It had been happening for weeks. Harry once again found himself in an endless field of darkness. He knew that it was a dream… or at least he thought it was. It had nothing to do with his scar, the lack of pain made him certain of that at least. But still, he was unsure of what this dreamscape was and why he was consistently being brought to it.
It was the same scenario over and over again each night, with Harry standing in the darkness for what felt like days only for two bright glowing white orbs to suddenly appear. Despite it happening every night, the blinding light that came from the orbs always caught Harry by surprise. There was an unnerving feeling that settled over Harry whenever the two orbs appeared, it felt almost as if they were staring into his very soul.
A soft clip-clop sound started to steadily grow louder, 'Well this is new,' Harry thought to himself as he felt a presence approach.
"Blood of the brothers… Blood of Death…" rumbled a deep, almost animalistic voice, "Weak you are, oh so pathetically weak. No control, no power… I sense only weakness. You have not had the slightest taste of the ancient magic that calls for you. Your bloodline craves what you have yet to provide, how can you harness its ancient power if you are too weak to unlock it…"
"Who are you to say I am weak!" Harry growled, furious at what he was being told. "No weak man could have endured what I have in my life, I have gone against and beaten the odds every step of the way. I know what needs to be done, and I will not fail."
"FOOL! How naïve you truly are. Do you think I care about your past… no, no I do not, I care only for the future. Your past holds you back descendant, you cling to it like a youngling does to its mother in search of her milk. You think you draw strength from you past, but all you draw from it is weakness…LET IT GO. If you do not, then you will never take what is rightfully yours, and you and all your fellow humans will fall. Kill the past and look to what is yet to come."
"WHO ARE YOU!" Harry roared in fury, as the truth of the words were cutting Harry deeply.
"Who am I? I am you. Your other half. Your mentor, your protector, your greatest ally, your salvation. I am the Mighty Thestral. My blood, the blood of death, flowed in the veins of the brothers and now…it flows in yours. Heed my words descendant for you are weak and unprepared."
"Unprepared for what?" Harry yelled out as the voice and the glowing white eyes slowly disappeared, "Answer me! How am I weak? What am I unprepared for!"
Harry's words echoed in the darkness without any response, and Harry sat there for what felt like an eternity waiting to wake up from this temporary purgatory.
As Harry's conscious slowly returned to the waking world he was not met with the familiar vibrations coming from his wand under his pillow, but with a familiar warmth sliding along his exposed forearm.
"Companion I have returned!" came an excited hiss.
Harry shook his thoughts on the dream out of his head and rubbed the remaining sleep out of his eyes before looking down at a familiar snake, "Saphira you're back! I was worried sick for you, I haven't seen you in over a month!"
"I am sssorry companion," Saphira responded sounded genuinely sad, "but I had to leave. I found my Queen and she needed my help."
"Your Queen?"
"Yesss, the moment I entered the cassstle I ssensed my Queen. I ssspent my time searching for her and finally found her nest. But something wasss very wrong with my Queen and she needed my help."
"Is your Queen a Basilisk?" Harry asked, fearing he knew where this conversation was going.
"Yess Companion, she is the Queen of Serpentssss. She is the daughter of the Ssserpent Lords and livess in his chamber."
"She needs to be gotten rid of!"
"NO! Companion you musst not, she is my Queen!" Saphira hissed in a frightened manner.
"She is a danger Shapira!"
"Ssshe is only sssick Companion, my Queen is not beyond help," she responded desperately climbing onto Harry's shoulders and moving her head to look into his eyes.
"How can she be healed then," Harry responded not sounding entirely convinced.
"She hass been tainted by the darkest of magic, but my Queen is ssstrong and continues to fight its affectssss. Companion, help me help my Queen."
Harry's mind flashed back to his second year and he started to feel the phantom pains of the fang stabbing his arm and the agony of the venom flowing through his veins. All Harry wanted to do in that moment was kill the basilisk all over again before anybody had the chance of getting hurt. Colin, Justin, Penelope, and…Hermione, she will never be petrified again. Hagrid won't go back to Azkaban for a crime he did not commit, nobody will end up like Myrtle Warren ever again.
