Harry's Last Wish

It had taken all of the boy's courage to step out from behind the bush. He was scared and to be honest he didn't know if he should be, or if he should be relieved. This girl that was watching him was his hero. She was a short scrawny little thing but she had chased his cousin away. Harry was unsure at this point whether he was in more trouble or if he was safe. She looked at him shyly and spoke softly, "Well, aren't you going to come out. Dudley won't come back, he knows better." Harry felt reassured and, taking a deep breath, he stepped up to her. She put a hand on his arm and Harry flinched violently. The girl noticed but instead of letting him go, she wrapped her thin little arms around his waist and buried her head into his chest. Harry stood frozen, and then slowly he wrapped his arms around her rail thin body. "Thank you." The words that the girl spoke shocked him out of his state. Harry looked down at her as she loosened her arms, "What did I do, you're the one who chased them away." The girl smiled, "But you gave me something I've never ever had before." Harry looked at her bemused. The small girl shyly looked at him, "You gave me a hug! I've never had one of those before." Then the girl turned and dashed away. Harry looked after the girl and sighed quietly, "Neither have I."

Harry was sitting on a swing bored out of his mind. The fourteen-year-old was dragging his feet and watching as they traced grooves into the soft dirt. Frustration filled him at the hopelessness of his situation. He was never going to get away from the Dursleys, he understood why despite what Dumbledore believed. He could see the wards around the house, he had been able to see them since he turned 13 and his magical inheritance began to develop. What he didn't understand was why Dumbledore was persisting to keep secrets from him. Harry sighed and stood up to move out of the incessant glare of the sun, but then froze. He turned around and saw someone that he hadn't seen in five years. She too froze, when she saw Harry turn to her. The two stared at each other until finally Harry broke, "Hi again, my name is Harry." The girl smiled softly and stepped closer, "Hello Harry. It is nice to finally know the name of my hero." Harry looked at her bemused, "No, no; I think that's backwards. You were my hero." The girl's smile grew and she chuckled softly, "Maybe we were each other's heroes. My name is Aaliyah, by the way." Harry smiled at the girl, "Do you want to do something, because I for one am bored out of my mind." Aaliyah laughed then, a soft gentle laugh that reminded Harry of the wind blowing through the trees. "I would love to, but won't your parents want to know where you are?" Harry studied the girl for a moment, "As long as I'm home before Dudley my Aunt and Uncle won't care." Now it was Aaliyah's turn to study Harry. Harry grabbed her hand and pulled her along, "Come on, I'll explain later." The two took off down the road. Sometime later, after wandering around chatting about aimless things, Harry and Aaliyah came across a path. Harry looked hesitant but Aaliyah laughed, "Come on Harry; unless you're scared of course." That did it. Harry followed Aaliyah along the path and into the forest until they came to a clearing. Aaliyah flopped down onto the grass and Harry followed her example. Harry stared at Aaliyah and smiled when he saw her questioning look, but he couldn't tear his gaze away. The scrawny, rail thin child had grown into a beautiful young woman. Her once scraggly, bleach blonde hair had darkened to a warm, silky, golden blonde mess of loose curls. Her skin was lightly tanned. Her nose was the same, a gently curve that curled gently around the tip. The girl wasn't overly tall at 5'4, three inches shorter than his 5'7. But what caught Harry's attention were her eyes. Her bright baby blue eyes had darkened to a blue-grey that made her look more serious. Her eyes seemed to pierce him, and suddenly he found himself spilling everything out on her. Aaliyah heard about his time at Hogwarts, and about his time at the Dursleys. She heard about his fears and about his hopes. And throughout his entire speech Aaliyah did not interrupt once. When Harry stumbled through some parts, overcome by tears, Aaliyah drew him into a hug. She held him tight as he sobbed out his story and when he finished, she looked at him but didn't say a word. Then she began her own story. Harry heard about her parents, about her prat of a brother. He heard about her school and what she was planning on doing when she got out. Too soon the sun began to set and Harry stood up to leave. "Wait, Harry!" Harry turned back to the girl and felt himself being pulled downward by the collar of his shirt, "I really had fun, let's do this again tomorrow." Harry nodded and then without warning felt Aaliyah's warm lips on his own. As soon as it had started, it ended. Harry watched dazed as the girl smiled once more then hurried out of the clearing.

