AN: Thanks to everyone who has reviewed! It really helps coming home from a bad day (or week) at work to find them. This is the last chapter of The Well-Tempered Piano. This particular one is general fiction. If you wish to read the slash version of this chapter, it is the next one.
Chapter Four and Epilogue
(General Version)
E Flat Major
Harry slowly awoke, the smell of antiseptic filling his nose. A slow beep sounded to one side, but he couldn't tell which one.
"He's waking up, Lily," a male voice came from the foot of the bed.
The voice was familiar, but Harry couldn't quite place it, being half asleep as he still was. He barely opened his eyes, his eyelids feeling as if they had lead weights attached. Through blurry sight, he could just make out three figures near his feet.
Harry tried to make a sound, but only a grunt came out.
One of the figures came closer. "Here's some water, Harry." Something tube-like hit his lips. "Just a couple of sips for the moment, Harry."
The cool water felt almost like fire going down his throat. He almost choked as he swallowed, and he opened his eyes all the way. The blur holding the glass was topped with a mess of black hair.
"James?" he croaked out, the straw falling away.
"He needs his glasses, Sal." This time the voice was female.
The figure gently put Harry's glasses on his nose. Harry blinked as his vision cleared and the man's face sharpened to reveal a man that, incredibly, looked like Harry himself, except his eyes were a blue-green. His hair was a bit longer, but just as messy. The man's robes were heavily embroidered where Harry could see, a blend of silver and green thread on black.
"Hello, Harry," the man said, a smile crinkling across his face.
"Who?" Harry managed to get out. He coughed the tiniest bit and pain rippled down his throat and through his chest.
The man grabbed the water and put the straw back up to Harry's lips. "Sorry."
Harry closed his eyes as the water quelled the worst of the pain.
"Is there anything we can give him for the pain, Sal?" a different male voice asked.
He opened his eyes and looked to the foot of the bed, having forgotten the other two figures present. Harry chocked on the water when he saw Sirius standing there, looking much like he did in Lily and James' wedding picture. There was a big smile on his face, and his gray eyes were sparkling.
"Hey, kid!" he said in a breezy voice. "How are you?"
The woman next to him slapped him on the arm. Harry focused on her face and recognized the auburn hair from pictures. It was true, he saw, that Harry had indeed inherited his mother's green eyes. They held the same sorrow Harry wore, ever since meeting Quirrell in the chamber under the third floor.
"Hello, Harry," she said in a sad voice. "I was hoping that we could put this conversation off for another hundred years or so, but it wasn't meant to be."
"Wha...?" Harry croaked out.
Lily came forward and stood next to Sal. She tentatively touched Harry's face, her fingers trembling. "Oh, honey," she began. "We can only talk to you because you have a choice to make. You are on the edge between life and death."
Harry stared at her, but couldn't speak from both shock and his physical condition.
Sirius came up to his other side and squeezed his hand. "The choice you have is to either go with us or stay here."
Harry opened his mouth to speak, but Lily laid a finger on his lips.
"Wait and think about it for a while."
Sal nodded. "If you go with us, you won't be able to talk to your friends for a long time. Your friend Ron is slated to live a long time, as is his brother Bill, and your friend Hermione."
"Res... Weas... leys...?" Harry managed.
"Ginny, Molly and George are here, and Arthur will soon be coming to join them," Sirius answered sadly. "Ron and Fred will need a friend to get them through the tough spots."
Lily sighed. "I'm sorry to have to make you choose, Harry. We'll give you time to think it over."
"...Petunia was always like that," Lily said.
Harry grinned. He now had enough fodder to blackmail Aunt Petunia into behaving. He paused, thinking that over. It looked like he had chosen to stay in the land of the living, he guessed, especially if he was thinking of ways to get revenge on the Dursleys.
"You've decided, haven't you, Harry?" Salazar intoned sadly.
