Prologue
“It is the end moldy shorts”said Harry as he dodged a killing curse.
Harry Potter and the one known as Lord Voldemort had been battling for the last hour. It was clearly taking its toll on them, for they were both sweating profusely.
However both seemed determined to win and so neither were giving up anytime soon. This was Harry Potter's last chance. Since the Battle of Hogwarts, almost 8 years ago, the war had been going badly for both sides.
It was a little worse for the order. Many members had died these past eight years. Ron, Ginny and Hermione were long gone. At this point Harry Potter was the last one. The rest had fallen around him. By this time Harry hated Voldemort with a passion. He had taken everyone he loved from him. Harry had shed many tears. So many that he was all cried out.
The beginning of the end of the war began with the Battle of Hogwarts. After Harry arose from the dead, the battle was taken into the entrance hall and from there into the great hall. No one knew where Harry was. For he was under his invisibility cloak. Just as Harry was about to reveal himself, and reinforcements were continuing to arrive in the hall, Voldemort, the coward that he was, called for his forces to retreat.
The remaining teachers and students chased Voldemort and his death eaters from the hall, all the way across the grounds and through the barrier where they apparated. At that point Harry took off his invisibility cloak and swore. There went his chance to defeat Voldemort once and for all.
After Harry's surprise revelation, the order worked very hard to regather its members and to come up with a plan. The golden trio, as they were called, were most concerned that Voldemort would make more horcruxes. A spike of pain through Harry's scar soon put to rest that concern though. It seemed as though Voldemort's soul was so torn and there was so little left that he was unable to make any more horcruxes.
Little did they know that that was the only good news they would have for a long time. In September of that year, not long after the term had started for Hogwarts, the remainder of Voldemort's death eaters pushed through the barriers of the school and blew Hogwarts sky high along with the remaining teachers and many students.
The years that followed were grim as one by one the order members were killed in battle. Thousands of muggles were dying as well. It seemed as though the death eaters would win for no matter how many they killed, it seemed there was another there to take their place.
Ron had died two years previously in a battle to protect what remained of the Ministry of Magic. Hermione had died just four months later from an ambush not far from the remains of the magical library were she had been researching new spells. It had been a last-ditch effort for Voldemort had ransacked it long ago.
Ginny had been killed a year and a half before Ron while hiding not far from where the Burrow had once stood. The last of the order members had fought and died just an hour ago with the last of Voldemort's death eaters. They had set up a trap in a warehouse in what remained of downtown muggle London for them. One that they couldn't resist, for the order had let leak that all the order members and Harry Potter would be there.
They had hoped the Voldemort himself would show up so they could take out all the death eaters and Voldemort, but it hadn't worked. The warehouse had blown before Voldemort got there. He had shown up just moments later and as he had stood there laughing. Harry had then emerged from nearby where he had been waiting for Voldemort and they began their duel. The duel that would end the war one way or another.
And so we come to where our story began with Harry and Voldemort battling it out in the middle of London, not far from the smoldering remains of the warehouse. All of a sudden, in the middle of the battle Voldemort suddenly stopped and then vanished in a poof of purple and silver glittering smoke.
As Harry Potter looked around in confusion, he suddenly heard a puff of breath by his ear and a very familiar voice hiss “Goodbye Harry Potter. Avada Kedavra!”
And before Harry could turn around to face him, it was too late. He was drifting off to the next great adventure. Or was he?
~~~~~~~~~~~~NTTMP~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Where am I?” Thought Harry. “Moldy Shorts Avada Kedavraed me. I should be dead. ”
Harry James Potter was currently floating through a whiteness, a whiteness that was familiar from that day almost eight years ago, but yet different. If he was there, then where was Dumbledore. The whiteness was a whiteness that was as thick as pea soup or peanut butter depending on who you asked. The surroundings that were exceedingly blurry, soon came into focus.
He quite suddenly realized that he was sitting in a very comfortable chair in front of a rather large oak desk. Sitting behind the desk were four very large filing cabinets. On either side of him were bookcases that had binders of all colors sitting on them. The walls were white and unadorned. However the carpet was a bright sky blue color.
