Chapter 63

The Dark Lord flexed his hand slowly as he eyed the items on the table. Each contained a small piece of his soul. It had been an immensely painful process to create two Horcruxes in such a short period, but the need to get to seven had never been so great. Lord Voldemort had never imagined anyone destroying a single one of his Horcruxes much less two.

Nonetheless, the task had been accomplished. Faster than he originally planned, but his mind drifted to the reasons why he had taken such drastic steps. The Potter boy. The child from the future. A future where he had won. Destiny had arrived. No amount of trickery, defiance, or power, could stop his rise. He had seen it in the boy's mind. Thousands at his command. The country had been conquered. It may have cost him more than he liked, in the form of six Horcruxes, but victory had been his. Those that had stood against him: Dumbledore, Charlus Potter, all had fallen to his hand at one point or another.

Regardless, the boy knew too much. His diary from his formative years, the cup, and his ancestors' locket were in danger. No matter where the items were hidden, the boy knew what to look for, and magic this powerful would leave a trace. It would only take a word to the old fool, and they could have a staunch advantage in searching for the pieces of his soul. The pieces Potter knew about would need to be hidden very carefully.

Looking at his original soul anchors in appreciation, he levitated them in front of his eyes and made them swirl around each other. Keeping the pieces of his soul close together was a mistake he could not afford. He had not seen how Potter had found the others, but he had recognized a few of the locations in which they were destroyed. Some locations appeared safe, while others…

A knock on the door didn't break his attention from the slowly swirling items and with a flick of his wrist, his guest was beckoned inside by the opening of the door. His loyal follower entered the room silently, offered a low bow, and then asked, "You called for me, my lord?"

"Yes, Augustus, I have a monumental task for you." Voldemort said as he eyed the older man.

Voldemort had not spotted any mention of the man inside of the time traveler's mind, and wondered what Potter might have known of the man. The Death Eater had been at Hogwarts during Tom Riddle's final years of school, and was a promising young student that the Dark Lord had taken under his wing. Now the man had a long career with the Ministry and was able to feed him information from inside the Department of Mysteries. There was not a person in the entire Ministry that would suspect him, and with his father's good reputation, others were willing to share confidential information with him as well. The value of Rookwood could not be understated and as he watched the man wait patiently for his task Voldemort decided not to leave him in suspense, "Your knowledge of the Dark Arts is commendable Augustus. Tell me what do you make of these items."

The locket of Salazar Slytherin seemed to hold his attention the most, and Augustus approached it carefully, "May I touch it?"

The Dark Lord offered a nod, and Augustus reached to pull it out of the air, and once he touched it Voldemort could tell the man was distinctly uncomfortable, "I've never felt power like this before, my lord. It feels like your magic, and it is heavily enchanted…I believe this item would invade my mind if I were to wear it, or keep it on my person for a long period of time. These are compulsion charms similar in nature to the imperious curse, but with much more malevolence. I am in awe, my lord."

Voldemort nodded satisfied with the man's conclusion, "A piece of my power is imbued in this object. My enemies know of it, and would see it destroyed. I need it hidden in a place where they are unlikely to find it."

"You wish for me to hide it in the Department of Mysteries, my lord?" Augustus asked.

Eyeing the dark bearded man Voldemort considered the question. He had put a great deal of thought into where the locket should be placed. Ironically it was greatly insulting to the party he intended to hide his objects from, and doubted any would ever discover it, "I do. In fact I would like you to hide it in the room with the time-turners that we previously discussed."

Augustus frowned at the suggestion, "The time turners are heavily regulated, my lord. I fear they will notice a new object in the room. Particularly one of this power."

The Dark Lord offered the man a sinister smile as he drew his wand and summoned the locket to levitate before him. With slow, deliberate turns of his wand, the heir of Slytherin enchanted the locket. Rookwood stepped closer to observe the changes of the object and his eyes widened as it slowly began to look like a time-turner.

When Voldemort finished he wrapped his hand around the chain and offered it to his faithful follower who took it with a look of wonder on his countenance, "This is impeccable, my lord. I still sense the magic, but the compulsion to wear it is stronger than ever."

