AN: Hey there guys! Sorry for the long wait, but like I said, and will continue to say, Life is hectic… Anyway, this chapter is a bit longer than I anticipated but I just couldn't stop myself. ^^
For those that thought that the fight against Voldemort was short and didn't show much of Harry's knowledge; there is a reason for that. I wanted to make the first chapter short. And, don't forget that he was fighting the whole day before his fight with Tom. AND, he had to fight Neville, the only person that came close to somewhat of a friend, so he was a little lost. Harry is a badass in this story, but he isn't perfect either. So, yeah, enjoy this one.
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Chapter 2: The Second First Impression
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Harry stared at the note, a crease forming between his brows. What the Hell had just happened? And what the Hell was this note?
He rapidly looked around and like a few moments ago, he found no one. Nothing to attest to the battle that had destroyed the very castle. Nothing but a strange note, not even addressed to him. How rude…
Taking a big breath, he struggled to stand up; the Rune Array, whatever it was meant to do, had done a good one on him. His muscles were on fire and his hands were trembling, reminding him of the aftereffects of the Cruciatus curse that he hated so much. With a wave of his hand he summoned his wand that had fallen a few feet away, and a second later the warm feeling of the wizarding weapon traveled through his arm.
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It was a funny thing really, when he thought about it. His wand was very special, and only one person knew about its secret, but sadly that person took it to the grave... The core of his wand was empty. There was nothing but wood and a dozen upon dozen of runes engraved on it. The only thing used to help him focus was that wood. And you could say that what Harry actually did was wandless magic, and in principle it was correct. He could launch spells with or without the wand, but the runes carved on it had a purpose. At the moment of launching a spell, the runes on the wand interacted with the runes engraved on his right arm, widening the magic pathways in his appendage, thus enabling him to use a greater amount of magic. The difference of power was astounding, but at the same time, the strain it put on his arm was not to be taken lightly. If used for a very prolonged amount of time, it caused numbness. Sirius always repeated that the power boost it gave him was not worth the risks but who was Sirius to talk about risks? His entire profession revolved around that very word. A profession that had been the death of him…
Gripping his wand tighter he shook those thoughts away. Now was no time for reminiscing. With a flick of his wrist he launched the Tempus spell and the air in front of him shimmered, the date appearing: August 28th, 1976.
A frown forming on his face, he used another spell to show the year, but the result was the same. Clenching his teeth, he looked over the note again and his frown turned into a scowl. Even in this drowsy state, his quick mind had analyzed every possibility, and the result wasn't to his liking. Dumbledore had been a great wizard, but he wasn't sure that even he could send someone twenty-two years to the past. The overly complicated runic array however, wasn't to be excluded from all of this. He now remembered that one of the runes was familiar, the only one he could translate before whatever it was meant to do happened; flow…
With a sigh he read the note again and looked around, when a sudden realization hit him like a train. If the possibility of him being in the past was real, and the chances of that possibility were only growing with every second, then his arrival in the great hall from a future of twenty-two years, at the end of summer would have surely alerted the headmaster! He couldn't let him know what happened; at least not until he was sure where and when he was.
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Plunging his hand inside his vest he took the Marauder's Map and activated it with the password. He found the dot indicating Harry James Potter-Black and looked around it; and like he dreaded, the dot representing Albus too many names Dumbledore was rapidly approaching him. With a silent curse under his breath he took a hold of his cloak and covered himself with it, instantly becoming invisible to the world. And after verifying that the silencing runes on his shoes were still working, he dashed toward one of the stone archways. With a tap on one of the stones, a secret door slid to the side. Stepping in he slashed his wand to close it behind him and continued through the corridor, making sure that the numerous canvas on the walls remained oblivious to his presence. After a few minutes of trotting away from the Headmaster, he entered one unused classroom and closed the door behind him. Kneeling in the center, Harry started to draw runes with his magic.
