Thank you, all of you who have read this story and to everyone who took that extra minute to review the chapter. Thank you, Harriverse, t-man, Typus Blade, skeptic

Harry Potter and the Trip to the Past

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Chapter – 20

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That morning Dumbledore had been enjoying a peaceful breakfast, having no knowledge of the events of the night. Snape sat to his right and was looking very tired and highly disgruntled, making Dumbledore feel deeply for all those who had potions today. That thought brought a smile which he masked before it could split his face and ate serenely. McGonagall was also quiet, as her eyes roved over the students.

Dumbledore also let his eyes wander all over the Great Hall, as he bit into his toast. Most of the students were there and he smiled, feeling very happy to see all these young minds. He only hoped Voldemort would stay where ever he was and let all of them live in peace. He shook his head slightly at that silly thought. As if he would. Dumbledore had now for sometime been suspecting that he had created horcruxes and his suspicions only increased after he heard how the Voldemort sprit attacked Harry.

Harry Potter! From there Dumbledore's thoughts went to the boy who was clearly something more. Only he could not put his hands on where and what the mystery was. He was so confident and self assured that was nothing short of amazing for a boy who apparently spent his life in a cupboard under the stairs. Dumbledore cringed inside, even now as he remembered the Hogwarts latter. He had been horrified, and had been prepared for a neglected and undernourished Harry Potter, but what he got was someone who was more confident and more intelligent and surely a better version of James Potter.

At that time Dumbledore noticed Ginny Weasley enter the Great Hall looking very happy and extremely self – satisfied with herself. Dumbledore did not know her personally and he smiled at her happy face as she went quietly to sit with the other first years and begin her breakfast.

A little later Dumbledore was still musing about Harry, when he saw the object of his thoughts enter the Great Hall. Dumbledore became alert as he scrutinized Harry and saw him look at Ginny. Dumbledore straightened and looked deeply at Harry, wondering if he should attempt Legilimency, but decided against it. Hermione Granger was calling loudly to Harry and Dumbledore saw the way Ginny Weasley's head jerked up at that, her spoon falling from her nerveless hands. She turned away from Harry for a second and Dumbledore saw the happiness he had seen in her face that morning, had completely vanished and in place was an incredulous disbelief that changed into anger in a second, before she turned away and looked down.

Dumbledore turned his attention to Harry, who had gone to his friends by then and was still looking at Ginny and beginning to eat his breakfast very fast. They finished and Harry, Hermione Granger and Neville Longbottom got up to leave and Dumbledore saw Ginny get up too. He suddenly felt something very wrong in that and trusting his instincts which had never betrayed him until then, Dumbledore stood up apparently finished with his breakfast and smiling at his staff, he got down apparently leisurely, but walking swiftly towards the doors.

He was halfway down the tables when he broke into a run; he had heard Harry's voice cry out to Ginny telling her everyone was watching. Dumbledore though missed Harry calling out to the Dairy as it had not been very loud.

Dumbledore ran faster when he heard Ginny screaming that she would kill Harry and seeing their Headmaster run, the other professors got up from their seats at the Head Table and ran towards Dumbledore. Snape was the first to go and he simply ran as fast as he could, his robes billowing behind him, to the doors.

Dumbledore in the meantime had reached the door and saw Harry's stunner and fired a stunner of his own on Ginny and watched her fall down. He ran to her to check her and he slowly and cautiously enervated her. He straightened and looked around for Harry and saw him sit down by the steps, looking tired and showing his hand to his friends who had run to him.

His attention was suddenly diverted as Ginny started screaming and to Dumbledore's horror, he saw the ghostly form of Voldemort as a young boy known as Tom Riddle, rising up from Ginny's body and vanishing. Ginny collapsed and fainted and Dumbledore coming to his senses asked Percy to levitate Ginny to the infirmary and turned to talk to Harry, when he saw Snape running out with a few vials in his hand.

