Disclaimer I don't own Harry Potter. All rights to the characters and universe the story belongs in belong to JK Rowling

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Chapter 13 - Even

Tonks stared at him blankly. 'What?'

'Harry Potter.' Sighed Harry. 'Well an imposter anyway.'

'What makes you say that?' Asked Neville.

'I know for a fact Potter's not involved. The guy I saw in his memories though looked just like the description of Potter.'

'How do you know he's innocent?'

'The Ministry of all people has no right to know anything about Potter, so you'll just have to trust my judgment.'

Neville glared and raised his wand at him. 'I don't even know who you are!'

Harry didn't flinch under the wands point. 'Tough, I'm not telling, and I suggest you put your wand down.'

'Or what?' Demanded Neville.

'Or you'll find out just how dangerous I can be.' Growled Harry threateningly.

The other Aurors raised their wands simultaneously at the threat, all apart from Tonks. 'Put your wands down.' She snapped at them.

They all looked at her in surprise, quite taken aback at her outburst. 'He's just threatened me.' Said Neville incredulously. 'How can you defend him?'

'He's family.' She shrugged. 'And as much as some of you need taking down a peg, right now we don't need you all hospitalised.'

'So you would help him?' Asked a red-faced Neville.

Tonks actually snorted. 'Oh Merlin no, he wouldn't need my help.' Then she turned to Harry, leaving Neville gaping at her. 'How do you mean he looked just like the description.'

'Describe Potter Tonks.'

'Glasses, lightning bolt scar on his forehead, messy black hair, green eyes and average height.'

'Bingo looks exactly like that.'

'Exactly?'

'Yeah, the scars not even faded.'

'So, your saying he looked too much like Potter?' Asked Neville, forestalling his anger temporarily.

'Yeah he looks like a character drawing of Potter from someone who has never actually met him.' Confirmed Harry.

'What was happening in the memory?' Asked Tonks intrigued.

'There was a meeting, they were discussing tonight's attack. This Potter, stood in front of them like some kind of leader. They were all hooded and cloaked so I didn't get a good look at anyone else.'

'Where was the meeting?'

'No idea, must have been under the fidelius charm.'

'Shit.' Swore Neville.

'You might get it out of the other captives.' Pointed out Harry fairly. 'But I doubt the secret keeper is here.'

'Maybe.' Said Neville. He then started squirming slightly on the spot, working on some internal conundrum, before forcing himself to ask one final question. 'Will you agree to come to the Ministry and work with us on this?'

'No.' Said Harry flatly.

'Why?' Neville struggled to keep the edge out of his voice.

'I don't work with Death Eaters or for Death Eaters. That includes the Malfoys and Minister Greengrass.'

'They were cleared.' Blurted out an Auror to Harry's right. He had brown hair, brown eyes and was rather slender in build.

'Not by me.' Said Harry, standing back to his feet. 'They were in Voldemort's inner circle, while they walk free, I won't work for your Ministry. You're lucky I've shared what I have with you.'

'We could take you by force.' Said Neville.

'You could try.' Said Harry with a sad smile.

The pair stared challengingly at each other as Neville contemplated the challenge, after a full minute of silent confrontation Tonks broke though the silence. 'Come on Harry, let's go.'

Without a word, he brushed past Neville towards the exit. As they reached the door, Neville shouted a final warning. 'I'll be seeing you.'

Pausing, Harry turned to look at the man. 'Hopefully, you'll get to one of these attacks before everyone ends up dead.'

'Do you have to pick a fight?' Exasperated Tonks while they walked back to the Leaky Cauldron.

He didn't say anything, choosing to let her rant at him.

'He could have taken you in if he wanted and then you would have had to reveal your identity to get out of there.'

They walked through the pub without stopping, stepping out into muggle London, so they could make their way to the apparation point. When they were safely concealed in an alley they could dissaparate from, Harry finally responded.

'I'm not lying down for them Tonks.'

'I'm not asking you too, all you had to do was cooperate for a small amount of time and it would have been fine.'

'It wouldn't, I gave them more than I was willing as it is, and they weren't happy with that.'

She rubbed her face with her hands. 'So what happens now?' Tonks asked tiredly.

He sighed. 'Try to convince Ginny I'm innocent.'

'You're telling her?'

Harry nodded. 'Yeah. I need her help and she deserves to know even if she won't.'

Tonks smiled coyly at him. 'What's going on between you two?'

