A/N: Thanks for the reviews and bookmarks; at present, reviews have almost doubled from the first chapter, while this fic has gained eight more C2 entries. And it's only been a couple months. Anyway, I apologize for the delay – real life kicked me something fierce, again. Replies have been sent to as many reviewers as possible, criticisms discussed and noted... with that, on with the show.

See the last two chapters for relevant disclaimers – accounting for those and the Batman Beyond reference in this chapter, anything you don't recognize after that is probably still not mine. To the few fans of Power Rangers Time Force who are reading this, I'm taking a few creative liberties here – to the readers in general, bear with me regarding the use of the last two books; they're the only way I have to reference the 'base timeline.'

There are story recommendations at the bottom of the chapter – if this fic interests you no longer, check out the recommendations; they're actually quite good.

Caution: Since several reviewers brought this (until now) absent warning up, let me say that there is Dumbledore and Ron/Molly bashing ahead... and behind, in this case. If you should go forward, watch for falling rocks and hammers. You have been warned; note it, for I'm only saying this once.

Fate's Surprise, Friendship's Sunrise

By

Titanium Gold

Chapter 2: Unity, Memoria, Escape, Full Fury

"We work to better ourselves, and the rest of humanity." – Capt. Jean-Luc Picard, "Star Trek: First Contact"

"Everybody needs his memories. They keep the wolf of insignificance from the door." – Saul Bellow

"There's too many, Wes! We have to get outta this place!" – Daniel Southworth (portraying Eric Myers)

"I've failed over and over and over again in my life, and that is why I succeed." – Michael Jordan

(Granger Residence, Crawley, front porch, 1530 hours, August 7th 2003)

"Where'd you go, Wes?" Alexander asked; smiling stiffly as his son sagged into a chair next to him. Eric had an eyebrow raised at Wes, while Miranda looked at her surrogate brother-in-law with curiosity in her eyes.

"Just to the guest room... but you wouldn't believe what I found out," Wes smiled broadly, albeit tiredly. "It has to do with this."

Wes then placed his clenched fist on the table and opened his hand, revealing the Battle Fire. Reactions around the table varied; Miranda gasped in surprise, Alexander smiled faintly, and Eric gaped at his best friend/surrogate brother.

"You haven't summoned that magic in a year!"

"What is that, Wes?" Miranda asked, beating Alexander to the question that sat in the room after Eric's outburst.

"This is the Battle Fire. As Eric so eloquently pointed out," Wes grinned, placing the glowing sphere on the table, where it – surprisingly – laid completely still, seeming to preen under the attention, "it's a magical armor source that I found shortly before the end of the kids' first year, when Time Force was almost finished with their business in 2001; I claimed it from an evil knight that had come to 2001 and was attacking my friends. At the time it was only a supplement to my Ranger armor."

"Supplement, he says; lucky that you found it while I was out here, Wes!" Eric complained good-naturedly. "It's so much more than a supplement – when the Battle Fire is used, it augments Wes' strength beyond anything Time Force could accomplish, gives him extra armor and a damn heavy saber easily half his height!"

"As interesting as this is, what's the Battle Fire got to do with what you found out?" Alexander rumbled. Wes explained how the A.I. within the Fire had told him of her history, how he and the A.I. had dubbed herself Suzy, mentioned the many possible timelines that could have occurred without the Collins men coming to Crawley, and then dropped the ultimate bombshell of the story.

"Hermione's friend, Harry, is apparently a key person in time – someone who will save not just the magical world, but the Earth as a whole, from Voldemort and his forces. Suzy offered to bond with him and assist in that mission; it doesn't mean we can't help in the fight, but odds are that it'll come down to Harry and Voldemort in the end no matter what we do," Wes finished.

"That makes Hermione a key person as well..." Eric trailed off, grimacing. "We knew she was special; training in martial arts from four years old isn't easy even if you are a prodigy, and she is. But this..."

