Chapter Text
As the bodies of the lost filled the Great Hall, the boy-who-lived watched on with sorrow. He'd lost friends and family that day and people too young to have been taken. He cried with Hermione as Ron's body was laid along with Fred's and Percy's. The Weasleys' had lost three of their children, young and innocent. Hermione couldn’t help the haunted look that spread across her face as she remembered Nagini's bite on her boyfriend's arm. She had stared in horror as the life drained out of him, whilst Neville managed to kill the snake.
The boy-who-nearly-was stood beside his two friends with Luna, crying their grief-filled hearts out at the loss of so many lives, so many dead souls. They wished for nothing but to take all of it back and have those faces back and lit with life and joy. It felt more like a gigantic loss, even with the final win. Lord Voldemort was silenced once and for all, yet his mark on their world left a wound deep within. He was a mad man’s existence became defined by his wish to cheat death, to conquer and ravish the land through pain and torture. Someone who was truly undeserving of the word human and unworthy of even considering mercy.
The day dragged on with a heaviness in the air as the bodies piled up and families said their goodbyes to their loved ones. One of the many casualties that hurt Harry the most, was that of his father's best friend and his young wife. They had a son waiting for them, now it would be Harry who would be the one to come to their house. He'd have to raise the boy and teach him all he knew, then when the time comes, admit that the child lost his parents because Harry was an incompetent fool. What good was his power if he couldn't save those he loved most? After the many years, he'd succeeded in foiling the dark lord's plans, for the first time Harry truly felt defeat.
The young Colin Creevey, only a year behind him, was another such boy that now caused Harry pain. The boy had been enthusiastic to join the world of magic, much like Harry himself. He'd been a fan of the boy-who-lived and worshipped the ground the older walked. Now Dennis Creevey had lost an older brother and Harry felt responsible to take care of another. Not much was left to be said after that day, as people were too much to care what happens the next day. It would take many years for the world to recover, that was a war's effect after all. There were no winners here, from the Death Eaters who lost the battle, to the young children who lost their childhood whether fighting on the side of the light or dark. After all, the younger Death Eaters were nothing more than collateral. Children taught to follow in their parents’ footsteps without being given a chance to make their own decisions, now doomed to rot in Azkaban or roam the world orphaned and alone.
The days went on with the ministry trying to reign in the chaos. Many Death Eaters were caught in that time, thanks to the Aurors. Harry and Hermione tried their best to help in the capture, so had the other Order members that survived. It was a way to pass the time and push away the grief they all felt. Despite how unhealthy it was, it just seemed like the better option at the time. It took weeks for most of Voldemort's followers to fall. Thankfully a lot of them had surrendered easily and decided to cooperate for a lower sentence.
For the next six months or so, it was continuous progress into a closer resemblance of stability. Hogwarts was finally rebuilt and the families compensated for their losses. Trials were held in an orderly fashion, with much help from the Wizengamot. Many wizards were called, from Europe and other close countries, to help with the clean-up in the ministry. Harry avoided the media as much as possible and, thankfully, no one seemed too concerned with him, as long as he provided aid to the ministry. Hermione had stopped helping after the third month and decided to go join her parents in Australia.
The Weasleys had secluded themselves for a few months, then resurfaced with a renewed vigour. They were more adamant than most to search for Death Eaters and testify against them. George and Lee-Jordan had joined the Aurors in their search. Charlie worked with his friends to help handle the creatures involved in the battle. Bill and Fleur worked with the Gringotts Goblins to handle any dark artefacts retrieved from Death Eaters. The parents kept Ginny close and worked hard to not involve her in the clean-up as she wished.
It was now Christmas and the Wizarding World in Europe had earned its celebration. Many Death Eaters were sentenced and children were going home for Yule. The only person not celebrating was Harry Potter. He'd been in contact with Hermione; who decided to fully immigrate to Australia and work on her Mastery in Runes and Transfiguration. She hoped to teach at the School there, in a few years. The Weasleys had invited him to Christmas but he felt ashamed to join them.
Instead, he went to Andromeda's to join her and Teddy Jr. The boy was growing up fast and Harry will be damned if he missed those important moments in the boy's life. He had little to no time with his parents and godfather. He'll make sure to be in Teddy's life as much as possible. He was currently tossing the boy up and catching him. Smiling as the baby giggled and continued to change hair colour. "You're funny aren't you Teddy?" said Harry with a cooing tone. The baby giggled louder and clung to the older's neck.