The next day found Harry waiting impatiently in the clearing. He studied the clearing trying to clear his thoughts. He saw that one of the trees had a branch broken off it. Trying to stay busy, Harry went to look at the tree and investigate what had happened. There was no branch on the ground so Harry immediately assumed that some kid had broken it off, and it saddened him. But a look at the tree caused that line of thought to halt. The wound in the tree looked old. It was healed over with a sharp splintered end. What intrigued Harry was that the stump was still somehow alive. The clearing of a throat behind him caused him to turn. It was Aaliyah, watching him and looking quite amused. She plopped down onto the ground and patted the spot beside her. Harry grinned and lowered himself to the dirt. Feeling rather mischievous, Harry leaned over, and to the shock of Aaliyah, kissed her gently on the cheek. Blood immediately rushed to Aaliyah's face as she blushed softly. Then she too felt rather mischievous and crawling into Harry's lap she pushed her lips onto Harry's but she didn't remove them right away. Soon his lips began to move in sync with hers. Finally Aaliyah broke it off, and gasped for a breath. Suddenly she felt rather uncomfortable in Harry's lap and squirmed to get off but Harry held her fast and then pressed a sweet, gentle kiss to her lips before letting her go. Aaliyah and Harry were both blushing and after a minute Aaliyah spoke up again. "Well, as much as I enjoyed that, I actually have a present for you." She reached into her backpack and pulled out a larger than normal book. Harry took the proffered book and flipped in open and found…nothing. It was nothing but blank, cream colored pages. A quick glance saw Aaliyah watching him with a smirk on her face, obviously amused. When Harry continued to look confused she reached again into her bag. This time she pulled out a small box. Harry opened it and saw a variety of different pencils. Aaliyah knew he was still confused so she explained, "It's a drawing book. I know you have nightmares and I thought that you needed to learn to express yourself. I wasn't sure if you could draw but I thought it was worth a try." Harry just stared at Aaliyah. A look of uncertainty crossed her face, "If you don't like it I can get you something else." Harry shook his head and then suddenly found himself hugging Aaliyah. Never before had he received such a thoughtful gift. He had the broom polishing kit that he received from Hermione last year and the sweater from Mrs. Weasley at Christmas, but this was something completely different. "Thank you." Harry whispered.

Harry was in a really bad mood. He had known, of course, that the Weasley's were going to pick him up, but he had expected to have a little bit of time. But no, they had come and he was immediately swept out of the house. He scowled as he kicked at a clump of grass, and then sighed. He wasn't actually mad at the Weasleys; no, he was just upset that he had to leave Aaliyah without saying goodbye. He plopped down onto the grass at his feet and pulled his bag onto his lap. Out of it he pulled out his drawing pad and his pencils. Slowly he flipped open the book and page by page flipped through the sketches. He had been surprised to find that he actually could draw. He had a natural eye for detail and although his first sketches were rough, he was definitely improving. He flipped over the last page and stared at the blank cream colored sheet. In Harry's opinion this was always the hardest part, deciding what to draw. At the sound of laughter he turned his head and saw the Weasleys all out in the backyard. They were in the same general area. Mrs. Weasley with her apron around her waist was leaning on a chair that one of the children was sitting on. Mr. Weasley was sitti ng on the ground, Ginny leaning against him, as he vividly told his story. The rest of the children were gathered around and all were enthralled in the story. Harry's mind memorized the picture and after a while he set pencil to paper and began to draw.

It was over. Ron and Hermione watched silently as Harry took all of the praise that was directed at him. He never said anything about it, but the two knew that Harry was annoyed, tired, angry, frustrated, and injured. Exchanging glances Ron and Hermione started forward. Ron stood up on one of the benches and yelled, "Oi!" The entire hall turned to look at him. Ron immediately turned bright red, but taking a deep breath continued, "If you lot don't mind, Harry wants to be left alone. He hasn't had a break in over a year, so lay off; now! Thank you!" Ron hopped down and he and Hermione each grabbed one of Harry's arms. They gently guided him out, while the hall sat in silence. The people in the hall had finally realized that Harry wasn't doing well and allowed the Trio to leave.

