Chapter 6 Alliance

Author: dEBB987 Beta: Nyx the Author

Hogwarts had Wards that prevented any sort of magical, instantaneous teleportation, such as apparition and portkeys. Only Floo Powder was allowed, and merely in the fireplace present in the office of the Headmaster for external visitors, while the teachers could only use it to move inside Hogwarts to visit their coworkers. This security measure could be lifted at the Headmaster's will, as it was commonly done for the apparition tests performed in the Great Hall for the seventh year students.

Potter Manor had such wards, at least, the building itself did.

The backyard on the other hand, simply had an Yggdrasil protection known as [Delay Teleportation] which was a spell that could hinder briefly the teleportation effects, buying them several seconds of time that would be typically used to flee or prepare an attack. In addition, the spell also informed the caster of how many beings would be teleporting in the affected area.

Harry had designed it this way so the NPCs could come in and out of the manor quickly for their missions, and he always received a mental alert when they used any such method. That was, really, the only use he had meant for it.

Right now however, there was a very odd, blurry magical ball that looked like a small reddish hurricane moving in slow motion. The ball was suspended just over Harry's hand, appearing with the activation of a portkey.

…It had been an interesting plan, Harry admitted.

After the set of memories he had sent to Dumbledore, he had certainly expected a response requesting a meeting; that much was within his predictions. A whole day he subconsciously waited, then another, and finally in the morning of the third day after Halloween his familiar returned with a red envelope in its beak. A howler.

Harry had been in the backyard reviewing how many magical plants and creatures were left when his familiar came, causing Aura to halt on her report. Curious about the contents of the Howler, he raised a hand to his shoulder to pet Lyre in thanks before taking the envelope from its beak, opening the letter before it exploded.

But instead of the message he was expecting to hear, only a single word was uttered in Dumbledore's voice.

"Hireath"

Harry only had enough time to think a single, simple What? before the red letter in his hand started to move, twisting against itself until it formed the circular blurry thing that was now suspended on Harry's hand.

The howler was a portkey. It was odd, unexpected, and absolutely something Dumbledore would do now that Harry thought of it.

Deciding to attend to the unforeseen meeting, he simply extended an arm for Aura to come with him before the effect of [Delay Teleportation] ended, and the portkey finally activated at its fullest.

They arrived at a cold, snowy clearing that led to a forest, the branches of the trees were a dry dark brown, but most still had some leaves in them. It was completely different from the cloudy but warm morning Harry and Aura had been enjoying in Potter Manor.

A different country perhaps? Harry mused, ignoring the warm ashes he felt sliding from in-between his fingers, the remnants of the howler that had burned upon arriving.

Neither of them was affected by the cold air, having protections against [Freeze] negative status. Lyre on the other hand simply shivered before moving closer to his neck, pressing the lean, feathery body against it as if trying to hide from the wind.

Harry could sense a presence somewhere near the edge of the forest. Taking off his cloak, he gave it to a surprised Aura while softly asking "Are you cold?" and discretely looked to determine who was accompanying them. Unsurprisingly, Dumbledore was standing over a rock so he didn't leave any marks in the snow, a thin layer of magic covering his body that made him invisible for everything and everyone.

For everyone except Harry and Aura of course.

Harry had a job class that allowed him to see through illusions and invisibility, to an extent, while Aura was a ranger, and could perceive the presence near them even if she may not be able to see through it.

The dark elf was smart enough to catch his intent however, so she only nodded gratefully and put on the cloak that was only slightly big on her, crossing her arms as if hugging herself while fake-trembling.

"Can you come out please? It is quite cold so I'd rather deal with this as soon as possible" Harry called out, looking around as if searching for others as he feigned to be unaware of Dumbledore's presence.

He felt the magic around them shift slightly, something he recognized as an anti-apparition ward, while Dumbledore lifted his invisibility at the same time a loud Crack! resounded in the air.

Oh, it was probably meant to make them think apparition was still possible.

"I apologize for the delay, I wasn't sure you would come" the headmaster said softly, calmly walking closer to their position. Now that Harry could look at him directly, he noticed Dumbledore seemed… different.

The old man was thinner and he looked like he hadn't had a single good night of rest in the last week or so, since not even the half-moon spectacles could hide the bags under his tired eyes. Seeing the old man with such bad health was worrisome, for not even when Dumbledore's hand had been cursed had he looked so fragile. Had he caused this? Harry knew that taking the elder wand was going to worry him, it's not like he had done that on purpose, but—

"Who are you?" Aura asked innocently, tilting her head slightly while trembling in apparent cold. Her youthful appearance made her look somewhat harmless, but the Headmaster was still on guard, judging by his posture.

