Distorted Time.

"NOW!" bellowed Harry.

All of them shouted out, "REDUCTO!" and six curses flew in six different directions slamming into the surrounding wooden shelves. In the blink of an eye hundreds of prophecies shattered. A cascading waterfall of broken glass fell all around them, while ghost like figures floated into the air their ethereal voices consumed by the thundering noise of collapsing shelves.

RUN!" Harry yelled, shoving the Prophecy into an inside pocket. He then grabbed a handful of Hermione's robes and pulled her after him. Ron, Ginny and Luna sped past him heading in the direction of the exit. He chased after them his arms raised to ward of the worst of the debris that was still falling all around them. He risked a quick look back and saw Hermione and Neville right behind him. He flung another curse at the Death Eaters chasing them and was reward with one going down tripping another in the process. When he faced forward again the others had disappeared into the gloom in front of him and then he saw a crack of light from a partially opened door. With an extra burst of speed he headed towards it.

It was the time room and he could just see the tall bell jar they had passed earlier glittering. He crashed through the doorway and as soon as the other two ran through he slammed it shut with his shoulder. No sooner had the door clicked shut than a heavy weight smashed into it from the other side making it shudder. Muffled cursing could be heard from the other side.

"Get out of the way," a deep male voice said from the other side and a moment later the door handle began to move. Harry grabbed it and began to struggling with the person on the other side.

"Harry move out of the way and I'll lock it," Hermione said behind him.

"There isn't time, if I let go they'll get in."

"Let me help Harry," Neville said running up beside him. His help though was going to be academic.

"Blast it open!"

"Harry get out of the way," Hermione screamed. Her warning though was unnecessary both boys needed no urging and dived out of the way in opposite directions as the door handle was blasted out followed by a hail of jagged splinters that were stopped dead by Hermione's shield charm..

"Don't break that Prophecy," Lucius Malfoy commanded as he and four other Death Eaters barged into the room. "Hand it over Potter do you honestly think mere children could defeat us."

Harry scrambled to his feet his back to a glass cabinet of hour-glasses, interspersed with an array of different sized time turners. He refrained from answering, but instead threw a stunning spell at the blonde haired man forcing him to duck.

"Expelliarmus," Hermione said popping up from behind one of the desks at the back of the room and then ducking down again. Harry didn't know which Death Eater it belonged to but a wand flew back towards her. Harry felt a surge of pride at his friend's success.

"Get bent Malfoy."

"The Prophecy Potter or I'll have the Mudblood killed." Neville his face red from undisguised anger fired off a poorly aimed stunner which hit the ceiling dislodging a large chunk of powdery white plaster. He was then forced to scamper to safety behind a row of desks as three cures headed towards him leaving Harry alone and unprotected at the front of the room.

"Neville, Hermione get out of here now." The doorway to the next hallway was right behind them and the way was clear for now.

"No I'm not leaving you Harry," Neville shouted back.

"Don't argue go and get help." It was his fault they were here in the first place. He'd been a complete naive idiot believing those damn dreams, and his friends shouldn't be the one's to pay for it especially as Hermione had warned him.

"Run for it Harry," Hermione screamed. "You've got the Prophecy they won't …"

What she was going to say next was cut off as the desk in front of her was cracked in two by a deep orange curse that Harry didn't recognise. Hermione yelped in fright and vanished from sight. He understood immediately what she had been trying to saying from those few words. The Prophecy was the only leverage he had so with his left hand he withdrew it from the inside of his robes grasping it tightly.

"Accio…"

"Protego."

"… Prophecy." Harry's shield charm had successfully blocked Malfoy's summoning charm.

"Try that again and I'll smash it."

"You're in no position to negotiate Potter and if you break it you'll never know what it says."

"Prophecies are a load of crap Malfoy, and there are more important things than hearing some weirdo's prediction." The thought that someone like Trelawney could make a real prediction was simply ludicrous. "Now I'll tell you what's going to happen. My friends and I are going to walk out of here and if you make even half a move the prophecy will be history." Malfoy pushed his mask back revealing a sweat stained face and glared at him. When he started to raise his wand Harry raised his hand and made to slam the sphere into the floor.

