Chapter 13: A Visit From Beyond
Thanks for all the reviews.
There is a poll on my ffn profile about which story you want me to finish first. This story is not on the poll because it's not one of my serious stories. But of the four unfinished stories that I have, I would like you to go vote and tell me which one you want me to finish first.
This one will be worked on no matter what. Well, I shouldn't make that promise. I should say as long as my muse says so. She's a fickle bitch. Feed her with reviews.
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Harry went home and decided to experiment with the ring. When he figured out how it worked, which took a while, he decided to call his mum and dad and see what they had to say about how he was living his life. He knew they were going to be disappointed in him. But he didn't know how dissatisfied they were going to be. It was going to be a tough discussion. But he was sure he could bear it. He went up to the top floor of Grimmauld Place where he knew he wouldn't be disturbed. He didn't want Remus to interrupt him.
That werewolf had been snappy ever since he had taken his house back. He had been moping around and just being in general pain in the arse. He hadn't done anything about looking to find a new place to live. If he didn't do something soon, Harry was going to have to do something drastic. Until then, he was just going to do what he came to do.
He turned the ring three times in his hand and said, "I call upon Lily Jasmine Potter nee Evans and James Charlus Potter."
It took a couple of seconds, then there was a bright light and then suddenly the couple were standing in front of him. Lily with her auburn red hair and James with his perpetual messy hair. They couldn't have been a few years out of Hogwarts. Harry regretted the fact that they looked so very, very young. They were a handsome couple.
"Mum, Dad," he said, choking up a bit for the first time in a very long time. He hadn't felt emotions like this in so long that he had forgotten what it felt like to be sad.
"Harry, my baby," Lily said, ghostly tears running down her face. There were small etchings of pain around her eyes.
"Harry, my boy," James said. His eyes shining with pride. There were also imprints of pain around his eyes too.
"I've wanted to meet you for so long," said Harry, stepping forward as if to reach for their hands. He could see that they were in pain, but he was being selfish enough that he wanted to stay and talk with them for as long as they could.
"Why did you call us here?" asked Lily. She too stepped forward and put her hands out, as if to reach for his hands. The two put their hands together, but they went right through each other. They both dropped their hands to their sides, saddened by the fact that they couldn't touch each other.
"I just wanted to see you and ask you what you think I've done with my life," he said, stepping back.
"Well, you're a bit harder than I would like, but given the life that you have led, I can see why you are the way you are," his mother said, her eyes soft. She gave him a look of such concern.
"You can blame Dumbledore for that," Harry said. His eyes were hard. He blamed Dumbledore for everything that went wrong in his life. After all, the man was the reason why he was at the Dursleys in the first place.
"Oh, I do," said James in a harsh tone.
"As do I," snapped out Lily. "And my sister," she added. "I don't exactly agree what you've done with my sister, but given what she did to you, I guess I can see no other outcome." There was a tone of disappointment in her eyes, but also some understanding there as well.
"I don't regret what I did," said Harry, folding his arms mulishly. "They were abusing me. When Halfrek came and offered me a wish. I took it." He got a sadistic look on his face remembering what he did to his relatives. He was never gonna regret that. He did wonder whatever happened to those animals.
"I understand, baby," his mum said. Though, there was a bit of sadness in her voice. It was her sister, after all.
"Good," said Harry, stubbornly.
"So, what are you going to do now?" James asked, changing the subject. He could see it was hurting his wife. He never liked Petunia, and he thought Harry had the right of it, but he wasn't going to say that in front of Lily.
"We're going to find the Horcruxes and then we're going to take care of the Dark Lord, and then we're going to move on from there," the young man said, shrugging his shoulders as if it was the obvious thing. He didn't know what else to answer.
"And after that? Are you going to find the young lady and settle down?" Lily asked. It was the typical mum question.
"I haven't met any young ladies yet that have lived up to my expectations," Harry said, thinking of all the girls he had met so far and finding them all lacking. For one reason or another. Most of them have been Harry Potter fan girls. And he didn't want a fan girl.
