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He was in a cold, dimly lit room. There were maps of the stars on the walls and a pile of useless telescopes discarded in the corner of the room. He knew he was in the familiar Astronomy Tower. He turned his head around. Everything seemed in black and white.

A young boy stood in front of him. His features were unmistakeable, even in his agitated state. It was Draco Malfoy. Words streamed out of his mouth but all were inaudible, as if someone had turned down the volume. There were others in the room too.

One looked more beast than human. His Death Eater cloak was stained with blood and torn in multiple places while his elongated fingernails were yellowed with mud, dirt and human flesh. Two canine teeth protruded from his mouth that was twisted in a vicious, inhumane snarl. There were three others.

Two were short and stocky, red-faced and wheezing and looked like twin brother and sister.

The other was well-built and had a very brutal look in his eyes and mud staining the bottom of his cloak.

They seemed like they were arguing amongst each other. The werewolf pushed Malfoy out of the way but was greeted only by a wand in the neck by the three others.

After what seemed like eons someone else entered the room. Barging through Malfoy, Snape appeared, brandishing his wand. He raised it and shouted, the only noise heard; ‘Avada Kedavra!’ A flash of green light and that was it. He was dead.


Harry awoke, sweating wildly. He tossed and turned in his bed. There was something with that dream, he thought to himself. It was too vivid, like one of the Voldemort dreams. Nightmares, he corrected himself. He knew there was someone else in that dream. Himself. He knew he was under the invisibility cloak in the corner but he could see where he was hidden. And there was someone missing. Dumbledore. He was reliving Dumbledore’s death without Dumbledore. It was him dying. What was with his mind?

He got out of bed and looked out the window, reminiscing. He couldn’t believe that it was all those years ago. It seemed like yesterday. When Dumbledore died.



A loud knock on the door put such thoughts out of his mind. Lily stumbled into the room, yawning.
“Daddy,” she said. “I can’t get asleep.” And Harry followed her back into her room where he stayed until morning. He fell to sleep on cold floor of Lily’s room, tired and confused.

He woke up the next morning and the room was empty. Light was seeping through the curtains. He got up and walked downstairs where the rest of the family were already having a breakfast. Ginny was cooking rashers on the pan while helping herself to a bowl of cereal. The children were enjoying a hearty breakfast that consisted of rashers, sausages, pudding, scrambled eggs, cereal and God knows what else. Harry sat down at the table making Ginny turn her head.

“You alright?” she asked, her ginger hair shining in the early morning light.

“Yeah, fine.” said Harry, not making eye contact.

“It’s just I noticed you weren’t in our room last night.”

“Oh, Lily couldn’t sleep; I went with her to her room to assure her that there were no Lethifolds under her bed.”

The two boys, Albus and James, started to flush red in their cheeks and couldn’t contain the fit of girly giggles that overcame them, undoubtedly laughing about “Lethifolds under beds.” Harry was dismayed that the food that had shut them up previously was failing and losing its charm.

Ginny didn’t question Harry after that although he could tell that she could see that the explanation ran deeper far than that.
The children were now doing more than arguing, they were throwing food at each other.

“Kids, kids.” hushed Ginny.

They quietened down for once. But that didn’t stop the constant flinging of food. Then Harry butted in.

“Stop messing or I’ll put a freezing charm on all of you!”

That ended the food-fight. Harry got up and helped himself to a plate of meat. He sat back down and ate contently. The dream, nightmare, he had last night was just a nightmare. All was well in Godric’s Hollow. For now.

Dark. Light. Dark. Harry came to his senses. He was in a small cramped room. It seemed oddly familiar, representing his own basement. There were two others in the room with, both had their wands raised. Then he noticed someone else. On a chair, in the middle of the room, was a girl. Her features were distraught and her black hair a mangled mess. Harry returned his attention to the two others. One was wearing a black robe, fluttering at the bottom. His face was twisted into a frown, a mutated smile forming on his lips. The familiar Elder Wand was in his grip, bringing back painful memories to Harry. Harry saw what caused his malicious grin.

The other man, Harry recognised him from the Hog’s Head, was Dumbledore’s brother Aberforth. He had a wispy beard on his chin and looked much younger than Harry remembered, he even had natural hair.

But aside from that, he was in pain. The other wizard had a cruel grasp on him, putting him under a curse. The Cruciatus Curse. He gritted his teeth and tried to scream though no sound came.

The girl on the chair screamed and a wave of magic flooded from the centre of the room, enveloping the three men. They were knocked of their feet. The ground seemed to rush up to Harry, knocking him in the face. When he inevitably did reach the ground he felt no pain. It was as if he was seeing through the eyes of someone else.

He pushed himself up off the ground, without any control over his body. He saw the other wizards were down. He pointed his wand at the one that had tortured Aberforth and shouted the darkest magic he had ever done or rather the person whose dream it was.
“Avada Kedavra.” A flash of green light. The brightness seemed to last for ages until it slowly faded away. When it did die down what it left behind was shocking.

The girl on the chair lay lifeless, limp. She was dead. There was no sign of a pulse or breathing.

The original target was simply knocked out, thrown against the room while Aberforth was no better.

