Harry Potter and the Power of the Past
Disclaimer: All JKR's, not mine.
Summary: This is a complete AU- Harry Potter is a 21-year-old wizard, who's on top of the world. He's rich, in love, and loved by all, but his life is turned upside down as a spiral of events leads to the ultimate battle between good and evil. Can Harry lead the fight for the light, but yet manage to keep his life together?
A/N: Thanks for the reviews everybody. Oh, and review again!
S/N: So the next two chapters are lush with wedding stuff: the parties before the wedding and the wedding itself—there will be, of course, major "Honks" scenes so don't fret. Oh, and as fair warning, the names that I drop do mean something…so pay attention to that, especially in the next chapter.
S/N 2: I took a few liberties with Godric's Hollow, what with making it in Wales, but its basically the same as it is in the book—plus, the sign is different, and where the graves are located is different as well.
Chapter 12: The dress and the graves
Meanwhile, Tonks twirled in front of a mirror as she studied the white dress that garnished her form. It was an elegant muggle dress that Gladrag's had had in the back room. They didn't get much call for muggle clothes, as most witches and wizards wanted robes and other magical garments, but they did have some in stock for special occasions; weddings being the main case. She ran a hand over the front of them, biting her lip slightly.
"Oh, Tonks, you look beautiful!" Hermione chirped, sitting on a chair behind the woman. Andromeda and Lisa nodded their heads in agreement, being right next to Hermione. Her other bridesmaids, and there were three more, couldn't make it, so it was up to Lisa and Hermione to handle it.
"I don't know." She whispered, spinning around to see the backside. "I don't know if I like the whole muggle look when Harry will be wearing robes, you know?"
"He is?" Lisa asked, furrowing her eyebrow. Admittedly, Tonks and her were friends through Harry and Hermione—Hermione being Lisa's best friend—but they knew and liked each other well enough that Tonks had asked her to be a bridesmaid.
"Well," Tonks replied, shrugging; her eyes flicked over to Lisa, leaving the full-sized mirror for a few moments. "He's going half and half, actually. He said he was going to be wearing a normal muggle tuxedo, but instead of a jacket, he's going to be wearing a robe. And, plus, you guys are wearing robes, so I don't want to seem out of place."
"This is your wedding, honey." Andromeda smiled, remembering what her wedding was like. Being that she was disowned from the family, it was a small affair, with only Ted, her, and a few friends; not a single member of the family had been invited. Even still, she had put her heart and soul into that wedding, shopping around with whatever money she had to make it perfect. "You can do whatever you want to do."
"I know." Tonks sighed, going behind the screen that was in the room, and changing into another set of robes. "But I want it to be perfect." She called out.
"And it will, honey," Andromeda soothed from her chair a few feet away from the screen. "But if you want to do something, then you should do it. It's your day." Her daughter went silent for a moment, as she changed into white wedding robes. "How do they look?" Andromeda asked, wondering why Tonks had gone quiet.
"I…I don't know." Tonks replied, taking a step to the right of the screen so the girls could get a view of her. Once they did, to her great surprise, they let out a collective gasp—their hands rising to their mouths. "What?" She questioned, confusedly.
"Tonks, you look…gorgeous." Lisa whispered, smiling brightly. She had never seen the Auror, who prided herself on originality, look so beautiful and womanly: it suited her.
Tonks looked in the mirror, silently agreeing with Lisa. It was a floaty, off the shoulder, jeweled halter-neck-like robe, made from the whitest silk. The fastenings were made from a white gold, with ruche sleeves, and it carried a long, white train, that ran for about five feet. With snaking arm clasps and bare shoulders, it hugged her physique nicely, showing off her curves and womanly figure. All in all, it was a perfect mix of wizarding fashion and muggle tradition.
"This is it." Tonks said softly, marveling at herself in the mirror. Even with her spiky, bubble-gum pink hair style, she could tell that the robes she had on were the ones she would wear at her wedding. "Harry is going to ogle me at the altar."
"Harry ogles you no matter what you wear." Hermione laughed. "But you look beautiful, Tonks."
