--HelloDarkness07
——
1st August, 1991:
Another letter from the Boy-who-lived?
Citizens of the Wizarding World,
Two days ago, I wrote you a letter - a simple request to return what was mine. Things you took from me when I was too young to know they existed. Things that should have stayed where they belonged, in my home, with me.
Some of you listened.
Some of you sent my items back, some with letters of apologies, some offered excuses while some chose to return or replace the items in silence. Regardless, I consider the debt paid for those who did so, and I thank you for returning said items.
But… not all of you felt the need to do what was right.
A dozen of my belongings still remain in hands not my own and I do not appreciate that. Not the silence, not the entitlement to my belongings. Not the idea that you can steal from an orphan child and face no consequences.
So here it is.
A promise is a promise. And Harry James Potter does not break his word.
To those who never stole from me, and to those who returned what wasn't theirs to keep, thank you. I ask that you enjoy the show.
To the rest, the world will see exactly who you are and what you took.
Regards,
Harry James Potter.
——
The entire Wizarding world is shocked when they receive the newspaper that morning, when instead of just the usual news they are faced with something far more dire on the front page.
Pictures. Moving pictures of people they know, people some call friends, caught red handed stealing from the same house. All from the house at Godric's Hollow belonging to the boy-who-lived.
An auror hiding a picture and a book in his trenchcoat, a couple stealing a toy from the crib for their baby, a pureblood noble taking a collection of pillows from the bedroom, and lastly, a man everyone knows as the Potions Professor at Hogwarts, hugging on to the dead body of Lily Potter, before escaping with the necklace stolen from Lily's neck, and a picture of the woman from the baby's room.
All in all, twelve items, and five thieves.
It takes time for commotion to erupt. Aurors are late to rise, as is the case of any law enforcement. But by the afternoon of 1st August, each of those thieves are visited by the Aurors and arrested on the count of Burglary.
And Harry didn't have to lift a single finger. The evidence was already public, the thieves were known.
And to be perfectly honest, Harry himself was a bit disappointed when that happened. Because he had a far worse fate for them in mind.
Albus Dumbledore didn't know when he was this disappointed in anyone.
Was it when he learned that the Potter family was betrayed by whom he then believed to have been Sirius Black? Or was it when the last member of the group ignored all of his letters asking him to come meet Harry now that he was in the Wizarding world?
But this..
A grown man refusing to return an item he had stolen from a child. No, worse. A toddler. Because that's what Harry was, when the theft had happened. And if it wasn't for Harry's latest invention, he would have never learned of it.
And now here he is, in the Ministry of Magic, to beg for the release of his Potions Professor. Whether ex-Death Eater or not, hated by everyone or not, none could deny that Severus Snape was the greatest Potions Master in Wizarding Britain.
"So," Madam Bones begins, as soon as they're seated in her office. "I think we both know why you're here. Give me one good reason why I shouldn't just throw him in Azkaban and be done with it."
"Amelia.." Albus sighs, thrown off by the pace of the woman in front of him.
'Whoever said Hufflepuffs are duffers has clearly never met Amelia Bones.' He thought to himself.
The woman in question frowns, and says, "Headmaster. We are here today on official business, not so we can discuss my niece's schooling. Do show some respect to the due process and call me by my title."
Albus dips his head low once, and says, "Director Bones. We both know that burglary is not a crime worth Azkaban. If it was so, then half the Knockturn Alley would have been in Azkaban by now."
"Nothing says I cannot charge him with some other crimes as well. He did try to attack the arresting auror Alastor Moody, which, height of stupidity if you ask me." Amelia amusedly continues.
And it was the height of stupidity. Alastor Moody and three other Aurors came to Hogwarts to arrest him, and Severus chose to attack them. Albus could admit that Severus has some talent, and may be one of the best duelists around, but Alastor is simply better.
But.. Amelia Bones never negotiates. She just never does, not once she has made up her mind.
"You want something." Albus realizes, and immediately understands what exactly has caught her attention.
