#honestly this is soo long its more like a drabble rip

[like-sands-of-time]

ok real talk here.. the end of fourth year should have been when Dumbledore sat Harry down and explained the prophecy, his true destiny, and what he needed to do to best prepare himself for the ultimate final duel. literally the entire series would have gone down differently. there are so many plot points I have a problem with but even if we ignore randomly adding family members at the end of the third book and we ignore what eventually happens to them both to fix that one point in the series it would literally fix everything.

Harry had just had his first duel with Voldemort and suffered the cruciatus curse, found out that Crouch Jr. had been spying all year as Moody, watched, helplessly, Cedric Diggory die... he was as prepared then as he would ever be to hear that information. it was foolish and manipulative of Dumbledore to not sit him down then. even if he didn't yet know about Voldemorts horcruxes (and ultimately that harry would have to sacrifice himself) he still would have been able to explain to harry why he was who he was. He would have expressed his valid concerns that now that V was back he would be attempting to torture Harry mentally as he did many of his victims but especially Harry, he would have then told him Occlumency was the best and only solution to that problem, he would have also explained that Harry needed to learn more advanced protective, shield, and duelling spells. after all of this he would need to explain that the resistance force known as the Order was reforming on the DL and that they were establishing a safehouse.

if he explained all of this the summer before fifth year wouldn't have been so lonely and plagued with depression and suffering for Harry. he would have had his new purpose, a new understanding, and achievable goals. once they established Grimmauld Place as HQ he could have been moved there to work on Occlumency with Dumbledore and duelling spells with Sirius. this would have allowed Sirius a job he could do despite not being able to be seen, it would have given him a purpose and he wouldn't have been surrounded by his demons just like Harry. the two would have bonded more naturally as harry would have been originally seeing a "dad" figure and Sirius a "best friend" before getting to know one another and becoming like brothers.

Harry probably wouldn't have avoided the dementor attack, as that was done by V, but he wouldn't have been alone and thus safer. the trial still would have resulted in a "valid" reason for Fudge to insert a spy into Hogwarts but Harry wouldn't have been so reckless and angry as Occlumency lessons were really successful. he would have wanted them to be as well so V had no easy ways to get in his head anymore. he would have also had an entire summers worth of good memories with Sirius, Remus when he wasnt on a mission, and Hermione and Ron later. he wouldnt have been allowed to feel excluded courtesy Voldemort and he would have been even closer to everyone. pretty much the entirety of fifth year would have gone down differently, except for him starting the DA.

after Harry was deemed a successful Occlumens Dumbledore still would have wanted Harry to get in Vs head to see if he could get more information. harry would have been made into a useful spy for the Order. except, without the prophecy and without a way to get Harry to the DOM V would have been forced to stay underground longer. the summer after fifth year Dumbledore would probably have been convinced by a very adamant Harry and a pleased Sirius to move the protective wards from the Dursleys to Grimmauld Place. that summer would have gone much the same way with Harry getting better at dueling spells and maybe getting up to some mischief with Sirius as the two would have settled a bit. Sirius probably had the house redecorated, getting rid of a lot of the dark magic heirlooms (mundungus fletcher took some including the locket) and they would be working on making it far more pleasant for the two of them. Harry might have convinced Sirius to teach him to become an animagus last Christmas during the summer holidays so by the beginning of sixth year he's accomplished fairly a lot.

it's at the end of the summer when Dumbledore asks him to approach a potential teacher that will be useful in the coming term.. Harry learns that he needs to get close to Slughorn to get the memory Dumbledore needs to confirm his suspicions. Dumbledore also begins showing Harry his memories and Harry slowly works out what it is that Dumbledores looking for but doesn't yet understand his part in it.

it's after the memory is retrieved (probably way sooner because Harry has gotten smarter about the whole thing) and harry accompanies Dumbledore to get the locket that he realizes Dumbledore has lied to him. he's kept the secret of Horcruces from him even when he had one already. he sees glimpses of Dumbledores thoughts when he tries to get in his head but Dumbledore tells him to leave anyway. Harry knows Snape is a double spy so he plays up his anger so V will think it's safe to return.

after the school is taken over Harry escapes back to Grimmauld place to tell everything to Sirius who has decided to come out of hiding, using spells that make him look different, in order to help harry look for the Horcruces remaining. that's how the summer after sixth year goes. the two of them planning out and researching where the objects could be alongside Hermione and Remus. Once they have a plan they set out only it's a lot different this time because Umbridge doesn't have the locket yet, and Ron and Hermione are off to Hogwarts to finish their last year of school. Theyre both very trained after practicing with Harry and Sirius and their task is to help prepare fellow classmates for what's to come as they know Hogwarts has been compromised as well as to look about the castle to find where any of the founders belongings could be.

Harry already has destroyed the diary and Dumbledore the ring but he knew only that there were 7 total. he knew from Dumbledores memories in the pensieve what the objects were but not where they were. that was their goal.

