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.
AN1: I always feel like I am apologizing in these lol. I am really sorry about the delay in this story. The truth of the matter is that I was struggling with it and considering discontinuing it but I finally think I have the direction I want to go in. I realize that I have a ton of chapters that are setting up this story and for that I am sorry. In my mind I see maybe 3-4 more chapters then a huge jump in time. This chapter is going to be explaining EVERYTHING that has happened to Harry from 1st year till 5th year. Ok another important point my 6th year is going to be very different from cannon. I did NOT like the 6th year in HBP but I won't get into a lot of detail. I might try my hand at a 6th year fic in the future. Ok now on with the story.
Chapter Twelve: The life and times of Harry Potter better known as The-Boy-Who-Lived.
Harry was sitting on the floor in a fetal position and Katherine was telling him it was alright and he had nothing to be embarrassed about.
"Harry you have nothing to be ashamed of. You were reliving some very traumatic moments and its fine if that makes you cry. I am curious to know who this Mrs. Wealsey is you called me" She asked hoping to get his mind off of his embarrassment. It apparently worked for Harry looked up at her for the first time in a few minutes and managed to crack a very small thin smile.
"Mrs. Wealsey was the mother of my best friend Ron Weasley and my fia I mean friend Ginny Weasley. She had seven children Bill who was her eldest Charlie, Percy, the twins Fred and George then Ron and finally Ginny." Suddenly Harry stopped talking as the memories of the Weasley's over came him. Especially the one who had given his life for him when he freed from that hellish place. He realized that he had to stop this and that also he was telling the story the wrong way. So he finally made up his mind that he was going to tell Katherine everything that had happened to him until he couldn't talk anymore.
Katherine noticed that after he had mentioned the Weasley's his face had clouded over with pain. They must have been very dear to him she thought. She gave him a few minutes to collect himself and was about to ask him to continue when he spoke.
"Katherine I guess it's time for you to hear my story from start to finish. You already know that I was raised by my Aunt and Uncle because my Parents were killed by Voldermort because of a prophecy that was made. What you don't know is that I have faced Voldermort several times during my schooling. I will tell you of all those times but first I will tell you of how I met my two best friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. First I will tell you the story of how I found out I was a wizard." So then Harry told her about getting the mysterious letter delivered to him at the Dursley's house. Then how his Uncle tried to stop him from reading it. Finally leading up to the mad drive around England and the landing on that small light house where he officially became eleven years old. Then he told her about Hagrid and finding out he was a wizard. His face became so animated when he spoke of Hagrid it was clear that Harry thought the world of this person. Then he went on to describe Diagon Alley and his amusement at the first sight of it.
(Ok look I could continue on describing everything but it would get pretty boring I am going to hit on how he meets Ron and then how he befriends Hermione. Then I am going to just say he explains what happened with the soccer's stone. I will be doing that for most of the first four books. I will go into detail about what happens at the end of book five)
He then told her about how he met Ron going through the wall to platform 9 and ¾ and how he become Harry's first friend his own age. Katherine could obviously tell that this Ron person was someone who meant a lot to Harry. As he was talking about Ron he kept fingering a spot on his shoulder. Kat could faintly make out some sort of tattoo. She assumed it had something to do with Ron. Harry then explained how at first Hermione had been this horrible bossy know it all girl but then on Halloween he and Ron had helped her escape from a troll and they had been the best of friends since then.
Harry spent another several minutes on things that had happened his first year and then he explained how Ron, Hermione and himself had discovered the Soccer's stone and ended up saving it. Also how this was the first time Harry had come face to face with the spirit of Lord Voldermort. After that he explained second year and then third year.
Harry kept on talking until he mentioned Remus Lupin. It was painfully clear to Kat how much this man meant to him. Harry explained to her exactly who Remus was though he hadn't learned all of it in the third year. He explained who the Marauders were. Finally the time had come to mention Sirius Black.
Harry felt his throat choke up when he thought of Sirius. It had been oh so many years since that fateful June night in the Department of Mysteries but yet the memory of his God Father still brought tears to his eyes. In his heart of hearts he realized that he had never truly come to terms with his God Fathers death. He decided for the moment he would just tell the stuff he knew in third year and then he would deal with fifth year when he got to it.
Katherine had noticed that right after Harry had mentioned this Sirius Black fellow that Harry had taken a very long pause. She could tell that he was fighting back tears and she began to realize that this man had been taught that not only do men not cry that it was wrong to cry. She took his hand in hers and just held it confident that Harry would continue his story when he was ready.
Harry felt her hand in his and it helped calm him down. He then continued with his tale, explaining how everyone thought that Sirius was an escaped killer from Azkaban the wizarding prison. She asked him who he was supposed to of killed and Harry's face got a horrible look on it. He then very slowly and in a watery voice explained what had happened on the night that his parents had died.
((This is one of the few events I am going to give detail on. I feel that this is a huge event in Harry's life.))
