Chapter 39

Harry flicked through the images.

They'd taken extensive photos with film and digital when they'd raided the facility.

Even now looking back at the experiments they were shocking, shocking to him. Which was saying something for a man who had tortured people to death.

Harry smiled a grim smile to himself and wished the sun wasn't shining so brightly through the window. Such bleak thoughts that he was having weren't meant for sun filled days such as today, they were already heading into autumn. Sun wasn't meant for such dark times.

Finding the facility had not been beyond difficult, he'd used similar techniques in the 1970s, he'd used those same techniques to find Draco's holiday hideaway.

Harry returned his focus to the images and wished he hadn't, what they had found there was distressing. That was putting it lightly, very lightly in fact.

Irritatingly the wizards, and they were all wizards or witches there had not had a lot of information, despite a vigorous debriefing session performed by himself and Judith. Ioan wasn't the debriefing type, but after what they'd all seen he'd been tempted.

The subjects did not appear to have gone into the experiments willingly.

It had taken a liberal use of fiendfyre to stop the fully grown Krynoids, and even then in its death throws it had managed to put the spell out. Even through the biohazard suit he was sure he could smell the gag inducing mix of mulch and human bodies rotting, burning.

Everywhere there was evidence of intense magic at work, not to control the Krynoids but to manipulate them, or something.

Some of the wizards had tried to escape, splinching and spraying their bodies across the room as they hit the anti-apparition wards in their panic or determination to leave.

Some others surprisingly committed suicide, either through it seemed breaking an unbreakable vow or other forms. It was surprising to him at the time.

What information they had gathered supported the other information he had been collecting for some time.

They'd not mentioned any affiliation, but to have the sizeable facility away from prying eyes meant that they had to have some support within the Ministry. None of that was mentioned exactly, but during prolonged "interviewing" that had been alluded to.

It did lead to several questions, none of them had good answers and none of the information he'd learned in the past few days changed anything.

"Harry?" Called a female voice of which he knew well and it made him smile.

"In here Daphne," he called as he closed the image viewing program and setting the computer back to background monitoring of the other computers which took in monitoring feeds from his satellite and space observation array that was mostly hidden out in the fields outside the house. He was relatively sure they weren't due for any invasions this year, however from what he'd gathered from the Doctor this year's Christmas would be the last 'quiet' Christmas for a few years.

Daphne walked in and gave him a controlled smile that asked if what was on the screen was something that she could be looking at, Harry smiled back at her as they kissed.

They, or rather he had slowly been getting used to the idea that there could be someone in his life, regularly, that he didn't work with and didn't want to kill him. It was a novel experience, one that he enjoyed very much.

"It will soon be Christmas Harry," Daphne said in a serious tone.

"As is indicated by the sun outside refusing to give way to snow, ice and cold weather," Harry commented.

Daphne looked at him slightly annoyed as she sat down on the sofa he'd placed in his study as this was where he seemed to have a lot of his conversations, or it seemed his serious conversations. The less serious ones involved tea and biscuits, though some of the serious ones also-

"Harry," Daphne arched an eyebrow.

"Sorry, distracted." Harry exhaled in thought and looked to the computer again. It held a record of the things that had disturbed him, but what he'd witnessed had been far more disturbing, and the reasons why still alluded him, aside from building to a wider picture.

Daphne's expression softened. "Is there anything I can-" Harry shook his head.

"These are my nightmares to bare Daphne," he smiled gently over to her. "You said something of the Christmas period approaching?" He asked.

Daphne watched him, seemingly judging his response for a split second. Then she tensed, he'd not seen that expression not just on her face, but playing out across her body. "As our," she paused. "Relationship has progressed, my mother and father would like to meet the man that I have become acquainted with."

Harry looked over at her in mock surprise. "Do I get to meet this man?" Daphne smiled at him. "It is something of a formality, with many families wishing to meet their sibling's partners."

"Not really something I know much about Daphne." Harry got up from his chair to sit down with her, embracing her in a hug.

She relaxed into his arms. "It is not something formal, Harry. Just a formality of family life."

"I don't remember Ron ever saying anything like that going on between Fleur and Bill, but Mrs Weasley didn't really like Fleur anyway," Harry mused.

Daphne sniffed in amusement. "Perhaps the Weasleys, no. The Weasleys historically have made some interesting choices."

"Like the mad cow," Harry grunted.

"Your name for the youngest Weasley, Draco found it most amusing," she commented.

"Draco would," Harry muttered. "We, I mean us and Draco should also go and see Barbara and Ian, thank them for their hospitality properly, now that we're back in our own time zone."

"'Back in our own time zone,'" Daphne repeated him. "So quickly terms like that become pedestrian Harry." She turned around to look him in the eyes, they were full of amusement.

"Does that worry you?" He asked curiously.

"No," She said with a smile that stretched past her lips.

-/

"Maybe I should have bought a bigger chai,." Harry commented as he dried his hair. "Though I did buy that one for sitting and having conversations on, not-" Harry lost his point of musing as Daphne exited the bathroom.

"Not?" She asked amused.

Harry shook his head. "Nothing."

"So, will you agree to attend?" She asked as she dressed and dried her hair with a wave of her wand and watched as Harry rubbed his hair with a towel, still amused that he did it that way.

Harry nodded. "When and where?"

"2 weeks prior to Christmas Day Harry, we would not want to intrude on any Christmas celebrations you have," she said as they continued through the house to the kitchen.

Harry nodded, though he didn't really have any celebrations planned, his had been scattered in recent years, and would be even more in years to come. Usually he used it as time to reflect.

"There are no concerns to be aware of when we are to meet?" Daphne asked carefully.

"There's nothing in the calendar," Harry answered, the concerns Daphne was alluding to was his knowledge of the future from the Doctor.

