Chapter 22
After All That, Part 2
Three days later
Monday, 9 September
Hogwarts
Potions professor Andromeda Tonks, the students of Hogwarts soon learnt, was quite a different instructor than Potions Professor Snape had been. Before any class made a potion, Professor Tonks would demonstrate making the potion, pointing out tricky parts that the student-brewers needed to beware (such as when and how to add porcupine quills to the Cure for Boils Potion).
Professor Tonks stressed safety, and unsafe practises resulted in points taken from the miscreants and in detentions assigned. Topping the list of unsafe misdeeds that caused Professor Tonks's anger: horseplay and sabotaging another student-brewer's potion. In fact, if a student was caught sabotaging another student's potion, Professor Tonks hauled the saboteur to the headmistress's office and recommended that the student be suspended for a week.
A second-year student, a fourth-year student and a fifth-year student, all Slytherin, were sent home for a week. The entire student body, second-year and older, felt shock.
Professor Tonks also was quite different from Professor Snape as Slytherin Head of House. First of all, she said she was ending "Volunteer After-Hours Work"—which was Snape's name for detentions he gave Slytherin students (but for which no school records were kept). Professor Tonks's attitude was, "Slytherins, if you mess up, you'll get a detention, just like anyone else, and the record of the detention will follow you the rest of your life."
Topping the list of misdeeds to anger the new Slytherin Head of House enough to assign detentions?
• Talking or acting like a pimple-faced Death Eater,
• bullying, and
• especially bullying that was based on blood status.
As Professor Tonks explained, "Slytherins, listen up. I chose to marry a Muggle-born—someone who 'everyone knows' is magically weak, right? Yet our daughter is magically powerful—a metamorphmagus. The two or three most powerful recent wizards in Wizarding Britain are or were half-bloods, people: Tom Riddle the Dark Lord, Albus Dumbledore and, possibly, Harry Potter. 'Pureblood superiority' not only is a lie, it's an evil lie, and I'll come down hard on anyone spouting it or practising 'Pureblood superiority.' "
Twice a week, Professor Tonks held teas for the PPPG foursome—as well as for Narcissa and Draco Malfoy. (Narcissa Malfoy came to Hogwarts twice a week to teach Wizarding Britain Life and Etiquette to PPPG and to some other Muggle-borns.) During those teas, Andromeda acted round Harry not like the distant cousin she in fact was, but like an aunt—a nice aunt. Harry told John that it was wonderful to have not merely relatives in his life now, but family. Andromeda Tonks was not related to Hermione at all, yet the older witch treated the girl-witch like a niece—to John, it seemed that these teas did Hermione a world of good.
As for Narcissa and Draco, the more time they spent around Paulina and Hermione, who were Draco's Muggle-born cousins, the less bigoted the Malfoys became.
A week later
Monday, 16 September, 5 p.m
Hogwarts SOW&W
The doors from the Entrance Hall opened. Entering were Minister for Magic Amelia Bones, two Aurors in red robes, and two men dressed in odd Muggle clothing.
Minister Bones Sonorus'd herself, then said, "The Treaty of Separation of Magical Britain from Nonmagical Britain, which was signed and proclaimed in 1642, grants Wizarding Britain its autonomy. This is the part of the treaty that all of us remember. What we all forget is that we all still are subjects of the Crown; and whilst I the Minister for Magic am not required to obey the prime minister, I am required to keep him informed. Which the Ministers for Magic for the past two centuries have not done.
"This week I sat with the prime minister and talked with him. Not 'talked at him' or 'talked to him,' I talked with him. Magicals, what the prime minister told me has shocked me.
"It turns out that the Minister for Magic is not the prime minister's only source for information about Wizarding Britain. It also turns out that the Queen and the prime minister were both aware of Lord Voldemort and his ravages, and the Queen and the prime minister had been debating their options. One of their options was for the government of nonmagical Britain to rise up in anger against all of us—Light side and Dark side both.
"Today I bring here two maps, which were created by people who work for the prime minister. I brought the maps here for you to look at. This is a school, and I promise you, these two maps are educational."
Someone asked, "Who are these Muggles who are dressed strangely even for Muggles?"
Minister Bones replied, "They're not Muggles, they're Muggle-borns, so they know about our world. But the reason their clothing looks so different from most Muggles is that they're airmen in the Royal Air Force. The Royal Air Force is a branch of Muggle Britain's military."
The airmen were indeed Muggle-borns, because they each had summoned a sky-blue magic wand from somewhere, and had proceeded to enlarge things they had pulled from their pockets. By now, there were two large maps, each sitting on an easel, in the gap between the High Table and the four House tables.
Minister Bones turned in a slow circle, to eye the students at all four tables and to eye the professors at the High Table. "I expect you lot will have interesting discussions," she said. "Magicals, it's time for all of us to wake up." Then she, the Aurors and the airmen all walked out of the Great Hall.
One map was a checkerboard map of the British Isles, in which grey squares alternated with full-colour squares. In the grey squares, land was grey, oceans and seas were the same shade of grey, the coasts of the different British Isles were outlined in black, and the borders between the different nations of the British Isles were marked with white lines. Nothing else was shown in the grey squares—no cities, no counties, no rivers, no motorways.
Alternating with the grey squares were squares that had the land showing different shades and hues of green and brown. Water at sea level was shown as blue; but water above sea level—lakes and rivers—was represented as black. Like the grey squares, the full-colour squares did not show cities, counties or motorways, and national boundaries were marked with a white line.
Hermione stood up and expressed the thought that the coloured squares must represent what the British Isles looks like, seen from outer space. The Muggle-raised students nodded; the wizard-raised students and all of the professors—except for Astronomy professor Aurora Sinistra—had no idea what Hermione was talking about.
The checkerboard map of the British Isles had a title at the top of the map: "LOOK WHAT THE MUGGLES KNOW!" Here and there in the full-colour squares were red circles; according to the Legend at the bottom of the map, the red circles represented "Magical areas." The grey squares had no red circles in them.
The other map was a photograph of London, taken from many miles overhead. This map also was titled "LOOK WHAT THE MUGGLES KNOW!" Buckingham Palace was outlined in red and was labelled; Harrods Department Store was outlined in red and was labelled; as were London Bridge, the Tower of London and other places of interest to visitors.
Also outlined in red, and labelled? Diagon Alley. Gringotts within Diagon Alley was obvious, because of its sheer size.
John walked up and took a look at the checkerboard map. Potter Manor in Wales was within a gray square, so John had no way of knowing whether the Royal Air Force knew about Potter Manor's existence or not.
According to Draco Malfoy, one of the red circles in a colored square represented Malfoy Manor—though Draco had brains enough not to point out Malfoy Manor on the checkerboard map.
According to Headmistress McGonagall, one of the red circles within "Scotland" stood for Hogwarts.
Hermione and a Muggle-born Ravenclaw sixth-year both were asked by wizard-raised students whether "the Muggles" knew where these wizard-raised questioners lived. The two swotty Muggle-borns had no good news for them.
Hermione suggested that the RAF deliberately did not label each red circle, in order to hide how much the RAF knew about each red circle. The RAF probably knew that Hogwarts's red circle meant Hogwarts; but was not going to reveal whether Malfoy Manor's red circle could be named and identified.
The sixth-year Muggle-born Ravenclaw agreed with Hermione. This caused a shitstorm, because the wizard-raised students whose houses supposedly were protected by wards and the Fidelius Charm, no longer could feel they were hidden away and safe from the Muggles.
Minister Bones had left those same two maps, each on its respective easel, in the Atrium of the Ministry of Magic; and she had given almost the same speech there. The two maps nearly started a riot when the Prophet wrote that the government of Muggle Britain knew where Diagon Alley and Hogwarts were.
Seat-holders in the Wizengamot spoke out, and magicals wrote letters to the editor of the Daily Prophet. Many and loud were the naysayers, who declared that the maps had been created not by "advanced Muggle technology," but instead created "by mudblood spies and by blood-traitors telling secrets."
