Bond Across Time

Prologue

He couldn’t see. The darkness was so intense that it crushed into him, suffocating him with its intimacy. Faintly, in the distance, he could hear a deep, droning sound and a soft crying. He tried to move to get away from the gloom but found that impossible. Every inch of his being was under excruciating pain. All his bones felt broken, ground to dust, and hot knives were stabbing him from all directions. Feeling week and helpless, he gathered that he would have possibly felt better falling off a ninety-foot tower. More importantly, he felt fear. Emotions coursed through him like fire; anger, desperation, determination, curiosity, protectiveness and finally, love.

The sobbing had grown quiet now and the silence was deafening. Then slowly, through the stillness, a soft reassuring sound of a birdsong grew closer. As it did, he felt a rush of strength and love flow through him. Again, he tried to sit up.

“Please, sir, you’re still too weak. You can go back when you’ve had your rest.�

A strong, callused hand was softly restraining him as he felt small tender hands gently feeding him a glass of sweet nectar. As his head cleared, a flood of memories came back to him. If he didn’t feel so safe and warm, he would have been terrified by the alarming speed at which he was going through his memories. It was as though his life was on fast forward, and he was powerless to stop it, or even slow it down.

-Flashback-

“Just where do you think you are going, young man?� A tall, stern woman with thin lips and hair in a tight bun was glaring down at his thirteen-year-old self after his 9:00 curfew.

“P…Pr…Professor,� he stammered, “I was just…er…going to…er…see my brother. He’s…um…in the Head’s Lounge. He wanted to show me a letter from Mother.�

He gazed up at Professor Melissa McGonagall, hoping, praying, that she would not find out about his secret passage into Hogsmeade.

-Next Flashback-

He walked casually among the rows of students scribbling furiously in the Transfiguration NEWT. He stopped at a desk and glanced at the occupant. A tall, pale, skinny girl with mousy brown hair was doodling aimlessly on a scrap piece of parchment. Minerva McGonagall was an OWL student whose Transfiguration was so precise and skilled that she was taking the NEWT two years early. She looked so much like her mother, who taught himself at Hogwarts, that it was unbelievable. He was extremely proud of her.

-Next Flashback-

He emerged breathless from the Forbidden Forest, drenched with blood and streaked with unknown slime, wearing a triumphant, relieved look on his young features. What was known in the Muggle World as World War II had now drawn to a close. He had fulfilled his prophecy and gotten rid of the monster that was Grindelwald. There was now true peace in the world, at least until the next threat arose. He was now the most powerful wizard in the world. But he would use his powers for the Wizarding World, not against. He could be Minister for Magic, but his calling was at Hogwart’s School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He would apply for the Deputy Headmaster post next month.

-Next Few Flashbacks-

He had seen Tom Riddle as a lonely, forsaken orphan with an unquenchable thirst for power and a love of precious gifts. He watched, helplessly, as Tom flourished in his legacy as the heir of Slytherin. Sometimes, as ‘Lord Voldemort’ reigned with terror, he felt as though he could have stopped it, if only he had seen the significance of the power-hungry glint in Tom Riddle’s eyes. He didn’t know yet, that it was fate. When he formed the Order and tried to make plans to bring about the vile creature’s demise, fate laughed.

He first saw hatred, then true love blossom between spirited Lily Evans and talented James Potter. The Potters seemed to favour red-heads more than any other, he mused. James’ mother had short hair the colour of flames; his grandmother had strawberry-blond hair on the ginger side; Lily had thick, deep red curls down her back; now Harry had found Ginny, with the traditional Weasley ginger hair.

Wait.

Harry?

His memories flew by even faster, if that was possible, as he relived the last few years of his far-too-long life.

He watched in horror as he saw himself leaving baby Harry on the doorstep of Lily Potter’s elder sister.

He looked at Harry with pride after he defeated the Basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets, and proved himself to be the true heir of Gryffindor, although he, at that time, did not know it.

He listened, in awe at Harry’s outstanding powers, to Harry’s weary recollection of what happened in the Third Task of the Triwizard Tournament.

He saw Harry tear his office to shreds, as he was about to understand the prophecy that ruled his life.

As he slowly opened his eyes, he remembered the memories in the Pensieve that he was showing to Harry; the ‘excursion’ that he took Harry on; Draco’s truth; and Snape’s decision.

He knew then, that he was dead. He had failed Harry as a teacher, a friend, and a grandfather. At least, he loved him as a grandson.

“No, sir, you’re not dead yet. It’s not your time to go. You’re just sort of in a limbo between the real world and the spirit world.�

This was a new voice. He recognised both. The first voice, the one that spoke before his memories, was a soft, female voice with a pleasant lilt. This was a deep, resonating, male voice.

No. It couldn’t be. Could it?

