Hello! This is the beginning of my brand new fanfic! I will not reveal anything, just read along, and you will understand about what it talks! I hope you will all enjoy reading my story! Before i get this tale rolling, i have to thank PhoenixTears for offering to be my beta, as well as the_animagus, although i chose the first one! You were both great guys! So, thanks to PhoenixTears for betaing this chapter! But enough with the introductions! Here we go...








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alkisti xxx

Hello! First of all, happy new year!!! I hope that 2007 will be full of joy for all of you!
Now, back to the topic, i present you the second chapter of my story, which ,thanks to my great beta PhoenixTears, is now betaed and ready for you to read it. I hope you will enjoy it!

CHAPTER 2

The survivors

“Harry! Harry! Wake up!”
Harry was regaining his consciousness. Everything around him was blurred and he could not remember what had happened.
“You passed out Harry, after...hem... You were exhausted. It's ok now Harry. You're safe.”
As Harry's mind started to clear, he recognized Hermione's voice. He realised that he was lying in Ron's bed at the Burrow- the Weasleys' home. Hermione, Ron and Molly, Ron's mother, were looking at him with a rather worried expression.
“What happened to me?”
“You passed out at the graveyard but everything is alright now dear”, replied Molly
“Is Voldemort dead?” asked Harry
“Yes. That spell was amazing Harry! It lit the whole sky! How did...”
“Harry needs to rest Ronald. You will have a chance to talk about that later.” said Ron's mother, looking at him with the kind of expression that even Arthur Weasley, Molly's husband, fears.
“Your mother is right Ron. Harry must be worn out”, added Hermione staring at Ron. “Take a nap Harry. And when you wake up, we will talk about everything that happened, all right?” asked Hermione looking at Harry at that time.
Molly and Hermione got out of the room but Ron did not follow them.
“Hey pal. How are you feeling?”
“As if I bumped my head in a tombstone.”
“Actually... you did. When you passed out, you fell in a tomb. You were lucky not to crack a bone or something...”
“Ron! For goodness sakes, let him rest!” yelled Hermione who had realised that Ron did not follow them downstairs.
“Got to go... Sorry” said Ron feeling rather disturbed by Hermione's attitude.
He left the room, softly closing the door. When he got to the kitchen, he sat down next to Hermione, looking as absent-minded as she.
It was Ron who broke the silence, after a while.
“Do you think he'll be alright?”
“I really don't know. I believe he has not realised yet what he did. I mean... The War is finally over. Voldemort is dead. Most of the Death Eaters are dead and the rest of them are under the Cruciatus curse. As for the Dementors and the other creatures, they are all being examined by the Ministry of Magic. There are no dangers upon us anymore and we are all sound and safe.”
“Not all of us Hermione.” said Ron looking heavyhearted.
“Yes, I forgot. But Neville and Tonks will be alright. McGonagall is not in such a heavy condition. Both she and mad-eye Moody were lucky to be transported to St. Mungo's hospital so quickly. Billy and Lupin will get by this full-moon and...”
“No, Hermione. I'm talking about...”
“Oh, yes of course, you are talking about Dobby. He is a tough nut you know.”
“No Hermione!”
“Oh, yes I forgot. Kingsley Shacklebolt and Mundungus Fletcher who are dead. I sure am sad but it is not that I was so close to them. After all, it is their fault that they were so incautious. Especially Mundungus.” said Hermione with a rather upset look.
“Hermione just listen to me! I'm talking about Cho.” yelled Ron who got furious because of her reaction.
“Cho? What happened to her?”
Both Ron and Hermione screamed when they heard Harry's voice right behind their heads.
“Tell me! What happened?” insisted Harry looking both enraged and worried at the same time.


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Alright, chapter 3 is ready to be posted! Woo hoo!
A big thanks to PhoenixTears for being so quick! I wonder when she is going to freak out because of my mistakes... Anyway... Here it is:

CHAPTER 3

A sacrifise along the way

“You can't hide from me what happened! Sooner or later, I will find it out!” declared Harry.
“Ok Harry, you don't have to yell to us. We'll tell you. Hermione?”
“Thank you Ron. You are so kind to let me do it.” replied Hermione, bitterly.
“Sit down Harry. As you know, it was a very hard battle -the last one- and we could have used anyone's help. All of the Members of the Order took part in it. But there were also some other people who wanted to fight. Neville, Luna, Luna's father, Ginny. Even Dobby!”
“Yes I know that. I saw Neville and Luna fighting against Bellatrix Lestrange. She died in the end, didn't she?”
“Yes. Lupin helped them. Anyways. One of the people who wanted to fight was Cho. She said she owe it to Cedric. I'm so sorry Harry.”
“Why? You know I'm no longer in love with her,” said Harry rather puzzled.
“Yes, I know that. I said I'm sorry because Cho... died.”
Harry felt as if he would pass out again. He could not believe it.
“This... It's... It's not possible Hermione. No, she can't have died. No. No. It is just impossible” said Harry murmured that Hermione was lying.
“I'm very sorry Harry. But it was her choice to fight.”
“HER choice? It was not her choice. It was Voldemort who made her do it; she thought she could bring Cedric back. I hate him! I HATE HIM!”
“Hermione is right, Harry. It was her choice, just as it was our choice to fight. She knew ,as we all knew, that one of us could die” added Ron.
“Do...you...have ANY IDEA HOW MANY TIMES I HAD TO PAY THAT PRICE? Don't you talk to me about death as if it is something natural. You have no idea what death is. YOU didn't have to witness your parents' death. YOU didn't have to see one of your classmates murdered. YOU didn't have to watch your last relative die right in front of your very eyes. YOU didn't have to hear Dumbledore pleading for his life. So don't talk to me about death.” said Harry with a look so full of pain and anger that made Hermione feel sorry for him.
“I'm sorry Harry,” she gently whispered. “I wish none of this had happened. But we all have wounds we need to heal.”
Harry looked at her full of remorse.
“I'm sorry Hermione but... I can't take it anymore.”
“You don't have to Harry. You are free at last.”
“Yes! You killed Voldemort and that is amazing! You can go on with your life Harry. And we,” said Ron looking at Hermione “are willing to help you.”
Harry smiled and looked at his friends. Voldemort may have taken away from him his closest relatives but he had left him two supporting and understanding friends.
“I just need some time to mourn for her. She was a very nice person. At least, she can be with Cedric now.”
He didn't want to cry but he could feel tears filling his eyes. A sob leaked out of him and desperation overwhelmed him. He felt exhausted mentally and emotionally.
“It is ok Harry. You can cry, if you want to.” said Hermione hugging him.
When he listened her words, he started crying. After a couple of minutes, he felt relieved and more calm.
It was about a minute after Harry washed away his last tears, that Fred and George got into the room.
“Hello everyone! Harry- our hero!” said Fred
“Our savior, our good shepherd! How are you feeling?” asked George completing his brother's phrase.
“Alright concerning everything that happened.” replied Harry.
“I think you need to hear some good news. Fred?”
“Oh, yes, of course George. Guess what!” said Fred with a nasty look at his face.




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Hello everyone! Sorry it took me that long to post that chapter but since my beta has exams, i am posting this unedited so, please, do not be too judgmental! I will beta this as soon as PhoenixTears sends me the corrections i have to make! I hope you will like it anyway!

CHAPTER 4

Good news

“What???” yelled Ron
“Don't be so impatient brother!”
“Come on guys! You can't let us see the pie but not taste it!” added Harry.
“What about you Hermione? Aren't you curious?” asked George
“Of course I am. But I know that showing it to you will make you keep your news to yourself!” replied Hermione trying not to laugh.
“Fred, I think we have tortured them long enough.” said George after a while.
“They could last a little bit longer but let's not be mean today! So... our great news is that...”
“Hagrid and...”
“...Madam Maxime...”
“...are getting...”
“...MARRIED!” screamed Fred looking excited!
“Oh my God! Are you serious? How come we didn't know of that before you?” gushed a thrilled Hermione.
“Hagrid's probably sent you an owl but Ron must be feeling too comfortable sitting on her to let her go!” replied George, who burst into laughter when he saw Ron's expression at the sight of the passed out owl.
“Oh shut up George,” Ron replied nastily. “It is a letter from Hagrid. It says :
Dear Harry, Ron and Hermione,
Hope you're feelin fine. We gotta 'lot te catch up on. Hope we'll get time te do that soon. But cant wait te tell you three me news: me an' Olympia is gettin married! Hagrid.”
“How is this possible? The War ended a few days ago and they are already planning a wedding?”
“Everyone is feeling excited, Hermione and they all want to move on with their life as soon as possible. The sales at our store have doubled the past few days; this just shows how strongly people need to get over all the pain they had to face.” said George looking too serious
“Yeah, it may seem extreme but it's true. And that's what we all have to do. Mostly you Harry.” said Fred.
“Speaking of future, what are your plans Harry?” asked Ron
“I don't have any plans. I never thought that I would go through this War...”
“I think it is time to talk Harry . We all had a discussion and there are some things you have to do. Are you ok with that?” asked Hermione.
“Sure.” he answered.
“We'd better get going. We've left Natalie in charge. She may be pretty...”
“She's gorgeous.” whispered Fred
“Yes, Fred, we know you're in love with her; you don't have to remind it to us every day. Anyway, as I said, she may be pretty but she can't handle money.”
“Yep, that's right. She just can't accept that 2+2=4.” said Fred desperately.
“So, nice to see you guys are fine. I hope we'll see you again soon Harry! Bye!” George saluted the trio and with a pop he disappeared.
Fred waved at everyone and followed his brother with a second pop.


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EDIT: I had this chapter edited according to my beta's, PhoenixTears, suggestions! I think it is better now!

Alright! Chapter 5 is ready to be posted thanks to PhoenixTears, who managed to beta it quickly! I believe i could not have chosen a better day to post this, since it is Valentine's Day today. Enjoy!

CHAPTER 5

A dream comes true

“Now that they both left I think it is time...” started Hermione
“Fred is in love! Wow...! Poor girl!” said Ron ignoring Hermione's words.
“Ron! Get yourself together and get over it! We have more important issues right now.” said Hermione strictly.
“A'right...”
“So, Harry we had a discussion with Ron's parents and they believe that you have to return to Grimmauld Place. You can sell it and buy a newer house; that one is depressing if you want my opinion.”
“I don't want to sell it, it's Sirius' house. It is the only thing he's left me.”
“Alright. But you know you can't stay there forever.”
“I think I will stay there for a while until things settle down and everything is back in order.”
“You can stay here if you want. Now that Percy, Fred and George moved out, we have enough room for you.”
“Thanks but it's better to stay alone for a couple of months. Will you visit me? Both of you.”
“Of course! And we can watch some Quidditch games together, my dad met a guy that gives him tickets at very low prices! Chadley Canons forever!”
“Boys will be boys” whispered Hermione, but neither Ron nor Harry listened to her.
“Yes that would be amusing. Now I'd better start heading to Grimmauld Place. Hand me the magic powder.”
Harry took some of the powder Ron gave him, he threw it in the fireplace, he got in it and he said loud and clear “Grimmauld Place!”.
In a second, Harry was out of Ron's and Hermione's eyesight.
“I think I'll go too Ron. My parents are worried about me and they know nothing about evil wizards and lethal spells...” Hermione got up and was ready to apparate.
“No! Don't leave. Just stay a little bit more.” Ron said feeling his cheeks redden.
“Alright” replied Hermione who was more red than usually herself.
“How is Krum?”
“Viktor? How did you remember of him? We haven't spoken for a while. He was preparing for some matches but the War began and we... lost contact. Since when do you care about him?” asked suspiciously Hermione.
“I was trying to be nice, that's all! Are you...em... you know? Em...I mean...”
“No, we are not. He had his matches, I had the Horcruxes and distance made things worse. That's what you wanted to know? You didn't have to pretend you cared about him.”
“I always admired Krum, you know that!”
“Yes, yes, if you say so.”
“Listen Hermione. We never had the chance to talk about that but I believe that we don't see each other as a simple friend...”
“Yes, we are more than simple friends. We could become brothers, our bonds are very close.” said Hermione ironically.
“You know that's not what I mean.”
Hermione looked at him and with a serious expression replied:
“Of course I do.” She paused for a while and then kept talking ”Ron, are you sure you like me? Or is it just a reaction because I was dating with Viktor Krum, your idol?”
“Are you mocking me? I had to kiss Lavender and pretend I was asleep in order to get rid of her! It is not a reaction. I do like you.” Ron answered almost yelling.
“Good to hear that. Cause I do too.” Hermione smiled and Ron gently kissed her.


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Woot woot woot, this is chapter 6! It is not really that informative but i promise, chapter 7 is going to be better! I just had to get something off the way... Oh and thanks of course to PhoenixTears for beta-ing it!

CHAPTER 6

An unpleasant meeting

When Harry arrived at Grimmauld Place, he felt downhearted. Everything was so dark and depressing in there. The house was full of dust and sun barely managed to get in through the big dirty windows.
“Home, sweet home” Harry whispered and started walking around the house. When he entered the kitchen, he called Kreacher, his house-elf, that had been working at Hogwarts' kitchen the past few months.
“The master returned. He is still alive, that Muggle-lover, that filthy...”
“Nice to see you too Kreacher. I have a job for you. You will go to St. Mungo's hospital to visit Dobby, Neville, Tonks and Professor McGonagall. You will tell them that I've sent you to check on their condition. You will tell them that I hope they will get well soon and that I'll visit them myself one of the next days. After that, you will return here. You will not speak to anyone else, or go anywhere else but the hospital. When I return, I want to find you in this kitchen. Am I clear?”
“Of course Master. The elf will do anything you want you Blood-traitor, you...”
“That will be all Kreacher. Now, go to the hospital.”
With a pop, Kreacher disappeared. Harry hoped he would not find a way to get round his orders. He took a bath, he changed his outfit and left the house. He wanted to go for a walk at Diagon Alley; it has been so long since the last time he visited it. He used once more the magic powder and ended at Flourish and Blotts.
Diagon Alley was very different than the last time he had visited the area. Many new shops had opened and everyone seemed happy and liberated from worries and anxiety.
He visited Madam Malkin's to buy a couple of new cloaks, he bought ingredients for some basic potions he might need to create in the future, he bought some boxes of owl nuts for his owl, Hedwig, and took a look at every shop. He passed outside of Fred's and George's shop the Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. They were right; it was so crowded that he could barely open the door. When he passed outside of a shop about broomsticks, The Flying Magician, he saw the newest broomstick, called Speedlight. .It was supposed to be 5 times more stable than Firebolt and 2 times quicker. Too bad he would no longer play Quidditch at school. He felt sorrowful at this thought but someone made him forget everything about Quidditch.
It was him, that filthy boy whom he had hated from the very first time he had met him. It was Draco Malfoy. He was walking with his head looking down; he was no longer arrogant. His father died in the War and his mother was being interrogated from the Ministry. He was lucky that no one suspected him, his mother protected him by telling that her son was forced to become a Death Eater but has never killed anyone. That was true, but still, he didn't deserve to be free.
“Malfoy,Malfoy... Did you lose your arrogance? You won't find it in the pavement.”
“Leave me alone Potter. You won, I lost.”
“You never left me alone when I was the one that was loosing.”
“No, I didn't. But you didn't lose many times Potter, did you? Your beloved Dumbledore protected you constantly. I wish I was the one that killed him.”
“But you weren't. Your favourite Snape did what you were too coward to even think of. I wish I had killed him. But Hagrid did it and that made me as happy as I would feel if I had killed him myself.”
“Get out of my way Potter, I'm sick of you.”
“I never believed that a snake could feel. I'm amazed by you. Don't change Malfoy, it fits you”.
With these words, Harry walked away feeling angry. He remembered how easily Snape killed Dumbledore; he was an awful traitor that knew only betrayal and dishonesty. And then, Harry felt the same sharp pain he had felt seconds before killing Voldemort. He looked himself in a mirror and became scared by his appearance; his eyes seemed as if they were red and full of hate. This lasted just for a second and when he looked again at the mirror, he saw only a very frightened and stunned teenager.


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Sorry it took me so long to post this but i was waiting for Dianne's corrections. But she is very busy so she hasn't been able to log in for quite a long. This is unedited, so excuse any possible mistakes... Now, this is the one with Ginny. I hope you like it!




