Disclaimer. Harry potter is not mine.

A/N. Chapter 2. I put it on faster as planned to make up for the boringness of chapter 1. This is the conversation with Dumbledore. After this one the actual story will begin. This is just the information needed to start the story of with.

I hope you enjoy. And review to tell me how I'm doing and to let me know if this should be slash or not.

In darker times – Chapter 2

Why did Harry always end up in weird situations? He was seated at the kitchen table of number 4 Privet Drive. Opposite him was professor Dumbledore sitting. His professor was lacking the usual twinkle in his eyes. Harry thought he actually looked kind of old. He is old, stupid. Harry almost snorted at the thought, but held it in, not wanting to share his thoughts with his headmaster.

The man always knew enough as it was, he didn't need him to know everything. Harry made a mental note to himself to start practicing his occlumency. He would keep his mind privet from now on. It may not stop the nightmares, but it would stop him from having any visions in the future. And it would keep the prying mind of professor Dumbledore out. And the last was definitely worth the trouble.

Harry was still waiting for professor Dumbledore to start speaking. He would most definitely not start this conversation himself. Dumbledore seemed to be studying him. Harry wondered, not for the first time, what was going through the old man's mind right now.

Aunt Petunia was fidgeting in the living room. Dumbledore had asked her for some privacy, but aunt Petunia was reluctant to give it. She was trying hard to listen in on them. But there was not much to listen to because Dumbledore had still not spoken a word to Harry.

Harry was losing his patience, he was getting angrier by the second. So the old man thinks he can come to privet drive, disturb me, and not even speak to me? Harry's eyes must have flashed his anger, because Dumbledore was putting on a more guarded expression and lost the eye contact.

Finally the headmaster started to speak. Harry let out a breath he didn't know he was holding.

'Harry, my boy, how are you doing?'. Harry almost started laughing about the stupidity of it

all. Dumbledore was asking him if he was alright and it seemed like he really cared about the answer!

'Fine sir.' Harry was not about to give the man the pleasure of a truthful answer. He wanted to know why the professor was here, not talk about unimportant things like his well being.

'If you don't mind me asking, sir, why are you here. We will be seeing each other again tomorrow, so what is so important that it couldn't wait?'

'That is a very good question Harry'. He praised him like al child, Harry wasn't stupid, he knew the headmaster was stalling. He was getting really impatient right now. How could the headmaster talk to him like that, when only a few months ago he almost destroyed the man's office!

'I am here, because of some circumstances concerning you and lord Voldemort.' Dumbledore was looking more tired every minute. 'Voldemort is gaining power. And I am afraid he is gaining followers every day, and it is my believe that you are not safe without any training.' Well, that much is obvious 'The training you need is not given at Hogwarts. When, and if, you are able to fight Voldemort, I want you to be ready. I do not want you in any situation that can put you in more danger.' Of course, Dumbledore wanted him trained like the perfect little soldier he was. What a surprise.

'Then where would I be getting that training, sir ?' As long as he wouldn't be getting it from professor Snape he would be fine.

'Do you know the expression "keep your friends close, but keep your enemies closer"?' Not waiting for an answer he continued, 'I believe it would help you a lot if you knew more about what you are fighting against. Voldemort is a strong wizard, with a strong personality. I saw him during his Hogwarts years, but I did not look at him as closely as I should have, the same mistake I made with you I am afraid.'

Harry was taken aback at that, was Dumbledore actually trying to tell him he should have paid more attention to him? No, that couldn't be. But still, he was looking at him over his half moon spectacles, waiting for a respond. What was he supposed to respond to this ? Not coming up with anything clever, he just avoided it. 'I've heard about the saying sir, but I don't know what you want to say with it. Can't we get to the point of this?'

Professor Dumbledore sighed, obviously disappointed Harry was still so full of anger.

'I made mistakes Harry. And I have made the same mistake more than once. You have asked me numerous times if you could stay at Hogwarts, and I blew you of. Now I see I shouldn't have send you back here every summer. You are angry with me, which is understandable. I made the same mistakes more than 50 years ago. With an angry boy the same age you are now. He despised me for it, and turned away from everything light.'

'You are talking about Voldemort aren't you?' Harry felt the anger surge trough him, wanted to jump over the table and strangle Dumbledore for comparing him with Voldemort. 'So you are suggesting I am like him? That I will do all the horrible things he did? Because if you are you are even more stupid than I thought!' Harry was breathing heavy by the end, he knew he went out of line by yelling to the professor, but he didn't care. Professor Dumbledore was being an idiot for comparing him to Voldemort, he was nothing like him!

'You are misunderstanding me Harry. I didn't say you are like Voldemort at all. You are a lot alike with Tom Riddle. Tom and Voldemort are two completely different persons. Tom Riddle was human, he was hurting, just like every other person. And he was angry, with me, for ignoring him. For ignoring his feelings. All the wrong that has been done to that boy has made him into what he is now. A bitter, hating being.'

Harry calmed down a little, maybe professor Dumbledore was right. Maybe he did think to simple. Harry had only seen one Voldemort. Dumbledore had known Tom Riddle, he had seen how he was. Surely he couldn't always have been evil ?

'So what is the point of this conversation again ?' Harry was getting impatient, he knew his aunt was too. He heard her scramble about in the living room, waiting for a signal that they where ready and she could come out.

