Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or his universe, I just play in it


Chapter Two: The Land Of Lost Souls

Ginny stared at Harry and he felt as though she was looking through him, to a past long gone. She looked hollow, empty and full of pain. She was holding back tears and Harry felt low as dirt.

"Harry, what happened to you?" Hermione dragged him out of his stupor.

"I was a horcrux."

Hermione gasped, Ron choked and Ginny turned away.

"I had to give myself up to him, had to let him kill me. Only he could destroy the bit of his soul."

Hermione was crying again, and Harry swallowed thickly.

"I went into the forest, and I…. I just let him kill me…."

He continued on, telling them about King's Cross and Dumbledore and that he had chosen to come back to fight. Silence descended upon them as Harry finished his story. He still did not understand why he had come back ten years later. What had gone wrong? He looked up at Ginny and caught her eye. She turned away quickly and Harry felt low again.

"What happened after…. After I…"

Harry's question was interrupted by a blinding flash of green light rushing past his head. Hermione screamed and Ron grabbed Rosie, diving out of the way. Harry ducked and rolled, his wand coming up into a defensive posture.

"You're lucky. I rarely miss."

Harry stared in shock at Neville Longbottom. He was taller and lean. A long scar ran down the right side of his face and there was pure murder in his eyes. Hermione put herself between Harry and his onetime dorm mate.

"Neville, no. Neville, it's really him!"

"Harry is dead. That's a Death eater. I don't know how he fooled you, but I'm going to kill him before he can report our location."

Ron stood up as well and put his hand on Neville's arm. "He showed us his patronus. I don't know how, but it really is him."

Neville glared at Harry, but seemed slightly mollified. He pushed past Ron and Hermione and looked Harry right in the eyes.

"What was the first thing I ever said to Harry Potter?"

"You asked if I had seen your toad, Trevor."

Neville stared at him a moment more, then turned and walked away. He paused, and turned back.

"Welcome home," He snorted derisively and stalked off.


"Where are we anyway?"

"We're underneath London. We call it the Sanctuary." Ron said, "Not very creative, but it fits."

They were walking through the underground city that had been set up. Ron was on his left side, while Hermione was on his right. Rosie held his hand and lead the way.

Rosie, it turned out, was Ron and Hermione's daughter. They had married not long after Harry had disappeared. Harry smiled when they told him. He had always known they would be good for each other. Rosie was eight and just as precocious as her mother. Ginny had disappeared when Neville had 'welcomed him', and he hadn't seen her since.

Everywhere Harry looked he saw familiar, yet distant faces. So much had happened to these people. Dennis Creevy came right up to them. He looked hard at Harry for a moment, then he smiled deeply.

"Now we can win." he stated simply and turned and wandered off.

Harry saw others, Dean and Seamus. Lavender and Parvati and Susan Bones and Justin Finch-Fletchley. And many many others. And as he went along, hope seemed to spring up in his wake. People were whispering and pointing at him, just as they did at Hogwarts.

"When Voldemort said you were dead, no one wanted to believe it," said Hermione. "We all kept fighting, but it didn't do us any good. Voldemort took Hogwarts and we had to flee. McGonagall didn't make it. Neither did Kingsley Shacklebolt."

"A lot of people died that day," Ron said. "The Order tried to organize a resistance, but Voldemort was just too strong. And too many people were afraid."

Hermione continued, "He went after the muggle Prime Minister after that. He imperiused him…. And then he…. He," Hermione took a deep breath, "He launched Britain's nuclear warheads….."

Harry couldn't breathe. Voldemort must have killed millions of people. He couldn't think straight, all he could see where those red eyes.

"Then he declared himself Supreme Overlord of Britain." Ron said, bitterness and hate in his voice.

"Of course the muggles didn't know he was behind the attacks. The world declared war on the UK. But it was too late. Half of Europe was in ruins at that point." Hermione was close to tears. "Everyone was so confused. The muggles were fighting each other, and Voldemort was killing people in spades. Oh, Harry, it was so horrible!"

Harry saw in his mind's eye, the Dark Lord laughing cruelly as the muggles killed themselves, saving him the trouble.

They had arrived at a commissary and sat down at a table. Ron took Rosie to get some food, and Harry smiled sadly. At least his friends had found some happiness in all the pain.

Hermione fell silent and seemed to be lost in her own thoughts. Harry's mind drifted to Ginny as he watched Ron and Rosie. He had once thought of a happy future with her. The two of them in a cozy cottage, and possibly, one day with children of their own.

But now….. Now Ginny was ten years older, and he was still the same. She had endured Voldemort's reign, and he had not. The world had fallen apart, and Ginny had been swept away in the torment and horror of Voldemort's kingdom.

Harry looked up from his thoughts and shock filled his veins. Two tables away was a thin blond man, his face devoid of the haughty expression that had once existed there.

"Malfoy."

"It's okay Harry." Hermione said. "He's on our side."

Harry's eyes never left his old school nemesis.

"Voldemort killed his parents. He took Snape's job, he's our spy."