Harry grabbed his wand and quickly threw on an old robe before quietly leaving his dorm, making sure not wake Frank or the Marauders.
Saphira was coiled tightly around his upper arm and was pleading with Harry to stop, but he ignored her hisses. The pale, cold form of Ginny Weasley slowly dying would not leave his mind's eye and Harry's only goal was to make it Dumbledore's office as quickly as possible.
But Harry suddenly stopped.
He fell to the floor in agony as the sound of thundering hooves and flapping wings pounded away in his mind. It was more painful than any of his visions from Voldemort and in the moment, Harry was certain his ears started bleeding.
As Harry twitched in pain on the ground, the words from his dream bounced around in his mind.
After what felt like an eternity the pain went away, leaving Harry gasping and sweating on the floor. He knew that he had to let the past die, but how could he forget the horrors he went through. It was his greatest weakness, his fixation on the past, but how could he let it go when it was all he ever knew. Everything that made him Harry Potter lay in the past.
But, Harry Potter is dead…or, not alive. Harry Potter no longer exists. There is only Harry Peverell.
'I am weak…' Harry admitted to himself.
He slowly picked himself up from the floor and leaned heavily on the cold stone wall of a 7th floor hallway trying to catch his breath. As he regained his bearings his mind wandered to his past before being assaulted with memories. The Dursley's, Hagrid bringing his Hogwarts letter, his first trip to Diagon Alley, the Boy-Who-Lived, Hedwig his first friend, meeting Ron and Hermione on the train, the Troll, the Mirror of Erised, Fluffy, his confrontation with Quirrell, meeting Dobby, the flying car, Professor Lockhart, learning about parseltongue, the petrification's, Aragog, his battle with the Basilisk, Tom Riddle's Diary. A sad smile crossed his face thinking back on how crazy his first two years were.
Blowing up Aunt Marge, the mass murderer Sirius Black, the Dementors, meeting Remus Lupin, Buckbeak, learning the Patronus charm, the Marauders Map, Hogsmeade, Quidditch Cup Champions, Pettigrew's betrayal, fighting a Werewolf, time travel, Prongs, freeing his Godfather, the Quidditch World Cup, the Dark Mark, his visions, the lesson on Unforgivables, Malfoy the Ferret, the Triwizard Tournament, out flying a Hungarian Horntail, the golden egg, the Yule Ball, using Gillyweed and displaying Moral Fibre, Barty Crouch Senior, the Maze, the portkey, Cedric's murder, the resurrection of Lord Voldemort, Priori Incantatem, the imposter Moody, Fudge's incompetence and denial.
Kill the past…LET IT GO…kill the past…all you draw from it is weakness…KILL THE PAST
The worst summer of his life, Big D, the dementor attack, being expelled…kind of, the Order of the Phoenix, Grimmauld Place, Kreacher, the Trial, quality time with Sirius Black, Dolores Umbridge, Dumbledore's avoidance, the Educational Decrees, the D.A., Arthur Weasley's attack, his link with Voldemort, Neville's parents, Occlumency torture with Snape, Grawp, D.A. betrayal, Headmistress Umbridge, Hogwarts fights back, OWLS, the false vision, the mission to the Department of Mysteries, prophecy, the death of his friends, meeting Death, going back in time.
A single tear escaped Harry Potter's left eye and slowly made its way down his face before falling on his trembling lips. Thinking about his past was mental torture, for it is untouchable, unattainable, and he would never be able to return to it.
Kill the past
Let it go
Kill the past
"I'm not strong enough," Harry whimpered to himself, "I-I-I can't."
As if the Gods heard him themselves, a new set of images flew into his mind. The Horcruxes, his destiny to confront Voldemort, the Peverell Brothers, his legacy, the Deathly Hallows, his mother Lily Evans, his father James Potter, the Marauders, Peter's loyalty to Remus, Alice and Frank healthy and in love, Marlene's outspoken nature, the always entertaining Black Sisters, Sirius the Bachelor back in his prime, Xeno being so much like Luna, Saphira, his stolen moments with Emmy, and finally finding his place within the Wizarding World.
