Harry watched as Headmaster Dumbledore walked away. His head was starting to clear and if what the headmaster said is true. He was very much beginning to doubt anything that came out of that man’s mouth. If this was all in his head, then were those truly his only options. He looked at the whimpering creature that was beneath the bench. “You truly cannot help him,” a woman’s voice came from behind. Harry whipped around to see a beautiful woman behind him. She had long wavy purple hair down to her knees and light amethyst eyes. She was wearing a shimmering floor length gown that rippled with different colors and a sheer shawl that draped around her shoulders and down to the ground. Even the necklace she wore seemed to change colors.

“Er, not to be rude, but who are you,” Harry asked? “I, Hadrian ‘Harry’ James Potter-Black, am Lady Magic and you are my champion. You see, Magic in the world has stagnated. Whatever the label; Light, Grey, Dark, or Black magic does not matter they all answer to me. However, recent generations have been led to believe that the only acceptable magic is Light magic and Grey magic is only being tolerated. Dark magic, of which Blood magic is included, is just as capable of being used to heal as Light magic and Light magic is just as capable of harming as other magics. They are confusing Dark magic with Black magic whose entire premise is to cause harm. Afterall magic is all about intent. Not to mention the propaganda that magic creatures are lesser or Dark. Most magic creatures and beings fall into the grey category.

Lycanthropes are at the darker end of Grey since the original curse was meant to cause harm and is perpetuated through harm. Most of this harm is inflicted on the victims not the general population on a daily basis. Only differing on the full moon when the Lycanthropes are not in control. Now due to the back-to-back Dark Lords and the so-called Light Lords prejudice has grown and no positive changes have been made leading to magic stagnating.

Wizarding Britain is among the worst with the pureblood nonsense, prejudice, and corruption by the ruling faction. That’s where you come in, you were meant to become a leader of changes, advancement, and invention. Your fellow classmates would have followed your lead. Those Weasley twins of yours were a breath of fresh air for magic, but their growth was stunted by war and not enough change was happening. Your own growth was hampered, as a meddling old goat was manipulating your life. Your natural intelligence and inquisitiveness were squashed in your formative years and was kept from shining through,” she sighed, “I’m sorry to slip into lecture mode right off the bat, but I have been dying to speak to you for a very long time.”

Harry stared at Lady magic in shock for a moment before coming to his senses. Clearing his throat he asked, “Why didn’t you speak to me before this?” Lady Magic shook her head sadly and said, “I could not reach out to you due to a non-interference pact. I was prevented from interfering while you were alive. I was able to join this meeting because you are in a state between life and death. This was the only chance I could take to give you options to change things. I can give you more options compared to what Dumbledore offered. While his options do still stand, I can give you 2 additional choices.

The 1st option is you go back with extra powers that I can give to push change. You will begin at the age of 6 as your magic core will be mostly stabilized by then and you will have time prior to Hogwarts to fix the damages caused by your childhood before they become permanent. You will not have the memories of your past life but in your system that I grant, I will add what you need to aid you. Including everything you have learned in this life. This will steer you in the right direction and you will earn Bonus and Special Ability points by accomplishing certain tasks or doing positive actions. You will not have to fight alone; you can gift the system to up to 4 people for free. You will also be able to spend points to include more people. That is all you need to know for now, the system will provide help when asked and a tutorial period to help get your feet wet so to speak.

Now the second option is slightly more difficult. You can choose someone else to go back to start making changes. You will still be my champion and your birth is guaranteed. They will act as a precursor and prep the field as it were. Harry, you will need to be very careful who you choose if this is your choice. Think through your options, their suitability, trustworthiness, and even availability. Whomever you chose will have to be capable and I may have to make changes to their life depending on circumstances.”

Harry was listening intently, finding it way easier to process information now that his head was clearer. “Ok, so there are pros and cons to those options. If I go back, I am limited to my timeline so the furthest I can go back is 1986 due to core stabilization and a sense of self. Afterall, what good is going back as a baby, I would not be able to change or accomplish anything. I wouldn’t be able to save my parents or the Longbottom's much less anyone else that died during the first war. On top of that I would not be able to stop my placement with the Dursleys or my godfather Sirius going to Azkaban. Although I could possibly reunite with Remus and get my godfather out of prison earlier.

