57

Chapter 57

Blinking several times, Harry found himself in a blinding white area. Alarm immediately set into his stomach as he sat up quickly from the bench he was lying on and looked around. Once again, He found himself in Kings Cross and felt a horrible sense of deja vu. He lost again. He failed his family. He failed Elaina.

"You didn't fail anyone, Harry." A man's voice said, and Harry's head snapped towards a skinny older man who had a sad smile on his face.

Shooting to his feet he took in the man's white wizard robes and looked at him in horror, "Grandpa. No…"

Shaking his head the older man sighed, "I admit I was not ready to go, but my death was not in vain."

"How can you say that?" Harry asked frantically, "You were supposed to live for another few years. You were supposed to have time. I was going to save you."

"You can't save everyone, my boy." The man said before taking a seat on the bench, "Besides you have changed enough. There is a chance my wife may yet be there to see you boys live your lives. She will live on for the two of you."

His words didn't make sense to Harry as he sat next to the man, "I don't understand."

Fleamont placed a heavy hand on Harry's shoulder, "Look out for her will you. Your grandmother is going to need lots of love and attention. I don't want her to join me for many years to come. When she does, I want it to be with many stories about the women my sons chose, and the life they filled our family with in the form of many grandchildren."

The thought seemed to please the man greatly, but Harry couldn't comprehend it. He felt devastated that he had gotten his grandfather killed and that he had left behind so many others who still needed him, "Voldemort is going to win. He stood toe to toe with Dumbledore and Charlus. Without the prophecy lingering over him there will be nothing to stop him this time."

"You will stop him, my boy." Fleamont said confidently.

Looking around in bewilderment Harry went to speak, but his grandfather cut him off, "I did not die for nothing, Harry. I took the brunt of Voldemort's spell. My sister-in-law will bring you back. Of that, I have no doubt. This is merely a waiting zone while you sit on the brink of life and death. It gives us a final chance to speak."

"If I go back he will kill me again." Harry said defeatedly with grief overtaking him, "This has all been for nothing."

An arm around his shoulder comforted him as he felt agony in his heart. Fleamont spoke softly, "You will fight him till the end, Harry. Just as you always have. When it is all over we will be a family again. The worse he can do is send you to me, and the other generations of Potters that will await us on the other side. I truly believe, however, that you will defeat him."

"How?" Harry questioned desperately.

The man seemed to think on this question for a moment before nodding, "It is my belief, after tonight, that Voldemort may be the most powerful wizard to ever live. Having been able to take Albus, Charlus, and you, all at the same time is a feat that I would have thought impossible. From what you have told me about your confrontations with the man on your timeline he was not as powerful, do you still believe that?"

Harry wiped the tears from his eyes and looked over at the man trying to comfort him, "I do. He is so much more powerful now."

Nodding in satisfaction Fleamont thumped him on the shoulder, "Then I believe the answer is his Horcruxes. The more you destroy, and the more he splits his soul, the weaker he will become. I trust even with seven Horcruxes he will be quite formidable, but not invincible. Had the man not followed this dark path, never followed before, then it is likely he would have been unstoppable. We must be as cautious as we are grateful. Now that he knows you are from the future, and knows that you destroyed his horcruxes in a past life, he will make adjustments. Something I suspect will make your task even more daunting, but not impossible."

Harry considered the man's words for a long moment. It was true this Voldemort was more methodical, more terrifying, and more powerful. Could Fleamont be right. Did the man lose some of his abilities and power because of the Horcruxes. It would make a certain amount of sense. Everything he has learned about magic teaches about balance. If Voldemort was willing to split his soul into seven pieces then perhaps it would extract a toll. While Harry was in this thought Fleamont had risen to his feet and looked out into the distance.

Harry moved to stand beside him and he heard a train in the distance. Fleamont took a deep breath and put a smile on his lips, "Don't be afraid to lean on your friends, Harry. Our family will need you now more than ever, but it doesn't mean you are alone."

