Temporal Paradox: The Second Chance of Harry Potter

September 20th, 1976

The door to his office closed with a soft thud. Peverell was gone, leaving behind four very surprised professors.

"I - I did not expect that." Minerva cleared her throat: "That is something Dorea never mentioned when we talked about the boy."

"It comes as a surprise to me as well. Although it does explain why Harry never discriminated against muggleborns and had befriended a few of them in his first week." Horace added solemnly.

"What do you think, Albus?" Filius squeaked.

The headmaster hummed: "I agree that it is an interesting development, however, it is not completely unexpected. It would have been rather difficult for the Peverell family to keep living in secrecy if they continued marrying esteemed pureblood women from Europe's oldest families. I am surprised and slightly disappointed that I did not realize this earlier myself."

"Well, it does not change anything, does it?" Minerva looked around challengingly: "Mr. Peverell is still one of the most gifted students in this castle, no matter what blood flows through his veins. Besides, we can now be rest assured that he is very unlikely to harbor any bigoted intentions."

"I also think we should keep this knowledge to ourselves." Filius commented: "It was shared with us in confidence and the boy deserves his privacy. The press would have a field day if they learned of this."

"They would, wouldn't they..." Albus contemplated what this additional information meant if he combined it with everything else he knew about the boy so far. It was obvious from the way he spoke about them that Peverell was immensely proud of his parents. 'Yet if they had been killed so early in his life, he couldn't have learned that much about them, could he?'

"Well, I had best get back to my quarters." Horace mused: "I have a full day tomorrow and my fifth-years will certainly..."

He was interrupted by a cloud of silvery mist that suddenly shot right out of the office's floor. The cloud turned and twisted, growing denser until it shifted into a beautiful, proud white horse. 

"Is that a corporeal Patronus?" Minerva was gaping at the intrusion with her mouth wide open.

"I think it's safe to say that it is...." Albus commented, unable to tear his eyes off the beautiful creature's transformation. However, just when he thought the changes were complete, a pair of ethereal wings were batted on each side, their silvery glow illuminated the entire room.

"A Granian..." Horace whispered in fascination and took a few steps towards the creature: "Along with Abraxans and Thestrals they belong to the family of winged horses..."

The Patronus looked around the office until its eyes found the headmaster. Then it opened its mouth, speaking with a girl's voice: "Professor, a student was attacked at the northern end of the second-floor corridor. She is still alive, but just barely!"

"Ms. McKinnon?" Filius asked in a mix of pride and bewilderment when the Patronus vanished in thin air after delivering its message.

Albus shot up from his chair in an instance: "Fawkes!"

The golden bird, which had simply remained on its perch, looking at the silvery horse with a cooked, head burst into a golden flame and reappeared on the headmaster's shoulder. Another golden burst later and the headmaster was gone.

Minerva shook herself out of her state of shock: "Horace, I need you to go to Poppy immediately and have her prepare a bed, depending on the severity of the injuries we might have to contact Saint Mungo's. Filius, the entire castle is on lockdown, I want you to consult the ghosts, portraits, and house-elves to find out if they saw anything."

All three professors hurried to the door as quickly as their legs took them. Minerva closed the door to the office behind them with a flick of her wand: "I will be contacting the Headboy and Headgirl and gather the prefects of each house. All students are to remain in their common rooms!"

On the Second Floor

Banishing the images in front of her out of her thoughts and concentrating on something happy instead had never been harder. It had taken several attempts to conjure her Patronus, which in the end had been powered by Marlene's strongest memories of Harry and her. She prayed that it would reach its destination quickly.

"We have to take her down," Marlene whispered in terror, the hand that was holding her wand was trembling wildly. 

Next to her, a harsh choking sound indicated that Montgomery was currently emptying the contents of his stomach. The stench filled her nostrils, almost making her follow his example. 'Pathetic! He was not going to be of any help in this.'

She stared up at the small girl, the highlights of her robes indicated that she was a Gryffindor, yet Marlene did not know her name. 'Who would do this to another human?'