But the girl. For some reason Harry wanted to cry but couldn’t. The body Harry was in had gone past tears, past sadness. He knew the girl was somehow significant but how?

Then Harry woke up. He was panting and realised he had sleep-walked. He now stood on the landing. Ginny watched him.

“I was wondering when you wake up,” she said. “I knew it was more than Lethifolds under Lily’s bed.”

Harry had gone red in the cheek and had a nervous grin on his face.

“You can tell me tomorrow,” she said. “I don’t want to wake the kids.” She whispered.

It was in vain for next door Lily called out. “I’m not afraid of any Lethifolds under my bed!”

“Then why are you awake?” countered Ginny. Lily fell silent. Harry swore he could hear mumbled words but decided not to say anything. He reluctantly stomped back into bed.

The letter arrived the following morning. A yellowed envelope crinkling around the edges and sealed with red ink bearing the Hogwarts crest. The front of it read:

Mr. Harry Potter and Mrs. Ginny Potter,
Godric’s Hollow,
Cornwall,
England.

Harry waited until all the family were at the breakfast table before he red it out. He stood up, cleared his throat, and, with an exaggerated hand gesture he proclaimed what was written down in a grandiose manner:


Dear Potter family, you are invited to the Memorial Day of the Battle of Hogwarts, celebrating 20 years on after the noble fight for Hogwarts’ freedom. Mourn the souls of the deceased and praise their almighty victory. After taking part in this mighty battle, your company and stories will be greatly appreciated and praised.
Please be at Hogsmeade Station at 2pm sharp, next Saturday, 27th April. Portkeys will be arranged.
See you there, Headmistress of Hogwarts, Prof. Minerva McGonagall.


“So what do you think?” Harry asked the family. The two boys gave a smile while Lily couldn’t hide her excitement.

“Are we going to be let inside the castle? Will we see the great Hall? What about Hogsmeade? And the Common Rooms?” She was droning around their ears like the sound made by the Muffliatio charm. She was over-eager about the school she was going to next year.

Harry couldn’t believe that before Hagrid kicked open the door of that windswept lighthouse all those years before that he had known nothing of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Compared to Lily’s obsession with it, it was amazing he had been kept in the dark for so long.

Snapping back into reality, Harry realised that Lily was still jumping around like a niffler offered milk. Harry calmly said:

“Lily, calm down. I don’t know what will be happening when we get there. And I mean, it’s only Sunday” This did nothing as she still bounced around the walls like a lunatic. Harry knew she’d be like that all night and day until Saturday.

The day wore on. Harry found that Lily calmed down quite considerably over the course of the evening although he was dreading tomorrow when she would be fresher and fuller of – Harry searched for the right word – enthusiasm. Dinner had kept them silent for most of the day but for that short break between dinner and tea had resulted in all sorts of trouble. Putting it simply, it was orchestrated chaos without a conductor. Harry had no doubt that it was Albus Severus who put a Flatulence charm on his chair or whoever placed a Hairy Hands Hex in Ginny’s gloves was none other than James himself. The pranksters the both of them. Reminded Harry of Fred and George.

The day passed as though it had been speeded up by an Acceleration Charm and Harry slept fine. The dreams had passed and he was free to live his life. For a while.

The days continued, each one another mark off the Gryffindor calendar that hung on the wall, the red and gold banners fluttering in the breeze, all counting down to the day anticipated by everyone for different reasons. Harry to go back to Hogwarts, his one true home, no matter how comfy Godric’s Hollow was, Lily to see her new school, Ginny, to remember her friends and siblings who fought so bravely and James and Albus, pranks galore.

It was the night before the big day. Shattered fragments of Pensieve-like memories penetrated the inner barriers of Harry’s mind.

He was holding a phoenix on his arm that he recognised as Fawkes. He was beside the Great Pyramid of Khufu which towered above everything. The sun burned through the sky with such intensity that he was half-tempted to cast Augamenti. He whispered a single word to himself. ‘Abrumpo’. A reddish-orange substance came from his body, much like a memory but instead of bottling it, it was transferred into the bird which crowed with an almost human noise when it received it.

Now he was somewhere else. The Headmaster’s office. It still had all the weird and wacky gadgets whirring about like he remembered. He was being offered the Headmaster’s job by an old face he remembered from Riddle’s diary. He shook hands and the scene disappeared.

It was the scene from the original dream again. It happened as before except more vivid, colourful, in-depth. The flash of light seemed brighter, more deadly. Then two words were muttered, sucking him in: ‘Only Human.’

When he woke up it was bright. The sun was shining, broken only by the outline of houses on the horizon. The morning dawn seemed fresh and renewing, a new start. Though Harry couldn’t shake the memories of the night from his mind, he didn’t care. The prospect of seeing his old school again was overwhelming and he wasn’t at all surprised to see Lily up already.

She was downstairs making breakfast, struggling to pour the cereal. Harry gave a wave of his wand to speed up the process. Lilly smiled and thanked him.
He missed his old and original wand. It still lay in the moleskin pouch that Hagrid gave him on his 17th birthday. Although shattered and snapped he still cared for it and carried it everywhere with him.

