“Blake! Will! Come get some breakfast!�

It was a Sunday morning and, as usual, the Potter household was a scene of chaos. Everyone rushed around the breakfast table, hastily grabbing some pancakes off the table in the center. Emma Potter tucked her caramel blonde hair behind her ear impatiently, trying to get her family ready for the next week. She and Sean, her husband, were going to the Bahamas with her sister-in-law and her husband, Cailey and Johnathon Viscomi. The two couples were going to an uncharted island that was a vacation hotspot for wizards. The sons, Blake and Will, would be going to their grandparent’s house, along with their cousin, Gina.

“Where’s my broomstick?� Blake, the seventeen year old and the oldest, yelled from upstairs.

“It’s by your suitcase in the kitchen. Come down and eat.� Emma could hear the rumble of the stairs as Blake ran down. He folded his pancake into fours and quickly stuffed it into his mouth before running back upstairs.

Sean Potter swallowed a large mouthful with pancakes with great difficulty while trying to comb his untidy fiery red hair. “What time is it?�

“11:55,� Emma said, flipping the pancake batter with her wand from the table. “Kids, are you both packed?� she yelled to the next room.

“Yeah,� a fourteen year old boy with the same hair as his father ran to the table. “Dad, can you help me move my trunk to the fireplace? I can’t lift it.�

“Ask your brother to do it, I’m busy,� said Sean as he grabbed the pot holding the Floo Powder from the high shelf.

“He’s too busy looking for his precious broomstick,� Will said with disgust.

Emma sighed. “I told him it was by the luggage. Why doesn’t he listen?� She stormed out of the kitchen, muttering.

Will turned to his dad. “Please, Dad?� Sean, now trying to count his money, nodded, and waved his wand. A loud thud came from the stairs. Sean cursed, and ran to inspect the damage, with Will following behind. The trunk had burst open, and all sorts of shirts, robes, books, and parchment now littered the floor. Sean waved his wand, and it all flew into the suitcase in a heap. Sean tried to force the lid closed. “Will, help!� Will hurled all his weight onto the suitcase, and it closed with a click. Sean said “Windardium Leviosa!� and the trunk moved down the landing and toward the kitchen, where the rest of the family was gathered. The rest of the luggage had been moved to the fire, Blake’s Blue Nebula leaning against his trunk. Emma ran in, her face red and covered in sweat.

“Blake, you go first.�

“What?� Blake yelled. “Why can’t I Apparate? I’m of age!�

“I’m not carrying your trunk there, you are. Get going!�

Blake groaned, attached his broomstick to his trunk, and grabbed a handful of Floo Powder from the pot in Sean’s hand. He threw it into the fire, which turned green. He dragged his suitcase, yelled “17 Godric’s Hollow!� and disappeared.

Emma turned to her younger son. “You next. Bye dear. And don’t forget to wish your grandpa a happy birthday.� She kissed Will on the cheek, and tossed another handful of Floo Powder into the flames. Will, dragging his trunk with huge effort, jumped in and yelled “17 Godric’s Hollow!�

He closed his eyes instinctively. I hate Floo Powder, he thought as his elbow collided painfully with brick. He felt himself fall forward, but someone caught him in the arm before he fell. He looked up into the warm brown eyes of his grandmother. “Will, you’re here!� She pulled him tightly into a hug, which he returned.

“What took you so long?� Blake asked. “I was beginning to worry that you ended up in the chimney of some crazy old hag with twenty cats.� Will glared at his brother.

A sixteen year old girl came stumbling out of the fire, a trunk in one hand, and an empty bird cage in another. She brushed her auburn hair from her face with her hand. “Hey everyone,� she said, smiling. “Happy Birthday, Grandpa!�

“Thanks, Gina,� her grandfather came and hugged her. His bright green eyes twinkled under masses of untidy jet grey-black hair that looked thin at the top. Even with his slightly thinning hair, he didn’t look like he would be celebrating his sixty-sixth birthday today, or at least not to Gina.

Not only did Gina’s grandpa look younger than he really was, but he was also very famous. He would be, being the Boy-Who-Lived, the one who vanquished Lord Voldemort almost fifty years ago, and being a very skilled Auror. Having Harry Potter for a grandfather didn’t bother Gina; quite the contrary, she loved it. Since her last name wasn’t Potter (her mother had been Harry’s daughter) people didn’t stare at her when she said her last name. Sure, all the students at Hogwarts knew, but after first year, in which everyone bombarded her with questions about Harry, nobody paid much notice. Gina was very proud of all the accomplishments Harry had made, and she loved to hear about them.

“Hi cousin,� Blake said, ruffling her hair, much to her annoyance. “Where’s Tawny?� he asked, indicating the empty birdcage.

“She’s flying here. She should be here soon,� Gina replied.

“Ok, how about you all go unpack your things before dinner?�

The kids all grumbled and looked at Harry expectantly, causing him to cave. “Ginny, can’t they do it later? They just got here….�

Ginny sighed. “Fine, but at the very least get your trunks into your rooms. Gina will stay in Cailey’s old room, and Will and Blake will sleep in Sean’s room. There’s two beds for both of you.�

Gina and Will heaved their trunks, but Blake merely flicked his wand and sent his skidding across the wooden floor. Will gave Blake a dark look. He dropped his trunk with a bang next to the bed on the left. “Thanks for the help.�

Blake grinned. “No problem.� He walked out, shutting the door in his brother’s red face.

Gina sat down on the twin bed, when she heard a tapping at the window. She let in Tawny, her brown owl, who hooted gratefully before going to sleep.

Five minutes later, all five gathered in the living room. “So,� Harry said, claiming his armchair, “which story would you guys like to hear this time?�

All three of them knew what story they wanted. Of all the things that their grandpa had done, they were all most interested in the story of how he defeated Lord Voldemort. Sure, all three of them had heard the facts of that night in History of Magic, but it was strictly facts, and very few at that. There were holes in the story everywhere, because the only person who knew the whole story was unwilling to tell it. Gina’s mother had made her swear not to bring that topic up.

“Oh, I know!� Will said. “How about the one with the Philosopher’s Stone?�

“No way, Will, we’ve heard that one way too much already!� Blake complained. “Let’s hear about the Hungarian Horntail!�

Gina rolled her eyes. “As if we haven’t heard that one, either. How about a new story? We haven’t heard any stories about your fifth year yet.�

Harry stiffened. He paused for a minute, wondering if he should tell them, or even if he could tell them about the Department of Mysteries. He finally made his decision. “How about I tell you about the time your uncles Fred and George ran away from Hogwarts?�

All three looked excited. “Tell us! Tell us!�

Harry smiled, and spent the next half-hour telling them about Fred and George’s famous flight from Hogwarts in their seventh year. He was telling them about Fred and George being cornered when a shout came from the kitchen. “Harry! Are you there? This is Ron.�

Harry stopped, much to the disappointment of his grandkids. He walked to the kitchen, and saw his brother-in-law Ron Weasley’s head in the middle of the hearth.

“There you are! Glad I caught you. Neville needs help.�

“Again?� Harry asked, kneeling by the fire. “What happened this time?�

“He messed up the potion he was supposed to give to the Venemous Tantancula, and it’s having a fit!�

Harry groaned. “When is he going to learn to buy the potions instead of making them himself? Alright, I’ll be right over. His house?�

“Yup. Meet you there. Sorry for the short notice.� Ron’s head disappeared with a small pop.

“Sorry, but I have to go,� Harry said. “I’ll be back before dinner.� He kissed Ginny, and hugged Gina, Blake, and Will before Disapperating.

“Let’s go to the living room,� Ginny said. They all sat on the light blue couch.

“Grandma,� Blake said, “why did Grandpa get all tense when we asked about his fifth year?�

Ginny stared at him, as if unsure how to answer. “Fifth year was…a very difficult year for him,� she said very slowly. “It’s hard for him to talk about. In fact, it would be best if you didn’t ask him about it again.�

“But, Grandma,� Gina said, “what happened? Was he attacked by Voldemort? Did somebody die?�

Her grandmother didn’t say anything, but Gina could tell she was right. “Please tell us.�

Ginny sighed. “Harry lost his godfather that year, and that’s all you need to know. Please don’t ask me anymore on the subject.�

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Why doesn’t he want to talk about it?� Gina wondered aloud, sitting on Blake’s bed. “Is it because he lost his godfather, or was the experience as bad as when Voldemort fell?�

“We'll never know, since he’s obviously not to tell us anytime soon,� Blake said, throwing himself next to his cousin. “But why, and why won’t Grandma talk about it either?�

“She must have been there, too,� Gina said thoughtfully. “Or she might just be ignoring the subject for Grandpa.�

Blake groaned, and sat up. “Do you think maybe our parents could tell us? Or even Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione?�

Gina frowned. “Not likely. If Grandma won’t talk about it, why would they? And our parents probably don’t know the story, either.�

“It’s still worth a try, right?� Blake stood up, and started pacing. “We could send one of them a letter, and-“

“Just drop it, Blake. The subject is touchy. Just forget about it.� Even as Gina said it, she knew it was no use. It had taken her stubborn cousin five years to realize that Harry wasn’t telling them anything about how he vanquished Voldemort, and she didn’t expect him to give up now.

“There’s gotta be a way to make Grandpa loosen up. Maybe a Cheering Charm, or there’s that one Weasley Wizarding Wheezes product they’ve been working on….�

“No!� Gina stood up abruptly. “You are not charming, hexing, bewitching, or performing any type of magic on Grandpa! Have you ever considered that there might be a reason he doesn’t want to talk about it?�

For all the good it did she might as well not have said anything at all. Blake sat on the edge of his bed, staring into space. “Snap out of it, Blake!� Gina screamed in his hear, making him jump. “Listen carefully. Drop it. Even if one of those stupid pranks of our uncles did work, Grandpa’s too smart to fall for it. Just forget about it! Let’s go play Exploding Snap with Will and Grandma.�

Blake reluctantly agreed. He joined in the game, but his thoughts were still with Grandpa, and any spell he could perform to make him talk. Restless, Blake made an excuse of being thirsty and went to the kitchen. He had no sooner gotten a glass when Gina entered, glaring at him. “What?� he asked with mock innocence. “Is it a crime to get water now?�

“That’s not why you’re in here, and you know it!� she hissed. “You’re waiting for Grandpa, aren’t you?�

“Why would you think that?� he said, sitting down at the table.

Gina let out a cry of frustration. “Why won’t you just let it be? Why do you have to nose into other people’s business all the time? Just leave-"

She was interrupted by a small popping noise as Harry appeared next to her, looking exhausted.

“Hi Grandpa, how did it go?� Blake asked politely.

Harry sighed. “Neville’s Tantacula started to multiply at an alarming rate, and he was completely surrounded when I got there, and Neville wouldn’t let me use a Severing Charm on them. We had to shrink them in the end. What have you two been up to?�

“Nothing,� Gina and Blake said together. Harry turned toward the sink to get a drink. Seeing the perfect opportunity, Blake pulled out his wand. Before Gina could stop him, he yelled “Primaevus!�

Harry stood rigid, with a blank look in his eyes. Gina stared in horror. “What did you do to him?!?�

“The Youthful Charm. The one that give you a more youthful mind. Come on Gina, we learned that last year.�

“YOU IDIOT!!!!� Gina screamed. “The incantation was Primaevas, not Primaevus! Who knows what you’ve done to him!� At these words, Harry’s eyes rolled and he collapsed. Gina and Blake stared at each other for a second before running toward their grandfather. When they saw him, Gina screamed. On the floor was their grandfather, looking no older than sixteen.

---

A/N: Reviews are appreciated, and story ideas are encouraged! I can't promise they will make it in, but the inspiration helps!

Gina and Blake both stared at the motionless body on the floor in shock. Gina was the first one to snap out of the trance. “I’ll go distract Grandma. Hide the body!�

Blake stared at her blankly. “Where?�

“Anywhere!� Gina yelled impatiently. “Just get him out of here!� She ran into the family room, just barely beating Ginny to the door.

“Gina, what is going on in there? Why did you scream?� Ginny looked worried, trying to glimpse into the kitchen, but Gina slammed the door shut behind her.

“Nothing, nothing happened,� Gina stammered, trying to think fast. “I…uh…saw a spider! Yeah, it freaked me out, but Blake killed it.� Gina crossed her fingers, praying she wouldn’t be suspicious.

“Oh, that’s all?� She laughed, and Gina sighed in relief. “It looks like Uncle Ron did influence you. Come on, come play another game of Exploding Snap with us.� She sat back down on the couch next to Will, who stared at Gina. He knew his cousin had no such fear of spiders. She was covering something, and he was determined to figure out what.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Blake’s bed sagged slightly when Harry gently landed on it. Blake leaned close to the body, examining it. It was very weird to picture his Grandpa as a teenager, let alone see him as one. Harry’s body was hidden under mounds of clothes now sizes too small. His hair was pure black and sticking up in the back, and the lines on his face were gone, but what worried Blake most was that the scar that Harry had when he was a teen was not there.

Blake took his eyes off Harry and began pacing the room. The door was pried open as Gina ran into the room. “Where did you put the-"She stopped, staring at Harry. She faced her cousin angrily. “On the bed? Why not just hide him on the front porch, or on the couch, or some other place just as obvious!�

“Well, you said anywhere!� Blake said crossly. He closed the door forcefully and sat on Will’s bed. “Now what? What the heck are we supposed to do with him?�

“I’m thinking!� Gina buried her face in her hands. This couldn’t be happening. This was all just a very bad dream. She would wake up on the floor, dazed and confused next to the wrapper of some Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes product and Blake would laugh, saying she fell for his prank again. Gina smiled, but the smile vanished when she opened her eyes. The body was still there.

“I don’t understand. The charm was just supposed to give him a younger outlook on life, not literally make him younger!� Blake thought aloud, drumming his fingers on the wall, which really irritated Gina.

“Yeah, and you used the wrong incantation. This probably isn’t the only side-effect of your screw-up!�

“Look, I’m sorry, ok?� Blake’s blue eyes flashed dangerously behind his glasses.

“Sorry?� Gina jumped to her feet with such force both of her feet ached. “You turned your grandfather into an adolescent and all you can say is your ‘sorry’?�

“Well what did you want me to say?� Blake shouted, letting his temper get the better of him. “Boy, it sure is good Quidditch weather today?�

The door opened suddenly, and Will stood in the doorframe. “What are you two yelling about?� His eyes rested on Harry and he let out a cry of surprise. Blake grabbed him by the arm tightly and yanked him in, slamming the door at the same time. “What happened?� Will gasped.

“Your brother,� Gina spat, glaring at Blake, “cast a spell on Grandpa. And he didn’t even have the decency to do it right!�

“Would you quit it? I made a mistake! I’m sorry! I’m willing to fix it!�

Gina rolled her eyes. “How generous of you!� she said sarcastically.

“Would you two quit it?� Will said, moving between them. “Why don’t we focus on our main problem?� He motioned toward Harry.

Gina and Blake both mumbled and sat on the bed, arms crossed.

“What spell did you cast on him?� Will asked. Gina snorted. “Ok, try to cast on him?� Blake glared at him, but told the story with a steady voice.

“Why did you try to cast a spell on him you never tried before?� Will asked, amazed at his brother’s biggest mistake yet. This definitely beat the time he stole the Charms test and tried to copy the answers invisibly on his watch. He sneezed halfway through the incantation and ended up with the answers written all over his body in permanent ink. Professor McGonagall, their Headmaster, was livid.

“I’ve tried the spell before!� Blake said indigently. Gina glared at him. “Ok, maybe I didn’t try that particular spell….�

“Just give it up, Blake,� Gina interrupted, seething. “You didn’t know how to do the spell properly. Do you at least know how to reverse it?� Blake flushed.

Will sighed. “Even if he did know how, it probably wouldn’t work. He needs professional help. Maybe Grandma can take him to St. Mungo’s….�

“No,� Gina and Blake said at the same time.

“Grandma will kill me,� Blake said pathetically. “She’s going to be furious when she finds out, to say the least. Besides, I just got off de-gnoming duty for turning Will’s hair purple.�

Will’s face got really red with both anger and shame. It had taken him a week to completely get the color out. Gina bit her lip, trying not to smile.