He nodded jerkily. While the pain had gone away while he was thinking his decision over, his body was stiff and there was still a dull throb with movement. Now that he was sure of his decision, the pain was beginning to creep in again.
Tears dripped from Lily's eyes, as Salazar pulled her close. Sirius stepped forward and gave him a light hug, reaching and taking hold of Harry's hand once more.
"Take care, Harry," Sirius said. He gave a light squeeze. "You take care of Remus, and make sure James stays out of trouble."
Harry laughed slightly, trying not to move too much. "I will, Sirius."
Sirius let go of Harry's hand and moved towards the door, which had begun to glow with a golden light. "By the way, Harry," he said as he paused and turned around to look at him. "Thanks for getting rid of my mother's portrait. I wished I had been able to see it first hand."
Harry blinked rapidly, refusing to let his tears fall. He hadn't cried when Sirius fell through the veil, and he wouldn't ruin this short reunion with them. He gave a short nod. "No problem, Sirius."
Sirius waved. "See you later, Harry," he said. He stepped through the door and disappeared.
Salazar stepped even closer to Harry's bed, his hands moving to rest on Harry, one on his head, the other taking hold of his hand. "I'm glad that I finally got to talk to you, Harry. Even if it was only for a short while."
He gave a weak smile as a wave of pain swept over him.
"Sal, he's waking up," Lily said, laying a hand on top of Salazar's, where it lay on top of Harry's.
The tall man nodded. "I'll make this fast then." He took a calming breath as a tear fell. "I love you, Harry, and I'm so proud of you. When you get the chance, please visit my chamber. Behind where the basilisk was there is a library. Take all of the books and burn them. Just make sure you save a book called the 'Slytherin Grimoire.' In it, there's all of my notes on a cure for lycanthropy that I started because of Lily."
Another wave of pain washed over him, more intense than the last one. Harry gritted his teeth against it. A cool hand covered his forehead with a soothing touch as he closed his eyes.
"Harry..." Lily began.
He opened his eyes to meet ones just like them.
"I love you, son. I have from the moment I knew I would have you." She gave a wobbly smile as tears dripped down her face. "Please tell James that I did love him, even if he wasn't my true love. And tell Remus that I will always hold a place in my heart for him, because he loves you, Harry, and not just for being my friend." She gave a sob and turned away, her cooling hand falling off Harry's now burning forehead.
Salazar squeezed his hand. "We will see you again, son. I promise it won't take forever."
Harry moaned, unable to voice anything through the pain. The tears he had held back when Sirius left spilled forth. He wanted to say half a dozen things at once, but nothing would come out of his throat, the pain burning a line down the core of his body.
He nodded and closed his eyes, knowing that this would be the last time he saw his parents for a long while. He couldn't keep them open, though. Not with the pain racking his body. Harry gave a silent goodbye as the pain overwhelmed him and he fell into darkness.
Bill Weasley walked towards Remus, holding a tray with three mugs of coffee and several sandwiches. He had paused at Harry's room for a brief moment, as it lay between the stairs he had taken from the cafeteria and the waiting room where Remus sat.
"He's waking up, Remus."
He stood. "Can I see him?"
Bill shook his head. "I asked the healer, but he said we couldn't see him until after they give him a checkup."
Remus sat back down and stared across the room to where James was sleeping. The other man's injuries still bothered him a month after the battle. Remus himself had healed quickly, but he had suffered a terrible time during the full moon two weeks ago. The moon had been the closest one of the year, making the pull that much stronger.
Bill handed him a coffee mug and set the tray floating between them, taking the time to set a warming charm on the third as he took one for himself.
"When is Ron getting here?" Remus asked after taking a sip of coffee.
Billing finished chewing a bite. "He was coming once Minerva finished speaking at the Ministry. Then both of them were going to floo in."
Remus nodded. As the new Headmistress of Hogwarts, Minerva was required to be present at the Wizengamot trial of Draco Malfoy. The Slytherin prefect had been one of the few survivors among the Death Eaters of the battle. He had also been the one to kidnap Severus Snape in the incident that had eventually killed him.
