The next day after classes, Harry and Hermione made their way down to the kitchens. Harry tickled the pear on the painting of the fruit bowl as he had remembered and stepped inside.

Immediately, he was hit by a house-elf sized missile.

'Harry Potter, sir!' Dobby squeaked, 'I is heard you were here!'

'Hello, Dobby,' Harry greeted kindly. He could not help remembering the same elf dying from Bellatrix's knife years ago in the future. He pushed that image out of his mind. The 'old timeline', as he and Hermione had begun calling it, no longer mattered.

'Hello, Harry Potter, sir. It's an honour!'

'It's great to see you, Dobby.' Harry gestured to Hermione. 'This is my…girlfriend. Hermione.'

'Dobby is honoured to meet Harry Potter's girlfriend! Mister Harry is a great wizard. Miss Hermione must be the same!'

Hermione blushed bright pink. 'Uh…nice to meet you too, Dobby. How come you're here?'

Harry knew that both of them knew the answer, but it would sound suspicious if they did not at least act curious as to why Dobby was working at Hogwarts.

'Dobby is look for job, Miss!' he squealed excitedly, 'Dobby is be free. He wants paying now! But no family wants to pay a house-elf. They be slam door in Dobby's face. Then, Dobby heard that Harry Potter was at Hogwarts, so he came asking for a job!'

'And you got one?'

Dobby nodded vigorously. 'Professor Dumbledore be paying Dobby one Galleon per week and give Dobby one day off a month!'

Harry noticed that the other house-elves backed away from Dobby when he said that.

'Dobby, would you be able to help us with something?' he asked.

'Anything, Harry Potter, sir!'

'We need to talk in private,' Harry said, 'Can you meet us in the…the Come-and-Go Room in half an hour?'

Dobby's eyebrows shot into his forehead. 'How is Mister Harry know about the Come-and-Go Room?'

Harry struggled for an alibi, but Hermione saved him.

'We stumbled upon it,' she lied skilfully, 'Harry needed the toilet and it just appeared for him. We went back and experimented and found it could change into anything we want.'

Dobby looked impressed. 'Harry Potter's girlfriend is be very smart witch. Harry Potter must be honoured to have her.'

Harry leaned over and pecked Hermione on the cheek. 'I am, Dobby. So can you meet us in thirty minutes?'

'Dobby will meet Harry Potter and Miss Hermione in the Come-and-Go Room in half an hour!' Dobby chirped before he bounded away.

Harry turned to the other house elves. He had an idea. 'Would you happen to have some food?' he asked, 'Maybe some chicken? A few meat pies. Some pudding would be nice, too.'

As the house elves dashed off, Hermione turned to Harry and raised a questioning eyebrow.

'I was thinking we should send Padfoot some food,' he explained, 'That's why I told Dobby to give us some time before meeting us. We can go up to the Owlery.'

Hermione beamed and kissed him. 'You're so sweet.'

'I just don't want Sirius to starve,' he said shyly.

Five minutes later, Harry and Hermione made their way up to the Owlery, arms loaded with food. Harry was delighted to see Hedwig again: he had not seen her for almost seven full years.

Harry and Hermione wrapped the food up with conjured paper. Harry called Hedwig and she flew down, landing on his shoulder.

'Hey, girl,' he said softly, scratching the owl's chin, 'How are you?'

Hedwig let out a satisfied hoot.

'That's good. Are you up for some heavy lifting?'

Hedwig let out another hoot.

'Alright, I need you to deliver this food to Sirius,' Harry said, 'I can ask a few school owls to help out if you need. It's a lot.'

Hedwig clicked her beak in agreement. Harry called down two more owls and attached the parcels to their legs, before attaching the largest load to Hedwig. She looked quite satisfied to be trusted with the heaviest part of the delivery and stared at the two school owls arrogantly.

Hedwig flew off, and Harry turned to see Hermione wearing a curious smile on her face.

'What?'

'The way you interact with Hedwig,' she explained dreamily, 'I have a feeling you'll be an amazing father.'

Harry felt his face burn. 'Th-Thanks?'

Hermione chuckled. 'Do you want to have children? With…with me?'

'I've wanted to since before we married,' he replied, 'But we would never have had kids back…back then. Now that things are different, though…'

'But not until after we finish school…again, right?'

Harry nodded. 'Obviously. Not until we're both ready. We could definitely use more practice making them, though.'

Hermione blushed deep scarlet and smacked Harry on the arm mischievously. 'What say we practice some more tonight?'

