In Need of a Hero

by thepenspal

When Lily Potter translates a spell that can bring someone with the power to defeat Voldemort into their world, the last thing she and the order expected was a skinny seventeen year old Harry Potter. Story is back and will be finished.

5. Shocking Surprises

Chapter 5: Shocking Surprises

Harry didn't have time to question how Dumbledore was here and alive. He didn't have time to speak, move or even exhale. Before he could form a coherent thought he was thrown like a sack of potatoes away from the red haired men by Alastor Moody's spell. Landing with a thud ten feet away, he groaned and sat up, only to find that he was once again at wand point from several grim faced people he didn't recognize.

"Drop your wand" one of them ordered.

Harry glanced up from his kneeling position at the person who had spoken and gawked at what appeared to be a much younger and very much alive Remus Lupin.

"I… I don't… It's still in my…Remus?"

Remus froze at the sound of his name looking suddenly unsure of what to do, but he didn't have to make the decision. Dumbledore had come over after seeing to it that Gideon and Fabian were apparated to St. Mungo's.

"Lower your wands everyone. This man is not our enemy."

Harry exhaled a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding as the wizards around him slowly lowered their wands.

"I take it from the unconscious and dead Death Eaters lying around us that you are not responsible for the injuries sustained by the Prewett brothers?" Dumbledore asked.

Unable to speak, Harry merely shook his head. "Am I correct in assuming that you are responsible for the unconscious Death Eaters?"

With a numb mind and after finding a whisper of his voice Harry replied "Some of them. Some were already unconscious when I got outside."

Dumbledore nodded to himself. "In that case we, that is to say myself and the Order of the Phoenix, are in your debt. You have saved the lives of two of our members, two of our friends. Thank you."

An unmoving Harry nodded again before asking the question that was foremost in his mind. "Professor Dumbledore, what happened? How is that you're here? I… I don't understand anything that's going on. Am I dead?"

Dumbledore's eyes widened fractionally at hearing his name but then chuckled. "At least one of your questions is easy enough to answer. No you are not dead. But as to your other questions those I think will take some time to explain. It would be better if we were to go to a safer location to talk. Would you care to accompany me?"

'This can't be real. Maybe I'm dreaming, or maybe I got hit by a curse from a Death Eater.' Harry thought. But how could a curse bring Remus and Dumbledore back from the dead? Unless of course he had gone insane, or was hallucinating or maybe….

Stalling for time and in a desperate attempt to make everything seem more real Harry randomly asked "Professor Dumbledore, what is your favorite jam flavor?"

Dumbledore got a very surprised look on his face and many of the Order members looked incredulous at the completely random question the stranger was asking.

Taking the awkward question in stride Dumbledore answered unhesitatingly. "Raspberry."

Harry nodded to himself and painfully got to his feet. Insane or no, imaginary or not, Harry trusted Albus Dumbledore.

"Alright let's go."

Without bothering to ask why his favorite jam flavor convinced the stranger of his trustworthiness, Dumbledore walked over to Alastor Moody and asked if he would temporarily offer his house for an Order meeting.

Receiving a gruff "Alright, but if he does anything suspicious I'll hex him" in response, Dumbledore quickly saw that the Death Eaters were taken to the Ministry, before asking the remaining Order members to apparate to Moody's home.

After everyone had gone Dumbledore turned towards Harry. "Sir, if you are willing I will apparate the both of us. Am I right in assuming that you understand what apparation is?"

At receiving a nod from Harry, Dumbledore offered his arm. "If you would grab hold of my arm, we can leave."

Harry hesitated. Was he really going to trust this man just because he looked and acted like Dumbledore and knew that Dumbledore had liked raspberry jam?

Sensing Harry's hesitancy Dumbledore reassuringly added "Sir, I know you're confused and uncertain of what to do. But I assure you that no harm will come to you if you come with me. I give you my word. If you require an unbreakable vow I will give you one. But please believe me when I say that I mean you no harm."