Her arms were outstretched to either side, held up by a pair of thick nails that had been beaten right through her wrists into the rough, dense stone behind her. Blood was leaking from the wounds in both her hands, dripping to the tiles beneath her in a steady flow and accumulating in a pool. Her feet were dangling freely, meaning that her entire weight was supported by her frail tortured arms.

'She was crucified.' Marlene shuddered. Undoubtedly a reference to her blood status... Just like the next thing that caught one's eye.

The only other physical wound that was visible was on the small girl's forehead. Her brown hair had been pulled to the back to expose it as much as possible. Marlene's stomach clenched as she glanced over the letter 'M' that was sliced into the skin. Blood leaked from it, covering the entire girl's face in crimson liquid.

A bright golden flame illuminated the corridor, Marlene felt the heat wash over her face. Her wand was aimed at the threat, fully expecting an attack, when a dimly lit corridor revealed purple robes, a long silvery beard, and matching hair.

The headmaster's pale face was a mask of fury and contempt as his usually twinkling blue eyes found the young student on the wall. His gaze darted up towards the message written in what Marlene assumed to be the girl's blood.

"Impossible!" The professor gasped. It was the first time she had ever seen a slip in his composure.

"Headmaster!" Marlene sighed in relief, too stressed out to think what the might meant by his comment: "I- I cast a basic monitoring spell. She still had a pulse, but it was very weak."

The professor merely nodded and stepped in front of her. His wand trailed over the injuries on the girl's wrist as he chanted in a foreign language: "The nails are cursed." He frowned: "The longer they remain embedded in her skin the more life force is dragged out of her. We have to remove them quickly and carefully..."

Marlene could not even begin to fathom how to counter such a spell, let alone how a Hogwarts student might acquire such knowledge. All she could do was watch the professor go to work.

Dumbledore waved his wand in a wide arc: "I placed a cushioning charm on the floor below her. Still, I would appreciate it if you could catch her before falling once I removed the nails, Ms. McKinnon."

"Ye-Yes, headmaster." She swallowed down a stab of panic and readied herself.

Dumbledore continued chanting in what Marlene now assumed to be either Aramaic or Hebrew while twirling his wand in complex patterns. The curse on the nails must be incredibly old, just like the method of torture that had been used on the poor girl.

The two thick nails started jerking after a few more seconds and with a wheezing sound, accompanied by a flick from Dumbledore's wand, they were yanked out of the wall and the poor girl's wrist.

Thankfully, Marlene had started with the incantation a second early. Her carefully aimed Aresto Momentum slowed the girl's fall enough for Dumbledore to cast a quick levitation charm on her, after dropping the two nails.

"Well, done Ms. McKinnon, if you don't mind, I would like you to accompany me to the hospital wing." Dumbledore hovered the second-year girl over to him to carry her in his arms bridal style. 

He aimed his wand at the two nails on the floor, murmuring an incantation too quiet for Marlene to hear. A golden sphere engulfed both nails, its surface shimmering with small ripples of magic: "They are safe to carry now and as the only evidence available it would be rather foolish to leave them here. I assure you that no harm will come to you, Ms. McKinnon."

"I will still carry them with my wand if you don't mind, sir." Giving it a perfect swish and flick, Marlene hovered the golden sphere a few feet in front of her in mid-air: "Are we walking up to the hospital wing, headmaster?" 

"The less magic she comes in contact with, the better right now. I am afraid that also includes magical travel, my friend." He added, speaking to seemingly nobody.

"Yes, sir...?" Marlene was startled momentarily when the phoenix, Fawkes as Harry called him, appeared on Dumbledore's shoulder in a golden flame. 'That already made more sense...'

"Mr. Montgomery, perhaps you wish to follow us up to the hospital wing as well." Dumbledore addressed the Ravenclaw Prefect, who was leaning against a nearby wall, his face as pale as an Inferi's: "Madam Pomfrey will be rather busy, but I'm sure we will find something for your stomach."

