Harry Potter: Forgiving
Author's Note: I got this idea while I was reading the bio of willyolioleo. He writes about Forgiveness of many characters under the title "Forgiveness for Every One! Yay!" This is my first foray into writing. It is sarcastic take on forgiveness and the events take place just after the final battle at Hogwarts. There will be parody of almost all the characters. If you are not into that kind of stories and think it is unreasonable as the moments just after the battle are emotional, please don't read any further. This is an implied H/Hr. May even end H/Hr. Don't like it, don't read it. I hope you enjoy it.
Disclaimer: I own nothing. All the characters belong to JKRowling and the publishers of the Harry Potter books.
The war is over. Voldemort is dead. Harry Potter did it as foretold by the Prophecy. Er… not exactly like it said ("at the hand of the other") but just by the unending, unwavering luck which has been the most faithful companion of him since his birth. Oh, but who cares? After all Voldemort is dead.
Everyone was in the Great Hall celebrating, mourning, sharing hugs, reuniting with their families. Harry and Hermione were sitting near the platform where the Head table used to occupy, so as to not disturb the Weasleys from their family moment.
Harry Potter was sad yet relieved that it's finally over and there would be no surprises, no need to see that snake-faced fellow again and his life can finally be normal. Oh, but how wrong he was, for just at that moment there was a noise like someone was laughing and suddenly he found that snake face again in front of him.
Harry was shocked but he could see that there was something odd with the body of the snake-faced man. He finally noted that it was transparent, just like the ghosts in the castle.
Someone in the crowd yelled "But…but…you are dead"
"Of course I am dead silly boy. Can't you see I am a ghost?"
"But…but… she said you can't come back as a ghost as your soul is so very much broken," one of the Gryffindor's fourth year girls said.
"Ah! Yes, but you see my dear I finally told them that I felt remorse for all things I have done and the people there combined my all parts of soul to make it complete. This, combined with the fact that I was afraid of death paved the way for me to become a ghost."
While everyone was shocked and are watching the proceedings with expressions ranging from fear, amazement to curiosity one of the empty portraits in the Great Hall is graced with the presence of Albus Percivial Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, called by many as the greatest, wisest and most caring wizard of all-time.
"Oh, how I fooled everyone," thought Dumbledore with a mental chuckle while popping a Lemon Drop. "Thank Merlin I made sure the boy was a doofus otherwise with all the manipulations, planning and the many mistakes I made during their implementation would have been discovered. Well, that and I made sure he befriended the nitwit of the highest order and was able to manipulate Granger's respect for authority figures."
"And they believed you?" asked Hermione with more than a little surprise and anger.
"Yes" replied Tom looking quite happy.
"Couldn't they detect that you are lying?" looking queasy at that sight of a cheerful Tom as it was really revolting.
Voldemort laughed, "Of course they could. But you see the people who were in-charge of my case were more like her and Dumbledore. They are all about giving innumerable chances to everyone (irrespective of whether they deserve it or not) and they are quite idiotic as they believe every sob story people give. They don't care if the person really changes or not. They don't care how their decision to give more chances would affect the others."
"That's outrageous!" cried Hermione.
"It's nothing more than what your dear headmaster has been doing all his life. I don't see any one questioning him," observed Tom.
Hermione appeared to back-off at this reasoning or maybe it was due to the calming hand of Harry on her shoulder.
"She said you were beyond redemption," another girl in the crowd reasoned.
"But those people didn't think so," countered Tom.
Getting over his shock and resigned to the fact that he has deal with this situation Harry finally mouthed his own doubt "I just dispatched you. How did you convince them that you felt remorse in just a matter of hours?"
"Ah! Dear boy, but you know that time has no meaning where I was stranded. After all you were there with dear old Albus," reminded Tom pointing towards Dumbledore's portrait.
Harry and everyone now turned their heads to see Dumbledore smiling in a grandfatherly way.
