Tamper with Time

Written by: HoshiHikari

Disclaimer: I do not own HP! That's right, the characters still all belong to J.K Rowling As for the plot, it might have been done before, so I won't take credit for that either

Summary: Complete darkness had befallen across the entire world, wizardry and Muggle alike. The final battle between Harry and Voldemort takes an unexpected turn. Now, the remaining survivors are thrown back into time. Harry must now face a younger and stronger Voldemort, the Voldemort that is currently at the height of power. Can Harry fulfill his destiny before the entire world collapse around him and is consumed by Darkness…again?

Author Notes: "…." talk Italic thoughts/dreams /…/ Parseltongue Snake language underlinetext/letter/writings bold/italicslyrics from songs

Author Notes, Notes: Ok, most people if not all were confused with chapter 15 and those who have reviewed have made that quite clear. Don't worry, I will explain everything, though the choice of which character to do so, might end up more confusing, as the old man does tend to keep what he believes is not necessary to himself.

Thanks to all who reviewed! I'm going to update my bio often so please check it out

Chapter 17

"It's great to see you again Professor Dumbledore." Harold smiled warmly, taking his first glance at the stranger since the other had appeared. "No, the pleasure's mine. Always mines. Harry." Dumbledore replied, before stepping aside to reveal one more. "Wouldn't you agree, Cedric?" From behind the Headmaster, the sixth (? In book four) Hufflepuff Quidditch captain appeared, returning a warm smile.

"Cedric!" Xi was the first to make her way towards the Hufflepuff. However, as she passed Harold, a firm hand was laid on her shoulder, squeezing it slightly, pulling her back a step or two. Stone had cleared his throat loudly a couple of times. Xi caught on and held back.

"Cedric, I'll like you to meet a few people." Dumbledore cut in, eyes gleaming madly. "Professor Harold Stone" Stone and Diggory shook hands. Diggory was beaming up at the man. "Professor Jay Wolfe, Professor Samuel Swell, and Professor Xi Zhang" They each exchanged a hand shake. "or you may know them better as Harry Potter, Professor Remus Lupin, Professor Severus Snape and Cho Chang"

"It's an honor Mr. Potter" Cedric spoke softly, extending his hand again to shake it. "I cannot Thank You enough, for everything." Stone nodded mutely, taking the hand. He did not know how to respond, so instead look over the boy's head at Dumbledore.

"It's quite reassuring to find you alive Headmaster" Dumbledore smiled at his pupil. "Ah yes, time travel, its such a fascinating subject matter, not to mention quite useful." Stone sighed. "I should have known." He paused. "So now, what time period do you exist in?" he asked curiously. "Reliving the Harry Potter school years" The headmaster winked at Harold. "Making sure I don't make the same mistake twice." "yes, yes of course. I assume you now know what's best for him…" Harold trailed off. "not even close." The headmaster's eyes were twinkling with mischief. "even now, the boy surprises me to every extent. He conceals his secret well."

"and James and Lily?" Wolfe asked from the side, pausing, and hesitating. They all saw the headmaster's whom they knew very well, and was very different from the current headmaster, face darken turning palled. It had dimmed considerably. "I will not answer that, Remus. You know perfectly why. The same reason you do not share the truth and the past with my younger self, is the same reason that I give you." Wolfe growled, "then why are you here? Why do you even bother to show up? Why the hell do you prick into everyone's lives and then leave a bleeding wound?" he snapped at the elder, quite inappropriately.

At this moment in time, Stone stepped in between the two with a weak smile on his face. "Sorry Headmaster. Remus is a bit worked up nowadays." "aren't we all?" his guardian retorted. "after last night's…" Wolfe stopped in mid sentence as Stone came abruptly over and whispered in a deadly tone. "Hey, be cool. There are guest and they are here on their free will. The last thing I need is you chasing off someone who may be able to help us. Perhaps answer some questions, or maybe help clear up some matters with certain events." Wolfe nodded numbly, before muttering a "sorry Headmaster"

No one spoke for a long time. Finally Stone motioned the visitors to sit down around the table. "Butterbeer?" he asked, taking a seat across from Dumbledore. The others gathered around the table, sitting down and making themselves comfortable as they knew that they would be staying for quite some time. "No thank you" Both visitors said giving a false smile.

"So Harry, I assume you have questions." Dumbledore spoke, leaning back, elbows resting on the table. Harold nodded. "I will try to answer them." Another nod. "However, before we start, we must understand what is occurring." A couple of scattered nods.

"I have said this before and I will say it again. You have shown bravery beyond anything I could have expected of you Harry. Once more, I wish for you to relive the night that Voldemort had reborn. No, not what happened last night, but the night it occurred, when you were merely at the age of 14."

