I do not own Harry Potter or any other recognizable character, place etc. I only own the plot.
"I killed someone" Molly whispered, her hands cradling her head as tears escaped her eyes.
All of the Weasley's except Arthur and Percy (who were at the Ministry) as well as Hermione and Harry were in the Burrow. Most were asleep but Molly, Ginny, Ron and Hermione were in the living room. Molly was on the sofa with Ginny trying to comfort her. Ron was sitting on one of the chairs, Hermione on his lap. Everyone had changed clothes but they all showed cuts and bruises that were still healing from the battle just over 3 days ago.
"You shouldn't feel remorse mum. Bellatrix deserved to die; you saved countless lives through what you did" Ginny replied hotly.
"Maybe your right dear..." she replied, but still looking unsure.
"No! You need to feel remorse!" A voice cried from behind them, causing everyone to jump and spin round, their wands raised. Hermione had leapt off of Ron and was rushing towards the source.
"Harry! You should be in bed!" Hermione practically yelled, helping Harry sit on one of the living room chairs, before returning to stand beside the now upright Ron. He put his arm protectively around her waist.
Harry still looked pale, his multiple bruises and cut showing dramatically but his emerald eyes shone with determination. Dark circles under his eyes stood out from his white-like t-shirt and dark blue pyjama bottoms, even though he had slept since he had arrived at the Burrow 2 days ago.
"Ron, Hermione, you know what I'm talking about. You need to feel remorse otherwise you could end up like Voldemort" he said, staring at Mrs Weasley. Everyone shivered when he said the name but Harry did not flinch at all.
"What's going on down here?" Charlie asked, coming down the stairs with the rest of his family in tow.
"How would she end up like him?" Ginny asked at the same time, staring at Harry."I want to know that as well. What's going on?" Arthur asked, having just got back, coming in through the kitchen with Percy following. Everyone was looking mainly at Harry but their eyes flicked between him and his two best friends.
"I think we should tell them Harry" Ron said, looking at his best friends, his expression showing worry yet determination. "They deserve to know" Hermione nodded in agreement by his side, leaning closer to her boyfriend.
Harry looked up at them before slowly nodding in ascent. "Well, it all started with a prophecy..." he said as everyone sat on a free chair of found room on the floor.
*30 minutes later*
"It was then I knew what I had to do" he continued, looking at everyone as he said this but his eyes lingered on Ginny. "I covered myself in the invisibility cloak and headed off towards the entrance, only stopping to tell Neville if he had the chance, to kill Riddle's snake. It was his last, bar one, horcrux. I saw you Ginny, comforting a girl but I didn't stop because I knew I wouldn't be able to continue"
He hadn't told them about the Hallows (or Ron leaving), he decided beforehand that the fewer people who knew about them, the better. However, he decided to tell Ginny later, he wasn't going to keep any more secrets from her.
"I felt you go past. I've always wondered why you didn't stop" Ginny said, watching Harry. He shuffled his feet nervously.
"I walked in to the forbidden forest, head held high. I walked right into Riddle's camp and faced him"
"Oh, Harry you didn't!" Molly cried, standing up and hugging Harry fiercely.
He gasped in pain and she abruptly let go. Blood slowly started to seep through his t-shirt. Before anyone could stop her, Harry's t-shirt was ripped off if him and everyone yelped, swore or cried at the sight of his chest. Just above his heart where he was hit with Riddle's curse, was a deep cut. It was much like the scar on his forehead, only larger and jagged. Even Ron and Hermione appeared aghast at the sight, even though they knew what he had done.
"I had too, otherwise he would have won. I stood still as he hit me with the killing curse. I left my wand in my pocket so I didn't defend myself" he said trying to stand up but was pushed down again by Mrs Weasley. She summoned some gauze and bandages and proceeded to bandage his chest. Whilst this was happening, everyone shuffled about in their seats but no one spoke, contemplating what had been said.
"Why did you have to do it?" George asked, looking a bit pale, breaking the silence.
"I was an unintended horcrux" he said, everyone gasping at the revelation but he continued on anyway. "That's why I had visions and could speak parsel tongue; I had a bit off his soul inside me. Don't you get it? The night he killed my parents, my mum sacrificed herself for me, creating a bond that protected me from his killing curse when I was still a baby. The spell rebound and hit him, he didn't die but because his soul was already weak from all the murders he had committed, a part of his soul broke off. Any soul can't survive on its own so it attached itself to the only living thing left in the room, me." He said, his head lowered, silent tears dripping down his face. "Because I sacrificed myself for G... everyone like my mum did I didn't die but the part of Riddle's soul in me was destroyed instead. I woke up in the forest, but Riddle and the death eaters still believed I had died. Riddle sent Mrs Malfoy to check but she lied for me when I told her Draco was still alive. He crucio'd me a couple of times and sent my body flying up a bit but I remained limp and didn't cry out. That's when he had Hagrid carry me back to Hogwarts and you all know the rest" He looked up at Molly.
"That's why I said to feel remorse earlier. If you don't, your soul will remain split forever for only remorse for what you have done can fix it. You may not want to know this but I feel remorse for killing Riddle"
There were shouts of protest from all the males at his but Harry continued on. "Yes he murdered many, including my parents, but you have to remember that he was still a human being, he was just led down the wrong path. If it weren't for you guys, I would have probably ended up like him. We did have very similar childhoods" he finished.
"You are nothing like him, Harry" Arthur argued. Everyone nodded in agreement.
"We're more similar than you think. His parents died when he was a baby, he was brought up in a place where no one cared about him. He only found out he was a wizard when he was 11 and the hat wanted to put me in Slytherin, only I denied it plus I can speak parsel tongue and we are both half-bloods. Also, we both felt like Hogwarts was a home to us. We are similar but I had you guys to help me along when he had no-one. Our lives were similar but we made different choices, that's why we ended up so different" He finished
Everyone just stared at Harry in shock, causing him to blush and look at his feet. There was not a dry eye in the room.
"What were you going to say before? I heard you change your mind when you said about sacrificing yourself." Ginny asked but she already knew the answer.
Harry looked up and just stared at her for a moment before answering, his voice shaking. "I was going to say you Ginny. The last thing I saw before I died was your face in my mind" he answered, still watching her.
He gasped as she ran and grabbed him in a fierce hug, kissing him in front of her entire family. He responded quickly, literally picking her up at one point, ignoring the scream of protest from his body. The kiss stopped but they didn't let go of one another.
"Sorry! I shouldn't have hugged so tight" she whispered, blushing slightly under his gaze.
"I don't mind" he replied, kissing her again until they were interrupted by a small cough. They both blushed bright red when they remembered where they were and slowly looked up at the Weasley family. Arthur looked ready to laugh, all the women were smiling whilst all the other men were scowling slightly.
"This is going to be along day" Harry sighed as Ginny giggled.
Dedicated to my Grandpa, Maurice, who died this morning (13th December 2009) of cancer. He may not be in our future, but he lives on forever in our past.