'That sounds great. But first, we need to talk to Dobby.'

It was a very flustered and horny Harry who made it back to the Room of Requirement. He pushed open the door to their usual 'hideout' and found Dobby there, waiting for them.

'Why don't you take a seat, Dobby?' Hermione suggested, 'We have some things to talk about.'

Dobby's giant eyes were suddenly glistening with tears. 'Oh, Mister Harry's girlfriend is a great witch, telling a house elf to sit,' he muttered to himself as he took a seat, 'Just like Mister Harry is a great wizard.'

Harry turned to Hermione and the two exchanged an amused glance before popping down onto the sofa opposite Dobby.

'What can Dobby do to help Mister Harry his Miss Hermione?'

Out of the corner of his eye, Harry saw Hermione flush at being called 'Harry's Miss Hermione'. He chuckled to himself.

'Dobby, are you able to apparate in and out of Hogwarts?' Harry asked.

'Dobby can, Harry Potter, sir! Dobby can go anywhere, even where wizards can't!'

'Excellent. Can I ask you for a favour, then?'

'Anything, Harry Potter, sir!'

'First, I need you to promise not to discuss what I'm about to ask you with anyone except for Hermione and myself,' Harry said, 'That means none of the other house elves, students, professors, or even Headmaster Dumbledore.'

Dobby nodded. 'Dobby is keep Mister Harry's secrets, because Mister Harry is be Dobby's friend!'

'Thank you, Dobby. Here's what I'd like you to help me with,' Harry began. 'Tomorrow morning, will you be able to apparate me and Hermione to Diagon Alley? We need to run a few errands. We can meet in this room and leave from here.'

'Dobby can! Anything to help Mister Harry! Is Dobby not to discuss this with anyone?'

'That's right,' Hermione answered immediately, 'Nobody can know that we'll be leaving Hogwarts tomorrow, nor where we're going, nor why.'

'Dobby will keep Mister Harry and his Miss Hermione's secrets,' Dobby promised, 'Dobby will meet Mister Harry and his Miss Hermione in the Room tomorrow morning at when?'

Harry and Hermione exchanged a glance, communicating silently. The earlier they went and came back, the better.

'Can we meet at seven-thirty in the morning?' Harry asked, 'We'll get there as soon as the shops open, and we can get back by the afternoon at the latest.'

'Dobby can meet Harry Potter and Miss Hermione at seven-thirty tomorrow morning, sir. What else can Dobby be of help?'

'Nothing for now, Dobby. Thank you.'

'Dobby is be happy to help Harry Potter!' he said in parting before apparating back to the kitchens with a pop.

Harry woke up early the next morning, got dressed, and tiptoed out of his dormitory. He met Hermione in the Common Room, threw his invisibility cloak over them both, and made their way to the Room of Requirement. They were helped by the fact that it was early on a Saturday morning, and the rest of the school was still fast asleep.

Dobby showed up less than five minutes later. He took Harry and Hermione's hands in his own, spun on the spot, and disapparated.

They appeared a few seconds later in Diagon Alley. The Alley was deserted at this time of the morning. Only a few seedy-looking wizards and witches were out and about, most of them heading in the direction of Knockturn Alley.

'Ollivander or Gringotts first?' Harry asked in a whisper.

'Ollivander,' Hermione answered, 'It's better to meet him when his shop's empty. We don't want what we're trying to do to get out.'

'The same goes for what we're doing at Gringotts,' Harry pointed out.

'Yes, but you're guaranteed privacy at Gringotts.'

'What?'

Hermione sighed. 'Have you ever read A History of Magic?'

'You know that I've only opened it once.'

Hermione rolled her eyes. 'Per the Gringotts Treaty of 1290, wizards who wish to meet with goblins on account matters are guaranteed discretion. So whatever you need to discuss will never leave the room.'

'Oh.'

Hermione glared at him and shook her head exasperatedly. 'Come on. Ollivander.'

Harry and Hermione entered the wandmaker's shop and rang the bell. Seconds later, the old man appeared from the depths of his shelves.

'Harry Potter, we meet again,' Ollivander said in greeting, 'Only a few weeks ago that I examined your wand. Eleven inches, holly, and a core of a single phoenix feather from a particularly special phoenix.'

His eyes shifted to Hermione. 'Hermione Granger. Ten-and-three-quarters inches, vine, and a dragon heartstring core.'

'How may I be of service this morning?'

