Disclaimer: A good chunk of this chapter contains flashbacks, which also contains Harry acting in a disturbingly canon manner in said flashbacks. Will contain "bashing" of Weasleys, and others in general.
It has to be done. Once we get past that, than Harry (and myself as an author) can move on. Of course, it also does shed some light on why Harry is the way he is as far is this present story.
Chapter Six: Legend.
Harry's eyes flickered open the next morning, as he woke up after the best night of sleep he had gotten in his entire life. He saw Kara, still peacefully asleep, and using him as a pillow. His arm was wrapped around her bare waist, as her legs were draped over the couch. He suspected he held her as such so she did not roll off onto the floor.
It took Harry a few seconds to realize the reaction having this attractive young woman pressed against him was giving him.
'I didn't know I was even capable of this," thought Harry to himself as he tried to control his arousal. 'All of the times I was with Cho or Ginny, when I kissed them, no matter how heated, this never happened. Even the dreams I had, they were nice, but I…nothing really happened in them. Why now, why with a girl who I just met the other day? This isn't natural Potter, control yourself!"
Kara stirred, as she pulled herself back to the land of the awake.
"Morning, Harry," yawned Kara. She turned to look into his eyes. "Guess I fell asleep, I was just resting my eyes during the commercial…why didn't you wake me up?"
"You looked so peaceful, so b…I didn't want to wake you up,' said Harry, as he mentally slapped himself for the near slip of the tongue he made.
"Oh, thanks, I had a nice rest," said Kara, as she shifted, but she frowned. "Harry…there's something in your pants, isn't there?"
Kara slid off the couch, onto her knees to get a better look. She gazed up at him. "Harry…you're swollen…"
She suddenly gave him a mischievous smile. Then she got up to her feet to look him right in the eyes
"I know what happened to you," sang Kara, as she placed one arm on either side of him, so he was trapped on the couch with nowhere to go. "It's a common ailment with Earth boys, the blood rushes from your head to your genital area, and causes a swelling of that region. It's a state of arousal. Normally in the proximity of…an attractive female."
Time stopped, as Kara looked at Harry. Her smile could light up the entire room, as her eyelashes fluttered at him. She took a step back, hands on her hips. "Harry…I caused this to happen, didn't I?"
She had a smile on her face.
"Yeah, this is all your fault, Kara," teased Harry, who was relieved she wasn't mad. "You were the one who fell asleep, I mean, this beautiful young woman slept snuggled against me all night, and…her body was pressed against mine. I think she caused the right amount of friction as well."
Kara laughed, as she eyed Harry, before she continued in a soft voice. "Harry, it's perfectly natural…I…I think you're pretty attractive yourself."
Harry just paused and blinked. She was being nice to him, humoring him.
"So that must be hard to walk around with all day?" mused Kara, as she absent mindly twirled her hair and looked right into his eyes. "I wonder if there are any treatments to that particular ailment…"
"A shower normally clears it up, I heard," said Harry.
"I heard about that too, a cold one," replied Kara, as she appeared to be enjoying this.
"Yeah, I'll go take one now, then we'll eat breakfast," said Harry, as he moved off to do so. "I shouldn't be long…"
"Take your time Harry!" called Kara.
'Thought about helping him with that, but that might be too soon,' thought Kara to herself, as she blushed slightly at the thought. 'Some Earth boy's doing this to me, but there are worse choices, he's rather good looking. And nice, weird, but he's nice and helpful. Not too bad of a view on either side. Better not tell him I might have accidentally peeked through his clothes, might scar him. Although the look on his face would be cute.'
Kara just moved off to her room to get fresh clothes, and take the shower after Harry was finished. She waited patiently, and resisted the urge to peer through into the bathroom to see if he was finished.
At Breakfast, Harry set out the plates. He had waffles with syrup and toast on the table, with orange juice to drink. Kara walked in a moment later. Harry looked at her, as she wore a red tank top and jean shorts, with sandals.
"That looks good," said Kara, as she sat herself down, and helped herself to breakfast. Harry just gave her a polite nod, as she took the toast and the waffles, before she poured herself a glass of orange juice. "So, last night was interesting."
"One could say that," said Harry slowly and carefully.
"You're the first boy I ever slept with," said Kara casually, which caused Harry to choke on the orange juice he was drinking. He coughed. She leaned over, concern on her face. "What's wrong?"
"Did you realize what you said?" asked Harry.
"I didn't say, anything technically untrue did I?" she asked.
Harry just looked at her, incredulously.
"You're a boy," said Kara, as she looked over Harry.
She took a drink of orange juice.
"We were on the same couch," continued Kara, as she took another drink. "And we were sleeping."
She took one final drink of orange juice. Then she took a bite of the waffles. Then Kara concluded in a matter of fact tone. "So, we slept together."
"Yeah, technically true," admitted Harry. "But, people are going to take that the wrong way, and rumors are going to be started…"
"Well, if someone's going to start rumors off of an innocent comment like that, then they're kind of stupid," said Kara, as she licked the syrup off her fingers. "Nice, and sticky, but it tastes so good."
"Kara, that comment has a double meaning here on Earth," said Harry in an exasperated manner, unable to believe that he of all people had to explain something like this to someone. "It means that a man and woman…they did something…together…in bed."
Kara looked confused, before she understood. "Oh, it means they had sexual intercourse!"
"Kara!" yelled Harry in a reproachful voice.
"What?" asked Kara innocently. "Sexual intercourse is a perfectly natural act. I can't believe you're acting like it's some taboo. I mean, it's needed for life to be sustained. Man and woman find each other, marry, mate with each other, eventually they might have children. The circle of life continues, for generation after generation."
She took another bite, and added. "It's basic universal science."
Harry's mouth opened and shut it.
"My training indicated you should have learned this by the time you were thirteen or fourteen," said Kara, as she was torn between amusement and frustration.
Harry shuddered, as he recalled Sexual Education Orientation with Severus Snape that all of the third year boys were forced to take for three long weeks. The only consolation was that Snape seemed to be equally tortured by the experience.
Then there was Sirius's attempt to give him the Talk, using puppets as visual aids. The less said about that, the better. When Remus finally told Sirius to knock it off, Mrs. Weasley took control, and said Harry was much too young to worry about knowing such things. Then, Harry got caught up in other matters, like fighting for his life.
"Yes, we were taught," said Harry in a dry voice.
Kara saw right through that immediately. She wondered how people in Harry's world stayed alive for as long as they did with limited understanding of fundamental knowledge.
She did not pursue the topic any further. Kara helped Harry clear up the table, and put the dishes away.
The two moved into a study area, where they could sit and talk.
"So last night, before that woman showed up, Kal-El…or Clark rather, gave me an offer to stay at his farmhouse," said Kara, as she sat in front of Harry.
Harry knew this was too good to last.
"Kara, if you want to stay there, that's fine, whatever's more comfortable for you," said Harry.
Kara regarded him for a second. She sensed the desperation in his voice, the desire to put others ahead of himself, but she could sense that he didn't want to be alone. He had no one else.