"Nobody moves," Malfoy said lowering his wand again. "That includes you Potter!" he added when Harry tried to side step towards Hermione and Neville.

"If I smash this no amount of money will save you from Voldemort's anger so don't start giving me orders servant."

"Do not speak his name!" a masked man behind Malfoy barked in a deep baritone.

"Tell me why do you follow a half-blood?" Harry asked playing for time in the vague hope someone or something would turn up and change this stalemate into their favour.

"Do not talk about what you cannot comprehend."

"No you're right I don't comprehend that's why I asked the question you inbred cretin. His real name is Tom Riddle. His muggle father was buried in that graveyard. He admitted it to me before you all arrived to grovel and kiss his feet."

"Do not speak such filth," the deep voiced man said.

"I'll say what I like about that murdering bastard and I only wish I could be there when he punishes you. I expect you all enjoy that don't you, you sick freaks."

It was no good he couldn't stay here forever, inaction had never suited him, and no doubt that slime ball Snape had done nothing about alerting the Order or Dumbledore. They were on their own. The other three seemed to have vanished without trace. Merlin alone knew what had happened to them. Harry stared hard at Malfoy and was pleased to more sweat breaking out on his forehead. The threat of failure was clearly something he was afraid of.

"The Dark Lord may well punish me Potter should you break the prophecy, but be assured of one thing. The compensation of your death and those of your friends will please him far more than my failure. You will die tonight if the Prophecy is lost. I guarantee it."

"Yea, yea heard it all before," Harry said although the tightness in his guts belied his apparent calm external demeanour. "Making threats is easy Malfoy's are good at those, but I'll give you a promise. When I next see your sad excuse for a son I'll make his life a living hell, and blame it all on you."

If Malfoy had a reply to his promise it was one that Harry would never hear as things rapidly began to go to hell. Shouts, screams, and the crashing of spells from the corridor behind Hermione and Neville made any normal conversation impossible.

"Harry, Hermione where the hell are you?"

"Ron in here," Hermione screamed back. Ron, Ginny and Luna tumbled into the room chased in by a multitude of bright sickly lights. They fell behind a line of desks but before they went out of his vision Harry could see that they had not had an easy time of it. Luna's hair and face was covered in what looked like her own blood and Ginny had been carried in between them dragging a useless leg. Only Ron looked as though he was in one piece but there was a panicked look to his face.

Distracted by their entrance Harry was forced to drop to the floor to avoid a stunner cast at him from someone in the group in front of him. Unnoticed by Harry the spell smashed into the glass cabinet behind him. The cabinet collapsed to the floor where it promptly leapt back up again fully repaired, and then shattered once more beginning a never ending cycle.

Rolling on the ground Harry fired back with a confringo curse aimed at Malfoy's chest. Unprepared with a lowered wand he arched his back so the curse flew straight past ruffling his robes. The Death Eater behind was not so fortunate, unsighted by Malfoy the curse slammed into his mask before he even saw it coming. The mask shattered into a dozen pieces and blood erupted from his ruined nose and shattered jaw. His hands clutched to the remains of his face in a vain attempt to hold in the damage letting out a high pitched scream of agony as he did so.

"Rodolphus!" Bellatrix screamed like a Banshee from the doorway the others had run through. She was followed by another large group of masked Death Eaters. Her eyes glinting with madness watched the man Harry had just hit fall to the floor twitching uncontrollable. Harry saw the moment when something inside her snapped and screeching incoherently she launched herself across the room her wand flashing a myriad of colours. All Harry could do from his position on the floor was throw up a shield charm and hope for the best.

