Chapter 4: The Act of Forgiveness

Jeanne and Harry get to know each other a little more

I hope you guys enjoy the chapter- if you want to access more chapters or see my full library, my is always open at

pa - tre - /on/ under the username Pel853

I do not own Harry Potter nor The Fate franchise. I am just borrowing a depiction of a character of theirs.

Jeanne sat next to Harry in the dimly lit church, as they just made casual conversation. She had met him here every night the sixth day now, it was a fun little secret for herself. She pushed a bit of magic into her back tattoo, and the response was still no more than merely a warm response.

She gave him a smile as she took his arms into hers, her dominant hand held his upper arm near the shoulder and her non dominant hand held the underside of his elbow as she asked him, "Would you like to go for a walk,"

"Sure," Harry replied as they stood up, not once did she let go of his arm as they walked towards the exit.

They left the church, and Jeanne immediately felt the chilly wind. It wasn't overly cold, but enough she shuddered involuntarily.

Her companion noticed it, and made a motion for her to let go of his arm. Harry then unzipped his hoodie and placed it over her shoulders, as he said, "There, that should keep you warm,"

"Thank you, you're such a gentleman," the Black heiress said as she tucked her arms into the sleeves. She looked at herself with the hoodie on and realized just how tall and big he was.

She barely even reached his chest!

"How tall are you?" Jeanne asked Harry out of curiosity. What? She really wanted to know, he was huge.

"Um, I'm about one point nine five meters," The green eyed boy replied.

"Jesus! Since when do they make giants like you? You must have at least one hundred kilos of muscle too!" Jeane said appreciatively. Seriously, since when did they make people that big?

She looked at herself, "I'm so short! And barely weigh anything. What's your secret?"

"Just a lot of exercise and eating three meals a day," Harry replied, and then patted her head and said, "You'll grow, we don't stop growing till we hit twenty one? I'm sure it's twenty one,"

They passed by the convenience store, thankfully it was still open as Harry held the door open for her as he said "Want anything?"

"No thank you, you don't have to worry about me like that," Jeanne replied, mainly because she didn't have any money on her and didn't want to make him feel bad for her.

"I insist," Harry said as they walked in.

There was a bored teenager manning the register reading comics, and not much else going on. As they walked around to the back where the drinks were held in refrigeration.

Then Harry stopped while he looked at the options.

Jeanne meanwhile remained at his side, simply thinking back on some weird quirks. He never really smiled, and sometimes when he laughed at her jokes it seemed hollow, almost forced.

It was sad, she knew he had moved into the house his parents died in because there was nowhere else for him to go. What had happened to him to make him like that? Had something happened to the relatives she had heard that her companion lived with?

Then the minutes started ticking by, and Jeanne noticed Harry wasn't deciding on what to pick. So she asked him, "Are you okay?"

Her companion nodded hesitantly, "Yeah, I've… just never had any of these before,"

"Oh," She let out with some confusion dripping into her voice, that was weird. Who hadn't had a sugary beverage before? Unless your parents were crazy health obsessed weirdos.

Just as Harry went to grab a water bottle. Jeanne decided he needed to live at least once. Afterall, wasn't that the reason she was on this earth once again? To live a normal life? Not as The Maid of Orleans but to live amongst normal people? To be ordinary and to blend into the masses? To find a husband and have a family with?

So she stopped him, opened a different door and took out a coca cola bottle and placed it in his hands, "Try this, it's good."

Harry nodded and said, "Grabbed another one,"

Jeanne didn't think too much about it, he was likely thirsty.

Then they stopped by the candy aisle and she watched him pick up some off brand chips. She looked curiously at him, "You actually like these?"

"Eh, they're not great, but not too bad," The green eyed boy answered honestly.

They ended up leaving the convenience store with a small bag with a handful of different candies. Then they walked towards a sidewalk with a couple of benches and she started introducing him to different candies like gummies and chocolates and some of her favorites.

She did feel a bit guilty about making him buy those, but she simply enjoyed seeing his reaction to the different sugary snacks too much. It almost reminded her of a little kid discovering sugar for the first time.

As she watched him eat the different candies and even ate some herself. She couldn't help but feel bothered, some things were not adding up.

His lack of smiling, the dimness in his eyes. His inability to laugh a genuine laugh pointed at signs of depression.