“It could indeed, Professor,� laughed the woman, “we’re here to give you answers.�

“But you have to ask the right questions and tell us about Harry.�

“James! Give him time to rest. You know what he’s been through!�

“Aw but Lily…�

“No, don’t ‘Aw, Lily’ me, Potter! And those puppy-eyes will get you nowhere…�

“Oh really? I seem to remember our first date, our engagement, our wedding, our honeymoon, our anniversary, our SON…all conceived because of my, as you so called it, puppy-dog eyes. And by the way…you’re a Potter, too!�

His eyes were fully open and they fell on a young couple in their mid thirties, arguing heatedly at his side. A tall, slim, red haired beauty with sparkling emerald eyes and an equally sparkling personality was in the strong embrace of a tall, raven haired man with twinkling brown eyes behind glasses.

“Oh good, you’re actually awake! Right. You need to take this potion three times a day until you are ready to go back. This one, every night and this is a Pepper-up…�

“Lily! Give him time to rest. You know what he’s been through!� said James in a high voice not unlike his wife’s.

She ignored him and carried on, as she administered potions, salves and pills “…potion to take now. By the way, James and I are dead. There isn’t any way of changing that, but we wanted to leave an imprint of ourselves. Because we weren’t afraid of death, we got to stay here instead and watch the world go by. One of our jobs now is to tell you about Voldemort’s Horcruxes and pass on information to Harry. Once we’ve done that, you can stay here for a while, as this is the best place you can recover — it’s like the Room of Requirement, it’s got everything you need. Then you can go back into the real world when you see the right moment. We’ll give you all the push you need.�

He stared at her. For once in his life, he didn’t understand but one thing. All he knew was that, although he had died, he would be going back to further train Harry. Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore was going back.

~*~

[A/N: Hi Thanks to my reviewers from the last chapter - i wont be posting for another two weeks or so as i have my mock exams for GCSE...wish me luck!]

Disclaimer - not mine - JKR's work



Chapter 1 – Realisation


Mr and Mrs Dursley led an entirely normal life in their perfect home with their completely normal son, Dudley. Unfortunately, they also had a useless, abnormal nephew who was at his good-for-nothing school like his good-for-nothing parents.

May the 26th dawned bright and early as Petunia Dursley started preparing breakfast for her substantial husband and son. She sighed as she peered out of the window at her neighbours. Really! How could they trim their grass so perfectly? She had tried time and time again to perfect her back garden but it just wasn’t up to scratch. She would have to try and borrow some tips and ideas.

She continued frying bacon as she reflected back on her life. Was she really satisfied with her life? All she seemed to do in recent years was to try and fulfil the expectations of her husband. The only times when she seemed to be truly happy was when Harry came home and she had to give him work to do. He reminded her so forcefully of Lily. Those green eyes he had inherited had haunted her for years. Ever since Lily had received her letter and Petunia had started to be hateful to her.

She had always loved Lily. But the fact remained that Lily was better than her. Lily inherited her mother’s deep red curls; while Petunia got her father’s coarse brown grizzle. Lily got her father’s emerald eyes; while Petunia shared her mother’s beady hazel eyes. Lily was beautiful; she was not. Lily caught a handsome young man who treated her like both a goddess and his equal; Petunia married a short tempered, burly man who took her for granted. Lily’s son was a healthy, intelligent and loving boy but her own son was fat, selfish, dim-witted and violent. She remembered one time when her heart ached so much for Harry that she nearly stood up for him.

-Flashback-

Three-year-old Harry Potter was squatting on the floor of the conservatory making a mess, unintentionally, with his cousin’s play dough. Dudley had left to go and play with his new toys before bedtime and since no-one was playing with the play dough, why couldn’t he? The door slammed as Vernon made his appearance. Harry looked up with glee – his uncle was home! He stumbled to his feet and ran headlong into his uncle’s legs with his arms lifted, asking to be held like Dudley.

“Move away, Boy! You’re in the way,� Uncle Vernon brushed Harry aside, failing and probably not caring to see Harry’s look of utter disappointment and he fell on his nappied bum. Unknown to any of the men in her family, Petunia was quietly watching the scene unfold with tears glistening in her eyes, biting her lip as if to stop herself from running to the little boy.

What tore her heart was when Vernon yelled at Harry about the small mess he had created with the play dough. Bursting into tears, Harry came toddling out into the hallway to go into his only sanctuary, the abysmal cupboard they gave him for his bedroom.

Looking around quickly, she scooped up the scrawny, little boy and consoled him while he hiccupped and cried his eyes out on her shoulder. When his crying subsided, she pecked him lightly on his messy head and tucked him into bed.

“Goodnight, Harry, sweet dreams,� she whispered as he tried in vain to keep his eyes from closing.

“Aunty P’tuna?�

“Yes, Harry?

“I love you,� he yawed before he drifted into dreams of flying motorbikes and green light.

Petunia sat on the edge of his bed for a few moments. This boy had more love in him than her own son. This was amazing as Harry, she was ashamed to say, neglected and had hardly any loving contact but Dudley was showered upon with kisses and hugs from both his parents and other relatives.

