Chapter 46
Ginny had been bored out of her mind for longer than she cared to remember. She spent every waking moment either in classes, the library, or the common room, more often than not alone. Ron and Hermione were always together studying for their NEWTS or doing what couples do, and she was hesitant to do anything with Colin after what happened last time she had turned to him for comfort. It was times like these when she missed Harry the most, and her heart was constantly aching to see him again and sit in front of the fire or walk the grounds together like normal teenage couples did, but deep down, she knew that they would never be like any other teenage couple.
The school term would be ending in only one more week, and then she would return to the burrow for two months with her family before coming back to the castle for her final year, and hopefully Harry would be waiting for her when she arrived. She had continued to send letters nearly every other day, and Hedwig would always return without them and she knew that the Snowy owl was too intelligent to deliver them to the wrong person, but she was worried by the lack of response she received.
During the past several weeks, Ginny had sent countless letters to her boyfriend, but not once had she heard any word from him, and she was torn between immense worry and heated anger, both playing equal roles among her emotions. Classes had continued much the same as always, but everyone felt the increase in security around the school since the death eater attacks had increased drastically in number during the past weeks, and yet the ministry was no closer to finding those behind them especially since all the suspected death eaters had either been taken prisoner after the battle the previous year, or had vanished along with Harry and Voldemort, leaving no clues as to who their successors were.
Hogesmede weekends had all been cancelled, and the grounds were once again off limits except for classes and the older students were reminded too strongly of the first several months following the rebirth of Voldemort after the triwizard tournament, a time all of them wished they could forget. Those first few months had been agony, everyone constantly looking over their shoulder, expecting to be attacked at any moment, and the professors had not been much calmer, but after the initial paranoia, the tense atmosphere slowly dissipated when it became obvious that Voldemort was biding his time to prepare for attack, which came nearly two years later.
Now though, the tension had returned full force since everyone knew that the death eaters were out for revenge on the one who had destroyed their master, and it was common knowledge to the wizarding world that Harry Potter was at Hogwarts since no one but Dumbledore knew the truth where he really was, everyone else suspected that he was being hidden somewhere secret within the enormous castle. But the students had no idea about the real reason that Hogwarts was threatened, the fact that those followers of the dark lord had felt the mark burn and were aware that the summons had been from somewhere within the castle. Sure, revenge on Harry Potter would be an added bonus, but they were currently only concerned with finding their master and following him into the destruction of everything they were against. Little did they know though, but the one they sought revenge on and the one they were trying to return to were in fact one and the same at the time.
In fact, only nine people actually knew the truth about this, and only seven of them were actually in any danger from the threatening attacks, Ginny, Hermione, Ron, Draco, Remus, Snape, and Dumbledore, and none of them were about to tell what they knew to anyone on their own free will. The other two, Harry and Sirius, were completely oblivious to what was plaguing their home at the time, and therefore thought that those they cared for were safe from harm as long as they were not there to put them into any danger, but they were wrong.
Ginny was sitting in front of the fire with her charms book opened on the table in front of her and a long parchment beside it, trying in vain to write an essay on the different types of success charms that had been common during the period of time known as the Renaissance, and she was getting nowhere. Her thoughts kept straying to what was to come in the next week and how difficult it would be on her and her friends. In exactly eight days, the seventh years would be attending their graduation, with Draco and Hermione at the top of the class.
In truth, Harry should be Head Boy, since he was more advanced in his studies and had higher marks than Draco, but he had turned down the position when it was offered to him just after term began, and so, the honor had passed to the next in line, which had turned out to be Draco, and thus, he and Hermione would have to both make short speeches at the ceremony and would be the first to receive their honors. Ginny would of course be going to support her brother, but it would be weird when they came to the place in the ceremony when Harry's name should have been read and not hear it or see him receive that which he had worked so hard for over the past seven years.
The mere thought of the pending ceremony brought tears to her eyes which she angrily brushed away as the portrait hole opened to reveal the forms of Ron and Hermione, both laden down with a large pile of books from the library to help them prepare for their NEWTS which they would be taking in just three days time. She quickly composed herself before greeting the other two and settling back down to work on the essay she had to have completed before tomorrow morning.
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Monday morning, Harry and Sirius walked tiredly to the great hall for breakfast, neither speaking more than a few words the entire way. Harry was one of the first ones at the Gryffindor table and was already well on his way through a plate of eggs when the marauders came stumbling through the door. Sirius and James collapsed on either side of Harry, and Remus and Lily sat across form him and James while Peter went off in the direction of the Hufflepuff table. Harry greeted them all and received only a grunt in return as Sirius began to pile his plate with toast while muttering something about hating Mondays, and Remus looked away in shame, James and Lily both too caught up in their own conversation to notice what was going on around them.
"How are you feeling Remus?" asked Harry as the brown haired boy began to pick at his own plate
"Fine" he mumbled back, so quietly that Harry could barley hear his voice before he blurted out "Harry, I'm really sorry about what happened, I didn't mean to hurt you, I don't know what came over me, usually I'm much more in control of myself than that, especially around other animals. I've never bitten anything before, and I'll understand if you never want to speak to me again" he said without looking up or taking a single breath.
"Remus, look at me" demanded Harry gently and the other boy looked hesitantly up at him and Harry gave a kind smile "Listen, what happened was not your fault, you couldn't control it and I'm fine, so don't feel guilty about anything. Luckily, since I was in my animagus form when you bit me, it was the same as any other dog bite and I will not become a werewolf because of it" he said and he noticed that they finally had the attention of James and Lily as well as Sirius who was looking much more alert "Now listen, I know you would never do anything like that intentionally, so forget about it" he finished up
Remus gave a shy but wide smile "Thanks Harry" he said in sincerity
"Hey, I have a question for you, Harry. I wanted to ask you yesterday, but I got the distinct impression you were trying to avoid us" accused Sirius "Now, I want to know why you tried to scare us out of the forest" he asked as he pinned Harry with a demanding glare, but it faltered when Harry wasn't intimidated by it and returned it ten fold without blinking.
"Terres found out that there were death eaters in the forest, not far from where we were. Voldemort had used my staff to summon all the dark creatures that lived in the forest to his followers who were capturing them, and even though Remus is far from a supporter of him, the wolf wouldn't have been able to resist the summons, so I had to make you all go back to the shack where it was safe" he explained, noticing them all flinch at the mention of Voldemort's name, and pale when they found out what had really happened.
"You mean we were really that close to being found by death eaters?" asked Sirius quietly
"Yes, and they would have probably just killed you two if they had found you as well" explained Harry
"Well then, I guess we should thank you for saving all of our lives" said James finally after the truth had sunk in
"Wrong, I think I should thank you for not letting Sirius tell Hagrid to use his crossbow on me like he wanted to" said Harry with a smile
"Yeah, sorry about that, I just didn't realize it was you" mumbled Sirius, looking ashamed, which caused Harry to start laughing out loud "What's so funny?" demanded the boy
"You, I just find it hilarious that even now, you are so much like my godfather that it's downright scary. He acts the exact same way as an adult as you do as a sixteen year old" laughed Harry, and that earned him a glare from Sirius, and a light smack on the back of the head from his godfather who was standing behind him, which caused him to only laugh harder.
"Oh shut up" growled the older Sirius "Come on, we have work to do" he said as he hauled Harry to his feet with a firm hand on his upper arm, which he removed when he heard Sherlock hiss from under his robes, and Harry had finally stopped laughing.
