I started to read fanfiction some time ago, and i finally decided to try to write one myself. I hope you'll like it. Please take note that english is not my first language, so i will probably make a lot of mistake. I'm sorry about that, but i'll try to make the story as readable as possible.

Enjoy!

Harry Potter and all of his universe belong to J.K. Rowling. Sadly, i don't own anything.

Until you come back home

A mother love is the most powerful force in the world, a force that can stop a killing curse, unite souls and even send a lost son back in time, to give him a chance of a better life, and maybe, at the same time, change the history and save the world.

"Harry Potter...the Boy-Who-Lived..." whispered the snake-faced man, his voice cold as ice, looking directly the green-eyed boy eyes. His face strangely devoid of any emotion, giving away no anger nor joy.

Around him, even all of his Death Eater were petrified. Totaly in silence, too scared of spoil their Lord final battle agaisnt the boy that so many times has defied him. Even the forest was quiet, like if the world itself stopped and was watching with suspended breath the fight that was to come.

"You've been a thorn in my side for far too long. I admit, with you i've made a lot of mistakes myself" He said, starting to walking closer to the boy, reaching for his wand.

"These mistakes are the only reason why you're still alive. That, and your innatural luck and your friends. Yes, luck is your only talent, Potter, nothing else. But this time, it won't save you. And i can't see any of your filthy friends here too, so it seems that even the "Chosen One" run out of people ready to die for his sake. I admit, your uncanny ability to befriend people greater than you, that systematically put themselves before my wand, dying in your place was a nuisance" the Dark Lord said, his hissing voice filled disdain.

"But thankfully there are no more Lily Potter, your mudblood friend or Sirius Black. A pity that that one had to die too, he was of good blood...but blood traitors in my list are maybe worse than mudbloods" he whispered, this time his tone dripping with glee. He loved to remind to the boy all the people that he took away from him.

Harry simply keep starring at him, with a neutral face, waiting for the inevitable standing in a proud and fearless posture. But on the inside, it was a very different matter.

Inside, Harry was broken. He was ready to die, for the sake of everyone. Ready to die to destroy the accursed piece of Voldemort's soul lurking in his forehead. Die to make him mortal again. The ghosts of his parents summoned by the Death Stone have given him the strenght.

But Voldemort's words cut him deeply like a knife, because deep down he knew that what the dark wizard has said was true. He was a failure.

As a wizard, he has never been anything special. Yes, he had more magical power than most, but rarely put it in use. He never tried to study more, learn more magic for better defends himself and all the people that he knowing that a psychopath was out there, wanting nothing more that kills him and hurt everybody he cares about, he did nothing to give himself an advatage. He followed his Hogwarts instruction like it was a burden, doing nothing more than what was necessary to pass his classes, preferring instead to lazing around with Ron and play quidditch as much as he could.

Than there was his immaturity and often foolhardy behavior that had often put him and his friends in danger, and sometime, to death. Like Sirius, dead for his folly...because he couldn't make distinction between a dream and reality. His death was only his fault. Like Hermione, killed at Malfoy manor by Bellatrix Lestrange, captured because he didn't know how to shut his mouth. Like Dobby, Edwige and Dumbledore, murdered trying to save him. Like the lot of people, many that he didn't even known, that have just perished in the battle of Hogwarts. All of them sacrificed to give him the time to destroy the hufflepuff's Cup and to search Ravenclaw's diadem. Some of them maybe could have been saved if he didn't played the part of the paladin, always trying to do the right thing, the moral thing. Like an idiot, he never aimed to kill his enemies, only stun them or disabled them, too righteous to take a life. Naturally, his enemies didn't share the same courtesy. In a way, he acted like a coward.

War is not a place for moralists or cowards. The firsts get killed and the latters get other killed. Sadly, he learned this important lesson too late.

"Let's end this now, Tom" said Harry sighing, tired of cry on the spilled milk. He moved his gaze from the dark wizard to the sky, looking at the stars, maybe for his last time. They were beautiful.

Voldemort sent his way an amused look, clearly enjoying the boy helplessness and resignation, but he decided that now the time has finally come. After all, he had a school to conquest, traitors to kill and a world to rule.