"Ba ba ba ba," the child said and squealed, then blew a raspberry kiss.
"Dinner's ready cousin," called Andromeda.
"We're coming, Droma," replied Harry and carried the boy with him to the dining room. They sat and ate in peace.
"Harry, I meant to ask you. What have you been eating?" asked the woman.
"Normal?" said Harry in confusion.
"It's just, well you've lost more weight but somehow you're much taller," explained the woman.
"Oh, I don't know, I lost weight due to the unstable schedule of my meals. Gaining height though. That I have no clue," said Harry nonchalantly.
"Well make sure to try to at least fit in two meals a day, I don't need you wasting away just because of work," said Andromeda firmly. Harry simply nodded and ate as much as his tiny stomach allowed. Mostly giving Teddy some of the stew and bits of potato mush. The boy lapped his food greedily and surprisingly didn't spill much of it. "He's very good. Much better behaved than his mother," whispered Andromeda. It sent shivers down Harry's spine as the grandmother never spoke her daughter's name. Opting to use; 'Teddy's mother', 'his mother', and 'her' instead.
"I suppose he takes after his father," whispered Harry in response and Andromeda gave him a weak smile. No decorations were adorning the house, as neither adult wished to celebrate. They were going to do so next year when the sense of grief wasn't as overpowering as it was now. Harry wished to always provide the best for Teddy and to allow the boy to celebrate his childhood as often as possible. He knew Teddy would end up spoiled by him but he didn't care.
Throughout the past months, there were many pressing issues. However, there was something even worse, on Harry's mind. Ever since the death of Voldemort, there was a nagging feeling in the back of Harry's mind. Something screamed at him, that it was incomplete. The universe was unhappy, and his magic agreed. It was unknown to people that the boy-who-lived had claimed all three Deathly Hallows. He was using the Elder wand as a backup after he fixed his old wand with it. His cloak remained in his pocket, shrunk. While the stone sat safely on his Potter Lordship ring. The power of those objects coursed through him. It was true, not that they made one Master of Death, but the objects imbued their master with power. That's why Harry chalked up his magic's unruly behaviour to be a result of too much power. He couldn't comprehend dealing with another problem, even larger than Voldemort. He went on with his life , trying to cover up the power overflowing from his body. Giving his all to capturing Dark Wizards and creatures. That all changed when on New Year's, he visited Hogwarts. Headmistress McGonagall had called to offer him a Mastery in the Dark Arts apprenticeship.
When Potter arrived at the Castle, he was startled by a choked sob. It was inhuman and very loud, not to mention gut-wrenchingly sad. He followed the noise to find himself in the area of the Final Battle. He searched around, trying to figure out where the voice came from. Finally concluding that it was the Castle crying. He unconsciously reached with his magic to the building. It responded instantly, engulfing him in a warm and comforting aura of magic. The Castle started whispering to him through their magic connection.
"Master of Death, please correct the mistakes of those who hurt me and my masters. Life, Death and Magic," whispered the castle. Harry was perplexed, considering he had defeated Voldemort already and as if sensing his hesitation, the castle spoke again. "He betrayed Life, cheated Death and abused Magic," came the answer. "A strong rift between the dead and the living has been created because of him, you must seek to prevent it from happening."
"How do I do that?" Asked Harry, very wary of the answer.
"You are the Master of Death, any request you make he fulfils. Go back in time to make Tom Riddle's soul whole again, that is the only way!" Said the Castle in an urgent tone. Harry was correct in his hesitation, as the request was both absurd and difficult. Travelling back in time was illegal and they had already destroyed all time-turners. Another problem was that he never wished to face Tom again! The only appealing factor of this request was that, if he succeeds, many will be spared. Sirius could be saved from both Azkaban and the vail. Cedric…poor Cedric who never deserved his fate. Lupin and Tonks, it was better than raising Teddy only to admit that his parents died because Harry wasn’t fast enough to kill Voldemort. Oh Fred and Ron, the two that broke Harry’s heart the most. His brothers. The idea of rescuing all those he’d lost set Harry’s mind in making his decision.
"Alright! How do I contact Death?" Asked Harry.
