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Chapter 12- The Wonder Boy

“Avada Kedavra.” The dreaded green light of the killing curse raced towards Harry Potter, and he stood unwavering, with no fear in his eyes. Just resignment. A position that many grown men would dread to dream of, and yet, here he was, standing, waiting for impending death like it all meant nothing. It hit him. The curse hit him, and his eyes closed before everything went white.

The Potter household had watched the memory for hours and had been on an emotional roller coaster. Harry had turned seventeen. The moment in every wizard’s life that is very important and special. Especially for an heir of a powerful family. The seventeenth birthday of the family's Heir signifies that he is now ready for the world.

But Harry was being flown away from his place with six other poly-juiced Harrys not to be attacked by Voldemort's followers. It didn’t take too long after Dumbledore’s death.

Voldemort had begun making inroads. Hogwarts went first. Severus Snape was installed as the headmaster and had two enforcers, the Carrows.

Then went the Ministry. There was never a chance to fight back. The Ministry was filled with the Purebloods and especially ones in the pocket of Tom’s most influential Death Eaters and, in turn, Tom’s supporters.

They watched Harry and his friends rough it out, trying to do the impossible of finding five more Horcruxes scattered in god knows how many places. They had no help. No proper knowledge about the whereabouts of the vile pieces and the entire country searching for him.

The adventures. They should not be called an adventure. There was no fun in all that Harry and his friends faced—breaking into the Ministry to recover the Slytherin’s locket from Umbridge. The group breaks up because of the locket. The Potters watched Harry visiting the place he was born for the first time. They witnessed the house that was damaged beyond repair. The house where young James began his life. The house where James Potter and Lily Potter dreamed of building a life for themselves with their son only to be destroyed brutally. The graves of Lily and James Potter in the cemetery of Godrics Hollow.

It was unnerving to see the grave of their dead son and grandson. True, James is alive, but knowing that this was how the future had turned up was scary to the elders. It would have been different if they did not know the end, but seeing how it turned out to be disturbed them greatly.

The death of Dobby hit Harry very hard. He was at a loss. Well, and truly lost. Others might see it as the start of bad decisions, and Harry did that when he decided to make a deal with Griphook. Now, wizards and witches make many bad decisions, but making a deal with a goblin was not one of them. It was foolish to do business with the Goblins outside of Gringotts.

Goblins were untrustworthy. They are used to making profits and find everything beneficial for them in every deal they make.

Griphook and Harry struck a deal for a Horcrux and the Sword of Gryffindor. The three of them managed to break into the bank amidst the security. A feat that was supposed to be impossible. Harry and his friends managed to get the Horcrux and escaped the bank on top of a dragon.

And then they came back to Hogwarts. The Potters were shocked by the condition of the students in the castle. Hogwarts had not been kind to the students. The presence of Snape and the Carrows in the castle and the rules changed under the new regime made life difficult for the half-bloods and muggle-borns. They were supposed to attend Hogwarts without any excuses so that students who supported Voldemort could torture the other students.

Rowena Ravenclaw’s Diadem was found at Hogwarts, and Harry destroyed the diadem, eliminating all the Horcruxes in their possession once Hermione Granger destroyed the Hufflepuff chalice.

The three searched for Nagini, the last of Tom’s Horcrux. They discovered the story about the Elder Wand and Snape being the master of the wand because he was the one who killed the previous master of the legendary wand, Dumbledore. Tom killed Snape on the spot just so that he would gain the allegiance of the Elder Wand.

Harry and his friends waited till the man left and were about to depart, but Harry was given what seemed like Snape’s memories before the man breathed his last. They had not expected that. What were the man’s intentions? What was he up to?

Harry returned to the Great Hall and learnt that Remus, Tonks and Fred Weasley had perished in the battle. With a heavy heart, he steeled himself. Harry had a duty to do. He made it straight to the office of the Headmaster, where he knew there was a Pensieve. He retrieved the device and poured the memories Snape had handed Harry over in his dying breath.

The memory displayed a young Snape with his only friend, a red-haired, green-eyed girl living in his neighbourhood. The two grew up together and came to Hogwarts.

But these memories displayed a different version than they had expected. A version that didn’t pertain to Harry and James. Just Lily. When the memory was not making sense, the next set of memories began to play. The memory of Snape begging Dumbledore to protect Lily because of the prophecy and Tom’s misconception that Lily’s son was the boy in the prophecy.

That day, Dumbledore asked Snape to keep Harry safe. To show that he truly loved Lily.

That came as a surprise to Daphne. The entirety of Hogwarts knew the feud between Harry and Snape. To learn that Snape had a backstory for him to end up at Hogwarts in a teaching position and that he was there to protect Harry Potter of all people.