"I want to stay with you, Harry, if that's okay," said Kara softly. "I did promise that I'd help you find that journal, and we're going to stick with that plan."
She looked at Harry, than she added. "And that's not really the only reason…I don't know if I could stand facing him, knowing why I was sent here. What I found out about my father and what he did…"
"That's not your fault, Kara," said Harry firmly. Kara paused, and shook her head.
"No, it isn't, but that's not the only reason," said Kara, as she maintained her composure. "He has friends and a life of his own here, for the past eighteen years. I got stuck in my own ship until you rescued me. I'll help him if he asks, but since he's a grown man, I don't think I need to watch over him."
'If I asks, I'll be there,' added Kara mentally.
"He'll be fine, if he learns to be a bit more careful," concluded Harry before he switched subjects. "Kara, your father left that crystal. There must be something in there that could give us a hint what he was up to. I've cracked Kryptonian technology before; I think I might be able to do it with that crystal."
"It should still be in my ship," said Kara, but then she grabbed Harry's hand. "It can wait until later; we need to talk about who you really are."
"You know my secret, that I'm…well you saw who I was," said Harry.
"You're the one was sent here by the guardian of the afterlife, to help the man of tomorrow prepare to fight a dangerous force, and lead the world to a new golden age of heroes," recited Kara, and to this statement, Harry looked at her mouth a gap. "Maybe I should explain what I know, I don't know that much, just the basics."
Harry motioned to her to proceed.
"There was a legend as old as time," said Kara, before drawing in a deep breath. "A thousand years ago, there would be four mystics brought together on Earth. For a great dream, to bring youngsters to learn magic together, so they could not be prosecuted for their gifts. The school was said to be built away from the prying eyes of those who did not have these gifts."
Harry nodded, and invited her to continue.
"Time would pass, but then the dark angel of the afterlife would visit three brothers," continued the woman. "She would grant them three keys, one to each. However, the keys would contain a grave curse that would begin a slow decline of the world that the four mystics tried to build. All in the name of finding the one worthy to hold the gifts of the three keys of the afterlife."
"Yes, that sounds about right," agreed Harry.
"The three keys would cause obsession and lead to betrayal, for the single minded pursuit to obtain them and merge them," said Kara. "It was believed to lead to the mastery of death, but that belief would be mistaken. Two young men would be drawn together by a mutual pursuit of the three keys, but their friendship would be torn apart by tragedy. It would spark the first of four great wars that would destroy the hidden world."
She reached forward and grabbed his hand. "The fourth and final war would destroy those who remained, forcing Death's chosen to merge the keys in one last attempt to save all, but it would be all in vain."
Harry nodded.
"That's really all I know," said Kara with a shrug. "Every single drawing I saw depicted a young man with green eyes and dark hair. Last night, I saw you, and then I knew you were the one the legend spoke of."
"Yeah, that's me," said Harry. "A curse seems to follow me, everyone…"
"Ah, yes self-loathing, one of the more frustrating human emotions," said Kara as she rolled her eyes. "It leads to angst, which leads to a miserable and lonely life."
Kara just looked him in the eye.
"Harry, you can live in the past, or you can live in the present," said Kara. "I think I can help you, if you let me. Experiences are best shared, and if you tell me everything, I think it will help you move on and live your life."
Harry looked reluctant. Everything was a lot of things, memories that he wished he could forget. Memories he had buried deep within his subconscious.
"Don't do it right now, just think about it," said Kara as she patted him on the arm. "When you feel comfortable with telling me, just do it. I don't want you to feel any pressure."
"Thanks Kara," said Harry gratefully
"Hey, what are friends for?" asked Kara with a smile, but then she paused to look at him, for confirmation. "We are friends, right?"
"Of course, Kara, if you'll have me," said Harry.
"Hey, I'm living with you," said Kara. "Clark's house, it's nice, but it's not as fun as yours."
"So, you only like me because I have a cool house," joked Harry.
Both of them laughed, and spent the rest of the morning together, brainstorming about the journal.
Chloe sat in the Talon Apartment, thinking over the events of the past three days. Three days ago, Harry Potter sprinted out of here when she brought up a woman named Rosalina Sinclair. Sinclair seemed to spook the young man. Then Clark returned with the girl, Kara, his apparent cousin. Chloe healed her, because Clark looked so frantic. Then, the mysterious robed man saved her a second time.
The new owner of the Daily Planet got on nerves as well. She tried to be a good cousin, give Lois the help she needed, but it seemed like her contributions were being marginalized by the sensational story Lois did about the space ship.
Her phone rang. Chloe picked it up. "Hello."
"Chloe, this is Harry Potter, are you busy?" asked Harry.
"Harry, you're…I thought something bad might have happened to you," said Chloe quickly.
"I wasn't aware that I made so much of an impression on you during our first meeting," said Harry, in a slow and calculating voice.
"Yeah, you're fine," muttered Chloe, with a roll of her eyes. "Where are you?"
"Just right around the corner, both Kara and I, you know who she is…" started Harry.
"Yeah, Clark's cousin," muttered Chloe, as she remembered all too well. "Yeah, I'm not busy, pop right in; I want to know what happened."
"I'll tell you more when I get there, we could be monitored," said Harry, as the phone on the other end went dead.
'How paranoid can you get?' thought Chloe. 'He actually outed himself as a magic user because he's so paranoid. Hopefully he gets a hold on that, for his sake.'
A moment later, Chloe answered a knock on the door. She pulled it open, and Harry and Kara walked inside.
"Kara, this is Chloe Sullivan, the woman who saved you last night," said Harry.
The two women looked at each other awkwardly, before Kara spoke up.
"Hi, um thanks for saving me," said Kara in a small voice.
"You're welcome," said Chloe, as she remembered saying some not so kind things about this girl a few days ago. She felt a bit of guilt, but shook if off to focus on the matter at hand. "How did you get…"
"I took a shot for my cousin, Clark," said Kara as she recalled it with pain. "That woman was going to kill him if I hadn't jumped in."
"Well you truly are his family if you were willing to risk your life to save his," said Chloe, as she smiled at the girl.
"I wish I could be as good as Clark, but I could have hurt him if Harry hadn't found me first," remarked Kara in a sad voice.
"Why do you say that?" asked Chloe.
Harry paused, as he exchanged a covert glance with Kara. He cleared his throat, and turned towards Chloe. "I trust you won't say a word of this to anyone. Clark knows, but no one else. I don't care who it is. Not one word, I need you to swear that you won't say anything."
"Okay, fine, I won't say anything," said Chloe with a frown. Of course, given that Harry knew about her powers, she was not about to blab anything he told her to anyone.
Harry explained about Kara's father blocking her memories, and the crystal she had, along with the fact she had been sent here to "take care of" Kal-El.
Chloe took a few minutes to take what was said. "Well, at least you're on the right path now. We all make mistakes, it's human after all."
"Yeah, you're right," said Kara who looked a bit happier now. "We would have swung by sooner, but we flew to a place called Godric's Hallow. We needed to check out something."