"Then you've set your expectations way too high," said James with a chuckle. Who knew his son had such high values? "You're never going to find a wife if you set the bar so high. You need to have a son if you're going to carry on the family name." This was important to him. Harry was the last of the line. It would die with him if he had no sons.
"Perhaps," said Harry. He wasn't particularly worried about carrying on the family name at this point in time. He was only 14 years old.
"Oh baby, there are so many nice young ladies out there. You just have to look at them from a different angle," Lily said, really worried about her son not thinking about girls at his age.
"I just want somebody who will accept me for me," said Harry, looking away towards the side. He really did not want to have this conversation with his parents right now. "Too many of them want to change me into being a good guy."
"And what's wrong with being a little more… nice?" his mum asked. She thought he could do with a little bit of niceness. He was a little too gruff for her.
"There's nothing wrong with being nice. I just don't happen to want to be nice. I happen to like being a bit more pragmatic," Harry stated giving her a firm look. He didn't think he was being mean. He just thought he was being sensible.
"You can be pragmatic and be nice at the same time," said James with a chuckle. He thought the boy was being a little bit unreasonable.
"What does this world done for me that I should be kind to it?" Harry asked. Getting a bit upset that they were being unreasonable. It was like they were picking on him for being pragmatic.
"Let's not argue. We have so little time together," said Lily, bringing up her hands in supplication.
"Alright," Harry said, relenting.
"I do like what you did about getting the house back," said James, looking around the room with admiration since it was one of the cleaner rooms of the house. Kreacher had started working since they found the necklace. He didn't start on the ground floor, like a sane elf, no, he started in the attic.
"Yes, that was very smart of you," said Lily, smiling at him proudly. While she might not like how he went about it, he did the right thing.
"Are you going to kick Remus out on the streets?" asked James, frowning a bit. He didn't know what to think of his old friend. The man was a coward, not taking care of Harry when the boy was younger, and being an arse now.
"No, I'm going to let him stay here until he finds a place. But, if he doesn't change his attitude, I might renege on that," Harry stated, glaring at the door of the room like the werewolf was on the other side of it.
"He is being a bit harsh on you," said his father in complete agreement. One of the reasons, he was on board with kicking the mutt out if his attitude didn't change.
"Well, he is a werewolf," the teen stated, like it was a given.
"That's not very kind of you, dear," said Lily.
"I don't mean that in a bias sort of way. I mean that it's close to the full moon and he's temperamental," Harry said, flipping his hand in an indifferent manner.
"Oh, I see," she said, furrowing her brow as if she didn't know whether to believe him or not.
"Son, we can't stay here much longer, but there is something I can tell you," James said, the pain really starting to show on his face now. "You were on the right track when you said that Voldemort was giving his treasures to his loyal followers. You should have the goblins check the vaults of the Death Eaters. Just mention the Horcruxes to them, or have Bill do it, and they will do it free of charge. They hate the damn things."
"Really? That would be great," said Harry, all but jumping up and down in place. It was great news, and it would help immensely.
"Don't expect them to do anything outside of the bank," his dad warned, knowing the goblins didn't do anything outside the bank other than tomb raid.
"Good to know," the teen stated, disappointed that they wouldn't hunt any more of them down. It would have been helpful.
"Oh, how I wish I could hug you dear boy," said Lily, grimacing in pain now. She reached out and mimicked a hug and wound up hugging herself in mimicry.
"Me too, Mum," Harry said, choking up again. While it hadn't been a tearjerker visit, it was still a nice one.
"We really must go. The pain is getting unbearable," James said, his face was twisting up in agony now.
"OK. It was really great to see you. I'll call you again sometime. Not anytime soon, but sometime," Harry said and with a thought and a twist of the ring, he let them go. There were tears in his eyes from the visit. It didn't go as badly as he thought it might have, but not as well as it could have either.
