Thank you to Wolf's Scream and JPx for being my hard working (especially on this chapter) beta's!
Please remember to vote on my yahoo group for the missing moment that you want. It is in the Polls section and as always, thanks for all of your wonderful reviews! It truly kept me going on this chapter.
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Harry Potter and the Final Flame | ||||||
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Category: Post-HBP Characters:Harry/Ginny, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley Genres: Action/Adventure, Drama, General Warnings: Death Story is Complete Rating: PG-13 Reviews: 235 Summary: COMPLETED!!! Following the events Harry Potter is focused and determined to fulfill a destiny that only he can fulfill. Simple isn't it? Track down and destroy piece by piece the Darkest Wizard to ever live. If only things were that simple for Harry. Watch as the his best friends come closer together, the Order crumbles with a traitor in their midst, and the people he cares about the most suffer through heartache and trial. Can Harry succeed and if he does will there be anything for him to come home to? Hitcount: Story Total: 175419; Chapter Total: 5294 Author's Notes: |
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By the time Harry saw Tonks again they were back at the Burrow and it was now under the Fidelius Charm, with Charlie as the secret keeper. Bill, who had performed the charm, had decided that since his brother still spent most of his time in Romania that he was the least likely of them to be killed. Charlie had dutifully come home, participated in the charm, told the family and a few others where the house was, and left. Mrs. Weasley had not appreciated the conversation and had insisted that Charlie write out the address on a slip of paper, in case Ginny ever wanted to come home. Harry wasn’t surprised to see Remus and Tonks walk through the door, as they’d sent an owl asking for Harry, Ron and Hermione to wait at the Burrow before setting out again. It hadn’t really mattered, though. They had no idea where to check for the next Horcrux. Thankfully Remus carried the answer to Harry’s questions in his arm. A very large, rather heavy-looking Pensieve. “You found one,” Harry said with relief as his old professor set it down on the worn kitchen table. It was exactly like Dumbledore’s, the same intricate runes surrounded the outer edge, only this one was empty of the liquid that had swirled through the Pensieve. Instead a large flask sat in it. Remus nodded and sagged into a chair. “You can’t move it with magic or it will break the enchantments on it. Here,” he reached into his vest pocket and pulled out a rather squashed roll of parchment. “These are the instructions for how to use it.” “How much do I owe you?” Harry asked as he took the roll and scanned through the neat print. “Nothing,” Remus assured him. “I took a leaf out of Mundungus’ book and pawned several ugly golden statues that had been lying about Grimmauld Place.” He winked at Harry and smiled in amusement. “I’m sure that Sirius would have heartily approved.” Harry grinned and sat back in his chair. He opened his mouth to ask another question when Hermione burst into the kitchen, red-faced and muttering darkly. She pulled up short when she saw Remus and Tonks and gaped at them stupidly. “Oh… I’d forgotten… what’s the time?” She looked down at her watch and gasped. Harry snagged the sleeve of her jumper and pulled her to the table. “Just sit. Would you like some tea?” “No!” Hermione snapped as she fell into a chair. “I’m too angry for tea.” “What did he do this time?” Harry asked in amusement as the two adults watched them fascinated. Hermione huffed indignantly and crossed her arms. “He said that he thought I should stay here at the Burrow while you and he go out to… well, you know.” She blew a breath of air up, knocking a loose strand of hair from her face. “He’s just so insufferable!” “Don’t forget daft,” Harry added honestly. “What would we have done without you?” A twinge in his gut told him that he’d done the same thing to Ginny, only he was completely begrudging her a role in this war. It was a nagging voice, much like Hermione’s, that reminded him that he hadn’t treated Ginny fairly. Always, though, he was able to squash it down. “Not to interrupt your tirade against Ron,” Remus interjected as he pointed towards the Pensieve. “But I have delivered on this, and Tonks and I have been very curious about what happened at the Ministry.” Hermione stared at them blankly for nearly a full minute before her eyes widened. “My questions?” Tonks snorted and looked to Remus as she