What could have been
A fic that celebrates the final two movies, Part one and two
Harry Potter sat on his bed back in the cruelness and boredom of the Dursleys. It was mid August and this time, he did not count down the days until September the first. This year, which was supposed to be his last time at school, he would not be returning to Hogwarts. He would be out searching for the horcruxes.
"Do you think we're ever going to come back?"
Hermione had asked him this. He only doubted that now. He did not believe he was ever going to see Hogwarts again. He would never again lay eyes on its tall brown towers, its green grass land, or its expanding black lake. Nor did he expect to ever again see the forbidden forest. Or maybe he was wrong? Perhaps he would return to Hogwarts if he was successful in defeating Voldemort. If he could end the war, he would be known as something even better than "The chosen one".
Was he going to survive? Was he? Neither can live while the other survives. Harry had worked this out at the beginning of the summer but it still didn't make any clear sense. "Neither can live" (which meant they would both be killed) "while the other survives" (that could only mean resurrection). One of them would come back to life, but Hermione had said there was no possible way to reawaken the dead. But what if there was? This brought Harry back to the question that had been irking him for about two whole months. What if he wasn't the one to come back? If Voldemort returned again and Harry was dead, would there be any way to destroy him?
Sometimes Harry wondered if it would be easier to kill himself. But then he would have been made a coward. He couldn't do that to Ron or Hermione. All of the people that loved him wanted him to live and he knew that it would only please the Dursleys if he hung himself or cut his wrists. There was no other option but to keep fighting.
Harry stood and put a shirt on. He walked down the stairs and saw that Aunt Petunia was still in the kitchen.
"I'm going out," he called to her.
There was no response. She did not turn to look at him. All that came out of her mouth was a "Hmph!" of irritation and silence.
Harry stood there, waiting to see if there was more. After a few more moments of silence he said
"I'll be back when I can."
Harry walked outside, knowing full well that Moody probably wouldn't approve of this. He walked for a while until he arrived at the playground where Dudley and he had been attacked by dementors. Harry had mustered up all of his energy and casted a patronus that sent the dementors soaring off, a deed that Dudley had still not showed appreciation for.
Harry sat on a swing and began to drift off when
"Hello there Harry."
A little boy's voice came from behind him.
Harry looked around and was startled. The child was about twelve years old with jet black hair, glasses, and green eyes. He looked just like Harry.
"Wh- who are you?" Harry questioned.
The boy smiled.
"I'm what could have been," he said.
Harry sat on the swing as the boy placed himself on the one next to him.
"What are you talking about?" Harry asked.
"Well, I could have existed like you do but instead I live like this; in dreams," he replied. "I still don't-,"
"Harry…. I'm your little brother."
There was uneasy silence.
"What do you mean?" Harry asked.
"My name's Daniel and I'm what would have been if Voldemort hadn't killed our parents. Mum would have had me when you were five and we would have grown up together, fought a lot but still loved each other. You see, people like me who were never born; live in what's like a dream world. I first got to live in the life of what could have been and then I come to watch over you. I'm in your mind and heart all of the time Harry and you're even braver than the Harry I grew up with."
A smile spread across Harry's face, however it wasn't a large one.
"You're my li… little brother?"
Daniel nodded.
"You're only dreaming Harry, but I do exist. I just don't exist in your world. I wish my world was reality except for one thing."
"What's that?" Harry asked.
"In my world, Dumbledore is the minister and the war is still going on even after the night when Voldemort failed to kill our parents. Lupin's the head master of Hogwarts and you're just a boy at Hogwarts sitting on the side lines. You have all of the same friends and you're still popular and you play quidditch. I come to school in you're sixth year and everything. That's all good except the way it ends."
"How does it end?" Harry asked.
"Death," Daniel said. "I thought I was in heaven after I died but then I was told by an angel that I only existed in dreams. It was almost too much to take but when I accepted it, I came to your mind. Time moved slower for you. You were younger than I when I came to your mind. You were only eleven."
