The crystalline surface of the lake reflected the beautiful moon above. Motes of clouds floated in the sky mindless of the tumultuous events happening in the world beneath it.
In the distance, Hogwarts was in an uproar over the missing headmaster.
Former headmaster.
A deep rumbling chuckle emerged from the ancient wizard resting at the edge of the forbidden forest.
Every year, the wizarding world would throw a celebration in his honor after the defeat of Voldemort. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry were the most ecstatic of the celebrants. The school would throw extravagant events while inviting guests from all over the globe to meet their so-called Archheadmaster.
It wasn't even a real position. It was a fictional status created by the students of Hogwarts for him. The wizarding generations during and after the fall of Voldemort placed him on such a high pedestal that he could never truly retire from.
20 years after the fall of Voldemort, Harry took the opportunity to join the Hogwarts faculty after the previous Defense Against The Dark Arts professor retired. From there, he taught in the position until Headmaster Minerva McGonagall retired, handing the position to him as the next headmaster presiding over Hogwarts. Harry Potter then held the position for the next century, retiring at a ripe old age of 105.
He was the 2nd longest serving headmaster Hogwarts ever had, only beaten by his own headmaster, Albus Dumbledore.
Harry had retired from the position 10 years ago, passing it on to his successor, Alaina Dumbledore. Funnily enough, just like when McGonagall was his Defense professor during his tenure as a student, Harry was hers. It was becoming a trend that people were poking jokes at her even as far as 5th year that Alaina would become the next headmistress.
Lo and behold, they were right.
The sound of crumpling grass announced someone's arrival, interrupting Harry's reminiscence.
"Archheadmaster Potter, you've disappeared from the celebrations. Everyone is looking for you." A voice berated him.
"How many times have I told you not to call me Archheadmaster, Alaina? I'm supposed to be retired." Harry sighed.
Said woman appeared beside him. Alaina Dumbledore frowned disapprovingly at her predecessor.
"Sir-" Despite knowing each other for over 60 years- and holding the 2 highest positions in Hogwarts- their student-professor status never wavered. "-you have to return to the celebrations. The guests are worried."
"They've had me for the entire day. Give me some time to rest." Harry grunted while leaning back into the trunk he was resting against. "I'm not so young as to be available for this long anymore." Not that he was weak, it was just that old age tended to grind your joints and eat away the little energy you had left.
In fact, Harry was still confident that he could hold his own against their current Defense professor in a duel. It was one of the few extraneous activities he still enjoyed late into his twilight years. Not much movement anymore, just a matter of timing his spells to counter and efficient energy use. Nowadays, Harry would spend his duels thinking up creative and humorous ways to beat his opponent.
"…I see that I won't be able to make you reconsider."
Harry silently shook his head. He was tired of all the attention showered at him throughout the entire day. It was comfortable here against the bark of the tree, watching over Hogwarts in the distance.
"I'll inform our guests that you've retired for the night. They will understand." Alaina sighed. "Enjoy your rest, sir."
"Thank you, Alaina."
Enjoy his rest.
Harry silently mulled over the line while Alaina departed for the Great Hall.
Rest. Something which had become a foreign word to Harry Potter. He retired believing he could let Hogwarts go. But despite his best efforts, Harry still found himself actively participating in the school's management. While Alaina was now the leader of the institute, Harry's input was still heavily valued by her and the faculty. He still attended all faculty meetings, advising the professors and headmaster over how the school and classes should be run like he did during his tenure as headmaster.
His advice was highly sought after when they proved effective. Students became highly motivated to expand into more niche subjects like Care of Magical Creatures while complex classes like Arithmancy showed a boom in student numbers. Muggle Studies had the largest growth under his tenure, changing from a minor subject into a major core of the Hogwarts curriculum. His solution was simple- to approach the subjects from the perspective of a muggle- a non-magical human. He focused on how the subjects were presented- shifting from a results-based approach to an interest-based one.
New subjects were added, with the most popular subject being Science. Harry introduced the field of Science to the magical world, calling the field "Magic from Muggles" to draw attention. This sparked interest and soon wizards and witches found themselves shocked at what Muggles had achieved. Soon, thousands of wizards started enrolling in muggle schools to learn the subject. With his efforts and the growing support of wizards, Science became an official subject in Hogwarts. From there, Harry helped in establishing the first Science and Arithmancy based field- Magical Engineering.