"If you were to wear it then you would quickly forget what you were looking for, and my locket would defend itself." Voldemort informed the man, "If any of your co-workers were to find it they would not be able to comprehend the situation they found themselves in. Ultimately the locket would be placed back where it was found, and they would be greatly confounded. Augustus, it is very important that my locket is not removed from the Department of Mysteries. My enemies could harm me if they were to locate it."

Nodding in understanding, the Death Eater offered a bow of his head, "I will ensure I place every defense I can imagine on it, as well as place it in a spot that I do not believe it will be stumbled upon by accident."

"Ensure that you do. I would like to see the memory of where you placed it, and what you did to ensure its defense when it is done." The Dark Lord commanded as he slowly pushed the disguised locket to his follower, "This must be done with your highest sense of urgency."

Rookwood took the chain into his hands, stared at it reverently, and nodded his acceptance as he swept out of the room to complete the task of his master. Voldemort contemplated the thought of what he had done. He had undoubtedly strayed from his original plan and sincerely doubted the time-traveling Potter would ever discover Augustus. The boy would still need to be eliminated, but the Dark Lord had little doubt that all of his knowledge on the Cup, the Locket, and his Diary was in the possession of Charlus Potter and Dumbledore. Dangerous foes to be certain, but nothing compared to what the Dark Lord was capable of. He had proved that in Hogsmeade.

Looking at the other objects, he considered his plans before taking a breath and whispering, "One down, four to go."

.o.

The final day of Hogwarts had arrived. Harry could hardly believe he was actually going to get this experience. In his time, he knew that the war would interfere with his graduation, and he never really allowed himself to look forward to the event. Now however he was holding his girlfriend's hand out by the lake as they strolled through the grounds on the final morning of their time at Hogwarts. The exams were done, and Harry was confident in the work he had done.

In truth, Harry had been immensely proud of everyone. His entire study group had walked out of their exams with their heads held high, and even the meetings with Dumbledore had not deterred any of their high spirits. Of course, the Headmaster had summoned Harry and Elaina to his office nearly a dozen times in their final week with questions, but Harry had done his best to be patient with answering the man. He knew the type of wizard Dumbledore was, and any information could prove to be beneficial in the coming days.

Elaina squeezed Harry's hand as a troubled look crossed her features. Harry looked at the girl questioningly and she just kept her eyes on the lake as she spoke, "I haven't looked forward to a summer in a long time, Harry."

Pulling the girl in gently, he placed a kiss on top of her dark hair wrapping an arm around her, "Yeah, me too, I think. I don't know how much peace we will get, but we'll be together. With my family."

"Speaking of family, I think I need to go see my father. Say goodbye to him. Tell him what happened to my Mum." Elaina said softly.

The way she said Mum made Harry's gut drop. He knew the death of her mother weighed heavily on Elaina's mind recently. An innocent squib killed for the sins of her father. A murder that would likely go unavenged, and unexplained. Harry spoke softly, "I will go with you, if you like?"

"I would." She admitted, "There is a certain need I have for my father to meet the man in my life. It's silly, because he will hate you for what you are, but a part of me thinks he will rest easier knowing I am looked after."

"What if he tries to hurt you?" Harry asked warily as he held the girl close to his side.

"He hasn't been able to hurt me for a long time." She countered softly, "You have made me quite adept in defending myself as well. I would not place us at unnecessary risk. This is just something I need to do."

"I understand." Harry confided softly. His closure with Dursley's hadn't been the vengeful scene he imagined in his head. The months leading up to the Battle of the Seven Potters, he had imagined all the things he would say to them, all the curses he would utter under his breath in their presence, but in the end he merely shook Dudley's hand and they left, never to be seen again. He had hardly even exchanged words with his uncle, and he would forever remember his aunt's final words to him, You didn't only lose a mother that night. I lost a sister.

