Say Goodbye

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, if I did, well, let's put it one way, I would NOT be writing this fic.

Chapter 2 - What a dark and dreary night can bring

Harry was pretty much fed up of not really having much of a part of a war that was partly over him. Harry did know better than to go outside too much, he really did, but some times called for desperate measures.

Ginny was reading a story to Elizabeth, who usually fell in the deepest sleep when Ginny read her a story, but she started bawling almost immediately after Ginny had left the room. Quite a clever trick, but exhausting for her two very-much-hunted parents.

Harry expected today to be one of those nights, and he ventured outside into the garden, slamming the back door gently behind him, Ginny would've known Harry had gone outside.

The night was dark and dreary, it was a damp night and although it was not physically raining or anything, Harry could feel water vapour pressing against his skin.

But when you got used to it the night was beautiful, although the abnormally bright moon was caught behind a gloomy cloud, most of the stars shone brightly. Venus was particularly bright and stood out amongst the smaller looking stars, a slightly bigger light in the sky.

Harry looked up into the night sky; he glanced into the sky and then glanced again, after rubbing his eyes underneath his glasses.

A shooting star, a star shooting so fast with such a variety of colours Harry had hardly any time to marvel at it's beauty. It was moving fast, even for a shooting star.

Feeling foolish, Harry wished upon the star, he had heard of people wishing upon shooting stars, it wasn't like he had much hope left in it, most of which Voldemort had drained out of him. But Harry was strong enough to never lose complete hope and faith, however much life seemed impossible.

Harry watched the star move across the winter's night sky, and his sparkling green eyes followed it until it fell out of view.

YOU WANT A LIFE RID OF THE ONE YOU CALL VOLDEMORT? YOU WANT PEOPLE TO BE FREE?

Harry took a step back, absurd, he thought to himself. The idea had just popped into his head, like someone was forcing it into his brain. Harry closed his eyes and ignored it; it was usual for him to had sudden thoughts such as this.

ABSURD? NO, JUST ONE OF THE COUNTLESS POSSIBILITIES

Harry shook his head, why was he conversing with himself in his head? It was not something that he usually did anymore, all his conversations that took place were with Ginny, or with Elizabeth, although she was young and didn't understand words well.

YOU ARE NOT CONVERSING WITH YOURSELF, YOU ARE SPEAKING TO SOMETHING THAT IS VERY MUCH REAL

Harry knew better than to dismiss that thought, he had lived in the wizarding world too long to think that was just a coincidence, shaking, although trying to be confident, Harry said aloud:

"Who are you?" Harry figured 'what are you?' Might insult whatever was speaking to him.

YOU SHOULD KNOW, YOU SUMMONED ME

Oh great, he was speaking with something with a harsh sense of humour, Harry decided to state the obvious.

"No, as a matter of fact I didn't summon you."

BELIEVE WHAT YOU LIKE, I WILL TAKE IT AS YOU NEVER SAW THE STAR THAT WAS ONLY VISIBLE TO YOU, THE STAR IT WAS ESSENTIAL FOR YOU TO SEE

This confused Harry, and his opinions were voiced.

"What?" he asked politely.

YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN

Harry shook his head, "I know none of the sort," there was a pause, the being seemed to be pondering it's answer.

YOUR WISH UPON THE STAR AWAKENED ME

Pieces fell in to places…well not exactly; there were still many questions he wondered upon.

"Who are you?" Harry asked again, into the deep, dark blue sky. He noticed there were no sound around him, no gentle but cold breeze, the clouds in the dark sky were not moving. He realised time was frozen, and he realised the being in his presence had done it.

I AM A BEING WHO HAS COME TO REKINDLE THE FLAME LORD VOLDEMORT HAS VIOLENTLY BLOWN OUT

This, in itself, made sense, Harry nodded slowly, but no sound escaped his mouth.

MAYBE I SHOULD USE A FORM YOU ARE MORE LIKELY TO UNDERSTAND

Harry opened his mouth to ask what, but there was a small tap on his shoulder, he turned around and to his deepest shock there was a girl no older than eleven. Or at least, she looked no older than eleven, and could easily pass for the usual human girl, but Harry had learned enough that night to know there was more to her than met the eye.

She was nearly a head and a half shorter than Harry, and she had straight brown hair reaching her waist. She had a few freckles and deep hazel eyes; she glared at Harry with most unmistakably an impatient expression.

Any question Harry could ask he knew she would answer in riddles, so Harry tried to ask the simplest questions, with the simplest answers.

"What is your name?" He asked her kindly, beginning to forget she was not just a little girl.

"My name is nothing of your concern, although the name of the human of which's body I am borrowing is called Ellen." Then she spoke again, in a little girl's voice that held much more than it sounded. "I am not a girl, I have been alive years longer than you have. I know much more about what is to happen in your lifetime as of many others, and I should expect you, of all people would have learned not to judge by appearances." The girl suddenly seemed much older, whatever thoughts she was thinking, her eyes kept them to herself. Harry cursed himself for judging the being.