Harold sucked in a sharp breath. He had told his tale, but never the full tale. The horrific images remained forever locked in his own mind. No one aside from himself could ever come close to comprehending what had occurred that night. "Harry, I have already spared you pain of relieving your entire childhood. I have already retold the past of Harry Potter as he knew it to Cedric. You need not to retell it."

"Is the past, the past that we knew it" Stone gesture at himself and the others. "different from the future, or what is to you now as the second past that exist"

Dumbledore did not respond immediately. When he did, he chose his words very carefully eyeing each of his former pupils. "There is no created path. No destiny, no fate. No prophecies. Those exist for we wish it to. Human's wish and fantasize of what it could have been, and how it could be. Nothing of that magnitude truly exists within the realm of the universe. There is no set path. We must create and make it ourselves with our choices, choices that will fill our most fervent desires. We make our own decisions, we choose are own paths, we befriend our own friends, we mark our own enemies. Everything lies in the Choice. Therefore, there can be no set future. You have not completed your time here. How can the future be laid out? Each minute a person lives within a time not of their own, no matter how long or short the period is, history is completely erased and rewritten, over and over again. I've said this once, and I will say this again. Indeed both Tom Riddle and Harry Potter share many similar characteristics and traits. However both of you are very different ends, entire opposites. Voldemort is not Harold Stone and Harold Stone in no way is the Dark Lord. Until the day the past catches up with the present, there is no future."

"So in simpler words, you won't tell us what has occurred. You will not interfere with the mistakes that I have made, nor the ones that I will make." Stone spoke smoothly, only stopping when he knew there was no way he would come out wining. "Correct"

"Now Mr. Potter, if you would please. You must bear in mind that neither Cedric and I will stay forever" There was no room for argument. Thus, Harold told his tale of the night Voldemort was reborn, the way it should have been. Everyone listened raptly, attentively, never missing a beat. There was a short silence when he had finished. Seeing that there was no response, he spoke once more of the events, this time retelling what had occurred the night before.

Swell listened softly. By the time Harold had finished with the second version of events, all eyes were pinned on him, as though waiting for an explanation. Even Dumbledore had lost the twinkle in his eyes, and was bearing down upon the man. Swell swallowed hard, but kept his composure at least enough to speak slowly and clearly. "I saved his life…again. The brat isn't grateful." Stone rolled his eyes, giving him a deadly glare.

"I told you clearly before you entered the maze Potter. I told you to be careful. I gave you the wand as proof. I told you I will be there" Stone said nothing, his finger touch the ring as though finally remembering it was there. "Take it off and look closely at it." Harold did so, curious. Inscribed on the inside was the Snape seal. Swell continued.

"The Dark Mark was glowing fiercely that night. I didn't say anything, as I knew that panic would assure. Besides, no one is to know that I use to be a Death Eater." Swell paused. "The moment you sent the sparks, was the moment the ring notified me that you were in danger, also the moment when the Mark felt like it could kill. The ring led me to you. I had apperated a good three minutes before the Mark came to life and pulled me with it. Before I knew what was happening, I appeared with the rest of the Death Eaters at that destination. I was confused, but from experience was able to adapt and act fast. I played along with the Dark Lord. More then once I've let slip, gave hints of informing you of my loyalties. However, it never did really get through that thick skull of yours. I had taken the Cup, as it was my expected task. I had to play my part. When I did reappear on the outskirts of the maze, I ran. I felt terrible for leaving both of you like this. However, as little as Albus' appearance may have been, I did feel slightly better. Yet, I didn't and was worried. I was blaming myself. For the longest time, I sat and moped. When nothing did happen, I finally decided to do something, even if I was going to be caught. I focused my energy on that single ring on your finger. It was difficult, but as it later proved, I did portkey you out."

Swell trailed off, letting his explanation, his side of the story sink it. Stone listened carefully, and for once he was willing to listen. Everything that was said did make sense. Harold had shut away Swell and accused him at the spot. He never really given it much thought. Now, though, after a day's thought, it all seemed to fit. He continued to finger the ring.

"It's true." The silence broke with Cedric. "Harry, I remember. There was a light, a pure light. It started with your hand, before engulfing us entirely. It must have been. It must have been the ring."

"Professor, I'm sorry." Harold said at last, turning to Swell, whom he hated. "For a moment there, I really thought…." "It's in the past Harry. Besides, that wouldn't have been what you really thought. It's a two sided spell. A part of you, a small part of you knew it. That is the only way it could have worked." "I suppose I did know. Deep down I knew. That was why it had been a big blow. I had and still trust you 100 percentand you seemed to have just thrown it down the gutter."