“Honestly, Blake,� Gina said, trying to keep a straight face, “why do you have to be so selfish? We can’t take Grandpa to St. Mungo’s. Do you really think that they will keep quiet about what happened to him? It will be all over the Daily Prophet by tomorrow, and you know as well as I if the public hears about this. It’s not like Grandpa doesn’t still have enemies.�

A picture popped into Gina’s head instantly. Draco Malfoy, powerful Ministry figure and former Death Eater, his white blonde hair tied back in a small ponytail, cold grey eyes glinting, with a sneer plastered on his face.

“Even if we don’t take Harry to St. Mungo’s, we should still tell Grandma,� Will said.

Blake shook his head. “Please don’t. Let’s not tell anybody just yet, at least until we figure out what the heck I did to him,� he added sadly.

Gina felt a rush of sympathy toward her cousin. He had always been very close to her; they were born only a month apart. Besides, hadn’t he helped her out when she needed it? This could be the deed that finally pushed his mom over the edge….

She wrapped her arm around her cousin. “Fine, we won’t tell anybody yet.�

Will stared at Gina in disbelief. “Gina! How long do you expect to keep this a secret?�

“Not long, just long enough to find help or figure out how to reverse it ourselves,� Gina said.

Will opened his mouth as if to argue, but couldn’t think of what to say and closed it. “I can’t believe I’m doing this.�

Ginny’s muffled voice was heard from the kitchen, startling the trio. “Blake! Gina! Will! Time for dinner!� Will jumped up and headed off to distract her, leaving Gina and Blake.

“Now what?� Blake asked frantically.

“We remember to breathe,� Gina said. “Then we hide Grandpa in a place a little less obvious than the bed.� Blake nodded. He pointed his wand at Harry.

“Mobilicorpus.� Harry’s body floated off the bed and he hovered in the air, head lolling and arms stretched at his side.

“Open the closet door,� Blake said, not taking his eyes off of Harry.

Gina stared at Blake. “What?�

“Just do it,� Blake said exasperatedly. Gina sighed and opened the empty closet. It was empty, and both silently agreed it was a good thing Blake and Will didn’t unpack before now. Harry’s body floated into the closet and slowly drifted to the floor, crumpling into a heap. Gina gingerly closed the door.

Will stuck his head out the door. “Dinner’s ready.� The two followed Will down the hall to the kitchen, where a meal of chicken, salad, mashed potatoes, and biscuits, along with Ginny, waited for them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After dinner, Ginny insisted on waiting for Harry to come home from work. The three cousins shot nervous glances at each other, but said nothing. They passed the time by playing Wizard Chess, and Ginny would tell her own stories of Hogwarts, or talk about volunteering at the Kneazle Breeding Area where she spent most of her time nowadays. Around midnight, Ginny started to yawn, but forced herself to stay awake. Gina and Blake excused themselves, saying they wanted a drink of water, before going to the kitchen.

“She’s not going to fall asleep until she sees him. What are we going to do?� Gina asked.

Blake thought for a moment. “Leave it to me. Just distract her.� Gina nodded, feeling worried.

Gina walked into the living room first, smiling. “Hey Grandma, you never did tell me how you and Harry met,� she said, grinning impishly. She took a seat in front of Ginny, looking expectantly.

Ginny smiled. “We met in 1991, right before Harry’s first year. He needed help getting onto Platform 9 3/4, and so he asked my mother.� Gina noticed, out of the corner of her eye, Blake getting behind Ginny, pulling out his wand.

“I really got to know Harry in my first year, his second year. I had such a big crush on him that year, and two years after that. I remember that year I sent him a singing Valentine’s day card.� Ginny laughed at the memory, just as Blake whispered, “Stupefy.�

A jet of red light hit Ginny in the back of the head. Her face showed shock for a split second before her eyelids fell and she curled forward. Gina caught her, her face looking aghast. “You Stunned Grandma?!?!�

Blake shrugged. “It was the only way I could think of that would knock her out. We’ll wake her up tomorrow and just say she fell asleep.�

Gina muttered under her breath as she laid Ginny on the couch, covering her with a blanket. Will smiled. “A faulty Youthful Charm for Grandpa, and a Stunning Spell for Grandma. You’re on a roll today, Blake!�

Blake couldn’t help but laugh at this. He yawned, stretching his arms. “Well, goodnight everybody.�

“Wait,� Gina said, getting up. “What about Harry?�

“We’ll wake him up tomorrow,� Blake said.

For a second after she woke up, Gina didn't remember anything that had happened the previous night. Then everything came back. The spell. The body. Grandma....

Gina sat upright, looking around. She was in her mother's old room. The walls were painted lilac, with several pictures of cats and Kneazles prowling in their picture frames. It looked close to the same as when her mother had slept here at her age.

Not bothering to make the double-sized bed, Gina threw the covers off of her and ran to the room across from hers. Will was laying in an upright position, a thick book in his lax grip, and Blake, who looked like he collapsed of the bed, was the picture of exhaustion.

Gina shook Blake impatiently. "Blake, get up! Come on." Blake groaned and mumbled, not opening his eyes. Gina groaned, put her mouth right next to his ear and yelled, "Blake!!" Blake screamed and jumped up, breathing quickly.

"What did you do that for?" he yelled, his hand over his ear.

"Good morning, sleepyhead," Gina said with mock sweetness. She turned to Will, and shook his shoulder. Will moaned and wiped his eyes.

Blake yawned and stretched. "Grandma's not awake, is she?" he asked.

Gina shook her head. "I don't think so. I'll go check." She turned and headed out the door. Will looked expectantly at Blake.

“We might as well get Grandpa. Where did you hide him?� he asked.

Blake yawned again, and pointed to the closet. Will stared at him, confused, then got up and opened the closet door. Harry’s body toppled out headfirst onto the floor. Will turned him over, grabbed him by the armpits, and heaved. Will groaned as he dragged Harry on the floor a few feet. He stopped, panting, at the foot of his bed. Then Will realized he had to get Harry on the bed, and swore.

Gina ran back in the room. “Grandma’s still knocked out, I think we’ll have to wake her.� She looked from Will’s sweat-drenched face to Harry’s body lying on the floor. “How about Blake does that?� A loud snore came from the next bed; Blake had fallen asleep again. Gina muttered in disgust. She and Will lifted Harry onto Will’s bed, and Gina, grinning, walked over to Blake.

“AH!� Blake woke up with a jolt, hand over his other ear. “Why do you keep doing that?�

“Time to wake Grandpa up, Sleeping Beauty,� Gina said, smirking. Blake rolled his eyes and grabbed his wand from the bedside table. “Enervate!�

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Harry woke up with a huge headache, which surprisingly didn’t seem to be related to his scar. He ached all over, so he figured he didn’t sleep that well that night. He opened his eyes, and gasped.

He wasn’t at the Dursleys, or even the Burrow. He was in a small room, with walls decorated with posters of the Pride of Portree Quidditch team, and several pictures of a redhead with glasses on a broomstick, with a black-haired girl, or with what looked to be his parents. The room itself was a deep purple, to match the Quidditch team.

It suddenly occurred to Harry that his clothes were much baggier than usual. He looked down, and realized he was wearing a long navy blue robe, the kind he had seen Mr. Weasley wear to work. It was many sizes too big, and the person who owned it was much taller than he was. This only confused Harry more. He looked up, and noticed three teenagers, a girl and two boys, sitting on the bed across from him.

The older boy looked to be a little bit older than he was. He had carmel blonde hair, deep blue eyes, and glasses that looked eerily like his own. The girl sitting next to him looked to be the same age, with thick auburn hair. The younger boy had red hair that rivaled the Weasleys. Harry noted that the girl and younger boy both had vivid green eyes. His eyes.

“Where am I? How did I get here? Who are you?� Harry asked, trying to keep his voice calm, but failing.

The girl looked worried. “You don’t remember us?�

“Should I?� Harry didn’t recall ever meeting these people before, although they all looked strangely familiar.

The older looking boy smirked. “Hi Harry. It’s the year 2046. You’ve been sleeping for fifty years!�

“What!�

“Ow!�

The older boy glared at the girl, nursing his now bruised arm. “I’m sorry! It was just a joke!�

The younger boy rolled his eyes. “It can’t be a joke. It wasn’t funny!� He turned to Harry, an apologetic look in his eyes. “Don’t mind my brother, he’s a loser who doesn’t know when to quit. My name is Will, by the way. That’s my cousin Gina,� he pointed to the girl, “and my brother Blake.� The older boy waved.

Harry gaped at them. “I don’t recognize any of you from Hogwarts. How did I get here? Where is here?�

The girl, Gina, said, “Well, my cousin,� she gestured toward Blake, “cast a spell on you. The truth is….� She paused, as if unsure of what to say. “You’re, uh, our grandfather. Blake cast a spell to make you fifty years younger.�

Harry stared at them. There was no way that he could be their grandparent. He wasn’t even older than two of them! But they even looked like him….

“If you don’t believe us, then look at this,� Will said. He grabbed one of the pictures off the wall, and handed it to Harry. Harry looked at it. In the picture was a redhead with glasses, between his parents. But it can’t be….Harry looked at the parents closely. The mother had vivid red hair and warm brown eyes. If she weren’t way too old, Harry would have thought she was Ginny. And the father…the father was him! A taller, older man, with no visible scar, and untidy faded-black hair.

“How could this be possible?� Harry asked, still not daring to believe it. “How can I skip fifty years and not realize it?�

“Well,� Will said, “you didn’t really skip fifty years. You were sixty-six, you’re birthday was yesterday. My brother just cast a spell on you to make you sixteen, and apparently you have the memory of your sixteen year old self. So, yeah, you’re in the future, but you didn’t do any time-traveling.�

Harry tried to wrap his mind around this, but it only made his head ache more. He stood up, walking to the mirror. He stared at his reflection, when he noticed something was missing….

“My scar! Where’s my scar?� Harry asked, putting his hand up to his forehead.

“You better sit down,� Gina said. Harry, simply because he didn’t know what else to do, sat down on the bed across from the trio.

“We better start from the beginning,� Gina said. “What’s the last thing you remember?�

Harry’s thoughts went immediately to Sirius, and his eyes welled up with tears. He furiously wiped them away. “I remember my fifth year, nothing after that.�

A look of yearning showed in Blake’s face, and he opened his mouth to speak, but Gina glared at him, and he remained silent.

“Well,� Gina continued, “in your seventh year, you vanquished Lord Voldemort.�

Harry was both shocked and amazed at the news. He had won? He had beaten Voldemort after all? He needed details. “What happened? How did I win?�

Gina paused. “You never told us. It’s one of the only things you won’t talk about.� Blake started speaking, but Gina kicked him in the shin. “Anyway, the reason your scar isn’t visible anymore,� Gina continued, “is because now that Lord Voldemort is gone, your connection is gone, and your scar was a result of the connection.

“After you killed Voldemort, there was a two year period that the Death Eaters tried to get after you. Several were rounded up by the Ministry, but some got away. Over the past ten years, some people have tried to organize and follow in Voldemort’s footsteps, but nobody has been successful yet.

“All the while, you were taking Auror training. You are a famous Auror, and you’re responsible for stopping most of the mini-revolts. Your job is kind of boring now, just a bunch of paperwork, a mishap here and there, nothing serious anymore.

“As for your personal life,� Gina smiled, “you got married to Ginny shortly after you finished Auror training.�

“Me and Ginny?� Harry gasped. “We got married? But I don’t even like her that way!�

Blake smiled. “Yeah, you started going out in your sixth year, on Christmas. It took Ron and Hermione till seventh year to get together.�

“Ron and Hermione?� Harry laughed. It was obvious how much Ron cared about Hermione. He felt happy for the two of them.

“Ron and Hermione had four kids,� Gina said. “They had identical triplets, Tyler, Jesse, and Max. They run Weasleys’ Wizard Wheeses now, helping Fred and George out. And they have a daughter, Zoe. And all of them have kids of their own.

“You and Ginny had two kids, a girl and a boy. The girl, Cailey, is now married to Johnathon Viscomi. I’m their daughter,� Gina explained. “I have an older brother. He’s playing for the Pride of Portree Quidditch team as Chaser. Your son, Sean, works at the Ministry of Magic as an Auror, and Blake and Will are his two sons. With me so far?�

Harry nodded, fixing into his mind everything Gina told her.

“Ginny volunteers at a Kneazle Breeding Area, the same place Cailey works, and Ron’s an Auror, like you. Hermione is an author, and she’s even had her works published.�

Harry smiled. All the people he recognized all had careers they wanted as students, including him. It sounded like everybody had a great life. Even so, there was still a question that burned in his mind.

“Who died in the war against Voldemort?�

The three became noticeably tense. Will was the one who answered. “Albus Dumbledore died in the end of your seventh year, in the fight. Professor McGonagall took his place. Remus Lupin was killed by Death Eaters not long afterwards. When the Death Eaters raided the Ministry, Percy died, and so did Mad-Eye Moody. Several others were badly hurt, and a lot of people died that you wouldn’t know.�

Harry’s heart sank. A lot of people he cared about died during the final battle. He wasn’t sure whether he was pleased or ashamed that he didn’t remember any of their deaths. He longed for Ron and Hermione, the teenage ones that were in his own time.

“Harry,� Gina said, interrupting Harry’s musings, “you have to promise to not reveal yourself to anyone. Nobody knows except the three of us what happened to you. Don’t let anybody see you. If somebody did….� Gina trailed off.

“But, if I don’t tell anyone, how am I supposed to change back?� Harry asked.

“We’ll figure it out,� Blake said. “Just promise you will stay hidden.�

Harry looked for one worried face to the next, and sighed. “Fine, I promise.�

A/N: Sorry this chapter took longer than usual. New chapters might come slower because I'm very busy right now, but I'll try to keep them coming.

"So let me get this straight," Harry said. "Your parents are on vacation, I'm supposed to watch you for a week, and you" he turned to Blake, "made me fifty years younger. And nobody knows about it?"

"Now you got it," Blake smiled. He looked up at the clock. "Wow. 10:30 already? We better wake Grandma soon. She never sleeps past eleven."

"I'll do it," Gina said. "Blake, you get Harry some clothes that fit him." She tugged at Harry's loose sleeve. "Will, write a letter to the Ministry of Magic. Tell them Grandpa has some sickness that takes a while to cure, and he won't be able to come to work for a while."

Will nodded, and grabbed some parchment and a quill. He sat on the desk, and began to write. He was especially glad he had just started reading about wizard diseases. Gina turned to Harry. "The minute you get some new clothes, stay hidden. Maybe you could keep the door to this room closed." Harry nodded, and Gina ran toward her Grandma.

She found Ginny on the couch, still unconscious. Then she remembered that she couldn't wake Grandma up with magic yet. Cursing, Gina tried to shake her grandma. This, of course, didn't work. Still cursing under her breath, Gina knocked on the boys’ door.

"What?" Blake yelled through the wooden door.

"I can't wake her up," Gina responded. "You have to do it." A moment of silence, then Blake squeezed himself out of a small crack of the opened door before closing it quickly.

"Grandpa's modest," Blake explained, smiling. "Who knew?" Gina rolled her eyes, and led Blake toward Ginny. Gina sat in front of her grandma, while Blake stood behind. He whispered, "Enervate," and snuck quietly back to the hallway.

Ginny's eyes fluttered slowly, and she got up, rubbing her head. "What happened? I didn't fall asleep, did I?"

"Yeah, Grandma," Gina explained. "We were waiting for Grandpa and you must have been very exhausted because you dozed off. The boys and I didn't have the heart to wake you up."

“Where’s your Grandpa?� Ginny asked, standing up.

“Uh,� Gina stammered. She should have come up with a convincing story before she woke up Grandma. “He went to work. He said it was important. And he was sorry,� Gina added.

Ginny frowned. “He said he was going to work less while you kids were here, and now….� Ginny sighed. “I’ll go make some breakfast. Waffles sound good to you?�

“Sounds good,� Gina said. “I’ll go get Will and Blake.� She ran to the hall, almost running into Will. “Did you write it?� Gina said in a hushed tone.

“Yeah,� Will said smiling. “Harry’s got a mild case of Monilipopolitis. He needs bed rest and regular potions, and since each case is different, he might be out of work for a long time.� Will chuckled.