"Since we both know stopping her from helping Harry is like a human trying to stop a nuke bare-handed...is there anything we can do to help them both?" Miranda asked as Eric exhaled sharply.

"Can Time Force or Bio-Lab weapons, technology, anything we have access to, affect Voldemort?" Eric added. "If Hermione's going to help Harry fight, now or ever, then Miranda and I won't be sitting on the sidelines, Wes."

"Hey, Dad and I won't either – and as to your question, Eric, Time Force weapons can affect him and his minions for certain," Wes smiled wryly and explained the reasoning to Miranda and Alexander.

"We may not have faced Voldemort or his minions personally, but when Time Force showed up in 2001 one of our enemies for a short time near the end was a rogue demon named Quargenon; a powerful creature of dark magic that was left over from a faction that attacked Silver Hills in 2000. Quargenon also brought five 'Shadow Warriors' with him; if you'll recall, Eric, given that you were there, Time Force's tech stood up to them with no problem. Considering this Voldemort sounds almost on the same level as Quargenon, the weapons and technology you and I have should have no problems against him if he attacks us himself."

"Which likely means that unless Dr. Zaskin's done any better with decoding our transformation tools since I left," Eric added. "Bio-Lab's energy blasters won't do a thing; Quargenon wasn't even affected by them. The Shadow Warriors and the demoness that raised them took a beating from the blasters; we even managed to destroy one of the Warriors with the blasters alone. But if Voldemort's anything like Quargenon I doubt the Guardians can do anything to him directly."

"They can't do anything anyway, not in this case," Alexander grimaced. "The Guardians still have the arrangement we set up when you left, Eric – they're protecting Silver Hills alongside the city's police department; to pull them out and bring them all here would leave the city vulnerable and cost far too much. I was merely suggesting we give the kids some protection not tied to their magic, and give Miranda some protection in general. Silver Guardian equipment harnesses and energy blasters would be perfect; while they won't stop Voldemort whether or not he returns to form, they will stop his minions."

"Death Eaters," Miranda grimaced. "I've read the stories in some of Hermione's books; they're a nasty group, just as racist as Hitler and his regime during the WWII era – and like the Jews were to Hitler, the Death Eaters don't seem to consider us nonmagicals worth the fabric of their robes."

"More relevantly, though," Eric smirked, "the Death Nibblers are all weak in terms of magical power – from what I gathered through Hermione's books and information she's told us, the only reason Voldemort nearly won the first war was because no one, not even the British magical government, fought back to an effective degree. If I had to guess, I'd say Voldemort and his minions used attack spells, very nasty stuff that could do no end of damage... whereas those few who did fight back just used stunners and child's hexes. Generally speaking, the magicals here just let the bastard run them over – we won't let that happen again. There's too much at risk."

"I can sign off on several sets of blasters and harnesses for the kids, Miranda and I," Alexander replied. "Being CEO of the company that patented those weapons comes with some perks. You'll all need to pack for a trip to Silver Hills, though; I doubt I can get the blasters across the Atlantic without proper permits and training for Miranda and the kids. Doing that would put everything we have at risk."

"We'll run this whole thing by Hermione and Harry, then," Eric smiled, his calloused, work-worn hand gripping Miranda's own. "See if they're all right with a trip to Silver Hills. Wes, you'd better come with us – we can get the bonding between the Fire and Harry dealt with at the same time."

"I'll deal with the equipment, just in case," Alexander smiled. "With Maria Zaskin in charge of the company during my absence, it won't be a problem."

"With Maria Zaskin as Bio-Lab VP, the Board of Directors revamped since you were attacked two years ago, and Michael Zaskin as head of R&D," Eric snarked, "you're practically Bruce Wayne 30 years younger, sir. All you need is a fancy Batsuit." Alexander and Wes rolled their eyes.

"What's that make me, Eric – Terry McGinnis?" Wes retorted wryly.

"Ha ha, Wes," Eric deadpanned. "Let's go talk to Harry and Hermione, all right?"