Apparating on the grounds of Hogwarts was impossible without the consent of the Headmaster. Or at least that's what everyone thought. Harry was not one of them. Everything had a weakness; that was a fact. Even he had one; so had the wards of the school. The young Slytherin had found a way to bypass them in his firth's year. A short but very strong runic array that created a paradox in the wards, an impossibility that ignored the very laws of ward making. He created a circle of oblivion. A circle where nothing existed, yet everything was still there. The zone of the circle was like excluded from the very existence, but it was only an illusion of sorts. An illusion that could deceive the wards into thinking that the circle was not a part of it.
Finishing the array, he added a timer that would erase the runes after his departure. Rapidly he glanced to the Map and saw that Dumbledore was still in the vicinity, albeit he seemed lost, as if not knowing what he was looking for. With a smirk he stepped on the circle and with barely a sound apparated away. The runes on the ground slowly faded to nothingness…
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Siting outside of Florean Fortescue, he cursed under his breath for an umpteenth time, the ice-cream he ordered still untouched. For an hour now, he was reading the minds of every wizard or witch that glanced his way, and there were many of them; mostly of the fairier sex, but the important information that he found, after bypassing their useless attraction to him, was that he was really in the past, in 1976. Sirius' fifth year if he remembered correctly and Tom had only just started his pureblood propaganda.
Many thoughts swirled in his head, but one always came back. What were those Horcruxes, and why were they so important for Dumbledore to break so many laws and send Longbottom to the past? Not a few months or years back, but twenty-two?
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Find the Horcruxes and destroy them. Only after that could Voldemort be killed.
I have faith in you, my boy. Faith that you'll be able to do what I couldn't.
You can change the past and save everyone.
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Were those Horcruxes the reason that his Avada Kedavra hadn't killed Riddle? The chances were high, but Harry knew of no spell or ritual that allowed someone to become immortal. Well maybe the Philosopher's Stone, but that was another story. No, if he wasn't aware of it, then the information was so restricted that only a few knew of its existence. And according to the note, Dumbledore was unable to find them.
Suddenly his eyes widened, realizing something…the artifact that had killed the Headmaster must have been one of those Horcruxes. The old man must have discovered Voldemort's secret after finding the…whatever it was…but due to his impending death, he had created the Contingency Plan. Now everything made sense.
Change the past and save everyone… Harry Potter wasn't known for his noble or heroic qualities; that had been Neville's role. He was the Boy-Who-Lived and was destined to end the war and kill Voldemort once and for all. The Slytherin didn't believe in all the prophecy crap, but he couldn't refute the power that those predictions held. After all, it was by ignoring a small premonition about his future, that his actions had caused the death of his godfather. A death that he could have avoided if he wasn't so arrogant…
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Thinking about his godfather brought back the feeling of culpability that had eaten him all those years. Sirius had taken him in and had raised him despite having no knowledge of child care. He hadn't been the best caretaker in history, but he had done everything in his power to make his childhood the best possible. With a sigh he remembered that he hadn't made it easy for the Black head. He was a damaged boy and was very volatile; his temper flaring for anything remotely annoying. But Sirius, still loved him like a son, cared for him for thirteen years.
Then the damned Pettigrew helped a dozen of Death-eaters escape Azkaban, and afterwards he lost his second father…
The Lestrange brothers, along with Bellatrix wanted revenge for all those years in the dark prison, and of course to finish the deed that their master started; so they came after him and the Boy-Who-Lived. Hogwarts was a safe place, but there were secret ways into the school that only a few knew about, and Pettigrew was one of them. The Death-eaters entered the grounds with none being the wiser. It was a surprise attack, so no one was ready for it; no one bar one: Harry.
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Luna Lovegood had told him to be careful; to not go after them, that it would only end in tragedy; he didn't listen. He was sure of his abilities, of his prowess. He met them at the exit of the Whipping Willow. He was arrogant, and had paid the price.
He may have been powerful for his age, but they were adults; professional killers with refined instincts and ruthless precision. Harry incapacitated three of them before Rabastan put him down. And then, continued his unfinished work.
The Cruciatus was a horrible curse, the pain from it was unbearable, but he didn't scream, didn't cry for mercy or help. It was his fault that he was in this situation, so he had to bear with it. But once again, Fate showed its dislike for the last Potter; Sirius came to his rescue, again. However, this time he was alone. Still to this day Harry was ignorant why the chief Auror had decided to come alone. Maybe he wanted revenge and made sure that his colleagues wouldn't stop him, maybe it was just arrogance, or maybe he had just launched himself headfirst into the fray to save his foolish godson.