You could only imagine just how much Magical Engineering boomed when the first touch-screen phones dropped in the 21st century.
So large were his waves in the magical world that Beauxbatons and Durmstrang came to him for help to introduce the new magical fields to their curriculum. The American magical institute Ilvermony was the only academy to successfully incorporate science into their curriculum without his assistance.
Enjoy his rest.
Harry had lived a long life. He was one of the last from his generation. The last of his classmates, Neville Longbottom, formerly head of the Ministry Aurors in his prime, passed away just a few years ago. His wife, Ginny Weasley, passed away a decade previously. The only things left with him were his children and the Potter line. Even then, they were all well into their 80s- which meant spending their own retirements at their behest.
Harry didn't need to go bugger them for company. Hogwarts was enough for him. The school and its day-to-day activities continued to keep him busy despite his feeble attempts to let go during his retirement.
Huh, maybe Archheadmaster wasn't such a fake position.
Harry chuckled lightly.
"Enjoy my rest, huh…"
Harry looked to the starry sky above him. Despite the amount of light coming from the castle, the magical sources were enchanted to keep the emitted light from disturbing the view of the sky, allowing the stars to usher the world in all their glory.
"Well, it has been such a long life…"
Such a fulfilling one too. Harry didn't have any regrets. He didn't feel pressured to leave the school behind either. The only thing keeping him tied to Hogwarts was his love for the school. Much of his life had changed in this school, just like how much of it was spent within its walls.
Rest.
The idea of death never troubled Harry. Not since he faced it when he died under Voldemort's hand not once, but twice.
He should've died on the day of his birth. His parents sacrificed their lives to protect him.
He should've died when Voldemort used Avada Kedavra on him during their first duel in Hogwarts.
…and here he was 100 years later, still leading Hogwarts. His efforts had reached far and wide. His name engraved into history. His influence mightier than any nation's magical ministry.
Where Tom Marvolo Riddle had failed in ruling the world, Harry Potter succeeded. Not through power, but through understanding and communication. The magical community was now closer than ever to the non-magical world. It wouldn't surprise him if they would reveal themselves to the muggles in the next few generations.
Harry doubted he would be there to see it.
Rest.
Harry had achieved everything he wanted in life. There was nothing more he wanted. He was content. He was happy. He was tired.
Was this how Ginny felt? Harry remembered her last moments.
.
.
.
Harry leaned over the hospital bed and clutched Ginny's hands in his palms.
"Ginny…"
"Harry…I want to see our home one last time."
The rest of the Potters all lined up the room's walls watching the Potter House matriarch on her hospital bed in Saint Mungo's.
"It's too dangerous…" Harry mumbled while tears threatened to spill from his eyes.
"Harry…please." Ginny smiled at him weakly.
He understood why. Why Ginny asked to see their home one last time.
"I don't have much time left."
They couldn't apparate her. Not even a portkey would be useful. The stress it would put on her body would instantly cut down what little time they had left together.
"Y-yes, dear."
.
.
.
It took them a few hours to travel on a custom-made magical ambulance to arrive at their home.
Harry pushed Ginny's wheelchair around the house while his wife silently reminiscenced over memories of their life together. The rest of the Potters stayed outside, giving the two of them privacy.
They ended their tour at the small patio overlooking the small garden they planted together. It was late afternoon, the sun floating above the vista, slowly dipping into the horizon.
Harry never lifted his hand from her grasp, content to hold them until the sun disappeared, until the sky darkened, until the stars sparkled.
By the time he wheeled Ginny back to the others, she had long since breathed her last. Sometime during dusk, his wife had peacefully departed for her next great adventure.
.
.
.
Maybe letting it all go was not so bad…it was time for the world to move on without him.
What is death, if not the next great adventure?
I…should finally rest.
And the head of House Potter closed his eyes.
Thus ended the story of The Boy Who Lived. Several hours later, Harry Potter would be discovered at the edge of Hogwarts Lake, lying beneath a tree, peacefully gazing at the castle with blank crinkled eyes- a smile plastered on his face.
The next great adventure started with a bang.
Literally.
