Harry sometimes asked himself whether he regretted finding that book. He had been a desperate child. Still was if he was being honest with himself. He was finally being allowed to have a childhood and despite its hangups first year was going well. He never wanted it to end. His first real Christmas with the first real gifts he had ever received had just happened. Harry relished all of them as his most prized possessions, he was still nursing the fudge Ron had polished off in a weekend. The winter Holidays were due to end soon and the castle once more fill with students. It was January and he and Ron had been chasing each other through the halls, first years were still basically young children. They were given a lot of leeway to play. No other years were. Some second years were brave enough to go against the grain and play anyway and join the first years in their childish games fresh from the schoolyards as they were. But no Third years.

It was not the teachers that stopped them, though filch certainly tried it was peer pressure and adolescent embarrassment. While they were gasping for air and catching their breath Harry had a moment of melancholy as he thought about how he had never been allowed to take part in those games. This was his first time ever getting to play without judgement and he was smart enough to know it might be the last. A cruel taste of what he had been denied only for it to be snatched away too soon. Ron caught his breath and renewed the chase snapping Harry out of it to continue their game. Thoughts banished from his mind for now. Deciding he would live every moment like it might be his last he continued on.

The only table in the great Hall was filled with its usual feast for the professors who had no family or lived in the castle and the students. All 4 houses who stayed mingled for perhaps the only time of the year. Looking down at his still too thin form Harry decided to emulate Ron and dug in with Gusto. Garnering a look of joy from Ron and some mild disgust from the two third year Hufflepuff girls sitting close by. He sampled many dishes until his stomach was full to bursting. In truth he had only eaten two and a half plates, but it was more than he had ever been allowed to eat in one sitting before. Ron still going at it as Harry rubbed his own stomach absentmindedly. He gave a yawn as they finished, and Professor Flitwick dismissed them all to bed. Dumbledore being off on business of some kind. And Professor Mcgonagall leaving to be with her family. Later Harry was doing some of the homework assigned over the winter holidays in the common room, it was quiet. Ron the lovable lug had already gone to bed. His only company was a sixth year girl in the window seat staring out at the moon and surprisingly George (or Fred) quietly reading an enchanting theory book on the couch by the fire. He again thought about it absentmindedly tapping his quill.

This time there was no Ron to distract him with games and he was getting anxious. He still had half a sheet of charms and a potions essay on ingredient preparation to write. But he just could not think of anything else. And it was getting late. But still… There were only two prefects in the school over the holiday. And the teachers rarely patrolled. And he had an invisibility cloak…. He rolled up his parchment and put away his things and went to his dorm. Ron was snoring away, and Dean gave him a friendly nod as he prepared for bed putting on his pajamas. Harry did likewise but instead of tucking in he waited for Dean to close his curtains and he quietly took his cloak from the trunk. Donning it he wore his slippers and cast a simple sticking and silencing charm on his feet. Ghosting down the stairs he narrowly avoided Percy on his way to the 5th year boys dorm. Apparently having finished his rounds for the night. And if the twins were to be believed fresh from a visit to Penelope Clearwater the only other prefect in the school right now.

Entering the common room the girl was now reading a potions book and Fred had joined George in front of the fire staring at an unfolded parchment when they both looked up and right at him somehow knowing exactly where he was. They both simply smirked and made the lips sealed gesture. Going back to their parchment. Blinking, but chalking it off to the twins seeming omniscience or trouble senses Harry exited the common room the fat lady simply asleep. He had already learned from Fred and George that the portrait did not need to be awake to accept the password. He did not have a particular destination in mind. Simply wandering. No one crossed his path leaving Harry entirely to his own thoughts. He wanted to be a kid forever. Or at the very least get back the childhood stolen from him. But the solution eluded him. Even with magic. He had no idea where to even start looking for something. He just wanted to keep having days like this. Worry free, the mystery of the third floor forgotten. He wanted to experience everything. If not for Malfoy he wondered what it would be like in Slytherin. Or Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw for that matter. They each had something he envied and wanted to experience. But alas there was only one of him and he had made his choices.

