"Reducto! Bombarda prima!"

The explosive spells hurled out and bounced off Harry's sturdy shield, but that did not lessen Daphne's intent or her desire to break through his defenses. She held her ground, and managed to whirl over; dodging the two severing curses sent her way, before bouncing back with a powerful banisher. The overwhelming force behind her spell pushed him back by a few feet but it was not enough to break his shield.

"Good try, Daph! But you need to do better!"

Daphne nodded briskly, the drops of sweat glistened on her neck as she dodged and swerved through the oncoming attacks and landed another powerful severing curse at him. Harry dispelled the curse with a banisher that met it midway and vanished off the shield, moving from defense to offense.

"Now, defend!" He shouted, sending a veritable array of severing hexes and bludgeoner spells at her. It was a useful technique, since the moves required to stop severing hexes were completely opposite to that required for a bludgeoner. It was like trying to stop a sharp knife and a powerful cannon ball at the same time. Daphne cast an aegis shield and immediately sent a powerful banisher to the ground, propelling her upwards, managing to avoid both curses effortlessly.

"Masterfully done!" he congratulated, making her blush. It was the first time he had truly congratulated her during their training regimen. After months of being called 'useless' and 'incompetent', his praise sent her heart dancing among the clouds. Ignoring the fact that they were both tired, dusty and drenched with sweat, she moved forwards and kissed him fully on the lips.

"Was that an acknowledgement?" Harry teased, as she separated from him.

"What if it was?" she countered.

"Do you hear me complaining?" he winked, causing her to blush. Daphne mock-scoffed and moved towards the shower rooms that the Room had sprouted out for them.

After a nice shower, the two were back to their study—this time working on Arithmancy and Runes. Vector was truly making him work a lot, what with the way she had gone overboard after knowing how much he knew and understood her subject. Right now, he was working on a runic matrix that could be a perfect combination of at least three binding spells. It was hard work, since he had never quite done it before. He had always preferred to do it the normal way-wand waving.

"Harry?"

He looked at her in surprise, almost amused at finding her eyes lit up with a question. "Anything troubling your mind?"

"I guess- there is this thing. I know you are stuck in the betrothal with Delacour and everythin, but I was talking with Tracy the other day and-"

"Ah, Tracy! Is she still upset about me not taking up her invitation to the broom cupboards?" he teased, causing her to redden a little. "Anyways", she raised her voice, trying to stop the divergence, "we were discussing the French princess, and Tracy pointed out something, and-"

"Daph! Cut it out. What do you want to know?"

"Did you know her in your... well, previous time here?"

Harry sighed. "Yes, I did."

"How... I mean, did you know her personally? Like...friends and all?"

Harry looked at her sharply. "What makes you think that?"

Daphne swallowed. "It's just that- when Tracy asked you for a trip to the broom closets, you have always rejected them at face value. And then you fight for my freedom, and everything-but-", she hesitated, "-your face, you looked like you were considering it, when Delacour—Sebastian Delacour informed you about his proposal."

Harry looked up skyward, almost wishing for help. Letting off a sigh, he answered. "Yes, I knew her, or at least I thought I knew." He looked at her, "she was my girlfriend. For over a year."

Daphne was stunned. Somehow a part of her felt that she knew it was coming. His initial deviances- his mannerisms- his going out of his way to ensure that the training regimens remained platonic at best- his sudden uncharacteristic behavior when Beauxbatons students arrived at Hogwarts- his sudden carelessness—his flustered look when Fleur Delacour had got up to talk to him- the expression on his face on seeing Sebastian Delacour that day- it all made sense.

It made perfect sense.

"You came back for her." She muttered slowly, as if she had lost her voice. Harry looked at her alarmed, but she continued, "you came back to save the world, but also for her. You loved her. Or perhaps, love her even now."

Harry looked at her with a surprised expression. There was no point denying it. He knew he could divert it all but this was not a time for that.

"Yes. I came back for her."

A tear glistened in her left eye, threatening to fall down. Harry held her in his arms, as he continued, "But there is more to it. Much more to it. Give me a chance to explain."

Daphne did not reply.

"My previous lifetime, it was different. Completely different. I was a brat who was naïve, and knew next to nothing about the intricacies of the wizarding world. Yes, I loved her, and yes, I did come back for her, but then...things happened. Things which made me, and are still making me realize that my entire life was a lie."