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Later that day, Harry decided to go and meet with Bill. He floo called the Burrow first to see if the man was available. It was after dinner time, so he was. Molly, who didn't like Harry, was reluctant to let him come over, but let him in the end, when Harry told her it was Order business.
Everybody cleared out of the living room until it was just Bill and Harry.
"What's up, Harry?" the tall redhead asked as they took their seats on the worn couch. The whole living room was well worn. Like it was old and lived in for many years. There were patches everywhere and faded spots on all the furniture. Harry could tell where someone liked to sit, the places on the couch showed as much. It was definitely a well lived in place.
"I have it on good authority that the goblins hate Horcruxes," the teen stated with some authority.
"Oh yeah, they really do," the older man said with even more authority. He should know he works with them.
"Well, why haven't you had them examined the Death Eaters vaults to find out if there's any in there?" Harry inquired, like Bill was being foolish or lazy.
"It never occurred to me to ask," Bill stated, rubbing the back of his head. They had been so caught up in the hunt that looking in his workplace never crossed his mind.
"It might be pertinent," the teen said in that duh voice that only teenagers can do.
"I'll mention it to my boss tomorrow. Do you really think there's one in there?" the older man asked, thinking the boy had a point. But he really couldn't just go to his boss and demand they open the vaults on a whim.
"I have it on good authority that there is," Harry hedged, looking shifty.
"Can you tell me who?" Bill asked, narrowing his eyes.
"I can't," Harry said with a sigh. He couldn't say it was his dead dad. Then he'd have to talk about the ring, and only Moody knew about it.
"I can't really go to my boss and say that so and so said that so and so said that there's a Horcrux in one of the vaults," Bill said, running a frustrated hand in his hair.
"You can tell them that Harry Potter said that it's in there," the teen stated, hoping that would be enough.
"And how will I tell them how Harry Potter knows?" Bill asked with a lifted eyebrow.
"Damn it," Harry said, slamming his fist on his knee.
"Yeah, you can see my dilemma," Bill said with a chuckle. While he wasn't scared of the goblins, per se, he did respect them. He did not want to piss them off.
"Do they believe in intuition?" the younger male asked, suddenly thinking of something. It was a magical world after all. They might go for it.
"Not so much, no," the other man said, shaking his head. Divination, yes, but gut feeling, not so much.
"Do they believe in divine intervention?" Harry asked, grasping at straws.
"So-so," Bill said, making a so-so gesture with his right hand.
"Celestial intervention, then?" Harry asked, perking up at that. He could work with that.
"In what way?" Bill asked, leaning forward a bit.
"Let's just say it came to me in a dream," he said, keeping it as simple as possible.
"As in a vision?" was the question. That would work. The goblins did put a lot of stock in visions.
"It could be put that way," said Harry vaguely, though he didn't meet Bill's eyes. He looked at the pictures of the happy family that included the two missing children. Ginny was such a happy girl and Ron was a sullen kid. They looked like they were a crucial part of the family. Harry wondered if they were greatly missed. He wondered what the other universe was like. The one where he went to Hogwarts from the beginning. Then he shook off those thoughts. He liked who and what he was now.
"That could fly," said Bill, noting where Harry was looking and wondering what he was thinking. The Boy-Who-Lived never knew Ginny and he wondered if the two of them would have been friends.
"OK, tell them that it came to me in a dream. That it's in one of the Death Eaters' vaults. That there is a Horcrux," Harry said, coming back to himself. He needed to stop thinking of the other universe. It had nothing to do with him.
"I think I can do that," the other man said, nodding his head, putting the story together in his thoughts. It would be an easy sell. "If I need you, you had better come and back my play," he added.
"Not a problem," said Harry. "I can do that."
"Then it shouldn't be a problem," Bill informed him. "We should be able to get it all taken care of. Do you know what this would be? As in, is this the last Horcrux?" he asked, hoping it really was.
"I don't know," Harry answered with a shrug. "You have to ask Moody. The man is in charge of the hunt." Harry really hoped this was the end of it.
"I'll do that," Bill said, nodding his head in confirmation. He too hoped this was the last.
