A Peek Into the Future
Harry, about to begin his training as an Auror, sees what his future holds for him – and realizes that he must change his path before it's too late.
Harry yawned. The morning always seemed to come too early for him nowadays. Everything came too early for him, too quickly for him. Everything always had. For some reason, he was feeling the pressure a lot more now that he was away from Hogwarts, away from Hermione and Dumbledore. Once he had graduated, he and Ron had begun their training as Aurors, and Hermione had become Dumbledore's apprentice. Everybody knew that she was going to someday become the Headmistress of Hogwarts, especially since she was the Headmaster's apprentice. She had asked to be Professor Flitwick's apprentice, since Charms was the class she wished to teach the most, but Professor Dumbledore had insisted on her being his apprentice. Hermione seemed the only one who was clueless.
That's not the only thing she's clueless about, Harry thought to himself as he pulled his cotton t-shirt over his head. He smiled, remembering Ron's confessions from the night before. They were now sharing an apartment. He looked over to Ron, whose chest rose and fell in his deep slumber. Harry knew who he was dreaming about.
Only the night before, Ron had confessed how often he thought of Hermione and how much he missed her. Of course, Harry had known that they had a thing for each other, and he had been slightly pissed off that despite his efforts to try and convince him otherwise Ron had not yet told her anything. Everyone else could tell that they both had crushes on each other, but the chance was lost, and Ron knew it. There wasn't much hope that he and Hermione could keep up a relationship over this huge distance.
The worst part was that both of them had crushes on each other, but they didn't realize it. No matter how much everyone said to Ron that Hermione liked him, he didn't believe them. And even Hermione was in denial – Hermione, who was always practical and could always read between the lines.
Harry's heart gave a small pang as he thought of his own crush that he had lost the chance to love. Although he knew that had he been as infatuated with Ginny in his second year as much as she had been with him, they probably wouldn't still be together, but at the same time, he wished very much that he hadn't missed his chance.
Ron rolled over in his sleep. Harry knew that today would be another one of those days where he would be pounding on his shoulders in order to wake him only to find that his efforts were fruitless. So instead of wasting all that time in between, he got out the megaphone Hermione had given him for this purpose.
-
After a very long day of training and testing and hard work, Harry and Ron tromped into their apartment room.
"What a day . . ." Ron murmured.
"Tell me about it. Everyone said that becoming an Auror would be a lot of work, especially Hermione. Remember how she kept telling you that if you were going to be an Auror, you'd have to start waking up earlier and getting your work done before hand?" Harry said.
Ron sighed and replied, "Yeah, 'course I remember. How could I forget?" He sat down on the edge of his bed and massaged his face with his hands. "God, I'd give anything to have her here to scold me right now."
Harry grimaced. "I'm sorry, mate. I know how you feel."
Ron looked at him as though he were crazy. "No, you don't. You have no idea. Just because you liked Cho for, what, a year or two doesn't mean that you know how I feel. This is seven years we're talking about."
"Actually, Ron," he said quietly, "I haven't told you this, because I was afraid you'd get mad or something, but . . ."
His face twisted in horror. "You have a crush on Hermione? Harry, how could you?"
"No, hell no!" Harry cried. "Hermione's all yours! It's your sister, Ginny!"
"Ginny? Oh, yeah, I knew that," Ron said, waving his hand dismissively.
"You . . . you did?" he stuttered.
"Yeah, of course. Everyone knows. And in case you didn't notice, Ginny has a crush on you, too. She just went out with Michael as a cover, and because he was 'semi-cute' and he asked her out first," Ron explained, taking off his shirt.
"Really?"
"Yeah, don't worry about it, mate," he said. "She's been crushing on you forever and a day, probably since the day we met on Platform nine and three-quarters."
Harry smiled to himself. "I can't believe that was eight years ago," he muttered. But his expression changed to one of despair as he said, "Well, why didn't you tell me she liked me when I actually had the opportunity to ask her out?"
"I dunno. I just thought about how annoying it was that everyone is always telling me to ask Hermione out and I didn't want to put you in the same place," Ron said, slipping into his bed.
Harry thought about that one for a moment. Ron had just nonchalantly told him that it got him angry whenever he was pushed to ask out Hermione. How many times had Harry said stuff like that? God, at least every day. Maybe twice a day. He suddenly felt horrible. He looked over to Ron and realized that he had taken their friendship for granted.
"Aren't you going to study a bit first?" Harry asked, pulling out his materials.
