The crowds were silent as a robed figure strode across the marbled hallway. Whispers started gradually at the edges of the crowd and became a buzz like a swarm of angry bees. The robed man ignored all of this, intent on getting to the desk that was at the end of hallway. The man was used to the stares and whispers going on around him.
Harry James Potter, the-boy-who-lived, Chosen One, man-who-destroyed: these were just a few of the titles that Harry was known by. Of course, there were all the official titles that he had as well. He was Lord Potter and Lord Black, due to his inheritance from his parents and Sirius. But he little expected Albus Dumbledore to name him as his heir, making him Lord Dumbledore. The most shocking and surprising title that Harry had gained was Lord Slytherin. When a piece of Tom Riddle's soul had latched onto Harry's essence when he had tried to kill him, and Tom having no family, magic had seemingly decided that this was close enough for Harry to the heir to Tom's magic and titles.
Harry strode the last few paces to the desk and looked up at the goblin seated there. "I was told that my Estate Manager wanted to see me. He mentioned something about my inheritance." The goblin behind the desk glanced up and froze when he saw that the customer was the Saviour. But goblins were notoriously hardnosed and professional, so his surprise was quickly covered up by a blank mask. He nodded at the ebony haired man in front of him and quickly led him away from all the stares and whispers.
"Ah, Lord Potter." The goblin Malnok, who was Harry's Estate Manager, stood as Harry was shown into his office. He waved the desk clerk away impatiently as Harry sat in a conjured chair. "It is good to see you so well. I am glad you were so prompt in arranging this meeting. It is important that we discuss your inheritance."
Harry fiddles with his sleeve. "I'm not sure what it is that you want to discuss. I gained my inheritance after the war, seeing as I was 17 and of age."
"You gained all of your inheritance after your triumph against Tom Riddle. However, in your parents' last will and testament, your mother made it clear that you were not to be given a certain artefacts until you reached the age of 21"
"What do you mean?"
The goblin opened a spelled draw in his desk and pulled out a pendant on a long chain, as well as a letter and – strangely – a muggle camcorder. He placed them on the desk in front of Harry. "Your mother wished you to be given these when you were 21. I will leave you to look through them."
As the goblin left, Harry frowned at the items before tentatively picking them up one by one. The letter was in a plain white muggle envelope and address to Castiel. Harry had no idea why he was given the letter, or why his mother would write to someone called Castiel. Ignoring the letter that was plainly not addressed to him, Harry tentatively picked the camcorder up from the desk in front of him.
As Harry flipped the screen open, he was glad that he had spent the last two years living in mainly the muggle world. After defeating Voldemort when he was 17 and the death of his mentor Albus Dumbledore, Harry had decided that he wanted to complete a muggle education. He had completed the basic GCSE's, and had gotten high enough grades that he was able to continue on and do A levels. Harry had worked hard and as a result had got top grades. Harry (and Hermione) had never been prouder. Well, that was until Harry had been accepted in Cambridge University to study Accountancy with Linguistics. Cambridge, an ancient university, was one of the best in the country.
Shaking his head to focus, Harry softly pressed the play button on the camcorder and his breath caught in his throat when he saw the person that appeared on the screen. Lily Potter, her gaze an intense emerald, stared back at Harry from the screen. Harry rubbed his eyes, trying to get rid of the tears that welled there.
"Hi Harry." Lily's voice was soft and a smile brightened her features. "If you are seeing this recording, then either your father or I – or both of us – are gone and the goblins have followed my instructions. You're 21 now – a man. I want you to know that no matter what, we will always be proud of you and love you. I have something to tell you that no one, bar your father, knows about. It will be a little difficult for you to believe because it is implausible, even by wizards' standards."
Harry pushed the paused button and wiped furiously at his eyes. No matter how much he had finally mastered occulmensy, seeing his mother tell him she loved him still struck a nerve. Taking a deep breath, Harry steeled his nerves and jabbed the play button once again.
