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A Song of Lightning and Fire

Arc I: Magic

Part IV: The Last Wish

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He was Floating.

Or was He?

Who was He?

What was He?

Where was He?

How was He?

He didn't know the answers to any of those questions, but he didn't care at the moment either. He couldn't feel a thing, but he did remember the pain that had managed to land him here, oh there was so much pain…

He also remembered another… they were right beside him. Had been for years actually, and he'd been beside th- Her, he remembered. He'd been beside her. Ever since he'd known her, it had been him and her, her and him… just like it was supposed to be.

So where was she now?

It scared Him, not knowing where She was. Scared. Fear. That was a new emotion. Or was it? Had he ever been afraid before? Yes, he had been. The memory of a bad man with red eyes forced its way to the forefront of his mind. He remembered that She had promised him that He would never face the bad man alone, and with the memory of the promise, slowly but surely, he remembered everything else.

He was Harry Potter.

He was Dead.

Was this how Death felt like?

Was this how it felt for Ginny?

He had more questions, but his thought process was interrupted when he felt himself getting pulled towards a small, point sized light.

He was nearing the light very quickly now, his speed gradually increasing with every passing second. It didn't look like it was going to stop anytime soon, so Harry just closed his eyes, hoping for the best.

He was already dead, he'd gotten Ginny killed, what else could they do to him that was worse than living with that guilt?

Suddenly, he felt himself slam on the ground. He heard a loud thump beside him not a moment later, and the sound of a tired groan followed the thump.

Harry froze when he heard that groan. The voice was familiar to him, but it couldn't possibly be…

He opened his eyes and looked in front of him. Just like the first time they'd met, her hair was the most fascinating thing ever, and when she looked up, her brown eyes meeting his green, he felt like his world had just stopped.

It was equal parts relief and disappointment for the same reasons: The fact that she was here with him. It meant that she was truly… he couldn't bring himself to even think the words, so he chose instead to continue staring into her eyes.

"We're dead, aren't we?" She asked him in a whisper.

He bit his lip, unable to give her any other answer except for a nod of his head. She rolled over onto her back, and heaved a sigh. "Fucking brilliant," she said.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I should have-"

"Harry," she interjected. "We just died. Can we delay the Apology to… well, never?"

"But-" he started.

"Here," she cut him off again, patting the ground beside her. "Sleep here with your back to the floor. The sky looks beautiful."

Harry furrowed his brow but he stood up anyway, and he couldn't help but let out a gasp when he saw where they were. "What-" Ginny began looking up at him, but then she followed his line of sight. "Oh. Dear. Merlin."

There was a massive open field in front of them, filled with the most luscious green grass they'd ever seen. The flowers here were a hundred times more beautiful than any he had ever seen, and these weren't any that Harry had ever come across, not even in a Book.

There were steep hills bordering the field, dressed with the same flowers on the field. A mountain loomed in the distance, standing tall. It wasn't the tallest Harry had seen, or even heard of, but it wasn't on the short side either. There was a winged creature circling the tip of the mountain, but Harry didn't know what it could be.

The Sun here burned brighter, it seemed, judging by the intensity of the light that fell onto the field. It was bright, colorful, and all around something Harry would expect from a Fantasy Movie.

He did hope that there were more people around though. It would get awfully lonely otherwise.

"This is… beautiful doesn't seem to cover it," Ginny said with a shaky laugh.

"Yeah," was all Harry was able to say at the moment.

The sounds of birds chirping drew their attention behind them, and they saw a tall, dense Forest over to one side, while the other side was just more of the plains before it too, rose up to meet the hill.

They saw the birds near the Forest. They were blue in color, and they were flying around each other playfully, seemingly enjoying their little game. He and Ginny couldn't help but smile at the scene.

"Hey, your Scar's gone," Ginny said, closely examining his face.

"Really?" He asked, trying not to blush under her scrutiny. "No way."

"It is," she said, pulling her head back. "You look nice," she added, turning slightly pink. "It suits you."

He smiled, managing not to blush that much. "Thank you," he said, bumping her shoulder with his.

