Bond Across Time
Prologue
He couldn’t see. The darkness was so intense that it crushed into him, suffocating him with its intimacy. Faintly, in the distance, he could hear a deep, droning sound and a soft crying. He tried to move to get away from the gloom but found that impossible. Every inch of his being was under excruciating pain. All his bones felt broken, ground to dust, and hot knives were stabbing him from all directions. Feeling week and helpless, he gathered that he would have possibly felt better falling off a ninety-foot tower. More importantly, he felt fear. Emotions coursed through him like fire; anger, desperation, determination, curiosity, protectiveness and finally, love.
The sobbing had grown quiet now and the silence was deafening. Then slowly, through the stillness, a soft reassuring sound of a birdsong grew closer. As it did, he felt a rush of strength and love flow through him. Again, he tried to sit up.
“Please, sir, you’re still too weak. You can go back when you’ve had your rest.”
A strong, callused hand was softly restraining him as he felt small tender hands gently feeding him a glass of sweet nectar. As his head cleared, a flood of memories came back to him. If he didn’t feel so safe and warm, he would have been terrified by the alarming speed at which he was going through his memories. It was as though his life was on fast forward, and he was powerless to stop it, or even slow it down.
-Flashback-
“Just where do you think you are going, young man?” A tall, stern woman with thin lips and hair in a tight bun was glaring down at his thirteen-year-old self after his 9:00 curfew.
“P…Pr…Professor,” he stammered, “I was just…er…going to…er…see my brother. He’s…um…in the Head’s Lounge. He wanted to show me a letter from Mother.”
He gazed up at Professor Melissa McGonagall, hoping, praying, that she would not find out about his secret passage into Hogsmeade.
-Next Flashback-
He walked casually among the rows of students scribbling furiously in the Transfiguration NEWT. He stopped at a desk and glanced at the occupant. A tall, pale, skinny girl with mousy brown hair was doodling aimlessly on a scrap piece of parchment. Minerva McGonagall was an OWL student whose Transfiguration was so precise and skilled that she was taking the NEWT two years early. She looked so much like her mother, who taught himself at Hogwarts, that it was unbelievable. He was extremely proud of her.
-Next Flashback-
He emerged breathless from the Forbidden Forest, drenched with blood and streaked with unknown slime, wearing a triumphant, relieved look on his young features. What was known in the Muggle World as World War II had now drawn to a close. He had fulfilled his prophecy and gotten rid of the monster that was Grindelwald. There was now true peace in the world, at least until the next threat arose. He was now the most powerful wizard in the world. But he would use his powers for the Wizarding World, not against. He could be Minister for Magic, but his calling was at Hogwart’s School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He would apply for the Deputy Headmaster post next month.
-Next Few Flashbacks-
He had seen Tom Riddle as a lonely, forsaken orphan with an unquenchable thirst for power and a love of precious gifts. He watched, helplessly, as Tom flourished in his legacy as the heir of Slytherin. Sometimes, as ‘Lord Voldemort’ reigned with terror, he felt as though he could have stopped it, if only he had seen the significance of the power-hungry glint in Tom Riddle’s eyes. He didn’t know yet, that it was fate. When he formed the Order and tried to make plans to bring about the vile creature’s demise, fate laughed.
He first saw hatred, then true love blossom between spirited Lily Evans and talented James Potter. The Potters seemed to favour red-heads more than any other, he mused. James’ mother had short hair the colour of flames; his grandmother had strawberry-blond hair on the ginger side; Lily had thick, deep red curls down her back; now Harry had found Ginny, with the traditional Weasley ginger hair.
Wait.
Harry?
His memories flew by even faster, if that was possible, as he relived the last few years of his far-too-long life.
He watched in horror as he saw himself leaving baby Harry on the doorstep of Lily Potter’s elder sister.
He looked at Harry with pride after he defeated the Basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets, and proved himself to be the true heir of Gryffindor, although he, at that time, did not know it.
He listened, in awe at Harry’s outstanding powers, to Harry’s weary recollection of what happened in the Third Task of the Triwizard Tournament.
He saw Harry tear his office to shreds, as he was about to understand the prophecy that ruled his life.
As he slowly opened his eyes, he remembered the memories in the Pensieve that he was showing to Harry; the ‘excursion’ that he took Harry on; Draco’s truth; and Snape’s decision.
He knew then, that he was dead. He had failed Harry as a teacher, a friend, and a grandfather. At least, he loved him as a grandson.
“No, sir, you’re not dead yet. It’s not your time to go. You’re just sort of in a limbo between the real world and the spirit world.”
This was a new voice. He recognised both. The first voice, the one that spoke before his memories, was a soft, female voice with a pleasant lilt. This was a deep, resonating, male voice.
No. It couldn’t be. Could it?
“It could indeed, Professor,” laughed the woman, “we’re here to give you answers.”
“But you have to ask the right questions and tell us about Harry.”
“James! Give him time to rest. You know what he’s been through!”
“Aw but Lily…”
“No, don’t ‘Aw, Lily’ me, Potter! And those puppy-eyes will get you nowhere…”
“Oh really? I seem to remember our first date, our engagement, our wedding, our honeymoon, our anniversary, our SON…all conceived because of my, as you so called it, puppy-dog eyes. And by the way…you’re a Potter, too!”
His eyes were fully open and they fell on a young couple in their mid thirties, arguing heatedly at his side. A tall, slim, red haired beauty with sparkling emerald eyes and an equally sparkling personality was in the strong embrace of a tall, raven haired man with twinkling brown eyes behind glasses.
“Oh good, you’re actually awake! Right. You need to take this potion three times a day until you are ready to go back. This one, every night and this is a Pepper-up…”
“Lily! Give him time to rest. You know what he’s been through!” said James in a high voice not unlike his wife’s.
She ignored him and carried on, as she administered potions, salves and pills “…potion to take now. By the way, James and I are dead. There isn’t any way of changing that, but we wanted to leave an imprint of ourselves. Because we weren’t afraid of death, we got to stay here instead and watch the world go by. One of our jobs now is to tell you about Voldemort’s Horcruxes and pass on information to Harry. Once we’ve done that, you can stay here for a while, as this is the best place you can recover ” it’s like the Room of Requirement, it’s got everything you need. Then you can go back into the real world when you see the right moment. We’ll give you all the push you need.”
He stared at her. For once in his life, he didn’t understand but one thing. All he knew was that, although he had died, he would be going back to further train Harry. Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore was going back.
~*~
Bond Across Time by WaterLily15
Chapter Notes: Hope you enjoy it! This is an updated and newly betaed version...I'm updating this entire story, because I think the new one is much better written. Thanks to Emma for betaing this so wonderfully and quickly!