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The ritual was set, and everything was in place, soon they would have what they needed. With Tom back in full force, they needed all the help they could get. Sirius’s passing had been… regrettable, but he was a casualty of war, and he was missed. Missed by some, more than others, Harry Potter being one of them. It was why this ritual was being performed, so that Harry could get out of the… ah, funk, he was currently in.
Dumbledore understood he was in mourning, but a month was long enough, it was time to move on and do what needed to be done. However, Harry did not have that mindset, not at all. Instead, he was a shell of his former self, sulking and brooding because a man he knew for barely two years, had died. Even then, it was mostly only a few months, it had been getting rather aggravating.
Then, with permission from a near catatonic Harry, he raided the Black family library, and thus found this rather illegal ritual. So, now, he had the most powerful Order members, along with some of Harry’s closest friends, along with himself, ready to perform the needed incantations.
“Will this really help, Headmaster?” Hermione asked, having been told that the ritual would help Harry feel more like himself, but was heavily illegal. She was of the mind that it would perhaps call forth Sirius from the beyond, to talk to him, or something.
“Yes, my dear, I assure you it shall.” Dumbledore said, genial smile in place. Even if that wasn’t what the ritual actually did, she’d understand, eventually.
“Everyone in your places, make sure everything is said as I instructed.” Dumbledore said, before he raised his hands and started the ritual. Harry was in the center of the circle, covered in all manner of runes and the like, body only having some modesty with his simple, cotton boxers. Once the ritual started, there was no going back, and only two people really understood the words being spoken.
It took the better part of five minutes, but soon Harry was twitching and the runes glowing. They were all locked into the magic of the ritual, lending a portion of their magic to assist in its works, so they could do nothing once the screaming started. Even as lethargic as Harry had been, when this much pain was pumping through him, even he had to let out some kind of reaction. To those who cared so deeply for him, his screams were tormenting in their own right, the rest of them? They just wanted the bothersome sound to stop.
It did, eventually, leaving a heavily breathing Harry Potter in the middle of the circle. He was not the scrawny fifteen year old boy anymore, though. He had a new height to him, as well as some bulk in his form. His hair remained an unruly mop, but his eyes were like a burning emerald fire, when they opened that is. He sat up with a shudder and groan, shaking his head and looking around. His voice hoarse from screaming, but he managed a couple of words.
“Water… please.” Harry asked, and Hermione was the first one up to get him just that. It had a small bit of healing magic seeped into it, courtesy of the brightest witch of the age. “Thank’s, ‘Mione.” He said, smiling and then he drank every drop. He sighed and closed his eyes, before blinking them open. “Wand?” He asked, and he was presented with that as well, and Hermione could swear she saw a bit of pure, almost carnal, joy in his eyes when he touched it.
“Are you well, Harry my boy?” Dumbledore asked, and he got no response towards him, just a flick of Harry’s wand as the young man checked not only the time, but the date.
“Huh… well, that’s interesting.” Harry said, getting up and stretching, huffing as he twitched. “Ah, that’s tight.” He grumbled, before silently enlarging his boxers, sighing at the new movement. “Ooh… good. That was not getting any better.” He said, and Hermione noticed he was at least a foot taller, that was for sure, and looked more like a professional football player, than a going on sixth year student.
“My boy?” Dumbledore tried again, before he was ignored, as Harry looked around.
“Ugh, Grimmauld? Hate this place…” Harry mumbled, but in the silence everyone heard. “Dobby!” He called out, and when the aforementioned elf appeared, he kneeled and gave said elf a hug, a silent tear trickling from his eye at seeing his friend hearty and whole. “It’s so good to see you, my friend.” He said, and Dobby beamed and hugged Harry back, before stepping back.
“What can Dobby be doing for the Great and Powerful Master Harry Potter sir?” Dobby asked, and Harry chuckled gently.
“Dobby can be accepting to be bonded to the Most Ancient and Most Noble house of Potter, and Black.” Harry said, and Dobby nodded, before bowing, the bond snapping between them. It was nothing flashy, just a small burst of light in this. “Now, Dobby, as my Head Elf, you are to put Kreacher in line, and get this house cleaned up, is that alright, my friend?” He asked his elf, who nodded and bounced from one foot to the other.
