Chapter 18: N.E.W.T.s and A Train Ride Home

"Ready for the N.E.W.T.s today?" said Elphias.

"No, I'm ready for our world tour trip," Albus said as he grabbed his wand from his bed and slipped it into his pocket. Then, without hesitation, he stepped toward the door.

Albus really wasn't nervous at all. Elphias and the two boys he shared the dorm with were, though. The night before, the three of them flipped through their Transfiguration (for that was the first test of the year) books nervously, reviewing every subject. Frequently, they asked Albus questions, with which Albus recited without even a glance toward his books.

"We're not going to do well, are we?" said Greyson Abbot after the fifth question Albus answered.

"You'll be fine," Albus said reassuringly as he stared up at the ceiling. "You know this."

"Not as well as you."

"He's a genius, though," said Elphias. That caused Albus to smile just a bit arrogantly. He did know almost everything about Transfiguration. Other subjects he might have had to look through the books for, but not Transfiguration.

In the morning, he was actually excited to go do the test. He never looked at tests as a bad thing. Most disliked them, felt anxious about them, but Albus always breezed through them like they were just quick homework assignments.

Elphias followed him down the through the common room , but just as soon as he stepped through the portrait hole, a voice yelled out to him.

"Albus !"

He turned and saw a girl named Suzie McAuley rushing toward him with a piece of paper in her hands.

"I have a question," she stated.

Again with the questions, but Albus understood. Everyone seemed to study at the last minute. Albus had started months ago.

Elphias trailed behind Suzie and him as he answered her question as thoroughly as possible.

"So, to untransfigure an object you don't know what it was before…" Suzie said, trailing off slightly.

"You have to do the three steps: identify, refine, and expand," Albus said as they went down the changing staircases. "You have to know that the object is transfigured first, and I'm sure you know the steps to figure that out. But, to refine the object, you have to break it down, see how the object went from something, to nothing, and then back to something-"

"Oh! I remember this now," she said. sighing in relief before he could even finish explaining the process. "Thanks, Albus. Sorry to bother you, I'm just-"

"I understand," Albus said, nodding. "No need to explain yourself. Anything else?"

"No, I'm fine. Thank you so much."

"You're welcome. Good luck on the test."

She ran off and Elphias stepped beside him as they walked into the Entrance Hall. "When Garside retires, you should take his position," Elphias said.

Albus raised an eyebrow, balking at that. "I'm going to work in politics, Elphias."

Albus still didn't want to believe he'd work at Hogwarts. As a professor. Maybe in his old age, but not anytime soon.

As they both stepped into the Great Hall, Albus felt like going straight to the table to eat a large breakfast, but before he could, Elphias elbowed his side.

"What's your brother doing?"

Albus didn't even have to follow Elphias' pointing. He saw his brother immediately up at the Head Table.

Sighing, Albus wondered why he was up there bothering Professor Garside, who looked annoyed beyond belief.

"Oh, for Merlin's sake, this is not what I wanted to do this morning," he said softly before stalking up toward the front in between the Hufflepuff and Gryffindor tables.

"Good morning, Professor," he said, and placed a hand on Aberforth's shoulder.

Garside looked relieved, which was something Albus would have never thought would be possible in Albus' presence. But, Aberforth wasn't at all happy to see Albus. He glared up at him. "What do you want?" he asked before Garside could say anything.

"Just wondering why you're bothering Professor Garside."

"Good morning, Dumbledore," he said. "Aberforth was merely asking about his Transfiguration OWL today. I was just telling him that if he needed help, he could have asked me or you weeks ago instead of asking me on the day of the test."

Aberforth's face brighten to a deep shade of red and gruffed before shoving Albus' hand away from his shoulder and turned away, saying, "Why do you have to meddle in everything?"

Albus sighed, glanced at Garside in apology, and followed Aberforth to the Gryffindor table. But, instead of sitting down, Aberforth left the Great Hall.

"Ridiculous," Albus said to Elphias as he sat down to eat.

Elphias frowned, but said nothing.

Albus was sure Aberforth would only get a couple O., and he was not looking forward to the day when the results came in July. His mother would see and probably reprimand him for days. She's be proud of Albus, of course, because he knew without even taking the tests that he'd gain outstandings on them all. He hadn't made anything less on any assignment all year. The N.E. would be no problem at all.

But for Aberforth… He didn't want to think about that anymore.

Albus glanced back up toward the Head Table again. He could see Professor Merrythought up there, talking to Professor Glumage, the Potions professor. As soon as he looked up, she turned her head and made eye contact with Albus before smiling at him reassuringly.