"Where is this calendar of yours Harry?" Daphne asked curiously.

"In my head mostly," he admitted.

"Very likely the safest place for such information," Daphne mused.

"That doesn't guarantee there won't be trouble," he warned said "but hopefully there's nothing that will happen."

Daphne nodded. "We shall be meeting at my family's Kensington residence," She paused and smiled over at Harry. "So you may travel in whichever conveyance of your choosing." Harry grinned at her. "My sister will not be joining us, she has decided to broaden her experiences in the New World."

"Can't she pop back?" Harry asked, Daphne stared at him.

"From the New World Harry?" Daphne asked amused. "Apparaition over such distance is difficult even for an experienced wizard. The portkey for her to travel there was lengthy in its bureaucratic preparations."

"Like muggle international travel then," Harry mused.

"Though still quicker, those muggle procedures." She shook her head.

Harry passed her a mug of tea. "There was one aeroplane that I wish I could have shown you, Hermione and I flew on it while I was investigating something in America," Harry explained with enthusiasm. "It flew at faster than the speed of sound!"

"Flew?" Daphne asked curiously.

"The authorities grounded the fleet. I've been looking into the feasibility of…" He trailed off shaking his head. "Even for my organisation it's a bit of a luxury for the small amount it would be used, but I had some great ideas to make it more useful," Harry pondered.

"What you need is a partner Harry," Daphne said. "I'm sure my mother and father will find something to speak to you about."

Harry's eyes went wide. "You're not just going to leave me to talk to them Daphne?" He asked in a slightly panicked tone that made Daphne's eyes sparkle in amusement.

"I will be there Harry, you need not worry about being asked of the price of gillyweed on the open market or how one attains a licence to import certain materials."

"Or who is shagging whom at recent dinner parties," Harry muttered.

"Now there are two less hosts," Daphne commented idly.

"They did try to kill us," Harry pointed out.

"Harry plenty of people make threats, it's a way of doing business, I don't kill every person who threatens me." Harry stared at her. "But I understand why you removed them." She watched him. "And all their items from their home."

Harry raised an eyebrow at what she was getting at. "Everything related to them was nullified and dealt with by capable authorities."

Daphne smiled mischievously. "I have my business Harry Potter and you have yours, I think it would make our lives quite boring if we didn't have secrets from one another."

"Not just secrets, 'confidences' I think you've called them," Harry said equally as playfully.

"Of course Harry Potter, confidences are just as important as secrets," Daphne said as she wrapped her arms around Harry embracing him. "I saw your bag, planning a getaway?"

Harry chuckled lightly, his bag, his expanding bag which didn't use magic but was still larger on the inside than without. It was one of the many items he had and used regularly that fascinated Daphne.

"No, just a quick visit to go and see a friend, I need a consultation on something."

By his tone Daphne could tell it was something that was worrying him and embraced him in her hug a little tighter. "This is your most recent task you undertook?" She asked, already knowing the answer.

"Yes. There are some troubling things that I'd like a more detailed answer in."

"That are outside of your considerable talents?" Daphne asked teasing slightly.

"My talents are varied," he paused smiling at her. "But some expertise occasionally lies outside of what my associates that I work with."

"How long will you be gone?" She asked as the broke apart from their embrace.

"Hopefully no more than a day or so," Harry said.

-/ - \\-

He'd driven up, much to the displeasure it seemed of the Headmistress. Though he had sent a letter asking if it was okay for him to come up to the school.

The school may be unplottable, but that didn't stop the town from being on some maps, and unlike last time when he'd needed a train to get here, he'd done some extra work and found several tracks that got close to the town and therefore the school.

"Mr Potter, you decided to pollute the serenity of Hogsmeade once again with this contraption of yours," she said eyeing him as he got out of the Defender. It was covered in mud from the recent rain and even some snow that was beginning to fall.

It was quite removed from his house in the south of England, coming back here to Hogwarts.

"Why you can't use the floo network like a normal person," she said shaking her head at the Defender.

"I'm not a normal person Professor," Harry said as he slung his bag over his back, fastening his coat.

"No, that I do agree with Mr Potter," she said, Harry couldn't tell if she was joking, though there was something in her eyes, maybe the hint of a twinkle of amusement, or it could be a bit of grit in the air, you never could tell with Professor McGonagall.

"Professor Longbottom has taken over-"

"Professor?" Harry arched an eyebrow in surprise.

"Yes Mr Potter," she said annoyed he'd interrupted her. "Professor Longbottom has taken over Professor Sprout's classes, Pomona has decided to move out into the private sector, with Professor Longbottom showing that he is very capable within the role," she finished with some pride.

"Are we in danger of losing you to retirement as well Professor?" Harry asked in a half joking half serious tone.

The question seemed to ruffle her. "Certainly not Mr Potter, while I live and breathe I shall be at this school, someone has to teach the students here."

Harry laughed. "Good to know you'll continue to surprise children with your catty antics." The Professor looked over to him with a mild glare.

"So what is it that you would like our herbology professor to advise you on Mr Potter? You seemed perfectly knowledgeable on your previous visit."

Harry nodded. "Has all the damage been repaired following my previous engagement here?"

"Per your and your" she paused. "Associates' instructions, yes, all related matter was incinerated and the site cleared and repaired."

"I am quite knowledgeable Professor," Harry said picking up from her previous question. "But I have something from a recent" he paused, the memories of what he saw flashing through his mind for a moment. "encounter." He said after a moment. "Something that I'd like an expert opinion on, from a magical horticultural perspective and certain interactions that might have happened." Harry explained in as vague yet specific terms as he could.

They came to a junction in one of the corridors they had been walking down.

"I believe you know the way to the greenhouses Mr Potter, Professor Longbottom should be finishing a class in a few minutes."

