Chapter 341: A New Dawn

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I tend to upload drafts of early chapters on there to get people's opinions of them so you can read up to 20 chapters ahead as a bonus.

I would like to thank my beta, Awdyr, for his help in this chapter.

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1 November 1995, Hogwarts (Earth 2)

Sirius Black paced in his dog form, right next to Harry's bed. To say that the previous day was nerve-wracking would be an understatement and a half. Seeing his godson being hit by that familiar sickly green light was horrifying, even if it was under controlled conditions. It was weaker than Voldemort's usual spell.

Hell, it was weaker than any killing curse he had ever seen. It glowed just a bit less and it just felt lesser, for lack of a better word. Sirius could hardly guess how Harrold achieved this; he had accepted the fact that the boy understood magic better than he ever did, despite the age difference, but that didn't matter. What mattered was that it actually worked. Harry was hit with the spell, and his scar bled some kind of weird black goo, but he was still alive, nonetheless. His godson had survived the killing curse for the second time.

Now, if only he would wake up. Sirius had panicked a bit and just grabbed his unconscious godson and snuck him back into his dormitory in Hogwarts. He let the boy sleep in his bed and kept vigil over him in his dog form. It was late enough in the night that all of his housemates were asleep, so no one noticed anything amiss.

He didn't even know what happened to Harrold, if his plan worked or not if Voldemort had died or not. He was mainly concerned with his godson at the moment to really pay attention to anything else. The whole thing was a bit anti-climactic. He expected to see some kind of change or something. All that happened was some weird portal opening up and a killing curse came through it to hit Harry, before closing. That was it. There were no celebrations in the streets, there were no loud noises of explosions and death, just his godson's faint breathing.

Breathing whose rhythm changed slightly. Sirius perked up and saw Harry slowly sitting up. He jumped at the bed and licked his godson's nose. Harry giggled before stiffening, probably remembering what happened the night prior. It was almost dawn and Padfoot walked out of the dormitory, Harry groaning as he followed the dog Animagus around.

They walked down, mostly in silence, until they found themselves near the Black Lake. It was early enough that no one would notice, so Sirius shifted back into his human form and enveloped his godson with a hug, "I'm so glad you're alright!"

The younger wizard yelped in pain, "I'm happy too, but everything hurts."

"Is there something wrong?" the dog Animagus asked, panicked.

"No, it's fine, Padfoot. I just feel sore all over. It was like I just had an intense Quidditch workout, only ten times worse. I guess being sore isn't a bad thing after being hit with a killing curse."

"How was it, being hit with the curse?"

Harry shrugged, "Not that bad, to be honest. The Cruciatus was far worse. Did it work, by the way? Is the soul shard gone?"

Sirius nodded, "Yes. There was some stuff that came out of your scar, and I cast a dozen dark magic detectors. The wound is still cursed, but it doesn't have anything close to the magic that was there before. It'll probably start properly scarring, but I don't think it will ever go away."

The boy's shoulders visibly relaxed at his statement, "At least that part of the plan worked. If anything, I don't have to die anymore. And I'll stop screaming whenever Voldemort is around. I do feel better, lighter for the lack of a better term. I'm not as angry as I was yesterday. I don't feel like I'm about to blow up at any time. I guess that's already an improvement. Do you think he did it? Do you think Voldemort is really dead?"

"I don't know. But we'll find out eventually. As for now, let's just celebrate the fact that you're free from that scar. That's already a massive thing. And Voldemort's Horcruxes are all gone, except for maybe his snake. That alone makes a massive difference, even if Harrold's plan failed."

"It'll be odd not seeing him every morning. I've only known him for two months, but it feels more than that. I know that we had some disagreements, but I hope he's still alive somewhere."

Sirius hummed, "I hope so too, kid."

They stayed in silence, watching the surface of the Black Lake for what must have been hours. They didn't speak until the familiar form of Hedwig flew down at them with a copy of the Daily Prophet, "I didn't know you were subscribed to the Prophet, especially after how they treated you."

"I'm not," Harry simply replied, before gasping as he saw the cover image and Sirius followed him as he saw it as well. It was of Voldemort being impaled by some kind of spear, to the heart, whilst chained, on top of the familiar form of Azkaban.

Dark Lord Dead? Mysterious Death at Azkaban Leaves Wizarding World Stunned

By Rita Skeeter

In a shocking turn of events, the body of a figure resembling He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was discovered late last night on the roof of Azkaban fortress, chained and impaled by a spear. The discovery comes after what authorities are calling one of the most violent and mysterious attacks ever seen in wizarding history, leaving the public reeling with questions about the fate of the Dark Lord, the Ministry's denials, and the security of Azkaban itself.

