Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

...

For the longest of times, the carriage was silent as it trudged through the countryside. Or either of the two women could have been talking to Harry in that moment in time and Harry simply was unable to currently understand sound, such was the state of his mind.

Luna.

Leaving.

France.

Luna.

Gone.

Hogwarts.

Luna.

A new sound made itself present as Harry's head whipped to the side, such of the force Luna hit him with. Harry reached up slowly to where Luna's open palm had struck him, feeling the heat reeling off of the blow.

"There we go, the Nargles are gone," said Luna, proud of her accomplishment.

"Thank you Luna," said Harry as he steeled himself, the jumble of thoughts that had been crashing through his mind having gone silent. "The Nargles were definitely mucking me up there. In the future though, could you please warn me before you take action."

"I did. Multiple times," stated Luna.

"She did," added Pandora.

Harry took that information on, realizing indeed his mind had gone into temporary shutdown. "Again, thank you," said Harry as he rubbed at his cheek. "Alright, so, given your fluency I take it that this hasn't just been a spur of the moment decision."

"When Fleur returned to Beauxbatons, we kept in contact and spoke on nearly a weekly basis. I got into the habit of sending replies to her questions before her letter full of questions arrived," said Luna. Harry didn't question that given her mother's skill in Divination Luna hadn't inherited something that allowed her to do such a thing. Either that or it was just Luna being Luna. "One day, one of Fleur's letters came asking me whether I would be interested in exchanging schools and well, after weighing up the pros and cons, I couldn't really find a reason to say no."

Harry remained silent as he considered Luna's situation. While she was outright a cheerful girl, Harry wasn't blind to how other students who didn't appreciate her demeanor treated her. In the other timeline he could recall the quirky girl actively spending her day before returning home searching for her 'lost' belongings. That could very well have only been a snippet of the bullying that went on in the background. This timeline could have been better, at least he hoped that he had been able to help make a better environment for Luna but that didn't mean the bullying had vanished completely.

Or he could be thinking off in a different direction to what one of the defining factors was, that being Luna's friendship with Fleur. The two of them had gotten on to a level that was scary and the face that Luna and Fleur had maintained such a friendship was sweet. If Luna wanted to be around someone who would spend their time actively being her best friend, then perhaps that was for the best.

"Luna specifically wished for you to join her on this journey," said Pandora as she gently caressed her daughter's hair. "She said that you were her beacon of light at Hogwarts, someone who could always cause her to smile. I believe she wanted one source of light to hand her over to somebody else precious to her."

Harry's gaze shifted to Luna who, quite surprisingly, had a touch of a blush on her cheeks. Harry didn't know that Luna was capable of feeling embarrassment but given that these words were coming from her mother, they could easily have that affect. Parents did have that special ability to cause their children to feel embarrassed.

Apparently at least. It wasn't like he had a first hand example of that.

"Thank you Luna, for seeing me in such a positive light," said Harry in an attempt to alleviate some of the embarrassment. "I will do my utmost to make sure that I am worthy of you having asked me to join you on this journey."

A smile spread across Luna's face. "Thank you Harry."

...

Albus Dumbledore watched from his vantage point in the Great Hall as dozens of students flooded out the main entrance on their way to catch the Hogwarts Express. Many of them could be seen smiling and chatting among one another. There were a few looks of concern, no doubt a handful of students felt they were going into the following semester ill prepared and would be spending much of their holiday studying.

Or that was what they felt like they should be doing when in reality once they got home, such troubles would vanish when they were among family and friends. It was astounding that such sound plans could be utterly shattered when around loved ones.

"You seem in good spirits Headmaster," said Minerva, announcing her presence.

"Just trying to make assumptions as to how large a feast will be required for the Yule Festivities," stated Albus.

"You know well and truly how many students will be staying," scoffed Minerva. "Don't try to mislead me Albus. What's really going on in that head of yours?"

Albus shifted ever so slightly in order to look at the Deputy Headmistress with so much that he truly wished to tell her. There was an entire timeline that he was aware of yet knew so little about. He had seen future events transpire, seen two different variants of instances in the previous year and had an insurmountable level of questions to ask. Minerva was one of his most trusted advisers and he truly wished that he could converse with her on the topic, or multiple topics even.