'Nothing.' Chuckled Harry.

'You sure? You'd do worse. Actually, you would struggle to do better.'

'I know, but she could.' He whispered.

'Hmmm, I doubt that.' Tonks told him, smiling sadly. 'If you like her, tell her. You'll only regret it if you don't.'

'I can't. I won't drag her into my life Tonks, I'm better off alone.'

'If you tell her how you feel you won't be dragging her, she'll be in your life if she wants to be.' Tonks argued. 'I know Ginny, she won't let you just disappear from her life after all this anyway, she's actually happy when you're around.'

'What do you mean? She's always a up for a laugh.'

'Yeah she has a sense of humour, that doesn't mean she's happy. She's had her own hardships in life. For some reason you…' She poked him in the chest for emphasis. 'Help her think about something else. At least that's what she told me.'

'Since when have you two been talking behind my back?' He asked with annoyance.

'Oh, we've always been close. She even told me about your conversation with Teddy, the one where you spoke to him about me and Bill.'

'Ah, yeah sorry about that, I didn't really mean to get involved I just thought you would like to hear it from him.'

'You don't have to say sorry, I'm glad you did, although I was surprised he was so welcoming of the idea.'

'He just wants you to be happy.'

'Like we all want you to be happy.'

'We'll see.' He muttered tiredly. 'Come on let's go home.' He told her, grabbing hold of her arm and apparating back to Grimmauld Place.

'Give us some more warning next time.' Moaned Tonks after they landed.

'Behave you do it all the time.' Harry bit back, as they stepped through the front door.

'I've got more practice than you.'

'I haven't lost my touch.'

'Maybe I should have let the Aurors test you then.'

'I would have beaten them.'

'Dream on Evans'

Their bickering was interrupted as they entered the kitchen and Harry was engulfed in a bone crushing hug by Mrs Weasley. 'Thank you dear.' She sobbed. 'Thank you.'

'It's no problem Molly, I'm just glad I got there in time.' Admitted Harry, awkwardly trying to return the hug which was difficult as she had crushed his elbows to his side.

Mrs Weasley released him to envelope Tonks in a similar greeting.

'That's the second time you've helped us out of a tricky spot.' Said Mr Weasley offering his hand to Harry. 'Thank you.'

'Don't mention it.' flustered, Harry took the hand offered, embarrassed at all the attention. 'How are the three of them?'

'Their fine.' Answered Bill from the table, they are all sleeping.

'That's good.' Said Tonks as she moved to sit next to Bill.

'Your mom's just giving them the once over.' Bill informed her.

'They'll be fine.' Said a wary voice from the doorway. 'Your work on Ginny was good Harry, good to see you haven't lost your touch.'

'Will she need to go to the hospital?' Asked Harry concerned.

'No, you saved her from that. George was more touch and go but I think he'll be ok with some bed rest here.'

'Good.'

Harry was surrounded by a thick white fog. He could barely see past the end of his nose and all he could hear was faint mutterings of voices, carrying on the wind.

Fumbling like a blind man he tried to move his way through the fog, he hadn't gotten far when he tripped unexpectedly. Looking back at the offending object that he fell over, he came face to face with his dead mother, her eyes were dull and unseeing,

'No, no.' muttered Harry scooting away from her prone body. He stood up to run away, only to bump into someone who looked like his twin apart from the deep brown eyes. James Potter eyed his son dispassionately. 'We were your first you know, the first ones you killed.'

'No, I didn't.' pleaded Harry.

Another figure walked out of the mist as James faded. 'It was Diggory's death that really set off your murdering spree though wasn't it.' Lamented Sirius.

'Oh yes.' Harry spun around on the spot to see Remus Lupin standing behind him. 'After that the body count really started racking up.'

'If only you were stronger like me.' Dizzy, Harry's head spun round to welcome the next voice, Albus Dumbledore strode towards him, commanding as ever. His great long white beard pruned immaculately, and his blue eyes twinkled devilishly behind his half-moon spectacles. 'If only you had worked out all of the horcruxes sooner, so many may have kept their lives.'

'When will it be our turn?' Asked a raging voice as Dumbledore drifted away. 'When will we be killed because of you?!' Screamed Tonks, holding onto Teddy's hand.

'You are everything I ever dreamed of being Harry.' Soothed a soft voice, with no form as of yet.

