Chapter Two

From now on Harry from the Future will be called Anton, younger Harry will remain as Harry in order to get rid of confusion.

Brightness leaked in under Anton's closed eyes, he came into awareness slowly and groggily. Anton kept his eyes closed as he tried to work out were he was, there was softness underneath him, the softness that he hadn't felt for a while of a bed. He shifted his arm slightly and felt the pull of wires attached to them. The complete numbness had gone, it was replaced with a dull ache instead that throbbed throughout his entire body.

'I think he's waking up' someone said quietly.

'About bloody time,' the voice he recognised as Mad-Eye said 'I thought he'd be out for good the rate he was going.'

Anton cracked open his eyes but closed them quickly as the light hurt his eyes, letting out a slight groan he opened them again blinking to dispel the pain. He was lying in a hospital bed with clean white sheets connected to clear plastic tubes that were pumping brightly coloured potions into his veins, this was a method only used in emergency conditions where a constant stream of potions needed to be administered, they were sealed magically and were much more effective than their muggle counterparts. Anton lifted one of his arms slowly and rubbed his eyes roughly noticing immediately the clean light blue pyjamas he was dressed in.

After he dropped his arm back to his side he gazed warily around the small white room he was in. A chair was positioned next to the bed with the recognisable figure of Remus Lupin sitting in it watching him carefully, Anton cast the image of Lupin having the Dementor's kiss forced on him out of his mind. Leaning against the doorframe was Moody who was staring at Anton intently.

'Where am I?' Anton croaked out his throat dry and sore.

'You are at St Mungo's,' answered Lupin leaning forward to look more closely at Anton 'recovering from serious injuries.'

'I'll tell Dumbledore he's woken up,' Mad-Eye said to Lupin not looking at Anton 'he'll want to be here.'

Mad-Eye pushed off from the door frame and clunked from the room Anton looked back at Lupin trying not to display the shock on his face 'it wasn't that serious,' he grimaced 'the bastard only stabbed me.'

'He stabbed you with a blade laced with Gildras poison,' Lupin said concern obvious on his face 'when it entered your already depleted immune system it rapidly spread through your blood deadening everything, if the antidote,' he gestured to a bright purple wire 'hadn't been administered in the twenty minute period after infection you would have died.'

Anton shifted his body slightly 'that's probably about the luckiest thing I've had happen to me in a while.' he muttered.

'Getting stabbed?' Lupin said amazed.

'No,' Anton coughed 'someone recognising the poison.'

'We nearly didn't.' a voice said from the doorway, Anton glanced up to see his formally deceased headmaster standing in front of him in green robes 'If Severus hadn't been close by…' he paused studying Anton closely 'you were mere minutes away from succumbing to the poison.'

'Who are you?' Anton asked hoarsely pretending not to know the people he had watched die years before, or as it was years to come.

'I apologise Mr Lukyen,' Dumbledore said stepping into the room 'I am Professor Albus Dumbledore of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and this, is Remus Lupin.'

'Call me Anton, Mr Lukyen sounds to much like my father,' lied Anton wincing slightly 'how long have I been here?'

'You arrived on the 10th June.' Dumbledore replied 'however you have been unconscious for nine days so that makes it June 19th 1996'

1996 that made it seven years earlier than were he had been, six years before the ending of the light world but just after the events of the Triwizard Tournament.

'May I ask you Anton,' Dumbledore said 'just how you came to be battling Peter Pettigrew outside the Ministry of Magic?'

'We weren't there at first,' Anton said gasping slightly as he twisted the truth 'we were in a forest somewhere, I was fighting him there, our wands connected. Priori Incantatem. And then I was outside your ministry.'

'How did you come to be fighting Peter,' Lupin asked keenly 'I thought he was keeping his presence a secret from the world.'

'My family had been fighting the Dark Wizards in Eastern Europe,' Anton coughed again 'we were trying to escape but they kept finding us, in the end it was only my brother and I.' Anton thought sadly to Ron, the last wizard that had fought by his side and the closest thing he had ever felt to a brother.

