Chapter 59
He was in a bright field, facing a small cottage that was surrounded by beautiful gardens and in the distance, he could hear the sound of birds chirping and someone laughing, and something about that laugh was very familiar to his ears. Cautiously, he began to walk toward the cottage, and when he reached the sidewalk, he turned and walked around the side of in the direction of the laughter that was growing louder with each step he took.
As he rounded the side of the cottage, he was met with a sight that brought a wide smile to his face. James and Lily Potter were sitting next to a small pond, apparently having a picnic, and it was Lily's laughter that he had been following. The couple both had smiles on their face as they looked first to each other and then to the pond, completely oblivious to Harry's presence in their private heaven. He watched them for several minutes before he found his voice to get their attention.
"Mum, dad?" he asked hesitantly, not really believing that it was really them.
Upon hearing his voice, both of them jumped to their feet and starred at him with their mouths wide open in shock, but it was James who was the first to break the awkward silence that hung in the air.
"Harry? Is that you?" he asked in a voice barely above that of a whisper
Harry was beyond words now, so he just nodded in acknowledgement.
"Oh Harry!" exclaimed his mother as she rushed forward and captured him in a fierce hug, and he could feel the warmth of her tears on the side of his face for a moment before she pulled back and starred at him with her brow furrowed "What are you doing here, Harry? You're too young to be here yet" she asked in concern
"Yeah, Harry, what happened? How did you get here already?" asked his father as he guided his wife and son back out to the blanket that was spread out on the shore of the pond.
"Voldemort" was all Harry said at first, with a scowl on his face
"What do you mean? Did he attack you or something?" asked Lily
"You could say that, kind of' began Harry as he proceeded to tell them about the final battle, and his imprisonment, and ending with how Voldemort had decided to inhabit Harry's body and their own part in the potion that had been used and the plans for the spell to be cast before he told them about the kidnappings of his friends "I had to go after them, if I didn't, they would have killed them, killed you, but I knew what was going to happen, and I couldn't stop it. He was too powerful, and I was too weak, and he was going to kill Ginny if I refused, so I had little choice but to give up, and I hoped that Sirius would remember his promise, and apparently he did" he finished without taking his eyes from the pond.
After several minutes of silence, James spoke again "Well, I defiantly have no memories of this ever happening" he said quietly as he looked to Lily for conformation, and she shook her head.
"That's because you probably had a pretty strong memory charm put on you before you were sent back to your own time" explained Harry
"No, I don't think that actually ever happened, to us anyways" began Lily "You see, Harry, when someone dies, all spells or curses that had ever been cast on them vanish in the afterlife, including memory spells. This never actually happened to us, when we were in school, but it is now. I don't understand it either, but it is the truth. I remember a transfer student during our sixth year who came to the school with his godfather, and I remember finding out that it was you, but you disappeared sometime during the summer, but as for us going into the future, I don't remember that ever happening" she said when she saw his baffled expression, and at this point, James changed the subject.
"What do you mean that you were hoping Sirius remembered his promise?" he asked carefully
"Well, a few months ago, I made him promise that he wouldn't let me hurt anyone if Voldemort got control again, and the only way he could keep that promise was to kill me, and judging by our current position, I'd say he did" explained Harry quietly, afraid of how his parents would take it when they found out that the man they had appointed as his godfather had been the one to kill him, but surprisingly, they said nothing about it, and instead, asked another question.
"So, you drank this potion, and it was supposed to get rid of him?" asked Lily
"Not exactly, nine days after I drank the potion, you two were to cast a spell that would finish it. The potion was just to separate everything back into what was his and what was mine" explained Harry, and Lily's eyes lit up at once.
"Last you remember, how many days until the spell was supposed to be cast?" she asked anxiously
"Four, I believe, why?" asked Harry
"Because, I don't think you are really supposed to be here yet" she said with a smile on her face which James returned, causing Harry to become even more confused than he already was.
"What are you talking about? You two are dead, and I obviously died, so how can it be that I'm not supposed to be here?" he asked in bewilderment
"There are still things for you to live for, things to do. You have spent your entire life fighting Voldemort, it's time for you to live" began Lily with a sad expression on her face "It's not your time to die yet"
"But it's too late, I'm dead and no one can bring back the dead" said Harry irritably, wanting nothing more than for his parents to just accept it as fact
"True, but like your mother said, it's not your time to go yet, so you can be brought back" said James
"But if it's not my time to die, and you were just a few years older than me, how is it that you two died, surely you had something more to live for as well" said Harry
"No, Harry, it was our time. Yes, we might have been young, but our main purpose was to bring you into the world so that peace would be restored and no one else would have to die, and since we had done this, we were able to die in peace, even though we didn't want to leave you or Sirius or Remus behind, we had no choice, and you do" said James with a stern expression on his face
"Fine, it what you are saying is the truth, then how do I become alive again?" asked Harry, finally deciding to humor his parents
James and Lily looked to each other for a moment before his mother spoke up "Well, to be honest, we don't know" she said regretfully, and Harry threw his hands up in frustration
"Wonderful, so you are saying that I'm not supposed to be here, but yet you have no idea about how to get me back" he sighed in irritation
"We will just have to wait and see if an opportunity shows itself, and until it does, you will just stay with us" said James with a smile "Now, tell us about yourself, who are your friends? Do you have a girlfriend?" he asked eagerly, and Harry spent the next several hours telling them all about Ginny, Ron, Hermione, and Draco and the various adventures he had had in his short life.
The next several days were some of the best Harry had ever had. He spent every possible moment with his parents, either sitting inside the small cottage or beside the beautiful pond, learning everything he could about them, and vice versa, but five days after he arrived, his private heaven was shattered.
The trio was sitting beside the pond as usual, basking in the warm sun when a chilling voice got all of their attention "Well, well, well, if this isn't a pretty picture, the entire Potter family reunited at last" Harry sprang to his feet and faced the owner of the voice with his eyes blazing in fury.
