This is my first ever fan fic so I hope you like it.

Disclaimer: All the places and the majority of characters included in this fic are not of my own creation but are those of the amazing mind of JK Rowling.



REALITY

Chapter one : Dreams are Dreams

Harry was sitting on the train next to Hermione as it pulled up to platform nine and three quarters. It was the beginning of the winter holidays and snow lay thick upon the busy station. Opposite him Ron pulled down his trunk and lift a tiny owl down from the luggage rack. Crookshanks hissed in his basket as the train lurched to a stop. Hermione gathered her things up and walked out the door Ron was holding open for her. Harry lifted his trunk down as well and followed the other two out of the train.
Once they were on the platform Hermione turned and hugged him briefly saying,
"Bye Harry! See you after the holidays," with that she turned and set off to find her parents,
"Where do you reckon your Mum is?" asked Harry looking around,
"Look at him..." snarled Ron who had apparently not been listening. "Strutting about like he owns the place."
"Who?" asked Harry looking in the direction Ron was pointing. A thin boy in overlarge muggle clothes was running at a crouch through the crowd who turned in one big wave to stare at him as he ran past dragging his trunk behind him.
"That Neville Longbottom." Growled Ron. "He's always getting a load of attention just because he defeated You-Know-Who. Have you heard what they're calling him now? They're calling him the chosen one..." Ron laughed, "Rubbish."
"What," asked Harry "are you going on about?"
"Oh come one Harry, you said it yourself, he's a Big Headed prat."
"I did?" asked Harry completely confused.
"Ron!" called a familiar voice, Harry looked around to see Mrs Weasley waving to Ron from the other end of the platform, Ginny was waiting patiently at her side staring transfixed at Neville who was now pushing his way towards the barrier.
"See you later Harry" said Ron in a low voice and forged a pathway towards his mother.

Harry just stood there at loss for what to do. He was just too confused. Did he follow Ron or did he get back on the train. Where would he go?
"Harry!" called a familiar voice, "Harry over here!"
Harry turned to see a much happier looking Sirius fighting his way towards him through the crowd. His heart leapt at the sight of him but with it came even more confusion which pressed itself against his skull like rising water. When Sirius finally reached him he held out a hand, which Harry shook dazed,
"How are you doing?"
"Um...I'm...I...Fine...aren't...aren't you supposed to be dead?"
Sirius stared for a moment then laughed out loud. "Dead?! You're getting more like your father every day. Dead...That's a good one. Speaking of your father have you seen him he was meant to be meeting us here. He said he might be held up a bit because Rita Skeeter wanted a bit on his last Quidditch match against Puddlemere United...ah there he is!"
Harry stared, his mouth hanging open as his father battled towards him his mother following in his wake. His insides were steadily growing hotter and hotter as happiness and confusion battled within his stomach. Could it be? Could they really be alive?
"Harry dear," said Lily pulling him into a tight hug,
"How was school son?" asked James a grin on his face as he gave Harry a one armed hug, "did Snape give you any grief? Has Remus been driving you too hard?"
Sirius laughed again, "That'll be it James," he said, "Remus will have given the poor midgets two and a half miles of parchment to write an essay on the full development and transformation of a werewolf to be handed in next lesson!"
"What's the matter darling? You look as if you've seen a ghost."
Harry shook his head, closed his eyes and opened them again.
"I'm just..." he said shakily, "just really, really happy to see you. I'm so glad your all ok." He said happy tears spilling from his green eyes. He hugged his mother back and then hugged his father who looked a little startled but pleased never the less.
"Well...why wouldn't we be alright?" asked James sounding a little worried.
"Are you sure Snivellus has been treating you right?" asked Sirius inspecting him, "you do look a bit pale."
"no...no I'm... just a bit tiered from...from the journey." Lied Harry wiping the tears from beneath his glasses.
"Come on then darling lets get you home so we don't all catch a cold. John and Isabelle are waiting at home for you. They have a surprise for you."
Harry's mind was still in shock so he let his mother steer him away from the station and into the car.

They drove for an hour and a half before they reached Godric's Hollow and finally pulled up at the cottage. Harry entered the small cosy house like a dream walker and took his trunk and owl from his father and Sirius who said,
"I might see you in a few days...I've got to sort out the kitchen. Kreature had like a blueberry pie explosion yesterday and it's in a right state."
"See you then," said James clasping his hand. Harry stared hungrily at him as his godfather turned on the spot and disappeared.
"You get this lot upstairs," said James walking into the living room and we'll meet you in here. Lily smiled at him then cupped her hands to her mouth and called,
"JOHN...ISABELLE... HARRY'S HOME!"
A distant thundering could be heard then two children of about 10 years came hurtling down the stairs and hugged Harry around the waist and said at exactly the same time,
"Hi Harry!"
"Um...Hi" said Harry confused.
"here let me help you with your trunk," said John lifting one end of it then dropping it when he felt it was to heavy for him.
"No let me help you!" said Isabelle but before she could try Lily put a hand on her shoulder and said with a tiered smile,
"Let your brother settle down before you start bickering with him,"
Harry gaped at the two children, twins he assumed.
"You're my...my brother?" he asked John who said,
"Mum...What's wrong with Harry?"
"hey!" snapped Isabelle, "and I'm your sister!"
Harry just stood there and stared then finally nodded his head.
"Are you sure your all right Harry?" asked Lily.
"...Fine." Harry bent down picked up his trunk and Hedwig who was pretending to sleep to avoid being prodded by the younger children. He slowly dragged his trunk up the stair one at a time. A black cat meowed at his from the top most step. He put Hedwig down and bent down to scratch it absently. Hedwig hooted indignantly at this neglect and he picked her up again as the cat brushed past and down the stairs. His room had his name on it with a little snitch underneath it. He pushed the door open and put his trunk at the end of a single bed. In the corner a Nimbus 2001 stood propped against the wall, beside it a tiny broom big enough for a baby lay quivering slightly with the spells that had been worn down after years of use. Harry let Hedwig out and she soared out of his open window brushing him with her wing.

Harry opened the living room door and heard James talking animatedly about his interview with Reeter Skeeter.
"-so when I told her that my talent came from years of practise she said, "so then you would say anyone can fly as well as you if they put in the effort?" And I said of course as long as their name isn't Snivellus!"
Everyone in the room laughed apart from Lily who looked angrily at her husband,
"You should give him a chance. He isn't as bad as you and Sirius say he is!"
James gave an involuntary snort causing the twins to roll about laughing,
"No seriously you two listen to your mother...Snape probably isn't the slimy greased up hairball everyone thinks he is."
Harry, who had been standing in the doorway simply watching and enjoying the scene was suddenly sighted by his mother and she clung to him as though he were a lifeline.
"Harry!" she said loudly making the others stop laughing about Snape,
"We've got something for you."
"We'll get it!" said the twins suddenly,
"can we,"
"please,"
"we know where it is!"
Lily sighed, "go on then." The two children rushed out of the room and after a few moment rushed back in. John was holding a small parcel wrapped in light blue paper which he presented to Harry proudly. Harry took it nervously.
"Now," said James importantly, "since you've been seventeen a few months now and we didn't have it for your birthday we think it is best that we give it to you now before the excitement of Christmas. We don't want you to unwrap this like a normal gift...this one is special."
Harry looked at his mother who nodded. Harry looked down at the parcel and unwrapped it...slowly revealing a golden watch with stars circling around the face instead of hands.
"It was traditional to present this to a wizard when he came of age this was your grandfathers...only I lost it when we had the extension done and have only just managed to find it again. It was under my old invisibility cloak." Said James smiling.
Harry could only stare at the watch with wonder and say,
"Thank you..."
"Your welcome darling. Now if you go and wash your hands dinner will be ready in five minutes."

After a delicious Sunday roast Harry walked upstairs still slightly dazed by the days events. His watch hung around his neck on a golden chain, a comfortable weight. He opened his door to find Hedwig sitting on his bedpost looking at him with her knowing eyes. Harry slipped into his pyjamas and got into bed. Curling up under the warm blankets. He looked up at Hedwig and murmered,
"I don't know about you Hedwig, but I have no idea what's going on." Hedwig blinked at him, "Its strange," Harry yawned closing his eyes, "Its wonderful...and it will be an amazing memory for when I next face a dementor." He drifted off to sleep.



Harry opened his eyes to see the blurry outline of crimson curtains. Loud snoring broke the silence of the morning. He drew the curtains from around his bed stretched and put on his glasses. His heart nearly stopped. He was in the boys dormitory. There was Neville to his left lying spread eagled on his bed drool trickling from his mouth.
"No..." he groaned tears sliding down his face. He clutched at his hair and bit his tongue, "no, no, no..." It couldn't have been a dream. It was too good to be a dream.
"no, no, no..."
"Harry?" came Ron's concerned voice from beside him. "Harry are you all right?"
Harry wiped his eyes hastily and nodded.
"You sure? You look...upset about something."
"Just...just a dream." He whispered through clenched teeth.
"Was it.. you know who?"
Harry shook his head,
"Well then it can't have been that bad could it?"
"No...It was amazing..." sighed Harry and he lay back upon his cushions grinding his teeth. Dreams were dreams, he told himself, impossible.
"Harry?" asked Ron, Harry looked up. "What's that around your neck?"
Harry looked down and pulled at a cool chain that hung from his neck. A heavy golden watch appeared from beneath his nightshirt.

He clutched it in his hand and smiled.


I hope you enjoyed it.

All feedback here please

Ok...well I know some people wanted this to become more than a one-shot so I've had it moved to this thread so i can continue it. I have had a whole rush of ideas but it might take a while to get them started....anyway here's the next chapter I hope you like it...

chapter two: Watches, Nargles and Periwinkle pollen

Sitting down at the Gryffindor table Harry watched Ron pull a steaming plate of kippers towards him. Harry just stared blankly at a knot in the wood of the table rubbing the smooth surface of the watch that was draped around his neck.
“Harry?” asked Neville sitting down opposite them, “you all right?”
Harry did not respond, visions of siblings and parents and living healthy godparent were still dancing before his eyes.
“Don’t worry about it Neville. He’s been like it all morning. He had some sort of dream…I dunno I couldn’t get anything else out of him.” Said Ron through a mouthful of kipper.
“A dream?” said Hermione who had previously been buried in the Daily Profit. “What sort of dream?”
“I know it wasn’t anything to do with You-Know-Who but it still seemed to have shaken him up a bit. It’s kind of like being among the living dead.” Said Ron gloomily.
“It…it wasn’t about Voldemort?” asked Hermione surprised, making Ron wince as he swallowed.
Harry finally looked up, “No…”
“Well then it couldn’t have been that bad.”
“It…it…it was about my parents…”
Hermione sat there for a moment something close to pity resting on her face. “Well that…that’s a good thing isn’t it?” she asked quietly.
Harry nodded, still confused. “In it I had a brother and sister…..”
“Oh Harry…Maybe its better if you just forget about it if it is going to upset you.”
“I think she’s right mate,” said Ron darkly.
“How…how can I, how could you ask me to…I can’t forget something like this!” said Harry shocked by his friends reactions. It had felt so real, it must’ve been real in some part otherwise the watch would not be hanging around his neck. “Look,” he said looping the locket over his head and thrusting it at Hermione across Ron.
“What is it?” asked Hermione puzzled, Ron however grabbed it off Hermione and stared at its golden surface.
“This is one of those watch thingys!” exclaimed Ron,
“honestly Ron, I could have worked that out,” said Hermione grabbing it back and examining it,
“No, no, I mean it is a coming of age watch. Witches and wizards get one when they come of age, turn seventeen, its supposed to remind them of the responsibilities and….something like that of being an adult. My Mum got one for Fred and George when they turned seventeen. Who gave you it Harry? You’re not seventeen yet.”
“M-my Father…”
“You what?”
“My Father,” Harry said a little more confidently.

“Potter, Weasely, your timetables.” Came a sharp voice from behind them.
Harry turned around surprised and a little dazed, McGonagall was standing there with their timetables in her hand. “May I remind you, that as you are taking your NEWTs next year, this year you best think long and hard about what career path you wish to take. You are expected to complete homework tasks to the very best of your abilities and anything less will result in a T. No exceptions.”
Harry swallowed and took his timetable glancing nervously at Ron as McGonagall continued to Hermione to discuss her timetable in detail.
Ron yelped with excitement as he examined the timetable.
“We have free periods!” he exclaimed.
“oh yeah…” said Harry, his mind already wondering.
Neville groaned from across the table, “I only got four OWL’s, I’m useless…”
McGonagall’s head snapped up from Hermione,
“Don’t be ridiculous Longbottom you have great potential!” she snapped
“but my Gran say’s-”
“never you mind. It high time you stopped listening to her negative criticism!”
Neville looked glum but did not protest. Hermione smiled at him, he tried to return it but failed and hastily gulped at his pumpkin juice only to choke on it and splutter all over his toast. Ron looked away to Harry grimacing slightly,
“Looks like the teacher you and Dumbledore visited is the potions teacher!” he said examining the timetable, “no wonder we can take potions, Snape isn’t teaching it!” he added gleefully.
“but,” said Hermione, “what is Snape teaching then?”
“Maybe he’s been sacked!” said Ron happily,
“I saw him yesterday on the way to school,”
“shame…”
“mmmm….” Harry was daydreaming again.
How could the watch have been transported through dreams? Unless it was some sick joke someone was playing. He shot a venomous glare at Malfoy who was eating a bowl of porridge on his own, his expression dark and thoughtful, his eyes kept flashing towards the staff table where Dumbledore was currently deep in conversation with Flitwick who was gesturing wildly. Harry sighed and reaching over plucked the watch from the napkin beside Hermione’s plate and began to run his fingers over it. He clicked the cover to t open to reveal the watch face. He examined the tiny stars that orbited the face. Turning it over he saw intricately etched spirals and swirls that formed roses and hummingbirds that spread across the back of the watches smooth golden surface. Turning it back to the watches face he saw something etched onto the inside of the cover. Squinting he leaned closer to the metal and saw written in looping writing nine words,
The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.
Harry blinked and stared at it for a few second before blinking and showing it to Ron and Hermione,
“What d’you reckon that means? Isn’t it meant to be a deatheater idea?” asked Ron,
“Well…it could mean lots of things…” said Hermione, “all of which are possible.”

Harry’s mind was reeling, people’s voices seemed to be getting louder and quieter and his vision kept lurching. He swallowed again and got shakily to his feet and stepped over the bench turning to say to the other two,
“I’ll see you in potions.” Before staggering away, their anxious gazes boring into his back.

He walked down the front steps and out into the grounds. Morning frost still coated the grass and a fresh breeze ruffled his hair as he walked towards the lake. The sun was still low in the sky but Harry could see the sparkling water through the mist that clung to the air like a damp blanket suppressing and smothering all bright lights so all appeared calm and cool.

Harry took a deep breath and looked down at the golden watch trying to decipher the symbols. According to the watch it was quarter to nine but by Harry’s wristwatch it was half past. Shaking his head Harry set off around the lake allowing the misty morning to wash his doubts and confusion away.
He began to ponder what sort of classes Slughorn would be teaching as Snape had always restricted Harry’s lessons to private torture sessions. Harry grimaced and let his gaze drift out to the centre of the lake where the squid was tossing a lazy tentacle about. Passing under the beech tree he, Ron and Hermione used to do their homework under he sat on a raised root and gazed out across the flat water studying the only movement of the single tentacle.
“Hi Harry,”
Harry jumped so violently his glasses slipped to the end of his nose. Twisting his head around so fast it cracked he saw Luna standing just within the perimeter of the beech trees shadow.
“Luna, what are you doing here?” he asked rubbing his neck,
“I was visiting the Thestrals, they miss you Harry.”
“yeah…well we can’t just go flying off to the ministry every day, they’ll have to get used to my absence.”
“The nargles told me as much…”
Harry grunted,
“What’s up Harry? You seem…tense”
“Never mind…”
“Fine, I’ll just ask the nargles,” and she turned to walk away.
“Do you ever have dreams?”
She stopped and turned around slowly, “Well, yeah, everyone dreams Harry.”
“No, no I mean different dreams.”
“I’m not sure I understand…”
“Well…last night I dreamt…I had a dream that…my parents were alive…”
Luna looked at him for a bit but unlike Hermione’s her smile wasn’t pitiful, it was understanding.
“I have those dreams too Harry, I know how you feel. You have this unstoppable urge to join them, even if its only for a second, you want to join them in your dreams…let yourself drift away…but Harry you have to fight it. You heard them behind that curtain didn’t you? You know that they are real, just ask yourself before you do anything else, could you give up everything you know and love so well for a fantasy that is a mere figment of your imagination?”
“Wha-but you just said they were real! That the people behind the curtain, the viel, in the department of mysteries, that they were real. If that is possible then why can’t the dreams be also?”
“Dreams are the reality, Harry, the reality of our imagination. Whilst you are within the boundaries of your mind anything is possible and if you will it hard enough anything can happen, anything can happen despite the circumstances.”
“What? What is that meant to mean?” Harry pleaded but Luna was walking away.
“Luna!” he called getting to his feet but the mist had already blocked her from his view,
“Luna!”
“The nargles told me. Talk to the narlges!”
Harry growled with frustration and kicked the root swearing under his breath as pain lanced up his leg. Checking his watch he swore again and jogged away from the lake back up to the castle, if he was not quick he would be late for his first lesson.

Sprinting down the staircase he ran the full length of the corridor and skidded to a halt at the back of the line waiting outside the dungeon door. Panting Harry bent over to help catch his breath; his bag fell to the floor with a thud.
“Where’ve you been?” asked Ron who was standing in front of him.
“Thinking….” Harry panted,
“Mmm…you don’t want to do too much of that or you’ll turn into Hermione.”
Hermione who had been standing in front of Ron lashed out with a well-aimed kick at his shin without turning round,
“What a tragedy that would be if you suddenly sprouted bushy brown hair and a terrible sense of humour.” He grunted rubbing his knee while Harry stole himself a small smile.

The dungeon door opened and a large stomach preceded the teacher out of the door. Slughorn laughed at them all and proclaimed that they would be brewing a simple sleeping draught as a warm up and then during the last half of the lesson they would list down the qualities of a Draught of Living Death in preparation for the next lessons activities. He then surprised them slightly by shutting the door and leading them away down the corridor bouncing on the balls of his feet.

They exchanged curious and doubtful glances with each other as their small class followed the Professor all the way to the green houses where Harry spotted Ginny and Luna being taught how to tame Devils Snare in green house five. Slughorn marched past them all the way down to greenhouse two where he turned beaming to stop and survey the class,
“Now, can anyone tell me why I have brought you all here?” he asked.
Harry looked at Ron who looked at Hermione who had her hand in the air.
“Yes?”
“The main ingredient in the sleeping draught is periwinkle pollen and crushed lindroot. Only, when you mix the two they must be fresh or else the draught could cause the sleeper to sleep for too long depending on how long the periwinkle pollen and lindroot has been left for.”
Slughorn nodded encouragingly,
“so you brought us here because second years learn how to pollinate periwinkle and how to harvest lindroot so this would be the nearest fresh source.”
“excellent!” cried Slughorn, “five points to Gryffindor for such a detailed and well thought out answer!”
“An answer that can also be found in: Potions for Beginners or Grow Your Own Spice Garden” Sneered Malfoy from the back of the class extracting a bark of laughter from Nott.
Ron glared at him but it went unnoticed as Malfoy was still sniggering with Nott. Harry sighed and returned his attention to Slughorn who was demonstrating how to get the most juice from your Lindroot. Even though they had learnt as much in their second year Slughorn seemed to think it appropriate to recap so they watched and listened with polite boredom.

Soon Harry was crushing his own Lindroot and scattering pollen onto the pulp before throwing it into his cauldron full of bubbling syrup and rosewater. He had made the potion so many times in his previous years he did not even need to open his battered borrowed copy of Advance Potion making. The mixture turned a violent shade of pink as the last of the Lindroot was scraped into the cauldron and Harry blinked with surprise. He had not really been concentrating, his limbs had gone into autopilot without him realising it. Groaning he flicked through the pages of his copy of Advance Potion Making and found the correct page in the introduction. However because it was such a simple potion there was only a mention of it comparing it to the draught of Living Death. The previous owner had scribbled a few things in the margins but Harry did not find anything helpful, just a load of scribble about unripe lindroots.
Meandering over to Hermione who was stationed beside a patch of periwinkles he asked, a little embarrassed,
“I’ve mucked it up,”
Hermione only just contained a snort, “You mucked up the sleeping draught?”
“I wasn’t concentrating alright! Can’t you just help me?”
“If you ask nicely.” She said not taking her eyes of the correct pale orange liquid within her cauldron.
“please…” Harry asked with an apologetic look,
“judging by that awful smell I would guess that you used an unripe lindroot,” she said then looked up fro a brief second at Harry’s cauldron, “and judging by the colour I would say you forgot to add the newt bile.”
Harry thanked her and returned to his cauldron and added the newt bile…it may not be as good as Hermione’s but at least it was orange now. The potions book lay open on the grass beside him and it drew his eyes. It had mentioned the lindroot…Harry bent and picked it up and flicked through some other pages. The previous owner had written all over the book. Harry closed it and replaced it on the grass storing the information away until he could further use it.

Near the end of the brewing session Harry bottled some of his potion and stoppered it then took it to Slughorn with a label. He had just returned to clean his cauldron when there was an explosion to his left, Harry flung himself sideways and was engulfed in smoke and gas that billowed out of Ron’s cauldron. Ron’s yells of, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” were things that could be heard over the yelling and screaming of his classmates. Coughing, eyes watering Harry crawled towards Ron to help him control the gas but his head went all light and the ground seemed to rock, his vision swam before him and he fell to the floor. His head landed on something soft and he realised he had landed on Ron’s legs; other seemed to be toppling over all around him. Harry’s eyelids drooped lower and lower over his eyes until he submitted to the weary darkness.


TBC


I hope you liked it! There will be more on a later date. If your feeling generouse please leave any thoughts or ideas, comments or crits on this feedback thread.

Now...this is where you kind of start to guess what the rest of the story is going to consist of....I'm glad you've all left so much lovely feedback! Thanks to Lily/JamesForever for their generouse rating . Your thoughts always help me think better about what sort of thing would be interseting for the next chapter!
anyway...here it is I hope you enjoy it




Chapter 3: Mmm…picnic

Gentle nibbling on Harry’s finger drew him from his warm sleep. He looked around but everything was a dark blur. Reaching to his bedside table he picked up his glasses and pushed them onto his face and blinked to clear his sleep laden eyes. The sun had nt yet risen and Hedwig sat on his bedpost a frog clamped in her talons her amber eyes staring fixedly at a point beyond Harry.

He smiled and lifted a hand to stroke her then realized that he was not in the hospital wing where he should be after being gassed by an incorrect sleeping draught, nor would Hedwig be allowed in the Hospital Wing. Harry recoiled and pushed himself up against the wall, afraid to move, blink lest it would all be torn away from him. His breathing was quick and shallow and a sweat poured down the side of his head.

He could hear snoring in the other rooms beyond the unlit walls of his own. His eyes slid from the desk to the wardrobe to the door, it was all there, just as it had been before…but that meant…that this…was just a dream.
Harry lay still for a moment just breathing, taking in his predicament. Could he find a way to stay here, in this perfect dream world forever? He would not have to suffer the difficulties of being, The Chosen One. Harry’s heart lightened slightly at this, he could live a normal life, have everything he had dreamed of. He chuckled to himself at this, but the chuckle died in his throat.
It would not be his life, and he would be burdening Neville with his misfortune, he would be changing the world without it knowing he was changing it. Was it really just a dream? Could he actually stay here forever, would he be able to?
Luna’s words drifted over to him as if from across the misty lake itself,
“You know that they are real, just ask yourself before you do anything else, could you give up everything you know and love so well for a fantasy that is a mere figment of your imagination?”
He shook his head, he could not leave a Ron and Hermione, a Mrs Weasley, an everyone that he knew so well. In this world he would not have done all the things he would have done with Ron and Hermione, they would have different memories. They would be different people to him. He would hardly know them….

A breeze trickled across his face tossing his hair about his bespectacled brow, Hedwig hooted and leapt off the bedpost. Harry’s eyes followed her to the open window that was enticing the cool, night breeze. Harry’s heart stopped. There was someone sitting on his windowsill, silhouetted against the waning moon that sank in the star spangled sky. Hedwig sat on their shoulder chewing on the frog, allowing the person to stroke her feathery back. Harry’s hand slid towards his wand and grasping it under his bed covers he slowly got out of bed and moved in front of the door. The person’s head turned to face Harry and he thought he caught the slightest flash of amusement deep in the shadows of their face.
“Hello Harry,” drawled a horribly familiar voice, “Want to go for a fly?”
Harry’s breath caught in his chest and he rose his wand more deliberately, “Malfoy?” he whispered lacing loathing and malice into it.
“Malfoy? What’s with the attitude? Did you get up on the wrong side of the bed?”
Harry did not dare take his eyes of the figure as it slipped of the sill, Hedwig taking flight out of the window, and walked over to Harry until they were about a meter apart.
“Whats up Harry? What’ve I done? Come on…first holiday since you turned seventeen! Lets go have some fun! Its my birthday remember…”
Harry saw that he held a broom in one hand and a wand in the other, he stepped backwards raising his own wand even higher. “Lumos,” he hissed and the tip of his wand flared into brilliance. Draco Malfoy’s thin, pale face lit up in the sudden light. He squinted in the brilliance of it but did not lower his gaze.
“What’s up Harry? Are you all right?”
“I…I…”
“Are you tiered? I know I shouldn’t have come so early but it was the only way I could slip past my Father and I couldn’t miss this I would have slipped away for nothing if you can’t come. Come on….you know you want to.”
Harry shook his head and reversed further until he hit the wall. Was this the sort of life he would have led had his parent survived? A life where he was…friends with Malfoy. Harry swallowed and lowered his wand, the beams of light dancing about the floor creating shadows and throwing random objects into definition.

Malfoy’s face now looked rather worried as he stood watching Harry with a patience he definitely lacked in reality. Wrinkles distorted his face as he frowned then moved towards Harry, picking up Harry’s Nimbus 2001 and offering it to him,
“You’ll be back before they know it. Come on, we might see Ron, I sent him an owl telling him where to meet us. He’ll be disappointed if you don’t show, not to mention a little confused.”
At the mention of Ron’s name Harry’s brain had snapped into focus. Something familiar he could rely on. He nodded and took his broom from Malfoy, dimming his wand and stowing it in a pocket in his pajamas. He took his cloak from the end of his bed and pulled it over his head then followed Malfoy to the window, watching as he crouched and jumped from the sill disappearing for a few moments before soaring back up into the sky in a flurry of dark green robes. Harry climbed onto the window sill and crouched down holding onto the window frame with one hand and his broom with the other. Malfoy was hovering just above his house his wand out and clamped to his broom handle as his hands gripped the broom. Harry took a deep breath and looked over his shoulder at his room then launched himself away, twisting in midair to swing onto his broom and gripping the handle to make it swoop up towards the starry sky.
“Harry! Over here!” called Malfoy.
Harry cautiously flew over to where Malfoy hovered one hand holding his wand high. He then rapped it hard over his own head and disappeared from head to toe. Harry could vaguely see his outline but it was difficult. “Come here let me do you.”
He bobbed a bit closer to the place he had just seen Malfoy vanish and felt his wand hit him hard on the head. And Harry felt the familiar process of the disillusionment charm take affect. Looking down he saw the Potter’s back garden and the feint outline of his hands grasping the broom handle.

Harry felt a cloak whip his head and knew Malfoy had just flown above him. Scanning the stars he spotted him and followed, not knowing what sort of danger he was being led into.

They flew for what seemed like half an hour before all traces of human inhabitance had disappeared. Godric’s Hollow was far behind them and dark shadow ridden wilderness stretched out far below them. Harry’s eyes were watering as the cold night air blasted them with its icy breath. The moon was still a fair distance from the uneven horizon when Malfoy began to dive towards the tangled mess of hedges and trees. However when they were nearer the ground Harry saw a clearing with a silvery disk of water reflecting the moon in its middle.