"You must use the Deathly Hallows to contact him. Speak to him, command him to heed your word," explained the castle, now with a calmer tone. Just then, Fawkes came flying to Harry, singing to him with a plea. Harry had no idea what was being sung but somehow knew that he was being begged to fulfil the request.
"Very well," said Harry and he pulled out the Elder wand. "I, Harry James Potter, invoke my right as the Master of Death! I command thee Death himself to send me back so that I can mend the tear created by Tom Marvolo Riddle," spoke Harry, impulsively adding in a deep tone "I also command him to stay with me and help me throughout my journey!" Suddenly everything grew cold and dark, the only missing factor was thunder and lightning for the scenery. A surprisingly glowing figure appeared with a smile on its face. It had no particular face from Harry's view but he sensed the emotion by magic.
"I finally get to meet someone who obtained my Deathly Hallows," said Death, clearly impressed.
"You're not what I expected," said Harry, making the creature chuckle.
"No one ever does, your people fear me even if I am merciful," said Death. "Your kind spreads many hateful tales of me, it is rather depressing."
Bemusing the entity in front of him, Harry asks, "I'm guessing the tale of the Peverall brothers is false too?"
"Oh very much so. The brothers were bright and creative, they called upon me to help them," explained Death with an emotion akin to affection. "They each required my magic to complete their inventions. Antioch's wand was unstable due to the lack of harmony between the wood and core, so I used my power to marry them. Cadmus required my permission to bring people back from the dead; which I seldom allow but his pure intentions and love swayed me. So I blew some of my magic into his stone. Ignotus asked for little, as he wished that his cloak lasted his entire bloodline, protecting them from harm. I fused some of my own essence into it so it never dies."
Harry nodded along. The story made far more sense to Harry now that he was in the presence of death, an entity with no ill will or nasty intentions. Simply fulfilling its duty to the world by guiding the souls of the dead to the afterlife. Bringing his head back on track, Harry says, "You heard my wish, so please help me."
"I hear your wish Master of the Hallows, though we must not hasten in our actions. For once I teleport you, there will be no amending that action. Tell me first of how you wish your Hallows to be spread in this time?" asked Death with a very serious tone.
"Well, the stone should remain in my Lordship ring where it's safe. The Elder wand must stay with Dumbledore, otherwise, he'll be defenceless and it's too suspicious. The cloak I'll receive for Christmas so it can wait," explained Harry. It was shocking how little he needed to change, as the stone was the only thing to be displaced. "As I can ask anything of you, will you suggest something I may need?"
"There are many things I can provide for you, such as the travel through shadows and communication with animals," Death offered.
"Both sound very helpful, I wish for both please," said Harry, truly grateful for the help the being was generously laying out for him.
"Very well young one, you must specify the time and date of which you wish to travel," said the entity as he blew into Harry, the wizard’s magic now infused with his own.
"I wish to travel back to the 22nd of June 1991, at exactly 6:00 am!" spoke Harry as clearly as he can and felt the world around him swirl and change.
Seconds later he opened his eyes to the ceiling of his cupboard, back in Privet Drive. He blinked a few times, some silly thought that it was all a dream floating in his mind. Using the first method that comes to mind, he said, in Parsel, "Lift." A smirk spread across his face as he watched the toy he had been staring at, a little toy soldier, defy the forces of gravity and levitate. (He had learned that spells in Parsel didn't need a wand and they were undetectable by the Ministry.)
Immediately pulling out an old notebook and pen from his small, ratty backpack, Harry writes down a list of the things he will need. The events are going to have to wait until he obtains a diary he can lock and spell to be unreadable. For now, he decides to stay out of the Dursley's way as often as possible and travel by the shadows to the Leaky Cauldron, once he’s figured out how. He gets up and speaks in Parsel to open his lock, then heads to the kitchen to prepare breakfast. The plan was to ask Petunia to go to Miss Figg's house today, then travel.
As he expected the family was awake around 07:30, but by then, Harry had eaten his food and cleaned the evidence of his 'misdeed'. One thing that his mind has drawn up that now won’t leave his mind was the idea of obtaining a house elf that can travel undetected and get him food into the cupboard. Alas, he will have to wait on that for the time being.
