Harry Potter and the Return to Youth

Chapter 8: A Busy Morning at the Ministry

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It was at least an hour before first light when Dumbledore roused them. Harry groaned in his state of half-sleep and muttered, "Ugh let me have a bit of a lie in. It's too early to be up."

"Sirius!" the Headmaster called. A soft whine answered him. "Sirius, wake up!" The dog yowled pitifully before a sudden splash produced a loud yip. This finally roused them both as Sirius leaped from his bed and transformed mid-leap. Harry leapt from bed with a laugh as he beheld the spectacle of his sopping wet godfather glaring at Dumbledore.

"I'll get you for that, Dumbledore, Headmaster or not," Sirius fumed.

The Headmaster smiled pleasantly and replied, "Of course, Sirius, but it had best not be today. We have a few things to sort out this morning and it would be best to see to them as soon as possible." He included both Harry and Sirius in what he said next. "I expect you both to be down in my office in five minutes, or I will be forced to come up and take you down myself."

With that he left them to get ready for the day. Harry wasn't about to strip naked in front of his godfather and hurriedly put on one of the sets of new clean robes Madame Coine had brought with her last night. He then grabbed a new lace-trimmed short sleeved shirt, button-up beige shorts, and a new set of undergarments and stuffed the lot under his new robes. Harry squirmed and wrestled them on and breathed a sigh of relief as he fixed the last button on his shorts. He kicked his pajamas out from under the blue robe's hem and tried to adjust everything to rights.

Harry shook his head as he remembered the night before. Sirius had been frantic and Dumbledore had left by the time Sirius finally wound down from worrying like a mother hen. Harry had wanted to explain everything that happened but Remus had shushed him. He explained that he had to be memory charmed and Harry thought Remus didn't want his brain to get any more scrambled than it need be.

Remus didn't stay very long after that. They were both loath to say goodbye for who knew how long, and Remus drew Sirius aside to say a few words that Harry couldn't catch before they hugged and a melancholy Remus dragged his feet out the door.

It was with a heavy heart that Harry had watched Remus leave, but he hadn't had a long to dwell on it. No sooner was Remus out of sight then Sirius was demanding an in-depth account of what had happened during the last week.

Shortly after he began, Madame Coine had walked in with Harry's restoration potion and a modest pile of new clothes. She hadn't recognized Sirius, but Sirius had certainly recognized her. Harry hadn't told Sirius about Madame Coine yet and he blew up spectacularly at her. After he had found out that she had been the one to treat Harry's injuries, Sirius had relentlessly interrogated her about Harry's condition. Madame Coine had been openly hostile at the badgering until she learned Sirius' identity, then she turned sympathetic and Sirius hadn't taken that well at all. He was snappish and practically threw her out the door after the subject had turned from away Harry's condition to her speculating about how appropriate it was to put Harry in Sirius' care when Sirius had his own issues to work through. Despite the harsh dismissal, Madame Coine informed Harry that they would be leaving the next day, today now, before she left.

Harry finally told his account of the events that had brought him to the here and now after Madame Coine was gone. Sirius was ecstatic to learn that Harry had the potential to learn not one, but two Animagus forms, and after telling Sirius he could be a Metamorphmagus, he was inundated with talk about the daughter of one of his cousins who also happened to be a Metamorphmagus. Sirius was even more ecstatic when Harry mentioned that he thought someone named Nymphadora would be teaching him. "That's my cousin, Harry! It'll be great to see her again, you'll like her. She is almost as cool as I am." Sirius finished with a fond smile.

They had stayed up late into the night with Sirius expounding about how proud he was of Harry, along with statements about how thrilled Prongs and Lily would have been if they were still alive. The conversation eventually lagged and Sirius started to reminisce about the Marauder's days at Hogwarts that ended with a tale that was disgusting and supposed to be funny. Harry tried to imagine it happening again, but the thought of Malfoy's robes turning translucent in the Great Hall made Harry sick to his stomach.

Sirius finally broke Harry out of his reverie. "Hey, Harry! Ready to go?"

Harry started a moment before sheepishly replying, "Yeah, ready as I'll ever be."

Sirius preceded him through the door and down the stairs into Dumbledore's office. The old man was already sitting at his desk and patiently waiting for them when they appeared. With a wave of his hand he directed them to two plush armchairs that sat before him. Sirius and Harry took their seats before Sirius abruptly asked, "So what's the plan now?" He folded his arms and looked at Dumbledore expectantly.