"Hell no. Screw Hermione's theories on life and how to get good grades, all I need is a good night's sleep. See you tomorrow," Ron said.
"Alright. G'night."
-
Just because Harry said that he was studying didn't mean that he really was. In fact, he spent most of his time thinking about what Ron had said.
Did Ginny really like him? He went through everything that had happened in the time he had known her. What hints had she dropped? Not many, but he realized that everybody else had dropped their share of hints. Like at the very end of their fifth year, right after Ginny had explained what had happened to Michael and why she wasn't dating him anymore. Ron had said, "Well, make sure to pick someone better next time," or something to that affect, and then his eyes had darted over to Harry. He hadn't noticed it at the time, but he remembered it now.
He remembered in the Chamber of Secrets that sinking feeling in his gut when he saw Ginny lying there on the floor, her skin pasty white, her body cold as ice. He had had the desire to hold her to his chest and warm her, but somehow he had known that it wouldn't work. And also, he hadn't wanted to think that maybe they were the first signs of a crush. So he had just dismissed it as his desire to save her.
Ah, twelve year old boys. So naïve.
And what about that twisted knot in his stomach when he had found out that Ginny and Michael were going out? Yeah, he had been crushing on Cho Chang, but who said that you couldn't have two crushes at once. He had dismissed that as the feeling that he didn't want to see Ginny hurt, and he didn't know what kind of a person this Michael guy was.
Ah, fifteen year old boys. So naïve.
But in addition to that moment in time, he remembered someone mentioning to Ginny her obvious crush on Harry that she had had in her first year, and how she had hastily replied that she was over him.
"She doesn't like me. I know she doesn't. Anyways, you don't want another mess like the one with Cho, do you, Harry?" he said aloud.
"Harry?" Ron murmured. "Why are you talking to yourself?"
Harry jumped, not having realized that he was awake. "Oh, um, I'm not. You were just dreaming. Go back to sleep. Remember your theory on life and how to get good grades?"
"Oh, right," Ron said sleepily. In seconds, he was out like a light.
Just to confirm his thoughts, Harry muttered to himself, "She doesn't like me."
Ah, eighteen year old boys. So naïve.
But he had to concentrate on this work. He needed to become an Auror. He needed to defeat Voldemort. Because if he didn't, there could be no Ginny to love at all. There could be nobody left in the world not under his control. He gripped his quill and began to write.
-
When Harry opened his eyes, he was in a dark room, with almost no furniture. The floors beneath his slippered feet were of a dark mahogany, and the walls were maroon in color. A large area rug covered the floor. A dark fireplace, ashes strewn all over the hearth, stood in the middle of the far wall. A large portrait stood over the fireplace. A single window let in a few rays of light through the holes in the moth-eaten drapes. In the corner, there was a desk, made of dark wood. Papers were scattered all over it, as well as pictures and newspaper clippings and posters of wizards with large signs above their heads reading WANTED. A man, average-sized but thin with dark hair, sat at the desk, his back to Harry. He felt as though he'd seen this room before, but he could not figure out where.
"Hello?" Harry asked the man. He turned around to face him, and Harry almost fainted with shock.
The man had shining green eyes, sparkling behind horn-rimmed glasses. The dark hair on his head was untidy and all over the place, though a comb lay on the desk. Above his eyes, just a little off-center, was a lightning bolt-shaped scar. Harry realized that this man was exactly like himself, only aged a coupe of years. He had a weariness about him, as though he had been working up all night for hours on end.
"Who are you?" Harry asked incredulously.
"Me? Wait a second, who are you?" the man asked. But then he paused, and suddenly, as though it had just come to him, he said, "Oh, you're the younger me! I knew, of course, the second I saw you, I was just wondering what the hell you were doing here . . . now forgive me, 18-year-old me, but I must get back to work. I have a criminal to catch."
"Whoa, hold up a second," said Harry as he the other Harry turned back to his desk. "How the bloody hell did I get here?"
"I dunno, to be perfectly honest, but I know it can happen. But do you know what you're seeing, younger-version-of-me?"
Harry raised one eyebrow and shook his head. Older Harry smiled and said, "You're in a dream, but not just any old dream. This is a special dream, a gift that only a few people get. You've been given this gift because there is something in your future that you might want to change, but if you continue on the path that you are traveling, you will end up like me."
"Well, I don't really see why that's a problem," Harry said. "You've got a large house, you're not living with the Dursleys, and you've got a great job as an Auror. You look busy in your work."