"Plus, that's where my parents are buried," added Harry.
Chloe understood where he was coming from.
"You two, you are going to attract way too much attention, and the government's going to be interested in you both," said Chloe in a business like tone. "Especially since you're in Smallville, it's not exactly a place that's…well we're not exactly the capital of normal."
The government, Harry had almost forgotten about them. Granted, he had only dealt with the American Government a few times in his role as an advisor to the Prime Minister, but he knew enough to be concerned and weary.
"Here's the thing," said Chloe. "I don't know what happened to you, but you're paranoid."
"I'm not paranoid," argued Harry, who could hardly believe she was saying that. Chloe just looked at him and scoffed. "Okay, fine, I'm paranoid, happy."
"I would suggest being a bit more careful, and stop trying to be jumpy about everything," said Chloe. "Clark won't say anything, I won't say anything, and as for Lois…what she saw could be passed off as her seeing things. After all, your house "disappeared" so it is hard for her to prove it was there at all."
Harry nodded, she had a point.
Chloe added, to switch back. "Both of you however, you still need something out there that doesn't have so many holes in it."
Harry and Kara nodded. He figured she already had something cooked up.
"Harry, your backstory should be easy enough, just fill in the holes," remarked Chloe. "The boarding school was a prestigious institute that shut down years ago. Your family went there for generations. I've got yours rather down pat."
Chloe paused, and regarded Kara. "Now, yours on the other hand, is a bit trickier. Being Clark's cousin is easy enough, I guess. You came from out of town, but to explain your connection to Harry, that might be the tricky part."
The woman looked thoughtful, before she added, "I think the best way to explain this is that you were sent to the same private boarding school as Harry, on a scholarship. You were friends for years, but lost touch. You came to Smallville to look up Clark, but you almost drowned when the dam broke. Then Harry managed to save you, and you reconnected with each other."
"That's actually believable," said Kara with a knowing smile. "I'm living with Harry, because my other family is gone, and I don't want to intrude on Clark's life."
Silence, before she voiced something she had been wondering. "Where did Clark run off to anyway?"
"That's really not my place to say," said Chloe in a brisk manner, before she changed the subject. "So this Shining Light Foundation….it helps people who have been infected by the meteors."
"Yes," said Harry slowly.
"So, I've got these powers, twice I used them, and twice I blacked out," said Chloe. "Do you think that you could…cure them..."
"Chloe, I would advise not hunting down any cures," said Harry sternly. "We offer help, for people to come with terms with and use their great powers with great responsibility. We won't judge people. If you want to stop by, I'll be happy to help."
"I'll keep that in mind," said Chloe, but she was not sure if she wanted to come with terms with her powers. She had seen first-hand some of the cases where the meteor powers warped people.
"You're a reporter, aren't you?" asked Harry.
"Yeah, for the Daily Planet, how did you guess?" asked Chloe.
Harry shrugged, before he said. "You seem to be the type."
Chloe did not know whether that was a compliment or an insult.
He removed a press pass from his jacket and handed it to her. "Here, I'm having a press conference for the Shining Light Foundation in three weeks, swing by and cover it. Then we can discuss things further afterwards."
Chloe just nodded, as she held the press pass.
"So, how did you two hook up anyway?" asked Chloe.
Harry told the story, at least a shortened version, leaving out his alter ego and other details. Plus he fudged the timeline a little bit. Chloe had been right; he needed to be more careful.
"So, I guess that was a good shot in the dark about the drowning thing," she muttered after Harry concluded. "About the journal…do you have any idea what it might look like…"
"Sorry, not a clue," said Harry.
"Well, good luck in finding it, I'll see if any suspicious books have cropped up in town recently, and get back to you," said Chloe, but another knock on the door caused her to look up. "We'll finish this later…LANA!"
Harry's eyes snapped up, and he saw the arrival of Lana Lang. His mood darkened. Chloe and Lana greeted each other. He tried not to listen to the conversation; he hoped that Lana would actually have listened to him. Given that she was back in town proved to be a rather promising start.
"Oh, Harry and Kara, this is Lana Lang," said Chloe as she lead Lana over. "Lana, this is Clark's cousin from out of town, Kara, and her friend Harry Potter."
"Oh, hi," said Lana as she looked at them, with a smile. "Yeah, figure you would be Clark's cousin, given all the primary colors."
"Nice to meet you Lana, but urgent business just came up," said Harry, as he looked at Kara. "Besides, we would hate to intrude on a personal manner."
"Right, see you later Chloe, Lana!" called Kara, as she followed Harry out the doorway.
"He seemed in a hurry to leave," remarked Lana. "Almost like he was avoiding me for some reason…"
"Lana, he's a busy man, he does run an organization," said Chloe, and Lana nodded, that made a lot of sense. "And since you've come back from the dead, you've got some explaining to do."
"Why did you react the way you did around that Lana woman?" asked Kara the moment they were back in Harry's home.
Harry remained silent, and then spoke. "I want to give her the benefit of the doubt, but she's…I don't know. She faked her own death, and that hurt a lot of people, including Clark and Chloe. I saw some things, when I scanned her mind, her surface thoughts. She's obsessed with getting revenge on Lex Luthor. And Lex, is obsessed with finding out about your cousin."
"Obsession can be dangerous," said Kara.
"Tell me about it," said Harry darkly. "For their sakes, both of them, I hope they just let it go, and move on. I can't babysit them or force them to do anything. I gave them both warnings, my work is done."
They walked through the lower level of Harry's house.
"So how would you like a job?" asked Harry to break the silence. "Official employment, I'll pay you and everything, give you all of the benefits, as a cover for you being with me all of the time."
Kara nodded.
"How would you like to be my personal bodyguard?" asked Harry.
The young woman was dumbstruck by this offer.
"You can take care of yourself fine, you know," said Kara. "I mean, I don't think I could protect you if…"
"Kara, if it wasn't for you, I could have never pulled off that spell to defeat Sinclair's duplicate," said Harry, as they both sat down together in the study. "I can help you with your powers, help you use them better, train you how to fight without them. I've taught people before, and they defended themselves well. You seem like a quick study."
Kara thought about it for a moment, and smiled. She responded. "I accept, I would work for free you know…"
"I know, but it would give you some spending money and it will allow you to mingle with the people more," said Harry. "Something I could work on a bit as well, my people skills aren't the best."
"I've noticed," the girl remarked in amusement.
Time had passed, as Kara and Harry spent much of the next two weeks together. They trained, watched movies, and explored the wonders of video games and the Internet together. Kara started to teach Harry about Kryptonian culture and science. Harry tried to teach Kara how to best fit in among normal people, even though that was like the blind leading the blind.
The hunt for the journal seemed to be one that was an exercise in frustration, as a couple of potential ideas turned up as duds.
Right now, Harry was focused on the crystal he had found that Kara's father sent with her.
"Okay, you're a tricky one to figure out," muttered Harry as he looked at the crystal. "There's something in there, or maybe even someone. It's complex, and whoever designed it really made it hard to crack."
Kara watched him from the doorway.