'What happened to him?' Dumbledore asked softly.

'We were apperating from country to country in the hope they wouldn't find us' (at least this part was the truth) 'my brother went outside to get wood for the fire and they were waiting, I buried my brother and searched for those who had killed him, the last of our once large group.'

'There were lots of you?' Lupin asked gently.

'A fair number,' Anton nodded thinking back to the once great number of wizards 'but they picked us off one by one, and now only I'm the only one left.'

A tear ran down his cheek and Anton made no move to stop it 'what have I got still to do?'

'The cause is still there?' Dumbledore said firmly 'you still want to defeat Voldemort?'

'For my family, yes,' Anton said honestly 'I will fight him with every breath I have left.'

'Anton have you anywhere to stay?' Dumbledore asked concerned 'anyone you know in Britain?'

Anton shook his head 'I don't have anything.'

'Then I would like to invite you to stay at the Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix' Dumbledore said 'in return we are asking you to join us.'

'The what?' Anton asked trying to look nonplussed.

'I'm sorry 'Dumbledore said 'that was rude of me, the Order of the Phoenix was set up to fight Voldemort, now he has returned we have important jobs to fulfil.'

'Help you fight Voldemort,' Anton said pretending to think it over while internally rejoicing at the prospect 'I would be honoured to accept, though won't people mind me staying at the headquarters?' Anton asked thinking carefully of the fact none of them actually knew him.

'Fawkes trusts you,' Dumbledore said simply 'he gave a few of his tears to help to begin your healing.'

'And Sirius Black would be the one honoured for you to stay there,' Lupin said quickly 'by revealing the truth about Wormtail you helped clear his name.'

Anton nodded stiffly and let another yawn escape from his mouth, he watched the two men carefully making sure they noticed the slight drooping to his eyes. Without fail they both looked at each other before turning back to Anton.

'We'll leave you now,' Dumbledore said 'you are obviously tired, we will return later.'

'Take care of yourself,' Lupin said sincerely 'I'll be sure to tell Sirius you're awake, he wants to thank you.'

Anton yawned out a muffled thanks to the two men and watched them vacate his room, as Dumbledore was exiting he turned back and looked at Anton a look of curiosity on his face.

'May I ask,' he said 'how old you are Anton?'

'Twenty two in a month' Anton replied not seeing the point of lying, after all he bore no close resemblance to what he should have looked like at twenty two even his scent had been altered. Where at one point many said he was the spitting image of his father, now if they stood side by side the relationship would not be so obvious.

'Twenty two' repeated Dumbledore 'young indeed to fight so readily'

'I've been fighting all my life,' Anton said letting his eyes sag close.

Listening he heard the door snap closed and silence fell on the small room, wasting no time Anton flicked his eyes open and sat up flinching in pain as his body protested to the harsh treatment, as soon as he was sitting up straight he pulled the wires out of his arms with quick ease. There were about ten or eleven tubes and as Anton removed them small trickles of blood ran down his arms from the wounds they had made, which would have been avoided with a simple finite. Potion leaked out of the ends splattering onto the clean white floor.

His wand was on the cupboard next to him along with his jeans and jumper, which had been cleaned. His sword was no where in sight, moving quickly in case a healer decided to visit, Anton removed the pyjamas and replaced them with the clothes, next to the cupboard were his worn dragon hide boots which he yanked on gritting his teeth to dull the pain. When he was dressed he pushed himself awkwardly of the bed, the moment he was standing his legs gave way almost immediately reminding him of just how long he'd been in bed. Seething quietly Anton used the bed to pull himself back onto his feet, as soon as he was standing he staggered towards the door and jerked it open.

Outside, the door other closed doors signalled private rooms along a wide corridor, muttering and laughing could be heard in a couple of the rooms. Anton ignored them and limped down the hallway occasionally using the wall to keep him upright, halfway down a tray of potions stood unattended. Anton studied them carefully until he recognised Pepper up Potion, grabbing the vial he downed it in one swallow, the potion gave immediate relief wiping away the cobwebs that were fogging his head, it also helped him walk in a straighter more up-right line.

