Chapter 7: What's Two More?

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Amelia and Harry made their way to the Department of Mysteries.

Harry was still very reluctant to go.

Amelia still wasn't taking his arm, but she really wanted to. She felt the need to hurry him along, so she walked along next to him at a speedy pace, hoping he'd match it. "Are you sure this prophecy is about you and You-Know-Who?" she asked, not wanting it to be so. That would mean the Dark Lord was still alive, and that Fudge was wrong. Not that that was a surprise, Fudge was often wrong, this morning was a shining example.

"Yes, I know it is about me and him," Harry said, matching her pace. The sooner he got this over with the sooner he could get back to Mr. Weasley and Grimmauld Place.

"How do you know this?" she inquired; glad he was complying with her need to hurry.

"Dumbledore told me. He's the one who heard it," he answered with a shrug. At least that's how he remembered it.

"You mean to tell me that the headmaster knew about this prophecy all along and he has not told anybody about it?" she asked in an angry tone. It riled her how many secrets that man had. This was vital information that would have saved many people many headaches, and possibly some lives in the last war. She's not sure how, but still…

"Yep."

"Oh, sometimes that man," was all she said, balling up her fists as she walked on.

"Believe me, I know the feeling quite well," Harry said, happy he wasn't the only one frustrated with the old man.

They got to the circle of doors and Amelia immediately went to the correct door. She wrenched it open and marched right in. She had every right to be there, being the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. She marched straight into the Room of Prophecies and pressed the rune that was right inside the doorway for one of the Unspeakables to come and attend them. They waited about 3 minutes until somebody showed up.

To her surprise it was Croaker, the head of the department. He was cloaked from head to toe in a dark robe with a blood red hood, that covered his whole head and face, nothing of him could be seen. The only way Bones knew it was him was because of the color of his hood and his stature. And his voice, of course.

"What can I do for you today, Amelia?" he said in a calm tone.

"There's a prophecy about Harry Potter and You-Know-Who here. We need to hear it," she said, gesturing to Harry.

Isobel was hidden in Harry's robes again. She still remained a secret to those not in the know.

"I can take you right to it," Croaker said. He turned sharply and led them down aisle upon aisle of the bright glowing globes.

Harry looked around, but barely remembered the fight that he had had here at the end of this year in the last timeline. It was the last time he had been here. It had been him and his friends fighting the Death Eaters. This ended with Sirius dying, and him hearing this prophecy in the headmaster's office. He thought it would be a fight he'd never forget, but he had been in so many fights throughout his life since, that they all kind of blurred together. Oh yeah, he fought Voldy too. Kind of. He remembered that. Now.

That's when Fudge realized that the Dark Lord was back. Huh. He wondered if he had to do something like that again to prove to them that old Voldy was back this time. A question for another time, he guessed.

They finally came upon the row with the prophecy in it, and Croaker led them to the correct one. He pointed up to one that said:

S.P.T to A.P.W.B.D

Dark Lord

and (?) Harry Potter

"Is this the one we're looking for?" asked Bones, peering at the sign. She figured the A.P.W.B.D was Albus, since Harry had told her that he was the one who had heard it, but she didn't know who the S.P.T was.

"That's the one. It says Harry Potter right on it," said Crocker, waving to the orb in question.

"Who do you suppose the S.P.T is?" Amelia asked, peering at the globe.

"Sybill Trelawney, I don't know her middle name," Harry said, glaring at the prophecy. "She's a drunk," he added mulishly.

"Ah, her," Bones said, thinking that there might not be any validity to the prophecy, but wanting to hear it all the same.

"Why has it got a question mark by my name?" asked Harry. He had always wondered about that.

"Because at the time that the prophecy was given, we weren't really sure it was you," was the answer. "You and the other person hadn't been born yet. After that, there were only two people it could have been," he explained.

"And you're sure now?" asked Harry, knowing the other boy was Neville. At least he thought it was. He remembered the other boy's birthday was the day before his, so it must be.

"Well…" said Croaker, reaching under his hood to rub his chin. "There is one way to find out. Reach up and grab the prophecy." He said this in a daring tone.