"Voldemort" he spat when the mans identity was confirmed "What are you doing here?" he demanded angrily
"We, Mr. Potter, have a battle to finish, and I will be victorious" said Voldemort confidently
"What are you talking about, Tom? If you haven't noticed, we are both dead" shot Harry
"Wrong as usual, Potter. When your friends cast the killing curse on you, they managed to throw both of our spirits from your body, and as we speak, they are preparing to cast a certain spell on you that is intended to destroy me. Now, what you probably don't know is that once the spell is cast, it will destroy only the weaker of the two of us, or whichever one isn't in control, and the other will gain complete control, and in essence, return form the dead' explained the evil wizard with a smirk
"And how exactly do you propose we decide who is going to be in control?" asked Harry doubtfully, his parents standing in stunned silence behind him, each resting a hand on his shoulder
"I can think of no better way than a duel, me and you, magic only" said Voldemort as he leveled his gaze to the boy in front of him
"Fine, a duel, magic only, winner gets control, looser gives it up" said Harry with a brisk nod, noting the stiffness of the hands on his shoulders as he said those words.
Without another word, Harry broke free of his parents and walked to the opposite side of the meadow from Voldemort, but he kept himself between his parents and the evil wizard before him. As soon as he had reached his spot, he saw the red light of a curse heading toward him, which he effortlessly deflected to the sky with his bare hand before he shot out a stunning spell of his own which Voldemort dodged with a quick jump to the side before beginning to fire the unforgivable curses at his opponent which all missed their mark.
"Why don't you just give up, Potter? You and I both know that I'm going to be the one to win, and you know that you would want nothing more than to just stay here with your parents" taunted Voldemort as he fired another curse.
"You're right, Tom, I would like to stay here with them, but not at the cost of turning you loose on my friends and the rest of my family" retorted Harry with a curse of his own
"You may say that, but what do your parents think of it?" asked Voldemort
"We agree with him. Nothing is worth you getting loose, because if you do, what's to stop you from killing us before Harry is even born?" demanded James, Lily nodding vigorously from behind him
"Nothing" hissed Voldemort, successfully silencing all three Potters
The duel raged on for another ten minutes without either one gaining the upper hand over the other, mainly die to the fact that Harry was forced to fight without his staff to strengthen and channel his powers and Voldemort was somehow in possession of his wand. Suddenly, though, Harry began to get a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach, similar to a very slow motion portkey effect as though he were being pulled from behind his navel, and he noticed with satisfaction that Voldemort was suffering from the same problem, but he wasn't able to ignore it like Harry was, instead, looking around in confusion. Deciding to use his momentary distraction to his advantage, Harry took that opportunity to fire the strongest stunning spell he could muster at the evil wizard, striking him full in the chest and sending him hard to the ground.
As soon as Voldemort hit the ground, the sensation of being pulled became increasingly stronger and Harry turned to see his parents, already knowing what was happening "Thank you both, I love you and I'll see you later" he said with a grim, but anxious smile on his face.
"Good-bye, Harry, we love you too, have a good life" said his mother with tears shining in her eyes as she gave him a tight hug
"Good-bye, son. Tell Moony and Padfoot high for me, and enjoy this second chance, not many people get these" said his father as he squeezed his son's shoulders gently before releasing him and watching as he faded slowly from their sight while Voldemort disappeared as well, but much more quickly than Harry was. As they watched their son vanish from their sight, they noticed a flash of gold in the bright blue sky and could faintly hear the sound of phoenix song before it too faded away.
Harry continued to feel as though he were being pulled by a very slow portkey for what felt like an eternity before he started to hear voices through his foggy mind, but before he could comprehend what they were saying, he was overtaken by the exhaustion that filled every fiber of his being and he slipped into a deep, peaceful, sleep.
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"Harry" Sirius said quietly, but he received no response so he threw back the blankets, not even noticing that he hit Remus in the head with his arm as he did so, and laid his head against the black shirt Harry was wearing, almost afraid of what he would hear, but he was rewarded with the sound of a soft 'thump, thump' ringing in his ears "Moony, he's alive" he breathed as he looked to his best friend who's eyes were still wide "He's alive" he repeated before the truth of that statement hit him like a ton of bricks.
"How is this possible!? An hour ago, he was dead. He has been dead for five days! Five days Moony! People who have been dead for that long don't just come back and start breathing and their hearts start beating! It just doesn't happen! How is this possible!?" he demanded frantically, but Remus didn't answer his question, instead, he said in a toneless voice
"I think I'm going to go and get Albus" he said as he turned and walked from the room, leaving Sirius starring at Harry.
Remus walked in a daze from the infirmary all the way to the headmasters office, ignoring the greetings he received from various students and other members of the staff as he walked. He stammered out the password to the stone gargoyle and climbed the stairs. When he reached the entrance to the office, he didn't even knock before walking in, expecting the headmaster to be asleep, so he was slightly startled by what he saw.
The headmaster was sitting in a chair next to the window with his head cupped in his hands, a look of total depression and desperation on his face. The office, which was usually clean and bright, was cluttered with scraps of parchment, used inkwells and quills, and all of the torches had gone out, casting the entire office into darkness, which was only accentuated by the pale light of the quarter moon. The headmaster himself was wearing the same robes he had been wearing for the past two days, and his usually flowing beard and hair were tangled and dull.
"Albus" said Remus quietly, noting with concern that the older man didn't even seem to have noticed his arrival. Instantly, his head shot up and he pinned the younger man with his piercing blue eyes.
"Remus, I'm sorry, I didn't hear you arrive" he said with a smile, looking more like the man Remus had seen only an hour before in the hospital wing and less like an emotionally crippled old man who had lost a close relative "Is there something I can help you with?" he asked, drawing Remus from his thoughts.
"Yes, Albus, um, something rather strange has just happened" he began, starting to doubt what he was about to say more and more with each passing second, beginning to believe that he was on the verge of insanity for believing that a boy who had been dead for five days had suddenly become alive again.
"What is it, Remus?" he asked, trying to prod the other man into speaking again.
"Well, you see, after you left the hospital wing, I left Sirius alone with Harry to say good-bye, I had finally convinced him to leave the hospital wing and come back to his own room. He was in there for about thirty minutes when I decided to check on him, and when I went in, he was asleep holding Harry's hand. When I tried to pull their hands apart, I took a hold of Harry's wrist, and he had a pulse, Albus. He's alive" he said, said, still in a state of shock about the whole situation.
