Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, was sitting at his magnificent desk in his office, reading through the morning post. He was pleased to see there were no Howlers this morning. Ever since the damnable Amelia Bones had brought charges against him – charges which were currently moot thanks to the pardon Cornelius Fudge had given him – he had expected to receive several Howlers from various citizens of the Great Britain wizarding world outraged at him for various reasons.
But thankfully due to the pardon, he had received no more Howlers than usual. The 'usual' he was used to. These were just the various rants and jeers he had received over his many years from those who disapproved of things he did. It had been a long time since he had felt any negative reaction to any of it. Thankfully, nobody seemed to have gotten wind of any of his misgivings that Amelia Bones had uncovered.
Well...almost nobody. It was clearly obvious that the entire staff of Hogwarts knew exactly what had happened between him and Amelia Bones. He knew Minerva McGonagall was behind it. Alas, he could do nothing about it. Sudden sackings of Professors would surely come back to bite him in the posterior, especially when the only real reason he had for such a movement was because said Professors were mutinous against him. Also replacing such staff would be an undertaking in itself, and not something he could waste valuable time on. The current staff would have to remain.
Albus had yet to partake in any staff meeting since his meeting with Amelia Bones. Most of the staff had left the castle for summer holidays, but there were still a few around – thankfully the numbers were so few that he could mostly avoid them and their glares and narrowed eyebrows whenever he was in their vicinity. Even Rubeus Hagrid, who had absolutely hero-worshiped him for several years, had taken to not speaking in his presence.
Albus knew that soon enough he would have to somehow solve this problem. The staff needed to cooperate with him for the better of Hogwarts. During the next staff he would attend, this would be the message he would put forth. Hopefully the staff would realize what must be done.
There were also other problems Albus had to contend with. Yet again, like clockwork – thanks to that menace Tom Riddle and his curse - he needed to assign another Professor in the Defense post. His list of possible targets were getting quite thin. In past years, he always had a back-up plan. If he couldn't find a Defense Professor, he would give it to Severus Snape, who had begged every year since his first year as Potions Master for the job. Of course it meant that something bad would likely happen to Snape, thanks to the curse, but sacrifices had to be made. So it was always an option. Alas, he no longer could use such a back-up plan. Severus Snape was currently serving five years in Azkaban. Anger furrowed his brow whenever he thought of it.
Thinking of Snape also brought thoughts forward that he needed to assign a new Potions Master. During one of those rare times when Minerva McGonagall spoke to him, she had suggested attempting to bring Horace Slughorn out of retirement. Albus knew this was a good idea. Horace was an old friend. Sure the man would need a little goading – likely a large raise to his past salary – in order to bring him out of his much-enjoyed long retirement. But Albus was sure he could accomplish it. Of course, if Harry Potter hadn't turned a complete one-eighty in attitude against him, Albus could have probably used the boy to bring Slughorn back. Harry's mother, Lily, had been one of Slughorn's favorite students. Still... the fact that Slughorn could snag Harry Potter into his talons might be a good point to bring up.
The thought of his old friend brought Albus another revelation to his mind. He could persuade another old friend to take the Defense Post. Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody had long been in retirement from his lengthy and celebrated career as an Auror. Surely he needed some work. Alastor would be an excellent Defense Professor. Even better than Remus Lupin had been! Students have raved on about how Lupin had been an excellent Professor. Two consecutive years of excellent Defense Professors would be an accomplishment for Hogwarts in recent years!
In addition to being an excellent Professor, Alastor Moody was one of Albus' greatest friends and allies. He would surely assist Albus in ensuring the other staff that he was still the great man they always thought he was. Albus smiled as he made a mental note to pen a letter to Alastor. Hopefully the need for a Defense Professor would soon diminish, and he could focus on other things, such as the Triwizard Tournament and his other future plans – all of which were far more important.
As Albus thumbed through his post, he found that he had received the newest edition of the Quibbler, which he had subscribed to long ago, simply because the articles were always an amusing read. The cover of the magazine quickly caught his eye. It depicted a large iron door covered in decorative metallic snakes. The large bold letters under it teased an article about the Chamber of Secrets. Another section teased an article about 'the truth behind Voldemort'. Albus' brow furrowed and he relaxed in his chair. He opened the magazine, found the first article he wanted to read – the report on the Chamber of Secrets, and started to read through it.