Daniel was sniffling now. He seemed to be so tired, as if nothing would please him more than to collapse into a bed.
"So, you were with me the whole time?" Harry asked.
Little Daniel nodded.
He then stood and held out his hand.
"I can show you everything. How life could have gone for you. Just take my hand and you'll see an alternate reality."
Harry looked down on the boy. Daniel was rather small for his age, but he probably got that from Harry himself.
Harry reached out his hand and grasped the hand of his little brother. Suddenly, the lights everywhere went out and there was only darkness. At first it was similar to appariting, but then Harry felt as if he was floating. Everything went to bright white and Harry looked down to see that his cloths had changed. He was wearing nothing but white and he had no shoes. He saw his brother wearing the same thing.
"Daniel?" he asked. "Where are we?"
"The beginning of the change," Daniel smiled.
All of a sudden, he disappeared and was nowhere to be seen.
"Daniel?" called out Harry.
He felt a sudden tingling and watched the white dissolve into a lit house. He was inside of it. Halloween decorations were adorned everywhere and he could see that it was dark outside. Harry turned his head and saw his father carrying a small little boy with dark hair as well. James Potter seemed to not notice the older Harry at all.
"Dad," Harry said.
BOOM!
The door was blasted open by a wand's spell. A large dark figure with a black robe stepped inside.
"Lily, it's him! Take Harry and RUN!"
He passed the baby to the screaming wife and turned to face the dark lord.
James pulled out his wand-
The image froze.
"You see?" said Daniel's voice from nowhere. "In your world, dad didn't take his wand off of the table in the other room but in my time, he never left it anywhere."
The image resumed.
-and pointed it at the stale looking man who had just removed his hood. Voldemort looked about the same except that his skin was greyer and had more wrinkles.
"Well, well, well," the dark lord Voldemort said in his high, cold, rasped voice.
"So you're Voldemort eh?" James said.
"What gave it away?" Voldemort snickered.
"STUPIFY!" screamed James.
The spell was cast aside by a lazy flick of the white, bone like wand.
"Flippendo!" cried Voldemort.
James flew into the air and crashed onto a side table. His wand rolled to where Voldemort was standing. The dark lord began to laugh.
"Not so easy is it? It's quite complicated to kill the one and only dark lord."
James stood and clutched at his chest.
"Go to hell you bastard," James whimpered.
"My dear Potter, how can you go to hell if you can never die? I shall be the one to send my enemies straight to hell!"
"What makes you think I'm going there?" James spat.
"Just a happy thought of mine," Voldemort replied coolly.
His wand rose into the air until-
VROOOM!
The sound of a motor bike came and Voldemort turned to see Sirius flying in on a motorcycle.
It touched down on the hard floor and Sirius leapt off.
"Hello there you son of a bitch!" he shouted.
Non verbally, he sent a jet of light at Voldemort which was deflected as easy as James's stun had been.
"Fool," Voldemort said. "AVADA-
"Reducto!" screeched James who had retrieved his wand.
The spell slammed into the dark lord's back and he was thrown off of his feet and over Sirius. Voldemort slammed onto the hard floor. He lay there for a second before lifting himself up and preparing to fire on the two men.
"James," Sirius said.
"What?" James asked.
"It's been a pleaser."
"It most certainly has been."
The both casted Protago charms as the dark lord shot spell after spell at them. Finally, his strongest stunning spell ripped throw Sirius's shield like a towel and sent him through the air to fall onto the uncarpeted wooden steps.
"NO!" James wailed.
Voldemort thrashed his wand and made a jet of green light fly out and toward James. He dived out of the way before it was too late and shot a killing curse at Voldemort. He ducked slightly and let the curse fly past him.
"You know, trusting Wormtail as your secret keeper was a terrible idea," Voldemort laughed. "He betrayed you."