Harry nodded, he'd forgotten that Hogwarts still had students in it. He'd not really thought about it the last time he'd been here. But this time he would likely be walking past students. "Thank you Professor."

"I will be in my office should you need to speak with me further Mr Potter," she said Harry looked down the corridor that led to the greenhouses when he remembered there was something that he wanted to talk to the Professor about, but when he turned around she was gone.

Harry frowned looking around for a moment, she couldn't have disappeared that quickly.

-/

It seemed he'd arrived a bit early, with Neville inside one of the greenhouses teaching, it was odd, to see his old school friend in there teaching. Of course he'd been doing a bit of that the last time he'd been up here, and they'd sent a few letters back and forth since then. Harry was determined not to let their friendship fall by the wayside. But seeing him in there with all those young students, it was odd, and none of those students would have to worry about giant snakes in the plumbing or psychotic Defence teachers or the possibility that they may not even survive the year.

Then in between his musing the door opened and the students were pouring out. As they left he caught bits of their conversation. "What have we got next…who's that?...maybe he's a professor….he's not a professor…looks like a muggle…does he even have a wand…"

"You'll be the talk of those Slytherins this afternoon," said a voice from within the greenhouse.

"That's what I set out to do when I was lurking outside, be the talk of a bunch of Slytherins. Centre of attention, that's where I want to be," Harry commented sarcastically as Neville lead him through to his office.

-/

"Grown here at Hogwarts in one of the new Greenhouses built after" Neville paused as he poured the tea. "After your visit last time." He looked at Harry a little bit worried. "You're not here to cause more destruction are you?"

"I'm not Sutekh Neville," Harry joked.

"No." He smiled. "It's good to see you though, your letters are as infrequent as they are vague Harry."

"I'm busy Neville," Harry defended in a joking tone, "there's always aliens around and magic and all the things in between."

"I also heard you were dead for a while." Neville dropped into the conversation casually.

"Oh?" Harry asked just as casually.

"Along with Daphne Greengrass and Draco Malfoy."

Harry threw up his arms. "You've caught me out Neville I've been in the Caribbean having a threesome sex romp with those two!"

Neville just about managed to not spit out his tea. "Funny Harry."

"Rumours of their deaths were propagated only as long as they were useful for me," Harry said more seriously.

"And you?" Neville looked at him.

"I couldn't give a flying fig if people thought I was dead. Not that I care much about Draco either."

Neville looked surprised at him. "Draco?"

Harry mentally swore at himself, and at Daphne, and for that matter Draco flipping Malfoy. "Malfoy."

"Now you've got me worried Harry," Neville said as he recovered from nearly choking.

"Why?"

"That you might be in a relationship," Neville said in a semi-serious tone.

"With Daphne, not Draco," Harry said. "Not that we're publicising it or anything." Harry quickly added.

Neville smiled broadly and then laughed. "Harry Potter, in a relationship. Good of you to join the rest of wizarding folk."

"And what of your good self Neville Longbottom?" Harry asked jovially.

-/

After some time chatting together, something that they hadn't been able to do the last time he'd visited Neville put down his cup with a note of finality.

"So Harry you didn't come all the way up to Hogwarts just to chat, though it's been nice to talk with someone normal."

Harry smiled. "If you're taking me as a reference to normal then the other people you're chatting with must be quite unusual."

Neville laughed. "You know, scars from the war, memories of…" He shook his head.

Harry nodded in silence, after a few moments he reached into his bag and pulled out two glass cylinders and placed them on the desk, both had biohazard symbols stencilled in black. He then removed another two, these had the same symbols in red.

The four represented 2 of the stages of transformation that he'd found at the facility, in human and in Krynoid form. One canister contained as uncharred as he could find and the other contained charred remains following the fiendfyre, the spell that had been combated in some way by the Kryonoid.

"These samples I collected at a recent raid on a facility. They're remains," Harry said as Neville was tipping one of the canisters from side to side, he carefully put it down.

"Remains?" He said in a dull voice.

Harry took a breath and prepared himself to be as neutral as possible with the information. The reality had been more horrific. "At the facility my organisation raided there were experiments involving the creature we combatted here at Hogwarts."

"The krin-something?" He asked eyeing the canisters carefully.

"Krynoid. We thought when we did out cleanup we got all the seedpods."

Neville stared at him. "You don't think you did?"

Harry shook his head. "No," he replied darkly. "Analysing what I saw and the remains goes somewhat beyond my abilities, and that of my associates."

"I thought you were an expert in aliens," Neville wondered.

"Just a capable amateur, but this level of magical manipulation, I thought I'd come to someone who has some expertise," Harry said Neville blinked as he realised Harry was speaking of him.

"Me?" He asked. Harry nodded. "Harry I'm-"

"A Professor at Hogwarts Neville," Harry reminded.

"Yes, it's a title I'm still getting used, to, filling Professor Sprout's shoes-"

"Gum boots more like," Harry interjected, earning him a look from Neville.

"Don't you have experts Harry or you?" Neville looked at him hopefully.

Harry shook his head and for a moment had a flash of memory of one of the people they'd debriefed talking impassively about their experiments young people. Harry suppressed a shudder as Neville looked at him. "As I said I've got experience with aliens and magic, but this…your herbology knowledge far exceeds mine," Harry paused. "And I think the spells that were cast on these" He paused again thinking of a neutral word that didn't allow a look into the horror Judith, Ioan and himself witnessed. "Samples were possibly based in herbology," Harry stopped.

"Or?" Neville pressed.

Harry pursed his lips. "Or the other arts of magic."

Neville nodded slightly but didn't say anything for a moment as he regarded the canisters. "What do the symbols mean, I remember seeing them when you and your friends were at Hogwarts last time."

"It's a muggle symbol for biohazard," Harry explained.

Neville shook his head. "Biological hazard," Harry clarified.

Neville put the canister down carefully, watching the substance within as he did.

