Chapter 12: Flying Free
He walked quickly down the stairs and out of the office. He didn't make his way towards the common room though, he didn't feel like it. He headed towards the great hall. As he was walking by the side of the lake, he got to thinking about what Dumbledore had said. He couldn't be a Quidditch star, not while Voldemort was still at large.
"Potter!"
Someone suddenly yelled, drawing Harry away from his thoughts. Harry swung around and was very surprised to see Draco Malfoy sprinting towards him
"Malfoy? How in the hell did you-"
"People can allways recognize their enemy's in a group Potter...just as they can recognize their friends"
Malfoy suddenly extended his hand
"Thank you, for saving my life, you didn't have to"
Harry stared at Malfoy's hand in shock. Draco Malfoy, thanking him? Lavender had said he turned down Voldemort...what had that man done? The Draco Harry knew was definatly Death eater material, but this Draco, was such a, a, Griffindor...Slowly Harry took Malfoy's hand and shook it
"Any time"
Harry muttered
"Anytime"
Draco grinned
"Alright then"
He said before turning and walking away. Harry stared after him. His day was going way to weird, first he was awoken by Hermionie, who so bravely talked to him about their little incident. Then Lavender was named a death eater, Dumbledore giving him job ideas...Draco Malfoy, thanking him...it was all to weird, now all he needed was Snape to say something nice to him and his day would be officially upside down. Harry made his way towards Hagrids hut, thinking about everything that was going on in his life, in the world. But then something by the lake caught his eyes. There was a reflection of a person in it, but there was no person standing there. Harry rushed over and peered into the lake, he allmost fell over when he saw whose reflection it was. "Dad?!"
Harry cried, dropping to his knee's beside the reflection
"Hello Harry"
The reflection said. Harry was looking wildly around
"W-what in the world? How are you here? Dad?"
Harry was breathing hard, staring at the reflection with pain etched all over his face
"I'm here to talk to you, Harry."
The man said calmly
"No need to panic"
"No need to panic?! I have every right to panic! Most people's dead father's reflections don't appear in their school lakes on random days!"
Harry said, slowly backing away from the lake
"I told you this was a bad idea"
Came a womans voice, it reminded Harry of Hermionie. Seconds later his mother's reflection appeared beside his father
"But no...the great James Potter would NEVER listen to his wife!"
Harry stopped moving, staring at the two in awe
"It isn't a bad idea, he's scared, I don't blame him! I'm sure i'd be scared too"
His Dad said, glaring at his Mom in mock anger
"Oh you would not! You probably would have dived into the lake after a reflection, thats why, i'm sure, your parents never came to talk to you"
She rolled her eyes then turned to Harry. Immediatly her face softend
"We're sorry if we scared you Harry, it's just we wanted to talk to you. It's been quite a while"
Harry looked straight at his mother, then nodded his head, edging forward so that he was directly above the reflections
"We've been watching you Harry, and we know how much you want and need a family...and we're sorry we can't be there for you..."
Lily continued, now looking upset
"It's alright Mum..."
Harry whispered, not looking at her
"It isn't your fault..."
At that point every time Voldemort had hurt Harry came rushing to him. All the pain and anger he had caused, everything, and Harry felt something bubble angrilly inside him
"Harry, we know you can never have us back as parents, and we know we will never be able to help you and watch you grow. Be there on your wedding day, be there when you have children...and I know it must hurt knowing all your friends will be able to have their parents there...but I want you to know something that i'm sure you've never heard us say...."
James said, looking at his son and trying to find his eyes. Finally Harry looked up and his eyes locked with his fathers
"We're so proud of you"
His Dad whispered. All the fear and anger that was raging inside Harry left him. His bright green eyes lost all their wisdom and pain, and were replaced with pure innocence. It was like he was one year old once again, ready to start the world, his parents standing by his side. James and Lily stared up at him from the water. They watched as he changed from a 17 year old hero, to a small child.
"We love you Harry"
Lily whispered as she started to fade away. James gave him a encouraging smile, and they both disappeared. Harry stared at the spot where his parents had just been. The innocence left him, and for the first time since his fourth year, he broke down and cried. Hot tears spilled out of his eyes and rolled down his cheeks, hitting the surface of the water.
"I love you to"
Harry chocked. Harry wrapped his arms around his knees and sobbed quietly to himself, forgetting the world and all the problems, and thinking of nothing, but his parents.