She immediately slams the newspaper on the table, and says, "You're bloody right, I do. This. Don't try to hide it, you know how the boy did this."
And Albus cannot help the grimace that comes upon his face. "I cannot tell you everything." He warns. "If I break his trust today, he will never trust me again, and believe me Amelia, we need his trust. We need him to be on our side."
Amelia pauses her rant before it ever begins. Her mind is running a mile a minute, Albus can tell. And this is what he loves about talking with actual thinkers, the conversations are very much enjoyable.
Amelia nods slowly, and says, "The Department is saying that this is Time Magic. Is it true? Has he managed to time travel years into the past?"
Albus shakes his head, although he suspects Harry is well on his way to doing just that, and says, "Harry.. he merely managed to peer into the past. Any event, any location, as long as you know exactly when and where it happened, he can see it. I cannot tell you how it works, nor how he achieved it. I barely even understand some of it myself."
Although, merely is a very wrong word in this scenario.
"And will he give this artifact to us if we ask? I'm not asking for it for free, of course, he will be compensated." Amelia then asks.
Albus thinks for barely a second and then nods his head. He says, "I did negotiate with the Wizarding Wireless on his behalf, so I know he is willing to sell his technology. I will talk to him about building one of these Chronoscopes of his to the Department. But… a warning, Director Bones. If Harry agrees to sell it to you, then I guarantee you that he either already has a better working model, or he has devised a way to counter it. Even I wouldn't sell such a technology to anyone without it."
And soon, Severus Snape is brought to the office, and released in his custody. Two years of House arrest at Hogwarts, with no chance of leaving the grounds at all, 200 Galleon fine, and of course, the return of the necklace and picture he had taken. A very minor cost, as compared to the Azkaban he was destined for.
All just to setup a meeting between Harry and Amelia so they can discuss the sale of the Chronoscope.
As the Potions Professor walked behind him, enraged but not really shameful, Albus could only shake his head. He has been released into House Arrest, but does it even matter nowv
Despite being the youngest Potions Master ever, despite being the Potions Professor of Hogwarts, Severus Snape has lost respect in the eyes of the Wizarding World.
And not just amongst the children.
As they pass the talking pair of Theodore Nott and Lucius Malfoy, Albus cannot help but notice the disgust in their eyes when they look at Severus.
For Severus had not just ignored the remains of the Dark Lord in favour of cradling the dead body of the girl he loved, he also ignored the opportunity to kill young Harry before escaping.
But still, as they exit the Ministry and walk towards the floo, ignoring the cameras clicking pictures, Albus really hopes that Severus does not try to take it out on young Harry when he comes to Hogwarts.
Or else he will have no choice but to release Severus from his service.
——
Dumbledore blabbed.
There was no other way this could have happened otherwise. Albus Dumbledore opened his big fat mouth and told the Head of the DMLE about his invention, there is no doubt about it.
'All according to the plan so far, then.' Doombot - no, Harry - thought to himself, feeling smug.
The Chronoscope is perfect. A device that allows anyone to peer through time is not something just about anyone can boast of.
But such innovation needs money. Money, that if they decided to just depend on the Family Vault for it, would bleed it dry within at most a decade.
Raw materials, replacement parts, precious metals, all need money. Transfigured metals do not remain transfigured, and conjured metals just do not work in such complex devices.
Just building Doombot had cost Harry somewhere around 1000 Galleons, not to mention all the computer towers, the failed chronoscopes, together which had cost him around 7000 Galleons more.
When Harry had learned that one of the thieves was none other than Severus Snape, a Professor at Hogwarts, the path forward was clear. Make sure the letter reaches Snape when he is in Hogwarts for one, and that too during their breakfast time. The Chronoscope was of much use for that.
Chances were high that Albus Dumbledore, a curious mind, would see the picture and immediately try to understand how Harry had done this. And once he had a sure enough guess, he would visit Harry himself. Maybe not the same day, let alone the same hour, but Harry was sure it would happen.