Back at Burrow, Ron and Hermione could not keep their hands off each other; they were finally together and this thought made them smile constantly. When Molly Weasley returned from the Ministry of Magic, where she went to visit her husband, she saw them whispering and laughing.
“What happened between the two of you? You were arguing when I left.”
“Nothing mum, don't be so curious. And we weren't arguing, we just didn't share the same opinions.”
“Alright honey. Where is Harry?”
“He left, he returned to Grimmauld Place. He said he wanted to stay there for a while. He didn't seem very willing to sell the house” replied Hermione.
“It is not that unexpected. He needs something to make him feel close to Sirious.”
“Ah, mum, Fred and George stopped by. Have you heard that Hagrid and Madam Maxime are getting married?”
“Your dad told me this morning; they announced it to him yesterday. Hermione, will you stay for dinner?”
“No, Mrs Weasley, thank you. I have to go home. I should have left hours ago. Ron, I'll see you tomorrow. Do you want to meet at Grimmauld Place?”
“Yes, sure. I'll send Harry an owl to let him know about it. Goodnight!” Ron said.
Hermione kissed him in the cheek, something that caught Molly's attention but decided not to mention anything about it.
“Goodnight dear” she said greeting her.
In a minute Hermione had apparated.
“Do you need any help mum?”
“No it is alright. It will be just the four of us tonight: you, your dad, Ginny and me.”
“Okay. I'll go upstairs to send Harry an owl.” said Ron as he was walking away “Oh, since that you mentioned it, where is Ginny? I haven't seen her all day.”
“She must be upstairs. She is not feeling very well. Why don't you take a look at her, just to see if everything is alright?”
“Sure”
Ron walked upstairs and went to his room. He wrote a short note to Harry and sent it with Pigwidgeon. Afterwards, he went to Ginny's room and softly knocked on her door.
“Who is this?” asked a voice from inside of it.
“Ron. I'm coming in.”
“What happened to you? Did you eat too many of Fred's smilies? He has warned us not to do so. You remember what happened to Percy right? He couldn't stop laughing for three days.”
“I didn't have any of them. I love my brothers but I'm not willing to eat everything they make.”
“So why are you smiling? You look like an idiot.”
“Is it bad to be happy?”
“That's your happy face? Show me the idiot one!”
“Haha, very funny. I came to see how you are feeling. I haven't seen you all day. Is everything alright?”
“Yes. I was just thinking about Harry. How is he doing?”
“He will be fine eventually. He was upset about Cho's death but he will get over that one too. Me and Hermione will go and visit him tomorrow at Grimmauld Place. Do you want to come with us?”
“No, no. I'm not ready to see him yet. We have some matters to discuss but neither of us are ready to talk about them.”
“If you really want to be with him, you have to let him know.”
“I don't take advice from someone who hasn't told the girl he likes that he has been in love with her since forever.”
“Speak for yourself sister! Things have changed.”
“What do you mean?”
“Kids! Come downstairs! Meal is served!” Molly yelled at them.
“Don't think you'll get away with it WonWon!” Ginny said right before being seated at table.
Ron didn't care about her threats. He was Hermione's boyfriend at last; and that was all that mattered.


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EDIT: Chapter edited according to Dianne's corrections. Thanks yet again!

Woot woot! I can't believe it! I have chapter 8 on my hands! Thank you sooo much Dianne! And again sorry for all the grammar mistakes, i just keep on translating in english what i think in greek...It is hard sometimes...Anyways! Thanks!!!
Now, go ahead and read! I hope you will like it and leave some feedback, i really want to know what you think about my mistery man...
Oh i forgot to say, good point the CAT one Dianne, i would have never ever thought of that. I guess i was more focused on the handsome doctors while watching ER than on the actual medical cases...

Friend's meeting

The next day, Ron ate breakfast at his house quickly and at exactly 11 o'clock, he apparated to Grimmauld Place. Hermione had arrived a few moments before Ron. She was sitting with Harry at the kitchen.
“Goodmorning Harry. How are you feeling today?”
“Better. A good sleep can help anyone. I was just telling Hermione that I went to Diagon Alley yesterday. It's changed a lot; many new shops have opened. Even people looked different. They seemed as if they have all drank a little bit of Euphoria”
“We have to get used to this situation. They all try to make up for the lost time...” commented Hermione.
“I guess you're right. I forgot to tell you. Guess who I met”
“Who?”
“Malfoy. He looked awful. Nothing like the good old Malfoy. We had an argument but he's too weak to handle me” he said.
“It seems that everything has changed...” said Ron
“Speaking of changes...”
“Sorry to interrupt you Hermione but I also have to tell you something else. I sent Kreacher at Saint Mungo's hospital yesterday. He visited Dobby, who will be out soon; his injury was merely skin deep. Tonks has a very light amnesia but should be fixed in a couple of days. Neville has some broken bones but he will be fine soon enough. I am worried about McGonagall. The nurses told him that she is in a coma; they have not found yet what caused it. Probably a potion, one of those Snape sent to all of his enemies. They are searching for the antidote. I hope she'll be alright”
“Don't worry Harry. They even fixed my dad from Nagini's bite, Snape's potion will be a piece of cake for them”
“Yeah, Ron's right. Maybe we should go to Hogwarts someday, don't you think? The school will be open in less than three days, so it'd be good to check on it. Who do you think'll replace McGonagall until she's well again?”
“Who knows? But he or she will have to find two teachers! A DADA one and a Transfiguration one” said Ron.
“I know who will be the DADA teacher. It is going to be Lupin” said Harry
“Lupin? But I thought parents didn't want him” mentioned Hermione.
“They didn't want him before. Now that they know how useful he has been at the War, they all like him. I wonder if the Curse has broken” said thoughtfully Harry
“It probably has since Voldemort is dead... Speaking about it Harry,we still haven't discussed that...”
“Hermione I'm not ready yet”
“Ok, no pressure on you. Whenever you feel ready, let us know”
“Yeah Harry. We're here for you” Ron added.
“And speaking of we, there is something you need to know” started saying Hermione hoping that their news would not be too much for Harry to handle.



At a hospital, not very far away from Grimmauld Place, some nurses were carrying a body at the emergency room.
“Who is this guy?”
“I don't know. We found him outside of the hospital's door. He has no ID”
“What should I write on his papers?”
“John Doe, caucausian male, age approximately 35-45, long dark hair, thin, tall, no known address”
“Alright, done. What happened to him?”
“He seems to be in a coma. No external injuries. We will have to use both CAT scan and MIRI to see if there is an internal wound. Prepare those along with the emergency room”



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Alright here is chapter 9! Thanks to PhoenixTears, who btw celebrated her birthday three days ago! Happy birthday!!!
I hope you like this!
Now, go ahead and read!

CHAPTER 9

The next days, Harry spent his free time by cleaning the house and sorting out the stuff he wanted to keep and the ones he would throw away or sell. Although it was a tiring and dull activity, Kreacher's reactions made it much more fun. Hermione and Ron (the second one very reluctantly) offered to help him but he told them that it would be better for them to spend some time together, as a couple at last. Besides, Harry needed some time on his own, to think about everything that has happened the past few days.
Voldemort's death seems to have brought happiness back to the world. But Harry could not accept the fact that he had actually killed someone. It might have been the most evil wizard ever, and Harry felt happy to have killed him himself, but still it was a living person. He felt no remorse but that murder would be something he would have to take in and live with. He was no longer “the boy that lived”, he was “the boy that killed he-who-could-not-be-named-in-the-past”.
Apart from all these, Harry was worried about Professor McGonagall, Hogwarts needed her more than ever. He would not stand it if she could not recover. She was the only person that could remind him just a little bit of Dumbledore. How hurt he was from his death; how much pain he had felt when he saw his body lying in the grass... He knew that he could never get over it. Deep inside this loss had hurt him more than every other loss.
Harry tried not to think about it by bringing to his mind the conversation he had with Ron and Hermione. They seemed to be so happy that they were together but they were willing to break up if their relationship made Harry uncomfortable. Of course Harry would never want them to do something like that. Their relationship however, made him think of Ginny. They had broken up during Harry's last day at school so as to protect her from Voldemort. But now that there was no danger, they had to talk about them. Harry was not sure if Ginny would want to be together, with him. He felt drained of emotions. It was too soon however to deal with that.
In a couple of hours, Harry had finished cleaning the house and sent an owl to Ron and Hermione asking them to visit with him Hogwarts the next morning.
Next morning, Harry met Ron and Hermione outside of Leaky Cauldron. They would use the Knight Bus, that would leave them at Hogwarts' entrance. Hagrid would be waiting to let them in.
When all three of them had arrived at Leaky Cauldron, Harry called Knight Bus which arrived in a second.
“Goodmorning. I am Tomas. Would you like to be seated?”
“Yes please.” replied Hermione
“Would you like to drink a cup of coffee or hot chocolate?”
“Neither, thank you”
“Alright. These are your seats. And your destination would be...?”
“Hogwarts.”
“Great. We will be there in exactly ten minutes.”
Tomas gave them their tickets and moved to the back of the bus to wake up an old lady.
“It's a pity that Stan Shunpike no longer works here. He's a very pleasant person. Not that he isn't (what was his name, Tomas?) but I liked Stan better” said Harry with memories filling his mind.
“Wasn't Stan arrested like a year ago?” asked Hermione
“Yes, but he was released. My dad told me that he actually got a job at the Ministry. He is the secretary of the secretary of the secretary of the Minister of Magic.”
“It seems to me that his job was a bribe, an apology for his arrest. ” commented Harry
“Yes, I guess you are right. It is the Ministry's way to make up for their mistakes. I hate politicians, they are all the same. Magicians and Muggles, it makes no difference.”
“Hermione, my dad works at the Ministry too! But he is nothing like that.”
“Of course he isn't. There are exceptions to the rule Ron. You know that. And I'm sure your dad would prefer to work for a Muggle than to work for Scrimgeour.”
“Yeap, that's true...”
After that conversation, all three of them were lost in their thoughts, looking outside of the window when a voice brought them back to reality.
“Next station Hogwarts school. Hogwarts school next station.”
“That will be us” said Hermione and got ready to get off the bus.
“Thank you Tomas for the pleasant ride!”Harry said, almost hoping that Tomas would show some enthusiasm, as Stan used to do.
“You're welcome” he replied as kindly as possible. He wasn't used to people thanking him.
When Harry got out of the bus too, they heard a noise and within the next second the Knight Bus had disappeared.
The trio walked to Hogwarts' gate where Hagrid was waiting for them. He seemed bigger than normal, and that made him look more frightening than ever. But Hagrid frightened only the stupid and the evil ones. He was wearing that awful brown jacket and pants with his orange scarf. Fortunately, he had not tried to fix his long and black hair. Instead of that, he had cut it short and that made his head look huge.
“Harry, Ron, Hermione! I'm so happy ter see your!” he said enthusiastically and hugged them all as soon as he opened the gate.
“We're happy to see you too Hagrid! Why are you wearing your formal suit? And why did you cut your hair?” asked Hermione trying to break free from his tight hug.
“I wore it fer your guys! An... for Olympia. She ll take me to Madam Malkin's to buy clothes fer the weddin. And I cut my hair cause Olympia said she would not marry me with long hair.”
“Ah... Now that you mentioned it, congratulations Hagrid! We were thrilled by your news! When did you decide it?” asked Harry
“It was sudden. When the War was over, we were out celebratin and I asked her if she wanted to marry me. She said 'yes' and now we are plannin the weddin.”
“When will it take place?”
“In about a month, at France. You re invited of course.”
“Thank you! We'll try to be there!” said Ron
“Enough about me! How re you doin? Arry everythin right? What about you two?”
“I'm fine Hagrid, as fine as someone could be. As far as Hermione and Ron are concerned, they are doing fine too. Together.” replied Harry with a nasty smile
“Together? I see... At last!”
“Hagrid! You have noticed it?” asked Hermione with astonishment.
“From the first year! Who hasn't?” replied Hagrid and burst into laughters. “So what are you doin here?”
“We came to see how things are. Who is running this place until McGonagall is back?” asked Harry.
“Haven't you heard? Slughorn.”

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Yeah Chapter 10 is here! Before i let you go on with your reading, i have to thank again PhoenixTears for being such a nice beta! I suggest her fanfic, which you can find at her signature or else, simply click here!
Happy reading!

CHAPTER 10

Memories

“Slughorn? The last Potions teacher?” asked Ron
“Yeah. He's got a lot on his head, he's teachin Potions an runnin Hogwarts at the same time. He's exhausted. Have your heard that Lupin's the new DADA teacher? An the new Transfiguration Teacher's Aberforth.”
“Aberforth? This name reminds me of someone... I'm pretty sure I've heard it somewhere before...” said Harry thoughtfully.
“Probably Dumbledore had mentioned 'im before.” At the sound of Dumbledore's name, Hagrid stopped smiling and looked sorrowful. He still had not got over his death. “Aberforth's Albus' brother.”
“Yes, of course! That's it. Dumbledore had mentioned him once, around four years ago. He had told us that his brother was arrested for trying some spells at a goat. I've actually seen his picture. Moody showed me a picture of the members of the Order which had been taken many years ago and Aberforth was in it. But I always believed he wasn't very smart.”
“Nah, he's. Not as smart as Albus, but still, smart enough. He volunteered fer that job an Slughorn thought he's a good choice. He's Albus' brother after all. But he's proved ter be a very good teacher so far. Not as good as Minerva, but he can become better with a little bit more practice.”
“Wow. Can we meet him?” asked Hermione.
“Yes. He is actually standin right behind your.”
Ron, Harry and Hermione looked slowly behind them almost as if they feared they would see a ghost.
“Hello. I'm Aberforth Dumbledore.” said the ghost. He looked nothing like his brother. He was younger and taller , with sorter grey hair. What made the greatest difference was the total absence of a beard. His face was clear and lit by two beautiful blue eyes. Yes, his eyes were the only similarity he had to his brother. They looked smart and full of the ingeniousness Albus had. “And you are...?”
“Oh excuse us sir, Professor, er...Mr. Dumbledore. I'm Hermione Granger.”
“I am Ron Weasley”
“And I am Harry Potter”
“Hmm...Nice to meet you all. I believe I heard you say that you wanted to meet me.”
“Yes, that is true. Professor Dumbledore has never told us that he had a brother and I believe that very few people knew it. So, we were curious to see how he, you I mean, looked” said Hermione feeling embarrassed.
“Actually, we have heard him talking about you. He mentioned that you have been arrested once” stepped Harry in.
“Yes, that's true, indeed. I have to admit that I made some mistakes when I was younger but I believe it's time for me to grow up and become an adult. I'm 75 years old after all...” Aberforth replied with a big smile. He might not look like his older brother, but he was certainly clever and full of spiritedness despite his age, something that characterized Albus too.
“Where have you been for so long?” asked Ron
“Everywhere and nowhere, deep in my thoughts, at the corner of my round room...” he replied enigmatically.
“Excuse Ron for his curiosity. It's none of his business to ask you something like that” said Hermione looking at Ron with an expression full of anger and indignation.
“Curiosity goes along with youth, young lady. After all, I'm used to this question. People have been asking me that very often the past few days. Now, I hope you will excuse me but I was looking for Professor Sprout; she promised to give me information on a certain plant. Once again, it was nice to meet all of you. I like it when I meet people who were close to my brother. See you around. Bye Hagrid!” And with that phrase he disappeared as quickly he had showed up.
“He is such a strange guy” Ron said after a while.
“Not stranger than his brother” said Harry “Now I think we should pay a visit to Slughorn. Hagrid we will see you soon”
“Yes, we'll be waiting news about your wedding” said Ron waving, after Hermione hugged him, or at least, tried to.
As the trio was heading to Hogwarts, they felt very peculiar. Meeting Albus' brother was very unexpected. Being to school without being its students made them feel even more oddly. But neither of them said anything and preferred to keep their thoughts to themselves.
When they entered the school, they started heading to the Headmaster's office. It was then that they realized that they didn't know the password. Luckily enough, Slughorn was just getting out of the office. He was as surprised as they were when they saw Aberforth.
“Harry? Hermione? Ronald? What are you doing here?” he asked
“We came to see if everything is alright now that Professor McGonagall is on hospital. And we also wanted to see Hagrid so...”said Hermione
“...you came! Alright, I'm not used to that but I think it is reasonable to feel the need to check things around here. As you see, I'm doing fine. I'm getting very tired but I like handling all these duties. People say I have to become the Headmaster permanently but it's up to Minerva. Anyway. Would you like to meet our new teachers? Professor Lupin and Professor Dumbledore II ?”
“We already know Professor Lupin, sir and we've just met Professor Aberforth” replied kindly Hermione.
“Oh, yes, I forgot that Lupin was your teacher for a year. Well, I believe you don't need me anymore. I'm very busy so I have to go. Nice to see all of you again. Bye!” Slughorn greeted them with a wave of his hand and walked quickly away.
“I guess there is nothing left to do here. Maybe we should go” said Ron.
“I guess you are right...”replied Hermione and started heading to the main entrance of Hogwarts with Ron and Harry following her.
They met no one at their way out, they saw only Hagrid again who quickly opened the gate and locked it behind them apologizing for his hurry. He said he had a class and he still had not found a single Thestral.
Harry laughed at the thought of his always full of incidents classes. He really missed Hogwarts. But it was time to move on.
“Oh, no, I'm so late. I was supposed to be at Burrow twenty minutes ago to take Ginny for shopping at Diagon Alley. Do you mind if you return without me?”
“No, it's ok Ron, go. I'll stay with Harry.”
“Ok, Bye guys! I'll see you soon” Ron lightly kissed Hermione and gave a small punch at Harry and then he vanished.
“And then, only two were left” said Hermione with a smile.

