*Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter. No money is being made and I don't want to get sued.
NOTE: As usual, no abandoning! This is something that I wanted to write for sometime so I hope you like it. I know my grammar is rubish, but still you might like it ;)
Read and review!
Harry Potter- The Alchemist.
After his fifth year at Hogwarts, Harry Potter comes back more shaken than any other time. Seeing his godfather falling through the veil and his friends almost dead was more than anyone could handle, but what scared him the most was the moment Voldemort possessed him.
Everything passed in a rush after he came back from the Ministry and he could barely remember anything. But there were some things engraved in his memory like the hurt look in Molly's eyes and the distant shouting which came from the infirmary when the Grangers saw their daughter more dead than alive.
As soon as he got to Dumbledore's office and the old wizard told him the truth, Harry Potter felt like his center of gravity tilted over. Apart his screaming and destroying of every trinket in Dumbledore's office, he could only remember Hagrid coming in at some point and stopping him from strangling the headmaster of Hogwarts to death. Then everything went black and he awoke in his bedroom in Little Whinging.
There were many things he wanted to say or do, but now he was back to his lifetime prison and the only persons he ever cared for were out of his reach. This summer there were no letters from either Hermione or Ron and Harry had doubts they would ever get any sign from them too soon.
Sleeping was probably the hardest thing. Half of the night was spent in vivid nightmares about Sirius, Hermione or Ron and the other half was full with visions from Voldemort. Images of killed muggles, tortured children or wizards subdued under the Imperious Curse were entwined with twisted memories of his parents dyeing at the hand of Voldemort. Every morning Harry would woke more tired than the night he went to sleep and even his relatives seemed to notice that.
All the time spent in Little Whinging was uncommonly quiet and free, Vernon had over times, Petunia always left to her friends and Dudley was too busy with his boxing training to even try to bother his cousin.
Somewhere through his long hours of thinking and rethinking about what he did wrong Harry took a wild decision, something to solve all the problems- he wasn't going back to Hogwarts.
For a moment, he wanted to leave, try his luck in a distant foreign country where Voldemort would follow him and leave all his loved ones alone, but a constant knocking on the porch and the often broken miniature garden told him the Order was still guarding his home.
In spite of his decision there was a thing he couldn't fled from and that was a feeling, something created in the middle of the fight at the Ministry which grew bigger through all his nightmares- the love for his friend, for Hermione Granger.
But why? And for what? She was hurt and she probably blamed him for everything. And the summer slowly passed and Harry Potter slowly turned to a shadow of his former self, the confident wizard, ready to jump on his broom and pick a fight with Voldemort's best Death Eaters. The letter for the next year came, but Harry it and never opened it. He was afraid he could reconsider and go back to Hogwarts to destroy his friends life's for another time.
There were only a few days before the term when Harry Potter got the weirdest visit he could ever think off. As he stirred and tossed for his tenth nightmare on that night, he jerked wild waking with his godfather's name on his lips.
"Sirius no!" Harry screamed as he woke. But this time he wasn't alone, in his room, seating on his rickety seat, a middle-aged man wearing a leather trench coat and yellow spectacles was drinking his tea from a little cup, which float in the air. The stranger had shoulder length blond hair which hid a golden earring in his left ear lobe.
An almost forgotten instinct took in and Harry's hand jerked towards the headboard but he didn't find his wand. He tried to duck under the bed, but he instantly realized his body was paralyzed from neck to toes.
"I believe you're looking for this…" The man spoke softly and smiled towards the young wizard. He was playing with Harry's wand spinning it through his fingers.
"Who are you? What do you want from me Death Eater?"
Harry spoke with a voice filled with hatred, his eyes glinting with anger. The stranger looked deep in his eyes and then smiled again, this time with a pang of compassion.
"Don't worry Harry, I'm not any of that… as a matter of fact, I am someone you know…" the stranger seemed to be quite happy to introduce himself. "well not exactly, but I am someone to whom you did a great service in the past."
For a moment, Harry decided to ignore whatever the Death Eater had to say, but this stranger had a sincere voice, there was nothing to hide in his tone, there wasn't the subtle tone Dumbledore had and neither the malevolent accent in Voldemort's voice.
"I don't know what you're talking about." Harry spoke uncertain and the stranger waved the wand he was playing with releasing him from the spell. For a moment Harry considered jumping forward and wrestle the stranger, but the middle age men did something unexpected, he threw the wand towards Harry and snapped his fingers for a second teacup to appear next to the teenager this time.
"As I was saying… you did a great service to me a couple of years back… I am Nicholas Flamel, nice to meet you Harry."
Nicholas extended his hand towards Harry, but the young wizard stepped over his bed and raised his wand, which now sported a red tip suggesting a curse was on his way.
"Sorry to break this to you Nick, but you're dead." The stranger didn't make a move before the boy shouted "Reducto!", but nothing came… the wand vibrated for a second and fell from Harry's hands like a useless twig.
Nicholas watched the boy and then took another sip from his cup. Harry was still confused from what just happened and backed away until he reached the wall. Slowly, the young wizard slide down until he rested on the floor with his hands around his knees and his head resting on them.
This was it, he was finally going to die like it was meant for it and he was going to reunite with his family, but instead he felt a soft hand resting on his head and seconds later his body felt like a rush of cold air went through him.