“I love you, too, Harry.�

-End Flashback-

Petunia looked up startled as several things happened in quick succession. The smell of burning bacon reached her nostrils and she had to quickly turn off the heat and start again. Vernon and Dudley came thumping down the stairs as their radar picked up the smell of breakfast. A large snowy owl flew gracefully through the open window used for spying and dropped off a small roll of parchment in the toaster. Dudley squealed in terror and ran back upstairs. Vernon grunted and picked up the roll cautiously as if expecting it to blow up in his face. Petunia jumped and dropped the teapot.

Vernon’s face turned slowly from pink, to red to a violent purple as he read the letter from his abnormal nephew.


To Dursleys,

As you read this, I will be packing my bags and boarding the Hogwarts Express. I will be arriving at King’s Cross tomorrow at around midday. You will be there for the last time. I will stay at Privet Drive until my 17th Birthday and then I’ll be out of your life for ever.

Harry


Petunia drew in an involuntary gasp. He wasn’t coming back any more. It was too late. She came to the painful realisation that Harry Potter, her green-eyed nephew, her only living connection to her baby sister hated her, and he was probably never going to forgive her.

~*~

Harry James Potter walked numbly up to his dorm room after Dumbledore’s funeral. Voldemort had taken away yet another life of someone close to him. Albus Dumbledore had rescued Harry from the Dursleys and introduced him to a world of magic. True, he had other people, but Professor Dumbledore always held a special place in his heart.

He slumped dejectedly on his four-poster and stared listlessly at the ceiling. The memorial was truly...well...memorable. Although the words that were spoken did not have much meaning, he felt as though Albus Dumbledore was watching over the proceedings. That had made him feel slightly better.

He thought back to how he held Ginny during the ceremony. How his heart sank as he broke up with her; the creature in his chest screaming in protest. How shocked he was when she seemed to understand his logic. He knew she would wait for him, but for how long? Would she ever forgive him? What if she never let go of the grudge?

He tried to put himself in Ginny’s shoes, to feel what she felt, to know what she wanted. He closed his eyes and opened his mind to everything that was Ginny. Stunned, he sat back as a barrage of thoughts and emotions filled his head, like never-ending lengths of ribbons flowing gracefully into his consciousness.


He had broken up with her. The unthinkable had happened. These past few weeks had been a dream come true and now it was gone. Arrgh! He deserved a specially amended Bat Bogey Hex! How could he do something like that? Of course, she understood, he had to go and destroy Voldemort. If her parents, friends and mentors were killed, she too would want to go and kill the man who did that. Ohhh. How frustrating! Didn’t he realise that she wanted to protect him too? She would go with him if it was the last thing she did. Merlin, he was taking Ron and Hermione with him, why not her? Didn’t he care about Ron and Hermione enough to want to protect them too? Yup. She would go. She would put her plan into action during Bill’s wedding. Phlegm wasn’t turning out to be that bad. Maybe she would get help from Fleur, Mum, Hermione and Gabrielle. Hmmm, that would work. She would look so stunning that Harry’s mouth wouldn’t stay closed if it was nailed, spellotaped and glued with the twins’ WhizGlu.


Harry’s eyes flew open. Merlin’s Beard! She was a devious witch. But he realised that he had to do something. Fast. He needed to talk to someone. He couldn’t talk to Remus, it was full moon. Ron was helping Neville and Luna search for all of Luna’s belongings and Hermione was in the girls’ dorm with Ginny. Humph. He would have to wait till they were on the Hogwart’s Express and hope that Ginny stayed with her friends.

Hogwart’s Express! Bloody Hell! The Dursleys didn’t know he was coming back early! He dashed off a quick note to the Dursleys and started throwing his robes into his trunk. He flew around the room, his eyes sparkling with joy, already planning what he would say to Ginny on the Hogwart’s Express.


[A/N: Please Review!!!]

Disclaimer: All JKR's characters - i just like to play with them!

[A/N: I have written many chapters so far, just need to post them all - I'll do my best! Also, I've been on holiday so please bear with me! And please review! I love reviews!]



Bond Across Time

Chapter 2 – Train Ride Questions


Harry, Ron and Hermione settled comfortably into their compartment, the latter two happy for the lack of students, so they didn’t have to fulfill their Prefect duties. Neville and Luna were searching various compartments for Trevor the toad, who had left on one of his escapes for freedom, and Ginny was with her friends, claiming she had a lot of gossip to catch up on. Harry knew in his gut, though, that she really just wanted to avoid him as much as possible.

She was actually plotting with her best friend, Faye Walters, how to antagonise Harry as much as possible at the wedding.

Harry leaned forward on his elbows. He and his best friends were alone in the compartment, and he intended on getting their help in his plan. But first things first, he was setting the record straight.

“Ron, Hermione. You know we’re going on an extremely dangerous trip, right?�

“Of course we do!� They spoke as one and had the conversation not been so important, he would have laughed and yelled “Jinx!�

Hermione looked at Ron, then at Harry in the seat across from her. She, too, leaned her elbows against her knees to get closer.