"Yeah, I don't really get why you've been sent here, either. I'm pretty happy the way I am. I mean, of course, I've got a few downsides in my life, but hey, I've got an amazing girlfriend –"
"Wait a minute, who's your girlfriend?" Harry asked.
"Oh, Ginny Weasley. You know, your crush?"
Harry's heart almost stopped in his chest. So he was going to get the girl after all!
"But that's beside the point. You've got to go now. You have to wake up in about five minutes for training and you didn't even get the work done you were looking to finish," Older Harry said.
"But I don't want to go! I want to know more about my future!" he cried.
"Sorry, mini-me. You'll see me tomorrow night. I promise."
"But . . . but . . ."
"See you later, Harry."
-
Harry awoke from the dream.
"That can't be real," he whispered to himself.
"What can't be real?" Ron asked from behind him, making him jump.
"Jesus, Ron, you scared me half to death!" Harry said. "I just had this wicked weird dream, and . . . oh, never mind. I have to get dressed. For once, I'm the one who slept in."
Harry felt like Hermione during lunch. He was sitting there, his food barely touched, a book propped up against his glass.
"What is with you, Harry?" Ron asked him near to the end.
"It's . . . it's that dream I mentioned," Harry replied distractedly. "I just want to see what it all means."
That wasn't a lie. He really was trying to figure out what it meant. But it wasn't that he was trying to interpret it – it was that he was trying to figure out if it could be real. He thought he remembered one of his teachers mentioning something about this phenomenon, but he couldn't remember. He wanted to know if it was really part of his future to have Ginny as a girlfriend.
After wasting almost the entire break he had, he came upon the information he needed. Sure enough, as the "Older Harry" had said in the dream, he was given a gift – a gift to see what his future would hold. The whole concept was called a vision, and it could be given to him by a Seer like Professor Trelawney, or it could occur naturally. Harry couldn't think of any Seers that he knew, so he assumed that it must have occurred naturally. He couldn't wait to get back into the dream and see how his life would really turn out.
-
Harry arrived in the same room again, with Older Harry still working at the desk.
"Back so soon?" Older Harry joked.
"Not soon enough."
Older Harry smiled and said, "Here, have a seat."
Harry was about to sit down in a chair that Older Harry had conjured when there was a knock on the door.
"Damn, not now!" Older Harry cried. "Quick – go hide in the closet. No one else can know that you're here."
Dazed and confused, Harry stumbled into the closet that his counterpart had gestured towards. He heard faintly in the distance someone calling his name – a female. His heart stopped.
"Come in, Ginny!" Older Harry called downstairs. Within a few moments, a tall, red-haired woman appeared that Harry recognized as the Older version of the girl he had a crush on.
"Harry, have you been up all night again?" Ginny asked, putting one hand on either side of Older Harry's face. "You have huge circles under your eyes."
"Yes, I'm afraid I have. I . . . I just feel like I'm getting so close; I don't want to give up now," he said quickly.
"But that's the fifth night this week that you've gone sleepless! This is going a bit too far, don't you think?" Ginny asked, her eyes pleading for him to see her way.
"Of course not! Do you realize how much better life will be once I rid us of this demon? He's horrible, Ginny! I can't let him roam the streets anymore, killing at will! Don't you understand?" Older Harry said irritably, turning back to his desk and resting his head in his hands.
"Of course I understand! Don't make the mistake of thinking I don't want him gone, but think about it – he's impossible to kill!" Ginny said.
"Well, I that's what everyone else thinks, but I'm not so sure. I think there might be some way to stop him."
Ginny sighed and sat down in the chair that had originally been for Harry. "But what about me? You promised that you'd marry me!"
This seemed to peak Harry's interest a little. He turned to face her, his green eyes flashing behind his glasses. He stood up, so they were at eye level of one another. She took his face into her hands and kissed him.
"You promised me, Harry. There is nothing else I want more in life," she said in barely more than a whisper when they withdrew from one another, Harry wishing that he was in Older Harry's place at the moment.
"I know I did, Ginny, but I've told you before, and I'll tell you again," he replied, taking her hands in his and sitting down in chairs facing each other. "Marriage is a commitment I am not ready for. When I made you that promise, I didn't expect to be this close to catching him. I don't want to marry you until I am fully ready to devote everything you need to you. Right now just isn't a good time."
"I don't want to wait forever, Harry! I've waited long enough! You promised to marry me when we were twenty. Now, five years later, here I am, with a golden band with a diamond inset in it around my finger with no other ring beside it," Ginny said.