The train was speeding past the platform now, and showed no signs of slowing down. Harry's eyes were on the train, and he heard his grandfather say, "I love you, Harry."

When Harry turned his head to repeat the words, to the man he had come to respect, he was gone.

.o.

James stood with his wand clenched tightly in his hand. He stared at the mannequin Death Eater with hatred as he whipped his wand conjuring spiked chains, wrapping it around his target, and tightening it to the point that the mannequin began to crumble before he blasted it into pieces with the Bombarda spell. Not stopping there he swirled his wand over head and unleashed a cutting hex, a gouging curse, and the severing charm. When the head of the mannequin hit the ground he heaved for breath.

Flashes of the battle whipped through his vision. Curses of every color had flown around his group. People had been killed. His father had been killed. His mother was inconsolable. She had gone back to Potter Manor refusing to leave her room. Part of James wanted to follow her and hide from the world, but he wanted blood. He wanted to make the bastards pay for what they did to his family.

"James?"

James closed his eyes at the familiarity of the voice. In normal circumstances his stomach would be in butterflies with the tone of voice Lily addressed him in, but right now he had a hard time feeling anything, except grief.

Clearing his throat trying not to sound too stricken James spoke, "Lily."

James could not even bear to look at the young woman who had been evading his affections for the last seven years. He could still remember the horrid feeling in his chest thinking she would bleed out in his arms. He had never dueled so fiercely in his life. He had never dueled to kill. Only to be saved by a Slytherin sixth year, whose name he did not even know. It was as if the world no longer made any sense.

Lily had made her way to his side, and from the corner of his eyes James could tell she was eyeballing the pulverized dummy when she said, "I'm sorry...about your dad."

James swallowed hard, not removing his own eyes from his victim, "Dad sacrificed himself to save Harry."

"Harry tried to sacrifice himself to save us all." Lily countered softly.

Clenching his fist James nodded, "They were both brave."

A long silence passed between the pair before Lily stepped closer to James. Gently she reached for his hand, softly wrapping his fingers into her own, "You were brave too, James. You saved my life. Rabastan would have…. Choking on her own words Lily trailed off, unable to finish her thought.

There was no telling what Rabastan and his friends would've done to her. At the very least they would have killed her, but the look in his eyes said it could have been so much worse. Lily would never be more grateful in her life than when she heard James come to her rescue.

Lily felt the young man beside her squeeze her hand before saying, "I would never have let that happen…but I keep playing the night over in my head. I can't overlook the fact that a Slytherin may have saved one of our lives. He intentionally stepped in front of that curse for us. I can't say I am certain who it would have hit."

"Eilif Rowle." Lily said softly, "He was kind to me once. He confronted Harry, Elaina, and I, warning us of what was coming in Hogsmeade. Harry offered him protection, told him to run, I guess he didn't listen."

Neither did I, James thought darkly. Harry had warned him that war was coming. Harry had warned him that their family could be at the center of it all. Voldemort killed his father, and James wasn't even there to strike back against the murderer.

James knew that if Charlus, Harry, and Dumbledore, couldn't stand up to the man then it was hardly likely he would've made the difference. It didn't matter though. His family was fighting for their lives and he ran. He felt like a coward. He should've been training with Harry, preparing for the conflict. James had at times thought he wanted to be an Auror, to protect people, he had told his father as much over the Summer.

Feeling incredibly sorry for himself, James bitterly thought that if he couldn't protect his own family, he shouldn't be in charge of protecting the general public.

A soft kiss on his cheek electrified his senses. For the first time he turned his head to face Lily and looked into those soft green eyes he had been in love with for years. The girl offered him a smile that held trauma from the experience they had endured together, "Don't hole up in here forever. Harry will wake up soon, and when he does he is going to want to be with his family."

With a final squeeze of his hand Lily released James and began walking towards the exit of the Room of Requirement. James felt a lump in his stomach when he called out, "Lily?"

The girl stopped and turned to face the man who was still pointed in the direction of the destroyed mannequin, "I would've taken that curse for you. You know that right?"

