A/N: Despite the next chapter being named 'Explanations', there are a lot of things that have yet to be discovered or explained regarding a lot of things going on in the story. A lot of these things will be clarified as time moves forward.

As for the latest review, I skipped the Second Task for a specific reason. It had no reason to be here. I didn't want to waste time on something that wouldn't affect the story, and so I skipped it. The hearing was canceled due to Harry's intervention during the First Task, and replaced by the Wizengamot meeting in Chapter Twenty-Two. That arc will close in Chapter Twenty-Six and Twenty-Seven. As for Harry's relationship with Hermione, I didn't feel like it was necessary to stay with that for too long given the direction of the story I'm going. This story will be shifting drastically with a time jump in Chapter Twenty-Seven, so relationships aren't my main focus.

And in regards to Harry's shifting OP/Nerfed status, I've gone into a few explanations in early chapters to explain that, but I'll make sure to go into more detail in the future.


Chapter Twenty-Four: Souls Pt. II

May 29th, 1985

"He loves you?"

Johnathan Byers was very upset. He had come to visit his girlfriend of six months and walked in to find her and another guy hugging. Normally, Johnathan would have thought nothing of it, but then the other guy - who happened to be Harry Potter - said 'I love you' and proceeded to disappear. Johnathan didn't know exactly what to think. He knew Nancy and Harry were close. That much was apparent by how they interacted. But this was too much. He wanted to explode at her. To demand answers. She had to pick someone. Nancy had juggled around Johnathan and Steve once before, he didn't want to throw Harry Potter into the equation either. He needed to hear an explanation now.

"Yeah," Nancy replied, smiling brightly.

"And...you love him?" Johnathan asked.

"Yes," She replied again. Johnathan felt numb. He felt hollow suddenly. He wanted to hold onto something to keep from falling. Better yet, he wanted to hold onto something so he wouldn't rip Harry Potter's face off. No. That wasn't right. Why was he thinking so violent? That wasn't him. No. He loved Nancy. And if Nancy was in love with Harry Potter then Johnathan...he would have to accept that. Just like how Steve accepted Johnathan and Nancy's relationship. Swallowing the lump that had developed in his throat, Johnathan took a deep breath. "Fine. If you're happy with him, then...I won't get in the way,"

Nancy frowned. Why was she frowning? And then she burst into laugher. What was so funny about this? She was ending their relationship and he was willing to step aside only for her to laugh at him. She got up from the bed, walking towards him. And then she kissed him. Wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. Johnathan was extremely confused. He pulled away. Nancy spoke first. "We don't love each other like that, idiot. We loved each other like siblings. He's my brother. He loves me like a sister," She explained. Johnathan's expression changed from confusion to a deep frown. What? Oh.

"But you're my sister," Mike pointed out.

"I am. In blood. I also love him like he's my brother. I can have two brothers," Nancy defended.

"I...no you..." Mike seemed flustered, and he was turning red. He turned and stormed away, clearly angry. Nancy sighed, no doubt he was adding this as another reason to be jealous of Harry. She didn't mind. Harry had more important things right now to worry about...like El dying. Nancy wouldn't tell anyone. If anyone found out, they would freak. And things were beginning to return to normal. She didn't want to risk all of the progress anyone had made by telling people that Eleven would be dead soon. She hoped Harry would figure out a way to save her. Nancy liked Eleven and loved Mike despite his particular personality and attitude. And Mike loved Eleven. Who knows what would happen? Nancy sure didn't. But she had faith in Harry and his love for Eleven. He would probably die before letting her do it first. It was in his nature.


Formic Homeworld

Harry Potter couldn't breathe. Not because of the panic attack he had been having minutes before. Now he couldn't breathe because the planet he was on barely had an atmosphere. He summoned a shadow from Earth, one that he placed around his head. It kept funneling oxygen in, allowing him to breathe. It also appeared transparent on both sides, meaning he could see out and anyone else could see in. But he didn't want to see. He closed his eyes. The bond. It was there. The others were too but were nearly invisible. The bonds with Daphne and Nancy were brightest. The same was true for the one with Narcissa. But the others were nearly invisible. They were connections. Too weak to become bonds of love or friendship.

