Thank you, all of you who have read this story so far and every one of you who has taken a minute to write a review. Thank you A, Taly and Harriverse
Harry Potter and Trip to the Past
------------------------------------------
Chapter – 15
----------------
The summer holidays were the best Harry could remember in both his lives. From day one until he was to leave for School, Harry was very happy, contented and safe. Though it was still a debate whether his mother's protections were still there or not, Dumbledore in this time had taken it to mean the protections were no longer applicable. Harry always had thought that the protections would hold against Voldemort, but when Dumbledore was in doubt, he was not going to say anything.
Harry had been possessed by Voldemort in his fifth year in the Department of Mysteries and then, Dumbledore had concluded the protections held. Now he was not so sure. That was another change from the other time, and one Harry did not mind at all. Harry was happy because he felt he could not take the risk by going back to the Dursleys and killing them in the process too, in case he was possessed by Voldemort while at Privet Drive and was not able to gain control. That would have been dangerous to say the least.
Harry spent his time reading, pranking and going to many places with Sirius and Remus. They took him to Ireland and France for week-ends and Harry thoroughly enjoyed seeing the magical world of those two places. He had been to both muggle and magical Ireland and France before and had enjoyed it then and he enjoyed them now too.
He wrote letters to everyone and was not surprised when he never received any back. The second year had started and Harry assumed Dobby was keeping letters from him.
Harry did not remember the date he had been to Diagon Alley and so when he went to shop for his books, he did not meet the Weasleys or the Malfoys or any of his friends there. Harry, Sirius and Remus had a normal shopping day without Lockhart and the others.
Sirius had commented about the lack of letters but had left it when Harry had shrugged and told him that he had he had sent the letters first, but would wait for a reply before writing again. So that was that.
Harry had also spoken to Sirius and Remus about getting permission to make the expensive potion to know his mother's blood status and to find out which family she had descended from. Sirius had not been able to refuse but he did not like the fact that Harry would be meeting Snape almost on a daily basis for the potion.
They had never spoken about Harry's behaviour when Dumbledore, McGonagall and Snape had come to Grimmauld Place for lunch, though Harry was well aware that Sirius did not like it. Harry made sure he never spoke about Snape, if he could avoid that particular topic. He did not want another fight on his hands.
They spent his birthday in Ireland and there was no reason for Harry to call over any of his friends. Sirius and Remus had got him many books, robes and other small trinkets. Sirius also got him a nice watch.
Sirius and Remus did go to office everyday, but in the holidays one of them made a point to come back early. Harry had been given permission to floo to The Leaky Cauldron and visit Diagon Alley, if he got bored during the day. Knockturn Alley was banned for now. Sirius promised to take him when he was older.
On one of these days Harry had flooed to The Leaky Cauldron and had gone into Diagon Alley. There he had stepped into a small alley and after changing his face and making himself look older, Harry had walked swiftly to Borgin and Burkes. He had entered the dingy shop and had browsed around. No one asked him anything; he looked like a dubious person after all.
Old Borgin who was there did not spare him a second glance and Harry bought a few Dark Arts books and then walking to a tall cabinet, opened it and peered inside.
"It is a very good cupboard sir." Borgin spoke in an oily voice behind Harry that startled Harry so much that he jumped and hit the corner of the cupboard. He cursed and turned to the part owner of the shop and nodded curtly.
"I think I will take it. How much is it?"
Borgin told him and after indulging in a fair bit of haggling for the price for this as well as the books, Harry left with a shrunken carton, very happy with his day. He walked up to the apparition point and apparated to a remote place and removed his glamour and casting invisibility spells on him apparated to a small alley near The Leaky Cauldron. He cancelled the invisibility charms and walked into the pub and took the floo to Grimmauld Place. Sirius and Remus had not yet come and Harry spent the time to set up the vanishing cupboard, in a corner of his room and started warding it with blood wards. Then he locked his door and opened the door of the vanishing cupboard and went inside.
