1980 - The Fate's Year
Chapter 1
One Goal and One Only
World of dreams, as wonderful as one could be, usually ends being replaced by the reality of the real world. It isn't necessary a bad thing, it makes the habitants of that world learn, plan or enjoy many wonders it provides. In many ways it is the major factor and the feeding ground to the world of dreams. As rewarding as it could be, sometimes it complicates things.
And as luck would have it, the experience Harry's life had provided him, rarely left him refreshed in the morning. There was a positive side of that thing as well – so, waking up Harry almost always was alert without any grogginess. Since he had scraped enough knowledge about the art of Occlumency, to prevent him from experiencing any violent flashback from his nightmares, he usually took few minutes to remember the events of the previous day and prepare the main tasks he sought to finish before the new day was over.
The other witch or wizard might wonder why would someone prevent himself those few precious minutes in the world in between, where the conscious mind scrape the leftovers of the dreams and allow the person to manipulate them to their pleasure. And they would wonder long and hard, Harry, however, had spend almost ten years searching the world and learning everything he could about time travel. He had submerged himself in the subject so much that he had lost contact with his remaining friends, and those were only a handful after the war. His maniacal obsession woke him every morning and pushed to plan the events of every coming day. He knew with a certainty of the Centaur who sees humans as inferior, that he would change the past and kill Voldemort, even if it would mean destroying the world - like some of the theories about time paradoxes had cautioned.
He chose to believe that changing the past created another future, another reality to the one the changer had come from. Surely if the world could be destroyed that way it would be destroyed already because people are noisy and they have to try everything they research. With that thought driving him forward he learned everything he could. No matter the source, be it muggle or magical, his quest had led him to the comfy bed he was waking in.
I did it.
According to the girl that had helped him he was in 1979. He had time. Harry knew that before his first fall Voldemort had created only four Hocruxes – the diary, that bloody locket, the ring and the sorting hat. Nagini would be turned into one right after he had been resurrected and he had never managed to create the seventh one.
Harry knew perfectly well where the cursed pieces were. Malfoy's, Gaunt's, that bloody hill where Dumbledore took him or Black's house and Hogwarts. And he would get them all and kill the bastard before Pettigrew managed to destroy his future. His young self will live with his parents and never would have to face the monster in the first place.
Maybe I'm selfish and want to change everything just to make my life easier, but screw that, I will bath in the monster's blood and enjoy looking him in his dieing eyes.
Harry looked around, pushing his dark thoughts for the time being, the bedroom was nicely furnished, with a definitely girly touch. He grinned when he noticed that it was rather messy with some things scattered around or not so delicately stashed in some corner or the other. And the fact that he actually had noticed meant a lot since he didn't have glasses or anything after his arrival. He shifted in the bed and realized that he actually didn't have anything on. His transport to the bed must definitely be interesting.
The list of things that he needed desperately increased with every thought, and on the top of that list were some clothes, than glasses and than he would need a wand.
Ugh, but first - toilet.
He stumbled a little uneasy out of bed and went to one of two doors in the room with a pillow clutching tightly in front of him.
It was a small bathroom Harry had found himself in. Some time later, after a quick shower he was standing in front of a mirror looking at himself. He looked like some brute, it was a miracle that the girl, Rose, had helped him at all.
Bloody hell! You're in the Three Broomsticks. It was Madam Rosmerta! Harry thought astonished, when some of the memories became clearer. And her name is Rose? He snorted. Bloody Wizarding World and their taste for rhymes.
He looked at the mirror again, his scars and a unshaved face looked back with a scowl. He hoped that it was enough and he wouldn't be mistaken for a Potter.
That would create too many questions. I wonder if my grandparents are still alive. The strange thought suddenly popped in. Not now. Concentrate.
"You still need some cloths. I don't think that her garments will suit you." He said to his mirror reflection. "I need a bloody wand."
Harry decided on a quick search of the room and the bathroom. Unfortunately all he had managed to find was a T-Shirt that after it was stretched to its limits could be put on.
Of course, as the fate would make it to someone whose main purpose was to change whatever was meant to be, the T-Shirt was pink.
As for the rest of his attire, Harry had successfully managed to exchange his pillow to one of the towels from the bathroom – he didn't find any trousers that would fit him. The damned woman don't have any robes! What kind of witch is she!
Cursing his luck he decided to move to the other part of the house, cautious of anyone who could see him. He didn't know if she had a separate, living apartment or just lived in a room next to the bloody main room of the pub.
Fortunately the next room was a small living room with kitchen annex. Unfortunately he didn't find any robes there as well. With a dread he crept to the door hoping the pub was empty and he wouldn't embarrass himself too much.
So far so good.
He had left the apartment and found himself in the darken hall near the staircase that probably led to the rooms that the Three Broomsticks provided for rent.
Harry groaned when he heard the noise of a busy pub at the end of the corridor.
Bloody hell! Just my luck. Damn Voldemort. Couldn't the bloody wanker slip in the shower or something. Oh, I will take pleasure killing him.
He crept to the door with growing trepidation.
Oh, Hell!
The pub was full - literally.
It looked like it was a Hogsmade weekend or some such. Harry cursed under his breath. There were many students but only sixth and seventh year, from the look of things, plus many older patrons.
So far nobody saw him. He would have tried to steal a robe but he was on the other side of the room from the entrance and the hanger with some robes on it. Leaning against the wall Harry tried to find Rose. He spotted her in the middle of the room with six plates with food and a case of butterbeer levitating in front of her. Thankfully she was heading in his general direction. When she neared he tried to catch her attention but to no avail.