"Give it a break for a while," suggested Kara after she had watched Harry for some time.
"Yeah, I guess, I'll figure out this thing eventually," said Harry, as he put it away. "I'd like to figure out what's inside this crystal, but never mind that…you asked me to share with you something, didn't you?"
Kara nodded, as she gazed at him. She stood on the edge of great secrets, and to be honest, she became a tiny bit apprehensive. It seemed like a good idea to ask Harry, to help him, but now she had her doubts.
"What I'm about to show you is not for the weak of heart," warned Harry. "My life was not the happiest one in the world, so if you don't think you can handle it, let me know and we'll stop."
"I can handle it," whispered Kara, as she followed Harry. She saw a large stone bowl with two wires with headbands connecting from it. Harry put one on, and she put the other on.
"Ready," said Harry.
"Ready," agreed Kara.
The room swirled around them. They stepped at a cottage in Godric's Hallow, that they visited a couple of weeks ago, or rather the ruins of it.
"The night before my parents got killed," whispered Harry, as they walked inside the house. They saw baby Harry sit in a playpen, happy, as they saw James watch his son. Then, their eyes averted, to see Lily, hold a red journal with green markings.
"Could that be it?" asked Kara, but she also looked at the woman who held it. Something about her seemed so oddly familiar, like she had met her before.
"Kara, that was a good catch, it just might be," said Harry, who was glad he at least knew what the blasted thing looked like now.
The memories swirled around them. Kara watched Voldemort kill Harry's mother, before he tried to kill Harry. The magic repelled back, and blasted Voldemort out of his body.
Flashes of Harry's childhood played. Kara could see enough of the images to get a good idea that it had not been a happy time. Her stomach turned, as she watched Harry's own relatives, his aunt in particular, treat him like he was something smelly they scraped off of the bottom of their shoe.
Harry, at age five, sat in a cupboard underneath the stairs, with a broken crayon and a dirty napkin. He sloppily scrawled the words "home" and "family" on the napkin, before he crossed them out, and tossed it away, tears in his eyes.
"The last time I cried, ever," commented Harry, as Kara wanted to hug the five year old child, to tell him it was going to be okay, but she remembered it was just a memory.
She noticed the Dursleys never struck Harry. Yet they starved him, yelled at him, and locked him in an enclosed space with no light. She also heard echoes that no one would ever love him, and how he would always be a nothing but a burden. Harry sat, emotionally detached; as they watched the memories go by.
At the age of eleven, Kara shared Harry's happiness when a giant of a man told him he was a wizard, and he would be going off to a magical school called Hogwarts. She watched, as Harry made friends for the first time in his life. Moments of happiness, and also some despair when the monster that killed Harry's parents returned. Harry's heroics were showcased when he had to fight a teacher in a turban, possessed by Voldemort.
'You should have told him then,' thought Kara, as she watched Dumbledore evade Harry's question of why Voldemort tried to kill him.
'It wouldn't have mattered,' projected Harry.
'I can hear you, and you can hear me,' thought Kara.
'Our minds are linked because that's the best way I can show you,' thought Harry.
'Oh, that makes sense,' thought Kara, who felt stupid.
Kara's mood was spoiled when she saw Harry returned to those monsters he had to live with. They were not his family. She did admire Harry's shrewdness for using the fear that he might perform magic on them as his only leverage. Then, this little creature in his crazed attempt to help Harry, got him in trouble, and removed his only leverage. She watched as Harry was locked in his room, with bars on the window, and food shoved through a little flap on the door.
'He's not a war criminal you monsters!' she thought.
'Kara, relax, it happened a long time ago,' replied Harry mentally.
'Doesn't make it right, when my father talked about humans, he must have used these two as his main reference,' retorted Kara.
Harry was rescued, and then he missed the train.
'You were twelve years old and scared, what in the name of Rao is wrong with these people?' thought Kara, as she saw Harry browbeaten and punished for the flying car fiasco.
Harry did not respond, but a slight smile appeared on his face.
"I would have done the same thing you would have done," she added, aloud. "If I was in that situation…"
The entire year, the attacks, and everyone who blamed Harry for it, despite the fact there was no proof other than hearsay. Then, they accused him of being evil just because he could speak to snakes. She watched as Harry risked his life, to save some girl who trusted a magical diary that wrote back.
'That's how they reward you for nearly dying,' thought Kara, as she watched Dumbledore award him house points. Her arms wrapped around Harry throughout the second year, half in an attempt to steady herself, and half in an attempt to offer him some comfort.
Third year brought more intrigue. Those Dementors were the worst creatures in the universe. There was a moment of hope, that Harry would get a better life. Then it was dashed at the worst possible time.
Fourth year was when Kara lost her patience with that entire world in general. Well for the most part, she decided there were a few decent people. Ron Weasley in particular showed how loyal he was to Harry, when he abandoned him based off of his jealously. She saw it in his eyes. Hermione was a good friend, who tried to make things work, but Kara could see the strain the poor girl was suffering keeping the ties of friendship together.
"Greengrass, I'm just showing school unity!" yelled Draco Malfoy, as he grabbed a second year Slytherin by the wrist.
"No, this is just another childish game to discredit Potter," said Astoria Greengrass with disdain. "Well attempt to discredit him, because you don't even know what you're really doing."
Draco looked confused, and Crabbe and Goyle did as well.
"Lucius must have dropped you on your head as an infant," said the second year girl as she rolled her eyes. "You just gave Potter credit for fooling a magical object that most adult witches and wizards couldn't. You said Potter was smarter than you. It's nice to see you've come to terms with that."
Draco was unable to formulate a response.
"I don't have time to deal with some stupid little second year anyway," said Draco after a moment, as he walked off, with Crabbe and Goyle dumbly following him.
Astoria walked away until she bumped into something solid.
"Hello, Potter," said Astoria.
"How?" asked Harry.
"Snape ranted about you and your invisibility cloak a few times, you better be careful with it," said Astoria. "Those things are rare, especially the one you have. It was in your family for a long time."
"What are you trying to say?" asked Harry.
"Something tells me you didn't read many books as a child," said Astoria in a cryptic voice. "I for the record don't believe you entered your name in the Tournament. It's obvious to anyone who has brain cells in the double digits that you hate your fame."
"Right," said Harry.
"Potter…Harry, I think I can help you, if you let me," said Astoria.
"But, you're a Slytherin," said Harry with distrust.
"For the love of…yes I'm aware what house I was sorted into!" yelled Astoria. "Don't try to deny it, the sorting hat wanted to put you in there. Daphne told me, she saw your lips moving."
"Wait, you're Greengrass's sister?" asked Harry.
"Very good, we do look alike," answered Astoria. "Don't judge all Slytherins on Malfoy and his cronies. A lot of us just like to be left alone. The only reason why Malfoy has any pull at all is because his Daddy is wealthy and has blackmail material on half of the families in our house. Take that away, and half of the house would string him up from the Astronomy tower on sheer principle."
"I see," said Harry.
"Just think about it Harry, and find me," said Astoria, before she added. "And good luck in the first task."
