HARRY POTTER
TIME TRAVELER
Summary – Harry opens a book in the Restricted Section and it transports him 21 years into the future, where he meets up with the future Ron and Hermione and their son, Eddie. Harry also meets Lily Potter, Harry's very spunky and caring future teenage daughter with a hot temper and a bit of an attitude. Harry wants to know about his future, but he feels that Ron, Hermione, Lily, and Eddie are keeping something from him; some very deep, dark secrets.
Disclaimer – I do not own Harry Potter, the characters, or the Harry Potter world. They all belong to the fabulous J.K. Rowling. However, while I do not own their names, the characters and the personality traits of Lily Potter, Eddie Weasley, Daris Malfoy, Christof Nott, as well as Asher Lazard and Robyn Andrews all belong to me.
Chapter 32 – Secrets Revealed:
Harry felt a throbbing sensation in his head and the nerve endings in his brain shot agonizing pain throughout his body. It hurt just to move…just to think. 'What the bloody hell happened?' he thought to himself as he groaned and rolled over to find himself on a hard, stone floor. Harry slowly rubbed his head and sat up and looked around. It seemed as though he were in some kind of cell, like a jail prison.
Harry scratched the back of his head and tried to remember what in the world happened before he had blacked out. Why had he even blacked out? 'Oh yeah, the Christmas Ball,' he thought in his throbbing head. 'I was at the ball with Madison and the Death Eaters showed up…' Then, Harry remembered last seeing Malfoy carrying Lily's unconscious body, as though kidnapping her.
Lily!
What had Malfoy done with Lily?
Harry's chest swelled with fear and he looked around frantically only to find a rather small figure wearing shimmering green robes lying on the floor of the same cell. Harry noticed the figure had golden blonde hair.
"Lily?" gasped Harry, his heart pounding painfully against his chest as he began crawling over to the spot where she laid unconscious. He gently tuned her over in his arms and pushed her dirty hair out of her sleeping face. Harry remembered that Malfoy had dropped a glass bowl over her head, so he did not want to shake her in case he did more damage to her head or neck. Instead, he gently tapped her cheek gentle and called out her name urgently. "Lily? Lily, wake up!"
"Harry?" she groaned. It was evident that she felt just as terrible as he did. Harry continued to support her as she sat up. "What happened?"
"I really couldn't tell you, Lily," said Harry, honestly. "I don't remember much. I just remember seeing Daris Malfoy drop the punch bowl over your head and then something hit me in the back and I was knocked out."
"Stupid git," said Lily, gingerly touching her head as Harry helped her get seated so that her back was resting against the wall. Lily leaned her head against the cold stones of the cell and looked around, taking in her surroundings.
"I think we've kidnapped by Death Eaters," Lily said sternly, as she continued to look around.
"That's a safe assumption," muttered Harry dryly, but Lily ignored his comment, suddenly looking grave.
"This looks like Voldemort's dungeon," she explained. Harry gave her sharp look with raised eyebrows.
"How would you know what Voldemort's dungeon would look like?"
"Well, believe it or not, Harry, being the daughter of the Boy Who Lived, I have been in here before," said Lily, dryly, rolling her eyes. Harry's eyes widened at the thought of her being here before, at a younger age, and alone. The guilt immediately begin to rise in him and Harry wished that he could change this for Lily; that she would never have to suffer simply for being his daughter. Lily must have noticed the look on his face because she immediately went on the defense and grasped his hand tightly.
"Wipe that brooding look off your face, Harry Potter," whispered Lily fiercely. "Being your daughter has made me who I am and quite frankly, I'm quite pleased with the result. Some people consider that arrogant, but I call it self-confidence." To his immense surprise, Harry let out a hearty laugh.
"I'm pretty proud of the result too, Lily," said Harry, looking at his daughter affectionately. They looked at each other proudly for a moment before they heard a cold voice up ahead.
"Well, well, well," came the cold, drawling voice from the other side of the bars of the cell. Harry and Lily gasped and whipped around to see three masked Death Eaters staring at them from behind the bars. One was tall, lanky, and skinny, while the other two were simply huge and buff; resembling that of gorillas. "The Potter family has awakened. The Dark Lord will be most pleased. Alohomora!"
The cell door unlocked and the two larger Death Eaters charged in grabbed Harry and Lily roughly by the necks.
"Get off of her!" shouted Harry, kicking, punching, and trying to fight off the Death Eater after seeing Lily's eyes roll back in pain.
"Keep your trap shut, Harry," whispered Lily fiercely.