"BELLA NO!" yelled Malfoy deflecting one of the spells into the ceiling, but Bellatrix was beyond reason, and anyone's control. He could see no way out of this madness, and without a second thought Harry slammed the Prophecy into the marble floor where it disintegrated and the ghost like figure went unheard. Bedlam now ruled in what had become a small and suddenly very over crowded room, and it was all he could do to avoid the mad witch's assault.

She wasn't the only one firing off wildly, everybody was now firing spells in all directions and already Harry could see three Death Eaters were lying prone blood oozing from one of them. Another one was flung back out of the room from a blast from Luna's wand, but her victory was short lived as a curse hit her in the side and she disappeared from view. He hoped beyond hope that she was lying down out of sight injured, but still alive.

Bellatrix was so transfixed on Harry that she never saw who was heading on an intercept course. In a sight that Harry knew would never leave him Neville had somehow jumped up onto a desk and was no longer holding his wand. It looked as though he had dropped it in favour of the broken table leg he was now carrying instead. There was a wild look in his eyes, but his expression was one of grim determination and hate that if it had been aimed at him personally would have frightened Harry.

Jumping from one desk to another in a feat of balance and fluid motion that Harry knew Neville would have found impossible under normal circumstances he crossed the room in moments. Fortune favours the brave and Neville's luck held as he was untouched by any of the deadly beams of light that flashed from one side of the room to the other.

Flinging himself from the last desk in the row and swinging his makeshift club at the same time Neville crashed into Bellatrix. The mad witch's wand went flying as the club slammed into her arm clearly breaking the bone. Neville wasn't finished though staggering to stay upright he swung the club one more time cracking it against her skull and she dropped like a stone. For a stunned moment the room went silent as all its occupants absorbed the non-magical fate of one of the most powerful and evil witch of modern times.

"Kill them, kill them all. The Prophecy has gone," Malfoy screamed breaking the deadlock. A green light flashed across the room from his wand and Neville fell down lifeless the table leg rolling away from his outstretched hand.

"DIFFINDO." Harry's over powered spell hit Malfoy across the chest and neck and jugular blood sprayed out. The aristocratic pureblood collapsed sideways knocking into the desk the bell jar was sitting on. A look of shock and surprise on his face at what Harry had done to him. Harry watched as the light in his eyes went out as Malfoy collapsed in a limp heap.

Agonisingly slowly the bell jar slide across the surface of the desk and teetered on the edge. It then toppled off in slow motion the humming bird still going through its never ending cycle. To escape being crushed Harry was forced to scrabble backwards, but in his hurry and panic he never noticed the cabinet that was still breaking and reforming itself behind him.

He backed into it knocking time turners off their shelves and as though someone had flicked a switch all sound cut out and time slowed down. Harry found he was unable to move and all he was capable of doing was watch in horror as Ron was flung across to the far side of the room hitting the wall where he slumped to the ground his neck at an impossible angle. He was forced to watch as Hermione jumped up as though to go and help him, her mouth open in a silent scream only for her to be hit in the back by a purple beam of light and disappear from sight. The horror continued as all the remaining desks surrounding Luna and Ginny exploded into a fountain of matchwood.

Still unable to move, and numb with shock at the apparent violent deaths of all his friends Harry was barely aware of the continued slow decent of the bell jar full of distorted time. Instead of shattering into a thousand pieces as it hit the marble floor the jar began to flow towards him, its shape changing to reflect a river of molten glass. With agonising slowness the front edge of it touched the base of the cabinet.

At that moment the world for Harry turned on its axis. The room seemed to spin around at an every increasing speed and in multiple directions all at the same time, until everything was no more than a blur with himself at the centre of the vortex. If Harry could feel the effects of the wild motion, he was sure he would have brought up everything he had eaten for the last week and beyond, but he felt and heard nothing. Time and motion no longer had any personnel meaning for him all he could think about were his friends he had doomed to a hideous, violent, and unnecessary death.