Harry blinked and leaned forward in his seat while Dumbledore smiled indulgently. "Good morning, Sirius, and to you as well, Harry." He stretched wearily in his chair. "I would offer you both lemon drops, but it would not do to spoil your breakfasts."

Sirius opened his mouth to speak, but Dumbledore continued. "It has been a very long night and I found little rest, so please excuse my weariness. With your recent and unexpected discovery, Sirius, I have been forced to reformulate a few of the arrangements I had planned for young Harry's new identity."

"Well, I'm sorry, Dumbledore, but you're rotten for not telling me in the first place! I deserved to know. Remus was right, you know. You are a cruel old man. Can't you trust him to keep our secret? He doesn't need to be memory charmed!" From Sirius's vehemence, Harry could tell that this had been bothering Sirius throughout the night.

Dumbledore shook his head and rubbed at his eyes, scolding in a low voice, "I know that you are aware of the fact that sometimes misdirection is necessary, however cruel it may be. The fewer who know Harry's secret, the safer he will be. Remus agreed to it and it is done."

The Headmaster turned to Harry and smiled amiably. "You will be leaving soon with Madame Coine, Harry. Sirius will not be able to come with you immediately, as I foresee we will need him to help prepare proper back stories for the both of you. Are you packed?"

Fear clenched Harry's heart at the thought of being separated from Sirius. "You better not memory charm him like you did Professor Lupin. I couldn't bear to lose Sirius, too. It's bad enough I can't tell Ron or Hermione," he said.

Sirius laid a hand on Harry's shoulder. "He can't. He promised he wouldn't memory charm me without my permission."

"That is correct, Harry, you need have no fear. Sirius will be rejoining you soon, likely within a week's time. He has much to learn as well before school starts," he finished in a jovial tone.

"So what else do I have to do to get ready, then? I'm packed, everything is in my trunk," Harry confirmed.

Dumbledore sighed. "I'm afraid you will have to leave most of your possessions behind, Harry. In order to ensure that nobody suspects our little plot, we must distribute them in a way that everyone would expect... But I suppose accommodations can be made. You will leave whatever you wish to keep to Sirius."

"It's your little plot!" Harry took a deep breath. "So, do I get to choose who gets what then?" This wasn't quite what he hoped for, but more than he had expected.

"Yes, yes it is my plot, but regardless of whose plot, it is still necessary. Now in regards to your things, you may decide what to do with them to a degree. You never wrote a will, Harry, and you died before you reached your majority. As such, the Potter Estate is subject to the terms of your father's will. Since Sirius is still a wanted criminal, and both you and Peter are presumed dead, the estate in its entirety is bequeathed to Remus Lupin. However, I will do my best to see that your personal effects are placed where you want them to be. I know you will likely want to keep as many as possible, but I heartily recommend that you leave a few things for your friends to remember you by," Dumbledore answered kindly.

Harry gathered his thoughts before replying, "Right, I think I'd like to give Ron my Firebolt and my sneakoscope. Hermione can have my chocolate frog cards, she needs to start a collection of her own one day... and any books that I have that she might want, give her those, too." Now all the easy things were dealt with, and only his truly valuable things remained. Harry took a deep breath, "I suppose you can give her the Marauder's map as well. But I want to keep my photo album and my father's Invisibility Cloak."

"That sounds reasonable, Harry. However, I do think your friends would expect the cloak to go to one of them," Dumbledore replied.

"Well, it's a family heirloom, and I want it! Sod on what my friends expect. When they don't see it, they'll think you have plans for it anyway."

Sirius grinned at Harry, "Good on you, Harry. You're right, and think of all the fun we can have with that thing."

Dumbledore glared at Sirius then turned to Harry, resigned. "I suppose there shall be no convincing you. Very well then, I will see that those items are distributed as you desire. However, for the time being, I will be keeping your wand." Harry opened his mouth to protest as Dumbledore continued, "It is too recognizable and it has its place in your Celebration. You will have little need of it this summer, and you will be purchasing a new wand when you go to buy your school supplies for Beauxbatons."

What was he talking about? A celebration? Harry was fond of his wand and he was afraid he might need it if he ran into Voldemort again. "What celebration? I will get it back some day, right?"

