Disclaimer I do not own Harry Potter and everything recognisable belongs to J K Rowling. Also this story is inspired by 'A Shattered Prophesy' by Project Dark Overlord.
Oh my Gosh! I got 135 reviews for the last chapter! I can't belive it! Thank you so much to all those wonderful reviewers! I hope you like this chappie as well, again it's a long one since I got so many reviews. Enjoy!
Chapter Fifty Six
Ron and Hermione stood in the main reception hall of the Ministry, hardly talking. They had been waiting here for that last two hours now. They had arrived with Damien and Ginny, but Professor Dumbledore had not allowed them to come to the trial. They had refused to go back home until they found out what was to happen to Harry. So they settled for waiting in the main reception hall. They kept on getting sharp looks thrown their way by the Aurors. Ron just scowled at them while Hermione tried not to be so rude.
"How much longer do you reckon it will be?" Ron asked quietly.
"Don't know" Hermione answered.
Both felt horrible for not being to help Harry. They had confessed everything to Professor Dumbledore, that they had helped Harry destroy the Horcruxes. They had been told that they couldn't testify before the Wizengamot as this revelation may cause more problems.
Ron was too anxious to stay still and kept on pacing. Hermione restrained herself from saying anything to him. Finally she saw a steady stream of people approaching the hall, making their way to the exit. Both teens quickly strode forward to see if they could spot someone who would tell them what happened at the trial.
They saw many faces they didn't recognise. Ron and Hermione stood awkwardly, trying to spot Damien or Ginny. Ron gasped and grabbed a hold of Hermione's hand. Hermione turned to look at the direction he was staring at. She felt her mouth drop with shock and surprise. Neville was walking along with two people on either side of him. The two adults had their arms wrapped around his shoulders. Ron and Hermione stared hard at the two people. It was definitely Frank and Alice Longbottom. They watched in numb silence as they Longbottom family left the Ministry.
"What the hell…" Ron started to say but was cut off as he spotted his dad walking along with Percy and Ginny.
Hermione and Ron ran towards them. Hermione felt her heart leap as she locked eyes with Ginny who gave Hermione a big smile.
"Ginny! Ginny what happened?" both Ron and Hermione shouted at her in a mixture of excitement and nerves.
Ginny continued to smile but didn't say anything. She turned around to look at someone coming behind her. Ron and Hermione followed her gaze and let out a gasp of relief.
They saw Harry walking along with a small group around him. Harry had his mum and dad's arms wrapped around him, similar to Neville. Damien was walking along with him, a grin plastered over his tired face. Sirius and Remus were on either side of James and Lily. They all looked like they had been through hell and back.
Without waiting for them to come any nearer, Ron and Hermione dashed towards them. Harry looked up in time to see the bushy haired girl run towards him. He never got a chance to prepare himself as Hermione threw herself around him. Harry gasped a little as his battered and bruised body objected to the sudden embrace. Hermione pulled away from him and looked embarrassedly at him. She hadn't meant to do that but the sight of him walking freely out of the Ministry just made Hermione act without really thinking.
"Sorry" she whispered to him.
Harry just smiled tiredly at her, not really blaming her. She didn't know that Harry was so exhausted that he was fighting to just stay upright. Ron came to stand next to Hermione. He beamed at Harry and Harry could tell that he was very close to hugging him as well. Ron just settled for smiling at him, not really knowing what to say.
"Blimey Harry. I can't believe they freed you! That's bloody awesome" he said finally.
Harry looked at them but didn't say anything.
James put his arm around Harry again. He could see that struggle Harry was going through. 'He must be exhausted' he thought to himself not really realising the extent of Harry's injuries. He knew that Harry had been hurt but according to Tonks, she and Moody had healed him.
"Come on, we should get going" he said gently to them. Ron and Hermione quickly walked along with the rest of them. Ginny joined them as well.
Harry's mind was still reeling from the shock of being cleared. He couldn't believe that he was going to have a chance to live his life as a normal wizard now. He didn't have to hide and live like a prisoner anymore. He would have a chance to get to know his parents and grow up with Damien.