Older Harry sighed. "But if I marry you now, we will be unsafe. Don't you see that I am doing this for you? I'm trying to save the world for you!"
"Well, while you are trying to save the world, my world is beginning t come crashing down. I need to know if you intend to keep the promise or not."
Older Harry opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. He simply sat there for a moment or two, with the real Harry's heart pounding in his chest, beginning to realize why he was given the gift he was given.
"Look Ginny, I have a lot of work to do. Why don't you come by tomorrow morning and I can discuss it with you then?" he asked.
"I suppose I have no option," she said quietly. Picking up her coat and kissing him softly on the cheek, she added, "I'll see you tomorrow."
Once Ginny had left, Harry emerged from the closet to find Older Harry staring into space and biting his lower lip.
"You alright?" Harry said.
"Yeah, I'll be fine. It's just . . . I dunno. Anyway, it's time for you to go."
Harry knew not to protest. He just waited for himself to wake up, a sinking feeling in his chest.
-
By the time he awoke, Ron was already showered and dressed. And he had some news for Harry.
"Guess what, mate?" he said excitedly. His energy level at the moment was about twenty times greater than that of Harry's.
"What?"
"Someone – or actually, two people – are coming to visit us tomorrow."
"Please don't say the Dursleys," Harry murmured.
"Of course not. Ginny and Hermione! They've got a break, so they're coming to see us!" Ron cried.
Harry suddenly sat bolt upright. "Finally!"
-
Harry anxiously awaited his next vision – not because he wanted to see what glories his future would hold, but to see the reasons why he had to change his path.
When he arrived in the dark room, it was darker than ever. Older Harry was sitting in an armchair facing the fireplace, which was without a fire. He seemed to be clutching something, and he was muttering things and sniffling every so often.
"What's the matter?" Harry called from across the room.
"Nothing. Please go away," Older Harry called back.
Harry realized that shouting would get him nowhere, so he decided to go over and see for himself what the matter was. When he walked around the chair in which the older version of himself was seated, he touched his shoulder gently.
"Come on, what's the matter? If there's something wrong, I need to know. That's the whole reason why I'm here in the first place," Harry pleaded.
Older Harry said nothing. He simply reached out his hand and opened his palm to reveal what he had been holding so tightly. Inside lay Ginny's engagement ring.
"What did you do?" Harry gasped. "How could you mess up my future like that?"
"Oh, shut up, your future was already screwed up anyways. It always has been, from the very beginning."
"Just tell me the whole story," Harry snapped.
"Fine. You want to hear what happens in the next chapter of Harry Potter? Fine. But I warn you, you probably won't believe me, and you'll probably want to kill me. Because it's not pretty," Older Harry said. He sighed and began.
"Well, obviously, you know that your parents were dead. That's the first reason why you will end up like this. The second reason is Ginny. You are going to be so caught up in catching Voldemort, in getting revenge for what he did to your parents and your friends –"
"Wait up a second. I know what he did to Mum and Dad, but what did he do to my friends?" Harry asked, fear creeping into his voice.
"Let me finish!" Older Harry said. "Anyway, you are going to be so caught up in catching Voldemort, in getting revenge for what he did to your parents and your friends that you won't have any time for her. And although you love her very much, you won't show it as much as you'll be able to. And then she'll get tired of waiting for you, and although she loves you, she thinks you don't love her. And she'll leave you forever."
"She didn't . . ." Harry muttered.
"Oh yeah, she did. And trust me, I wish right now that I was never born.
"As for what Voldemort did to your friends, this is what will really make you dive into killing him. One day, you and Ron will discover that Hermione has been kidnapped by him and is being tortured. He knows that you and Ron will go after her. Or at least, he thinks so. But you are going to be too damn lazy, and you are going to get into a huge fight with Ron because of it. You are going to think that if we leave Voldemort alone for awhile, he'll eventually give up. Of course, that's really only because you are waiting to have the glory of killing him yourself, and not with anyone's help. Ron. Of course, will realize that Hermione will be dead within a couple of days, so you better get your asses over there and save her. Ron gets so mad at you that he leaves without you.
"A couple of days later, the bodies of Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger will be found in Voldemort's old hide out, and you will have to live with the thought that the last thing you said to Ron was that he was a stupid, stubborn ass. And also, you will have to know that it was your fault that he's dead because if you had gone with him, all of you probably would have escaped. And also he never got the courage up to even ask her out, let alone tell her how much he loved her. They both died with one good friend but nothing more than that. And that's why your life is going to suck, and that's why you were given this gift."