The evidence of having a very convincing Dumbledore in front of him alive and well was warring with Harry's certainty that Dumbledore was dead. Feeling that he would be unwise to be too trusting Harry decided to ask one more thing of this Dumbledore look alike before trusting him.

"Sir, would you call Fawkes to you?"

If Dumbledore had looked surprised at being asked his favorite jam flavor it was nothing to the shocked face he was wearing now. "How do you know about Fawkes?"

Refusing to speak to this Dumbledore copy until he knew one way or another if he was the real Professor Dumbledore, Harry shrugged his shoulders.

After assessing the cloaked figure in front of him with a piercing stare, Dumbledore closed his eyes. A minute later a beautiful red and gold phoenix appeared in a ball of flame.

Fawkes landed on Dumbledore's shoulder before giving a piercing look towards Harry that was all too similar to Dumbledore's. Fawkes turned his head from side to side as if trying to put together a difficult puzzle, before taking off from Dumbledore's arm and landing on Harry's shoulder.

A shell shocked Harry tried to organize his thoughts. "Hello Fawkes it's been a while since I last saw you. How've you been?"

Harry gently stroked the long beautiful feathers. Fawkes let out a trill and gently nuzzled his head against Harry's hand before taking off and disappearing in another ball of flame.

Dumbledore stood speechless in front of Harry. Harry shrugged. He didn't understand what was happening, but he did understand that somehow or other he was standing with the real Albus Dumbledore for no one else could have summoned Fawkes to them.

"Sir, I'm ready to go now, if you are."

Dumbledore nodded his eyes twinkling and after Harry took a hold of his arm, he disapparated from the burned remains of the Order's Headquarters.

Disorder and noisy chaos had erupted at Moody's home as everyone in the Order tried to piece together what had happened that evening.

There seemed to be only three things that everyone knew as fact. One: headquarters had fallen. Two: Fabian and Gideon had been attacked and were now in St. Mungo's. And three: the mysterious being they had summoned was involved in some way.

James rubbed his eyes and tried to wake himself up. He'd only gotten two hours of sleep before he was awaken by Remus's Patronus telling him to come immediately to Moody's home.

Confused and a bit worried James had shaken Lily awake and without bothering to change out of their night clothes the two of them had apparated straight to Moody's home where they were informed in many fragmented and disagreeing accounts of what had happened.

"He knew my name James. He looked right at me and said Remus."

Remus was pacing back and forth across the room as Sirius tried to calm him down.

"It was probably your imagination Moony. The full moon is only two days away. "Sirius offered.

"Which means that my hearing is better than ever at the moment Padfoot. I know what I heard. He said my name. I didn't imagine it."

Several other members of the Order who were listening in began mumbling.

"So what do you think it means? Can he read minds or do you think that he's someone we know?" James asked, finally awake enough to give his attention to the mystery.

"I don't know…maybe. I didn't recognize his voice, but he definitely recognized me. It was like…oh I don't know… like he trusted me. It's… Merlin this is turning into a nightmare."

Sirius not liking the silence that followed this statement interjected. "A nightmare? Are you kidding Moony this is great. It means this guy is a friend and we can drop the whole possibly evil wizard bit. You said he saved Gideon and Fabian right?"

"I think so. That's what Dumbledore believes at least."

"See! He's on our side. All of that worrying for nothing."

Everyone was silent for a minute as they mulled this over. Interrupting their thoughts was a loud pop that announced the arrival of Peter Pettigrew.

"Where've you been Wormtail? We were beginning to think you'd slept through our Patronus." Sirius laughed giving the small and terrified looking man a one armed hug.

"I…I almost did Padfoot. I was really… really tired after the meeting tonight." Peter stammered. "What's going on anyways?"

"You're never going to believe it. Moony says that the ultra-powerful, potential destroyer of Voldemort and possibly super-hot female saved Gideon and Fabian tonight when some Death Eaters attacked headquarters."