Dumbledore stood from his chair, knocking it to the ground and in one swift movement, he was in front of Remus "What did you say?" he demanded in shock
"Albus, I don't know how, but Harry's alive" he repeated quietly
"Who else knows?" demanded the wizard as he began to drag Remus from the office and down the stairs
"Just me and Sirius. I came to tell you immediately, and then I was going to tell Poppy. Why do you ask?" he questioned with his brow furrowed
"No, tell no one else, including Poppy" he ordered sternly
"But why, Albus? Everyone has a right to know, especially his friends" he said "They have had a very hard time this past week, it would make them feel so much better if they knew" he explained
"I'm sorry, Remus, but no one else can know until we have had an opportunity to figure out what happened. You were there, he was hit with the killing curse ten times. He has been clinically dead for five days and until we figure out just what happened, we must keep this between the three of us" he said, his tone softening slightly
By this time, they had reached the hospital wing, and with a kind smile and request to be left alone to the mediwitch, they quietly entered the room to find Sirius pacing back and forth at the foot of the bed.
"It's about time! What took you so long? Where's Poppy" he demanded as he approached the headmaster and his best friend
"Sirius, by quiet" said Remus as he cast a quick silencing spell around the room and the headmaster approached Harry. They both watched in silence as he drew back the blankets and began to examine the boy on his own, first checking his pulse and then casting several spells which confirmed that he was indeed alive, but before he could say a word, Terres flew in through the open window and greeted the trio with a graceful nod of her head before she settled herself onto the bedpost and watched the sleeping boy intently.
"I don't know how he did it, but it appears as though Harry has beaten the odds yet again" Dumbledore said with a small smile, causing the other two men to smile as well, albeit slightly hesitantly due to the strangeness of the entire situation "Hello Terres, I was wondering where you had gotten to" he said quietly as he stroked the golden birds head gently.
"What do you think has happened, Albus?" asked Remus as Sirius once again took his seat next to the bed
"I have absolutely no idea, all I can think of is that something happened when the spell was cast. We will have to wait and see if he wakes up and can explain it better, but I have a feeling that he had some help from his guardian" he said as he glanced once again at Terres and Harry "The only thing I do know is that it will probably be a while before he does wake up, considering he doesn't even have enough strength or magical energy to block spells" he concluded
"So what do we do now?" asked Remus
"There is not much we can do, I'm afraid, but wait. We will still hold the funeral tomorrow morning as planned to prevent any suspicions, and not inform anyone of this new development until after he is awake. You two should remain here for the rest of the day, and I will inform Poppy not to disturb you. In the morning, we will take him down to his room and act as though he was laid to rest in Godric's Hollow for the sake of the public, but I'm afraid that means you both must be present at both the funeral and the burial" he said as he looked to both of them, and noting the leery expression on Sirius's face, he continued "Our plan will not work if his godfather is not present at his funeral" he lectured.
"Very well, we'll be there" said Remus before Sirius could protest
"Good" said Dumbledore "I'll come by later to check on you three, but right now I must change cloths and freshen up" he said with his customary twinkle back in his eye which had been absent since Christmas.
Once the headmaster had left the room, Sirius turned to face Remus "Can you believe that this is happening, Moony?" he asked with wide eyes
"No, Padfoot, I can't" answered Remus truthfully
"I felt him breathing right after the spell was cast, I thought I was going insane, but then you saw it too and I knew I wasn't crazy, he really is alive, isn't he" he said in a somewhat awed voice
"Yes, Sirius, he is" answered Remus with a smile as he took a seat next to his friend and looked to the boy in front of him in amazement.
Sirius took Harry's hand in his own again, and to his pleasure, instead of the cold flesh meeting his own, it was warm. He felt a small smile grace his face and he turned to look at his best friend who was smiling as well.
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Ginny only returned to the dormitory after the sun had risen, and she didn't say a word to anyone as she walked up the steps to her dorm and collapsed onto her bed, willing the tears that had been threatening to spill over all day to remain where they were, trying not to cry anymore for fear that she would break down completely if she did.
She had not spoken a word to anyone since the conversation she had had with Lily and James on the night they returned, and no one had tried to push her into speaking yet, for fear that they would only do more damage, so for the most part, she had remained in her own private world, wishing with all of her might that this was all a terrible nightmare. But that wasn't true, and every time she caught sight of her wand, a wave of disgust washed through her as she remembered that it was that wand that had helped to kill Harry. It was with this thought that she reached into her pocket and withdrew the slender piece of wood, and without a moments hesitation on the matter, she gripped it tightly in both hands and bent it until a sharp crack was heard ringing throughout the otherwise silent room. With tears pricking her eyes again, she dropped the two wand pieces to the floor and collapsed once again onto her bed, not noticing the dark red feather that was sticking out from one half of the wand.
She lay on her bed for several hours before managing to drag herself over to her dresser and changing into her plain black robes, the same that she had worn to Harry's memorial. Once changed, she walked back down the stairs and met Lily and the marauders, and without a word, they all left the common room in the direction of the great hall, meeting the rest of her family in the entrance hall as well as Hermione and Draco, and the sad group walked slowly into the room, sitting behind Dumbledore, Remus and Sirius, who didn't even acknowledge them. All but Ginny watched and listened to the proceedings, and in what seemed like no time, they were heading to the cemetery, and once again, Ginny paid no attention, until she say Sirius hurry away quickly and disappear with a soft pop. She didn't even pause to consider where he had gone to, instead, she just followed Ron and Hermione and the rest of the group over to the grave to say goodbye, but she couldn't manage to do it and finally gave up and hurried over to her father who saw her distress and apparated her back to the castle where she hurried to her dorm and fell onto the bed once again, and in no time, she had fallen into a deep and much needed sleep.
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Sirius and Remus spent the entire day in silence in the hospital wing, sitting next to Harry's bed and just watching him breathe and early in the morning, the headmaster came back to the room as planned.
"Good morning Sirius, Remus" he said cheerfully as he walked up to join them at the bed, dressed in rich black robes for the funeral.
