Arrggg! another horrible delay, can't believe this, and i ask others to update quickly... grrrh. fuck... well, also my horrible computer has something to do with me updating this late. seems like a woman in her periond, and i'm not lying. Have to ask it please for nearly everything it does! Well, leave you to read if ya want

Cap 4: Future Is Not Set In Stone

Harry was sitting one of the couches of the sitting area of his room. He sat there staring at the fire, deep in thought. He was thinking about the past six months. Yes, there have passed six months for him and a month for his classmates, or more exactly 180 days in the Elven Realm and 30 days in the Earth Realm. He was thinking about his parents who had miraculously come back to life and had started to know them. He had cried and laughed with them, climbed and fall and still couldn't believe it fully. He thought about his training. It was hard and tiring, but he knew that if he trained hard and constant he'd be good enough to defeat Voldemort. In mid thought a knock on the door and cringing joints announced the entrance of his parents to his room.

'Harry?' asked his mother's voice as he heard them move near him and sit, Lily at his right and James to his left .

'Son,' started his father, 'we wanted to talk to you about - the prophesies.' At these words Harry's head shot up looking at his father questioningly.

'Well, you know there are two prophesies around you,' continued his mother in a soft tone and he turned to look at her. 'You know both of them and you know that one involves your father also. I don't know if you have asked yourself why I am here.' Harry nodded in answer. 'Yeah… your father and I are Soul Mates, and our bond is one of the strongest ones. That means if he dies, I don't have much more lifetime left. But it also means that I'll age at his rhythm. That doesn't affect any of us now, but maybe, in the future, if one of us dies, you will be warned that the other will not live longer.'

Harry lowered his head hiding his fear. He had just regained his parents and he could lose them both in a second.

Two strong arms enveloped him in a tight embrace and a soft voice filled his ear as he rested his head on his father chest as his arms held him. 'Do not worry Harry. We just got to know you and we will not let you or our lives go tearing our family apart again. We are back together as the family we are and nothing will change that,' said his mother soothingly as two tears rolled down his cheek and one down hers.

'I know you can't promise not to leave me, but…' Harry couldn't continue his sentence as fear for losing his parents and a strong sense of dread overwhelmed him. 'I missed you so much,' he whispered with a cracking voice as he loosed his father's embrace and went to hug his mother.

'Well,' started her mother in a lighter tone. 'We came here not only to tell you that we are Soul Mates, but also to clarify some things. I think that you have been told a lot of times that no one can come from death, and that is true.' Harry opened his mouth to ask the obvious, but his mother raised a hand telling him to stay silent as she continued. 'Yes, we were supposed to be dead, but we really weren't.'

'It really is quite strange,' continued his father with a lightening tone. 'We were somewhere between life and death, in the Sea Of Eternity we could say, or Oblivion. We had no sense of time or space. We just were. Most of what we have teach you and what we will teach you, we learned it in this other world. We also…' hetrailed away as his expression turned dark and pained. After a bit of hesitation he continued, 'We were not able to feel'

'What's that s'pposed to mean?' asked Harry frowning slightly at his father evasive eyes. 'Dad?'

'We were devoid of soul' said his father in a soft whisper.

'WHAT!' shouted Harry wide-eyed, jumping of the couch, looking at his parents in horror. 'How… how could that happened…' At this point Harry's eyen narrowed as he looked suspiciously at James an Lily. 'How can I know that your souls are the ones of my parents? And don't put the time we've been together as proof 'cause I know of very good actors.' He ended walking away from the sitting area and backing away a few steps towards the bookshelves.

'Harry. Please, son,' stared Lily in the verge of tears as she looked at his son directly in the eyes, trying to make her feelings reach him. She stood up as she continued, 'Harry, please, believe us, it's us, your parents. Please Harry… please!' she ended openly crying, her hands one over the other and on her chest as she slowly walked nearer her son. But every step forwards she took, Harry stepped one back.

Harry was also in tears. He wanted to believe that they were his parents, but his common sense told him that he had no proof. In less than twenty steps he was flat against a bookshelf and horror mixed with the pain and sorrow swirled in his eyes.

'Oh, Harry, please believe us. You have been with us half a year, you have trusted us, why cant it continue that way?' asked Lily between sobs.

