|
Harry Potter and the Ritual of Love's Memory | ||||||
|
Category: Post-HBP Characters:All Genres: Action/Adventure, General, Romance Warnings: Death, Mild Language, Mild Sexual Situations, Violence Rating: PG-13 Reviews: 259 Summary: After the horcrux hunt implodes leaving most of those Harry loves dead, he starts a new life with a few fellow survivors far away from wizarding Britain. But the discovery of an ancient ritual that promises to send a single memory back in time sparks hope that maybe things can change. Dark ending to DH followed by a tweaked retelling of GoF through DH. Harry/Ginny. Friday updates. Original Timeline Voldemort's Victory - Chapter 1-5 (Feel free to skip if you don't like major character deaths) Tenochtitlán - Chapter 6-9 New Timeline Harry's 4th Year - Chapter 10-28 Harry's 5th Year - Chapter 29-68 Harry's 6th Year - Chapter 69-Current Hitcount: Story Total: 169478; Chapter Total: 1462 Awards: View Trophy Room |
Previous Next |
|
||||
|
During his time at Hogwarts, Harry had learned a great deal about the students in his year. He'd learned the most about Ron, who had been his best mate for the entire five years. (Harry considered the month or so before the first task of the Triwizard Tournament nothing more than a brief pause, not a full breaking of their connection.) With countless hours spent together in their dorm, hanging out in the common room and at meals, and so much time at the Burrow, it would have been hard not to glean insight into the youngest Weasley brother. He knew Hermione nearly as well as Ron. As another student brought up in the Muggle world, Harry often relied on her as a reminder that the array of wild and fanciful things they experienced still were astonishing to those raised in non-magical families. Endless hours of studying and their time working together for Defense Club had led to learning a great deal about her life outside the school, even if he didn't have the same connection to her family as he did with the Weasleys. There were occasional bursts of information about the others in his year, even if none of them rivaled his connection with Ron and Hermione. Several were part of the Defense Club, and Harry felt that he was significantly closer after working alongside them to oppose Umbridge and prepare for the dangers growing outside the castle walls. Parvati had shared about her dream of becoming a Healer, and he thought that the career suited her well after spending more time with her, which increased once Ron began dating her twin. Lavender's interests didn't overlap with Harry's much at all, but she was friendly enough in large groups. Dean was easily the most outgoing out of their year, even if Harry wasn't particularly close to him. Seamus coming out in their third year had been an important milestone to Harry, who grappled with being entrusted with such a secret and how to best support his friend. Though Seamus had not kept the information under wraps for too much longer after sharing with his dormmates, it had still been meaningful to be a secret keeper of sorts. Harry had a hard time putting the feeling into words, but he thought Seamus' willingness to confide in others was a significant marker. When he considered how much frustration he'd experienced at not being allowed to open up about the rogue memory or the prophecy, he couldn't help noting the freedom Seamus had described after talking things through. Out of the other Gryffindors in his year, the one who seemed most reticent to talk about himself or his life outside of school had always been Neville Longbottom. Not that Harry blamed his friend; as the son of two aurors who'd been tortured to the point of insanity, it was easy to see why Neville would shy away from personal disclosure. Living with a stern grandmother who didn't seem particularly pleasant probably only added to that feeling. Sure, Neville had opened up on occasion. Ron, Hermione, and Ginny had each been instrumental in bringing their friend out of his shell, and Harry hoped that his attempts to connect had been a part of that, too. They'd spoken some about the challenges of living in the shadow of beloved and missed parents and the unreasonable expectations that came along with that. Neville's classwork had improved rather dramatically over the past year, partially because of increased self-confidence but also due to Ron's suggestion that Neville stop using his father's wand. Even so, out of Harry's closer friends, Neville was the one he knew the least. "Good afternoon, sir!" came a small and enthusiastic voice to Harry's right as he stumbled out of the floo, barely remaining upright. A smiling house-elf bowed low and gestured to the grand room. "Welcome to Longbottom Manor! Master Neville has been looking forward to your arrival. He is upstairs washing up after spending time in the greenhouse. May I take your coat?" Harry, who was not wearing a coat, stood up and smiled back at the elf. "No, thanks. My name's Harry, what's yours?" The elf bowed low again, her voice growing more excited than before. "Sir, wishes to know the name of a house-elf? Dobby has spoken truly about Harry Potter!" The gleeful smile grew as she nearly bounced on her toes in place. After a moment, she let out a small cry of embarrassment and bowed low for a third time. "My apologies, sir! I is called Peppy, sir!" Harry thought the name more apt than any he'd ever