'We're wondering, Mister Ollivander,' Hermione began, 'If you're able to make custom wands suited for the owner.'

Ollivander's eyes widened. 'You're seeking a more powerful, better-matched or perfectly-matched wand.'

Hermione nodded. 'Will that be possible?'

Ollivander nodded. 'It is…possible,' he muttered, more to himself than anything. 'I'm surprised that you even know of it…very obscure knowledge…only those who devote their lives to studying wand lore can even begin to understand… It is difficult to make…time consuming…but within my abilities. Expensive, too…it might require different core materials…'

'But you can do it?' Harry asked, a little impatient.

'Oh, I can, dear boy,' Ollivander replied, 'I will need to take measurements, of course, a lot of them. Examine your magic carefully. But I can do it. It will take more than a month to make just one, possibly. And the cost…it may be up to a hundred times that of a normal wand. But yes. I can.'

That was all Harry needed to hear. 'Then I would like two made,' he said excitedly, 'One for myself and one for Hermione. I can pay any price you name, as long as you can get it made. I'll even pay twice that price if you can get it done by…let's say…March.'

Ollivander's eyes widened, but he nodded. 'Very well, Mister Potter. Will you allow me to take measurements?'

Harry agreed. For the next hour, magical tape measures flew around Harry's body, taking every measurement possible. Ollivander himself, meanwhile, was casting spell upon spell on Harry, probably taking detailed measures of his magical signature. Finally, he took Harry's wand and examined it.

'Very interesting, very interesting,' he muttered.

'The core?' Harry inquired, 'And its twin?'

'Yes, yes, the core, alright,' Ollivander answered, 'But no, this is not about its twin. This wand is a remarkably good match. Its core is quite near perfectly suited to you, Mister Potter. It just needs…a little more. Just a little more, yes.'

'A little more of what?' Harry pressed, curious.

'The core needs something added to it to achieve…perfection,' Ollivander explained. 'May I examine your lady friend?'

Hermione rose, and she, too, was subjected to the same treatment as Harry for close to an hour. When Ollivander finally took her wand for examination, he frowned.

'The core is not as well-suited to you as it was when you first purchased the wand,' he mused, 'Dragon heartstring suits you well, young lady, but that of another dragon may serve you better. Like your friend, you need something else to complete the core…and I think I know what that is.'

'What is it?' Hermione asked.

'Will you allow me to take a few locks of hair from both of you?'

'Yes,' Harry consented, 'But why?'

'I've rarely seen two people with more…in sync…magic than the two of you,' the wandmaker explained, 'I've seen couples who have been married for decades and decades that do not even come close to what I'm seeing right now. And I think…your hair, which has magic in itself…quite volatile and powerful magic in your case…may unlock each other's wand's full potential…by virtue of compatibility. The wand chooses the wizard, as you know, and this way, we're ensuring more perfect compatibility by tapping into the fundamental connection between the two of you…that's powerful magic in itself…yes…'

Harry blushed. He knew that he and Hermione understood each other in a way that was almost magical, but to hear that connection explained…that was awe-inspiring.

'Take whatever you need, Mister Ollivander,' Hermione said.

Ollivander spend ten minutes carefully choosing strands of hair from Hermione's head, then did the same to Harry. He removed a few locks from each of them and sealed them in two separated vials.

'Next, I will need some blood from both of you,' Ollivander said, 'This will help the magic that binds your hairs to your cores.'

He reached into a cupboard and pulled out a small jar and a shiny bronze knife.

'Mister Potter, make a small cut on you finger and fill this jar up to the halfway mark,' he instructed.

Harry did as Ollivander said, making an incision on his pointer finger and allowing his blood to drip into the jar. After about fifteen drops, Ollivander was satisfied with the amount given. He waved his wand and Harry's finger healed instantly.

'Miss Granger, I need you to do the same.'

'In the same jar?'

'Yes, in the same jar. As your magics are so…intimately related…it would be best to mix your blood to provide the strongest binding.'

Hermione blanched a little, but she did what she was told, making a small cut on her finger and filling the jar the rest of the way. Ollivander corked the jar and sealed it with wax before casting a charm that magically mixed the blood to prevent it from coagulating. He turned and stowed it on a top shelf.

'Mister Potter, now, I need your existing wand. Holly and phoenix…yes…rare combination. Very well suited to you…but the length and shape…not so much. I will need to take apart this wand to remove the phoenix feather for your new wand.'

'You're going to destroy my wand?' Harry asked, a little shocked.