"I would listen to the flower. The less trouble you give us, Potter," snarled the Death Eater as he pulled Harry's head back by his hair and hissed in his ear, "the less likely we'll hurt your lovely little daughter." Harry grunted in pain but did not say anything or fight anymore.
The Death Eaters held the pair of them by their necks and literally dragged them out of the dungeon like building and outside in the fresh air. Harry looked around and saw that they were heading towards a graveyard and he shivered. He recognized the graveyard for it was the same place that Voldemort killed Cedric Diggory, took Harry's blood, and regained his body to create absolute destruction. Harry closed his eyes; shutting them tightly as the Death Eater guided him towards the very place he dreaded going. He noted that Lily was just going with it and not trying to fight off the Death Eaters so he followed her example. Like she stated earlier, she had been here before and she probably had an idea of what she was doing. Harry trusted her to take care of them both.
Harry kept his eyes clenched shut but the Death Eaters had stopped walking. He chanced a glance and opened his eyes and realized that they were now standing in front of what looked like a large throne with a large snack on the top and snake like armrests. The Death Eaters took a step back and left Lily and Harry side-by-side in front of the snake-like throne. Out of nowhere, a sharp and exquisite burst of pain shot through his forehead and across his scar. Harry cried out and closed his eyes his pain, clutching on to his forehead; he knew what was coming. Lily grabbed a hold of his hand tightly, squeezing his hand so tight that it was painful. Harry knew that she was trying to alleviate the pain from his forehead by creating pain in his hand. He squeezed it back, hoping that it told Lily that he would protect her against what was going to happen no matter what he cost.
"Lily Potter," came a cold, high voice that Harry immediately recognized Voldemort's voice. "How delightful; we're so happy that you're able to join us."
Harry regained his composure and looked up to see that there was a man sitting on the throne; a man that he had noticed before due to the pain in his scar. The man slowly stood up and strode towards them, causing the pain in Harry's scar to intensify. Harry looked into his face and if he had not seen that face before, he would have screamed. He looked just as he did twenty-one years earlier; more like a snake than a man, with slit like nostrils, a snake-like nose, and red eyes that glowed evilly in the light. It was Voldemort.
"Harry," whispered Lily at the corner of her mouth so that no one could hear her except Harry. Harry looked at her using his peripheral vision. He noticed that Lily was going pale; almost sickly. "Before this happens…I just want you to know something…something that Ron, Hermione, and I should have told you all along." Lily was clearly inwardly panicking; knowing that Voldemort was going to tell Harry everything. Everything that Ron, Hermione, and Remus had been so desperately trying to keep him from him. Voldemort was going to reveal all the secrets of Harry's past; even the most painful parts…painful for her anyway.
"Ahh…and I see she brought a guest," said Voldemort in mock delight. Harry clenched on to Lily's hand tightly, but could not hear her words of Voldemort's taunts and the great number of Death Eaters that were beginning to circle the three of them: Voldemort, Lily, and Harry.
"Back off," growled Harry, ignoring the seething pain in his scar, taking a step back and trying to drag Lily behind him. "Stay away from us…"
"Can anyone tell me who this guest of honor is?" Voldemort continued to mock them, completely ignoring Harry's warnings.
"Ahh…why it's Harry Potter," sneered Voldemort, "the man who started off as the Boy Who Lived and who later became my most powerful Death Eater…"
Harry stared, letting the words slowly sink in.
A Death Eater?
The most powerful Death Eater?
Voldemort's most powerful Death Eater?
Harry felt the blood drain from his face and his heart dropped in his stomach; his stomach, on the other hand, seemed to have so many things squirming and shaking inside of it that it was making him sick to the very core of his bones. Harry felt like he had lost control over his bones and his limbs because his entire body began to shake and tremble uncontrollably. Desperate for answers, desperate for someone to tell him that Voldemort was lying, Harry looked around at Lily, pleading with his eyes for her to tell him otherwise. But, Lily did no such thing; she was looking at her feet with her hands deep in her pockets, as though she were ashamed of something.
"Lily?" Harry called out, barely above a whisper, but loud enough for Lily to hear him. However, she did not meet his gaze and her face had somehow gone paler when he had called out her name. There was no denying it; her face told him everything. It was true.
"No…" Harry cried out desperately. "No…it can't be!" Voldemort threw his head back and laughed evilly.
"Oh, yes Harry, yes," Voldemort sneered coolly. "You did indeed become a Death Eater; more than a Death Eater. You became my right hand man to be honest." It sounded like Voldemort was teasing him, mocking him and Harry had never felt so sick in his life. It felt like a bundle of snakes were crawling in the pit of his stomach, ready to come out of his throat. And it did. Harry leaned over and began heaving. When he was finished, he stood up on trembling legs and looked at Voldemort, his scar burning fiercely and painfully on his forehead.