"Good morning, Albus" they chorused as one
"Well, I have sent Poppy down into the kitchens to check on Dobby, but she will be back shortly so we must move Harry back to his own room. Sirius, stand back and I'll cast an invisibility spell on him" instructed the Headmaster and Sirius quickly obeyed, standing next to Remus as the old man lifted his wand and pointed it at Harry as he said the spell, which caused the boy to completely disappear from sight "Do you think you could carry him, Sirius, I don't want to levitate him for fear that I would loose him" he said with a smile
"Of course, sir" answered Sirius as he approached the bed and gathered the invisible bundle into his arms. Once he had a good grip on Harry, he nodded his head and followed Dumbledore from the room with Remus right behind him.
The journey to the staff quarters was quick and silent, with no one else walking the halls, much to their relief, and in no time they had entered Sirius' rooms and removed the invisibility spell from Harry before proceeding into his room where Sirius gently lay him down on the bed, and none of them were surprised when the emerald snake slithered up the leg of the bed and coiled himself in the corner, black eyes staring intently at his master..
"Do you think we should change him into some more comfortable clothes?" he asked the other two men as he took in the shirt, slacks, robe, and cloak he was still wearing as well as his boots.
"I don't think it would hurt anything. Where are his night clothes?" asked Remus as he looked around the room
"In his trunk I think, or maybe in the dresser" answered Sirius and after several minutes of searching, Remus returned with the items and with a wave of his wand, Harry's shirt had been removed and Sirius began to gently pull the clean one onto his arms, but he stopped abruptly as he caught sight of something on his godson's arm.
"What is it, Padfoot?" asked Remus hesitantly
"Look" said Sirius as he stretched out Harry's left arm for the other two men to see, and what they saw caused their eyes to go wide as well. In the place where the dark mark had been on Harry's arm, was now the image of a golden phoenix, wings outstretched in flight, and as they watched the image, its head turned slightly to face them and they were shocked to see that the image on his arm was frighteningly similar to the gold bird that was perched on his bedpost.
"What's going on, Albus?" asked Remus in a quiet tone as he stared at the phoenix and back to Harry's arm.
"I have no idea, but I'm willing to assume that only Harry will be able to explain this as well, once he wakes up that is" answered the headmaster just as quietly.
The three men stood in the room in silence for several minutes more before the headmaster again spoke up "Remus, Sirius, you should get ready, everyone is meeting in the great hall at ten" he said as he slowly left the room
"He's right, Padfoot, I'll be back here at nine thirty and we can get downstairs before too many other people show up. Hopefully, that way we can avoid talking to anyone" Remus said as he reluctantly headed for the door, but he was stopped by the voice of his best friend
"What if he wakes up while we're gone? He shouldn't be left alone, I'm not going" he said with finality
"Sirius, we've already been over this, you have to go or they will get suspicious" retorted Remus with a sigh "Besides, Terres and Sherlock are both here, they'll keep an eye on him while we're gone, and you heard Albus, he probably won't even wake up for several days at least, now go get changed" he ordered, sounding very much like the professor that he was and less like the marauder.
"Fine" grumbled Sirius as he got to his feet, and casting one last glance over his shoulder at his sleeping godson, he slipped from the room and gently shut the door behind him, a satisfied Remus beside him. Once seeing his friend out the door, he set off for his own room and showered and changed into a set of plain black robes before he went to check on Harry one last time, and seeing that he was still in a deep sleep, he settled in a chair until Remus returned and the pair left for the direction of the great hall.
"How am I supposed to act sad, Remus, when I'm happier than I've ever been?" asked Sirius as the walked
"I don't' know, but I feel the same way, I guess we should just stay away from everyone if we can" he answered
"But what about Ginny, and Ron, Hermione, Draco, Lily, and the marauders, and the other Weasley's? they're devastated, I just want to run up to them right now and tell them the good news" he confessed heavily
"Me too, but until we can figure out what happened, it's not a good idea" he answered
"Fine, but I can't look at them and see them so miserable, it just makes me feel worse" said Sirius
"Well, you won't have to, you and I will be on the front row with Albus, they will all be behind us" reassured Remus, and by this point, they had reached the great hall and entered silently as they looked around in admiration.
The room was decorated in the same manner as it had been for the memorial service a year and a half ago, but this time, the number of hopeful faces was zero, everyone certain that Harry was truly gone this time and that there was no hope of him ever coming back again. Remus and Sirius made their way to the front row, passing dozens of sympathetic students and older witches and wizards before reaching their seats beside that of the headmaster. They greeted the older man with small smiles before taking their own chairs and sitting in silence.
Not long after they arrived, the entire Weasley family, Hermione, and the four students from the past entered, all with tear stained faces and puffy eyes, all but Ginny who's expression was set in stone and her eyes focused somewhere other than the room she was standing in at that moment. It took every ounce of control Sirius had not to jump up and shout that Harry was alive to the congregated mass, but he remembered Dumbledore's words and kept his mouth shut as he focused his eyes on the closed coffin that was made of the darkest cherry, Harry's sword, dagger, and staff lying on top of it.
Originally, the weapons were to be buried along with the coffin, but with the current change of plans, the headmaster had decided to keep them in his office until Harry awoke and could reclaim them.
Sirius ignored the words that were spoken by the minister of magic, as well as the occasional sniffle that came from behind him, and he didn't even realize that the funeral was over until Remus gently nudged him in the ribs. Those who were close to Harry walked in a silent line from the hall towards the village where they apparated to the cemetery and without a word spoken by anyone, the coffin was gently laid to rest and covered with the soft earth. As soon as the ceremony came to a close, Sirius said a quick good-bye to Remus before he disapparated and hurried as quick as he could to his rooms, and as soon as he closed the portrait behind him, he pulled his robes and cloak off and ran to Harry's room where he was relieved to find everything just as he had left it, Harry sound asleep with Terres on his bedpost and Sherlock coiled at the foot. Letting out a sigh of relief, he collapsed into a nearby chair and resumed his customary position next to his godson holding his hand, and within minutes, he was fast asleep.
A/N: Sorry guys, I've had this done for a couple of days now, but my internet was down. Hope you like this part, only two more to go! Let me know what you think. Next chapter first part of next week since I'm taking midterms right now.
