Post by Raven King on Sept 7, 2007 19:13:17 GMT -5
September 6, 1998
The war is over.
That was easy for her to say.
It was easy for everyone to say.
It's over.
Harry had felt the same way at first. But after the shock had worn off – once reality returned – the pain and anger that Harry knew only too well had returned. Voldemort had gone – he was dead – But Harry was still alive. He still had a battle which he could not win – one worse than facing Voldemort had ever been. He had to fight the demons inside of him. The pain of having to deal with losing so many loved ones. Every parental figure in his life was gone. There was no one left to look up to. There was no one to turn to when he was worried or upset. There was no one to show him where to go in his life – tell him how to live his life – tell him what to do next.
To Harry, the war had not been won. He was still fighting. Fighting the memories, the loss, the pain.
The silence was almost deafening in the old house where Sirius had spent most of his childhood. Dust covered the banister as Harry put his hand on it, climbing the stairs. Kreacher watched the trio leaving the living room and turned to the kitchen where he was preparing the night’s meal, much to Hermione’s chagrin. But the house elf was eager to serve Harry and his two friends, and would not listen to argument.
“Here.” Harry said, opening the door to his bedroom –Sirius’ old room – as he let Ron and Hermione in, waving his arm at the boxes that Kreacher had placed on the floor. One of the boxes was dusty. That was the one Harry headed for. They had been left to Harry in Remus’ will. What was in them was yet to be explored. “Help me look through them.” He said, though as he kneeled down in front of the box, his heart seemed to sink. He had tried to act brave since the war; but the truth of the matter was he missed them. Missed all his friends – all those who died – Yes, even Severus Snape. Severus truly had been Dumbledore’s man. It was just a pity that Harry only found that out after the man died.
Lifting the lid off the box, Harry let out a small shuddered sigh as he tried to hold back the tears that were threatening to be spilled again. The box seemed to be filled with photos and books. Harry lifted the first layer of photos out first, smiling as he watched Remus sitting down watching Sirius trying to get the snitch from James. Peter wandered into the photo, just behind James. The shorter chubby boy was laughing, and that made Harry’s hand tremble. The bloody traitor. It was his fault. Pettigrew’s fault that his parents were dead, and Sirius had been betrayed. The smile was swept away with a nasty scowl, and Harry tossed the photo aside.
Placing the rest of the photos on the floor beside the box, Harry dug out an old black leather bound book. On the cover the gold lettering that had been the words, was faded and unreadable. Harry’s hand wiped over the cover in some kind of caress, and he felt a tingle in his fingers, which travelled through him. A maroon and yellow book mark protruded slightly from between two of the pages, and it was to there that Harry opened it.
“Look at this.” He said, glancing up at Hermione, then looking back down at the fine print on the yellowed page. “It’s just what I’ve been looking for. A message from Remus.” He smiled, getting up off the floor and moving to his bed, which he promptly sat down on. His eyes flicked over the text on the page that had been circled in pencil or faded ink – it was hard to tell which - and he frowned.
Vivere due volte voi può impiegare il pozzo del presente ed oltre goda.
Written beside what was circled, in tiny neat scrawl was: To go back, read back and think of when. To go forward, read forward and return to the now and then.
“I know what I must do. I have to go back.”
~*~
And so Harry sets out on the journey of his life, delusive to all the dangers that come with trying to alter the past. The only thing on his mind is to find a way to stop Severus Snape from joining Voldemort's ranks, and ultimately to prevent the fallout between Severus and Harry's mother, Lily.
Maybe then Voldemort would never have found out about the prophecy that Lily was to give birth to the boy that would some day defeat him.
But how do you stop the most evil wizard alive when he is at his strongest? While you are utterly distracted by the comfort of being back with the people you loved and missed so much.
While Ron is trying to be supportive of Harry's idea, no matter how insane it is, Hermione is appalled by it. As the only one of the trio she knows what is at stake, and that no matter how minimal the past would be changed it would alter the future forever. And not necessarily to the better.