Minister Bones's response? "A cynic would say that you lot are daft morons. Look at the rest of those two maps, the nonmagical parts of the two maps. Can magicals create an overhead photograph of London? No! So how can we create an overhead photograph of the entire British Isles? Muggle technology created the nonmagical parts of these two maps, and we magicals do not understand how; why is it so hard for us magicals to believe that Muggle technology somehow has found Hogwarts and Diagon Alley?"
The people in Wizarding Britain were unsettled. In the 1970s and 1980s, Dark wizards had made Muggle-borns fear that at any time, they could be killed inside their houses with no warning—but now in 1991, it was the magicals within the Dark families who felt this fear.
Three days later
Thursday, 19 September
Hermione celebrated her twelfth birthday in grand style, in the Gryffindor common room. She was given presents by each of the three Potters and, via Hedwig, by the Granger parents, Remus Lupin and Sirius Black.
Hermione was presented with a giant birthday card that had a moving silly picture on the front. These people all had signed the card: the other eight Gryffindor firsties, twenty-three other Gryffindors and Head of House Sirius Black.
Fred and George supplied cake and ice cream for everyone in the common room.
Hermione and, for some reason, Paulina both cried happy tears during the birthday party.
Smiling, crying Hermione hugged everyone in the common room. The Purebloods in the room acted surprised to be hugged (because Purebloods don't hug).
Beginning Friday, 20 September
Muggle-born students and professors at Manchester Magical Academy gave lectures in the Ministry for Magic's Atrium every Friday—lectures which demonstrated Muggle items and which explained to the magicals how those Muggle items worked.
The first lecture demonstrated a portable electrical generator and explained how it worked. The exhaust gasses from the petrol-fueled generator were vented away, inside a flexible tube that, through magic, was run through the wall to exhaust the gasses outside.
These explain-the-Muggle-world lectures had the full support of Minister Bones, judging by the fact that four Aurors guarded each Muggle-born lecturer as he/she spoke. Also, the full text of each lecture, with photographs, was printed in the next day's Daily Prophet.
At the end of the second such "We Explain the Muggle World" lecture in the Atrium, Arthur Weasley screwed up his courage and asked what the purpose of a rubber duck was.
The 1991-1992 Hogwarts school year in review
John. The day after Ron challenged Harry to a Wizard's Duel and this duel was postponed till June, John started a daily exercise program. The timing surely was coincidence.
John jogged every day. He jogged outside the castle till the temperature got too cold, then he jogged through the hallways of the castle. Every other day, John went to an empty classroom, conjured free weights, and lifted them.
Accompanying John on his exercise routine were Paulina, Harry, and (reluctant) Hermione. Hermione was recruited after Paulina told her in the Gryffindor common room, "Hermione sugar, regular aerobic exercise makes your heart work better and your brain work better, plus it makes you shapelier. Magic can't make those kinds of changes to your body, as you'll learn in seventh year."
Neville and Lavender, hearing this, asked if they could join John in his exercises. John quickly agreed. Neville discovered that Paulina's words were true—by March, his pudginess had vanished.
To increase the aerobic benefit of running, John and the others sang while they jogged, "Rule, Britannia!" ("Rule, Britannia! Britannia, rule the waves! Britons never, never, never will be slaves.") To PPPG's complete surprise, Neville and Lavender both had to be taught the lyrics.
Why was John, supposedly American, singing "Rule, Britannia"? Because John enjoyed the irony; also, back before Hogwarts, John (older Harry) had liked the song.
Paulina. She was labeled "the Muggle-born Veela." From some students, it was a description, or even a compliment on her beauty; but to a few students, the term was a double insult.
Paulina never got the schoolwide reputation as a genius that firstie Hermione had acquired by Yule. In fact, when Paulina started the year in seventh-year Charms, whenever she did something brilliant, all the other students would look at her in puzzlement—How can someone who looks like you do and who talks like you do, do what you just did? But eventually Paulina's fellow students in seventh-year Charms learned to respect her brains.
Harry. John (older Harry) in primary school had been a good student—in secret. John (older Harry) at Hogwarts had been an eager student—until the nasty comments from his ginger-haired slacker "friend" had moved previous-lifetime Harry to studying no more than the minimum.
However, John was pleased to note, without Ron Weasley's corrupting influence in this timeline, younger Harry studied hard—both because he wanted to do so anyway, and because high marks earned Harry hugs from Hermione. Going into the end-of-year examinations, Harry was ranked fifth among all firsties, and second among Gryffindor firsties.
Physically, by the evening before end-of-year examinations, Harry could run a mile and feel only slightly winded.
Hermione. Paulina had told Hermione how to avoid becoming stuck with a reputation as a "know-it-all"—but this was not to say that everyone believed Hermione Granger was a moron. Ravenclaw House and Gryffindor House both labelled Hermione as "the Ravenclaw in Red." Just like in the previous timeline, Hermione was top-ranked among the first-years.
Hermione knew all four verses and chorus to "Rule, Britannia!"—and sang them as she jogged.
Ron. Hermione was at the top of the class rankings for their year; Ron Weasley was at the bottom. Worse for Ron, his new Head of House, Andromeda Tonks, assigned him ten straight "dinner detentions"—Ron was forbidden to eat in the Great Hall or in the Hogwarts kitchen; instead, he ate dinner in the Potions class after (everyone else's) dinner, whilst facing Professor Tonks. Professor Tonks would call for the Hogwarts house-elves to return Ron's food and plates to the kitchen when Professor Tonks decided that Ron was eating with no table manners like a pig, or when Ron had eaten too much.
Professor Tonks also wrote a rebukeful note about Ron's table manners, and owled the letter to Ron's parents. Professor Flitwick and Professor Sprout correctly predicted the Burrow's response to Professor Tonks's letter—
Molly Weasley flooed into the headmistress's office, shouting and making demands. McGonagall told Molly Weasley to STFU; and also told Molly that in the future, she was denied all Floo access; and if Molly wanted to visit the school, she would enter at the front gate like everyone else.
When Ron saw PPPG, Neville and Lavender all running around outside, he mocked them. Ron had zero interest in doing anything that would make him break a sweat.
(Which explained why Ron enjoyed Quidditch so much: It was a sport he could play whilst sitting the entire time.)
Draco and Narcissa Malfoy. On Christmas Day 1991, the Grangers invited to dinner the three Potters, Sirius and Remus, the Tonks family—and both Malfoys. (Space-expansion charms were used to enable all thirteen people to sit at the same table, in the same dining room.)
Narcissa and Draco acted blown away, seeing the Muggle world up close. They were amazed—though sometimes confused—whilst watching the Grangers' video of Ghost.
The Birthday Club. After its first sit-down, on September 2nd, all the invitees older than first year were allowed to bring a "Plus One." All three Weasleys did, as did Cedric Diggory. Cho Chang did not, but gave a long-winded explanation that John suspected was a lie.
Gemma Farley, the Slytherin prefect, showed up to the second Birthday Club dinner alone—and angry enough to scream, John thought. It turned out Gemma had invited her supposed-boyfriend to eat with the Birthday Club; but he refused to eat with "mudbloods, half-bloods and blood-traitors." Gemma did not only break up with him at the Slytherin table—because Gemma herself was a half-blood and her mother was Muggle-born—but she charmed his left forearm to show text: "I LOVE THE HALF-MUGGLE DARK LORD."
(Starting a week later, Gemma came to the Birthday Club dinners being escorted by a fifth-year Ravenclaw boy, Helmut von Braun, who was knowledgeable about Time-Turners.)
Cho Chang tried for two weeks to flirt with Harry and to speak catty insults to Hermione. Harry was deaf to everything Cho said. Then after two weeks, both John and Paulina told Cho to be nice to Hermione, and to quit acting like a cat in heat near Harry. After this, Cho Chang quit coming to the Birthday Club dinners.
Quidditch. Harry never rescued Neville's Remembrall, so Harry never was press-ganged onto the Gryffindor Quidditch team as a first-year.
As a result, Gryffindor won only one game out of three that year.