"What? I thought I was going to go to lessons today" he said with his brow furrowed in confusion
"Change in plans. Dumbledore has a lead about where Voldemort is hiding, and we're going to see if it is true" said Sirius
"Oh, well then, I guess that this is important, by guys, I'll see you later tonight" said Harry
"No, he'll see you in a couple of days, this is a pretty long trip" corrected Sirius as he started to walk from the great hall
"Ok, by Harry, Joseph, be careful and good luck" said Lily
"Yeah, good luck" chorused James, Sirius, and Remus as Harry and his godfather walked quickly from the great hall
"Where are we going, exactly?" asked Harry once they had reached the entrance hall
"Well, Albus thinks that you-know-who is hiding somewhere in Albania, so we are going to go see if we can find out anything" explained Sirius "Could you do me a favor and summon my cloak for me? You're a lot faster at doing that than I am and we really need to get going" he said as he glanced around the hall to make sure no one was watching them and a moment later Harry was handing him his dark blue cloak "Thanks" he said as he pulled it on.
The pair then walked swiftly from the castle in the direction of the village where they apparated to Albania, in search of Voldemort.
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Harry and Sirius remained in Albania until lunch time Saturday and didn't see a single sign of Voldemort or his death eaters, which irritated and frustrated both of them to no end. Finally, it became obvious that they had been misled and they decided to return to Hogwarts. When they appeared in Hogesmede, they were surprised for a moment to find the small village crowded with students, until they remembered that it was a Hogesmede weekend, and the last one of term.
"Hey, Sirius, is it all right with you if I stay down here? I want to look for the others and see if they found anything out while we were gone" said Harry
"That's fine with me, I'll go back up to the castle and let Albus know that it was a dead end. Come up to the room when you get back and let me know what you find out" he said as he continued to walk in the direction of the castle and Harry turned toward Zonko's to find the marauders.
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James, Lily, Sirius, and Remus were sitting in the Three Broomsticks drinking butterbeer and talking quietly to one another.
"When do you think Harry and Joseph will be back?" asked James for the eighth time that day
"Soon, Prongs" answered Remus
"Where do you think they went?" asked Sirius
"Who knows, but I hope they found you-know-who and taught him a lesson he won't soon forget" answered Remus
"Do any of you have any idea about who this girl really is that we're looking for? Why is it so important that we find her?" asked Lily
"I don't know, maybe she is really powerful or something and they need her in the future for something" said James with a shrug "Why, do you have an idea about who she is?" he asked hopefully
"No, but I'm just curious as to why they can't use the future her to do whatever needs done. I mean, why come all the way into the past to find her when she is the same person twenty years from now" she said thoughtfully
"Yeah, but what if they need her for something, but she died in their time, so they had to come get her past self" answered Remus
"Maybe, but why risk altering the past for something like this, I mean, look at how much we've already found out about our futures" said James
"I agree, but whatever they need this girl for must be pretty important, so we should keep looking" said Sirius and the others all nodded in agreement.
Just then, the doors to the pub opened up and someone wearing a thick black cloak with the cowl up walked in and made his way over to their table, but what caught their eyes the most was the intricate gold and wooden staff he clutched in his right hand. When he reached their table, he lowered his hood and they all saw a familiar scarred face gazing at them in interest.
"Harry!" exclaimed James "When did you get back?" he asked as he scooted his chair over to make room for the other boy
"Only just now" answered the black haired boy without making a move to take a seat
"Well, I see you got your staff back, did everything turn out all right?" asked Remus with a kind smile
"Quite. Listen, I need to talk to all of you, could we maybe go somewhere a little less populated?" he asked as he looked over his shoulder, missing the curious glances the others sent each other
"Sure" said James finally as he got to his feet, the others following suite and Harry led them from the pub and down the main road of the village without saying a word "Hey, Harry, where are you taking us?" asked James as they turned down a dark alley
"Just to this little area I found a few weeks ago where we'll be away from prying eyes and ears" he said levelly without turning to face them
They continued to walk for several more minutes before Harry drew to a halt in front of a heavy wooden door which he knocked loudly on. The door swung open and Harry entered, the other four walking close behind him. Before they knew what was happening, they all felt strong arms grab them from the shadows and pull their wands from their pockets before they tied them tightly and dropped them unceremoniously in a heap on the wooden floor in the corner of a large, dusty room.
"Harry, what in bloody hell do you think you are doing!?" demanded James once he regained his senses
"Really, Harry, this is not funny" growled Sirius while Lily and Remus just sat in silence and starred at the shadowy figures in the middle of the room. One of them, Harry stepped forward after a couple of minutes and spoke in a low and menacing voice.
"Let's get a few things straight before we begin" he said "First, I am not Harry, second, you are not my friends and I will do with you as I please, so don't tell me otherwise, and last, once you have served your purpose, I will kill you all" he finished as he locked eyes with each of them in turn
"Who are you and what do you want?" demanded James
"Well, as for who I am, you will find out soon enough, Potter, and what I want is to find out just who your friend really is and for this Harry to join my ranks again and tell me just how he got this magnificent staff so that I will be able to rid the world of all the mudbloods, muggle lovers, and muggles. But until he arrives, I will experiment with its power myself, Crucio" he said as he directed the staff to James who fell screaming to the floor on his side.
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Harry was walking through the streets of the village looking for the marauders and Lily, but he was having no luck so he decided to ask Madame Rosemarta if she had seen them today so he turned around and headed in the opposite direction for the pub.
"Hello, dear, what can I do for you today?" she asked with a smile
"Hello, ma'am, I was wondering if you had seen James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, or Lily Evans at all today" said Harry
"Why, yes I have. They just left about twenty minutes ago with a boy who looked a lot like you, but he was wearing a black cloak and carrying a staff of some sort" she said and Harry felt the blood pounding in his ears as her words sunk in
"Oh, no" he said under his breath as he turned on his heel and sprinted for the door without another word. He ran as fast as he could down the main street before turning down the first alley he came to with one thing on his mind, Voldemort had his parents. As he rounded the corner, he skidded to a halt when he saw what was awaiting him, ten death eaters with their wands drawn and pointed at him, Lucius Malfoy in the lead. As he set eyes on the pale blonde younger version of the man who had tortured him, a flood of pain and blood filled memories came rushing into Harry's mind, causing his head to spin until he shook it forcefully and brought his mind back to the present. "Where are they?" he demanded of the men
"Follow us, and don't attract any attention or you all die" ordered Malfoy as the others surrounded Harry and began to herd him back out onto the main road. Harry knew he could easily stun the death eaters around him and he wished for nothing more than to kill Malfoy before he could cause Ginny or himself all the pain that was in their future, but if he were to do so, then he may never find his parents or friends so he decided to play along, for now.
They walked quickly for several minutes, and every step he took, Harry became more and more aware that he was going to face Voldemort as his scar began to throb with pain. Knowing that this would be hard enough as it was, Harry focused as much of his energy as possible into the barrier that was holding the evil spirit in his head in place, trying to strengthen it as much as possible to keep in control during the impending fight. After several minutes, Harry felt the barrier strengthen to the point that he was nearly unaware of the presence inside his head and he was allowed a moment of sheer bliss and silence for the first time in several months and he silently wished that he was strong enough to establish such a barrier on a permanent basis, but he knew it would take every ounce of magical energy he possessed to do so.