Dumbledore's understanding tone was irritating. "When a wizard or witch dies, a part of the services held for them includes a celebration in which all of the deceased's friends and family celebrate the memory of the dead person and share their happiest memories of the deceased. As for you regaining your wand, perhaps you will one day, when you need it."

A sudden and terrible thought struck Harry and he was ashamed he hadn't thought of it before. Hedwig! She was roosting up in his room and he'd completely forgotten her. "Headmaster, what about Hedwig!? Can I take her with me?"

Dumbledore folded his hands on his desk and gave Harry a forlorn look. "I am afraid Hedwig will have to be memory charmed or destroyed, Harry. I am so sorry."

"No! You can't do that, I won't let you!" Harry panicked. The thought of harm coming to Hedwig was worse than the thought of harm coming to him. Hedwig was one of his first and most loyal friends; she kept him sane at Privet Drive, and her death or obliviation was too much for Harry to take. "If you do, I'll tell everyone that I'm Harry Potter!" Harry cried desperately.

"Harry, Hedwig is very recognizable, and she could very easily give you away. Such a risk is untenable. What would you have us do?" Dumbledore asked.

"Disguise her, charm her a few spots, I don't know. I won't lose Hedwig too," Harry answered desperately.

Dumbledore sighed and shifted his gaze to look at something behind them. Harry turned to see that the Headmaster was staring at an aged grandfather clock. "You and I have one errand we must run before you leave for France, Harry, and it would be best to be done with it as early as possible. Sirius, while we are gone, please see to disguising Hedwig and get Harry's things ready for Madame Coine. I have the invisibility cloak, but he will need his new clothes and two books - the photo album, and Your Magic and You."

Sirius nodded his affirmative. Dumbledore got up from behind his desk and walked to a bookshelf where he picked up a clear glass sphere that emitted a soft yellow light. "You remember our task within the Ministry, Sirius?" he asked.

Harry was lost, but Sirius obviously knew what Dumbledore was talking about, for he replied angrily, "Yes, but why in the world would you take Harry with you? Can you do anything riskier to expose him?" Sirius asked.

"Harry must come with me because he is the only one who can prevent Voldemort's success there. If Voldemort lays his hands on that which he seeks, then all of our misdirection here is in vain," Dumbledore replied soberly.

Sirius snorted. "Ambiguous as usual. Can't you give a straight answer to a question for once in your life?"

Harry was even more lost. "What in the world are you two talking about? What does Voldemort want from the Ministry?"

"Something he must not have," Dumbledore replied.

"A bloody prophecy about you two," Sirius spoke over him.

"The prophecy? Will I get to hear it now?" Harry looked expectantly at Dumbledore and the old man sighed.

"It is dangerous for you to know it before you are ready, Harry, and you still have much to learn."

Same answer, different day, Harry thought. Harry's unhappiness must have been evident because the Headmaster spoke again. "Fate can be a terrible weight Harry. I do not tell you because I care for you. I ask you to please try to understand that I only want the best for you."

Harry barely refrained from snorting in derision. "Well then, we may as well get going before more people wake up and get to work at the Ministry."

Dumbledore nodded in agreement and pulled Harry's invisibility cloak from a cabinet before handing it to him. "We will be back shortly, Sirius," Dumbledore said.

Dumbledore pulled a sock from a pocket in his robe and tapped it with his wand. "Portus," he incanted. He looked at Harry thoughtfully for a moment before instructing, "Show me the bottoms of your shoes so I can silence them, Harry, then put on your cloak and touch the portkey. When we get there, be as quiet as you can and follow me."

Harry lifted his feet one at a time as instructed and the Headmaster tapped the soles with his wand before nodding in approval. "Bye, Sirius." Harry waved before wrapping himself in the invisibility cloak and grabbing the portkey.

He saw his godfather waving back as the familiar yanking sensation gripped him by the navel and pulled him back through the whirling lights.

Harry tried to brace himself for the stop but it was all for naught as he bowled head over heels when his feet hit the ground. Luckily there was nobody in the deserted hallway they had landed in and Harry hurriedly leapt to his feet and straightened the invisibility cloak that had gotten tangled during his fall.

"Remember to follow me, and not a sound," Dumbledore whispered once Harry was settled. The Headmaster took off down the torch-lined hall without looking back. His footsteps echoed down the halls and Harry wondered if the rest of the Ministry looked like this. It wasn't much different than the dungeons at Hogwarts.

