Miscalculation - Chapter 7

Harry stepped out of the tailor wrapped in acromantula silk. It was a muggle style suit that he had ordered a dozen in shades of black and gray. He had a cape added to help it blend into wizard fashion. It wrapped around his shoulders and flowed like cloak. He could easily shuck it off to use as a distraction, break line of sight, and to blend in with the muggle world. Acromantula silk had the added benefit of being waterproof, nearly indestructible by normal wear and tear, and accepted enchantments easily. A cutting curse, piercing, and other destructive spells could damage it, but resisted mundane means. He had to be sure to be aware the material had limits. It didn't stop the force. Getting stabbed or shot would still hurt, it just wouldn't pierce the silk. Each suit had three layers as well to hide the layer with runes and enchantments. The cost was the only thing that prevented the entire magical population from using the same materials. Acromantula silk couldn't not be duplicated through magical means. It had to be harvested naturally. Even 'hand raised' acromantula were dangerous to professionals.

No one gave him a second look as he strolled into a Pureblood Gentlemen's Club. It was a place for Lords to gather to complain about their wives, make under-the-table deals, and reminiscing about old times. Expensive liquor, cigars, and over-priced food was the standard service. He took an open seat off to the side of the main room where he could see the door and have a wall at his back. A few curious looks drifted his way, but no one approached. It was obvious he was a Potter. Anything more than a passing glance made it clear he wasn't James.

He had to come up with an updated plan. The previous had been simple enough to adapt to unexpected events. Going back too far in time had not been on the bingo card. He needed to see how much his parents, Sirius, and the population in general followed Dumbledore's lead. On top of that, he had to find out how to best infiltrate the Ministry now that the staff was completely different than the tactics they had prepared. Years of gathered secrets for people either still in school, or not yet born, were useless.

Harry wasn't the impulsive teenager he had been. He needed to think and plan before he acted. Hermione was an amazing resource. She pushed him to think in ways he didn't usually. However, he didn't think finding the Granger household to conversate with a baby was a good idea. He needed someone with a similar mix of intelligence and madness. Luckily for him, and the rest of the magical world, she didn't have the urge to take rule. Dark Lady Hermione would have made Voldemort look like an amateur. Harry had always thought that the situation was the same with Bellatrix.

Three names came to mind when he thought about this era to fill the requirements. The first was Bellatrix, but that would only work if she hadn't pledged herself to Riddle. Pandora Lovegood was another option if she was anything like Luna. He had to admit he was incredibly curious to meet her. Finally, and most risky, was Lily Potter. The only wizard that came to mind was Sirius as he was just mad enough to come up with something crazy enough to work.

Pandora was the best bet out of the three. Bellatrix was likely already a Death Eater and he didn't know if he could face Lily yet. Seeing his father had been hit him harder than he had expected. The other option would be to see if Emma Granger had an open appointment at her dentist's office. That was tempting simply because he thought it would be funny.

Harry strode out of the place without a word. He hadn't ordered anything, or spoken to anyone, but the silent detachment of the lounge filled its purpose. The place had its own point to apparate that he passed by. It tracked the outgoing magical signature which was something he did not want. He disappeared with a pop the moment he stepped into the public landing area. There was too much traffic for the point to be able to track anyone. It wasn't a needle in a haystack, more like a needle in a stack of needles.

He appeared at the outskirts of The Rookery. Blasting through their wards was not a good way to start a conversation. He placed his hand over the property line and waited. A small ripple of magic raced across the surface of the ward. The door to the giant chess piece opened a moment later. It was a decent distance away. Any spell sent from the ward line would drain off most of its energy before it reached anyone. The distance would give them a couple of moments to act if they were brought down as well.

Harry paused as the figure approached. He had expected Pandora to look like Luna. She did to the point where the similarity was uncanny. Pandora had a bit more curves as her hips were wider and her breasts were larger. Even then, she was still petite. Her breasts were, at most, a handful and the extra weight on her hips made her ass smackable. The biggest difference, one that he hadn't expected at all, was her hair. It was black with an iridescent quality that made it look like starlight in the low light.

She cocked her head in a familiar motion as she came to a stop in front of him.

"Harry Potter," she said.

"Pandora Lovegood," Harry replied with a smile.

Her eyes narrowed as she stared at him. It was just as unnerving as when Luna did it. Like she was looking straight them him to his soul.

"You have an interesting energy about you," Pandora said after a moment.

"Nargles?" Harry smiled.

Pandora shook her head. A gentle smile crossed her face.

"Bedtime stories rarely step into reality," she looked over him again.

Her eyes stopped at the ring on his hand. The expression on her face hardened.

"Rarely is not never," she pointed to the ring.

"You can see it?" Harry raised his hand. "Silly question. Of course, you can see it."

"Why are you here Peverell?" Pandora kept her voice even and flat.

The sound sent a chill down his spine.

"It was a gift," Harry lowered his hand. "I've come to speak to you."

"Oh?" Pandora waited for him to continue.

"Over the years I've come to put a large amount of trust in your family," Harry offered.

"You have an aura of death around you," Pandora stated. "It mingles with swirls of destiny that both has and has not been fulfilled." She paused. "An avatar? No, the wards wouldn't notice you."

Harry could see the intelligence in her eyes as she studied him.

"Time travel," she said after a moment of silence.

He smiled and nodded.

"You should know that your very presence has erased your timeline," Pandora said with an edge of concern in her voice.

"I'm aware," Harry replied. "We planned for it."

"We?" Pandora raised her eyebrows.

"My team," Harry clarified. "I never had the pleasure of meeting you."

