Disclaimer: I own nothing other than the plot. The original concepts belong to JKR and Warner Brothers. Any concepts brought from other fictions are either coincidental or will be used in their own way, and no plagiarism is meant.

A/n: So I am fully aware that at some points of the retelling, there will be differences compared to the books, particularly the Battle in the DOM. It is close to canon, but I changed it just slightly for realism. Obviously, it will also vary from the movies, but the movies were quite different from the books in some aspects, missing elements or entire scenes.

The other thing, which I am sure is noticeable, is that this chapter is longer than normal, stretching to 5500 words without the A/n. It sucks that this is somewhat of a summary, but it's important for Harry and Sirius to bond with his knowledge of Harry's first life.

Chapter 13: The Confession

Evening

Godric's Quarters

Harry spent a few minutes talking with Sirius about how the evening went. As far as Harry could tell, the news hadn't spread to the public and there wasn't a special edition of the Prophet sent out, but he had no doubt that Dumbledore was missing because a storm was rapidly moving through the ministry over their meeting with Amelia, along with the letter that had been sent out to them and the local papers.

"So… this secret." Sirius prompted curiously.

Harry got the hint. He took several deep breaths, controlling his emotions and failing miserably. This had been the moment he had hoped Sirius would forget about. He didn't necessarily want to tell Sirius how things had gone, how the man was held prisoner in his own home before being killed by his own cousin only after having weeks with his godson. How life went to shit, how people died, people they cared about…

"Harry? What's wrong? Why did you pale so much?" Sirius shook his shoulder, pulling him from the hole he occasionally fell into. A quick glance at the clock told him it had been nearly three minutes that he had been zoned out, the longest yet.

"Sorry Sirius." Harry muttered, taking a few deep breaths. "This isn't going to be easy for either of us, and honestly, I really don't want to tell you… but I need to… I can't keep doing this alone."

"Do what? Talk to me." Sirius urged. Harry felt a small comfort in the support the man was offering, especially when he had no idea exactly what he was about to learn, much less, what he was about to support.

"I've told you about my childhood, right? How the Dursleys starved me, how beatings weren't uncommon from my cousin, how I was occasionally hit by my aunt and uncle, the occasions on how my accidental magic manifested itself with apparation and parseltongue, regrowing my hair, etcetera? And I know I told you about all of my first two years in the magical world."

Sirius nodded, scowling at the mention of the Dursleys while looking proud at the accidental magic, "What are you getting at?"

Harry took a deep breath, focusing on the past memories. "August third, 1993. I accidentally blew up Vernon's sister Marge. Literally, like a balloon, blew her up. I ran away, seeing a shabby black dog in a bush before calling the Knight bus. The Accidental Magic Reversal Squad undid it and wiped her memory of it, and Fudge met me at the Leaky Cauldron, where he found me trying to run away because I thought I was going to be expelled."

Sirius' face was scrunched, "I stopped by there while heading north. The bond that connected us as Lord and Heir had pulled me in that direction, but you weren't there. Didn't you stay at the Leaky Cauldron after your birthday anyways?"

"Huh. I guess nothing had changed yet." Harry muttered. "And I did leave there on my birthday. I am getting to that."

He took a breath, "The last day at the Leaky Cauldron, Arthur and Molly were overheard by me talking about you possibly hunting me down to kill me. Before boarding the train, Arthur pulled me aside to ask me not to do anything to endanger myself to you. I agreed, seeing as I just wanted a normal school year. Of course, that was done and gone before I made it to Hogwarts as the dementors attacked Ron, Hermione, and I, as well as Remus, Neville, and Ginny on the train. It was my first encounter with the demons, and I passed out."

"But… you didn't tell me…" Harry held his hand up, cutting off Sirius' words with the gesture.

"There were sightings over you over the course of the next two months, but nothing happened until you broke into Hogwarts on October 31st, where you attacked the Fat Lady as you were attempting to enter the tower where Pettigrew had been left during the Halloween feast. At the time, it was believed you were attempting to kill me, however, and Snape believed that you were getting help from Remus."