He was in a bright field, facing a small cottage that was surrounded by beautiful gardens and in the distance, he could hear the sound of birds chirping and someone laughing, and something about that laugh was very familiar to his ears. Cautiously, he began to walk toward the cottage, and when he reached the sidewalk, he turned and walked around the side of in the direction of the laughter that was growing louder with each step he took.
As he rounded the side of the cottage, he was met with a sight that brought a wide smile to his face. James and Lily Potter were sitting next to a small pond, apparently having a picnic, and it was Lily's laughter that he had been following. The couple both had smiles on their face as they looked first to each other and then to the pond, completely oblivious to Harry's presence in their private heaven. He watched them for several minutes before he found his voice to get their attention.
"Mum, dad?" he asked hesitantly, not really believing that it was really them.
Upon hearing his voice, both of them jumped to their feet and starred at him with their mouths wide open in shock, but it was James who was the first to break the awkward silence that hung in the air.
"Harry? Is that you?" he asked in a voice barely above that of a whisper
Harry was beyond words now, so he just nodded in acknowledgement.
"Oh Harry!" exclaimed his mother as she rushed forward and captured him in a fierce hug, and he could feel the warmth of her tears on the side of his face for a moment before she pulled back and starred at him with her brow furrowed "What are you doing here, Harry? You're too young to be here yet" she asked in concern
"Yeah, Harry, what happened? How did you get here already?" asked his father as he guided his wife and son back out to the blanket that was spread out on the shore of the pond.
"Voldemort" was all Harry said at first, with a scowl on his face
"What do you mean? Did he attack you or something?" asked Lily
"You could say that, kind of' began Harry as he proceeded to tell them about the final battle, and his imprisonment, and ending with how Voldemort had decided to inhabit Harry's body and their own part in the potion that had been used and the plans for the spell to be cast before he told them about the kidnappings of his friends "I had to go after them, if I didn't, they would have killed them, killed you, but I knew what was going to happen, and I couldn't stop it. He was too powerful, and I was too weak, and he was going to kill Ginny if I refused, so I had little choice but to give up, and I hoped that Sirius would remember his promise, and apparently he did" he finished without taking his eyes from the pond.
After several minutes of silence, James spoke again "Well, I defiantly have no memories of this ever happening" he said quietly as he looked to Lily for conformation, and she shook her head.
"That's because you probably had a pretty strong memory charm put on you before you were sent back to your own time" explained Harry
"No, I don't think that actually ever happened, to us anyways" began Lily "You see, Harry, when someone dies, all spells or curses that had ever been cast on them vanish in the afterlife, including memory spells. This never actually happened to us, when we were in school, but it is now. I don't understand it either, but it is the truth. I remember a transfer student during our sixth year who came to the school with his godfather, and I remember finding out that it was you, but you disappeared sometime during the summer, but as for us going into the future, I don't remember that ever happening" she said when she saw his baffled expression, and at this point, James changed the subject.
"What do you mean that you were hoping Sirius remembered his promise?" he asked carefully
"Well, a few months ago, I made him promise that he wouldn't let me hurt anyone if Voldemort got control again, and the only way he could keep that promise was to kill me, and judging by our current position, I'd say he did" explained Harry quietly, afraid of how his parents would take it when they found out that the man they had appointed as his godfather had been the one to kill him, but surprisingly, they said nothing about it, and instead, asked another question.
"So, you drank this potion, and it was supposed to get rid of him?" asked Lily
"Not exactly, nine days after I drank the potion, you two were to cast a spell that would finish it. The potion was just to separate everything back into what was his and what was mine" explained Harry, and Lily's eyes lit up at once.
"Last you remember, how many days until the spell was supposed to be cast?" she asked anxiously
"Four, I believe, why?" asked Harry
"Because, I don't think you are really supposed to be here yet" she said with a smile on her face which James returned, causing Harry to become even more confused than he already was.
"What are you talking about? You two are dead, and I obviously died, so how can it be that I'm not supposed to be here?" he asked in bewilderment
"There are still things for you to live for, things to do. You have spent your entire life fighting Voldemort, it's time for you to live" began Lily with a sad expression on her face "It's not your time to die yet"
"But it's too late, I'm dead and no one can bring back the dead" said Harry irritably, wanting nothing more than for his parents to just accept it as fact
"True, but like your mother said, it's not your time to go yet, so you can be brought back" said James
"But if it's not my time to die, and you were just a few years older than me, how is it that you two died, surely you had something more to live for as well" said Harry
"No, Harry, it was our time. Yes, we might have been young, but our main purpose was to bring you into the world so that peace would be restored and no one else would have to die, and since we had done this, we were able to die in peace, even though we didn't want to leave you or Sirius or Remus behind, we had no choice, and you do" said James with a stern expression on his face
"Fine, it what you are saying is the truth, then how do I become alive again?" asked Harry, finally deciding to humor his parents
James and Lily looked to each other for a moment before his mother spoke up "Well, to be honest, we don't know" she said regretfully, and Harry threw his hands up in frustration
"Wonderful, so you are saying that I'm not supposed to be here, but yet you have no idea about how to get me back" he sighed in irritation
"We will just have to wait and see if an opportunity shows itself, and until it does, you will just stay with us" said James with a smile "Now, tell us about yourself, who are your friends? Do you have a girlfriend?" he asked eagerly, and Harry spent the next several hours telling them all about Ginny, Ron, Hermione, and Draco and the various adventures he had had in his short life.
The next several days were some of the best Harry had ever had. He spent every possible moment with his parents, either sitting inside the small cottage or beside the beautiful pond, learning everything he could about them, and vice versa, but five days after he arrived, his private heaven was shattered.
The trio was sitting beside the pond as usual, basking in the warm sun when a chilling voice got all of their attention "Well, well, well, if this isn't a pretty picture, the entire Potter family reunited at last" Harry sprang to his feet and faced the owner of the voice with his eyes blazing in fury.