All inmates housed in the maximum-security wing of the prison were found dead, or are presumed to have perished in what investigators believe was an out-of-control Fiendfyre. The Aurors on the scene described the wing as "completely ravaged" by the magical fire, making identification of some of the deceased difficult. The exact cause of the Fiendfyre's release remains unknown.

However, even more unsettling than the mass deaths of the inmates is the discovery of bodies that do not belong to Azkaban's current prisoner roster. Lucius Malfoy, once accused of supporting You-Know-Who during the First Wizarding War, but never convicted, was found among the dead, despite not being an inmate at the time of the attack. His presence at the prison has raised serious questions.

Aurors also identified Fenrir Greyback, the notorious werewolf and one of the Dark Lord's most feared followers, among the corpses. Greyback was also not an inmate at Azkaban, leading many to wonder what brought him and Malfoy to the fortress. Several other individuals not listed as prisoners were found at the scene as well, further deepening the mystery.

"We are investigating how and why these individuals were at Azkaban," said a senior Auror close to the case. "None of them were incarcerated, and their presence raises serious concerns. We're looking into every possibility."

The discovery of the figure bearing a striking resemblance to You-Know-Who, chained and dead atop Azkaban, has sparked a whirlwind of rumours and fear across the wizarding world. Despite the Ministry's longstanding denial of the Dark Lord's return, this gruesome scene has called into question the Ministry's official stance.

"We are exploring all possibilities," said a Ministry spokesperson. "While the body found may look like He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, it's important to note that this could be the work of an imposter seeking to exploit his fearsome reputation. We are treating this as one possibility, though we must not discount any other avenues of investigation. This aligns with statements previously made by Albus Dumbledore, who warned of such tactics following young Harry Potter's account of the events during the Third Task of the Triwizard Tournament."

Minister Cornelius Fudge, who has been under increasing pressure since last year to acknowledge the Dark Lord's possible return, declined to make any specific comment, stating only that "the investigation is ongoing." However, with several of Fudge's political allies—including Malfoy—now dead, speculation is rife about the deeper implications of this attack.

Among the many questions raised by this horrific event, the fate of the Dementors remains one of the most troubling. The creatures, once loyal guards of the wizarding prison, have vanished entirely, leaving no trace behind. Their sudden disappearance, paired with the unprecedented attack, has led to widespread speculation that Azkaban may no longer be the secure fortress it once was.

"It's not just about the bodies we found," said an Auror involved in the investigation. "It's about what we didn't find. The Dementors are gone, and whatever took them has left nothing but death in its wake."

As the wizarding world reels from this catastrophe, many are left wondering whether this marks the end of an era or the dawn of an even darker chapter.

Sirius stared at the cover of the newspaper with awe in his eyes and murmured, "He actually pulled it off."

Harry seemed to be in a daze as well, "Voldemort is gone. I'm free. He'll never go after me again. He'll never hurt anyone else again."

Sirius couldn't help but burst into laughter, "The fucker is dead, finally. And didn't you see? His death eaters are dead too. Holy shit! I knew that Harrold was good, but this is absolutely mental."

For some reason, Harry wasn't smiling with him and his godfather grabbed him by the shoulder and comforted him, "What is it, kid?"

"Is it wrong that I feel cheated somehow? I've always thought it was going to be me, that I would be the one to kill him. I didn't like it, but it was who I am. I'm glad he's dead, I really am, but I fought him so many times. Without that, I don't know if I'm special anymore."

Sirius gave him a sad smile, "Of course, you're special, Harry. You're one of the bravest, most ingenious men I've ever met. You're not defined by Voldemort. You never were and this is your chance to prove that. Thrive without having to fight him. Become someone that's amazing in his own rights."

Harry smiled slightly at that before suddenly bursting into laughter, "I still can't believe that they have Voldemort's body on their hands and they're still not saying that he was back."

The dog Animagus could see the humour in that, "Fudge is grasping at straws here. The event was public enough that everyone would have known about it eventually. There were just too many deaths and most of them were backers of his. He's never going to say that he was wrong, that's an easy way to be kicked out of office after the shit he pulled. At least, the way he's been slandering you is gone. Impostor or not, no one would blame you for freaking out, especially after seeing the Diggory boy die in front of you. You saw Voldemort kill him and warned people, whether that was an impostor or not, isn't important. What's important is that no one will think you were lying."

The younger wizard looked hesitant for a moment, "I don't know. It feels sort of cheap, to just pretend like Voldemort never came back, that Cedric died at the hands of some copycat."

