Quick note to erbkaiser - Sorry, but I had that planned from the beginning, before any word ever hit paper (electronic or otherwise).

Voyager - Year 6

Captain Janeway was standing before Harry Potter with a look that mixed anger and disappointment. "Due to your actions against the survivors of the USS Equinox, I am demoting you to Ensign and sentencing you to three months of solitary confinement in your quarters."

"Safe bet they won't think about mutiny against you, I'll bet," Harry shot back. "I didn't kill or maim them, and they're still able to perform duties for you. Maybe they'll be better little soldiers for you than I am."

Her face solidified into anger. "Don't think this won't be going into your record, Mr Potter," she told him in a dangerous tone. "Your attitude is reaching a point where you just might find yourself taking Tom's place in the New Zealand penal facility when we return to Earth."

"That assumes that I survive our eventual return to the past, Captain," he shot back. "I do have a maniac who wants me dead back then. Given that I'm going to lose that Hermione as well, I just might let his followers succeed in dealing with me after I kill their boss."

"Starfleet officers do not kill if they can avoid it, Mr Potter," she replied sharply. "Although you've been less and less the exemplary officer you once were."

"Well, given that there was a prophecy about me and the dark idiot back then, it is pretty much a given that I'm going to have to kill him and hope it sticks this time, given that he's come back from the dead before." He looked at her. "House arrest, captain, or solitary confinement in my quarters?"

"Solitary confinement," was her response. "Take him to his quarters and stand guard outside until relieved."

After roughly an hour in his cabin, Harry frowned at a thought. "Computer, what functions do I have access to?"

"Ensign Potter has access to all functions available to his rank."

"Well, that's stupid," he muttered. "Computer, restrict replicator access to nothing more than standard Federation prison outfits, and three meals of nothing more than basic nutrition. If possible, any replicator rations not used during the next three months are to be transferred to Harry Kim or Tom Paris in an alternating pattern. This order cannot be countermanded by anyone lower than the rank of Commander, which means that once this order is in effect, I cannot alter it."

"Affirmative."

"Activate."

"New replicator restrictions are now in effect."

He picked up a PADD. "Computer, all access to computer functions are to be restricted, save for personal log entries on the PADD I currently hold. No access to ship's systems, and only incoming calls. Will this command also prevent me from attempting to disassemble the replicator for any reason?"

"Affirmative. Any attempt to access the replicator hardware via non-destructive means will be denied."

"Excellent. If I understand my orders correctly, once they are enacted, the only things I will be able to do with the computer in my quarters is to receive incoming calls and make and read personal logs."

"That is correct."

"As with the replicator restrictions, this change cannot be countermanded by anyone below the rank of Commander, which includes myself. Engage."

"All computer functions for Ensign Harry Potter are now offline, except for personal log entries," the computer replied.

He sat back down on his bed. "That's part one out of the way," he finally said.

Commander Chakotay finally opened the door from the outside to find a sparsely equipped room, far different from Potter's usual quarters. Raising an eyebrow, he asked, "Why didn't you answer the door?"

"I no longer have permission to allow access to the room, Commander," Harry replied. "I figured that since it was solitary confinement, it should actually be solitary confinement. That's why the prison jumpsuit and the fact that I have access to only three simple meals per day. No computer access at all except for the ability to make and read my own personal logs. Well, incoming calls as well. And if a mere ensign has the right to give the kind of order I did, only you, Tuvok, and the captain can revoke those restrictions." He blinked. "Maybe 're-enable access' would make more sense."

Computer," Chakotay said, "who has rights to re-enable access to this cabin's computer and replicator?"

"Yourself, Commmander Tuvok, and Captain Janeway," replied the pleasant female voice.

"I can see both sides of the issue," Harry said as he noticed Chakotay's frown. "It strikes me as problematic that a lowly ensign could have such a powerful effect on the ship's computers, but given our tendency to be boarded by hostiles, it's also good that just about anyone can lock out everyone except the captain. And to be honest, if some irate ensign does lock everyone out, the captain can countermand it and find out who Mr Disgruntled is."

"You are an enigma, Harry," Chakotay told him. "You are consistently just shy of insubordination toward the captain, yet you actually turn what she stated for the logs into an actuality. She had intended it to be house arrest - no leaving your cabin for the three months."

"Yes, but when I asked for verification, I was told 'solitary'. Therefore, I ensured that the logs would show that my treatment was exactly as she ordered."

Chakotay laughed. "That's why I like you, Harry. No matter the problems you have with someone, you still do the job properly. You've helped salvage her side of this thing, and I'm certain you realize that taking the initiative on locking yourself down looks good for your record."

