Summary: The Dark Lord was
hit by his rebounding killing curse and had to make up for his
foolhardiness. He had to choose seven people among the dead. These
seven return to life.
Will they be accepted with open arms by the
Wizarding world or will they reject them? How will these people
affect the relationship between Harry and Ginny? How will it affect
the Wizarding world in general? Will their presence change anything
at all?
Ratings: M (due to violence and abuse, otherwise suitable for most readers, you can skip the parts of violence and abuse parts, I'll give fair warnings at the start of the chapters.)
Ships: H/G, R/Hr, RL/NT, J/L, SB/OC
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter and this wonderful world of imagination. It truly belongs to J.K. Rowling and I'm just having some fun with her characters.
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One Last Chance
Chapter One: Choosing Seven
A red-gold glow burst suddenly across the enchanted sky above them, as an edge of dazzling sun appeared over the sill of the nearest window. The light hit both of their faces at the same time, so that Voldemort's was suddenly a flaming blur. Harry heard the high voice shriek as he, too, yelled his best hope to the heavens, pointing Draco's wand:
"Avada Kedavra!"
"Expelliarmus!"
The bang was like a cannon-blast and the golden flames that erupted between them, at the dead center of the circle they had been treading, marked the point where the spells collided. Harry saw Voldemort's green jet meet his own spell, saw the Elder Wand fly high, dark against the sunrise, spinning across the enchanted ceiling like the head of Nagini, spinning through the air toward the master it would not kill, who had come to take full possession of it at last. And Harry, with the unerring skill of the Seeker, caught the wand in his free hand as Voldemort fell backwards, arms splayed, the slit pupils of the scarlet eyes rolling upwards. Tom Riddle hit the floor with a mundane finality, his body feeble and shrunken, the white hands empty, the snake-like face vacant and unknowing. Voldemort was dead, killed by his own rebounding curse, and Harry stood with two wands in his hands, staring down at his enemy's shell. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Chapter Thirty Six- The Flaw in the Plan
Voldemort's POV--
I felt something hit me, as I screamed out the killing curse, and then everything went black. What is happening? No, I cannot be dead. Just knocked out, I suppose. Well, let me wait until one of my Death Eaters revives me. Then I realized that it was no longer black, but bright mist. I lay in a bright mist, though it was not like mist I had ever experienced before. My surroundings were not hidden by cloudy vapor; rather the cloudy vapor had not yet formed into surroundings. I looked down to see my body and yelped out in surprise. I was laying naked, listening to the silence. I was perfectly alone. I realized that I enjoyed this much better than casting the Cruciatus Curse. Nobody was watching. Nobody else was there. I was not entirely sure that I was there myself.
I need my
robes, I feel uncomfortable? I had barely thought of that, when
I noticed a robe materialize out of thin air, right next to my right
arm. I donned the robe and looked around to see what was causing the
sudden murmuring that disturbed me. I was beyond shocked to see the
prominent feature of my ex-professor and the man I hated the most who
also happened to be killed a year before; Albus Dumbledore.
"No, this is not possible, you are dead!" I screamed out. How is this possible? Oh my!? Even the Potters that I killed with my own hands are there and that blood traitor, the Animagus, Black. Where am I? I also noticed other witches and wizards who had been on the receiving end of my killing curse.
How are they alive?
Am I dead? My Horcruxes were destroyed by Harry Potter.
No, I
Lord Voldemort will come back to life, just like Harry Potter did not
die twice with my killing curse. The Killing curse I used was meant
for Harry Potter, the same curse backfired. So I will come back to
life. I think I have to meet these people before I go back. Suddenly, I noticed that not only the people who were dead because of
me, but some people like Dumbledore's sister.
My eyes narrowed onto them. "Where am I Dumbledore?"
"You, Tom are in the Afterlife." Dumbledore answered as though a student voiced a doubt just as the teacher was about to mention it.
"Don't call me Tom! How many times do I have to tell you? That is the name of a common Muggle who happened to be my father."
Suddenly some woman came up to me and slapped me across my face. I was thrown on to the ground.
"Who dares to raise their hand at Lord Voldemort?" I shrieked.
"Your mother; who is ashamed to call you her son. How dare you kill your own father, make Horcruxes and try to rule over the world? How many families have you destroyed Tom? I am disgusted with you."
This was
the first time some one had shouted at me. True before my Hogwarts
days Mrs. Cole did shout at me, but since Hogwarts, no one has
shouted at me or raised their hand at me. I felt humiliated. I
tried to shrink away from her.
I lifted my head and saw my mother's face for the first time in my life. Something came over me; I felt a little guilty for doing all I did in my life. I hung my head in shame.
"Where are we Mother?" I asked and was shocked to hear my voice which was neither high pitched nor cold. It was rough and sounded warmer.
"You, son, are in the Afterlife. Here you will be prosecuted by the Gods of Heaven and Hell. Here you will be sentenced to either Hell or… Hell. You do not deserve Heaven." She paused for a breath and as an after thought, added, "This is something like the Common Room. We are all allowed to mingle with one another."
As my mother spoke, her voice became colder. Why am I feeling so bad, does she not like what I have done? I never used to care. Why is it that all of a sudden I feel horrible? Have I become weak? Is this what Dumbledore clamed is Love? I still don't understand!