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Hello once again! With no further delays, i am giving you Chapter 11 which has been beated of course by PhoenixTears! Enjoy...!

CHAPTER 11

The unexpected

For a second time, Harry called the Knight Bus. Tomas greeted them and offered them tea or chocolate. Some of the chairs have been replaced with beds; it was getting dark and some people were taking a nap while returning home.
Hermione and Harry sat at the back of the Bus in order to have some privacy. They started talking about Aberforth and what impression he had on them, about whether Slughorn could handle all of his responsibilities, about Hagrid's wedding. It was a long trip as there were many passengers in the Bus. That served Hermione's purpose: she wanted to speak to Harry about Voldemort and their last fight. He had no one to talk to and although he seemed unwilling to discuss it, she knew that Harry needed someone to listen to him. So, she started a conversation.
“Harry how are you doing?”
“Why do everyone keep asking me this question? I'm fine”
“Killing someone isn't that easy Harry, even if that someone was the most wicked wizard that has ever existed”
“I know. I have thought about that. There are two ways to see what I did. One of them is to approach it as a good did and the other is to face it as a murder. It is the second one that keeps bugging me”
“Do you want to talk to me about it?”
“No, I don't. I'm still handling it myself” Harry paused for a few seconds and then he looked at Hermione “There is something else I want to talk to you about. Right before...the action..., Voldemort told me this: 'Remember this Harry Potter, Fimi nax.' Or something like that. I felt a very sharp pain when he said that. Do you think it's a spell or something?”
“Fimi nax? I've never heard of it, but I'll look it up. Probably it's a spell that did not work properly; he was very weak then” Hermione looked at Harry and asked him again “Are you sure you don't want to talk to me about that night?”
“I'm sure”
“Cause I can help you and...”
“I said I don't want to talk about it”
“But talking is good Harry...”
“LEAVE ME ALONE!” screamed Harry and grabbed his wand as if he was going to use it against Hermione, he even almost whispered “Sectum Sempra”.
Hermione looked at him terrified; she has never seen Harry so angry before. He looked as if he would really use his wand to hurt her.
“I'm sorry Hermione, I don't know what got into me”
“No, it is my fault, I shouldn't have pushed you so far...”
The people at the bus were looking at them but when they realized that the show was over, they returned to their newspaper or their nap.
Harry and Hermione did not speak during the rest of their journey. Neither of them could think of anything to say. Harry was feeling that sharp pain again and Hermione was feeling uneasy and worried for some reason she could not identify.
After a couple of minutes, they heard Tomas saying “Next station Leaky Cauldron, Leaky Cauldron next station” and they got off the bus.
Right in front of Leaky Cauldron's door, Harry bade Hermione goodnight without looking her in the eyes, because he felt embarrassed of his excessive behavior.
Hermione watched him walk away; she had noticed that he didn't look her in the eyes.
And then, she realized what was wrong.
It was Harry's eyes. When he aimed at her with his wand, he looked her straight into the eyes. But they weren't green as usually.
They were red.





******
At a hospital close to Grimmauld Place, a doctor was holding some result exams. Everything seemed to be fine with her patient. That normally made her happy but not if her patient was in a coma for no obvious reasons.
“Hey Roberta! Did you get the blood test results from the unidentified man?”
“Yes, he is totally healthy. The results from the CAT scan were great too”
“Then why on earth is he in a coma?” she asked herself.



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Ok ok ok here is chapter 12! I have been really busy with classes and all lately that i haven't even replied to my feedback...Grr! So anyways, thanks to PhoenixTears for betaing this and taking some time from her busy schedule to correct my akward sentences! Have fun reading! This is the one with Ginny!

Our first fight

The next day, Hermione could not stop thinking of what she had seen. She knew only one person with red eyes and that person was killed by her friend. She tried to occupy her mind by looking up the spell Harry had mentioned to her the previous day. She searched every book she had, from the book of DADA for the amateurs to the last DADA book she used at Hogwarts to even Lockhart's books! But she could find nowhere the “Fimi nax” spell. Feeling desperate, she apparated to Diagon Alley and spent three hours at Flourish and Blotts scanning every book about spells she could find. But still, she had discovered nothing useful. So, she decided to take more drastic measures.
Back at Hogwarts, Hagrid started to feel desperate too. The whole marriage case was troubling him as not only could he not find any nice suits for himself, but also he could not teach his best man how to hold the wedding rings and how to stand quietly at his seat until it was his time for action. It was too much for a giant to take in. Hagrid wished Olympia would handle everything but she was busy handling her own responsibilities, among which was running Beauxbatons. Once more, life seemed to find its way back to normal.
At Weasleys' house, things were not quiet either. Fleur had her first fight with Bill and it was Molly's duty, as she unpleasantly realised, to calm her down and try to solve their problems.
“My dear, it is not my duty to interfere into your life. I'm sure you can solve your problems with Bill, alone.” Molly was saying, hoping she would get rid of her.
“But Bill won't listen to me. He said it is stupid to have a fight for something that unimportant. And then, he left. Banging the door.”
“I'm sure he didn't bung the door Fleur, he was probably late for work. I know Bill, if he says that something is unimportant, then it is.”
Fleur however was not listening to her, she was crying loudly mumbling something in French.
“Who makes so much noise?” Ginny asked as she came rushing in Burrow's kitchen. When she saw Fleur, she tried to leave the kitchen as quietly as possible but it was too late as her sister-in-law had already seen her.
“Ginny... Me and Bill had a fight” Fleur said crying at the same time.
“Oh... what happened?” asked Ginny trying to be nice with Fleur.
“I told him that I wanted to buy new furniture for our living room and he agreed”
“And this is a problem because...?” said Ginny looking perplexed.
“Because he didn't care about the furniture I wanted to buy. He said he trusted me and that he couldn't come to the store with me because he had to go to work. And when I said that he got bored of me, he told me that he loved me but he could not take a vacation day just for furniture. And then I started crying and yelling at him. And he left saying that it was silly to have a fight about furniture and he banged the door!” said Fleur crying even harder.
“I'm sure it will be ok Fleur. Billy loves you and I'm pretty confident he trusts you. Go home, cook for him his favourite meal and everything will be alright again” said Ginny hoping that she would leave at last.
“You really believe that?”
“Of course. Now, please leave” Ginny almost begged her.
And then, at Molly's and Ginny's astonishment, Fleur stood up and said “That's what I'll do”. And with that phrase, she apparated.
“Thank God, she was driving me crazy! Hey! Where are you going young lady?” Molly asked.
“I'm going to visit Harry, I'll be back for lunch. Bye mum!” replied Ginny and within a second she had thrown some magic powder at their fireplace and was transported to Grimmauld Place.
“Strange kids” Molly whispered to herself.
Many miles far from Burrow, Ginny ended up at Sirius' living room and started looking for Harry. She had not informed him that she was going to visit him and so, she was afraid that he might not be home, or worse, he might kick her out of the house. She was walking around the house when she heard a noise. She followed it and ended up at the house's large kitchen. Kreacher was there and he was holding a weird tree as big as he was. Every branch of the tree had a different color with something written on it and some were actually moving. Kreacher was mumbling something that sounded like “No... It is not possible... Not after so many months...”
“Kreacher? What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be at Hogwarts?” asked Ginny.
Kreacher screamed when he heard her voice and he almost threw the tree down.
“Kreacher does not have to explain his actions to any one else but his master, that Muggle-...”
“Go back to Hogwarts' kitchen or I'll have to tell your master that you disobey his orders” Ginny threatened the elf which quickly apparated, hopefully to Hogwarts, taking his tree with him.
Ginny was thinking about that tree when she heard another noise coming from upstairs. She went up the stairs and she moved slowly to the room from which the noise came. She opened the door and she saw Harry feeding Hedwig at that time.
Harry heard someone opening the door and looked up to see who was it. And when he saw Ginny, he whispered:
“What are YOU doing here?”


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I can't believe it has been almost a month since i posted the previous chapter...I am so sorry! Actually, i should be in class now but i can't stand that teacher...
Anyways, since it is Dianne's exams, i can't add her more pressure so i am posting this unedited. Don't be too hursh!
Enjoy! I will post the next one sooner, i promise!
{Chapter betaed}



“I didn't know I wasn't wanted here” Ginny said feeling disturbed by his words.
“Of course you're wanted here. But I didn't expect to see you that soon” Harry replied, trying to apologize for his tone.
“I came 'cause I believe we have some issues to discuss. If you want that too, of course”
“Yeah, you're right. But I don't know if I'm ready yet Ginny. There're all these other obligations I have to deal with that I can't think about something that important right now. I have to fix the house, visit Tonks and all the others at the hospital, not to mention Kreacher and his strange behavior” said Harry, looking very tired by all these tasks.
“I understand Harry and I don't want to be pressing. But you have to deal with that too. You can't just ignore it...”
“I know Ginny. Don't tell me what I have to do; I'm completely aware of my responsibilities” he replied with a very rough look.
“Alright Harry, I just remind you of us. Because I do care about us and I want to try the best for us and I'm willing to do everything it takes. For us” she said looking exactly as Harry had.
Hearing her words, Harry smiled and gently said:
“I missed you Ginny”
Ginny smiled too and replied:
“I missed you too” and she hugged Harry.
“Now I'd better go. I took what I came for, or at least, took its bigger part”
Right before leaving, Ginny remembered something.
“There is something you may want to know. I saw Kreacher before. He was at your kitchen and he was acting very strange. He was holding a tree with colorful branches that were moving, and he was whispering about something being impossible. I couldn't understand his words but he looked awkward. Isn't he supposed to be at Hogwarts' kitchen?”
“Yeah... I wonder what that tree was. Guess I'll have to ask him about that. Thanks Ginny”
“You're welcome. I told him to go back to Hogwarts or you'd punish him. I hope he went there. Anyways, I hope I'll see you soon Harry!” Ginny waved and used Floo powder to return to the Burrow.
“Bye” whispered Harry as he watched her vanishing. He was glad that he and Ginny were friends again. Right before the War, they had a big fight about Ginny's participation at it. Harry was against it but Ginny took part in it ignoring him. They had not spoken since then but Harry hoped that things would work better for them after her visit. It was a good start for their relationship.
Things however would not work as well for Kreacher and him as his house-elf was keeping secrets from him. Another thing to handle was just added to Harry's already long list.



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As promised, here is chapter 14 (non-betaed). Please don't be cruel, i'm doing my best!
{Chapter betaed}

CHAPTER 14

It's a sign

The weeks left for Hagrid's wedding went by quickly and before Hagrid could realize it, he was getting married. The last details for the ceremony were taken care of and everything went according to plan. The only problem was Grawp, who still had not managed to understand his role at his brother's wedding.
While Hagrid and Madam Maxime were occupied planning their “big day”, Harry, Ron and Hermione were shopping at Diagon Alley looking for a nice present for the weird couple.
“That's a very stupid idea, Ron. We can't buy them a baby Hyppogrif. Madam Maxime will hate it and besides, where will they put it?” Hermione wondered.
“Yeah, Hermione's right. But we can't buy them books either as you suggested” said Harry looking at Hermione
“We'll never find a nice gift for them...” said Ron desperately.
Harry and Hermione looked at Ron thinking the same thing he had just said. They could not think of something clever and useful at the same time. They all wanted to find something that would help Hagrid in his new life and that would be always remembered by him. And then Harry came up with an idea.
“Hey! What if we all gathered some money for Hagrid's new house? Everyone will be giving them teapots and tea cups, plates and all of the stuff people need when they build a new house. But no one will be actually helping them to build that house” said Harry, full of excitement for his idea.
“Nice idea Harry!” said Hermione.
“I'ill sell some of Sirius' things I don't want to keep and I've been thinking of getting rid of. I think they're very valuable, so I'll gather a very tidy amount of money”
“Yeah, good idea! And I'll work for Fred and George, they've been looking for a long time for someone to try their products and demonstrate them in front of people. Plus, the pay's not bad either"
“And I'll give him the money I gathered from working with my parents at their dentist office” said Hermione.
And thus, the trio spent the rest of the days before Hagrid's wedding gathering the amount of money their friend would use to build his new house.
Harry went every day to Diagon Alley carrying the things he wanted to sell. He visited Flourish and Blotts, who bought some of Sirius' books, he went to Madam Malkin's, who seemed very willing to buy the everyday and formal cloaks of Sirius' mother, some of which were worn only once or twice. Harry had to visit Borgin and Burkes too, which seemed to have fallen in decay after Voldemort's death. Its owner, Borgin, looked very old and the lines in his face showed how hard life has been for him the past few weeks. He welcomed Harry, although he knew who he was, but he seemed very disappointed when he realized that Harry wanted to sell, not to buy. His look and mood changed ,however, when he saw the things Harry wanted to sell.
“How come you own a crystal ball of ghosts? It is very rare and a very dark object for a wizard like you,” he said looking suspiciously at Harry.
“It was my godfather's. Will you buy it? I didn't come here to give explanations to you on how I found these objects,” replied Harry with a very angry look. He was getting very tired by this procedure and although his godfather did not want these things, it was very painful for him to sell them. But it was for a good cause and that rose Harry's spirits.
“Oh I see. I will buy your crystal ball for ten Galleons. The cup that swallows everyone but its owner is worth four Galleons. And the painting that leads to insanity is worth five Galleons. So I will give you for these objects... 19 Galleons.” said Borgin
“Nineteen Galleons? No way! The ball is worth at least 40 Galleons and you know it. The cup is worth 15 Galleons and the painting 25 Galleons,” said Harry feeling his anger grow.
“You want me to give you 80 Galleons for these three little objects? It is impossible young man! Impossible!” he replied although he knew that these objects were worth 100 Galleons all together.
“If you don't want to buy them, I'll find someone else who will,” Harry replied and looked at Borgin with his rage filling every bit of his mind. He may not be familiar with these dark objects but he knew that he was being fooled, and that enraged him; It made him furious making him want to curse Borgin for treating him like a complete idiot.
Borgin understood that Harry would not be deceived that easily. So he had to compromise. He looked once again at the objects lying right in front of him and he thought that he would gain 20 Galleons if he offered Harry the amount that he was asking for them. It was a good deal and Borgin knew he could find some collectors who would be willing to give more than their worth for these objects. So, giving him 80 Galleons was not such a big sacrifice after all.
Borgin looked at Harry ready to accept his offer when he saw it.


