The Possibles

Chapter Three:

How You Remind Me

Never made it as a wise man

I couldn't cut it as a poor man stealing

Tried living like a blind man

I'm sick of sight without a sense of feeling

And this is how you remind me

This is how you remind me

Of what I really am

This is how you remind me

Of what I really am

-------------------------

July 31, 2002

1835 hours (6:21 pm)

Cain

-------------------------

He landed in the middle of Central Park. He supposed his troops were scattered throughout the park, but he wasn't sure where. He stood beside a saxophone player, who seemed to not notice him standing there, as he was moving to the beat he played out for the listeners standing or sitting around him. Harry glanced around, but couldn't see any Death Eaters. He scanned the circle for them too, but he just couldn't spot any of them.

Something must have gone wrong... He thought.

Why did only I Apparate?

He scanned the area one last time. His hardened gaze softened as he spotted two people listening to music. The saxophonist, of course, had begun to switch songs, and the girl he noticed had started to hum along to the intro.

-------------------------

July 31, 2002

1840 hours (6:24 pm)

Cain

-------------------------

He pulled his hood off and snapped his fingers, making him reappear, although no one looked at him. He crossed the circle, the man with spiked hair he had noticed as well, just in front of him now. As he crossed the circle, the same man stayed in front of him all the time, until he came to a stop, and Harry stepped to his side, both in front of her.

-------------------------

July 31, 2002

1850 hours (6:30 pm)

Cain

-------------------------

It's not like you to say sorry

I’m always waiting on a different story

This time I’m mistaken

for heaven knew a heart worth breaking

I’ve been wronged, I’ve been down

but you're the bottom of every bottle

you've stuck words in my head

screamed, are we having fun yet?

yeah, yeah, yeah

yeah, yeah, yeah

Ron stood in front of Hermione, as was the heavily cloaked man he immediately recognized. He turned to look at Harry, as did the girl on the bench.

"Harry..." She said.

"At least it doesn't look like you've changed..." Ron stated to Harry Potter, the man who disappeared exactly four years ago.

The girl on the bench stared at Ron long and hard.

"Ron...?" She breathed, more of a statement than a question.

She continued, knowing it was him. "You look so different. American certainly has done something for you..."

"Yes, well..." He stated.

"If Potter, here, hadn't disappeared, or run off... you know... I wouldn't be here. Like this. I might look a bit normal. Or as normal as I can get." Ron glared at Harry, his former best friend.

He hated Harry for leaving him alone in the world. Harry, though, didn't seem to be listening. He was, it seemed, to be concentrating really hard on his shoelaces. He suddenly looked up.

• * • * •

His brow creased, trying to remember, Harry jerked his head up, remembering more.

"Kidnapped. Yeah. By Voldemort."

Ron looked at him doubtfully. Hermione, frowning in concentration, looked up and asked:

"Why are you here, then, Harry?"

"We were supposed to attack here. The troops didn't show up."

Ron started to back up, but Harry upon noticed this, continued.

"When I saw her..." he pointed at Hermione.

"Her... Hermione, something clicked and I had to come over. Then seeing you. Ron... it all just. Clicked. Right into place. Everything that happened then, I remembered."

"What do you mean, everything? Didn't you remember us?" Hermione questioned him, dragging out the question to its full potential.

Harry frowned for a moment.

"He convinced me that everyone only liked my because of what I was, not who. He told me that if I joined him, he would..."

Harry didn't finish his sentence, however, because there was talking going on in the circle, and it wasn't them.

• * • * •

it's not like you didn't know that

I said I love you and I swear I still do

And it must have been so bad

Cause livin’ with me must have damn near killed you

And this is how, you remind me

Of what I really am

This is how, you remind me

Of what I really am

Harry, Ron, and Hermione stood in a circle, eyes wide, and ears listening to the small, but loud voices.

"He can't finish the story later, Lana."

"But I haven't heard it all yet, Raine. Please? You wouldn't tell it to me before."

"I've witnessed it first hand, Lana. I'll tell you it later. When we actually have time. You know... that thing we have next to none of left?"

"Okay, people, we have to get them out of here or this won't work. Now, please."

"Calm down, Seacil."

"Bite me, Lana."

"Sure thing, muffin."

As the voice finished sarcastically, three pixies appeared. Hermione's books, Harry's shoulder, and one of Ron's spikes held them. The pixie on Hermione's books stood up and spoke to them, this one, if you had followed the conversation, was Lana.

"I thank you all for being here, and thank Raine," here, she pointed to the fuchsia haired pixie atop Harry's shoulder, who, in return, waved at Lana, the green haired, female pixie.

