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Dreams of Home Chapter 1
🕑 Added 2022-11-30 00:54:56 +0000 UTCChapter 1
“You have fought valiantly, Harry, but you must know...only I can live forever.”
Harry took a deep breath as he stared hatefully into the eyes of the man who had ruined his life, “Kill me today, and there will always be resistance. They will hunt you to the end. What’s left of my friends will never surrender.”
The surrounding Death Eaters laughed heartily as Harry dropped his wand in forfeit of his own life and stared defiantly at the man. The Dark Lord looked very pleased by this, “Oh, but Harry we will kill all your friends if they continue resisting us. I heard about the unfortunate business between my faithful followers and your little friend, but she should have known the price of standing against me. Not to worry though, Harry, if what's left of your friends surrender to me, I assure you they will be spared.”
Pacing in front of his Death Eaters Voldemort turned his back on Harry to face his followers, while Harry felt rage course through him at the mention of Hermione so casually, “Let it be known that I am a merciful Lord. That I, Lord Voldemort, will allow my enemies to breathe their final words.”
Turning back to face the unarmed teen Voldemort smiled, “Now Harry, Are those to be your final words? Will you be defiant until the end? Or should I call you Harry? After all these years I think I have earned that right.”
“Only if I can call you Tom. It’s only fitting.” Harry said with contempt.
The man seemed to look at the boy with renewed hatred, “Speak your last.”
Harry shook his head, and merely stated, “The worst thing you can do is send me to the friends and family you took from me. No one else will die for me.”
Voldemort took a wicked smile, turning back to his followers raising his wand he called out, “Watch, my faithful friends, as I correct history.”
Knowing Harry had no more time to waste, Hermione's wand slid into his hands and he screamed out, “Avada Kedavra!”
A green light sailed toward the Dark Lord and the ground raised up to meet the killing curse, but it was too late. Harry had pushed all his hate and power into the unblockable spell, and just as luck would have it the Dark Lord flew through the air at the impact of the spell.
Harry had no time to relish in his cadmean victory as dozens of killing curses rained down upon him. The last thing he would ever see was the fallen body of his parents’ killer. Harry knew there were still Horcruxes left, but at least he knew that it could take his followers many years to figure out how to bring him back once more. Perhaps Neville and the others would hunt the snake down and end it once and for all. That would be nice.
These were the final thoughts of Harry James Potter, as he fell back, his eyes staring into the void of death.
.o.
There was a bright light along with absolute silence. Harry had to blink several times for his eyes to adjust as he sat up. He was in an old old gray t-shirt with blue trousers which he was certain he had worn a dozen times. He was comfortable, and he felt lighter than he had ever felt in his life. He looked around and realized he was at a familiar train station. There were a couple of key missing components to its familiarity, namely the people, but that wasn’t the only thing that put him off of the place he was certain he recognized. It was the hospital floor white that was unnaturally clean that disconcerted him. Desperately he searched for a word that would remind him of where he was, but nothing immediately came to mind.
“Harry.” A voice called from over his shoulder.
The young man turned his head slowly as his eyes searched for the voice that called to him. The only sign of life was a new arrival, an older man that resembled him slightly. He had the same messy hair, but he looked like an older version of even his father. Same color eyes, same high and proud cheekbones of the old Pureblood families told Harry that this may have been another Potter, “Do I know you?”
“I wish we had gotten the chance to meet. It is one of my biggest regrets that I did not make it to see your birthday. I had always wanted grandchildren, but while the woman I loved was thought unable to give me children we were blessed beyond the greatest of measures when we were given one much later in life than we intended. A beautiful mischievous baby boy.” The man approached a bench near Harry and took a seat waiting for Harry to do the same.
The man looked around, “We are at King’s Cross you know?”
Harry looked around and was startled when he realized the older man was right, but chose not to comment on that for a much bigger question was now playing in his mind, “You’re my grandfather, aren’t you? Fleamont Potter?”
“My friends called me Monty, but I wish you would call me Grandpa.” The frown on Harry’s face seemed to indicate his discomfort so the man corrected himself, “No? Perhaps Monty or Fleamont then if you prefer?”
