Altered Paces

Summary: The Final Battle ended three years ago, and everything changed. Voldemort is gone forever, but Harry paid a price he wasn't sure he was ready to pay. For three years, he was out of the country trying to put his life back together, but now he's ready to return. What he didn't put into consideration was the fact that his past wasn't ready for him.

Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me, of course. Must I even say it?

Prologue

It was almost as if the sleeping town of Godric's Hollow had disappeared completely. The abandoned houses drifted into the background and only the light of the spells illuminated the grimy windows. Battle was raging to the left and right, but the only thing Harry saw was the man, the man who ruined his life as well as so many others, the most evil man to ever walk the earth, standing in front of him, malice in his fiery eyes. He was breathing heavily, but he didn't pay any attention. All he knew was that the last few minutes of one of the two wizards lives were coming to a close. His lips parted in spontaneous mimicry of his opponents, and the unspeakable words were spoken, both echoing through the air that suddenly turned silent. The battle was over. One of them was going to die, and neither realized that the other had muttered the same spell….

Everyone on the battlefield heard the identical words, and everyone knew what was happening. They were both going to die. The boy-who-lived was seconds from falling, but so was the soulless man who ruined the wizarding world. Ron was the first to notice, and he was the quickest thinker. Harry had to live. Without a backward glance, he dove in front of Harry, saving his best friend's life.

It's been three years since Harry Potter left the country to live in a place where his name wasn't as well known. It isn't plausible for a man to live through so many tragic events, but Harry did. All he needed was a few years away to gather his strength and sort his life out. No one heard from him, not even Ginny Weasley. Finally, put the pieces of his life back in order and was ready to return, a changed man, and pick up where he left off. What he didn't realize was that life went on while he was away, and everything he had held on to, the only things that kept him from joining Ron every day, was out of his grasp. Everything changed.