Harry hadn't been feeling very well the past couple days. He had a hard time keeping his eyes open, was prone to random bursts of dizziness, couldn't stomach much at mealtimes, and a few times he blacked out for a moment, or went completely deaf for a few seconds. 

He'd gone to see Madam Pomfrey. She couldn't explain what was happening. 

With a sinking feeling in Harry's gut, his thoughts drifted off. He figured it must be an after-effect of dying. Or from having the horcrux destroyed.

"What did Pomfrey say?" Ron asked when Harry returned to the dorm.

"She doesn't know." Harry replied, carefully sitting down on the couch so as not to provoke another dizzy spell.

"Did she have any ideas?" Hermione asked.

"Dunno." Harry said. "Told me to come back in the morning."

"Maybe you should go to Mungo's." Hermione suggested, frowning.

"If I did, I'd get in the papers again." Harry sighed. "I'd rather wait and see if Madam Pomfrey can help. She probably just needs a little more... Something. Time, symptoms, whatever."

"You look like death, Potter." Draco said, sitting in a chair across from the couch.

"Thanks, Malfoy." Harry said, "I was going for a ghost look this morning."

"A little paler and you'd have nailed it." Draco replied.

"You're one to talk about pale." Harry retorted.

Draco rolled his eyes. "May I ask what's wrong?"

"Harry's sick." Ron said.

"I had no idea." Draco deadpanned.

"We don't know what's causing it. Madam Pomfrey couldn't tell either." Hermione said. "I was just telling Harry he should go to Mungo's."

"St. Mungo's? It's really that bad?" Draco frowned.

Hermione listed off his 'symptoms'. Harry looked away, wishing he was somewhere else.

"Blimey, Mione." Ron said. "You make it sound like he's dying."

"He might be." Hermione replied.

"I think Granger's right." Draco said with a frown, concern in his eyes. 

"You do?" Harry frowned. "Fine. If Pomfrey hasn't figured it out before lunch tomorrow, I'll go."

~~~

After he'd gone to bed that night, he'd lost track of time entirely. He was hot, he was cold, he was awake, he was not. 

In the few moments where he could register anything beyond his own body, he thought he saw Sirius above him. Concern was evident on his godfather's face as the man set a cool washcloth against Harry's forehead. Sirius reappeared a few times. Once, it almost looked like Remus was standing next to him.

It made more sense when he saw Molly Weasley. Not that he had much wherewithal to think at all. 

~~~

It took several minutes for Harry to realize he was awake. When he did, it was with mild surprise. He pushed the covers back, and sat up. He felt mostly alright. A little weary, but that was normal after illness. He found his glasses on the bedside table.

He was in Grimmauld place. But his room looked different. Was it even his room? He didn't think so. Why wouldn't they have let him stay in his own room?

In shorts and a tank top, Harry trudged out of the room. As he walked over to the stairs, Mrs. Weasley's head came into view as she climbed up. "Oh! Harry dear! You're up!" She exclaimed. "Let's get you sat down-"

"Why am I here?" Harry blurted.

Mrs. Weasley's head tilted. "What do you mean?"

"I was just at Hogwarts, what am I doing here?" Harry asked.

"Oh, dear," Mrs. Weasley said, now at the same level as Harry. "I think you're all mixed up. Come along."

"Molly?" Harry heard Sirius call out. "Was that Harry I just heard?" A moment later, the man himself joined them.

Harry's eyes nearly bugged out of his head. His breath caught in his throat. "I'm hallucinating." He said plainly.

Mrs. Weasley and Sirius exchanged a look of concern.

"I'm going back to my room." Harry said, and turned around. "Gonna sleep whatever it is off."

"Harry-"

"Nope! No thank you, hallucination!" Harry said, not looking back, and continuing on his path.

"Harry?" Mrs. Weasley asked. "What's going on?"

"Hallucinating." Harry replied. "G'night, I'm not doing this right now."

"Harry, that's my room." Sirius said, and Harry's hand froze on the door handle. "What're you hallucinating?"

Harry shut his eyes tightly, and took a shaky breath.

"Talk to us." Mrs. Weasley said. "We can't help if we don't know what's going on."

Something caught in Harry's mind. "Us? We?"

"Sirius and I aren't the only ones who care about you." Mrs. Weasley said. 

Harry faced them again. His eyes were wide, slightly panicked, disbelieving, confused. "You can see him?" He asked Mrs. Weasley.

"Who?"

"Sirius."

"I'm right here," Sirius frowned, at the same time as Mrs. Weasley said, "He's standing just there."

The panic and confusion grew in Harry, and was visible on his face.

"Why wouldn't you see me? I'm not dead." Sirius scowled. Then he turned to Mrs. Weasley. "We didn't give him anything... Funny, did we?"

"I don't think so." Mrs. Weasley whispered back. She walked over to Harry. 

"Hermione was right." Harry said. Maybe he should have gone to St. Mungo's then instead of waiting. "I'm dead."

"Woah, that's quite the jump." Sirius said. "How'd you get to that conclusion?"

"She told me I should've gone to Mungo's," Harry said. "I didn't think it was that bad. Wow. I've died in the most boring way possible."

"Harry..." Sirius trailed off.

Harry laughed. "Ha! Take that prophet! Try writing about a boring death."

"Harry, you aren't dead." Sirius said, growing more concerned by the word.

Harry shook his head, and headed for the stairs. Mrs. Weasley and Sirius trailed behind him.