"He always was a coward," James muttered. "I still can't believe-,"
"Silence!" shouted Voldemort. "I am here for the boy. You can either get out of the damned way or die. Choose your fate Potter!"
James's face was contorted with fury as he slowly rose and pointed the wand at the master of evil.
"Have it your way then you big ugly shit. AVADA-
"AVADA-
"KADAVRA!" they yelled in unison.
Two large jets of green light shot out of the wands and hit each other. The lights connected for a matter of two seconds and the explosion threw them off of their feet and into the air. James crumpled on the back wall as Voldemort flew out of the door.
The front area was on fire as Harry yelled at his father to get up, knowing it made no difference.
James's eyes fluttered open as he saw Sirius begin to wake up as well.
"Sirius!" coughed James. "You're coming with me!"
He helped the man who had obviously injured an arm and supported him upstairs.
Harry smiled at the change of events and looked around to where the dark lord had landed.
There was nobody there.
"Oh no," Harry said under his breath.
He charged up the stairs and into his old bedroom. Lily was clutching baby Harry as James slammed the door.
"We'll have to apparate," Sirius suggested.
"Come on then!" James shouted.
They were about to all vanish to somewhere else when
CRASH!
The window blew to pieces as Voldemort jumped into the room.
"NO!" Lily screamed.
"Stand aside all of you!" Voldemort shouted.
"Get away from my godson!" yelled Sirius.
He charged at Voldemort and pushed him back toward the window. They struggled before the lost their balance and both fell out of the window.
"Sirius!" screeched James, Lily, and the present time Harry.
They all ran up to the window and looked outside.
Voldemort rose into the air and looked at them. He was flying without a broom!
"I'll be back," he sneered.
CRACK!
He disaperated into thin air.
Harry and the others looked out of the window and saw something that made them all scream.
Sirius's body was lying on the cold ground, his body broken with blood seeping out of his cracked head. His eyes were empty and starred at nothing.
Tears welled up in Harry's eyes. He had witnessed a different version of Sirius's death and he felt it was worse.
White came around him once again and there he was, standing without even a scratch on him.
"I'm sorry, but you had to understand," Daniel said, coming out from behind his brother.
"Skip the funeral okay?" Harry ordered.
"Fine," his brother replied. "So, Voldemort escaped and things got worse. However, when you were five, I was born and named Daniel. We spent our days doing everything together. When you were eleven, you went to Hogwarts."
The light and Daniel disappeared into nothing and Harry found himself at Kings cross station. He saw his young eleven year old self walking next to a red headed boy. Harry had his arm around a tiny six year old child. The boy was sniffling.
"I want to go now," he said.
"So does my sister but she'll be there next year and you'll be there in about five years time," Ron laughed.
"Oh shut up Ron," Harry retorted, but he was still smiling.
The small Daniel whipped a small tear from his eye as Harry chuckled and pushed his brother's head with his fist.
"Hey," he said. "Your time at Hogwarts will be here before you know it."
Daniel smiled.
"I'll see you at Christmas though, right?" he asked desperately.
There was a pause as Harry had obviously been hoping to stay at the school over the Christmas holidays.
Finally, he nodded and said
"I'll see you then bro."
They knuckle punched as Mrs. Potter came over with Mrs. Weasly so that they would be allowed to kiss their sons goodbye.
"Mum! Get off!" Ron protested as Mrs. Weasly made to wipe off some dirt from his nose.
"Aw… has ickle Ronnie got something on his nosey?" jeered one of the twins to their brother.
"Shut up," Ron retorted to his older brother.
They twins pinched him, allowed their mother to kiss him, gave the sobbing Ginny a hug, patted Daniel on the shoulder, and hoped onto the train.
"Well, come on then. We've gotta get to a good compartment," Ron urged Harry.
"Be there in a minuet," he told Ron as he said goodbye to his parents.
"I'll be sure to kick some death eater arse for you son," Mr. Potter promised.