The Sorcerer Supreme's visit was a surprise, and an annoyance all on its own, but Harry managed. The Ministry getting curious and putting their own researchers to work was obvious, and so was them pressuring Albus to reveal what he knows.
All that leads to this. A meeting with the Head of DMLE and the Head of the Unspeakables, so he can negotiate for the sale of one single unit of his Chronoscope, in exchange for some much needed money.
Now if only they actually agreed on a price for such a genius invention.
"Madam Bones, Master Unspeakable," D-Harry says, making sure to sound more annoyed than he is. "We are all aware that nothing of this calibre exists anywhere in the world. This is a piece of Magic and technology which even your precious Department of Mysteries will take decades to invent. Even your Time Turners are capable of only going back mere hours in time, not even half a day. But through this.. you can not only witness crimes as they happened decades ago, you can even go back centuries to witness births and deaths of civilizations."
A beat of silence, as Harry lets the two absorb the seriousness in his words. And Harry can just see the moment the Unspeakable loses the battle against his discipline as his greed shines through.
He smiles in triumph, and says "A price tag cannot simply be put on such magic." He pauses dramatically, and then adds, "But needs must."
"Two years of research, trial and error, and one complete failure by way of explosion before I managed to succeed. All of which cost me more gold than I could have earned as a trainee Auror in that amount of time." And considering a new Trainee earned somewhere around 5000 Galleons per year, Harry knew he was exaggerating just a bit. But they don't need to know that.
"So you have two options, either pay me one hundred thousand galleons as a lump sum, and I give you the Chronoscope immediately. Or I take it back home and you can keep investigating crimes the old fashioned way. I'll even throw in a guide for how to use it, and a free demo of the Chronoscope which would free a man unjustly imprisoned regardless of which you choose."
Harry can see the gears turn in both their heads, and the Unspeakable looks ready to buy it regardless of what Madam Bones says. But the woman instead stays silent for a whole minute, and then has questions for him instead of just a decision.
"What if it stops working?" Is the first question, and Harry doesn't know when he has been this offended last.
"Stop working? Madam Bones, I do not create faulty machines. If it stops working it is because someone made it stop working, and believe me, I'll know exactly who did it. But just for your sake, let's say this machine stops working without anyone's interference, then I will personally come here and repair the machine for you for free." Harry answers, making sure to let his offense be shown on his face.
Madam Bones nods, and asks next, "And what if any repairs are needed? Will you repair it if asked?"
Harry shakes his head, and says, "If the damage is caused by mishandling, because the Unspeakables here cannot keep their hands off this machine, then I refuse to repair and I won't sell a replacement either. That said, if any damage occurs because someone from the past manages to detect you, or if some minor damage occurs for any reason, then I will repair it, but not for free."
Madam Bones nods again, and opens her mouth, no doubt to agree, when the Unspeakable coughs to gain attention.
As Harry turns towards the cloaked man, he asks, "And what of limits? How far back can we look using this Chronoscope? Can we use it to look into the future?"
Harry has to admit that this was a question he liked, unlike the others. He answers, "Before I can explain limits, I would like to say that this entire Chronoscope is powered by a crystal ball that collects and stores temporal energy. If the energy depletes completely, it will stop working. But thankfully for you, the battery charges from 0 to 100 percent in around a week. Passively.
"At full charge, without destroying the machine, you can go back up to 500 years. The Chronoscope has safeguards that won't allow you to go back further than that, but if you try to force this issue, the power crystal will implode, taking anything within 2 meters of it to a time and place I cannot predict, nor recover. Anything and anyone lost to time is lost forever."
Harry lets that settle in their minds for a beat, hoping he has conveyed the seriousness correctly.
Once the Unspeakable nods, he continues, "For the future, as of now, I have not been able to correctly navigate the infinite possibilities we have in front of us. Actions have consequences and just by observing a future we reduce the odds of it coming to reality."
He smiles sharply, "So I suggest you stick to crimes that have already happened, and not crimes you suspect might happen. Also, make sure only those you trust know what it is and how to operate it. If anyone uses it to spy on political enemies I will not be held responsible."