“Why did you think we’re so insistent? Honestly!�

“But Harry,� said Ron, “Hermione and I won’t be able to come to the Dursley’s with you anymore. Hermione’s staying at the Burrow with her parents. We have to help set up the wedding. Fleur and Mum are mental! They still can’t decide on a date! At the moment, it’s in three weeks.�

“Er…right. That’s fine. Well, I think before we go, we need to organise the trip. Things like what we need to take, where we can search, how we can destroy the Horcruxes, et cetera, et cetera.�

Hermione took out some parchment and a Self-Inking-Quill Ron had given to her for Christmas, and started jotting down notes.

“We’ll need to travel light so we can’t bring too much clothing. We won’t have free access to laundry so we’ll probably have to use the Muggle Laundromats...�

“Laundy-whats??�

Hermione took over, organization and lists, being her forte. “It’s a place where you can clean your clothes, Ron. We will need lots of parchment, quills and some ink, unless we get some Self-Inking Quills. We’ll need a place to stay. Maybe, Mr Weasley can tell us where to buy some magical tents. We also need a way to travel. You two are taking your Apparition tests this summer, aren’t you? Well Apparition can be traced and we don’t really want the Ministry knowing. We can ask some of the Order members if they know how to mask Apparition. We also need to have a more extensive knowledge of hexes and jinxes. I know Harry, you have loads of books and have been practicing them in the Room of Requirement when you have free time but Ron and I don’t know them, so we need you to teach us and help look for the counter-jinxes and other unknown curses. I think the Bat-Bogey Hex is worth learning – I read that it doesn’t have a counter-jinx...�

She broke off to take a break, but from the awkward stillness around her, she understood the implications of her words. The Bat Bogey Hex was Ginny’s specialty.

“Oh Harry, I’m so sorry! But really! You shouldn’t have broken up with her anyway. You said yourself she was really special. And she’s not exactly...�

“...going to be safe, whether she’s going out with me or not.� Harry completed the sentence for her and grinned at a perturbed Hermione, who was shocked that a tactless, naive boy had actually finished off her sentence, about relationships no less, perfectly. Sometimes, the words that came out of Harry and Ron’s mouths stunned her into silence, then she’d grin about it, realizing that she had rubbed off on them at least a little.

“Harry, mate. How...how, exactly, do you feel about my baby sister? Because if you play around with her feelings, like Corner, then Voldemort won’t need to worry about you any more. Best friend or no, I will hurt you and you’d still have everyone else to worry about. Weasleys can do all sorts of wonders. Ginny doesn’t have six brothers for nothing. We’d all have a ball, ‘specially since Bill knows curses and hexes you couldn’t even fathom. Charlie can pull strings at the dragon enclosure. Dad and Percy have leverage at the Ministry and Auror Department. The twins are terrorists and they’re the ones who gave yours truly some pummeling practice; they’d love to use you as a lab rat for their newest inventions, and I won’t even go into what Mum will do to you. Pity Ginny likes you...the last boy who tried to fool around with her emotions was Charlie’s best mate last summer. I tell you, his fiancé isn’t too pleased that he can’t have kids anymore.�


Harry gulped visibly to Ron’s satisfaction, but went on to reassure Ron about his intentions. “Erm...Ron? Let me tell you what happened from the beginning. After Dumbledore’s service, I thought that Ginny was in danger of getting seriously hurt because of me, that everyone I was close to was in danger of getting hurt because they knew me. Look what happened to Dumbledore, Bill, and even you two got hurt.� He gestured lazily over his two best friends, then went back to ticking off the people hurt because Voldemort was after his head. “Then there was Katie, your dad, Tonks, Sirius, I could go on. So, I thought that to keep Ginny safe, I should break up with her, distance myself so that Voldemort wouldn’t find out through our mind link. I couldn’t bear the thought of him hurting her.�

Hermione opened her mouth to start an argument against his logic, but Harry stopped her by holding up his hand and continuing. Now that he had started, he had to finish this confession, “But I realise now that everyone is in danger, that I might as well be happy with Ginny rather than be completely miserable without her. I realised that I could never do anything to hurt her and that this,� he gestured wildly with his hands, “this is hurting her. D’you get what I mean, Ron?�

Silence filled the compartment. Harry was breathless from his thorough revelation and Ron was staring listlessly at the mound of Chocolate Frog wrappers. Hermione, however, was bouncing eagerly on the chair.

“Harry, how are you going to tell her?�

“Tell her what?�

“That you don’t actually want to break up with her and that you want to go out with her to Hogsmeade. We can meet up there for Halloween.�

“Hermione! The Hogsmeade trip is in October and it’s only MAY!� burst Ron incredulously.

“Well, then you can ask her to go to Diagon Alley with you as a couple when we go and buy our supplies. Take her to Madam Patty Piddlypaw’s for a lunch date.�

Harry and Ron stared at her aghast at such a suggestion. They didn’t even know such a café even existed.

“Yeah, that’d be romantic. You, Ginny and a dozen or so guards, one being Moody. And you can stare into her eyes over the table and be looking right at Mad-Eye under his invisibility cloak,� Ron snorted in a mocking tone. “Besides, when did you become such a girl?�

Hermione looked at them exasperatedly. “You two always ruin all the romanticism in everything!� She sat back with her arms across her chest. She had expected them to be relieved and to thank her for her brilliance, but instead, she wound up with Ron’s dumb comment.

