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It's A Wonderful...Potter | ||||
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Category: Alternate Universe, Post-HBP, Holidays Characters:Harry/Ginny, Other Genres: Crossover, Fluff Warnings: None Story is Complete Rating: G Reviews: 11 Summary: It's Christmas time at Hogwarts...and Bedford Falls, New York...with Harry, Ginny, another George and another Potter. A follow-on from Love, Secrets, And Organized Elves. Hitcount: Story Total: 4988 Disclaimer: Harry Potter Publishing Rights © J.K.R. Note the opinions in this story are my own and in no way represent the owners of this site. This story subject to copyright law under transformative use. No compensation is made for this work. |
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By Spenser Hemmingway “Strange, isn't it? Each man's life touches so many other lives. When he isn't around he leaves an awful hole, doesn't he?” –-Clarence Oddbody, It’s a Wonderful Life Harry and Ginny were finally able to break away from the Gryffindor Christmas celebration. As wonderful as the day had been, the desire for a bit of privacy prompted the two to once again find a hiding place where they could spend a few guarded moments together. The secret of their relationship had been greatly strained over the holiday. Still, they had to continue with the deception as best they could in the hope that they could somehow ensure Ginny’s safety. Over the past months, Harry had come to the conclusion that he and Ginny absolutely belonged together. She had more than proven herself a number of times, and Harry knew that even if they were apart, her safety, as well as that of all the Weasleys, could not be guaranteed. For more than any other reason, his return to Hogwarts that year had been to be with her. Voldemort may have already known about Ginny’s place in his life, but not wanting to tempt fate, and just in case he didn’t, they had decided to pretend to be little more than classmates. Ensuring that the portrait of the Fat Lady had sealed itself behind them, the two quickly scanned the hallway for anyone who might observe them together. Harry pulled out the Marauders’ Map, and a quick examination confirmed their observations. With the map in hand, the two slowly made their way across the castle toward that night’s hiding place…the Room of Requirements. Twice they had to take cover at the approach of instructors, and once again when they almost ran headlong into a small group of Slytherin students. Harry was now kicking himself for their haste and not bothering to obtain his cloak of invisibility before they left. One last glance at the map showed them that there were no footprints in the desired hallway, at least for the moment. Turning the corner, they were pleased to find the room’s doorway waiting for them already. They just needed to get into the room and out of sight. “What do you think will be inside Harry?” Ginny asked. She realized that she was holding his hand despite the implied significance it would have if anyone did see them. “I don’t know. Maybe it will be decorated for Christmas the way the castle is,” he said. Harry deactivated the map, and then returned it to his pocket. After one final glance behind them, he reached for the door handle, but pulled his hand away quickly when it began to glow at his touch. “What was it Harry? It’s never done that before.” “I don’t know,” he answered, but at the same time he had a sense of absolute peace wash over him, telling him somehow that this was not a bad thing. Looking at Ginny, he saw she was feeling the same thing. He reached out again for the handle, only to see the door begin to open for them of its own volition. Inside was a clear white fog that enveloped everything within from floor to ceiling. The entire room seemed to be illuminated by some strange light, and, despite the mystery of what they were seeing, there was no fear or hesitation in their decision. Rarely had either of them felt more sure of the need to act than when they blindly stepped into the room and the wintry-white cloud it encased. For a full minute, they felt their way through the fog, hoping not to trip over anything, and aware that the room was becoming darker and much colder. They also saw that the mist was beginning to dissipate, revealing…snow. They emerged onto what seemed to be a Muggle city street, but something about it was completely wrong. Everything they saw appeared to be antique. The automobiles that lined the street were extremely old, but in good condition, and they reminded Harry of those he had seen in an old black-and-white motion picture he had secretly watched at the Dursleys’. Glancing at one of the license plates, he was stunned to see both the words New York, and the year nineteen forty-five . “Where are we? What’s happening here?” Harry asked to no one in