She pushed back, and he did too, which started a game of shoulder bumping for a few moments, before both their shoulders started to hurt, and they had to stop.

"Where are we, do you think?" Ginny asked.

"There's only one place this could be," Harry said after giving it a moment of thought. "The Afterlife."

She closed her eyes, looking like she did not want to deal with that particular thing right now. Their white robes billowed as the wind started picking up speed. "We need to find someone," he said. "That is if you still want to go with me."

"I do want to go with you," she said immediately. "I'm never leaving your side. Ever."

He felt better at hearing those words again. As he always did. She took his hand and, together, they walked over to the hill that was closer to the mountain.

He reckoned the walk would have been over much sooner if they did not stop every five minutes to examine a flower. And it wasn't only Ginny doing the stopping either.

They eventually reached the top of the hill, though. And they found that the hill lowered into a Lake that was larger than the one at Hogwarts. There was a thick Forest surrounding the Lake in all directions, except to its left where an open plains area stretched to some place out of their sight.

Harry felt something calling to him from the shore directly across from where they were. But he didn't think much about that, he was suddenly very thirsty, and he wasn't able to stop his legs from doing a little jog downward, and he wasn't sure that he wanted to either. It felt like he had been too long without water.

It was then that he remembered that he didn't know how long they were dead for. Their world might have been irrevocably altered, and Harry and Ginny could do nothing about it.

"What's wrong?" Ginny asked, coming to a stop beside him.

"Do you happen to know how long we've been dead for?" He asked urgently, taking her hands in his.

Her mouth worked, but no sound came out of it. After a few moments of this, she finally sighed. "I don't know," she whispered in a shaky voice. "Merlin, Harry, my family. They could all be-"

"They're not dead," Harry said, hoping that what he was about to say to her was true. He'd never lied to her about something this big before, and he wasn't starting now.

"How do you know?" She shot back, wrenching her hands away from him and pacing up and down the hill. "You gonna answer, or what?" She asked him after a few moments had passed in silence.

"Because they are not here," he answered, causing her to stop dead in her tracks. "If they were Dead, they would be here."

"They aren't dead," she repeated to herself. "They aren't dead."

He walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her, tucking her head under his chin. She hugged his waist, and he was glad for it. He needed the contact just as much as she did.

"Where do we go?" She whispered, the two of them still in the position as before.

"There," he pointed at the place where felt that pulling feeling from. "It feels like something is… calling me."

Worry filled her eyes and he hastened to reassure her. "Not the type of calling that the Djinn did. This one's more… familiar."

"Familiar?" She asked, frowning.

"I don't know," he said. "But it's not Dark, and it isn't anything like the Djinn. That much I can say for certain."

She pursed her lips, and nodded against his chest. "You're going to go anyway, aren't you?" She asked.

He shook his head. "Not unless you come with me. I'm not leaving you here either."

She smiled, and hugged him tighter. "How you were still single I'll never know," she said, shaking her head, and pulling away from him.

He watched her walk down the hill, and sighed to himself as he followed her, choosing not to mention how difficult it was to get together with someone else when you had a crush on your best friend…

"I am quite the catch, aren't I?" He asked with a chuckle instead.

She just turned back to him with a smile and shook her head in amusement, not stopping her walk. "You give the guy one compliment, he thinks he's Merlin himself," she teased, causing him to burst out laughing.

They made their way down to the shore, and Harry greedily drank the Water, his eyes widening when he found that this Water was sweeter, and overall much better to drink.

They jogged around the shore of the Lake, and Harry felt the pull growing stronger with every passing step towards the other side of the Lake.

When they reached the other side, Harry and Ginny kept moving straight, using the thick trees as a cover. It wouldn't work well, seeing as they were wearing white robes, but it gave them a sense of security.

A few metres later, they saw a large gate with a fence connected to it. It was dark brown in color, it looked like it was made of wood, and it didn't have any words on it.

Beyond the gate, and inside the fence, he could see a few cottages, much like the ones in Hogsmeade, only smaller. Harry wondered if there were any other people here, that would most certainly be helpful.