Harry didn't know what to expect the next moment he opened his eyes. One moment, everything was dark. The next, his vision was filled with blinding colors flashing above him. It was like jerking awake from sleep to a prank popping at your face. Though, whatever was flying above him looked extremely familiar…
Spells.
Spells were flying above him.
"JAMES!" Someone roared.
Harry could hear people shouting around him. He couldn't hear them properly with several sources overshadowing one another at random intervals as they cast spells over one another.
The view above him glowed blue as the transparent protego shield was blasted with another spell.
No. Not the shield. Him.
He was the target. The shield was protecting him.
A red spell hit the corner of the room at the peripheral of his vision. An exploding sound erupted from it, cracking the bricks but not breaking them.
That was an exploding charm.
Harry recognized the telltale signs of its effects.
The wall was magically reinforced with extra protection.
Enough protection to warrant enough defense against explosion? That would've taken a significant amount of resources to apply it over an area, seeing as the radius of the explosion spell was large, yet only a small section of the wall received any damage.
A veritable fortress.
The room was designed for some serious punishment.
A wave of spells returned fire, some intercepted midair, the rest flying towards their targets in the opposite direction. Yet, it didn't seem as if anyone was hitting their shots. There were no sounds of pain, only the constant noise of spells being casted from each side.
Harry was scrambling to figure out what was going on.
VOLDEMORT 612
He wasn't going to make the same mistake again.
Apparently, so was the person in front of him.
Tom Marvolo Riddle waved his wand at the opponent, spraying poison in his direction. The attack was flipped back to him with a burst of wind, returning them at a wider radius. There were too many droplets heading back at him to dispel, so he was forced to throw up his own shield to stop them from landing on him.
The fraction of a second casting for protection gave his enemy the tempo of the battle- one that had flipped several times in the last couple of minutes.
Voldemort stepped back from a babbling curse- a spell that would've no doubt ended the fight for him right then and there should it have hit him. The precious few seconds babbling would've cut down his casting speed by half with only nonverbal spells keeping his enemy at bay. In those few precious moments, he would be instantly overwhelmed by the tremendous amount of spells flying his way- verbally, silently, mentally, and spiritually.
It was praiseworthy, even if the person in front of him was against his agenda.
He came to the fight prepared. Dragonskin robes, multiple wands, the souls of his supporters, several wards on his being, yet all of that were slowly being chipped away by the wizard in front of him.
Guess that was the difference when the other person had four decades of preparation over you.
"Tom, you cannot win."
"You may have the advantage over me, but I am not the objective here." He fired back. "How long can your people defend, Dumbledore?"
"I have confidence in them." The named wizard replied, casting several spells in an instant.
Voldemort grimaced as he felt his spirit shake. Dumbledore was less forgiving this time around, a huge difference between the headmaster from their previous lives. The repertoire of Horcruxes he used to power himself weakened as one of them was blasted off from his soul.
To cut down four decades of deficit between Dumbledore's rebirth and his, Voldemort taught his Death Eaters soul magic- creating multiple Horcruxes from their souls and using them to strengthen his magic against the more experienced Lord. He surrounded himself with a web of Horcruxes, powering his magic immensely.
Yet- Dumbledore had somehow factored that idea during the 45 years he had to prepare for Voldemort's rebirth. When Voldemort was of age, he received the letter to Hogwarts. The moment he arrived in the castle, Dumbledore's gaze had locked on to him.
It took him a long time to shake off the headmaster's gaze. Once he did so, Voldemort attempted to access The Chamber of Secrets, only to be shocked when Dumbledore's wards appeared within the chamber.
No wonder Tom couldn't find Marvolo Gaunt. Dumbledore had reached his grandfather first, securing the descendant of Slytherin's assistance in accessing the Chamber of Secrets ahead of him.
Voldemort instantly fled when the alarms broke.
He barely escaped into the inner chamber before Dumbledore summoned Marvolo Gaunt to open the Chamber of Secrets. Once he entered, it was to his shock that the basilisk within the chamber had already been dealt with, the corpse harvested with little remaining. Voldemort had no choice but to use his familiarity with the Chamber to escape from one of its hidden passages before Dumbledore and Gaunt appeared. Luckily for him, the head of House Gaunt wasn't as familiar with the Chamber's passages as he was, giving Voldemort the opportunity to escape outside the school's wards and escape.