“Dobby understands, and shall do as Master asks!” Dobby said, before he was gone in a soft ~pop~. Dumbledore, again, was about to speak, but Harry raised his hand to stall it again.
“Look, let's get this straight. I don’t like you, you’re an old goat fucker, but I know why I am here. That being said, i’ll take care of your problem for you, but on my own terms.” Harry said, getting gasps from those around him, and then a snort from Severus.
“Of course, we get a Potter that is even more arrogant than the last. Wonderful.” Snape said, and Harry’s lip curled just a bit, a mix of a smile, and grimace on his face.
“Severus Tobias Snape.” Harry said, almost wistfully. “Just as snarky as mine was, I managed to crack through his icy heart though.” He said, and then snorted softly. “I wonder if you’re as good of a lover as he was… guess we’ll never know.” He said, shrugging lightly and fiddling with his finger, where a ring would have been. He heard, more than saw, the surprised and almost horrified sputtering of Severus, as he turned to look around the room.
“If you are aware of your purpose, then perhaps we can get started, hmm?” Dumbledore said, his genial smile and tone of voice coming through once more.
“We can start tomorrow, I need to eat. Soul magic takes it out of you.” Harry said, before glancing at Hermione. “That’s right, Dumblefuck lied to you. This was a soul ritual, the Harry you new? Gone to meet his parents and Sirius, i’m a little envious.” He said, before shrugging and leaving the room, Remus shooting off right behind him.
~DDD~
It had been three days since ‘new Harry’, arrived, and so far? He had made a complete nuisance of himself. His reasoning? Sirius would have referred him to screw around with the idiots in his house, than to do anything productive for a bit. Dumbledore was not pleased, and Snape kept a wide, Hogwarts distanced berth from Grimmauld. It was on day four that Dumbledore had had enough, and came into the kitchen of Grimmauld, about to give one of his disappointed speeches, when he stopped.
In the renewed kitchen were two new faces, whom were not so much unwanted, but unexpected. Narcissa Malfoy, and her sister Andromeda were sitting at the table, drinking tea and basking in each others presence. Dumbledore did not understand how they got in, he was the secret keeper, after all. He did not give permission to Mrs. Malfoy, and he would have extracted and oath from Andromeda.
“They are my guests, shut up, and don’t ask. What do you want?” Harry said, turning from the stove, with an agitated Dobby looking at him, but it wasn’t like he cooked all the time.
“I simply wished to speak with you about your…” Dumbledore started, trying to think of a good word for it, but truly the surprise had his mind not firing on all cylinders at the moment.
“Oh, the job you pulled me from my home world from?” Harry said, grinning. “Just be glad that I was basically alone, otherwise I would have raised holy hell.” He said, passing a rasher of crispy bacon to Hedwig, who was on his shoulder. He might have cried when he saw her again, not that he’d tell anyone, that was for sure. “I’m working on it, so don’t get your knickers in a twist, Albus.” He said, before going back to cooking.
“As for Cissy and Dromy being here? It’s my house, and as I am master of the Wards, I am as much a secret keeper as you are.” Harry said, before sitting down to eat, Dobby cleaning up in no time at all. “Lucius doesn’t know, and his little carbon copy is happily prostrating himself on the robes of a psychotic idiot.” He said, shrugging, before looking at Narcissa. “What, it’s true.” He said, going back to his breakfast, and just flat out ignoring Dumbledore, who sat down and helped himself to the tea that was in the middle of the table.
“I take no offense, Harry.” Narcissa said, with a soft sigh. “I tried to raise him better, but he seems to be emulating his father, and it is rather bothersome. I do hope any child I have after him will listen to mother.” She said, and Dumbledore then noticed the lack of a ring on her finger, and her eyes caught his staring. “Narcissa Black, Dumbledore, effective yesterday.” She said with a smile, before going back to her conversation with her dearly missed sister.