~*~

Ginny Weasley was sitting despondently with her friends in a compartment near Harry, Ron and Hermione’s. She knew they were talking about her; she heard them with the Extendable Ears when she was waiting for her friend, Faye to come back from the food trolley. She had heard them discussing whether Harry ought to get back with her or not. On a brighter note, Harry had finally realised that he didn’t want to break up with her after all. She wondered what made him change his mind. A smile couldn’t help but creep it’s way across her face at the potential of them getting back together. She felt herself grow a little worm inside at the prospect.

~*~

As they were reaching King’s Cross, the train almost at the Platform when Harry suddenly remembered what he had been meaning to ask Hermione.

“‘Mione, what do you know about Legilimency? Do you know how it works?�

“It’s reading minds, basically, but with a wand. Some people have the ability to do that anyway though. Without a wand. Like Muggles who think that they’re psychic. And I have a hunch the Professor Snape had the ability as well. He always seemed to know what was going on. Why?�

“Because...I was trying to see things from Ginny’s point of view yesterday, but I kinda didn’t get what I was looking for.�

“What are you talking about?�

Harry leaned forward. He was taking this opportunity when Ron was in the toilet to share his anxieties with Hermione. She always knew what to do, like a young, female Dumbledore.

“I think, I read Ginny’s mind. She’s planning on looking ‘drop-dead-gorgeous’ at Bill’s wedding to try and coax me back.� He thought about that with a smirk. “Not really much more she can do, is there? She already looks beautiful.�

“Harry! This is it!Maybe this is your powers that ‘the Dark Lord knows not’ . You really would need to learn how to focus it though. Ginny wouldn’t appreciate you butting into her thoughts, but you can learn. I wonder if this is the true extent of your powers or if there is more. You can read minds naturally. You’re a natural Legilimens.� She finished softly, her mind spinning with the possibilities of how to defeat Voldemort at the end. Harry felt grateful that his best friend didn’t doubt what he had confided in her. She actually believed that he had some new, unfounded gift. That made him feel just a bit more confident.

“Well, I think a little trip to Remus’ flat is in order. I wonder if he and Tonks have sorted things out yet?� he said cheerfully.

“Why Remus? Why not Dumbl...�

To her amazement, Harry didn’t stiffen when she mentioned Dumbledore. Whenever anybody mentioned Sirius, he withdrew into himself, become like a sitting statue, and sulked until the topic was changed. She had assumed it would be the same with Dumbledore’s death, that Harry would believe it was his fault Dumbledore had died. Instead, he beamed.

“Hermione, Dumbledore’s still watching over us. Those who love us don’t really leave us. And Dumbledore will never be truly gone unless none remain who are loyal to him.�

“Whoa, Harry, when did you get so deep?� Ron smirked, returning to the compartment, just as the train pulled to a stop into the platform.

“Since I fell in love with Ginny.�

Hermione sat gaping in front of him. A low growl emitted from the open compartment. Whirling around to face the doorway, he was presented with the terrifying image of two irate, elder Weasley brothers. It appeared as though Fred and George had come looking for them and heard him confessing his love for their baby sister.

“WHAT?!�

“FINALLY!!�

Fred and George stared at Ron.

“About time, Harry, she’s been nagging me for ages, trying to find out how you felt about her!� He nonchalantly pulled his trunk down from above their heads, ignoring the looks he was receiving from his older brothers.

Fred and George glared daggers at Harry, and then turned around to admonish their youngest brother. “You knew they were going out...� started Fred.

“...and you didn’t tell us?� George chimed in.

“Erm...well...you never really took an interest after she broke up with Dean, did you?�

While the brothers argued and Hermione made sure they didn’t kill each other, Harry took the opportunity to sidle out of the compartment and onto Platform 9 ¾. He was hoping to get back to the Dursleys without any more confrontations.


Unfortunately, he was spotted by Mr and Mrs Weasley who, to his mortification, were accompanied by Bill and Charlie. At least Percy wasn’t there. And Ginny was still chatting with Faye’s parents.

“Harry!�

Mrs Weasley fussed around him and gave him a massive, bone-crushing Weasley hug as she said, “Don’t you fret about the Dursleys, my dear; we’ll get you out of there in no time, hopefully for your coming-of-age birthday party and you can get you Apparition License with Ron. The wedding is on the 6th August, just between your and Ginny’s birthdays. You’ll have to come for that, but Minerva can’t keep you with those awful Muggles for that long...�

“Mum, let him breathe,� chuckled Bill, “Harry, can I have a quick word with you?�

He took him aside onto the Muggle Platform and spoke in quiet whispers. Harry couldn’t help but glance at his wounds, hoping that by the time the wedding came around, he would be nearly as good as new. He felt awful for the things that had happened over the past week.

“Harry...I want...will you...� he broke off, frustrated that such a simple question was taking so much effort.

