FicWad

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters, ideas, and
situations created by JR Rowling and owned by her and her
publishers. I own the original elements & characters. No money
is being made by me, and no trademark or copyright infringement
is intended.


Chapter I
July 31, 2010


Luna Weasley and Hermione Weasley met Dora Lupin outside of 12 Grimmauld Place, which was still under a Fidelius Charm. "And where are your husbands today?" the former Tonks asked mildly.

"There's an ill griffin," Luna said simply. "Charles would not duck out of Harry's birthday."

"Ron would," Hermione said darkly. "It's been over twelve years since Ginny died in the Final Battle. I think the only person who blames Harry nearly as much as Harry is Ron."

"It was not Harry's fault. . . ." Luna started, but stopped when Hermione raised her hand.

"Believe me, I know," Hermione said gently. "Ginny should have stayed with you at the Castle, as we had all agreed. We all knew that she would be susceptible to Riddle's Imperius no matter what training she had. Harry had no way of knowing that killing Riddle when he did would not only kill all those with the Dark Mark but Ginny as well."

"She had already stopped Harry from killing Riddle three times and had crippled him physically and emotionally," Tonks pointed out. "He would have had no real choice, even if he had known. Now, stop refighting the war and come in."

"How's Remus doing?" Hermione asked as she did so. It was only four days until the next full moon.

"He's having one of his good days," Tonks said. The years of angry transformations before the Wolfsbane Potion had finally taken their toll on Remus. There was little doubt that one of the transformations would soon kill him, and some days his mind wandered as well.

Even though it was high summer, Harry and Remus sat in Bath chairs near the lit fireplace. "Hi," Harry managed. "Come entertain the invalids with tales of the wide world of magic?

"As if I weren't talking to the most powerful sorcerer on Earth," Hermione snorted.

"Who can only walk a few dozen steps at a time without magical help," Harry retorted. "I see Ron is being his usual busy self?"

"He is," Hermione admitted.

"Well, since we're all among friends," Harry said, "do you have any news for me? Real news, I mean?"

"What did you ask her to find out?" Remus asked suspiciously.

"If there was any way to send his memories and magical core back in time," Hermione said frankly. "I'm sorry, Harry, but I couldn't find anything even close."

"Why would you do that?" Tonks asked. "Trying to rewrite history?"

"Of course I am," Harry said. "If I could go back to an earlier version of myself, but with my current memories and power, Voldemort could be defeated with less hurt to everyone concerned.

"Oh, Harry," Luna said, shaking her head. "Why would you ask Hermione to look for such a ceremony? Would you expect it in the open records of the Ministry? Or even the Restricted Section of the library at Hogwarts?"

"I am the Transfiguration Professor, and have wide access. . . ."

"Hermione, you know I love you like a sister, but the type of ceremony Harry would need would be considered a very Dark blood ceremony, involving death as well as blood, and those are not going to be available to anyone except old families and in the Department of Mysteries."

"Where you happen to work," Tonks pointed out.

"I am allowed to neither confirm nor deny, as the silly phrase goes," Luna said. "I will merely point out that the Black and Potter families are very old, and you have their books and manuscripts in this very room. And, in fact, if you really wanted to do this, you would need that gold and burgundy book on the third bookcase there, fifth book in on the second shelf."

The other four blinked.

"Obviously, Harry's body must die, as must two others, plus there must be someone to cast the actual spells. The problem with the spell is . . . wait, let me make certain. It has been several years since I read that one." Luna moved over to the shelf and took the hand-written codex off the shelf and flipped through it. "Yes. You cannot go back to your own body. You must go back to a blood relative's body within the last seventy years, whose body was not destroyed by that death. Serious injury is fine as the rejoining will fix most injuries short of dismemberment, but not poisonings or deadly illness, and your core will bind with the one you join, adding the powers to some degree." Luna looked up. "Considering that you are likely the most powerful magic user since Merlin, perhaps of all time, that would make little real difference to you. The first question would be, who could you go back and take over, if you were to do such a thing?"

Hermione opened her mouth to protest, and found that Harry had cast a silencing charm on her without moving. "Hermione, I wouldn't be hurting anyone if I were to take over someone's body who died. My first question would be, 'would this ceremony really work'?"

Hermione felt the hex lift, but only crossed her arms and said "H'mph."

"I have no idea," Luna said. "If this ceremony has been used before, we wouldn't know it. It would certainly kill you and two other people. However, if you went back in time, the time stream could be reset."

