ARC 5
PART 3: Castle Return of the Future Days
AN: I AM BACK! AND AS YOU CAN SEE, I AM NOT DEAD! Sorry for the small chapter though, there isn't anything much to write for this chapter honestly. So the best I could do is a 4.4-4.5k word long chapter. Y'all would get longer chapters tho! I'll try to. And now, let the story continue!
Confused by this sight, Harry had questions. He transformed back to his normal body to talk to Moody.
"Professor Moody? Since when were you one also? And thank you for distracting Lestrange. Helped me a ton."
"No problem Potter. Enough of this chit-chat. We have got a job to do." And then he hobbled off, apparating into the middle of the battle, imminent on helping to finish the battle.
"That was bloody rude." He said to nobody in particular and apparated near the Weasley home.
As he apparated near the house, he began running towards the heat of the battle. Dread began to fill up his stomach and worry crossed his mind once he realized he didn't know that whether the others lived or not.
His eyes open but unseeing, his feet taking his body as fast as they could, jumping over rocks and roots as if they were on autopilot. Only one thought crossed his mind. Only one.
Did Hermione make it through?
As he arrived at the fight and he stood on an elevated rock, panic began to fill him as he couldn't see her. His eyes scanned the grounds and caught the bodies of prone Death Eaters. As his eyes scanned the grounds, a sight nearly made his heart stop and amazed him.
Hermione was in a tight duel against two masked Death Eaters and it was a standstill.
Neither side could do much, as much as both were on the offensive, both were equally as much on the defensive.
Wanting to help he out, Harry ran and jumped off the rock, aiming his wand at the Death Eaters and screaming
" BOMBARDA MAXIMA!"
A bright yellow and orange ball of light erupted from the tip of his wand and raced towards both of the Death Eaters.
Unfortunately for him, they had heard his scream and effectively erected a shield.
The spell bounced off and raced back towards Harry who just ducked out of its way.
Both of the teens began fighting one Death Eater each and Harry parried the oncoming spells in a smooth fluid like motion. Killing curses for blood boilers, entrails expelling curses for cutting curses, blood boilers for blood boilers, he could match this Death Eater for every spell.
He wasn't using the Atomic Breath as he didn't want to waste his remaining magical energy. But unfortunately, once he saw his regular spells being countered easily, he began to yell out the spell but he failed to finish it.
He couldn't see a Death Eater creeping up behind him. The Death Eater non-verbally cast a bone breaker at his back.
Luckily, Harry jumped over a spell that the Death Eater in front of him launched but the bone breaker struck his femur and he screamed as the spell struck his legs.
Pain, pure undeniable, unadulterated pain he felt. Nothing he ever felt hurt this much, except Voldemort's cruciatus curse. The area of effect of the spell had been wide enough to damage his femurs severely and injure his knees from the back. The hamstrings were crippled from the force of the spell and his femurs were surely broken.
A flash of searing heat spread through Harry's legs as the curse hit him. His stomach heaved and sweat broke out all over his body as he tried to not puke his guts out. He fell to the ground, panic growing as he realized something was very, very wrong with his legs. Gasping for air, he focused his will on staying conscious.
But the pain however, was too much. As it became even more unbearable, grim resignation settled upon the features of his eyes as pain began to overtake his consciousness.
He rolled over onto his back in hopes to see the face of someone he held close to him dearly but he met the end of a wand, which was glowing a very familiar green.
"Goodbye Potter." He could only hear this much as the end of the wand began to glow a brighter emerald green.
As he began to hear the words of the infamous killing curse, a big ape-like hand covered in fur, crashed into the Death Eater, visibly caving his chest inwards and a very audible snap was heard as Harry saw the spine of the Death Eater jut outward from his back, killing him.
As the edges of his vision began to grow dark and unconsciousness began to overtake him, he could only make out a furious Ron Weasley and Remus Lupin fighting the Death Eaters and a panting, clearly worried Hermione run over and come to a stop over his body.
As the last lights of consciousness began to flicker away, he could only hear her yell, "HARRY!"
Consciousness wasn't an easy thing to regain once lost. Unconsciousness was a bliss for some, a lot like sleep. Which was the case if you think about it.