The article was excellently written and presented. Luna Lovegood had combined her own experience with details from the words of Harry Potter to bring out the truth of the Chamber of Secrets. The various pictures – credited to Hogwarts student, Colin Creevey – were fascinating.
Anger and jealousy washed through Albus' large mind as he was reminded of the day Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and several others including Goblins and traveled to the Chamber of Secrets. They had refused him entry. Here was picture-proof of what must have been a wonderful experience, and he had not been able to take part in it.
Albus wished that he could take the pictures from the magazine so he could enhance them, but charms focusing on copyright usually seen in newspapers and magazines prevented him from doing so. He wanted to study the pictures and see if he could find any evidence of any other secrets the Chamber held, secrets he knew that Harry Potter must have discovered. Alas, if there were pictures of such evidence, they weren't in the Quibbler.
The other article Albus was interested in told the tale of Tom Marvolo Riddle, also known as Lord Voldemort. Luna Lovegood had also written this story. Albus was most impressed by her factual evidence. The article had revealed everything from Voldemort's real name, to the fact that he was a half-blood, even revealing the identities of his parentage, and the history of his mother's family, the Gaunts. The article also revealed that Riddle had grown up in an orphanage, and also where he had worked after Hogwarts. Albus wondered where Lovegood had come across it.
He knew some of the inspiration must have come from Harry Potter. Albus recalled when Potter had revealed to him how the memory of Riddle had revealed exactly who he was. This included how Lord Voldemort had created such a name from his full original name. Such was represented in the article. Had all of the information come from Harry Potter? If so, how did he find out about most of it – such as the details about the Gaunts and the orphanage? Then the answer came to him. The Mudblood Hermione Granger had helped him. Of course she, and Harry too, would be interested about the man who was so intent on killing him.
Albus wondered what the backlash of this article would be. How would Riddle's Death Eaters react to the information once they got wind of it? How would they react to the fact that their leader and Master was a half-blood, the son of a Muggle: something they looked down upon? It would be quite interesting to see what would happen in the next few weeks in the aftermath of the article.
Albus looked forward to it. He knew Riddle would return to his full body. It was just a question of when. How many Death Eaters would return to him after the revelations in this article? True, some would return due to fear. But Albus knew there would be some who felt they could do better than a half-blood upstart. This was good news for Albus Dumbledore. With fewer Death Eaters fighting for Riddle's cause, there would be less trouble for Albus to handle after Riddle's eventual defeat. Then his plans could take shape.
But so much had to happen first. Albus slapped the Quibbler down on his desk. It was going to be a busy summer and he needed to get started.
Accompanied by the two security Goblins who had battled against the Horcrux-possessed swine, Harry made his way back to the meeting room he had left nearly half-an-hour prior. When they arrived, Harry thanked the two Goblins for their work, said his respectful farewells, then made his way back into the room. Keeper Ragnok was sitting in his chair, but Hermione was pacing back and forth. When Harry closed the door, Hermione turned toward him, ran over to him and hugged him, nearly taking his breath away.
"Harry!" Hermione said, as she hugged him, "Thank goodness! I was so worried!"
"I'm fine, Hermione," Harry said, "As I promised you."
Hermione backed away and looked at him. "You're really okay?"
"Really!" Harry said, "There was a bit of pain, but aside from that it was rather entertaining. Yes, I'll tell you all about it later. I promise."
"Alright," Hermione said, then she gasped, "Harry, your scar!"
"What?" Harry asked, as his hand made the familiar motion toward his forehead. "What's wrong with it?"
"It's... barely there," Hermione said, "I can barely see it. It is so thin."
Harry traced a finger along his scar and found that Hermione was right. His lightning-bolt shaped scar had thinned out to almost non-existence.
"Aside from the obvious shape," Hermione said, smiling, "Now, it just looks like a normal scar."