From then on, Tom Marvolo Riddle knew that he wasn't the only one.
Dumbledore had also been rebirth.
Two dozen.
That was the number of Spec Ops soldiers surrounding the combat zone.
The commander looked through special binoculars, watching the fight inside the house to keep tabs on the tide of battle. So far, it looked as if both sides had come to a standstill with none gaining the upper hand over the other.
On one hand, it was good to see their allies holding ground. On the other hand, it was bad to see the enemy matching their firepower.
Bzzzt. The communication device in his ear buzzed.
"This is Team Six. We have relocated to the hill adjacent Team Four's position. Our sniper is ready."
"Copy. The rest of your team keep sights outward. We need eyes watching the magical boundary. Over."
Bzzt. The small transmission ended.
The commander couldn't shake the feeling that something would go horribly wrong. His nerves were shot. He wanted to call in his snipers to shoot their target, but Dumbledore had warned them that numerous operations to hunt down Voldemort with combined wizard and spec ops teams had failed in the past. Instead, they were ordered to hold back and wait for Dumbledore's signal to support him in his fight against Voldemort.
He gripped his magical binoculars tighter.
Six Teams, four members each. Four teams were scattered around the property, keeping tabs on the fight going on between the Death Eaters and the Order of the Phoenix. The last two teams relocated to nearby hills to take up sniper and lookout positions to watch the fight and keep an eye on the borders of the property.
Dumbledore expressed worry that a certain foreign faction could appear. Their arrival would be disastrous, and it was the mission of the Special Magic Service soldiers to delay them. Their main objective was to provide reinforcement once Dumbledore called for it, but that was only in the event that the Order of the Phoenix started losing. They soldiers couldn't join in the fight until then- their guns would threaten allied lives. That was why Dumbledore joined in the fight- to hold back Voldemort himself.
Because Dumbledore knew Voldemort wouldn't make the same mistake of attempting to kill Harry Potter personally.
The Dark Lord wouldn't waste his rebirth triggering the prophecy of his own downfall.
There was a reason why Tom Marvolo Riddle avoided making Horcruxes this time around. Instead, he passed down the magic to his Death Eaters, letting them split themselves into pieces and serving their souls to him as his power source.
This time, there was no chance for the Dark Lord's soul to break one Horcrux fragment that would enter the child. Still, Voldemort would not risk it, letting his Death Eaters hunt down the boy in his stead. Rather, he would be the one to provide support this time, holding back the enemies from stopping his Death Eaters. Except, Dumbledore had appeared to defend the Potter household unlike last time.
Goddamned headmaster just had to be rebirthed like him.
Bzzt.
"SIR- UNKNOWN PARTIES APPARATING AT THE BORDER!"
Fuck everything.
"ALL TEAMS OBJECTIVE TWO! DELAY AND PROTECT!" He barked into the comms as he flicked on his safety. He pivoted on his position behind the tree in the direction of the incoming invaders.
What else could they be? Only allies could apparate into the property. Enemies were locked out and had to walk into it.
"TEAMS ONE THROUGH FOUR- STAGGERED FIRE! TEAM FIVE AND SIX, STAY HIDDEN UNTIL YOU IDENTIFY PRIORITY TARGETS!"
Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit.
Death Eaters attacking was expected. Voldemort coming was shit hitting the fan.
If this third party was what he thought they were, then the mission could go FUBAR.
Escaping with his life would be lucky- the mission had to go first- even if all of them died.
Protect the Potter family at all costs.
Harry Potter's rebirth must not be stopped.
It was their only hope.
He looked at the people in front of him.
People from all walks of life.
Pure-blooded wizards. Half-bloods. Aryans. Muggles.
Their origins didn't matter. Only their status did.
The Acolytes- his loyal followers. The SS- the elite of the elite of muggle soldiers.
At one point, he would've scoffed at the idea of working alongside non-magicals. His previous life was spent believing they were meant to be enslaved- brought under heel of the wizards and witches- serving the magicals of the world.
Not anymore. Not since he had spent more time around them.
Especially not when he heard what muggles had achieved during his imprisonment in Nurmengard after his loss to Dumbledore.