“And how are you taking care of it, My boy?” Dumbledore asked, and he waited… and waited, until he gave a very disappointed sigh. When he still got no reaction, he glared for the barest of moments, before standing up and excusing himself. This was getting further out of his control, and he did not like that. Ah! Ms. Granger, they were friends, no doubt Harry spoke to her about things. He went to find her, not surprised to see her in the Library, with a tome that was probably half the age of his dearly departed friend, Nicholas Flamel.
“Good morning, Ms. Granger.” Dumbledore said, tone genial and jovial. He got a soft glance from her, it was mostly hardened from his little… fib to her, but the authority worship was still there, as he instilled into her.
“Good morning, Headmaster.” Hermione started, before going on. “Is there something I can help you with?” She asked, and he could have sworn there was an accusatory bite in her tone.
“Yes, you can my dear.” Dumbledore said, sitting down and smiling. “I was trying to speak with Mr. Potter, and well… it seems that he is not too keen on letting me in on his plans for our problem.” He said, a sigh of hurt in his tone. “I only want what's best for our world, and I want to help, you understand.” He said, and she nodded, before biting her lower lip gently.
“I would tell you, if I could, headmaster.” Hermione said, sighing. “He doesn’t really respond to me like he used to, if I am completely honest.” She said, leaning back. “He isn’t completely caustic to me, but well, he’s not exactly friendly.” She said, looking everywhere but his eyes, at least until she mastered the Occlumency from the book she was absorbing.
“I was afraid of this. Perhaps it is because he is not around more of his friends.” Dumbledore said, frowning and stroking his chin. “Alas, I will continue to work on him. Thank you, my dear. Enjoy your reading.” He said, getting up and leaving, not noticing the scowl aimed at his back, before Hermione went back to her book. Dumbledore mumbled to himself, about unruly children, before he went back to Hogwarts. If by the one week mark, Harry was still being uncooperative, he’d have to go to drastic measures.
~DDD~
On the seventh day he came back, with Severus in tow, against the latter man’s wishes. He did not want to be in the same house, let alone country, as the man who proclaimed to be a lover in his own reality. It… it made him feel rather disconcerted. Not disgusted, as he indeed did have a male lover, but… very uncomfortable. However, Dumbledore either did not notice, or did not care. Either way, they arrived around lunch time, to the sight of an expanded kitchen, where there seemed to be double the usual amount of people, even for an Order meeting, and it was a little festive.
“Albus, hello!” Molly said, bustling over to the man and patting his arm, before nodding to Severus, getting a curt one in return. “Are you here for the party?” She asked, and it was then that Dumbledore realized that yes, it was Harry’s birthday.
“Not quite, Molly, but we seemed to have come at the right time.” Dumbledore said, smiling softly. “And where, pray tell, is the birthday boy?” He asked, and she gestured to the head of the table, where he was laughing with Neville Longbottom, and a slightly flushed Ginny Weasley, who was sitting rather close to a napping Luna Lovegood.
“It’s so wonderful to see him so Happy.” Molly said, sighing lightly. “He told me everything about his old world, and it took a bit of convincing, but that boy really had never lied to me.” She said, before thinking. “Well, he’s not exactly a boy anymore, but he’ll always be one of mine.” She said, before she heard a soft ‘ding’, and gasped. “Ah, the cake! Do you know how long it took me to convince that sweet little elf to let me bake a cake?” She chuckled softly before bustling off to the much larger, than he saw last time, oven.
Dumbledore frowned, and as he was about to make his way towards Harry, he was nudged to the side, and a voice that he thought he’d never hear again, spoke.
“You’re in the way, Dumbledore. I have a gift I am delivering.” Came the silken, rich tones of Tom Riddle, a gaily wrapped gift in his hand. He was as he had been when he applied for the teaching position those many years ago. He looked to be in his forties, not the seventy years old he should be, and without the snake-like visage he had not a month prior at the Ministry.
“Tom! You made it, brilliant! Come, sit, eat.” Harry said, giving Severus one more, one last, wistful glance, before he gave Tom a genuine, brilliant smile. He would never be able to get what he once had, but maybe he could have something sweet, and new.
As Tom moved to the table, and while Harry thought to himself, Dumbledore had to catch himself from falling on his arse. His breathing coming a little heavier, as everything that was supposed to happen, was crashing down around him. Merlin’s beard, what in the bloody hell had happened?