"Confirmation that the Dark Curse that had been in your head all these years is now gone for good," Ragnok said.
Ever since Hermione had hugged him, Harry had forgotten that Ragnok was there. He and Hermione turned to Ragnok, who was now standing and had a soft smile.
"So it might never go away completely?" Hermione asked.
Ragnok shrugged. "I am sure it could be removed through magical means, since the Darkness is no longer a part of it. But if you want my advice, Lord Potter, I believe it should remain."
"Really?" Harry asked.
"Scars remind us of the battles we have fought," Ragnok said, "To a Goblin, a scar is worn proudly. It means that you survived the injury and live to tell the tale! Your scar on your brow isn't as noticeable as it once was, so it isn't such a burden. Yes, I believe you should wear it proudly."
"I think he's right, Harry," Hermione said. "Your scar is famous. People would surely talk if it was suddenly gone. The change in its appearance might be noticed, but I doubt very many would realize the reason why."
"You both bring up good points," Harry said, "I'll let it remain as a reminder. A reminder of what has been sacrificed for me, what I've sacrificed and what I fight for."
"A valiant reason, Lord Potter," Ragnok said, "You'll be happy to know that during your visit to our Hospital Wing, Miss Granger and I had a productive time. She is now the proud owner of her own personal Vault."
Hermione blushed. "Something I should have done sooner."
"Better late than never, as you humans like to say," Ragnok said, "Also, Lord Potter, I sent out notices to those who you have donated portions of your fortune from the Basilisk to. They should receive it by the end of the day."
"Alright, thanks," Harry said.
"Think nothing of it," Ragnok said, "Now, unless you wish to visit your Vault, I believe this lengthy meeting is finished."
"Perhaps during my next visit," Harry said, "Our friend is waiting for us and we have another meeting with friends to attend. We don't want to keep them waiting any longer."
"Very well," Ragnok said, "I will show you out then."
Five minutes later, Harry and Hermione were making their way toward Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor. Tonks was sitting at one of the tables outside the parlor, sipping on some kind of frozen beverage. She waved happily when she saw them.
"Wotcher, kids!" Tonks said, "Everything go smoothly with the Goblins?"
"Smooth as silk," Harry said.
"Excellent," Tonks said, "Shall we go see my cousin?"
Harry and Hermione agreed. Both had been waiting for this moment for many days now. In one of his letters to Harry, Sirius had given his address and directions to the flat he and Remus were currently living in. It didn't take too long to find the correct building. It was a large structure in the residential part of Diagon Alley. Tonks noted that several shop-keepers – those of whom didn't have flats above their own shops or lived elsewhere – had residence in the various apartment buildings.
Sirius' flat was Room 17 on the second floor of the building. Tonks rapped her knuckles on the door when they arrived. A grin crossed Harry's face when he heard raucous barking, obviously coming from Padfoot.
"Back, Padfoot!" Remus Lupin's muffled voice was heard on the other side of the door, "Go into the sitting room!"
Soon the door opened and Remus smiled as he saw Harry, Hermione and Tonks.
"Welcome!" he said, opening the door further, "Come on in. We've been waiting for you."
"Thank you, Professor," Harry said, as he, Hermione, and Tonks walked through the doorway.
"Harry, I am no longer your Professor," Remus said, "Call me Remus."
Harry knew this of course, but he remembered calling Remus 'Professor' when he had reunited with him after over a year.
"Was that Padfoot we heard barking?" Harry asked.
"Yeah," Remus said, "Sirius has been spending many hours a day in his Animagus form. He says it helps him with his mental healing. He spent a lot of time as Padfoot when he was in Azkaban, and on the run, so it is like it feels normal to him."
"As weird as that sounds, I kind of get it," Tonks said.
"Anyway," Remus said, "He wants to be healthy enough to be presentable for the trial on Saturday. So he is trying anything."
"Will it work, do you think?" Hermione asked.
"Time will tell," Remus said. "This way."