"I believe knowledge is not something you lack" he answered softly not to Aura but to Harry, wand pointing downwards nonthreateningly. The fact that it was already on his elderly hand was a telltale of his wariness though, even if it was not as strong as it would have been without Lyre's presence. The phoenix was calmly posed over his right shoulder, watching with young curiosity the situation.

But in spite of Dumbledore's suspicion, Harry didn't feel threatened at all. He looked peacefully at his old mentor, feeling nostalgic as he recalled events long past, before smiling softly at him.

"Hello Professor Dumbledore," he greeted, pulling up the sleeves on both arms to assure the other he was unarmed, even if Aura looked confusedly at the action "It's been so long since I last saw you." alive that is.

Harry had called for him with the resurrection stone a few times, mostly when he was still adjusting to his new role as the Master of Death in the first few centuries. The old headmaster had not minded at all, wanting to repay Harry for the mistakes he had made when he still lived, even if Harry never really faulted him for them.

Dumbledore's advice had helped him a lot back then, a guidance that made his burden easier to bear before he fully adapted and accepted his new reality. Looking back at the memories of that time, even after everything he had lived through, Harry would still define it as the worst phase of his long, unending life. Back then, he had been forced to deal with thoughts that made his own mind his worst enemy.

And now that I'm immortal, what will I do!?

In a hundred years will I still be the same? Will I outlive the ones who know my name? But it wouldn't end there, it didn't have an end.

What about a thousand years? Will I be all alone? What would happen to the place I called home?

Would it be even possible to settle down again? Others would notice I don't age. Will I be forced to roam far, far away…?

The advice from Dumbledore and the others, like Sirius and his parents, had made it bearable at the very least, an escape of the spiral of depressive scenarios that had kept coming and coming—

"Is that so? For me this is the first time we meet." Dumbledore interrupted his line of thought, smiling back even if the blue gaze was not nearly as warm as Harry recalled "However, I understand why you're already familiar with me. Why, this is the first time I've met such a talented seer." the old man said with a short chuckle.

...what?

"Is that the conclusion you've reached?" Harry asked neutrally, trying to determine the motive behind Dumbledore's statement.

"The other options are much less likely, quite impossible actually." the old man said merrily "I do admit you look remarkably alike of course, you've done a very good work at implementing charms to change your appearance."

Was this some kind of test? Or was him truly skeptical? No, being Dumbledore, the objective would most likely be—

"Ah, you can't stop acting now." Harry said with slight exasperation, which made Lyre release a short, calming note. Harry petted the phoenix absentmindedly in thanks before looking impassively at Dumbledore "I won't tell you more than I've already done."

In summary, Dumbledore had wanted Harry to tell him something only 'someone from the future' would be able to. He was fishing for information, for the details he had skipped in the memories.

"Hm? I'm afraid I don't—"

"I'll do the Unbreakable Vow then." Harry interrupted, extending his right arm towards Dumbledore "You can be the bonder."

The atmosphere grew tense for an infinitely long moment as they weighted each other's determination, neither side wavering until Dumbledore sighed tiredly, sounding as old as he looked.

"Very well then." the headmaster walked closer, but halted before he could take Harry's hand. The reason of said action was standing between them, a confused and distressed Aura that had moved in the last moment.

"Hadrian-sama" she mumbled, mismatched eyes looking worriedly at him as she showed her unprotected back to Dumbledore in a manner that totally dismissed him as a threat "What exactly does that imply? It's not something risky right?"

Harry smiled warmly at her, patting her head as he reassured "It is not. The vow only has a negative consequence when the party involved utters a lie, but I don't intend to do so."

"What's the 'negative consequence'?" Aura retaliated without missing a beat, even if she looked calmer as her head moved slightly from side to side, in sync with his hand. Harry simply ruffled her hair one last time before walking around her to reach Dumbledore, so the dark elf was now at his left side.

"I assure you it won't come to that, you have my word. You can trust me, right?" Aura inflated her cheeks in response, mumbling something that sounded remarkably like a "Not fair" before nodding her acceptance reluctantly.

"If something bad happens I—"

"You can take me back home, yes" Harry interjected, knowing the words 'will kill him' were about to leave her lips. Aura didn't seem to agree as she looked apprehensively at him again, but Harry simply used his left arm to hug her shoulders reassuringly before offering the right one to Dumbledore once again.

