Title: The past catches up with us all.

Main Character: Harry Potter

Summary: It has been 20 years since the final battle, and the years have not been kind to Harry Potter. He has left behind the past that haunts him, or at least tried to. In this story you will find out that you can hide from your demons but never really escape them.

AN: Ok folks this chapter has been a long time in the works. I wish I could blame some really big event for the delay but basically I have been having major problems writing this chapter. I must have gone through 20 to 30 different ideas before finally settling on one I like. After this chapter and maybe one or two more the story will continue in the present time.

Chapter 10: You can do what…..

"It all started on my eleventh birthday…" That is what Harry said when he finally decided to tell Katherine the truth about his life. Yet he realized that was not the beginning and it would make more sense if he just came out and told her that he could do magic. So ,Harry mentally summoned his wand from his holster in the small of his back and kept it up his sleeve.

"Katherine before I explain to you about what happened on my eleventh birthday I thinks there is something you need to know about me. On my birthday I found out that I'm a wizard and in the words of a very dear friend." This declaration was said in a normal voice and without any real emotio, almost as if he was telling her that he had found out he had brown hair or blue eyes.

Katherine Dewitt was completely shocked by the admission this stranger named Harry Evans had just made. He was a wizard? There must be a joke somewhere, yes that's it, Harry was having some fun with her. Everyone knows there are no such things as wizard's... right? She decided that he was either have a big laugh at her expense. which was very rude, and inconsiderate, or that she had simply misheard him. She decided to clear up the matter at once.

"Did I hear you correctly? Did you just say that you're a wizard?" She asked in a tone that she hoped was somewhat bordering on normal. Harry just nodded already expecting this question and figuring that he would have to give her some time to get used to the idea. It is rather shocking to be told that you are talking to a wizard after all.

At Harry's nod Katherine just simply sat there looking stunned and in complete, and utter shock. She decided that Harry had to be messing with her setting her up for some big joke. Her mind just could not any would not accept the fact that this man might actually be a wizard. I mean everyone knows that magic is just for little kids and those responsible rational adults do not believe in magic.

"You're a wiz-wiz-wizard? With the pointy blue hat and a magic word and mag-magi-magic?" She managed to stumble out. It was clear that her brain was working on overdrive and failing to adequately process all the strange information that was coming in.

Harry gently took her hand and patted it reassuringly. He knew that it was a lot to process and he was willing to give her time. He poured her a glass of whiskey and handed it to her. She drank it down in a single gulp and her hands stopped shaking and she looked a little bit more with it.

Harry was shaking as well but his shaking was on the inside. He was terrified of what he was going to tell her. He had known her for only one night and yet he was already afraid of her judging and rejecting him. How would she react to some of the horrors of his past? Would she think him a killer just as he sometimes thought himself one? How would she react knowing that he had led people to their deaths? He shuddered at the dark thoughts that started running through his mind. ONE THING AT A TIME he angrily told his inner voice. He decided then and there that he would tell her little things and see how she reacted. He could always oblivate her if she reacted too badly. One of the nice things about that training Moody gave him, he thought with a smile. He was startled out of his musings by a question from Katherine. He mentally kicked himself in the head for not paying more attention. At the height if the war he would have never been caught in a strange situation without at least part of his mind on the people in the room he must really be slipping. "Could you repeat that please Katherine, I am afraid I was day dreaming and didn't hear your question" Harry said with a small smile playing on his lips.

"Sure Harry, no problem. I said that if you are a wizard then where is your magic wand or staff or whatever piece of tom foolery you use to cast your 'magic'?" She asked with a slight mocking tone to her voice. Harry of course noticed the mocking tone and was upset that it was there. He did not like it when people mocked him, it reminded him of Bellatrix Lestrange and that was not a good thought so he decided to demonstrate some of his powers for Katherine.

He closed his eyes and took a deep cleansing breathe and then with a final mental check he silently accioed his wand into his hand and then pointed it at some plates and said "Maximus Engorgio" and the plates were ten times there original size. He levitated them up into the air with a modified Wingardum Leviosa that didn't require him to keep his wand on them. Then he cast a spell that he had learned in Auror Training that turned the plates into flying targets. It was a very simple spell and he waved his wand to encompass all ten plates and he said Flightius Targotus and the plates took off zooming around the room becoming flying targets.

He quickly thought of turning them into shooting targets but didn't know what they would do if they came into contact with alcohol. So he settled for quickly flipping his cloak back and going through a modified version of this training exercise. The plates were not shooting at him but he was running around with his wand out throwing various hexes at them. He decided to show off a little bit and seeing to plates that were almost perpendicular he jumped up on the bar facing one and blasted it with a well placed reducto curse and then pointed his hand at the other one and cast a wand less blasting curse.

