Disclaimer: Maybe I can find a way to Obliviate the world until everyone believes I own it...which I don't.

A/N: yadda yadda, check out my tumblr: Ethrildragon for updates.

Reaching Through Time

Chapter 3: Revelations and Changes

2 days.

It had been two days since Harry had arrived at Wool's orphanage cut up and bleeding. Two days since Tom and Harry fought against that invisible force that tried to steal Harry away. Two days since the police officer had launched the formal investigation into Harry's abusive family.

Harry was healing quickly physically, much to the surprise and relief of the adults that were worried about him, but Tom wasn't worried about his physical injuries as much as the boy's emotional and mental ones.

Whenever a door slammed or when there was a loud noise Harry would jump and cringe away. Whenever a dog barked outside Harry would whimper and hide in a corner or behind something. Harry only ever spoke if Tom was with him.

The happy and smiling boy that Tom had come to treasure was hidden deep inside Harry and Tom didn't know how to bring him back out.

Tom understood, to an extent, what Harry was going through. He had almost died because of a dog that belonged to a supposed family member. Harry had reluctantly revealed that his 'Aunt Marg' had even laughed as her precious dog had chased him down.

Two days had passed by before the police officer from before returned to give Mrs. Cole and Martha some very troubling news.

"Harry, Tom," Martha very gently opened the door to the room Tom was sharing with Harry. "Officer Collins is here. He'd like to speak with you."

Tom made sure Harry was up for talking to the officer before nodding to Martha.

As gently as he could, Officer Collins entered the room and brought over the only vacant chair that had been arranged under a rather plain work desk.

"Harry...I just wanted to make sure I got your statement correct." Officer Collins told the little boy that was huddled in his friend's arms on the bed. He kept his expression as neutral as possible as he watched the older boy hold Harry close to his chest.

"You said Your uncle's last name was Dursley correct?" Officer Collins asked as he looked from his notepad to Harry. "And that your family lives in number 4 Privet Drive in Little Whinging, Surrey?" Harry nodded to both questions, as well as several others to affirm his statement from two days ago.

Officer Collins frowned as he stared from his notepad to Harry. He took a deep breath before speaking slowly and carefully.

"Harry...I'm afraid we can't find your family. Or your home." In truth the police department had found a Dursley family, but Vernon Dursley wasn't among them. Privet Drive in Little Whinging was a development with no houses. "I-It's possible you bumped your head when you were attacked. So some things might be fuzzy."

Harry felt his heart stop in his chest when Officer Collins gave him the news. How could his relatives not exist? Or the house he was living in with them? Had he hit his head and given wrong information? But Tom had been there in the room with him and he knew everything that Harry knew.

"I-I"

"Harry's upset." It was a blessing having Tom there with him to say the things that Harry couldn't quite seem to get out. "Leave." That last word came out a forced. Officer Collins hesitated a moment, but then his eyes grew glassy and he nodded sleepily before standing and walking out of the room.

Tom let the breath he'd been holding as the adult left. It was a skill that Tom had discovered very recently, the ability to influence people for a short time. As long as he could make eye contact he could make most people do simple things like leave him alone.

"Breathe Harry." Tom whispered once it was just the two of them again. "He doesn't know what he's talking about. I know your horrible relatives are out there and I'm never letting them near you again."

And yet even though he said those words a traitorous voice in his mind told Tom that Harry would have to go back. And soon.

Tom hissed mentally at himself. In what world would he ever let Harry go back to people that had almost allowed him to die?! But that voice persisted and insisted that something bad would happen if Harry stayed for too long. Tom chose not to believe the voice.

"Breathe."

Harry knew he was close to having a panic attack. He could feel his heart pounding hard and fast in his chest and he couldn't seem to focus his eyes on any one thing.

"Breathe."

Tom's voice was soft and gentle. Only Harry ever got to hear or see Tom like this.

"Breathe."

The smaller boy found himself taking in deeper breaths each time Tom told him too. Soon his eyelids drooped and his heart stopped racing. Exhaustion washed over Harry and when Tom told him to breathe again the small boy fell asleep in the arms of the one person that he trusted completely.

