Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Summary: After Voldemort is dead Harry's transported to 1975 and asked to teach his parents. Question is, will he return to his own time and while he is in the past, will he change it?
Warnings: time travel, deaging, spoilers for books 1-5, contents of books 6 and 7 changed to suit "Touching Infinity"
Pairings: Um, canon, as far as I've planned. But that could change. Suggestions are welcome!
Beta: What Beta? - Does anyone want the job?
Quote: "Experience suggests it doesn't matter so much how you got here, as what you do after you arrive." (Lois McMaster Bujold, "Barrayar" 1991)
Touching Infinity
Chapter One
They were staring at him. Which was understandable as he was laughing hysterically – had been for the last two minutes.
He was now sure how Sirius had felt on that cold November morning, when the Aurors had dragged him away. He had seen something for the truth it was, he would never have thought possible. But it was true nonetheless. And so he had laughed… like Harry himself was now laughing.
I mean, come on! What are the chances that you get into bed in the evening and wake up in your pyjamas in the Great Hall of Hogwarts on September 1st, 1975? One thing was for sure: this was more likely to happen, when you were a young wizard going by the name of Harry Potter.
Well, apparently the crowd had enough of Potter-watching – There's a first for everything! – because someone stupefied him and then forced a potion down his throat.
The next thing he knew was that he was in the hospital wing. The open space and smell he could recognize before even opening his eyes. And he wasn't alone. Albus Dumbledore and Poppy Pomfrey stood at the food of his bed.
"Are you sure, sir? This reaction was more than… - well, you saw it!"
"Yes, Poppy. I'm sure. Please release the restraints. I can only imagine the arrival of our guest was as surprising for himself as it was for us. – And maybe now that he is free again he would like to stop pretending to be asleep?"
Harry opened his eyes and smiled sheepishly. "Hi Professor." He rubbed his newly freed wrists and nodded in thanks to Poppy. The mediwitch dipped her head in reply and strode to her office.
"So, what did you gather from the wards, Professor?" Harry asked the Headmaster.
Professor Dumbledore sat down on the chair beside his bed. Interesting, not many pupils knew that much about Hogwarts to ask such a question. Nonetheless and because he was curious to see what the young man would do with this information, he replied truthfully. "There was a disturbance as was expected with your spectacular arrival. However, this particular rise of the energy levels indicates that whatever happened to bring you here – to our time – was executed with the expressed permission of Hogwarts herself."
"Hogwarts herself? – Wow… so the old lady is as sentient as I always imagined! Wicked!"
Dumbledore didn't comment on whether he too thought it was wicked but asked: "Now, what can you tell me about the circumstances of you being here?"
Harry's grin faded. "Nothing. I mean, you see what I'm wearing. I was sleeping and I have absolutely no idea as to why and how I'm here! – And okay, a trip to the past may be cool – seeing my parents and all – but please, please tell me you know how to send me back?" With the pleading look and tone of voice it was hard to disappoint the boy but Dumbledore could do nothing more than to shake his head. No, he didn't know how to send someone through the fabric of time. At least not yet.
Although Harry didn't show it he was in hysterics once again and did something he would never have done otherwise: He asked for a lemon drop. The headmaster was only too happy to oblige; nobody else in this castle seemed to share his obsession with candy.
Harry sucked for a few minutes on the sweet while he tried to calm himself and then looked back up. "What shall I do now, Professor?"
"Well, that depends. I would suggest you stay here for the time being to avoid issues such as Ministry regulations and money. And although you are not from this time I think I'm right in my guess, that you are a student of Hogwarts. That means you could attend classes."
Harry shook his head. "I appreciate the thought, Professor. But going to classes would feel as if I don't expect to go back to my time. As if I would stay here. I will finish my education once I get back. Together with Ro… with my friends."
"That's alright, my boy. Now… how old are you exactly?"
"Seventeen, Professor", Harry answered, wondering where this was going.
"And your Defence against the Dark Arts marks?"
He can't mean…"An O in my O.W.L.s", he answered hesitantly.
Dumbledore's eyes were twinkling…. madly. He had been so sure everything would come out right in the end! And once again he was proven right! "I'm sure you didn't catch it with all the excitement going on after you arrived but there was a free spot at the Head Table."
