A.N. Dear readers, I am terribly sorry this chapter took so long to come out. Homework and school and sports are a bitch but that is all coming to a close until the fall so that means I'll be able to post more, yay! Anyways, I do hope you enjoy the twelfth chapter of this story! ~ Patchwork Dr.
Harry Potter glared down at the castle below him. He never thought he'd come back after the Triwizard Tournament but, as fate would have it, there he was. He felt the magic of the border of the castle surge through him. He recognized this with feeling a lot after his recent resurrection, as if the world had become clearer to him. Maybe it was because he didn't have a miniature Dark Lord in his head anymore. Either way, Harry definitely thought it was an improvement.
He trudged through the empty castle and through vague memory, finally managed to find himself at the Headmaster's door. He knocked once before the door opened. He saw Dumbledore look up from his books. His eyes twinkled and surprise was etched onto his face.
"Harry? You had disappeared! My boy! Please sit!" Dumbledore quickly ushered to the chair in front of his desk. Harry smiled weakly.
"Thank you, Professor Dumbledore. There is, of course, a reason I came here. I think you might find this information very interesting." Harry smirked. Dumbledore leaned forward and laced his fingers together, his eyes twinkling even brighter.
"Please, share this information. But, before hand, I think I'd like to know how you miraculously returned!" Dumbledore exclaimed.
"Well, it started when Voldemort killed me."
"Beg your pardon, Mr. Potter?"
"He killed me, headmaster." Harry deadpanned. "Of course, I'm still here which begs the question..."
"How are you alive." Dumbledore answered.
"Now, I won't go into specific detail of what happened when I was dead because that is a little personal. However, the gist of what I learned was Voldemort has split his soul." Harry said gravely. Dumbledore blanched.
"Are you totally sure of this information, Harry?" Dumbledore asked with a somber expression. Harry nodded.
"As sure as the sun sets, Professor. Voldemort had anchored me when he was resurrected-"
"Then Voldemort is truly alive once more." Dumbledore stated. "I suppose that shouldn't surprise me, he was always looking into dark things such as resurrection from the dead."
Harry nodded once again, "But, what I really wanted to tell you professor was when he was resurrected, he used my blood and anchored me to this world. He also had given me more than just a scar, he inserted a part of his soul into my body, one seventh if I am correct." Harry said.
"Seven..."
"Yes sir. However, I think that together, if we trust each other, we can work towards a goal of our mutual benefit, ending Voldemort." Harry explained. Dumbledore sighed.
"So much has changed in the recent time that I will need to think on this before making a decision. Will you be staying in Britain?"
Harry shook his head, "Unfortunately not professor. I need to reconnect with Fleur and Sirius. I'm sure they will be missing me." Harry said with melancholy. Dumbledore smiled warmly.
"Very good Harry. I'm very happy you decided to confide in me. Now, I believe it's time our meeting was adjourned. I am sure you miss your family after all." Dumbledore said.
Harry nodded, "Indeed sir. When you are ready to meet again, send me an owl and we can start a discussion on the future." Harry held out his hand and Dumbledore shook it.
"Yes, yes..." Dumbledore said distractedly, his mind going over their talk. He looked out the window, past the hills and to the sun that was beginning it's decent on the horizon. "So much has changed and I think it would be best for us all to be ready. Whether they be in Britain or not."
"Goodbye sir."
"I hope to see you soon, Harry." With that, Harry threw down the floo powder.
"Black Mansion, France!" Harry declared.
Harry was quickly thrown out of the fireplace and onto a hardwood floor. He stood up wearily and brushed the dust off of his shoulders. The mansion was eerily quiet. Harry shivered at the sad atmosphere that quickly overtook his senses. He started walking through the house but did not yet call out. He did not want to cause too much noise. After all, he wasn't sure what kind of state Sirius was in. He entered the kitchen where there were a few bottles of empty alcohol on the dining table. He picked one up. It was still cold.
"Oh Sirius, what did I do to you..." Harry muttered, glancing over the messy kitchen. Suddenly, he felt a wand press against his back.
"Who. Are. You?" A voice asked with a steely edge to his voice. Harry turned to face his godfather. Sirius' defense dropped for a split second.
"Harry? No, Harry's probably dead by now. Eh deatheater? You probably killed him!" He roared. Harry backed up.
"Woah! Sirius! Calm down!" A sickly green spell zoomed over his head. Harry glared and raised his wand.
"I don't want to hurt you but you're not giving me much of a choice."
Sirius snorted, "Yeah right! So, tell me, is the real Harry still alive or did you bastards kill him?" Sirius asked cruelly.
Harry shook his head, "It is me!"
"Your charade is poor, death eater. Prepare to meet your maker!" Sirius shouted. Harry sighed and readied his wand. He would stun Sirius if he had to. They exchanged spells, Sirius upping the deadliness factor with every wave. Harry dove behind cover when the spells started getting harder to block or dodge. He noticed there were tears in Sirius' eyes which made him feel a little guilty. Suddenly, the spells started slowing. Harry looked up from behind his cover. He was getting tired.
"I'm sorry Sirius, but this is for your own good..." Harry muttered and nailed Sirius with a quick stunner. Sirius slumped to the ground, knocked out cold.
About half an hour later, Harry was reading a dark arts book he found inside the Black Library when Sirius moaned. "My bloody head!" Suddenly, his eyes shot open and he rolled into a ready stance, reaching for a wand that was not their.
