Harry Potter belongs to J.K Rowling.
There was a heatwave in Little Whinging, turning the leafy green suburbs parch brown and Harry Potter slept badly that night, having visited the graveyard in his dreams again. He was then walking down a dark corridor which lead to a closed door. A sense of frustration overpowered him and the scar on his forehead burned slightly.
He then had a strange feeling wash over him; It was like he was being watched by a being with a strong aura of love emanating around themselves.
Harry opened his eyes and felt a strange sense of calm. He had been feeling anything but calm of late. He sat up and let out a gasp as he found himself face to face with a pair of brilliant green eyes that were very familiar. Surely, he was seeing things? He blinked and the face of his mother swam into view.
Lily Potter gazed at him tenderly, as she sat on his bed.
"Mum?" Harry reached for his glasses and put them on, wondering whether he was hallucinating or not, but she was still there, clear as day, her dark red hair falling over her face.
"Hello, Harry," Lily smiled. "It's good to see you got out of the graveyard. You've been so brave, sweetheart."
"How are you here?" Harry asked, feeling overwhelmed at the sight of his Mother.
"I've always been here," Lily said, placing a hand over her heart. "So has your Father."
Lily gestured to the open window and Harry turned to see his father standing there, his jet-black hair all over the place and his glasses askew. James Potter was leaning against the window sill and smiling at Harry warmly, his hazel eyes twinkling against the orange glow of the street lamp outside.
"Dad?" Harry's jaw dropped open in shock.
"It's good to see that you got out of that graveyard in one piece," James said. "You fought well; we are so proud. How are you, Harry?"
"F-fine," Harry stammered. "What's going on?"
"I know things are frustrating for you at the moment," James said as he walked towards Harry and sat on the bed next to Lily. " I know you don't like being cooped up here and not knowing what's going on, but you need to keep a cool head. Because in the year ahead, you're going to be challenged like you've never been challenged before."
"Don't go looking for trouble," Lily said and James nodded and put an arm around her.
"Even though trouble usually finds you," James said with a wry smile and Lily rolled her eyes at him and smiled fondly.
"Things will get worse before they get better, Harry," James continued. "But you're not alone. You're never alone. You have your friends and you'll need Ron and Hermione more than ever in the months ahead now that Voldemort is back."
There was a moments silence as Harry let the words sink in. To have them be confirmed by his own Father brought him a piece of mind that he had never thought possible.
"I can't believe he's back," Harry muttered, voicing the fact for the first time since he had arrived at Privet Drive.
"He was always going to come back, Harry," Lily said sadly. " I couldn't stop him forever."
"I should never have let Cedric go with me," Harry said, his voice wavering and his frustration boiling over. "I should've taken the cup when I had the chance."
He punched his pillow angrily, desperate to let out the pent-up frustration that settled there since he had arrived at Number Four for the summer.
"It's not your fault, sweetheart," Lily said softly, her voice having a soothing effect on him. It felt familiar, almost like the sound of home. But Harry had forgotten what home had sounded like.
"You weren't to know what would happen," James added. "You can't blame yourself for that."
"But I got Cedric killed," Harry insisted, the guilt flaring up inside him once more, threatening to tear him apart.
"Voldemort got Cedric killed," James said firmly. " Voldemort and my so-called friend. I guess transforming into a rat suited him. I should've known."
James's expression turned cold and his face was an angry mask. Harry felt the waves of anger emanate from him and they felt so much like his own anger . Harry felt a strong connection with his Father at that moment.
"But you were right to spare him," James said. "You were right; I wouldn't have wanted Sirius and Remus to become killers. They're better than that. I'm just sorry that he killed Cedric."
Lily patted him on the arm comfortingly and James relaxed.
"Speaking of Cedric," Lily said to Harry with a smile. "He's why we're here."
"What do you-" Harry began, before stopping and staring in the direction of the wardrobe in surprise.
Standing next to the wardrobe was Cedric Diggory, looking exactly the same as he did on the night he died.
"C-Cedric?" Harry gasped, his eyes fogging over with tears. A thousand different things Harry wanted to say to Cedric popped up inside his head. The guilt of his death flared up inside him more powerful than ever.
"Hello, Harry," Cedric said with a handsome grin. "Nice room you've got here."
"I'm sorry, Cedric," Harry said at once, unable to take it anymore. "I'm sorry for getting you killed. I should never have suggested that we should've both taken the cup. I should've listened to you and got the cup for myself. You would still be alive then."
"Stop beating yourself up about it," Cedric said, brushing aside Harry's apologies. "It wasn't your fault and I'm glad that Hogwarts won the Triwizard Tournament. I just want to say thank you though, Harry. Thank you for bringing my body back to my parents. That means a lot to me."
"I couldn't leave you there," Harry said as the image of Cedric's body flashed before his eyes again.
"Take care of yourself, Harry," Cedric said. "Things will be difficult, but I know you'll pull through. I only wish that I could be helping you instead of being dead."
James nodded vigorously.
"Know that we're proud of you," He said. "And remember to keep a cool head."
"And take care of Cho for me, Harry," Cedric said seriously. "That girl means a lot to me and I know she's been taking my death quite hard."
With that, he vanished into the night fading as if he were never there.
"We love you so much," Lily said softly, her bright green eyes filling with tears. "I'm sorry we can't be with you Harry, but I would've taken that curse over again just to see you live."
"Don't forget that you have Sirius," James said. "I know that it's taken longer for the two of you to find each other given the circumstances but always feel that you can talk to him as well as Ron and Hermione."
Harry heard a sniff and he turned and saw that his Mother was crying. Their eyes met and Lily reached her hand out and Harry copied her, hoping to reach his mother, hoping to receive the hug that he had long been denied. His hand was inches from Lily's hand when Dudley let out a loud snore in the next room and Harry woke with a start, his hand outstretched in front of him.
The memory of his dream started to fade, but Harry held onto his parents faces, their voices. It wasn't the first time that they had visited him in his dreams, their faces weaving in and out, often staying silent and sometimes their last moments being played out over again.
It made a change from the dreams about the graveyard and corridors with locked doors at the end of them. Harry briefly remembered Cedric made an appearance and he didn't seem to blame him at all. It was a nice thought that Cedric came seeking closure and it comforted Harry a lot.
But as he sat up, the scar on his forehead prickled slightly and he let out a groan. Tomorrow was another day. Another day where he would spend time trying to find a hiding place in order to listen to the news, another day where Uncle Vernon would shoot nasty questions at him and Aunt Petunia would purse her lips and snap at him. Another day where he would spend time trying to avoid batty Mrs. Figg, Dudley and his gang, another day where he would nick papers out of bins trying to find news of any funny deaths. But he kept telling himself that it was all worth it.
Harry got up and looked at his calendar and realised with a jolt that today was his Fifthteenth birthday. He hoped that today would be the day that he finally got some answers.
Thanks for reading.