"Any last words, Potter?" he asked, point the wand at the boy forehead, to the same point that has marked his demise seventeen years ago. Yes, he was a very ironic lord.

"Go to Hell" Harry with a smirk, spitting at his feet.

"Very well...Avada Kedavra!" the man shouted with all the hate, fury and anger that he could gather. Hid red eyes shining with venom.

'Ron...Neville... everything is in your hands now. Goodbye!' Harry thougth looking to the green light coming toward him.

'Mom, Dad i'll see you soon'

And then,everything went black...

...until he felt a sharp pain on the back.

'Pain? What...Can the dead feel pain too? Am i alive?' he thought in confusion, something was strange here.

Slowly, he tried to open his eyes. His eyelids were heavy like boulders, but little by little, he managed to open them. He could see, even without his glasses. He started to look around, trying to understand where he was.

A white, thick fog similar to a cloud was the first thing that he could sight. The second was a very hard, seamless and endless white floor. The same floor on which he, painfully for his back, woke up. The third was that he was totally naked. The fourth was that he was alone. There wasn't anything or anyone else around. Just an infinite plain of emptyness.

'Is this the aftelife?' he concluded, slightly disappointed. Where were the other souls? His parents and friends? There wasn't even the legendary coven of virgin veelas of welcome neither... he coul feel sorry for Sirius, he probably had died again when he discovered that his greatest fantasy was just a myth.

'Well it sucks' he thought with a sigh. 'Let's go see around, maybe i can find something'

Gathering all of his energies left, little by little he started to walk with indecisive and bad footsteps, without any destination and any hurry.

The view was always the same, never changing.

After a while, hours perhaps, or maybe days or years, who knows, the omnipresent white fog started to became grey, than black. In that moment, Harry started to feel cold. He was literally freezing. But there wasn't no sun or fire to warm him. Rubbing his arms tryng to reduce the cold, he wished to have some clothes for the first time sice his death.

As if by magic, a black Hogwarts-like robe, a pair a jeans, a plain and white shirt and a pair of brown shoes appeared a few feet in front of him. Thanking the heavens, he quickly dressed, noting with amazement that the clothes fit him perfectly. No Dudley hand-me-down in the afterlife.

They were very warm too.

'Wicked. Let's try again' He thought excitedly. If he could get everithing only by wishing, maybe this place was not so bad after all. Maybe there was still hope.

"I wish a butterbeer and a slice of treacle tart, i'm famished" Harry said in resolute tone, thinking intensely at what he wanted in his mind. It was an harmless and simple desire, something that should be easily granted, like the clothes.

Nothing happened. He retried, this time only speaking only in his mind. Again, nothing.

He tried something different, something harder.

"I wish to see my parents, Lily and James Potter. Please?" asked, this time sounding pleadingly even to his ears. He spoke his words like it was a prayer.

He looked around, he couldn't see anything new. No parents's spirit nor their ghosts in sight. He found ironic how a silly stone had more power on the dead than afterlife itself.

"Fuck this useless place! Fuck everything! FUCK!" he screamed looking at the "sky", his voice filled with anger, depression started to fill him. He was alone in life and he was the same in death. He collapsed to his knees. His only wish was out of his reach once again, even in death.

His destiny surely was a bitch.

He eyes started to get wet. Long time unshead tears finally started to drop, spilling outside his sadness.

'Keep walking' 'Stand up'

'You're almost there'

'Don't give up' 'Don't stop'

Harry immediately stopped crying and jumped to his feet, looking around frantically. He has heard them. He was sure. Voices. Voices speaking all at the same time and all with different tones, like they belong to differen people. Ghostlike voices.

The eco continued to play in the emptyness, without a specific origin. Or maybe they resonated only in his head, who knows. But one thing was sure: they were calling him. They were asking him to continue, to keep walking. They were giving him strenght he needed.

He decided to do what they wanted him to do. He started to walk, again.

He kept walking ahead for an indefinite amount of time. Time was different here, for all he knew, he could have walked for a century, maybe more. Every time he was to the point of give up, the voices reappeared, giving him new energies and will to go on. They were his only company.