"Looking for this?" Harry asked. Sirius scowled but said nothing, "Now, before you accuse me of being a death eater in disguise again, remember that I didn't send a single harmful spell at you, except for a stunner. However you did kind of deserve it." Harry argued. Sirius' angry expression softened a little but he still looked a little skeptical.
"If you really are Harry, tell me something only Harry would know." Sirius said cautiously. Harry rolled his eyes.
"Well, I remember that time when I was thirteen and you were in your animagus form and you... cleaned yourself." Harry said disturbed. Sirius suddenly turned bright red.
"W-well... I mean, jeez Harry, did you really have to bring that up again?" Sirius asked embarrassedly. Harry laughed.
"I don't know if anything else would have worked." Harry admitted, turning a little pink himself. Sirius looked him up and down.
"So you managed to escape the death eaters, eh?" Sirius asked, impressed. "Not bad but you definitely need to give me the details."
Harry sighed, wishing he didn't need to explain it again, "It started with the attack in Paris. Fleur and I were running and fighting and I fell behind. Fleur tried to help but, alas, I was captured by Lucius and his merry band." Harry felt a pang of sadness, but shook his head, "Then, for a long time, I was tortured by your dear cousin and your brother in law." Sirius turned red and growled. Harry patted his shoulder, "Anyways, eventually, they took me to this graveyard where they managed to resurrect Voldemort." Harry heard Sirius sniff sharply.
"So snakeface is back, huh? Should've known he wouldn't be dead forever. Guess wishful thinking got me." Sirius chuckled darkly.
"Yeah but that's not even the most shocking part." Harry continued, "After he was resurrected, I managed to escape, sort of. The death eaters gave chase and one even managed to shoot a metal spike right through my thigh. Man that hurt like a bitch!" Harry exclaimed, rubbing the new scar on his thigh. "Then as they all caught up to me, Voldemort killed me."
"What?!" Sirius exclaimed.
"Yep! But, because I had a horcrux in my head, it took the blast for me and I was able to return to the world of the living because Voldemort used my blood to resurrect and so, tied me to the world of the living." Harry finalized. Sirius raised his eyebrow.
"Well, that's certainly good, but if he had a horcux in you, that means his soul was so unstable that when the curse that hit you when you were a baby, it attached to you without the ritual. That means he probably made more than one." Sirius theorized. Harry scowled darkly.
"I'll talk to Dumbledore about that next time."
"You talked to Dumbledore already?" Sirius asked.
Harry nodded, "Yep. I think that since Voldemort returned, it would be best for one of the only wizards he ever feared to be on our side." Harry said.
"Gotcha. Well, I'm certainly glad you're okay after all of this." Sirius said optimistically. Harry smiled weakly.
"I guess it could have been a lot worse, eh?" Harry joked. Sirius smirked.
"Oh I dunno. Have you revealed yourself to Fleur yet?" Sirius asked. Harry paled a little at the thought of Fleur thinking he was captured, or worse. He shook his head. He had been sort of caught up in traveling from England to Scotland, just to tell Dumbledore of what happened. On his little cross-country trip, Harry hadn't really paid much attention to the date. Time just seemed to slip away.
"She's been worrying her heart out you know." Sirius commented.
"Right... I mean, I need to talk to her! Mind if I use the floo?" Harry asked. Sirius shrugged.
"Be my guest, kiddo." Sirius said. He started to leave the room when he turned back, "I hope you can make it back for supper! I'm having a lovely roast and I'm sure you're hungry." Sirius called. Harry's stomach rumbled and he chuckled.
"See you then, Sirius."
"Goodbye Harry."
"Delacour Mansion!" Harry shouted. In a whirl of green flame, Harry disappeared.
When he arrived at Delacour Mansion, Harry tumbled out of the fireplace, almost discovering what marble floors tasted like first-hand. Pulling himself up he looked around.
"I wonder where she is..." Harry pondered. He searched the house but could not find her. Suddenly, he remembered Fleur was probably at work. Harry decided for Fleur, he could be a little dramatic his his return. He smiled deviously.
It was only two hours when Fleur returned. It was very dark in her home but she didn't worry. She dropped her bag onto the ground near the door, with an exhausted look on her face. Fleur smiled wearily and entered the kitchen, hoping for a light dinner and a good night's sleep. Of course, a good sleep was a rather rare occurrence for her and the bags under her eyes were the only thing to show for it. Ever since Harry had disappeared, Fleur just couldn't sleep right.
However, it seemed this was one of the few nights that she might actually sleep well. She felt a strange sense of optimism even though she was dead tired and emotionally drained from work with lack of sleep. A shuffle in the dark corner of the kitchen had her ready to fight in an instant.
"Who is zhere?" She called out, both afraid and anxious.
"Not very polite to point your wand at a friend, luv." Harry chuckled. He waved his wand and muttered, "lumos." When the light revealed him, Fleur felt a wave of emotion hit her like a train. It was Harry. He was alive, and he was safe. Harry smirked. "Didja miss me? Because I certainly missed you Fleur."
"...'Arry?" Fleur said, her mouth gaping open.
"Careful, you might catch flies." Harry said. She immediately snapped her mouth shut and Harry opened his arms. "Well?" He asked
"Well what?" She asked.
Harry grinned cheekily, "Aren't you going to give an old friend a hug?" Fleur almost immediatly snatched Harry in a bear hug to which he had no hope of escaping. He could feel the blood rushing to his head and Fleur's chokehold-like hug started suffocating him.
"Please be careful, Fleur, I died once and believe me, I don't want a repeat experience for a long time."
"You died?!" Fleur screeched. Harry felt her arms tighten around him even more. He had a lot to explain.