Harry knew how to operate the cupboard and he simply stepped into its brother cupboard and removing his invisibility cloak from his robes, Harry put it on and gingerly opened the door. It opened into the staff room of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Harry felt jubilant. This was fantastic. Harry went out slowly walking cautiously, his invisibility cloak firmly fastened and then went into the cupboard once again to walk out into his room at Grimmauld Place. Once back in his bedroom, Harry sat silently for a while before flicking his wand and making the cupboard look more attractive. After he changed the outside of the cupboard, Harry opened the door and conjured shelves and placed a lot of his books into the cupboard.
After the books, came the wards that Harry placed all around the cupboard, making sure no one would think of removing the shelves and the books he had placed in it to venture inside. The most important ward he placed was inside the cupboard, where he stopped by means of another blood ward, the entry from the other vanishing cabinet to this one.
After this Harry was largely quiet, simply waiting for Dobby to come and tell him not to go to Hogwarts. He had no connection with his friends and he knew Sirius and Remus were angry as the days went by without any response especially after his birthday, but since Harry had been very normal and totally unaffected and had not written after that first round of letters, he had sent, they could not say anything and they kept quiet.
Harry had made copious plans of starting the potions and also spent a lot of time studying his second year books. A week before Harry was to leave for his second year, Dobby popped into his room one night.
This was once again a change from the previous time, when Dobby had come to the Dursleys much earlier. Harry had placed silencing charms in his room after his birthday so that no one would hear if Dobby screamed and wailed unless Sirius and Remus were with Harry in his room at the time.
Dobby came in very late at night and he simply stood there staring at Harry with his big eyes full of wonder at having met the great Harry James Potter. Harry stared back at the elf that had saved all of them and had died in the process. He swallowed the sudden tightness in his throat at the sight of the faithful elf and smiled.
"Who are you?" Harry asked him very calmly, though his heart was bursting with happiness to see yet another person who was alive, and one whom Harry himself had buried.
"Dobby sir." The elf squeaked.
"Hello Dobby. Why have you come here?" Harry asked him and this set Dobby off.
"Yous is really great Harry Potter sir. Yous asked me how I am. Harry Potter is really great sir." He wailed, big fat tears leaking out of his eyes as he looked at Harry worshipfully.
Harry grinned; Dobby had not changed after all. "I really am not great or anything Dobby. But thanks all the same. Now, what was it that you wanted from me?"
"The great Harry Potter is so humble." Dobby cried loud and long and then slowly sobered and stared at Harry with his tennis balls eyes. His expression was serious and very intense.
"Harry Potter must not return to Hogwarts this year, sir. Terrible things are planned to happen at the Hogwarts School of witchcraft and wizardry." He said solemnly.
"What do you mean, Dobby?" Harry asked looking very interested and serious.
"Sir, there is terrible things that is planned at Hogwarts this year. Harry Potter must not go to Hogwarts so that he may be safe." Dobby told him again, his glance beseeching and pleading.
"Are these things planned against me or against everybody else?" Harry asked him and the little elf wrung his hands.
"I really don't know everything sir. The bad, bad things are planned against all those who are not pure bloods." Dobby told him very distressed.
Harry was silent for a while. "Thank you Dobby. I will tell Sirius and Remus and ask them to tell Dumbledore to" the elf did not let Harry complete the sentence. He simply latched on to Harry and howled with fear.
"No, no, no, no Harry Potter sir," it cried at the top of its lungs, "please do not tell anyone sir. I would be severely punished by my family sir." Dobby clutched Harry's night robes and cried all down his shirt.
Harry simply sat there allowing Dobby to cry off his terror and after a while he sat Dobby down and put a hand over his mouth, preventing Dobby from speaking.