Harry, being from the future, already knew the prophecy was about him, hesitated still. He knew that grabbing the orb, and it not being about him, could have extenuating circumstances. Finally, he just sighed and reached up and grabbed the prophecy. Nothing happened when he lifted it down, making everyone realize that he was indeed the one it was about.

"How do we hear the prophecy?" the man/teen asked, only ever having heard it in Dumbledore's pensieve, he thought. He remembered seeing Trelawney's figure shimmering above the pensieve, so that must be correct.

"Throw the globe on to the floor and break it," said Croaker, mimicking a throwing gesture. The orb would be fine. It was magical. Once the prophecy was heard, the orb would reform and go back to its place.

So, Harry did that and immediately the words started.

"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches... born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies... and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not... and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives... the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies..."

Bones started taking notes immediately on a muggle notepad with a pencil. She didn't cotton to carrying around a self-inking quill. Those things leaked something fierce.

Isobel popped her head out of Harry's shirt and listened intently. She wanted to make sure she heard every word and could mull them over in her head. It had been her idea after all.

Harry just went, "Huh." He already knew the gist anyway. He still thought it was hooey. Half of the prophecy didn't make sense to him. 'Either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives'. That didn't make a lick of sense. He knew that once the horcruxes were destroyed, anyone can kill Voldy. That and he lived while Voldy was a wraith. Technically, the man was dead. He was considered a spirit.

Croaker was also taking notes. He noticed the snake, but since she was under a glamor, didn't freak out as much as he could have.

When Bones finished listening to the prophecy, she rubbed her forehead. "Dear Merlin, he is back, isn't he?" she asked, sagging in place. She leaned against the shelves, tired already. She didn't want to deal with a Dark Lord. There was no way they were prepared for this. Her department had been gutted over the years of peace. She blamed the former Death Eaters and Fudge for this. Now she knew why. They must have been preparing for this day. Well, the Death Eaters at least. She'd like to think that Fudge was just an idiot, and not a sleeping agent for the Dark Lord.

"That's what I've been trying to tell everybody since the last task," Harry said, perhaps a bit harsher than he had intended.

"I could kill Fudge. He's been telling everybody you've been lying," she said, looking around the room in a bit of a daze. She then shook her head and cleared it. She needed her wits about her. There was a Dark Lord on the loose and a Minister in denial. That was not a good combination.

"I've already tried to kill the Dark Lord 3 times since my 1st year. And I told Fudge in 3rd year that Peter Pettigrew was alive, and he told me that I was confounded. He's been lying about me since that year," Harry said, petting Isobel who was cursing Fudge under her breath.

"Stupid idiot, pencil-dicked motherfucker. I'll bite his dick off next time I see him," she mumbled angrily, making Harry chuckle quietly. She kept up her litany of curses. She really didn't like that man and saw no reason to keep him alive. Harry was inclined to agree with her, the man was a waste of space.

"What do you mean Peter Pettigrew is alive? Sirius Black killed him," Bones stated, twirling around from where she was staring at the broken orb. It had yet to be reformed, perhaps it was waiting until they left, who knew.

"No, he didn't. And I told Fudge that in my 3rd year. That was the only year that I didn't fight Voldy, now that I think about it," Harry said, with a vacant look of remembrance. It was like grabbing a dream, trying to remember everything. He was still trying to get the timeline straight in his head. They were all unclear memories.

Amelia rubbed her forehead again, trying to stave off the headache that she could feel coming. This was worse than she thought. Not only was the Dark Lord back, but Black might be innocent. She didn't know if she could handle many more surprises that this young man might be throwing at her today.

"Do you have memories of all these things? It would make things so much easier," she said, hoping the boy would comply. Then she could watch them at her leisure. It was like trying to pull teeth from a one tooth man to get them from him right now.

"Yeah, about that," said Harry, rubbing the back of his head in a 'got caught with the biscuit jar' look. "Is there somewhere we can talk?" he asked. He really didn't want to go into the whole time traveling thing. But she was going to need to know about it, because he couldn't really remember the things he needed to tell her.