Yet when he mentioned never tasting a sugary treat before, his shiftiness when it came to talking about himself or his past was bothering her.

"Harry," Jeanne opened up, "I'm sorry if I am making you feel uncomfortable. But what happened to you? You're clearly not okay,"

Harry froze, then his shoulder slumped, "I don't want to talk about it,"

"Please don't shut me out. We are friends aren't we? At least i think we are, and I want to help you because you are my friend," Jeanne pleaded with him, hugging his arm tightly into her chest as she said, "I may not know you long, but at least believe when I say I want to be your friend, to help you out,"

"If I tell you, you won't want to associate with me at all," The boy replied, causing her to look at him with wide eyes as he said, "I know the magical world seems to idolize me as some type of Savior or Hero. But I'm not, in truth I'm not even a good person,"

"I don't care that you are that Harry Potter," Jeanne replied as she let go of him and made some distance between them. That kind of stung to be lumped up with the rest of magical society.

Growing a bit frustrated she said, "You think I want to be your friend just because of who you are. Harry, I'm not some shallow little girl who is trying to kiss ass to her hero. I want to be your friend because I'm curious as to who I started sharing my evenings with you know? Perhaps figure out if I could make a friend who I have something in common with,"

"I'm sorry," Harry replied as his lips thinned, "It's just. I'm not used to this,"

"Used to what? What aren't you used to," Now she was really curious. What had happened to him or what had he done?

"I'm not used to being treated with kindness," Harry admitted, and then he went quiet.

She watched as he shook his head. Jeanne could tell he was having some sort of internal conflict in regards to telling her what she wanted to know or not.

She stood up, and moved to stand in front of him. Then she pulled him into a hug, as she assured him, "It doesn't matter what it is that you did. I'll still be your friend,"

And she meant that. She genuinely enjoyed the conversations they had over the past few days. They were both magical, he knew more about the bible than she expected him to. Even if he claimed to be a non-believer.

As unlikely as it was, it felt like she had found a kindred soul. They were both orphaned, but raised by relatives, and both of them found solace in the house of the lord. Or else they wouldn't have met all all.

He made her feel safe, respected and happy. And she had begun to wonder if there could be something more between them in the future if god allowed it.

She once again pushed some magic into the tattoo on her back. But strangely enough, it did not react. It didn't grow warm, nor did it get icy when she was contemplating an action that could be considered a sin.

That meant the Lord either held no opinion on this matter, or wanted her to make her own choices in whatever her friend was hiding away.

And it wasn't like she was hiding her own secrets. But how could she possibly tell him she was the reincarnation of the Maid of Orleans, guided by god to do battle against the English in her first life?

Perhaps she would tell him eventually. But first she wanted to know what was so bad that he feared losing her friendship over.

Harry Potter had never been hugged before. That just wasn't something that happened in his life, he did know what a hug was. And for a moment, he was taken to the recurring dreams he used to have. The one where he would receive kindness and warmth.

Now that he thought about it, Jeanne Black and Jeanne D'Arc looked so close it was uncanny. But he knew it couldn't be the saint who he had come to idealize and love the idea off. He knew that Jeanne had a divine back tattoo, it's actually why he had gotten his own.

But as much as he wanted to continue reminiscing, he knew the lady whose arms were wrapped around him wanted answers.

He debated internally how to answer. He was slowly starting to consider her a friend. A rather close one at that, and he wouldn't be surprised if she had put some type of spell on him because he WANTED to trust her.

Realistically it was the fact that she treated him with dignity and respect, which was something he had craved all his life. Along with the fact she was a beautiful woman.

Not just externally. But also on the inside, she was smart and funny. She wanted to do good things, as she had told him she wanted to follow in her relatives footsteps and become a healer.

He still didn't know what he wanted to do with his life.

And the fact was, she made him feel human. If things had been different, if he hadn't become a convict, a sinner. If he had simply chosen to tough the abuse out until the magical community saw fit to bring him back into the fold. Then he could see himself pursuing something with her.

But as things stood, hell he didn't even want to entertain the thought. She could love the idea of what she thought he was, but no one could love someone like him.

He put his hand a bit above her waist to push her back. He looked into her wide, light purple eyes and he sighed, not being able to resist the silent plea in her eyes, "I guess I should tell you from the beginning."