"Dobby, listen to me." Harry told him quietly. He waited until Dobby was calm and nodded his head before continuing. "I think it would be the best thing to tell the Headmaster. Wait!" Harry told him as Dobby began to whimper. "Wait. I will say that a house elf came and told me that some bad things have been planned for Hogwarts and that he came to me because I was well, what should I say, hmm, well okay, the Boy-Who-Lived and warned me about it but popped away before I could enquire anything about him. Okay?"
Dobby did not agree at first and Harry had to spend the next hour persuading the elf to agree.
"Please be careful sir." Dobby entreated Harry and finally agreeing with him and getting ready to pop away to Malfoy Manor. Before that he snapped his fingers and gave the missing letters to Harry with a bashful and a slightly fearful smile.
Harry grinned as he took the letters. "So they had written!" he exclaimed. "You kept them away." He looked at Dobby in mild surprise.
Dobby hastened to explain. "I did not mean to sir. I merely thought that if Harry Potter felt he had no friends, then he would not want to return."
"That's alright Dobby." Harry told him and was once again treated to wailing and crying about the 'Great Harry Potter and how magnanimous and forgiving he is' before he popped away.
Harry breathed a sigh of relief and opened the letters. There were three letters from Hermione, two from Neville, one from Ron, one from the twins and two from Malfoy.
Feeling curious that Malfoy would write again without receiving a reply Harry opened the letters from Malfoy first. The first one was a reply to Harry's and asking him if he would meet Draco at Diagon Alley to do their shopping together.
The next letter had been written just a week ago and it contained very interesting information.
Harry,
I have received no reply to my letter and so I assumed you were not interested in meeting me at Diagon Alley. I hope your holidays with your guardians have not made you think less about us Slytherins.
Harry rolled his eyes and sighed, sensing the hurt Malfoy was implying through the letter because Harry had not replied.
I went last week to Diagon Alley with mother and father to shop for my School supplies and there in Flourish and Blotts we met the Weasleys and Lockhart, who has written most of the books we will be studying this year.
I presume that I will see you on the train or at School.
Malfoy
So Lucius Malfoy had met the Weasleys. Harry tore open the letters from Hermione, Ron and the twins but they had not written anything about the meeting with the Malfoys in their letters.
Harry sighed and bundling the letters, went out to tell Sirius and Remus about the 'unknown' elf but both of them were sleeping and Harry decided not to wake them up and went to bed himself.
The next morning, Harry was up early as usual and as soon as Sirius and Remus came in, he set the letters on the table and grinned at them.
"So they finally had the decency to write back did they?" Sirius asked him, scowling at the letters.
"No, Sirius. An elf finally had the decency to finally hand over the letters to me. It had apparently taken the letters away and came over yesterday night and handed it over to me. I came to tell you both about it, but both of you were sleeping and I decided to tell you today."
Sirius blinked at this involved and very confusing explanation, "Wait a minute Harry. Are you telling me that a house elf came over to Grimmauld Place and handed the letters to you? How could it Remus?" Sirius asked the last question to Remus who was listening to all this with a very puzzled and a thoughtful look.
"I don't know Sirius. Remember the elves in Hogwarts? We are repeatedly told that you cannot apparate or disapparate in Hogwarts and yet how many times have the elves popped over when ever we called them to give us snacks or clean after us. They should not have been able to but they do it all the time. Maybe this elf too is like that. It could probably pop over if it could, unless you give it a direct order not to come here, ever, like you did with Kreacher."
Sirius frowned even more as he processed all that Remus told him and then nodded thoughtfully, though half – heartedly still not fully convinced. Then he turned to Harry.
"Tell us what actually happened yesterday night Harry, and try not to leave anything. Did the elf tell you its name and was it from Hogwarts or was it working for some family and why did it take away your letters?
Harry cleared his throat and launched into an account of all that happened and finally finished with, "It would not tell me its name Sirius. But it seemed to know from somewhere that someone is planning to unleash something in Hogwarts this year and it did not want me to go. It thought, poor thing, that if I did not receive letters from my friends, then I would not want to go back to School. It popped away before I could ask it anything else."