But the bond with the Hive Queen was almost as bright as the one he shared with Nancy. It was bright yellow, signifying a familial love. She had strengthened it alongside him. While Harry had used the bond between himself and Nancy to find the Hive Queen, she must have strengthened her side of the bond, making it easier to reach her. Yet he wasn't sure how he had found her. He had just followed the connection. Going through it until he found her. And he still wasn't with her. He was on the surface of a planet populated by aliens, and yet there wasn't anyone in sight. None of the Formics had come out in a while.

[We are here] The Hive Queen spoke. Her voice was clear in his head. Clearer than it had ever been before. She wasn't using images. She was speaking clear English. He was amazed. [Follow the bond. It will lead you to me] Harry listen, closing his eyes as he began to follow the bond. It led him past several Formic shapes. Empty shells that he knew were buildings. And then it led him into what seemed like a tunnel system. He resisted the urge to open his eyes or attack when he felt things brush past him. He felt hair touch his skin. He saw them. Souls. But they were all the same. A light gold color. They were shaped like a box. Held together by a transparent aura. But he could see it. It was still there, keeping the souls locked in. Harry frowned, but kept walking through the tunnels.

He reached a clearing. No light hit his eyes. So when he opened him he could hardly see anything. But she was there. He knew it. One of them anyway. There were thousands of Hive Queens. But this was the one he had bonded with. Her soul among thousands looked the same. He could see her golden soul. She was with him. And then he heard it. A low rattling and a thrill of joy. And then a figure stepped out of the shadows. Her head first. Then her torso. Her four arms. And then her eight legs. Her abdomen was also large, so while she was only three meters tall, she was roughly five meters long. She had large compound eyes, and what looked like reddish-brown skin. And she had wings, but those had hardened and were now unusable. She was...beautiful.

"Hive Queen," Harry spoke. "I need your help,"

[You unlock instantaneous travel to request my help? Something you could have done from your home?]

[I need you to teach me. Teach me how to fully manipulate the soul. I need to save my friend]

[I know very little on the subject. There is not much I can teach you]

[Teach me anyway. Anything can help] Harry replied.

[Very well. I will assist you in your trouble] The Hive Queen thrilled.


August 2nd, 1985

The Hive Queen taught him everything she knew. She taught him how to reach the Outside without losing his body. She taught him how to call unused souls from the Outside, and how to willingly bring them back Inside without assimilating them into yourself. She taught him how to create the soul. The soul was an Aiúa or an intelligent Philote. And a philote was the building block of all matter. The missing piece beneath the atom. The philotes connected everything. Each philote connected to every other philote, creating an indestructible line between the two. She explained that despite the two methods of instantaneous travel he had already discovered, the Hive Queen hypothesized that perhaps the information could travel through the philotic connection. Maybe even people.

She thought this because of how Harry described how he saw souls and the connections between them. The Hive Queen explained that he was seeing Aiúa's and the philotic connection between them twined together through love or friendship. When you knew a person so deeply that you loved them - whether platonically or not - you gained a connection with them. Magicals described this connection as magical bonds due to the light that surrounded those who developed the bonds. But no-maj received no light show. Their bonds were invisible. And all bonds formed by people could eventually fade. But the philotes that made everything would never break their connections with other things. Those connections were invincible.

So Harry came to a hypothesis two months into his stay on the Formic Homeworld. He would leave soon. Snape had given her three months to five. He needed to return so that if whatever he decided to do didn't work, he could spend time with El. Harry wouldn't give up though. He was determined. "If the philotic connections between all people and things are near eternal... then when someone dies, do the philotes that make up their body and soul disappear?"

[The Aiúa disappears over the span of minutes. Maybe hours if one is tethered to those around them. But the philotes making up the body do not simply disappear. They untwine. Unraveling themselves from every connection they've ever made. Some philotes untwine quickly, while others do not. You call this process decomposition] The Hive Queen explained.

"So...if death is the disappearance of the Aiúa and the breaking down of philotes...then could one possibly reverse it by strengthening the philotic bonds?" Harry asked. "Because theoretically, those bonds are connected to the Aiúa itself, and so it should stay in place,"

[It is possible to keep the death of one at bay by doing such a thing, yes. But death is inevitable. The Outside will eventually call back the Aiúa no matter the strength. Only the time it takes to do so will change]

Harry frowned. Ok, that wouldn't work. Then he thought of something else. "If you can't strengthen the existing bonds, then why not make new ones? I made a new philotic structure to make my new body that connected to my Aiúa. I saw the white lines. Even my friends saw it. This means it's possible to create a new host that the Aiúa can occupy. All I have to do is create a new body for Eleven and guide her Aiúa there. Then her old body will die and her new one will remain healthy," Harry explained. The Hive Queen seemed to think for a moment.

