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Harry blinks and opens his eyes, the last thing he remembers was chasing down an escaped convict and duelling them. What happened to him? He stands up and sees a glowing woman, “Where am I?”
“Let’s call it waiting room.”
“Why am I here?” Was he kidnapped? He looks around and doesn’t recognise the place. Everything is so bright. This kinda reminds him off the place he met Dumbledore after he let Riddle kill him.
“You died.”
Harry’s head snaps up, “What?” He can’t be dead!
“You died. The man you were chasing had an accomplice. You were led into a trap. The accomplice killed you.”
Harry can’t believe this, he is dead. He rubs his forehead and realises his scar is gone, “My scar...”
“Is gone. All your scars are gone. After everyone dies their body is healed and purged.”
Harry does feels lighter, and he ignores all the feelings that suddenly rise, “Who are you?”
“I am Lady Magic which you would know if you were not so ignorant of your heritage,” Lady Magic is furious at his lack of knowledge and disrespect, he is just another one of a long line of people who have turned their backs on her. “You also failed to greet me properly, not that I am surprised by your ignorance.”
Harry feels chastised, “Why am I here?” He can feel that he angered her. He also can feel the power radiating from her, and it scares him.
“It is my task to judge every magical being after their death, which again, you would know if you had opened a book,” she shakes her head, what a foolish boy, “Then again you never bothered to find out where magic came from.”
He ignores her dig, “Even Voldemort?”
“Even him.”
Harry bets Voldemort got an earful, “What happens after you judge me?” He hopes to see his parents, Sirius and Remus. He has missed them.
“You have to spend the rest of your afterlife with what I impart to you,” she won’t say more, he should know all this, but what else can you expect from a traitor?
Harry wants to know more but he doubts she will give him a straight answer, “Alright, just tell me.” He is convinced she is proud of him for getting rid of Voldemort and ending the war and getting rid of the dark.
Lady magic shakes her head, she can read his thoughts, “You, Harry Potter, the boy who lived, are such an enormous disappointment. So much wasted potential.”
Harry is taken aback, “Excuse me? I defeated Voldemort. I arrested all remaining Death Eaters and made the world safer and better! We made sure the dark was harshly punished!”
Lady Magic laughs, “You foolish boy, yes you defeated him and arrested his followers, but you and your friends with your crusade against dark magic have been slowly killing magic. You have doomed the world. Your children’s children will be living in a world where magic will no longer exist. Magic needs a balance between dark and light and you destroyed that. There needs to be balance, it is the grey that keeps magic alive. The signs are all there, more and more squibs were born, more accidental magic mishaps, spells not working properly. Some buildings collapsing. Why do you think the elves and goblins have been leaving in masses? They know what is going to happen and don’t want to get caught in the inevitable disaster that will befall the world. And when asked why they are leaving, everyone scoffs at their reasoning, not wanting to believe that they speak the truth.”
This can’t be true, they haven’t killed magic, but she right, the past decade and a half only squibs have been born, and the goblins have announced that they are closing Gringotts. Could it really be true? “I didn’t know.”
Lady Magic snorts, “Of course not. You are ignorant of our ways and do not care one ounce about magic. You never once tried to learn more about the magic you use. Where it comes from or what a gift it is. You blindly accepted what you were told and didn’t go looking for further information. But I can’t solely blame you for that, still you never took initiative to learn more. Just like most, you thought all those rituals the purebloods did were dark, when they were done to honour me. But with your crusade, people stopped honouring me in Britain, and therefore I could not pour my magic into your world. Furthermore, you align yourself with blood traitors.”
Harry is confused, “What do you mean by blood traitors?”
“People like the Weasley’s who have turned their back on me. Who refuse to honour magic with rituals because they deem them dark when it is not. People like Dumbledore, who installed fear against the dark, condemning a part of the population because they did not follow his light path, a man who liked to be revered and looked up to as a beacon of light, when he was in fact responsible for everything dark and bad happening. People like Granger, who think they know better and know more about magic than those who practiced it for decades and people who grew up in this world. People who dismissed the old ways, people who took magic for granted. Those people were not favoured by me, those people were not aided by me.” She looks him into the eyes, “You Harry Potter are a blood traitor too, just like your parents. That is why I let you live this long.”