Ron had been an earlier witness in the trial of Peter Pettigrew. Remus' old friend had been brought up on charges ranging from his original crime of selling the Potters to Voldemort and killing the Muggles in the street that he'd framed Sirius for, to charges stemming from the battle of Hogwarts. The rat animagus had given vital information about Hogwarts' infrastructure to Voldemort. That one, Remus and James had attended. Remus had been satisfied to see the gibbering wreck Wormtail had become as the Dementors - properly cowed by the Ministry, Fudge declared, but really only scared of what Harry might do to them now that he'd properly defeated Voldemort - took him away to Azkaban. His former friend would spend twelve years there before being given the kiss, a fitting retribution for what Sirius had had to suffer.
There was a bustle down the hallway. Remus stood once more, putting his coffee down, and moved towards the healer coming towards the waiting room.
The lime-green robed man smiled at Remus. "Mr. Lupin. Mr. Potter is awake and doing very well. He's still going to be in quite a bit of pain for a while, but he will recover from his injuries."
"May I see him now?"
The healer nodded. "Keep it short, though. Mr. Potter needs plenty of rest for the potions we've given him to work."
Remus was practically in Harry's room by the time the man finished. He slowed as he entered, giving a beaming smile to Harry. Harry looked to already be half-asleep, but seemed to be fighting it.
His glasses were a bit crooked because of a bandage that covered the right side of his face and went down his cheek to his chin. There was another bandage covering his scar, a slightly pink cast to it because it still bled sluggishly. Harry's right leg was in what Hermione had called traction to keep it immobilized. The bone had been shattered and, while it had been regrown with Skele-Gro, the tendons, muscles, and nerves had to regenerate on their own. He'd also had some internal injuries that had come from the explosion that had ended Harry's battle against Voldemort.
"How are you feeling?" Remus asked as he sat down.
"Could... better," Harry said in a rough voice. "You... 'k?"
Remus nodded. "I'm doing good. James is sleeping in the waiting room, and he's doing good, as well."
Harry swallowed, and Remus winced at the pained look that crossed his face. He started coughing in a barking manner, from deep in his chest. Remus stood and held a cup of water to Harry's lips. The younger man's hands were shaking too badly to hold it.
"Better?" Remus asked as Harry turned from the cup.
"Thans..."
Remus sat back down and waited for Harry to settle back down. He was panting slightly from his coughing bout, and his face had gone pale.
"Ron?" Harry finally asked.
Remus sighed. He wasn't sure if he should just give the information he had or wait until the next time he spoke with Harry. Well, he may as well answer the question asked.
"He's fine, Harry. He's been helping Professor McGonagall at the Ministry this past week."
Harry nodded slowly and opened his mouth to speak when a young woman in healer's robes opened the door.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Lupin," she said. "Healer Marceaux said fifteen minutes. I gave you twenty." She gave a smile in apology. "Mr. Potter needs to get some rest. I promise to let you know the next time Mr. Potter wakes."
Remus looked at Harry, who was mid-yawn. He could see the signs he'd missed earlier that indicated Harry was really fighting the potions. There were great, black circles under Harry's eyes, and his movements were sluggish. He stood and picked up Harry's hand, giving a comforting squeeze.
"Get some rest, Harry. We can talk then." He smiled at the younger man, nodded at the healer, and went down to the waiting room to talk to Bill, a recently arrived Ron and Minerva, and a now awake James.
It seemed like all Harry would do all day was sleep. He would wake up for half an hour, talk to one of his friends, and then go to sleep again. Most of it was from the potions, he knew, but it was getting quite monotonous after an entire week. The good part of it, though, was that he didn't feel any pain when sleeping.
There were three healers assigned to him, making him wonder if they had any other patients besides him. Healer Marceaux reminded him of Professor McGonagall when she was trying to help him. As primary caregiver, he had tended to Harry for his most sever injuries. The healer had explained in plain terms what they were doing to correct them. The other two healers were new, having just completed their training, so his being their first patient was likely.
