Temporal Paradox: The Second Chance of Harry Potter

October 27th, 1976

The headmaster sighed deeply as he pulled out an old, yellowed file that he'd hoped to never ponder over again.

Myrtle Elizabeth Warren (January 1928 – June 1943)

It's been over a month since the Aurors had started their investigation at Hogwarts, yet so far they had been unsuccessful in finding any leads whatsoever. None of the students held any knowledge of who could have perpetrated the brutal attack on young Lisa Miller and with the girl still struggling to recover, she was unlikely to give the investigators any leads.

Therefore, Albus had continued his own research, starting with a more in-depth analysis of the message that has been left behind. It was the first line that held his attention more than the ones that followed: 

The Heir of Slytherin has returned...

There was only one person who would ever publicly proclaim to be a descendant of Salazar Slytherin, yet there was no way said person could have entered the wards of the school without Albus finding out. In addition, what reason could Lord Voldemort have to attack some second-year muggle-born girl? Especially when he had powerful enemies out there, both politically and magically?

'It didn't make any sense.'

However, there were some similarities between this recent attack and another, which happened a long time ago. In fact, it happened during a time the current Dark Lord was a student at this very school.

Albus flipped through the file of the girl, a wave of sadness overcoming him as he glanced over the photo of a young girl lying motionless on white tiles, surrounded by puddles of water. Back then, he had already suspected Tom to be behind the murder, yet there had been no way to prove it, especially with the boy's reputation among Albus' colleagues and the former headmaster.

Two muggleborn girls had been attacked with lethal means. Both times a message had been left behind. The first time, it was proclaimed that the legendary Chamber of Secrets had been opened. The second time, it was the return of Slytherin's heir. There had to be a connection between the two murders...

Albus frowned as he glimpsed another photo, one showing the entrance to the alleged crime scene. Myrtle Warren had been found on the second floor. But not just anywhere on the second floor. She had been found in the girls' bathroom...

Albus shut the file and jumped out of his chair despite his old age. His thoughts were racing, building a spider web of connections between the different events.

Neither he nor Argus or any other member of staff had been able to find the girls' bathroom on the second floor. In fact, most of his colleagues had even forgotten that it existed in the first place until they were reminded of it. Even the trusty house-elves could no longer locate it. Yet, there might be one person, who could potentially still have access to it...

"Listen up, everyone!" Albus looked up to his left and right, addressing the portraits of every former headmaster at Hogwarts: "I need you to spread a message to all the portraits in the castle:"

"The Ghost of the Moaning Myrtle is to be found and asked to visit me in my office. Spread the message to any other ghosts that you might see. Involve the stands of armor and the house-elves as well. Myrtle has to be found as soon as possible!"

He received signs of approval and nods of confirmation. Albus even witnessed Phineas Nigellus Black vacate his frame to perform the assigned task. Feeling too excited to sit back down in his chair, the headmaster walked over to Fawkes' stand.

 'This was more than a lead... This was a major breakthrough.'

"You wished to see me, headmaster?"

A pale, silvery form emerged from the floor of his office. She wore a school uniform and was it not for the fact that she floated and was almost transparent, one might mistake her for a current student.

"Good evening to you, Myrtle." The headmaster smiled, doing his best to calm his own nerves: "Thank you for answering my call so quickly."

"Of course, headmaster, I felt rather bored anyway. Just like yesterday. And the day before that." She trailed off, taking in his office through her thick glasses.

"Myrtle, If I am not mistaken you prefer to stay in a bathroom on the second floor, don't you?"

"Not you as well, headmaster." The girl pouted: "I did not take you for someone who would bully his students."

"I apologize." Dumbledore held up his hands, not wanting to antagonize the girl and risk her leaving: "How about you tell me why you have been bored?"

"Well, it's rather obvious, isn't it?" She narrowed her eyes: "I have been kicked out, headmaster!"

"What do you mean, kicked out?" Albus sat on the edge of his chair.

"Well, I sometimes leave the familiarity of my stall to take a stroll around the castle." She giggled: "Usually I end up in the prefects' bathroom. The couples there are constantly too distracted to notice me anyway. However afterward, I always return to my stall. Until last time..."

Dumbledore tried to overhear some parts of what he had just been told, in favor of concentrating on the ones that actually mattered. 'Best not let Minerva hear this though.': "What happened last time?"

"You're getting old, headmaster." The girl continued giggling: "Did I not just tell you that I got kicked out?"

"I was merely wondering if you might be able to explain the circumstances?" Albus tried.

"My bathroom is gone, headmaster!" She stomped on her heel, crossing her arms in front of her chest: "I can no longer enjoy my loneliness in my personal retreat. It has been taken from me."

