Legacy
Summary: What happens when one man tries to redeem himself, when a boy becomes a man and when family returns.
Pairings: Harry/Hermione/Ginny/Daphne/Hannah, Remus/Tonks, Ron/Demelza, Snape/Lily/James, Sirius/?, Bill/Fleur
A/N: While thinking where to go with the Founders Hat I've been attacked by a rabid plot bunny. She was rather insistent that I have to write this down. Well, here it is. One more thing, if anyone out there is interested to Beta this story, please feel free to contact me. Also, any ideas and suggestions are appreciated. Please be warned that this story will have strange pairings, it will contain mentions of bisexual relationship but nothing explicit between men, women on the other hand….I also ask for your opinion on suitable partner(female or male) for Sirius.
***
It was a sunny and hot summer day. Crookshanks slept in Hermione's lap in the heavy shade of the trees in the Burrow garden. The bushy haired girl read a heavy looking tome while occasionally watching her friends playing Quidditch. Near her was Fleur who watched her future husband with adoration as he skilfully avoided a block by his brother as he flew towards the goal post. Bill was intercepted by his young sister who stole the ball from his hands and with a loop avoided an incoming Bludger. Ginny took of on her broom towards the other end of the pitch where a tall redhead smiled expectantly. She used her considerable skills to manoeuvre the broom around the opposing players. Unfortunately for her, before she could reach Ron she was intercepted by a raven haired boy who surprised her with a quick smile and caught her Quaffle passing it back to Bill. She blushed when her brothers commented that only Harry could steal the Quaffle from her. She looked down where Hermione gave her a knowing smile and her blush intensified. Thankfully, the object of her fantasies was out of the earshot as he monitored the play from high above while looking for the snitch.
Harry Potter, the best Seeker in Hogwarts was currently enjoying the freedom that the flying gave to him. He was an enthusiastic Quidditch player who liked the feeling of the game although he could just fly contentedly for hours on end doing nothing. He watched as Ginny rushed back into the game while on the ground Hermione exasperatedly shocked her head at the redhead girl's antics. Harry took a moment just to enjoy the moment knowing that in few short weeks everything would change when they returned to Hogwarts. Only Ron and Hermione knew the prophecy that said that Harry was the one to defeat the Dark Lord. Harry was currently taking a lengthy break from the harsh reality of his life and he was preparing himself for the inevitable. Truthfully, he thought that he had little chance against Voldemort but that didn't stop him from studying all kinds of defensive magic. Harry revaluated his beliefs in studying when he thought about the fight against the Death Eaters few short moths ago. Harry stood his grounds against them but he realised that the element of surprise helped him more than actual skill. When he saw the duel between Voldemort and Dumbledore he was amazed at the power and grace of the Headmaster and maliciousness and speed of Voldemort. He knew that first spell Voldemort fired would be the last thing Harry saw.
Harry thought about the duel in the graveyard in the fourth year. He remembered the speed with which Voldemort casted and the pain of the Cruciatus curse. He thought that the sheer knowledge of the Dark Arts gave Voldemort an advantage that Harry couldn't negate in foreseeable future. He was excellent in Defence, good in Transfiguration and Charms and abysmal at other fields like Potions. Seven OWLs that Harry received were good accomplishment but he knew that someone who was at the same level as Ron couldn't go against the most powerful Dark Lord of the age, not that there was anything wrong with Ron. Harry was prepared to study as hard as possible so he could at least stand against Voldemort and not die.
Harry was returned to present when he sighted the Snitch in the air. His opponent, George, was cheering his sister as she scored another goal for her team so it wasn't difficult for Harry to catch the Snitch and end the game. He chuckled when George heard the shouts of triumph from Harry's team and then laughed as George groaned when he saw the expressions on his team-mates faces. Harry landed gracefully near Hermione who smiled gently at him causing strange feelings in him. Harry returned the smile before the Weasleys came down. Everyone congratulated him on good game while Fleur dragged Bill towards the Burrow.
***
Next few days continued in similar fashion as they worked around the Burrow, played Quidditch, studied or generally had a good time. Well, Harry and Hermione studied while Ron avoided any book except the books on Quidditch. Hermione was pleasantly surprised at the change in Harry's attitude towards studying. She was scared for her friend but she resolved that she would do anything she could to help him fight Voldemort. It was the least she could do for him.
Ginny spent time writing letters to Dean when she wasn't with them. She wasn't as enthusiastic student as Hermione but she began revision for her OWLs. She admitted that it was a relief when she wasn't named a prefect this year as she would have more free time that year. Hermione commented that it was a hard work being prefect which earned the remark from Harry that he thought that nothing was hard for her. Her small blush was an appropriate reward for Harry.
It was early in the afternoon and Harry helped Ginny with the dishes from the lunch in the Burrow's kitchen when Dumbledore arrived. Harry never saw him the aging wizard as happy as that moment in the Burrow's kitchen as he spotted him and gave him a wide smile that caused his long moustache to twitch.