“Perfect,� Gina said. “I’ll send it with Tawny.� Gina ran into her room, and called Tawny from her cage where she had been sleeping all morning. Tawny opened a yellow eye wearily.

“Hey girl, could you send this to the Ministry of Magic?� Tawny slowly opened its wings and flew on top of the cage. She held out her leg. Gina tied the letter around her leg, opened the window, and Tawny zoomed out.

Gina headed to the kitchen, where Grandma already had a large pile of waffles on the table, which Will and Blake had already started on. “Hey Gina,� Blake said when she entered. “We were thinking about going to the Quidditch field after breakfast? Interested? It would give us some time out of the house.� Blake winked.

Gina smiled. “I’d like that.�

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Harry waited a minute after hearing the door close before he left the room. There was no way he was not going to take advantage of an empty house. His first stop was the kitchen, since he hadn't had breakfast yet. There were no breakfast remains, so Harry grabbed a banana from the counter. While unpeeling it, he headed toward the family room. If he was going to learn about his future, this was the place to start.

He looked at the pictures on the mantle first. Most of them were of older Harry’s family, with Cailey, Sean, and Ginny. There was one picture of Ron and Hermione sitting on a park bench, smiling and leaning close together. There was a picture of Gina, Blake, and Will, along with another young man, with untidy black hair, who Harry guessed was Gina’s older brother, though he still didn’t know his name.

A glint of metal caught his eye. On a sidetable, in a fancy case, was a medal. Harry picked it up, and realized it was an Order of Merlin, First Class, awarded to…him! He had won an Order of Merlin? Not bad, Harry thought. He had probably gotten it for defeating Lord Voldemort, or so he assumed.

The next room he searched was his older self’s bedroom. He opened it slightly. It wasn’t that much bigger than Blake and Will’s room. The room had light green walls, and the king sized bed had dark green blanket, with two nightstands on either end, and large dressers on opposite sides of the room. Harry went to the nightstand on the left, and picked up an old tattered book. He opened it, and realized that it was his old photo album, the one Hagrid gave him. There were several new pictures of himself during Auror school, Ron and Hermione just out of Hogwarts, his wedding, Ron and Hermione’s wedding, childhood pictures of Cailey and Sean, all the way up to recent pictures of his grandkids. Harry flipped to the beginning of the book, where his parents’ pictures were. When he reached the page with the picture of Lily and James’ wedding, he found a small bronze key wedged in the crack of the page. He picked it up, examined it, and put it in his pocket, just in case.

He walked back into the family room. Then he noticed a door tucked in the corner of the room. Curious, Harry headed toward it. It was a door with glass panels, but he couldn't see through it. He turned the doorknob and realized it was locked. He wondered if he should open the door with magic when he remembered the key. He put the key in the lock. The key fit, and Harry got excited. He was just about to turn it when he heard some muffled voices coming from behind the front door.

"That was fun. It's too bad your grandpa couldn't make it."

They were back! Why were they back so early? He didn't have time to get back in the room. Harry dived behind the couch, out of sight, just before the door opened, and Ginny walked in, holding a Firebolt.

"We should do that more often," Ginny said, laying the broom against the back of the couch. "Blake, Gina, why don’t you put your brooms away? Will, how about a nice game of Wizard Chess?"

Harry noticed the Wizard Chess set on the table right in front of him, and his heart raced.

"I'll get it," Harry heard Will say. Will appeared in Harry's line of vision. Will spotted Harry, and almost yelled out. After thinking for a split second, Will knocked over the chess board, scattering the pieces everywhere. "Whoops, I'll get that."

Will laid low on the floor. "What are you doing here?" he hissed.

"I was in the family room when you guys came home and I didn't have time to get back," Harry explained.

Will groaned. "Okay, we need to get you out of here, fast!" He put all of the pieces in the box and stood up. "Grandma," he said, "could you get me a glass of water?"

"Sure, Will. I could use one too, actually.� The minute Ginny turned toward the kitchen, Will grabbed Harry and pulled him up, and they both ran to the hallway. They ran so fast that when Blake walked out of their room they collided, and all three fell to the floor.

Ginny's worried voice came from the kitchen. "What happened?"

Gina ran out of her room and almost tripped over the boys in the hallway. She stared, panicked, at them before heading her grandma off. Harry got up, and ran into Blake and Will's room, closing the door behind him. He heard the muffled voice of Ginny, and the footsteps of Blake and Will leaving the hallway.

Realizing that he would be here for a while, Harry laid down on Blake’s bed. He tried to take a nap, but instead the thoughts of his godfather that had been haunting his since June came back to him. The shocked look on his face as he fell backward into the veil....

Harry got up abruptly and searched for something, anything, to distract him. He picked up Will’s book only to realize it was the same book he himself used for History of Magic. Harry looked in the closet and found nothing. He even started rummaging through the two trunks, not sure what he was looking for.

Frustrated, Harry slammed the trunks shut, not bothering to pick up the contents that were now in piles on the floor. It had never been this hard to stay in his room at the Dursleys, then again there was no reason to leave his room. Now, he was thrust into the future with no idea what was going on or what was going to happen to him, and these kids not much older than him try to lock him up again without even telling him the whole story. They at least owed him that, considering they were the ones that did this to him.

Well, I won’t let this happen any longer, Harry thought. He wasn’t going to let them keep him in the dark for long.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

During the sunset that day, Gina, Will, and Blake were sitting under the large oak in the Potter’s backyard. Will was leaning against the trunk, absorbed in Hogwarts, A History, which Aunt Hermione had recommended for him. Gina laid on her back, watching the clouds idly, while Blake picked at the grass.

“I still think we should ask him,� Blake said aloud what everyone had been thinking the past forty-eight hours.

“And I still think we shouldn’t,� Gina said, still looking up at the sky. “He’s only sixteen. We know he doesn’t remember anything after that. Asking him about the final battle would be pointless.�

“That’s not what I was talking about it, and you know it,� Blake remarked, rubbing a long blade of grass between his fingers.

Gina sat up and turned to face her cousin. “You shouldn’t ask him about his fifth year. If sixty-six year old Harry wouldn’t talk about it, why would sixteen year old Harry? He’s probably still freaked about whatever happened that year, and he doesn’t need you bugging him about it.�

“Come on,� Blake begged. “Maybe he needs to talk about it. Maybe we could help him.�

Gina rolled her eyes. “Grandpa’s not the kind of person to accept help from strangers, which is what we are to him right now. Not everybody is open about how they feel like you are.�

Blake turned to Will. “What about you? To ask or not to ask?�

Will looked up from his book. “Don’t get me involved in this.�

“Come on, yes or no?�

“Ok, no. I agree with Gina, whatever he went through has got to be a major issue for him now, and we shouldn’t interfere.�

Outvoted, Blake sulked. He threw the blade of grass, vowing that he wasn’t going to be defeated that easily.

Blake woke up that night to the noise of muttering in the bed next to him. Blake had half the mind to shake Will silly for waking him up when he remembered that Will wasn’t sleeping next to him. He had asked to sleep on the couch in the family room so that Harry could sleep in a proper bed without risking expose. Harry was the one muttering in his sleep.

Blake turned to his right. Harry was shaking, his face tear streaked, and he kept muttering “No, Sirius!� Blake’s brow furrowed in worry. Did his Grandpa always have dreams like this at his age? His heart went out to Harry. He turned to face the wall, trying to fall back asleep, but now that he had woken up it was near impossible. Even though Harry’s whining and muttering kept Blake awake, for the first time in his life Blake wasn’t instantly annoyed.

Blake put the clock in the feeble sunlight that was coming through the window, and saw that it was only 6:30 am. This was by far the earliest he had woken up that summer.

Harry screamed and sat up, breathing quickly. Blake turned abruptly. “Harry? Are you ok?�

“Yeah,� Harry said in an unusually high voice. He turned away and angrily wiped his eyes, embarrassed and ashamed of himself for crying. Blake didn’t humiliate him by questioning further. He tried to think of ways to make it up to his Grandpa, when his eyes lingered to his Blue Nebula broomstick. A plan started to form in his head.

“Harry?�

“Yeah?� Satisfied that his eyes weren’t red and his face dry, Harry turned to face Blake.

“What would you think of getting some fresh air?� Blake suggested, pulling out his Blue Nebula from the side of his bed.

Harry wasn’t quick enough to hide the eagerness in his face. “How could I? Wouldn’t I get caught?�

“Nah, nobody’s on the local Quidditch field this early in the morning. It’s the crack of dawn,� Blake said, holding the broom out to Harry. “Come on, you know you want to. You haven’t been outside for days.�

Harry barely resisted the temptation to grab the broom. Every fiber in his body wanted desperately to fly a broom again. “What would Gina think of this?�

“Who says Gina has to know?� Blake said. The rush of a challenge was taking over. “You just make sure you’re back soon enough, and nobody will be the wiser. Once the first group of local fliers gets there, you come back. From what future you had told me, you have no problem sneaking around without being noticed.�

Harry had to admit he had a point. He could sneak back into the house even without getting caught, even without his Invisibility Cloak. Not to mention riding on a broom sure beat the possibility of another day hiding in this room.

“Alright,� Harry grabbed the broom from Blake’s hand. Blake grinned.

“Okay, to get to the Quidditch field, you go to the front of the house, go down the left side of the street, turn right at the first road, and it will be at the end of the line of houses. I would guess that you have two hours, give or take, before people start showing up. Then you should head back. Make absolutely certain that you stay a good distance away from other people,� Blake sounded dead serious. “You’re easily recognizable even without your scar. Cut through the woods right behind our house when you come back. I should be outside around then, and I will help you get back in. Got it?�

“Yeah,� Harry said, clutching his broom.

“Sneak through the back door, it should be unlocked,� Blake said. “I’ll cover for you.�

“Thanks,� Harry said. He smiled at Blake, who smiled back, and he headed out the door. He walked quietly through the hall and opened the door in the kitchen silently. He ran to the front of the house. He paused for a moment, looking at the house.

It looked as invited for outside as it did within. It gave a feeling of warmth, from its copper colored door, the tan colored bricks, to the large window that showed the family room interior.

In fact, in Harry’s opinion, the whole village looked warm. The houses varied in size, from one to three stories, but all looking welcoming. Large, green lawns, most with gardens, were found everywhere. Trees were numerous, in both front yards and backyards, and several forms of wildlife, both magical and otherwise, could be found flying or running around. Harry realized, with a pang in his heart, that he could have been raised here. Pushing the thought from his mind, Harry turned left and started down the pebble path to the Quidditch field.

Harry was very impressed with the public Quidditch field, although the name was misleading. The ‘field’ was in fact several small fields, each with its own goal hoops, and a standard sized field in the back. Harry ran to the full-size field, the enthusiasm of riding a broom coming back in full measure.

He started to examine Blake’s Blue Nebula. It had a mahogany handle, with finely clipped straws forming an arrow-like appearance. The broom looked very slightly shorter than Harry’s own Firebolt. On the handle was the words Blake’s Blue Nebula. Custom Made. Custom made? What did that mean? Harry wondered how a broomstick could be custom made before finally deciding that it didn’t matter to him as long as the broom still got off the ground. When Harry mounted the broom, he noticed that it perfectly matched his height, and he guessed that’s what was meant by custom made.

He kicked hard off the ground and the wind whipped his bangs off of his face. Harry zoomed around in laps around the field, all worries left on the ground. Harry leaned forward on his broom to go at maximum speed, but it seemed too slow to be going at its fastest. Harry kept leaning forward but it wouldn’t go any faster. Slightly put out, Harry pulled to a stop.

The broom stopped immediately, and Harry was caught so off-guard that he dived forward off the broom. He grabbed for the broom just in time, and dangled one-handed off the broom. Gasping, Harry swung back onto the broom. He sat for a moment, catching his breath and waiting for his heart rate to return to normal.

So that was what they meant by custom made. Blake’s broom could turn on a dime. Too bad Blake forgot to mention that slight detail, Harry thought angrily. As quickly as Harry’s anger at Blake came, it vanished. After all, Blake was the reason he was flying in the first place.

He spent the next hour and a half getting used to the new broom. Once he was confident, he amused himself with racing toward trees and turning just before he hit them. He even started diving, pulling out of the dive inches from the ground at a ninety degree angle.

The sun was up now, and a small group of kids were walking toward the field with brooms on their shoulders. Harry gazed at them from above. They all looked to be about his age. He remembered Blake’s warning that people in this time could recognize him even without the scar. Harry landed, and headed toward the woods so he wouldn’t be noticed, but the kids saw him.

“Hey, you,� a brown-haired boy yelled from several yards away. “We’re thinking of starting a game. Want to join us?�

“Uh, that’s ok,� Harry yelled back, walking away from the group slowly. “I’m finished.� Without another word or a glance at the group, Harry bolted.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Come on,� Blake muttered to himself, pacing the backyard. He checked his watch again. Harry had been gone over two hours, and he still wasn’t showing up. Blake was getting apprehensive. That nitwit should’ve realized that it will be that much harder to get him back into the house when everyone was awake, Blake thought.

He didn’t regret letting Harry go. No, he wasn’t going to go that far, although he did wish he had planned it better. He must’ve been really tired if he thought telling Harry to come back before too long would mean he would be back before sunrise. That was like telling a teenager not to stay out too late and expect them back home by 10 pm.

The conversation earlier haunted Blake’s brain. “Once the first group of local fliers gets there, you come back.� What made him think that would be early enough? Sometimes people wouldn’t come to the Quidditch fields until noon, even in the summertime.

“What are you doing?�

Blake jumped at the sound of Gina’s voice. She walked over to him, arms crossed. Blake glowered at her. “What did you do that for? You nearly gave me a heart-attack!�

“Why are you so jumpy?� Gina said with an accusatory tone in her voice. “Waiting for someone?�

“What are you talking about?� Blake stammered. He put his sweaty palms in his jean pockets, trying to look laid back.

“Where should I begin?� Gina circled Blake, like a predator stalking its prey. “As if the fact that you are up an hour before me, certainly a rare thing, isn’t suspicious enough! You are pacing, which you only do when you’re stressed, and you keep glancing at the woods. And your room is locked.� Gina stopped, her emerald green eyes boring holes into Blake’s face. Blake didn’t say anything, or even hold eye contact with Gina, which proved to be a big mistake. Her suspicion only increased.

“What are you hiding?� Gina demanded.

“I’m not hiding anything,� Blake muttered to the ground.

“Do you really think you can pull the wool over my eyes that easily? You’re hiding something, Blake Potter, and I want to know what! Now!�

Blake always admired Gina’s stubbornness, except when it was used against him.

“Who are you waiting for? And why did you lock Harry in your room?�

Giving in, he murmured, “I didn’t lock Harry in the room.�

Gina snorted. “Then why is the room locked?�

Blake gulped. “So you wouldn’t notice Harry isn’t in it.� He waited for the impact of his words to sink in. He didn’t have to wait long.

“You let Harry out of the house?!?� Gina screamed. “Where is he?�

“At the Quidditch field,� Blake blurted.

“He’s flying in broad daylight?� Gina was going hoarse. “Weren’t you the one that wanted to keep this whole thing a secret? We all agreed to keep Harry hidden, but once again you throw caution to the winds. What on earth made you agree to this?�

The silence after Gina’s explosion sounded like the calm after a storm. Blake listened intently, trying to catch any sounds that would mean Grandma was awake, but didn’t hear anything except for a dog barking down the street.

“Gina, you didn’t see Harry this morning. He was having nightmares, about Sirius.�

Gina’s face softened slightly. “His godfather? Are you sure?�

Blake nodded. “He was muttering in his sleep. He screamed when he woke up. It must have been pretty intense. I wanted to make it up to him. And offering him a morning riding his broom seemed right at the time.� Gina didn’t say anything to this, so Blake continued. “We can’t keep him locked up in the house all week. He’s already proven that we can’t keep him in the room.�

Both heard the rustling of leaves behind them. Harry ran out of the woods. “Sorry I took so long. I got….� He saw Gina and stopped. He didn’t even make an effort to hide the broom.

The three of them stood in silence for a while before Gina finally spoke. “You better get inside. Sneak through the window, it’s unlocked.�

Harry gave her a questioning look, but Gina shook her head and looked down. Harry opened the window, put the broomstick inside, crawled in, and shut the window. Gina still didn’t say anything. Her eyes were out of focus as she stared at Ginny’s flower garden without really seeing it.