“What?�

“Would you mind being my Best Man for the wedding?�

Harry was stunned. He couldn’t understand why Bill wasn’t asking one of his own brothers or friends. Maybe Ron would be a better choice. Bill saw his dilemma.

“Fleur wanted to have people as part of the wedding who meant something to us all. We made a list of important names and did a random pick of who was what. So Ginny’s Maid of Honour - she made up with Fleur during the year; Gabrielle is the flower girl; hopefully Hermione and Faye will be bridesmaids – Hermione’s basically part of the family now, all Ron needs to do is make it final; Fleur’s brother, Christophe, and Charlie are groomsmen; Gabrielle’s twin, Alain is the Page Boy. We need someone who has the respect and love of both of us. Naturally, we thought of you. You took down Greyback when he had hurt me, you saved Dad, Ron and Ginny, and you helped Fleur and Gabrielle during the second task. And the hat that the names were in threw yours out. It’s like fate now.� His words were spurting out of his mouth so quickly that Harry was struggling for his mind to keep up. He knew how difficult conversations like these were for guys. Heck, he always froze up when admitting the kinds of things Bill was as well, so he felt sympathetic to his older brother.

“But...I’m not...I don’t think...�

Bill grinned at him, a large, feral smile that reminded him forcefully of Remus, who he still hadn’t had that heart-to-heart with. “Will you be my Best Man?�

Harry looked down at his feet. Ginny was Maid of Honour, he would have to dance with her during the opening dance, at least, that’s what they did on the tele. He looked up at Bill’s expectant face and smiled hesitantly.

“I’d be honoured to be your Best Man. Thanks Bill.�

“Excel-�

“BOY! We’ve been waiting for you for over half an hour! Get your trunk and that ruddy pigeon here!�

“Oh well,� sighed Harry, “I’d better go back to a few more weeks at the Dursleys. See you, Bill. Tell Ginny, Ron and Hermione ‘Bye’ for me.�

He walked backwards towards the Dursleys and towards his last summer of boredom.

Bill, feeling it his Orderly duty to see that Harry was safe, followed them outside and watched silently as Harry climbed into the backseat of Vernon’s three-door Peogeot. He thought about how Harry had told him to say his goodbyes to Ginny before Ron and Hermione. Maybe there was something to what Ginny had asked in her letter. She wanted Harry to “notice her again� as she put in her letter. Were they going out? Had they been going out? He dismissed it as unimportant temporarily and went back to his family.

[A/N: Please review – much appreciated! Lots of credit goes to Roxy who betaed this chapter – and the following ones so brilliantly]

Disclaimer: I wish I created Harry Potter *listens expectantly*…Nope…I don’t hear bells or fireworks…Must still belong to JKR…*sniff*


Chapter 3

Divorce...


Harry sat in the backseat of the car next to Dudley, staring listlessly out of the rain-streaked window. He was thinking about how much time he would need to spend at the Dursleys’ before he could go to the Burrow. Every second was one too many. So many thoughts were beginning to course through his mind. And with plenty of time until they arrived at Privet Drive, he knew his head would be hurting by the time they arrived. Now that Dumbledore was dead, who was the new Head of the Order of the Phoenix? Where was Fawkes? Maybe Remus would know. He wanted to speak to him anyway about his Legilimency.

As the car pulled into the driveway at midday, Harry stumbled out, collected his trunk and went to his bedroom to put it away. He went down to get a drink but was waylaid spectacularly by running into the great, purple-faced lump that was Uncle Vernon.

“Potter! Come into the kitchen. Your aunt and I need to have a talk with you.� His voice was strained, but unusually civil and Harry found himself curious to know what it was all about.

In the kitchen, he saw his Aunt Petunia sipping a steaming cup of tea and Dudley slouched on a groaning bar stool with an uninterested look marring his piggy face.

He sat cautiously on a chair and looked towards his aunt and uncle for a clue as to why he was here. Last summer, he was pretty much left alone, although that could have been because of the warning from the Order members.

“Right,� sighed Uncle Vernon, “Dudley, Potter, your Aunt and I have something important to tell you. Much as I don’t feel your abnormalities deserve to be in this family discussion, Petunia wouldn’t have it.� His face was drawn in anger, before turning to his son as it melted into love. “Dudley, my boy, don’t get upset now, you’ll always have everything you’ll ever need...�

“Vernon, cut to the chase! Dudley, your father and I are getting a divorce. Harry, you’ll come with me; Dudley will go with Vernon. There’s something that I’ve never told anybody, not even Lily knew,� she spared a look at Harry to see if he could handle the mention of his mother.

She took a deep breath and plunged in,

“I’m not what you think. I am a Smed. I used to be a witch�

Her revelation was met with a stunned silence. Harry’s face, which was stunned at first, split into a wide grin as if he knew all along. Dudley, too was flabbergasted, but opened his mouth to ask...

