Chapter 61
When Harry awoke the next morning, it was to bright sunlight streaming through the high window in his bedroom, and the sounds of someone, probably Sirius, moving around in the living room. Taking a deep breath and squinting his eyes from the brightness of the sun, he reached over to his nightstand in search of his glasses, but he was confused that they weren't there and he groaned in irritation before a thought came to mind.
'What the hell' he thought to himself 'I have to try it sometime, why not now?' and with that, he passed his hand over his eyes and his vision instantly cleared and he was able to focus, causing a smile to break out on his face. Satisfied with his accomplishment, he threw the blankets that were covering him off and swung his legs off the bed before standing, but he was forced to grasp the bed post when he swayed dangerously on his feet, and at that moment, Sirius entered his room and his face clouded over with worry as he saw his wobbling godson, but before he could speak, Harry looked to the bedpost that his hand was grasping and a look of utter annoyance and confusion crossed over his face. He quickly brought his other wrist into his line of vision and his expression darkened so Sirius decided to intervene.
"Harry! What are you doing, get back in bed right this instant!" he ordered as he approached his godson
"I'm fine, Sirius, just a little dizzy" answered Harry, and to prove his point, he let go of the bedpost and started to walk toward the door, but he didn't resist the gentle hand on his arm that was offering support.
Sirius sighed as he assisted his godson from the bedroom and helped him into a chair at the breakfast table before he sat himself "Harry, you really don't need to be up yet, you aren't strong enough" he admonished as he started to eat the food that was on his plate, noting with satisfaction that Harry was doing the same.
"I'm fine, Sirius, promise, I just need to get up and about and I'll be just like normal, besides, I need to go and find Ginny and the others today" he said around a mouthful of eggs.
"Harry, you need to take things slowly, you were in the hospital wing unconscious for four days before we were taken, then you were dead for a week and then unconscious for another two, your body has pretty much not moved for over a month and you aren't as strong as you were" he lectured
"Padfoot, trust me, I'll be fine, but I really need to tell everyone that I'm alive" he said firmly
"Fine, but promise me you'll be careful" he relented
"I promise, mum" said Harry with a smirk, but Sirius chose to ignore his comment and Harry asked another question
"Why didn't you take these things off when you brought me back?" he asked as he surveyed the metal bands that were still around each wrist. Although they were no longer connected to each other, and didn't give off any light to show they were still active, Harry didn't like them.
Sirius sighed before he answered "I was wondering when you'd ask me that" he began "You see, when we brought you back, all of us, including Dumbledore and he rest of the professors, tried to remove them so that you wouldn't have them for your funeral, but no matter what we tried, they wouldn't come off. When we realized you were alive, we thought that your magic was what was keeping them on and that you could take them off" he finished
"Huh, well, I might as well try it" muttered Harry as he waved his right hand over his left wrist, but nothing happened. He them tried to physically pull it off, but it just held tight and refused to be moved and just as he was getting desperate, he heard the voice of Terres speaking to him through their link
"My child, you can never remove those" she said gently
"What do you mean?" demanded Harry angrily
"They are a symbol of your heritage. Look carefully at them" she instructed and Harry grudgingly obeyed, ignoring his godfathers concerned expression. Each band covered about two inches of his wrists and was as thin as tissue paper, and he was surprised that they weren't in the least bit uncomfortable, moving with the motions of his wrist, much unlike the shackles that had bound his hands and magic in the cavern which had been much thicker and harder, but the metal, like before, was pitch black, and as he looked closer, he saw that silver snakes were carved delicately around them, their green eyes sparkling in the fire light as Terres spoke up again "Much like your sword and dagger, these are a symbol of who you are" she explained
"What are you talking about?" growled Harry into his mind, quickly becoming frustrated
"You are the descendant of Godric Gryffindor through your fathers side, my old master. The mark on your arm is his sign" she began "And on your mothers side you are descended from Salazar Slytherin, the bands on your wrist contain his sign" she said gently
"I don't' wish for that fact to be known by anyone. Slytherin and all that he stood for were evil and I will not have my name associated with his in any way" screamed Harry into his own mind as he tried in vain to pull off the bands
"Calm down, my child, for you don't know the entire truth. Voldemort brought shame and lies to the Slytherin name. The true Salazar Slytherin was a close friend with the others founders, and only left the school because of a difference of opinion. He didn't wish for muggle born students to attend Hogwarts, but he would never have harmed them, he thought that they should have their own school instead where they could learn magic. Do not believe the lies that Voldemort spread about your ancestor, he was a very strong and kind wizard, with an ambition to be the best at everything he did, no matter what the cost, which is not a bad ambition at all until those around you are hurt because of that ambition. You should be proud of your heritage, for you are the product of two very great families, different, but great, and because of you, the wizarding world has once again fallen into harmony" she said in her melodious voice
"Fine, I'll wear them, but I don't have to like them" muttered Harry
"You have no choice but to wear them, my child, for no force on earth or anywhere else would be able to remove them" chuckled Terres as Harry snapped out of his dazed state and looked to Sirius
"Man, you really scare me when you go into trances like that" said Sirius "What was going on?" he asked curiously
"Not much, I was just talking to Terres. Apparently, I can't take these thing off because they are a sign of my heritage" he growled angrily as he quoted his guardian in frustration, and Sirius decided to change the subject before everything in the living room exploded from Harry's anger.
"So, are you going to just show up in the great hall at lunch, or are you going to be more subtle?" he asked with a mischievous glint in his eye
"I'm not sure yet, who did you say knows that I'm not dead again?" he asked as his mind was brought out of his irritation
"Just me, Moony, and Albus" he answered
"Well then, your idea might actually prove to be fun" answered Harry with another smirk on his face "When do you have classes today?" he asked
"I don't, Moony has been teaching mine for me while I stayed with you" answered Sirius
"Well, I have an idea. Why don't you go ahead and teach classes with Remus today, and act like nothing happened at all, act just like you always have, and at dinner, I'll make my grand appearance, but you have to swear not to tell anyone" he said sternly
"Why don't you just tell them at lunch?" asked Sirius bewildered
"Because, I want to find Ginny before she goes to lunch and tell her, she doesn't need to find out like that" he answered
"What about Ron, and Hermione, and Draco and the marauders and Lily? Are you going to tell them then too?"
"I don't think so, I want to see their reactions in front of the entire school, but you need to bring a camera, I want to remember this for the rest of my life" said Harry with a grin
"Deal, well, since I have to teach today, I had better get to class. How are you going to get Ginny's attention without scaring her to death?" he asked as an afterthought
"Don't you have seventh year Gryffindors right before lunch?" asked Harry
"Yes" answered Sirius hesitantly
"Good, I'll be there, and at the end of the class, ask her to stay behind so you can have a word with her, I'll tell her then" he said with a nod of his head
"Sounds good to me" said Sirius as he stood "I'll see you then, have a good morning, and don't enjoy yourself too much" he said with a glint in his eyes
"Don't worry, no threat there" said Harry with the same glint in his emerald eyes
Sirius walked down the hall in the direction of the defense room with a smile on his face, completely unaware of the fact that he was being followed by the invisible figure of his godson who wanted to 'observe' the students reactions to Sirius' presence in the classroom for himself.