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Snape had taken the Diary with trembling hands and placed it into his robes at once and a minute later something came once more into his hands. It was a piece of paper with hasty instructions on how to destroy the Diary. Snape wasted no time and he ran to his dungeons and to his chambers and destroyed the Diary by removing the basilisk fang with the venom in it and piercing the diary, until there was no ink to come out and the diary was all mangled. Then, Snape, sealed everything, cleaned himself of all the ink, and placed the Diary inside the warded place, along with the basilisk and ran out, accioing a few vials for Ginny and ran all the way to the main doors and then slowed his run to a swift walk. The whole exercise had taken but a few minutes.

Dumbledore was already coming towards Harry, his face very grim and tight and Snape hurried towards him. 'Dumbledore, the girl, how is she? I have got a few potions.'

'She will be fine, I hope Severus. I have asked her brothers to take her to the infirmary. But thank you, all the same, Severus.' Dumbledore told him, with a small smile and he walked towards Harry. Snape wanted to very badly know if the possession was over and horcrux destroyed. It must have been, he concluded, but it would be nice to get proof. Only he dared not ask Harry Potter even with his eyes, right now. Dumbledore was in quite a state, if his demeanour was anything to go by. He schooled his face into his usual inscrutable mask and walked along silently with Dumbledore.

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Harry in the meantime, had conjured a diary just like the one he gave to Snape. He knew Hermione and Neville had seen it and he wanted to show it to them, if they asked. The diary also had Tom.M.Riddle on its covers but the pages were blank and there was no dark activity coming out of it. He went tiredly and sat down by the steps, once he handed over the horcrux and the method of destroying it to Snape.

Hermione and Neville came running towards him and Harry spoke to them, showing his hand and telling them, that it still hurt a bit. Hermione was itching to question him, and it was only Harry's look of extreme tiredness that held her off. She was sitting next to him, biting her lips and thinking of a way to question him, without irritating him. She lost the battle with herself and tuned to Harry.

'Harry, why did you Accio that diary?' Hermione asked him hesitantly when they noticed Dumbledore and Snape coming towards them. Harry, Hermione and Neville stood up, feeling a bit scared, that Dumbledore was looking very grim.

'The Diary? I too would like to know the answer to that question Harry.' Dumbledore said unsmiling. 'May I see the diary?' he held out his hand.

Harry did not utter a word but put his hands into his robes and pulled out the diary that looked just like the horcrux and handed it over to Dumbledore. Dumbledore peered closely at the name and opened it and flipped through the pages and frowned when he found them blank.

He placed the Diary in his left hand and waved his wand over the diary a few times. There was nothing he could find there and he turned to Harry once more and looked at him, deeply, 'Will you please come to my office, Harry? I would like to talk to you for a few minutes.' Harry nodded and walked behind Dumbledore, along with Snape. They reached the office in quick time and after they went in, and Dumbledore went around the large table set in the centre of the room and seated in his chair. He asked Snape and Harry to sit down and his frown decreased a bit when Fawkes flew from his perch and sat on Harry.

He smiled a little as Fawkes trilled, 'What happened with Ginny Harry? You seemed to suspect something was wrong with her?' he asked, sending his Legilimency across as he waited for Harry to answer.

Harry took a deep breath and allowing Dumbledore to stay in his head he looked directly at Snape for a second, before turning to Dumbledore. 'Sir, I don't want to say anything bad about Ginny.' He started hesitantly. Dumbledore was silent and did not answer and Harry gulped obviously and swallowed before he went on.

'I saw her a few times with this diary and her face would be very harsh and she would be talking to herself and smirking to herself. I heard her use the word 'kill' a few times and I almost asked her about it once or twice, but I really don't know her as I do Ron or Fred and George, Sir, and so I kept quiet. Last night I saw her in the infirmary; I just woke up and I could see a blurry figure and recognized her as she spoke to herself. She was just walking around my bed a few times, muttering something and then she left; she had something in her hands; I assumed it was this diary, because whenever she would talk and mutter to herself, the diary was usually in her hands.

