Chapter two

Later that day, Poppy had Harry moved to one of the staff quarters. After placing him on the bed, she checked him over again, gave him some more potions, then moved her wand over Harry again doing her healing charms.

'How is he Poppy?' Minerva asked sadly as she stared down at Harry's battered and bruised body.

'Healing slowly, especially the mark from the killing curse. His broken bones are healing nicely, but it's a wonder he was able to walk or hold a wand. I wanted to give these to you as well, Harry had three wands on him.' she handed Minerva Harry's holly and phoenix feather wand, along with the elder wand.

'I would prefer to keep them in my office, but I can't guarantee no one will find him and he might need to defend himself.'

'There's going to be an auror inside these rooms Minerva, I think he'll be safe,' Kingsley said.

'I do want to believe you Minister, but Harry did kill Voldemort. There bound to come after him,' Minerva saw Kingsley and the auror glance at each other, 'You've heard something, haven't you Kingsley?'

'Yes, they want Harry dead for killing Voldemort. We're trying to work on a safe house to keep him in. I've already had the aurors put the wards back around the Burrow and Harry's going to have an auror with him at all times.'

'I've got a feeling you're not going to talk Harry into that. I noticed when he was here, how independent and protective of everyone he is. He's not going to want to stay under protection and hidden in a safe house. He saw how that affected Sirius, he won't do that.'

'She's right, I won't,' Harry said groggily as he slowly opened his eyes.

'Harry, this threat is serious, they want to kill you,' Kingsley said anxiously.

'What else is new with my life, but I will not live in hiding. I gave up my life and what I want because I knew this was always going to be the way I have to live. I won't allow anyone to die for me ever again, I don't care who they are even if their aurors. You might be my friend Kingsley and the Minister, but you can't make me go into hiding. The quicker they find me, the faster either they or I will be dead,' Harry turned to face Poppy Pomfrey, 'How long before I can leave?'

'Not for at least a week Harry. The Minister only brought you to me early today.'

'Then I'll stay for two days, you always seem to want to keep me longer than necessary,' Harry winced and looked down at his chest, 'Looks like you all saw this and before you ask, yes he hit me with the killing curse again and no, I can't tell you why I survived.'

'You can't tell us because you don't know, or you won't tell us?' Kingsley asked shrewdly.

'Won't,' Harry panted heavily as he closed his eyes trying to get himself under control, then cleared his throat, 'Professor, let Dumbledore know I fulfilled the prophecy and I hoped to god there are no more out there about me and tell him thank you for what he left me in the snitch, it helped and I needed it.'

'The snitch he left you in his will?' Minerva asked.

'Yes, the one from my very first game. Um, did you see a pouch Madam Pomfrey?'

'It's next to you Harry, all I did was take it off you when I undressed you.'

Harry nodded and glanced at it, then felt the tears come to his eyes and hastily wiped them away before they could fall.

'Tomorrow you can probably sit up, slowly get yourself to the bathroom, but that is all the moving you can do. But I don't know where your bag is or any of your clothes.'

'Hermione has them, she went to the Burrow. I'll buy some more when I leave here I'll just put my old stuff on. I'll have to go back to the Forest of Dean, get my rucksack. Kingsley we put enchantments around our tent, but I said Voldemorts name, snatches and Greyback found us, took us to Malfoy Manor. Do you know if those enchantments will still be working?'

'The moment you spoke his name, broke any enchantments. But how did you get out of Malfoy Manor? That was Voldemort's headquarters.'

'Dobby helped up,' Harry reached for his pouch and pulled out his mirror, 'This was Sirius's, it was a pair, Aberforth has my dad's one. I saw the blue eye, thinking it was Dumbledore, called for help. Ron and I were in the cellar, they kept Hermione upstairs, Bellatrix tortured her. You'll find Pettigrew dead in the cellar and a heap of dead death eaters and goblins in the house. We rescued Ollivander, Luna, Dean, took them to Bills, well Dobby took them to Bill's place, then came back for us.' Harry dug into his pouch again, 'This was Malfoy's wand, Hermione has Bellatrix's and Ron has Pettigrew's wand, if you go there, I'm sure Hermione and Ron would like their wands back,' Harry looked up at his Professor, 'Dad and Sirius used these mirror's when they had separate detentions, so they could talk to each other. My one broke after Sirius died.' Harry stared into the mirror.

'Harry, death eaters were just in my pub, said their coming after you, be careful my friend.' Aberforth's eye could be seen.

'Always am Ab, thanks,' Harry put the mirror back in his pouch. 'I suppose you want to know about the horcruxes?'

'Yes, but when you're well enough, we can sit down and talk about them.'