"Voldemort" he spat when the mans identity was confirmed "What are you doing here?" he demanded angrily
"We, Mr. Potter, have a battle to finish, and I will be victorious" said Voldemort confidently
"What are you talking about, Tom? If you haven't noticed, we are both dead" shot Harry
"Wrong as usual, Potter. When your friends cast the killing curse on you, they managed to throw both of our spirits from your body, and as we speak, they are preparing to cast a certain spell on you that is intended to destroy me. Now, what you probably don't know is that once the spell is cast, it will destroy only the weaker of the two of us, or whichever one isn't in control, and the other will gain complete control, and in essence, return form the dead' explained the evil wizard with a smirk
"And how exactly do you propose we decide who is going to be in control?" asked Harry doubtfully, his parents standing in stunned silence behind him, each resting a hand on his shoulder
"I can think of no better way than a duel, me and you, magic only" said Voldemort as he leveled his gaze to the boy in front of him
"Fine, a duel, magic only, winner gets control, looser gives it up" said Harry with a brisk nod, noting the stiffness of the hands on his shoulders as he said those words.
Without another word, Harry broke free of his parents and walked to the opposite side of the meadow from Voldemort, but he kept himself between his parents and the evil wizard before him. As soon as he had reached his spot, he saw the red light of a curse heading toward him, which he effortlessly deflected to the sky with his bare hand before he shot out a stunning spell of his own which Voldemort dodged with a quick jump to the side before beginning to fire the unforgivable curses at his opponent which all missed their mark.
"Why don't you just give up, Potter? You and I both know that I'm going to be the one to win, and you know that you would want nothing more than to just stay here with your parents" taunted Voldemort as he fired another curse.
"You're right, Tom, I would like to stay here with them, but not at the cost of turning you loose on my friends and the rest of my family" retorted Harry with a curse of his own
"You may say that, but what do your parents think of it?" asked Voldemort
"We agree with him. Nothing is worth you getting loose, because if you do, what's to stop you from killing us before Harry is even born?" demanded James, Lily nodding vigorously from behind him
"Nothing" hissed Voldemort, successfully silencing all three Potters
The duel raged on for another ten minutes without either one gaining the upper hand over the other, mainly die to the fact that Harry was forced to fight without his staff to strengthen and channel his powers and Voldemort was somehow in possession of his wand. Suddenly, though, Harry began to get a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach, similar to a very slow motion portkey effect as though he were being pulled from behind his navel, and he noticed with satisfaction that Voldemort was suffering from the same problem, but he wasn't able to ignore it like Harry was, instead, looking around in confusion. Deciding to use his momentary distraction to his advantage, Harry took that opportunity to fire the strongest stunning spell he could muster at the evil wizard, striking him full in the chest and sending him hard to the ground.
As soon as Voldemort hit the ground, the sensation of being pulled became increasingly stronger and Harry turned to see his parents, already knowing what was happening "Thank you both, I love you and I'll see you later" he said with a grim, but anxious smile on his face.
"Good-bye, Harry, we love you too, have a good life" said his mother with tears shining in her eyes as she gave him a tight hug
"Good-bye, son. Tell Moony and Padfoot high for me, and enjoy this second chance, not many people get these" said his father as he squeezed his son's shoulders gently before releasing him and watching as he faded slowly from their sight while Voldemort disappeared as well, but much more quickly than Harry was. As they watched their son vanish from their sight, they noticed a flash of gold in the bright blue sky and could faintly hear the sound of phoenix song before it too faded away.
Harry continued to feel as though he were being pulled by a very slow portkey for what felt like an eternity before he started to hear voices through his foggy mind, but before he could comprehend what they were saying, he was overtaken by the exhaustion that filled every fiber of his being and he slipped into a deep, peaceful, sleep.
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"Harry" Sirius said quietly, but he received no response so he threw back the blankets, not even noticing that he hit Remus in the head with his arm as he did so, and laid his head against the black shirt Harry was wearing, almost afraid of what he would hear, but he was rewarded with the sound of a soft 'thump, thump' ringing in his ears "Moony, he's alive" he breathed as he looked to his best friend who's eyes were still wide "He's alive" he repeated before the truth of that statement hit him like a ton of bricks.
"How is this possible!? An hour ago, he was dead. He has been dead for five days! Five days Moony! People who have been dead for that long don't just come back and start breathing and their hearts start beating! It just doesn't happen! How is this possible!?" he demanded frantically, but Remus didn't answer his question, instead, he said in a toneless voice
"I think I'm going to go and get Albus" he said as he turned and walked from the room, leaving Sirius starring at Harry.
Remus walked in a daze from the infirmary all the way to the headmasters office, ignoring the greetings he received from various students and other members of the staff as he walked. He stammered out the password to the stone gargoyle and climbed the stairs. When he reached the entrance to the office, he didn't even knock before walking in, expecting the headmaster to be asleep, so he was slightly startled by what he saw.
The headmaster was sitting in a chair next to the window with his head cupped in his hands, a look of total depression and desperation on his face. The office, which was usually clean and bright, was cluttered with scraps of parchment, used inkwells and quills, and all of the torches had gone out, casting the entire office into darkness, which was only accentuated by the pale light of the quarter moon. The headmaster himself was wearing the same robes he had been wearing for the past two days, and his usually flowing beard and hair were tangled and dull.
"Albus" said Remus quietly, noting with concern that the older man didn't even seem to have noticed his arrival. Instantly, his head shot up and he pinned the younger man with his piercing blue eyes.
"Remus, I'm sorry, I didn't hear you arrive" he said with a smile, looking more like the man Remus had seen only an hour before in the hospital wing and less like an emotionally crippled old man who had lost a close relative "Is there something I can help you with?" he asked, drawing Remus from his thoughts.
"Yes, Albus, um, something rather strange has just happened" he began, starting to doubt what he was about to say more and more with each passing second, beginning to believe that he was on the verge of insanity for believing that a boy who had been dead for five days had suddenly become alive again.
"What is it, Remus?" he asked, trying to prod the other man into speaking again.
"Well, you see, after you left the hospital wing, I left Sirius alone with Harry to say good-bye, I had finally convinced him to leave the hospital wing and come back to his own room. He was in there for about thirty minutes when I decided to check on him, and when I went in, he was asleep holding Harry's hand. When I tried to pull their hands apart, I took a hold of Harry's wrist, and he had a pulse, Albus. He's alive" he said, said, still in a state of shock about the whole situation.