~*~
Hours later, when he entered the great hall he noticed five people standing in the corner, as he got nearer he saw it was Sirius, Remus, Daniel, Cassi and Laura. Sirius was holding a Daily Prophet in hand. Suddenly Sirius turned around and saw Harry, his face brightened if possible even more. He sped over to him
"I'm free!"
He cried, shoving the paper in Harry's face
"I'm free! Oh thank you Harry!"
Sirius pulled Harry into the tightest hug he had ever had. Soon the others were behind Sirius
"Oh I can't wait, i'm coming to dinner tonight! Dumbledore will make the announcement! Becuase i'm free, i'm free, i'm free!"
Sirius began jumping up and down yelling 'i'm free' repeatedly. Harry was trying hard not to laugh at his godfather wich was becoming more and more difficult. Obviously Remus nor Daniel had a problem with it though. Both of them suddenly fell to the ground absolutly howling. Sirius glared at them, then turned to Harry. He sighed
"Oh just let it out!"
He said, placing his hands on his hips. Harry nodded then burst out laughing, falling to the floor beside Remus. The two girls began to giggle and were soon laughing just as hard, but they contained themselves and stayed standing. Sirius stood about a few feet from them, shaking his head till the laughter died down
"Finished?"
He asked, now annoyed. The three boys turned to look at him then burst out laughing once again
"May I ask whats so funny?"
Someone suddenly said. Immediatly everyone went silent. Harry rolled over and was very surprised to see Ginny and Hermionie standing there, thier eyebrows raised.
"Sirius is free"
Daniel said, standing up. Remus nodded and stood up, pulling Harry up beside him
"Thats wonderful!"
Hermionie cried, throwing herself at Sirius. He hugged her tightly, smirking at the others
"Yeah, I know, isn't it?"
Sirius replied.
"So what was so funny?"
Ginny asked, still looking confused
"Oh, Sirius went a little bonkers"
Remus muttered, a smile growing on his face
"Yeah, bonkers"
Daniel repeated then he suddenly began jumping up and down yelling 'i'm free! I'm free!' over and over again. Both Ginny and Hermionie snorted. Sirius glared at them all
"Your so immature"
He spat
"Yeah, just like we were when we were young"
Laura said dreamily. Everyone giggled slightly
"No, we were much more immature back then!"
Remus said, glancing at Daniel. They both chuckled
"As a matter of fact, your right"
Sirius said
"We were much worse!"
They all laughed
"Well, until Dumbledore announces your freedom, you might want to stay hidden...."
Cassi said, glancing around the room
"No way!"
Sirius said, grinning evilly
"I'm going to do a little scaring...let's see, Trelawney first, then Madam Pince...oh yes...hmmm"
He rubbed his hands together, an evil smile growing on his face
"Tootles!"
He cried before racing out of the hall. Remus, Daniel, Laura, and Cassi all lookied at each other. Without speaking they all nodded and took off after him. In the distance Harry could hear Remus yelling
"SIRIUS!"
Hermionie giggled
"Like that's going to improve the situation"
She muttered to herself, giggling again. She turned to Harry to say something to him, but he wasn't looking at her. Well, at least, she didn't THINK he was looking at her. His head was turned towards the door. She glanced at the door, nothing. Slowly she reached up her hand and lowered his hood. He didn't seem to notice. He had a far off look on his face, and his eyes, they'd, changed some how. She glanced at Ginny who was already looking her way. Ginny shrugged
"Harry"
Ginny said quietly. Harry's head snapped back towards her, and he smiled weakly. But the smile didn't reach his eyes. They didn't cahnge at all. They were brighter and they didn't seem to hold the wisdom that she knew he possesed.
"Harry, what's wrong?"
Hermionie asked. He just stared at her
"Nothing"
He muttered
"Oh please"
Hermionie said, placing her hands on her hips.
"I've known you for seven years, I can tell when somethings wrong...what is it?"
Harry shrugged and smiled again, and again, it didn't reach his eyes
"Don't worry about it Hermionie...I promise to tell you later"
And with that he turned and walked out of the hall, leaving Ginny and Hermionie to debate what was wrong.
(And thats that chapter! Another one will be up soon...will Harry tell his friends about his run in with his parents?! And where is Voldemort?!)
