Temporal Paradox: The Second Chance of Harry Potter

July 9th, 1976

"...Aurelius Valerian Peverell is said to be the only person to have ever united the Deathly Hallows, thus making him Death's first true Master..."

Harry tried his best to remain calm and composed at the revelation, but his thoughts were racing. There were simply too many questions right now. How did Aurelius become the Master of Death? Was there more to it than simply possessing all three Hallows? If the Cloak, the Stone, and the Wand had all been in possession of his family at one point, how did they get spread all over the world again?

"Harry?"

He ignored the concern in Perenelle's voice. His eyes darted up to the leather-bound pages on the table. For some reason, Harry knew that only the ancient tome in front of him would give him answers to his many questions. He stood up abruptly and closed the distance between himself and the object of his desire with two large steps.

"Harry, please don't do anything rash!" Nicolas pleaded: "We don't know if the tome is safe for you to touch yet!"

Harry ignored him too as he hovered his open palm above the tome before slowly lowering his hand. His ancestors might be the most mysterious and secretive bunch of wizards and witches he will ever encounter, but even they would not want to hurt one of their own descendants. They valued blood too much...

"My blood will protect me." Harry stated with determination as he pushed a little more of his magic into the tips of his fingers to resist the incredible pull coming from the book: "Do not try to stop me."

"Please, Harry! I am sure we can find a less risky approach." Both Flamels have stood up at this point but did not dare approach him closer than three feet. They better not try to interfere...

"I am a Peverell," Harry repeated and felt his magic flare around him in small ripples. By now his fingertips were only an inch away from the cover: "This tome is rightfully mine!"

"And I am going to prove it."

His fingers finally connected with the leathery bound.

Harry's eyes rolled in their sockets as a surge over magic spread from the tips of his fingers through his entire body. It took a few seconds to regain control when all that was left of the magic was a mild, slightly cold pulsing underneath his fingers.

"Are you alright, Harry?" Nicolas asked: "It looked like you were in pain for a few seconds."

"I am doing well..." Harry replied without letting his eyes vacate the object: "... And I am certain the tome will not be hostile towards me."

Harry did not even know what he had expected to happen, but it sure wasn't fireworks. Yet this was rather strange as well. The tome no longer called for it to merely be touched, but to be opened as well. It must have accepted me then. He trailed his fingers over the rough cover and felt out with his magic, hoping to get a better idea of what exactly he was dealing with.

There was certainly no need to cast a Specialis Revelio to know that there was magic in this tome... Ancient, incomprehensible Magic. Yet it was unlike any of the magic he had studied at university or encountered before. Apparently, he had to take a leap of faith again to fully understand it. His musings were interrupted by the Flamels.

"That is our parting gift for you, Harry." Nicholas gestured for the tome: "After what we have just witnessed, it would be rather foolish to deny your ownership over it."

"That is very generous of you." Harry finally tore his eyes off of the book and turned towards his hosts. Truly, it was generous. However, Harry would likely not have left today without it anyway. Irrelevant of whether the price for it was a ton of gold, or a confrontation with the Flamels. This tome belonged to him alone...

"All we ask in return is that you stay in contact with us and let us know, to the extent you feel comfortable, what you have learned about the tome." Perenelle added with a smile: "We are just as eager as you to find out what this riddle is all about."

"Then I will keep you updated." Harry nodded his agreement. He brought both his hands to each side of the tome and picked it up from the table. Then he addressed the Flamels again: "Thank you for your hospitality and the parting gift."

"It has been a pleasure, Harry." They both smiled: "We can tell you have a heavy burden on your soul, young man. The task you have set for yourself is certainly not an easy one, let alone one any 16-year-old should have to undertake. We wish you all the best and hope that our contributions, the gold and this tome, may aid you on your journey."

Thirty minutes later Harry had shut himself off in his room at Potter Manor. His family was asked not to interrupt him. The doors were locked with spells that would even take Dumbledore a few minutes to breach. His desk was cleared of everything that had no use for him, with only the ancient tome remaining right at the center.