"Sorry about that, we can begin now."

"There is no need to apologize; an Unbreakable Vow is not something that can be taken lightly after all." Dumbledore said with an understanding gaze as he grasped his right hand. Manipulative little—

"Why? What happens when—"

"Do not take the bait Aura." Harry said simply, which made her fall silent immediately "Professor Dumbledore, please focus on the vow, I do not have much time to spare." he said in an admonishing tone, feeling slightly annoyed.

"Of course" the headmaster looked quite satisfied at his no-nonsense reaction, which made Harry understand why the old man infuriated others so easily. Merlin bless Mcgonagall and her infinite patience when dealing with him.

Dumbledore placed the tip of his wand over their hands, so Harry could finally begin the proclamation of his oath.

"I hereby swear I was born Harry James Potter, son of James Potter and Lily Evans." A thin tongue of brilliant flame issued from the wand and wound its way around their hands like a red-hot wire. The declaration seemed to surprise Dumbledore slightly; maybe a part of him had truly been skeptical after all?

"I hereby swear that I've come from a time long into the future and that my purpose in this time is to defeat the Dark Lord known as Voldemort, as well as his wizarding army." A second tongue of flame shot from the wand and interlinked with the first, making a fine, glowing chain. Aura looked with concern at the magic, probably still musing over Dumbledore's words and worrying needlessly.

"I hereby swear that I only mean to support the young Harry Potter that is currently a Hogwarts' student, so he doesn't bear the weight of the prophecy on his own." this last oath made Dumbledore's hand twitch, heavy eyes making him look even older. Harry looked up to meet the blue gaze, silently asking if there was anything else he would like to add.

Dumbledore doesn't answer verbally, but simply stepped away as the hand released its grasp, the magical chain glowing one last time before vanishing from his skin.

"How long Harry?" the old man asked softly, sad for a reason Harry didn't really understand "No, a more accurate question would be… how old are you?"

So that was it. If he recalled correctly, the first conversation he had had with Dumbledore using the resurrection stone, the one where Harry told him about his title and what it implied… Dumbledore had made that same sad, almost pitiful expression.

"…I admit I don't really count the years anymore. I have accepted the long lifetime my title entails, so there is no need to worry about me" Harry smiled truthfully at him before looking down warmly at Aura. She tilted her head confusedly, but Dumbledore seemed to catch his meaning, which made the headmaster show a small smile.

"I am glad you are not alone."

"I never am. Life would be quite dull without others to share it with after all." Aura seemed to understand upon hearing his answer, which made her show a big, toothy smile that made her look even younger.

"We will always be here for you Hadrian-sama!" she exclaimed before sniffing, mismatched eyes shining brightly as if trying not to cry in sheer happiness.

"I look forward to it." he said warmly, squeezing Aura's shoulder in thanks before taking back his left arm to roll down the end of his sleeves again, trying to look more human by acting as if bothered by the cold. Seeing said action Dumbledore waved his wand in a circular motion, placing a warming charm over Harry and Aura before lifting the anti-apparition ward.

"Let us move to a more comfortable place, if you have time for tea of course?"

"The prospect of warm tea after this cold is quite appealing" he agreed with a light nod "I just need to send a message back home so they don't worry over me."

"Oh, are there others?"

"Aura is not the only one helping me fulfill my purpose." he confirmed before turning to face the dark elf "My coat should have a small box made of wood in the pocket, can you give it to me?"

She nodded, searching for the item while humming happily before taking out a small box, the size of a penny. Carefully giving the item to him, Harry said out loud the keyword to enlarge it, the box now being the size of a notebook before opening it.

A parchment and a dictating quill came out of it, floating mid-air and ready to be used. The dictating quill actually wrote what it heard instead of making the inaccurate descriptions the quick-quote quill of Skeeter did, so everyone kept silent and waited for Harry to speak.

"I am currently out of the manor, accompanied by Aura. I will return before the day ends, in the meantime you may continue with your usual activities." he said, watching with interest as the quill moved over the parchment "Please inform the others upon receiving this notice."

Finishing the letter with the store-defined keyword 'detineo' the dictating quill stopped its movement and returned to the box, which shrunk automatically.

Bending the parchment, he didn't bother with an envelope and gave it to Lyre, the young phoenix taking it with its beak.

"Go back home and deliver it to Sebas. If he is not there then you can go to Mare, understood?"