The dark thoughts he had watching Dudley being given anything and everything he ever wanted surfaced. Dudley never had to choose. Never had to worry or work. Whereas Harry had to slave away cooking and cleaning. He banished that thought, not wanting to envy the spoiled Dudley. He had some recourse, Quidditch was wonderful, and it would give him some excuse to play and fly around but as a first year he was limited to team training and games. Flying was his favorite thing in the world, but he knew if that was his only outlet he would go crazy. He wanted to run, jump and shout nonsense. Giggle at nonsensical things and joke around about nothing. He wished he could be a first year forever. The schoolwork was incredibly easy and though he was not as studious as Hermione and could never hope to be he still found the work easy. But he knew that would change as first year was all about getting them used to magic.

A door suddenly appeared on his right as Harry realized he had been pacing on the 7th floor for some time. Curious he opened the door finding a simple circular chamber with a light coming from nowhere and everywhere. A single book was present on the sole pedestal in the room. It was old, very old with no title and flaking gold filigree. He cautiously opened the book to the first page where a too long title stood out. "The laws of time and the novices guide to timeloops and how to use them" Harry blinked. Staring for quite some time until he simply picked up the book and silently went back to the common room with it. His mind blank from the shock of his childish wish being taken seriously by something. The common room was empty when he re-entered. He simply canceled the silencing charm and kept the book wrapped in the cloak until he was safely in his bed. Staring at it for some time until he must of fallen asleep. He awoke the next morning to find himself cuddling the book. It was midmorning and Dean had seemingly already gone to breakfast. Ron was of course still dead to the world. Checking the time he found he still had 40 minutes until the food was taken away for the morning. A simple spread was left in the great hall for busy staff and students to come and go as they please.

A thrill went through Harry as besides what the book promised this was some lost arcane tome. It must be to deserve a room and pedestal all to itself like that. Madame Pince would never allow a book like that into student hands. Is this what Ravenclaws feel all the time? He could see the appeal.

Knowing his time was limited and mindful of the games he and Ron wanted to play and the parts of the castle they wanted to explore and the promise he made to himself, he decided to read the introduction.

You who read this book whether you be desperate or simply seek knowledge shall benefit from the sum total knowledge of time I Heraclitus have learned in my long research. I have dedicated my life to its study and interaction with magic. And more importantly its limits. Alas one only has so much time in one lifetime to devote to study. Simple time travel while not impossible is difficult and comes with its own rules namely that you cannot normally change your own past so I could not simply escape to the past to buy more time. As I grew older a mad idea had come to me. Time turners create a closed timeloop where interacting with yourself can have explosive results, but ultimately there are still two individuals running around instead of one.

You cannot get back time you have spent. Causality only flows in one direction and cannot be truly reversed. An enterprising oracle informed me of the many discoveries Muggles would make in studying the laws of nature. Though the title is meaningless to me they call it the second law of Thermodynamics. A time turner does not change this. The loop must eventually return to when it was made. It is a fundamental law that matter sent back must return. That is where the idea came from. What if instead of simply travelling through time, a loop is made with preset characteristics. Only your soul and magic will be transported. A start date and an end date is set and the loop is made. The laws of causality are not as strict in this regard.

The oracle explained that it would act like what the muggles will one day call a wave function. An event that may or may not occur until it is done and has been observed which is fascinating to me. There are some esoteric magical phenomena that match this description but that is a different matter. There is leeway to be found in that concept and it has the benefit of not having two of you running around creating a fixed timeloop.

Ritual and Soul magic are capable of anything, but it needs clearly defined rules. These rules will be explained in this chapter. One day I had finalized my design of a ritual that would give me all of the time I wanted to study and learn. I used it almost immediately and experienced more than any living man to my knowledge. The laws of time made themselves known to me over the standard 300 years I spent in the loop. I learned a great deal indeed.

Until one day I decided I had seen enough and broke the ritual and continued my life as normal. If you are reading this, it means you seek something also that has a time requirement that would otherwise be impossible. In my twilight I share this knowledge with you freely in the hopes you find what you are looking for and do not have evil intentions. In fact, if The charms I paid a princely sum for do their job only those innocent in intention may even find the book at all. Good luck.