"I think we should tell this to Dumbledore Sirius. If, as the elf said that someone is going to unleash something that could harm the kids, then it is better Dumbledore is prepared. If we tell him this today, then he may even tighten the wards around the School." Remus told Sirius, his amber eyes very serious.
"I don't like this Remus. Maybe we should heed the elf's warning and keep Harry away from Hogwarts this year. Wait Harry," Sirius told him, as Harry opened his mouth to protest, "last year Voldemort was able to enter into Hogwarts and he even tried to possess you and kill you. This year just a week before, we have an unknown elf that simply pops over and warns you, hands over the letters to you and pops off. I am worried Harry. I think we should take its warning to heart."
"I agree with Sirius, Harry, but I think we should talk to Dumbledore before we decide anything." Remus told Harry and Harry pouted and turned a pleading expression to both of them, "Sirius, Remus, nothing will happen to me. I wanted to start on the potion this year. I will be careful and will not go off on my own. Please."
"Well, we will speak to Dumbledore and then decide alright?" Sirius told him, and Harry shrugged a little disappointedly and then they carried on with their meal in silence.
After they finished their breakfast, Sirius flicked his wand and sent a Patronus to Dumbledore and heaved a sigh of relief when Dumbledore's Phoenix Patronus came some time later inviting them to Hogwarts right then. Dumbledore had asked them to floo directly into his office and in a few minutes a visibly worried Sirius and Remus flooed in and Harry followed them a minute later falling on his buttocks with a small 'ouch'.
Dumbledore, Snape and McGonagall were already sitting there and Dumbledore greeted Sirius and Remus with a smile and his smile broadened when he saw Harry's landing.
"Hello Harry, how have your holidays been? And you Sirius, Remus, how are you both?" Dumbledore asked them and the next few minutes passed by in pleasant chit chat in which everyone except Snape was participating, Snape was glowering at Harry, Sirius and Remus, well glowering at Harry and sending looks of deep loathing to Sirius and Remus. But Sirius was much too worried to even notice Snape in the room let alone snarl and glare at him. Dumbledore noticed that and he wondered what could be that important for Sirius to ignore Snape.
Harry had smiled at Dumbledore and had greeted him politely and then had turned a beaming face to McGonagall and Snape. McGonagall had smiled back at him, while Snape had shrunk back in his seat, making Dumbledore and McGonagall bite their lips to stop laughing. Harry did not do anything though and after greeting both his professors nicely, had sat down quietly in between Sirius and Remus.
"What is the matter Sirius? Your Patronus sounded urgent?" Dumbledore asked him after the pleasantries.
"Harry?" Sirius turned to Harry and asked him to tell everything to the Headmaster.
The moment Dumbledore realized that this had to do with Harry, he became very alert. So did McGonagall and Snape. Harry looked a bit nervous and felt Sirius's hands coming over his shoulder and smiled at him, before turning to Dumbledore.
Harry once again, for the second time since that morning, told Dumbledore and the other two professors about an unknown elf that came into his room last night. Harry was sure Dumbledore did not know Dobby and so he had not changed the features of the elf in his mind, but had placed false memories of the conversation he was sprouting off to everyone.
As he had expected, Dumbledore peeped into his mind as he told his story. The one good thing about Snape knowing Harry's secret was he no longer peeped into Harry's mind. So Harry had to deal only with Dumbledore. Once Harry finished with his telling Dumbledore also withdrew from his mind and there was only silence for a few minutes while all of them digested what Harry was telling them.
"I was wondering if I should send Harry to Hogwarts this year Albus. Voldemort has already tried once last year and this year has not even started and already Harry has received a warning." Sirius's voice sounded very troubled and Dumbledore sighed. He did not recognize the elf, it could belong to anybody or it could have overheard someone speaking and had come to warn Harry. But why Harry? Why not the other students? Was it because Harry was the Boy-Who-Lived or was it because Harry would be specifically targeted?