PPPG went to all of Gryffindor's games anyway. John amazed Hermione (but not Paulina or Harry) when he was able to spot the Snitch while he sat in the stands, before either team's Seeker made a move for the Snitch. (Harry in the stands always spotted the Snitch as well, but he achieved this feat always a few seconds after John saw the Snitch.)
At the end of first year, Hermione confided to the others that in second year, she would try out for the Reserve Keeper position.
Excitement and drama. Harry's and Hermione's first year had little of it.
The first thing that Professor McGonagall did as headmistress was to remove all the dangers from the third-floor corridor, right-hand side. (John heard a rumor that Hagrid cried when Headmistress McGonagall ordered that Fluffy the Cerberus be returned to Greece.)
Headmistress McGonagall hired Gringotts to track down and to end the "DADA Curse"; she offered a hundred-galleon bonus to the actual goblin who could show her where the Curse had been cast and what the goblin had done to void the Curse. In the meantime, the headmistress hired Remus Lupin to teach DADA.
Halloween passed uneventfully for Harry and Hermione. Hermione went on no crying jag caused by a redhead's insults, and no troll showed up.
But while most of the school year for Harry and Hermione was routine for first-years, all this changed for them at 7 p.m. on Sunday, June 14, was when Harry Potter of Gryffindor dueled Ron Weasley of Slytherin on the Quidditch pitch, in their much-delayed "Wizard's Duel."
The duel was held on the Quidditch pitch, as opposed to some random spot outside on the grounds, because the entire schoolwanted to watch. Yes, even seventh-year Ravenclaws wanted to watch these two firsties shoot firstie spells at each other.
As Ron was by now loathed in Slytherin, no Slytherin student helped him prepare for the duel. This job fell to the quite unhappy Weasley Twins. Percy Weasley had refused to give any training to help his youngest brother win his "dishonourable" challenge, had been Howlered for it—and still had refused to train Ron.
Now Professor Flitwick was the referee for the duel, while Professor Sprout was the scorekeeper. Flitwick explained the rules to the crowd—
"This duel is between first-year Slytherin student Ronald Weasley, the challenger, and first-year Gryffindor student Harry Potter, the challenged. I've decided not to conjure a duelling platform, as two first-year duellers would be distracted by fears of falling. Instead, the duellers will duel on the ground, on the Quidditch pitch. Just for reference, I've put two white lines on the pitch, six feet apart, to represent a six-feet-wide duelling platform. However, neither dueller will be penalised for stepping on or beyond the white lines.
"On the other hand, the two duellers are separated by two red lines that are seventy-four feet apart. At spell-speed, this distance represents one second of travel time. Stepping on the red line is permitted; but if either dueller puts any part of a foot beyond his red line, the duel is ended and the dueller forfeits dishonourably.
"As this is not a duel to the death or to first blood, it isn't obvious when the duel should end. I've decided to score the duel by hits on the other dueller, and I'll stop the duel when one dueller reaches forty hits. I presume that most of the spells cast will be Stinging Hexes; and being hit by more than forty Stinging Hexes within a short time is unhealthy."
In the Gryffindor section of the stands, John, Paulina and Hermione were sitting together. John leaned over and murmured, so quietly that only the other two could hear him, "Stinging Hexes mostly? Professor Flitwick is making assumptions about the duel, I think."
Hermione grinned. "Everyone but us three will be surprised," she said proudly.
Why "surprised?" This morning, Hermione had made a suggestionto Harry that had made him laugh and hug her. Then Hermione had spent five minutes rehearsing Harry on the Latin he would need to know.
Now Professor Flitwick continued, "The duel will end in one of five ways. One dueller or the other will reach forty hits—this is how I expect the duel to end. Madam Pomfrey could ask me to end the duel prematurely, but I don't expect the duel to end this way. I'd stop the duel if one dueller was unable to continue for some nonmedical reason, but I don't expect the duel to end this way either. Two ways of ending the duel are dishonourable—if a dueller puts any part of a foot beyond all of his red line; or if a dueller casts a spell that was not taught in a first-year class by a first-year professor. Related to this, no spell may be cast silently or wandlessly, under penalty of a dishonourable forfeit."
Then Flitwick called out, "Are the duellers ready?"
Both Harry and Ron said, "Yes."
Flitwick said, "Begin."
Harry's first spell of the duel was Acer Dorsus (the Stinging Hex). At the same time, Ron called out "Wingardium Leviosa! Wingardium Leviosa! Wingardium Leviosa!" as he swished-and-flicked his wand all about.
Two of Ron's three casts missed. One spell hit; but it did not lift up Harry; instead, Ron's spell jerked Harry's wand up out of his hand.
Luckily, Harry's wand was not levitated up quickly, or with much force. Harry, with the Seeker-quick reflexes that only PPPG knew he had, snatched the wand out of the air.
Meanwhile, Ron was saying, "Ow, that hurt! How did you stop your wand from escaping, Potter?"
Flitwick said calmly, "Weasley, Hit. Potter, Hit."
Harry replied, "By using fast—Acer Dorsus! Acer Dorsus—reflexes."
Harry had been practising saying the Stinging Hex incantation, Acer Dorsus, since September. By now he could speak the incantations as fast as an auctioneer could speak, without getting tongue-tied. Thus Harry's two Hexes were cast almost at the same time, but were spread a few degrees apart horizontally.
Meanwhile, Ron cast his own two Stinging Hexes.
One second later, Flitwick announced, "Potter, Hit."
(Ron scored no hits, because Harry had dodged Ron's two Stinging Hexes.)
Ron and Harry each cast two more Stinging Hexes. Ron dodged one, and almost dodged the other; Harry dodged both.
Flitwick announced, "Potter, Hit. Score?"
Sprout announced, "Potter 3, Weasley 1."
Ron yelled, "TELL POTTER TO QUIT DANCING ABOUT! HE'S HERE TO DUEL, NOT DANCE!"
Harry yelled back scornfully, "I'M NOT DANCING, I'M DODGING!IF YOU'D BOTHER TO READ YOUR DADA TEXTBOOK OR TO LISTEN TO PROFESSOR LUPIN, SLACKER RON, YOU'D KNOW THIS!"
Harry then decided to surprise everyone (except the rest of PPPG). Harry cast, with much power shoved into the spells, "Pigmentum purpurum! Pigmentum purpurum! Pigmentum purpurum!"
Again, Harry spoke the three incantations as quickly as he could speak.
Only one of the three Colour-Change Charms hit Ron—but one hit was all Harry needed. Ron's skin, his hair and his black/silver/green school robes all changed colour. He looked like he had been spray-painted purple.
Flitwick mostly suppressed his smile as he announced, "Potter, Hit."
The students in the stands showed none of Flitwick's restraint; they all laughed loudly. Ron's cheeks, and the tips of his ears, both turned dark purple.
Four minutes later
Again-normal-coloured Ron, clearly now desperate, cast fourStinging Hexes at Harry. All four zipped past Harry, who ran left or right as needed, in order to dodge Ron's spells.
Harry, meanwhile, had sent two Stinging Hexes at Ron.
Flitwick announced, "Potter, Hit, Hit."
The scoring was one-sided now. Seldom did Ron now score hits on Harry—and now only by luck?—yet seldom did Harry's spells miss Ron or did Ron dodge Harry's spells.
Why was Harry now scoring on Ron so easily? Because Ron was out of shape, and now he was worn out. Running, swimming, lifting weights, calisthenics—Ron did none of these. But in this duel, Harry had developed the nasty trick of casting Stinging Hexes in pairs; with one Hex being sent to the left side of the "duelling piste," and the other Hex being sent to the right side. Since the start of the duel, Ron constantly had been sidestepping, dodging and ducking—and now all this exercise was making Ron hot and tired.
Now Ron moved slowly, he did not move far at a time, and he was panting. Ron's face was red, and shiny with sweat. (Harry meanwhile was only sweating a bit, and was pink-cheeked.) Ron moved like an old man whose feet were caught in mud; Harry moved like a dancer. Ron barely stepped outside the six-feet-apart white lines; whereas Harry ran much farther left and right.
Then Flitwick called out, "Score?"