"Ellen," He said gently, not knowing what else to call her, "Why are you here, what do you want?"

Ellen broke into an unmistakable smile, her eyes shone with a troubling glint.

"I have come to grant your wish," she smiled even more broadly, Harry had reason to feel insecure; she didn't know Ellen neither did he the being who possessed her. He knew that in everything in life there would always be a price to pay.

"To make a deal with you, Harry Potter," she told him, before he could open his mouth to reply, so there was some sort of price. And Harry had the feeling it wouldn't be money.

"You want me to…continue?" she asked, Harry nodded weakly, feeling sick and wanted to get to bed. He regretted being out here in the cold, dark night now, he regretted even meeting the being that took control of the young girl named Ellen.

"In five years from now, your side of good will triumph over Lord Voldemort and his powers of darkness," she paused, clearly waiting for the full effect of this sentence. Harry felt hope rise in his heart, and his face broke into the first true smile he'd shown for years.

"In five years from now, nearly everyone you love and know will be gone, Ginny, your daughter Elizabeth, not to mention your best friends Ron and Hermione to name a few, but there will be plenty more than that I assure you." Harry felt his heart skip a beat, he feared now even more for his friends and family than ever, and he hated the thoughts that Ellen's words had brought him.

What troubled him the most was that he knew she was speaking no lies, this was no foul trick played on him by Voldemort and his Death Eaters, for they did not have the sort of power he was witnessing before him.

"There's more, isn't there?" Harry asked weakly, not wishing to hear Ellen's answer. She nodded slowly and then continued.

"I can stop this, I can stop Lord Voldemort, right here, right now, but of course, with everything in life and beyond, there is a price," Ellen said. Harry felt he knew this was what Ellen was coming to; she would ask a price worth much more than money or wealth. She would ask something very precious, something money couldn't buy.

Harry had no reason to believe she was telling the truth, he just felt so, and also, young girls didn't pop out of nowhere for no reason whatsoever, Ellen wanted something, and Harry saw she had that kind of determination, that scared him.

"You want me to name the price?" She asked, she was sounding nice and kind, but she knew Harry wouldn't say no to this one chance. And he didn't say no.

"Go ahead," he muttered, afraid of what he might hear, clearly this would be something serious.

Ellen's hazel eyes grew bigger with delight, and she smiled in a satisfied sort of way, she shook her long hair back.

"In order to stop five years of Voldemort's reign," she said, looking with interest to the strained expression on Harry's face, "You will have to give up five years of your own life."

A thousand stabbing knives hit Harry at once, he had no real desire to leave his life for five years, not now he knew he and Ginny could be happy once more, raising Elizabeth like parents should.

This was one chance, he thought, and he wasn't going to blow it out of complete selfishness, he would either give up five years up of his own life, or have everything he loved destroyed and taken from him.

It was then Harry knew the answer, but choking it out was something-different altogether. He noticed for once that Ellen's eyes were glowing with concern, no matter how power-hungry she would always be, she was a naturally loving girl, nothing can change that, he guessed. He realised it was the actual young girl who was looking at him that moment, feeling for him and understanding. But she soon regained her rather cocky confident look, which just showed the being had regained control of her body.

"It's your call," she said softly, patting him on the shoulder, but having to stand on tiptoes. Then she looked at Harry's eyes and thoughtfully she added, "I never took Ellen's body by force, we agreed together, she is my only friend, although we are two different beings altogether." Then Harry knew Ellen's possessor was on the side of what is right, Ellen smiled.

"Without evil there is no good, " she smiled as she told him, "One thing cannot exist without the other, there is no good without evil, as there is no evil without good. It just so happens we fall onto the side that is right, and that is why good will always triumph over evil," she told him, "No matter what way."

Harry slowly nodded; he fumbled around with his thumbs for a moment and then glanced slowly into Ellen's bright hazel eyes.

"I will do what's right then, I will give up five years of my life for so many others," He said slowly but surely, "Whatever is to happen can happen when I return." Ellen nodded and smiled.

"Feel proud to do good," she said, patting him on the shoulder. Then she made him stare into her eyes once more.

"I realise you will want to tell your friends and family, to tell them you will be back and not to worry," she reached into the pocket of her black raincoat and pulled out a silver clock.

"For this I will give you, two hours of your time," she glanced at the silver clock and pressed a knob, which made a loud clicking noise, before Harry could ask anything about it, Ellen lifted her serious eyes to him.

"Carry this with you, it will remind you of how much time you have left, how much of the time that has already begun," Ellen grinned a satisfied smile, "Both you and it will disappear when the time is right," she finished. And then, without warning, there was the faintest pop and Ellen was gone, but by now Harry wasn't foolish enough to think she wasn't there.

The breeze joined him once more, and the clouds continued to shift Elizabeth's loud crying continued out of her bedroom window, the clock was already ticking.