'Pain has never stopped me doing what I have to. There were seven, one I can't tell you about. He had five out there when he went to my parent's home that night, my death was supposed to make his sixth. Luck and chance let me know what the sixth was. Bloody Dumbledore never bothered telling me. Nagini ended up the seventh, she was made one either just before he came back or right after he came back. We never found out.'

'That's why Neville killed it,' Minerva said.

Harry nodded, 'Yeah, but he didn't know that at the time. I just told him the snake had to die and I'd be out of sight for a while. The diadem of Rowena Ravenclaw, a cup of Helga Hufflepuff, a locket that belonged to Salazar Slytherin, his diary that opened the chamber of secrets and a ring. Dumbledore destroyed the ring, that's what cursed his hand and what was killing him. Snape stopped the curse from spreading, then Dumbledore asked Snape to kill him at the right time. Snape gave me the last bit of information I needed, he also brought me the real Sword of Gryffindor. The one he sent to Bellatrix's vault was a fake Dumbledore had made. Snape's body is in the shrieking shake, Nagini killed him. Professor, there's a memory I left in Dumbledore's pensieve, I want it back, I just forget about it when I was there.'

'I'll get it and let Albus know what you said. Now why don't you rest and please give yourself a few days at least. You're safe here inside one of the staff rooms. Reporters found out you were in the hospital wing and tried to find out what was wrong with you, that's why we moved you.'

'Thanks, but I'm not letting them bother me anymore. They can write what they want about me, probably be more bullshit again, like always.'

'I'm not giving up Harry, you will have some protection around you,' Kingsley gave him a small smile then left the room with Minerva before Harry could say anything.

'Please don't push it Harry, I might be a little over cautious sometimes, but dark magic is not easily healed. You're chest needs at least a week before it will close properly.'

'Alright, I'll see how I feel in a few days then, thanks Madame Pomfrey. You're potions might not taste very nice, but they do help.'

'I'll be back in the morning with more potions and to do some more healing charms. Now Minerva forgot to mention it, but Kreacher is out in the other room. He will bring you whatever you need, so there's no reason to move unless you need the bathroom.'

'Okay, thanks,' Harry gave her a small smile then watched her leave, before glancing over at the man standing there, 'You don't have to stay here you know, I'm sure there's death eaters out there causing trouble.'

'I have my orders Mr. Potter, you're not to be left alone,' the tall auror took a step closer, 'If you don't mind me say, the Minister is just worried about you. But we, the aurors know that if you got killed now, it would not look good for the Minister. Your name is being toasted up and down the country, Harry Potter celebration parties are also all over the place and word is spreading to other countries.'

'It won't be Kingsley's fault if anything happens to me, that's just my life. I've had to live like this for seven years, well since I was one really. So I'm going to do what I want, if one of you are following me, I can't stop you. But I refuse to be locked up like I was before, like Sirius was and it's not Mr. Potter, it's Harry, like I'm always telling everyone.'

'Then Harry, I have no idea what you meant by locked up, but I do know the Minister was one of your guards, Tonks as well. Why not give us a bit of time to find these death eaters. That is what we do you know and if I may say so myself, we're very good at our jobs.'

'I know you all are, now you have a decent Minister and not listening to the likes of Fudge. You know, being an auror is all I wanted to do. That's not going to happen now, so I'll have to work out what else I might do with my life, if I live that is. What's your name anyway?'

'Oscar Brimbly, but why can't you be an auror? I think you'd make an excellent one. You've had a lot of years dealing with death eaters and you know who.'

'It's Voldemort, he is dead you know,' Harry gave him a smile, 'As for what you asked, all my years here, something was going on, so the moment I can leave, I won't be back, so no N.E.W.T.s. I have always loved this place, but too much has happened over the years. But tell me, why can't you say his name, even when he was alive? I never got that, I never believe you had to be afraid of his name, I suppose I'm like Dumbledore in that way.'

'I think it was just the way we were raised, to fear his name, so it became a habit to say you know who or he who must not be named, but never say Voldemort. When did you start calling him by his name?'

'From the moment I found out about him, when I was eleven. Hagrid had to explain who he was, that he killed my parents, how I survived the killing curse, how I was called the boy who lived. I never even knew I was a wizard until Hagrid told me on my eleventh birthday, then he kept telling me not to say it, but I said I was going to.'

'But I heard you lived with your mother's sister, why didn't she tell you?'

Harry laughed, 'They were afraid of magic, hated it, hated me, called me a freak and a waste of space. That's why they used to lock me up all the time, at first, it was in a cupboard, then in the bedroom. I hate the lot of them and hope I never seen the Dursley's again,' Harry looked back at his pouch, thinking about his life over the last seventeen years. Voldemort might be dead, but like always, Harry's life was still too dangerous for anyone to get close to him and he wasn't going to allow anyone else to get hurt or die. He would rather be alone then let that happen again.