I've had an inspiration streak, so relish it while you can (preferably spicy relish).
Story's coming to an end, I'm afraid.
Enjoy x
Harry's POV
I moaned and rolled over. Every bone in my body hurt and it didn't feel good. I briefly wondered what had happened to me and I racked my groggy brain for any ideas. The memory crashed down on me and I sat bolt upright. A head rush hit me hard and I fell back onto the familiar fluffy pillows of the Hospital wing. I groaned as I speculated at why I was there rather than in St. Mungo's still.
"Ah, Mr Potter" Madam Pomfrey bustled over. "You're awake."
She began checking me over.
"Do you hurt anywhere?"
"Anywhere?" I chuckled, which was painful. "More like everywhere."
She tutted loudly.
"Why is it that your family ends up in here the most?"
"You're such a lovely hostess" I winked.
"Honestly, Potter" Pomfrey huffed.
"Ah, you enjoy the company" I reasoned.
If I dared talk to any other member of staff like that, I would get detention, but ever since I had first found myself in the Hospital Wing, Poppy had taken a liking to me.
"As if I don't have enough on my hands anyway. A boy called McLaggen came in here this morning with a nasty case of chickenpox. Apparently, one of his friends thought it funny to try out a new prank spell they found."
"McLaggen tried for our Keeper" I said vaguely. "He was okay, but Ron was better."
"Hmph. I wouldn't want him on the team anyway. He is loud, rude and very irritating" Madam Pomfrey stated.
"I agree."
I reached for my glasses and the world came into focus just as Ron, Hermione and Draco burst into the room.
"Harry!" Hermione shrieked and ran to hug me.
Fortunately, Draco held her back.
"Love, you may not see it, but he's in pain. You might hurt him without meaning to" he murmured.
I nodded gratefully as Ron slumped on the end of my bed. He offered me a Bertie Bott's Every Flavoured Bean.
"Might make you feel better" he smirked.
I reached in and grabbed a grey-white one. Probably pepper again, I thought. I popped it in my mouth and chewed. I spat it out almost immediately.
"Blegh! Babywipes!"
Hermione giggled at my misfortune while Ron and Draco looked confused.
"It's a muggle cleaning cloth with chemicals in it" I explained, still trying to get the taste out my mouth. "They are not nice."
"You're turn, 'Mione" Ron grinned, passing the box to her.
She cautiously took a brown one and nibbled the end.
"Mmm... chocolate."
I snatched at the bean, but she danced out of the way and into Draco's arms. He opened his mouth for the bean and she placed it on his tongue. He munched and his face contorted.
"You fibbed! Taste like feet!" he spluttered.
Hermione, Ron and I roared with laughter. We spent the next fifteen minutes like this, trying all the different flavours until the box was empty.
"Out!" demanded Madam Pomfrey, rushing over. "You've been here nearly an hour! Harry needs to rest and you have lessons."
"I am resting, look I'm lying down and everything" I whined.
"Harry" she said sternly. "That line might have worked when you were twelve, but this time, I'm not budging! Lunchtime doesn't last forever, so out!"
My three friends shuffled away obediently, promising to come back after dinner. I sighed and flopped my arms.
"How long have I been out?"
"We are a week into term. You have another visitor" Pomfrey informed me. "But only fifteen minutes this time!"
"A week into term" I echoed.
Most of the holiday. Hagrid stomped in and sat down on a chair.
"Hagrid!" I beamed.
"I woulda though' tha' you woulda forgotten my name by now" he grumbled.
"I'm really sorry. I've been really busy lately" I apologized.
"Yeah, I know. Been catchin' Death Eaters haven't you?" he chuckled. "But you can still visit me."
"First thing I'll do when I get out of here" I promised.
His face brightened.
"What're you doin' in here anyway?" he asked, concern obvious in his voice.
There was no one in the Hospital wing aside from Madam Pomfrey, who knew, but I still checked. Then, I told Hagrid everything, from Voldemort to Tom Riddle, the entire transformation and the bits I had to help with.
"Gallopin' gargoyles" Hagrid said furiously. "If I'd known he'd done tha' to you, put a bit o' him inside you, I woulda gone after him myself!"
"No!" I said quickly. "He's changed, and the Horcrux is gone now. I'm all me."
"Well, you just get better, then we can deal with tha' murdering bas-"
"Twenty minutes is up! Time for you to go, Hagrid" Madam Pomfrey trilled. "Lovely to see you again, dear."