Either way, it was his undoing... The followers of the Dark Lord overpowered him after a long fight, and under the still twitching eyes of the Potter, Sirius Black was killed by a killing curse to the back, by none other than his cousin. And for the second time Harry witnessed the death of someone dear to him.
At that moment something broke in him and in a rage induced fury he unleashed his untapped power on them. For the first time he used all the spells in his knowledge with no mercy and they stood no chance... One after another they fell to his onslaught, unable to resist the hate-powered curses, until only one remained before him.
Her gleeful smile marred by madness was now replaced by an uncharacteristic fearful face. Bellatrix Lestrange was afraid, afraid of the damned boy in front of her. Just moments ago he was twitching on the ground from the unforgivable, and now he stood there, in the middle of mauled corpses, blood covering him head to toe, his dead emerald eyes staring into her withered soul.
Slowly he raised his hand and pointed his wand toward her. Still, she remained frozen, as if bewitched by an unseen force. When the cutting curse was only a few inches from beheading her, she finally reacted and jumped to the side, a new gash now marring her neck. She cursed under her breath and riposted with a volley of spells, which the Potter boy battered away without difficulty. It was like he was completely another being; a being that wanted her dead.
A surprising Petrificus caught her of guard and she froze, unable to move for the second time. Slowly the boy approached her, with every step his eyes taking on a shining quality.
"Die.." he whispered and pointing his wand to her heart his said "Ixzërio!". A second later a fist sized hole was all that remained of her heart. The freezing charm losing its power, the witch fell to the ground, dead.
A dozen minutes later the Aurors along with the teachers arrived to the gruesome scene, Harry still hadn't moved an inch from his position.
Big headlines made the Daily Prophet, but because of his coreless wand no one was able to accuse the young wizard and all charges against him were dropped. Sirius died that night and with him, his faith in the Wizarding world. He became emancipated as per his godfather's wishes and started the bear the name of Harry James Sirius Potter-Black.
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"Are you a Hogwarts student?" a voice asked to his side, and Harry realized his foolishness. He had completely lost the awareness of his surroundings, which was a very dangerous thing, and in his situation no less.
"I don't see how that concerns you." the young man replied, glancing toward the girl with his dead eyes.
"Oh..Em, I'm sorry, I wasn't trying to pry." she explained, slightly at unease under the cold eyes of the handsome young man. "I-I have just finished my seventh year a few months ago, so I just thought that..."
"Elenor, are you trying to seduce my clients, again?" said a short middle aged man, approaching them.
"Wha-...No! Mr. Fortescue, I was-..."
"Oh calm down my little girl, I was only joking." the owner of the Ice cream parlor stated. "That is, if you weren't actually trying-..."
"Mr. Fortescue!" Elenor exclaimed, a red tint coloring her checks.
"Don't you like my ice-creams, son? You haven't touched it." the man continued turning toward Harry.
"Your culinary prowess have nothing to do with it." the young man replied, and without waiting for an answer rose and walked away, leaving a Galleon on the table, quite a hefty sum for an untouched ice-cream.
"A strange boy this one. Oh well, it's your choice after all."
"Mr. Fortescue!"
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He had made his decision. He had a chance to change things, and stop the damned Dark Lord from even starting the war. A chance like this shouldn't go to waste. And if he would have to silence a few people and kill death-eaters on the way, so be it. He had stopped being nice many years ago...
With a new strong purpose, he strode in the Knockturn Alley, searching a certain man. After all, there was nothing to prove his existence to the world, for he was a stranger. And a stranger without papers was too suspicious to be accepted to Hogwarts.
That was his first choice. The ancient school was the center of any intrigue, and most of Voldemort's followers were still students. And what better way to thwart the Dark Lord's plans than from the inside?
Of course, the mystery of the Horcrux remained still. Harry had a few ideas, but you couldn't win a war only on assumptions. And Hogwarts was the richest place of information.