He wasn't paying attention to where he was going and only realised that they had approached the exit as a horrible pain shot through him. His arm throbbed as the jolt of electricity ripped through his arm and into his chest. Harry yelled out in pain and at once fell to his knees. His shaky legs had buckled under him as the pain shot through him. He tried to move away from the telephone box as the pain was gripping at his heart. James and Lily were trying to help him but Harry violently jerked away from them and pushed himself away from the threshold of the exit. Only once he was a few steps away from the telephone box did the pain diminish. Harry took shaky breaths to calm down and pulled his shaky hands away from his chest. He tried to blink away the tears that had sprung to his eyes. James and Lily along with the rest were kneeling next to Harry, looks of utter horror and shock etched on all their faces.
"Harry! Oh God, what happened?" Lily asked desperately.
Harry looked at her, through bloodshot eyes. He had completely forgotten about the Bartra bracelet. He couldn't talk as his breathing was still harsh. He shakily lifted his hand to show them the Bartra bracelet that was around his wrist. At first the adults couldn't understand what Harry was trying to say. Then Sirius noticed a very faint wisp of red light, half hidden in the bandages covering Harry's wrist. He took a hold of Harry's shaky hand and pulled at the bandage so that the Bartra bracelet was visible.
James let out an angry hiss at the sight and was on his feet in moments. He couldn't believe his son had that horrid thing around him again. The four teens were looking confusedly at the red wisp of light. Then Damien remembered seeing it on Harry the day he had saved them from the Daywalkers. He still didn't know what it was but knew that it caused pain to Harry.
"Harry, who put that on you?" Sirius asked, barely restraining his anger as well.
Harry looked at his godfather. He was feeling completely drained. He just wanted to close his eyes and sleep. With difficulty, Harry opened his mouth to speak.
"I-I don't know. I was unconscious at the time" he answered. He didn't really know the effect his words were going to have on the surrounding people.
Lily gasped as the three marauders seem to growl in anger. The four teens were just staring at Harry, looks of pain on their young faces.
"Come on, Harry. Up you get" Remus said as he helped Harry back to his shaky feet.
Harry swayed a little on the spot but managed to stay upright. The pain potion he had taken had worn off by now, and Harry was starting to feel the pain overwhelm him.
"I don't feel so good" he murmured as Remus helped Harry to sit on one of the chairs.
"No, I don't expect you do" Remus said as he settled the exhausted boy on the chair.
"I bet you it was Moody who put that on him!" Sirius barked in anger.
Damien, Ginny, Ron and Hermione sat next to Harry as the adults headed off to find Moody. Lily stayed next to Harry. She was just about to check him for his injuries when she saw Tonks running towards them.
Tonks spotted James, Remus and Sirius and ran towards them.
"Thank Merlin I found you! I've been trying to get to you. You can't leave yet, Harry's wearing a Bartra bracelet" she explained quickly.
James turned to her angrily.
"You think about telling me that now! Where the hell is Moody? Get him over here to take that wretched thing off!"
Tonks looked at Harry sitting down, with his eyes closed. She realised that she was too late. Harry had already tried to leave and must have suffered an attack.
"Oh God! James I'm so sorry. I wanted to give you some space with Harry. I figured I would catch you before you left and take the bracelet off, but I must have missed you leaving the courtroom. I'll take it off just now"
Tonks made to move towards Harry but Sirius had grabbed her arm to stop her, an angry look in his eyes.
"You! You put that thing on Harry?" he asked not quite wanting to believe it.
"Yeah" Tonks answered guiltily.
"You don't understand, I had to! There wasn't any other choice" she said hurriedly as the expressions on the three men's faces turned murderous.
"You didn't have a choice! What the hell do you mean by that?" James spat at her.
Tonks looked uncomfortably at him.