I sighed.
"How long do I have to stay here?"
"Until the pain stops."
"It's gone" I yelled. "You're a miracle worker! Can I go now?"
She laughed.
"Not until tomorrow, at the very least."
'Tomorrow' was a very long time away, but it came and I was up and about in no time.
Three weeks later, I was sent a message in familiar loopy handwriting.
Harry,
Would you come to my office this evening?
I must talk to you regarding matters of our new friend, alone.
-Professor McGonagall
"What do you think she wants to talk about?" I asked Ron, showing him the note.
"No idea. Maybe she wants you to bring him to the aurors?" he suggested.
Later that evening, I made my way to McGonagall's office and told the gargoyle the password. It jumped aside and I knocked on the door.
"Enter."
I stepped in and took the seat in front of her desk. I twiddled my thumbs nervously while she scribbled something on a piece of parchment and threw it in the fire, after a handful of Floo power. I shuddered, thinking of the first time I had used the Floo Network. The fire flared green and a man in light green robes and a woman tumbled out. I jumped up to see who the newcomers were.
"Natalie." I recognized the gentle (not) nurse from St. Mungo's who had stabbed me with a needle.
She grinned and stepped aside to reveal the man.
"Tom?" I gasped. "You look..."
I struggled for words, so he suggested some.
"Normal? Turns out, the more of your soul you have, the more human you look."
He had greying hair and dark eyes. His skin was pale, but not white, as it used to be. He had a nose. The only thing that reminded me of his old self, was the thin blonde eyebrows which were barely there.
"Yeah," Tom noticed me looking and rubbed the area where they should be. "I think that was the diary, which you killed. So whichever one of us goes to limbo first will need to search for my eyebrows."
I laughed and sat down again, conjuring a third chair for Natalie, who was quietly smiling.
"I was not the one who called this meeting, Mr Riddle was" McGonagall stated. "I think we would all like to hear why."
"You remember I said I had things to research?" he began. "I was researching death. I was looking at the laws and the allowances to see what I could do. I am working towards redemption. Not just to the wizarding community, but to you, Harry."
I was shocked. To me? He couldn't, it was impossible, because of what he had done to me. He had tried to kill me over and over, murdered my parents and my godfather, indirectly. What could possibly make up for that?
"I need you come to a location called Crow Island, in Bermuda. We can Floo there, and you will need to do everything I say."
I shrugged and followed him and Natalie through the fire, making sure to put my glasses away first. I landed in a large barn shaped building made of wood. It was very hot and I shed my outer robe almost immediately. this left me standing in a light blue t-shirt and jeans and I was still too hot. Definitely Bermuda. McGonagall kept her robe, but fluttered her hand around her face to try and cool down. I noticed that four metal rods stood in a square at the center of the room, large enough for about ten people to fit into.
"Excuse me, I need to go and fetch one more person." Natalie left again.
She returned a few minutes later with a member of the Order of the Pheonix.
"Remus!" I exclaimed. "How are you?"
"Not so good, that time of the month, you know" he sighed.
I patted his shoulder sympathetically.
"What are we doing here anyway?" he asked.
"I have no idea, ask Tom Riddle." I gestured to the wizard, who was examining the metal poles.
Remus did a double take and his mouth dropped open.
"That's... that's-"
"Voldemort, yes. He's changed, as you can see, but he's felt remorse. He turned all those Death Eaters in" I justified quickly. "So don't try to strangle him just yet. I want to see what he's doing."
The werewolf nodded and approached Tom with a calm face.
"Mr Lupin." he greeted sadly. "I cannot apologize enough for what I have done to you and the people around you. Maybe what I am trying to achieve today will compensate for that."
Remus looked as befuddled as I was, but we went back to McGonagall.
"Right," Tom said. "I need everyone to stay out of the square made by these metal poles until I say. If you step inside, there could be disastrous consequences. One more thing that I never bothered to learn, can muggles use the Floo?"
"Yes," Natalie answered. "That's mostly how we get magically injured muggles to the hospital."
