A Changed World

Inspired by a challenge by Crossoverpairinglover

Prologue

Britain was a ruin.

The thirty year war that had raged across its surface had finally burned out, if only because there was no one left to fight it. The country, once teeming and relatively prosperous, was now an uninhabited ruin. Anyone who survived the Second Blood War, as it was now called overseas, had long since fled. Everyone who had remained had either perished or gone so far into hiding they were never seen again by living eye.

Deep in the heap of rubble that was once called Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, a young man with dark hair lurched to his feet, reeling from yet another nightmare. Once he realized where he was, he groaned and rubbed his eyes.

Harry James Potter. Boy Who Lived, Auror, Killer of Voldemort, Husband, Widower.

He had thought it was over when he had struck Voldemort dead that fateful day at Hogwarts. He had been proven very wrong in short order.

Before his utterly stunned eyes, the corrupt Ministry had transformed the snakelike madman from a mass murderer into a hero, and a martyr for the pureblood cause. Those who had remained of his forces, along with purebloods from around the world, flocked to his place of death vowing to finish what he had started.

And so the war dragged on and on.

Harry had seen a lot of people he loved fall in battle. Too many. Just about all his friends had died now, along with almost everyone he recognized.

There was no one left in Britain aside from him – that toad Umbridge had unleashed the Dementors as a means of eliminating the muggle population of Britain. The other countries had managed to prevent the horrid creatures from leaving the boarders, but it was too late for the countless innocents who had called Britain home.

Harry could still hear them crying for help when he slept.

But the worst of his losses had been his wives.

They had come periodically over the thirty years he had spent fighting. Soul Bonds, they were called – when people's love was so intense it bound their souls together with a silver cord, sharing their magic, their lifeforce...everything.

The first had been Ginny. His first great love. Firey and fierce as fire and lightning, but she showed a sensitivity and loving kindness around him that strengthened him and gave him a reason to live. She had gone down fighting, taking all the Death Eaters in the area with her in a frenzied Fiendfyre to allow Harry to escape and keep fighting. Harry had honestly expected to die when he lost her.

Maya Pritchard had rescued him. She had been fighting to avenge her kid brother Graham's death, the only family member of hers who wasn't a hateful, racist and blood purist tool. She pulled him back from the abyss, and her quiet yet stubborn courage, along with her inventiveness and creative heart caused them to fall in love. She died thanks to Draco Malfoy's cowardly sneak attack at their home.

Harry had payed him back in full when he returned home.

Tracey Davis had been next. She was always full of manic energy; her laughter was infectious and sometimes she was the only thing that could get Harry out of bed. She lent him strength as the war reached its second fever pitch, but she died protecting him from a stray curse.

Last was Megan Jones. Britain's last muggleborn. Sheer desire for revenge had kept her going after the brutal deaths of her family near the beginning of the second war. And yet under all that anger there was still some empathy, and love, though despite their soul bond Megan seemed a little too drained to truly commit to a relationship until her final days. She died of an infection two days after she finally broke down her walls and gave herself to him fully.

After these losses, Harry gave up on the world as it was. Instead, he had retreated into the ruins of Hogwarts and began work on something Dumbledore had began in his time, but never finished.

The Kronotron.

Strictly speaking, time magic was a damning and difficult thing to master – only Merlin and Helga Hufflepuff had ever managed to successfully use it outside of the staple time loop restrictions. Hermione had used something similar, back when they were still in school.

However, given his now unlimited free time Harry had gone to work on the instrument. He wasn't known as one of the most skilled magic users who ever lived for no reason, though the wrecked machine put up a valiant fight to not be fixed.

But now he had fixed it.

Relaxing somewhat as he hooked it up to its final surge protectors, Harry glanced to the side and smiled sadly at the pictures and portraits of his old friends.

Sirius...Remus...Tonks...Hermione...Professor McGonagall...Neville...Luna...

...all those muggles...

Ginny...Maya...Tracey...Megan...

"I'm going to save you all this time," He promised, before chuckling slightly to himself.

His 'saving people thing', that's what Hermione had called it. He had been so angry when she told him that at first, and yet...she had been right in the end.

With a flick of his wand, Harry activated the Kronotron. Brilliant white light flooded the room, the school, and the entire world, leaving everyone blind and with a strange sense that everything was fading and reforming.

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Thirty Years Prior

Albus Dumbledore felt the surge of magic before he saw the flash of light. He woke quickly and stared out the window, seeing a point of light vanish into the sky.

"Was that...the Kronotron? But I never got the thing to work...unless..."

Eyes widening as he came to the realization, Dumbledore quickly rushed out of his room at the school and into his office.

Sitting in the middle of his desk were eight books he had never seen before, each one thicker then the last. Albus slid into his chair and began to sort through them.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone...what did the Flamels have to do with the young boy? Why would they get involved with the world after retreating so far?

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets...no...Dumbledore had done everything he could to ensure that horrid place would never open again...how had it been done?

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban...well, the title wasn't very helpful when you considered the number of its prisoners would have a grudge against the boy who lived.