Harry allowed a smile to cross his features as Sirius began to whistle as he walked a bit faster, causing Harry to increase his pace as well and in what seemed like no time at all, they had reached the closed door of the defense against the dark arts classroom and Harry could hear the sound of Remus' voice coming from within.
Sirius paused for a moment before the closed door and Harry saw him take a deep breath as he appeared to consider something thoroughly, and before Harry knew it, Sirius had thrown the classroom door open, causing it to bang the wall loudly as he strode forward, his face expressionless and strongly resembling Snape from Harry's first day of potions. Harry slipped through the door as well and proceeded to the front corner of the room so he could see the students reactions to his godfathers entrance.
Remus had been speaking when Sirius entered, and his words were lost as he saw his best friend striding up the middle of the room, no expression on his face. "Um, Padfoot?" he asked hesitantly
"Yes, Moony, old pal" answered Sirius with a broad grin, and Harry could barely contain his laughter
"Um, is everything all right Sirius?" he asked
"Never better Remus!" said Sirius happily as he reached the desk and sat happily on top of it
"What are you doing here, Padfoot?" he asked, completely ignoring the shocked and silent class behind him
"Well, I thought I had been away from my students long enough and it is past time for me to come back" he said before turning to the class, sixth year Ravenclaw "So, what have you learned in my absence?" he asked the class, who remained utterly silent, the majority of their mouths hanging wide open before one girl got the guts to speak
"Professor Black, are you feeling ok?" she asked hesitantly
"Fine Miss Berry, and yourself?" he asked, and even from his distance, Harry could see the twinkle in his eyes
"Um, fine sir" she answered as she turned away, but another student spoke up in her stead
"What made you decide to come back?" he asked
"Mr. Christensen, my place is here teaching you, so here is where I am. Besides, life must go on, am I right?" he asked and even Harry almost thought he was being serious, almost.
"I guess so, but where have you been?" he asked
"Down in my room sulking like a baby, but this morning I realized that nothing is worth watching my life pass by like that, nothing" said Sirius with a smile, and only now did Remus seem to realize what was going on and Harry saw a smile beginning to pull at the sides of his mouth, despite the sputtering that was being heard from the students.
"B.But, sir, what do you mean?" demanded one student, the others all nodding as they thought that Sirius was talking about Harry's death as though it were nothing to him
"Just what I said, absolutely nothing is so important that you should put your own life on hold for it, now why don't we get back to the lesson. I believe that Remus was speaking to you about the curses that are common on ancient artifacts" he said, and since the class was made up of entirely Ravenclaw students, they were more concerned with learning than with trying to figure out their strange teacher so they settled down and resumed their note taking, and it didn't take even five minutes before Harry was falling asleep where he stood, so he quietly crept through the cracked door and into the office, with only Sirius hearing the door click as it was shut, and he knew who it was so he continued teaching.
After the class was over and the students had left, Remus turned to his best friend demanding an explanation "What happened? Why aren't you with Harry?" he asked
"I am, Harry is in the office, he went in there about an hour ago" he said calmly
"He woke up?" asked Remus with hope in his eyes
"Yes, last night, and this was all his idea, just so you know" said Sirius with a smile
"Harry's awake?" repeated Remus
"Yes, Moony, he's awake" said Sirius slowly
"How is he?" asked the werewolf hesitantly, but Sirius' smile calmed his nerves
"Fine, a little tired and dreading all the explaining he's going to have to do, but other than that, fine" he said with a hand on his friends shoulder "Come on, lets go see what he's up to" he said as he began to walk toward the office, Remus right behind him
When they opened the door, though, they didn't find what they expected, instead, they found Harry sound asleep on the couch in front of the fire place and Remus caught sight of the black bands just showing from under the arms of Harry's robes.
"Well, maybe we could talk to him later" said Sirius quietly as he backed out of the room
"Yeah, I would really hate to wake him. Why don't you just take him back to his room while everyone is in class?" asked Remus
"I can't, he wants to talk to Ginny after her defense class" answered Sirius as he took a seat on one of the empty benches inside the defense classroom while Remus sat behind the teachers desk
"Oh, so, what did Albus say when you told him that Harry woke up?" he asked
"Well, I haven't told him yet, but I'm sure he knows, after all, he seems to know everything that goes on in this castle, doesn't he?" said Sirius with a guilty looking smile
"True, when is Harry going to tell the rest of the school?"
"Tonight at dinner, he said something about wanting to make it a surprise, it should prove interesting if nothing else" he said with a mischievous smile on his face
"I must agree. How many people do you think will try to hex him on the spot when they see him?" asked Remus with an identical expression of mirth
"I would be disappointed if it were any less than twenty" responded Sirius after he appeared to consider his question carefully "And I am willing to bet that there will be a lot of screaming and several people fainting" he added as an afterthought, causing Remus to burst out laughing
"I think I have little choice but to agree with you Padfoot" he said once he had regained control of his laughter once again, but before his best friend had a chance to respond, the door to the office creaked open and they both turned to see the sleepy form of Harry emerging
"What time is it Sirius?" he asked through a wide yawn, not noticing Remus' presence yet
"Ten-fifteen, have a good nap?" he asked as he motioned for Harry to take a seat beside him which the younger boy readily did
"Fine" answered Harry, but he lifted his head and saw Remus for the first time "Remus! I didn't even see you!" he exclaimed as he shot the other man a wide grin
"It's good to see you too, Harry" he said with a kind smile "Do you have any idea how this happened?" he asked with his brow furrowed, apparently unable to contain his curiosity any longer, so Harry launched into his tale for the second time, telling Remus exactly what he told Sirius and causing the man to be just as confused as the other two, but he was unable to ask any more questions as he heard the sounds of the seventh year Gryffindors gathering in the hallway "It's time for class" he said to Sirius "Are you going to stay here, Harry?" he asked
"Yeah, I'll just watch from the corner, I rather enjoyed Sirius' performance in the last class" he said as he shot a meaningful look to his godfather who plastered an innocent expression on his face
"I have no idea what you are talking about" he said calmly and Harry and Remus just laughed before Harry stood and an instant later, he was once again invisible and standing in the corner of the room as Remus waved his wand and the door to the classroom opened allowing the students to enter.
As the students filed in, many sent Sirius questioning glances, but the marauders, Lily, and Ginny refused subtly and ran right for him
"Sirius, how are you holding up?" asked Lily
"Just fine, Lil's, and you?" asked Sirius with a smile, which earned him very confused looks from the younger versions of he and his friends and an accusing one from Ginny
"Um, we're fine" answered Lily
"So, what made you decided to come to class?" asked James
"Time to move on" answered Sirius with a shrug of his shoulders before he turned to Ginny
"Ginny, could you please stay after class, I would like to talk to you" he said gently, noting that the girl still had dark circles under her eyes and a distant expression on her face, but she nodded in acknowledgement "Thanks, now you five had better take your seats so we can get started" he said and they obediently took their seats and Remus began class.