'Yes. That must happen,' Ollivander said. 'I will reuse the phoenix feather, but that will mean destroying your old wand, yes.'

'So what wand will I use?'

'We'll have to get you a temporary wand,' Ollivander replied simply, 'It won't work as well as your original wand, of course, but if you're any wizard at all, you will be able to channel your magic through it…'

'Do you need my wand?' Hermione asked suddenly.

'No, Miss Granger, no,' Ollivander said with a smile, 'Your new wand will be made from scratch, using a different heartstring of a dragon.'

'Can I give Harry my wand, then?' Hermione continued, 'It's always worked almost as well for him as his own. Then I can buy a temporary wand. It's better for him to have a wand he's more comfortable with, since he has to get through the Triwizard and all.'

Ollivander thought about that for a minute. 'I think that will be preferable. I can see the strong magical connection between you two…yes…with how your wand works so well with him. Let me get you fitted with a new wand before you leave here…but first, Mister Potter, I need your wand.'

Harry gave up his trusty phoenix wand, a little reluctantly but in understanding of what needed to be done. Hermione handed him her own wand. Harry gave it a wave. It felt a little odd, but not at all foreign. He was quite confident that he could perform most of his usual magic with it, even the most difficult.

'Thanks, Hermione. It feels great,' Harry whispered.

Hermione's face lit up and she leaned in to give him a peck on the lips. 'Anything for you, Harry.'

Ollivander left and returned a few minutes later, carrying stacks of boxes in his hand. He opened them each in turn and had Hermione try them. None of the wands seemed too compatible, and Hermione finally had to settle for an imperfect match with a twelve-inch beech wand with a unicorn hair core.

'It feels weird in my hand,' Hermione complained, fingering the wand gingerly, 'It feels…obtuse, somehow.'

'That happens with an imperfect match, when the wand has not quite chosen the wizard, Miss Granger,' Ollivander said, 'You will grow into it a little, but it will never perform as well as your old wand or the new wand I will make for you. I see, however, that you are a witch with great power and skill, so I have faith that these difficulties will be at least partially overcome.'

Hermione's face turned slightly pink at the odd compliment. 'Will it get better with practice?'

Ollivander nodded. 'A wand grows accustomed to its owner through shared journey. You unlock the power of the wand, the wand unlocks the power of you,' he explained, 'With time, this wand will grow to match you better, though never quite perfectly. However, since this is only temporary…I daresay you shouldn't worry. That's all I can do for you today, unless you have another request?'

'No, sir,' Harry answered, 'The only thing I ask of you is to keep this silent. I don't word of us getting new wands getting out.'

'I will be discreet, Mister Potter, Miss Granger,' he promised as he bowed them out of the shop. 'I will notify you via owl when your wands are ready, or if a visit is required of you.'

Harry and Hermione stepped out of the shop. They had been there for over three hours, and the late morning sun was now beating down on them. By this time, Diagon Alley was beginning to fill up. Harry was quite thankful that Hermione had suggested visiting the wandmaker first.

'How does your wand feel?' Harry asked as they made their way to Gringotts.

'Same as earlier,' Hermione said quietly, 'It feels foreign…strange. A little clumsy. I feel like casting spells is going to take more power.'

'Do you think you can cast everything you used to be able to cast, though?'

Hermione twirled the wand in her hand for a few moments, getting a feel for it before answering. 'The spells they teach in school, I don't think I'll have any problem with. But serious offensive or defensive spells…it might be hard. I read that unicorn hair isn't very suited for dark spells, and many of those spells would be classified as "quite dark". That means Unforgivable Curses are definitely out of the question, too, but honestly, I think we'll be okay with not murdering, torturing, or controlling anyone for a few months.'

'We can switch – '

'Don't even think about it,' Hermione shut him down firmly. 'I'm not the one who's going to be jumping into a lake in three months. I'm not the one who needs to practice to face off against Riddle in June.'

Harry held up his hands. 'Okay, I'll keep your wand. But when we practice, I'll give it to you. You can't get too rusty because you have to work with a bad wand.'

Hermione nodded. 'I think you're right. But we should also practice being a little more versatile where wands are concerned. That could be useful someday.'

Harry remembered how he had so detested the blackthorn wand during the Horcrux quest. 'Yeah, we should. There's another problem, though. How do we explain how we got new wands?'

'Well, you can say that you broke your old wand, so I gave you mine because it works so well for you,' Hermione suggested, 'And I owl-ordered one of my own.'