After a swift Legilimency on a passing drunkard, he turned to the left and walked down the small alley until the house number 42. Without knocking on the door, he entered the frail looking house. Upon making a few steps a voice made him stop. The man was good at hiding his presence, but he had sensed him while entering, and he had an advantage of knowing what to expect.
"You're on private property, sir, and I would ask you to leave immediately."
"Property can be acquired, like everything else in this world, Mr. Barnaby." Harry replied. He knew this man, and was certain that he could help with his endeavor. Sirius had made sure that his godson was ready for anything.
"Some are more expensive than the others." the man continued, after a small pause.
"Their price is meaningless to me, so I would advise you to not waste my time." the young man said, an edge appearing in his voice.
"In that case, I'll ask you to follow me." Mr. Barnaby replied, before slowly walking away, closely followed by Harry.
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"I'll need it in two days."
"What?! Two days?! But that's..."
"Don't play with me, Mr. Barnaby. We both know what is in your capabilities and what not."
"Alright, but this'll cost even..."
"Again, you're wasting my time. Money is not a problem. But make sure; I want it to be perfect that even you wouldn't be able to recognize that's it's a fake, without even speaking about your brother in the Ministry. Am I clear?"
"Yes sir."
"Then this should be enough." Harry said, deposing a purse of two thousands Galleons on the table. "Two days Mr. Barnaby..."
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With a small click, Harry unlocked the door to his new residence. After leaving the Knockturn alley he had spent the rest of the day, searching for a new place to live. He couldn't very well take one of Potter or Black manors; they were still alive after all. The same could be said for the money in Gringotts. But that wasn't a problem; the locket around his neck contained all of his possessions. A locket that was given to him by a goblin, as per Sirius' wishes.
Finding a new Home wasn't a hard task when backed up by a great amount of gold. It was an old manor on the outskirts of London. The best placed residence from those he visited.
With a flick of his hand, light illuminated the hall and the whole house thereafter. The chamber was wide and gave way to a pair of marble stairs. The old style slightly reminded him of the manor that was his home, back in the future. Having inspected the house beforehand, he marched directly toward the master room. Opening the double door, he swished his wand and cleaned the dust from all the furniture. Then standing in the center of the room, he started to inscribe runes all around. After all when starting a war with a mad man, protection was essential.
A good hour later, he finished the array and went on to the next room. The next forty eight hours would be very long, for, every inch and cranny of this manor would have to be made impenetrable...
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"Those are my greatest creation! Never had I done something so perfect! You will not regret my services, Mr. Gallaway." The man said placing the fake papers on the desk. "Even I wouldn't be able to recognize them, without speaking about my brother."
"I'm sure of it Mr. Barnaby." Harry said, taking the documents and putting them inside his coat's pocket. "Certain..." he muttered and, with a movement too quick for the man to react he launched a silent 'Obliviate'. Without wasting time, he turned around and left the building. Mr. Barnaby had been very helpful so far, but he was still in the way…
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"I know that my application is a little bit late, but due to some personal matters I had no chance to come before today."
"I see. What I don't understand though is, how aren't' you on our roster?" McGonagall said, a frown appearing on her face.
"That can be explained by the fact that the name I bare, is not really mine. I was adopted by my godfather, and he, had no descendants of his own. I learned magic under his supervision up until a few weeks ago… His last wish was for me to attend the greatest magical school in Europe." Harry explained with a solemn face.
"That would explain many things, indeed… Well, Mr. Gallaway, if by tomorrow you can have every furniture on this list and of course the annual fee; I see no reason to prevent another young wizard from attending our beloved school. That is if the Headmaster agrees." She finished with a smile.
"Those are no problems, Deputy Headmistress. If my application is accepted by Mr. Dumbledore, all will be ready by tomorrow."
"In that case, let us find out without further ado." The professor said, and after standing up, showed the way to the young man. A few minutes later, they entered the Headmaster's office, with the said old wizard sitting behind his desk, as if waiting for them. And knowing the old man, he probably knew what was all this about.
After McGonagall explained the situation to Dumbledore, the Headmaster turned toward him with twinkling eyes. How he did that was still a mystery to Harry.
"I am very sorry for your loss, Mr. Gallaway. The loss of a family member is always hard, let alone the sole member."