In the end, the decision was clear even at the start of the meeting. They need the Chronoscope far more than he needs the money. Harry always has other avenues to earn money, like the deal with the Wizarding Wireless. But the Department of Magical Law Enforcement has far too many cases still unsolved that need to be solved.
And so, Harry shakes their hands at a deal done and dusted, and after he gives them his presentation of who really betrayed his family, he departs the Ministry building. But not before a few warnings.
Warnings not to look for Gellert Grindelwald at any point in time, or any being capable of detecting Magic, or anyone capable of seeing through Time themselves, like a Seer.
But knowing the general lack of intelligence and logic in the Wizarding world, Harry will no doubt be hearing about an incident or two in the upcoming months.
It just won't be his problem then.
——
Sirius Black.. innocent?
You heard it right, folks. The most dangerous criminal in the prison of Azkaban.. might not be so dangerous after all.
This reporter was fortunate enough to get an interview with an anonymous source at the Ministry, and it seems the events of that fateful Halloween night 10 years ago might not be what it seems.
According to our source, the DMLE was given undeniable proof that the real culprit of the Halloween night was not Sirius Black, but in fact, the person Sirius Black was supposed to have killed.
Yes folks, supposed.
For you see, Peter Pettigrew, Order of Merlin III Class recipient, is in fact still alive, and now in DMLE custody.
To recap for 1st of August, yesterday, Peter Pettigrew was found alive in the home of an unsuspecting wizard family, posing as a simple pet rat owing to his status as an unregistered rat animagus. Sirius Black has since then been moved out of Azkaban and into temporary holding facilities, and soon after transferred to St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies.
And why all this, you may ask? You see, Sirius Black did not betray the Potter family. Sirius Black did not kill the 12 muggles. Sirius Black was in fact innocent of any crime whatsoever, while Peter Pettigrew was the real culprit.
But how did the Aurors learn about it, one might ask. Well folks, we have no one to thank but the boy-who-lived, Harry Potter himself.
Our source told us that Harry Potter invented something which gave him, and the Aurors, undeniable proof of the crimes committed by Peter Pettigrew.
Harry Potter's genius is already known by many owing to his contribution in completely revamping the Wizarding Wireless. But as of today, no one other than the Head of the DMLE, Madam Amelia Bones, and the Minister for Magic, Mr Cornelius Fudge, are aware of what exactly it is, or what it does.
Minister Fudge has expressed shock on this discovery, but has expressed his full support to Madam Bones in her investigation against Peter Pettigrew. For more on the Ministry's statement, turn to Pg 4.
The list of crimes for Pettigrew is already long enough, but are there more? Is there anything else the man might be found guilty of in his trial set on 9th of August, 1991?
For more, stay tuned to the Daily Prophet.
——
'Visit me, old friend. I have missed you.'
Albus stares at the letter he picked from the owl's legs with trepidation. He has watched it again and again, for the last two days now. Waiting for the handwriting to reveal itself to be a trick of the light, for the message to change somehow.
But it never did.
He knows that handwriting, he knows who wrote these words. But just the same, he knows that the one who wrote it was not supposed to have access to any writing materials, let alone be allowed to send a letter to him.
Albus looks up from his seat on the thestral drawn carriage, as the gates to the Castle Nurmengard open up. A hundred Hit Wizards surround the castle, keeping watch. While only a dozen were faced outwards, though, the majority were faced towards the castle.
Or more accurately, the prison.
All because of one prisoner. One prisoner who is far more dangerous than anyone who might attack the castle to rescue him.
Gellert Grindelwald.
But the thing that kept the Dark Lord imprisoned was not just the prison, or even the prisoners. It was fear, fear of Albus Dumbledore. Fear enough that he created this magic inhibiting prison even when he had the Elder Wand.
Inhibit, not completely bind.
And this man wrote Albus a letter from the tower he is trapped in, kept locked in by bars and walls that inhibit his magic.