pointed at Hermione. “Apparently they were really important questions since she remembers them so clearly.” “It was about Ginny, mostly, anyway,” Hermione explained. “I wanted to know because she’s likely to be suspected as a spy soon. Since we can’t get to her, as the house is unplottable, I wanted to know what would happen when they turned on her. Unfortunately we won’t know if that happens.” Tonks reached for her necklace and toyed with it as she asked, “What about the questions about the Muggles?” Hermione turned a bit pink. “Curiosity.” “And the night that James and Lily were killed?” Remus asked softly. Hermione leaned towards him, very earnestly, and said, “I could tell you that, but then I’d have to kill you.” Then she looked at Harry with a giddy grin and confided, “I’ve always wanted to say that.” They all stared at her, stunned. “What?” Harry finally managed. She sighed and shook her head. “Never mind, obviously I’m the only one who watched Muggle television.” The door to the kitchen burst open and Ron barreled in. “Hermione, I-” he froze at the sight of Remus and Tonks at the table. “Uh, hello… oh I see you found a Pensieve.” “Yes and we’ve got to go, I’m afraid. We’re late for lunch with Nymphadora’s parents,” Remus stood and pulled out her chair for her, which she promptly tripped over. “Be safe, you three.” “Yeah,” Tonks chimed in as she righted herself. “I won’t even begin to tell you to be good.” With a wave, they left through the kitchen door and out into the cold December afternoon. Harry handed the instructions over to Hermione and hefted the Pensieve. It must have weighed at least four stone but he firmly held onto it as he made his way towards the stairs. “It says here,” Hermione began reading as she followed Harry up the stairs. “That all you have to do is concentrate on the memory and it will come out as a silver strand which you will transfer to the Pensieve.” “Right,” Harry huffed. “Ron, your turn before I drop it.” Ron climbed past Hermione and took it from him, groaning under its weight and awkward shape. “This damn thing weighs a bleeding ton!” “Ron!” Hermione shushed him reprovingly. “Watch your language.” “I’ll stop swearing,” Ron panted, “If you carry this up the stairs.” She shook her head and Harry watched her roll her eyes. “Don’t be silly, we need the thing in one piece.” They managed to get it up to Harry’s room and he secured the door as Hermione opened the flask and poured a shimmering liquid into the basin. “That’s not as full as Dumbledore’s,” Harry told her as he sat down on the floor to look at it. “I’m sure there was more in his.” “I believe that it gets more full as thoughts are stored in it,” Hermione explained as Ron sat down with them. “Are you ready for this, Harry?” Was he ready to relive his parents’ death? “No,” he answered honestly. “But let’s do it anyway and get it over with.” Ron clapped him on the shoulder. “We’ll be with you the whole time, mate.” “Thanks,” Harry murmured, sticking his wand to his temple. He closed his eyes and thought back to a memory that he knew was in his mind but that he hadn’t relived in a long time. Tendrils, like fingers, worked their way through his brain, tickling along a path that Harry wasn’t consciously aware of. Suddenly, he just knew he had the right one and he pulled his wand away, pulling at the fiber like a thread of hair. He touched his wand to the shimmering surface and the memory transferred into the Pensieve. The three friends watched it swirl around, almost afraid to break the silence. Finally, Harry asked, “How do we get out again?” “You decide to leave and it takes you out,” Hermione said calmly as she watched the hypnotic movements. “I’m ready if you are.” “Okay,” Harry said as he took a deep breath and plunged his face into his own memory. He found himself standing in a darkened nursery, staring at his baby self who was sitting in a cot along the back wall. Within seconds his best friends were standing with him in the room. Hermione let out a happy sigh and walked over to the cot. “Oh Harry! You were so adorable!” His baby self completely ignored them and picked up a rattle that he promptly shoved in his mouth. “Makes me wonder what happened,” Ron added with a short jab of his elbow into Harry’s side. Harry smiled weakly at Ron, thankful that his friend was trying to distract him from what they were about to see. Harry tensed as he heard a muffled voice outside the door. “Do you think he’s asleep?” It was a man’s voice, rumbling low. “Shhh!” A woman reprimanded. “He won’t be if you don’t keep it down.” A pause and then, “I think he enjoyed the candy.” “Of course he did, James!” The voice that Harry