"Thank you, Headmaster. The loss is hard indeed, but my father was preparing me for his departure for a few years now so that I could cope with it." The young man explained all the while not making any eye contact. It was still too soon to let him test his Occlumency shields. But showing a bit of weakness in front of them could only help in his endeavor.
"Do you, per chance know of our House distribution?" Dumbledore asked with a grandfatherly smile on his face.
"Yes, by a use of a magical hat." Harry supplied.
"In that case, let's find out which would be yours, Mr. Gallaway." He said and showed him to a comfortable seat. After the would-be-student sat, the old hat was deposed on his head.
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'Oh my! Isn't it interesting?' an old voice resounded in his mind.
'Having Occlumency shields at my age is anything but interesting.' Harry thought back.
'What is interesting is not their presence, young wizard, but my inability to bypass them.'
'Having someone inside my head isn't one of my favorite pastimes old hat, so make this quick; or even better: put me in Slytherin.
'A curious decision, to which I would like to have an explanation.' The hat inquired.
'The Lion is brave. The Eagle is wise. The Badger is just. Together they thrive
The Lion is fool. The Eagle is blind. The Badger is lost. Together they cry.'
'Hm… An interesting poem, but it left out the serpent.'
'Exactly…'
'Oh, I see then. Indeed, that house would be yours.'
'It will.'
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"Slytherin." The hat said out loud and Harry could have sworn that a frown appeared on Dumbledore's face.
"Well, now that's done with, we can talk about the directives you'll be taking." The Headmaster continued. "Your O.W.L. results are quite remarkable, if I say so myself. I presume you will be following them this year as well."
"Indeed. Finishing my education here would be a great way to show my respects to my father." Harry replied for the first time meeting Dumbledore's gaze and as he had planned, the old wizard didn't make himself wait. The probe was very subtle, proof to the wizard's greatness…but also completely according to plan.
The moment that Albus brushed the surface thoughts of the young wizard before him, he felt something was not right. Everything that the boy had said was confirmed, but a small part of him felt strange. And the boy being a future Slytherin, he had the duty to protect his students from another Tom Riddle.
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But the moment that he entered deeper, everything around him disappeared, to be replaced by an infinite green field. It must be the mind of the young man. What was strange though, was that there should be at least something; a memory or emotion flying around, but no. There was nothing but the field.
Suddenly, a silhouette appeared in the distance, and immediately he was at the ready. A second later, the silhouette shifted away and Harry Gallaway now stood before him.
Seeing his mistake of underestimating the young man, Albus willed his mind to leave this place, but found that he couldn't!
"Invading someone's mind is illegal, Professor. But I'm sure you already know that."
"I apologize for my intrusion, but I couldn't not remark the absence of defenses in your mind, Mr. Gallaway. Quite the peculiar thing."
"Oh but there is, Professor. That would be me. Nothing is safer to guard my secrets, than myself."
"Quite an ingenious idea, I must say, but not without its weaknesses." Dumbledore commented with a grandfatherly smile. "Now, if you would be so kind to let me leave and we will continue our discussion in my office."
"I'm sorry, Headmaster, but the only way to leave this place is to have my permission. And I don't give permission to those that invade my mind. I destroy them…"
"Surely there is no need for that, my boy." Albus replied, the smile still adorning his wrinkled face. But the smile was no longer warm, and his twinkling eyes were now cold and serious. The real Albus Dumbledore was now before him.
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To answer that, Harry summoned his wand and with a flick, launched a succession of curses toward him. The Headmaster raised his own wand and summoned a shield, stopping the attack. Not wasting time, the young man followed with fire spell that travelled the distance between them in the blink of an eye. This time Albus launched a water spell to counter. As the two elements collided, steam formed around them. Suddenly Harry appeared to Dumbledore's left and launched a bone breaking curse that divided itself into five, before streaking toward their target. The older wizard swirled to the side and evaded three of them, the last two being stopped by the shield he erected.
Apparating away, Harry reappeared a good two dozen yards away. "Alright, you reacted fast enough. Now let's see if you're really as fast as people tend to believe." Taking a regular duel stance, he raised his wand and started focusing magic in it. His opponent seeing this, readied himself. Then as if on cue, both of them started to launch spells upon spells at each other. Every spell thrown by Harry was countered by the one Albus launched, and vice versa.
