Dawn was dreaming.
Harry was with her and he had something to show her.
"What is it?" She asked. Even in her dreams she was impatient.
"Wait and see." He turned to look at her, his young face beaming with untold delight. He looked about 11. Which should have confused Dawn, since he normally looked around 15, same as her. But, as before, it felt natural.
They appeared to be in a boat crossing a glassy lake at night. She looked around and saw other boats around the same shape and size heading in the same direction. There were four in each boat, all around the same age, though she saw one boat with a small blonde boy and his two goons taking up the whole of one boat. Everybody was staring ahead as if waiting for something. Waiting for what though?
She looked forward and had her answer in the next second. Rising behind the huge cliff on the other side of the lake was a huge castle. Lights beamed in the windows, turrets jutted into the air, it had an older then King Arthur feel to it. It looked…
"Magnificent!" Dawn gasped.
Harry grinned.
"Where are we?" She asked. He was staring ahead with a kind of hunger on his face.
"Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry." He said. Now he turned to look at her. "My home."
"You live at school? Wacky. What do your parents think of that?" She could have kicked herself at the look on his face as she said that.
"They're dead."
"Oh, I'm sorry." She reached out to him. "But you must have someone at home."
Harry's head sunk low on his chest and shook his head.
"I lived with my mother's sister, but she hates magic. They think I'm a freak."
"Well I can completely understand." Dawn said, remembering how she'd felt when she found out she was the key. She knew they'd looked at her different after that. Then she saw Harry's face.
"Oh no! Harry. That's not what I meant. I just-" She took his hand. "I know what it's like being different."
He smiled.
"Thanks."
They sat in silence for a moment. Then Dawn spoke again.
"So… this is where you grew up."
He just looked at her, heartbroken.
"This is where I died."
--
She woke, her heart thundering in her throat.
"You ok?"
Dawn jumped. She flicked the switch on her night light and peered into the shadows of her room.
"Who's there?" She asked softly.
She gasped when she saw him step out of the shadows.
"How?"
He shook his head.
"We share a bond now. I'll be with you until whatever end. Nobody else will be able to see me or hear me." He moved closer, till she could reach out and touch him, if she wanted to. He stretched out his hand to her, but she stayed back, too scared to move.
"You said you'd help." He reminded.
She nodded.
"I will."
"You never asked what that entailed." He said. She didn't move to say anything. He went on. "I suppose I should tell you what my story is."
She sat up against the headboard and pulled the blankets up around her, ready to listen. He looked nervous for a second before he attempted to sit on the bed near her. They both let out a sigh when he settled rather easily on the comforter.
"I was scared I was going to fall through it." He admitted. She grinned in sympathy, but still said nothing.
"I died." He said. "I thought I'd go to heaven, if it exists. Thought it was all over. But they called me back. Said I could have a choice; go to my afterlife and all that entailed, leaving my friends and loved ones to their doom, or I could go back and help, find the one other person who could help me and guide them to the end battle.
"I nearly chose the first one. After all, my entire family have gone to heaven. I could finally be with them. But I guess I'm a sucker for punishment." He grinned wryly.
"Why did you choose me?" She asked, finding her ragged voice. He shrugged.
"Dunno. I nearly choose Neville, just 'cause the original prophesy might have meant him, until Voldemort chose me instead. But you have something he doesn't have." He stared hard at her. "Your sister died for you, like my mother died for me. That's blood magic, magic the Dark Lord didn't think about when he tried to kill me the first time. Because of my mother's sacrifice, I was protected against his touch; it saved my life a number of times.
"You have that same protection, given to you by your sister." He relaxed a bit. "Besides which, you're resourceful, clever, quick-thinking, I bet you'd give Hermione a run for her money."
They sat in silence for a moment. Then Dawn spoke again.
"Tell me your story."
She listened as he told her the history of Voldemort's reign, about how his family came into it and how his parents were betrayed. He told how he was brought up by his aunt and uncle who did their best to stamp out any traces of magic in him, about the fiasco with his school letters and finally finding out he was a wizard, and a famous one at that.
She listened as he told her about the school, love and pride in his voice as he spoke. He told her about the Philosopher's Stone and his first year in Hogwarts and the friends he made.
She gasped when he told her about the Chamber of Secrets and how they all thought he was the Heir of Slytherin. How Ginny had almost died but he'd saved her and been saved in turn by Fawkes, Dumbledore's Phoenix.
About Sirius and how they'd met. And the rat that wasn't a rat.
The TriWizard Tournament and the Tasks, the Maze and being sent to the graveyard to battle it out with Voldemort in the flesh.
About the connection he'd shared with Voldemort and the visions he'd received and saving Ron's father. The fear he'd felt that it could all be his fault. The vision that Voldemort had sent him and tricked him with. The fight in the Department of Mysteries, Sirius dying and the knowledge that it was his fault.
Starting back at school with that guilt nagging at him and the Potions class where it had all come to an end so quickly.
"I was sure I'd followed the instructions properly. I'd been careful about that 'cause I knew Snape would look for any excuse to dock marks. But it didn't even look the right colour." He scowled. "But Snape still made me test it. So I took a big gulp. Sweet Merlin! Did it taste horrible!
"I choked on it instantly… I couldn't breathe, couldn't gag. It felt like my throat had seized. Then I felt like I was being pulled in a dozen different directions all at the once. It hurt so much.
"And then it just stopped hurting." He turned back to her. "I was nearly in Heaven and now I'm here."
If he could still feel, his throat would have hurt him he'd talked so long. Out the window, the sky was beginning to lighten and the birds were tuning up.
Dawn hadn't said anything since he'd begun his story.
"You ok?"
She nodded.
"You should get some sleep." He told her. She agreed faintly and slid beneath the covers. She turned her face to the morning glow and Harry saw her eyes flutter and close. Her face was pale from exhaustion and shock. Her breathing evened and she slept. Harry moved from the bed to a nearby chair. If he closed his eyes and told himself it was all a dream, he'd wake up in Hogwarts in the bed near the window with his friends round him.
But he didn't wake and Harry was left with the slow even breathing of the one girl who might be able to help him and save him in the process