Harry's eyes widened. Hedoes mean it! "Don't tell me you are one DADA-teacher short and want me to fill the position! You don't even know me! And hell, I'm not even out of school myself! Okay, I already taught the subject to other students but… but… Don't you need the Ministry or the Board of Governors or someone to agree on your choice of Professors?"
The former Transfiguration Professor smiled. "Ah, but the Board of Governors already gave me the permission to hire anyone I see fit for the position. You see, they are a bit desperate because year after year it becomes more difficult to find someone willing to teach Defence against the Dark Arts at this school."
Harry thought about it for a moment longer and then sighed and nodded defeated. "Alright, I'll try."
"Splendid!"
Harry stayed the night in the Hospital Wing. In the morning he asked the mediwitch to transfigure his pyjamas into regular clothing and went to breakfast.
Surprise, surprise – they were staring again. Fortunately, Harry was used to it. He went to the Head Table and greeted the present teachers. Dumbledore waved him over and erected a silencing bubble around them. "Good morning. I trust you slept well?"
Harry sat down. "Not really, Professor. But I guess that was to be expected."
Dumbledore nodded. "I suggest, we introduce you to the school and then you can floo from my office to the Leaky Cauldron to do some shopping. I already contacted Ollivander about the issue of a wand for you and Gringotts because of your new account."
"And Ollivander won't register the wand with the Ministry?"
"He's trustworthy in things like this because he knows the machinations of the Ministry longer than any of us. – Any other questions?"
"When shall I start teaching? I don't have any lesson plans."
"The day after tomorrow. When you get back from your shopping trip I'll give you curriculum plans."
"Thanks."
"Not a problem. Not a problem. – What about your name? How shall I introduce you?"
"I'd like to keep my first name. And I guess my last name should be one I respond to, when I'm called… so… Harry Evanson it is."
"Very well." Dumbledore cancelled the silencing charm and stood up. The students quietened.
"Good morning! I'm happy to introduce our new Defence against the Dark Arts Professor this year: Harry Evanson. You all saw him yesterday and will see him in classes the day after tomorrow! Please make him feel welcome!"
A few people clapped politely but most were either just shocked or trying to stifle their laughter. This nutcase would be their teacher? Seemed like Dumbledore had finally lost it!
Harry rolled his eyes and turned to the Headmaster. "I'm not very hungry. Can we go?"
Diagon Alley was not much different from the one in his time. Harry went to Gringotts to get money from his new vault where his first wage had been deposited. His next stop was Ollivanders. He got his Holly and Phoenix feather wand. Hopefully it would stay behind when he went back to his time.
He had early lunch and did some more shopping before returning to Hogwarts. Dumbledore wasn't in his office but had apparently told Fawkes to give him a message and the promised lesson plans. He spent some time with the phoenix. The bird seemed to like him no matter the time and Harry wished desperately for more friendly faces in this time than just Dumbledore and his familiar. But it was a start, right?
And he didn't want to stay for long anyway so it shouldn't bother him that once again the population of Hogwarts thought him crazy. On the other hand Harry had agreed to teach DADA, which clearly was a responsibility for at least a year. By what hippogriff had he been ridden? Were it once again his old feelings of obligation toward Dumbledore? Most likely.
But he enjoyed teaching, didn't he? And Dumbledore knew that it was possible that he just vanished without notice beforehand because that was how he arrived. So perhaps the Headmaster just wanted to have a DADA teacher as long as possible. That was better than having no one for the entire year.
And Harry knew himself to be an active person. He had to do something until he returned home. He wanted to finish his education with Ron and Hermione, so he taught what he knew best besides flying, DADA. It was not the worst way to pass time.
Fawkes trilled and Harry caressed the fire red feathers. "I guess I should go. Thanks for staying with me." The bird trilled again and flew over to his perch.
Harry's new quarters were near his future classroom and as it was time for dinner there were no students around on his way down there. The painting guarding his rooms was that of a warrior like looking wizard with a closed of expression. Once inside he checked the message from Dumbledore again before calling Tippy. The house elf brought him dinner and soon after that he retired for the night.
On his first day of classes Harry had the First, Second and Third Years.