“What is a Smied, you might want to know?� She smiled lovingly at her chubby son, as if a smile would dissolve all abnormalities about herself. “A Smed is a witch or a wizard of Muggle decent who has lost most or all of their magical power to be able to make any difference with the aid of a wand. Yes, Harry, I used to be a witch. I was accepted at Hogwarts when I was 11, but I had no intention of going. The moment that oaf stepped into the house, I knew. I just couldn’t bare the thought of enduring years of practice on something that was impractical. Magic wouldn’t get me into the best university of my choice after high school. I wanted to be more than that. I didn’t want to be a witch, although my parents did encourage me. In the end I did go to Hogwarts, albeit for only three months.

“I’m sorry I hid this from you but when Lily died, I knew that I definitely didn’t want anything to do with the magical world. I had made my choices years before and was kind of glad that it didn’t get me killed along with her. I doubt it would have though. Lily was always strong and brave, a true Gryffindor. I was a Ravenclaw for the time that I was there. I would never be able to stand up to anyone. I think her bravery was what got her killed. I had my own son, husband and later, nephew, to take care of. I was always jealous of Lily. She was so much better than me, prettier than me.

“When you came into our lives, I always thought that you were just another reminder of what I never had. Now, I realise that I never wanted this life. Every time Vernon or Dudley used to tease you, I always felt so angry that you used to take it, never fight back. You just went to your cupboard and cried your little heart out.� Petunia herself was silently crying now, tears dripping down her long bony nose. She looked over at Harry, and was surprised to see him, too, with unshed tears welling in his eyes.

He was in utter disbelief that his Aunt Petunia had hid those things for so long. For so long, she had acted as if she hated him. For so long, he was forced into hating her for her submission to her husband’s requests. Now, things were changing rapidly.

“Oh, enough of this!� scoffed Vernon, “Dudley, pack your things, we’ve bought a bigger house. You can have two bedrooms again and all the new play thingies you could ever dream of.� To Harry and his aunt, it seemed like Uncle Vernon was trying to buy his way into Dudley’s favoritism.

With that, he stamped out of the room with Dudley at his heel. Petunia cleaned herself up, leaving Harry to his thoughts.

His aunt had not opened up like that since Hagrid had arrived to take him to Diagon Alley all those years ago. Apart from Dumbledore, Sirius, Remus, the Weasleys, and Hermione, he had not had anyone who felt remotely like family. The Dursleys were never really any family at all. With a shock, he realised that he was looking forward to his short stay with Aunt Petunia.

A few hours later, Dudley and Vernon made their way noisily out of the door. Harry went to his trunk and got out some parchment and his Dictata-Quick-Quill; a tamer, but more detailed version of the Quick-Quotes-Quill that he had made to write letters as he dictated. He strode purposefully into the kitchen and sat at the breakfast bar with his aunt, who was now scrubbing furiously to have something to do.

“Aunt Petunia, I think we need to have a long-overdue talk, don’t you?� His tone was sharp, but his eyes and expression belied him.

She sighed and got up to make another pot of tea; this was going to be a long afternoon. “Where would you like me to start?�

“At the beginning. When you and Mum used to be close and you found out about the magical world.�

“I loved Lily. She used to be my best friend. There was only one year between us, so we were practically like twins. When we went to primary school, I was never the brightest bulb in the box, but Lily was the cleverest in her year. She was moved up and we were together again...�

“Yes...� he prompted.

“When I was eleven and Lily was ten, I got my letter. Professor Dumbledore himself came to take me to Diagon Alley. I enjoyed being a witch, after all the resistance I put up to it, I learnt so much. I thought that all magic was good and the Dark Arts that I heard so much about from my friends were just fantasy. How wrong I was...

“During the Christmas Holidays of first year, we were attacked by Death Eaters because I was a Muggle-born. Mother and Father were at a company dinner and I was alone with Lily. They started throwing spells everywhere and I didn’t know any spells that could defend myself.

“Lily was reading in the living room and I was in the hallway when it happened. She had just come out to see what the commotion was when she got hit by a lot of spells. I tried to see what happened to her, but seconds after the Death Eaters, other witches and wizards started popping and binding the Death Eaters in ropes. I don’t remember much after that except that I woke up in a magical hospital with Lily lying bandaged on the bed next to mine. Turns out they thought she was the witch and attacked her.

“I was suffering from MED or Magical Energy Depletion. I never actually recovered and I couldn’t cast any more spells since I had no more Magical Energy left, so I became a Smed.�

“Wouldn’t you just have stayed Muggle?�

�No, because Muggle Repelling Charms had no effect on me.�

“Why did you always act so horribly to me, just because Mum retained her Magical Energy but you didn’t?�

Petunia smiled ruefully. “Terrible, isn’t it? Lily always knew that I hated her because I was jealous. But she was wrong. I never hated her, but I - anything I said always came out harshly.�

“OK, we’ve got that out of the way. Why did you always treat Dudley better than me?�

“Because of Vernon.� Her voice became stronger and angrier.

“He always thought that you were a Freak. Perhaps that was my fault. When Lily turned up at our wedding, I was furious, and called her many things that I still regret to this day. I guess, with Vernon, it just stuck.