Peter gaped. Remus interrupted "You can drop the possibly super-hot female part Padfoot. I heard him speak remember? It was definitely a male's voice."

Sirius got a fake devastated look on his face, but before he could argue that the wizard might just have a deep voice Dumbledore apparated in with the person of their conversation on his arm.

The chaos and noise from the Order died in a second and everyone stared at the cloaked figure with wide and searching eyes.

Sensing the discomfort of the man beside him Dumbledore spoke up. "Why don't we all take a seat?"

Grabbing Lily and James by their arms, Sirius dragged them to sit near the back of the room with Remus and Peter where they could see, but still whisper unnoticed.

'This is so weird.' Harry thought looking around the room, still half convinced that he was dreaming. The people in the room froze and Harry had the uncomfortable sensation of being appraised by every eye in the room.

"Would you like me to draw you up a chair?" Dumbledore's question drew him back to himself.

Shaking his head, Harry grabbed his wand from his pocket and with a smirk that no one could see, flicked his wand and conjured a squashy chintz armchair that was remarkably similar to the one Dumbledore had conjured at his hearing years before.

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled at the sight of the chair, before he conjured an identical one for himself. Everyone was unnaturally silent as Harry and Dumbledore took their seats. Dumbledore broke the silence.

"Well I think it would be best to start with introductions before we get into heavier discussions. Does that sound all right to you?"

At receiving a nod from Harry, Dumbledore continued.

"My name is Albus Dumbledore and I am the Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Have you ever heard of Hogwarts?"

"Yes." Harry replied simply.

"Excellent. That does save some explaining. So, in addition to being Hogwart's Headmaster I am also the current leader of the Order of the Phoenix, a group made up of the people you see here as well as a few others. We are an organization fighting for the defeat of a dark wizard known as Voldemort. I don't suppose you have heard of him?"

'You have got to be kidding me' Harry thought. Deciding to not give away too much yet and to keep his answers as short as possible Harry replied "I know him."

Dumbledore paused thrown by the direct answer. "Yes…Well, I must say I did not expect you to."

Harry bit his tongue swallowing his questions. How could Dumbledore think he wouldn't know Voldemort?

"I also have other titles such as Grand Sorcerer, Chief Warlock, and Supreme Mugwump and so on, but these are more a bother than anything else so I won't go into them." Dumbledore continued. "Who I truly am is very old man who enjoys bowling, lemon drops, warm socks, and, as you already know raspberry jam."

Dumbledore paused as if considering what else to say. "Is there anything else you wish to know about me?"

'What an unsatisfactory introduction.' Harry thought. 'That is hardly who you really are.'

Of all the people he'd met, Dumbledore had turned out to be one of the most complex. The few sentences Dumbledore had offered about himself seemed insufficient in describing who Dumbledore really was.

Looking at the man who had loved him like a grandson, a man who had worked for over a hundred years to make up for a mistake he'd made in his youth and yet never truly forgiven himself for, Harry found himself for what seemed like the hundredth time that day at a loss for words. There were too many questions about what was happening to him that were ramming themselves about his head for him to focus in on asking Dumbledore all the questions he had never had time to ask.

"Would you care to introduce yourself to us?" Dumbledore asked after not receiving any response from Harry. With a shrug of his shoulders Harry decided to play along and answer.

"I guess. My name is Harry P…" Harry was cut off mid word as a young woman ran into the room yelling.

"The healers say Fabian and Gideon are going to be just fine. Fabian is going to need to spend a couple days in the recovery ward but they're releasing Gideon tomorrow morning." Glancing around at the angry and annoyed looks she was receiving the witch froze. "What did I say?"

Harry however didn't feel angry. He felt as if he had just been hit by a bludger. A horrible thought had just occurred to him. He knew the names Fabian and Gideon… But they had died before he was even born. But then…What if this wasn't a dream? What if this wasn't a hallucination? What if…

The lights clicked on and he suddenly realized how Dumbledore could be standing there; how he could have seen Remus earlier. This wasn't a dream. Looking around with new eyes, the faces surrounding him began to look more and more familiar. He'd seen one or two of these people before. Just not as they appeared now... he had seen them with older faces. And the others that he didn't know he had seen in a picture shown to him by Mad Eye Moody.