The Headmaster's gait was quick as he led Harry down the hall. Harry winced the second time he stumbled over his invisibility cloak and concentrated so hard on his feet that he nearly walked into the old man when he abruptly slowed. Harry's breath caught as two new people appeared from behind the curve of the wall.

They looked like they were sleeping on their feet and Harry winced as Dumbledore loudly cleared his throat. "Elphias, Nymphadora, please wake up. It wouldn't do for them to gain entry under your noses, would it?"

The two were a study of contrasts. The young witch with shocking pink hair and a heart-shaped face nearly jumped out of her boots and spun on her heel to face them while the old man beyond her blearily rubbed his eyes. "It's Tonks! Just because you're old and have white hair doesn't mean I'll let you get away with calling me anything else, Professor! What are you doing down here so early in the morning?"

"Albus," the witch's old white-haired companion acknowledged through a yawn.

"Good morning to you both. I am here on behalf of our mutual business and must gain access to the room where the prize is kept," the Headmaster kindly replied.

The witch nodded sharply and said, "Sorry to go all Moody on you, Professor, but I have to make sure you're you. Please tell us something only you and I know."

The Headmaster favored her with a smile. "I believe you broke your nose yesterday on the floor of our shared establishment when you tripped over an umbrella stand in your rush to leave after breakfast."

The old man, Elphias, laughed and slapped his thighs. "Hadn't heard that one yet, Tonks. Send you off to St. Mungo's, did they?"

Tonks snorted. "Yeah, well at least some of us don't try to chat up paintings of miserable old hags." Elphias groaned and Tonks's smile was supremely pleased.

"I suppose we can let you in then, Professor," Tonks continued as she pushed open the dark black door between her and Elphias. "Close the door once you're in and all that. There shouldn't be anyone else in there either. Workers all went home at a sane hour and nobody else has been here since."

Dumbledore nodded pleasantly. "Thank you, Nymphadora." The witch glared at Dumbledore, but he continued, "I should not be much longer than half an hour. I would prefer if no one knew that I was here. I will knock twice, two times, and then once on my way out. Open the door only if there is no one about to see me."

The two guards caught onto his seriousness and Tonks replied, "You got it, Professor." She nodded her firm understanding and saluted with her free hand.

Dumbledore shook his head in amusement, but as he did so he surreptitiously caught Harry's eye and looked sharply to the door. His message couldn't be clearer and Harry hurried through into a large circular chamber. Dumbledore followed quickly behind him and left the door slightly ajar.

They were standing in a large, circular room. The black walls were lined with more black doors exactly like the one they'd just come through. Long lines of black metallic candleholders jutted out of the walls between the evenly spaced doors, supporting dozens of strange blue-flamed candles.

The Headmaster advanced quickly across the room to the door immediately opposite the one they had entered through and pushed it open. A bright light flared through the doorway along with the curious sound of what must have been thousands of ticking clocks. Harry had to squint hard to see the Headmaster as he gestured for Harry to come in.

Dumbledore stood in the doorway and flicked his wand at something back in the chamber they'd just left. Harry barely noticed this and only dimly heard the Headmaster close the door behind him. The room they had entered was filled, wall to wall, with clocks. There were small clocks, carriage clocks, pocket watches, and grandfather clocks. There were clocks with three hands, clocks with four hands, and even clocks within clocks. They were arranged along the walls on bookshelves as well as on desks that formed lines down the room. The thing that had so thoroughly caught Harry's attention, though, was a large crystal jar in the center of the chamber. The bright light in the room found its source in the jar's glowing depths. The bloody thing was certainly impressive and nearly as tall as Harry was.

Dumbledore broke into Harry's awed examination with a gentle cough. "You can take the cloak off now, Harry. It's time we went about our business. We have to take care of something that I ought to have seen to many years ago."

"Er, where are we, sir?" Harry asked nervously.

"This is the Time Room in the Department of Mysteries within the Ministry of Magic. We will be using some of the tools here to create the Elixir of Youth for you, Harry. The business that we will attend to first lies in the Hall of Prophecy, beyond that door," Dumbledore explained, pointing at yet another black door beyond the rows of desks.

Dumbledore renewed his walk to the far door. "Come along now, Harry. This is no time to dawdle."

Harry slowly followed; he was reluctant to leave the jar without taking a closer look at it. There seemed to be something vaguely egg-shaped floating inside it but Harry was too far away, and the light was too bright to tell more than that. Dumbledore held the door open for him as he walked through.

