Disclaimer: I do not nor will I ever own the Harry Potter story, characters, villains, heroes, and creatures. I also sadly do not make any money off this story. Trust me; my bank account cannot lie about that.

A/N: This story has not been betaed. I found it one my computer, sitting in my complete folder. I totally forgot about it. I believe I posted it only to my fiction group, but I can't even be sure of that. Let me know what you think.

FOR THE GREATER GOOD

By Marietsy

--0--0--0--0--

"It was for the greater good, Harry."

The sentence bounced around Harry's head as he stared at the old wizard standing in front of him, his gaze serene. Harry couldn't believe what he was hearing. It was a lie. It had all been a lie. He was alive! After all this time, he was alive and it had been a plan. A plan that was to make Harry stronger; a plan to make Harry grow up and finally become the weapon that the old man wanted all along. It was a plan that had drawn the war out for five years and thousands of deaths, including majority of the Weasleys.

It had all been a plan.

Harry grew enraged, his eyes glowing brightly with power. He could see the old man's eyes widen as he realized what he just released with his words.

"For the greater good?" Harry growled, visibly trembling with rage. "The death of thousands of witches, wizards and children was for the greater good? The death of my friends and family was for the greater good? The death of Hagrid and Minerva, who was your best friend, was for the greater good? The almost total destruction of the Wizarding World was for the greater good? Fuck your greater good, Dumbledore!" he screamed as wind began to rage around the room, destroying the crystal figurines that littered the room. "People thought you were dead and they lost hope! I was only a boy! You expected me to kill Voldemort, but left me with no way to train for that fight!"

Harry took a step towards the old man, and grinned ferally as Dumbledore took a step back warily, his eyes wide and slightly afraid. "They closed Hogwarts after your death, old man! There was nowhere to learn. They closed the castle up tightly and we couldn't even use the immense library to find the information that we needed on Horocruxs. Snape was killed three months after your 'supposed'," Harry paused to sneer, "death in after Voldemort found out that he was a spy and the Ministry had the Order members either arrested or watched and THERE WAS NO ONE TO TEACH ME!"

"Now, Harry," Dumbledore began, raising his hands to placate Harry.

"No, you don't get to speak," Harry snapped and waved his hand, wordlessly silencing the former Headmaster. He felt a shot of satisfaction as the old man started and watched realization dawned on the man that his "weapon" was a lot stronger than him and really, really angry.

"I watched as my friends were cut down in front of me. I watched as others sacrificed themselves so that I could survive. I watched as Fred and George were cut into two pieces, and Ginny was tortured and raped before being killed. I watched as Ron was skinned alive in front of me, only to jump in front the Killing curse so that I could escape. I watched as Hermione was driven mad by a dark curse and the murder of her parents. She is in a mental institute in the Muggle world and she will never be the same."

Harry took a shaky breath as he thought of the friends and loved ones that died. Poor Hermione didn't even know who he was. Mentally, she was a child of three and she loved her dolls. She will never recover and if Harry had his way, she was never know the horror of the Wizarding World. She was safely hidden away, under the Fidelius spell and no one would ever find her. It was the least he could do for her.

"Because of your plan, we were cut adrift, let go before we were ready. Because of your plan, our race is almost nonexistent and Hogwarts is nothing but a pile of ruins. What good came out of your plan, Dumbledore?" Harry demanded. He waved his hand and took the silencing spell off the old man.

"You finally defeated Tom," Dumbledore stated softly, almost hesitantly.

The room exploded into chaos. Harry screamed with rage and pain and the windows in the room shattered. The metal pieces began to melt and the ground started to shake. "You will die for this, Dumbledore. You will die and I will make it slow!"

Finally realizing that no excuse would satisfy Harry, Dumbledore raised his wand to Apparate out of the room when everything suddenly…stopped. The shattered glass froze in the air, the metal in the room was no longer melting, and the ground stopped shaking. There was complete stillness. Harry was stunned. He looked around warily.

Glancing at Dumbledore, he realized that Dumbledore was afraid, no, the man was terrified. Harry felt uneasy. What could possibly terrify the old man like this?

Suddenly, a smell filled the room. Harry sniffed slightly and felt himself calming. It smelled like dirt, grass, spring, and innocence. There was flash of light and Fawkes appeared before Harry, trilling excitedly. Harry laughed, as he hadn't seen Fawkes in several years. Not long after Dumbledore "died", Fawkes disappeared. Harry thought that maybe Fawkes needed to grieve for the loss of Dumbledore. Now he wondered if Fawkes had known Dumbledore was alive all along. Harry snorted, of course Fawkes did. He was Dumbledore's familiar.