"How…? Why?" Harry whispered, almost falling to his knees, trying to regain his composure; to make sure he stayed on his face.
"How? Why?" Voldemort repeated, mocking Harry as though considering the situation. He heard Lily gasp from beside him. "Well, that's quite an interesting story. Shall I tell to you, Harry? Should I tell you everything that your so-called friends and family have been so desperate to keep from you?"
Harry did not say anything but chanced a glance at the blonde girl standing beside him. Once again, Lily refused to meet his eyes and she pointedly looking in the other direction, unable to see the look of horror, pain, and confusion written all of his boyish features.
"I'm sorry…" was all she whispered. Harry looked back at Voldemort, his emerald green eyes wide and horrorstruck. Voldemort, once again, threw his head back and laughed and it echoed horribly throughout the graveyard.
"You see Harry?" Voldemort scoffed, still mocking Harry. "See what I have been trying to tell you all these years? How it is mere weakness for a wizard to rely on his so-called family and friends? There is only power, Harry…and those too weak to seek it. You however, grew out of that weakness…
"Your weakness started to die within you when you, Potter, became a famous and powerful Auror; the best that the Ministry had, along with blood-traitor, scum friend, Ronald Weasley. In between cases and assignments on the Ministry, you were constantly hunting me; hoping to finish me at last. There were rumors that I was going to try and invade France.
"You could not have been more than twenty years old when you followed that rumor and it took you right to France. While you were there, searching for me, you met a woman; a woman whom you thought you had fallen in love with. But, she was a mere distraction…a distraction that stopped you from seeeking me…a distraction that rejected you; calling you and what you had a mistake. You were so distressed that you forgot about hunting for me…that you gave up on hunting for me…and returned to England angry, frustrated, and with a broken heart."
Once again, Voldemort threw his head back and laughed at Harry's expense and pain. Harry did not even have the heart to jeer back at him; he was so stunned…so heartbroken. He could not believe what was happening here. Here was Voldemort, his enemy, the man who had murdered his parents and terrorized the wizarding world for over a decade, telling him everything. Here was the wizard who had tried to kill him on countless occasions telling Harry all about what would become of him when Ron, Hermione, and Remus should have done that in the first place.
"Miraculously Harry, you survived your heartbreak, but you remained a fool…you remained weak," hissed Voldemort, resembling a snake so much that it sent shivers down Harry's spine. "You thought you could try another hand at that so called love again. It was less than a year later when you found yourself in love and dating the lovely and fiery Ginny Weasley. Such a delight…I became rather acquainted with her during her first year at Hogwarts…"
Harry felt a fire rise in the pit of his stomach and he clenched his hands into tight, angry fists at the mention of Ginny. The thought of Voldemort mocking that horrible experience that she had endured during the Chamber of Secrets was enough to make his blood boil.
"You shut your mouth," snarled Harry, narrowing his eyes at Voldemort and his scar began to burn ferociously. For the first time, Lily looked at Harry wide-eyed and Voldemort looked slightly startled at Harry's reaction at the mention of Ginny.
"Ah…" Voldemort jeered. "I see we have discovered when our young Mr. Potter started having feelings for the lovely Miss Weasley…" At this, even the surrounding Death Eaters began to laugh. Harry wished that he had his wand so that he could hex them all into oblivion. When they had finished with their fun at Harry's expense, Voldemort continued.
"It was during this blissful time in your life that, one morning, you had a little gift lying on your doorstep. It was none other than a little newborn baby girl with a note; a note from the woman in France. The note claimed that the baby was yours and that she wanted nothing to do with the girl, leaving her in your care, making her your responsibility. If I recall, the woman even suggested that you abandoned the baby, just as she had done, calling her a mistake. How ironic isn't it? Considering that you were once left on a doorstep, right?"
Harry's chest swelled with anger. After all, Voldemort was the reason why he was left on that doorstep in the first place. Desperate for answers, desperate for someone to tell him that Voldemort was lying to him, Harry looked at Lily at the corner of his eye and noted how ashamed she looked. He could not believe; Lily's mother had abandoned her and called her a mistake. Lily was a mistake that her mother had never wanted.
"Of course, since you were still weak and you believed in that horrible theory of love, you took your daughter in without question. You probably did not even question whether she was actually your daughter. There is, no doubt, that she is yours isn't it, Harry? After all, look at those big, beautiful green eyes." Voldemort was mocking him again and Harry's nails were digging deeper into the flesh of his palms. "If you thought your life was blissful when you were dating Miss Weasley, you were wrong. Now, that you had a great job, a daughter, and Ginevra had become your fiancé; you were a man on top of the world. It was at this time that realized that I finally had the tools I needed to get Harry to join me and to fulfill the prophecy…"
"Prophecy?" Lily and Harry asked in unison.