"You stopped me though… I never made it there." Sirius muttered, scrunching his eyebrows in confusion.

"Sirius. Please… just let me talk." Harry said softly. Sirius hesitated, clearly tempted to say something, but he didn't, just nodding silently instead.

"My first quidditch match of the season, the dementors attacked. With Malfoy injured by Buckbeak during our first lesson, we played Hufflepuff instead. We lost when Cedric Diggory caught the snitch. Before I could make it back to the ground, the Dementors attacked the student body, including me, where I was isolated well over a hundred feet away from everyone bar Cedric. I fell from my broom as I passed out again."

"The year continued. McGonagall was having me followed due to your break-in, and because of my broom being broken after I fell, I wasn't even able to properly practice in our quidditch training sessions. Nothing really happened of importance at that time though, other than my discovery that you were my godfather when I overheard a conversation with the Minister, Hagrid, McGonagall, and Flitwick."

"Knowing that you were my parent's best friend, and that, at that time, you had betrayed them, I became angry. I swore to myself that if I found you, I would kill you. No- I don't feel that way anymore, not since I have known the truth."

Sirius looked much more reassured, though slightly hurt for thinking that his godson would want to kill him. Admittedly, he knew that rationally, he would think the same, but it still didn't explain anything Harry was saying. None of this had happened after all.

"For Christmas that year, I received the Firebolt anonymously, though it was confiscated by McGonagall when Hermione thought you had sent it cursed to kill me. It caused fighting between myself, Ron, and Hermione as Hermione believed she was right, which, admittedly, she wasn't necessarily wrong at the time, but her manner of doing things was, while Ron was just being… well, him."

Sirius only frowned as the tale continued. Harry explained everything. Supposedly, he had attempted to break into the tower for a second time, while Harry had spotted Pettigrew on the map. Harry had the map confiscated when he was caught out of bed, having forgotten his cloak. It all led to the night where he was supposedly captured by Harry, then released when Remus arrived, proving that Pettigrew was alive.

Then his heart stopped at how it supposedly went south, though the amusement he felt when they knocked Snape out was somewhat nice, it didn't stop the heartbreak when Pettigrew escaped, and they were nearly killed by Moony, which led to when Sirius was almost kissed. Their only saving grace was when Hermione used a time turner to take herself and Harry back, saving their own lives repeatedly alongside Buckbeak's and his own to prevent the minister from having him kissed.

"Harry. These dates and events haven't even happened, and I am already free." Sirius protested. "None of this has or will happen."

"Sirius." Harry chastised. Sirius opened his mouth, closing it at the hollow look in Harry's eyes.

"I don't understand yet, but continue." Sirius barely managed to say, taking a sip of his butterbeer. His curiosity was getting the best of him.

"I know. You will though." Harry assured him, yet the pained look never left his godson's face.

"The summer after, as you were still wanted by our Ministry, I returned to the Dursleys. My scar began to hurt, and occasionally I was glimpsing things I didn't understand that had to do with Voldemort. I attended the Quidditch world cup, which was attacked by some Death Eaters and resulted in an unknown person casting the dark mark in the sky with my wand, which had been stolen from my pocket during the match."

"Not a lot happened, other than Moody having been attacked the day before we returned to Hogwarts. Said man had also taken the post for my fourth year as a favor to Dumbledore, as he had, quite temporarily, retired in the summer from the Auror Corps."

"It was announced on our return that Quidditch was canceled for the year in exchange for the Triwizard Tournament. Many were surprised and happy about this until it was made clear that only of-age students were allowed to participate."

"They wouldn't bring the tournament back. It has such a high death toll." Sirius muttered. He was slowly getting a terrible feeling.

"They did. They assured people that it was safer." Harry scoffed. "The first task was to take a golden egg from a nesting mother dragon."

Sirius' eyes darkened.