Harry was certain of one thing. Those yellowed pages held answers to many questions for him. This tome was a treasure. A relic from a time and a person, both meant to be forgotten by history. Chances were it held knowledge too dangerous to be revealed. Perhaps it harbored solutions to some of his problems, including finally taking complete control over the Peverell magic's full potential. Harry felt like he was finally close to knowing what it truly meant to possess all the Hallows at the same time.

Whatever it was, there was no way Harry wouldn't find out right now...

He carefully lifted the leathery bound and slowly flipped it over, opening the tome to the first page. Pale, blank parchment stared up at him for a second or two. Then, words in the blackest of ink started spreading from the center of the page.

More Valued Than Gold

More Precious Than Silk

Pouring Like Wine

Flowing Like Milk

A Count's Nightly Feast

An Offering Of War

A Pact Is Now Sealed

Forever More

Harry only had to read the small riddle twice to be confident about the answer. The context of his ancestors' life was crucial in this case. Something they valued more than gold and silk, a liquid like wine and milk. The following lines only strengthened his belief, especially the last two.

Blood

The only question was what might happen should he follow the tome's request. Blood was the most powerful magic medium. He could be entering a binding magical contract without ever knowing. But that would hardly make sense, would it? Aurelius Peverell wanted only his descendants to be able to touch and read these pages. There was no reason for him to wish those of his own blood any harm.

The Elder Wand flicked into his fingers before Harry trailed its thin tip over his left palm. Crimson dripped from the cut onto the yellowed pages, covering the riddle in thick red liquid. Harry watched in fascination as the crimson blood mixed with black ink on the parchment before it vanished altogether.

'What now?'

Suddenly some of the pages started fluttering. Raw magic was pulsing from the tome in small ripples until dots of blackish ink appeared in each corner of the empty page. Harry watched curiously as the dots formed into thin lines, which ran towards the center where they clashed in a puff of black ink. It twisted and turned until ever so gradually the unshaped mass formed into the dark shadow of a face.

There were no distinct features, no eyes Harry could make out, and no further attributes to observe. Just a small puddle of black ink in the shape of a human bust. Yet, his magic reacted instinctively in a rather protective manner to what his eyes were seeing. The feeling was slightly different and yet there was no mistake. This kind of sorcery showed a frightening resemblance to Tom Riddle's Diary.

Harry glanced at the black bust warily. The grip on his wand tightened. Every single one of his senses was on high alert. He was ready...

"Do not fret, my descendant, for I wish you no harm." A voice whispered from the tome itself. It was unlike anything Harry had ever heard before: Distant yet close, abstract yet almost tangible. It reminded him of the voices he heard from the Veil in the Department of Mysteries. In an instant, Harry checked if he had soundproofed the room before turning his attention back to the tome.

"What are you?" Harry responded, the tip of his wand still trained at the pages.

"That is an interesting question... Is it not?" The voice answered: "I am afraid I will never be able to give you a comprehensive answer... Perhaps you will find out for yourself one day, my descendant."

"Are you a Horcrux?" Harry whispered: "The shard of a soul?"

"So, you are no stranger to soul magic..." The voice said as the black bust twitched: "That might make explaining myself a bit easier... To answer your question, No I am far weaker and yet so much more powerful than something as pathetic as a Horcrux could ever be. I am more than just an imprint of my creator's soul. In a sense, I am his consciousness, his intellect, his memories, his dreams and his fears. I everything else that made him human. I am his essence, just no longer bound to a physical body. I am him."

"Are you merely a recording or are you aware of your surroundings as well?" Harry inquired with caution: "You speak of having consciousness and you demonstrate responsiveness to my blood. The last time I encountered magic like yours, it tried to kill me."

"Another good question. I am very much alive, so the word recording is far from accurate. I understand that the similarities to the Horcrux you must have encountered might disturb you. Nonetheless, such magic is the closest form to what you are currently dealing with, so the comparison is valid."

"However, I assure you that I hold no hostility against you. You are the sole purpose for the creation of whatever you want to call me. I could never hope to possess you or corrupt your own essence as a Horcrux could. My only possible means of manipulation are the words spoken right now, descendant of mine." The tome finished.

"You call me your descendant." Harry whispered: "You are Aurelius Peverell?"

"In ink and parchment." The tome replied with an echoed chuckle: "Embedded by years of abstract magic, to prevail against my last enemy."