A last warning, I have laid a compulsion on the book so that once you begin reading past this point you will not be able to stop until you have memorized every last detail. This is both for your own safety and to avoid the mistakes I made. Make sure you have no important business to attend to as even with the additional charms I placed to make the process quicker it may still take anywhere from a standard 8 to 12 hours.

Harry stopped reading both to avoid the compulsion and to digest what he read as he got dressed and wrapped the book in the cloak placing it at the bottom of his trunk as he finally moved to wake up Ron.

This… This was exactly what he wanted. A harmless way to keep doing things over and over again. He could have his childhood… Hell he could have a dozen childhoods, a hundred. He would never have to grow up at all. Inexperienced and young as he was, he could not think of a single downside to this. He could be a Slytherin, or a Hufflepuff, or a Ravenclaw. The possibilities are endless.

Digging into his breakfast with Gusto he was just able to shove down 3 plates, nursing a treacle tart as he and Ron walked away to begin exploring again. This time behind the castle as they explored the outbuildings amid the Scottish highlands. Broom storage, cauldron storage, the list went on. When their stomachs had settled Harry brought out his broom knowing that no one watched this area. They could fly to their hearts' content. Taking turns, they wooped and hollered and performed daring tricks. Even one time inadvisably both riding the broom at the same time. They continued until it began to get dark, and the bell rang indicating that students should return to the castle itself. Though it was long before curfew. They found a group of 1st ,2nd , and 3rd years playing gobstones in the hall and quickly joined them until Dinner. After the feast Harry rubbed his full belly. Something he still marveled at. He had never known what it was like to be full before Hogwarts. He decided then and there he never wanted to not be full.

They only had 3 more days until the students returned and the winter Holidays ended. And classes would begin again. He had a short time to read the book unmolested.

There were still 2 hours until first year curfew of 9 pm and 3 until all other years. But Harry simply told Ron he was tired and was going to bed as he shrugged and began a game of Chess with Dean. Getting ready for bed he pulled out the book and closed the curtains. Taking a deep breath, he prepared himself. And began reading.

Chapter 1:

The laws of the timeloop.

Law one: Death does not reset the loop. The loop moves independently of you.

In the 300 years I spent in the loop, I died thrice due to my own mistakes. I had expected to simply wake up at the beginning of the loop and to be clear as you are reading this I eventually did. It is not set to yourself but the timespan. I have experienced the afterlife though no matter how much I try it is like a faded memory one cannot describe. If you die the loop will continue until your designated reset point and reset effectively reviving you and ripping your soul out of the Afterlife. This is highly traumatic and painful so I would urge you to avoid this outcome at all costs. You will waste quite some time with mental instability.

Law two: The loop is absolute once set.

Pick your start and end dates carefully. The end date is by default the day the ritual takes place but the start can be arbitrary to my knowledge and that was the one thing I was unable to find out. Time is unforgiving, so you should be careful because…

Law Three: You can only make one loop. Choose carefully.

More recently I had another interest and sook to perform the same ritual to study again and found I could not. The abstract magic backlash let me study my own soul and I found that the ritual still exists in your soul. Everything that you did happened and cannot happen again. When you break the loop be absolutely certain you have finished everything you want. You cannot do it again if you change your mind….

On and on it continued in extreme detail of every little nuance and happenstance. Finally came the actual ritual, a surprisingly simple thing with clear instructions. By the time Harry finished he simply passed out holding the book. Waking up with a start to Ron poking him. Dead tired but with every detail memorized like the book promised. He smiled tiredly and went down to breakfast. He would do the ritual at the end of first year before he got on the train. He went to send orders to potion supply for the ritual. He read the book two or three times after that. Each time going far quicker than the first.

2 Months later he broke down when he was alone because he had nearly been killed during quidditch. According to Hermione professor snape had been hexing him, and only her intervention had saved him. When all was said and done and the shock and euphoria of winning the match wore off and the small party that had been thrown was over. The realization hit him all at once. He sat in his own bed shivering from fear and in the beginning stages of hyperventilating. Afraid to even move from that spot. When Ron saw him in a surprising show of emotional intelligence, he gently grabbed Harrys arm and guided him into his own bed with him. He was almost insensate, but he still held onto Ron tightly. The other boys in his year surprisingly did not poke fun simply nodding in sympathy. He could only think about what happened imagining falling to his death over and over. He was finally happy, finally making up for lost time and it was almost all ripped away.