Remus lead them down the hallway and into the sitting room, which was about as large as the Granger's sitting room. The first thing Harry saw was his godfather. Sirius was back in human form and standing up near a sofa. While still rather thin, Sirius actually looked healthy in Harry's opinion. His hair, which had been dirty and all over the place the last time Harry had seen him, now was shorter than Harry had ever seen it. Aside from a finely-trimmed mustache, he had no other facial hair. His eyes no longer looked sunken in from lack of sleep. His complexion was no longer gray and pale, but a healthy peach.
"Sirius!" Harry said, as he quickly walked over to his godfather and hugged him.
Sirius seemed slightly shocked that Harry had hugged him, but relaxed and hugged his godson.
"I am happy to see you too, kid," Sirius said.
Harry backed up and Tonks walked over to her cousin. Sirius smiled as he looked at her.
"Nymphadora?" Sirius asked, "Last time I saw you, you were just above my waist!"
"Sirius, I know Azkaban hasn't taken away the fact that you know I don't like that name!" Tonks said; "Also, the last time you saw me, I was six years old."
"Aye, and you're still a brat!" Sirius said, barking out a laugh.
"Oh, you!" Tonks said, with a sigh, as she hugged him.
"Sit down everyone," Remus said, "Can I get anyone anything to drink? We have tea, butterbeer, and water, of course. Nothing stronger. Trying to keep away from alcohol at the moment."
"Trying to keep me away from it," Sirius said, rolling his eyes. "Not exactly good for my current health, he says."
"And I am right," Remus said.
"As usual," Sirius muttered.
As Harry and Hermione sat down on a nearby love-seat, they each requested a butterbeer. Tonks did the same as she sat down in a chair. Remus summoned five butterbeers, passed them around and sat down on the sofa with Sirius.
"I was just reading the newest edition of the Quibbler before you arrived," Remus said, "It appears you had quite the interesting time at Hogwarts after I left."
"You could say that," Harry said, "The visit to the Chamber of Secrets was only part of it. We had a few more meetings with Dumbledore."
"It is interesting that you bring up Albus Dumbledore, Harry," Remus said, "I've been doing a lot of thinking about our last conversation before I left the school. During the conversation, you brought up things about Dumbledore. Harry, I was under the impression that you admired the Headmaster. Then all of a sudden you do a complete one-eighty. I know you told me that you learned a lot of things at Gringotts. But as I said, I've been doing a lot of thinking. What urged you to leave Hogwarts without permission and meet with the Goblins of Gringotts to speak with them about certain things, such as your parents' Will?"
Harry and Hermione exchanged a glance and nodded. Neither had to say anything, but they knew this was the perfect opening to begin their discussion.
"That explanation is only part of what we wanted to talk to you about," Harry said, looking from Remus, to Sirius, then to Tonks. "All three of you."
Remus and Sirius both looked curious. Tonks raised her eyebrows, looking confused.
"What have you been keeping from me, you two?" Tonks asked.
"Aside from seeing you again, there is something we wanted to tell you, Sirius, Remus," Harry said, "Tonks, you weren't initially part of this conversation until we realized you'd be around us for a while in the future. We decided that you should know. What Hermione and I are about to tell you needs to keep between the five of us for now. Outside knowledge of this could prove disastrous."
"Everything we're going to tell you is completely honest," Hermione said.
"Sounds pretty serious," Sirius said, with a grin, "Even for my standards. What's up, kids?"
Harry inhaled and exhaled and looked at Hermione. She took his hand and squeezed it fondly, then nodded. Harry turned back to Remus, Sirius and Tonks.
"Hermione and I are from the future," Harry said, "Almost four years into the future. When we came back in time, we left sometime during the middle of the night, or early morning on the first or second of May in ninety-ninety-eight. Wasn't easy to keep track of the time at that moment."
Remus, Sirius and Tonks shared expressions of shock and curiosity, but to Harry and Hermione's surprise, there seemed to be no disbelief in their eyes.
"On that day there was a battle at Hogwarts," Harry said, "It was big enough that it would likely be the final battle of what was known as the Second War. It is a long story, which we will try to do our best to tell you all about, but to summarize, Voldemort – who had returned a couple years prior, was feeling threatened. I had discovered a way to defeat him, and he had come to Hogwarts to find something which might have prevented his defeat. A large battle between allies of Light, and allies of Dark. Hermione and I, we were trying to destroy this object which would have weakened Voldemort to the point where he could have been defeated. We ended up in what is known as the Room of Requirement."