particular, knowing that Ginny was as much in the dark as he was. All indications of their being in the Room of Requirements were gone. “I don’t think we’re at Hogwarts anymore.” “You’re not,” a voice said from behind them. Harry and Ginny instantly had their wands out, as they spun to see who had spoken. “Welcome to Bedford Falls, New York folks.” Before them stood a young man, no older than Harry, and wearing a long gray coat, a matching scarf, and a battered fedora hat. His features were fairly nondescript, and neither of them recognized him. Still, that grin on his face as he stood before them seemed to remind them both of someone. Harry and Ginny were far too experienced now to merely trust such a stranger, but they could not shake the content feeling they had had since entering the room. “Who are you?” Harry and Ginny said in unison, “You’re an American,” Harry finished for them. “Am I? Maybe I just want to sound like one. You won’t believe me, but I am an old friend. Yeah, I know you don’t recognize me, but I sort of asked that they change my appearance for this job. I’m not supposed to tell you what happens in the future, and it might be a dead giveaway if you knew who I was. All I can say is that the next several months are going to be…interesting.” Harry strained in his mind to decide who this might be. He had met a quite few Americans over the past year, and some unpleasant interactions with a number of them told him that he needed to be cautious. “Why should we trust you?” he finally asked. “Oh boy…well, how do I convince you we’re friends. Okay…the two of you decided that you wanted to be together again during your trip last summer. Yesterday Harry, you visited Santa’s workshop where you were nearly killed by your best friend and a reindeer. Ginny, shortly after you returned to Hogwarts from that visit, you produced a very nice Christmas gift for Mr. Filch, which is actually why I was able to convince the boss to let you undertake a little job here tonight.” Harry was suddenly worried. Someone else knew about Ginny and him, but how could he know those other things as well? Why did the little voice in his head tell him to actually trust him now? “I…I don’t know why I should believe that you’re anything more than someone who is very good at spying on us. What job? Why did you bring us here?” “Are you a Wizard?” Ginny added. “Harry, Ginny, you were brought here so that you can meet some more of Harry’s family…albeit distant family. Apart from being friends, I owe you for something that you are going to do for me in the future. Ginny the story that you gave Mr. Filch is already making a huge difference in his life, and I think you both will be able to help someone else out tonight as well. To answer your last question, I’m sort of an angel, or at least what a lot of people like to refer to as one. And no, I haven’t earned my wings yet.” Harry and Ginny could only stare at the stranger…or was he really a friend as he told them. They were both confused, but something about him was so familiar that it was becoming hard to doubt his words. Before Harry had found out he was a Wizard, would any of the things he had seen these past years seem possible? “You’re dead–-a ghost?” Ginny asked then, studying him, but evidently not seeing a resemblance to any of the castle’s specters. “Yes and no. I can’t tell you how I died without giving you too much information, and I was put to work when I crossed, but not like Sir Nicholas, or your favorite History instructor. I actually have an associate down here tonight. His name is Clarence, and he’s helping…well you’ll meet them later. We need to get going.” “Wait, Ginny and I haven’t agreed to help, and what did you mean that I had family here?” “Harry, a great, great…whatever uncle of yours emigrated from England well over a hundred years before you were born. He was a squib, and his son is…was a Muggle. The rest of the story will be explained as we go. Joe…sorry boss…Joseph, we’re ready.” All at once they were standing on the main thoroughfare of the town. A large sign at one end denoted its name as Potterville, and almost all of the buildings up and down the street bore his name as well. These, however, were not the type of establishments with which Harry could ever be associated. There were pool halls, pawn shops, and a long stream of cheap-looking bars. There was one building with a fire barrel in front of it around which some men were trying to warm themselves. It had a very old sign which read Building and Loan. Harry wondered why this had caught his attention. Suddenly, a man ran past Harry, almost knocking him down, and then up to the group around the fire. Harry couldn’t make out what was being said, except that it had something to do with the building. “I see your friends have arrived.” For the second time that night, Harry and Ginny were surprised