Lily stared at the back of James Potter wondering where the years had gone. Gone was the little boy who teased her, stole her books, and jinxed her homework. Gone was the bully who harassed Slytherins for no fair reason. In his place was a man who had saved her life from three Death Eaters. A man who fought to protect her. A man who fought to protect the students of Hogwarts while she was bleeding out from her wounds.

"I know, James. You will never know how grateful I am to have you as a friend. Maybe someday it could be something more." Lily said as she strided out of the room quicker than she liked to admit. She would never know what possessed her to say those words, but she knew as she was walking out his eyes had followed her to the door.

.o.

Harry's eyes opened and immediately he felt a constant sting in his side. The lights of the Hospital Wing were as recognizable as they were blinding. Blinking rapidly he attempted to come to terms with whatever reality he woke up in, and first discovered Elaina with her head laying down near his hip. Her face was in her arms, and she appeared unharmed to the relief of Harry.

To his right Charlus was in a chair with his arms crossed and his chin rested on his chest with his eyes closed. The only person awake in the Hospital Wing was looking right at him as he looked to the end of his bed. Dorea Potter had a piece of fabric in her hand and she appeared to have been in the middle of a crochet prior to his eyes opening. The woman offered him a sad smile, before rising to her feet placing a hand on Charlus shoulder stirring him awake in an instant. His eyes shot up and a haunted look was in his eyes for a moment, before he relaxed, turning them towards his son. The man offered his son a forced smile, and waited as Dorea softly prodded Elaina awake. The girl stirred and her eyes went straight to Harry to ensure he was still there, and Elaina offered her boyfriend a relieved look, "Harry."

Reaching for her hand he took it softly, while Dorea took his other hand. Charlus stood to his feet putting an arm around his wife. Harry choked out, "We lost my grandfather, didn't we?"

Both girls looked to Charlus who gave his son a stiff nod. Harry turned his eyes towards the ceiling. Despite the dream he had of Fleamont, a part of him hoped it was not real, "How is James?"

"I'm alive." A voice called from behind the curtain as the young man stepped into view. James looked like he needed a shave and Charlus and Dorea stepped aside to make room for the teen.

The two teens made eye contact and Harry could feel his girlfriend squeezing his hand attempting to provide strength and comfort. Harry spoke with what little strength he could muster, "I am going to make him pay for what he took from our family, James. I promise."

"We will make him pay." James corrected, "All of us."

Feeling the grief well up in his chest Harry just nodded as his eyes drifted towards the ceiling. The reality of what occurred was truly beginning to take its hold. Charlus spoke to the group, "Finish your education. When you all graduate we will take the fight to them."

"Can we afford to wait that long?" James asked demandingly, "Can we risk the lives of anyone else in this room. In this school?"

"He might be right, Charlus." Harry admitted, "Voldemort knows everything. He used legillmency on me in Hogsmeade. He knows about my past, and he knows about how we plan to destroy him."

James furrowed his eyes at his words, and Charlus sighed deeply, "Elaina told us that this was a possibility. I had hoped she was wrong, but-"

"Is this about Harry being a seer?" James asked, and all eyes turned to him. The young man a few days would've fidgeted under the scrutiny of this many powerful witches and wizards, but things had changed in the short time Harry had occupied the hospital bed, "I heard Voldemort taunting Harry about it. We all knew Harry was special, and we all knew there was a reason you went into hiding beyond what we were told."

Harry swallowed hard, staring at his birth father in the eyes now. Charlus broke the silence, "James, Harry is not a seer."

James seemed surprised by the counter revelation, "Voldemort seemed so sure."

While James was speaking Harry could hardly hear his words as Charlus prepared to tell more lies to his nephew. Instead of hearing the words of the present Harry drifted into a memory. One that he experienced for the first time in the presence of a dementor.

He could see it clear as day. Snape's memory from the pensieve. Stepping over the body of James Potter. Into the ruins of Godric Hollow as he found his mother's body on the floor. He remembered the screams of agony from Snape at the loss of Lily Evans.