"The what?" Tonks asked, as she looked from Harry and Hermione to Sirius and Remus.
"I don't recall coming across such a room in all our years at Hogwarts," Sirius said, "But my memory isn't all that well thanks to those damned Dementors. Moony?"
"I don't recall anything that we might have encountered like that," Remus said, "Which surprises me, since we explored most of the castle."
"Ever encounter a room on the seventh floor corridor that seemed to be there once then never again?" Hermione asked. "Perhaps a bathroom when you really needed one?"
"You know," Sirius said, "There was an excellent broom closet I ended up in with a girl, and I never found it again."
"You have bad memory due to the Dementors, and you remember that, cousin?" Tonks asked.
"Can't forget the moment you popped your cherry!" Sirius said, barking a laugh.
Remus groaned and Tonks rolled her eyes. Harry choked back a laugh, then sobered when Hermione glared at him.
"Anyway," Hermione pressed on, "I figured the Marauders never found the room. It doesn't show up on the Marauder's Map. It is on the seventh floor, across from the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy. Most of the time it is a vacant wall, unless you walk near it while thinking about a certain room you want."
"Fascinating!" Remus said.
"Indeed!" Sirius said, "To think how we could have used such a room in our day! James would have been proud of you, Harry, to have found something he did not."
Harry smiled. "Anyway. One such room it forms is called the Room of Hidden Things. It is enormous. It is a room where hundreds upon hundreds of years of storage and junk has been placed. Basically one giant Lost and Found. If you lost anything, and never found it, it likely ended up there. Well, the object we were looking for was in this room. We found it and were preparing to take it, when unwelcome people visited the room. So we quickly hid in a cabinet."
"We believe it was a Vanishing Cabinet," Hermione said.
"Unfortunately those visitors had found us," Harry said, "We believe it was Draco Malfoy, Gregory Goyle and Vincent Crabbe. They opened fire, throwing curses on the Cabinet. I thought in that moment were dead. Then..."
"Next thing I knew I was in the Hospital Wing," Hermione said, "And I was fourteen years old again. I found that Harry was thirteen. I quickly realized we had somehow traveled back into the past, into our younger bodies. It was the day we met you in the Shrieking Shack, Sirius."
Silence reigned for a few moments as Remus, Sirius, and Tonks exchanged glances between them and Harry and Hermione. They appeared to be trying to process this information.
"I've done my fair share of research in my lifetime," Remus said, after nearly a minute, "And I've never once found out anything about time travel like what you described. As far as I know, you two could be the first case. This Vanishing Cabinet. Do you know anything about it? Did it have a mate?"
"I believe there was one in Borgin and Burkes," Harry said.
"Harry, that was a different Vanishing Cabinet," Hermione said, "The one you're thinking of didn't end up in that room until our fifth year. It wouldn't be the same one we found in the Room recently."
"Right," Harry said, "Then... no, I know nothing about it. It could have been in the Room of Hidden Things for a long period of time."
"I've heard of a lot of bad things happening with a Vanishing Cabinet that doesn't have a mate," Remus said. "If the one you found yourselves in did not have one... and on top of that, the nature of the curses hitting the Cabinet... that might have resulted in time travel. I'd have to study the cabinet to make sure."
"Er... that would be impossible," Harry said, "We destroyed it recently. We didn't want anyone using it to travel back in time."
"And it didn't result in a paradox?" Remus asked, eyebrows raised, "Interesting. Then it was probably for the best."
"I have a question," Sirius said, "You made it sound like Voldemort had returned in someway. How did that happen?"
"It happened on June the twenty-fourth, a year from now," Harry said. "It happened in Little Hangleton Cemetery, where Voldemort's Muggle father and grandparents are buried. Voldemort returned to full body form using a ritual. Bone of the father, flesh of the servant, blood of the enemy."
