Behind Blue Eyes

Part Nine

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Harry was half aware of voices as he drifted in and out of a restless sleep.

"...damn it Snape..."

"...shit, silver..."

"...dart is steel..."

"...ow, damn you, that hurt!"

"Shut up, mangy mutt..."

Harry dreamt he was pressed up against a warm body, perfectly aligned with his. He woke slowly and fought to stay asleep. He knew that when he woke the warm body would be gone and would never return. A hand gently caressed his face and he leaned into the touch. Harry felt sleep slipping away, and the hand remained. Familiar fingers slipped through his hair and rested on the back of his head. There was a pressure against the back of his head and a pair of warm, soft lips met his. Harry knew those lips, as well as he knew his own.

He opened his eyes and almost could not believe the sight before him. Harry pressed against the lips kissing his and shifted his body against the warmth that was still there. The body beside his rolled and pressed him into the bed. Harry felt his need answering that of the body on top of his.

Harry smiled, "Remus."

"Harry."

"I thought I'd lost you."

"Hush, I know," Remus said before he stopped any further talk.

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Harry and Remus walked downstairs hand in hand to find Severus sitting in their kitchen, sipping a cup of tea.

"Shouldn't you be at Hogwarts?" Harry asked, still a bit dazed.

"Based on your earlier telling of your adventures I am sure Minerva is there by now. There was only a short time when Hogwarts was without either Headmistress or Deputy Headmaster. I assured Poppy as I left that you were in need of me," said Severus scathingly.

"What happened?"

Remus chuckled and moved his hand from holding Harry's to encircling his waist, "Your plan worked, mostly."

"Mostly?"

"There was a poison on the dart derived from the Wolfsbane potion. It contained silver as one of its primary ingredients, which you had transfigured into steel thus altering the poison. Nevertheless, it slowed the working of the antidote I provided you with and we had to supplement it with another potion," Severus explained clinically.

"Sirius actually went for your help?" Harry asked unbelievingly.

"Indeed," Severus replied with a smirk. "Black has returned to the Manor and is taking care of your children. We decided to let you sleep."

Harry did something he never thought he would do. He grabbed Severus and hugged him fiercely, "Thank you Severus, for everything. Any debt you had to the Potters is repaid and then some."

When Harry released him and Severus straightened his robes, looking very uncomfortable. Remus was chuckling softly in the background. Harry returned to Remus's side, not willing to leave his touch for more than a few moments.

"Get used to it Severus," Remus said. "Between Harry and the kids it looks like you're stuck with us."

Harry and Remus returned to Hogwarts with Severus and went to Minerva's office.

"Hi Rebecca," Harry smiled, ignoring the odd look from both Remus and Severus, "Tornadoes," the gargoyle slid aside and they rode the stairs up to her door. Minerva's quidditch obsession was going to compete with Albus's candy obsession.

"Come in," she said before they knocked.

"Albus told you!" Harry exclaimed as the three wizards entered her office.

"Don't even think of it Harry. You'll have to wait your turn, if it ever comes," she said sternly.

"Just so long as your eyes don't start twinkling," Harry said, sure that his own were twinkling away. "That's mine now. And I refuse to tell you the gargoyle's name."

Minerva stepped forward and pulled Remus into a hug, "Dare I ask?"

Harry shook his head, "Sirius and I have been planning for years. It would never have worked without Severus, though."

Minerva raised her eyebrows. If she was Albus, her eyes would have been twinkling. As it was she just gave off the same feeling.

"Uh, there's just one thing now Minerva. We told Tig and Brian last month, but...," Harry said uncomfortably.

"Yes?" she smiled benignly, "and Rebecca and I have had several chats already."

"Hermione and Ron," Harry said hesitantly.

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"You wanted to see us Professor Jameson?" Hermione Weasley asked as she entered their Hogwarts quarters with Ron. Her eyes widened when she saw Remus and she threw her arms around him, "Professor Lupin, I don't understand. We thought...," her hand flew to her mouth. "Does Harry know?"

The two professors in question chuckled at her using their honorifics and the irony of her question. They invited the young couple to their sitting room and Remus, as he always did, offered them tea. Ron, whose appetite never lessened with age, agreed readily. Hermione seemed to be rivaling him in appetite due to her pregnancy and accepted as well. Harry sat close to Remus on their couch while Ron and Hermione took the plush armchairs on either side of them. Hermione was looking at the two professors with mild confusion.

"You are no longer a student Hermione. I told you years ago to use my first name," Remus smiled as Hermione blushed.

Harry made sure their tea cups were both resting safely on the table before starting, "I'm afraid Harry went and acted again without much thinking."

"What did he do now? Is he okay?" Ron asked fearfully.

"Well, he's done quite a lot since you saw him, but he's fine, maybe even better than fine," Remus said with a soft smile. He slipped his arm around Harry's waist.

Hermione eyed them suspiciously, "So why are you telling us instead of him?"

"This is where it gets complicated," Harry said.

He waved his hand and murmured something under his breath, lifting the Confundus Charms he had placed on them over four years before. He saw Hermione's eyes flutter, then open wide in instant comprehension. Ron, though, just looked about the same.

"Harry?" Hermione asked with a waver in her voice.

"Yes 'Mione?" Harry replied with a gentle smile.

She jumped out of her seat and hugged him fiercely before smacking his arm, hugging him again, and rather than returning to her chair sat on Ron's lap.

"Huh?" Ron looked back and forth between them.

"Just take off the charms Harry," Hermione said. "This idiot would never figure it out for himself, confunded or not." She playfully jabbed her husband in the side.