They alighted upon the soft ground. Their feet muffled by the leafy carpet that covered the grass. Malfoy turned to Harry who flinched as he reversed the disillusionment charm firs ton Harry then himself and walked away. Harry kept his eyes on Malfoy’s back while he circled the pond and sat down on a flat rock, examining the motionless water. Harry remained standing, in the shadows of the looming trees he watched as Malfoy looked up at the duplicate of the pool that stretched far out beyond the treetops. Harry got the first feeling of uneasiness when the silence had stretched on for several minutes and Malfoy had not moved. He was standing in the middle of a deserted wood with someone he knew was an enemy…but it was a dream. Harry reminded himself. He shivered, it was freezing and he was only dressed in nightclothes and a cloak after flying by broom through the night. What was he doing? He would catch some sort of horrible illness and spend the rest of his life in bed. Is that what Malfoy was trying to do? Was he trying to do him in? There would be plenty of opportunities here, in the dark, all alone, there would be no one to help him….or was he just being paranoid. Harry shook his head again, he was being stupid….or was he.

Suddenly a figure fell from the sky. Harry suppressed a yelp and jumped backwards into a bramble bush. Malfoy however seemed to be expecting it and leapt to his feet. The figure that had just landed split itself in two and through the darkness Harry recognized Hermione unwrapping her arms from Ron’s waist and getting off the broom with shaky legs. Ron dismounted as well and walked to shake Malfoy’s hand.
“What took you so long?” Malfoy asked,
“Mum held me up, but I managed to break free with time to pick up Hermione.”
“Happy Birthday Draco,” Hermione said drawing a package from within her bag and handing him a brightly wrapped box.
“Its from me and Ron,”
“Wha…? I don’t get two presents now that you’re a couple?” he asked in mock disappointment, “No, thank you, thank you…” he unwrapped it carefully to reveal a box with the image of a mobile phone on it. Opening the box he lifted up a phone and looked at it curiously.
“It’s a phone, I gave one to Ron and I know Harry has one anyway. You can’t use them near school but it is a fast, risk free way to talk to each other away from school. I know muggles interest you Draco so I thought you would enjoy it…just keep it away from your parents…no doubt they’d disapprove.”
Draco was still staring in wonder at the phone, examining the buttons and wires in the box.
“How does it work?” he asked quietly in amazement.
“well there is a manual in the box that will help but I can set it up if you want.”
“No…I reckon I can do it if I put my mind to it. It’ll give me something to do. Thank you,” he said looking up at Ron and Hermione, “thank you so much. Now I wont have to worry about my owls being read and….are you sure this will work?”
“Yes, everyone has a number that you can contact them by. I think I better help you actually, I’ll meet you at Ron’s at some point and we can set it up.”
“Cool,”
“Hey Harry!” said Ron turning to clap Harry on the shoulder, “Your awfully quiet. Are you ok?”
For the first time Harry actually felt nervous in front of Ron. This was a Ron he did not know, he did not know what to say or do. He nodded,
“I’m just a bit tiered, I hardly slept at all and Mal…Draco gave me quite a fright.”
“Sorry about that…”
“s’ok” Harry mumbled, “I’m, I’m just tired.”
“yeah I know what you mean mate, our homework load…it is enough to drive anyone to suicide. Whoever thought it could get worse than last year. We’re going to drown.” Said Ron clapping him on the back and walking over to his broom to which a basket was tied
“Yeah….the homework.” Said Harry a little confused,
“Of course Hermione and Draco have nothing to worry about. They are bound to pass with flying colours.”
“Don’t Ron, ok? Just don’t!” squealed Hermione while Draco snorted.
“Yeah, what makes you think we’ll do any better than you two?”
“Oh come on…you guys aced your OWLs what else is there to fear once you’ve aced your NEWTs too?” asked Ron untying the basket from his broom. Hermione scowled at his but he didn’t see. Harry managed a smile, at least their personalities were realistic he thought to himself.

Once Ron had untied the hamper and pulled out a rug they all smoothed it down and sat by the pool with bottles of butterbeer and sandwiches and scones, courtesy of Mrs Weasley, joking and talking. Harry listened more than anything. He deduced from the way they spoke about Lucius that he did not approve of this friendship and that the current celebration of Draco’s was happening in complete secret. After a while the conversation turned to quidditch and Harry’s ears pricked up.
“-so I was talking to my Dad about the next world cup and he said it wouldn’t be for a while and we couldn’t guarantee tickets but if we can your welcome to come too!” said Ron enthusiastically to Draco who was draining the last of the butterbeer, “you, Harry and Hermione, my parents will be more than happy to see you all again and you could just tell your Dad that your…going with some mate from school. He doesn’t have to know your coming with a bunch of blood traitors-“
“-and a mudblood.” Hermione hiccoughed Ron frowned at her.
“don’t call yourselves that! You know it’s not true…and besides I’m a blood traitor too so if my own father can’t tell when one is living under his own roof then they can’t be as different as he says they are.” Draco said wafting his empty beerbottle through the air.
“ha, ha that’s the butterbeer talking,” scoffed Ron taking a mouthful of scone.
“Nope…you haven’t ever seen me drunk…not yet anyway.” Chuckled Draco dropping his bottle and lying back on the rug studying the stars as they began to fade slowly into the gathering light of daybreak.
“Anyway what do you say?” asked Ron through his mouthful of scone.
“It would be great to go with you guys but not if its any trouble…I could try and scavenge some off my parents, their bound to have a few tickets tucked away…”
“Mmm…what ever happens we should go together,” said Hermione, “we could compare the two of you to the internationals,” she said smiling at Harry and he laughed. Ron looked up smiling,
“Its about time we got something out of you, you’ve been as quiet as a door matt ever since we arrived. Try and get some sleep, you might be a bit more fun,” Ron said wagging a crumb caked finger,
Harry laughed even harder,
“now that is the drink talking.” He said eyeing Ron’s finger with amusement.
“maybe,” said Ron and he joined in the laughing, then Hermione and Draco joined in and once they had started they couldn’t stop. The laughed until their sides hurt and the little tea lights that lit their glade flickered in their labored breathing.
Ron finally sat up and pulled Hermione upright as well brushing her hair from her face as she tried to bring her giggles and hiccoughs under control. Harry cleared his throat and tried to flatten his grin. Draco looked up at the sky,
“It getting late…or…early…whichever but you need to get home without arousing suspicion or you might be in trouble. I wouldn’t want that because of me.”
Ron nodded and got up helping Hermione to her feet. Harry watched for a few happy seconds then also stood and helped the others clear away.

Once it was all back inside the basket Ron and Hermione mounted their broom, Harry and Draco re-did the disillusionment charms then mounted theirs then looked back at eachother still smiling.
“Harry,” said Hermione, “I’ve got your phone number, I’ll give it to Ron and Draco when we are at the Burrow so they can contact you too.”
“yeah, speaking of that Harry you didn’t give me an answer. Can you come or not?”
“Oh…I haven’t asked…I think I’ll spend a bit of time with my family and I’ll send Hedwig to you with an answer.”
“Cool, I might see you then, then.”
“Sure,”
“I’ll phone you Harry,” said Hermione.
“ok,”
“Thanks guys,” said Draco from beside the pond,
“What for?” asked Ron shifting his weight onto the other foot preparing for flight,
“for this, for the gift, for everything…I’ve probably got a big formal dinner party waiting at home and to be honest…I don’t do dinner parties.”
They laughed again at this but had to stop for fear of falling over,
“See you,” said Harry,
“bye,”
“bye!”
“See you soon,”
They all took off and sped away in their own directions.

Harry had a vague idea how to get back but the landscape seemed so different in the early light. It took his twice as long to find Godric’s Hollow again and by the time he spotted his house the sun was in the sky. Speeding towards the houses as fast as the broom would go he pulled up sharply when he reached his garden and managed to slow down enough before circling around and flying slowly towards his window which was still open.

Once he was back in his room he removed the charm, replaced the broom and yanked the cloak off his head, falling into the blankets and winding himself into them trying to rest his tiered eyes, which were aching so much, before he had to wake up again. He felt the warmth of his pillows and blankets seep back into his numb fingers and toes, felt his shivering subsiding into a wave of warmth and comfort. Soon his brain had become sluggish and his thoughts moved as if through treacle as sleep wafted over him.


TBC


I hope you liked it and it wasn't too wierd or.....wierd sometime I veer off in random directions and can't stop...
If you have any comments or crits, thoughts or ideas ect please leave your feedback here. Thanks!

Now... I know this is kind of soon but I have had a bit of spare time on my hands so I wrote the next chapter and it is a really long one. Its kind of complicated so just to help clarify certain things I have written below the definitions of Soul and Spirit if you did not already know what they meant.

Spirit: the vital principle or animating force within living things
Soul: the immaterial part of a person; the actuating cause of an individual life

Anyway...here is the next chapter....I hope you like it



Chapter 4: Mediums

“Ron it was your own stupid fault so don’t you dare blame Ernie!”
“…but it was Ernie…”
Harry sighed and rolled his eyes under his closed lids.
“not again…” he groaned. He could feel the sheets of the hospital wing bed and groggily sat up and dressed then got out of bed and wandered over to where Hermione and Ron were arguing.
“Ernie was over the other side of the vegetable patch. He was no where near you.”
“Yeah well…he flew.”
“Oh my God Ron this is ridiculous! You know as well as I that you added salamander eggs when you were meant to add goat weed. Just because you have the brain of a screwt does not mean we all do. Now go and apologize to Ernie!”
After a good deal of grumbling Ron got out of bed and staggered over to where Ernie was talking to Hannah and kept shooting Ron dark looks.

Harry sat down on Ron’s vacated bed beside Hermione who was still glaring at Ron’s back as he began to stutter a feeble apology.
“Honestly, he has no sense of what is right and wrong. Its like conversing with a troll…a six year old troll.”
“That’s a bit harsh don’t you think Hermione?” said Harry rubbing his head,
Hermione shot him a calculating look, “No…I suppose…maybe I was a bit rough. We’re all a bit nervous, but that gives him no right to blame Ernie for his mistakes…he needs to grow up or he’s going to drown.”
“He knows he needs to. Its just a lot harder than you make it out to be. Your already there, you know all this stuff…Ron, Ron is still climbing.” Said Harry and was suddenly hit by a violent fit of coughing. Gulping he gasped for air as Hermione patted him on the back. She was still obviously thinking about other things.
Hermione blew a strand of hair out her face, “I suppose your right.” She said, glancing at Ron who was shuffling a great deal as Ernie appeared to be forgiving him. Harry blinked back the headache that was attempting to take over and drew out his timetable.
Looking at his watch he saw that it was quarter to eleven, “We have a spare period now, then break then Defense against the Dark Arts…who’s teaching that by the way? If Slughorn’s teaching potions…”
Hermione looked at his confused…but Harry you were there weren’t you?
“…what?”
“At breakfast,”
“I left early…why?”
“they appointed Slughorn potions master and….Snape…Snape Defense Against the Dark arts…”
Harry stared at her for a minute then smiled and began to laugh,
“Whats so funny?” Hermione asked looking a little hurt.
“Dumbledore wouldn’t be that stupid…no you have to be joking…right?” when Hermione paused Harry began to get worried, “Hermione…tell me your joking.”
“I’m sorry but I heard it from Dumbledore himself,”
“But he can’t!” harry said…a lot louder than he had meant to causing Ernie and Hannah to look over at him alarmed. Ron trotted over looking concerned,
“Its ok Harry, he can, I’m going to tell Slughorn that it was me not Ernie then Slughorn can put me in detention instead.” Ron said looking pleased with himself,
“Its…its not right! He’s a Deatheater! He could turn on us at any moment! He will be the death of us all!”
“What? Slughorn? Really…” said Ron with a deep frown on his face.
“No Ron…he’s talking about Snape.” Said Hermione impatiently,
“Ooooh…well a little heads up would have been nice.” Ron said going red.
Hermione rolled her eyes as Harry sneezed into his arm.

“Miss Granger, Mr Weasley you are free to go with Mr McMillan and the others. The gas may keep you drowsy for a few hours so I suggest you inform your teachers before starting the lesson to avoid any confusion.” Said Madam Pomfrey from behind them.
Harry, Ron and Hermione got to their feet and picked up their bags,
“Not you Mr Potter, you will stay behind for a few minutes while the pepper up potion is prepared.” Said Pomfrey shortly
“Pepper up Miss?” asked Harry glancing at the other two.
“Yes you seem to have developed a severe cold and I’m afraid you will have to drink up immediately before the illness spreads and becomes contagious.”
“A cold? How long were we lying outside?”
“Only a few minutes before the people in greenhouse four realized something was wrong and came to help.”
“So how did I get ill?” asked Harry stifling a sneeze,
“I honestly have no idea, you must have caught it off someone or something…but no one has developed a cold yet. Well no cases have been reported to me anyway. Drink up!” she said shoving a glass of steaming liquid into his hands. He drank it obediently and grimaced as the fiery potion hit the back of his throat. He felt a tingling stretching from the tip of his nose all the way down to his stomach where a warm sensation lay slowly heating the rest of him.
“Can I go now?” he asked blinking rapidly as his eyes watered due to the pressure being suddenly released form his ear drums.
“Wait!” Madam Pomfrey shoved a meter long metal rod into his mouth and examined the end. It began to sing the English national anthem,“…yes potter you may go.”
Even more confused Harry slung his bag over his shoulder and traipsed out of the wing behind the others.

He spent the free period and beginning of break sitting by the common room fire gazing into the ashes trying to straighten his muddled thoughts. If all that was a dream…then whats to say he wasn’t dreaming right now? Whats to say they’re not in one huge dream which is in a dream which is in a dream which is actually a dream in a dream-
“Harry?” came a voice to his right.
Looking up and rubbing his eyes he saw Ginny standing there looking at him questioningly.
“You all right?” she said,
“Yeah…” said Harry automatically counting all the people who had asked that question in the last few hours.
“You don’t look so good,”
“I’m recovering form a cold…” he said and then something clicked in his brain. He had had a cold…but he had not had an opportunity to catch one…unless his dream had been more real than he had thought and he had actually gotten that cold and suffered the consequences. He got up,
“-so I don’t really know what to do…Harry?” said Ginny who had evidently been trying to talk to him.
“Sorry, wait a mo,” and he struggled over to Hermione who was sitting reading a History of Magic for the hundredth time. “Hermione?” he asked feeling a little embarrassed.
“….Mmm?” she said looking up slowly.
“When I was in the hospital wing…did…did I leave my bed?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean before I woke up and came over to you did I get up at all?”
“No but….” Hermione paused biting her lip,
“but?!” Harry urged her,
“you…you were muttering things,”
“like?”
“well…you were just groaning and mumbling for the most part…but then you said something about a Birthday and then started laughing…”
Harry stared at her for a moment,
“Harry your not still having those dreams about Voldemort are you?” she asked suddenly closing her book, “Because you know what Dumbledore said!”
Harry was still staring but not at anything in particular, “…no,” he muttered, “s’not about Voldemort…”
“Are you sure?” said Hermione giving him a I-Know-Your-Hiding-Something look.
Harry nodded and got up. Ginny had left and he was sure she was angry with him. He looked down at his watch. They were due in potions at any moment.
“Come on Hermione we’d better go,” he said, “where’s Ron?”
“library. He’ll meet us there.”

When they arrived outside the DADA room Ron was not there and Hermione shot Harry an anxious look.
“Do you think he knows what the time is?”
“Hermione, he’s not stupid!” snarled Harry annoyed with her lack of confidence in their friend,
“No…I know he’s not,” she said twisting a strand of hair between her fingers.
“Well stop treating him like he is!”
“ok!...ok…” she sighed and leant against the wall. Harry smiled at her and turned his attention to the door in which he knew a pale grease framed face would appear in before long.
The sound of flailing feet drew Harry’s attention. Turning around he saw Ron running towards them with a fat book shoved under his arm.
“There you are!” Hermione said taking her finger nails out of her mouth, “you know what Snape’s reaction will be if you’re late!”
“ but I’m not am I?”
“…no…but I was just worried…”
Harry smiled to himself, a smile that soon slid into a frown as the door opened and Snape allowed them into his classroom.
After pulling out his books and taking his seat beside Ron, Snape called for the class’s attention.
“Today we shall be studying Legilimency.” He drawled sneering at Harry who groaned and closed his eyes to hide his dread.
“Can anyone tell me what Legilimency is?”
Hermione’s hand shot up as per usual.
“Yes?”
“Legilimency is the art of breaking into another’s mind and tampering with the memories and thoughts often extracting certain information or planting false images,”
“An answer also found on page 521 of Possessed and Obsessed by Gilbert Hopcirk.”
From the front of the class Malfoy sniggered shooting a malicious glare back at them which Hermione returned with utmost loathing. For a moment Harry stared at them both curiously wondering why they were treating each other as if they hated each other before he remembered. Harry closed his eyes again and tried to focus.
“Legilimency is incredibly dangerous for the victim, it could cause them to have hallucinations, rash ideas or could have catastrophic results if the unguarded mind lets slip something of value to the enemy. Often Legilimency occurs during dreams and on….rare occasions can be used unconsciously…” Snape shot a venomous look at Harry as he shifted his feet guiltily. “You will prepare yourselves against me and when I attempt to break into your mind I want you to deflect my attempts.”
There were several whispers of outrage and exasperation. For Harry it was as if the floor had dropped away to reveal the maw of some ravenous beast just waiting to spear him on its fangs. Snape had done this purely to humiliate him and Harry could tell.

They all stood, Harry a bit shakily.
“You’ll be fine,” muttered Ron.
“At least you’ve had experience” whispered Hermione a little hysterically.
“What…are you trying to tell me that you haven’t already read and re-read all of the 6th year DADA guides?” said Ron
Hermione blushed and took her place in the line that had divided the classroom and meandered through the desks. Harry stood patiently at the back as he watched his classmates try and fail to fend off Snape’s ruthless attack. Strangely Malfoy managed to withstand Snape for several minute before he finally caved. Hermione managed three minutes twenty and retreated to the back of the room with weak knees. Ron lasted just over four seconds then fell to his knees and Harry swallowed painfully as the last student fell before him and Snape beckoned to him menacingly. He licked his lips and stepped forwards trying to hold his head high and raised his wand.
“Legilimens!”
Sirius greeting him after the Hogwarts express. Draco jumping out the window. Drinking butterbeer in the forest. Ron’s cauldron exploding. Being given his watch. Showing it to Ron and Hermione at breakfast. Meeting his brother and sister. Hugging his mother. Sirius shouting goodbye. His mother defending Snape in the living room.
The presence that had invaded his mind suddenly recoiled and Harry opened his eyes, the dim classroom slowly coming into focus. Looking up from where he lay flat on his back Harry saw Snape even paler than he had been before clutching the desk and staring at Harry with huge eyes which seemed to be unusually wet. Before Harry could register what he had seen Snape turned away and said in a sharp voice,
“You will see me after class Potter. No exceptions”

After everyone else had filled out of the room Harry approached the desk behind which Snape was sitting with his head in his hands.
“Professor?” Harry asked carefully.
Snape looked up but his face was unreadable. “Where did you get those images Potter?”
“It…it was…a dream…”
“A…a dream? Like the ones you were having last year?”
“No…in the dream I knew it was a dream…and it was amazing…”
“How…how did you manage to…to see your mother?”
“I don’t know…it was just a dream…but it felt real”
“Impossible…”
“Sorry Sir…but what is impossible?”
“Have you ever heard of a medium Potter?”
“Someone who talks to dead people?”
“That is the general idea. They pass over messages communicate with the spirits of those who have died…”
“Yeah…but what does that have to do with my dreams?”
“Your mother was a medium and if I am right in saying this…you may….may have inherited some of her ability…”
“I…what????!”
“Your parents are dead…yes?”
Harry nodded.
“and you have dreams about them?”
Harry nodded again.
“Then…if they are of that quality then I can think of no alternative. We have no idea what happens after death. There is no way we can know…but…no I will have to ask the Headmaster. You may go now.”
Harry turned and sprinted from the room swinging around the door so fast he ran into Hermione and they both fell to the floor. Ron helped them up and looked at him with worry in his eyes.
“You never said your mother was a-”
“-I never knew…”
“So…you have been having conversations with your dead family…thinking it was a dream?”
Harry shrugged and walked away from them wanting to be alone for a bit. He distinctly heard from behind him as he trudged away,
“Ron you’re so insensitive!”
“How was I to know?”
Harry didn’t blame Ron for anything. He was just trying to be a friend and Harry just wanted to be alone with his thoughts for a bit. He walked to the library and tried to find some books on mediums.

He browsed all through the Divination section but was not all too surprised when he found a book called Spiritual Communication by Gabrielle Robinson in the Defense Against the Dark Arts corner. He flicked to the page stated by the contents and saw a pair of ghosts whispering in this women’s ear.

Mediums are those who communicate with the spirits which linger after the host has died. Often they convey messages or information with the living world using the medium as the translator but in the past hundred and fifty years a new type of Spirit Speaker has evolved. This new strain of Mediumship involves actually having an insight into the dead spirits world proving that death is not the final hurdle after all. I have in fact traveled into one of these said worlds and was shocked to see that people who I knew to be living existed there too. Every living being has two sides. They have a side of them which is alive and they have a side of them which is dead. These two sides of the being live separately one in each world, the dead and the living and even though they are the same person each half of them can live in the set world and never be aware that they have another half that lives in a different world. Mediums who have adapted to this advance in Mediumship have also traveled into the Spirit realm to speak with people they thought they knew only to discover they didn’t know them at all. People’s spirit half may be completely different to the living half which is why it is so confusing to pass from world to world and is unadvised if the mediums has little experience.

“Harry.”
Harry’s head snapped up from the book he had been inches away from his eyes zooming back and forth so fast that they hurt. He uncurled from the tense crouch he had been kneeling in and stood up to look into Dumbledore’s blue eyes that pierced him with their usual knowing curiosity.
“Professor.”
“Would you care to join me in my office Harry. I have a solution for our problem”
“Its no problem Professor.” Harry tried to say politely.
Dumbledore smiled and turned and walked away making it obvious he wanted Harry to follow him anyway.

Once they were up the stairs and in his office Dumbledore crossed the room and sat behind his desk. In a chair in the corner Snape sat with a glass of Fire Whisky.
“Professor?” Harry said uncertainly looking at Dumbledore.
“Please sit Harry.”
Harry sat.
“Now…I understand you are still having these dreams.”
“They’re not the same, they’re not the same!” Snape half shouted from the corner.
“Thank…you Severus,” Said Dumbledore patiently, “but…apparently they are different?”
“Yes…I know I’m in these dreams and that they’re dreams and that they’re not real….are they?”
“Very much so actually.”
Snape looked up suddenly, “What!”
“These dreams are not simply dreams…in fact they are not dreams at all…I take it you guessed that much by what you’ve read in there.”
Harry nodded slowly.
“You seem to have inherited the genes required for Mediumship from your mother as Severus has told you. What you have been doing is…when you are asleep and your mind drifts as close to the world of the dead as it ever will while you remain alive you have been unconsciously crossing that thin line that separate life and death without dying. This is different to what your mother could do so I guess that the ability has been altered somewhat. You have been looking into the lives of the Dead…or spirits that live in that world. In that world they are very real but in this they are no more than memories. When someone dies the half of them that is in this world passes over that line and joins the other half in the world of the Dead. The whole spirit does not have any memories of being in the living world as memories cannot pass the rift without a living body but they live on in the world of the Dead. Your mother and father are whole spirits…as are your brother and sister as they were born in the world of the Dead offspring of two already dead people. Does that make sense?”
Harry shook his head slightly.
“People born of two alive people have halved spirits whereas those born of two dead people can never be part of the living world and are born with whole spirits.”
Harry nodded.
“Harry. A spirit is not the same as a soul.”
“What?”
“One day you will understand…”
“Um….Professor…”
“Yes Harry?”
“er…when I woke up from the first dream I had this…” he pulled out the watch, “…around my neck…it was featured in the dream thing…”
He handed it to Dumbledore and flicked it open and paled slightly at the inscription on the inside cover. He stared for a few moments before handing it back and saying, “it is…a possibility that material things can pass over the void if the item exists in this world.”
“It did!” said Snape suddenly, “in our 7th year Potter was always flashing that watch about saying it was a gift from his grandfather.”
“Harry…I don’t think these dreams should be a problem unless they are bothering you…although just to be safe and make sure you are not going to make a permanent stay in the realm of the Dead I have asked a fellow Medium to tutor you briefly. Harry swallowed painfully again wincing slightly.
The door swung open and Luna walked in,
“Harry!” she said happily,
“Luna?!” he said confused, “but…you’re not a…”
“how do you think I heard all those voices behind the veil? That arch and veil is basically like a doorway into the realm of the Dead. A big doorway that you can never return through.”
Harry gaped at her and she laughed a little madly but warmly all the same.
“I’m sure you two will be able to keep this new ability under control,”
“Sure thing Sir!” Luna chimed still smiling at the look on Harry’s face.
“May I leave now Sir?” asked Snape impatiently.
“Not at the moment I still require a word with you. Harry, Luna you may go though.”
Harry nodded and walked to the door and down the stairs like a sleep walker. He was still in shock from the information he had had thrust at him but Luna didn’t seem to care and began gibbering about how she already had a plan set out for their one on one lessons but how she promised she wouldn’t tell anyone if he didn’t because she could understand if he didn’t want everyone to know that he could speak to the dead. She knew she didn’t want people to know about her but that it was wonderful to finally have someone to speak with. Secretly Harry was glad Luna wasn’t going to mention it to anyone because he was embarrassed at being taught by her but he was grateful for her help all the same and tried to convey his feelings through a week smile which she returned before walking away to the Ravenclaw table. Harry blinked and realized that he had been led to the main hall. A little way down the Gryffindor table Ron and Hermione were talking quietly while Ginny and Dean had a grape fight across them. Harry sighed and smiled properly as he watched his friend look up and wave at him before walking towards them to sit down and have a normal dinner.



TBC

That was a really long one! Sorry if you got bored...
Confused? Leave any comments, crits or queries or....anything else on my regularly checked feedback thread. Me likey feedy backy.....mmmmmmmm

so...Sorry if is going a bit quick but I have to get my ideas down as they come...anyway
here is the next chapter. Thanks for the feedback, I've tried to iron out any mistakes but if you spot any please point them out so I can correct them . I hope you enjoy the next chapter.

Chapter 5: Blood is Water


He climbed into bed late that night. He had struggled through Transfiguration and Herbology he met Luna in the Hall for dinner where Dumbledore kept an uneasy watch on him from his throne like chair. After a short brief with Luna about her lesson plan and a poor excuse that he managed to throw at Ron before swallowing his parsnips and running all the way to the dormitory. He just couldn’t be around people at the moment. He needed time alone with his thoughts.

Propping up a pillow he dragged the photo album out from under his bed and slowly turned the pages, his stomach leaping at the sight of his parent every time a new picture was revealed. He wondered why this was affecting him now and decided it must have been the previous year’s experiences with Voldemort’s mind that had triggered the dormant ability.
“Harry mate?” Ron said pushing the door open and sitting down on the bed. Harry dropped the album and blinked a few times before looking up at Ron. He looked worried and curious at the same time. “you wanna come down and have a game of chess? I got a new set for my sixteenth.”
“Nah…maybe tomorrow, I’m exhausted”
“Was it the gas? Listen, I’m sorry about that but I was talking to Lavender and I wasn’t concentrating and I just-”
“it wasn’t the gas…its just been a bit much”
“Are you sure your ok Harry?”
“Wha? Yeah.”
“mmm…” He leant against his bedpost and surveyed his fingernails, “what a day. Hardly any work….and only the weird clear your mind stuff from Snape! Whoever said sixth year would be hard?”
“I did, and it will!” Said Hermione walking through the door Ron had left open. “Ron Ginny is downstairs and looking for you….something about giving Lavender brain damage when your cauldron exploded.”
“What? I didn’t give her brain damage!”
“I don’t know! I’m not a surgeon go and ask Ginny!”
Ron hurried out of the room and down the stairs. Harry gave Hermione a look of deep gratitude before she smiled and followed Ron downstairs.
He lay down and closed his eyes. Ron was trying to help but sometimes he could be a bit….a bit…..Ron.


