Author's Note:

Hello there. Like I said at the end of the last chapter, I would rather get right into the plot and so we should all pretend that Harry and Mikhail spent a month (which I will acknowledge but not devote more time than I feel is necessary) coming up with a plan and it would spoil the reveal if you knew about it ahead of time.

Of course, that doesn't necessarily mean that it will go off without a hitch or that they won't encounter some hiccups along the way.

To clarify: I'm treating this whole story as if Harry saw the future that he would have lived and had that information (as if he had lived it).

As always, thanks for reading. Hope it entertains you a little.

Here is my disclaimer that says I do not own anything Harry Potter related. Everything belongs to JK Rowling, except in universe 47837. Probably.

Not even a week later and Harry took his first soul.

It began like any other night, with Harry and Mikhail both sitting on the floor of Harry's room in an empty house on Privet Drive. The Dursley's had thankfully decided that they needed a few weeks away.

Harry's new behavior might have had something to do with it.

The two Angels were alternating between researching information from their ledgers, talking about what Harry remembered the future to be in as much detail as possible, and then slowly beginning to piece together their plan to deal with both Voldemort and Dumbledore.

Suddenly, Harry's Book of Death began to glow and Harry instinctually flipped through the pages until the book warmed and the page felt right in his hands.

A part of Harry's mind had been dreading this moment since he knew that there was no escaping it. For no matter how much gratitude and respect he had for the woman who had ensured him a fair trial for the Dementor fiasco, deep down he knew her death could not be prevented. There just simply had not been enough time to try and save her.

A heavy sigh escaped his lips and he turned to look at Mikhail.

"Come on," Harry shared a disappointed look with the older Angel. "Let's get this over with."

In the next moment they both transformed into their true forms as Angels of Death and shadow traveled to Amelia Bones' house. While they were visible to souls in the Land of the Dead in this form, in the Land of the Living they remained invisible to those that were not dead or dying.

They appeared just in time to see Voldemort materialize in her living room.

"Amelia," the Dark Lord purred.

He flicked his wand and a bright purple light shot at the wide-eyed woman sitting before him.

Harry thought that her death would be quick but the witch surprised him with ingenuity as she deflected Voldemort's curse with a wandlessly summoned cushion. The explosion of feathers in all directions allowed her enough time to grab her wand and roll off the couch where she shot off several stunners.

The Dark Lord dealt with those easily and returned a volley of conjured knives that careened towards the woman.

Amelia jumped to her knees all the while extending her arm outwards in a great circle that caused each knife to transform into a bird as they passed the line she had drawn before her.

Showing a great deal of agility Amelia wasted no time in rolling to the side and sending her couch flying straight towards her attacker.

But no matter how much Harry wanted the woman to succeed the hourglass above head had run out of sand and her time had come.

Out of the corner of his eyes he saw it, and while Amelia devoted her next spells to burn the snakes that flew at her head a bright yellow light met directly with her chest.

Amelia staggered forward and dropped to the ground. Her wand fell forgotten to the side as her hands shot up to grab her throat.

"Yes, Amelia, I expect it would be a tad bit uncomfortable for you right now."

The Dark Lord started to walk forward and while sweat was evident on Amelia's face, he hardly looked phased.

"I want you to know of the honor I have just bestowed on you. For you see," he knelt down in front of her and his crimson eyes reflected her horror at not being able to take a breath, "I rarely do these sorts of killings personally. Only when they are significant or necessary in ensuring my plans do I get involved. You would have been a threat to me you see, Amelia."

The Dark Lord chuckled.

"Well, not to me personally… obviously," he prodded her cheek with his wand.

"But to my cause… your work with the Ministry would have slowed things down."

The Dark Lord rose and his smiled darkened.

"And I've waited long enough."

With the barest of twists he disappeared on the spot.

Harry blinked away the pain of seeing her try and gasp for the fresh air that just would not come.

Knowing what he had to do since he felt like he had failed her, Harry walked forward and as the woman came closer and closer to dying, the more visible that Harry became to her.

Soon he was fully visible and in Amelia's haze her last thoughts were of the strong and beautifully powerful figure in front of her was that her brother had come to great her.

