well, it was almost a fortnight until the full moon so the werewolves gathered in this forest were far from at their strongest, and it had seemed a better day than most to attempt a small force infiltration.
Yet wouldn't you know it, but they had been expected.
Diving into a clumsy roll beneath the pouncing man, Tam sprang back to her feet and viciously brought her left arm up, slamming her ridge-hand into the side of its neck. Ritual enhanced strength messily taking the creatures head from its shoulders in a vicious explosion of gore.
As soon as she had noticed the ambush, Tam had shot off a Message-Patronus to Albus, who was acting as backup on this mission. It was funny but her other self had never been capable of the necessary emotion to power even the Mist, and here she was new name and body, capable of constructing a powerful silvery Nagini. A small perk maybe when you're frantically sending your fastest spell-string at far too many opponents, but a perk it was nonetheless.
Organ Liquefying Hex, Shadow's Glaive, a Lacero, an Impactus, then back to the Organ Liquefying Hex.
Time and again.
And again.
Again!
Just one more time damn it Tam!
Again!
Just one more.
Again!
Tam took a banisher like a slap to the side and flew careening into a huge tree, but retaliation died on her tongue the instant she saw why Auror Tonks had attacked her; decimated forest floor and small fires taking up the area she had been crouching mere seconds before.
It was a ten minute running battle later before Albus and the reserve force of Order members arrived on the scene riding on the back of Thestrals. Stupid fucking wards even stopped Phoenix travel apparently! Her team of eight were down to five but they had dealt with the initial werewolf pack long before the reserves had gotten to them.
"Push on or retreat?" The purple haired Auror requested orders, from her position tending to her aunt Bellatrix.
Tam and Albus looked to one another.
"They probably do not know we are here and have survived, or there would have been more opponents." said the old man.
"And we are already more than half way through this accursed forest." finished the youthful girl.
"I will escort your team through," Dumbledore informed them, "we cannot permit Amelia's other assault go to waste."
The two teams vanished from sight using various methods of Invisibility, demiguise cloaks, and Disillusionment Charms.
They then made their way deeper into the Forest.
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Cresting a small rise Hermione and Luna were side by side, each overlooking a scene of absolute bedlam, and attempting to come to terms with what was happening. There was a good reason this event came to be known as a Massacre, and it was quite apparent looking over at the sheer number of humans who were down, some sporting burns, and others lying in blood splattered chunks. The majority would still be alive if the information Luna had acquired was as accurate as she believed it to be, but focus was inexorably drawn to their main problem. The sight was of a Phoenix intercepting repeated balls of superheated fire, which were being unleashed from the eyes of a creature which utterly defied description.
"What in Merlin's name is that?" asked Hermione, staring in disbelief at the reptilian monstrosity which was attempting to incinerate the Headmaster, as the old man directed his forces.
"That, Chibi Granger," answered Luna in a distracted tone, taking a deep bracing breath, long and slow, "is a Jabberwock." She closed her eyes and, setting herself for what she was about to do, finished, "...and now I need to go down there and fight it."
"You can't!" She gasped, looking at the horrifying scale of the monster. "You'll be killed for sure fighting that thing on your own."
"Probably." agreed Luna. "You are to sound the retreat as swiftly as you can. As I am sans Vorpal weapon, I am unsure as to how long I can keep it distracted."
Hermione's mouth got as far as opening in protest before the lithe and still bare twenty-something charged off toward the creature's back, chanting unusual syllables under her breath. Hoping her own silencing charms held fast the brunette ran off to do as asked, while clearly frustrated she was at least she was following orders.
First enchantment in place Luna closed on her opponent, but must have been sensed because the gigantic form twisted its neck at an impossible angle, and regarded her with unforgiving eyes of flame. Not slowing in the slightest the woman closed the distance and part trusted, part hoped, Fawkes would save her from frying.
Parrying a claw moving with vicious speed and intent, her second spell lost a measure of its built up energy and she was forced to begin again as she padded up the back of the abomination's rough, scaly hide. Feet shredding to ribbons on the treacherous footing, Luna began what could be described as an intricate dance, had anyone been paying close enough attention to watch her, or if one could be said to dance whilst attempting to run full tilt up a Jabberwock's back. She breathily sang out the chant needed for her spell:
"xīng xīng zhī huǒ kě yǐ liáo yuán"
Intent building in menacing gold light around her shaking fist, the blonde barely avoided the gnashing of teeth, connecting sadistically with the creature's skull. Sick with fatigue Luna tumbled thirty feet to the earth, barely able to make out the vines and trees of the forest rising to her aid. Luna's first spell had activated on command, wrapping time and again around the Jabberwock, and pinning the colossal reptile to the ground.
As Luna met with the mossy earth, the small hope that it would buy enough time for her friends to retreat shot through her mind, this enemy was simply too powerful to be stopped so easily, and they may even take it into their hearts to bring her unconscious form with them when they fled.