Sirius whistled. "That is a Dark Necromancy Ritual. Probably could find it in one of the books in the library in my old house. It was the kind of thing my family would like to have around. Dark stuff."
"You sound pretty sure of the event, Harry" Tonks said, "Was this common knowledge in the future?"
"No," Harry said, shaking his head, "I was there. I was the blood of the enemy. One of Voldemort's servants kidnapped me and I wound up in the cemetery. I was lucky to survive. Cedric Diggory, however, who had also been kidnapped, was murdered. After I escaped back to Hogwarts that evening, I wound up in the Hospital Wing. Several people were there. My friends, Dumbledore... you, Sirius. Madam Pomfrey was trying her darnedest to get me to go to sleep, but Dumbledore wanted me to talk about what happened. I explained the story.
"Soon after, Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge was there," Harry said, "Dumbledore tried to make Fudge see that Voldemort had returned. But Fudge was afraid – he did not believe Dumbledore. Or me. Earlier that year, Rita Skeeter had written an article claiming that I was deranged. Fudge used this as evidence to call me a liar."
"But you had proof!" Tonks said, "You were there to see him return! Dumbledore has a Pensieve, I've seen it. Did he use a copy of your memory as proof?"
"Veritaserum would have proven your story as well," Sirius said.
"Dumbledore suggested neither," Harry said, "Looking back, I suppose I should have found that a little strange. In the end, Fudge didn't believe us. Dumbledore gathered his old friends and allies and brought back the Order of the Phoenix. All three of you were a part of it."
"So when we met at Hogwarts," Tonks said, "You already knew me."
"Yes," Harry said.
"Sometime we'll sit down and give the three of you the whole story of what happened during the years between now and May 2nd in 1998. But here is a small summary. After nearly a year of hiding out, and gaining power, Voldemort was finally revealed to be alive, and Fudge had seen him with his own eyes. The Second War had truly begun. A year after that, Albus Dumbledore was murdered. Following Dumbledore's death, and leading to the final battle, Great Britain went through some of the worst horrors it had ever seen. Voldemort had taken control of the Ministry of Magic. Hermione and I never took part in our seventh year at Hogwarts. We were trying to bring down Voldemort. And in the early days of May 1998, we ended back at Hogwarts in the middle of a battle which may have ended the second war."
"And ultimately ended up in that cabinet which whisked us back in time," Hermione said.
"Was it before or after Dumbledore's death that led you to mistrust him?" Remus asked.
"Actually it was shortly before we ended up in that Vanishing Cabinet," Hermione said. "Ron Weasley and I, we had separated from Harry during the battle. In order to destroy this object to weaken Voldemort, we needed to find a weapon to destroy the object. So we were on our way to the Chamber of Secrets. We ended up in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, and that is where things went south. In order to get into the sewers that lead to the Chamber, we needed someone who could speak Parseltongue. I thought we would need to find Harry. Then all of a sudden Ron speaks Parseltongue! He tried to tell me that he had mimicked it from Harry, but I knew that was impossible. I told him so, and he told me I was too smart for my own good, and he... attacked me. A boy who had been one of my best friends, a boy who, at the time, I thought I fancied, attacked me."
Hermione's voice shuddered and Harry squeezed her hand fondly to calm her down. She smiled at him with damp eyes and turned back to her audience.
"First he tried to Obliviate me," Hermione said, "But I countered that. Then he tried to use an Imperius Curse on me, and I avoided it. I placed him in a full-body bind and tried to figure out what was going on with him. He insulted me, called me a – a Mudblood. He had never done that before, at least in my presence. So I... I placed him under the Imperius Curse and demanded that he tell me the truth."
"Smart girl," Sirius commented, then he smiled when Hermione and Harry looked at him oddly, "Perhaps you thought one of us would scold you for using an Unforgivable? Hermione, you did the right thing. Your friend was acting strange and you needed to figure out why."
"It might surprise you to hear me say this," Remus said, "But I have to agree with Sirius. It was quick thinking. I would have given you points for it. What did you discover?"
