Chapter Text
May 2nd 1998
The cold fog is clinging to Harry’s clothes, making them damp and sticking to his sweaty skin. He hardly notices it anymore because of all the adrenaline coursing through his body, heating him from the inside and making him tense and ready for what he’s about to do.
He takes another step forward onto the forest floor, crunching dead leaves underneath his soles. His cold fingers clasp around the even colder Golden Snitch in his pocket, the useless Snitch Dumbledore left him after he died for this war. The same war he’s going to die for to save those who are left, those who hadn’t perished at Voldemort’s hands yet.
He hears a faint click and for a second he thinks he gripped the Snitch so hard that it broke in his hands but when he looks at it more closely he sees it opened instead. There’s a small grey semi-translucent stone with some sort of triangular shape inside.
Harry takes it out of the Snitch and takes it in hand, immediately recognising it as the Resurrection Stone by the white symbol on the stone’s surface. Not only that but an overwhelming surge of power suddenly flows through him and he sees flashes of the Elder Wand, his Cloak of Invisibility and the Resurrection Stone combining into the concept of death, or more specifically the power of life and death.
Staring at the seemingly innocent little stone in his hands, Harry knows two things for absolute certainty. Firstly he must die at the hands of Voldemort so that Voldemort destroys the Horcrux within him and secondly Voldemort must never get his hands on this absolute power.
So he steels his resolve once more, slips the stone and the Snitch back into his jeans pocket and takes the final step into the clearing, welcoming the green flash of the Avada Kedavra with open arms. He feels strong steady arms carry him somewhere but he knows that it’s not the time to open his eyes, not yet.
September 1st 1991
Blinking a few times to dispel the golden light that’s obstruction his vision, Harry opens his eyes. Instead of the battlefield like he expects, he’s greeted with the non-destroyed corridor in front of the Great Hall.
Looking around only increases his confusion as his eyes land on little eleven-year-old Ron and Hermione. He reaches for his jeans pocket to see if he still has the stone when he touches a different fabric, looking down to see colourless Hogwarts robes instead of denim. Is this the stone’s doing? Some pensieve-looking hallucination of his first year?
He still feels the power of the Deathly Hallows coursing through his veins but it’s very different then when he grabbed hold of the stone. It’s more like an afterthought, submerged under water like the power is still there but unreachable right now. Or like an empty battery waiting to be recharged.
He notices some gold residue in the corner of his left eye and turns in that direction, meeting the silver grey eye colour of a small Malfoy. If this is a memory, Malfoy should be coming up to him right now to tell him to pick better friends and insult Ron but instead he raises an eyebrow as if to say why are you looking at me? so Harry turns away confused. Is this not a memory? He’s not just seeing dead people so this can’t just be the Resurrection Stone. Did he somehow accidentally travel through time to stop Voldemort? He almost laughs at the idea but a sudden burst of gold in his vision makes him rethink.
Oh shit! Luna’s dad said that the person possessing all of the Deathly Hallows becomes a Master of Death. Did he accidentally become a Master of Death after holding the Resurrection Stone in his hands? He sees flashes of The Elder Wand in Dumbledore’s possession, Draco disarming him and Harry disarming Draco.
Shit he is the rightful owner to The Elder Wand and it apparently doesn’t care that Voldemort is currently using it. The Invisibility cloak has always been his, even when he doesn’t have it on his person at all times. So he really is a Master of Death and he really did accidentally time travel.
Well fuck. It’s the only way to keep the power safe surges through him like the Hallows are talking to him but instead of words it uses feelings that Harry can somehow interpret.
The Sorting Ceremony starts and Harry contemplates what he’s supposed to do now. Obviously do everything in his power to keep the Deathly Hallows out of Voldemort’s hands but what else? Is he even allowed to change things? What can he change without disastrous consequences?
He vaguely remembers Hermione babbling on about how time travel affects the space-time continuum and that they couldn’t be seen by their younger selves when using the Time-Turner in third year but this seems different somehow. Hermione suddenly becoming a Ravenclaw apparently answers the question for him. Change it all if you have to.
The Sorting Hat is placed upon his head and immediately starts laughing inside of his mind. “What’s so funny?” Harry thinks back which makes the Hat stop laughing, although amusement is still present as it says: “I had a feeling this year would be interesting. It’s an honour to meet you Harry Potter, Master of Death.”
Well at least now he knows for sure. “Likewise I guess, I never got to thank you for the help with the Sword of-.” He thinks at the Hat but it just hums in acknowledgement. “So Gryffindor last time huh? Well this time has to be different right?” Harry can hear the wink in it’s voice even if he can’t see it. “So it’s got to be something unexpected.” Slytherin still makes a small droplet of fear trickle down his spine but the Hat’s inner monologue immediately turns softer. “Don’t worry, I will still take your preferences in consideration.” It says in his head before shouting “Hufflepuff!” and right before the Sorting Hat is taken off Harry’s head it whispers: “For the loyalty of going back in time to save not only your friends but everyone.”
