Disclaimer: I don't own anything of this story. Everything belongs to J.K. Rowling and any company that has a claim to the Harry Potter Trademark. I make no money out of this Please don't sue me!
Conversations
The crackling fire in the Gryffindor Common Room cast its light on the trio huddled close together. Harry, Ron, and Hermione sat ensconced in the plump armchairs by the small window of the tower.
"Harry, you're not going to believe this," Ron said, his voice barely above a whisper, excitement bubbling behind his eyes. "Charlie's here. He told me the first task is going to be fighting dragons."
"Dragons?" Harry asked trying to sound surprised. "As in giant lizards that spit fire?"
"Is there any other kind?" Ron retorted, an earnest frown tugging at the corners of his mouth. "Charlie is here because the school asked for four dragons from his reserve to be brought to the grounds."
"Ron, there is no way they would make Harry fight a dragon," Hermione interjected. "It's simply too dangerous."
"Many people died at this tournament," Harry argued. "So it wouldn't be entirely absurd if they did ask us to take on dragons."
"Even the most skilful wizards can't defeat a dragon, Harry," Hermione insisted, her brown eyes filled with concern. "You've read the accounts in 'Fantastic Beasts'; it's just not feasible."
"Mental," Ron chimed in, his expression still one of bafflement, "I've seen some of the injuries Charlie comes back home with. And he's a professional dragon handler who never handles dragons on his own. It's proper mental, that is."
The trio stayed quiet, each lost in their own thoughts.
"Right," Harry said, breaking the silence. "We're probably not expected to actually defeat a dragon. Dumbledore wouldn't allow that. But maybe we'll have to survive against one for some time, or sneak past it somehow." He glanced at his friends, searching for their reactions.
Hermione nodded thoughtfully. "That makes sense. But you still need to prepare for the worst, Harry."
"Trust me, I am," Harry assured them. "I've been training, and I'm taking this seriously."
Hermione surveyed the common room, ensuring no one else was within earshot, before leaning closer to Harry. Her voice barely above a whisper, she asked, "What's happening, Harry? You've been acting very odd since Halloween."
Harry feigned confusion, giving Hermione a puzzled look. "I'm not sure what you're talking about, Hermione."
She rolled her eyes, exasperated. She knew that Harry understood exactly what she meant. "You know what I mean, Harry. Your behaviour—it's changed."
Harry considered Hermione's words, understanding her concerns but wanting her to make the first move. "How do you mean, Hermione? How am I acting weird?"
Hermione hesitated for a moment before continuing, her tone cautious. "Well, for starters, you've become much more outspoken than you used to be. The Harry I knew at the beginning of the year wouldn't have reacted like you did when your name came out of the Goblet." She paused, a thoughtful expression on her face. "And you're acting more secure as well. Two months ago, you would never have asked the other champions to train together."
As Hermione spoke, Ron watched his best friend closely, concern etched into his freckled features. While he hadn't pieced everything together like Hermione had, he couldn't deny that Harry had changed since Halloween.
"Also," Hermione continued, "You had that meeting with Dumbledore just before the champion's selection, and it seems like all these changes appeared right after that. And even now, after learning about the dragons, you act as if everything will be okay."
Ron nodded in agreement, his brow furrowed. "Yeah, mate. It's like you've become a different person almost overnight."
Harry paused to gather his racing thoughts, he couldn't help but feel torn. On the one hand, he cherished the unwavering trust and loyalty of his friends, who had stood by him through everything they'd been through. But on the other hand, he was burdened with a secret that he couldn't share. He didn't want to deceive his friends, but he also couldn't risk revealing the truth.
Harry let Hermione's words hang in the air for a moment, his brow furrowed as he considered the best way to address their concerns without revealing the truth about his time-travelling.
"Alright," Harry sighed, furiously thinking what information he could share with his friends. He discreetly cast a wandless silencing charm around them, ensuring that their conversation remained private from any potential eavesdroppers. "I can't tell you much, not right now, but I'll share what I can."