They watched the memory of Snape then treating Dumbledore’s hand that was cursed at the beginning of Harry’s sixth year. He was telling Dumbledore that the curse would spread and there was nothing that he could do to cure it. He was doing his best to prevent it from spreading for the rest of the year. Dumbledore seemed resigned to his fate.

The Potters and Daphne learned that Dumbledore had asked Snape to kill him, rather than Draco, who was supposed to kill the man as asked by Voldemort. He makes it clear that Snape must do this so that Tom trusts him without hesitation.

Dumbledore then begins another tale. One that none of them had expected or would ever see coming. He talks about that fateful night when all of this mess started. When the killing curse that Tom threw that night reflected off Harry and struck Tom and, in that procedure, tore his soul. The soul that needs a vessel to survive latched onto the only living thing it could find in that room—Harry Potter himself.

The meaning took some time, but it did sink in simultaneously. Harry Potter was the last Horcrux. Harry himself housed the final piece of Voldemort’s soul.

“So the boy must die?” They heard Snape's question. “You raised the boy for a pig to be slaughtered?” He asked. “Yes. And by his hands. That is necessary. ” They heard Dumbledore answer.
“Don’t tell me that you have grown to care for the boy?” Dumbledore questioned.

Snape glared hatefully at the man for a few moments before he raised his wand and muttered an incantation, and the result was an ethereal doe that left his wand and pranced around the office. Dumbledore stared at the Patronus and turned back to face Snape. His eyes were wide with surprise.

“Lily? After all these years?” He questioned, not believing what he was seeing.

Snape closed his eyes, and the viewers saw a younger-looking Snape running between the rubbles, panting hard. He passed a black-haired man lying lifeless on the ground that they identified as James. Snape didn’t pause a glance at the man before he rushed into the house and arrived in Harry’s room, freezing as a pained sob escaped his lips.

There in front of Harry’s crib lay Lily, her brilliant eyes lifeless and her beautiful face colourless and….dead. Snape dropped to his knees, crawled up to Lily, and gathered her in his arms. The barrier broke, and he clutched the woman tightly to his chest as he sobbed freely. Snape lost the one thing he held closest to his heart.

His eyes snapped open and shone with unshed tears. “Always.” He whispered before leaving the room as quickly as possible, leaving a shell-shocked Dumbledore behind.

Harry exited the memory and collapsed next to the Pensieve, breathing hard. He knew that this was real. His mind was strangely accepting of everything he had seen all the while. And just like that, he became accepting of the fact that he should die to put an end to all of this.

He didn’t want to be seen by anybody. He pulled his invisibility cloak over his head and began the long walk back to the Forbidden Forest. He felt compelled to tell his friends. He knew they would not let him do it.

Once in the forest, he retrieved the snitch Dumbledore had left him. The snitch from his first quidditch game at Hogwarts. He sighed and steeled himself.

“I open at the close.” He read the small engravings on the golden snitch. “I am ready to die.”

The snitch clicked open, and a small black stone fell into Harry’s hand. They inferred from the memory that this was the legendary Stone of Ressurection.

Harry heard a swish, and a moment later, he was surprised to see James, Lily, Sirius, Remus and Tonks standing around him in a circle. It seemed so natural, and yet it was not. It was a manifestation of the souls of those that had passed on. A branch of magic obscure and impossible to replicate. There was a reason why the stone, when not used properly, would take away your mental fortitude and leave you mad. It held such power—a power of deception.

Lily was crying with a sad smile as Harry reached for her hands, only to be disappointed when he could not feel them. He shook his head, his eyes flowing with tears as he could not find the comfort he thought he would when he saw the woman.

“You have been so brave, Harry. So brave.” A watery chuckle escaped his mouth as he nodded slightly. “You wonderful, wonderful man.” She said again, receiving nods from the others.

“Why are you here?” He asked. “To walk you through the rest of the journey.” James broke in, smiling at the young man. “You are just a few steps away, son. We will be with you till the end.”

“We never left,” Sirius said after a pause. “You know that, right?” Harry nodded, his tears increasing as he witnessed the handsome visage of his Godfather smiling gently.

“I am sorry, Sirius. It’s my fault….” The older man shook his head. “No, it wasn’t.” He broke in.

“I did what I was supposed to do. It’s not your fault. I did my job. I couldn’t be happier.”

“And Remus. Dora. Teddy….” He could not believe that he would die even before seeing his godson. “Others will tell him what his parents died fighting for. What his Godfather died fighting for. He will understand. Teddy will be grateful. He is my son, isn’t he? Of course, he will understand.” Tonks said, winking at the younger man. She was always like that, Tonks.

“Does it hurt?” His voice was weak as he tried to hold onto his little composure. “Dying?”

“Quicker than falling asleep,” Sirius answered soothingly.