Yet, among those that Harry had allowed access into his memories, Professor McGonagall had not been with them. It was a curious thing and surely Harry had had his reasons to not include his Head of House. Sirius and Remus were close friends of Harry's father and it was well within reason that he wished for the two of them to listen in. Amelia had taken guardianship of Harry so she had his utmost trust, not to mention her position in the Ministry for them to utilize if necessary. Pandora felt like the odd one out but she had been able to attribute quite a bit regarding timelines, most of which should only be theoretical but the level of confidence in which she spoke said otherwise. Severus was even more of an outlier but clearly Harry knew far more than he let on regarding the Head of Slytherin House. Perhaps the less said there the better.

Including himself, that meant that there were seven people aware of this alternate timeline. Arithmatically, seven was a good number to have, it was a powerful number after all. With so many little things having already shifted and shaped the current timeline in such a way that it was different to what Harry had previously experienced, perhaps the less people to know the better. If they could keep specific things on the right path, it would give them the advantage down the track. The more they could be prepared for the better. Too many moving parts could derail any plan they had available and could put them in a disadvantageous situation.

Still, there was a question to be answered.

"I was wondering whether we would see anything remarkable through the holidays or whether the gray-scale hallway was our present from Potter Club for the rest of the year?" questioned Albus.

"I would be quite content if that was the last of it," huffed Minerva. "I couldn't understand why so many students were meandering in one place until I stepped foot in myself and imagine the shock I felt. The fact that our students are performing such incredible feats of magic so far removed from the curriculum is astounding but so incredibly dangerous. The runes necessary to pull such a thing off could be studied by Professor Vector for days and she could easily tell you a dozen ways in which something could have gone terribly wrong in the construction of the rune sequence."

"In which case, should we talk to some scholars and see if we can award some of our students with a Certificate of Mastery?"

"Do you think members of Potter Club would so easily make themselves known to the public for an award?" asked Minerva, her brow furrowing at the thought of a member of the secretive club announcing their presence in such a way.

"I believe you are right," mused Dumbledore. "Plus, I doubt such a thing as warping one's perspective in a localized area would grant someone a Mastery in the first place. Receiving an Outstanding in their NEWTs, most definitely. Still, it would be wise to watch some of our Alumni in the years to come, there is no telling just who may make significant inroads in specialized fields in not-so-distant future."

"On that Albus, we are in agreement. Now, if you will excuse me there are still papers that need grading."

"Until this evening's meal Minerva," said Albus as Professor McGonagall strolled away to get a start on her paperwork. The Hogwarts Headmaster watched as his Deputy walked towards the nearby stairwell and he sat there in contemplation, once more his mind focusing on an alternative timeline.

Time itself was a fickle thing and was barely messed with. Time Turners were indeed a magical device used under the strictest of circumstances but that sent an individual back into their own timeline for however long they required. Harry's circumstance was far different in that there weren't currently two versions of the same teenager roaming the world. This was a magical marvel unlike anything the world had seen previously, or at least anything that had ever been recorded. The odds of this ever reoccurring was astronomical if not downright impossible.

True Seers could only gleam snippets of the future and even then, what they saw were prophecies that could be interpreted differently depending on the circumstances. To have such a vast idea of what the world ahead could have in store was beyond anything a Seer could predict. Knowledge was power and the amount of knowledge they have regarding the future was an incredible power to have at their disposal.

It would be up to them to figure out just how and when to utilize that power, something he would have to bring Harry aside and discuss with him once he returned from France.

...

"Luna!"

"Greetings Fleur," said Luna softly before she was encompassed in what looked like an almighty powerful hug, the French student lifting Luna clear off the ground. "I've missed you."

"And I you Luna," claimed Fleur as she placed Luna on the floor. "Come with me, I must introduce you to my sister!"