After watching three of his ‘family’ members stuff their faces through the window, Harry asked, "Aunt Petunia, can I go to Miss Figg's today?" trying to appear as innocent as possible. The woman snarled at him but the idea of spending the day freak-free was very tempting to them all.
"Fine, let that woman deal with you!" Screeched Petunia and that was all the boy needed to hear. He sprinted as quickly as possible outside and headed across the street to the area between the opposite houses. It was dark and definitely filled with shadows. Harry reluctantly snuck in and immediately felt his magic intertwine with them. It was unsettling, to say the least. It felt as if a wave of foreign magic was filling his body. Although it didn’t feel harmful it still felt strange, similar to how he felt during side-along apparition or when he tried the wands at Ollivander’s, it didn’t quite fit but wasn’t bad. Harry took a deep breath to ground himself. His heart skipped a beat, whether in excitement or nervousness he wasn’t sure. The time-traveller put all his focus on picturing the Leaky Cauldron. It takes a second, that feels more like a miniature infinity, for him to feel a pull on his entire body. He stayed as still as possible with the dragging force, clenching his teeth and closing his eyes. Finally, everything stopped and he blinked slowly, thankfully finding himself in a dark corner of a familiar bar.
Harry made sure his hair was down and covering his scar before he approached Tom. "Hello sir," said Harry.
"Hello young man, what can I do for you?" Asked Tom kindly.
"I wish to go to Diagon Alley. I need my school supplies but my parents dropped me off here," said Harry. He hoped that Tom was gullible enough to believe him. The man stared at him sceptically for a moment before shrugging.
"Alright," said the man and led Harry to the back, giving him access to the street. The boy thanked Tom and ran into Gringotts. He needed to speak to his family's accountant, Maddlock. Harry reached the bank and pulled up in the queue, which thankfully wasn't long. In just 5 minutes, he was in front of a Goblin.
"My name is Harry Potter, I need to speak to Maddlock," said the teen. The goblin stared at him interestedly but obliged by calling the other goblin.
"Mr. Potter, this way," Maddlock said when he saw the young teen. They went into the Goblin's personal office and spoke.
"I wish to take an inheritance test and claim my seats," said Harry calmly.
"I see, I assume you know what to do for the inheritance test?" Asked the Goblin with amusement. Harry nodded and took the knife handed to him, to cut his finger and let two drops of his blood onto the piece of parchment given. In seconds writing filled the paper and the goblin grabbed it.
Inheritance Test Results
Full Name: Harold James Potter
Father: James Charles Potter (deceased)
Mother: Lily Jane Potter nee Evans (deceased)
Godfather: Sirius Orion Black (incapacitated)
Guardian(s): Petunia Dursely nee Evans
Magical Guardian: Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore
Titles
Potter (Lordship once of age) 20 Seats
Black (Second Heir - Godson of Sirius Black - Draconis Malfoy priority) 40 Seats
Peverell (Lordship once of age)
Gaunt (Heir - conquest - soul piece)
Slytherin (Heir - conquest - soul piece)
Total Seats: 60/200 seats
Vaults
Potter Trust Fund - 687
Potter Inheritance - 440, 520, 647
Black - 670, 711, 723, 745
Properties
Potter Mansion
Godric's Hollow House
12 Grimmauld Place
Creature Inheritance
None
Magical Core/Power
Magical Core: Painite
Magical Power: Tungsten
Magical Abilities
Parseltongue
Master of Death/Hallows
Shadow Walking
Animal Whisperer
Flight
Vision of the Hidden
Ghost Whisperer
Magical Influences
Blood wards - sustained by Petunia Dursley
Magical Core Block - 45 % Malnutrition
Magical Power Block - 60 % Malnutrition
Harry was shocked by the information, not expecting his malnutrition to have influenced his abilities this much. Another was his command of death; it had given him a far stronger advantage than expected. He needed to understand some of those abilities, such as 'Vision of the Hidden'. Was it to do with the future or simply objects and people with disillusionment charms? The other was flight, if he was able to fly was it even legal for his age? Maybe he ought to keep this between himself and Maddlock.
He also needed a word with either Madam Pomfrey, the apothecary lady, or Snape. Someone to provide him with a solution for these disturbing effects. Another strange thing was the 'Seats' business. In his future, he hadn't joined the Wizengamot even after being urged to do so. This time he felt he should. It seems as though Maddlock is just as shocked by the results. "My my Mr. Potter, I wasn't expecting all this," the Goblin said.