Anton kept walking, as he passed another room a thick black travelling cloak hung from a hook, he grabbed it quickly and yanked the heavy hood up to cover his face. Pulling the cloak more tightly around him, Anton kept his head down as a middle aged female Healer hurried past him.

'Nine days,' she was muttering 'when he eventually decides to wake up I'm on another floor.'

At the end of the corridor was a set a wooden double door's that led onto a landing, opposite Anton another set of wooden doors headed in the opposite direction behind which an open ward was visible. A large staircase rose up to the landing and another staircase led up to the floor above. On the wall in-between pictures of smiling Healer's a floor guide was attached to the wall, it read:-

YOU ARE ON THE THIRD FLOOR

ARTEFACT ACCIDENTS…………………………..Ground Floor

Cauldron explosion, wand backfiring, broom

crashes, etc.

CREATURE INDUCED INJURIES…………………First Floor

Bites, stings, burns, embedded spines, etc.

MAGICAL BUGS……………………………………Second Floor

Contagious maladies, e.g. dragon pox,

vanishing sickness, scrofunglus, etc.

POTION AND PLANT POISONING………………..Third Floor (You are here)

Rashes, regurgitation, uncontrollable

giggling, imminent death, etc.

SPELL DAMAGE……………………………………Fourth Floor

Unliftable jinxes, hexes, incorrectly

applied charms, etc.

VISITORS TEAROOM/ HOSPITAL SHOP………...Fifth Floor

IF YOU ARE UNSURE WHERE TO GO, INCAPABLE OF NORMAL SPEECH OR UNABLE TO REMEMBER WHY YOU ARE HERE, OUR WELCOMEWITCH WILL BE PLEASED TO HELP.

Anton studied the sign for a moment trying to find out what floor he was on, as soon as he saw the THIRD FLOOR he turned to the stairs and began his downwards descent. Down the corridor he heard the Healer scream out something unintelligible, other Healer's came running from the opposite corridor heading towards the screams. Anton darted quickly down the steps as fast as his body would allow and headed to the ground floor. As he reached the next landing and started on the next flight of steps a couple of security guards ran up the stairs barrelling past Anton shouting into commu globes.

'He's gone,' one called 'Healer Rowley found his bed empty! He's dressed in jeans and a jumper and he's injured.'

Anton didn't hear anymore of the conversation as they passed him barely giving him a second glance and hurried on, Anton pulled the cloak even further around him self-consciously in case they noticed him. He tugged the hood ever further to cover his face and next to ran down the next few flights of stairs. As he reached the First Floor the familiar tones of Lupin and Dumbledore came to his ears as they headed back up, Anton looked around the landing he was standing on and spotted an open door, he darted through the door which was an empty treatment room.

'Where the Hell has he gone?' Lupin said anxiously 'surely he'd know that it was suicidal to venture out so quickly after waking up!'

'That's assuming he walked out on his own violation,' Dumbledore answered 'but he has to be here somewhere, he can't just get out without anyone noticing.'

They passed the room Anton was hidden in and continued up the stairs following the security guards. When they had passed Anton exited the room and hurried down the remaining flight of steps to the ground floor. On the ground floor a bored looking witch was sitting at a desk attempting to distinguish what a hysterical wizard with an elephant's trunk in the place of a nose was babbling about.

Anton slipped past the desk and security guards that were talking intently to each other, they cast an uninterested look at Anton as he strode through reception and out of the doors, the fact he was wearing a cloak ruled him out as the missing patient. He left the hospital to arrive in an entrance to a grubby shop with a dummy in the window. It was a muggle street and the hospital had taken the form of a red brick department store named Purge & Dowse Ltd.

A young mother pulled her child to the opposite side of the street at the sight of Anton and his sinister facade. He quickly pulled the cloak off and carried it slung over his shoulder to reduce the amount of attention he was getting.

As soon as he had got out of sight of St Mungo's Anton attempted to get his bearings, the landmarks were no longer ruined monuments but instead stood tall and intact. Shoppers breezed down the crowded muggle streets clinging to bags and chastening their shopping partners who were not so eager to be out.

