The First Time Harry Tried to Time Travel - Chapter 2

Ultimately, Harry decided to do it a bit randomly and requested his magic to choose the time period where he can do the most good. He willed himself silent and invisible, closed his eyes, and took a leap as if to apparate.

Upon arrival, he cast a tempus and determined it was August 1, 1924, and based on the long ago viewed memories provided to Dumbledore by Ministry official, Bob Ogden, Harry determined he was on the outskirts of Little Hangleton, near the hill that Harry had viewed in the pensive all those years ago. He took a moment to reflect and realized that Merope Gaunt would have been about 17 years old; and therefore, he had at most three or four months before she doses the muggle, Tom Riddle, with love potions and runs away.

"Okay. First I need to come up with a pureblood name that I'll be able to fool the Gaunts with, which shouldn't be too difficult because Marvolo and Morfin are hardly intelligent," thought Harry, "but I'll probably still need a name from outside of Britain, because they will have all the important pureblood names memorized for sure, even if they don't associate with them anymore."

"Merope must at least have some intellect, as she was able to come up with the love potion scheme, but I think she'd just be grateful to be rescued from the abuse at this point. She's of age, so it would really only be a matter of helping her learn how to escape the abuse and make a life." Harry remained invisible and silent as he continued to think to himself as he walked down the path that he knew would lead to the shack to see what was happening and how urgently he needed to make his plans.

He considered his options, "One, I could just waltz in and request her hand, though I will have to make myself known in the village, find out if there are any other magicals in the area, and figure out how to meet her without being suspicious.

"Two, I could allow history to repeat with the love potioning of Tom Riddle, covertly keep watch until Tom leaves, and then offer to help her and the baby.

"Three, well, one or two really seem like my only logical options. If I go with the first, we will more than likely have a world without Tom Marvolo Riddle for sure, but I am a little curious of how Tom would turn out if raised in a loving home with his mother. I can always go back and choose option one if option two doesn't make a difference.

"Also, with option two, I won't have to be as particular about choosing a name, because there will be no reason to interact with Marvolo or Morfin Gaunt, and it gives me more time to get somewhat established without as much scrutiny. I think I'll emerge as the halfblood I am, and make the purebloods rethink all they ever thought about thinking they are better because they're so-called pure."

So having made his decision on approximately when he would step in, which would be in roughly two years, Harry continued his way down the path to see if everything was exactly the way he remembered it.

He was down at the bottom of the hill when heard a rustling in the grass nearby when he heard a voice. "I tried to warn the two legsss away from the ssspeakerss nesst, too bad he couldn't hear me. I ssstay away from there, I refussse to be stuck on their door, too."

Harry looked over and saw a common grass snake slithering around and complaining. Of course it couldn't see, hear, or smell Harry, but Harry considered stopping to speak to it. Ultimately, he decided against it, because he didn't want the chance that word of another parselmouth would read the Gaunts through snake gossip.

Harry arrived just as Bob Ogden was fleeing the residence to return to the ministry for reinforcements. Harry listened to the Gaunts for a few minutes and got another glimpse of Merope cowering from their abuse, enduring the sharp barbs of their words. He studied her in a way that he hadn't when he first viewed the original memory in the pensive. At that time, he was a 16-year-old who was far too focused on understanding what was happening in the memory than to make any special note of her appearance except in a general sort of passing description. Now as he studied her, having lived many more years and having much more experience in what details to look for, he found her to be much more attractive than his 16-year-old self did.

Yes, her hair was a dull colored brown, but that was something that could be improved with a more steady and healthy diet, and less stress from enduring abuse from her family. Yes, it appeared that she had what the muggles would call a lazy eye, but her eye color was a mesmerizing dark brown and the lazy eye could easily be corrected with prescription glasses. She still had a nice shape and only in need of getting out in the sun a little to improve her paleness. All in all, he found that she had a lot potential to be physically beautiful and an underlying strength of character that seemed to add to it, she just needed a new environment where she could thrive.

He contemplated her magic that he had previously believed to be weak. It reminded him how how difficult a time Neville had casting spells before he broke his father's wand and received one that chose him. "Hmm. That is something to consider," Harry thought, "she may very well be using a family wand because they didn't want to waste what little money they had on a new wand that she may not have enough magic to wield for one to choose her. They would have probably been too proud to take her to the wand shop and be proven she was a squib. This way they could continue the delusion that they didn't produce a squib." Harry decided he would try to find out one way or the other after he gets all his plans finalized.

As Harry turned to leave, he noticed a flash come from the Resurrection Stone located in the ring on Marvolo's finger, Harry immediately understood that his presence made the Stone's power negate and that it was now just a plain stone and nothing more.

Harry found a good place nearby to set up his tent and placed his wards, in order to remain undetected for now. He decided his next order of business, after resting, should be to speak to the goblins at Gringotts to get an airtight identity set up and open an account.

Harry laid down that night just thinking of the possibilities. He didn't originally have any plans to woo Merope when he first realized "when" he had arrived and he didn't consciously decide that he would now, but he did decide it was it wasn't out of the realm of possibility that he could grow fond of her. He fell asleep dreaming of possibilities and dark brown eyes.