"What prophecy?" asked Lily, raising an annoyed and angry eyebrow. Harry looked at her for a moment before turning back to the dark wizard in front of him; it was the first time that she had spoken since Voldemort began revealing all of Harry's secrets. Voldemort stared at them and began to laugh disbelievingly.
"Oh my…don't tell me that you two do not know," sneered Voldemort. "Dumbledore always liked to keep you in the dark, didn't he Potter? The prophecy made by Sybil Trelawney made several years ago called The Crow and the Mockingbirds."
Harry and Lily's mouths dropped in utter and complete shock.
"Yes, it is a prophecy. After torturing Miss Trelawney to analyze it from me, she confirmed that I am the crow, Harry is the first mockingbird, and you my Lily flower, you are the second mockingbird…
"Sybil Trelawney has made several prophecies about me over the years. The first one she ever made was right before you were born, Harry Potter. That prophecy stated that Gryffindor Heir with emerald green eyes will join me and help bring me to ultimate power and that another Gryffindor Heir with emerald green eyes will destroy me," explained Voldemort, hissing at Lily as though she were a dangerous poison. Harry's eyes widened.
"What?" Harry gasped, disbelievingly. "The Gryffindor Heir?"
"That old fool has not told you, Potter?" asked Voldemort, clearly astonished. "Dumbledore is more of a fool than I thought…surely he would have told you; that you're the Heir of Godric Gryffindor, and obviously so is young Lily here. How do you explain that remarkable power with your eyes? Only a Gryffindor Heir can do that. Each heir of the founders of Hogwarts had inherited a special, magical gift. I, the Heir of Slytherin, had inherited the gift of Parseltongue. The Heir of Hufflepuff will inherit the power Odiosis, the power to hear the dead. The Heir of Ravenclaw will inherit Hyptocris, the power to hypnotize others through their singing talents. And, of course the Heir of Gryffindor, inherits Eyeluta, the power to attack others with their bright, green eyes."
"I…I am the Heir of Gryffindor?" Harry gasped, his breath hitching in his throat. "How…? How come Dumbledore never told me my father was the descendent of one of the founders of Hogwarts?" Harry asked the question to himself, but Voldemort overheard him.
"You fool," he hissed. "It was not your despicable father who was the Heir to Gryffindor; it was your mother."
"My…my mother?" Harry shouted, in horror, gripping the roots of his hair tightly in his fists. "But, how is that even possible? My mother was Muggle-born!"
"Oh yes, Harry, your mother was indeed a Mudblood," Voldemort spat, as though it were something disgusting to his tongue. "But one your great ancestors was a Squib; the first descendent of Gryffindor to not have the emerald green eyes. In order for the Heir of Gryffindor to become a witch or wizard and have the power of Eyeluta, they must have the green eyes.
"The first prophecy that Sybil Trelawney made stated that the Gryffindor Heir with green eyes will join me and help bring me to ultimate power and the second, younger Gryffindor Heir with green eyes will destroy me. So, naturally, your Mudblood mother was an Heir, had green eyes, was a powerful witch, and could subtly perform the power of Eyeluta. And best of all; she was pregnant. At that time, I could have sworn she would have been the Heir to help bring me to power. But, in order to get to her, I had to dispose of your father, so I did.
"I told you in your first year, Harry, your mother did not have to die. She was trying to save you. After all, I thought you were the one to destroy me." Voldemort now took his eyes off of Harry for a moment to look directly at Lily. Lily stared determinedly back at him. Voldemort's eyes glared over with an anger and fury that he had never seen before; they narrowed resembling the slitting eyes of a snake and held hatred so deep that an evil power was eliminating from his body. "After I killed your mother and I was defeated; left without a body, I was so confused. Sybil must have analyzed the prophecy incorrectly and she suffered severely for it.
"But then, many years later, a rumor came about; that Harry Potter had had a daughter; a daughter who would be attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and with the same green eyes. That was when I knew you were the one to help me, Harry…and Lily would be the one to destroy me.
"But, there was still a question on to get Harry on my side. After all, why would he ever have the desire to join me? I was the wizard who destroyed and murdered his parents. I knew the only way to get Harry to join me would be through blackmail; by backing him into a corner…by using those that he cared about.
"You…you filthy…you evil…" snarled Harry, knowing immediately that Voldemort must have gone after Ginny or Lily…or both. Voldemort ignored his comments and continued the dreaded story of Harry's life.
