Temporal Paradox: The Second Chance of Harry Potter

November 28th, 1976

"There has been another attack on a student! A Ravenclaw Prefect has just been carried past my frame into the infirmary!"

Albus stared in shock at the portrait on the wall before his eyes drifted back to Peverell. 

'Out of the six possible options, there was one certain Ravenclaw Prefect that instantly came to his mind.'

Despite the boy not revealing anything about his many secrets, one only had to look at the couples' interactions over the last few months to get an idea of how genuine their interest in each other truly was. 

'How would Peverell react if the girl he loved was attacked?'

The boy's calmness and confidence were suddenly washed away by a wave of panic. His face shifted into a mask of terror, his eyes narrowed in outrage, sparkling with intensity from his magic. He jumped out of his chair and flicked the familiar piece of thin, pale wood into his hand: 

"Expecto Patronum!"

The air saturated with magic, rolling off of Peverell in steady, powerful ripples. An ethereal light, so bright it blinded Albus through closed eyelids, erupted from the tip of the Elder Wand. Shielding his face and blinking repeatedly, Albus spotted a majestic silvery Thestral emerge in the center of his office and spread its large wings.

'It was absolutely phenomenal.'

'Yet, now was not the time to marvel at such a brilliant piece of magic.'

"FIND HER!" Peverell shouted while running to the office exit, flicking his wand at the creature, which vanished in a puff of silvery smoke.

"We can take Fawkes, Harry!" Albus jumped from his chair, his familiar, smart as he was, must have sensed their terror and emerged on the headmaster's shoulder in a bright golden flame: "He will take us there directly!"

The phoenix trilled in confirmation and cocked his head at the boy, who momentarily hesitated before hurrying back to Albus and tightening his fingers around the bird's right leg. A split second later they vanished in a golden flame.

Hogwarts Infirmary

His heart was hammering so strongly in his ribcage that he felt like he would explode any second. Harry couldn't breathe, his lungs revolted against oxygen intake. An all-consuming hurt ravished him from within, it hadn't felt unlike the physical pain he recently suffered during the ritual, yet at the same time, was so much worse. His senses felt numb, he was only capable of one coherent thought: 

'Find her!'

'And make sure she's okay!'

There was a heat surrounding him which burned so hot that it felt like his skin was being seared. A golden, reddish flame blocked his vision when he finally felt the steady ground underneath him and stumbled forward.

White, walls, tiles and ceilings reflected the harsh light when he eventually managed to open his eyes. He heard voices from around the corner and immediately started sprinting towards them.

"WHERE IS SHE?" 

Harry roared as he darted past a few students and completely ignored the staff, including a scowling Professor McGonagall, who came to intercept him and Dumbledore.

He ignored the shouts behind him and sprinted towards the closest bed, ripping the curtains apart.

'The bed was empty.'

Harry cursed under his breath and headed to the very next bed when he suddenly spotted Madam Pomfrey in a hectic discussion with Professor Flitwick on the opposite wall.

"WHERE IS SHE?" Harry stomped towards them; his head was pounding in his skull. 

He wanted to find her, to make sure she was okay, yet at the same time lash out against those that dared attack her. A rage, of an intensity which he had never felt before yearned to be unleashed on those responsible. The Elder Wand, held tightly between cramped fingers, demanded blood and vengeance.

"WHERE IS MARLENE?"

"Ms. McKinnon?" The diminutive charms master stared at Harry as if he didn't recognize him. He swallowed heavily and took a step backwards: "I spoke to her a few minutes ago, she is securing the dungeons right now."

"Wh- What?" Harry struggled to make sense of what he just heard.

Flitwick seemed to finally recognize his predicament: "She was not the one that was attacked, Harry. Ms. McKinnon is perfectly fine outside of being stunned by what she saw."

"Bu- But..." His chest tightened and his vision swam: "Th- The portrait... It said a Ravenclaw Prefect..."

"Mr. Williams, the fifth-year Prefects, was attacked, Mr. Peverell..." The matron stepped next to him with a deep frown on her face: "This time we decided to immediately send the victim to Saint Mungo's. Filius just created an emergency portkey for him."

'It's not her...'