[It is possible, yes. But she would have to be dead first for such a transferal to be possible. The connection between Aiúa and philotic structure must be broken. This is why you were able to occupy a new host body. Your former body was already dead, forcing you to create a new one by pure instinct. If you wish to save your friend, you must kill her first]

"I kill her first," Harry whispered.

[Indeed]

"You said there could only be minutes before the Aiúa is called back to the Outside? What if I strengthen the philotic structure by two or three times its current strength? Is that even possible?"

[Theoretically, yes. You were capable of twining your own philotic structure, as I can for my workers. But to strengthen philotic twines is unheard of. If you were to do so, I would give you...one human hour before her Aiúa would be completely lost. At that point, if you were to return her Aiúa to a new body, she would lose every part of who she is]

"That's a possibility?" Harry asked.

[The Aiúa's within the Outside are recycled, brother. When an Aiúa is called to the Inside, it gains personality and experience throughout its life. This is why newborn Aiúa's take on a transparent-gold color. Or in your case blue or red. And when the Aiúa is called back to Outside, the personality and experience are stripped away to ready it for a new life. When your friend dies, you will have a limited time before her personality and experiences begin to fade. You must act quickly and without hesitance. Swiftness and caution are key]

"Right. So the plan is this. I try to strengthen the philotic bonds within Eleven's body to increase the time it takes for her Aiúa to leave her body. And in that time, I create a new body with a philotic structure identical to her own. When the Aiúasplits, I guide it into the new body, and then...she'll live," Harry explained.

[That sounds like a logical plan of action. But perhaps you should decide on a backup plan. In the off-chance that your original plan is unsuccessful]

"Of course. If I can't strengthen the philotic connections, then I'll do what I do best. Improvise," He said with a smile. "Thank you, Hive Queen. You've been a lot of help. More than you know. I'll have to repay you someday," And with that, Harry closed his eyes. He sought out Nancy. His connection with her. The bond they had formed. Then he pulled himself to the end of the connection. And then he faded away.


June 19th, 1985

Harry Potter reappeared within Nancy's room, scaring her once again. She was sitting at her desk and had nearly fallen back in shock at his sudden appearance. Harry moved to talk to her but frowned. His eyes settled on her calendar. He knew it was August 2nd. He had stayed past the night of the Third Task. But he hadn't much cared. Voldemort could wait, Eleven didn't have much time. And yet Nancy's calendar read July 19th. It was two months before he had left. She must not have updated her calendar in a while. But he couldn't help but ask. "What's today's date?"

"The date?" Nancy asked, motioning towards the calendar. "June 19th. Where have you been? People have been calling me and sending me letters asking where you are. The tournament ends in five days. How's Eleven? Where did you go last time you were here?" She was asking a lot of questions.

"I was...in the future," Harry replied. Nancy raised an eyebrow. "I went to the Hive Queen for answers. She provided them to me, but I was there for over two months. I learned a lot. Especially a potential way to save Eleven. But somehow...I came back here. Three weeks after I left. Five days before the Third Task. I'm very confused,"

"So am I. And who is the Hive Queen? Some kind of prophet or something?" asked Nancy.

"No. I'll explain it all soon. When I can get everyone together. But right now I need to get to Eleven. If I can save her, I need to do it now," Harry explained. And then he was gone.


He had gone back in time. Breaking through space and time by some sort of paradox. But Harry didn't have time to think about that. He needed to get to Eleven. His shadows carried him into St. Mungo's hospital. He felt his connection to her, following the connection the same what he had with the Hive Queen. His legs carried him into the Cursed Wing. And then he entered Eleven's room and found that both Hopper and Joyce were there with Will and Mike. They were wearing the enchanted bracelets, the ones he had made so they could bypass the anti-muggle wards around the First Task. His appearance drew silence. They all turned to him, different expressions on their faces. Hopper looked irritated. Joyce looked worried. Mike seemed angry. And Will looked...guilty?