Harry could only watch as the older girl dragged Luna off swiftly, the French teenager not even having acknowledged his existence. He couldn't help but chuckle at the thought though, knowing full well that Fleur must have been waiting for this day as if it would never come. It was understandable that she was blinded by her excitement. He was sure that she would say hello to him at some point.

Or at least he hoped so.

Meanwhile there was another greeting ongoing closer to the carriage where Pandora was speaking whom Harry could only imagine was Fleur's mother given the radiant beauty which seemed to be shared by all Veela. While he had been at the marriage of Fleur and Bill Weasley (a situation which felt like a lifetime ago at this point) he couldn't recall whether he had been introduced to the woman, a lot had happened that day after all.

Given the way the two of them looked at him at identical times, it seemed as if he was going to now meet the woman this time round. With a small glance at Harry's visage as she strode gracefully towards him, they spoke. "So you must be 'Arry Potter, quite strapping for a man of your age. I am ze Lady of ze House, Madame Appoline Delacour."

"Thank you for having us Madame Delacour," said Harry with a small nod of the head. "I look forward to sampling true French delicacies."

"May I assume you mean ze food and not ze women?" inquired Appoline with a raised eyebrow.

"If the women taste as sweet as they look then who am I to resist having a bite," replied Harry with a cheeky smile.

"Ooh," cooed Appoline as she turned to Pandora. "You did not tell me zat he would be so quick wiz hiz tongue." She turned back towards Harry with a broad smile upon her face, making her features brighten even further than they already were. "I had hoped to witness you floundering like a, what iz ze term, fish out of water. But 'ere you are, quick witted and willing to play ze game. I zink I will 'ave much fun wiz you over your time 'ere Mister Potter."

"Harry is fine."

"In which case, you may call me Appoline."

"It would be my pleasure," said Harry before gazing over the estate.

"Shall we venture to your parlor?" asked Pandora. "All this talk of sweets and tongues has made me rather peckish."

Harry couldn't help but sigh as Appoline giggled. "Only you Pandora, only you."

...

It was quite easy to tell that the Minister of Magic was rather chuffed with himself as his work day was steadily coming to an end. Those around him had noticed that he seemed to have a bit more of a spring in his step and, quite frankly, why wouldn't he? After all, it wasn't like there was another member of the Ministry who could actively claim to have a thousand year old magical relic on their desk.

Every time a member of his staff came in to provide him with an update on the on goings in the Ministry, their gaze was immediately drawn to the artifact the moment they walked into their room. To have such an item in his possession was such a boon and he had Lucius to thank for it. Well, one of Lucius' friends had given it to Lucius to give to him but that was getting into specifics that he wasn't too fussed about he was thankful regardless.

Such a precious artifact had been able to dissuade some of the more heavy minded individuals who had come into his office as their train of thought was broken by the mere sight of it. He had dreaded a few select people who wished to derail one of his plans only to watch as their well-rehearsed speech prattled off into nonsense as he sat there ready to defend his policies. There had been more than one offer to purchase the item from him but Cornelius was having none of that. In a few years' time he may very well place the Cup in the lobby of the Ministry itself so that all could bask in its glory. Until then it would remain on his desk and nowhere else.

Unless he were to have a nip of Firewhiskey from it.

Not that he would ever tell anybody.

Ever.

Drinking from such an immensely important historical artifact would be scandalous. Yet it was a cup and cups were meant to be drunk from. It only made sense.

Shaking his head as if coming out of a mild trance, Cornelius couldn't help but wonder where that thought had come from. Getting up from his desk, he deduced that it was due solely to the fact that he hadn't left his office all day and needed to merely stretch his legs. After all, it was nearly time for lunch. Looking up at the clock to confirm his thoughts, Cornelius found himself somewhat flummoxed that it wasn't close to when he would eat his lunch. Far from it actually as there were only a few minutes before when he would normally leave for the day.

"My, where has the day gone?" he mused to nobody in particular. He figured that there was no real point in going for a walk but rather he might as well spend the time getting ready to head home. After all, it was another busy day scheduled for tomorrow.

In his office.

With the Cup.

Quite simply, Cornelius couldn't wait.

...