He opened his eyes and found that his glasses were cutting deep into his temple. He lifted his head up from the pillow and rubbed it blinking in the sunlight that was pouring through the open window. Hedwig hooted in a self dignified way looking down her beak at him sprawled on his bed the travelling cloak lying draped over the bed post. He jumped then mentally shook himself. He would have to get used to this. It was going to happen continuously and he would just have to live with it until he learned to control it.
There was a nock on the door making him jump a second time.
“Harry? Darling are you up?” came Lily’s voice from the other side of the door. “Breakfast is ready…do want me to bring you some up?”
“N-no…I’m coming,” he said slowly getting up and changing into a pair jeans and a thick pullover and tried to straighten his hair before opening the door and descending the stairs.
He could hear voices behind the kitchen door and cautiously opened it.
Lily was at the stove cooking a pan of bacon James was sitting back in his chair with a half smile on his face as he watched the twins bombarding a startled Sirius with incoherent questions.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” Sirius said holding up his hands and standing up to avoid the children’s clinging fingers. “I only said I might have seen her…”
“Did you say anything to her?” pressed Isabelle
“What did she say?” squealed John a little hysterically
“Did you tell her about us?”
“Of course he did!”
“Can we go to meet her?”
“Can we go now?”
“John, Izzy! Leave the poor man alone!” said Lily from the cooker
“Well,” said Sirius sitting back down with a thankful look at Lily, “No…I didn’t talk to her…but I know where she is playing next so I might be able to get a ticket…or six”
The twin’s cries of delight echoed around the kitchen as Harry sidled in, not wanting to interrupt their conversation. He was not successful.
“Harry!” Sirius said moving along the bench to make room for him. “Have you recovered yet?”
“Yeah…thanks.” He said sitting down beside him. “What’s going on?”
“Well I was in the upper levels of the ministry the other day. Trying to find another house elf for a matter of fact”
“Are you getting rid of Kreacher?” Harry asked hopefully,
“Heavens no!” said Sirius shocked, “only…after the pie incident the other day…don’t mention it too him or he’ll well up, I thought it would be best to get him some company…or an extra pair of hands because we couldn’t clear up all that blueberry on our own.”
“Did you find one?” Harry asked accepting a plate of mushrooms, egg and bacon sandwich from Lily and biting into the warm bread.
“Yes, I’m taking on Dobby.”
“But…doesn’t he work for Hogwarts?”
“No…the Malfoy’s…remember?”
“Oh….yeah” he said taking another huge bite of bacon.
“Anyway…Dobby was not too happy with his occupation and yesterday…we all know he couldn’t have left unless he was released…but he managed to get away. He’s not telling anyone who freed him because he said they didn’t want anyone knowing but…I reckon it was Draco. You said he was friendly enough didn’t you?”
“He…can be …ok.”
“Don’t be silly you two are insuperable!” Said Lily sitting down with her own plate.
“Yeah that makes sense!” said James sitting up straight. “Lucius would go nutty if he discovered his son had a soft spot for elves.”
“That’s what I was thinking,” said Sirius nodding wisely.
“Tell him about Gwenog!” Said John
Sirius smiled, “and…while I was going up to the Department for the regulation and control of magical creatures I saw Gwenog Jones, captain of the Holly head Harpies, in the lift,”
The twins exchanged ecstatic glances,
“And I overheard her talking to Bagman about her next game. I might be able to get my hands on some tickets if you want to go.”
“Sure!” said Harry beaming at the looks on the twins faces.
“Only if you can get the tickets.” Said Lily,
“And you don’t have to resort to thievery or trickery to get them,” said James with a grin.
“Me? Trickery?” Said Sirius with an overly-innocent look.
The twins laughed and Harry managed to disguise his snort as a cough. Sirius got up and brushed the toast crumbs from his lap.
“Well…that is all came round to tell you…and to see Harry, else I would have sent an owl but I rather be here as much as possible before you have to go back to Hogwarts.”
“Are you going?” asked James a little disappointed.
“I have to. I’m expecting Dobby’s arrival in half an hour and I need to brief Kreacher.”
“And if you see Gwenog again…tell her I’m looking forward to our match next month.” Said James with a sly smile that made Isabelle laugh again.
“Will do…” he checked a slip of paper from his pocket, “…and…we’re meeting Moony and Wormtail tomorrow,”
James’s face brightened and he nodded returning to his cereal.
“Bye!”
“Bye Sirius,” chanted the twins erupting into giggles again.
Harry looked up to see the tail of his godfather’s cloak disappear around the door.

“So,” said Lily putting down her fork, “what do you want to do Harry?”
“M-me?”
“Yes…since we don’t have long you can decide what we do.”
“um…”
“Can we play Quidditch Mum?” asked Izzy suddenly,
“Yeah! I wanna be Keeper!” shouted John flinging his arms above his head and sending his fork flying through the air with his enthusiasm.
“It’s Harry’s decision.” Said James
“Qudditch is cool.” Said Harry.
“I’m Keeper!” shouted Izzy,
“No you’re not!” John shouted back.
“Yes I am!”
“No! I am! Muuuuum!”
Lily shook her head, “I’ll get the brooms shall I?” she said walking to the door.
“I’ll help,” said Harry and he got up and followed her out.

As he closed the kitchen door he heard the twins resume their bickering, James trying to shout them down. He followed his mother all the way down the hall to the broom cupboard beneath the stairs. He opened the door and picked up a few broomsticks.
“Thanks honey.” Lily sighed and picked up the rest. “Are you feeling better?”
“Yeah, much thanks.”
“You still look a bit worn out. Haven’t you been sleeping properly?”
“you could say that…”
Lily looked at him for a moment worry in her eyes but then she hoisted the brooms a bit higher and said, “You get your Nimbus, I’ll meet you by the car.”
Harry nodded and hurried up the stairs. He snatched up the Nimbus from the window and hurried back down the stairs. Just as he reached the door the phone began to ring. He sighed put down the brooms and picked up the phone which rested on the table beside the door.
“HELLO!!??” came Draco’s voice from the other end of the phone. Harry yelped and dropped the phone. Picking it up again he put it wearily to his ear and heard Hermione saying,
“No…you don’t shout he can hear you like this,”
“but…how?”
“Its muggle magic,”
“My Dad calls it ekletricity or something,” came Ron’s voice,
“Ron?” Harry asked.
“Yeah?....who…Hermione, how did you say that without moving your mouth?”
“It was Harry. I have him on speakerphone.”
“what?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“Hey Harry,” came Draco’s voice again. “We were just testing the Fobile Moan.”
“Mobile Pone!” hissed Hermione,
“Yeah that….and to see if you wanted to come to Diagon with us”
“Sorry, I’m going out, we’re playing Quidditch”
“Quidditch!” Came Ron’s voice, “you’ll need more people for that wont you?”
“You can come if you want....only….I don’t know where we are going.”
“Aren’t you going to Sweepersby Hill? You always go there…shall we go there and see?” said Draco
“Yeah, if you want…but I’m not sure.” Said Harry then after a moments thought added, “…was it you who set Dobby free?”
Draco swore very loudly and nearly made Harry drop the phone again,
“Harry! We are crouched in my living room with the excuse that we are taking apart Mr Weasley’s phone as a prank. If my father walks in and hears you saying that then that feeble excuse won’t be enough.”
“So…you did?”
“…Maybe,”
There was a silence and Harry could just imagine the look on Hermione’s face…and the look on Ron’s.
“Harry!” Lily called from the car.
“Listen…I’ve got to go. I might see you there then? …there is…um…something I kind of need to tell you as well.”
“What?” asked Ron
“er…later…bye.” He said
“Bye.” He waited until Draco had hung up then gathered the brooms and hurried out the door and down the steps.

“Your in the back next to John.” Said Lily taking the brooms from him and putting them in the boot.
Harry climbed in and strapped himself in.
“Who was on the phone?” asked James from the front.
“um…Ron, Hermione and Draco. Is it ok if they meet us…where are we going?”
“Sweepersby hill…and yes that is fine.” Said Lily from the boot.
“They can’t even leave you alone for a few hours.” Said James jokingly but Harry could tell from the look in his eyes that he had seen him go out last night but he could tell from the way one eyebrow was above the other that he didn’t disapprove.

Lily got into the car, “Have we got everyone?”
“Yup!” said James starting the engine.
They pulled out of the drive and turned onto the road. Isabelle began to sing a song about a frog with no croak and John soon joined in. As Harry didn’t know the words he hummed along but smiled all the same.

They drove for half an hour far out into the country side and stopped on a deserted road in the middle of the hillside. They got out and walked for about a mile to a desolate hilltop ringed with a crown of sycamore trees. James dropped the brooms and drew his wand. In several sweeping motions he drew six hoops in the air, gold streaming from its tip. The hoops fell to the ground and he charmed them to float up above the tree tops. Harry put down the hamper he had found in the boot beside the brooms and walked over to help Lily lay the rug. He put up a few deck chairs and weighed down the rug with stones he found scattered about in the grass. Once the rug and food was out and sorted and the hoops were in position Harry took his broom from James and mounted it.

An earsplitting CRACK made Harry jump so violently that he tripped over the broom he had just mounted and fell into Ron who had just materialized out of thin air beside him. Ron then fell into Hermione who fell into Draco who managed to catch her before she fell into the bed of brambles twining itself up a sycamore tree.
“Sorry,” said Harry over and over again as he helped up Ron who was laughing at what Harry had done.
“No problem mate….never thought I would see that!” he said still chuckling.
“Hi Hermione, Ron, Draco.” Said Lily coming over. “I think they’re just about to start.”
“Thanks Mrs Potter,” Said Draco mounting the broom in his hand and passing Ron his. Hermione went over to the rug with Lily and sat down to watch.

James dragged a crate over to the middle of the hill and kicked it open to reveal a large red ball and two small writhing black ones. He drew the snitch out of his pocket and kept it grasped in his hand.
“Ok…who’s in whose team?” He asked.
“I wanna be with Harry!” piped up Isabelle.
“I’m with dad!” said John.
“Ok then…Ron? Draco?”
Ron walked over to stand beside John who gave him a mini high five. They positioned themselves in a circle and Hermione walked into the middle where she picked up the quaffel. In one swift motion she threw it high up into the air. James released the snitch and they all leapt upwards in one blurred ring. Harry went up and up and up and looked all about reveling in the happy feeling flight always gave him. He was back somewhere he was comfortable, somewhere he was familiar with, somewhere he knew would never change, in the air.

Ron streaked past him holding the quaffle with Draco hot on his tail. Harry pulled his broom up and looked about trying to catch sight of the snitch and was shocked to see James already diving through the air a few meters away. He dived after him remembering that he was a professional. It was only half way through the dive that he saw the golden ball all the way over the other side of the pitch near Lily’s foot. He realized what he had fallen for and turned sharply towards the rug, nearly colliding with Isabelle who was trying to fend off a bludger and shrieked nearly falling off her broom. He kept his eyes locked on the ball and was only few meters away when Ron flew in front of him still fleeing from Draco who was still chasing him with a huge grin on his face.
Harry was forced to pull out of his dive to avoid colliding with them and when he was clear of all speeding bodies the snitch had gone. He felt a pang of annoyance but returned to his previous height trying to locate the tiny winged ball.
“You’ve got to give up some time Weasley King!” Draco called as the whizzed past a third time.
“They don’t call me King for nothing!” Ron shouted over his shoulder and flew up to try and score but Isabelle let out a fierce battle cry and flew right into him knocking the ball out of his hands and him off his broom so he was dangling from it by his fingertips. Draco swooped below him and caught the quaffel then rose so he was level with Ron,
“Then why do they call you King?” he sneered.
Ron aimed a kick at him missed and managed to loose what grip he had and fell from his broom. Luckily Draco managed to catch him by the hood of his robes to much cheering from Hermione and Lily below.

Ron began to laugh and soon Draco was too, they were in such danger of falling to their deaths that they had to return to the ground.
“Harry!!!” Isabelle cried pointing wildly behind him.
Harry span around and saw James skimming inches above the grass towards a tiny golden speck which was hovering above the honey sandwiches. Harry cursed himself and wheeled about diving towards the plate of sandwiches. His eyes began to stream and his glasses shook with the forced of the air rushing past his ears. He was above James now speeding closer and closer to the tiny ball. They were meters from Hermione and Lily now who were still cheering Ron and Draco when he did it. James was reaching out his hand to snatch the ball out of the air. Harry sped up as fast as he could and reached out too. Suddenly James wasn’t there and Harry was moving all too fast towards the pile of honey sandwiches. He snatched the snitch from the air and pulled up just before colliding with Hermione causing her and Lily to shriek and duck.

Isabelle and Draco flew over cheering while John and Ron returned with glum expressions. Harry looked around for his father and spotted him on the ground inches from the sandwiches. He floated back down to earth and walked over to him.

“Give me a hand mate,” James said holding out a grass stained palm. Harry pulled him up and returned his smile. “I reckon I was just a little too low.” He said studying his green knees. “Ahh well,” he flicked his wand and the green faded away. “Great flying Harry!”

Together they walked over to the rug where Hermione was cheering Ron up and Lily was handing out pumpkin juice to a still beaming Draco and Isabelle. John was sucking on a fizzing whizzbee but got up when he saw Harry and James.
“That was amazing Harry!” He said offering him a whizzbee.
“Are you ok?” asked Lily eyeing the two of them.
“Right as rain,” said James happily sitting down next to Lily and taking a bottle of butterbeer.
“-and do they really have proper rings? And huge pitches…and proper robes and everything?” Said Isabelle wide eyed.
“They do…and they have commentators and all the players and score keeping and everything.” Said Draco enthusiastically, draining his glass.
“and people to catch you if you fall off your broom.” Said Hermione stroking a brilliantly red Ron.
“And that,” laughed Draco.
“Pumpkin pasty Harry?” Asked Lily handing him a plate of pasties. Harry took one and sat down next to James. He still couldn’t help feeling that James had purposefully fallen off his broom, but he could hardly believe that he would have fallen off because he had been to close to the ground.

The food disappeared surprisingly fast…but then, Harry reminded himself, they did have Ron with them. John was busy telling Hermione all about their upcoming one to one interview with the entire Holly head Harpies team and how Gwenog had offered to take him for a fly on her Firebolt. Hermione was listening with vague interest, one hand supporting her head. Draco was stretched out in the grass tearing up leaves while talking to Ron,
“but you said she never meant that!” Said Ron angrily,
“I’m just telling you what I heard,” Draco shrugged, “besides…Lavender isn’t that sort of girl. She would never do that to Hermione.”
“You don’t know Lavender…” muttered Ron
“I know her well enough,” Draco mumbled stripping the leaf from its veins.
Ron looked at him suspiciously.
“So, Harry,” said Draco suddenly making Harry look up from his pasty. “What did you want to tell us?”
Harry looked at him confused for a moment then remembered what he was talking about.
“Oh, it doesn’t matter…”
“No…Tell us!” Pried Ron.
“Yeah come on, it can’t be that bad.” Said Draco sitting up to face him abandoning him leaves. Hermione looked up at him dragging John’s attention with her. Soon everyone was looking at him and he was getting very uncomfortable.
“Whats up son?” asked James turning away from Lily.
“I…um…I…”
“Spit it out.” Said Ron impatiently.
“I…I…don’t really know…um…I am a….I am…”
“Oh God….You’re not gay are you?” Said Ron suddenly.
“Its ok honey, we wont think any worse of you.”
“What’s gay?” asked Isabelle.
“I am not gay!” said Harry, getting annoyed. “I am…a medium.”
There was a long silence then John said,
“is that the same as gay?”
“A medium? But why didn’t you know this earlier?” asked Hermione ignoring John.
“I…well…I’m…not from here…”
“Your type two…” whispered Hermione,
“What is going on here?” asked James, concern lacing its way into his face.
Hermione looked at him and began to explain but Harry stopped her and told Lily that he thought the twins should wait in the car. Lily was shocked, but she nodded and led the two silent children away looking back with a pale face. After a fifteen minutes or so she came back,
“They’re playing scrabble in the car…but they are just as confused as I am…”
“Its ok…I think it would be better if I explained…it is complicated,” If this was going to happen he wanted them to know everything. Lily and James of course would not remember, being as though the dead don’t remember. It was then that it hit him, he was in the world of the dead…with dead people…but some were alive….he was so confused he did not know where to start. He began to doubt whether he should even begin, it could ruin their lives. Just as he was about to change his mind and make something up when Lily put a hand on his and he felt the warmth from it. It was real, would he lie to his own parents, his own family? Could he? He had to tell them the truth.

He began at the beginning, about how they had died and what had happened since, he explained about how the living had two halves and how Hermione, Ron and Draco were just the other half of their living self. He told them about Voldemort and Wormtail and Sirius and about how Isabelle and John were not in his world…how he was an only orphan and how his friends were like his family. He explained about Draco and about the Ministry. By the time he had finished Lily and Hermione’s faces were streaked with tears, Ron and Draco were looking at each other in shock but James’s face was an unreadable mask hiding his true terror at having his best friend dead, about being betrayed by Wormtail.
“I’m sorry…” Harry said. “I’m so…so sorry,”
There was utter silence for a few seconds, even the wind had stopped blowing and the birds had fallen silent.
“There’s nothing to be sorry for Harry…It wasn’t your fault.” Said Lily trying to smile at him but only achieving a twitch.
“No…you can’t blame yourself…” whispered Hermione, “This….this is just a different world….it…its just our world. It is not necessarily the world of the dead…not to us anyway….it doesn’t have to be.”
“It can just be a world of the living where you only live once…” said Lily.
“Which is what I thought you were meant to do anyway? Aren’t you?” said Ron
James was still hidden behind his own expression but his eyes gave away his emotions, he was confused and disturbed, his horror roiling about behind his hazel iris “but….he couldn’t….he wouldn’t….”
“I assure you he did…I was there…me and Sirius tried to catch him but Lupin transformed…I’m so sorry.”
James looked up at him and blinked back the tears that had briefly appeared. He stared into Harry’s green eyes and gradually nodded very slowly as he finally accepted what his ears were telling his brain.

After that Harry relaxed a bit and with his doing so everyone else seemed less tense as well.
“Are you trying to tell me,” said Draco with a half smile, “that I am a complete git in your world…that I….I called you a mudblood…” he said directing the last few words at Hermione. “I would never…”
“Some of us say we would never say such things to each other,” said Lily distantly, “but…we still do…” James put and arm around her and she buried her face in his shoulder.
“So…are you saying I am….a complete prat?” said Draco the shock draining out of his face as his smile grew.
“No…” said Harry.
“You are aren’t you!” said Ron
“Maybe…just a bit…” said Harry allowing himself a quick smile.
“Well if my other self gives you any grief feel free to slice him up and punch his face in and send him on a one way trip to this world.” Draco spat
“I would never!” said Harry aghast by Draco’s sudden venom
“I’m serious Harry! Don’t let me give you any lip.”
“Oh God no….don’t kill him Harry or we’ll have the stupid imbecile Draco in our world mucking up our lives.” Said Ron
“He’s not an imbecile Ron…he’s just a bit over confident.” Said Harry smiling in full now.
“Arrogant you mean?” said Draco grinning
“No-”
“-oh stop being nice!” said Draco
“I’m not-”
“Harry…” said Hermione cutting him short, “it doesn’t matter what we are like in the other world or this world…we are the same person and somewhere we will have a thread of similarity within our other selves.”
“Oi! Speak for yourself!” said Draco looking hurt,
“She’s right,” said Lily,
“You don’t have to feel alone, we are still here, deep down.”


TBC


Hope you liked it! I'll try to post again soon but I'm a bit tangled up with school ...
Tell me what you think, crits comments and quiries welcome here. Thanks!

Thank you for the lovely feedback! me likey feedbackey!
Anyway...time for the next chapter in his mixed up life. Hope you like it

Chapter 6: Beyond the Veil

Harry ate a huge breakfast that morning in the great hall. Even Ron was startled by the speed he was eating.
“Slow down you don’t want to choke yourself.” Said Ron eyeing his flashing knife.
Harry shook his head to spare them from being sprayed by sausage as he tried to explain.
“Couldn’t you just…I dunno…transport the food to your stomach?” asked Ron longingly,
Harry paused and looked at him strangely.
“It was just a thought….my mouth isn’t big enough.”
“Your mouth? Not big enough?” Hermione said coming up behind their bench, “oh don’t make me laugh.”
Ron scowled but Harry just forced another slab of mushroom covered toast into his mouth.
“What’s your hurry?” asked Hermione pulling the bacon towards her.
Harry rolled his eyes and swallowed enormously,
“I have my first session with Luna in like,” he checked the golden watch then remembered it was wrong and looked at his wristwatch instead, “five minutes, and I’m starving.”
“Luna?” asked Hermione suspiciously.
Harry froze trying to think up an excuse. Could he trust that they wouldn’t tell anyone? Of course he could.
“She…Don’t tell anyone right?”
“Right.” They said together.
Harry lowered his voice, “She…is a medium too.”
Hermione didn’t appear overly shocked but Ron managed to choke on his toast coughing up half chewed bread all over his plate and attracting some disgusted looks from passing Ravenclaws.
“She’s a what?” he asked croakily.
“Honestly Ron, is it that much of a shock?” said Hermione returning to her breakfast.
“Anyway…she has a bit more experience than me in this region so she…she is going to be tutouring me…for a bit…” he looked nervously at Ron or Hermione preparing for their teasing or laughter but none came. Ron just patted him on the back and Hermione flashed him a quick grin,
“I’m glad she can do something to help,” she said warmly.
“Yeah, cause you need it mate.” Said Ron
“Mmmm…” said Harry yawning slightly and shoving more egg into his mouth and hacking at a pile of herring with his fork.
“Ok…just don’t forget to breathe.” Hermione said.

Harry hurried up the tight staircase to the Ravenclaw common room and paused at the door. Luna hadn’t told him the password…and really he wasn’t meant to be in the Ravenclaw common room. He looked up at the Beaked door knocker and tapped it nervously. It opened its mouth and squawked making Harry jump,
“What does your reflection do when your not watching?” it said.
“Um…I don’t know…er…whatever your doing?”
The door remained silent…and shut. Harry looked around confused.
“Hi Harry.” Said a voice behind him and he turned to see Padma climbing the stairs towards him. “What are you doing trying to get into our common room?”
“Er…I need to see Luna…if that’s ok?”
Padma giggled and knocked on the door.
“What does your reflection do when your not watching?”
“er….” Padma looked nervously at Harry, “…whatever it wants to do?” she said uncertainly.
“Correct.” The voice sang.
Harry was confused…very confused and he was sure reflections did not do that but he did not question the door and just peered through the door. Luna was sitting in a corner her head bent low over a piece of parchment, a piece of charcoal scratching away at it.
“Um…Luna?” Said Padma wondering in still giggling , “Harry is here for you.”
“Oh…thanks Padma,” Luna got up and drifted over to Harry who was waiting by the door. “Sorry Harry, I was sketching a wrackspurt…” she held up the parchment. It was blank.
“Er…what exactly am I looking at?”
“Oh…no you can’t see it…but if you look like this,” She squinted and went cross-eyed while tilting her head, “you can kind of see the shadow of its body…”
“Um…Luna…its blank.”
Luna shrugged and slipped the parchment into her bag and started off down the stairs. Harry paused uncertain but after a minute or so Luna called back up the stairs.
“Harry? Are you coming? The wrakspurt has got you hasn’t it! I forgot to tell you that their drawings can come to life!”
Harry shook his head and followed her down the stairs.

He was sitting under the same willow he had met Luna under the other day. His legs were crossed and Luna was sitting infront of him watching him closely.
“Good…now close your eyes.” She said examining his posture.
Harry hesitated, “…why?”
“Don’t ask questions just do it. Ask questions later.”
Harry glared at her then warily lowered his eyelids.
“Now breathe deep….”
Harry inhaled strongly through his nose.
“deeper,”
He tried to suck the air up faster but Luna shouted, “deeper!” and he sneezed jerking his eyes open.
“Uuurrg Harry!” said Luna looking at him with slight disgust. Harry growled under his breathe and closed his eyes again. This lesson was only a few minutes in and already he was irritated beyond belief.
“Now breathe deeply,”
Harry inhaled, “now let your mind wander…but not too far!...else the wrackspurts’ll get you.”
Harry broadened his mind allowing his thoughts to sift through memories jumping from thought to thought at the slightest provocation.
“now…what do you see?”
“um…the inside of my eyelid.”
“this isn’t working.” Said Luna sighing. Harrys eyes opened,
“No it’s not. I always had a problem with mind games and Snape made sure I knew it.”
“He is a troubled soul…the spirits avoid him.”
“What?” said Harry slightly disturbed
“What?” said Luna surprised.
“Never mind…is there anything you can do to help me?”
“well…there is…one thing…”
“yes?”
“….it is complicated and well…”
“yes?!” Harry pressed
“you have to lie under a blanket woven of primroses and thestral mane in a pool of water when the moon is new. You must be listening to mersong while breathing in the breathe of a lark and sucking on a black pearl which has been pickled in white wine for twenty years. Then you must say three words in Gobbledygook and close your eyes after watching a cloudless night sky. Then you will see the entrance to the world of the dead and you will be able to control your passage in and out of it.” She said brushing a strand of blond hair from her eyes.

Harry gaped at her, partly because he was amazed she had memorized all that and partly because he had begun to daydream.
“You see what I mean?”
Harry nodded, “I think I will stick to the meditating thingy.”
“Excellent…I don’t want to use up my last black pearl.”
Harry tried to smile then closed his eyes and breathed deeply. A strange odor suddenly made him snort, it smelt of pine needles and moss and earth and leaves and reminded him of the forest in spring. His mind drifted to the many wanderings he had often made in the haunted trees and suddenly he was standing in the midst of them.

There he was, in the half lit forest with the silence pressing in all around him. Not a thing stirred, no creature or anything else that might be wandering the lonely trunks, not even the wind. He looked about but the landscape was the same, endless tree trunks stretching out into darkness. Luna was not there and he could not see a clear path out. He shivered trying to shake off the feeling that he was being watched.
Suddenly something caught his eye. Wandering through the tree trunks a bright light drifted. He squinted at it as the trunks that striped the silver figure fell away as it drew nearer. He managed to make out four legs and a pair of long ears. He held his breathe as the doe stopped before him and flicked its ears at him.
“H-hello?” he asked feeling a little foolish
The doe did not respond but stared at him with sad eyes. Then she began to walk away through the trees. Harry stumbled after her drawn by her calm presence and the hope she cast over everything within her radius.

They walked until the cold had set deep into Harry’s bones, his fingers were numb and his breathe clouded. Another light appeared through the trees and Harry sped up. However, as the new light grew the doe faded, her silver sheen being overridden by the new light. He looked at her and she blinked at him once, her long lashes brushing her cheeks. He nodded and stepped forward into the brightening light.

For a moment he was blinded as the light intensified but soon it dimmed plunging him into thick complete blackness. He blinked trying to clear his vision and squinted through the now heavy darkness. His vision cleared and he saw he was standing on the fringe of a small clearing surrounded by intertwining pine branches and trees. He looked behind him and saw a tunnel of pine trees, he could just make out a silver doe outlined against the light he had walked through. He looked back at the clearing. In the very centre rose a dais, just like the one in the Department of Mysteries, and upon that dais stood a weathered battered archway, a veil fluttered in the still night air. Harry forced himself to swallow and took a step towards the dais. The pine needles crunched under his feet as he walked towards the arch like a moth drawn to a flame. He was no longer in control, his feet pulled him towards the veil.

It was then that he realized he was not afraid. He did not know what was beyond that veil, and he should not be afraid of something he was ignorant about. That was foolishness. He stepped confidently up the steps leading to the arch way and taking a deep breathe strode through the black velvety veil.