"As you have discovered… not everything your headmaster told you is true, Harry. I am still very much alive and this is all because of you. Me and my wife of course… She is on vacation for a few decades so I've decided to give you hand… a pay back.
The young wizard lifted his head watching the men with curious eyes.
"I know, I know, I don't really look like the famous alchemist who beat death, but that's the funny thing about being almost immortal Harry, you get to set your own fashion." Nicholas finished with a twinkle in his eyes.
Seeing, Harry was still silent, the alchemist sat on the bed and continued on a relaxed tone,
"I've been watching you for a few days my young friend and I must say you're in a really bad shape. I saw your letter and I know what you want to do, but please believe me… it won't work."
Harry raised his head and passed a hand through his untidy hair before watching the alchemist with his vivid green eyes.
"It's my only solution… he is after me and people have already died or been injured badly… I can't go back. And also I can't go back and pretend I don't want to kill Dumbledore."
The young wizard finished gritting his teeth loudly and the alchemist chuckled.
"I told him, those secrets will blow up someday. Look… I'm not here to take sides and especially not his side, but you'll see in time he didn't meant for all of this to happen."
Nicholas voice was friendly and Harry felt like he was having a casual talk with Ron back at The Burrow.
"Dumbledore did everything hoping you'll get to spend a few years in peace and happiness, but obviously divination wasn't his best subject."
Both the alchemist and Harry broke in laughter.
"I guess neither care for the magical creatures wasn't seeing as he treats his lamb of sacrifice."
Harry's sarcasm made the temperature fell, but Nicholas looked untroubled.
"You're right, but this isn't about him, this is about you Harry and who you want to save. Leaving or not going back will do no good. Voldemort will just capture your friends and maybe kill them faster sending you some nice images for the night."
Nicholas spoke with energy and Harry felt a veil falling over his face. The alchemist was right… his great decision was probably just another work of Voldemort influence, a way to make the fish go willingly into the net.
Nicholas smiled and his eyes twinkled again.
"Glad to watch you think for a change lad. Look, if you want to do the things right you must stop blaming yourself."
Harry's eyes turned towards the floor. Every time he thought about Sirius, a pang of guilt, shame and self-disappointment overwhelmed his mind.
"Harry, I know what you did the whole summer… sixty nights of nightmares, screaming and crying through your sleep are enough for even the devil to be forgiven. I can help you make things right, but you need to step up and go back to where you belong.
It was like a flicker of light at the end of a tunnel. Harry lifted himself off the floor and watched Nicholas with his molten jade eyes.
"How?"
The alchemist smiled and puffed his chest looking as smug as he could.
"Well… I know a thing or two about sorcery… and even more about some other arts… You just be sure to come at Hogwarts this year and I will figure out the rest."
Harry's face broke in a subtle smile and the boy felt his face muscles like rusted after so many weeks of agony and despair.
"Still… why?"
Nicholas looked pleased with Harry's question and took his glasses out before he answered,
"First… because I owe you this, second… there is so much potential and good will you I just can't miss the opportunity to make you a hero and last… because we're family."
With his last statement, Nicholas Flamel watched Harry straight in his eyes and boy felt like he was having the first nice dream in his summer nights. The same eyes he saw everyday when he looked into a mirror, were now looking straight towards him.
"But… why… you never came…"
"Yes… I never knew my descendants will become a horrid muggle family so… sorry for never expecting it myself…"
Harry seated himself on the bed and sighed deeply.
"Are you sure about this? I mean… they probably hate me…"
"Yes. I am sure and don't be so convinced they hate you… after all you risked your life to protect them."
The alchemist raised and turned towards the door.
"Well Harry… I really hope I will see you at Hogwarts… also" he slowly took a little red letter from an interior pocket of his trench. "I believe this will give you an idea about who hates you… or not."
Nicholas threw the letter on Harry's bed and opened the door. The young wizard was mute, he recognized the writing on the letter.
"Have a nice summer end Harry. I will do your school shopping and deliver it to Hogwarts so you just have to take a few clothes." He said and smiled, but then he wrinkled his nose at Harry's clothes and nodded in disapproval.
"Or maybe not… you just come. Bye!"
With that, he paced through the door and disappeared like he walked through a veil of water. The surface made a few circles and then retreated towards the center it disappeared with a soft pop.
Harry was still looking at the small letter feeling cold shivers on his back.
She might forget you or she might tell you to get lost…
With trembling fingers, he opened the envelope.
Dear Harry,
If you read this it means the men who came a few days in my bedroom is Nicholas Flamel indeed. Harry there's a lot to talk about it, but the main thing is you don't have to blame yourself. I know you do that, but I don't and I guess that's the most important. I haven't been able to send you letter this summer because of new regulations from the Ministry. I don't have too much time so I'll make this short, DON'T YOU DARE BLAMING YOURSELF FOR WHAT HAPPENED AT THE MINISTRY! I won't bother asking you about homework or OWLS because McGonagall told me she wants to give us the results in person… I don't know if this is a good or bad thing.
Harry, take care and please don't do anything stupid. I know it's late but this is something I wanted to tell you all the summer. Everyone needs you and… I need you.!
Love, Hermione.
Harry Potter read the letter again and again until the dawn broke the night sky… he felt a heavy weight lift over his chest and almost instantly it was replaced with a light sensation a bit lower in his stomach…
"Hogwarts… this should be a very interesting year..."
NOTE: Things get a little brighter for Harry.