Joyce stepped forward, pulling Harry into a hug that he quickly returned. She spoke into his ear. "Are you ok?"

Harry pulled away and nodded. "I am. I'm sorry I left...again,"

"Where the hell have you been?" Mike questioned angrily. "She's been asking for you. We had to lie. Tell her you were preparing for that tournament thing,"

"I'm sorry. I was trying to help her,"

Mike shook his head. "By leaving us here again? Where were you anyway?"

"I was with the Hive Queen. She was helping me discover a way to help El. I found a way," Harry answered.

"Hive Queen? Who the hell is that? Some kind of wizard prophet?" asked Hopper.

Harry laughed. "No. No. You and Nancy had the same thoughts there. Look. I'll explain everything when everyone is together. It'll be easier to explain only once," Harry explained. He brushed past Joyce and Hopper, stepping past Will as he stopped beside Mike. He looked down at Eleven, who was passed out. Her entire arm had blackened now. Her hand had fallen off. Harry sighed, brushing a hand through his hair as he began to think. Think. Think. Think. How to do this. "I need another bed in here. And I need Dumbledore,"

Joyce raised an eyebrow. "Dumbledore?"

"Get one of the healers to floo him. I need him here. Legally," Harry replied.

"Legally? What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to kill her," Harry spoke simply. Utter silence, and then Harry had to handle a thirteen-year-old boy flying at him angrily. When that was handled, Harry took a deep breath. "The curse is stuck to her body. There's no way to kill or remove it. The only way to do that is to kill the host. It will be quick. She won't feel any pain. And when that part is done, I'll start phase two,"

"Phase two..."

"Reviving her. I stayed with the Hive Queen for two months trying to find a way to save her. We came up with a few ideas that I intend to use. By her calculations, there's only an 8% chance she doesn't survive. That's quite low," Harry assured everyone. Moreso himself though. He was shaking slightly and was beginning to sweat again. The mere thought of killing her made him sick. But Eleven was dying anyway. There was no hurt in ending the pain early and restoring her to a fresh body. Harry told himself that it would be fine. She would be awake and moving in an hour. Dumbledore arrived. Harry explained. "I'm going to use the Killing Curse. It will be quick, painless, and easy. It will help me with the time frame. But I need you here as a magical witness. If the Wizengamot or ICW tries anything -"

"Then you will have my word," Dumbledore spoke with a nod. Harry smiled. He turned to Eleven, his eyes narrowing. He studied every part of her. Even parts he wasn't too keen on looking at. Harry had to memorize every part of her. Her entire pattern, both inside and out. The pattern of her shape - or body - and the outline of her philotic structure - or her inside. He stared for several minutes, committing every small detail to memory. And when he was confident that he knew both patterns perfectly, Harry opened his eyes. Reaching into the shadow-realm, he removed his staff, clutching it tightly as he pointed it towards Eleven. Mike and Joyce turned away. But Hopper and Will kept watching. Will out of curiosity while Hopper...he was scared. Ready to jump into action.

And without a word uttered, a flash of green light spread through the room and hit Eleven square in the chest. She slumped down. Dead. Harry immediately closed his eyes and reached out to the Outside. He pulled himself free from his body for the first time since his practices with the Hive Queen. He left an anchor behind, which clung to those in the room around him. His friends.

He then peered down at Eleven. Her philotic structure was weak. Dying. The thousands of white lines making up her right arm were gone, only the simple shape of the arm remaining. And the philotic bonds were continuing to deteriorate, retreating up to the shoulder. Harry found her soul easily. It was a combination of blue and orange. An odd combination, but Harry wasn't concerned. He focused on his mind and body. He focused on Eleven's mind and body. Her structure. Her essence. And when he was ready, he got to work.

The philotic structure was untwining quickly. Too quickly. It started at the chest, the twining unraveling in a shockwave throughout her entire body. The Aiúa that had been trapped in the structure suddenly snapped free, floating outwards. Harry reached for it. He was gentle. Kind. And she responded, reaching out to meet him. She recognized him. Good. That would make this easier. He grabbed hold of Eleven, guiding her away from her body until the Aiúa was almost entirely separated. And then it was cut loose, and they floated away. Harry didn't bother to look back at Eleven's old body. He didn't have the time. Instead, he focused on the new body he would be making for her. One free of the curse.