Harry looked at each of them. “I am sorry. I didn’t want any of this to happen. I didn’t want any of you to die for my sake.” He whispered, but it travelled enough for them to hear.

“We could not be more proud of sacrificing our life. We saw a noble young man of the finest heart and soul.” Lily answered, her eyes brimming with pride and sadness in equal parts.

“We are sorry that we could not do much more.” She apologised.

“I could not have asked for anything more. I hope I have done you proud.” He wiped away the tears from his eyes. “So you will accompany me?” He received nods from them.

“And he won’t be able to see you?”

“No,” James replied as he pointed at Harry’s heart. “We are here, you see.” He finished, and Harry nodded one final time before straightening up. “I love you. All of you. And thank you.” He said and began his trek deeper into the woods.

He came to a clearing where he heard voices and knew he was at the right place. He stepped out, and the voices stopped. Harry’s eyes searched for only one person. Tom.

“Harry Potter.” The raspy voice that sent shivers down many spines all over magical Britain spoke after a long pause. “The boy who lived. Now come to die.”

Harry’s eyes never wavered. His back was straight, and his chin was up. The Potters saw grudging respect in the eyes of the Dark Lord as he raised his wand.

“Avada Kedavra.” Everything went white as the green beam slammed into the boy; the last thing he saw was not the man all his life tormented him, but the people who were everything in his life, smiling at him, welcoming him to their side with open arms. He felt happy. He felt light and couldn’t wait to see them again as everything went black.

BREAK-

“Lucius?” The young man stepped up when Lord Voldemort addressed him. According to Lucius Malfoy, he was blessed to be in the presence of the Dark Lord. The man was a wizard born once in a generation—a man of the most potent bloodline. A man who was better than every other person he knew—a man who was worthy of the respect of his family and many other purebloods.

It was not easy for a Malfoy to swallow their pride and acknowledge another person better than them, but with the Dark Lord they agreed wholeheartedly. He was here to lead them to greatness. He was the man who would revolutionalise Magical Britain and lead them to glory.

His father was one of the Dark Lord’s most trusted lieutenants, and he would be privileged to take the mantle from his father when the time was right when the Malfoy name stood tall and proud among the others on the right side of the Wizarding World.

“My Lord.” He bowed low, greeting the man. “I had assigned a task for you, Lucius Malfoy. A job of utmost importance and highly beneficial to the Malfoys and, in turn, my vision.”

Lucius Malfoy didn’t hide the grimace at that. He hoped the man would miss it, but knowing him as he does, that was unlikely.

“What is it?” He probed, his voice low and a dangerous lilt to his voice that made the younger man gulp in fear. Lord Voldemort, for all his charm and power, was a terse-tempered man. He had very little patience, and he won’t like it when that was tested. He would not hesitate to punish the offenders accordingly.

“I have not made any progress, my lord. The task seems as unlikely as ever. Especially after he came back.” The Dark Lord stared at the younger man for a few moments. Lucius began to worry. It didn’t bode well for him when he was quiet. Silence from Lord Voldemort was deadly. Not something any would want to be at the receiving end of.

“I had expected that you would have managed to make inroads in my plan, Lucius. I had mainly expressed that this job is your priority. And now, you tell me that you have failed.”

“Narcissa is not keen on the pairing, my lord. She has shot me down several times despite me trying repeatedly.” He mumbled. “She is infatuated with the Potter, my Lord.”

The man narrowed his eyes. “And are you sure that it is just infatuation, Lucius?” He questioned. “Are you sure that it is infatuation and not something more?”

Tom cursed internally. The Blacks were essential for his plans. As much as Lestrange, Malfoy, Rosier and Avery boasted, they didn’t have an ounce of power as the Blacks possess. There is a reason why the Blacks run the Wizengamot. They are wealthy. They are very well connected. They are not a family to be messed around with. They have the power to make life very difficult if they wish to.

Tom cursed that there were no Blacks when he went to Hogwarts. He had heard about Arcturus Black. Arcturus Black finished Hogwarts before he arrived, and from what he knew of the man from tidbits of information, he was a bane to be against and a boon to be on the same side.

He had heard from Abraxus that the Malfoy heir desired the eldest Black daughter, and Tom hoped this would work out. The unification of the Malfoys and Blacks just meant good news for his vision. The Blacks were better off as an ally rather than an enemy.

“Fool!” He snarled, taking satisfaction at the fear prevalent on the younger boy’s face.

I don’t care how you do it, Lucius. I need to hear positive news when you are out of Hogwarts. Do what you should, but the girl should marry into your family. I don’t care about the other factors, nor should you. Do what is necessary. Am I clear?” He received a hesitant nod from the young man. He dismissed the boy, sneering at nobody in particular.

“Abraxus?” The father of the Malfoy heir, sitting not far away, stood up.