'What do you mean?"

Harry stood up. "Dobby!"

A pop ensured and the hyperactive elf appeared. "Yes, master Potter?"

"Can you please bring me my pensieve from the study?"

"Of course, sir." The elf popped away, only to reappear in five seconds carrying an ornate pensieve in his shriveled hands. "Thank you Dobby! You may go."

The elf clicked his fingers and nodded, before popping away. He turned to Daphne and placed the pensieve down, the Room providing a pedestal to keep it on.

What's that for?"

"Some incidents are better seen than told."

Daphne shook her head in acceptance. Harry began. "You remember I told you how I had to save my godfather from the Dementors last year?" Daphne shook her head. "I did not show you the memory then, but if you want to, I can show it to you now."

Daphne widened her eyes in surprise. "Now?"

Harry smiled.


Hermione Granger sat alone in her dorm room. Ever since the start of the new session, a lot had changed. Especially in Harry Potter. He was no longer the boy who used to be her best friend—the boy who required her help in every single matter—the boy she had to bluntly force to open a book—the boy she had spent the last three years of school with.

Harry had changed.

For starters, he had really started paying attention to his studies. Hermione had been extremely happy about it as it showed that at least one of her best friends had taken her advice to heart. She felt good that she would now have one less person to nag over. Then, things began to change.

Almost magically, Harry's performance in class had risen. While she was always a good student, she was not necessarily the best in all subjects. Padma Patil of Ravenclaw and Greengrass of Slytherin had been tough competitors; but while she and the rest of the school had trouble keeping up with the fourth year syllabus, Harry seemed to breeze through it. The worst part, he did not even demonstrate his fullest potential—just enough to show himself as competent, never mind that the teachers were raving with pride at his developments.

It just did not fit in.

She might be bookish, but she was not an idiot. She knew something was off. For all her memorizing capabilities, she had to depend upon her summer's advance learning in order to give her best in the class. She had inquired about it from other pureblood girls, that a magical residence blocked the effects of the Ministry trace, helping the students to practice magic during the summer.

It was so unfair. Bigoted, barbaric policies of the wizarding world- it drove her mad.

However, Harry-Harry was an enigma. He had been brought up in a muggle home, and hence had none of the perquisites that other pureblood children enjoyed. He had always been an average student, enough to pass but not enough to get distinction from the professors. In a way, the feeling that she was better than the boy-who-lived gave her a sense of euphoria.

This year though, it had all changed. First, Harry had left the muggle home to live in his own family manor. Hermione assumed that he must have trained himself a lot to have such remarkable changes in him. Initially, that was what she thought. Then, her ideas underwent a drastic change.

He neglected her advice. It was completely inexplicable. Hermione had scoffed internally at that, telling herself that Harry would come home running to her, asking for her help on Arithmancy.

He hadn't. Not only had he been selected to remain among the fourth years, Vector had downright praised him for his knowledge. A part of her could not help but feel jealous that now she had a new competitor in the subject. A jealousy, which seemed to grow like Harry's performance in other classes.

A jealousy, which had spiked to insane levels when Mcgonagall had chosen him for demonstration over her.

The problem was—she had fallen headfirst because of hubris. Her over-confidence in her pre-learning had caused her shame in front of the entire class. She could still remember the arrogant smirk Greengrass had when Mcgonagall praised her instead of Hermione.

It felt bitter.

Very, very much bitter.

Then, Harry declared that he had entered into an alliance with Greengrass. Hermione had felt some uneasy vibes, but she had been so angry about it, she had refused to poke her nose into his matters. As it was, it seemed Harry was quite happy avoiding her-spending time with the Greengrass bitch.

Then, the Triwizard happened—Harry's name came out. It was almost expected, considering the changes in his behavior. His deviance, the sudden shift in personality, the arrogance, spending time with the bitch- it was bound to happen. In his arrogance, he must have put his foot in the mouth and entered himself in the Tournament- but how had he done that? Hermione had ideas, but she did not have any evidence. Besides, the cloak made him invisible to the eye; surely, it did not make him invisible to magic?

Something was wrong.

Then came the first task, and what a performance it was; but he had used dark magic. Dark magic in front of everyone. Suddenly everything became clear. His changes, his sudden spike in class performance, his friendship with Greengrass—his use of dark magic- something was very wrong with Harry Potter.

