Title: Time Warp: Year One
Author: Laen
Chapter: (6) The Final Battle
Summary: Harry, Ron, and Hermione finally go searching for Quirrell... but will someone join them on this little trip?
Disclaimer: All characters below belong to Joanne K. Rowling; the idea of Harry going back in time came from Back to the Future.
Author's Note: Sorry for the delay! Please review!
.
.
.
"Harry, stop pacing!" Ron snapped as the eleven year old wizard finally froze in his steps.
"That's it, I'm tired of waiting, let's go already." Harry said as he pulls his invisibility cloak out of his bag.
"Harry, Neville's still down here studying!" Hermione hissed as she looked over in the direction of the Gryffindor first year.
"Who cares. He can come along for all I care. Let's just go already!"
Harry swung the cloak around, and disappeared under it. Ron and Hermione both groaned, causing Neville to turn his attention to them.
"Hey, where's Harry?" he asked confusingly, as Harry reappeared, to the shock of his life.
"What—how—what—" Neville began to freak out.
"Nev, we're going out, don't worry, we won't get caught. But in case we don't return by tomorrow morning, find Professor Dumbledore and let him know that Voldemort's gotten the stone, and he's back to power, and I'm dead." Harry said as he began to head towards the exit of the common room.
"You can't go!" Neville yelled when Harry's words sank into his head.
"Actually, I can. Come on Ron, Hermione." Harry said as he turned to his two friends, who nodded, and followed him to the door.
"Wait! No! Where are you going?" Neville asked, but it was too late, the Gryffindor trio had already walked out the door.
Neville sighed as he got to his feet... McGonagall wasn't going to be happy to hear about this.
.
.
.
"Come on, let's go." Harry whispered as he and his friends slowly walked down the hall, heading towards the third floor corridor.
When they finally arrived though, they were not happy with what they saw... Standing right outside the door, was Professor McGonagall, and Neville Longbottom.
"Oh, bloody hell!" Harry hissed angrily as he removed the invisibility cloak.
"Forget about the lecture, we've got to get the stone." Harry said as McGonagall opened her mouth to speak.
Harry pulled his wand out, and whispered the unlocking charm. Before McGonagall could even do anything, he walked up to the door, and pulled it open.
"Potter! No, there's a dangerous—"
Professor McGonagall froze when she saw what was inside. The three headed dog, Fluffy, lay on the ground, sleeping and snoring. A harp was by the corner, playing a slow tune.
"It's not possible!"
"Anything's possible, now if you excuse me, I've got to go. By the way, Ron, Hermione careful after you jump, there's devil's snare down there." Harry said as he waved his wand, and moved Fluffy away from the trap door.
He walked up to it, and pulled it opened, then turned back to see his friends.
"See ya down there. But hurry, before the music ends." Harry stated before he jumped down.
He landed, and almost immediately, he rushed to his feet, and waited for his friends to arrive. Ron came falling down, screaming, as Harry remembered... then Hermione came down. He was about to perform the spell to destroy the devil's snare when Neville and Professor McGonagall came shooting down.
"What the—" Harry began, but Professor McGonagall got to her feet, waved her wand, and bright light appeared out of it, causing the devil's snare to move away.
"I was about to do that." Harry muttered under his breath.
"Let's hurry. If what you say is true, Mr Potter, then it's best that I accompany you four. After all, it is my responsibility to take care of you." McGonagall said as Harry nodded, then headed towards the next room.
He grabbed the broom that was set there, and flew up into the sky before anyone could say anything, looking for the key. Seconds later, he had it in his hands.
"You could've just summoned it." Ron said as Harry shrugged.
They opened the door, and walked into the next room.
"Great, chess board." Harry sighed as he took the spot of a bishop.
"I'll take the knight. Hermione, you talk the castle, Neville—"
"Professor, I think it's best if you and Neville just stay out of the game." Harry cut in.
