Time Warp

Time is a strange thing. Throughout the years - revolutionary eras and scientific breakthroughs - no one has come close to understanding it.

At least, that anyone knows about.

Because, what nobody understands is that time owns itself. It knows itself.

Time has a mind of it's own.

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Harry Potter fell to his knees. The war was done. Voldemort's body laid in front of him, skewered through with a sword. There would finally be peace.

Footsteps approached and Harry looked up into the eyes of his mentor and friend, Albus Dumbledore.

"It's over, Albus," croaked out Harry in a horse voice. "It's over."

And with that, Harry Potter, Boy Who Lived and Savior of the Wizarding World, disappeared in a flash of light.

"No, Harry," Albus said quietly. "It's just the beginning."

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"Wake up! Come on, we're going to be late for class!" My best friend roughly shook my shoulder and I groaned.

"I'm going, Ron," I said, my voice thick with sleep.

"Ron? Who's Ron?" I snapped awake to see a boy with dark brown hair standing over me. "I'm Brian. Brian Kale."

"Who?"

"Oh, we've only shared this dorm for six years now. Sheesh, Tom, did you hit your head or something?"

'Tom? What the - ' I glanced over at the floor-length mirror by the door. A dark haired, green-eyed boy looked back at me. But it wasn't me.

It was Tom Riddle.

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"Professor, can I talk to you?" I stood in the door to the Transfiguration classroom, looking at a much younger version of Albus.

"Of course, Mr. Riddle. What can I do for you?"

I closed the door and went over to his desk. "That's just it, I'm not Mr. Riddle."

What ever he had been expecting this must nit have been it - the coffee he had been drinking was now spread over the desk. Clearly, Albus hadn't been entirely un-flappable all his life.

"What?"

"I'm from the future. And somehow, when I woke up this morning, I was Tom Riddle. And trust me, Professor, I don't want to be him. I know what he will do - "

"Stop right there," he cut in. "You can't reveal what happens in the future." Albus sighed and looked weary - this couldn't be good. "Whatever Tom may or may not have done with his life is now your responsibility. You are Tom Riddle now."

"But-but, sir, I don't - " I stuttered.

"Child, we are all just pawns in this. For whatever reason, you were meant to come back here and live Tom's life."

"I won't! Do you know how many lives I could save - "

"But you can't. You could change the world so much that you would never had been sent back. It would create a hole in time and do you know how much chaos that could cause? You cannot change the your past." He stood up. "I believe you have class to attend, Mr. Riddle. You don't want to be late."

I sluggishly made my way out to the hall before Albus called me back.

"Just out of curiosity, who did you use to be?"

"Harry," I whispered. "Just Harry."

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That night, I looked over the edge of the Astronomy Tower. It would be so easy, just a single step.....

But Albus' words came back to me: You cannot change your past.

I headed back to the Slytherin dorms. I had work to do.

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"Evening, Rubeus," I said sharply.

Hagrid slammed the door he was rummaging in and stood up.

"What yer doin' down here, Tom?"

I stepped closer.

"It's all over. I'm going to have to turn you in, Rubeus. They're talking about closing Hogwarts if the attacks don't stop."

"What d'yeh - "

"I don't think you meant to kill anyone. But monsters don't make good pets. I suppose you just let it out for exercise and - "

"It never killed no one!" He backed against the door and the creature behind it stirred.

"Come on, Rubeus. The dead girl's parents will be here tomorrow. The least Hogwarts can do is make sure that the thing that killed their daughter is slaughtered..."

"It wasn't him! He wouldn'! He never!"

I pulled my wand. "Stand aside."

I lit the room and the door behind Hagrid burst open. But, before I could stun it, it rushed past me and down the corridors. Hagrid grabbed my wand and pushed me down, shouting, "NOOOOOOO!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"....but, it got away, which is where you came in, Professor." I motioned to Albus.

Headmaster Dippet sat at his desk, looking scornfully at Hagrid.

I stood of to the side as my first magical friend was expelled, having his wand snapped. "I'm sorry, Hagrid," I whispered. No one heard it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The silver knife hung an inch above my wrist before heading to my shoulder to make the cut.

'You cannot change your past.'

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A drop of blood fell on the pages of book, sealing my spirit in the diary.

It would stay there for fifty years .... until little Ginny Weasley would come across it.

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A man with my eyes stood in the doorway. "Who are you?"

I smirked evilly and the man shuddered. "You don't recognize me, father? Avada Kedavra!"

Behind him, my grandparents screamed in terror.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I stood before my legion of Death Eaters, giving orders, watching as they ravaged villages. They killed thousands of people that day and they didn't feel anything. No guilt. No remorse.

The cut was made closer to my elbow.

'You cannot change your past.'

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"My Lord, a prophecy was just delivered at the Hogshead Pub," my servant trembled before me.

