Disclaimer: Remember anything you don’t recognise is mine. Warning major character death.

Harry Potter and the Inquest into Death

Chapter 1 - Envelopes.

James Evans bid his secretary goodnight and walked out of his office, climbed into his black BMW, and joined the trail of traffic heading out of London. Thankfully, it was Friday and he was headed home. He stayed in London during the week as he found the drive to Devon too far to commute daily.

It had been a tumultuous week, beginning with the loss of one of his oldest patients. Oldest in time of care, not in age, in fact, the patient had only been sixteen. You see, James was a paediatrician. His specialty was looking after children with cancer and leukaemia. The loss of David had hit James very hard, and it had taken several phone calls, not only from his wife of thirteen years, but his parents in law and the head of the London Children’s Hospital for him to snap out of it. His week had improved remarkably though when, three days later, he was able to tell the parents of two more children that they were in remission. Unfortunately the euphoria hadn’t lasted all that long when Jessie, an eight year old, who had been in remission for over twelve months, had been brought into Casualty this morning and had to be readmitted for another series of chemotherapy.

James sighed as he stared at the red tail lights of the car in front of him, running a hand through his hair and rubbing at his tired eyes.

By the time he got onto the expressway it was getting quite late and he knew it would be after nine by the time he got home. He called Isabella and begged her to let the children stay up long enough for him to say goodnight.

‘Alright, but you had better not be too much longer. There is something we have to discuss.’ she said before hanging up.

‘Well, that sounds ominous.’ Harry muttered as he pulled off at the correct exit. Another thirty minutes and he was home. He pulled into the driveway, switching the engine off and climbing slowly out of the car. He looked up at the facade of the house. It was big by most standards but James still found it cosy. It was home and he loved it. The three best things in his life came barrelling out of the house. Well, two did. The other just stood on the porch and smiled at him.

‘Daddy!’ came the matching shrieks of his twins. Anna and Oliver were almost exact copies of each other. With their mother’s honey blond hair and their father’s piercing green eyes. Their only different was a slight feminine softening of Anna’s facial features and longer hair. Oliver was also several inches taller than his sister. James laughed as they threw their arms around him, hugging him fiercely.

‘Daddy, I got the lead in the Nutcracker.’ Anna said breathlessly.

‘I made the football team for County.’ Oliver told him proudly. James grinned and hugged them both to him.

‘Well done, both of you. I’ve missed you so much.’ he said, dropping a kiss on the top of each of their heads.

‘Come on, come on.’ Isabella called. ’It’s late and you two have football and ballet in the morning.’

‘Aww, Mum.’ they whined, saying exactly the same thing at exactly the same time. James laughed again and bundled the children towards the house.

‘Your mother’s right.’ James said firmly. ‘I’ll be here in the morning. I’m not going back to London until Tuesday.’ he promised. The twins sighed and kissed James on the cheek before doing the same to Isabella and darting up the stairs. James looked after them fondly before turning and sweeping Isabella into his arms. They had been married for more than thirteen years, meeting during James’ first year at medical school, but every time he saw her his heart burst with love.

‘Hello.’ James whispered, placing a soft kiss on her mouth. ‘I missed you.’ Isabella smiled and kissed him back.

‘Ditto.’ she said softly. James kissed her again and then she led him into the kitchen. He saw she had dinner waiting for him. For both of them. A candle threw soft light onto the small round table, red wine filled each glass and a delicious meal of roast lamb and vegetables was ready and waiting for them. James kissed her once more before sitting down.

Neither spoke for several minutes as James tasted a couple of mouthfuls of both the food and wine.

‘Gorgeous.’ he said quietly. Isabella’s eyes sparkled.

‘How are you?’ she asked. James sighed. His mood dimming slightly.

‘I’m okay. Thank you for Monday. You were a rock.’ he said honestly, referring to the more than ten times James had spoken to her by phone after David had passed away.

‘I’m sorry I couldn’t make it to the funeral.’ Isabella said sadly. ‘I wanted to pay my respects to Mark and Jenny.’ James nodded in understanding. Over the last ten years Isabella and Harry had gotten quite close to David’s parents.

‘I passed them on. I knew you would want me to.’

‘Thank you.’ James suddenly looked up.

‘What did you want to talk to me about?’ he asked hesitantly. Isabella’s eyes narrowed and she placed her napkin down on the table and stood up, crossing to the side table and picking up something. She walked stiffly back and dropped the objects beside James’ plate.

