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Prologue

His life had never been easy, never his own. He was “The Boy Who Lived”. That’s all anyone ever saw, and he hated the nickname.  He never asked for it or the reputation that came with it, some called him a hero others thought him worse than Voldemort himself.

His entire time at Hogwarts was one challenge after another. First The Philosopher's Stone. Then The Chamber of Secrets. Even his friends feared him, but the last straw was The Goblet of Fire.  His best friend Ron Weasley, since first year turned on him, that was when Harry started training himself, once he recovered The Potter Grimoires.

He spent every free moment in The Room of Requirement training and reading The Potter Grimoires.  
The thing is he wasn’t sure if he found The Potter Grimoires, or The Potter Grimoires found him.  Either way he knew not to look a gift horse in the mouth, and he would make good use of them.
Ron was a massive jealous git! Harry thought, shaking his head, Muttering, “My friend!”
Ron saw Harry’s abilities grow with leaps and bounds and he was being left behind. Truth is he didn’t know how to apply himself either that or he didn’t want to.  
However, Ron’s resentment was slowly getting the better of him, Hermione wasn’t much better taking offense to anyone who is better than her at anything and always pointing out “ The Rules” and the constant need to follow them.

Harry thought,'she spends all her time in the library with her head in books. Between dealing with Dudley and He Who Must Not Be Named. I know those books leave a lot out of the story.'

“In a street fight there are no rules.” Harry muttered to himself remembering the events of his second year, all the insults and jeers from the school, but the deepest cut of all was Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger's betrayal after that event. He had always had his doubts regarding their friendship, but this was the final nail in the coffin.

My Friends… He thought as he ate his morning meat.

Harry realized his Magical Intellect and Powers of Observation had doubled and he had a near eidetic memory as he learnt occlumency at an alarming pace. He could both learn and recall knowledge at a phenomenally fast rate.

Harry was always a very intelligent person. He had keen observation skills and with his ability to soak up knowledge, and with all the training he was doing, he was becoming a force to be reckoned with. Either because of humility or just plain survival he held himself back and dumbed himself down trying not to attract attention to himself.

Finishing his last class of the day , he would run out of the classroom and using a combination of The Cloak of Invisibility and the Marauders Map he found his way to  The Room of Requirement.
'God bless Dobby.' he had thought as he entered the room. It was three days after the champions selection that Harry had finally had enough. He needed a place to train. He needed somewhere that is private enough that he can relax a bit and sit down without staring and glaring.
He had thought of the Chamber of Secrets. But he dismissed that idea very quickly. He cannot be seen by anyone entering the chambers. His name is being dragged through the mud as it is. He didn't want to give the others an incentive to come up with crazy theories.

More than that, he didn't want to face Dumbledore again. If he ever came across the old man again, he would strangle him. For a supposed Merlin alternative in the Wizarding world, he has put Harry through enough danger and on his own watch. His odd quirkiness was amusing for sometime but it starts grating your nerves eventually.

For a headmaster, his interest in Harry was almost sky high. If he was a girl and at least a century younger, he would have been flattered. But something told him after all this mess that the old man's interest in him is almost sardonic. Was it so difficult for him to save me from this mess?
Maybe the tournament was bound, but he could have atleast made an announcement regarding his illegal entry into this stupid tournament.
Harry had occasionally wondered if the man wanted all these things happening to him. Anyway, he would keep the man at arms length. 

He met Dobby when he had been to the kitchens for a midnight snack and the little guy had been excited to meet the incredible and noble Harry Potter sir. It was him that had shown him the room. Harry had never felt more thankful in his life. The possibilities of this room were endless.
He would go on to  spend  nights together, pouring over The Potter Grimoires, and practicing what he read within them. He barely slept.  Harry was training like a man possessed.