'It's not Marlene'

While Harry still struggled to comprehend, a blinding silvery orb emerged from the tiles underneath him. It shifted and twisted until it formed the skeleton-like head of a Thestral and spoke in an echoed replica of Harry's own voice:

"She is in the dungeons..."

"She is in the dungeons..."

Harry slumped to one knee, panting heavily in relief.

"Mr. Peverell, I think you might be having a panic attack." The matron cupped his jaw with concern, forcing him to look up at her.

'It doesn't matter. She is safe. That is all that matters'

"I- I'm fine." Harry insisted and slowly pushed himself back up: "So she's unharmed? I need to make sure! I need to see it for myself."

"You are not a Prefect, Mr. Peverell, but I will make an exception just this once." McGonagall's voice echoed from behind him. She walked towards the trio with the headmaster: "Go and secure the dungeons with her. Let the other Prefects know you have been sent by me. They will undoubtedly welcome the extra wand."

'You could not have prevented me from going anyways.'

Harry did not need to be told twice and darted past the headmaster and his deputy, both sporting deeply concerned looks for him.

With a flick of his wand, the infirmary doors were blown ajar. Fifteen inches of intent buzzed with power as Harry willed his magic through the wood and forced the giant staircases to align with his wishes. He reached the lower levels of the castle in record time.

Harry didn't bother with the Map for now. Instead, he kept his pace and pointed his wand down the dimly lit corridor:

"Point me!"

The Elder Wand instantly adjusted its alignment and pointed down the closest path to Harry's heart's desire. Soon he heard faint noises and the sound of heels echoing over stone tiles.

"Who's there?" A familiar female voice called with authority: "No student is allowed outside their common room right now!"

"MARLENE!" Harry shouted in relief and dashed around the corner.

"HARRY!" Came the immediate response.

The bright wand tip was extinguished with a downward flick, revealing a pair of large blue eyes on a pale face, framed by golden curls.

He swamped her in his arms and crushed her against his body, feeling himself shaking in relief and reassurance that she was indeed unscathed: "You're unharmed! Thank Merlin, you're safe!"

"I'm okay, love." She whispered in his ear and stroked through his hair while allowing him to take a few deep breaths: "Just when I wanted to send you a Patronus yours already reached me... But you need to see this, Harry."

"What happened?" He cleared his throat, still, his voice came out unnaturally hoarsely: "I was with Dumbledore when one of the portraits told us a Ravenclaw Prefect was attacked... I thou- I thought..." He struggled to form the words: "I- I thought it only could have been you..."

"It was Jacob Williams from the year below us." Marlene took his hand and led him down the corridor, deeper into the dungeons: "He was discovered by a different patrol, who decided to immediately cut him free and carry him up to the infirmary."

"Cut him free?"

"I'll show you in a second. McGonagall was furious that they interfered with the crime scene. After all, they could have potentially made things worse for him." A passing torch illuminated her pale face and eyes, which were widened in shock: "There is a message as well, Harry. You have to see it for yourself..."

"I assume Williams was a muggle-born then?" Harry inquired.

Marlene nodded. "The other Prefects are scared now. They thought that their position made them invincible."

The voices grew louder and Harry soon spotted a few people in the open corridor after they turned at the last corner.

"What do you think you're doing, McKinnon?" Thomas Avery, a seventh-year Prefect from Slytherin blocked their path. The ghost of a cold smile played on his lips: "Your boyfriend isn't a Prefect and he's out of bounds during a lockdown. I'm afraid I'll have to take some points this time."

Harry studied the face of the older boy curiously. Thomas Avery had been among the students that attacked him with Lestrange during Valentine's weekend at Hogsmeade last year. However, after that, the boy kept himself in the background and never caused him any trouble again. Ever the Slytherin…

'Why was he so confrontational all of the sudden?'

"Take the points and bugger off. I don't answer to you." Harry shoved past the boy, pushing him out of his way with his shoulder. 

'Why should he bother explaining that McGonagall allowed him to be here when the deputy would retrieve any lost points later?'

They strode past a few more Prefects, all looking equally as shaken as Marlene. Finally, they reached a piece of wall. Marlene's fingers tensed in his hand as they came to a halt.