‘Oh my god.’ he whispered, instantly dropping his knife and fork and staring at the parchment envelopes addressed in green ink. He picked them up.

Master Oliver James Evans.

Miss Anna Lily Evans.

Mr Harry James Potter

‘Oh my god.’ he repeated. ‘They found me.’

‘Who found you and who is Harry Potter exactly? I know you have secrets and a past you never talk about it but it now seems to have involved our children and I think I have a right to know.’ James continued to stare at the envelopes in horror.

‘James.’ Isabella said firmly. James didn’t hear.

‘JAMES.’ she shouted, grasping his shoulder and shaking his lightly. James snapped out of his trance and dropped the letters back on the table as if they were burning him.

‘I..I..I can’t.’ he stammered. ‘Burn them. Get rid of them. We have to go.’ He sprinted from the room and up the stairs to their bedroom. Isabella hurried after him, the letter’s clutched in her hands, to find him throwing clothes frantically into a suitcase. Isabella grabbed him and spun him to face her.

‘James, calm down. We aren’t going anywhere. Tell me what this is all about.’ James slumped down onto the bed, a pained expression on his face.

‘I don’t know if I can.’ he said hoarsely. Isabella sat next to him and curled an arm around his waist.

‘Why don’t you just start by reading the letters.’ she suggested.

‘I already know what those two say.’ he sighed, pointing at the one’s for Anna and Oliver.

‘Well what about this one? Who’s Harry Potter, anyway?’ James didn’t reply for several minutes, instead turning the envelope over in his hands, tracing the wax seal with his fingers.

‘I am.’ he said softly. Isabella’s eyes grew comically wide.

‘What?’

‘I’m Harry Potter.’ he whispered. ‘The past. The one I never talk about. That’s who I was, who I ran away from.’

‘Who are the letter’s from, James?’

‘They are from the school I went to in Scotland. It was a special school.’

‘What do you mean special?’ she asked quizzically. Harry looked up into her eyes, a pleading expression on his face.

‘It was a school for witches and wizards. A school to learn magic.’ If James thought her eyes were wide before, it was nothing compared to their current state. She didn’t say anything, instead misreading the expression on James’ face and bursting out laughing.

‘Bella.’ James said seriously. ‘Bella, listen to me.’ he added, when he realised she wasn’t going to stop laughing.

‘I’m sorry James.’ she chuckled. ‘I thought you said you went to a school for magicians.’

‘Wizards.’ James said, correcting her gently.

‘And there is a difference.’ she snickered. ‘There’s no such thing as magic.’ James sighed, running his hand through his hair and closing his eyes.

‘A magician cannot do magic, he is an illusionist. A witch or wizard can work magic using a wand or sometimes, if he is strong enough, without one.’ Isabella gaped at him.

‘You are joking.’ James sighed again and held out his hand towards the dressing table. It had been almost fifteen years since he had used magic and he hoped it still worked. He needed to be able to show that it was real.

‘Wingardium Leviosa.’ he murmured and the vase lifted slowly off the table. Isabella squeaked and backed away from him. Carefully James set the vase down and turned to her.

‘Magic is real?’ she breathed incredulously. James smiled wanly and nodded.

‘Yes. I spent six and a half years at a school learning to control magic both with a wand and without.’

‘And what does that have to do with Anna and Oli?’ she asked hesitantly.

‘I haven’t opened the letters but I imagine they have been accepted.’

‘You mean they are...’

‘Yes. I had hoped they would never find us, well, me, but no such luck.’

‘Can’t we just write back and decline?’ James laughed bitterly.

‘The children of Harry Potter, declining enrolment at Hogwarts.’ he said sarcastically. ’Oh, the uproar.’

‘What are you talking about? And what is Hogwarts?’

‘Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.’ James said blandly. ’And it is a very long story.’ Isabella tsked at him, removing the suitcase and placing it on the floor, and pulling him to lie down next to her on the bed.

‘Tell me.’ she said softly but firmly. Harry sighed again, but began obediently. He told her about his parents, what happened with Voldemort, how he became the Boy-Who-Lived and how he came to spending his childhood with his relatives. He told her about growing up in the cupboard under the stairs until he was eleven, about how Hagrid came to collect him, and the wonder he felt when he found out he was a wizard and when he finally laid eyes on Hogwarts castle. He could tell that she still didn’t believe him wholeheartedly but she was trying to be open minded.