Harry doubted Lily and Petunia would have much of a relationship in this timeline. Lily had been furious to discover how he had been lied to about her and James' death. She had been furious to discover that he was not treated as a member of their family, and nearly went to tears when she learned about the cupboard under the stairs. If James had any anger towards Lily's sister he never voiced it to Harry, but the man's jaw always clenched when Lily asked about their son's childhood. Harry knew the teen was trying to keep his opinions to himself for Lily's sake, but a part of him felt grateful for their indignation.

James had really turned into the leader Harry knew he could be. He pushed himself as hard as Frank did in the training, and the results spoke for themselves. Sirius, James, and Frank, had finally managed to take down Elaina in a three on one duel, and nearly managed to unseat Harry as well. The three fought well together, and Harry encouraged them to continue training in that group as much as possible, because together they were likely about to take down any Death Eater.

Sirius had been allowing his increase in skill to go to his head a bit, but Marlene was doing her best to keep him down on planet Earth. The girl had been invited to join the order by Sirius, and Harry was debating on whether he should tell them about what happened to her family in his time. He knew the McKinnons had all been killed at some point after graduation, but after all he changed; maybe that wouldn't happen. Of course, Harry was slightly cautious to bring anyone else in on the secret. The general public should never know the truth of his origin. It would lead to more questions that he didn't have the answers too, and people would always be curious about their futures. There was also the distinct possibility that people would think he was a nutter, more than they had already anyways.

However, Harry knew his godfather deeply cared about Marlene, and wondered often about the extent of their relationship in his previous life. Lily had only said in the letters he found to Peter that Sirius had been down since they had discovered the fate of her family. Maybe there was more to it than that? The loss would only have added more weight to the man's shoulders when he lost James and Lily, which pushed him to pursue Peter for vengeance.

Looking at his girlfriend Harry knew he would pursue any that dared to harm her. He had grown close to Elaina in their year of school together. He told her everything of his previous life, things he had told no other, not even Ron and Hermione. She was his closest confidant, and he fought harder every day hoping they could have a bright future together. Like Charlus and Dorea had.

"You have that look in your eyes again, what is it?" The girl asked softly as she separated from his hold on her and began dragging him back towards the castle.

"Just thinking about the future." Harry admitted, "What it could be like when it's all over. If we win."

"When we win." Elaina corrected.

"When we win." Harry sighed in agreement.

The young woman shrugged, "We live. Watch our friends grow old and have families. Travel the world together with the fortune I make by becoming a dueling champion. If you are the one that does kill Voldemort, then I imagine any position you want in our world will be yours for the taking."

"What about when we are done traveling the world?" Harry asked with a smile.

"The world is a big place, Harry." Elaina countered with a small laugh.

"No, really!" Harry defended with a sad smile, "It all has seemed so impossible, and with everything that has happened, I can hardly imagine not having this war looming over my shoulder, but when we win it all has to slow down at some point. It's odd I don't allow myself to think of this very often, but with this being our last day at Hogwarts, I think I am feeling sentimental."

"I've seen it all now." The girl teased softly, "Broody Harry, I know how to deal with. Sentimental Harry I am not so sure."

"Humor me." Harry pleaded, making the girl stop as they approached the grounds that would lead them to the courtyard they nearly destroyed four months ago, "We discover the secrets of your family. We win the war. We travel the world. You, a dueling champion, and myself a self-fashioned Dark Lord Slayer. What then?"

"Sounds like a dream that I would never want to wake up from." Elaina answered with a smile that seemed to understand.

Before Harry could question the girl further the sound of the train arriving in Hogsmeade rang throughout the valley and he grinned at the girl, "Saved by the whistle."

"I'm not hiding anything." The girl answered innocently before continuing forward with Harry's hand still grasped in her own.

Making it back to the Slytherin Common Room they received their usual number of stares and glares, but Harry made no mind of it as Elaina offered him a kiss on the cheek before going to her room to gather her things. Harry had already dismantled the wards around his room that morning and merely left proximity defenses that he easily brought down with flicks of his wand as he returned to his dormitory.

The room had meant little to him in the grand scheme of things. It didn't have the same attachment or homie feeling that the Gryffindor Dormitory had, but he had made it through the year.