"Why is that, Potter? I was the one who created this obstacle." McGonagall spoke up angrily.
"Exactly, it'll be like playing yourself, you'll never win. It's better to have Ron do this." Harry explained.
The Transfiguration Professor could only nodded unwillingly, then conjure up a few seats for her and Neville to sit on.
Twenty minutes and a few broken chess pieces later, they had gotten down to the last move.
"I've got to get myself taken." Ron whispered.
"Do it quick. And carefully." Harry muttered before anyone else could say anything.
Ron nodded, and stepped forward a few spaces. The white queen pounced almost immediately, and her stony arm hit Ron right around the head. Neville and Hermione both screamed in shock, and McGonagall could only gasp.
Harry took three spaces to the left, and the white king took his crown off and threw it at his feet. Turning to the Gryffindor head, he spoke.
"Look after Ron, Hermione and I will advance to the next obstacle. Don't worry, the Troll's already been knocked out, and we'll get past Snape's potions. Hermione's brilliant, and I know what's what." Harry said as he turned towards the door, and ran towards it.
Hermione followed swiftly, ignoring McGonagall and Neville's calls, telling them to come back. They pushed the door open, and a disgusting smell filled their nostrils. Harry walked over to the door on the other side, and pushed it open. Hermione followed right after him.
"Snape's." Harry whispered as the two of them stepped over the threshold and immediately a fire sprang up behind them in the door way.
The fire was purple... at the same instant, black flames shot up in the doorway leading onwards. They seemed to be trapped.
"Look!" Hermione seized a roll of paper lying next to the bottles.
"Danger lies before you, while safety lies behind,
Two of us will help you, whichever you would find,
One among us seven will let you move ahead,
Another will transport the drinker back instead,
Two among our number hold only nettle wine,
Three of us are killers, waiting hidden in line.
Choose, unless you wish to stay here forevermore,
To help you in your choice, we give you these clues four:
First, however slyly the poison to hide
You will always find some on nettle wine's left side;
Second, different are those who stand at either ends,
But if you would move onwards, neither is your friend;
Third, as you see clearly, all are different size,
Neither dwarf nor giant holds death in their insides;
Fourth, the second left and the second on the left
Are twins once you taste them, though different at first sight." Harry read out loud.
"Brilliant!" said Hermione. "This isn't magic—it's logic—a puzzle. A lot of the greatest wizards haven't got an ounce of logic, they'd be stuck in here forever."
"You're one of the greatest wizards I know, but you've got logic... think we can get past that door?" Harry asked, although he already knew the answer.
"Give me a minute. I'll look through this again..." Hermione muttered as she read the paper several times.
Then she walked up and down the line of bottles, muttering to herself and pointing at them. At last, she clapped her hands.
"Got it," she said. "The smallest bottle will get us through the black fire—towards the Stone."
"Which one will take you back?"
Hermione pointed at a rounded bottle at the right end of the line.
"Drink that, go back, tell McGonagall to get Dumbledore. Don't worry about me okay? I've done this before." Harry smiled weakly.
"Harry, are you mad?" Hermione asked in shock.
"I think so. Not really sure." Harry joked as Hermione's lips trembled and she suddenly dashed at Harry and threw her arms around him.
"Hermione!"
"Harry—you're a great wizard, you know."
"Not as good as you," said Harry, as she let go of him.
"Me!" said Hermione. "Books! And cleverness! There are more important things—friendship and bravery and—oh Harry—be careful!"
"Don't worry, I will be. I've got too much to lose." Harry whispered as he gave Hermione another hug.
"Drink it, and get out of here." Harry said as he walked over to the line of potions, and grabbed the smallest bottle.
"Harry be careful!" Hermione yelled as Harry drained the little bottle in one gulp, and ran through the flames.
When he got through the other side, he wasn't at all surprised at who was there.
"Quirrell." Harry acknowledged calmly as he pulled his wand out.