The boy merely nodded, not trusting himself to open his mouth, and started trotting behind Dumbledore and Marlene.

The phoenix thrilled a sad tune and bent his head low, peeking at the girl in Dumbledore's arms.

"I don't think your tears will do much to help her right now, Fawkes." The headmaster shook his head: "It's not her body that was poisoned but her mind and magic."

The strange quartet took off towards the main staircase, where they heard a pair of footsteps hurrying down the stairs: "Marlene, is that you?!"

"Harry!" She yelled out in relief, jumping multiple stairs at once to meet him halfway.

Her boyfriend's face, illuminated by three spinning orbs, which each radiated a bright blue light appeared just as they reached the next staircase.

"It's good to see you again, my boy." The headmaster greeted Harry while securing the girl in his arms for their journey up the many stairs: "Although I wish it was under more pleasant circumstances."

"Who did this to her?" Harry grimaced as he spotted the girl in the headmaster's arms: "Who was it?"

"I don't know!" Marlene threw her arms around his neck and breathed in his scent. Somehow it did wonders to calm her. The couple separated and the group continued its path up the staircase. Harry had somehow taken control over her own levitation charm without Marlene even noticing and was now hovering the rusty nails a few inches before his eyes.

"Marlene, what did you see?" Harry had grasped both her hands and was looking at her with cold green eyes. She had never seen him as serious as now, with the exception of when he stole the Cup from the Lestranges.

"I- I found her at the end of the corridor." Marlene pointed behind her: "They nailed her to the wall and wrote a message on the stones above her in her own blood. It was horrible, Harry."

"What message?" Harry was shaking her shoulder ever so slightly, urging her to continue: "What was the message, Marlene?!"

She gulped heavily. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed that the headmaster was watching their interaction with interest while carrying the girl: 

"The Heir of Slytherin has returned,

The cleansing of Hogwarts has begun.

Enemies of the heir, 

Beware…"

Marlene recited the entire message from memory, words she would likely never forget for the rest of her life.

Harry's face lost any remaining color, a reaction Dumbledore seemed to notice too. Her boyfriend's eyes briefly darted over to the headmaster and he composed himself, exhaling deeply.

Marlene could tell he knew something, just as the headmaster did. Still, she managed to stop herself from blowing whatever cover he was holding and did not ask him about it. Unfortunately, it was too late for his reaction to go unnoticed.

"Mr. Peverell, I don't think I need to tell you that if you know anything about this incident the door to my office will always be open for you, my boy." Dumbledore eyes him seriously.

"I don't know anything, professor," Harry replied in a monotone voice, yet his eyes narrowed on the magically protected nails as he rotated them with his wand, his lips moving ever so slightly in a silent whisper. 'Was he analyzing them?'

"I'm not foolish enough to suggest that you are involved in this, my boy. After all, you've been up in my office with me and several of my colleagues for the last hour." The headmaster explained while entering the next staircase, which had moved over to them just when they arrived on the platform. Somehow the castle recognized their need to move upwards as quickly as possible. Or perhaps the staircases simply adhered to the headmaster's command.

Since Harry remained quiet, the professor spoke up again: "You might have very well saved young Lisa Miller's life, Ms. McKinnon. One of the few disadvantages of having my office so high up is that it usually takes the students almost ten minutes to get to me in case of an emergency. How long have you been able to cast a Patronus if I may ask?"

Harry's narrowed eyes briefly darted over to her. A small trace of pride flickered over his face and his eyes softened a bit, he inclined his head ever so slightly as if to say: 'You know what to do...'

"I started practicing towards the end of last term." Marlene cleared her throat. Despite the fact that she did cast it eventually, she was still a bit let down: "I underestimated the difficulty of casting one in less-than-ideal situations."

"You should be very proud of yourself, Ms. McKinnon." The headmaster's eyes twinkled with amusement: "I dare say you will become even more proficient with the spell if you continue practicing with Mr. Peverell. I assume he was the one that taught you?"