"Maddlock, how shall we approach this?" Harry inquired.
"Well, first we need to perform a thorough examination on you. This will allow us to know what potions to provide you to counteract the malnutrition." the goblin said with a hint of frustration, "as for the rest of your results, they will depend on how you wish to use this information."
"Well, there are many things I wish to achieve, first would be knowing the laws attributing to my abilities," said Harry and the Goblin nodded. "I also wish to purchase an elf to help me keep nutrition at my relative's without their meddling." Again the goblin just made an affirmative nose. "I also would like a complete guide on how the Wizengamot works."
"Well, all these seem very valid priorities. Shall we begin with your examination while I collect information on the elves available, Mr. Potter?" Asked Maddlock, and Harry nodded enthusiastically.
That is how the teen found himself in a spacious room with five goblins probing and examining him. It took roughly half an hour for the full exam to end and for the results to be read out to him. He needed a potion that is administered daily for three months. With each week’s passing and continual intake of the potion, he will receive a year's worth of missed nutrition to his body.
When he returned to Maddlock's office, he saw that the goblin had retrieved eight elves of his choosing. Harry spent an hour asking all sorts of questions to the elves. Finally, he decided upon three. Snippy, an older experienced elf, got kicked out for teaching his master’s child how to read. The elf was capable of reading and writing, obviously, and was a fantastic cook. Dolly was another, she was a very young, overexcited elf, reminding Harry of Pigwidegeon (Ron's one-minute Owl). She was the exact opposite of Snippy but Harry believed she had potential and assigned her tutelage to the older elf. The final elf was named Mizirk, a very formal and polite elf. Harry picked him for his talent in magic and the great courage he displaced upon answering each of Harry's questions, despite how he knew most elves were treated.
Mizirk was the elf to accompany Harry home, while the two others were to clean and prepare Potter Manor. This was going to be Harry's main operation grounds and it needed to be hospitable. He will visit Kreacher when the time comes and he will assign Snippy to clean Godric's Hollow once Potter Manor is dealt with. For now, Harry was more than pleased with the progress of the day's work. The only thing left was buying books to learn all he could about the things he chose to ignore in his previous time.
With that goal in mind, the teen withdrew the amount of money suitable to pay for the many books and the potion. He first headed to the apothecary and asked the Lady to provide him with his required amount. She gave him three weeks worth and told him it'll take another week to complete an order for the remaining dosage. He happily paid her in advance and left the shop.. Heading to the book shop, Harry drank his first potion, taking a second to cringe at the god awful taste before entering the shop. Once inside, he asked the man for his opinion on the most useful books. Roger, the man at the counter, was very pleased with Harry's interest and handed him 15 books with a smile on his face.
A third of the books alone were on Hogwarts and its founders. Two on the Laws and their development. One on the etiquette and customs of Wizards. Four History books, detailing all the way from the Peverall brothers. A book on the Wizengamot, another on the Ministry. The last one for simple everyday life things, such as the Floo and the Knight Bus. They were all important in the teen's mind and he needed to read them all as quickly as possible. Luckily he knew a spell that read for him and all he had to do was make sure it worked in Parsel.
Finally, Harry travelled back by the shadows to the same Alley he had left. He had been gone for a little over five hours and had to go prepare lunch. He scurried across the street to the Dursley's and knocked on the door softly. All his books were sent with Mizirk, who was going to bring them to Harry. The teen was met by his uncle Vernon's scowl and pushed inside. "Hurry up, boy! I'm starving!" the obese man yelled, and the teen simply headed to the kitchen and cooked the meal.
The rest of the day dragged on, as he completed his chores. Finally at 6:00, after the Dursleys had their dinner, he was locked in his cupboard for the evening. The teen didn't complain and instead smirked inwardly at the once horrendous punishment turning into a reward. "Mizirk!" Spoke Harry and the elf manifested in front of him. "Dinner please," said the boy and just like that, a plate of the most delicious food was in his lap. He gobbled the food down and drank the pumpkin juice given. He then ordered for Hogwarts : A History to be given to him. He spent the next three hours reading the book carefully: excited and worried about the upcoming events, and what is to come.