The entire fourth year went by, although Kara found herself quite amused by Harry's misadventures in finding a date for the Yule Ball. He looked like he would rather fight a hundred dragons, then dance. Then the third task, the thrill that the underdog was going to pull it off, the boy who had three years less magical experience than the other three champions.
She smiled at how Harry offered to let the other boy, Cedric, have the cup. Despite all of his bad feelings towards the boy for beating him to the girl he liked, Harry was going to let him win. Eventually, they both took the cup.
Then, she saw a pained emotion flickered on Harry's face. The entire scene of the Graveyard flashed before their eyes. Then Harry returned, with the dead body of his friend. The only witness was disposed of, and once again, Harry was not believed.
'These people really were too stupid to live,' thought Kara.
'Yep,' projected Harry, as he watched the spectacle.
Harry sat quietly outside, as Astoria walked up to him.
"So, Diggory died in front of you, I'm sorry," she said in a serious voice, as she sat down next to Harry. "I'm sure nothing you could have done prevented it anyway. Lord Voldemort is back…"
"You said his name," interrupted Harry, in shock.
"Yes, I did," agreed Astoria nonchalantly. "But you are fighting someone with over fifty years of training over you. You need to learn how to think like a Slytherin, and you need to learn to kill if you have a hope of surviving."
"Astoria, I can't do that," said Harry, firmly set in his beliefs against killing.
"Then Voldemort will torture your friends right in front of you, before he kills you," said Astoria. "He had Diggory killed just because he was there."
Astoria looked at Harry. "Do not be afraid to exploit every single advantage you have. Your mother died to protect you…"
"The same blood flows through his veins now," said Harry.
"Then, find a way to make that hurt him," said Astoria, as she handed Harry three books. "Two of these are forbidden by the Ministry, and one is on magical law. I suggest you read all of them."
Harry just looked at the books. They seemed rather dark. This Slytherin girl was trying to turn him towards dark magic, and he knew Dumbledore would not approve.
"And stop following Dumbledore like a dutiful little sheep," added Astoria, before she walked off once again.
Harry put the books into his bag, where he promptly forgot about them.
Kara watched everything unfold, and Harry just get sent back to the Dursleys.
'You needed someone to be there for you after what happened, and they sent you back to them,' thought Kara.
She held Harry closer.
"It gets messy from here," muttered Harry. "It's not too late to…"
"No, I need to know everything," said Kara, as she sighed.
Fifth year caused her anger to rise to its highest levels. Harry was angry at what happened, and his friends chose this Dumbledore over him. At least Hermione felt rather bad, even if Kara was kind of predisposed to not give Ron the benefit of the doubt. She experienced the delight that was Dolores Umbridge. The moment she saw what Umbridge did for her "detention" with Harry, Kara got up, and tried to walk over to strangle the memory version of Umbridge.
"Kara, remember, it's a memory, nothing you can do can change it," said Harry.
Kara, flushed, sat down. She watched as Harry risked his own health to get the truth out there.
"You're a great leader," remarked Kara.
"No, I'm not," argued Harry.
"You can teach fifteen year old children complex magic, how can you be anything else?" asked Kara.
Harry decided not to argue the point any further.
After the interview with Rita Sweeter in Hogsmeade, Harry was pulled off to the side, right by the Shrieking Shack by Astoria.
"So, I saw Chang run off," said Astoria. "Good, that relationship was doomed to failure. I also would suggest that you wipe both her and her friend's memory, and kick them out of your little club, before they run to Umbridge. But that wouldn't be the Gryffindor thing to do, would it?"
"So, you know about…" said Harry.
"You idiots talk about it where people can hear you," said Astoria, as she slapped her palm to her face. "Harry, remember our conversation at the end of the last year? Think like a Slytherin…a Slytherin would have not held a meeting in Hogsmeade where they could have been overheard. We have our own secret club to practice magic, that's illegal now thanks to you. Umbridge isn't teaching us a blasted thing that can be of use."
"And how is this my fault?" asked Harry.
"It's not, but Harry, ditch them before they sell you out," said Astoria.
Confusion reigned on Harry's face. Astoria looked as if she considered the merits of hexing some sense into him.
"The Weasleys and Dumbledore, they might have the most noble of intentions, but they will sacrifice you if it helps defeat Voldemort and his Death Eaters," said Astoria. "You notice the littlest Weasley seems to be a lot cozier around you. And you notice that Dumbledore's avoiding you, and sending you for "remedial potions" with Snape."
She paused, as she gave Harry the indication she knew exactly what the lessons were. "I wouldn't be surprised if Snape's planting subliminal thoughts in your mind to make you more obedient to Dumbledore's orders. Not to mention what Ronald Weasley did to you last year, and you accepted his fake apology like a sap."
"Astoria, you're being paranoid," said Harry.
"No, I'm being logical, this is happening, you're being set up as a pawn to sacrifice to defeat Voldemort," said Astoria, who kept her face blank. "Dumbledore is a Slytherin wearing the skin of a Gryffindor, can't you see that? You really have been force fed his lies. Look up his family, Harry, or look up his brother, Aberforth…"
"You mean that nutter who got busted for doing charms on goats," replied Harry.
"Harry, just find him, and he'll clue you in on everything," said Astoria.
Harry shook his head.
"The Weasleys won't betray me, they're my family," said Harry. "Ron and Ginny are like the brother and sister I've never had…"
"No, your family is the Potters, who all died," said Astoria. "Hermione Granger might be the closest thing you have to family, and she's just as much of a pawn as you are."
Astoria paused. "Harry, do yourself a favor and check your drinks and your food. Get that house elf that's fond of you to prepare all of your food personally. You're almost of age, witches are going to move in for the kill for your gold and the prestige of marrying the Boy-Who-Lived. And you won't even notice it, because it's obvious you don't have a bloody idea what true love really is."
"You and Moody should hang out sometime," said Harry, with a chuckle.
"Alastor Moody has the right idea about a lot of things," said Astoria, who looked exasperated, and muttered. "Why did she tell me he was the only hope for the world?"
"Who?" asked Harry. "Your mother, your sister…who told you this Astoria?"
"I need to go back to the school, it's getting late, talk to you when I can, remember we never met," said Astoria, as she scrambled up to the school quickly.
Harry just shrugged off her ramblings as paranoia.
"You do realize she was trying to help you," said Kara.
"Yeah, now I do, and now with the benefit of hindsight, I know who the "she" Astoria was talking about was," said Harry in a dark voice.
More memories flashed by. Then the final battle, Kara watched how Harry led five other students into battle against very dangerous people. He displayed some rough tactical brilliance. He did have the potential to be on par with some of the great military leaders throughout the history of Krypton.
Then things took another turn, as Sirius was sent through the veil. Then Voldemort was back, and now the Ministry believed Harry. Both held each other, as they watched Dumbledore give Harry the information about the Prophecy.
"Too little, too late," whispered Kara.
"I thought if I would have known that a long time ago, I would have been able to save lives," said Harry. "In the end, we were doomed regardless of what was done."