The defence against the dark arts professor seemed to have a shocked expression on his face for a moment, before the expression turned evil and cruel.
"I wondered whether I'd be meeting you here, Potter."
"Yeah, whatever. Why don't we just get this battle finished, so I can go get some well deserved rest?" Harry asked sarcastically as he snapped his fingers, trying what Quirrell did last time he lived through this.
Ropes sprang out of thin air and wrapped themselves tightly around the evil man.
"How did you—"
Harry smirked, and Quirrell stopped talking.
"The advantage of knowing what's going to happen Quirrell... but then, this wasn't supposed to happen, was it? No, it was supposed to be the other way around. You were supposed to have me captured, get the stone, and then bring Voldemort back to life." Harry said as he walked around the struggling tied up wizard.
"The mirror of Erised won't give you the Stone, because only those who wish to find it, and not use it, can actually get it. But then, you want it for greedy reasons, so you can't get it." Harry smirked in a very Slytherin-like way.
"Let me free Potter." Quirrell hissed.
"Sure, why not." Harry clapped his hands, and the ropes binding Quirrell fell off.
"Feel free to look at the mirror, I doubt you'll find it. It probably already knows why you're here." Harry grinned as the wizard glared at him.
"By the way, while you're looking at that mirror, care to remove your turban? I'd like to have a little chat with Moldiewort."
"How dare you—"
"Accio!"
The cloth that surrounded Quirrell's head went lying towards him, and he ducked to avoid being hit by it. A look of both fear and shock appeared onto the wizards face when he realized what happened.
"Master—I—"
"Let me speak to him..."
"But master—"
"Let me speak to him..."
"Yeah Quirrell, let me speak to the old bat." Harry grinned smugly as Quirrell glared at him, and turned around slowly.
Harry tried his best to keep his cool, and stared into the red eyes of Voldemort coldly.
"Harry Potter..." it whispered as Harry nodded.
"See what I have become?" the face asked. "Mere shadow and vapour... I have form only when I can share another's body... but there have always been those willing to let me into their hearts and minds... Unicorn blood has strengthened me, these past weeks..."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah... blablabla. Are you done yet?" Harry asked as he walked up to the mirror.
He saw himself staring back, only he was grown up this time, what he looked like five years into the future. Grinning back at himself.
His future reflection reached into his pocket, and pulled out a blood-red stone. It winked and put the Stone back in its pocket, and as it did so, Harry felt the stone drop into his real pocket.
"You know, this would be so much easier if you would just die." Harry muttered as he turned back to face Quirrell.
"Give me that stone in your pocket Potter." Voldemort hissed.
"No thanks. I think it'd be safer in the hands of a non-crazy dark wizard who plans to kill everyone." Harry said sarcastically as Quirrell glared angrily.
"Seize him!"
Quirrell lunged forward, and Harry held his arm up to protect himself. The man grabbed his wrist, and a needle-sharp pain seared across his scar. His head felt as though it was about to split in two.
Harry managed to avoid screaming, but Quirrell was screaming his head off as he pulled his hands away. Harry noticed that his hands were burnt, raw, red, and shiny.
"Mast, I cannot hold him—my hands—my hands!"
"Then kill him, fool, and be done!" screeched Voldemort.
Quirrell raised his hand to perform a deadly curse, but Harry, by instinct, reached up and grabbed Quirrell's face...
"AAAARGH!"
Quirrell fell to the ground in pain, his face blistering too. But Harry didn't stop there, he grabbed Quirrell by the arm and held on tight as the Wizarding continued to scream and make attempts to pull himself away.
Harry finally felt Quirrell's arm wrenched from his grasp, and slowly, the pain overcame him, and he fell into blackness....
.
.
.
Something gold was glinting just above him... Harry blinked a few times, and realized it was the smiling face of Albus Dumbledore.
"Good afternoon, Harry," said Dumbledore.
"Hello, Professor." Harry whispered as he sat up.