After a while, he decided that the voices were in reality only one, probably belonging to a woman. It sound strangely familiar too.

During his journey, he learned and discovered a few things about this place.

He saw that the fog keep changing from white to black and than again to white, in an endless cycle: he decided that this was likely the alternation between day and night.

One night he saw a shining white rainbow filled with blue star-like gleams. It was probably the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. He called this wonder 'Stairway to Heaven'.

He discovered that he never had to eat, sleep or do other things needed to live. Understandable since it wasn't likely he could die again for something so trivial like starvation or lack of oxygen. He could't fell his magic neither.

Finally, when he started to think that he will have to keep walking forever, in a neverending journey toward the nothingness, he arrived to something new. Something that was extremely familiar.

'Is this...King Cross?' He thought looking around, falling to his knees, his beign filled with emotion. He's finally reached a proof that he was not alone. Someone must have built this clearly man-made place.

But all was clean, like noone had walked here in a very long time. There were two trains, one red and the other black. The first was very similar to Hogwarts's Express, an ancient steam-type train, the latter on the other hand was a very modern and advanced, something that you probably could only find in Japan. Frantically, he reach them and tried to open the doors, but sadly, they were closed.

Trains apart , even this place was totally empty.

Disappointed, he sat on a bench to rest a little, waiting maybe for something to new to happen. After all, everyone knows that trains are always late; maybe his had still to arrive.

After a while, his patience was finally rewarded. A door in the middle of the black train started to open, revealing a dazzling and pure white light.

Harry got up, and started to run toward the door as fast as possible, only to stopping in his tracks when he saw an human figure exit from the light.

When the light finally lowered, he could finally see who the person was. His eyes watered, and he run to her. Because, waiting for him, after so long, there was a very beautiful red haired woman, with eyes as green as his, a jubilant smile on her lips and open arms eager to, after sixteen years, embrace his son again.

"Mom..." he said in a sobbing voice full of emotion, his now red eyes no longer capable of holding back the tears of joy. He embraced her tightly, holding her like if his life depends on it, his head leaning on her shoulder. Finally one of his dreams has come true.

"Shh shh, Harry, my baby boy. Shh, mommy is here now" she said patting him on the back, her voice broken by emotion too, unable herself to keep the tears.

"Mom, is this really happening?" he asked realeasing the hold, and looking in her puffy eyes.

"Yes, my baby" she reaplied caressing him on the cheek. "It's all real"

They resume the hug and stay this way for some time, enjoying eachother company after all this time.

"Where's dad?" Harry asked after a while, looking now over Lily's shoulder, trying to give a peek at the black train door, excpecting to see him exit from the doors too.

At his question, she looked at him a little sadly, before put again on her lips an enigmatic smile.

"Come with me Harry, we need to talk" Lily said, taking him by hand and dragging him to the same bench where he had sat before.

"Here, sit down with me" she said patting on the bench on the place to her right.

Harry sat, keeping looking at her with question in the eyes. He was glad to have finally met his mother, really the best moment in his life, but he wanted to meet his father too. And maybe Sirius, Hermione, Dumbledore, Lupin and Tonks too.

"Your father cannot come, for now" she claimed looking apologetic, taking his hand in hers.

"Why?"

"It's not easy, but please Harry, we need to talk and i need you to listen until i finish, 'kay? Will you promise me?" asked Lily in hopeful tone.

"Mom, you're worring me now, has something happened to him even in death?" Harry asked, worry dripping from every words. He knew that his father was a very annoying person, very capable of prank the hell out some heaven's big boss, if there was one and put himself in trouble.

"No silly, i'll tell you anything, but first you must promise lo listen carefully" she retorted playfully, poking him in the chest with a finger.

'No silly? 'kay? Is mom really thinking she's talking to a baby?' he thought, scratching the back of his head in confusion

"Okay mom, i promise"

"Thank you my big baby" she replied her with a big smile " Now, here's the bomb: You're not dead, not entirely at least"

"What are..." he couldn't finish to speak, because his mother sealed his mouth with tree fingers and then looked at him clearly annoyed, one of her eyebrow raised in a threatening way. How she hated to be interrupted when she was talking.