Harry shrugged. "I told Tom this a few years ago, and I'll tell you - if records had shown me in a Klingon uniform, I'd have found a way to join their fleet. The important thing is that I make it home to the twentieth century. If the Maquis would have gotten me there, I'd have been right beside you and B'Elanna, fighting the Federation. Looking good for the records is good for only so far as it makes me available to actually be involved with going back to the past."

"Shall I ask the captain about altering your sentence, since it was supposed to be house arrest?"

"Nah. She does that and everyone starts to worry about her, to change it so rapidly. She should honestly wait for a minimum of two weeks if she's going to change it, but a full month would be better. Under no circumstances should she lessen the duration of the sentence, though. I admit that while I felt justified at the time, since they had been killing creatures for their own sick purposes, what I did to scare the Equinox crew was over the top."

"I'll bet they'll think twice about mutiny of any sort, though," Chakotay said with his amused smiled gracing his face..

"Got that right. I wonder if any of them took advantage of the micro-circuitry designed to deal with an inability to reach restroom facilities in time?"

"No, I'm pretty sure that none of them pissed themselves - or the other reaction - although it might have been a close thing." Chakotay was openly grinning.

"If they never do that again, we're good." Harry sighed. "You need to be going, sir, since this is solitary confinement. And when you leave, could you take that case by the door? It's got all my stuff in it. If I have it here in the room with me, then I might be tempted to use it, which sort of goes against the concept of solitary, doesn't it?"

"Thinking like that will likely get your rank back fairly soon."

"I think I'd rather see someone else get promoted for the first time, rather than get me my rank back."

"Who?"

"The other Harry. Ensign Kim has done quite a lot for the ship, and is considered one of the senior officers, as far as the staff briefings go. Shouldn't he get a field promotion to show how important he is? I know Starfleet usually agrees with the decisions, unless the reasoning was obviously faulty." He scowled. "Or if the promotions board has a hair up their arse about a specific person." Harry shook his head. "But Harry's been doing a damned good job straight out of the Academy. He's made mistakes, but who amongst us hasn't? Look at me for the last two years if you need proof of that!"

Chakotay chuckled softly and walked to the door. "I'll let her know what you said, Harry, although I think I'll leave out the bit about the Klingons and such."

"Probably a good idea. See you in about three months, Commander." He gave the ship's first officer a salute that held no malice.

"He used to be an exemplary officer, Chakotay," Janeway said with no little exasperation. "Now he's insubordinate and so damned close to spending the rest of his time on this ship incarcerated in some way!"

"I hate to tell you this Katherine, but it's due in large part to your own actions. He's never had a chance to grieve for Hermione." He held up his hand. "You know and I know, but you've been forcing the two of them together for the last twenty-three, twenty-four months? He can't begin to see her as who she is while he's still got this image of her as Hermione's murderer. He may never lose that, although I hope that's not the case, given how much that would hurt her."

He frowned. "It didn't really help that your early statements about her could easily be read as saying that she didn't really exist, since she'd been a hologram. That issue really wasn't helped by us erasing memories from the doctor when he had the ethical programming issue. He made sure you never saw it, but he was fairly smug about being right about that."

"I remember that he was one of the more vociferous about it. She hadn't been exactly silent, either."

"I wonder why that might be?" Chakotay asked in his patented wry, sarcastic tone. "That aside, even with her being Hermione Granger, you've spent a lot of time getting her used to being human, rather than either a Borg drone or a hologram. Snide comments from Ensign Potter aside, she really has been your pet project."

"I hate to admit it, but I don't know what to do," she said. "I need both of them, and honestly, they both are best suited for Astrometrics."

"When he returns to duty, take him off it for a time. Leave him on helm, or have him help B'Elanna in Engineering. It's not his strong suit, but he certainly knows enough to be of use to her."

"Well, we'll make a further decision when he's released." She paused. "He really stripped his own quarters and voluntarily restricted his access to the computers?" Chakotay nodded. "Well, I can certainly see the officer I once knew. I'll put that in his record when we're finished with this meeting. I might be angry at him for some of what he's done, but he's still a damned fine Starfleet officer." After a pause, she said, "I'll make a note in the computer, but ask you to remind me as well. I want to relax his restrictions from solitary to house arrest after three weeks. He's right - I answered him in anger, and gave him too harsh a punishment. His reasoning as to why to wait is sound, as much as I dislike forcing him to endure a month in solitary." She frowned. "It's funny - he's apparently commented to Tom Paris and Harry Kim that he really doesn't like who he is when he's near Hermione, since he sees her as the Borg drone still. I find that I don't like the person I am when he pushed my buttons. It's going into his record that the captain's punishment was excessive, and the only thing keeping the sentence as it was is that he himself gave what was felt to be sound reasoning. An argument could be made that my lessening the sentence's severity or duration would show an admission of culpability on my part, but I suspect he has personal reasons for wishing to remain apart."

