1 Harry Gaunt - Chapter 1

AN

My new offering!

Hope you like it.

Harry didn't think he recognised this part of the Forbidden Forest. It was somehow brighter, there was light glimpsing through the canopy above. He must have taken a wrong turn, it wouldn't be the first time as he came to a stop by a large tree.

He looked around, but saw nothing but more trees and suspect holes in the ground, which were probably nests for something foul. Harry wouldn't mind meeting them, it would at least delay what he was about to do.

Voldemort. He'd sent him an invite, one that in Harry's mind had long been overdue. It wasn't an offer to join him - no, far from it. It was, as Harry continued on through the forest, an offer of an end. Voldemort had offered to end the fighting, to settle in peace the many conflicts happening all around the country.

But at a cost.

Flap Flap.

"Hedwig?" Harry blinked up through the wide tree trunks, watching as his closest friend swept towards him. She was so pleased to see him, nibbling and cuffing him with her wings. "I know girl. But what else can I do?"

Ron was dead. Hermione too. They'd died at the Ministry - years ago while they escaped the Hall of Prophecies. Harry knew it was his fault, it had driven him mad.

And now over 2 years later, after constant hate filled battles with Voldemort and his Death Eaters, Harry was giving in. He'd had enough. "Goodbye Hedwig," he said, stroking her feathers in farewell. "Be safe. I'll miss you."

Hedwig cooed weakly, relishing her master's touch before Harry coaxed her away.

Flap Flap.

Harry watched her go, if only he could fly with her as he turned to the matter at hand, his objective firmly in mind. He had a Dark Lord to find. "I'll see you on the other side Tom."

They'd both go down together. It was the only way.

Break.

"Cissy," whispered Bellatrix from beside her sister. "You must go. It isn't safe here." Bellatrix knew her sister meant well, but she was no Death Eater.

"I won't," said Cissy with her eyes fixed on the clearing ahead. "He'll try to kill you." Cissy would stay by her sister, the only family she had left after Potter, a wizard from nightmares, had killed her family. "Besides," she added quietly so the others couldn't hear. "I want to see it. And I am not the only one."

There were many gathered here to witness Potter's death, a fact the Dark Lord had eagerly proclaimed for days on end.

Bellatrix glanced at the various groups, each of them spread through the small expanse of forest. "They're only here because the Dark Lord commands it," she explained, daring a glance at the man. "He is nervous. Afraid." Bellatrix could see it, sense it in the air around him. "Cissy?"

Cissy had gone quiet.

"You exaggerate," she concluded after a moment. "The Dark Lord has never once been bested, Potter is a fool if he thinks today will be any different." She took a breath, holding back her fear should the Dark Lord fail. "You've been different lately."

Cissy turned to face Bellatrix, feeling concern for sister who by all accounts, appeared quite sane today. It was how she always used to be.

"I just want this to be over," admitted Bellatrix with a weary slouch. "I can't take anymore."

It was all too much. Potter would not rest until she was dead.

"I know," Cissy touched her arm reassuringly. "But you'll see, have faith. We're almost there."

Bellatrix shut her eyes, feeling wrong as her sister tightly embraced her. Cissy didn't know what it was like, she didn't know what Potter was truly capable of.

"Let me find Severus," said Cissy as she stepped away. "He should be here somewhere." She walked away with a happy skip, entering the larger group that lingered behind the Dark Lord. Severus had been hard to find lately, always off on some errand.

Bellatrix was glad to be rid of him, he was always rude to her - and others as her thoughts turned inwards. Bellatrix looked at the Dark Lord, who stood with his back to the gathered group that she was conveniently at the back of. He paid her no mind of course, their distance suiting them both after all the times she'd failed to kill the boy, given how often he plagued her steps. The Dark Lord didn't tolerate failure, which meant he didn't tolerate her.

But Potter was a demon in battle. She couldn't hope to beat him, nobody could, only run as she'd been forced to do countless times. Potter was also cruel, daring and very much the man Cissy thought he was. He'd killed her husband after all, then her son, even their house elf. All so he could get to Bellatrix who'd taken to hiding in Malfoy Manor.