“I’m not going to say what you did wasn’t risky or stupid,� Gina said quietly, still staring at the violets, “but I guess you had a good reason for it.� She looked into his eyes. “Look, whatever happened to his godfather must be worse than we thought if he’s having such bad nightmares. Please promise you won’t bug him about it.� Blake didn’t say anything. He knew he couldn’t make that promise.

Gina sighed, and headed into the house, closing the door behind her.

Ginny grabbed her bag and headed toward the fireplace. The family was going to the Kneazle Breeding Area to volunteer for most of the day. It was something she did every Tuesday and Thursday, and the kids had showed interest in helping out while they were staying. Even Will, who would sooner appreciate animals from a distance, wanted to come today.

"Are you three almost ready yet?" she yelled down the hall. "We're supposed to be there now!"

"We're coming, Grandma!" Gina yelled from her room. She threw on a jacket to protect her arms from kitty claws, and ran to Blake's room.

Blake and Will were both in jackets, Will looking nervous to be dedicating his day to something that shed and scratched. Harry sat on the bed, reading one of Blake's Quidditch books.

"Harry," Gina said. Harry looked up. "We will be at the breeding area till 5 pm, so the house is yours until then."

"Ok."

"Just please be back in this room before then, in case we're early," Gina added hastily. Ginny called for them again, and all three ran out of the room, not bothering to close the door behind them.

Harry waited five minutes, and then dug in his pocket. He pulled out the bronze key he had found yesterday. He had almost the whole day to explore, and he was starting with the den.

He walked to the door, turned the key, and walked into the room.

It was an office, the kind a wizard was likely to have. There was a long wooden desk in the center, bookshelves covering the back wall, a red sofa in the corner, and even a corner with a cauldron and a large potions supply cabinet.

Was this his office? Or was it used by both Ginny and Harry, and if it was, why was it locked? Harry's mind buzzed with questions, and he wondered where to start.

His curiosity pulled him to the potions corner. He went to open the cabinet, but there was no door. He touched the solid wood where a swinging door would be, and the door rippled where he touched it. The wood faded away, revealing the inside of the cabinet.

Harry whistled. This was a potions cabinet to rival Snape's. The top half was dedicated to several potion bottles of many sizes and colors. The labels read several potions he'd heard about before, like Veritaserum, and a blue bottle labeled Draught of Peace. Some of the potions were labeled with symbols, while others weren't labeled at all.

The bottom half had every potion ingredient Harry could think of. He saw broomslang skin, graphorn horn, doxy fangs, spider legs, mandrake root, what looked like phoenix feathers, and he even saw what looked to be the powdered horn of a unicorn.

Harry moved his gaze from the impressive potions cabinet to rest of the corner. A cauldron bigger than his own sat on a stand, looking as if it hadn't been moved in that spot for years, but used plenty of times since then. A table next to the cauldron, labeled Advanced Potion Making sat closed next to several empty vials.

Harry moved to the bookshelf in the back of the room. It was packed with volumes of every topic he would need as an Auror. There were animagi books, advanced Transfiguration books, books for difficult Charms and Astronomy. Defense Against the Dark Arts books filled a whole bookshelf.

Harry stopped, reading one of the authors of the books, and then smiled. Hermione Granger. He should have known.

Harry walked to the desk. It was long, almost as long as the room, with several papers and gadgets littering its surface. A Sneakoscope stood on its point steadily, perfectly still. Several quills sat in a cup, with an ink bottle next to it. Instruments that looked like the ones in Dumbledore's office whirred on the end of the desk.

Harry picked through some of the papers on his desk, but he didn't find anything worth reading. Most of them were official Ministry documents, Auror school applications, and weekly reports that the Ministry seemed to require.

Harry made to leave, when his foot kicked something below him, knocking it over. Harry bent down to pick it up. It was a garbage can, and heaps of ash had fallen out of it, along with a large pile of parchment tied together. He picked it up and read the title.

From the Boy-who-Lived to the Man-who-won. The true story of Harry Potter. By: Hermione Granger.

Harry stared at the rough draft of the book. It surprised him that people were interested in reading about his life just as much as he was surprised Hermione wrote about it. But why was it in the trash?

Harry sat on the couch and started reading. There was an introduction, which was the story everyone knew. It was an accurate retelling of what happened when Voldemort killed his parents. The last page was dedicated to the ten years after that, when Harry lived at the Durleys. He skipped ahead.

Hermione had broken the book into eight sections: all seven of his years, and Auror training and beyond. Harry read, fascinated, at Hermione's retelling of his life. She had all the facts right; she had done her research. She was even able to make a good guess as to what Harry was thinking or how he felt during each year. Harry was very impressed with Hermione's writing.

Then he got to his fifth year, and Harry couldn't help but feel peeved with Hermione. 'He became moody, and he lost his temper frequently...' '...cracking under the pressure.' 'Known to many as the basket case.' Whose side was Hermione on? Was that why this wasn't published? Harry still skipped to the next chapter, his sixth year.

The sixth year marked the beginning of N.E.W.T. classes, the beginning Advanced Potions, and the beginning of the war. Harry returned from the Dursleys much earlier than usual that year to start classes for Apparation, and it seemed like that year would be much better than the last. Until, on the first day of school, when...

There was a bang outside and Harry looked up, frozen in place. He listened intently for any signs that they may be home. He didn't have a watch on, and he had no idea what time it was. Thinking he must be running out of time, Harry skipped right to his seventh year. But the last page of his sixth year led right to his Auror training. He flipped back, although he was pretty sure he didn't pass it. He fingered through the parchment, getting more frustrated with every turn. On the page that started his Auror training, he noticed that around 30 pages were ripped out of the rough draft. Was this why the rough draft was in the trash? What did Hermione write that his future self didn't even want to look at? Harry wanted more than ever to actually know what happened. Frustrated, he threw the pile of parchment to the side.

It hit a bowl on his desk. The bowl was twinkling with light, and Harry was amazed that he hadn't noticed it earlier. It was filled with the silvery substance Harry knew too well. He leaned close to the Pensieve. Could this be his Pensieve? All of his memories would have to be in here. Breathing hard, Harry tapped the substance with his wand. A picture began to form of what looked like the Great Hall. All of the students were sitting on the benches, but there were no tables . They all seemed to be focused on something at the teacher’s table. Holding his breath, Harry stuck his head in, and tumbled into the Pensieve.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Gina opened the door and walked into the house. Exhausted from chasing and feeding cats all day, she lazed on the couch before even taking her coat off. Will peeled his coat off, showing the new scratches on his hand. Blake walked up behind him. "That was fun, wasn't it?" Will glared at him.

Ginny followed in. "I'm glad you guys could help me out today. They don't have as many volunteers on Tuesday." Ginny took her cloak off and hung it on the hook by the door. "I wonder if Harry's back yet...."

"What?" Gina jumped off the couch and ran up to Ginny. "What do you mean?"

"He's been gone for almost three days, and while you three are here...it doesn't make sense. It's not like him."

Will came to Gina's rescue. "Well, there is that issue with Ludo Bagman again, and those goblins. Maybe it's just really busy right now. I think we should give Grandpa a break."

Ginny frowned. "He's going to hear it once he gets home." She went out to the backyard.

The minute the door was closed, the trio bounded down the hall. Blake knocked on his door. "Harry? You there, mate?"

There was no answer. Blake knocked more forcefully. Still nothing. Blake opened the door. There was nobody on the bed, and the closet was empty. Blake turned to face Gina and Will. "Harry's not here."

A/N: I'm going out of town for the weekend, so the next submission won't be until Monday at least. Sorry about that. :(

Harry found himself, for the fourth time, inside somebody's memory, but for the first time it was his own. He was sitting in the Great Hall on the benches used during meals, but there were no tables. All the benches faced the teacher's table, where a large, elaborate casket lay open on the table, with four caskets on either side.

Harry looked around. He was at the bench in the very front on the right side of the Hall, and all the teachers sat on the benches to the left of him. On his right was Harry from the memory, looking almost eighteen. He was dressed completely in black with no Gryffindor colors. His face was unreadable, and his eyes, although facing the front, had a glazed look as if he didn’t see anything in front of him.

On Pensieve Harry’s right was Ron, wearing near identical clothes to Harry. His left arm was in bandages, and he sported a small cut on his left cheek. His face was blank save for his eyes, which looked red and swollen with unshed tears.

Hermione sat on Ron’s right. Her face was buried in Ron’s shoulder, and as a result her cries were muffled. She shook with every sob and she wouldn’t look at the coffins in front.

Harry realized the crowd seemed too small to be the whole school, especially since some people in the crowd weren’t even students, but Order members. Harry wondered where most of the students were. A group of Ministry figures sat with the teachers, with Amelia Bones sitting in the middle, dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief periodically.

He was at a funeral, he knew that much. But what person, or people, died? How did they die? Was this after the final battle? It probably was, but Harry wasn’t sure.

Professor McGonagall walked up to the front, a black gown underneath her ink black robe. She turned slowly, almost with a robotic stiffness, to face the crowd. She took several deep breaths. When she spoke, her voice shook.

“There will be a brief time to come to the caskets before,� She stopped, taking another deep breath, “before the caskets are buried.� She stopped again, unable to go further. She stared at the back wall of the Great Hall as she walked to her seat.

The movement of the crowd broke the stillness that followed McGonagall’s speech. Harry saw his Pensieve self walk over toward Ron and Hermione. Instead of confronting the caskets, he turned to face himself, Ron, and Hermione, who were standing in a cluster.

“So...� Ron mumbled. “Should we go? To look, I mean?�

Hermione gasped, lifting her head from Ron’s shoulders. “I c-can’t. I j-just c-c-can’t.�
Ron didn’t push it, but held her closer. He closed his eyes, biting his lip. Pensieve Harry stood there for a moment before heading up toward the coffins, with current Harry following.

Harry wandered to the coffin on the far left. It held a first year girl, wearing a beautiful blue dress. Her blonde hair draped over her shoulders. Harry didn’t recognize her and couldn’t tell what house she belonged to. Harry looked at the next coffin and gasped.

Colin Creevey. Not Colin Creevey. A lump formed in Harry’s throat. He was a member of the DA. He had probably tried to stop a Death Eater during the attack…. Harry remembered how Colin idolized him. How he, Harry, would dismiss him. How much Colin irritated him…. Harry wiped his eyes and moved on.

Euan Abercrombie, the first year Gryffindor that Harry saw sorted in his fifth year, was dead. And so was a fourth year Slytherin boy.

Harry walked slowly to the casket in the center, which his Pensieve self stood in front of, hands resting on the casket, tears slowly falling down his cheek. Harry looked down, half-expecting who he would see in there, and hoping he was wrong. He wasn’t.

Albus Dumbledore, with his half-moon spectacles, long grey hair and beard, crooked nose, and midnight blue robes, looked very calm and peaceful, as if he were merely in a deep slumber that he could wake from at any moment. All anger Harry had at this man for the secrets, for being a major cause in Sirius’s death, was gone. He could practically hear Dumbledore whispering into his ear, “To the well organized mind, death is but the next great adventure." Harry’s vision blurred and he wiped his tears away with his sleeve.

Then a reckless thought came to mind. This didn’t happen yet, none of this. All these people, none of them have to die. We could change this so that it never happens. Dumbledore doesn’t have to die. But even when Harry thought this, he knew it wasn’t true. Even if he didn’t remember this, he had lived the past fifty years. All of this was ancient history…unchangeable….

Harry tore his eyes away from Dumbledore, trying to distract himself, but his gaze landed on two other familiar figures. Ernie Macmillan and Seamus Finnigan, friends in his year and in the DA, had died too. Harry wanted to scream. Why had this happened to them? How did Voldemort managed to kill so many of the people he cared for?

Ron walked up to Pensieve Harry, and laid a hand on his shoulder. “Come on, let’s go visit Ginny in the Hospital Wing.�

The funeral faded around Harry. A new picture formed around him.

He was no longer at Hogwarts. Harry didn’t recognize where he was, except it looked to be in the Ministry of Magic. He was once again sitting next to himself, and his memory self didn’t look to be much older than in the last memory. He was sitting outside of a door, fidgeting in his seat. Harry noticed that his memory self would self-consciously adjust the long sleeve on his right arm.

The door opened, and a nervous looking Ron walked out. “How did it go?� Pensieve Harry asked.

“I don’t know. She kept me for a while. Do you think that’s good?� Ron asked. A female voice called for Harry beyond the door. “Good luck,� Ron said. “I’ll wait for you out here.�

Pensieve Harry nodded and walked to the door, and Harry slipped in just before his memory self shut the door. A witch sat at the desk. She had her brown hair pulled back into a bun, and she was sorting the sheets of parchment on her desk. She looked up when the door closed. “Harry Potter?�

“Yes,� Pensieve Harry said nervously. The witch gestured for him to sit down, which he did. Harry stood in the corner, watching from the back. This must be an interview for Auror training.

The witch shuffled through more parchments. “Good recommendations…several N.E.W.T.s, that’s good. A N.E.W.T. in all the required classes, am I correct?�

“Yeah. I mean, yes.�

The woman turned her attention to another scroll. “A very impressive recommendation from Professor McGonagall, I see. Does she still teach Transfiguration?�

“Yes.�

The witch smiled. “Yes, I remember her.� She looked up at Pensieve Harry for the first time. “So what past experiences have you had that would make you suitable for the job of an Auror?�

“Well,� Pensieve Harry paused. “I’ve faced Voldemort-sorry.� He apologized as the witch cleared the ink she spilled at hearing the name. “I faced You-Know-Who five times, and defeated him last year. I, uh, competed in the Triwizard Tournament, too….� He trailed off. Harry thought he could have given a little more about his accomplishments, and he guessed Pensieve Harry felt the same way.

The witch scribbled some notes down. “What are your magical strengths?�

“Well, Defense Against the Dark Arts was my best subject. Oh, and I could cast a Patronus Spell in my third year. And I’ve started study on Occlumency in my fifth year, and continued it in my sixth and seventh year.�

“I see. Do you have good leadership skills?�

“Yeah, I was the leader of our Defense Against the Dark Arts club.�

“Can you follow instructions of others?�

“Yes.�

“Do you have the ability to stay calm in difficult situations?�

“I think so, yeah.�

The witch smiled. “Well, Mr. Potter. That should be all. And I wouldn’t be too worried if I were you. If I’m right, this was all really just a formality.� She winked at him.

“Uh, thanks,� Pensieve Harry smiled. He turned to go.

The witch looked to be struggling with something. “Excuse me, Mr. Potter?� Harry from the memory turned around. “Sorry, this is rude of me, but do you, well, do you still have that scar?�

Harry watched as Pensive Harry grabbed his right forearm. Then he realized what the witch asked. “Oh, on my forehead? No, it disappeared after Vol- You-Know-Who fell.�

“Really? Fascinating….� She paused, gazing at Harry’s forehead almost in a trance. She snapped out of it. “Where are my manners today? Pardon me. Well, it was good to meet you, Mr. Potter.� She shook his hand.

The scene faded away, and Harry was transported to the next memory.

Harry found himself this time in the Gryffindor Common Room. Hermione and Ron both sat on the couch, and Harry sat on the chair by the fire. Hermione was looking at a Daily Prophet article. Present Harry looked at the headline.

DEATH EATERS RAID MINISTRY OF MAGIC

Harry read the date of the article. February 20, 1997. This memory was from his sixth year, over halfway through the year.

A soft thud was heard at the window, causing the trio and Harry to turn around. Errol had crashed through the window, and was swaying dangerously. Ron ran to the window, opened it inside, and pulled Errol in before he could fall to the ground. He carried Errol to the couch and handed him to Hermione so he could read the note. The group was silent as Ron read the note aloud.

“Ron, we’ve just gotten word from the Ministry….�

His face turned pale, and he stared at the note in disbelief.

“Ron?� Harry asked. “What did it say?�

Ron opened his mouth in a silent scream. Hermione read over his shoulder and gasped. “Oh Ron I’m so sorry.�

“What?� Harry stood up. “What is it?�

“Percy’s dead.� Ron said. “So is Mad-Eye Moody. They died in the raid.�

This was the night of or after the raid, Harry realized.