"Yes, I have an interrogation room that's completely isolated. We can talk there," she said, turning and leading him from the room.

"Do you mind if I tag along?" asked Croaker as he followed her, wanting to be in on this. He had a feeling it was going to be big.

"Are you willing to take an Unbreakable Vow?" asked Harry, thinking that having an Unspeakable in his corner might end the war a lot sooner.

"Yes, I think, for this, I am willing to take one," Croaker stated firmly. It might go against the code, but he was willing to bend the rules this once.

And with that, the 4 of them, including Isobel, left the room.

Behind them, the prophecy globe formed itself up again and put itself back on the shelf, still shining brightly indicating that it was unfulfilled.

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In the interrogation room, Amelia and Croaker took an Unbreakable Vow. Harry told them about his time traveling and proved to them that he was indeed a time traveler. Then they got down to the nitty-gritty about why they were there.

"So, you're telling me that everything was fine before you came back and that you didn't come back because of some apocalypse?" inquired Amelia, after confirming that Harry was indeed a 38-year-old man in the body of a 15-year-old. She couldn't blame him for not remembering his school years. She knew she couldn't remember hers with great clarity.

"Well, you were dead," said Harry, waving his hand in her direction. "You died in the war. I think Voldy killed you because you were too politically powerful. Fudge was out of office, Umbridge was up to no good and you were primed to take over. I don't remember when, but it was sometime before my 7th year."

"Yes, but not thousands of people," said Amelia. Even though her own demise was somewhat mind rattling. She did feel bad that Susan had been left behind without a family so young. And it was something she was going to take extra precautions against, so it did not happen again.

"No, thousands did not die. Just hundreds," said Harry, nodding his head that it could have been much worse. "But there were quite a few deaths that should not have happened. Still, the muggleborn got their equal rights, and we lived in peace and prosperity for quite a few years before some wannabe Dark Lord popped up. I didn't really get involved with that war. The man was a weakling. There was another hero, and I was not needed."

"How much have you changed since you've been back?" asked Croaker. It was vital that the Unspeakables knew this information. Not that there was much he could do with it, but it was important. Paradoxes must be avoided.

"Quite a bit, actually. Since Isobel was not here when I was first here," Harry said, petting his snake. "My trial was nowhere near what it was the last time. And I never talked to you or Amelia. Sorry, I mean, Ms. Bones. So, I say quite a bit has changed." He really didn't care. What was done was done.

"That is unfortunate," said the Unspeakable. He was going to have to do some research. They must try to help the young… not so young… well, Harry Potter.

"It can't be helped," said Harry with a shrug. "But maybe you could help me find the rest of the Horcruxes," he said, just dropping that bombshell.

"Horcruxes!?" yelled both Amelia and Croaker. They then looked at each other with horror on their faces and then back to Harry.

"Didn't I tell you about those?" asked Harry. He was sure that he had. He was having a lot of moments like that.

"No, you did not. How many did he make?" said Bones, rubbing at the headache behind her eyes. There really wasn't much more she could take. She was going to need to take a potion when she got back to her office. That and she needed more coffee, tea would not do right now.

"Well, as far as I know he made six, not including the one in my head," Harry said, counting them in his head. The diary, the necklace, the snake, the one at Gringotts, the one at Hogwarts, and the one that the headmaster got. Yup that was six.

"You have a horcrux in your head?" said Croaker, staring at the scar like he wanted to carve it out and examine it.

"Yes," Harry said, cringing back from that look.

Isobel lunged forward snapping her jaw, making Croaker slam back in his chair. He held up his hands in an 'I surrender' gesture. "We'll have to work on getting that one out," said the Unspeakable, keeping a wary eye on the snake. "Which other ones do you know about, and which ones do you have?"

"Well, I've got one in my trunk," started Harry, counting them off on his fingers. A look of concentration on his face. "Sirius is working at getting one today, and I know of one that is in Hogwarts. It's the rest that I don't know about. Well, I know one hasn't been made yet. Or at least I don't think she has. She might be. It's Voldemort's snake. So, there's really only one that's unaccounted for."