'Today, I came into the Great Hall and kept looking at her and I was intending to ask her about the Diary and also why she would come into the infirmary and keep roaming around my bed, when she kept glaring at me and followed me outside. That was when I got the idea and I accioed the diary and she screamed in anger that she would kill me and cast the killing curse. There was nothing to hide there Sir, and I simply accioed the armour standing there and thankfully the killing curse did not hit me. I screamed to Hermione to Accio the armour again, in case she would try the killing curse again and I ran out, casting the stunner at her. She suddenly fell and you came there with the wand high in your hand. You cast the stunner, didn't you?'

Dumbledore nodded his head briefly, withdrawing from Harry's mind. Harry's report had been accurate and Dumbledore bent once more over the diary as Harry played with Fawkes and Snape sneered at both Harry and Fawkes. The diary was very ordinary and except the name Tom. M. Riddle written on it, there was nothing else. No dark magic and no dark spells.

'May I keep this with me Harry? I would also like to talk to Miss Weasley about this.' Dumbledore stopped for a second and then breathed heavily. 'Do you wish to press charges against her Harry? If you do, she would have to spend the rest of her life in Azkaban and also be kissed, I think.'

'That should be the procedure, I believe.' Snape inserted smoothly, his black eyes glittering with joy. Harry turned to glare at him and then turned to Dumbledore. 'Sir, I would like to know why Ginny Weasley tried to kill me. Why she came to the infirmary yesterday and did she do anything then?'

'And Harry, would you want to press charges against her? Like Severus says, you will be quite within your rights to do so.' Dumbledore asked him.

Harry shook his head. 'I don't think so, Sir. I think there is something very wrong with Ginny Weasley. She did not look like herself, you know, the last few weeks at least, since I've started noticing her talking to herself. She almost looked possessed and if there is something wrong with her health or something, then I definitely don't want to press any charge against her Sir.' He said firmly.

Dumbledore started at that. Harry had by chance hit the nail rig ht on the head. 'Indeed Harry, I do believe she was not quite herself.'

'Was she possessed then by a ghost or something Sir?' Harry asked him, his eyes wide and astonished. Fawkes pecked him and when Harry looked at him, the clever bird actually winked at Harry. Harry was truly stunned and he blinked at Fawkes who trilled once and flew off Harry's lap and onto his perch.

Harry coming out of his shock smiled at Fawkes and stood up when Dumbledore told him, 'Once Miss Weasley is fine, Harry, I will question her and let you know. If aurors come here, because many students heard her use an unforgivable, I hope you will back me up in that case?'

Harry nodded. 'Yes Sir. If she was not herself, and I don't think she was, because Ron and the twins are not like that; they are so carefree, she too must be like them Sir. I think so anyway.' Dumbledore smiled widely for the first time that morning and Snape too got up, looking very disgruntled that Ginny was not going to Azkaban and looked sourly at Harry.

'I will be cancelling classes for today Harry and so you may relax with your friends, who must be anxious about you. Run along now.' He said and Snape immediately pounced on Harry. 'Potter, you will come with me and attend to the potion. That needs help. Come on.' And nodding briefly to Dumbledore, Snape turned billowed away.

Harry smiled at Dumbledore and walked hastily behind Snape, leaving the diary with Dumbledore, who was looking better than when he walked to his office.

Harry and Snape walked in silence until they reached the potions lab and walked inside. Harry threw his bag onto a chair and watched as Snape warded the room and went inside and came out with the destroyed diary. Harry looked at it tiredly and smiled a bit before getting up and taking the diary in his hands and sent his magic into it. There was no response and Harry handed it back to Snape who went to keep it with the basilisk.

'Are you okay?' Harry started as Snape's voice came abruptly. Harry was deep in thoughts and his memories of a life that was surely destroyed.

'You know Snape, you and I; we have a lot of things in common with each other.' Harry told him softly.

Snape sneered. 'Common with you? A Potter?"

"Why, I am Lily's too, you know?' Harry told him carelessly; watching Snape, as he predictably froze and turned into stone.