"When Harry was handed over to Moody, he was…well…really hurt. We needed to heal him. We were under strict orders to keep him restrained. So we…"
"So you decided to put that thing on him to keep him restrained!" Remus cut her off.
Tonks face turned a delicate shade of pink.
"We had to remove the chains but the other officials wouldn't let us! So I had to put a Bartra bracelet on him, forcing him to stay inside the Ministry. Both…both Harry's arms and legs were broken. We couldn't heal him without removing the chains binding him. The Bartra bracelet was the only thing that allowed Harry out of those chains." Tonks finished.
The three men looked at Tonks with horrified expressions. They turned to look at Harry who was talking to the four teens quietly.
"Just take it off" James said to Tonks, not really knowing how much more heartbreak he could take.
Tonks silently made her way over to Harry and removed the bracelet. Harry looked at her for a moment but didn't say anything. He stood up and the crowd quickly left the Ministry, still not knowing what to say to each other.
Arthur was waiting for them outside. He approached James quickly.
"Dumbledore has left a message for all of us. He wants everyone to gather at the Headquarters. He said it won't take long but we have to go. Even Harry" Arthur added as he saw James's worried glance land on his son.
"Can't it wait until later? I really need to take Harry home" James asked.
"Dumbledore said it won't take long" Arthur said sympathetically. Harry really did look exhausted. It was all probably catching up with him.
With a sigh James turned around to face Harry and the others. He repeated Dumbledore's request.
"Would that be okay?" He directed his question at Harry. He figured that Harry wouldn't want to go back to the Headquarters since he was held a prisoner there for so long.
But Harry gave a tired smile at his father and nodded his head. Harry didn't care where they went. As long as they got there quickly and he got a chance to rest he was fine with it.
Arthur handed them the portkey that would take them directly inside Grimmauld place. Harry touched the portkey and felt the familiar pull under his navel.
His feet hit the ground a few seconds later and he almost lost his balance. James and Remus saved Harry from falling over. James was starting to get really worried now. Harry could hardly keep his eyes open and he didn't really react to what anyone was saying to him.
James decided to get this stupid meeting over and done with. Harry needed rest and James was desperate to get Harry home. He told the other four teens to stay with Harry and left quickly with the adults to see Dumbledore.
Harry sat down on the sofa and felt his aching back relax a little. He was aching all over. Even the hair on his scalp felt sore. He sat back and closed his eyes again. He wondered if he could actually fall asleep while sitting up. The other four were still talking to him but Harry didn't have the strength to answer them. He could feel the start of a fever grip at him. He only opened his eyes when he felt a hand soothe his burning forehead. He expected to see Ginny or Hermione but instead the worried looking face of Poppy appeared before his eyes.
Harry gave her smile as she gently pulled him to his feet.
"Come on" she whispered to him and led Harry out of the room. The four teens asked them what as going on but Poppy just told them to stay where they were.
Harry was led into another room and as soon as he was lying down, Poppy handed him a few vials of potions. Harry drank them without asking any questions, not that he would ever doubt what Poppy had given him. At once Harry felt the aches and pains leave him and a comfortable sleep took over him. He closed his eyes and let himself drift off as Poppy began healing him.
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James and Lily sat with the other members of the Order. Every member of the Order was not present, in fact there was only the Weasley family, the Potters, Remus, Sirius, Moody and Tonks. Surprisingly the Longbottoms were there as well although Neville wasn't with them. It seemed that Neville was still in shock about everything that happened and had locked himself in a private room upstairs, not wanting to speak to anyone. James wanted to go over and greet them properly but the sound of Dumbledore clearing his throat made him stay in his seat.
"Thank you all for coming to this meeting. I know that most of us have had a very tiring day so I promise not to keep you very long. The reason I have asked you all to come today is to inform you that after today's trial, everyone has to be more vigilant. Not only are you going to have Voldemort and his Death Eaters trying to get to you but many members of the Wizarding world may also show their dissatisfaction at the verdict given today." Dumbledore looked directly at James and Lily. Both parents already knew this. Not everyone was going to be happy that Harry was cleared of all charges.
