Temporal Paradox: The Second Chance of Harry Potter

April 5th, 1976

"This is the third broom closet we've passed tonight, Harry..." Marlene giggled: "If you simply wanted to snog me, then you've missed multiple opportunities already."

Harry rolled his eyes, but couldn't help a small chuckle escape his lips: "This might be a hard concept to grasp for you, but occasionally my mind is occupied with other things, aside from showing you a good time."

"That sure of ourselves, aren't we?" Marlene teased and winked up at him, as they climbed the last set of stairs.

"Don't even pretend as if it's not the highlight of your day, anytime I seek you out." Harry grinned and playfully squeezed her shapely behind through her school uniform.

Marlene yelped and slapped away his hand: "I will not allow you to feel me up in public, Harry Peverell!"

"So in private it's fine?" Harry inquired with a smirk.

"Perhaps..." Marlene pouted: "Only if you finally tell me where you are taking me. There should be nothing up here, besides some abandoned classrooms and the headmaster's office."

"Well..." Harry smirked as he led her around the corner and passed the tapestry: "That is where you and every other student within this castle is wrong."

Marlene scolded: "As much as I would like to take you down a peg for having such a big head, I know you would not be that confident if there was truly nothing up here."

"You are starting to get to know me then." Harry nodded approvingly and abruptly came to a halt in front of a seemingly blank spot on the stone wall. He watched it as if it was the most curious piece of wall in all of Hogwarts.

"Should I see something?" Marlene asked, confused.

"No, you should not... At least, not yet." Harry replied. He let go of her hand and started walking up and down the wall with his eyes closed. Marlene decided to simply wait. Knowing Harry, he would explain it all in due time. She watched curiously as he turned a third and final time, coming to a halt in front of the blank piece of wall.

Suddenly, a door appeared in front of them. Marlene stared at it in astonishment. Harry had not pulled his wand or performed magic unless it was wandless. How did he get rid of the concealment charm on the wall?

"Allow me to welcome you..." Harry pulled the handle: "To the legendary Room of Requirements."

The door opened and Harry gestured for Marlene to step inside. She shot him a curious look, unable to decide whether the name of the room was some kind of joke or not.

Marlene entered the room and could only gape at what she saw. The room she stood in was a perfect replica of the drawing-room at McKinnon Manor. She left Harry standing behind her and walked over to the closest statue, which depicted Aphrodite. Her great grandfather had bought it from a Greek collector. It was one of a kind. How was it possible that it had been transported hundreds of miles up here to the castle?

"How is this possible?" Marlene threw her head back and gazed up at the high, beautifully decorated ceiling: "It is all solid matter, but it still has to be a projection of some sort. The majority of the artifacts and statues in this room are unique!"

"Very astute." Harry stepped next to her: "The creator of this room and founder of your House would be proud of you."

"What?!" Marlene gasped and spun around to him.

"This room was created by Rowena Ravenclaw," Harry explained patiently: "Aside from the Great Hall's ceiling and a certain artifact, it is undoubtedly her most impressive piece of magic."

"How exactly does it work?" Marlene nodded after a few seconds. Her inner Ravenclaw was urging her to find out everything about this room.

"The Room provides an illusion that fits the user's imagination all the way to the tiniest detail, as you can see." Harry explained: "You can wish for any sort of room and it will be provided. However, only things that have been taken into this room by its users, can be taken back out again. The rest can't be moved..."

"... Because it's an illusion and none of it is actually real." Marlene finished for him and spun around once more: "But you claimed to be the only student who knows about it. How would any items actually get inside the room and be left in here, unless you forgot something yourself."

Harry grinned at her: "Because for centuries, the Room's full potential had been overlooked and its usage was reduced to being a place to hide things. Unless you know how to open it, it only appears when the user is in desperate need of it. For example, when the user is on the run from school authorities and has to hide something of questionable origin."

"So over almost a millennia, students have been hiding their items in here, but they were all unable to retrieve them because they can't access the room a second time?" Marlene questioned.

"Exactly!" Harry nodded: "Now, I suggest you test the room for yourself. To change the room into the space you prefer, your desire simply needs to be stronger than mine. I will hand over control to you. I suggest you simply close your eyes and imagine the kind of room or space you wish to be in, in as much detail as possible."

Marlene gulped and nodded her understanding. She took a few steps forward until she stood in the center of the room. Then, she closed her eyes and forced every fiber of her brain to imagine a certain enclosure. A few seconds passed in silence. When she felt Harry stifle behind her, she gathered that it must have worked and opened her eyes.

"I did not know you were that eager to get me into your bedroom." Harry joked next to her.

