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Dreams of Home Chapter 11
🕑 Added 2023-03-07 18:42:52 +0000 UTCChapter 11
“Nice one, Harry!” The bubblegum-pink-haired witch complimented as Harry blasted Fenrir Greyback off his feet when the werewolf had attempted to surge forward with murder in his eyes.
Harry had the intention of pursuing and finishing off the monster that had ruined his mentor's life all those years ago. Before Harry could manage it, however, Tonks yanked him back from a blasting hex that likely would’ve ended his life, and the two began shielding together against the onslaught of multiple werewolf attackers. In no time at all, Harry began defending both of them with practiced ease as Tonks began picking the dark creatures apart.
Soon there were none left in their path, but Fenrir was gone, making Harry swear. The woman patted him on the shoulder consolingly, “We will get him before the night is over, Harry. With how things are going there is still plenty of fighting left.”
Before Harry could respond to this his eyes widened as a green curse came sailing toward Tonks. Diving to tackle the woman to the ground, Harry was back on his feet in a moment defending for dear life against a cackling woman, “Nowhere to run now, Ickle Potter. I will get you, and my little blood-traitor niece!”
Tonks was at his side in a moment’s notice hoping to help the young man pierce Voldemort’s top lieutenant’s shields, but neither were having any luck. Bellatrix was a blur, so fast that Harry wondered if her power was even natural. The grin on the woman’s face was deranged as she slipped a spell past the metamorph’s defenses, and the only sound she made was a single word, “Oh.”
Harry turned to face the girl in horror wondering what fate awaited her. For a moment the girl looked confused, and then she turned her head suddenly, “Teddy? What are you doing here? Why did grandma bring you?”
Fearing that his Godson had somehow ended up on the battlefield, Harry ignored all else and turned, expecting to see the little bundle that was Teddy Lupin, but there was nothing resembling a baby on the battlefield.
Harry looked to see where Bellatrix had gone in case he had to defend the two of them, but she was gone from sight. Turning back to face Tonks, he saw she now had a devastated look on her face as she dropped to her knees grabbing at something that wasn’t there, tears spilling down her face. Trying to realize what happened, Harry dove towards the woman trying to get her back to her feet, “Tonks, we have to fall back to the castle.”
“Just leave me to die here, Harry.” she sobbed, “They killed my son. They killed my boy.”
The girl cradled an imaginary object, and only then did Harry realize what was happening. It was the Black family magic. It had to be. Tonks was slowly descending into madness. Grabbing the girl by the cheeks Harry made her look him in the eyes, “Tonks, listen to me. Teddy is safe. He is with your mum. Your mum literally endured the torture curse from Voldemort himself to protect me, an absolute stranger. What do you think she would do to protect her grandchild? You have to know he isn’t here.”
It was as if the words didn’t even process in her mind however as she continued to stare at the nonexistent bundle in her hands. Shooting to his feet desperate to find help so he could get the woman off the battlefield he realized he had made a mistake when the woman said, “I can’t live like this anymore.”
Harry’s head jerked in the direction of the young woman seeing that her wand was at her throat, and before he could do anything, Tonks-
“NO!” Harry screamed as he woke up gasping for breath desperately trying to find his wand so he could prevent the worst from happening to the young woman he had respected so much.
Tears streamed down his face as he hyperventilated, “It was just a dream. It was just a dream.”
Slowly taking deep breaths Harry began to whisper, “My name is Harry James Potter.”
Rocking back and forth he continued, “I am the son of Lily and James Potter. Currently adopted by Charlus and Dorea Potter.”
His mind still raced with anxiety as the gory images of his friends' final moments flashed through his mind, “I went twenty years into the past to prevent horrible things from happening to those I love. It’s 1976. I still have time to fix things. My name is Harry James Potter.”
He repeated the words to himself several times trying to get his mind and heart to relax. It took several attempts, but finally, the young man took hold of the near panic attack he had fallen into.
It was September 1st now. Today was supposed to be his first day at Hogwarts. The seventh year he never had a chance to experience. He was going to get to attend with his father, and more than likely today he would meet his mother. The woman who would die for him in five years if he did not act accordingly, and stop Voldemort.
Rolling out of bed he began shaking the bad feelings away, and quickly went to the floor to start doing push-ups. Desperately trying to think of anything else other than what he had just seen in his nightmares.
Harry and James had been getting along famously. He could honestly say playing Quidditch with his father will go down as some of his favorite memories in his short, miserable little life. Between that and developing a relationship with Dorea and Charlus, it was nothing short of an impossible dream come true. Even the evenings he spent having dinner with Monty and Mia Potter were incredible. Getting to know what his paternal grandparents were like was a true treat, and while they didn’t connect with Harry as Charlus and Dorea did, it was clear they held a love for him anyway.