This room looked very much like a dusty library, except that its shelves were filled with strange glass orbs rather than books. The sparse candles provided little illumination and gave the Hall of Prophecy a distinctly eerie feel.

Dumbledore wasted no time looking around and seemed to know exactly where to go. He interrupted Harry's curious inspection with a gentle cough. "We will be going to row ninety-seven, this way." He turned and strode quickly down the hall.

Harry followed right behind the Headmaster and briefly watched as the numbers on the ends of the shelves increased as they went along. Dumbledore turned down row ninety-seven and continued down to the far end of the shelf, where he stopped.

"Harry, do you remember what I told you about the prophecy that drove Voldemort to try to kill you fourteen years ago?" Dumbledore asked as Harry stopped beside him.

"Yeah," Harry waited for the old man to continue.

"As I said before, Voldemort does not possess the entirety of the prophecy. This orb contains a full recording of it and if you recall your dream, I believe Avery is charged with the task of fetching it. Now, however..."

Dumbledore paused to pull a dully gleaming orb from his robes. "When and if Voldemort does retrieve it, he will find not the true recording, but a fake." Dumbledore smiled deviously.

The Headmaster backed away from the shelf a half-step and raised his wand. "Harry, do you see the label over there with your name on it? The orb above it contains the prophecy. When I tell you to, please lift it up and replace it with this one." Dumbledore handed his orb to Harry.

"Sure," Harry replied and took the orb. Harry stepped close to the shelves and looked, and quickly found the orb the Headmaster was referring to.

S.P.T. to A.P.W.B.D

Dark Lord

and (?) Harry Potter

Harry closely examined the orb that contained the reason behind all the tragedy in his life and shivered. How much would be different today if it wasn't for what was in this damned ball of glass? Harry stepped away from the shelf and turned to look at Dumbledore.

The Headmaster's face clouded with concentration as he leveled his wand at the dusty orb. He began with a slight vertical flick that caused all the dust on the orb to lift off it, leaving the glass sparking and clear. The next horizontal flick caused the dust to float down and to the right until it came to rest to the right of Harry's prophecy still formed in the dull shell that once encased its old home.

With the dust migration completed, Dumbledore began another spell on the Prophecy. A muttered string of Latin accompanied by a series of complicated wand movements caused the prophecy to glow red. The light intensified as Dumbledore kept incanting until, with a flick, the aura stretched like gum, ruptured, and snapped in two.

"Now Harry, only your hand may touch your prophecy," Dumbledore ordered.

Harry quickly reached forward and swapped his fake orb for the one carrying the real prophecy. The angry red cast around the original vanished at Harry's touch. Harry stroked the orb with a trembling hand and barely noticed the Headmaster placing the other red aura and dust atop the fake prophecy. A sudden urge to destroy the prophecy welled up in Harry. All that kept him from throwing it was the fact that it may be lost if he did so. What did the damn thing say? Maybe if he broke another one... he glanced at the Headmaster and reached surreptitiously for the shelves.

"Stop!" Dumbledore lunged forward to grab Harry's forearm before he could reach an orb. This was the first time Harry had ever heard Dumbledore sound afraid. "Harry, there was a reason why I had you pick up your prophecy. I told you that only your hand may touch your prophecy. Anyone that tries to remove someone else's prophecy from the shelves are driven horribly mad by the magic that safeguards them. I can honestly tell you that you would have been better off dead from your uncle's gunshot than living with the consequences of touching that prophecy you were about to pick up. Now," Dumbledore paused, "give me your prophecy." Dumbledore finished his lecture sternly and held his hand out expectantly.

"No! I want to know what it says!" Harry cried out. The thought of ending up insane in a bed for the rest of his life made him cringe while the frustration of not knowing the prophecy enraged him.

"Harry, you still are not ready to know... for many reasons. Trust me, you will know when you need to." Dumbledore replied with stern conviction. He flicked his wand towards Harry. The prophecy was wrenched out of Harry's hand and flew to the Headmaster. "We do not have time now for arguments, Harry. It is time we went back to the Time Room and prepared your elixir."

"Right," Harry began nastily, still smarting from having his prophecy stolen from him. A sudden thought came to him and he shivered. "Is it going to hurt?" The thought of actually going through a transformation like that spooked him on many levels. He didn't really want to be eleven again and being shrunk like that had to hurt.