"As I was growing up, I used to get 'flashes' of….strange memories. But when I got accepted into Hogwarts and I found out I was magical, I ignored them and pushed them to the back of my mind. But then I had you, my darling boy." Lily stopped and smiled. "I was so happy when James and I discovered we were going to have you. During your birth, I lost a lot of blood and I technically died, but the healer was quick and saved me. When I was……dead…….I recovered all the memories that I had been ignoring for years. I discovered that I…….I don't know how to say this…….well……Harry, I was an angel."
Harry gasped and almost dropped the camera in his shock. He knew about angels from when he was made to go to church every week with his Aunt and Uncle, but he never thought they were real. Wizards were too pompous to give any time or thought to religion. After all Harry had seen and done (hell, he was in possession of a stone that allowed him to contact the dead) he was willing to consider it and accept it for now.
"I was a seraphim, the highest order of angels. I used to listen to my brothers and sisters talk about mortals. I was so curious, because I never left heaven or had even met a human. I wanted to see them and experience God's greatest creation. More so than mortals, witches and wizards fascinated me. They were given a great gift by God – the ability to manipulate His creation and transform it into something beautiful." Lily paused and looked down at her hands clasped together. When she looked back at the camera, Harry saw unshed tears in her eyes. "I remember the day that Lucifer was cast down into perdition for his defiance and sins. Every angel felt it deep in their hearts. It made me more determined to experience a mortal life. Normally, an angel would have to fall and lose their grace to become human, but I petitioned my siblings, who showed me compassion and allowed me to fall to Earth with my grace intact. It was always my intention to rejoin them at the end of my mortal life, but I met your father and I intend to pass over into the afterlife with him."
Harry felt the tears roll down his checks and ignored them as they dripped over his chin onto his robes. "I was obviously born into a muggle family, but the other angels allowed me to be born as a witch, so I would see life in both worlds. But, Harry my love, that isn't what is most important. When I die, you will inherit my grace. You are half mortal and half angel. You won't know how to access your angel gifts yet, and you probably assume any you can use are part of your magic. Harry – the pendant I have left for you is a means of contacting one of my brothers – Castiel. We met often in Heaven and he would tell me of humans and I would tell him about God. Hold the pendant tight and think of him. I love you, my baby boy."
The screen went blank, indicating that the recording had ended. Harry continued to stare at the blank screen, willing his mother to reappear, but no matter how hard he wished, it didn't happen. Sighing, Harry turned from the screen and gently picked up the pendant. It was on a silver chain and the pendant was a teardrop shaped black crystal. What made it unique and eerie was the light that seemed trapped inside the very centre of the jewel.
Harry put on the pendant and allowed it to settle for a moment, before grasping it. "Come on Castiel. Show me that you really are an angel and do really exist." Harry muttered.
"Of course I exist. Why would I not?"
Harry jumped up off his seat and spun around to face the source of the voice. Stood before him was a figure of white light, vaguely in the shape of a human. Harry blinked a few times and looked the figure up and down in wonderment. "It's true. Wow." Harry stumbled excitedly over his words. "My mother was an angel."
The figure tilted its head. "You're mother? That pendant was given to Sofiel when she became human, so that if she needed help, she could call to her siblings."
"Yes." Harry eagerly nodded, slowly walking closer to the angel before him. "My mother was an angel who wished to see human life personally so she could experience it. She was named Lily by the human couple she was born to."
"Lily?" The figure said quietly. "That is appropriate considering she was the seraphim that embodied the love of nature. If you are her son, then where is Sofiel now?"
Harry looked away from the angel. "She died when I was an infant, protecting me from a fanatical wizard that wanted power. She said in her message to me that she wanted to pass over into the afterlife with my father."
"If she died then I must inform my brothers and sisters so we can mourn her loss." The figure began to dim and disappear, before suddenly becoming bright again. "Wait. If she died and you are her son, then her Grace would have been passed on to you."
Harry shrugged, not understanding why the angel thought this was important. "I guess. She left a letter for you." Harry handed the envelope address to the angel over to the figure of light and watched, fascinated, as the angel read the letter quickly.
