Second Edition
After a long while in his own thoughts, Harry's further contemplation about Cassandra Trelawney and her prophecy concerning the Necromancy tomes was interrupted.
"Potter! How did you get in there!" yelled Malfoy. Harry's face snapped to the direction of the voice. He got up from the floor with wand in hand. He wasn't about to be taken down so easily.
"Malfoy," said Harry coolly, greeting the blonde haired young man.
"Must I ask again how you got in there?" snapped Malfoy. Harry rolled his eyes.
"Apparently the owner of this house was prepared for my entrance," said Harry, his sarcasm evident in his voice. Malfoy snorted and Harry saw that Snape had joined Malfoy.
"Well, why don't you let us in?" asked Snape snidely. "If indeed the owner was prepared for you, surely you can let us in?"
"Not a chance. Anyway, I decided I'm not going to hunt the books anymore," said Harry, sighing.
"I don't believe you," drawled Snape.
"Believe what you will, Snape, but I am not going to hunt any more books," snarled Harry. "I found a bloody impossible obstacle in my path and she's clever," he spat. "Now, if you will excuse me—"
"No, we won't excuse you, said Malfoy, his wand trained on Harry.
"Do that and you will face dire consequences," threatened Harry. Malfoy hesitated and put his wand back down at his sides, glaring at Harry. "Thought so—"
"Petrificus Totalis!" cried Snape, and before Harry could even react, he was frozen. A loud thud was heard as he made contact with the floor. "Good, now… moblicorpus."
Harry's body floated out of the house and stopped before Snape. Harry tried his best to break out of the confines of the hex. He couldn't believe that he had been so easily caught off guard. His eyes were held firm in a glare, shooting daggers at Snape like the face of death. Snape ignored the looks, but not without a slight shudder through his arms.
"You will tell us why you decided to… stop looking for the tomes you seek. Haven't you destroyed them all?" Harry made no movement due to the hex that was hold him. "Never mind that, I'll soon learn about that. As for your abysmal behaviour for the entire summer, I will exact my debts on you."
Harry had no idea what Snape was blabbering on about and his eyes showed an incredulous, confused stare. Snape carried on the conversation while Malfoy stood there, an amused look on his face.
"What I mean, for your simple-minded brain, is to get rid of this lousy debt I've carried since your idiotic father saved me."
Harry wanted to say something, to argue that he already had saved his life.
"Ah, you think I've had my debt repaid? No, Potter, I haven't. I still feel the claws of the debt around my soul, waiting to be set free," he said, his eyes boring into Harry's. "I will end the long-standing debt now…"
Harry desperately wanted to ask how Snape could end a Wizard's debt such as his when Harry was clearly not in any danger, excluding the two that stood before him. His brain put two and two together and his eyes grew large.
"Oh yes," said Snape, smirking at Harry's sudden change of expression. "Draco, do as you wish," he said as he stepped back.
"Of course, Severus," said Malfoy with glee, brandishing his wand on Harry again. "Now, as for your threat earlier," he sneered. "Finite Incatatum, crucio!" Draco threw the two spells in quick succession. Harry screamed in agony as soon the spell hit his chest. White-hot pain filled him as he felt every bone in him crushing, including the very bones in his ears. Tendons ripped, skin scalded and burned, muscles poked with burning needles. His eyes swelled larger than his sockets could hold. He couldn't stand the pain; he wanted to give in. Give in to the agony of his body and be stuck within his own mind. Something snapped inside of him and the pain was no longer. Had it been seconds? Minutes? He didn't know, but he indulged himself in the feeling. It had ended.
"Potter, it ends here now," spoke a soft voice that he could barely recognise. He felt lightweight, as though he was floating. Perhaps he was. His muscles were shuddering against the mere movements of the mobilisation. Before he knew it, he felt something soft and light on his back. Was he in a bed now? What was going on?
"Y—kno—sh—n't—lon—ane?" Harry tried to listen to the voice, but it was far too garbled for his mind to handle. Sighing, he accepted the darkness as he fell asleep.
The pain filled him when he woke from his slumber. He found that he could move easily and yet, the pain was there. He didn't understand why he felt pain. Was the pain within him or in his bones? He vaguely heard some voices speaking to him. Harry couldn't tell if he was standing or if he still in his bed. Maybe he was walking, as he could see some shapes moving past him. Were they—the objects—alive?
What was going on? He felt something—someone—somewhere pulling his arm to lead him someplace different. For some reason, he couldn't tell between a step and an obstacle and Harry realised that someone, or perhaps an animal, was sniffling. Harry wanted to scream, but he felt no need to. The pain was gone, yet there was still some pain within. Was his mind fooling him?
He couldn't tell. He desperately wished he knew what was real and what wasn't. He heard voices. Some where familiar but he couldn't tell whose they were as he was too focused on which pain was real and which was fake… Did his ears hurt? The tingling in his fingers was obvious. Why were they tingling with pain? He tried refocusing on his surroundings and nearly failed. He caught some unfamiliar words that didn't make sense and yet they did.