For the First Years he started with a bit of History and underlined the importance of DADA. The Second Years he asked to demonstrate some spells they had learned the previous year. When he finally came to the last class that day, he understood the nagging feeling in the back of his mind that hadn't left him since the day before when he looked over the lesson plans.
Something about the curriculum was just wrong. Most likely it was tradition, something that every muggle raised student had to learn to look out for in the wizarding world. It was something he himself had understood fairly late. But it was definitely there and explained some of the ridiculous rules and customs of the wizarding society.
This curriculum had been developed over time. Every Defence Teacher had added what he thought was necessary for his pupils to know or what was his own area of expertise. Nobody seemed to have checked to ensure that it was appropriate. Tradition…. Everybody assumed a teacher to be someone who was knowledgeable and the Ministry only dabbled in the educational system in times of war or when they needed a public distraction from other affairs. In short: when it was convenient.
Merlin forbid, that they did one thing the muggle way! What was wrong with standards? Would be good for the exams, no?
But okay, Harry had learned to anticipate tradition, so it wasn't really a surprise to come across it even in the halls of a modernschool overseen by someone as open-minded as Dumbledore. Harry snorted in the privacy of his office. Dumbledore was another matter altogether. He had loved the old man like he imagined he would have loved his grandfather, had he known him, but still… too much had happened because of Dumbledore's meddling. As eye-opening as it had been he couldn't go back to the blissful state of not knowing he had been a useful pawn. He would have been okay with knowing of his status. But being lied to by those kind blue eyes while he was padded on the back was not something he could easily forgive.
He took a deep breath and then focused again on the lesson plans. What would make him feel better about them?
Quill set on the parchment he let his thoughts free reign:
- physical training
- core training
- wand lore
- environment awareness
- strategy
- Patronus Charm
- ethics of magic
- co-operation with Care of Magical Creatures and Transfiguration
Maybe he could restructure the lesson plans and include his ideas. All the other Defence teachers had certainly done so. The next two hours he worked on it and when he was finished he copied the plans and went to Dumbledore.
The following day the whole school was excited. Harry sensed it the moment he stepped into the Great Hall for breakfast.
Everyone seemed to know what the tension was about but nobody was inclined to tell him. Dumbledore just twinkled at him. Harry had to resist the urge to roll his eyes. After breakfast he prepared himself mentally for what was to come. At first he had the Fourth Years. But later, after lunch, he would have to face his parents. Oh, he had already seen them from afar from the Head Table. But teaching them, speaking to them… them and Sirius. And Remus. And the rat. So far, he had forced himself not to take notice of Pettigrew; now that wouldn't be possible for much longer.
He sighed. He shouldn't think about it. There was nothing he could do. History was already written, so he couldn't kill Pettigrew in a fit of rage. No. Pettigrew was needed to play his part in the first downfall of Voldemort. That this equalled the death of his family, years of imprisonment for Sirius and loneliness for Remus didn't matter.
Harry had had his lessons in considering the bigger picture. There was no need to get bitter about it. Well, that was what Snape had said. For once the Potions Master had been absolutely right.
Harry guessed it was personal experience that led Snape to say it. After all, was there any man more bitter than him? And wasn't it most funny that Harry found himself sympathizing with the greasy git of the Dungeons? - Not anymore. After their catastrophic Occlumency lessons in 5th year the Head of House of Slytherin wouldn't have touched Harry with a ten meter pole even if he was forced to.
Well, that was what Harry had thought. Apparently, when Dumbledore did the forcing everything was possible.
But they didn't continue the Occlumency lessons. Harry and Snape had had the pleasure of their companionship just about every free minute of the day for the whole sixth year for Harry to learn Defence. And because wonders did never cease if it involved Harry Potter he found himself learning to appreciate Snape's sarcastic comments and his method of teaching DADA. Stranger even he found himself genuinely liking the man himself.
Who would have thought?
After Harry discovered just where he fit into the bigger picture he had had a change of attitude. Despite being disappointed with Dumbledore he had thrown himself into learning as much as he could. He had started listening to his teachers, including Snape, and it had paid off. Harry had gotten better in his classes and Snape had acknowledged that his most hated student wasn't a complete dunderhead.
Then everything had been over before Harry could even blink. No big battle, no final words between him and Voldemort.