Even from a few meters away Harry was able to spot the crimson red letters. The message had been written so recently that the faint trails of blood ran down each letter over the rough stones of the wall:

I Demand What Is Rightfully Mine,

What You Have Taken From Me.

Reveal Yourself To The True Heir And The World,

Or The Students Will Suffer The Consequences

A smoldering rage boiled in Harry's belly, edging further up his torso until he felt his goosebumps on his arms and hair all over his body tingling... The Elder Wand twitched in his hand, edging to be slashed through the air to destroy the crimson letters and with it the entire message. 

He controlled the urge and merely erected a quick privacy ward. 'It wouldn't do them any good getting overheard.'

"It was truly horrible." Marlene's breath hitched while she pointed downwards.

His eyes darted to where the wall connected with the floor and a pool of blood accumulated. A bumpy piece of rope lay in the puddle, its disheveled strings were drenched in crimson. Harry looked upwards and at last noticed the strange wooden beam that stood out from the stone ceiling and the thick metal ring attached to it.

'What the hell happened here?'

"How exactly did you find him?"

Marlene gestured for the wooden beam: "Apparently he was dangling in mid-air from this beam, hands tied behind his back and attached to the robe. His shoulders must have given up after some time because both joints were dislocated when I first saw him. It was gruesome, Harry..."

"It was a torture method utilized during the times of the Spanish Inquisition and Witch Burnings in Europe." Harry remembered: "Certainly not a coincidence." 

"Another reference to muggle brutality then." Marlene shook her head in disgust: "I expected as much."

"What about all the blood? Harry piqued up.

"The 'M' was not carved into his forehead this time." Marlene grimaced: "He was found naked from the waist upwards, instead the 'M' was carved across his entire chest."

"I see..." Harry absently nodded his understanding. He gestured back down at the rope poking out of the pool of blood: "I assume the professors are in possession of the rest of it?"

"It was given to McGonagall," Marlene explained while looking at Harry questionably.

The boy hummed and pointed the tip of the Elder Wand at the rope, closing his eyes and murmuring under his breath. He focused his magic through every fraction of an inch of the interwoven strays and listened intently, trying to spot anything suspicious.

"And?" Marlene stepped closer to him after a minute had passed, glancing up.

"Nothing." Harry groaned in frustration. He turned on the spot and walked to the opposite wall, leaning against it and rubbing his temples: "Although I did not expect to find something if the attacker was already smart enough to mask his magical signature on the nails the last time."

"We need to do something, Harry." Marlene whispered, standing next to him and taking each of his hands in hers: "I already overheard McGonagall and Flitwick talking about potentially having to close the school."

"I know." Harry sighed: "But we need an actual plan for that, or we have to force Riddle to make a mistake."

"A trap then." Her eyebrows perked up: "He is openly calling you out. He is seeking a confrontation with you. Perhaps we can use that?"

"Perhaps..." Harry scratched his chin: "But we will take our time to prepare for it. The Aurors will likely be called back into the castle so Riddle will lay low for a while."

"Unfortunately, now it will be even more of a nuisance to get Dumbledore off my ass." Harry groaned while glimpsing over the letters on the wall once more.

"Tell me what happened in his office. But first, let's patrol the other side of the corridor and get away from the Prefects." Marlene suggested: "We're already acting suspiciously by having you down here with us in the first place."

"You're right."

Marlene led him over to Elizabeth King, this year's Head Girl from Hufflepuff: "Harry and I will patrol the south-western entrance to this corridor if you don't mind."

She shot them a relieved smile: "Of course, McKinnon. I certainly won't complain about having him down here with us until the Professors or Aurors arrive."

Harry merely nodded and allowed Marlene to lead him past the Head Girl and Boy and further down the corridor. Her wand swished through the air and he felt a muffliato rising around them: "What happened with Dumbledore? Did he ask about the ritual?"

"He did." Harry admitted: "However he was more curious about its supposed effects than anything else. He did not once threaten to call the authorities or any of the like either."

"It wouldn't do him any good, not with the political cloud you have gathered since your arrival..." Marlene snorted: "His assumption is based on whatever that stupid portrait managed to share with him. Pomfrey is bound by her oath and they will not accept a portrait on the witness's stands. It would be laughable for him to accuse you of anything."