"Save some for me when I'm outta Hogwarts in seven years dad," Harry laughed.
The real Harry was shocked. To here himself speak as if Voldemort would never be killed, like he would be joining his father in the fight in seven whole years time… was unnerving.
The eleven year old Harry hugged his brother, ruffled his hair, and spoke a few more words of comfort before jumping onto the train as it began to move. He waved to his family and the family friends "The Weaslys" and stepped into the train where he hauled his luggage over to the compartment where Ron sat with a girl with rather frizzled hair and two buck teeth in front.
"What's up?" Ron asked Harry as he sat.
"Oh, I was just feeling bad for Dan-," he began before the girl suddenly burst into a series of words that Harry almost lost track of.
"Hello there. I'm Hermione Granger. I'm muggle born but I've been studying hectically over the past couple of months to catch up. After reading all of this You-Know-Who business, the only reason I still came to Hogwarts was because I wanted to know everything about a world I thought was purely fiction."
"Yeah," Ron said. "At least we'll have Dum-,"
"Albus Dumbledore is known as the greatest wizard of our age and he is supposed to be the one You-Know-Who fears right? Right. I also heard that we're going to learn how to defend ourselves at Hogwarts from You-Know-Who and that we're gonna be trained so well that we'll be able to fight death eaters if they ever show up. I think History of Magic will be the most interesting class seeing as we'll be learning about the great wizard Gandalf and the adventures he had with the hobbit Frodo Baggins over the great Ring that everybody was obsessed with. The book by Frodo was a never published but luckily, in the mid 30's, a wizard named J.R.R Tolkien wrote a three part text book for Hogwarts about all of the events. It's probably one of the most amazing stories in wizarding history I'll say. I hope I get into Gryffindor. It sounds by FAR the best. Albus Dumbledore was in it too they say. I think Ravenclaw would actually be very good as well. Do you know what house you'll be in? Of course not, nobody actually knows until they actually get there but-,"
"Hey, calm down will you?" shouted Ron over Hermione's frantic speaking. "You can't just talk like that to everyone you know."
"Well, if you don't want my company then I'll just go to another compartment then!" she retorted angrily.
Hermione grabbed her heavy bag and rolled it out of the compartment before stopping and saying to Ron
"You have dirt on your nose by the way! Did you know? Just there."
She gestured on her nose where the dirt was on Ron and stormed out of the compartment.
"Well she seemed a little weird didn't she?" Ron said to Harry.
"I…. I guess," Harry agreed without much heart.
Suddenly, he was in Hogwarts in the entrance hall. All of the students had just filed in front of Professor McGonagall who was wearing her old long pointed witch's hat and the emerald robes that she never wore these days.
"Welcome to Hogwarts. Now in a few moments you will pass through these doors and join your classmates but before we begin, there are some rules you must know. There are four houses in Hogwarts. They a Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin."
Harry noticed that the young Malfoy smiled slyly as the name Slytherin was uttered.
"Now while you are here, your house will be like your family. Triumphs will earn you points; any rule braking and you will loose points. Now if you'll all wait here while Hagrid and I go in and get things ready."
She and Hagrid walked into the hall and slammed the doors behind them.
"Is it true then?" Malfoy called to the other students. (The present Harry noticed how his voice had changed so much) "What they're saying on the train? Harry Potter has come to Hogwarts?"
"Harry Potter?" some students muttered.
The real Harry did not understand. If Voldemort hadn't killed his parents, while was he still famous?
"The son of the great auror James Potter," Malfoy announced as he walked in front of Harry. "This is Crabbe and Goyle. And I'm Malfoy; Draco Malfoy."
Ron made an amused noise that he tried to pass off for a cough.
"Think my name's funny do you?" Malfoy growled. "No need to ask yours! Red hair and a hand me down robe. You must be a Weasly!"
"My family happens to be friends with the Weaslys," Harry retorted, backing on Ron's side. "And your dad was one of the death eaters my father captured. Why should I need to speak to you?"