Dumbledore had no answers. "Harry will be safe here Sirius. I will strengthen the wards and also check the various entrances and have them properly sealed. Do not worry. Harry," Dumbledore turned to Harry, "You must make sure that you have someone with you all the times and you must not go alone anywhere."
"Yes sir. This year I wanted to request professor Snape to help me start with the Ancestry potion. That will take the better part of the year to brew and I will be with my friends all the time and I will not go alone anywhere."
Snape simply sneered at the politeness of Harry, and Sirius noticed him for the first time and glared at him. "Shut up Snape. Albus," he told Dumbledore, "are you sure Snape is fine?" the insult and the implication clear in his voice.
Snape jumped to his feet and had his wand in his hand and Sirius stood up furiously, his own wand in his hand and Dumbledore clapped his hands for attention. "Severus, Sirius, please, there is a child here and both of you must set an example to him."
Snape sneered once more; not taking his eyes off Sirius and Sirius threw a disgusted look at Snape and sat down. "Sorry Albus. We will leave and I will send Harry, but please make sure that what the elf said will not come to pass. Call us if you do need any help. Thank you and goodbye."
"Sirius, may I stay back here for an hour to discuss the potion with professor Snape? Please?" Harry asked him, just as they were about to enter the floo. Sirius looked incredulously at him.
"What Harry? You want to ask," Harry cut him off there and turned a pleading expression to Sirius. "Please Sirius."
"I am busy Potter and I really do not have the time to pander to your whims and fancies and I really do not think I will be able to assist you in this potion." Snape told him brusquely and flicked something off his robes.
"Sir please help us sir. It is a complicated potion and I want to know from which family my mum is descended. Please help me sir." Harry begged him. Snape froze at hearing about Harry's mother and glaring hatefully at everyone; he turned away and walked out without bothering to answer.
"Of all the bloody" Sirius was fuming and McGonagall and Dumbledore looked resigned and Remus placed a calm hand on Sirius's shoulder.
"Sirius, Remus, please, May I go and talk to professor Snape? Please, please, please." Harry begged them.
"But he won't help you Harry. You saw him. Why do you persist in thinking only good of him, when he clearly is not?" Sirius asked him, his voice full of anger and hate, and sounding more like the Sirius that Harry knew.
"Because he has never shown he is bad Sirius. He is like this with everyone, not just me and he is a brilliant potions master. Please, I want to find out about mum. Don't say no." Harry told him, his tone conciliatory and pleading.
Sirius turned turbulent eyes towards Dumbledore, "May he, Albus?" clearly not liking it, but unable to stop Harry's desire to find out about his mother.
Dumbledore nodded, looking at Harry with undisguised curiosity that a small child should be able to see so clearly below the surface actions, and Harry grinned in relief and hugged Sirius and Remus and smiled his thanks to Dumbledore and McGonagall and ran towards the door.
"Not more than an hour Harry." Sirius warned and Harry nodded, "I will floo back, either from here or from the floo in the professor's office if he will allow me to." and ran towards the dungeons to meet Snape.
Once Harry was out of the Headmaster's office, he ran all the way down and caught up with Snape at the entrance to his potions office and waited silently behind him, as he unlocked his office door and walked inside. Snape threw some privacy, silencing and locking spells before going to his chair and sitting down, his face still pale and angry.
"How are you? I am to be talking to you about the potion we are to be starting this year." Harry told him, his eyes looking carefully at Snape.
Snape was silent for some time, struggling to control himself both about cursing Sirius and his own emotions regarding Lily before he looked directly at Harry, "Who was the elf? Did this happen last time?" he asked abruptly.