Tom let out a sigh of relief when Harry finally calmed down. He was worried that Harry had fallen asleep in his arms, but at least he wasn't hyperventilating anymore.

It begged to question though: why were the police having trouble finding Harry's relatives? Officer Collins had admitted to finding people with the last name of Dursley, and yet they hadn't found Harry's despicable uncle and aunt.

As carefully as he could Tom settled Harry onto the bed and out of his arms. The smaller boy whimpered in his sleep when Tom let him go to wrap him up with a blanket.

Harry was still too weak to walk around and his feet were still healing so Tom had to go down to the dinning room to get food for them to share up in his room.

When Tom left his room he found Officer Collins and Mrs. Cole speaking quietly. He paused for a moment, to make sure whatever it was they were talking about wasn't important, before walking past them to go to the dinning hall where dinner was being served.

For the last two days all the other children in the orphanage had been staying out of Tom's way. It was a nice change to when the bullies would try to knock his food out of his hands. Mrs. Cole must have said something to them...that or they had been especially spooked by what had happened to Harry.

Tom shook his head to clear his thoughts before going back up to his room. Harry was still asleep, but at least his breathing was deep and even.

As he waited for Harry to wake up from his nap Tom ate some of the food he'd brought up. It was almost a half hour later when the small boy on Tom's bed started to stir.

"Eat." Tom demanded softly as Harry weakly sat up.

The nap must have done so good because when Harry looked at Tom his gave him a bright, but tired, smile. It was the first real smile Harry had given him since he'd first arrived cut up and bloody.

There was something off about the smile though. It was genuine, but it looked weak and Harry had a hard time keeping the smile in place. The more Tom examined Harry the more he realized the boy looked off.

Harry was pale, sickly looking, which wasn't a surprise because of how much blood he had probably lost. The cuts were healing, but they were healing exponentially slower as compared to how quickly Harry normally healed. His hands shook slightly as he picked up his food and Tom could see he was having trouble even holding his fork.

There was something wrong and it was scaring Tom.

"Harry." When the boy paused eating to look up at Tom, the older boy continued. "How are you feeling?"

Surprisingly the smaller boy frowned and really considered the question. "Tired...but in a weird way." He reached up to rub at his chest unconsciously. "Like...like no matter how much I sleep I keep being tired." Little Harry looked down at his food with a frown. "It feels like something is being pulled out."

Tom felt disturbed while Harry rubbed at his chest. It'd only been 2 days since the two of them had fought off the unknown force, so it was understandable for Harry to feel tired. But what did he mean by that last bit?

Out of curiosity and concern Tom reached out to put his own hand against Harry's chest. He couldn't feel exactly what Harry was feeling, but it did feel like something was slipping out between his fingers.

Tom cursed silently and he frowned at where his hand was pressed against Harry's chest. He glared ta the spot, willing whatever it was that was leaving his precious Harry to stop.

A pained gasp from Harry made Tom stop whatever it was that he was doing. Harry whimpered when Tom lifted his hand away.

"I'm scared Tom." Harry whispered as he clutched at his borrowed shirt. "What if...what if there's something really wrong with me?" He was feeling weaker with every minute that slipped by. "What if I have to go back?"

"No!" Tom snarled in anger. "We'll figure this out! You will never go back there!" He had been terrified of losing his friend to the clutches of death.

Both of them wanted Harry to stay, but both of them knew in their hearts that they wouldn't get what they wanted.

Harry's strength deteriorated rapidly after that. Whatever it was that healed Harry stopped and his the red cuts on his arms stood out against his pale skin. The next morning Harry couldn't even sit up without help.

The tugging feeling started again, but this time Tom felt like it was 'desperately asking' to be allowed to do what needed to be done.

"It's ok Tom." Harry's voice was tiny and his lips barely moved as he spoke. "I'll be back. Promise."

The power tugged a little more insistently until finally Tom nodded stiffly. His eyes locked with Harry's as the tugging grew stronger.

Harry gave Tom his biggest smile and not a moment later he was gone.