“You are lying,” he is not a blood traitor! “And why would you want me to die sooner?”
Lady Magic snorts, “I cannot lie, nor do I wish to. You don’t like what I am telling you so I must be lying. You never liked hearing the truth. And as to why I let you live this long? I will tell you later.” She shakes her head, “And to think you could be here and I would be praising you, but you chose to follow blindly and ignored all my warnings. You, Potter chose war, destruction and death!”
Harry is shocked, “What?” He would never choose war! He never wanted all those people to die! How can she say that?
Lady Magic, shows him a tapestry, “Harry Potter, when you chose to go to Gryffindor, you set in motion the path to war. It could have still been avoided over the years, but you ignored your gut, the little voice in your head, and your decisions led to unfortunate consequences. You should have listened to the hat when he suggested Slytherin, instead you ignored the little voice in your head and believed a person you met hours ago. All those gut feelings, the niggling feelings, the voice in your head you had and ignored was me trying to steer you on the right path. But no, Harry Potter knew better and doomed countless people to die, and there is only you to blame, no one forced you to ignore me, you chose to do that by yourself.”
He does not like what he is hearing, “Don’t tell me I should have gone to Slytherin. How do I even know this is real?” And he did ignore his gut feelings, that is true, he just never knew it was her.
Lady Magic touches his arm, she shows him how he died, “It is real,” she moves away from him again, “You should have gone to Slytherin. There is a universe where you did. You are still alive in that one and happy,” she opens a book, “Let me tell you a story. You listen to the hat and go to Slytherin, Professor Snape runs diagnostic spells on every first year. He would quickly have realized you were abused and found out you knew nothing about magic and the magical world. He would have taken you to Gringotts where a more thorough scan would have been done. There they would have discovered the Horcrux and removed it with a purging ritual. Narcissa Malfoy would have gotten custody of you since she is your family due to Black adopting you. You and Draco would have become like brothers. You wouldn’t have remained ignorant of the world you would be living in. And most importantly, Voldemort would have been defeated within months. There would have been no war.”
“Yeah right, that pompous brat as my brother?” While he and Draco were civil, he still did not like him.
Lady Magic, “Tell me, why did you never reach out to any Slytherin and try to befriend them and get to know them? You, just like everyone else judged them before knowing them and turned their back on them, and that contributed to the hatred they have for you. You could have reached out to Mr Malfoy in his sixth year, offered him a way out of the terrible situation he was in, instead you almost killed him and got away with attempted murder unpunished, just like your godfather. Your presence with the Malfoys would have changed Lucius because he would have seen you as Harry and not the boy Dumbledore wanted everyone to see. You also wouldn’t have gone back to an abusive family every year. You would have true friends who don’t turn their back on you because they are jealous, and crawled back because they want to share in your fame.”
“Yeah right. Lucius tried to kill me, and I had to go back because of the wards.”
"He did try, but did you ever wonder why? Maybe he had a reason? But you will have to wonder on that, I will not tell you.” She looks at him, “Mr Potter, did anyone ever check if there are wards? Did you feel the wards? You have been to places which had wards, did it feel the same at Private Drive? Another thing, we all wear masks to survive. Did it ever enter your small mind that certain people had to behave a certain way to survive? Of course not, you take everything at face value. Dark means bad, Slytherin means bad. On top of being ignorant you are a bigot, a racist against Slytherin and the dark. Did you know most Death Eaters weren’t even from Slytherin? Did you ever question if Salazar really wanted to eradicate muggles? You were in his chamber; did you ever go back to explore? To read his journals. Of course not, you are allergic to book and knowledge. There is some much you do not know because you believe what others told you, instead of questioning and trying to discover the truth.”
“But it is in the history books, about Salazar hating muggles.”