People who longed for death but couldn't do it, went for the next best thing. Sleep. Or in some cases, sleeping so deeply that they become unconscious. A specific green-eyed raven-haired wizard was current recovering from a battle. A battle where he was injured gravely
The wizard being none-other, than our very own, Harry Potter.
As consciousness began to take over the green-eyed wizard, the first thing he felt was pain. "Argh bloody hell, why do my legs hurt?" Harry tried to open his eyes to see but instantly shut them as sharp bright sunlight momentarily blinded him. The overwhelming brightness of the sun and the pain from his legs made it difficult for him to be conscious. Trying not to scream, he took a moment to take a deep breath and slowly cracked his right eye open to look around where he is. He could identify himself being in an all-too familiar room. In a room, specifically, his room in Dumbledore's manor.
Books and parchment strewn across the table, his muggle clothes lying in the corner of the room, his quill and ink bottles littered across the table. His trunk lying in the opposite corner to the pile of clothes lying in the other end of the room. As he turned his head, sun-light hit him head on so he had to close his eyes due to the brightness.
As he was turning around to face the opposite direction, he heard his door being opened and a patronizing female voice he would recognize any where.
"Good that you are up, Mr. Potter. You need to drink these potions for the rest of the day and absolutely no moving around!"
"Madam Pomfrey?"
"Yes Potter, it's me. Now listen to me very carefully. You need to drink Blood Replenishing Potions every four hours. As right now it is eight in the morning, your next dosage would be at twelve noon. Also, I am sure you remember Skele-Grow?"
Harry grimaced and nodded as he remembered the time in his second year in which, he had to take this vile, disgusting potion due to that peacock- fraud of a fucking Professor. His right arm gave a phantom twitch as he remembered his second year.
"-have to take it every four hours for the next three days, Mister Potter are you listening?" Madam Pomfrey asked she noticed his eyes unfocused and his mind clearly somewhere else.
Harry's attention snapped onto Madam Pomfrey at that very moment and his cheeks slightly pinkened as he realized that Madam Pomfrey had realized he wasn't paying attention. He then answered back.
"Uh.um...Yes Ma'am, "He lied while his neck colored a little.
"Ah yes you definitely heard it. Mister Potter, your mother's neck always colored whenever she lied. And I had caught that. Your neck is coloring so you are lying," Harry's face visibly pinkened as Pomfrey sarcastically commented. She continued, "Since you didn't hear it, I'll say it again. You need to take the Skele-Grow every four hours for the next three days. And then the muscle recuperator for every six hours for the rest of today and tomorrow. Understood?"
"Yes ma'am."
"Can I tell you something else, Mister Potter?"
"Yes ma'am?"
"Your friends are just outside the door."
Harry's face broke into a grin as Neville, Hermione and Ron came in. But unfortunately, his grin came off as a grimace and all of them bore expressions on their faces which screamed worry. He then quickly reassured them before they could say anything.
"Guys, don't worry. I'll be alright in the next-" he turned back to Madam Pomfrey as she filled in the unsaid part, "Three days, Mister Potter. Three days. And also, I best be going now as your breakfast is due to come any moment now and you might need a private moment with your friends. If you would excuse me for a moment," and with that, she left the room.
As she left, he turned towards his friends and awkwardly continued, "Uh…so...gimme three days and then I'll be back to normal before you can say 'Quidditch', anyways, how are you guys? And how many days has it been?" He questioned.
Ron spoke first, "It's been four bloody days mate. You were knocked out cold."
Harry sputtered out in confusion as this. "Fo- Four days? You have got to be kidding me, Ron."
"I am not jokin' Harry. You were indeed knocked out for four-freaking-days."
Harry furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. He turned towards Neville for confirmation and he nodded. Hermione did the same as he looked at her for confirmation as well. He was shocked.
"But-But how?"
Ron continued, "I remember your thighs getting hit by a bone-breaker and then you probably hit your head on a rock or something. What do you guys think? Neville? Hermione?"
"I had seen him hit his head on a rock Ron. That's why I came as fast as I could."
Ron turned towards Neville but he just simply shrugged and said, "I dunno man. I was busy fighting on my own."
"So..there's that," Ron lamely finished while scratching the back of his head.