The entire hour and a half that the lesson lasted, Harry couldn't take his eyes off of the stricken face of his girlfriend. Her complexion was pale and she looked as though she hadn't eaten properly or slept for days and he felt a pang of guilt in his heart at the thought that he was responsible for her anguish. Finally though, the lesson was brought to an end and the class, minus Ginny, gathered their things and left the room. When the door was closed and locked behind the last one, Ginny jumped from her desk and ran to Sirius sobbing, clutching desperately to his robes.
"Shh, Ginny, what's wrong?" asked the man gently as he pried his robes from her grip, and Harry decided he would wait until she calmed down a bit before he approached her so that he didn't frighten her to death.
"I.I h.had a dr.dream last night" she began through her tears "I dreamt that I was with someone else, and everyone was there, we were having a picnic, and I told him that I loved him. IT couldn't have been more than a month or two from now. How could I even dream about something like that? How could I betray Harry so terribly by even thinking that I could fall in love with someone else? And that you and Ron and Hermione and everyone would welcome him with open arms like he was a long lost friend? How could I betray Harry like that?" she asked again, and from his place in the corner, Harry felt tears come to his own eyes at her words
"Who was he, Ginny?" asked Sirius gently
"I don't know, he was wearing a cloak with the hood up, I never saw his face, all I saw was that he was about a head taller than me" she said quietly with her eyes on the stone floor
Harry couldn't stand it any more. Ginny had probably had a dream about him, especially since he knew that no one would be welcomed with open arms into his godfathers or friends lives, and here she was thinking that it had been someone else because she thought he was dead. He took the invisibility spell off himself and noticed Sirius and Remus looking at him as he approached, Ginny's back to him.
"Ginny, listen carefully to me, ok, I don't want you to be frightened. What you are about to see will come as a complete shock, but you mustn't over react. Promise me" said Sirius as he gripped her shoulders
Ginny mutely nodded her head, and by now, Harry was only a step from her and he gently placed a hand on her shoulder.
When Ginny felt the hand on her shoulder, she looked to it in confusion, not realizing that anyone else was in the room, and what she saw caused her heart to stop. The hand was crisscrossed with faint scars, and only one person she knew had so many scars. Hesitantly, she turned around and found herself looking into a very familiar pair of emerald green eyes that were sparkling with unshed tears.
"Hello, Ginny" said Harry quietly, his voice cracking
"H.Ha.Harry?" she asked, not believing it was true but hoping with all of her heart that it was, and her dream came true when he nodded his head and she flung herself into his arms "Oh my God! Harry, I can't believe it!" she exclaimed as tears once again spilled down her cheeks. They stayed like that for several silent minutes, just holding each other like a lifeline until Ginny broke the embrace, wanting answers "What happened?" she asked as Harry guided her onto one of the benches, Remus and Sirius following.
"I'm not entirely sure, to tell you the truth. I remember the killing curses, and then I woke up with my parents. After that, Voldemort came and we dueled, and then I woke up in my bed last night" he said with a shrug of his shoulders, but his last words confused Ginny even more
"What do you mean you woke up in your bed? We had your funeral two weeks ago, you were buried" but it was Remus who answered her question
"Actually, he wasn't buried. Right after the spell was cast by James and Lily, Sirius and I realized that he was breathing and we told the headmaster. We decided that since we didn't know who was in control of Harry, him or you-know-who, that we couldn't tell anyone else what we had discovered, so we had to continue with the funeral as planned, but the coffin was empty and Harry was in his room in the staff quarters. So far, only myself, Sirius, you, and Dumbledore know that Harry is alive, and the headmaster doesn't even know he is awake yet" he explained
"Oh" was all Ginny could say "Well, when are you going to tell everyone else?" she asked after several minutes of silence
"Dinner" answered Harry with a grin on his face
"You do realize that you will probably be curse on the spot, more than once, don't you?" she asked with a watery smile on her face as well
"Ah, yes, but that is one advantage to being the strongest wizard alive" he said with a smirk, causing the other three to laugh heartedly
"But seriously, Harry, we can't let anyone hurt you" said Sirius in mock concern
"What do you mean, Padfoot?" asked Remus
"Well think about it, we really need to stop having funerals for him or people will stop coming" he said with a twinkle in his eye, earning himself a sharp knock to the back of the head from his godson
"Ha ha, very funny" he said in irritation, but Ginny decided to add her own thoughts to that
"He has a point, we've already had two funerals for you and you aren't even twenty years old, and you obviously haven't died yet" she said, but here Harry decided to get some revenge of his own
"wrong, I have died, for an entire week in fact, I just can't seem to stay dead" he said with a smile, causing another round of laughter to break out around the room.
"Well, why don't you two go on into the office for the rest of the afternoon and catch up, our next class should be here in a few minutes" said Remus as he looked at his watch
"But I have lessons this afternoon" grumbled Ginny, "And a test in potions" she added as she hit her head on the table
"Go take your test, and them come back here, I'll excuse you from your other classes, but I can't help you with Snape" said Remus
"Sounds good!" said Ginny as she bounded to her feet, looking more like the happy and lively girl she was before Christmas
She quickly gathered her thing with Harry's help, and after a long kiss goodbye, which Sirius and Remus thankfully ignored, she was on her way to the door "Hey, Gin, remember, don't tell anyone, especially Snape, I want to see his face when I walk into the great hall tonight" said Harry with a grin
"Oh, don't worry, I'm looking forward to that way too much to tell. BY Sirius, Remus, love you Harry" she said as she opened the door
"Love you too, Gin" said Harry as she left "Well, I think I'm going to go and take another nap until she gets back" said Harry with a yawn
"Good idea, you look tired" said Sirius
"Tired, but happy" added Remus, but as Harry cover his mouth with his hand, he again caught sight of the bands of his wrists and decided to ask Sirius about them before class started, and when he did, he received the same answer Sirius had received that morning and he decided to just ignore it for the time being.
When Ginny arrived after her potions exam, she immediately went into the defense office and found Harry sitting waiting for her, and when she saw him, her face broke into a wide smile since she realized that this wasn't all some wonderful dream but real life, and she wordlessly curled up beside him on the couch and they spent the rest of the afternoon talking about everything and nothing, finally being able to without the threat of Voldemort hanging over their heads.
After the last class of the day, Remus and Sirius returned to the office giddy with anticipation for the nights events.