The words that Voldemort uttered at his mother echoed in his mind, and he could've sworn that a flash of green crossed his eyes. A voice pulled him out of his memory and he turned to his girlfriend who was eying him with concern. Swallowing hard he squeezed the girl's hand and spoke, "Can you all give me a few minutes with James?"

Charlus seemed troubled by the question, but Dorea gently took her husband's hand and guided him toward the front of the Hospital Wing. Elaina stood and bent down to kiss Harry on the cheek before turning to James, "I'm sorry."

Elaina's beautiful eyes seemed to darken as she looked between the two, shook her head, and walked after Charlus and Dorea.

Harry for his part pushed himself to a sitting position ignoring the pain in his side so he could sit up. He wanted to look the man in the eye when he told him the truth. He deserved that much. James proved the Marauder was still deep inside him when he offered a weak joke, "You guys are really freaking me out here, Harry."

Harry couldn't return the smile. He felt nothing, but a gnawing in his stomach, "James. Before I tell you the truth, I need you to understand how difficult this has been. Lying to you, and our friends has been one of the most difficult things I have ever had to do, but I did it to protect our family."

James said nothing as he waited for Harry to go on. The green eyes of the young man drifted away from his father and towards the window that led to the Hogwarts grounds. Memories of his time in this world flashed before his eyes when as he spoke, "James, I am not a seer. I don't see into the future. I don't have some mystical ability that makes me better than everyone else. Voldemort saw into my mind on New Year's Eve and saw things he didn't understand. Images that made no sense. To justify them he believed he was seeing the future through my eyes…"

Taking a breath Harry noted that James appeared to be hanging on to his every word as his eyes went back to his father, "James, the truth is. I am not a seer. I don't see the future. I am from the future."

James stared for a long moment. Blinked. Stood to his feet, and moved to the front of Harry's bed. He placed both hands on the hospital bed and bowed his head confusion all over his features. James took many moments before asking, "How?"

"I died." Harry answered simply, "I was killed in May of 1998 during the Battle of Hogwarts. Voldemort and his followers killed everyone in the school, and dominated Wizarding Britain. All my friends, my entire family, were killed."

James stared at Harry as realization began to set in, "How old were you?"

"17. James…I need you to understand. There is so much to this story. There is so much I have to explain to you." Harry said weakly, feeling the situation becoming heavier.

James moved back to his side now looking at him with betrayal in his eyes, "Who are you really. You can't be my aunt and uncle's son. They would've been too old."

The brown eyes of his father seemed to pierce him. They searched for the truth. Harry could not deny him any longer, "I am your son, James. My name is Harry James Potter. I was born on July 31st, 1980."

The words impacted James like a punch to the stomach as he sat heavily in his chair looking at Harry with wide eyes, "Impossible."

The murmured word was ignored as Harry tried to push on, "James, I know this a lot. You just lost your father, and now you are finding out you have a son your age. I would've waited to tell you, but with Voldemort knowing my secret there is no point in keeping it to myself any longer. This isn't how I wanted you to find out."

"Why didn't you tell me right away. Why keep it a secret?" James asked quietly.

"You weren't ready for the truth, James. I am sorry, but that is the honest truth." Harry returned.

"You told Elaina." The words were whispered, but Harry could feel the accusation.

"Elaina has been by my side from nearly day one." Harry defended, "She has worked her ass off to stand by my side. To defend our family. To defend me. For us to defend each other. She earned the truth."

James put his hands in his face as he took heavy breaths, "This is why you pushed me so hard."

"It is." Harry admitted, "James you died on Halloween of 1981. You left me an orphan. I don't say that to guilt trip you, but I need you to understand how this all came to be."

James put his hand in his face as if trying to come to terms with it all. Taking a deep breath he looked up at Harry, "I don't know what to say."