The more he read he realized two things, First, The Potters were masters of arcane magic, and battle magic specialists.  Harry was no slouch in magical combat, however, he knew that anyone could be beaten, even him.  
One other trick that Harry had developed is wandless magic. It was supposed to be impossible. It required high concentration and a lot of Magical power.
All that time spent combing The Restricted Section of the library wasted… Harry mused about getting ready for any other obstacle he might encounter.
Traversing the maze had been going well enough until he touched the cup suddenly, he was whisked through space
'A portkey!' Harry thought. ' But where?'

___&&&---


By this point he was used to unexpected events taking him to who knows where and took stock of his situation
“A Graveyard” Harry muttered to himself
When he saw the name Tom Riddle he knew he was played. He saw a flash of red and darkness encroached on him.


As he came to, he was tied up. He heard a  voice  and saw Peter Pettigrew performing a ritual.
He was powerless to do anything, and he was berating himself for his slacking. When Peter took his blood, he knew that something bad was happening to him, and suddenly from the cauldron ,Tom Riddle slowly emerged.
The worst Dark Lord in recent history was alive again.
Then he heard Lord Voldemort’s cold emotionless voice as stood up. He had regained his body.
“Harry Potter… nice of you to join usss.”
" Master…." Peter whimpered. If Harry had strongly felt the urge to kill anyone in his life, these two were the ones.
" Your arm, Wormtail.." He had asked and had then gone on to call his inner circle Death Eaters.

He had to think fast while Voldemort’s followers were focused on him while Harry was evaluating his condition.
If Harry was going to die, he was going to go down fighting no guarantee that the other bootlickers of his will stand quiet and play fair.


From his cover behind the tombstone Harry recalled the moment Hermione Granger’s Jealousy reared its ugly head.

"Honestly Harry, I don’t understand how you’ve gotten better!!!"
"Hard work." Harry offered.
Hermione’s brow rose to a high speculative arch.
Harry didn’t say a word, just sped up his stride, as Hermione called, “Harry…. Harry, wait!”
Stopping mid stride Hermione saw the cold look on Harry’s face as he said, “Hermione… I don’t want friends that don’t trust me.”
Spinning on his heels he left her there staring at him as he walked away.

He shook his head. " No. You have nobody anymore." He assured himself.

"Come out and fight like a true lion Harry. It does no good to hide from me, come out and face your death" taunted Voldemort gleefully.

Harry had just scrambled behind the tombstone of the graveyard in Little Hangleton when the weight of his past came down on his shoulders, he could feel his heart start to race as the memory of the abuse at the hands of The Dursleys came to the forefront.

"Calm, I need to calm my heart rate." Was the only thought running through his head.
Harry's response was to laugh. He didn't know why but he laughed madly. The other death eaters were looking at him like he was crazy. Harry snickered.

They are not far off the mark. I might have gone crazy. He thought, as he stood pivoting on his right foot and hand.
"Death!!! Confident aren't we Tom!"Harry replied aloud after he brought his laughter down.
Voldemort hated that name with every fiber of his being and Harry knew it.
Voldemort saw red when he was addressed by his most hated name. He panicked a bit thinking that his death eaters might have heard Harry say his name, but they hadn’t, and Tom released a breath he didn't even know he was holding.
" I see great potential in you Harry. I will give you one last chance to join me. We are destined for great things Harry. Greatness!!!! ".
“Oh Yes” Harry said in a sarcastic undertone, “Going to take me under your wing are you… Tom.”
The death eaters were shocked . They couldn't believe that their Lord was offering a chance to join him to a little boy, no matter a filthy Half-blood of all things.  They also couldn’t believe he had the audacity to openly mock Lord Voldemort.
One death eater Lucius Malfoy from the likes of it stepped forward. "My lord , forgive me for asking but why are you offering any mercy at all to that filth? Draco my son will be a better fit… wou..."

Lucius was cut off as Tom roared in laughter.
"Your son is a useless hippogriff shit Lucius. His only grace is potions and that’s because of his godfather there… Harry on the other hand has shown people plenty less than he should about himself.”