The phoenix simply moved its head against his cheek in understanding before it flew up and disappeared in a curtain of flames. Harry watched it leave before giving the small box back to Aura and focusing on Dumbledore once again.

"Will we use apparition?"

"That would be the best way, yes." the headmaster looked curiously at him, probably wondering just how many people were living with Harry, but didn't inquire on the matter and simply extended an arm. Harry grasped Dumbledore's forearm at the same time he offered his left arm to Aura, waiting for her to take it before the three of them disappeared with a loud Crack!

To Harry's surprise, they appeared directly at the Headmaster's office. It was a very specific point on the office however, near the corner, so he guessed the reduced space had been the only one meant to allow apparition, while the protective wards were still up and running around the rest of Hogwarts grounds.

Dumbledore's control over the wards was certainly impressive, he had to admit.

The headmaster made a motion with his wand, a couple of chairs floating towards the desk until they were in front of it, before calling for one of the house elves to request tea. Harry looked around the office with a nostalgic gaze; when was the last time he had been in this office? When Lily was suspended for pulling that school-wide prank in seventh year? When she graduated? He couldn't recall the exact moment he had leaved this office, not knowing it would be the last time.

It looked weird without Dumbledore's, Snape's and Mcgonagall's portraits, he felt as if something was missing. The office just wasn't the same without looking at them discussing back and forth about something the current headmaster was doing. On normal circumstances, it mostly consisted on Snape bickering along with Mcgonagall while Dumbledore chuckled and listened patiently, before answering it was not up to them to decide anymore.

Harry and Aura only sat down once the house elf arrived with the set of tea, placing it over the desk before disappearing again. Dumbledore sat in front of them, as the owner of the office, placing a privacy ward around the area so the nosy portraits wouldn't hear their conversation.

For a short moment, only the clinking of porcelain could be heard as they prepared their tea in amiable silence. Harry chuckled at Aura when he noticed the huge amount of sugar she was adding to her tea, but was immediately distracted by Dumbledore's voice as the headmaster finally decided to break the silence.

"This may be a pointless question, but I need to confirm… are you really the Master of Death?" the blue gaze was serious, a poker face well-constructed that didn't express any of Dumbledore's emotions. But even then, Harry could see something akin to sorrow and guilt mixed in the oddly dull eyes.

The last memory Harry had sent was of him receiving his title, and the conditions that came with it, so he was not really surprised by the question.

"I am." he confirmed, taking a sip of tea before placing the cup back at the small plate and rising his dominant hand to summon the elder wand. Harry placed the thin wood over the desk's surface, the end pointing at the window in the office, before he laid back in his seat and made a gesture signaling it was fine for the other man to examine it.

The headmaster didn't hesitate to take a hold of the elder wand, turning it at odd angles and using his own original wand to run a diagnosis over it before sighing in relief.

"Thank Merlin it is with you, I was worried it would end in wrong hands." Dumbledore explained, giving back the elder wand.

"…Is that the reason you look so tired?" Harry asked with a worried frown, taking the elder wand before making it disappear again. Right now it wasn't needed. Dumbledore seemed surprised for a short moment, looking at him curiously before nodding slowly, almost reluctantly.

Harry had no way of knowing Dumbledore was using a charm to hide the worst aspects of his fatigue, since Harry's passive ability allowed him to look pass them as if they didn't even exist.

"One of many Harry, one of many…" Dumbledore took off the half-moon glasses, massaging his brows in apparent stress for a short moment before placing them on again "Have you heard perhaps, of the Dementor's revolt in Azkaban?"

That… was a very legit source of concern, Harry felt idiotic for not having considered it before. So Dumbledore was worried the dementors were going to cause havoc among the muggles? Harry felt somewhat guilty, but it was not like he could have communicated with Dumbledore to let him know the dark creatures were exterminated after their 'escape'.

The old wizard probably didn't even know the dementors could be destroyed, now that he thought of it.

"There is nothing to worry about in that front." Harry answered softly, indirectly admitting he was behind said action as he took another sip of tea "The dementors were destroyed after they left Azkaban's lands."

"Ah, so you organized the attack" it was not a question, but Dumbledore seemed to be more contemplative than mad "That would explain why all Death Eaters were kissed— destroyed you said?"

The headmaster must have been as tired as he looked, otherwise he would have reacted faster to that bit of information. Harry simply nodded, explaining in a half-lie that the spell to destroy them had been discovered in the future, some centuries after acquiring his title.

"I see… that is certainly good to hear" Dumbledore muttered before frowning lightly in confusion "but I don't really understand, why give them that protection?"