Harry elected to ignore the question, taking a seat next to the man and continued looking around, “Why are you here?”
This question seemed to satisfy the man, “That is a good question. It seems Death was not happy with the outcome of the fated grudge match between you and this Dark Lord. It was expected to be a great duel, an epic showdown that would be told throughout history. Instead, all that was given was trickery and foul play.”
Harry snorted. “Sorry I felt a little outclassed by a wizard with fifty years of experience on me. I thought a trick might be the only way my friends would have a chance of winning the war.”
His grandfather gave him a sympathetic look before saying, “Age is just a number my boy. This Dark Lord was an impressive magical specimen, but with time, and the right guidance you could match him. Now let’s get to the point of why we are here. There has been a request for a rematch, and no one can truly refuse what Death seeks. Our family in particular has quite close ties with Death after all. We do carry one of her legendary items with us at all times. Did you happen to have it on you when you died?”
Harry nodded his head, “It was in my pouch.”
“Very good, son. You will need it to prove who you are.” Fleamont explained.
“Prove it to who?” Harry asked, clearly confused.
“It is my belief that you will be going back to-“
“I was hit with a dozen different killing curses, and Merlin only knows what else.” Harry said with a snap in his voice, “My body won’t even be in one piece. There is no going back for me. My friends will have to carry on the fight without me.”
The man sighed, “Harry, your side lost the war in your timeline. I have seen it. Voldemort reigned supreme and your killing curse only stopped him for a year. With Augustus Rookwood leading the charge they completed the raid on Hogwarts…there were no survivors. Dozens, possibly as many as a hundred witches and wizards showed up from Hogsmeade, along with parents of the students, but even they were no match for blood-lusting Death Eaters after the fall of their master.”
Harry looked at the man in horror. Ginny, Neville, and Ron had all followed Harry and Hermione in death? This couldn’t be happening, but before he could break down in grief, Fleamont put a hand on his shoulder, “But that doesn’t matter anymore. Death has intervened, and Fate has always courted Death. So, in the end, it was all for naught. It is time to see how events play on a new timeline, and how much you can change the game with a fighting chance.”
Wanting to be outraged Harry stood furiously, “How can you say it was all for nothing? So many people died, and they died for me!”
Fleamont held up a hand in a gesture of peace, “Harry. You trained as hard as you could. You bested every fighter left in the Order of the Phoenix. You did as much as you could in the time you were given, and the fact is, it wasn’t enough. Your foul play, and your killing curse that connected with Voldemort, however, changed the story. It was not how it was ordained, so now it will all be rewritten. Given a few more years it is my belief you will be quite the worthy adversary. Unless you wish to take the train.”
After Harry processed what the man had said a train whistle was heard in the distance. His eyes reached out to the horizon, but no train could be seen. A foreboding feeling entered his gut, and he shook his head before asking, “What’s on the train? Where does it go?”
Fleamont smiled at the young man, “On. To where you will have a chance to be with myself, and the rest of our family. Many generations of Potter’s including your parents, and many others who would love to see you again.”
“Why weren’t my parents sent to speak with me?” Harry asked calming down knowing he had at least had some options, which was more than life had usually afforded him. Even if he didn’t fully understand the gravity of what was happening he was grateful for the little mercy of having a choice.
“It was believed they would not have the strength to let you go. To do what must be done and give you all your options without their own personal opinions interfering with your decision. They simply didn’t wish to let you go through any more pain. I don’t either, but I want my grandson to get a chance to truly have a chance to live. To grow, to thrive, to maybe one day start a family of your own. These are all things you deserve, Harry.”
The older man placed a consoling hand on his grandson's shoulder while Harry took a deep breath before asking, “I still need to understand. Why were you the one chosen to be sent to me?”
“I spent my life holding this family together even when my brother went off to war.” Fleamont explained kindly, “It is my duty, and always has been to keep the Potters together, so it is I that was sent to give you the plainest and simplest view of your options.”
Harry shook his head feeling his agitation rise again, “If you have been watching me. If you know my pain. You won’t send me back to live my life again. I won’t do it. Not for anything. Not if I can be with my family.”
