Chapter 121: Discussion with the Headmaster Part 2

Disclaimer: 

Harry Potter and all of its characters belong to J.K Rowling.

I own nothing but the original characters I make.

"Dialogue"

'Thoughts'

-Author notes-

Chapter 121: Discussion with the Headmaster Part 2

"Seems like I am correct." Dumbledore had a satisfied smile.

"I don't really understand it myself, to be honest. But I think…what happened to me, was closer to traveling to an alternate timeline."

Harry was knowledgeable about the existence of other dimensions, but he still wasn't sure about what occurred the day he died…or why it happened.

"Alternate timelines…Mister Potter, I hope you are aware of the dangers that lie in altering time. This is not something that should be played with." Dumbledore said with a stern expression.

"Don't give me that 'disappointed grandfather' look, professor. I did not come here out of my own will with a time turner or something of the sort." Harry huffed.

"Then…what happened to you? how did you end up here?. What is the last thing you remember doing in your time?" Dumbledore leaned forward with interest.

"The last thing I remember?...that would be…dying, I suppose."

"Dying you say?...and then, what did you see?" The Headmaster stared at him with an intense glare.

"Then… I woke up inside the body of a younger version of myself." 

"Didn't you see anything in between?"

Harry shook his head.

"I see…then, you claim to be an older version of Harry Potter who is inhabiting the body of the boy who belongs in this timeline." There was a mix of disappointment and something else in the old man's voice.

"You are making it sound like I came here and stole his body…" Harry frowned. 

"And then, what happened to the owner of that body? is his mind still somewhere in there?" Dumbledore pointed at his head with the wand.

Harry negated it.

"When I awoke for the first time, I was in a hospital… apparently, the previous 'me', tried to attack our sister with a stolen wand, and the spell he was trying to cast ended backfiring…really badly. For the faces the healer was making, I don't think he expected me to recover."

"So you think he died before you appeared here." Dumbledore clarified.

"I think that two souls cannot inhabit the same body," Harry stated.

'At least…complete souls.' He thought to himself. Thinking about the Horcrux that used to share his body.

"My theory is that when I died, for some reason, my soul did not go where it was supposed to go. Instead, I remained waiting…until an opening appeared."

"Mmm…that is an interesting theory, Mister Potter." Dumbledore considered.

"I have read many theories about souls. But no one has been able to bring any solid evidence about any of them."

"Yes, many wizards believe that the key to eternal life lies in the study of the soul…I'm afraid that I don't have any solid evidence to back my claims either."

"That's a shame…if you find anything else, I would appreciate it if you let me know." Dumbledore seemed more interested than anything else when it came to the study of the souls.

Harry found this interesting as this was a very controversial topic in the country or even in the rest of the world.

"Does James and Lily know about your…situation?" The Headmaster decided to ask.

"They do of course…they are also my parents after all. I think they deserved to know."

Dumbledore nodded.

"I agree of course, but … how much did you reveal to them about the future? That kind of knowledge can be very perilous if spread carelessly."

"I shared with them almost everything, but…" Harry raised his hand.

"Before you try to berate me, let me just say that my timeline was so different from this one that any knowledge I have about the future is completely useless."

"I see…" Dumbledore remained silent for a moment.

"I won't pry on your past. Unless there is something specific that you feel I should know."

"If something comes to mind, I'll tell you. You have my word…or maybe my parents will tell you during one of your Order meetings."

The Headmaster nodded while his expression remained still.

"There is one thing that has me curious thought…"

"What kind of thing?"

"How did you gain access to the foundation of the castle? As far as I am aware, the knowledge to access that part of Howarts is only passed from one Headmaster to the next." Dumbledore glanced at him.

"The answer for that is quite simple…I was the Headmaster of Hogwarts at one point, albeit for a short period. But I think is worth mentioning that the castle was no longer a school during the time I was in charge, it was instead a fortress."

"A fortress? that must mean that you were at war…."

Dumbledore looked worried now.

"Was it with him?...was it with…-"

"Voldemort." Harry interrupted him.

"So he came back after all…." The old man sighed.

"Yes, he came back. And you can be sure that Voldemort will also come back. I don't need to be a seer to guess that. I know that madman all too well."

"You must have had a tough life then…" Dumbledore lamented.

"Is there something else you wanted to know? I do have a request once we are done with the questions."

"Of course, you must be very tired. There is one last thing that I wanted to ask of you…is about the events that transcurred today at Hogwarts. This whole matter with the basilisk."

"Yes?" Harry asked but already knew what he was about to ask for his silence.

"I believe it would be for the best if we keep this matter under wraps. Now that this awful situation has been resolved, informing everything about the creatures that were living under the castle would only cause unnecessary distress among the students and parents." Dumbledore said.

Harry smiled. The Headmaster was not wrong. If this thing of the basilisk was leaked to the media, this school would probably be closed for good. Or at least until the Ministry could guarantee that no more deadly beasts were hiding inside the castle walls. That would take a lot of time and personnel.

An outcome like that one would be problematic for him as he still had a need for this castle and its resources. Besides, this was the best place to lure Voldemort to as the 'boy who lived' was here and Harry had a big advantage in Hogwarts.

"Very well, I agree to keep this matter a secret, but I have one condition." 

"And that would be?" Dumbledore raised an eyebrow.

"I'm sure that our beloved potions professor has requested to harvest the materials from the basilisk," Harry said.

"He did ask…" Dumbledore admitted.

Harry raised three fingers.

"Three vials of basilisk blood and three of venom. Is all I want, he can keep the rest."

"Since you were the one who killed, you do have the right to make that request but…may I know what are you planning to do with those ingredients?. Basilisk venom is one of the deadliest substances in the world…" Dumbledore did not seem pleased with his request but did not deny it either.

"Some personal experiments. But I can swear that I will not use them to bring any harm to any innocent person. Do you need a magical oath?"

The Headmaster hesitated.

"That won't be necessary. I will trust you, Mister Potter."

"I am glad to hear that…now, as for my request-"

"I thought the ingredients were your request." Dumbledore pointed out.

"Then consider this my reward. You know…for saving the school and its students." Harry reminded him. 

"Very well, what is it that you require?" The old man asked.

"A book…a rare book that can only be found in this library." Harry smiled.

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