The young Harry gave a look of disgust that the real Harry didn't think had ever really been on his face before.
"Go to hell Potter," Malfoy snarled, glaring.
Right at that moment, McGonagall came out, tapped Malfoy on the shoulder with a scroll of parchment, and pronounced
"We are ready for you know. Follow me."
The image changed around Harry so that he was in the great hall where Hermione Granger was being sorted.
"Hmm," murmured the hat.
After a few moments silence, the hat cried out "RAVENCLAW!" and Hermione walked off the small stage.
The real Harry groaned as he realized how much this was going to change everything. He watched as Harry and Ron waited for their turn on the stool.
"Harry Potter," McGonagall read.
Present Harry looked around and saw with a mixture of delight and sorrow, the man who he had been thinking of ever since the end of sixth year. Albus Dumbledore, his long beard reaching down to the floor, was sitting in his golden chair, leaning forward to get a closer look at Harry.
The real Harry sat on the stool and, a few moments later, the hat had proclaimed
"GRYFFINDOR!"
Harry joyfully hopped off the stool and ran to the Gryffindor table where the older students where clapping and cheering.
Later, Ron was sorted into Gryffindor and had seated himself next to Harry at the table.
Dumbledore stood and called out
"I have a few start of term notices I wish to announce. Firstly, all students should know that the third floor corridor is out of bounce to anyone who does not wish to die a most painful death. Also, the dark forest is also forbidden as it holds many dark creatures that I'm most sure none of you would wish to come across. Now, let us eat our delectable feast!"
The empty gold colored plates were suddenly filled with all sorts of delicious foods before anybody could blink an eye. The present Harry looked from table to table as he watched his young self smile at Hermione who nodded and resumed talking with a boy called Eric Spellbound.
The scene became white once again and Harry saw his younger brother standing in front of him.
"So do you think so far?" he questioned Harry. "Better or worse?"
There was a fairly long silence before Harry answered back
"Half and half."
"I agree totally," Daniel said. "Allow me to make this go by quicker. The whole Philosophers stone mess never happened to you. What happened was that Quirll died after he renounced Lord Voldemort. The killing curse of course. The stone was eventually removed and sent to America, and we don't think Voldemort ever knew."
"Did Ron and I ever become friends with Hermione?" Harry quickly asked as it had been bothering him.
"Sort of," was what Daniel told. "You were the one who made friendly conversation with her but knew her about as well as you know Pansy Parkinson in your world. Malfoy was still your enemy and you still played quidditch for Gryffindor. In second year, the chamber of secrets was never opened and it was a typical year where you didn't even meat Dobby. That year was also Dumbledore's second to last year as a professor. He stated that his replacement as head master would be next year's Defense against the dark arts teacher, Lupin, who would be replacing Professor Lockhart who taught you in first and second year. Lupin taught you in third year how to defeat a Dementor after Voldemort sent one to attack the Hogwarts express. In forth year, the Triwizard tournament was held and you weren't picked as a champion. Cedrick ended up dying when he was attacked by a blast ended screwt, a Bogart, and an acromantula in the maze. You had a short end of the year conversation with Hermione Granger and went home to find out that dad had been promoted to head of the Auror office. Remus became head master as Dumbledore left and took over as Minister so that he could fight Voldemort better. The Order of the phoenix became reinstated and Mundungas Fletcher actually became a respectful man. Fifth year past with no fear. The DADA teacher who was the real Mad- eye- Moody managed to discover that Draco Malfoy was a spy for Voldemort. Draco was sent to prison and we never saw him again. The sixth year was when I came into the picture and we spent much more time with each other as you took the Gryffindors to winning the quidditch cup. However you missed the last game and you were replaced by Ginny."
"That happened in my world too," Harry said. "Where was I?"
"In Snape's detention because of some prank, I don't really remember too well. Anyway, your seventh year was also your last year. You last year at Hogwarts and in the world. Let me show you."
