Disclaimer- I do not own Harry Potter. I'm open to stock options though
AN: First fic for 1Valor1's Hacey drabble collection, dedicated to all of our valiant guards that keep the wild Luthien from growing too powerful.
AN2: Re-upload to add disclaimer. I have a plan, a wondrous plan, and will attempt to do weekly updates to complete the plan before I am brutally murdered by the impatient muse that brought me said plan.
It was a beautiful and truly spectacular morning, one graced with clear blue skies filled with birdsong, illuminated by the rising sun's rays, which cut through the chill morning fog and made the morning dew sparkle in the grass as if the droplets were diamonds. The bride looked resplendent in her pearly white dress as she walked down the aisle, towards the handsome groom in his opulent dress robes. Brilliant smiles of joy graced the faces of all in attendance as they watched this momentous moment in the happy couple's lives- all but one. One forlorn man sat alone in the far shadowy corner, lost in his reminiscing of bygone times.
The druid at the altar was talking, a few snippets stubbornly worming their way into his dark abode. "Speak now or forever hold your peace." The man in the corner, no other than Harry James Potter, the Man-Who-Conquered, the Boy-Who-Lived, the Lord Potter, etc., chuckled despairingly. Oh, how he wished he could object, how he wished it could be different, but he had learned. Sometime between Life-45 and Life-53, he had learned to stop objecting. While watching his Tracey (his Tracey, his Tracey, his, forever and ever and ever) love another would always cause intense internal turmoil, by now he had learned to control himself better. At least he no longer flung curses- well, not immediately.
Now in his 98th life, Harry could only vaguely remember the start of this temporal tragedy. He remembered the Ministry ball when he first laid eyes upon perfection- arriving in a crisp suit, standing out in the sea of robes, living in ignorant placidness before he saw her. She was enthrallingly beautiful- light brown wavy hair cascading down her shimmering emerald strapless gown, her beautiful hazel eyes sparkling in the enchanted light, her bubbly personality making its presence known in her cheerful smile… he was deeply, madly in love with such a goddess at first sight. It was a crushing blow to discover she was already another's (not his, not his, not his). It would be unbecoming of him to have an affair with Lord Nott's wife, he was told. So he had done as Harry-Fucking-Potter often did- mixed powerful magic with insane luck and the blood of thousands to forge a ritual to send him to the past, so he could correct such a colossal error in the fabric of reality. Arriving in his sixth year, his elation at succeeding had been short lived, lasting almost an anticipation-filled morning until he arrived at the Great Hall, when he saw Zabini snogging her. He hadn't meant to fling that entrails-expulsion curse (no, no, never, not near his Tracey), but it was the only logical explanation for Blaise's intestines and gore to suddenly cover his Tracey. His fleeting glance at her horrified face would haunt him for many lives to come, but he only saw it for a smidge of a second before he was fighting back the torrent of spells sent at him by an enraged Dumbledore.
And so the vicious cycle had started. With powerful magic, an insane amount of luck, and the blood of thousands, he once again went back, to fix his sloppy mistakes and improve his magic, so that he may be worthy of her, only to have to try again. And again. And again, and again, and again. His sanity really only began hiding from him around Life-12 (or was it Life-11 that the nasty little bugger disappeared?), but he'd promised himself he'd find it once he was with his Tracey (his Tracey, his Tracey, his, forever and ever and ever). He'd progressively gone further and further back in time, trying harder and harder to set everything right to protect his love from the cruel and horrible world. And yet life mocked him, laughing as she fell in love with others regardless of his labors, no matter what he did, over and over and over again.
The druid turned to the groom. "Do you, Neville Longbottom, take Tracey Davis as your lawfully wedded wife?" Harry really tried not to hate Neville, he really did, but the enraged monster in his chest demanded satisfaction, so Harry felt the fiery flames of hatred lick the fringes of his heart as he heard Neville somberly answer the druid. A dozen curses, each one more vile and abhorrent than the next, danced at the tip of his tongue, his palmed wand's tip dripping with putrid death as the magic yearned to be unleashed. But Harry was no monster- he wouldn't ruin a wedding like that. No, Harry was clever, he had learned to wait, for he could always go back and undo his mistakes. Ninety-seven times had he done so, and he solemnly vowed to add another as Tracey tearfully replied to the Druid. The next time, he promised himself, he would succeed, he would finally be worthy of his Tracey.
"And now, you may kiss the bride." Harry stood abruptly and left the building, unnoticed by the cheering crowd as the groom shared a tender kiss with his bride. Harry could never watch another man kiss Tracey (his Tracey, why his Tracey, his, forever and ever and ever), losing control of his magic at the sight, usually unleashing dreadfully destructive darkness that rejoiced as it leapt from his wand, so he left and apparated away, far away, to the prepared ritual circle at the former Malfoy Manor (oh, had the monster been so pleased when finally allowed to kill the ferrets), where at last he let go of himself, screaming himself hoarse as his magic danced around him, happy to do his bidding. And enact his will it did- lashes of liquid flame setting the bound sacrifices alight, green flashes of death severing souls from the mortal plane, shadowy tendrils of pure darkness withering away the struggling forms. The ritual circle in the center began to glow a fiery red, embers rising from the runes as the thick rivers of blood flowed into them. At last exhausted and drained, Harry slumped into the center of the circle, splayed out as he closed his eyes and let his sated magic roll over him, comfortingly murmuring in his ear, carrying him away from this reality and unto the next, a new start, one in which Harry had a good feeling about, one in which he could finally be with the light of his life.
-Could this possibly be… a line break?-
The agony of traveling between the void between worlds, or maybe the abyss between times, finally faded as he awakened in a familiar place under familiar circumstances (He'd spent years here before, after all), stretching his tiny, skinny body before summoning his soul-bound elder wand (For the life of him, he could never remember when he first got it, or why the blasted stick followed him) and obliterated the cupboard door. Three quick flashes of green and the alarmed Dursleys were permanently dispatched. He stepped out into the bright sunny day (Why was it always sunny when he came back?), breathing deeply in the fresh air. One flick, and his threadbare clothing became crisp and resplendent robes, two flicks and the pesky blood wards fell, three flicks and he had apparated away, away from the bearded one and his cronies, the one that would keep him away from his Tracey (his, his, only his) with honeyed words and the lies that accursed mirror brought.
The crack startled the ten-year-old girl as she looked up from playing in the flower beds of the garden. She was surprised to see a well-dressed boy standing where the crack had been, his emerald eyes burning with emotion and glistening with unshed tears. Tracey Davis felt bad for the poor, crying boy, and decided the best way to make this boy feel better was the yummy chocolate Mum had brought yesterday (and maybe she'd finally have someone to share tea with). The euphoric boy happily accepted, and together they shared tea and candy in the garden until her parents came home to find the Boy-Who-Lived, of all people, catering to their daughter's every whim. Harry smiled indulgently as Tracey excitedly informed her shocked parents of her new best friend, for all was right in his world, he was with his Tracey, his Tracey, his and only his forever and ever and ever.