"By my count, that's only 5," Amelia said, looking at the boy's fingers, and doing her own count.

"Oh, I got the diary in my 2nd year," said Harry, waving it away like it was a normal thing to do.

"You killed a Horcrux when you were only 12 years old?" Croaker asked, tilting his head as if reevaluating the man/teen in front of him.

"Yeah, at the same time I killed the basilisk," the time traveler said, petting Isobel reassuringly.

"You'd better not kill me, asshole," she hissed at him. She knew he wouldn't, but she had to threaten him to keep him on his toes.

"Of course not, darling. You are not trying to kill me," he hissed back, making the other two in the room shiver.

"You killed a basilisk?" asked Croaker, still doing his evaluation. "When you were 12 years old? At Hogwarts?" He was having a hard time wrapping his head around this. Just what the bloody hell was going on at that school? Dark Lords every year, deadly tournaments, and escaped convicts that were innocent, and dead people that were alive? Was Albus behind any of this? Or was he just senile? Didn't the wards prevent any of these things from happening?

"Yeah, a bloody big one too. I had some help from Fawkes and the Sorting Hat. Didn't Dumbledore tell you?" Harry asked. He would have thought for sure Albus would have at least reported it to the ministry.

"No, he did not," said Amelia, slamming her hands on the table.

"Well, you should probably have words with him about keeping secrets," said Harry, picturing the confrontation in his mind and smiling.

"Oh, believe me, I will," said Amelia with a glint of determination in her eyes.

"We need to talk about the prophecy," Croaker said, taking out his notes.

"Must we?" Harry whinged as Isobel perked up.

"Yes," the other man said, looking it over.

"There really isn't much to say," Amelia stated, going over her notes. "You were born at the right time to the right parents; therefore, the prophecy is about you. Do you know what the power the Dark Lord knows not?" she asked.

"Dumbledore thinks it's love," Harry said, rubbing his forehead, trying to remember if that's what saved his bacon the last time. He thought it was the Elder Wand, and on the power of love.

"Love? That does make sense," Croaker agreed, nodding his head.

"It does?" Bones asked, looking at the man like he was crazy.

"Yes. You-Know-Who is incapable of love. Harry here knows love. Hence it is a power the Dark Lord knows not," the Unspeakable stated.

"Great, problem solved," Harry said, petting Isobel, who was still mulling over what they were saying.

"I guess," Amelia said, disappointed in the conclusion.

"So, are we done here?" asked the man/teen. "Cause I really need to get back to Arthur. It's almost time for me to take him home."

"How can we get ahold of you if we have any more questions?" asked Croaker, picking up his notes and charming them 'for his eyes only'.

Amelia did the same to her notes. There were far too many spies in her department. She knew this but couldn't catch them all. That was the problem with politics. It was a pity it was her own government that was spying on her. Dolores was the main culprit.

"That's a good question. Uh, where I'm at is under the Fidelius. I suppose you can pass messages through Arthur Weasley," Harry said, rubbing the back of his head in thought. "He is an alright bloke, and he won't look at them. Or you can call my house elf, Dobby. He will come to you after I talk to him tonight."

"I suppose that will have to do for now until you get to Hogwarts, and then we'll figure something else out," the Unspeakable stated, leaving the room.

"Well, I'm off to take a man to the Underground." And with that, Harry left the room.

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Harry and Arthur were laughing when they came into the house. Mr. Weasley had had a great time on the Underground. He never had so much fun in the muggle world before, and Harry had shown him many things that he needed to know. Like how muggle money worked. Who knew it was so simple? And so much easier to count than magicals. It went by denominations of ten.

Still, they were late for lunch and everything that was made had gone cold by now. Which was an easy fix with magic, so that was okay. However, Molly was not impressed.

"Just where have you been, Arthur Weasley?" she demanded as soon as they set foot into the dining room. She and Hermione were there, but everyone else was gone. It looked like she was teaching Hermione how to knit. Not that Hermione needed to be taught, she was knitting last year. So maybe showing her a new pattern? Why in the dining room? They didn't know. Probably lying in wait.