"Anyway, I figured I'd let you know, but I better get going before your mum has a hissy fit," the teen said, hearing the banging of pans coming from the kitchen.
"Yeah, you're not well liked here," Bill said, though he could see the telltale signs of the twins sneaking around the corner. He knew they must have been trying to listen in on the conversation. However, he had wards up to prevent that.
"Don't I know it," Harry said, heading towards the floo.
"Anyway, thanks for the heads up," Bill stated, staying on the couch.
"Any time."
"Bye, Harry."
"Bye, Bill," Harry said, flooing away.
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It turned out that there was a Horcrux in Bellatrix Lestrange's vault. The goblins were more than happy to destroy it. They even did it without a fee. Bill did ask Moody if there were anymore and was told that was the last one. As far as he could tell.
"Does this mean that the Dark Lord is now mortal?" Harry asked as they all sat down to an Order/Harry's group meeting.
"You really should call him by his name," said Albus with that damnable twinkle in his eyes. Everyone was beginning to hate that twinkle. Well, everyone that didn't worship the man.
"Which name?" asked Harry, tilting his head. "He has three, if you include 'The Dark Lord'."
"Voldemort," said Dumbledore with a put-upon sigh. For someone who deals with teenagers on a daily basis, he had little patience for Harry Potter.
"Why not Riddle?" asked Harry, genuinely curious. He would have thought that that would be what the old man would have wanted everyone to call old Voldy.
"I thought that's what you were calling young Tom," said Dumbledore prevaricating. He didn't want to give the real reason. Which was to make it so that when Tom did come back it would test the mettle of the boy.
"Both their names are Riddle. Besides, don't you know that Old Voldy has put a taboo on his name? If he ever comes back and I call his name, I might be taken up by snatchers," Harry said, calling the man's bluff. He knew a set up when he saw one.
"But alas, he is not here now," Albus said, like that made a difference. His eyes were twinkling again.
"But I would get into the habit," Harry accused the old man.
"Must you argue with me about everything?" Dumbledore deferred.
"Yes, I really must. Anyway, that doesn't answer my question. Is old Voldy mortal?" Harry asked again.
"I think we've gotten all the Horcruxes," said Moody from his spot on Dumbles right. "Therefore, he would be mortal if he comes back to life. That's if he doesn't make another Horcrux while he's still a wraith."
"Can he do that?" asked Harry. "And wouldn't his wraith die? Nothing is holding him to this plain?"
"I think he does have enough power to do that, yes," said the one-eyed man. "I'm not sure if he will fade or not. Herpo the Foul faded, but it was so long ago that the history is gone. I would rather go under the assumption that he can come back first," Alastor stated, drumming his fingers on the table in thought.
"Shite,"
"Exactly."
"Well, we'll just have to endeavor to keep our eyes out," said Dumbledore, almost grinning like he knew something they didn't.
"My bet is it'll be a familiar," said Moody, still drumming his fingers.
"You really think so?" asked Harry, thinking on what he'd use as a familiar. Then he thought of younger Tom. A snake, definitely.
"Probably," said Moody.
"Why would you think that?" asked Crabbe, so he could take the news to his master and the thoughts of the Order and Harry's group, who never named themselves.
"Because he's already used all these valuable items, he has not used anything that he can keep close to him," was the one-eyed man's presumption.
"I guess, that makes a bit of sense," said Harry, scrunching his brow in thought. He knew if he was going to have a familiar, he wouldn't taint it. Then again, he wasn't batshit crazy like Old Tom.
"So, we'll keep a lookout for a snake or an owl or something that he would use as a familiar," Hermione stated, jotting it down in her notes. She had been taking them the whole meeting. Yes, even the fights, they would come in handy later. There were tidbits of information in those fights.
"I'd lay odds that It's a snake," said Bill.
"No bets," said Harry and Moody.
"Have you obtained a warehouse yet?" asked Dumbledore. He was itching to see if Harry's group could fight. He wanted to put the boy in his place.