recognized as his mother’s said reproachfully. “What baby wouldn’t want sweets? Honestly, did you have to give him that licorice wand, though?” “He liked it!” James argued with amusement in his tone. Harry was transfixed on the voices, soaking them in while his baby self crawled across the cot to pick up a small bear, which he then dragged back to the corner. He perked up to listen to his parents ever so often, but for the most part continued to play silently. Lily laughed and they heard her lightly smack her husband who chuckled appreciatively. “I love you,” he said affectionately before they heard them kissing. “Marrying you was the second best thing I ever did.” “Second best?” Lily asked with mock indignation. “I’m only second best?” “Yeah,” James’ voice was now thick with emotion. “Sorry love, but having Harry topped our wedding day.” Lily sniffed loudly. “Oh you! You’re such a softy when you let yourself go and yes, the day he was born was the best day of my life.” “Well, can’t let Sirius know I’ve gone soft,” James told her. “So when are we going to give Harry a sister? I’m keen on having that big family.” Harry could almost hear his mother roll her eyes even as he wished he could sink through the floor. “You’re keen on making those babies.” “So? My wife is gorgeous and sexy. What’s wrong with wanting her?” Lily snorted indignantly. “Your wife hasn’t lost all the weight from having the first one yet.” “Gorgeous,” James repeated firmly. “Seriously, Lils… I want another baby.” For a long moment they all waited silently for her to respond. “Okay.” Harry had shared a tent with Ron and Hermione long enough to know that more kissing was happening behind that door but it stopped abruptly with a loud BANG!” “What was that?” Lily asked with concern. “Sirius has gone into-” “Shh!” James ordered and he heard his parents walk down the hall. “Lily, take Harry and go! It’s him! Go! Run! I’ll hold him off-” Harry watched transfixed as Lily stumbled into the room, terror on her face as she raced over to the cot. His baby self was still chewing on a toy and not paying any attention to his surroundings. In fact Harry realized that the cot was turned in such a way that he couldn’t really see his mother entering. A cackle of high-pitched laughter followed her as the door burst open again and Hermione gasped, shrinking backwards into Ron who put his arms on her arms to steady her. Voldemort, nearly as Harry remembered him only slightly more human, stood framed in the doorway. His mother stood with her arms spread in front of his cot, completely terrified. “Not Harry, not Harry, please not Harry!” It took all he had not to jump in and fight this memory. “Stand aside you silly girl … stand aside now.” Voldemort ordered coldly, raising his wand to her. “Not Harry, please no, take me, kill me instead-” Lily pleaded and he heard his baby self begin to cry. “Not Harry! Please … have mercy … have mercy…” Voldemort’s shrill laughter echoed around the room as his mother screamed. “Avada Kedavra!” The snake-like man moved quietly along the floor and knelt beside his dead mother. Once again, Harry nearly lost what little control he possessed and leapt on the man. “Oh yes, the symbolism of it is too great to pass up.” He held up a piece of jewelry that wasn’t quite in focus. Hermione tentatively moved in until she was kneeling next to him, watching what he did next. Unfortunately because baby Harry couldn’t see the item through his tears there was no real form to it. He set whatever it was on Lily’s chest and pointed his wand at it before saying “Emulgeo Aevum Edo Concedo.” The item glowed brightly as Voldemort stood and turned to the crying baby. The entire process had only taken thirty seconds, but to Harry it seemed like an eternity. He raised his wand and uttered the fateful words with such hate that it made Harry cringe inwardly, “Avada Kedavra!” A blinding green light filled the room and everything went black. “Harry?” Hermione walked over to him and took his hand. “Come on.” He felt them raising back out of the Pensieve as a low buzzing filled his ears. His parents had wanted another child… they had said that he was the best thing to happen to him… they had loved each other so much… they had loved him. Two arms went around his neck, startling him from his reverie. “Oh Harry,” Hermione whispered as she held onto him. “I wish Ginny was here.” So did he, although he wasn’t about to admit it out loud. “What could Ginny do?” Ron asked in confusion as he sat next to them. Hermione kept one arm around Harry’s shoulder as she settled herself next to him. “She’s the one who he needs to hug him, not me.” It was such an astute