"I sent you an engagement present, Harry," said Voldemort in a cool tone. "It consisted of a message saying if you refused to join me, I would kill your precious fiancé. I suppose dating such an independent and powerful witch has its disadvantages because I'm sure the stunning Weasley claimed that she could look after herself; that you should concentrate on protecting your daughter more than her. You took her advice…giving into your weakness of that so-called love. You ignored my letter, Harry.
"Apparently your Mudblood mother never taught you manners in the one year she got to spend with you," said Voldemort as he threw his head back and laughed, mocking the fact that he had ripped Harry from his parents so soon in life. Harry's eyes narrowed and he wished more than anything that he had his wand in his clutches. "It is not very polite to ignore an engagement gift, Harry. So, in order to teach you a lesson, on your wedding day, my faithful and deadly Death Eater, Draco Malfoy, kidnapped the lovely Ginevra and the precious Lily and gladly bought them to me. He always said something about wanting to make you suffer…to get back at you…"
"You've said enough," snapped Lily, sternly, charging forward. "Stop!" When Voldemort laughed, one of the Death Eaters grabbed Lily roughly by her forearms and dragged her away from their master. Lily started kicking and screaming, cursing at Voldemort that if he continued to tell Harry anything, she would kill him with her bare hands. At those words, Harry's stomach immediately clenched; he knew that Lily was freaking out because the worst was yet to come and he knew that something horrible was going to happen to not only Ginny, but everyone else.
"Even though you were never taught any manners, Harry," growled Voldemort, narrowing his eyes at the blonde girl before him, "I'd appreciate if you'd teach your daughter some…or I might have to teach her in my own way."
"Lily," said Harry in a raspy voice; shaking with emotion. He knew that Voldemort was looking for any reason to torture Lily. "Please…stop…just stop!" Lily stopped shouting profanities at Voldemort, but did not stop struggling from the Death Eater's grip. The Dark Lord hissed at Lily but turned back to Harry with an evil glint in his eyes. Harry felt sick again; he knew that his enemy was going to enjoy doing this…saying what was coming next.
"I led you on a merry chase, Harry…a chase to find your daughter and your fiancé. You followed my instructions and you came alone to fight for them. When you arrived and we dueled…I overpowered you briefly and gave you a choice; a choice to join me or I would torture and kill your daughter…right before your eyes. You hesitated, you fought, but eventually you gave into your weakness again…out of that so-called love for your daughter, you joined my ranks and became a Death Eater.
"But, we came across a dilemma, my dear Harry. You see, in order to become a Death Eater, you have to make a sacrifice. I insisted that Ginevra Weasley's life be your sacrifice. I threatened precious Lily's life again and you had absolutely no choice. You were forced to choose between your fiancé and your daughter. In the end, Potter, you chose your daughter and murdered the love of your life and the youngest child…the only daughter of your surrogate family." Voldemort was now laughing like a maniac. Harry's stomach and heart clenched and his insides began to squirm…and he began heaving again. How could he have ever done such a thing? How could he have killed Ginny?
"Lily…" Harry whispered, calling out to his daughter. Lily fought off the Death Eater and stalked towards Harry. She did not comfort him but merely looked at him helplessly. "Please…Lily…please…he's lying right?" Lily sighed and looked down at her feet. When she did not answer tears began to well up in Harry's eyes. Gasping and gripping the roots of his hair, he began to hate himself. He could not believe this; he could not have done this to the woman he loved and to the only family that he had ever known…he could not have.
"You see, Harry?" said Voldemort, almost in a soft voice. "Do you see what happens when you give into that weakness of love? You never would have been backed into the corner that I had the pleasure of doing. It was so amusing to see how pathetic you looked at having to choose between your child and your fiancé.
"What sickened me, Harry is that you could not let go of your weakness, even after becoming a Death Eater," growled Voldemort, almost disgustedly. "When I returned your daughter to the blood-traitor family, you made me make a Wizard's Oath, saying that you would only stay loyal to me if I never harmed or touched Lily Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, or anyone with the last name Weasley and their families. I needed you to stay loyal to me, so I agreed and made the oath.
"SHUT-UP! JUST SHUT-UP!" Harry yelled, still gripping his hair, and hot, wet, tears continued to sting his eyes. He looked as though he was going insane and Lily just stood there helplessly, wanting to comfort him, but she was not sure how to go about doing it. Voldemort, on the other hand, took pleasure in Harry's pain and continued.