The chair sitting behind the desk was identical to the one in which Harry was sitting. It was a rather large black office desk chair. Upon the desk was what looked like a newer sleeker version of the computer that that Dudley had gotten for his 11th birthday. The rest of the desk was covered with file folders that were arranged neatly in several piles.
As Harry had been looking around, he had not realized that someone had walked into the office behind him.
“You like my office Harry?” asked a strange silky voice behind him, that he had never heard before. Harry was so startled that he jumped and turned around.
“I think it needs a bit more color myself, and definitely some wall decorations, but no doilies. I despise doilies with a passion.” said the strange woman who had come in behind him. ”Then again I've been so busy. What with all the people who've been dying lately. It really is a shame. This office has so much potential.”
“Wh wh who are you?” stuttered Harry.
“Oh my dear boy. So sorry. I have forgotten my manners. My name is Acara. I am your Grim Reaper.”
“My Grim Reaper?” Asked Harry hesitantly. “So I am dead then.” Sighed Harry.
“Not quite.” Stated Acara as if it was obvious.
Harry stared at Acara in shock. As he stared at her he took in her appearance. She was a woman who appeared in her mid-twenties and of average height. She had long dark brown hair that hung loose to her waist. Her eyes were a startling Avada Kedavra green. A green that was even greener than Harry's if that could be possible.
She had very pale skin that looked even paler in the floor length dark blue strapless dress she was wearing. She had on fingerless gloves that were the same color as her dress. In her arms she carried a folder that had the name Harry James Potter scrawled along the top in elegant cursive.
“I suppose you're wondering what I mean by you're not dead yet.” Said Acara snapping Harry back to the present conversation.
“Yeah. What happened? On moment I was facing Voldemort and the next thing I know he is going up in this sparkling purple silver flash. And then he is instantly behind me saying Avada Kedavra and then end up in whiteness and then here. What happened? Can you tell me?” Ranted Harry
“Slow down slow down. Now I will answer all of your questions if you just hold on.” Stated Acara soothingly.
Harry, who didn't know, he had been breathing fast, slowly calmed down. As he settled back into his seat, Acara went on to explain “Today as the battle in the warehouse between your order members and the death eaters raged, Lord Voldemort or as we here like to call him ,the evil dude who cheated death and who we all want to see end up in the deepest pits of hell, practiced a new spell he had found in one of the books in the magical library. It was called the duplicabit meipsum* spell.
It is a very advanced duplication spell that duplicates ones self. The Voldemort you were first fighting was the duplicate. Voldemort had sent him ahead just in case it was a trap. Then the real Voldemort showed up and finding his duplicate facing you, first canceled the duplicate spell and then avada kedavaraed you.”
“So I really am dead!” Shouted Harry.
“Calm down you child and listen to me a moment.” Acara shouted at Harry. “If you will recall” said Acara in a calmer but still irritated voice “I said you were not dead.”
“Oh yeah” said Harry sheepishly.
“Now if you will allow me to continue” said Acara in a patronizing voice. Harry nodded. “In normal circumstances you would be dead however today's battle was never meant to occur.” Harry just looked at her with a confused expression on his face.
“Eight years ago at what was known as the Battle of Hogwarts Voldemort was not supposed to run. You were meant to kill him that day.” Acara continued sadly. “However one of our own interfered by whispering in Voldemort's ear about how he would die if he stayed, so he retreated. We here in the afterlife take this very seriously.
There are strict rules in place that usually prevent such a thing. Most of the deaths of these last eight years were because of him. Your friends Ron, Hermione, and Ginny are three such cases. It is sad that until now we were not able to fix any of these mistakes.”
“Why not?” Harry asked in a very loud voice. “Ron, Hermione, and Ginny could be alive if you had interfered! There would be alive!”
“Sit down child! Do not make me tell you again!” Acara yelled right back at him. “I said we could not interfere until now. You do not think we wanted to interfere because we most certainly did however we couldn't. We were trapped by our own rules.