"Harry, I'm very happy to see you again," he said cheerfully. "I have very good news for you. Actually, they are as good as they are surprising and unbelieving," he mused. "Please if we could take a walk outside, I'm in need of a bit of fresh air."
Harry noticed that there was something different about Dumbledore. He was more cheerful than ever and his eyes twinkled like they did when the old man was extremely happy about something. Harry also noticed that Dumbledore's right hand wasn't black anymore. Actually, his hand was perfectly normal. Harry looked at the Headmaster astonished. Dumbledore winked at him.
"There were some developments that helped me immensely. I think that you will agree that they will help you even more," Dumbledore smiled knowingly. "Now, it's a beautiful day and there is no need to spend it inside." He drew his wand from the slew of his robes and casually flicked it. The kitchen was cleaner than ever before in the next moment. Dumbledore motioned to the doors and Harry followed him amused with the man's actions.
Harry followed Dumbledore as the older man casually walked around the garden. When they were far enough from Burrow, Dumbledore conjured two simple garden chairs with flowery pattern and took a seat admiring the view over the village down below.
Harry couldn't contain his curiosity anymore.
"Sir, your hand. What happened with it?" He cringed when the words came out of his mouth.
"It's a strange story, Harry. To fully understand it I will have to tell you about things directly related to your past," he looked at him seriously. "I have to warn you that what you will hear is not pleasant and you will have to restrain yourself from overreacting. Please, give me your word that you will keep an open mind for all of the facts."
Harry was surprised by Dumbledore's words. He also understood his reluctance as that night when he wrecked the Headmaster's office was fresh in his mind.
"I give you my word that I will listen to the whole story before reacting."
Dumbledore smiled at that. "Thank you." He conjured two cold butterbeers and offered one to Harry. When he relaxed enough he began his story.
"If you remember our little talk in the aftermath of the situation in the Department of Mysteries you will notice that I know who the person that overheard the prophecy was. It's Severus Snape."
Harry looked at Dumbledore in shock as all memories of the Potions Master returned to him. He suppressed his baser instincts at that moment and simply glared at Dumbledore.
"I know how petty he is Harry and if I had any other choice he wouldn't be teaching at my school. I admit that I hoped that he would act like responsible adult and hide the contempt he felt towards you. You saw the treatment that he endured at Hogwarts and you saw some of his home life. His life isn't easy and in many ways he is similar to you while you're different in others. I say this to you because I don't want you to jump to conclusions because Severus is the only man other than me that knows what needs to be done to defeat Voldemort," Albus paused there and watched Harry carefully. He saw that Harry tried to restrain his temper and he saw the turmoil his mind was going through. He sighed softly before continuing.
"When Severus heard that one of the possible targets where the Potters he came to me and begged me to protect them. He became a spy for the Order and his information helped us immensely. But even then we weren't able to protect your parents and that caused him to become the bitter man you know. You see, Severus loves your mother and at the same times hates your father. Actually he hated your father but that's for later. What I was saying is that he sacrificed everything just to save her, like he is sacrificing everything now to save you. Yes, Harry, Professor Snape knows of your predicament and the only reason he was a spy for the Order is to ensure that you succeed in your mission."
"You are saying that Snape is actually a hero? I don't believe you," Harry replied bitterly.
"Yes, he is a hero. Harry, this is war and in war nothing is black or white, there are people that will stop at nothing to win and as you know Tom is one of those people. We need someone like Severus to help us and I know that he is truly on our side now," Dumbledore responded. He saw that Harry noticed his words and he nodded. "Yes, I had my doubts. After all, a man who likes to torment Gryffindors just because they are members of the said house isn't someone you will trust entirely. But there were developments in the last week that shed some different light on Severus Snape."
Dumbledore took a long sip of his cold drink before continuing.
"You noticed that my hand is fully healed. That is the direct consequence of Severus' actions. You see, I was injured when I put a certain ring on my finger before checking the enchantments on it. That ring was a very powerful magical object that allowed one to call the soul from the realm beyond death. In my foolishness I tried to use that power and the ring punished me as I wasn't worthy enough for it. Severus managed to contain the curse in my hand for the time being but it would kill me in a year time," Dumbledore admitted.
"Killed…you mean you would die in a year time?"
"Yes, give or take a month. But as I said there were some surprising developments that Severus is directly responsible for," Dumbledore moved on. "I wasn't in my office in the last few weeks so I couldn't notice that the ring, that still contained the same magic although I destroyed the curse upon it, was missing. Professor Snape admitted to me today that he stole it as he recognised it when he helped me with my hand. I underestimated his knowledge of old legends and ancient magic so I didn't think he would actually recognise the ring."
"But, how did he stole the ring from your office sir," Harry asked knowing that there were hundreds of portraits on the walls.
"Severus is a powerful wizard and he used his considerable skills to bypass my protections. He admitted that it took him three days to pass my defences. But to continue with the story, he didn't take the ring for personal gain but for a purely selfless act as I found out later. You have read in the Daily Prophet about the death of Ms. Vance, did you not? Well, Severus felt guilty for her death as he knew her whereabouts when she was attacked. He took a risky action and saved her putting a magical construct in her place, construct that even I didn't notice, mind you. Several days later Severus was visited by Narcissa Malfoy and Bellatrix Lestrange in his home. Mrs. Malfoy wanted to ensure his help with the task that her son was given by Voldemort."