'The hell..'

"Until the end Harry-poo" She released his lips "Mmh mmh, well yes you are still half alive, and before you stop me again, no, you're not a zombie. I've checked" she said in quizzical tone, before gesturing with a hand in a random point of the station.

"This place, this empty space, it's not the heaven, just a middle ground. A void between the heavens and the station is its crossroad. This is a place where only souls with pending chores go. Ghosts are born here, if you were wondering"

"So i'm a ghost...?" he said unsure, clearly expecting to be stopped again. In a sense, talking to his mother was similar to talking to Hermione. You can't stop a know-it-all from their rant, it was common knowledge.

"Of course not puppy, you're something else. Something unique, if i must say so. You see, that night, before the asshole in chief came to our house and orphanized you, i did a ritual, a very powerful one. Call it a mother six sense, but i knew that something bad was going to happen. I could feel that i would have lost you. So i did to you the same thing that Voldemort did, only on the contrary" She said , looking at him in a strange way, like she was trying to gauge a reaction from him. She was not disappointed.

"You...You..." Harry was shocked. "I-it's not what i think, r-right? Right?"

"I see that you're beginning to understand. Yes honey, i used my love for you to make you an Horcrux. Mine."said Lily, her voice now filled with sadness.

"But...How? Why?" he was at loss of words. He was not only Voldemort's horcrux, but his mother too? this was quickly becoming surreal. And a little creepy.

"How? Murder it's not the only way to make an horcrux, Harry. There's another. Love, a pure and unconditionated love. You see, when my soul, so full of love for you, felt the extreme pain that your loss would have brought me, it cracked. I did the ritual, and bound a piece of my soul to yours, anchoring you to life. When he cast the killing curse, a spell that aim to kill by destroying a person's spirit, at you, our souls fought back, united. Together they were stronger than the curse, and reflected it back to him, saving your life. Obviously, his decimated soul never stood a chance, " Lily explained, then looking straight at him in the eyes she said "And for why, well the only answer that i can give you is that a mother should always do everything in her power to protect her children" She said in pleading voice, praying for him to understand.

Harry looked at her for some time, before his lips split again in a smile "I've understand, thank you mom"

She smiled back at him, her eyes wet again.

"So Dumbledore was wrong? I wasn't one of Voldemort's horcrux..."

"No, dear, he was right. You were the container of a piece of his soul, that my soul together with yours have always kept at bay. If it wasn't for our combined force, his soul would have acted like his Diary in you secon year and overcomed your will. But after his last killing curse, you're finally free from his clutch, forever" explained happily.

All pieces were finally starting to make sense, only one thing he still didn't understand.

"However you have yet to explain me why i am here, and why i cannot see dad..."

"Right" She replied nodding her head in agreement, and clappin her hands.

"As i said, you're not completely dead, because my piece of soul in you is still bounded to Earth, so is yours. You are here because you are alive Harry" said, poking him playfully on the forehead.

"You cannot see James, or anyone else for that matter, because the dead already in heaven can't come here. You can see me only because our linked soul..." She stated like a fact

"So what this does mean to me? That i'm blocked here for the eternity?" He asked, feeling slightly depressed. To live forever, alone in avoid with the company only of g if he was very lucky, was not one of his greatest aspirations.

"Of course not silly, look around and tell me what you see" She demanded, pointing with her hand all the station.

"I see a lot of nothing and two trains. And you" He replied looking around again. 'Can she see something that i can't' he tought perplexed.

"Exactly Harry, trains are the key. This one..."she said pointing to the modern one, the same to where she has gone out "...is the train that will take you to heaven where you will be with us forev..."

"What are we waiting for? let's go" He interrupted her happily, taking one of her hand and starting to drag her toward the train, only to see her freed herself with a tug.

"Not so fast young man, i don't want for you to get on this train" She stated, now very very annoyed. It was the second time that her son blocked her speech.

"But why?"