Anton tentatively worked his way through the thronging masses aiming for the Leaky Cauldron, which was assumedly reverted to one piece. After about half an hour of painfully jarring walking, the memorable sight of the pub came into view, Anton nearly ran across the busy main road in anticipation of seeing the magical hub in all its glory.

Upon entering the Leaky Cauldron he replaced the cloak and hood and kept his head down, Anton went directly through the smoke filled room and into the back courtyard. Withdrawing his wand he tapped the required bricks and waited for the entrance to open. When it did it greeted Anton with every scent colour and emotion he thought he'd never experience again, unable to contain it, a huge grin flashed across his face. Almost skipping with joy he joined the colourful horde and headed to Gringrotts.

As he stepped into the marble bank the coolness of the air wafted over him, a relief from the stifling heat of the outside. A goblin looked up from her work and glared at Anton.

'Next,' she snarled waiting for Anton to step forward, when he did she inflicted another piercing gaze upon him and said 'Bank Number?'

'That may be a problem,' Anton answered noticing immediately her distrustful gaze 'I am here to claim a Time Account under the name of Anton Lukyen.'

'And you would be?' she asked.

'Anton Lukyen,' he replied calmly 'is there a problem?'

'No problem,' she sneered 'you'll be needing Fablemine' she gestured to another Goblin with her finger he approached nervously.

'Take him to Fablemine,' she ordered 'matter of a Time Account.'

-=-=-

The Goblin led Anton out of the atrium and through a hallway to an office, he knocked at the door hesitantly.

'Yes?' came a voice from within.

'Anton Lukyen,' he said quickly 'Time Account.'

'Come in then,' instructed the voice evenly.

The Goblin stood back and gestured Anton to enter the room, at the office's large black marble desk another Goblin was perched on a chair, he watched Anton carefully as he entered before clicking his fingers and summoning a piece of parchment.

'Mr Lukyen,' he said dryly 'are you lying claim to this Time Account?'

Anton nodded swiftly before asking 'I trust this is in confidence?'

'Nothing you say will leave these walls,' Fablemine said looking at his parchment 'By claiming this account, you are reducing the amount that will be present in the future for yourself. As I am aware this is your account which you managed to set up in the future.'

'Future me doesn't mind,' Anton replied with a small smile 'how much is in the account now?'

'When you set up the account and made it available to your past and future selves, you decreed 8 million galleons to the fund, as I am sure you are aware.'

Anton nodded.

'However it is now worth 500 000 galleons,' the Goblin looked up to gauge Anton's reaction.

'How,' Anton said shocked 'did I lose 750 000 galleons by going back seven years?'

'What inflates must in turn deflate,' Fablemine said steadily 'the dramatic reduction is the result of the huge inflation we are forecast to have next year.'

'So that's all I have?' Anton asked dejectedly, he had been hoping for more even if he had set the account up without realising it would be in the past the money would be put to use, Anton was just glad that when the Goblin had asked him if he'd wanted a Time Account he'd said yes.

'Yes My Lukyen, though many may see that as substantial,' Fablemine summoned another sheet of parchment 'now what type of account would you like the money transferred to? We haven't set up Time Accounts yet so the money cannot remain in one.'

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Anton left the bank with his wallet considerably heavier than it had been previously, heading down Diagon Alley he headed for a shop he had once been well acquainted with, the shop was called 'Master Gerninhil's Combat Clothes' What you failed to comprehend on reading the sign, you soon picked up on when entering the fairly well lit store.

At the front of the store shelves lined the walls along with clothes rails, on top of which different clothes were labelled in order of, Strength, Endurance and Freedom. A small changing room was at one side with curtain to conceal the occupant.

At the back of the store the more practical side lay, including wand holsters, stun grenades etc. no one below the age of twenty was allowed in the shop regardless of the fact the legal age was seventeen.

Anton studied the shelves before picking what he'd wanted all along, the highest calibre of all three specifications. First he grabbed a pair of dark jeans, then a black long sleeved top and new dragon hide boots, he finished it off with a new cloak, the cloak was lighter than the one he had stolen and the blackness had a tinge of red to it. The cloak also came with inbuilt shield that guarded from basic spells and hexes and was usefully fire resistant.