His friends leaned forward, the anticipation evident in their faces. "Voldemort is planning something big." Harry finally said.
Hermione and Ron exchanged shocked glances before turning their wide-eyed gazes back to Harry. It was clear that neither of them had expected that, and they struggled to comprehend its implications.
Harry's voice was low and serious as he leaned in closer. "You know these dreams I've been having since this summer?." He hesitated, searching for the right words. "Nightmares, really. All about Voldemort."
His friends nodded, aware of these visions.
"So I contacted Dumbledore about them, and we've been exchanging letters ever since. He's been analysing my memories and helping me prepare for what we believe is an inevitable confrontation."
"So the day you were with Dumbledore…" Hermione started.
"A training session," Harry explained, "We've been having them during the whole year. That day I pushed myself too much and I ended up exhausting my magical core, that's why I had to stay in Dumbledore's office for the whole day." Harry was surprised at the ease with which the lies were coming to him.
His friends were taking in this information. "Why wouldn't you tell us, Harry?" Hermione finally spoke, the hurt evident in her words.
"Dumbledore insisted that I keep this a secret, even from you two," Harry added apologetically. "Not because he doesn't trust you, but because of potential Legilimens in the school."
"Legilimens?" Ron echoed, puzzled.
Hermione, on the other hand, looked thoughtful. "I've read about it – it's a form of mind-reading, isn't it?"
"Yes," Harry confirmed. "Dumbledore is a skilled Legilimens, and so is Snape." He couldn't help but smirk at the surprise that flickered across his friends' faces. "That's why I've been working with Dumbledore on Occlumency – to protect my thoughts from being invaded."
"Blimey," Ron breathed, clearly impressed by the revelation. "And how's that going?"
"Slowly," Harry said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Look, I don't like hiding things from you, but even the little information I just shared is very dangerous."
An awkward silence fell over the trio, as the crackling fire in the Gryffindor common room seemed to take on a more sombre tone. Harry stared into the flames, feeling a heavy weight upon his chest. Lying like this to his friends tore at him.
"Listen," Harry began hesitantly, "I want to tell you both more – I really do. But if you don't have Occlumency shields in place, it's just too risky." He glanced between Ron and Hermione, seeing the conflict etched across their faces.
Ron and Hermione exchanged a look. After a moment, Hermione broke the silence. "We trust you, Harry, but it feels like you are shutting us out."
"I'm not shutting you out," Harry started "or maybe I am, I don't know. I want to tell you, truly I do, but the risk is just too high."
"We could learn Occlumency." Ron chimed in.
Hermione looked excited at the proposition of learning a new skill, but Harry had to shut that down, "It takes years to develop mental shields. Even if you were naturals, which is very rare."
His friends looked troubled, and Harry couldn't blame them. From their perspective, they had always been a team. They had found themselves in life-and-death situations for the last three years, but they had always gone through it together.
Now, a new Harry, almost unrecognisable from the one they had known only weeks before, was telling them that he needed to do this alone.
"So that's it?" Ron spat, suddenly angry "You are preparing to face He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and we are supposed to just watch?"
"Is not that simple, Ron." Harry tried to explain.
"I'm sure." Ron retorted venomously. He stood up and headed to the dormitories, leaving Harry and Hermione behind.
Harry's head fell into his hands. The situation had escalated quickly. He was glad that his actions in this timeline had evaded the jealousy fit Ron had had the last time Harry's name had come out of the Goblet, only to have the fall out now, because of Harry's lies and machinations.
"He'll get over this," Hermione said, placing her hand on Harry's shoulder, "Give him some time."
"He's right," Harry said, "You should be angry at me too."
"I'm not happy about this," Hermione said, removing her hand from Harry's shoulder "But I understand why you can't say more."
Harry lifted his head and looked at Hermione. Even after all he had been through, a fourteen-year-old Hermoine was still more mature than he could ever hope to be.
"Thank you 'Mione," Harry smiled genuinely, "I don't deserve you."
"You don't." Hermione responded with a small smile, "You need to let me help you, though, Harry." she finished, her tone serious.