"I'm sorry, Amelia," Harry's quiet voice sounded in the locked room.

"Your time has come."

With a swish downward Amelia's soul was severed from her body and absorbed by the scythe.

At that moment Harry felt the sum of her life pass through his mind and he felt her soul move on to the Land of the Dead. Everything that Amelia Bones was and had ever been was lying motionless in front of him.

Harry stared at her lifeless body for another minute without saying anything and he was glad when Mikhail stepped up behind him and grabbed onto his shoulders and transported them back home.

Harry and Mikhail never spoke about her death after that night and instead spent the next two weeks committed to putting as much preparation into their plan as possible. After all, they had a lot of considerations in rebalancing order to the world after the shenanigans of Dumbledore and Voldemort, and Harry wanted to try and prevent as many deaths as he could.

So each morning the older Angel would shadow travel over to Harry's bedroom and the two would stretch out on the floor with their ledgers open in front of them. From there they would spend the next few hours gathering as much information about the potential players and any expected hiccups as possible regarding their upcoming assignment before breaking for lunch.

Of course, now that Harry was finally getting a feel for shadow traveling, they tended to go out for lunch.

Some days they would make the short journey into London to eat at a little café and other times they would go to the opposite side of the world and join the locals for a late-night hot pot. In a few short weeks Harry got to see a lot more of the world than he ever thought he would.

Regardless of where they dined they always returned to Privet Drive in the afternoon. The next few hours would then be spent slowly assembling a reasonable action plan to deal with both Tom Riddle's immortality and Dumbledore's inability to deal with something because of his fear of power. Now, Mikhail had stressed from the beginning that while they could plan everything in meticulous detail according to the timeline of the next two years that Harry saw in Death's office, it was very likely – almost guaranteed – that everything about what Harry knew the future to be would change.

For one thing, the two Angels had their sights firmly set on closing out this project in one year, not two, and, secondly, Mikhail was intimately familiar with the effects of inserting oneself into the timeline to prevent a horrendous outcome. Just the smallest of alterations to any series of interconnected events was enough to cause a domino effect that could quite literally turn the outcome on its head.

How could events remain the same if one directly attempted to prevent them from happening?

Therefore, they needed to have a general outline listing all of the reasonable possibilities of what might result given what they knew about what did happen from a single future.

It wasn't perfect but it was far better than going into something blind, especially when most people could be directed to specific outcomes with careful manipulation.

Unfortunately, Dumbledore and Voldemort were not like most people, and so extra consideration needed to be given in anticipating their responses and actions to what Harry and Mikhail had planned.

Gathering all of the Horcruxes – aside from Nagini since that would alert Tom to what was going on and the ring, because Harry couldn't be bothered to save Dumbledore – had been the simple part. Revealing what they were, at the right time, and to the right people in order to be destroyed since they couldn't directly do it themselves on account of Death's rules would be the difficult part. Oh, and they couldn't let other people know what they were up to, either.

However, gathering Slytherin's Locket did at least present Harry with the chance to endear Kreacher to him earlier this time around. Of course, since he knew that Dumbledore would be by in a few week's time to settle his questions surrounding Sirius' will, Harry made sure the elf was totally loyal to him and gave Kreacher a very specific set of instructions on how he should behave. Thus, there would no suspicion when Dumbledore tested his theory on the inheritance of Sirius' will.

Plus, it came with the added benefit of giving them a new and immediate base of operations since Sirius's death, and the subsequent and immediate transfer of the property to Harry, had dissolved the Fidelius Charm that Dumbledore had previously cast.

They wasted no time in making Mikhail the new Secret Keeper, and so they now had a much larger place to work without fear of being disturbed by anyone. Nor would Dumbledore be able to stick his abnormally large and crooked nose into their business, and Harry was looking very forward to the moment when the man found out.

The new space and the ability to devote the entirety of the sprawling and legendary Black Library to permanently become command central also allowed them to be able to focus on some of the other people on Harry's list. Not unexpectedly, the two intelligent and devious Angels were able to incorporate those little sidebar quests into the bigger picture seamlessly.

Or about as well as could be planned ahead of time.

