A long time ago, Hermione had tried explaining Harry and Ron after they've saved Sirius from the Dementor's kiss why they couldn't have captured Pettigrew.

Frankly, Harry hadn't bothered listening more than necessary. Still, glimpses of her explanation had stuck.

"Terrible things happen to those who mess with time," Hermione had concluded. "And worse, even the most minor act of a time traveller does can have devastating consequences. Like-like stepping on a butterfly!"

Ron hadn't helped bursting to laugh.

"This is serious!" she had said even though she hadn't been able to stop a smile herself. "The butterfly effect is a perfect example of the chaos theory. If the flutter of a butterfly's wings can cause a tornado at the other side of the world, you can the same way change human history with something as insignificant as stepping on the wrong insect if you've travelled too far."

Now that Harry had travelled 'too far', Harry wished he had paid more attention to his friend.

He has just stepped on a butterfly. What if that butterfly was supposed to bring two wizards together? What if these two wizards were meant to fall in love because of that? What if they were supposed to get married and have a son, who would have a son, who would have a-

Oh God, he's just killed Luna.

And Harry finally lost it.


Albus looked with growing alarm the new student falling to his knees and desperately waving his wand over the animal. "Hang on Luna!"

"Err..." Albus slowly began. "I think it's too late for-"

"You don't understand!" the boy exclaimed. "I've stepped on a butterfly!" He frantically waved the wand once more over the body of the insect. "Episkey! And if I kill this butterfly, then… then..." He casted the charm once more. "I need to save this butterfly! I- I have to!" The wizard was now close to a panic attack.

While Albus himself did like butterflies -who didn't really?- he also thought the boy may be slightly overreacting.

Just a bit.

The butterfly's emerald wings weakly twiched.

"You're overpowering your spell," he finally decided to say as he knelt as well. "It is a butterfly after all. And if you overpower a spell on such a tiny creature, it is as bad as doing nothing."

With a well practiced swich, Albus casted a basic healing charm. "That should do the trick." He nodded to himself and conjured a jar made of glass where he put it. "All he needs now is rest and he should be able to fly as if nothing has ever happened."

He hesitated and finally handed the jar to Harry, choosing to ignore his mortified face. "See? Everything is fine."


Harry spent the entire Care of Magical Creatures class praying for the ground to swallow him.

He had repeatedly told the prefect he wasn't actually insane on the way to class. And, although the red-haired had assured him that he knew he wasn't, Harry was certain the boy had been lying through his teeth.

What was his plan again? Telling Dumbledore he was a time-traveller and convincing him he wasn't barmy?

He couldn't even look at him in the eyes now. And frankly, there was something terribly wrong in the world when Albus Dumbledore was the one questionning your sanity instead of the other way around.

Harry morosely looked at the green butterfly still recovering in the jar on his way to Charm.

As soon as it was healed he would release it and pretend this moment has never happened.

To think that twenty-four hours ago, Harry had been reviewing History of magic with Ron for their OWLs and Hermione after quizzing them one final time had decreeted only a miracle would save them from getting a D. To think that, twenty-four hours ago, Ron had shrugged and said it wasn't as if it mattered anymore what happened a long time ago. After all, what was done was done, wasn't it?

And now, Harry was freaking out over butterflies because he was a century in the past and he frankly had no idea what was supposed to happen.

He knew that he wouldn't be in this mess if he had listened to Hermione and just not let his 'saving people thing' get the better of him. He had been rash, he had thought he knew better than everybody and that he didn't need to bother with occlumency. And so, because of him, they had all walked right into Voldemort's trap.

Harry sighed, magically shrank the jar and pocketed it.

And now, not only was he stuck a century in the past but any insignifiant act could spell doom to his present. Was a butterfly able to cause a tornado at the other side of the world or change human history as Hermione had claimed? He didn't know, but he certainly couldn't risk it. And the more time he was going to spend there, the worse it was going to be because he was bound to create other 'butterfly effects'. Whether he liked it or not.

And to top it all, even if Harry could somehow go home right now, he had to find a way to save his friends stuck in the Department of Mysteries first. Ron who had been attacked by the brains, Hermione who got hit by this curse, Ginny, Luna, even Neville still fighting the Death Eaters. There was no point for him to go back to the future if his friends were dying and Harry couldn't save them. That was the one thing he had to do. He had to make sure they were going to be fine, everything else came second.

Harry sighed and opened the door to the Charm classroom.

If Harry wanted to be sure his friends would be saved, he needed to tell Dumbledore that on the 18th of June 1996 he would have to come and rescue them in the Department of Mysteries.

But after his freakout over a bloody butterfly, how was he going to convince him he wasn't some raving lunatic? Seriously, at best, he had to look like Luna now. In fact, the story he was about to tell him could come straight from the Quibbler.

Harry looked around and spotted the red-haired. With a sigh, he walked in the front of the class, choosing to ignore once more the other students' curious look.

"Sorry about… you know," Harry said again as he sat next to Albus who had tactfully left him alone during Care of Magical Creatures. "I was… I've had a harsh week. I don't know what came over me."