Albus was barely able to hide his excitement. "Do you still remember where it was and simply find yourself unable to enter it, or can you no longer pinpoint where it should be and can't even find it in the first place?"

"I can't find it!" Marlene pouted: "It has been swallowed by the stupid walls of this castle." She scowled at the ceiling and floor of his office: "Now I am forced to find abandoned corners down in the dungeons because no other bathroom could ever replace my old one."

"I am sorry you're going through that much trouble, my girl." Albus hummed absently. 

On one hand this explained much and on the other it further complicated things. The bathroom had truly vanished from the face of the earth if neither the staff nor the house-elves and even the ghosts could no longer find it. There had to be a way to specify the pieces of magic that might be capable of this...

"Myrtles, you've been a great help to me tonight and I hope you feel comfortable enough to answer one last question for me."

"Perhaps. Perhaps not." The girl shrugged, seemingly amused at the fact that she was needed so desperately.

'Here goes nothing.' "I'm well aware that it is a sensitive subject for you, yet I was hoping you could tell me a bit more about how exactly you died, especially the last few things you saw."

"That is very inconsiderate of you, headmaster!" She crossed her arms in front of her chest again and glared at Albus: "I told you back then that I don't want to talk about it and I will repeat the same thing now. Why can't you just listen?!"

"Myrtle, I apologize -"

"Good night, headmaster!" She vanished in a blur of silver, leaving the same way she appeared by simply dropping right through the floor.

Albus cursed under his breath, having ruined his opportunity to learn more from the girl. If only he had shown more patience, the girl might have shared even more with him unconsciously. 

Nevertheless, it had not been a complete waste of time. The opposite was true, Albus was almost certain that he could pinpoint the piece of magic that had been used down to a few spells.

'Spells with the power to bend and twist reality itself...'

The one that seemed the most obvious was also one that he would have never expected anyone to be able to cast in the castle, let alone a student.

'Well, with the exception of one student that is...'

Yet more important than the how was why Harry Peverell felt the need to hide a secret via the Fidelius Charm at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

In addition, unless Albus was mistaken, the spell had been cast twice. Once on the second floor and a few days later on the third floor. The choice of spell also partly explained Ms. McKinnon's involvement. Burdening a single soul with two reality-bending secrets was dangerous. Peverell must have chosen his girlfriend as the Secret Keeper for whatever second room they tried to hide.

'Surely the promise he made to Gellert had to be overlooked due to the current circumstances?'

He was the headmaster of a school and the safety of his students was of utmost importance. He remembered the boy's reaction upon being told the message that had been written in Ms. Miller's blood on the wall. There was no doubt that Harry Peverell knew more about this attack than he revealed to the outside world.

Albus decided that it was time to invite the boy to his office once more. 

Peverell might be a very clever boy, unlike anyone that had roamed the halls of this castle, but even the brightest and the best occasionally made mistakes, as Albus knew far too well himself.

November 3rd, 1976

"Can I take it off now?"

"Not yet!" Harry yelled over his shoulder. Closing his eyes again, he imagined the last few finer details that the room needed to create. He twisted the brightness of the chandelier a bit while flicking his fingers and hearing the fireplace roaring with flames behind him.

"Alright." Harry looked around and nodded in satisfaction: "You can take it off now."

"Finally..." Marlene's fingers fidgeted with the loop of the blindfold he applied a few minutes earlier. She slowly turned on the spot once, her eyes widening in marvel as she took in everything around her. 

The room Harry created was a mix between the Gryffindor common room and the living room at McKinnon Manor. He had hoped to achieve the same level of coziness and the warm, welcoming atmosphere while also providing Marlene with the familiarity of her own home.

"It's absolutely perfect, Harry." Her eyes traveled back up to his and she shot him a soft smile. Leaning in, she pressed her lips to his, letting her fingers roam through his hair.

Today was Friday, Marlene's seventeenth birthday, and Harry had asked her to join him up in the Room of Requirement to spend the evening together. This was her special day, and despite her telling him countless times already that it was already immaculate the way it was, Harry had the ambition to make it a day she'd never forget for the rest of her life.

"I do have one more surprise for you." Harry broke the kiss hesitantly and pulled her towards the small table in the center of the room.

He flicked his wand and a plain wooden box, a bottle of champagne and two glasses appeared out of thin air. Harry popped the bottle open and poured each of them a rather generous amount: "To you, Marlene. Cheers, my love!"