heard. "Well, it's nice to meet you, Peppy! If you're friends with Dobby, I figure we'll get along just fine." Peppy's smile looked to be widening to what Harry thought must be approaching a painful degree. She bowed one last time before disappearing with a CRACK, then reappearing with another CRACK only a moment later. "Sir may wait in the sitting room while Peppy retrieves Master Neville. Should Peppy bring refreshments while sir waits?" With a good-natured chuckle, Harry assured the elf that he would be perfectly content waiting without any drinks or snacks. The elf nodded vigorously before vanishing again. "I see you've met Peppy. I do hope her exuberance wasn't overwhelming." Striding into the room was a tall, elderly witch with a rather severe look across her face. Her robes appeared to have been plucked straight out of a decade-long past, but she walked with a poise that belied her outmoded style. She inclined her head gracefully as Harry walked toward her. "I am Neville's grandmother, Augusta Longbottom, and pleased to make your acquaintance." She offered a delicate hand to Harry, who shook it gently. "Nice to meet you, ma'am. I'm Harry Potter." "Of course, you are. Neville has gone on and on about you all summer. He credited you for the report I received from Minerva about his improvements in Transfiguration, Charms, and Defense. I must say I was pleased to hear that he is finally beginning to live up to his potential." Uncomfortably, Harry walked with the witch to the sitting room. The opulent setting and his host's not-so-subtle dig at Neville left Harry feeling uneasy. "I think Neville's growing confidence was a big deal," said Harry a bit unsteadily. "He got better and better during Defense Club this year. He probably improved more than anyone." "Well, he certainly had a great deal of room for improvement," she replied dismissively. "Am I to understand you now legally reside with Sirius Black?" "Err… Yes, that's right. My parents made him my godfather and I stayed with him for part of last summer." Harry squirmed under her watchful gaze as he realized that it might not be best to broadcast that particular detail. "Once he was cleared of all charges, he was able to officially adopt me. It's been loads better than living with my aunt and uncle." Mrs. Longbottom's stern look receded slightly. "That is good to know. As part of the Wizengamot, I was there for his trial. As you must be aware, I do not favor leniency or second chances when it comes to Death Eaters. But Albus presented quite the compelling case and I am grateful that his innocence has been a boon to you." Harry inwardly wished Neville would hurry down already. As much as he appreciated Mrs. Longbottom's vote to acquit Sirius, he found her stiff manners off-putting. Given the choice, he would have much preferred chatting with Peppy, instead. It took another five minutes of awkwardly polite small talk before Harry heard the sound of hurried footsteps pattering down a staircase. Neville's round face was red from his hot shower and sprinting through the massive house, but his smile shone as he wheeled into the sitting room. "Harry! It's so good to see you!" The two grasped hands tightly, and Harry was surprised at his friend's strong grip. "Sorry I wasn't down here to greet you, but the Honey Sickles I ordered just arrived this morning. The shipment was delayed in transit, so I really needed to get them transplanted as soon as I could so they wouldn't die." "Don't worry about it," replied Harry, feeling much more at ease now that Neville had arrived. "Thanks for inviting me over." "Glad to have you! Gran, is it alright if I show Harry around?" "Certainly, Neville. Let Peppy know when the two of you get hungry. Griselda will be stopping by this afternoon for tea." Neville nodded in a way that meant he understood that the information was meant as a reminder not to bother them, but he didn't hesitate to motion to Harry to follow him and the two quickly retreated from the sitting room. Longbottom Manor was a stately building set upon the tallest of several rolling hills. There was far too much for Harry to see in a single afternoon, but Neville showed him a few well-appointed bedrooms, a resplendent ballroom that reminded Harry of the Great Hall at Hogwarts, and a loo that rivaled the enormous Prefect washroom Harry had visited twice. Harry was unsurprised when the tour inevitably led outside to a brand-new greenhouse. Neville described it with the kind of reverence usually reserved for parents of a new baby, or at least as if he was a quidditch player talking about his new broom. Humid air and the smell of damp earth washed over Harry as they entered. "Okay, it's not full yet, but that's because it's a little bigger than the ones Professor Sprout has at Hogwarts. Of course, she's got five of them in total, but I'm hoping the extra space will help when I grow my collection." Herbology wasn't a subject that interested Harry greatly, but he did his best to feign enthusiasm for his friend's sake. There were several odd plants that he'd never seen before, all of which Neville was happy to describe. They lingered in front of the viney Honey Sickles longest and didn't leave until Neville had watered them a second time. He explained his concern that the transplanting process had upset them, even though Harry thought they looked perfectly fine. "Oh, by the way!" interjected