Disclaimer: I'm playing in JKR's world not mine.

Authors Notes: This

He turned around and knew it was over. No longer did he have to worry about his friends dying or if he was going to live to see his next birthday. It felt different than normal. So this is what it feels like to have the weight of the world lifted from your shoulders. Deep in his heart he knew that he should be happily celebrating with the few friends he had left. But Harry just wanted to rest. It had been so long since he did not have to worry about the fate of everyone around him.

"How does it feel?" He did not have to turn around to recognize the ageing voice.

"Lighter." Minutes passed and Harry just watched what was left of his enemy below. After the last Horcrux was destroyed a great battle was fought. Voldemort was not going to give up very easily. Bodies of friends and enemy's alike littered what was left of grounds. The smell of death permeated the air. He wondered what came after the funerals and the rebuilding of what was left of Britain's wizarding society.

"What happens now professor?" He felt like his whole life had been building toward this moment and now that it was over he was not sure what to do.

"Go celebrate with your friends, and when the time is right come and see me. I may have a something for you." Not that he wanted to be in the public eye very much but he figured that the old man was right; he really should be with his friends right now. He knew that it was important to be with those that you love because you never know if it is for the last time.

"Alright professor."

"Harry, call me Albus if anyone has the right to you certainly do!"

"All right Albus," he said testing the unfamiliar name.

The celebration lasted for weeks. Harry did not know that it was possible to drink so much, but Seamus Finnegan showed him just how wrong he could be. He soon grew tired of the parties that he was expected to attend and the award ceremonies made him feel ill remembering those who could not pick up theirs. Many of Harry's friends were awarded Order of Merlin's Harry included. But this meant very little to him, he was just glad that it was all over and that he could get on in his life. He felt most alone in a crowd and knew then that it was time to see Dumbledore.

"Good afternoon Harry, I have been expecting you."

"I'm sure you have Albus, you said you had a proposition for me when the time was right."

"Yes," Dumbledore almost looked lost in thought, like he was going to make a difficult decision that he would rather not. "How would you like to go to a place where nobody knows who you are, what you did and rest for a while?"

"Sounds too good to be true if you if you ask me, everybody in the wizarding world knows' who I am."

"Yes, yes" he said absent mindlessly, "I only have one question for you."

"Yes" Harry was getting a little tired of his little games.

"Do you trust me?" Taken aback Harry only stared at him, at one time Harry would have said no, however circumstances change, as do people. It was hard for Harry to trust him after his fifth year, to find out that he was keeping things from him. Things like the prophecy, why he was forced to live at the Dursley's, the fact that Dumbledore did not trust Harry enough to deal with the information at an earlier date. It had taken Harry a long time to learn to trust the old man again.

"Of course"

Harry looked around; he was still at Hogwarts. He did not know what Dumbledore was thinking or where he disappeared to for that matter, but he was getting a little annoyed. Harry had no idea how he managed to find himself on the grounds instead of the Headmasters office. He made his way back up to Dumbledore's office tried to give the gargoyle guarding his office the password but it would not move. After several guesses it opened on its own accord and behind the two gargoyles there appeared Dumbledore.

"Are you here to apply for the Defence Against the Dark Arts position?" What is he talking about? Deciding to humour the old man he replied, "Of course I am why else would I be here." Is this what I really want to be doing? Harry thought to himself.

"Very well, please follow me." Trying to decide what this new game was that he was playing at, he decided to play along for once in his life. In the office he was passed an application form, Harry gave him a side-glance but filled out the form.

"Mr. Potter, you have written the date incorrectly, it is August 30 1977 not July 3 1998, tell me you do look extraordinarily like a student attending this school are you related?" Now things were starting to make some sense to him. There was only one person that he could look like that went to school twenty years ago. Harry figured that could not fool him even if he wanted to, so he decided to tell only basic information and hoped that he would be smart enough not to go looking for more.

"You know I have seen some crazy cracked pot ideas of yours before but this one has got to top them all. My name is Harry Potter, son of James Potter, I believe that you have sent me to the past 'to go to a place where nobody knows who you are, what you did and rest. I believe were your words." Dumbledore just looked at him with that damned twinkle in his eyes.

"Now why would I do a thing like that, you must be very special for me to send you back in time, why would you need a good rest?" He's looking for information not a good sign, Harry thought to himself.

"Do you really want me to answer that and give away the surprises of the future, I can tell you this though, I am qualified to teach your students and trust me they will need a competent defence teacher." Dumbledore looked pensive.

"How about I give you a test to evaluate your skills, if you pass I'll give you the position."

"Fair enough" This should be easy enough unless the old coot has something up his sleeve which I'm almost positive he will. First he was put through a series of tests similar to that of his third year with Remus Lupin. The written was similarly easy, first question: What does the incantation for the Patronus charm and what is it used for. Smiling, Harry continued to fill in the answers.

"You seemed to be very proficient at this Mr. Potter there is just one more thing." Before Harry knew it he was in a full out duel with Dumbledore, luckily Harry was betting that he would pull something like this and was prepared when Dumbledore threw his first spell without so much as a warning. "Protego" Harry proceeded to through as many spells as he was dodging. He knew that the man favoured transfiguration when it came to duelling so Harry tried to use that information to his advantage. The duel went on for a while more before dodging a stunning spell and Harry figured that he should end this before it got out of hand.

Wissa. Dumbledore found himself wearing a bright pink skirt and singing a jig Immediately after he quietly disarmed and stunned his old mentor.

"Excellent Mr. Potter, nobody has been able to disarm me let alone defeat me in a duel in a very long time." Well why couldn't he, after all Dumbledore was the one to teach him to duel.

"I take it I got the position then."

"Yes, yes of course now are you going to tell me about that spell you just performed I don't believe that I have seen it before."