"Yup," Tonks nodded, continuing to stare at herself in the mirror. Her eyes ran down the robes, admiring it with her intense gaze. "This is definitely the one."
As if by magic, the clerk who had shown the women into the room came walking in, a cheerful smile lacing her aged face. "Ah, Ms. Tonks, that is a splendid choice." She swished her wand, and a large brown leather bag came flying into the room, hanging itself up on the hook that was in the corner. "Now, as you know, those are self-ironing and cleaning robes. And we offer complimentary fitting charm work, so if you want it changed in any way, just come back here and we'll do it for you."
"Thank you." Tonks said, going behind the screen and changing back into the clothes that she wore when she came into the shop. She handed the robes to the witch, who promptly placed them safely in the bag, making sure as to not damage them in anyway. The aged witch flashed them a smile, before turning and walking back out to the main room of Gladrag's, carrying the leather bag.
"Do you know if you're going to take on your natural form or…?" Hermione questioned, as Tonks strolled over to the group, a dreamy look on her face. Hermione's eyes flicked up the Tonks' pink hair, quizzically cocking an eyebrow.
"I think I will." Tonks shrugged, not having discussed it with Harry yet. Though she loved being original, trying new hairstyles and eye colors, weddings were special. She knew, though he wouldn't say it, that Harry wanted her to be in her natural form, the one that he loved so intensely and intimately—that's not to say he didn't love her no matter what she looked like.
"Oh, goody!" Lisa chirped, wrapping an arm around Tonks. "I've never seen you in your natural form. Except for that five seconds when I walked in on you and Harry…" She paused, her eyes slowly moving over to Andromeda. "Playing chess. Yeah, when I walked in on you playing chess." She finished quickly, smiling embarrassedly.
"Smooth." Tonks muttered jokingly, as she walked out of the room. Lisa looked at Andromeda, nervously biting her lip. Andromeda just shook her head as a small smile played on her face, then turned around and followed her daughter out of the room.
Harry, Sirius, and Remus trudged down the dirt path until they were past the anti-apparition wards that were around the Potter manor. Once they reached a safe place to apparate from, they all did, leaving the area with a soft pop. The trio appeared not a few miles away, in front of an abandoned lot that held two gravestones in the middle, with a dilapidated cottage in the background. The front door was knocked off of its hinges and the right part of the cottage's roof was blown apart, clearly where Voldemort's spell had backfired. Harry flicked his ebony wand, conjuring up two red roses. Walking towards the headstones slowly, the wizard took a deep breath as emotions began to stir inside; love, anger, sadness, everything.
Remus and Sirius hung back a little, allowing the younger wizard his space. Remus had come to this place twice before, but memories of his friends overcame him to the point of not being able to take it anymore so he was forced to leave. Sirius, however, had never been there for his time in Azkaban had prevented it. He didn't know how he would react, seeing the name of his best friend on a gravestone, but he knew he had to come. He knew that, for all his worries, his best friend deserved it. They watched as Harry ran a tender hand over the stone to the left, clearly marked with the name Lily Potter.
"Do you think they would have liked her?" Harry questioned softly, placing the two roses down in front of their respective stones. "Nymphadora, I mean. Do you think they would have liked her and would have loved her enough to accept her as my wife?"
"They would have been happy with whoever you picked, kid. Just as long as she made you happy and content, and loved you with as much passion as they shared with each other." Sirius replied, holding in the tears that were about to fall as his eyes met with James' stone. Here he was, twenty years after James' death, visiting his burial plot for the first time. What kind of friend was he? To allow himself to be thrown into prison, and let his godson be raised by muggles who hated him?
"Which is clearly what you and Tonks have, Harry." Remus added, wiping his eyes, unashamed of the tears that had accumulated in them. "Every time she looks at you, it's as if it's Christmas for her. How could a parent not want that for their child? Plus, even if you and Tonks weren't together, they'd like the person that she is."