Speaking of which, around two weeks into their preparations, they finally had need for outside help to formally begin laying down some of the groundwork. Since Harry had little use for his sizeable Potter and Black fortunes on account of his ability to be reimbursed for expenses while on the job – not to mention the generous salary and benefits of his new employment – Harry retained one of the best and most exclusive solicitors in all of Britain. She was absolutely fabulous and not only handled Sirius' will but she also drafted several documents that would be deployed strategically in the future to suit their needs.

To Harry, this whole process was invigorating as to how much more capable his mind was becoming without having to contend with Tom's Horcrux in his scar. A small part of him desperately wished that he had been able to access his full potential years ago since he was under a serious time crunch before he had to return to Hogwarts, but truth-be-told he was just happy to have it now.

Things that had once eluded him, things that he felt he should have known were now much easier for him to immediately see and understand. Well, some things. He was still just as clueless as ever when it came to recognizing how close that Mikhail and him were becoming as the days ticked by.

Nothing had happened between them yet but it wasn't out-of-the-ordinary for the pair to have their legs unknowingly brush up against one another while they were lying side-by-side on the floor and comparing notes.

Harry's apparent obliviousness, considering his other sizeable talents, was something that Mikhail was well aware of since it was slowly beginning to drive him mad.

In reality, Mikhail was a little relieved for some time alone when Harry departed early one morning near the end of July from Number 12 Grimmauld Place to head for the Ministry of Magic. Their letter, rather Harry's urgent request for a meeting with the new Minister had come back positive.

For Harry, his journey to the Ministry was short. One minute he focused on becoming one with the shadows in the large fireplace next to the Black family tree, being absorbed into its very darkness, and the next he had reemerged in a dark spot on a dingy street in London full of graffiti. To his right there were several rundown offices and to his left was a pub that evidently served most of its clientele at breakfast.

In between the two was a shabby, red telephone box. Harry blinked away the memories from a few weeks ago and entered the booth and dialed six-two-four-four-two.

"Welcome to the Ministry of Magic, visitor," a familiar voice welcomed Harry.

"State your name and business with the Ministry."

Harry had his answer ready.

"Harry James Potter; I'm here to meet with the Rufus Scrimgeour."

Instantly a silver badge materialized out of nowhere and fell into Harry's lap.

Harry James Potter

9:30 Meeting with Minister for Magic

"Please take your visitor's pass and display it prominently on your person as you head to the atrium to register your wand. Enjoy your visit!"

Her cheery voice ended and the bottom of the booth began to descend as he started to enter the Ministry's Atrium.

Harry got out of the lift as it deposited him on the all-too-familiar eighth level of the Ministry, and he ignored the gilded fireplaces that the regular Ministry employees used and made a beeline for the visitor's desk.

Harry had barely passed by the Fountain of Magical Brethren when the lone security guard recognized him at once.

"H-harry P-p-po-potter?" the man stuttered.

His eyes didn't really know where to focus on and Harry couldn't blame him. He didn't know if the man was surprised with his immaculate appearance – he was sure that Kathy would have approved of his sharp dress robes – or if his confident smirk reminded the man that he had been proven right about the Dark Lord's return.

Either way Harry really didn't care and because he had other things on his mind he handed over his holly wand and submitted to the registration process without saying a word.

"I trust you know how to get to level one?" the man asked after glancing at Harry's badge and noticing whom Harry was meeting with.

"Indeed."

With a polite nod Harry retrieved his wand and began to walk into the smaller hallway that housed a series of gated lifts.

Harry walked over and got into one of the empty lifts and closed the gilded gate. As the elevator detached from this floor and began its descent, Harry closed his eyes with the temporary privacy and mentally reminded himself.

'You can do this, Harry. Just do what you and Mikhail practiced. Be mindful of how you carry yourself. You're not the same person anymore; you are an Angel now and success early can set the tone for later.'

Harry ended his internal pep talk with one of Mikhail's favorite sayings. It wasn't that he felt unprepared for the conversation and manipulation that was about to take place, because he was looking forward to both immensely and had come to appreciate just how natural he felt in his new role.

However, this would also be the first opportunity where future lives could be saved. A lot of future lives, in fact, if he did things right. Therefore, there was rather a lot of pressure on how the next thirty minutes went.