"Ok I mentioned a prophecy about the one who could defeat the dark lord. The full prophecy is as follows. "THE ONE WITH THE POWER TO VANQUISH THE DARK LORD APPROCHES… BORN TO THOSE WHO HAVE THRICE DEFIED HIM, BORN AS THE SEVENTH MOTNH DIES…AND THE DARK LORD WILL MAKR HIM AS HIS EQUAL, BUT HE WILL HAVE POWER THE DARK LORD KNOWS NOT… AND EITHER MUST DIE AT THE HAND OF THE OTHER FOR NEITHER CAN LIVE WHILE THE OTHER SURVIVES…. THE ONE WITH THE POWER TO VANQUISH THE DARK LORD WILL BE BORN AS THE SEVENTH MONTH DIES…"
Katherine paused as she took all that information in, and then she realized Harry had continued to talk.
"My headmaster Albus Dumbledore heard that prophecy and so did one of the followers of Lord Voldermort. Yet luck was with the side of the light because the follower only heard the first two lines before he was thrown out. There were two families who that prophecy could apply to and they both went in to hiding. My parents were advised to hide with the Fidelius charm which enables a house to be hidden and only the secret keeper can inform people where the house is. At first Albus Dumbledore wanted to be the secret keeper but my father, James Potter wanted his best friend in the entire world to be it. His name was… Sirius Black. Towards the final days of my parents lives they decided to switch secret keepers to a less obvious target. There were three people my father trusted with is life and as you know those were the marauders. So they decided to use the least likely one of them, little Peter Pettigrew."
At the very mention of this traitors name Harry's temper rose to the surface and caused all of the glass stuff in the roof to vibrate and to start to shake. Katherine looked very alarmed at what was happening and as soon as Harry realized what his temped was doing he calmed down. He then apologized and explained that when he gets upset things like that happened. He then explained why he got upset.
"Now what they did not know was Pete was already in league with Voldermort and had arranged to betray them. He lead Voldermort to their house on Halloween night and then it… it... happened. He killed my parents and then tried to kill me but my mothers love saved me." As Harry finished that very difficult paragraph he had tears rolling down his face. Katherine moved to hug him but he raised his hand to stop her. That is not all that happened he said.
"Sirius had gotten suspicious of Peter and decided to go check on him when he couldn't find him he feared the worst and he headed to my parents house immediately. When he got there he realized he was too late and that they were dead. He realized Peter had betrayed them all and he was going to kill them immediately but then he heard my crying inside the ruble and he pulled me out. Once Hagrid had showed up and taken me to Professor Dumbledore Sirius went after Peter. He found him and confronted him and told him he knew what he had done to Lilly and James. He was about to kill him when Peter blew up the street and managed to escape. Sirius was sentenced to jail for killing Peter and Lilly and James. No one knew that Lilly and James had switched secret keepers not even Remus. So when Sirius realized Peter was alive he escaped".
He continued to relate the events of third year and the fourth year, pausing only when he got to the murder of Cedric Diggory. He then showed her the scar where the blood was taken to allow Voldermort his new body.
He than began discussing the fifth year all the time realizing he was drawing closer and closer to the night of Sirius's murder. He realized that he was not to blame but he couldn't help but fear that Katherine might somehow hold him accountably for his death. He told her of Umbrige and how Hermione had come up with the idea for the D.A and the subsequent flight of the Headmaster.
He then finally came to that day when he saw Sirius in the Department of Mysteries. He led her up to the confrontation in the Hall of Prophecies. Then he described the harrowing escape into the Veil room. In his minds eye he was experiencing the fight all over again. He was gripping his wand and mouthing the spells he had used. He saw and heard Bellatrix Lestrange demanding the prophecy from Neville and how Neville had refused to give it up even when he had been put under the cruitus curse. Then he felt the joy as Sirius, Moody, Lupin, Kingsley and Tonks rushed in. He remembered the dueling and how he had saved Sirius from Dolohov's curse. Finally came the moment he was dreading Sirius falling through the veil.
Katherine just sat there in shock as she listened to the end of the tale. How young Harry had chased his God Father's killer and how he had then been possessed by Voldermort and finally the fight with Dumbledore. She was amazed at the amount of character this man had possessed at such a young age. She honestly wondered if she was in the same position how she would have held up. Then she realized that Harry was staring at her, looking like he was waiting for judgment. That's when it hit her that he was waiting for judgment. Obviously a part of him still held himself responsible for that man's death. She leaned forward and wrapped her arms around him
"Harry this was not your fault. From what you of told me wild horses couldn't of stopped Sirius from coning to your rescue if you were in danger. You would have done the same. As for blaming yourself for not checking more diligently anyone can Monday morning quarterback. A real man can stand on his decision and know in his heart that he did the right thing and that is exactly what you did.
Harry heard her words and somehow knew they were true and he accepted them. He looked at her and realized that for the first time someone who hadn't known him then had accepted what he did. He then paused and leaned back and stretched. He then looked at his watch and was shocked to discover that almost five hours had passed since he had started talking. He wondered how long the rest of the story would take. Oh and more importantly if she could forgive the rest of his sins. The ones that made the mistake with Sirius look like a god blessed miracle.
AN2: Ok folks I am pretty sure this is my longest chapter to date. All I can say is I was really inspired for this one. I am going to try and keep up a reasonable pace of work output. Next chapter is going to be some of my 6th year and some of what drove Harry out. Hope yall like it.
---carson