‘Voldemort tried almost every year I was there to return, but we managed to stop him.’ James said softly.

‘We?’ James stiffened.

‘Ron and Hermione and I.’ He choked slightly. Isabella knew from the tone in his voice that something must have happened between them.

‘What happened?’

‘Every year we fought him except for third year, when we found out about my godfather and that he was innocent.’

‘You have a godfather?’ James stiffened again and closed his eyes, desperately trying not to cry as the memories he had long since kept buried swept up and threatened to engulf him.

‘Had. He died during my fifth year.’

‘Oh. I’m sorry.’ James nodded.

‘During my sixth year things were quiet. Peaceful almost. Well, for me anyway.’ he whispered bitterly. ’I learnt a lot that year. After Sirius died I decided I had to end this, and soon. By Christmas in my seventh year I was ready. I was a strong as I was ever going to be and I knew it was either him or me, and to be honest, I just wanted it to be over, one way or another.’ Isabella bit back a gasp, she almost knew what was coming.

‘One evening I said goodbye to Ron and Hermione and left Hogwarts. I knew where Voldemort was and I went to find him. Ron and Hermione followed me. Hermione always was the smartest witch of our age, and she traced my apparition signature.’ Isabella had no idea what James was talking about, but as her head was already spinning she didn’t ask him to elaborate.

‘I arrived at Little Hangleton and just walked inside. I...I...’ James trailed off, the battle against his emotions finally breaking as tears streamed down his face. Isabella held him to her tightly.

‘I stunned every Death Eater I could see and when I finally got to Voldemort there was only about thirty left. I don’t really remember what happened next. Just flashes really. A battle broke out. Death Eaters were trying to disarm me, stun me, hex me, whatever. In the middle of it all Ron and Hermione ran in. I didn’t even have time to acknowledge them before they were both hit with the killing curse. They had come to help me and then they were dead. I was so angry. Angry with Voldemort, with the Death Eaters, with Dumbledore, but mostly with myself. I had caused the death of more innocents. ’ James was trembling by this point, and Isabella hoped he would be finished soon as she didn’t know how much more she could take.

‘I got really angry. I was just staring at them lying on the ground, their lifeless eyes staring back at me and I lost it. I screamed so loudly and the power just flooded out of me. It wiped out everyone and everything in the place, Voldemort included. I had killed people. I’m a murderer.’ he sobbed, burying his head in his hands. Isabella rubbed his back soothingly, kissing the scar on James’ forehead, the scar she now knew the true history of.

‘James. You didn’t kill anyone. It was an accident.’

‘I did. Ron and Hermione died because of me. Just like Sirius did.’

‘You are not responsible James. It was not your fault they followed. They should have told someone. Someone older.’ James just grunted and Isabella sighed. ’What happened next?’ James wiped his face and dropped his hands.

‘I must have blacked out because I woke up hours later, just as the sun was coming up and apparated immediately to Hogsmeade. I transferred all of my money into a muggle bank and left the wizarding world and Harry Potter behind forever. I wanted no part of it anymore. I caused the death of too many to remain. I couldn’t face the Weasley’s or the Granger’s after what happened. Three days later I sat for the University entrance exam as James Evans and well, you know the rest.’ Isabella kissed his forehead again, running her hands through his thick black hair.

‘I think there is more and there is so much I don’t understand.’ she told him. ‘but I think you should get some sleep and we will talk more in the morning.’ James nodded.

‘I love you, Bella.’ he whispered.

‘I love you too, Jamie.’ she replied, kissing him once more. She waited until he had drifted off before sliding out from beside him and removing his shoes. She tossed a blanket over him and switched off the light before walked quietly from the room, the three parchment envelopes clutched in her hand.

Back in the kitchen she placed Anna’s and Oliver’s on the table and turned the one addressed to Harry Potter over in her hands. She stared at the crest on it for several moments before taking a deep breath and cracking it open.

Dear Mr Harry Potter,

We regret to inform you.....

Well this is a new beginning that just popped into my head this afternoon. I already have at least the next five chapters planned out but after that, who knows.

Don’t worry I haven’t forgotten about Scrolls of Malarde. The next chapter should be up tomorrow or the next day.

Regards,

Mione.