Dumbledore favored him with a wryly sympathetic smile. "I am pleased that I can tell you the pain will be short lived ."

They quickly withdrew from the Hall of Prophecy and once they were back in the Time Room, Dumbledore led them back to the glowing crystal jar. Harry finally had an opportunity to closely examine it and found that the bell shaped jar contained a billowing, glittering wind. The egg Harry had seen before was drifting up and down along the sparkling currents inside. As it rose, it cracked and a baby hummingbird emerged; the higher up the wind carried the bird, the older it got. As it lowered it became younger, eventually returning to its egg. It was amazing, but the Headmaster had business to take care of and motioned Harry away.

Once Harry was clear, Dumbledore raised his wand once more and with a steep, arching wave he conjured a solid wooden table. With the table placed, Dumbledore dug into his pockets and produced several miniature vials, odd looking silver instruments, small paper-wrapped packets, rolled-up miniature scrolls, and a miniature golden cauldron. He set them down on the table in a deliberate manner before enlarging them with another wave of his wand.

The Headmaster momentarily turned from the table and slashed his wand vertically, like an enthusiastic classical music conductor, as he conjured a replica of Fawkes' perch in the Headmaster's office. "Fawkes will be joining us shortly, Harry," the old man informed him from over his shoulder.

"Right," Harry nervously replied. Dumbledore paid him little mind and began to work, preparing a potion. The Headmaster began by conjuring a mass of water into the bowl before he went to the vials and packets. For the most part, Harry couldn't tell what the Headmaster was adding. He only recognized a few apple quarters that the Headmaster mashed to paste and a liquid that looked like unicorn blood.

During this process Harry fidgeted; he felt utterly useless, and twice he opened his mouth to ask if there was anything that he could do to help. The second time the Headmaster kindly said, "I will ask for you to contribute in a few minutes Harry, but there is little you can do until then."

Fawkes appeared in a flaming explosion of light a few minutes later and trilled softly as he settled himself on his perch. Harry smiled nervously at the bird and Fawkes cocked his head back and shot Harry an avian glance that seemed to say, 'everything is going to be just fine.'

A faint light stemmed from the bubbling potion that the Headmaster was now carefully stirring in measured counterclockwise strokes. He stopped abruptly and lifted his silver ladle from the solution. "Stand back, Harry; if I have done this correctly, there will be a small explosion in a moment."

Then the Headmaster turned to his phoenix. "Fawkes, it is time for you to do your part," he remarked.

The phoenix nodded and Dumbledore stepped back from the cauldron. With the Headmaster away, the phoenix took flight. Fawkes leapt from his perch and with a quick flap of his wings, he circled around and soared over the room; a pearly white tear fell from his eye as he passed over the lightly boiling cauldron. The tear glittered as it fell and when it landed in the mixture there was a light dripping sound before a massive explosion nearly turned the cauldron over. Colorful streams of sparks issued from the smoking mouth of the cauldron.

"Ah, there we go." Dumbledore clapped his hands as he returned to the cauldron, obviously pleased. "Please approach the cauldron, Harry; it is time for both of us to add an ingredient."

Harry nodded numbly and shuffled towards the old man. The whole spectacle had been more amazing than any of Neville's infamous potions accidents, and Harry was feeling distinctly awed.

Harry could see into the cauldron once he was up against the table with Dumbledore. He looked inside the cauldron and was surprised by the minute amount of potion within it. What he did see was a silvery solution in the bottom that seemed to reflect a gleaming rainbow of color depending how he looked at it. "Now, Harry," the Headmaster broke into his reverie, "the final two ingredients before we add Fawkes' ashes are four drops of our own blood. I must go first. Please observe my technique and follow it exactly."

Harry watched attentively as the Headmaster carefully pricked his index finger with a pin and carefully squeezed four fat drops of blood into the potion. The Headmaster put the pin down out of Harry's reach and picked up a shiny wooden ladle that he used to stir the potion for about thirty seconds before turning his attention back to the teenager. "Now, Harry," Dumbledore handed him the pin.

Harry carefully took the pin and pricked his own finger. It stung a bit, but Harry ignored it. He carefully squeezed his fingertip from the second knuckle up, rubbing to the tip, and coaxed a fat drop of blood to form from his fingertip. He carefully shook it off so that it landed into the mixture. The first drop of his blood caused the mixture to glow, the second made it brighter, the third made it iridescent, and the fourth drop all but extinguished the light. What remained when Harry looked into the cauldron was a fine golden liquid.