A small stab of offense surged up within her. Once again, the headmaster was trying to provoke her into revealing information about her boyfriend. This time, he was subtly attacking her pride, knowing that it would irritate her. Harry might have given her advice to build the foundation for the spell, but it was still her that put hours of work into practicing and perfecting it.

"I am afraid you are mistaken, headmaster." Marlene held her head high in pride: "My brothers taught me the basics and through hours of self-study I became better at it. As Aurors, one expects them to be acquainted with the Patronus charm."

"I didn't mean to offend you, Ms. McKinnon." Dumbledore chuckled. Thankfully they were about to arrive at the hospital wing: "But it has sometimes been recorded that the form of our Patronus tends to relate to whoever taught us the charm." His eyes drifted over to Harry for a second: "I merely noticed the similarities between the totem of Mr. Peverell's family and your own form."

"An interesting theory, sir." Marlene nodded reluctantly, knowing fully well that it was the most likely one to explain her form: "However, I will remind you that the totem of House McKinnon is a white stallion as well. I'm leaning towards that influencing my final form, especially since my brothers taught me."

"It's not unlikely," The headmaster inclined his head. Then he spotted the matron waiting for them in front of the doors to the hospital wing: "Ah Poppy, I hope you have a bed prepared?"

"Bring her in, Albus, quickly bring her in." The woman gestured for the headmaster to follow her with her wand: "The two of you will please stay outside." She added towards Harry and Marlene: "The fewer people, the fewer distractions I will have."

"I'll leave these with you headmaster." Harry flicked his wand and sent the golden sphere surrounding the two nails over to a nearby table.

"You have my gratitude, Harry and so do you, Ms. McKinnon, for everything you did tonight." Albus followed the matron inside the wing and turned around last time: "Please keep the events of tonight to yourself for now. I will address the school in the morning."

As soon as the heavy doors to the infirmary closed Harry turned around and seized her hand: "I need to see the message for myself."

Marlene felt somewhat reluctant to go back to the crime scene so soon but nodded nevertheless: "We can take the shortcut now that Dumbledore isn't with us."

Harry nodded absently while pulling out the Marauder's map: "McGonagall has called upon all the Prefects to patrol the corridors in groups of five." 

"Disillusionment charms then." Marlene hummed and received another nod from her boyfriend. "You can also take the Cloak if you'd like."

"I've got this." She pulled her wand and mimicked Harry's movement. 

It felt almost like cracking an egg on your own head, as a cold shimmer of magic washed over her from head to toe. She held her own hand in front of her face, flexing her fingers to test if it worked. Only the tiniest ripples gave away that there might be solid matter right in front of her. Harry was completely swallowed by nothingness. His disillusionment charm was perfect as always.

Taking the shortcut and going downstairs allowed the two teenagers to arrive back at the scene only a few minutes later where they canceled their concealment charms. Harry once more conjured his bright floating orbs of light and flicked them towards the wall.

"Please watch the Map while I take a closer look." He handed her the large piece of parchment and walked up to the wall. Marlene's eyes occasionally darted up from the Map to witness him analyzing each letter and spending almost a full minute at the two holes the nails had left behind.

"It was him, wasn't it?" Marlene spoke up after ensuring that no one was close and there were no portraits that could overhear them: "You said that one of his Horcruxes was smuggled back into the castle. He is the only one who proclaimed to be the heir of Slytherin in the last few decades..."

"Yes, it's him in a sense." Harry took a couple of steps backward and grimaced: "Or should I say a student acting out his will."

"What was the other room you were hiding from him?" Marlene cupped his jaw and forced her boyfriend to look at her: "The one you're the Secret Keeper of..."

He simply stared at her for a few seconds before swallowing heavily: "I'll show you."

Harry took her hand and led her down the corridor roughly fifty meters until they reached a blank stone wall.

"Another hidden room?" Marlene raised an eyebrow at him.

"You'll remember this one." Harry's lips tucked upwards. He bent down close to her and whispered in her ear: "The bathroom of the Moaning Myrtle is located in the northern corridor on the second-floor of Hogwarts."

