Chapter 1 : A Bleak Present
I do not own Harry Potter
Author's Notes :
A new story!
This is a plot that's been on my mind for a while. For all those who've been reading my other story - don't worry, it's not abandoned. It'll be continued in time.
So here we go -
In one line, this is a 'time-travel this time we do it right' story - with Sirius Black ending up becoming the one saddled with the unbearable burden of going back.
The fate of humanity once again falls in the hands of the Order of the Phoenix. Except this time, their adversary is none other than the Boy-Who-Lived. Join me as I tell the tale of the gradual fall of the Chosen One, prompting his once friends to turn to a choice thought impossible, and in this new past - the journey of Harry Potter, but with the support he needs to become the hero he's expected to be.
A new take on a popular premise.
Currently Undecided on the Main Pairing. Options - Daphne,Fleur,Hermione,Other. Let me know who you want to see! How this'll work is that I just tweak the name in case I make any progress towards that angle.
Enjoy!
"What's on your mind, Sirius?" asked a voice - from right next to him he realized. He'd been so lost he hadn't noticed she'd walked up right next to him.
"Hmm?" replied the man in question - Sirius Black, formerly the most wanted man in Britain, currently a decorated war-hero, and forever a Marauder. He looked up to the speaker, his stare previously fixated somewhere in the distance.
"You heard me" asserted the last Deputy Headmistress of now the defunct Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
"...Nothing" he answered neutrally
"Come on, you know I sense it"
"Ah yes, Minerva McGonagall - noted empath" he teased
"One of my more underrated qualities... What is it, come on, we've still got a ways to go" she finished, pointing to the path ahead. It was a rough trail cutting through a forest.
Black sighed "I've been thinking about where we lost him... to think the kind, gentle boy I once knew could unleash such a wrath on the world... sometimes I blame myself, to have been with him for so long yet failing to sense what haunted him"
"You can't seriously be blaming yourself" the cat animagus exasperated
"It all began with those Dursleys, you know it. I was there when he said he didn't want to go back to the hellhole, and I did noth-"
"So were the rest of us" pointed out the Professor "I was there when we left him there, remember?... We're all guilty in that sense - but his actions are his own, no one else's, even if it pains us to admit it, we must" she finished abruptly
Sirius swallowed "I refuse to believe-"
"That he's not the one doing it? That all this is just a hoax or an elaborate dream? That maybe he can somehow find redemption?" questioned Minerva "Look around, son! He divided a civilization! And now look at us, a world ravaged by war and ruled by a dictator! Wizards down to their lowest number in 400 years!"
"I'm well aware of what he's done, thank you" the Marauder replied stiffly "...Guess it's all moot now. We pull this off - none of this ever happens" he stated, intent on ending the conversation
"And this is why you are not the one chosen to do it" reckoned the Scotswoman "I accept things could have - will - be different. But I'm not blind to the darkness within the boy, as you are."
"I'm not!" exclaimed Sirius "I'm not saying he hasn't done wrong - what I am saying is we're the ones who pushed him!"
"We did nothing to -"
"Oh, you're right about that!" he interrupted fiercely "We did nothing - and that's our fault. We did nothing to help him, and that's what pushed him away...And before you say it, helping the cause is very different from helping the man." he concluded, breathing heavily
"We watched him, we judged him, we praised him, we condemned him, we burdened him... what we didn't ever do was understand him. This is on all of us as much as it is on him" and with that, Sirius sped up ahead, a familiar aching rising in him.
Neither spoke for the rest of the journey till they arrived at their destination - the Temporal Shrine.
Minerva caught up to Sirius, already on scene... tapping each block on the wall next to the door with his wand
"Have you gone completely mad, Black?!"
"Shh! Keep it down!"
"What on earth are you on about?!" exclaimed McGonagall in a hushed voice
"We come to a place called 'Temple-Where-God-Of-Time-Left-Ancient-Artefact', there's bound to be deadly traps everywhere!"