"Excellent, Harry! Now please stand back; it's not ready for you yet." the Headmaster said.

Harry stepped away from the cauldron, giving Dumbledore plenty of room to work. The Headmaster took one last large packet in hand and emptied measured handfuls of fine white ash into the mixture. He then used the wooden ladle to combine it. With that done, the Headmaster turned his wand to the crystal jar with the floating egg. He whispered an incantation under his breath that Harry couldn't catch. The winds in the jar slowly began to still and the egg slowly dropped until it sat stationary just above the glass bottom.

He then spread out one of the parchments on the table and took one of the large silver devices up in hand. Dumbledore carefully went about setting up the device around the jar. It was a large silvery ring supported by three silver stands. Where the ring met each stand there was a little knob that was obviously to be used to adjust the ring's position. The characters on the knob, as well as those on the parchment that the Headmaster was referring to as he set the thing up, looked like complete gibberish to Harry.

Dumbledore must have noticed his befuddled expression as he kindly said, "If you had elected to take Arithmancy, it is possible you would have some clue as to what I was doing, Harry." Harry blushed slightly and stepped away.

When he was finished with the dials, the Headmaster grabbed his wand again. With another flick, the old man caused the silver ring to activate. The ring made a low humming sound and a dim and dark green light quickly encased it. Another quick incantation caused the winds to stir again, but curiously enough, the egg stayed where it was.

The Headmaster then reached deep into his robes and pulled forth a familiar blood-red crystal - a Philosopher's Stone! Harry watched with great intrigue as the Headmaster carefully formed the now pasty white mixture around the stone and levitated it from the cauldron.

"Fawkes, if you please, I believe some singing is in order," Dumbledore politely asked the phoenix.

As phoenix-song filled the air, Dumbledore levitated the white stone over the rim of the jar and lowered it into the wind. The stone didn't seem to visibly change as it descended, but when it reached level with the silver ring that surrounded the jar a green light flared and the stone stopped in its tracks. Dumbledore once more pointed his wand at the jar and this time Harry caught part of the incantation, 'Siste Ventum Temporis.' The wind stilled and Fawkes went mute, and Dumbledore levitated the stone out of the jar and restored the winds and egg to their previous condition.

Dumbledore then produced a miniature pewter cauldron from his pockets that he enlarged and placed on the table. He then broke the white-green shell off the stone and into the cauldron. He beat it into a fine powder with a silver pestle and cast 'Incendio' in the cauldron.

A bright flash of golden fire erupted from the cauldron. "Just about done," the Headmaster said pleasantly. He took up a beaker that was filled with a silvery-mercurial liquid and poured the golden ash from the cauldron into it.

The Headmaster picked up a glass stirring-rod from the table and stirred the mixture until the golden flecks were evenly dispersed in the solution. "One last ingredient... Fawkes! A tear please." The phoenix flew over to Dumbledore and perched on his shoulder. The Headmaster then lifted the beaker so that Fawkes could wink a tear into it.

The liquid inside turned a clear gold and seemed to glow with an inner light. The Headmaster strode to Harry with a bright smile on his face. He held out the beaker towards the teen and enthusiastically urged, "Please drink it quickly, Harry; the longer it sits, the less pleasant the transformation."

This was all so much to take in and Harry swallowed hard as he took the beaker in his nervous hands. He blinked hard. If Dumbledore wanted him to do this, it couldn't be that bad, right?

He was wrong. A furious burning sensation enveloped him once he swallowed the potion. Fire laced his veins and Harry screamed. His skin felt too tight and Harry glanced down at his arms to find them glowing with a golden light. His back and limbs seemed to be squeezing down on themselves and his fingers visibly shrunk before his eyes. He dropped the beaker in shock and swayed where he stood.

The glow faded and the fire in his blood slowly cooled. Harry sighed in relief and staggered a step before he promptly collapsed on the ground. Dumbledore sighed softly before grinning. "You look like a first year again, Harry," the Headmaster informed him.

Harry groaned in response. He tried to move, but could manage only to twitch. He couldn't raise his head to look at himself, but he certainly felt smaller. All in all, he was too spent to think much, all he wanted was a comfortable bed where he could rest. He watched dazedly from the floor as Dumbledore gathered up the rest of his materials and cleaned up all the mess.