Sprout replied, "Potter 37, Weasley 14."
Ron snapped, "Bugger you, Potter."
Harry then murmured—only loudly enough that Flitwick heard Harry but Ron didn't—"Pigmentum Troglodytum." Just as quietly, Harry cast this special Colour-Change Charm three times more. Four identical spells raced towards Ron, with their incantations spoken quickly. The Charms had a spread: The first Charm was aimed at a spot just beyond Ron's red line and one foot to the left of the white line on the left, whereas the fourth Charm was aimed at a spot just beyond Ron's red line and one foot to the right of the white line on the right.
Red-faced, sweaty Ron dodged only two out of four.
Flitwick announced, "Potter, Hit, Hit. Score?"
Ron's skin now was a mottled green.
"MERLIN, WEASLEY LOOKS LIKE A TROLL!" someone yelled from the Gryffindor stands. The unknown Gryffindor wizard had to yell, so loud was the scornful laughter by everyone else in the stands.
"GOOD CHOICE, POTTER!" yelled a young voice from Hufflepuff. "WEASLEY EATS LIKE A TROLL!"
A Ravenclaw female voice yelled, "WEASLEY IS AS IGNORANTAS A TROLL, SO NOW THE OUTSIDE MATCHES THE INSIDE!"
Sprout belatedly replied, "Potter 39, Weasley 14."
Ron Weasley was unhappy with his life. He now looked like a troll, he was about to lose the duel that he had figured to be a sure thing when he had made the challenge last September, he was hot and sweaty, he was short of breath, and the entire student body was laughing at him.
Ron yelled, "POTTER CHEATED! HE CAST A SPELL WITHOUT SAYING IT ALOUD! THAT'S AGAINST THE RULES!"
Flitwick replied, "He spoke his spell, but he spoke it lowly. Speaking louder does not make a spell more powerful; speaking quieter does not weaken a spell."
Then Flitwick added, "The score remains Potter 39, Weasley 14."
"SO HE CHEATED, AND YOU WON'T STOP IT?"
"He didn't cheat, Mr Weasley."
"BUGGER THIS!" Ron stepped over his red line and cast "DIFFINDO!"—the Splitting Curse—at Harry.
"DIFFINDO!" cast Ron at Harry.
"DOUBLE FORFEIT!" yelled Flitwick. He cast Incarcerous to tie up Ron with ropes.
By then, Harry easily had dodged the third-year spell, so was unharmed.
Flitwick said, "First forfeit: Mr Weasley stepped across the red line. Second forfeit: Mr Weasley cast a third-year spell at his opponent. Mr Weasley doubly forfeits the duel with dishonour!"
Flitwick added, "Mr Harry Potter is the winner of the duel."
And the crowd went wild.
Ten days later
After end-of-year exams, OWLs, and NEWTs
Wednesday, June 24
At Platform 9¾, King's Cross Station
When PPPG stepped off the train, John and Paulina solemnly shook hands with Gryffindors, with other students in their seventh-year Charms Class, and with members of the Birthday Club. As for the younger two, Harry was shaking hands with most of the Gryffindor firsties and with the Birthday Club, while Hermione was hugging them.
"Greyclay!" John called out. When the head Potter house-elf popped in, John ordered him to take the three Potter student-trunks to Potter Manor. Greyclay clicked his fingers, and all the baggage except for Hermione's trunk disappeared, as did Greyclay himself.
Barnabas Cuffe, the editor-in-chief of the Daily Prophet, walked up to the foursome. He said to John, "Regent Potter, the dais for the press conference is right over here."
Cuffe gestured with a hand. On the concrete platform, about thirty feet away, was an eighteen-inch-tall wooden dais.
Already standing on the dais was Sirius Black.
John walked the other three plus Cuffe to the dais, but did not step onto the dais. John and Sirius shook hands. Then John turned to look at Cuffe and held up his hand. "Before we start, I need to go fetch two people whom you must hear from."
"From whom you must hear," Paulina and Hermione corrected.
To the puzzlement of Cuffe and whatever other magicals were watching, John walked up to the barrier to Platforms 9 and 10, then walked through it.
Half a minute later, John walked back through the barrier, holding hands with two Mundanes: Daniel and Emma Granger. Dan Granger was wearing a black suit with a red-yellow diagonally striped tie; Emma Granger was wearing a red knee-length dress, yellow shoes and a wide yellow belt.
John led the two other Potters and all three Grangers up onto the dais (where Sirius waited). After John stepped up himself, he gave stage directions: "Harry and Hermione, please stand side by side. Mr. Granger and Mrs Granger, please stand behind Hermione. Lord Black, please stand behind Harry. Paulina, stand wherever you please."
Then John turned to face the press. Within the crowd of reporters, John spotted Barnabas Cuffe of the Daily Prophet, Kenneth Clark of the New York Wand, and a wizard wearing headphones—meaning, he was with WWR.
"Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen of the magical press. I'm John Potter, the Potter Regent and the guardian of Harry James Potter, who is the so-called 'Boy Who Lived.' This press conference is to tell you where Harry Potter will receive his magical education for the next six years."
Chapter 23
After All That, Part 3
Still Wednesday, June 24, 1992, evening
Still Platform 9¾
John stood on an eighteen-inch-tall wooden dais. Paulina stood next to John on his right side, with her hand on John's right shoulder. To John's left, and a few feet behind, stood Harry; immediately to Harry's left stood Hermione. Directly behind Harry stood Sirius Black, who had his hands on Harry's shoulders. Directly behind Hermione stood Dan and Emma Granger.
John stood near one edge of the dais. He faced six wizards and two witches—neither witch being Rita Skeeter—who were filling the role of news reporters today.
John said, "Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen of the magical press. I'm John Potter, the Potter Regent and the guardian of Harry James Potter, who is the so-called 'Boy Who Lived.' This press conference is to tell you where Harry Potter will receive his magical education after this year.
"Before I announce my decision, I'll give you background. Paulina and I finished our sixth year at Ilvermorny, then decided to take a gap year. After the gap year, Paulina and I married at Gringotts New York. Soon afterward, I met Harry Potter, my second cousin, here in Britain. Right afterward, I claimed the Regency of House Potter and claimed guardianship of Harry Potter. Then, for reasons I choose not to share, Harry Potter my ward, as well as Paulina and I, and Paulina's second cousin Hermione—spelled H-E-R-M-I-O-N-E—all four attended a year of school at Hogwarts instead of at Ilvermorny. This year that the four of us spent together at Hogwarts, just ended. However, I remind you that Paulina and I took only one seventh-year course at Hogwarts: Charms.
"In order for Paulina and I to complete our education, we need to either take the rest of our seventh-year courses at Hogwarts next year, or else return to Ilvermorny and take our seventh-year courses there. For many reasons, seventh year at Hogwarts was no option for Paulina and me; instead, Paulina and I almost beggedthe Headmaster of Ilvermorny to let us return to our former school this September—two years after we left.
"How does Harry Potter fit in? Because Harry Potter now is my ward, when Paulina and I attend Ilvermorny for our last year, Harry Potter will be attending Ilvermorny too."
The reporters looked unhappy, hearing this.
Paulina said, "Don't fret, y'all. Harry might attend Ilvermorny for the next six years, or he might attend Ilvermorny for only one year, then return to Hogwarts for the last five. It isn't decided yet."
John saw the reporters perk up.
John said, "Why not Hogwarts, for Paulina and me next year? Last September, when Dumbledore was headmaster, Potions was a sick joke if you weren't in Slytherin, DADA was a sick joke for OWL- and NEWT-year students, History of Magic was a waste of time for everyone, Muggle Studies was just as worthless, and Purebloods in Slytherin could bully other students without punishment. With Dumbledore gone, most of the problems have been solved; but History of Magic still is taught by a goblins-obsessed ghost, Muggle Studies still is a course filled with errors, lies, and stupidity, and the Purebloods still feel entitled to bully Mundane-borns—such as my wife.