"The black one is ash," Harry paused. "After I used fiendfyre on them." Neville's eyes widened as he looked at the canister again. "There shouldn't be this much remains Harry."

"I know," Harry exhaled. "The red ones are a lot more volatile I'll give you a suit to wear if you want to take the remains out of the canister. They're the remains that were much less charred." Harry finished, Neville had a sick look on his face.

"You mean this used to be…?" Harry nodded.

"Plant or human the two become indistinguishable in the process," Harry quoted, it was in a report, though the quote was supposedly from the Doctor.

Neville seemed already distracted. "I should be able to give you an idea what they did to this" Neville stopped. "To the person this used to be."

"People," Harry corrected without much emotion in his voice.

"People?!" Neville asked, alarmed.

Harry nodded, he didn't really want to elaborate further on exactly how many people had been involved in the experiments.

Neville seemed to lapse into thought before realising that Harry was still in front of him.

"This might take more than today Harry." He said looking at him.

Harry nodded, he'd thought it might and said so. "I'll stay in Hogsmeade-" He was cut off from saying anything further.

"You won't. Prof-" He shook his head and smiled a little bit. "Minerva will let you stay and there are guest quarters in my section of the castle."

Harry nodded. "Fine, but I'm not eating in the Great Hall." Neville laughed. "I'm merely someone from a League looking for a professional opinion."

"I understand Harry, you got enough pointing and staring when you were here before," Neville said sombrely.

Harry nodded slowly.

"I suppose you brought some muggle vehicle." Harry indicated he had. "You should move it up to the stables, they're empty at the moment but it'll be away from Hogsmeade," Neville said rising, making sure the canisters were firmly on his table, and then made his way to the small fire at the side of the office.

"Thanks Neville, I really appreciate this."

"It's not everyday a paranormal investigator comes asking for my assistance Harry," Neville answered.

-/

Harry had left Neville to his work, and his classes.

He'd wondered around the grounds for a while, it seemed like Hagrid was out somewhere.

It was very strange returning here, this time in the full light of day without anything dangerous or terrifying around.

Those things only lay in his memories and his imagination, or out in space or away from Hogwarts.

Compared to his time here Hogwarts was a bastion of safety, there were of course still dangers, he had no doubts that the Forbidden Forest was still forbidden, that the whomping willow could still throw and crush you into the ground if you got too close, and that fright and discovery still lurked in the corridors of the school.

Harry wondered why no students, at least during his time never returned, either to consult Professors or as visiting speakers or other things like that. He knew from Hermione that things like that happened in universities.

It was, during these musings that he realised why he was musing at all, it was to distract himself from the uncomfortable feeling he had here, that he didn't feel the last time he was here.

Last time was full of danger and potential death.

Now, here, while there was danger it was more of a perceived danger, something that had the potential to injure.

He didn't like it, nor did he like the feeling of having nothing to do but wait, it was…annoying.

More than annoying in fact.

He supposed he could go out for a drive, but he wanted to stay on site in case there were any problems, he could go to Hogsmeade, but did the town hold anything special to him, aside from the same feelings as being here in the grounds of Hogwarts?

It was early in the afternoon that he found himself wandering back up the castle and at the foot of the stairs to the headmistress' office, the stairs and door and everything seemed…he couldn't place it.

Maybe it was that he liked danger and excitement, as both Hermione and Daphne had suggested to him on separate occasions.

That the lack of anything to do, or the promise of safety was what was getting at him.

"Who wants to be safe all of the time?" He muttered to himself as he managed one knock on the door.

"What have you got my Herbology professor into this time Mr Potter?" Asked with arched eyebrow the Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

"Only the very tip of the iceberg Headmistress," Harry said as he walked in and took the chair offered with a slight gesture of her hand. "I have seen the totality of the nightmare and it is not something that I would want to get Neville or anyone at Hogwarts into." Harry said.

Tea arrived, or maybe it was there hidden by a book, and was poured with efficiency through the wave of a wand.

"I suspect there is a 'but' to come from you Mr Potter."

Harry smiled gently at his old Professor.

"I've been curious about something," he said, Minerva McGonagall looked over her glasses at him.

"I have known you for many years Mr Potter, this is a question that has more than just made you curious."

Harry had to hand it to her, he doubted she was doing things that Dumbledore did, but there was something in the woman's observation and phrasing that was somewhat miraculous.

Instead of giving her the satisfaction, for the moment of an answer he just dipped his head in an affirmative as he took a sip of his tea.

"It's Hermione's Time Turner."

"Ms Granger's Time Turner?" She asked, somewhat surprised by his question.

Harry nodded. "An incredibly powerful piece of temporal mechanics given to a young woman for the purposes of attending extra classes."

"Ms Granger as you well know Mr Potter is very intelligent," McGonagall countered.

Harry blinked and wondered if he'd stuttered or missed a word. "I've been to the Department of Mysteries and seen the time turners that remain," Harry paused. "I've walked through the winds of time," he continued, though he admitted to himself he was being somewhat dramatic with his turn of phrase. "Time travel is incredibly complex, complicated and fraught with the possibility of paradox," he paused again and looked around and then back to his former professor. "And yet a Time Turner was granted for use by an, admittedly highly intelligent, though still young witch," he paused again. "To attend more classes?!" He exhaled slowly so he didn't swear.

"I'm not sure what you're asking Mr Potter," she watched him carefully.

"Did you ask to use a Time Turner or was it a suggestion put to you?" Harry asked.

McGonagall shifted slightly. "The Ministry offers several things to Hogwarts, work experience placements, scholarship funding, places for graduating Hogwarts students, and yes Mr Potter the chance to use valuable Ministry equipment that is not often used by the Ministry itself."

