I do not own Harry Potter or Twilight.
Hope you enjoy and review. Forks in next chapter.
Chapter 7
Five days had passed since Severus took guardianship of Harry. Harry was steadily improving and could now move around the room with support of another. He still couldn't be more then three feet from Leora without causing them both pain. It made things a bit awkward when someone had to sit in the bathroom with her while he showered. He hoped with time, as she grew, they could increase the distance.
Harry had undergone a few painful procedures trying to heal all his scarring, but they were slowly disappearing. Two specialists from St Mungos came to look at his ear and eye. Since the ear was bitten off and no magic was used, they were able to regrow it. His eye was a little bit more complicated. There was nothing the healer could do so Severus had taken it upon himself to research and make a potion. Harry had to have painful drops put in his eye daily, then had to keep it covered with a patch. Severus hoped that the potion would help regenerate the nerves and then with a muggle cornea transplant he would be able to see, at least some. Fred and George had taken to charming his eye patch with different designs and patterns. Severus' favorite was the Slytherin crest.
Harry was having frightful nightmares nightly, waking up screaming and crying; sometimes more then once a night. Severus started to giving him very small doses of dreamless sleep, but to much was addicting. The twins were sleeping with Harry every night with Leora safely next to her dad. Severus placed a charm around her so none of them could accidentally roll over on her. Harry liked the security of knowing that he wasn't alone, and he craved human contact. Harry was petrified of being alone, someone had to remain in the room with him at all times or he would have a panic attack.
If Harry wasn't in physical contact with his daughter then his empathic abilities would overwhelm him. He spent almost 8 months with Leora grounding him, so now it was like learning how to deal with emotions all over again. His empathic abilities had even grown stronger while he was locked away. He now suffered from migraines and nose bleeds when the emotions got to be to much for him to deal with. The twins were able to help some as they were partial grounders. He could still feel everyone's emotions, but they were greatly dulled.
Everyone was still trying to get in to see Harry, Sirius had been relentless. Harry knew he was going to have to see them before he left, he had a few choice words for all of them.
With the help of the goblins, they found the perfect place in Forks Washington, America. They were looking for a small town with a small population, to make Harry's empathy easier on him, and Forks fit perfectly. Forks was also close to a major wizarding town in Seattle, but far enough that he wouldn't be recognized around town. Their place wasn't far from the ocean, something Harry had always wanted to see. The Dursley's never took him to the beach when they went; always leaving him with Figg. Bill had gotten a job at the Seattle Gringotts Bank and Harry was trying to talk the twins into letting him give them money to open a joke shop. Severus was going to be staying with Harry all the time, but doing what he loved; brewing potions. As soon as Harry was ready, Severus and Bill were going to start homeschooling him.
Harry couldn't believe how good his life was going, he was so excited about the move. His biggest problem was the pain, the physical and emotional pain of not having his soul mate. He wasn't supposed to live after Cedric died, soul mates died within a few days of each other, and now he understood why. It was extremely painful living without your other half. There were times where he would just break down crying, with no warning. Even though he had Leora, he felt empty, hollow. His magic was constantly calling out for Cedric, searching for him. It hurt when it couldn't find him. He knew he had to stay strong for his baby daughter, but there were times that he wished he could fall asleep, and never wake up.
Much to Moody' grumbling, he delivered a letter to Fen and Bella for him in Azkaban. He wanted to let them know that him and Leora were leaving and moving to America, and he told them in detail everything that happened since getting out.
Harry was bathing Leora and for a week old baby, she loved the water. He wasn't strong enough to stand while bathing her so he was sitting in a chair. The first time he bathed her, he was terrified that he was going to drop the slippery little human. She was such a good baby, hardly ever crying. Of course , she was spoiled by everyone and got what she needed before she had to fuss for it. Fred and George were made godparents, a duty they took very seriously.
They were leaving tomorrow for America, and it couldn't come soon enough. He asked Severus to gather everyone so he could see them one last time, let them know what he thought of them. He knew it was going to be hard seeing everyone that had betrayed him, but he had to do it. The hardest, was going to be seeing Sirius and Remus, he missed and loved them both so much, but they turned their backs on him. He would never be able to trust them again, or forgive them.