"It doesn't appear you have the strength to leave on your own power, Harry." Dumbledore walked behind him and cast what must have been Mobilicorpus on him. He lifted a meter into the air and hung there while Dumbledore picked up his Invisibility Cloak off the ground and covered him with it.

Harry could only stare at the ceiling as the Headmaster floated him out of the Time Room and back to the door to the entrance corridor. He knocked twice, two times, and then once before stepping away from the door.

A moment later the door swung open and Tonks appeared in the doorway. "Get what you were looking for, Professor?"

"Indeed, everything is in order," Dumbledore calmly replied. He favored her with a smile before announcing his intent to leave. "There is much yet to do today and I must be off. I hope you both have a pleasant day. Tonks, Elphias."

"Dumbledore," they both replied respectfully.

After they moved out of the way Dumbledore discretely floated Harry up the corridor to where they entered. When they were out of sight of Tonks and Elphias, Dumbledore stopped and pulled out the sock again. He took Harry's hand out from under the cloak and wrapped it around the sock before he charmed it, 'Portus.'

An instant later the portkey activated and carried them both back to Dumbledore's office, where Sirius was impatiently pacing.

"Well? Get everything done then? Where is Harry?" Sirius asked impatiently.

"He is exhausted, but here," Dumbledore replied before lifting the Invisibility Cloak. "Everything has been taken care of, Sirius."

Harry tried to smile up at Sirius as he beheld his godfather's anxious face. "I'm alright," he yawned, "just tired."

Sirius smiled with obvious relief. "So when are Harry and Madame Coine leaving, then?" Sirius changed the subject.

The Headmaster carefully lowered Harry into one of his office chairs. "In about fifteen minutes I believe." Dumbledore replied after checking his watch.

"Right," Sirius swallowed. He turned to Harry and said, "Well I guess this is good-bye for a week or so. It would be pretty hypocritical for me to tell you to be good." Sirius paused for a moment. "Just don't cause Madame Coine enough trouble so that she kicks you out. I can't wait to join you and I want there to still be a place to stay when I get there." Sirius shot Harry a forced smile.

"I can't wait either," Harry wearily replied.

Dumbledore took his seat behind his desk and Sirius sat next to Harry, nervously laying his hand on Harry's arm in what he must have thought was a comforting gesture.

They waited in silence for ten minutes for Madame Coine to arrive. It was broken only by the re-appearance of Fawkes, who appeared near the ceiling in a flash of flame, before gliding down to perch on the arm of Harry's chair.

When Madame Coine came through the office door, she found two thoughtful old men and a younger Harry weakly stroking Fawkes's head. Sirius jerked his head around to see her and Dumbledore lifted his gaze to her eyes. "Ah, good morning, Madame. Are you ready to leave?"

"Oui, I am ready, 'eadmaster. I just need 'Arry's zings." She advanced into the office with a large satchel slung over her shoulder.

The Invisibility Cloak, his new clothes, and the two books went into the weightless and bottomless satchel. After everything was packed, Sirius turned to Harry with a mournful expression on his face. "Well I guess this is it, Harry. See you soon." He leaned over his godson and gave him a tight hug. Harry weakly tried to hug him back.

Dumbledore got up from his desk and approached Harry from the opposite side. "Harry, there is a large mirror in your bedroom in the tent. I will be using it as a portal to access your tent. I will be coming through it tonight at six o'clock for your Occlumency lesson."

Harry acknowledged the Headmaster with a nod. "I'll be there," he softly replied. He turned to Sirius. "Bye, Sirius. I can't wait to see you again." He directed as warm a smile as he could manage at his godfather.

"Bye, Harry," Sirius mumbled sullenly.

Dumbledore stood away from Harry and conjured a large metal bar that he charmed into a portkey before handing it to Madame Coine. "Farewell, Harry. I look forward to seeing you tonight. Touch the bar when you are ready."

Harry nodded and reached out to touch the portkey, and the world disappeared in a roaring whirlwind of flashing colors.

o ------ o ------ o

AN: Next Chapter: A Week in France.

This chapter was beta'd by Lisa and Fuzzbutt. Please make sure to thank them in your reviews. Without their efforts my work wouldn't be as great as it is.

My good friend Chloé was kind enough help me with the Latin translations:

Stop, Winds of Time = siste ventum temporis