The rest of the family got up in due time and was too late that they realised the time. It was ten to two and no one was ready. Everyone pulled on clothes, ate breakfast and Harry nearly forgot to bring his wands from the bedside table, only grabbing them in time. When everyone was okay they ran outside and came to the Portkey at the end of the road. It was in the shape of a disused tyre and Lily almost stayed behind, not grabbing on to the Portkey until they were all nearly gone.
The world disappeared and became a swirling vortex. Lights flashed and dimmed before their eyes and eventually disappeared. The street of Godric’s Hollow was replaced by the station of Hogsmeade. The familiar Madam Rosemerta’s Three Broomsticks and Zonko’s Joke Shop were seen in the nearby village. Harry was greeted by many old faces, Prof. Longbottom, Hermione, Ron and Headmistress McGonagall, all looking the same as ever. Even a stiff wave from Malfoy sufficed.
The tour began with the Great Hall, giant banners hung in the air celebrating 20 years of freedom and Peeves even sung his own merry tune:

Oh Potter’s back,
He watched our backs,
He saved us all,
Let’s give him our all!


The tables were just as he remembered them, the blue banners of Ravenclaw, the green serpent of Slytherin, the yellow of Hufflepuff and the red and gold of Gryffindor. The tour continued, led by the eager prefects and McGonagall, towards the classrooms where the aura was nostalgic. They continued winding their way through the inner of the castle until they arrived at the gargoyle guarding the Headmaster’s office.

“Bertie Botts.” said McGonagall. The gargoyle, with a grinding of stone, twisted and turned to allow the travellers through. “Now” said McGonagall, “Usually you wouldn’t be allowed up here but we have made an exception. Just don’t go thinking that it’ll be the same password.”

They entered into the office and Harry noticed that the perch were Fawkes had rested during Dumbledore’s time was vacant. A cry arose from outside and in came the phoenix himself. Speak of the devil thought Harry. McGonagall spoke:

“I’m afraid that this is a most unusual occurrence” she told the tour. “We haven’t seen the bird since 20 years ago.”

On closer inspection Harry noticed something in his beak. It was a note. He took it out and read to himself.

Mr. Potter, may I speak to you in private

A.D.

He waved the note shouting “Minerva, Minerva.”

“Yes Potter” she replied.

“You might want to have a look at this, it was with Fawkes” he handed her the note.

“Most unusual indeed” she said. “I grant you a few moments”. She ushered the tour out of the room to leave Harry in private.

Harry waited. The only sound heard was that of the gadgets, monotonously chiming. Minutes passed like hours and he wondered when he was going to see Dumbledore. A.D. It could only mean one thing - Albus Dumbledore. He wandered around curiously examining objects. He walked over to the phoenix and grinned. He placed his hand on its head. Then everything happened at once.

Dumbledore was standing in front of him, no in him, with him. He was face to face with Dumbledore again but how?

“Yes I thought you might wonder” said the familiar voice of Dumbledore. Harry felt joy and relief well up in every pore.

“Dumbledore?” Harry asked, stricken with surprise. “What happened?”

“I believe you might associate the feeling with that of Ginny and Ron Weasley’s.”

“So I’m being possessed – by a Horcrux?”

“I would think in a more positive manner” came the voice again. “But a Horcrux nonetheless.”

“Horcrux?” questioned Harry “No way.”

“I’m afraid so. You see I haven’t been completely honest with you in the past so this is where it begins.” Dumbledore paused. “You realise how I hunted Hallows? Well, I knew that I was going in circles so I quit. I turned my hand at other ways of cheating death. I dabbled with the darkest. This was after Ariana’s death, a sight that has haunted me forever. I know I killed her know. I had split my soul already. I wanted to live forever. I made a Horcrux. I halved my soul and put it in Fawkes; I thought that there was no better Horcrux than an immortal one. I was wrong. This is not life, its torture. It’s a miracle I can even stay alive for so long without losing my mind. I wanted someone to release my secrets to. That’s where you came in. I possessed a Muggle and sent you the letter by his hand.” Harry had never seen Dumbledore so open until now.

“Just two questions, sir” said Harry. “How have I been possessed so easily, I touched a Horcrux before and it never happened?! And two…” Harry was interrupted.

“Let me start with a quote. I believe Mr. Ollivander once said to me that “wandlore is a very diverse and complicated subject”. I believe you wanted to be possessed while it was quite the opposite when it came to Voldemort’s Horcruxes. Your original wand wanted to link-up with its core. Fawkes while it didn’t want to be linked up with its carbon copy.”

“Okay, just one more thing I’d like to know. I’ve been having these strange dreams recently. They’ve been like the Voldemort ones but…”

“They’re from the viewpoint of someone else.” Dumbledore ended Harry’s question. “Once again I believe it to be the work of the wands but I am occasionally wrong. The dreams were from my viewpoint I believe for when your wand noticed that its core was a Horcrux it accessed the memories of its inhabitant. Me.”

“Thank you sir, you don’t know how much I wanted to see you but I can’t get my head around your Horcrux.”

“Harry, Harry, Harry. I’m just like you. I make mistakes. I’m only human.”