He felt as if he were doing a somersault like when he entered the pensive. He opened his eyes but he hadn’t been aware of shutting them. He was lying on the sofa in the Potters living room Isabelle and John were playing wizards chess as Ron watched them from an armchair beside Harry.
“So what do you think?” he asked
“Of what?”
“Of coming with me to the Lovegood’s to fetch Dad. We can say hi to Luna.”
“Oh…um sure. Why is your Dad at the Lovegood’s?”
“He and old Xeno were trying to reassemble that rusty old motor bike Sirius used to own. They said something about dragon fire and snorkak powder…dunno what a snorkak is but then I guess that’s Xeno for you.” He said with a shrug.
Harry grinned and swung himself off the sofa. “Sure”
“Cool,”
He followed Ron out of the living room and walked into Lily who was carring a plate of egg.
“Breakfast!” she said.
Harry looked at her confused, “is it the morning?”
“…yes dear…it is.”
“oh…” Harry shook his head and tried to order his thoughts. “Um… could I go with Ron to the Lovegood’s for…lunch?”
“That should be fine honey, give them my love,”
“um…where’s Dad?”
Lily’s face darkened. “He was out all last night…he hasn’t come back yet. I think that news about Wormtail really shook him up.” Then at the look on his face she added, “Its not your fault Harry. No one blames you, it would have been wrong for you to keep such information from us. We needed to know…and now that we do we will just have to deal with it.”
Harry tried to smile, failed and followed Ron out the door. They stood in the freezing cold street and Harry looked about.
“Don’t we need brooms?”
“Brooms? Nah I can apparate us!” Ron said beaming.
“You passed your test?”
“Yeah…oh…are you the other Harry? Wow your exactly the same person, couldn’t tell the difference.”
Harry shrugged and grasped the arm that Ron held out and braced himself for what he remembered to be an unpleasant experience.

When he was released from the pressing darkness and his lungs had reinflated he looked about. An inch or two of snow carpeted the hilltops they stood on. At the top of their hill a giant tower rose up, and odd shape against the round horizon. Harry stared at it for a whole minute before Ron laughed and said,
“I never could get over its weird appearance, wait till you see inside.”
Harry followed Ron numbly up the bizarre garden path and stood shivering as he knocked on the door. A strange man answered the door and reminded Harry of the mad scientists in the muggle cartoons. His hair was white and fluffy, like candy floss, and his eyebrows seemed to have been blown off by some explosion. His eyes pointed in different directions and, if his appearance had not been so comical Harry would have been rather frightened.
“How are you Mr Lovegood?” asked Ron grinning at him.
“Quite fine thank you Ronald. Your father is inside, is he needed?”
“Yeah I was told to pick him up on the way back from Harry’s.”
“Do come in, and young Mr Potter as well, how are you?”
“Fine thank you,” said Harry as he stepped inside and was hit by a wall of colour and noise. The walls were painted with bright primary colours that made Harry’s eyes water. He grinned as he recognized Luna’s handiwork. At the far side of the rounded room a motorbike stood spluttering smoke everywhere.
“yes I really think we should have started this outside,” said a grease smeared Mr Weasley.
“Nonsense Arthur it is freezing out there and we can always clear up any mess. Luna is quite gifted with household spells.”
It was then that Harry noticed Luna. She was crouching behind the bike taping the gas tank with her wand, her ear pressed up against the metal. Her face too was filthy as were her hands, and her hair…and her clothes…and well her.
“I think I’ve nearly got it Daddy.” She said beating out a strange pattern on the tank. “Harry!” she said and she swept some soot covered blond hair from her face. “how come you’re here?”
“Thought I might say hi. My Mum gives her love.”
There was a sharp bang as the Luna stuck her wand up the exhaust pipe and hissed some incantation. “There that should do it.” She said as the engine stuttered into life.
“Dad, Mum needs us at home. She says we’re having trouble with the gnomes an-”
“Oooooh! Gernumblies!!!!” exclaimed Xeno.
“Um….yeah…well we need to sort the house out for the Christmas party.”
“Ohh a party!” squeeled Luna.
“yeah…so…can we like, go?”
“Of course of course, are you ok with carrying on on your own Xeno?” asked Mr Weasley.
“I should think we will be fine…will you at least stay for a quick lunch?”
“As long as gurdyroot and plimpies are not part of it.” Laughed Mr Weasley, “I’m sure Molly can wait another hour or two.”
Harry distinctly heard Ron grumbled he doubted it, but he was swept up in conversation by an enthusiastic Luna holding up a spanner and a nut and gibbering away about squirrels. Harry tried to keep up but she was talking so fast he could not understand a word she said. She paused to breathe,
“So…what are you doing for Christmas?” he asked quickly before she resumed her top speed talking.
“That has nothing to do with blibbering humdingers!”
“Is that what you were talking about?”
“Well…yeah…and I’d expect I would be going to Ron’s for Christmas if they’re having a party.” She said shooting Ron a sly look who smiled nervously and looked away.
“Um…you have a little grease….um everywhere.”
“Oh…well we had a little fight with oily rags and it got a bit out of hand but I’m sure I can get it off.” She moved over to a mirror which hung on the wall above a table with a statue of an odd creature on it. As she siphoned the much from her hair with her wand she looked at Harry through the mirror and said,
“What does your reflection do when you’re not watching?” she said grinning
“Luna?” he asked.
“Well who else?” she said smiling. She turned around and looked at Harry, “Right…now close your eyes again.”
Harry did so a little nervously,
“and think back to whatever you thought of when you saw the veil.”
Harry tried to remember, the doe and the…forest. The forbidden forest.

And he was there. Standing beside the veil, the light in front of him, the doe’s feint outline just visible. He took a deep breathe and stepped down from the dais and walked back through the light, shutting his eyes tight against the brightness. He felt as if he were doing another somersault and then he was sitting under the tree with Luna again.
He opened his eyes and stared at her. She was beaming at him and rubbing what looked like axel grease from her cheek.
“For a first attempt I would say you did very well. Where was the veil for you?”
“In…in the forest….”
“Interesting…. What was your guide?” when she saw his confused expression she added, "the creature that led you to the arch."
“um...a doe..."
"interesting...."
"What about you?”
“I’m not telling you!...yet.”
“but I-” Harry began,
“-you didn’t have to.”
Harry closed his mouth, annoyed but buzzing with questions.
“I…I think I might have wrecked it…”
“Why?”
“I….I told them I was a medium…my family and Ron and Hermione and Draco…”
“Yes…he’s a rather nice character in that world isn’t he? Surprised?”
“ I was…but…I told them what happened to them and…well how they died. I didn’t think it was right keeping the truth from them but…my Dad took it rather badly.”
“Ah…well that might not have been the best thing you have ever done…but I understand why you did it.”
Harry was silent for a minute then asked, “Why is the time different?”
“What?”
“The time in the other world…it isn’t the same. In that world we are in our seventh year…you in your sixth and it is the winter holidays and whole days go past in hours.”
“Yes…I’m not sure about that…You’ve realized, I suppose, that in the past two days you have visited the world four times but while only several hours has gone by in this world whole days have in the other.”
Harry nodded.
“I’m not too sure but my guess…and this is only a guess, would be that because the world of the dead…is dead and the dead don’t have a very good perception of time, that things move faster or slower in their worlds according to their moods. You know when you have a good day time seems to fly by but when you have a bad one it seems to drag? Well in that world it literally does speed up and slow down because emotions are more real to them and are easier to read than clocks and watches.”
Harry nodded and finger the golden watch around his neck. He remembered that it showed a different time to the time in this world. He clicked it open and looked at it. It showed half past eleven when his wristwatch showed five to ten. He showed it to Luna,
“My Dad gave me this and somehow it came back with me…it shows a different time…do you reckon it could be the time of the dead?” he asked.
“it could be. I would keep it safe Harry. If it does which is likely, then it is a very rare and I would say valuable gift. Use it wisely.”
Harry nodded and put it back around his neck.
Somewhere in the castle a bell rang. Luna stood up.
“We better go…there no way I’m missing divination.” She said and wandered off towards the castle.
Harry sighed and followed in her wake.



TBC



There you go. Hope you enjoyed it. If you did or if you didn't please leave comments or crits here. Thanky you!!!

So sorry I took so long but it was Christmas. I like christmas...so in aid of Christmas...not that it is anymore so it can be the late Christmas presents everyone gets from their busy Aunt or their drunk Uncle or whatever you want to see it as because I have written it and it is looooong. So I'm really sorry.

Chapter 7 : Eve

Harry went to sleep on the Friday night with his previous days teachings lodged in his brain. He was to imagine the doe and the forest like he had under the willow tree but he was to tell the doe he was not to pass. After several attempts he got it right and the doe faded into darkness then the darkness faded and he was left alone.

He woke up the next morning feeling fully rested if not slightly disappointed. He hadn’t realized it but he had begun to rely upon the dreams…if that is what they were, and not having one made him feel lonely. He shook himself. He was being stupid.
“You ok today mate?” Ron called from under his bed where he was retrieving a sock.
“B-better,” he said stifling a yawn.
“That thing with Luna help?”
“A lot thanks. Want some breakfast?”
“Did you have to ask?”
Harry laughed and pulled on his shoes before running down the stairs with Ron. He collided with Ginny on the way down the stairs.
“Sorry,” he said quickly before half tripping half falling the rest of the way to the common room. Ginny muttered something inaudible.
“You’re looking better.” Hermione said tying up her hair. “Here,” she said handing him a bright timetable. “Its your homework timetable.”
Harry looked down to see colorful boxes highlighted and flashing his subjects at him. “It I made it to match your new homework diary.” She beamed.
“Er… thanks Hermione.” He said stowing it in his bag. “Where’d Ron go?”
Hermione gestured at the portrait hole. “Can’t he wait two seconds?”
Hermione rolled her eyes and pulled Harry after her. They had to battle a bit with a crowd surrounding the notice board and a knot of girls submerged in frantic whispers. Hermione raised her eyebrows,
“What do you reckon that is about?” She said climbing out the portrait hole.
“Didn’t you see?” Lavender practically squealed hurrying after them just before the portrait swung shut. “There is going to be a Halloween ball in a few weeks and…” she said looking at Hermione with huge excited eyes.
“and?” Hermione asked a little annoyed.
“we get to choose!”
Hermione did not react the way Lavender was hoping, well she didn’t react at all. “Yay,” she said unenthusiastically. Harry who had been rooted to the spot by Hermione as she still had a fistful of his robes in her hand looked at Lavender curiously,
“You get to choose what?” he said feeling a bit dim.
“Who to take to the dance with us!” she let out in a squeaky hiss jumping up and down a bit.
“Oh.” Harry felt his stomach drop.
“Come on we’ve got to find Ron before he gives himself food poisoning again.” Hermione said hastily pulling Harry away who was still staring into space as anxiety began to gnaw at him. “Can you remember that green bacon he ate last week?” Hermione said a little faster than usual.
“um…yeah. Honestly we can’t even let him feed himself.”
Hermione laughed and led the way into the hall. To Harry’s unsurprised relief Ron was sticking to safe cereal and toast. He sat down heavily next to him and pulled the pancakes towards him. He was reaching for the syrup when he noticed Luna watching him from across the hall. He waved and she grinned at him, he grinned back and showed her the thumbs up which made her grin broaden, pride a little too obvious on her face. Harry chuckled to himself and drizzled syrup over his breakfast. Ron swallowed and looked up at him,
“when is the next quidditch practice?” Ron asked dumping his toast into his milk making Hermione give him a disgusted look that could be seen on the faces of others within view.
“Oh…um…could have one next Saturday if you want.” Harry replied a little surprised. He had held quidditch tryouts the previous Monday and with great difficulty extracted the players he thought would benefit the team most.
“Great,” said Ginny sitting down opposite Hermione. “I’ll spread the word shall I? Coote has been bugging me all weekend.”
Harry bobbed his head and took extra close notice of his pancakes as Ginny began chatting to Hermione about the Halloween Ball. To his horror Ron turned to him his face thoughtful,
“So who’re you going with?” he asked in a would-be-casual voice.
“er…Ron, the girls get to choose who to take.”
“yeah I know but…come on! Who wouldn’t ask you?”
Harry shrugged and shoved pancake into his mouth.

Breakfast was a difficult ordeal and it just got worse as the day progressed onto double Defense against the Dark arts. Snape eyed him warily as if he were expecting him to collapse or something. Harry took the usual seat at the back of the classroom with Ron and Hermione. They didn’t bother to get out their books as Snape had his wand out and was looking about with the same hungry expression a farmer uses when trying to identify the fattest turkey for Christmas dinner.
“Longbottom! We’ll start with you shall we?” He said slyly.
Neville had not been present for the last lesson as the nock out gas had had a particularly strong effect on him. He had no experience and Snape knew it. He got slowly to his feet and shook all the way to the front of the class.
“Legilimens!” Snape cried as the line unwillingly formed behind Neville. Hermione began to tap her foot impatiently as the seconds turned to minutes which began to tick by with exaggerated slowness. Harry glared at the clock then at the unmoving line. He did a double take. Neville was still standing his face set into a scowl, his shoulders shaking and his fists balled so tightly they had gone white. Hermione stopped tapping her foot as she followed Harry’s widened eyes and saw Neville glaring at Snape who was fighting just as strongly against Neville’s defense. The entire class was holding its breathe by the time Snape and Neville untensed and sagged. Cheering broke out from the Gryffindors which was immediately silenced by a glare from Snape.
“Next!” he said a little hoarsely. Neville bounced to the back of the line beaming.
“Well done Neville!” Hermione said and then more urgently, “How did you do it?”
“I focused on one thing instead of clearing my mind. I learnt that I remember things better that way.”
“What were you thinking of?”
“My mimbletonius mimbletonia.” He said proudly. Hermione humphed and turned back to the front.

They all ascended to the Great hall after charms to find the noise levels a little higher than usual. Harry walked over and sat down next to Ginny who was arguing with Ron about what colour dress robes she should wear and whether it was any of his business how low cut she wanted it to be. Harry sat in silence as he ate his Yorkshire pudding his face slowly setting into a frown as the bickering escalated and began to get on his nerves.
“You know what? I don’t even know why I wanted advice from someone who thinks style lies in the deep folds of an old women’s night gown!” Ginny hissed and got up her cutlery clattering onto her plate. Ron glared after her as she marched away.
“Fred and George got me new robes ….they’re not like a night gown….” He said lamely to thin air.
Harry rolled his eyes and went to get up.
“Hey Harry,” He looked round to see Romilda Vane standing a little too close. He stepped back and said gloomily,
“Er…Hi Romilda. What’s up?”
“Um…actually I was wondering if you wanted to come with me to the dance?”
Ron snorted into his beef steak and Harry kicked him hard making him choke.
“Sorry Romilda, someone’s already asked me.”
“Oh…” she said with obvious disappointment and suspicion, “Who?”
“I…er…um…she doesn’t want anyone to know cause…she doesn’t want to be attacked in the corridors.”
Ron openly began laughing now attracting Romilda’s narrowed eyes, “of….course,” she said a little sarcastically and spun about to stalk over to her waiting friends.
Ron was still laughing even after the red had faded from Harry’s face.
“Attacked in the corridors?” he asked through feint hysterics.
“Shut up.” Harry snapped and walked off towards the astronomy tower.

Harry’s bad mood only increased over the following week and Ron and Hermione’s tolerance was wearing thin.
“It’s not our fault your grumpy all the time…if you want people to leave you alone tell them to! Don’t sulk about annoying everyone!” Hermione snapped at him one afternoon when he told her that he was trying to think and she was turning the pages of her book too noisily.
“I’m not sulking! I’m thinking…and it would be better if I could think in peace.”
Hermione let out something between and exasperated groan and sigh before slamming her book shut and leaving Harry alone in the common room staring at the fire.

He hadn’t seen his parents in days and he was missing them more terribly than he could imagine. It was worse than having to live at the Dursley’s during summer, not being able to be with his friends in the castle with the ghosts. It was worse than the pain he had felt after losing Sirius and he didn’t think there could be anything more painful than that. He wanted to revisit the world of the dead. He knew it would probably only make things worse by seeing them again but surely it couldn’t hurt…just to drift off….for a little while…But he had been waiting to ask Luna for her opinion on whether it would be a good idea but he had not seen her since the breakfast after their last meeting and did not want to try anything that might make him more miserable and ….sulky. It couldn’t hurt though….not since he hadn’t visited in ….eight days. Hadn’t he proved he could block them out? It wouldn’t change anything just for one …. Night…just one more visit…it wouldn’t break his control….he was confident of that….he would still be able to block it…but would he want to?

He was walking through the forest trying to keep up with the doe which somehow managed to keep one step ahead of him no matter how fast his feet trod. He caught sight of the light and pushed himself faster, hope and longing building up in the pit of his stomach, until he was sprinting towards the light at top speed and hurtled into the blinding white and out the other side to trip and fall before the giant dais. He scrambled up and threw himself through it.

He felt the same somersaulting feeling he had when he enter the pensive as the darkness surrounded him.
The first thing he realized was the warmth. There was a feint crackling and a smell of pine needles. He opened his eyes to find himself in the Potter’s living room holding a box of baubles. A small Christmas tree stood in the corner being decorated by John and Isabelle, James and Sirius were lounging by the fire and Lily was writing a letter her hand scribbling frantically.
“Hey, Harry.” Came Ron’s voice from behind him, “Draco left while you were searching for the baubles, he said something about fetching a turkey and several geese. I dunno.” He said carrying a tangle of tinsel past him.
“Where’s Hermione?” Harry asked setting the baubles down on the mantel.
“Didn’t you…are you…oh…” said Ron his look of confusion turning into one of understanding. “Where’ve you been? Not that we mind your,” he lowered his voice, “um…dead half but you make a nice change from, “I want to be an animagus, I want to be an animagus!””
“Is that what the other me is like?” Harry asked a little disappointed,
“Well, like I said you’re practically the same apart from the other Harry is like totally obsessed with animagi ….a little creepy really …. No offense,”
Harry shrugged. “well…animagi aren’t that bad.”
“Oh god no…don’t you start going on about them too. Sirius and James’ll selfimplode,”
“I promise.” He said laughing, “So what about Hermione?”
“Well she explained yesterday that she was leaving for France today and that she would be away until the day after boxing day. Its some annual tradition of her family or something…She was upset that she couldn’t be here for Christmas. We’re holding a Christmas party at mine tonight.”
“Yeah I think I caught something about that last time I was hear….” Harry said laughing and setting the baubles down on the floor beside Isabelle and walking over to the fire where there was a large SPEW tin with tinsel all around it and several sickles and galleons in it sitting on the mantel.
“So…Hermione is obsessed with houselves here too then?” He asked smiling at the can.
“What?” said Ron then caught sight of the tin, “Oh no, that is something she and Draco set up together. Something about elfish welfare….complete nonsense.”
“Draco?”
“Yeah…why?”
“Nothing…” Harry knew it was different here but still could not see Draco knitting elf socks and hats and hiding them in common rooms but then he remembered that it had been him who had set Dobby free…but he still couldn’t see him knitting elf socks and wooly hats. It was then that something Sirius said drew his attention.
“-Riddle is getting anxious. If the attacks continue then the muggle police are bound to work out something is wrong.”
“but the Ministry have agents everywhere. Did you hear about the muggle Prime minister, apparently there is a ministry worker keeping tags on him. They will find ways to smooth things over.” James said confidently eyeing the newspaper Sirius was showing him.
“Dumbledore wont stop until he has a pureblood society. This is quickly turning into extermination and even the Ministry,” Sirius chuckled darkly, “can’t cope with that.”
Harry glanced at Ron to see his eyes locked on John but his ears plainly focused on James and Sirius, he caught Harrys eye and mouthed, ‘explain later’.
“Holocausts don’t go unnoticed, can you remember when my father was drawn into Grindelwald’s campaign? You never heard the end of it, it was stone this and wand that it was like he had been brainwashed or something…he was one of the millions who took part in the slaughter and torture of muggles. We knew about it and the muggles certainty knew about it. Its happening to them James! They’re not stupid, they’ll work it out and it will be a lot safer if they don’t because at least then Dumbledore has no reason to go on a mass killing rampage.”
“What makes you think he’ll go on a killing rampage?” James asked calmly.
“I’ve seen the signs before….this is just the beginning, and did you know Grindelwald and Dumbledore used to be pals when they were younger? Did you know they both believe …” Sirius lowered his voice, “believe in the Hallows?”
“Whats your point?” James asked suspiciously
“Dumbledore already has the wand, Riddle has the stone and intends to keep it safe from him for as long as possible, but Dumbledore intends to unite the Hallows James. We are all in danger.”
Over the excited babble of the twins Harry heard Lily’s quill stop,
“So he wants the Hallows. I thought this was about getting rid of muggles for the good of wizard kind.”
“That’s how he sees it. He thinks he is doing good. Following on the work Grindelwald was doing. If Riddle hadn’t stopped him they would probably be fulfilling their mission together now.”
“I still don’t see why they want these Hallows, I mean whats the point of being master of death? There would be no fun, no risk in life any more.”
“James…you know wh-”
“-not here.” He hissed under his breathe and shot a apprehensive glance at Lily who had stopped writing and was staring at a tapestry of a phoenix and a snake.
Sirius slumped back against the armchair looking grumpy and glared at the fire. Ron stood up saying something about making tea and Harry joined him as he walked swifty from the room.

“What on earth was that about?” Harry hissed as soon as they were clear of the threshold.
“You….you’re from a different….you wont,”
“Don’t you tell me I wont understand cause I’m not form here. Try me.”
Ron sighed, “Well, there is this wizard Dumbledore,”
“Yeah…and?”
“Well…he and this bloke Grindelwald, they were best pals when they were younger. They formed this weird sort of vision of an all wizarding world, with them as the rulers, Masters of death or something. They are trying to round up all the deathly Hallows but they can’t get at the stone cause our headmaster has it and he is the most powerful sorcerer in the world. Well that’s what my Dad says. The Hallows come from this kids story…I bet Hermione can lend you it, and well if you possess all the Hallows then you become master of Death. When Grindelwald died Dumbledore won the elder wand off of Riddle and everyone realized that the Hallows are real. That made a bit of chaos as you can imagine, then Dumbledore went on his killing rampage which has been all over the news for weeks and now he has begun his search for the last two Hallows, the stone, that’s the one Riddle has, and ….the cloak of invisibility which is the one your Dad has. Dumbledore already knows who has them but he doesn’t know where we are because we have a fiddelius charm or something on the house and he is scared stiff of Riddle who is our secret keeper. Grindlewald set up this prison, Nurmengard, and Dumbledore wanted to go and help him capture muggles and muggle borns but his sister Ariana didn’t want him to and managed to force him to stay away for a few years, get involved with teaching, but it all got a bit much and Dumbledore ended up killing Ariana in a bid for freedom and accomplishing his dream. That happened the night Riddel killed Grindelwald which was about three years ago. Riddle never liked Dumbledore much, he had the unpleasant experience of being taught by him at school and then when he left school Dumbledore did too…him and Grindelwald…They…erm…wanted to exterminate the muggles for the greater good of our race.”
Harry just stared completely thrown off guard by the thought of an evil Dumbledore, “Wh-what? B-b-but th-that is wh-what V-voldemort is doing. He is trying to kill all muggles and muggle borns. The ministry is hunting him at the moment. He showed himself last year they all believe me now…What do you mean Dumbledore is killing muggles!!!” he practically yelled.
Ron yelped and jumped backwards into the kitchen fire then yelped again and stamped his robes out. “Harry! Shut up! They’ll hear you!”
Harry inhaled deeply trying to control himself, “It-its just the Dumbledore in my world he’s, he’s a good man. He is the headmaster, he has been like a father to me since Sirius died…..he has always been good.”
Ron was gawping at him in the same way Harry had just been gawping at him, “D-dumbledore! Headmaster! Are they trying to kill everyone?!”
“No! He’s really good at his job! He’s giving me lessons on how to defeat Voldemort as well!” Harry added remembering the broom shed conversation and simultaneously wondering when they would start.
“Voldemort?”
“he is the wizard who is going round killing muggles and stuff. Kind of a raging lunatic with a huge snake.”
“Weird…Riddle has a huge snake. He calls it Nagini.”
Harry’s eyes widened, “Did you just say Riddle? Have you been saying Riddel all this time?!!”
Ron rolled his eyes, “yes! He is the headmaster of Hogwarts…one of the only decent Slytherin’s I’ve ever met.” He added darkly.
“Riddel is Voldemort!!! That was his original name. Tom, right?”
Ron nodded going pale…. “This is really mixed up,” He finally said slumping to the floor.
Harry nodded and sank into a chair. Behind him the kettle whistled but neither of them looked at it. After a while Ron groaned and got up from the floor to pour the tea but when they went back into the living room everyone was getting ready to leave for the Weasley’s.
Harry combed his hair hurriedly and yanked a coat on before following John and Izzy out the door listening to them argue about what a guinea pig was.
“It is a baby pig!” Izzy insisted all the way there and when they finally got out James conjured one to prove that I was in fact a over large hamster thing which made Izzy squeal with excitement.
They walked up the drive way and in through the door. Harry sighed with relief. He knew where he was at the Weasley’s here was something he recognized. No evil Dumbledore’s here.
“I’m sorry Arthur but I can’t stop, Severus insisted that we meet with the Minister tonight.” Said a voice as the kitchen door opened and a tall dark haired man strode out into the corridor. Harry’s jaw clenched and his hand sprang to his pocket.
“Are you sure Tom? Draco is fetching geese and turkey and Molly has made her apple sauce that we know you love.”
“As enticing as it sounds I’m afraid I must sort this out before it escalates to something worse. Have a merry Christmas.”
Harry stiffened as the man walked past him and glared at him as he dissapperated just beyond the gate.
“That was Riddle.” Ron said unnecessarily.
“I know,” Harry managed through gritted teeth.
“Hey, relax, he’s good remember? Didn’t you work out that people have different sides to them?”
“Yeah but Hermione said that there is always some part of them that stays the same, some trace of their identity that will withstand the life/death rift.”
“Well then that has to be the same for your Dumbledore doesn’t it?”
Harry fell silent lost in that thought. Could Dumbledore really have an evil streak? Or even more unthinkable, could Voldemort have a good one?

Suddenly Draco apparated, holding three limp geese and a manic turkey which was trying unsuccessfully to escape his grasp.
“Brilliant,” Mr Weasley said rubbing his hands together, “If you could just give those to Molly then we can get the festivities started. Just the Lovegoods, the Diggories, Remus, Peter and…Ron did you say the Grangers were coming?”
Ron shook his head.
“Peter?” Harry asked Ron as they helped Draco get the wild turkey into the house.
“Yeah, your Dad was really cut up about what you said,” at the look on Harry’s face Ron added quickly, “He doesn’t blame you or anything but his confidence was knocked a bit. He stayed outside for days on end as a stag. It was a bit weird really but I guess its easier for him as a stag or something. I dunno. He spoke with Sirius and Remus about it and they both agree that they shouldn’t let it get between them, after all it did happen in a completely different world where Dumbledore is,” Ron shivered, “good.”
Draco suddenly released the turkey and fell to the floor in a tangle of flailing limbs and feathers. “Dumbledore is what?!” He hissed,
“Yeah well how would you feel if the bloke who’s been trying to kill you your entire life just walked out of your best friends house like you weren’t even there!”
“I’d feel pretty happy I was still alive actually.” Ron said lifting the turkey by its foot.
“Whoa whoa whoa.” Draco said holding up his hands and looking form Harry to Ron, “What’ve I missed?...and since when has Ron been your best friend? What about me?”
Harry rolled his eyes as Ron wafted the deranged flapping turkey at Draco with mock anger, “Well…you know Harry comes from somewhere else…”
“ooooh….different Harry, ok, ok, go on”
“well in his world Dumbledore is good and Riddle is evil and Riddle has been trying to kill him constantly or something…”
“yeah I told you this that time after quidditch…remember?” Harry said impatiently,
“all you mentioned was Voldemort and I didn’t have a clue who he was.”
“Riddle,”
“Yeah I know now!”
“Hmmm…” Draco said his eyes distant, “You know what you said about Voldemort killing your parents and living with your Aunt…”
“yeah,”
“Grindelwald murdered Longbottom’s parents when they stood in between him and the muggle primary school Longbottom went to.….and now he lives with his Grandmother.”
“Grindlewald tried to attack a school!?” Harry asked disgusted.
“mmm…” Draco said snatching the turkey from Ron and caging it, put it on the table with the geese.