Harry before Neville could dive back into how the moon affected the plant's flowering cycle. "Both Ginny and Ron wanted me to tell you that they said 'Hi!' Have you heard from many others so far this summer?" A slight red tinge appeared on Neville's cheeks. "Umm, a couple of people… Got a letter from Hermione asking about a question from the Herbology OWL a week or two ago. And I… I've sent a few letters back and forth with Luna." He suddenly became quite focused on a particularly ordinary-looking leaf on the plant in front of him, not noticing Harry grimace slightly before attempting to return to normal. "Oh, that seems nice," hedged Harry, mentally grasping for a way to help two friends avoid an awkward situation. "Do you know her mostly from Defense Club?" "Yeah, we got paired up a few times practicing spells. I didn't really know her until this last year, but we were all in the same train car on the way to Hogwarts, remember? She's kind of hard to read sometimes and I don't always understand the things she talks about, but she's been really kind the few times we've hung out. She and Ginny are really good friends, right?" "Yeah, they're pretty close," answered Harry. "Gin hasn't mentioned hearing from her since the term ended. How's she doing?" "Doing well, I think. She and her Dad are out of the country searching for some creature that I'm not sure actually exists." Harry chuckled to himself. "That sounds like her kind of thing. You mentioned the train… Do I remember her sleeping under your cloak on the ride back home from school?" The question hadn't been meant to embarrass Neville, but a sudden full rush of color to his face confirmed Harry's suspicions at once. "Well, yeah… I just thought that maybe she might…" He sputtered trying to find the right words. "I don't know, Harry! I was thinking that I might try asking her to a Hogsmeade visit with me next term, but then I realized I don't know her all that well, so I thought maybe if we exchanged some letters it might help me break the ice a little bit." If Harry had been less kind, he might have been tempted to laugh at the cascade of words spilling out of his friend. Remembering how he had felt when first asking Ginny to the Yule Ball, Harry instead smiled kindly. "Yeah, that makes sense. She's really great, so I could see why you'd be interested." "You and Ginny were the ones who led the fourth year's Defense Club group, right? You probably know her better than me. Do you think I've got a shot with her?" He hadn't meant for it to happen, but Harry's sharply taken breath accidentally conveyed a great deal. Neville let out a disconsolate sigh. "Wait, wait! It's not like that!" said Harry quickly, firmly in damage-control mode. "It's not that I think there's anything wrong with you. I just think that you're not exactly what she's looking for." Neville's shoulders drooped significantly while Harry quickly ran through his conversations with Luna to be certain he wasn't divulging anything off-limits. "Okay, Nev. It's like this: remember back in third year when Lavender had a crush on Seamus?" That had been a particularly uncomfortable week in their dormitory, especially once Lavender began doing her best to find out the reasons for Seamus' lack of interest. Neville nodded his head slowly without understanding. "Why didn't he want to go out with her?" "Because Seamus doesn't even like…" Dawning comprehension spread across Neville's face as his eyebrows flew up. Harry gave a shrug and a small smile. "Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh…" "Yeah, " replied Harry, quite grateful that Luna had given him permission to share that piece of information. "Like I said, I don't think you're quite what she's looking for." With the greenhouse tour completed and an awkward situation avoided, the two headed back to the house. Neville shared a variety of details about the home along the way. Some of it felt more like a museum tour than visiting someone's home, but there were a few interesting bits along the way. At the top of a steep, curving staircase, Neville tapped the wall next to the top step before grinning at Harry. All the other stairs collapsed into a smooth flat surface as the top stair elongated into a platform. "My great-grandfather used a wheelchair and apparently hated levitating himself to get up and down the stairways," he explained. "He got the stairs bewitched to turn into ramps, but they ended up being too steep for him to manage. So he created a spell to make a platform that could move on its own to ferry him up or down quickly!" With a second tap of the wall, the platform made its way down the newly formed ramp, coming to a halt at the floor below. "When I was younger, I used to bring over a pillow and slide down after the platform reached the bottom." Neville's voice sounded slightly sheepish as he furtively glanced at his friend. "That sounds brilliant!" exclaimed Harry. "Think we could try it?" "Gran gets upset when I do anything that doesn't seem dignified…" Neville looked a bit mischievous and his eyes darted back and forth. "But I guess what she doesn't know won't hurt?" The thought of how much it felt like sledding, only without the cold or the wetness, occurred to Harry after more than a half hour of sliding. Each time they both reached the bottom, Neville would double tap the wall to make the platform ascend to avoid repeatedly climbing