Taking control of his emotions Harry enforced his Occlumency to an acceptable level, and delved into the kitchens of Potter Manor. There he found his mother, Dorea, humming a soft tune as she assisted Mipsy with making breakfast. The woman greeted him with a sad smile as he walked into the room, and Charlus, who was sitting in his usual seat at the breakfast table hardly even looked up from his newspaper at the arrival.
Harry wished them both a good morning as he took his spot at the table, and casually summoned the coffee from the pot that was on the counter. When Harry took his first sip Charlus closed his newspaper and looked at his son warily, “Are you alright, Harry?”
Looking at the man with clear confusion on his face he shrugged his shoulders, “I’m alright. Just anxious for Hogwarts I guess.”
“It’s okay not to be alright.” Dorea said immediately.
Charlus gave the woman an exasperated look, and she said nothing else as the man offered him a kind smile, “Your mother is right, Harry. Is there anything you wish to talk to us about? Anything you would like to get off your chest before you go to Hogwarts.”
Harry frowned, and before he could answer Dorea said, “We promise not to judge. No matter what the topic you wish to tell us about will be. We won’t even give feedback if you don’t want it. If you wish to talk we will merely listen. If that is what you want.”
The youngest Potter in the room could tell the two had discussed this conversation previously. For the first time since Harry had known Dorea Potter, she looked genuinely worried about his reaction to something. Reaching a shaking hand towards his coffee Harry took a small sip before setting it back down on the table, “I really am fine. Just a nightmare that is all.”
“A nightmare or a memory?” Dorea asked quickly.
Charlus now said his wife's name as if to reprimand her, and she looked abashed for a moment, while the older Potter sighed, “Is it something you would like to talk about?”
Instantly Harry shook his head, “No. Not really. It was just a nightmare about a memory from the final battle. Really, it's nothing.”
Charlus said nothing while Dorea had come over to the table, and began serving the two, saving herself for last. When she sat down she didn’t touch her food, and Harry was slowly picking at it having lost a bit of his appetite.
The tension in the room was awkward, and finally, Charlus sighed, “Harry, we know it’s not nothing.”
Before the young man could protest Dorea placed a hand on his, “I can see your pain, Harry. Nearly every morning you have come down to join us for breakfast, and almost every single time I have felt your pain.”
A lance of guilt went through Harry’s chest. It was often easy to forget about Dorea’s empathic abilities, and he stumbled out an apology, “Mum, I’m so sorry. I forget-”
“There is absolutely nothing for you to apologize for.” The woman said, placing her other hand on his now holding his hand on the table down with both of her own. “Harry, you never have to apologize about the pain you are going through. Charlus and I both know, and have experienced tremendous loss, if anyone can understand the pain you are going through it is us.”
Harry wanted to protest this, but he knew that he couldn’t. Any protest would just be an immature tantrum on his part. They had both fought in the war. Lost people they cared about before, after, and during. Then there was the death of his cousin, the one that could’ve been his older brother had he been alive today. He knew these two veterans knew a thing or two about loss, and he swallowed heavily before speaking, “I know, mum. I know you two can understand. It’s why I am so comfortable around the two of you.”
Charlus beat Dorea to the next words, but only barely, “Then open up to us, son. You are carrying an immense load on your shoulders. Talk to us. Let us help you, or at least let us listen so you can get these words out of your mind. If not now, then maybe when you come back home for the holidays. I would really like you to think about ways that will make this burden you carry a little less, and if there is anything we can do to help you with it then I want you to tell us. If you want us to pull you out of school some weekend just to talk or come home and spend a few days here in Potter Manor we will do it in a heartbeat. According to your Hogwarts transcripts, you are 17 now, so as a legal adult if you need to come and go back home there is nothing they can do to stop you. Not that we would allow them to even if they could.”
The man finished that with a small smile, and Harry snorted. Charlus had taken great pleasure in surprising Dumbledore with his request to enroll their son into Hogwarts this year, and the curt reply from Professor McGonagall seemed to suggest that Charlus was in quite the hot seat with the woman. Charlus had grimaced at the response they had received, and Harry was delighted to see that the man could squirm from the woman he had respected so much in his time.