The twins thought he was crazy, but he asked for the Diggory's to be there tomorrow. He needed to look at the man that hurt him so badly, he needed to prove to him that he didn't break him. He hoped that by confronting him that he would be able to leave the nightmares behind, and start fresh in Forks. Severus stood behind his decision, he understood what Harry needed to do.
Harry didn't have anything against Mrs Diggory. Not once during the trial did she yell or curse at him. She never said a bad word against him, she just sat there and cried. Cedric loved his mother with all his heart. Harry was happy to hear that she filed for a divorce after hearing what her husband did to him.
They had everything packed and ready to go so they could leave right after the big meeting. Once they got to Forks they were going to have to shop for a lot of the furnishings, and Harry needed clothes.
-a- -a- -a- -a- -a- -a- -a- -a- -a- -a-
Sirius was sulking, today his godson was going to be leaving. He tried to find out where they were moving to but he couldn't get anything out of them. Even Moody, who knew where they were going, wouldn't tell him. He just wanted to have a chance to beg for forgiveness. He couldn't imagine never seeing Harry again. Never knowing how he was doing.
Everyone was currently sitting around the table waiting for Harry to make an appearance. Molly had been in tears all day because not only was she losing Harry, but she was also losing three of her son. She couldn't believe that Harry wouldn't see them before this. They deserved the chance to make it up to him.
Ron was in a bad mood, had been since finding out about Harry's innocence. Harry was his best friend, he should be moving with him, not the twins and Bill. He knew he messed up, he said horrible things about Harry during the trial, and to the papers. He didn't mean to, he just got got caught up in the frenzy and enjoyed getting the attention.
Everyone turned their attention to the door as Bill walked in. " Harry will be down in a few minutes. Just remember, he didn't have to give you all a chance to talk to him. He could have easily slipped out, and never looked back. Actually, I tried to convince him to do just that. You will let him have his say, you owe it to him" Bill looked around the room and tried not to sneer at them. After what they did, how could they expect Harry to just open his arms to them? He was disgusted with them all, even his own family.
A cry broke out as Harry entered the room being supported by Severus. Getting down the steps had taken a lot out of him. He was holding a disillusioned Leora close to his chest. Severus had put a silencing charm on her so they couldn't hear her if she woke up, and she couldn't hear them. The twins came in right after them.
Sirius had to choke back a cry, his godson looked so bad. He was nothing but bones and skin, he looked worse then him after he escaped. His skin was as white as a sheet and covered in fading scars and bruises. He wore an emerald green eye patch over his blind eye. His hair was a bit below his shoulders and pulled back in a ribbon. Sirius wanted to reach across the table and rip apart Amos.
" Pup!" Sirius whispered. He wanted to run to Harry and grab him, beg for forgiveness.
Harry's eyes swung to his ex godfathers. It hurt more then he thought it would to see him. He could tell Sirius had been crying, his eyes were all puffy and bloodshot. Against his will Harry's eyes started filling with tears.
Sirius went to stand up but Remus grabbed his arm and pulled him back down; shaking his head no. " Please pup, don't go. We are so sorry." Tears started falling down the grims eyes.
Harry bit his lip, trying to choke down the sob that had built up. " You hurt me Siri." Harry whispered. " You were family, you were supposed to believe in me."
" I know pup, I should have. I was so incredibly stupid. I spent my life fighting against my family name and the dark, that when the proof was presented, I believed it.." Sirius' heart was breaking.
" What proof? What proof was there the I killed Ced..." Harry stumbled over his husbands name. " Cedric?" Does me sneaking out of the dorm at night mean I'm evil? How many times did the marauders sneak out? Did that mean that you guys were evil? I never knew that studying and improving ones grades would mean they were evil. If that was the case then Hermione is the next Voldemort. Of course not going to the Burrow for christmas would automatically mean that I was evil. And then there was the change in my magic. Did any of you ask me why? Headmaster, you suspected that I was an empath, would that not have changed a person magic as they grew, and as their ability got stronger?"
" Is there anything we can do Harry?" asked Hermione.
" Yes, you can leave me alone, and not look for me." Harry didn't feel bad when she started crying. She was the one who complained about his grades the most because he was beating her in most every subject. " You sat up on that podium during my trial and said that I must have been doing something dark because there was no way I could be smarter then you.
