Chapter 12 The story of the boy-who lived
A few days later Hagrid found Harry sitting outside, reading in a book when he came up to the castle for lunch.
"Hey there Harry, how are you?"
Harry looked up and smiled slightly. "Fine Hagrid, you?"
"Can't complain. So you enjoying the sun, eh? If you want you can come visit me in my hut sometimes. Would like that but can understand if you don't want nothing to do with me. Wouldn't want myself, after…"
"Hagrid, it's ok." Harry said quickly. He didn't want Hagrid to blame himself. True if he had done something then … But he was a good man. "Look it's over, alright. Let's just forget it ok?"
"Ok. Why don't you come this afternoon, I can make us a few cakes or such. Must be feeding you up."
Harry accepted the invitation but got a warning from Minerva before he went to meet Hagrid.
"Harry you must understand that Hagrid's cooking is,… well let's say somewhat special."
Harry looked at her inquiring.
"If he offers you rock cakes, you can take that name literally. I have nothing against Hagrid he's a nice man, but his cooking…"n she trailed off.
Harry nodded understanding and then suddenly smiled. "I'm still on a special diet, right? And I don't think rock cakes are part of it, so I won't have to eat them and won't offend Hagrid at the same time."
"That's right. Then have a good afternoon."
She answered with a smile, not having seen this side of Harry before.
Harry indeed had a nice, rock-cake free afternoon. Hagrid told him many things about his parents, mostly about what his father was up to at school. Harry also met Fang Hagrid's huge boarhound. It was a rather wet experience, for Harry's face at least. Harry saw a newspaper lying on the table, the one from the first of august. He had read the paper from time to time but not everyday. This particular one was new to him as was its main subject. Apparently there had been a break in at Gringott's, in one of the high security vaults no less. When Harry asked Hagrid about it he quickly changed the subject what made it suspicious. But nonetheless he concentrated on what Hagrid began to speak about next. His greatest passion, Dragons!
Harry didn't exactly know what to say on this, it was beyond him how someone could talk about a dragon as if it were some cute baby. But none the less this afternoon was the start of an unusual friendship.
The thing Harry liked most about his days at Hogwarts was that he seemed to belong somewhere. He was no longer the outcast of the family. The moments he felt this most were the evenings. Minerva had proposed that they could spend the evenings together in the living room and Harry gladly accepted. They weren't talking the whole time some evenings simply sitting together, either both reading in quiet or Minerva working on something.
It was one of these evenings when Dumbledore came to visit the two of them. He had done so before and to Harry it seemed that he and Minerva were very good friends so it wasn't anything unusual. But this time he looked more serious. Even if he was smiling at him, Harry remarked that his eyes weren't twinkling as much as they did when he was happy.
"Hello Albus, do you want some tea?"
"Yes, yes tea would be nice, thank you Minerva. So Harry how are you?"
"Fine sir, thank you. How are you?"
"Very well my boy. Ah thank you for the tea Minerva. I thought we could speak a bit more about your parents Harry."
Harry looked up, nodding eagerly. Lily and James Potter had only been empty names a month ago. But now Harry had begun to fill these names with stories about the people behind it. While it was sad that they were dead, this made Harry feel closer to them. So he looked up at Dumbledore and Minerva with interest until he saw that they looked very serious.
"Harry, do you know how your parents died?"
Minerva asked gently. Harry hadn't expected this but he nodded.
"Do you have any questions about it? Anything you'd like to know?" Minerva continued.
Harry first wanted to shake his head but stopped. "I… I always wondered about something." He began.
"Yes?" Dumbledore encourraged him gently.
"It's probably not important, but I wondered where all this green light was coming from. And this laughing. Why would anyone laugh when there is a car crash?"
"What do you mean with car crash Harry? Your parents didn't die in a car crash."
"But,…but they always said so. That my parents had been killed in a car crash, and that it was then that I got this scar."
Minerva and Albus shared glances. Not that it was that surprising but still. They hadn't thought that Harry had absolutely no idea about what had happened.
"Harry, your parents didn't die in an accident, they were murdered, by an evil wizard."
"Murdered?" Harry asked disbelieving.
"Yes Harry, the green light you remember, this was the killing curse."
There was silence and finally Harry asked. "But who murdered them? And why?"