Marlene ignored his teasing remark and slowly turned around once. It was perfect. The walls were painted white, with a light blue ceiling and a fluffy dark blue carpet spread over the marble floor. Natural light flooded the room from the two large windows, leading to a balcony. From there she'd be able to overlook the captivating gardens, surrounding the McKinnon Manor. Two doors, one to the right and one to the left, lead out of the room. She knew that one of the two doors would lead to the attached bathroom and the other one to the walk-in closet.

Her large canopy bed looked as inviting as ever, as did the muggle couch she managed to convince her parents to place in the corner after her third year. She walked over to the bed and tentatively squeezed her favorite pillow. It felt so real...

"Thank you for sharing this with me, Harry." Marlene smiled at him and held out a hand: "I appreciate that you trust me with such a valuable secret."

"Of course." Harry smiled back and squeezed it: "Actually, if you don't mind, this room might be perfect for our very first training session. Practicing mind magic, especially occlumency, might be easier in an environment you are familiar with and where you can relax."

Marlene nodded her understanding before a mocking smirk tugged on the corner of her lips: "You are a strange teenage boy, Harry Peverell... You are alone with your girlfriend in a hidden place within the castle and the first thing you think about is practicing mind magic with me?"

"Trust me, it was definitely not the first thing on my mind..." Harry grinned: "...and it was not in second place either that's for sure."

"Well, it's too late for any of that now." Marlene teased as she allowed herself to lean back in her bed and rest within a mountain of pillows: "But I understand how important it is for me to learn occlumency, so we better get started."

She watched as her boyfriend's eyes roamed over her body and came to a rest where her school uniform was hiked up on her thigh: "Eyes up here, Harry. Otherwise, I will have to change into something less revealing... We can't have you getting distracted while trying to teach me now, can we? Let's get started."

It was rather interesting to see what kind of effect she had on him. Marlene laughed when he visibly pulled himself together and cleared his throat: "You are right. Let's get started. May I?" He gestured for the edge of the bed.

"Of course." Marlene remained in her current position, as there was more than enough space for both of them anyway.

Harry kicked off his shoes and climbed onto her bed to sit down on crossed legs: "Alright, let's get started then. First things first, I will need to find out how advanced you are in your studies of the mind arts. If you use occlumency to clear your mind and organize your thoughts for studying, then chances are you will already have some rudimental shields. I can test that hypothesis by trying to penetrate your mind."

Marlene felt slightly uncomfortable at the thought. How much would Harry be able to see? They might be dating now, but she still valued her privacy, especially when she thought about the occasional dream she had experienced over the last few weeks, or how her thoughts had started shifting to the raven-haired boy in the middle of class. Apparently Harry understood her discomfort.

"I can promise you that I won't pry into your privacy." He squeezed her hand: "I will supply your mind with very specific images and see how you respond to them. For example, by showing you an image of OWL study material, I might experience your anxiety about the tests, a recent essay you wrote, or anything else that will pop up in your mind when you think about those words. I will not supply anything that might lead you to think in a direction that violates your privacy. You have my word."

"Thank you, Harry." Marlene nodded and leaned over to peck his lips: "It's not like I have things to hide from you, some of it might just be embarrassing and not for your eyes. At least not yet..." She added mischievously.

"I understand completely." Harry reassured her, matching her smirk: "Your mind is a sacred place of retreat. The fact that you allow me to practice with you, speaks volumes on how much you trust me already."

"How do we begin?" Marlene inquired curiously.

"I will enter your mind and supply the images we spoke up to you." Harry explained: "It will be difficult at first, but I need you to try your best to notice my presence and not follow the trail of images. By noticing my presence and shielding your thoughts, you will make it more difficult for me to see and feel any of your memories and thoughts.

Marlene nodded her understanding: "Let me prepare myself."

She sat upright on the bed, right in front of Harry, and took a couple of deep breaths. Harry flicked his wand into his palm: "Try to relax and close your eyes. To clear your mind, simply think about one peaceful, calm image. It can be the dark night sky, an empty field, or the surface of a lake. Simply something far-stretching and serene, with as little turbulence as possible."

As she closed her eyes, Marlene's thoughts gradually shifted to a clear summer sky. Not a single cloud disturbed the peaceful image. Even the presence of her boyfriend was completely forgotten until Marlene heard his voice right in front of her:

"Legilimens!"

At first, nothing changed, however then she started feeling something in the depths of her mind. The bright summer sky remained as unmoving as ever. Nevertheless, somehow she could tell that she was not the only one watching it anymore.