He walked quickly down the stairs and out of the office. He didn't make his way towards the common room though, he didn't feel like it. He headed towards the great hall. As he was walking by the side of the lake, he got to thinking about what Dumbledore had said. He couldn't be a Quidditch star, not while Voldemort was still at large.
"Potter!"
Someone suddenly yelled, drawing Harry away from his thoughts. Harry swung around and was very surprised to see Draco Malfoy sprinting towards him
"Malfoy? How in the hell did you-"
"People can allways recognize their enemy's in a group Potter...just as they can recognize their friends"
Malfoy suddenly extended his hand
"Thank you, for saving my life, you didn't have to"
Harry stared at Malfoy's hand in shock. Draco Malfoy, thanking him? Lavender had said he turned down Voldemort...what had that man done? The Draco Harry knew was definatly Death eater material, but this Draco, was such a, a, Griffindor...Slowly Harry took Malfoy's hand and shook it
"Any time"
Harry muttered
"Anytime"
Draco grinned
"Alright then"
He said before turning and walking away. Harry stared after him. His day was going way to weird, first he was awoken by Hermionie, who so bravely talked to him about their little incident. Then Lavender was named a death eater, Dumbledore giving him job ideas...Draco Malfoy, thanking him...it was all to weird, now all he needed was Snape to say something nice to him and his day would be officially upside down. Harry made his way towards Hagrids hut, thinking about everything that was going on in his life, in the world. But then something by the lake caught his eyes. There was a reflection of a person in it, but there was no person standing there. Harry rushed over and peered into the lake, he allmost fell over when he saw whose reflection it was. "Dad?!"
Harry cried, dropping to his knee's beside the reflection
"Hello Harry"
The reflection said. Harry was looking wildly around
"W-what in the world? How are you here? Dad?"
Harry was breathing hard, staring at the reflection with pain etched all over his face
"I'm here to talk to you, Harry."
The man said calmly
"No need to panic"
"No need to panic?! I have every right to panic! Most people's dead father's reflections don't appear in their school lakes on random days!"
Harry said, slowly backing away from the lake
"I told you this was a bad idea"
Came a womans voice, it reminded Harry of Hermionie. Seconds later his mother's reflection appeared beside his father
"But no...the great James Potter would NEVER listen to his wife!"
Harry stopped moving, staring at the two in awe
"It isn't a bad idea, he's scared, I don't blame him! I'm sure i'd be scared too"
His Dad said, glaring at his Mom in mock anger
"Oh you would not! You probably would have dived into the lake after a reflection, thats why, i'm sure, your parents never came to talk to you"
She rolled her eyes then turned to Harry. Immediatly her face softend
"We're sorry if we scared you Harry, it's just we wanted to talk to you. It's been quite a while"
Harry looked straight at his mother, then nodded his head, edging forward so that he was directly above the reflections
"We've been watching you Harry, and we know how much you want and need a family...and we're sorry we can't be there for you..."
Lily continued, now looking upset
"It's alright Mum..."
Harry whispered, not looking at her
"It isn't your fault..."
At that point every time Voldemort had hurt Harry came rushing to him. All the pain and anger he had caused, everything, and Harry felt something bubble angrilly inside him
"Harry, we know you can never have us back as parents, and we know we will never be able to help you and watch you grow. Be there on your wedding day, be there when you have children...and I know it must hurt knowing all your friends will be able to have their parents there...but I want you to know something that i'm sure you've never heard us say...."
James said, looking at his son and trying to find his eyes. Finally Harry looked up and his eyes locked with his fathers
"We're so proud of you"
His Dad whispered. All the fear and anger that was raging inside Harry left him. His bright green eyes lost all their wisdom and pain, and were replaced with pure innocence. It was like he was one year old once again, ready to start the world, his parents standing by his side. James and Lily stared up at him from the water. They watched as he changed from a 17 year old hero, to a small child.
"We love you Harry"
Lily whispered as she started to fade away. James gave him a encouraging smile, and they both disappeared. Harry stared at the spot where his parents had just been. The innocence left him, and for the first time since his fourth year, he broke down and cried. Hot tears spilled out of his eyes and rolled down his cheeks, hitting the surface of the water.
"I love you to"
Harry chocked. Harry wrapped his arms around his knees and sobbed quietly to himself, forgetting the world and all the problems, and thinking of nothing, but his parents.