Very, very wrong.

"I have to figure out what is wrong with him!" she said to the solitary dorm room.


Daphne returned from the pensieve, her eyes glassy with shock etched on them. "You- those Dementors—you-" Harry looked at her amused, and held her hand, making her sit on a suddenly sprouted out couch.

"You have seen me with the dragons, and with Karkaroff, and now this. I hope you have got a measure of my power, right?"

Daphne nodded, not sure, why he was talking about it like that. She had never heard him boast about his prowess before. Sure, he had been quite condescending during the initial days of training, but that was different.

She shook her head.

"Remember the initial moments of the memory?"

"You were struggling with your Patronus..." Daphne remembered, seeing him smile as the truth hit her. "What happened... you know, the previous time?"

Harry smiled and narrated the entire thing to her—how he and Granger had travelled back in time, and rescued Buckbeak and Sirius- Harry mastering the Patronus and driving the Dementors away—Sirius escaping—and how they had done it all and returned back in time.

"I cannot believe it!" Daphne yelled. "A TIME TURNER? A TIME TURNER?" she raged, "Mcgonagall gave Granger a time-turner because she wanted to take extra classes? And I had to work so hard to score while that bitch got extra Time-" she glanced at Harry, "I am thankful though, because it saved your life and all, but-", her face shifted from a scowl to a frown to downright frustration.

Harry watched her, amused at the way her face shifted colors and emotions, scarily reminding him of a pink-haired Auror he had known in the past. Clearing his throat, he continued. "I did not know about my Lordships and everything then, I was –just Harry, a simple brat with a very limited magical education. In my fourth year, my name came out of the Triwizard goblet and I was selected as Champion."

"Who was it that time?" Daphne asked eagerly.

"Barty Crouch Junior. There is a long story about him", he began at Daphne's surprised look, "but we will talk about it another time."

"But what if he is behind it this time too?"

"He isn't." Harry clarified. "He's dead. Truly dead."

"You killed him", she returned, recognizing the feral glint in his eyes. Harry nodded subtly. She continued, "Do you know who it is, this time?"

He sighed reluctantly. "No. I am still at a loss. I have been trying to figure I out, but without success so far."

Her brows snapped together, Daphne looked up. "What happened after that?"

"The champions were the same the last time round. I was the fourth champion. The difference—I was weak, and lacking in skill. Fleur- well we met in the antechamber, she called me a little boy and insulted me then, calling me a liar and a cheater—the reaction of the houses were similar—Malfoy came up with those horrible badges", harry chuckled, "and the Hufflepuffs were totally infuriated with me. My own housemates considered me a traitor and casted me out-" the bitterness in his voice was prevalent, thought Daphne did not comment, "—moving on, I spent most of my time in unused classrooms and occasionally in the Chamber of Secrets, studying and practicing spells for the tournament."

"What about me?"

Harry looked at her sheepishly. "You- well you were this deadly Slytherin girl whom every person in school feared. I knew your name, and who you were, but that is all. I had Divination and Creatures and we never talked with each other in all our years at school. You are kind of...intimidating to me."

Daphne scowled and hit him on the arm.

"Come off it woman", Harry complained, "Don't get all violent on me."

"Tell me what happened after that."

Harry sat on the couch, his eyes filled with nostalgia. "Hagrid told me about the dragons. I shared the information with Cedric." At her frown, he explained, "I was a big believer in the sense of fair play." Daphne snorted and remarked something that sounded like 'Hufflepuff' but he ignored it. "At the first task, I got the Horntail, and I outflew him using my Firebolt."

"You WHAT?"

Crap.

Daphne sat down on the couch, her hands up her hair, muttering strange words to herself. Harry could make out 'Gryffindor', 'idiocy', and something about what she thought about the mental health of Quidditch players. Chuckling, he continued, "I got ranked first in the first task, just like now; though there was no firefight with the dragons then. I outflew it and collected the egg, finishing the task in record time."

"Diggory?"

"He passed the task, though he was last."

Daphne snorted. "Unchanged then."

"After the first task, things changed. The Gryffindors accepted me back, ready to cash in my glory; even the Hufflepuffs became less hostile considering I helped Cedric—Durmstrang was indifferent as usual, but well-Fleur's behavior changed and drastically."