“How could Voldemort get back into the Ministry of Magic after last year?� Hermione said. Harry was shocked that Ron didn’t react to hearing Voldemort’s name. She picked up the newspaper. “How could they let him do it again?� She flipped through the pages noisily, as if expecting the article to answer everything for her.

“He never came back,� Ron whispered. “Percy never came back to us. He never apologized to Mum and Dad.�

Past Harry bit his lip, looking down to the floor.

Hermione threw down the newspaper in defeat. “Dumbledore has to stop Voldemort soon, before this gets worse.�

Pensieve Harry looked up at this. “Dumbledore?�

“Well, yeah. Who else? I mean, yeah you’ve stopped him, Harry, but there’s no way that you can stop Voldemort now, you’re still in school.�

Past Harry didn’t say anything at first. He just stared at Hermione for a long time. “You don’t think I can beat him?�

Hermione was suprised at this. She chose her next words carefully. “Not now, no. After all, stopping him is one thing, but to actually defeat him is going to take a powerful wizard-“

“Are you saying that I’m not a powerful wizard?� Harry stood up, his voice getting louder.

Hermione sounded agitated. “Of course not! What is this all about, anyway?� Harry didn’t answer her. “Come on, Harry, do you really think you have to be the one to defeat him, do you?� She paused, hoping for an encouraging answer, which never came. “Harry? Do you really think that?�

Harry kept his eyes on the carpet, his arms crossed. “Is this what you’ve been freaking out about all year?� Hermione asked. “Harry, you can’t put that kind of pressure on yourself.�

“I have no choice,� Harry mumbled before turning his back to Hermione.

“W-what are you talking about?� Hermione asked. Ron watched intently, still looking very pale. “Harry?�

Harry turned slowly, and sat back down on the chair. “There’s something I didn’t tell you two, about the prophecy.�

“Wait,� Ron interrupted. “Didn’t Neville destroy it?�

Harry nodded. “But I heard what it said. Dumbledore showed me afterwards.� He closed his eyes, as if straining to remember something. “The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches….�

Harry heard his voice fade away as several memories assaulted him at once. He was back in Godric’s Hollow, standing outside of his bedroom door with a baby in his arms…he was on the Quidditch field in his sixth year. He held the Quidditch Cup high while Malfoy spat in the dirt behind him. Then he was in a dark alley, bending over Lupin’s corpse. Next he was at Ron and Hermione’s wedding.

Harry closed his eyes to the dizzying sight before him. Loud noises from the passing memories roared in his ears, and he covered them. His mind had so many questions and the Pensieve was trying to answer them all at once. He felt a rushing wind chill his arms. Colors flashed in front of his eyelids. He wanted it all to stop.

And then it did. The wind died down, all went dark, and the white noise was replaced with a silence that pressed on his eardrums. He opened his eyes and looked around. He was in the Forbidden Forest in the dead of night. His eyes slowly adjusted to the dark and he looked around. He strained his ears for a sound, but heard nothing. It was way too quiet for a forest; he couldn’t hear any animals or signs of wildlife.

Then he heard something. There were two sets of footprints running not far from where he was. Harry turned toward where they were, his fear rising. He wasn’t sure if he should head toward them or not. He still had no idea where he was, or when.

Then Harry saw himself run through the trees and run right past him, panting. Without thinking, Harry ran after him. After a minute he started breathing heavily as he wrestled through the thick vegetation to keep up with himself. He heard the sounds of jinxes and curses being sent in different directions behind him and he could smell smoke. He would have screamed if he weren’t so out of breath.

The two of them reached an opening in the forest. Harry watched his memory self slow down and come to a stop in the middle of the opening. Harry collapsed on a rock at the edge of the circle where the trees continued.

His memory self clutched the stitch in his chest. He was panting, with sweat beads on his forehead, along with several cuts on his face and arms from the run through the forest. He was only one year older than Harry was now. He pulled out his wand, and looked wearily around the circle.

Without warning Pensieve Harry started screaming and clutching his right forearm. Harry forced his eyes shut and strained to cover his ears but it was no use. The scream shot through him. He felt like he, himself, was experiencing the pain. Then it stopped. Harry slowly opened his eyes.

His memory self was kneeling on the ground, gasping, and gazing with horror at his right arm. Harry looked too, and was terrified at what he saw. A large, black serpent tattoo had been burned into his future self’s right arm. Its head was at the wrist, with two long fangs lashing out. Its body coiled down to its tail, which went all the way down to the elbow.

“Like it, Potter?� A dark, menacing voice hissed inside the clearing. Harry turned to face the skeleton-white face that had just appeared out of the forest. Terror filled him like he never knew. He was completely unaware that he himself was in no danger while he stared into those horrible blood-red eyes.

“Incendio!� Lord Voldemort shouted. The two of them were surrounded by a circle of green fire. Harry could only see the outline of the two bodies through the thick black smoke. Breathing was becoming difficult, and the roaring of the flames made Lord Voldemort difficult to hear.

“That’s my gift to you, to make sure that you, and all who find your remains when this is over, will remember that Lord Voldemort cannot be stopped. Let those who look at your disfigured body know that there is no defeating me. You will be my most powerful message to the wizarding world. You should be honored, Harry.�

Harry saw the shadow of Lord Voldemort walk toward his slumped body. He lifted his wand. “Crucio!�

Hearing his own voice scream rattled Harry. He felt the memory of Voldemort’s torture in his bones as his scream died away. Harry saw himself shaking slightly inside the circle, but slowly stood up. He held his wand up, now in a dueling position.

Voldemort yelled, “Expelliarmus!� Harry watched the wand shoot into the flames, and a flaming wand landed close to his feet. The wand was soon ashes. His memory self was now unarmed. Voldemort laughed, raising the hairs on the back of Harry’s neck.

“Avada Kedarva!� A jet of light shot out of Voldemort’s wand, visible to Harry even through the flames. Before the spell was even halfway toward Pensieve Harry, he pulled another wand out of his pocket and shouted “Expelliarmus!�

Just as Harry remembered from his fourth year, the spells collided and formed a gold stream of light between the two now vibrating wands. Harry saw the two shadows start to rise slowly, and the web-like dome of gold light surrounded them all again. Harry gasped. He couldn’t believe that his future self would perform this magic again.

Voldemort seemed to finally get over his surprise. “That won’t work this time, Potter.� Harry watched with horror as Voldemort made to break the connection.

Then Harry shouted, “Avada Kedarva!� A jet of green light shot through the beam of gold light, striking Voldemort’s wand and engulfing his body. A scream of a dying phoenix echoed from everywhere, and the dome blazed with green light. Harry braced himself against the charge of power all around him. The light was blinding. He couldn’t see.

Then it was over. The dome disappeared, and all was dark except for the fire, which was now low enough for Harry to see the two bodies inside the circle. Harry sprang up and jumped over the circle of fire. He ran to his future body. Harry leaned over it. He checked for a pulse, but there was none. He wasn’t breathing. Harry began to panic. Something must have gone wrong. He wouldn’t live this time. Time would be rewritten.

He heard several footprints coming his way. He looked up. Professor McGonagall rushed over to his body, followed by Ron and Hermione. Harry moved out of the way just in time as McGonagall started examining him. She performed several spells in quick succession. The knot in Harry’s stomach loosened a little. He looked at where he had seen Lord Voldemort fall, then quickly turned away from his ashy remains.

Professor McGonagall gasped. Harry looked down at himself. Harry’s scars, both the lightning bolt on his forehead and the snake on his arm, were glowing. Then the both faded away. Harry’s throat tightened. There was still a faint outline of the horrid snake on his arm.

“Where could he be?� Gina paced the boy’s room, worry etched all over her face. “We told him to be back in your room before we came home. He’s not outside, is he? Maybe he went for another ride? Oh, he better not have. He can’t be in the house anywhere, or can he? Maybe-�

“Gina, stop. You’re giving me a headache,� Blake sighed, sitting at the edge of his bed. “I’m pretty sure he’s not outside, but then again I don’t know where else he could be.�

“Could he be in the house somewhere?� Will offered. “Maybe he’s stuck in a room because he didn’t get back in time.�

“Yeah, that’s probably it,� Blake agreed. “Will and I can search the house while you distract Grandma.�

Gina sighed. “All right. Good luck.�

“You too,� the boys replied. Gina headed to the kitchen.

The boys started by looking in Gina’s room, then Harry and Ginny’s room, and even the bathroom, but they had no luck. They couldn’t check the kitchen because that was where Gina and Grandma were. No luck in the family room, either. Will sighed. “He’s not here.�

Blake’s eyes wandered to the door in the corner. A bronze key was in the lock. Blake muttered, “The den.� He pointed it out to Will, and they both headed toward it.

Blake put his ear to the door, but he couldn’t hear anything. “Harry?� he whispered. He opened the door.

Blake had only been in the den once. He was thirteen at the time, and his grandpa showed him his workplace after forgetting to lock it up one night. He had told Blake that he wasn’t allowed to come back without his approval. It looked the same as it did then, except for several papers on the desk. He turned to Will.

“It doesn’t look like he’s in here,� Will said.

“Let’s look around a bit more,� Blake said. “We might as well while we have the chance.�

Will rolled his eyes. “We don’t have time. We still have to find Harry, remember?� But his brother had already started toward the back of the den. Will followed. “Blake, we don’t have-“

“Look at this!� Blake reached into a large chest in the corner. He pulled out a silvery, flowing cloak. Will gaped at it.

“Grandpa has an Invisibility Cloak?�

“Looks like it.� Blake wrapped it around himself. He watched everything but his head disappear. “Wow. Why didn’t he tell us about it before?�

Will shrugged. “He probably uses it for Auror duties. What else is in there?�

Blake’s head looked into the chest. “There’s his old Quidditch robe in here. Two mirrors,� a hand materialized and picked up the two mirrors, “some Gryffindor scarves,� Blake laughed, “some very ugly socks, and an old folded piece of parchment.�

Will reached into the chest and pulled out the old parchment. He unfolded it, but it was blank. He wondered why his grandpa would save such old parchment. A bowl of light caught his eye, and he looked up.

“Blake, look. Grandpa’s got a Pensieve.�

Blake’s head floated over, which made Will feel queasy. “Would you take that cloak off please?�

Blake laughed and took off the cloak so that his body reappeared. He tossed the cloak onto the opened chest. He gazed into the Pensieve. He figured he was looking at the Forbidden Forest from the sky. It was a clearing, with a ring of low fire surrounding it, and two figures laying unconscious, with several other figures leaning over them.

“Do you think Harry’s in the Pensieve?� Blake asked.

“I think so,� Will answered. “Why else would there be a memory visible?�

“How are we supposed to get him out?� Blake squinted into the Pensieve, looking for Harry.

“Grandpa told me how to do it once,� Will said. “I should be able to get him out, if I can find him.�

“Ok, I’ll cover for you. Go get him.�

Will nodded, and leaned close to the Pensieve. His nose touched and he was flung into blackness. Then he was inside the clearing. Glowing embers were all that remained of the circle. Will couldn’t see one of the unconscious figures, but he did see Headmaster McGonagall, Ron, and Hermione leaning over…Harry. Will tensed up. What memory is this?

He looked around for Harry, and found him kneeling next to his unconscious self. Will cupped his hands to his mouth and yelled, “Harry!�

Harry looked up, saw Will, and jumped up and ran to him. “Will, what are you doing here?�

“Getting you out of here. Come on, grab my hand.�

Harry grabbed Will’s hand. Will focused on the present time, and he felt himself rising. He slowly somersaulted backwards, and landed firmly in the den.

“How long have I been in there?� Harry asked, looking shaken and pale.

“We’ve been home for fifteen minutes, so it must have been longer than that,� Blake said. “Ginny’s in the kitchen, but you can use this.� Blake held up the Invisibility Cloak.

Harry grinned when he recognized the cloak. “Where did you find that?�

“In this chest.� Blake pointed at the open chest.

“How could I have missed this?� Harry fingered his Quidditch robes. He saw the two mirrors and his face fell.

Will noticed. “Harry, do you know what this parchment is?� He showed Harry the folded piece of paper.

“The Marauder’s Map,� Harry answered. “It was made by my dad, and Sirius…� Harry’s throat tightened, and he pushed his godfather out o his mind. “Anyway, it’s a map of Hogwarts, and all its secret passageways. And it shows the location of teachers and other people inside of Hogwarts.�

Blake’s eyes widened. “Are you serious? Why didn’t you, I mean Grandpa, give it to us when we first went to Hogwarts?�

“Because he knows you too well,� Will said. He looked at the map with interest. “How does it work anyway?�

“Here, give it to me.� Harry grabbed the map, and then grabbed Blake’s wand. He tapped the page. “I solemnly swear that I am up to no good.�

A web of ink spread from the wand point, spreading to form the map of Hogwarts.

Blake whistled. “Wow. I should take this with me this year.� He smirked.

Will was about to protest, when a voice yelled outside the door, “Boys? Are you in there?�

Will stuffed the Marauder’s Map in his jean pocket and Harry quickly threw the Invisibility Cloak over himself before Ginny walked into the room.

“What are you two doing? You know you’re not supposed to be in here.� Her face was very stern, especially after seeing the open chest and piles of papers that still littered the floor.

Will squirmed. “Uh, well….�

“I was snooping around in here, and Will was telling me off,� Blake lied. Will stared at him, but Blake shook his head slightly.

Ginny sighed. “Blake, you need to stop wandering around where you’re not supposed to be. You’re just as bad as your father was. Now come on, both of you.�

Will and Blake walked slowly to the door, hoping Harry would take the hint and exit before them. Ginny closed and locked the door behind them, and went to hide the key.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Gina paced her room, thinking frantically. They were in trouble now, she knew that much. How am I supposed to tell the boys? Her door creaked slightly, causing her to look up. Nobody was there that she could see. Then Harry suddenly appeared, making Gina jump.

“Harry! Where have you been? What took you so long? Where did you get the cloak?�

Harry sat down on the bed, laying the cloak next to him. “I found the cloak in the den.�

“You were in there this whole time?� Gina asked skeptically.

“Close to it. I lost track of time.�

Gina frowned. “Why didn’t you hear us come in?�

It was Harry’s turn to frown. “I was…caught up.�

Gina backed down. “Well, it’s a good thing you found that cloak, because you’re going to need it, especially now.�

“Why now?� Harry said.

Gina sighed. “Grandma, er, Ginny told me some good news, or so she thinks. On Thursday, Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione are coming to visit.�

“What?� Harry jumped off the bed. “When did you find this out?�

“While I was distracting Grandma,� Gina answered. “The worst part is I think they’re visiting because they think you’re sick. Oh Harry,� Gina moaned, “I don’t think we’ll be able to keep this a secret much longer.�

There was the sound of shattering glass from the kitchen. “Blake and Will must’ve found out,� Harry said.

Gina put her face in her hands. “They’re going to find out eventually, and either way we’re all going to be in major trouble. We really should tell them now.�

Harry agreed, but didn’t say it. “What about Blake?�

“Speak of the devil,� Gina said when Blake walked though the door.

Blake grimaced. “Ok, new plan.�

“I agree. It’s time to tell someone,� Gina said, looking into Blake’s blue eyes.

“No, we don’t need to tell Grandma.� Blake stopped as Gina started to argue. “Just listen for a second. We can tell somebody else, like Uncle Ron or Aunt Hermione. Maybe they could help us change Harry back without anyone else knowing. We don’t need to tell Ginny.�

“No!� Gina yelled. “We can’t keep this from Grandma. We shouldn’t have to begin with! And what makes you so sure Uncle Ron or Aunt Hermione won’t tell her, if they don’t go ballistic themselves?�

“It would still be better than telling Grandma,� Blake retorted. “I’m almost positive she still hasn’t forgotten what I did at Hogwarts last year.�

“Ok, she wasn’t happy about that midnight Hogsmede excursion,� Gina admitted, “but-“

“And then there was that one time in my fifth year with Denise.�

“You said yourself it was nothing more than a kiss, and it was only an hour after curfew…�

“What about the letter?�

“Yeah, that was bad.� Gina remembered the incident where Blake sent hate mail filled with essence of Dungbomb to the Malfoy’s, and he had gotten it. Unfortunately, the head of the family, Draco Malfoy, blamed Harry for the incident, and tried to use the letter to get Harry fired.