Without noticing, they started to walk in a circle, still exchanging an incredible amount of spells. Dumbledore was impressed. The young man's spell work was very impressive, and didn't seem to be tiring. Many would think that being in his own mind, Harry would have an advantage, but it was not the case. You couldn't do something in your mind that you couldn't do in real life. The young man was really good, but nothing he hadn't already seen…
"Let's take it up a notch!" Harry exclaimed, and a moment later a great dragon of fire escaped his wand and soared toward the old wizard. Hiding his surprise with years of practice, he riposted in kind, launching a giant wyvern of water. Again, steam filled the air, and suddenly a lion made from water jumped from the mist toward him. Slashing his wand vertically, Albus sliced the beast in twain. Apparating away for good measure, he was rewarded, because a second later a spike of earth rose at his previous emplacement.
Spotting the young man in the distance, waving his hand in intricate movements, his eyes widened for the first time when he remembered what those movements stood for. A moment later the earth under his feet crackled and a gigantic root rose from the ground, trying to catch him. Slicing the wooden appendages he jumped backward and summoning a phoenix made of flames used it to incinerate the devil roots.
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Having enough to be on the defensive, Dumbledore waved his wand in a few rapid motions. A few seconds later, three ten feet earth golems rose from the ground and started to run toward the young man. Harry for his part created spikes of earth on their way, but they continued without even stopping, the spikes crumbling under their feet. Jumping to the side to evade the giant fist of one of them, the young wizard sliced its leg off. Cursing under his breath when the leg reattached itself, he apparated a dozen yards away and closed his eyes.
A second later, with a resounding clap a lightning bolt escaped his wand and completely destroyed one of the golems. The first was followed by a second, and finally a third, destroying the last golem. He panted a little, but otherwise was alright.
Dumbledore on the other hand adorned a frown. For the first time since the beginning, he showed his frustration. This time closing his eyes, the Headmaster chanted under his breath, and a few moments later, a gigantic forty feet stone golem rose from the ground, making Harry's eyes widen. The thing was huge! Every step it took toward him, resonated around, making the earth tremble on its wake.
Concentrating himself, the young Potter launched the most powerful fire dragon he could muster, and the thirty feet tall flaming beast soared toward the golem. Unfortunately, the dragon exploded on contact without any damage to the golem. Waving his wand again, he willed the giant roots to entangle the golem's legs, and for a moment it worked, but suddenly a sword appeared in its hand, courtesy of Dumbledore, and he made quick work of them.
Harry smiled; a deranged smile. He hadn't felt so alive in many years! Dumbledore was truly a great wizard. And a great wizard was worth a great magic…
Taking his wand with both hands, the young man raised them over his head and looked to the sky. Slowly, his eyes started to glow and sparks began to form around him. Then the sky itself transformed under his magic, dark clouds filling it to the brim.
Suddenly Harry pointed his wand toward the golem with a cry of rage, and not a second later a lightning bolt of gigantic proportions descended on the beast with a deafening bang!
Blinding light filled the air, and even his hand raised in time couldn't protect Albus from being dazed. It was….imposs-…
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"-bus?!"
What was that?
"Albus!"
Suddenly, Dumbledore was back in his office, with a worried McGonagall staring at him with a frown on her face.
"Albus, are you alright? You spaced out and didn't answer to my calls."
"Oh.., yes, I was just thinking about something."
"Are you sure? You are sweating."
The Headmaster was at a loss of words for the first time in a while. What had happened? He had tried to read the surface thoughts of the young man when...
"A lemon drop?"
Alarmed, Albus turned to his right and found the young man in question, with yellow sweets in hand and an imperceptible smirk on his lips.
Then, all that wasn't his imagination...
"Yes, thank you." he replied, already starting to think of every possibility.
"Albus..."
"Oh! Yes, yes... Welcome to Hogwarts Mr. Gallaway."
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AN: Please review! Hope that the fight was to your liking ^^
The next chapter we will finally see Bellatrix & Co!