"I know," Harry reassured her "And I will. I doubt I could survive Potions Class without you, much less Voldemort. I just need to figure out how."
Hermione chuckled softly, "I will hold you to that, Harry Potter."
"I bet you will," Harry said, with a chuckle of his own.
They remained in companionable silence for a while, before Hermione excused herself and left for her dormitory.
As Harry mulled over the intense conversation with his friends, he couldn't shake off the heavy weight of guilt. He knew his ultimate mission was to defeat Voldemort, but at what cost? The thought of losing the trust and love of his closest friends tore at his heart. It was a difficult choice, but one that Harry knew he must make for the greater good.
He came back to prevent the death and destruction that Voldemort would bring. If stopping the rise of the Dark Lord meant sacrificing his soul, then he was ready to make that sacrifice.
The morning sun filled the castle as Harry met the other champions before breakfast by the Great Hall's entrance. He had waited for them to arrive so he could have a quick chat with them.
"Ok," Harry began, the three champions were looking at him oddly. "I've gathered you all here because I believe it's important we discuss the first task." The champions exchanged curious glances.
"Dragons," he announced, watching as surprise and apprehension flickered across their faces. "We'll be facing dragons."
Cedric was the first to react, his voice betraying a hint of disbelief. "How do you know about this?"
"One of my friend's brothers is a dragon handler," Harry explained. "He's currently here to assist with the task."
"This cannot be true!" Fleur exclaimed, her eyebrows knitting together in concern. "How are we expected to fight dragons?"
"Fight?" Viktor's cold grey eyes narrowed as he shook his head. "No, they will not make us kill them. Dragons are expensive creatures, most likely on loan from the reserve."
Harry blinked in surprise at Viktor's uncanny deduction, but chose not to comment on it. Instead, he focused on the task at hand.
"We should work on general strategies during our training sessions," Harry suggested, as the champions loomed around him. "Nothing too specific, of course. We all want to keep our own plans under wraps."
The other champions nodded, but their expressions remained pensive. Cedric, ever the Hufflepuff, voiced the question that seemed to be on everyone's mind. "Why are you telling us this, Harry? You'd have the advantage if you were the only one with this information."
Harry looked at each of them in turn, his green eyes filled with resolve. "I want to win the tournament, but I want to do it fairly. Besides, it would be dangerous for any of us to face a dragon unprepared, and I don't want to see anyone get hurt." He held their gazes, ensuring they understood the sincerity in his words.
"Thank you, Harry," Fleur said softly, speaking for them all. The champions dispersed to their own tables, deep in thought as they mulled over the impending challenge.
Over the next few weeks, Harry fell into the rhythm of his new life. Classes went on as usual and he spent some afternoons in training sessions alongside the other champions.
In between these activities, Harry met with Dumbledore, discussing the memories he had brought back from his time-travelling journey. The headmaster's keen intelligence and wisdom proved invaluable as they tried to make sense of the disjointed fragments.
Harry made a conscious effort to spend every free moment with Ron and Hermione, wanting to make up for lost time. But despite Ron's attempts to act as if his outburst that night had never happened, Harry could sense the tension between them. He noticed the forced interactions and caught glimpses of the way Ron would look at him when he thought Harry wasn't paying attention - a mixture of confusion, hurt, and resentment. Despite his best efforts, their friendship felt strained and fragile, like a delicate web that could break with one wrong move.
Hermione was doing her best to defuse any situation that she felt could reignite Ron's anger, but both she and Harry knew that Ron's feelings would need to be acknowledged at some point in the near future.
On the night of the 22nd, Harry found himself waiting by the fire in the Gryffindor Common Room. The normally bustling room was now eerily quiet and empty. His heart raced in anticipation, a knot tightening in his stomach as he thought about speaking to Sirius again.
The memory of Sirius' death still haunted him, the pain all too fresh alongside the other losses he had suffered. Despite the years that had passed since he last saw his godfather, it felt as if no time had passed at all. But knowing that he could speak to Sirius once more also brought a sense of comfort, a lifeline back to a time before everything changed.