"So, we're going to go ahead and go to dinner, wait until about fifteen minutes after it has started before you two come in, that way we know that everyone is there" said Sirius as he rubbed his hands together excitedly
"Yes, Sirius" said Harry teasingly to his godfather "Now, go on up, and remember, I want pictures" he reminded them with a twinkle in his eyes
Obediently, the two men left, and twenty minutes later, Harry and Ginny decided it was time to go and shock the rest of the school, so they quickly made their way to the great hall, thankfully not passing anyone on their way there, and when they arrived at the closed doors, they could hear the excited chatter of the students from the other side of the doors.
Ginny was about to push them open when Harry pulled her back "What's wrong?" she asked in concern
"Just a minute" he said as he closed his eyes and erected a shield around the two of them "There, that way we won't get cursed" he said with a smile which she happily returned as she grabbed his hand and together they pushed the two doors open and strode inside.
At first, no one noticed their entrance and all conversations continued, until the pair was several steps into the hall and the teachers caught sight of them. Immediately, all but Remus, Sirius, and Dumbledore were on their feet with their wands trained on the two, and Harry tried not to laugh at the pumpkin juice down the front of Snape's robes.
Noticing the actions of the professors, the students all turned to see what was going on, and one by one, all conversations stopped and they starred at the two students walking hand in hand down the middle isle, wide smiles on both of their faces. Finally though, Snape found his voice.
"Who are you?" he demanded as he leveled his wand at Harry's chest.
"Why, Professor Snape, I thought you would be more pleased to see me than that" said Harry in a mock hurtful tone as his smile fell
"Who are you?" he asked again, the words coming out in a low growl
"Don't you recognize me? It's me, Harry" he said feigning confusion, aware of Ginny's attempts to hide her giggles
"You can't be Potter. He's dead" said the potions master, and Harry heard several others say the same thing, and as he found the sources of the voices, he saw that Ron, Hermione, Draco, Lily, James, and the younger Remus and Sirius were holding him at wand point as well, and the older Sirius, Remus, and Dumbledore all had amused expressions on their faces
"I hate to break it to you, but I am far from dead" said Harry cheekily
"Right, and Harry is dead, so you can't be him" said Hermione through clenched teeth, though she appeared to be trying to hold back tears.
"Come on Hermione, don't you recognize me? Ron? Draco?" he asked, and to anyone but those who knew the truth, it looked like he was pleading with them to believe them
"You may look like Harry, but you aren't him, Harry Potter is dead, we saw him die" said Ron angrily as he moved closer to Hermione
"Yesss, you did see me die" said Harry slowly, "But obviously I didn't stay dead, now did I?" he said with another wide grin on his face
"Impossible! We had a funeral for you before you were buried in Godric's Hollow!" exclaimed Hermione irritably, and Harry just smiled wider
"I believe that that was my second funeral, was it not? Didn't I come back after the first one? And just so you know, I was never buried, I was in my room the entire time" he added
"Yes, but" said Hermione hesitantly, and Harry was pleased to see her wand lower slightly
"Enough of this, you can't possibly be Potter, so who are you?" demanded Snape again
"How can I prove that it really is me?" asked Harry in frustration, but on the inside he was enjoying every moment of the game "How about this?" he asked as he lifted the sleeve of his robe and began speaking to Sherlock for a moment before he turned back to the man who had his eyes narrowed in calculation "No, well, let's see, how about this?" he asked and with a wave of his hand, all those who had their wands on him found their hands empty as the wands all soared to Harry and landed at his feet, and with another wave of his hands, it began to snow in the great hall, and still he had a wide grin on his face, and it seemed as though many of the students were beginning to believe him, but the marauders, Lily, Ron, Hermione, Draco, and the professors were still doubtful.
"If you really are Harry, then what were your last words to us in the cavern? And our last words to you?" asked Hermione, always the logical one, and here Harry's expression sobered greatly.
"Sirius asked me to forgive him, and I told you I was sorry" he said quietly, and with those words, those who had been present in the cavern all broke out into smiles, and upon seeing that he was believed by those who know him best, the others had little choice but to follow their lead. His friends all ran for him and before he realized it, he was being crushed in a hug from his seven friends while Ginny smiled from her plac beside Sirius and Remus.
"Well, I'm kind of disappointed, no one even tried to curse him" said Sirius with a smirk
"Yes, well at least they believe him" answered Remus
"Perhaps we should take this gathering to my office" suggested the headmaster as he led the professors and group of friends to his office where he explained everything he knew and Harry added his parts, making the story complete and convincing everyone that he was indeed Harry Potter and very much alive.
"Harry, I believe these are yours" said the headmaster once they had concluded their explanations as he handed Harry his staff, dagger, and sword, which the younger boy gratefully accepted "And even though I hate to ask his of you tonight, we really must send our time travelers back to their own home" he said quietly and the mood sobered as Harry turned to his parents.
"Congratulations, Harry, I know we would have been proud of you" said James as he hugged his future son
"Yeah, don't forget us" said Lily "I know we will never forget you" she said as she too hugged him
"I guess we'll see you later then" said the younger Sirius as he shook Harry's hand
"Yeah, we'll see you later" echoed Remus as he too shook the others hand
"It was good to meet you all" said Ginny as she hugged them all farewell
"Take care of our son, will you?" asked James and Ginny nodded her head, tears spilling from her eyes
Remus and Sirius then said goodbye to their best friends and then Ron, Hermione, and Draco followed by the rest of the staff, and when everyone was done, they stepped back from the group and Harry stood in front of them with his staff outstretched as he cast a memory charm on them before there was a bright flash of light and they all vanished from view, leaving an empty spot in the office.
"Are you ok, Harry?" asked Ginny in concern as she saw his sad expression
"I'll be fine, I'm just going to miss them" he said honestly "Come on, I want to go eat, I'm starving" he said, deciding to think about the sad moment later, and to enjoy the company of his friends for now.
The group descended from the office back to the great hall, and for the first time in a long time, they were all truly happy. As Harry sat next to those he held dear and his one true love, he couldn't help but think that this was the way things were supposed to be, he and his friends and family talking and laughing and enjoying their lives without the threat of an evil wizard trying to take all of that away from them. He was finally truly happy, and since Voldemort was finally gone, he would be able to live his life like he had been trying to for far too long, as a normal wizard, or as normal as the boy-who-lived could get.
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A/N: Ok, that's it, the end, sniff. I have really enjoyed writing this, and your encouraging comments. I'm glad you liked it and thank you so much to everyone who reviewed, I would name you all, but do you have any idea how long it would take me to type out 1,393 different names? You wouldn't get this story for at least another week. I am planning on doing a sequel, but give me a week or two to come up with a decent story line for it. I have a few ideas, but any suggestions you might have would be greatly appreciated because I think my ideas suck. On to some good news, I turn 21 in three days!!!!! Sorry, had to get that out, I've been counting down for 2 moths now. Ok, when I get the first chapter of the sequel up, I'll post an A/N on this story, so keep checking, but like I said, give me a little time. All right then, I guess that this is goodbye for now. Thanks for reading and let me know what you thought of the last chapter!~~~Misty
When Harry awoke the next morning, it was to bright sunlight streaming through the high window in his bedroom, and the sounds of someone, probably Sirius, moving around in the living room. Taking a deep breath and squinting his eyes from the brightness of the sun, he reached over to his nightstand in search of his glasses, but he was confused that they weren't there and he groaned in irritation before a thought came to mind.