Harry looked, viewing these memories again, with someone there to support him, to share everything with, he found himself finding closure.
Yet, the insanity had just begun.
Sixth year, and Harry watched everything unfold like a car crash.
"A lot of this doesn't add up, now that I'm watching as a third party," said Harry, as he watched his feelings from Ginny go from brotherly love to borderline obsession in a matter of weeks. It seemed to be a slow and subtle burn, so he did not pick up on it at the time.
Then Hermione and her reaction to the Half Blood Prince book did not make any sense. Hermione acted rather unbalanced, and Harry thought that she would have bugged him endlessly to copy the notes so she could improve her work at another time.
"Hormones aren't really this messed up, are they?" asked Kara.
"No, there's almost like there is something in the water," said Harry, who had a bad feeling what happened and really wished he had not brushed off Astoria's warning.
Getting closure was a bad thing, when one began to realize certain people came across in a less than favorable light in hindsight.
"Malfoy is up to something, you are right, Harry," said Astoria.
"You are the first person to believe me," said Harry as he breathed in relief. "Everyone thinks…"
"Everyone is wrong, and Dumbledore's trying to redeem Malfoy," replied the Slytherin. "He'll let the little bastard murder half of the school, before he's proven wrong. Draco Malfoy is the son of the devil himself, Lucius made a life out of blackmailing his way to the top, and Narcissa is a manipulative shrew. They do care for each other, which might make them more dangerous."
Astoria sighed, but she voiced something.
"Harry, I got a letter today, my family fell on some hard times, so when I turn seventeen, I'm going to marry Draco Malfoy," said Astoria, as she closed her eyes, but then maintained her stoic resolve.
"Can they make you do that?" asked Harry.
"Unless I find a suitable alternative, it's either married or I'll be disowned," said Astoria. "I'll be a no name witch, which is worse than being a Muggleborn in our world."
Harry just nodded, that sucked, but he had his own problems.
"So you and your little sudden infatuation with Ginny Weasley," replied Astoria in disgust. "Are you really that hopeless that you can't see what is going on?"
"Astoria, Ginny's…she's great, I want to be with her, I want a family," said Harry in a shaky voice.
"Adopt a kitten," replied Astoria in a harsh voice, but it then softened. "That family will ruin you Harry. You could be a great leader, but Ginny's stringing you along. She's used to getting her way all of the time. She doesn't want to marry Harry Potter the person; she wants the prestige of marrying the Boy-Who-Lived. She could have gotten to know you any time as a friend over the past five years, but now she's dropped in to mark her territory, right before you become of age."
Harry felt annoyed, how could Astoria say such things?
"I don't know what your game is," said Harry as his anger rose. "The Weasleys have done nothing, but good things for me…"
"Open your eyes Harry, there's a reason why those children move out of the Burrow the first chance they get!" yelled Astoria as she lost her temper. "I warned you last year, but you still don't listen to me. I don't even know why I even bother. For the love of Morgana, if you don't believe me, go to Slughorn. I'm sure he'll happily check you out for potions…"
"No, Ginny wouldn't drug me, she's not that kind of person!" yelled Harry. "You're just jealous of her; you thought I could be your ticket to avoid marrying Malfoy, didn't you?"
"I'm not jealous of that tart!" shouted Astoria. "Harry, I care about you, I want to help you, but you won't let me…"
"You're just like all of the other Slytherins, evil and manipulative!" yelled Harry, as he walked off.
"Fine, go fucking jump in the grave then, see if I care!" shouted Astoria. "If you ever wise up, come find me."
Harry and Kara both viewed the spectacle. Neither said anything, they both understood. The memories sped through the relationship Harry had with Ginny Weasley. It was just a footnote.
Dumbledore died, and Harry was left with very little knowledge of what he must do. Kara watched, as Harry broke up with Ginny at the funeral.
"If she loved you, she would have fought harder," said Kara as she wrapped her arms tightly around Harry. "If she loved you, she would have stayed with you no matter what, and found a way to join you on your journey. She wasn't being very loyal."
Harry nodded.
The events of what would be Harry's final year of Hogwarts flashed by, and it became obvious how dismal a scenario that was. Ron's latest blow up really showed the kind of person he truly was. Harry and Hermione were there for each other, like a brother and a sister. Everything went by, Harry sacrificing himself to save a world that treated him like dirt. Then he beat Voldemort, or rather Voldemort beat himself.
"The moment I beat Voldemort, was when it was the beginning of the end," whispered Harry.
Kara braced herself for what looked to be the very worst.
Ginny walked out to face Harry, who made his way to Dumbledore's tomb.
"So, Harry, hi," said Ginny. "I was wondering if you would like to give us another shot, now that you're done with Voldemort and all."
"Ginny, I don't know," said Harry.
"I waited for you an entire year, Harry, and now you don't know," said Ginny, as she tried to reign in her temper.
"We'll both be at Hogwarts next year, we can figure it out then, I need some time to regroup," said Harry.
"Why would you go back to Hogwarts?" demanded Ginny. "You don't need to go back, you can go straight to the Ministry, and use your reputation to rebuild it…"
"I don't want charity, I want to earn everything," said Harry hotly.
"Harry, you can't be this stupid, to pass up a perfect opportunity to fix the Ministry!" cried Ginny. "Harry, just think of us, you can get a good paying job, the best, and when we get married..."
"Ginny, I don't want to get married, not right now," said Harry.
"Well, I guess you're going to be a very lonely man for a while," said Ginny with a knowing smirk. "You're not touching me, until the ring is on my finger. And until you realize your duty, and what your responsibilities are, I'm not speaking to you. You should grow up Harry!"
"You know, Ginny, I thought I liked you, but if you're going to act like a self-entitled brat, then maybe I won't give us getting back together too much consideration," said Harry.
"You son of a bitch, I wasted two years of my life on you!" yelled Ginny, as she slapped Harry across the face. "I wish you stayed dead!"
Ginny stormed off. Harry was left with scratch marks on his cheek from where her nails cut him.
"Female problems, Potter?" said Aberforth Dumbledore, who showed up behind Harry at that moment. "So, after all you were put through, you're just going to put that wand back in my brother's tomb."
"What do you expect me to do?" asked Harry.
"The power is yours, unite the Hallows," said Aberforth. "It's your right to do so."
"No, I just want to be left alone, live a nice and quiet life," said Harry. "Maybe I'll teach here at Hogwarts, I'm sure they could always use a new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher…"
"Potter, you don't realize what you're doing," said Aberforth. "One day, you will regret putting that wand back in that tomb."
"I seriously doubt it, go play with your goats or something," said Harry, as he waved Aberforth off.
Without another thought, Harry placed the wand back into Dumbledore's tomb, where he assumed he would never be bothered by it again.
Kara and Harry watched as another memory flashed by.
"Hermione, I have a bad feeling about this thing, the Muggleborns might not forgive what happened," said Harry in an urgent voice.