'Death' Harry frowned: "Is that why you clung to this existence? To destroy the last enemy?"

"Ah, my great-granddaughter and her little poems, they are still popular I see..." The black bust responded, and Harry could almost feel it rolling its eyes in amusement: "No, young man, when my time came, I greeted Death as an old friend, and departed this life as his equal. However, my work was not done yet. This tome was created to give advice to those who follow me... To preserve my legacy and counsel my future blood in all matters of life... Which brings us to you, my young friend... What is your name?"

Harry pondered over the question for a second before answering: "Harry Ignotus Peverell."

Another distant chuckle echoed from the tome: "Named after my own dear great-grandfather father, I see."

Harry gasped in surprise: "You are one of Ignotus' great-grandchildren? And you mentioned a great-granddaughter yourself? Was her name by chance Iolanthe?"

"Indeed, that's her. You seem to know her... Have you met?"

Harry snorted: "I can't say so, no. She is a distant relative. Perhaps, before we continue, I should mention that Iolanthe Peverell, or should I say, Iolanthe Potter, died almost a millennia ago. The year is 1976 Anno Domini."

The tome was silent for a few seconds obviously deep in thought: "I must admit, that is certainly unexpected. I had high hopes of being discovered by earlier generations of Peverells. However, you mentioned that you are related to Iolanthe, yet your name is Peverell... How is that possible? As far as I know, any of her children must have accepted her husband's name. Yet you are clearly a Peverell, otherwise, this tome might have killed you if you attempted to open it, yet alone drop your blood on its pages."

Harry sighed: "It's a rather long story, actually."

"They say those are the best." If the dark patch of ink had any depth to it, Harry was certain he could see a smile: "The more you tell me about the situation you find yourself in, the better I will be able to help you, my descendant."

So, Harry started telling the story of life. The full story. Not the simplified web of white lies he told anyone who had asked over the last few months. Harry started all the way in the beginning, on October 31st, 1981. He described his life with the Dursleys, each of his years at Hogwarts, his arch-nemesis Voldemort and his final victory over the monster.

Then came his life after Hogwarts, his time at university, working for the Unspeakables, and finally the accidental time travel, resulting in him adopting a new persona. He finished by roughly describing the events he already changed in the current timeline and an outline of his plans. Last but not least, he shared how he had gotten into possession of the tome.

The shadow remained silent for half a minute after Harry had finished, its features twitched and twisted ever so slightly: "I am truly impressed, young man. Everything you have endured, every second you have suffered, seems to have only made you stronger and brought you here, to me. You might not be born a Peverell by name, but you carry my blood and I'd be damned to waste this opportunity of bringing greatness to our clan once more."

"I first need some questions to be answered." Harry was still a bit cautious about this. Mr. Weasley might have been a very simple man, but his advice from second year stuck with Harry even during his career as an Unspeakable: "Never trust anything that can think for itself if you can't see where it keeps its brain."

"As you should." The black shadow replied: "I'd be rather disappointed if any descendant of mine would give their trust so easily."

"Indeed." Harry nodded: "I was told that you had two great achievements to your name. The first one is the invention of the Fidelius Charm and then using said invention to hide your even bigger accomplishment from the world. Why go through all that trouble? Why be forgotten by history?"

"As you must have realized already, the Hallows are far from being a gift from Death. Only my great-grandfather received an actual gift, which was passed down to me when the time came. Both my close-minded great-uncles cursed themselves and humanity by falling victim to Death's temptations. They were given two items so tempting for the average human, that their supposed gifts destroyed the lives of countless witches and wizards instead of improving them as they had originally hoped."

"So you searched for them?" Harry inquired: "To take them back and keep them from the world?"

"I did..." The shadow showed the smallest sign of a nod: "And I was successful in doing so. For years I have hidden them from those that have searched for them. I protected them from countless ambitious men and women, who merely tried to amplify their own power and sought out nothing but destruction."

The shadow paused briefly before it continued: "That was the motivation behind my work on the Fidelius Charm. An instrument to distort reality. The ultimate tool to keep a secret from the world for eternity. My work on the charm was a race against the inescapable, since, as with all mortals, my time on this earth was limited."