"We do have a different problem though." Harry grit his teeth in frustration: "Dumbledore knows too much already; more than I would've ever assumed. I underestimated him, just as I underestimated Voldemort."

"What do you mean?"

"He knows it was I who cast the Fidelius twice within the castle, once on the second floor and once on the seventh." Harry tugged on her hand, forcing her to come to a stop: "He figured out that you're the secret keeper to the room on the seventh floor, though he admitted that he doesn't know about the Room of Hidden Things itself."

Harry's eyes narrowed and so did his hold on her waist. "He also assumes that I share many, perhaps even all, of my secrets with you and that I have taught you occlumency to hide them as best as possible."

His fingers twitched in aggravation and he forced himself to take a deep calming breath: 'If he harms a single strand of golden hair...'

"That noisy, crooked-nose, twinkling old git!" Marlene's eyes flashed and she stomped on her heel: "I will bring the might of House McKinnon down on him and set the Aurors on him if he even dares to creep his way into my mind!"

"There is more." Harry continued with a grimace: "Dumbledore understands that me hiding the room on the second floor is somehow connected to the Chamber of Secrets, and therefore to the Heir of Slytherin and the current attacks. He's aware that I know more about it than I let on and he's not likely to stop until I fill him in on everything."

"But we can't, can we?"

"No, never." Harry shook his head firmly: "One can already tell that Dumbledore is worried about me. I show too many similarities to a former student of his who turned dark. We're lucky that he is such an advocate for young love and passion."

"What do you mean?"

"You, of course." Harry kissed her forehead: "You are undoubtedly the biggest difference between myself and said former student, who showed no empathy for others and cared about nothing but power. Yet, I ponder how he might react should he learn about my ability to speak Parselmouth. That might just be the straw that breaks the camel's back."

"So, we continue to avoid him?" Marlene suggested.

"Even more so than before." Harry nodded: "Dumbledore is not an evil wizard, however so far in his life he has failed to recognize the signs of two rising Dark Lords. I firmly believe he will do everything in his power, and I mean everything, to avoid making that same mistake again."

"I won't let him take you away from me, Harry." Marlene pulled his head down and crushed her lips against his desperately: "You're mine now!"

"I would never allow myself to be taken." Harry broke the kiss hesitantly. "But we need to prepare. I have the feeling that I might be facing Riddle's soul fraction soon. Word is that he, along with the headmaster, were the most gifted students this school has ever seen. I can't allow myself to underestimate an opponent again. I need to be stronger than him."

"Then I will train with you and help you however I can." She kissed him deeply, pouring a magnitude of emotions into the act. Her blue eyes sparkled with a fierce determination and utter devotion to the cause.

'To their cause.'

'To him.'

"Let's head back to the others and see if the Professors have returned already," Harry suggested after a quick tempus charm confirmed that the night was, despite everything that happened, still relatively young.

"Where will we go after that?" Marlene seized his hand and allowed him to guide her back to the crime scene: "To the seventh floor?"

"No" Harry shook his head: "The Room of Requirements is good for dueling, but I have lots of pent-up aggression and I don't want to release that on you."

"Fine." She huffed playfully: "What shall we practice then?"

"How good are you with fire spells?" Harry inquired curiously.

"Better than any in our year save perhaps Evans- I mean Lily." Marlene smirked at him: "You know I can be fierce if I want to."

"That's good." Harry nodded grimly. 

Anticipation and magic rippled through his body in short surges after having forced himself to control and tame the turmoil all night long: "Tonight I will show the most destructive spell wizarding kind ever invented. Get ready for our hottest date yet, love."

December 6th, 1976

"How do you have the time to find these things when you've not even been here for a year, Harry?"

Marlene stared at the gap that suddenly appeared behind a seemingly random mirror on the fourth floor. 'She must have walked past this spot countless times and never noticed it.'

Her boyfriend merely grinned cheekily and flicked his wand thrice. Small silvery orbs of light burst from its pale tip and floated through the gap to illuminate the room behind it: "Let's get going."

'There better not be another giant snake in here.'

"Morgana, this space is large enough to hold a meeting." Marlene gasped after following her boyfriend and squeezing herself through the entrance.