She felt her chest tighten at the thought of it all, only now after experiencing everything she had could she see how foolish she'd been.

The Dark Lord had never been her salvation, never the answer she had once sought. He didn't love her; never would and certainly, this she knew beyond any doubt, that he would never be able to kill Harry Potter.

"Today," she whispered. "It ends today."

Cissy believed like all the rest that Lord Voldemort would prevail, that for the first time in never, a Dark Lord would actually succeed. Meanwhile Bellatrix, who made her way to the sides of the large group, believed exactly the opposite.

Harry would be the one to prevail, and with it, this would all be over.

Bellatrix sighed sadly. If only her luck had been different.

Snap.

Bellatrix flicked her eyes to the trees ahead, feeling hope bloom as Harry emerged with a confident stride. His wand was held loosely in his hand, while his eyes set upon them with a cold scowl.

He hated them all.

"Tom."

Voldemort twitched, infuriated at so much of what Harry had said. "You disgrace yourself," he hissed pityingly back, stepping forth across the forest floor. "In all these years, you've never once used our gift."

He looked at Harry, trying to understand what this change could mean as the two stood before one another. But that was when he saw it, just there on Harry's finger.

Voldemort froze.

"It was a curious find," admitted Harry with a smirk, relishing Voldemort's shock. "I never knew."

Harry raised his hand, looking at the ring with a ponderous eye. It was ironic, he and Tom were like brothers.

"Knew what?" hissed Voldemort lowly.

Harry lowered his hand.

"You will never know," he said, feeling the magic of Dumbledore's wand seep between his fingers. "But be assured, you were always doomed."

It was Death's way, and as Voldemort raised his Yew and Phoenix feather wand, so felt Harry the same doom as he prepared to die. He found Severus with a glance, the man who'd told him everything - yet nothing. He was standing with the woman he loved, disguising the anguish only Harry could see.

Harry smiled at him softly, wishing him well as his eyes shifted further down the line, settling promptly on the woman he'd unjustly tormented.

She looked tired. Harry was truly sorry.

'Forgive me.'

He mouthed the words to her, seeing only her before his vision coloured green. The space exploded with magic, cold and dark as Harry let go of his earthly tether. He let his eyes close, embracing his fate whereas Voldemort thrashed, desperate to escape this cold hand.

But it was for nought.

Death was upon them.

Break.

Harry woke with a gasp on the forest floor, his body in abject pain.

"GAH!"

He rolled onto his back, heaving deliriously. It took minutes for him to calm himself, then another few before reality set in… "…I am alive?"

Harry sat up, his hands propping him from the soft floor. It felt different at his touch, mossy and covered in leaves and pine needles. The air around was cleaner too, refreshing even as Harry peered around into the darkness. It was hard to tell if it was day or night, the trees didn't care but if he had to guess, it was night.

He rose gingerly.

"What on earth happened…" he muttered. "My wand."

He remembered. Harry had dropped it, and it was nowhere to be seen as he frantically searched the floor. "The ring!"

It was gone too, panic set in as Harry frantically reached into his robe pocket, quickly pulling out his shrunken trunk. He flicked his hand over it, hastily stepping back as the enormous chest thunked to the ground.

Harry began rummaging inside, then sagged in relief when he retrieved his father's cloak. Everything else was there too as he felt himself slide to the floor. There was so much to answer, chief among which was whether Voldemort was dead.

Harry's hand quickly touched his forehead, offering immediate relief once he felt his scar. "Huh?" he ran his finger over it. It was smooth, healed and without pain. "LUMOS!"

He slashed his hand towards the sky, sending a bright ball of light shooting up. It stung to do it like this, but needs must as Harry climbed to his feet, summoning a mirror from inside his trunk before angling it just right so he could see his scar.

Pale. Healed.

He tossed the mirror back, beginning to pace beneath the dwindling flare. Wandless magic never seemed to last very long, a shame really, as Harry was quite skilled at it.