"I don't know why you'd want to meet with him, Herr Dumbledore. The man has gone crazy alone in that tower up there." A Hit Wizard, Lucas, says, as he starts leading Albus to the castle acting as his guide, and a guard.
Albus sighs, and says, "I'm afraid I cannot tell you why, Lucas, for even I do not know. He called me here. But what do you mean, crazy?"
Lucas shrugs, although he looks a bit suspicious of Albus now for some reason. He answers, "I mean he has gone crazy. Talking to himself, arguing with the air. Granted this has been going on for years now, but very sporadically. Only God knows when he might start talking to himself and when he stops. Scared a dozen hit wizards into quitting this job. Cowards, did they think imprisoning a Dark Lord was going to be easy?"
Albus contemplates on that as Lucas leads him up the stairs, wondering why now has the man called him here. How he managed to do so was not that confusing, even inhibited Gellert's magic is powerful enough to dominate one man amongst a hundred to do his bidding.
But why, that is the important question.
"I can't ask to see an old friend, Albus?" Gellert's voice breaks his contemplation, and Albus then realises that he has already reached his destination.
And there, in the decrepit cell with just the bars separating them, sits Gellert Grindelwald. An old friend, perhaps more. They could have been more, if Gellert wasn't so.. Focused? Evil? Albus doesn't know.
Albus turns to Lucas and nods once. The Hit Wizard nods back, and says, "I will be watching you, Headmaster. No funny movements."
Albus watches him walk a few steps back, staying close enough that he can still hear any of their conversations. But he doesn't mind. Albus does not think Gellert called him here to talk of any secrets, not that there remain many that might cause him any harm.
So he turns back to his old friend, stares at him in the heterochromatic eyes he had once fallen in love with. After a few seconds of silence, he says, "Gellert."
"Albus." The man nods back, staying seated on the floor. He wasn't allowed any furniture, due to the ICW's fear that he might use anything as a wand.
As if they need a wand to do Magic.
Albus looks around, and says, "You asked me to visit you. I am here. Talk."
"That's it? 20 years since we spoke and you say, 'talk'? No 'Hi Gellert, how are you?'" Gellert asks, as he struggles while standing up off the floor.
Albus sighs, and answers, "As much as you like to believe us friends still, we are not. We have not been friends for over 80 years. Do not pretend otherwise. Now you called me here for a reason, speak. A new school year is about to start and I find myself busy with organising it all."
Gellert smiles, his eyes glinting oddly. The missing teeth make Albus cringe internally, but he ignores it for now. Gellert takes a step forward, and says, "Yes, Hogwarts. Tell me, any… promising children in this new year?"
Albus blinks, immediately understanding what Gellert wants. He turns to Lucas and asks, "Which idiot gave him the newspaper?"
Lucas startles at the sudden attention on him, and frowns. He says, "I don't appreciate the accusation nor the words, Herr Dumbledore. We are under strict orders not to get within 10 feet of the cell. No one gave him the newspaper."
"Someone clearly did." Albus states, frowning with worry. "Just like someone gave him supplies to write me a letter and had it sent to me. I suggest getting everyone who has even been in his presence in the last two months checked out by the healers."
For if there is anyone actually still under Gellert's control.. now that is a worrying thought.
"Ah, Albus. Take away all my fun, why don't you?" Gellert sarcastically says, bringing Albus's attention back to him. "But you understand correctly. I do intend to talk with you about the boy. Please, tell me about him. Tell me about this genius Harry Potter."
Albus stares down at Gellert, even as Lucas keeps mumbling to himself about how it's not possible for Gellert to have used magic on any Hit-Wizard, and says, "Why? What concern is he of yours?"
Gellert shrugs, and turning to Lucas, he says, "Not in front of him. I strongly believe that you do not want him to listen to what you have to say."
Albus is reluctant, but if the topic of this conversation is what he thinks it is, then yes, he does not intend to let the secret out this soon. It takes a minute to convince Lucas to let them talk alone, but even that too is via a privacy spell, as Lucas does not intend to let them out of his sight.