Hermione's eyes lit up in remembrance as she recalled what day it was. She gave Ron and Neville a pointed look as if to say, ' Have your forgotten what day it is?' and scowled for the briefly which however Harry managed to spot.
Harry furrowed his eye-brows in confusion as he was left thinking, "What was she scowling about?"
Neville stepped forward and began, "Harry, we need to tell you something."
"What is it?"
"Um….actually it's your birthday mate. Happy Birthday, Harry."
"Wha-" and before he could say much, Hermione launched and hugged Harry as hard as she could in the state he was in and she wished him a Happy Birthday, "Happy Birthday, Harry" and Ron could be heard saying, "Happy Birthday, Mate."
As she let go, Harry asked the first thing he could, "It's my birthday already? How long have I been knocked out for?"
"Four days," sounded a familiar grand-fatherly voice.
They all turned around to see Albus Dumbledore with his beard a bit shorter as it was burnt in the fight, his eyes twinkling merrily while he wore a bright burgundy set of robes which had the picture of a lion on a broomstick, chasing a snitch. His half-moon shaped glasses resting on his nose while he wore a soft smile.
"Good morning, Professor!" All of them chimed.
Dumbledore wished them a good morning and he exclaimed, "Good Morning! I was just passing by this room so I thought why not to wish you a happy birthday? Happy Birthday, Harry!"
Harry smiled but his smile did not quite reach his eyes as Dumbledore left. ''Four days? How was I knocked out for four days?" and at that moment, his breakfast came floating right in and he began eating.
The other three left so he could eat in peace.
As he was eating his breakfast at a slow and steady pace, he just couldn't help but let his mind wander and think about the recent most months of his life.
'The D.A was a great thing that happened last year, wonder would it happen again. I guess not since it was only to learn DADA despite the tyranny of Umbridge. Well, nothing lasts forever, eh? It was great while it lasted,' he thought.
' Good riddance that the toad went off. The world would be a better place without her anyway. I see no wrong in doing what Hermione did, now that I think about it. And that fat toad even had the fireplaces blocked and why? Cuz she fucking thought I was talking to Siri-," with that, the dead realisation, anger, grief and hollowness he experienced on the day Sirius died was back. All these days since his death, he particularly felt numb to everything. He even remembers how hollow his chest felt as Sirius crossed the veil. He could never forgive himself for falling for such a trick.
As he tried to think of something else, Sirius's death, his vehement disagrees to Hermione's idea that Sirius might not actually be there and it might be a trap, the day he first met Sirius, all played in his head again. Thinking of him, his throat started to choke up and his vision began to get blurry as he couldn't help but cry as he let all the anguish flowed through him.
All the despair, helplessness, pain and sorrow burst now, tears spilling. Remus was holding him back and Sirius was falling again, falling through the veil. The sobs didn't cease. Choking him, fighting him, louder and louder. Someone was bound to hear now. Any moment, any moment now, someone would find him. A month of being good, of being ok down the drain... He sobbed. Nobody came.
As he kept sobbing softly, as if a voice in his ear whispered, an all-too-familiar fatherly young voice, whispered in his ear, " Remember the finer aspects of life, Harry. Do you really think the ones of who love us truly leave us? In your eyes right now, I might the only family member you see. But look around you, you will find people who love you, Harry. And one of them has stood by your side through thick and thin. She has always been there for you. Even if I am gone, which I probably would by the end of this motherfucking war, she has always been there for you Harry. You just need to look..."
His crying stifled to occasional sniffs as this memory played in his mind. Sirius was getting drunk and monologuing this one evening to Harry, in this very manor. He was getting frustrated by the fact that Voldemort had returned and he couldn't do anything about it. He was frustrated at himself for the mistakes he committed all those years ago in 1981. The ghosts of the past never really left Sirius. They always came back to haunt him.
As he relived this memory, he realized that this very rambling of Padfoot, made him realize how he felt towards the particular witch in question. His sobbing ceased and he softly began smiling at the memories of her sticking by his side. He let out a sad smile as he remembered her saying, " We are in this together, Harry."
Smiling softly, he began relieving his memories in his head, forgetting about the breakfast for a moment. He still couldn't believe that back in first year, she gave him the nudge to go and face Quirrell. He gave let out a watery chuckle as he remembered her, nudging him on in the face of quite literal fire and just hours prior forgetting that she was a witch.