“A true Slytherin I would say. What say you, Harry?? Shall we put on a display then!!” .

"Of course, Tom. Let's do that . But I assure you that you won't be laughing at the end and stop recruiting me for Merlin's sake. It's embarrassing.”
“Besides, the position of boot licker is taken by Lucius Malfoy, here." Harry said with a grin.

Tom raised his wand and pointed towards Harry stating, "Come now Harry, the niceties must be observed.”
Harry could feel his wand arm being forcibly lowered to his side as much as he tried to fight it he couldn’t, “What will Dumbledore say if his student is obeying the rules".

But Harry didn't budge.
For a boy he is stronger than I thought. "Very well then,” said Tom .

" Imperio". A pressure was applied across Harry's mind, but it didn't even take a second for him to break it.

"Bow, Harry."Voldemort spoke confidently.

"You have to come up with something better than this Tom." The faces of Tom and his merry band of servants was one that Harry would never forget.

The death eaters stood in stunned silence. They couldn't believe that a mere boy could repel the imperious curse. Tom was starting to feel a little uneasy. No one could have done that apart from Dumbledore. But he was supremely confident in his abilities.

" Very good Harry…, impressive" he clapped his hands. " But you have to do better.” Voldemort said taking the fight to Harry.

Harry knew that he would not win . He was still a fourteen-year-old.

Yes, he was very capable for his age However  Harry knew he was still lacking in decades of experience.
He knew he could fight him to a standstill but in the end for all his power Voldemort was ruthlessly subtle.
He couldn't back down from this fight he had to face this adversary. He knew that death is nothing but an old friend.
So, he steeled himself and raised his wand. If he is about to die, he will make Voldemort pay for the pleasure of watching him die.

He raised his wand and slashed his wand and thought 'Defodio'. A purple beam of light in the form of a wave caught Voldemort off guard. The piercing hex caught him on his leg and there was a huge gash near his knee.

Now Tom was feeling uncomfortable. He didn't know that Harry's spells would cause physical damage to his ritualistic body, but boy was he wrong.
The boy knew silent casting for Merlin's sake. Even he struggled with silent casting for offensive spells. Making of his horcrux reduced his silent casting abilities. He had hell of a lot of power, but his nonverbal ability took a beating.

The death eaters were staring wide-eyed and slack jawed. They were shocked beyond words."
You are all talk, Tom. All you do is catch people by surprise. You and your followers use unforgivables and kill them from behind, overwhelming them. I don't deny that you and your followers are extremely powerful but still you guys are cowards" Harry taunted him.

" You dare call me a coward?" Voldemort asked, enraged. His eyes were filled with fury.

" Oh… I am not calling you a coward Tom. You are one".

"Crucio" roared Tom. Harry conjured a marble wall to intercept that .

" Confringo maxima" he retaliated . Tom raised a hasty shield.

'Ventus' thought Harry. Tom was pushed back a bit.

"Glacius spiculum" Harry incanted. Thick long spikes of ice left Harry's wand and hit Tom's shield.

"Bombarda maxima " shouted Tom, clearing his shield. Harry dodged out of the way. "Crucio! Duro! Serpensortia" said Tom.

"Attack himmm" he hissed in parseltongue. Harry vanished the snake with the flick of his wand, dodged the cruciatus and incanted" Protego Maxima" and put up a shield .

Tom was now casting with impeccable speed. Harry was dodging continuously. A cutting curse caught Harry on his shoulder, and it started to bleed.  Not that it slowed him down much.

He was hit with a few blasting hexes and now was very worse for wear. He got certain hits on Tom as well, but the bastard's ritualized body made sure that he didn't get tired.

They were going at it for a full half an hour now, but nobody was willing to give up.

He was hurting, Harry knew that he had to get away… and fast. He knew he was surrounded and even if he managed to knock out Voldemort, he knew that the other death eaters would not spare him. He thought of a plan and was now waiting for an opening.

'Tempestatis' he incanted. It was a family spell. A huge hurricane was brought forth from his wand.