"Meanwhile, Harry had formed a close friendship with Paulina's cousin Hermione." John turned around to gesture toward the two children—and saw that they were standing shoulder to shoulder, holding hands. (A photographer snapped a photograph of the preteen couple.) John continued, "For second year, Hermione, with her parents' permission, will be transferring to Ilvermorny, intending to attend there for as long as Harry will attend there."
"How sweet," murmured one of the two female reporters.
John then said, "I point out that when I decide the school where Harry will attend third year through sixth year, I'll be factoring in what Harry wants. And what Harry will want will be hugely affected by what Hermione wants.
"A year from now, if Hermione wants to attend Hogwarts again, it's likely that Harry will return to Hogwarts. If Hermione instead will wish to continue at Ilvermorny, it's likely that Harry will continue at Ilvermorny.
"But there's a big problem with Hermione attending Hogwarts. She is a genius, people, but she's also Mundane-born. At Hogwarts, the second fact about her is considered to be a thousand times more important than the first. At Hogwarts, Hermione is scorned by many students, simply because of her parentage.
"Meanwhile, Ilvermorny was cofounded by a Mundane, James Steward; how do you think Ilvermorny treats Mundane-borns?
"Harry's mother Lily was a genius, like Hermione; and Mundane-born, like Hermione. By all reports, Lily Evans Potter was a prodigy at Potions and at Ancient Runes. I think that she alone, or she and James Potter, were who defeated Voldemort in 1981 and who saved Harry Potter from the Killing Curse. But you Brits would rather credit a half-blood toddler with defeating Voldy than credit Mundane-born Lily Potter.
"My Mundane-born wife Paulina is smart, and Mundane-born Hermione is a genius. But both of them have been told, by other Mundane-borns at Hogwarts, that if they remain in Wizarding Britain after they take their NEWTs, they'll be the last to be hired for any job, and they'll never be promoted. Imagine this, folks—Hermione this year is tops in her class, but Hermione at fifty still would be serving tea, while her bosses—who all would be Purebloods—would be stealing Hermione's ideas and would be taking credit."
Paulina turned to look at the Granger parents. "Sir, ma'am, how much of the garbage that Mundane-borns in Wizarding Britain are forced to suffer through, did Professor McGonagall warn y'all about when she visited Hermione on your daughter's eleventh birthday?"
Dan Granger snarled, "None of it! McGonagall lied by omission. Later, I found out why: Muggle-born students are charged higher school-fees than more 'pure' students, and it seems that defrauding Muggles and Muggle-borns is legal here."
Emma Granger added, "Professor McGonagall left us with the impression that if Hermione scored high marks in her courses, and scored highly on those two major tests, her future would be limitless."
Harry, who had been silent all this time, looked at the reporters and said, "I don't like it that you write rubbish about my mum because she was Muggle-born, and you'd treat Hermione like rubbish when she grows up, just because she's Muggle-born. My mum beat at least one Pureblood in an 'anvil-summoning tug-of-war' "—meaning that Lily was magically more powerful than at least one Pureblood—"and she scored more NEWTs than any of you. But all you Purebloods claim that Muggle-borns can't learn spells and that they're magically weak. Bullshit. My Muggle-born mother Lily Potter was just as magical as James Potter, my Pureblood father."
Hermione said, "Language, Harry." Dan Granger chuckled.
Harry continued, "Listen up: If things don't change for people like Hermione and my mother, I won't come back to Wizarding Britain till I'm grown up and must come back."
The reporters, John saw, stared at the Boy Who Lived in shock, while Hermione leaned over and kissed Harry's cheek.
Once the reporters were allowed to ask questions, the questions were what John had expected. ("Surely you don't truly expect Purebloods in Wizarding Britain to stop acting like entitled, ignorant bigots, right? Don't you see how unfair this is? Don't you think your attitude is too extreme?")
However, Kenneth Clark, the New York Wand reporter, asked the Potter couple completely different questions: "Where did you two go during your gap year? You seemingly vanished for a year. Were you kidnapped by goblins or forest elves?"
Paulina replied, "Bless your heart. Of course you couldn't find us—the Mundane part of the world is huge."
Two months and a week later
Tuesday, September 1, 1992
At Hogwarts
Ron Weasley was the only student sitting at the first-years end of the Slytherin table before the Sorting—he was repeating first year. He blamed Harry Potter for this.
Firstie Ginevra Weasley was Sorted into Slytherin. She did not act excited to finally be attending Hogwarts, she acted depressed—because Harry Potter was on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean.
Firstie Luna Lovegood was Sorted into Ravenclaw.
Halfway through the Welcoming Feast, a Potter house-elf appeared by Padma Patil (a second-year Ravenclaw, and a member of the Birthday Club). The Potter house-elf handed Padma a letter that had been written by John Potter.
John wrote Padma that Luna Lovegood had sent Harry a birthday card in July 1991, when Luna herself had been only ten years old; so John asked Padma to tell everyone in the Birthday Club that Luna was a member too. John also asked Padma to act as a big sister to Luna if the younger girl had problems.
Such was the respect in which John Potter was held that Gemma Farley—now the co-head of the Birthday Club—treated John's requests as though they had come from Merlin himself. Before the Welcoming Feast even ended, Gemma invited Luna to future Birthday Club dinners with friends, every night except for the nights of official feasts.
Luna smiled brightly when Gemma and Padma told her she now had a group of friends.
Elsewhere that same day (Tuesday, September 1, 1992)
At Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Mount Greylock, Massachusetts, USA
Second-year transfer student Hermione Granger was Sorted into Horned Serpent, the House for the studious. Second-year transfer student Harry Potter was Sorted into Wampus, the House for warriors.
By an amazing coincidence, these were the same two Houses that the professors and students in Ilvermorny "remembered" that Paulina and John had been Sorted into.
Both Harry and Hermione, along with sitting their regular Ilvermorny classes, were assigned "tutorial detentions" for History of Magic class. Harry shrugged off the detentions, but Hermione confessed to the three Potters that she felt ashamed.
Meanwhile, the professors and students "remembered" John and Paulina as having been "quiet" when they had been at Ilvermorny "before." John and Paulina quickly made it clear to all of Ilvermorny that they were not quiet now.
Four days later
Saturday, September 5, 1992
Horned Serpent House held Quidditch tryouts.
Hermione tried out for the Reserve Keeper position. She figured that the Keeper did not play much during a match/game, but when she needed to play, she needed to stay calm. Hermione figured she was a natural at staying calm (the exceptions being Pureblood insults and end-of-year exams).
For two summers, Hermione had been flying at Potter Manor with Harry and with John; now Hermione at the tryouts felt no worries about the broom-flying part of being a Keeper.
Two other students, one of whom was a fourth-year, tried out for Reserve Keeper. The team captain chose Hermione. Hermione was so happy she gave Hermy-hugs to the team captain and to all three Potters.
The next day (Sunday), Wampus House held Quidditch tryouts. Harry was chosen as Reserve Seeker.
Meanwhile at Hogwarts, Ron's hopes to become the Reserve Keeper for the Slytherin Quidditch team were painfully rubbished.
Marcus Flint, the Quidditch Team Captain for Slytherin, told Ron Weasley the sad news. With a cruel smile, Flint told Ron that Slytherin first-years not only would not be chosen for the House team, first-years would not be allowed to try out. "So sorry," the older boy said with a smirk, "rules are rules."
Then Flint added, again with the cruel smile, "If this bothers you, Weasley, then don't get held back again next year."
Nine and a half months later: late June, 1993
After John and Paulina take their NEWTs, and after Harry and Hermione sit their end-of-second-year examinations
Ilvermorny SOW&W
Just like a year ago, holding the press conference were three Potters (John, Paulina, and Harry), three Grangers (Dan, Emma, and Hermione), and Sirius Black.
Second-years Harry and Hermione, like a year ago, were standing shoulder-to-shoulder and were holding hands. But unlike a year ago, the two children were wearing the cranberry-and-blue school robes of Ilvermorny during the press conference.
For British wizards who cared about Harry Potter's schooling, the news was not good: Harry and Hermione would continue their magical education as Ilvermorny students.