“Grandma thinks that I’m nothing but trouble. She just said it a few minutes ago.�

“Come on, she doesn’t think of you that way. She stands up for you all the time when people say that.�

Blake wasn’t convinced. “Only because that’s what family is supposed to do. It doesn’t mean she doesn’t agree with them. Even if she doesn’t think that, she will now. What else could she possibly think? I can hear it now.� Blake made his voice higher, to sound like Ginny. “Don’t worry, I forgive you, even though you performed amateur magic on the love of my life, turning him into an adolescent with serious amnesia, lied about it, and tried to cover it up. I still love you.�

“You’re being ridiculous!� Gina shouted.

“Am I?� Blake challenged.

Gina groaned. “Fine!� she yelled. “If that’s really what you want to think, then fine! We’ll talk to Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione when they come.� She wasn’t happy with herself for caving in that easily. She was very stubborn, and Blake was one of the very few who could win an argument with her.

Blake smiled. “Thanks. And now that we found the Invisibility Cloak, Harry can hide easier.�

The thought of hiding under his cloak didn’t sound appealing to Harry, and it showed on his face. “You don’t have to say under the cloak tomorrow,� Gina said. “We’re going to Diagon Alley tomorrow for my seventeenth birthday.�

“Oh yea, I forgot your birthday was tomorrow,� Blake said. “I can’t believe you hadn’t been talking about it. You must not be very excited.�

Gina glared at him in an amused way. It was a well known fact in their family that Gina couldn’t wait for her birthday; she hadn’t talked about anything else all summer. It surprised her that she didn’t mention it for two days.

Will walked into the room. “Grandma says to come to dinner.�

Gina and Blake left the room. Will stopped Harry. “Listen, I think I might be able to get you to come with us to Diagon Alley.�

“Really?� Harry had to admit to himself that seeing Diagon Alley fifty years into the future did sound fun.

“Don’t get your hopes up yet,� Will warned, “but I think this will work. I just need to sneak into the den tonight.�

“But the key was hidden in a different place, wasn’t it?�

“I saw Grandma go into her room with the key. You could find it while we’re at dinner.�

Harry nodded. “I’ll try. I’ll be in your room once I find it.� Harry looked down the hallway, and headed toward Ginny’s room. Will waited for a second before heading to the kitchen. I hope this works, he thought.

A/N: I’m really sorry that I haven’t updated for a month! I’ve been really busy, between soccer season, several projects, and increased homework. The next chapter will come up much sooner, I promise!!

Will walked silently through the dark hallway that night. Or morning, if you wanted to be technical, Will thought as the clock chimed at midnight. Not that sneaking out at night was new to him. Sneaking out on a weekly basic came with being Blake’s brother. But doing it often didn’t get rid of the guilty feeling in his stomach, or the fear of being caught. He knew he wouldn’t get into trouble if he was caught, but Ginny would ask questions, and might even send him back to his room, and put his mission in jeopardy.

Luckily for him and Harry, finding the key wasn’t all that hard. It was in the same hiding place, in between the photo album pages. The only tricky part was finding the book, which was no longer sitting on the nightstand, and even then Harry was still able to grab the key and sneak back into the room before dinner was finished.

Will pulled the key from his pocket, inserted it into the lock, and opened the door. The den looked the same as he and Blake left it, except for Ginny had tidied up the papers and the trunk. Will closed the door. The room was in semidarkness, with the Pensieve and the moonlight casting a dim silvery light around the room. Will walked over to the Potions cabinet. He touched the door, waited for it to fade away, and started searching through the several potion vials.

He knew what he was looking for, but that didn’t help his search. All the vials were labeled not with words, but with strange symbols. Will squinted to see them in the feeble light. It didn’t look like Ancient Runes. Will sighed. Harry had done this on purpose, of course. An intruder looking to steal a potion would have no way of knowing what potion they were taking, and could drink a poison by mistake.

Harry must have some code table so he can tell what all these potions are, Will thought. He started flipping through the tattered potions book, looking for anything that looked written in, or pages that weren’t attached. He found several sheets of Harry’s handwriting on instructions for making several newer potions that the book didn’t describe, but no charts or code breakers.

Will knew he didn’t have time to find the code now, especially since it looked like he would have to make the potion himself. He bit his lip. He would have to hope that Harry had all the ingredients he needed. Will examined all the extra sheets until he finally found the sheet he was looking for.

Jesse’s Heredity Potion
Discovered 2024
This potion will alter the physical appearance of the drinker, mixing some of their genes to change their appearance. The amount of alteration can’t be determined, and an antidote must be taken to reverse the effect. Drinking in excess is lethal. It hasn’t been approved by Ministry of Magic’s Committee for Experimental Magic. Has been tested, but not for long periods of time.

Will read the list of ingredients on the sheet and checked the storage cabinet. After going halfway down the sheet he realized that he didn’t have tarantula legs or a raven feather. Will cursed. He had no choice but to find the chart.

He started thumbing through the book again. He turned the pages slowly, looking carefully at the writing on each one. Finally, on page 248, he found a written chart about a page long that matched the symbols with the potion. He found Jesse’s Heredity Potion next to the symbol of a diamond with a diagonal line cutting though it. Will looked for the symbol, and found it on a small vial with light purple liquid inside. It was the only potion he could find. He took the vial and put it in his pocket.

Then he remembered about the antidote, and he searched for it. It was represented with two overlapping circles. Will looked for the antidote, but Harry didn’t have an antidote made already. He searched for and found the antidote sheet, and realized that he was missing one ingredient for the antidote, powdered thestral hoof. I’ll get it in Diagon Alley tomorrow, he decided. He checked his watch. It was 2:29 am. Will yawned, returned the potions area to the way it was, and snuck back into his room, being careful not to wake Blake up, who was sleeping on the couch that night. He snuck back into his room. Instead of tossing and turning like he usually did, Harry was lying silently on the bed and was breathing normally. Will shrugged it off. At least he isn’t having another nightmare, he thought. He hid the potion and the key in his trunk before changing into his pajamas and getting into bed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Blake opened one eye. Finally, he thought. Why did Will have to take so long? Blake sat up and headed toward the den. Unfortunately, his brother, being very critical of details, had relocked the den and took the key with him. Blake took out a hair pin from his pocket and started to pick the lock. It took longer than he would have hoped, but he eventually heard a click, and he opened the door.

He headed for the Pensieve. He had planned this ever since they pulled Harry out of the Pensieve. He would get to see the memories first hand, without having to ask Harry and bring them up. It was a win-win situation. Blake smiled. He did have his moments. Earlier, after dinner, he casually asked Harry how to get out of the Pensieve. It was pretty easy, not only because Harry didn’t know him as well as Gina or Will did, but he seemed to be more preoccupied than he had been earlier, and Blake took advantage of it.

But which memory did he want to see first? Should he go with the memory that he had wondered about since his first year at Hogwarts, or the memory that had been eating him up inside for the past few days? In the end, Blake decided to view the memories in order. Otherwise he might miss something important.

Blake checked his watch. It was already 3 am. He guessed that he would probably have until around 7 am, but he planned to be back by 6, just in case. He’d had enough close calls in the past few days.

Blake walked in front of the Pensieve, and pulled out his wand. He tapped the tip of the substance with his wand, and watched the swirling substance form a picture. It looked like a very dark room, dimly lit by several blue candles, and Blake thought he saw several doors lined along the walls. He leaned forward. His nose was an inch from the Pensieve when he heard the doorknob turning behind him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Harry opened the door slowly and looked around. The room looked empty, and somewhat more forbidding than it did earlier. The Pensieve even seemed darker than usual. Harry closed the door softly behind him, and headed toward the wastebasket.

Instead of sleeping, Harry had been thinking about the memory he had seen in the Pensieve. There were still a lot of things that he didn’t understand, especially about the scar of the snake. Sure, the scar was horrid looking, but why did his future self go through so much trouble to keep it hidden? Was that why the seventh year chapter had been destroyed? Or did the scar have a side effect? He knew the only way he could find out was if he had read that destroyed chapter.

That’s when he remembered about the book Mad-Eye Moody had given him on his sixteenth birthday, just before he arrived here. Since he knew about Harry’s ambition to be an Auror, he had given Harry his old training manual to look over. He had skimmed it that night before going to bed, and he remembered reading about a chapter all about keeping enemies from reviving destroyed documents.

Harry headed toward the Auror bookshelf, and scanned the book spines for Moody’s old book. He finally found it, and pulled the bend spine from the bookcase, and took a seat on the couch.

A soft rustling came from the corner, and Harry turned. He listened intently, not entirely convinced that he was alone. After a minute, Harry turned back to the book. He looked at the Table of Contents.

Introduction to Auror Training – Pg. 5
Basic Concealment – Pg.11
Stealth Secrets –Pg.33
Codes and Code Breakers –Pg. 58
Covering your Tracks –Pg. 81
Safely Destroying Messages –Pg. 104

Harry turned to page 104 and skimmed the page until he found what he was looking for.

When sending or receiving messages from other Aurors, it is important to property dispose of the message to prevent enemies from intercepting it. Simply throwing it away is not only careless and sloppy, and it makes the note easily accessible. Even burning a note does not insure the note cannot be read, because a simple spell can be used to reform the ashes into the original parchment.

Harry kept reading, but the book didn’t mention the actual spell that could repair the burnt parchment. Frustrated, Harry slammed the book shut. He sat there for a moment. How could he think that this would be a good idea? It was, after all, only a hunch that the spell would be written in the book. He had no way of tracking the spell down. Besides, even if he did find the spell, he wasn’t sure he would have even have been allowed to use it in the first place. Harry had no idea how the Ministry of Magic watched for underage magic, and he didn’t know if he would be considered underage or not. It wasn’t worth the risk of drawing attention to himself if he was considered to be only sixteen.

Harry sat there a little while before finally getting up and putting the book away. He yawned. Disappointed that the night had been wasted, Harry turned and headed for the door. His eyes caught the Pensieve again, and he realized how strange it was that the silver light that normally shone out of the old basin wasn’t there. He looked down at the Pensieve, and gasped.

A memory showed on the surface, and Harry recognized the room immediately. It was the Department of Mysteries. There was somebody else in here with him.

Harry started searching the room, looking under the table, and feeling the corners with his hands in case whoever was in here had an Invisibility Cloak. He headed toward the bookcases, groping around with his hands. He heard movement behind the couch, and he looked over.

“Blake!� Harry hissed.

Blake got up slowly, holding his back as he got up. He had obviously been in an uncomfortable position the whole time, and Harry didn’t feel bad about it at all. “What are you doing here?�

“What am I doing here?� Blake whispered back. “What are you doing here?�

Harry wouldn’t let himself be distracted. “Why is the Department of Mysteries showing on the Pensieve?�

“The Department of Mysteries?� Blake said. “Was that the Department of Mysteries? The same one that’s in the Ministry of Magic?�

“Don’t play dumb!� Harry said, his voice getting louder.

“I’m not playing dumb!� Blake said, still whispering. “I don’t know why that room showed up.�

“What were you looking for?� Harry said, his voice betraying the panic he was feeling. Blake looked away, and Harry knew. Blake was looking for his fifth year memories. The memory of Sirius falling into the veil played in his mind again.

“Harry, I’m sorry…� Blake started.

Harry didn’t say anything. He couldn’t. Waves of anger, shame, betrayal, and sadness swept over him and he couldn’t speak. He ran out of the den and back to his room, leaving Blake alone in the den.

A/N: Schools out!! Thank goodness! Now that my free time has tripled, you will be getting more updates. Thank you for being patient with me! :)


“Happy Birthday Gina!�

Blake woke up to the chatter in the kitchen between his grandmother and cousin. He grudgingly got himself off the couch. He had gotten almost no sleep last night.

“Good morning, Blake,� Ginny said cheerfully, putting a long stack of pancakes on the serving plate. She noticed the bags under his eyes. “Did you get any sleep?�

“I had a rough night,� Blake said, slumping down on the chair nearest the pancakes.

“Maybe you should take a nap and meet us in Diagon Alley later,� Ginny suggested, placing the syrup bottle on the table.

“I’ll be fine,� Blake reassured her. He stuck his fork into the pile of pancakes and put five on his plate. “Is Will awake yet?�

“Yeah, I woke him up,� Gina said. Blake nodded. Will was probably getting Harry ready already. Did he already send the-

There was a tapping at the window. Tawny was sitting on the windowsill with a letter tied to her leg.

“Tawny’s back!� Gina got up, opened the window, and untied the letter from Tawny’s leg. Tawny flew to Gina’s room as Gina opened the letter.

Blake watched Gina read the letter, or pretend to. He remembered how she was against the plan they discussed last night.

“Bringing Harry out in plain sight when we’re trying to keep him hidden is just stupid!�

“But nobody will recognize him,� Will had gently reminded her. “Not after we give him the potion.�

“But what if Grandpa doesn’t have a pre-made potion?� Gina asked.

“Then I’ll make it myself.�

Blake realized that he had been holding his fork in front of his mouth and hastily stuffed pancakes in his mouth.

“It’s from Danny,� Gina said, using the name they came up with last night. “He’s going to be in Diagon Alley at 11 am. Maybe we could get together with him while we’re there.�

“Sounds good,� Ginny replied, putting even more pancakes on the table.
Blake smiled. So far, so good.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“You think you can remember all of that?� Will asked, uncorking the potion vial.

“Yeah,� Harry answered. “I wait ten minutes after you leave, then use Floo Powder to get to Diagon Alley, and meet you guys casually at Florean Fortescue’s Ice Cream Parlor.�

“Right,� Will said. He glanced uneasily at the potion vial. There was no stalling now. He handed the vial to Harry. “Let’s just hope your appearance is altered enough.�

“Can’t I just drink it again if I look the same?� Harry asked.

Will shook his head. “Drinking too much will kill you, and I don’t want to find out the hard way how much is needed to kill you. One chance is all we get.�

Harry felt a lot less confidence in their plan. He had always been uneasy about drinking potions, but this one was experimental. He had no idea who brewed this potion, if it was done right, or what the side effects could be. Will’s nervous face certainly didn’t reassure him. He was tempted to call the whole thing off. Then again, the thought of another day in this house wasn’t tempting, and he longed to see even a trace of his familiar life. He took a deep breath and took a sip of the potion.

It felt like thick water and the strong taste made Harry shudder, although he couldn’t quite name the taste. His whole body began to tingle as if he had lost circulation. His vision blurred, and he felt a sharp pain on his arm. Finally, the tingling feeling went away. Harry’s vision was still blurry, and he realized he didn’t need the glasses anymore. He took them off and looked at Will. “Well?�

Will’s mouth hung open. “Wow. It definitely worked.�

Curious, Harry turned to the mirror. His hazel eyes widened. He was one inch taller, and his nose had grown longer. His hair was no longer untidy or jet black, but deep red hair that laid elegantly on his head. He was completely unrecognizable.

“Harry…� Will stared at Harry’s right arm. “What’s that?�

Harry looked down, and almost screamed. The serpent tattoo he had seen in the Pensieve had appeared on his arm, faded but definitely present. Ever since that night Harry had wondered why the scar wasn’t visible if he was indeed in his future self’s body, and he had no idea why it suddenly showed now.

“Why did that show up?� Will said, a note of fear in his voice. “Is that a side-effect?�

“I don’t know,� Harry felt a lump in his throat, “but we have to find a way to hide it. This is bound to draw attention.�

“A Vanishing Spell wouldn’t work. I don’t think you could make a scar vanish without taking your arm with it,� Will thought aloud. “It’s too hot for a long-sleeve shirt…maybe Gina could put some make-up on it.�

“That should work.� Harry just wanted the snake to disappear. He couldn’t take his eyes off the fangs…

Will ran off to get Gina, and after a few minutes both ran into the room. “What’s going on?� She looked at Harry. “Very nice. The potion worked great.� She noticed the scar and gasped. “How on earth did you get that?�

Harry didn’t answer. “Do you have some make-up I could put on it?� Gina nodded and ran off, returning with a bottle of thick skin-colored cream. Harry gave her a questing look.