"Harry's safety is of the utmost importance as is the safety of the Longbottom family. Therefore there is a team sent to your homes as we speak to put up extra wards. I have also asked wards to be placed at the Burrow as your children are friends with Harry and might me targeted. Tonks and Moody will be the only Order members other than myself that will be allowed to visit your homes. Of course Remus and Sirius are included. I did not want anyone to go home just now so that is why I asked you to come here today. In a few hours, the wards will be up and then you all are free to go. I trust that you already know how dangerous these times ahead of us are. Voldemort is going to try everything he can to get to Harry. Especially after the truth about Frank and Alice is out. I would advise you, James and Lily, to keep Harry inside Godric's Hollow at all times. Harry won't be happy, but his safety is more important right now." Dumbledore told the parents.
James thought about Harry's reaction to being told he was to stay indoors at all times. 'Yeah that'll brighten up his day' he thought sarcastically. James agreed with Dumbledore but he wasn't going to make Harry unhappy. If Harry wanted to go out, then he could go out. He would just have to settle for a group of bodyguards to accompany him.
"Please make yourself comfortable and I will inform you once the wards are up, thank you" with that Dumbledore sat down.
James was instantly at his side.
"Dumbledore, I just wanted to say…I don't even know how to thank you. Harry would never have survived that trial if it wasn't for you. Thank you!"
Dumbledore smiled at him and gave his shoulder a reassuring pat.
"Harry helped himself. If he hadn't saved all those innocent people, there was nothing I could do to help him"
James smiled at him. He turned to see Lily hugging and talking to Alice. Frank met James's eyes and took a few steps towards him. Suddenly the door burst open and Damien, Ron Hermione and Ginny came running inside, panicked looks on their faces.
"Dad! Dad! Harry's having another attack! You've got to help him!" Damien shouted, tears shinning in his eyes.
James rushed outside, followed by most of the room's occupants. As soon as he was outside the room, he heard Harry's pain filled cries. He ran towards the sound, heart thumping wildly in his chest.
He burst through the doors and saw Harry thrashing in agony on the bed with a tearful Poppy trying to help him. At once James was beside Harry. He felt Lily rush towards the bed with him. Both parents tried to hold Harry down while Poppy attempted to pour another potion down the boy's throat. The rest of the group stood awkwardly at the door. Damien, Ginny and Hermione were in tears. Ron didn't look far from it. Moody, Tonks, Frank, Alice, Molly and Arthur left the room quickly. It wasn't fair on Harry to be seen by strangers while he was in so much pain. Remus and Sirius managed to usher the hesitant four teens outside as well, not wanting them to see Harry in so much pain. Dumbledore stood by the door. A grave look on his face. The twinkle in his blue eyes had completely disappeared.
Harry wasn't aware of his parents crouching over him, trying to calm him. He couldn't hear them. All he knew was that his head was going to burst open. The pain was ripping through him like fire. He vaguely wondered if there actually was a white hot poker being held onto his forehead. He wasn't even aware of the agonising moans that left him as he thrashed wildly. Spasms shook his body and he arched up his back every time a spasm hit him.
He had one hand clamped onto his forehead and didn't let anyone pull it away. He could feel hands restraining him and he cried out in pain.
"No, let go! Let me go! Stop!" he shouted in between his cries. James looked at Harry through tears. If they let him go, he would hurt himself as he was thrashing wildly.
Poppy tried to pour some more potions into him but Harry choked on them as he couldn't swallow due to the screams ripping through him.
"What the hell is happening?" Lily yelled through her tears.
"I don't know! He's never had such a reaction. It must be one of the strongest attacks he's ever had!" Poppy yelled back trying frantically to help Harry.
James watched in horror as a trickle of blood began seeping through Harry's fingers. He yanked Harry's hand away from his forehead and saw that the scar on his forehead had burst open. There was blood running down his face as if the wound were new.
"Dumbledore!" Lily shouted as she saw the old wound bleed.
