Title: Retrograde
Author: Knife Hand
Feedback: Constructive feedback appreciated, flames unappreciated
Spoilers: Nothing Specific, general for first few books.
Rating: M
Disclaimer: I do not own Hermione, or Luna, or Ginny, or Cho, or... I would buy them all but I am broke.
Summary: Harry's trial before fifth year goes differently because someone knows more than they should about Harry. Time Travel Fic.
A/N: For those who were wondering about their ages at the end of the previous Chapter, Harry is 22 when he returns and Amelia is 46. I know that's not old for a Witch but the way she dresses a work and her tight bun hairstyle makes her look older and more 'official'. Also, there is now an official theme song for Harry and Amelia's relationship. 'Easy Silence' by the Dixie Chicks.
"You kept it?" Harry said as they walked into the apartment.
He looked around and saw that there a few changes to the apartment, like a new couch and a few knickknacks but it was familiar enough and all his things were where he had left them.
"Of course I kept it." Amelia replied. "This is ours. I live back at the Manor with Susan during the holidays but when she is at Hogwarts I stay here."
"Where is she? What day is it?" Harry asked as they sat on the couch. "As soon as I arrived back here I came directly to you. Showed up in Knockturn Alley. That was a fun five minutes."
Amelia smiled at that, remember some of the things Harry considered fun. Well, the things that did not involve her, because those that did were a whole different kind of fun. To hide a slight blush, she removed the Bobbie Pins that held her hair up in a bun, shaking her head to let the dark auburn waves spill down over her shoulders and then sank down on the couch and put her head in Harry's lap where he started to idly run his hand through her hair.
"She's still at Hogwarts. There's three days left of her Fifth Year." Amelia replied, feeling more relaxed and at ease than she had in almost twenty-five years. "Susan used to write about you in her letters home. It almost tore me up inside knowing you were there at Hogwarts but it was not my Harry."
"Shhh…" Harry said, wiping the single tear from Amelia's cheek. "I'm here now."
"What happened?" Amelia pleaded. "You were just gone. You left the note but it didn't tell me much. Did you not trust me enough to tell me?"
"I couldn't tell you." Harry said, leaning down to give Amelia a kiss before she could interrupt. "Not didn't want to, couldn't. Think about it, if I had of told you everything you would lose and what would happen, you would have either taken your brothers and run or saw how much of a threat Voldemort was and gone on the attack. Every First Year, even one as ignorant as I was, knew you played a major part of the fight, so If you ran to save Edgar and Edwin then dozens of Witches and Wizards, and maybe hundreds of Muggles, would have died."
Silence descended for a moment as Amelia thought about that. The Director Bones part of her said she would never have abandoned her duty like that, but the part of her who had cried for months after the loss of her parents, the baby and Harry's disappearance said that she would have absolutely packed up Harry and her brothers and run for the hills in order to save herself more pain.
"If you went after them though… that could have been worse." Harry continued. "You could have gone after them openly and gotten yourself killed. Or you could have killed key Death Eaters earlier than they were or ones who weren't killed, which could have changed everything."
"How would killing them be bad?" Amelia asked, looking up at him.
"Well, let's take Malfoy Senior for example." Harry replied. "Kill him and he doesn't ensure that Cornelius Fudge, a useless; corrupt but essentially benign Minister, is elected. What if, instead someone who was more prejudiced or an unmarked Death Eater was elected instead? Someone who would, instead of having a Professor greet Muggleborns and inform them of Magic, a hit squad arrived and killed the whole family?"
"But it could have been better." Amelia argued.
"Yes, it could have. Or it could have been worse. It also could have resulted in me never being born." Harry replied. "What happened is far from perfect, but it is the history that created the me you fell in love with. Did you really want to chance changing that?" Harry countered.
A look of abject horror crossed over Amelia's face, to which Harry ran his fingers lightly down her cheek.
"The past is past. The future, now, is unwritten." Harry said.
"What actually happened to you, though?" Amelia insisted. "What did you try to do?"
At this point Amelia sat up on the couch, taking her head from Harry's lap and his fingers running through her hair as she rose. She looked deep into his eyes, really wanting to know.
"I tried to kill Voldemort." Harry said. "Just him, not any of his Death Eaters. I knew where he was going to be because Hermione had found an old report of an Early Auror raid that discovered where he had been staying at the time he made his first attacks. Snuck in past all the guards without an issue, but when I went through the door to his chamber, I returned to today. I guess whatever sent me back did not want him dead then. I thought that might happen but I had to try for you."
The pair sat in an easy silence for the next few hours, before Harry got up to make them dinner. As he was preparing dinner an Owl was scratching at the window. Amelia recognised the Owl as Sophia, Susan's Owl, so she opened the window and retrieved the letter. Sophia settled down on top of a cabinet, put her head under her wing and fell asleep. Moments later a Snowy Owl flew through the window before Amelia could close it and swept into the Kitchen.
"Hello girl." Harry said as Hedwig settled down on his shoulder. "I missed you girl, but you know Lia's my girl now too. You won't be jealous?"
Hedwig barked in response.
"Good girl." Harry replied, petting her snowy feathers.
Amelia shook her head as she sat down to read Susan's letter. Amelia knew how much Harry had missed his Owl. Susan's letter updated her on the success of the Defence Club that Susan and Hermione had started as a counter to how badly Professor Umbridge, who Fudge had forced on Hogwarts, was teaching. Umbridge had not lasted that long as DADA Professor. Early in January, shortly after proclaiming herself 'High Inquisitor of Hogwarts', both a pretentious and highly illegal appointment, she had found out about the Centaur Colony in the Forbidden Forest and had decided they were a personal insult.
Umbridge was still in the Emergency Ward of St Mungo's and, based on what Amelia and her Aurors had found out when they went to investigate, should Umbridge ever awaken and be released she would be arrested for torture of children with a Blood Quill. That had also lead to the impeachment of Fudge as he had said that 'Umbridge acted with my full authority', of course that was before the Blood Quill use came out.
Dumbledore himself had taken over teaching DADA for the remainder of the year.
Harry came out into the dining room, holding two plates. Hedwig jumped off his shoulder and joined Sophia on the cabinet as Harry set the meals on the table. Amelia passed the letter to Harry to read while she set the table.
"I'm glad Hermione is doing well." Harry said as they sat to eat.
"Yes, and their friendship has been good for Susan as well. They have been in a study group together for two years but they got much closer this year." Amelia replied.
"That's good." Harry mused with a smile. "Hermione needed more female friends."
They finished up their dinner and headed into the bedroom. Harry was unconcerned as he began getting ready to head to bed, but he noticed Amelia standing nervously at the door.
"What's the matter?" Harry asked.
"I'm not twenty-two anymore." Amelia said, looking at the floor.
She was so nervous that she did not notice Harry making his way over to her. She finally noticed when he began to unbutton her blouse. Before they went to sleep, Harry showed Amelia that he was still in love with her and he most assuredly still found her sexy.
TBC….