There was a sharp cracking sound as Tom's bedroom window cracked. He had to keep reminding himself that Harry always kept his promises; the other boy would be back.

Harry knew he was probably the only person that could read Tom even when all he showed was anger. He knew Tom was in pain and scared so right before the tugging in his chest grew to it's full strength he poured all of his warmth, affection, and trust into a smile that was meant for Tom and Tom alone.

And then Harry was no longer in Tom's bedroom. Instead he was in that alley that his Aunt Marj's dog had chased him down into.

Even though it was cold out Harry could feel warmth quickly spreading through his limbs. It was like something had been blocking something important inside him and it had been removed. He still felt weak and it was difficult for him to even sit up, but he did it.

"What in the-" Harry heard a gasp and he struggled to look at the woman that was standing at the entrance of the alley. He winced thinking that the woman would be mad, but he found himself being lifted into warm arms.

"Don't you worry hun, I've got you!"

As much as Harry should have been cautious and worried about who this woman was all he could think about was that she was holding him and rocking him gently. It felt nice. Not as nice as when Tom would hold him, but it was nice.

Harry drifted off to sleep as he heard a strange melody and then the woman speaking hurriedly.

When he came too harry was in a very white room and there was a light beeping sound off to his side. He shifted around and frowned when he found that something was attached to his arm.

"Oh good! You're awake!"

Harry's head twisted around and his heart rate picked up in fear when he saw a strange woman in a long white coat holding a clipboard.

"We were worried when you wouldn't wake up. You're vitals were all over the place." The woman had a colorful badge pinned to her chest with the name 'Dr. Meriweather'. The woman was careful to keep her distance as she got closer to sit in a chair next to Harry's bed.

"May I know your name?"

The woman, a doctor Harry realized as his mind caught up with him, reminded him of Officer Collins with his gentle words and careful movements.

"Harry Potter." Harry said slowly, his words tiny and his eyes looking at the doctor warily. His aunt and uncle had always threatened to take him to special doctors if he ever misbehaved; doctors that would keep him locked up and restrained.

He wasn't restrained at the moment, except for the tub that was connected to his arm, but he could move around.

"Thank you Harry. I'm Dr. Meriweather." The woman had a nice smile. It didn't quite reach her eyes, but it was relaxed. "A very nice woman found you collapsed in an alley. Do you remember what happened? Where you got all those cuts?"

Harry hesitated. Should he tell her about his family and what they had done to him? When he'd told Officer Collins they had tried to find the Dursleys, but they had failed.

There was a knock at the door and a uniformed man came in.

"Officer Shelly, thank you for coming!"

Something was wrong. When the police officer came in the first thing Harry noticed was that the man's uniform was completely different from the one Officer Collins had worn. It was a completely different color and the buttons had a different design to them. Not only that, but the new officer had a radio while Harry swore officer Collins hadn't had one.

Harry was a smart boy and he quickly figured out that he should NOT tell them anything about Tom or about spending time at Wool's orphanage. That little voice in the back of his head agreed that it would be best if he kept that a secret.

So when asked again how he had gotten all those cuts he told them everything up until the point of going to Tom. He told them that he'd gotten away from the dog, but had gotten lost for two days trying to find his way home. Harry told them how he hadn't wanted to go home so he hadn't tried all that hard.

Officer Shelly kept his expression neutral, but Dr. Meriweather's eyes were hard with rage.

"Oh!" When she realized Harry was shrinking away from her, the woman quickly softened her gaze and placed a hand gently on Harry's shoulder. "I'm not mad at you dear! Why don't we let you rest? I'm sure lunch will be brought soon!" She smiled and winked a little playfully. "I'll make sure you get some chocolate pudding."

It most definitely did NOT take the police two days this time to find the Dursley's. In fact they were found within the hour and Harry's Uncle was brought in for questioning.

When his Aunt Petunia arrived she was escorted by a rather fierce looking woman with her hair up in a very tight bun. That rigid and cross expression that the woman had was only ever directed at Harry's aunt. She didn't exactly soften when she looked or spoke to Harry, but she was very cordial and serious.

