Chapter 21: Goodbye, Sally

Harry was having a great time. He was surrounded by friends, and new acquaintances. Lavender and Parvati were now hanging with them, but the girls didn't stay all the time, more like when they were bored. They were still funny and, when they wanted to be, insightful. The two girls were making headway in bringing Hermione in the group, by talking about ways that she could improve her hair. While Hermione would help them understand concepts on their homework. It was slow going, but they were getting there.

Harry was also happy that his parents were around. He didn't know how long it will last, but for now, it filled him with joy. He was content to have what he had and be thankful that Sally was his friend. He was used to seeing them for short periods of time when he was growing up. They were here longer this time, and he was going to take that with good cheer.

It had been a great year so far, the few scary times notwithstanding. He was learning about magic and making friends. What was not to like. Sure, it wasn't easy to come out of his shell, but he had managed, and without Sally holding his hands. It was because he had to cover for her that he was more comfortable with public situations. He didn't like lying, but it was important.

He was sitting at lunch with his friends when Sally and his parents came in. They drifted straight towards him, and they were smiling.

"Harry," Sally said sweetly, "we have a surprise for you." She smiled at him with a mischievous grin.

It was then that he noted the whole room could see her. That was unusual, and he had to wonder why. She hardly ever revealed herself. Everyone was pointing and talking. Some softly, others quite loudly. He had to wonder what they were thinking. Sally didn't look opposing, just different, and almost surreal.

"Oh?" was his answer, looking to each of them to see if he could figure out what they meant.

"Come on, son," James said, waving the boy over. They had stopped at the end of the table, and everyone was still looking at them. They were wondering what could possibly happen now. The beginning of the year had been eventful, and if the girl was the reason, how did she know Harry Potter?

"Okay," Harry said, sliding off the bench and walking to them. "What's got you so happy?" he asked, thinking it had to do with Pettigrew. Maybe they got Sirius released. He knew the whole story, thanks to seeing them during his childhood.

"We just came from the Ministry, and Padfoot has been freed," Lily said, clasping her hands in front of her. She really wanted to bounce with the news, but they had an audience.

"Really?" Harry asked in wonder. "Does that mean no more Dursleys?" he did bounce, spectators be damned.

"I told you, I'd fix it," Sally said, there was a tinge of sadness in her voice, that was unnoticed by those watching. Harry picked up on it, but put it off for later, the news was just too good. Instead, he hugged his best friend.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you," he muttered into her shoulder. "For everything you've done for me," he added, knowing that she had done things that she hadn't told him about.

"Harry," she said sadly, breaking the hug, but continued her grasp by holding his hands, "I have to go," she whispered, tears forming on her face.

"What? Why?" the boy said, tears forming in his eyes too. "You've been with me my whole life, why now?" he demanded, gripping her hands hard as if to hold her there. He knew she would have to leave one day, but he thought he'd be older.

"I made a deal with Fate," she said, her voice louder this time. "I can't intervene anymore." By now the whole Hall was crying. Well, not the male teachers or most of the male students, but the rest were, including Hagrid. They didn't know what was going on, but it was sad. "I love you, and I will visit you, but I can't interfere with your life anymore," she reiterated, clasping his hands just as hard.

"When are you going?" Harry asked in a small voice. He looked to his parents, who were crying ghostly tears.

"Soon, I have one more thing to do," Sally said, letting his hands go and looking to the student body. "I just wanted to let you know that the ghosts that have been visiting will be staying. That includes Isobel Watts, the Potters, Merlin, and all of the Founders." She smiled at them with a watery smile.

That was met with a cheer, though there were still some wet faces as they watched Harry slowly fall apart.

"We get to stay?" James asked, looking to his wife and son.

"Yes, you will be 'haunting' Harry," Death said, smiling an impish smile. "Cheer up everyone. You will be in the company of some great people from the past. Feel free to ask them anything. It's up to them to answer, but if you are polite, I'm sure they will." She waved her hands around the room, calling the spirits.

At that moment the ghosts came into the Hall and started wandering the tables. They were answering questions and giving advice. It broke up the melancholy mood.

"What else do you have to do?" Harry asked, looking around to see what danger could possibly still be around. Sally had taken care of everything he thought was a threat.

"You will understand later today," Sally said, giving him a quick peck on the cheek and she then disappeared.

"Where is Sirius?" Harry asked his parents in a desperate attempt to not cry anymore.