"Harry, Cedric is gone, and it wasn't your fault. The monster who killed him, who also killed your parents and countless other people, is dead. That's the main point. His biggest supporters are dead. Hell, even Greyback is dead, and I know that Moony will be over the moon because of that. You're free now. There is nothing that is forcing you to do anything for anyone. You are no longer responsible for saving everyone. Your life is just as valuable, if not more valuable, than other people's and you need to accept that. It's time for you to finally think for yourself, decide on the man you want to become, find a dream and pursue it."

"I don't know how to do that. Ever since I stepped foot in the wizarding world, my entire life revolved around Voldemort. That's pretty sad, now that I say it out loud."

Sirius grinned, "Tell you what, the first thing would be to find a new place we could live in. I hate Grimmauld Place, and I know you hate the Dursleys. With Voldemort gone, Dumbledore will have no justification to leave you with them."

Harry smiled widely at that, "That alone makes being hit with a killing curse worth the trouble. Come on, we've been here for hours, and I don't want to miss breakfast; I'm starving."

Sirius nodded, "Sure. Don't let me keep you. I'm just glad you're alright now. We'll talk later. I'm expecting another Order meeting about what happened last night anyway."

The younger wizard agreed and walked back to the castle. Sirius was prepared to turn back into a dog and sneak out of the school, only for a small letter to materialize before him.

Dear Sirius,

I enchanted this letter to appear when you're alone after reading the newspaper I arranged to be sent to Harry, so don't panic. It was supposed to reassure him. I hope it did; it would be very embarrassing if something went wrong. I hope nothing did, at least on your end.

 I don't really like teary goodbyes, so this would have to do. My time in your universe was brief but I enjoyed it. It was a nice break from the craziness of my universe. It was a privilege to get to know you properly and I am glad that you have trusted me, even when my plan was for your godson to be hit with a killing curse and I want to repay that trust.

I'm leaving you with a trunk filled with everything I stole from the Lestrange vault. I have no idea how Goblins mint their Galleons, and I have more than enough gold for myself in my own dimension. Anyway, I also trapped the dementors in a cave that I enchanted to experience time very slowly. It wouldn't have worked normally, but an energy surge like the one I planned ought to keep the enchantments up for a few centuries or millennia. So, unless some idiot breaks them for some reason, you shouldn't see dementors in a while. I hope that gives you a measure of closure in the fact that you won't see one anytime soon.

Anyway, a few parting words. Never be cruel or cowardly. Never give up on your dreams, and never give in to serving others. Smile widely, laugh hard, and never ever stop being kind, even if you need to temper it a bit with some self-preservation.

Now, I didn't just send you the letter to say goodbye. There's a small piece of information that I wanted to share, which you can act on however you want. Albus Dumbledore is dying. He tracked down one of the Horcruxes and accidentally got himself cursed. Thankfully, he contained it well enough, but he won't live past a year. I know this because I hunted down that particular Horcrux before him and had to reapply the curse in case Voldemort came back to check on it. Thankfully, when I did so, I decided to make a small change, a way out. I have attached instructions on how to remove it. It's not exactly a cure, it would just stop the curse from spreading permanently. Now, with me gone, I'm leaving you a choice. You can either save Dumbledore or not. I agree that my experiences with my own Dumbledore are making me biased, so, I'm letting you make the decision instead. I pray that you can live with whatever choice you will make.

Goodbye and Good Luck,

Harry

Sirius stuffed the letter into his pocket, heart pounding with a strange mix of emotions. He had barely noticed the passage of time by the time he arrived back home. The house was quiet, Kreacher nowhere to be seen, and the faint creaks of Grimmauld Place echoed through the halls like ghosts. He didn't have time to process the magnitude of Harrold's message—not fully. Save Dumbledore or not. The more logical choice was to save the man, and yet something niggled in his head. Of course, that was when Dumbledore sent a Patronus to everyone to gather for an order meeting.

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AN: I couldn't help myself and write this. It was supposed to be a small part of a chapter but it sort of dragged out. I decided to let Sirius decide Dumbledore's fate because it's fitting, I guess. Canon Harry would have just saved him without even thinking about it and Sirius would be able to make a more objective choice without relying too much on the man's reputation. Anyway, the next chapter should be a more general epilogue and the final resolution with Dumbledore. I'm getting ready to get back to the full story soon. This arc has been one of the most fun I've had whilst writing and I hope you enjoyed it so far. As usual, please let me know what you think and if you have any suggestions.

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If you want to support me check out my patréon at https://www.patréon.com/athassprkr

I tend to upload drafts of early chapters on there to get people's opinions of them so you can read up to 20 chapters ahead as a bonus.

Thank you guys for your support in these hard times.