"Your friendship with the blood traitor, Ronald Weasley was completely severed when he found out how you murdered his only sister. His Mudblood wife tried to defend what you had done, telling him that you had no choice…that you had done it to save Lily's life. But, he could never forgive you…the whole Weasley family turned their back on you. You knew your life was completely falling apart. It seemed that the only one still on your side was your fugitive godfather…
"Black tried to stop you from joining me. If my memory serves me right, he kept saying things like 'You parents didn't give their lives for you so you can become a Death Eater!' became so anxious…so angry…so frustrated with him that you snapped. You knew that you could not break the Unbreakable Vow so you told him that Lily Evans Potter and James Potter were not your parents…that he, Sirius Black, was not your godfather…that Lily was not your daughter…that the Weasleys and Lupin were not your best friends. To my ultimate pleasure, you told him that your only friend and family was Voldemort, me. Voldemort was your father, you said. Voldemort was your godfather. You disowned them. You denied being the son of Lily and James Potter. You denied everything that you were.
"Of course Black nearly fell apart. You were the only thing he had to live for and you disowned him. I'd imagine that if little Lily was not around, the old fool would have killed himself.
"But can you imagine how little Lily must have felt? First, her mother abandoned her, and then her father disowned her." Voldemort took his eyes off of Harry for the first time in a long time to turn his gaze on to Lily. "How does that make you feel, Flower?" He laughed evilly.
Harry nearly choked on his tears and glanced nervously at Lily. What he saw made his heart crumple. She was looking at the floor, her eyes glassy, though no tears fell, and her hands were deep in her pockets. She looked completely heartbroken and ashamed. The fact that she was not contradicting Voldemort told Harry that this all was the truth. Harry's heart went out to her and he wanted to comfort her, but he knew she would never accept it; not now, not now that Harry knew the truth.
"At first, Black refused to believe that you had disowned them all. But you could not break the oath and in order to prove it, in order to protect them, you convinced them of your evil and your loyalty to me. You placed them all under the Cruciatus Curse, even little Lily flower. As you tortured them, you shouted at them. You told Sirius that he was never a good godfather because he was stupid enough to go after Peter and that he was never there for you and it was his fault that you turned out this way. You told Ron that you killed Ginny because you wanted her to die and that your friendship was a waste and that he was Mudblood Lover. You told Remus that he was just a werewolf that would kill him in the end anyway. You told Hermione that she was filthy little Mudblood who would not know a Quidditch game from a football game. And, Lily…"
Harry cringed, waiting for the blow.
"You told your precious Lily that she was a mistake and that you never wanted her in the first place. Funny thing, Harry, many assumed that I had you under the Imperious Curse…but after this…they knew better. This was all under your own free will and everyone that you once loved knew it.
"Years went by and you became my most powerful Death Eater, especially when you performed the Eyeluta. That gift was precious to me; without it, I never would have gotten as powerful as I am now. You became my right hand man, Harry. I relied on you…I needed you so I treated you well. I was at my ultimate power and with your power of Eyeluta, nothing could stop me. Well…maybe except young Lily here.
"I knew that one day the Prophecy would try and fulfill itself. Lily had just started her first year at Hogwarts and I could not harm the child. Why? Because of my oath with her father, you, Harry. It was the oath that would not allow me to ever to harm her along as you were on my side.
"The only way to lay hands on the girl was to get rid of you, Harry," said Voldemort, now glaring at him. "Though you brought me so much power, killing you was the only way to get to her. But, I could not just kill you. You were such a powerful Death Eater; I don't even think you knew just how powerful you were. I had to make sure you betrayed me, and then I could kill you. But, you were so loyal to me. How could I get you to betray me? Why, by provoking you of course.
"But, how? How could I provoke you? I could not touch anyone you cared about, since I made an oath not to touch any of them. But, then I realized that you still carried that weakness…of love and nobility. You see, there was someone you cared about that you forgot to mention in our little oath. It was someone you never actually loved, but because of your nobility, you still cared of her…and that would of course be Lily's mother.
"For years, I persuaded my Death Eaters to try and pry the information out of you concerning the woman's identity. But, you never told anyone; sometimes I think you didn't want to admit it to yourself. So, I used Leglimency to invade your mind. I discovered her identity and kidnapped her. I tortured her severely. It nearly drove you insane to see her suffer and after losing the lovely Ginevra, you knew you could not make the same mistake and let me kill her too. You went against me and fought for her life. You fell right into my trap, Harry because of your continued weakness.
"We dueled, Harry," said Voldemort, clearly reflecting on the memory. "I had become more powerful than any other wizard in existence because of the assistance of your gift of Eyeluta. But, you were more powerful than you give yourself credit for, and you used the power that once helped me against me. I could not defeat you so I fled, threatening your life and the life of those you loved…as the oath was now broken. My planned had worked, Harry; I had gotten you to betray me. My Death Eaters followed me lead, as you were the only one who knew not of the plan. You were left alone with Lily's mother and escorting her back to France and you or Lily never heard from her again.