Taking a deep breath Harry exhaled hard, “I know I need to talk to someone about all this. I know that it is certainly going to be one or both of you when that day comes, but I am just not ready.” Drawing strength from the woman that was holding one of his hands he continued feeling his heart swell painfully, “In the month I have been here I still haven’t quite come to terms with the fact that we lost the war. I still haven’t come to terms with the fact that everyone I ever loved was killed during the final battle.” Charlus gently placed his hand on the one Dorea wasn’t already holding, and could see and feel Harry gripping the table so hard his knuckles were turning white, “I still haven’t come to terms with…some of the things I saw that night. I dream…I dream of my friends dying. I relive the moments of it happening sometimes…I even imagine scenes of what likely happened after I died.”
A tear fell down his face, and that was enough for Dorea as she released his hand and stood embracing the boy, and bringing his head to her chest. Charlus moved his hand to the boy's shoulder and shook his head, “Harry, I know I don’t have to say this, but none of that was your fault. I don’t care what the prophecy said, I don’t care what Dumbledore said, I don’t care what anyone said. The responsibility for killing a man with the power to bring a country to its knees did not belong to a seventeen-year-old young man, who didn’t even get the opportunity to finish school. I know there is nothing I can say that will convince you of this, but the blood is not on your hands.”
Harry wanted to argue, but he knew it would do no good, instead, he merely nodded, while he wrapped his arms around the woman he was beginning to see as his mother, and allowed the pain to wash away, if only for a little while. He wasn’t sure how long she held him for, or how long she ran a hand through his hair soothingly, but his chaotic mind stopped screaming at him at some point, and he began to relax once again.
When Dorea let go, and took her seat at the table again her hand returned to his without hesitation, “We are here for you Harry. Any hour, any day, or any moment that may seem too difficult for you to handle…all you have to do is fire that Patronus, and we will be there for you. You have my word.”
Wiping at his eyes with his free hand Harry took a breath, “I am going to be okay. I know I will. I just need more time.”
“Take all the time you need.” Charlus said comfortingly, leaning back in his chair in a resting position, “Besides, this is a big day. We are sending you off to Hogwarts today, and you will get to meet Lily, and maybe some others who affected your life.”
Harry was looking forward to meeting his mother, and even young Professor Lupin. He also realized he would be meeting young Severus Snape. A young man whose future he hoped to change. In the final hours of the war, Harry had realized where the man’s true loyalties lay, and if he could help it, this time the young Slytherin would never take the mark…if he hadn’t already.
“I am anxious.” Harry admitted, “But it is my time. I will make a difference, and change the fate of those who suffered in my time. At least as many of them as I can.”
“Just don’t forget to enjoy your final year at Hogwarts, Harry.” Dora said softly, “It isn’t all about everyone else. You can be a little selfish.”
“I just want to win.” Harry said honestly, “I don’t care what it costs.”
“Some prices are too high to pay.” Charlus warned carefully.
Harry shrugged, having exhausted himself of the topic, something the two seemed to pick up on. After breakfast, Dorea told Harry to go finish his packing, and patted him on the cheek softly as she exited the room. Charlus offered the young man a reassuring smile as he exited the kitchen to continue his morning reading before they departed for the express.
As Harry completed his packing he thought about the home he was leaving behind. He had never truly felt at home other than at Hogwarts, but Potter Manor had grown on him. The Burrow was close, but it was never his own despite always feeling welcome there. Grimmauld Place could have been home, but the memories of how Sirius felt about the place was always fresh on his mind. Potter Manor, however, was a home of love, and history, his family’s history. Something that made the home even more special to him.
Closing his luggage Harry smiled at the thought of what was to come. The thoughts of meeting his mother couldn’t be contained any longer, and he began shrinking the items he had packed, and slid them into his cloak that he fastened around his shoulders in preparation for departure.
Arriving in the family room, Charlus and Dorea were talking about a song that was playing on the wireless, but stopped to look at Harry when he entered the room. Dorea smiled sadly at the young man, “Are you all packed and ready?”
“I think so.” Harry said with a grin, “Though I hope you wouldn’t protest if I wrote home for something I forgot.”
Charlus chuckled, “I think your mother will be offended if you don’t write at least once a week.”
“I will write often.” Harry promised.
“That’s my boy.” Dorea said happily.
Checking his watch Charlus sighed with a satisfied smile, “Shall we depart? We must arrive at a reasonable time so Harry can meet with James and find a compartment.”
After Harry agreed that it was time, the three apparated out of the family room to the apparition point on Platform 9 3/4s. It was exactly the same as Harry remembered. Large red scarlet engine, carriages, caboose, and all. Families were lining the length of the platform saying their goodbyes till the holidays, and Harry followed his parents towards a small group of four that were craning their heads over the crowd looking for new arrivals. Harry made eye contact with James first, and the man’s face lit up with a mischievous grin, as he motioned for his family to follow him.