Daphne frowned. "Show me?"

Harry looked at her from a corner of his eye. "If you wish." He showed her the memory of his flying over the pitch and the lake-Fleur's reaction-apology and shaking hands. Daphne felt a jealous vibe inside her but suppressed it. After all, she was the one who had asked for it.

"We became good friends. She was not his arrogant bitch she was with everyone else. If anything, she went out of her way to be nice with me. Being what I was-friendless and lonely, we became close friends. We went to the Christmas Ball together and-" noticing a pallor over her face, he changed track, "—the thing is- we became good friends. Then the second task happened and I saved her sister Gabrielle and things continued as they were."

"Then?" Daphne could not help but get more and more irritated.

"Are you sure you want to hear it all?"

"Yes." She snapped, "Now get on with it. I am very fascinated in knowing how my boyfriend spent time with another girl in another life."

"Touché Greengrass."

"I will hurt you now." She promised with a scowl. "Now cut it off and tell me everything."

"Very well." He continued, "At the end of the third task, Cedric and I were the ones to touch the Triwizard cup and it portkeyed us to a graveyard in Little Hangleton. A place where Pettigrew was waiting with Voldemort to be resurrected."

"WHAT?"

"You have got to stop doing that!" Harry mock complained.

"Well I am SORRY, this is just not normal for me!" Daphne bawled out uncharacteristically. Harry chuckled. "Would you like to see it for yourself?"

"Sure", Daphne drawled, "I would absolutely love how a fourteen-year-old had to face the dark lord all by himself. Nothing better for thrills."

Harry snorted. "Come. I will show you."


"You know buddy, Harry really made the Karkaroff guy land up on his arse." Seamus said as Dean and Ron snorted at his comment. "No really, just think- our Harry, he defeated the Durmstrang Headmaster, the students will stand no chance. The dueling Cup will be ours, you'll see."

"Too right!" Dean agreed. Ron just grinned, the mirth not quite reaching his eyes. Dean observed it and could not help but comment. "You know Ron, I know you are still hurting because harry chose Greengrass over you, but come on mate, you have to admit... she is a fine girl, with great assets. You can't blame Harry!"

"Too right!" Seamus added, much to Dean's amusement.

"Yeah", Ron muttered, "I liked that Veela too, and Potter just had to go and get her too."

"Heard they are to be betrothed!" Dean commented.

"Bagging a Veela. That boy is shit arse lucky!" Seamus complained, but Dean cheered him on.

"Good night guys!" Dean commented, as he and Seamus went up their room in the dorms. Ron nodded, and went into his own, where he, Harry and Neville had lived all these years. However, this year, Harry had hardly been in the dorm, what with the way he spent all his time with Greengrass.

Greengrass! That Slytherin bitch... she stole away his best friend from him. Now his best friend took away Fleur Delacour too...

The Veela...

Pause.

Best friend?

Ron's lips twisted to form a maniacal grin, as his eyes burned with a red tinge in them.

"Hey Ron, everything okay, mate?" Neville asked from his bed.

Not looking back, Ron just shrugged, "Everything okay mate, everything is perfectly okay!"


Daphne was shivering as she came out of the pensieve. She felt her legs give away but Harry held her in time.

"You—you were great." She stuttered. Harry chuckled.

"I was terrified. It was luck that I managed to get away from the place." He made her relax on the couch and hugged her from behind, making her sit on his lap. "Voldemort was right. Luck and Sacrifices were the reason that I escaped death so many times, until I decided to change the rules of the game."

"It was not luck, Harry." Daphne refuted. "You were a fourth year, yet you managed to lock him into a battle of wills. I cannot believe that a fourteen-year-old held magical power equal to the dark lord...you were great."

Harry just hugged and comforted her.

"What happened next? You know, about you and Fleur?"

Harry chuckled. "Well, she left with the Beauxbatons group, telling me that she would return back next year for a job in Gringotts to improve her English?"

Daphne snorted.

Harry looked up strangely. "What's wrong?"

"Fleur Delacour-one who has been sprouting expletives about Hogwarts and Great Britain ever since she has come, wanted to come back to improve her English?"

Harry rubbed his temples. "I am afraid I never really considered it that way." Daphne scoffed. "I saw her again in sixth year, at the Weasley home. She was going to be engaged to Bill Weasley."