Then his second year at Hogwarts flew by. Dobby, Ron's flying car, re-grouping with Hermione, the argument between Lucius and Arthur, the Willow, bloody Lockhart, the bludger, the Skele-Grow (he wretched as he remembered the taste), the Heir of Slytherin business and Hermione's petrification.
He still did not want to re-live the times he was at a loss as to what to do when she got petrified. If it weren't for the paper being crumpled into her fist, the basilisk would never have been found.
Boy was he utterly relieved when she came back.
Then his third year said hello. Marge, Stan Shunpike, the black dog… wait a bloody minute…." That dog was Sirius! He came to visit me as he got out! Bloody hell," he thought as realization struck him hard.
As he kept pondering about his Hogwarts years, he consistently noticed it again that Hermione kept helping him no matter what happened. No wonder he had fallen hard for that witch.
A few hours later after he had eaten his food, he had noticed that his femurs were starting to heal quite nicely. The broken bones drew closer to the other half of themselves and began fixing themselves all thanks to Skele-Grow. As he was reading 'The Tales of Beedle the Bard', he heard footsteps growing increasingly louder as if they were coming towards his room. He raised his head towards the door and looked to find Remus standing there with a wheel-chair.
"Hello there Harry. Happy Birthday. Since you cannot move around due to your injuries, Dumbledore, Miss Granger and I have decided on having you on this nifty muggle invention called, 'The Wheelchair'. It was quite ingenious of the muggles to come up with such a thing really. Having the injured travelling without having the need the levitate them. The minds of the Non-Magicals tend to surprise me quite often despite living in the Muggle World for good portion of my life," he then laughed at himself and cursed himself for his stupidity.
"Anyway, as I was saying before, you would be able to move around the house despite your injury. Are you ready, Harry?"
Harry looked uneasy. He first looked at Remus, then the wheelchair, then at himself then at Remus again. He questioned, "But how would I go up and down the stairs, Remus? And I think me resting till my femurs are at least half way ok aaannndd," he purposefully drew out the last word, "wheelchairs are annoying."
"What? Are you serious, Harry? Don't you see how beneficial this could be for you?"
"Remus, I decide what I do. And with these," he pointed towards his fractured femurs, "I don't want to move anywhere really. So, I am fine sticking my arse to this bed."
"If that's what you want Harry. I was just telling this so that you could join the birthday celebration of yours that is going to happen today."
Cocking his head to the side, Harry asked, " Remus, what time is it? Feels like an eternity."
Remus took out his wand and cast a Tempus to check the time. It was 1 PM oddly enough.
"Harry, I best be going and telling Molly as it is lunch time already. Your celebration was planned for lunch, thought I would tell you. So that is why I was telling you to come. So, are you going to come or not?"
Harry looked at his book, bookmarked it, kept it on the bed-side table and said, "Let's get this party started."
Jokes, tales and stories of old, laughter, joy and fun were all exchanged at the celebration. All members present had little anecdotes to share to Harry about his parents or his friends would tell some anecdotes and people good have a good laugh over it while Harry flushed a deep red.
As the festivities came to an end, everyone began handing out their gifts they had for Harry. Mad-Eye had given him a set of battle robes which were charmed to be shield the wearer from anything short of the killing curse. He even said that the robes could take two or three killing curses before falling apart.
Hermione handed him an album which had all the pictures of the trio from their first year and some of the pictures were solely for a particular member but the last three pictures caught Harry's attention the most.
Two of the pictures were taken in the Christmas they had spent in Grimmauld Place with Sirius. One of them had Sirius and Hermione draping a hand over Harry's right and left shoulder respectively while Ron slipped in the background on a banana peel. Hearing that, picture Harry, Hermione and Sirius looked over at what happened, and Sirius started laughing the most and Ron began swearing at him as it was Sirius who had dropped the peel.
While on the other hand, picture Harry and Hermione were barely able to stand as they were laughing soo much. Hermione had to catch Harry from not falling which led to Harry grasping Hermione's hand quite tightly which pulled her to the ground as well and both of them started laughing in the picture. Seeing the picture, Harry just could not help but laugh.