'No, no.' Muttered Harry to himself, searching for the source of the voice.

'You have fulfilled your potential.' The voice praised. 'You have surpassed even my own grand expectations.' Red eyes blinked at him through the fog, mesmerising him. 'You have killed so many Harry, you truly are my heir.'

'I'm nothing like you!' Harry shouted.

'Really?' The voice was cold now, malicious. 'Take a look around at all those you have killed Harry Potter.'

The fog cleared leaving Harry standing before Lord Voldemort once more, they were surrounded by the bodies of everyone Harry had killed, including the ones he felt guilty about dying. His parents, Sirius, Remus were among the ones there of guilt. Then came the mix of Death Eaters (like Bellatrix Lestrange, Antonin Dolohov and Thorfinn Rowle), the final ones were people he had killed whilst on duty.

Voldemort stood robed in black. His pale face was in sharp contrast to the blood red eyes. His lack of hair and nose gave his appearance a snake like quality.

'You see them?' Asked Voldemort, his voice soft again. 'This is your doing embrace it, you could rule the Ministry, it's your right.'

'Never.' Snarled Harry defiantly.

'if you don't rule how else will you save your friends and family?'

'H-how do you m-mean?' Stammered Harry unsurely.

'Well if you rule you may be able to keep them safe. If you don't who will save them from the likes of me.' Brandishing a wand, Voldemort waved it in an intricate pattern. His goal was unclear until the form of a struggling figure, came floating towards them.

She had long red hair and wore a complete look of disgust as she faced down Voldemort. Panicking Harry dug into his pockets, searching for a wand. Voldemort laughed cruelly at him. 'This is what happens when you are not in control Harry. People you care about die.'

With a roar of rage Harry tried to leap in front of the spell, trying to shield Ginny away from it. The green light missed him by a whisker, as he turned around he watched it collide with her chest. She fell limp against her invisible bonds, which Voldemort released.

She flopped to the ground broken. Unable to stand, Harry crawled his way over to her. A wail of despair left his lips as he studied her face, fixed in defiance and disgust as it was.

'It is your fault she's dead Harry.' Hissed Voldemort. 'Your fault she will never laugh again.'

'No.' whimpered Harry. 'Please no.' He gently brushed a stray strand away from her forehead, then reached to enclose her limp hand in his. 'Please wake up.'

'She won't wake.' Voldemort informed him gleefully. 'You killed her remember.' He cackled evilly.

'NO BRING HER BACK!' Shouted Harry, tears threatening to fall, as Voldemort faded away.

'Death can't be bargained with Harry Potter, not even as its master.'

Furious, Harry launched for Voldemort when the world started spinning. He awoke abruptly with a loud thud, having fallen out of bed to the cold wooden floor. He was shivering all over.

As he recalled the nightmare, his stomach rolled. Shaking he crawled towards the en-suite bathroom like a dog who could only use its front legs. He lifted the toilet lid and hauled himself up just in time to vomit his supper back into the toilet.

Festering self-hate surrounded him as he retched, in time all that came up was bile, but he couldn't move away. The number of bodies in the dream and the accusations from those he loved sickened him. The truth hurts. He thought disgraced.

Tears fell from his eyes when the image of Ginny lying broken on the floor replayed in his mind. 'I can't let it end like that.' He sniffed to himself. 'I need to save her, I need to stay away.'

'Stay away from who?' Came Andromeda's voice from the bathroom door.

Harry covered his surprise by wiping some residue off his cheek. 'It's nothing Andy, sorry I woke you.'

'You're a noble git Harry Potter, you know that?' She asked sternly. Not bothering to wait for an answer she knew wouldn't come, Andromeda knelt down next to him so that she could prise him away from the toilet.

When he had let go, she pulled him to her. 'You need to let go Harry.'

'I can't, it's all my fault mom.'

She gently rocked him, it had been years since he had called her mom, a sure sign of his emotional turmoil. 'No it's not. We keep telling you, you are the reason most are alive not that most are dead. Some didn't make it, that doesn't make it your fault.'

'It's no secret the people I'm close to end up dead. In the last month Tonks had ended up in the hospital and Ginny should have gone too.' He paused to steady himself. 'They targeted her because they spotted her at the Burrow after the initial attack. If I had gone alone none of this would have happened.'

'How in the name of Merlin is that your fault?' She demanded softly. 'They attacked her brothers shop, she was there on a whim, she decided to go half an hour before hand.'