Harry had been a beacon for the light born out of a prophecy but the ones to bring down the Dark Lord had not been Harry nor Aurors or Order members.
No, it had been Voldemorts very own Death Eaters. Big Surprise!
Apparently, after the Dark Lord's first demise the Death Eater circle had remained intact – under the leadership of Lucius Malfoy. And when the Dark Lord returned, as vicious as ever, the last straw had been a Crucio on Narcissa Malfoy. Thirteen years of loyalty to the Malfoy family brought the Death Eaters to react. Thirty Avada Kedavras hit Voldemort. Once again he had been driven out of his body.
While the wizarding world had been overjoyed Dumbledore had revealed yet another secret to Harry: The Horcruxes. So that's what he had done during his holidays. Horcrux Hunting. With the Resources of the Order and some hints from Lucius Malfoy Harry had succeeded.
After that Harry had realized that the prophecy hadn't been fulfilled. It had not been him had had defeated Voldemort, no matter that he had destroyed the Horcruxes. The thought had driven him to a panic attack on a Ministry dinner. Not a good time, that was sure. And once more Dumbledore hadn't been the support Harry had hoped. No answers, just more meant to be comforting platitudes. Why hadn't Dumbledore been able to just tell him he didn't know an answer to the question whether the prophecy still applied to him? Whether it still had to be fulfilled? And did that mean Voldemort would once again rise from the dead? Or would there be a new Dark Lord? But Dumbledore hadn't been very forthcoming with his thoughts on the matter.
That's why Harry had started his seventh year of school with a feeling of doom, like the other shoe was about to drop.
Well, and then it had been dropped. Right into the year of 1975.
Harry was again in a time, where Voldemort was around. The prophecy that had ruled most of Harry's life just didn't want to leave him. And on top of that he carried the emotional baggage of knowing the future and facing his dead parents every day. Yeah, he was just peachy!
Defence classroom, after lunch:
"You think this will work?" Peter was nervously glancing at the front of the classroom, where soon their new professor would make an entrance.
Sirius grinned. "We had more than enough time to plan this, Wormtail! It will work!"
"Yeah, have a bit more faith, dear friend! By now you really should know better", James said.
Remus smiled amused. With his friends it was always the same. Always scheming, always planning. And hey! Most of the time he was all for it!
But there were two areas of pranking he avoided whenever possible: teachers and Severus Snape.
Snape was just too… well… Not that Snape was the little white lamb full of innocence. But Remus didn't go for humiliation. And that was, what pranking Snape with his friends mostly involved. It just wasn't fun.
And pranking the teachers regularly was simply too dangerous. It was okay to involve them in pranks that affected everyone in Hogwarts but every other prank had to be planned with extreme caution.
This prank on Professor Evanson he participated only in because everyone knew it was coming. Really. Well, everyone except the Professor, that is. Pranking the new DADA-teacher was tradition. He only hoped nobody had slipped this tiny bit of information to Professor Evanson.
When Harry came in and closed the door to his office he first noticed the silence. Something was off. And how nice of his students to warn him by being quiet. Thanking whatever deities were responsible for his luck he turned to the staircase that led down to the classroom floor and send out his magic. Ah! Okay, that's clever! A nonverbal and wandless Finite later the charm placed on the steps to propel him backwards disintegrated.
As if nothing had happened he descended the staircase. And there, a murmur. With a smile he turned to the students. "Anything else?"
Knowing that heknew everyone looked over to the Marauders. They were gaping.
Sirius recovered first and leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest. "Anything else of what, Professor?"
Harry's smile widened into a grin. "Ah, Mr.Black! Show some pride for your achievements, will you? – And now let's uncover the other traps you've set." Merlin, I'm sounding like bloody omniscient Dumbledore! Is that what he feels when he knows more than everyone else?
Although his alert magic sensed it, he took the next step, which let him enter a very simple ward. The intent with which it had been set was to turn the clothing of everyone stepping into it into a bright orange. Harry look down, then up at Sirius. "How very nice of you to bring some colour to this classroom, Mr.Black! But alas, I fear this colour would only suit the fiercest Chudley Cannons-fan! – Or a Weasley!"More Dumbledore-ness! What's up with me? – Okay, I admit it, it's funny…
The class chuckled. Harry decided that he wasn't done yet with this little ward-trap. He reached out and altered the wards' structure. "Isn't that better? I always thought green suited my eyes best. No? Too slytherin? Would be a vibrant red better? – O please, my snakes, don't scowl! I think, we all shall go for… pink!" And with another twist he changed the ward again, now to span the entire classroom – and then turned everyone's robes pink.