As the gate retracted, Harry stepped out into the more formal-looking and smaller reception area that housed the offices of the Minister and other senior Ministry of Magic employees.

Imagining that he was leaving his doubts behind Harry focused instead on some of that newfound confidence and attitude that had come to him so naturally in his recent dealing with the Dursleys.

Soon he approached the familiar-looking and downturned face of Percy Weasley. The Junior Assistant to the Minister for Magic had his chest puffed out and acted like he was working on the most important thing in the world.

Harry was determined to have fun with this.

He reached Percy's desk and extended his hand.

"I'm here for a meeting with the Minister for Magic."

Percy didn't look up when he responded to Harry in a bored tone.

"The new Minister is extremely busy and available only by appointment."

Harry left his hand extended and tried again.

"Apologies for not being more clear: my name is Harry Potter and I'm here for my nine-thirty appointment with Minister Scrimgeour. Please let him know I've arrived; he will be very disappointed if I'm kept waiting."

The name Harry Potter caused Percy's neck to snap upwards, and Harry allowed his lips to curl upwards at the uncharacteristic part in Weasley's mouth.

It became difficult to keep his smirk from growing as Percy proceeded to then look Harry up and down, his eyes searching for any trace of the old Harry that he remembered.

"Mister Potter… I've been expecting you," came his unsteady reply.

"Minister Scrimgeour will be ready in a few moments. Why don't you have a seat over here," he indicated with an shaky hand movement.

Harry enjoyed seeing Percy out of his element. Even though he knew Percy had eventually come around and rejoined his family, that didn't mean that Harry was going to forget Percy's role during the previous year.

Nor was he going to have a seat.

"I'm very appreciative that his no-doubt busy schedule since the delayed confirmation of Voldemort's return could make room to see me."

Harry smiled pointedly but his green eyes couldn't help but radiate just how good a part of him felt with this conversation.

"I must say it's nice to see how much difference a few short months can make. I'm quite fond of no longer seeing my name dragged through the mud in the Daily Prophet, too."

Weasley swallowed hard and was really beginning to look uncomfortable.

"Yes, well… those were different times."

Percy's eyes then flicked downward and he had trouble meeting Harry's face.

However, no matter the feelings of vindication with this encounter, Percy's name was barely at the top of his list and he had another, more important meeting to focus on.

"I-I'm sorry," the young man managed to surprise Harry by saying, his eyes still looking down at the floor.

Just then something began to glow on Percy's desk and his eyes shot upwards to meet Harry's.

"The Minister will see you now."

Harry stood still looking at Percy for a minute, the green in his eyes was swirling as he thought through whether or not he wanted to acknowledge the apology.

In the end, he decided to be the better person.

"Thank you, Percy, it was good to see you. You're not a bad person, you know. Last year was difficult for everyone… and for different reasons… and chances are it will get worse before it gets better. And the only thing we can do is decide on what sort of person we want to be when the dark time comes."

Harry didn't know if he was supposed to say things like that but Percy had come back to his family when it mattered. Plus, that didn't mean that Umbridge and former Minister Cornelius Fudge were going to be forgotten about.

Not in the least! He had plans for them. Big, evil plans.

At any rate, concerns over Weasley's internal battle with his pride and ambition were soon gone from his mind when he walked around the desk and made for the Minister's door.

Harry turned the showy handle and stepped into the office, noting that while the décor screamed wealth and privilege it could not compare to the timeless and eloquent simplicity of Death's mahogany styling.

At once he caught sight of Rufus, whose stare was fixated on something on the mantle of the ornately carved fireplace that was speckled with silver on the other side of the room.

Harry did his best to not focus too heavily on the faint hourglass hovering over the man's head, which told him that the man may or may not have a year left.

But Harry performed his very best when he was under pressure and so he shut the door behind him ready to do things differently this time.

The closing of the door alerted the Minister to his presence and Harry confidently began to walk over to him.

"Mister Potter," the deep and greasy voice of the Active Minister sounded.

"I must say it was a welcomed surprise to receive your letter and a pleasure to have the opportunity to finally meet you in person."

The man reached out to shake his hand and Harry noticed the man falter slightly as he took in Harry's full appearance.