A room as large as a regular classroom, yet lacking the windows or furniture presented itself before her. At the farthest end, a deep dark tunnel led into the unknown, presumably away from the castle.

"You're right." Harry chuckled, apparently finding something humorous in her statement: "Although the ceiling looks like it could do with some support. We don't want this passageway to cave in and get stuck somewhere."

"Being stuck with you wouldn't be the worst company, I guess." She grinned up at him and curiously walked over to the tunnel: "Where does it lead us?"

"Somewhere to Hogsmeade." Harry scratched his chin: "I honestly don't know where to exactly, but we only need to go as far as a few meters behind the ward lines."

"How will we be able to tell once we did?" Marlen asked curiously as they walked down the slight slope in the tunnel, the orbs of lights floating around them. "Will you simply test from time to time?"

"I could." Harry said, quirking an eyebrow: "Or I could simply pinpoint the exact moment we cross the ward line, because one can feel the magic, and magic always leaves traces."

"Show off." Marlene rolled her eyes, tossed her long curls over her shoulder, and pulled her wand out: "I bet I can feel it too."

"Don't be too disappointed if you can't." Harry pulled her towards him by her waist, helping her avoid stepping into a dead rat.

"Explain to me why we're taking this passageway again, instead of simply walking over the grounds until we're out of bounds." Marlene wrinkled her nose in disgust and cast a quick scourgify on her shoes. 

'Better.'

"These passageways work similar to the Chamber of Secrets." Harry began explaining: "They exploit a consistent loophole in the ward scheme. Technically students leave the ground, however, the headmaster will not be notified about it. The only way he could check is if he counted all living entities within the wards and compared said number to what it should be."

"Is that how we're currently walking through an underground tunnel even though we should be high up in the air after starting on the fourth floor?" Marlene glanced up to the ceiling.

"Exactly!" Harry nodded: "Magic is able to bend the spatial dimension as it pleases, allowing us to sneak out without anyone noticing."

"That makes sense I guess." Marlene grudgingly admitted, stepping around another small skeleton: "Still, this better be worth ruining my new shoes for."

"I was the one who offered to do this by himself if you remember." Harry chuckled: "You just wanted to come because you'd miss me too much."

"Be quiet, Harry, I'm trying to concentrate here!" Marlene hushed him, still holding out her wand, trying to identify the moment they might pass the wards.

The couple walked for another minute when Marlene suddenly felt a few tiny hairs on her neck stand straight, almost as if the faintest breeze rolled over her.

'What was that?'

"I felt something!" She cried in triumph and spun around to take a few steps back. 

The very same feeling was replicated, this time perhaps even slightly stronger, since Marlene was able to isolate it.

"I'm sure we just crossed it." She bounced on her heels and waved her wand behind them: "It should be right here."

Harry beamed, pulled her against his body, and pecked her forehead: "I'm impressed. Good job, love!"

"Shall we then?" Marlene giggled happily and fixed her hair in a high ponytail.

"Sure, just remem-"

"Remember the hood..." She rolled her eyes and flipped the hood of her purple robes over her head: "Happy now?"

"It's either that or a glamor charm." Harry shrugged and tapped his own head with the tip of his wand once.

His hair turned a lighter color and his eyes shifted into a dark brown. A few of his bones deviated, adjusting his facial structure. 

'No-one would be able to recognize him now.'

"We are both too fond of my face to risk messing it up." Marlene grimaced: "I prefer to stay under my hood."

"Alright, princess." Harry chuckled and held out his arm: "Hold on tight."

Marlene seized his fingers and a split second later, she reappeared in a completely different scenery with a soft snap. 

Harry steadied her by the waist to prevent her from stumbling while she gathered her senses: "I can't wait for apparition classes after Christmas. I could probably do it by myself already."

"Probably, but I prefer you in one piece." Harry took her hand and led her down the alley with shops to either side: "What was it you wrote on my note again? Ah yes, 'I won't visit Azkaban, not even for you.' Well, the same holds true should you get arrested for apparating without a license."

"My brother would get me out of it." Marlene huffed and peeked at the passing shops from underneath her hood: "They would never allow their sweet, innocent sister to be taken to prison."