She did her best to keep any other thoughts far away and focused on the image she had set up for herself. The blue of the sky was utterly mesmerizing. It reminded her of the warm days she had spent as a child in the gardens of their manor or the sky above the Hogwarts ground after exams were over at the end of the year...

Exams...

Where did the thought come from?

Suddenly the image of an OWL test swirled through her mind. Was this her own train of thought? Or did Harry already start supplying memories? Mentioning his name brought a flood of other images and memories, Marlene would love to get lost in. However, a tiny voice in the back of her head reminded her that the goal of the exercise was not to think about anything else besides the summer sky blue emptiness.

This had to be the fault of that strange foreign presence... There had to be a way to get rid of it. This was her mind, her kingdom after all! Marlene followed back the trial into the depth of her mind and tried to locate the alien presence. She focused on the tiny pressure she was feeling until she finally found it. Now comes the difficult part.

It required all her willpower to push the foreign presence away and banish it. A headache started forming close to her temples as she grit her teeth in concentration and kept pushing as hard as she could. Finally, ever so slowly, the pressure subsided until there was nothing left but the endless, bright blue sky.

Marlene panted lightly and clutched her temples as she opened her eyes. She was greeted by a proud beam in the emerald green orbs of her boyfriend: "How did I do?"

"Really well for the first time." Harry smiled at her and flicked his wand back into his holster: "I was not very subtle, so you noticed my presence immediately. However, as soon as I started supplying images and guiding your thoughts into a specific direction, you caught onto what I was doing and located me."

"It was very difficult to push you out." Marlene slummed onto her back: "Were you trying hard to remain in my mind?"

"Not really." Harry smiled sheepishly: "However, the point of the exercise was simply to feel my presence, which you managed to do. We will develop techniques to push me out after you gather a bit of practice."

"Let's try again then," Marlene said with determination and pulled herself upright.

"Not tonight, Marlene." Harry shook his head: "I don't want you to exhaust yourself. You undoubtedly have a headache already and if I enter your mind once more, I suspect your nose or even ears might start bleeding. There is no way I am sending you to Pomfrey and getting myself into a situation where I have to explain that I practiced illegal mind arts with you."

"Fine!" Marlene huffed in frustration and slammed back into the mattress. She was annoyed, yet, she knew Harry was probably right: "But we will continue tomorrow!"

"Of course." Harry smirked at her: "But for now, I suggest I help you relax a bit..."

"What makes you think I require your assistance to relax?" Marlene raised a delicate eyebrow.

"Because I can do this." Harry grinned as he crawled up on top of her and lowered his lips to her. Marlene had no complaints against that and quickly reciprocated the kiss just as passionately.

April 20th, 1976

"Are you going out tonight again?" Harry smirked as he watched James and Sirius cross the common room towards the portrait hole. He stood up from his chair and blocked their path. This might be a good opportunity...

"What? No!" James stammered and watched him warily. It was obvious that Harry would not let them leave without an answer: "I mean yes... But it's just some preparations for a prank."

"Come on, guys." Harry rolled his eyes and dropped the threatening demeanor: "I know what you are up to. It's pretty obvious, isn't it?"

"We don't know what you are talking about, mate." Sirius shrugged his shoulders, his gray eyes darted over to James and the corner of his lips tucked upwards: "Perhaps we should tell McKinnon to go a bit easier on you. Snogging her for too long seems to be meddling with your brain, Peverell."

Harry laughed at his remark. Unfortunately, there was some truth to it. However, he still wanted to finally clear the air between himself and the Marauders: "Have I not proven myself to be trustworthy over the last few months?"

"What are you talking about, Harry? Of course, we trust you." James spoke up. By now there was concern in his voice.

"It's Remus then, isn't it." Harry mused: "He does not trust me yet?"

"Still no idea what you are talking about, mate." Sirius shook his head with a grin: "Moony trust you just as much as we do."

"Well, tell Moony I wish him all the best for tonight then." Harry winked.

They glanced at each other, this time with a worried expression. Nevertheless, they continued their little masquerade.

"We won't see him until tomorrow, remember." James spoke up: "He flooed home to deal..."

"... With his furry little problem..." Harry laughed: "Of course he did. Do you think you guys were the only ones that noticed this furry little problem occurs during every full moon?"

"Be quiet!" Sirius hissed and watched the staircase up to the dormitories. "If someone heard you..."

James stared at Harry wide-eyed in shock: "How the hell do you know?"

Harry lazily flicked his wand and cast a silent Muffliato: "No one will be eavesdropping now. And as for your question... Seriously, James? The scarring on his face, the disappearances during the full moon, the nicknames?"