Hermione covered her face in shame. She had said some horrible things that day, and as much as she didn't want to admit it, she was jealous. Harry was out doing her in all their classes. She was always the smart one, she was the one that they went to when they needed help. There had to be a no good reason why all of a sudden he was doing better then her.
" You were my closest friend Hermione. When Ron turned his back on me after the goblet, you still stood beside me. Hermione, you sold me out over petty jealousy. You sold me out because you were jealous that I was smarter then you."
Harry looked to Ron. " Ron you were my brother. Yes, you turned away from me when my name got drawn, but you came back after the first task. Yes, I was hurt when you did that, but I knew even siblings had their spats, so I forgave you, happy to have you back. You were the most bloodthirsty during the trial. Half of what you said was utter bullshit. I hope that you can live with yourself knowing that you sent me to Azkaban for 15 minutes of fame."
Ron couldn't look at Harry. Everything he said was true. He had been in Harry's shadow for so long. He basked in the attention he got after the tournament, but after things settled down, he was forgotten.
" Mrs Weasley, you were the mother I never had, and craved. I was so jealous of Ron because he had an amazing loving mother. I fell in love with you and the Burrow the first time I stepped foot in it. I imagined what it would have been like to have been raised there by you and Mr Weasley, and having so many brothers and a sister." Harry dropped his gaze from Mrs Weasley, and subtly adjusted Leora in his arms. " You spat at me in the face. You said you were disgusted that you ever thought of me as a son. You hoped that I would rot in Azkaban, then spend eternity in hell."
Mrs Weasley buried her head in Mr Weasley's shoulder, sobbing. How could she have said such horrible things to Harry?
Harry looked at the Weasley parents, the parents that at one time he wished he had. " Mr Weasley, you never insulted me, but you also didn't stand up for me. Would you have done that if it was one of your sons in my place?"
Harry looked around the room, he was trying to not look at the Diggory's. He had a few more people to address before he would deal with them. He was trying to not let ,, his,, presence get to him.
Harry looked to Headmaster Dumbledore. A man came he admired, loved like a grandfather. A man he thought would do anything to help a student in trouble. " Headmaster Dumbledore, what did I ever do to make you think that I could murder another student? I risked my life in first and second year to save the school and it's students. In third year I risked my life to save Sirius. Why didn't you fight for me? You didn't even try to discover the truth. Like you did with Sirius, you assumed the worst, and sent me away. You knew what would happen to me, being an empath, in Azkaban. You knew how strongly the dementors affected me. You also knew, that as an empath, I couldn't commit murder. And yet, you still didn't try to uncover the truth. There was no positive proof pointing to me killing Cedric." Harry hung his head. " You were my grandfather, I would have done anything for you."
The twinkle died in the old mans eyes, and he felt a hundred years older. He had planned on convincing Harry to remain, to come back to Hogwarts; his first home. He could see now that nothing he promised him would work. Harry was leaving, and he would never return. A tear slipped down his face and fell into his beard.
Finally, Harry turned to the two men he loved the most. Sirius who was a father figure to him, and Remus an uncle. He had managed to hold back his tears, till now.
" Have you ever had someone reach into your magical core and rip a part of it out?" He asked Sirius. At seeing him shake his head he continued. " Well that's what it felt like when you broke our bond." Sirius got even paler. " I loved,, I love you. You should have believed in me unconditionally. You should have gave me a chance. Did I not give you a chance? You were accused of giving Voldemort my parents location, but I still let you have your say. The pain was so bad when you broke our bond that I thought I was going to die."
Sirius ignored Remus and stood up, quickly he approached Harry. He froze when Harry turned into Severus, seeking protection and comfort. George stepped in front of him, preventing him from getting closer to Harry. " Please pup, please forgive me. I love you so much, please."
" You know where they put me Siri? They thought it would be funny to put me in your old cell."
" No!" Sirius yelled. He couldn't believe that his 14 year old godson was put in the cell that he rotted away in for so long. " Merlin Harry, please give me a chance."
" I- I can't." Harry sobbed. " I will never be able to trust you."
Sirius took another step closer to Harry but was stopped by a wand in the face. Following the arm he was shocked to find that it belonged to Moody. " That's enough Black. You have had your say, now sit back down." Sirius wanted to protest but at seeing the broken look on Harry's face, he nodded and sat back down.