There was a knock on the door.
“I’ll get it!” Ginny practically screamed from the top of the stairs and raced down into the hall. She came into the kitchen beaming a few moments later with Cedric and his father. Harry jumped so violently he bashed his knee on the counter then forced himself to smile through the pain as Mr Diggory and Cedric waved before going into the living room Ginny already chatting at top speed to him, where James and Sirius were leading a very out of tune carol singing session which John, Izzy, Fred, George and Percy were all singing to. Harry stared through the door at Percy carol singing and wondered if it was possible to bring cameras to the world of the dead. He instantly took back the thought imagining the disruption and chaos that could cause in the living world.
“He is way too old for her,” Draco growled darkly, his eyes fixed on Ginny’s bouncing ponytail.
“Mmm…hasn’t he got a girlfriend already anyway? He’d better not try anything or he will be going home on a stretcher,” Ron agreed.
“With green tubers growing from his face.” Draco added.
“What?”
“I was feeling imaginative.”
Harry grasped what they were going on about and looked at Ginny and Cedric who was about a head and a bit taller than her.
“He’s dead.”
“Good one Harry,” Draco said patting his back,
“No, he is dead…Voldemort killed him,”
Draco stopped patting, “oh….”
“I guess I did notice a bit of a change….he stopped being so snobby….but I thought that was because he got a job at the ministry,”

They all went into the family room when Mrs Weasley arrived with a large knife and a determined look in her eye as she unlatched the turkey cage. Harry slumped into an armchair and watched Izzy and Sirius dance about in a circle while John and James began to sing ‘Let it snow’ Fred and George wandered over to him and sat down on each of the arms of the chair,
“Hey guys,” Harry said watching Izzy insist Sirius gave her a shoulder ride just so she could be taller than James.
“Heya Harry, listen….we heard about your….condition and we were wondering….are we pratts?” Fred asked gesturing to George.
“What? No! You’re hilarious! You get in a load of trouble at school and wind your Mum right up.”
“Few…we thought we might have been….you know….teacher lovers.” George said shaking his head.
Harry laughed with them but continued to watch as Izzy tapped James on the top of the head and he looked up with mock surprise and said,
“Wow Izzy, you can do an enlargement charm…that’s better than I could do at your age.”
Lily laughed when Izzy screamed at Sirius to put her down because she could see James’s bald patch and when John, who was pretending to be a Chudley Cannons player, ran into Sirius making him sway dangerously making Izzy shriek. Harry was content, he could sit here for all of eternity and watch them play, and love, and live. He never wanted to be parted from them.

The door drew him out of his thoughts. Fred and George had vanished from his chair and were playing exploding snap behind the Christmas tree. Draco came into the room leading Luna and Xeno in bright orange robes which made Harry’s eyes water.
Luna walked over to him and took George’s seat on the arm of his chair,
“Hey Harry, you enjoying the party?” she asked him with a wink.
“Luna?” Harry asked uncertainly,
“Well who else?” Luna said rolling her liquid blue eyes but smiling at him with confirmation all the same.
“Did you know about Dumbledore and Vo-Riddle?”
“I did…but that is that world and this is this world….different things if you ask me.”
“is it ok that I’m here?”
“um…yeah…why shouldn’t it be?”
“oh…I dunno…”
“Harry this isn’t like with the Voldemort dreams. You’re allowed these ones…you just wont get much rest.” She said laughing.
Harry smiled with her understanding what she meant and thinking about how unrested he would feel when he woke up….but would he want to wake up. He thought about it for a moment then said,
“Luna,” she looked at him the smile still on is face, “What if I don’t want to wake up?”
Her mile stayed in place but her eyes turned sad, “Do you remember what I told you the first day you asked me about your weird dreams?”
Harry nodded glumly,
“You can’t get too attached or the longing will overcome you. You will want to stay here forever and you can’t, you can’t Harry,”
“but I want to! I do! I never want to leave here…the people I care about all in the same place…not having to be apart from them…even a second would be too much for be to bear-”
“Harry,” she cut across him, “I know how you feel, my mother is here,” she looked longingly at Xeno and his wife dancing slowly to the old radio Mr Weasley had just set up, “she is my Mum…I love her and I know it is hard to part but if you come to live in the world of the dead Harry, your living body will eventually grind to a halt…you will die. Could you do that to your friends…I couldn’t do it to my dad…he wouldn’t understand he would be so upset, I’m all he has left in the other world.”
“but my friends are here too, I can tell them here what I plane to do-”
“My dad is here too. Do you think they would let us give up a chance at living in the real world? They wouldn’t understand the longing and the people in reality would only be hurt. Can you see that?”
“but…what if this became our reality…it would be just as I always thought…live once, die once.”
“Its really not my decision to make Harry, I just don’t want you doing something you’ll regret because you’re the only person in life I can talk to about this….if you’re not there then what’s the point? Voldemort will take over and there will be a whole lot more people in death.”
Harry saw her point now and nodded grateful for her advice. She smiled at him and squeezed his hand before going over to her mother and father and joining in the dance making a strange swaying triangle.
“Harry! Can I have a shoulder ride?” John asked running up to him and tugging his sleeve and pointing at where Draco was carrying Izzy around the room dodging raisin pellets fired at him by Ron.
“Of course,” said Harry beaming and crouched on the floor while John climbed awkwardly up.
“Oh no!!” Draco said to Izzy, “quick grab a Baggett, it looks like we’ve got war on our hands,”
Ron laughed and shot a raisin at Harry which hit him in the temple making him fake a charge at him making him dive onto the sofa laughing at the enraged look on Harrys face and the terrified one on John’s. John grabbed a Baggett and prodded Harry with it pointing towards Izzy and when Harry turned towards them let out a fierce battle cry. Draco charged at Harry who charged at him and the two children shrieked and laughed as Harry and Draco circled each other while the twins whacked each other and each others mounts with the sticks of bread. It was only when the tip of John’s Baggett got bitten off by Draco when he missed the eye he was prodding at did Mrs Weasley announce that dinner was ready and told Ron to clear up the raisins or he would be eating with the chickens, which was a fearful prospect as the chickens were being roasted in the huge oven.

Harry found he was incredibly hungry and ate a bit of everything especially the treacle tart and tried not to look in Draco or Ron’s direction as both of their faces were set into murderous glares directed at Cedric who was talking enthusiastically with Ginny about pygmy puffs. He didn’t seem disturbed at all by their expressions. Harry supposed he might be used to it. Luna and her mother sat on his left and he found that Marisa Lovegood was not quite as queer as Xeno but still just as likable. She was halfway through giving him a detailed account of her and Luna’s trip to Ethiopia when the there was a knock on the door and Arthur opened it to a very cold and snow covered Remus and Peter,
“s’bout time Moony, we thought you’d found something better to do than gorge yourself on Molly’s cooking.” Sirius said chewing on a turkey bone.
“There’s something better than that?” Remus asked shrugging off his coat and shaking snow from his hair.
“Apparently so, what took you so long?” James asked through a mouthful of potato.
“We ran into Severus,” Remus said grimly,
Lily knocked over her wine, and Sirius’s split into a broad grin.
“Oh sorry Molly, I’m so sorry!” she said mopping up the wine.
“What happened? Were you both doing your Christmas shopping in the same shop?” Sirius asked excitedly.
“Well…it was a bit odd really, he was in an inn…Dungeons and Dragons, down in Ottery St Catchpole-” Peter began.
“-isn’t that just down the road from here?” Sirius asked,
“Why was he there?” James said quickly,
“Well…he told us to stuff it when we asked him and Remus didn’t want a fight so we did.”
“Don’t you have any fun anymore?”
“Padfoot it was a muggle inn….wouldn’t it be a bit weird if furniture started flying about the place and Snivellus began bouncing off the walls like a demented ragdoll.”
Lily got up and hurried out of the room unnoticed by anyone but Harry or so he thought. He saw James’s eyes follow her too.
“he could have been waiting for a portkey, this is quite a common location,” said Arthur as they all sat down again, “doesn’t he have a meeting with the minister?”
“Probably something like that…” James said drawing his eyes from where Lily had vanished and looking at Arthur. Harry still stared after his mother wondering what was wrong, she had looked upset.
“wait a minute,” he told Luna as she opened her mouth to say something, and got up to follow her. Once out the door he made his way to the bathroom,
“Mum?” he asked the door, it would be ridiculous if she wasn’t in there.
“Yes dear?” Came a steady voice, before the lock clicked and she came out. Her face was normal but Harry noticed her hands were shaking a bit.
“Are you ok?” he asked curiously,
“Yes dear….why?” She asked walking with him back to the dining room.
“I just…you were…are you sure?”
“Harry, if something was wrong I would tell you. You know that.” She said but as he walked past her into the dining room he thought her face looked pained.

Everyone was pulling crackers now and as Harry sat back down Ron belched loudly making John laugh and Mrs Weasley glare at him, then Sirius belched even louder and Mrs Weasley glared at him even more ferociously. Xeno set fire to the Christmas pudding and Cedric laughed somewhat when Ginny said it looked like a hairless deformed burning pygmy puff and was instantly silence by the suddenly increased glares of Ron and Draco, Draco even growled a little making Peter lean away from him.

After he pulled his cracker with Luna and a mini Firebolt zoomed out accompanied with a Top hat that played ‘We wish you a merry christmas’, everyone seemed to drift away. Percy went on a carol singing expedition with Remus, Peter, Sirius, James, John, Izzy, Fred and George, Mr and Mrs Lovegood went to examine the gnomes hibernation program and Mr Diggory announced a little drunkenly that he was going home, but to Ron and Draco’s deep displeasure Cedric was staying until later to discuss broom marketing with Ginny.
“Like she care about broom marketing,” Ron said darkly,
“Like he cares about pygmy puffs,” spat Draco.
“Why do you care so much anyway?” Harry asked Draco as they retired to the living room.
“I-I-I just don’t want her to get hurt. She is Ron’s sister after all.” He said quickly and snatched up a butterbeer took a gulp of it choked and sprayed it everywhere. Ron was too busy glaring at Cedric and Ginny sitting by the fire with price lists too notice. Harry rolled his eyes and sat down on the sofa while Ron and Draco played wizards chess alternating each turn with fierce scowls.
Luna came and sat down next to him her hair dotted with snowflakes and her hands pink with cold.
“The ger-ger-gernumblies are a-all tucked u-up n-nice and c-cozy w-with one sentry on g-graurd,” she forced through her chattering teeth.
Harry looked at her sitting there shivering and pulled the blanket draped over the back of the sofa over her and, and huddled a little closer to try and warm her up.
“Th-thanks,” she said. They sat in silence for a while, Harry watched the Goosebumps slowly recede up her arms and the shivering stop.
“Better?” he asked smiling. She wriggled a bit under the blanket,
“Much…” she touched his arm with her fingers to show him they were no longer icicles.
“Good,” he said and watched as she withdrew her hand to tuck her hair behind her ear.
“So,” she said in a business like way, “who are you going with to this ball?”
“Oh…um…no one…” he said fiddling with his sleeve.
“Really? How did you get out of that?” she asked genuinely surprised.
“I said that I was going with someone else….only I’m not.”
“So…you’re going to need someone to go with aren’t you?”
Harry looked up at her, she was smiling warmly, her sapphire eyes catching the firelight.
“I suppose so…” he said,
“Oh be a bit more enthusiastic!” She said rolling her eyes but still smiling.
“About what?”
“Do you want to go with me?”
“With you? Sure!” he said a little faster than he had expected making Luna laugh.
“That’s what I’m talking about,” she said grinning at him. He felt a warm feeling inflating in his chest that seemed to fill all the empty spaces. This wasn’t as awkward as he thought it would have been and he didn’t feel any anxiety about going to the ball with Luna. It was something he could count on to be fun.
He felt something warm on his hand and looked down to see two hands,
“Listen, I know this is all really difficult for you, and I want to help you…whether you like it or not…but there are too many things to live for.”
Harry looked at her, was it just him or was she getting closer? Her eyes tugged at his, deep blue and swimming with a dancing light thrown from the fire. He was just getting his head around what he was doing when a loud shattering noise filled the air making them flinch. Harry turned his head to see Draco standing, fuming in front of an equally angry Ron. He seemed to have thrown a butterbeer bottle at Cedric’s head because Cedric on the floor and Ginny was shouting.
Harry looked to see if Cedric was breathing then rushed to Draco’s aid before Ginny completely ripped him apart.
“YOU JUST COULDN’T LEAVE ME ALONE ONE SECOND COULD YOU?”
“…now Ginny…I… be reasonable…he’s not…” Draco pleaded feebly.
“AND NOW HE’S OUT COLD. YOU COMPLETE IDIOT!”
“Ginny….don’t….ow!”
Harry seized Ginny’s magazine before she could hit anyone else.
“Ginny, Cedric’s fine.”
“unfortunately…” Ron muttered.
Harry glared at him as Ginny aimed her wand at him threateningly.
“but to be honest he is a it old isn’t he?”
“Since when has this been any of your business?” she hissed.
“Since I made it my business!” Ron said.
“Oh my!” said Mrs Weasley coming through the door to see Cedric on the floor, “What on earth happened here?”
“Draco threw a bottle at his head.” Ginny snapped.
“In my defense Ginny, he already has a girlfriend.”
“What?!” Mrs Weasley half shouted half hissed.
Ginny glared at Draco and stormed out of the house leaving him standing there looking after her with a hurt and slightly triumphant look on his face.
Mrs Weasley hurried out after her and Ron clapped Draco on the back saying,
“I knew there was a reason you were made chaser,”
Draco said nothing but his mouth twitched somewhat.

Harry went and sat back next to Luna,
“If nobody wakes him up the wrackspurts’ll start eating his brain….then blood will start trickling from his ears and all his teeth will sprout daisies because wrackspurts like dais-”
Harry kissed her. He didn’t care that Ron began gagging or that Mrs Weasley was tutting as she closed the curtains or that Luna was probably still thinking about daisies sprouting from Cedric’s teeth he realized he cared about the fact that Luna actually was still cold that she smelled of soil and grass and that her hair was wet and cold and the fact that she was kissing him back. He was aware of Draco and Ron talking loudly and Mrs weasley washing the dishes and Mr Weasley talking to her and a door closing but he didn’t take any of it in. Suddenly she was pulling away and Harry sat back and looked at her, she smiled,
“Because wrackspurts like daisies and the smell draws honey bees which are their second favorite prey to human brains.” She said.
“And do you think Cedric is in any immediate danger?” he asked her.
“Probably…but that’s too bad…”
“How come?”
“Cause I’m the only one who knows the cure and I’m busy,” she said and kissed him again. Ron and Draco actually walked out of the room this time but Luna’s parents were calling her so she got up, the blanket falling to the floor.
“And I’ll see you at school,” she said with a wink.
“Ha, ha…see you tomorrow,”
“and if the daisies do sprout don’t pull them up cause you’ll rip his teeth out, sever them at the base of the stem…don’t tell Ron that though or Cedric will be buying false teeth before he hits twenty.”
“Right…um…do you want my coat? Only you still look freezing and well…its snowing...”
“Thanks, …bye.” She said and turned to leave.

Once Harry had heard the front door shut Draco and Ron came in, Ron was smirking and Draco looked a little disgusted.
“Nothing helps resurface an enormous Christmas dinner like Harry snogging someone.” He said and he actually did look green.
“Yeah, well we’re not girls so we wont harass you. C’mon I’ll show you where you two are sleeping.” Ron said walking up the stairs.

It was almost two in the morning and Ron’s snores filled the room, Draco had stolen Harry’s pillow to try and block out the noise, not that Harry was trying to sleep or anything. He still wasn’t sure if he could return to the living world. Although he wanted to see Luna tomorrow, he began wondering if it was all some sort of plan to keep him alive and wondered whether he should be happy or not. He was just beginning to think he was wondering about too much when he heard the stairs creak. He got to his feet and snuck onto the landing. There was a candle light traveling down the stairs accompanied by the creak of the floor boards. Harry pocked his head round the corner and saw his mother creeping down the stairs in her pajamas and dressing gown a candle in her hand. Harry followed her downstairs and watched her pull on a thick coat over her gown and pull a pair of wellingtons onto her socked feet. Then she crept out the door. Harry stared for a moment then tip toed past the living room and the tree supported by a mountain of presents which he failed to notice Fred and George re-labeling and pulled on a random pair of boots which were too big for his feet and a cloak which came over his hands. He snuck out the house, there was not a cloud in the sky and the snow was thick and smooth, glistening in the moonlight. He looked down and followed his mother’s tracks in the snow not really knowing what he was doing only knowing that his curiosity would get the better of him anyway if he stayed in bed. He followed the candle and tracks through two fields and into a small grove of oak trees. Harry was cold now and starting to realize how stupid it would be if his mother caught him. Where was the trust? Not that he didn’t trust her it was just in his nature to go looking for things he shouldn’t he thought to himself and feeling ashamed of his own stupidity he turned on the spot and would have walked all the way back to the Burrow if he had not heard that voice. The voice he hated, the voice that would never land upon his ear with hope or pleasure.

“Lily!” Snape cried, “I didn’t think you would come!”
Harry saw the candle light go out swiftly and Lily tell Snape to be quiet.
“Severus…you shouldn’t have sent me that letter.” She said darkly,
Harry crept towards the direction of the voices afraid Lily would be attacked or hurt by Snape in the middle of the woods in the middle of the night. What was it with Potters and going into vulnerable locations with dangerous people?
“You asked too much of me. I have children, a husband, friends a life. You’re too late.”
“No…never that Lil’s. You know you don’t mean that, you can’t mean that. Why else would you agree to meet me?”
“I don’t want to do this by owl Sev, its not right, its not fair, not fair on either of us.”
“Are you saying you do care for me?”
“What do you mean?” she said sounding surprised, “Of course I do! If you hadn’t gone off with your death eater friends there wouldn’t be such a huge mess now.”
“You think it’s a mess?” he asked hopefully.
“Unfortunately,”
“but don’t you see Lil’s? I’m different, I’m not the same man, well I am the same man but the one…with the deatheaters, that wasn’t me Lil’s. you know that wasn’t me, I made a mistake…I know I did and you can’t possibly imagine the regret I feel for that mistake it rules my life, eternal guilt and yes I know I probably deserve it but Lily…I would do anything for you…”
“I know Sev…but walking away…that comes under the category of anything.”
“I would walk away if that made you happy-”
“But that’s just it, it wouldn’t”
“Then you’re asking me to make you miserable and I can’t do that to you Lily.” Snape sounded exasperated now. “I can’t …”
“I can’t leave my family, not now….maybe before Harry but I have a family Sev, a responsibility.”
“If you were happy with them I would never have contacted you, you would be fast asleep and warm now instead of cold and tiered and…I’m so sorry Lily, I’m so sorry, for everything….”
“Sev, don’t, Sev grow up, Sev stop it or you’ll start me off….Sev this is making me miserable!”
Harry heard a chocked laugh break through the sobs and thought that Snape was going insane. He edged into a laurel bush and pushed away the snowy leaves. In a small clearing Lily crouched next to Severus Snape who was on his knees in the snow one hand pulling at his hair the other in Lily’s.
“I can’t Sev, I can’t … there is too much at risk, my children and…if I know James, your life.” She said it with a smile but Snape appeared to take it seriously.
“let him come,” he growled.
“you see? That’s why Sev! There is too much hate!”
“I can… I can love him, love him for you, if you want me to, anything…”
“Sev you still have your freewill.” She said chuckling, “I don’t care if you don’t like James but I just don’t want you venting your hatred on me, I don’t want to hear it.”
“I am so, so, so sorry Lily, I am so sorry….” He broke down again.
“hey,” She lifted his chin, “consider yourself forgiven…I’m not one to hold a grudge…”
Snape laughed again and let Lily help him up.
“I can live with forgiveness, as long as I know that you don’t hate me-”
“Sev…,” She said shaking her head sadly, “I never hated you, never.”
“Never?” he croaked.
“never ever,”
“and….I’ll get to see you?”
“I don’t know-”
“Please Lily?.....please….not a lot…just…see you...”
“I’ll try…”
“Thank you Lily…thank you so much,” he let out a sigh which turned into laugh. He pulled her into a hug smoothing down her snow specked hair,
“I love you Lily,”
Lily pulled her head back to look him in the eye and sighed, “…I know,”
“I’ve always loved you,”
“and I you,” she smiled at the expression on his face, “…always.”



TBC



And yes Cedric is still lying flat on his back possibly with a few daisies sprouting from his teeth. (I don't know where that came from) in the Weasley's living room surrounded by shards from a broken butterbeer bottle ... I hope you liked it please leave feedback here for the obviouse reason that I like feedback and would sprout sunflowers from my teeth without it....ok can you tell I have had a LOT of coffee?

du-du du duuuuuuuuuuum!!!! New chapter! I know it is short compared to the other one and is probably less exciting and a bit pathetic but I am in a hyper pathetic mood so there! Patheticness!!! YAY!!!!! Anyway thanks for the feedback Alastorlet-and-proud. T'was mood boosting. Anyway next chapter hope you like if you don't please say so because I can handle critisism much better than comment where I tend to get all teary eyed and squeaky. ........why do i always drink so much coffee when I write? I dunno....mmmm.......coffeee.......


Chapter 8: Erised

“Harry! Harry!! Wake up!” came someone’s shrill voice. He felt his shoulders being shaken, his glasses wobbling closer to the end of his nose. He opened his eyes to see Hermione’s anxious face inches from his.
“Thank God…” she whispered falling back revealing a scared looking Ron and Ginny standing close by.
“W-whats going on? Whats wrong?” Harry said dumbly trying to stand up and falling backwards into the back of the sofa. “…Snape.” He growled and suddenly he was wide awake. “That ****!” he half shouted to himself before swinging himself over the sofa and dashing to the portrait hole. He hurtled out of it only to collide with something blond and solid. Luna began to fall backwards but Harry managed to steady her, he looked down at her briefly and saw that she was scared.
“Whats wrong Harry?” she asked worried.
“Its…not…I don’t understand….he shouldn’t….”
“Harry.” She said forcing him to stop, “slow down. Think about it…explaaain…don’t rush something you’re not sure about,”
“I…he…” Harry did stop. He stopped and thought about what he had seen. He couldn’t make proper sense of it. Snape, his mother…he remembered seeing that and feeling…he couldn’t remember, but he did remember feinting. That must have been the uncontrolled rest needed to bring him back into the living. He could feel his shoulders shaking and his eyes burning and he could hear Hermione and Ron rushing through the portrait hole.
“Whats up mate?”
“What happened?” Luna asked him quickly.
“Well we went down to breakfast and he was asleep on the floor, when we came back up he was still there a few first years were prodding him and … but we woke him up.”
Harry shook his head and blinked furiously. “Snape,” he hissed again and could feel the anger bubbling up inside his chest threatening to spill over the top.
“Harry, what did he do?” Luna asked calmly.
“He…she…he loved her.”
“Harry, loved who?”
“My mother.” He growled so quietly he was amazed any of them heard him. His eyes narrowed and he fought past them, he got around the corner and halfway down the corridor but Ron caught him and took his arm.
“Harry, this was a different world right? Its not the same!” He said trying to pull him back. Harry fought back, his anger still pulsing around his head,
“I don’t care! He had no right!” he cried, annoyed that they didn’t understand. Snape was ruining everything, his perfect world that had risen up around him, everything! The other two came hurrying round the corner.
“Harry, Harry!” Hermione said stepping in front of him. “It was a dream.”
“It was real.” He hissed through his teeth, “Tell her Luna.”
“Hermione…it was real…real to us.”
“Well then go to Dumbledore with it, don’t go doing anything rash.”
“Dumbledore wont want to hear it. He is not the answer for everything.” Harry said trying to shake Ron off.
“What wont I want to hear?” Came a calm voice from behind them.
Harry span about to see Dumbledore stepping back from the statue which had just jumped aside to let him enter.
“N-nothing Sir.” Harry mumbled.
“Its about these….these dreams Sir.” Hermione said shooting Harry an apologetic look which he returned with a livid glower.
“Well Harry would you like to come up? I meant to be meeting someone but I’m sure he can wait a few moments. We can talk about it.” He asked gesturing to the staircase. Harry glared at Hermione again and brushed past her to follow Dumbledore up the revolving staircase.

The portraits were all chatting merrily when they entered the room.
“Professor,” Snape said when Dumbledore walked through the door. Harry froze on the top step.
“Ah Severus you’re already here…”
Harry wondered if he could still make it back down the stairs fast enough for Dumbledore not to notice but he had already turned to face him.
“Well come in, Harry.”
Harry reluctantly walked through the doorway to see Snape sitting at the chair in front of the desk with a look on his face which Harry expected mirrored his own.
“Dumbl-”
“One moment Severus I must deal with Harry’s issue I doubt we will be long.”
“um…Sir its ok really I don’t want t-” Harry began wishing harder than he had ever wish for anything that he could leave, melt through the floor, reverse out the door without seeming rude.
“Harry please, I want to help.”
He did not want to discuss this. He looked at Snape and felt the fury rise in him he took a step forward. Perhaps Dumbledore saw his poorly disguised rage because he put a hand on his shoulder and looked down worried. “What has happened to you?”
“I…he…I had another one of …. I went back to the world of the dead and… and…he and my … my mother,” out the corner of his eye he saw Snape’s head whip around to stare at Harry with wide eyes. “they…he sent her a letter or something…she went to meet him and he….I know its stupid Professor and that it was from there not here but I was told that threads of character reside in both…in….in both…um….sides…” as he said it he remembered Ron telling him about Dumbledore. How he had gone on a killing rampage for the greater good of the wizarding community.
“Would it be easier to show me?”
Harry looked at him confused. “It will only take a moment if you allow me… it would make things easier.”
Harry swallowed and after a full minutes silent arguing in his head, nodded. Painfully aware that Snape was on his feet now and as stiff as a board his knuckles white on the back of the chair. Dumbledore walked up to him and, placing the cool tips of his long fingers on Harry’s temples, looked straight into Harry’s mind. Suddenly Harry was in the woods surrounded by laurels and in the small clearing stood Lily and Snape. Harry’s anger resurfaced but Dumbleodre’s presence seemed to subdue it some what. Harry was forced to watch it over and as they progressed he felt his anger melt away and was replaced with something that shocked him and made him angry again, pity. When Dumbledore withdrew from his mind he was shaking and on his knees, tears streaming down his face.
“Severus, it is time.” Dumbledore said sadly, “He needs to know.”
“W-what? A-all of it?” Snape asked his voice horse and uncertain. “What did you s-see?” he added impatiently.
“Just help him understand about Lily. He needs to know or the confusion will draw the wrong conclusions to his mind.”
Snape stared at Dumbledore a mixture of fury and panic in his eyes and they flicked continuously to Harry’s face. “now?”
“Now.” Dumbledore nodded and walked over to the cabinet Harry knew contained the pensive. Snape staggered over to the pensive and stared at into its depths apparently also wishing he could melt through the floor. When his hesitation had lasted for several minutes and Harry was growing impatient, his curiosity rising, Dumbledore cleared his throat and put a hand on Snape’s arm. Snape looked up into Dumbledore’s sparkling blue eyes, panic and misery etched on his face, Dumbledore nodded and smiled at him, Harry was shocked to see tears in his eyes. Harry was starting to worry now, he had never before seen his Potions master this close to losing it and with every second that dragged by the scene in his head became clearer and clearer and seemed much more possible. Snape sighed and after a quick glance at Dumbledore and a furious glare at Harry he lifted his wand tip to his temple and drawing it away extracted a long reel of memories which he dropped into the basin. Dumbledore half dragged Harry forward as he was frozen, trying to sort out his head so it wasn’t painful, to the floor and gestured at the pensive. Harry frowned.
“It’s the only way Harry.”
Harry looked down at the bowl, the surface had turned into a window and a park could be seen through it, Snape turned away and strode over to the window. Harry looked back at the park and bent towards it. He felt the summersault sensation pulling him downwards, like when he walked through the veil. His feet slammed into the ground.
The surroundings changed as he flicked through memory after memory. Petunia and Lily on the swings, Snape telling her she was a witch, talking about Hogwarts and dementors by the stream, James and Sirius mocking Snape on the train and Lily standing up for him, small arguments as they rose up through the school about what Snape did with his Slytherin friends, James and Sirius humiliating him again, Lily shouting at them and he calling her a mudblood, Snape sitting outside the Gryffindor common room and pleading with Lily, then later when he was a death eater overhearing Trelawny’s prediction and misinterpreting it, Snape pleading with Voldemort and Dumbledore to spare Lily’s life, his reaction when he found out she had died…at this point Harry wanted to stop watching, to lift himself out of the memories but he never worked out how, they kept rolling around him whether he liked it or not, Snape promising to protect Harry for Lily, Snape with Dumbledore in the Mirror of Erised’s chamber staring into Lily’s eyes as Dumbledore fumbled with the philosophers stone and his wand, and finally Snape conjuring a doe patronouse after shouting something at Dumbledore with a tortured look on his face. Harry realized as the surroundings faded around the silver outline of the doe that Snape had loved Lily, to the very ends of the fibers of his existence and that he only lived on to protect what he knew she would want him to protect. More importantly he saw that it was not something he should hold against him, he had grown up with her, grown to love her, but he had not had the courage to tell her his feelings. Maybe that was what was different about his other half, he was unafraid of Lily telling him she didn’t want him he only wanted to be truthful to her, whether it turned out worse for him or not.