"But that is getting ahead of ourselves." Harry said bitterly, "Victor Krum was Durmstrang's champion, while Cedric Diggory and Fleur Delacour were Hogwarts' and Beauxbatons' champions respectively. Of course, something had to go wrong, and I was selected as a fourth champion in the tournament. Naturally, no one believed me when I said I hadn't entered. Only Hermione even stood by me, which was my saving grace. Rita Skeeter was the reporter, and between her and Draco Malfoy, I was made to be a cheater and a liar quite publicly from the get-go."

"I tied for first place in the first task next to Krum in the first task despite being mildly injured and having the Hungarian Horntail for my randomly selected dragon. I had stupidly thought to outfly it after summoning my Firebolt, which had been subtly suggested by Moody, and been burned and cut in the process, but I had the fastest time and put on a show, so it meant something. Of course, now a good part of the school supported me for my bravery and daring, though it didn't stop the Slytherins and Skeeter from taking shots at me."

Harry's tone was derisive, frustrated, and hurt as he spoke, yet Sirius was on the edge of his seat listening to this story. His nerves were up, his heart was racing, and he felt fearful for his pup while proud at the supposed success. Even if this was just a story, he was still impressed by the creativity.

"The traditional Yule Ball went disastrously. Ron and Hermione got into a fight near the end of it over her attending the dance with Krum. For me, I couldn't dance and had only asked Parvati Patil because I was required to be there, causing my date to leave me roughly halfway through. In the aftermath of the event, Hagrid was overheard by Skeeter as being a half giant, which caused him a great many problems."

Sirius scowled, both in confusion at the sheer details of this story and at his disappointment at Harry's treatment of his date and in how Hogwarts' staff was handling their school. He said nothing though, remembering Harry's demands to stay quiet.

"The second task was to rescue something from the Black Lake. Of course, none of us knew until the task that it would be a hostage. Ron for myself, Hermione for Krum, Fleur Delacour's little sister, and Cho Chang, Cedric's date to the Yule Ball. I used Gillyweed thanks to Neville's help and ended up rescuing her sister as well as Ron, and tied for first place following the second task"

"Life continued on. Between Skeeter and her rumors, the Slytherins bullying ways, and Crouch Senior appearing at Hogwarts muttering nonsense before vanishing again, nothing else happened. Not until the third task."

Harry took a deep breath, and Sirius saw a new look in his godson's eyes, the look of one who survived battle.

"The third task was a Labyrinth Maze, a self changing and controlling plant that was used to hide the cup within. Of course, there were enchantments, puzzles, and magical creatures hiding, not to mention the maze's own defenses of vines and attempted suffocations. The task was to find the cup first, and it would end the tournament. The champions in the lead entered the maze early depending on their points, so Cedric and I entered first."

"I encountered only a half-dozen obstacles before I heard screaming. I ran towards the noise-" Sirius snorted, "- I know, and found Fleur being tortured by Krum. It was clear by the vacant eyes that he was under the Imperius curse. I stunned him, and sent up red sparks so they both could get help."

"It only got worse though. Cedric and I tied making it to the cup. We agreed to both take it, as it was a Hogwarts victory. A mistake, it took us to a graveyard, where Pettigrew and Voldemort were waiting. Kill the spare. Cedric was dead before we even had our bearings together, his body on the ground, lifeless from the killing curse."

Harry didn't even know he was talking for a moment as he described the murder of Cedric Diggory. Sirius almost seemed worried, and it was clear that whatever Harry was talking about, it wasn't just a story.

"Of course, I was injured, tired, and weak, not to mention confused and off-foot. It barely took any effort for Pettigrew to tie me to the headstone before providing the three ingredients he needed in order to give Voldemort back his body. The Bone of the Father, Flesh of the servant, and Blood of the enemy. It took only a minute after the baby Voldemort was dropped into the cauldron for him to emerge as a full sized adult, though nose-less and with waxy skin. Pettigrew handed back the monster his wand-"

"And you didn't think to take that before we handed him over?" Sirius exclaimed. Harry only flashed him a sad grin, not saying a word, before his face fell once more.