"How exactly did you use the Fidelius?" Harry was on the edge of his seat by now: "According to the Flamels, they might be the last two people on earth who even remember your name. At the same time, lots of people remember the Hallows. There are even books written about them, although their main target audience is children. Nevertheless, even to this day, a millennia after your death, some people still believe the legend to be true. What went wrong?"

"I am afraid this is only speculation on my part. However, I do have an idea of what must have happened..." The shadow mused: "As you now know, my goal had been to hide the existence of the Hallows by means of the Fidelius. Naturally, the charm is not flawless. Can you guess why it is not infallible, Harry?"

Harry pondered over the question for a few seconds. His only experience with the charm was his parents' death and the time he spent at Grimmauld Place 12 under it, when Dumbledore had been the Secret-Keeper...

"Once the Secret-Keeper dies and the soul is released, so is the secret. It's tied to the soul and yet cannot pass on to whatever comes after life in the next realm. Making yourself the secret keeper, when you were already on the brink of death was therefore out of question. So who did you pick? Someone significantly younger would have been an option. Your great-granddaughter perhaps?"

"A very sharp mind you have there, my young friend." There was unmistakable pride in the shadow's voice: "Indeed, I chose my last descendant, Iolanthe as the Secret-Keeper, hoping she would outlive any soul who might remember my existence."

"But your plan failed, meaning someone out there must have survived Iolanthe. The moment she died, they started remembering the Hallows and their last owner." Harry mused: "Said people must have been incredibly old by then... So it's no wonder the story of the Hallows turned for the most part into a fairy tale to frighten small children."

"Yet some must have still taken it seriously, even if the information stemmed from the eldest in their community..." Aurelius continued for Harry: "My name must have been washed away by the tides of time, yet the story of the Hallows continued to be passed down. And thus, a legend was born..."

Harry nodded his agreement silently. So far it all made sense.

Aurelius continued: "However, cautious as I was, I created a safeguard should my original plan have failed. I knew that for as long as knowledge of the Hallows exists, my blood and descendants will be in danger, just as they had been when I was still alive. That's why I created this tome..."

"How exactly did you intend for it to work?" Harry frowned: "What does it actually do?"

"This tome is the equivalent of power, Harry." The shadow's voice turned into a faint whisper: "Power in the form of knowledge I have acquired over a lifetime of studying and defending the Hallows from those that intended to take them from me by force. My ultimate goal might have failed and yet I remained the Master of Death for over half a decade. I can instruct you on how to surpass me. How to do even better than I could have ever hoped. Perhaps together we can finally create a peaceful future for the blood we share and secure the Peverell legacy for eternity. You only need to allow me to teach you..."

July 13th, 1976

"Good morning, my dear. I did not expect you to be coming over so early on a Saturday." The Potter Matriarch greeted her as she stepped through the floo.

Marlene glanced up. Dorea Potter was wearing a more comfortable set of fluffy robes, which resembled a muggle bathrobe. Marlene smoothened any wrinkles in her dress and shirt while brushing off some ash from her shoulders.

"I apologize, Lady Potter." Marlene gave a small curtsey, just as it was tradition when dealing with a Lady from the same standing: "Harry and I rather spontaneously agreed to open our OWL results together." She held up the thick envelope she just received from the owl, with slightly trembling fingers: "After all, we did spend quite a lot of time together preparing for them."

"I am sure you have, my dear." Lady Potter gave her an amused look and Marlene felt a faint blush creep up her cheeks. The woman truly did not miss anything: "Though I am glad you arrived so early. How about you help me prepare some breakfast for my boys while I send an elf to wake them up?"

Marlene was slightly baffled that an esteemed pureblood like Dorea Potter née Black prepared breakfast herself instead of letting her elves work, but she quickly nodded her agreement. This woman was probably the closest thing to a mother figure her boyfriend would ever have. It would be a good opportunity to hopefully earn the woman's approval.

She gave a quick nod: "Of course, Lady Potter. It would be delightful to help you prepare breakfast."

"Follow along then, child." The woman turned around and led Marlene out of the entrance hall of Potter Manor: "And while you are here amongst my family Dorea will do just fine, my dear. We shall continue to mind the proper etiquette and follow traditions in public."