Harry took a few minutes to collect himself. It hurt more then he thought to confront Sirius. " Remus, this wasn't the first time you abandoned me, was it?"
Remus blanched at Harry's accusation, then his face paled when he figured out what Harry meant. " Harry!"
" I was supposed to be your pup, I was supposed to be part of your pack. Never once did you check on me growing up. Never once did you check to see if I was happy. If you would have just thought of me once, if you would have just checked on me, you would have seen that I was being abused."
There was a huge gasp from everyone in the room. They never heard that Harry had been abused. They thought Harry had been loved by his family. Remus felt like he was going to be sick. It couldn't be true.
" You would have seen that I was being kept, locked, in the cupboard under the stairs. You would have seen the bruises and whip marks. You would have seen a scared, starving little boy, who was desperate for any kind of affection. I understand that you were hurting, that you had just lost everyone, but dammit, so did I. I was just a baby and not only did I lose my parents, but I also lost my uncles."
Remus put his head in his hands, shoulder shaking with his tears.
Harry ignored his pain and continued. " Then once again when I needed you, you turned your back on me. You didn't hurt me as bad as Siri, but you still hurt me. You should have known that I was innocent, then again, you should have known that Siri was innocent. You don't learn from your mistakes, do you?"
Everyone sat quietly, stunned. Taking a deep breath Harry turned to the Diggory's. " Your son saved me. He found me minutes from taking my own life." There was an immediate outburst at that revelation, but Harry held his hand up silencing them. " I couldn't take being an empath anymore. I felt everyone's fear, pain, happiness, anger, loneliness,,,,, everything. There wasn't a second in the day where I could escape it, and it was only getting stronger."
Harry got a sad smile on his face. " Then Cedric found me. He offered me his hand, and as soon as we touched, it stopped. It was like, someone flipped switch. I no longer felt what everyone else was feeling. It was the best, most amazing feeling, or amazing not feeling." Harry had a far away look, remembering his first time meeting Cedric.
Mrs Diggory was sitting at the opposite end of the table as her soon to be ex husband. She hadn't been able to stop crying since Harry walked in the door. The proof of her husbands madness was standing right in front of her. Her sons husband couldn't even stand by himself without the aid of Professor Snape. She could see the fading scars and bruises. If they were still this bad, what did they look like when he first got out. She just wanted to get up and give the small boy a hug. She wanted to beg for forgiveness for not knowing what her husband was doing. She knew he was going to Azkaban, but she thought it was just to sneer at him, maybe verbally insult him. She didn't know he was allowed physical contact with the boy.
" At first" continued Harry. " We would meet up a couple times a week, and Cedric would hold me, grounding me. It didn't take long for things to progress from there. Cedric, was the kindest, most gentle person. He helped me deal with the abuse from my relatives. I was terrified of touch, but he taught me that touch could be pleasurable."
Harry finally got the courage to look Amos in the eyes. " Cedric thought the world of you, he wanted to be just like you. But, he never could be like you. He could never hurt someone, the way you hurt me. He could never hate, the way you hate. He could never force himself on another person as they lay bleeding and crying."
Amos sat shaking in his chair. He couldn't believe what he had become. He had become worse then a monster.
" Cedric wouldn't recognize the man you have become. The man that could whip a fourteen year old while he laid tied to the floor. The man that could beat with his fists and feet until I passed out. The man that revived me when I was blessed with unconsciousness just so he could do it all again. The man that took a knife and carved words into my flesh. The man that got off at hearing my bones break. The man that poured something in my eye, blinding me. The man that held me down, and forced himself on me as he bit part of my ear off. Does that sound like the man that a son would be proud of? Is that the type of man that you would have wanted your son to become?"
Amos was now crying. There was no way he could make if up to his sons husband. He did deserve to go to Azkaban. His son wouldn't even be able to look at him.
Looking around Harry noticed that everyone was pale and crying. " I wasn't the only one that suffered?" Harry said softly.
" Harry, are you sure?" asked Severus.
Harry just gave him a smile. " I wasn't the only one who lost Cedric. I wasn't the only one who sat in that courtroom as you flamed me. I wasn't the only one who got sent to Azkaban that day."