at the sudden arrival of a stranger. He appeared to be an older gentleman, with an extremely kind face. Harry immediately liked him, and, as he was standing with the first stranger, decided that he must be his aforementioned associate Clarence. “Yep, and I see that you have been busy as well. It was a great idea you two came up with.” “Well, I have to admit it was George Bailey’s suggestion. I hope that Joseph is pleased. Oh dear, well it looks as if we need to be moving on,” he said, and then to Harry, “Good luck young man.” In a wink, he was gone. “What are we seeing here?” Harry asked then in a quiet voice, “I thought you said the name of this town was Bedford Falls?” “It is. The man Clarence is helping tonight is seeing how the world would be if he had never been born. He had some serious difficulties today, the loss of a large amount of money specifically, and he has almost lost his faith. The intention here is to convince him how special his life really has been. I’m sorry, but it would take too long to tell you the whole story. You still have your own job to do.” Harry’s eyes flashed. Why was he expected to save the world again? He was having enough to deal with battling Voldemort and protecting his own friends…family. All at once though, a strange thought entered his mind. “Listen, whatever your name is, if you can do this magic, could you show me…us what the world would be like if I had never been born?” “Yeah, we’ve been anticipating that request, but it’s not really magic you’re seeing, and I can’t do anything right now without a big assist. By the way, you can call me Al. I as good a name as any. Okay, take Ginny’s hand; we’re going to give you the quick version.” Without warning, the world around them spun about as if they were in a whirlwind. It stopped as fast as it had begun, and they found themselves on what had once been the Hogwarts Quidditch field. The stands were merely charred lumber, and where once the proud castle stood, there was merely an incredibly large pile of stone and masonry. The lake was the color of tar, and the Forbidden Forest resembled a freshly mowed field. No life remained. Next, they found themselves on a hill overlooking a large Muggle village. Most of the town was on fire, and what appeared to be a large battle was raging involving Death Eaters, Wizards, and Muggles alike. The rising smoke painted a picture from Dante’s Inferno, with a sky colored brown and red. The cries of the village’s residents could be heard above the din, even at the safe distance where they stood. Harry pulled his wand to join in the fight, but he found himself once again caught in the maelstrom that was transporting them. Their next stop was in a large chamber, dark except for the sporadic torches that did little to change the room’s atmosphere. At one end sat Voldemort on an enormous throne. Beside him was his sixteen-year-old self, which caused Harry to give Ginny a quick glance. He could see the fear in her eyes, and he took a step between her and where the Dark Lord’s two forms sat. At their feet were the mutilated bodies of several people. Magic…Muggle…he couldn’t tell. He leapt away from Ginny, and tried to charge them, only to find he was moving again. They came to rest in the Burrow, or what was left of it. It had been reduced to rubble just as Hogwarts had. It was as if the house had been hit by a Muggle bomb. Long since abandoned obviously, the only sign of its ever having been occupied was a few scattered and destroyed possessions, including the remains of a once well-used cooking cauldron. Alongside of the ruins were a number of unmarked graves, and Harry shuddered to think of what must have happened to his family…to Ginny. He turned to her, and immediately saw that his request had been a serious mistake. “Al, bring us back. Bring us back now!” Before the last word had left his mouth, they were once more in the center of Potterville. The man he had seen earlier was throwing his fist into the face of an American police officer. As he ran away, the officer came to his feet, gun drawn, and leveled it at the man’s back. “Dispellum!” Harry yelled as the bullets were fired. He used the spell he had learned after his run-in with Muggle gunmen that previous summer, deflecting the bullets. It allowed the stranger to escape. Harry turned back to Ginny who rushed up to him, throwing her arms around his neck. The next instant they found themselves on the far end of a bridge as the man they had saved stood there calling something out in a loud voice. They were too far off, but it almost sounded as if he were saying he wanted to live again. The snow began to fall. A moment later, a police car pulled up and Harry was once again prepared to assist the stranger. Al was suddenly beside him, with a gentle hand on his arm to stop Harry from going forward. They still couldn’t make out what was