The scene dissolved once again and Harry found himself in the midst of a battle at Hogwarts in which he was running along side with Ron, Daniel, Neville, Luna, Hermione, Ernie, Seamus, and Dean.
"How did the death eaters get in!" screamed Daniel over the shouts of spells.
"NO IDEA!" Ron screeched back.
They all looked over to see Dumbledore and Lupin dueling with a pale man with red eyes, slits for nostrils, and a long black cloak.
"You cannot defeat Lord Voldemort!" screamed Voldemort. "I am no longer afraid of you Dumbledore!"
"I will only kill you if I have to Tom," Dumbledore shouted.
"Above such brutality?" jeered Voldemort.
"There are other ways of destroying a man!" Lupin yelled.
The momentary distraction gave the dark lord all of the time he needed.
He wheeled around to face Lupin and cast
"AVADA KADAVRA!"
The jet of green light soared, lighting the grayish day, until it battered into the gut of Remus Lupin and sent him flying off of his feat to crash on the stone ground.
"NO!" wailed several voices.
"Lupin!" shouted Dumbledore.
"AVADA KADAVRA!"
The curse missed Dumbledore by inches but instead hit someone else.
She had no time to scream or yell. The curse blasted into Hermione Granger's breast and caused her to fall into Ron's arms.
He starred at shock at the girl whom he wished he had gotten to know better. She had been so beautiful.
"You bastard!" James Potter bellowed at the dark lord.
"Nice to see you!" shouted Voldemort in a jeering voice.
"Stupify! Stupify!"
All of James Potter's spells missed and were blocked. Voldemort was too strong and soon he had shot a killing curse straight at Harry's father.
"NO!" future Harry, present Harry, and Daniel all burst out in unison.
Dumbledore leapt in front of James and groaned for a moment as the green curse hit him in the chest and caused him to fall and crumple.
James starred wide eyed at the body in front of him.
He looked in the eyes, in the red eyes.
"Avada-," Voldemort began.
James shut his eyes.
"-Kadavra."
The green light hit Harry's father and he flew into the air and onto the ground.
Everything seemed to happen in slow motion after that death. The group of students all held each other's hands, Hermione's body still in Ron's arms.
"I love you H-Harry," Daniel cried.
"I love you too Daniel," Harry whispered to him.
Lord Voldemort chuckled, raised his wand, and shot out a nonverbal jet of green light which hit them all, causing their bodies to fall together onto the ground.
There was silence, even from the death eaters.
"I have won!" shouted Voldemort. "This is my world! Salazar Slytherin has been avenged!"
Whiteness.
Harry was back in the white area, but he couldn't see his brother in front of him. He heard a whimper. He twisted around.
A small boy, wearing nothing but long white pants, was lying on the ground. It was Daniel…. and he was dying.
"No!" cried out Harry.
He ran to his brother and lifted the boy up slightly. He pulled him into a tight embrace and let his little brother lie there in his arms.
"Don't die," he croaked to Daniel. "Please Daniel, don't die."
Daniel Potter looked up at his older brother.
"You can do it Harry. In my world, we didn't get the chance. But you have the chance to destroy Voldemort and save everybody. I wish I could have more time with you. Life seems to have gone by so fast….and none of it was actually real."
"It was real. It just wasn't-," Harry tried to find the right words.
"Was it real?" he finally asked his little brother. "Or is this all in my head?"
"Of course it's all in your head bro," Daniel laughed quietly. "But why should that mean it's not real?"
Harry smiled at the bit of wisdom.
"I love you so damn much Harry Potter."
…
"I love you too Daniel Potter."
Daniel's eyes closed and Harry awoke.
He was in his bed back at privet drive. He looked around and remembered everything.
Tears began streaming down his face. He was suddenly crying harder than he remembered crying in a long time. His cheeks were hot with tears as he continued to sob.
THE END