Pleased with the reaction that signaled exactly the sort of response that he had been going for Harry accepted the gesture with a firm grip and shook twice before releasing.

"The pleasure is all mine, Minister. I can't tell you how grateful I am that you took my request seriously. It's a complete turnaround from my experiences with Cornelius Fudge and the previous administration."

His sharp but truthful critique was only enhanced by how he looked and Rufus would be lying if said he wasn't even more curious about this boy and the conversation they would have.

"How about we head over here and discuss the reason for your visit today?" Rufus responded while gesturing to the middle of the room with his hands.

Harry allowed himself to be led over to the comfortable looking sofa that sat opposite from two armchairs.

"Please," the man indicated with his hand and Harry took a seat in the center of the couch.

The Acting Minister selected the left chair.

"Tea?" he offered, and then upon seeing Harry nod began to pour two cups full of steaming Black Tea.

"Thank you," Harry accepted his cup by the handle and balanced it on its corresponding plate.

"So, Mister Potter, what can I do for you today? I must say I was surprised to receive your letter but if I am being honest I had been planning on reaching out to you in the near future."

"Oh?" Harry played along, knowing full well that the man desired to use the fame of the Boy Who Lived to assure the public that the Ministry was doing something about the war.

"Of course, Harry. May I call you Harry?"

The man continued before Harry could even respond.

"But we can get into that later, Harry. Now, what urgent matters did you want to discuss that brought you in today?"

Harry and Mikhail had briefly discussed the best way for Harry to handle Scrimgeour but it had soon become quite obvious as to the best path forward.

"Actually, Sir, I'm very curious to hear that you were interested in reaching out to me. My concerns seem minor compared to what someone such as yourself could want from me. Please, I insist that you go first."

A triumphant gleam quickly passed through Scrimgeour's eyes.

"You are too kind, Harry."

The Minister relaxed more into his chair.

"As I've said I've been wanting to meet you for a long time. Personally I didn't think that the previous administration – as you've said – handled last year all that well either. Let me assure you that things will be different going forward."

Harry nodded cautiously.

"As such, it would be remiss of me or anyone in the role of leading the Ministry not to consider the Boy Who Lived right now, especially given the unfortunate return of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named."

Harry said nothing, waiting patiently with a neutral expression on his face.

"The rumors that are beginning to fly around!" said Scrimgeour.

"Well, of course," the man then continued in a patient and calculated way.

"However, we both know how some of these stories can become distorted… and how easily public opinion can be swayed."

The man leaned forward in his seat, setting his teacup on the table in front of him and then resting his tented hands on his knees.

"Take for instance these whispers of a prophecy surrounding you because of what happened at the Ministry a few weeks ago… of you being the 'the Chosen One'…"

Harry shifted in his chair, wanting to appear like he was slightly uncomfortable but understanding about the current topic – and not like he was just waiting for the man to finish the spiel that Harry knew was the man's underlying interest in him.

"I would assume that Dumbledore has discussed these matters with you?"

Harry pretended like he was deliberating for a few moments before getting on with it.

"Yeah, we've discussed it."

"Have you, have you…" Scrimgeour's eyes smiled.

"And what has Dumbledore told you?" Scrimgeour asked, leaning forward slightly because he was unable to contain his hunger for this information.

Amateur.

Still, Harry delayed his response just enough to give the man something.

"I'm sorry, Sir, but I think that should stay between us."

Harry's tone was pleasant and Scrimgeour matched that with his response.

"Oh, of course, if it's a question of confidences, I wouldn't want you to divulge … no, no … and in any case, does it really matter whether you are 'the Chosen One' or not?"

"I don't really know what you mean, Sir."

"Well, of course, to you it will matter enormously," said Scrimgeour with a laugh. "But to the Wizarding community at large… it's all perception, isn't it? It's what people believe that is important."

Harry knew that it didn't really matter what he said at this point; Scrimgeour was going to finally get there with or without him.

"People believe or will believe that you are 'the Chosen One,' you see. In fact, they think you are quite the hero – which, of course, you are, Harry, chosen or not! How many times have you faced He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named now?"

The man was going to keep going but Harry interrupted him.

"Four, Sir, after the deaths of my parents."

Scrmigeour's grin faltered slightly and his eyes narrowed, paying more attention to the Potter scion.