"You were alone, Harry," sneered Voldemort, "completely and utterly alone all because of your weakness. You had betrayed everyone you had ever loved. But, that did not stop you from seeking their forgiveness and that did not stop you from so desperately wanting to see your daughter. You had missed several years of her life and you did not wish to miss anymore.
"It was Christmas Eve of Lily's first year when you returned to Hogwarts. The Mudblood and her blood traitor husband were so shocked to see you; shocked, but angry and distressed. You explained yourself…gave into your weakness and opened up and told them everything; how I, Lord Voldemort, had blackmailed you; that you never meant any of it and you were sorry.
"The Mudblood and the werewolf immediately forgave you and welcomed you back with open arms. But, Ronald, Sirius, and Lily…they were a different story. Sirius hated you with an utter passion. He claimed that you were nothing more than a cowardly traitor…just like my servant, Wormtail. Ronald called you a murderer having killed his only sister; the same woman whom you claimed to love and swore to protect. Then, there was Lily…oh Lily resented you…struggled with her emotions. After all, you were the father who claimed to love her and then disowned her. She was not about to just flat out forgive you.
"It was not until Lily's second you that you had earned their forgiveness. But, by that time it was too late," Voldemort was mocking Harry again; mocking him about the fact that he had never gotten to know his own daughter.
"I put my plan into action; it was time to destroy Lily Potter," said Voldemort, once more shooting venom looking at Lily's direction, his voice dripping with hate and resembling that of a snake. "I had Draco Malfoy kidnap Lily. Apparently, kidnapping her and Ginevra were not enough. He wanted to get you again, Harry and he got you. You were furious, thinking you had defeated me. Despite her resentment towards you, you went after her, along with Black, Lupin and those two filthy Weasleys. You fought quite hard for your daughter's life. You managed to take her from me and your friends Disapparated with her, except for Sirius. I was shocked to see how hard he was trying to protect you especially after all you did to him. He too gave into weakness.
"I knew at this point that the only way to truly kill Lily Potter was to get rid of you, Harry. I needed you dead. I had to kill you so I shot a Killing Curse at you as you performed Eyeluta. The curse hit you, killing you in the process, but Eyeluta made the curse rebound on to me. I was knocked unconscious. When I woke up, I saw your body, dead on the floor. Out of respect of the power you had given me, I cremated it and continued doing my work. And, here we are today.
"Now, doesn't that clear things up?" said Voldemort, hissing menacingly, narrowing his eyes and shifting his gaze between the two Potters. "Didn't you enjoy your life story, Harry?"
"You're a liar!" Harry shouted his voice thick with emotion. It was shaking and it was croaking harshly to the point where he found it difficult to speak.
Voldemort looked at his Death Eaters. They all threw their heads back and laughed; some were even pointing directly at Harry. Harry felt his head begin to spin and he desperately looked at Lily. Lily was shaking her head and clenching her fists as she was looking at the floor with her hands deep in her pockets.
There was no denying it and Harry knew that everything that Voldemort had told him was true otherwise Lily would have come to his defense. His stomach was still moving aimlessly throughout his body and he knew that he did not have anything in there anymore that could make him vomit again. Harry simply could not believe the pain he probably brought into his daughter's life. It all made sense to him; why she had put up a guard when she first arrived, why she had completely lost her temper at the very mention of his name, and why Sirius had treated him the way that he had. Shaking his head, he felt like a complete and defenseless coward. Sirius had been right about him; he was no better than Peter Pettigrew.
"I'm a liar, am I?" asked Voldemort coolly. "If you think I am deceiving you, Harry, then just ask Lily Flower." Harry felt his heart jump into his throat and turned to Lily, a desperate look in his emerald depths, pleading with her to deny everything that Voldemort had just told him. There was still a chance…a hopeful chance that all of this could be a lie.
"Lily?" Harry called out to her. Lily did not look at him, she was shaking her head and staring at the floor.
"Harry…please…"
"Lily," said Harry more urgently, striding towards her and grasping her by the shoulders so that she was facing him. However, Lily still refused to meet his eye. "Lily, please tell me…tell me that none of this is true."
"I can't, Harry…" she said above a mere whisper. Harry felt hot, burning tears in his eyes and his heart was pounding so heard in his chest that it hurt to breathe.
"Why?" he asked in a strained voice. "Why not?"