She snorts, “History is written by the winners who glory themselves and vilify their opposition, cover up the truth to make them look better. Are you really that naïve? History needed a scapegoat, and Salazar Slytherin was just one among many. The truth is out there but it was better left buried because it would start an avalanche that would have turned the world upside down.” She sighs, “When you were born, I had hoped that you would bring on the necessary change to better your world, but my hopes were fading as the years went by, and when the war happened, I had no hope left. Do you know how frustrating it is to watch the world you helped create and love die? How hair pulling it is to watch the one you chose to save said world ignore all the warnings?”
Harry says nothing, what can he say?
She takes a deep breath, “The divide between houses has only gotten worse since Dumbledore took over as Headmaster. You do realize that Dumbledore is a master manipulator?”
“We were all just chest pieces to him. I figured that one out.”
"At least you saw that for yourself. And yet you did exactly what he planned for you. Until your death, you followed his plan for you. You knew there was something wrong, off, yet you never did anything about it! It was so maddening to watch you ignore the most glaring ...” she takes a deep breath and shakes her head.
Harry is watching her, she is sad and angry, “You said Dumbledore was responsible for all of it. What does that mean?”
“If you haven’t figured it out, I won’t tell you, you have everything to put it together, but you rather ignore the truth which is in front of your eyes.
Harry swallows hard, he knows what she is talking about, he just doesn’t like to confront the truth, “You said there would have been no war.”
“As I told you, if you had gone to Slytherin the war would have been avoided. The Horcruxes would have been destroyed before Christmas break, and you wouldn’t have killed Professor Quirrell.“
Harry swallows hard, if that is true, many people would not have died, and he does not like to be reminded that he killed someone when he was only 11. “What other choices did I make that were wrong?” He dreads the answer.
"Too many to count. For instance, in your first year, you could have gone to any other professor instead of your head of house about your suspicions. Master Flitwick would not have discarded your concerns; any other professor would have believed you and made sure no children would have to put their lives on the line. You also should have asked to talk to a mind healer after killing Professor Quirrell. You do realise you were rewarded for killing an innocent man when your house undeservedly won the house cup? Quirrel was innocent, he was just weak and easily possessed, had you told Poppy that your scar was hurting, she would have run a scan and consulted Snape. You can guess what would have happened next.
Second year, again you should have gone to any professor about you hearing voices, and you would have found out the truth, and you could have shown the diary to a professor, they would have realised what it was and destroyed it. Instead you wanted to be hero again. Luckily no human died this time, but you killed an innocent creature which was manipulated by Voldemort.
In your third year, you should have gone to Mme Bones about Pettigrew being alive. Or you could have simply shown the Aurors your memories about Pettigrew being alive, it would have given Sirius a retrial. Luckily no one died that year.
In your fourth year, after your name was drawn, you could have asked me to judge you, you also should have confided in someone about your dreams about Voldemort. And after Voldemort was back, you simply could have shown Fudge your memories and he would have believed you. Cedric’s death could have been easily avoided if you had gone to someone about your suspicions about Moody, yet again you ignored the feeling and said nothing.
In your fifth year, you should have gone to Mme Bones about Umbridge, what she did was torture. You should have followed your gut and trusted Professor Snape and confided in him, but again you ignored me, and lashed out at him. I kept waiting during your occlumency lessons for you to finally talk to him, but instead you invaded his privacy. If you had confided in Snape, he would have found out your scar was a horcrux and with the help of the goblins, you would have found and destroyed the horcruxes within weeks and gotten rid of Voldemort before he had a chance to break out his followers. Instead, you welcomed the visions Voldemort send you, and the fool that you are you believed them to be true and your godfather died.
In your sixth year, you should have reached out to Malfoy. He was ready to change sides but after you tried to kill him and got not punished, he realised the light side is not better than the dark side. And how stupid can someone be to try a spell he does not know what it does on someone? That was reckless!