"The point is, you are a symbol of hope for many, Harry. The idea that there is somebody out there who might be able, who might even be destined to destroy He-Who-Might-Not-Be-Named – well, naturally, it gives people a lift. And I can't help but feel that, once you realize this, you might consider it, well, almost a duty, to stand alongside the Ministry and give everyone a boost."

Scrimgeour smiled widely at the boy before hitting what he thought to be final hook to get Harry into his clutches.

"It would seem to me that you are aware of how affected by this situation you are. You've already commented on how the previous administration failed in this regard and I am merely hoping to repair and improve your relationship with the Ministry – for the better of the entire Wizarding community."

Harry made it seem like he was thinking about what the man had said and his eyes moved slowly around the room.

"I don't exactly understand what you want," said Harry slowly.

"Stand along the Ministry, Sir? I'm still a student at Hogwarts; how could I help?"

"Oh, well, nothing at all onerous, I can assure you."

Harry thought he saw the man licking his lips, like the Minister had succeeded in convincing him. When in reality, Harry was just letting the man walk himself into a corner that he wouldn't be able to maneuver out of.

"For instance, if you were to be seen popping in and out of the Ministry from time to time that would give the right impression. Add in a few things mentioned in the Daily Prophet here and there and you'll be able to provide the public a sense of comfort that they didn't have during the last war."

The Minister was now leaning so far forward in his seat that he could hardly be counted as sitting.

"Of course, Harry, with all of these visits to the Ministry, I'm sure that would provide you with the chance to meet Gawain Robards. She will be my successor as Head of the Auror Office, and Dolores Umbridge has told me that you have a very strong desire in becoming an Auror. Well, that could be arranged very easily…"

Harry smiled pleasantly.

"So basically," Harry put forth, "you'd like to give the impression that I'm working for the Ministry. To, as you put it, give everyone a lift because 'the Chosen One' is involved. I would be giving people hope, correct? By giving the impression that I support what the Ministry is doing?"

"Precisely, my boy! It's a win for everyone. We need you."

There it was; that was what Harry had been waiting for. The Minister looked very pleased with himself.

Harry, meanwhile, shed himself of any naivety and relaxed into his chair.

"Well then, for that to happen I'm afraid I'm going to need to know exactly what the Ministry can do for me. What are the Ministry's plans for the war? To be honest I have very deep concerns about how the Ministry has handled things the past few years. Considering the fiasco that was Dolores Umbridge," Harry's nose wrinkled, "being at Hogwarts last year, not to mention the way that the Ministry ignored the evidence of Voldemort's," Rufus' eyes widened comically, "return and brutalized me in the press, I need to know exactly what I'll be lending my support to."

Harry paused to take a sip of tea but his green eyes never left Rufus' face, who was looking more offended by the second.

"Mister Potter," he began with more reserved features now taking over his once predatory face, "I can't speak about the previous administration but I can assure you that we are taking the return of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named very seriously."

"I am very glad to hear that, Sir," Harry said honestly.

"But still, I would be very interested in knowing just what the Ministry is or has been doing to prepare for what Voldemort's return means."

"What do you think it means, then?" the Minister replied with the rising hint of derision in his voice.

"War," Harry said obviously.

"Voldemort will not stop until he controls all of Wizarding Britain, and then the world no doubt. He was beaten once and he can be beaten again but for that to happen – without the miraculous intervention of another one-year old child – then steps need to be taken now."

Rufus did not like where this conversation was going; he was feeling threatened, and from a child no less. His posture was rapidly becoming closed off to Harry.

"And, what, you think you know how to prepare for war? You think you would do a better job than adult witches and wizards? Have you even given a thought as to how the public needs to be dealt with to prevent mass hysteria-"

"I think I know better than most how to deal with Voldemort, Sir, all things considered."

The man was now outright dismissive and Harry had him right where he wanted him. The Angel within Harry was having fun now and his powerful eyes pierced Rufus as he continued.

"Or do you forget that my life has been intimately tied to the Dark Lord's since I was a year old. Not only did he murder my parents," Harry said as he sat his teacup down and sat up straighter, "but I then faced him not once, not twice, not even three more times. You see, I've had the most unfortunate pleasure of fighting for my life against him on four separate occasions. How many times have you met Voldemort, Sir?"