Anton went into the changing room and stripped out of his old clothes, underneath, his side was swathed in bandages but creeping out were purplish veins, a not so subtle reminder of the severity of the poison. Tattoo's were inscribed onto his well toned arms (one didn't survive where he came from by being unfit), they were ancient runes of protection, at the top of his arms they met at his shoulders and snaked down his back reaching into the small of his spine were they ended with a ball of fire.

His body protested painfully as he stretched it out gently and pulled on the new clothes, every so many minutes a painful twinge would shoot through his body leaving him gasping. When he was ready and dressed he pulled a couple of items from his old jean pockets, a small brown compass and a hair tie. Using the tie he dragged his hair into a ponytail and shoved the compass and wallet into his new pocket. He studied himself in the mirror taking in his pale drawn face and tired eyes, he had lost weight over the past fortnight and his already lean, athletic form was thinner. Yet he still cast a formidable presence, the fact that in the few years after leaving Hogwarts he had become proficient in martial arts and weapon fighting.

From the back of the store he commandeered a wand holster and a lumos flare. After paying the amount of 190 galleons to the proprietor he left the shop and rejoined the crowd.

A newsagent's had a shelf full of papers outside its window, Anton stopped and sifted through the display looking for the Daily Prophet, when he had located the paper he purchased it and looked closely at the front page. Emblazoned on the front was a large moving picture of Wormtail dodging out of the way of Anton's blade, beneath the title screamed.

You-Knows-Who's Loyal Servant Uncovered!

It went on to detail Wormtail's betrayal of the Potter's and the clearing of Sirius Blacks name, it also however to Anton's disgust had included his name within the text as well as a description- but luckily no photograph, the paper described him as a 'mysterious saviour' which at least made him smile.

The Daily Prophet had decided to continue its slander of Harry Potter 'The-Boy-Who-Lived' even with Pettigrew's loud proclamation that Voldemort existed, it seemed the magical world was unwilling to accept it. Whatever happened though, Anton was determined that this year would end significantly different than the first time he'd lived it.

The news that Anton had inexplicably disappeared was still unreported, which was something to be grateful for however part of the article detailed what had happened afterwards a small section read:-

Mr Lukyen, is still recovering in a private room at St Mungo's Hospital, his condition was said to be serious but stable. The Daily Prophet is able to reveal exclusively that the man named Anton Lukyen is in a comatose condition that Healers are worried he will never wake from.

Anton almost laughed out loud at this, never mind not waking up he had left the hospital within half an hour of waking.

Suddenly another editorial caught his eye he studied it carefully the caption announced:-

Peculiar happenings in the Forests of Albania- Louis Mort reports

Ministry Officials have been studying the forests after wizards living in the area recently complained of dark-magic surrounding the place.

On arrival the Officials were unable to discover the source of these magical level's, one top representative announced the possibility of residual energy left over from when He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named existed in non-corporeal form.

Why though would the dark-magic effect the surrounding villages years after?

A sudden influx of dark-magic meant only one thing- a sudden increase of dark wizards in the forest. Anton dropped the paper into the bin next to him and narrowed his eyes thinking hard, Voldemort was obviously hiding in the Albanian Forests, which meant the real Pettigrew couldn't be far behind.

Anton felt in his pocket and pulled out the worn brown compass that was concealed there, flicking open the lid he tapped his wand on the gold dial and muttered Peter Pettigrew.

The compass only showed were dead bodies were to be found, in this instance the dial spun in one direction and smoky lettering rose from the dial.

Ministry of Magic, London was plainly visible, which obviously indicated the Pettigrew he had killed. Just as he was about to shut the lid, the needle spun again, this time facing the opposite direction.

Albanian Cave swirled out, this could mean only one thing, both Pettigrew's were dead.

The single thing Anton had left to do was to conceal the body wherever it was, stepping forward he disaperated to the location the compass had indicated.