That was a lot of information, which Harry filed away in his mind for another time. Of all the things listed he'd never heard of anyone, at least during his time at Hogwarts getting anything aside from the Time Turner out of the Ministry.

"So, who in the Ministry offered you the use of a Time Turner, and were there any stipulations on its use?" Harry asked.

McGonagall shifted again. "That is privileged information Mr Potter."

Harry raised an eyebrow and set his tea cup back in its saucer. "Need I remind you Headmistress that it was someone in the Ministry that endangered your school, it was myself and my associates that saved it from further damage." This information did not seem to sway the Headmistress. "I am also a registered and paid League, I have powers and privileges of my own." He mentally added 'like the location of what looked to be a mind analysis machine that a subsidiary of UNIT had in storage.' It was something he intended to liberate from them at some point.

The Headmistress looked over her glasses again, regarding the not quite threat he'd just made to her. "I am quite aware with what you and your League professionalise in Mr Potter." Harry wondered if she was going to pick up her wand and ask him to leave, but instead she just gazed at him.

As they held one another's gaze if Harry mused on whether he could hypnotise her. As the silence progressed he was coming to the conclusion that it might be possible. He wasn't sure what she was trying to do, he was friends with two Time Lords, one of which had taught him how to influence people through gaze, another who destroyed planets, regimes and civilisations for a living. Himself, well he'd faced mad cows and megalomaniacs and while she'd been intimidating at one point in his life, the gaze of Minerva McGonagall was not that now.

After an amount of time had passed she broke her gaze with him and took a piece of parchment from her desk and wrote some names on it.

"There Mr Potter. Those are Ministry individuals who assisted with a variety of elements from the Ministry to Hogwarts and her students. The offers are never made by one person."

Harry took the letter and noted the present tense but didn't say anything.

"Thank you Headmistress." He took the rolled piece of parchment, he'd read it later, lest he reveal anything he knew about the names in front of the Headmistress. Just in case. "Neville's offered for me to stay tonight should I need it."

"I am aware Mr Potter," she said.

"I won't attend in the Great Hall, I'll remain away from the student body," he said as he rose from his chair.

"Very well Mr Potter, it is good not to have the students' study disrupted, especially in the lead up to their Christmas break."

"Of course," Harry said, inclining his head slightly. "Good day Headmistress, and thank you."

-/

Harry left the office wanting to read the list of names but there was a time for restraint and he'd waited this long to get some answers.

Mostly he hadn't gotten any answers to the logical questions he'd asked.

That was annoying that those questions of sense and logic concerning Time Travel hadn't been answered.

Draco was knowledgeable in the dangers of temporal travel, yet the question seemed to just flow over McGonagall.

Although, Harry mused, she hadn't been too accepting of the idea of aliens, or that the Krynoid could be an alien.

There was also the fact that Ginny wasn't the only nutbag out there, and that there was a spectrum to all populations and some were nuttier than others.

He briefly thought of the Room of Requirement, but he wasn't sure what it might create in his current mindset, so instead opted to go and find Neville, the names he could read later in the day.

Neville he found was cleaning up after a class.

"First Years." He explained as he gestured with his wand and some smashed pottery reassembled itself. "Where've you been?"

"Threatening the Headmistress, yourself?" Harry responded casually.

-/

He and Neville shared an evening meal, he'd said he still didn't feel comfortable at the head table looking down at all the houses.

Him being here gave him an excuse not to sit up there with the other, much older teachers.

Now it was later, much later into the night, with them musing on the past.

"Do you ever…about the war?" Neville asked trailing off and coming back to the subject.

Harry nodded. "Sometimes," he paused. "I…I went to Cedric's grave." Neville looked over to him. "I think I'll continue to go to his."

Neville nodded.

Harry briefly flirted with telling Neville about his recent extra-temporal adventures. But then quickly dismissed the idea, that he had been, not once, but twice to a time before Neville's parents were tortured and even fought alongside them. That would be too much he thought for the man opposite him to know.

After some silence Neville broke it.

"Well Harry I've got to get going, still some papers to mark of my students' work. I have some spells and a few plants in proximity to your canisters and should have a better idea in the morning."

Harry rose from his chair with Neville. "I hope some of those shoulds turn into wills."

Neville looked at him strangely for a moment and then laughed. "There's nothing certain with that level of…" He trailed off. "Complex magic applied to wizards." He said in a more serious tone.

Harry walked with him to the door.

"I'll see you in the morning Harry."

"Good luck with your paper work." Harry said as he closed the door.

Now he was alone with the list McGonagall had given him.

The names on it weren't a surprise.

Some of them he recognised, others he didn't, one of them he'd killed himself personally in the past. One of them, had seen fit to send him to do his bidding it seemed. Andrew Fuller, the man in the Ministry who'd sent him to Shakespeare's Globe.

That place was one of a long list of things he'd still not got an adequate answer for how it came to be active.

Many of the other names he didn't recognise, but it was something to add to his big board of suspicious things.

-/ - \\-

The next morning he awoke to a smell he'd mostly forgotten, the smell, or rather the smells of the various breakfast items of Hogwarts, it took him crashing back to his life at Hogwarts.

Both the good and the bad, it was, like much of his time he'd spent here over the past less than 24 hours strange, an experience he wasn't keen to experience again if he was totally honest with himself.

The past, this past, should lay in the past.

There was a note beside the table of food from Neville saying he'd risen early to check some experiments including ones pertaining to Harry's samples.

The food was as it smelled and the memories also, quite strong.

He was glad he hadn't gone to the Great Hall, the nostalgia it would have brought would have been quite odd, bad even.

In the end he'd chosen some fresh fruit, all of it out of season, something he'd never really considered before until he escaped Hogwarts and lived as a regular person, away from all of this. That seasons might have an impact on when food was available, though even that wasn't really true, one could go into any large chain of supermarkets and get food from different countries. Mostly though he bought his food in the local village closest to his house.

