Miscalculation - Chapter 2

For quite a while, Tempus was the most commonly used spell to tell the time. While it appeared simple it was a rather complex piece of magic. The spell tapped into the consciousness of the user to determine how time was measured. Following that logic, the group of researchers came up with a way to expand the function. Two problems were that Harry did not want to use magic until he was outside of Hogwarts to avoid detection and that he wasn't sure how it would work with time travel. He could not chance leaving behind a magical signature. The safest way to find out the date would be to get a newspaper.

He could use the spell once he was in Hogsmeade. His first stop was the Room of Requirement. There should be a few wands for him to choose from. It was likely that there would be some clothes and gold as well. He wasn't one to care all that much about fashion but walking around dressed like some MMO character drew too much attention.

Harry made his way out of the secret passage from the Chamber of Secrets to forest. It was either that or climb up a slime covered tunnel. With his luck there would be some poor first year when he finally made it. A humanoid figure covered in slime emerging from a tunnel in the middle of a bathroom would traumatize anyone regardless of age.

In the future, a thorough exploration of the Chamber uncovered a couple of access points. The bathroom was the easiest to access. Then there was the one in the forest. The third, and final, option was in the main courtyard under the Slytherin crest. There was some complicated concealment runic array hidden among preservation enchantments. It looks like it was part of the school coat of arms from the outside. The Unspeakables were giddy little kids when they got a look at runic array.

Harry stepped out of the tunnel and took a deep breath. It was big enough for a thousand-year-old basilisk, so it was fine for him. The tunnel was still inside the wards so he had to wait a little longer until he could use magic. He may have been being overly cautious, but he didn't want to slip up.

He stole a quick look at the sky. The sun was setting but he could see flickering lights in the windows. Either they didn't bother to save candles, or school was in session. He rolled his shoulders as he started to make his way to the castle. A lone figure on the grounds didn't raise enough suspicion as it should. If it did, then Quirrell would have been discovered in a couple weeks of his first year.

Harry slipped through a side-door. He had memorized the secret passages from the first floor up to the Room of Requirement. This part of the plan was one that they could actually practice. Filch stuck to the third and fourth floors due to the access to broom closets for students. House Elves were amazing at many things, but they hated having to break the trust of their charges. The paintings worked better at surveillance though they had their own loyalties to consider.

The passages were dustier than he had expected. If it was Juniors first or second year, then Fred and George should have used a few of them. Moving through false paintings, hidden doors, and summoned staircases brought him to the seventh floor in a meandering path that was much faster than a direct route.

He paced along the passage three times to summon the room. The door opened onto a chaotic pile of junk.

"May I have a row of available wands and clothes in my size, please?" Harry asked the room. "Also, any expanded bags or trunks."

Two tables filled with items slid into place before him. Harry moved to the selection of wands first. There were a few broken ones which he set aside. It was a shame to see such works of art discarded like this. Once that was complete he ran his hand over the ones that were in good shape. He found  a couple that tingled that he would save for disposable options. None of them were a perfect fit, thankfully, there were a couple of shops in Nocturn Alley that could keep quiet. He hadn't used the phoenix feather wand in years and wasn't sure it would still work for him. Plus, it wasn't like he could steal it from Junior without raising unnecessary suspicion.

With that done, he moved to the clothing. He let out a relieved breath. There were quite a lot of options. Muggle clothing outnumbered robes, which made sense. Witches and wizards had the option to claim missing items over the breaks. As much as he wanted to stick to Muggle clothes, it would attract too much attention in magical areas. He grabbed an every-day robe along with a selection of Muggle clothing to wear underneath.

Only one trunk appeared, and it was rather distressed had appeared. There were a couple of satchels that were in better condition. He searched all of them, just in case. The trunk was filled with half-finished homework and old copies of class books. None of them were first editions worth keeping and the only notes in the margin were doodles. There were a couple of sickles and a handful of knuts worth grabbing. He moved to searching through the bags which only brought out more of the same. The names weren't ones he recognized either. Once his search was completed he came away with one galleon, nine sickles, and five knuts. It was better than nothing.

"Could you bring me the diadem, please?" Harry asked.

Nothing changed.

"Can you open a path to it?" Harry asked again.

The lost things in the room shifted into a single path. He recognized the taint of magic before he laid eyes on the diadem. Harry stalked over to the horcrux. He plucked the diadem from its perch with his basilisk-skin hand. The sickening energy rolled off of the artifact and tried to latch onto him.

"Pathetic." Harry snorted.

They had discovered that while he did have a remnant of basilisk venom in his blood. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to destroy a horcrux though it was enough to kill a normal person.

"Avada Kedavra." Harry hit the diadem without hesitation.