Harry laughed and took out his wand. He waved it over his face and his hair changed back to the messy inky black, though there was now more white than black. His eyes reverted to a sparkling emerald green. His scar transformed to the famous lightning bolt shape. At the same time he removed the concealing charms that hid their wedding bands.

"Bloody hell Harry! What did you do?" Ron asked incredulously.

It took over two hours to relate the past twenty years of his life to his two best friends. Ron was constantly interrupting, and Hermione was scolding him at every turn. Harry just laughed. If there was anything he had missed it was his two best friends.

"So now what?" Hermione asked. "The Ministry would have a fit but they wouldn't really do anything, because it's you. It probably wouldn't be a good idea to let out the knowledge of this method of time travel, though. That could be very dangerous."

Remus nodded, "The entire Order inner-circle knows. We're not worried about them trying time travel, even if we told them how it was done. Come to think of it, Harry and Minerva are the only ones who know how. There would be more of a concern of some Death Eater trying to bring Voldemort back."

"Minerva and I don't really know how either. Albus left just enough potion for one more trip. So I can't really go back to being Harry Potter, even if I wanted to," Harry said.

"You mean you don't want to?" Ron asked, looking very confused.

Harry shook his head and bit his lower lip, "Ron, I've been Harry Jameson for more than half my life. I'm happy. I have a family," he squeezed Remus's hand and smiled at him. "I got to meet Lily and James, and I love them, but Albus was more of a father to me than anyone I've known. I'm proud to look like a Dumbledore. Besides," he said with a twinkle in his eyes, "how would you explain that Harry Potter suddenly aged twenty years and had two children?"

Hermione's hand flew to her mouth again, "Antigone and Brian! They're yours... both of yours? But... which one of you?"

"Use that famous brain of yours Hermione," Harry prompted with a grin. "When do you think Brian was born?"

Hermione squealed and threw her arms around Harry again, "How did you keep that quiet? Male pregnancies are so rare!"

Ron was just looking at Harry with his mouth hanging open, "You like guys?" Harry guessed he hadn't worked past that yet.

Harry looked over to Remus, who was just sitting back and watching the conversation with obvious amusement.

"There's just Remus Ron," Harry laughed at Ron's reaction. "And it wasn't much of a secret 'Mione. Tig was born while we were both teaching here. Bill and Charlie were still in school."

"You taught Bill and Charlie?" Ron asked, still incredulous.

"I missed you guys," Harry laughed and replaced his charms, with the exception of the concealing charm. He felt much more comfortable as Harry Jameson. He settled in for a long conversation. It would probably take hours for Ron to understand everything.

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There was an uproar in the wizarding community over the 'disappearance' of Harry Potter. He had last been seen by friends and foes alike on the battlefield. His house was found nearly empty, all his personal belongings gone. All that was left behind was some clothing, furniture, and odds and ends after Harry and Remus took away everything Harry wanted. It took over a week for the Ministry to get the goblins to admit that Harry Potter had been to Gringotts and nearly emptied his vault. No one noticed a deposit of almost the exact amount withdrawn made twenty years earlier.

The Daily Prophet ran a series of articles theorizing what happened to The-Boy-Who-Lived. As was usual, Harry's friends and colleagues refused to speak to any reporters. It was a month after the search for Harry Potter began that a letter was delivered to the offices of The Daily Prophet, The Quibbler, and Witch Weekly by Harry's aging snowy owl Hedwig. Each publication put out a special edition immediately after receiving the letter.

To the wizards and witches of the world,

I have fought your battles my entire life. From infancy I was an icon in the fight against darkness. Over the years any little thing would turn the majority of the world, even those I counted as friends, against me. I never was given the chance to live a life of my choosing.

I am tired and worn. I have seen too much death and destruction, lost too many loved ones. Do not bother to continue your search. You will not find me. Do not bother my friends. They will not help you.

I am sorry for leaving you all, but I feel that it is my due. For over twenty years I have lived the life the public laid out for me. It may seem selfish, but I have never been able to be selfish before. I have now given myself a life of my own and I fully intend to enjoy it.

Farewell and good wishes,

Harry James Potter

On the grounds of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry a family played in the early morning midsummer sun. Two men and a teenage girl rode racing broomsticks, though they were not unleashing the full potential of the latest in broomstick technology that they rode. A boy, nine-years-old, was mounting the same style of broom for the first time. His family watched as he accelerated quickly, with the inherited skill of his father.

The man with medium length warm honey blond hair and twinkling blue eyes chased after the boy. Though the boy had the coloring of that man, he had the build of the other man. The boy looped and rolled, his every move mimicked by his father behind him. Soon, all an onlooker could see was blurs of color.

A great black dog ran onto the quidditch pitch and barked loudly. The two children dove and landed quickly. The boy tackled the dog but was quickly pinned. The blond man came to a halt and the sandy haired man slowed to a stop beside him. The men on the brooms, hovering inches above the ground, kissed before they dismounted. The dog covered its head with its paws, as if it didn't want to watch the kiss, and the two children on their brooms and complained about their fathers.

The family eventually gathered together and the brooms were collected by the blond man. The dog stood stock still for a moment and quickly transformed into a man with long dark hair. The nine-year-old boy ran up to him and got a hug. An older witch opened the main doors of the castle and called outside. The family left the pitch to join her in the castle and none of them looked back as the castle doors closed behind them.

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THE END

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The only one left to read, if you've read them in order, is the companion piece: Changes

If you haven't read them in order you must be rather confused.

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