"Well, I am glad that, that is sorted." Dumbledore spoke briskly. Stone let out a sigh of relive. "me too." He paused. "Professor, how did you end up there?"

Dumbledore seem to smile. "I told you Harry. I will not make the same mistake twice. After you told me what occurred that night. I was keen on preventing it.. As anyone else who knew and could have done so, I took the chance and followed. I was not going to let an innocent life waste away."

"Thank you." Stone whispered. "You guys don't know how much this support means to me."

"but I do not understand something." Wolfe spoke again, a frown on his face. "How is it that there can be a reversion of the same event where the past and the present get entangled with each other so that it resembles something entirely new and different?"

"Ah, at last, we come to this" Dumbledore muttered, stroking his bread. "Even I do not know the answer to that. I will try my best to explain.

Time travel is a very obscure form of magic that is avoided by everyone, both sides. The consequences are too severe. It is not a thing to be played with. The time a person is back in time, that person is rewriting history, adding a new chapter to the already made world. By the time the person gets back, the present is entirely different and rewritten. Though yes, some events are the same, yet it is only a mere resemblance of the truth, of what has actually occurred. Therefore, the longer the person is in the past, the more dangerous the present is. Everything seems to be the same, but it is different. A parallel universe. It is filled with familiarities, yet it is a strange world to be in. Time travel creates a rift in time, a wrinkle in time. The life of a time traveler will be forever changed. Do you understand this concept?"

"A rift in time….A wrinkle in time" Wolfe murmured, before nodding for the headmaster to continue.

"In this case we have many rifts in time. Time is so unstable that anything can push it off balance. The line between the past, present and future is so thin that it can overlapped and in return drag someone through, or in this case, fall through.

Anything that reminds you of the past, will bring back its memories. The first Head of the House tournament resembled so much of the final task of the Tri-wizard tournament that it brought back strong memories. With a mix of a fragile time and the resemblance, two candidates, Harold and Samuel, ended up falling through the whirl of time and was brought to the present."

"Whoa, wait, back up" Swell stirred. "You mean to tell me that it wasn't a dream, a false reversion." "It is as real as you and I, Severus. For two hours of last night you and Harry were once again back in the future, or more precisely the present." Dumbledore corrected. "What happened last night will forever be written in history. To everyone else besides those within this dwelling, it will be the only version. It is a fact that has, sadly to say replace the other." He paused, before turning to Harold. "The occurrence of the real past will lie burry within you forever, and only you will able to relive the memories of what had happened."

"So, we participated in rewriting history? In creating another future that is parallel to what I have grown up with. If I was to say, I went back to the future, and randomly asked anyone of what occurred, they will speak of the reversion. They, no one will have any idea of the other set of memories?" "That is correct my boy." "So, when we did escape, then we were thrown back to our respective times?" "That is correct my boy"

Harold had his head between his hands. He couldn't absorb everything in at once. He needed time for it to sink in. Dumbledore must have noticed, for he got up, startling the others. "If that is all, it is time that we return." He nodded at Cedric who stood up as well. The two existed through the main entrance.

"Professor" Harold spoke again as they left. He quickly followed them. "There's one more thing" "eh?" Dumbledore glanced back at him. "only one thing?" "Well, no, actually not." Harold admitted. Dumbledore must have sensed something because he gestured Harold to follow him, leaving Cedric to wait at the doorway. The two walked out of the dwelling to a decent distance, but close enough to see the Hufflepuff and visa versa. Stone put up a silencing barrier, just for a precaution.

"Do you know anything about Voldemort?" Dumbledore raised an eyebrow. "I meant, of this time. He's been awfully quiet for a while. If I remember correctly, this is his first reign. He should be at the peek of his powers. We should be hearing about him every day." Dumbledore closed his eyes, and then reopened them. "Harry, the moment you mess up time everything changes. Of course you may assume that is the case. However you keep forgetting that you now and forever will, exist in an entirely parallel universe to what you have grown up accustomed to. You may assume that, but never be sure. Do you know what I mean?"

Harold nodded, even though he did not. All he knew was that Dumbledore made his point of refusing to answer the question. "and another bothersome factor?"

"It's Peter." Dumbledore raised an eyebrow. "Pettigrew?" "Yes, Wormtail." Stone didn't really know how to say what he wanted, no needed to say. "I…I…Albus…I…Harold Stone brought, started the whole misfortune on the Potter family. I…I sprung the whole thing…with my accusations of Peter. I shouldn't have done that. I…can't fix it, as what's done, is done. I can't just let what I know will happen, happen all over again."