A sense of peace came upon Harry as his old memories started to fade away. They were still there, but at the same time they were not. No longer did his past way heavily on his mind, as his memories only left a feeling of warmth inside his chest. Using his rudimentary occlumency skills Harry looked inside his mind and found his past memories were physically gone, all that remained was a faint imprint similar to what a ghost is compared to what they originally were in life.
Let it go…kill the past and look to what is yet to come
Wiping the remnants of the single tear from his face, Harry James Ignotus Peverell straightened his robes, gripped his wand, and continued down the 7th floor corridor knowing exactly what to do next.
"I know we have been told for years that OWL year sucks, but…Merlin does it ever suck," said an exhausted Frank Longbottom as he collapsed into a large scarlet and gold loveseat.
"I think every single 5th year at Hogwarts feels the same way Frank," replied his girlfriend as she started running her fingers through his hair and massaging the head that now lay her in lap.
"Pffft! Not everyone," he replied thinking about a few select boys.
"Alright, alright, everyone except the Marauders," Alice giggled in response.
"Not even the Marauders, Alice. Peter and Remus have both been complaining about the stress… more Peter than Remus, but still both of them. But Sirius and James haven't batted an eyelash, it's almost as if they have been assigned 1st year material."
"That's not surprising if you really think about it. Sure, Sirius and James are both borderline arrogant pricks and juvenile delinquents…in the best way possible," she added quickly, because in all honesty Alice really did like the two boys despite their faults, "…but that does not take away from their intellectual capabilities. They very well could be the two smartest and magically talented wizards that have come to Hogwarts in the last 20 years."
"It's all in the bloodline," Frank conceded.
Alice gave him a questioning look.
"Right you family doesn't care for politics."
"And we are damn proud of it!" Alice teased, sticking her tongue out at Frank.
"Anyways, it's common knowledge that the Black Family is a powerhouse. But the Potters themselves are geniuses. They are the only family that could possibly rival the Black's in power and influence. Most people don't know this because the Potter's are probably the most secretive family that has ever existed; and where the Blacks are an infamously large family, the Potters are infamously small."
"That is actually really interesting," Alice admitted looking at Frank with eager eyes.
"Most of the time family history is really boring," Frank laughed, "but the Potters and Blacks are always interesting. You just have to look back a few years to see this. Arcturus Black and Charlus Potter, the grandfather and father of Sirius and James, respectively. Two of the most powerful wizards in Britain, they had the ability to leave grown men shaking in their boots, in their prime."
A brown haired blur quickly shot past the couple and took the seat across from them and joined in the conversation, "Are you taking about how absolutely badass Lord Potter and Lord Black are! Some of my grandad's favorite stories are about those two when they used to take part in the Wizengamot."
"Hey Marlene," Alice greeted her excited roomate, "what do you mean used to?"
"Marlene means that they've stopped attending. It was very weird, according to my mother the two of them went from an unstoppable duo that could take on the world and win, to a pair of recluses who have not appeared publicly for years," Frank explained.
"And nobody knows why…it's soooooooo mysterious," Marlene whispered dramatically.
"There are rumours though," Frank stated, and seeing the intrigued looking faces of the girls he continued, "the Longbottom's have been allied with the Potter's for years so we have a better idea than most about what happened, but the secretive nature of the Potter family makes it so even we don't know the full story. We don't have strong ties with the Black family, so all we know are the rumours that have been circulating for years. Apparently after Lord Black's wife, Melania, got sick it nearly broke his heart and since then he has shut himself away from the public eye."
"That's so romantic," Marlene swooned, "but, I'm going to guess she didn't get better."
"Nobody knows if she's still alive," Frank answered.
"Wow…" both girls said together.
"And the Potter's?" Alice asked.
"Apparently the war against Grindelwald was very hard on Lord Potter and he fell into a type of depression. The only thing that brought him out of it was when Lady Potter had a surprise pregnancy with James. They both believed that they were too old to have children and when they found out about James it seemed to breathe new life into the family, but it also gave them another reason to keep their lives private and raise James. Again, a lot of this is here-say and guesswork from my mother and uncle so it could all end up being a pile of rubbish."