Next to him, lay a table piled high with what looked like half the sweet shop.
"Tokens from your friends and admirers," said Dumbledore beaming.
"Great. Listen, Professor—I know I probably should've told you what was going to happen but—"
"Harry, I must thank you..." Dumbledore cut in.
Harry froze slightly.
"Why?" he asked in confusion.
"You stopped Voldemort from coming back to power, and not only that, you haven't revealed your secret to anyone..." Dumbledore stopped for a moment, and stared into Harry's eyes.
Harry immediately placed a wall of protection around his mind, and clearing his thoughts of nothing.
"Ah... you are skilled." Dumbledore smiled.
"Yeah, sure. Listen Professor, I was just wondering, could you set up a portkey for me? To get to Azkaban? I'd like to visit my god-father at the beginning and end of summer. And on my birthday. I've already missed one of my promised visits to Sirius, I'd like to let him know I wasn't lying." Harry requested.
"Harry... why is it you wish to pay a visit to the murderer of your parents?"
"He didn't murder them. He wasn't even the secret keeper. It was someone else. They switched at the last second..." Harry whispered.
"He told you this?" Dumbledore questioned.
"In the future." Harry answered.
"I see. Well Mr Potter, I can arrange the portkeys for you easily, but..."
"Yes?"
"Do not speak of the future so openly. Professor McGonagall is getting suspicious." Dumbledore said as Harry shrugged.
"I'll just tell everyone the truth after my fourth year. They've started planning the Tri-Wizard Cup right?" Harry asked as Dumbledore's eyes widened.
"Well... yes. Of course. We're debating about the age limit at this moment."
Harry nodded.
"Wouldn't matter to me anyways, death eaters are supposed to try and kill me that year, so I'd get submitted. Just to let you know in advance." Harry smiled slightly.
"Mr Potter, I wish not to hear anymore of the future. Excuse me, for I have a staff meeting to get to." Dumbledore said as Harry nodded.
"Bean, sir?" Harry offered as he picked up a box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans and held it out to the professor.
"I suggest the toffee one..." Harry grinned as Dumbledore took it, and poped it into his mouth.
"Alas! Earwax!" Dumbledore grinned before he turned, and left the hospital wing.
.
.
.
After a good night's sleep, Harry felt nearly back to normal. Madam Pomfrey didn't let Hermione and Ron in to visit him this time, but he didn't care, as he was really tired.
"You've got another visitor." Madam Promfrey said as Harry grinned.
"Of good, who is it?"
Hagrid sidled through the door as he spoke, and sat down next to Harry, took one look at him and burst into tears.
"It's—all—my—ruddy—fault!" he sobbed, his face in his hands. "I told the evil git how ter get past Fluffy! I told him! It was the only thin ghe didn't know an' I told him! Yeh could've died! All fer a dragon egg! I'll never drink again! I should be chucked out an' made ter live s a Muggle!"
"Hagrid! Calm down! He would've found out someone. There's probably stuff about three headed dogs in the library!" Harry said, and Hagrid stopped crying.
"Harry... I've got yeh a present." Hagrid said as he pulled a handsome, leather-covered book out of his cloak, and gave it to him.
"Send owls off ter all yer parents' old school friends, askin' fer photos... Knew yeh didn' hav any... D'yeh like it?"
Harry could only stare at the pictures with a small smile on his face silently, but Hagrid understood...
.
.
.
Harry made his way down to the end-of-year feast alone that night. He had been held up by Madam Pomfrey's fussing about, insisting on giving him one last check up, so the Great Hall was already full.
It was decked out in the Slytherin colours of green and silver to celebrate Slytherin's winning the house cup for the seventh year in a row. Regardless of the fact that Harry didn't cause his house to lose a hundred and fifty points by getting caught smuggling the dragon out to the flyers, Snape had managed to cut dozens of points from Gryffindor.