Minerva rolled her eyes and proceeded towards the door
"Ok, don't say I didn't warn you when giant spikes fall on your head!"
Sirius watched from outside as his former Professor walk into the center of the small structure. Once there, she folded her arms and raised an eyebrow, waiting for Indiana Jones Jr. to follow.
"...Alright there's no traps on entering, just don't TAAAAAA!" he yelled startling his companion, who looked over to him, infuriated
"Are you mad, woman! You don't just pick up legendary-thought-to-be-non-existent artefact, you got a Deathwish or what!?"
Minerva rubbed her eyes, proceeded to pick up what they came for, and walk back out - over the very audible objections of her fellow Rebel.
"We've got a rebellion to oversee Black" she said tiredly "...and I've seen Raiders of the Lost Ark too"
Sirius froze mid-rant, mouth hanging open
"Good, now, time is of the essence, let's head back to base... we've still work to do"
"Still can't believe everything went so smoothly" he remarked. But as he began to apparate, the familiar twisting into the fabric of time and space was absent. Instead, he was still rooted to the spot...
"Anti-apparition wards"
"You just had to jinx us! Take cover!"
Sirius and McGonagall hurried to shelter behind nearby trees, barely in time to hide from their pursuers - the Imperial Intelligence Agency, the espionage wing of the New Magical Empire. They were dressed in black and green - a nod to the nature associated with those who donned similar uniforms at Hogwarts.
"This is the Imperial Intelligence Agency, come out with your hands in the air. My sensor tells me the wards have picked up one apparition attempt, so don't try to act smart!" declared one of the three officers, two guys and a girl.
"Ok - they've probably got portkey wards too. Get Greengrass on dismantling that one, and you take that thing and get out of here - to one of the decoy spots, then apparate to base. They've only seen one of us..."
"What about you, Sirius?"
"Oh, I'll be fine" dismissed Sirius "Three random henchmen aren't taking me. Besides, that's more important than anything right now" he said with a finger to the stone they'd just taken"
Minerva wanted to argue, but couldn't rebut the reasoning... In any case, none of it would matter if they did manage to send someone back. Minerva pushed something on her palm, out of which a small pamphlet of sorts emerged. She hurriedly wrote something with her fingers on it, before silencing her footsteps. The Professor slowly split, not using a disillusion charm just in case those were being detected too... magi-tech had come a long way in a short amount of time...
"Last warning before we start firing spells-"
"Here, sir!" called out Sirius, coming out of his hiding place, arms behind the back of his head
"You!" bellowed someone who looked to be the captain of the patrol. He was stodgy and had a big bushy mustache extending all the way to his cheeks. It reminded him of Vernon Dursley "This is a restricted area! You are trespassing!"
"Since when!" protested the Black Lord... whatever that meant anymore... "This forest is in public domain, I've been playing in it since I was a child!" he objected in a manufactured accent. He'd also changed his hairstyle, grown a thick beard and charmed his clothes to look like those that belonged to a nearby settler community
"Last week. Executive Order - 245. This area falls under notified Scheduled Grounds"
"I don't see no notice!"
"For security purposes, that has been kept secret. There is belief there may be rebel presence here"
Darn. Apparently he was onto their plan. He knew they might come looking here, but kept security light just in case it spooked them. But it looked like the guards weren't aware why exactly the area was closed off
"Why are you this deep into the forest" asked the female officer "Our patrols pick up few near the boundary, but none intrude so deep"
"And what about his story about using this place, Sanderson?" he posed to one of his subordinates
"Its... true sir, some nearby villagers do let their children play..." he corroborated
"Alright. Search him and let him off with a warning" the captain dismissed
Shit. They were going to find a few questionable things on him... "Hold on a minute!" he outraged "So, am I to understand I can't come here anymore?!"