Harry took an innocent sip of tea.

For a moment, some of Rufus' hot air had been deflated since he couldn't answer Harry's question, and so Harry took the opportunity to drive his point home.

"I haven't exactly had a normal childhood, either. Or do you forget that I was selected for the Triwizard Tournament when I was fourteen… or can defend myself against a Dementor … did you ever hear about how I slayed a Basilisk … should I continue?"

Harry paused to raise a single eyebrow knowing that he had made solid points. Scrimgeour was agitated but he had heard what the boy had said.

"I'm not saying that I know how to run a government or how to prevent mass panic, but I do know something about how this man works and what needs to be done to stop him…" Harry began in a softer, more even-toned voice.

"So again, I ask what is the Ministry going to do? I think I have a right to know what the adults are going to do to keep this world, to keep me safe. Because if you aren't going to take this seriously and fight it with everything that you have then I would rather invest my time towards something worthwhile."

Harry sat back in his chair and took another sip from his cup, giving the Minister an opportunity to fully digest his words. He was somewhat confident now that he had made the right impression and that things would move in the direction that he wanted him to.

The Minister leaned back in his chair for a moment and seemed to share a pensive look with the ceiling. He therefore missed the predatory smile on Harry's face.

The Minister took a deep breath and then met Harry's expectant expression.

"I take it that you have thoughts on what we should be doing then?"

"While I disagree with how much the Ministry impacted Hogwarts last year I do think there is a continued role for them within the school. For one thing all of the Educational Degrees are still technically in effect and there is a strong need for competent and consistent education in Defense Against the Dark Arts. I would suggest that the Ministry supplies an Auror to fill the unoccupied teaching post."

"That would seem possible if handled correctly," Rufus acknowledged.

"Anything else?"

This is where Harry knew that he would face the most resistance.

"The next thing I would do is clean up within the Ministry. I'm not talking about giving out information about telling the public to have private questions and answers in place to protect against Polyjuice doppelgangers since I know that and other safety measures have already begun."

The Minister's eyes widened minutely since those measures were earmarked to be published the next week.

Harry wasn't going to explain it either and kept going.

"What I'm more concerned with is knowing for a fact that Voldemort has several of his Death Eaters here and therefore imagine that a simple ward banning anyone with a Dark Mark would be a necessary start."

As expected, Rufus didn't like that idea.

"There is simply no way that could happen – despite the truth of it. The Wizenagamot meets next week and they would immediately call for a Vote of No Confidence in me to choose someone else to rescind that measure should I make it now. I am well aware just how difficult these times are and people would see that measure as too unforgiving since many people were cleared as being under the Dark Lord's thrall during the first war. They would claim it would unfairly subject them to a punishment that they had been previously been cleared of."

Harry wanted to let the man get his fear and apprehension out of his system before he responded.

"No, they best we can do is to give the impression that we are making a strong stand but try and change things internally. Quietly. Department to department."

"I disagree, sir."

With that Harry pulled out several documents from his briefcase and placed them on the table. This was his trump card.

"These copies are for your education. They cannot be duplicated or copied and will disappear in one hour. The originals have already been filed and sealed by my Solicitor to be made public for a future date of my choosing. I am sharing these with you to convince you of the steps that I am prepared to take, the steps that I am going to take. These will be released but I think the exact timing of these could greatly help your ability to remain Minister and keep all those with a Dark Mark out of the Ministry."

"What do you mean, how will these help? They are lawsuits, Mister Potter! Very damaging lawsuits."

Harry internally sighed that he even needed to explain; he had expected more out of the Minister.

"Think about it, Minister. If the Ministry considers both of my requests and implements them, and then news of these lawsuits hit, it will only further separate the actions of the previous administration from the new one. You are the one that is so concerned with appearing to be doing the right thing, well, here is your chance to both have your cake and eat it too. You were the one that wanted to get me involved with public perception, after all!"

"Be that as it may, that is an awfully big if to consider."

"Sir," Harry stared pointedly, "I may look young and I may be young, but you can be assured that not doing anything is unacceptable. I've been changed these past few years and refuse to ever repeat the year that I just had. I'm going to fight it with everything I have and you are either with me or against me."