Oblivion claimed Luna Lovegood, with a smile on both of their faces.
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Hermione felt a sad smile break across her face as it did every time she looked at that plaque; 'The Harry Potter Wing.' It had been so typical of him to actually pull off something crazy like having the hospital officially renamed, and seeing the words on polished bronze always made her smile in that way.
She was visiting the Hospital because she had been told Luna would soon awaken, and for the first time in months she was allowed to be present during one of these briefings. Something about the fact that Hermione had taken part in the battle seemed to entitle her to actually learn first‑hand what in the hell was going on.
Sitting in the surprisingly comfortable chair Hermione got out the NEWT textbook she had been reading now that her final OWL exam had been sat yesterday afternoon. History, which she just knew she had done terribly on, confusing the leaders of the 1659 Goblin Rebellion with those of the Goblin Revolt of 1695.
By ones and twos the room began to fill; Sirius, Tonks, Tamsyn, and Bellatrix. The Headmaster swept in with his characteristic robes, side by side with Professor Snape. After a little idle chat, Madam Pomfrey was asked to wake the older version of her Ravenclaw friend. There were many questions which needed to be answered, and ever so many more which Hermione had to restrain herself from asking in front of the whole group.
"Hey guys, how long was I out this time?" the blonde woman asked the very instant she regained consciousness. Honestly it was like a bloody tradition or something!
Well it counted as a first polyjuice imposter question at least, and an extended length of time was then invested attempting to further ensure that the woman was actually who she claimed to be. Somehow Hermione had never really doubted that it was the case, fantastical events like these became surprisingly common when people like Luna Lovegood were involved.
"I am satisfied that the young woman is who she attests to be," Dumbledore eventually stated, he had probably been doing his Legilimency thing. "...as unlikely an explanation as time travel appears on the surface. Do you wish to adjourn to my office to discuss your reasons for resorting to this course of action Ms. Lovegood?"
"Nope, I'm good." Luna said cheerfully. "Besides, a bedside briefing is traditional at Hogwarts."
"Would you tell us what happened?" Hermione broke in. "You admitted to me that we all died fighting."
"Yeah you did." she confirmed looking distractedly about the room.
"Well...?" Tonks prompted when it appeared she had done talking.
Surprised by the prompt, Luna asked, "Well what?"
"Do you not intend to share some details, or maybe outline your plan to see that it does not happen again?" questioned Hermione.
"Oh, no not really." Luna said to the surprise of everyone in the room. "And it's not like I actually have a plan."
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU DON'T HAVE A PLAN?" bellowed Sirius, his temper having been a little shorter in recent history. "What kind of person travels back in time without a plan!"
"There is no need to act so boorish Siri. I prevented lots of people from being eaten by the Jabberwock, and after we do a little ritual at the end of next month, I will have achieved both of my goals." Luna informed. "In fact, I am rather surprised the time travel thing actually worked."
The room collectively began rubbing their temples. It seemed that despite an additional ten years of life, Luna's ability to cause headaches without appearing to even try was still running strong.
"Ritual?" Tam asked, being the one with the most perseverance.
"Oh my yes." Luna confirmed getting out of bed. While she had been cleaned up since the battle, she still wasn't wearing any clothes! "Without Harry we cannot win this war at all."
"Harry's dead Luna." Sirius stated absently, finding the sight something of a distraction. "I don't think you travelled far enough back in time."
Arching her back and stretching her arms over her head, the blonde and y'know, stunning woman, let out a long yawn. "He'll get over it. And when he does the chips will fall as they may."
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The majority of the people at Hogwarts were quite put out and frustrated with Luna's turning down of their generous offer to talk about what had happened. Their desire to plot a timeline, figure out how it had all gone wrong, and attempt to prevent the future she had implied from happening had similarly been rebuked, albeit gently.
Greatly perturbed by this stance they had eventually asked for any useful information regarding Voldemort's organisation, and Luna had told them the former identity of what she claimed was the most dangerous Founder. Amelia Bones had apparently been kidnapped, used in the Dark Lord's most recent rebirth ritual, and then later undergone a transformation into "Helga."
This news went a long way to explain how the MLE Director could work so closely with "Gilderoy Lockheart."
"I don't understand why you won't tell us anything about the future, something might be important. We can come up with a plan!" Hermione asked her later that day. "At least put some memories in a Pensieve for us like the Headmaster asked you."
"You know that wouldn't actually work don't you?" Luna said, looking at the young woman strange expression. "A Pensieve is a runic bowl which focuses retrospective Divination, transmuting a memory fragment into the images and emotions of an event which happened sometime in a person's past."
Hermione glanced at the others in hopes of support.