After John made the announcement, Harry read from a paper he was holding: "Other than Hermione and I wanting to visit friends we left behind, we don't want to go back to Hogwarts. Maybe Hogwarts was a good school in my parents' time, but now? Now Hogwarts acts like it wants to be a club for Pureblood kids more than it wants to be a school for magical children."
Hermione spoke up: "I'm told the Hogwarts Board of Governors stillis debating whether to hire a Muggle-born professor to teach the Muggle Studies course, and whether this course should be mandatory."
From the crowd of reporters, a British voice muttered, "Shit. If Granger doesn't want to return to Hogwarts, it's 'Goodbye, Harry.' "
Harry Potter looked at the reporter and said, "Damned straight."
Hermione, Paulina and Emma all said, "Language, Harry."
At the Burrow
When Ginny Weasley read in the newspaper that Harry Potter never would return to Hogwarts, she cried for a whole day.
Molly's reaction was to wonder whether a Howler could be delivered by international owl-mail.
At Hogwarts
When the Daily Prophet reported that John Potter had decided that Hogwarts was a substandard school and he would not be sending Harry back to Hogwarts, Headmistress McGonagall felt shame when she realised that John Potter was right about what he had said.
Then Headmistress McGonagall wrote a letter.
A copy of the letter was sent to each member of the Board of Governors.
The letter said that Headmistress McGonagall would endHogwarts's fifty years as a haven for Pureblood ideals, and would make Hogwarts once more the school that the Founders had intended. She challenged the Board: Sack me now, or get out of my way.
One year, five months later
Wednesday, 2 November 1994
The library of Ilvermorny SOW&W
Fourteen-year-old Harry Potter kissed fifteen-year-old Hermione Granger on the cheek, then stood up to reshelve the book he had been reading, Using Karate in Magical Combat.
Harry had the beginning of a mustache trying to grow on his upper lip. Hermione thought it was cute.
As soon as Harry walked away, Hermione's best female friend, Carol Jones, slid into Harry's empty chair. "Hermione, Zelda"—Carol's sister—"asked me a question about you and Harry that I didn't know how to answer. But it's, like, really personal."
Hermione replied, "Go ahead and ask Zelda's question, Carol. But I might refuse to answer."
Carol smirked. "So, like, everyone in the school knows you and Harry are a couple. A 'can't be separated with a crowbar' couple. So why are you two still kissing each other on the cheek? You need to step up your game, girl!"
Hermione smiled happily. "I can't tell you how I know this, but Harry and I are much more than a quite strong boyfriend-girlfriend couple. We're soulmates. If we kiss on the lips, we'll become magically married right then. I'd like to think I'm mature for my age, and Paulina and John agree with me—but Carol, I'm not ready to be a wife at fifteen! And believe me, Harry at fourteen isn't ready to be married either."
Twenty-two months later
Friday, 6 September 1996
Severus Snape was released from Azkaban Prison.
Because he had been sentenced to the medium-security wing, not the maximum-security wing, and because he had served only five years, his mental problems upon his release were minor enough that a few vials of the Elixir to Induce Euphoria would fix his mind.
Of course, Snape being Snape, he refused to consider everbrewing and drinking any Euphoria Elixir.
Snape was shocked when he was met at the Azkaban boat dock by John and Paulina Potter, who now were in their mid-twenties. The Potters told Snape that if he were willing to emigrate to the USA, the Potters would sponsor him with the U.S government's Immigration and Naturalization Service—no strings attached.
A week later, Snape found himself living in Northridge, Los Angeles County, California, USA. The Potters had loaned Snape—at 0-percent interest—enough money to prepay three months' rent on an "apartment" (flat), and to prepay the rent for six months on a workshop in an industrial park.
Six months later: March 1997
Still in Northridge, California, USA
Snape was happy (comparatively speaking). He had established an owl-mail-order business, brewing potions. The work was both satisfying and profitable—Snape had no immediate money worries, and already had paid back some of the money that the Potters had loaned him. Best of all, Snape never had to deal with pimple-faced dunderheads!
Fourteen months later
Saturday, 2nd May, 1998; morning
The day Harry and Hermione die in the previous timeline
Prisoners' food room for Gringotts London's gold mine
During breakfast, a goblin guard had told Albus that after breakfast, Albus had been ordered by Director Ragnok to return to the prisoner barracks instead of joining the other prisoner-miners in the mine elevator.
Albus could not begin to guess why Ragnok had given him such an order.
Albus did not hope that he was being spared a day's mining. The best he hoped for was that he would miss a few minutes of today's shift.
It took a while for Albus to shuffle from the food room to the prisoner barracks, even with a goblin poking Albus with a spear. Albus had chest pains; his hips, knees and elbows hurt; and his breathing was painful. Albus knew he would die soon.
Albus completely was caught by surprise by what he found in the now-empty barracks: John Potter and his blond Muggle-born wife, who now were in their mid-twenties; and Harry Potter and his Muggle-born, bushy-haired girlfriend (whose name Albus had forgotten within a week of his arrest). The younger couple looked eighteen, not eleven. Both couples were holding hands.
Harry's face still had an unscarred forehead, green eyes, and no glasses, like at his Sorting; but now Harry was as tall as James had been, and was more muscular than his father had been. Albus saw no sign that this same boy had been short for his age, and underweight, back in summer 1991.
Meanwhile, the foursome were staring at Albus in surprise; Albus easily could guess why. Albus was wearing a prisoner-miner's coveralls and boots, an outfit that had no trace of colour or style; Albus was thinner; the goblins insisted on cutting his hair short; and a goblin-cast charm in 1991 had made Albus's face beardless.
"Harry my boy," Albus said warmly. "John Potter, Mrs Potter, good morning," Albus said grudgingly.
Harry said coldly, "Address me as Lord Potter, Prisoner Dumbledore." Harry held up his right hand and displayed a posh ring with a P in its centre.
Albus felt annoyed. He had plotted since 1981 to prevent Harry from wearing the Potter Head of House ring, and to prevent Harry from even knowing of the ring's existence.
But Albus's face showed none of his annoyance. With eyes a-twinkle, Albus asked Harry, "How are you enjoying your seventh year at Hogwarts?"
Harry shot Albus a What a stupid question look. "Hermione is enjoying her seventh year at Ilvermorny—except for the NEWTs we'll be sitting in a month and a half; she's freaking out—but I'm only enduring my last year of school. If nobody's told you, we've been attending Ilvermorny since second year."
The bushy-haired girl said to Albus, "I'm Mundane-born. Why should my parents pay more than Pureblood parents pay, to get a substandard education and to get hexed in the corridors by Slytherins?"
Albus shot Harry his I'm so disappointed in you look. "Harry my boy—"
"Lord Potter, Prisoner Dumbledore!"
"—you truly aren't attending Hogwarts, where your parents and grandparents studied?"
Harry looked scornfully at Albus. "You mean 'Hogwarts, where your mother was bullied,' don't you? Nope, I'm not attending it and I don't miss it, except for friends I left behind."
Harry's girlfriend said, "Ditto."
Then Harry's girlfriend said to John and his wife, "You lot came here to tell the old man something." The hint was clear: We don't want to talk to Dumbledore anymore.
John said, "We're waiting for one more to join us."
Light flashed, then Albus saw an angel appear. The brunette woman-angel had white wings and wore white robes.
The angel smiled at the three Potters and at Harry's girlfriend; but gave Albus a piercing look. Then the woman-angel walked over to Albus's goblin guard. The angel said to the goblin, "Warrior Goldshaper—"
What Albus heard next were sounds—a dog's barking, birds chirping, claps of thunder, bullfrogs croaking, wind whistling through trees and roaring surf. Albus heard no Muggle sounds, no magical sounds and definitely nothing that sounded like voices speaking words.
When the unexpected sounds ended, the angel turned away from the annoyed-looking goblin, and walked towards Albus.
Suddenly a white shed appeared within the barracks. The angel, Albus, and the other four human magicals were inside the white shed; the goblin now was outside the white shed.