"Harry took me home on the Underground, otherwise referred to as the 'Tube'. Isn't that marvelous?" Arthur said, his cheeks flushed with excitement. He wasn't going to let her bring him down. "The things the muggles come up with. It is so much faster than the Hogwarts Express," he added, all but bouncing in place. "And their money is just fascinating."

"Never you mind that, you're late for lunch and you're going to be late back to work," she said, brandishing her knitting needle at him.

"I'll be back in plenty of time, Molly. Calm down," Arthur said as he took the seat next to her. He was not scared of his wife. She was all bark and no bite. Well, to anyone not her children.

"I will not calm down," she said, knitting something fierce. If she knitted any harder, she was going to mess up the tension.

"You're going to give yourself a heart attack before you're 50, my dear," he warned her as her face got redder.

"Magicals don't have heart attacks, Arthur. Besides, I am only looking out for what's best for our family," she said, flushing harder in frustration.

"I'm not going to get in trouble, Molly," he assured her one more time, this time putting a hand on her arm.

"Yeah, Mrs. Weasley, he has plenty of time. Besides, I already talked to Madam Bones and she's fine with him being a little late," Harry said, taking a seat opposite of them. Isobel was peeking out of his collar.

"She better not fucking try anything," the snake hissed, resting her head on his shoulder. "I have no problem turning her into a fucking statue again," she added with pleasure in her tone.

"And just what were you doing talking to Madam Bones?" Molly asked Harry in a harsh tone.

"I had my hearing with her today," he reminded her, speaking slowly and methodically. "I let her know I was going to take Mr. Weasley home on the Tube. She said he could come in a few minutes late." He poured himself some juice and took a sip. Bleh, pumpkin juice. He really needed to get the elves to get some apple juice or something new besides this overly sweet stuff.

"Yes, that's right, I forgot," she said with a sigh.

With that, Arthur and Harry served up what was left of the lunch, which was tomato soup and sandwiches today. The sandwiches came in two varieties, roast beef and ham. Harry chose ham, while Arthur went for the roast beef.

Sirius came into the room and looked at Harry and said, "Well, what's the verdict?" He took the chair next to his godson and snagged one of the roast beef sandwiches.

"Oh, well, I got off scot-free," Harry said, blinking like he just remembered the verdict.

"Did it go the way you thought it would go?" was the next question.

"Only partially. I did get the hearing and Madam Bones found me innocent, but then they turned around and tried to expel me through a trial. But Bones declared a mistrial, so it was okay," Harry said, once again without much enthusiasm.

"It's Madam Bones, and how did she declare it a mistrial?" asked Hermione, putting her knitting down and giving her fingers a rest.

"Don't correct me," Harry said, pointing his half-eaten sandwich at her. "Not that it's any of your concern, but she declared it because there was no Chief Warlock, and I wasn't supposed to be brought up on charges in front of the Wizengamot in the first place," he said, taking a bite of his ham sandwich, and savoring the taste.

"They put you in front of the entire Wizengamot?" Hermione asked, flabbergasted that such a thing would happen. Then again, they had sent an innocent man to prison without a trial. She ignored his reprimand. He was just being cranky because of his ordeal.

"Yeah, didn't I just say that?" Harry said flippantly.

"There's no reason for you to get snippy," she said, picking back up her knitting and finishing off her elf hat. She was still on her crusade. She would see the house elves free if it was the last thing she did.

"Well, I don't see why you have to question everything that comes out of my mouth," said Harry, not being nice about it either.

"I was only clarifying," she said primly.

"Anyway, the trial was considered a mistrial, and I was found innocent of all charges," Harry said, turning to his godfather and taking another bite of his sandwich. He decided he didn't want any soup today.

"Well, that's good to hear. We should celebrate," said Sirius, clapping his godson on the back. Even if technically the man/teen was older than him, he was still his godson.

"I don't feel like celebrating something so menial," said Harry, taking the last bite and reaching for another.