'You lost mum because of your choices, Snape and she was too young to see the real you, romantically.' Harry told a flushing Snape who had not moved and whose eyes were suddenly blazing with anger and bitterness.

'I do not wish to talk to you about it, and it would do you well to stop right now.' He hissed, his voice very soft, telling Harry how angry he was.

'I too, have most likely lost the girl I loved and married Snape, because I have chosen to act differently now.' Harry told him, his eyes, very, very sad.

Snape, who was on the verge of blasting Harry, was stunned into silence as he processed what Harry was telling him.

'I married Ginny Weasley and I had three lovely kids; two boys and a girl.' Harry's voice broke and then there was only silence. Harry had put his head into his hands, sitting there and Snape was simply looking at him, his eyes inscrutable for a long time, before, he stood up and went into his Chambers and came holding a steaming cup of tea. 'Drink Potter. And you are truly big headed. You are only in your second year and this incident with the basilisk has already happened before and you got together with her then. Why should you think that you cannot do it now?'

Harry did not answer. He had already told a bit too much to Snape and he did not want to blabber more. He accepted the cup rather shakily from Snape's hands and slowly sipped it and Snape after waiting for an answer that was not coming, stood up and attended to the potions that would be ready in a month or two.

'Christmas is already upon us Snape. Once it's over, then we have the potions to tackle and then its third year. Third year this time will be very peaceful. No dementors and no Sirius Back escaping from Azkaban and no Peter Pettigrew running away to help good old Voldy Moldy back to his body. Third year will be good. The next problem will be in fourth year.' Harry told him, with a small smile, his eyes still having a haunted look about them.

'Aren't you just tempting the fates Potter?' Snape asked him dryly.

Harry grinned, looking a bit more like himself now. 'No, Snape. Last time, third year was when Sirius broke out of Azkaban and because he was thought the traitor, the Ministry had dementors all around the School and there was a mess at the end of it all. This year, Sirius has already happened and no dementors and nothing for third year.'

Snape sneered and snorted mildly at Harry's enthusiasm. 'That is tempting the fates with a vengeance Potter. I would advice you not to try.' He added dryly.

Harry simply grinned at him. 'When will the potions get over Snape?'

'Will you be staying here for the holidays?' Snape asked him a few minutes later.

Harry nodded his head. 'Yes, I'll be. Hermione, Colin and others are staying back and I think I will too. I've already written to Sirius and Remus, asking them permission to stay on here and I think, they'll agree. I've told them about the potions nearing completion and so I don't think they'll create a fuss.'

Snape snorted again, this time loudly, showing his disdain for Sirius and Remus and their permission of all things. 'Now that the Diary is gone, I think, the rest of this year will be better than it was the last time.' Snape did not answer to this and soon, they had an almost companionable silence as they worked together.

Harry left the potions classroom for lunch, where he was assaulted by an anxious Hermione, Neville and even the Slytherins. Draco hung slightly behind and looked at Harry with worry and fear. Harry laughed at all of them and answered their questions as well as he could and tried to tell Draco though many hints that he was perfectly fine and that Ginny looked alright too. That started off another discussion about Ginny and Harry promised to tell them everything as soon as he knew.

The next morning Harry received Sirius and Remus's letter and laughed. They were very upset, but at the very end of what was a very long letter, they said they understood that Harry wanted to be with his friends for Christmas and work on the potions that would be ready by the first week of March. This was the last stage and they said they understood.

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley came to the School that day to see their daughter. They had received an owl in the morning and they had flooed to Hogsmeade and had rushed from there. Ginny was perfectly fine, Madam Pomfrey declared that afternoon and Harry went once again to the Headmaster's office in the afternoon to hear from Ginny.

McGonagall, Snape, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, all their children and Lucius Malfoy of all people along with Dobby were there. Dobby was looking very pathetic and he was standing with his head bowed low down in fear. He looked up as the door opened and Harry walked in, and his eyes widened comically before Lucius noticed him and kicked him. Dobby whimpered and looked down once again.

Harry glared at Lucius Malfoy and put his hand inside his robes conjuring a hanky, kept it in readiness.