"I think it's kind of sad for Sirius, James, and their families," Alice admitted.
"Yeah, it would be nice if the real reason was that they wanted to retire and live out the rest of their lives on the French Riviera, but I doubt it. The Wizarding World is filled with tragedy… well that's what my mum says at least, and we all know how jolly she is." Frank joked.
"Don't speak like that about your mother Frank," Alice said smacking him over the head. "How has your family been lately anyways?"
"Same as always really," Frank said with no real emotion, "Mum hasn't been the same since dad died. She still keeps herself busy with her herbology in the greenhouses and apparently she's found a lot of joy in the Wizengamot lately. Something about making weak-willed idiots cry."
"That sounds just like Augusta… what a woman," Marlene sighed in admiration.
Frank laughed at that, "I'm going to have to keep her away from you Marlene, she would take you in as a protégé and then nobody would be safe," he shivered at the thought of it, Marlene was crazy enough already.
"And your uncle?" Alice asked.
"Ah, good old Algie is exciting as ever. He came over in the summer raving about some knew recruit in the Department of Mysteries."
"He still trying to persuade from the aurors?"
"Of course! Calls them a bunch of pussy-whipped dimwits who don't know which way to hold their wands and would sooner blow off their own arses than win a fight," Marlene laughed hysterically at that. "On second thought, I think I'll have to keep you away from both my mother and my uncle," he said to Marlene.
"Oh come on, that's not fair at all!" she shouted indignantly.
"But yes, it seems his goal in life is to get me to join his department," he continued as he turned back to Alice. "He's always been bitter to the aurors since his last protégé, Alastor Moody left to join them. Apparently it was like losing the child he never had, he even nicknamed him "Mad-eye" and everything. I wouldn't be surprised if he cried over it."
"That's very intense," Alice stated.
"That's tame for Uncle Algie," Frank laughed, "Anyways this knew recruit, Augustus Rookwood I think his name was, has my uncle all excited again. Algie says he grew up in Britain but was privately tutored instead of coming to Hogwarts. After getting his NEWTs he apparently went and travelled around Eastern Europe and Asia before coming back to Britain this summer. Algie says the man is brighter than normal and has decent potential to become an asset to the department, which is practically a rave review coming from my uncle."
"So in other words this guy is a genius who knows how to use his wand," Marlene said with a dirty smirk at her innuendo.
"That would be correct," Frank confirmed ignoring Marlene's joke, "to put it lightly, he can kick serious arse."
Before the conversation could continue any further, Frank heard footsteps approaching the couch from behind him.
"Lils!" Marlene called out first as she was facing the direction Lily approached them, "I haven't see you in… 50 minutes. I missed you!" she called out after checking the time with a quick tempus charm.
Lily shook her head at Marlene's antics.
"Hey Lily, what has you coming over here?" Frank asked.
"Well… first I was going to ask if any of you have seen Harry today, the marauding idiots have been looking for him. Apparently he didn't show up to any of his classes today, which is weird because I have never seen him skip a class before."
"Maybe he's sick?" Alice said with a look of concern on her face.
"They said they checked the Hospital Wing and he wasn't there," Lily replied.
"His bed was empty by the time I woke up, but I'm sure he will turn up. If anybody can find him it will be the Marauders, I swear only Dumbledore knows the school better than they do."
"You're right, anyways the real reason I came over is I wanted to know if you all want to go to dinner right now. I was stuck with James and Sirius at lunch and I do not want to go through that again for supper, especially without Harry there to make it bearable."
"I'm ready to eat, are you girls good to go?" Frank asked Marlene and Alice.
They both nodded.
"Oh thank Merlin!" Lily exclaimed, "See you down there lovebirds," she teased as she grabbed Marlene and dragged her out of the common room.
Frank just laughed at his friends' quirks before following them hand-in-hand with Alice.
"You hear the rumours today?"
"No Andi, when have I ever cared or listened to rumours. Who do I look like, Narcissa?" came the sarcastic remark from Bellatrix Black.