"My name is Madam LeRue. I'm a family social worker." The woman told Harry as Aunt Petunia shifted around uncomfortably near the door. "Dr. Meriweather and Officer Shelly had updated me on the situation and I will assure you Harry that I will not allow any more abuse to happen here."

She looked sharply at Aunt Petunia, who swallowed thickly. "I will be blunt. We can not find your birth certificate. Your name is not in any database. It is like you do not exist." She sent Harry's aunt a scathing glare. "This has been rectified. Fixed." Madam LeRue cleared her throat before opening a file that Harry noticed had his name on it.

"According to your doctor you are severely nutrient deficient and malnourished. The cuts on your arms aren't deep, but there are many. Your body shows signs of past injuries associated with beatings." Madam LeRue softened then and there was sympathy in her eyes. She quickly became serious again.

"Although your Aunt and Uncle assure me that you are well taken care of the professional opinion of your doctor disagrees." Madam LeRue shut Harry's file and slipped it under her arm. "I have suggested you be removed from their care, along with your cousin, but your Aunt swears that your situation at home will improve rapidly. Seeing as how I am now your case worker I will be performing weekly checks to make sure you, and your cousin, are being properly cared for."

Why were they including his cousin in this whole thing? His parents never struck him, never yelled at him, and never starved him.

"Dr. Meriweather says you are a very intelligent boy for your age and that you understand what is going on. So I will tell you that the reason your cousin is being included in this case is because he is so drastically over weight that his health is at risk. Family Social Services steps in whenever a child's health and welfare are at risk. Both you and your cousin are at risk for very different reasons."

With that said Madam LeRue, with her tight dark brown bun and sharp brown eyes spoke directly to Aunt Petunia. "Dr. Meriweather is adamant in her disapproval of releasing Harry to you and your family. She is being over ruled in this case, but Harry Potter must be brought in for regular checkups to ensure his health improves."

Harry was in a state of wonder as the social worker's lip curled back as she silently snarled at his aunt. "Rest assured if the health of either boy does not improve they will both be removed from your custody."

Madam LeRue was speaking to him again about the standards of care he should expect from his aunt and uncle. He was only half listening. Harry was in a kind of daze and he was so very sure he was dreaming or dead.

Eventually Dr. Meriweather returned and ushered everyone out so she could take care of her patient in peace.

"I want you to memorize this number Harry." the doctor said after she waited for Harry to stop looking so stunned. She handed him a little business card with her name on it. On the back was a scrawled phone number. "That's my personal phone number. If anything happens, and I mean anything," She looked at Harry very sternly then. "You call me. I became a doctor to save and heal children. I should not have to save them from their family."

How many days had it been since Aunt Marj had let her dog chase Harry? Two days? Three? He couldn't even remember anymore. The world was a blur to him and there were so many things he couldn't stop thinking about.

The biggest thing was why Officer Shelly's uniform was so very different from Office Collin's. He knew he should probably be thinking about how scared his aunt had looked when the social worker had threatened to take him and Dudley away, or why he hadn't been registered anywhere.

But the uniforms! It was like someone was dangling the secret of the universe right in front of him, but he couldn't quite reach.

Harry wasn't released for another three days, at the insistence of Dr. Meriweather who Harry grew to like. She had a soft laugh and liked the color green just like Harry.

The woman had a calming affect on those around her and that soft smile of hers only ever vanished when dealing with people like Harry's Aunt and Uncle.

When Harry was released both Dr. Meriweather and Madam LeRue were there to reinforce the fact that they could very easily ruin the lives of the Dursley's.

Harry could see how difficult all this was for his uncle. His aunt was perpetually pale and she had developed a small twitch in her shoulder. His uncle though was red in his face when he looked at Harry.

Normally Harry would expect a slap or a kick when his uncle was that angry looking, but instead he turned and stormed away. Harry's aunt mumbled it was time to go so Harry followed.

When they arrived at number 4 residence Harry was sure he would be locked into his cupboard. When he went to go there his aunt grabbed his shoulder. She snatched her hand away like she'd been burned.