The fruit presented here tasted as it did, bursting with flavour, with intensity and sweetness. In fact everything he'd eaten tasted as he remembered, or even more so.

"No who's being paranoid?" Harry mused to himself as he dropped the piece of bacon he'd grabbed from a plate.

It wasn't that anything was unnatural, he doubted that wizards had any knowledge of flavour enhancers, but perhaps it was just his life outlook had become more cynical, that food shouldn't elicit such a strong intense reaction of nostalgia like this. But it was more than that.

It was like the food was at pains to prove that it was better than the world beyond Hogwarts.

Whatever it was he didn't like it, and left breakfast with a strong desire for an egg and bacon butty with the slightly burnt bits and the far too milky tea that would accompany it.

He looked to the breakfast table and wondered if he should risk a glass of orange juice he decided against it and left the room with most of its food intact.

-/

He found Neville in his office, where he mostly expected to find him.

Neville looked up, but his expression was not bright and chirpy as he'd been yesterday. It was troubled, sickened, worried, concerned. It was a somewhat duller expression that Harry had faced when he looked in the mirror after the raid. "Harry." Neville motioned for Harry to take a seat and moved over a tea tray pouring them each a mug of tea.

The tea, Harry was pleased to realise, was just that, tea, with imperfections around some of the flavours, it wasn't as perfect, as well made as the breakfast. It was something he wanted to bring it up with Neville.

It couldn't just be the House Elves, or maybe it was just his memory cheating and then becoming suspicious about how accurate his memory was.

"By your expression I can only guess that you've found something," Harry said after a moment of enjoying a sip of tea.

"Yes Harry," was all Neville said as he pulled out a folder that was unlike most wizards used. It was dirty and held various pieces of parchment within it. "Some of the samples defied analysis."

"Defied?" Harry queried arching an eyebrow.

Neville shook his head, an ambivalence of sickness and excitement playing over his features. "It was if one of the samples was ignoring, shrugging off my initial attempts to test it, to see what it could do, what it was capable of."

"That's…" Harry was at a loss for words.

"These samples weren't the first generation of Krynoid," Neville said, testing the word.

Harry nodded, he was relatively certain that the seeds had come from the one that was created at Hogwarts, it was the only place a seed pod could have come from.

Neville shook his head, seemingly anticipating what he'd been thinking. "It wasn't from Hogwarts Harry. Hogwarts has a unique…" He trailed off and then shook his head. "There's a reason plants cultivated here are prized, why they can stand up against students working with them, why the whomping willow is so violent and intelligent," he paused. "Hogwarts is unique Harry. And I can identify if a plant has been grown here or somewhere else, a lot of herbologists who've worked around magical plants will be able to tell something like that," Neville paused again. "But your samples didn't show strong evidence of having been planted or grown at Hogwarts."

"Strong?"

"They showed something, but," he stopped to breathe in. "I think they are several generations from the original Hogwarts plant." Neville looked at him. "How many were there? Harry, how long had they done this?"

Harry closed his eyes and made the mistake for doing it for a too long a moment as memories flashed in his mind of the raid on the facility, of the screams, of the maturation process going on before his eyes, the screams of terror, the noise of transformation; man into plant. Wizard and witch transformed.

"Harry!" Neville's voice broke him out of his thoughts and memories.

"Sorry," Harry felt phlegm in his throat and swallowed. "Just caught in thought."

Neville watched him for a moment. "The amount of spells that the samples had been exposed to goes beyond my knowledge. There were spells to speed up maturation of a species, developmental spells, curses whose aim I believe is to curb intelligence and also breed in through spell work obedience and recognition."

Harry stopped Neville there. "There are spells to do that?"

"For certain plants of course Harry. The whomping willow and species related to it are used by certain families as protection for their estates, the spells are used on the trees as they grow to force recognition, that's easy enough but often makes them pliable as their natural structure is altered. With the obedience it makes them reliant on certain spells and particular mixes of fertilisers and nutrients. It's quite fascinating really," Neville said brightly, seemingly grateful to be speaking of something other than the 'samples'.

"There are other substances in the samples."

Harry raised an inquiring eyebrow.

"Processed substances from plants and other substances that look similar to spells used in medicine. There appears to be present elements of the Pepperup potion, but in far greater concentrations, likely toxic to a wizard, there's also some of the key ingredients of Skele-Gro," Neville paused as he flipped through his notes. "There was also a large presence of dittany."

Harry frowned he was sure he'd heard of that before.

Neville caught his look. "You might know of it as essence of dittany Harry. It's a powerful restorative and-"

Harry interrupted him. "And toxic to a regular wizard in the amounts you detected."

Neville's expression confirmed what he'd just said.

"All this would explain why they were so hard to kill," Harry mused aloud.

Neville nodded slightly. "In one of your samples I found that the structures were already breaking down from the magical toxicity present Harry."

Harry looked confused at Neville.

"These samples, the plants or the," he paused for a moment. "The people they were from, whatever spell, potion or whatever combination they were trying they hadn't found the right mix. This combination was killing them, they couldn't have survived some of these treatments."

"But they were developing…evolving," Harry said quietly.

Neville nodded. "The maturation cycle was being pushed it seems some of them developed very quickly. Harry some magical plants can do that, certain plants can develop quickly and can be persuaded to develop in different ways for different situations and locations," Neville went silent as both men paused in thought.

Neville broke the silence. "Harry, what was this for?"

Harry mused. "I only have some ideas Neville, from what I saw these are people with very little ethics."

"But you have some ideas?" Neville asked.

Harry nodded. "None that I am close to fully realising though, when I know exactly what I'm dealing with-"

"It'll be dealt with by you?" Neville interrupted.

"Yes, and my associates," Harry said as he took another swig of his tea. It was rather good.