'Come in Harry and sit down. You know the Weasleys and this is Lucius Malfoy one of the Governors on the Hogwarts School Board. Lucius, this is Harry.' Dumbledore said pleasantly.

McGonagall was sitting next to Snape and Harry sat on Snape's other side. Snape had kept watching him from the moment he had entered the room, but was still to say anything. The whole atmosphere was very tense and Ginny was already sobbing.

'Hi Mr. Weasley, Mrs. Weasley.' Harry greeted them softly as soon as he sat down. Mrs. Weasley looked on the verge of tears and Mr. Weasley was looking very worried as well.

'Harry, dear, I really don't know what to say.' Mrs. Weasley started and Harry's heart went out to this lady who had done so much for him. He smiled, 'I don't think you need to say anything Mrs. Weasley. Professor Dumbledore was telling me yesterday that something possessed Ginny. In fact most of us saw something, a youngish boy coming out of her and vanishing. Nothing's her fault.'

Dumbledore beamed. Mrs. Weasley smiled through her tears and thanked him tremulously. She had been so scared when the owl had come and after she came to School and learnt what had happened, she had been terrified, both for her daughter and about what would happen to her, for her actions, even though she was not really in control of them. To her immense relief and eternal gratitude, Harry was just brushing it all away.

'I think professor Dumbledore has the diary, Mrs. Weasley. You can see that. I think that diary is somehow connected to that ghost that came out of Ginny. I saw her with it a few times and she would always be talking and smirking to herself.' He explained.

'I really don't see the point in all this Dumbledore. It is obvious that the girl has brought in a magical object that could harm the other students here and I think this is a clear case of misuse of magical artefacts and even if the criminal is very young, I think she must be taken through the proper channels and punished.' He drawled, his eyes roving over the Weasleys and settling upon Harry.

'Well, sir, I refuse to press charges, when it was not her fault, but the fault of the person who was inside her.' Harry told him firmly and blushed when everyone turned to look at him in surprise. Dumbledore was completely taken aback at the confidence and the assured way in which Harry was speaking and he slowly entered his mind.

Again Dumbledore was shocked. There was nothing there, except recognition of the house – elf which he too had recognized from seeing it in Harry's mind before and the memories of that morning and later helping Snape with the potions. There was nothing else. He pushed it from his mind for now and concentrated on the job at hand.

Mrs. Weasley was now crying in earnest and the Weasleys were all glaring at Lucius Malfoy who was scowling at Harry. Harry turned to professor Dumbledore. 'Sir, do you have the Diary with you?' he asked Dumbledore and surprised once again, but very curious, Dumbledore handed over the Diary to him, watching him all the time. Harry turned his back to Lucius Malfoy and Albus Dumbledore and removed the hanky as if to wipe his face and slipped it inside the book and cast a notice-me-not charm and a very mild sticking charm wandlessly on it all the while pretending to look through the book.

'Mrs. Weasley, this was the diary Ginny had with her, the few times I saw her look kind of possessed. See.' He said and handed the Diary to her. She took it with trembling hands and looked at it and as if unable to look through it at all, she handed it back to Harry. Ginny saw the book and started weeping loudly, throwing herself on to her mother, who was trying to comfort Ginny through her own tears.

'Where did you get this thing Ginny? Did you have it before School or did someone give it to you after School started?' Harry asked her and after a long moment of intense sobbing, she looked at Harry, her eyes all puffed up and face swollen and with so much fear in her eyes, 'I'm sorry Harry. The book wanted to know everything about you. He said he wanted to be friends with me and I told him all about how you defeated You-Know-Who and how you survived the killing curse.

'The book then slowly tried to poison my mind towards you and when ever it would take hold of me, I could not do anything; I simply watched as if it was happening to some one else and he would keep grinning and keep talking about killing you. What you said is very correct. But Harry, it was not I, it was him.' and she started sobbing as her parents looked on helplessly.