It therefore didn't take long for the Lumos to pop, plunging Harry back into the quiet darkness. But by Harry's reckoning, as he walked the short distance back to his trunk, there should be a small lake just between those trees. It was where he'd found Sirius in 3rd year, a place not soon forgotten - even here in the endless trees.

Harry would go there, stay put and rest until the morning. He had everything he needed to setup up camp, and so with his trunk levitating behind, and another Lumos ahead, Harry left the clearing.

Rest.

He needed rest.

Break.

James was having a great time as he bounded between the enormous trees, Peter on his back and Sirius just ahead. They were following Remus, who'd run off along a trail with great interest.

He heard Sirius bark, then again as the huge dog swerved towards a clearing. James altered course, following down into the open space that made his hair stand on end. He was suddenly very nervous, and he was never nervous as Sirius sniffed at the ground around them, whining softly in confusion.

James transformed back.

"Sirius?" he walked over, carrying Peter in his hand. "Something's not right. Remus has never run before."

Remus always stayed with them when they transformed, the three forming the pack that the wolf clung too. So for him to leave…

"It's all wrong," agreed Sirius from his side. "Remus is following something. It was here…" he looked cautiously around, the night too dark to really see. "Could you feel it to?" he asked.

"As soon as we came in," nodded James. "We need to go."

Sirius couldn't agree more. "Follow me."

Sirius would lead the way, the two transforming back with practiced ease as the feeling of cold magic returned to them. They left the clearing with haste, following along the path that Remus had used. He couldn't be far now, the scent was getting stronger as they arrived through the trees by a small lake.

They stopped by the treeline, the three looking cautiously across the lake. The feeling was worse now, the very space they were in oozing this cold, looming magic.

Sirius barked, prompting James to twitch as a figure moved through the hanging mist. It was walking along the shore, calm and with smooth steps. Then it stopped, turned; and stared at them.

Three edged away. It was a man, a man with green eyes as the mist thinned. There was something by his feet too, held afloat and away at a careful distance. The man tossed it away, laughing at seemingly nothing as Remus was revealed, now a crumbled heap of quiet whines.

James was horrified, unable to look away from the man's haunting eyes, practically aglow as the man's face changed to frown, different from how he'd watched them before. He was looking at them searchingly, then back to the Werewolf that had dared invade his tent.

Crack.

He appeared before them, arriving with a quiet snap of apparition. "Animagi?" he asked, looking with interest between them. "Ha - what are the chances!"

Something appeared to be very funny as the man laughed heartily, his hand rubbing at his shaking head. This couldn't be real, realised Harry. It was just another dream of hopeless longing. "If only you were real," he said, looking broken now the moment passed. "What I wouldn't give for it all to be real again."

Harry became lost in memory.

Sirius meanwhile, was riddled with fear, disturbed beyond reckoning by the man they'd found. They had to get of here as he barked, desperate for the man to leave.

But the man just chuckled, looking contently upon them. Until that is, he spied a certain rat upon James' back.

Then he lunged for it with a terrific leap and an angry shout.

Harry had never had the privilege of killing Peter before, so to be given this chance now, in a dream. Well, Harry couldn't resist as he tumbled across James' back, doing a marvellous job of tossing Peter to the heavens.

James was bucking like a deer possessed, trying to send Harry off before he soon was. Harry twirled through the air with a giddy laugh. Peter had landed before he did, hitting a root with a painful squeak.

It was worth it, as Harry himself thudded against a broad tree, doing well to reduce the damage before plopping to the roots below. He spied Peter again, already scrambling towards him with a gleeful hiss. He was going to kill that rat.

But before Harry could reach it, the dog plucked it up between its teeth, then fled with the deer back into the forest. They left Harry in the dust, now slumped in a tired heap.

Harry was beginning to wonder if this was really a dream. He glanced back to the Werewolf, seeing from afar its grotesque form exactly where he'd left it. He'd leave it there, the world was beginning to spin before Harry slipped into unconsciousness, managing before he did to hide between a pair of enormous tree roots.

Death was playing a joke on him.

AN

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