A/N: I apologize for the short chapter again. It isn't intentional.
"You're supposed to be dead."
"I'm really just trying to connect the dots right now," Harry panted, his gaze not shifting from the rectangular hole in the dirt below him. The wind carrying the smoke that ascended from it away. He almost wished he was inside the coffin again, then he would have some sort of understanding of his situation. He would be trapped inside of it again, and would have to blow it open to free himself.
However, it did somewhat make sense. The pain he felt while being 'transported' back. It was excruciating, he felt like he was being put together bit by bit - like his skin burning, but not being burned off but burned together. If that made any sense.
"I don't know how to feel about this," Harry noted the standing stick where the tombstone was supposed to be, "Who did you say you were again?"
"You're supposed to be dead," The man repeated, and Harry's eyebrow twitched in mild annoyance, "This shouldn't be possible. My lord, he killed you," he sounded distraught, confused and most of all, fearful.
"Your lord?" Harry raised an eyebrow, "Oh, you mean Tom?... That isn't right," he adopted a thoughtful expression, he noticed the man move towards a pickaxe nearby. Harry didn't stop him, as long he didn't use it to hurt him, "What year is it? And for Merlin's sake, don't tell me I'm not supposed to be alive."
"1996," The man answered, his shaking hands gripping onto the pickaxe. Harry figured it was to make himself feel safer.
"Interesting," He used Occlumency to stop himself from feeling any emotion that would make him irrational. But the questions only seemed to pile up the more he thought about it. Did the ritual not work? How did he even die here? And most importantly, was Daphne alive? "Which year did I die? And how?"
"I... Do you not remember your own death?"
"I don't want to have to invade your privacy in your head, but you're refusing to co-operate with me."
"Forgive me," He sighed, he knew what he meant, "It was 1994 after The Dark Lord had been resurrected, you both initiated in a duel. You were easily killed."
"During the Tri-Wizard tournament, I presume?" Harry raised an eyebrow.
"Indeed," The man nodded.
"What about Dumbledore? Is he alive?" He questioned, and the man looked around - as if expecting someone to jump out of nowhere and attack them. He took a step forward toward Harry, who took one back away from him.
"It isn't safe here," he started, "We need to go somewhere safe."
"Safe? What place could be safer than a cemetery at night?" Harry frowned before sighing, "Don't answer that. How do I know you aren't going to take me directly to The Dark Lord?'
"You have no choice but to trust me. Most would've attacked you before asking any questions, and you have no idea on how the events played out before and after your death. I'm your only asset," The man spoke, it wasn't confidence in his voice but a certain understanding of the situation. Harry's eyebrows scrunched.
"Slytherin?"
"Ravenclaw."
"Right," He nodded slowly, "I hope you know I can kill you at any given time."
"You have no wand," He said.
"I tore a hole through the ground, I didn't have a wand then," Harry shrugged, "What's your name?"
"Sebastian Burke."
"Pureblood," Harry muttered, "Why are you here then? Shouldn't you be living the lavish lifestyle of a pureblood?"
"Again, it isn't safe here," Sebastian outstretched his hand. Harry looked at it with reluctance. But he conceded that he needed someone to explain everything to him. It was still a dangerous choice, he couldn't break wards or enchantments with his hands. He'd never taught himself how. Still, he grabbed the man's hand and felt like he was being forcefully pushed through a tube.
Usually, he would feel normal after that - but his younger body apparently disagreed. He bent down, putting his hands on his knees for support, feeling the vomit trying to climb up his throat - he looked up to see Sebastian offering him a cup of water, which he took and gulped it down. Harry surveyed the hut, it was similar to Hagrid's - but it was somewhat bigger.
"Hogwarts," Harry turned back to pureblood, "Forget everything else, what happened to Hogwarts and the students there?'
"After the final battle, where Dumbledore was killed, Hogwarts was repaired and continued to function 'normally'," he answered, "Except, the Muggleborns were killed. Some of them managed to escape, however."
"I figured that much," Harry frowned, he did. Hermione was smart, she would've found a way out, "What about the half-bloods?"
"Limited education. They're allowed the basics of magic, but because of their muggle blood, they can't further their education," Sabastian answered, "Some of the more talented ones were on par with the lower tier purebloods, even with the basic education. They were killed."