Suddenly Dumbledore was beside him and lifting him up out of the darkness and back into the bright office where Snape sat slouched in his chair his head in his hands.
“Do you see now Harry?” Dumbledore asked him kindly.
Harry shook his head but said weakly, “I…think so…”
Snape looked up at Harry his eyes pleading and overwhelmingly desperate. “Could I….could I see?”
Harry stood there for longer than he thought he should have but eventually nodded and closed his eyes in a grimace, but instead of the usual claw that used to scrape around the inside of his head the memory was swiftly plucked from beneath the ones he had just experienced and he was forced to relive it again as Snape watched. When Harry opened his eyes Snape was on the floor this time shaking more than ever, his eyes closed and his lips pressed so tightly together that they had turned as white as his skin. Harry looked at Dumbledore who nodded quickly and Harry sped to the door and flew down the stairs so fast his feet only touched the floor four or five times. Once out in the corridor he leaned against the wall and slid to the floor trying to control the tremors.
“Harry?” came Luna’s voice.
“h-hey Luna…” He forced out looking down.
“Are you any better?” she asked sitting down on the floor beside him and searching his eyes.
“um…a bit. Sorry about before.”
“Oh that’s ok. I was on my way to see if you were still alive actually.”
“Really?” He asked looking up but she was staring at the wall.
“so it was a nice surprise to be honest.”
“oh…thanks.”
“What for? I don’t really feel like I’ve done much.”
“You were there.”
“yes…well….Ron and Hermione were too only Hermione refused to miss potions so I said I’d stay because I don’t really like transfiguration.”
“not just today…you’ve been a real help.”
“That’s what I’m here for,”
“and I know it can’t be easy for you either.”
Luna looked at him her face set with her toothy grin. “Yes, but I’m used to it and your just a beginner.”
Harry laughed and helped her up.
“Are you planning on going to potions?” Luna asked brushing her robes off.
“Well….we’re doing polyjuice potion and I have kind of already covered that so if you had something in mind I don’t mind skiving….this once.”
“Yeah, we’re halfway through the lesson now anyway.”
“Exactly so we can’t really turn up in the middle of class can we?”
“No.”
“Definitely not.” Harry agreed.
“So…”
“Where are we going?”
“Kitchens?” Luna suggested.
“Cool.”

They set off towards the kitchens avoiding the main corridors and passing ghosts. Luna slipped her hand into Harry’s and led him down the stairs and along the warmly lit passageway he knew led to the kitchens. Luna tickled the pear and chuckled when it wriggled and turned into a doorknob. The elves were busy making lunch but they didn’t miss Harry and Luna coming in like a pair of giants among the sea of bat like ears. They all stopped and gathered around them a tower of lumpy hats fighting its way towards them squeaking irregularly as it tripped and stumbled through the crowd.
“Mr Harry Potter Sir! And Miss Lovegood as well! Are you hungry, are you hiding, would you like to see my new socks?”
“Um….Hi Dobby we’re fine,” Harry said trying to smile at the little elf as he piled chocolate éclairs into his arms.
“Why have you not been to visit Dobby? He is wondering whether you are going to like your Christmas present Harry Potter sir!” he squeaked as he began loading ham sandwiches into Luna’s arms.
“Oh, no Dobby you didn’t ha-”
“but Sir Dobby is getting paid now! Dobby must spend his money but Dobby only just got a new pair of socks and Dobby didn’t want to e greedy so he spent some on some presents. Dobby got a nice pair of oven mittens for Winky.”
“Oh, is she better now?” Harry asked figting his way through the crowd to an empty worktop and sitting down on it after dumping the éclairs onto a chopping board beside him.
“Oh yes yes yes. The come and go room has much helped us and now she is much much better and has developed an obsession with the Muggle’s appleyjuicey.”
“Apple juice?” Harry asked.
“Yes yes, it seems most peculiar to Dobby Sir but Dobby has only ever liked milk.”
“I see….”
“Will you be needing anything else Sir?”
“Um….no this is more than enough. Thanks Dobby….do you mind if we stay here for a bit?”
“No no no, it is most fine!” he squeaked.
“Thanks Dobby.” Luna added as she placed the sandwiches on the chopping board and sat on the worktop beside Harry. Harry watched amused as the little tower of hats wobbled of through the crowd which began to thin as the elves returned to their workstations.
Luna sighed and reach across Harry to snatch a sandwich from the pile and begin nibbling on it. Harry, realizing how hungry he was took one too.
“They are so sweet, I see where Hermione is coming from but if they are happy then I can’t see a problem.” Said Luna, absently tracing the wood grain on the surface.
“Mmmm, That’s what we’ve been trying to tell her. They deserve freedom right? Well they’re free to make their own choices if they want to work I say let them work.”
“hmmm…..”
“Hey, you would never believe this right but Draco helped Hermione create SPEW.”
“What?”
“In the other world….”
“Oh…” Luna started laughing. Harry waited politely for her to stop but she didn’t. She kept on laughing until tears came to her eyes. Harry smiled as she began to go red and he started laughing too as ridiculous images of Hermione and Draco having hat knitting sessions resurfaced in his mind. He realized how incredibly difficult it was to stop laughing once he started and soon he was hyperventilating. What an idiot he must look he though to himself as he tried to regain control.

When his chuckles died away he took another bite of his sandwich and chewed furiously to make sure he wouldn’t start laughing again. Unfortunately thinking about Draco knitting socks had turned his mind back to his ‘dream’ and to his frustration it began to build up inside him again all of the confusion and anger and longing, how he couldn’t stand to just sit here and eat sandwiches with Luna when he could be sitting there eating sandwiches with his family as well.
“Whats up Harry?” Luna asked soberly her random hyperactivity over.
Harry looked down at the sandwich wondering where to begin if at all. Suddenly it was all spilling out of him, the hurt, the heart ache, every silly self pitiful thing which was internally destroying him. He didn’t want to burden Luna with all his worries but he found her incredibly easy to talk to. She didn’t ask any questions but sighed and tensed with him as if she understood how he felt. He explained as best he could but still felt he hadn’t done it very well. Luna must have thought different though, she looked up at him and he was happy to see no pity or annoyance in her deep blue stare just a comforting calm and a deep understanding. Harry remembered then that he was not alone in this, she too had lost her mother and probably found it just as hard as him when she first discovered her ability if she didn’t still find it hard now. Harry gave her a sad smile and she smiled warmly back pulling him into a deep kiss.

Harry felt a prodding in his knee but he ignored it and wound a hand into Luna’s hair.
“OW!” Someone had rapped him hard on the shin with a rolling pin. He rubbed his shin, eyes watering and tried not to glare at the elf standing in front of him looking very guilty.
“What?” Harry asked,
“Professor Snape is here for you.”
Harry blinked and shook his head, “Sorry, what did you say?”
“Professor Snape is here for you,” The elf said pointing towards the portrait hole where Snape was standing still looking upset but determination was set on his face as he stared at Harry intently as if trying to force a message into his brain.
“Its ok Harry you go.”
Harry looked at Luna apologetically and a little pleadingly.
“Go! It’ll be worse for you if you don’t”
Harry sighed and with leaden feet he slipped off the counter and walked back through the tide of elf heads towards Snape who was still staring at him.
“I know I have lessons Profe-”
“Come with me.” He hissed and Harry was surprised to hear his voice break slightly.
Harry looked back at Luna who was talking to Winky while picking at a éclair. She waved at him and smiled then turned back to Winky who was brandishing a bottle of apple juice and talking with enthusiasm. Harry sighed and followed Snape out of the door. They walked in silence all the way up the staircase to the 7th floor. Harry felt no resentment now but his curiosity had been tempted for what felt like the hundredth time today. This curiosity went through the roof when Snape strode brusquely past Dumbledore’s office and stopped in front of a tapestry of a man being clubbed by very agitated trolls.
“Sir why are we-” Harry began,
“Please Potter.” Snape groaned as he swayed slightly and staggered up past the tapestry to an alcove where an ornate vase stood and back again several times. On the third time passing the wall a door appeared as Harry knew it would and Snape fell through it. Harry hesitated then followed warily. He walked into the room but couldn’t see Snape, just a large mirror in the middle of the room. He heard the door close behind him and turned to see Snape leaning against it his eyes tight shut, sweat beading his forehead and shivers traveling up and down his spine. Harry stared at him wondering if he was about to have a fit or throw up or something because it certainty looked that way then he span back around to stare at the mirror. He just realized what it was. The Mirror of Erised.

“Potter….I need your help.” Snape panted slowly sliding down the wall looking forcefully at the floor with something close to disgust masking the desperation on his face. His eyes kept drifting towards the Mirror but he would always shut them or look away before he caught a glimpse of it. This to Harry seemed strange as he himself couldn’t keep his eyes off the Mirror, he wanted to run to it to sit in front of it and stare into his parents faces but…compared to the world of the dead it didn’t seem as enticing as in his first year.
“What would you need me for?” asked Harry tearing his eyes off the mirror his hand creeping towards his pocket as unpleasant conclusions slid through his mind.
Snape drove his hand into his pocket and Harry copied him almost simultaneously. However, Harry drew his wand and held it ready whereas Snape extracted a silk bag from his pocket and stroked it not taking his eyes off the floor. Harry lowered his wand slightly squinting at the bag.
“I need you…to give this to your mother in the world of the dead.” Snape said sliding a small round mirror framed with a twisted silver serpent from the silken bag. He handed it to Harry, who had to force his eyes from the Mirror of Erised again, with more care than Harry had ever seen him handle anything, even ripe frogspawn, with before. Harry took the small round mirror and looked into it something familiar stirring at the back of his mind. The surface did not reflect his face but was blank and black. He turned it over and on the back, carved into the silver was Lily’s name.
“What is this?” Harry said thrusting the mirror at Snape who did not accept it although he did eye Harry’s violent handling of the mirror.
“It is a two-way mirror, we got it so we could talk after curfew as we were in separate common rooms.”
And Harry remembered. Sirius had given him a similar mirror before he died but Harry had unwrapped it after his death and found that it didn’t work and smashed it in the bottom of his trunk.
“It wont work.” Harry said his eyes wandering back to the Mirror in the centre of the room.
“Try, try please! You brought that watch back didn’t you Can’t you take this to her? Just to see her, listen to her, it will be enough Potter, please!”
Harry stared at his Professor it was like he was a different person, no longer cold and unforgiving but desperate and diminished. The transformation scared Harry more than anything else Snape had done.
“I…..I-”
“please?” Snape whispered his eyes tight shut and his voice hoarse and wavering.
“I ……I’ll try…..”
“Thank you,” Snape looked up at Harry and seemed to relax somewhat.
“Er….Professor?”
“Yes?”
“What is the Mirror of Erised doing in here?”
Snape looked over Harry’s shoulder at the Mirror and at once his expression changed. His frown disappeared his black eyes seemed to come alive and he was on his feet at once muttering to himself. Harry backed away disturbed as Snape seemed to glide to the Mirror and gazed into it unmoving, unblinking. Harry watched but Snape didn’t move at all, his eyes were locked unmoving on something he saw in the Mirror, something which held his complete attention. Harry was thinking about pulling Snape away from the mirror when he remembered such a time when he had sat motionless before the very same mirror for hours on end not caring about anything other than the reflection smiling out of it at him. Dumbledore’s words floated across the years and resounded in his head, “Men have wasted away before it, entranced by what they have seen, or been driven mad, not knowing if what it shows is real or even possible.” Harry stared at Snape gazing with adoration into the Mirror tears streaking his pale face. “It does not do to dwell on dreams Harry and forget to live, remember that.” Harry saw his family, Ron Hermione all of his friends from the world of the dead stretched out before him and remembered his desire to join them. Luna had asked him whether he could really give up the world of the living and at the time he thought he could but thinking about what Dumbledore had said….had he forgotten to live? His waking hours were spent longing for sleep, he knew Ron and Hermione were worried but he knew he wouldn’t be able to live without his family, not now he knew what he would be missing. His mind suddenly went into overdrive, had Dumbledore known that he was a medium back then, was that meant as some sort of warning not to join the other world. Did Dumbledore believe that these dreams were just….dreams?



TBC



So yes that is the sad sorry truth of it. Harry is forgetting to live. Sorry but I just found WAY too much meaning in that quote. I was re-reading the first book and read that part and I couldn't resist using in here so here it is. May we all pointlessly dwell on dreams and waste away into oblivion or whatever DD had in mind.....ok shutting up now.
Here is the feedback thread because I love feedback more than Dobby loves socks, so there Dobby!

thanks for the feedback guys. Makes my world go round. XD
Anywho...here is the next chapter, sorry it took so long, I hope you like it.

Disclaimer: The extracts from Tale of Beedle the Bard are not mine but are J.K's and I have borrowed them for this fiction cause I know she wont mind. *Pleading blink of innocence* You should really buy the bok it is very good.

Chapter 9: Forgetting to Live…

Harry tried to unstick himself from the wall he had flattened himself against. It wasn’t easy but it was no where near as difficult as dragging himself towards that mirror.
“P-professor?” he stammered cautiously. Snape did not respond.
“Er……Snape? Er….snap out of it…” he tried weakly and wasn’t really that surprised Snape didn’t really react. “Well….I’m gonna go….go and get some help…alright?”….Nothing. Harry turned to go but saw that the door had somehow disappeared. There was just blank wall. He walked over to it, pushed against it, walked up and down in front of it, but the wall was just about as responsive as Snape was.

Trying not to panic Harry crept towards Snape his steps hesitant and leaden. Maybe if he could just break his eyes contact…or distract him…something.
He reached his ex-potions master and reached out to wave a shaking hand infront of his face but something caught his eye. Someone was staring at him out of the mirror.
It was Isabelle and right beside her stood John. Harry stared hand half raised in the air. Izzy giggled and waved shyly and John grinned broadly. Behind them his parents smiled out at him, Lily’s hand on Izzy’s shoulder, and behind them stood Sirius and Ron and Hermione and Luna and Ginny and Draco who had his arm around Ginny’s waist even though she apparently hadn’t noticed.

Harry felt his insides knot and squirm with longing as he stared into the faces of all those he cared about the most. It was only when Lily’s gaze shifted from his eyes to something just above his right shoulder did he realize he was not the only one having this vision. He looked up to see Snape standing exactly where he had been just behind him his face still glazed over his lips twitching.

He looked back at the mirror and realized that if this was what he really wanted, this was his deepest desire, and he could fulfill it with such ease…then shouldn’t he? What was the point in living a miserable life? A life where his spirit was more lifeless than it was in the world of the dead? Did he want to end up like Snape when he could change it so easily?

He shook his head and drew his eyes away from John’s face. He needed to get out of here. He reached a hand up slowly and went to shake Snape by the forearm but the second he touched his arm Snape whipped out his wand and with the force of a bus Harry felt himself lifted off his feet, thrown across the room and slammed into the wall. His head cracked against the stone and his glasses fell off. He was dropped to the floor, blood trickling down the back of his neck.

Head spinning he groped for his wand but couldn’t see properly so instead he felt around for his glasses but cut up his hands on the shattered lenses. Blinking furiously he drove his hand into his pocket and drew his wand to repair them but someone had taken them out of his hand.
“I’m so sorry Potter,” Snape said handing him his repaired glasses.

Harry spat the blood out of his mouth and rubbed the back of his head glaring at Snape who’s face did seem to be sympathetic. An expression he had never seen on that cold twisted face before.
“What was that for!?” Harry half shouted.
“Sorry,” he said again, “you just…startled me.”
Harry shook his head then stopped suddenly because it made his head throb even more. Nothing made sense anymore…but then, he sighed, it never did.
“You better….um…get to lunch Potter,” Snape said looking at his shoes as the door reappeared in the wall behind him.
“er…Its ok Professor,” he said sourly still blinking furiously, “I’ve already eaten.”
“Please…just…and thank you. Thank you so much for trying to give her…just…let me know what she says…I’m not sure it’ll work.” Snape looked very uncomfortable and Harry, even though he had learned to hate him and had just been smashed into a brick wall by him, thought that there might be more to this man than what he showed. Thinking that Snape probably did need to be left alone Harry walked over to the door that had materialized and walked out of it and into the corridor. Looking back he saw Snape standing exactly where he had left him and closed the door with a snap.



It was incredibly late. Harry was exhausted but still had a load of homework to finish and was seriously considering sleeping through tomorrow and making up an excuse when the time arose. Yawning deeply he rubbed his eyes. He had just finished his potions essay for Slughorn and was getting started on his annotated diagram of a peacock being transfigured into a feather duster when Hermione came through the portrait hole looking flustered, and almost as tiered as Harry felt, a roll of parchment clutched firmly in her hand. Harry had told them both about the Snape incident over lunch and they had discussed it quietly over dinner but then Hermione had gotten an owl and had disappeared insisting they keep a close eye on Snape for a few days incase he showed any signs of insanity.

Ron had now fallen asleep on his diagram so that the peacocks head had gone all blotchy where he had drooled on it. Harry prodded Ron in the face with his quill as Hermione began walking rather quickly across the room, making a beeline for the dormitories.
“Hey Hermione.” Harry said as she passed, “Whats up?”
Hermione gave a start and swept a nervous eye over the groggy Ron who was groaning at his spoiled homework and prodding it with his wand. It began to smoke dangerously so he tipped his pumpkin juice over it then groaned even louder when the ink and pumpkin juice ran all over the table. Harry lifted is own work out of the way keeping a worried eye on Hermione who looked like a hare trapped in the headlights.
“erm…I actually have to-”
“Whats that?” Ron asked looking up at the sound of her voice and pointing to the scroll clasped in her fist.
“Um…It’s a letter from Victor. He wants to come and visit me – I mean us. I’ve been writing a reply.”
Ron just looked at her, a I’m-gonna-have-a-good-rant-at-you-when-I’m-feeling-more-alive look on his face and wiped the drool off it. He grunted and put his head back on his books. Hermione rolled her eyes and sped up the stairs. Suddenly Ron’s head jerked up again.
“What!??” he half yelled waking up Ginny who had also been dozing by the fire, a heavy book in her lap. “Hermione! Wait up!” he yelled leaping to his feet, unsticking the parchment from his face, and racing up the girls stairs only to slide back down again.
“Wazzemadder?” Ginny said blearily looking up.
Harry sighed, “Ron’s having a moment. Go back to sleep Ginny.”
“Can’t he have it in private, where it doesn’t scar everyone else?” she grumbled getting up gingerly and hefting the book in her arms. She stepped over Ron at the bottom of the chute who had fallen asleep again and placing her foot on the slide it turned back into a staircase.
“G’nite Harry.” She said climbing the stairs.
“Night.” He said closing his books in defeat and, gathering them in his arms, walked over to Ron, poked him with his toe and told him he was going to bed.
“yeah…I’ll…be…right…” he started snoring again. Harry shook his head and climbed the stairs to his dormitory. Chucking his books into his open trunk he pulled on his pajamas, took off his glasses, got into bed and drew the curtains. He was just letting his heavy eyes relax when he remembered the mirror. He said he would try, so he would try. Groaning he crawled to the end of his bed rummaged in his trunk for his robes for a minute. When he found them he searched for his pocket and pulled out Snape’s mirror. Getting back under the covers Harry gripped it tightly in his hand and allowed the easy sleep to sweep him away.

Once again he followed the doe and once again he fell through the archway. He opened his eyes. His room was silent, dark and motionless. Hedwig was gone from her cage which stood on the packed trunk at the end of the bed. Looking at the calendar on the wall opposite it showed the Christmas holidays were over, and by the look of his room, he guessed his friends had been round to make the most of the end of the holidays. Brushing streamers off his bed he got up and dress in the darkness. Something heavy fell out onto a pile of Christmas wrapping paper and bending down Harry picked up the mirror.

He thought for a moment, wondering how best he could do this. In the end he just ended up sneaking into his parent’s room and laying the mirror on his mothers bed side table. He paused and looked down at his parents sleeping, James snoring a little, Lily frowning deeply as her eyes moved about behind their lids. Her hand was clenched under the covers and her lips were moving, forming silent words. Harry smiled, feeling happy and complete, like he always did when he was with them. What would it be to spend the rest of his life like this? So he would only live once, isn’t that what he had been expecting his whole life anyway? He didn’t care about a second life if it meant he could live this one with his family. He knew that when he died he could be around them as much as he wanted, but what if it was too late, what if he died an old man and all his family had already passed away? Their final life lived? How could he miss out on the opportunity just because he wanted an extended life. He was starting to sound like Voldemort, live forever, never died, all that rubbish. He was going to live once and be happy with it. He was going to live here, where he belonged, where people didn’t oggle his forehead when he walked down the street, where he didn’t have to put up with the Dursleys or Malfoy, where he could laugh and play and talk with his parents and with his unborn brother and sister who he had grown to love more than life itself. How could he waste them, every second was precious.

James rolled over grunting and Lily’s frown decreased, a smile twitching her lips. Harry looked at them sadly, his mind made up. He wouldn’t waste them.

He spent the remaining time before the house started waking up sitting in John and Izzy’s room, reading a story book he had found on their book shelf. Tales of Beedle the Bard, and in it a particular story, The Fountain of Fair Fortune. It was about three witches and a knight who wished to bathe in the fountain and wash away their troubles. They came across obstacles however. Harry smiled grimly as he read about the first obstacle, pay me the proof of your pain. He thought back to how he had felt when Sirius had died, how he felt every single moment he was apart from this world, how he could change that. Pay me the fruit of your labor, well, he was alive wasn’t he? He had managed to battle through all those encounters with Voldemort and still be alive to tell the tale, but then that was a first life. He didn’t really need it, it was no reward, not when it was keeping him from this. He looked at Izzy who was sleeping in the arms of a huge teddy Sirius had bought her, and John who was snoring louder than James. Pay me the treasure of your past, this was it, Harry thought looking at the sleeping children and feeling that wholesome completeness envelope him, shutting out all the hate and emptiness of his other life. This was his treasure, the treasure of his past, and his future. He read on as the witches and the knight exceeded all barriers and were permitted to bathe in the fountain, but only one could bathe. One witch who was dying from an illness was so exuahsted that the second witch who was living in poverty made her a potion to give her the energy needed to go on. The potion cured the other ailment she was cursed with and so she no longer needed the fountain. The witch who had made the potion thought that it could bring her all the gold she needed and so she also no longer needed the fountain, the third witch had previously relieved herself of her grief and longing during the second obstacle and no longer needed the fountain and so the knight bathed in the mirical waters. While he was stewing in the fountains magical waters, he realized that the third witch, Amata was the wife he had been searching for and they all left the fountain care free. Harry imagined what his life would be like if he did end his first one, he would still know and love all his friends only his life would be better, he would be happier. He read the final sentence of the story, 'The three witches and the knight set off down the hill together, arm in arm, and all four led long and happy lives, and none of them ever knew that the Fountain’s waters carried no enchantment at all.’ Harry blinked and reread the line. He smiled to himself, he had to give it to Beedle, he was an amazing writer, especially for children. Closing the book he still couldn’t help but feel a little shivery about how the story had affected his tiered brain. His old life, it held nothing for him, he found no interest in it, he wanted to change…but then…what if his second life was worse…in the end…would he be able to live with the people he hadn’t grown up with…he didn’t know? He wouldn’t be able to go back, he would never see the friends, see the Weasleys, see the same Hagrid, see the same Dumbledore, see the same Hogwarts he had originally fallen in love with. What if…what if they weren’t the same? He shook off the feeling of unease and went to get dressed. The sun was up and he would be needing to get to the station soon. He replaced the book and went to stand up.
“Harry?” A tiny voice said from behind him. John had woken up. “What’re you doin in here?”
“Watching you sleep, and reading a few of your stories.” Harry said smiling.
“That’s weeiird Harry. You only read our stories to us, not because you really like them. What about Quidditch through the ages?”
“Its alright…” Harry whispered as Izzy stirred, “but after a few times reading it, it gets a bit old.”
John grinned.
“Gotta go get dressed. I’ll see you later.” Harry said and sneaked out the door just as Izzy gave a huge yawn and stretched her arms high above her.

Once he was back in his room he pulled on his muggle clothes and tried to brush his hair. It didn’t work. Dragging his trunk with one had and carrying Hedwig’s cage in his other he descended the stairs. Leaving his trunk and the cage by the front door he went into the kitchen and pulled a bowl towards him. Minutes later Izzy and John came down the stairs and began talking excitedly of the upcoming Holly Head Harpies match as they made their breakfast and a while after that James came down in his quidditch robes, hair a mess, glasses lopsided and demanding if anyone had seen his broom’s tail clippers.
It was quarter past ten when Harry realized Lily still hadn’t emerged and that they needed to be getting to the train station or he would miss the train.
“Mum?” He called up the stairs wondering what was wrong. He climbed up them quietly and crept onto the landing, there were hurried whispers coming from his parents room, James was still thundering about in the living room though.
“Mum?” he called again and heard something clatter to the floor, then a drawer slam and Lily emerged, pale, from the room. “Are you ok?” Harry asked a little frightened.
“What do you know about Severus?” She asked him quietly, her hair was obscuring the section of her face which was not in shadow.
Harry froze and contemplated how much he should tell her. Did she already know he knew? She must or she wouldn’t have confronted him, maybe she had just been speaking with him. Harry sighed,
“A bit…” he said heavily.
Lily looked up at him her green eyes bright and to Harry’s horror, he saw, brimming with tears. “I wont tell anyone I swear.” He said hurriedly, “In the other world hes a mess, I think he blames himself for what happened and he is completely falling apart. I know how difficult this is…” Harry shuffled his feet, very uncomfortable, “for you.”
Lily didn’t say anything but wiped her eyes on her night gown and walked past him to the bathroom, on her way past she brushed his hand lightly with hers and whispered, “Thank you,” Into his ear before closing the door with a click.

They were at the station now, Sirius was standing in front of him beaming down at him,
“Now I’ll see you at the castle, ok. I’ll come and visit you after dinner if you want to meet at Hagrids.” He said grinning through his dark mop of hair.
“Wha-? The castle?”
“Sirius is the Transfiguration Professor Harry.” James said pulling him into a tight hug.
Harry stared at Sirius who was beaming even more broadly now. “You have to watch your step now.” Harry laughed through his disbelief.
“Goodbye honey,” Lily said kissing his cheek and brushing the hair out of his eyes.
“bye Mum.” He whispered as she hugged him aswell.
“G’bye Harry!” The twins chanted hugging him around the middle.
“See you.” He said ruffling their hair and making them squeal.
“Harry!” Someone cried from behind him. He turned around to see a mass of brown hair engulf him.
“Hey Hermione. How was your Christmas?”
“Excellent. Its too bad I couldn’t be here for Ron’s party. Draco said was…er…quite exciting.”
Harry laughed and wondered if Cedric was still lying on the Weaslys hard wood floor.
“Are you going to come and find a compartment with us then? The others are already on the train.” Hermione asked hoisting Crookshanks’s basket higher up on her hip.
“Yeah sure. Bye.” He said again to his family and godfather. They all waved at him and he turned regretfully away, wondering when he would be able to see them again.

