Chapter 13 – No escape
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I came to awareness in a white room and a cold ass. Then I realized I was 'starkers', no clothes and no magic. The only furniture in the room was the chair I was sitting in and the reason for the cold bums was the chair was made of marble. Then this thing from hell glides in, my first thought was Dementor and yelled 'Expecto Patronum' my stag must have been somewhere else as nothing happened.
"OH! Nice reflexes, wrong tune! Rasped the thing, it looked like a Dementor with skeletal hands.
"Err?" Was all I could come up with?
"Yes I am not far from that, what would you like to be called?"
"Harry would be fine."
"Well I am known by many names, Lucifer, Yama, Gabriel, Engelchen or for you just call me Bruce.
"Err, Bruce, what's going on, am I dead, where is Daphne?"
"So right to the point eh Harry? Well this will take some time, want some clothes or something?"
"Clothes and a pot of hot tea would be a great start before I go completely bonkers."
Clothes appeared on me and a table with tea-pot and cups also came. The chair that now suddenly appeared was then occupied by Bruce.
"Harry the short story is that the 'fates' decided that you would turn down the tournament and lose your magic, Voldemort would kill you and England would fall into something barbaric and evil. It would then be destroyed by other countries. Nicolas Flamel and you screwed up the works and you got a new kind of magic along with some other things that 'THE FATES' were totally unhappy with."
"Who are these 'fates'?" I asked.
"Well let's just say it a large body like your Wizengamot, there is death, destiny, war, hate, love and it just continues. What you have to understand is it's so large that there are factions and many disagreements. When something is agreed upon it may affect thousands of years. Not to make this too confusing they are the ones responsible for screwing up your entire life from the Dursley's and on to Dumbledore. Flamel put the spanner in the works, so the 'fates' have further made you the kicking boy for a while.
"So I just roll over and agree?"
"Let's put it this way, at 'THIS TIME' you have no say. So do you want the bad news first or the really bad news first?"
"I get the feeling that you are not going to fully explain anything or let me get full answers as is normal in my life?"
"Yep that's the tune that's being played! So are you ready to get pissed off and have no way of changing anything?"
"What if I jump off the mountain or A-K myself?
"Sorry, I Bruce say no entry into my realm by order of 'The Fates'. I will just send you back until it's your time, which so far is never!"
"God what have I stepped into?" I was already not happy and Bruce had not even started.
"Yep he is involved in this also, so watch out who you insult they all have a vote on the board." Bruce growled.
"Just give it to me, how am I going to be ill-used this time?"
"Well the first piece of information is you are going back and up front you are immortal because of what Flamel's did to you. Your weird magic will not let you age and I can't let you die."
"That's not bad news that's super great!" I was thrilled to never die, an eternity of youth and immortality.
"You're not the first one to think that Harry, Daphne is passing on into my realm and you now have a problem, any girl or friend you attach yourself to will grow old and die before your very eyes, in what will seem to you a very short time. You will see it happen time and again, forever."
It was a slap in the face, hell it was like…
"So you see Harry its bad new and worse news. Next you will not be allowed to deal with the abomination called Voldemort. They have set up a new strategy about Voldemort and you must leave him alone. You get a free pass if or when he attacks Hogwarts, the 'fates' will not stand for that happening, so you may get an invitation."
"There is a prophesy, it says only I can defeat him, I don't understand?"
"Yes that piece of trash, just forget it, what will be, will happen as per 'the fates'. Now you are going back to Hogwarts and all I can say is just go with the flow as the muggles say. You are going to have to keep a lot of things secret as you have done with your magic. Just remember none of this is your fault and live a life that is honest, some changes are going to happen shortly and I think that they will be very rewarding. Do not blame yourself; the fates have made you almost the pawn that Dumbledore wishes he had. Bye Harry.
I now found my self sitting in a room with a roaring fire-place and a comfortable couch and too many thoughts to think. Sandwiches and orange juice sat on the table in front of me, time to think. Daphne was gone according to Bruce and I wanted to cry and scream. To what ends I thought. I thought of all the great time we had as I cried. Slowly it crept into my mind that if Daphne lived and I am immortal how that would work, it wouldn't. The undying love would die regardless of what I did or didn't do, shit! How was I going to sit back and watch Voldemort take over England? Yet Bruce only told me a few things and that was one of them. How in the hell do you go against death and the fates? Not to mention that Bruce said more was coming my way. I then realized that I was eating the sandwiches as I mulled over what little I knew. I suddenly started to chock on the dry sandwich and reached for the orange juice. I gagged at the taste. The goblet was now a flask of potions and Madam Pomfrey was pouring it down my open mouth.
"Well look who decided to join us!" Madam Pomfrey laughed.
The waking was not that welcoming as I soon had Dumbledore in my face and the news of a new Minister Lucius Malfoy is jammed in my face. I am told not to make waves and be careful as he dislikes me. Dumbledore explained that some ridiculously stupid Deatheaters had gotten hold of about ten pounds of muggle plastic explosives and set it off in the room. Hell the room, was the building still standing? And if so how? Dumbledore was droning on but then I thought, I survived! Voldemorts ministry, most likely Malfoy's plan, Dumbledore going to help make it all better.
That set me into rolling on the floor in hysterical and uncontrollable laughter at the Ministry's and Dumbledore's ignorance, all their machinations and the insanity of it all. I wondered how much work the 'fates' had to put in that room. They could use my super shield and a heavy table as the reason for my living. BUT! What about all the other people? How much work to make sure those there were expendable to 'fates' master plan. Then I thought if I lived then why Daphne, who was always on my arm, she didn't make it? I just didn't need Dumbledore type help right now along with all these thoughts. My head was going to explode!
The next day Madam Pomfrey ran a full medical scan on me but had some more bad news. While I was healthy as could be I was now also sterile, the official news had been delivered. She said I could go and I ran. I never liked to stay in that place. I always seemed to be sent there along with all the bad news that came with the stay. I made a bee line to the Great Hall for something to eat. I was again not thinking except with my stomach. I was super hungry!
"Hay everyone Potty is out of the hospital. Miss your girlfriend Potty? Like the Dark Lords answer to you're…"
When I awoke I was again in the care of Madam Pomfrey and feeling like I had relived the beating of all that plastic explosive. As usual Madam Pomfrey had a great tasting potion to pour down my suffering tongue. I then get another dose of Dumbledore as he tells me how he is helping get me out of trouble with the ministry. I will not be punished, because of his help at the Ministry, for plastering the still living Draco against the Great Halls wall. That a super marvelous thing has happened to me yesterday, I have hit my magical maturity early. Using magic on Draco caused my core to expand and that is why I am now in the hospital wing, AGAIN! Bruce wasn't kidding about stuff happening.
Dumbledore must think I am stupid or very gullible as he explains that Hermione will be assigned to me for the next week or so to help me adjust to the mental aspects of magical maturity, besides explaining all its advantages. Ron will of course be my physical helper as I am weak and need help moving around. How much dragon dung can that man shovel?
I still have not had the time to wrap my poor brain around all that's happened since the explosion. I see nothing but problems in the future and the biggest problem I have; I'm still super hungry!