When Harry walked in there was a sudden hush and then everybody started talking loudly at once. He slipped into a seat between Ron and Hermione at the Gryffindor table and tried to ignore the fact that people were standing up to look at him.
"Harry! You're alright!" Hermione said as she gave him a hug happily.
"Yup. Great job down there with the chess board Ron." Harry smiled as Ron grinned back.
Dumbledore arrived moments later, and the babble in the great hall died down.
"Another year gone!" Dumbledore said cheerfully. "And I must trouble you with an old man's wheezing waffle before we sink our teeth into our delicious feast. What a year it has been! Hopefully your heads are all a little fuller than they were... you have the whole summer ahead to get them nice and empty before next year starts...
"Now, as I understand it, the house cup here needs awarding and the points stand thus: in fourth place, Gryffindor, with three hundred and twelve points; in third, Hugglepuff with three hundred and fifty-two; Ravenclaw have four hundred and twenty-six and Slytherin, four hundred and seventy-two."
A storm of cheering and stamping broke out from the Slytherin table. Harry could see Draco Malfoy banging his goblet on the table. It was a sickening sight.
"Yes, yes, well done, Slytherin," said Dumbledore. "However, recent events must be taken into account."
The room went very still. The Slytherins' smiles faded a little.
"Ahem," said Dumbledore. "I have a few last-minute points to dish out. Let me see. Yes... First—to Mr Ronald Weasley..."
Ron went purple in the face; he looked like a radish with a bad sunburn.
"...for the best-played game of chess Hogwarts has seen in many years, I award Gryffindor house fifty points."
Gryffindor cheers nearly raised the bewitched ceiling; the stars overhead seemed to quiver, and Percy could be heard telling the other prefects, "My brother, you know! My youngest brother! Got past McGonagall's giant chess set!"
At last, there was silence again.
"Second—to Miss Hermione Granger... for the use of cool logic in the face of fire, I award Gryffindor house fifty points."
Hermione buried her face in her arms, and Harry place his one arm around her and gave her a hug to calm her down. Gryffindors up and down the table were beside themselves—they were a hundred points up.
"Third—to Mr Harry Potter..." said Dumbledore. The room went deadly quiet. "... for pure nerve and outstanding courage, I award Gryffindor house sixty points."
The din was deafening. Those who could add up while yelling themselves hoarse knew that Gryffindor now had four hundred and seventy-two points—exactly the same as Slytherin. They had drawn for the house cup—if only Dumbledore had given Harry just one more point.
Dumbledore raised his hand. The room gradually fell silent.
"There are all kinds of courage," said Dumbledore, smiling. "It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends and stop them from running into things half blinded... I therefore award ten points to Mr Neville Longbottom."
Someone standing outside the great hall might as well thought some sort of explosion had taken place, so loud was the noise that erupted from the Gryffindor table. Harry, Ron and Hermione stood up to yell and cheer as Neville, white with shock, disappeared under a pile of people hugging him.
He had never won so much as a point for Gryffindor before. Harry, still cheering, nudged Ron and Hermione in the ribs and pointed at Malfoy, who couldn't have looked more stunned and horrified if he had just had the Body-Bind curse put on him.
"Which mean," Dumbledore called over the storm of applause, for even Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff were celebrating the downfall of Slytherin, "we need a little change of decoration."
He clapped his hands. In an instant, the green hangings became scarlet and the silever became gold; the huge Slytherin serpent vanished and a towering Gryffindor lion took its place. Snape was shaking Professor McGonagall's hand, with a horrible forced smile.
He caught Harry's eye and Harry knew at once that Snape's feelings towards him hadn't changed one jot. He smirked back, and decided to turn his attention else where... It seemed as though life would be back to normal next year, or as normal as it ever was at Hogwarts...
.
.
.
Harry had almost forgotten that the exam results were still to come, but come they did. To their great surprise, Ron passed with good marks; Harry and Hermione, were tied with the best marks in the year.