She allowed him to pull her in his arms from behind while they watched the flames crackle in the large fireplace and sipped on their glasses occasionally. Harry brought his hands around her, holding up the small wooden box in front of her belly: "This is also for you."

"You already gave me something wonderful, Harry." Marlene reminded him, leaning back against his chest: "This has been a perfect day already. Are you sure you don't want to keep whatever this is for Christmas?"

"So far you've only received a few roses and my undivided attention." Harry whispered in her ear and kissed the sensitive skin right on her neck. "I'm sure you will enjoy this one just as much."

She took the box out of his hands and slowly slipped the lid off, revealing its insides. Marlene stiffened in his arms as the light from the chandelier caught a golden piece of jewelry set on a bed of deep red satin, giving the appearance that it sparkled from within. 

"This is gorgeous, Harry."

The necklace looked like it was made out of hundreds of tiny strands of gold, thin as hairs, intertwined and curled around each other, However, when Marlene brought it up close to her eye, Harry could tell that she immediately detected the many small details.

"They look like snakes." Marlene noticed in astonishment: "See, each golden strand has two tiny diamonds at some point, which almost look like a pair of eyes."

"They do, don't they." Harry nodded absently, his fingers trailing soft circles over her stomach, while he watched with amusement as his girlfriend analyzed the gift.

"And what kind of gemstone is this?" Marlene gestured to the bottom of the necklace, where a deep blue stone was held by strings of gold: "It's lighter than one might think but the blue is the most eccentric I've ever seen in a stone."

"From what I've learned it's a Benitoite, one of the rarest gemstones in the world." Harry whispered: "This one is over a millennium old. The entire piece is actually goblin made, so it will only absorb what might strengthen it and repel everything else. Want to take a guess where I found it?"

Her head spun around to look at him in surprise.

"Well, I'm glad you did not buy it." Marlene sighed in relief and leaned back against him: "I don't even want to know how much something like this would cost."

"Gold is worth nothing without someone important to spend it with," Harry murmured.

She bid her bottom lip and turned the necklace in the light: "Knowing you it's probably one of a kind. The snakes make me think it has something to do with Salazar Slytherin. You are blood-related after all..."

"You're right." Harry chuckled: "I found it in his vault at Gringotts, along with the information that it had once been a gift to his wife. It was passed down among the females of the family until someone decided it was better stored in the vault."

'Was it too much? Was he moving too fast?'

She stilled in his arms and carefully returned the necklace into the wooden box. Placing the container back down on the table, she turned around to face him, her face mere inches away from him.

"An item from a Founder." Her eyes sparkled with emotions. "Thank you, Harry. Not just for the necklace. For the entire day and for each week I've been able to enjoy myself with you. The day you decided to be a stubborn Gryffindor and continued to pursue me, despite the many hardships, was one of the luckiest days in my life."

He came a long way from watching her being forced to marry another, to holding her in his arms. Yet he would do it all again in a heartbeat. 'Marlene was worth it.'

A chuckle threatened to escape his lips, yet he forced it back down upon seeing blue orbs turning slightly watery: "I still don't know how I deserved someone like you, Harry..."

"We deserve each other..." He cupped her face and wiped away a single tear with the tip of his thumb: "I love you, Marlene."

His voice turned slightly hoarse and he swallowed a lump in his throat: "You're everything and more to me. I will never be able to express in words or gifts how much you truly mean to me. I can't wait to face the future with you at my side."

"Me too." Her mouth opened in a slight gasp as she stared up at him in a mix of wonder and devotion. Suddenly her lips came crashing against his as she threw her arms around his neck, pouring everything she struggled to express into the kiss.

She tasted of champagne, mixed with sweet lip-gloss and a hint of chocolate. Harry quickly recovered and reciprocated the kiss just as passionately, giving her no doubt how much he appreciated and wanted her right now.

Something primal, deep inside of Harry roared in triumph and his hands tightened their grip on Marlene's hips, pulling her closer to him until their bodies were pressed against each other.

Her hands continued roaming through his hair, caressing his neck until they reached the hem of his robes and shrugged them off his shoulders. Marlene pushed him back slightly until the back of Harry's knees connected with the edge of a bed, which he was certain hadn't been there when he designed the room earlier.

He had no idea which one of them wished for a bed. It might have been him, it might have been her, or perhaps it was the room itself, helping them out and reading their heated intentions for them. 'What did it matter?'

Marlene gave his chest a gentle push, so Harry allowed himself to fall onto the softest mattress he had ever felt. He was surrounded by squishy pillows, yet paid them no mind. He was too focused on the girl still standing in front of him, looking like a radiant goddess as her golden hair danced around her face.

