Chapter 6
Harry didn't want to wake up. The cloud he was lying on was warm and very comfortable. Cloud? He sat up quickly.
"About time Harry." a man's voice said.
"Dad? Mum?"
"We're right here Harry."
Harry looked and he saw his mother, kneeling beside him. "You OK Harry?"
"Yeah, but you're…" Harry couldn't finish the last sentence.
"Dead, we know." James Potter finished for him "Isn't life great?"
"So, I'm dead?" Harry asked, getting up and trying not to cry.
"Well, not entirely. You see, some of Lily's magic was left in you, after Voldemort took some of your blood." James explained, putting his arm around Harry's shoulder. He felt real, solid and warm. "You are also in the village of Godric Hollow, which had a spell placed around it, before you were born, to protect it from Voldemort. It saved you the first time."
"Yes, and it saved you again." Lily continued, placing her arm around Harry's other shoulder. She was also warm, solid and real.
"So, if I'm not dead, what am I?"
"To put it simply you nearly died. You're going back Harry."
Harry stood in silence for a moment. Then he remembered.
"Hermione! Is she dead?"
James and Lily avoided looking directly at him. Tears welled up in Harry's eyes and he made no effort to stop them.
"It's all my fault!" he sobbed.
"Oh, no! Harry, what you did was very brave!" Lily said, hugging him. "But life goes on Harry. You have to carry on and remember Hermione for all the right reasons. For her friendship, loyalty, trust."
And good looks!" James said, earning a glare from his wife. "Well, look."
He waved his hand and some of the cloudlike substance he was standing on drifted apart to reveal the scene which lay before them. Harry and Hermione spread-eagled on the floor.
"This is too weird. How can I be down there and up here?" Harry said, wiping his eyes with his robes.
"The you here is your spirit, your soul, everything that is you." Lily explained. "Down there is merely your body."
Harry stared down at himself for a moment. Determined to beat Voldemort, he looked up at his parents.
"I'm ready to go back." He said, standing up.
"But first listen to me." James said in a very serious voice and taking Harry by the shoulders. "You're wand will not work against Voldemort, like what happened last time. You will not be able to battle him. Instead you must use Hermione's wand. You will not be able to destroy him, but you will be able to get away and delay his return to power. Now, to open the portal back to Hogwarts, you must say Portalius. To defeat Voldemort this time, you must break his wand. That will enable you to battle in the future. Now go."
Lily hugged Harry and kissed him.
"Good Luck!" she whispered. A bright glow surrounded Harry until it was so bright he had to close his eyes. He felt himself floating downwards until…
Harry hit the ground with a thump. He opened his eyes groggily and looked around. Voldemort was addressing his death-eaters to his right. Hermione's lifeless body lay to his left. Silently he sat up and took Hermione's wand from her hand, pocketing his own. He looked over to Voldemort who was now telling his death-eaters to return to their homes and spread the word. He looked back to Hermione.
Then Harry leant over gently and kissed her on the lips, something he had secretly wanted to do for so long. Alas, Hermione could not kiss back, nor did she wake up like they were supposed to in fairytales. With renewed vigour, Harry stood up and with Hermione's wand in hand, walked over to where Voldemort was talking to Wormtail, the only death-eater still present.
"Excuse me." He said, making his presence heard. Voldemort spun round and gaped at Harry. The Harry he had just supposedly killed.
"You're alive!" he said. "How?"
"Long story." Harry said. "But let me ask you this. Do you know what it's like to be in love?"
Voldemort seemed surprised by the question. But then he gazed at Harry with genuine uncertainty, as if he was remembering something that happened a very long time ago. Then, he snapped back into his evil frame of mind.
"I don't know if you are trying to trick me boy, but the magic you are using won't work against me." He drew out his wand.
"Now, let's do things properly. Expelliarmus!"
Harry dodged and the spell hit one of the statues, shattering it into pieces.
"Stupefy!" Harry yelled at Wormtail, who fell over, out cold. "Expelliarmus!"
At Harry's word, Voldemort's wand flew out of its owner's hand and into Harry's. Taking the wand in both hands he bought it down on his knee, breaking it into two.
"No" screamed Voldemort and he too fell to the floor, unconscious like Wormtail.
A great rush of relief flooded over Harry. He ran back over to where Hermione's body lay and opened the portal next to her. He lifted her body up and was surprised at how light she was. He stepped through and left Godric's Hollow and Voldemort behind.