He grinned again at the shocked faces of everyone. "Don't be afraid. I'll turn your robes back to normal the moment the class is over… and in case I forget I'm sure the one who erected the ward in the first place will be happy to do so." He saw Lupin nodding. "Good. And now on to business… or did I leave something out? Is this a three-stage-prank?"
Only Remus dared to nod. Harry spared a smile for his future DADA-Professor and asked: "Mr.Lupin, right?"
"Yes Professor?"
"Would you mind telling me which is the last one?"
James nudged Remus and shook his head but Remus told him anyway. "A boggart in your deskdrawer, Professor."
"Really? .. Well, that's good to know, I guess. Which year did you cover boggarts, Mr.Lupin?"
"Third year, Professor."
"And do you think it appropriate to let someone face their greatest fear for a mere prank?" This he asked the whole class. Some shrugged. Some shook their head no.
Remus had gone pale. He hadn't thought of it that way. Damn! It was his job to keep the Marauders in line. This time he had obviously failed.
"Then let's have a look at that boggart." Harry stepped closer to his desk and with a flick of his wand opened the drawer. As expected the boggart turned into a Dementor.
Harry heard gasps from the students but concentrated on a happy thought before his worst memories could overwhelm him. Instead of calling his Patronus he did Riddikulus, as not to show certain students it was a stag. After it was back in the drawer he turned to his class.
"Five points to anyone who knows what my boggart is and explain its characteristics!" He saw that most Ravenclaw and Slytherin students knew the answer but only one raised her hand. Harry should have guessed that she would be the only one not affected by the Dementor and therefore able to answer. Yes, he imagined beginning insanity could have that affect.
"Yes? Your name please?" After all, it very well have been that the other Professors warned him against the Marauders but it would be suspicious should he know the name of all his students on the first day.
"Bellatrix Black, Sir. And that was a Dementor. They guard Azkaban Prison and are able to suck happy memories and even your very soul out of you."
"Correct. Five points to Slytherin, Miss Black. Now I want to know your names and after that you can ask me some of the questions I know you are dying to get answered."
It turned out he had 28 students in this class from all four houses. More than half of them he knew to become Aurors, Death Eaters or Order members. Yes, these 5th years were a handful.
"How old are you, Professor Evanson?"
"I'm seventeen, Miss Jennings", he answered and saw the jaws drop.
"How can you be our Professor at such an age?" James Potter wanted to know without bothering to raise his hand first.
"Hmm…. Experience, I guess. I met my fair share of Dark Wizards and survived. Other than that it's pure concenience for your Headmaster."
"Where did you go to school?" asked another one.
"You want to know whether I met these Dark Wizards at Durmstrang, huh? But that wasn't my school and… well, I decide here and now not to answer this question, sorry Mr. Marks. But I can tell you that my mother was muggle-born and my father a pureblood. They were murdered when I was one and after that I lived with… relatives. I received an education similar to yours and got an 'O' in my last exam. Anything else of interest?"
Sirius raised his hand.
"Mr.Black?"
"Why did you… laugh, the night you arrived? And why did you wear pyjamas?"
"Good questions. And wouldn't it be cool to say it was all part of my last job, some big government conspiracy? That I absolutely had to wear these pyjamas and wanted to test what you would with an apparently crazy wizard so I laughed like mad?"
The class nodded as one.
The new teacher grinned once more and plopped down in his char. "Fact is, I have no idea how I came to be here, so it was honest shock that made me act so… " – "Nuts?" someone supplied helpfully. - "Yes, let's say nuts! I bet that's what you thought the moment you saw me. As for the pyjamas, it's simple: I was sleeping before I was dumped here. And because I have nowhere else to be Dumbledore asked me to teach."
"That's ridiculous", a Ravenclaw muttered.
Harry caught it and nodded. "Yes, it is. But that's my life."