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I'm posting this quickly so that i can go back to reading my book!!! Can't wait!
Have fun!
{Chapter betaed}

CHAPTER 15

Borgin let a scream come out of his mouth and whispered “Your eyes, your eyes...” with the same tone insane people use. Harry looked at him and he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his head. He closed his eyes and when he opened them again, Borgin was staring at him with a perplexed expression.
“Take your 80 Galleons and leave. Take them!” Borgin said giving Harry his money, almost pushing him out of his store.
Harry took the money feeling as puzzled as Borgin was. But his astonishment was quickly replaced with content as he had managed to take exactly what he asked for. His only problem was that he couldn't understand how he had managed it.
The beautiful sun and the clear blue sky, visible from Diagon Alley, made Harry forget about Borgin. “He's an old man and he is loosing his sense; I don't have to worry about his weird behavior,” Harry said to himself, trying to feel better and get over the awkward scene he had just witnessed.
He looked at the money he had put in his moneybag and he made some calculations in his mind. Flourish and Blotts gave him 100 Galleons for the books, Madam Malkin gave him 70 Galleons for the luxurious cloaks he sold and Borgin gave him 80 Galleons. So, he had gathered 250 Galleons. It was a very good amount of money and he knew that it would come handy to Hagrid.
Before going back to Grimmauld Place he thought he should stop by the Weasleys' store to see Ron.
When he reached the store, he saw that it was very crowded but in the middle of it there was only one person standing, vomiting at that time. When Harry entered the store, he realized this person was Ron .
When Ron saw him too, he wiped his face and greeted Harry.
“That's the job you are doing? It's cruel!”
“This was nothing! You should have seen me when I ate the Nosebleed Nuggets, I lost so much blood that Fred thought I would die. And when I became visible again, after eating the vanishing gum, I had an eyebrow missing. But no one noticed it. And the twins say I'm doing a great job; everyone wants to buy their stuff, so they gave me a bonus!” Ron said looking very pleased with himself.
“How much money have you earned so far?”
“Around 50 Galleons. It's not much to build a house but I think I'll keep working for them. I may even gather enough money to buy a new broomstick. Ginny took my Comet and she won't give it back to me so I kinda need a new broomstick... How're you doing?” Ron asked
“I've got 250 Galleons from what I sold and I'll...” Harry started saying but before completing his phrase, Ron interrupted him as some customers asked him to try the Puking Pastels again.
Ron whispered a “sorry!” to Harry and returned to work. Harry watched him eating the pastel and when his friend started vomiting again, he left the store. He had seen enough.
Hermione was doing better than Ron as her parents gave her money as a gift for working with them. She had managed to earn 200 Galleons and that made her happy. She could see Hagrid's face when all three of them would offer him the money for his new house. He would certainly love their gift!


******
“Doctor Smith? Can I talk to you for a second?”
“Of course, nurse Pitterson. What's wrong?” the doctor asked
“The patient number 12”
“Who's this patient?” the doctor asked with a bored expression.
“It's the unidentified man we found outside the hospital almost four weeks ago” replied the nurse as kindly as possible. She had noticed the doctor's tone but she was sure that her mood would change when she heard her news.
“Oh, yes, of course. What about him?” the doctor said, feeling her mood changing.
“He woke from his coma. He was awake for a minute and then he passed out again. We tried to make him regain consciousness but nothing worked. What do we have to do?”
“You should have called me immediately! You know how interested I am in this patient!” the doctor yelled at the nurse. That patient, the number 12 ,as everyone called him, was a very rare medical case. He had no external or internal injuries and his exams showed that he was a perfectly healthy man. But he was in a coma and noone could tell why this happened.
“We tried to call you doctor, but you were examining another patient at that time. Even if you managed to come, you wouldn't have seen him awake. It lasted only a minute. The only thing he managed to say was...”
“He spoke???” the doctor asked interrupting the nurse.
“Yes, he spoke. He said: You are a Muggle. ”



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This is chapter 16 after a whole month! Sorry! I am just so concentrated on my books now that i forget about these things... Anyway, enjoy!
{Chapter betaed}

CHAPTER 16

The wedding ceremony

Hagrid's wedding day arrived and everyone in the Weasley family was getting ready to apparate to France. The wedding ceremony would take place at a nice park in France, a park called “L'Amour pour toujours” and everyone hoped they would not come across any giants but Grawp. Hagrid and Madame Maxim were not considered as giants as they were half-giants, half-man.
“Ronald, what's taking you so long?”
“Yes, Ronald. Don't wear too much make-up or you'll look prettier than Madam Maxime and Hagrid will marry you instead of her!” said Fred.
“Fred! Don't talk like that! Oh, there you are Ronald. You look very handsome inside your new formal cloak” said Molly Weasley.
“Thanks mum” mumbled Ron.
“Is everyone here? Molly, Bill, Fleur, Charlie, Fred, George, Ron and Ginny” counted Arthur Weasley “Where is Harry and Hermione?” he asked but before he could finish his sentence Hermione apparated next to him and Harry stepped out of their fireplace. “Ah! There you are! Ok, let's get ready! Molly do you have our gift with you?”
“Yes dear, it's right here” she replied showing him the package she was holding.
“Alright then. Bill you will apparate first with Fleur, then Charlie with Ginny, Fred and George you will be third -and please do not end up in the Eiffel Tower-, Ron and Harry you will apparate with me and Molly with Hermione will apparate last” he said “Bill, go!”
One by one they all apparated to “L'Amour pour toujours”. It was a beautiful park full of green. It had trees of all kinds and colorful flowers which were a pleasure to the eyes. In the middle of the park there was a shallow lake, that reflected the blue sky and the light of the sun. Right next to the lake, there was a wedding arch, enchanted to be larger than usual, and many rows of chairs. There were many guests already seated there, among which Harry recognized some of the Beauxbatons students. He saw Hagrid standing next to the arch, wearing a nice black suit, and talking to his brother, Grawp, who was also wearing a black suit that was a bit short at his arms and legs. When Hagrid saw the Weasleys, Harry and Hermione, he approached them and hugged them, thanking all of them for making it to his wedding.
“I wish me dad were here...” he said to Harry who smiled at him.
After Hagrid greeted everyone he returned back to his position and they were all seated by the lake.
Madam Maxime arrived after a couple of minutes. Hermione was looking at her with her mouth wide open. She was wearing a white wedding dress with fur at her shoulders. She was so tall that people could mistake her with a bear, if she was not that thin.
The wizard-minister, who is responsible for these ceremonies, asked everyone to be quiet during then ceremony and he began with the ritual.
“Friends of this couple, we gathered here to celebrate the union of this man and this woman” he said pointing at Hagrid and then at Madam Maxime “These two people have decided to be united under the bonds of matrimony and thus, they promise to be faithful and loving and caring to each other for the rest of their life. Rubeous Hagrid, please read your vows.”
“Yeah, a'right. Olympia, hem..., after me dad died, I never believed I'd find someone for whom I'd care and who would care for me too. I had close friends bu' no one could understand how lonely it was to be half-giant. Until I met you. You were and you are, the person to whom I can turn when I feel lonely, you are always there. This is why I want to marry you” Hagrid said feeling very nervous and embarrassed.
“Olympia Maxime read your vows now” the minister said.
“Rubeous, when I met you for the first time, I did not believe that I could love someone like you. You were so different from me that it seemed impossible to be with you. But when I had the chance to know you better, I realized that it didn't matter that we were so different. I loved you and I wanted to be with you, and that is all that mattered to me” said Madam Maxime smiling.
“Now that you both read your vows, it is time for the wedding rings.”
“Grawp, Grawp! Now!” said Hagrid.
Grawp stood up and with a big smile, gave Hagrid one of the rings.
“With this, I take you to be my wife.”
Grawp gave then Olympia the other ring.
“With this, I take you to be my husband.”
“And now, I pronounce you husband and wife.” said the minister and at this words, everyone stood up and started applauding and cheering the happy couple.
“Hurray!” screamed Ron and laughed.
Harry could hear everyone shouting “Congratulations!”. It was almost unbelievable that Hagrid was married officially to Madam Maxime. Without realizing it, he looked at Ginny who was applauding the happy couple. She looked at him too and they both smiled; they were sharing the same thought.
Hermione was happy too and she was laughing with Ron, they had the same thought as Harry and Ginny.
But Hermione was not that calm as she appeared. She had found out something very upsetting: Harry's life was at threat.


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Sorry it has taken so long but i've been really busy lately. I will come back soon and edit the previous chapters! As for this one, i did my best to make it as well-written as possible...! Enjoy!

CHAPTER 17

Expect the unexpected

As soon as the ceremony was over, the happy couple thanked all of their guests for coming to their wedding. Harry, Ron and Hermione were waiting anxiously for their turn to congratulate the couple. When they reached Hagrid at last, they all hugged him and wished the best for his common life with Madam Maxime and they gave him their gift.
“Here is your gift” said Hermione handing an envelope to Hagrid and Madam Maxime.
“Our gift?” Olympia asked looking very surprised as she opened the envelope. Inside of it there was a number and a small key.
“We opened an account at your name in Gringot's bank” explained Harry at Hagrid's puzzled look.
“We gathered some money for you and Madam Maxime, to help you build your new house. We thought it was a nice idea. I mean, we didn't want to get you a teapot, I'm sure you have a dozen of them” said Ron.
All three of them were very nervous to see if the couple would like their idea. But Hagrid's uncomfortable look made them more worried.
“Mr and Mrs Hagrid come here! It is time for the wedding pictures!” the photographer Hagrid had hired, shouted.
“We have ter go. Thank you guys...” said Hagrid looking almost relieved that he had to go. He put the envelope inside his jacket and he headed to the position the photographer showed him.
“Do you think he liked our gift?” asked Hermione staring at Harry's hair and coming so close to his head that she almost touched him.
“Hermione!” Harry yelled when he noticed her intense look. She was acting very strangely, she had been looking at his hair during the whole wedding. But she didn't only do that. She kept asking him if he was feeling hot and if he had a headache. Harry however, tried to ignore her and said: “He didn't seem very happy about it...” feeling very disappointed by Hagrid's reaction.
But they didn't have the chance to discuss this matter over and over again as they used to, because Ron's parents called them over to participate at the wedding pictures.
The celebration that followed the wedding was unique. Everyone was happy and seemed excited by the big variety of food, by the music -The Wizards were impressive on stage, more impressive than anyone could have ever imagined-, by the psychedelic fireworks. Harry, Ron and Hermione could not enjoy however, none of these, not even the fact that the singer of The Wizards danced with each one of them. Hagrid's expression at the view of their gift had ruined their mood.
What followed however, relieved them from their dashing hopes. While they were dancing, Hagrid approached them and gave them a big hug to everyone's surprise.
“Thank you so much fer your gift! It's a brilliant idea! I really need this money, I want ter build a house Olympia will love” said Hagrid as he released the trio from his arms.
“You didn't look very excited when we gave you our gift...” said Harry looking gloomy.
“Yeah, I know an' I'm sorry 'bout that. But I hadn't told Olympia 'bout me plans, I would show her the house when it'd be done. It was supposed ter be a weddin' gift...” Hagrid said, trying to explain his behavior. “But it's better she found out!” he added when he saw their full of dissatisfaction expression. “She said that though she loves me, my taste is horrible. She wants ter be a part of that house. An' she told me ter thank you very much fer your magnificent idea, she thinks that this money'll be very helpful”.
“We're so sorry that we ruined your surprise...” tried to apologize Hermione, feeling however relieved that the couple liked their idea.
“No, don't be sorry. It's better this way!” he said and hugged them once more. “Now I have ter go. Don't leave without greeting me!” he shouted while walking away.
“This is so great! They liked our gift!” said Ron, looking relieved too.
“Yes, it's great! I mean, we ruined the surprise but as Hagrid said it was...” started saying Harry but something made him lose his train of thought.
A man had just apparated next to the arch and was heading to Ron's dad quickly. Harry recognized him, it was Lupin. Harry ignored Hermione's questions and approached them without being noticeable. He could easily discern Lupin's words. He was saying:
“Something went wrong. The doctors are doing their best. But Minerva may not make it”.
He was talking about Professor McGonagall.



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Hello! I am about to post chapter 18. But before doing so, i have to thank both etphonehome and K8Egrrl for offering to be my beta. I was getting desperate cause people usually want to take over a fanfic from its very beginning. But fortunately i have a new beta now, etphonehome! Thank you so much Elaine for volunteering and betaing this chapter! Also thanks to K8Egrrl, who has posted a fanfic herself: Nothing Is As It Seems. Take a look at it, it seems very interesting!
So, ok. Here is chapter 18. Enjoy!

CHAPTER 18

In trouble yet again

“What?” Harry screamed forgetting the fact that he was trying not to draw any attention on himself.
“Harry!” the Weasleys yelled at the sound of his scream.
“It's alright Harry, you don't have to worry. Minerva is a tough nut, she'll recover soon” Lupin said trying to calm Harry down.
“But you said she may not make it!” Harry shouted.
“It was not literal what I said Harry” replied Lupin, but the expression on Harry's face made him stop “Alright, she's in danger but she'll be fine soon. As I said, there is nothing to worry about”
“What happened?” asked Hermione who followed Harry when she saw him yelling at Lupin.
“Professor McGonagall is in a fragile state. But as I was saying to Harry, she'll be fine” Lupin said once again.
“What went wrong? Harry has told us that the doctors were trying to find the antidote to Snape's potion...” stepped in Ron.
“I had Kreacher visit her and he told me that” said Harry when he saw Lupin's puzzled look.
“They tried an antidote but the potion is more complicated than they thought” Lupin said.
“Can we visit her?” Molly Weasley asked.
”There is nothing you can do to help her Molly, and I fear that visiting her will only make things worse for you” Replied Lupin, looking tired. “Finding the potion is the only thing that will help her. But that's impossible. Now, I have to leave. Congratulate Hagrid for me” Lupin said goodbye then apparated.
Hermione and the rest of those who had heard the conversation with Lupin, seemed very sad and their earlier good mood had vanished.

Harry, Ron and Hermione were walking around the lake thinking of ways to help Professor McGonagall. Hermione suggested looking up the potion in her Potions book, Ron suggested talking to the twins about it- they might help them. But the best idea came from Harry.
“The Half-Blood Princes book!” he exclaimed.
“What about it?” Hermione asked looking puzzled.
“It was a potion from Snape the one McGonagall drank, right? So, the potion may be written in it”.
“Great idea Harry! But where's the book now?”
“I hid it at the Room of Wishes but I never took it back”.
“I'll go to find it. I have a job to do at Hogwarts so, I'll look for the book as well” said Hermione, pleased that this book would prove to be helpful for once.
“What job do you have to do at Hogwarts Hermione?” Ron yelled when he saw her walking away. But she didn't reply. She greeted the said goodbye and apparated out of France.
“I think I'll go too. Can you drop me at Grimmauld Place?” Harry asked Ron. They both said goodbye to Hagrid, and after Harry bade farewell to the Weasleys, he held Ron's arm and they both apparated to Sirius' house.
But someone else was already there waiting for them.

******

Back at the hospital where the unidentified man was taken care of, Doctor Smith could not believe what she had just heard.
“You are a Muggle? Are you sure that's what he said?”
“Yes, doctor, I am sure. His words were loud and clear. Nurse Firth heard them too, you can ask him if you don't believe me” Nurse Pitterson replied.
“It is not that I don't believe you nurse, of course not. But there is no such word as 'Muggle'. At least, I have never heard of it before”.
“I'm sorry I can't help you, but these were the patient's words. We didn't have the chance to ask him about their meaning as he passed out immediately”.
“Yes, I understand” the doctor replied thoughtfully. “You can go, Nurse Pitterson. If you notice any change at his condition, please inform me immediately. Thank you” she said as the nurse got out of her office. It was bad luck that she didn't have the chance to see the patient awakened. Ethically it was opposite to her job, but at that time, she cared more about the patient's words than his physical, and rather incomprehensible state.

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Hey! It's been only 12 days since the last time I posted.
It is kind of ironic actually. Now that my beta is sending me back the corrected chapters so quickly, i don't have enough time to write. But i will try to post more often, i want this story to end some time soon.
Anyways, thanks to Elaine once more for betaing this!
Enjoy!