“Yes, my lord.” He bowed as he spoke.

“See to it that the task is fulfilled. I have little confidence in your heir’s ability to make this work.”

The man nodded slowly. “I assure you I would see to it, my Lord,” Abraxus said.

“Cygnus Black is a very close friend, and I can see that he agrees. I think I can provide the right incentive to lure him in.” Abraxus pointed out confidently.

“See that you do. I expect results, Abraxus. I would be most displeased if you fail me.” The blonde nodded. “I won’t disappoint, my Lord.”

“About this Harry Potter? What do you know about him?” The Dark Lord questioned. He was curious about this young man. He had not heard of a Potter that studied in Hogwarts apart from the heir of the family who was currently in his OWL year.

Out of the blue, this person called Harry Potter burst into the scene. He was made the Lord of the Potter and Black families and had now foiled his plans to make inroads with the Black family.

Not just that, he was the reason that his plan faltered at the first step. The attack planned in Diagon Alley was foiled. He failed to understand if he did it to protect himself or if there was any other motive. How could there be? He was ambitious but intelligent enough to take one step at a time. He had not made his plans known to anybody. Lord Voldemort gathered all his allies one after the other with meticulous planning. After measuring every action and inaction.

He had not approached the Blacks or the Potters because they were unlike the other families. The Potters, by default, would stand against his idea. They were a light family. Very well respected by the light families and the Dark families equally.

Although a dark family, the Blacks are not easy because of the Head of the House, Arcturus Black. The man fought Grindelwald along with his now brother-in-law, Charlus Potter. The union of their families had come as a shock to many families on both sides. That was the reason he was hesitant to approach the man. Although they could do little to harm him, he had to be cautious.

“Any word on what happened that night?” He questioned, hoping to get answers but to no avail. There was no attack, yet his mark was floating in the night sky. And what was concerning was the men he lost. Travers and Mcnair were two of his best fighters. But he had lost the two of them. The entire setup told him that those two had fought between themselves for some reason and killed each other in the process. That was the only logical explanation he could find. Only his followers knew how to conjure the mark. But why? What was the reason they fought each other? He swallowed a growl of annoyance. These purebloods, for all their bragging, were kids. They weren’t as tough as they made out to be and were too prideful. But that did work in his favour. These people would rather die fighting each other than let the mud-bloods and half-bloods get any form of recognition or respect.

Instead, he would work slowly rather than make haste and lose any progress he has achieved.

BREAK—-----

The three elder Potters and Daphne emerged from the Pensieve. They could not believe what they had witnessed. If the first few years of his life were difficult, it was nothing compared to what they saw at the end. How? How can anybody think like that? How can any human do what he did? Is that even possible?

“What did I just see?” Charlus mumbled, his eyes wide as saucers. The usually composed Lord Potter seemed rattled. His eyes were red, and his breathing was incoherent. He sat heavily on a seat nearby, his face buried in his hands.

“Just who is that boy?” He questioned nobody in particular.

“How did he do that?”

“I have to see him,” Daphne said, wiping her eyes of tears and rushing out of the room in search of the man in question. It didn’t take long to find him. He was in the sitting room and lost in a book by the looks of it. She didn’t take much time before she rushed forward and jumped into the arms of the young man who had seen her coming.

“What’s wrong?” Harry questioned, his voice laced with worry. It was unusual to see the girl distraught. She looked up from his chest, where she had buried her head. Harry was surprised to see tears in her eyes. They were puffy. She had been crying for a while now.

“What happened, Daphne?” Harry questioned once again, wiping her cheek of the tears gently.

How can you stand here as if nothing has happened? We all saw what had happened. Don’t you get nightmares? How can you stay like this?” She questioned.

“You died. You died, and you offered yourself to die.” She pointed out. “Who does that, Harry? Who would walk up to their death, Harry?” Harry chuckled as the reason for her tears was revealed.

“One who has had enough of everything and wants peace.” He closed his eyes, remembering the moment like it happened yesterday. “One who wants the world to stay safe. His friends and family safe. One who wants to finish what he started.” He muttered.

“What compelled you to do that, Harry?” Charlus, Dorea and Euphemia had followed Daphne, and Eupheia questioned, her eyes red from crying.

Harry shrugged. “I still don’t know. I was fed up with all of it. Seeing it made it easier to end it all. I did. And I had no idea I would wake up back in the Forest. I thought it was all over. Luck was my side all the way, I think.”

“I thought we had seen our fair share of wonders, Harry,” Dorea spoke after a moment of silence. “But I never thought I would see a person die and then wake up as if he was taking a nap.” The rest of them nodded.

“If you are done, let’s have dinner. I have not had a proper dinner with you guys since you began seeing those memories.” He smiled, walking out of the room with the rest of them following.

TBC—-------------