'I can accept that you resurrected, that your bodies and mind-souls separated and are the same as when you died, but how, HOW THE BLOODY HELL can I know that you are my parents if you may not have the same SOULS!' he ended shouting, shutting his eyes firmly and shaking his head as if all of itwas an illusion, then opening them again loooking at the people in front of him coldly.

'Harry, please' said James standing up from the couch and walking next to his wife. As he neared, Harry was able to see the tears in his eyes. 'If there is just a way we can prove we are your parents, tell us… Please.'

But Harry just shook his head. He was confused. Terribly so. Something inside him told him that these were his parents, but he didn't know if to trust it or not. He had been with this people half a year, believing them his parents, but he didn't know, like other children, how to recognize his real parents, as he just had been with them a year, of which he remembered only its last minutes. How could he trust that vague and strange feeling that may only be his desire for his dream to come true? How?

'Son, please,' whispered Lily.

He wanted to stop them calling him son, but he couldn't make his mouth open, let alone talk. He fell to his knees, sobbing slightly as wild tears ran down his cheeks in miniature cascades. He felt a hand that he recognized as James' on his right shoulder and shivered. How could he know the truth if they were giving him what he always wanted; family and love? He simply couldn't. But then a strange feeling surged from the deepest of his heart and soul as a lighter and more delicate hand, that was Lily's, lied on his left shoulder. Something that reassured him and told him that they told the truth. And he knew it wasn't the other people's creation, but his own self telling him the truth. He looked up to meet the watery eyes of his mother, who was kneeling in front of him, and promptly threw himself into her arms which received him openly.

They stayed that way for a couple of minutes till Harry broke the embrace and looked up at his father, who was standing behind him to his right, still with one hand on his shoulder. He slowly stood up and looked deeply into his father eyes. Then he murmured a soft 'Sorry' before hugging his father tightly, being answered with the same amount of love and kindness.

'There's no need to be sorry, son,' said Lily's voice from his back. He then felt two firm but delicate arms envelope him and his father protectively. 'We knew something like this could happen. We even expected, if it happened, you to never look at us again,' she ended in a lower tone.

'But that isn't the case' Harry said, his tone more confident and smiling up at his father.

'That's luckily the truth' answered the black haired man smiling back. Then he asked after a few silent seconds, 'Do you want us to continue with the story or would you prefer to continue tomorrow?'

'No. I want to know... the whole truth,' Harry answered firmly.

'OK' stated his father andpushed them back to the sitting area of Harry's room. As they sat he restarted the stoy. 'As I said before, we were separated from our souls, being just minds in nothingness that learned whatever they were taught. We knew we hadn't died even if we should have, we knew we had to learn whatever we were taught, but being devoid of soul, we felt nothing emotionally speaking. We only knew the other was alive because of our bond. And I think that the following is the worst of it... That- that we knew you were in earth and alive, but we couldn't care about it. We cared about nothing,' he concluded looking away from his son's eyes as Lily lowered her head to also avoid Harry's gaze.

But Harry couldn't care now, this strange reasuring feeling still withing him. They had been soulless so it wasn't their fault, and what mattered was that they felt bad about it when they did have their souls back. It wasn't as if they didn't care. On the contrary, they were ashamed of it, even if it was inevitable.

'Dad, Mum, it really wasn't your fault. You had no power over whatever set you in the Land of Eternity. "Don't feel bad because you couldn't do the impossible." That was what you once told me, Mum, and nowI say it to both of you. And now that I understand a little, I don't care about it. You couldn't help it and so it wasn't you fault. And we've been caching up with the lost time pretty well, I think. I told you my story, and you know "Family" is a term that I only know for Sirius and blood bonds. The months in here with you have been the best of my live. You don't know how much they mean to me,' he ended, his gaze lowered as silent tears ran down his cheeks again and as a strange smile cracked his face.

They sat there in a peaceful silence, deep in their own thoughts, the three of them reliving the events of the last six month that they had passed in the castle, and the past hour events. All the happy, sad, tense and scary moments they had gone through their stance in the Elven Land of Earth. After a couple of minutes of memory reliving, Harry turned to his mother and muttering 'Thank you' he hugged her from around her waist and buried his face in her chest. It took Lily only some seconds to get over her surprise before returning the embrace tightly. As they stayed that way for long seconds, from Harry's back, James hugged them both his son and wife enveloping them with his arms.