The death eaters were now panicking. They had never seen anyone other than Dumbledore go toe to toe with their Lord. But here was a boy who was holding his own against their Lord. They were really awestruck by this duel.

'Ignis clypeus' Harry thought . The advantage of the Potter family spells was that they were battle spells and no other human being other than a Potter can cast them. It is immersed in the blood of a Potter and those who become a Potter. It had to be cast silently to work effectively and that caused Harry to become very effective in nonverbal casting.

' Ignis tormentis evenit' he casted. A fire cannonball erupted and struck Tom .

He was thrown back with a massive force. He didn't know these spells. 'Family spells' he mused internally. He was surprised and shocked and was very angry. He had not expected this. The brat was not only casting powerful spells but also casting them nonverbally. He had drawn first blood to. He was really impressed. But he knew that he had to do something, or he would lose the respect he has among his followers.

Harry casted a silent 'accio' towards the Triwizard trophy. Voldemort saw this and casted a killing curse in the direction of the trophy. The last thing Harry saw as he held the trophy was the tell-tale green flash of the killing curse.
The last coherent thought Harry had was, 'why doesn’t it hurt?'

___&&---

As Harry woke up, the first thing he felt was that the place was very beautiful.

It felt so peaceful here.

Harry knew that he was dead. In the short life he led he knew that no place could be so beautiful especially to him.

Other than the fact that he felt a great weight lifted off his shoulders he was feeling a bit wobbly.

The first thing he did was reach for his glasses but instead of clarifying his vision they had the opposite effect making everything blurry.  Tentatively he took them off and his vision cleared up but when he put them on everything went fuzzy and unfocused again.

Had his eyes healed?

He went to reach for his glasses again only to find his glasses were gone.  He could see clearly.

Looking down instead of seeing his normal short and scruffy image emaciated body he saw a toned muscular body with the mass to match it and he had grown three inches.

He was brought out of his musings when he heard a whimpering cry coming from just behind him. He turned and was horrified to see a weird, deformed baby thingy .

” You cannot help him anymore, Harry. It's beyond you. ” A woman’s disembodied voice said.

Harry turned around to see a motherly looking woman walking towards him looking at him with a kind smile on her face. He didn’t know why but he felt instantly at ease with her.

“ Hm… hello??” said Harry trying to show his manners.

The woman laughed a tinkling laugh and he suddenly felt silly. “You are too sweet for your own good, my dear. Walk with me, will you??” she pointed towards an arch.

“ Huh, forgive me for asking madam but who are you??" questioned Harry giving her a sideways glance.

“Oh , I think you can identify me. I am an old friend of every living entity”.

Harry frowned thoughtfully and realization dawned on him. “You are Death, aren’t you??”
Death smiled a beautiful smile and clapped happily. ”Right in one”.

" So it's finally over. I am dead." He said sadly. It was funny how people fear death, knowing that it will always get it's due. Harry was not exempted from that feeling. When death is near, everybody gets melancholic.

“Oh. You are not dead, Harry. Not yet. Far from it, actually." She said, smiling softly at him.

Walking along with Harry, she continued.
" You were supposed to live longer, Harry. A very happy and healthy life without any of these problems. But fate had other ideas. Now, you find yourself at a crossroads." She explained.

Harry was listening intently. He also felt dread in his stomach. Something was happening and he would be at the center of it. Again. He groaned softly in frustration.
Death smiled. " You are not far from the mark, Harry." She said.
Harry groaned again. Of course she knows what I think.

The two came up to a setting where there were two chairs and a table with a good spread laid across.

Pouring herself some tea, sipped enjoying it before her eyes widened in realization.

“Where are my manners!! Would you like a cup of tea, Harry? It will help with what I am about to tell you.”  Harry couldn't refuse her. Then, he asked the question that was eating him up.  “ But I am dead, aren’t I ??” he questioned. Death smiled and shook her head.
" No, Harry. Far from it." She said

Taking a sip Death continued, “ Do you know that ‘baby thingy ' as you called over there ? That is a piece of Voldemort's soul.  That thing, that abomination is called a horcrux.” Death said seriously.