"To be honest I thought Narcissa would have told you, she came up and told me earlier. Apparently the whole school is talking about how Harry Peverell disappeared today?"
Peverell disappeared? This caught Bellatrix's attention. "How could he have possibly disappeared?"
"Cissy told me that not a single person, or portrait even, has seen him today. His bed was empty when everyone woke up and there hasn't been a trace of him all day. Skipped all his classes, which apparently he has never done before, and missed the transfiguration and potions tests." Andromeda explained.
"Oi, what are you to talking about Harry for?" came the unmistakeable voice of the one and only Sirius Black.
"Hello cousin Sirius, I was just explaining to Bella the rumours of his alleged disappearance. What are you doing all the way over here at the Slytherin table?"
"Dearest Andromeda," Sirius smirked as he gave her a dramatic bow, "as much as I despise the silver and green of this table I could not pass up the opportunity of asking the beautiful Cassandra Shafiq to this upcoming Hogsmeade weekend."
"And her response?" Andromeda questioned.
"She accepted of course, who would refuse?" Sirius looked horrified at the thought.
"Poor girl," Bellatrix cut in.
"Oh, hello Bella. I did see you there, but I tried my best to ignore you," Sirius chirped.
"Your manners are just as terrible as always, but I wouldn't expect any less from a bloodtraitor," she shot back.
Sirius and Andromeda both stiffened at her words, "Well I wouldn't expect any less from a deplorable person like you cousin Bella, and it's not like I haven't heard that word used before," he replied sarcastically.
"I'm not talking about blood purity you halfwit, I am talking about being a true bloodtraitor."
Andromeda stiffened at the word again, but Sirius only looked on in confusion.
"A bloodtraitor Sirius, blood and traitor. Put the two words together and you get Sirius Black. You know what… I think it would be better if you changed your name to Sirius White," Bellatrix giggled at her own joke.
"What are you talking about," Sirius' voice dropped to a low growl.
"Well you obviously want nothing to do with the Black family, what better way to show how much of a bloodtraitor you are then to change your name to the opposite of Black. It would be almost poetic actually," she said sweetly with an underlying tone of anger.
"Bella…not here, please," Andromeda begged her sister, "this is a family matter, it should be conducted in private."
"No!" Bellatrix almost snapped, "He needs to hear this right now, besides if it was considered a family matter I hardly think he would attend."
"Get to the point Bellatrix," Sirius grounded out through his teeth.
"The point is that you, Sirius White, are a bloodtraitor, you have turned your back on your family, your own blood, and you have disgraced the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black."
"Oh please, save me the dramatics Walburga," Sirius snapped.
"That right there is what I'm talking about, Sirius White. You are the Heir of Black, start acting it. Like it or not, you are the first born of the main line and it is up to you to carry on the legacy of our family."
"What family?" Sirius mocked.
SMACK
Bellatrix's hand was stinging and Sirius looked as if he had seen McGonagall walk by completely starkers, but she continued on anyways, "How dare you! I know how you feel about your treatment from our family and our dark and evil ways, but if you ever pulled your head out of your arse you would see how prejudiced you really are."
"Prejudiced!?" Sirius cried out incredulously, "Have you seen our family."
"No, I don't think you have ever taken the time to actually look at our family."
Silence settled over them all.
Just as Sirius was about to speak, Bellatrix cut him off, "Do you think Andromeda is dark or evil?" Sirius was about to answer, but Bellatrix cut in again, "How about sweet little Narcissa, who idolizes the Marauders? What about Aunt Dorea, James' mother? What about Uncle Alphard? How about your little brother Regulus?"
Sirius stopped with his mouth open before he closed it. A myriad of emotions passed his face before he opened his mouth and answered, "Exceptions."
"Exceptions?" Bellatrix wanted to laugh at his stubbornness. "Your prejudice continues to amaze me, Sirius White. How many exceptions do you need before you realize that your conception of our family is broken. You are the Heir. I don't know what Arcturus sees in you, but the amount of faith that man has in you is incredible."