Remus and Hagrid are tasked with trying to convince "dark" creatures to aid them so it's just Sirius and Harry but with the help they got that summer they know roughly what they're doing. Fletcher was the one who took the locket which Harry remembered being a fake. when he showed Sirius the note with the initials R.A.B. Sirius had a moment mourning his brother. he knew he had died but he never knew he was brave enough to openly defy Voldemort. this only helps to further focus the two on their mission to avenge those brave enough to stand against him.

they get the locket fairly easily, but it's finding the sword that's the problem. they carry on searching for the other Horcruces. it's Christmastime before they know it and Harry asks if they can visit the cemetery in Godrics Hollow to leave flowers for his parents. it's there they discover Nagini in the form of Bathilda Bagshot. they kill the snake, not knowing she's a horcrux until harry feels the pain of V afterward. this leaves them with the locket, cup, and diadem.

Hermione and Luna are able to convince Helena Ravenclaw to tell them where the diadem is to help destroy it but when the go to the room of requirement they are followed by Draco and his friends. while the girls manage to locate the diadem they're surrounded by the Slytherins who attack. luckily they're prepared but Crabbe sets the room on fire and the diadem is dropped when they're trying to escape. it burns in the fiendfyre ultimately destroying yet another horcrux. harry feels Vs pain and knows he's getting weaker. they only have to find the cup and destroy it and the locket.

it's when they stop to rest at Bill and Fleur's house they descover what the rest of the Order has been up to. Ollivander is upstairs healing, after someone in the Order managed to rescue him, and Harry decides to ask about the deathly hallows that was drawn into Hermione's book. Ollivander reluctantly explains the elder wand and why he was attacked. they establish Dumbledore had it but that it now belongs to Draco whom Harry remembers disarmed Dumbledore. this leads them to sneak into Malfoy mansion where they discover that Bellatrix has the cup in her vault.

Dobby comes to the rescue for Harry and Sirius and they return back to the safehouse with Bill and Fleur to plan their break-in. after they manage to get the cup they take it and the locket back to the safehouse before realizing they need to get back into Hogwarts to speak to Hermione again. They go to Aberforth who shows them the way and once there they meet with Hermione, Ron, Luna and the rest of the DA. Hermione believes they need to find the Sword of Gryffindor to destroy the cup and locket but she's not sure where it is. Snape knows they're in the castle now and they have an "argument" where he gives Harry his memories and tells him it's urgent before Snape leaves and McGonagall takes over as Headmistress. harry grabs Sirius and the two run to the Head office where the pensieve is. they both watch his memories and even Sirius is struck silent, not knowing how lily and Snape originally met or how close he felt to her. the memories switch and they learn that Dumbledore has yet again deceived harry because he knew all along harry would have to sacrifice himself when the time came in order to save the world.

Sirius and Harry return to the office before harry makes a plan. for Sirius to stay behind and him to go to the forest. if he makes it that's a bonus but all Harry has left to do is destroy the cup and locket. when they look over Harry notices the sword and pulls it out of the hat. he quickly destroys both only leaving Sirius the task of using the last spell on Voldemort. they go downstairs where Harry says goodbye to Ron, Hermione, and Luna all of whom he is very grateful for. harry, now truly exhausted and unknowing of whether V killing the horcrux within will destroy harry too but accepting his fate and knowing the final task to Sirius will be complete he makes his way to the forest as content as he can be with his life knowing for years that this is what he trained for. V taunts him before using the killing curse.

harry believes he's dead when he sees Dumbledore again before Dumbledore explains what has happened. Harry realizes he's can live if he does this right and pretends to be dead even as he comes back to himself. harry is carried back to the school where V intends to show off the body and taunt those at Hogwarts who defied him. Sirius tries to get into his mind though and realizes he's still alive. he then stands tall in front of all of Hogwarts and defies his family and everything the Blacks were proud of. he tells V he knew of his brothers espionage and plays dumb saying that even though Harry's dead the war between good and evil still continues. he knows harry can hear him so he's waiting for a sign.

when harry jumps up out of Hagrids arms everyone gasps and when students escape inside and Death Eaters start escaping Sirius uses Vs focus on Harry to attack Voldemort and kill him once and for all. harry uses his wand as well and it's far too much against the weak, old, Tom Riddle. harry and Sirius embrace while the school cheers in the background before everyone focuses on helping the wounded and rebuilding the school and it's wards.

harry approaches Snape later who apologizes for his harsh treatment over the years. he explains his childhood hatred of James Potter and Sirius Black but that it was no excuse and no matter what he went through harry still remained humble, something so very Lily that he couldn't help but care somewhat for him. harry accepts his apology on the condition that he find wormtail and finally give Sirius the justice he deserves. Pettigrew randomly appears on the doorsteps of the ministry with a note explaining everything a week later. the ministry have no excuse other than to investigate.

when they find Sirius is innocent they exonerate him, give him honours for his work in the war and even offer his former position as auror to him. sirius refuses on the grounds of wanting to settle and live a normal life with Harry finally. harry also doesn't want to be an auror anymore given that he's spent his entire life fighting the forces of evil. the two of them settle into their own little cottage where Remus also lives.

Snape, at the advice and research of Hermione, works on an improved treatment for lycanthropy to help Remus and many others and Remus, Harry, Sirius, Hermione and Luna all help at the founding of a school for werewolves.