CHAPTER 19

A friend in need

“Dobby! What are you doing here?” Harry asked the house-elf with the big green eyes.
“I thought you were at the hospital.”
“No, Harry Potter. I got out of the hospital this morning. I came here because I have some news for you” Dobby replied looking worried.
“What's wrong Dobby?” Harry asked
“I was ready to apparate out of the hospital when I heard two nurses talking about Professor McGonagall. They said she was in a very bad condition, they said she may die. I thought you should know” Dobby replied.
“Ah, yes, we already knew that. Professor Lupin told us of her fragile condition,” Harry said but when he saw Dobby's disappointed expression, he quickly added:
“But thanks for coming all this way to tell me that. If Professor Lupin hadn't told us, then you'd have proved to be very useful.”
His words made Dobby smile- he obviously felt proud of himself.
“I have to go now, Harry Potter, I have to return back to work, at Hogwarts' kitchen” Dobby said but before apparating, Harry stopped him. He had thought of something.
“Dobby, can you do me a favor?”
“Anything you want!” said Dobby who was always willing to serve his beloved Harry Potter.
“I want you to bring me something from Hogwarts, a book actually.”
“Tell him to spy on Hermione too!” Ron said enthusiastically, having understood what Harry wanted Dobby to do.
“Ron, we can't do that. Hermione'll hate it if she finds out, not only because she'll think we don't trust her, but also because she'll think we're taking advantage of Dobby's willingness to help me. You know how strict she is about house-elves, remember SPEW” Harry said.
“Yes, you are right, but I don't understand why she's keeping secrets from us, especially from me!” Ron yelled.
“She'll tell us what she has been doing when she's ready, she always does. So, relax” he said looking at Ron with indignation. He may be his friend but sometimes, he just can't stand his attitude. “I wish I could make him stop talking. We have more serious issues to deal with than Hermione's inexplicable behaviour” he thought to himself but he said nothing to Ron.
“So, Dobby, will you help me?” he asked the elf, turning his back to Ron.
“Of course! Anything for Harry Potter” said Dobby delightedly.
“Ron, you can leave now, if you want. Don't forget to send Hermione an owl telling her that we'll fix the book issue ourselves, ok?” Harry kindly said to Ron.
“Alright” he replied and apparated to The Burrow feeling enraged with Hermione's attitude.
“Ok, Dobby, listen to me. You have to be very cautious- no one must notice that you’re looking for something, especially Professor Slughorn”, and with these words Harry started explaining to Dobby what he had to do.
After a couple of hours, Harry was alone at Grimmauld Place. Dobby had seemed to understand Harry's instructions and he had told his friend that the book would be his again in a few days.
Harry was feeling very worried about Professor McGonagall. If she died, Harry would never recover from her death. But Harry's state of mind would be the least of the problems.Hogwarts would lose a very good Headmistress, and Slughorn would control the school totally. Who knew how horrible the consequences would be for the students, if something like that happened?
Harry could only hope that things would turn out well for everyone.

The next day, Hermione was at Hogwarts, having a discussion with Madam
Pince, the school's librarian.
“But you're sure that you've never heard of it before?”
“I'm afraid yes, dear. Did you find it anywhere?”
“Well, yes... There was a book that mentioned this for Fimi nax: 'It is a very powerful spell, used to provoke insanity to those against whom it is used. The first sign that indicates the use of this spell, is the change of the hair's color, as a result of the damage of the brain's cells.' But it doesn't make any sense. I've checked the person's hair but they were exactly the same. And I haven't noticed any of the other symptoms mentioned such as sweating, bleeding from the nose and complaining about weird headaches” Hermione said, feeling more worried than before.
At Hagrid's wedding she was upset as she thought that Harry was getting mad. But she found no symptoms that would indicate this case. Becoming insane is certainly troubling, but it can be fixed with some spells. Knowing however that something was wrong with Harry without being able to discern the problem was more than worrying, it was life-threatening.
Madam Pince interrupted her thoughts by saying: “I'm sorry, dear, but I have to leave. I'm afraid that there may be some students in the library that don't seem to care about my rules.”
She was about to leave when a thought slipped into her mind.
“Are you sure Hermione, that the spell is correct?” she said and with this phrase she left the classroom where she and Hermione had met.



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Hello once more! I don't have much to say...except from a big "thanks" to Elaine for betaing this. She is amazing! Thank you!
Enjoy!

CHAPTER 20

The wrong place

The days after Hagrid's wedding went by quickly. Everyone was very busy: Ron was still working at his brothers' shop, Hermione was looking for the spell with her anxiety growing more and more as the days went by, and Harry was cleaning up Grimmauld Place, trying to distract his mind from the Half-Blood Prince’s book. Hagrid was very busy working and building his new house in France, where he would live with Olympia as soon as it was ready. He was hoping that the Ministry would give him permission to apparate, as there was no other way for him to work at Hogwarts and be with Olympia at the same time. But his worries were erased at the thought of his beloved wife- yes, he was happy after a very long time in misery and pain.
As all of them were trying to solve their problems and adjust to their reality, someone else was looking desperately for a book. Dobby tried to search for it unnoticed but things were different than they used to be. Professor Slughorn was very strict about the elves, he didn't want them to disturb the students with their presence: he was a very ambitious man and he hoped that his experience would make him Headmaster even if Professor McGonagall were to recover. And thus, Dobby had spent many hours trying to find the book, as the room of Requirement was full of books and he had to search each and every one of them.

And then one day, he found it. It was a big book and from the outside it seemed innocent. But Dobby knew not to be deceived by how it looked: Harry had explained to him what was written in it and Dobby felt he had to be very careful with it. So, he took it and hid it in the kitchen until he would have the chance to give it to Harry Potter. But things wouldn't prove to be that easy.

One day, Dobby had finished his chores and decided it was a good opportunity to visit Harry Potter. But before he had the chance to apparate out of Hogwarts, another elf called him for help, as some students had set their beds on fire and the elves had to clean up the mess. So, Dobby quickly followed the other elf. Without realizing it, he left the book at one of the big tables of the kitchen, where anyone could see it. Dobby would not realize his mistake until it would be too late to fix it.

After Dobby left, someone entered the kitchen looking for something tasty to eat. He was very hungry, even though he had filled his plate three times during the dinner. While he was looking around the kitchen, he saw the book lying on a table. Full of curiosity, he took it and opened it. When he saw the name written in the book, he froze. He had seen this book before. And he knew that this exact book would lead him to glory. Yes, he was finally reaching the top.


It seems that troubles do not worry only the wizards, but also the common Muggles. Doctor Smith was taking care of a patient trying to focus on her broken ankle, but the patient number 12 had dominated her thoughts. During the past few days, she had visited him several times hoping that he would wake up once more. But this didn't happen and the doctor felt very disappointed. Whenever she visited him, she would just sit next to his bed and stare at him. His face was full of harsh lines- a gift from time. His hair was very long and it had started to grey. But he was handsome, she could sense a power coming out of him, even though he was unconscious. She wished she could see his eyes, she wondered what would be hidden in them. And so, she spent many of her free hours at hospital, next to his bed, looking at him.

One day, she realised something. She had seen him before, she was certain that she had seen his face on television. That realization filled her with joy. She felt she was very close to finding out his identity. If she managed that, she would throw some light to this awkward case finally after all of these weeks. And thus, she started a research with agony filling her heart. Somehow she knew it was a race against time and she couldn't afford to lose.


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Merry Christmas to all of you and happy holidays!!
Thanks to Elaine for betaing this!
Enjoy!





Many days had passed since Harry had asked Dobby to find the book, and he was getting worried. He knew that every minute they were wasting was valuable to Professor McGonagall's life. Moreover, he could not stand doing nothing; it was horrible for a person like Harry who seeks adventure constantly. So, he had to act.

One of the many mornings he spent inside the house, he called Dobby, hoping he would be able to apparate out of Hogwarts. Harry was waiting anxiously for his arrival but the minutes went by and no one appeared something that worried Harry. All of this inactivity had made him stressful. After waiting for what seemed a long time, and feeling rather disappointed, he went to the kitchen to prepare something to eat, although he wasn't hungry at all. But his plans would change once more.

While he opened some of the drawers, trying to find a spoon and a clean plate, he heard a weird noise behind his back. With his senses raised, he slowly turned around taking his wand out of his pocket. What he saw almost made him scream.

There was Kreacher, with his back against Harry, sat inside a drawer under the sink. What scared Harry the most was not his sudden appearance, after all, this elf always came without a warning, but he seemed to be holding a weird object in his hands.

Harry slowly approached him, trying not to make any noise. He was curious to see what Kreacher was holding- his need for adventure seemed to awaken. Harry was almost touching Kreacher's shoulder when suddenly, a “pop” was heard and someone called Harry's name.

That scared Kreacher who quickly hid the unknown object and got out of the drawer, trying to look innocent. Harry felt disappointed; he was so close to finding out the identity of that object. It was almost ironic that Dobby apparated that precise moment. At least, Kreacher had to obey his master, so Harry could just make him stay and show him what he was hiding.

But his hopes would prove to be wrong once more.

“Harry Potter! Harry Potter! Where are you?” Dobby was yelling
“In the kitchen Dobby.” replied Harry
“Harry Potter! Something horrible happened! I'm so sorry Harry Potter, I'm so sorry. It's my fault, I must be blamed. Now I have to burn my hands to punish me... I'm so...” mumbled Dobby and started crying.

The look of worry and remorse on Dobby’s face, made Harry forget everything about Kreacher. All that he cared about now, was Dobby.

“Calm down Dobby and please tell me what happened.”
“He took it, he took it...You warned me but I was not very careful. I made a big mistake, I’m sorry Harry Potter, I’m really sorry...” murmured Dobby
“Dobby, I can't understand what happened. Please calm down!” he almost yelled.
“You asked me to look for that book, and I did look for it very carefully, no one noticed me. I found it and I hid it very well. I wanted to bring it to you and one day, I was ready to apparate here. But something happened and I left the book at a table inside the kitchen. When I got back, it was not there...”
“Who took it Dobby?” asked Harry, fearing that he knew the answer.
“He did, you told me to be careful of him, but I wasn't. He took it...” said Dobby
“Who is he Dobby? For goodness sakes, reply to me!” said an enraged Harry
“Professor Slughorn” said the elf so under his breath that Harry nearly heard him.

Harry's look depicted all of is thoughts. It was the worst scenario coming true, his worst fear being real.

Trying to be calm, Harry asked the elf when that had happened.

“Yesterday, but I could not come sooner Harry Potter...” tried to excuse himself.
“Listen Dobby, you have to go back. I'll figure out a way of solving that problem” said Harry, trying to convince both Dobby and himself that it would be easy to get the book back. “And in any case, do not burn your hands or harm yourself at any other way. Do I make myself clear?” added Harry when he saw Dobby's very sad look.
“Yes sir.” Dobby said feeling disappointed that he could not punish himself for that huge mistake. He looked at Harry one last time and he returned back to Hogwarts' kitchen.

Back at Grimmauld Place, Harry sat at a chair, holding his head in his hands. Things were supposed to be easier now that Voldemort had died, but Harry's life was anything but easy. He wanted an adventure but his new task seemed to be almost impossible...

It was then that he realised that Kreacher had left the house. Harry stood up and slowly approached the drawer. He was in rush, that was the kind of adventure he seeked. He slowly opened the drawer, holding his breath and trying to see through the shadows. When his eyesight got used to the darkness, he could clearly discern the drawer's inside.

It was empty.

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Hello once again!!
Thanks to Elaine for betaing this! You're amazing!




“Goodmorning dear. How are you?”
“I'm fine Mrs Weasley, thank you. Is Ron upstairs?”
“I'm afraid not Hermione, he is still working at Fred and George's shop. Did you come for him?” asked Molly looking puzzled
“No, Ginny asked me to come over but I thought I’d say hello to Ron as well.”
“In that case... Ginny is upstairs.”
“Thank you.”

Hermione started heading towards the stairs, thinking that she was not that fine after all. The curse problem was driving her nuts, she hated that she could not find its use, while at the same time Harry's life could be in danger.

Without realising it, Hermione had reached Ginny's bedroom. She softly knocked on the door and when she heard a “come in”, she entered the bedroom.

There was Ginny, sitting at her bed and looking outside of her window. She looked as if she was ill, her eyes were red- Ginny had not slept for days, something that did not skip Hermione's attention.

“Ginny, you look awful. What happened to you?”
“Oh God, Hermione, I haven’t slept for days. Thank God my mum hasn’t realised that.”
“Why aren't you sleeping? Do you feel ill? Maybe I should give you a couple of the pills the Muggles take to sleep” said a worried Hermione.
“No, I'm fine, I’m not ill anyway. My problem is my dreams- or my nightmares to be more accurate.” she said and after taking a deep breath, she continued talking. “For the past few days I have been having the same dream over and over again. I see Harry, we are in a dark place, it may be Grimmauld Place, I don't know. It is really dark in there. We are not doing anything; we are just looking at each other. Suddenly, you and Ron appear and a light comes out of your wands. And then I realize that Harry's eyes are red! I feel my heart freezing and I hear an awful laugh that hurts my ears. That's when I wake up, while I'm sweating and my nose is bleeding. Every time I see that dream I wake up covered in sweat and blood. It is horrible Hermione. Please, help me make it stop!” yelled Ginny and started crying.

Hermione hugged her and whispered “It is ok Ginny, I’ll help you. It’s just a nightmare. You know that when you wake up, you will be far from darkness. You know that you will be fine...”
“I'm not scared by the dream Hermione. I'm afraid that this dream will come true.”
“No, Ginny, don't worry, it won't.” said Hermione trying to calm her down.

But Ginny did not look convinced so, Hermione hugged her once more and said “And even if it does come true, I won't let darkness consume you. I will bring the light and save us all.”
“Thank you Hermione...” said Ginny whipping her tears off her face. “Sorry, I haven't asked you, are you ok?”
“It doesn't matter... Well, I have my own troubles but I think I will sort out my problems.”
“Alright. But you know, I'm here for you too.” Ginny said smiling. “Now, let's talk about something else. How are you and Ron doing?”
“Fine I suppose. I haven't seen him for a couple of days, but when we meet we are just fine! You and Harry?”
“I visited him a while ago, we just chatted and I think we sorted out some of our problems. Though, we still have a long way ahead of us” Ginny said.
“Well, I'm glad that things seem to be working out well for all of us...” replied Hermione looking around Ginny's bedroom.
And then, she saw Ginny's clock, she had to leave immediately.

“Ginny, I'm sorry but I have to go, I promised my parents that I would help them with some chores around the house. I'm glad we had this conversation; I will try to visit you again the next few days. Promise me that if you keep having that problem, you will tell your parents, ok?” asked Hermione.
“Alright, I promise” smiled Ginny.

Hermione was walking away when Ginny yelled that she forgot to tell her something very weird. She said that when she woke up and realised she was covered in blood, she looked for a wound. One day, she realised that this blood, well... was not hers.


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Chapter 23 people! I know it's taking me so long to post. I promise, promise, promise, I'll try to fix it. This story probably has 10 more chapters or so and then it will be over. I'd better get down and start writing, ha?
Thanks once again to Elaine for betaing this!





“The blood was not hers? How is that possible? And how can she bleed without a wound? And bleed someone else's blood?” kept asking Ron with the most perplexed look he ever had.

But Hermione did not look less puzzled. After she left the Burrow, she quickly returned to her house and as soon as she finished her chores, she visited Ron at the twins' shop. She thought it was necessary to tell someone what Ginny had told her, even if this person was Ron who hardly ever comes up with a clever solution. They were sitting in a small coffee house at Diagon Alley and they both seemed lost in their thoughts.

“It is possible” said Hermione after a while--
“What?”
“Bleeding in your dream. I looked it up at a book and it said that someone can bleed at their sleep, when the dream they are seeing is intense, without having a wound. It also said that it is a common phenomenon especially when the dream involves someone beloved who appears to be very severely hurt. The only problem is that no one was hurt at Ginny's dream...”
“And the blood? Is it hers?”
“I don't know Ron, it must be hers. How else can it be explained, if it is not hers?”
“Don't know...” Ron replied “But if it is her blood, then everything is fixed, isn't it? Probably someone was hurt at her dream but she doesn't remember it, it’s simple.”
“Let's hope that this will be the case...” replied Hermione hoping that all of these would be just another nightmare and nothing more than that. “I have to go now Ron; there is something else I need to sort out” Hermione said and stood up.
“Hermione...please don't go so soon. I hardly ever see you, and you are my girlfriend. I need you to be here with me. You never visit me anymore unless you have something important to tell me” Ron said standing up as well. “We both waited for so long for that- please, let's not spoil it...” he softly whispered and kissed her tenderly.
“Alright” she replied blushing a little bit. “I'll stay.”