And then you went on the run, and wasted months looking for items when you simply could have asked me and I would have given you a list where they were, but such a simple solution never entered your mind because you were ignorant of me. You really chose the hardest part to do things. You are lucky Draco Malfoy chose to do the right thing or you would have died in the manor. Then you walked to your death, which could have been avoided and you finally defeated Voldemort, again something that could have happened sooner. There is so much more but you get what I am trying to say.“
Harry hangs his head, when laid out like that, he made many mistakes, "What about Ron and Hermoine?”
“A friend who is jealous of you and a friend who hits and bosses you around, friends who get you into trouble. Fake friends, who care nothing for you. You could have had real friends and not friends who hanged onto the Harry Potter name. They do not care for you, they only care for what you can do for them. You do know you meeting them at the platform was a setup?”
He suspected as much, but he always ignored the voice in his head, “What?”
“You poor naive boy, you still haven’t figured it out? Or are you so stubbornly holding on to your believe that I must be lying? Dumbledore asked Molly Weasley to be on the platform and help you find the platform, to make sure your first interaction was with a light family. The only reason Ron came back to you was because of your name. You are the boy who lived. Being your friend opens doors for him. And you did just that, for both of them. Hermoine is a bright witch but doesn’t think beyond books. She may be saying she is revolutionizing the wizarding world, but she is killing it. The truth is, you latched onto the first people who showed you any affection and became a pawn. They both knew who you were before you met them. I did try to steer you away from them, but you ignored me, which is a theme with you.”
Harry is angry, “I am not a pawn.” He can’t believe this was all set up.
“Believe what you will. You think you lived your life as you wanted it, but others made sure you did exactly what they wanted. Make sure you hate Slytherin and encounter light people first, fill your head with anti-Slytherin rants, before you could form an opinion for yourself. Just because someone tells you something does not make it true,” she waves her hand and shows Harry a scene where Molly tells Ron what to do once he encounters Harry.
Harry is furious, “What else was a set up?”
She raises an eyebrow, “You really have to ask? All those adventures in your Hogwarts years was to test you. There is more but you will have to keep wondering.” She conjures a doe patronus, “How does it make you feel the person who you thought hated you the most was the person that cared about you the most? His death could have been presented, but Severus is just another victim.”
“He only did it because he was in love with my mum and made a vow to protect me. He is the reason Voldemort went after them and me. But I forgave him for that.” His feelings for Snape are complicated, always been and he rather not dwell on them.
“He loved your mother, yes, like a sister. He was never in love with her.“ She knows that Harry won’t admit the truth just yet. Stubborn creature.
“But I saw his memories.”
“And you came to the wrong conclusion, as you so often did. Or you simply ignore the truth or the obvious and continue to live with blinders on.”
“He hated me because of my father and godfather,” he pushes all the rising feelings and revelations down.
"Can you blame him? Your godfather tried to have him killed in his 5th year and only because your father intervened, Severus was not turned or killed. Yet like you, Sirius wasn’t reprimanded for almost getting a student killed. Tell me, is that how the light operates? People get away with attempted murder? Your father and godfather bullied him relentlessly only because he existed, you saw this for yourself and yet you wonder why he hates them,” she shakes his head, “And his hatred for your father kept you alive. Do you know what would have happened if Voldemort saw Severus cared for you? You have no idea what he sacrificed to keep you alive. Did you know that he was tortured? Of course you don’t, you never looked into what Voldemort did to his followers. Why should you? You probably think they deserved it,” she takes a deep breath, Harry just makes her so angry, “And him overhearing the prophecy was unfortunate but lucky. Voldemort planned an attack that day that would have killed your parents. But because of the prophecy he changed his plans. And the only reason your mother had time to protect you was because Snape asked Voldemort to spare Lily and this gave her a chance to, that was enough time for her to cast a wordless and wandless spell to protect you.“
Harry doesn’t like to hear her talk about his family like that, he knows they are not the perfect people he was told, but he has a hard time to accept it, it is easier to ignore the truth because it hurts. He didn’t know Snape asked Voldemort to spare her, “Dumbledore said love protected me that night.”
