Chapter Twenty Nine

We re-entered the room, and I said, "Harry? Can I talk to you privately?"

He looked away from a bookshelf. "Okay."

We walked into the kitchen and I looked at him. "The year is 2013….No. It's 2014 now. Sorry."

"Okay," Harry said. "And?"

"And that means that we have two choices. I can bring you home, you can marry Ginny, have your kids, and I will visit you every year. And when you finally reach 2014, you'll be thirty-three or thirty-four, only a year or two younger than Dean. If we do that, I will visit you several times every year, definitely every birthday and Christmas. I will wait for you to reach thirty-four, and then we will age together. If we do that, I could end up seeing you a week from now, and you'll be…about seventeen years older. But listen, I do need some help. First answer this question…if I come asking for help, will you say yes."

He didn't even hesitate. "I've had enough adventure for a lifetime…But I already kind of miss it. Of course I'll help you. What's the other option?"

"The other option is that you help me right now, and then I bring you back to your timeline," I said.

"I think I'll return home first. You'll still visit?" Harry asked.

I smiled. "Definitely."

Harry said goodbye to Dean, saying that it was nice to meet him.

"You too, man," Dean said, shaking Harry's hand. "Visit again."

Harry laughed. "Oh, I will, but I'll be about your age in 2014."

Harry followed the Doctor and I into the Tardis and we went flying into Harry's world.

...

In the Great Hall, everyone watched as Harry climbed into a big blue box. And very slowly, the box disappeared.

Ron and Hermione exchanged looks.

"Alright," Ron said loudly. "What the bloody hell is going on?"

Right as he finished saying that, the air shimmered again, and the blue box appeared again, making that same screeching noise.

The door opened and Harry stepped out, turning and waving behind him. A tall man with a wide chin and a bowtie popped his head out, along with the girl from earlier. They waved and shouted goodbye. Then they closed the door behind them and the blue box shimmered again. Harry watched as it left.

As Harry walked back into the Great Hall, McGonagall waved her wand and made the spell disappear. As Harry entered the room, there was heavy silence in the air.

"Hello," he said, smiling brightly. "Did I miss anything?"