Hi everyone. This is the next installment. I would just like to say a big thank you to Arnel who has agreed to beta the remainder of this story for me with the aim of hopefully making this story even more enjoyable to read.
Thanks for all of your reviews so far, I love reading and replying to every one, so keep them coming!
Hope you enjoy.
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Category: Alternate Universe, Post-DH/AB Characters:All Genres: Action/Adventure, Angst, Drama, Romance Warnings: Disturbing Imagery, Mild Language, Negative Alcohol Use Rating: PG-13 Reviews: 154 Summary: Harry Potter awakes from a coma into a new world built on foundations of lies and deceit. What happened to him? And why have his friends and family turned on him? Harry Potter may have won The War, but can he win his life back? Hitcount: Story Total: 64294; Chapter Total: 4148 Awards: View Trophy Room Author's Notes: |
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A week had passed since Harry’s visit to The Burrow, with things being the same as the week before. Harry trained daily with Edward while Sirius tried to dig up evidence, with varying degrees of success. After the visit Harry figured he could do two things, either wallow in self-pity and hatred towards Snidefish, or train as hard as he could in order to be able do magic again and help Sirius in his quest for evidence. He chose the second option. Edward was pleasantly surprised by the fantastic progress Harry had been making all week, both physically and mentally. Not only was Harry close to his original strength and fitness levels, but his mental capabilities were returning, too. He could focus much better on the tasks at hand, and the time it took him to solve mental problems was shortening. There was only one thing Harry could not improve on: magic. Each day Harry was asked to do the same simple tasks, and each day he failed. This worried both Harry and Edward greatly. The doctor was no longer able to provide reasons for his failings. He had never seen it take someone so long to recover at least some of their magical potency. They had tried everything they could, from different spells to different wands. Nothing was working. One Friday afternoon, almost two weeks after Harry’s visit to The Burrow, Harry had had enough. He couldn’t take the repeated failure, day after day. He couldn’t take the sympathetic looks he received from Edward and Sirius. He needed to get away, out of the house. He needed a walk. “I can’t, Edward,” he said to the doctor after a fifth failed attempt at ‘Alohomora!’ “I need to stop for today.” Edward sighed. “I understand, Harry. We’ll pick it up tomorrow.” “Thanks,” Harry muttered, stepping out of that blasted living room before he lost his cool. “Sirius?” he called. “I’m in the kitchen,” he heard his godfather call back. Walking into the kitchen, he saw Sirius pouring over piles of papers laid out on the kitchen table. Looking over his godfather’s shoulder, he saw sworn affidavits and statements from lots of people, most he had never heard of. “Wow,” Harry said, impressed. “Is this all of the evidence you’ve gathered?” Sirius nodded, his eyes still on the papers in front of him. “Yep. We have sworn statements from Robards and three other Aurors who have witnessed acts of brutality by Aery’s henchmen. We also have two victims of such brutality willing to step forward, but they are proving harder to persuade because they’re afraid they’ll be found out and punished, which, in all honesty, could easily happen. All of my background digging won’t go unnoticed for long. One of his little spies, whom he has dotted both inside and outside the Ministry, is bound to hear of my questioning eventually I’m just hoping to have enough evidence gathered at that point that it won’t matter whether Snidefish knows I’m after him or not.” Harry nodded his understanding. “So how are you persuading these people?” “Well, I have my own friends in the Ministry who have helped me locate people and ease their fears about coming forward. Other times, I hint that I have a big piece of evidence that will make sure Snidefish is gone for good.” “And what is this big piece of evidence?” “You. Although I get literally tongue-tied whenever I think about revealing what happened to you due to Snidefish’s spell, the spell doesn’t stop me hinting towards your case. I just tell people I have evidence of potential kidnap and blackmail, both of which are essentially what happened to you. Once I mention that, they are more willing to step forward as they know they are not the main source of evidence against Aerys, and therefore won’t be Aerys’ main target should he find out about this.” “You’ve got things pretty well planned out, don’t you?” Sirius nodded, looking up at Harry. “Yes, but I need more. Brutality by his personal guard isn’t enough.” “Like what?” Harry asked. Sirius sighed. “I dunno yet.” When he saw Harry getting disheartened, Sirius changed the subject. “So, why have you finished