"We left him at the manor. He has to clean it up in order to live there. He's doing fine," Lily said, holding her husband's hand. "Sally called in a favor, which is why she has to leave." She too was trying not to cry anymore.

"So, I will live with him and you?" the boy said, looking at both of them with a great deal of hope.

"Yes," they said together, making Harry jump for joy.

"Yes," he yelled and went to hug them, but only got the coldness felt when one hugs a ghost. "Come meet my friends," he said, breaking away unaffected by the cold hug.

The Potters happily followed their son to meet the other people in his life.

Hphphp

Sally was in the headmaster's office waiting for him to come back from the Ministry. She had no idea what he was doing there, but his plans came to an end today. He just didn't know it yet.

While she waited, she looked around and spotted many gismos and gadgets. She didn't know what they were for but decided to err on the side of caution and disabled them all. Not that it would matter soon, but better to be safe than sorry. Who knew what the future would bring? Well, Fate, but she wasn't here.

She wandered over and started petting the phoenix. "Hello, Fawkes, how are you today?" she asked the bird, who was leaning into her ministrations.

Fawkes let out a happy trill and then a questioning one.

"Yes, sorry, but it has to be this way," she said to the bird's query. "I know you like the man, but for Harry's safety it must be done," she added, still petting the phoenix's chest.

Fawkes trilled again this time with some despondency. He knew Death was fair and didn't discriminate.

It was at that time that the door opened, and Dumbledore and Snape walked in. They were in deep discussion. They didn't even notice her.

"I am telling you that you are messing with forces that you should not be," Snape said, warning in his tone was apparent. "You cannot take on Death."

"You are worrying over nothing. That deity is simply here to watch Harry. She cannot interfere," Albus stated, finally looking up as he was making his way around his desk. He spotted her right away, and he blanched. While she looked older, he could tell it was the same being just from her aura.

"You were saying?" Sally asked sweetly. She skipped to the front of the room and smiled at Snape. "Leave," was all she said, not even in a menacing manner.

Snape did the smart thing and skedaddled.

"Now see here," Dumbledore said, sitting in his chair and glaring at the deity.

"Nope," Sally said, making a 'shut it' gesture, which caused Albus' lips to snap shut. "I will do the talking and you will listen," she said, morphing into her Death persona. He waved his hand and Albus could talk again, but this time he stayed quiet.

"You see, I've come to tell you that all your planning is for naught. I've already talked to Fate, and she has quite a happy future planned for Harry James Potter. Nothing you do will change that. Not that you'll be around to do anything," he said, leaning on his scythe.

"What ever do you mean? I am in fine health," Dumbledore said, his eyes widening with the realization that this might be his last few moments on earth.

"I see you understand. You see, you are the only thing standing in Harry's way of happiness. I have already taken care of Tom Riddle and all his little soul shards. I removed the one from Harry ages ago. So, your thoughts that the boy must die are wrong on so many levels. Even if the child did have such a fate, what makes you think his death would be the end? You would have had to find all the horcruxes and get rid of them as well. You've had years to do so, but you have instead been planning the death of an innocent," Death said, his tone was one that cause the hair on Dumbledore's neck to raise.

"It's for the good of all," Albus tried to explain his reasoning.

"And getting rid of the horcruxes wasn't?" Death asked, tapping his finger on his scythe. "You are a fool."

"I was going to have Harry…" was as far as he got.

"Not going to happen. Like I said, they are gone. It was easy enough to find them once I got the main soul," the skeleton said, tilting his head a bit. "You knew one of your teachers was possessed and did nothing. The man almost died, and you did nothing. The children were in danger, and you did nothing. That's all you've ever done, nothing."

"I defeated…" once more Dumbledore was stopped.

"A man you knew intimately. Hell, you didn't even do anything for ages, until there was no getting out of it. And you call yourself a Gryffindor," Death said, disgust in his tone. "I am here to let you know that Harry will have a happy childhood, and grow to be a great man, who will be the next Merlin. And with the ghost of the man here, he will have a great mentor."

"You mean for those ghosts to stay?" the headmaster asked, not sure if he liked the fact that his story might get skewed. He had taken great pains to warp history in his favor, now that might become undone. His powerbase was dependent on the masses thinking he was the most powerful man alive.

"Oh yes, but fret not," Death said, standing and towering over the seated man, "you won't be here," he reiterated, and then swung for the fences. Dumbledore toppled over, completely without soul. That soul was standing looking at his empty body.

"Do you mean for me to be a ghost as well?" the dead man asked, looking sad. All his dreams and plans ruined.