"Are you certain?" Hermione put in. "Some theories state there are endlessly diverging universes. If, and that's a big if, if this worked, we might be left with three dead bodies and never know if it worked."

"True," Luna said to Hermione. "Actually, I agree that is the most likely outcome with a jump more than a few years into the past." She turned back to Harry. "Also, Harry, the body you take over is likely to be in a coma for up to three days."

"Damn," Harry said. "I thought for a minute maybe I could take over Dad. But by the time I woke up, Sirius would already be in Azkaban, and even if I could get him cleared on most charges, he might still face some on those murdered Muggles."

"Not to mention the fact that it is barely conceivable that Voldemort might notice you weren't as dead as he thought. You could hardly defend yourself," Remus said. "More to the point, I take it Harry would enter the body almost the same instant that it died?"

"Correct," Luna said.

"The house collapsed when Voldemort was separated by his body, and James' body was crushed. You could be killed almost instantly. The same was true of Lily to a lesser degree. I understand you were pretty battered, which is why you weren't taken to the Dursleys that next morning."

"Damn again," Harry said.

"You know something," Tonks accused her husband.

Remus nodded. "I do. I know who Harry can become if we do this."

"Who?" Hermione demanded.

"Harry, you never bothered with your family history, did you?" Remus asked.

"Not the immediate family, why?"

"Hermione?"

"Not really," Hermione admitted. "I mean , I read about Harry before I met him, but I didn't learn much about his family."

"I could draw this out," Remus said, "but simply put, James was the elder of fraternal twins. James Harold and Henry John."

"Really?" Harry asked.

"Really," Remus said. "Voldemort's first act of large-scale terrorism was an attack on a group of veterans and their families who had fought against Grindelwald in May, 1971, perhaps because it was the first reunion Dumbledore was scheduled to miss. Henry was killed then, along with a few dozen other people plus a dozen Death Eaters. There wouldn't be another massacre like it for years, probably because of the Death Eater casualties." Remus frowned. "I'm not sure, but I think a bit of James' arrogance came from the fact that the only Death Eater captured, Jacob Prince, was caught because James had hit him with a rock he had thrown." Remus grinned. "Apparently, he had played a lot of village cricket and was already a good bowler."

"Prince?" Hermione asked.

Harry caught on. "One of Snape's relatives, I take it?"

"Snape was a Prince?"

"His mother's family," Hermione confirmed.

"That could explain a lot," Remus said.

"Harry, if you did this, you could do a lot of good," Luna said. "But think of what you're asking us to sacrifice. Even assuming we survived in this time stream, our other selves would likely never know you in the alternate time line, because James and Lily would likely not come together as they did, and even if they did, they might not have sex at the particular moment they did when you were conceived. We might not even exist, and even if we all did, the odd series of events that brought Charles and I together would never happen. Our five children would not exist. . . ."

"Five?" Tonks asked.

"You're preggers again?" Harry asked. "Congrats!"

"Thank you," Luna said.

"In 1971, there were . . . four Horcruxes, not six," Harry mused, now mostly ignoring Luna. "I would know where the ring, the locket, and the cup are, and Riddle would still have the diary. He didn't locate Ravenclaw's codex until 1977. I would also have the power to destroy Riddle's body if nothing else at any confrontation. You would be risking your alternate selves, but according to Hermione there's a good chance your current time lines would continue."

"And who would die with you here, ending those time lines?" Hermione asked.

"I would, of course," Remus said simply. "I probably wouldn't last more than a few more moons anyway." He turned to Harry. "If we do this, you need to memorize the Wolfsbane Potion." Harry nodded. It had been the transformations of the 1980s and early 1990s, when Lupin had been alone, depressed, and angry, which had done the most damage to his body as well as to his spirit. His anger had turned on himself each month, and his body had never recovered.

"And I wouldn't want to live without these two," Tonks said simply. "You two have lives outside of these two, and I've given my life to them for over ten years. If this time line continues, you'd be hurting your families. Mine is dead. My lovers would be dead."

"Remus will be dead in less than a year," Harry said. "I've only lived as long as I have because of my raw power. I doubt I'll last more than three. Even Madam Pomfrey doubts I'll make a full three more years."