'Seems a likely story.' Lucius sneered. 'Let me see that book, Mr. Potter.' He asked Harry holding his hand out for the book. Harry looked at Dobby. 'Hello, can you please take this to Mr. Malfoy?' he asked, not getting up from his chair.

Dobby looked at him, his eyes wide with disbelief that some one had requested him, rather than ordered him, and then sheer terror at touching that book. He came to Harry and slowly held out a hand and then blinked in relief when he could not feel the darkest magic of them all and hurried to Lucius Malfoy and handed the book to him. Lucius glared at him, and snatched the book from him and opened it. To his shock, one he managed to conceal very well, the Diary looked very ordinary and he could sense no magic at all, let alone dark magic coming from it.

He stayed silent for a few minutes and looked up when Harry was asking Ginny something else. 'Where did you find this Ginny?'

Her father answered for her. 'She says she found it in her Transfiguration text book when we got it from flourish and Blotts.'

Harry looked at Ginny and for the first time in this time line, used Legilimency to plant a thought into another mind, after he made sure Dumbledore was not in his mind. He looked a bit puzzled like everyone else and Arthur and Molly were talking to Dumbledore about enquiring those at Flourish and Blotts about this.

Suddenly Ginny exclaimed, 'Mum, it was Mr. Malfoy. He took my Transfiguration book that day, looked through it and threw it into my cauldron. Remember Daddy? It was him, I'm sure, who put the book into my Transfiguration text.' She cried out, looking at him angrily and with just a touch of fear.

Lucius Malfoy stiffened and went pale for a second, before he steadied himself and glared at Ginny. 'I hope you have proof Miss. Weasley. You are making rather serious accusations.' He told her bitingly.

Dumbledore saw Lucius's expressions and his own face went blank. 'Lucius, she is frightened and she does not remember from where she received the diary. She may be mistaken.'

'May be mistaken!' Lucius Malfoy was furious. 'She is playing around with dark artefacts and then conveniently accuses me. Have the Weasleys stooped so low?' he thundered as he threw the book on the floor by his feet.

'There was the ghostly form of a young Lord Voldemort that came out of her body as she screamed and fainted.' Dumbledore told him abruptly.

Lucius stopped breathing and he stood there in shock, his face ashen. He stood there for a long minute his eyes wide with shock and with sweat that was already beginning to break out on his face as he processed Dumbledore's words.

'What?' he whispered.

'You heard me, Lucius. I think you should leave now. And I hope that you will not play with my students in future.' Dumbledore said chillingly and he stood up, radiating an aura of power as he looked at Lucius Malfoy with penetrating eyes that had no twinkle in them now, but anger.

Lucius turned on his feet. His feet hit the Diary and he looked at it with deep fear that he could not quite conceal. Without realizing what he was doing he bent down and picked it up and then stiffened again as he realized what he had done. Instead of walking to the table and placing the diary on it, he turned to Dobby and barked at him, throwing the book at him, 'Give it to Dumbledore and come with me.'

Exactly then, Harry wandlessly removed the charms and made the hanky visible. Dobby saw the cloth and stood there mesmerised by the hanky. 'Dobby!' came a strangled shout from Lucius who turned back to kick his elf and his eyes widened.

'Master has freed me.' Dobby said his eyes leaking with tears.

'What?' Lucius was astonished and it was all that Harry could do to stop laughing at Lucius's face.

'Master has given me clothes. I am free.' Dobby said once more in a voice that dripped with wonder.

Lucius Malfoy blazed with anger. He unscrewed his cane and lifted his wand, when Dobby snapped his fingers. "I shall not allow Master to harm anyone.'

CRASH! Lucius Malfoy went flying and hit the door of the Headmaster's office and crumpled down. Everyone was still with shock and the room was totally silent.

In that silence, Snape got up and moved slowly to Malfoy and helped him stand up even as the others watched with open mouths. Snape simply looked into Lucius's eyes, apparently trying to convey something to him. Malfoy stood there for a second more, looking into Snape's eyes and then, he swiftly turned and walked out of the Headmaster's office, slamming the door behind him.

End of Chapter – 20

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