being said, but all at once, the man hugged the policeman, and excitedly started running back the way he had come. “Good,” Al said, “that worked very well. We had better get going; it’s your turn to help out.” “Wait, what happened? We saw Hogwarts and the Burrow destroyed,” Harry stammered out. “No, you didn’t Harry,” Al told him then, “You both saw what you asked to see–-the same thing that George Bailey saw here tonight. Your world as it would have been if you hadn’t been born. Hogwarts is just as you left it back in nineteen ninety-seven. I wanted you to see Potterville, so you’ll understand when you go inside to talk to your relative.” The three of them were back in a greatly altered town square. Where it had been a dilapidated excuse for city, it was now a thriving community, with storefronts, last-minute Christmas shoppers, and a large sign that now read Bedford Falls. Al led them up to the bank entrance. “You see Harry, Mr. Henry Potter, your distant cousin, is a greedy, self-serving tyrant with little regard for the rest of humanity, but just like your British Scrooge, he wasn’t always that way. If there is any hope of bringing him back from the edge, and for some reason I believe there is, you are the one person who has a chance.” “Why would you want to do that?” Harry asked then, unconvinced to say the least, “He seems far worse than even my other relatives the Dursleys.” “Well they are another matter you may want to address someday, but for the here and now, just consider that you are his only blood relative… actually, you and the Baileys.” Ten minutes later, after an excited George Bailey rushed by, Harry and Ginny left Al, and used the Alohomora Spell to let themselves into the Muggle bank. Harry’s head was still reeling at all the explanations that he had been given. He had no idea what he was going to say to the old man, and he still wasn’t convinced that he should be doing anything. Carefully walking across the lobby to the office that Al had indicated was Old Man Potter’s, Harry could feel Ginny’s presence behind him. As had become the norm, she was in his head as well. He drew on her strength and love to help accomplish what he decided was the right thing to do. He knew that any blood relationship existing for him in this town was so distant that it hardly bore consideration, but still…family was family. “Who’s there? I have a gun. Show yourself.” The old man shouted without a twinge of fear in his voice. Here goes, Harry thought, and pushed open the door. Inside, and behind a desk, sat an elderly man with snow-white hair, and not one ounce of kindness in his facial features. This Potter would easily have been sorted to Slytherin Harry decided. Behind him, and to one side, stood another man that he decided must have been some manner of attendant. The older Potter was confined to a wheel chair. “Who are you? How did you get in here?” the old man asked. He was indeed holding a pistol. “My name is Harry Potter, and I am a distant cousin of yours.” Harry saw just the glimmer of recognition in his eyes, but the gun did not waiver. “You’re British. Harry huh? You must be my cousin’s grandson. His name was Harry as well. Yeah you look like him too,” he said, and then to the attendant, “Get out, but wait for my call if I need help.” After the man had left, Harry pulled out his wand, which caused the man to redirect the revolver toward Harry’s head. He made the weapon sail out of the elderly man’s hand, and then through an open window. “How did you do that?” “Please let me speak cousin…and please believe me, the word has been a distasteful one to me my whole life. Yours, from what I am told, will soon be ending. No, I will not be the one taking it. You will be doing that to yourself with the poison that you have sewn in the world for so many years. I have been asked as a member of your family to try to talk some sense into you.” “Bah, I don’t need my so-called family. I haven’t even seen your grandfather since we were young men. You’re just after my money like they all are.” “Actually, I am probably at least as wealthy as you are,” Harry told him then. “I also have been told all about what you were like when you were a young man. I know all about Sylvia, and how you blame George’s father…your stepbrother …for her leaving you.” Ginny thought at first that Harry had done some form of magic to the man. He was suddenly pale and jerked back his head as if he had been struck. “Leave her out of this. He did steal her away, and then dumped her for George’s mother. Sylvia’s dead now. Our own mother should never have remarried when my father died. The Baileys have been a thorn in my side my entire life.” “Sylvia is not dead,” Harry told him next, “She’s a retired school principal in a city called Albany. You drove her away when you wouldn’t believe she wasn’t in love with your stepbrother.” “I don’t