"He called his followers, those who were free, back. Pettigrew was given a silver hand as a replacement, and Voldemort gloated about the fact that he supposedly beat death." Harry snorted, "There is no beating death. He tortured me. He knew touching me now caused me physical pain, so he did, before using the Cruciatus curse. Then he decided we would duel."

"It was more of a slow execution, a way to lord over me one last time, even if his Imperius curse couldn't hold me." Harry took a breath, he could still remember the pain he had felt. "I was a helpless and defenseless child against the power he wielded, even more so due to my injuries. Surprisingly though, we entered a Battle of Wills, and I held him at bay. Due to our wands being brothers, it caused an effect almost like Priori Incantatem. The effect caused shadows of those killed to appear, and they helped me escape from the graveyard using the cup-portkey."

"It turned out terribly. Moody was actually Barty Crouch Junior as Senior had smuggled his son from Azkaban and kept him under the curse. Voldemort had freed him though and Senior was killed when he escaped their control. Of course, he was discovered, but the minister had him kissed before he could confirm Voldemort was back like Dumbledore had already claimed."

"He refused my claim too, claiming I was losing my mind and trying to attract more attention. I was slandered by the Prophet for the entire summer, and eventually attacked by Dementors. I was held on trial before the entire Wizengamot and only got off by pure luck. It was at this time that I stayed at Grimmauld Place for a few weeks, but we didn't get much time together due to Molly Weasley, who kept us kids cleaning and us apart. You hadn't been able to write much, so in total by this time, I think I had maybe a dozen hours with you and ten letters from you."

Sirius seemed highly disturbed by that, and Harry could tell Sirius was beginning to understand where he was going.

"My entire fifth year was shite. With the Ministry refusing the possibility of Voldemort's return, he had a year to bolster his forces and attempt to enter the Ministry to access a prophecy about him and I. My scar constantly hurt and I was consistently having his feelings bleed over into mine, something which no one seemed to understand."

"With my emotions highly and constantly being influenced by Voldemort's anger, I was goaded into nonstop detentions, which were really one-on-one torture sessions with a Blood Quill hosted Delores Umbridge, who also took control of the school slowly using a position Fudge created. It was surprising that she lasted until April before she finally managed to drive Dumbledore from the school."

"It was also during this time that I kept dreaming of the corridor that led to the Department of Mysteries. I dreamt that I was Voldemort's snake as it attacked Arthur Weasley just before Christmas, resulting in my first meeting with the headmaster since the third task. It saved Arthur's life, thankfully, but raised suspicions with me on what was wrong with me. I was afraid and Dumbledore refused to speak with me or even look in my direction. It only pissed me off, but I couldn't force him to talk with me."

"Under Dumbledore's orders, Snape had tried teaching me Occlumency because of this, which in real terms was him constantly invading my mind with no instructions- Stop, it won't happen this time- which only worsened my mental state and allowed Voldemort into my head more."

"It was my final exam at the end of June, History of Magic, when I passed out from the pain coming from my scar. This time, I witnessed him torturing you in the Department of Mysteries. It was an attempt to lure me there, and it worked. Umbridge caught me attempting to contact you only to discover, according to Kreature, you weren't available. We led her to the Forbidden forest and to the Centaurs where she insulted them. Hermione and I escaped and met up with Neville, Ginny, Ron, and Luna."

"We left instantly, using Thestrals to make it to the Ministry at nearly midnight. We made it down there, and after finding the Hall of Prophecies, searched for you at row ninety seven. You weren't there, but I found a prophecy with my name on it. I hadn't thought about it when I pulled it from the shelf."

Harry stopped, his throat scratchy from speaking for nearly forty minutes straight. He took a long drink of his own butterbeer, before staring at Sirius, his eyes shining with a mix of rage and pain. Sirius looked nervous and concerned.