Curious, Harry and Ginny walked toward the gate, still using the cover of the trees. A gasp behind them drew his attention and he turned around.

Two people- a Man and a Woman- stood not ten feet away from them, and seeing those two people nearly gave Harry a heart attack. He noticed Ginny was looking at them in open-mouthed surprise next to him.

The man was staring solely at him, his face crumpled in grief, and sorrow. He had almond shaped eyes that were hazel in color and messy black hair so much like his that no one would be able to tell the difference. He looked like an older version of Harry too, except for the eyes.

The red haired woman was breathing very heavily now as she shook her head back and forth. She had green eyes, darker than any shade of green that he had ever seen on anyone's eyes except his, and now hers.

They were his Parents.

James and Lily Potter.

"No," Lily whispered, tears pouring down her cheeks. "Please… tell me this is one of Fabian and Gideon's jokes."

He wasn't able to do anything other than just stare at her, though. He felt Paralyzed, even though he knew that in reality, he was free to move.

"I don't think they'd go that far, Lily," James faintly muttered, quite a few tears leeming out of his own eye.

Lily rushed forward and grabbed Harry into a tight hug. He didn't stiffen this time, though. He just held her as she cried, looking over at James every once in a while.

His Mother- HIS MOTHER!!- pulled back after a while, and held his face in her hands. "Oh, look at you," she said softly.

Harry pushed aside the mountains of nervousness that had suddenly formed in his stomach. "Hi," was still the best he was able to say.

She didn't seem to mind, though. "Hi," she said, placing a kiss on his forehead. She let him go and Harry locked eyes with his Father.

"Hey kid," James said. "It's been a while."

"Yeah," he said, and was promptly engulfed in a hug by James as well.

"Merlin, you're so big now," Lily said with a sad, shaky laugh that tore through his heart. "You were so small before…"

"I know," he said as James let him go. "I saw what you did. You know, that night."

"Harry-"

"Thank you," he cut her off, swallowing. "And I am so sorry, to both of you. He came after you because of me-"

"Do not apologize for that!" James and Lily sternly said. "It wasn't your fault," James continued, holding him by the shoulders. "You are not the one to blame. Voldemort is."

Harry lowered his head. "He's right," Lily said. "Voldemort came after you. Not the other way around. You didn't kill us."

Harry swallowed his nausea at the thought, still not entirely convinced. He nodded his understanding anyway, though, and he was sure Ginny saw right through him.

"Who's this young lady?" Lily asked curiously.

"Ginny Weasley," Ginny introduced herself.

"My best friend," Harry added with a smile, causing her to duck her head.

James and Lily smiled. "Well," James said. "It's a pleasure to meet you both. Despite the circumstances," he added, causing them all to remember the reality of their situation.

"Would you like to come inside," Lily said, blinking back what looked like tears. "We can… talk, perhaps. James and I can explain things and… help you get used to… everything. We can also get to know each other a little better."

He and Ginny nodded, and he saw a spark of a little mischief in Ginny's eyes before it was gone again. He was sure the embarrassing stories would be coming out soon…

James and Lily led them inside through the gate, and Harry and Ginny could finally see the people inside, going about their day's business with no care in the world. There were a lot fewer people here than Harry was expecting, though… and the Village was also much smaller.

"Do all the… you know, dead people, live here?" Harry asked.

James and Ginny snorted at the phrasing. "No," Lily said, lightly swatting James on the arm. "Just some of us. There's a few more villages. But most people stay in the Capital City. It's beautiful, but not something James and I would like to wake up to every morning."

Harry nodded in understanding. "Is this why I felt a pull here?"

"Ah, yes," James said. "That. That's actually something that happens when the dwelling of your Family is close in the Afterlife. You feel a pull towards it, towards us."

"Why didn't I feel any towards my relatives or ancestors?" Ginny asked, furrowing her brow.

"As far as I know," Lily said. "That might be because The Weasleys live in the city, which is a bit far from here."

James and Lily led them to a decently sized, two story cottage made entirely of bricks, with a black colored roof.

James and Lily led them inside into the Entrance Hallway. There was a staircase to their right, and a wide doorway to their left that led into the Living Room.