"I apologise—repaid—Mungos…"
What about the Mungos? Was it a fruit? A place to stay? A person? Was that his name? His thoughts were so jumbled, he couldn't possibly think that he could answer all of his questions now. He mumbled incoherently, trying to phrase some of the questions. He vaguely wondered if the room had suddenly become quiet or if his mind had finally silenced itself.
"—rry? D—eak—ing!" cried a voice that he couldn't place. His fingers were constantly trying to grip something, something that he recognised and yet he couldn't. He gave up trying to speak. Then everything was dim again. Harry never knew how long it had been since he was half-coherent, but something woke his brain. A soft melody was playing near his ears.
Fly away, fly awayFrom all the dangers
Coward and always be a coward
No such freedom will ever be rangers
Definition of Cowardice—never
Paranoia, paranoia, paranoia everywhere
Flying away, fly, fly, fly!
Flee the dangers!
None like the great chivalrous there
Aurors stand with courage
Bang, bang!
All down for count—fly!
Teachers give lessons
Bang, bang!
Treachery and lies—fly!
Love of another
Bang, bang!
Betrayal, shunned, denial and suicide—fly!
Fly away, fly away, fly, fly!
So much fear, paranoia and hidden truths
Fear onto fear, hide beyond hide
Fly, fly, fly, fly and flee!
Harry felt moved by the song. It reminded him of something. Could it be about himself? Why did the song shake him so much? He didn't know if he was walking or not, but he heard that the melody was getting louder as he moved. Realisation had dawn upon him. He had been cloaked in this invisible pain. He hated the imagined pain and wanted it all to end. His mind snapped into reality and saw for the first time in a long time, the faces of the Longbottoms. Everything flashed before his eyes; his short living with his parents when they were alive, the stay with the Dursleys, Hogwarts, Ron, Hermione, Dumbledore, the adventures, the Final Battle and the hunt for the tomes. He collapsed to the ground, his kneed buckled from the overwhelming memories.
They were flooding his mind. He couldn't stand the thought of suffering a great long life in short life. How long had it been? Why did he end up like this? He remembered Snape and Malfoy and felt a smack across his face. The debt must have surely ended yet he felt the betrayal beyond words of description. He felt a hand on his shoulder and he looked up and glanced into the very eyes of his old professor who taught Potions. He blinked. Was that concern? Concern in the man most notoriously famous for his cold exterior?
"Potter?" he asked softly. Harry tried to speak. He could understand what he was saying. "I think you need to come back to bed…" Harry shook his head. "… Potter?" he asked with scepticism.
"P-pro-professa," spoke Harry, straining his voice. The words felt strange on his tongue. He tried again, "Professor…"he said.
"I don't believe it," said another voice that Harry recognised.
"I… what…" spoke Harry slowly.
"Harry… it's been a year…" said a feminine voice, full of sorrow.
"A… year?" asked Harry. Had he been out that long?
"You've been up but you never recognised the surroundings…" explained the same feminine voice.
"You've been tortured into insanity," said another voice with harshness. "It's a good thing that git is in Azkaban."
"Malfoy?" asked Harry, trying to get rid of all the surrealism in his mind. "Why is he in Azkaban when I made a deal that he wouldn't…?"
"Harry, he tortured you into insanity!" she said. Harry looked at the girl to which the voice belonged. He recognised her instantly.
"Hermy…" mumbled Harry. She flustered and Ron sniggered.
"Oh Harry," cried Hermione, flinging her arms around Harry. She laughed as her tears rolled down the cheeks. Harry slowly put his arms around her and saw another boy behind her, looking at him sadly. Harry tilted his head, wondering how he knew this boy.
"Neville?" asked Harry. He grinned at Harry and nodded.
"How did you—I mean… break out?" asked Neville quietly. Hermione pulled away from Harry.
"I… I heard the song…" said Harry, his eyes glazed. "It reminded me… of myself, the struggles… my thoughts were so jumbled and the pain… I thought they were real, and they weren't. I mean…" He trailed off. "And yet, it wasn't just me, but the people I had loved… and the people such as my parents had loved, like… Wormtail… At one time… I had wanted to die, be in blissful peace."
He sighed, "I really am a coward, more than any of you will ever know. I wanted to protect you all, so I wanted to leave in peace…"
"Harry…" said Hermione quietly but didn't speak more after that. Harry saw another familiar face, a boy with red hair.
"Ron?" asked Harry hopefully.
"Hey mate," said Ron, grinning cheerfully as Harry spotted Neville walking to his parents. He saw the same familiar face of both Alice and Frank Longbottom. He pulled away from his friends and approached Neville.
"Do you… do you know how they're thinking? I mean, what they're thinking?" asked Neville quietly. "My gran… she died a few months back," he said with a sniff. "I've been visiting both of you since her death."
Harry felt touched by his sentiments and glanced at the pair of tortured victims. "Yeah, I know how they're feeling," replied Harry. "They're still feeling the pain that had been inflicted upon them… they're trying to recognise their surroundings and form words but fail…" He touched Alice's face softly, and felt something leaving him.