"It is true." The angel's voice was a combination of hope and wonderment. "You have an angel's Grace, yet are human. You have no idea what this means." The angel looked once again as Harry shrugged. "The angels have no control over what you do with your angelic gifts. That and you have a high rank that you inherited from Sofiel."
"Erm." Harry stuttered. "Angelic gifts?"
"Yes. All angels have certain gifts that they can use on Earth. Sofiel asks that I teach you to use your gifts as she isn't here herself to teach you. She also told me to tell you the name she gave you."
Harry shook his head. "Name? I already have a name."
The figure – Castiel, Harry reminded himself – shook his head. "Your angelic name. She named you Ezekiel after a brother that was lost during the first war against Lucifer, when he first fell."
Harry took a moment to process this and gave the figure a slight smile. "Thank you." He quietly said. "I wouldn't know what to do if you weren't here to help me."
"It is nothing more than any uncle would do for his family."
Harry registered the use of the word 'uncle' a few seconds late and his smile grew larger. Yes, Castiel was his uncle. And he would make damn sure he got to know him. Harry had lost too many people to the war and the following last-ditch attempts by death eaters to gain power. There was no chance he would allow this opportunity to pass.
*
"Harry?! Where the hell are you?!"
Harry sat straight up in bed as Hermione barged into his bedroom. Ignoring the fact that Harry was wearing only a pair of boxers and was looking at her confused, Hermione threw a paper down onto the bed. Not looking at the paper – Harry had long ago stopped reading the junk that the Prophet wrote – Harry pulled himself out of bed and proceeded to get changed in front of Hermione.
A few years ago, before he found out he was half-angelic, Harry would have been too shy to even consider changing in front of his best friend, but both Harry and Hermione had changed so much during the six years since the final battle against Voldemort.
Both of them had matured, Hermione with her sleek hair instead of frizz and Harry gaining muscle and having a growth spurt. Harry had thought about joining the Aurors, but the constant hero worship that followed him around made it an unappealing option. Hermione wanted to follow a muggle career and wouldn't allow Harry to do nothing with his life, so had gone back to school and had gained muggle A levels. Hermione never told Harry that whilst he was studying for his exams, so was she. She didn't want to overshadow Harry's success. Now Hermione and Harry had just graduated from Cambridge University and Hermione wanted him to go travelling across the USA with her, but Harry was still a little bit reluctant to leave the magical world behind, despite the fact that it had nothing left to offer him.
After Harry had discovered he was part angel, a few years after his defeat of Voldemort, there had been a massive attack at the ministry. Death eaters had made a final attempt at gaining control. The following battle that ensued had reduced the British wizarding population from a nearly half a million to a few tens of thousands. That one battle, ironically, had done more damage in a day than Voldemort had managed in decades.
The Weasley family, save Molly, Arthur and Charlie, had all been killed. Many school friends of Harry and Hermione's had died. But the deaths that had stabbed Harry's heart the most were the deaths of Andromeda and baby Teddy. They had been at the ministry that day to finalise Andromeda's guardianship of her grandson and had been caught in the crossfire of the heated battle. It was these deaths that had made Harry want to do something meaningful with his life. He only had Hermione left in the world, and he was determined to all he could to keep her safe. It also made him re-evaluate his life and he wanted more fun. Hell, life was too short.
"Harry!" Hermione was obviously annoyed about something. The last time he had seen her so mad was when he told her that he was half angel. It wasn't that which made her mad – it was that he had kept it from her for over a year. But once he told her everything that Castiel had taught him – like tuning into the 'angel radio' and how to transport himself silently around – she had become furiously curious and soaked up everything he told her like some kind of scary, super intelligent sponge.
"You have to read the paper Harry!" Hermione shouted at him. She let out a growl of frustration when he just looked at her with an eyebrow raised. He hadn't read it in years and there was no way he was going to start now. "Harry. They know about you. Angelic you."