Fawkes landed on Harry's shoulder and trilled gently, rubbing his head against Harry's cheek. He gently nipped Harry's ear and cooed affectionately. Harry's hand lifted up and he started to pet the Phoenix.

A soft glow filled the air, slowly growing brighter, until finally Harry had to look away. When the glow disappeared, Harry looked back and blinked. Where the glowing light had been now stood a woman, a woman whose immense power filled the room. Harry swallowed hard, feeling very nervous. Fawkes cooed once again, trilling softly. Harry calmed down. Surely if she was someone to be worried about, Fawkes wouldn't be this calm.

He studied the woman intently. She was tall, around six feet and her hair was a deep rich green like the color of the grass and the leaves on the trees. Cocking his head sideways, Harry looked her hair and he could see that leaves and vines were interwoven in her hair. Her skin was dark, like the color of the dirt of the earth. His eyes flicked briefly over the body and he could tell that it was perfect. Raising his eyes to her face, he jumped slightly when he realized that she was staring at him, her face calm and filled with peace...and amusement. Her eyes were beautiful. They were blue, but not just any blue, but blue like the sky.

"Um...hi," he greeted a little awkwardly.

"Hello, Harry James Potter. It's nice to finally meet you," she said.

"You too...um…who exactly are you?" Harry asked, his gaze curious.

She smiled brightly and it was as if the sun was shining down on him. "I am the Mother Earth or Gaia if you would prefer."

Harry swallowed hard. Oh shit!

"Gaia?" Harry squeaked. "As in the mother of all creation and the giver of magic?"

Gaia smiled gently. "The very same, young man."

"Oh," Harry replied weakly. "Er…why are you here now?"

Mother Earth laughed gently. "I have been watching you, Harry. I have seen your struggle and I recognize all that you have lost to fight this war. Sadly, it looks as if the end of the Wizarding World is at hand. There aren't enough Witches and Wizards to make the Wizarding World what it once was."

Harry bowed his head, tears filling his eyes. He had known, of course. He'd seen the devastation that the war caused. Sadly, Britain wasn't the only country affected. All the continents were affected, and the losses were great. The Wizarding World's population hadn't been huge in the first place, not compared to the Muggles, but it was almost non-existent now.

"I tried," Harry started, feeling the guilt well up in him that he didn't stop the war sooner.

Gaia reached over and stroked his face gently, making him pause. "I know, young Harry, and I'm not here for you. Your battle is over and you have proven yourself worthy. I know how hard you struggled, how much pain and loss you felt over the years, and even through it all, you never lost sight of the fact that you were fighting for others. Your goodness and your heart kept you going and you are the very image of a warrior of the Light. No, Harry Potter, I am not here for you. I am here for him," she said, her eyes flashing angrily as she turned her eyes towards the old man who hadn't moved since the Mother Earth appeared in the room.

"Dumbledore?" Harry asked, confused.

"Yes, Dumbledore." Gaia replied flatly. She glared at the old man, who was shaking. It was disconcerting to Harry to see the man who was supposed to be the most powerful wizard of the time, shaking at the mere site of Gaia. Of course, he mused gleefully, it was also as funny as hell.

Gaia gave him a brief amused look as if she knew what Harry was thinking and turned to stare at the old wizard. "Many years ago, he called upon me to help defeat the Dark Wizard, Grindelwald. Things were different before he called on me. The Wizarding World word was near extinction. Thousands died and Grindelwald had joined forces with the Muggle, Hitler. There was chaos in the World and magic was out of balance. The war could have been averted if Dumbledore had just taken the opportunity that was presented to him and destroyed Grindelwald when he had the chance. However, he wanted more prestige, more power. He thought that if he let Grindelwald terrorize the Wizarding World just a little longer, then he would get the adulations and power that he wanted. Unfortunately, he let Grindelwald rage until there was nothing left of the Wizarding World."

"You see, Harry, you aren't the only one who had a prophecy. Dumbledore was the only one that could defeat Grindelwald as I selected him for his goodness. Sadly, I didn't look deep enough. Even a goddess can make mistakes. I didn't see the hunger for power and prestige that lay hidden deep with his heart," Gaia explained sadly.