It didn't take Albus even a second to understand why she was smiling like that to him.

She'd told him a couple weeks before that Harry was gone.

Albus hated thinking back to that conversation, even if it had only been two sentences long. He could remember how she'd sat him down in her office after Defense with one of the saddest expressions on her face.

"What is it?" Albus asked.

"Harry's left," was all she said. That was it. Albus stared at her for a very long time, even though she refused to make eye contact with him.

Eventually, he'd just stood up and left. He felt too tired to make it to his dorm, but he did and fell heavily onto his bed.

He had been expecting to hear the news, but it never felt real thinking about it. Only when Merrythought told him did it feel at all real. On his bed, he stared up at the ceiling. Honestly, it felt more like Harry had died than gone back to his time. He breathed evenly to keep himself from crying, and couldn't a raw aching feeling form in his chest.

He suddenly felt so alone, and somehow- he didn't understand why- he felt fearful. fearful about the future.

The link to his future had left for good.

And he never got to say good-bye.

For the rest of his week of school, he devoted himself to studying for the N.E.W.T.s even though he remembered his readings, theories, and the spells he'd already learned. All the reading were mere reviews to him, but it kept his mind off Harry.

He was quite prepared for his exams.

Professor Black's voice ringing through the Great Hall awoke Albus form his thoughts. "Anyone who is not a seventh or fifth year, please precede to your exams in your classrooms. Fifth and seventh years, please wait in the Entrance Hall for further instruction."

Albus and Elphias stood with the other seventh years in the Entrance Hall, but Albus only looked for Aberforth to get his mind off Harry. He spotted him in a hunched in a corner near the front doors, just flicking his wand around. His mouth wasn't moving at all, though, and Albus couldn't recognize the wand movements as any spell. Who knew what his brother was doing, anyway.

Merrythought came out of the Great Hall at 8:55, according to Albus' watch.

"Seventh years, line up alphabetically along this wall," she called out, pointing to her right. "Fifth years, do the same on this side.

Albus never understood the process exactly. Professor Black thought it was more time efficient to put both the fifth and seventh years together to take their prospective exam, but Albus thought that the Great Hall was too crowded. If he was Headmaster, he'd do it a lot differently.

"Good luck," Albus said to Elphias, who stood in front of him.

Elphias smiled up at him just as they were led into the Great Hall that now was filled with individual desks. They were each given their test booklets, parchment, and finally non-cheating quills, and then the bell that had been fashioned at the front rang nine.

Albus wrote his name at the top of the test, and then looked down at the first question.

The edges of his lips twitched into a satisfied smile.

This would be too easy.

It was beautiful outside when the Transfiguration O.W.L and N.E.W.T were over. Elphias and Albus sat outside in the middle of the grass. Albus lay in it, completely relaxed, but Elphias beside him was busily looking through the question booklet as he chewed on his nails.

"Elphias, relax," Albus said as he stretched out his cramped up hand. He'd written too small, too much, and too fast.

"I can't wait for History of Magic," Elphias said.

"I think you're the only one looking forward to that one."

"Possibly," he said. "Harry's lucky he never had to take these tests."

Albus had forgotten about that, and he felt another stab of loneliness ache through him at Harry's name. Elphias stopped asking about Harry in March.

For him to suddenly say Harry's name made Albus close his eyes and sigh.

"Where do you think he is?" Elphias said.

It took Albus a moment to understand, and when he did, he was shocked. Had he not told Elphias? He thought that he'd told him after Merrythought did, but when he thought about it, he realized he hadn't said a word.

Feeling foolish, Albus sat up.

"He's gone, Elphias," Albus said.

"Gone? I know he's gone."

"No, I mean, he went back."

Elphias blinked at Albus in disbelief. "What? When?"

"A few weeks ago," he said, looking down at the grass. He pulled a couple strands and wrapped it around his finger. "Merrythought told me, so that's it. We won't see him for another 80 years, when he's born."

Elphias sighed. "Pity. I liked him. I'll miss him until then."

"Not as much as me," Albus said softly.

"What?"

"Nothing."

If only he'd had a little more time with Harry, to talk to him, to convince him… That would never happen now.

"We'll be a hundred then," Elphias said off-handedly. "We're only 18 now."

"I'm not even 18 for another couple weeks." Eighty years was so long…

"Oh, I forgot." He paused, but then suddenly slapped his hands against his knees. Albus looked up, startled. "Well, we might as well enjoy out youth as it lasts." He stood up. "Time for the practical."

"I guess so," Albus said as he stood up as well, dropping the grass back into where it came from. "We're probably nearing death where Harry is right now."