And thus, they spent the rest of their day together, talking and sharing all of their thoughts and feelings. They looked very happy.

******************

Hermione and Ron were the only ones however, who looked and were happy. Not very far away from where they were, a woman was sitting at her desk looking up some information on the Internet. She was so concentrated that she did not listen to her beeper ringing.

What she was trying to find, was the summer papers from 4 years ago, she was looking for a story that had interested all of the press and the politicians as well.

After three hours of continuous search, she came up with a very interesting article. Its title was:

“KNOWN CRIMINAL ESCAPED YESTERDAY”

And the subtitle was:

“MR. 'MASS MURDERER' IS FREE”

The woman took a quick look at the article and decided to print it. As she switched on the machine, she realised that her beeper was ringing- she had five unanswered calls, they all came from hospital, which meant that they probably had an emergency. Doctor Smith took a deep breath and left a sigh- it was hard being a doctor but now, she had no choice but to do her job. She changed clothes, took her keys and her bag and left the house, locking the door behind her.

At that precise moment, the article came out of the printer and was followed by a picture of a man. Of a man Doctor Smith knew.

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Chapter 24 is here! Thanks to Elaine for betaing it, and get well soon!
(Try not to be very tempted by vtm )



Harry, Hermione and Ron were sitting at Sirius' kitchen, looking heavyhearted. Harry had told his friends what had happened and they were trying to figure out a way of getting the book back.

“Maybe I could pay him a little visit” said Hermione. “I could make a potion which would make him sleep and slip it inside a bottle of fine wine. He would drink it and I would search for the book.”
“It would never work Hermione. After the incident with the poison when Ron almost died, Slughorn is very careful. I thought of that myself but it would never work. Moreover, the book must be hidden in a safe place, you would need hours to find it- if you find it” replied Harry.
“Do we have a plan B?” asked Ron.
“We don't even have a plan A Ron, how could we have a plan B?” answered Hermione in an ironic tone.
“I'm just trying to help.”
“Hmm...What about asking Hagrid's help? We need someone who can be at Hogwarts 24 hours a day and who can visit Slughorn without raising any suspicions” suggested Hermione.
“Well thought Hermione,” said Ron “but we can't trust Hagrid. He always messes up things with secrets. Remember our first year? He revealed everything to us. And again at our fourth year, he revealed to Harry and Madam Maxime the dragons... And...”
“I see your point Ron, but there isn't anyone else who can help us and whom we can trust...”
“I think there is Hermione” said Harry who had not spoken for a while.

Both Ron and Hermione looked at him expectantly; they knew it would be hard to get the book back and they would need to come up with a great plan. Harry looked as if he had found the solution to their problem.

“Alright...listen carefully. Here is what I thought...” said Harry and started explaining his plan to them.

After a while, Harry had finished talking. Hermione looked rather perplexed, it seemed to be a good plan but it was almost impossible to make it work. They would need courage and luck. A lot of luck.

And then, Hermione came up with an idea.

“Do you think a little bit of...luck, would help?”
“Yes, it would be nice if we were lucky, but so far, odds have proved to be against us. I don't think it will be at our side this time either” replied Ron who had not understood what Hermione was implying.
“Felix Felicis! What a brilliant idea Hermione! Can you make some for us?”
“Felix Felicis? Is that what you meant?” said Ron.
“Yes, Ron. Hopefully, I will be able to create some, though it takes a long time to prepare. With some alterations however, I may have it done by the time you will have fixed all of the details of our plan” replied Hermione thoughtfully.
“Alright” said Harry “So, maybe we should get it started, time is not on our side. Slughorn may use the book before we will be able to retrieve it. Or, worse, McGonagall...may die” whispered Harry.
“We won't let this happen Harry. I promise” replied Hermione standing up. “I have to go now, Felix Felicis needs many ingredients so I have to go shopping” she said heading towards the exit.
“I’ll go with you Hermione, I have to visit Fred and George to get paid” said Ron who followed Hermione.
“Goodnight Harry” they both said and quickly vanished into the darkness.
“Goodnight” whispered Harry and softly closed the door behind him.


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Here is chapter 25! Thanks to Elaine for betaing it!


25. Ten days had passed since Harry had told his friends the plan he came up with. Everything was ready; the potion was done and everyone was fully aware of their part to play in it.

“Good luck Hermione” Harry whispered as she was getting in position to apparate.
“Thanks. I ‘ll be back in three hours maximum. It will all be ok Harry” she replied.
“Hey, did you get the Felix Felicis?” he asked grabbing her from her arm.
“Yes, don't worry. Have faith!” she said and after releasing herself from his grab, she vanished with a slight pop.

The plan had just been set in motion.

**************

“What do you mean he disappeared? How can someone disappear from a hospital? Unless he orbed!” Doctor Smith was yelling at the nurse who had just informed her that a patient was missing.
“I don't know Doctor Smith. There was a guard outside of his bedroom, as requested, who never left his post. At 3 am I checked the patient myself. He had not woken up and his condition was stable. When the nurse of the day shift went to check on him, he wasn't there. We checked the tapes of the surveillance system, but we saw nobody entering or leaving that room, apart from me and nurse Davis” Nurse Pitterson replied. She was just as puzzled as Doctor Smith and neither could understand what had happened.
“Could he have jumped out of the window?” the doctor asked in an attempt to clear this mess up.
“He could but it is highly impossible. The window is 7 metres high, which means that he could not have jumped without being hurt enough to need medical help” the nurse answered knowing she had just eliminated the options of explaining this disappearance.
“Then what the hell happened?” a frustrated doctor asked.
“I'm sorry, I don't know” the nurse whispered as she got out of the room.
“How could I let you slip out of my hands mystery man?” Doctor Smith said to herself and walked out of the hospital room no 12 closing the door behind her.

************

In the meantime, many miles away, a gasping Hermione reached Hogwarts' gate where Hagrid was already standing waiting for her.

“Com' on Hermione! Com' on!” he said impatiently.

Hermione reached the door gate and handed Hagrid the potion she had made.

“Now hide somewhere!” he ordered her.

Hermione hid behind a bush and sat comfortably. She crossed her fingers and hoped everything would work out.

The plan was simple. Hagrid would hand Felix Felicis to Professor Dumbledore who would slip it into a fine bottle of wine. Then, he would invite Slughorn over to drink together. Aberforth knew how suspicious Slughorn could get when it came to his food and drink, but he was sure he would trust him. Who wouldn't?

And so it happened. Slughorn tasted the wine with pleasure covering his face. He was so enthusiastic about it that he didn't see Aberforth emptying his glass with a spell.

The more Slughorn drank, the more drunk he got. Just before collapsing, Dumbledore asked him where he had hidden Snape's book. The rest was easy.

Aberforth retrieved the book (Slughorn was that arrogant that he considered his desk a great hide) and ran quickly to the transfiguration class where Hagrid was waiting for him.

Hagrid took it and hid it inside his huge pocket and then moved towards the gate where Hermione was waiting for him. He gave her the book and urged her to apparate. Then, he went back to the forest where he was trying to teach some worms to jump, acting as if nothing had happened.

Aberforth on the other hand, returned quickly to his office, made the empty bottle vanish, putting another one in its place and pretended to be asleep as Slughorn started waking up.

“It seems this drink made us both collapse then, Professor, isn't it?” Slughorn laughed hard as he regained consciousness.
“Yes, it did indeed. I don't think I will ever accept gifts from my dear friend Joseph again...” Aberforth replied trying not to look too awaken. “Oh Lord, I have a class in exactly 3 minutes, I have to rush Professor Slughorn. Thank you for joining me!” he said waving his hand as he walked out of his office with Slughorn following him.
“No, thank you Professor Dumbledore. Your friend has quite a taste!” he replied and waved back. All this had increased his appetite. “Let's hope these stupid elves have something for me” he thought.

While everything seemed to be normal in Hogwarts', back at Grimmauld Place, Harry and Hermione were celebrating their victory.

After a few moments of cheering, Harry got serious again and asked Hermione something that had been bugging him for a while.
“Hermione” he said “What if the book doesn't have the antidote?”



****************************************************
Thanks for reading my fanfic! Please post your views at my feedback!

I am guilty of all charges! I hadn't updated this for...um...many months. I got distracted by everything else around me, and I couldn't find the nerve to continue this story. But I don't want it to get deleted, and I will finish it. This chapter has not been betaed (I can't force sweet Elaine to beta in a day or so), so bear with my mistakes. I will post next chapter within the next few days. I must finish the story.

Anyways, read on!




“Hey guys! Did you get it?” asked an anxious Ron who had just apparated outside of Grimmauld place. “Did you get it?” he asked again seeing that neither Harry nor Hermione were willing to reply to his question.

“Yes we got it Ron.” replied Hermione who was still surprised from Harry's question.

If it didn't have the potion, then nothing could save Professor McGonagall. The nurses at St. Mango's could not figure out what potion had been used. They had tried all possible antidotes and spells but nothing seemed to work. This book was their last chance.

Ron realised something was wrong but before he had the chance to ask yet another question, Hermione spoke.

“Right before you came, Harry asked me a question: what would happen if the potion is not included in the book.” she said and raised her hand to quiet Ron who seemed willing to talk. “I say we have to look at it and then decide. If this happens, we will figure it out somehow. Don't worry Harry.” she said looking rather worried herself.

“All goes for nothing” muttered Harry and slowly opened the book.

Memories filled Harry's mind. How he got that book, how it saved Ron's life once, how it almost killed Malfoy... It was both a saviour and a murderer this book.

“I wonder if it can save us this time.” he mumbled crossing his fingers as he started scanning through its words.

Hermione and Ron sat next to him and carefully focused on Snape's handwriting.

This book seemed to be more like a diary and less like a school book; Snape had added spells of all kinds putting dates under some of them. However, what amazed the trio more, was that Snape had also written some words not associated at all with his spells.

“Look! It says 'She smiled at me' and then five days later 'That Mudblood loves him'. Do you think Snape liked a girl with Muggle parents?” asked Ron with this puzzled expression so typical of him.

“Ron, please focus on the actual spells. Time is running.” said Hermione with an angry voice.

The hours were passing slowly, one after the other, but the trio did not realise it. They were all so concentrated on what they were doing that they didn't even eat or drink anything for four hours.

Finally, after six hours of hard work and thinking, Ron spoke.

“I think i got it.”

What followed Ron's statement is hard to be described. Hermione let a quiet scream and Harry almost fell off his chair. They both quickly looked at where Ron was pointing: it was a small potion written under the Felix Felicis. Harry had not noticed it before, but now he realised it was a pretty basic potion which needed only two ingredients, but both rare: a giant's hair and a unicorn's tongue. As soon as they read its effects, they all orbed to St. Mungo's, feeling more optimistic than before. However, bureaucracy seemed to affect the world of magic as well.

After waiting for almost an hour, a doctor was ready to meet them. They were all so enthusiastic that they couldn't let him speak. Instead they were all talking together. When the doctor calmed them down, he let Hermione explain to him what had happened. As soon as she was finished, he took the book and left.

Two days later, Professor McGonagall was back to Hogwarts with a hollow Slughorn still looking for the book and not being able to realise how Minerva was saved. The doctor had promised not to say anything and the trio hid the book and pretended to be astonished at the news of Minerva's awakening.

Things were getting back to normal slowly, since Hogwarts was once more under McGonagall's orders. Slughorn could not bear that he was just a professor now, but Minerva's praise certainly eased his pain.

As for the trio, they all seemed happier and more relaxed.

Harry however was feeling unease as the days were following one another. He kept having weird dreams, he was dreaming again and again of Sirius' death. His mind was playing over and over the moment when Sirius fell behind that veil. He was still wondering what that veil hid behind it, but he thought he was getting over his godfather's death. Apparently, this was not the case.

But this was not the only problem Harry had to face. He was having headaches during the days and at nights, he was getting very dizzy just before he fell asleep. However, he thought it was normal to feel like that, considering the circumstances.

Ron and Hermione knew nothing about that. Hermione however, had not forgotten of Fimi nax, but she didn't know where else to look for it.

The days were going by peacefully and everything seemed to actually be working alright for everyone.



Doctor Smith came back from work feeling exhausted. This job was dragging all of her energy out of her, even though she enjoyed helping people.

The first thing she did when she got home was to take off her shoes and go have a hot shower to relax her muscles. She made a tea and then lied at her couch and put on some music.

She had totally forgotten of her mystery man and the articles she had downloaded off the Internet. She could not let anything ruin her relaxation. And thus, she fell asleep, not knowing that all the answers to her questions were lying at her desk, only a couple of meters away from her.


Now that McGonagall's issue was over, Harry could handle his relationship with Ginny. They were back to being friends but they both knew they needed something more from each other. There was nothing that could stop them from having what they wanted to have, except from their own selves. And Harry could not allow his pride get in the way. So, a week or so after McGonagall returned back to Hogwarts' , Harry visited the Burrow.

Ms. Weasley was surprised to see him there. Ron was at work and she thought that he and Ginny were no longer together. However, she didn't let her astonishment be seen.

“Harry dear. So nice to see you here!” she said and hugged him tight. Once more, she said he was way too thin for his age. Harry smiled and said he was just fine. Then, he asked if Ginny was there, blushing a little bit.

Molly just smiled and said she was upstairs.

Harry went up the stairs thinking of all the wonderful moments he had lived at Burrows; he loved this place so much. It was the only place after Hogwarts he could call home. With memories filling his mind, he reached Ginny's door and softly knocked on it.

“Come in.” a gentle voice replied from behind it.

Harry pushed the door open and entered the room.

“Harry! What...?” Ginny said blushing a little bit herself. She was still on her pijamas and she felt slightly uncomfortable.

“Oops sorry, I thought you were dressed.” he replied trying not to stare at Ginny's flowery baby doll.

“No no, it's ok. Come on in, sit” she replied.

“Thanks” he said and sat right opposite from her. “How have you been?” he asked.

“Fine”

“The reason I came here is...” he paused for a while and then continued “I can't stop thinking of you Ginny. I know I was the one who said we should break up and I got so mad when you participated at the War, though you could get hurt, and I tried to avoid that; even by breaking my heart” he paused again. “What I mean Ginny... I want to be with you, if you want to take me back.”

Ginny smiled, stood up and walked towards Harry. She smiled again, bent over him and kissed him. They were definitely back together.


*************************************************

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Please, post your views at my feedback!

I'm proud to announce that I've finally finished the story! I'm awful, I know! Anyways, there are 5 chapters left. I will have all of them posted by next week.
Enjoy!
{The chapters are unbetaed. I will correct them as soon as they'll be done}



He was walking slowly trying to figure out where he was. He had a horrible headache and he couldn’t remember neither where he had been before nor where he was going. Everything was blurred.

He could feel people looking at him; staring actually, and he couldn’t understand why. He tried to ignore them, but the sensation of their intense look could not let him breathe. At this exact moment, two men walked by carrying a large mirror. He let a scream emerge out of him when he saw what was reflected inside of it: it was a man, rather tall with long black hair and pale skin. But his physical appearance was not what terrified him, or the fact that he was wearing hospital clothes. It was his eyes. They were almost white, as if a veil had covered them. They weren’t a blind man’s eyes. They were they eyes of death. It was then he realized that man was him. And this realization scared him so much he almost fainted. He needed to lie down or he would pass out in the middle of the street, and he knew that this could put his life in threat. Luckily enough, he saw an alley at his left and quickly walked out of the main street. He walked a couple of meters, and finally, sat behind a huge rubbish bin. He knew he was safe for a while. At least, until he could figure out what had happened since the last time he was alive.


****************************

He was walking in a dark hallway. There was no light there but his illuminating wand. The only sound he could hear was the sound of his steps and the echo of his breath. He could almost hear his heartbeat ticking away the seconds. He didn’t know where he was and the hallway seemed endless.

After a couple of minutes, he saw a door right at the end of the tunnel. He was too afraid to open it, but also, too stubborn to go back. He had nothing to lose. Thus, he walked a little closer to the door, held the doorknob and opened the door forcefully, hoping to scare whoever was hiding behind of it.

But there was noone there. He looked around but the light coming out of his wand was too weak to show him what was covered by the darkness. However, he was too curious to leave. And so, he stepped inside the dim lighted room. What followed was more than unexpected.