'What the hell' he thought to himself 'I have to try it sometime, why not now?' and with that, he passed his hand over his eyes and his vision instantly cleared and he was able to focus, causing a smile to break out on his face. Satisfied with his accomplishment, he threw the blankets that were covering him off and swung his legs off the bed before standing, but he was forced to grasp the bed post when he swayed dangerously on his feet, and at that moment, Sirius entered his room and his face clouded over with worry as he saw his wobbling godson, but before he could speak, Harry looked to the bedpost that his hand was grasping and a look of utter annoyance and confusion crossed over his face. He quickly brought his other wrist into his line of vision and his expression darkened so Sirius decided to intervene.
"Harry! What are you doing, get back in bed right this instant!" he ordered as he approached his godson
"I'm fine, Sirius, just a little dizzy" answered Harry, and to prove his point, he let go of the bedpost and started to walk toward the door, but he didn't resist the gentle hand on his arm that was offering support.
Sirius sighed as he assisted his godson from the bedroom and helped him into a chair at the breakfast table before he sat himself "Harry, you really don't need to be up yet, you aren't strong enough" he admonished as he started to eat the food that was on his plate, noting with satisfaction that Harry was doing the same.
"I'm fine, Sirius, promise, I just need to get up and about and I'll be just like normal, besides, I need to go and find Ginny and the others today" he said around a mouthful of eggs.
"Harry, you need to take things slowly, you were in the hospital wing unconscious for four days before we were taken, then you were dead for a week and then unconscious for another two, your body has pretty much not moved for over a month and you aren't as strong as you were" he lectured
"Padfoot, trust me, I'll be fine, but I really need to tell everyone that I'm alive" he said firmly
"Fine, but promise me you'll be careful" he relented
"I promise, mum" said Harry with a smirk, but Sirius chose to ignore his comment and Harry asked another question
"Why didn't you take these things off when you brought me back?" he asked as he surveyed the metal bands that were still around each wrist. Although they were no longer connected to each other, and didn't give off any light to show they were still active, Harry didn't like them.
Sirius sighed before he answered "I was wondering when you'd ask me that" he began "You see, when we brought you back, all of us, including Dumbledore and he rest of the professors, tried to remove them so that you wouldn't have them for your funeral, but no matter what we tried, they wouldn't come off. When we realized you were alive, we thought that your magic was what was keeping them on and that you could take them off" he finished
"Huh, well, I might as well try it" muttered Harry as he waved his right hand over his left wrist, but nothing happened. He them tried to physically pull it off, but it just held tight and refused to be moved and just as he was getting desperate, he heard the voice of Terres speaking to him through their link
"My child, you can never remove those" she said gently
"What do you mean?" demanded Harry angrily
"They are a symbol of your heritage. Look carefully at them" she instructed and Harry grudgingly obeyed, ignoring his godfathers concerned expression. Each band covered about two inches of his wrists and was as thin as tissue paper, and he was surprised that they weren't in the least bit uncomfortable, moving with the motions of his wrist, much unlike the shackles that had bound his hands and magic in the cavern which had been much thicker and harder, but the metal, like before, was pitch black, and as he looked closer, he saw that silver snakes were carved delicately around them, their green eyes sparkling in the fire light as Terres spoke up again "Much like your sword and dagger, these are a symbol of who you are" she explained
"What are you talking about?" growled Harry into his mind, quickly becoming frustrated
"You are the descendant of Godric Gryffindor through your fathers side, my old master. The mark on your arm is his sign" she began "And on your mothers side you are descended from Salazar Slytherin, the bands on your wrist contain his sign" she said gently
"I don't' wish for that fact to be known by anyone. Slytherin and all that he stood for were evil and I will not have my name associated with his in any way" screamed Harry into his own mind as he tried in vain to pull off the bands
"Calm down, my child, for you don't know the entire truth. Voldemort brought shame and lies to the Slytherin name. The true Salazar Slytherin was a close friend with the others founders, and only left the school because of a difference of opinion. He didn't wish for muggle born students to attend Hogwarts, but he would never have harmed them, he thought that they should have their own school instead where they could learn magic. Do not believe the lies that Voldemort spread about your ancestor, he was a very strong and kind wizard, with an ambition to be the best at everything he did, no matter what the cost, which is not a bad ambition at all until those around you are hurt because of that ambition. You should be proud of your heritage, for you are the product of two very great families, different, but great, and because of you, the wizarding world has once again fallen into harmony" she said in her melodious voice
"Fine, I'll wear them, but I don't have to like them" muttered Harry
"You have no choice but to wear them, my child, for no force on earth or anywhere else would be able to remove them" chuckled Terres as Harry snapped out of his dazed state and looked to Sirius
"Man, you really scare me when you go into trances like that" said Sirius "What was going on?" he asked curiously
"Not much, I was just talking to Terres. Apparently, I can't take these thing off because they are a sign of my heritage" he growled angrily as he quoted his guardian in frustration, and Sirius decided to change the subject before everything in the living room exploded from Harry's anger.
"So, are you going to just show up in the great hall at lunch, or are you going to be more subtle?" he asked with a mischievous glint in his eye
"I'm not sure yet, who did you say knows that I'm not dead again?" he asked as his mind was brought out of his irritation
"Just me, Moony, and Albus" he answered
"Well then, your idea might actually prove to be fun" answered Harry with another smirk on his face "When do you have classes today?" he asked
"I don't, Moony has been teaching mine for me while I stayed with you" answered Sirius
"Well, I have an idea. Why don't you go ahead and teach classes with Remus today, and act like nothing happened at all, act just like you always have, and at dinner, I'll make my grand appearance, but you have to swear not to tell anyone" he said sternly
"Why don't you just tell them at lunch?" asked Sirius bewildered
"Because, I want to find Ginny before she goes to lunch and tell her, she doesn't need to find out like that" he answered
"What about Ron, and Hermione, and Draco and the marauders and Lily? Are you going to tell them then too?"
"I don't think so, I want to see their reactions in front of the entire school, but you need to bring a camera, I want to remember this for the rest of my life" said Harry with a grin
"Deal, well, since I have to teach today, I had better get to class. How are you going to get Ginny's attention without scaring her to death?" he asked as an afterthought
"Don't you have seventh year Gryffindors right before lunch?" asked Harry
"Yes" answered Sirius hesitantly
"Good, I'll be there, and at the end of the class, ask her to stay behind so you can have a word with her, I'll tell her then" he said with a nod of his head
"Sounds good to me" said Sirius as he stood "I'll see you then, have a good morning, and don't enjoy yourself too much" he said with a glint in his eyes
"Don't worry, no threat there" said Harry with the same glint in his emerald eyes
Sirius walked down the hall in the direction of the defense room with a smile on his face, completely unaware of the fact that he was being followed by the invisible figure of his godson who wanted to 'observe' the students reactions to Sirius' presence in the classroom for himself.