"Or already did die."

"No, of course not," Albus said. "Harry never said either of us were dead."

"He didn't tell you lots of things."

Albus just shook his head as he followed Elphias up the grass and into the Entrance Hall again.

The only thing that cheered Albus up after his conversation with Elphias was his test proctor, Madam Marchbanks.

She clapped cheerfully as Albus performed spells for her.

"Well done, Dumbledore, well done," she said after he almost lazily changed rabbit into an intricate goblet, then into a piece of carved wood before he changed it back into the perfectly healthy rabbit. "I've never seen a wand movement like that before. Amazing."

Albus smiled as he did the next transfiguration she asked. She praised him even more as she marked his performance on her test sheet.

He glanced over at Elphias in the desk a few feet away. His face was red as he tried to transfigure his own rabbit into a goblet, but the cup ended up having whiskers and he closed his eyes tightly before he changed it back into the rabbit.

Albus finished the test before Elphias. As he took a place right by the banister of the grand staircase, he saw Aberforth walk out of the Great Hall, staring straight at the ground.

He didn't turn right to the staircase, though. He went straight out of the open front doors and then ran down the stairs.

Confused, Albus stood there, staring at the last place Aberforth had been. He didn't go after him, though. He probably just was happy to get away from the testing.

When Elphias emerged from the Great Hall, Albus smiled at him, placed an arm around his shoulder and led him up to the Gryffindor Common for an afternoon nap before dinner.

Halfway across Europe as Albus finished up his tests, Harry took a seat in a railway station in Frankfurt, Germany. He was ready to get back to England after a month in Germany, where he'd been trying to track down the wandmaker Gregorovich.

He had found him after two weeks of exploring the German Wizarding world, asking around in Wizarding pubs to find the way toward his shop in a small town outside of Berlin.

"The shop's on the second floor, right above a pub," said one English man named Thomas he'd met in one of the pubs. "He's got a small collection compared to Ollivander's, but he's excellent at his wands. Be careful when you get there, though. He doesn't like people barging in. So you've got to-"

But, right when he was about to explain what to do, a man clapped a hand on his shoulder. "Thomas! Come join!" And he was ushered away as music began playing.

Harry lost sight of Thomas quickly and never saw him again that night.

A day later, he arrived at Gregorovich's shop. The sign outside said, "Gregorovich Wand Hersteller seit 500 AD," just under the wooden sign for The Boar's Head. Harry walked in and followed the red, wooden arrows toward the staircase. He ignored a group of drunk men and ducked in through the narrow staircase.

He stared up at the plain oak door with Gregorovich carved into it. He took in a deep breath, hoping that somehow he'd find a way to get rid of the Elder Wand so he could solely be the owner of his own phoenix and holly wand.

He placed a hand on the door handle, pulling on it, but was immediately thrown back. He hit his head rather hard on the wooden banister of the staircase leading up from the pub.

The door clicked open and a man with dark brown hair stood there, his wand pointing straight at Harry.

"Wer bist du?" said a man's voice.

Harry groaned in pain as he sat up straight. "I don't speak German!" said Harry quickly when he realized he had a wand pointing just inches away from his face.

"What do you want, then?" said the man in a heavy German accent.

"My name is Harry and-" he reached up for the mokeskin pouch hanging around his neck. But, just as Harry put his hand on the Elder wand, the man disarmed him.

How could he have been so stupid? If Hermione had been there-

But, wait, he thought.

He stared up at man. That had been the man he'd seen in his visions from Voldemort. He was much younger, but he had been searching his mind for this man for months. He recognized him completely.

It was Gregorovich, and he had done exactly what Harry needed to be done. So quickly and easily.

Harry smiled and then, before Gregorovich could say anything else, Harry apparated away just down the street.

Two days later, Harry- who was staying in the small town- heard in the pub that Gregorovich had been bragging about a wand he'd disarmed from a boy. The all powerful wand he'd been searching for.

That night, Harry left and two weeks later, he was sitting in the railway station, waiting on the train to arrive to take him to Paris and then to London.

As the steam engine rolled into the station, he stood up and found the section of the train that was printed on his ticket.

He stepped into his compartment and sat down by the window. The train was the first train he'd been on so far to remind him so much of the Hogwarts Express, with its red seats and the compartments. He closed his eyes tightly and rubbed his scar, which honestly never hurt him anymore, but he couldn't help but reach up and touch it at the sudden memories of his rides to Hogwarts- something that wouldn't really happen for ninety two years.

"Entschuldigung. Bist du-"

Harry looked up and was just looking away before he took a double take that made his neck burst in pain.