'Does Ollivander even do owl-order?'

Hermione frowned. 'I don't know. My hunch is he doesn't, but unless you have a better cover story…'

'Well, next weekend's a Hogsmeade weekend, right?'

Hermione nodded. 'What's that got to do with anything though?'

Harry chuckled. 'Well, we'll have to hide that we have different wands for a week, then we can pretend that I broke my wand next Friday, you gave me yours, and then you owled Ollivander to come up to Hogsmeade to get you a new one.'

Hermione looked impressed. 'That's actually pretty convincing.'

'I have my moments of genius.'

Hermione smacked him playfully as they reached the front gates of Gringotts. Stepping inside, they made their way to a free goblin.

The goblin did not look up from his parchment. 'Excuse me? Sir?' Harry called tentatively.

At 'sir', the goblin lifted his head from his work and looked at Harry.

'Your business?'

'Sir, I would like to request a meeting with a vault manager.'

The goblin looked at Harry with a curious expression. 'You are an unusual wizard,' he remarked.

Harry did not know if this was meant to be an insult or compliment. 'What do you mean by that, sir?'

'Most wizards do not address goblins "sir", nor do they request so much as demand a meeting.'

'I take it you're not sorry that I am doing both those things?' Harry asked, a little annoyed.

'Certainly not. I am quite glad for the change,' the goblin replied. 'And your name is?'

'Harry James Potter,' Harry answered, 'And you, sir?'

The goblin looked surprised. 'Most wizards do not ask a goblin their name, either. Very well, you may address as "Urknus". I would need your vault key, please.'

Harry handed Urknus his vault key. The goblin's eyes widened.

'Please excuse me, Mister Potter. I shall be right back.'

Harry and Hermione waited several minutes before Urknus returned with another goblin in tow.

'Mister Potter,' the second goblin addressed, 'My name is Ragnok, Chief of Gringotts. Would you please follow me to my office?'

Harry and Hermione exchanged a frightened look. What was going on? How had they run afoul of the head goblin of Gringotts?

Ragnok must have seen the looks on the two teens' faces. 'No harm shall come to either of you. This shall be a cordial meeting to discuss business,' he added in assurance. 'Please follow me. I have been waiting to have this meeting for many years.'

Seeing no other choice, Harry and Hermione dutifully followed Ragnok through the halls of Gringotts to his office.

A/N: Answering some Questions so you can understand better.

Q: H/Hr are trusting too many people! And they're literally planning to reveal their biggest secret!

A: The first concern will be dealt with (admittedly in a bit of a contrived way) using a magical vow come Chapter 6. The second concern has already been dealt with. See the updated version of Chapter 3. G/N/L will be brought in more organically come Chapter 6, and so will two more people (slight spoilers). As for Sirius, I don't think I need to justify them telling him.

Q: Neville in GoF lacks self-confidence to be brought into the inner circle!

A: Neville lacks people who believe in him. He's constantly torn down and nobody bothers to help him up. If H/Hr extend their faith to him, offer to take him in (you will see come Chapter 6), I believe that he can realize his true potential. He did in canon when he joined the DA. Similar idea will be used here.

Q: Luna is a non-character at this point!

A: I admit it myself. Bringing Luna in will be a bit contrived. I'll be bringing Luna in because I want to as 'Ginny's friend'. That's a liberty I'm personally taking with the storyline.

Q: Ron doesn't make sense! On one hand, he hates Harry for being with Hermione, the on the other, he wants to set him up with Ginny and bring him into the family!

A: I don't think Ron hates Harry. Not yet, at least. He wants to parade Harry around like a showpiece. He's jealous of Harry for having Hermione. He might like her without realizing it. I think it's obvious by now that Ron isn't sincere in his intentions with Harry. All he really wants is to tear H/Hr apart and get Harry back on his side.

Q: Bringing in fanon concepts now is inconsistent with the prologue chapters!

A: Just because I never mentioned wards in Chapter 1 does not mean you must assume that they didn't exist. As for the wands here, Ollivander was likely captured again by Voldemort and tortured/killed by the time of the prologue chapters. The contents of the following chapter being absent from the previous timeline should be self-explanatory.

Q: Hermione's parents can't use Occlumency, and they're going to tell them? What if Death Eaters/Dumbledore comes snooping?

A: The rationale is that Death Eaters don't know a thing about the muggle world. They won't think to search them for information. As for Dumbledore, he won't know about the time travel, much less think that the Grangers know of it.