the nearly one hundred stairs. Neville summoned Peppy after his pillow ripped apart after a particularly fast descent, and the elf enthusiastically repaired it almost immediately. With a grin, Neville ducked into an adjoining room and returned with a long cushion from a couch. With an enthusiastic, "YES!" from Harry, they both squeezed onto it before launching down the slide. Their combined weight and the slippery fabric of the cushion increased their speed significantly as they careened downwards. Reaching the floor did little to slow their momentum. They skidded across the waxed tile until the cushion hit a fancy rug. Both boys tumbled onto the ground, their laughter echoing through the halls. "Neville Eustace Longbottom!" Looming over the two of them stood Augusta Longbottom. Her frown and flaring nostrils quieted Harry's laughter quicker than a silencing charm could have. Beyond her stood Griselda Marchbanks, whom he'd met during his OWL exams. She looked much less dangerous than the woman who was scowling down at them. "This is the sort of behavior I might expect from an eight-year-old who had gotten into a bag of sweets, but not of someone approaching their sixteenth birthday! Roughhousing, scuffing the floors, tearing cushions, and bandying about like hooligans!" Harry had no doubt that Sirius would have been more likely to suggest skating down the ramp while standing on pillows than to chastise them for their actions, but he still felt the stab of guilt as Mrs. Longbottom glowered at them. Neville seemed to shrink as she started in again. "You will set everything back to its proper place at once. And when we are both done entertaining, you and I are going to have a long conversation." Neville stared at the floor as he quietly replied, "Yes, Gran." From the corner of his eye, Harry saw a forlorn look on Madam Marchbanks as Mrs. Longbottom walked away. She didn't say anything out loud, but she gave Neville a small, sad smile before following her host down the hallway into another room. "Sorry about that, Harry." Neville's voice was soft and low. "It's my fault. I was the one who suggested we slide down. Sorry for getting you in trouble." "It's not a big deal. It'll probably just be another lecture about maintaining the family's dignity and standing. She might use it to make me go to another ministry event or spend more time chatting people up after a Wizengamot session, but I'll manage." Despite his words, Neville had the look of someone who had been spoken down to fairly often. While Harry would choose Mrs. Longbottom over the Dursleys, he imagined that growing up as the only child in Longbottom Manor wasn't easy. They gathered the pillows and other purloined items used in their escapade and returned them dutifully to their proper places. Harry watched from the corner of his eye, seeing Neville trying his best to maintain a brave exterior as they headed back to his room. Casting about for some way to cheer Neville, Harry thought about what a supportive and loyal friend he had been. He'd stuck by Harry through everything from being accused of being the Heir of Slytherin to when most of the school thought he'd cheated his way into the Triwizard Tournament. He'd been the first to sign up for Defense Club and hadn't missed once. With a final deep breath, Harry decided that his friend was more than trustworthy enough for what was coming. "Hey, Neville?" he asked, settling into a comfy chair. "Can I tell you something kind of important?" Neville closed the door and plopped down on his bed before replying, "Sure, what's up?" With a quick wave of his wand, Harry cast a Muffliato, just in case. "Okay, remember how I talked to you about the stuff with the prophecy? This is kind of related to that. If you'd rather not know about it, that's fine, but I thought it might be worth it to fill you in." "If it's a big deal for you, I'm all ears." Neville sat up on his bed, giving his full attention to Harry It took several minutes to explain the golden thread of Harry's rogue memory finding him in the night and how he'd awoken with a recollection of something that hadn't happened in this timeline. Neville listened in rapt attention, his eyes wide with confusion and wonder. Harry carefully avoided divulging anything about horcruxes, remembering the stern warnings from Dumbledore not to share those details with anyone. However, his diligence accidentally lapsed when explaining some of the memory's details. "Wait, are you saying the memory is of the tree down near the lake? Some future-you was right there?" "Yeah, basically," replied Harry with a shrug. "It's super weird to walk past it now and think about how I've sort of seen it in the future." "That's wild…" whispered Neville, shaking his head slowly back and forth. "And it's just your conversation with someone that got Dumbledore all concerned?" Harry nodded. "Oddly enough, it's not even something either of us said; it was something that version of me thought about while we talked. The whole memory doesn't even last a whole minute, but I guess she just said something that reminded me of the important thing Dumbledore is focusing on." Neville stared at him quizzically for a few moments before arching an eyebrow. "So it was a girl you were talking to?" Harry grimaced as he realized his mistake. His pained sigh was all the confirmation Neville required. "Okay, that wasn't something I