The angel said, "The white shed not only blocks Warrior Goldshaper from seeing us, the shed is soundproof—Warrior Goldshaper can hear nothing of what we say."
By now, the angel was standing in front of Albus. Suddenly Albus could not move, because his muscles all were ignoring what his brain told them.
Then Albus's entire right arm and right hand shook—but only for a second. Next, Albus felt like he was hit with a Petrification Hex—but only in his throat. Only then could he move again.
The angel looked at Albus and said, "You shall die in two days—it's fated. Today, the two people you know as John Potter and Paulina Potter will reveal strange secrets to you. So that you cannot reveal those secrets to others before you die, I have blocked you. Your hand will not work when you try to write, and your mouth will not work when you try to speak. You can nod your head and shake your head during the next two days; any communication more informative than this is denied you."
Albus looked at the angel in horror. He would have preferred she Crucio him.
Meanwhile, Harry said to the angel, "Angel ma'am, the goblins will be so pissed off when they discover what you've done to Dumbledore."
The angel replied, "Yes. This is why I warned Warrior Goldshaper that Albus Dumbledore will be cursed to be mute and unable to write, when the goblins see him again."
John looked at Albus and sneered. "Not to mention, Dumbledore, no one wants to hear your blatherings and your lies, which is all you've ever spoken for as long as I've known you. So muting you is for"—John grinned cruelly—"the Greater Good."
John's wife said, "Honey, the ex-headmaster thinks he's had only a few conversations with you, for a few minutes of his life."
"Too true," said John. Then John looked at the angel and said, "Please temporarily reverse our disguises, Antonia."
No magical gestures were made, no magical words were spoken, but Albus saw John and his wife change.
Now John's wife looked exactly like Harry's girlfriend, with the same mad hair—except John's wife's hair, skin and clothes were dirty; and she had Mudblood carved on her forearm. John's wife looked to be only eighteen or nineteen.
Albus choked when he saw what John had become. Shape-changed John now had Harry's eighteen-year-old face, Harry's bright-green eyes and untamed black hair; but John also had toddler-Harry's lightning-bolt scar on his forehead (a scar which still was red and ugly, seventeen years later). Shape-changed John now wore glasses, and he was now half a foot shorter than Harry. John Potter now looked like a cross between Harry today and the Harry Potter whom Albus had expected to see at the boy's Sorting. One other thing was new: Shape-changed John Potter was dirty everywhere, and he needed a shave.
When John spoke, it was not with an American accent, but with Harry's British accent and with Harry's voice: "Dumbledore, in the previous timeline, my Hermione and I died today, the 2nd of May 1998, at dawn. How did we die? Hermione was battling Bellatrix Lestrange at the Battle of Hogwarts, and Hermione got fatally distracted when she saw me die. I died when I let myself be AK'd by Lord Voldemort—because you had convinced me that this was the only way to 'vanquish' Voldemort. Shit, I was a gullible fool.
"My willing death did not vanquish Tom Riddle, it made him invincible. It turned out I was the only one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord—when I died, Riddle became unkillably lucky, and the Fates had no backup plan. To put things right, it took Eternity changing the rules. Eternity sent my Hermione and me back in time to 23rd July 1991, to have even a hope of fixing the cosmic bollocking that you caused, Albus Percival Dumbledore.
"Beginning the next day, 24th July, I gave younger Harry a happy, healthy and undangerous life—which was the exact opposite of the life that you made me live through."
Shape-shifted Mrs Potter said scornfully (with a British accent), "Congratulations on being worse than Tom Riddle, O 'Leader of the Light.' You not only ruined Harry's life in the previous timeline, you enabled a magical monster to conquer the world in that timeline! Don't you feel proud?"
Minutes later
Silenced Albus wanted so badly to refute what short-Harry said, to defend himself. Surely Albus in that other timeline had told Harry, Everything I do is for the Greater Good? Yet short-Harry accused Albus of brainwashing his alternate-timeline self and of browbeating him to let Tom kill him, just so Albus would be able to step in afterwards, to kill Tom and to grab glory.
(Which was true; but Albus was annoyed that short-Harry did not mention that Albus would have sought the glory of killing Tom after Harry died, for the Greater Good. How would the Greater Good be served? Once Dumbledore became famous as the Defeater of twoDark Lords, the Wizengamot would pass every law that Albus suggested, and Albus alone held a true vision of what Wizarding Britain needed for the future.)
Meanwhile, short-Harry was saying, "...I had the horcrux in my scar from age fifteen months till the day I died. I was in danger of Riddle possessing me for my entire life. Did you even try to remove it? I got the goblins to remove his horcrux"—short-Harry gestured towards tall-Harry—"which cost me as Regent twenty thousand galleons, and which cost him a half-hour of agony. Then bang, one horcrux was destroyed. As you can see, when younger Harry lost the horcrux in his scar, Episkey worked on his scar and he no longer needed glasses. So I wonder, Dumbledore, when it came to me, did you make me keep the horcrux because you were a tightwad, you were demonically cruel, or you were so arrogant as to believe that if you couldn't remove the scar-horcrux, then no way to remove it was possible?"
"...You knew in 1981 that Voldemort was not dead. You knew for sure in 1993 that he had made horcruxes. You died in 1996. Between 1993 and 1996, you lazy arse, you went looking for only one horcrux, the Gaunt Head of House ring—by yourself. When you found it, because you were so arrogant that you didn't take a helper with you, you caught a withering curse from the ring. You would've died from that curse, except you ordered your spy Snape to Avada you before the curse killed you.
"Lucky for selfish you, nobody found out that you would've caused your own death by behaving like a hubristic moron, so your goldenreputation was preserved. You even were buried in a white-marble tomb on the grounds of Hogwarts. Snape, poor bloke, got stuck with the reputation of being a traitorous murderer—but oi, you got a white-marble tomb, so 'Greater Good,' right? You blighter, it fell to Snape to tell me that my scar was one of Voldy's horcruxes!"
"...In August 1991, I discovered a way to make myself and whoever I choose, not only invisible, but invisible to wards. This spell is how my wife and I sneaked into Malfoy Manor and looted Riddle's diary-horcrux. But this same spell also works on Hogwarts wards; this morning at dawn, the four of us had a picnic breakfast on the Hogwarts grounds, and the headmistress never suspected."
Short-Harry's wife said gleefully, "Let me solve a minor mystery for you, former headmaster. Remember when someone somehow stole the True Cloak of Invisibility out of the headmaster's suite, and stole Potter books and the Potter pensieve out of the headmaster's office? My husband did those things, using his secret spell."
Short-Harry and his wife high-fived, then short-Harry looked at Albus again. "In any case, between the horcruxes that my wife and I tracked down, and the horcruxes that I paid the goblins to find, all the horcruxes were destroyed by 2nd September 1991, ten hours before I 'accidentally' killed Voldemort-possessed Quirinus Quirrell. I don't know where Quirrell went then, but Tom Riddle got sent straight to Thanatos himself for Judgement, and I bet that was an exciting conversation."
After short-Harry stops talking
The angel neither gestured nor spoke, but suddenly short-Harry and his bushy-haired wife again looked like, and talked like, two clean and attractive Americans in their mid-twenties.
John Potter's blond wife asked him, "Do you feel better now, honey?"
John Potter replied, "I do. And I'm so glad that Antonia muted this idiot, so that I don't have to listen to a lecture of 'John my boy, you must learn to forgive.' "
Then John glared at silenced Albus. "Just so I'm clear: I will never, ever forgive you. It was bad enough that you stole my money, but worse, you stole my happy life."
After Antonia vanished the white shed and flashed herself away, and just before the 1998 version of PPPG were about to leave, John Potter turned to silenced Albus—
"Maybe you're feeling sorry for yourself. Antonia the angel has told you that you'll die in two days, which is believable because you're clearly in bad health. Antonia cursed you to be unable to share your thoughts in these two remaining days, either by speaking or writing.