Harry stilled for a moment and the quickly grabbed the paper. Scanning the article, he relaxed slightly. So, the wizarding world knew a bit about the truth, but not the whole truth. Seeing him relax obviously confused Hermione, but she didn't say anything knowing Harry would tell her anyway. They told each other everything.
"A seer came out with a prophecy about the 'Chosen One' and some rambling about God and the Angels. They have nothing – no real proof whatsoever. It'll just add to their worship, I guess."
"But you will be hounded constantly! What are we going to do?" Harry looked over at his best friend and woman who he considered his sister. Hermione had used the word 'we'. That told Harry that she would never leave him.
"Well, Hermione," Harry clasped her shoulders, ignoring the fact that he was dressed only in a pair of jeans. "We are going to take that little trip that you wanted to go on. The road trip across the US."
Hermione blinked at Harry for a full minute, his words slowly sinking in. As she realised what he had said, her eyes shined in excitement. Throwing her arms around the taller man, she squeaked in delight. "Really Harry?!"
Harry pressed his lips to Hermione's forehead and rested there with his eyes closed. They stayed in that position for a full five minutes, comfortable in the feeling of sibling love that surrounded them. Harry's thoughts wandered to a meeting he had with his angelic uncle the week before, Castiel. He told Harry that they had failed in stopping the final seal from being broken and that everything had been crazy among the angelic rank. Harry already knew that part – the 'angelic radio' was confusing to understand and recently gone quiet. Castiel informed Harry that there was fighting among the angels because of differing beliefs when it came to defying or supporting their brother Lucifer. Castiel had also told Harry that he was going in search of God and so would not be as easy to contact. He gave Harry his mobile phone number – a fact that amused Harry because he didn't think Castiel even knew what a phone was, let alone how to use it.
Harry wasn't afraid to join the fight. Hell, he was willing to die if it made a difference and saved all the innocent people in the world. He was only worried for Hermione, who would want to fight also. He would never stop her – like he would actually ever be able to- and Hermione would be with Harry until the end of the world. And it was that which scared Harry. It was the Apocalypse and the end was seriously close. Harry would do anything to indulge his adoptive sister and right now that involved taking a road trip across the US.
Pulling back from the brunette, Harry kept his grip on her shoulders. "We should go soon. I have my money and estate split between the muggle and wizard worlds from when we were at university, so we won't have to worry about that."
Hermione gave Harry a bright smile. "Yeah. It's going to be great! Backpacking across the US!" Hermione pulled away from the taller man and rushed towards the door, muttering about packing. Just before she left, she turned to Harry, a wistful smile on her face. "Thank you Harry. I know that you would do anything to indulge me – you're a great brother."
Harry watched as she left, a goofy smile plastered across his face. Harry may have lost a hell of a lot of people over the years, but he was determined he wouldn't loss Hermione. He would sell his soul to the devil himself before he ever let that happen. Even if they couldn't help to stop that Apocalypse, then he would anything to try and outrun it for Hermione's sake.
Harry shook his head, the smile slipping from his face as his thoughts became serious. Sighing, Harry glanced down at his right ring finger. Gleaming there was an ordinary looking ring with a black stone. Harry hadn't wanted to find and collect the Resurrection Stone, but as the Death Eaters gathered more and more power, he had to get it to stop it from falling into their hands. Once he had found the stone, he went to a muggle jeweller and had them make him a titanium ring with the stone set into it. Once it was made, he magically made a small compartment behind the stone and placed the wand and cloak that completed the Hallows into the magically enlarged space. He then sealed the back so it looked like an ordinary ring. A convenient side effect of this was that he could concentrate and us the rind to channel his magic so it looked like he was doing it with merely a wave of his hand. This added to his angelic gifts made him seem invincible and powerful.
Shaking his head once again to clear the old memories from his mind, Harry pulled out his phone and dialled a number from memory. The phone rang a few times before being answered by a voice that caused Harry to smile. "Hey Cas. Look, Hermione and I are going on a little trip……"