[I need to go] Eleven called out. She pulled from him. She was speaking as the Hive Queen did. Through the Outside. [I don't belong here]

[No. You do belong here. With us. With me. With Hopper. And Mike. Think of them. Remember them. Focus on them] Harry instructed. He was piecing the philotic structure now. He was twining the strings exactly how the Hive Queen had taught him. Weaving and weaving until he had an arm. Then a leg. Then two arms. Two legs. And her head. The torso was the trickiest part. While the other body parts acted as the 'No-Outlet' roads of the body, the torso was the crazy intersection. Ever since Harry learned to see the entire philotic structure, he began to question why there were so many strings in the torso. And then he remembered, the body lives because of everything that occurs in the torso. The heart. The lungs. The kidney. Everything resided in the torso. So he began to weave and weave, doing his best to remember the exact form of Eleven's philotes. And then it was done. The philotic structure was finished.

[I don't belong here] Eleven echoed.

Harry reached out, clutching her tightly so that she could not leave. So she could not enter the Outside. He motioned to the new philotic structure. Harry guided her to it, gently sliding her Aiúa into the chest cavity. He slid his hand over calmly. [You belong here. This body is yours. It's always been yours] Harry instructed. Eleven hesitated. The structure was new. Odd. Had he not done it right? Had he missed something? Or had he added something? He had a very good memory, but it wasn't perfect in memorizing two entire bodily structures. Especially when one structure was manipulated outside of the Omniverse itself. Harry stopped making excuses for himself. [It is yours, Eleven. Keep it]

She began to reach out. Touching connections here and there. And she eventually began to take control. And when it was done, Harry tapped into her philotic structure and created the shape. And then he opened his eyes, which were still trained on the old Eleven. As he had, the body was beginning to flake away and turn to dust. Harry turned his attention toward where he had created the new structure. And there she was. Eleven. White lines appeared, taking the form of a small girl. And then slowly, the body was added to it. The bones, the nerves, the veins, the arteries. Harry conjured a blanket, reaching forward in preparedness. And when the skin was finished materializing, she took a heavy breath - as if resurfacing from beneath water - and fell to the floor.

Harry covered her quickly, wrapping the blanket around her before she was embarrassed. He held onto her, trying his best to calm both her and himself down. After examining her philotic structure again and witnessing the state of her arm, Harry couldn't help but smile. He had done it. It had worked. The curse was gone. But something was off. She had...hair. She had had hair before, but it hadn't reached past her mid-ear. Her hair now was longer. Reaching down past her shoulder. Harry frowned. He had made some kind of mistake, but he hoped any other changes would be as simple as long hair.

Everyone swarmed the two of them, but Harry wasn't listening. He placed Eleven onto Joyce, who gratefully took her as Harry got to his feet. He felt exhausted. Traveling to the Outside hadn't been a problem on the Formic Homeworld. But he had never made a structure large than a stone for practice. This had been an entire human. Harry felt as if he had been hit by a bus. "That was...magnificently terrifying," Dumbledore commented, visibly shaken by the events he'd seen. Harry smiled, nodding in agreement. Dumbledore himself smiled and placed a hand on Harry's shoulder. "I believe it has been a very long and interesting couple of months for you, Harry. I recommend you go home and rest,"

"I planned to Professor. I'll be staying in Hawkins for the next few days. Tell the other judges I'll be there for the tournament," Harry spoke. He then turned to everyone else in the room. He placed his hand on Will and Mike's shoulders, his smile still wide. He couldn't help it. He had done it. He had done the impossible and revived someone from death at the hands of an Unforgivable. If Eleven was lucky, she could keep herself from being called the 'Girl-Who-Lived' for at least a few years. "I'm very tired. Who wants to go home?"

"Me. Definitely me," Will said.

"She needs rest," Joyce commented, nodding in agreement.

"I could use a beer," Hopper added, looking ready to throw up and cry at the same time. Harry smiled, instructing everyone to place their hands on Mike and Will. Joyce - who was holding Eleven still - grabbed Will's hand. And once Hopper placed his hand on Mike's other shoulder, Harry sent them through a shadow that sent them back to Hopper's Cabin. He needed to talk to everyone.