"Keep talking like that, Katherine, and you just might get him to stop snarking at you."

Three weeks in, Harry Kim showed up with Ensign Potter's belongings and a data PADD, which he handed to Potter first. "Huh, so she cut the sentence in half and also converted it to house arrest," Potter said. Reading further, he gave a wry grin. "And she apologizes for sending someone other than telling me herself, but feels that with our attitudes when last we talked, it was best to avoid a potential area of conflict."

"So now you can have visitors and access to more than simple rations," Harry Kim said. "Maybe use some of those rations that I returned to you to order up a steak or something?" When Potter opened his mouth, he interrupted before he could get started. "I understand what you were doing and thank you. But it just didn't feel right to me to keep them. If I know Tom, then he's done the same."

Potter shook his head. "Try to do something nice for someone," he said with a laugh.

Kim laughed in return. "So now you're allowed to have visitors, within reason."

"Like maybe what looks to be a newly minted Lieutenant, junior grade?"

"Seems someone who helped design the Delta Flyer and isn't Tom Paris suggested to Chakotay that I might deserve it."

"That's a hell of a nice thing for B'Elanna to do!" Harry Potter replied with a wide grin. "You'll have to thank her for that consideration!"

"Idiot," Harry Kim said fondly as he reached over and lightly slapped Potter on the shoulder. "Care to put your stuff back to rights?"

He stepped into the Astrometrics lab to see a familiar blonde woman standing at the console. He steeled himself and walked forward. "Miss? May I speak with you?"

"Har … Ensign Potter. Yes, go ahead."

"Before I say anything, could I convince you to stand just under an arm's length away from me and give me an open palm strike to the nose, as hard as you can manage?"

"What? No!" she yelled. "Why would you want me to do that to you?!" She was clearly horrified by his request.

"Well, considering how I've treated you these past two years, it would be a down payment on the beating I've been earning." He sighed. "I know everyone calls you Hermione, but I just can't; not yet, at least. My time in solitary and house arrest gave me a chance to actually grieve some. If I know myself the way I think I do, then I'm going to backslide and be an utter arsehole to you again, but I'm hoping that I can get some proper chastisement to remind me that it's not your fault, up to and including broken bones as necessary."

"I will not be supplying those broken bones," she said sharply.

"If you have Hermione's memories, then just pretend I'm Draco Malfoy. Given how I've been acting toward you, it's really not that far a stretch."

"No." The finality of her tone had him shaking his head.

"I'm not really a masochist, despite what it might sound like, so I won't keep asking. Grief is really no excuse for my actions toward you these past two years, and I hope someday that you can forgive me enough to give me a chance to earn your friendship. It's not your fault this happened - the one whose fault it is effectively died in her attempt to absorb my girlfriend. I won't ask for forgiveness because it's not something that should be forgiven."

He shook his head. "We should get back to actual work, though. I've had a six week vacation, so I need to back into the swing of things. What are you working on?"

The communication cleared, and Harry grinned widely as he heard the voice. "Voyager, this is Starfleet," intoned Reginald Barclay.

"Reg! Good to hear your voice!"

"The same for you, Harry. This call can't be very long, but we're sending you information on the technology used to contact you, and some possible other ways to stay in contact."

"And we're transmitting our logs, reports, and records," Janeway said with her own smile.

"I've got someone else here that wants to speak with you," Barclay said. They could hear him move aside.

"This is Admiral Paris."

"Hello, sir," Janeway replied.

"How are your people holding up?"

"Very well. They're an exemplary crew, your son included."

"Tell him... tell him I miss him. And I'm proud of him." Tom Paris's eyes became suspiciously damp.

"He heard you, Admiral," said Janeway with an amused tone to her voice.

"The wormhole is collapsing," Barclay announced.

Admiral Paris's next words were rushed, obviously hoping to get them said before the collapse, "I want you all to know we're doing everything we can to bring you home."

"We appreciate it, sir. Keep a docking bay open for us. We hope to see you -"

"The wormhole has collapsed, Captain," Tuvok said. His voice sounded oddly . . . wistful.

"- soon," she finished. "At least they know we're alive."

"That they do, Captain," Harry said with a grin.

"What say we make that Barclay fellow an honorary crew member?" Tom said, sounding happier than he had in a very long time.

"Seconded," Harry said with a grin.