~*~
Hours later, when he entered the great hall he noticed five people standing in the corner, as he got nearer he saw it was Sirius, Remus, Daniel, Cassi and Laura. Sirius was holding a Daily Prophet in hand. Suddenly Sirius turned around and saw Harry, his face brightened if possible even more. He sped over to him
"I'm free!"
He cried, shoving the paper in Harry's face
"I'm free! Oh thank you Harry!"
Sirius pulled Harry into the tightest hug he had ever had. Soon the others were behind Sirius
"Oh I can't wait, i'm coming to dinner tonight! Dumbledore will make the announcement! Becuase i'm free, i'm free, i'm free!"
Sirius began jumping up and down yelling 'i'm free' repeatedly. Harry was trying hard not to laugh at his godfather wich was becoming more and more difficult. Obviously Remus nor Daniel had a problem with it though. Both of them suddenly fell to the ground absolutly howling. Sirius glared at them, then turned to Harry. He sighed
"Oh just let it out!"
He said, placing his hands on his hips. Harry nodded then burst out laughing, falling to the floor beside Remus. The two girls began to giggle and were soon laughing just as hard, but they contained themselves and stayed standing. Sirius stood about a few feet from them, shaking his head till the laughter died down
"Finished?"
He asked, now annoyed. The three boys turned to look at him then burst out laughing once again
"May I ask whats so funny?"
Someone suddenly said. Immediatly everyone went silent. Harry rolled over and was very surprised to see Ginny and Hermionie standing there, thier eyebrows raised.
"Sirius is free"
Daniel said, standing up. Remus nodded and stood up, pulling Harry up beside him
"Thats wonderful!"
Hermionie cried, throwing herself at Sirius. He hugged her tightly, smirking at the others
"Yeah, I know, isn't it?"
Sirius replied.
"So what was so funny?"
Ginny asked, still looking confused
"Oh, Sirius went a little bonkers"
Remus muttered, a smile growing on his face
"Yeah, bonkers"
Daniel repeated then he suddenly began jumping up and down yelling 'i'm free! I'm free!' over and over again. Both Ginny and Hermionie snorted. Sirius glared at them all
"Your so immature"
He spat
"Yeah, just like we were when we were young"
Laura said dreamily. Everyone giggled slightly
"No, we were much more immature back then!"
Remus said, glancing at Daniel. They both chuckled
"As a matter of fact, your right"
Sirius said
"We were much worse!"
They all laughed
"Well, until Dumbledore announces your freedom, you might want to stay hidden...."
Cassi said, glancing around the room
"No way!"
Sirius said, grinning evilly
"I'm going to do a little scaring...let's see, Trelawney first, then Madam Pince...oh yes...hmmm"
He rubbed his hands together, an evil smile growing on his face
"Tootles!"
He cried before racing out of the hall. Remus, Daniel, Laura, and Cassi all lookied at each other. Without speaking they all nodded and took off after him. In the distance Harry could hear Remus yelling
"SIRIUS!"
Hermionie giggled
"Like that's going to improve the situation"
She muttered to herself, giggling again. She turned to Harry to say something to him, but he wasn't looking at her. Well, at least, she didn't THINK he was looking at her. His head was turned towards the door. She glanced at the door, nothing. Slowly she reached up her hand and lowered his hood. He didn't seem to notice. He had a far off look on his face, and his eyes, they'd, changed some how. She glanced at Ginny who was already looking her way. Ginny shrugged
"Harry"
Ginny said quietly. Harry's head snapped back towards her, and he smiled weakly. But the smile didn't reach his eyes. They didn't cahnge at all. They were brighter and they didn't seem to hold the wisdom that she knew he possesed.
"Harry, what's wrong?"
Hermionie asked. He just stared at her
"Nothing"
He muttered
"Oh please"
Hermionie said, placing her hands on her hips.
"I've known you for seven years, I can tell when somethings wrong...what is it?"
Harry shrugged and smiled again, and again, it didn't reach his eyes
"Don't worry about it Hermionie...I promise to tell you later"
And with that he turned and walked out of the hall, leaving Ginny and Hermionie to debate what was wrong.
(And thats that chapter! Another one will be up soon...will Harry tell his friends about his run in with his parents?! And where is Voldemort?!)