"Please don't tell anyone, mate," Sirius spoke up. It was heartwarming to see the concern they had for their friend. Had Hermione, Ron and he ever been so close? "He deserves as much normality as possible and he would never hurt a fly consciously."

"Did you really think I was going to tell on you guys?" Harry laughed: "I mentioned it tonight because I want in on the next time you go out."

"You can't, Harry." James shook his head vehemently: "It's way too dangerous for you."

"Which is why I need you guys to teach me." Harry nodded.

"Teach you what?" Sirius asked dumbfounded.

"To become an Animagus of course..." Harry rolled his eyes: "Seriously, how did you guys become the youngest Animagi in history and still act so dumb."

"So you know that too, huh?" James' hazel eyes narrowed slightly.

"Of course I do..." Harry shrugged: "How else could you spend time with him during the full moon without getting bitten."

"We have underestimated you, mate." Sirius couldn't help but grin: "But still... Why would you want to go with us?"

"Is some romantic bonding time under the full moon with my closest relatives and friends not reason enough?" Harry teased: "Besides, don't you guys want to find out what my form might be?"

He watched with amusement as their eyes lit us: "I bet it's something powerful." Sirius mused and bit his lip: "Or a very smart animal... Something that resembles your inner characteristics..."

"Alright, alright..." James interfered with his best friend's train of thought with a laugh: "We will help you and teach you what we know. If Wormtail managed to transform after two years then it should be no problem to teach someone like you..."

"Great!" Harry walked back to the fireplace and slammed into the fluffy armchair: "In exchange, I will help you guys finish that cute little map of yours..."

"How the hell do you even know about this?" James groaned in frustration. It was pretty amusing to watch them as he dropped one bomb after another on them. He had just one last one.

"Oh and by the way." Harry added: "You guys are getting too big for that sweet Cloak of yours, mate. I'd say two is the max... Have fun tonight." He finished with a burst of laughter as he watched the dumbstruck expressions on their faces.

March 10th, 1976

"Perhaps..." Knowing what he was going to say, Marlene quickly shut him up. This should do. She claimed his lips with even more passion and slipped her tongue into his mouth.

"...We should..." He still had time to breathe and speak... That was unacceptable. Marlene did not want him to speak right now and redoubled her efforts as her fingers pulled his head back down to her lips by his hair.

"...Stop..." He whispered with far less enthusiasm in between the sweet sounds of their soft lips crashing into each other.

"I don't want to stop right now, Harry." Marlene breathed heavily and let her fingers trail over the back of Harry's shirt, up to his shoulder and strong arms. She loved the way his muscles contracted underneath her gentle touch. They were in the Room of Requirements, which had taken the form of her bedroom at McKinnon Manor. The couple had practiced some Occlumency roughly half an hour ago. Now however, a very different subject stood on the agenda…

Marlene kissed him once more, this time more tender, trying to put all her emotions into this one kiss. Perhaps, if Harry noticed that she was still fully in control, he would finally allow them to progress?

"Are you sure?" He asked with utmost care and pushed a stray golden lock back behind her ear. Her heart squirmed, knowing that she was so precious to him, that he did not want to rush things. He was perfect...

"I am certain, Harry..." She bobbed her head: "And we don't have to go all the way to have some fun. Let's just explore each other a bit, okay?"

He watched her for a couple of seconds. Marlene looked deep into his eyes and saw a miniature change that made a skin tingle. There was still the usual warmth and adoration he always regarded her with. However, in addition, there was an emerald green fire now... A burning passion, he must have controlled for quite some time.

"Alright then." He nodded and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. Finally! She grinned up at him cheekily. Her fingers moved down to the hem of his black T-shirt and she slowly lifted it upwards. Harry helped her out by lifting his arms above his head until the shirt was fully removed. Her eyes widened when she took in his body. It looked as chiseled and as perfect as the Greek statues at McKinnon Manor. Marlene knew that merely seeing it was not enough: she had to touch it!

Harry gasped slightly when her fingers connected with his pale skin. She began on his shoulders and trailed over hot, hard muscles down to his biceps. She found a long scar and another one when she moved lower to his elbow. What kind of injuries could have been severe enough for magic to fail to heal them?

Marlene knew that she would get the answers eventually and pushed the thought away for now. The muscular body in front of her was too precious not to be examined immediately. Her eyes followed her own fingers to his chest, where she located another scar right above his heart. She felt the different texture of the skin and the strong, rhythmic beating of his heart. Beating with affection for her...

Chiseled, rock hard, abs were her next destination as she moved further south and met the occasional scar on her way. Harry merely watched her the entire time as she explored his body and allowed her to take in every tiny detail. She pulled him back down to her face by his neck and captured his lips in another searing kiss.

