He knew that it was not like Harry at all to run from his responsibilities and was still convinced that wherever Harry was, he was very much alive.
Severus had confirmed that Voldemort did not have the boy as he still had all of his most able followers attempting to locate the teen himself, and as yet had been equally unsuccessful as the order.
Remus had become inconsolable and more than desperate to find the son of his deceased friend, even having spent many nights in the darkest of places hoping to get a whisper of Harry's whereabouts, but to no avail.
Dumbledore himself had explored every possible avenue. Fawkes had not been able to locate the boy and he had even asked Dobby for help, who had bonded himself to the teen, but even the house elf could not find a trace of him.
The mystery of Harry Potter's disappearance was becoming very desperate indeed and Albus Dumbledore had run out of options. The only thing left for the headmaster was to wait and see if Harry would emerge, the outcome of the war hinged on the boy after all.
(BREAK)
The day Harry had been working towards had finally arrived and he had no idea how he was feeling as his emotions were so mixed about the impending changes about to take place in his life. He had accepted that he would be going but that did not make it any easier in his heart or his mind where he would carry memories and feelings for those that would no longer exist in the world.
He managed to hold himself together however as the prospect of seeing and getting to know his family had become the one beacon of hope he clung to desperately when the difficult emotions threatened to overcome him, though he would freely admit that he was very nervous about the whole upcoming ordeal.
He had finished packing his trunk and placed Hedwig back in her cage as he made his way to the time room to receive his final instructions and face the journey of no return.
He was pleased that he was able to bring along his feathered friend, Croaker had in fact insisted that he did as it would leave him with some form of connection to where he came from, a connection that was very much welcomed by the teen.
He had asked why it was him and him alone making the journey leading to a rather detailed explanation about the intricacies of the calculations that had been completed to ensure that the plan would a success.
In short, Harry only understood that the room would only be able to transport himself as it would only be able to send one person back that far. If another person was added into the equation then only half of the required time could be achieved and so on.
According to Croaker Hedwig did not account for another person as she was only a common, albeit beautiful owl and was small enough to make insignificant difference to the outcome of the complicated formulae.
Harry understood that it was only possible to send him and accepted it as best he could, though it was a difficult revelation to swallow and because of the prophecy, he knew that it had to be him.
He sighed as he shrunk all of his possessions and pocketed them and made his way to the time room for the final time.
He entered the room to find both Croaker, Filmore and Filmore's team double checking everything to ensure that it was all prepared and working correctly.
"How are you feeling Mr. Potter?" Croaker asked, sounding more than a little concerned.
Harry shrugged and swallowed deeply.
"I don't know" he answered honestly. "Sick, scared, everything" he finished uncertainly.
"I understand" Croaker responded with a sympathetic smiled. "What you are doing is exceedingly brave and I cannot respect you anymore than I do for the sacrifice you are making" he praised sincerely.
"I agree" Filmore cut in. "It's been a damn difficult time here but you've impressed the hell out of me and my team, there is nothing else I can do to prepare you, but I wish you all the best kid, you're a damn fine wizard and a damn good man for what you're doing" he finished genuinely.
Harry nodded gratefully but didn't trust himself to speak.
"Here" Croaker spoke, handing Harry a set of Dark grey robes and a leather wallet. "I imagine that you will appear here in the department, you will need these to get out, just show them the badge and keep your hood up" he instructed. "No one will question you with those credentials" he explained. Harry took the robes and pulled them over his head, putting the hood up as he finished. He then took the offered badge and opened it.
It was a simple gold plate with the phrase 'Unspeakable Class 1' etched into the circle of gold.
"It is only a temporary badge, as soon as you exit the department it will vanish" Croaker informed him.
Harry nodded his understanding.
"The first thing you should do is head to Diagon Alley and get a newspaper to confirm the date, you should arrive around mid August 1976 give or take a couple of days" he told him confidently. "Have you removed everything from your possessions that would give you away if seen?" he asked seriously.
Harry nodded and swallowed back another stab of pain that threatened to overcome him at the memory of having to leave behind his firebolt though he had been allowed to keep a photograph of the DA the Colin had took.
"And you have the clothes we got for you? Though I suspect you will need more" Filmore inquired.
"I've got everything, gold, clothes, everything we talked about" Harry confirmed.
"Good" Filmore replied with a nod. "Then I guess we are ready" he sighed a little reluctantly. "Good luck Potter, it has been a pleasure working with you" he intoned seriously taking the teens hand in a firm grip.
"You too sir, though I still hate you for what you put me through" Harry retorted with a grin.
"That means I did my job properly" Filmore returned with a chuckle. "Stay safe" he finished before he and his team exited the room after each gave him a simple nod. "I too wish you all the luck in the world Mr. Potter" Croaker cut in, offering the teen his own hand.
"Thank you Mr. Croaker, for everything" Harry replied warmly.
"I think after everything we have been through since you came here you have earned the right to call me Clarence" Croaker said with a light laugh.
"And I think Mr. Potter makes me sound much older than I am" Harry pointed out.