Disclaimer: These characters and settings belong to JK Rowling. No profit is being made or sought; I'm just having a little fun.
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I have often dreamed, of a far off place Where a hero’s welcome, would be waiting for me Where the crowds will cheer, when they see my face And a voice keeps saying, this is where I’m meant to be It is over. Voldemort is finally dead at my feet. After years of battle my task is over. The Darkest wizard in history would kill no more. Had the price paid to get here been too much? Yes, it had. Because I had paid with everything that meant anything to me. After Dumbledore died the war had escalated into total viciousness. Death Eaters roamed freely, killing without fear. They had the backing of the most powerful wizard in the world. Who would dare challenge them? The Order had been picked off one by one. The Death Eaters had tortured each one of them for hours. The women had been brutally raped, every last bit of their dignity shredded to nothing before they were allowed to die. Voldemort had wanted to make a statement, and he made it. No one defied the Dark Lord without paying the consequences. I could do nothing but watch helplessly. Until I tracked and destroyed the Horcruxes I couldn’t kill him. Not that I could match Voldemort’s power anyway. The day I found Remus’ corpse was the day I nearly broke down. He had been poisoned with silver. It had been injected into his blood little by little. The lethal substance had eaten away at him slowly, giving him the most painful death possible. I had tracked Wormtail down. Yes, I knew it was him, and the sniveling coward had admitted it at the end. It had been too tempting to go the same route as the Death Eaters and inflict torture on him. Murderous rage had been flowing through every inch of me. I wanted revenge. Nothing but torturing the rat to the most painful death would satisfy me. I still remember Ginny’s words from then like they were spoken right now. “Torturing him would make you no better than him, Harry,” she had said. I didn’t want to listen to her. I had pulled my wand and cast the Cruciatus curse on the bastard. But she had been right. And I had known it. The curse had no effect on Wormtail. Like before, I just couldn’t cast it. I’ll be there someday, I can go the distance I will find my way, if I can be strong I know ev’ry mile, will be worth my while When I go the distance, I’ll be right where I belong The search for the Horcruxes had been long and painful. It had taken years. Years in which hundreds of people died. Amongst them - the Weasleys. Molly, Arthur, Bill, Charlie, Fred, George… and Percy. They had fallen defending the Burrow from Voldemort and his Death Eaters. Never before in the history of wizardkind had such bravery been seen as during that fight. ‘The Battle of Ottery St. Catchpole,’ as it had begun to be called, had gone down in history. The Weasleys had died… but the seven defenders had taken fifty Death Eaters with them. Fred and George had done the most damage. They had spent a lot of time and effort inventing deadly pranks to use on the Death Eaters in case they were ever attacked… and it had showed. In the end Voldemort himself killed them. Nobody else had been able to bring down the deadly duo. Down an unknown road, to embrace my fate Though that road may wander, it will lead me to you And a thousand years, would be worth the wait It might take a lifetime, but somehow I’ll see it through By that time I had turned nineteen. In the winter of that year I married Ginny Weasley. We both knew that the war could kill any one of us, if not both. We weren’t ready to keep our lives on hold anymore. We had decided we would take what we could, when we could. We would live each day as if it were our last. The few months we had together were the happiest I had ever known. I loved her, more than I ever believed it was possible to love someone. Every moment spent with her had been magical. What made it even more amazing was that she loved me equally. Me! Harry Potter! Imagine that. It was difficult to believe at times. It was almost unreal how happy we were. It was when we had gone to destroy the Hufflepuff Cup that we were ambushed. They had jumped us suddenly. Lucius Malfoy and ten others. We had done a good job of holding them off and had been getting ready to apparate away when it had happened. She had been hit by a powerful Reducto curse by Lucius Malfoy. Till today his smirking face still haunts me. We had managed to escape, but by the time we got to St Mungo’s it had been too late. The curse had hit her ribs and they had shattered, puncturing her lungs. By the time they had got her to St Mungo’s she had been too far gone. I had held her in my arms as she took her last breath. And it felt like I died with her. She had looked at me one last time, her eyes full of love. “I love you, Harry Potter.” And the only thing I could think was. ‘Then don’t leave me. Please don’t leave me.’ And I won’t look back, I can go the distance And I’ll stay on track, no, I won’t accept defeat It’s an uphill slope, but I won’t lose hope Till I go the distance, and my journey is complete I had cried for days, either Ron or Hermione holding me. I cried till there were no more tears left. I was empty, totally empty. There was nothing more to live for. Nothing left to fight for. Till today I don’t know why I continued on. All I wanted to do was to kill myself. Kill myself so I could finally join her, and my parents, and Sirius, all my loved ones. Hermione left me next. Killed by none other than Draco Malfoy, who stabbed her in the back in a skirmish we had with the Death Eaters. He had finally got one over the ‘Mudblood.’ He didn’t last long enough to enjoy it though. An enraged Ron Weasley had beaten him to death with his bare hands. Ron had become very quiet after Hermione’s death. Not that I talked much either. But Ron had always been someone who could never keep quiet. I remember the arguments he and Hermione used to have… and I used to pray that they would shut up. I would give anything to hear them fight once more. Hermione had always been one who kept me and Ron headed in the right direction. We were the doers, she had always been the thinker. Without her we had been left crippled and directionless. But by then there was pretty much nothing left to do. The Horcruxes had been destroyed. All that had been left to do was kill Voldemort. Piece of cake. But to look beyond the glory is the hardest part For a hero’s strength is measured by his heart Like a shooting star, I will go the distance I will search the world, I will face its’ harms I don’t care how far, I can go the distance Till I find my hero’s welcome, waiting in your arms I will search the world, I will face it’s harms Till I find my hero’s welcome, waiting in your arms I can’t feel anything anymore. My whole body is numb. I am grateful for this development. The numerous wounds on my body had been very painful. I can’t hear anything either. Everything is so quiet. Where is everybody? Are they all dead? As I lie here I can’t help wondering whether I’m dying. I’d heard many people tell me that some people just know that it’s their time. I don’t feel any such thing. Ever since Ginny died I wanted to join her. But now that I might be dying I suddenly felt very scared. How could I show my face to them? What answer could I possibly give for why I’d failed them all? Would they ever forgive me? The hundreds that died because I was too weak to save them… would they ever understand? And would they accept me? I had dreamed of this day for years. The moment when I would meet my parents, Sirius, Remus, Dumbledore, Ginny, Hermione. I had waited for this day all my life. But what if it had all been for nothing? What if they hated me? Had my journey been for nothing? The thought sent terrified shivers down my very soul. Please, if there is a God, if you can hear me, please show me some mercy. Please forgive me. I can’t see anything. My senses are going one by one. Is it time? I shut my eyes tightly. I don’t think I want to see what happens now. Suddenly I feel bright light shining behind my eyelids. The intensity of it is almost painful. And then I hear it. The sound that makes my very soul sing with joy. Phoenix song! At first it seems to be coming from far away and then I hear it louder and louder, till it feels like my whole body is vibrating with the sound. Fawkes? Is he back? I hadn’t seen him since Dumbledore’s death. Is he here to heal me? The light gets brighter and brighter till I can’t stand it. My eyes are closed and yet it’s blinding in its intensity. I feel many pair of hands gently lifting me up. What the hell is happening? Are the mediwizards here? I can’t even open my eyes to make sure because of the damned light. And then I remember… it doesn’t matter. I’m blind. But then why can I see the light? The phoenix song reached its highest note, the purity and beauty of it leaving me stunned. I suddenly got the shock of my life. I am flying. I can still feel the hands holding me up, but the rush of wind around me can only mean one thing. I open my eyes slowly, afraid of what I might see. Whatever I expect to see it isn’t this. Seven beings are flying beside me, their hands holding me up. They are made entirely of light. The purest light. The beauty of their forms is indescribable, leaving me staring at them in awe. Nothing mortal could ever be so beautiful, so pure. They each have massive wings which flap noiselessly, propelling us upwards at incredible speed. They all look at me, wide smiles on their beautiful faces. The smiles are so reassuring, so full of joy, that it is impossible to feel any fear. I feel light, full of energy. I have never felt like this, so free, so content, so unburdened. I feel like I can do anything, feel like I can soar across the skies like a bird. Suddenly I begin to hear music. Unearthly beautiful music. It makes me feel even more free. A fierce joy fills me and I feel like bursting out into song. The angels around me, (for I can come up with no other name for them) suddenly begin to sing to the music. Their language is one that I cannot recognize, but somehow I understand what they are singing. They are singing the tale of my life. I listen to them as they sing, their voices echoing across the skies. I could never have imagined that any voice could be so magical, so pure. We are flying through the clouds, higher and higher, and I know not where our journey will end. But it does not matter. If the journey is so beautiful the destination can only be better. We finally fly through a large cloud and there is a blinding flash of light. When the light clears I see we are in front of a massive golden gate that is so tall that it disappears into the sky. What is beyond I do not know. The angels let go of me and move to stand behind me. I look at them questioningly and they smile at me and gesture me to walk towards the gate. I hesitantly walk forward, and as I do the gates slowly open. A massive wave of sound can be heard from beyond and I again wonder what is in store for me. The gates open wider and I catch a glimpse of a gigantic Hall, stretching further than the eye could see. A golden carpet is rolled out through the center of the Hall, perhaps for me to walk on? On either side of the carpet there are millions of gathered people. Hundreds of millions. I am stunned. Why are they all here? Am I to be judged before such a big crowd? I notice a few faces amongst the crowd. Famous faces, faces of people long dead. They are all smiling at me. As I walk forward hesitantly, rose petals fall out of the sky and before my path. And then the strangest thing happened. They all bowed to me. All of them. I feel utterly lost. Are they bowing to me? But why? What did I do to deserve this respect? A deep voice rings through my being. “It is because you do not expect it, Harry. That’s what makes you special.” I slowly walk forward, feeling completely awed. I do not know where to look, everything is so magnificent. I still feel a bit stunned at the totally unexpected way that I am being welcomed. And then I see them. All my loved ones, standing before me. They are all smiling proudly at me, tears in their eyes. My parents, Sirius, Remus, Dumbledore, Hermione, Ron, Molly, Arthur, and my Ginny. My beautiful wife. I am numb with joy. Tears fall down my face as I am hugged fiercely from all sides. And the only thing I can think of is that I am finally home. My journey is over. |
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This is dedicated to two very special women. — Tricia (MuggleMomma) and Krys (Gemmika). |