The doorway in front of them led to the Kitchen and the Dining Room, and James mentioned that the Bedrooms, and Bathrooms were upstairs.

"Does Magic work here?" Harry asked as they sat down on the Sofas in the Living Room.

"Yes," James said. "But as you may have noticed, you did not carry your Wand over. There are no Wands here, you'll have to learn Wandless Magic."

"Wandless Magic does come easier here though," Lily added.. "I could barely do any when I practised in Godric's Hollow, but here, I can make plants grow faster, and I can set things on Fire with a few twirls of my fingers."

"We can do Wandless Magic already," Harry said, causing the two adults to turn to them in surprise. Harry shrugged. "I picked it up as a kid, Ginny's is more recent."

"What do you mean you picked it up as a Kid?" Lily asked, furrowing her brow in concern.

"I might have learned to turn Accidental Magic into Wandless Magic as a kid," Harry explained.

"Why?" She asked. "I mean, I'm assuming you learnt that technique intentionally."

"I did," Harry said, rubbing the back of his neck uncomfortably. "I went to live with your sister, and-"

"WHAT!?" Lily shrieked as James uttered a string of words that Harry mentally noted down for later use.

"Yeah," Harry said, grimacing. "The Ministry apparently decided that I was too Powerful, so they sent me to be among Muggles so that Dumbledore couldn't use me as a Weapon."

"Why would Dumbledore use you as a Weapon?" James asked. "I swear if he's pulling any stunts like that-"

"He isn't," Harry said firmly, cutting James off. "But the Ministry thought that he would. They probably still do."

"Why does the Ministry care so much?" Lily asked. "Is it because they found out you're a Warlock?"

Harry shook his head. "It's because they think I'm the Boy-Who-Lived. You know, because I survived the Killing Curse, and destroyed Voldemort. The credit for which is all yours," he nodded at Lily. For some reason, he couldn't bring himself to call them Mum and Dad just yet, so he avoided the topic like the plague.

"So they sent me the Dursleys to keep me 'safe' there," Harry said, drawing little quotes with his fingers around the word safe. "Spoilers, it didn't work."

"Wait," James said a while later. "If everyone thinks that you're the one that destroyed Voldemort, then how do you know otherwise?"

"I saw it in my memory," Harry said as Ginny took his hand. He gave her a thankful smile before he spoke again. "When Dementors get near me, I see or hear you die," he nodded at Lily again.

Both the Potters paled. "What were you doing near Dementors?" Lily asked as James closed his eyes.

Harry sighed. He looked at Ginny, pleading with his eyes as if to say, "Let's tell them everything."

She nodded, and they soon began an explanation. They told them how they met, about their years at School, including Aries and Artemis this time, and it felt nice to get that bit off their chests. He finished by telling them how Bellatrix Lestrange had cast the Killing Curse on them using her two Wands, which was when James stopped his pacing.

"Killing Curse?" James asked. "You were hit with… a Killing Curse?"

Harry grimaced. "Can't really stop it, can we?"

"No," James said. "I suppose you can't."

He looked at Lily, who was staring at the two of them open mouthed. "I don't really have any words," she admitted a while later. "I mean, this all sounds… out of this world really."

Harry shrugged. "That was what we did," he said bitterly. "And now…" he trailed off, shaking his head.

"Now we're Dead," Ginny finished for him.

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It was already night time when the door to his room opened, and Ginny stepped in, softly closing it behind her. "Hey," she whispered in a barely audible volume. "Are you awake?"

"No," Harry replied, smiling, causing her to snort.

"Harry," she tried again, sitting on his bed this time.

He sat up against the headboard, and looked at her this time. "What's wrong?" He asked in concern.

"I- I couldn't sleep," she admitted. "I didn't know what else to do, so…"

"Got it," Harry said, nodding. "You wanna join?" He asked, patting the space beside him. "I'm staying under the covers by the way. They're way too comfortable to give up."

"And here I thought chivalry was dead," she said dryly, but joined him against the headboard anyway, placing her head on his shoulder as she hugged his arm.