'She did?'

'Yes, we were at the dinner table with her when the owl arrived, the twins wanted her to meet a friend of theirs.' Harry's heart sank a little lower, if that was at all possible. 'The Weasley's were attacked before you even knew them, do not blame yourself for this. If you hadn't got there, I have no doubt the four of them would have died.'

Something triggered in the back of Harry's head. 'There was only the twins and Ginny there.'

'Maybe their guest had scarpered by then.'

'Or maybe he was never turning up.' Pondered Harry leaning out of Andromeda's comforting hug to stand facing the wall. 'Could have been a set up to make sure they were all there.'

'You need to speak to the twins.' Andromeda told him.

They talked for another few minutes or so before Andromeda excused herself to go back to bed, the last thing Harry could think of doing now was sleep, he didn't want the nightmares to return. Instead, he lay straight as an arrow on his back, counting down the time until it was a suitable time to get up.

Fred, George and Ginny were being forced to stay in their rooms at least for the day, Harry had made everyone breakfast and Kreacher delivered it to the three of them. When he came back to the kitchen with three empty trays, he nodded at Harry. 'Miss Ginny wants to see her healer.'

Harry chuckled. 'I best not keep her waiting then.' He stood leaving Tonks, Teddy, Andromeda, the remaining Weasleys and Hermione at the table, she and Ron had turned up first thing in the morning demanding to know what had happened.

Arriving outside of her room he knocked gently. He pushed the door open when he heard a soft 'Come in.' from the other side. Ginny was sitting up in bed with a book open on her lap.

'How are you Ginny?'

'I'm fine, thanks to you.' She said gratefully, patting the side of the bed. Obliging her request, Harry sat down on the edge and turned to look at her.

'Are you in any pain?' He asked concerned.

She smiled at him. 'No, I'm fine, well I will be. It's a little sore but nothing I can't live with.'

'That's good.' Finding it difficult to look at her, after his visions during the night, Harry looked away.

'Are you ok?' It was her turn to sound concerned.

'I will be.' Harry answered quietly. They fell in a comfortable silence, during which Ginny's hand miraculously found Harry's.

'Thank you for being there last night.'

'Don't mention it.' Said Harry thickly. 'Why didn't you run?'

'What do you mean?'

'On my warning, why didn't you run?'

'What warning?'

Noting the confusion in her voice, Harry turned to look at her. 'My Patronus, I sent you a Patronus to warn you. It must have gotten there about a minute before me.'

Ginny furrowed her brow. 'We didn't receive a Patronus.'

'Bloody hell, it must have been intercepted, I'm sorry.'

'Not your fault.' She assured him. Nodding Harry turned away again, missing the teasing smile tugging at the edge of her lips. 'Sooooo, you care about me huh?'

'W-what?' Asked Harry, jolted by her question.

'You told me you cared about me.'

'When?'

'Last night.'

'You were delusional.'

'No, you definitely said it.'

'Repeat the sentence.'

'I don't like seeing people I care about in pain.' She parroted in an awful attempt at his voice.

'How does that apply to you?'

'I was the one in pain.'

'Right, I think you're clutching at straws love.'

'Ooooh "love" is that my new nickname.'

'Shut it.' Chuckled Harry, risking a peak at her. Ginny's face was flushed from laughter, and she sat there grinning at him wolfishly. He squeezed her hand slightly, the one he was still holding. 'You're right I do care.'

Another bout of comfortable silence overcame them.

'Did you knock me out by the way? Or did I pass out?' Ginny eventually asked.

'We're even on that front, I knocked you out. Trust me, it was better than staying awake for it.'

'What do you mean even?' She huffed indignantly.

'I seem to recall I asked you not to use magic to heal me.'

'You would have died!' She exclaimed.

'And you would have been in immeasurable pain. Even.'

'Fine.'

Wearily, Harry turned to face her again, the time had come. 'Ginny, there's a few things you need to know.'

'Go on.'

'I managed to interrogate one of the people who attacked you last night using legilimency.'

'What did you find out?' She asked eagerly, leaning forward slightly.

'I found out who their leader was.' He swallowed, hard. 'It was Harry Potter.'

'I knew it!' She cried triumphantly. 'Now all we have to do is catch the bastard.'

'Not quite.'

'How do you mean?'

'The Harry Potter I saw in the memory was an imposter.'

