10

CHAPTER TEN:

When Harry fell into bed that night, he barely had time to acknowledge that it had been a very busy day indeed before he succumbed to sleep. Although he had slept for more than a full day and taken a nap, he could still feel the fatigue in his bones, and he fell into a very deep sleep.

Harry woke abruptly, visions of Voldemort fresh in his mind. He suddenly wondered whether his younger self had seen the meeting of the Inner Circle when he had crashed into the past. That would be bad, he thought, knowing that it could be a catastrophe if his counterpart had witnessed that meeting. So, younger Harry would need to be dealt with. He couldn't remove Dumbledore's spells; he remembered how rebellious he had been in fifth year, and that that rebellious streak had only been squashed by Sirius' death. Since that wouldn't happen this time around, younger Harry might end up being rebellious for quite a while longer...

Harry sighed. He remembered that at that time, most of his anger had come from being left out of the loop, and he thought that bringing Harry into the Order might be all they needed to do. Umbridge, though, would need to be dealt with... Harry grinned, and it wasn't pretty.

Back to Harry, he called himself to order. Dispelling Dumbledore's spells and potions would lead him away from the Headmaster, and most likely make him angry enough to kill the old man, which would not be good. But if I could remove only the spells squashing his Slytherin side... Yes, that might work. And take the spells off of Ron and Hermione; they need to have balance in their personalities to stand by Harry. So, release Harry's Slytherin side, so that he can start thinking properly, bring the Golden Trio into the Order, ensure that Harry never has to go back to the Dursleys... Harry nodded as he mentally went through appropriate steps to take. He had already discreetly dispelled some of the spells on Remus and Sirius; Remus had already shrugged off the ones limiting his sense of pack, and Harry had felt it safe to remove all other spells affecting him, but from Sirius he only removed the spell exacerbating his dislike for Slytherins and Snape specifically. Sirius couldn't be trusted to remain level-headed if he realized that Dumbledore was drugging him, but Remus would be able to hide the fact that he was no longer under the control of the aging leader. In fact, Sirius hadn't even noticed him lifting the spell; Remus had shot him a sharp look when he had felt ties lifting from him, and a whispered comment had both reassured and enraged the werewolf. Thankfully he had only lost control for a split second, for a low growl was all he let pass his lips.

"Severus would be impressed by your control," Harry had muttered to himself with a grin, shaking his head when Remus shot him a curious look.

Right, Harry thought, swinging his legs out of bed and standing up. Time to organize a meeting with the Golden Trio. Calling for Dobby, he instructed him to tell Harry to sneak to the Room of Requirements after curfew, and to take his friends with him. "Once you've done that, go to Harry's dorm and fetch me the invisibility cloak and the Marauder's Map, okay?" A few minutes later both errands were completed, and Harry put on the cloak, holding his hand out to Dobby. "Drop me off in front of the kitchens, please."

Finding the Golden Trio was easy; seeing them, however, was strange. They were so carefree, so... young. Harry smiled sadly as he quietly removed several spells from the three kids, ducking away once he was done. Dobby took him back to his rooms, put the cloak and map back where they belonged, and brought him some food. Harry thanked him enthusiastically as he tucked into the meal, and Dobby popped away with a blush. "House elves are the best," Harry sighed when he had polished off all the food Dobby had brought him. Sending the dishes back to the kitchens – no need to make more work for his awesome house elf – he turned to his notes on steps to take.

Checking his watch, he realized that Severus was in class, and pursed his lips. He wanted to talk to the man about how to deal with Snake Face, but that wasn't a conversation one could have in the middle of Potions class. Sighing, he stood and headed for the Room of Requirement. Let the portraits tell Dumbledore what they will.

It was quick work to find and destroy Ravenclaw's diadem; it took longer to find the Grey Lady and explain the situation to her, offering her the remains of the famous headpiece.

"I thank you," the ghost said after a long silence, "but it is best if it is believed to be lost. My mother's legacy will live on, and I am gratified to find my mistake rectified. Please dispose of it as you will," she said in her sad, soft voice before drifting away through a wall. Bowing in the direction the ghost had disappeared in, Harry banished the diadem as he had the locket. Two Horcruxes down. Three, counting the diary, Harry thought in satisfaction as he headed back to his quarters.

Turning a corner, Harry came face to face with Minerva, both of them stopping abruptly to avoid a collision. "Hi Minerva," Harry grinned, and her stern expression eased somewhat. "Harry," she greeted quietly to keep the students from hearing. "Should you be roaming the castle?" she asked disapprovingly, and looked at him sternly when he just grinned at her.

"But Minnie, it's so boring in my rooms," he whined, nearly bursting into laughter when her eyebrows shot up.

"I'm sure," she replied drily, pressing her lips together. Harry however had learned over the years that her thin lips were a sign of suppressed laughter, not a sign of disapproval, and simply winked at her.

"I had some things to deal with," he told her lowly, aware of the passing students eyeing them curiously. Casting a small notice-me-not spell, he added, "I am wondering whether I should change my appearance a bit when around the school, though - I'm not sure it would be a good thing for a student to recognize me..."

Minerva gave him a quick one-over. "It might be a wise precaution," she agreed, "but you look sufficiently different from Mr. Potter that I doubt anyone will suspect your identity. How old are you now?"

"Twenty one," Harry supplied, cocking his head. Did he really look that different now? His hair was still the same rat's nest (Daphne had called it 'windswept' and 'shag me hair', but he tried not to remember that), his build was still wiry and lean, his eyes were still the same shade... Did the lack of glasses make such a difference? The change of clothes?

He noticed that Minerva had a sad smile on her face, and he looked at her questioningly. She merely shook her head and wished him a good day before walking past him, leaving him confused. He wondered why she had looked at him that way, not knowing that she had been seeing the man he had become, an edge of danger and alertness always surrounding him even when relaxed. The small scar on his cheekbone, the somewhat longer hair hiding the lightning scar on his forehead. The green eyes that no longer held that shining energy, instead appearing guarded and alert. The posture that spoke of confidence, leadership and competence. Gone was Harry Potter, the somewhat lazy student with the innocent eyes. In his place stood Harry James Potter-Black, leader of the Order of the Phoenix, Hogwarts Headmaster, and time traveler. And she felt conflicting emotions when seeing him – sadness that such a young man had to shoulder such heavy burdens, and relief that he had come back in time, for she hadn't realized how much they needed him until he had showed up and told them what they had to do.