Remus and James had visited everyday since he'd woken, barring that first visit with only Remus. The older man had not exaggerated the extent of damage done to James, as the other man still had problems. James had been the one to take out Narcissa Malfoy totally, but she had gotten in a bloodletting curse to his leg. The leg had healed, but it was slow. He'd also had to replenish the blood lost, which wasn't the easiest thing to get him to do, as he tended to escape his healers.
Harry had found out from James how Remus had fared, as well as the damage from the full moon. It had brought back what his father had said about the Chamber of Secrets.
When Harry had woken up, he had remembered everything that had happened in that strange 'dream.' It really hadn't been that, but he didn't know how else to describe it. Opening his eyes, he had been able to smell the faint scent of magnolias, the scent that Lily had worn, that was totally out of place at St. Mungo's. If he could find someone that could finish what Salazar had started, Remus wouldn't have to go through all that agony.
"Mr. Potter?"
He looked up to see Healer Mannings, one of the healers treating him, in the doorway. She smiled and walked over to him.
"Healer Marceaux is coming to check up on your leg. If it is healed enough, I'll be starting your physical therapy. The muscles and tendons will probably be pretty stiff."
Harry nodded, resigned to the pain that was involved with his leg. At least she was nice, even if she had admitted to having a crush on him. It wasn't bad, but not entirely comfortable feeling.
Two hours later, sweat was pouring off his face and pain ran in rivers through his leg.
"That was excellent, Harry!" the healer exclaimed.
Harry glowered at her. He was ready to throttle her just for her enthusiasm. A throb of pain distracted him long enough for the healer to escape.
He didn't have to wait long for someone else to enter though. Five minutes later, James came barreling in. Remus came after him at a more sedate pace, carrying a bag of good smelling food. Harry smiled at them both, glad for the company after that therapy session.
"Look what we got you, Harry," James said as he plopped down in a chair. "We brought you some Hogwarts food!"
Harry's eyes widened as Remus elaborated.
"Dobby thought you would like to have a feast tonight, seeing as it's September first."
"Already?" Harry asked.
James nodded and handed Harry a plate loaded with roast beef and potatoes. Remus frowned and set a bowl divided between corn and spinach on Harry's bed tray beside the plate.
"Remember, you fought Voldemort a week after school was let out," Remus said as he finished fixing his own plate. "You were in a coma for four and a half weeks, and you've been awake for three."
Harry mentally totaled up the time before nodding and digging into his food. He ate a bite of beef, savoring the flavor. Everything that he'd ever heard about hospital food was true, and he was going to enjoy this break.
Once they were done eating, Harry relaxed against the pillows.
"When did Healer Marceaux say you could be released to Madam Pomphrey?" James asked.
Harry shrugged. "Depends on how well my PT goes this week."
"PT?" Remus asked.
"Physical Therapy," Harry explained. "If I can manage to get through it this week, he said I could be moved as early as next Monday."
"Good," James nodded. "Ron said to tell you he'll probably need for you to rescue him from Hermione. He was already complaining about the schedule she's set up for the NEWTs."
Harry laughed. That sounded like his friends. He was glad that they were also trying to get back to normal. When he had first talked to Ron, his friend had broken down in his grief over his family. Harry had wanted to offer him the same comfort he'd gotten from Sirius, Lily and Salazar, but it would sound like he'd hallucinated the whole thing. He'd done the best he could though, listening to Ron and giving a friendly - yet manly - hug here and there.
Hermione had come and visited a couple of times since Harry had woken and had visited once before then, while Harry was still deep in a coma. She had been in Spain with her parents when Harry and the others had fought Voldemort and his Death Eaters. Harry was glad that she had missed it; he could still remember, in detail, Hermione's fighting in the Ministry and the deal with Dolohov. If she had been there at Hogwarts, Harry would have been worried too much to really concentrate.