"It had been a trap. His inner circle, twelve of them, which he had broken out of Azkaban in January, was there. Lucius and Bellatrix demanded the prophecy, thinking we would give it over if we were offered freedom. We didn't take it, instead fighting as we knew they would never let us go. I know two of the Death Eaters died from the shelves in the room collapsing, though the rest lived."

"It was a hard fought battle. They toyed with us, which meant none of us had been severely injured by the time you along with five order members arrived. Hermione had been hit with a specialty cutter from Dolohov, though she was still standing, Neville had a broken nose, and Ginny and Luna had minor injuries. Ron had been attacked by some experimental brain, but he wasn't severely harmed."

"The fight continued. Only four of us had ended up in the Chamber of Death, Hermione's injury caused her to have to hang back alongside Ron, using the redhead's wand. The prophecy had been broken when I was tripped by Lucius, meaning they failed their goal. The remaining of us, alongside the six order members, fought. You and I were dueling Bellatrix and Lucius, and you were goading her, a stupid move-"

Sirius visibly winced.

"-Especially since we were only feet away from the veil. She hit you with a curse… I don't remember which one. You stumbled backwards and fell through the veil." Harry stopped, a tear falling as the memory stayed, paused at the moment the room had stilled.

"You didn't appear on the other side, and I panicked. Remus grabbed me before I could follow you, which likely saved my life. Bellatrix started cackling about how she killed you, and then ran off when I blasted Lucius with a stunning charm powerful enough to send him flying backwards and turned my wand on her."

Harry took a breath, confessing something he had never told a soul before. "I admit, I was angry. I chased her, and attempted to use the Cruciatus Curse on her in the Auditorium. I didn't, fortunately, have the will to force her to continuously feel the pain, causing the curse to fail after only a few seconds. Voldemort showed up just afterwards, as did Dumbledore. They dueled, and after people arrived to see them both, Voldemort attempted to possess me, before being forced out by my will."

"He took Bellatrix with him when he ran. The rest of the Death Eaters that lived were arrested. You were the only one dead on our side, the rest had only minor injuries. That summer was terrible for the ministry and the order. He unleashed the giants on two towns, Amelia was killed in her own home when Susan wasn't there, as were nearly a dozen others."

"I- I died?" Sirius stuttered out. He felt pale and knew his hands were shaking, which was amplified when Harry nodded silently.

Harry closed his eyes. "Malfoy was tasked with killing Dumbledore, who had been cursed by a ring in a moment of foolishness. He spent the year trying to redeem Malfoy while showing me Voldemort's past, who he was as Tom Riddle, as the war continued. Draco's attempts nearly killed three people, and not once did anyone attempt to stop him. After retrieving the fake locket, which your brother had made and left in a cave in place of the one we destroyed in Grimmauld Place, we returned to find nearly fifteen Death Eaters had been smuggled in through a vanishing cabinet. Dumbledore was killed at the end of the year by Snape, who had taken an unbreakable vow to assist Draco in achieving his goals. No one was severely injured other than Bill Weasley, who had been attacked by a non-transformed Greyback."

"Snape killed Dumbledore?" Sirius snarled.

"That summer was my last at the Dursleys. The blood wards were set to fade on my seventeenth birthday, and a week prior, the Order moved me. Their plan was to use seven Harrys with seven escorts. It failed. Voldemort was there at the beginning. Moody was his first target, dead before we even cleared the mile range. Fletcher, his Harry, had disapparated too, making it only six Harrys within the first minute."

"George lost an ear, and a few others were wounded in getting me from there." Harry said softly. "The Ministry fell at the beginning of August with dozens dead, and they attacked the Burrow within an hour of taking over. Thanks to Kingsley sending a patronus, Hermione, Ron and I were able to flee right as the Death Eaters appeared. The three of us spent nearly a year searching for the key to destroying Voldemort as he took over the country and Hogwarts with an iron fist. Muggleborns were rounded up and either killed, kissed by Dementors, or taken to camps for 'Stealing magic', something that was, again, headed by Delores Umbridge."