“You actually believe that? You really are naive. Love is an emotion you can use to cast spells and runes, it is not magic in itself. Your mother put a protection rune under your cot and used her and your blood to make it stronger. She activated the rune that night with her spell. That is what saved you that night, not love but your mother’s foresight. The reason your touch burnt Voldemort was because of that rune still protecting you. She also tried to apparate away but there were blocks up, put there by Pettigrew.”
This is a lot to take in, but he knows there is more, “Continue your story.”
“As I said the Horcruxes would have been destroyed by Christmas. Pettigrew would have been caught, Sirius would have gotten a trail and cleared of murdering all those muggles.”
“I could have gone to live with him?” He hated that he had to go back to the Dursleys, and she is right, he never felt any wards there. This is something that bothered him, but never addressed, like so many other things.
“No, Sirius Black was never fit to raise a child. He would have filled your mind with bigotry and hatred and turned you into a worse version of James Potter. He wanted you to be a copy of your father, a mind healer would have deemed him unfit to raise you. But he would have made sure you never went back to your muggle family.”
“Did he have Black madness?” He has been wondering about that over the years.
“No, he was just a bully who hated everything dark. He might have been helped if he saw a mind healer regularly, but that is a question that will remain unanswered to you.”
“I am the reason he is dead?”
“Yes, you are but you already knew that. If you had none run in half-cocked into an obvious trap, putting you and other students in danger, Sirius would still be alive. You have caused many deaths Mr. Potter, some directly, some indirectly.”
Harry swallows hard, he has been blaming himself for Sirius death and to be told bluntly what he did wrong hurts. He focuses on his question, “Umbridge, you said I should have gone to Mme Bones?”
“You could have written to the board about Umbridge in your fifth year, or gone to the other professors, or Mme Bones. She would have been gone soon after she was found out. Lucius and Lady Longbottom abhor child abuse in any form. When Draco and the other Slytherins found out that Umbridge was using a blood quill, they made sure not to report the students anymore. Unfortunately, they found out too late, Draco did write to his father, Lucius was going to have Umbridge arrested, and Voldemort was furious when he learned she tortured you. He wanted to be the one to torture you, she did pay a hefty price for that.”
He can scarcely believe that Lucius would care about the welfare of students, it is hard to wrap his head around that. He moves on, “What about Ginny and our children?”
“Ginny Weasley, the girl who wanted to become Lady Potter since she could talk. She grew up with embellished stories about you, getting her head filled with what a hero you are, how rich you are. She loved your name and what it brought to her, but she was never in love with you. She loved what you could give her and her family. Being with you elevated their status. She gave you a love potion in your sixth year, it was a mild one, but it did the job to get everything started. She was cunning and evil, being possessed by the remnants of Voldemort brought those attributes to the front. And your children were never meant to exist, she had to use dark potions and spells on you to conceive them. No wonder your children are Dark Lords and a Dark Lady,” she stares into his eyes, “She was never meant for you. You were fated to be with someone else.”
Harry feels like someone dumped ice water on him, Ginny used a love potion on him? And potions? That can’t be true, but deep deep down he knows it is, but he keeps ignoring those feelings and revelations for now. He focuses on the last part she said, “Like a soulmate?” He read about them once, but the book said they were not real.
“Yes Harry Potter, you have a soulmate and because of all the decisions you took in your life and ignoring me, your soulmate died because of you. You both died, not knowing you had another half. That hole you always felt, and nothing could fill? That was missing your other half. Soulmates are a rare gift, and you threw that away. I did everything I could to lead you to your soulmate, but you defied me at every turn. Your soulmate died because of you!”
He can feel her rage, he feels like his life is a big offense to her, “Why did he die? Couldn’t we have gotten together after the war?”
“Why should you get a reward for ignoring our ways? For ignoring me? Why should you get to be with your true love when your ignorance and blind obedience let to many to loose theirs? Are you really so naïve to think that you should get a reward? Granted you are not the only one to blame for the war, but you played a crucial part in it!”
“Who?”
“I think you already know the answer to that.”
Harry nods, he does know, but he rather explores that later, “What about Remus, Tonks, Fred?”