Dumbledore stood from his chair, knocking it to the ground and in one swift movement, he was in front of Remus "What did you say?" he demanded in shock
"Albus, I don't know how, but Harry's alive" he repeated quietly
"Who else knows?" demanded the wizard as he began to drag Remus from the office and down the stairs
"Just me and Sirius. I came to tell you immediately, and then I was going to tell Poppy. Why do you ask?" he questioned with his brow furrowed
"No, tell no one else, including Poppy" he ordered sternly
"But why, Albus? Everyone has a right to know, especially his friends" he said "They have had a very hard time this past week, it would make them feel so much better if they knew" he explained
"I'm sorry, Remus, but no one else can know until we have had an opportunity to figure out what happened. You were there, he was hit with the killing curse ten times. He has been clinically dead for five days and until we figure out just what happened, we must keep this between the three of us" he said, his tone softening slightly
By this time, they had reached the hospital wing, and with a kind smile and request to be left alone to the mediwitch, they quietly entered the room to find Sirius pacing back and forth at the foot of the bed.
"It's about time! What took you so long? Where's Poppy" he demanded as he approached the headmaster and his best friend
"Sirius, by quiet" said Remus as he cast a quick silencing spell around the room and the headmaster approached Harry. They both watched in silence as he drew back the blankets and began to examine the boy on his own, first checking his pulse and then casting several spells which confirmed that he was indeed alive, but before he could say a word, Terres flew in through the open window and greeted the trio with a graceful nod of her head before she settled herself onto the bedpost and watched the sleeping boy intently.
"I don't know how he did it, but it appears as though Harry has beaten the odds yet again" Dumbledore said with a small smile, causing the other two men to smile as well, albeit slightly hesitantly due to the strangeness of the entire situation "Hello Terres, I was wondering where you had gotten to" he said quietly as he stroked the golden birds head gently.
"What do you think has happened, Albus?" asked Remus as Sirius once again took his seat next to the bed
"I have absolutely no idea, all I can think of is that something happened when the spell was cast. We will have to wait and see if he wakes up and can explain it better, but I have a feeling that he had some help from his guardian" he said as he glanced once again at Terres and Harry "The only thing I do know is that it will probably be a while before he does wake up, considering he doesn't even have enough strength or magical energy to block spells" he concluded
"So what do we do now?" asked Remus
"There is not much we can do, I'm afraid, but wait. We will still hold the funeral tomorrow morning as planned to prevent any suspicions, and not inform anyone of this new development until after he is awake. You two should remain here for the rest of the day, and I will inform Poppy not to disturb you. In the morning, we will take him down to his room and act as though he was laid to rest in Godric's Hollow for the sake of the public, but I'm afraid that means you both must be present at both the funeral and the burial" he said as he looked to both of them, and noting the leery expression on Sirius's face, he continued "Our plan will not work if his godfather is not present at his funeral" he lectured.
"Very well, we'll be there" said Remus before Sirius could protest
"Good" said Dumbledore "I'll come by later to check on you three, but right now I must change cloths and freshen up" he said with his customary twinkle back in his eye which had been absent since Christmas.
Once the headmaster had left the room, Sirius turned to face Remus "Can you believe that this is happening, Moony?" he asked with wide eyes
"No, Padfoot, I can't" answered Remus truthfully
"I felt him breathing right after the spell was cast, I thought I was going insane, but then you saw it too and I knew I wasn't crazy, he really is alive, isn't he" he said in a somewhat awed voice
"Yes, Sirius, he is" answered Remus with a smile as he took a seat next to his friend and looked to the boy in front of him in amazement.
Sirius took Harry's hand in his own again, and to his pleasure, instead of the cold flesh meeting his own, it was warm. He felt a small smile grace his face and he turned to look at his best friend who was smiling as well.
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Ginny only returned to the dormitory after the sun had risen, and she didn't say a word to anyone as she walked up the steps to her dorm and collapsed onto her bed, willing the tears that had been threatening to spill over all day to remain where they were, trying not to cry anymore for fear that she would break down completely if she did.
She had not spoken a word to anyone since the conversation she had had with Lily and James on the night they returned, and no one had tried to push her into speaking yet, for fear that they would only do more damage, so for the most part, she had remained in her own private world, wishing with all of her might that this was all a terrible nightmare. But that wasn't true, and every time she caught sight of her wand, a wave of disgust washed through her as she remembered that it was that wand that had helped to kill Harry. It was with this thought that she reached into her pocket and withdrew the slender piece of wood, and without a moments hesitation on the matter, she gripped it tightly in both hands and bent it until a sharp crack was heard ringing throughout the otherwise silent room. With tears pricking her eyes again, she dropped the two wand pieces to the floor and collapsed once again onto her bed, not noticing the dark red feather that was sticking out from one half of the wand.
She lay on her bed for several hours before managing to drag herself over to her dresser and changing into her plain black robes, the same that she had worn to Harry's memorial. Once changed, she walked back down the stairs and met Lily and the marauders, and without a word, they all left the common room in the direction of the great hall, meeting the rest of her family in the entrance hall as well as Hermione and Draco, and the sad group walked slowly into the room, sitting behind Dumbledore, Remus and Sirius, who didn't even acknowledge them. All but Ginny watched and listened to the proceedings, and in what seemed like no time, they were heading to the cemetery, and once again, Ginny paid no attention, until she say Sirius hurry away quickly and disappear with a soft pop. She didn't even pause to consider where he had gone to, instead, she just followed Ron and Hermione and the rest of the group over to the grave to say goodbye, but she couldn't manage to do it and finally gave up and hurried over to her father who saw her distress and apparated her back to the castle where she hurried to her dorm and fell onto the bed once again, and in no time, she had fallen into a deep and much needed sleep.
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Sirius and Remus spent the entire day in silence in the hospital wing, sitting next to Harry's bed and just watching him breathe and early in the morning, the headmaster came back to the room as planned.
"Good morning Sirius, Remus" he said cheerfully as he walked up to join them at the bed, dressed in rich black robes for the funeral.