Without his shirt, she could feel his body heat even stronger now, while Harry was laying on top of her, plastering Marlene with soft kisses. However, it was not enough yet! She needed even more skin-to-skin contact: "Take off my shirt." She whispered into his mouth, during the short break they took from snogging each other.

The emerald green fire in his eyes burned brighter than ever before while his finger found the hem of her shirt and helped her out of it, leaving her in her skirt and a black lacy bra. She watched him as his eyes roamed over her body. From her neck down to her breasts and onwards to her flat tummy. Marlene was not self-conscious at all and loved the awestruck look on his expression and the way his eyes widened as he took her in.

As expected, her breasts seemed to capture most of his attention. Marlene had known for some time that he adored them, but so far he had never done more than brush his fingers over the side of her breasts while remaining fully clothed. Should she let him have a peek? No... Not yet. Marlene decided that her bra would stay on for now. Harry would simply have to use his imagination. However...: "You can touch me, Harry."

With a low groan, he lowered himself back onto her and claimed her lips more aggressively than ever before. Simultaneously his hands explored every inch of her upper body, just as she had a few minutes ago. Harry's fingers felt like pure fire on her skin, leaving a hot trail as they moved from her neck and shoulders over her bra. He undoubtedly felt her erect nipples through the materials and even gave them a tiny flick with the tip of his fingers, eliciting a soft moan from Marlene. She had never experienced anything as exhilarating as his touch and yearned for more.

Harry's hands cupped both her full breasts and squeezed them with the utmost care before he moved lower towards her stomach, where his fingers trailed soft circles. She bent her knees purposefully in a way that would hike up her skirt and hopefully catch his attention. She was not disappointed when Harry caught on and moved down to her thigh. Then, his fingers continued trailing small circles and slowly moved higher and higher, closer to her center. The closer they got, the heavier they both started breathing with their lips still attached to each other, in a silent battle for dominance.

Did she really want him to touch her there? Were they ready to cross over into that territory? Harry seemed to be thinking the same, since he paused questioningly, waiting for her signal to continue.

Marlene slipped her tongue into his mouth and spread her legs a tiny bit further, making her intention more than clear. His fingers continued their journey and played with the hem of her panties before dipping underneath them. Only now did she realize how damp they already were, yet, instead of feeling embarrassed about it, she took it as a sign that she was ready for this next step.

A small gasp escaped her lips when Harry's finger trailed over her center, right towards her heat. He gradually played with her slick folds before teasing her opening ever so slightly with the tip of his fingers. Marlene tried to relax and closed her eyes, enjoying this new sensation. His fingers were significantly larger and thicker than her own. In addition, their texture was a bit rougher, stimulating her differently.

A series of small moans escaped her lips when he started moving his fingers more purposefully. Her entire body shuttered when he brushed his thumb over her clit while slowly sliding a single finger in and out of her. Marlene seriously doubted that she had ever been wetter before. Already, she felt the familiar pressure building up deep inside her. How in Morgana's name was he so good at this?

Harry entered a second finger to the first while kissing her deeply, making her gasp in his mouth in surprise. He was stretching her in such a comfortable way, that she completely lost herself to the sensation. His thumb started rubbing over her clit in quicker movements. Her breath quickened and she gasped in between her moans when he pressed his lips down to her pulse on her neck: "Harry!"

The combination of his fingers curling inside her and his skillful thumb made her come undone. The tightness in her belly grew and exploded as an overwhelming amount of pleasure, followed by a rush of satisfaction washed over her. Marlene's entire body spasmed and the bliss overtook her completely as she kept whispering his name, repeating it over and over again.

She lay flat on her back, panting heavily as she tried to control her breath. Thankfully, Harry removed his fingers from her overly sensitive core. Further stimulation would simply be too much at this point. Instead, he pulled her closer to his chest and pressed soft kisses on her forehead: "That was... just wow..." He managed to stammer.

"Thank you, Harry… That was so amazing..." Marlene agreed breathlessly, still with her eyes closed. She had never felt so relaxed before, at the same time, she felt just as eager to give pleasure, now that she had received it. However, Harry stopped her hand from traveling towards his pants and pressed them to his lips for a kiss: "Another time, Marlene. Today is about you..."

"It is?" Marlene raised an eyebrow in curiosity and opened her eyes for the first time in the last few minutes. She literally just experienced one of, if not the best orgasm ever and he wanted to continue?

Emerald green orbs were watching her with amusement: "You did not think that was it already, did you?"

Morgana, help me! Marlene prayed and yelped when Harry suddenly pulled her over, so that she was resting on top of him. Let's see what else the raven-haired boy had in store for her...