"Well, Arcturus is a sadistic old bastard who's bloody barmy," Sirius mumbled.
"Well we can agree on that," Bellatrix laughed, "...but how terrible a man can he be if his closest friend is Charlus Potter, the father of your best mate."
As Sirius sat there allowing Bellatrix's words to sink in, she decided to put an end to their conversation. "The Black family has inspired awe and fear in the hearts of many for hundreds of years Sirius, you have both the opportunity and the potential to lead a dynasty. Sure Walburga is harsh on you and your father has never shown any interest in your wellbeing, but don't project your own problems on the rest of the family. Actually listen to Arcturus or Aunt Cassiopeia when you see them and maybe you will understand why our family is the way it is and why we do what we do. The world is not Black or White, Sirius. But always remember that in the Wizarding World it pays to be Black, and maybe then you will understand the importance of our blood."
"Come on Andi," Bellatrix stood from the Slytherin table with her sister and they made their way out of the Great Hall leaving a pensieve Sirius behind.
"Merlin's beard you two are insane!" Andromeda said while rubbing her temples, "You lot are so lucky that I used the family magic to put up a silencing ward at the table, otherwise the rumour mill wouldn't give a flying broomstick about where Peverell disappeared to, and the whole school… actually no, the whole of Wizarding Britain would be talking about your family dispute with Sirius White," she said with a raised eyebrow.
Bellatrix flushed in embarrassment at how terribly that situation could have gone, "I will be sure to remind the family how lucky we are to have someone as smart as you, sister…and are you telling me that you didn't like what I did with his name?"
"It's not that, it just reminded how similar you are to Arcturus sometimes. I still think you spend too much time with him."
"Sirius is wasting a valuable resource; why should I pass up on the extra time he has since his heir is too busy being a Marauder."
"Speaking of the Marauders, you owe me 3 galleons," Andi said suddenly.
"What?"
"At the opening feast you said that Peverell would be fooling around with the Marauders within a month. With the rumours going around today I found out from Narcissa that he didn't partake in any pranks until the end of October, therefore you owe me 3 galleons."
"That is ridiculous, I refuse," Bellatrix folded her arms across her chest childishly.
Andromeda simply raised her eyebrow at Bellatrix again, and she relented. "Take your bloody 3 galleons and remind me to never bet with you ever again, you always win."
"Perks of dating a muggleborn Hufflepuff," Andromeda smirked, "you should try it sometime Bella, using a broom closet is good for the soul... well, it's good for releasing hormones at least. You could do with some hormone releasing, maybe then you wouldn't be so uptight all the time."
Bellatrix tried to hit her with a stinging charm but Andromeda easily blocked it. Meeting her sister's frosty gaze made Andromeda laugh, "I'll see you around Bella, I am off to find Ted for my next betting lesson," she winked as she gracefully made her way down the hall.
AN
I just managed to get this chapter out before midnight in my timezone so it is still 2017 for me! Anyways, what better way to start the New Year than with an update! I hope everyone has had a great holiday so far and I wish you all a great 2018.
I don't really make resolutions for New Years because I find them useless, especially since most people break them after a week. So I will not be making an resolutions this year, but I can say with confidence that I will continue this story (for better or worse) and I will complete it.
In other news, I have come up with ideas for three more stories. One involves everyone's favourite vela, Fleur Delacour. The other involves a certain red-haired witch (I won't say which witch) but I can tell you that she has been serially underused for a character with sooooooo much potential (I personally thought she would have been a great witch for Harry to end up with in canon). There is a third story that I have thought about and it involves my favourite fanfic character Daphne Greengrass, but seeing as it is my favourite pairing I want to do it justice and I want the story to epic (i.e. multi-year, complete AU, OC's, etc.). Let me know if you would be interested in these stories and if you want me to start them while I am still writing INGAE or if you would rather me finish INGAE first.
Spread that holiday cheer and leave me a review about your thoughts on the new fic ideas, how you feel about this story so far, and any questions or suggestions you have.
I think that is it for now... so goodbye 2017 and welcome 2018. Oh, and a new update for this story should be coming in the next few days if all goes to plan.