Harry then pulled out one final document and practically threw it at Scrimgeour.

"I'm willing to do everything in my power to prevent that man from winning. It has cost me family, friends, and my childhood. You know this man, well, he was my Godfather, and he died a few weeks ago. He saved my life the night Voldemort was discovered in the Ministry's Atrium no less. Jumped in front of the Killing Curse for me and went through the Veil in the Department of Mysteries."

Harry's eyes were shinning now and just a little bit of Death's power was showing.

"No one believed me when I said that he was innocent, that he was not the one to betray my parents or murder all those people. It had been Peter Pettigrew all along, an unregistered Animagus. I didn't know about my full options then but would be more than happy to provide my memories from that night to clear his name."

Harry continued to burn a hole in the Minister with his verdant eyes.

"Of course… how will that look for the Ministry to require Harry Potter, the boy who endured ridicule and slander for over a year when it turned out he had in fact been telling the truth about Voldemort's return all along, to have to prove the innocence of a man who was never even given a trial in the first place?"

The Minister was lost for words and Harry hit the nail in the coffin.

"And I promise you that should I have to go down that road that you will sorely regret not taking my advice now!"

"You're threatening me," Rufus' eyes suddenly lit up as panic raced through his body.

Harry rolled his eyes.

"No, Minister, I'm simply telling you what I am going to do and how it could help or not help you. What happens should you choose to ignore my advice is not my problem. I am simply trying to help as many people as I can because I am sick of living with the threat of Voldemort over my head. It is time that people did something instead of sitting back and hoping that someone else deals with it. I am happy to do my part and be seen as supporting the Ministry, your Ministry, and then some! But everyone will lose if we don't work together; I'm sure of it."

Sure, there was a small risk with what Harry had done but he didn't think he had that much of a choice. If the man chose to do what Harry wanted then they would come out ahead, and if he didn't well then at least they would not be worse off. At the very least, the lawsuits that Mikhail and Harry had come up with his solicitor were designed to make the Ministry have a bigger role in preparing for the war than what had happened in the future he saw – sooner or later he would get his point across.

The next time Harry spoke, his voice was as clear as it had ever been.

"No one ever said that fighting a war was fun or easy but I would rather not have to go through it alone, and there is no reason why anyone should. We are all in this together and I'm hoping that you see that sooner rather than later."

Rufus looked like he was still weighing a few things in his mind. However, Harry was almost positive that he had said what he had needed to in order to convince the man. Still, he didn't think it would hurt to impart just a little more than he was perhaps supposed to in order to get the Minister on board with this.

"I know this is not an easy situation for us to be in and I would wager that both of us much prefer not to have to do this. But knowing what I know about the man I think this is the best path forward and that our best chance to beat him is strength in numbers. What would you do if you were in his position?"

To his credit, Scrimgeour actually looked thoughtful.

"I recently have been doing that a lot, Sir, and was one of the reasons I reached out to you. A more disciplined and thorough Department of Magical Law Enforcement makes it harder for him – why do you think Amelia was killed?"

But Harry didn't want to scare the man off with that comment so he hurried on.

"And you can put as much of the focus on the Ministry's change on me – the Dark Lord is smart enough to know all of this will be because of me or Dumbledore and he is already gunning for us anyways. Again, I'm willing to do my part because I know that a stronger Ministry response would make it nearly impossible for him to win. Which is why I wrote to you and why I'm here today. I believe we can do this but I need your help and I need it now."

For a moment Harry was given hope when he saw the man's hourglass begin to spin with uncertainty – but then they reverted back to normal and indicated more or less a year to live.

Harry closed his eyes at the thought that he must have failed and brought his hands up to run through his hair.

"All right, Mister Potter," the Minister said with a large sigh and to Harry's relief, "if it means having your support from the beginning then I think we just might be able to do this. Did you have a timeline in mind?"

Harry spent the next twenty minutes detailing what his plans were and, just maybe he thought to himself, that it would be enough to change the future.

I've always liked Amelia and was oddly affected by her death in canon. Just wanted to explore it a little, and felt it moved the plot along nicely.