At once Dumbledore was at her side. He looked at the bleeding scar and for the first time he looked lost. He didn't know what to do or what would help him.
"There's nothing we can do, we have to wait for it to pass" he said resignedly.
Harry screamed again in agony as his scar gave another painful throb and he freed his hand from James and clamped it over his head again. He wanted it to stop. He would do anything to make the pain stop. He really didn't think he could take anymore.
James cried out as he saw fresh blood seep out of Harry's nose.
"Someone, please do something, please make this stop!" Lily yelled as she looked at her son, bleeding in agony.
It was as if someone heard the anguished mother as Harry's screams stopped and turned to moans. He stopped thrashing and his breathing was slowing down as well. The attack was over. James let go of Harry's other hand and watched as Harry tried to stifle his moans. He wasn't quite awake yet. He still had his eyes shut tight and he dropped his hand away from his forehead. Lily gathered her son into her arms and hugged him as she cried. She kissed him in his hair and didn't care that Harry's blood was covering her clothes.
Poppy handed her a cloth and she began to wipe away the blood from Harry's face. James watched with his heart breaking. No parent should see their child covered in blood and in so much pain. He cursed Voldemort for being responsible. He knew that Voldemort would hurt Harry like this again and again, until someone finally killed the heartless bastard.
Dumbledore moved out of the room so that only James, Lily and Poppy were left with the now unconscious Harry.
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Dumbledore sat with everyone else quietly, deep in thought. The four teens were huddled next to Molly as she made them all drink hot chocolate to calm them down. The atmosphere had completely changed. Instead of it being joyful, everyone sat deep in worry and anxiety. Most didn't even know what was wrong with Harry.
"Dumbledore, what…what was happening to Harry?" Alice asked in a small voice.
Dumbledore turned to look at her, a sad look on his face.
"Harry was cursed with a scar by Voldemort. It's the lightening bolt shaped scar on his forehead. It is linked with Voldemort. When Voldemort feels a particularly strong emotion, whether it be happiness or extreme anger, it causes immense pain to Harry. I'm assuming that the attack Harry just suffered from was due to Voldemort finding out the truth about you and Frank. He's probably feeling betrayed by Harry, hence the pain Harry felt today is stronger than anything in the past." Dumbledore finished.
A look of guilt flashed on both Frank and Alice's faces. The rest were listening to Dumbledore's explanation as well and felt a pang of emotion towards Harry.
"Poor dear" Molly mumbled as she carried the four empty cups away.
The four teens sat quietly. They were so sure that Harry was going to have a normal life now that he was free. It was such a cruel reminder to them that Harry would never be free until Voldemort was still around.
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James and Lily refused to leave Harry's side. Poppy was desperately trying to get them to leave so that she could finish healing Harry. Poppy didn't want the poor parents to see how badly injured their son was. It was enough for them to see him suffering that horrid attack. They didn't need anymore heartbreak.
After a few minutes of arguing, Poppy gave in. She really had to get on with healing Harry.
She gave James and Lily a stern look before gently turning Harry over onto his stomach. James helped her lift Harry's sleeping form. Once Harry was on his stomach, Poppy gave a last look at the parents before magically removing Harry's t shirt.
James couldn't even gasp at the sight. He felt like someone had punched him in the gut. Harry's back had multiple bruises, making it look like his entire back was one huge bruise. There were also a few small cuts that must have been from the wood splintering his skin when he fell through the roof while duelling with Neville. How Harry had been able to even walk was beyond James. James wished he had listened to Poppy and left the room. He knew that he would never forget this image of Harry ever again.
Lily had quickly stridden forward and wordlessly started helping Poppy to rub the healing balm onto Harry's back. Poppy looked at her but didn't say anything. Lily forced herself not to cry. She had shed too many tears. Harry needed healing right now not more tears.
Both Poppy and Lily smoothed the healing balm onto Harry's back, getting a relaxed reaction from the sleeping boy. Lily knew that Harry was lucky not to have broken his spine in such a horrid incident.