"What and tell you all my secrets. I am sure that you will be able to figure it out eventually." Harry had a feeling that this was where Dumbledore first learned of the spell and then later taught it to Harry when he began more in depth training after his fifth year.

"Of course Professor Potter, now are you going to keep your name or do you think that people will suspect that you are related to young James Potter." Harry had not thought ahead that far. True enough he still did not know exactly why he was here but he was sure that it was not simply to rest. With all the schemes the man comes up with it is any wonder that he was not sorted into Slytherin.

"It would probably best if I keep my name, I don't know if I could respond to anything else." That and it is easier to keep the lies straight.

"Very well Professor Potter, I will have a house elf show you to your room, and I expect you in the Great Hall tomorrow for opening feast."

"Wouldn't miss it."

Harry was a little nervous about the upcoming feast. He was still unsure about what had happened, one minute he was talking with Dumbledore the next he was in the past. It is as if he knew what was going to happen, why else would he talk about me going to a place where no one knows who I am. They definitely won't know who I am here. Harry hoped that he could pull this off, he knew that he was qualified to teach and he had plenty of experience he just did not know how he would handle an actual class of students. He knew that teaching a class full of students would be very different than teaching his peers in the DA. He figured that he should get his lessons prepared before the feast began.

He looked over the staff table; he recognized most that were there. Basically the only differences were the potions professor, Gwenny Grey, Care of Magical Creatures who was still taught by Kettleburn, and the divinations professor who was a witch by the name of Patricia Patil and by no means a real Seer. She was the Grandmother of the Patil twins and was about as good as Trawenly. As Harry pondered future and present professors the students started to arrive. Oddly enough three quarters of the school appeared to be coloured in red and gold colours. Their entire bodies were striped in the Gryffindor colours. Only the remaining quarter of the school seemed to find this funny, well, them and a few of the teachers who were trying to stifle their grins, which included the balmy Headmaster. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed someone who had messy black hair that seemed to stick up at odd places in the back.

"James Potter! Turn them back you are setting a very bad example for being the new Head Boy." Harry turned his head to see a seventeen year old Lily Evans. He knew that he should not be surprised to see them. But honestly he did not even consider the fact that his parents would be at Hogwarts. Even after Dumbledore mentioned that he looked liked James. Guess I'm loosing my touch I usually pick up on things like that. Looking around he also saw Sirius Black, looking very different from what Harry could remember for one thing he did not have the haunted look of Azkaban in his eyes instead he was very lively and full of life. And then there was Peter Pettigrew. Harry was tempted to curse him right there but he knew that he could not, this was the past and he knew that he could not change any of it. Besides how could you punish a person for an act that they have not yet committed however tempting it was?

The students settled down looking less colourful. Harry watched the sorting with little interest; he was more interested in the group of students at the Gryffindor table. Lily still looked a little mad at James for the prank but decided to let it drop. James was trying to get her attention but she was ignoring him with practice ease. So in tune was Harry watching this scene play out that he almost missed his introduction. When he stood up he could here the whispers. Who was this guy that looks like James Potter? How can someone teach who is that young. "Hey James you learned how to duplicate yourself and you didn't tell me!" That last comment came from Sirius. It seemed that even in the past that he was going to have people whispering wherever he went.

Flashes of light everywhere.

A silver hand reaches out.

"Remus look out!"

"Get him, save him, he's only just gone through!"

"-it's too late, Harry."

"We can still reach him –"Harry struggled hard and viciously, but Lupin would not let go …

"There's nothing you can do, Harry ... nothing … he's gone."

"Harry, join me and your friends will never have to suffer, serve me and I can make all your dreams come true."

"Never, I am nothing like you"

"Crucio"

"The one with the power..."

"Kill the spare"

"Avada Kedavra"

"It's all your fault I'm dead Harry, why did you kill me."

"No Sirius, I didn't"

"Harry, I thought that we were friends, how could you let me die?"

"Ron, no it wasn't me…"

"You killed them all of them of them Harry, join me and no more of your friends will have to die."

"Never" Harry screamed as he woke up shaking with a dull pain in his head. These nightmares have plagued his dreams for years, he had hopped that the Dark Lord being dead would improve it, but they just seem to get worse. He wished that there were someone that he could talk to. However, even in his own time, most of those that he would even consider talking to are dead. Ron, dead by the hand of Voldemort himself. Hermione was heartbroken over his death and hardly talked anymore. Harry felt bad about leaving her at a time like this but it was not as if he had a choice in the matter. Harry was still confused as to why he was here, but then if Albus remember something from this time that needed his touch. Harry still did not want to leave his friends like this. They probably think that I am trying to disappear forever. Wonder what Dumbledore is going to tell them.

Knowing that he would not be getting any sleep this night he started his morning routine. Looking at his schedule he noticed that he did not have the seventh years until tomorrow. Today he had first year Gryffindor's, second year Slytherin's, fifth year Hufflepuff's, and third year Ravenclaw's. A boring schedule for Monday he hoped to survive it.

Early on the previous evening Harry had a discussion with the Headmaster about which subjects should be covered throughout the year.

"I wanted to let you know a little about the previous experience of the defence classes. Their instruction has been pretty basic, mostly just preparing them for what will be on their O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s. You seem to have a lot more experience then most people I know. I was hoping that you would go into a little more depth then you might have otherwise. I feel as if they will need all the practice they can get before they go into the real world."

"I will teach all that I can professor, I know they will need the experience, I assume that I will be able to teach everything I believe that they will need out there?"

"Did you have something in mind?"

"If you want them to know what it is like I need your full support for my classes, I may have some unorthodox ways of doing things." Dumbledore had agreed to everything that Harry said. That made things a little easier for him. He was glad that he did not have to go around him on certain matters.