Marlene shot him a sultry, heated look and without breaking eye contact, dragged the straps of her long dress over her shoulder, letting it fall down her body until the silk pooled to the floor and she stepped out of it.

Harry caught his breath as he glimpsed at deep blue lace, partly covered by the pair of arms she had crossed in front of her breasts. She let her hands fall to her sides and stepped closer to him, revealing matching panties. 

When she reached the bed, she slowly crawled up until she hovered on her hands and knees right above him, batting her eyelashes and smirking down at him. "Do you like what you see, Harry?"

'What kind of question was that?'

His hormones took over and he seized her, pulling her warm body down to him and capturing her lips once more while his hands roamed over her curves. He explored every inch of her, from the soft skin of her neck, to the valley of her back and her remarkably well-shaped behind, which he cupped with both hands, giving it a tentative squeeze.

Meanwhile, Marlene propped herself up on her elbows, her hands fidgeting with his belt until she managed to open it and allow him to shrug his jeans off. His shirt followed soon after, allowing Marlene to draw a path of goosebumps on his skin as she trailed her fingers up and down his abs, chest, shoulders, and arms.

Soon her touches grew more demanding and so did his own. Again and again, her hands trailed over his boxers, brushing against his length with more purpose each time they did so. At the same time, Harry's fingers dipped underneath the clasps of her panties or her bra, playing with the thin straps and making his intentions more than obvious.

"I'll take it off if you do the same," Marlene smirked, whispering in his ear. She nibbled on his ear lobe ever so slightly as her lips came down to his jaw, plastering it with soft kisses.

"Deal." Harry did not need to be told twice and parted from his last piece of clothing in a split second. He shivered when Marlene's fingers found his hard length and curled around it, her thumb brushing over the tip. 

Stroking him up and down his girlfriend whispered: "I always keep my promises."

She leaned backward, sitting up straight on his crotch while her hand vanished behind her back, all the while not breaking eye contact for a single second. Harry's mouth went dry as he heard a small clicking noise and the next second a piece of blue lace dropped in his lap.

His hands wandered up from her waist, cupping each generous mound of firm pale flesh, teasing her nipples with his fingers. As usual, he was at a loss for words to describe his girlfriend's beauty, yet he could always show her. A small yelp escaped her lips as Harry turned them over, pinning her body underneath his.

Kissing her deeply, he murmured against her lips: "You say you don't break your promises, yet you still have some clothing on."

"I'm just waiting for you to take it off already," Marlene replied coyly.

Harry grinned, placing another kiss on her lips, before wandering south, leaving a trail of kisses from her neck to her breasts. Soft gasps escaped her lips when he took each nipple in his mouth in turn, letting his tongue dart around them before moving further down to her inner thigh.

Marlene's underwear joined the rest of the clothes on the floor around the bed while Harry marveled at his girlfriend's allure. He traced the tip of his tongue from her inner thigh to her heat, drawing gentle circles, before slipping his tongue into her, a familiar, faintly sweet taste filling his mouth.

"Oh Harry!" Marlene moaned, tugging down on his hair, pressing his head further in between her thighs: "Keep doing that!"

He continued brushing his tongue over her, while her legs twitched and shivered beside him. Her breath came in hitches, pausing each time his tongue found that particularly sensitive spot at the top. 

He added a single finger and continued to pleasure her the way she preferred it, firmly set on bringing as much delight to her as humanly possible.

Hips bucked and were pushed upwards against his mouth while she shivered and twitched under his caring touches. Marlene began to gasp his name repeatedly, her breath hitching as her hands fisted in his hair. She soon came undone underneath him with a low, drawn-out cry of pleasure.

Harry crawled up next to her, a very satisfied smirk on his lips as he watched his girlfriend sighing contently with a joyful smile on her face and gleaming with a faint sheen of sweat. 

"That was good." Her breasts heaved up and down: "That was really good."

"I am glad you enjoyed it." Harry nibbled her bottom lip, trailing his fingers up and down her legs, brushing over her slick folds occasionally despite knowing how sensitive she was right now.

Marlene brought his head back down to her lips, kissing him fiercely as her hands began trailing down his chest and abs until her fingers curled around him again: "I would return the favor and perhaps I still will later, but I have something else planned for tonight." She whispered in his ear.

"Marlene, we don't-"

She silenced him with another kiss: "I know that we don't have to, Harry, but I want to. I want you to be mine completely and I know you feel the same."

'She was right.' He wanted nothing more than that. Something possessive stirred deep inside of him: 'She will finally be his, and his only.'

"Are you- Are you sure?" Harry broke the kiss briefly to stare into her eyes, looking for any hints of doubt.