"Alright, Eric," Wes conceded, "but you and Miranda owe us an explanation about the whole dentistry gig – you two didn't study that at Billingsley."

With that, the younger adults headed into the house, debating wryly, while Alexander pulled out a cell-phone and dialed Bio-Lab. It was time to acquire reinforcements.

(Granger Residence, Crawley, living room, 1545 hours, August 7th, 2003)

Note to self, Harry mused. Future memories suck – though they are helping me see things differently... and appreciate Hermione all the more.

Indeed, the ward of the Dursleys (former ward, if only in his own eyes) was right – for while he and Hermione were sitting comfortably in the living room and Hermione was still asleep, the memory Harry had experienced in his dreams just then had been rather painful, at least until the end.

(Flashback, Hogwarts, Base Timeline, 'Deathly Hallows') (1)

"HARRY! HARRY! NO!"

Hermione's cries, anguish lacing them, broke Harry's heart – for even after all the agony she'd unknowingly put him through over the time of the Horcrux Hunt and Sixth Year, he still loved her. But he had to carry on with his plan. As Voldemort and the Hogwarts staff verbally sparred, as Grawp and the centaurs appeared to continue the fight, Neville and the Sorting Hat were set in flames; as those very flames were broken and Neville slew Nagini with the Sword of Gryffindor...Harry Potter pressed on – for Hermione, always and forever, no matter what. Whether she loved him in return or not didn't matter anymore – nothing did, except Voldemort's destruction now that the evil bastard could be killed.

When Molly Weasley pushed Hermione aside to battle Bellatrix herself, Harry saw red – both his past and present selves were livid that such disrespect was shown towards his best friend. But before dealing with that little... problem... Harry had to destroy Voldemort.

Five minutes later – five long minutes during which Hermione, Luna and Ginny had taken back the fight against Bellatrix and utterly destroyed her, five long minutes during which the other Death Eaters in the fight had been killed or rounded up like so much cattle, Harry won after giving Voldemort what he presumed was a rousing departure speech, and killing the monster with a blast of magic from the Elder Wand.

A few hours later, disgusted with the pointless deaths and the Magical World's lack of acceptance for change, Harry and Hermione sat in Harry's old four-poster bed. Happy in each other's arms after seven years of constant struggle against friends and foes alike, they both closed their eyes... and sent a specific command to their magic.

However, as Hogwarts of that timeline went up in a surprisingly large explosion, the souls and essences of the Boy-Who-Lived and his closest friend, among a handful of others, went through a rather strange experience. Before moving on, it was as if that group's memories, their very life experiences were copied and sent…somewhere. However, the handful of Hogwarts students never knew where those copied memories went, as they finally moved on and knew true peace.

After the way their lives had gone, manipulated by two masters – some by even more then that – the Ministry Six had earned that peace; or at least those versions of them had. For they didn't know that variants of themselves in another timeline were receiving their copied memories – an action done by Fate itself – in the hopes that at least one section of the multiverse would survive against the machinations of Albus Dumbledore and Tom Riddle; in the hopes that a small group of people could really make a difference on their own.

No one, in any timeline, in any universe, would ever know just how much of a difference would stem from that one action.

(End Flashback)

"Whatever brought us together, Hermione," Harry murmured, stroking her hair, "I'm grateful for it. Your family's been so amazing...but you're the one who gave me a life again, and I owe you everything for that. Whatever happened in that other timeline, whatever stupid mistakes our 'other selves' made...we won't make them. I won't let it happen – that's a promise."

Meanwhile, Hermione was having a dream of her own. Harry's gentle grip on his best friend tightened slightly as he heard her whimper his name...

(Flashback, Quidditch World Cup Tent, Location Unknown, Base Timeline, 'Deathly Hallows')

"He's g-g-gone! Disapparated!" Hermione gasped, her wet hair plastered to her face, which was streaked with tears and rainwater as the witch threw herself into a chair and started crying, part of her mind using the opportunity to sort through her memories. In the last two-and-a-half years she had – ironically, given her status as 'Brightest Witch of the Age' – been very, very stupid. In that time, her indecisiveness over which of her best friends to date had driven them both away from her – though with Ron it hadn't taken much to begin with.