The two met with a quick embrace that Harry relished in for a moment before doing the same with Sirius, and his grandparents. Euphemia offered Harry a knowing smile, “First trip to Hogwarts, are you nervous?”
“I think I am more excited, but there is anticipation.” Harry answered honestly.
Fleamont chuckled, patting the young man on the back, “You are going to be great, and any house will be lucky to have you.”
“We will disown you for any house except Gryffindor though.” James responded cheekily.
Fleamont and Euphemia looked at their son in exasperation, while Dorea and Charlus chuckled. Sirius was searching the crowd for other familiar faces, and missed the byplay all together. Harry tried to follow the boy's eyes, but couldn’t quite make heads or tails of who he was looking for, “Alright there, Padfoot?”
Sirius snapped out of it at the sound of his name, and shook his head forcing a smile on his face, “Just looking for our other two friends. I can’t wait to introduce you to the other Marauders!”
Harry glanced at Dorea, who he noticed had frowned at the younger man’s words. But Harry didn’t need her insight to know he was lying. Knowing what he did about Regulus Black, he expected Sirius may have been looking for his younger brother.
James nodded earnestly, “Yes. We should get going so we can find a good spot on the train. Unfortunately, I have to attend the Prefects meeting a few minutes after our departure, but I won’t be long.”
James embraced both his parents gratefully even taking the moment to embrace his aunt and uncle. Before James could drag Harry away however Fleamont stopped him, “We want a quick word with your cousin before you all depart. He will be shortly behind.”
James frowned for a moment, “We can wait.”
“Not necessary.” Charlus answered easily, “Harry is competent at tracking spells. He will find you both on the train.”
James accepted this, while Sirius looked puzzled, but said nothing. The two departed with final goodbyes, and the whole family smiled at the pair that entered the train without a second look back. Fleamont sighed, turning to his grandson while Charlus casually waved his wand, erecting a privacy charm in the vicinity before the man began speaking, “We have set up plausible alibis across the world with where you have been your whole life. The Ilvermorny Headmaster backed us without a second thought. You will tell people that you were enrolled in the school, but it was only for testing purposes. You took your OWLs through the American Ministry, and the documents have already been forged. Everything you need to set up a life here is done. Make the most of it.”
Euphemia placed an arm around her grandson's shoulder, “We know your time at Hogwarts was not easy, but if possible, we would like to give you the best chance at having a normal year. We all know why you are here, but do your best to enjoy the opportunity you have been presented. A second chance like you have been offered is not one that should be taken lightly. Do your best to make a positive impact on every life you touch, and I believe you will be great.”
Harry smiled at his grandmother, and embraced both her and Fleamont with both arms. When they separated they were beaming, and Harry turned back to the two that had taken him over the summer, “Thank you for everything. I won’t forget it.”
Charlus placed an arm around his wife, “It’s what family is for, Harry. As long as I draw breath I’ve got your back, son.”
“You men can’t be trusted on your own devices, so you know I will be there as well. Go have a good year at Hogwarts, Harry.” Dorea said embracing the young man, “Go forth as our son, and show the world what you can do. Hold nothing back. Leave nothing to chance, and make it count.”
Harry held the woman for a long moment, before turning to Charlus taking the man in a strong embrace as he whispered, “Don’t forget what I said, Harry. Anytime you need us. No matter the time or place.”
When the two separated Harry’s eyes roamed across the four people closest to him. The four that knew his secret, and realized he would miss each of them while he was away at school. Offering them a final smile he followed his father and godfather’s footsteps to the train, and offered a final wave to his family before boarding the express for the final year he never got to experience.
Comments
Kevin Thunder
Why would Remus lose his badge? That doesn't make sense. Sirius is the one who played the prank and Snape knew full well that Remus was a werewolf but chose to go anyway (most likely to try and kill him or something). It's the references to the year that throws people off, since they were said to have graduated in 1978.
Beau Brown
Remus actually loses his Prefect spot after the incident with Snape in 6th year. It's never said who takes it, but I chose someone else for the spot. This does take place in 7th year, they say several times through the last few chapters that this is their last year at Hogwarts. Hope that clears up any confusion!
NTLuck
James isn't a prefect though, Remus is the one who became prefect of their year. James became headboy in his final year, I thought this was his sixth year?
Robert
That Black Family Magic is no joke That was sad to read for both Tonks and Harry. I got a feeling knowing you that the next chapter is gonna end with “Better be….” 😂 Thanks for the update man