"WHAT?"

"You have really got to stop doing that!" Harry scoffed. Daphne cast an evil stare at him as he swallowed. Dark lord or not, that particular stare intimidated him.

"You said you were a couple, but this-" Daphne waved her palms trying to express the confusion in her mind, as words failed her.

"Who is this Bill Weasley? For the record, how many Weasleys are there again?"

Harry suppressed a snort. "Seven, plus the parents. Bill is the eldest of the children, and a curse-broker in Egypt."

"Curse-broker." Recognition flashed on her face. "It is an interesting profession." Harry looked at her with something akin to sadness in his eyes. Astoria Greengrass had once mentioned how she and her elder sister wanted to become curse-brokers. Astoria had been quite tight-lipped at the mention of her elder sister.

"What are you thinking?" she asked, noticing the dulled expression in his eyes.

"Nothing." Harry cleared his throat and continued, "Shall I continue?"

"What happened of her-Delacour, I mean?"

Harry closed his eyes. "Later down the year, I met her again, and well-she seemed kind of distressed. I always had some level of liking for her, considering how she was the only girl with whom I could ever relate. Then, she was older, and interested in Bill Weasley, so I decided to leave hope. Then, the oddest of things happened."

Daphne gestured him to continue with a single look.

"She broke up with Bill, and started to meet up with me more and more. She was in Dumbledore's Order of the Phoenix- a vigilante group that thought they were important in the fight against Voldemort-" he cleared it out for her, the scowl on his face demonstrating his thoughts about them-"and thus, we spent quite a lot of time in the summer holidays before our seventh year. The Weasleys were cold towards her-not without reason, I will give you that- but she was my friend and I owned the house so-"

"House? What house?"

Harry sighed. "At the end of fifth year, Voldemort set a trap for me. He sent me a vision in which he had captured Sirius in the Department of Mysteries, and was torturing him. I immediately set out for the Ministry. Neville, Luna Lovegood, Ginny Weasley, Granger and Ron Weasley followed me."

Daphne rolled her eyes. "And how did you do it?"

"Thestrals." Harry muttered.

"Come again?" Daphne asked dangerously.

"We went on thestrals."

"Six school kids, jumping on thestrals—flying to the Department of Mysteries to save Sirius Black-no, absolutely nothing wrong could have happened."

Harry gave her a betrayed look. "He had Sirius, or at least that was what I thought. I did not ask the others to follow me. It was a trap, and Sirius came to my aid, but died to save me." Harry commented softly, "—after his death, I became the Lord of Black. The Black Townhouse in London, which was the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix- it legally became my home."

"Lord Potter-Lord Black—Lord Slytherin!" Daphne counted, "you know, I think marrying Delacour isn't that bad an idea at all," she drawled. Upon Harry's indignant look, she raised her hands in surrender, "-just kidding."

"Back to my seventh year, I had left with Granger and Weasley—Ron Weasley", he clarified, "for hunting horcruxes." He had talked about Voldemort's horcruxes with Daphne a couple of days before the first task. The girl had blanched in shock on hearing the despicable name. Being from an ancient neutral family, she had been given a thorough grounding in the dark arts during her sessions on family magic with her father.

"I still have difficulty believing that he created horcruxes."

"We hunted them for a year, and had destroyed all of them save one. It was March 1997. We were living in Potter Manor. I had taken up my Lordship and Potter Manor, being heavily fortified, we chose to stay there. We as in me, Fleur, Granger and Weasley. I had invited her over to stay with us, since she was insistent upon it the moment I told her that we were living in my family manor. I had joked that she must be jealous of Granger." He replied bitterly, "and now I am starting to think that it was no joke."

Daphne stood silent for a moment. "What happened then?"

"We were betrayed. Betrayed by the one we thought to be our friend. Our wards were comprised and our enemies set up a magical landmine in the very grounds of Potter manor, close to the ward stones. It was by chance that Fleur and I were strolling through the grounds at the same time, when it detonated."

He paused for a moment, the sounds of the explosion still ringing in his ears.

"I was heavily injured, but alive. Fleur nearly died, in fact, I thought that she had died, but she had just fallen into a magical coma... and then her father took her away. We were lucky that the detonation was not enough to destroy the ward stones, and thus we remained safe. Two days later, her father informed me by owl that she had passed away, and that I was not to come to France to see her body for the last time."

