1 Sudden Ray Of Light In The Darkest Night

With exciting knocks on the door, Harry was disturbed from his nightmare, and he was more than glad for that. He suddenly sat up from the bed and stared blankly ahead. It was a vicious dream. He was glad to be interrupted by knocks on the door. He took glasses from the nearby table and check the time from wrist watch-the the same watch which was given to him by Mrs. Wasely on his 17th birthday. The watch showed 1 o'clock in the morning. He was disturbed from sleep but he was glad. There weren't any good dreams from that horrible point onwards.

It happened a few years ago, a sudden disease started spreading across the globe. It wasn't the disease in the truest understanding, but a virus-- a virus that increases the magical power of any and all living beings. If magical power is too much to handle for a person, they explode into smithereens and injuring or killing nearby people. Some muggles got powers but that ratio was so low that it was almost negligible, around 1 to 1 million. For wizards and witches, it was better as they were proficient in handling magical power, but death still claimed half of them. And his wife Ginny was among them. In fact from all Weasleys-- only Harry's least favorite-- Percy was left.

The door was continuously knocked again as if a person outside couldn't wait for Harry to come out.

Harry diverted his mind to the door as he would be too sad to think about the deaths of his close friends and family.

"Coming, just a moment." Harry Wondered who could be knocking on the door, he moved forth.

Harry found his daughter Lily eagerly waiting at the door. She was always a cheerful but impatient girl, and even now when she become a mature lady, she was the same.

Harry could tell that she was shaking from excitement, and he found he was right the next moment. "Dad, Dad! Change your cloth! You are going on date! I finally got through this! She is calling you right now!" She was jumping up and down like a little house elf.

Harry opened his mouth but no word come out and helplessly closed it. Harry had an idea what Lily might say next. It wasn't the first time she tried to do it. After the outbreak of disease... After Ginny died...he was miserable. And to cheer him up, Lily took it upon herself to match his date. A date with none other than Hermione Granger, best friend or close to a sister who was also miserable like himself for losing her family.

Harry just walked away from the door. This wasn't the result Lily was expecting, so she was momentary unsure what to do next. Finally coming to herself and running after Harry, she shouted, "Dad, aunt Hemione finally agreed and she was looking for you right now." She added," You know, as I was just there, em, to disuses the solution." She hastily added as Harry looked at her.

Harry was sure she went to Hermione to persuade her to date him so two miserable people can get together and anyhow find some happiness in this dark time. It was her idea to make him happy.

When Harry didn't remark she continued, "Well, we were just talking, while she was playing with some kind of strange instrument, and I presented the idea how you two have good chemistry and should start going out, to check the water, and she agreed to date, dad! Isn't this amazing! Two-person whom I love the most are going to date! Yay! She even asked for you to meet her right now, even in little than higher volume!" and she started her victory dance.

Harry wasn't interested or even listing to it until she mentioned a strange instrument. He was filled with shock. He thought," Could it be that she...succeded?" Harry denied first out of shock the news has presented, but the inner part of his wanted to believe that Hemione has really found a solution to their problem.

Harry stopped victory dancing Lily and asked, "Are certain she was playing with the instrument and specifically asked for me?"

Lily thought happiness come too suddenly for his dad hence he could not believe it," Of course dad, she wanted to see you as soon as possible, but I think you should change clothes, you know to make a good impression."

Harry didn't wait until she finished, and started running out of the door, and to where Hemione was.

Lily was left standing alone in the room, but happy nonetheless after all her hard work has paid. She too was happy. She wondered aloud, "Come to think of it, it is middle of the night, what kind of date they will go on? Hah, almost like they go to bed directly!" giggling and wondering what Harry was going to do, she left the room.

Harry didn't know that his daughter lily having good laugh at such a scandalous thought as he was moving from corridor to corridor, going toward where Hemione's lab was. He was in such a hurry that he didn't look around and suddenly tipped off and fall.

It was house-elf, no, not house-elf, only elf, or free elf, Minda. At a younger age, Hermione has started S.P.E.W. to help and free elf. And even before that Harry had freed one elf, and later on he died as a free elf, Dobby. So later on, when Harry comes to a position of power and persuasion from Hermione, he started helping the elf, and they faced resistance, but with Harry's face and his prestige and his fame to defeat who-must-not-be-named, some of them agreed to be free. And Minda was one of those free elves.