"When we spoke to you last, we told you that Ron was like Peter Pettigrew," Hermione said, "Instead of working for Voldemort, Ron was working for Dumbledore, but he still betrayed those who trusted him. In truth, Ron was never really our friend. Ron told me that Dumbledore had recruited him the summer before our first year at Hogwarts, to befriend Harry. He only became friends with me because I became friends with Harry. Dumbledore promised Ron good grades, money and other things if he would befriend Harry, and give Dumbledore information about Harry. Ron would meet with Dumbledore over the years and report to him, telling him anything that he might have learned about Harry and myself."
"My first meeting with Ron and his family was under strange circumstances," Harry said. "Looking back, I should have realized something was odd. You see, Hagrid took me to Diagon Alley for the very first time, to help me buy my school supplies. At the end of our trip, he gave me a ticket to Platform Nine-And-Three-Quarters, but he didn't inform me how to get through the passageway, or even where it was."
"Professor McGonagall or one of the other Heads of Houses are usually in charge of introducing Muggleborn and Muggle-raised to the wizarding world," Remus said, looking thoughtful. "Hagrid is a very odd choice for that duty. I can only guess that Dumbledore instructed him to do so."
"In all the years I've known Hagrid, one thing is consistent," Sirius said, "He absolutely hero-worships Albus Dumbledore."
"So Dumbledore could have given Hagrid careful instructions of what he should do with Harry," Tonks said, "And Hagrid would have done exactly that, and thought nothing of it."
"Definitely," Sirius said, "I know for a fact that Hagrid knew I was Harry's godfather, which meant that I should have taken custody of Harry the night his parents died. Yet Hagrid kept saying that he had to take Harry to Dumbledore. Dumbledore told him to do it. He would follow any instruction Dumbledore wanted him to do."
"Including making sure that I was never present on my eleventh birthday to meet with my Vault Keeper at Gringotts?" Harry suggested. "Ragnok informed me that I should have met him then. If I had, I would have read my parents' Will, taken my Inheritance Test, and gained Emancipation."
"Of course Dumbledore would have known that," Hermione said, "And wanted to prevent it."
"I can see that," Remus said, "What does this have to do with the Weasleys?"
"Because Hagrid never told me how to get on Platform Nine-And-Three-Quarters," Harry said, "I was completely lost. Until Molly Weasley walked up with her family talking about Muggles out loud."
Tonks scoffed. "As an Auror, I'd have arrested her for threatening risk of breaking the Statute of Secrecy."
"I see what she was doing though," Remus said, nodding, "She knew you were waiting there. She wanted you to find her."
"As per Dumbledore's instructions, possibly?" Harry asked. "Meeting the Weasleys lead me to get to know what I had felt was a surrogate family in the wizarding world."
"Arthur and Molly Weasley have known Dumbledore for many years," Remus said, "Dumbledore wanted you to befriend his friends."
"So they could keep an eye on me, like he instructed Ron to do?" Harry suggested.
"It is frightening how easily I am believing all of this," Sirius said. "It could easily be done."
"So, there I was, sitting alone on the Hogwarts Express," Harry said, "And who should enter my carriage but Ron Weasley. He asks if he could join me, and he claims every other carriage was full."
"What a filthy liar!" Tonks said, "There were several carriages open or half-empty long after the Hogwarts Express started its journey."
"I didn't know that," Harry said, "And it played into Ron's hands. And Dumbledore's. Ron and I became fast friends. Or so I thought. And it all started because Hagrid was instructed not to tell me everything I should know. Dumbledore had his plans for me from the beginning."
"He also had his plans for me from nearly the beginning," Hermione said.
"How?" Remus asked.
"Throughout the first few weeks of our very first term," Hermione said, "I was friendless. The only boy I wanted to be friends with, because he seemed like the perfect friend for me, was Harry. The only thing I can think of is that Dumbledore must have used Legilimency on me and discovered I was trying to be Harry's friend. Which would have made me a threat toward Dumbledore's plan for Harry. Dumbledore didn't like it. No, he hated it. To the point where he tried to kill me. On Halloween of our first year, Dumbledore attempted his first attack. Ron played his part. He teased me to the point where I was upset. Told me nobody would want to be my friend."