So limited options regarding the first war and its aftermath, but I could begin making changes and preparing without Dumbledore sticking his nose in. Then if I get Sirius his trial and put protections in place before that, what can he really do before Hogwarts? I could also be better at making friends and my schoolwork. On the other hand, I could choose someone else to go back. They could potentially start at an earlier point. This has the potential of building allies before the first war, could also save lives including the ones mentioned prior, and the chance of a solid support system to grow up. It would be nice to get the chance to truly be a child. My main problem there is going to be who, as this has the possibility of blowing up in my face. It would need to be someone who could make the most of the system provided, while also having a sense of responsibility and maturity.,” Harry paused as something she said resurfaced, “You said it would be slightly more difficult to send someone else. Are there other demerits that haven’t occurred to me,” He questioned?

Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.

“Ah yes, unfortunately unlike you, I would have to add a more concentrated conduit of my power. In other words, you already possess that as you are my champion. Whomever you choose, I may have to make changes in their life depending on the circumstances of their birth,” Lady Magic stated. Harry nodded slowly and replied, “I need a moment to think.” Lady Magic created a lovely cushioned dark wood chair to sit and wait.

Harry began pacing as he contemplated all the adults in his life. The number significantly trimmed by those he knew and trusted. He was not close to, nor did he particularly know those in the Order of the Pheonix well. As much as he wanted to help those that had their lives stolen from them, he could not choose someone he was not at least a little familiar with. While he would like to choose his parents or his honorary uncles/godfather, he did not know them well and in the case of most of them what little he did know of their childhood was not complimentary.

Sadly no one had really told him much of his mother. Just some minor details and for the three Marauders he trusted, as much he would love to choose one of three, Dad was spoiled and arrogant, Sirius was similar and also heavily against anything that reminded him of his family, and Remus was lacking in the ability to stand up to his friends and his tendency towards self-hatred would be a problem. The problem was the sheer isolation of his life. He just did not have many close relationships with the adults around him and did not have the confidence to choose one of them with them not knowing what was at stake.

He turned on his heel to look at Lady Magic and opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out. She lifted her eyebrow before asking, “I’m guessing you have an idea of what you want?” Harry tried again stating, “I feel stuck in that I just don’t know any of the adults well enough to trust them with this. I was kept isolated and only given tidbits of them. Mum, Dad, Sirius, and Remus for all that I loved them, I didn’t even really know them. We hardly spent any time together. As much as it hurts, I don’t think I have enough faith to send someone back to save them all.” “So, you are choosing yourself?” She asked?

Harry took a deep breath and said “Yes, I just don’t have enough confidence in choosing someone else. My final decision is me.” Lady Magic nodded as she looked at him closely. “I can understand you coming to that conclusion. It would be a big gamble to put all this responsibility on someone you do not really know. You will be able to build allies and at least you could save those still around. It is a very difficult choice to make, and you will have to make the best of it when you wake up you will be 6 years old and with the Dursley’s. You will need to be very careful on who you trust. My system will help you find your way and simplify the process. If you manage to make the most of it, you could still make a difference early enough. You will need to get adults on your side to protect you and help your journey. Are you absolutely sure this is the path you wish to take,” Lady Magic asked him one last time?

Gearing himself up he said, “Yes, this is the best option. I would have a chance to take my schooling seriously and learn as much as I can, find allies that can join me, and fix the damages of my poor childhood before they become permanent. I would have five years to work with before I went to Hogwarts. I would have a fresh start in making friends amongst my classmates and not allowing myself to be isolated. I could even make friends before Hogwarts. It will be tight but if I can get as much done as possible before then, I could focus on my classmates and the possibilities of magic while at school. There is one problem that I do not know how to deal with. Would you be able to remove the Horcrux from me when you send me back,” He questioned at the end?

Lady magic leaned back in thought, tapping her lips with a forefinger. Slowly she shook her head no and said, “No, I cannot remove it as you had it at that age. However, I have no qualms about adding to the deck to help you find answers to your problems that do not require you dying again. I will give you a help screen. If your younger self runs across something they do not understand or does not know how to proceed they need only ask for help and a nudge in the right direction, or an explanation will be provided. As long as they make full use of the system, I do not foresee any problems. Everything will be explained when you wake up. Now was there any other questions or problems to be address before confirming your decision,” She questioned? “Honestly, I don’t know what a problem will be until I see how your gift works. As my relatives prevented me from experiencing things an ordinary child would have, I am lacking in information that I need. I think at this point I would need to just take the problems as they come. I am best at thinking on my feet anyway and that will be much better if I gather as much information as I can instead of dumbing myself down” Harry explained some of his thoughts. “Well, that is very much true and with my gift you will be able to keep track of everything you’ve learned much easier. Not to mention I will add a store function that will give you access to everyday items to special skills. Some things in the store will cost gold or can be exchanged for Bonus Points. Other things will only be purchasable using the Special Points you earn. Are you ready to [Start Over]” Lady Magic queried?

“[Yes],” Harry replied and then everything went black.