"It's nothing, I'm sure they'll listen to reason," persisted Hermione. "They're lost, scared, they spent a year being forced to beg on the street. If someone reaches out to them, the healing can continue. I'll be back Harry, I'll see you later."
Another memory swirled as three days later, Hermione had not returned. Harry retraced his friend's steps one at a time, and found her at an abandoned library. Hermione used to go here as a child, she told him before. He stepped inside, and saw a grisly sight.
The dismembered body of Hermione was nailed to the wall. On her bare back, a message was burned into her skin.
"The purebloods will pay for harboring the false Chosen One. All traitors will meet the same end. Our leader will salvage the world. Salvation is at hand, it will never happen again."
Every window in the library shattered and all of the books burst into flames, as Harry took a deep breath.
Harry just closed his eyes, and sent a messenger Patronus to Kingsley, to have some people investigate who did this to Hermione.
He made a decision to leave the memories of Hermione's parents modified. It was just for the best.
Kara sniffled, but shook her head. She watched as Harry show mild emotions, but wiped his face blank. They were back at Hogwarts.
"So, I need help if I'm going to stop this little uprising, and I need my army," said Harry. "I'm not sure if the Ministry is on the level…"
"Mr. Potter, you can be a great service for this school, which is why I'm offering you the post of Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher for the coming term," said McGonagall. "With You-Know-Who gone, the curse has been lifted, therefore you can teach. Do what you wish for the class, and I will make sure the Board of Governors and the Ministry do not find out."
"They will send someone like Umbridge, won't they?" asked Harry.
"Or Dolores will return, she escaped justice once again," said McGonagall with a sour expression.
"That sinks my chances of ever working for the Ministry," said Harry.
McGonagall nodded, as she made arrangements.
Harry arrived at the Ministry of Magic, summoned by the Minister for some important news. He looked around.
"Kingsley!" yelled Harry. "Are you…"
"Hem, hem," coughed a very familiar voice. "Welcome to my office, Mr. Potter."
Harry turned around and saw Umbridge, backed up by Twenty Aurors who had their wands pointed on him.
"Your office?" asked Harry as he clutched his wand. "This is the Minister of Magic's office…"
"You're correct, Minister Shacklebolt met a tragic demise just a couple of days ago," said Umbridge as she displayed crocodile tears. "I was sworn in as his replacement. I managed to pardon several respected purebloods who have got locked inside of Azkaban on charges of prosecuting Muggleborns. Given what the Mudbloods are now doing, I fear that we were justified."
"Yeah, because you spent an entire year, persecuting them!" yelled Harry, who readied himself for a fight. He tried to fight his way out, but the Aurors overwhelmed him. Harry found himself nailed with a paralyzing curse.
"You'll regain the use of your body in about one hour, Mr. Potter," said Umbridge. "You must learn to obey. I also must inform you that your little half breed godson and his grandmother met a tragic fate just this morning."
Harry was dragged off, and moved down into the Department of Mysteries, where he was strapped down.
"You will learn obedience, Mr. Potter," said Umbridge. "You can be a valuable tool to serve the Ministry…we just need to change a few memories."
At that moment, a wizard walked up to face Harry. His wand was raised. "Obliviate!"
"So, they wiped your memories," said Kara in absolute alarm.
"Yes," said Harry, who did not want to recall what the Ministry made him do in that one month period, because it likely escalated Sinclair's hatred towards him further.
The memory version of Harry showed up, cold and lifeless, but four figures showed up to face him.
"Harry, I don't know what happened, but we're bringing you home," said a young scarred man.
"I don't know who you are," said Harry in a cold voice.
"Harry, I'm Neville Longbottom, we shared a dormitory at Hogwarts for six years, we fought together against Death Eaters," said Neville as his voice shook.
"Your memories are still down in there somewhere," encouraged a blonde girl in a dreamy voice.
"I never went to Hogwarts, Dolores Umbridge took me in, raised me as a son," said Harry in a mechanical manner. "I live to serve the Ministry, and you four our on their list of people who must be punished."
"Harry, please fight it!" yelled Astoria. "Luna, Neville, help me…"
The fourth girl flicked her wand and blasted Harry with a dangerous looking curse. Harry fell to the ground, the eyes rolled into the back of his head.
"Greengrass, what did you do?" demanded Neville.
Daphne Greengrass looked at Harry, cold and uncaring. "I just short circuited his brain functions, so we can take him back to Hogwarts…"
"You could have given him brain damage!" yelled Neville.
"Wouldn't make much of a difference," said Daphne with disdain.
Neville was about ready to go toe to toe with Daphne, but Astoria stepped in to break things up.
"Just, enough, get Harry back to Hogwarts, to the Headmaster's office," replied Astoria as she tried to keep her wits about herself.
"Dumbledore, please tell me you have a way to restore Harry's memories to what they should be," said Astoria as she faced the portrait of Albus Dumbledore.
"Yes, this does seem to be a predicament," said Dumbledore with a twinkle in his eye.
Dumbledore remained thoughtful.
"In my cabinet, there is a vial of a white potion, it is a way to separate real memories from the false ones," said Dumbledore.
Astoria grabbed the potion, and walked over, she uncorked it.
"Are you sure it is going to work?" asked Astoria.
"It will either restore his memories or give him permanent brain damage," contributed Snape's portrait dryly. "But given what he's been turned into, permanent brain damage would be an upgrade."
"Just do it, Miss Greengrass, this is the only way," encouraged Dumbledore.
"It's almost like you expected this to happen," commented Astoria, as Daphne help her force Harry's mouth open, as she poured the potion down his throat.
Harry's body went into a violent spasm, as he clutched his head.
"FUCKING UMBRIDGE!" yelled Harry when his ability to speak returned to him.
"Potter's back," said Daphne, as she walked off. "I'll leave you two to catch up."
"You saved me," said Harry, as he looked at Astoria, confused. "After all that happened, you saved me…why…"
"Friends don't abandon each other, Harry," said Astoria. "Plus you did help me in a way; I used the leverage of you saving Draco's life as a well to get Narcissa to void that agreement for us getting married. Plus lack of gold doesn't matter, given the goblins have shut us all off."
"How long was I gone?" asked Harry.
"About a month," said Astoria. "I'll see you in class on Monday, Professor."
She walked off. Harry swallowed his own Gryffindor pride to ask a question of a portrait.
"Professor Snape, can Occlumency protect my memories from being modified?" asked Harry.
"If, you can master it, it will, Mr. Potter," said Snape. "I believe I will teach you the proper way, and Professor Dumbledore may assist me."
"So you were teaching me wrong," said Harry.
"I don't make excuses for what I did when I lived," said Snape as he waved his hand. "As of now, I'm duty bound to help the teachers of Hogwarts, and since you fit that qualification, I have no choice to help you."
Harry held the goblin known as Griphook captive some months later.
"You've been funding the Muggleborn rebels, haven't you?" asked Harry, as he stared down this nasty little piece of work.
"Yes, it was revenge for you swindling us," replied Griphook, with a nasty grin.
"Well, I've got news for you, your little assassins turned on you, and burned Gringotts to the ground, with all of the goblins inside," said Harry.