Marlene's head spun, knowing that her boyfriend had just shared a secret under a Fidelius charm with her. A familiar door appeared, leading to place any female student at Hogwarts avoided by their second week at the castle. The reason for that was a particularly annoying ghost that terrorized anyone who intend to use the bathroom. 'Why in Morgana's name did Harry hide this room?'

"I know I've said those words before, but I promise I can explain." Harry chuckled as he pulled the handle and gestured for her to enter.

"I haven't been here in pretty much five years." Marlene glanced around. her eyes roamed over wet tiles, white sinks, and a set of stalls along the wall.

"Myrtle will not bother us tonight because she can't find this place anymore either." Harry explained: "She was not in here when I cast the charm, so she does not know the secret."

"What's so special about this room?" Marlene inquired curiously, trying to spot anything suspicious: "Why would the Horcrux want to access it?"

"This room acts as the sole entrance to another, much larger room." Harry gestured for her to come over before taking her hand: "There is a certain skill I have not yet shared with you. That skill makes me one of the very few people who can access this second room."

Marlene frowned while her thoughts were racing. Somehow she had a bad feeling about where he was going with this: "So V - Voldemort and therefore his Horcrux have this skill as well?"

Harry nodded and led her over to one of the sinks. He'd never looked as nervous when revealing any of his other secrets. She tried to put his mind to ease: "You're still my Harry and I will not hold this against you. Trust me."

He gave her a soft smile: "I was hoping you would say that."

A long, drawn-out hissing sound made her gaze drop from his eyes to his lips. The sink next to her shifted, revealing a deep, dark tunnel, leading downwards.

"You- You're a Slytherin?" Marlene gaped in utter shock. She had been prepared for a lot after the many surprising things Harry had revealed to her so far, however, she would have never expected this.

"No..." Harry disagreed: "...I am a Peverell."

His mouth opened once more and another hiss escaped his lips, making Marlene shudder involuntarily. The smooth stone of the tunnel shifted into sets of stairs leading into the darkness.

"But I-I don't understand? How are you a Parselmouth?!"

"I can explain it in more detail if you wish." Harry chuckled: "But for that, I need you to trust me." He held up his hand and stepped down onto the first stair.

"Where are you taking me?" Marlene swallowed her nerves, glimpsing past his shoulder.

His lips curled into a familiar, mischievous grin: "To Salazar Slytherin's legendary Chamber of Secrets."

September 21st, 1976

The nerves of the other students were almost palpable as they whispered among one another on their house tables. His own peers were no different, sharing the numerous rumors that have been spread by some Hufflepuff Prefect last night and in the early hours. 'They were right to feel frightened.'

The ancient muggle lover stood from his chair and spread his arms. The noise died down instantly; the silence that followed felt almost calming to him.

"I know that many of you have heard rumors of what happened last night after curfew." The headmaster began his pathetic attempt to calm his students. 'It won't work.' 

"It is my belief, however, that the truth is generally preferable to lies and rumors. I believe you have a right to know what happened."

The tension in the air, the fear, and nervousness of whether the horrible rumors might be confirmed... 'It felt almost ecstatic to him.'

"Last night, Lisa Miller, a second-year Gryffindor, was attacked and severely injured..." The old man continued, his expression one of grief: "It was only thanks to a remarkably quick response by one of our Prefects that her life could be saved."

His teeth clenched together in fury. Fingernails dug into the flesh on his palm so deeply that they almost drew blood. 'She was not supposed to survive. Someone had crossed his plans.'

"Ms. Miller has been stabilized in our infirmary before she was sent to Saint Mungo's during the night, where she is currently being treated by a team of specialists. We expect her to make a full recovery, yet unfortunately, she will be unable to join us for some time."

'There should be nothing left of her. A squib, her magic taken from her forcefully, just as it should have been done when she saw the light of this world.'

"The staff, our Headstudents, and Prefects will continue to work on finding out how this incident could take place unnoticed. Regardless, a delegation of Aurors from the Ministry will start their own investigations during the coming days."