Suddenly, Harry felt a new stab of pain sweep through his scar as they rounded a last corner into an alley way and walked up to the wooded door which Malfoy opened and Harry stepped in to come face to face with himself.
He didn't have any time to process what he was seeing though, because at that moment, his eyes fell to four familiar figures who were bound on the ground in front of him, one of them screaming from the pain of the cruciatus curse that was being held on him by his twin..
"Release them" he demanded through clenched teeth as he tried to ignore the pain that was stronger than ever in his scar
"Not until I have what I want" said the person with his face as he lifted the curse from James
"What do you want with them, they haven't done anything to you" said Harry
"No, they haven't, but they've served their purpose now, and as soon as we are through with you, they will die" said the other with a crazed smile on his face
"Who are you and what do you want with Harry?" yelled James from his place in the corner and the other person turned to face him
"You will know that in just a matter of moments, but as for what I want with your friend, I want some answers" he said before turning back to face Harry "I want to know who you are and how you came to bear the dark mark on your arm since I didn't give it to you, and I want to know where this staff came from and how to use it to the fullest of its powers, and only Harry here can answer these questions for me" he said, and as he finished his little speech, his features began to shift.
The hair all disappeared into the white skull and the skin was drawn over the bony face, making it look more dead than alive. His fingers lengthened out to resemble skeleton like hands, and the eyes changed from the bright green to blood red, and as soon as the transformation began, it was over and Harry was standing face to face with a living, breathing, Voldemort.
"You see, Harry, I am the most powerful dark lord the world has seen in many years, and if you don't answer my questions, I will not hesitate to kill you and all of your pathetic friends" he threatened as he glared at Harry who just glared right back
"No, Tom Riddle, I will not tell you anything, and you would be wise to release them now before you regret it" warned Harry. At the mention of his muggle name, Voldemort's face flushed with anger.
"Watch your cheek, boy!" he roared "That is no longer my name and you will do well to remember that, boy"
"Idle threats, Tom, what do you say we get this over with so I can get my staff back already" said Harry in a bored tone even though he was scared to death on the inside, worrying about what would happen if Voldemort managed to kill him in the past, or worse yet, carried through with his threats and killed his parents now.
James, Lily, Sirius, and Remus were sitting in shocked silence, watching the war of words going on in front of them. None of them could believe that Harry was speaking so calmly in the face of Voldemort, and they were all a little shocked, a little impressed, and thinking, not for the first time, that Harry really was a bit insane.
"As you wish, but first tell me how you came to bear my mark" said Voldemort as looked to Harry, truly confused.
Harry just smiled a secretive smile before answering "Well, now that is an interesting question for you to be asking me, Tom, but I will answer it nonetheless, you see, you were the one to burn this hideous mark into my arm, much to my annoyance and fight to prevent you from doing so, but you did it anyways, now lets get this going" he said as he pointed his hand toward the death eaters standing behind him and in a flash of blue white light, the three figures fell to the floor, stunned.
"Very impressive, Harry" said Voldemort in mock admiration "But I'm afraid a few tricks of wandless magic won't save any of you. I'll bet you couldn't do another such spell without falling unconscious" he said in a sure voice
Just to prove that he wasn't messing around, Harry held his hand out again and another death eater dropped to the ground, leaving only himself, Voldemort, the four students and twenty death eaters still standing, and Voldemort and his followers were beginning to look worried for a moment before the evil wizard ordered them to kill Harry and they began closing in around him.
Harry stepped around the encircling group until he was standing between them and the four students "Are you all right?" he managed to ask over his shoulder as the death eaters continued to advance on him and with a wave of his hand their bonds dropped to the ground.
"Fine, but be careful!" said James as he saw the tell tale green light of the killing curse fly toward Harry, which he easily deflected into the roof of the building they were in.
The marauders and Lily were watching the display in amazement "I thought he said he could only do simple spells without his staff" whispered Sirius as Harry deflected another killing curse
"He did, but I am getting the feeling that he wasn't telling the truth for some reason" said Remus as Harry lifted his left hand to ward off another curse while stunning spells continued to hit the death eaters from his right hand.
"I would have to agree with you, Moony" said James "I can't believe I going to be the father of someone who is so powerful" he mused quietly to himself and Lily couldn't help but think the same thought as they watched as Harry continued to fight against such a numerous enemy.
After nearly ten minutes of this, Harry had cut the number of death eaters in half and it was clear he had the upper hand in this battle, and Voldemort seemed to see this as well.
"Enough!" he yelled "It is time we finish this!" he said as he strode forward through the bodies of his followers to come to a stop directly across from Harry, but he kept himself several meters away "Who are you?!" he demanded
Harry only smiled and Voldemort was frightened to see that his enemy was not even the least bit tired after the skirmish that he had just fought "You're downfall" he answered with a smirk "The boy who just won't die" he added and this only served to infuriate Voldemort further.
"You insolent little brat!" he roared as he raised the staff in front of him.
Harry tried to summon the staff, but something prevented him from doing magic on the item and it remained in Voldemort's hand as he yelled "Crucio!" at the top of his lungs and a red light shot from the stone on the top of the staff. Harry raised his hand to block the curse, but much to his shock and horror, the curse hit him directly in the chest and he felt the full effects of the power the cruciatus curse held when cast from the staff, and he couldn't help but think of the irony, he was going to be killed by his own staff because he obviously couldn't stop spells that originated from it.
Voldemort was more shocked than even Harry when his spell hit, and because of that the curse was broken after only about a minute, he stood still for several moments and watches as the boy tried to get back on his feet, using James' shoulder to push himself up, and he was only brought out of his stupor when Harry was again facing him, standing on his own two legs.
James, Lily, Remus, and Sirius were horrified when Harry fell to the ground. After all they had seen so far, they had begun to think the black haired boy was invincible, but when the spell hit him, they all felt that not only his death, but theirs as well, were immanent. Much to their astonishment tough, he began to struggle to get back to his feet, and after a few failed attempts, he was successful and was once again facing Voldemort, his eyes blazing with hate.
"Well, well, well, it appears as though you are not as strong as I was led to believe" said Voldemort through gritted teeth "I guess your only weakness is your own staff, how ironic. Enough of these games, it is time you died, Avadra Kedavra!" he yelled as he pointed the staff directly at Harry who made no move to avoid the flash of green
"NO!" yelled Lily, James, Sirius, and Remus as one, but before the word had left their mouths, the spell hit Harry directly in his chest.
What happened next stunned all present beyond words. The green light of the spell seemed to be absorbed by Harry, but he didn't fall over dead, like he was expected to, instead, he stretched out his hand again and the staff was ripped from Voldemort's grip and within an instant, was held in Harry's hand.
"Wh.how.how is this possible?!" demanded Voldemort "You should be dead!"
"Sorry, Tom, but like I said, I'm the boy who just won't die, but you will before you can cause any more damage" said Harry as he walked across the room until he was mere inches from Voldemort. He was about to raise the staff and dispose of Voldemort once and for all when the barriers he had erected around the spirit began to crumble away and his head was filled with agony and the pain quickly over took all of his senses as the future spirit of Voldemort cursed him for the third, and most painful time ever.
'I will not let you destroy me so early in my rein of the wizarding world!' yelled the voice in his ears 'I will kill you first' he vowed
Harry was dimly aware of the sound of several pops as the death eaters and their master vanished, but he was too wrapped up in his pain to do anything to stop them from doing so. He heard hurried footsteps run to his side and felt several pairs of hands on him and worried voices calling to him, but what they were saying, he didn't know and after what felt like an eternity of pain coursing through his veins, he fell into blessed unconsciousness on the floor of the building.