After seeing Harry's valiant effort at helping others – including Hermione herself in first year – and his kind nature, she'd gained a crush on him. Indeed, it was a powerful crush, one which Hermione had smothered for the first several years of her life; though it did push her limits somewhat when she helped Harry in Sirius' rescue, and even more so when she was Harry's only support during the Triwizard Tournament. The pang in her heart hurt rather sharply when Harry didn't even think to ask her to the Yule Ball. After fighting at the Department of Mysteries with Harry and the others among the 'Ministry Six', Hermione realized – it wasn't a simple crush; she was in love with her best and closest friend. As she sat in the hospital wing for those three days at the end of Fifth Year, wincing at the pain of her injury from Dolohov, only two thoughts were at the front of her mind. Retribution to the Death Eater if she ever met him again... and a much greater, more important thought; Harry's safety – was he all right?

Unfortunately, she never got the chance to ask him for an honest answer to that question – and with no contact over the summer while she was healing (not even a message of concern, damnit!) she figured Harry wasn't interested in her in any case. With that decided and having heard the Prophecy at the start of Sixth Year from Harry himself, she decided to pursue Ron...which was a logical choice under the circumstances, though a foolhardy error – given he wasn't interested in her at all, as a friend or otherwise, and her efforts resulted in her almost completely shunning Harry. The next and final major point in her eyes, over a year later in her memories, was the argument the trio just had – whether Ron should stay with Harry and Hermione during the Horcrux Hunt or return to the other Weasleys.

It was as Harry placed several blankets over her as she cried that Hermione realized she had come full circle. She had entered the magical world alone and friendless, and she would leave it alone and friendless, despite her best efforts to the contrary. For she had betrayed Harry Potter, the man she loved, her best friend, all to keep her own heart safe. She had been as selfish as she'd been selfless, and the resulting solitude was her payment.

She would help Harry finish Voldemort, as she promised... and then vanish into obscurity, alone and unloved, as she deserved after all her mistakes. It was then, however, that she heard Harry's speech in the real world; whimpering his name, Hermione realized in that moment that she was in a dreamscape, and squeezed her eyes shut tightly...

(End Flashback)

...only to wake up, in Harry's arms.

"Hermione, are you all right?" Harry asked; Hermione herself blushed as she felt Harry's breath on her ear.

"I'm fine," she sniffed.

"You don't sound fine, Hermione, or look it – what happened?" Harry murmured.

"That dream...it was another memory from the future," Hermione replied, "We were hunting for pieces of Voldemort's soul that he had placed inside objects....Horcruxes, I think they're called. Ron had just left, and I was crying fit to put a hosepipe to shame...because everything I'd done over the last two years in that timeline drove you away."

"Drove me away?" Harry gaped. "Why? Unless you turned into a total shrew on me in that other timeline...oh, no..." Harry groaned as he saw the look on Hermione's face; self-depreciation mixed with cold rage and sadness.

"I did, Harry – or rather, my other self did. Ron and I can't stand each other at the best of times; that factor is constant in both this universe and the base timeline our 'future memories' came from...yet in that timeline I gave you up to try and be a better friend to him," Hermione gulped, exhaling a ragged sob, "I was so stupid...!"

"No, she was," Harry retorted. "The Hermione Jane Granger I've known the last two years – and especially this summer so far – is a beauty and a genius. That other timeline...it was a mess. Our counterparts of that world...they weren't honest then. They were both stupid in that timeline – my counterpart during third and fifth years, and if you really think so... then yours during sixth year. But that was the past, Hermione; in some ways, not even ours. We can learn from it, do things the right way this time."

"Those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it," Hermione murmured.

"History is the past, mystery is the future, but a gift is the present – that's why it's called such," Harry smiled faintly as Hermione gave him an unreadable look. "And personally I'd like to think we have a lot of gifts in the present, and a lot to learn from our history."