Up in Gryffindor tower, Hermione and Ron gently set Harry down on the bed. He smiled weakly up at them, "Thanks guys." Harry smiled softly and lay down, closing his eyes briefly. Ron and Hermione turned to leave when Harry sat up again. "Hermione, can I have my rucksack, please." Hermione reached over and pulled out her beaded bag. Rummaging around with her head practically buried in the bag, she eventually found Harry's bag. Harry beamed when Hermione handed it to him, "Thanks". Hermione and Ron stepped out of the doorway and gently closed the door behind them after taking one last glance at their sleeping friend.

Harry was sick. He found himself unable to sleep, and he always felt weak. Years of bad living conditions were finally catching up with him, and Harry could barely cope. He probably could have recovered, but his nightmares made it impossible to rest for more than a few hours. Reaching over, Harry grabbed his sketchbook and set to work, drawing yet another image that had come to his head. His hands were permanently gray these days, and the notebook was filled to the brim. He had very few pages left, but he was using them in the best way possible. He couldn't believe that it had only been a couple months since the fall of Voldemort, or as Harry had taken to calling him, Tom Riddle. He had long ago realized that this was the ultimate act of defiance. A knock at the door told him that someone was about to enter and he quickly stashed his book under the covers. Hermione came in carrying a tray of food, a fixed smile on her face as she fought to conceal her despair for her friend.

Harry glanced at the moon through the window and he smiled softly as he added a couple more lines to the portrait. He was so tired but he was determined to finish his picture, his last picture. He gently shaded an edge and then gazed critically at the work. A relaxed and content smile set itself on his face and he sighed with happiness. He was so tired, and he knew that it was his time. He was ready, and he had many regrets, but he was ready. With one last glance out the window Harry lay down and closed his eyes, never to open them again. And so it ended, on October 31, 1998, 17 years after it had all begun.

Hermione knocked softly before entering the room. She immediately dropped the tray in shock. The crash reverberated through the house and Hermione felt a scream rip from her throat. The rest of the Weasleys were in the room instantly. They all looked at Hermione questioningly; but as with Hermione, it only took Ron one glance. He slowly strode forward and brushed a hand along Harry's still warm face. It hurt to know that Harry would never again be there to laugh with him and to cry with him, or to tell him to stop being a git. But Harry hadn't been like that for a long time, not since the end of the war. Even though it hurt, Ron knew that his best friend was finally at peace. A knock at the door startled him and the entire room turned to look at the house-elf who had asked for their attention, "A guest to see Mr. Potter, Sir. She says that she is an old friend of Mr. Potter." Ron stilled in shock and surprise, and then shook himself when he felt Hermione put a hand on his arm. "Let her up, Winky. I'll explain to her when she gets here." Ron wondered which of their old school friends would come here at this time of night to see Harry. He stood facing the door, waiting for Winky to escort the guest up. He did not get what he expected. The young woman who entered was completely foreign to Ron. She had her head bowed over talking to the child in her arms. Ron cleared his throat and the woman tore her gaze up. A smile crept onto her features, "You must be Ron. Harry has told me so much about you." Ron stood dumbfound. He had absolutely no idea who this woman was. The woman glanced around the room and then he smile faded immediately. Her gaze had fallen upon the still figure on the bed, and tears threatened to spill from her eyes. "Oh", she said simply. Slowly she walked over to the prone form and gently ran the back of her hand across Harry's face. "Oh, Harry. If only you had held on a little longer" she said softly. She slowly pulled the sketch book from his arms, and leaning over she gently pressed a kiss to his forehead, to both of his cheeks, and then finally to his lips, "Rest well, my love."