Hermione and Luna looked at each other, three suspicions they shared now confirmed. "I am always difficult to track down," Luna pointed out. "I would have lunch with Hermione, walk here while invisible, do the ceremony, and then, if this time-line continues, walk back to my alibi." Ron and Hermione had a small house nearby, which Ron, a coach for the Cannons, used during the season and where Hermione lived during the summer holidays.

"How would you pull it off?" Hermione asked Harry. "At the other end, IF this worked?"

"I would imagine there would be the residue of Dark magic all over Henry," Harry said, to which Luna nodded. "I would claim massive amnesia, and use my Occlumency to block any memory probes."

"You're going to do this, aren't you?" Hermione stated, knowing her friends and knowing she would end up going along as she almost always did. Harry and Remus nodded, and then Tonks did as well. She pulled out a notebook. "Then we'd best decide what has to be done before you three commit suicide. Let's start with this time line and then think about what Henry here has to know in the other. First, let's talk about wills. . . ."



That night, as Harry sat in his bed memorizing the formula for Wolfsbane, Dobby popped into the bedroom. "Mister Harry?"

"Yes, Dobby?"

"Youse is really going back to 1971?"

"I guess I shouldn't be surprised you heard," Harry admitted.

"May Dobby make a request, Mister Harry?"

"Of course," Harry said.

"Dobby was young elfling, just starting to serve his Mistress, Mistress Jordan. Mistress died in the Massacre. Dobby therefore had to go to a family member. Dobby first asked Mister Harry's grandfather, who asked family, but none wanted extra elf. Then Dobby asked four other branches of family before nasty Master took Dobby in."

"Lucius, you mean."

Dobby shook his head. "Master Malfoy's father."

"Oh, of course."

"If Mister Harry utters a Call when he awakens, Dobby will be called to his true Master. Dobby would have to be bonded to Master Henry, but for you, Mister Harry, Dobby would be happy as loved slave."

"Teach me the Call," Harry said.



Harry learned a bit about his family the next day. His family had been strong in the fight against Grindelwald. Henry's grandfather and father had both fought. His father's first wife had been killed in 1942, soon after their marriage. Harold John had remarried in 1955 and his second wife had the twins on May 1, 1960. Harold's mother, younger sister, and young daughter had been killed in the Massacre, and his father, Henry James, was seriously injured, dying in August, 1971. Henry James had been head of the MLES at the time of the Massacre, and there was little doubt he had been a primary target of the attack. Harold was out of politics, nursing the family fortune.

Harry did know that the Potters were a very old family, directly descended in the male line, Harry had already known, from Godric Gryffindor, although many thought they had merely married into the family. They tended to marry for love, but also tended to marry witches from the younger Pure-Blood families, especially from the commercial classes, making the Potters one of the richest magical families in Europe. Harry knew that part, at least, from taking over the family fortune in 1997.
Unlike the Malfoys, the Potters did not flaunt their wealth or status. At times, however, they did tend to flaunt their magical or political power. James, it appeared, was rather more guilty than most, in part because of his well-aimed stone. Remus had also wondered if James might not have been over-spoiled in the months leading up to his going to Hogwarts because he had lost both a twin brother and a younger sister, as well as an aunt and grandmother.



They had arranged the ritual for noon on August 3. Ron was with the Cannons, and the three Granger children were playing in the small back garden of the London townhouse. Hermione looked at them, and wondered if she had done the right thing by not trying to stop Harry.

'Right,' she told herself. 'When did I ever really STOP Harry? The most I could ever do was get him to slow down, which I managed to do a bit this time.' At that moment, 12:12, Hermione felt something tear at her magic a bit, as well as at her very being.

The ceremony must have been completed, she knew. Harry, the only man she had loved (and in every sense) other than her husband, was gone from this world. This time line would continue, and she wouldn't know until she entered 'the next great adventure' if he had been really successful or not.

Six minutes later, Luna returned to the town house. The pair merely sat and looked at each other for a moment. Hermione could not bring herself to speak.

Finally, Luna said, "To all appearances, it worked, but of course we shall not know for certain in this lifetime. Harry gave me Voldemort's wand to use, and then I snapped it into three pieces. The spell will be untraceable, both in content and in caster. No doubt it will be blamed on a surviving unMarked Death Eater or sympathizer. So long as no one is directly accused, however, there is no need for us to speak of this ever again."

Hermione nodded. "I agree."

The two sat there, sad, until Luna said, "While I did the spell correctly, I wonder if I should have told Harry there was a thirty-three percent chance he would end up inside his aunt rather than his uncle."