Once they are alone, or as alone as they can be, Gellert begins, "I have met him, you know. Harry."
Albus startles, wondering when it could have happened. And how - oh.
Albus remembers it now. Harry had mentioned having witnessed the fight between Gellert and himself using his Chronoscope.
"During our final battle?" Albus asks, just to confirm.
Gellert nods and clarifies, "Before the battle, and after. Twice. He was.. surprised when I managed to listen to him talk through time, and again some time later when I saw him."
"For your sake, Gellert, I hope you did not try to convert him to your side." Albus starts, staring at Gellert with as much disappointment as he could muster.
Gellert simply laughs, "Convert? Hah! That boy is no follower. Even face to face with me at the height of my power he was defiant, dismissive of me. Of me! No, I did not call you here to tell you of some master plan I have in motion with the boy. No, I called you here to simply talk. I want to know about the boy who dared to mock me while I lay defeated."
"Mock you? What do you mean?" Albus asks, surprised at the lack of hate shown by Gellert despite him just saying that Harry mocked him by visiting the past.
Gellert smiles widely, and says, "The boy.. showed me proper respect as one would a teacher. He called me Master Grindelwald. And do you know why he called me Master? Simply because he learned magic while watching us duel."
Albus can admit that for a freshly defeated man, that actually expected mocking, words of respect must have hurt more.
Shaking his head, Albus says, "That still does not explain why I would ever talk to you about him. As a matter of fact, why do you even want to know about him?"
For a few seconds there is silence, uncharacteristic of Gellert. He looks down at the ground, his voice soft, as he says, "I am old, Albus. 46 years I've been trapped here with no one but the occasional auror to play with. And do you know what kept me up at night the most frequently? How a boy, an eleven year old boy, mastered Time to such an extent, that he went back in time to peer through it, without breaking anything."
He shakes his head, and continues, "I'll tell you now, Albus. That boy, that boy will become what you and I had only deluded ourselves into thinking we were. The sheer magical talent I sensed in 2 minutes of our conversations, I dare say that we will be looking at either the next Sorcerer Supreme, or a God of Magic."
"And what? You plan to influence how he achieves all that?" Albus asks sceptically, wondering what exactly his friend is up to.
"Influence?" Gellert asks, incredulously chuckling. "I plan to do no such thing. Based on whatever little things I know about him, I can guarantee that if he hasn't already, he will soon invent how to actually travel through time. Do you know what this tells me? It tells me that someday soon, the entire world will know of him more than as the boy-who-lived. Know him as a household name more than we ever were. I simply want to see if he will turn out more like you, the beacon of good, or me, a dark lord."
"This still doesn't tell me why I would tell you anything about him and risk our current working relationship." Albus asks, although he cannot deny that the thought worries him.
Gellert grins, and says, "Why, Albus, it's like you don't know me at all. Tell me all I want to know about the boy, and in return, I will tell you exactly where Tom is hiding and how he is still alive. Don't you want to know how to defeat him?"
In the end, the decision was hard. For as much as Albus respects Harry's talents, and wants to keep his secret, the secret to Tom's immortality is a far more pressing matter. He just hoped Harry forgave him when he found out just to whom Albus had bragged about him.
——
A/N: I know too much happened in this chapter off screen. But I don't want to get stuck in useless plots. For Sirius, I am still not sure what to do. I have a few options, but nothing concrete yet. But he won't be raising Harry for sure. Harry is far too independent for that.
What Grindelwald truly wants, you can make your own assumptions for now lol. Because even I'm not sure yet.
The Chronoscope, Harry sold a version to the DMLE/DoM. Why? Money mostly. But Wizards don't know technology, and so Harry has obviously made sure to explain exactly how it works. Before yelling at me that Doom wouldn't give anything that might be used against him, Doom has already made sure it cannot be used against him.
I think the next chapter we'll start with Doombot's Hogwarts years. I am planning on taking 2-3 chapters per year from now on, as I don't want to get stuck in the time travel trap like I did with Mason Aves.
Until then, thank you for your support!
Tata!