As the fire rumbled and crackled, Sirius' face appeared in the flames, his eyes bright and mischievous despite the serious circumstances. Harry couldn't help but grin as he greeted Sirius in an excited whisper, careful not to wake anyone in the tower. "Sirius! It's so good to see you."
"Harry," Sirius greeted warmly, his voice low and hushed. "It's good to see you too, pup. How have you been?"
"Been better, I suppose," Harry admitted, trying to appear nonchalant. "But enough about me - how are you? Are you alright?"
"Ah, don't worry about this old dog, Harry," Sirius replied with a wry smile. "I've managed to keep my tail out of trouble... mostly."
"Of course you have" Harry chuckled, the weight of concern for Sirius mingling with the relief of seeing him again. "I can't imagine why I'd worry about an old dog like you, but alas, I do."
"Must be my magnetic charm," Sirius quipped, grinning through the flames.
"The only thing you can charm are fleas," Harry chuckled.
"Ouch," Sirius said, acting hurt, "how are you handling this whole Triwizard Tournament nonsense?"
"Could be worse, I suppose," Harry admitted with a shrug. "But there isn't much I can do now other than give it my best shot."
"Good attitude," Sirius approved. "Just remember, Harry, you need to be careful. This tournament is notorious for its dangers, and many wizards have been injured or died during the challenges."
"Trust me, Sirius, I'm aware of the risks," Harry replied, his expression sombre. "But I'm not going into this completely unprepared. Dumbledore has been helping me, and I've even been training with the other champions."
"Training with the other champions, eh?" Sirius said, a playful glint in his eyes. "Sounds to me like you are trying to get closer to the Beauxbatons champion."
"Sirius!" Harry protested, rolling his eyes. "Get your head out of the gutter."
"Ah, but the gutter suits me just fine," Sirius replied, smirking.
Harry just shook his head at his godfather's antics.
"Ah, yes. I meant to tell you – keep an eye on Karkaroff," Sirius said, his tone more serious now. "The Durmstrang headmaster used to be a Death Eater. It wouldn't hurt to be cautious around him."
"Going all serious on me now, are you?" Harry teased, trying to lighten the mood.
Sirius chuckled, the corners of his eyes crinkling. "Well, you know, I can only be Sirius. Tried being someone else for a bit, but it didn't work out." Both laughed together.
"Laughter is good, Harry," Sirius said, his voice sobering again. "But please, always be careful. I know you're training hard, but don't let your guard down."
"Promise," Harry assured him, feeling grateful for Sirius' support.
"Alright, Harry," Sirius said, glancing around the empty Gryffindor Common Room. "I need to go now before someone else finds us talking. But don't worry, I'll be keeping an eye on you."
Harry smiled fondly at his godfather's antics. "Just promise me you won't do anything stupid, Sirius."
"Who, me?" Sirius feigned innocence, then grinned. "I won't do anything too stupid. You have my word."
"Good." Harry shook his head, amusement and affection mingling in his chest. He knew that Sirius' definition of 'too stupid' was likely different from his own, but he appreciated his godfather's loyalty all the same.
"Take care, Harry," Sirius said, his gaze warm and sincere. "I'll try to speak with you again soon."
"Looking forward to it," Harry replied, just as Sirius' face disappeared from the flames. The room felt emptier without his presence, but Harry couldn't ignore the warmth that spread through him, knowing that Sirius was watching over him.
Harry made his way to his room. It was comforting to know that his godfather would be there for him, even if only in spirit. He also couldn't shake the knowledge that Sirius would probably make an appearance at the first task, just as he had in the other timeline.
A.N.: As I mentioned in the first chapter, this story is already fully written, I'm just doing the last bit of editing on the chapters before I upload them. But gigoegiolo shared an idea for a scene in their review that I thought was too funny not to write.
I had a ton of fun writing it, so I thought I would share it here for anyone who wants to read it.
Outake:
Harry entered Gryffindor's common room to find Hermione and Ron standing in the middle of the room looking at him with heavy eyes. Around them, there were the Weasley twins, Ginny, Neville and, strangely, Luna Lovegood.