"Rose." Harry called quietly waving his hand.
"Rose!" He shouted a little louder. This time he got her attention but unluckily, he also got the attention of the occupants of the table she was delivering the food to.
Harry froze when he thought he recognized who they were.
Just my bloody luck! He thought trying not to panic.
They all stopped talking and all looked at him. The moment lasted until the women at the table snorted spraying butterbeer on their companions and all hell broke loose.
They kept laughing at him, the men teasing Rose when she rushed to Harry. Two of the men were laughing especially hard – one with messy black, the other with longish, more manageable hair.
Harry would kept starring at the group, particularly the redhead woman if Rose also laughing quietly hadn't hauled him back to the corridor.
"Harry, you're awake! Are you alright? And what are you wearing?" She kept firing questions at him all the way to her rooms.
Harry was too stunned to respond, did he just saw his parents. He couldn't be sure because he still didn't have any glasses.
If they were them then, Wow. That went better then I thought. At least I didn't faint. They are still alive! I'm really here.
He shook the thoughts away. He had a job to do to keep them alive.
"Rose. Rose!" Harry said forcefully to gain her attention "I couldn't find any cloths can you help me with that? Also I will need some glasses and I don't have a wand."
"What do you mean, no cloths. I'm sure I have some of my dad's still in the closet." She said looking at him and heading to the bedroom.
"What bloody closet?" Harry mumbled and followed her.
And there it was clearly in the corner of the room, another door, now opened and Rose rummaging inside and throwing him some of the clothes.
"Now I have to go back there before they tore the place to pieces." She smiled at Harry "I'm glad you are awake, you were asleep for two days. Come to the pub and I'll make you something to eat. I've got to go."
"Thanks." Harry managed before she left.
With clothes in hand he marched to the bathroom again and changed. They fit him pretty well maybe the shirt was slightly too short in the arms but trousers fit perfectly.
Harry discovered that he was hungry and decided to head back to the pub. He still needed the glasses but he was sure that she would conjure him one or lent him her wand for that. Conjured glasses wouldn't last but could be re-conjured every so often.
I need money. He thought. I have to find a job.
When he entered the main room of the pub again, fully clothed this time, he was immediately spotted and called by the group that had been laughing earlier. Harry couldn't pass the opportunity and went to greet them and convince himself that he saw right.
"Hello there." One of the men said, Sirius, Harry had noted. "Found your clothes?" He asked with a mirth in his eyes. The other three men snorted in unison – James Potter, Remus and Pettigrew; and the two women – Lily Potter and another who Harry didn't recognize; tried to hide their smiles.
Harry just smiled at them pleasantly before turning to James, "Could I borrow your wand and glasses for a moment?" He reckoned that the wand from one of his parents would work best for him in for the moment, and asking Lily Potter for her wand would by probably rude. Asking James Potter, a stranger, was also probably rude, but they had their laugh and should lower their guard somewhat – plus Ollivander said once that his dad's wand was good for transfiguration.
They seemed to tense for a brief moment but James Potter slowly slid his wand from a holster and gave it to Harry. Than he gave him his glasses as well.
Harry somewhat proudly noted that all of the others kept their hands close to their holsters, and that Sirius actually pulled his own wand.
Harry took the offered items and smiled at the group before putting the glasses near his eyes for a moment to see if they were of similar focus.
"My name is Harry, by the way." he said absently. Inwardly, he reflected that they must have trust Rose a lot, allowing some stranger a wand of their own, especially considering his scarred appearance, unshaved face and lack of hairs on his head.
He concentrated briefly on the spell that he had learned some many years ago, waved the wand and another pair of glasses, identical to the one his father had, appeared on the table. Harry waved the wand again and they changed the appearance to more oval and lighter ones.
He wouldn't dare to wear anything that might show any resemblance to James Potter. He was happy that so far they didn't look at him like at someone who they might have known.
Harry tapped the sleeves of the shirt to lengthen them a little and looked up at the occupants of the table satisfied. For the first time he noticed how young they all were, just few years from school.
"Thanks.." He finished handing the wand and glasses back to James.
"I didn't know that you can use the copying charm like that?" Lily asked, then blushed when the others laughed at her inquisitive nature.
"Right." Sirius said drawing attention to himself. "The block with a mop on his head , whose wand you've just been playing with, is James Potter, I'm Sirius Black. Next is Peter Pettigrew and Remus Lupin." He said pointing them in order.
Harry nodded politely to the each of them.
"Now, the beautiful lades with us are Daphne McKinnon and the noisy redhead is Lily Potter." He finished just as James smacked him on the head.
"Hey! So what if she's your wife. She is noisy." He ducked under another hand from James.
"Oh! And Of course you didn't meet Harry yet, your namesake. Well, according to them, "he pointed to James and Lily. "He is eight months short from his birth, so you have to wait some before meeting him." He grinned at blushing Lily.
Harry had to concentrate hard on keeping his jaw from hitting the floor. It seemed that he was going to be born again. Pretty surreal. He thought congratulating the young couple.
Rose found him at the table shortly afterwards and brought him some food. Harry had a pleasant conversation that evening. He meet his parents and they seemed to be okay. Even Pettigrew, which irked him a little. They left few hours later promising to stop by and visit him again.
He had to wait few more hours, till the pub was closed, to talk to his savior and ask her for some help. Hopefully she would borrow him few gallons to buy a wand and maybe help him in getting a job.
There's still time. But he would have to start working soon.
oOo
AN: That's the second installment. Review please.
And Thanks for your Reviews.