As he gathered the remainder of his belongings, he stepped into the hallway and glanced at the rooms around him. Some of the Slytherin boys had already left after finishing their exams. Some had even left beforehand and opted to take their test at the Ministry and finish their studies away from the castle. Nate Greengrass had been one of those boys. Harry had not seen the heir to the family since Valentine's Day before they went to Hogsmeade. By the time Harry had woken up in the hospital wing, the boy he had called a friend was gone.

Sighing, Harry recalled the fear in the boy's eyes when Eilif Rowle had tried to get Nate to warn his friends about what was coming. He could hardly believe the boy had been such a coward. Nate had plenty of opportunities to tell him without anyone finding out, but the Greengrass Heir had chosen his side. Harry suspected it was why the boy had been quiet during the second half of term. He was facing pressure from the Death Eaters and possibly the Dark Lord himself. It was an unpleasant repercussion to some of the changes he had made. Harry knew for a fact that the Greengrass family had been neutral during the first Wizarding War. That neutrality was ruined now. Harry would never kill Nate for being a coward, but their friendship was certainly over, and he only hoped they never crossed paths if the boy donned Death Eater robes.

Harry waited patiently in the Common Room for Elaina as he surveyed the room with his eyes. Barty Crouch Jr, the Carrows, and a few other Death Eaters in training were all lounging around together sending Harry more glares than he cared to register. He would be seeing each of them real soon if he had to guess, and there would be no mercy from his corner. He was glad he had come to Slytherin, because he had the opportunity to befriend Pandora, Andromeda, and of course grow his relationship with Elaina. Something told him whether he had been sorted in Slytherin or not the two would have found their way to each other, but being in the same house had certainly helped their cause.

The girl in question came around the corner with no luggage in sight. He knew the girl had likely shrunk it all down to fit in her robes, so he merely offered her a slight smile and his own hand. Without even a glance over his shoulder, the two made their way out of the Common Room and towards the train.

.o.

The Marauders had all opted to go to Hogsmeade for the evening instead of taking the train. Lily had also remained at Hogwarts for meetings with the Professors that Harry had not been privy to. Elaina seemed to know something, but had kept quiet, leaving Harry to hope for a pleasant surprise.

Harry sat with Frank, Alice, and Pandora, in the compartment with an arm around Elaina living in the nostalgia of the final ride on the Hogwarts Express. Frank and Alice had both taken a turn in explaining what their first ride had been like, and it turned out that the two had been friends since practically day one.

Pandora had even told Harry that she had met Andi and Amelia Bones on the first train ride here, and the group had all been friends ever since. It seems some friendships were just destined to begin on the train ride to Hogwarts.

The smile had hardly left Harry's face the entire way back to London. Harry was beginning to recognize signs of the city when a knock on the compartment door drew the attention of the group, and with a flick of Harry's wrist the door opened, and his heart sank. He had wondered where Andromeda had been the entire train ride, and the girl looked horrible. Her eyes were sunken from a lack of sleep, and her eyes were bloodshot.

Pandora was on her feet in a second, while the rest of the compartment froze as the blonde put her arms around her best friend asking what was going on. Andi hadn't said a word until she visibly swallowed hard, "I need to talk to Harry. Alone."

Elaina's grip tightened around Harry's hand, and Pandora whispered, "Andi, please, tell us what's wrong?"

"It's a family matter!" The girl snapped, and Harry stood to his feet as Pandora recoiled backward in surprise.

Harry held his hands up placatingly, "Alright Andi, let's go find an empty compartment. We will meet up with the rest of you on the platform."

The others muttered their agreement, and Harry followed Andi as she turned on her heel and began walking away quickly to a nearby compartment that she had obviously charmed for privacy. The girl stormed inside and Harry followed without even a glance over his shoulder.

As he entered the compartment a hand came in his direction, and he hardly even contemplated what happened until he felt the stinging blow across his face, "You absolute prat! You knew!"

Harry looked at the girl bewildered as he held his face, "Ow, Andi, what are you on about?"