"Not even for a moment. Bye now," Death said, waving the man away and shrinking down into his eleven-year-old persona. Dumbledore disappeared, a disappointed look on his face, like he hadn't done all he wanted to do and now it was too late.

"Isn't that going to cause problems?" the Sorting Hat asked from his mantle.

"Nope, I already cleared it with Fate," Sally chirped, looking around the room to see if there was any indication that the man was murdered. There wasn't. It would look like old age finally caught up with him. She knew if Snape said anything, no one would believe him. Or they would take it out of context.

With this last obstacle gone, she too disappeared with a disappointed look on her face. Unlike Dumbledore, she could, and would, return.

Hphphp

"Sally is really gone," Harry said a few days later. He and his parents were in an abandoned classroom, sitting on the teacher's desk. Well, Harry was sitting there, his parents were kind of floating next to it.

"She did say she'd visit," Lily pointed out, running her ghostly hand down her son's hair. He shivered but smiled. He didn't care if they were dead, they were there.

"I guess it's for the best," the boy said, thinking hard on his friend and what she had done for him. "I can't rely on her all the time. She's done so much for me, it's time I did for myself," he added, leaning back on the desk, resting on his elbows.

"Merlin said he was going to teach you things," James said, trying to change the subject. "You will learn a lot from him."

"That'll be great," Harry said, still slightly depressed. He wondered if he thought hard enough would Sally appear. He didn't try it now. Right now, he wanted to spend time with his parents. School was starting up again tomorrow. It had been closed for the last few days because of the demise of Dumbledore. There had been a grand funeral, and many important people had come. The whole school had to be there.

That death had come as a shock to many. He hadn't even been ill.

Harry knew it was Sally's work. She said, she had one more thing to take care of, he guessed it was the old man. it did make him wonder how Dumbledore was his enemy. He had had little to do with the man.

His parents knew something, but they were keeping to themselves. They did say that the reason he was at the Dursleys' was because of Albus Dumbledore. For that alone, Harry didn't like the deceased. Still, he didn't want to think ill of the dead.

"What happens now?" he asked, sitting back up and putting his hands in his lap.

"You will go and live with Sirius and Remus," James said, tapping his chin in thought.

"Who is Remus?" the boy asked, not familiar with the name.

"He was one of my other friends here at Hogwarts," his father answered, a furrowed brow shown on his face. "I thought I told you about him," he added, thinking hard on all the stories he had told Harry as a child. He must have called the werewolf Moony.

"Not that I remember," Harry said, he too thinking hard.

"Oh well, I'm a bit miffed at him, to be honest," James confessed, then sighed. "He was supposed to be there for you growing up. He wasn't. He has a ton of excuses, but no valid reasons."

"And we're going to trust him with Harry's upbringing?" Lily asked, her hands on her hips. She was more than a bit miffed; she was downright angry.

"He promises to be the calmer of the two," James explained, knowing his wife was not happy with the werewolf, but he knew Remus and knew that the man was completely faithful to James and Sirius.

When he had been asked about why he never stood for his friend, he had said that he had at first, but Dumbledore had shot down everything he tried to do. It was the werewolf's blind faith in the man that had James miffed. However, Dumbles was out of the picture now, so that loyalty was now on Sirius and Harry.

"He'd better, or I will haunt him," Lily said, still unhappy, but she knew it was a losing battle. "Harry, dear, why don't you go and play with your friends," she suggested, running her hand down his hair again.

He beamed at her and nodded. He jumped off the desk and headed towards the door. "I'll see you later," he called as he left.

"Do you think Sally took care of everything?" she asked her husband. She was trying to think of everything that might be harmful to Harry, but Sally had done a good job. Still, she worried.

"She took care of the two most important people in Harry's life," James said, raising his hand to stop her protest. "Voldy was important, he was evil, yes, but important. Dumbles was just as important, in a different way. They both meant Harry harm. They're gone, job done."

"I guess you're right," she sighed, leaning on the desk, and looking around for something to say.

"Don't worry, Lily, Harry will be fine. We're here, and there are tons of others that will make sure he grows up well," James said, and as if to prove his point a ghostly folder appeared on the desk.

The two ghosts looked at each other and then Lily picked up the folder. It was from Fate. There was a note saying it was to relieve their worries. They could not change anything, or even talk about what was there, but they could read it and prepare.

Lily skipped straight to the end. There she read that Harry would be married for many years and have loads of children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. That was all she really needed to know.

"It'll be fine," she said, heaving a sigh of relief.