'Although they better not know I'm not that innocent anymore.'

"They probably would." Harry chuckled and continued leading the way.

Marlene could count the occasions she's been to Knockturn alley on one hand. The first time had been when she ran off during a visit to Diagon Alley in the summer before her first year. Afterward, it had been on a few occasions, either with her brothers or her father when his business demanded so.

The occasional shopper and pedestrian eyed them warily, but no one caused them any trouble. A minute later, Harry and she came to halt in front of one of the better and more legitimate-looking establishments in wizarding Britain's unofficial official black market.

"Moribund's Ancient Magical Artifacts." Marlene read the large sign: "This is it."

"Let's hope it all goes smoothly." Harry sighed and pulled the handle to the entrance.

A small tune, likely caused by some clever charm work, rang through the store as soon as they entered. 

Marlene peeked around, her eyes taking in the many shelves which were stuffed with ancient jewelry, staffs, portraits, everyday household items, and a bunch of objects for which she could not even begin to fathom their use.

"Customers, customers." A high voice sounded from the left side of the store and a middle-aged man appeared behind a shelf of leathery tomes, looking almost as old as the one she frequently saw with Harry.

His blue eyes darted between her and Harry: "Welcome to my shop, good Sir and Ma'am. How may I help you on this fine day?"

"Good afternoon, sir." Harry confidently addressed who Marlene assumed to be Mr. Moribund: "I recently received confirmation that my order has arrived. I would like to pick it up."

"The letter if you'd be so kind?" Moribund held out his hand expectantly.

Harry pulled the roll of parchment from within his robes and handed it over.

"This seems to be in order." The man peeked up at them: "You look a bit different from the pictures I've seen of you in the Daily Prophet, Mr. Peverell, though I suppose the glamor charm is a good idea."

His eyes darted over to her: "I have a strong suspicion who this young Lady might be but fear not, my dearest customers, absolute discretion is one of the many qualities Moribund's Ancient Magical Artifacts is renowned for."

"My order then, if you would be so kind?" Harry inclined his head.

"Of course, of course, good sir!" The man gave a deep bow: "Please wait right here while I collect it."

"What a bizarre fellow." Harry stifled a chuckle when Mr. Moribund vanished behind a curtain into the back of the store: "Though at least he values discretion. The fewer people who know about this purchase the better."

'As with all things.' Marlene silently agreed, her eyes still roaming over the many strange items.

Mr. Moribund came back half a minute later, levitating a shallow stone and metal basin. Marlene curiously studied the surface of the object which was entirely covered by incredibly complicated runic patterns and arithmetic equations.

"It has been adjusted by the manufacturer to your specific requirements, as I shared in my letter." Moribund explained: "The model is significantly lighter and flatter than what one might expect, making it much more portable. Still, I would advise against shrinking it, as the runic inscriptions and charm work can be damaged in the process."

"I understand." Harry nodded next to her and flicked his wand. The Pensieve slowly floated over to him until it landed on his outstretched hand.

"The payment then, if you will, good sir?" The man grinned and gestured to the counter.

"Of course, sir." Harry nodded. He turned towards her: "Could you hold this please. Try not to drop it, love."

"I'll do my best, love." Marlene blew him a kiss and accepted the device while Harry followed the man to the counter, where they started shuffling through some rolls of parchment.

She carefully weighed the Pensieve in her arms. Indeed, it was significantly lighter than one would expect of such a large piece of stone.

'This will open so many opportunities for us...'

"Well, I am officially 15,000 Galleons poorer, but in the process, I might just be the first student in all of Britain who has owned a Pensieve." Harry grinned as he stored a copy of the sales agreement in his robes.

"You get more and more extraordinary each day, darling." Marlene held out the Pensieve for him to take.

"I do, don't I." With a grin he tapped the device with the tip of the Elder Wand, disillusioning it before he lifted it with both hands and walked towards the door: "Time to put it to good use."

"The ritual then?" Marlene checked her hood and followed Harry back out of the shop.

"Exactly." Harry nodded grimly and regarded her with a serious expression: "It's time for both of us to get stronger. For each other..."

'To overcome any attempt at separating you from me, my love.'