"For delaying the Death Eaters from getting here with a massive charm. I'd just like to advise all five of you now, though, that someone is bound to see us. And as well that in approximately 3 minutes, the Death Eaters will appear, ready to kill hundreds of people in this very park. Also. We, Raine, Seacil, and myself are Profecie Faeries, here to guide you."

With that, the three Faeries snapped their fingers, and all six of them disappeared, leaving behind a bunch of very confused Muggles.

• * • * •

It's not like you to say sorry

I’m always waiting on a different story

This time I’m mistaken

for heaven knew a heart worth breaking

I’ve been wronged, I’ve been down

but you're the bottom of every bottle

you've stuck words in my head

screamed, are we having fun yet?

Yeah yeah yeah no no yeah yeah yeah no no

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May 24, 1997

0675 hours (6:45 am)

2259 days (6 years, 69 days) to Cain

-------------------------

The six of them appeared in the Entrance Hall of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It looked the same as it had last time Harry Ron and Hermione had been there. They continued to look around, not noticing their changed features. Seacil, the Faerie on Ron's head coughed, making both Harry and Hermione spin around, and gasp.

"What!?"

Questioned Ron, slightly hurt that they would do that while looking at him,

"You've both seen be like this. You know... like a minute ago?"

He shut his mouth. Obviously something was wrong. With the way he felt. He ran one hand over his face, touching where, not five minutes ago, he had three piercings that he had, in fact, liked. They weren't there, though. His hand, slowly moving towards his hair, stopped at the first touch. His face contorted, and he screamed.

"Why did you do that to me? The hair dye, the gel. The piercings. They all cost money. And I was rather fond of them, you know..."

He shut his mouth, then re-opened it, mumbling,

"You just wouldn't believe how hard it was to get my hair like that..."

Seacil, the blue and green haired, Faerie sitting atop Ron's head, looking like a cross between 21 year old Ron and Raine, spoke to them.

"You're here to change the past, present, and future. All of them, depending on what time you're in. Right now, it's the future. It's not like the prophets didn't like you're decisions... It's just that if that continued, it would have been Cain forever. We don't know what your bad decisions were, though. They wouldn't tell us. They wouldn't tell us what the prophecy was, either, but they told us what to do. And that's to guide you as you make different decisions now. Between now and the time Harry got kidnapped. The time you just came from is currently frozen, so that we can manage. On August 1st, 1998, after Harry's birthday, all three of you will be summoned, no matter where you are, to exactly where you left from, and decisions for the future will be made."

Seacil, eyebrows raised in question, looked at them all.

Hermione was the first to question what they were supposed to do. Unsurely, she looked at the faces around her.

"So... you want us to change everything from now until July 31st, the year 2002? And if we don't do it correctly, everything we will have just done would have been useless? And changing it all? That's illegal, you know. The W.O.I.C. (Wizarding Officials in Charge) always tell everyone that it is. And what happened to the actual us' from this time?"

Raine, quick to remark, motioned them all to be a bit quieter.

"Breakfast is about to start, so be quiet. Yeah, Hermione. We all know that it's illegal. But there are no you's in this time. No one will ever understand it... they're just not here. Hermione, if you search long enough, and do the right research, you might find the answers to all your problems with this. All that matters is it's okay to change the past if you were destined to do it. It is okay to do it. Trust us..."

His mouth finally shut, Lana yawned.

"Yeah. Just act your age, don't screw up the exams, and hope for the best, kay? It's May... the 24th... of 1997. The password, if you remember, is Euphoria. Got it? Good."

Lana's eyes drooped and shut. She disappeared. Raine and Seacil apologized for her rudeness, and then disappeared as well, leaving behind three very confused 16 year olds.

Never made it as a wise man

I couldn't cut it as a poor man stealing

And this is how you remind me

This is how you remind me

This is how you remind me

Of what I really am

This is how you remind me

Of what I really am

-------------------------

July 31, 2002

1870 hours (6:42 pm)

Cain

-------------------------

The Death Eaters appeared in Central Park, wands out, screaming like it was a mad Scottish/Irish war, preparing themselves quickly for the worst. Looking all around, Harry, definitely not there, the war cries died down, replaced with confusion. The mass of Death Eaters, fully disappointed, Apparated back to the castle, leaving many Muggles, Wizards, and Witches staring at where they just were in utter confusion. Once the confusion all settled down, time stood still.

• * • * •

It's not like you, to say sorry

I’m always waiting on a different story

This time, I’m mistaken

For heaven knew a heart worth breaking

I’ve been wronged, I’ve been down

But you're the bottom of every bottle

You stuck words in my head

You've screamed " are we having fun yet?"

Yeah yeah

are we having fun yet?