August 2, 1995
Harry had just returned with Dudley from the dementor attack. Petunia was beside herself trying to care for her son, and Vernon was beyond furious.
"That's it! No more! I have had it with you freaks and your freakishness!" He raaced to the basementand returned with a trunk. A trunk Harry recognized immediately. It was Hunter's trunk! Vernon was already yelling again before Harry could speak. "Out! Get the rest of your freaky, go-for-nothing, weirdness, and this blodody trunk and get out of our house! Leave us good folk in peace! Go! NOW!"
it was then that a Howler burst into flames and he heard a booming voice "Remember my last Petunia!" Petunia Dursley very obediently moved to calm her husband. After some shouted whispers Harry was told to take the trunk and go to his room. Once there, Harry opened the trunk and entered the classroom of his long vanished mentor.
Harry began looking around, and began to smile as the memories of his childhood after his savior came, visited his mind. That's when he saw it. The painting on the wall that he knew was not there before. Walking up to it he whispered in awe. "Hunter?"
To Harry's shock, the portrait came alive! Looking around to get his bearings first, the painting looked closely at Harry and spoke. "How long has it been Harry?"
Harry explained that it had been over four years since He had disappeared. This didn't sit well with Hunter. "Why didn't you come to me sooner? I told you in the letter to use this trunk as your base of operations." Harry was confused though. "What letter? The last letter you sent me said you would be gone for a few and that I was to continue to study. Then you vanished." Hunter realized immediately what had happened. Vernon, presented with an opportunity to regain control had destroyed the letter and hidden any trace of Hunter's existance. "Okay Harry. I see what is going on. Why don't you fill me in on your last few years. I have much to tell you, but I need to catch up to you before I can even begin to explain."
Harry began to recount his first four years of Hogwarts and Hunter asked pertinent questions where he saw major differences between his life and Harry's. The first year was quite similar. "Please tell me you did rejoin the qudditch team." Hunter pleaded. "Yeah, Wood got the Twins to beg for him and after they saved me from this Dursley-prision, I couldn't honestly tell them no. Angelina can go piss up a rope for all I care though." Hunter nodded at this and had Harry continue his tale.
Upon returning from Hogwarts, Harry was beaten into unconsciousness and thrown in the smallest bedroom of #4 Privet Dr. His school things and wand were locked in a cupboard and he was put to work. It took time for him to heal enough to do magic and that was when a house elf named Dobby entered the picture. The letter from the Ministry of Magic put a sense of command and power in Vernon. Then the Weasleys saved him from his muggle prison.
The currents brought him to fighting with a basilisk in order to save young Ginny Weasley and ending the Diary before a phoenix saved him from his own arrogance.
In his third year he encountered dementors and his godfather. Not before causing Marge Dursley to blow up like a balloon though. Hunter's influence caused another ripple as Harry fought with Ron over Scabbers, because he remembered something about not trusting rats. Harry almost got the traitor, but he slipped away. And when Hermione went to McGonagall behind his back over the Firebolt, she was persona-non-gratta for months
When they got to fourth year, things were very different. The World Cup and Death-eater activity were the same, but Crouch got Ron's wand not Harry's. Then the train ride and the school. Harry encountered the Tri-wizard Tournament. When the bulk of the school turned on him Harry became plain angry instead of sad. He looked back on the heroes in his favorite movies and comics. Thinking to himself 'What would Batman do?' or What would Luke Skywalker do here?' and took to the fight aggressively. It wasn't just surviving, now he was out to win.
Rita Skeeter met with Harry's temper when she shoved him a broom closet for his interview. Her notes and that Quick-quotes quill were incinerated, and he reminded her how she and everyone else owed the Potters for their current freedom. Then Dumbledore arrived and the wand weighing ceremony began.
Parseltonge bought Harry time, but he still needed his Firebolt and some fancy flying to beat that damned Horntail.
Ron's apology, pathetic as it was, was met with a right hook. Harry wanted nothing to do with the jealous git.
Hermione didn't turn on him, but felt he was being unreasonable regarding Ron and chastised him. A lecture that cost her her friend for several months.
Harry's hatred of bullies had caused him to save Luna Lovegood from her house-mates, and thus, he took her to the Yule Ball. She enjoyed being at the ball, but she was happy to leave early and saw Harry wanted out as quick as possible. She even more enjoyed being Harry's treasure in the black lake as it gave her a unique view of the merpeople and their domain for an article in the Quibbler.
Since he was playing to win, not just survive, Harry surprised Hunter. He didn't share the glory and took the cup alone. Thus Cedric did not die as he had in Hunter's time. The rest however went exactly as Hunter remembered. Hunter listened intently and sighed. It was time. Time to come clean, and time to tell Harry what truly was in his future.
"Okay Harry. Now that I'm on par with you, it is time for you to get on par with me. The first thing is going to shock the hell out of you. I am called Hunter now, but I was Born Harrison James Potter."
ACotSoT..ACotSoT..ACotSoT..ACotSoT..ACotSoT..ACotSoT..
Harry ran through a whole gamut of emotions. First was shock, eventually rage, and settling on depression. He realized that Hunter was him, and Hunter was dead. It was not a reality he was ready to face. Hunter let him go until he looked defeated. That's when he intervened.
"Yeah, I can see how that wouldn't sit well with you. Part of this was an accident and part is because I was blinded by my own fears." Harry looked up at that, confused by the comment. "I was afraid to let you suffer as I had. I thought I could interfere, and prevent all the wrongs that I endured. But I was arrogant. I thought I knew better than everyone else." Hunter began laughing at that. "I turned into what I hated. I became another Dumbledore."
Harry and Hunter discussed many things from that point. Harry was a little irritated that Hunter would not tell him more of his future, but Hunter countered that they had already changed too much and Hunter's life was not likely to be Harry's life. "my wife, my children, almost my entire family was wiped out. I pray that what I have done, and what I do now, prevents that." Harry was considering all Hunter said, then took a breath. "Okay what can you tell me?"
Hunter explained the horcruxes first. All but the one in Harry that is. Hunter had hit him with an enormous shock and Harry being a horcrux could wait.
For the next three days and nights Harry was brought up to speed on all manners of splls and dueling. He would still need to practice and get used to them, but he now had the knowledge. Nothing on theory, but on the practical side, he would be far above any save Dumbledore and Voldemort.
That was only the first part. Hunter had a plan for the horcruxes. He only hoped that the booby-trap on the faux prophecy did the trick on that snake. Harry would be collected by Dumbledore's people and he would be taken to where a horcrux was hidden. Harry would need to collect it from the house elf there.
Next was the trial. Hunter explained how Dumbledore came in and "saved the day" after his trial had been illegally moved up. Harry nodded. This would be a little tricky.
Hunter also told Harry he had to ease off on Ron and Hermione. That did not sit well with the teenager. He had finally given Ron a chance to come into his circle again and he abruptly abandoned him, just as Hermione and Ginny had. Hunter explained why and how Dumbledore held a great deal of sway with people. Not to mention the smothering Molly Weasley. Harry nodded again, but it was for show. Harry was done with Ron. Hermione? Well maybe her and Ginny too. But Ron was a jealous git and Harry was done with him.