He looked up at Daphne. "He blamed me completely for his daughter's death. He had...for some reason, never liked that Fleur chose me, and after her death, he became bitter, much more bitter, and a troublesome foe in my later years."

Daphne nodded. "Who was the one that betrayed you?"

Harry grit his teeth. "It was Ron. Ronald Billius Weasley. That waste of magic and life was the one responsible for it all."

Daphne widened her eyes. "What did you do with him?"

"I obliterated him."


### Reviews please... (I know something you don't!)

## Time for my answering review questions once again... I know you must be thinking..."WTF? Who is the time traveler then?" Well, keep thinking. It is a... well... umm...time to go to the review questions.

#For the last time, please read Chapter 5. The wonderings about Harry's wand should cease immediately! Sheesh!

# I cant help but be amused when I get to read about Fleur's magnetic attraction to Harry being compared to 'cuteness', 'height', 'charisma' and what not. But, I will not step on your reviews. I will let this chapter and the one that follows it to answer your questions for you.

# I am shocked! Comparing Harry with Lucius Malfoy, because he called Fleur a Veela? My answer- please read the passage carefully. See Fleur's behavior. She always wanted to be more than the VEELA daughter of Sebastian Delacour, and yet... observe her reaction... "why would you want some other woman when you have me?" she said it knowing that Harry and Daphne are a couple. Now if Fleur and Harry were great friends, things would have been different. But they have been fucking playing ignoring-ignoring for the past month. What do you think of a woman who has just been forced into your life, and she tells that she will substitute the woman you love? Why do people of great Britain dislike Veela so much? Think.

Harry calling her Veela is not out of bigotry. It is the amount of hatred in his heart. To see Fleur acting out as the worst caricature of 'A veela who steals others boyfriends'; to see that this was the reality of the woman he loved all his life... THAT, that made him insult her. PLEASE understand the significance of the situation.

#Did Ron and Harry travel back in time together? Umm... I guess You got your answer.

#You felt Fleur was the better person earlier in the story? Well, as I have often said, no character in my story will be only good or only bad. Even Daphne has her 'bitch' moments, trust me. As for Fleur, you saw her in a way I wanted, and often, through Harry's perspective. Now that the perspective has shifted, it is natural that the description will shift.

#Heirloom Vault. Already addressed in PM.

#Shifting of Fleur's personalities was rough? Tell you what, wait for the next couple of chapters and tell me again.

#Semi-sorta-believable to just not? You have just read 100k+ words of a semi-sorta-believable story. I applaud you. Attraction to magical power is the same as being attracted to 'being cute, smart, funny'? Tell you what, if your girlfriend begins to divert away every time she noticed a more cuter, smarter, funnier guy... would you like it too? My point exactly.

# Obsessed villain? I assure you, you have got it wrong. Fleur is no villain. She is just habituated with getting what she wants. There is a difference.

# /wall of text? Thank you for such a constructive analysis of the chapter. It was inspiring.

#Instant hate? I suppose the 'instant hate' has become 'not-so-instant' after the revelations of this chapter. Not yet? Wait for the next update.

#Tell me again where you found 'smut'?

#Hmm. I do not understand your question. Harry had political power BACK when he was a dark lord. Just because he time-travelled doesn't mean his political connections ALSO TIME TRAVELLED WITH HIM. make sense right?

#Pureblood bigot? Oh wait I answered you already. Read above.

#faint? Tell me buddy... you think that fighting Fiendfyre against Fiendfyre is funny? Or do you think that using it to subdue four dragons is just a plate of treacle tart? The dragons' case- he used an ancient earth spell, used a powerful shield, used Fiendfyre. You complain? Go read shit-arse-GOD! harry stories.

Next case! he fought Fiendfyre with Fiendfyre, and did not FAINT, he got summoned into the death realm. Please read properly before recklessly commenting. Gryffindorish

# No Harry DID NOT live for 30-50 years with Fleur in the past timeline.

# Immature 17-year-old brat? Really?

#Why no salvation for Hermione? You need to wait for that.

Well, that's all for now. if I have missed some, please inform me. The next review-answer session will be after the next 2 chapters. Thank you.