Disclaimer: I own the plot, some places and some characters, everything else I'd rather own then not but one can not attain all of ones wishes, now can one?
Chapter Twenty-Four
Later that month
Harry took a deep breath and felt oddly content in a way he had not felt content in his entire life. He felt like he was finally home. Harry opened his eyes and looked at the high ceiling of a very regal bed room. He lay for a moment examining the intricate designs etched into the ceiling. He sat up with some effort and felt something move next to him. He looked over and saw Ginny fast asleep curled up against him. He lay back down, wrapped her in his arms and smothered his face in her hair in her sent.
The door to the regal room opened and Harry looked up to see Migdigus enter. Harry smiled and snuggled back up against Ginny. Migdigus stood by the edge of the bed and looked on fondly as Harry held on to Ginny.
"I can see you love her very much," Migdigus said.
"I love her with every fiber of my being," Harry said up against Ginny's neck, she smiled and shivered in her sleep.
"Love is such an interesting thing. Especially to a Pagan. The love to another, or the love a Pagan shows its child," Migdigus said. Harry just nodded and nuzzled Ginny trying to wake her. "Sirius never told you about your father."
"Sirius has told me a lot about my father," Harry said snapping out of his Ginny induced trance.
"But he never told you about your father's species."
"He was human."
"You just assume he was human because that is what everyone else assumed. In fact your father was a pure blood Dien and royalty at that, he was born in this very house in the Pagan World, where we are now," Migdigus said.
"But if he was Pagan he wouldn't still be dead."
"Dear me, who ever said he was still dead?" Migdigus asked. Harry froze and stared at Migdigus. "It is high time that you learn the truth about what happened the night your parents died, for they did in fact die. Your father didn't fight Voldemort, Harry. He talked to Voldemort and then forced Voldemort to kill him. Once your father was dead your mother went into the same state that you were just in, Voldemort killed her out of pity if you must know. It couldn't have been six months later that they came back," Migdigus said.
"Where are they?" Harry asked after a long silence.
"Before I tell you must understand why."
"Then why? Why did my parents abandon me with a bunch of insolent humans?"
"They love you, Harry, but there were something's you had to experience in the human world to become the Pagan that you are today. They knew that and they made the ultimate sacrifice of their child for the greater good. You will do great things, Harry. And if they hadn't abandoned you, as you so aptly put it, you wouldn't be able to do those great things," Migdigus said, Harry thought for a second.
"Where are they?" Harry asked again.
"You may see them once you've thought about this," Migdigus said sternly and then he left the room. Harry lay back down next to Ginny. He shook her shoulders to wake her. Ginny's chocolate eyes opened and looked up at Harry. She yawned and stretched then cuddled back into his body.
"Oh, Harry," She mumbled in her half-wakeful half-sleeping state, "I love the way you smell like smoke all the time." Ginny closed her eyes again.
"I love you," Harry said. At the sound of his voice Ginny's eyes shot back open. She sat up and looked at Harry, who did not look ill anymore, he also did not have his glasses on. Ginny reached out and touched Harry's cheek she ran her hands all over his face and chest.
"Your okay?" Ginny asked hoping she was not just dreaming.
"I'm fine." Harry smiled at her look of absolute delight. Ginny smiled and tears started to well up in her eyes as she hugged Harry.
"I was so worried. Remus said that you were going to die. I do love you, Harry. But no one has ever been in love with me before. I was scared and I didn't know what to do. I'm sorry, Harry. I love you," Ginny said quickly. Harry smiled and pulled her closer. "What happened to you?" Ginny asked holding on to him.
"Once I walked away from you and thought I some how came to the conclusion that you didn't want to be with me anymore. And I suddenly felt like my heart was dying. I tried to get up and get help but started coughing and passed out," Harry said, Ginny nodded and looked around the room.
"Where are we?" Ginny asked.
"My parent's house," Harry said crossly.
"Oh, brilliant, we're at Godric's Hollow?" Ginny asked. Harry shook his head.
"We're in the Pagan World, where my father was born."