"So he's a Death Eater?"
"Unfortunately, yes. Severus didn't agree with her demands which caused Bellatrix to doubt his allegiance towards Tom. I was furious that Severus compromised his position in Tom's inner circle but there wasn't anything he could do about it. After that I went on an errand and I only returned two days ago. I immediately summoned Severus to confer about the miraculous healing of my hand. When he didn't respond I thought the worst and waited a day before going to his house. There I found a truly wondrous sight."
"Sir, I don't want to be rude but why are you telling me this;" Harry asked confusedly. He was astonished with the amount of information that Dumbledore told him but he really didn't want to know how Snape spent his free time.
"I will come to that, Harry. All in its due time. Well, I stormed his house fearing that maybe Death Eaters put a trap for me. Only thing I found was a confused Peter Pettigrew."
"Wormtail," Harry exclaimed.
"Yes, he was bound in ropes and from the state he was in he was that way for several days. After I acquired the information I wanted from his mind I brought him to the Ministry. After first several idiots who wanted to award him a medal as a hero, people wanted to know how he managed to survive. Well after that truth got out and he was killed for his crimes while Sirius was fully pardoned in one afternoon. I was surprised by the efficiency of the Ministry that day but I will consider it as an isolated incident. I'm reluctant to believe that Minister did it out of goodness of his heart."
"It's little late for that, Sirius is dead," Harry whispered sadly.
"Please don't jump to conclusions without relevant information. Remember what happened last time," Dumbledore admonished and Harry winced as he thought about that night at the Ministry. Dumbledore let him wallow in his misery a bit before continuing.
"After I finished with the Ministry I continued with my search. I found him at the Headquarters where he retreated into hiding. Unfortunately he wasn't in any shape to talk as he was in deep healing sleep at the time. I was surprised when I heard several voices in the house I thought was empty. Thinking worst I descended to the kitchen from where the voices could be heard. There were three persons sitting at the table engaged in vigorous discussion." Dumbledore stopped and flicked his wand. Small table appeared with a small Pensieve. Dumbledore gently removed a strand of memory from his head and put it into the Pensieve. He motioned to Harry. "After you…"
Harry confusedly stood up and did as Dumbledore asked. He submerged his head in the Pensieve and a moment later he felt as though he was falling from a great height. He gently landed in the kitchen in the house that was now his. Before he could carefully look around Dumbledore landed next to him. They stood on the oppositet side of the kitchen than Dumbledore in the memory who stood at the door with a flabbergasted expression on his face. Dumbledore chuckled while he carefully watched himself. Harry on the other hand was far from amused when he saw three figures that sat in the kitchen chatting away while drinking tea.
He opened his mouth to speak but Dumbledore just motioned to him to be silent. He looked at the table again. Two men sat on the one side with a young woman on the other. Harry tried to think of it as a trick that Dumbledore played on him but he knew that the old man wouldn't hurt him like that. On the table sat his parents and Sirius looking just as they looked minutes before they died. The man Harry identified as his father sat rigidly with his back straight, he was taller than Sirius and his hair fell into his eyes while he animatedly spoke about something. Harry noted the resemblance that everyone pointed out when they compared him with his father. Across from him sat a young woman with long red hair, Harry immediately noted her green eyes and the sad look she had in them. Sirius on the other hand looked happy about something and Harry noted that he had the same look he had in the Ministry with long hair and an air of casualness around him. Harry was interrupted in his observations when Dumbledore in the memory began speaking. Even in the memory Harry was impressed as Dumbledore stood there letting his power run wild.
"May I ask who you are and what are you doing here," he pleasantly asked but Harry noticed a hint of something dangerous in his voice.
"Have you gone blind old man or are you just senile enough not to remember who we are," he received a sarcastic response from the woman who looked like Harry's mother.
"Lily calm down," Sirius tried to defuse the situation as he saw that Dumbledore wasn't friendly enough.
"Yes, miss, please calm down. I'm fully aware who you look like but I am also fully aware that those persons are dead," Dumbledore calmly retorted.
"Well, we are alive as you see. For the answers on how and why please speak with Sna…Severus," Lily responded.
Dumbledore looked at them closely. He locked eyes with each of them spending few minutes going through their memories. As he finished he slumped into the chair closest to him. Harry noticed the anguished look the old man wore.
"I'm…so deeply sorry," Dumbledore said and Harry noticed the tears as they fell down his cheeks. He noticed that his dad glared at Dumbledore and Sirius was smiling grimly. his mother walked to Dumbledore and enveloped him in a gentle hug.
Harry was evicted from the memory and he found himself in his original position. He turned towards Dumbledore who had a gently smile on his face.
"Is it true," Harry asked hopefully.
"Yes, Harry, they are back."
Harry broke down at that and started crying. His dream has come true. He finally had a family.
***