"Marlene, you have just interrupted our guest as he was introducing himself." Dumbledore chided gently. "I'm sorry…Harry was it? Please continue."

But Harry did not continue. He felt like he was going to throw up. If what he thought had happened had happened he had just royally messed things up.

"No. Hold on a second. Did you just say Fabian and Gideon? As in Fabian and Gideon Prewett? The brothers of Molly Weasley?"

"Yes. Those are the two men you saved from the Death Eaters earlier. I didn't know you were acquainted with them or Molly Weasley. How…is something wrong?"

Harry grabbed his stomach and gagged. "I'm going to be sick. Oh Merlin. I think I just made a huge mistake. You, Moody, Remus I can't believe I didn't see it earlier. Professor, I can't tell you anything. I shouldn't have even told you my first name. I think I've been brought to the past. I'm not from your time. I may have already screwed up the timeline tonight when I saved Fabian and Gideon Prewett. Hermione's going to kill me when she finds out, but… I didn't know. I swear I didn't know!"

Harry was starting to panic. How could this have happened? How had he been brought to the past? Had a rogue Death Eater cursed him somehow on his way back from Hogwarts?

Before Harry could start hyperventilating Dumbledore intervened. "Harry, please calm down."

Harry did so unconsciously. There was something about Dumbledore's presence that made everything feel less frantic.

"You do not have to worry. You are not in your past." Holding up his hand to stop Harry's argument Dumbledore continued. "You are not in your past. Perhaps our worlds were once the same, but the moment you came here they became separate. The spell we used to bring you here specifically said that the being brought would be summoned from a different world. It is my belief that your world is an alternate dimension to ours. Therefore you do not need to worry because you have not been brought to your past; you've been brought to ours. You have not nor can you mess up your timeline, you can however alter ours. Does this make sense to you?"

"I… Not really sir. I don't understand how any of this could happen. How is it that I got here in the first place? Was it Voldemort? Or…." Harry paused, his mind reviewing in slow play what Dumbledore had said. 'The spell we used to bring you here was to… the spell WE used…

"Hang on…did you just say that the spell you used? Does that mean you did this? You're the reason I'm here?"

Dumbledore froze looking like a bearded child caught sneaking lemon drops. "We did perform the spell that brought you here Harry, but we had no idea it was going to bring you. To be honest we had no idea who or even what the spell was going to bring."

Harry sat utterly confused and a bit angry. That spell had hurt! And now he had been dropped in some random universe where he had been attacked moments upon waking by Death Eaters. Why in the world would Dumbledore summon some unknown person with some random spell? What would it accomplish? And why in the world had the spell summoned him? It made no sense.

"Professor," Harry began impatiently, "What exactly was the spell supposed to do? Because it hurt like hell, and I don't think it worked right."

The members of the Order shifted uncomfortably and Dumbledore himself had to pause and gather his thoughts before answering.

"Before I tell you that Harry I want you to know that none of this was personal. We did not mean or even have the ability to decide who this spell would summon. We only had one guarantee…"

Harry drew back in his chair something awful was coming he could feel it.

Dumbledore paused and then continued in a more subdued tone. "Once again the spell didn't mention any specifics. The only thing it did mention was that it would summon a being who would have the power to defeat Voldemort."

Silence followed this declaration.

'No. No, this could not be happening.' Harry couldn't breathe. He felt like he was drowning. This was worse than anything he could have ever imagined. This was beyond words. Fate could not be that cruel.

Could he never escape the prophesy? Would he be haunted by it for the rest of his life even after he fulfilled it? Gasping Harry stammered: "You… you brought me here to… to defeat Voldemort?"