"By the time I did, it was too late to change the prophecy. I watched and waited until there was nothing left. I was able to nudge Dumbledore into the right direction and he found the ritual to call me, thinking that it would give him the power to defeat Grindelwald. By the time Dumbledore called me, there was nothing to rule, nobody left to adore and worship him. So he Called for me and I answered."

"What happened then? I mean thing are obviously different than your version of history," Harry asked, curious.

Gaia smiled gently. "I changed everything. With the Cronos stone, I sent Dumbledore back in time to take the opportunity to kill Grindelwald that he passed up the first time. However, I made the change effective only after Dumbledore promised me his soul for another chance to change things. For his test, his chance at redemption, I gave him a mission. He was to defeat the darkness that was growing and help the Light flourish. Once he did that, a new age would be born and the Wizarding World would enter a golden age. Sadly, he failed."

"Gaia," Dumbledore began, his eyes filled with fear.

"Do not speak, mortal!" Gaia said softly. Harry took a step back as he felt the power fill the room at the softly spoken words. Wow! He thought. He had never felt such power, not even from Dumbledore or Voldemort.

"You had your second chance, just as we agreed upon. You had your attempt at redemption. You failed," Gaia stated with finality.

"But the darkness is gone!" Dumbledore stated firmly. "I defeated it just as you asked."

"You didn't destroy the darkness, Dumbledore!" Gaia roared. "Harry did."

She stopped a moment as she visibly calmed herself. She looked at the old wizard fiercely. "Destroying Tom wasn't the test, mortal. It was never your mission to destroy him. The Fates chose Harry to destroy that evil. No, defeating Tom wasn't the test. He was," Gaia said as she pointed at Harry.

Harry blinked with surprise. "Huh?"

Dumbledore looked confused. "Harry? Why was Harry the test?"

"Your test was to defeat the darkness, but it wasn't the darkness without, it was the darkness that was within you, Dumbledore. You were supposed to raise Harry, not give him to his Muggle family. They neglected and abused him. It was only his strength of character that he didn't become the same bitter young man as Tom. You were to give him the love that he needed to flourish, no one else. You were supposed to be the father figure that he needed when he finally faced Tom. Instead, you manipulated, lied, cheated, and destroyed this world with your plans. You failed, Dumbledore. You have destroyed the Wizarding World once again and you let the darkness within you grow," Gaia stated.

"But…but…it was for the greater good!" Dumbledore shouted.

"But whose greater good? Mine? The Wizarding World? The thousands that lay dead in their graves? Harry's? No, Dumbledore, it wasn't for the greater good. It was only for you. I know what you planned after Tom's death. I know how you were going to have Harry killed so that you could take over. However, what you didn't realize, as before, there is nothing left to rule and you will not be getting second chances this time."

Gaia waved her hand and the ground began to tremble. Harry placed his hand on a wall to hold himself up.

"NO!" Dumbledore denied as the earth began to open beneath him. Harry gasped as he felt the heat coming from the large fissure.

"By your agreement, your soul is mine to do what I want with it and I have decided that it should have never been born. I will correct your mistakes, Dumbledore and I will bring balance back to this world. Your time here is over. Be gone!" Gaia intoned and with a scream, Dumbledore fell down the fissure. With a snap, the fissure closed and there was silence.

Harry shivered. Dumbledore was gone. This time he was really dead. For years, he thought the old wizard was dead, only to find out that he wasn't. Now, he was gone and there would never be a chance that the old man would come back.

"Harry," Gaia said gently.

Harry started and moved his eyes away from the ground where the former Headmaster once stood to look at Gaia "Yeah?"

Gaia held out her hand and in her palm laid a green glowing stone. "I am giving you a choice."

"What choice?" Harry asked.

"In my hand is the Cronos stone. It can turn back time and I can correct the mistakes that Dumbledore made. It would be as if he never lived. Your choice is to decide whether I should do this or not," Gaia informed him.

"Of course!" Harry exclaimed.

"No, Harry. You need to be aware that if I turn back time to correct the mistakes, this timeline could be entirely different. Tom could still be alive and in charge. Grindelwald could have taken over and Hitler could have destroyed millions of humans. There is no guarantee that if I change things that the world will be better. Your friends and family could still be dead, or they may have never been born. There is no way to tell how it will go," Gaia explained.

Harry swallowed as he realized that it wasn't a guaranteed offer to make things better. Things could be so much worse. He thought about it hard. But shouldn't he take that chance? As it was now, there really wasn't anything left of the Wizarding World, nothing that would last past a few generations. Even if Voldemort or Grindelwald was in charge, there would still be Witches and Wizards, wouldn't there? A few minutes later, he finally made up his mind.