The end, when it came, was sudden and brutal. Everything around him stopped and Harry felt himself flung through the air. It was a hundred times worse than a Portkey. He hit the ground in a sprawling mess the wind was knocked out of him and every muscle and bone in his body hurt. Harry lay there on the ground his eyes shut waiting for his brain and stomach to catch up with his body. Aside from the pain that slowly eased to a dull pounding ache the first sensation that he truly felt was one of cold, mind numbing desperate cold.

Harry recognised that cold, it wasn't the normal cold that was caused by the weather or inappropriate clothing. It was a cold that seeped into your very being, a feeling that unfortunately he was all too familiar with, Dementors. He opened his eyes and to his shock instantly recognised where he was. He was lying at the entrance to a wind swept looking alleyway that connected Wisteria Walk with Magnolia Crescent. Litter was still falling through the air whipped up he guessed by his sudden arrival. All thoughts of why and how were pushed to the back of his mind when he saw the Dementor advancing on the unmistakable prone figure of Dudley.

"Expecto patronum!"A cone of silverysmoke flowed from the end of his wand still clutched in his hand, but that was all he produced his stag never formed. He watched in horror as the Dementor started to bend over and prise Dudley's hands apart and away from his mouth. A freezing fog filled Harry's brain and his mother's scream began echoing in his mind as visions of Ron and Hermione being killed replayed before him. He had killed them. It had been his fault if only he could … but of course!

"Expecto patronum!" This time he cast the spell with the wild happy thought that Hermione, Ron and the others might still be alive. Prongs bounded forward in all his glory and charged down the Dementor hovering over Dudley. Hit in the area where its ribs would have been if had been human it soared away into the darkness. With its debilitating effects gone Harry jumped to his feet and began scanning the area for the second one that he knew must be in the area.

He felt its effects before he saw it. It was at the far end of the alleyway bent over another form performing the kiss even as he watched.

"Get it!" he screamed to Prongs an icy sensation that had nothing to do with the Dementor filling his stomach. There could only be one person here at this time. Unbidden Hermione's voice popped up in his head, 'awful things have happened when wizards have meddled with time, loads of them ended up killing their past or future selves by mistake,' The Dementor vanished into the gloom and the late evening sunshine magically returned, weakly illuminating the scene. It didn't make Harry feel any better.

Not wanting to, but able to stop himself, Harry stumbled over to the curled up figure lying face down in the rain gutter. The black messy hair was unmistakeable and even though he had never seen the back of his head, other than in a mirror, he knew he was staring at himself. It wasn't meant to be this way. It couldn't be this way. He had survived the Dementor attack, but obviously something he had done, or even just his arrival had changed those events irreparably.

He knelt down wand still in hand beside himself. His emotions had been in turmoil the last few hours. Everything had been done in a whirlwind and now all he could feel was a dull numbness. Not only had he led his friends to their deaths, but he had somehow killed himself as well. Without thought he reached over to pull the wand out of his younger self's out stretched hand. The equivalent of an electric shock ran up his arm as both holly wands connected.

Harry struggled to pull them apart but the wands began to merge together. The younger one began to dissolve into a fine black powdery dust which then spiralled around the one in his hand and flowed into it. Worse was to come as the kissed body followed suit, except the dust particles entered him rather than the wand. No stranger to pain Harry endured, stifling the screams of agony that threatened to escape his lungs. In the end it was too much and blackness claimed him as he passed out.

"Harry, Harry wake up!" Blurry eyed he opened his eyes and saw the concerned face of Mrs Figg. "Oh thank goodness, I wasn't sure what to do if you didn't come round. I'm going to kill Mundungus Fletcher. Dementors in Little Whingeing. Dumbledore will be furious."

Easing himself up Harry mental checked himself and was surprised to find that he was fit and healthy. In fact he couldn't remember when he had last felt this good. The aches and pains had gone and there didn't seem to be a sign of any of the bruises or cuts he must have had from all that had occurred.

"You needn't worry about Mundungus Mrs Figg, I'll sort him out. In fact I should have done it the first time around."

"First time?" Mrs Figg queried as they both started to head towards the shivering form of Dudley.