As soon as he walked in the room, the place was lit by an invisible source of light, which made his eyes hurt. He closed them for a while, trying however to listen carefully to any sounds around of him, and after a while, he opened them again. What he saw made him gasp for a little bit of fresh air.

He was in the place where Sirius had died. He could see the veil, the big steps where the fight took place; he even thought he saw the leftovers of the crystal ball of the prophecy made by Trelawney.

He could not understand why he was there. But suddenly, he heard a voice.


**********************

“And then? What happened then Harry?” Ron asked looking too curious. Harry’s dream had risen his will for adventures once more. It was a long time since Harry had had a weird dream, and the ones he used to see were all about Voldemort.

“I heard a voice” replied Harry trying hard to remember exactly what he had heard. “It was a very deep voice and it seemed to come out from a source I could not identify, just like the light that filled the room. I could not tell if it was a man’s or a woman’s voice, but it certainly made me freeze…” he said looking too lost in his thoughts.

Hermione was looking at him and she didn’t say anything. When Ron was about to ask yet the same question, she raised her hand in order to quiet him. Harry was trying to recall his dream and Ron was disturbing him. She looked back at Harry and she realized he was mumbling something. When she approached him, she realized he was saying “And either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives ...” It was a part of the prophecy, but she couldn’t understand why Harry was repeating it under his mouth. Harry stopped talking and both of his friends froze, waiting impatiently to hear what he would say next.

“The voice repeated the prophecy. It then stopped talking and all I could hear was my breath. My heart was beating so fast that I was panting. And then, it spoke again. It said “The War might be over, but the Dark Lord has yet to be vanished. In order to let go of him once and for all, trust your greatest power. You are not alone. Do not let him take you away. Do not let it take you away. You have the power Dark Lord knows not and always ignored. Use it.”” Harry said quickly trying not to forget a word. He could still feel the chill at the back of his neck. It was one of the weirdest dreams he had ever seen. What dark force was on him again?

Hermione looked away trying to avoid Harry’s eyes. Her fears were true.

**********************

Harry however, was not the only one who had a dream that seemed bizarre. The man of the alley had fallen asleep after a while, feeling safe enough to lessen his defenses. When he woke up, he had remembered everything and he knew where he had to go. He had to rush; every second was valuable.


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With no further delay...




Patty was having one of the most weird days ever. When she woke up, she received a call from her daughter. She had yet another fight with her husband. This time however, she didn’t seem willing to compromise; it was her way or…the highway. This was weird enough, considering the fact that Kate, her daughter, was insanely in love with Peter and would always give ground to his needs. The other weird event was that her cat was running away from her and would hiss whenever she’d try approaching her.

What was even more weird however, had not happened yet. As she was walking out of the groceries, she saw a man wearing hospital pyjamapajamasAnother lunatic has escaped” she thought to herself, walking away. Curiosity however, made her look around. The man was still standing there. He had a very bizarre expression, as if he was about to do something wrong and he didn’t want to get caught. This lasted only for a second. Right there, in front of her eyes, he vanished. He actually disappeared leaving no trace. Patty closed her eyes and opened them again, she even wore her glasses, but the man was no longer there. This would make the story of the day; that was for sure!

In the meanwhile, Dr. Smith was out shopping for her upcoming birthday. She'd have some friends around and she had promised to cook this dinner herself, and not order like she usually did. This obligation made her nervous but at the same time, she couldn't wait for the celebration to take part. She needed to spend some time with her friends.

While she was getting out of the grocery store, trying to hold on to her bags, she almost stumbled upon her neighbor, Patty. She was an old perky woman, but she was fun to talk to whenever she had nothing better to do. However, Dr. Smith had many chores to do, so she tried to walk by Patty unnoticed. She wasn't very lucky though.

“Oh, our sweet doctor! How are you doing honey?” Patty asked, her voice filled with compliments.

“I am fine, Patty. Thank you. How are you?”

“Well, you won't believe what I just saw!” Patty exclaimed almost jumping up and down out of her impatience to share the story.

“Patty I'm sorry, but I really have to go.” She had no time for gossip.

“You have to hear that story! I just saw a man with hospital pyjamas and white eyes disappepajamast in front of me! I'm sure I saw him! He must be a lunatic...”

This triggered Dr. Smith's attention.
“You saw what? Can you describe the man?”

“Sure honey. He was tall, around 40, with grey hair and very white eyes. And he was wearing those nasty pyjamas. You have to do something aboupajamasou can let your patients wear pyjamas looking like that.”

Dr. Smith could not speak. What she had just heard left her speechless. It was the mystery man!
“I'm sorry Patty, but I really have to go! Great story though!” she said, smiling at her neighbor, and quickly walking away.

“Doctors.” Patty whispered, looking around for someone familiar to share the story with.

Doctor Smith walked to her house quickly. She unlocked the door, let the grocery lie at the kitchen table, and went looking for the papers she had printed a few days ago. Once she found them, she looked at them, and she let a gasp escape her mouth. She was right all along.

What was she supposed to do now?




Hermione had been thinking about what Madam Pince had told her. She took drastic measures. She bought a latin dictionary, since this spell could only be latin, and started looking for fimi nax, fimin ax and everything similar. After a few hours of thorough searching, she gave up. She went to the kitchen to make something to eat, while her mum was upstairs cleaning the house.

Hermione's mum was always interested in latin. When she saw the dictionary and her daughter's notes simply lying there, she came up with an idea, something that Hermione had been ignoring.

When her daughter returned back to her room, she looked at her and told her “Sweetie, what's this?”

“Oh, it's nothing mum.”

“Have you been trying to figure out what it means?”

“Yes...I have tried any possible combination but none of them seems to work.”

“You seem to have forgotten the most obvious one...”

“What's that?”

“Fi minax.”

Hermione let her mouth drop in surprise.

“Fi means become and minax means evil. It's an order. 'Become evil'.”

Hermione felt as if she'd pass out.
“Oh no...” she whispered. “Mum I have to go.” she said, kissed her mother in the cheek, and quickly apparated out of the house. She had to find out what the spell did immediately. It might be too late already.




With everything that had been going on, people seemed to have forgotten about Harry. Even Ginny hadn't seen him for days, since Fleur had announced her pregnancy and she had made Ginny help her prepare the house for the baby. It was a boring chore, and Fleur's rabbling made it even worse, but she had no other choice. She would become an aunt after all. Thus, noone realised that they had no news from Harry, who in the meanwhile, became more and more isolated.

It might have been only a few days since someone last saw Harry, but the change in his appearance and behaviour was very noticeable. His hair seemed more messed than it had ever been and he looked very slim, as if he had lost many pounds in a short period of time. The biggest change however, could be found in his eyes. What used to be a beautiful set of green eyes, depicting only love, courage and strength, was now a look too horrifying for one to stand watching for more than a minute. Harry was a shadow of himself, wandering around the house, like a ghost torturing the living ones by making its presence visible once in a while. Noone could tell what went wrong, but it was very clear to one's eyes: Harry seemed as if he was consumed by darkness. Slowly but steadily he was going deeper and deeper to a world rarely faced by human soul.

In the meanwhile, Harry's dreams kept repeating themselves, something that seemed to make him more and more furious.

Whenever he'd think about them, his tempers would rise and a shade of red would cover his eyes instantly. He kept seeing Snape killing Dumbledore, Bellatrix throwing Sirius behind the veil...he even saw Ron betraying him back in their fourth year, Cedric stealing Cho from him...all the betrayals he had gone through, all the lies he had been told, all the people who had teased him, all the murders he had witnessed came back every single night, torturing him, and making him more and more mad at someone.

The only person that visited rarely Harry these days when his friends had neglected him, was Kreacher who occasionally visited Grimmauld Place to check on his mistress. His hostile feelings against the "Blood traitor" would eventually wear off as Harry let him keep a few items he didn't sell. Kreacher could not like him but his respect would grow day by day.

In the meanwhile, Harry seemed to have forgotten the curious incident he had come across at his kitchen. He seemed as if he didn't care anymore for Kreacher's secret, although there was something very intriguing about his elf's behaviour. He couldn't tell what that was, but he'd find out soon.


**************************

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Happy New Year everyone!



A series of events had been put into action. What seemed to be calm on the outside was instead a boiling pot ready to explode.

As soon as Hermione found out that Fi Minax meant “Become Evil”, she went to Diagon Alley. There was a book shop in its dark side she had never visited before, but which might give the answer to her question. When she arrived, she slowly entered the dark, dim lighted shop, looking around for someone to help her out.

“Hello?” she whispered.

Noone replied.

“Hello?” she asked once again, more loudly.

“How may I help you?” a dark manly voice replied right behind her back giving Hermione chills.

“Hi.” she said, turning around. She faced an old man, with white hair. He was very pale, as if the sun had never seen him, and his eyes were almost white blue. He looked a lot like someone she knew. That was what an evil Dumbledore would look like, she realised in horror. “I need to find a spell.”

He didn't reply immediately. Instead, he passed right by her, giving her chills once again. There was something about him that intrigued Hermione.

He reached a well-hidden desk and uncovered a big old book, covered in dust. He quickly cleaned it with his hands and stared at Hermione.

“The spell is Fi Minax.”

The man looked at her, with his eyes opening widely.

“How would you know that spell?”

“Does it matter?”

“It is a very old spell, used only once. It was created by a man whose name shall not be spoken.”

“Voldemort?”

“No, you silly girl. The wizard I'm talking about would make Voldemort look like a child's puppet. I shall not speak his name. He is long gone but I am still not worthy enough to talk about him.”

Hermione gasped. What was he talking about?

“The spell...”he continued “...is a very old one. Its use is very hard, only a powerful wizard can use it properly. Its effects are rather simple to understand. It makes whoever is used upon, evil.”

Hermione looked at him, not being able to speak. She was captured by his eyes.

“You see, young lady, this spell brings out all the bad memories one has. All the betrayals, the nightmares, the fears, whatever one has experienced and been traumatized by. The person to whom it's been used will gradually turn evil not only in soul but also in appearance. Red eyes, white skin, thin body...they'll become a shadow of their former self. If that person lets his anger out, by doing an evil act, such as killing someone, they will be forever doomed into darkness and never be able to come back. If this happens, the only way to stop this person is to kill them.”

Hermione gasped louder.

The man let an evil grin. “Don't feel disappointed yet. There is an antidote. It is no potion or spell. It is something bigger but less...concrete. Only...love...can heal the person. You must remind that person of his prior feelings, of his good memories, of everything that used to make him happy. Only if you manage to fill his heart with love once more will he be able to overcome the spell and break its bonds.”

“But how am I going to do that?”

“I don't know, I'm afraid. The only person who's been turned evil never came back. Noone cared enough to make him good again.”

“And who was that?”

The man smiled but he didn't reply. Instead, he quickly left, leaving Hermione alone, wondering. She knew what she had to do. But she needed help.




A couple of hours had passed and Hermione had managed to gather everyone she needed at the Burrow's. Ron, Ginny, Luna, Fred and George were sitting at the round table looking worried. She had just explained what had happened. She wanted to tell more people about it, but they all agreed that it would make things more complicated.

“We have to do something soon.”

“We know Hermione,” Fred replied. “But what?”

“I was thinking...maybe we could visit him, all together, and...just talk to him..” Ron suggested.

“That could work...but we need something more drastic.” Ginny replied.

“Maybe give him a potion? Euphoria?” George asked.

“It wouldn't worked. The man told me that only love can cure it. I looked at the book he had left at the table and it said that potions or spells leave the person intact. We have to cure him with...words.” Hermione said, feeling more and more anxious.

Noone talked. Ginny broke the silence after a while.

“Has anyone visited Harry lately?”

They all looked around and nodded negatively. All but one.

“Neville did.” Luna said.

“What do you mean?” Ron asked perplexed.

“He got out of the hospital yesterday and he told me he would visit him today. He might be there already.”

“Oh no...” whispered Hermione, remembering the dream Harry had. “The prophecy...Neville was the other baby born the same day. Oh no...”

“What?” Ron asked, unable to understand what she meant.

“We have to go to Grimmauld Place. NOW!” she almost screamed.

Right at that moment, an owl came in landing on Fred's shoulder. He untied the message and frowned.

“It's by Natalie. There's a mass problem at the store.” he looked at Hermione.

“Just go! We'll handle it.”

“Thanks. We'll be back as soon as possible.” George said and they both vanished in a second.

Hermione stood up. “Come on guys. We have to get there now. Are you ready?”

“Yes.” they all replied. They closed their eyes, and next thing they knew, they were standing inside Sirius' place. Someone had left the door open.



The revelation of number 12 real identity made Dr. Smith unable to breathe. He was a known criminal that had escaped out of prison a few years ago. He had killed dozens of innocent people and he was put in a high security prison. Noone could tell what had happened after he escaped. The police had lost track of him. She decided to do the only reasonable thing she could think of. Go the local police station.

After an hour, she was back to her place. She had given the man's description, told them everything she knew about him, but noone knew if he had been captured again, how he had managed to escape, and if he had hurt someone after his escape. She was helpless. The only thing she could do was sit and wait.



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There are 3 more chapters left. I am going to post the next one tomorrow, or later tonight. Now, go ahead and read!



Neville was feeling great after so many weeks of resting in the hospital bed. He was glad that he could finally breathe fresh air; he had missed being outside. The first thing he did was visit his parents -his mum seemed to recognise him and she gave him one more wrap of chewing gum, which he put lovingly inside his pocket- and then, he wanted to visit Harry. He knew he had come to see him a couple of times, but he was never awake, so he owe it to him to drop by Grimmauld Place. Little did he know...



Harry had just woken up, after a whole night of nightmares. The dream he had seen made his rage boil up inside him. He had found the answer to all of his questions. He knew who was to be blamed for all the bad things that had happened to him. It was him. That boy with the round face and the clumsy fingers. The boy who always acted like a fool. It was the boy who was born the same day as he was. He had to be the chosen one. If he had been chosen by Voldemort, Harry would still have his parents. If Neville had not acted like a fool in the Ministry of Magic, maybe Harry would have saved Sirius. If Sirius was still alive, Harry would have saved Dumbledore as well. Neville had caused it all.

His mind was so clouded that he could not see that Neville was not to be blamed. But Harry was believing now that he was held responsible for everything that had happened to him. He had to get out of the way. Harry had to...kill him.

When someone knocked the door, Harry almost didn't hear the bell. But the visitor was persistent and made his presence noticed.

When he opened the door, he couldn't believe what he was seeing. It was him, it was Neville. All smiling, with his round face looking even more stupid than it had ever looked. He was there, in his porch. The victim had come right to the trap. Harry smiled. He wouldn't have to seek for him.

“Come in Neville” he whispered.

Neville felt uneauneasyrry looked horrible. He hardly recognised him. But maybe it was the lack of light that made him look like that.

“Sit” Harry obeyed.

Neville sat feeling uncomfortable. “Harry, are you alright pal?”

“Sure...sure...” he said, almost whispering. He was thinking of the best way to kill him.

“I just left the hospital and thought I should come by. You don't look very well, Harry. Are you sick?”

Harry kept walking up and down the living room, throwing glances at his victim.

“I am fine now that you came, Neville.” he replied, approaching him. He sat next to him, and an evil grin formed on his face.

Neville looked at him. If he said he was fine, I have to believe him, he thought to himself.

“So Harry...How is everything going? What are you up to these days? I am thinking of going back to school to finish the last year. I want to become a Professor, you know. I always wanted it. My grandma says I have to chase my dream. She says that my parents will be so proud...or they would be if they could understand what's going on. My mum recognised me today though! She even gave me one more wrap. I'm saving this one too....” Neville kept talking, while Harry kept feeling more and more enraged. He has his parents. He didn't have to sacrifice anything. I had to sacrifice it all. I am abandoned by my friends, I am all alone. And he is standing here all healthy, all happy, Harry kept thinking. I have to do it soon.

“Neville, shall we go to the kitchen? I was making...tea right before you came.”

“Sure.” Neville replied, looking puzzled. Harry seemed as if he hadn't heard a word of what he was saying. He had just announced that Luna and he were officially together, but Harry made no comment. “He must be sick” he thought.

Neville stood up and followed Harry to the kitchen. He was seated at one side of the long table while Harry was making tea.

“Where is Kreacher?”

“At Hogwarts.”