Before long the bruises were reacting to the balm and they seemed to lighten in colour. Gently, James and Poppy turned Harry over so that more of the balm could be administered onto Harry's bruised torso. Lily was too busy helping Poppy and didn't notice James going rigid next to her. She heard Poppy asking James if he was okay and turned to see him staring angrily at Harry's face. Completely bewildered by his reaction she looked at Harry's face as well.
"James, what are you…" Lily trailed off as she saw James slowly reach towards Harry's neck. Lily saw James's fingers brush against Harry's neck and realised with a sickening jolt that there were more bruises, in the shape of fingers, around Harry's neck. James fingers trembled as he gently touched the bruises on his son's throat.
Lily felt her legs tremble under her. She sat down on the bed next to her son and fought the surge of emotions in her. How could someone do that to Harry? The thought that someone had wrapped their hands around Harry's neck and had tried to choke him made Lily sick with fury. James suddenly ripped his fingers away from Harry and stormed out of the room. Lily didn't call after him because she knew that James wasn't going to stop. James had never looked so furious in all his life.
She saw Poppy reach for the healing balm again and move towards Harry's neck. She looked sadly at her.
"He'll be fine." She reassured her quietly. Lily nodded her head and got up to finish healing Harry. Yes, Harry will be fine. Never again was she going to let anyone hurt her son. Never again!
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James came back to the Headquarters a few hours later. He was still shaking with anger and supported a bruised hand. It turned out that James had burst into the Ministry and didn't even bother to hex Blake. He just slammed his fist into Blake repeatedly, at as many body parts as he could.
It took three Aurors to rip James away from the bloodied up Blake. James was beside himself with rage. He kept on pulling himself free from the Aurors and leaping onto Blake to throttle him. He was shouting all sorts of things at him. Not really aware of what was happening around him.
When he finally calmed down he told the surrounding Aurors what Blake had done to Harry. Blake was dismissed from his Auror duties until further enquiry. Blake left the Ministry, still bleeding furiously from the nose and supporting a broken jaw. James wasn't quite satisfied with Blake's punishment but was escorted out of the Ministry and was told sternly that he was to stay away from Blake. The Ministry would deal with the punishments. James replied with a simple, 'if I see him anywhere near my sons, I'll kill him!"
James came back to the Headquarters to find Harry soundly asleep. All his injuries had been taken care off. Poppy told him that Harry was probably going to be asleep for the next few hours at least. James and Lily went into another room to let Harry sleep.
As James walked into the kitchen he caught sight of his younger son sitting with his friends. He smiled warmly at him. In the midst of all this chaos he had completely ignored Damien.
Damien looked hesitantly at him before looking away. James was momentarily confused. He walked over to Damien and gently put his arm around him.
"Damy?"
The younger boy turned around to face him. He had a strange look on his face.
"I guess you're talking to me again then?" he asked quietly.
James realised with a jolt why Damien had looked at him like that. James had given Damien the silent treatment for the last week or so. He looked embarrassedly at him. He had been unfair on Damien. He was angry at Damien, and his anger was justified but he shouldn't have treated him like that for so long.
"I can't stay mad at you forever." He said softly.
Damien seemed to be fighting the urge to argue with him or to just shrug it all off and be on good terms with his father again. He never got a chance to decide as James pulled him into an embrace. Damien didn't even care that his friends were there, staring at him. It felt really good to be comforted by his dad again. Damien had really missed him these last days.
"I missed you" he whispered to his dad.
James lightly kissed the top of his head, making the boy blush.
"I did as well" he whispered back.
"Now that Harry's home, I want you to promise me that you'll never keep anything secret from me if it concerns Harry's safety, promise?" James said with a stern sort of look on his face.
"Promise" Damien said, smiling at his dad. It felt so good to hear those words at last, 'Harry's home'.