“Everyone that died since you started Hogwarts would still be alive, or most of them, depending on when you stopped ignoring me.”
"So, Remus and Tonks get to see their son grow up,” he made sure to tell Teddy stories about his parents, he hated that the war took them away from Teddy.
"No, and Remus Lupin is another disappointment.”
"Why?”
"Instead of accepting his wolf and living in harmony with it, he feared it, turned his back on his wolf. That is why his transformation was always so painful and we he looked so sickly. He should have become one with his wolf and that would have led him to his mate. But to go down that route of what ifs, is not why we are here.”
"And that is not Tonks?”
Lady Magic chuckles, “His mate might surprise you. Tonks was only ever a replacement; his wolf never accepted her.”
“It’s not someone like Draco Malfoy or God forbid someone like Smith.”
Lady Magic is amused, “Draco Malfoy was his mate. Draco went to live in an arranged marriage. He loved his wife and son as best as he could, but he was never really happy.”
"Never able to fill that hole in his chest,” he only saw Draco and Astoria a few times together, and Harry could tell that Draco was not really happy, “Are there universes where I was in Gryffindor but still avoided the war?”
“Yes, but Mr Potter, you were living in one of the universes where the balance for magic was broken. There are multiple universes out there where it prevails. This is not one and you and your family are to blame.” She shows him several tapestries, “Those are the let’s call them good worlds. Where you wised up eventually. There are even some where you get a second chance by travelling back in time, but there is no second chance for you, or anyone else.”
He wants to take a closer look at the tapestries but doesn’t, it will only make him feel worse than he already does, "What did Snape say when you told him I was his soulmate?”
"He had his suspicion,” she regards him, “I am surprised you admit it is him. I thought you would ignore that fact too, like you keep ignoring what you have learned here.”
Harry will deal with everything later, "Can I see him once you have judged me?”
"That is up to him. He may not be inclined to see you,” she looks at him, “I already judged you. You are a disappointment and undeserving of the gift that was given to you. You ignored all my warnings and stubbornly followed the path laid out to you. If I could have removed your magic, I would have. I have told you Ginny gave you a love potion, she was not the only one to give you a potion.” She hands him a list, “Read and weep, you were nothing to them, only a tool, a pawn.”
Harry takes it and reads it all, she is right, he has been used his whole life. He buries his face in his hands on cries. He should have trusted his gut, but he never did, he hates himself for ignoring the obvious signs. Luna was right, not everything was as it seemed, “Luna knew.”
“She did, she also tried to steer you in the right direction, yet again you ignored her. The reason I let you live this long is simple. You betrayed me and I saw no reason to interfere.”
“You let me be used and exploited!”
“Yes, I did. You did not deserve to be saved from the fate you chose. Blame yourself!” She gets up, “Are you finally ready to accept all you ignored? Are you ready to face the harsh truth?”
“Yes,” he runs a hand through his hair and lets out a long sigh. He sits there for what he feels like hours, he finally faces the harsh truths he ignored all his life. He feels like shit, no wonder Lady Magic is furious with him, “Can we go see Snape now?”
-
Severus is brewing potions when someone enters his room, he looks up, “Lady Magic, do what do I owe this honour?” He bows his head.
"Good day to you, someone wishes to see you.”
Severus snorts, “You must be mistaken my Lady. No one wishes that.” He is not surprised that no one has come to visit him, not even his mother has come to him, not that he went to see her either.
“I am not. Mr Potter would like to talk to you, that is Harry not James,” she clarifies.
Severus nods, “Very well,” he is curious as to why Potter wants to see him.
“Harry, you can come in.”
Harry enters and looks at Snape, “Hi, uhm can we talk?” Snape looks good, he looks younger, less burdened.
“I do not see what we would have to talk about,” he is lying, they have much to talk about, but he won’t make it easy for Harry.
"You are my soulmate,” he blurts out.
“I am but it matters not. It was not meant to be,” when he was told that he had a soulmate and it was Potter, a few things started to make sense.