"Better than from the House Elves," Neville said with a secretive grin. "I don't know why the tea from the kitchens comes tasting like it does."

"Intense," Harry mused.

Neville nodded as he collected his notes. "I'll give you all my original notes and your samples back."

"Thanks Neville, now what do I owe you?" Harry asked in a professional tone.

"Owe?" Neville looked confused.

"You did some work for the League of Paranormal Investigations, we're an organisation like any other, I'll pay you for your time and effort," Harry said. Neville laughed. "Harry, what you brought is something most would never see, never have to look into."

"Maybe that's for the best. Compensation for that," Harry said in a neutral tone.

Neville shook his head. "No. We've seen things Harry, been through things." Neville paused. "How about a compromise?"

"Compromise?" Harry repeated suspiciously.

"Next holidays you have me round for a meal, with Daphne. Hannah and I, you and Daphne," Neville explained.

Harry stared wide eyed at Neville. "You're inviting yourself around to my house?" Neville smiled at the look on Harry's face. "Couldn't I just pay you?"

"That would be less interesting Harry." He smiled and looked semi-seriously at him. "You've got to socialise more Harry."

"And I do that through dinner parties?" Harry asked.

Neville shrugged. "That's how us pureblood do things."

"The last dinner party I went to I ended up nearly dying," Harry said and didn't mention it was in the past with Draco and Daphne.

"That says more about you I think Harry," Neville commented lightly.

Harry sighed. "Maybe you're right. It'll need to be in the New Year."

"Yes," Neville chuckled. "you said, meeting Daphne's parents."

"Yes," Harry murmured.

-/ - \\-

It was a few weeks to Christmas and the roads into London were already starting to thicken with traffic. Harry glanced at the temperature gauge, but the engine and the car remained in optimum working condition. Despite the small amount of weapons fire the Jag took in Ashfordly, all patched up and as good as new.

In the passenger seat wasn't Daphne, she'd gone on ahead, to see her family, instead there was an overnight bag, everything packed in it without magic, to be crushed and crumpled and whatever through the gentle art of folding. The boot of the E-Type was filled with his other overnight bag of weapons, scanning technology and other things just in case.

Not that he expected anything to happen, on Christmas Day he intended to spend it at his house, relaxing, preparing for the years to come the years when everything would change.

Maybe spend it with Daphne, he didn't know.

Maybe he'd end up being so strange or something to her parents that he wouldn't see her.

She's only recently even revealed their names to him. 'I sometimes forget you don't know these things.' She'd said smiling at him. The smile had suggested to him that this was a good thing.

Osric and Agave. Which guaranteed he'd remember them, or possibly confuse them with other obscure names such as when he might have to address the leader of a Bandril space fleet or something.

As he mused he almost missed the turn off down a small side street. He did almost hit a cyclist who gave him a very interesting array of hand signals, how he managed stay stable whilst doing so was surprising.

-/

The house in Kensington was large and detached from the others with an amount of grounds around it, not a huge amount, but the trees were tall enough that they wouldn't have anyone spying. The drive way was well kept, though un-used, the gates seems to have been opened in preparation for him and closed magically, quite literally in this case behind him.

Parking and gathering his bag he approached the door, and felt for just a moment like leaving, like this might be a mistake, or possibly a trap.

Instead he rang the bell, and patted a pocket where his wand lay, he hadn't brought any other weapons along with him, they remained in the car.

He didn't think it would be nice to arrive at his…his girlfriend's parent's house with a weapon strapped to his leg, in a shoulder harness, or elsewhere.

The door opened to reveal Daphne Greengrass, looking as calm and reserved, much like he wasn't feeling.

"Harry," she said embracing him and raising an eyebrow at the bag that was at his feet.

"Daphne," Harry greeted. "No elves to answer the door?"

"We prefer to do it ourselves Mr Potter," said a voice within the house.

Daphne raised and eyebrow and Harry grabbed his bag and walked into the grand-ish house.

-/

Agave Greengrass watched as her husband and her daughter's new suitor conversed animatedly.

They had, as was her husband's profession been conversing about logistical transport of goods. Mr Potter was quite knowledgeable in the various muggle transport methods.

His conveyance was parked in the spot usually used by coaches and carriages, though they did not receive much of either at this residence.

Daphne had been quite excitable about Mr Potter's method of conveyance, it was reportedly quite an exhilarating method of travel.

"He is quite an animated man Harry Potter," she said to her daughter who was guiding a tray of after dinner refreshments and sweets. The tray had been delivered from the kitchens, it was one of hers and her husband's quirks. They preferred the house elves to be unseen and not present in the meals and other times.

The house elves likewise were more reserved than some of their acquaintances' who might have them dressed up to serve meals and deliver messages around the home.

Agave and her husband Osric preferred to meet any guests face to face, to pass dishes by magic or hand at the dinner table. In their business that was how one performed business.

"Harry was worried he would not have anything to converse about upon meeting you and father," Daphne said as she floated the tray over to the table they were sitting around.

Agave made a small gesture that she knew her husband would recognise, it was extremely subtle to anyone else, but her husband knew it was a signal to return from his discussions and re-join the conversation with everyone.

-/

Harry was surprised at Osric's passion for his business, but then from the little that Daphne had told him it was a large business, and when he'd mentioned the super-sonic speeds of the Concorde and the ideas he'd had for it he'd immediately pounced on the idea and had not quite dragged him away from the conversation with Daphne and Agave to beside the fire where they could speak in more detail.

"It seems my wife would like us to return to the conversation Harry," he said with a chuckle.

Osric was an amicable individual. Although, that said Harry hadn't really had a lot of experience with wizarding families to form a baseline to compare people to.

Harry followed Osric back to where Daphne and Agave were.