"For example," the blonde continued, "I've seen the memory of you losing your virginity to Viktor Krum at the end of your fourth year, but as I wasn't personally at the event, I couldn't pull the memory from my own mind and watch it again."
Hermione spluttered at the casual mention of her sex life, and Tam gave her speculative onceover. "How does that prevent you pulling out memories of the future which you were present for yourself?" asked the redhead after a moment of contemplation.
"Because my travelling back in time destroyed the entire universe, therefore those events never occurred, and a Pensieve would not be able to Divine any happenings which have never happened. This is why modifying memories is so fiendishly tricky to do to at a high enough standard to be worth doing at all. The modifier is forced to modify the recollection of the event after it was Divined but before it was viewed, and then the modified version needs to be held in the Occluded mind separate from the original, non‑modified version."
Hermione and Tam ignored most of that, correctly guessing that Luna had only added all the superfluous information to confuse them, in the hopes that they would become distracted, get headaches, and stop asking her things.
"Wait," the brunette stepped in. "You destroyed the entire universe?"
"Meh," Luna negligently waved it off. "I also turned poor younger Luna into a pile of gore. It turns out that the method I used to travel back in time stipulated that their couldn't be two of us walking around at the same time."
"So how did you travel back in time?" asked Tam.
Cocking her head to the side the woman sighed. "There was a lot of Arithmancy involved. You two are girls so you wouldn't understand."
Entering the Owlery in search of Hedwig, Luna studiously ignored the twin glares and indignant comments which insinuated that she was a girl.
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Pocketing a Hand of Glory he intended as a gift for his son, Lucius Malfoy stepped out of Borgin and Burkes into a spartan Knockturn Alley. His wife would complain if she knew about it of course, Narcissa was forever telling him that he was spoiling the boy. However Draco was truly coming into his own in recent days, so a present over and above the Firebolt he'd received for his birthday earlier that month was not all that serious an issue.
Striding with purpose between his two constant companions, Lucius mused that the time spent playing host to the Dark Lord he'd been so dubious about, had changed Draco for the better. He was more focused and dedicated to his studies, and was finally applying the lessons which had been taught to the future Head of the Malfoy family in his youth. How to turn things in ones favour, skills at dealing with politicians and the axioms of good business to name just a few. The real things one must know and practice if they aspired to be a leader in this world rather than a follower.
Draco had finally started acting like a true Slytherin, and his father was more proud of the man he was becoming than he would ever be able to express.
There was a flap of white feathers and sharp talons dug deep, painful gouges into his shoulder. A "hoot" activated the familiar feeling of portkey activation. And Lucius found himself in what was clearly a woman's bedroom.
Bouncy music was being sung out enthusiastically from the next room, a stranger's voice, lively and cheerful. Lucius was a Death Eater, and a fairly skilled one, so he did not take the apparently benign surroundings for granted. Especially due to the failure of both apparating out of there, and activating his own emergency portkey. Someone had just kidnapped him and he would not take them lightly. Lucius drew his wand and stood in a professional duelling stance, patiently waiting to attack.
Moments later an attractive blonde woman came into the room dressed for sleep and singing out the remainder of of her bouncy little verse into a hairbrush.
"Heee-ey Yaa-ah, Lucius." Came the cheerful greeting as he unloaded a rage fuelled Cruciatus. Or at least he tried to. After five perfectly cast and perfectly failed spells were attempted, the woman admonished, "Now that is just plain rude Lucybear!"
"tiān xià wū yā yí yàng hēi"
The woman's hands came up and the elder Malfoy's world went black.
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It had been more than a month since the arrival of time travelling Luna Lovegood, and her subsequent abduction of the Head of the Malfoy family. The man had not woken or stirred in the least since he'd been hit by whatever spell the blonde had used on him. For all intents and purposes he was deep within a magically induced coma despite Luna's protestations that it was nothing of the kind.
They had managed to wheedle some information from the woman, but in Tam's opinion she was even more annoying that Harry could be when he was intentionally attempting to be infuriating. Essentially Tam had learned that the war was lost because Voldemort actually was more powerful, more intelligent, better supplied, had more allies, and was considerably better at planning than they were.
From Luna's comments over the past several weeks, they'd gathered that the Founder's Objects Voldemort had collected and turned into Horcruxes, still contained numerous active enchantments. Not only was Godric the most magically powerful, but the Sword gave him superior battlefield enhancements in physical strength, perception and so on.
Battle Focus.
Basically this made him unnaturally capable in combat situations.
Only Luna had stated that Helga was the most dangerous, and after considerable effort they had eventually pinning her down as to the why of this statement. The Hufflepuff Cup's original use was primarily for healing, and this property made Helga sane. Absolutely, one hundred percent, totally and completely, sane!
She would always do the thing which made the most sense, in every situation, and from Luna's vague description Tam had concluded that this was truly far more dangerous than it appeared at first glance. Helga seemed to be the kind of person who would, at the first opportunity, simply shoot James Bond!