Dumbledore took over now. "I will explain, you have a right to know. Just have a bit of patience. And if you have any questions, any at all, ask them." He seemed to gather his thoughts for a bit. "Where to start? Ah yes. Let's begin 50 years ago. Back then there was a student at Hogwarts by the name of Tom Marvolo Riddle. When he left school he got deeply involved into the dark arts. He underwent many transformations and very few people connect the student of Hogwarts with what he has become later. He made himself a new name, Lord Voldemort…
Minerva flinched at the name and nearly dropped her cup.
"Now really Minerva, it is only a name." Dumbledore chastised lightly. "You see Harry many witches and wizards still fear his name. They refer to him by things like You-know-who and other nonsense. Because more than twenty years ago, he began to gather followers. He was a very powerful wizard and many followed him because he promised them power and greatness. They declared that purebloods, meaning those of only wizarding blood were superior to those with muggle blood in them, what is of course not true. But many of the old families believed in this, wanting to gain more power for themselves. Thus he and his followers became more and more powerful. They began to kill muggles, as well as muggleborns. Everyone opposing them was in danger. While many witches and wizards choose to stay neutral, not wanting to become a target themselves, there were also those who opposed him and his followers."
He paused a bit waiting for Harry's question.
"My parents?"
"Yes your parents were working against him with many other people. Not all of them survived."
It took a while for Harry to process everything. Meanwhile Minerva looked inquiringly at Albus, wondering how he'd come to the part Harry had played, but he just monitored her to be patient. After a long silence Harry asked.
"What is with Voldemort now? Is he dead?"
"No Harry, but neither is he alive. At the moment he is a bodyless being, not dead but too weak to continue where he was."
"What,… I mean what happened?"
Dumbledore smiled gently at Harry. "You see, ten years ago, on Halloween night, Voldemort went to a young family, a couple with their little son, to kill them. He killed the father and mother and then turned his wand to the child. He used the same curse, the killing curse as he had done countless times before, but this time something else happened. The curse backfired and instead of killing the child it ripped Voldemort of his body. He fled that night and since then he is hiding somewhere, a mere spirit, a shadow."
"And this boy, what happened with him?"
Dumbledore smiled again and got up, settling next to Harry on the couch.
"This boy survived. All that remained from that faithful night was a scar, a scar right there, where the curse had struck him." He gently brushed Harry's hair away from his forehead. "A scar on his forehead, shaped like a lightning bolt."
Harry looked up at him, then touched his scar. "You mean …"
But he stopped abruptly. His eyes closed and his body became limp, slumping against the couch.
Dumbledore worriedly tried to wake Harry but he didn't respond. Minerva came over, shaking him a bit, splashing water in his face, but no reaction. They used an enervate on him that should awaken him but still nothing.
"Albus, what is with him?" She asked.
"I don't know, he seems to be in some sort of shock. This is more than just fainting. Stay with him, I alert Poppy."
Minerva sat to the unresponsive boy. Only few moments later Poppy came in and immediately began to examine him.
"What happened headmaster? He seems to be in some sort of trance. I don't understand that."
"What can we do Poppy?"
"Nothing. Only wait for him to wake up. Maybe settle him a bit more comfortably, keeping him warm."
They brought Harry to his bed and waited while Eilean nuzzled the hand of her boy, trying to wake him. Half an hour later Harry began to stir slightly. Minerva rushed to his side, gently asking. "Harry? Can you hear me? Please wake up."
Don't worry I won't stop here.
WARNING: You might want to get a tissue ready, this is one of the saddest scenes in the whole fic.
So on with the story:
Harry opened his eyes looking around disorientated for a moment and while tears began to appear in his eyes. Minerva gathered him in a hug and let him cry against her chest gently rocking him a bit. Finally the sobs stopped and Harry took Eilean on his lap, stroking him while his other arm wandered to the teddy.
"Harry, can…" Dumbledore began but was silenced by Poppy who began to examine him. "You should rest Harry, you're very exhausted." She said but Dumbledore asked her to leave them alone for a moment and then turned to Harry.
"Harry, can you tell us what happened?"
Harry nodded and sat up in bed, his head lowered. "I… I remembered." He finally said.
"What did you remember?" Minerva asked, he couldn't mean…
"The night, when Voldemort killed my parents." Harry said in a small voice.
"Please tell us Harry. Tell us everything about what just happened with you, we might be able to explain." Dumbledore asked.