"That'd be right, sir"
"I protest! My ancestors have used this forest for over a century! We thrive off of it, we look after it, I refuse to-"
"Sir I'm to have to ask you to calm down" ordered one of the two juniors - Sanderson
"No! I've..."
Meanwhile
"Wards nearby. Lift off portkey first discreetly... apparition if possible later"
Daphne read the message on her receiver. She'd been asked to hang back for this exact purpose - just in case something went sideways and the IIA showed to the other two's location.
'Inveniro Obicium' she cast non-verbally, and a portion of the wards lit up as if physically present. Without skipping a beat, the lithe girl got to manipulating the barriers, her wand crisscrossing in complicated patterns
"Ma'am?"
McGonagall shook, but composed herself to not scream. She turned around to the source of the voice - right behind her.
Another Imperial patrol. Where had he come from?
"How may I help you, officer?" she asked politely
"You are in restricted territory. Please follow me to the command outpost" he stated in a no-nonsense voice
"I was just-"
"I believe my orders were clear"
Darn. She could try to stun him, but she'd have to very quick, after all he could end up calling for backup.
"Of course sir" she replied, and made her way towards the uniform-clad man
"Please surrender your wand"
"I object! I am fully cooperating with you, you have no grounds to ask me to relinquish my wand!"
"Do you wish to be charged for obstruction of jus-"
"Stupefy!" chanted McGonagall, firing a stunner from close range.
"Ossis Fragmen!" Sirius cast the bone-breaker spell towards the captain's wand arm. It hit him directly below his wrist, and Sirius was awarded with the sound of a bone snapping cleanly into two.
"So much for discretion" he grunted to himself.
The Marauder had tried playing the village fool, but eventually run out of patience and/or sincerity and dealt with things the old-fashioned way. Walking over to his engagee, he took his wand, snapped it into two, before putting the groaning officer out of his misery with a stunner. He then stacked the now three unconscious bodies, and tied them tightly to a tree. Then, he produced three small vials from inside his overcoat, and emptied the contents of one into each of the downed patrols.
"Alright, that's you out for a few hours" he said to himself.
He didn't see either pull out any communication gear - a more common commodity in the Wizarding World since the 'Revolution', but that didn't mean there were other ways to ascertain something fishy happening. Deciding not to test his luck, he hurried away on foot, an eye on the protean-charm mini-pad tucked into a bracelet on his left wrist.
Daphne had been toggling the structure of the wards for some time now. However, it was not unexpected that her task would take some time, especially considering the fact that stealth was a top priority.
Clunk!
She'd succeeded! The elder Greengrass sister sat down on a nearby rock, finally able to relax after a period of intense focus.
'Crazy tyrant or not, he does have bloody good warders' she acknowledged.
Harry was a tough subject for her... given their history...
'No! Not the time for this right now!' she rebuked herself, as flashes of their time together flooded her mind - flying over the castle grounds at night, meetings in the Room of Requirement, secretly portkeying of to Times Square, London, or Paris... she remembered all of it like yesterday. Regardless of how busy she was, not a day had gone by that she hadn't thought of him. Even now, she felt herself getting worked up... Was it nostalgia? Anger?... Grief? She never quite understood herself.
A quiet buzzing on her wrist brought her out of her reverie. She opened the message. It was McGonagall.
'Emergency. A few clicks out where we dropped off"
A few minutes ago
In the flash of an eye, the patrol officer drew his wand from his wrist-holder and batted away the curse.
McGonagall was startled by the lightning quick reflex. This was no ordinary Imperial soldier...
And her worst fears were realized - the appearance of her target began to change. Where there was once an ordinary middle aged ensign looking to make a quick buck by working for the new government, now stood a young man with jet-black hair. The IIA paraphernalia was replaced by a black robe with a distinct embroidery on its sleeve. And its wearer beholding emerald eyes, green as the killing curse.
It was Harry Potter.
And done!
A soft-opening for me to gauge the interest of the viewers. Make sure you let me know! Much appreciated!
Thanks for reading!