meant to tell you, but yeah. I was sitting under the tree with a girl in the memory." Neville, to his great credit, didn't say anything to pry, although his eyebrows shot up while he smiled knowingly at his friend. "Yeah, yeah, it was me and Ginny…" He swore under his breath as Neville's smile grew wider. "But you can't tell anybody! I told Ginny about it after we'd been dating awhile, but nobody else knows." "Not even Ron and Hermione?" "If you had a weird future memory dream where you were dating Ron's sister, would you be hurrying off to tell him?" A sheepish laugh from Neville indicated that he took the point as reasonable. "I guess that makes sense. So is that why you two got together?" "Not exactly," hedged Harry, remembering how his conversation explaining the memory to Ginny had begun on the wrong foot. "The gist of the memory was that I wished I hadn't waited so long to get to know her. The Yule Ball was coming up, so I guess the memory helped me decide to ask her, but it's not like we were dating or anything. We just hung out that night as friends and then spent more time together that next term. The more I hung out with her, the more present-me thought future-me had the right idea." With a loud CRACK, Peppy appeared in Neville's room with a look of nervousness on her face. "Peppy is sorry for interrupting, but Mistress has called three times for Master Neville to come down for tea. Peppy does not wish for Master Neville or Harry Potter, sir, to be in trouble." "Thanks a lot, Peppy!" said Neville gratefully. "I guess we couldn't hear because of the charm. We'll head down." She bowed low with a bright smile on her face at his gratitude, then vanished again. The two boys hurried out of the room and down the stairs to an elegant dining room, where Madam Marchbanks and Mrs. Longbottom were already sitting. "Sorry, Gran!" huffed Neville as he tried to regain his breath from their sprint. "We were so caught up in talking that we didn't notice the time or hear you calling." Augusta's lips were rather thin as she watched the two slide into their seats, but she didn't press the matter. Peppy brought in the tea and a plate of freshly baked biscuits, which held some of Harry's focus as they engaged in polite small talk. "Augusta, I must say you would have been quite impressed with something I witnessed during the OWLs this year," said Madam Marchbanks after primly finishing a biscuit. "Young Mr. Potter was able to produce a corporeal patronus. His stag cantered up and down the Great Hall, as strong as you please!" With considerable shock, Mrs. Longbottom looked Harry up and down. "I daresay, that's an incredible feat. As I understand it, there are many grown witches and wizards who never master it." "It was tough to figure out, but it's really important for defense. We all worked on it really hard this year in Defense Club, not only to repel dementors but also because it could save lives when used for communication." Harry watched as the two older women nodded appreciatively. Without waiting to second guess himself, he plowed ahead. "After watching Neville work harder than just about anyone this year, it was fantastic to see him finally get it down." "Neville?" asked Mrs. Longbottom with a bit of incredulity in her voice. "You were able to cast a patronus?" Neville's cheeks had flushed deep red, but he met his grandmother's gaze and nodded. "Yes, Gran. It's the toughest spell I've ever gotten, but I did it." "An actual, corporeal patronus?" With a little more confidence, Neville nodded. "Show me?" Mrs. Longbottom's voice was little more than a whisper. "Augusta, you know that underage students aren't supposed to use magic outside of school, and I'm a Ministry official…" cautioned Madam Marchbanks, but her warning died on her lips as she saw the eager look on Mrs. Longbottom's face. "Oh, very well. I certainly won't tell Mafalda." Harry looked at Neville and nodded encouragingly. Though nervous, he stood up and drew his wand while repeating some of the major points their group had driven home in their practice. He closed his eyes for a moment and took in a deep breath. "Expecto patronum!" he cried. From the end of his wand, a burst of light coalesced into a great, silvery toad that landed on the dining room table. It was almost too large to fit, so with a leap that corresponded with Neville's wand movement, it landed on the floor near the fireplace. Harry pumped his fist with pride and relief as Madam Marchbanks began to applaud. At the sight of his patronus, Augusta Longbottom stood up from her seat and stared, mouth slightly agape. She said nothing until Neville glanced her way, his face beaming with pride. "Neville, come over here, please." Her voice had softened considerably and she looked almost in disbelief as he came back to his chair. "Your father didn't master that spell until he'd begun his training with the Aurors, even though he was quite the exemplary student. I still have the letter he wrote to your grandfather and me when he finally managed it. "It must have taken a great deal of hard work to do this." Her voice caught in her throat a bit before she regained her composure. "And I'm very proud of you, both for that dedication and for the results." The look of relief and joy on Neville's face made Harry wonder if his friend would use this memory when casting his next patronus. |
| Reviews 259 |
Previous Next
|