"Well, what is it," I asked impatiently, although I already knew the answer.

"The one with power to vanquish the Dark lord approaches...Born to those who have thrice defied him....Born as the seventh month dies."

It was almost time.

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"Lily, take Harry and go! It's him! Go! Run! I'll hold him off - "

Avada Kedavra

"Not Harry, not Harry, please not Harry!"

"Stand aside you silly girl...stand aside, now..."

"Not Harry, please no, take me, kill me instead. Not Harry! Please...have mercy...have mercy...."

I laughed at the irony of it all. It was the scene that haunted me in my childhood and here I was, causing it.

Avada Kedavra

I pointed my wand at the younger version of myself and cast the curse again.

It was the most excruciating pain I have ever experienced. My spirit was ripped out of my body, severed from it's life.

Vaguely, I heard a baby crying as I floated away from the house. The Boy Who Lived, the Child Who Defeated me.

If I could have, I would have been smiling right then.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I watched from a tree as a young man passed through my forest, whistling to himself. The snake form I was in smirked.

It was time to go back.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The turban fell away and laid eyes on my eleven year old self again. He took a step back in horror.

"Harry Potter," I whispered. "See what I have become. Mere shadow and vapor ... I have form only when I can share another's body ... but there have always been those willing to let me into their hearts and minds ... Unicorn blood has strengthened me, these past weeks ... you saw faithful Quirrell drinking it for me in the forest ... and once I have the Elixir of Life, I will be able to create a body of my own ...Now ... why don't you give me that Stone in your pocket?"

My mouth went dry as I spewed lies about my parents, watching as Harry put up a brave fight.

I once again lost my chance at life, but the time would come soon enough.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Master? Master, is that you?"

"Wormtail," I hissed.

He fell to the ground, bowing before me.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Who are you?" said Barty Crouch, Sr., opening the door one late night.

I flashed back to the day I had killed Tom's - no, my father.

"Hello, Mr. Crouch. We would like a word with your son," Wormtail said.

His eyes widened in surprise and I muttered, "Imperio!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I once again stood tall before my Death Eaters.

"And here he is .. the boy you all believed to be my downfall .... Crucio!"

The memories of the Third Task overwhelmed me as I saw Harry writhe against my father's gravestone.

We dueled, wands connecting. I watched in fear, knowing it was only a matter of time before they appeared....

There they were ... circling me, giving loathing looks, the insults, the scorn ... they didn't know that I was their son......

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I just want this to end...it'll just take a single cut....and it will finally be over.

I moved the knife up to my forearm.

I cannot change my past.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I raised my wand again, Harry waiting by the wall. He knew this was the end, he wanted to be with his parents, with Sirius....

The statue crumbled as the spell hit it.

I turned and was face to face with Albus. He gave me a look of sorrow.

'He knows!' my mind screamed. 'He knows who I am!'

I nodded in recognition.

We dueled.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The war started after that.

The bodies started piling up.

Madame Pomphrey ... Kingsley Shacklebolt ... Nymphadora Tonks ... Hestia Jones .... Alastor Moody ... Minerva McGonagall ... Filius Flitwick ... Cornelius Fudge ... Severus Snape ... Justin Flinch-Fletchly ... Dean Thomas ... Terry Boot ... Cho Chang .... Lisa Turpin .... Susan Bones .... Draco Malfoy .... Percy Weasley

School ended for Harry, but it kept getting worse.

Arthur Weasley ... Molly Weasley .... Charlie Weasley .... George Weasley .... Ginny Weasley

Fred went insane after their deaths.

Lavender Brown ... Parvati Patil ... Seamus Finnigan ... Oliver Wood ... Lee Jordan .... Blaise Zambini ... Luna Lovegood

Neville Longbottom went the same way as his parents, locked inside his own mind.

Frank and Alice Longbottom were killed in a fire at St. Mungo's the year before.

Remus Lupin ... Ron Weasley ... Hermione Granger

Those were the hardest.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My hand shook and I almost lost my grip on the knife.

"I had to kill them," I murmured. "I can't change my past."

They hated me, they loathed me, they didn't even know it was me.

It was my fault. They were my best friends.

I killed them.

I fell against the wall, sobbing.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"It's time to end this." A battle-worn, twenty-one year old Harry Potter stood in front of me. I could no longer call him myself. Not after the things I did.

So we fought.

And he won.

The sword stuck straight through me. I was dying. Finally.

I smiled as the world faded to black.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"It's over, Albus. It's over."

"No, Harry. It's just the beginning."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

'Is this death?'

I was encased in a blanket of warmth.

'It doesn't seem like Hell.'

A woman's humming echoed in the room.

I opened my eyes to meet another pair.

They were the same as mine.

"Happy Halloween, Harry," Lily Potter said to her baby son.

'Oh, god, no.'