"We all have a lot of gifts, Harry," Miranda grinned, stepping into the living room. "Most of them are because of you two."

"Us?" Harry blinked, pulling away from Hermione as Eric and 'Uncle Wes' walked into the room, though the pair of teenagers still held hands.

"I can see how Hermione would give you all gifts just by being in your life, but... how do I do that?" Harry was shocked.

"Fishing for compliments, Harry?" Wes teased, only to cringe as Eric smacked him on the head. Harry blushed.

"No, sir- I mean, Wes, I'm not," he murmured. "I honestly don't understand how I bring a gift to your lives; if anything, with Voldemort after me..." Harry suddenly trailed off at the Death Glares™ coming from the Grangers and Wes.

"Voldemort's yearly attacks on you change nothing, Harry," Eric ground out, before pinching the bridge of his nose, exhaling sharply and continuing in a calmer tone. "You've been all Hermione's talked about since October 31st, 2001 – the day you saved her from that troll your defense professor for that year let in. Yes, Miranda and I were angry over that situation and others, but we never thought of pulling her from Hogwarts, because we also know you've been good for her; you've brought our daughter out of the shell she'd made for herself, made her smile...all that's worth any trouble she gets into, as long as she doesn't get hurt too badly, or killed."

"The first summer after Hogwarts, Harry, you were all that she could talk about during her martial arts training and tournament preparation," Wes grinned. "I was there; I know!"

"She really...?" Harry squeaked, trailing off and eyeing Hermione with a look that spoke volumes. "Even then, you...?" Hermione nodded, face pinking.

"You're a good kid, Harry; Hermione trusts you, and we trust her judgment – so we trust you by default. Long as you don't make Eric and Miranda here grandparents too soon, that'll probably never change," Wes smiled. "And we've said this probably a thousand times by now; you're not alone anymore. We're here to help you."

Harry smiled and murmured his thanks while rubbing his face with his sleeve.

"Thanks...okay, panic over," he said, throwing a watery smile at the Grangers. "So, what's the plan, and what'd Wes mean by tournament prep?"

(Meanwhile, elsewhere in the Granger Residence)

"I doubt it can be done, Alex; just creating the blasters set off a few red lights in the UN. More of Dumbledore's work, no doubt – and if you'll recall, we barely managed to overrule that without our own connections. I don't think that under the current circumstances the UN or any one government will give a damn if it's for the safety of the world; Dumbledore's influence is damn near everywhere to varying degrees, and FedEx-ing Bio-Lab weapons across the pond will see us attacked in court by that influence," Maria groaned over the phone. "That factor aside, this is a sign of a good government – unlike the British magicals, who'll let Dumbledore and their enemies get away with all and sundry, the US and British nonmagical governments are willing to kick butt in spite of that influence when it comes to weapons transport. But in this case it's kicking us in the teeth."

"Then we'll have to adjust the plan, Maria; we can even help Harry out a little." Alexander smiled. "I'll charter a private flight for the six of us back to Silver Hills, so we can train there. If the British magicals are as backwards and ignorant as Hermione's books make them appear, then they'll never know we left via 'muggle transportation' until it's far too late."

"Well, you might have some backup in whatever fight you and Wes have walked into this time," Maria chuckled. "A Mr. Jason Lee Scott called while you were both over the Atlantic, asking for Wes. When Holly and I mentioned that you two were both preparing to assist Eric Myers in a fight, Jason said he and a Dr. Tommy Oliver would gladly help out in whatever that fight is, if you two wish it."

"I'll let Wes know; thanks, Maria," Alexander's smile broadened into a grin as he and his VP moved onto other matters involving Bio-Lab itself.

(Granger Residence, Crawley, 'Trophy Room', 1600 hours, August 7th 2003)

'Bloody hell; now I really feel like an idiot.' Harry mused, cringing, 'She's my best friend, but I honestly admit I didn't know this about her at all.'