Harry nodded. "The elf was Dobby, the Malfoy's elf. Lucius Malfoy will or already has given the horcrux that he had with him to Ginny Weasley. The horcrux will possess her and she will release the basilisk inside the chamber that Slytherin built. I will try and steal the diary as soon as I can from her."
There was silence as Snape processed that information and then Snape turned once more to Harry.
"Why did the Dark Lord's sprit try and possess you Potter?" Snape asked him quietly.
Harry shuddered as he thought of both events when Voldemort had possessed Harry. The last time was in the Department of Mysteries when Sirius fell into the veil and two months ago when he came out in rage after killing Quirrell.
"He possessed me once in my fifth year the last time around Snape. But after that he never came near me. I hope this time too he will not come anywhere near me and if he does, my mum's protection will help me throw him out."
"Lily's protection? I thought they were not there anymore." Snape said his eyes narrowed as he looked at Harry intently.
"They are always with me and will always work against him. Voldemort cannot stand love Snape. I thought of all those who loved me and all those whom I loved and Voldemort went away." Harry told him wondering if Snape realized he had spoken Harry's mother's name quite casually. Harry thought Snape had not realized it.
"Did he see your past life then Potter. You are careless." Snape hissed in alarm.
"No, no! Snape, I did not. I only concentrated on the love I had for everyone. That was all." Harry reassured him and smiled when Snape snorted and sneered at him.
"Then why did Dumbledore feel that Lily's protection was not there anymore?" Snape asked him, leaning forward interestedly.
Harry shrugged. "I really don't know. Maybe he felt that Voldemort trying to possess me so early is not good and if he tried the same thing at Privet Drive, I would be all alone. At Grimmauld Place at least I will have Sirius and Remus with me." Snape snorted and his expression told Harry what he thought of Sirius and Remus and that naturally led Snape to the events that happened at Grimmauld Place.
"How dare you hug me Potter, when I came to Black's despicable home? Let me assure you that I will be taking as many points as I can from Gryffindor for that all through this year." Snape told him softly, his eyes glinting with anger and something that Harry could not discern, maybe it was embarrassment.
Harry looked seriously at him. "I wanted everyone to know of your contributions Snape. Last time you did too much and got too little recognition for your hard work, without which we would have not won the war. This time, I plan to see things work differently. I want Sirius, Remus and others to also understand the type of spying you will be doing for the Wizarding World and the Order of the Phoenix. Humour me on this one, please."
Snape was flabbergasted internally, though outwardly his face was blank. Potter did that for him? What had happened last time?
Harry on his part hoped Snape would become a bit more human and be a lot more accepted than he was before. Well time would tell, thought Harry as both of them sat silently lost in their own thoughts.
"Did Dumbledore talk to you about the Stone?" Harry asked him a few minutes later.
"No. but he enlisted my help as well as that of Minerva to search for the Stone. We turned the whole castle upside down and he, I think is very worried that the Stone has disappeared without his knowledge. He called Nicholas Flamel and both of them did some complicated magic before Flamel told him that the Stone was not in Hogwarts. I have never seen Dumbledore so worried." Snape sounded very happy. Harry did not reply and both of them lapsed into silence again.
"Can you get me some basilisk venom and skin?" Snape asked him after a short pause.
"Of course. I will take you inside the chamber and you can help yourself to anything you want. If we are able to get the diary and destroy it, then that is four horcruxes out of the way. Only Nagini and the Hufflepuff cup remain, oh! And Voldemort of course, we have to defeat him as well." Harry pointed out to him and then he stood up. "Can I take the floo from here? Dumbledore peeped into my mind again today and I would rather not meet him once more."
Snape nodded once and Harry walked towards the fire. "I will bring the gold necessary and we can start preparing for the potions once School starts. Is that okay with you?"
"Will you let me be if it weren't?" Snape countered.
Harry grinned. "There is that and so, see you Snape, once School starts."
Snape did not bother to answer and looked inscrutably at Harry until he disappeared in the flames.
End of Chapter – 15
--------------------------