"Good morning, Albus" they chorused as one
"Well, I have sent Poppy down into the kitchens to check on Dobby, but she will be back shortly so we must move Harry back to his own room. Sirius, stand back and I'll cast an invisibility spell on him" instructed the Headmaster and Sirius quickly obeyed, standing next to Remus as the old man lifted his wand and pointed it at Harry as he said the spell, which caused the boy to completely disappear from sight "Do you think you could carry him, Sirius, I don't want to levitate him for fear that I would loose him" he said with a smile
"Of course, sir" answered Sirius as he approached the bed and gathered the invisible bundle into his arms. Once he had a good grip on Harry, he nodded his head and followed Dumbledore from the room with Remus right behind him.
The journey to the staff quarters was quick and silent, with no one else walking the halls, much to their relief, and in no time they had entered Sirius' rooms and removed the invisibility spell from Harry before proceeding into his room where Sirius gently lay him down on the bed, and none of them were surprised when the emerald snake slithered up the leg of the bed and coiled himself in the corner, black eyes staring intently at his master..
"Do you think we should change him into some more comfortable clothes?" he asked the other two men as he took in the shirt, slacks, robe, and cloak he was still wearing as well as his boots.
"I don't think it would hurt anything. Where are his night clothes?" asked Remus as he looked around the room
"In his trunk I think, or maybe in the dresser" answered Sirius and after several minutes of searching, Remus returned with the items and with a wave of his wand, Harry's shirt had been removed and Sirius began to gently pull the clean one onto his arms, but he stopped abruptly as he caught sight of something on his godson's arm.
"What is it, Padfoot?" asked Remus hesitantly
"Look" said Sirius as he stretched out Harry's left arm for the other two men to see, and what they saw caused their eyes to go wide as well. In the place where the dark mark had been on Harry's arm, was now the image of a golden phoenix, wings outstretched in flight, and as they watched the image, its head turned slightly to face them and they were shocked to see that the image on his arm was frighteningly similar to the gold bird that was perched on his bedpost.
"What's going on, Albus?" asked Remus in a quiet tone as he stared at the phoenix and back to Harry's arm.
"I have no idea, but I'm willing to assume that only Harry will be able to explain this as well, once he wakes up that is" answered the headmaster just as quietly.
The three men stood in the room in silence for several minutes more before the headmaster again spoke up "Remus, Sirius, you should get ready, everyone is meeting in the great hall at ten" he said as he slowly left the room
"He's right, Padfoot, I'll be back here at nine thirty and we can get downstairs before too many other people show up. Hopefully, that way we can avoid talking to anyone" Remus said as he reluctantly headed for the door, but he was stopped by the voice of his best friend
"What if he wakes up while we're gone? He shouldn't be left alone, I'm not going" he said with finality
"Sirius, we've already been over this, you have to go or they will get suspicious" retorted Remus with a sigh "Besides, Terres and Sherlock are both here, they'll keep an eye on him while we're gone, and you heard Albus, he probably won't even wake up for several days at least, now go get changed" he ordered, sounding very much like the professor that he was and less like the marauder.
"Fine" grumbled Sirius as he got to his feet, and casting one last glance over his shoulder at his sleeping godson, he slipped from the room and gently shut the door behind him, a satisfied Remus beside him. Once seeing his friend out the door, he set off for his own room and showered and changed into a set of plain black robes before he went to check on Harry one last time, and seeing that he was still in a deep sleep, he settled in a chair until Remus returned and the pair left for the direction of the great hall.
"How am I supposed to act sad, Remus, when I'm happier than I've ever been?" asked Sirius as the walked
"I don't' know, but I feel the same way, I guess we should just stay away from everyone if we can" he answered
"But what about Ginny, and Ron, Hermione, Draco, Lily, and the marauders, and the other Weasley's? they're devastated, I just want to run up to them right now and tell them the good news" he confessed heavily
"Me too, but until we can figure out what happened, it's not a good idea" he answered
"Fine, but I can't look at them and see them so miserable, it just makes me feel worse" said Sirius
"Well, you won't have to, you and I will be on the front row with Albus, they will all be behind us" reassured Remus, and by this point, they had reached the great hall and entered silently as they looked around in admiration.
The room was decorated in the same manner as it had been for the memorial service a year and a half ago, but this time, the number of hopeful faces was zero, everyone certain that Harry was truly gone this time and that there was no hope of him ever coming back again. Remus and Sirius made their way to the front row, passing dozens of sympathetic students and older witches and wizards before reaching their seats beside that of the headmaster. They greeted the older man with small smiles before taking their own chairs and sitting in silence.
Not long after they arrived, the entire Weasley family, Hermione, and the four students from the past entered, all with tear stained faces and puffy eyes, all but Ginny who's expression was set in stone and her eyes focused somewhere other than the room she was standing in at that moment. It took every ounce of control Sirius had not to jump up and shout that Harry was alive to the congregated mass, but he remembered Dumbledore's words and kept his mouth shut as he focused his eyes on the closed coffin that was made of the darkest cherry, Harry's sword, dagger, and staff lying on top of it.
Originally, the weapons were to be buried along with the coffin, but with the current change of plans, the headmaster had decided to keep them in his office until Harry awoke and could reclaim them.
Sirius ignored the words that were spoken by the minister of magic, as well as the occasional sniffle that came from behind him, and he didn't even realize that the funeral was over until Remus gently nudged him in the ribs. Those who were close to Harry walked in a silent line from the hall towards the village where they apparated to the cemetery and without a word spoken by anyone, the coffin was gently laid to rest and covered with the soft earth. As soon as the ceremony came to a close, Sirius said a quick good-bye to Remus before he disapparated and hurried as quick as he could to his rooms, and as soon as he closed the portrait behind him, he pulled his robes and cloak off and ran to Harry's room where he was relieved to find everything just as he had left it, Harry sound asleep with Terres on his bedpost and Sherlock coiled at the foot. Letting out a sigh of relief, he collapsed into a nearby chair and resumed his customary position next to his godson holding his hand, and within minutes, he was fast asleep.
A/N: Sorry guys, I've had this done for a couple of days now, but my internet was down. Hope you like this part, only two more to go! Let me know what you think. Next chapter first part of next week since I'm taking midterms right now.