Our rules that clearly state that we could not interfere with the living. However now that you are here we can start undoing these mistakes that been caused by my ex-colleague.”
Very slowly Harry calmed down and sat back in his chair once again. “Why does my being here make a difference?” Asked Harry
“It's quite simple really.” Acara stated “We send you back with all of your knowledge and you can undo these mistakes for us because we can't.”
“You could do such a thing?” Asked Harry.
“Indeed we can Mr. Potter. Though it's only done in extreme cases and emergencies, mainly in the few times throughout history when one of our own has interfered. If you accept your mission you will be sent back to the beginning of your first year at Hogwarts. In fact you will be sent back to the very day that you got your first Hogwarts letter with all of your memories intact.”
“I thought you said that Voldemort was supposed to die at the Battle of Hogwarts? So why am I being sent back so early?” Asked Harry.
“We are sending you back so early so that you are able to save not only your friends, Ron, Hermione,and Ginny, but all of those who died in this war. We find that it is only fair that since Stephen, that's my ex-colleague by the way, messed up your world so much that we should give something back to you.” Acara said.
“So I'll be able to save everyone? Cedric and Dumbledore and Sirius and Tonks and Lupin and everyone I knew that died in the Battle of Hogwarts?” Asked Harry in a stunned voice.
“Indeed you shall” Acara stated
“What do I have to do?” Asked Harry as he steadily rose from his chair. Then he paused “Wait. Couldn't you send me back to a time when I could save my parents as well?”
“I am sorry Harry but no. It was your parents time. Without their deaths, you would never had been marked and Voldemort would go on to rule the world. Do you understand?” Acara asked compassion all but escaping from her eyes. Harry nodded a bit sadly.
“Do you still want to do this Mr. Potter? It'll be hard. You can't let Dumbledore know what you're up to and you certainly can't let anyone know you have knowledge from the future.” Acara said.
“Why can't I?” asked Harry.
“Dumbledore is a good man don't get me wrong Harry, but forgive me but he is also a meddling old fool. He might in his infinite wisdom,” here she said these words with sarcasm “decide to obliviate you for your own good and for the greater good believing that you could interfere with his plans for the greater good and make things worse. He isn't infallible you know.” Acara stated sadly.
“I know but would he really obliviate me?” Harry asked.
“I'm afraid he might.” Acara said.
Harry sighed “What about my friends? Why can't I tell them that I have knowledge from the future?”
“I understand why you would want to tell your friends, but your knowledge shall already affect the time line in who knows what unexpected ways. There's just too many variables. I can't even begin to predict what could happen if you told your friends. Something extremely bad could occur. It is not extremly likely to happen, but we can't take that chance.
Not to mention that our rules clearly state that no one on earth is to know what happens here. We are making an exception for you. Do you understand what I'm getting at Harry?” Acara explained.
“I suppose so. Though I don't like it. It'll be so hard to keep this secret from my friends.”said Harry with a sad sigh.
“That's just one of the troubles will have to face if you decide to go back Harry. Are you sure you want to do this?” Asked Acara.
“If I have a chance to save them then of course I'll take a chance matter how much trouble I have to face.” Said Harry with determination.
“Very well.” Stated Acara. “Just so you know when you return the ministry will not be able to track your magic.” Harry looked at her with a dumbfounded look on his face.
“I can see you're wondering why that is.” Said Acara bemusedly. “It's quite simple. Magic is not connected to the body like the ministry of magic seems to think. It is connected to the soul. As long as the soul is 17 years or older the ministry cannot track magic that the person performs. Since your soul is 25 years of age, they will not be able to track you.”
“Cool.” Said Harry. “When can I go?”
“Immediately if you already.”said Acara.
“I am.” Said Harry. “Well there is one more thing if you don't mind me asking. What ever happened to Stephen?” Asked Harry.
“You really do not want to know.” stated Acara with a devilish grin, as the office Harry was seated in began to fade around him. “You really do not want to know.”