Harry allowed a smile to cross his features as Sirius began to whistle as he walked a bit faster, causing Harry to increase his pace as well and in what seemed like no time at all, they had reached the closed door of the defense against the dark arts classroom and Harry could hear the sound of Remus' voice coming from within.
Sirius paused for a moment before the closed door and Harry saw him take a deep breath as he appeared to consider something thoroughly, and before Harry knew it, Sirius had thrown the classroom door open, causing it to bang the wall loudly as he strode forward, his face expressionless and strongly resembling Snape from Harry's first day of potions. Harry slipped through the door as well and proceeded to the front corner of the room so he could see the students reactions to his godfathers entrance.
Remus had been speaking when Sirius entered, and his words were lost as he saw his best friend striding up the middle of the room, no expression on his face. "Um, Padfoot?" he asked hesitantly
"Yes, Moony, old pal" answered Sirius with a broad grin, and Harry could barely contain his laughter
"Um, is everything all right Sirius?" he asked
"Never better Remus!" said Sirius happily as he reached the desk and sat happily on top of it
"What are you doing here, Padfoot?" he asked, completely ignoring the shocked and silent class behind him
"Well, I thought I had been away from my students long enough and it is past time for me to come back" he said before turning to the class, sixth year Ravenclaw "So, what have you learned in my absence?" he asked the class, who remained utterly silent, the majority of their mouths hanging wide open before one girl got the guts to speak
"Professor Black, are you feeling ok?" she asked hesitantly
"Fine Miss Berry, and yourself?" he asked, and even from his distance, Harry could see the twinkle in his eyes
"Um, fine sir" she answered as she turned away, but another student spoke up in her stead
"What made you decide to come back?" he asked
"Mr. Christensen, my place is here teaching you, so here is where I am. Besides, life must go on, am I right?" he asked and even Harry almost thought he was being serious, almost.
"I guess so, but where have you been?" he asked
"Down in my room sulking like a baby, but this morning I realized that nothing is worth watching my life pass by like that, nothing" said Sirius with a smile, and only now did Remus seem to realize what was going on and Harry saw a smile beginning to pull at the sides of his mouth, despite the sputtering that was being heard from the students.
"B.But, sir, what do you mean?" demanded one student, the others all nodding as they thought that Sirius was talking about Harry's death as though it were nothing to him
"Just what I said, absolutely nothing is so important that you should put your own life on hold for it, now why don't we get back to the lesson. I believe that Remus was speaking to you about the curses that are common on ancient artifacts" he said, and since the class was made up of entirely Ravenclaw students, they were more concerned with learning than with trying to figure out their strange teacher so they settled down and resumed their note taking, and it didn't take even five minutes before Harry was falling asleep where he stood, so he quietly crept through the cracked door and into the office, with only Sirius hearing the door click as it was shut, and he knew who it was so he continued teaching.
After the class was over and the students had left, Remus turned to his best friend demanding an explanation "What happened? Why aren't you with Harry?" he asked
"I am, Harry is in the office, he went in there about an hour ago" he said calmly
"He woke up?" asked Remus with hope in his eyes
"Yes, last night, and this was all his idea, just so you know" said Sirius with a smile
"Harry's awake?" repeated Remus
"Yes, Moony, he's awake" said Sirius slowly
"How is he?" asked the werewolf hesitantly, but Sirius' smile calmed his nerves
"Fine, a little tired and dreading all the explaining he's going to have to do, but other than that, fine" he said with a hand on his friends shoulder "Come on, lets go see what he's up to" he said as he began to walk toward the office, Remus right behind him
When they opened the door, though, they didn't find what they expected, instead, they found Harry sound asleep on the couch in front of the fire place and Remus caught sight of the black bands just showing from under the arms of Harry's robes.
"Well, maybe we could talk to him later" said Sirius quietly as he backed out of the room
"Yeah, I would really hate to wake him. Why don't you just take him back to his room while everyone is in class?" asked Remus
"I can't, he wants to talk to Ginny after her defense class" answered Sirius as he took a seat on one of the empty benches inside the defense classroom while Remus sat behind the teachers desk
"Oh, so, what did Albus say when you told him that Harry woke up?" he asked
"Well, I haven't told him yet, but I'm sure he knows, after all, he seems to know everything that goes on in this castle, doesn't he?" said Sirius with a guilty looking smile
"True, when is Harry going to tell the rest of the school?"
"Tonight at dinner, he said something about wanting to make it a surprise, it should prove interesting if nothing else" he said with a mischievous smile on his face
"I must agree. How many people do you think will try to hex him on the spot when they see him?" asked Remus with an identical expression of mirth
"I would be disappointed if it were any less than twenty" responded Sirius after he appeared to consider his question carefully "And I am willing to bet that there will be a lot of screaming and several people fainting" he added as an afterthought, causing Remus to burst out laughing
"I think I have little choice but to agree with you Padfoot" he said once he had regained control of his laughter once again, but before his best friend had a chance to respond, the door to the office creaked open and they both turned to see the sleepy form of Harry emerging
"What time is it Sirius?" he asked through a wide yawn, not noticing Remus' presence yet
"Ten-fifteen, have a good nap?" he asked as he motioned for Harry to take a seat beside him which the younger boy readily did
"Fine" answered Harry, but he lifted his head and saw Remus for the first time "Remus! I didn't even see you!" he exclaimed as he shot the other man a wide grin
"It's good to see you too, Harry" he said with a kind smile "Do you have any idea how this happened?" he asked with his brow furrowed, apparently unable to contain his curiosity any longer, so Harry launched into his tale for the second time, telling Remus exactly what he told Sirius and causing the man to be just as confused as the other two, but he was unable to ask any more questions as he heard the sounds of the seventh year Gryffindors gathering in the hallway "It's time for class" he said to Sirius "Are you going to stay here, Harry?" he asked
"Yeah, I'll just watch from the corner, I rather enjoyed Sirius' performance in the last class" he said as he shot a meaningful look to his godfather who plastered an innocent expression on his face
"I have no idea what you are talking about" he said calmly and Harry and Remus just laughed before Harry stood and an instant later, he was once again invisible and standing in the corner of the room as Remus waved his wand and the door to the classroom opened allowing the students to enter.
As the students filed in, many sent Sirius questioning glances, but the marauders, Lily, and Ginny refused subtly and ran right for him
"Sirius, how are you holding up?" asked Lily
"Just fine, Lil's, and you?" asked Sirius with a smile, which earned him very confused looks from the younger versions of he and his friends and an accusing one from Ginny
"Um, we're fine" answered Lily
"So, what made you decided to come to class?" asked James
"Time to move on" answered Sirius with a shrug of his shoulders before he turned to Ginny
"Ginny, could you please stay after class, I would like to talk to you" he said gently, noting that the girl still had dark circles under her eyes and a distant expression on her face, but she nodded in acknowledgement "Thanks, now you five had better take your seats so we can get started" he said and they obediently took their seats and Remus began class.