"Harry, Daphne has told us nothing of your League of Paranormal Investigations that you preside over," Agave began, they had throughout dinner not even spoken of what he did, indeed he'd done most of the talking in the form of questions about them, what they did etc. It had been very interesting, he'd said as much, meeting wizards who operated in the wizarding world, though outside of the Ministry.

Harry looked over to Daphne to try and gauge some sort of way to deal with this question. They hadn't really discussed what her parents thought of aliens and whatever, Daphne hadn't even mentioned that her parents knew what LPI was or what he did.

"I've known about your League since you became acquainted with my daughter Harry," Agave said watching him. She had began the night, as Osric had by calling him Mr Potter but it seemed as the night wore on, or maybe because he was so chatty with Osric that they switched to calling him by his first name. He'd not been sure what to call them, Lord and Lady or Mr and Mrs and just gone with their first name because that was all Daphne had given him to work with.

Daphne was busying herself with studying which of the offered drinks on the large tray to drink. There appeared to be an array of tea pots offering several different types of tea. He wondered in the brief seconds he had between answering and awkward silence if he could do the same, but as he was the one who was being addressed he doubted it very much.

Awkward situations could be saved by alien invasions, even if that was the word he was considering avoiding.

"The League of Paranormal Investigations deals with the things the Ministry likes to think doesn't exist, but does and as time continues on will become all the more apparent and need to be dealt with and not covered up."

Agave raised an eyebrow at his stream of information. Harry leaned back into the chair he was sitting in. They were all sitting in individual chairs, Victorian something chairs. Furniture wasn't really his strong point, beyond the era they were from and them being chairs he wasn't really sure.

"What precisely does that entail Harry?" Agave asked.

Harry smiled at her. "Surely someone around the Ministry would have enlightened you as to what the League gets up to?" He asked.

Daphne looked at him, curious and not angry, just curious in how he was taking the conversation.

Agave chuckled.

Harry smiled. There were only a handful of places that she could have found out about the League from, while in recent times he'd needed to throw around the name a little bit more to get what he needed to done, it wasn't as though he was part of the Ministry or something like that.

"We deal with the unexplained, the things that lay outside of the magical world, that wizards and witches think can be covered up or explained by magic."

"But is not," Daphne added calmly.

"They are the things that lay beyond the Earth. We also deal with those that lay sideways in existence and meta-temporal phenomena."

"You speak of aliens Harry," Agave said calmly.

"Sometimes I even speak to aliens, get shot at by them and shoot at them. Depending on the situation," he replied casually with a smile.

"Depending on the situation," she repeated. "Fascinating Harry, you are one of the more interesting individuals that Daphne has had in her life," Agave said.

Harry looked over to Daphne who still had a somewhat neutral expression on her face. Impossible to read seemed the order of the day with everyone in this house.

Very much different to the other wizarding family that he'd spent an extended period of time with. Now the only Wealsey he felt he could comfortably spent time with is George, and maybe Ron.

The conversation then switched to the relatively normal questions of tea and what to accompany it with.

-/

Later in the evening Harry found himself on the landing with Daphne.

"So, do we have separate or a shared bedroom?" He asked wrapping his hands around her body.

"Separate, but linked bedrooms Harry," she said as she mirrored his movement and wrapping her arms around him. "You found my parents agreeable?"

Harry inclined his head and kissed her. "Fine, though I would have liked a bit of forewarning, I didn't know…" He exhaled looking into Daphne's eyes that were alight with mischief.

"You like to think on your feet Harry," she said meeting his gaze.

"I like to be prepared, thinking on my feet makes me blurt out things," he countered.

"It makes you confident to face concerns," she replied.

"Perhaps. Bed?" Harry asked with a smile.

Daphne just met his smile with a greater one.

-/ - \\-

Christmas Day was something he awoke to slowly, there were no panicked, or even calm calls to his phone. It was in fact quiet, albeit for the birds and a quietly departing time space machine.

Harry only realised the last part as he was getting changed and ran out into the courtyard outside his house.

Outside he couldn't believe what he saw.

On it was a note.

Harry,

Just a flying visit, the old girl doesn't seem to like visiting the early 21st century.

This old thing was taking up UNIT's storage space, no need for it now I've resigned! Or rather I will once the Brigadier stops pestering me.

Your friend,

The Doctor.

It was signed with a series of symbols and then a wax seal beside it. It appeared to be the Seal of Rassilon, though the wax had smudged it quite a bit.

Taking a step back he looked at the machine before him. Bessie it wasn't.

He'd heard the Doctor talk of building a car for himself, something that would surpass Bessie's capabilities and surpass even UNIT's vehicular capabilities.

It looked like something out of this world, alien almost.

The two huge fins at the back, the fact he couldn't see any wheels holding it up.

Plus it appeared to be registered! Albeit for the 1970s, or it could be the 80s the tax disc was a bit hard to see.

Returning inside to fully change he returned to find the machine, the vehicle still there.

"So it wasn't a dream," Harry said as he walked around the vehicle.

Harry wished the Doctor were here, if only to explain how to get into the thing. He finally worked out that the whole windscreen tipped forward.

Inside was comfortable, with several controls, there was also a little school exercise book that contained the Doctor's hand writing.

Flipping through one word leapt out at him 'Flight'.

"No," Harry said with a grin and grabbed the handle to pull the windscreen closed. "This can't…" He trailed off as he found the keys and started it, an unearthly sound came around the vehicle.

-/ - \\-

A/N:

This chapter is longer than I thought it was going to be and covers a few more things than I planned it was going to.

This brings 2005 to a close, next chapter will cover the re-meeting of Ian and Barbra with Daphne, Draco and Harry and of course 2006 when events like Aliens of London/World War III start happening (finally).

Yes, that is the 'Whomobile' that Harry is given, and it's the Fourth Doctor who leaves him the message.

Thanks for reading.