Sighing he dragged his trunk onto the train and followed Hermione along the corridor and into a full compartment. Draco and Ron were opposite each other and comparing Herbology notes, Ron seemed to have given the two headed cacticularis only one head and an abnormal lump on its shoulder. Ginny was sitting next to Draco looking grumpy and Luna was reading the Quibbler beside her. Harry sidled in and sat opposite Luna while Hermione fell into a seat beside Ron who was trying to bewitch his diagram correct. Harry waved to Izzy through the window who was jumping up and down trying to see through the sea of people. Neville was walking towards the train now, all alone apart from Colin Creevy and his brother who were helping him with his trunk. Harry remembered what Ron had said about Neville at the beginning of the holidays.
“What happened to Neville?” he asked Luna under his breathe avoiding her eyes.
Luna looked up from the Quibbler, “Dumbledore killed his parents, he got their position out of his grandmother who is in St Mungos and has been since the incident. He lives in an orphanage and well…he kind of prevented Dumbledore from finding the elder wand when he was little, this was when Dumbledore had stolen your fathers cloak, found the stone and was after the wand. If he had gotten to it we would probably be in a muggle free world right now. Neville stopped him, no one knows how, but the Hallows were scattered everywhere and now…now Dumbledore has had to start from scratch.”
Harry looked out the window down at Neville as he stumbled onto the train. All of the burdens of Harry’s life seemed to have been dumped on poor Neville. That wasn’t fair, but he had decided. Harry looked up at Luna and saw she was looking angry at him.
“You look like you’ve given up Harry. Don’t you dare give up.”
Harry stared at Luna and tried to rearrange his face. “Its too late Luna, I’m staying, I’m happy here, my life is worth living here. In the other world I have nothing, I am just constantly longing for night so I can dream about this place again. That’s not how my life should be. I only expected to live once anyway.”
Luna glared at him unmoving.
“I can’t waste them Luna. They are my life.”
“That is the easy way out.” She said hiding back behind her magazine. “I thought you were braver than that.”


TBC


please leave lots of lovely feedback cause I will obviously die without it....dieing....dieing faster....quick! Leave feedback!.....*pitiful cough*

wowsa...
I am nearly finished only a few chapters to go....it doesn't look like this is going to be a very long fanfiction but oh well...it was fun while it lasted...I have kind of exhausted my ideas... Well done to those of you who have persevered in reading my writing up until now. Thank you so much, i love you all.

Chapter 10: The Hard Way Out

Harry sat reading Tales of Beedle the Bard for the majority of the trip, looking up occasionally when Draco and Ron’s game of snap exploded too loudly or Hermione and Ginny’s giggling got so much that he couldn’t concentrate. Luna sat, motionless, emitting icy waves, of what Harry was beginning to think was anger, through the pages of the Quibbler that obscured her face. Harry sat in silence enduring Luna’s growing fury completely at loss for what to do. Luna had never been angry with him before…it was a strange feeling. He didn’t know whether it was worse than her disappointment. He thought back to her face before it had disappeared behind the pages. He preferred the anger.

It was dark by the time the Hogwarts express pulled into Hogsmead. Harry pulled his cloak over the robes he had just changed into and straightened his glasses. Luna dragged her trunk off the rack, glared at Harry and stormed out of the compartment. Draco and Hermione stared at him, Ginny and Ron were too busy trying to retrieve Arnold the pygmy puff from under a seat to notice anything.
“Why’s she giving you the cold shoulder mate?” Draco asked helping Harry pull down his trunk.
“It doesn’t matter…” said Harry not wanting to listen to Draco’s views on him making his visit to this world permanent. He predicted them to be quite extensive.
Draco continued to watch him all the way off the train and only stopped to help Ginny into an empty carriage. Ginny scowled but allowed him to help her up and then to hand her her trunk in after her. Harry followed not really noticing and sitting over by the window opposite an empty seat. Luna had gotten a different carriage to school. Harry sighed and fingered the watch that always hung around his neck.

The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.

Should he do it? Yes, he had made his decision, he was going to keep to it…but should he?
The carriages rattled and shook as they slowed to a stop outside Hogwarts. Harry looked up at the school, its turrets reaching high up, pricking the grey clouds which obscured the moon. This was no longer his home as it was in the other world. He had a home now.

He climbed out of the carriage and followed Ginny and Draco around the back of it to the castle. He stopped and stared when he saw Ginny stroking the thestral’s boney neck. She could see them?! Hermione sighed as they passed the winged horses,
“I still prefer unicorns…no matter what Hagrid says….” She grumbled as Ron took her hand and they walked on up the stone steps. Harry shook his head and trailed after.

The great hall was lit spectacularly with the hundreds of floating candles that illuminated the inky sky. Ron elbowed him in the ribs and nodded at the staff table. In between a merry Tom Riddle and a slightly tipsy Hagrid sat Sirius waving a hand holding a glass of fire whisky at them. Harry smiled warmly at his godfather and waved back. On Riddle’s right sat Snape who was talking stiffly to Lupin who seemed very serious and beside Lupin sat McGonagall trying to read Trelawney’s tea leaves.
“Who teaches what?” Harry asked thoroughly confused.
Hermione grinned at Sirius before pointing at Hagrid, “Hagrid teaches Care of Magical Creatures, Sirius is Transfiguration Professor but we have to call him Professor Black, Snape is potions master, Lupin is DADA Professor, Sirius fills in for him when its his time of the month, McGonagall teaches Charms but we all know she wants the Divination spot, and … of course Trelawney teaches divination.” Hermione took a deep breath, “Professor Sprout is in charge of the Greenhouses and Professor Flitwick is History of Magic teacher.”
Harry nodded, choking a little on his pork pie when she mentioned McGonagall but otherwise splutter free.
“Oh and I nearly forgot, Mr Lovegood and Mr Weasley come in to teach Twilight Muggle Studies to students who don’t have enough space on their time tables. They take the class together and it seems to work out well enough…I dropped their subject last year though…I have too much work on my hands.”
Harry swallowed his pie.

He was up late that night talking to Draco and Ron about his old life, they were fascinated by their other selves. Neville came to listen too but didn’t say much. Harry wondered if he believed a word of it. Every time he looked at Neville he felt a gut wrenching pang of guilt that he couldn’t place. He somehow felt responsible for Neville’s predicament even though he could do nothing to help him. He knew exactly how Neville felt, parentless and alone in the world.
“Seriously! Frill and everything!” Ron managed to force out between his and Draco’s manic fits of laughter as Harry tried to describe Ron’s dress robes to him through his own broad grin.
“a-a-and you tried to curse off the lace but it just made it go all frayed. Padma was distraught.” Harry sniggered.
“Who did I go with?” Draco asked as Ron tried to sober up.
“Pansy Parkinson.”
Suddenly they both stopped laughing they stared at each other and suddenly Ron burst out with great whoops of laughter as Draco’s face contorted into a horrified mask. He hit Ron hard with a pillow.
“It isn’t funny Weasley cut it out!” Daco hissed even though a smile was beginning to curve his lips at the expression on Ron’s face. (His face was scrunched up, mouth gaping in a bout of laughter so violent it rendered him silent.)

The moon was well past it’s peak before they quietened down enough to even consider sleep. Neville and Dean were already snoring by the time Ron had drawn his hangings and shouted goodnight to the beds on either side of him.
“Night.” Harry heard Draco yawn.
“G’night.” Harry said.

Settling down he closed his eyes. What now?
Maybe….maybe he could go back…just for an hour or two to say goodbye. He had the chance didn’t he? He shouldn’t let it slip away. Locking his jaw and pulling the covers up Harry let his head sink into his pillow and drown out Ron’s sudden snoring.

Harry awoke tiered and uncomfortable. His stomach dropped knowing he was no longer with his family…that he was apart from their world. Getting up he slid out of bed. Ron was getting still asleep. He couldn’t bring himself to do it. He would only make things harder…maybe he should just write a letter. Harry contemplated the idea and took the picture of him Ron and Hermione out of his Photo Album where he kept his parent pictures. It had been taken in their fourth year at the Ball...Ron was wearing his dress robes. Harry smiled down at the image, his younger self laughing up at him as the photographic Ron pulled a serious face at the camera. Hermione was in the middle, her hair sleek and shiny, her dress as perfectly beautiful as Harry remembered. Harry remembered this photo being taken. Krum had gone to get some drinks and Harry and Ron had been put in an unusually good mood by seeing Rita Skeeter being thrown out of the grounds by Hagrid. Hermione had her muggle camera with her, wanting to use up her potion she had made as a practice for Colin which makes images move, she had asked Cedirc to take a picture of them. It had been a good night despite Ron and Hermione’s occasionally bickering. That was something he was going to miss…the bickering.
He tucked the photo into his robes and picked up a quill and some parchment.

Dear Ron, Hermione, Luna, Professors Dumbledore, Hagrid and Snape,

I am writing to say goodbye. I know it is a pitiful way to part, in writing, with a letter, but I want you to know that where I am going death does not matter. It is, as Dumbledore put it, but the next great adventure. I do not want you to think of this as a suicide not or anything else ridiculous because I am not dying I am merely moving, moving to a different world where I will lead a happier life. Ron, Hermione and I want you to know how grateful I am towards you and how you made my life away from Hogwarts bearable. Luna I am sorry, I know you disapprove but you know how I feel and I cannot change that.

Harry paused knowing that his friends…the ones he owed so much to deserved so much more than flat words. They deserved proper explanations. They didn’t deserve him, they deserved better. Luna’s words floated back to him over the snores of his room mates. Ron stirred as the sunlight fell on his face he blinked and rolled over. Harry hurriedly scrawled along the bottom of the paper,

I know you deserve more than ink and paper and I hope that one day you will find it in your hearts to forgive me and find it in your minds to understand why I have done what I have done. The ones you truly love never truly leave you, I know now how significant those words are and one day you will see too. I am not dead I’m just away.

Yours eternally,
Harry Potter

Harry stuffed the piece of paper into his photo album and threw the album onto his pillow. Getting up swiftly he swept out of the dormitory just as Ron sat up and looked over at his empty bed.

He wanted one last look of the castle, as he knew it before it changed forever and yet stayed exactly the same. Gliding down the corridors Harry walked out onto the lawn sunlight brushing the top of his head as the greedy shadows of the forbidden forest concealed the rest of him and the majority of the lawns. He walked form a few minutes on the shadow’s fringe and looked back up at the castle.
A light bird song drifted to him on the wind. Sitting on top of the nearest goal post sat Fawks. The beautiful bird inclined its great head towards him sadly as if it knew what he was about to do. Harry smiled up at fawkes, this was Dumbledore’s bird, he reminded himself, it probably did. He looked past Fawks at the quidditch pitch, he remembered all of the matches he had won and lost there, when he had swallowed his first snitch, when the dementors had come flocking onto the pitch, when his first patronouse had charged down Draco and his friends and when Ron had won them the Quidditch cup while he and Hagrid had been in the forest with Grawp. Harry’s eyes drifted over to Hagrids house where he, Ron and Hermione had shared so very many rock cakes and helped Norbert and Buckbeak escape from Hagrids cabin his eyes slid over the lake where Ron and Hermione had been held captive by the merepeople, to the forest where the three of them and had ventured often accompanied by their half giant friend as they explored and in some cases fled from fully fledged Lupins to the castle itself which stood tall and magnificent, ruling down over the grounds. Harry smiled as all the pleasant memories came crashing down on him. He was just about to return to the castle when he saw something stir in the lower sotries of the castle. Someone was awake, there was a bright flash of green light. Harry stared at the window uncertainly before charging back up the lawns. He knew that flash, he had seen it two years ago when Cedric had been killed and thirteen years before that when his parents had been killed. Who was it this time? Not just before he was about to leave…not now…why now?

He threw himself through the main doors and charged down the stairs past the kitchen and into the dungeons…
He raced along a corridor until he heard shouting coming through an open door. He ran through it and was nearly stunned as Snape sent a jinx at him. Rolling to the side Harry’s head snapped up to stare at Snape who, now he had recognized Harry returned his attention to the mirror grasped in his hands.
“Lily! Lily, calm down! I…I’m coming for you ok? Just…stay safe for a few seconds…will I appear where you are?”
Harry couldn’t make out much but whoever was on the other side of the mirror screamed and shouted something panicked in reply. He ran to Snape’s side as he tore a dagger from within his robe sleeve.
“Wait!” Harry said suddenly. Jumping up and grabbing Snapes wrist only to be thrown off again but the dagger went skidding across the floor clattering loudly. “Whats happening?”
Snape shook his head and just mouthed wordlessly at the mirror. Harry looked at the reflection, it was bouncing about all over what looked like the inside of the Potter’s house, Lily was screaming and by the way the mirror was moving Harry guessed she had it in her hand, he kept seeing flashes of John’s legs as he pulled Izzy down the stairs and into the kitchen.
“Lily…” Snape moaned edging towards the dagger Harry had knocked out of his hand.
“What is going on!?” Harry half yelled.
“Dumbledore…you know he’s evil in this,” he gestured at the mirror that was still showing mental scenes of running feet, “…he came for the cloak…he is trying to get it…he has somehow found the resurrection stone and knows where the elder wand is and is confident he can get it. I think the stone was in Riddle’s ring or something…but he has it…”
Harry stared wide eyed at the mirror as Lily’s screams echoed around the tiny dungeon. Another bright green flash of light blinded Harry as it bounced out of the mirror. Lily’s screams increased and Harry thought he could hear James shouting something over the chaos. The view from the mirror suddenly blurred as it fell to the floor and slid beneath the kitchen table.

Harry forced his breathing into a normal rate.
“I have to help her…” Snape said drawing his wand.
“Let me,” Harry said putting a hand on the wand and eyeing it worriedly. Harry could see the desperation in Snape’s eyes,
“She needs me…I wasn’t there for her before…let me be there now.”
Harry stared at his stricken face for a few seconds, the screaming faded away as the fight moved outside.
“No, I have to go. You still have a life to live. I can always come back.”
“but you won’t! I saw it in your mind during my first lesson of the Dark Arts! When I saw her through you! Your mind was made up you just didn’t know it yet! I am only living to protect you! My life isn’t worth living! Let me die! It is not your decision to make!” He said stepping away from him his eyes mad and his hair in complete disarray. Harry could hear bangs and could see more flashes issuing from the mirror. His head snapped towards it. He could only hope the curses had missed. He was running out of time. “It is my time…Dumbledore will have to dig himself out this time…” Harry’s head whipped just as quickly back to Snape who was backed up against the wall his wandtip pressed hard into his temple.
“No don-”
“Look after her Harry, life is barely worth living without her.”
Harry rushed forward but too late. Snape’s body hit the ground with a thud as the rushing sound of green light filed the room once more. Harry stood there for a split second in indecision then pulled his own wand out and pressed the tip to his head just as Snape had done. He needed a quick way out and he needed it now. ‘You have to mean it Potter.’ Voldemort’s words drifted to him from the night Sirius had died. He hesitated wasting precious minutes, he wasn’t sure if he could do it…he looked down at the motionless Snape and slowly lowered his wand. He sighed and then he closed his eyes and tried painfully to remember the things that triggered the Doe’s forest. The smell of grass…but he couldn’t think straight his legs began trembling…the touch of pine needles…nothing but blank…his head was reeling…his mothers voice suddenly pierced his thinking…dementors were rushing towards him in the allyway, Dudly was lying at his feet, he saw the stag burst into being and charge them down…he was stumbling through the triwizard maze and the boggart-dementor came gliding towards him, Prongs once again chased it off…he was lying on his back beside the lake, Sirius’s arm in his hands, dementors swooping down on him, his mothers voice ringing in his ears and Prongs ran to their aid once again from his future self’s form across the lake. The image didn’t fade though, Prong’s antlers were shrinking and his ears were growing. Suddenly the doe stood before him. Hary sighed with relief and put a hand to its face. Harry nodded at it and it seemed to understand his urgency. He was suddenly running through the forest it prancing beside him as it led him to the veil. He toppled through it into the world of the dead. Opening his eyes found he was lying in his Dormitory at Hogwarts miles away from the action. He swore at the top of his voice and still swearing manically he tore out of bed and down the stairs racing to Dumbl- Riddle’s office angry shouts from his fellow Griffindors chasing him out. He ran around a corner smack bang into Sirius who was looking glum.
“Hey, how come you didn’t show at Hagrids?” he asked.
“Can’t talk gotta get home.” Harry panted and ran around Sirius dashing towards the Griffin.
“Excellent! I’ll get the Quidditch stuff shall I?” he called after him happily.
He skidded to a halt in front of the Griffin at complete loss of what to say,
“er…Dark Arts, Slytherin, Pure Blood,” he panted desperately, he even tried a few things in parsteltongue…nothing, “Death eaters, Dark Lord, Voldemort, Mudblood, Riddle, Tom, Marvolo…” the Griffin turned to reveal the staircase. Harry blinked in shock but wasted no time in sprinting up the staircase. He burst into the office but…it was empty. A feint glowing was coming from the top shelf. Harry ran to it and pulled down a glowing kettle with a note stuck on it.

I thought you might need it.

Harry barely had time to read it before he felt the familiar hooking sensation and he was suddenly whirling through a load of sound and colour until he smashed into the ground. He rolled over and opened his eyes. He was lying behind a hollybush, John and Izzy crouched beside him, Izzy’s face was hidden in John’s shoulder, her back shaking and tears dampening John’s shirt. His hand was clamped around hers though his eyes were locked infront of him. Harry peered through the hollyleaves and saw James dueling with Dumbledore, he wasn’t holding up well, three deep gashes in his side splattered the ground with blood while Lily tried to help but was constantly being pushed back by James.

There was a sudden pop and Snape appeared at the gate. Running through it he sprinted to Lily. Dumbledore shot a backhand jinx at him tripping him up and making him fall headlong into James who toppled to the ground. Lily took over shielding the men as they pushed eachother out of the way and giving eachother daggers hastened to stand up. Snape pushed Lily behind him as James resumed the duel his face pale form loss of blood. Snape hurriedly joined him fighting just as enthusiastically, a determined sneer set onto his pale face. Harry caught Lily’s eye and he nodded at the gate. She shook her head and ducked as a killing curse flew over her head. Snape roared and lunged forwards dueling with such ferocity that the ground began to crack beneath his feet. James was having trouble standing and allowed Snape to dominate the fight retreating behind him vomiting slightly. Lily helped him away from the two men fighting for their lives even though they were dead, fighting for the things they couldn’t have. James coughed and spluttered as Lily tried to clam him,
“he…he wants the cloak Lil….its in our room under the bed….get it quick,” he coughed and winced as more blood oozed from his slashed top.
“b-b-but then …then he will have all three Hallows…he can take the wand whenever he wants.” Lily stuttered.
“Lily…just do it.” James said. Lily stared at him then looked at Harry and the twin’s hiding place and then at Dumbledore. Harry could see the war raging within her mind as if he were a practiced Leigilimens. She wanted her family to be safe but at the same time did not want to doom the rest of the wizarding world. Snape gave a bark of laughter as his sectumsempra curse sliced through Dumbledore’s side. Harry stared at Dumbledore, this was certainly not the Dumbledore he knew. This Dumbledore was taller, wore dark robes with golden triangular eyes imprinted on it, his eyes flashed ice cold venom instead of twinkling charm and his face was set into a hard mask of hatred and greed instead of the warm and welcoming wrinkles Harry was accustomed to. There was suddenly another pop and Sirius arrived at the gate holding his broomstick and a crate full of quidditch balls. He dropped them immediately as he saw Snape and Dumbledore dueling.
“Snivellus….?” He said, confusion stretching into the very edges of his face. His eyes then wandered to Lily and James crouching behind Snape, James bleeding heavily and then to the children hiding behind the hollybush, alone and afraid. He looked back to Snape and without a seconds hesitation vaulted the gate and ran to his side.
“Get. Lily. Out.” Snape forced through his clenched teeth as he blocked Dumbledore’s cruciatus curse and sent a killing curse back. “Lily. The kids. Everyone.”
Sirius nodded obediently and turned to Lily who was staring at him as a drowning person would a lifeguard. He sprinted from Snape to Harry and dragged Izzy to her feet. He took Izzy in his arms and grasped John by the hand before dragging / carrying them to the gate where he turned on the spot and disapperated. Harry lay there for a few seconds longer unable to lay there and do nothing but then Sirius was back and trying to lift James off the ground. He was inches from unconsciousness. Harry broke cover and ran up the lawn to his father.
“Take my Mum. Save her. I’ll wait with Dad.” Harry said staring into Sirius’s eyes. At once James and Lily began to protest insisting he get out while he could but he kept his eyes on Sirius who nodded and put a shaking hand on Harry’s shoulder before grasping Lily and tugging her towards the gate.
“No! Get your hands off me! Harry! No take Harry! Take James! Get off me Black!” She drew her wand but it suddenly flew out of her hand. She glared at Sirius but he shrugged, he wasn’t holding his wand. She then span about to look at James and Harry, they were just as clueless. Snape snarled angrily as Lily stood there unprotected gaping at Potter like a fish out of water. He flicked his wand in her direction again and sent a protego charm at her forcing her back a few more steps whilst kicking her wand away from him towards Harry who he knew would return it to her safely when she was thinking straight. Sirius took the hint as Lily stumbled backwards and resumed dragging Lily away from the fight. They were on the other side of the gate and then, pop, they were gone. Harry looked down at his father who was staring up at him with misty eyes.
“I’m proud of you son.” He said wearily. His face alight with distant pride. His pupils kept dragging the hazel iris’s into the top of his head. He was having difficulty concentrating on Harry’s face.
Harry felt his eyes water up but forced himself to keep it together. “N-no…its gonna be ok. Fight it. Dad…I’ve lost you once,” he said gritting his teath together so hard he could feel them digging into his gums, “…don’t make me lose you again.” He took out his wand but no healing charm came to mind and he cursed his lack of expertise.
“Look after your Ma…and your brother and sister…for me.” James whispered closing his eyes. Harry’s robes were soaked in his father’s blood his face getting paler and paler.

Harry couldn’t contain his tears as they gushed down beneath his glasses. He willed his fathers eyes to open for his mouth to move for him to say it was all going to be ok. That it was just a bad dream…but…
“No….no! Dad! DAD!” Harry shook him slightly. “wake up!” he choked, “….wake up…” Harry couldn’t tear his eyes away from James’s still face, his lips curled into a half smile. He felt as if a section of the hole that had begun to heal over had just been ripped open again. The piece of puzzle that had slotted into place was torn away yanking all the interlocking pieces out with it. He could never repair the damage. He could hear the yells and bangs of Dumbledore and Snape’s battle behind hi and see the bright flashes of light but it was all from another world. None of it was real, the only things that were real were his father and himself who was shaking uncontrollably. Harry felt a curse land beside him making a crater in the ground and heard Snape yell at him to get down but he didn’t care, he wouldn’t care, caring caused too much grief when the thing you cared about was taken away. It was a mistake repeatedly returning to this world, it just made him love more, and the more you loved the more you could get hurt.

Harry felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up through his tear impaired vision at Sirius’s stricken face. His features were possibly paler than James’s as he attempted to pull harry up but he wouldn’t move and clung James to him as if he were a lifeline, the only part of him he had left. Sirius fell to his knees unwilling to fight anymore and Harry saw his eyes darken, he was suddenly recognizable as the man who had wasted away for twelve years in the heart of Azkaban, the man who had had everything but his sanity stripped from him.

Snape hissed as Dumbledore hit him hard in the chest with an Imperius curse. The sudden lull in the violence made Harry look up. The tension was thick in the air. Snape and Dumbledore were standing around five feet apart form each other on uneven smoking ground, their eyes locked and a thick vein pulsing in both of their foreheads. Snape’s jaw was twitching and Dumbledore’s hard eyes were narrowed. Harry could see wat he imagined to be a mental version of Priori Incantatem raging between the two men. The only thing was he couldn’t tell who had the upperhand. It happened very suddenly, making Harry flinch, Snape suddenly raised his arm and snapped out his wrist sending a bolt of bright green light hurtling towards its victim.



TBC

Dum dum duuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuum!!!!!!! Who is Snapey cursing? Who's death life is comming to an end...does that ven make sense? I dunno....me love coffee.
I hope that wasn't too cheesy for you...
ahhhh....*sniff* the end is nigh! if you are feeling kind and generous as everyone should you will leave some feedback for me to read and take one of my complimentray cornish pastys.

ahhhhhhhh!!! german GCSE tomorrow!!!! I still don't know how to speak the lingo properly....

Ahhh well....here is *sniff* the very last ever chapter.....apart from the epilogue which I am halfway through so that should be up in the near future.
Thanks for reading it and I hope you enjoyed it. I know I enjoyed writing it. Have fun and live life to the full. Go sky diving, bungy jumping, eat nooles instead of pasta! It a mad world....yes i have just had half a litre of coke but know one needs to know....shhh! You wont tell them. No? good,....he he he

Now to reveal the outcome of Dumbelydoores Imperius curse....



Chapter 11: Regret

Snape hissed as Dumbledore hit him hard in the chest with an Imperius curse. The sudden lull in the violence made Harry look up. The tension was thick in the air. Snape and Dumbledore were standing around five feet apart form each other on uneven smoking ground, their eyes locked and a thick vein pulsing in both of their foreheads. Snape’s jaw was twitching and Dumbledore’s hard eyes were narrowed. Harry could see what he imagined to be a mental version of Priori Incantatem raging between the two men. The only thing was he couldn’t tell who had the upper hand. It happened very suddenly, making Harry flinch, Snape suddenly raised his arm and snapped out his wrist sending a bolt of bright green light hurtling towards its victim.

Dumbledore was lifted off his feet and smashed through the Potter’s family room window with the force of the curse. Snape stood heaving in the middle of the garden blood dripping from his head and shoulder. His back shook and legs trembled with the effort needed to stay upright. Harry watched him for a few more moments and glanced at the window, which was motionless before turning back to his father. Sirius had gotten up and walked over to Snape his voice croaky as he tried to talk to him. Harry did not know if Snape replied of even heard Sirius, he was too wound up in his father’s face. How his looks, right down to the bushy eyebrows, mimicked Harry. Of course the only difference were the eyes. Harry had his mothers eyes. John also shared James’s looks while Izzy looked similar to Lily. Both would be safe and out of harms way, either at Hogwarts or Grimmauld Place right now.
“Harry,” Sirius forced out in a horse whisper. Harry hadn’t notice him return.
“Harry, we should…Harry…” Harry looked up, pain had sunken deep into Sirius’s face, it was taught and pale, his eyes hollow, bloodshot and wet. Harry nodded and closed his eyes as he stood up, putting distance between him and his father. Tears still fell freely down his face drenching his robes but he couldn’t care less although he try to stem them to prevent them falling onto James’s face. Snape was walking shakily over to them now. His face blank and solemn. Sirius put a hand on Harry’s shoulder and drew his wand with the other. He muttered something under his breath and James’s body rose from the ground to hover peacefully a few inches above the cracked earth. Sirius’s hand trembled so violently he nearly dropped his wand. Snape reached out his hand for the wand his face set into a hard grimace. Sirius handed it over in fear of dropping James in the dirt. Harry suddenly found Sirius’s hand very heavy on his shoulder and realized he was probably the only thing supporting his godfather. A great raking sob shook through his body so violently Harry felt his teeth chatter. He looked up and saw the back of Sirius’s head, he had turned away and was trembling uncontrollably. Harry took a deep breath, he had to keep it together, and led the small depressed party back to the gate where he took his godfather’s hand in his own, looking for some small amount of comfort. Sirius squeezed it and looked down at him. He tried to smile but he face cracked up halfway there. Instead he took his wand back from Snape and stowing inside his pocket, took James’s hand. Snape took hold of Sirius’s shoulder and Harry felt him turn just as the pressing blackness tightened around him squeezing the air from his lungs as if he were travelling at the speed of light. He popped out on the door step of number twelve. Sirius didn’t open the door though.
“Harry maybe I should-” he began shakily.
“I’ll tell them.” Harry said. He didn’t know why or how he would do it but he knew he should be the one to do it. So Sirius and Snape moved into the living room with James while Harry walked alone into the kitchen. He opened the door into a dead silent room.
Everyone had been sitting waiting, thinking and when Harry walked through the door alone it seemed to finalize something. Lily’s face seemed to fall apart. What was once a pretty face was now the home of a gaping monster as her mouth opened in a single great sob that make her shake so violently she fell to the floor. Izzy and James stared up at Harry, taking in his bedraggled, lost appearance with pleading and worry in their eyes, begging him to tell them that James was right behind him. He shook his head sadly feeling hot tears sting his already sore eyes. Izzy got up and pushed past Harry running up the stairs to her room and John sat unmoving in his chair, his eyes wide but perfectly dry. Harry couldn’t bare it. He walked out into the hallway and leaned against the wall opposite the picture of Sirius’s mother. She had been painted in a bright blue frock in a field of sunflowers with a lacey bonnet strapped to her head.
“What’ve I missed? Did that new elf set fire to my tapestries? He did didn’t he! Well don’t stand their looking all miserable go and fix them before I get angry!” She said in a high pitched voice that Harry didn’t think suited her very well….and if he was perfectly honest…he eyed her puffy dress and the way she fiddled with her hair…he thought he preferred the old Mrs Black.