Hermione had just revealed her status as a martial arts prodigy; as Harry looked over her medals and trophies from tournaments the world over, he had to smile at how natural the information had sounded.

"And you taught her the skills to do this?" Harry asked Eric and Wes; the three were currently standing in Hermione's section of what Eric had dubbed the 'Trophy Room', a room holding all the trinkets symbolizing the accomplishments of the people tied to the Granger clan. While Hermione talked with Miranda, Harry was eyeing a photo of Hermione and Eric six years younger, the brown-haired fighter wearing a martial arts gi with a red belt, while Eric wore a more battle-worn gi with a black belt. Hermione's hair, bushy even then, was tied back in a tousled ponytail in the photo.

"I only taught Hermione the basics," Eric smiled, noticing which photo Harry was examining. "At least, of my own free will. Later, when she started seeking me out for lessons and soaking up the theory behind the sport like a sponge, I had no choice but to teach her all I know – as you know, Harry, refusing Hermione..."

"Is a move you make at your peril, because she's as smart as she is strong," Harry finished, biting back a laugh.

"When I visited, I taught Hermione what I knew as well – but Eric's leagues ahead of me in fighting skill and always has been, so it wasn't long before I was learning from both of them," Wes admitted. "And last summer, it got to the point where she taught both of us."

"She's that good now?" Harry gaped. At the nods from the older men, Harry smiled.

"Voldemort won't know what hit him, then – a prodigy in the nonmagical world as much as in the magical one... and she's my best friend." Turning to Eric, Harry added. "Forgive my French, sir, but you have one hell of a daughter."

"We agree on that much, Harry," Eric grinned.

"Guys – dad wants us in the kitchen; he's got bad news!" Harry turned to Wes, who was now standing at the door to the 'Trophy Room'. Upon noticing the hardened expression on the blonde man's face, the Boy-Who-Lived fought back a grimace.

The crap was clearly hitting the fan.

(Granger Residence, Kitchen, 1615 hours, August 7th 2003)

"You've got to be kidding." Harry groaned. "Tell me you're kidding! He knows I left Privet Drive?"

"I'm not kidding, Harry – and thank goodness that Dumbledore ignores new branches of magic, or we wouldn't even know about this information," Alexander retorted. "He's got a magical tracker on him that was planted by a friend of mine ages ago. Dumbledore probably had one of his agents confirm your absence from Privet Drive by now, though who knows if he's received the information."

"Which means that once he does find out, this is the first location he's going to look," Hermione grimaced. "There's no way we can escape in time once that happens; Dumbledore's got allies, Order of the Fried Chicken or some similar name."

"Order of the Phoenix, I remember you saying – and while we can't escape in time, Hermione, we can buy time," Wes grinned. "Suzy just put up some wards; real strong ones. They'll protect the house and let anyone in that we know and trust, but no one else. When we leave, those wards come with us."

"Wes, you tell that AI of yours that she's a bloody genius," Harry snarked, ducking Hermione's swat and ignoring her obligatory chiding of his language.

"You can tell her yourself, Harry," Wes grinned. "The Battle Fire's decided to bond with you now."

"With... me?" Harry gaped. Looking around, he saw nothing but pride on the faces of the Grangers and the Collins – even Hermione had a broad grin on her face as Harry spluttered.

"There's got to be someone better! Hermione for certain, but... there has to be someone better for that than me!"

"There isn't anyone better, Harry – not even Hermione or myself, not for what Suzy wants to help you with." Wes' expression hardened. "The Battle Fire bonds with good people – those individuals with pure hearts and strength. You fit that bill... and one other."

"Harry!" Hermione gasped. "The future memories – remember what happened in that other timeline!?"

"The Prophecy..." Harry grimaced. Damnit, not again!

"Suzy did mention something about a prophecy, Harry," Eric replied, "but that's got nothing to do with it."

The Granger patriarch proceeded to explain about Harry and Hermione's key status to the timeline.