Before the pair, Alice's eyes blinked and the glazed look vanished. Neville looked shocked as he stared at her.
"M-mum?" asked Neville hesitantly. She looked at him with confused look.
"Wh—who—who're you?" asked Alice, trying to speak.
"I'm… Neville," he replied, staring at her.
"H—ho—how lon—long had—has it been?" she asked fearfully, touching her son with hesitance.
"Almost twenty years…" he said, sniffling as he hugged his mother. "I missed you so much. Every visit I saw you was painful, seeing the pair of you…." He trailed, looking at his father. Her eyes followed the line of Neville's and gasped.
"F-Frank…" she murmured, touching her husband, eyes filled with tears. Some of the life appeared in his eyes and it took a long time for him to comprehend his surroundings.
Hermione turned to face Snape with confusion in her eyes. "How are they coming back?" He didn't say anything, observing the three victims of Cruciatus curse, then sighed.
"I'm not sure, perhaps it was one of music, containing magic. As Albus had said… Music was one of the magical… strong magical types of spells. Apparently, the words that Fawkes sang to Harry made sense. He indeed had seemed to… translate some bits of it…"
Harry realised that a large red bird had landed on his shoulders and recognised the bird as Fawkes. He smiled softly as he stroked the bird's feathers. He felt sorrow deep within himself and shook his head. Harry turned to Snape with a frown.
"If Malfoy is in Azkaban, then why aren't you?" asked Harry and Snape stiffened at this. "You let Malfoy torture me to insanity."
"What, you let Malfoy torture Harry?" asked Hermione with fear in her eyes. "Why? Why did you lie to us? No wonder that Malfoy was yelling that you betrayed him... You did throw him into Azkaban!"
Snape glared at her and leered at Harry, watching everyone. He took his wand out and aimed it at Harry. Without word, he disapparated as Harry tried to do something to protect himself and sighed of relief when he disappeared.
"So, he was guilty too," said Hermione angrily. "How dare he!"
"I'll tell the authorities," said Ron, "stay here, okay?" he said, getting ready to leave but Harry interrupted.
"I'm…" he sighed, "I'm sorry, but I don't think I'll stay here," he said quietly.
"What do you mean, Harry?" asked Hermoine, knitting her brows together.
"I don't know. I don't think I can handle the wizarding world right now," said Harry, remembering his past. The lies that Snape fed to others and many other things.
"I think I agree with you," said Alice, smiling. "Who're you?" she asked, frowning.
"I'm Harry. Harry Potter," he said. The pair smiled at him in recognition.
"Well, I'm quite honoured," said Frank, shaking his hand. Harry nodded, shaking firmly.
"I'm honoured too. At least Neville has his parents back," Harry said quietly, looking at his former classmate. Neville looked down, feeling shame. "Not to worry, Neville. I'm not jealous."
"You aren't?" asked Neville, looking at him incredulous. Harry shook his head in answer.
"No. My parents are resting, but I think my work here is done," he said, looking out the window.
"Are you sure you want to sever ties from us, Harry?" asked Hermione as her tears filled to the brim of her eyes. Harry nodded in confirmation.
"Only for a few years, Hermione," he said. "Just until I have everything all… settled." She sighed and nodded in understanding.
"But if you decide to date and marry a girl, you'll invite us to the ceremony, won't you?" she asked with laughter in her eyes. Harry laughed in answer.
"Of course! It's a big event," he said, grinning.
"Yes, but if we do get married and have a baby, I'll let you know," she said, smiling at Ron.
"Ah, Merlin forbid that the pair of you two have children!" he joked. "Kidding aside, it'll be wonderful to see your children." Ron chuckled and slapped on Harry's back.
"Mate, if for any reason you need to contact us, let us know, all right?" asked Ron.
"Yeah, don't worry…"
"Well, I guess we shouldn't drag out our good byes too long," said Hermione, giving Harry one last hug.
"All right, mate. See you in a few years," said Ron.
"Bye," said Harry as the pair disapparated away. Harry watched the spot where his friends had disappeared and sighed. He closed the door, feeling overwhelmed by the sorrow in his heart. He didn't think the feeling would ever go away. Gathering courage, he too, disapparated away to certain plots in the graveyard.
He stared a long time at the tombstones, reading the inscriptions. He kneeled before the graves, sighing. He remembered the first memories he had with his parents. It had been thanks to the song that he was now able to remember his first birthday, the soft singing voice of his mum, the times that his dad put him on a baby broomstick.
James and Lily Potter1959-1981
Strong as they were United
Love to their Death
Fall of Voldemort here
Wonderful couple, loving friends and devoted parents
Rest in peace forevermoreHarry cried. The tears he shed fell freely and were absorbed by the soil of his parents.
Author's Notes: Thanks to LuciusAndSnapeRock for beta'ing this chapter.
Also, due to a lot of reviews about the confusion of this chapter, I hope I have cleared this up by adding and changing things around in this chapter.
Next is Epilogue.