Lily watched in horror as the green light of the killing curse struck Harry in the chest, and to her utter amazement, he didn't die, but instead, he seemed to become even stronger and a moment later, he had summoned his staff back into his hands and it looked as though he was about to kill Voldemort for good when he fell to the floor and curled up into a fetal position with one hand pressed hard to his forehead and his other arm gripping his stomach. His staff lodged protectively in the crook of his elbow. She had no idea what was going on, but she knew one thing for sure, Harry was in pain. She saw all of the death eaters and Voldemort disappear while they could, and once they were gone, she ran with James, Sirius, and Remus to his side.
"Harry!" she yelled frantically as she tried to turn him onto his back
"Harry, look at us!" demanded James "Come on, open your eyes"
"What's wrong with him?" asked Sirius frantically as he looked to the others
"I don't know. Come on Harry, snap out of it!" ordered Remus, but no matter what they tried, he continued to remain in his tight ball with his muscles clenched painfully tight and his eyes squeezed shut.
"Harry, please! Open your eyes!" Lily yelled to no avail as she started to cry
It was obvious that nothing they could say was going to help, so they were resigned to sit and watch in horror as whatever was cursing him continued until finally his hand fell away from his forehead and his body went limp.
"He's unconscious, probably from pain" muttered James as he set back
"What happened to him?" asked Lily
"Who knows, but we better get him back to the castle as quick as possible. Moony, why don't you run up to the castle and get Madame Pomfrey, Dumbledore, and his godfather and tell them to come down here, I don't know if it is safe to move him" suggested James "Take the Honeydukes passage, it's quicker than going through town" and an instant later Remus was gone and they were left behind with the unconscious Harry, hoping that nothing was seriously wrong with him.
Twenty minutes later, the door to the building burst opened and the three adults came running into the room and the older Sirius ran right to Harry while the mediwitch and headmaster approached the other three students.
"James, Sirius, Lily, are you three all right?" asked Pomfrey
"We're fine, see to Harry" said James forcefully and the nurse nodded and joined Sirius by Harry's side
"What happened? Remus just said that death eaters captured you all and that Harry dueled with Voldemort and was hurt" asked the older Sirius
"Well, we were in the Three Broomsticks and you-know-who came in, I guess he had used polyjuice so we thought he was Harry. We followed him here and the death eaters attacked us and tied us up and cast the cruciatus curse on James. A few minutes later Harry came in and fought about twenty five death eaters using only wandless magic. Then you-know-who sent the cruciatus curse at him from the staff and Harry couldn't deflect it and it hit him and when he got back up, he was hit with the killing curse, but nothing happened and then he summoned the staff and said something about killing you-know-who now before he hurt anyone else but before he could do anything something cursed him and he fell down again. He looked like he was under the cruciatus curse, but he never screamed and it was like he couldn't see us or hear us or anything and then he just passed out" explained Lily frantically without even taking a single breath.
Upon hearing her words, Sirius just nodded his head in understanding, but Dumbledore and Pomfrey looked at her like she had lost her mind "Miss Evans, are you sure things happened like you say?" asked the headmaster skeptically
"Of course I'm sure, you can ask Remus or Sirius or James, they all saw the same thing! Do you really think I would make something like this up?" she demanded
"Now, now, Lily, calm down, or course I believe you, it just seems like a pretty far fetched story is all. I mean, how could someone use so much wandless magic or still be alive after being hit with the killing curse? It just doesn't make any sense" he said as he placed a calming hand on the flustered girls shoulder.
"She's telling the truth, sir. Everything she said happened, did" said James in Lily's defense
"But how is that possible? No one can survive the killing curse, Poppy?" he asked, looking to the mediwitch for confirmation
"You're right, Albus, it's impossible. They must have thought the curse hit him and he dodged it" she said "He is very much alive, just unconscious" she added
At her words, James, Lily, and the younger Sirius all jumped to they feet and started talking at once "We weren't imagining anything!" yelled Sirius
"We know what we saw!" screamed Lily
"This isn't the first time he's been hit with the killing curse!" yelled James without thinking and immediately the attention of the headmaster and the nurse turned to him
"What did you say, James?" asked Dumbledore, but it was Harry's godfather who answered from the floor
"He said that this wasn't the first time Harry has been hit by the killing curse and he's right" he said as he looked to the old man standing above him
"What?" was all Dumbledore managed to say as his eyes widened in shock
"Harry was hit with the killing curse when he was a year old and it was reflected off of him onto the caster, nearly killing the wizard. He was also hit with it several times during a three month period when he was held as a prisoner by you-know-who, but it never killed him, just weakened him quite a bit" he explained
"What? How is it that a seventeen year old boy has managed to face Voldemort on what, three occasions now? And survive?" asked Dumbledore
"Actually, Harry has faced off against you-know-who in person six times, and even now he is fighting his influence" said Sirius quietly "Now, please don't ask me anymore questions about Harry or his past, because I can't tell you anything else, but please help us find who we are looking for so Harry can live a normal life for the first time ever" he pleaded and when they saw the confused faces of the professor and the nurse, James and Lily gave them a quick description of the girl they were looking for.
"I don't know why, but I trust you both and I will do whatever I can to help you find this girl" said the headmaster with a smile
"Thank you, sir" said Sirius sincerely and just then, Harry opened his eyes and looked frantically around the room, relaxing only when he saw that everyone was ok and that his staff was in his possession once again "How are you feeling, Harry?" asked Sirius as he helped his godson sit up
"Could be better" he said with a grimace as his muscles protested the movement
"What happened?" he asked quietly, trying not to be overheard, but he was unsuccessful
"He's stronger, I strengthened the barriers when I realized I was coming to meet Voldemort, but they fell and he was able to curse me. He's weak again now, but it won't be long before he saves up enough energy to curse me again, and if it is any stronger than it was today, I don't know if I can keep control" admitted Harry with a worried expression on his face
"Well, don't worry about that now, we'll figure everything out later, after you rest up a bit, and why don't you fix your arm" he suggested and Harry looked to his left arm which was steadily bleeding from his dark mark.
"Oh, I didn't even feel it" muttered Harry as he took his staff in his hand and waved it over his arm and an instant later the open wound was healed completely, much to the amazement of the mediwitch, but she decided to keep quiet.
"Are you ok to walk back to the castle?" asked Sirius
"Yeah, I think so" answered Harry as he got to his feet "Yeah, I can make it"
"Good, we had better get going before your friends decide to come back" said Sirius and the pair led the other five from the room in silence and they made their way back to the castle.
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A/N: I am so sorry, I know I said this would be up like a week ago, but work has been insane, I have worked every single day (including Christmas and Christmas Eve) for the past two weeks, and over 10 hours a day, so my life at home has only included eating and sleeping, I haven't even checked my e-mail for over a week, but don't worry, I have managed to write two more chapters, all I have to do is to type them and then I'll post. Another reason as to why this took so long, I work for a veterinarian and I got bit really bad by a VERY mean cat so it hurt to type for a while, but almost all better now! I hope you enjoy this one, and don't worry, Harry and Ginny will be back together in either the next chapter, or the one after that, I haven't decided where to end the next one at yet. Please review and let me know what you thought of this, and Merry Christmas a couple days late and Happy New Year a couple days early! Please review!