The man shook his head again, “You won’t have to go back and live your life again. If you go back you will have a chance to be with our family. Consider it an incentive from Death to go back and right the wrongs of the past.”
The statement froze Harry as he tried to comprehend what his grandfather was trying to tell him. When no words came to him the man continued, “If you were to skip the train that is coming in, then you will go back further in time. How far I can’t be sure. I am certain it will be a time before you were ever born though. The only part of the deal that I understand is that you will get to go back and be with your family. You would then have an opportunity to get to know them. To befriend them even. You could go back and prevent the second Wizarding war from ever happening, one way or another. Either you go back and win this war the first time, or Voldemort will take it all. Death and destruction will be catastrophic, but it will only happen once.”
Harry was stunned. What an option. To go back in time and actually get to know his parents. To get a chance to rewrite history and do it all again. To actually have a home and family, “Won’t this interfere with the timeline? Won’t everything I do create such a powerful paradox that it would unravel time?”
The man chuckled, “You think too highly of yourself, and have listened to your brilliant Muggleborn friend way too much on things she couldn’t even hope to understand.”
Harry looked at the man in confusion, and he continued, “If you go back it will be a completely new timeline. Everything up until the point that you go back to will have been the same but starting from the first blade of grass you step on everything will change. The muggles call it the butterfly effect. While I believe you will see lots of similar events, I do not believe you can expect or count on things being exactly the same.”
Harry sat in silence for a few moments. Contemplating everything he had learned, “What about the Horcrux in my head? Will that come with me?”
“You will find that while you were quite the formidable wizard with that Horcrux in your head now that it has been unequivocally destroyed you will be quite the marvel. Regardless, Voldemort has yet to cast the curse at you that even gave you that scar in the new timeline.., And while I am sure the lightning bolt shaped scar will always faintly remain there as a reminder as to where you came from, it will have no hindrance on your magic any longer. I am sure you will impress many in this new time and believe me you may need it.” the man said with a smile.
Harry sighed, not even considering the possibility of getting on the train as it began to speed by, “What do I do first? Do I go find you? Try to explain what happened?”
Fleamont paused for a moment, “No. No, I am afraid I could not take you, and give you what you need. As you know I will die of Dragon Pox before you were born, and I do believe that unless a cure is found in this new timeline, my wife and I will likely follow each other into the afterlife once again together, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. No, I think you are better off going to my brother. Show him the cloak as proof of who you are. Memories in a pensieve can be fabricated, but any Potter would recognize our families cloak..”
Harry was floored by this, “I have other living relatives?”
Fleamont smiled again, “Not by the time you were born, but yes, Charlus will be alive to whatever time you go back to. He was an extraordinary wizard, and I believe at any time he could have given Dumbledore a hell of a fight. Go to Charlus, tell him what happened in this world, and ask him to teach you everything there is to know about fighting a war. He led the British forces against Grindelwald and won. The man knows things that I could not even dream of. I was a decent duelist in my day, one of the best in my Hogwarts class, but Charlus…between him and my sister-in-law, Dorea, they are what you need, and they were never the same after the loss of their son.”
“What happened to him?” Harry asked, clearly dumbfounded about discovering all this new family.
“Dragon Pox was a major Pandemic, it wiped out mostly newborn children and elderly people. Charlus is much younger than me, and he could use your guidance, and I think you two will be good to each other.” Fleamont explained.
“How did he die?” Harry asked carefully.
Fleamont took a wicked grin, “He and Dorea took down a dozen death eaters before Voldemort and Rookwood finished them off. It took both of them to do it. Had Rookwood not sabotaged the fight then the duel between Charlus and Voldemort could have been just as legendary as Dumbledore and Grindelwald. That’s not to say he would’ve won, but who knows?”
Harry suddenly swelled with hope. He had no idea he was related to someone so powerful. Why hadn’t anyone told Harry anything about him? Harry asked excitedly, “Why was I never told about him? What if he accuses me of stealing the cloak?”