The Room was one of the few places on Hogwarts that he could use magic without worry. He chuckled as he realized that he didn't have to wait any longer.

"Mensis Dies Sidus Tempus." He rotated his wrist clockwise as he spoke.

1980 April 6th

Harry glared at the numbers floating in the air before him. Well, he was right about being before his second year. Unfortunately, his math was a bit off. Instead of a few months before his fourth year, he was a few months before his own birth. The Room supplied a chair for him to use.

"Thank you." Harry muttered.

He ran a hand over his face. Voldemort was still alive and whole, for the most part. His parents were still alive. He didn't know how facing Voldemort before turning into a wraith would differ from his previous experience. Not only that, but the Death Eaters were also out in force. Having them all focused on the same goal was something he hadn't planned for. He took a long moment of thought. The ability to save his parents had never crossed his mind. There were too many variables that he didn't know.

"Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth." Harry leaned back in the chair. "I don't suppose you have an opinion on this?"

A drinks cart appeared in front of him. He recognized a few half-empty bottles of Fire Whiskey, quite a few Butter Beers, and some Muggle alcohol.

"Funny." Harry chuckled.

First things first, he needed to get out of Hogwarts.

"Could I have an exit, please?" Harry asked. "I would appreciate it if you could make it somewhere that no one will see."

The drinks cart vanished. A door appeared on the opposite side as the room from the entry.

"Thank you." Harry crossed the room. He paused at the door. "I let Euryale out into the forest. Could you keep an eye on her, please?"

~§~

Harry stepped through the door and found himself on the first floor in front of Gregory the Smarmy. He walked over to the statue. Thankfully, the Room hadn't put him out in front of the Whomping Willow. Hogwarts had a sense of humor. How else did they explain the moving staircases and false steps? He was pretty sure that Hogwarts was sentient on some level. It would take years of study that he didn't have at the moment.

The passage took him to the outskirts of Hogsmeade, beyond the Hogwarts Wards, and somewhere he could freely use magic again. Aurors would have already been at the gates if they had detected the Killing Curse being cast. If nothing else some of the staff would have investigated. All Unforgiveables set off an alarm in the Auror office. Though, considering the date, they might not have had the extra man-power to track down each time.

He strolled down the walkway on the main road into Hogsmeade. There were still some people around, which he took as a good sign. The threat of Voldemort had practically shut down Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade when he had reappeared. He didn't know if it ever got to that point during the first war. That was a stretch of time no one wanted to talk about.

Harry felt his blood run cold when he caught someone familiar among the small crowd of shoppers. A much younger, and healthier, looking Peter Pettigrew stood at the window of a small bookstore. His lips worked as he read the titles of the display.

"Confundo." Harry whispered.

Peter's eyes lost focus as the spell struck true. Harry rushed to close the gap between them.

"You said the Shrieking Shack is this way?" Harry took Peter's elbow and started to lead him away.

"Oh? Yes, yes. Right through here." Peter replied with a slight slur to his words.

They were off the main street and heading down the empty stretch leading to the shack when Peter truly regained his thoughts. The shorter wizard scanned the area. Finally, he turned his attention to the wizard beside him. He was a few inches taller than him with a lithe build and wild black hair. Peter would have mistaken him for his friend James if it wasn't for the lack of glasses and the color of his eyes.

"Who are you?" Peter's voice rose as he realized they were alone.

"We serve the same Master." Harry dropped his voice to a harsh whisper.

Peter blanched at the answer.

"You told him there was a passage from the shack to Hogwarts." Harry growled as he pulled Peter along.

"Right." Peter whimpered. "Right. It's inside."

Peter led him to a boarded-up window along the side of the house. He tapped one of the nails a few times. The board smoothly swung open to allow them inside. Peter stepped aside for him to go first.

"Nice try." Harry stared at him flatly. "You go first."

Peter glanced at the already drawn wand. His own was still in the holster on his wrist. Briefly, he considered drawing it, but didn't follow through. It was possible that he had told the Dark Lord about the secret tunnel. This meeting could have been why he was in Hogsmeade today. His thoughts got kind of fuzzy when he tried to think too much about  it.

With a shrug, he led the intense wizard inside. Peter had to push aside some broken furniture go get into the sitting room. The entry closed in a silent motion once they both were inside. He turned around just in time to see a wand pointed directly at his face. His body tensed, desperate to do something.

"Confundo." Harry spoke before Peter could move. "I'm a Death Eater. You can trust me."

Peter nodded. The tension in his body eased.

"Have you told the Dark Lord where the Potters are hiding?" Harry asked.

"What?" Peter scrunched his brow in confusion. "Why would the Potters be in hiding?"