'The point, Harry, is that I wish for you to meet that side of Voldemort. I want you to meet Tom Riddle, so you can discover his weaknesses. I want to send you back in time, to the year 1944 to be precise. You will be taken in as an exchange student. I will give you a letter that you can give to my past self, and I will help you get in the school. I will not be your headmaster there, it will be headmaster Dippet, but I will help you with your cover.'

All kind of thoughts where going trough his head right now. He could go back in time? Why didn't someone do that before ? He could go back in time and save Sirius! Better yet, he could go back and save his parents, he would turn Pettigrew in and his parents and Sirius would still be alive right now!

Sensing Harry's thoughts professor Dumbledore cleared his throat. 'Harry, you can't go back to change your past. Changing anything will be very dangerous. Who knows what you would be changing, you could kill yourself.'

'Than how can you know I won't change anything with Tom Riddle then?' Harry was disappointed, he had to agree with Dumbledore, he was right. Voldemort may as well be a world ruler by now if Harry hadn't stopped him as a baby.

'I know that Harry, because I have already met you once, but I didn't realize it was you until just recently al the pieces fell together.' The twinkle was back by now. 'This has already happened once, and I know you will succeed.'

'So you are telling me, that in what year, 1944 it was?...' Dumbledore confirmed with a nod of his head, 'I was there and you already helped me once, only you didn't know it was me?' This was getting really strange, Harry had to admit this plan was starting to sound really good.

'Yes Harry, I am telling you exactly that.' Professor Dumbledore was looking more hopeful now. 'A boy I didn't know appeared in Hogsmeade wile I was there, Harry Evans his name was. He looked a lot like you. Now I know it was you.'

'How could you have forgotten something like that, sir ?'

'I'm an old man Harry, and it happened more than 50 years ago. With all the memories I have to keep, I tend to forget things that don't seem important at the time.' Dumbledore was tapping his temple, as if he was trying to emphasise his sentence.

'And did you know I was from the future ?'

'Yes I did. I wrote the letter to myself remember ? And I will write that same letter again. Nothing can be changed with this, because it has already be done before. As long as you don't forget not tell anyone anything about the future. Not even to my past self. Do not try to change things Harry, for they are destined to be.' The headmaster was watching him again, searching for anything that might tell him what Harry was thinking.

'Will it be safe ?' Harry was actually starting to like this idea. He didn't have to go back to Hogwarts, at least not the Hogwarts he knew. He didn't have to face his friends just yet, they couldn't remind him of what a fool he had been by going to the ministry. He got to go back in time, where no one knew he was the boy-who-lived, they wouldn't look at him strangely. People would treat him for who he was.

'Yes Harry, it will be safe. Remember that Tom Riddle is not Voldemort yet at that time. It will be safer for you then here. There will be no dark wizard hunting you down.'

'How long do I have to stay there ?'

'As long as you want. I will give you a portkey, it will activate with a special password. The portkey will bring you back to your own time. I will also give you a special journal. Similar to the one Tom Riddle made. I will have a copy of it. Everything you write will appear in my copy, and vice versa. That way we can communicate, I want you to contact me about anything that is bothering you and when you want to come home. If it isn't working, and you think it isn't going to work with time, don't hesitate to come back home. Write to me and I will wait for your arrival back home.'

Harry was stunned. Not for the first time, he was totally speechless. Now he understood why professor Dumbledore wanted to talk to him before start of term. He wouldn't be returning, he wouldn't see his friends. He would be making new friends. He just hoped this would turn out like professor Dumbledore hoped it would.

'Will it work sir ? Did I find out more about Tom Riddle before ?'

'I don't know Harry, we never spoke more than a student and his teacher would. Remember, you where not supposed to know me back then. But I'm positive you will be able to do it Harry.'

Harry thought it over again in his mind. This could work. He would make it work. He would not fail this time.

'I'll do it sir.'

Dumbledore clapped his hands together, the twinkle in his eyes more present then ever this afternoon. 'excellent my boy. I have already arranged for everything. We will just have to get you to Hogsmeade and you will be ready to go.'

Harry frowned, Dumbledore had already set this whole thing up. Of course he knew Harry would do it, he always did everything Dumbledore wanted him to do. This was just one more thing he wanted from Harry. But it didn't matter, Harry wasn't doing this for the headmaster, he was going to do this for himself. Just let the old fool believe he was doing this for him.

Half an hour later he found himself next to professor Dumbledore looking at the shrieking shack. Harry hadn't been able to take all of his belongings with him, some things would give him away immediately if someone would find them. He only took his robes and invisibility cloak with him, as well as the journal professor Dumbledore gave him and some parchment and other supplies. Hedwig would be staying at Hogwarts until he came back. All of his other belongings would be kept safe by Dumbledore. His new school robes would be taken care of, as well as his books and everything else he might need.

'Remember Harry, once you arrive you go straight to Hogsmeade. There you will find me and give me the letter. Don't tell me anything else until I have read it. There are spells on the parchment to prove it is authentic and written by me. And please remember to use your journal in times of need.'

Harry double checked everything again, seeing to it he had forgotten nothing. 'Goodbye sir, and thank you.'

'Be safe Harry, and good luck.'

Harry nodded once, touching the portkey and speaking the password he was whisked away to 1944. He just hoped this would turn out like planned.

Thank you for reading, and again, please review. Reviews are really supportive and will make me update faster.

M