They will not find anything... 'And once they're gone, we will simply strike again. And again. And again.'

"I urge you to cooperate with them as best as you can. In addition, should any of you have noticed or witnessed something that might be related to the attack on Ms. Miller, please turn to either a prefect, your Head of House, or any other member of staff. Hogwarts is a place for learning, not for cowardly, savagery attacks on other students."

'He would never understand the importance of our work. What a disgusting waste of power and potential.'

"I promise you that the perpetrator will soon be found and brought to rightful justice. In the meantime, please refrain from wandering the corridors by yourself, especially after curfew, and try to surround yourself with your peers at all times. As an additional measurement, to give each of us a small boost of confidence and the means to defend ourselves, the staff has decided to reintroduce the Hogwarts Dueling Club!"

For the first time since the crooked-nosed fool started his speech, there was some reaction from the students. The announcement was met with cheers and whispers of excitement. He snorted: 'As if teaching some first years the disarming charm was going to stop his work. This would only make things easier for him by giving the students a false sense of security...'

"It may look like dark times lie ahead of us, but I firmly believe that they can be overcome together. If you need support adjusting to this new unorthodox situation, please reach out to any of us. Help will always be given at Hogwarts to those who deserve it."

'Finally, it was over.' He remained seated for a few more seconds before joining the sea of students that vacated the Great Hall. Things might not have gone perfectly according to plan, and yet the effect on the students was the desired one. 'Fear.'

They might fear him for now, but soon they would understand. They will see for themselves once the school has been purged of those unworthy to study here... those unworthy of the gift within their blood...

'A gift.'

There was another with the gift.

His anger swallowed him like a shadow. Anger at being banished from his realm, from where he belonged. Anger at being unable to follow the instructions and find the one instrument that is supposed to help him overcome this barrier. 

Either there was no hidden room on the seventh floor, or he had simply not looked hard enough yet. He had to simply try harder and redouble his efforts...

'We will find it soon, Thomas...'

'Thomas...'

'Was that still his name?'

'Or was it Tom already?'

'Where did the former end and the latter begin... 'Could one even draw a line by now?'

Ever since it had been given to him by his father, with strict order to keep it secure at all times, Thomas had dutifully written into the diary each day. Initially it had been quite the surprise when the pages responded to him, but over time he had gotten used to it. The diary had promised to make him stronger and more capable the longer he would write in it. A promise that had been kept, along with every other Tom made to him.

By now he felt incomplete without him, without the permanent companion that had taught him more than six years of magical education combined. Tom had become just as much part of him as his own flesh and blood, as his own magic and mind.

He had changed over the last few months ever since he had been trusted with his companion. Naturally, he noticed the effects it had on him himself. A new level of confidence, ambition, cunning, and ruthlessness. Classes no longer caused a struggle, knowledge was absorbed in steady streams... 'His power grew each day.' 

But there was also less empathy for anything that did not support the cause, fewer distractions, and less triviality. But those sacrifices were worth it. 'He had a goal now, a purpose, and nothing would stop him.'

'But someone was trying to stop him...'

He had an enemy within this castle. Someone who actively prevented him from reaching said goal... 'An enemy who had taken something personal from him.'

'That was unacceptable.'

'But he must follow the plan...' Soon he would strike once more against those that couldn't defend themselves. He will continue learning from Tom and very soon, the enemy will be forced to reveal themselves... 'It was only a matter of time...'

Until then there were lots to do. A Prefect had dared to cross his plans and prevented the weak girl from meeting her fate. Therefore, a Prefect must die for this interference.

His lips curled into a cold smile. There has to be balance. 'It was only fair.'

'But the target will have to be chosen carefully...' Some of those who dared call themselves his friends were already getting suspicious of his change in behavior. He would have to lay low for a while or risk pulling the attention of the staff, or worse, the Aurors on himself...

And yet, his work would continue. He was simply preparing himself to attack again...

'Thomas Avery - No! - Tom Marvolo Riddle was nothing if not patient.'