“When we got your owl yesterday, Vernon got so angry that you would be ‘an ungrateful brat’ that I started shouting at him to get him to shut up. While we were having that row, I let slip that I used to be magical. He immediately rang the solicitors and said that we wanted a divorce because the marriage just wasn’t working out.

“He didn’t want Dudley to be around me anymore so he went out and bought a new house for them both. They don’t actually have it yet until the paperwork goes through; they’re staying with Marge.�

Harry was silent for some time. He would need to inform Remus about this. And then, there was the subject of where Aunt Petunia would stay while he was hunting Horcruxes.

He sat up suddenly and called to Hedwig. He picked up the parchment that the Dictata-Quick-Quill had been scribbling on and scratched a quick note at the bottom. He tied it to Hedwig’s leg and sent her out to find the Weasleys.

Turning to his Aunt, he said, “This summer, I’m going to my best friend’s brother’s wedding, and then I will be taking my two best friends with me to kill Voldemort. You know...the evil git who killed my parents? Since you’re now actually acting like my family,� he glanced at her, amused and reproachful, simultaneously, “I believe you deserve to hear my life story, in brief.�

~*~

“...and so I broke up with Ginny to try and protect her.�

He knew that he promised Dumbledore that he would not tell a soul about what happened during his lessons, but he realised now that for his own sanity, and for the good of the war, he would have to tell the new Head of the Order and Aunt Petunia, because she was his only family. He would tell Ginny, too, when everything was better between them.

After three hours of calm talking and questioning, there was quiet. Harry had not realised how sore his throat was. He got up to fetch a glass of water when his aunt drew a long breath. Thinking she had some more questions, he sat back down. In that split second, three pops sounded and Mr and Mrs Weasley entered the kitchen with Remus, still weary from the last full moon. They started to speak, to ask what the big problem was, but were interrupted by Aunt Petunia’s explosion. She was near tears and Harry was a little taken aback, not knowing where it had come from.

“HARRY JAMES POTTER!! How DARE you put yourself in such danger!?! You could have been KILLED!! We would never have known and HOW could you be so unbelievably SELFISH as to do so many dangerous things, to just PRESUME that we didn’t care about you,� she paused to take a breath, and continued, much softer, with a gentle tone, “Your parents would have been proud.�

~*~

Harry finished his explanation once again, leaving out his attraction to Ginny. It helped that he had sent out the transcript of Aunt Petunia’s ‘confession’, but he still had a lot to talk about, including his new found powers of Legilimency. He found out that he was the first natural Legilimens in over a century. Although not as rare as Parseltongue, this gift was extremely uncommon and to be used carefully.

He found out that Remus and Arthur were joint Heads of the Order of the Phoenix as they were the closest to Dumbledore and Harry. Aunt Petunia was initiated into the Order for her own safety and it was decided that she would sell Privet Drive and stay with the Weasleys during the term. Now that she and Harry had accepted each other, she was welcome as part of the Weasley extended family as Petunia Evans, along with the Grangers, Harry, Remus and Tonks.

They would be leaving for the Burrow in a week, and as Aunt Petunia was coming with him, she could still provide the protection offered by her relation to his mother.

Mr Weasley took Harry gently aside into the hallway to talk about...

“Ginny,� he said calmly, but firmly, his hand gripping Harry’s shoulder. “She’s not really been herself, lately. More like Fred and George, if possible. And that’s worrying me. I wonder if you know if anything’s wrong? What with the wedding coming up and the whole house is in pandemonium...�

“Mr Weasley, Ginny and I were going out until recently, but we didn’t tell anyone. Just Ron and Hermione. And Fred and George found out on the train. But, I broke up with her because of my journey to find the Horcruxes and the connection between Voldemort and me. I don’t want her to get hurt.�

He saw Mr Weasley flinch imperceptibly at the sound of Voldemort’s name.

“Harry, you’re not protecting anyone by distancing yourself from them.�

“I realise that now, sir, it was when I put myself in Ginny’s shoes. I love her.�

“Are you sure? She’s my little princess and I don’t want her heart broken again. I know she’s in love with you. Night after night it was bed time stories about Harry Potter,� he said with a grin.

Harry’s cheeks would have shamed a tomato. “She loves me?�

“As her father, I’d say she does. But unless she tells you in so many words, don’t assume anything. And careful of her temper, it’s worse than Molly’s.�

Mr Weasley went back to discuss living arrangements in the living room, leaving Harry to his thoughts.

Well, we’ll find out what’s between us next week, when we go to the Burrow.

“Oh, Harry,� called a beaming Mrs Weasley, as she gathered her purse, “the wedding’s been moved forward again. It’s now next week, the day after you arrive. I’ll explain everything then. Bye!�

What? No! Where are my dress robes?!

With that thought in mind, he dashed up the stairs leaving his bewildered aunt in the kitchen, not to be moved from her spot since they arrived home.

[A/N: Please Review! This chapter has been betaed brilliantly by Roxy! Write your favourite things about the story as well, please so I know what you guys like or hate about my writing. Help me entertain you!]