It couldn't be…

"Oh, you're English," said the handsome golden haired boy with a German accent that wasn't nearly as heavy as Gregorovich's or many of the other German's he'd spoken to. This boy seemed like he spoke English often, and probably with good reason. He had a slight English accent underneath the German. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah," Harry said, his voice cracking. This had to be him. "I'm fine."

Grindelwald.

He stuffed the bag he had in the upper railing and then sat down across from Harry by the window.

"Hm," Grindelwald said, checking his pocket watch out from his waist coat. "Five minutes until the train leaves."

Harry checked his own, and he was right. The train would leave at three. He looked back up and watched Grindelwald nervously for a second.

This man had killed and had cruel ideas for Muggles. He wasn't as bad as Voldemort, and Dumbledore had trusted him once, but that didn't make Harry any less worried to be in the same compartment as him. Somehow, miraculously, they'd gotten the same seating, and for some reason, he was conversing with someone who could have easily been a Muggle.

"Are you going back to England?" Grindelwald asked, noticing Harry staring at him.

"Er, yeah, I am," Harry said.

"I am, as well," he said, with a slight haughtiness that reminded Harry vaguely of Draco. "I'm staying with my auntie this summer. My name is Gellert, by the way."

"Er, Harry," he said.

Gellert held out his hand. Harry looked at it for a second before he shook his hand.

"Huh," Gellert said, staring at Harry's hand and then looking up to catch sight of his mokeskin pouch around his neck. His dark blue eyes fell onto the scar on Harry's forehead. By habit, Harry pushed his hair down over it. "Does the word Durmstrang mean anything to you?"

"The school?" Harry asked, his heart pounding.

Gellert smirked. "You're Hogwarts, aren't you?"

"No, I was home-schooled," Harry said, keeping with the story he'd set up before for Professor Black. "But I spent some time at Hogwarts this year."

"Did you? Was it as good as everyone says?"

"It's excellent," said Harry.

Gellert nodded slowly, lifting his hand up to his face to pick at his skin. "My auntie Hilda was telling me about a student there. He's apparently the best in the school with loads of rewards and published articles. I don't know if you'd have heard of him, but Aunt Hilda's going to introduce us once Hogwarts lets out."

Now Harry's heart seemed to feel like it was trying to bust its way out of his chest. He hadn't felt this aware of his heart since right before Voldemort cast the Avada Kedavra at him in the forest.

Would there be a way to stop them meeting? Could there be? Harry couldn't do anything to Grindelwald, though. He couldn't kill him or obliviate him. He just couldn't. There would be no way, and apparently Grindelwald was just as strong of a wizard as Dumbledore. He doubted he could fight against him, especially one who was nearly the opposite in personality to Dumbledore, but just as strong.

Harry had been planning to go to Flamel's house once he got back, before he went back to Godric's Hollow to talk to Dumbledore.

Now, Harry wondered if he should go to Hogwarts instead, to try to persuade Dumbledore not to talk to Grindelwald.

But, would it be worth it to save Dumbledore from the boy who sat in front of him?

Would Dumbledore be as kind hearted in the future if he never met Grindelwald? He'd most likely not be a Hogwarts Professor or the Headmaster later.

Harry felt conflicted. He felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand as he thought about what he could do.

And as he studied Grindelwald in front of him, the conflict in himself was tremendous. What could he do now?

The train lurched forward.

This would be a very long trainride.

A/N: Before anyone asks… The idea that the wand is going from the future to the past in an infinite circle thing… that, in my mind, can be explained by McGonagall's answer to the Ravenclaw common room question in book 7. "Where do Vanished objects go? Into nonbeing, which is to say, everything." Basically, my reasoning is that it was vanished at some point and then returned through Harry. It's hard to explain my thought process. Sorry about that :\ But, yeah. It's just in an infinite circle now based on time travel continuum. Harry won't have the wand when he's in the future again. It's gone now. But yeah.

Also, sorry if the Gregorovich stuff isn't the best. I was getting antsy and wanted to get to Grindelwald… sorry :[

I updated a little later than I meant to. I had to get caught up on schoolwork for the tests I had this week, and I was working on getting a car and just stuff.

I want to try to update every week or two from now on. I'm FINALLY getting to the part I've been working toward for two years now: the summer with Grindelwald. I can't believe how long that's been! I started this on April 29th, 2010, but didn't post it until August 2010. This is the longest I've ever stuck to a fan fiction and it's so exciting to me. The response is more fantastic than I thought. Thank you to everyone who has reviewed and kept up with this story after so many breaks in between.

Please review! I always appreciate that.