"Ah, but look at the bright side. You're alive now, nearly a year after you died in the previous timeline. But perhaps more importantly for you, in this timeline you were arrested long before you could try to use the Ex Utrem ad Persona spell to send a mind-whammy potion directly into my stomach. I was hoping you'd try this—why do you think I worded your vow at Gringotts the way I did? I wanted you to think you'd found a way to trick the vow, and I was sure that you would be arrogant enough to try it! But what you had no way of knowing was that Thanatos and Antonia made my wife and I completely immune to all mind-whammy magic. If you'd tried to put a mind-whammy potion into my stomach, it wouldn't have whammied me, I would've known you'd tried, I would've declared you in violation of your vow, and you would've lost your magic!"
John sighed theatrically. "I outsmarted myself. I did too good a jobof vanquishing Tommy, I did it too quickly, so you still have your magic. I so much was looking forward to making you a Mundane, Albus my boy."
Two days later
Monday, 4th May 1998, 11:39 p.m
Albus had gone to sleep hoping that the angel had been wrong about the date of his death.
Albus woke up in a waiting room. The woman seated next to him tried to start a conversation with him, despite her having a broken arm and being covered in blood.
Eventually Albus's name was called. Soon afterwards, an old-man angel escorted Albus to the office of Thanatos.
Albus insisted on calling Thanatos "Death my boy."
Thanatos had many bad things to say about Albus, but Albus was unbothered. Albus was sure that Thanatos had been misled by biased, envious underlings—and Thanatos soon would realise this.
Albus explained away what short-Harry had said two days ago. The young man, according to Albus, was ignorant of, or was mistaken about, many facts that showed Albus in a good light. Albus explained these facts—for a long time. Often did Albus speak the expressions Greater Good and for Harry's own good.
As Albus explained himself to Thanatos, Albus was sure in his own mind that in a few minutes, all would be well.
Oddly, Albus's plan did not work.
After Albus heard his Judgement, he started to lecture Thanatos: "You must learn to forgive."
This lecture was interrupted when the woman-angel from two days ago, who now was wearing a head-to-toes shiny outfit that even covered her face and enclosed her wings, grabbed Albus by the arm and flew off with him.
Albus's place of Judgement was Cruciatus-agonising and was truly awful, except for one small delight: It turned out that one of Albus's new "neighbours" had worked closely with Gellert Grindelwald, back in the 1930s and 1940s.
On the other hand, Albus being forced to share the worst part of Hell, for eternity, with former student Tom Marvolo Riddle? This was adding insult to injury.
A month and a half later
Friday, June 19, 1998; evening
Ilvermorny SOW&W
Harry, Hermione and their yearmates at Ilvermorny had just taken their NEWTs.
In front of magical friends, and in front of John and Paulina, Harry and Hermione deliberately kissed on the lips. As Harry and Hermione kissed, they glowed.
Carol Jones and her sister Zelda led a loud cheer.
Soon thereafter, the USA version of the Ministry of Magic, and Gringotts New York, both owl-posted official parchmentwork to the newly married couple.
Eleven days later, on 30 June, the dental Grangers hosted their daughter's (nonmagical) wedding at Saint George Church of England in Crawley, West Sussex. All of Hermione's relatives—except for her parents and her grandmother, Connie Taylor—marvelled that so many of Hermione's friends from that school she had attended in the States, could attend the wedding.
Another minor mystery for Hermione's relatives who attended her wedding: Some of the bride's and groom's friends at the wedding had British accents, and said they were members of something called "the Birthday Club." But the members of that Club would not explain to Hermione's relatives what exactly the Club was.
At the Saint George Church wedding, Harry and Hermione did not glow when they kissed as groom and bride.
After Harry and Hermione returned from their honeymoon, Harry claimed the Lord Potter seat in the Wizengamot. Amelia Bones still was Minister for Magic; now Amelia, Harry and Hermione got laws passed that were guaranteed to make Lucius Malfoy and Dolores Umbridge turn over in their graves.
One year later: June, 1999
Ginevra Weasley, who had left Slytherin House days earlier, married Theodore Nott, who was one year departed from Slytherin House.
A week and a half before her wedding, Ginny had sat her NEWTs. She earnt four Exceeds and two Outstandings.
In contrast, Ron Weasley, who sat his NEWTs at the same time as his sister, earnt one Acceptable (in DADA).
Whilst Ginny got married in June of 1999, Ron did not marry then. In fact, Ron Weasley would remain unmarried throughout his life.
The brutal truth was, every witch in Wizarding Britain refused to marry the "dishonourable cheater," even decades after Ron had lost by forfeit, his duel with Harry Potter.
Ron's ruined reputation affected more than his love life. The only jobs Ron could get after he sat his NEWTs were in Knockturn Alley, but he was never allowed to handle money in any job, and he was never promoted. Fred and George, backed up by their father Arthur, refused to hire Ron to work in their joke shop.
Six years later
Sunday, 5 June 2005
Draco Malfoy turned twenty-five years old. When he tried to put the Malfoy Head of House ring on his hand, in the Gringotts office of Slicesword, the Malfoy account manager, Magic finally let Draco don the ring.
Witnessing this momentous event in Draco's life were his mother Narcissa; Andromeda Black Tonks, Draco's mother's sister; Lord Sirius Black, Draco's mother's cousin; Sirius Black's wife, Minister for Magic Amelia Bones-Black; Astoria Greengrass, Draco's betrothed; Severus Snape, Draco's godfather (who had travelled all the way from Northridge, California, USA); John Potter; Harry Potter; and both of Draco's Muggle-born cousins, Paulina Potter and Hermione Potter.
The following Friday, Draco claimed his seat in the Wizengamot, which his mother had been "keeping warm" as the Malfoy Regent till then. After the new Lord Malfoy was sworn in, the Chief Warlock asked what everyone presumed would be only a rhetorical question: "Which faction will House Malfoy be joining?"
But Draco did not say The Dark faction. Instead, Draco shocked everyone when he replied, "For as long as I live, House Malfoy shall be part of the Light faction. I, Draco Malfoy, proudly declare myself to be a 'blood-traitor.' "
Twelve years, three months later
Friday, September 1, 2017
By 2017, John and Paulina Potter had had four children. Years before 2017, all four offspring had taken their NEWTs (at Ilvermorny).
By 2017, Harry and Hermione Potter also had had four children. Two of the Potter offspring already had taken their NEWTs (at Ilvermorny), but George John Potter and Carol Nymphadora Potter today were starting a new school year (at Ilvermorny).
Carol Nymphadora had been named after Hermione's best friend and Harry's fun cousin.
None of the eight Potter offspring were named Albus, Severus, or any combination thereof.
Hogwarts in Scotland had regained its lost reputation by 2017; but even so, neither John Potter and Paulina, nor Harry Potter and Hermione, had chosen to send any of their children to Hogwarts.
The Daily Prophet had whinged and complained that Wizengamot member Lord Harry Potter was not sending his children to Hogwarts. Harry had been quoted as saying, "Ilvermorny is a better school. Hermione would speak a Divorce Declaration against me if I didn't give my children the best education I could."
141 years later
Saturday, October 21, 2158
One hundred sixty years after Albus Dumbledore had died in his sleep, so did John and Paulina Potter. The Potters awakened to find themselves in comfortable chairs, facing Thanatos across his desk. The Potters had their twenty-year-old bodies again.
Soon after this, Antonia and the Potters were in Heaven. Antonia was showing the Potters the mansion where they would be residing for all Eternity.
Actually, what Antonia was showing John and Paulina was the duplex mansion—the only duplex mansion in Heaven.
Antonia said, "Both units are unoccupied. Which one do you want—the one on the right or the one on the left?"
Paulina asked, "Who will live in the other one?"
Antonia answered, "Harry and Hermione Potter, who will come here on 30th July 2165," which was six and three-quarters years from now.
John let Paulina choose which mansion. Paulina chose the mansion on the left.
John and Paulina spent several days being greeted by all of their good, dead friends and all of their good, dead relatives. (Actually, the latter group were all of Harry's and Hermione's good, dead relatives.)
Then John and Paulina invited Paulina's/Hermione's one-time Grim Reaper, Ada King, to tea, as a way to say Thank you.
The End