Advent's Calendar 2023 - Fate's Fairy Tale
by teddylonglong

All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story.
I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes.

Warnings: Completely AU! Partly OOC, time travel, soul bonds


Unbeknownst to Harry, his friends and his grandmother planned a huge party for his birthday. Knowing that Harry had never had a birthday party before due to being stuck with the Dursleys, they decided to invite Lily, Amelia and Remus.

Hermione and Severus even spontaneously invited Damocles and Hector, who had both become good friends with them, as they floo-ed over to Potter manor for their research three times a week.

When Harry entered the kitchen in the morning of July 31, he was met with an enormous birthday cake in the form of a golden Snitch. A huge pile of presents was assembled at the other end of the table.

"James told me that you've been on the Quidditch team since the beginning of your first year," Dorea told him, before she pulled him into a gentle hug and kissed him on both cheeks. "Happy Birthday, Harry."

"Thank you," Harry replied in a daze. "How did you even know that it was my birthday? I mean… I'm not really even born yet."

"Harry, we've known you since our real first year," Hermione spoke up, as she came into the kitchen and carefully hugged him, too. "Knowing that the Dursleys never celebrated your birthday, of course we told Dorea and Charlus about it."

By now, everyone had assembled in the kitchen, and Charlus realised that Harry would not have enough time to eat breakfast, before everyone was finished pulling him into hugs and congratulating him.

"Harry, Sirius, come on, it's time to leave for work," he instructed the boys, who obediently rose from their chairs.

"We didn't even have time to finish our breakfast," Sirius complained, as they walked towards the fireplace.

Charlus chuckled. "Harry wouldn't get the chance to eat anything anyway. Let's just have some quiet breakfast at the Unspeakables' office."

"Thanks, Granddad, for saving me from all further hugs and kisses," Harry replied, grinning. "Are you sure that you were in Gryffindor and not in Slytherin?"

"Does it suffice to say that my wife was in Slytherin?" Charlus quipped, mischievously eying Harry.

Harry nodded. "Oh well, that explains it all," he replied, jokingly, as they entered the training room, where their teammates were having breakfast together with Devil and Croaker.

When they entered the team room about an hour later, their bellies full with delicacies courtesy of the Unspeakables' house-elves, Arcturus produced a small package out of his robe pocket.

"Harry," he addressed his grandnephew, "this is not exactly a birthday present; nevertheless, I suppose that you'll be glad to see it."

Harry looked at the small, black bundle in the older wizard's arm, his eyes narrowing in confusion. "I'm sorry, sir, but what is it?"

His team colleague smirked, as he slowly unwrapped what Harry recognised as "The diary!" He stared at the book that had been a Horcrux before, wide-eyed, only to realise that the Horcrux had to have been destroyed already. "Please tell me where you got this and how you destroyed it."

"We have one team which is full with Aurors, and on our request, Croaker sent them to search the old Riddle house. They chose a date, where Riddle had a meeting with one of the pureblood families, unaware that the husband is an Unspeakable and only held the meeting with Riddle on Croaker's request. Well, they found this book, and because of your memory of the same diary years into the future, we knew what it was and destroyed it."

"How?" Harry asked, curiously.

"Our potioneers managed to acquire just a little bit of basilisk venom. With the help of that and a goblin-made sword, we managed to destroy the Horcrux. As far as you told us, this is the only confirmed Horcrux in this time, isn't it, now that the one behind your scar his gone?"

Harry nodded. "Yes, I think so, but we can't be sure. Should we just kill him and see if he'll remain dead?"

Sirius scoffed. "The Aurors should find a way to question him under Veritaserum."

"How are you going to achieve that?" Harry shook his head. "He won't willingly allow you to put Veritaserum in his mouth, and he's extremely good at Defence."

"We are already trying to retrieve the items, of which Sirius informed us that they had been Horcruxes in your former time," Nicholas joined the conversation. "In fact, we have already managed to lay our hands onto Hufflepuff's cup. It is safe here in the Unspeakables' office."

'This is the best birthday present ever,' Harry thought in delight. 'Even if I'll probably have to be the one who has to kill him, I might be able to do so before I'm going to be born in this time. Thank Merlin that we became Mini Unspeakables and got to know Ra and Oji. Along with my grandparents and Sirius, they're the best colleagues I could imagine.'

Unfortunately, it was not as easy as it seemed; however, Harry was not aware of how many years it was going to take and for once thoroughly enjoyed his birthday.

HP

By the time Sirius and Harry returned home on time for lunch, Lily, Amelia and Remus had arrived, and James and Sirius insisted on telling them the truth about the time-travellers.

"Sirius, you were the one who insisted that we shouldn't tell anyone," Harry whispered to his friend, shaking his head in confusion.

Sirius shrugged. "Yes, but I really want Meli and Remus to know." When Harry nodded in understanding, he made their three friends swear their oath, before he informed them about their special situation.

"Excuse me, but do you have any proof?" Amelia asked in a strict voice, causing Harry to inwardly chuckle, as she reminded him of her older self.

"Do your parents have a Pensieve?" Hermione addressed James, and ten minutes later, everyone but the time travellers watched the memory from the ministry, which had led to them being sent to the past.

"What was that place?" Lily asked in obvious confusion.

"The Death chamber in the Department of Magical Mysteries of the Ministry of Magic," Sirius explained.

"I think it's actually part of the Unspeakables' office," Harry supplied, unsurely glancing at Sirius. However, his friend neither confirmed nor contradicted.

"I think you're really doing a marvellous job, as I haven't noticed anything," Remus spoke up. "Is that why you were aware of my furry problem?"

"Of course, Moony. It's because of you that we became Animagi and are finally going to teach our friends now."

Remus smiled and profusely thanked his friends. "The nights in the forest with you are so much more pleasant than any other night of the full moon I've had before. I can't thank you enough."

Noticing how tears of gratefulness welled in his friend's eyes, Harry inwardly grinned. 'Oh Remus, wait till they succeed in curing you from lycanthropy,' he thought in amusement.

tbc tomorrow...

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