“It’s Midgen’s Covering Cream. Just rub it on your arm, and the scar will be invisible for around five hours. This should work.� Gina squeezed the bottle until a pile of cream about the size of a quarter rested on her right hand. She took Harry’s right arm and rubbed the cream over the scar, and as she massaged the cream into his arm the scar faded away until it was completely gone. “There. You’re all set.�

Harry smiled. “Thanks.�

Gina turned to Will. “Come on. We’re going to open my gifts in the family room before we leave. Bye Danny.� Gina winked and left the room, followed by Will.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After opening all of her presents (a lucky emerald on a necklace from her grandparents, a moving animal figuring that changes into different animals each day from Blake, and a book that will create a whole story based on a written one-page summary from Will), the group headed to Diagon Alley.

“Listen carefully,� Ginny said as they all sat on one of the tables outside the ice cream parlor, “I’m going to the Ministry of Magic to get Gina’s Apparation test date arranged and get her to legally perform magic outside of school. I might be a while, so you three can go around Diagon Alley alone until I get back. Stay in Diagon Alley!� She eyed Blake. “I’ll see you three soon.� She Disapparated.

Blake rolled his eyes. “You know, I get the feeling she doesn’t trust me.�

“Don’t take it that way,� Gina said. “She’s just worried because this is the first time that you’ve been left in Diagon Alley alone when you have the ability to Apparate.� She looked around. “Look, there’s Danny!�

Blake looked up, and noticed a redhead wave at them and run to them. Blake looked at him with awe. “Harry?�

“Don’t you mean Danny?� he said with a tone that said clearly that he hadn’t forgotten about last night.

“Right,� Blake said, looking down at the table.

“So where should we go first?� Gina said, standing up.

“Let’s go to the apothecary first,� Will said, also getting up. “I’m missing an ingredient for the antidote.� They all agreed and headed down the street.

They reached the apothecary, which Harry realized hadn’t changed a bit from his last visit. Will picked up the last sack of powdered thestral hoof, and walked over to pay for it.

“Interesting choice,� the old man at the register said. “What would you need this for?�

Will ignored him, and waited as the man checked the price. “16 Sickles.�

“What?� Will said exasperatedly.

“This isn’t a common potion ingredient, kid,� the man said condescendingly.

Will dug into his pockets, and pulled some silver coins out. “I only have eleven.�

“I’ve got it,� Gina said. She handed him five silver coins of her own. The man took the money, and handed them a bag.

“Where do you want to go next?� Will asked after they left. He looked at the store right next to them. The words “Weasley’s Wizarding Wheezes� were posted on a sign above the door. “How about here? You just have to see it. It’s one of the best places for pranks and gags of all kinds.� Harry nodded excitedly and they all went inside.

Harry gazed in awe at the store. The walls were lined with stacks of crates filled to the brim with pranks, and Extendable Ears hung on the ceiling. He saw a box of Skiving Snackboxes with two new flavors, Trembling Tart and Swelling Sweets, and a rack with several different Headless Hats.

Gina, Will, and Blake were already talking with a middle-aged man with the famous Weasley hair and freckles. He smiled when he saw Harry.

“Is this one of your friends?�

“Yeah,� Blake said, “this is Danny. He’s in my dormitory at Hogwarts. Danny, this is my Uncle Tyler.�

Tyler smiled. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.� He turned to face Blake. “Jesse and Max are working on our next big project. We’re trying to make a special quill. The concept is that anything written by this quill will become indecipherable if read by anyone other than who wrote it. It’s great for diaries.�

“Cool,� Blake said. “Does it have a name yet?�

Tyler shook his head. “It’s too early in the process. We only started a week ago.�

Blake continued to talk while Harry looked around the shop. He found several of Fred and George’s old jokes, including Ton-Tongue Toffees, fake wands, and boxes of Wildfire Whiz-Bangs. He also found some newer stuff, including a keychain that will become invisible along with the keys, envelopes that wouldn’t open unless asked politely, and temporary tattoos that would change colors and glimmer in the dark.

“Have you four been to Quality Quidditch Supplies yet?� Tyler asked. “They have a new version of the Nimbus out. It’s pricy, but still worth seeing.�

“Thanks for the tip, Uncle Tyler,� Gina said. “I think we’ll be going now.�

“Ok. Happy birthday.� Tyler gave her a gift box filled with several different pranks. He waved as they all left the store.

The four of them stood at the window of Quality Quidditch Supplies, looking at the Nimbus 5000, currently the fastest broom in the market. Harry felt a déjà vu, remembering the last time he stared fondly at a broom through this same window.

Suddenly, Harry felt the same tingling feeling throughout his body as he felt when he drank the potion, and then it vanished as soon as it came. Puzzled, Harry took his eyes off the broom to look at his hands. They looked fine, but Harry still felt uneasy. What had happened?

“Uh oh,� Will said, looking down the street. Harry followed his gaze, and his jaw dropped. He had never seen him before, but he was unmistakably Draco Malfoy, fifty years into the future. He was walking with a miniature version of himself, who looked eerily similar to the Malfoy Harry remembered.

“That’s Malfoy, isn’t it?�

“Yup,� Will said with loathing in his voice. “You know Draco, of course, and that’s his grandson, Coltin. He’s in Blake and Gina’s year.�

Coltin sneered, and Harry had another feeling of déjà vu. “Ah, the Potheads. What are you lot up to? Not buying the new broom, are you? I doubt even your precious granddaddy could get that good of a broom now.� Harry balled his hands into fists. “Of course, my grandfather is going to get me one now.�

Draco Malfoy glimpsed at Harry. “Who is this young man with you? I don’t believe we’ve had the pleasure of meeting.� His cold grey eyes bore into Harry.

“Daniel,� Harry said through clenched teeth.

Draco sneered. “Surely you have a last name, too?�

Harry clenched his hands so tightly his nails were digging painfully into his skin. He said the first name that came into his mind. “Evans.�

“Daniel Evans?� Coltin said. “You don’t go to Hogwarts, do you?�

“What are you doing, Malfoy?�

Harry turned and saw Ginny marching up from behind them, standing firmly in front of the four of them.

Draco smirked at Ginny. “Mrs. Potter, a pleasure. We were just on our way to Quality Quidditch Supplies.� He headed toward the store, and then turned as if just remembering something. “Oh, and do give my best wishes to Mr. Potter for a speedy recovery.�

Harry felt himself tingling again, and his vision became suddenly blurry. Then he realized what must be happening. He was changing back to his former self! The tingling stopped again, and he could see clearly again. Without thinking twice, Harry ran as fast as he could to the alley where the Floo Powder fireplaces were kept, praying that nobody had noticed, especially Malfoy.

Blake watched the back of Harry’s head as he disappeared in the crowded streets. It had happened so fast that he wasn’t positive that it really occurred at all. The events just didn’t register. Malfoy finding them, Grandma coming from nowhere, Malfoy exposing their secret to Grandma, and Harry’s disguise failing for even two seconds….

“Gina! Will! Blake!�

Blake snapped out of his trance, and looked up guiltily at his grandmother. He lost his breath. He had never seen her that angry before.

“We are going home. Now!�

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“You lied to me!� Ginny yelled at them. Gina, Will, and Blake were all sitting on the light blue sofa in the family room. Blake kept his eyes on the floor, afraid to look into her face, knowing how livid he had made her. He didn’t try to hide his guilt; he knew he deserved all of this.

“While I was going to arrange Gina’s test, at least five people came up to me and asked how your grandfather was doing. They all were under the impression that he has been sick for the past week with Monli- no Mulin-�

“Monilipopolitis,� Will muttered.

Ginny glared angrily at him. Will whimpered, amazed at his own daring. Finally, Ginny asked. “Where is Grandpa?�

Blake didn’t take his eyes off of the corner of the rug. The silence between her shouts was almost more unbearable than the actual shouting.

“Well? Where is he?�

Blake knew that if anybody was going to answer, it had to be him. “He’s here,� Blake muttered to the carpet.

He felt rather than saw Ginny’s gaze move to him. “What do you mean, he’s here?�

“He’s been here the whole time. He was hiding in our room.�

“Why was he hiding? What aren’t you telling me? He’s not really sick, is he?�

Blake’s mouth went dry. He couldn’t tell her. He just couldn’t. What if what he had done had been irreversible?

“Blake?� Ginny urged.

Blake swallowed. “The night we came here, when Grandpa was called away, I went into the kitchen. I told you I wanted to get a drink of water…but I was waiting for him.� He paused, building up his courage. “I wanted to know what bothered him so much about his fifth year, so I thought if I performed the Youthful Charm on him…�

He waited for Ginny to yell, but when she didn’t, he continued, “If I performed the charm on him, he would be more willing to tell it, and I would understand what was bothering him. But…I said the wrong incantation, and….�

He stopped. After several seconds, Ginny said, “And? What happened? What happened to him?�

Blake stared firmly at the same corner of the rug, not taking his eyes off it for anything.

“He turned Grandpa into a sixteen year old again,� Will said.

He knew intuitively that this had been a shocking blow to Ginny. Even with her history with the twins, there was no way she could be expecting this. Blake tensed up, waiting for the explosion that would come once the knowledge sank in. Any minute now…. The agony of waiting for the inevitable was unbearable. Why wasn’t Grandma yelling?

Finally, Ginny spoke, in a very exasperated voice. “Why didn’t anybody tell me?�

“It was my idea not to tell you,� Blake said. “Gina and Will both wanted to tell you, but I wouldn’t let them. I was afraid of how angry you would be if you found out.�

“And this is better?� Ginny had started yelling again. “Finding out from five random Ministry workers? Do you know how scared I was having no idea where my husband has been for the past week? Knowing that my three grandchildren have been lying to me the past three days?�

“We thought we could handle it ourselves…� Blake started weakly.

“Handle it yourselves?!? How could you possibly think you could handle this by yourselves? If you used the wrong incantation, then Merlin knows what you did to him! How could you possibly reverse it when you’re not completely sure what happened? When you try to do things on your own, mistakes are made! Fatal mistakes! Look at your grandfather! Look what happened to him when he tried to do things on his own!�

That got Blake’s attention. He looked up at Ginny. “What happened?�

Ginny’s lip thinned. “Don’t try to change the subject! I can’t believe you would actually be more worried about getting in trouble then risking making a terrible mistake. You should have told me!�

The terrible silence followed Ginny’s words. Nobody said anything for a long time. Finally, Ginny spoke once again, in the same exasperated voice. “Why didn’t you feel you could tell me about this?�

Blake stared at his feet. “I didn’t think you would forgive me.�

Ginny looked taken aback. “What?�

“I know that you think I’m a screw-up and a lousy troublemaker who’s too nosy for his own good…�

Blake expected Ginny to try to deny it, or defend herself, or say something. But for some reason didn’t say anything. Curiosity got the better of him again, and he looked up. He couldn’t read the emotion on her face? Was it guilt? Sadness? Pity?

“We’ll talk about this later,� Ginny said quietly. “Right now, could somebody please show me where Grandpa is?�

Gina got up from the couch, and walked over to the boys’ room. Blake watched her go, and heard her voice talking to Harry. Then Gina walked in, followed by Harry, who was still in his disguise.

“Danny?� Ginny asked. “You’re Danny? You took him out of the house when he’s….� Ginny took a deep breath, shaking her head. “Well, at least you disguised him. Wait…how did you disguise him?� Ginny asked, her eyes sweeping from his hair to his eyes with a skeptical look.

Gina bit her lip. “We used the Heredity Potion that Uncle Jesse came up with several years back.�

“What?� Ginny looked shocked. “That potion wasn’t tested or approved! What were you…�Ginny sighed, putting her head in her hands.

Will hesitated for a minute, very unnerved about Ginny’s swift mood change. “I bought the last potion ingredient needed for the antidote. I could go make it.�

Ginny lifted her head. She sighed. “I don’t think we have another choice.�

“Don’t worry,� Will said, trying to sound reassuring, “the sheet said that the potion was tested, so the antidote must have worked on whoever tested it.�

“Never assume anything,� Ginny said. “Then again, there isn’t much else we can do. Go ahead and start the potion, and have Gina come with you.�

Will headed toward the den, and turned the knob. “Grandma? It’s locked.�

Ginny pointed her wand at the door. “Alohomora.� The door clicked, and Will walked in, followed by Gina.

“Are you kidding?� Blake said. “A simple Alohomora spell would have opened it?� Harry stomped on Blake’s foot.

“You two better sit down. We’ve got loads to talk about.� Gina sat in Harry’s armchair, and Harry and Blake both sat on the blue couch. Blake massaged his foot, glaring at Harry.

“First off, Blake, I hope you know how stupid everything was you did this week. You shouldn’t have tried to perform a spell on your grandfather just to suit your curiosity. And lying to me about it and covering it up only made the situation worse for you and Harry. And taking him out in public…you know very well what that could have done to his reputation, or worse….� She let the sentence drift.

“That’s why we hid him in the first place,� Blake said.

Ginny shook her head. “It was still foolish. There could have been serious consequences.�

Harry looked away at this, but neither Ginny nor Blake noticed. “Grandma, I’m sorry. I’m really sorry.� He turned to Harry. “And I’m really sorry for what I did, and not just for the curse.�

Blake could tell that Harry knew what he meant. “I know.� He shrugged. “I can’t say I haven’t been guilty of that, too.�

“The fact of the matter is that you should have told me about this right away, Blake,� Ginny said. “If you know that you can’t handle something, and you try to anyway, you only make it worse.� She stopped, letting the words sink in before continuing. “Why didn’t you tell me? Did you really think I would judge you like that?�

Blake frowned. “No…yeah, but…no! Well, I dunno. It just seems that whenever I mess up, sure you’re mad, but you always seem like you’re…not surprised. Like you expected it.�

Ginny nodded. “I do, don’t I? I’m sorry. I know that you have a certain disregard for the rules,� she smiled, “but I know you’re not a bad kid. And no matter what future mistakes you make, I won’t ever think any less of you. Don’t ever forget that. The reason I expect you to be the one causing all the trouble is because you remind me of Ron, Fred, George, your father, and your grandfather.� She smiled. “I see so much of them in you that it doesn’t surprise me at all that you act just the way they did. Although I must admit your stunts are far more impressive than your father’s ever were.�

Blake laughed. “Not more impressive than Harry’s?�

Harry grinned. “There’s no way you can top me.�

Will stuck his head out of the den door. “We have the antidote ready, Harry.� Will handed a vial filled with maroon liquid to Harry. He uncorked it, and took one gulp of the potion. He shuddered, and Blake watched with amazement as his hair and face morphed back into Harry’s original features. He looked around, his eyes mere slits, and Blake realized he couldn’t see. Will ran to the hall, and came back with Harry’s glasses, which Harry took gratefully.

Ginny looked at the clock over the fireplace. “5:30 already? I better get dinner started.� She stood up. “What do you like, Gina? After all, it is your birthday.�

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Blake helped Ginny with the dishes after dinner that night. He silently gathered all of the dirty dishes and put them in the sink. Ginny waved her wand, and suds appeared on the dishes.

“How about some hot chocolate?� Ginny said. Blake nodded. Ginny waved her wand, and two mugs of hot chocolate with whipped cream appeared on the table. Ginny and Blake both sat down.

“Blake, I think it’s time that you heard the story firsthand.�

Blake drank in a large gulp of hot chocolate, and as a result burned his tongue. “What? Do you mean-“

“Yes. It’s time you heard what happened during Grandpa’s fifth year. And seventh year.�

“But, Grandma…that’s Grandpa’s business. I’ve meddled enough…�

Ginny shook her head. “It’s fifty years later, and if we don’t talk about it now, we will never be able to. It’s time you heard the truth, and I trust you’ll pass the word on to your family, and family only.�

Blake nodded. “Yeah, just Gina and Will. I promise. But what will Harry think of this?�

“He will not be sixteen forever. We will change him back,� she said when she saw Blake’s doubt. “He will be sixty-six again, and he will have gotten over past events. He doesn’t need to share his secret with the whole world, but the family deserves to know.�

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Harry sat on Will’s bed, dressed in his pajamas. Will was sleeping on the couch that night, and Blake wasn’t in yet. Harry thought about asking Ginny about the scar on his arm, but another part of him didn’t want to be the one to bring that up. The old Ginny felt like a stranger to him. Sure, he could tell it was Ginny, but she had changed so much. He didn’t feel like he knew her.