"And yet here you are," Pandora stepped back to give him room to enter.

"Thank you," Harry inclined his head and moved inside the wards.

There was a slight tingle on his skin that told him his intent was being scanned. Those with the goal to harm, maim, or pressure would experience a spike of pain until they left the area.

"Would you like something to drink?" Pandora began to walk to the house without looking back.

"Yes, please," Harry stayed a polite distance behind her.

Harry took a seat at their kitchen table as she began to make tea by hand rather than magic. She noticed him watching and nodded.

"I don't use magic when preparing potions or food," she explained. "There is an element of intent that is lost in the distance."

Harry nodded.

"Why did you come here?" Pandora asked as she put the water on to boil. "The cluster of wands in your cloak does not inspire confidence."

"I'm having one commissioned," Harry explained. "Those are for just in case I need a wand before then."

"Or if you need to do some dastardly deeds," she added.

"That too," Harry chuckled. "That isn't why I'm here."

"The wards told me that," Pandora continued to prepare the tea.

Harry pretended not to notice the addition of Foeniculum powder. The herb, commonly known as fennel, was good for drawing out the truth without being as harsh as other methods.

"Honey?" She asked as she set the cups on the table.

"Thank you," Harry nodded.

Pandora added the honey and stirred it up. She watched him over the rim of her cup as she took a sip. Harry followed suit without pause. One benefit of the basilisk venom was being immune to lesser poisons, which covered everything except for more venom. Possibly. He was curious, but not enough to put the theory into practice.

"Why have you come here?" Pandora asked once more.

Harry could feel the Foeniculum loosen his tongue.

"I wanted to speak with you," Harry didn't fight the pull. "Something went wrong in my travel. Most of my preparations and plans won't work. Your daughter is one of the few people I would speak with in these types of situations."

"Daughter," Pandora smiled softly. "But we never met."

Her expression dropped after a moment. He could see the woman work the information over, solving it like a puzzle.

"Survived the war to die after," Pandora whispered.

"In a timeline that doesn't exist," Harry countered.

Pandora nodded. The two sat in silence as she gathered herself once more. Harry gave her space and focused on the tea. He had fallen out of the habit of drinking it, swapping over to imported French coffee once the project started. Fleur had spoiled him for any other sort.

Damn. He would have to approach a Veela Enclave to get a decent cup of coffee. How hard would it be to travel internationally? The closest one he knew of was in France, which was the same one that Apolline was from. It had been almost a hundred years since there had been a Veela Enclave in Britain. It would be a hard sell even if he could make the trip. A lone wizard showing up uninvited to an Enclave asking for coffee sounded like the start of a bad joke.

"Where is your husband?" Harry asked trying to get himself back in the moment.

"Sweden," Pandora answered. "He's searching for a proto-gnome."

"Proto-gnome?" Harry asked.

"The ancestor of the common gnome," Pandora explained. "He is trying to determine if they were an intelligent species rather than a pest."

Harry nodded. It didn't sound as outlandish as the excursions Luna told him about, but it was still a bit of a stretch. Gnomes were basically bipedal gophers.

"I ask once more," Pandora put her cup down. "Why are you here?"

"As I said, I need your help to come up with a new plan," Harry replied.

"You'll need to tell me more than that," Pandora held his gaze.

He didn't feel her testing his mental defenses, but that didn't mean much if she was anything like Luna.

"The original plan was to arrive around fifteen years later than this," Harry motioned to the world around them. "The details don't really matter with the changes I've already made. Basically, I was going to end the war and replace the Ministry. Starting out, I would be a king until I could gather a competent group to lead the country into the future."

"You don't strike me as a Dark Lord," Pandora smiled at him.

"Thank you," Harry toasted her with the teacup. "The country was a few years away from completely vanishing. Issues started in this war, were never handled, and magical Britain was a backwater island compared to the rest of the world." He took another sip. "The Ministry was corrupt, bogged down by prejudice, and the Minister was only concerned with maintaining their position. I saved the country at least once a year since I started Hogwarts. The people swapped between painting me as their savior to proclaiming me a madman or the next Dark Lord."

"What of Dumbledore?" Pandora asked.

"Dead," Harry replied. "Before that, he had plans that he didn't share with others. They didn't include taking direct action in most of the conflicts until it was too late."

Pandora nodded. Her eyes went distant as she took in his words.

"Why won't your plans work now?" She asked.

"Taking over the country isn't a bloodless process. It won't just be Death Eaters that oppose me. I don't want my parents to think I'm just another Dark Lord," Harry admitted.

"Are you certain that you aren't?" Pandora asked.

"I hope not," Harry shrugged. "I could say it's the best option, but every warlord thinks that way."

"Hm," she tapped the edge of the teacup with her fingers. "That is quite a predicament."

"Thoughts?" Harry asked.

"Deal with the Dark Lord publicly," Pandora answered. "Once he is gone you can use the fame to start your conquest. You will have to deal with Dumbledore and his followers in some way. The victory will win some of them over to your side."

Harry nodded.

"I'm worried that my parents won't be among them," Harry said softly.

"There are two ways that will solve that puzzle," Pandora offered. "Join Dumbledore's Order or tell your parents the truth."

"Simple as that?" Harry asked with a dry chuckle.

"Simple as that," Pandora nodded.

Harry contemplated her words as he finished his tea. Pandora let him have his silence to think.

"Thank you for the tea," Harry said. "And the conversation."

"You are welcome," Pandora gave him a kind smile. "Tell me about my daughter."

"Gladly," Harry smiled at her.