The teen stood to his feet and paced to the front of the bed and seemed to be lost in thought for several moments. An angry look crossed his features, and Harry knew things were about to take a turn. Grabbing the end of the bed with both hands, Harry watched James' knuckles whiten under the force of his angry grip, "Did you know my dad was going to die in Hogsmeade?"

"No, James." Harry said softly, "In my time your dad died of Dragon Pox just before I was born. I had hoped if I won the war I would find a way to save them. Neither of them lived to see my birth."

"Liar!" James barked out slamming his hands onto the bedpost.

Harry flinched at his father's abrupt outburst. James seemed to regret his reaction at once and took a step away from the bed. Harry knew that the teen was mourning the loss of his father so kept silent as James processed his words.

James walked back over to Harry's bedside, took a seat, and put his hands on the bridge of his nose while glancing towards his son from the future, "Were you ever going to tell me?"

Taking a deep breath Harry shook his head, "I don't know. The odds that I survive all this don't look optimistic. You saw what he was like. You saw what he did to us. I don't think I ever considered what I would do if we won."

"He killed my dad, Harry." James choked out, "We can't let him get away with it."

"Let him?" Harry questioned, "James, this bastard took everything from me. He is attempting to do so a second time. I will not let him do anything. I will fight him with everything I have. James, I wanted you to train with me, because I didn't want what happened to you in my time to happen here. You have no idea what my time looked like. You have no idea what happened to all your friends. Some of their fates are too horrible to even speak of. There were so few of your friends left. I was raised by mother's muggle family."

By the time Harry finished it was with indignation in his tone. James looked in surprise at Harry, and a look of wonder crossed his face, "Lily…she is your mother?"

Swallowing hard, Harry saw the look of surprise and hope in James' eyes. After a moment Harry conceded the truth, "She was. She was also the main reason I didn't tell you who I was right away. I wanted you two to find your way to each other without my interference. I didn't want to mess things up, or make it where my own parents didn't end up together. I wanted you both to have a chance to find each other."

James leaned back in his chair in surprise. He appeared to be at a loss for words, so Harry attempted to lighten the mood, "I figure now, if after saving her life in Hogsmeade, she still won't go on a date with you, then there was never any hope for you to begin with. The first time must've been luck."

A small smile tugged at the corner of James' mouth before he said, "She kissed me in the Room of Requirements earlier. On the cheek, but…well, I am not really sure."

In amusement, Harry shook his head, "It was hard for me, James. You sacrificed your life in my time for Lily and I. When I came to this time I assumed you would be the same man I had heard stories of my whole life, and you just weren't there yet."

The smile fell from Jame's face as he realized he let down his son. Someone who desperately needed him, but Harry didn't allow it, "The war forged you in my time too. I don't know what happened. I am not sure who you lost, but by the time you graduated you and Lily were dating and you became an Auror. I see glimpses of the man you will become, and I think now you are ready to be that man. Work with me. Let me train you and our friends. Let me protect you all from the fates you experienced in my time. Things may seem hopeless, but I am not dead yet, and I can promise you our family will fight him till the end."

Harry offered his father a hand at the end of his words and James eyed it for a moment. Standing to his feet again James took his son's hand, "I'm with you, Harry. You have to tell Lily though. I won't keep this from her."

Nodding in acceptance Harry laid back, closing his eyes, "We are going to tell all our friends, James. Just give me some time to rest. Things are going to be different going forward. I need a few days to heal, plan, and prepare."

"I will let you rest then." James said seriously as he stood to his feet moving towards the door, but stopped before he could get out of sight, "Harry?"

The time-traveler turned to face his father with a questioning look, while James offered him a slight smile, "Essex…she's good for you. She fought us so hard to get to you. She really cares about you, mate. Just thought you should know that."

Harry felt guilt at the Marauders' words. He knew she must've suffered watching him attempt to sacrifice himself for their lives. He would have to make it up to her somehow, "Thanks Prongs."

"Get some rest, Harry. We will talk more, soon." James said as he turned and made his way out of the Hospital Wing.