"I want you, Harry. Only you..." She nodded and beamed up at him, blue orbs full of love and devotion, yet Harry also spotted lust and desire. Desire for him... Desire for him to be her first.

"Is it safe?" Harry gulped.

She giggled underneath him: "I've been taking a certain potion for over a month now. Besides, these days wouldn't be my lucky ones anyway."

"Okay..." His heart was pounding against his ribs as he swallowed heavily: "...I promise to be gentle."

"I know you will." She kissed him once more and started stroking him again with one hand until his breath hitched and he moaned her name against her lips: "Make love to me, Harry."

His eyes darkened in desire as he positioned himself in between her legs, brushing his tip against her fold and the glistering wetness between them. He teased her silken heat a few more times before gently lowering himself into her opening and entering her for the first time.

Marlene let out a low hiss as her nails scraped over the skin of his back and her body stiffened underneath him. Harry paused immediately and looked at her worryingly: "Should we stop?"

"I'm okay." She kissed him after taking a couple of deep breaths and relaxed a little: "You can keep going."

"We'll take all the time you need." He gradually lowered himself further down and pulled back slightly. 

Each time he went a little bit further until there were no more traces of discomfort on her face. Instead, she stared up at him with impossible wide blue eyes, her mouth slightly opened, almost like in surprise: "It feels so incredible finally having you inside me..."

"I was about to say the same." Harry moaned.

'This was unlike anything he experienced with other girls.'

Being engulfed by her tight, wet, and incredibly warm core, Harry was forced to control himself and not simply pound away. This was his girlfriend's first time, and he was firmly set on making it perfect for her, no matter how difficult it might be to control his most primal urges.

"You can go faster, Harry." She moaned against his lips: "I want you to take me. Show me how much you love me..."

Harry increases the pace of his thrusts even further and lowered himself deeper into her. She started meeting his thrust with her hips, her body shaking each time they met in the middle. Harry watched as the firm, pale flesh of her breasts bounced underneath him, squeezing one softly and flicking her nipple with his thumbs.

Soon soft moans and gasps mixed under Marlene's breath. She pulled him closer, pressing her lips against his, and demanding entrance with her tongue. Harry was more than happy to oblige, never growing tired of their tongues' heated battle for dominance as they explored each other's mouths. 

"Harder, Harry!" The command was moaned against his lips while her legs hooked behind his waist, pulling him even deeper into her with each thrust: "I'm yours, only yours..."

"You're mine, love." He growled into her ear. 

Listening to her encouraging him was all the motivation he needed. Her nails scratched over his skin, pressing his hard chest flat down against her breasts. She held him in position with her legs and arms, urging him to continue pounding into her.

Heat pooled in his belly as he watched her with her eyes closed, lips apart, moaning his name and only his, again and again and again. 

'She was perfect.'

'And she was his.'

Harry felt himself approaching his own climax, having been caught by surprise by her willingness and the incredible feeling of moving within her tight heat. 

In a desperate effort to take her over the edge with him, he brought his hand down between their bodies, found the small nub at the top of her slick folds, and continuously flicked it with his thumb and forefinger.

"Harry!" That is when Marlene came undone underneath him. With significantly more strength than he would have thought possible, she pulled his upper body back down to her, pressing her lips against his, biting his lower lip so roughly it almost drew blood. 

He stifled her moan with his mouth, while the heat exploded inside his belly when she suddenly tightened around him even further. Harry felt himself twitch wildly when he finally came undone himself, unable to hold it any longer. 

He thrust into her as deep as he managed, burying the entirety of his shaft, and emptied himself inside her until he was spent completely. Marlene held him tight, while he grunted her name against her lips between small gasps for breath. 

He had no idea how much time had passed until he came back down from the high. Marlene simply kept him buried inside her, holding him in between her legs and showing no signs of wanting to let him go. 

Their sweat-covered bodies were pressed against each other so tightly that one would struggle to identify which limb belonged to who. Neither of them was able to speak, let alone find words for what they were feeling.

After over a minute their ragged breathing finally came to a reasonable level and they opened their eyes, staring straight into each other's very hearts and souls. 

They didn't need words to express how much each of them treasured what they just shared with one another and how complete they felt, laying in each other arms.

For once, over the last ten months, ever since he had returned to a time unknown to him, there was not a single thought given to Horcruxes, Dark Lords, prophecies, or the fact that he was challenging Fate herself by doing the unthinkable.

'All that mattered was right here with him...'

She was a blue-eyed, golden-haired girl, nestled in the crook of his neck.

Her name was Marlene, and Harry loved her more than life itself.