Tom nodded and raised his arms. He began chanting, slowly rotating. I was slightly surprised to see a glow building around him. The glow intensified and got brighter until I couldn't look at it anymore. The heat coming from the light was incredible. It was like being in a room with a mini-sun. However, we didn't fry to death, we stayed exactly the same and suddenly the glow died. It took my eyes a while to adjust to the darkness, relative the the blinding light that had just occupied the room. Riddle was on his knees, with his head in his hands and three figures were standing behind him. I couldn't make out their faces until Tom motioned us forward. I moved cautiously, but Natalie dashed to the kneeling figure and helped him away towards the fireplace. Two of the shadowed people touched hands and all of them moved into the light. I think I stopped breathing for a few seconds.
"Mum?" I whispered. "Dad? Sirius?"
The red-head nodded.
"Yes, Harry" James whispered back. "He brought us back."
I didn't wait to check if they were real, I dashed forwards and barreled into them. They were solid and real, I couldn't believe it. Tears were streaming down all four of our faces and I buried my head in my mum's shoulder for the first time. Her long hair tickled my nose as I breathed in her scent and then launched myself at my father. He squeezed me tight and promised over and over again that they would never go away like that again, until their natural time. Sirius ruffled my hair and told me that I couldn't get rid of them that easily/ We stood there for what felt like hours, just hugging. Then dad and Sirius broke away and walked to Lupin. Remus was also crying as he hugged his two best friends again. Mum brought me over to them, whispered something in dad's ear and strode to the hunched over man. She talked to him for a few minutes and he raised his head and gave her a weak smile. she returned to us and we sank to the floor.
"I have so much to tell you" I breathed, still not quite understanding how this was possible.
"We were with you all the time, sweetheart" Mum said. "Both of you."
She looked pointedly at Lupin.
"Especially when you were flirting with my favourite cousin" Sirius pouted.
"For starters, she was flirting with me and you know it" Remus replied coolly. "And you know I would take care of her if I did take an interest."
"So you're not interested in her" accused Sirius.
You're just as difficult as you used to be" sighed Remus.
"Aw, you missed us really" grinned James.
"Yeah" I said. "We missed you for sixteen years."
"Sixteen years too many" Mum replied, gathering me into a hug. "But we were with you every step of the way. And we know about Ginny."
She whispered that last sentence, but I heard it. My eyes widened and Sirius laughed.
"Dude, face it" he said seriously (pun intended). "You're in love with your best mate's sister. Even he knows it."
"Am not" I retorted, blushing.
"Are too" Dad countered. "You have the same look when you watch her as I did when I watched Lily. Watch carefully."
He kissed his wife deeply and she smacked him on the arm.
"I know you like the physical benefits of life, but now is not the time" she scolded.
Dad rolled his eyes and kissed her again, this time she surrendered and I sat there smiling like an idiot. I had reason to. I had a family. I had been given a true family by nature when I went to Hogwarts, mostly composed of Weasleys, but now I had a blood family that didn't hate me.
"Hey, can we go see aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon?" I asked eagerly.
Sirius burst into laughter.
"Please, please, please!?" he squealed at my parents.
"If it's okay with McGonagall" smiled Lily, but then she scowled. "I'm going to roast my sister's hide."
Her hair cracked just like Hermione's and James laughed.
"You are always sexier when you're angry."
"Shut up" she smiled again and relaxed.
"No doubt you will have family matters to attend to" McGonagall cut in. "But I will need you in my office at twelve sharpish tomorrow. And may I just say, however irritating you may have been in school, it's good to see you again."
She smiled widely, which I had never seen before and marched over to where Tom Riddle was still slumped on the ground. Between her and Natalie, they hauled the apparently unconscious man to the fireplace and Flooed away. all five of us walked to the shabby mantlepiece and Lupin gave the three newly-back-from-the-deads one last hug.
"I have to go because it's full moon in two days. I'm not feeling too good."
"Ah" James sympathised. "I'll be with you next month."
"Me too!" Sirius protested indignantly. "I'll be there."
"'Course Sirius." Remus looked like he was going to cry again.
He Flooed away.
"Well" said Sirius. "I'm going to reclaim Grimmauld Place, if that's okay with you, Harry? I need a place to crash."
"Yeah," I replied, surprised he even needed to ask. "'Course you can, it's all yours."
"Bye guys, see ya later."
He Flooed away too.
"Milady" Dad bowed.
Mum giggled and stuck her nose in the air, making a very good imitation of Pansy Parkinson and looped her arm around my shoulders.
"Let's go scare ourselves a Petunia" she grinned evilly.
"I knew there was a reason I married you" laughed James.
I beamed and followed them into the green flames.