He looked around the room and noticed that he had managed to take out all the targets. He then found Katherine sitting at the table looking not unlike a deer caught in the headlights of a huge truck. He turned to look at her smirking and said,

"Well I hope that is sufficient proof to demonstrate that I can indeed do magic" he said with a slight mocking tone. Yet he was not angry, he didn't blame her for doubting him a little bit. He was just glad he got off so easily.

At least he didn't have to pull a bloody rabbit out of a stupid hat something the muggle magicians did all the damn time. He never could understand that anyway. Why were muggles obsessed with that trick? It wasn't like any decent wizard would be doing that for any reason. He remembered the time in McGonagall's transfiguration class when a muggle student had asked her if she could pull a rabbit out of a hat. He never knew her lips could get that thin, they looked like a white straight line.

Harry was once again interrupted from his musings by Katherine. He really must stop getting lost in his thoughts. It must be the alcohol that was having this affect on him, or maybe it was the fact that he finally going to discuss his past with someone who didn't know him as The-Boy-Who-Fucking-Lived and knew him as Harry Pot… no make that Harry Evans, he silently reminded himself. He turned to Katherine and gave her his full attention as she was repeatedly calling his name. He decided that he would focus on her form now on.

"Harry… Harry… earth to Harry come in Harry" Katherine had been going on in that vain for a few minutes. She could see that he was obviously lost in his thoughts once again. Well no matter, she could consider what she had just witnessed. In her eyes she had seen Harry point some sort of stick at plates and then they suddenly became humongous. Kind of like a reverse of what happened to those kids in Hunny I Shrunk The Kids. Then they had risen into the air and started flying around. She had heard Harry say some sort of gibberish sounded a bit like Latin actually.

She didn't know why she was even bothering herself with this nonsense. Her curiosity for him was immense; something deep inside her told her to figure out his puzzle. Somehow, she knew she had the key to his soul. She just had to do some digging. It was obvious Harry needed her help, his mind was always troubled. She could see it in his eyes, there were many things lurking in his past that put deadweight on his heart. She poured two more shots of whiskey and asked him to sit down. "So, since you're a wizard, why are you here? I mean, shouldn't you be with the people of your kind?" She eyed him curiously.

"There's too many reminders of my past there in the magical realm. Sometimes, I just want to be normal, and not have to worry about my past coming back to haunt me. I'm… I guess you could say.. prone to danger." He shot back at her, as if annoyed she was asking the question.

"Well, you're not dead. You evidently survived your adventures."

"Yes, but when others aren't so lucky, people begin to think you're the one to blame. Just because I had the luck and the knack to survive doesn't mean it's my fault…" His eyes turned glassy and his voice trailed off, as if his mind was programmed to withhold this information. She could tell he was reliving some horrid memory.

Suddenly, she felt bad for being persistent. She patted his hand and told him she was sorry for asking. He looked at her with a hint of disbelief on his face. She could tell that it had been a while since anyone had touched him in a caring way. "Something horrible has happened to this man" she thought "Perhaps with some affection.. and… a little time , I can get him to open up to me". Katherine leaned back in her chair and looked off into the corner of the room, contemplating her plan of action. Yet before she could implement any plan of action he began to talk. It was as if her small acts of affection had opened some damn that was within this mysterious man.

Harry leaned back and then decided to tell her everything he could.

"What I told you at first was the truth my parents were killed when I was very young by a mad man. His name was Tom Marvolo Riddle, but he called himself Lord Voldermort. He was a dark wizard who was trying to take over the wizarding world. Now this was many years ago back in the mid to late 1970's. A prophecy was made about the one who would have the power to defeat him and he heard part of it and basically misunderstood it so he ended up attacking me when I was a just a lil babe"

Katherine couldn't help but let out a sound of mild distaste at the idea of anyone attacking a poor helpless child.

Harry made a motion with her hand and silently told her to let him finish his story, he continued.

"Then I was sent to live with my only living relatives my mother's sister Petunia Dursley who hated magic and hated what I represented. Suffice it to say that I was treated worse then dog crap and I wa.. was" At this moment Harry's voice failed him and he looked as if he might faint. Katherine ran over to stable him, and Harry stopped her with a single look. He took out his wand and cast a different version of the leglimi spell and allowed her to see his memories from growing up with the Dursley's.

Memories of Harry being abused rushed into her mind and she saw everything that this poor boy had to go through. After what seemed like an eternity to her the memories finally ended and Harry gave her one poignant look before collapsing to the floor and curling up in a ball and weeping.

END CHAPTER TEN

An2: Ok people I am going to apologize a million times for how late this is. Thing just have not been going well. My original beta has found a job so she is really busy so my other friend Katie is going to be helping me out now. This chapter is basically him introducing her to the fact he can do magic and some basic info. Next chapter will be the really important background and some information on those mysterious memories you saw earlier.