"Using Legilimency, Dumbledore could have seen your worst fears," Remus said, looking thoughtful once again, "So he could have known exactly how to hurt you. Even might have instructed Ron exactly what to do."
"Exactly," Hermione said. "But this is where it gets interesting. Tonks, if you wanted to go hide from everyone for the day while at Hogwarts, and have the privacy in order to cry and feel sorry for yourself, where would you go?"
"My dormitory," Tonks said, "Shut my curtains around my bed, and everyone knows to ignore me."
"Exactly," Hermione said, "Which is what I should have done. What I likely would have done. Somehow, I ended up in a bathroom, where I spent hours crying. Hours! I never would have remained there if it was up to me."
"A bathroom is a rather public location," Tonks said, "Anyone could have heard you."
"Very peculiar," Remus said, "It sounds as if you didn't mean to be there."
"Even more peculiar that it was the same location where a troll entered the bathroom later that night," Hermione said. "The Defense Professor, Quirrel, had brought the troll in that night. And it somehow had entered that very same bathroom. During my interrogation with Ron, he told me that Dumbledore knew Quirrel was bringing in a troll. Ron told me that Dumbledore placed troll lure in the bathroom. He also informed me that Dumbledore used an Imperius Curse to make sure I was in the bathroom."
"Dumbledore really did want to kill you," Sirius said, shaking his head in disbelief.
"Unfortunately, he never expected a kink in the system," Hermione said, looking at Harry.
"Me," Harry said, "Earlier in the night, I was informed that Hermione was in the bathroom. So when I realized there was a troll in the castle, I knew I needed to find Hermione. Ron came with me. Looking back, it was likely he had no other choice. He was posing as my friend. He needed to prove himself as my friend by assisting me to help save Hermione. When in fact, he knew that Dumbledore was trying to kill her. I saved Hermione and she became my friend."
"That wasn't the only time Dumbledore wanted me dead," Hermione said, "He had nothing to do with the Basilisk petrifying me, but Ron said that Dumbledore commented saying he would have preferred I died. Sirius, the night we saved you, we told you we used a Time Turner, remember?"
"Yes," Sirius said.
"Dumbledore instructed Harry and I to use the Time Turner," Hermione said. "We realized he wanted us to use the Time Turner for two different reasons. The first was that going through the experience of trying to save you put me in danger once again. Remus was roaming the grounds that evening, after all."
Remus narrowed his eyes. "Dumbledore hoped that I'd come upon you and kill you."
"Or at least turn me," Hermione said, "And he would expel me from Hogwarts because I was bitten, ultimately removing me from Harry's presence."
"What was the other reason?" Sirius asked.
"Setting you free would have made you a fugitive once again," Harry said, "Dumbledore didn't know that I would soon discover the information that will prove you are innocent. In our previous timeline, I never found such information. So you were still a fugitive. As a fugitive, you would never become my guardian if I was not Emancipated. Exactly what Dumbledore wanted in order to keep me under his control."
"But that wasn't the last of Ron's revelations," Hermione said, "Ron had one final nail in the coffin. He revealed to me that Dumbledore and Molly Weasley were manipulating me and Harry to the point where he even interfered in our romantic lives. They drugged us with Love Potion. Mine was targeted toward Ron, which is why I began to fancy him. Harry's was targeted toward Ginny Weasley. This only started after Harry and I realized our romantic feelings for each other. Dumbledore couldn't have that."
"So when you came back in time, you were armed with quite a bit of knowledge," Remus said, "Ron and Dumbledore's betrayal, as well as the knowledge of future events. But I have to wonder... how did you know to go to Gringotts to speak with your Vault Keeper, Harry? Did you discover this before you came back in time?"
"Our initial reason to visit Gringotts wasn't because of my parents' Wills or Inheritance Tests," Harry said, "Actually I knew none of that until we arrived. We intended to go for an entirely different reason. Ron had informed Hermione of one more key piece of information. Something that the Goblins could help us with."
"And what was that?" Sirius asked.
Harry looked at Hermione, who nodded. He turned back to his audience.
"Sirius, Remus," he said, "Have you ever heard of Horcruxes?"