"Harry! You're awake!" Ron exclaimed, grinning.

"You had us worried." Hermione said, pulling him into a hug.

When she let him go, Harry looked up at the other people in the house. The Order of the Phoenix were looking back at him. Dumbledore was absent, and Snape was there.

Harry's smile turned to a scowl. "Changed my mind. I'm going back to my first thought."

"And what was that?" Remus asked.

"Hallucinations," Mrs. Weasley said. "Severus, would any of the tonics have this effect?"

"No." Snape drawled.

"You're hallucinating?" Hermione frowned.

"Definitely." Harry said, turning back to the stairs.

"Blimey. What's it like?" Ron asked, earning himself a prompt slap upside the head.

"Um, somewhere between heaven and a nightmare, I think." Harry said. "It's going back and forth rapidly."

Mrs. Weasley set her hands on Harry's shoulders, and guided him to a seat. "Severus, help me please."

Harry felt he was in the hospital wing. Together, Mrs. Weasley and Snape had quite the effect. They cast several charms while Harry kept his eyes closed, trying to ignore that he was seeing dead people, and living people talking to said deceased people.

"Mr. Potter is in perfect health." Snape said, dragging out the words.

Harry looked at Snape then, his brows scrunched. Snape stared back, expressionless save for a slight distaste. Harry looked at Ron and Hermione.

They looked younger. Ron was shorter. Hermione's hair was different. They looked like fifth years again.

Harry stood up abruptly, and made a beeline for the bathroom. They called out after him, but he ignored them. The mirror showed his own face, several years younger. Out of the corner of his eye, he looked at the back of his hand. A double-take. He ran his fingers over the bare skin. The scar missing, clear of the words 'I must not tell lies'.

"Mione! Ron!" Harry called out. 

His friends pushed into the bathroom behind him. Ron put a hand on Harry's shoulder. "You alright mate?"

Harry looked at Hermione's arm. She was only wearing a t-shirt, so her forearm was bare. Her 'mudblood' scar wasn't there. 

"Can you roll up your sleeve?" Harry asked Ron quietly.

Confused, Ron did as he was asked. No splinching scar.

"What's this all about, mate?" Ron asked, putting a hand against Harry's forehead. "Mum says you're fine, but you aren't acting like it."

"Hermione." Harry asked, "Can you grab the newest paper?"

She blinked, before doing as he asked. She returned with the requested item half a minute later. Harry took it with a shaking hand. It was a headline he'd seen years ago.

Harry retched into the toilet.

"Oh, Harry, that's just..." Ron trailed off, before awkwardly patting Harry's back. "I'm gonna... I'm gonna go tell Mum." Ron slipped out of the bathroom.

Harry sat on the edge of the bathtub. Hermione squatted in front of him. She didn't say anything, but the look in her eyes was enough.

"Hermione," Harry whispered, his voice barely carrying far enough to reach her. "Are they really alive?"

"Who?" She asked softly.

"Sirius. Remus. Fred. Tonks." Harry said.

"Harry, they're alive." Hermione said. "All of them. You must've had a vivid nightmare. You were very sick for a couple days."

Harry nodded. "Can I talk to Sirius?"

"I'll go get him." Hermione said, giving Harry's hand a squeeze before she left.

Sirius took Hermione's place a moment later. "Harry?"

Harry reached out, and hesitantly took a hold of Sirius' sleeve. It was physical. Tangible. The next thing Sirius knew, Harry was holding onto him for dear life, crying.

~~~

When Harry's sobs subsided, Sirius got him to take a bath.

He'd traveled back in time. Harry had gone back in time. This was the end of his summer before fifth year. 

Sirius was alive. They were all alive.

He couldn't figure out how he'd ended up here. Time turners didn't do this, and he hadn't even been anywhere near one of those. He'd never heard of wizards or witches randomly time traveling. 

He couldn't tell anyone.

He didn't know enough. And he'd seen enough of movies, and through personal experience, to know that you had to be incredibly careful of your time travel. Or you could change everything.

When he'd used the time turner with Hermione, he'd been in two places at once. This time, Harry was pretty sure he'd replaced his former self. 

Which meant that he had a second chance. He had a second chance. He could save them. He could stop them from ever dying in the first place. 

He knew how to defeat Voldemort. He just had to do it alone.

~~~

Harry dried off, and put on the clean clothes that had been left for him. The Order had left when he returned to the dining room. Remus had stayed behind though, and was sitting next to Sirius.

The occupants of the room looked up when he came in.

"Sorry." Harry said awkwardly.

"It's fine, Harry. We all get nightmares." Sirius said.

Evidently Hermione had told them her hypothesis. That was fine.

"Would you like something to eat?" Mrs. Weasley asked kindly.

"Yes, please." Harry said. "Thank you." Mrs. Weasley smiled, and went to the kitchen.

Harry sat down on Sirius' other side. His godfather set a hand on Harry's back. Subconsciously, Harry leaned into the touch. Something prodded at his wrist, and Harry looked down to see Remus slipping him a bar of chocolate. Harry laughed as he took the bar.

Sirius was smirking, and Remus looked entirely innocent. Mrs. Weasley peeked in at the commotion, and smiled before going back to what she'd been doing.

Harry had to win this war. He couldn't lose this. He couldn't lose them, not again. That would be a fate worse than death. To get them back, only to lose them again. So he wouldn't lose.

He wouldn't lose.

A/N

And that's the first chapter! I hope you like it! I'll be updating every friday...