"I understand that things may not be better, but I have to take that chance. I owe it to those who died for me and for those who I couldn't save. A small chance at a better life is better than no chance at all," Harry stated firmly.

Gaia smiled at him warmly. "You truly do exceed my expectations. However, as with Dumbledore, there will have to be a small price in order for the change to be effective. You don't need to find redemption as you did all you could to save the Wizarding World; however, a price still must be paid."

Harry nodded with resignation. He understood that he couldn't have something this big without a price. He was willing to pay it though. If his parents, Cedric, Sirius and the Weasleys could have a small chance of living again, the he would pay it. He would do anything for his friends and family.

"I understand and I am willing to pay it," Harry informed her solemnly.

Gaia chuckled warmly. "It's not that bad, Harry. Simply this, on your eighteen birthday, you will become the first Earth Mage in over a thousand years. This will require you to be in my service until your death. You will regain all your memories of this timeline, as it will help you when you become the leader of the Wizarding World. This is the price that I ask of you, will you still pay it?" she asked.

Harry groaned. "You mean I have to be in the spotlight again?" he whined.

Gaia laughed. "I'm afraid so. Earth Mages are very powerful magically and politically. You will be the new Leader of the Light. You will become what Dumbledore should have been. The memories of this timeline are to keep you in check. They are to remind of what could have been and to remind you not to abuse your power over others. What say you? Do you accept?" she asked formally.

There really wasn't a choice. If living with two sets of memories, becoming one of the most powerful mages on earth, and becoming a leader that would have him in the media was the price for a chance for his family to live then he would pay it.

Harry reached out, clasped the hand with the Cronos stone, and said, "I accept."

The room erupted into green light.

--0--0--0--0--

Epilogue:

"Come on, Jamie! We're going to be late!" the young girl hissed as she dragged her redheaded friend down the hall. "You know how cranky Tommy gets if he doesn't get his food."

"Ha, ha!" the dark-haired boy replied sarcastically as he followed his two friends down the hallways towards the Great Hall.

"Let go of me, Rose!" Jamie demanded. "I can walk by myself."

Rose sniffed haughtily as she left him go. "Are you sure of that?"

"Oi! I know how to walk!" Jamie snapped as he rushed by her. "Just watch me."

He turned to give her a glare as he walked around the corner and didn't see the figure in the hallways until he slammed into him.

Tommy snorted with amusement as his friend fell on his butt, and could have sworn that Rose giggled.

"In a hurry, are we?" an amused voice asked.

Tommy smiled up at the old wizard. "Not at all, Headmaster. We were just on our way to eat."

"Um…yes, and young Jamie seems to be a little eager, I think," the headmaster replied wickedly.

Rose and Tommy laughed as Jamie pouted.

"Well, no harm done. I was just on my way to find you three. Your Uncle is here and he's in my office. I thought you would like to see him before classes start," the headmaster said, his eyes twinkling with humor.

"Uncle Harry is here?! Awesome!" Jamie exclaimed excitedly, his earlier sulk forgotten.

"I thought you would like that. You can go ahead. The password is Runespoor. Tell your Uncle I have an errand to do and that I'll be up later. You can have breakfast while you're at it," the Headmaster said.

The three first years nodded eagerly and took off down the hallways. "Thanks, Headmaster Riddle," Tommy yelled.

Tom Riddle chuckled as his godson ran down the hall. Who knew his life would turn out this way. He always thought that he would go into politics, but instead he was the Headmaster of the most prestigious magic school in the Wizarding World or on any continent.

Of course, it helped that the very first Earth Mage in a thousand years was taught here as well, he mused thoughtfully. He chuckled slightly as he made his way down to toward the dungeons. He needed to talk to Severus about introducing a new potion into his class.

--0--0--0--0--

Harry stared out the window of the Headmaster's office, his gaze on the Hagrid's class. He smiled as he watched the large man teach the younger children. Hagrid was one of the one's whose life was better without Dumbledore. Without Tom becoming Voldemort, he never opened the Chamber, and Myrtle never died. Hagrid was never blamed for her death and he was able to graduate from Hogwarts a full wizard. Hagrid was one of many whose life was different without Dumbledore. Harry never realized how many were affected by the old man and his manipulations.

