Authors' Note. This is an introductory Chapter only. It sets the scene by giving Harry's reason for wanting to go back. Story will contain some slight Dumbledore bashing but only because he deserves it. If you don't believe me then read the following:

Harry has just been kidnapped and forced to watch a fellow student murdered in cold blood. He has then been tortured and finally forced to fight for his life against possibly the most evil wizard ever. By a lucky connecting of brother wands Harry escapes back to Hogwarts only to be kidnapped a second time. After rescuing Harry, Dumbledore makes him relive the whole evening before sending him to the hospital wing. After all that Dumbledore abandons Harry with people who couldn't care less about him and denies him contact with his friends. WAY TO HELP A TRAUMATISED TEENAGER, DUMBLEDORE!

Chapter 1: Aftermath

Harry Potter sat in the Great Hall along with the other survivors of the Battle of Hogwarts. Even though they had won the war the cost had been high. Harry wanted to be alone but everyone else felt he should the centre of attention. Finally Luna Lovegood said, "I'd want some peace and quiet, if it were me".

I'd love some," Harry said.

I'll distract them all," Luna said. "Use your cloak."

"Oooh look, a Blibbering Humdinger!" she said, looking out the window.

Quickly pulling on the cloak, Harry slipped away unnoticed. He left the Hall and went up the staircase, examining the damage as he went. Harry was unsure where he wanted to go so he just kept climbing up until he reached the seventh floor. All the while he was thinking about all the people who had died during the battle. Fred Weasley, Nymphedora Tonks, Remus Lupin, Colin Creevey, even Professor Snape and Crabbe, all victims of the battle. More than fifty people had died defending Hogwarts, protecting him while he went about his mission of locating and destroying Voldemort's last Horcrux. Admittedly, Crabbe had been trying to stop Harry, but, even so, he was only around eighteen and had, in fact, destroyed the last Horcrux, saving him from having to do it.

Soon, Harry realised he was outside the Room of Requirement. Briefly he wondered if it still worked, it had been on fire last time Harry checked. An out of control Fiendfyre spell that Crabbe had cast. It had destroyed the Horcrux along with everything else in the room but perhaps the room itself had survived.

Harry was still thinking about his friends, however, still wishing he could have saved more lives so he kept walking. As he walked he went back over the names in his head: Fred, Lupin, Tonks, Colin, Snape and all the others. He didn't know all their names, those who had died to protect the castle. And then there were the others who had died before the battle: Cedric Diggory, Dobby, Sirius, Mad Eye and others. Harry suddenly realised he was at the end of the corridor, he turned around. Still thinking of the people as he walked, going back over their names in his head. Again, Harry reached the end of the corridor so he turned around. Again he passed the door to the Room of Requirement only this time it appeared in the wall.

Cautiously, Harry felt the handle, it was cool to the touch so he carefully opened the door a crack. No surge of heat or glow of fiery light greeted him so he opened it further. Still nothing untoward happened so he opened it fully. The Room was small-only around 3 metres by three metres (about 10 feet by 10 feet) and the ceiling was of a similar height. Positioned exactly in the centre of the room was a giant hour glass like shape but open at both ends and with nothing in it. Harry entered the room and heard the door close behind him.

The only light came from the hourglass itself which glowed faintly. Harry approached it, examining it carefully, wondering how it managed to float the way it did. It was obvious now it had no support of any description; it was just sitting there in mid-air. He reached out and touched glass. Immediately, the hourglass started swinging, the top coming down and hitting Harry in the head. Off balance, Harry fell forward, the opposite side of the hourglass hitting him in the back as it turned over and propelling him into it. Harry was trapped, thrown around like a ragdoll as the hourglass spun quicker and quicker. Unable to do anything to help himself Harry became dizzy and finally passed out.

"Up! Get up! Now!"

Harry jumped, "Aunt Petunia", he thought.

Harry looked around. He was surprised to find he was in the cupboard under the stairs at 4 Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey. Harry didn't know what had happened. How had he ended up here? Just then Petunia returned.

"Are you up yet?" she demanded.

"Nearly," said Harry.

"Well, get a move on, I want you to look after the bacon. And don't you dare let it burn, I want everything perfect on Dudley's birthday."

Harry couldn't believe it. Everything seemed to be happening just the way it had happened on Dudley's eleventh birthday. Sure enough, as the day went on more similarities occurred. Mrs Figg had broken her leg and was unable to take Harry so he went to the zoo with the Dursley's and Dudley's friend Piers. While at the zoo Harry had talked to a snake and, after Dudley knocked him over, Harry had helped the snake to escape. When they returned home Harry had been locked in the cupboard. Harry now realised he had gone back in time, courtesy of the Room of Requirement, but had retained all his memories of his previous life. He was being given the chance to save innocent lives, just as he had wished for.

Author's Notes:

The bolded text at the top of this chapter is paraphrased from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Chapter 36; The Flaw in the Plan (page 597 in most English language editions).The remaining bolded text is quoted from Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone Chapter 2; The Vanishing Glass (page 19 in most English language editions).

Most chapters will be around 2000 words but this will vary by several hundred in some cases.

I don't know what happened first time but less than half this Chapter was published on-site. This is the correct first chapter.