They stayed that way for a couple of minutes more before James righted himself and Harry loosed her mother's embrace, leaving just on hand around her waist.

'Harry,' her mother started looking at him deeply in the eyes. 'We know, you don't like having these prophecies hanging above you, but we want you to understand that non of them is an obligation.'

Harry just raised an eyebrow as his father continued. 'You know the first part of the elven prophecy has been fulfilled, but that doesn't mean that you have to do what follows. The past is written, we all know that. But future isn't. You built your future and destiny. Your decisions make your future, not what someone else says.'

'You see, Harry,' continued his mother. 'You told us your first night here, and so we know you feel the burden of the whole world on your shoulders. But that's not the true. You are free to choose your path in life and to make your own decisions as your heart, conscience and mind tell you.'

'Your future is yours for you to make it. Never think of any of the prophecies as a responsibility. And if you're asking yourself why are we training you, it's because you're powerful, and wild and uncontrolled power is useless and dangerous. Both for you and the ones surrounding you,' said his father, his voice drilling every word in Harry's head, making sure he will always remember them.

'But, Son' started his mother again after a short and comfortable silence. 'If you decide to follow the path of the prophecies, be sure we will always be there for you, and we will never doubt you abilities to fulfill both prophecies.'

Harry smiled widely at these words, and swiftly turned to hug his mother tightly. This motion caught Lily by surprise, but she hugged her son back after composing herself.

James was looking from afar the scene, and smiled softly seen that his son was happy with them. Harry had been barely able to stop him from going to the Dursleys and cursing them to the seventh hell, and he still wanted to. He couldn't believe that they had treat him that bad. He knew Petunia and her husband disliked magic terribly, but never thought they would go that far. And also couldn't believe that Dumbledore had left his son with those ogres. He always thought that if betrayal had to come, Dumbledore would at least do something reasonable, but never leaving his son with the Dursleys. He had promised himself that he'd do anything to make his son happy since the moment he heard the story. And he was doing so, which made him happier than anything, except his wife.

'Thanks, Mum. For all,' Harry whispered softly in his mother's ear. Then he turned to his father and said a little louder. 'And thank you Dad.'

'Thank you, Son,' replied James hugging Harry tightly. 'Thank you for being the best son any parent could ask for.'

Harry smiled into his father chest and then asked with a muffled voice. 'Where's Remus? And how is he?'

Both his parents laughed at his antics but his mother, composing herself quickly, asked, 'What did you say, Harry?'

Harry, pushing his way out of his father's embrace, asked both questions again and then sat properly in his place.

Still giggling a little his mother answered his questions. 'I've succeed in drilling in his mind that being a werewolf isn't bad, on the contrary, quite a gift, and that if he trusted his transformations, the moon, the wolf within him and himself, his transformations would be less painful, and he won't be just a mad murderer wolf. Took long but it was worth it,' she ended proudly.

'You actually convinced him that being a werewolf isn't bad!' James nearly shouted looking at Lily incredulous.

'Yes I have' Lily answered smiling smugly.

'Great Mom! But you still don't answer my questions,' Harry interrupted his parents.

'Oh, sorry dear. He's in the forest now, and before the moon raised he was much better than how he was the last moon.'

'Good! It obviously could be better, but at least he suffers much less than before. Lucky him' James commented.

'What is it? Jealous, love' Lily asked teasingly and then started laughing in a soft and melodious way, charming James to the point he was drooling. On the other hand, Harry simply couldn't stop laughing

'Dad, your drooling,' Harry pointed out after a few minutes of uncontrolled laughter, with tears of mirth in his eyes and on his cheeks.

At these words James seemed to wake up from a nightmare, eyes snapping open and a horrified expression on his face. He then glared at Lily and Harry, before standing from the couch mumbling who-knows-what as he walked out of the room. Meanwhile, mother and son couldn't help bursting out laughing again at their husband/father's attitude.

Harry and Lily continued talking about their time in the castle, Harry's studies and training, and about some discoveries Harry had made. After an hour or so of talking, Lily bead her son good night, as did Harry to his mother, and both went to bed, Lily leaving the room after a quick peck on Harry's cheek.

well, that's all, thanks for the reviews, but ideas would be a little better, please, cause i nead them.

read ya, Lin