"I wish they could have met her." Harry whispered, kissing his fingers and placing them on his mother's name. Rising to his feet, he took a step back and stared down at the gravestones, thinking about what his life could've been. Even so, if he could go back and change that fateful night, he wouldn't for fear of Voldemort gaining even more power, and enslaving the world; plus, if he would even change one miniscule detail, he ran the chance of never meeting Nymphadora, and that was something he wouldn't risk.
Harry turned around, allowing Sirius a private moment next to his father's grave. His eyes flicked around Godric's Hollow, wondering just what had happened to this once peaceful wizarding community. It was at its peak a hundred years ago or so, but wizards and witches still lived here until Voldemort's attack. Now, twenty years after that night, wizarding folk still refused to return, making the town that was the birthing place of and named after Godric Gryffindor, one of the greatest wizards to ever live, an all but abandoned one. That wasn't to say the village was empty, no, for Bathilda Bagshot, Hannah Abbott, the Ropers, and even Albus Dumbledore—during his annual summer retreat—still resided there.
Down the lane, in the far distance, he could see the war monument that was located in the center of town, directly across from the small chapel. Behind the chapel was a cemetery, which held most of the Potter family and other notable people on its hallowed ground. Harry had gone there a few times, circling around the gravestones, looking for some familiar names. He had seen Dorea and Charlus Potter once, but didn't think much of it, having not known that they were his grandparent's at the time. There were a great deal of magical families buried there, like the Abbotts, Bagshots, and even some Dumbledores.
The center of town also housed a pub, a post office, and a couple of other little shops, mainly a bodega that acted as the source of the town's food supply. Past the town center was another row of houses, small and compact, though built nicely; then came the countryside, which consisted of moors, lawns, and meadows; on the other side were the mountains that divided Godric's Hollow with the Potter manor. Harry felt a hand on his shoulder, and he turned his head and grinned at Sirius, whom had his back turned to the grave as well, leaving Remus alone.
"James would have been proud of you." Sirius said solemnly, as he stared out at the horizon. It was around two o'clock, and the sun created shadows from the trees high above that made it as if it was dark outside. "And of course your mother would have been, too. I'm amazed at the life you made for yourself, Harry. I just wish I could have been there to see you make it."
Harry gave out a low laugh, one that was filled with both happiness and sadness, while shaking his head slightly. "Yeah, well, at least you're going to be there for my marriage. Plus, you'll get to see me in the World Cup, so there are things that you haven't missed, you know." He gestured to the land around them, as a gentle breeze ruffled through the air. "I haven't been here in three years. I guess it's because Remus, Hagrid, and Dumbledore are the only ones who could come with me and see it, that's why I didn't even bother. It's hard to believe that this piece of land is still under the Fidelius charm."
"I remember the day Peter told you where your own house was—we had given Dumbledore, Hagrid, and Remus a piece of paper with the secret on it, to keep with the charade that I was the secret keeper. But he told the secret to you personally, since you couldn't read." Sirius said, thinking back to that day. Even with Peter in it, he still found it as a fond memory, for it had Harry and James in it. "We didn't know if it would work because you were so young, we didn't think you'd be able to comprehend it. But, to our great surprise, your mother took you outside one day, and you pointed up at your house and said 'hos'." He laughed, wiping a tear away from the corner of his eye. "And to this day we still have no idea what hos means." He added, as Remus walked over to the pair.
"I see my linguistic skills were second to none, even as a child, eh?" Harry smirked, biting his fingernails and polishing them off on his blue sweatshirt. "Here, Sirius, I think you should see something." He said, heading towards the gate that led up to the property.
"What is it?" Sirius questioned, following his godson. Harry stopped in front of the gate, and gestured down to it. Sirius cocked an eyebrow at it, and tentatively reached out to it, touching the metal gently. Immediately, a large, wooden sign sprang to life from the gate, its black lettering spelling out a small passage for him to read.
On this spot, on the night of 31 October 1981, Lily and James Potter lost their lives. Their son, Harry, remains the only wizard ever to have survived the killing curse. This plot of land, invisible to all but a few, has been left in its ruined state as a monument to the Potters and as a reminder of the violence that tore apart their family.