"If he was born here, then he's a…" Ginny trailed off as Harry nodded. Ginny cleared her throat and then smiled. "But Harry that means your parents aren't dead. Your parents are alive, you have a family!"
"A family that left me in another world," Harry said grumpily.
"Harry, you're not thinking about this the right way," Ginny said.
"And what is the right way?"
"Your parents love you. They had to have had a reason to leave you," Ginny said.
"Yeah, I guess," Harry said lying back in the bed and sighing.
"Do you really have to guess?" Ginny asked straddling his legs with her back against his chest. Harry gave a slight moan, put one arm over her chest and the other around her waist.
"No, I don't. But I do have to snog you senseless for this. You understand don't you?" Harry asked turning her small frame in his arms.
"Oh, yes. I understand," Ginny said as Harry planted his lips on hers.
-----
Harry stood on the balcony looking out at the vast indoor garden that his family's palace was built around. It was already pitch black out and Harry watched the stars appear in the sky through the glass ceiling of the garden. The door to the room was locked and Harry did not really feel like forcing it open. He was not in a great hurry to talk to his parents, not anymore. For sixteen years of his life the only thing that was undeniably certain was the fact that his parents were not only dead but they had died fighting like hell. And within a matter of hours Harry learned that he had been lied too.
His parents did not fight, and were not dead.
He should have been angry. And when Ginny fell back asleep after their little snogfest he was very angry. He had rushed to the door and tried as he might to force it open. But it would not budge and he was too angry to use any Pagan magick.
So Harry stood on the balcony and thought. He thought about all the things the Pagans had told him about what it was like to grow up Pagan. The fact that Pagans are not really given a childhood, a time of innocence, of freedom. Harry thought about what his father's childhood must have been like, since he had been raised royalty.
Once Harry had finally settled down and was thinking about crawling back in bed with Ginny, the door opened. Harry walked through the door and into another room that seemed to have the same function as a common room but on a much smaller and far grander scale.
Harry closed the door to the room Ginny was sleeping in and walked towards the double door on the far wall in front of him. Harry opened them and saw a great entrance hall with polished marble floors and intricately designed high ceilings. Harry walked out of his room and in the hall set just above the entrance hall. There were two sets of stairwells that went down into the entrance hall, and Harry walked down the stairs to his right.
When Harry reached the bottom step he looked around. Harry walked down the finally step and looked in between the two stairwells, there was a pair of polished wooden double doors that were just begging to be opened. Harry reached for the door knob and the door opened.
Standing in front of Harry was an older version of himself, but not much older. He was dressed in what Harry could only assume was royal garb.
He was wearing a knee length velvet dark red jacket, with a golden vest underneath that was over a high necked black shirt. He had black tight but not too tight pants on and black leather boots. And what Harry noticed most was the memorizing ruby encrusted gold crown atop his head. He smiled at Harry and his hazel eyes danced with joy.
"Hello, Harry, it's been awhile, hasn't it?" James asked his son. Harry raised his eyebrows and opened his mouth but nothing came out so he just nodded. "Indeed it has." James agreed. The two Dien stood in silence. Harry was unable to articulate how he felt. Knowing your dead father is in fact alive and seeing first hand that your dead father is in fact alive are two very different things. Harry was a bit overwhelmed. "Let me show you something I think you'll like," James said breaking the silence. Harry just nodded again. James turned around and walked into the hallway that was hidden behind the doors and Harry followed him. It was a hallway full of paintings. James stopped at the first painting on his right. "These are your oldest known ancestors, Harry. Catherine Juarez and Ivan Ward," James said pointing at the couple in the painting.
Catherine had black hair, brilliant blue eyes and an intelligent air about her, even though it was just a painting. Ivan had messy jet black hair that reminded Harry of his own hair. "Over here," James said turning around to the picture right across from Catherine's and Ivan's, "This is King James I, he's the king I'm named after." The Pagan in that picture liked almost exactly like James right down to his hazel eyes. "I think it's rather obvious why," James said. "Now, I don't know who half of these people are and all that's important for you to know is the fact you're related to all of them," James said walking down the very long hallway with Harry trailing behind. "And we come to King Harold the Great, I had the immense pleasure of naming you after him. He was my great, great, great grandfather and is therefore your great, great, great, great grandfather. He was a warrior and a damn good one. He won as many wars as there were in his life time. I think you should be very proud to be named after such an amazing king," James said looking fondly at the painting. Harry's eyes were glued to the painting. His ancestor looked exactly like him, green eyes and all. The clean white shirt King Harold was wearing was open at the top and revealed a white mound of lighting bolt shaped scare tissue on his left breast.