Ginny had been bored out of her mind for longer than she cared to remember. She spent every waking moment either in classes, the library, or the common room, more often than not alone. Ron and Hermione were always together studying for their NEWTS or doing what couples do, and she was hesitant to do anything with Colin after what happened last time she had turned to him for comfort. It was times like these when she missed Harry the most, and her heart was constantly aching to see him again and sit in front of the fire or walk the grounds together like normal teenage couples did, but deep down, she knew that they would never be like any other teenage couple.
The school term would be ending in only one more week, and then she would return to the burrow for two months with her family before coming back to the castle for her final year, and hopefully Harry would be waiting for her when she arrived. She had continued to send letters nearly every other day, and Hedwig would always return without them and she knew that the Snowy owl was too intelligent to deliver them to the wrong person, but she was worried by the lack of response she received.
During the past several weeks, Ginny had sent countless letters to her boyfriend, but not once had she heard any word from him, and she was torn between immense worry and heated anger, both playing equal roles among her emotions. Classes had continued much the same as always, but everyone felt the increase in security around the school since the death eater attacks had increased drastically in number during the past weeks, and yet the ministry was no closer to finding those behind them especially since all the suspected death eaters had either been taken prisoner after the battle the previous year, or had vanished along with Harry and Voldemort, leaving no clues as to who their successors were.
Hogesmede weekends had all been cancelled, and the grounds were once again off limits except for classes and the older students were reminded too strongly of the first several months following the rebirth of Voldemort after the triwizard tournament, a time all of them wished they could forget. Those first few months had been agony, everyone constantly looking over their shoulder, expecting to be attacked at any moment, and the professors had not been much calmer, but after the initial paranoia, the tense atmosphere slowly dissipated when it became obvious that Voldemort was biding his time to prepare for attack, which came nearly two years later.
Now though, the tension had returned full force since everyone knew that the death eaters were out for revenge on the one who had destroyed their master, and it was common knowledge to the wizarding world that Harry Potter was at Hogwarts since no one but Dumbledore knew the truth where he really was, everyone else suspected that he was being hidden somewhere secret within the enormous castle. But the students had no idea about the real reason that Hogwarts was threatened, the fact that those followers of the dark lord had felt the mark burn and were aware that the summons had been from somewhere within the castle. Sure, revenge on Harry Potter would be an added bonus, but they were currently only concerned with finding their master and following him into the destruction of everything they were against. Little did they know though, but the one they sought revenge on and the one they were trying to return to were in fact one and the same at the time.
In fact, only nine people actually knew the truth about this, and only seven of them were actually in any danger from the threatening attacks, Ginny, Hermione, Ron, Draco, Remus, Snape, and Dumbledore, and none of them were about to tell what they knew to anyone on their own free will. The other two, Harry and Sirius, were completely oblivious to what was plaguing their home at the time, and therefore thought that those they cared for were safe from harm as long as they were not there to put them into any danger, but they were wrong.
Ginny was sitting in front of the fire with her charms book opened on the table in front of her and a long parchment beside it, trying in vain to write an essay on the different types of success charms that had been common during the period of time known as the Renaissance, and she was getting nowhere. Her thoughts kept straying to what was to come in the next week and how difficult it would be on her and her friends. In exactly eight days, the seventh years would be attending their graduation, with Draco and Hermione at the top of the class.
In truth, Harry should be Head Boy, since he was more advanced in his studies and had higher marks than Draco, but he had turned down the position when it was offered to him just after term began, and so, the honor had passed to the next in line, which had turned out to be Draco, and thus, he and Hermione would have to both make short speeches at the ceremony and would be the first to receive their honors. Ginny would of course be going to support her brother, but it would be weird when they came to the place in the ceremony when Harry's name should have been read and not hear it or see him receive that which he had worked so hard for over the past seven years.
The mere thought of the pending ceremony brought tears to her eyes which she angrily brushed away as the portrait hole opened to reveal the forms of Ron and Hermione, both laden down with a large pile of books from the library to help them prepare for their NEWTS which they would be taking in just three days time. She quickly composed herself before greeting the other two and settling back down to work on the essay she had to have completed before tomorrow morning.
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Monday morning, Harry and Sirius walked tiredly to the great hall for breakfast, neither speaking more than a few words the entire way. Harry was one of the first ones at the Gryffindor table and was already well on his way through a plate of eggs when the marauders came stumbling through the door. Sirius and James collapsed on either side of Harry, and Remus and Lily sat across form him and James while Peter went off in the direction of the Hufflepuff table. Harry greeted them all and received only a grunt in return as Sirius began to pile his plate with toast while muttering something about hating Mondays, and Remus looked away in shame, James and Lily both too caught up in their own conversation to notice what was going on around them.
"How are you feeling Remus?" asked Harry as the brown haired boy began to pick at his own plate
"Fine" he mumbled back, so quietly that Harry could barley hear his voice before he blurted out "Harry, I'm really sorry about what happened, I didn't mean to hurt you, I don't know what came over me, usually I'm much more in control of myself than that, especially around other animals. I've never bitten anything before, and I'll understand if you never want to speak to me again" he said without looking up or taking a single breath.
"Remus, look at me" demanded Harry gently and the other boy looked hesitantly up at him and Harry gave a kind smile "Listen, what happened was not your fault, you couldn't control it and I'm fine, so don't feel guilty about anything. Luckily, since I was in my animagus form when you bit me, it was the same as any other dog bite and I will not become a werewolf because of it" he said and he noticed that they finally had the attention of James and Lily as well as Sirius who was looking much more alert "Now listen, I know you would never do anything like that intentionally, so forget about it" he finished up
Remus gave a shy but wide smile "Thanks Harry" he said in sincerity
"Hey, I have a question for you, Harry. I wanted to ask you yesterday, but I got the distinct impression you were trying to avoid us" accused Sirius "Now, I want to know why you tried to scare us out of the forest" he asked as he pinned Harry with a demanding glare, but it faltered when Harry wasn't intimidated by it and returned it ten fold without blinking.
"Terres found out that there were death eaters in the forest, not far from where we were. Voldemort had used my staff to summon all the dark creatures that lived in the forest to his followers who were capturing them, and even though Remus is far from a supporter of him, the wolf wouldn't have been able to resist the summons, so I had to make you all go back to the shack where it was safe" he explained, noticing them all flinch at the mention of Voldemort's name, and pale when they found out what had really happened.
"You mean we were really that close to being found by death eaters?" asked Sirius quietly
"Yes, and they would have probably just killed you two if they had found you as well" explained Harry
"Well then, I guess we should thank you for saving all of our lives" said James finally after the truth had sunk in
"Wrong, I think I should thank you for not letting Sirius tell Hagrid to use his crossbow on me like he wanted to" said Harry with a smile
"Yeah, sorry about that, I just didn't realize it was you" mumbled Sirius, looking ashamed, which caused Harry to start laughing out loud "What's so funny?" demanded the boy
"You, I just find it hilarious that even now, you are so much like my godfather that it's downright scary. He acts the exact same way as an adult as you do as a sixteen year old" laughed Harry, and that earned him a glare from Sirius, and a light smack on the back of the head from his godfather who was standing behind him, which caused him to only laugh harder.
"Oh shut up" growled the older Sirius "Come on, we have work to do" he said as he hauled Harry to his feet with a firm hand on his upper arm, which he removed when he heard Sherlock hiss from under his robes, and Harry had finally stopped laughing.