"It all came down to the final battle at Hogwarts in early May." Harry closed his eyes, "We had destroyed one of the five keys left to kill Voldemort - I'll explain this later - and had one more in our possession. At the time, we thought there were only two more left, one as Voldemort's snake, and another which was likely in Hogwarts."

"So we returned. With McGonagall's assistance, Snape was driven from the castle and the Carrow twins were killed in the duel between the two, likely deliberately by Snape redirecting McGonagall's more-than-just-lethal spells. We destroyed one more key as Voldemort mounted his forces and invaded Hogwarts, where dozens on both sides died, not counting creatures and House Elves. Voldemort paused the battle, giving us three hours to sort our dead and form a surrender."

"Many were gone. Fred, Remus and Tonks, Colin Creevy… Just to name a few. Snape too, was killed by Voldemort in a misguided attempt for more power. We talked with him in his last moments before he passed, just before the battle was halted. He gave me a memory to view, which was really several. Some were of mum, one was of him telling Voldemort the beginning of the Prophecy, which was followed by then begging Dumbledore to protect mum and mum alone. Then there was one that was Dumbledore agreeing to die if it meant keeping both Snape and Draco alive… and the last was that in order for Voldemort to die… I had to die first."

"Why the hell would you need to die?" Sirius yelled, his face damp from tears as he hit the breaking point. Harry was shocked when Sirius grabbed his shoulders, forcing him to look him in the eye. It was a hard thing when there was so much pain in his godfather's expression… so much fear.

"What the hell is this, Harry?"

Harry looked him in the eye, there were clearly tears in his own eyes as he delivered the final nail, "I died May 2nd, 1998, allowing myself to be hit with a killing curse from Voldemort in an attempt to ensure he was destroyed. I had, by some luck and due to a second prophecy, earned a second chance, and woke up on July 31st, just after midnight."

Sirius stared blankly for several seconds. A slightly creepy thing when they were so close together.

Harry spoke again once he was sure Sirius was able to listen, "I am eighteen years old, Sirius. I have lived the next four and some years, and with this second chance, been given the ability to make things go far better. The first of things was learning about my status as the Heir to House Potter and Black, and the second was to ensure you and I had this chance."

"But…" Sirius stared for a moment, before slowly collapsing into his chair once more. "Oh for Merlin's sake. Elf!"

An elf appeared, disappearing a moment later and returning with a bottle of whiskey, which Sirius was quick to crack open and down a significant portion of without bothering with a glass. They sat in silence for several minutes, both of them thinking.

"How did you get to come back? Why did you have to die?" Sirius asked first, his voice weak.

Harry could see his hands shaking, either from nerves, anger, or stress. 'Most likely all of the above.'

"Let's start with the second question." Harry started slowly. "You remember the locket? The one I destroyed at Grimmauld Place? It was a Horcrux, a soul-"

"Fuck!" Sirius yelled, standing fast enough to knock his chair backwards, slamming the bottle down on the table in the process. "He made a fucking Horcrux?"

"Worse, Sirius. It was one of six that kept Voldemort anchored to the living realm. Two others have already been destroyed, one was a diary, the diary I stabbed last year, and the other… It was me. Death took it when I was hit with the killing curse, before sending me back. It is why my scar is so faded, and not inflamed and raw-looking."

"And Dumbledore knew?" Sirius yelled, his eyes swirling in a sparkling dark gray as the room pressurized.

It was the first time Harry had seen Sirius' magic manifest visibly, or really, any other adult apart from Voldemort and Dumbledore to have a visible magical reaction. It unnerved him slightly, but he wasn't unaware that his eyes glowed when his emotions ran high.

"Sirius! Calm down, now." Harry said firmly, "I don't believe he truly knew that Riddle split his soul until my second year when I presented him Riddle's diary. As for my scar, I doubt he knew what my scar was until at least my fourth year… though it isn't out of the realm of possibility that he knew once he discovered the diary."