Harry took a deep breath. "When … when you told me about my scar and so I suddenly … It was like I was pulled backwards. I sat in a room on the floor, it was a living room I think and I was playing with a stuffed stag. I was smaller, just a little child. Then this redhaired woman came in, my mother." Harry chocked and they gave him a moment. "She came to play with me and then after a while there was a shout. It was a man's voice. He called "Lily it's him. Take Harry and run, I try to hold him off." My mum she picked me up and raced upstairs in another room. She locked the door just as there was a cry downstairs and someone laughed, really cruelly. There were steps and mum, … she bent down to me and said. "Harry, my son. Never forget this. I will love you forever. No matter what happens you'll never be alone, we will watch over you and love you."
Harry paused, wiping a tear away. Minerva settled behind him, letting him lean against her, giving all the comfort she could.
"Then…The door was blown apart, and a man stood there,… He didn't really look like a man, he had red eyes, and looked snakelike. He spoke, his voice was so cold. "Stand aside you silly girl." He said to my mum. I felt that she was really frightened, but she stood between him and me. She begged "No not Harry, kill me instead." But he didn't listen he told her again to stand aside and when she wouldn't he…he raised his wand and said "Avada Kedavra" There was green light and…" He broke off.
"What happened then Harry?" Dumbledore asked after a little break.
"He turned his wand on me and said the same words again. The green light, it hit me, there was a little pain in my forehead, like of a cut. He thought I was dead and turned away, but I… I mean around me everything began to glow in gold, like a golden cloud forming around me and in me I think and then a beam, like a lightning bolt formed, coming off right were my scar is. There was magic flowing through me or so and then everything became black." Harry finished his tale. After a moment he looked up at Dumbledore "How could he? How could he just kill them? Just like that?" He asked desperately. "And mum,… she she seemed to really love me? Why? Why did they have to be killed? Why them? Why? Why?"
"I'm afraid there's no answer that I can give you. Voldemort has killed many people, just to get more and more power. But never doubt the love of your parents. They loved you both very much, more than anything else."
Harry couldn't help the tears. He didn't want to cry, but he just had witnessed the death of his parents, the memory, it was so fresh in his mind, the terrifying face, the spells, the screams…
Minerva held Harry in her arms letting him cry, having to hold back the tears herself at the description of the death of two dear friends. Dumbledore meanwhile went out to Poppy to get a sleeping potion for Harry.
"Albus, can I …"
"No Poppy. But could you get a dreamless sleep potion for him?"
"Yes but what happened?"
"It was just too much for him. We have told him about the death of his parents. Minerva handles the situation best I think."
"Oh poor dear. Yes I get you a potion."
The potion wasn't necessary anymore as Harry had fallen asleep until Poppy returned.
They put him to bed, teddy under one arm, his cat sleeping on the pillow next to him.
Going a bit away from the bed Minerva asked. "Is this really what happened? And how can he suddenly remember?"
"I don't know how he can, but I am sure it is what happened. This memory might just have been blocked somehow and by speaking about it he entered some sort of trance and remembered about it. Who knows?"
"But this golden light? Do you know what that was?"
"Let us me think about this for a bit first."
"How do you know that this was what happened? That it wasn't just … I don't know, the shock and all?"
"No there are things Harry couldn't have known. Like the part about James trying to protect them, Lily dying upstairs. I have seen this stuffed stag myself, it was Harry's and mostly James favourite."
"I know that, but… What about you-kn… right Voldemort wanting to kill Harry, not Lily? That doesn't make sense."
Now Dumbledore's face became even more serious, he looked really old at the moment. "I'm afraid it makes sense."
"What do you mean Albus? Surely he didn't want to kill Harry more than Lily. Or… no, he didn't want to use Lily for his own cause. Under the imperius or…" She broke off.
"No, I don't necessarily think so."
"But what then? And what about James? I thought he went after them because of their role in the order, both their roles."
"It is late. Let us speak about this in the morning."
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I know this wasn't according to the book but it's an AU story after all and I will change a few things to make this story interesting.
Next chapter: Hogesmead
Answer to reviews:
athenakitty: The money is getting back to Harry. About Dudley: I think you shouldn't be too hard, the way he turned out is mostly the fault of his parents. Not that he's my favourite character, not at all.
misfit2008: Thanks for the compliment. Actually I'm not German, but Swiss (you know where the great chocolate comes from) but never mind. I didn't get the remark about Graham NC though. Is this where you live? And what does this have to do with your English? I'm just curious.
