The Blackthorns

*~*~*September 1, 1998*~*~*

*~*~* September 1, 1998 *~*~*

Once again, Harry and Hermoine were sitting in Rognar's office.

"Have you done as I asked? Have you been considering the possibilities?"

"Yes," Hermoine nodded, they had decided that she would be the one to ask most of the questions. She was so good at it, Harry had said. "But we had so many questions we came to no conclusion."

"That is good, it means you truly considered and didn't just passively think of it. What did you come up with? I am curious to see what questions the girl called the brightest witch of her age came up with."

"How many people can go? Would it be just Harry and me?"

"Just the two of you, or possibly the two of you and another small being such as a child or a house elf. We do not trust the device to move more living mass than that."

The goblin's eyes narrowed as he saw Harry's shoulders slump slightly in relief.

"This answer pleases you."

"Yes," Harry agreed, giving away no more than that for the time being.

"What happens to this timeline. Does it vanish or does it carry on without us in it?"

"I don't see how the answer to that would make a difference to you deciding to go or not."

"It doesn't, not truly, but it makes a great deal of difference in how we go about leaving if we do go. If it carries on without us, we would need to say our goodbyes, make arrangements for people," Hermoine explained. "If it vanishes, we would like to take as much as we can of this life with us. Pictures, mementos, pensive memories and the like."

Rognar was very pleased. Potter and his sister had obviously put a great deal of thought into this even considering plans for if they leave which he chose to take as a good sign.

"I see. I can't actually answer that question."

"I didn't really expect one, in all honesty. " Hermoine sighed in disappointment. She wasn't sure which of the two options she had been hoping for anyway. If it vanished she would be undoing her friends' lives, yes to possibly be replaced by a better one, but it was no guarantee. If it continued on they would be leaving everyone behind to deal with yet another loss. It honestly gutted her either way. "How long have you had this item? Would you have had it long enough to have any arrangements in place for this device being used? We can't very well be Harry and Hermoine in the past. We would, barring great changes, still be born and still be magical. If we are to make changes we will have to be known in the Wizarding world. People will remember us."

"We have had it since the time of Grindewald," Rognar admitted, "We have a few possibilities for identities in the past."

"I see," Hermoine glanced at Harry who gave her a small nod. "Will our ages make a difference in your arrangements?"

"I think that if you arrive in 1973 as planned you should be de-aged to 13 or 14. Most of the actual resistance was done by your father's generation or a year or two older. Your parents and their friends had a lot of connections and influence in the fight against Voldemort in the 70s. It would be good to be in that age group. There is a spell-potion combination that will reset your physical bodies, removing scars and the like, as well as permanently de-aging you."

Harry stiffened. That meant he couldn't be Teddy's dad.

"That answer displeased you."

"It's Teddy," Hermoine sighed. "We were planning on taking him with us. Harry has come to view him more as his son than his godson. 13 or 14 is too young."