That calmed Sirius down some, though it took Sirius five minutes to quit muttering about Dumbledore. "Wait… you said Death, as in a being, kept the Horcrux that was a part of you?"

"Yes… it was confusing, and I don't understand most of it. You see, my father's cloak… My cloak is one of the three Deathly Hallows. I got the resurrection stone from Dumbledore, though I didn't get to use it until just minutes before I died, and I won the wand's allegiance from Draco, who had disarmed Dumbledore before he died. It's also why Snape was killed. Riddle believed the wand obeyed him, but it didn't. The best I can guess is that either because of two prophecies, or because I had claimed all three artifacts, I was able to be sent back… though oddly, for being a god of sorts, he was kind of childish."

"And the Prophecies? You said there were two?" Sirius asked, disregarding the whole thing about Death for the bigger problems.

Harry pulled out the paper from the book he had hidden it in, momentarily thankful that Sirius hadn't found it yet, before grabbing a piece of parchment and a quill and writing out the original prophecy. Sirius read both of them.

"So you were always destined to repeat life with a shite first run." Sirius said, falling into his chair again, not having sat down since he had stood up to rage about Dumbledore.

"Admittedly, it could have been better if smarter decisions were made, but yes." Harry agreed. "It was always destined to happen, unless of course, it was only destined because of how my first life played out, and Fate is determined to see Riddle dead because he would have won otherwise…"

Sirius rubbed his temples, groaning, "Let's not try to understand the universe and Fate, since Merlin only knows if there is a being that actually controls such a thing."

"Muggles call her Ananke." Harry said absently. "At least, that was the Greek name for Fate."

"Not helpful." Sirius muttered, taking another drink of the whiskey before holding it out to Harry. "What? You're eighteen mentally. It won't hurt your body to drink once."

Harry gave in as his nerves and mind were on edge, downing three mouthfuls before stopping due to the new taste. He could taste hints of honey and spices, but it burned all of the way down his throat and into his stomach, and his face scrunched up in reaction to the taste on his tongue. None of it was unpleasant, like Firewhiskey, but it was certainly something unnatural to his body and mind.

"So what all is different so far?" Sirius asked heavily.

"Well, I never got trained by Flitwick, in fact, I couldn't duel for shite despite having enough power to hold a weakened Voldemort in a Battle of Wills, something which carried back with me and is growing even further. You, of course, never progressed so much before you died in terms of health, and you weren't cleared of your charges until after you died."

He stopped for a moment, taking a breath, "I never knew I was the Heir to House Potter, Gryffindor, or Black. I wasn't allowed to go to your will reading with the attacks going on, but Dumbledore told me I inherited everything from you. I also never had my Ash wand, and didn't make friends with anyone other than the Weasleys and Hermione until my fourth year, something I am slowly changing."

"So really, it's a complete start to what should have been. Only this time, you are stronger and smarter, and definitely hold the upper hand against Voldemort." Sirius surmised.

"Essentially. I can get to another of the Horcruxes easily, it's in the school in the Room of Requirement, but one is in Gringotts in the LeStrange family vault, another is in a heavily warded cabin, and the last will be with Voldemort later. That one can be taken care of in the Graveyard, but the ring took Dumbledore several hours to get access to and the one in Gringotts… I have no clue what to do with it."

"The major downside is, with today, and even a bit before, there have been changes made… After today, I can't even guarantee that the Tournament will occur. It's possible the foreign schools will pull out with the bad publicity, changing all of the future."

"True. Nothing will likely follow the same path, especially since you aren't returning to the swine, and with me here, it's not like more won't change." Sirius agreed.

"It didn't matter to me. Sure, it could be a problem, but you were the person that mattered the most to me… the connection to my parents that I always wanted and the first person that wanted me for me." Harry said softly, "Nothing would have stopped me from ensuring you were freed."

Sirius stared for a solid ten seconds, unblinking, before standing and walking around the desk, before pulling Harry into a hug. Neither of the two were ashamed to admit they cried for both what had happened, and for the second chance.