Underneath the neat writing, was a sheet of parchment that had the signatures of all different witches and wizards who had come to see the place where the Boy Who Lived had escaped death. The first one, Sirius noted, was signed by Frank Longbottom and said: "Thank you, Harry Potter, for saving my family since You-Know-Who was coming after us next. I'm sorry for the loss of your parents, but please know that what you did will save hundreds. They will always live on in our memories." The rest were just names, and some left a few words here and there, but for the most part, people just left their signatures.
He looked up at Harry, giving the young man a small, sad smile. "That was nice." He said, after taking a moment to reread what it had said. "Frank must have came straight here when he heard, then…well, you know."
Remus looked down at his watch, and then glanced up to the others. "We should get going." He said, tapping on his watch face. "You said the Tonks' are going to be at your house around three, right?
"Yeah," Harry nodded, turning around, walking over a few steps, and bending down to his parents' graves. "Bye guys." Then, all together, they apparated out, appearing on the dirt path that led up to the Potter manor.
Nymphadora, Andromeda, and Ted Tonks all appeared on the same dirt path with a pop at three o'clock. They walked briskly towards the gate, all-smiling pleasantly. "Dad, you're going to love it." Nymphadora gushed, changing her hair color to a bright red, which flowed down to her shoulders.
"I don't doubt it." Ted replied, knowing Harry. When the boy did something, it was rarely small, and he knew the Potter family house would be no exception.
As they neared the gate, Andromeda noticed the P shield and felt the magic around it. She remembered the feeling from when she would visit other pureblood houses when she was a young girl. Number twelve Grimmauld Place, she knew, had the same charm, only opening up for Sirius. "How are we going to get in?" She questioned, her eyes flicking over to her daughter.
"Oh, right." Nymphadora pouted, biting her lip. She placed her hand on the shield gently, wondering if it would work. She doubted it would, being that she wasn't a Potter yet, but you never know. Nothing happened. She glanced up to the grounds, hoping Harry would see them. The said man was walking towards the house with Remus and Sirius, all just about two hundred feet away. "Harry!" She called out, hoping to grab his attention. When they continued to walk, she took out her wand, thought about all the happy feelings and memories Harry gave her, and said, "Expecto Patronum."
A silver, four-legged beast bursted out of her wand, and began to race towards Harry. Its gallop was long and grand, showing a majesty that only a king of the animal kingdom could show. To the outside world it would seem like the patronus was a lioness, but Tonks knew that it was a mighty tiger, akin to Harry's animagus form. Before she had met and fell in love with the wizard, her patronus had been a small bird-like beast, but now that she considered Harry her protector, it had changed to show the world that. As the silver patronus neared the trio, Harry finally noticed it, and turned and looked towards the gates. Seeing them, he grinned and jogged over.
"Hey," He said, coming to a stop next to the gate. "Sorry about that, I thought I told you how to get in." He said, looking at Nymphadora, who shook her head in the negative. He grinned sheepishly, putting his hand on the gate and granting them passage. "Well, for the future, all you have to do is touch your wand to the stag's hoof, and say 'mynd I mewn', and you'll be allowed in." He told Andromeda and Ted. "The password means enter in welsh."
"And me?" Nymphadora asked, cocking an eyebrow, teasingly.
"You'll be let in the same way I am after we're married." Harry told her, wrapping his arms around her and giving her a hug. "I don't know how to change the charm to allow you in now, but since it's only a week, I figured it would be okay."
"The famous Harry Potter not knowing how to do something when it comes to magic? I'm shocked! Shocked I say." Nymphadora mocked jokingly, holding his hand.
"It's a hard charm." Harry shrugged, laughing. "I barely even understand it as it is. Dumbledore is still teaching me about ancient wards, so I don't really know about it in-depthly."
Harry gave Andromeda and Ted the grand tour of the place. They couldn't even believe the beauty of the house, each amazed that a man of only twenty-one years old, nearly twenty-two, could afford a place like this. That, however, was not considering the fact that the man they were talking about was none other than the famous boy who lived, Harry Potter.