"What? I thought I was going to go to lessons today" he said with his brow furrowed in confusion
"Change in plans. Dumbledore has a lead about where Voldemort is hiding, and we're going to see if it is true" said Sirius
"Oh, well then, I guess that this is important, by guys, I'll see you later tonight" said Harry
"No, he'll see you in a couple of days, this is a pretty long trip" corrected Sirius as he started to walk from the great hall
"Ok, by Harry, Joseph, be careful and good luck" said Lily
"Yeah, good luck" chorused James, Sirius, and Remus as Harry and his godfather walked quickly from the great hall
"Where are we going, exactly?" asked Harry once they had reached the entrance hall
"Well, Albus thinks that you-know-who is hiding somewhere in Albania, so we are going to go see if we can find out anything" explained Sirius "Could you do me a favor and summon my cloak for me? You're a lot faster at doing that than I am and we really need to get going" he said as he glanced around the hall to make sure no one was watching them and a moment later Harry was handing him his dark blue cloak "Thanks" he said as he pulled it on.
The pair then walked swiftly from the castle in the direction of the village where they apparated to Albania, in search of Voldemort.
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Harry and Sirius remained in Albania until lunch time Saturday and didn't see a single sign of Voldemort or his death eaters, which irritated and frustrated both of them to no end. Finally, it became obvious that they had been misled and they decided to return to Hogwarts. When they appeared in Hogesmede, they were surprised for a moment to find the small village crowded with students, until they remembered that it was a Hogesmede weekend, and the last one of term.
"Hey, Sirius, is it all right with you if I stay down here? I want to look for the others and see if they found anything out while we were gone" said Harry
"That's fine with me, I'll go back up to the castle and let Albus know that it was a dead end. Come up to the room when you get back and let me know what you find out" he said as he continued to walk in the direction of the castle and Harry turned toward Zonko's to find the marauders.
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James, Lily, Sirius, and Remus were sitting in the Three Broomsticks drinking butterbeer and talking quietly to one another.
"When do you think Harry and Joseph will be back?" asked James for the eighth time that day
"Soon, Prongs" answered Remus
"Where do you think they went?" asked Sirius
"Who knows, but I hope they found you-know-who and taught him a lesson he won't soon forget" answered Remus
"Do any of you have any idea about who this girl really is that we're looking for? Why is it so important that we find her?" asked Lily
"I don't know, maybe she is really powerful or something and they need her in the future for something" said James with a shrug "Why, do you have an idea about who she is?" he asked hopefully
"No, but I'm just curious as to why they can't use the future her to do whatever needs done. I mean, why come all the way into the past to find her when she is the same person twenty years from now" she said thoughtfully
"Yeah, but what if they need her for something, but she died in their time, so they had to come get her past self" answered Remus
"Maybe, but why risk altering the past for something like this, I mean, look at how much we've already found out about our futures" said James
"I agree, but whatever they need this girl for must be pretty important, so we should keep looking" said Sirius and the others all nodded in agreement.
Just then, the doors to the pub opened up and someone wearing a thick black cloak with the cowl up walked in and made his way over to their table, but what caught their eyes the most was the intricate gold and wooden staff he clutched in his right hand. When he reached their table, he lowered his hood and they all saw a familiar scarred face gazing at them in interest.
"Harry!" exclaimed James "When did you get back?" he asked as he scooted his chair over to make room for the other boy
"Only just now" answered the black haired boy without making a move to take a seat
"Well, I see you got your staff back, did everything turn out all right?" asked Remus with a kind smile
"Quite. Listen, I need to talk to all of you, could we maybe go somewhere a little less populated?" he asked as he looked over his shoulder, missing the curious glances the others sent each other
"Sure" said James finally as he got to his feet, the others following suite and Harry led them from the pub and down the main road of the village without saying a word "Hey, Harry, where are you taking us?" asked James as they turned down a dark alley
"Just to this little area I found a few weeks ago where we'll be away from prying eyes and ears" he said levelly without turning to face them
They continued to walk for several more minutes before Harry drew to a halt in front of a heavy wooden door which he knocked loudly on. The door swung open and Harry entered, the other four walking close behind him. Before they knew what was happening, they all felt strong arms grab them from the shadows and pull their wands from their pockets before they tied them tightly and dropped them unceremoniously in a heap on the wooden floor in the corner of a large, dusty room.
"Harry, what in bloody hell do you think you are doing!?" demanded James once he regained his senses
"Really, Harry, this is not funny" growled Sirius while Lily and Remus just sat in silence and starred at the shadowy figures in the middle of the room. One of them, Harry stepped forward after a couple of minutes and spoke in a low and menacing voice.
"Let's get a few things straight before we begin" he said "First, I am not Harry, second, you are not my friends and I will do with you as I please, so don't tell me otherwise, and last, once you have served your purpose, I will kill you all" he finished as he locked eyes with each of them in turn
"Who are you and what do you want?" demanded James
"Well, as for who I am, you will find out soon enough, Potter, and what I want is to find out just who your friend really is and for this Harry to join my ranks again and tell me just how he got this magnificent staff so that I will be able to rid the world of all the mudbloods, muggle lovers, and muggles. But until he arrives, I will experiment with its power myself, Crucio" he said as he directed the staff to James who fell screaming to the floor on his side.
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Harry was walking through the streets of the village looking for the marauders and Lily, but he was having no luck so he decided to ask Madame Rosemarta if she had seen them today so he turned around and headed in the opposite direction for the pub.
"Hello, dear, what can I do for you today?" she asked with a smile
"Hello, ma'am, I was wondering if you had seen James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, or Lily Evans at all today" said Harry
"Why, yes I have. They just left about twenty minutes ago with a boy who looked a lot like you, but he was wearing a black cloak and carrying a staff of some sort" she said and Harry felt the blood pounding in his ears as her words sunk in
"Oh, no" he said under his breath as he turned on his heel and sprinted for the door without another word. He ran as fast as he could down the main street before turning down the first alley he came to with one thing on his mind, Voldemort had his parents. As he rounded the corner, he skidded to a halt when he saw what was awaiting him, ten death eaters with their wands drawn and pointed at him, Lucius Malfoy in the lead. As he set eyes on the pale blonde younger version of the man who had tortured him, a flood of pain and blood filled memories came rushing into Harry's mind, causing his head to spin until he shook it forcefully and brought his mind back to the present. "Where are they?" he demanded of the men
"Follow us, and don't attract any attention or you all die" ordered Malfoy as the others surrounded Harry and began to herd him back out onto the main road. Harry knew he could easily stun the death eaters around him and he wished for nothing more than to kill Malfoy before he could cause Ginny or himself all the pain that was in their future, but if he were to do so, then he may never find his parents or friends so he decided to play along, for now.
They walked quickly for several minutes, and every step he took, Harry became more and more aware that he was going to face Voldemort as his scar began to throb with pain. Knowing that this would be hard enough as it was, Harry focused as much of his energy as possible into the barrier that was holding the evil spirit in his head in place, trying to strengthen it as much as possible to keep in control during the impending fight. After several minutes, Harry felt the barrier strengthen to the point that he was nearly unaware of the presence inside his head and he was allowed a moment of sheer bliss and silence for the first time in several months and he silently wished that he was strong enough to establish such a barrier on a permanent basis, but he knew it would take every ounce of magical energy he possessed to do so.