observation. One that shouldn’t have surprised him from Hermione, but it had. “You’re not bad,” Harry said lightly, trying to keep his head from reeling with what he had just learned. “I know, but it isn’t the same,” she consoled him softly. “It was horrible to watch and the fact is that you lived it, and just relived it.” “At least I know what happened, now,” Harry mumbled. “Before it was only sounds and not pictures. I’m surprised that it was as clear as it was.” Hermione frowned slightly, puzzling this out. “The human brain is a powerful and amazing tool. Your baby self knew what your mother looked like and knew how the room was decorated but also, just before he tried to kill you, you saw Voldemort. Your brain filled in the missing pieces.” “Except for that golden thing he put on your mum’s chest. That was all blurry,” Ron added. “Is that… was he making a Horcrux?” “I think so,” Hermione said bracingly. “I couldn’t make out the exact words that he was saying but it makes sense.” Ron snorted and leaned back against his hands. “Nothing he does makes any sense. I thought he’d want to make a Horcrux from Harry’s death.” “Harry’s not dead and who’s to say he wasn’t going to?” Hermione reminded her boyfriend. “He still made another Horcrux after his rebirth.” Harry could barely follow their conversation. His parents’ conversation kept replaying itself in the back of his mind, over and over again. His heart pounded violently in his chest as visions of the life that they had lost flashed before his eyes. He knew that they had been in hiding because of him, but it seemed like his mum and dad were going on with life. They hadn’t been unhappy about leaving the world behind and being together. A wave of longing washed over him and rocked him to his core. Harry closed his eyes and tried to suppress the images of himself and Ginny in the same position… …talking outside of their child’s door… planning their family… holding each other… Despite the danger they had stayed together, stuck through it, even through death. “Harry?” He shook his head and kept his eyes closed, afraid that he would cry like a baby if he opened them. “Come on,” he heard Ron say before he felt Hermione stand up. “We’ll go down and make some tea, bring it back up here.” Harry nodded, keeping his head down until he heard the door shut. Slowly several tears pushed their way past his eyelids to fall into his lap. He wasn’t a master Occlumens and he dreamed about Ginny every night. He’d broken up with her and she’d run off to spy for the Order, probably because she cared about him. He could have been with her this entire time. He could have convinced the Weasleys to put the Burrow under the Fidelius Charm sooner and unlike with his parents, Charlie wasn’t going to betray them. If he’d continued to date Ginny then she might have stayed in the safety of her parents’ house. Harry let out a snort at how ridiculous he was being. There was no way that Ginny would have waited patiently at home for him. She was not a ‘sit quietly and knit type’ of girl. He ran a fist over his eyes, removing the last vestiges of his tears from his face. The door opened slowly and his two friends poked their heads in, carrying teacups in their hands. Ron silently handed him a cup and sat down with him. For several minutes they just waited in the quiet of the room as the sun lowered, causing darkening beams to chase through the room, bouncing off the walls. “I have a theory about the Horcrux that he made that night,” Hermione whispered, startling Harry out of his stupor. “What’s that?” He asked before taking another drink of his tea. Several hot drops splashed out and onto his pants because his hand was shaking badly. She reached over and lowered his hand, holding him steady. “I think it was that lily necklace that you found at your house in Godric’s Hollow.” Harry shook his head, setting the cup down as he did. “No, that’s just a necklace. Anyway, I thought it looked larger than the lily.” Her face was sympathetic which only further angered Harry. “It isn’t the same one!” Hermione’s expression didn’t change. “It won’t hurt to examine it.” It would hurt, a lot. It was the only thing he had left of her and he’d been wearing it constantly since that night. After having just watched her die, again, he wasn’t in the mood to discuss it. “No.” “Mate,” Ron stepped into the argument, putting a hand on his shoulder. Harry knew he was being childish so he nodded once. He took the necklace off and handed it to her. He stood quickly and walked out of the room. If he’d been wearing a Horcrux, he didn’t want to know it just then. |
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