Griphook remained silent.
"I made a mistake trusting Rosalina Sinclair," said Griphook simply, and his throat closed up. He had broken the oath and his body stopped, to know no more.
Harry and Kara watched the scene.
"First time that name popped into my life, I never heard of her before then," said Harry. "I wish it stayed that way."
Back in the Headmaster's Office, Harry faced Dumbledore's portrait.
"Who is Rosalina Sinclair?"
"I have no idea," said Dumbledore after he pondered the matter for a moment.
"She must have been a student at Hogwarts," said Harry as he looked at Dumbledore, pleading.
"She must have been, yes" agreed Dumbledore. "Harry, you must realize that a magical portrait only has the knowledge it has been charmed to have. A lot of non-essential information has been left out. If she was unimportant at Hogwarts, then when my portrait was commissioned, any knowledge of her would have been left out."
"How do the portraits get made?" asked Harry.
"Well, there are orbs containing the full memories previous heads of Hogwarts have had down in the Department of Mysteries, we are to update them every three months," said Dumbledore. "Find my orb, and my full memories will be at your disposal. You might be able to pick out who Rosalina Sinclair was and go from there."
"Wow, that sounds easy enough," remarked Kara back in reality. "But something tells me it wasn't."
"Yeah, that's an understatement," said Harry.
The orbs burned, as the memories faded away. There were several dead bodies on both sides laid out. Harry had one of the Muggleborn rebels, and removed the mask to reveal a scarred man in his middle thirties.
"Our leader will rise, Harry Potter, you have gotten salvation while we have suffered!" yelled the man.
"Who is Rosalina Sinclair?" demanded Harry, as he shook the man. "Where is she?"
The man just bit down, and his eyes went blank. Harry tried to snap his fingers, but there was no one home.
Astoria, Luna, Neville, and Gabrielle Delacour showed up, all to face Harry. They were the only ones who survived the battle.
"Harry, they stole something from the Department of Mysteries, something dangerous!" yelled Luna. "I don't know what it is…"
"We're going to figure this out, one way or another," said Astoria. "Everyone, we need to get back to base, before Umbridge catches us down here."
Harry nodded.
"We're almost there, right," said Kara.
"Yeah, it'll be over soon," said Harry.
Harry took out Umbridge with one spell. He must not tell lies; he always found that memory worth relieving.
Then Harry Potter came face to face with Rosalina Sinclair in Godric's Hallow, right by Lily Potter's grave.
"I've finally found you," said Harry as he held his wand. His eyes had dark rings under them, said eyes were bloodshot, and he looked rather pale.
"No, I finally lead you to where I wanted you to be," said Sinclair, as she fired a purple flame at Harry from her wand. Harry ducked and rolled immediately. "Your lies begin, and end in the same place, Godric's Hallow, right on the grave of your mother. The mother who protected you! I didn't have that protection from anyone, the entire world spurned me!"
The battle continued, as Harry blasted the wand out of her hand, but Sinclair began to fire spells out of her hand.
"I don't need a wand, you diseased child," said Sinclair. "My powers are far greater than yours, I was special, your life could have been mine, but I was tossed aside like an inconvenience…"
Harry returned fire, and managed to hit Sinclair. She hit Harry with a spell that made it feel like he had suffered a thousand paper cuts at once. Harry pressed on; despite the fact he had lost a lot of blood.
"I was given a gift, a green meteor rock from above, that unlocked my full potential," whispered Sinclair, as she tried to burn Harry's lungs out, but he avoided the attack. "I was chosen to lead my people, and to triumph over the false savior. If I had not forced the issue, this world would have remained the same. The purebloods ruled all and the half-bloods got what was left, leaving nothing for my kind!"
The battle continued, blood spilled, but Harry closed his eyes, before he muttered a spell.
Sinclair stopped, as she clutched her chest. The woman dropped to the ground.
"No, I might die, but my crusade will live on through my children," she gasped with her final breath.
Harry passed out from the blood loss at that point.
"Unite the Hallows, Harry, I think this is the only way you can defeat them," said Astoria, as she sat with Harry.
"Astoria, the Hallows are cursed, they drove everyone to madness," argued Harry, who had a few new scars to add to his collection based off the battles with the Muggleborn rebels. "Sinclair, her followers have gotten worse, not better since she died. They think by killing everyone, she'll be brought back somehow."
Harry left her, and returned to the Headmaster's office. He knew the next time he left Hogwarts; it would be do or die. There was only one thing left to do.
"Snape, I need to suppress my emotions, they're making me unable to defeat Sinclair's remaining followers," said Harry. "I keep trying to save innocents, and they keep getting away. I need to stop caring."
"Mr. Potter, you could not suppress your emotions without a severe personality rewrite," said Snape without a thought. "For some emotions are a weakness, but for others…not so much."
Harry turned and walked off, no words.
"He may have had all of the emotions beaten out of him," concluded Snape to the other portraits.
Kara and Harry sat, as the memories broke up, and Harry slid back. They were detached from the memory viewer.
"I've come to terms with what happened," said Harry. "That final battle…I just can't face it right now."
"Just tell me about it instead," said Kara.
"I united the keys," said Harry. "Right when I was the only one left. It enabled me to tap into their full powers, and I destroyed Sinclair's followers, despite them being upgraded by dangerous artifacts in the Department of Mysteries."
Harry took a deep breath. He also remembered Astoria dying on the ground, taking a dangerous curse meant for him. She managed to breath out the word "Veritas", before she died. Harry really didn't think much about it until now.
"Good, I've faced my demons, and now it's a new day tomorrow," said Harry. "I couldn't have done this alone; I would have tried to bury these memories. It's just, my emotions made me so weak…"
"No, Harry, they didn't," said Kara, as she gently helped him off of the ground. "Let's get you off to bed, you need rest. I'm sorry you had to relieve that all over again…"
"I needed to, when I wake up tomorrow, I'm going to be a lot better off," said Harry. "Besides, you were supposed to know me for my entire life…"
"Now, I feel like I do, in a way," said Kara, as they walked up to Harry's room.
Harry collapsed on the bed, and Kara left. Once again, he was all alone.
She returned a couple of minutes later, as Harry rested in his bed.
"Kara, is there a problem?" asked Harry, but Kara climbed into his bed with him.
"I'm not leaving you alone," she said in a firm voice. "You've been alone for too long, and I wouldn't be a good friend if I left you alone after all that."
Harry looked at her, in surprise. "First time a girl ever climbed into bed with me, you know…"
"Well, that's their loss, isn't it," said Kara. "So that means you're…"
"Yeah, that means I am," said Harry, as he shifted in shame, but she wrapped her arms around him, to reassure him.
"Me too," said Kara, as the covers were pulled up over the top of both of them. "Nothing to be ashamed of, it should be with the right person, and something special you share….you just haven't found the one yet."
Kara paused. "Or maybe you have, I don't know. I guess that's something to think about for later."
The two drifted off to sleep, holding each other as they did so.
To Be Continued in Chapter Seven "Conference."