"Thank you very much, Dorea." Marlene was pleasantly surprised. She would not have expected the woman, who grew up as a Black to be so approachable.

They soon arrived in a rather large open kitchen, where two elves, both sporting the Potter crest on their tunics, were already working on different meals.

"Tilly..." Dorea spoke up as she entered: "Would you please go and wake up my husband, my son, and Harry? Marlene and I will continue where you left off. Minky, I would like you to collect the mail and place it on the table."

The elves showed no surprise at their mistress taking over in the kitchen. "Yes, Mistress Dorea." They each gave a small bow and hurried out of the room to complete their assigned task.

"Please look after the bacon, my dear, while I fry some more eggs." Dorea walked over to where two pans were placed over an ordinary muggle gas stove.

Marlene had occasionally watched the elves in the kitchen and even received detailed instructions on cooking from her mother. After all, a proper pureblood wife had to be able to spot whether her elves cooked a meal correctly.

Anyways, the task was certainly not a difficult one. Marlene rolled up the sleeves of her blouse and went to work, eager to prove to Lady Potter that she was far from the uptight princess someone might take her for upon first glance.

Two minutes later, Marlene thought that she had done a rather good job. The bacon looked nice and crispy when Dorea walked over to her: "Nicely done, my dear. Let's head over to the dining table. Chances are the boys have already taken their seats. Morgana knows they hardly ever care where the food comes from... With the exception of Harry, of course..."

Marlene's eyebrow shot up at that comment: "Harry knows how to cook?"

Dorea nodded while she flicked her wand and the tablet of freshly prepared food vanished. It would most likely reappear on the table in the dining room: "Yes, he occasionally prepared meals with me during the spring holidays and even a few days ago."

"How very interesting." Marlene hummed, wondering why her boyfriend had never told her so. But then again, she had not asked either. She fixed a few strays of her golden hair and adjusted her blouse one last time. Marlene always made sure to look good for Harry and was usually rewarded for her efforts with a heartwarming compliment or gesture.

"You look fabulous, my child." Dorea smirked when she noticed the younger woman doing some last-minute fixes: "And you make a very lovely couple if I may say so myself. Please, continue treating my Harry with as much affection as I have seen you do so far. He certainly deserves some happiness and love."

"Thank you very much. I promise I will do so, Dorea." Marlene fought down the small blush as she lit up at the compliment. The woman's approval had been very important to her and being reaffirmed so intimately meant the world.

Dorea and she could hear Harry and the two Potter males laughing and joking long before even entering the dining room itself. Harry sat across from James Potter, with Lord Potter sitting at the head of the table.

"Marlene?" A large, disarming smile appeared on her boyfriend's face when he looked up to see her. He was up in an instant and crossed the few meters that separated them with long strides.

"Good morning." Harry took her in his strong arms and pressed a chaste kiss to her forehead. He grinned down at her: "I assume your early visit means they have arrived?" He guided her back to the table and gestured for the empty seat next to him.

"Good morning, Lord Potter." Marlene gave a small curtsy to the Head of House before taking the offered seat. She inclined her head ever so slightly to his son: "Mr. Potter."

"Mornin', McKinnon." Potter rubbed the sleep from his eyes and disarrayed his unruly hair.

"Good morning to you, my dear." Lord Potter shot her a friendly smile after greeting his wife with a kiss: "Thank you very much for helping my wife in the kitchen. Please, join us for some breakfast."

"Thank you, my Lord." Marlene nodded and helped herself to some of the fruits Dorea must have cut while frying the eggs. Next to her, Harry started devouring his usual insane amounts of breakfast. She often wondered where he put all that foot because her boyfriend barely had an ounce of fat on him.

"The mail has arrived, Masters and Mistress." One of the elves from earlier, Minky if Marlene was not mistaken, announced its appearance with a box full of letters and envelopes. Marlene's sharp eyes spotted the crests of a few major Houses Lord Potter must be in contact with, as well as the unmistakable crest of Hogwarts.

"There you go, boys." Lord Potter smirked as he passed one thick envelope to Harry and James Potter each.