"Because i'd like that you gets on the red train" she claimed pleadingly gesturing for ancient one "This train will bring you back"

"Back where?"

"To life, Harry. Where, when and how i cannot say, time is different here. Maybe he will take you again to the Forbidden Forest, where you will defeat the dark dickhead and his merry band of shit eater once and for all. Or perhaps, to your first year, where you'll redo everything with more grace, cunning and less foolying around. Or better to your forth year, where this time you will invite to the ball that french, blonde veela girl. She was stunnig, you idiot!" She finished yelling, clearly annoyed that his dunderhead son didn't try to bring that perfect girl in a broom closet. She was clearly smitten by him. They would have made beautiful children.

"Sorry mom" He replied sheepishly, red in face like a pepper. Still, she was rigth, Fleur was every men wet dream.

"Never mind my baby, but you see? You could live your life again. You could do everything you want, correct a lot of mistakes if you're lucky and maybe, just maybe eh, no pressure at all, take a beautiful french wife and have a lot of children. I've always wanted to be a granmother, you know." She said with a hopefull smile.

He smiled at her, but something hit him like a thunder in a clear sky.

"But if i go back... i'll never see you again mom..." he spoke with voice filled with sadness, and reluctance. He didn't really wish to go back. He's already lived his life after all.

"Of course, you will see us again Harry. When yours time will come, when you will have white hairs and lived at least a century, only then maybe you could leave the world, with a smile on your lips, surrounded by your wife, children and granchildren, knowing to have lived the best life in the world. And we will be here, waiting for you" Lily replied in tear, hugging his son tightly.

"And remember, even if you can't see us, we will be always here, in your heart" She said releasing the hug and poking him in the chest with a finger.

He gave her a wet smile.

"Ok mom, i'll do it. For you." He gave her a light kiss on the cheek and strated to walk toward the red train clutching tightly her right hand.

"Can i ask you one last thing?" He asked unsure.

"Shoot"

"How are they?"

She started to laugh. She had a very beautiful and musical laugh, like trilling bells.

"They're alright honey, they're in Heaven after all. Your father has me, so it can't get any better for him" He rolled his eyes at her. It seems that modesty was not one of his mother best quality. "Hermione and Dumbledore are reading all the books that they can find, and let me tell you, heaven has a lot of books. Your friend, Dobby, is the new official Potter house elf. It's a funny little guy. And Sirius, well, let's just say that his heavenly coven of veela fantasy was not a myth like we thougth" she said shaking her head. Not even death could stop Sirius's lust. And worse of all, he was always right about the welcoming party.

"I'm glad that you are all so happy"

They finally reached the train. After a last hug, the train's doors opened, revealing a vortex of white light.

"Goodbye mom"

"Goodbye Harry"

Harry turned and started to walk toward the portal, trying to hide his sobs and shaking shoulders.

"WAIT!" Lily yelled and started to run toward him.

He stopped and turned to look at her, eyebrows raised in question.

She reached him, and put around his neck a beautiful silver necklace with a lily pendant.

"Here. This was my mother favourite necklace, and mine too. Now is yours. This way you will always remeber this moment. I know that is a little girly but..."

He immediately stopped her with a hug.

"Thank you, it's perfect" He reassured her, looking with a big smile at the beautiful present.

"I'm glad tha you like it. One last thing: when you will go away from this place, our souls won't be linked anymore. Only one soul at time can exit from here. Our Spirits will merge and become one." It made sense ... "You will probably note some changes in you when you wake up, so don't freak out if you see yourself with red hair" She finished jokingly, fighting to hold back the laughter.

"Now it's time for you to go"

Harry nodded and turned again, and this time he really went through the portal.

He strarted to freefall in a tunnel of pure dark light ending in a dazzling white energy.

And when he reached the end, everything went black again

In the next chapter:

...a piece of paper hanging from the wall captured his attention. He slowly approached it and saw what it was: a simple calendar.

Harry looked at it and was shocked out of his mind. He let the toy fall from his hands to the floor, breaking it.

The date crossed was 30 May 1971.

"Damn...this might be a problem"

To be continued...