Turning back to the crowd of friends and loved ones, she slowly held out the sketch book to Ron and Hermione. "He wanted you to have this. He told me that one day he would show you two, I guess that day is today." Ron took the book in his arms and ran a hand along it. The woman smiled as Ron carefully opened the book and then gasped. Hermione quickly looked over his shoulder and she put a hand over her mouth. The rest of the Weasleys came over and Ron held out the book so all could see. The first page was a simple tree, but the detail was amazing. It was the tree that Harry had studied so long ago, the one that was broken but still alive. The next image had everyone recoiling in fright. The dark eyes of Voldemort stared back at them. The next couple of pictures were similar. They were dark and terrorizing, and the family could tell that Harry was a haunted soul. Ron kept flipping until he came upon the picture that Harry had drawn after his fourth year, the picture of the Weasleys. He closed his eyes as tears threatened to leak out.

He looked up at the woman and then blurted out his question, "Who the bloody hell are you?" He wasn't angry, merely upset about Harry and curious about who this woman was, she had obviously known Harry well. Surprise flitted across her features and then a sheepish look replaced it. "Oh, I am so sorry. I didn't even think that…" she trailed off. Glancing at Harry again she smiled, "I'm Aaliyah. I knew Harry growing up; we spent much of the summers together. However, I've been in France trying to clean up this mess until just recently, and Harry was obviously too stubborn to tell me that he was dying." Ron flinched at the way that she said it, and then paused, "So you are a witch then?" Aaliyah smiled, "Yes, I actually attended Beauxbatons. I work for the Ministry in France and well between my job and this little girl, life has been busy. Attention turned to the child in Aaliyah's arms. "What's her name?" someone asked, even as another asked, "How old is she?" Aaliyah looked tenderly down at her child, "She is two years old in a month. Her name is Aidan Lily Isabella Potter."

Everyone stared at the woman. "Potter!" Ron sat down suddenly, and Hermione rushed to his side. "His will…" Ron mumbled weakly. Hermione and the rest looked at him, "What do you mean Ron?" Ron lifted his head, "Last month he contacted Gringotts. They came to speak to him and he looked so satisfied when they left. He said something about a will and providing for his family. I didn't know what he meant then, but now it makes sense. He was making sure that his child was provided for." Ron turned to Aaliyah, "Were you married?" Aaliyah sighed softly, "No, we were going to get married after the war, but he has been sick and I was in France." Tears began to slide down her cheek. Ginny moved from the door and pulled Aaliyah into her arms. "Harry was an amazing person, and he was lucky to have you." Aaliyah leaned into her arms and then pulled out suddenly. She rushed toward Ron and pulled the drawing book out of his arms. She frantically flipped to the last page and then stared at it. Slowly she traced the lines with her finger as tears fell down her face. Then she looked at the Weasleys, "Will you care for Aidan?" They stared back in shock, and Hermione reeled on her, "You would abandon your own child because the one you love is dead?" Aaliyah whirled on her, "First of all, she isn't my daughter; and second, I love Aidan but I cannot care for her, it would be better for all if you would take her in. It was Harry's wish; I just came to deliver it." Hermione stared in shock. Aaliyah stared at her, begging clear in her eyes, and Hermione nodded slowly.

Aidan Potter sighed heavily and closed her Charms book. She pushed her long, curly blonde hair out of her face as she stared up at the picture on her wall. Today was August 31st. Tomorrow she would be returning to Hogwarts for her seventh and final year. A knock at the door made her turn. Hermione was standing in the doorway smiling down on her, "Big day tomorrow, hey?" Aidan didn't answer she just sat as she tried to answer as expected, but Hermione saw through it. Entering the room, she plunked down on the bed and put a hand on Aidan's leg. Aidan's gaze turned to the picture again, "Do you think my dad would have been proud of me?" Worry was clear in the dark emerald eyes; eyes she had received when Harry had blood adopted her. Hermione drew her into a hug, "Of course he would be proud of you. Your father loved you so much, that he envisioned so much for you, more than he could give you. He loved you so much that he left you to me and the rest of the family." Hermione patted Aidan's leg and then stood up and left the room. Aidan continued to study the portrait, and then a smile blossomed over her face. I love you little one, no matter what…

Aidan stood and left the room, confident that all would be alright; that something was right in the world.

A framed portrait hung on the wall. It was of Aidan, as a child, surrounded by who she now called family: the Weasleys, Hermione, Aunt Minnie, Teddy and more. This is what Harry envisioned for his precious daughter, for all of the loved ones that he died for.