believe you!” he yelled. Ginny both locked the door and placed a silencing charm on the room. “I really don’t care. A friend of ours showed us tonight how we can make an impact on the world, even when we don’t realize it. Another friend of mine…” Harry paused here at the thought of Dumbledore, “…another friend showed me that who we are is defined by the decisions we make in life. If nothing else is accomplished tonight in your town, I have been reminded of these things.” “What are you, some sort of lunatic?” “I’m a Wizard, just as your own grandfather in England was.” Harry again waved his wand, and the older Potter levitated into the air out of his chair. The man finally had a look of fear on his face. “Your Sylvia is alive!” With that Harry lowered him again. “Get out! I don’t believe you! I don’t know how you did that but take your hussy friend and get out!” Four bolts struck the wall behind the man. Harry had definitely gotten the older Potter’s attention now, either by means of his magic, or perhaps by the fierce look that he knew was on his face. Harry took a deep breath, and then lowered his wand, forcing himself to calm down. I still have to try, he thought, but how? “Harry, what if we show him his life the way the other angel did for that man?” “Ginny, I think this town would be far better off if he hadn’t been born,” Harry told her, but suddenly another idea formed in his mind, and he gave her a quick hug, “Al, we need your help.” The angel was standing there, again before he had finished speaking. “That absolutely looks so much nicer than Apparating,” Harry told him. “It is, although, at this point, I’m still doing more of a Side-Along-Apparation.” “What’s this? Another one of your so-called Wizard tricks?” the older Potter asked with scoffing tone, but with a look of fear on his face now. “Actually, I’m a guardian angel pal. What’s up Harry?” “Al, what would happen if you showed my cousin here what his life would have been like if he hadn’t turned so mean…if that girl you mentioned hadn’t left? We don’t have time for three ghosts.” “I told you…” Potter began but stopped when the wand was back in his face. “Cool Harry! What do you think Joe…seph? Uh huh, uh huh...okay. All right Potter…no not you Harry. You’re about to take a very quick trip down Memory Lane.” In the blink of an eye the angel and the miser vanished. “Harry, I have another idea,” Ginny said, walking over to a map on the wall, and then eyeing what she thought was a Muggle telephone book, “and I think I’m going to need you to show me how to do something.” Harry spent a few moments explaining the telephone to her, and that, in the current time, what she wanted to do could be accomplished by reaching a long-distance operator. It took her two tries and five minutes, but she was finally able to reach someone in the distant city. A series of questions, along with some clarification and explanations from Harry, provided Ginny with what she required. A moment later, Al returned with Potter. The old man looked as if he had in fact seen the three Dickens’ Christmas ghosts. Harry and Ginny stood in silence, staring at him, wondering what the result of their attempt would be. All at once, the man lifted himself out of the wheelchair, grabbed a pair of canes, and, with what were obviously greatly weakened legs, slowly staggered across the room toward Harry. “Who are you?” he asked. “I’m exactly who I said that I was. I’m Harry Potter.” The man just nodded, and again forced himself across the room to a roll top desk. Harry and Ginny followed, ready to catch the old man if he fell. They could see a look of great pain on his face, and somehow knew that it wasn’t just from the use of his crippled legs. Opening the desk, he withdrew an envelope and handed it to Harry. It contained what he believed to be a large amount of American money. Potter returned to his chair and collapsed into it. “I’m too old to change now. I will thank you cousin for letting me see what I did tonight. Please return that money to my…step-nephew and tell him I’ll be waiting for the police that I sent after him. I’m ready for them.” “Actually, Harry and I have another destination for you tonight,” Ginny told him, and then to Al, “that is if we can impose on your boss one more time.” The angel was waiting for them as they emerged from the Bailey house an hour later. Beside him stood the other angel Clarence, who they thought had a set of wings on his back now, only faintly visible to their mortal eyes. “What happens now Al?” Harry asked. “Well, George Bailey and his own brother Harry will now be in your cousin’s will soon, but they don’t find out about their relationship to him for quite a while yet. The old man will live a few years more, mostly spending them making up for a lot of things he’s done. He’ll completely do that in secret, since he’s such a stubborn cuss, but