"Protection?"

"The Patronus didn't have any effect on them. Why was that necessary—? No, why was that attack needed to begin with?" Dumbledore didn't seem to be judging him, but the old man obviously didn't agree with Harry's actions.

"One of the aspects of my title is that, under very specific circumstances, I can receive requests. The one I received from someone in this world was for me to kill Voldemort and his wizarding army." Harry said seriously, before frowning in puzzlement "and regarding the protection… it was probably a secondary effect that came with our control over them."

The creatures that were tamed by Aura automatically gained a rise in level, making them more resistant and increasing their attack. The immunity against the Patronus charm probably derived from it, even if Harry had not been aware of that fact.

It was no wonder Dumbledore had been worried. What could a wizard do against a dementor without using that charm?

"Was that spell also invented in the future?" Dumbledore asked skeptically, which made Harry shake his head in negative.

"No, this one comes from another world, the one I currently reside in" Harry looked meaningfully at Aura, who had stayed silent for the whole conversation, so she raised her hand childishly and exclaimed "Yep! I can make creatures stronger once I've tamed them!"

This ensued in a long conversation regarding the magic and skills of other worlds, but Harry didn't really enter in much detail, explaining that different worlds meant different magic, and that his very own arsenal was composed by a mix of them.

Some were limited, meant to be used only on the worlds they belonged to, but Harry only bothered to remember the ones he could use freely in other worlds once the original perished.

Even for someone as old as Harry, his mental capacity was limited. It didn't matter how long he lived, he just couldn't remember all of his experiences and lessons learned from all his previous lives at all times. This little detail was the reason behind most mistakes, simply because he couldn't really recall he had already done something similar a couple of lives ago.

In that sense, Harry considered himself to be quite human-like.

Dumbledore expressed his understanding with a nod; his hands interlaced over the desk's surface before asking another question "Are their deaths really necessary though? A request is something that can be denied after all—"

"I cannot." he lied fully for the first time. It was necessary however, so he looked seriously at Dumbledore and explained "If we are to return to our home, back to our world… I need to fulfill the request. Otherwise I won't be able to leave this world, and the ones that accompanied me would have to stay as well."

"Oh." Dumbledore's expression changed from stern to resigned, but the old man seemed to understand this wasn't something he could interfere with "I see… your hands really are tied then."

"I'm afraid that is the case."

Tea time turned into lunch, with Dumbledore requesting food to be brought from the house elves once more, and sending his phoenix patronus to McGonagall so she would know he was going to be absent from the Great Hall today. It was on the pretense of resting, so the Head of Gryffindor didn't protest at all at the notice.

Their talk was seemingly unending, one topic going to the next before they finally reached the cherry on the cake.

Horcruxes.

"Of course I am aware of their existence, their destruction was necessary to defeat him after all." Harry raised an incredulous eyebrow at Dumbledore's question, which made the other chuckle lightly.

"I apologize Harry, you look so young I tend to forget." he explained lightly with warm eyes, before turning serious once more "If you destroyed them back then however, does that mean you know how many are there? Which relics did Voldemort use as containers?"

"Indeed. I remember the locations as well, so I have some of them already on my possession. I have not destroyed them unless necessary though, I think that is something you should participate in."

Dumbledore didn't seem to understand what he meant, so Harry simply turned his empty palm upwards at the same time he called back to him the resurrection stone.

Blue eyes opened wide behind half-moon glasses upon seeing the ring, before the old man stood up in a hasty, ungraceful movement.

"That—!"

"—Is a horcrux." Harry interrupted severely, which made Dumbledore snap out of his haze. The headmaster had looked ready to take the ring, probably wanting to use it as soon as humanly possible, which had made Aura straighten in attention on her seat, ready to interfere if the old man stepped closer.

Harry was actually surprised the other didn't request the resurrection stone as soon as he showed he could summon the elder wand. Probably the lack of sleep was affecting Dumbledore greatly, more than he had previously assumed.

Dumbledore looked at the ring with something akin to shame, just now noticing the dark magic that was oozing from it, before he all but collapsed back into his seat.

"I see, of course you are right…" the headmaster looked crushed, a sad desperation that seemed to be about to consume him before Harry spoke again, this time more softly.

"You can borrow the hallow once we destroy the horcrux in it," the phrase made Dumbledore look up in attention, his head moving so fast Harry wouldn't be surprised if the neck had been injured "The stone will keep working even once the horcrux is gone, as it did back then."