"What?" Harry's features adorned a scowl, "What the hell? Why didn't they use a spell to suppress their magic and send them away?"
"I'm not sure-"
"And I'm sure the mindless drones just basked in that sort of glory," Harry interrupted him, his scowl deepening" Pureblood dominance. Never heard of a more stupid sort of joke. Some of the most intelligent wizards of all time have been half-bloods, Dumbledore, Grindelwald, Merlin himself is rumoured to be a half-blood. Even Voldemort is a half-blood, of course, you don't know that. But this idea of pureblood supremacy still stands."
"The Dark lord's a half-blood?" Sebastian's eyes widened.
"Yes," Harry nodded, "Speaking of which, why are you here if you're a pureblood?"
"I was married to a Muggle-born, they killed her and labelled me a blood-traitor," Sebastian answered, a pained expression crossing his features. Harry visibly relaxed, or more so completely.
"I know what you're going through," Harry sighed, "Just... Help me understand everything. Maybe, if I make it through everything, you can see her one more time," Harry smiled at the hopeful but curious expression, "No questions about that, yet though. What of the Greengrasses?"
"The Greengrasses?" Sebastian frowned, "They're sitting at the top, next to the Malfoys."
"And why is that?"
"They played a big part in the events that led to your death," Sebastian shrugged, "Particularly, the daughter of Cyrus and Florian Greengrass."
"Harry's heart skipped a beat, "Which one? There's two of them, right?"
"Ah, yes," Sebastian nodded, "It was Daphne Greengrass."
"Of course, everything went wrong," Harry sneered, "What should I have suspected? I'm me," Sebastian shifted uncomfortably, he wasn't sure about how he felt about Harry ranting to himself for an hour. "And Dobby won't even come to me."
"I don't-"
"Yeah, I know you don't know him," Harry sighed, "What are the chances of me making a temporary identity for myself?"
"Next to none."
"Okay," he sat down on a chair, "Do you have any Sons? Daughters?"
"No," His eyes narrowed at Harry.
"Well, you do now," Harry covered his mouth and nose with his hand, his gaze not shifting from Sebastian, 'Malifius'. His hair coal-black hair turned Olive and became more organized, his eyelashes became thinner and shorted. His green eyes swapped into a common brown, and his scar disappeared. He grew an inch in height and his shoulders became somewhat broader.
"You changed your appearance?" Sebastian raised an eyebrow, Harry now looked a lot like him when he was younger.
"Yeah," Harry lowered his hand, "Though I don't trust this spell. A simple Revelio renders it useless, what I would give to be a Metamorphmagus right now."
"Look, as much as I would like to help you, my family would ask questions - I may not have a daughter or son, but I have a nephews and nieces attending Hogwarts. What you're planning has a lot of flaws, where were you all this time? Why didn't get your Hogwarts letter? Who's your mother?"
"I ran away when I was a child, out of the country. You had decided that you would rather remove the memory of me than face the shame. My mother was your wife, before she was... you know."
"You came up with all of this now?" Sebastian frowned, "Wait. Where do you come from, really? How are you alive?"
"I can't tell you that yet," He shook his head, "I have to make a new identity for myself," He paused before asking, "How good are you at Occlumency?"
"Terrible."
" What's the exact date?"
"It's the first of August," Sebastian answered.
"So, one month until the term starts?" Harry asked, and he nodded, "Good. I'll teach you Occlumency, so you won't be vulnerable when the time comes for me to go to Hogwarts."
"I...," He wanted to protest, but eventually gave in, "Fine."
Harry smiled, "Thank you for helping me, I promise, I'll repay you. Maybe I'll learn more while I'm in your head. Use all your willpower to push me out while I probe your head," Sebastian nodded, "Okay. Legilimens."
The sound of lips smashing softly echoed near the shores of the tame Lucent lake as two of the war heroes engaged in a messy tangle of limbs were lost in one another's company. They were both engaged in this for a while now, and one of them felt that it wasn't enough anymore. He deepened the kiss they were sharing, before sliding one of his hands under her turtle-neck to feel her breasts.
A moan was the response he got, but his partner stopped everything all together afterwards and he frowned, concern overtaking him, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing... Just... I feel like we're being watched."
"Watched?" The boy looked around, "Who would watch us of all people?"
"We would be watched because we're us," The blonde sighed, "Just look around…"
A/N: Thanks for reading.
Please review.