"How come you chose this kind of life? You never liked the idea of just floating around without a body," asked Harry.
"I changed my mind. If I couldn't rule the world then I thought I could live by scaring some of the kids who come to Hogwarts," said Tom looking very cheerful.
"You ARE ugly," observed Hermione.
"Thanks."
"Go on then, try and scare someone and stop bothering me," growled Harry.
"Of course, Harry Potter. But, there is a problem you see,"
"What is that? Why are you even telling me all this? Can't you just leave me alone," said Harry clearly irritated.
"You see, they said I could remain as a ghost only if you forgive me," replied Tom.
Harry was momentarily stunned into silence and then burst out laughing. He was laughing so hard and didn't seem to stop anytime soon. It looked like some hexed him with high powered cheering charm combined with a tickling hex.
It was long time before Harry seemed to stop and get some words out of his mouth like "You….Me…Forgi…." which set him off again.
Finally Hermione decided it was enough and she hit him with Aguamenti.
Now a thoroughly soaked and out of his laughing spree Harry turned to Tom and asked "Why in the world should I forgive you Tom? Did you really think I would, given how you ruined mine and many other people's lives?"
Riddle just looked ahead and before he could reply the greatest, wisest and most caring wizard said "Harry my boy! But you will forgive him," with twinkling eyes
"What? How can you say that? I will never forgive him. If you think that I…you know nothing…the things I had to face all these years because of him," fumed Harry
"I know more than you think for I have watched you more closely than you think," intoned Dumbledore
"You sitting their…in that portrait…you think I give a shit what you think and what you have to say."
"Of course you do Harry."
"No I don't and I won't forgive him."
"Yes you would. It is after all for the Greater Good."
"No."
"Yes."
"No."
"Yes, and I can do this without getting affected much as I am merely a painting. But, you will be troubled, irritated as this goes on," said Dumbledore smiling smugly.
"You should at least listen to what Tom has to say for his deeds," added Dumbledore.
"Fine. Anyway you are going to brain-wash me into doing whatever you want me to do as you have done many times. I might as well get this over with," sighed Harry.
"Most agreeable of you Harry," cheered Dumbledore "I think you should start talking Tom"
"Well, tell me Potter if I didn't do any one the bad things would you and your friends would have reached these great heights as saviours of the wizarding world?"
"So? That's very silly excuse isn't it? You killed my Mum and Dad and tried to kill me many times starting with when I was a baby."
"It's not my fault Albus did not apprehend Severus and erase his memory of listening to the Prophecy. Everyone wants to protect themselves when there is danger," reasoned Voldemort.
Turning to Dumbledore Harry asked "Why didn't you?"
"Aside from the fact that it was for the Greater Good, Alas my boy you are not old enough to hear the truth."
"Come on! I am 17 for Merlin's sake!"
"Not much when compared to my age and I care too much for you to burden you with the truth," said Dumbledore with a heavy sigh.
"I should have known you would say that considering the many things you have kept from me before."
"You are learning my dear boy. That's the thing you should understand and accept. You never have and never will get the truth from me. I would of course give you some obscure hints and let you figure it out at your own risk. It is very amusing," said Albus with a chuckle.
"And yet with a twisted reasoning I seem to wonder how I could be angry with you anymore."
"That is what your inner power Harry which Tom here was never able to understand. The power of love," said the greatest, wisest and most caring wizard of all-time.
A thoroughly confused Harry questioned "What? You mean my twisted reasoning is also love?"
"Of course Harry everything I want to be is love."
"Okay. That seems to make no sense."
"I told you many times mate. He is barking all right," said Ron Weasley speaking for the first time.
Ron didn't say anything until now because his brain couldn't understand all these theories about broken souls. And the concepts like redemption, forgiveness were really foreign to him. As he gave up listening to all the discussion, his entire focus automatically shifted towards Dumbledore in the portrait as he seemed to eat many of those lemon drops but the bowl which held them never seemed to get empty. This surprised him and he started dreaming about never ending supply of all the sweets, chocolate-frogs and any other food.