Jeanne immediately sat down beside him, and once again took hold of his arm as she was fond of doing every time they sat down.

"My own relatives, the Dursleys. My Aunt and Uncle were not good people either, under them I was abused. Abused so much that one day, I just decided I had enough when I was nine or ten years old and I just killed them and proceeded to set the house on fire," Harry said, pausing to lick his lips. He felt Jeanne tense next to him as her grip on his arm tightened, but he kept going anyway, "I didn't try to hide it or justify myself. The cops and the firefighters showed up. Put the fire out, and I was in cuffed, got sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole and got shipped off to HMP Borstal, where I have been for the past five years until i got pardoned three weeks ago,"

"But, if you had been abused. Wouldn't you have been covered by the crown's immunity from prosecution for all kids ten and under?" Jeanne asked him, her brows furrowed as she recalled that information.

"I didn't say anything, to be honest. I'm still not exactly sure what actually happened the night I killed them. My memory goes hazy when I try to remember, I just know that I did it. I have read my paperwork and apparently I stabbed them to death?" Harry explained, adding, "So because I didn't even know what I did. I just never said anything, never confirmed or denied when the detectives asked if I was abused or any of their questions. And before I knew it I was standing before a magistrate under a no contest plea. The judge still tried to give me a way out but i refused to answer him, and I guess he took it the wrong way and gave me the highest possible punishment,"

Harry then shrugged, "I don't blame him, I did something heinous. Just because they are abusive doesn't mean I should have killed them. I do feel guilty. Perhaps not that I killed them. But they had a son, Dudley. Oh how I hated him at the time. He was the darling, the one who got all the presents. The one who couldn't be outshined and could do no wrong, but now that I'm older I realized we were both victims of the abuse. He was taught and conditioned to hate me for what I realize now was my magic, made into a bully and set up to fail. They pitted us against each other even though we were family and…"

Harry paused, as a silence settled between him and his companion. As he reflected on the thought, "I made him an orphan just like me. He knows my pain but only because it came from my hands, and if he came back one day to kill me. I wouldn't blame him, I got a lot of enemies Jeanne,"

"That doesn't mean you have to give up on life," Jeanne said somberly, "Yes, you committed a heinous crime, a sin in the eyes of god and society. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't try to make amends."

She let go of his arms and stood up in front of him, as she turned towards the waning moon, as she told him, "You destroyed a family, and left your cousin alone, destroyed his home. This is all true, but I can also tell that you're genuine in your feelings. I can't even begin to imagine how bad the abuse you endured. Must have been to drive you to commit such a heinous crime. I don't pretend to understand. But if you can't forgive yourself, if the world can't forgive you. I'll forgive you, and I'll keep forgiving you until you can forgive yourself,"

Harry's eyes widened, she couldn't be. Those words, those exact words were the ones he used to hear in his dreams. Then she turned to him and recited, "In Isaiah 1:18, God said: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool,"

Her amethyst eyes bore into his own, "Believe in me like I believe in you, and place your faith in me, like I place my faith in god. And if you can't believe in god, please trust I'll do whatever i can to make you know you are worthy of forgiveness,"

Jeanne then sat down, and told him, "Honestly, I feel at least in part responsible,"

"Why? You didn't have anything to do with my crimes," Harry denied, it was a ridiculous notion. A slip of a girl like her being responsible for his actions? What was she high on?

"Harry," Jeanne said, but looked away, "My father is the reason why your parents are dead. It was my father who betrayed the Potters to the Dark Lord. My Father is the reason, why you ended up with those people who pushed you to that point,"

"He may have betrayed my parents, but that doesn't mean you had anything to do with it, Jeanne," Harry said as he hesitantly pulled her into a hug, "There's nothing to feel bad about that. You were just an innocent civilian,"

"Did you just call me a freaking civilian?" Jeanne asked, looking at him incredulously.

Harry raised an eyebrow, "Yeah, to us convicts and gangsters who live by a certain code, we see people who aren't involved with the criminal lifestyle as civilians. Leave the kids, innocent people and the disabled out of it, crime is like a game, and you will eventually get caught. When you get arrested don't be mad at the police officer for being better than you that day, and so on and so forth… and rapist and pedophiles aren't people,"

"Huh," Jeanned let out, "I do agree with that last statement though,"