Maybe he could talk to Ron or Hermione about it. Then again…if Ginny felt like a stranger to him, why wouldn’t Ron and Hermione? It didn’t even feel like his friends were coming over tomorrow. He was actually nervous about it. They had all agreed to ask Ron and Hermione’s help in changing him back, but how would they react to it? What if the reacted worse than Ginny did?

Stop stressing over it, he told himself. They have seen their share of strange things. Don’t worry.

Tired and exhausted, Harry turned off the light, took off his glasses, and got into bed. Before he fell asleep, his thoughts drifted back to Malfoy. He didn’t know why he was certain that Malfoy saw. After all, it was only for a few seconds. That couldn’t mean anything…right?

Harry was lying on Blake’s bed when the doorbell rang the next day. The visit he had both looked forward to and dreaded was finally here. He sighed, but didn’t get up. He knew that the plan was for Ginny to bring Ron and Hermione to him.

He never thought he would be this nervous to see his two best friends. But, Harry thought, they aren’t the Ron and Hermione I remember. They’re going to be fifty years older. They might as well be complete strangers. He wondered what they would look like, and what they would act like. And it would be really weird to see them act all cuddly around each other, or do they still bicker with each other?

And what was he supposed to call them? He remembered back to last night. Harry wasn’t sure what to call Ginny. Now that she was much older than him, should he call her Mrs. Weasley? Then he remembered that she was technically Mrs. Potter now, and that sounded very weird in Harry’s mind. Ginny sensed his dilemma, and told him to just call her Ginny, which Harry was grateful for. Maybe he should just do the same thing for Ron and Hermione too.

Harry listened to the voices in the kitchen. It sounded like Gina had just opened her present from her aunt and uncle. He listened more carefully.

“Where did Harry get to?� Harry recognized Ron’s voice, even though he sounded much older. “Is he still sick with that Mono, no Mola, whatever it is? He’s been out for a long time.�

“This isn’t life-threatening, is it?� an older woman asked.

“No, Hermione, it’s not life-threatening….� Ginny trailed off.

“Oh, that makes me feel loads better,� Ron said sarcastically. “Are you ever going to tell us how he’s doing?�

Harry didn’t hear anything else beyond this. Ginny lowered her voice considerably, and Harry couldn’t tell what she was saying. Then, he heard Hermione’s startled gasp and the break of china. Hermione started talking frantically, Ron tried to comfort her, while Ginny repaired the china cup, and as a result Harry couldn’t understand anything going on in the next room.

Finally, the chatter died down, and Harry heard Ron say something that sounded like, “Where is he?� He heard chairs slide on the floor, and several footsteps behind the door. Harry sat up as the doorknob turned. The door swung open.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione all gasped at the same time. Harry couldn’t believe how old they looked, yet how much he recognized them. Ron was still very gangly, maybe more than he used to be. He looked skinnier, and he had a small scar just above his left eyebrow. His freckles were still there, but he had wrinkles, and his hair was thinning. Hermione, on the other hand, had her still-bushy hair in a messy bun. Her face was also wrinkled, although less so than Ron’s. Both she and Ron were now wearing glasses.

“Harry?� Ron walked up to him and sat down. “Wow, you’re just as I remember you. You don’t look a day older than sixteen.�

“Fascinating,� Hermione said, looking Harry over. “He’s literally sixteen again, but he doesn’t have his lightning bolt scar.� She looked at his forehead. She then looked at his right forearm, and noticed the snake scar. The cream had faded overnight. “He still has all the scars of his old self. Very interesting.� Harry stared at her. “I mean, well it is terrible, but I’ve never seen something like this before. I’m guessing you probably don’t remember anything past 16, do you?�

Harry nodded, amazed that she guessed right. Then again, this was Hermione.

Hermione turned to look at Ginny. “How did this happen?�

Ginny looked at Blake, who blushed red. “I tried to cast a Youthful Charm, but it didn’t work out like it should have.�

“Really?� Hermione had that glint in her eye Harry remembered too well. “Wow. Do you remember what incantation you used?�

“Yeah,� Blake said nervously.

“Blake, do you realize you’ve just created a spell that could people alive forever?�

Blake looked stunned. “No….�

“This spell could keep you somebody immortal, couldn’t it? And since they have no memory of their past lives, they would be able to start life over.� Hermione was looking very excited.

“Hermione, don’t you think that’s a little unnatural?� Ron said.

“Oh, I wasn’t planning on telling people about it.� Hermione was talking very fast. “It would be terrible. Everybody would overuse it, and very few people would ever die of old age, not to mention the population problems that could cause, but still…it’s a very fascinating concept.�

“Hermione, why don’t we focus on changing Harry back,� Ron suggested, amused.

“Right,� Hermione sat down on the bed on the other side of Harry. “Oh, Harry, this must be very weird for you.�

Before Harry could answer, an eagle owl started tapping on the window, except for it didn’t have a letter tied to its leg. Ron stood up to let the bird in. The owl jumped up and stuck out its leg. The group noticed a frayed piece of twine stuck to the owl’s leg. Ron took it off, and the owl, satisfied that it had done its job, flew out the open window. Ron held the twine in front of him, bemused. “The letter must have fallen off on the way here. I wonder why the owl didn’t notice it lost the letter.�

Gina shrugged. “Maybe it’s a younger owl, just trained.�

“Hope the letter wasn’t important,� Will said.

Hermione nodded. “Well, now we need to find somebody to change Harry back to normal.�

“You can’t do it?� Harry said, disappointed.

Hermione shook her head. “Definitely not. I’ve studied it, of course, but I’m not advanced enough to change you back.� She paused. “But I think I might know somebody who is…and he wouldn’t tell anyone…and he owes me a favor….� Before she could finish her thought, she left the room, muttering under her breath.

“We might as well help out, too,� Ginny said. “How about we go to the den and look at some of the books there.�

Ginny left the room, followed by Gina, Will, and Blake. Ron stood up to leave, but Harry spoke up. “Ron? Could I have a minute?�

“Sure.� Ron sat across from Harry on Will’s bed.

Harry took a deep breath. If he couldn’t ask Ron, his best friend, about this, then he couldn’t ask anyone. “What’s the story about this scar?� He held out his arm.

Ron shifted uncomfortably in his chair. “Well, the thing is, you never really liked to talk about it…do you know how you got it?� Harry nodded. “Good, that makes it easier. What did you want to know about it?�

“Well, earlier this week, after I used a potion to disguise my appearance, it just showed up, and I have no idea why.�

Ron nodded. “Yeah, you-I mean future you-put a charm on it to keep it hidden, so you didn’t have to worry about it. You would just put the charm on once a week. But when you used the potion to disguise yourself, the potion kind of nullified the charm, and it showed up again.�

“Why do I try to hide the scar, though?� Harry asked, confused. “It doesn’t have a side-effect, does it?�

Ron shook his head. “You thought so at first, but you had it checked before you left Hogwarts, and it didn’t do anything. But everyone would stare at it when they caught sight of it. It attracted unwanted whispering, and nosy questions, and on top of that, you didn’t like the constant reminder of that night in your seventh year. It was a lot more noticeable than your lightning-bolt scar ever was. You got sick of it and found a charm to hide it.�

Harry thought about this. It was a relief that the scar was just that, a scar. However, there was still something he wondered about. “When Hermione tried to publish a biography of me, why wouldn’t I let her?�

Ron smiled sadly. “I remember that. You were angry at Hermione for putting so many personal things down, and then planning on publishing it.� He looked at Harry straight in the eye. “Your future self doesn’t talk about anything in school fifth year and above. I think you just try and block it out. Your life has gotten a whole lot better since then, but those memories still hurt.�

That worried Harry, if possible, even more than the scar ever did. He never got over it? Fifty years later, and he still won’t even think about it? Was it really that bad?

Something in his face must have showed how he felt, because Ron backpedaled. “But, you know, that’s completely natural. Nobody blames you for that. Heck, even I’m not fond of those days, for the most part.�

“For the most part?�

Ron laughed. “Come on, you didn’t expect your last two years at Hogwarts to be doom and gloom, did you? You were Head Boy in your seventh year.�

“I was?� Harry smiled. “Even though I wasn’t a prefect?�

“Yup. Malfoy was furious.� They both laughed. Then they heard the doorbell ring.

Ginny walked over to the door. She opened it, and felt an unpleasant lurch in her stomach.

Draco Malfoy was standing there, along with the new Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Blaise Zabini.

“Hello, Mrs. Potter,� Malfoy said with a sneer. “Is Mr. Potter home?�

A/N: The story is almost over! There should be either one or two chapters left in the story.

Ginny stood there, thunderstruck. “What are you doing here?� she said, barely keeping the anger out of her voice.

Malfoy smirked. “The Ministry of Magic finds Mr. Potter’s absence to be...suspicious. He’s been gone for four days now, with nothing but a few owls. There isn’t even a note from a Healer. We are just coming by to...check up on him. A harmless visit, really.�

Ginny’s face hardened. It wasn’t a harmless visit. Far from it.

“We even sent an owl to your house an hour beforehand. Didn’t you get it?� Malfoy said in what he thought was a concerned voice.

“We didn’t get any letter,� Ginny said, her voice rising.

Zabini looked at Malfoy. “You did send the notice, didn’t you?�

“Of course,� Malfoy said. “I sent it with my own eagle owl.�

Zabini turned to Ginny. “Did an eagle owl come to your home?�

“Well, yes,� Ginny stammered, “b-but there was no note attached to it. Nothing but twine!�

“That explains it. The letter must have gotten lost along the way. Nevertheless,� Zabini continued, “we still need to check Mr. Potter’s condition. Just a precaution, nothing to worry about.�

Ginny wasn’t fooled. She knew Malfoy hadn’t sent that note on purpose. He must have seen more at Diagon Alley than he should have. If they saw Harry, not only would Malfoy have solid proof to send to the Daily Prophet, but Harry could lose his job because he lied about his reason for missing work.

Zabini cleared his throat. “May we come in?�

Ginny stepped out of the doorway, and Malfoy and Zabini walked into the family room.

“Hello, Zabini,� Ron said. He glared at Malfoy. “Malfoy.�

“Weasley,� Malfoy glared back.

“Hello, Mr. Weasley,� Zabini said. “Good to see you. What’s your business here?�

He hesitated only for a moment. “I’m here with my wife. We came to visit Harry. She’s with him now.�

Zabini nodded. He noticed the three kids sitting on the couch. “Have you three come to visit, too?�

“They are staying with Harry and me,� Ginny said, “while their parents are on vacation this week.�

“Why are they staying at your home while their grandfather is ill?� Malfoy asked.

“As long as they aren’t in the same room he is, they can stay here. They don’t cause trouble, and I can still give Harry plenty of attention,� Ginny snapped. Lying under pressure had always been her specialty.

Malfoy raised an eyebrow. “I see. Well, lets go see him, shall we?� He headed toward the hall, followed closely by Mr. Zabini.

“Wait!� Ginny followed them. “You can’t go in there without catching it yourselves.�

“How convenient,� Malfoy muttered. Ginny glared at him.

Hermione walked suddenly out of Harry and Ginny’s bedroom and closed the door, looking surprised to see them. “Mr. Zabini? Mr. Malfoy? Were you two the ones at the door?� She sounded polite, but her eyes were flashing.
Mr. Malfoy glared back at her. “Yes. We wanted to check on Potter. I wonder,� Malfoy said, turning to Ginny, “why Mrs. Weasley can go in, but we can’t?�

Ginny came up with a story quick. “Hermione took a potion to make her immune, but the potion takes an hour to take effect. Surely you don’t want to stay here that long, do you?�

“If necessary,� Malfoy spat.

Zabini gave Malfoy a questioning look. “We don’t need to stay that long. However, I would like to see him, from the safe distance of the hallway, perhaps?�

Ginny opened her mouth to protest, but she saw Hermione wink in the corner of her eye, and closed it. “Of course.�

“Here, I’ll get the door for you,� Hermione offered politely. She opened the door. Without meaning to, Ginny held her breath.

“Whozair?� Harry sat up in his bed, and Ginny just barely stopped herself from gasping in shock. Harry was an older man again, but with an extremely red face, and his lips had an orangish tint to them. He looked like he had a temperature.

“It’s just some people from work, dear,� Ginny answered. “We didn’t wake you up, did we?�

Harry nodded. “It’s fine,� He yawned, and placed a cold cloth on his head. “Is there a problem?�

Malfoy had gone very pale, and was staring at Harry in utter disbelief. “How-how did you-what did you-“ He glared at Harry, who looked back with a confused expression. Malfoy finally managed to speak. “I know what I saw. You were at Diagon Alley! I saw you!�

Harry frowned. “How could you see me? I haven’t left the house all week.�

“I’m sorry to bother you,� Zabini interrupted before Malfoy could speak again. “I don’t know on what grounds Malfoy arranged this little get-together, but apparently," Zabini glared at Malfoy, "there wasn’t any.� He turned to Ginny. “Sorry for the trouble. We’ll be going now.�

He walked down the hall and out the door. Malfoy followed behind, glaring at Ginny with utmost loathing. Ginny merely glanced back. When the door closed, the whole house breathed a sigh of relief.

“I thought we would never get away with that,� Ron said, smiling.

“Aunt Hermione and Will did a great job with Harry,� Gina said, slapping Will on the back. “How did you two do it?�

Will gave an embarrassed grin. “Well, once we saw Malfoy, we knew what he wanted, so I grabbed an Aging Potion from the den and gave it to Aunt Hermione.�

“Yeah, Harry took the Aging Potions, then I performed some simple charms to make him look sick from a distance.�

“Hey, doesn’t the Aging Potion solve the problem?� Blake asked.

Hermione shook her head. “The potion has a temporary effect. Within an hour he will be sixteen again.� Blake’s face fell. “Don’t worry. I know just who can fix him up.�

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

That Friday, Blake, Gina, and Will packed their trunks. Their parents were coming to pick them up at 1 o’clock that day. They took all their things to the kitchen by the fire, and sat down to have some breakfast. Ginny was making french toast and eggs, and Ron was sitting at the table.

“Morning, Uncle Ron,� Gina said cheerfully, sitting down next to him.

“Have Aunt Hermione and Harry been gone all night?� Blake asked.

“No, they left about two hours ago,� Ron said, helping himself to some scrambled eggs. “They’re not sure how long its going to take to reverse the spell.�

Blake bit his lip. Will noticed, and smiled reassuringly at him. “Harry will be fine. Aunt Hermione said that she could find someone who could do this. And there must have been spells worse than this that were reversed.�

At that minute, the door in the next room opened. Everybody headed into the family room. There they ran into Hermione, looking pleased, and a sixty-six year old Harry Potter. Gina ran up and hugged him, followed by Blake and Will. Ginny kissed him on the cheek, and Ron slapped him on the back.

“How are you feeling?� Will asked.

“Fine,� Harry said, his voice now back to normal. “I got all of my memories back, and I still get to remember the past week.�

“You three better get some breakfast,� Ginny said. “Your parents are going to be here soon.� Ginny, Blake, Will, and Gina all headed into the kitchen, followed by Ron.

“I’ll be right in,� Harry called. Hermione started walking to the kitchen. “Hold on, Hermione, can I talk to you for a minute?�

Hermione stopped. “Sure.�

“The past week, I’ve been looking at my life from a different perspective, almost from the view of a stranger,� Harry started, “and I didn’t like it that I couldn’t talk about anything from my past fifty years after it happened. And I want to change that.� Harry stopped.

“I think...well...maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad thing if the wizarding world knew what happened.�

Hermione’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Does that mean...�

Harry nodded. “You can publish the story.�

Hermione beamed. “Oh Harry, thank you so much.� She hugged him.

“But we need to edit it first!� Harry said.

“Of course,� Hermione said, as if she hadn’t heard what he said. She walked to the kitchen excitedly, with Harry, grinning, following behind her.





A/N: My first fanfiction is complete! It’s been so much fun writing, and I can promise this won’t be the last time you hear from me. ;) I’d like to thank MuggleGirl13, who inspired (you could almost say pushed) me to finally write a fanfiction, and my other friend Katie, who hasn’t read the Harry Potter books but read my stories anyway. It means a lot. Now its time to enjoy HBP!!!!