"Yes, it does. I am sorry that we never got a chance to explore our bond when we were alive. But we could maybe try now? I mean we have time and...”
Lady Magic interrupts him, “It does not work like that Mr Potter. I told you there was no reward for you. This is the only time you will be able to talk to Master Snape. Once I take you to your family, his location will be hidden from you.”
"But it is unfair,” he looks at Snape, “How can you just accept this?”
"I made my peace with it a long time ago, I knew that I will always be alone. Besides it is your actions that led to this. You are just like your father, an arrogant fool,” he shakes his head, “Your godfather must be proud of you, you succeeded where he failed, you inadvertently killed me!” When Lady Magic told him about Harry ignoring her, he was furious. She also told him that the others have been using Harry, he was furious at that too.
“Unlike you, Master Snape listened to me, that is how he was able to save Draco when you almost killed him for instance,” she looks at Snape, “I could have intervened and saved you from dying but like I told Mr. Potter, I was not going to reward him.”
Snape nods, “I understand.”
“But we are soulmates!” Harry has trouble believing that this is it.
Snape shakes his head, “As I said, it matters not. Go be with your family and leave me alone. I do not want to be with someone who betrayed everything I fought so hard to save. Even Voldemort knew the world needed balance.”
“No, I won’t accept this. I am sorry I ignored all the warnings; I am sorry for everything. Please give us a chance,” Harry wants to be with Snape, he wants to find out how it feels to be loved and love someone without potions.
"As the muggles say, you made your bed now you have to lie in it,” Snape looks at Harry, “You are no hero. I hope ignoring all the warnings or nudges was worth it, now leave.”
“Do you hate me?” Harry asks, his eyes never leaving Snape.
“No. I feel nothing towards you. As I told you earlier, I had time to come to terms with everything, and I longer harbour any feelings towards you.”
Harry has tears in his eyes, "Is this my punishment? To know who my soulmate is and never be with them because he feels nothing for me?”
“Yes. You will never find peace here. Did you honestly think you would be allowed to be happy after ignoring me and my ways? After dishonouring me? Betraying me? Costing many people their lives because of your blatant ignorance? You are really a fool!” She looks at him, “I will take you to your family now,” she looks at Severus, “Enjoy the rest of your day.”
Severus watches them leave, Potter really is naïve.
-
Harry is welcomed by his family, but he feels numb. Lily hugs him, “We are so proud of you. We were able to check in on you, you know.” She saw him get married and become a father.
“Your mother is right. Good job on getting rid of those evil Death Eaters. I am sure Albus is happy that you continued his work by getting rid of the dark,” James admits that he was living through his son a bit. Harry did everything he always wanted to do.
Harry simply nods, and they regale him with tales of their life and afterlife. Harry fakes a smile and fakes being happy, but the numbness never leaves him and starts to consume him. He doesn’t know how long he has been here, frankly he doesn’t want to know, the days all blend into each other. He looks at his mother, “Where is Sirius?”
“We don’t know. We saw him after he got here, then Lady Magic took him away. We haven’t seen him since,” she remembers her meeting with Lady Magic like it was yesterday, it was unpleasant.
“He is probably shagging his way through the afterlife,” James states and Lily swats his arm. James misses his best friend and wishes he was here.
Harry thinks that Sirius is not here because he is paying for his crimes, “What about Remus?”
“Only seen him twice. He was miserable both times, and didn’t talk much,” James tells him.
Harry wonders if he can go see him, he would love to talk to him. He wonders if Remus is with Draco. A letter appears in his lap, he opens it, You cannot see him, and yes, they are together and happy. The letter vanishes after he’s read it, he gets up and goes to his room. It is unfair that Draco gets to be with Remus, while he must live with the knowledge that he will never be happy here.
-
Harry is crying again, it is all he does these days, he is jealous that Draco gets to be with Remus. Why? A note appears, Draco Malfoy did not betray me, he honoured me, as did Remus Lupin. You only have yourself to blame.