And while she was not a Dark Lord herself, this concept actually offended Tam.
At one point in her memories she had wanted to be a Dark Lord. Only, what was the point of becoming a Dark Lord at all if you just shoot James Bond?
Visibly calming herself, Tam looked over the graveyard at Godric's Hollow for a long moment.
The rest of the Founder's Objects had other enchantments which were each, in their own distinctive way, terrible news for their side. Not to mention that there was apparently some bleed through from having them walking around which gave Voldemort, who was the primary piece of soul, a little extra edge he otherwise would not have had.
According to Luna, nothing they could possibly try would succeed, and in the long run Voldemort was going to win.
Which was why they were here on the 31st of July, the anniversary of Harry Potter's birth, attempting to go through a variant of the same ritual Voldemort had repeatedly gone through, on the off chance that Harry was not as dead as he appeared to be. Tam didn't think it was going to work, she'd tried to think of ways to attempt this herself, but the magic just wouldn't work like that.
You couldn't heal death plain and simple.
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Okay so, Lily Evens-Potter's femur, taken from her gravesite on the day of the ritual.
"Bone of the ancestor, unknowingly given, you will renew your descendant!" Luna muttered the necessary words aloud even as she mentally checked them off.
"Blood of an Adversary..." Lucybear was nice and awake, screaming obscenities behind a Cone of Silence. She approved of this, if you were going to perform a hideous ritual at someone's expense, it was at least good manners to allow them to voice their dissatisfaction. It was funny but this man was actually more potent an ingredient than Voldemort would have been, given that his son had killed Harry originally, he had been the one to force Harry into Azkaban, and had been the target of considerably more of his vitriol than anyone else.
And lastly Flesh of a Servant...
Bellatrix really was a darling. It'd been a shame she died in the Holy Forest Massacre. Luna hardly remembered how sweet the woman could be. As Luna finished her mental checklist she thought back to a long conversation the previous evening getting the woman to promise not to chop off her entire hand despite making the ritual slightly more likely to succeed. Bella had eventually conceded that filleting her Dark Mark into the rebirth potion was symbolic enough, and would have the added benefit of still being able to use both arms when fighting...
Fighting for Harry, was kind of the main point that needed to be addressed,
Luna looked over to the redhead, who had some pretty serious doubts about this being at all possible. She could conceivable have told Tam that this was actually her future analogue's idea, however that would be nowhere near as fun as watching the woman spin herself out of shape trying to figure out what the hell had happened once it worked.
In the other future, the expert on Horcrux magic had ultimately come to some of the same conclusions as Albus in regards to Harry's scar. And that the proto-Horcrux soul fragment really had entangled with Harry's soul. Only Horcruxes were physical objects, so when Draco killed him, Harry's life had been anchored on this side of the Veil thanks to Voldemort's Horcrux.
Harry's soul had survived by hiding out inside his forehead.
All the diagnostics they had run on the corpse simply confirmed that his body was dead, and the stupid bastards had never even checked that his world famous scar, the one widely known to be involved in ground breaking soul magic, still contained soul energy.
Shaking her head at the idiocy Luna unceremoniously dumped her old friend's rotting carcass into the massive cauldron and signalled it was time for the show to get underway, it now being only a few minutes from high noon.
One of the things which sucked most about the old timeline was that, by the time Tam figured out her mistake, Voldemort had already torched this place with Fiendfyre.
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Right, where am I? And what in the hell happened? And why do I taste hot sauce?
Harry was swimming in darkness, his thoughts scrambled with incoherence.
I was talking to that Vampire guy, and we had a few drinks. Oh yeah, we were attacked. Shit! Malfoy killed me: Lame!
His eyes cracked open and he found himself standing stark bollock naked, up to his knees in a large cauldron, and with a fair sized crowd looking at him.
Hmm.
"Buenos dias cockbites, guess who's back!" Harry's opening comment was ignored for the most part, as everyone seemed to be staring kind of lower than he was expecting, or indeed thought proper. "Erm, Albus my eyes are up here you know?"
The old man had the grace to blush and Luna, who seemed to be on an Aging Potion, clearly fought back an outright laugh. Looking down at his body Harry noticed the reason for such undivided attention: he believed the medical term to be "priapism."
"Perhaps one of you could conjure me some pants?"
"No!" wailed Bella.
Lips quirking Harry asked, "No?"
"You can't let that go to waste Harry!" she said.
"You are aware that you're nine years older than my mother would be right?" Bella shook her head as if to say 'I don't care' and Harry arched an eyebrow. "You really want to do this Bells?"
"Gods in heaven: Yes!" Bella screamed, and at his acquiescence grabbed onto his, well it wasn't his arm, apparating the two away with a loud crack.
Some days it is just good to be alive.