Harry Potter and the Tri-Wizard Tournament...who in their right mind would resurrect that massacre disguised as a tourney? Who could be so desperate?

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix...he suspected that Voldemort may be capable of returning...

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince...what did Severus have to do with anything?

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows...Dumbledore closed his eyes temporarily at the memory of his great folly...he could only hope that Harry, having lost his parents, hadn't been seduced by the same lure...

and finally...Harry Potter and the Kronotron...

Dumbledore had placed a charm upon the machine, that ensured it could only be used as an absolute last measure, if the end of the world was neigh or some such situation. The fact that it had been activated...

The ageing headmaster felt all his over 100 years for a moment, before marshaling himself. Undoubtedly Harry would be coming to the school in order to change the timeline...now he needed to read up on the former future to ensure the worst could be averted...

So Dumbledore picked up the Philosopher's Stone and began to read through the first chapter. He hadn't gotten far before a sense of panic struck him – Minerva's words when she had dropped the boy off were ringing in his ears.

The worst sort of muggles imaginable...

He had to send someone to check on the young boy immediately.

Undisclosed Location

Far away, Voldemort was struck by a sudden fear. It was as if every single one of his horcruxes was being destroyed!

The wraith shuddered in fear, but he waited a moment, another moment...he didn't fade away. His most precious artifacts were safe...or were they?

"Quirrel..."

"Y-y-y-yes master?"

"Change of plans. There are some affairs I must see too."

In A Hut on a Rock in the Sea

Harry woke up dazed. This place...this was the rock that the Dursleys had taken him too when they were trying to avoid his Hogwarts letter. He had done it! The machine had worked!

Elated, the boy leapt to his feet.

However, he quickly realized that something was different.

All the Dursleys were unconscious, lying in a heap in the middle of the room. Vernon in particular looked like he had taken a bludgeoning curse to the head, blood tricking down through his hair.

Lying at Harry's feet was a knife. A knife covered in something he was willing to be wasn't tobacco sauce.

Unnerved, Harry looked down at himself. His ragged clothes were now torn up in several places...and was now coated with some dried blood.

What the hell!?

Harry had an eye for detail. He could guess what had happened here – the Dursleys had straight up attempted to murder him! But why? They had never been this bad before?

Hermione's voice echoed in his ears. Strange things happen when people try to change time!

Now worried, Harry sprinted outside. He needed to see Dumbledore, and he needed to get away from this place. The time to change things started now.

At Hogwarts

Harry groaned. He knew there were some disadvantages to being eleven again – while he had retained most of his magical abilities thanks to the Kronotron, it had taken him an hour of arguing and pleading to be allowed access to the floo to see Dumbledore.

"Hello Harry," Dumbledore said serenely when Harry was finally let into his office by an extremely suspicious looking McGonagall. Harry was far too happy to see her again to get angry about that. "My time travelling hero."

"Professor Dumbledore, I have to tell you – wait. You know-?"

"Yes, I put a spell on the Kronotron that would inform me if anyone succeed in using it to change time." Dumbledore raised a book with Harry's name and face on it. "I've caught up, and you can consider me your ally in this venture."

Harry expelled a breath of relief and collapsed on a waiting chair. "Thank god. I really wasn't looking forward to arguing that I was perfectly sane again." He said. Being considered or called insane was a huge pressure point for him.

Dumbledore smiled in understanding. "I imagine you're quite fed up with that. Well, I have to warn you – things may not be exactly as you remember?"

"What? Why?"

"I used the Kronotron once myself, Harry. It has a major flaw – though it sent you back in time properly, it has a tendancy to punch holes in reality."

"Huh!?"

"You're familiar with the concept of alternate realities?"

"Uh...Yeah. Maya talked to me about it once." Harry recalled. "Something about decisions being the focal point of history...and different choices becoming different worlds. But what does that have to do with the Kronotron?"

"It's difficult to use time magic without running into the Staple Time Loop." Dumbledore said. "Of course, if you want to change history, that's something you don't want. But breaking a loop can have devastating consequences – it could cause time to collapse on itself, or it will find ways to reset itself to its original state. What I designed the Kronotron to do would be to punch a hole through reality when it reached the point in time where the changes would begin. Effectively, this is not the reality you remember."

"What...but...then how am I supposed to know what to do?"

"It's not entirely different," Dumbledore said soothingly. "Many key events have remained the same."

"Such as the deaths of my parents?" Harry asked dispiritedly. He would have liked to grow up with them.

"I'm sorry Harry but yes. I cannot tell you if all the changes will be negative, but be on your guard – some unexpected changes may wrong foot you."

Harry pushed his concern away and got a determined look on his face. "I won't let that stop me, Professor."

"I know it wouldn't." Dumbledore said with a smile. "Now, how about I show you to your ancestral home...to give you time to prepare for school, of course. I imagine there shall be a few ladies you'll want to meet again."

End Chapter

Just how different will this world be? ...Well, you'll see next chapter! I hope you'll be surprised. :)

Read and Review please!