" Harry, what are you talking about?" asked a confused Dumbledore.
Harry ignored the headmaster. Once again he looked to Amos Diggory. " I wasn't the only one you beat, and I wasn't the only one who suffered at your hands."
Taking a deep breath, he waved his hand, taking the charm off Leora. They couldn't see her face, just a pink blanket and a tiny hand sticking out.
The kitchen erupted in chaos. Everyone was yelling and asking questions at the same time. Moody raised his wand and shot off a loud boom, silencing everyone.
Harry looked down at his little miracle and smiled. " Two days before the final task we found out about her. Ced was so happy that he was going to be a dad. He planned on telling you about us, and her, after the task."
Mrs Diggory stood up, on the verge of hyperventilating. " Please,, please Harry. Can I see Cedric's daughter, please, I beg of you."
With his bottom lip quivering and on the verge of tears, Harry nodded. " You, just you."
Out of the corner of his eye he saw Mr Diggory stand up. " Not you!" He snarled. " You will not get near my daughter. She could have died because of you. All those times you beat and raped me, she was inside my body. You broke my ribs countless times, the same ribs she was sleeping under. You will never get to see her. You will never get to look at the face that Cedric made. You will never get to hear your sons child call you grandpa."
" I - I have rights." Amos choked out. " You can't keep me from her. You are to young to properly be able to raise a child. You cant even stand up, and there is no way you came out of Azkaban without being mentally unstable. I will get custody. I will do whatever I must to get Cedric's child."
Moody started to laugh. " You signed away those rights, on a magical binding contract. There isn't a damn thing you could do. Who would give a child rapest custody of a baby girl?"
Amos tripped and fell against the wall, sliding down. Merlin, he was right. He did sign the contract, there was nothing he could do. " You, you tricked me."
" What you did to Harry was a lot worse." Sneered Severus.
" Harry, please can I see her?" Even though Mrs Diggory was crying, you could see the hope in her eyes, the pleading.
Harry nodded his head. With her heart pounding in her chest, Mrs Diggory approached Harry. When she got close enough, Harry peeled back the corner of the blanket. A loud, heart wrenching sound came from Mrs Diggory when she laid eyes on her granddaughter. She would have collapsed if Bill wouldn't have caught her.
Mrs Diggory held out her hand but stopped right before touching the baby. " May I?" Harry nodded and she reached out and touched the baby's hand. " She is so beautiful. She has so much of Cedric in her. What's her name?"
" Leora,, Leora Kalila Potter." Harry said softly.
" Such a beautiful name." Mrs Diggory sighed. " Please, if it isn't to much, could you send me pictures?" Mrs Diggory was almost crying uncontrollably. Before Harry could answer her, Leora opened her eyes. Mrs Diggory gasped, and her hand flew up to her mouth.
Sirius lunged to his feet, he had to see what was wrong, but before he could take three steps, he was stopped by Moody. Sirius was desperate to see the baby. He couldn't believe that his pup and a daughter.
" Her eyes, her eyes are amazing. I have never seen anything like them." Proclaimed Mrs Diggory.
Once again the kitchen erupted. Everyone was asking to see the baby. Demanding to know what was so special with her eyes.
Harry quickly bundled Leora back up and tucked her into his chest. " Cedric would want you to know his daughter. If you make a vow to never reveal our location, or show her picture around, then after we get settled in, I will give you our address."
Mrs Diggory couldn't believe it. After everything her husband did to him, he was still going to allow her to be part of her granddaughters life. She was going to get to see Cedric's daughter grow. " I do, I will, I will do whatever you ask to get to know her."
Harry gave her a smile. " I will owl you when I am ready, I promise. She could use a women around. She's going to be stuck living with five guys, and regular visits from grandpa Moody."
The old aura started to laugh. " Someone has to scare the boys away, and there is no one more scary looking then me."
" Pup, please, can I meet your daughter?" Sirius desperately pleaded. Everyone started to plead, begging to meet the miracle child.
Harry turned into Severus sobbing, at seeing the look on Sirius' face. " Please, I want to leave. I'm done, please, take me away from here."
Severus wrapped his arm around Harry and led him from the room. They could hear the yells from Sirius, begging them not to go, until they disappeared into the floo.