training early today?” he asked. “I just need a break from it,” Harry replied. “I hate being stuck in this house all day every day. Would it be okay if I went for a walk? Just a quick one!” Harry hastened to add as Sirius looked sceptical. Sirius shook his head. “Sorry, son. I understand your frustration, trust me, I really do. But it’s just too dangerous to go about walking in daylight. Someone is bound to recognise you. We don’t want to draw attention to ourselves, especially when the whole wizarding world still thinks you’re living in America.” “Change my appearance then,” Harry reasoned. “Transfigure my face so I look unrecognisable.” Sirius looked reluctant. “Please, Sirius?! I really need to get out. Just a quick walk. Please?” Sirius’ expression softened. “Oh, alright, then. But only for an hour! Any longer and I’ll come looking for you. And you’re to bring your Invisibility Cloak as well.” Harry nodded eagerly, happy to just be getting out of the house. “C’mere and let’s change you.” Harry nodded, then grimaced at the strange, slightly uncomfortable feeling of having his noise lengthened and his eye and hair colour changed. “There,” Sirius said, admiring his handiwork. “All done.” Harry grinned at his reflection on the back of a spoon. He looked completely different with his long nose, his blue eyes and his blonde hair. “Thanks, Sirius,” he said, hugging his godfather before grabbing his coat and heading out of the kitchen. “Don’t forget the Invisibility Cloak!” Sirius called. Harry grabbed the Cloak before heading out of the front door. He took a deep breath of fresh air as he strolled down the steps onto the street below. It was another beautiful summer’s day with temperatures in the mid-twenties. Harry smiled as he headed down the road. He fancied a wander into Muggle London, it was only a fifteen minute walk from Grimmauld Place. He thought about non-consequential things as he walked, purposefully avoiding thoughts that had bogged him down during the last two weeks. He felt fitter and more energetic than before; obviously one aspect of his training was working as it was supposed to. Harry turned his focus to where he was going as he walked deeper into Muggle London. It was busy with shop-goers and tourists, all walking around with smiles on their faces as they enjoyed the summer sun. He fancied buying himself something to cheer him up. He had twenty pounds to spend so he headed to the main commercial district on Oxford Street. He allowed his mind to wander as he looked from shop window to shop window until he found a shop selling half-price sunglasses. He grabbed a pair of cheap-looking fake aviators and smirked at his reflection. He looked ridiculous, but he couldn’t help himself. Walking back onto the main street, his eyes now thoroughly protected from the sun, he caught something out of the corner of his eye that not even sunglasses could dull: a young woman with a head of long, shining red hair walking down the path on the opposite side of the road. ‘It can’t be!’ Harry thought to himself. Quickly checking for cars, Harry rushed across the road in order to get behind the woman. Harry took in her appearance as she walked a few paces in front of him. The long, shimmering red hair that reached the middle of her back, her small, petite stature and the hypnotic sway of her hips as she walked that Harry would never be able to forget. It was Ginny alright. Without a second thought, Harry decided to follow her. Maybe he’d see this Ross bloke. ‘So I can beat him to a bloody pulp,’ he thought in a fit of temper. Erasing the violence from his mind, he followed behind Ginny, always keeping a healthy distance between them. He was sure Ginny would not take kindly to being stalked. After ten minutes of walking, Harry was about to decide to call it a day when Ginny suddenly turned right into a small café. With only a moment’s hesitation, Harry went in behind her and chose a table close to the one Ginny was approaching. Harry looked up from his seat just in time to see Ginny greet another girl with long, bushy brown hair with a hug. Harry’s heart gave a jolt as he realised who it was. It was Hermione. Harry took in her appearance. She hadn’t changed one bit over the years, her hair still as bushy as ever. The only difference Harry noticed was how happy she looked. Harry had obviously seen her happy before, but not like this. She was positively glowing. Harry was pleased for his friend. Things were obviously going well with Ron. Neither girl paid Harry any attention as they greeted each other and chatted animatedly about their day. A waitress approached him and Harry ordered himself a sandwich before turning his attention back to the girls, trying to hear their conversation. “So, Ginny, how have you been? It’s been so long since I last saw you!” Hermione gushed. “I’ve been really well, Hermione. I just had a training session with the girls this morning.” ‘Training session?’ Harry wondered to himself. “It went really well!” Ginny continued. “I think Gwenog is finally starting to take notice!” ‘Gwenog? Gwenog Jones!? Ginny is playing for the Harpies!’ Harry stared in awe at Ginny and he couldn’t help being filled with pride. Hermione beamed proudly at her friend. “That’s brilliant! About time! I don’t know much about Quidditch, but from what Ron has told me, you’re the real deal. He’s really proud of you, y’know, not that’ll he’ll ever admit it.” Ginny smiled. “I know he is.” “How’s the column coming along?” Hermione asked. ‘Column?’ Harry thought to himself. ‘She’s writing columns too? Ginny has sure done well for herself.’ Ginny grimaced guiltily. “Technically I haven’t started it yet.” Hermione placed her hands on her hips in typical Hermione fashion. “Ginny,” she warned, “You have to focus. You were very lucky to land that job and you know you were, so don’t throw it away. If you work hard at this and really focus, you could end up writing for the Daily Prophet one day, when your playing days are over.” Ginny raised her hands in defeat. “I know, Hermione, I know. I’m sorry. I’ll get started on it right when I get home.” Seemingly appeased, Hermione nodded her approval. “So how have you and Ron been?” Ginny asked. “It’s been ages since you’ve visited The Burrow, as Mum likes to remind me every five minutes.” “Oh, I know!” Hermione said, apologetically. “It’s just that Ron and I have been so busy recently. Professor Crowden is pushing us ever so hard in the Lab to try and find a cure for that Silver-blood disease, you know the disease that has been killing off all of our unicorns?” Ginny nodded “And Ron,” Hermione continued, “Has really been impressing Robards at work.” Hermione swelled with obvious pride as she said this. “He’s just been handed an important mission that he’s in charge of. It is so top secret he even won’t tell me what it’s about.” ‘So Ron is an Auror,’ Harry pondered. He was impressed. By the looks of it, so was Ginny. “Wow. He must be doing very well, if Robards trusts him so much.” Hermione smiled. “He’s doing brilliantly. I worry about him, though. He’s working so hard, such long hours that I barely see him anymore. We haven’t been able to do any more planning for the wedding!” “None at all?” Ginny asked. Hermione shook her head worriedly, panic flashing across her face. Ginny grasped her friend’s hands. “Don’t worry, Hermione. You still have time. The wedding is over two months away. What do you have left to organise?” “I still have to organise the flowers, the ring bearer and the bridesmaid’s dresses.” “Well, Fleur will organise the flowers in a jiffy. She knows excellent florists over in France. As for the dresses, Ciara and I can come over to Shell Cottage next weekend and sort them out. Last I remember we had narrowed our choices down to five?” ‘Who is Ciara?’ Harry wondered. Hermione nodded. “As for your ring bearer,” Ginny continued, “You could ask any of my brothers, apart from George of course, since he’s a groomsman. Or you could ask Bill whether little Frederick could be your ring bearer.” “Aww, that would be adorable,” Hermione gushed, imagining the little blonde two year old walking down the aisle in a mini tuxedo. “I might do that.” Ginny giggled. “He might need a little help walking down the aisle though. He can walk just fine, but he struggles with carrying and walking at the same time.” Hermione laughed and looked visibly calmer. Harry had always marvelled at Ginny’s way of putting people at ease. “So is there anything else that needs organising?” Ginny asked. “Just…well, Ron needs to pick a best man.” There was silence between the two of them. “He needs to make up his mind, Hermione.” “I know,” Hermione said. “It’s just…whenever we imagined our wedding, it was always with Harry as our best man.” Harry’s heart froze at the mention of his name, and the obvious hurt in Hermione’s voice as she said it. Harry heard Ginny sigh in what sounded like frustration. “Look, Hermione. He’s gone, okay? He’s not coming back. We need…we need to forget about him.” Hermione sniffed and wiped a tear that had been welling up in her eye. “I know. You’re right.” Harry shut his eyes as pain erupted in his heart and his stomach sank. They wanted to forget about him. They had all moved on with their lives, all had new friends and fantastic jobs. Thinking about him only brought them anger and pain. Hermione and Ginny continued to talk about bridesmaid dresses, but Harry had heard enough. He left a pile of his Muggle money on the table that more than covered the cost of his sandwich, left the café and began walking aimlessly down the busy street, his heart heavy and his thoughts dark. At first, Harry had been relieved to find himself alive, and delighted at being reunited with Sirius in Grimmauld Place. But he had never imagined his life would be like this. He felt useless and hopeless. His life lacked meaning. What could he hope to achieve in life with no magic, no family and no friends? It’s not like he could just go back to being a Muggle, with no