"…Thank you." the old voice is filled with relief, and old hand coming up to Dumbledore's eyes as if trying to hide from the world "Thank you so much Harry, thank you."

He was crying; Harry had no doubt about that even if he couldn't see his eyes. The quivering of his voice, thick with emotions, told him as much. Harry didn't blame him; the old man had wanted to apologize to Ariana for so long…

Aura looked oddly at the touching scene, opening her mouth to ask something, but Harry simply smiled at her while making a shushing motion. She nodded silently in understating with a small smile of her own, so they both waited patiently for Dumbledore to calm down.

"After everything you have gone through, I think it is only fitting for you to destroy the horcrux that resides in the ring." Harry spoke softly after a while "The sword that hides in the sorting hat should be enough to do it."

"Basilisk venom of course." Dumbledore whispered much more calmly, uncovering his eyes before rising from his seat to bring the sorting hat. If the headmaster took advantage of the placed distance to clean the tear marks on his face Harry feigned not to notice, waiting calmly in his comfortable seat.

Dumbledore returned after a short moment, offering the hat to Harry, but he just shook his head in negative and refused to take it.

"After such a long life, I don't think I'm Gryffindor enough to do it." he explained simply. Harry could probably force the sword to appear, but why risk damaging the hat when there was a Gryffindor in the room?

Dumbledore smiled sadly at him before nodding, taking the sword out of the hat without any difficulty. Harry placed the ring over the desk before rising from his seat, taking a couple of steps back to place some distance. Aura imitated the action, standing protectively just in front of him.

The headmaster didn't pay any attention to them though, focused completely on the ring as he brought down the sword in a single, precise movement.

A bloodlike substance, dark and tarry, seemed to be leaking from the middle of the stone where the sword had pierced it, before the ring started to vibrate violently and a scream of pain was released from it. The sound seemed to echo in the office, but the privacy wards prevented anyone from hearing it.

Once the headmaster retired the tip of the sword from the stone Harry stepped closer, taking the ring to inspect it before deeming the horcrux had been completely destroyed. Congratulating Dumbledore for a work well done, he walked around the desk to give him the ring, with Aura following right at his side with a carefree expression.

…Which was a lie.

The dark elf was actually on guard, ready to move and protect Harry if necessary. He was used to the overprotectiveness his servants tended to display however, so he didn't comment on it, and Dumbledore was too focused on the ring on his hand to notice anything else.

"You can borrow it for the next couple of days, so you can do what you need to." Harry instructed softly, which made the old man nod distractedly. Feeling like he was intruding in a personal moment, he looked at the night sky that could be seen from the office's window before saying "Well then, it seems to be quite late. I'll be heading back—"

Harry's phrase was interrupted by the green flashing of fire that came from the fireplace, before a wizard dressed in black robes came out of it with long strides.

"Dumbledore—" the Potions master started to say, before halting upon noticing Dumbledore was not alone. Snape glanced briefly at Harry with something akin to confusion, before the dark gaze focused completely on Aura.

Snape seems to recognize her? was the last thought Harry could have before the spy raised his wand threateningly at them, which made Aura instinctually react by neutralizing the threat—

—or trying to at least, if she hadn't been stopped at the last second by Harry's hand on her shoulder.

He pulled at her to stop her momentum, which made Aura give a couple of steps back with a surprised expression. Harry ignored her in favor of giving a warning stare at Snape however, which made the man tense impossibly.

Deeming the wizard was not going to attack, Harry finally turned his annoyed gaze towards Dumbledore.

"…It seems you neglected to block the fireplace."

Author Note:

Well, Harry's thoughts regarding his own immortality were inspired by the song "Faster Than You Know" made by Black Gryph0n & Baasik. Feel free to check out the lyrics~

As for the reason I didn't mention the exact content of the memories? It's very simple. It would have been author's suicide! An invitation to find contradictions or loopholes either in this chapter or the ones to come, so no thanks hahaha it's better to simply skip it. We already know what happened in those years either way~

This chapter was kinda short with only 5.7K words = 13 pages in word, but it has been sitting here neglected for so long, I just wanted to finish it.

Time dear readers, time! Writing-time is becoming scarcer every day, what with exams coming and internship ending to become a real job. A very REAL time-consuming job!.

I still write because I like to, I find it relaxing and easy to do, not to mention the ideas just keep coming and coming for both stories! This is just to warn that updates may take longer *sighs tiredly*

Either way, thanks for reading and hope you liked it. See ya' around~ and wish me luck plz! I'm gonna need it!