"Menial? You could have been expelled from school," said Molly, shocked that the boy was so blasé about it.

"That would have been no big thing. I would have just homeschooled. I'm sure Sirius would have let me stay here," Harry said, looking to his godfather, who nodded in agreement.

"Yes, I can see how well that would have worked," the woman said, rolling her eyes. She went back to her knitting and didn't spare them another glance.

"What are you trying to say, Mrs. Weasley? That I'm too undisciplined to be homeschooled?" Harry asked in a low voice. Not that he needed schooling, he could pass his tests today if needed.

Isobel was saying, "You're such a bitch, woman. If I hadn't promised to behave, I'd fucking kill you where you sit." and so on.

"That's exactly what I'm trying to say," said Mrs. Weasley, still not looking at him but continuing knitting.

"Well, that's your opinion and I didn't ask for it," said Harry as he picked up his second sandwich. "Sirius, can I talk to you in my room for a bit, please?" He headed towards the door, meal in hand.

"What do you need to talk to Sirius about that you can't talk to him right here?" the busybody asked, calling after him.

"That would be none of your business, Mrs. Weasley," he said, not looking back or missing a step.

"Molly, it's none of your affair," said Mr. Weasley, laying a hand on her arm. "Let it go."

Harry and Sirius went to Harry's room. The man/teen turned to him as soon as they got in and said, "Did you get it?" He took a bite of his sandwich, which he had been eating on the whole trip up and was almost finished with.

"Yes, I did," said Sirius, folding his arms and glaring at his godson as if he was upset at him for making him go in the first place. "And it took a lot to do it too. I must have done two hours' worth of parchmentwork," he said, flexing his hand at some phantom pain.

"Oh, you poor baby," said Harry with mock sympathy. He shoved the last of his lunch in his mouth. He chewed and swallowed then said, "Well, hand it over then." He made a few 'gimme' motions.

"I was thinking about that," the older in body man said, looking around the room as if trying to form his words correctly. "Perhaps you should leave them here while you're at Hogwarts. There are wards around Hogwarts that detect dark artifacts from entering the school grounds." He knew that from experience and watching others get caught doing the same.

"Yeah, right good job they've done lately, haven't they?" said Harry with a great deal of sarcasm, thinking of the diary getting in in his 2nd year. Not to mention Quirrell in his 1st year.

"Still, no sense tempting fates by bringing more in," was the surprisingly logical response.

"I suppose," conceded the time traveler. "Do you have a safe or something we can leave them in?" he asked, not remembering anything like that from when he lived here. But there had been rooms he couldn't enter, not being a Black. He could have broken them down after becoming a curse-breaker, but he didn't really want to take the time, or he had moved out by then.

"I do," Sirus said, moving towards the door. "Down in the study."

"Who all is allowed in your study?" Harry asked, grabbing the necklace from his trunk with Isobel riding on his shoulders. She had been relatively quiet this evening. He tucked the necklace in his pocket and followed Sirius.

"Just myself, and you when I let you in," the dogman said, looking at Harry up and down. He wondered if the room would let him in without issue. Harry was his godson, and had some Black blood, but not much.

"So, Dumbledore and his lot aren't allowed in?" was the next question. "Not even Remus?" He wondered what happened to the werewolf. He'd not seen the man since he'd been back.

"No, not even Remus," Sirius confirmed. He missed his friend, the man had been on assignment since Harry returned, and he wondered how the two would get along now that Harry was more mature.

"Right then. Let's take this other one down, and when I get the one from Hogwarts, I'll call Dobby and have him bring it to you," Harry said as they descended the stairs to put the necklace in its new temporary home.

Harry had no issue getting into the study and they put the necklace in with the cup. That was two they had, now they only needed the one from Hogwarts and the one that they were unsure of. It was going to be trying to get the one Dumbles knew about, since they didn't know where it was. However, Harry would be diligent in his task. He knew how important it was.

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The headlines of the Daily Prophet the next day shocked the hell out of everybody. Especially Harry. They literally screamed like a barker's call:

YOU-KNOW-WHO LIVES!