Harry got up and apologized, "Sorry Minda, was in hurry, didn't see you there." Harry was breathing heavily as he was running non-stop from his room.

"It is alright, alright, no need to apologized, sir Harry Potter," said Minda, barely hiding an admiring tone.

"Right, I should get going," nodded Harry and sprinted, leaving Minda behind. "So great is sir Harry Potter and even apologized for my mistake, I must tell others!" uttered Minda in overwhelming admiration and left.

Harry finally reached his destination and entered without knocking, in his excitement. The room was in such a mess that no acquaints or friends would say or agree that it was Hermione Granger's room. The room was filled with books and parchments and in the corner, the table was filled with dishes of last few days breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Harry didn't care about the mess or right now he didn't have time to, as he was preoccupied with a solution of disaster. When he crossed the river of books and reached shore across, he found Hermione casting various spells on an odd magical instrument.

Harry stood there silently, watching her cast one unknown spell to another. He found a few familiar spells but the rest was unknown spells.

Harry now got time to think and found the whole thing stupid. How can mere magical instruments help the whole magical kind and rest of the living beings? He would have been excited if it was a potion that she has created or some kind of spell to nullify excess magical power, but magical instrument? How will it help? Doubt started popping up in Harry's mind one after another.

What if, worst of all, it was some kind of joke? Maybe April's fool prank from Lily lightens Harry's mood.

Even it was a lie, even if it was a dream, Harry wanted to believe that there was a solution to this sickening situation.

Outside of Hogwarts was hell. Magical fog hazards everywhere. If you can survive that and move a little further, as you have to go on feet or use a broom, as you can't apparate or use another way of transportation due to magical hazard. One brave wizard try to leave by apparate and was exploded half the body and the rest of the torso went missing in fog. So inside the fog there live new kinds of beings, magical beings who survived the disaster. It was only thanks to a silencing spell they didn't hear their voices and screams outside of Hogwarts. Worst of all is, humans. Humans who survived and could live in a fog without any harm. They will hunt anyone who they see to increase their magical power.

Hogwarts was the only safe place left. It was more like a jail, as they can't go out without serious injury or in most cases death. And above all, it was torturing for Harry, as everyone was expecting to find a solution, and couldn't come with anything to help. Their expectation was on Harry because the diseases, a virus or magical fog hazard or dangerous creatures were created because of the explosion of one or more researcher lab, and the lab belong to none other than Lord Voldemort!

Yes, Lord Voldemort died, and everyone thought it was over, but unknown to everyone else Lord Voldemort has created few research labs to increase his magical power. The first blast happened in the year 2019 and was declared as some flu and was named Covid-19. But in reality, it was an explosion from Lord Voldemort's lab. And that was only beginning, as more and more explosions happened and the world was filled with various diseases. The last one was the killer one as it even affected the wizarding world.

As Hermione finished her last spell, which Harry suspected to be Hermione's own creation. Hermione looked up. Her drained but delighted face was radiating light if that was even possible.

For a few moments, no one spoke. To break the silence, Harry begin with a joke, "So here I am, for a date," Harry added as he saw Hermoine's perplexed face, "Lily told me, you know." Harry didn't know if it was his imagination or he was too sleepy but her face went one shade pinker. But she acted as if she didn't hear it and shove a strange instrument in Harry's hand. "Look, this is what I was working on." Harry did the same and ignored the question and started searching the instrument to find the wonder it might possibly do. I almost looked like a snitch-- an item from his favorite game, quidditch, but with four wings than two, or was it wing or some kind of hand? Harry wonder and he knew he will soon found out.

Hermione soon started introducing the instrument. "This is what I have been working for weeks and months, and it is basic protocol but it is all I can do," She hesitated and added," As you might wonder why I was doing it alone," Harry nodded as he was thinking the same as he knew she was working on something for a long time and only told him to have patience, and she continued, "This is the solution I found."

She took a deep breath in and sat down on the bed while tidying her hair. As Harry has expected, she began again," Do you know what are the solutions for magical fog hazard or overall for the viruses?"

It wasn't a question and Harry knew it was a rhetorical question to explain her theory and the instrument.