Even Neville scraped through, his good Herbology mark making up for his abysmal Potions one. They had hoped that Goyle, who was almost as stupid as he was mean, might be thrown out, but he had passed, too. It was a shame, but as Ron said, you couldn't have everything in live.
And suddenly, their wardrobes were empty, their trunks were packs, Neville's toad was found lurking in a corner of the toilets; notes were handed to all students, warning them not to use magic over the holidays
("I always hope they'll forget to give us these," said Fred Weasley sadly); Hagrid was there to take them down to the fleet of boats that sailed across the lake; they were boarding the Hogwarts Express; talking and laughing as the countryside became greener and tidier; eating Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans as they sped past Muggle towns; pulling off their wizard robes and putting on jackets and coats; pulling into platform nine and three quarters at King's Cross Station.
It took quite a while for them all to get off the platform. A wizened old guard was up by the ticket barrier letting them go through the gates in twos and threes to they didn't attract attention by all bursting out of a solid wall at once and alarming theMuggles.
"You must come and stay this summer," said Ron, "both of you—I'll send you an owl."
"Thanks," said Harry. "I'll probably come after I pay Sirius a visit."
People jostled them as they moved forwards towards the gate way back to the Muggle world. Some of them called:
"Bye, Harry!"
"See you, Potter!"
"Still famous," said Ron, grinning at him.
"Like I care." Harry shrugged.
He, Ron and Hermione passed through the gateway together.
"There he is, Mum, there he is, look!"
It was Ginny Weasley, Ron's younger sister, but she wasn't pointing at Ron.
"Harry Potter!" she squealed. "Look, Mum! I can see—"
"Be quiet, Ginny, and it's rude to point."
Mrs Weasley smiled down at them.
"Busy year?" she asked.
"Very," said Harry. "Thanks for the fudge and the jumper, Mrs Weasley."
"Oh, it was nothing, dear."
"Ready, are you?"
It was Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia and Dudley, all smiling slightly at the sight of Harry.
"Yeah, in a sec." Harry said as he turned to Ron and Hermione.
"You must be Harry's family!" said Mrs Weasley as she started up a conversation with Harry's relatives.
Ginny still kept her eye on Harry.
"Listen mate, keep your mouth shut about the you-know-what okay? And if you don't get any letter back from me, it won't be my fault. But if I don't mail anything back by my birthday, get Fred and George to fly down there and save me." Harry said as Ron nodded.
"Thanks." Harry muttered as he turned to Hermione.
"Hope you have a good summer, "Mione." Harry said as he gave her a warm hug, then a light kiss on the cheek, leaving Hermione blushing like mad.
"You too... Harry." Hermione muttered as Ron smirked at Harry, who smirked back, before turning to his relatives.
He noticed that Ginny's face had fallen, and she looked very upset. Harry sighed to himself, but looked up at Uncle Vernon.
"Ready?" his uncle asked.
Harry nodded.
"See ya." Harry whispered as he took one last look at his friends, before he turned, and left with his family...
A/N: Whoohoo! Finally done! Hope you liked it! I'll be posting the first chapter of 'Time Warp: Year Two' up sometime next Thursday or Friday. I've got final exams next Wednesday and Tuesday, so I'll be busy until then... And thanks to the following for reviewing!
Amras-Nenharma, HarryPassionFan, Nightwing 509, BurningIce22, DarkJamAB, Nicoletta, TopQuark, Silvercrystal77, PadfootsNoxed, Madfoot Moony, Canal Vorfeed, sakura-star-63, Shadowface, David M. Potter, gaul1, Hannanora-Potter, Nasser Himura, WaitingforAron, fanficfan54321, LRGator, and Siri Kat
PS! IF YOU WISH TO READ A H/HR FANFIC THAT UPDATES DAILY, CHECK OUT 'Year of Discovery' IN MY PROFILE! AND PLEASE UPDATE!!!