It only reinforced his belief to conquer the muggle world, if not on his own and with the help of his followers, then by coercing them into serving him.
Thus, he joined Nazi Germany in WW2, showing Adolf Hitler the prowess of his faction. With magical support secretly hidden behind Nazi Germany's advance- Europe stood no chance. The magical world stood in shock as the Statute of Secrecy was violated, the European theater changing completely.
France fell before their wizards could even decide to join the war. The SS and his followers hunted down the French Ministry, plunging the French wizarding community into chaos. They fled to other nations- many escaping to Britain.
Britain would not make the same mistake.
Dumbledore rallied the British Ministry to the frontlines, pledging their support to the country as Nazi Germany assaulted the strait. The British magical community joined the war, defending the country from Nazi Germany's combined navy, airforce, and magical forces.
Plane against plane. Ship against ship. Wizard against wizard.
Warded battleships. Charmed airplanes. Enchanted guns. Weaponized nature. Magical logistics. Technomagical advancements.
World War 2 opened the eyes of the world to magic.
A pebble didn't just fall into the River of Time.
The entire thing was displaced.
"Everyone, get ready." He commanded.
His spies in Britain alerted him that the British Light and Dark Lord had moved. Usually, only one side was aggressing at any given time, either Dumbledore and his faction, or Voldemort and his Death Eaters. One side would heighten in activity, followed by an attack. Voldemort assaulting the Phoenix, Ministry, or the British Government. Dumbledore attacking a Death Eater hideout.
This time was different. Activity from both sides had heightened at coincidentally the same time.
Dumbledore and Voldemort were going after some objective. Something that both had to know judging from the information being leaked to him. Something that they knew much of, but something he lacked information on. Something he only heard about in his final years in Nurmengard.
The-Boy-Who-Lived. The famous child who took down Voldemort at birth.
He had not heard much about the boy aside from the news articles, and therefore had little-to-no information on him. But since the two British Wizarding Lords were moving, both of which had been heavily involved at some points with the boy, then clearly there was more to him than what meets the eye. If Dumbledore and Voldemort were investing this much attention on him, then they considered him an invaluable resource- or threat.
It would be a crucial mistake not to find out why.
Gellert Grindelwald, The Austrian Dark Lord, was stepping into the fray.
"On my mark."
The master of the Elder Wand drew the attention of the combined Acolyte-SS operation group around him.
"Begin."
Grindelwald apparated a number of wizards and soldiers with him, landing on the coast of France. The other wizards arrived shortly afterward, bringing soldiers that they could apparate with them. There, the French-German base met them with a number of portkeys primed to a location prepared for them by a spy on British soil. Once again, they traveled. This time, across the English channel. They arrived on British soil and jumped twice more.
At the last jump, they landed at their destination- a relatively unknown section of Britain that their spies had overlooked. The same location which had somehow slipped Grindelwald's eyes.
His eyes landed on the two British Lords battling at the front of a nondescript house.
This wasn't Godric's Hollow as he expected. Grindelwald had learned early on that Dumbledore had also rebirthed just like him. Voldemort probably had too, judging from how the second British Lord had escaped Dumbledore's machinations for the past several decades.
"Protego."
Grindelwald waved the Elder Wand, casting the strongest shielding charm in this world. The corporeal shield flashed blue as bullets peppered it, numerous flashes from the treeline in the distance showing the source of the gunfire.
"Attack. I want the baby in that house captured."
The Austrian Dark Lord begun marching forward, holding up the shield as two extremely powerful shots rang from a distance, cracking two sides of his shield charm. He noted the angles and reported their locations.
"Snipers. Second hill from the left. First on the right."
Immediately, two teams behind him split off. Three SS soldiers and accompanying mage headed in each direction, sprinting under the bushline to avoid being spotted. Grindelwald continued to march on, drawing the attention of the British special magic teams. The others behind him spread out, relocating to favorable positions before strafing the treeline to kill the British forces.
He began rushing forth, focusing his attention to the two Wizarding Lords fighting. Their battle had paused, both retreating in different angles to prepare for the newcomer.
They're willing to stay and fight.
Grindelwald's intuition was right.
Harry Potter was an objective neither side could give up.