Hermione looked at her best friend and managed a smile.



The 'murders' of the Lupins and the great Harry Potter were indeed attributed to some pro-Death Eater faction, although none ever claimed direct responsibility.

Dobby came to Luna and Charlie's service. They named their fifth son Henry John. Charlie refused to allow their only daughter, born two years later, to be named Nymphadora. Charlie, who had taken over Hagrid's position as Care of Magical Creature Professor at Hogwarts, used the share of the Black fortune Harry left to him to fund research into studying how to apply Muggle veterinarian techniques to magical creatures. Luna used part of her share to finally prove the existence of Crumple-Horned Snorkacks.

The Weasley twins used their share to bring out a line of Muggle pranks, dedicated to their late partner and backer, as well as appropriate products dedicated to Remus and Tonks.

Hermione used her share to fund continued research for find a cure for lycanthropy, and for a yearly reward for the best students taking Defense at Hogwarts. Ron, to her disgust, bought several collectable old racing brooms, the final card he needed for his 'Series E' chocolate frog collection (in circulation 1982-1998), and a large supply of the most expensive fire whiskey -- intending to celebrate the death of Harry Potter each night with half a shot.

Ron and Hermione divorced less than a year after Harry's death. Ron upped his toast to a full shot.

The parts of the Potter Trust and Black fortunes which could not be split apart was made into the Potter/Black Educational Trust. There were many indigent magical people, living much as the Gaunts had the century before, surviving only on their magic. This would allow them the chance to study at Hogwarts. Hermione, Luna, Charlie, and even the twins were named officers of the new Trust -- Ron was not.

In short, life went on.

Friday, May 7, 1971


"I'm sorry, Mister Potter, but that's all I can tell you."

Harry managed not to show any sign of being awake, but he wondered who was talking to him.

"I don't understand. What's wrong with my son?"

'Dad?' Harry thought, and then he remembered what Luna had tried to do. This would be his grandfather, or possibly his great grandfather. Then Harry remembered they would now be his father and grandfather respectively.

"As strange as it may sound, it looks as if he survived a Killing Curse."

"How is that possible?"

"It may have been mis-cast, or perhaps the caster had second thoughts. Remember, you really have to want to kill for the curse to work," the healer said. "That curse scar on his forehead came from something unknown and he showed signs of being hit by a powerful Dark curse, and that seems the most likely."

'Shit,' Harry thought, 'the bloody scar came with me.' Since it had faded entirely away within six years of Voldemort's death, he supposed it made some sense that it would again exist now that he was sharing time with Voldemort again.

"But why can't anyone touch him other than that bloody elf?"

"Be glad the elf showed up," the healer said. "Your son needed plenty of fluids and needed to be cleaned up. He could have died already without that help, and he would certainly die in a few more days without that help. As for why no one else could touch him, I can't say."

'I guess I managed to unconsciously Call Dobby,' Harry thought. 'And I forgot to cancel with wards I developed for myself.' These 'switched on' automatically whenever Harry was asleep or unconscious, and kept him from being attacked by anyone he had not keyed to the wards. He and Hermione had developed them after the ninth assassination attempt following Voldemort's death. By then, the Pure-Bloods knew they could not successfully kill Harry when he was awake, and they had managed three attacks when he was asleep.

"So can't you tell me anything more?" Harold Potter pleaded.

"Not until he wakes up."

Harry opened his eyes, and was pleased to see that unlike his old self or his father-now-brother, he did not need glasses. "Hello?" he managed to croak.

"Well hello there," the healer said, walking over. He waved his wand and said, "The raw magic that was surging is gone and you seem fine."

"Head hurts," Harry muttered.

"Yes, you seem to have taken a nasty curse of some kind," the healer said. "What's the last thing you remember?"

Harry frowned. "I . . . I can't seem to remember anything." He looked over at the other figure in the room. "Did I hear right? Are you my father?"

Harold and the healer looked at each other, and the healer called in the specialists.

I promise, this is the last of several stories I've been working on, where I have many elements in common (time-travel, Harry's ideas, how wizarding Britain operates, etc.) yet change a few and play with the results. This was actually the third of the 4 stories I started, and 'Triwizard Redux' the last. The other two are NC-17, and I doubt if I'll even bother finishing the first. Some of the speeches explaining the background therefore remain the same. What has mostly changed is the time Harry showed up. There should be 17 chapters.