"Like I said, it's alright. We all have bad days." Albus was reading a potion book and taking notes. He hesitated. "And if that may reassure you, I've seen worse."

Somehow, Harry doubted it.

The Charm Professor was Professor Dippet and it seemed that the wizard was now convinced he was some kind of genius on the level of Dumbledore if his behaviour toward him was any indication.

"Professor Dippet is a hard wizard to impress," Albus remarked once the wizard had left their side as he started casting the Colour Change charm on his animal. Said animal suddenly was multicoloured. "You must have done something quite remarkable for him to take such a liking to you."

Harry shrugged. "I'm good at Defense." He looked at his rat and grimaced when he remembered he had confused the colouring charm with the growth charm for his OWL examination.

He wondered what kind of grade he was going to receive. He also wondered when he was going to receive the results. Because, from his point of view, it might take a century.

"Defense Against the Dark Arts?" Albus leant on his chair and looked at him. "Could it be that you're part of a duelling circuit? I admit I haven't paid much attention lately with that essay for Transfiguration Today."

Harry shook his head and the red-haired raised his eyebrows as Harry coloured his own rat yellow.

"Then I suppose," Albus slowly continued, "that you were part of some kind of tournament."

From far away, above his head, he heard a high, cold voice say, "Kill the spare. "

A swishing noise and a second voice, which screeched the words to the night: "Avada Kedavra!"

Harry grimaced and mentally tried to chase the image of Cedric's cold body. "How did you do that?" He pointed at Albus' multicoloured rat, choosing not to answer. "I thought you could only pick one colour."

Albus didn't comment on him changing subjects even though the look in his eyes showed him he had noticed what Harry was doing. "Technically true," he humoured him. "But what is a colour to begin with?"

And while Albus started explaining that with the right disposition rainbow was a valid and rather lovely colour, Harry wondered if they could somehow manage to save Cedric as well.

Unfortunately, if Harry wasn't allowed to kill butterflies which were meant to live, he had the distinct feeling Hermione would tell him that he also wasn't allowed to save those who were meant to die.


Albus had spent enough time helping his mother taking care of his sister to know that, most of the time, freaking out over the smallest things was just a defense mechanism for a mind at war with something far more insidious. As she had explained, his sister hadn't actually hurt him because he had broken her favourite teacup and decided to cast the mending charm on it. It was merely the excuse her mind had used to release her stress.

He couldn't see why stepping over a butterfly would be the tipping point for a freak-out though. It should have been insignificient. After all, what harm could a butterfly, or killing one, cause? What connection could the wizard have made for him to react the way he had?

Albus mused the question for a moment but ultimately came empty-handed.

And there was this matter of tournaments. Looking at his avoidance on the subject, it was definitely a sensible topic. In fact, he hadn't said another word for the rest of the class, so something terrible must have happened.

But Albus hadn't heard of any tournament turning sour recently.

When the new student began talking again after dinner, he decided to try finding out where he came from once more.

"I admit I have no idea in which school you were taught before coming to Hogwarts."

He had read enough to know each school had a specific way to teach magic. Generally, you could recognize a student from Beauxbatons from a student from Dumstrang rather easily when you knew where to look. But, the style might look like Hogwarts', there was a je-ne-sais-quoi telling him there was more to that.

"Could it be that you were home-schooled before?"

"W-well no… It's just..." Harry hesitated. "I'm a traveller."

"A traveller really," Albus said as they walked back to the Common Room after dinner. He couldn't stop a giddy smile at the idea this could possibly be true. "Have you travelled a lot?"

"I… Not really. But I've travelled far."

"Really?"

"Very far." The new student hesitated. "So far you probably won't believe me."

Oh, that was bound to be good… "I promise to keep an open mind," he lightly told him.

The new student grimaced as the Fat Lady opened the door.

"Well then, I'm actually a ti-"

"You're late," the student at the other side of the door accused.

Harry turned his head and startled when he saw the welcoming committee.

"You promised," another First Year added.

Albus grimaced and checked his watch. They were right unfortunately, he had spent far too much time on the dessert.

"I'm terribly sorry. It seems that I spent more time talking with Harry –you don't mind if I call you Harry?- than I anticipated."

Now that he was thinking about it, he hadn't actually introduced Harry to the rest of their classmates.

Or explained to him the house system.

Or even asked him where his trunk was and if he needed him to ask their Head of House to let him spend an afternoon in Diagon Alley in case said trunk was stolen.

He'd do that tomorrow, he decided. First Years first.

"But no worry. I haven't forgotten you," he told the First Years he had promised to help with their homework the day before. Turning to the Fifth Year he regretelly said, "I am afraid that duty calls. Still, if you need me to explain anything regarding the school or Gryffindor house, do not hesitate to ask."

The green-eyed looked like he wanted to tell him something. For a second, he even thought he was going to tell him what seemed to be on his mind. Maybe that would even be related to that incident with the butterfly earlier.

But if the man first hesitated, he ultimately swallowed and sharply nodded.

Whatever this was, Albus hoped this wasn't too important.