"That was our purpose for using the spell. But …"

"I can't do it again! There's no way I can kill him the same way. It was more luck than anything else that everything worked out the way it did last time. How can you ask me to kill him again? I just got done fighting two months ago. I can't… I won't… How could you do this to me Professor?"

"Are you saying you've already killed You-Know-Who in your time?" Moody cut in.

Everyone in the Order held their breath waiting for Harry's response.

"Well yeah…uh no…well… kind of. He killed himself more than anything else, but that's beside the point. I can't do it again. It's a miracle I survived last time."

"How did you kill him?" Moody pressed.

"Well I was master of his wand so when he… wait. It doesn't matter. Professor you have to send me home. I shouldn't be here. You'll just have to wait and find out when it happens in the future. It'll happen just give it some time…. Now send me back."

There was no mistaking the discomfort of nearly everyone in the room. Eyes refused to meet and several members were holding their breaths waiting to see how Dumbledore would answer.

"I'm afraid that is not possible Harry." Dumbledore responded quietly as though regretting each and every word. "The spell we used will only return you to your home when you've fulfilled the purpose for which you were brought here."

The discomfort was almost tangible after this declaration.

"What!" This one word seemed to carry everything Harry could not say. He had jumped to his feet as he had yelled it and now stood trembling in anger. A window nearby shattered from accidental magic as Harry lost control of his emotions.

"So I'm stuck here unless I kill Voldemort?"

"Harry... I'm sorry I…"

"No. No, sorry doesn't even begin to cover this. What were you thinking Professor? You of all people should know. This is… This is unforgiveable. Did you even stop to think what this would do to me? Did you even care? How would you feel if you all the suddenly were yanked 150 years into the past and were told you had to kill Grindelwald again?"

Dumbledore stood speechless. But Harry wasn't finished yet.

"And all of you," he said gesturing to the Order, "The Order of the Phoenix, the heroes of the first war... thought you'd just push off the responsibility onto someone else! How could you be so selfish?"

No one could speak. It was the exact argument that had been made against them doing the spell in the first place, but it seemed much worse being told by someone who seemed to know them, and who was now the victim of their spell.

"Please Harry, try to understand. We knew that it was unfair and even cruel of us to bring you here. But think of it from our position. We are fighting a desperate battle trying to defeat Voldemort. We have no way of knowing whom or when he is going to attack next. I don't think you understand how desperate our position is."

"Don't tell me what I don't understand! I spent the whole of last year on the run from Voldemort and his Death Eaters. Don't tell me that I don't know what it feels like to watch as he killed my friends and family. Don't you dare tell me I don't know!"

Dumbledore paused and then sighed, and seemed to look more like he did right before he had died: Tired and pained. "You're right Harry. I apologize; I'm afraid that I was not thinking much with that last comment. Of course you would know. I only meant to communicate how desperate we were so that you might understand what motivated us to go against our better judgment and morals. Please understand we have little to no hope of winning. All of us know this. Then, in an almost miraculous manner we found a book in a secret room at Hogwarts. In it was a spell that seemed to be the answer to all our problems. The spell would bring us a hero, a savior, someone who could defeat Voldemort. For the first time in many years it presented us a glimmer of hope. Surely you can understand why we did this?"

"I can understand why you would consider it but…but that doesn't make it okay to do something like this! You don't just take the easy way out; you stand and face it."

"Did you never wish for a way out Harry? For any help at all, no matter where it came from? For a way to let someone else take care of everything?"

Harry was silent for a moment. He was angry, but he could not ignore Dumbledore's questions. Would he have acted the same way if someone had given him the chance two months ago?

It was something he didn't want to consider. He knew he might have considered it back before… but being in the position he was in now made him less than accepting of the idea.

"No, well, I, I don't know. I… I hope I would have had the strength to not do it..." Stopping Harry considered what more he could say. It didn't seem like enough. "Professor you once told me we all have a choice between doing what is right and what is easy. I've always tried to live that way. This spell is the easy way out, and it's not right…I would not have done it and I can't believe that you did. I, I trusted you. I looked up to you. I loved… I, I can't. I can't think. This is too much. I just…I need to go outside for minute."