"Already?" James groaned as he accepted the letter, seemingly uninterested in its contents.

"Together?" Harry squeezed Marlene's hand and gave her a small grin.

"That's why I am here," Marlene joked in a rather poor attempt to downplay her own nervousness. With trembling fingers, she pulled her own envelope from within her blouse, earning herself a chuckle from Dorea Potter: "It is quite useful on a few occasions." The woman's eyes briefly dipped down to her own décolleté.

Marlene felt a bit too nervous and embarrassed to even reply and instead focused her attention on opening her letter. Her future career, dreams, and aspirations depended on the grades she was about to reveal.

Ordinary Wizarding Level Results:

Pass Grades:

Outstanding (O)

Exceeding Expectations (E)

Acceptable (A)

Fail Grades:

Poor (P)

Dreadful (D)

Troll (T)

Marlene Elizabeth McKinnon has achieved:

OWLs:

Ancient Runes:

Outstanding (O)

Arithmancy:

Outstanding (O-)

Astronomy:

Outstanding (O)

Care of Magical Creatures:

Outstanding (O)

Charms:

Outstanding (O-)

Defense Against the Dark Arts:

Outstanding (O+)

Herbology:

Outstanding (O-)

History of Magic:

Outstanding (O+)

Transfiguration:

Outstanding (O)

Potions:

Outstanding (O)

We congratulate Marlene Elizabeth McKinnon for the completion of 10 OWLs

She could not help herself. Despite the company, she found herself in and the fact that she was a guest, a small squeal escaped her lips when she finished going down the list one more time. She had managed to score an Outstanding in all classes, including Arithmancy, Charms, and Herbology, the three subjects she had struggled with the most.

"I take it that it went well then?" Harry laughed beside her. His eyes had only briefly glanced over the parchment before he turned his attention back to his mountain of food.

Marlene bobbed her head: "How did it go for you?"

"Not bad." Harry shrugged.

"The git probably has an Outstanding + in every single class." James Potter chuckled as he passed his own results to his parents, who had stood up from their respective seats and walked up behind him.

"Actually, I don't..." Harry laughed and lazily handed his results over to Marlene.

Her sharp eyes quickly darted over them. It was just as she had expected. She beamed at him with a proud smile and gave him a chaste kiss on the cheek before addressing the Potters. "The only classes he did not attain an Outstanding + in were Astronomy (O), Care of Magical Creatures (O), Herbology (O-), and History of Magic (E). He aced all the others."

Yet, there was no doubt in Marlene's mind that Harry could have probably sat his NEWTs in those core classes and achieved similar results. Her boyfriend was incredibly gifted.

"Similar to James then." Lord Potter nodded appreciatively: "Good job everyone. We are very proud of all of you!"

"Mom!" Potter groaned as he tried to wiggle out of his mother's tight embrace: "Get off me, please!"

"How did you do, James?" Harry nodded at Potter. Compared to the Potter Heir, he seemed to actually look forward to the hug and reciprocated it with a genuine smile on his face.

"Let's call it a favorable mix between Outstandings and Exceeding Expectations with the irregular occurrence of an Acceptable in Astronomy." James rolled his eyes: "Thank Merlin, I don't have to take that class any longer."

They continued chatting about their results and possible NEWT classes until everyone was finished with their breakfast. Marlene found that she quite enjoyed the time with the Potters. The setting was a lot less formal than breakfast with her own family and the conversations were much more genuine.

When everyone got up to head out for their day, Harry led her away from the Potter family by the arm. He looked at her with a rather serious expression when they were out of ears' reach: "Do you still have some time?"

"I do." Marlene nodded: "Is everything okay?"

Harry remained quiet for a few seconds before he answered: "You have done as I asked of you and learned to protect your mind. Even the most skilled practitioner of the mind arts will have some trouble subtly intruding your mind without. You are not invisible, Marlene. Nevertheless, it is time for me to keep my promise."

Marlene felt the excitement spread through her like a wildfire. Harry was finally going to open up a bit more: "What are you going to share with me?"

"The origins of the legends surrounding my family." A slight gleam appeared in her boyfriend's eyes and Marlene could almost feel subtle ripples of magic pulsing from him: "And for that, we are going to the place it all began."