As Harry is making his way towards the Hufflepuff table he internally shakes his head. Hufflepuff? Really? Well it is unexpected. He’d have thought that the Sorting Hat would have put him in Slytherin if only for the power he still feels faintly hum beneath his skin.
He looks at the welcoming warm smiles of his fellow Hufflepuffs and immediately feels more at ease. He looks over at the Gryffindor table to see Ron stuff his face with chicken and feels a pang of longing for his old friend. It’s weird seeing him so young, chatting with their old friends but without Hermione by his side.
Little Hermione is currently making quick friends at the Ravenclaw table, already a book open on the table and clearly sharing knowledge with a brunette and a raven haired girl. Harry feels another pang at the memory of Hermione doing that with him and Ron.
They’re not the friends he knows anymore, he has to remind himself. They’re still the same Ron and Hermione but they don’t know him anymore, he can’t walk up to them or ask them for help because they wouldn’t know what he’s talking about, they don’t share the same memories anymore and the thought makes Harry feel completely alone and abandoned. The feeling reminds him of his parents which makes him shoot upright as if electrocuted.
He can time travel! Back in time to save his parents! Right? Even if he doesn’t know how this all works, he is allowed to change things so he could— Danger, no. Trickles down his spine. He should’ve known, the Deathly Hallows send him here for a reason but he still feels disappointed. Especially since he currently feels so alone.
“Hi, Harry right? I’m Hannah!” Says a sweet soft voice next to him. He turns to the tiny pink-faced blonde in pigtails and shakes the hand she stretched out towards him. “Yeah, hi.” “This is my friend Ernie.” She says brightly and leans backwards so that Harry can see a surprised Ernest Macmillan in the middle of stuffing a sausage into his mouth on the bench next to them. His face turns completely pink as he looks back at Harry and starts coughing.
Hannah thumps him on the back and pushes a goblet of water into his hand. “You okay?” She asks him concerned as he swallows the sausage. “Yeah, just didn’t expect you to introduce me to Harry Potter, Hannah. A little warning would’ve been nice.” He mumbles with a glare and a light pull on one of her pigtails. She glares back and swats his hand away. “If I didn’t introduce you to people you wouldn’t know anyone else Ern.”
“She’s joking,” He says to Harry before turning to glare at her again. “right Han?” He asks her sweetly but she doesn’t answer.
“So, the famous Harry Potter got sorted into Hufflepuff huh?” He says instead of waiting for her to answer and Harry grimaces. “I guess so.” He answers, already done with the mention of his name and ‘fame’. “You’re like a celebrity, maybe Hufflepuff won’t be overlooked this year!” Hannah says excitedly.
“Yeah no thanks.” Harry says drily and takes a bite of his potatoes and roast beef. Ernie nods like he understands but Hannah looks confused. “Why not?”
“I’d rather avoid any more unwanted attention, although I’m sure that’s impossible.” Harry says as he notices a few older Hufflepuffs lean in to overhear their conversation before quickly pretending to be busy doing something else. “Oh.” She says and looks a little sad. “I’m sorry Harry I didn’t know. I was the first up there to be sorted and immensely relieved the attention was off me so I can’t imagine not being able to blend in at all…” Ernie aggressively elbows her in the side so she looks up at Harry again. “Merlin’s beard I’m so sorry Harry I’m just making you feel worse aren’t I? Let’s talk about something else!” She says and immediately looks to Ernie for help.
“Uh— Quidditch?” He says with a wince as Hannah sighs. “No please, any other topic.” She says which makes Harry laugh. “Not a fan?” “Ugh no, sports.” She says in disgust while Ernie snickers. “And you?” Harry asks him so he shrugs. “I don’t hate it as much as Hannah does but I’m also not really a fan.” “Huh.” Is all Harry says before taking another bite of food.
“Oh no don’t tell me you’re a Quidditch fan Harry.” Hannah says with something akin to horror on her face. “Yeah.” He says laughing. “I’m going to sign up as soon as tryouts are open next year.” She gapes at him in silence before turning around to Ernie. “Merlin Ernie I made a huge mistake, we’re now friends with a jock, maybe we can still ditch him.” Hannah whisper-shouts to Ernie so Harry can still hear her which makes them all laugh. “I don’t know Hannah, we’re Hufflepuffs so we have to be friends for life now.” Ernie says solemnly before breaking out in a smile.
“Okay well I guess you’re stuck with us.” Hannah says to Harry while also smiling. Starting over from scratch is apparently not as terrible as Harry thought it would be.