“Horcrux??” questioned Harry.

“ Yes Harry. Horcrux is the most vilest piece of magic. It is a process of splitting the soul of a person and storing it in a container of sorts to evade death." She said.
" Cold blooded murder and utmost hate, is the main contributing factor for the creation of Horcrux. When a person is killed without any remorse and utmost hate, the soul of the caster becomes unstable. That is the moment when a person splits his soul and stores it in a container. This causes the person to have two separate containers for a single soul of his. Until the Horcrux is not destroyed, he won't be killed." She explained and anger was visible in her voice.

Harry stopped midway with his tea and the delicious scones that he was about to reach for. " There goes my appetite." He grumbled, eliciting a giggle from Death.

She suddenly became somber. " That was not all. He created six of those abominations." She said to the horror of Harry. " And one of them was you." She said, pointing to his forehead.

Now, Harry really lost it. He emptied his stomach. He looked up to Death a moment later and his eyes were haunted and lifeless.

" I am one of them?" He asked. His tone was defeated and disgusted.
" You were one, Harry. Not anymore." She said, pointing to the whimpering figure on the ground far away. " When he tried to kill you, he killed his own soul. That is what has kept you alive." She said.
" All those years back, when he tried to kill you, his killing curse was deflected back due to a powerful sacrificial magic that your dear mother performed. His unstable soul was split again and latched onto the only living thing that was stable enough to hold it. You." She said.

" Now, it's been removed. You are free of him. But, there are still five more to go." She said.

Harry recovered enough to nod.
" Now, that is where you come in Harry." She said. " All those years back, your Divination professor created a prophecy regarding you and Tom that tied the two of you together. The fool should have only ignored it to make it inactive. But in all his brilliance, he went ahead and activated it by marking you. " She indicated his scar again.

" I give you a task, Harry. A daunting task, but not one that is not impossible, especially for someone like you." She said.
" Kill Tom. Kill Tom for me and give him to me." She said.

He was about to reply when she continued. " I have decided to give you an incentive, Harry. " She smiled at him.
" I will be sending you back. Back to where it all started. I will send you to a year before your Great Uncle was killed. It is up to you, to save your family. Both your families. Potters and Blacks. It is entirely up to you to create your own future." She replied.

" The prophecy says that you will be marked as his equal, but you will have a power he has not. " She said to the confusion of Harry.

" Tell me Harry. What do you know of the Peverells or the Deathly Hallows?" She asked him.

Harry frowned. Why did the name Peverell give him a tingle in his body? Why did Deathly Hallows make his blood race and heart beat in euphoria? What was happening?

Death laughed a gentle laugh. " You know about the Deathly Hallows from the Tale of the Three Brothers, right?" Harry nodded.

" A wand, so powerful in existence that there is never a wand that can match it in power. A stone so rare and deadly that summons an essense of the departed. And a cloak. A cloak of  invisibility. So unique and powerful that it gives true invisibility. A cloak which might have made the impossible seem possible." She said and Harry suddenly had a realization.

Hermione and Ron had told him that his cloak was rare. Dumbledore had asked if he had used his cloak to enter the name.
According to many, an invisibility cloak will last for a maximum of ten years before losing its power. But his cloak was passed down from his father. And according to Remus, they had used the cloak a lot during their schooling years to escape mischief.

His eyes widened with disbelief. Death smiled at his expression. " Yes Harry. You are the owner of 'The invisibility cloak'."

" The Peverells, Harry are the three brothers that you have read about in the book. The youngest, Ignotus Peverell had a granddaughter Iolanthe Peverell, who after her grandfather and father died, married a Powerful Noble and one of the most respected families of Britain. Hardwin Potter. Your forefather, Harry." She explained to the now shocked boy.