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The wards had finally been put in place. The Longbottom family went home, with Neville still refusing to speak to anyone other than his parents. Moody and Tonks left as well, promising to check up on everyone. The Weasley family also wanted to leave but Ron, Ginny and Hermione insisted to stay until Harry woke up. They refused to leave until they saw that Harry was okay. Harry had still not woken up after suffering that attack from Voldemort.
James asked Poppy if that was normal and the tired nurse responded with,
"After all those potions I threw down his throat he'll be sleeping until morning, no doubt! It's better this way. His body needs to do a lot of healing. The more he sleeps the better he'll heal"
However, this did nothing to convince the teens to go home. In the end it was agreed that they four teens could stay at the Headquarters with the Potter family. James insisted that Harry walked through the front doors of Godric's Hollow instead of waking up inside it. So that meant that they would have to wait until Harry woke up.
So the four teens settled for staying the night in the Headquarters. Molly ended up staying as well along with Remus.
"Well, looks like we're having quite the sleep over party" Sirius chuckled as he conjured up more blankets and pillows for all the guests.
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Harry groggily opened his eyes and blinked a few times to allow his eyesight to adjust. He looked around him and tried to make out where he was. It was the middle of the night, judging by the darkness around him. He could still feel the slight burning of his scar. He lifted a hand to feel his scar. He was surprised to find a small plaster covering his scar. 'I guess he knows about the Longbottoms' Harry thought miserably to himself.
Harry pulled himself into a sitting position. He felt so much better than before. He was still feeling a little fatigued but at least it didn't hurt to move around anymore.
Harry sat up in bed and looked at the small table next to him. He really wanted something to drink. He had not had any water for twenty four hours now.
He made to move out of his bed when he realised that there was something blocking his way. Harry looked a little bewildered at the sleeping forms of his mum and dad. Harry didn't expect them to be with him just now. He had always woken up alone, no matter how injured he had been.
Harry found the image of his mum and dad asleep, half on the chair and half on the side of his bed quite amusing. He laughed quietly at the sight. He got up using the other side of the bed and tiptoed over to the table. He poured himself a glass of refreshing water. Once his thirst was sufficiently quenched he tiptoed back to his bed.
When he climbed into his bed, the movement caused Lily to wake up rather suddenly. She looked up and saw Harry pulling his covers back over himself, sitting up in bed.
She sat up at once, all sleep gone from her eyes in moments. Harry noticed her sitting up and turned to look at her. They stared at each other for a moment, not really knowing what to say.
"How…how are you feeling?" Lily asked, awkwardly.
Harry smiled at her.
"A lot better"
Lily let out a relieved breath.
"That's good" she said, more to herself.
"You don't have to do this" Harry said quietly.
Lily looked at Harry confusedly.
"Um…do what?" she asked.
"Stay the night with me. I'm fine now. You guys should go and lie down comfortably" Harry said, not really knowing why he was saying this. He didn't want his parents to leave.
Lily only smiled warmly at him.
"Don't worry about us. We're very comfortable right here" she said.
Lily was enjoying this. It was so nice to speak to Harry and not have him scowl and glare back at you in response. Harry seemed to be thinking along the same lines. His face went a little red and he diverted his gaze from his mum.
"I…I wanted to just say that…I shouldn't have treated you the way I did. I'm…I'm sorry about all that. If I knew…" Harry was cut off as Lily moved from the chair onto his bed. She shocked Harry when she enveloped him into a hug. Harry didn't really react until a few seconds later.
"No one blames you, Harry. You were lied to your whole life. You didn't know how else to act. Please, don't even think for a second that anyone will hold what you said or did against you."
Lily let go of him and looked at Harry, emerald eyes boring into emerald eyes.
"We should just forget about all of that. We have a chance to start from the beginning. Okay" she added comfortingly.
Harry nodded to her question, still not quite convinced that his previous actions were going to be forgotten in a hurry.
James stirred as all the talking woke him up. He opened his hazel eyes and saw Harry and Lily sitting on the bed, talking quietly. He sat up and rubbed at his neck. He had slept at a funny angle.