She didn't wait for Harry's answer, "We can create a potion, a kind of vaccine that will help us survive outside of Hogwarts, among the magical fog hazard zone." Harry nodded his head, but he knew they were nowhere near finding a cure, but the problem was they were too late. One, for almost 95% was dead, and two, with multiple viruses, it started to mutate. It was hard, almost impossible to find a full cure. "But, you know perfectly well as well I do that it will take a long time and we might not find a cure at all, even with all potion masters working nonstop."

She stood up and started pacing in the room amidst the books, "So while they were finding a cure, I diverted my attention to different ways. The first thing that came to me was, time tuner."

Harry couldn't help but interrupt, "But didn't we try and we failed, as magical hazard couldn't let use any kind of magic."

Still pacing amongst the book, she replied, "Yes Harry, I remembered it perfectly well. And I thought that was that too. I started looking in a different direction when I found an amazing theory and started working on it. It was dangerous, but I was perfectly safe as you can see," she added as she saw Harry's concerned face. "And I didn't dare to mentioned as I wasn't sure and it broke many wizarding rules."

Harry raised an eyebrow as rule-loving Hermione was talking about breaking the law. It was amusing.

"Just stop it alright," she said defensively. Harry nodded and she continued, "This," pointing at the instrument at Harry's hand, "Is the solution I found. Harry, the future is bleak, so I can only look back to the past, and the theory I was working gave me light in that direction."

Hermione stopped walking and nervously sat in the bed as if she was going to reveal something serious but was nervous too. "You see, that thing can send full memory back to the past." She stopped speaking to sink said stuff in Harry"s mind.

"It, what? Full Memory in the past? How it is possible? Never mind that. I wouldn't understand even if you explain that to me. Blimey Hermione, amazing. Simply amazing." Harry exclaimed. Hermione relaxed a bit seeing Harry didn't go angry.

"For obvious reason, I had to work alone with limited resources I had," As Hemione spoke, Harry wanted to retort that what minister of magic doesn't have, but he refrains himself, "this is the best working model I can come up with."

"So what is the plan?" asked Harry, as he knew she would have figured everything out by now, and Hemione was waiting for Harry to ask, as she answered at once, "As it is related to Voldemort, we have to move to the time when Voldemort was alive--around our school year-- and try to cough out information of labs from him, somehow, and destroy it before it explodes and before this calamity starts." as Harry nodded in understanding, she continued, "but I was thinking about the theory and somehow it will be hard as the destiny would try to return to its previous course, as we are forcefully trying to change it, it will force us back too. So destroying labs wouldn't be enough."

Harry was sure of some of the things but puzzled with others, and as if reading Harry's mind, she explained, "This is a delicate branch of magic and most dangerous, if I may add. Fate or the timeline is very delicate, so we have to treat it very carefully, but the thing is, with this magical instrument, fate will try to interfere, I am sure of it," she added in a frustrated voice.

Harry has some knowledge of it. If they try to forcefully change anything, the timeline will fight back and try to take stay on the same course, one way or another. That was a problem, but Harry knew it was nothing in front of the smartest witch of the modern age.

As if to live up to her name, she gave a solution, "We can change the timeline, yes, but we have to do it subtly and slowly. We can't come too strong and sudden, so we have to start from the beginning to do things slowly and subtly. And then we have to see what can we change and what we can't. For that, we have two options. One is to kill and the second is to save. I know you are against killing and I also don't want you to become a murderer, so left us with saving people."

Harry slowly digested her word and was thinking over it. He was with Hermione on saving people rather than killing. But to save people who were supposed to die during Voldemort's time is not an easy matter, even to increase difficulty, that has to be done slowly and subtly! What a high hill to climb! But there is no other way!

Hemione made a short note of thing, "So main thing is to know the location of labs and destroy it, but along with it, you have to save people slowly and subtly, so if the timeline fightback, and it will, you have to make enough mess to divert it properly and to do that, you can only save people before death claimed them."

Hermione gave parchment full of the name of people to Harry. Harry started reading it at once. Truth be told, he was tempted many times to even use a time tuner to save his godfather Sirius Black, and even his parents too, but he always held back, but the opportunity presented itself so Harry was sure to use it well.