Harry couldn't believe what he was hearing. He was going to turn into a selfish, rude, obnoxious jerk who doesn't give his girlfriend the love she deserves and who values his own life over his friends. He was going to turn into another Peter Pettigrew.
"I'm telling you, that is why you have been seeing this vision. You have to go back and change what you're doing. I know you think it's important to kill Voldemort and all that shit, but what's more important is to value your friends and take care of your lover. Please, change all this. I don't want to be broken hearted again," Older Harry whispered.
Harry just stood there and prayed to wake up.
-
When Harry awoke from the nightmare that was his future, Ginny was standing over him. He could have kissed her.
"Good morning, Harry," she said quietly.
"Ginny! What are you doing here?" he asked, fatigue dripping from every word.
"Hermione and I came to visit, remember?" she said, a smile crossing her face. "Are you alright?"
"I am now," Harry sighed truthfully. He had never meant in more in all his life.
"You look horrible. You were tossing and turning and muttering things about death and loss and missing chances," Ginny said worriedly.
"It's all in the past, but not in the future," Harry murmured.
"What the bloody hell are you talking about?"
"Oh, nothing, Ginny, just ignore me," he sighed. "I'm just too happy right now to care, and I know what not to do in my future."
"Harry!" Hermione cried, turning to him. "I've missed you so much! How are you?"
"I'm fine now. This stupid Auror training has me up way past my bedtime," he laughed. Ron was standing next to Hermione. He looked happier than he had in days, but at the same time, he looked nervous and afraid.
"D'you mind if I talk to Ron for a moment?" he asked, directing the question to everybody but looking at Hermione in particular.
"Yeah, of course."
Harry grabbed Ron's arm and dragged him over into their bathroom, shutting the door and putting a sound-proofing charm on it.
"Now's your chance, Ron. I don't want to sound like I'm bugging you or anything, but you've been complaining about how much you miss her and now here she is, wanting for you to say something."
"But . . . but Harry . . ."
"I'll make you a deal. If you tell Hermione how you feel, I'll tell Ginny how I feel. Do we have an accord?" Harry said, eyes flashing mischievously.
Ron gnawed at his lower lip, but then said, "Okay, fine. But you better be ready to listen to a lot of sad rejection talk and complaining."
"Don't worry – I doubt you'll need that," Harry replied.
Harry watched as Ron walked slowly over to Hermione and asked if he could talk to her for a moment. He smiled and took Ginny off to the side.
More so for himself than just to watch, he pointed at Ron and Hermione and murmured to Ginny, "Watch this."
They couldn't hear anything, because Ron was talking to Hermione in a voice quieter than Harry ever could have expected from him, but they knew what was happening. They watched as Ron talked for a little while, Hermione sitting patiently and listening to him, her face growing brighter with every word. Finally, she let out a small squeak and threw her arms around him and kissed him.
"Finally," Ginny said quietly, laughing to herself.
"I know, it's about time, huh?" Harry added. But the conversation took a more serious turn as he said, "But you know Ginny, lots of people think there are things I should have done a long time ago that I haven't done yet."
"What, kill You-Know-Who?" Ginny said. "Harry, you know that's impossible. We both know that."
Taking her hand into his, he said, "Actually, I was thinking of something else."
"Like what?" she asked, her gaze focused on his large hands covering hers.
"Like this," he whispered. And he wrapped one arm around her waist and the other pushed a stray hair behind her ears and he kissed her. And he didn't know whether or not she was enjoying this.
But he had a feeling she might.
When it was over, his hands were shaking. He hadn't actually kissed anyone since Cho in their fifth year, and that was only once, and she had been crying at the time. He hadn't been sure if it was because of his kissing that she had cried or because she realized that she was falling for a geek like Harry Potter. But now, his hands were shaking because he knew that his future would be determined in her answer.
She sat there a moment, her mouth partway open, her expression a mixture of shock and . . . something. He didn't know what the something was. But then:
"Oh, Harry!" she cried, and flung her arms around him and engulfed him in a huge hug, and he never wanted to let go. He looked over to Ron over his shoulder. He had his arm around Hermione's waist, and they were watching him just as he and Ginny had watched them. He smiled and closed his eyes and knew that although he may well end up in a dark room with a desk in a corner and a fireplace with no fire, he would certainly not be alone in that room – he would have his two best friends and a wife with two rings on her finger.
Two rings were much better than none.