"Harry?"
He looked up and saw James and Remus looking at him with worried faces. "What?"
James grinned. "We lost you for a moment. Daydreaming?"
"Not really. I was thinking of Ron and Hermione. It's going to being different this year." He just wondered how different it was really going to be.
Epilogue
Healer Mannings gave Harry a smile. "It's looking very healthy, Mr. Potter. I'm going to officially release you as my patient." She tried to give a stern look, but didn't quite manage. "I don't want to be seeing you at St. Mungo's like you were, ever again."
Harry laughed. "I wouldn't bet on it." Especially if he survived Auror training. NEWT scores were due back in a week, at which time the MLE would announce who made the cut. Tonks had already told Harry that he'd made it, just on the fact that he'd managed to kill Bellatrix LeStrange - the top wanted on the Ministry's list - let alone Voldemort.
Harry grinned at the healer. "Thanks. For everything."
She smiled back. "No problem. Now get out of here."
He ran out of the examination room, robes flapping. It felt good to run again. Ten months of physical therapy, along with basic Auror training exercises, had gotten his body back to what it had been year ago. Actually, it was better than it had been, a fact he'd been bemoaning to Ron and Hermione when younger girls would watch him when eating in the Great Hall.
Harry had spent the first month of his seventh year in hospital; first for a week at St. Mungo's, and then another three at Hogwarts. His various teachers had sent him his homework, but he had actually been glad to go to classes and escape healers and mediwitches masquerading as school nurses.
James met him at the entrance to the Muggle world, where he was trying to flirt with a girl who looked way too young for him. Harry tapped him on the shoulder, and the girl used the opportunity to escape.
"Harry! You done?"
He nodded. "You do know she was probably only fourteen?"
James laughed. "Yeah. But no harm in just flirting, right?"
"You keep telling yourself that, James. I just won't be the one to bail you out of Muggle gaol."
The other man shrugged. "Whatever you say, Harry."
They walked towards The Leady Cauldron, chatting about whether or not England stood a chance against Russia in the first round of World Quidditch games starting later in the week.
"Remus said he'd meet us in Flourish and Blotts," James said as they made their way to the wall that sat behind the pub. "He wanted to pick up a couple of books before we go to the house."
Harry smiled. Remus was notorious for going into the bookstore for one book and coming out with a dozen. Which brought him to Harry's find in the Chamber of Secrets. He had found the book Salazar had talked about. When he had found the notes described, he had taken it to Hermione. She, in turn, had gone to McGonagall to have Snape's notes on Wolfsbane brought from the Ministry. James had volunteered to help, having nothing else to do, and the two of them had figured out the missing steps.
Now, Remus was free of the curse that had kept him out of society.
"Harry!"
He turned just in time to get an armful of curvy blonde. Harry smiled even as he recovered his balance, squeezing the waist he held enough to earn a squeak.
"Harry!" the blonde girl slapped him on his shoulder as he let her down.
"Hi, Susan," greeted James beside Harry.
"Hi," Harry said as he leaned over and gave her a light kiss. "I thought you weren't going to get away until later?"
Susan Bones shrugged. "Aunt Amelia said that I was making her nervous. I only was asking her some questions."
Harry laughed. His girlfriend of four months was known around Hogwarts as the most curious girl outside of Hermione. She asked questions the way Ron knew Quidditch stats.
"We were just going to meet Remus and then go back to the house," Harry said, guiding Susan in the direction that James had taken off into. "Want to join us?"
"Sure." She slipped her hand into Harry's.
He smiled and knew this was right. All the people that he'd ever loved held his hand, from Sirius to Remus and James, and now to Susan. His father had done so, in those brief moments that already seemed an age ago. One day he would meet with his parents again, and this time he could tell them more. But not now.
Harry looked over at Susan as they paused for someone to exit the bookshop.
He had other things to do before then.
Fin.