"The prophecy." Harry prompted. "You're their secret keeper. You told him yourself."

"What prophecy? Why would I be their secret keeper? Everyone knows they would pick that blood-traitor Black." Peter practically spit out the last word.

"Legilimens." Harry locked eyes with Pettigrew.

Harry was not gentle when he tore through the mental defensed Peter had in place. He focused on recent history with an interest on Voldemort and Snape. Any time he approached a memory dealing with the Dark Lord it lost all detail and faded away. Thankfully, Snape wasn't under such protection. Memories of the greasy bastard coming and going along the edges of muddled moments. There wasn't anything about a Prophecy. A rush of jealous rage flared when the thoughts were directed to Lily and James Potter. He hated James for a thousand things through the years they had spent together. Lily he hated for being muggle-born along with the association with the other Marauders.

Peter dropped to the floor as the spell ended. He whimpered and clutched his head as Harry looked down on him in disgust.

"Stupefy." Harry snapped.

Peter thumped on the floor. Harry stared down at the sad excuse of a person. There had been no coercion or pressure for Pettigrew to join the Death Eaters. He saw himself as a victim, that every downfall of his own could be blamed on muggles and those who supported them. Barely a handful of honeyed words was all it took for Pettigrew to kneel to Voldemort.

Harry ripped the sleeve of the unconscious wizard's robes to expose the Dark Mark. It looked like he was going to be changing history a lot more than he had planned.

"Sectumsempra." Harry whipped the wand across Pettigrew's throat.

An invisible blade decapitated Pettigrew. Harry levitated the head to rest staring directly at the Dark Mark to make sure it was obvious. Harry vanished any sign of his involvement. Then, he blasted a hole in the side of the shack and walked away. He wasn't sure how fast the Aurors would arrive, or if they even would, so he kept on the side of caution. His next few minutes were filled with the wonderful sensation of Multiple Apparition. For a brief moment he was in Surrey, the Forest of Dean, the alley behind the dress shop Aunt Petunia liked, and finally the Apparition Point for the Three Broomsticks.

A younger, and incredibly sexy, Madam Rosmerta waved at him from behind the bar. He flashed her a smile as he walked closer to her. It was a slow stretch after dinner but before closing so there were only a few other patrons.

"You're a handsome devil. What's your name?" Madam Rosmerta purred.

"Harry." He took a seat as he spoke.

"Just Harry?" She asked.

"That's me." He flashed her a roguish grin.

"You aren't the first handsome stranger to try and charm me." Rosmerta laughed.

"I won't be the last." Harry chuckled. "Do you have a room open for the night?"

"That I do." Rosmerta nodded. "Nightcap or something to eat first?"

"I'm on a budget." Harry shook his head. "Just got back in the country and my pockets are light."

"A traveler?" Rosmerta looked him over once more. "Why did you come back now?"

"Didn't have a choice." Harry sighed.

Rosmerta placed a warm mug of butter beer in front of him alongside a key.

"A welcome home, gift." Rosmerta winked at him. "Room three is open. Top of the stairs, second door on the right. Check out is at noon."

"Thank you." Harry put the money on the counter and took the drink.

"Hey, big spender." Rosmerta caught him by the sleeve before he could step away.

He looked back over at her. Hopefully, he had enough to cover the room.

"You forgot your change." She tapped the bar where a few sickles waited for him.

"It's not much, but it's your tip." Harry winked at her in hopes of covering his mistake.

The teasing smile she shot him was enough to let him know she bought it.

 ~§~

Harry moved on automatic as he took a shower and got ready for bed. Traveling through time took a lot more energy than he had expected. The plan had collapsed the moment he had arrived. All the preparations were for an entirely different time period. The Death Eaters weren't scattered and focused on selfish goals. Voldemort had a functioning body and hadn't spent years as a specter. His parents were still alive, and the prophecy hadn't been made yet.

The plan had basically been to wipe the board of the players and set himself as king. If his parents were already fighting against a rising tyrant, what would stop them from resisting him as well. There was still chaos to use, he just didn't know enough. From what he could gather, the first war wasn't much different than the second. The people looked to Dumbledore for guidance, but the old wizard had never been a warrior. Both times the Ministry hadn't inspired any sort of confidence. Voldemort and his minions got way too far. They had infiltrated the Ministry with enough power to prevent all but the most irredeemable. If he stopped the prophecy from happening, or at least it from reaching Voldemort, then he could save his parents. He couldn't let them die again. It should also save Alice and Frank Longbottom as well. They were only tortured after Voldemort had vanished.

He would have to alter his approach once he gathered more information. At least Rosmerta made sure the rooms were comfortable.