| Puffskein
Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: The Highest cloud on Loon-Land
Posts: 1,806
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Part 3
Ron, Hermione, Ginny and Neville arrived back at the Gryffindor Common Room, and as they entered they noticed Harry sitting in a padded armchair, gazing into the fire deep in thought.
“Hey, what happened to you Harry?” asked Ginny as she sat down on the sofa while Neville took his place beside her.
“I had a disagreement with Karis, and I wanted to leave.” He simply replied.
“Lovers tiff ay Harry.” mocked Ron
“No actually, it wasn’t.”
“What, you mean you don’t fancy her anymore mate?” interrupted Neville, with his own look of amusement spreading across his round chubby face.
Harry laughed at his friends. “I Love Karis, I always will, she is an amazing person, but I’m not in-Love with her, I thought I was but she is more like family to me, I realise that now, I was foolish before.”
Hermione approached Harry and patted him on the shoulder. “Hey, I didn’t know you was in-love with her, that must have been really difficult for you Harry.”
Harry shrugged. “I thought that’s how I felt, but really I think it was more of an admiration for someone special, I am starting to realise that. I have never been close to a woman before, she makes me feel like I am more than what I am, but in a way it’s because she had to. She taught me to believe in myself and for the first time I’m finally sorting myself out. I don’t feel confused anymore.”
Neville nodded to Harry and gave him a warm smile. “Its great we can all be so honest with each-other, I think that Orb may have had something to do with it, and if it did, then I am so thankful, because I also had a bout of honesty talk tonight with a certain someone.” said Neville with a small grin.
Ginny went pink as Neville took hold of her hand.
Ron opened his mouth to say something but thought better of it and closed it again. Hermione jumped up and screeched in delight and Harry sat there watching the new couple, beaming. “Well all I can say is about bloody time too Neville, it’s only taken you two years to ask her out!” said Harry, now having his chance of mockery.
Ginny looked at Neville in astonishment. “What, you mean to tell me you have liked me for that long?”
Neville shot Harry a mocking scowl while the others laughed; they didn’t feel sorry for Neville one little bit as his face was continuing to burn a hot fuchsia pink.
“Well, we just need to find Harry a bird now!” said Neville, trying to gain back his composure.
Harry smirked. “I already have one.” he replied “She just doesn’t know it yet!”
As Ginny and Hermione both kissed their boyfriends goodnight, Harry made his way alone to the male dormitories with a huge smile on his face. He was still a little unhappy about his discussion earlier with Karis but he knew she had her reasons and he tried to accept it. Right now, he just kept thinking about Luna, and what would she say when tomorrow arrived, that on Christmas morning he would ask her to be his girl and finally put to rest the crush for his teacher that he had been yearning over for the last five months.
*
Harry was awoken by a tapping on his window which was adjacent to his bed. “Hedwig?” he questioned while rubbing his eyes and putting on his glasses.
He opened the window latch and Hedwig flew in and landed swiftly and quietly on his bed.
Around her neck she held a small package, and Harry quickly pulled it off of her, and if Hedwig could talk, he thought that she would thank him profusely, as she shook her head in a gesture of relief.
“What’s this?” Harry whispered to himself as he unwrapped the brown packaging.
A small note fell out into his hand along with a clear glass vial. Inside it was a thick metallic purple liquid.
Harry still half asleep scrambled for the note and opened it. Inside was a neat scrawl that Harry recognised. He picked up his wand and whispered “lumos” and a small light appeared at the tip, while he read the written words silently to himself.
Dearest Harry,
please take this at midnight, I hope you find what you are looking for, and it’s not because I didn’t want to help you today, it’s because whatever it is you see, it should be only you to see it, like I said, it isn’t my job, therefore none of my business.
His heart started to pound. She had done it; come up with a solution for him finding an answer to what happened to his parents. However, there was still more to the letter, with his fingers starting to tremble, he quickly continued reading the quivering note.
Please understand why I couldn’t open your earliest memories, and maybe they are for selfish reasons of my own but it is simply this.
I loved your parents Harry, and I feel soon you will understand why I loved them so much.
You will soon know because I sense your power rising by the day. I know you must see the truth, but that truth is something that has been carried on my shoulders since I was a young child.
I hope what you witness tonight will answer the question that burns deep inside your soul and I strongly advise Harry that you wish to see them again at their happiest of moments with you, and do not dwell on the bad. To feel and see true unconditional love makes one stronger, and after tonight I feel you will be, more than ever!
This is my Christmas Present to you Harry, and I hope you use it well! As after all, you are not a child – anymore!
All my Love
Your friend
Karis
Harry re-read the note over and over again. He felt a warm tingling sensation inside his stomach and his heart filled with an overwhelming joy.
He looked at his watch. It was 11:55pm, she had sent the note in great time, and he knew she must still be awake, probably sitting at her dressing table wondering if the gift she had sent him was appropriate, pondering in her thoughts of ‘did I do the right thing?’ Harry was almost certain of it, in his mind he could see it so vividly clear and he smiled at the prospect of it actually being true, and made a mental note in his mind to ask her tomorrow.
Harry glanced over to Ron, Neville, Seamus and Dean to make sure they were fast asleep as he didn’t want any interruptions.
He stroked Hedwig who hooted softly and flew back out the window towards the Owlery so she could get herself a peaceful nights rest.
A beep sounded from across the dormitory, it was Neville Longbottom’s watch confirming that midnight had just struck.
“Oh well, bottoms up.” He whispered, as he gulped down in one the metallic purple liquid, courtesy of Karis Dumbledore.
He was falling through clouds, the feeling he held was of peace and elation, and he felt like he could fly. As he was floating within this wave of euphoria, he heard a voice. He didn’t recognise it as someone he knew but he believed he had heard it before. Harry tried to concentrate. He closed his eyes and thought hard about the letter from Karis.
“See them in their happiest of moments.”
“Do not dwell on the bad.”
Suddenly, it stopped, the sensation and everything he was feeling in this equilibrium just vanished all at once.
Harry opened his eyes and found himself standing in a baby’s play room.
He stood there, motionless while taking in his new surroundings. It was a box room but quite large. There was a window to the left of the room and directly in front stood a baby’s cot with a large musical mobile which had different farm animals dangling from thin strings of wire.
Above the cot hanging on the wall was three large posters depicting the sport that Harry had grown to Love and knew that somewhere inside him, it came from the blood of his Father - Quidditch!
The Falmouth Falcons were staring back at him with their slogan printed out in large white letters at the bottom "Let us win, but if we cannot win, let us break a few heads."
The other two large hanging wall mounts were of the Chudley Cannons and the Appleby Arrows.
Harry then turned around to see a large toy box with stuffed soft teddies, with colourful books and a large fire engine and toy truck, there was also a small toy broom that levitated whenever one clapped their hands, somehow Harry instinctively knew this, it’s then a tear escaped from Harry’s eyes, he knew this room, it had been a long time since he was in here. This was his bedroom at Godric’s Hollow.
Harry heard a faint breathing coming from one end of the room and immediately grabbed for his wand, but he didn’t have it, that’s when he remembered he didn’t need it, this wasn’t real, it was just a memory.
He approached the cot and looked down to see the miniature image of himself staring back at him, his eyes the same but there was something missing. There was no scar on his soft, small forehead, no look of sadness in those emerald eyes, only innocence.
Harry turned to face the bedroom door as footsteps could be heard approaching. The door handle started to be pulled down and he held his breath, his heart pounding inside his chest, this was it he thought, this was the moment he would see his Mother or his Father in the flesh, and be able to remember it for the rest of his life. |