when people find out…well there will be more than a couple people at his funeral.” “What about Sylvia? Does it work?” “Ginny, you’re batting a thousand today with reuniting people. Yeah, she forgives him, and they’re going to spend his remaining time arguing just like Ron and Hermione, and just as happy,” Al told them, “Harry, I know that look. Go ahead and ask.” Harry was indeed thoughtful at the moment. He already knew the answer he was going to receive, but he had to ask. “Al, or whoever you really are, can we contact Dumbledore, and warn him about what is going to happen with Voldemort. He could stop him before all those people die. He could save himself.” “I’m sorry Harry, but we can’t just change the future like that. You’re here because all of this did happen in nineteen forty-five, and you were a part of it. Dumbledore…no, Al isn’t short for Albus…he wasn’t warned then, and we can’t change that. Even we have rules.” “I understand. Al, why did you arrange for us to be brought here?” Harry asked then, “You could have done all of this. You’re that Potter’s guardian angel.” “No, I’m not Harry…I’m your guardian angel.” Harry and Ginny both took a step back at this, stunned at Al’s words. “Ginny, Harry, what did you learn here today?” Al asked then. The two of them had to consider this for a few minutes. Harry finally smiled, and he put his arm around Ginny. She stared at him for a few seconds, and then the lessons finally sank in. “I think we learned about the differences each of us make in the world–-about how the decisions that we make don’t just affect us, but those around us as well,” Harry said, “You were telling us that even one person can make a huge difference, and together we can change the world…or defeat Voldemort.” Ginny nodded at his words, “You were also letting Harry know that if he could save Old Man Potter, there might be hope for the Dursleys someday as well.” Family is family, Harry thought, but the Dursleys were not as far as he was concerned. The Weasleys, Hermione, Luna, Hagrid, Neville…all of them were his family now. It would take time for Harry to forgive his aunt, uncle, and cousin, but maybe Al had planted some seed there. It was Christmas after all. “Outstanding! Now it’s time for Clarence to run you home. Uh, guys, could you do me a couple really simple favors when you get back?” the angel asked. Clarence was curious, and a little concerned about what his associate was going to say. “Could you one, give Luna and Hermione a big hug for me; two make sure that this story is written the right way, although no one will believe it; and three, give Ginny here another kiss in the Gryffindor Common Room. Is any of that a problem people?” “Well maybe the kiss?” Harry said, drawing an exasperated look from Ginny for the joke. “By the way, thank you! Ginny, you can tell your cousin that the Big Boss loves babies, and Sara says hello.” Before either of them could respond to Al’s words, they found themselves once again standing in front of the Fat Lady outside their tower. Harry and Ginny came back through the portal only a few seconds after they had left. I knew they had been anxious to get away from all of us, so they evidently must have forgotten something. I was busy writing down all of the events of the past several days, hoping to have something readable before the New Year. The expressions on their faces, however, grabbed my attention, and I set down my ballpoint quill and walked over to meet them. I saw that Ron and Hermione, curled up still in one of the chairs, had noticed too. “Spenser, did you tell anyone what you’re writing…specifically about what has occurred over the holiday here?” Harry asked. His expression had become even more serious. “Not for love or money pal!” I told him, and I saw he understood how serious my message was. “Spenser, this is very important,” Ginny said then, “Do you know of any Americans we’ve met that would qualify as an angel?” Now there was a question from left field, and I didn’t think that he meant an American League baseball player. “I can think of a couple people, if they changed their ways a little. Why?” Harry took a deep breath and paused for a second. Then he smiled, as did Ginny, and he shook his head as if he were amazed about something. I wasn’t sure what could have happened in just the few seconds they had been gone. I could not have lost a confused look contest just then–-although Ron and Hermione, who had joined us, would have easily tied for a close second. “Spenser,we have an amazing story for you,” Harry told all of us, but then casting caution to the wind took Ginny in his arms, “but first, Ginny and I have a promise to keep.” Harry kissed her then under the charmed mistletoe, and the silver bells that Ron had enchanted began to ring. Mischief managed! |
| Reviews 11 |
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