He thought maybe there is a spell which makes it possible and he would learn it as soon as possible. The thought of learning something suddenly broke him out of his funk as his laziness started to take over. Then with a flash of brilliance he thought that he can always make Hermione learn the spell and do it for him. This again set his brain (or was it the stomach?) on a fantastic journey of mounds of food, rivers flowing with pumpkin juice as such.
But you see, all those dreams created a problem again. They made him hungry which again brought him back to the land of the living and he heard Harry saying whatever that Dumbledore said isn't making sense. This he understood (well somewhat!) and seeing all the attention is now on Harry made him jealous. Determined to make his presence known he finally opened his mouth to say something.
"Merlin's beard! This is never going to end," muttered Harry "just tell me what do you want me to do Professor"
"You should forgive him Harry after all it is for the Greater Good," replied the headmaster.
"But, why? It is not like anything bad will happen if I don't forgive him"
"Magic is a mysterious thing Harry, anything is possible and it is for the Greater Good as I said."
"How is it for the Greater Good?" asked Harry thoroughly irritated by now.
"As I said Harry sometimes it is better not to know and I care too much to burden you," said the grandfatherly wizard.
"But he doesn't deserve it," argued Harry
Stroking his beard and popping a lemon drop Dumbledore said "It doesn't matter whether they deserve it or not my dear boy. It is all about your ability to forgive others."
"That's so convoluted. Just because you have a good heart and can forgive people for their wrong doings doesn't mean you have to forgive everyone. If you forgive everyone irrespective of whether they deserve it or not, it totally clashes with the concept of having a good heart and the gravity of the forgiveness. It just diminishes the value of forgiveness," reasoned Hermione.
"You are quite young understand my reasoning Miss Granger."
"You just want everyone to dance to your tune," interjected Hermione scathingly.
'I don' think I can take this anymore' thought Harry. With that he addressed Dumbledore "Fine. Just bloody fine. You want me to forgive him because it is-"
"For the Great Good," added the greatest, wisest and most caring wizard of all-time with twinkling eyes.
"Fine Tom. I will forgive you on the condition that you will never bother me or my friends again. Is that clear?" asked Harry.
"Fine, Potter. I won't. I will have lot of firsties to scare-off," with that Voldemort left with a weeeee to get reacquainted with the castle.
With a tired sigh Harry dropped his head on Hermione's shoulder and muttered "Oh Merlin! I am so tired. I thought everything would be normal but it seems he can still make my life miserable even if it was for a short time"
"Oh Harry! It's over now and you can relax" said Hermione in a soothing voice running her fingers through his hair.
This particular action caused different reactions from different people.
For Harry it calmed and relaxed his nerves almost sending him into a peaceful slumber. With drooping eyes Harry mumbled "I doubt it," in reply to Hermione's words that it is over.
For Ginny it brought the famous Weasley temper to the surface and she thought 'That Granger bitch! Running hands through my Harry's hair! How dare she?'
For Ron it naturally made him jealous and unfortunately this in turn made him hungrier. Thinking how to turn Hermione's attention towards him, he tried to remember something which could help him from the Twelve Fail-Safe Ways to Charm Witches. As his brain worked through this conundrum, it consumed much of his energy which naturally made him hungrier than before. Abandoning the use of his brain Ron simply walked over to Harry and Hermione and tried to get her attention by placing his hand on her shoulder.
Well, it appears that the people in the Great Hall are doomed to witness the jealousy and hunger induced tirades of Ron Weasley sometime soon on this day for exactly when he was going to place a hand on Hermione there was scream of agony followed by whimpering of man.
More Author notes:
Read and Review. Tell me if there are any errors and grammatical mistakes. Well if any one likes this and wants to read more then I will update the remaining parts. I think everybody knows who "She" is. Take a guess who is the one that is screaming at the end. After all, there are many characters to be forgiven