'How can you know?' She demanded.

'This is a still from the memory, I'll show you the full one when you're allowed out of bed.' Harry pulled out a photograph from his pocket and unfolded it to show her.

'Well he certainly looks like Potter.'

'Yeah he looks exactly like the common description.'

'Yeah I know, it's Potter.'

'No, it isn't.'

'No way can you tell if someone is using Polyjuice from a quick glance at a memory, this is Potter. Why can't you believe that?' Ginny was evidently getting worked up now.

'I never said he was using Polyjuice, just a couple of glamour's.'

'How can you tell?' She argued, dropping his hand.

'Because Potter's scar has faded and he is about two inches shorter than that guy.'

'How? How do you know?' She asked quietly.

This was it, the crux of the matter. 'I know because my name isn't actually Harry Evans.' He met her eyes now and didn't look away. 'Evans is my mother's maiden name. My real last name is Potter.'

Ginny stared at him in shock, her mouth hanging slightly open. 'I swear Ginny, I would never do anything to hurt you, your family or any other innocent person. I maybe a killer, maybe even a monster, but I'm no murderer.'

'You, you're him?' She finally manged to choke out. 'You look nothing like him'

Harry snorted. 'How can I not look like me? There are more ways of hiding one's identity than magic Ginny.'

'Prove it.'

Smiling slightly Harry turned away so that he could take out the grey contact lenses in his eyes and perched the glasses in his pocket on the bridge of his nose. He then licked the tip of his finger and scrubbed away the make-up he had applied over his forehead – revealing the legendary lightning bolt scar.

'It really is you.' Ginny breathed, she reached over to turn his face towards her. Instead of the grey eyes that she expected to look back at her, she was pierced by two bright emeralds. The scar, as he admitted, had faded. Those eyes though, were brighter than any of the old pictures or stories could tell.

Where had she seen them before?

'This was your secret?' He nodded dumbly. 'Why tell me now?'

'You deserve to know.'

'You obviously trust Bill more, you told him first.' She reminded him.

'No, Bill guessed.'

'And Tonks? What else have you lied about?'

'Nothing more than my name, the rest is true, me and Tonks really are like brother and sister.'

'How can I trust you?' She asked shakily.

'I don't know.' He admitted sadly bowing his head. 'I never wanted to drag you into this Ginny, but these people aren't going away. I can't stop them alone.'

'What makes you think I would help you, you killed Aurors.' She hissed at him.

'That wasn't me I swear.' He promised.

She studied him for a long time. Harry began to shift uncomfortably, he knew she would be angry, shocked even. What surprised him though was how much he hoped she would believe him, all he wanted was for her to still see him as himself, not the warped evil the Ministry had painted him as.

She was one of the few that knew everything now and if she moved to arrest him, he knew he couldn't fight it. Hurting unknown Aurors in a bid to escape was acceptable where necessary, hurting a friend though is where he crossed the line, he would rather go to prison than risk hurting anyone he cared about.

Despite what she thought of him now, Ginny was definitely one of those people. He sat there waiting for a reaction, anything to tell him what she was thinking. There was none apart from the smallest movements away from him.

Dejected by the silent rejection, Harry moved to stand up, she grabbed hold of his elbow as he was halfway to his feet.

'Any more secrets?' She asked sternly.

He gulped. 'Only one, and I'm not sure it's true, although I'm ninety-nine percent sure.'

'What is it?' Her commanding tone leaving little room for argument, not that he wasn't going to tell her anyway.

'We met a very long time ago. I pulled you out of the Chamber of Secrets, didn't I?'

To say she was shocked would be an understatement. The memory flooded back to her of waking up cold and damp, looking up into two emerald eyes. They were weak, fluttering in their eyelids, as his body fought the Basilisk's poison.

'It was you.' She whispered, stroking the arm closest to her which was the one where he had been bitten.

'Yeah, I never knew who I rescued. No one told me.'

'How did you find out?'

'I carried you to bed the other night, after you fell asleep downstairs. After I lay you down you started having a nightmare.'

'It was you who talked to me that night?'

Harry shifted uncomfortably. 'Yeah, I know it wasn't any of my business, but I know how terrible nightmares can be. I only wanted to help. As I spoke to you, you were talking like you did after you woke up in the real chamber.'

'Thank you' she said gratefully 'We're three for three.'

'How so?'

'I talked to you during one of your nightmare's and I care too.'