"You're in the guest room." She looked pained as she said it. "Go. I'll bring your dinner up to you."

His aunt looked genuinely afraid, but Harry had no idea why. Was she afraid of his uncle? That couldn't be right. Was she really so afraid of Madam LeRue and her threat to take away both he and Dudely?

Now that Harry could believe. Dudely was his aunt's whole world. If she lost him, Harry was pretty sure his aunt Petunia would have a heart attack and die.

Harry's new room was the old guest room. There were technically two guest rooms, but this one was next to Dudely's room and had quite a few of his broken toys scattered around.

It wouldn't be until much later, when he went to his therapists office for his first meeting with the doctor, that he would learn that his aunt and uncle hadn't even looked for him when he'd gone missing for two days. It had been their neighbor, Arabella Figg, that had reported Harry being missing.

It took Harry nearly two weeks before he felt strong enough to attempt to visit Tom. He'd tried a few days after arriving home, but he'd fainted. Luckily he had been in his new bed and hadn't gotten hurt at all.

So two weeks after he was given his new room in his relatives home Harry wished to go and be with his Tom.

"Harry!"

Arms were instantly around Harry when he opened his eyes and found himself in Tom's room in Wool's Orphanage.

Harry grinned in excitement and relief. "Tom!" His arms came up and he hugged the other boy as hard as his little arms could.

The two stayed like that for some time before Tom reluctantly let go of Harry.

"What happened after I left?" Harry asked curiously as the two sat down on Tom's bed.

"L-let's not talk about that."

The hesitation on Tom's voice worried Harry and he frowned up at his friend. "Tom?"

The older boy sighed and just reached over to pull Harry into his lap so he could continue holding him. "Everyone's convinced you've been kidnapped. I told them that when I went to get your food you vanished." which the truth, mostly. "Officer Collins is sure you've been kidnapped. I...I haven't told them otherwise."

Officer Collins! "Tom! Tom I have so much to tell you!"

Harry launched into his tale about everything that had happened in the past few weeks. He told him about how a random woman had found him, about Dr. Meriweather and Madam LeRue. Harry told Tom about how if he and his cousin weren't taken care of, properly, they would be taken away.

"Good." That was the only time Tom interrupted Harry's story. He would have rather Harry be removed from that household immediately, but adults were weird and never seemed to do the right thing when it mattered.

Harry ended his story with how he had a real room, even if the bed was Dudely's old bed and creaked badly. His clothes were still hand me down's from his cousin, but he had a few new shirts that his Aunt had hurriedly bought him to give him in the hospital.

He also told Tom that he ate a lot more. "At least twice a day now, but I have to eat in my room most of the time."

It was better than being beaten and starved.

The situation still wasn't ideal and Tom still wanted to find a way to keep Harry from going back, but after the scare they'd had weeks ago, with Harry growing weak and coming close to death, Tom knew he couldn't force the issue.

"Oh! Tom!"

Tom was shaken from his thoughts when harry grabbed onto the front of his shirt to get his attention. "You know Officer Collin's? His uniform is really different from Officer Shelly's!" He tried to sit up and get out of Tom's lap, but the older boy shook his head and held onto Harry.

Harry huffed softly, but he didn't fight it. "And while I was in the hospital I realized some stuff. The cars here are super different from the cars at home." He frowned and wrinkled his nose. "They kinda remind me of old time shows on my aunt and uncle's tele."

Tom jolted at that. In the two years he and Harry had known each other Tom had never known his family had owned a television. They were expensive and usually only upper class families could afford them.

The two spent a couple hours talking before Harry started feeling tired. There was a tug in Tom's chest and he knew Harry had to go back. Harry had started to look rather pale.

"Harry..." Over the course of their talk Tom had developed a theory that he was ready to test. "What's the date?"

Harry smiled brightly at Tom thinking it was some sort of game. "November 16th silly."

"And the year?"

That made Harry pause, but he answered easily enough. "1984."

And then Harry was gone.

Tom was left in a state of shock and disbelief.

His Harry.

His smart, happy, wonderful Harry.

Was from the future.