Malfoy looked up, perhaps he sensed Harry's stare. Surprise flitted over his wasted features, and then something Harry couldn't identify. He nodded at Harry, then stood and walked away.


Harry was sitting in an old chair across a rickety desk from Neville. They were in his office. It was small and rather dark and had a cold, distant feel to it. Lining the wall behind the desk were dozens of Death Eater masks. One, Neville had said, from every servant of Voldemort's he had killed.

Neville stared into the distance. He had become hard.

"I killed the snake for you."

"What?"

"Before you left. You asked me to kill Voldemort's snake."

Harry had forgotten in all that had happened. It had been just a few hours ago to him, but it seemed like a lifetime. Which, technically it had been.

"Thank you."

It was silent between them again. Hermione had told him how Neville had taken up the mantle of leadership. When there had been no one left, he had done what needed to be done. It was because of Neville that they had survived this long. He had founded the Sanctuary. He had defended them from the Death Eaters. He had even fought Voldemort and survived.

Harry stared at him and thought of the young boy who had fallen off his broom back in their first year. There was no trace of that boy in the man that sat before him now. Harry felt a pang of guilt. It was his fault that Neville had been forced to face this destiny. Neville turned back to him.

"We don't fight anymore."

"What?"

"We don't fight Voldemort directly anymore. He hasn't been seen in Britain in the past two years. We don't know where he is."

"Then why do you hide here? If he's gone, why don't you try to build up your strength?"

"Voldemort may not be around, but his governors are."

"His governors?" Harry asked.

"Voldemort divided up the isles and placed his lieutenants in different sectors. Establishing them as governors. They are just as cruel as Voldemort was. The Death Eaters roam the streets looking for prey."

"Who's the governor here?"

"Umbridge."

Silence again as both were lost in their own thoughts.

"So why did Voldemort leave?"

"I almost killed him."

Harry didn't know what to say. If Neville had killed Nagini, then there were no more horcruxes. Voldemort was mortal. If he knew that, and had nearly died at Neville's hand, then it made sense for him to have become reclusive. The quiet descended yet again, and Harry felt as though Neville wanted to say something else.

"Is there more?" he asked.

Neville nodded slightly and took a deep breath.

"We are trying to survive. We haven't engaged anyone in battle in nearly a year now. They don't know where we are, and that gives us a lot of protection. We go out only for food and supplies now, and we try to keep out of sight. We've been lucky so far."

He paused a moment before going on. "The truth is, we don't have the power or the strength to defeat them. We've lost a lot of good people. Since we stopped fighting, our losses have decreased by five hundred percent. I have to worry about these people, Harry, and I don't appreciate you showing up here."

Harry was gob smacked. "What? Why am I not welcome? I thought we were friends."

"We were. But that was a long time ago. Things have changed. And my first duty is to keep these people alive."

"So what does that have to do with me?"

"You give them hope." Neville stated simply. "They think that we have a chance now that you're back. And it's a false hope. I know the situation, I know the reality. I have seen things that you could not imagine. And now my people are going to want to fight. You are a menace to my control. Chaos to my order."

Harry was seething. How dare Neville? What had he ever done to earn this attitude from his friend?

"I can not, I will not let anyone else die for no reason."

"You've lost it mate," Harry was surprised at how calm his voice was. "You're willing to give up liberty for peace? Willing to sacrifice freedom to save some lives?" Harry was livid. "Voldemort has got you. He may be abroad, but he's done more to you than you even know. I don't want to see anyone die either, but is this existence worth it?"

Neville did not reply. Harry turned and was about to leave the office.

"You can stay here, just don't…" Neville's words faltered. Harry shook his head and left.


He was wandering through a low-ceilinged hallway, excavated from dirt. He was lost. The conversation with Neville had left him shaken. How had things changed so much? Why didn't he come back sooner? What had happened?

He was so engrossed in his thoughts that he didn't notice Ginny until he bumped into her, knocking her to the ground.

"I'm sorry." he said, proffering his hand to help her up.

She looked at him, so many emotions flitting through her eyes. She took his hand and he pulled her to her feet.

"Don't worry about it."

They stood there for a few moments, neither one knew what to say. She wasn't the same Ginny he knew. She was distant, and looked as though she had forgotten how to smile many years ago.

"I never forgot you." she said softly. "Everyone told me that you were gone, that I needed to move on. Everyone except mum. She was distraught after Fred died, and then when you….. She didn't know how to go on. She died at home, not long after."

Tears sprang into Ginny's eyes, and she hurried to brush them away. Harry reached out to grab her, but she moved out of his reach. He let his arm drop limply to his side.

"You're a ghost to me Harry."

Harry didn't know what to say.

"I still love you Harry, but it's been so long. I see you standing there and I don't know if you're real or just another dream."

She turned from him and her shoulders heaved as she cried. Harry couldn't stop himself. He grabbed her and pulled her to him. She turned into his chest and let her tears fall freely. Harry's heart broke as he saw the pain he had caused her and he wept too.