His life was different, very different. His parents never died, Peter never betrayed them, as there was no Voldemort to join. Sirius never went to Azkaban and Remus never had to live years without his pack. Harry grew up loved and was a very happy child. He never met his aunt and uncle this time around as that was the only thing that hadn't changed. His aunt and uncle's hatred of anything abnormal and freaky was legendary and they considered Lily and her family to be the freakiest.

Fortunately, Harry didn't care about his aunt as he had his own family. His brother, Trent and his sister, Holly were more than enough to make up for any missing family members. Harry smiled as he thought of his siblings. They were close, very close. Trent and Holly was a year and a half younger than he was and they were twins. They reminded him so much of Fred and George Weasley. They had been with him when he became an Earth Mage and regained all his memories of the other timeline. Without them, his parents, Sirius, Remus and Tom, he might not have kept his sanity. Luckily, he was strong and he had many who supported him through the rough period in his life.

Tom. Now that was a twist. Harry gave a wry smile. Whoever would've thought that he would be a friend, a close friend, to the man that had killed his parents and terrorized a Wizarding World for years? He still had the images in his head of the monster that Tom became. He had to admit that it wasn't an easy time on their friendship when his memories of the other timeline came back. It took Harry a while before he could even bear to be in the same room as Tom. Fortunately, time took care of that and Tom understood that it was hard on Harry to be near him.

Harry looked around the room, which was very different from when Dumbledore had been in it. The room was filled with items from all over the world and the walls were a dark green that Tom seemed to like from his Slytherin days. It was almost funny how Tom seemed to replace Dumbledore in many things. Even the defeat of Grindelwald was due to Tom in his last year at Hogwarts. Harry found it amusing to hear that it had been an accident that Tom killed Grindelwald. Whenever someone asked Tom about it, he could only be heard mumbling something about a banana peel, a spell gone wrong, and a cliff. The public didn't care how Grindelwald had died, they just cared that he did and Tom was heralded as the new Champion of the Light and the Savior of the Wizarding World. It amused Harry greatly to hear that.

At one time, Harry wondered why things had been so different. How was it that Dumbledore had changed things so much that Tom was angry enough to become Voldemort? Why did the lack of Dumbledore in Tom's life make such a difference? It wasn't long though before Harry found out. When Tom arrived at Hogwarts when he was eleven, he was still living at the orphanage where abuse seemed to be rampant. Dumbledore sent him back to that place year after year, causing Tom to endure further abuse. In this timeline, Tom's Transfiguration teacher adopted him after he found out about the abuse at the orphanage. With the love of his adopted parents, Nicholas and Perenelle Flamel, he grew from an angry scared boy to a loved and confident man. He was no longer filled with rage, and though he was still uncomfortable with Muggles, he no longer hated them with a passion that he did in the previous time line.

Things were truly different. Where Dark Creatures were once reviled, they now had a place in the Wizarding World. Where Dumbledore did nothing to stop the restrictions, Tom worked relentlessly to free the Dark Creatures. Remus could now have a job and he didn't have to fear that he would be persecuted since he turned into a wolf during the full moon. Harry thought it was funny that in all the changes, Remus still became the Defense of the Dark Arts teacher.

Harry was brought out of his thoughts by the door opening and the excited voices of children. With a grin, he looked towards the door and saw his godchildren. Rose was the child of Hermione and Charlie Weasley. He had to admit that he never saw that one coming. In the other timeline, Hermione and Ron were together. However, in this timeline, Ron was with a wonderful with name Amanda. She was the daughter of Regulus Black, Sirius' brother and Frances Longbottom, Neville's aunt. Jamie was Ron's son and reminded Harry of his best friend. It was as if he was looking back in time. And the last boy, Tommy, was very special to Harry.

Tommy had been found at an orphanage. His magical abilities made him different and he was abused. The child was only three when Harry found him after he felt a burst of wandless magic in the area. Once he found Tommy, who at the time had no name, he brought the child to Hogwarts, where Agatha, the nurse took care of him. Harry felt a pang as he thought of the woman who used to be the nurse at Hogwarts. Poppy didn't live in this timeline. Apparently, Dumbledore had saved her father. When Poppy's father had a potions accident, there was no one there to save him. After his death, his wife lost the baby she'd been carrying due to the stress. That baby had been Poppy.