The entire hour and a half that the lesson lasted, Harry couldn't take his eyes off of the stricken face of his girlfriend. Her complexion was pale and she looked as though she hadn't eaten properly or slept for days and he felt a pang of guilt in his heart at the thought that he was responsible for her anguish. Finally though, the lesson was brought to an end and the class, minus Ginny, gathered their things and left the room. When the door was closed and locked behind the last one, Ginny jumped from her desk and ran to Sirius sobbing, clutching desperately to his robes.
"Shh, Ginny, what's wrong?" asked the man gently as he pried his robes from her grip, and Harry decided he would wait until she calmed down a bit before he approached her so that he didn't frighten her to death.
"I.I h.had a dr.dream last night" she began through her tears "I dreamt that I was with someone else, and everyone was there, we were having a picnic, and I told him that I loved him. IT couldn't have been more than a month or two from now. How could I even dream about something like that? How could I betray Harry so terribly by even thinking that I could fall in love with someone else? And that you and Ron and Hermione and everyone would welcome him with open arms like he was a long lost friend? How could I betray Harry like that?" she asked again, and from his place in the corner, Harry felt tears come to his own eyes at her words
"Who was he, Ginny?" asked Sirius gently
"I don't know, he was wearing a cloak with the hood up, I never saw his face, all I saw was that he was about a head taller than me" she said quietly with her eyes on the stone floor
Harry couldn't stand it any more. Ginny had probably had a dream about him, especially since he knew that no one would be welcomed with open arms into his godfathers or friends lives, and here she was thinking that it had been someone else because she thought he was dead. He took the invisibility spell off himself and noticed Sirius and Remus looking at him as he approached, Ginny's back to him.
"Ginny, listen carefully to me, ok, I don't want you to be frightened. What you are about to see will come as a complete shock, but you mustn't over react. Promise me" said Sirius as he gripped her shoulders
Ginny mutely nodded her head, and by now, Harry was only a step from her and he gently placed a hand on her shoulder.
When Ginny felt the hand on her shoulder, she looked to it in confusion, not realizing that anyone else was in the room, and what she saw caused her heart to stop. The hand was crisscrossed with faint scars, and only one person she knew had so many scars. Hesitantly, she turned around and found herself looking into a very familiar pair of emerald green eyes that were sparkling with unshed tears.
"Hello, Ginny" said Harry quietly, his voice cracking
"H.Ha.Harry?" she asked, not believing it was true but hoping with all of her heart that it was, and her dream came true when he nodded his head and she flung herself into his arms "Oh my God! Harry, I can't believe it!" she exclaimed as tears once again spilled down her cheeks. They stayed like that for several silent minutes, just holding each other like a lifeline until Ginny broke the embrace, wanting answers "What happened?" she asked as Harry guided her onto one of the benches, Remus and Sirius following.
"I'm not entirely sure, to tell you the truth. I remember the killing curses, and then I woke up with my parents. After that, Voldemort came and we dueled, and then I woke up in my bed last night" he said with a shrug of his shoulders, but his last words confused Ginny even more
"What do you mean you woke up in your bed? We had your funeral two weeks ago, you were buried" but it was Remus who answered her question
"Actually, he wasn't buried. Right after the spell was cast by James and Lily, Sirius and I realized that he was breathing and we told the headmaster. We decided that since we didn't know who was in control of Harry, him or you-know-who, that we couldn't tell anyone else what we had discovered, so we had to continue with the funeral as planned, but the coffin was empty and Harry was in his room in the staff quarters. So far, only myself, Sirius, you, and Dumbledore know that Harry is alive, and the headmaster doesn't even know he is awake yet" he explained
"Oh" was all Ginny could say "Well, when are you going to tell everyone else?" she asked after several minutes of silence
"Dinner" answered Harry with a grin on his face
"You do realize that you will probably be curse on the spot, more than once, don't you?" she asked with a watery smile on her face as well
"Ah, yes, but that is one advantage to being the strongest wizard alive" he said with a smirk, causing the other three to laugh heartedly
"But seriously, Harry, we can't let anyone hurt you" said Sirius in mock concern
"What do you mean, Padfoot?" asked Remus
"Well think about it, we really need to stop having funerals for him or people will stop coming" he said with a twinkle in his eye, earning himself a sharp knock to the back of the head from his godson
"Ha ha, very funny" he said in irritation, but Ginny decided to add her own thoughts to that
"He has a point, we've already had two funerals for you and you aren't even twenty years old, and you obviously haven't died yet" she said, but here Harry decided to get some revenge of his own
"wrong, I have died, for an entire week in fact, I just can't seem to stay dead" he said with a smile, causing another round of laughter to break out around the room.
"Well, why don't you two go on into the office for the rest of the afternoon and catch up, our next class should be here in a few minutes" said Remus as he looked at his watch
"But I have lessons this afternoon" grumbled Ginny, "And a test in potions" she added as she hit her head on the table
"Go take your test, and them come back here, I'll excuse you from your other classes, but I can't help you with Snape" said Remus
"Sounds good!" said Ginny as she bounded to her feet, looking more like the happy and lively girl she was before Christmas
She quickly gathered her thing with Harry's help, and after a long kiss goodbye, which Sirius and Remus thankfully ignored, she was on her way to the door "Hey, Gin, remember, don't tell anyone, especially Snape, I want to see his face when I walk into the great hall tonight" said Harry with a grin
"Oh, don't worry, I'm looking forward to that way too much to tell. BY Sirius, Remus, love you Harry" she said as she opened the door
"Love you too, Gin" said Harry as she left "Well, I think I'm going to go and take another nap until she gets back" said Harry with a yawn
"Good idea, you look tired" said Sirius
"Tired, but happy" added Remus, but as Harry cover his mouth with his hand, he again caught sight of the bands of his wrists and decided to ask Sirius about them before class started, and when he did, he received the same answer Sirius had received that morning and he decided to just ignore it for the time being.
When Ginny arrived after her potions exam, she immediately went into the defense office and found Harry sitting waiting for her, and when she saw him, her face broke into a wide smile since she realized that this wasn't all some wonderful dream but real life, and she wordlessly curled up beside him on the couch and they spent the rest of the afternoon talking about everything and nothing, finally being able to without the threat of Voldemort hanging over their heads.
After the last class of the day, Remus and Sirius returned to the office giddy with anticipation for the nights events.