“Good luck, Harry. And remember: Under no circumstances are you to reveal your true identity, or speak of the future. ” Albus Dumbledore smiled, his blue eyes twinkling as he leaned forwards slightly, looking at Harry, Ron and Hermione in turn. “I will, of course, keep an eye on you.”
“How come you got to keep your own name?” Ron asked, giving Hermione a dirty look as the three of them headed towards the guests quarters.
“Because my parents are both muggles. No one ever heard of them.” Hermione replied with an exasperated sigh. “Really, Ronald, why does it matter?”
“Oh, I don’t know.” Ron sighed, rolling his eyes. “Maybe because I like my real name.”
“I think Ronald George suits you.” Harry grinned, running his fingers through his untamed hair as his eyes went back to taking in every sight as they walked down the deserted corridor.”
“Oh, shut up, Harry.” Ron growled with a pout. “At least your name suits you, kind of: Harry Hedwig. And Ronald George was the first thing I could think of. It’s not like we had months to prepare for it, you know.”
Hermione and Harry burst out laughing, and Ron looked like he had just missed hearing a personal joke. “What? What’s so funny?”
“Nothing.” Harry smiled, shaking his head slightly as he looked at Ron. “I’m glad I’m not doing this alone.”
No matter where you go and no matter what happens, it is always good to have somebody on the 'inside' on your side. What if someone of the past knew who you are, and helped you keep it a secret. Dumbledore was all knowing, wasn't he?
Where there is joy and time for jubilation there will always be jealousy and curiosity. No matter how well protected a secret is, there is always the slight chance that someone you would never call a friend finds out. And the Death Eaters would do anything to ensure their master's safety, wouldn't they?
Well, let's just hope no one is smart enough to figure out that there are 3 people that do not belong in the past.
~ Meanwhile ~
September 6, 1977
The war has just begun.
Most of the wizarding world is oblivious to any danger.
Every muggle has to fear for their life.
“Oh come on Evans, don’t be so prude.” James smirked, tossing his hair back, as he rushed after Lily. “Just a little peck on the cheek, then? I deserve some kind of reward for saving you from detention, don’t you think?” The raven-haired wizard grinned, slipping in front of Lily, causing her to collide with him.
“You are … appalling, James Potter.” Lily growled, taking a step to the side, in order to remain balanced. “Only in your dreams will I ever place my lips upon yours. And this is no dream; let me prove that to you.” The ghost of a grin appeared on Ms. Evans face, as she reached for her wand and flicked it ever so slightly.
“Oh! You could get into big trouble for that, Evans!” James pouted, looking himself over as he stood in the hallway, dripping wet. “You are lucky I am in a good mood, you know or else....” Well, he was not really sure as to how finish that sentence. Or else I would curse you? Not really the best approach to win a girl’s heart. The guys had told him he had to be…smooth, whatever that meant. Could they not have cared to explain how exactly to talk to a girl like Lily?! And boy did she look good when angry.
But the fact that no matter what he said or did, it was always wrong, and that bothered James beyond believe. Snivellus had more luck with Lily, and that did bother James even more. Slimy git. All the other girls practically melted when he did as much as look at them, but Evans.. she was a hard nut to crack. And so far he had not gotten far with her!
“Trouble? Are you going to report me then?” Lily inquired, biting her lip as she silently mused over James’ appearance. “May I remind you, James Potter, that you… oh, big hero, just saved me from detention? Which, if I might add, was your fault to begin with. How could keep putting the wrong ingredients in the potion? Three times in a row!”
“Well,” James cleared his throat, looking as manly and confident as he could in his current state “I was confused, yeah. And maybe I wanted to spend some time alone with you. Detention seemed like a good option, since you are hard to come by these days!” There, he had said it. For once he had spoken the truth as it was. “I did not go through with my plan though, did I?” James added, hoping that maybe that last bit of information would make up for his little slip of sanity.
“Urgh! You are… unbelievable, James Potter!” Lily sighed, storming past the Gryffindor male and down the hallway.
“Hey.. Evans! Care to dry me off!?” Geez. Women!
What had he said wrong now?
Well, yes, for James Potter and every other student at Hogwarts this was just another Tuesday. Little did they know that the future was about to come back to impact their lives forever.