Fleamont thought for a moment, “Charlus changed after he lost his son. He became somewhat of a recluse. I never saw much of him after 1957. James had only ever seen his uncle as a teenager during an occasional Christmas, so none of the Marauders would have met him, except Sirius on one occasion, and James knew he was a bit of a sore spot with me. My brother meant the world to me, and the fact that I couldn’t even get him to come back to our family home and speak with me hurt me more than I ever would’ve admitted back then. We are a proud family Harry with a very noble history. It is hard to see past our own arrogance sometimes. Help us see the errors in our ways, and perhaps you can fix more than just a few things that never should have happened.”
Harry took a deep calming breath trying to accept the fact that he couldn’t just kill Peter when he first saw him. That would probably put him on everyone’s bad side, “Okay how do I find your brother?”
“I am unsure as to where he lived all the years after the death of their son, but I know he spent a lot of time in America. However, Charlus and I are both linked to Potter Manor and neither of us lived there to my knowledge in the time you will be going back to. All Potters can find Potter manor though, and once you enter the wards Charlus will know you are there, and will attempt to confront any intruder that may arrive. Hopefully, your ability to just walk onto the grounds will be another selling point for you in the conversation, because you should be able to bypass the guardians and wards with no problems. If that isn’t enough proof, then nothing will convince Charlus.” Fleamont said with a proud look on his countenance.
Harry heard the word guardian and nearly groaned out loud. There always had to be some magical creature involved that might potentially eat him, “Potter Manor isn’t under a Fidelius?”
The man shrugged, “The property is too large. It would be like trying to put Hogwarts under a Fidelius Charm, which is why none of us took up residence there after the family split.”
Harry stopped and thought about this. He had never thought of the limitations of the charm, but it made sense that he couldn’t just cast it over anything.
Fleamont put both hands on his grandson, “Let me give you some final words of wisdom. Don’t let the errors of someone’s past in your timeline corrupt your opinion of them. Peter Pettigrew may have betrayed our family, but when you go back to this time period, he will be a beloved member of the Potter family just like Sirius, Remus, and Frank. There are so many faces and names you will recognize, but we are Potters and we form our own opinion of everyone. You will be younger than Henry was so perhaps my brother can claim you as his son and say you were hidden from the world in fear of catching the plague that killed so many in our country. Have faith Harry and never surrender.”
Fleamont opened his arms to invite Harry into a hug, and after only a moment's hesitation the two embraced. Harry wished he could ask more questions, but it was clear their time was up. The two separated and Harry gave the man a smile, “I’ll see you again one day.”
“Sooner than you think Harry.” Fleamont said with a grin, “Good luck.”
Harry turned to walk towards the train when Fleamont called out, “And Harry.”
The boy turned for a final look at his grandfather, “When you draw Charlus out to our ancestral home, speak quickly. He is most untrusting of things he doesn’t understand.”
Harry gave the man an incredulous stare and wondered if he was going to be back in this station after just a short while. For the briefest of moments, Harry wondered if he should have gone on. Was he really ready to fight another war, and go through the possibility of losing everyone he loved again? Then his grandfather's words echoed in his mind. He was deserving of life. He was deserving of fighting for a future. Taking a deep breath his green eyes averted from the arriving train and he turned his back on the tracks. Ready or not it was time to change the past.
(A/N) Hello everyone and Happy New Year! In 2023 I am planning to take my writing to the next level, and I have decided to start a Patreon. The starting cost is only 1$ and some change, and this will give you a chance to get WEEKLY updates on whatever my most popular story is. For the foreseeable future Dreams of Home will be my only constant project, and the updates will come every Tuesday until the story is completed! If you would like to contribute to my dream of being a writer, and get tons of exclusive content along with a way to chat with me directly please give it a shot! Not interested in paying money? Then join me on discord where we will talk about all the best Fandoms, sports, and tons of other topics. Looking forward to seeing you all, and I can’t wait to share this story with you. Cheers everyone, and let’s make 2023 a year worth remembering!
Comments
Beau Brown
Enjoy! It's a great ride.
Anmol Sandhu
Joining late to the story but I am so excited.
Beau Brown
Got big plans my man, thanks for joining up!
Clephne
Great beginning so far, I'm excited to see where you take it!