Dumbledore's eyes seemed to soften, before hardening. "Forget about Peter, Harry. What's done is done. Like you said, it cannot be fixed. All that can be done now is to tread softly. You must tread softly. There is a bigger Rat that needs to be caught. In time, you will learn that Peter will not be of your concern."

"A bigger Rat?" Stone swallowed hard, quoting the headmaster. He didn't like the idea of a bigger, unknown traitor within the mist. The older man, just smiled knowingly. He did not elaborate, not even after Harold tried to push it. There was an odd, deadly glint in the headmaster's eyes as it stared into the distance. It was a look that scared Harold. A look that was used only while facing Voldemort. Stone could not imagine who as on the other side, he dared not imagine. Dumbledore was known for giving second chances. The look told the younger man that whoever it was, wasn't going to get it. The look promised the same fate that Voldemort was bound to receive.

"Professor, are you alright?" The man did not reply. Harold gently reached out and touched his shoulder, causing Dumbledore to retrain his eyes and stare at the other. "sorry. Anything else?"

"One last thing." "Just one more thing?" Harold nodded. Dumbledore waited for him to speak.

"I'm lost. I find myself digging deeper and deeper into darkness. The harder I try to fix things, the worst it becomes. Professor, the world before me comes crumpling down around me. I've built a web that I now find my self entangled before. I'm suffocating Headmaster. I fear, if I do not break free soon, I'll…."

"Harry, it is just one mistake. It isn't the end of the world. It won't be for a long time to come. You must realize that you are human. You too have your own limits."

"I know…but.."

"Harry, it isn't easy. Nothing is easy. You have already done more then anyone can ever hope for. It is not easy to be that one man, out of a handful, out of an infinite number of men, that can alter history and succeed. You have already taken up generation after generation of burdens and place it onto your own shoulder. You must realize that because of this, you must sacrifice, release and let go some of the minor things. You cannot always be there fore everyone and change every little thing. You are human Harry. You should be proud of what you have already accomplish, and let go of the things you can't."

"I know….it's just…"

"Harry, this has been indeed stressful for you. I understand that. What has happened the last few days have come in waves and you cannot be blame for your actions. Any other man would have broke long ago."

Harold raised an eyebrow.

"Let me give you some simple advice. I would not carry this burden alone. You already have your guardian's to confide in. Do so. Otherwise, if you do not wish to then, find someone else you know and trust and share it with him/her. Remember, we are all here to help. I am here to help. My doors are always open to you, and always will be. Go find that someone, and ask for their advice."

Stone smiled as Dumbledore gripped his shoulders reassuringly. "Don't worry, everything will be fine." He paused. "Now, it's near dawn. Cedric and I really must leave."

"Yes, yes, of course."

Harold watched as Dumbledore motioned Cedric to come over. The boy slowly made his way here.

"er, Professor, What happened to Harold Stone." He blurted out. He had to ask that. It had been bugging him ever since Stone appeared ghost, yet solid like during the Third Task. Dumbledore studied him up and down once. "I believe that the answer lies in you. I think you already know." "but…" Cedric was now standing next to them. "remember what the sorting hat said regarding your ponderings of the Orb of Destined Fate.

Are you Harold Stone, or are you Harry Potter? Do not try to be someone that you are not…In order for you to succeed, you must find the real you with in. Remember, Harold Stone and Harry Potter are two different people. Who is your past, present and future? The time will come when your decision will alter the future, your future….You must answer that, in order for you to see past what has already been shown to you by the Orb, which I repeat once more, shows the truth"

Stone's mouth hung open. There was no way that the Headmaster could have found out about that. He wanted to say, 'how did you know', but instead it came out "you know about the Orb?"

Dumbledore only gave a knowing smile at that, before turning to leave. He and Cedric slowly walked off toward the rising sun.

"Professor Dumbledore! Will I ever see you again? The you, that I have known throughout my life, and have confided in since time began? Not the you that is currently teaching, but the you that we have together faced life and death?" Stone yelled after them.

Dumbledore did not turn around. He did stop though.

"No, I believe this goodbye is forever. Of course we will meet again, but by that time the Albus Dumbledore you meet will be my counterpart, will always be my counterpart, the one at school. Like everyone else, and the world that you have grown up and been accustomed to, I will only exist, live on and remain forever in your and your guardian's memory. You must understand Harry. You now exist in a parallel universe. I'm afraid that is what time travel does. It rewrites the entire history or should I say future. Nothing…nothing will ever be the same. No one, will ever be the same."

"Then…then I guess this is Goodbye….." Harold seemed to hesitate. "and Thank you….thank you for everything."

Well hopefully the confusion has ceased, or became a minimum. If not, then more will be slowly explained. Review!