"Because then I would be lying…" With that, Lily brushed Harry's hands off of her shoulders. Harry stood in front of her wide-eyed and desperate; his hands lying limp at his side as his legs began to tremble. He could almost feel his knees give out from underneath him as those hot tears began to slide down his cheeks.
"You see, Harry," said Voldemort, "because of your weakness and your belief in love you went and betrayed the little friends and family that you had and became my right hand man, helping me rise to ultimate power."
"NO!" Harry shouted near tears, once again gripping his hair. "It can't be…it just can't be…" Harry stumbled backwards and fell to the floor, almost fainting. He was so weak from shock that he could no longer hold himself together. Lily noticed that Voldemort had decided to take advantage of his weakened moment and he, along with several Death Eaters had pointed their wands at him. Furious, Lily stepped towards him and stood protectively beside him, taking her glasses off where a blazing fire began to light in her eyes.
"Stay away from him," she snarled at the Death Eaters. Voldemort stepped forward and advanced on Lily.
"Step away, Flower," ordered Voldemort, pointing his wand at the pair of them. "He has heard his remarkable story and not it is time for me to put him out of his misery." He took a step towards the two Potters. "Step aside!"
"Make me," snarled Lily, the fire in her eyes intensifying. "You will never be able to stop me from protecting Harry. There's not a chance of that happening."
"Well I'm sure we can think of something to change your mind," hissed Voldemort as he snapped his fingers. Without another word, two Death Eaters carried a struggling figure into the inner circle. Lily's eyes widened in horror as she recognized the figure and she quickly put her glasses back on to make sure her eyes were not fooling her. But there was no mistaking him. His hands were tied behind his back and he clearly had the Silent Charm on him. The two Death Eaters forced him to his knees in front of Lily and they continued to hold him at wand point, as they backed away. It was Eddie.
"No…Eddie?" Lily gasped, running her hand through hair, clearly distressed. The sight of Eddie, pale and scared looking, was enough to send her heart into her throat and her stomach dropping to her knees. Lily's heart was pounding and she was so horrified that she did not notice Voldemort raised his wand at Harry.
"Accio!" he jeered. Harry, still so weak from what he had heard, was lifted off of his feet and soared towards Voldemort, who shoved him towards a pair of Death Eaters, as though disgusted to even touch him. Harry was too shocked and weak to know what was going on and did not even have the heart to fight back. But, he came to his senses when he felt one of the Death Eaters grab him by his throat, choking him slightly. It was then and there that he realized that he, Lily, and Eddie were in trouble though; big trouble.
"Let's see that fiery, decisive spirit of yours, Flower," said Voldemort, now grinning like a maniac. Lily did not like that look and it made her sick to her stomach. She knew that whatever Voldemort was up to, it would involve hurting one of two people who meant the most to her. "Choose, young Flower, choose between your best friend, whom you would do anything for and your future father, whom you love so dearly."
"Why do you want me to choose?" snapped Lily, narrowing her eyes and folding her arms across chest. "You make no sense, Tom."
"Both of these boys are valuable in their futures…" Voldemort snapped. "And both of these boys are valuable to you. It does not matter to me who dies, but one of these boys will die tonight. Now choose who I will kill, Flower! Choose!"
Lily stared at Voldemort with an impassive look on her face. Harry knew that she was trying not to give away any of her emotions; closing herself, thoughts, and emotions from Voldemort. Without a word, without even a breath, Lily turned her gaze towards Eddie, then back to Harry. Harry could tell she was having an internal struggle with herself; clearly thinking through with her decision.
It was then that Harry realized she was actually going to make a decision and he immediately felt his face drain, probably void of all color and began breathing heavily. After hearing that story, it would be a miracle for her to pick him over Eddie. Harry chanced a glance at Eddie and saw that he had closed his eyes and was also breathing heavily. Harry wanted to reach out to him, to tell him that he knew Lily would pick him, but it was no use. Finally, he looked back at his daughter when he heard Lily sigh.
"I've made my decision," said Lily, her voice completely void of any emotion. Voldemort grinned with his red eyes glinting in such a way that it sent shivers down Harry's spine.
"So tell me Flower, who will I kill tonight? Who did you choose to die right before your precious eyes?"
"I choose Harry…"
A note from the Jitterbelle. Another revised chapter! Yes, despite the fact that I gave you all the secrets, I'm still leaving a cliffhanger because I am just that awesome. So, all of the secrets have been revealed except from one; who is Lily's mother? Well, keep on reading! Thank you for reading and I hope you're enjoying. Don't forget to click on the button below and review!
Coming in Chapter 32 - The title of the chapter is called Battle. Does that give you a hint on what it is about?