"I thought that the Dien could heal any wounds," Harry said. James looked over at Harry a little startled that he had spoken softly and not yelled.
"The only marks that are permanent on the Dien are those done by the Corolith or those as a result of using the Throwing Sun," James explained, Harry nodded and continued to look at the picture.
"Did you name me Harold because you recognized the green eyes from his picture?" Harry asked, looking into his father's eyes.
"No, Harry that was just a nice coincidence. I named you Harold because I hoped that you would be like him. And I think that my hopes were realized," James said nodding more to himself then to Harry. James and Harry stood in silence for a while. Harry did not know how to response to his father's praises, the fact that he had a father was still overwhelming.
"So, where's your painting?" Harry finally asked.
"Over here." James walked to the end of the hall and pointed at the picture of him and Lily. "Usually kings or emperors aren't painted with their companions, but I insisted. She is more of a wife to me then any pureblooded Dien could ever hope to be."
"You and Mum aren't married?" Harry asked bewildered.
"Oh, no. It's not legal by High Law and I just haven't broken that law yet, which is not to say that I will or that I won't, it all depends on if your mother figures that bit of information out," James said. Harry started to laugh quietly and James smiled. This was going better then he thought it would. "So, Harry, what's really on your mind?" James asked walking into the throne room and stopped on top of the marble map of the Pagan World pictured in the floor. Harry stopped and thought.
"When I heard you and mum weren't dead I was furious. But then I thought how it must have been for you growing up. If you compare the two I'm a lot luckier then I thought. I may not have gotten a great childhood but at least I got one, one that I wouldn't have gotten here. And for letting me have some semblance of innocence and some sort of childhood I've come to the conclusion that I really should be thanking you. Sick and strange as that may be. You gave my life to a cause but gave me something you never had and something I wouldn't have had otherwise. Because of you I have some friends that I'll have until the day I die and girlfriend that loves me. So, thank you, Dad, thank you for dying," Harry said. James just watched Harry as he spoke. His response to James' abandonment far surpassed James expectations.
"I'm impressed, Harry, I thought you would be screaming at me," James said.
"It's the Pagan in me talking, damn rationality, I can't deny it anymore. Or irrationality depending on your point of view," Harry said. James smiled.
"Irrationality usually sounds better, especially when you've been raised with a human perception of what's rational, when you're a Pagan."
"You know like a year ago I wouldn't have understood a word you just said," Harry said.
"I know, no ones perfect." James teased.
"Dad!" Harry said indignantly.
"What?"
-----
"Well, if it isn't my elusive cousin, Harry," Prince James said walking up to Harry in the throne room.
"We're cousins?" Harry asked smiling.
"What did you think that you only had that tub of lard for a cousin?" James asked smiling. "If you include him, you have twelve cousins."
"Twelve?" Harry said looking at James in shock.
"Well, you didn't think that your father had no siblings did you?" James asked. "Never mind, I'll just run through them. Alright our cousins are: Cliopatria, Joseph, Lia, my wonderful self, Lotus, Jack, Stephano, Rose Vargo, Jonathon Vargo, Janna Otto, and Angelina Otto."
"How had all of those babies?" Harry asked.
"Your father had five siblings, Harry. My dad had five babies. Arthur and Mario had one each. Tina had two and Jayme had two," James said. Harry looked confounded. He opened and closed his mouth a number of times.
"I don't know how to react to this."
"Be proud, you have an unimaginably large family. Those are just your first cousins, if I got into the rest of them we'd be here for months. The Juarez's are everywhere, we're a well protected family unit. We may not all know each other per say but we will all die protecting each other. So, Harry, be proud. You have a lot to be proud of."