In the first three years of Hogwarts, there were no deaths. Death started with Cedric Diggory in his fourth year. And in the fifth year, his godfather died, which was a big shock to Harry. In his sixth year Headmaster Albus Dumbledore, Amelia Bones, Igor Karkaroff, Argog the spider. The seventh year was too tragic. It started with mad eye moody's death, his owl Hedwig, Minister of Magic - Rufus Scrimgeour, Ted Tonks, Peter Pettigrew, Dobby the free elf, Fred Weasly, Remus Lupin, Nymphadora Tonks, Lavender Brown, Coolin Creevy, Severus Snape. The list was too long with a familiar yet distant name, as it was too long ago. Was it 50 years ago?

When Harry finished reading all the names, Hemione carefully spoke, "I know Harry you want to, but you can't save them all, the timeline will make sure of it, so I shortened the list, please turn the parchment."

Harry was thinking of saving everyone but deep down he understood that Hermione was speaking the truth as a totally new timeline was not possible. He turned the parchment and found a small list of names.

The list was as follows: Sirius Black, Mad-eye Moody, Dooby the free elf, Hedwig his owl.

That was all. And there was a "Secondary list" below: Fred, Ted Tonks, Remus Lupin, Nymphadora Tonks, Lavender Brown, Coolin Creevy.

"This is it?" Harry wondered. Hermione stood up and walked to Harry, "Oh Harry I know how you feel, the opportunity is there, but we couldn't do more! Don't feel too bad. Think that destroying those labs will save 95% population! You are doing a great job here! Everything is for the greater good!"

"Yeah," chocked Harry and couldn't speak more, and Hermione hugged him. "For the greater good." those words, he didn't hear for a long time. It always brings sacrifices with him. Harry hated those words, but he had to accept them nonetheless.

Hermione parted with Harry after a few moments. She tried to hide tears in her eyes as she hastily try to wipe them, but Harry saw that, and he wasn't in a better state either. Deciding someone's life and death was not an easy matter.

Both of them took a few moments to calm their emotion. Harry spoke first, "Alright, let's do this. In which year we are sending our memory back?"

"In the fourth year, as we want to save your godfather, but to let you adjust in your past self, I thought you should go one year early, that is the fourth year," replied Hemione.

Harry felt something was off from the beginning as was excited to hear that they found a solution, but now he calm down and thought then found the problem. She was only talking about him alone, not both of them. He was hoping and some of his parts wanted to-- maybe it was persuasion from Lily-- go with Hermione, back to the school days. But he found the problem.

"Hermione, you are talking as if only I had to..." Harry broke off the sentence and waited for her reply.

She looked uncomfortable, "I know it is too much to ask of you. You have done more than enough for the wizarding world, but I have to ask of you to do so, nonetheless. And yes Harry, only you can go. If I go with you, there will be too much turbulence in the timeline, so only one person can go, and before you ask whether I should go, let me tell you, I can't. It has to be you, Harry, it has to be you." She spoke and finished everything in one go before Harry could interrupt it.

Harry didn't know anymore what to say. Hermione has thought everything he would think, and what he wouldn't think. So there was nothing left to say, the only action was to remain.

Finally mustering courage, Harry said, "We should begin it, sooner the better. What do I need to do?"

Hermione let out a breath of relief. She knew Harry would come forward, but asking him to live again and not save a person close to him was torture, a living hell for him, but she knew Harry was a strong and courageous person. "Just lay down on the bed, and close your eyes, and I will put this magical instrument on your head. It will be slightly painful, and it is over. When you open your eyes again, darkness would run for its dear life. Easy and simple."

Harry complied and lay down on Hermione's bed, and she put a magical instrument on Harry's head like a king's crown. "Are you ready, Harry?" she softly spoke, and Harry nodded as he closed his eyes. She muttered a spell and it shone like a sun. Soon, the room was filled with Harry's scream, "DO YOU CALL THIS A SLIGHT PAIN!!??" Harry's head was splitting apart as his memory was replicating. It continued for few minutes, and it was over as light die down. With a "Click" sound, the light went to the horizon and beyond it, beyond the time. Harry also fell to the bed and released from the pain he closed his eye to rest, and he heard, "Sleep well, Harry, new future awaits for us. Good night." Harry murmured good night too, and fall asleep. Before falling asleep, he felt a slight soft touch on his lips. "What was that," wondered Harry, "A kiss?" But before he could think more, he drifted into dreamland.

The process to send the memory back into the past was successful. The first step to change the horrible future was a success and a more successful step awaits for brand new and better future.