In the second picture, it was mainly Harry goofing around with his wand, swinging it over head like a lasso if he were to be a cow-boy with a sock hanging from both ears which led the wand fly away behind a couch in what looked to be his own room in the Dumbledore manor. Harry just couldn't help it as his cheek flushed a bright red as Hermione had caught him in the act and had taken the picture.
Harry then looked up and mock-scowled at Hermione which just led to her openly laughing while the others in the background just amusedly watched on as the scenario kept unfolding on its own.
The third picture was a bit soft as it was in his third year when Harry had scared Malfoy in front of the Shrieking Shack. The moment originally was Hermione laughing at Harry's antics while Ron actually looked scared at Harry materialising out of thin air. But in this photo, Ron was out of the frame so it moreso looked like Hermione laughing at nothing and then Harry materialising out of nowhere and then having a good laugh with her. In the real world, Harry's eyes moistened from the briefest of moments looking at this but then the tears never fell as he softly thanked Hermione with a small smile.
"Thank you 'Mione. For this brilliant gift. I doubt anything could top this."
She could just only let out a short giggle and respond, "No problem, Harry. I'd hazard there might be a plenty more to come which could top this."
"I'll see."
And then more gifts came and were sent to Harry's room. A box of chocolate frogs from Ginny, a book surprisingly from Ron. While giving this book, he said, "Mate, this book is about Puddlemere United as I knew that you followed Puddlemere you git."
Harry could just smugly smile and respond, "That I do Ron. Thanks for the book though buddy."
"Oh, it wasn't that big of a deal."
Harry raised an eyebrow, "Oh really? Good news then I suppose."
And then more gifts came in. A wand holster from Kingsley, a handbook on wand care from Tonks, a set of the latest pranking tools the twins came up with, a manual on the identification of wildlife flora from Neville, a small model of a Welsh-Green dragon from Charlie and a big box of chocolate fudge from Molly Weasley. He noticed Dumbledore didn't give his so as he was about to ask, Dumbledore stepped forward and handed him a small package.
He looked at the old man with visible confusion but he motioned him to open the package. As he opened it, he found… .two pairs of cotton socks and two pairs of woolen socks? He looked at Dumbledore again but this time he could see the all-familiar twinkle in his eyes at full blast. Dumbledore lent forward and whispered in his year, "Remember what I said all those years ago, when you were in your first year, sitting in front of the Mirror of Erised, Harry?"
"No, I don't, sir," Harry replied in the same lowly voice.
If it were to be possible, then the twinkle's intensity increased even more as he kept whispering, "Socks. All I ever wanted were a nice pair of socks."
Harry just couldn't help but chuckle at that as Dumbledore moved away.
Then the last person came forth. Remus. His gift seemed larger than the others. As Harry opened it, he found a dark brown guitar and a few books on how to play the guitar. Confused, he asked, "Remus, why did you gift me a guitar of all things? It's not like I don't like it, I genuinely like it but I am confused as to why did you give this to me?"
Remus calmly replied, "Harry, your mother had gifted me this guitar and those books right there the year you were born on James's suggestion that I need to 'chill and relax while I can' were his words. But since I could find no use of this, I decided to gift this to you."
Harry didn't look at Remus as his fingers ran across the body of the guitar in awe as the fact that this was his mother's guitar had him in awe. He even picked up one of the books and flipped through its pages as to just see what was inside of it. He didn't really understand most of it but words written at the back in a chicken scratch, all to similar to his own, caught his attention.
Future Days
If I ever were to lose you
I'd surely lose myself
Everything I have found dear
I've not found by myself
Try and sometimes you'll succeed
To make this man of me
All my stolen missing parts
I've no need for anymore
I believe
And I believe 'cause I can see
Our future days
Days of you and me
And it continued on and on Harry realized what it was. It was a bloody song written by someone. He pointed this out and asked Remus if he recognised the handwriting.
"Hey Remus."
"What is it Harry?"
"Do you recognize this handwriting?" He asked as he pointed to the chicken scratch.
"Oh! That must be one of James's guitar books! That's your father's handwriting kiddo."
Harry was in awe that his father had written a song which most likely seemed to be for his mother.
He thought this was the best birthday of his entire life.