"Wes told us what Suzy told him – about other timelines she's been through, thanks to sharing some abilities with a phoenix...they weren't pretty," Miranda added with a grimace.

"In several of those timelines," Wes continued, "the Granger family – all of them on both sides – die in combat against Voldemort's minions, and so do Dad and I; in some timelines, they're taken for torture, only dying after years of it. In a few, Hermione, you modify your parents' memories and send them to Australia or the U.S., resulting in the end of the world on account of your parents losing their memories of their skills. Apparently there's some sort of fight in the future where Eric's leadership and strength will win the day, even when all hope seems lost."

Hermione paled, and renewed her silent vow never to do such a thing in the current timeline as her father looked down at his wrist.

"What about the timeline that these future memories came from?" Harry asked. "Did Suzy see that one?"

"That was one of the worst," Wes grimaced. "Voldemort was destroyed, yes – but nothing changed afterwards, not for magical Britain. That timeline was full of problems – for one thing, the magical government was still corrupt and bigoted, even until the end. For another, the Battle Fire remained bonded to me for the rest of my life – something that was not supposed to happen – and when I died she tried to find Eric...but he had changed. He wasn't the fighter he is now – his memories had been altered, and his name changed. He couldn't even see Suzy in that timeline, Eric was so different – and eventually she burned out, finding no other truly pure-hearted souls...but not before seeing the end of the world at the hands of Voldemort, a sentient computer virus, and some kind of massive explosion that occurred a year before the virus came to a shred of power."

"So you're saying..." Hermione gulped, catching her breath. "You're saying that if we do nothing, the world ends?"

"That's exactly what Wes is saying," Eric sighed. "Damnit all... the never-ending battle continues, eh Wes?"

"It does," Wes smiled stiffly. Harry, meanwhile, gripped Hermione's hand with surprising ferocity, as she did to his.

"If I do nothing against Voldemort, the end will just come faster – and without Hermione's help, the end might still come..." Harry murmured. "I won't let that happen."

"And neither will I – but look out, Mum and Dad," Hermione snarked. "Harry's 'saving-people thing' is coming to the front lines again. Not that that's bad, mind you." She hastily added as Harry threw a wry grin her way.

"Seriously, Hermione, your family's shown me the love I'd like to think my parents would have shown me if not for Voldemort…. I won't let that, or any of you, be destroyed without a fight. What do we need to do?" Harry asked.

As plans were made (and a limo chartered to Heathrow by Alexander) Harry smiled.

A new chapter was about to begin in his life – one that from the sounds of things would be a lot better than anything the Dursleys or Dumbledore could do for him.

(Hogwarts, Headmaster's Office, August 8th 2003, 0700 hours)

Fawkes, the Phoenix 'familiar' to one Albus 'too-many-middle-names' Dumbledore (who was currently on vacation, not that Fawkes had ever officially bonded with the man) trilled in contentment as the devices tracking the life energy of one Harry James Potter froze momentarily. The devices in question, having been originally set up as a mobile measuring device of some sort for the Hogwarts wards, seemed to shake off a black mist before resuming their original function – not that Dumbledore would know until it was too late.

The Chosen is free from the Old Man's manipulations at last, Fawkes mused. And Suzaku has returned to the land of her birth…. It would seem that the prophecies the Goblins and Merlin made so long ago are finally coming to fruition. All is not lost yet. The worst of the timelines for the Earth is slowly being avoided...at least for now. Suzy, old friend, it's up to you now – and I truly hope you turn the tide of the battle between light and dark. I will join you when I am able – for the Chosen will need all the help he can get.

Suddenly, Fawkes heard a scream in his mind's eye – and vanished in a burst of flame. He would never return to Dumbledore's office or answer his call again.

AN: (1) Some of the descriptions in this section are paraphrased from other sources; Seel'vor's one-shot "Open Wide the Gates of Time" (ID 4780695, Chapter 3), and ehc17's one-shot "Harry Potter and the AUDH" (ID 5508976). If this story no longer interests you, have a look at their works – and thanks for reading.