Snape came out of the family room his face torn as he looked in the direction of Lily’s tortured sobs. He hesitated before hurrying in to the Kitchen. Harry wandered up the stairs his head strangely empty. Tiny footsteps announced the fact that John was following him up, probably scared of the tall pale man with blood all over his face telling his mum it was all going to be ok.
“Its ok, John.” Harry said slightly too flatly, “He isn’t that bad…”
They walked up to the room they could hear Izzy’s sniffles coming from and walked carefully into the room. A pillow hit the wall by Harry’s head as Izzy dived under the covers of her bed.
Harry sat down on the end of it and John sank into an armchair in the far corner his head in his hands. Harry had to admire the way he was coping…but then maybe he was just in shock.
“Izz…”he said trying to make his voice sound happier than it felt, “hey Izz…”
There was a squeak form under the covers. “Can you remember the cool trick Dad used to do?”
Harry saw the covers nod,
“h-h-he could t-turn into a reindeer…l-l-like the ones that h-help Santa…he w-was Santa’s L-little H-helper…”
“He could turn into a stag that’s right.”
“He used to give me and John rides when we were s-small a-and…he would make u-us laugh w-when Sirius t-turned int-to a dog he w-would pr-pretend to ch-chase him.” She hiccoughed.
“He said he needed to be big and strong,” John said in a low whisper that Harry almost missed, “to deal with Uncle Remus’s furry little problem.”
Izzy gave out a choked laugh from under the covers.
“a-and they would disappear s-sometime and c-come back a-all scuffed u-up and y-you used to think they h-had been mugged but m-mum s-said they were j-just being rough a-and gotten carried away.”
“They always laughed about it afterwards.” John said softly.
“In the other world, I was told by… someone,” Harry said slowly, “that the ones we love never truly leave us. I didn’t believe him at first but now…I think I understand…they are still here…just inside us…in spiritual form…not in physical form…no more but no less real than a dream…a thought. Dad will live as long as you will, and will grow old with you.” Under his breath he muttered the incantation and in his head he pictured the image he had seen in the mirror of erased and remembered how once it had all been real. His parents, his family, his friends, and from his wand burst Prongs, elegant and proud, emitting his light silver glow as he cantered around the room and came to a stop infornt of Harry. He bowed his head, his eyes apologetic.
John gasped and Izzy threw the covers back from over her head gazing in wonder.
“They never…truly…leave us…” harry whispered raising a hand to touch the stag but it vanished just as his fingers left the bed. It felt as though the puzzle didn’t really fit now. How could he possibly think of wasting one life when he realized how important living was? How could he toss aside a life that people like his father needed as if it were no more than a waste of his time? How could he have been so selfish? He would not make that mistake again, even if his friends were in another world they still had feelings like the ones of the world of the Dead. They still meant something to him and he was just going to leave them behind him to pursue his own selfish dreams? The other world needed him, to help them defeat Voldemort to keep Griffindor in the running for the Quidditch House cup to explain why he had had this moment of madness. Who was to say he couldn’t alternate between worlds? He could be patient, wait a day until he saw his family again, it would be better than not seeing them at all, and this way he wouldn’t be hurting anyone and he would be able to share his memories with people who understood him, not friends who understood a different him, friends who had been with him from the start. He sighed as he realized how narrow minded he had been. He could just see Luna’s face…but realized how aweful he must be if it took something as drastic as his father’s second death to open his eyes. Tear suddenly began to fall again. John and Izzy were talking quietly about who knew what. They had spent their entire lives together, with a family, they had grown to take it all for granted, Harry would never, could never take any of them for granted. He had lived too long without them.

“Harry…” Izzy asked shyly.
“Mmm?” he asked looking up and realizing his hand was still outstretched dropped it again.
“Will you show us how to do the reindeer thingy?”
“It was a stag Izzy, and of course. Only…it won’t necessarily be a stag for you, it reflects your personality, it is different for everyone.

They spent the rest of the afternoon discussing ways to make a patronouse so that one day when Izzy and John started school they could make one of their own. This just made Izzy even more impatient although it seemed to take her mind of other things for a few hours. Harry even let them practice with his wand although nothing major happened, somehow John managed to set fire to the bedspread and after that Harry suggested they go down and make dinner. When they got into the kitchen though Snape was already stirring a great iron cauldron full of what smelled like chicken soup and Sirius was laying the table his eyes reduced to slits and his lips very thin.

Harry didn’t sleep that night, even though he put a lot of effort into it he couldn’t keep his eyes closed. Horrific scenes of his father’s blood on his hands and robes kept replaying themselves and his own voice echoed around his head, ‘Take my Mum. Save her. I’ll wait with Dad.”
Sometime near one in the morning there was a tapping at his window and he slid it open to see Draco on a broomstick hovering outside his window, clad entirely in black. Harry was glad he had come, he couldn’t sleep and the constant roll play in his head was driving him mad. He stood back wordlessly and let him in.
Draco dismounted stiffly and looked at Harry with concern.
“When we heard you leave this morning, we knew something must’ve happened…or was about to…you only use language like that when you’re either really worried or really peeved.”
“yeah…well…” Harry said shuffling his feet.
“Hey listen, I feel for you man, I really do but you can’t blame yourself. My dad told me everything, apparently McGonagall ran to Riddle yesterday saying that Trelawny was having a fit. She practically recited what you witnessed today…yesterday. McGonagall wasn’t too happy, she has been claiming to have pitiful visions for years now….anyway….even if you had let Sirius get James out first…he wouldn’t have made it he was too badly hurt. Don’t you dare go blaming yourself its not your fault. I’m really, really sorry mate.”
“S’ok…I just wish I could have done something. He was just lying there bleeding…I didn’t know any spells or anything. I am only in my 6th year where I come from.”
“Oh , of course. There is nothing you could have done about that. Just make sure you’re not at school for the NEWTs or you’ll fail. Speaking of school…Ron and Hermione should be arriving any moment.”
Harry looked down wandering if he had just stayed in the real world this wouldn’t have happened he would have saved James, but then he wouldn’t have known anything about it.
There was a clatter as Ron drove his broomstick through the window Hermione clinging to his back and landed on the bed only to bounce off and land on the floor. Hermione got up oh-so-dignified and straightened her blouse where as Ron groaned and pulled himself up onto the bed. They also were dressed in black, probably a sign of respect Harry assumed.
“Three hours of non-stop flying does not do well for your-” he began but Hermione interrupted him swiftly shooting him a look of pure venom.
“Harry, are you ok?”
“Just a few cuts and bruises.” He said shrugging.
“You know what I mean.”
“I suppose I am…” he lied. Hermione eyed him nonbelievingly. “I just miss him…a lot…we all do.”
“Hey, Harry what was Snape doing at your house? We saw him leave just as we flew in.”
Ron asked.
“It’s a long…long story…” Harry said as he sat down on his bed. He began to tell them all, tell them everything, as he was only planning on doing twice in his life, the second time would be when he told the other Ron and Hermione…he didn’t think the other Draco would want to know, and possibly Luna.
They all gathered on the bed, hugging pillows of fiddling with holes in the blankets as Harry explained about Occlumency and Snape and Dumbledore and Voldemort and the most recent happenings of both worlds…his world.
They listened intently for a full half an hour before Hermione conjured up squishy crimson sleeping bags which they all climbed into, Harry didn’t feel like using the bed…especially when everyone else was on the floor. Harry felt as if a great weight had been lifted in telling them all this, he had known they wouldn’t laugh or interrupt when he had begun but it wasn’t the same feeling he knew he would get tomorrow…later today…when he explained it all to Ron and Hermione…his Ron and Hermione. He found it enormously easier to sleep now…with his friends around him. He knew when he woke up it would all come crashing down but he would deal with that then. When he was awake…or as awake as he would ever be…


***

He felt as if he was drowning. His pulse throbbed hot and painful in his neck as he strained to inhale. His eyes burned with salty water and he could feel himself shuddering uncontrollably. He wasn’t entirely sure what was going on but he knew it wasn’t good. He rolled over and a huge shaking gasp filled his ears as he managed to inhale. Tears streamed down his face and the shaking intensified as he gasped again. Realising what was happening he tried to stifle the noise in his pillow and think why he was in such a state. Then it all flew back to him in a blaze of whirling colours that scorched the inside of his eyelids with a cruel fury. His eyes snapped open, his mouoth gaping as another sob made him curl his knees up to his chin in an attempt to stop the shaking. His covers fell to the floor and he found that his robes were glued to his body with sweat. As he sucked I quick sharp breaths he became aware of frantic feet and fast scared whispering. Someone put a hand on his forehead.
“Harry? Harry! For God’s sake Ron fetch Madam Pomfrey!”
“I’m here I’m here get out of the way!”
He felt warm hands check his pulse felt warm breath on his face as someone looked into his eyes, he couldn’t see them through the film of tears which he tried fitfully to hide, it didn’t really work, and he could sense people sitting beside him. He appeared to be in the hospital wing. After a few seconds Madam Pomfrey retreated and Harry was left to calm down on his own. He lay still and quiet for what felt like half an hour before he heard voices beside him.
“I’m going to get some food from the hall. Do you want anything?”
He rolled over to see Hermione freeze on her way out of her chair. Seeing him move she dropped immediately back into it her face half terrified half angry.
“Harry?” She asked in a small voice
He nodded.
“er…are you all right mate?” Ron asked just as worried as Hermione but not seeming angry at all.
He nodded again then sighed, “No…” he said quietly.
“Harry what were you thinking? We didn’t know you were depressed, I thought you knew you could talk to us! You can’t ever do anything- Please don’t I’ll never- Why- Did we- Did I do something- Was it this completely ridiculous dream world of yours- why- what were you-” Hermione spluttered hysterically Harry watched her sadly.
“We found your note Harry.” Ron said grimly his jaw locked. He pulled the note which had been folded up, scrunched up, ripped slightly and soaked in giant tears out of his pocket and showed it to Harry. “It was in your album. What were you thinking?”
“How could you…” Hermione said angry tears spilling over. “After all we’ve been through, I thought you were happy. Are we really such horrible people to be with? We don’t force you to hang out with us you know! You can go off and do whatever you want! But no! Make believe people are much more important than the real thing!”
Harry glared at her all through her rant even though he knew she was completely justified in saying what she was saying,
“…and I know you love your family Harry but I really think these are just dreams! Strange but still dreams! I had a dream that I was the writ3ed of Witch Weekly last night but I didn’t top myself just because I though it would make it come true! You are so selfish and self centered and pathetic that you don’t see how much we love you!” She forced out tears now streaming down her face as she tried to wipe them furiousely away. “You must have known how we feel! How could you trample us lie that Harry?! We thought you had died!!!” She half screamed at him her face reddening.

Harry was touched by her passion and felt bruises appear in the places where she smacked him with her copy of Transfiguration Today but was not prepared for her to stand up, tell him she never wanted to see him again, slap him rather hard and storm out of the hospital wing her hair flying and her books falling unchecked from her bag to thud noisily on the floor. Madam Pomfrey stood at the end of Harry’s bed her mouth open in shock staring after Hermione.
“She’s just hurting mate. It was her who found your note and she was really really cut up…” Ron said fiddeling with his cloak uncomfortably, “I’ve never seen her in such a state…I mean we were all really upset about it but Hermione…she kind of lost it completely.” He kept his own red puffy eyes fixed firmly on his sleeve.
“In the other world…” harry started croakily, “You and her, you’re a couple. You are really happy together, you should give it a shot, I know she likes you.”
Ron looked up surprised, “I wasn’t thinking of…I didn’t mean….what if she doesn’t?” he said shyly.
“You’ll never know until you ask her and I assure you she will feel the same way.”
“Why did you do what you did? And….why did you come back?” Ron said still not meeting Harry’s eyes.
“I realized what a prat I had been and thought I would come back and apologize and explain that I completely understand if you don’t want to ever see this jerk again…I would so understand.”
Ron finally looked up smiling weakly, “You gave us a fright mate…but we would never want you gone.” He pulled Harry into a one armed hug.

The doors suddenly burst open and Luna stood framed in the doorway concern and confusion plastered all over her insanely pale face. The huge rings under her eyes told Harry she hadn’t slept in a very long time and her messy blond hair said that she hadn’t bothered brushing it in a while. Her eyes roamed the room until she found Harrys bed and saw him sitting up and very much alive. Her face split open into a full smile that seemed to light up the entire room. She sprinted at top speed to his bed and threw herself on him pushing him right out of it and skidding across the floor. Madam Pomfrey squealed her very high pitched protest as she tried to drag Luna off him and pull them both to their feet but Luna wouldn’t budge. Her arms were fastened like steel clamps around his waist her face buried in his chest.
“ I knew you could do it.” She whispered.
Harry managed a quiet hollow laugh which made Luna look up possibly even more worried than before.
“Whats wrong?” She asked getting off him and helping him to his unsteady feet.
“er…” he gulped and blinked hard, “You better go get Hermione back…and Dumbledore…”
“He’s out in the grounds talking with Hagrid about Snape’s funeral preparations. He stayed in here all night while you were out of it. He was dead worried.”
Harry laughed hollowly again. He had forgotten that Snape had actually killed himself, he still thought of him as being alive. It would be strange without their ex-potions master but Harry couldn’t feel too upset about it because he knew he was much happier now and that he had been truly unhappy in this life. Something Harry could not have ever claimed.

Luna nodded and ran out of the room.
“I’ll go find Hermione…” Ron said a little frightened as he got up and made his was slowly out of the room.
Harry settled himself down trying not to think about what he had to do, but he knew he could do it because he had already done it and…they had to know, they deserved a reasonable explanation.

Ron got back first with a greatly irritated Hermione being dragged by her arm.
“I don’t want to hear it Ron! I don’t care! Let me go Weasely! Let me go!”
Harry was reminded suddenly of Lily being dragged by Sirius away from James and her son and wondered for a second if he was doing the right thing…
Then Luna came in accompanied by a very grave looking Dumbledore who’s eyes resembled the Dead Dumbledore’s more than the twinkling sparkling eyes of the living Dumbledore.
Harry swallowed. He had always hated the explanations and he knew he wouldn’t be able to get all the way through this one, he must or they wouldn’t get the full picture and he knew he could always rely on Luna if Hermione still didn’t believe the world of the Dead was real or important.

So he began to explain everything for the second time and put such an enormous amount of effort into keeping it together that he actually bean to shake from the strain. His eyes threatened to water up with every blink and he knew that his voice kept breaking and was croaky and strained. He forced himself on though and he knew that they understood what he was telling them. Unlike the other Ron and Hermione who had only ever known the other Harry these were his friends who he had known for years, his mentor, his girlfriend…he hoped…and he knew their reactions better than they did and it filled him with an unimaginable amount of satisfaction and comfort in knowing that he knew his friends as well as they knew him.

His voice wore out just as he reached the end and his eyes were not the only ones watering. Dumbledore and Hermione’s faces were damp although Hermione’s was considerably more.
“Oh Harry I’m so sorry!” She forced between her chattering teeth. “I-I…”
“Its ok, I deserved everything I got. I am quite amazed I am still in a recognizable human form.”
Dumbledore chuckled and Luna smiled at him, her face unbelievably calm and smooth like the sea after a storm however her eyes betrayed the raging emotion still roiling within her. Ron was staring at his feet but when Hermione put her hand on his arm he looked up and gave her a small unsure smile. He looked out the window to the grounds he had stood in only a day ago when he thought he was giving up this life for a better one and saw Hagrid heading into the trees with a large dead cow. Neville was sitting under the beech tree with Dean and Seamus their text books abandoned as they messed about with something in Seamus’s hands. He could just make out Draco and the Slytherin team flying about the goalposts a tiny golden streak flashed past the window which Hedwig fluttered through with a note clamped firmly in her beak. Pigwidgeon fluttered through it seconds later and landed on Ron’s knee. Harry ripped open his letter, it was from Mrs Weasley inviting him to stay at the Weasley house for Christmas and that she hoped school was going ok. Harry felt something click, even though his dream world was where he had always wanted to be, surrounded by his friends and family, this was the world where he had become who he was. He knew he could never live without that.


..................


Epilogue is comming soon so stay tuned cause you don't wanna miss out on it. XD....that is of course entirely up to you but i would love to know what you think of my last ever installment....and of my second to last installment so please leave lots of juicey (preferably cafinated) feedback right here for me to enjoy with the rest of my coke.....mmmm sugar water.

and finally the last part to my first fic.

One year later
Epilogue: The Silver Doe

Harry tossed and turned in his bunk unable to get to sleep. He hadn’t slept properly in days, the pressure of the horcuxes drove sleep from his mind. He knew he needed it but he didn’t want to slip into the other world incase it distracted him. He rubbed his eyes and huffed irritated as he stared at the canvas roof of the tent. Ron’s snores filled his head as they drifted up from below him and he could just make out Hermione’s bushy head turned away from them on the bed across the tent.
Harry screwed up his face as the thoughts that usually plagued the darkened hours overtook his brain again.
“What if Dumbledore had chosen wrong? How was he meant to find all the Horcruxes, surely it would make more sense, be easier to go after the hallows first, but then that wasn’t what he had been told to do, but then when had he ever done what he had been told, but he had always done as Dumbledore had said, but was Dumbledore who he always said he was? His brain throbbed painfully and his eyes itched with tiredness. He rolled over and willed sleep to come…but it didn’t.
“Harry….”
Harry sat bolt upright his eyes wide open. He was sleep deprived he hadn’t actually heard it…it was just the wind. It wasn’t anything…sinister…they couldn’t find him. Not in the tent Hermione had protected so brilliantly. He lay back down but his eyes didn’t want to close…
“Harry…where are you?”
He had definitely heard it that time. He lay perfectly still wondering if he would hear it again his heart drumming a fast tattoo onto the inside of his ribcage.
“Harry…I can’t find you...”
His breath caught in his chest as his eyes widened. Something outside was emitting a silvery glow. What the hell? He stared at the glow from the other side of the tent wall and slowly, as if in a trance he got up and pulled on his cloak. Drawing his wand he unzipped the tent and stuck his head out slowly. He gasped so loudly Ron’s snoring stopped for a moment then they resumed even louder than ever.

Standing just outside the enchanted circle stood a doe. Tall and beautiful like the one that guided him to the world of the dead. He went to step forward when his common sense reeled him back in. Voldemort had been inside his head, what if he had seen the doe? What if it was a trick?
“Harry?” The doe turned its head towards him, it had the voice of his mother. He stared at it horrified, what magic was this?
“Harry, we need you its important.” It said blinking its long lashed lids at him.
Harry climbed out of the tent and zipped it shut. He pulled his cloak tighter around him
“Hurry Harry, Sev said he’s found something…”
Harry looked back at the tent then back at the doe. He was definitely not asleep, and if he was he wasn’t going to do anything that might wake him up…but then if he was asleep following the doe would take him to the world of the Dead and he had been avoiding any distractions…he shrugged his cloak higher up his neck and hurried towards the edge of the circle. He paused just before the edge…the doe had never spoken before, not in the hundreds of times Harry had walked with it. It felt familiar, like an old friend but to have it speak, especially with his mothers voice who he knew to be dead was just a little….odd.

The doe looked deep into his eyes and stamped its foot impatiently. That was Lily alright. Completely confused but willing all the same Harry stepped over the boundary and followed the doe as it cantered away into the thick dark forest. Harry ran with it until the forest began to lighten and became recognizable as the one he always ran through on the way to the veil. Sunlight was now streaming through the emerald green needles which sparkled with morning dew like green crystals. Soon he was running to keep up and into the light he charged headfirst, without stopping he hurtled on into the archway and toppled headfirst into the Potter’s kitchen.

Everyone stared at him. He was on the floor. It must have been very strange to see the dead harry standing there looking at them one minute and then for him to suddenly fall to the floor and get up a completely different person.
“Harry!” Izzy threw her arms around him. She was thirteen now and she and John were in their third year of Hogwarts, both Gryffindors of course. Time had passed quickly in the world of the dead with all the happy and jubilant emotions whirling about after Snape had killed Dumbledore. “Where have you been? I thought you said you would come again soon? You know Severus gets anxious when the living you isn’t here…I think he is the only you he could ever connect with…he says the this world you is a bit…”
“I don’t think he likes me much” Severus said from the counter where he sat twizzeling a flag in his hands.
“Harry,” John said holding out a hand which Harry shook. Izzy giggle and stepped on Johns foot making him scowl.
“Hello stranger.” Sirius said walking into the kitchen, “how’s my favorite godson?”
“Hey!” John said indignantly,
“You know I’m only messing with you.” Sirius said winking ruffling his hair.
Harry hugged his mother who asked him in a worried voice,
“Where were you?”
Harry pulled away and looked first at Severus then Lily who had been sitting on the counter beside him to Sirius who was sitting on the kitchen table and was sporting a large badge with Godric’s Pride splattered across the front of it.
“erm…we have been having a bit of trouble in the other world finding the horcruxes and…I didn’t want to be sidetracked…not that its been helping I haven’t been able to get to sleep even if I wanted to. Trust me I do.” He said stifling a huge yawn.
Lily looked sympathetically at him while Severus said,
“Actually Harry I have something you might find useful. It’s the reason I asked Lily to call you back…I would have done so myself but obviously I am not a medium let alone the correct branch and…Izzy had me…preoccupied.”
“Harry guess what I can do!!” She said suddenly while John sulked behind her.
“Be patient Izz, let Sev finish.” Lily said turning her emerald eyes on her daughter who flashed her mother a grin before pressing her lips tightly shut but bouncing up and down all the same.
Harry turned back to Severus who was opening a drawer in the counter below him. He pulled out a long object wrapped in cloth.
“I found this in Miss Lovegood’s house when we visited a few days ago and she said Dumbledore gave it to her, in the world of the living, before Mr Malfoy killed him and that she was to give it to you when she felt it was right. However since you have not seen Miss Lovegood in a while due to your activities with the Horcruxes she gave it to me to pass on…” he held it out for Harry to take. He had a feint idea of what it was as the weight of the object transferred to his hands. “It will help you destroy the horcuxes you do manage to find.”
Harry slid the cloth of the object and revealed a shining red blade with a silver pommel embedded with egg sized rubies. Harry ran his fingers along the length of the blade and marveled at the craftsmanship lavished over the instrument. He finally had hold of it, they could begin their search in earnest, and he would begin with destroying that retched locket. He had now mastered the art of transferring objects from one world to the other and could do so with ease. He wondered now how it had ever been a problem for him.
“Thank you.” He said his eyes still glued to the blade, “and tell Luna thanks from me.”
“We wont have to.” Lily said smiling as the doorbell rang, “We are all going out to watch a Godric’s Pride game against the Holly head Harpies…unless you can’t stay away from the other world for too long…is it urgent over there?”
“only if the tent collapses and Ron ends up getting lost in the fabric…but Hermione is there to help him out.”
“I don’t see why you support G-Pride, the Holly Heads are by far better,” John humphed eyeing Sirius’s badge and Severus’s flag with great distaste.
“Harry! Hary! Can I show you my thing now?” Izzy asked jumping up and down like a jock in the box.
“Sure thing.” Harry said returning his attention to his little sister.
She straightened up importantly, drew her wand, made a swishing movement and cried,
“Expecto Patronum!” A delicate silver butterfly came flying out of the wand tip and circled Sirius’s head before landing on Lily’s nose and batting its wings.
Harry laughed, “Well done Izzy! That’s amazing. What about you John?”
John looked even grumpier, “I still can’t do it properly….”
“Don’t be silly John I’ve seen your patronous loads of times.” Izzy said as the butterfly drifted over to Harry and faded as a frown appeared on Izzy’s forehead.
“Yeah, but it disappears really quickly and I can’t always do it. I’ll look like an idiot.”
“John, you always look like an idiot.” Izzy said making John punch her arm.
“Ow! Mum!”
“John just show Harry your patronous.”
He pulled a face and was still for a few moments before he cried, “Expecto Patronum!”….nothing happened apart from a puff of smoke shooting out then disappearing into nothingness.
“Go one try again. That always used to happen with me.” Harry said encouragingly.
“Ex-expecto patronum. Expecto Patronum!” he stammered nervously, “Expecto Patronum!” A huge manned head and a pair of giant paws proceeded the lion as it leapt grandly from the wand tip. Izzy conjured her Butterfly again and watched it land on the lion’s ear as it swished its tail and pounced playfully.
Severus and Lily erupted into applauded while Harry grinned enthusiastically and Sirius yelled, “Bravo John bravo!”
Their celebrations were interrupted however by the doorbell which Lily rushed out to get.

A few seconds later Draco swaggered into the room Ginny on his arm closely followed by Ron who was looking slightly annoyed and Hermione who was telling him that house elves deserved a decent sized bedroom and that Dobby had come to her the other day complaining that Kreacher’s bedroom was green when Dobby wanted a green one instead of purple and how outrageous it had been when Sirius said he would have to paint it himself.
“Actually…I think he is. I haven’t seen him since Monday and there has been this odd smell of wet paint lingering around the third floor for at least three days.”
Hermione glared at Ron as he shrugged out of her hold and went to shake Harry’s hand.
“Good to see you again complicated Harry, how is your messed up life going?” he asked grinning.
“Fine thanks, you snore worse than Sirius after he’s had one too many firewhiskies. I bet you if I strain my ears I can still hear the racket now.”
Hermione giggled as Ron’s grin broadened and ears reddened and between trying not to laugh and trying to look angry he punched Harry’s arm…a little too hard making him wince.
“Hey Harry!” Draco called walking over to him and pulling him into a one armed embrace while Ginny immersed herself in different hair products that decreased the intensity of red hair.
“So you two are finally together hey?” Harry asked looking from Draco to Ginny.
“Yeah, its about time isn’t it?” he said in a low voice, “but what can I say? No woman can resist the Malfoy charm.” He said winking slyly which made Harry snort which made Draco snort which made Ron laugh which, as you can imagine, started off a kind of chain reaction and before they could take control of the situation everyone was laughing…it was just so easy in such a light breezy atmosphere and Harry needed the release.
They only managed to calm themselves when the doorbell rang and Sirius began to get everyone together distributing badges and flags to the quidditch fans.

Lily came back into the room followed closely by Luna who was wearing a huge lion hat which Harry recognized from their earlier school days. He grinned to himself as it roared
“Godric’s Pride, the winner’s side!”
She grinned at him and walking over said,
“I wanted to have it chewing up a Harpy but I thought Izzy and John might be offended.”
Harry smiled and kissed her gently on the forehead,
“Good thinking.” He laughed.
“Its good to see you again, I’m glad you got the sword.” She said smiling dreamily up at him.
“Yeah, we could actually have a chance now Luna. Thank so much.” He said gratefully as she snaked an arm around his waist. He felt weeks of tension disappear from his shoulders as they sank to a reasonable height and he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and followed everyone else out to the cars that would be taking them to the match.

In the car he explained again the reasons for his absence to Luna, Draco, Ron, Hermione and Ginny and listened carefully as Severus began yet another lecture on where Dumbledore had suggested he look for horcruxes and how to use the sword and the importance of not losing it because it was the real one and he would likely never get it back if he did. However Severus soon grew grave and solemn as he always did when he reached a certain point in his lecture and he turned back to face the windscreen telling him that Dumbledore had not wanted Harry to know what must be done until the time was right. Harry was always overly curious about this because Severus would go from being enthusiastic and eager to being serious and miserable. It was like watching a millionaire being told all his money was being donated to a charity for the conservation of dust mites.

After a while though the conversation turned to the match and before Harry could count the minutes they were pulling up on a run down driveway and handing the ticket man a few galleons before rolling their car into the car park and getting out.
It was a long walk to the quidditch pitch but for Harry it felt too short, he had missed his family, all of them, and now he was back he didn’t want it to end. To have to return to the complicated messed up and severely unbalanced world that was his old life. He had made his mind up long ago though, he knew his path now. This was his life. This was his reality.

THE END


and so it ended, a little lamely yes, very much lacking in style but at least it ended without killing off Fred or Lupin or Tonks or anyone. XD. I hope you liked it. Leave some feedback if you feel so inclined because I would looove, as always, to hear your veiws.