"Em… Hello?" Harry said, stopping before the group.
"Harry, please take a seat," Hermione pointed towards an armchair.
Harry sat down and realized that everyone except for Luna had a piece of parchment in their hands and was looking at him as if his puppy had just died, "Is everything OK?"
The group moved to stand in front of Harry, "We know, Harry," Hermione said.
Harry's heart started racing. They knew? How could they have found out? There was no way he had been so obvious, was there?
"What do you mean, Hermione?" Harry asked, his voice trembling.
"We noticed the changes, Harry." Hermione's voice was warm and comforting "We all prepared some words, please, just listen."
Harry looked around at all the concerned faces of his friends, and at Luna's spacey look "OK…" he ventured, unsure of what this was about.
Hermione took a calming breath, raised her parchment and started reading from it, "Harry, you are my oldest and first friend. If it weren't for you and Ron, I would probably be dead. I love you, Harry," her eyes filled with tears, "I know you are still in there, and I know you can fight him, Harry. You need to break free of his possession."
Harry had to do a double take at that, "Pardon my French, but what in Merlin's balls are you talking about?"
"Yes, Hermione," Ron chimed in, suddenly as confused as Harry was, "What are you talking about?"
Hermione turned to Ron, "The possession, of course," she was giving Ron her patented 'I can't believe you are this daft' look, "Honestly Ronald, we stage this whole intervention for this reason."
"Intervention?" Harry asked, he was truly confused now.
"He is not possessed," Ron told Hermione, ignoring Harry's question, "That's ridiculous."
"Why do you think we were doing this, then?" Hermione asked Ron.
"We are here to talk about his drinking problem, of course," Ron answered, his tone made it clear that he thought this was obvious.
"I don't have a drinking problem." Harry tried to chime in.
"Harry doesn't have a drinking problem," Hermione answered Ron, ignoring Harry, "He is clearly possessed by Voldemort."
"Wait," Fred said, "I thought this was about Harry's gambling problem."
"Yes," George added, "We all know Harry fixed his drinking problem last year."
"I don't have a gambling problem either." Harry tried once more, "And I never had a drinking problem."
"Harry doesn't have a gambling problem," Ginny said, irritated, ignoring Harry, "We are here because of Harry's addiction to House Elf Pornography."
"I most definitely do not have an addiction to House Elf Pornography!" Harry exclaimed, looking around to his friends, trying to get any of them to acknowledge him.
"I thought his addiction ended when he quit drinking," Neville said.
"I'm afraid it only got worse after that," Ginny explained, her eyes holding all the pain she felt for his friend's misfortune.
"This is ridiculous!" Harry exclaimed.
"This is ridiculous!" Hermione exclaimed, ignoring Harry, "He's clearly possessed, how can you not see it?"
"I thought we were here to talk about Harry's time travel," Luna said in an airy voice.
Harry looked at the blond witch in disbelief. Of all people, a Luna he hadn't even met yet was the one to figure it out.
"What is Looney Lovegood doing here?" Ron asked.
"She insisted that she and Harry were good friends in Harry's other timeline" Ginny explained rolling her eyes.
"Luna, that's ridiculous," Hermione told the younger witch, "There is no such thing as time travel."
"Didn't you have a Time Turner last year?" Fred asked Hermione.
"That is irrelevant," Hermione dismissed the twin, "Harry is clearly possessed by Voldemort. But I know he is still in there, we need to help him break the possession."
"I'm telling you," Ron said, his anger rising, "He has a drinking problem."
"And we are telling you," Fred said, pointing a finger at his younger brother.
"He fixed it last year." George finished, mimicking his twin.
"Are we not going to talk about his House Elf Pornography addiction?" Ginny's temper started to show.
"He fixed that last year!" Ron and Neville answered at the same time.
The animus in the room grew as everyone started arguing with each other, except for Luna, Luna was sitting on the arm of the couch, watching the scene and eating pudding.
Harry stood up and left the room. No one noticed.