With no fanfare he had almost lost his life. And he did not even have the comfort of the time loop making it impermanent. It was only the next morning when he woke up tangled together with Ron who was still dead asleep that he realized that this was the first time he had ever cuddled with someone before. He looked at the boy still deep in sleep with admiration and thankfulness. He had really needed that. Normally he was averse to touch, fearing punishment. Just another thing to add to the list to fix he supposed. Too entangled with Ron and not wanting to wake the other boy up he simply enjoyed the closeness. He felt safe. Thankfully for his bladder Ron soon woke up himself. Giving Harry a soft smile they began the day like any other. He gave Hermione a surprise hug, shocking her briefly before she awkwardly returned it. From that point on he was a little more physical with both his friends. But otherwise, he had no time to dwell. Oliver had doubled training due to the "accident" as it had been dubbed. Classwork was intensifying as it neared closer to final exams. And the Philosopher stone problem took up more of their time.

He almost forgot about the ritual as the stone and studies became a priority. His enhanced eating served him well however and he had gained a stone looking much more like the other boys in his year. He never forgot to savor every moment however and he looked for a hidden room to place the ritual and focal point, but no place was suitable and he was unable to find the room where he found the book. If anyone found the room he chose they could disrupt the ritual, though he was unsure if anyone but the caster could break it. He was not willing to take that chance.

All the while he became closer and closer to Ron and Hermione. His first true friends. Time continued to pass, and he decided he would simply have to chance an unused classroom that was filled with dust that indicated it had not been opened in at least 100 years. He would do it the day of the leaving feast.

Then the incident with Quirrel and the stone. Voldemort… Ron nearly dying. He and Hermione risking it all with dubious potions. It was all too much and as he lay in the Hospital Wing after his friends had left Dumbledore came to him. Saying nothing, he stared at him in the eyes for several seconds. Harry squirmed until he sighed and with a flick of his wand conjured a rather comfortable looking seat.

"Are you absolutely certain you want to do this Harry?"

Harry froze as if he had been caught stealing Dudley's presents. Terrified he would lose his one chance. He began hyperventilating until Dumbledore cast a simple calming charm. Raising his robe on his right arm he unclasped a rather fantastical watch of a starry sky. Under it was a simple hourglass tattoo. Causing Harry to freeze. The book made it clear that after the ritual was performed an hourglass tattoo would appear somewhere on your body to act as the binder. Dumbledore had performed the ritual himself at some point…

"Harry, I have no intention of stopping you I would be a hypocrite of the highest order to do so. And I don't need to warn you about the rules as the book will have taken care of that. You are not the first at Hogwarts to find this book and you will not be the last."

The man leaned back in his chair seeming tired.

"But even still I must ask are you certain Harry? You can only do it once. Though a rare few even do it at all."

Harry simply looked at Dumbledore, determined but overwhelmed by everything that had happened.

"Yes sir. I very much want to do this."

So, he told Dumbledore everything. Every childish reason he was doing this. Every fear. He spoke at length about his treatment at the Dursleys, looking Dumbledore in the eyes as memories flashed through him. He was in tears as he finished retelling everything that had happened the night before.

Compassion filled the man's eyes as he asked.

"How far back will you go?"

Harry already knew but he wanted to ask first.

"How far back did you go sir?"

Dumbledore stilled for a short time lost in memories.

"Six months. There was an event I wanted to see if I could change. A friend I could reach. I tried everything. Did everything possible. Until finally it came to blows. It was a desperate time Harry, and I was a younger, foolish and desperate man. I lost of course. A great many times. But each time I learned delving into deeper and deeper magics. I mastered Transfiguration to an extent not seen for an age. Until finally I defeated that friend."

He wiped away a tear from his eye. Harry felt really bad for him and his heart hurt a little on seeing this mans grief.

"I broke the ritual then. Having failed in my own eyes. But still I was able to prevent anyone else from dying even my once friend who I imprisoned for his crimes. But you are still too young to hear about that."

Harry thought for a moment.

"One year professor, from the day I got my first Hogwarts letter. It was the first twinge of hope I had ever felt. I want a childhood Professor. I have never gotten one."