The girl drew her wand and Harry went to grab his to defend himself, but instead of casting a spell at him she whipped the wand towards the door causing it to slam shut, and he knew no one would be hearing the words they exchanged next, "I'm pregnant."

Harry froze for a moment, before his face threatened to split with the size of the smile that followed, "Andi, that's gr-"

Andi went to slap him again, but he caught it with a laugh, "A surprise I was afraid to ruin. You have no idea the kind of woman you are going to bring into the world."

"A girl?" Andi asked in wonder, and Harry nodded his smile, never leaving his face. Andi took a step back and sat down burying her face into her hands, "My family will kill him."

"Honestly I like his chances a lot more in this timeline. Arcturus won't be around to kick up a storm, Alphard won't be pleased, but he won't cast you out, and Sirius, as the heir, will have your back." Harry defended.

"I'm 17, Harry!" The girl practically screamed at him.

His smile dropped slightly, and he tentatively took a seat next to her placing an arm around her, "Andi, I know this is scary. I know this may not have been the future you were expecting, but I do know this. You are going to be an amazing mother. Ted is going to be an amazing father. You are going to raise an amazing daughter. A very powerful, talented, daughter. One that grows up to become one of my best friends."

Andromeda looked over to him, dropping her hands into his lap, "Tell me what happened. Prepare me for what my family did in my time."

Knowing the girl was terrified Harry complied with the request, "They cast you out of the family. I don't know much else beyond that. I know you and Ted make it though. Neither of you were harmed by the Black family to my knowledge. You were as talented of a witch back then, as you are now, and no one was going to cross a daughter of house Black, cast out or not. With my teachings, no one would get within a league of hurting you. I wouldn't allow it. Besides, in the previous time Aunt Dorea wasn't around to protect you from the fallout. I am certain had she been, it would've happened much differently. It will be different this time, better."

Andi offered Harry a watery smile as she threw her arms around him, "Thank you, Harry."

Harry rubbed soothing circles into her back, and he sighed, "You're welcome. Now, have you told Ted?"

Sniffling as they separated, she shook her head. Harry took a breath, "That's fine. You should invite him to Potter Manor. Give the news there where you can be safe and uninterrupted. I will speak with my parents, but I also think you should move in with us for the duration of the pregnancy at least. You could be a target to the Purebloods. More so than in the past. They know we are friends, and if they put together that you are pregnant and suspect Ted as the father, the baby will be in danger."

Andi's brown eyes widened in realization and she nodded vigorously accepting his words, "Do you think your parents will be okay with that?"

Snorting, Harry smiled, "Are you kidding? Mum is on cloud 9 with all these guests in the house. I doubt they will bat an eyelash, but still it would be polite to ask for permission."

The girl looked relieved by his words, "Thanks, Harry. I don't think there will be much welcome for me in my house once my parents find out who the father is."

Harry nodded in understanding, "Do you know how far along you are?"

Biting her lip, she shook her head, "I've been seeing Ted for a while. I am not sure, yet. I planned to go to Saint Mungo's tomorrow to find out more."

"I am going to tell Elaina," Harry sighed, "Other than that we should keep it quiet until you tell Ted."

In agreement, the girl let out a sigh, "I'm not ready to be a Mum."

Placing a hand on her shoulder Harry laughed, "I don't think anyone is ever ready, but you have the future on your side, you are going to be great."

The two embraced again and Harry looked out the window, noting their arrival at Kings Cross, "We've got your back Andi. No matter what."

Andi began to smile, but it fell, "I guess I shouldn't train with you guys anymore."

"Definitely not." Harry agreed, "It is all our job to protect you now. Just do us a favor and don't make it harder than it needs to be."

Andi let out a sigh, "This all spells trouble, but thanks for being a good friend, Harry."

Thinking of his bright Metamorphmagi friend in the future he grinned at the woman, "I owe it to a really good friend to make sure her mum is taken care of."

(A/N) Some things were simply meant to be. Join me on Discord and read through Chapter 81 for free. Just find "The Hunters Lounge" or add me on Discord OrionB15. You can also read through the end of the story for just 1$ on Pat(reon).