Suddenly, Harry felt a new stab of pain sweep through his scar as they rounded a last corner into an alley way and walked up to the wooded door which Malfoy opened and Harry stepped in to come face to face with himself.
He didn't have any time to process what he was seeing though, because at that moment, his eyes fell to four familiar figures who were bound on the ground in front of him, one of them screaming from the pain of the cruciatus curse that was being held on him by his twin..
"Release them" he demanded through clenched teeth as he tried to ignore the pain that was stronger than ever in his scar
"Not until I have what I want" said the person with his face as he lifted the curse from James
"What do you want with them, they haven't done anything to you" said Harry
"No, they haven't, but they've served their purpose now, and as soon as we are through with you, they will die" said the other with a crazed smile on his face
"Who are you and what do you want with Harry?" yelled James from his place in the corner and the other person turned to face him
"You will know that in just a matter of moments, but as for what I want with your friend, I want some answers" he said before turning back to face Harry "I want to know who you are and how you came to bear the dark mark on your arm since I didn't give it to you, and I want to know where this staff came from and how to use it to the fullest of its powers, and only Harry here can answer these questions for me" he said, and as he finished his little speech, his features began to shift.
The hair all disappeared into the white skull and the skin was drawn over the bony face, making it look more dead than alive. His fingers lengthened out to resemble skeleton like hands, and the eyes changed from the bright green to blood red, and as soon as the transformation began, it was over and Harry was standing face to face with a living, breathing, Voldemort.
"You see, Harry, I am the most powerful dark lord the world has seen in many years, and if you don't answer my questions, I will not hesitate to kill you and all of your pathetic friends" he threatened as he glared at Harry who just glared right back
"No, Tom Riddle, I will not tell you anything, and you would be wise to release them now before you regret it" warned Harry. At the mention of his muggle name, Voldemort's face flushed with anger.
"Watch your cheek, boy!" he roared "That is no longer my name and you will do well to remember that, boy"
"Idle threats, Tom, what do you say we get this over with so I can get my staff back already" said Harry in a bored tone even though he was scared to death on the inside, worrying about what would happen if Voldemort managed to kill him in the past, or worse yet, carried through with his threats and killed his parents now.
James, Lily, Sirius, and Remus were sitting in shocked silence, watching the war of words going on in front of them. None of them could believe that Harry was speaking so calmly in the face of Voldemort, and they were all a little shocked, a little impressed, and thinking, not for the first time, that Harry really was a bit insane.
"As you wish, but first tell me how you came to bear my mark" said Voldemort as looked to Harry, truly confused.
Harry just smiled a secretive smile before answering "Well, now that is an interesting question for you to be asking me, Tom, but I will answer it nonetheless, you see, you were the one to burn this hideous mark into my arm, much to my annoyance and fight to prevent you from doing so, but you did it anyways, now lets get this going" he said as he pointed his hand toward the death eaters standing behind him and in a flash of blue white light, the three figures fell to the floor, stunned.
"Very impressive, Harry" said Voldemort in mock admiration "But I'm afraid a few tricks of wandless magic won't save any of you. I'll bet you couldn't do another such spell without falling unconscious" he said in a sure voice
Just to prove that he wasn't messing around, Harry held his hand out again and another death eater dropped to the ground, leaving only himself, Voldemort, the four students and twenty death eaters still standing, and Voldemort and his followers were beginning to look worried for a moment before the evil wizard ordered them to kill Harry and they began closing in around him.
Harry stepped around the encircling group until he was standing between them and the four students "Are you all right?" he managed to ask over his shoulder as the death eaters continued to advance on him and with a wave of his hand their bonds dropped to the ground.
"Fine, but be careful!" said James as he saw the tell tale green light of the killing curse fly toward Harry, which he easily deflected into the roof of the building they were in.
The marauders and Lily were watching the display in amazement "I thought he said he could only do simple spells without his staff" whispered Sirius as Harry deflected another killing curse
"He did, but I am getting the feeling that he wasn't telling the truth for some reason" said Remus as Harry lifted his left hand to ward off another curse while stunning spells continued to hit the death eaters from his right hand.
"I would have to agree with you, Moony" said James "I can't believe I going to be the father of someone who is so powerful" he mused quietly to himself and Lily couldn't help but think the same thought as they watched as Harry continued to fight against such a numerous enemy.
After nearly ten minutes of this, Harry had cut the number of death eaters in half and it was clear he had the upper hand in this battle, and Voldemort seemed to see this as well.
"Enough!" he yelled "It is time we finish this!" he said as he strode forward through the bodies of his followers to come to a stop directly across from Harry, but he kept himself several meters away "Who are you?!" he demanded
Harry only smiled and Voldemort was frightened to see that his enemy was not even the least bit tired after the skirmish that he had just fought "You're downfall" he answered with a smirk "The boy who just won't die" he added and this only served to infuriate Voldemort further.
"You insolent little brat!" he roared as he raised the staff in front of him.
Harry tried to summon the staff, but something prevented him from doing magic on the item and it remained in Voldemort's hand as he yelled "Crucio!" at the top of his lungs and a red light shot from the stone on the top of the staff. Harry raised his hand to block the curse, but much to his shock and horror, the curse hit him directly in the chest and he felt the full effects of the power the cruciatus curse held when cast from the staff, and he couldn't help but think of the irony, he was going to be killed by his own staff because he obviously couldn't stop spells that originated from it.
Voldemort was more shocked than even Harry when his spell hit, and because of that the curse was broken after only about a minute, he stood still for several moments and watches as the boy tried to get back on his feet, using James' shoulder to push himself up, and he was only brought out of his stupor when Harry was again facing him, standing on his own two legs.
James, Lily, Remus, and Sirius were horrified when Harry fell to the ground. After all they had seen so far, they had begun to think the black haired boy was invincible, but when the spell hit him, they all felt that not only his death, but theirs as well, were immanent. Much to their astonishment tough, he began to struggle to get back to his feet, and after a few failed attempts, he was successful and was once again facing Voldemort, his eyes blazing with hate.
"Well, well, well, it appears as though you are not as strong as I was led to believe" said Voldemort through gritted teeth "I guess your only weakness is your own staff, how ironic. Enough of these games, it is time you died, Avadra Kedavra!" he yelled as he pointed the staff directly at Harry who made no move to avoid the flash of green
"NO!" yelled Lily, James, Sirius, and Remus as one, but before the word had left their mouths, the spell hit Harry directly in his chest.
What happened next stunned all present beyond words. The green light of the spell seemed to be absorbed by Harry, but he didn't fall over dead, like he was expected to, instead, he stretched out his hand again and the staff was ripped from Voldemort's grip and within an instant, was held in Harry's hand.
"Wh.how.how is this possible?!" demanded Voldemort "You should be dead!"
"Sorry, Tom, but like I said, I'm the boy who just won't die, but you will before you can cause any more damage" said Harry as he walked across the room until he was mere inches from Voldemort. He was about to raise the staff and dispose of Voldemort once and for all when the barriers he had erected around the spirit began to crumble away and his head was filled with agony and the pain quickly over took all of his senses as the future spirit of Voldemort cursed him for the third, and most painful time ever.
'I will not let you destroy me so early in my rein of the wizarding world!' yelled the voice in his ears 'I will kill you first' he vowed
Harry was dimly aware of the sound of several pops as the death eaters and their master vanished, but he was too wrapped up in his pain to do anything to stop them from doing so. He heard hurried footsteps run to his side and felt several pairs of hands on him and worried voices calling to him, but what they were saying, he didn't know and after what felt like an eternity of pain coursing through his veins, he fell into blessed unconsciousness on the floor of the building.