With that Harry strode to the door. No one moved to stop him each lost in their own personal guilt filled thoughts as they considered what they had done to this man called Harry.

James and Sirius had shared grins the moment the stranger had conjured a squishy arm chair. It was a very Dumbledore like thing to do. Maybe Sirius had been right all along, after all everything seemed to be working out all right. This man seemed to be everything they could have possibly wished for.

Sure he wasn't big, and he didn't have an awe inspiring aura, and to Sirius' disappointment he wasn't a female, but if he was the one who could kill Voldemort who were they to complain?

James and Sirius whispered together all through Dumbledore's introduction, while Lily, Peter and Remus sat and watched the proceedings in silence.

The stranger seemed very aloof. He said very little and the little he did say only added to the intrigue. James raised his eyebrows as the stranger answered that he not only knew about Hogwarts but also knew Voldemort. Strange. How could a person from another world know so much about theirs?

When Marlene had walked in and interrupted the man during his introduction. James had felt like cursing the woman. Sirius did, sending a shock spell that made her hair stand on end. Ignoring the glare Marlene shot their way James refocused on the stranger. Sure the news she had brought back was great… But the timing could not have been worse, because in some way or other the news seemed to really disturb the cloaked man who had said his name was Harry. He reeled back with an air of definite fear.

Harry wasn't the only one who had reacted badly.

Lily had inhaled sharply when the stranger had said his name… 'She really is attached to the name of Harry for the baby,' James thought. 'Well if this man saves the world from Voldemort I might just warm to the name myself.'

What happened next however pushed all thoughts of the baby out of his mind. The stranger began gaging and franticly refused to answer any more questions claiming he was from the future. The thought shocked James into silence, and seemed to have the same effect on Sirius. They had pulled someone back in time?

That had not been something he had considered happening when they had deliberated about preforming the spell. When the spell had said it would bring someone from another world James had allowed his thoughts to roam to the science fiction novels he had enjoyed as a kid and the new Star Wars movie that Lily had taken him to see. He had entertained thoughts of six headed mutants eating Voldemort or Jedi knights whacking off his head with a light saber.

Someone from their own world but from the future had not even crossed his mind.

As Dumbledore explained to Harry the spell they had used and the results it would have for him James at last understood what Lily had been trying to explain. He could finally see just how selfish it really was. Every word the stranger said seemed to drive home the message more deeply. Even Sirius who never took anything seriously at all looked chastened. It seemed so much worse knowing that this stranger was not a stranger at all. That he knew them and trusted them.

Even hearing that this man had defeated Voldemort hadn't seemed to lift the guilt James felt. This man had trusted them… and he would probably never do so again. Not that he could blame him.

As the man walked out the front door James felt as though a weight had dropped into his stomach. Dumbledore himself was rubbing his temples and was silently shaking his head from side to side.

What had they done? Lily especially seemed affected and was crying openly. 'I shouldn't have talked her into this.' James thought to himself.

And yet… even now… He could still feel selfish for his family. This man could save them… he could make things better… Yes it was wrong but James still couldn't help but feel that if this helped protect his future child then it was worth it in the end.

This Harry would never trust them again… and they would have to live with the guilt of this forever… but it was a price he had been willing to pay and was still willing to pay for the safety of his family.

Harry wanted to scream. Why could he never catch a break? Why did life seem to have the fixed goal of making him miserable? He had gone through so much already and now stood on the brink of being forced to do it all again.

A growl of frustration escaped his clenched jaw. He was going to die! How in the world could he defeat Voldemort again?

And then there was Dumbledore and the Order. It hurt more than he would have thought to see them again. But under these circumstances it was unbearable. He had almost had to run from the room.

The fresh air seemed to help a bit. 'You'd think the air would smell older in the past' he thought ironically. Everything seemed surreal. But Harry knew that he wasn't dreaming. The bruises he had gotten earlier when Moody had chucked him through the air were a nice reminder of that. 'Just as paranoid in the past as he was in the future.' Harry bit back a laugh, before grimacing. These weren't the same people he had known… Not really. But at the same time they were.