Dumbledore flicked his wand, firing a powerful banishing charms his way while shooting a silent hex at Voldemort.
Voldemort intercepted the silent hex, throwing a wave of dark curses at his old headmaster, then summoning a group of snakes around him.
Grindelwald's shield charm stopped Dumbledore's charms. He counterattacked, sending a group of spells in each Lord's direction.
The three-way fight between Wizarding Lords began.
Harry blinked.
Gunfire could be heard in the distance.
Confusion.
Why was there gunfire?
Something was off. The heated battle inside the house increased in tempo, both sides ramping up to a crazy level. This time, people started getting hurt. Cries from both sides, bodies falling, angered screams.
Harry could hear it all. But he could do nothing. He looked down at his hands- small. Tiny. They were the hands of a baby. He couldn't even right himself up. Harry tried to, but his body was too weak. He couldn't move. The only thing he could do was stare up at the ceiling and watch.
"LILY, WE HAVE TO LEAVE!"
Harry Potter froze.
That voice…
"I WON'T ABANDON MY BABY SNAPE!"
What-
"GRINDELWALD IS HERE! DUMBLEDORE IS HOLDING HIM AND VOLDEMORT OFF!" The voice Harry recognized as his potions professor roared. But more importantly-
"SNAPE, DON'T YOU DARE-" Another man screamed hoarsely before he was silenced.
"STUPEFY!"
The spell was cast twice, two bodies thumping to the floor amidst the battle.
"ALL PHOENIX MEMBERS. GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT!"
Cracks began filling the air as members began apparating away. Harry heard gunfire and glass breaking on his right. Pained screams came from somewhere behind him, mages turning their attention to another threat outside. Little by little, more bodies hit the floor.
A face appeared. One Harry had never expected to see again ever since the man sacrificed himself many many years ago.
The face of Severus Snape appeared over him, tired, bloody and shaking. He fired a couple of spells in the direction behind Harry while reaching out for the boy.
Harry was too shocked seeing him, mind too distracted to focus on the situation.
Suddenly, two cracks.
It happened so quickly, Harry staring without blinking as time slowed down. Snape suddenly jerked backwards as two spots of red appeared on his chest.
"SECTUMSEMPRA!"
One last curse fired from his wand before more shots slammed into the wizard's body.
Like a moment frozen in time, Harry watched as Snape glanced at him, locking eyes with the boy as he twitched- mouth opening barely, red liquid inching its way out. Everything slowed down, Harry stunned as his professor tilted back agonizingly slowly, crimson liquid arching through the air. Snape's eyes never left his gaze, body twitching thrice more as red bloomed across his chest. Their sight locked to each other until he disappeared over the edge.
Then…it was over.
Silence.
Footsteps moved closer, two heads poking over him. Harry's thoughts were still catching up to him, blankly gazing up at the man in a helmet and the other in grey robe.
"Baby secured."
The world around him shook as the soldier picked up his basket. The scene changed as Harry was carried through the house. He watched damaged and bloodied walls pass by until they exited the doorway. His view changed to that of a night sky, the basket shaking a few more seconds as he was carried somewhere.
Then…it stopped.
"Lord Grindelwald."
Lord…Grindelwald…?
A face loomed over his view. A face Harry only saw from the memories provided by the Ministry of Magic. A face only one other Wizarding Lord Harry had never met.
The man's mouth curled into the slightest hint of a smile.
Harry stared back.
"So this is Harry Potter…"
He felt hands wrap around him, lifting him up out of the basket and into the air. Harry was brought up to eye level, facing the Dark Lord that terrorized his world before Voldemort. They gazed at each other's eyes quietly for a few seconds.
"You recognize me." Grindelwald's smile grew to a grin.
"..."
"..."
"No wonder…you're a future Lord too. Only we've been rebirthed so far."
Rebirthed…
Harry inwardly blinked.
What's going on?
Author's Note
As usual…a pilot chapter to see if the fanfic will go anywhere. Though I should really stop making new ones and leave them with very slow updates rip. The ideas are there and left frozen in time until I feel like working on them.
P.s. HELP I NEED HARRY POTTER WRITERS AND LORE EXPERTS DISCORD. I HAVEN'T READ THE BOOKS IN A DECADE.