Lily watched in horror as the green light of the killing curse struck Harry in the chest, and to her utter amazement, he didn't die, but instead, he seemed to become even stronger and a moment later, he had summoned his staff back into his hands and it looked as though he was about to kill Voldemort for good when he fell to the floor and curled up into a fetal position with one hand pressed hard to his forehead and his other arm gripping his stomach. His staff lodged protectively in the crook of his elbow. She had no idea what was going on, but she knew one thing for sure, Harry was in pain. She saw all of the death eaters and Voldemort disappear while they could, and once they were gone, she ran with James, Sirius, and Remus to his side.
"Harry!" she yelled frantically as she tried to turn him onto his back
"Harry, look at us!" demanded James "Come on, open your eyes"
"What's wrong with him?" asked Sirius frantically as he looked to the others
"I don't know. Come on Harry, snap out of it!" ordered Remus, but no matter what they tried, he continued to remain in his tight ball with his muscles clenched painfully tight and his eyes squeezed shut.
"Harry, please! Open your eyes!" Lily yelled to no avail as she started to cry
It was obvious that nothing they could say was going to help, so they were resigned to sit and watch in horror as whatever was cursing him continued until finally his hand fell away from his forehead and his body went limp.
"He's unconscious, probably from pain" muttered James as he set back
"What happened to him?" asked Lily
"Who knows, but we better get him back to the castle as quick as possible. Moony, why don't you run up to the castle and get Madame Pomfrey, Dumbledore, and his godfather and tell them to come down here, I don't know if it is safe to move him" suggested James "Take the Honeydukes passage, it's quicker than going through town" and an instant later Remus was gone and they were left behind with the unconscious Harry, hoping that nothing was seriously wrong with him.
Twenty minutes later, the door to the building burst opened and the three adults came running into the room and the older Sirius ran right to Harry while the mediwitch and headmaster approached the other three students.
"James, Sirius, Lily, are you three all right?" asked Pomfrey
"We're fine, see to Harry" said James forcefully and the nurse nodded and joined Sirius by Harry's side
"What happened? Remus just said that death eaters captured you all and that Harry dueled with Voldemort and was hurt" asked the older Sirius
"Well, we were in the Three Broomsticks and you-know-who came in, I guess he had used polyjuice so we thought he was Harry. We followed him here and the death eaters attacked us and tied us up and cast the cruciatus curse on James. A few minutes later Harry came in and fought about twenty five death eaters using only wandless magic. Then you-know-who sent the cruciatus curse at him from the staff and Harry couldn't deflect it and it hit him and when he got back up, he was hit with the killing curse, but nothing happened and then he summoned the staff and said something about killing you-know-who now before he hurt anyone else but before he could do anything something cursed him and he fell down again. He looked like he was under the cruciatus curse, but he never screamed and it was like he couldn't see us or hear us or anything and then he just passed out" explained Lily frantically without even taking a single breath.
Upon hearing her words, Sirius just nodded his head in understanding, but Dumbledore and Pomfrey looked at her like she had lost her mind "Miss Evans, are you sure things happened like you say?" asked the headmaster skeptically
"Of course I'm sure, you can ask Remus or Sirius or James, they all saw the same thing! Do you really think I would make something like this up?" she demanded
"Now, now, Lily, calm down, or course I believe you, it just seems like a pretty far fetched story is all. I mean, how could someone use so much wandless magic or still be alive after being hit with the killing curse? It just doesn't make any sense" he said as he placed a calming hand on the flustered girls shoulder.
"She's telling the truth, sir. Everything she said happened, did" said James in Lily's defense
"But how is that possible? No one can survive the killing curse, Poppy?" he asked, looking to the mediwitch for confirmation
"You're right, Albus, it's impossible. They must have thought the curse hit him and he dodged it" she said "He is very much alive, just unconscious" she added
At her words, James, Lily, and the younger Sirius all jumped to they feet and started talking at once "We weren't imagining anything!" yelled Sirius
"We know what we saw!" screamed Lily
"This isn't the first time he's been hit with the killing curse!" yelled James without thinking and immediately the attention of the headmaster and the nurse turned to him
"What did you say, James?" asked Dumbledore, but it was Harry's godfather who answered from the floor
"He said that this wasn't the first time Harry has been hit by the killing curse and he's right" he said as he looked to the old man standing above him
"What?" was all Dumbledore managed to say as his eyes widened in shock
"Harry was hit with the killing curse when he was a year old and it was reflected off of him onto the caster, nearly killing the wizard. He was also hit with it several times during a three month period when he was held as a prisoner by you-know-who, but it never killed him, just weakened him quite a bit" he explained
"What? How is it that a seventeen year old boy has managed to face Voldemort on what, three occasions now? And survive?" asked Dumbledore
"Actually, Harry has faced off against you-know-who in person six times, and even now he is fighting his influence" said Sirius quietly "Now, please don't ask me anymore questions about Harry or his past, because I can't tell you anything else, but please help us find who we are looking for so Harry can live a normal life for the first time ever" he pleaded and when they saw the confused faces of the professor and the nurse, James and Lily gave them a quick description of the girl they were looking for.
"I don't know why, but I trust you both and I will do whatever I can to help you find this girl" said the headmaster with a smile
"Thank you, sir" said Sirius sincerely and just then, Harry opened his eyes and looked frantically around the room, relaxing only when he saw that everyone was ok and that his staff was in his possession once again "How are you feeling, Harry?" asked Sirius as he helped his godson sit up
"Could be better" he said with a grimace as his muscles protested the movement
"What happened?" he asked quietly, trying not to be overheard, but he was unsuccessful
"He's stronger, I strengthened the barriers when I realized I was coming to meet Voldemort, but they fell and he was able to curse me. He's weak again now, but it won't be long before he saves up enough energy to curse me again, and if it is any stronger than it was today, I don't know if I can keep control" admitted Harry with a worried expression on his face
"Well, don't worry about that now, we'll figure everything out later, after you rest up a bit, and why don't you fix your arm" he suggested and Harry looked to his left arm which was steadily bleeding from his dark mark.
"Oh, I didn't even feel it" muttered Harry as he took his staff in his hand and waved it over his arm and an instant later the open wound was healed completely, much to the amazement of the mediwitch, but she decided to keep quiet.
"Are you ok to walk back to the castle?" asked Sirius
"Yeah, I think so" answered Harry as he got to his feet "Yeah, I can make it"
"Good, we had better get going before your friends decide to come back" said Sirius and the pair led the other five from the room in silence and they made their way back to the castle.
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A/N: I am so sorry, I know I said this would be up like a week ago, but work has been insane, I have worked every single day (including Christmas and Christmas Eve) for the past two weeks, and over 10 hours a day, so my life at home has only included eating and sleeping, I haven't even checked my e-mail for over a week, but don't worry, I have managed to write two more chapters, all I have to do is to type them and then I'll post. Another reason as to why this took so long, I work for a veterinarian and I got bit really bad by a VERY mean cat so it hurt to type for a while, but almost all better now! I hope you enjoy this one, and don't worry, Harry and Ginny will be back together in either the next chapter, or the one after that, I haven't decided where to end the next one at yet. Please review and let me know what you thought of this, and Merry Christmas a couple days late and Happy New Year a couple days early! Please review!