Lily and Harry both turned to look at him. Lily smiled and moved from the bed to sit back on the chair.
"Harry, you okay" James managed to mumble out, cursing his sleepy voice.
"Yeah, I'm fine" Harry responded, enjoying the way James was trying futilely to wake up.
James didn't seem convinced. He reached over and placed a hand onto Harry's forehead.
"You still have the fever. I'll get the fever reducing potion" he made to move and get the potion but Harry stopped him.
"Dad"
James stayed in his seat. He couldn't describe the feeling that overtook him every time Harry called him 'dad'. He tried to keep a straight face but a smile forced its way onto his face anyway.
"Just stay, I don't need any more potions" Harry said quietly.
James and Lily were surprised at how different Harry was from before. Partly because he wasn't glaring at them and saying hurtful things. James and Lily did most of the talking while Harry slid down to lie on the bed and listened to them. Harry wasn't even paying attention to what was being said. Just the sound of his parent's voices was enough.
"Harry, do you want something to eat?" Lily asked suddenly realising that he had not had anything to eat the whole day.
Harry lifted his head slightly off his pillow to look at the clock.
"It's four in the morning" he said mockingly.
"So? You eat when you're hungry, regardless of the time" James said with a smile.
Harry shook his head.
"I'm not hungry. I'll eat in the morning"
James and Lily decided not to push it with Harry. If there was anything they had learnt about their eldest son it was that Harry hated being forced into doing anything.
James and Lily continued talking about what had happened while Harry was sleeping. They told him about the wards being put in place and that the Weasley kids were staying the night along with Hermione and Damien. Harry could feel himself relaxing and before long he was soundly asleep again. James and Lily stayed the whole night with Harry, just watching their son sleeping peacefully, in what must have been months.
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Lord Voldemort had lost. He had not thought it was possible but he had to admit now that he had lost everything. Harry had betrayed him. That much he knew already with his Horcruxes being hunted and destroyed. No, what completely destroyed Lord Voldemort was the knowledge that Harry had betrayed him while he was still calling him 'father'. He had stood before him, claiming to be loyal to him and all along he had helped the Longbottoms. Harry had gone against his orders and not only did he not kill them, he helped them survive.
Voldemort watched as the bodies of two of his spy Death Eaters were dragged from the room. He had killed the informing Death Eaters out of rage. They had told him about Harry's trial and the arrival of the Longbottoms. They had also managed to tell him that the Ministry had confirmed that indeed all six of Voldemort's Horcruxes had now been destroyed.
Voldemort had not been aware that the Hufflepuff cup and Gryffindor's sword had been destroyed as well. He was forced to admit that he had lost Harry forever. The thing that really broke his heart though wasn't that Harry had betrayed him. It was the hard fact that Harry had never really been loyal to him in the first place. He defied him at the very beginning. He let the Longbottoms live, he stole the Layhoo Jisteen and then he left Voldemort's side and began destroying his Horcruxes.
Voldemort told himself that his Harry had died the very night the Longbottoms were saved. His Harry was no longer here. His loyal and obedient son was killed when Harry decided to let the Longbottoms live.
'Okay, Potter, you want a war. I'll give you a war.'
Voldemort made a quiet promise to himself that he was going to make Harry Potter pay. The whole wizarding world was going to witness the wrath and revenge of the Dark Lord.
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I know I said that Amelia Bones would come into the chapter but I'm going to have to put that part in the next chappie. I couldn't fit it into this chapter. Anyway, let me know what you think. Read and review.
Geovanni Luciano (Sorry I couldn't send you a reply, my email is playing up. Grrr! anyway here's the answer to your question)
- Thanks for your fab review. The answer to your question is, when Peter stole Harry away from Godric's Hollow, the Potters performed another Fidelus charm since Peter had messed up and taken Harry away from them. Their secret keeper is someone else. Can you guess who it may be? Sirius Black, or course! Thanks for that. Please keep reading and I hope you enjoy the rest of the story.