"I'm sure he's slacked off before," Harry said realising that he had said something that was out of context. He'd have to be more careful.

"Get up you lazy lump," Mrs Figg screeched kicking the unmoving Dudley. Harry didn't think he was going to get up on his own very soon. "The fat lump's a waste of space."

"I'll drag him up," Harry said slipping his wand back in his pocket.

"Don't put it away boy I'm a Squib. If they come back I'll be useless."

"They won't be back," Harry said with conviction. He reached down and grabbed Dudley's arm and yanked. Harry was surprised at how much easier it was this time around. Sure he had nearly a year's growth on him but it shouldn't have been effortless. It wasn't as if Dudley had lost weight this summer.

"You don't know that."

"Yes I do."

"Forget the Statute of Secrecy carry your wand. MUNDUNGUS I'M GOING TO KILL YOU," she screamed at the sky. There was a sharp crack and the air smelt of drink, tobacco and a musty decay.

"What's up Figgy? I'm meant to be undercover you know. I had to pop out and close a cauldron deal." The smell of drink increased with the opening of his mouth. Harry half dropped, half lowered the bulk that was Dudley onto a patch of worn grass.

"Dementors you crooked swine, you abandon your post for a bunch of dodgy cauldrons, and Harry gets attacked by Dementors."

"What err…?" for a moment the crook looked totally confused. "Yea but they were a good price, and I even had a buyer lined up …" Mundungus started to back up at the murderous look on Mrs Figg's face. He had one eye on the string bag that she was now swinging threateningly and the other on her angered face, which was a shame because he never saw the fist coming that hit him just below the left eye. The dishevelled purveyor of stolen goods hit the stone pavement hard on his backside with a stunned look.

It was a toss up who was more shocked. Mrs Figg looked at Harry with something akin to awe, and not a little jealousy. Harry though was looking at his fist in surprise. First of all having never hit anyone before he hadn't realised just how painful punching someone in the face could be. All the knuckles on his hand hurt. Secondly he didn't think he had hit him hard enough to send Mundungus to the ground he really must be stronger than he thought. He glanced at Dudley to see his reaction, but the fat lump was lying down still completely out of it and had missed it.

"Now you useless piece of shit go and explain what happened to Dumbledore, and that includes the reason why you weren't here," Mrs Figg hissed. When it looked as though Mundungus wanted to argue some more she snapped. "Go or I'll set Harry on you."

In a blink of an eye the dodgy dealer vanished, but not before he threw a frightened look Harry's way. Harry bent over and yanked Dudley up again onto his feet giving him a slap to try and wake him up. He had little success.

"With any luck Dumbledore will turn him inside out," Mrs Figg said vindictively.

"I doubt it he's far to forgiving. Look Mrs Figg thanks for your help I'll manage from here. This is going to be one hell of a mess to clear up and I wouldn't want the Dursleys knowing you were involved."
"Yes, yes you're quite right I better get back home and wait for further instructions." Mrs Figg abruptly turned around and scuttled off in her floppy slippers pursued by one of her cats.

Alone in the dark Harry let out a huge sigh of frustration. He wanted to crawl into his bedroom and work out what had happened to his life, but that was going to have to wait. His Uncle and Aunt had to be dealt with first and frankly he had had enough agro for one day.

Dudley was now supporting most of his own weight but failing to put one foot in front of the other properly. The result was that the pair of them staggered drunkenly up the path way trampling the pristine flower beds as they went. There would be hell to pay when Petunia saw the damage in the morning. With a sinking feeling in his stomach Harry rang the door bell and watched the familiar stick figure of his Aunt approach through the distorted glass of the door.

"Diddy! About time too, I was getting quite – quite – Diddy what's the matter?"

It was just at that moment that Harry remembered what had happened last time and he quickly ducked out from under Dudley. Dudley leaning on the door jam swayed on the spot and then vomited all over the front step spraying the doormat, the hall carpet and Aunt Petunia's shiny light blue shoes in one fell swoop.