As I was trying to work out what was going on in my head I saw the crowd gathered around me part into two, to give way for someone no taller than an eleven-year-old, but he had a beard, so long, that could put Dumbledore to shame. He was bald. He came up to me and asked:
"Are you Lord Voldemort, also known as Tom Marvolo Riddle?"
"Yes, I am," I said, meekly.
He face suddenly broke into a smile. "Well you'll be going to Hell, that is for sure, and the Prophecy that we had given to Sybill has been completed by the boy you marked?"
I looked down. If I answered him then it will show that I have accepted my death. I came to a decision then and there itself. I will try to give up my evil, and prevent all that happened in my life to happen again. I looked into that old man's eyes and found some courage for doing this.
"Yes, Harry Potter killed me."
The silence was broken and all the people gathered burst out laughing. Through the noise I heard some comments.
"What did you expect Voldy?"
"I knew my son had it in him!"
"Ickle Harrykins did that Voldy?"
"Well great things were expected from Harry."
"Wotcher Harry! Keep my son safe."
"My death was no waste! I can live without it."
"Just because you're admitting it now, doesn't mean my godson didn't kill you Tommy Boy!"
Finally that man called the people gathered to silence. He turned to me and asked me to tell the difficulties I, along with my Death Eaters, had caused for Harry Potter. How do I reply to that?
I took a deep breath and started.
"When he was one, I killed his parents and put his godfather in Azkaban. This resulted in him having a horrible childhood, I suppose. He was to live with his aunt. His aunt, his mother's sister, hated anything to do with magic. She mistreated him and made sure he had the worst time of his life. When I failed to come back to life when he was eleven years old, I transported him to a graveyard. There I killed his friend and got back a body. After he escaped from me again, I wanted to know the full contents of the prophecy; so I lured him to the Department of Mysteries by showing him that I had captured his godfather. He fell for that trap and came there where my most faithful servant killed his godfather. After that the next killed was Dumbledore. He was very close to the headmaster, I think. He claimed himself as 'Dumbledore's man through and through.' After that, the person I killed which would have affected him was Moody. He was not close to Moody who had died while trying to move him to safety. Stupid Gryffindors. They get guilty for such stupid reasons. Then there was that elf he was attached to. Dobby I think his name was. In the last battle of Hogwarts I killed many of his friends, Snape, Lupin the werewolf and his wife, the daughter of Andromeda Black. I killed as many as I could."
Did I really do that? How foolish of me.
The whole hall had gone quite. I felt nervous.
What will happen now? Why did they want to know how I destroyed Harry Potter's life? The man cleared his throat and told me:
"We have come to a decision and it is that you're to stay in Hell. I also need you to select any seven people that you or your Death Eaters killed. They will be alive once again, until the second death claims them. You will be given an hour's time and within that you need to decide. Do you have any questions?"
I was shocked. I have to be considerate and send seven people back to life.
"Can I not send myself?"
"No. You can not send yourself or any of your faithful Death Eaters," he said glaring at me.
"Should the person have died in this last battle, or any time in my life?"
"Any time in your life, is fine."
"Why seven?" I felt my blood boil. I get to die and seven others get to live. That is not fair. One dies then only one should live.
"Well seven because you made seven Horcruxes, and those people must have died because of either your work or the work of the Death Eaters."
I thought for a long time. One thing that was still not answered was why they asked me about Harry Potter? Surely they knew what had happened?
Thinking about Harry Potter, made me realize why I was asked to narrate that story. They had already decided who needs to be sent back to life. They wanted me to tell it out loud. They wanted me to accept my mistakes and face the consequences. True I had destroyed many families but one stood out the most. I had tried to take over the world. What a foolish thing. Where was my brain when I was deciding such things? Did dwelling in the Dark Arts become my downfall? Why is it that I was not able to lead a simple life? I could have become the Minister for Magic, if only I had listened to Slughorn. I could have led a simple, content life; instead I choose to go about it the twisted way.
Harry Potter was similar to me. Both parents dead; living with Muggles and yet he is a better man. He gave me a chance, even though he knew there was no hope. I knew what I was supposed to do now. I had to honor the chance Harry Potter had given me. At least in the Afterlife I had to be a better man.
It had not been ten minutes, when I declared I was ready with the names. The man was shocked, but did not say anything else. The remaining bystanders fell quiet.
I cleared my throat. "All those I call, will get the chance to go back to Earth and live your life that I destroyed." I took a deep breath. Come on! You can do this. "Lily Potter, James Potter, Nymphadora Lupin--"
"Don't call me Nymphadora!" she screamed hotly, glaring at me.
I continued, ignoring her and the laughter that broke out. I even saw Remus' shoulder shaking with laugher, as he had his head buried in her shoulder. "Remus Lupin, Sirius Black, Severus Snape and Fred Weasley."
There was complete silence after I finished. The old man called these seven. They came forward.
"Are you willing to take the second chance?" he asked them.
There was a long pause after which all of them looked at each other and turned to me and then to the old man and nodded their heads.
"It is settled then. You will go to Earth again."
I had to go to Hell. I did not have a choice, but I was allowed in this Common Room!
--END OF Voldemort's POV
A/N: This chapter has been edited recently, that is why there has been no recent updates, working on getting these validated on SIYE and wanting it to be edited. SO I DO HOPE YOU WILL LEAVE A REVIEW IF YOU FIND ANY MISTAKES!