His new room was an unused apartment for a professor. It was a nice little treat. He had his own kitchen, shower, and even sitting room. The living arrangement alone would be a nice bonus to pursue teaching as a career. He took a seat at the unused desk to find it was stocked with parchment, quills, and ink. The best way to hold onto the memories he had was to write them down. He would keep them disguise them similar to how the map was protected. Harry hadn't known how the Marauders Map had been created. The knowledge was simply there when he thought about it.
He wasn't sure if he was stuck here or if there was a chance to return. Though he wasn't sure he wanted to go back. There wasn't much good left in the future. Staying in the past to help where he could sounded a like a better option. He was an adult now by both Muggle and Magical law. It was possible that he could have this younger self live with him rather than going back to the Dursleys. He should take a trip to Gringotts to see if he could claim the title of Lord Potter. The goblins wouldn't want his head considering he hadn't stolen their dragon.
Harry had to force himself not to focus on his memories of this year. Every time would end with a rough headache and weird flashes of two lives being mashed together. Oddly enough, the farther he went from Fourth Year the clearer his memories became. He knew that they weren't complete, but it didn't give him headaches.
Some parts of The Battle of Hogwarts were fresh in his mind. He remembered the conversation in the forest with ghosts and the confrontation shortly after. Death had given him a brief rest before he had returned to the fight. The memory of Voldemort's final death was a bright spot in the last couple of days.
Harry worked his way backward from there. There were noticeable blanks that he was incredibly frustrating. The Horcrux Hunt and the year on the run unfortunately weren't among those missing memories. Summer prior to that was a muddled mess. His memories from Sixth Year were starting to fade. The highlights of Dumbledore's death, the pointless time spent digging through memories, dealing with Slughorn, and the 'lessons' with Snape. He knew there was something important connected to that year and the Room of Requirement. Thank Merlin he remembered the Room. He had to visit it before it started to fade. Memories of Fifth Year were enforced with mixture of sorrow, rage, and pain. He looked at the words carved into his hand. Harry would make sure to note that Umbridge needed to be stopped before any sort of her reign of terror could happen again.
Sirius wouldn't die this time. He jolted at the thought. Sirius was alive. A weight lifted from his chest.
Focus.
Harry went over his notes. The stroll down the remains of memory lane was already putting pressure on his mind. It was a good idea to stop before he started to undo his progress.
He set the piece of parchment on the desk and began to construct a complex array of charms and transfiguration. It wasn't until he finished that he realized that he did it all without a wand. He knew for a fact that he now had access to all of the knowledge the previous witches and wizards that had used the Eldar Wand. It would appear as he needed, rather than overwhelming him in a deluge. Thankfully it was just their magical knowledge and not their memories. He didn't want to know the details of the people that sought the Death Stick. The fact that he technically knew more about magic than Dumbledore did soothe some of the damaged memories.
A subtle shift in the air alerted him to the arrival of a House Elf
"Great Harry Potter, sir?" Dobby asked. "Is that you?"
Harry's gaze snapped toward the source of the voice, "Dobby!"
He rushed over, scooping the Elf up into a hug. The memory of holding Dobby in his arms as the elf breathed his last was too fresh.
"Great Harry Potter, sir!" Dobby laughed. "It is you!"
Harry put Dobby down. He wiped his eyes and cleaned his glasses before he sat down at the desk once more.
"It's good to see you Dobby," Harry smiled.
Dobby shuffled his feet under the attention, "Dobby is happy to see you too, Great Harry Potter. Whiskers saying there are two Harrys. Dobby had to see his own. There be two Harry Potters. How?"
"Magic," Harry replied with a shrug. "What are you doing here?"
Dobby's posture straightened, "Dobby be here to check on Great Harry Potter sir."
"You're awesome, Dobby," Harry smiled at the elf. "There are a few things I need. Could you check the Come and Go Room for wands and bring them here? Also, clothes that are my size." He was interrupted by the loud growl of his stomach. "Maybe something to eat too?"
Dobby nodded, "Dobby is on it."
Harry wiped his eyes once Dobby was gone. He turned to face the far corner of the room.
"Did you send him here?" Harry asked his younger self and two friends.
Hermione gasped from under the cloak.
"How did you know we were here?" Young Harry asked as they took off the cloak.
He shrugged, "I can see it."
"How?" Hermione asked.
Harry shrugged again, "No clue."
He chuckled at her expression. A rush of emotion flooded him as he looked at the trio. It wasn't just that they were still together. Apparently a future version of himself showing up meant that Ron didn't freak out like last time. They were so unbothered by everything. The biggest worries they had right now were this supposed time traveler and the influx of visiting students. They didn't know what it was like to see their classmates, friends, and family die. The three had been through some trials so far but it only got worse from here.
Being around his younger self seemed to soothe some of the headache that came with delving into his memories. The past, before he arrived, was still solid. It was his recollection of things after the Goblet that caused the issues.
"Do you have the map?" Harry asked.
His younger self nodded, "You're Harry Potter."
"Harry," Ron said.
"Yes?" "What?" The two said at the same time.
"No," Ron shook his head. "Harry Potter."
Hermione sighed. Both Harry's pointed at each other.
"We're going to need to figure out something to call you," Hermione muttered.
Harry smiled, "I was here first."
"What should they call me then?" Young Harry asked.
Harry chuckled, "Junior?"
"No," Young Harry said instantly.
Ron motioned to the Younger Harry, "We can call you Potter." Then to the older Harry. "And you Harry."
"Did we ever become an Animagus?" Younger Harry asked. "We could use that."
Harry shook his head, "We didn't have time."
The words hung heavy with implications.
"Potter it is," Young Harry whispered.
Silence settled around the room.
"Why are you here?" Hermione asked finally breaking the silence.
Harry shook his head, "I have no clue."
"Can you tell us about the future?" Ron asked. "There has to be something we can do."
Harry closed his eyes as another headache lanced through his forehead.
"Harry!" Hermione rushed over to him. "What's wrong?"
He took a breath, "Trying to remember things gives me migraines. Dumbledore thinks the new memories are overwriting the old ones. Things before this year are fine. Everything after the Goblet is out of focus. I know something is wrong, but I don't know what. There is something important about this year."
"Your name came out of the Goblet and then you did," Ron shook his head. "Things already went wrong."
Harry gave his friend a flat look, "Something more than this."
He crossed the room to the desk to grab the piece of paper. Harry never thought he would be jealous of his past self.
"Truth hurts," Harry said tapping the top right corner of the parchment. The trio watched from random doodles to the list he had created. "This is what I can remember."
The three read over the list. They spoke in a cluster of hushed whispers that made him smile.
"How did you make this?" Hermione asked.
Harry shrugged, "I just did."
"This is some serious charms work," Hermione said. "Did you learn how to do this next year?"
Harry shook his head, "No. I just did."
Hermione started to say something only for Potter to put a hand on her shoulder.
"Hermione," He said. "I would tell you if I knew, right?"
She nodded. The expression on her face said that she wasn't going to let it drop. It would bother her until she figured it out. Harry hoped that it wouldn't be a repeat of the Potions book.
"We should go," Hermione said. "It's getting late."
"Thanks for visiting," Harry said.
The trio draped the cloak over themselves. He could still see them. There was a slight shimmer around them rather than being invisible. It was another thing that he would have to figure out later. Food, a shower, and bed sounded amazing right now. Dobby wasn't back yet so he would start with the shower.
~~AN:Short post. Didn't want to miss another day. This is part 1 of chapter 2. Will post part 2 soon.