Once he brought the boy to Hogwarts, he was immediately adopted by Edward Riddle, Tom's son. Harry laughed as he remembered the shock he felt when he realized he knew who Tom's wife was. He never realized that he would see her older, let alone alive. He had to admit that he laughed when he found out that Tom married Moaning Myrtle. Since Tom never opened the Chamber, she never died and Tom came to realize that he loved her and married her. They had three children. The oldest, Franklin was actually Minister of Magic. While Tom no longer had interest in politics, his son definitely did. Franklin was a good Minister. Tom's second child was Cassandra. She was a very successful Potions Mistress. Tom was very proud of her. And finally, Tom's youngest was Edward. He was in charge of the Aurors. After many years of being one of the best Aurors in the field, he finally decided to sit behind a desk. Especially after adopting Tommy. Edward found the similarities between his father's story of his upbringing and the boy's abuse disturbing. Harry wondered if Edward diverted a possible Dark Lord in the making without even knowing it. What no one knew was that Tommy was going to become an Earth Mage. The second in several years.

When the time came, Tommy would gain his powers and then enter the service of Gaia. Harry would be his mentor, and unlike Dumbledore, Harry would never hurt him, never lie to him and he would nurture him and lead him onto his path.

"Uncle Harry," the three children yelled excitedly.

"Hello," he greeted with a grin.

Being first years, they were still at the stage where they would show their affections. They ran over to him and hugged him.

Tommy pulled back, his face lit up with a smile. "It's been months! Where have you been? What has Gaia been having you do? Was there danger? Did you defeat any bad guys?" he asked eagerly.

Harry chuckled. "Tommy, you know that I'm not needed for that. At least not yet. The Aurors are trained enough to take care of any of the Dark Wizards that may pop up. However, if the time comes and we get a new Dark Lord that the Aurors can't take care of, then I will do my service to Gaia and help. Sadly, most of my job right now is political," Harry said with a grimace.

Tommy looked disappointed but nodded with understanding.

Harry sat in a chair and leaned back. "So tell me, how are things?"

Eagerly, the children began to tell him of their first months in Hogwarts. After an hour, the conversation was brought to a halt by the door opening. Headmaster Riddle walked in, his eyes twinkling with merriment and a figure followed him in.

Harry's eyes lit up. "Uncle Severus," he greeted.

After he gained his memories back from the previous timeline, he was shocked to find that the mean, cruel Potions Master turned Spy was his favorite Uncle. It seems that with Dumbledore out of the picture and Riddle being the Headmaster, the Marauders never had the change to torment the Slytherin. Of course, it might have helped that Severus was never sorted into Slytherin, but into Ravenclaw. Without Voldemort in the picture, Severus' father never became a Death Eater and even though there was some abuse in the family, Severus' mother stood up to his father and left him. Severus' father died several years after they left and Severus grew up differently than before.

Since Severus was sorted into Ravenclaw, he became very good friends with Lily Evans while they were First Year students. It would be several years before Lily fell in love with James Potter, but by then, it was well known that Severus was the brother that Lily never had. In the end, James, Remus, Sirius and Severus all became good friends. Severus was still sarcastic and didn't tolerate fools very well, but he wasn't cruel. He doted on Harry, who in this timeline was his godson. Sadly, he wasn't as close to Sirius as he was to Severus and once he gained him memories back, it was a tense time for them all.

However, with patience that Harry never knew Severus had, they began to build their relationship back up and Severus was still the one person that Harry trusted above all others, other than Tom.

"Harry," Severus responded, a smile on his face.

Harry laughed and joked with those in the room as they talked about things that had been occurring in their lives since Harry last visited. Time flew by and Harry basked in the presence of his family.

Harry never knew that life could be this good. When he agreed to change things, he'd only been hoping that his family and friends would still be alive. While some of his friends weren't alive, such as Luna, who'd died in the same accident that killed her mother, and Colin, who had been miscarried, his other friends were. Ron, who was happily married to a wonderful woman. Hermione, who still became part of the Weasley family, just with another member of the family. Neville, who never grew up without his parents and even had siblings. He wasn't the shy bumbling young man from the other timeline. In this timeline, Neville was one of the top Aurors and he was a confident, powerful man, who never lived through the agony of living without his parents.

Severus and Tom were the ones that were the most changed in the timeline and for the better. Where the had both been bitter, angry, hate filled men due to one meddling old man, they were now loving, happy, joyful people, with a family who loved them.

It was simply amazing what erasing the presence of one man could do for the Wizarding World.

"Thank you, Gaia, for giving me the choice," he murmured in his mind.

There was tinkling laugh and warm presence filled him. "You're very welcome, my child."

The End.