"Yeah, we've got the warehouse all set up for this weekend," Harry said, waving his hand in the air. "We should be able to get all three of our groups together to get that spar going. I've written the address down and it's on the piece of parchment next to the door. Everybody can grab the directions on their way out. There are also coordinates for Apparation."
"That is very thoughtful of you, young Harry," the headmaster said. That damned twinkle was back.
"It's the least I can do. I want everybody there to have an all-out," the teen said, grinning like a fool. He shared a look with Crabbe Sr. Who looked like he swallowed a lemon.
"Yes, well," Dumbledore said, not liking that grin at all.
"I think it's going to be fun. It should be," Harry stated, getting everyone excited just by his mood alone. "It'll put us on a better footing to see how well we can all fight together. It's also going to be great training. We all have different fighting styles, and we can coordinate as to how well we can fight as a group. I think we should have commanders. Moody should oversee your group. Hermione should be in charge of our group. And Tom, of course, should be in charge of his group."
He had put a lot of thought into it and decided that he wanted to be in the ground troops and not in the lead position.
"Don't you want to be in charge of your group?" asked Bill, shocked at that thought.
"Heck no, I'm not a commander," he stated, though that wasn't quite true. He was a very good leader, he just wanted to be a fighter in these games.
"I would have thought you wanted to be in charge," said Remus, grumbling under his breath, with much disgust in his tone.
"Nobody asked you," said Harry.
"You're pushy enough to be a commander," snapped the werewolf.
"Look, you flea bitten mutt, I haven't kicked you out yet. Have I? I don't know why you keep grumbling and complaining. If I was such an arsehole, I would have put you on the street," Harry said, not sure why he kept the wolfman here. It must be out of respect for his dead father, or some misguided shite like that.
"Just because you haven't kicked me out doesn't make you less of an arsehole. You are consorting with a Dark Lord," the man snapped again.
"What the hell does that have to do with anything?" Harry asked incredulously.
"That makes you a dark person," the wolfman accused.
"What? That doesn't make any sense," the teen said, throwing his hands in the air in disbelief. "Besides that, Tom's turning over a new leaf. Even Dumbledore knows that. Are you going to go against the headmaster too?"
"The headmaster is not hanging around with the Dark Lord," was the comeback.
"No, but he knows I am. And he agrees with it. Don't you, Dumbledore?" Harry said, looking at Albus.
"I would not go so far as to saying I agree with it, as to I understand it," the old man said, prevaricating once again. This time not meeting anyone's eyes.
"Way to mince words, arsehole," Harry stated, glaring at the old man.
"Don't speak to the headmaster that way," said Molly Weasley.
"Ah, who asked you?" Harry said, waving a negligent hand in her direction.
"Before this degrades into a name calling contest. Is there anything else anybody has to say?" The headmaster asked with a sigh. He hated that his meetings always seemed to end on such notes. They didn't use to end in such a way. He used to have control.
"I have something to say," said the small voice from Harry's pocket.
"Not this time, Sirius," said Harry. As much as he loved his godfather tearing into this group, he wasn't in the mood.
"Come on, Harry," said the small voice.
"Sorry, Sirius, you're not going to be able to add anything to the conversation," the teen said, shaking his head, regret in his tone as he tried to appease the portrait.
"Dammit, Harry, let me say my piece, or I'll whine all night long and keep you awake," the painting threatened.
"Fine." Harry withdrew the painting from his pocket and expanded it. He leaned it on a chair so everyone could see it and it could see a great many people.
"I just want to say, Moody, that you did a great job in hunting down those Horcruxes. Bill, you did a great job too, getting the goblins involved. Good job, both of you. That's all. The rest of you bugger off," Sirius said with a straight face. He lifted his hand as if it had a glass of alcohol in it and he was toasting them.
"Thanks, Sirius," Harry stated as once again the meeting degraded into a shouting match. Oh well, it was fun in a way. The look in Dumbledore's eyes was well worth it. At least they could relieve tension with the spar this weekend.