Dreams In Time

Harry woke up in a room that he didn’t recognize. It appeared to be a classroom, and was empty except for a small desk and one chair. His head was swimming, and he had trouble focusing on the things around him. He sat up and tried to remember how he got there. He couldn’t remember! He knew was that he was still in Hogwart’s. He could feel that much. He knew he was a wizard. He could remember spells, potions, and charms, even history. Then he realized – that was all he remembered. He tried to recall friends, family, teachers, anyone and anything. Frantically, he began searching; trying to find any clue that may let him know who he was. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his wand, and a small box. Hesitantly, he checked to box for any unfriendly charms, hexes, or curses. Seeing that it was free of those, he slowly opened the box. Inside, he found letter, a key, and a blood red rose that seemed to be magically preserved. He opened the letter and began reading:

You are confused right now, as you have every right to be. I will try to explain as much as I can without altering the course of events drastically. Something has happened that has caused you to travel into the past, before the time when you were born. I wish I could explain what has happened, but I, myself, do not know. These are the points that I do know:

1. You will not be trapped here forever. You will go back to your own time eventually. I regret that I cannot tell you the exact date, as it may affect your decisions..
2. You must not be sorted into Gryffindor House. Any other house will do, but being in Gryffindor at this time may change your future too much.
3. Your appearance and your real name are extremely well known in your time. You will need to disguise yourself during this time in order to ensure your future safety. I would suggest eye color charms and a spell to hide any discernible marks you may have at the very least. As for your name, I suggest you use something that you are comfortable with. You will need both a given name and surname.
4. You are seventeen years old and your birthday is near the end of July.
5. You must be cautious of who you make friends with. Things are not always what they seem.
6. You can trust Albus Dumbledore with the contents of this letter and almost anything else you need. He is the headmaster at Hogwart’s.

The key in this envelope is to a Gringotts vault. Make use of everything that is in there. It is yours.

I sincerely regret that I cannot tell you more. To do so may alter coming events, and I simply do not know if I could bear the difference. I only hope that one day you will understand why I could not stop this, and why I gave you this letter. Please take care of yourself.

Until then, know that I am waiting and that I am eternally yours.

S.


He stared in disbelief. He could not believe this, could he? He quickly reread the letter; there were too many things to even begin to consider. Finally, he decided that it could not hurt to change his appearance, just in case. He quickly conjured a mirror and began casting the necessary spells and charms. He cast an eye color charm, changing his eyes to blue, a concealment charm to conceal all birthmarks, scars, and the like, and a hair charm to make his hair a little longer and lighter. After some thought, he came to the conclusion that he would use “Alexander” as his given name, After all, it just seemed familiar. He racked his mind trying to come up with a last name. For some reason, he kept coming back to “Harrison”. He didn’t know why, but something told him that he could trust the author of that letter. He then decided that it was time to seek out Albus Dumbledore.

**************

To say that Professor Dumbledore was concerned would be like saying Professor McGonagall was just a little proper. He was beside himself with worry. He knew that no one had meant for this to happen; yet it had. He did not know where Harry was, if he was alive or dead, or if he even still existed anymore. All he knew was that Harry was gone, and if they couldn’t find him soon, he would have to announce to everyone that the Savior of the Wizarding world had disappeared.

He looked around to see all of the professors looking at him with troubled expressions. Right now, he needed to tell the teachers what had happened and figure out what to do.

“I am afraid that there has been an accident,” he began. “It seems that Mr. Longbottom made a mistake during Charms class while working with complex memory charms and, well, Harry has gone missing. We have tried placing tracer spells, everything we can think of, to find him. It has been no use. The spells say he is still in Hogwart’s, even though we can find no trace of him here.”

The teachers were silent for a moment, then all hell broke loose as they started speaking all at once, trying to voice opinions and offer suggestions. “Quiet!” the headmaster demanded. All eyes immediately snapped to the Headmaster. “Please, one at a time. We need to hear everyone’s suggestions and talk them over. Minerva, you first.” Everyone waited their turn to say their bit, everyone except for Professor Snape, who stayed extremely quiet the whole meeting.

There were several very good suggestions. There were actually three that they were worth putting into effect right away. The first was to contact Remus. Being the mate of Harry’s late godfather, Remus would have to know, and since he was a Marauder, well, it couldn’t hurt to have him here. The second idea was to contact Fred and George Weasley. They, with the last remaining Marauder, would be able to comb the hidden and secret parts of the castle and grounds that others were not aware of. The third idea was to split the staff into teams to search all of the known areas of the property. It would take some time, but at least they would be doing something.

Professor Dumbledore gave everyone their assignments, and dismissed the staff. The teachers boisterously began filing out of the room, each thinking aloud to the next person on what had happened, where Mr. Potter could be, and how they could find him. As the clamor finally died down, Albus sank down into the chair behind his desk. His old hands shook as he reached for his beloved lemon drops. Selecting the largest one he could find, he raised his hand toward his mouth, and promptly lost his hold on his lemon drop. Still seated in his customary corner chair, silently observing, was Severus Snape.

“Albus, there is something you need to know…”

**************

Harry made his way through the halls trying to find somewhere that looked familiar. Finally, after many false turns, he came to the entrance hall. Knowing where he was and where he was heading, but not much else, he made his way toward the Headmaster’s office. He found the familiar gargoyle that guarded the headmaster’s office, but didn’t know the password. After trying as many candy and sweet names as he could think of, he gave up, and slumped on the floor in front of the statue. It seemed like hours, but had actually only been about 20 minutes before he heard voices coming down the corridor. “Yes, Severus, I am well aware of the problem. Why don’t we go up to my office and discuss this further?”