The man recoiled at that out of Harrys sight. But then simply nodded.

"Then Harry, I must warn you, there were more rules than Heraclitus thought of focused on his studies as he was. Your friends, your bonds you have made they wont remember you. Only you will remember those precious moments. And if you are not careful those bonds may lose value to you before you realize it."

In a moment of clarity Harry asked.

"Did that happen to you sir?"

Unreservedly he answered.

"Yes Harry and it took a great deal of time to care again."

Harry nodded.

"Then… I just won't get involved in any wars then sir."

He reasoned childishly as Dumbledore winced the boy was most definitely still a child.

"Yes Harry that would be best. I can show you a room you can safely perform the ritual only you and I can access. And Harry?"

He looked on expectantly.

"Never be afraid to ask for help. You will only need to show me the mark and I will understand. When do you plan to do it?"

Harry answered.

"The day of the leaving feast sir."

7 days from now. When he was dismissed from the Hospital wing Dumbledore guided him to a painting of a small Nordic boy who looked on fearfully across the hall from the entrance to the headmaster's office.

"Kärrhäxan"

The young boy fled, and the portrait opened. Showing a simple room with the ritual already set up. Harry blinked. And Dumbledore chuckled.

"You are still a first year Harry and these were complex runes. Any mistake would be… disastrous. After the leaving feast simply come here with this pass and perform the ritual. It will appear as if nothing had happened. Simply go to bed as usual and you will wake up at the start of the loop."

He handed Harry a Hall pass. To which Harry responded with a fierce hug surprising the old man. Who gently returned it.

The next week filled with exams was, while difficult freeing. Until finally the final feast came. And Gryffindor pulled a surprise win with Dumbledore winking at him. Skipping dessert Harry lamely gave the excuse of having drank too much Pumpkin juice and quickly hurrying to the painting. Saying the password he entered and immediately lit all the candles and stripped down to nothing as the ritual dictated. Carefully walking between the fairy wing ash Runes he stood in the circle in the center and began reciting the spell. As he finished each word a rune crawled along the floor up onto his body settling into its place like bandages wrapped too tight. All the while he kept focusing on the day he received his first Hogwarts letter. All too soon the ritual flashed. Every rune having made its way somewhere on Harrys body. The candles burst briefly into an inferno. Harry spoke the final word his last chance to change his mind having passed.

"Rhursus!"

All at once the runes on his body flashed and formed an hourglass on his right wrist. The candles extinguished themselves. An echo of the ritual dimly glowed in the floor. This was his focal point. Except for some slight irritation in the new mark he honestly felt no different to before. Which was almost… disappointing? Maybe the ritual did not work?

Getting dressed he stepped out to Dumbledore patiently waiting.

"So it's done then?"

He asked.

"Yes sir"

Harry answered. Showing the hourglass that Dumbledore tenderly took into his hands gently massaging it and giving Harry a look he could not comprehend. Instead he brushed aside Harrys fringe looking at his scar for a long moment.

"Remember to ask for help if you need it Harry."

"I will sir."

Harry answered.

"Then off to bed with you"

The headmaster urged.

With one last look back Harry went to the common room that was bustling with activity as people performed last minute packing. He found Hermione frantically looking for her books and gave her a hug. Rolling her eyes fondly she told him to write her or call her over the summer and that she was still here. Finding Ron getting ready for Bed he hugged him too. And all too soon settled in to sleep.

His dreams were strange and abstract. Millions of colors some Harry was certain did not exist flashed before him. He was naked and not at the same time as he floated pleasantly through a gentle current. He awoke to a start of banging and nearly panicked as he found himself again in the cupboard, Afraid that wonderful year had all been a dream he almost whooped for joy when he saw the hourglass. But wisely kept his tongue as Aunt petunia yelled at him to make breakfast. He did gladly and after he was told to collect the post he found the letter from Hogwarts the finally proof was a balm to his heart. And he giddily slipped the letter under his cupboard door. And brought the post to the table. No one noticed anything amiss but they looked at him suspiciously at his good mood. They simply shooed him into his cupboard after breakfast. And Harry cradled the letter to his chest. He had things to do and he was looking forward to every moment of it.