“Oh” was all Neville could say.

“Do you want sugar in it?”

“No pal, thanks.”

Harry gave him the cup and sat against him.

“You're not drinking?” Neville asked.

“No” Harry replied plainly.

“So what's going on with you and Ginny? It'd be great if all four of us could go out...”

“Here he goes again...talking about how great he is...” Harry thought.

“Neville..” he said “can you please fetch me something from the cupboard behind you?”

“Sure, Harry” he replied, standing up and opening Kreacher's cupboard.

Harry smiled an evil smile and raised his wand. It was time.


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Read on! There isn't much left!



The unknown man had just appeared in a neighbour he used to know. That was where his parents' house used to be.

“I have to find number 12” he whispered. He knew that time was running out. He had seen it in his dream.

He walked quickly, almost running, ignoring the questioning looks people were throwing at him. It had taken him 3 days to find the right place; nothing would stop him now. However, he was still wearing the hospital clothes and he was far from blending in.

A pedestrian from the other side of the street seemed to notice him, and he immediately started yelling.

“Hey! You! Come here! Murderer!” he screamed, making everyone turn around.

One by one, the passengers looked at the man with the weird face and the white eyes, and they all gasped. Everyone knew who he was.

“It's him. It's the guy who escaped prison a few years ago. The police just announced that he is out again. You murderer!" the guy kept going.

“We must call the police immediately” someone else said. He raised his mobile to call 911 when he realised that everyone else had had the same thought as he did. He wouldn't get away with it this time.

The man looked around, trying to understand what was going on. Suddenly, he remembered. The Muggles didn't know he wasn't a murderer. They had somehow tracked him down. He had to get out of there immediately.

At that moment, he looked around, and realised he had reached number 12. He quickly walked up the stairs and knocked on the door. The Muggles wouldn't be able to see him now.



In the meanwhile, inside Grimmauld Place, Harry was aiming at Neville with his wand.

“There is nothing in here, Harry” Neville said, turning around to face him.

At that precise moment, the bell rang. Both Harry and Neville turned around.

“I'm not expecting anyone” Harry said, lowering unconsciously his wand.

The bell kept ringing.

“Shouldn't you open the door, Harry?” Neville asked puzzled.

“No. It can wait” he said, raising the wand again.

It was then that four people apparated inside the kitchen, making Harry lose his concentration again.

“Oh my beloved friends” he said sarcastically, even though all he wanted was to be left alone, to complete his task.

When Ginny, Ron, Hermione, and Luna saw how Harry looked, they all gasped.

“Oh no” Hermione said. She turned her gaze then towards Neville who stood at the other side of the table trying to understand why Harry was pointing at him with his wand and why they had all come.

“Is this a group meeting?” Neville asked.

“Neville, shut up!” Hermione yelled. “Harry...what are you doing?”

“I was about to get one obstacle out of the way, right before you fools showed up. You're making it harder for me now, but it's not going to stop me. One or five makes no difference to me” he said arrogantly.

“Don't you realise what you've become Harry?” Ginny asked. “You're Voldemort! He turned you into himself!”

“Ginny, Ginny...tsk tsk tsk. Stop being so immature. He didn't turn me into anything. It was about time I realised who is to be blamed for everything. I am strong enough to take my revenge.”

“What revenge, Harry?” Neville asked.

“You!” Harry yelled. “Do not speak one more word! I had enough of you! You and your stupid plans! You're not even smart enough to become a Professor, little clumsy Neville! You are a dump kid, who always needed my protection to make it! Whenever Malfoy mistreated you, I had to step in the way and help you out! If I hadn't tried to help you, Sirius might still be alive! You even tried stealing my girlfriend! You! YOU! You made me who I am now! If Voldemort had killed you, I wouldn't have to go through any of these! But you were too silly, even as a baby, to be the Chosen One! Damn you Neville! Because of you, I lost it all!” Harry screamed furiously. His skin was still pale white, but his eyes were a blazing red, a consuming fire ready to burn everything down.

“Harry! You haven't lost your friends” Hermione said pleadingly. It was obvious she was getting desperate.

“Where were you, Hermione? You Ron? Ginny? You are supposed to be there for me! But you all forgot about Harry, didn't you? How dare you come here and pretend to care for me?”

“We do care for you, Harry!” Ginny screamed helplessly. This was exactly what she had been seeing in her nightmares all this time. Harry being evil and not trusting anyone. She felt dizzy, she knew that this would not end well.

“Harry...You can't blame Neville for Voldemort's choice! Neville's always been supportive of you. He had to sacrifise his family too mate!” Ron said.

"Oh, 'shut up...Ronald. Just stop having an opinion on everything. I'm sick of you! You're wasting my time! All of you! You can either leave and be saved, or die here along with Neville.”

Neville turned white pale at the sound of those words. He was too helpless to even find his own wand and defend himself.

“Harry, please, listen to me! This is not you! It's Voldemort! He cast a spell on you and turned you evil! Please, listen! You know you're not like that! You know you are much better! You have the good inside of you! Remember what Dumbledore said: Love is the most powerful weapon! It was what you had and what Voldemort lacked! He tries to take that away from you now, don't let him win this fight!”

“Dumbledore didn't know what he was talking about, Hermione. He's dead! His love didn't save him, did it? Enough already! Enough! I am going to do what I want, now. Don't try to stop me, because I will hurt you too. You can leave, I'm sparing your life.”

“Harry...it's not going to bring back anyone..” Ginny said, almost crying. The Harry she loved was no longer there.

“No Ginny. But I need my revenge. I'm taking it for my parents, for Cedric, for Cho, for Dumbledore, for Sirius. It's for all of them.”

“Sirius...” Luna whispered suddenly. “Sirius!” she said louder when she saw that noone listened to her.

Everyone turned around to where Luna was pointing.

It was him. Sirius. Standing at the door, looking worse than he had ever looked. But he was there, alive. He was smiling sadly, looking at Harry.

Harry turned around along with everyone else. When he saw Sirius, he gasped.

“Sirius? What are...You're...” he said losing his concentration, his posture.

“Dead? Yes. Almost.”

“You're not real. You can't be. You fell through the veil.”

“I did. Harry please, listen to me. This is not you. You are a kind person. You care for others. That's why I'm here. To remind you who you've always been.”

“And how long are you going to stay?” Harry asked bitterly.

Sirius didn't reply.

“Get out of here, Sirius. You're dead just like everyone I loved. There's nothing you could give me now. You're nothing but an illusion.”

Harry turned his back to Sirius, as if he tried to make him disappear, and raised his wand once again.

Sirius approached him and as soon as he was next to Harry he looked at him and told him: “You are not that person. You never were. You are not a fool, Harry. You helped everyone else. This makes you the hero. I know you'd rather have your family instead of being the Chosen One. But you can't fight destiny, Harry. Deep inside of you, you know. You know that life is not only about the good moments; it's mostly about the sacrifice and the loss. We have to deal with them in order to appreciate the good things. Love, friendship... It's all out there, Harry. Ready for you to embrace it. Look around. Your friends are here. These people care for you, otherwise they wouldn't be here. They've all fought, for both themselves and you. I am here for you Harry. I came back just for you.”

“But you're going to leave again, aren't you, Sirius?”

Sirius didn't reply once more.

Harry kept aiming at Neville, but his hand was trembling.

Hermione knew that they were getting closer.

“Harry...”she stepped in. “Haven't I always been there for you? Ever since we met, I always helped you. I'm sorry for not being around much lately. But you're always my friend, no matter what. You may have lost people you love, but you still have others ready to support you any time.”

One by one, they all approached Harry, trying to make him understand that they really cared for him genuinely. It was obvious that the spell had started wearing out. Harry's hand was trembling more and more.

When they had run out of words, Harry looked at them, bitting his lips, his eyes still red blood, but full of pain, of all the pain he'd been experiencing during the last few days. He looked around, at each and every person in the room. He took a deep breath, lowered his head, and spoke.

“I'm sorry” he said. "But not really."

He turned around, facing Neville and yelled “Sectum Sempra!”

A ray of light shot out of Harry's wand, and everything blurred. He had passed out.


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It took me an hour to post this chapter. I blame stupid msn! Anyways, there is only one chapter left, the epilogue.



He was walking in a long hallway. He could discern a door right at the end of the corridor. He tried to walk quickly; he knew that something waited for him behind that door. His legs however didn't seem to take his orders. They were walking slowly, as if they tried to prevent him from reaching the door. Finally, he managed to get to it. He slowly raised his hand, turned the doorknob, and stepped into a bright room with light filling its every corner. He looked around but he couldn't tell where he was. It was a plain room with no windows and no furniture. But there was something about it that made him nervous.

Suddenly, he heard someone moving behind him.
He turned around instantly.

“Sirius?” he whispered. “Where am I? What am I doing here?”

Sirius smiled gently.

“You're in a dream, Harry. I am in that dream too.”

“What is this place? What happened?”

“You made up that room. Only you can tell what this is.” he said looking around.

“You don't remember what happened?”

“No.” Harry said feeling confused.

“You passed out. You...you were under a spell. You were evil, Harry.”

Harry didn't reply. Images started filling his mind. He could see Grimmauld Place, the kitchen, Ron, Ginny, Hermione, Luna, Sirius, and...Neville.

“Oh...” he whispered desperately. “What did I do to Neville?”

Sirius smiled bitterly. “You cast a spell on him. He's back at the hospital. But don't worry. He'll be fine.”

“What about you, Sirius? How come you showed up? I thought you...”

“I was. I still am...dead. You have to understand Harry. That veil in the Ministry of Magic...it's not...it doesn't kill people. It takes them in a world between the one of living and the one of dead. The ones who fall behind the veil can only move on if someone needs them. You needed me, Harry. And thus, I escaped from the Veil, and came to help you.”

“Are you going to stay?” Harry asked, his voice filled with hope.

“I'm sorry Harry.” Sirius replied. “I have to move on. I came to help you, and now that I'm done, I have to go.”

Sirius approached Harry and hugged him tight. They stayed like that for a minute, not wanting to let go of each other.

“Don't go Sirius.” Harry whispered.

“I have to. I had to say goodbye. I owed it to you. But now, I have to go.” Sirius said as he released Harry. “Take care. You're free at last.” he smiled one last time, and he slowly vanished.

Harry was left alone in the room. He looked around and he realised that the room transformed into a blur image...he couldn't tell what it was...he...


“Harry?” a voice said. “Harry?”

“Is he awake?” another voice asked.

“I think so. He blinked.”

Harry opened up his eyes slowly. He looked around but he couldn't see anything without his glasses. He stretched his arm to reach for them, but someone had already handed them to him.

“Thanks.” he whispered as he put them on. When his eyesight cleared, he saw that he was in a hospital, with Hermione and Ron standing next to him, looking worried and concerned.

“Oh my...Harry...” Hermione said, and hugged him so hard, that she almost suffocated him.

“Hermione! You're choking me!” he said pleadingly.

“I'm sorry Harry.” she said as she let go of him. “You're fine. You're back to how you used to be!” she was almost jumping up and down out of content.

“What happened?”

“You shot Neville a curse, mate, and then you passed out. You're both fine now. That was the worst spell you've ever shot, Harry.” Ron joked.

“Is he alright?”

“Yes. Don't worry. You barely caught him.”

“I am so sorry guys. I can't believe I said what I said.” Harry said as memories came back. “I wasn't myself. I can't believe I tried killing Neville!”

“It's not your fault, Harry. We all know it. We're lucky Sirius showed up. I don't understand what happened but he helped you, Harry. If he hadn't been there, you would have...” Hermione's voice broke. She couldn't say more.

“I know. Sirius...It's a long story. He's gone now.”

“We know. He greeted us all goodbye and then, he sort of...disappeared.” Ron said.

Harry smiled. “I hope this was my last adventure. 'Cause honestly...I'm sick of going in and out of hospitals!”

Ron and Hermione laughed, but there was something worrying about their expressions.

“What?” Harry asked.

“Well...Kreacher showed up. Apparently, he knew that Sirius got back and he tried...killing him. Which was a big failure, since, you know...he wasn't...alive. He had this tree with branches and Sirius' started moving a few weeks ago, which drove him nuts.”

Harry gasped. “That's what he was hiding from me!”

“Well Harry, I think it's time you made friends with Kreacher. If you don't want him spreading rumours about you going insane...”

“I know. I will.” he replied. “Anything else I need to know?”

“No. If anyone asks, you accidentally shot that curse to Neville. We don't want people to think you're crazy. Not now that everyone is finally on your good side.”

“Fine by me.” Harry replied. He looked at his friends. “Were is everyone else?”

“Luna is with Neville, and Ginny is staying with Kreacher to stop him from leaving.”

“I think I can fix that. Kreacher!” he yelled.

With a tiny pop, Kreacher appeared next to Harry.

“Yes...master?” he said hissing.

“Kreacher, I want you to go back to Hogwarts. You will forget everything you witnessed. I forbid you to tell anyone what you saw. As a reward, you can keep any objects you want from Sirius' house.”

Kreacher's face lit up. “Thank you master. I promise not to say anything. I have forgotten what happened. Thank you. Thank you.” he said bowing. He kept thanking Harry until he ordered him to go back to Hogwarts.

Ginny appeared after a while, having realised what had happened. When she saw how Harry looked, she smiled and hugged him.

“You're back, Harry.” she said gently.

“I am. And I'm never leaving again. It will all be fine from now on.” he said and smiled. It would all be fine.




Doctor Smith was at the hospital. She was taking her break and watching the news. There were some reports about the mystery man, whose name she knew now, but noone could tell where he was. There had been calls from citizens of a certain part of London, but the man seemed to have disappeared again. She sighed, knowing that she'd never see him again. At least, she now knew who that man was. She turned off the tv, finished off her lunch, and returned back to her patients. She had a lot of real problems to deal with. Life was back to normal once again.


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This is it guys...the epilogue! My very own, first HP epilogue!

I'd like to take the time to thank a few people. First of all, my two brilliant betas, PhoenixTears (Dianne) and etphonehome (Elaine). You are both awesome! I can not thank you enough for doing this job and taking some of your time to correct my story. Thank you!
I'd also like to thank the_animagus and K8Egrrl for offering to be my betas. Thanks a bunch guys!
Last but not least, I'd like to thank my mum, my dad, my...oh wait. That's my Oscar speech. Give me a sec.

Here it is! I want to thank all of you who actually read the story! It is very important for me to know that people read Daylight Dancer, whether they liked it or not. Thanks for leaving feedback, and even if you didn't, thanks for clicking around 11000 times on this story!

Now...time for the Epilogue. I hope you like it!




“And so you see Emily, it doesn't really matter what people say as long as you believe in yourself. People will always try to make you feel bad, they might even lie to you, and hurt you. Not everyone is as sweet as you are. But you have to remember that you are doing what your heart tells you to do, despite what everyone is saying. You have to follow your dream, even if others are making fun of it, or of you. One day they will understand. And when that day comes, you will be too far away for them to reach you. Just be yourself, and don't let others tell you who to be. In the end, it's all between you and yourself.”

“But grandpa...” Emily said with her sweet childish voice. “Kids at class say I am a nerd because I know all the answers. I want to be a teacher but they say it's silly being a teacher when you are a wizard. But that's what I want to do.”

“So do it!” Emily's grandpa said. “Don't listen to them. They're jealous because they don't have a dream of their own. But you know.”

“I do” she said, her childish eyes opening wide.

“Then, that's all that matters. Alright?”

“Yes grandpa!” Emily said, looking more cheerful. She kissed her grandpa in the forehead as she always did, aiming for that funny scar he had. Noone had told her how her grandpa had gotten it, but she knew it was important and that one day, they would tell her that story. She couldn't wait for that day to come.

“Thanks!” she said and quickly jumped off his knees.

Harry looked at her with a smile on his lips. She was a little devil that kid, too smart for her age. “She's meant for great things” he thought. He hoped that when that day came, Emily would rise up to everyone's expectations and become the best she could be.

Harry looked outside of the window. The first snow had started falling. It was winter again. He looked around his house. It was filled with pictures of his family, and toys were lying everywhere, along with unwrapped gifts, and sweets in every coffeetable. This was a house filled with love.

He smiled. It had all turned out well. It had turned out...magical.

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{I realised how short the epilogue was. *gulp* I hope you like it anyways.}