"It feels like a bad dream," Ginny said, sniffing. "I don't want to be dead."

"I don't want you to be," Harry said, kissing her forehead. "You shouldn't be, you should have lived, played Quidditch Professionally, or become the World's best Curse-Breaker or something."

"You're one to talk," Ginny said. "I saw how you looked at the tombs, Harry. You liked Curse Breaking just as much as I did."

Harry nodded, unable to refute the claim. It was true, but still. "You should have left me there," he said. "You shouldn't have helped me with Bellatrix."

"I'm not sorry for that," she said. "I don't think I could have survived losing you."

"I couldn't have either," Harry said. "Losing you, I mean. Not the other way around."

"At least we have each other here, huh?" Ginny asked, smiling tearfully at him.

"Always," he said, kissing her forehead. "You'll always have me."

"I hope so," she said, snuggling closer to him. "The Afterlife would suck otherwise."

He chuckled and extracted his arm from her, and adjusted himself in a sleeping position. "Are you staying, or…?" He trailed off in silent question.

Ginny nervously bit her lip, glancing over to the door. "Would you mind if I stayed?" She asked.

"Please do," Harry said. He didn't think he could sleep either.

She nodded and laid beside him, sleeping on her side, facing away from him. "Goodnight," she said.

"Goodnight."

The next morning, he woke up with an arm around Ginny, holding her close as their bodies were pressed together. She was holding his arm close to her, which led him to believe that it wasn't just him who'd needed the contact last night.

It was the best sleep he'd ever had, but he had a problem now. Specifically, the fact that he was hard right now, and had no idea how to pull his arm away from her without waking her up.

He gently shifted himself, and decided to try or die trying. He pulled his arm away, causing her to stir, but she didn't fully wake. He was able to then get out of bed, which did wake her up. "Harry?" She slurred, rubbing her eyes. "Where are you?"

"Bathroom," he said, walking over to the room in question. "Need to pee," he said, not untruthfully.

"Come back soon," he heard her call.

It didn't take long for him to get rid of his morning wood, he just counted from 1 to 24 and thought of Filch while doing so. That could kill any boner.

He walked back into the room to find Ginny sitting up in bed. "Good morning," he said with a smile.

"Morning," she greeted him with a smile of her own.

"You should probably get back soon, eh?" He asked.

"Yeah," she said. "I do need to freshen up. I just wanted to say thanks, you know, for last night."

"Thank you too, Gin," he said. "I don't think I would have slept at all last night."

"Yeah," she said, standing up and hugging him. "I'll see you soon, okay?"

"Please do," Harry replied.

She smiled and left the Room, closing the door behind her. Harry brushed his teeth, had a quick shower, which he was surprised even existed here, and went downstairs, where he found Lily making food, while James watched her, occasionally biting into an apple.

"Morning," James greeted him. "How'd you sleep?"

"Quite well, actually," Harry replied. "Do you need any help?"

Lily looked at him. "You know how to cook?" She asked.

"Yeah," Harry said, nodding.

"Then come along," Lily said. "I hope you don't mind Bacon and Eggs. It's all we have that's enough for more than 2 people."

"Bacon and Eggs are fine," he said.

They spent the next few minutes preparing their breakfast, and Ginny joined them a few minutes after Harry had come down. She joined James, taking an apple from his basket and watching them, though for some reason, Harry felt her eyes on him more times than he did not.

"So, Ginny," James said. "I know you said neither of you are on the Quidditch Teams, but do you play?"

"I do," she said.

"Best Chaser I've ever seen," Harry added.

"Shut it you," she replied, cheeks turning pink. "There are plenty others who are better."

"Like who?" He asked, bringing his plates over to the table as Lily did the same for hers and James'.

"Er… The three Gryffindor Chasers?" She asked more than said.

Harry rolled his eyes. "They're good, but individually, you'll win any competition. Yes, even on your Comet."

She opened her mouth to reply, but suddenly, Harry felt a pressure around his body, pushing inwards and making it nearly impossible for him to breathe. His head was pounding, and it felt like nothing would stop this pain, and at that moment, the pain stopped, and he was able to breathe again.