"Many families could claim to have a hint of Peverell blood, but none can claim to have the blood of Peverells. None but the Potters. The direct descendant of Ignotus Peverell. Iolanthe brought the Cloak of Invisibility to your family. Hardwin was the only Potter remaining of a celebrated family which had dwindled, but still feared and powerful. The magic of the Potters merged with that of the Peverells." She explained to the now fascinated boy.

" The Peverell line became dormant after that. '' She said. " But, the Peverell blood didn't. When a Potter is born, the magic of the Peverells and Potters compete to gain the upper hand. But the Potter magic overpowered it every single time. Until you came along." She explained.

" The Potter and Peverell magic has been accepted as a single entity in you instead of a separate one, like all the Potters before you." She continued.
" The hollows were separated from each other and changed hands continuously. The invisibility cloak remained with its blood, but the Wand and stone separated. They have been searching for their owner ever since. And finally, you are here." She said.

" The power of the hallows when united and in the right person' s hand will be unstoppable and unbeatable. Together, they make the person the champion. My champion." She explained.

" The power he knows not, is the magic of Potters and Peverells. The magic unknown." She said.

" Your decision, Harry. Your decision. You can go back to your own time. You can go back in time. You can stay here and live peacefully. But personally, I would recommend that you live." She said.

Harry was thoughtful for a few minutes.
" I will live. I cannot die, knowing that he will continue all his atrocities. I cannot let my parents and many other good people's sacrifices go in the drain." He said fiercely.

" I request that you send me back in time. Back to when it all began. I will not let him get away with this again." He promised.

Death nodded approvingly. " That is a wonderful choice, Harry. I am glad you decided to do so. " She smiled brightly.

" It would be up to you, to gather all the Horcrux and destroy them. And it is upto you to find the Elder Wand and the Resurrection stone." Death replied.

Harry nodded. He could save his parents, his grandparents and also many more families. Besides he had nothing left here. Not anymore. If anybody had given him this opportunity before, he would have accepted the offer to go back to the present.
But now, when all the ones he trusted turned their back on him, he had no one to turn to. He could meet Sirius and Remus again.

" Live your life, Harry. It's a new beginning to you. A new chance at a new life." Death instructed.
" What about my family? What am I going to tell them? They will surely want to know." He said, suddenly worried about their reactions.

Death smiled. " The truth, Harry. The truth is always the right place to start with. The truth relieves you from burdens that will seem too heavy to carry." She said.

" I have a small gift, Harry. Something that will be useful for you." She said and handed Harry a small hourglass.

" This time turner is like any other. It is special. More special than the normal ones. You will want it." She said.

" My parents. How are they? Are they happy where they are?" He asked, breaking down slightly in the remembrance of the only people in the world who had been true to him with their love. Giving up their own lives so that he can live.

Death smiled. " They have never been more proud of you, Harry. They say that they are going to see you soon. They say that they love you." That brought tears to the young man's eyes.

" Good luck, Harry. Be happy." She waved goodbye and Harry was suddenly taken away from that plane with a flash.


TBC-----------

Hey guys. I had decided to stop with the fic Back to the Beginning as you all remember. I was new and didn't have much experience. Many liked the fic even though it was far from perfect and by how many have told me that they are disappointed in this fic not being completed, I decided to rewrite this fic. Once again, from the beginning.

So, here is your first chapter. Once again. Please do give me your response. I would like to know how the changes I have made are being accepted.

I thank my Beta Reader, Taliesin the Eternal Bard. He was the one who encouraged me to get back to the fic. Frankly I am happy. I didn't like the fact that my first fic was about to be abandoned. But not now. Whew!!

Anyway, I also wanted to inform, that there won't be any sequence to my uploads anymore. It will be unpredictable. But I will try to regularly give you guys a chapter of all my fic.
I might stop in one sometime, but that is not a break. It means that I need a good idea to go on.
So I welcome you all to give me any ideas that you might have.

Stay tuned and enjoy…...