Why did everything have to be so confusing? How was he going to get through this alive? Sure he knew about Voldemort's horcruxes but how in the world was he going to get them all again? And even if he did how could he defeat Voldemort in a duel. He certainly couldn't win the same way again… He didn't even have Ron and Hermione to help…

Harry inwardly flinched from thinking about his friends. What would they think happened if he died here in the past in a different reality? And Ginny…

No, He had to get back. He couldn't die here. 'I have to get home' Harry repeated over and over to himself. This more than anything helped Harry calm down enough to begin planning out how he could do this… First the Horcruxes… But he couldn't get them, let alone destroy them… he couldn't do it alone….

Looking back at the dimly lit house where the Order was still convened Harry grimaced. He had no one here. They weren't the people he had known and loved but at the same time there was no one else here that he knew and could trust. Fate had left him no other choice but to rely on those who had done this to him.

He didn't have to forgive them… He just had to work with them… and if it helped him get home…

Squaring his shoulders, Harry took one last deep breath before making his decision and reentering Moody's house.

Once again he entered only to cause the whole room to go silent. 'I seem to be having that effect a lot lately he thought sarcastically to himself.' Noticing that everyone in the room was waiting for him to speak Harry cleared his throat before saying

"I can't forgive any of you for doing this to me, but I really don't have a choice in this. I just want to go home, and if killing Voldemort is the only way… I have to try. But I'm not doing this for any of you."

Dumbledore nodded sadly "We understand Harry. I know our apologies will only sound hollow, but please know that we will do everything and anything we can to help you.

Harry only nodded. He didn't have anything else to say. He would work with them and go home and that would be the end of it. He purposely left out thinking about all that he would have to do. Focus on the goal and on how to get it done. The rest would fall into place soon enough.

Dumbledore gave a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "Harry, even though we have already learned a great deal about you from this conversation, I would still appreciate it if you would finish your introduction. I'm very curious to learn who you are. And if it is not too much trouble would you mind removing your cloak? I generally prefer getting to know someone while speaking to them face to face."

Harry didn't respond. He had to shake himself a bit. The cloak, of course, he had forgotten all about it, no wonder Dumbledore didn't seem to recognize him. Reaching up to the hood with hesitating fingers, Harry removed his cloak without looking away from the shocked face of Albus Dumbledore.

There was an audible gasp from nearly every member of the Order. Harry merely shrugged before saying…

"My name is Harry James Potter. And I have a lot of titles that are more a bother than anything else too. Let's just say I'm a 17 year old Gryffindor going into his 7th year at Hogwarts, the starting seeker for England's Quidditch team and someone who is not only pissed off but scared out of their wits at the idea of fighting Voldemort again."

Once again Harry brought the room to silence. But this silence carried an air of horrified realization that was only broken as a figure stood up from the back. She had vibrant red hair, a small stubborn chin, a splash of freckles across her nose, and identical gleaming green eyes to Harry. She stood frozen in place with her hands hugging her stomach.

Harry recognized her at once. There was no mistaking the woman who he had seen only in pictures, an enchanted mirror and in desperate near death experiences. She was Lily Potter.

"Mum?" Harry gasped frozen in place as his thoughts inefficiently tried to move inside his shocked brain.

And with that one word the frozen form of Lily Potter dropped to the ground unconscious.

Questions for Reviewers

Of all the reviews I received, the most critical stated that they did not find Harry's reaction to being brought to the past to be believable. (He was a bit too forgiving before.) I have changed this chapter (this is actually one of the main reasons I did a re-write.) so that Harry's reaction is more believable. I want there to be an emotional conflict to resolve within the story. What did you think of the chapter? Was Harry's reaction more believable?

This chapter switches between points of view. Was that confusing for you as a reader? Do you like that writing technique? Why?