Muggle education or degree. His mind wandered to Mrs. Figg, the lonely old woman who lived near the Dursley’s. Harry had found out she was a Squib in his fifth year after the Dementor attack in Little Whinging. What did she do with her life? Feed her cats? Harry shook his head. He didn’t fancy that existence. For the first time since leaving the café, Harry took note of his surroundings. He was in a part of Muggle London he didn’t recognise, full of small takeaway restaurants and dingy looking pubs. Looking along the horizon Harry noticed that the sun was beginning to set, but he didn’t want to go home, not yet. He glanced at the pub nearest him. It was small and rather dirty, with green moss growing in lines on the grey walls where water dripped down from a broken drainpipe on the roof. Shrugging his shoulders, Harry decided to go inside. It was even smaller on the inside than it looked on the outside, with a solitary bar accompanied with six or seven bar stools and three dimly lit booths lining the walls. Harry figured that the pub would struggle to hold any more than twenty people at a given time. Looking at the state of the place, however, Harry doubted the owner ever had to worry about capacity crowds. It was filthy, with dust on the ground, large cobwebs in every corner, and the distinct stench of urine emanating from the nearby bathroom. Harry took a seat on the bar stool closest to him and made eye contact with the grubby looking barman. “What do you want?” the barman barked. Harry, having never been to a Muggle bar before, hadn’t a clue what to ask for. “Eh, a beer please?” The barman raised his eyebrows at him. “What kind?” “Eh…the cheapest…please.” As the barman prepared Harry’s order, the young wizard had a look around. There were only two others in the pub. There was a man, middle aged and balding staring blankly at a football match playing on the small telly located on the other side of the bar sipping idly at a pint, and another man sitting at one of the booths surrounded by a number of empty pint glasses and muttering to himself. Harry turned back around to see his pint in front of him. Taking a sip, he could see why it was the cheapest beer, it was incredibly watery and the taste matched the smell that still emanated from the bathroom nearby. As he drank, Harry’s mind wandered back to his years at Hogwarts, the friends he made and the adventures he had. He couldn’t help but wonder what his other friends were up to, the likes of Seamus, Neville and Luna. Thinking of them made him realise how much he missed them and he couldn’t help but worry about what they must think of him now after all of the lies that had been printed about him over the years. Harry ordered another drink as his mind turned to Ginny. He had only seen brief glimpses of her since he had awoken, but he was still as in love with her now as he was three years ago, that was for sure. Her radiant red hair, her expressive brown eyes, her freckle-dotted, beautiful face, and the curvature of her petite body were as attractive and appealing to him as ever. But it was never how she looked that mattered to Harry, although that was an added bonus. It was her bubbly and kind personality, her fierce loyalty and her ability to turn any frown upside down in a matter of moments. He loved being in her company…he loved her. There was no other girl for him, he knew that. Therefore, the thought of her in another man’s arms made him sick to the stomach. Who was this Ross bloke? Harry grumbled to himself, finished his drink and ordered another. Why couldn’t Ginny’s over-protective brothers jump into action and kick Ross to the curb? ‘Because she would hex them to high heaven if they did,’ Harry thought to himself, smiling at the thought. Harry ordered himself another beer when two men wearing official looking cloaks walked into the pub and sat at the bar just a few seats away from them. At first Harry paid them no attention as he was too deep in thought; however, soon he found himself staring at them. They were wizards, which he should have picked up immediately as Muggles don’t wear cloaks. One was tall and well-built with brown hair and a thick, bushy beard. The other was smaller but no less bulky, with dark skin and a foreign sounding accent that Harry couldn’t place. They were also Ministry workers, and high-ranking ones at that according to the emblem emblazoned on each of their expensive looking cloaks. ‘What are Ministry workers doing visiting a Muggle pub so far from the Ministry?’ Harry thought to himself. Ordering himself another beer, Harry decided to listen in on their conversation. “I’m sick of this, Sam,” the bearded man said. “How long has it been, a month?” “Longer,” the dark-skinned man, apparently named Sam, said. “Exactly, and there has been no sign of either of them, or that bloody doctor fella. Someone ought to have a word with the boss, tell him to call it off.” Sam chuckled. “And who would be brave enough to do that? Exactly, no one. We will be searching until they’ve been found. Snidefish will have it no other way.” Harry’s stomach lurched. ‘Snidefish! These guys are some of Snidefish’s personal guard. They’re out here looking for me! I’ve got to get out of here.’ Harry threw down his remaining ten pound note, hoping it would cover the cost of the beers and made to stand when he felt an odd sensation at the crown of his head. Harry stood still in confusion as the sensation travelled down his face, creating a burning sensation in his eyes and his nose…his nose felt like it was shrinking! Then it dawned on him. Sirius’ transfiguration spell was wearing off! Any moment now and he was going to look like ordinary Harry. Panicking now, Harry grabbed his jacket and dashed for the door when he heard a shout from the barman. “Oi! You! Yeah you at the door. You haven’t paid enough money.” Everyone in the pub turned to face Harry, including the Ministry workers. They stared at him in open shock for a matter of seconds as Harry stared back in horror. Judging by the two men’s reactions the transformation was complete. Harry looked like Harry again. Harry turned in a flash and bolted out of the door onto the street as a Stunning Spell flew straight over his head. His face was blasted with a cool breeze as he dashed outside. The sun had completely set now, and all that lit the streets were dimly lit street lamps. He glanced around, not knowing what direction to run in before choosing one at random and sprinting down the street, not daring to look back towards the two men who he could hear were chasing after him. Harry continued to run at full pelt while fumbling with his jacket pocket where he had stuffed his Invisibility Cloak. He couldn’t put it on while running, but if he stopped they would catch him for sure. Spotting a dark alleyway just ahead of him he darted into it and immediately set about putting the cloak on. “C’mon, c’mon,” Harry urged out loud as he tried to tug it out of his pocket but it kept getting caught on his zip. Finally he pulled it free and through it over him just as the two men turned into the alley. “Shit!” the bearded one exclaimed. “Where’s he gone? Did he Disapparate?” Sam shook his head. “No,” he puffed out as he tried to catch his breath. “I would’ve heard the crack. He’s here somewhere. Spread out and get searching or Snidefish will have our heads for this.” Harry tiptoed around the two men as quietly as he could before he was out onto the main road. He released a breath he didn’t know he had been holding. That was too close, much too close. Harry walked as quickly as he could under the cloak, going straight home. “Where have you been!?” Sirius shouted as Harry closed the front door behind himself and pulled off the cloak. Harry didn’t answer but raised shaking hands to his face. The close call had scared him. Sirius sniffed the air around Harry. “Have you been drinking?” Then he took in his godson’s pale and shaking appearance. “Harry, what happened?” Harry explained everything that had happened in Muggle London from seeing Ginny and Hermione in the café to Snidefish’s henchmen in the pub. “Oh, this is not good,” Sirius said. “What the hell were you thinking staying out so long? I nearly sent Robards out looking for you. And a Muggle pub? Do you know how stupid you’ve been? You could’ve have been caught, Harry!” “I know, I know,” Harry said solemnly. “I’m sorry.” “Sorry?!” Sirius exclaimed incredulously. “What good is being sorry? You do realise that Snidefish is going to double his efforts to try and find us now. Are you sure you weren’t followed here?” Harry nodded. “I wore the cloak and took a long route home. No one was following me.” Sirius led Harry into the kitchen and sat opposite him at the table, his temper eased somewhat. “What were you doing in a Muggle pub, Harry?” He asked after a few minutes of silence. “Why didn’t you come straight home?” Harry explained what he had overheard Ginny and Hermione saying about him and Sirius’ demeanour changed, his eyes filling with sympathy for his godson. “Oh, Harry. I know how difficult this is for you.” Harry merely nodded. He felt drained. “You’ll get your life back again, I promise. Actually, I have good news in that regard.” “Really?” Sirius nodded. “I’ll tell you about it tomorrow, but it turns out the Snidefish family fortune may not be as legitimately earned as first thought.” “Another piece in the jigsaw.” “Exactly,” Sirius said. “We’ll get him, Harry.” Harry nodded and headed upstairs, the hopeless pit that had been resting in his stomach all day slightly alleviated. He had to believe they were going bring Snidefish down. He wasn’t helping anybody by wallowing in despair or taking stupid risks, least of all himself. He needed to change, he needed to focus. Harry closed his eyes and for the first time this week he didn’t cry himself to sleep. He would not allow himself to be sad any longer, not until Snidefish was locked up or was six feet under. |
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