"So, we're going to go ahead and go to dinner, wait until about fifteen minutes after it has started before you two come in, that way we know that everyone is there" said Sirius as he rubbed his hands together excitedly
"Yes, Sirius" said Harry teasingly to his godfather "Now, go on up, and remember, I want pictures" he reminded them with a twinkle in his eyes
Obediently, the two men left, and twenty minutes later, Harry and Ginny decided it was time to go and shock the rest of the school, so they quickly made their way to the great hall, thankfully not passing anyone on their way there, and when they arrived at the closed doors, they could hear the excited chatter of the students from the other side of the doors.
Ginny was about to push them open when Harry pulled her back "What's wrong?" she asked in concern
"Just a minute" he said as he closed his eyes and erected a shield around the two of them "There, that way we won't get cursed" he said with a smile which she happily returned as she grabbed his hand and together they pushed the two doors open and strode inside.
At first, no one noticed their entrance and all conversations continued, until the pair was several steps into the hall and the teachers caught sight of them. Immediately, all but Remus, Sirius, and Dumbledore were on their feet with their wands trained on the two, and Harry tried not to laugh at the pumpkin juice down the front of Snape's robes.
Noticing the actions of the professors, the students all turned to see what was going on, and one by one, all conversations stopped and they starred at the two students walking hand in hand down the middle isle, wide smiles on both of their faces. Finally though, Snape found his voice.
"Who are you?" he demanded as he leveled his wand at Harry's chest.
"Why, Professor Snape, I thought you would be more pleased to see me than that" said Harry in a mock hurtful tone as his smile fell
"Who are you?" he asked again, the words coming out in a low growl
"Don't you recognize me? It's me, Harry" he said feigning confusion, aware of Ginny's attempts to hide her giggles
"You can't be Potter. He's dead" said the potions master, and Harry heard several others say the same thing, and as he found the sources of the voices, he saw that Ron, Hermione, Draco, Lily, James, and the younger Remus and Sirius were holding him at wand point as well, and the older Sirius, Remus, and Dumbledore all had amused expressions on their faces
"I hate to break it to you, but I am far from dead" said Harry cheekily
"Right, and Harry is dead, so you can't be him" said Hermione through clenched teeth, though she appeared to be trying to hold back tears.
"Come on Hermione, don't you recognize me? Ron? Draco?" he asked, and to anyone but those who knew the truth, it looked like he was pleading with them to believe them
"You may look like Harry, but you aren't him, Harry Potter is dead, we saw him die" said Ron angrily as he moved closer to Hermione
"Yesss, you did see me die" said Harry slowly, "But obviously I didn't stay dead, now did I?" he said with another wide grin on his face
"Impossible! We had a funeral for you before you were buried in Godric's Hollow!" exclaimed Hermione irritably, and Harry just smiled wider
"I believe that that was my second funeral, was it not? Didn't I come back after the first one? And just so you know, I was never buried, I was in my room the entire time" he added
"Yes, but" said Hermione hesitantly, and Harry was pleased to see her wand lower slightly
"Enough of this, you can't possibly be Potter, so who are you?" demanded Snape again
"How can I prove that it really is me?" asked Harry in frustration, but on the inside he was enjoying every moment of the game "How about this?" he asked as he lifted the sleeve of his robe and began speaking to Sherlock for a moment before he turned back to the man who had his eyes narrowed in calculation "No, well, let's see, how about this?" he asked and with a wave of his hand, all those who had their wands on him found their hands empty as the wands all soared to Harry and landed at his feet, and with another wave of his hands, it began to snow in the great hall, and still he had a wide grin on his face, and it seemed as though many of the students were beginning to believe him, but the marauders, Lily, Ron, Hermione, Draco, and the professors were still doubtful.
"If you really are Harry, then what were your last words to us in the cavern? And our last words to you?" asked Hermione, always the logical one, and here Harry's expression sobered greatly.
"Sirius asked me to forgive him, and I told you I was sorry" he said quietly, and with those words, those who had been present in the cavern all broke out into smiles, and upon seeing that he was believed by those who know him best, the others had little choice but to follow their lead. His friends all ran for him and before he realized it, he was being crushed in a hug from his seven friends while Ginny smiled from her plac beside Sirius and Remus.
"Well, I'm kind of disappointed, no one even tried to curse him" said Sirius with a smirk
"Yes, well at least they believe him" answered Remus
"Perhaps we should take this gathering to my office" suggested the headmaster as he led the professors and group of friends to his office where he explained everything he knew and Harry added his parts, making the story complete and convincing everyone that he was indeed Harry Potter and very much alive.
"Harry, I believe these are yours" said the headmaster once they had concluded their explanations as he handed Harry his staff, dagger, and sword, which the younger boy gratefully accepted "And even though I hate to ask his of you tonight, we really must send our time travelers back to their own home" he said quietly and the mood sobered as Harry turned to his parents.
"Congratulations, Harry, I know we would have been proud of you" said James as he hugged his future son
"Yeah, don't forget us" said Lily "I know we will never forget you" she said as she too hugged him
"I guess we'll see you later then" said the younger Sirius as he shook Harry's hand
"Yeah, we'll see you later" echoed Remus as he too shook the others hand
"It was good to meet you all" said Ginny as she hugged them all farewell
"Take care of our son, will you?" asked James and Ginny nodded her head, tears spilling from her eyes
Remus and Sirius then said goodbye to their best friends and then Ron, Hermione, and Draco followed by the rest of the staff, and when everyone was done, they stepped back from the group and Harry stood in front of them with his staff outstretched as he cast a memory charm on them before there was a bright flash of light and they all vanished from view, leaving an empty spot in the office.
"Are you ok, Harry?" asked Ginny in concern as she saw his sad expression
"I'll be fine, I'm just going to miss them" he said honestly "Come on, I want to go eat, I'm starving" he said, deciding to think about the sad moment later, and to enjoy the company of his friends for now.
The group descended from the office back to the great hall, and for the first time in a long time, they were all truly happy. As Harry sat next to those he held dear and his one true love, he couldn't help but think that this was the way things were supposed to be, he and his friends and family talking and laughing and enjoying their lives without the threat of an evil wizard trying to take all of that away from them. He was finally truly happy, and since Voldemort was finally gone, he would be able to live his life like he had been trying to for far too long, as a normal wizard, or as normal as the boy-who-lived could get.
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A/N: Ok, that's it, the end, sniff. I have really enjoyed writing this, and your encouraging comments. I'm glad you liked it and thank you so much to everyone who reviewed, I would name you all, but do you have any idea how long it would take me to type out 1,393 different names? You wouldn't get this story for at least another week. I am planning on doing a sequel, but give me a week or two to come up with a decent story line for it. I have a few ideas, but any suggestions you might have would be greatly appreciated because I think my ideas suck. On to some good news, I turn 21 in three days!!!!! Sorry, had to get that out, I've been counting down for 2 moths now. Ok, when I get the first chapter of the sequel up, I'll post an A/N on this story, so keep checking, but like I said, give me a little time. All right then, I guess that this is goodbye for now. Thanks for reading and let me know what you thought of the last chapter!~~~Misty