"What on Earth just happened?" He asked, panting.

"I don't know," Ginny replied in a tired voice.

"Your skin," James breathed in awe.

Harry opened his eyes and saw that his skin was different. It was more… Translucent now, giving him a very Spectral appearance. He looked at Ginny, and saw that she too, was having the same issue. "You alright?" He asked.

She shook her head. "Confused, if anything."

"Do you guys know what this means," he asked James and Lily, who were looking at them in awe and shock.

"This means you can go back," Lily said.

"Back? Back where?" Ginny asked.

"Back to the World of the Living," Lily explained with a smile that was equal parts happy and sad.

"We can?" Harry asked in shock. "How? Why?"

"Okay," James said. "Really quickly, there is a system in place here that allows people with Translucent skin to make a choice. You can either stay here, or choose to go back."

Harry's eyes went wide, and he looked at Ginny, and for the first time since they got here, he saw some of that spark, and some hope in her eyes.

"How did we get the Translucent skin?" He asked.

"I don't know," Lily said as James shrugged. "It could be a number of things, a Reality bending creature, a Gift from the Gods, which is unlikely. Whatever it is, it doesn't matter. You have a chance to go back, whole and unharmed."

"I…" Harry trailed off, as he saw the hope in Ginny's eyes grow more and more. He didn't know if he wanted to go back. All there was back there was struggle, and pain, and only a few people appreciated his efforts. Here… well, his entire family was here. Even, presumably, his Grandparents.

But if she left and he stayed… he wasn't sure he would want to. Not just because he had a crush on her that she probably didn't return, but also because even the prospect of being in a World without her… it terrified him. And hadn't he said just last night that he would Always be there for her?

He knew he'd also missed out on… well, everything. Kissing a girl, exploring the World… learning different types of Magic, there was so much that he'd wanted to do one day… but his Family was here. And Remus, Sirius, and Marlene were on the other side… Ugh, it was so frustrating.

Ginny turned to him with a smile that faded when she saw his thoughtful expression. "We'll give you a moment," James said, taking Lily's hand and leading her away.

"You want to stay," Ginny said, biting her lip.

"It is… tempting," Harry replied carefully. "My whole family is here, but I don't know for sure. There's so much I missed out on back there, it seems silly to want to stay. You want to go back, I assume."

Ginny nodded, looking away from him. "I can't put my Family through that grief Harry," she said sadly.

"Then I'll help you get back at the very least," he said, pushing aside the sinking feeling in his stomach. I'll always be there for you… "I'll decide on the way if I'll stay or not," he settled on saying, despite the fact that he knew his choice was already made… he loved and hated the fact that he couldn't choose his family over her.

She nodded. "Thanks," she said, turning to him and giving him a small, forced smile.

"Should I call them?" Harry asked.

She nodded. "We're done!" Harry called.

James and Lily cautiously stepped into the room, and came to stand in front of them. "Are we okay?" James asked.

"Yep," Harry said when Ginny nodded.

"Please tell us more about how to get back," she said.

"So, you've decided-" James began.

"Ginny has," Harry interjected. "I haven't, not yet."

James and Lily nodded in understanding. "See that Mountain?" Lily asked, pointing at the Mountain Harry and Ginny had seen yesterday.

"Yeah," Harry said. "What about it?"

"There's a Portal back to the Living World in there," Lily explained. "Supposedly, if you put your Blood in a nearby Bowl, it activates, and lets your soul go back to your body. But the Creatures in the Mountain don't let you pass that easily."

"How do you know all of this?" Ginny asked, furrowing her brow.

"An old lady used to live here a few years ago," James explained. "Her great great grandfather was given the chance to go back, she used to keep ranting about the whole process. She's left now, but we all know the story by heart."

Harry and Ginny nodded in understanding. "When do we leave?" Ginny asked.

"As soon as you're ready," James said. "We'll take you there."

《••••••••••••••••••••》

A/N: Please leave a review if you liked it, and I'll see you in the next Chapter.

For those that think Harry hasn't thought of everyone on the other side that he loves, he will do so in the next Chapter.