He punches his pillow, he hates himself so much. He wonders if Snape is sparing him any thought at all. All Harry can think about is what he did wrong and how he would change things.
-
Harry is looking at his wife, he had hoped he would not see her. Isn’t she getting punished for what she did to him? Ginny goes to hug Harry, but Harry puts a hand up, “Don’t touch me!” He growls at her, he is so angry with her.
Ginny is taken aback by the venom In Harry’s voice, “Harry?”
“I know what you did, you heartless bitch!”
James frowns, “Harry, that is your wife. Don’t talk to her like that!”
“My dear wife used love potions and love spells on me, and a bunch of other spells. She used a dark spell on me to make sure we had children, she basically raped me! Do you know that they are all Dark Lords and a Lady? My dear wife used me to get her hands on my money. I never knew I was Lord Potter until I came here! I never knew about all the assets and other vaults! But she knew and emptied them. I fucking hate your guts Ginerva, I also know you have been cheating on me with Nott and Goldstein.”
Lily is aghast, “She did what?” That girl used her Harry? She wants to throttle that girl. How come they never saw that when they looked in on Harry? And her grandchildren are dark? She shudders at that thought.
“She did,” Lady Magic appears and grabs Ginny, “I only brought her here so Harry could tell her that he knew,” she looks at Harry, “Anything you else want to say to her?” Harry shakes his head, there is no point. Lady Magic nods, “I will take her to her punishment then.”
James walks over to his son, but Harry pushes past him and goes into his room. He lies down on his bed and screams into the pillow.
-
Ron is hugging his best mate, but Harry pushes him off and punches him in the face, “I know that you used me, Ronald. I know you gave my loyalty potions. I know you are only my friend because you were paid to be. I know our meeting was a setup.” Ron pales, Harry was never meant to find out. He says nothing and keeps staring at Harry who continues, “I know that you secretly hate me, that you want to be me. I know everything.” Harry turns around and leaves.
-
Hermione can see in Harry’s eyes that something is wrong, “Are you okay?”
“Am I okay? Fuck no I am not okay. I found out my wife used potions and spells to keep me. My so-called friends were paid to be my friends and have been using me for my fame to get shit done. I know that you made sure I was never top in any class, so you could be. I know that you were guiding me to where Dumbledore wanted me to be. I also know now that we have killed magic.”
Hermione sighs, “How do you know?”
“Lady Magic told me. Boy, was she pissed at me,” he wants to yell at her, but he doesn’t have the energy to do so. He just feels empty.
“At me too, but I think she is overly dramatic, we did not kill magic.” She wants to say more but Harry turns his back on her, indicating he is done talking, and she leaves. She will talk to him another time, but there won’t be another time.
-
Lily and James are worried about Harry, he is silent and rarely talks anymore. James hands Harry a fire whisky, “You can’t let them ruin your afterlife. Go out and explore. Meet a nice witch who can make you forget about Ginny.”
“We want you to be happy,” Lily puts a hand on his shoulder, “We are sorry all this happened to you.”
“I will never be happy,” Harry shrugs off her hand, he hates her touch.
“Yes, you will. Don’t be so down.” James doesn’t know what to do anymore.
“You don’t understand, I will never be happy because Snape is my soulmate, and my punishment is to never be with him. I am tired of pretending to be happy when I am not. I hate being here. I wish I was with Snape, but he doesn’t want me anywhere near him. My actions and inactions lead to his death, and he feels nothing for me.” He relates everything Lady Magic told him, he wipes away some tears, “I can’t have the one thing I want the most,” he gets up and goes back into his bedroom.
Lily prays to Lady Magic, “Please, let my son be happy. I hate seeing him so empty and lifeless. Let me talk to Snape.”
Lady Magic appears, “No.”
James looks at her, “Please, he is wasting away before our eyes.”
“Actions have consequences,” Lady Magic looks at Lily, “You son’s unhappiness is your punishment for turning your back on your friend after he got bullied and humiliated in front of the school and for never accepting his apology for calling you a mudblood after he lashed out in a moment of extreme duress. I abhor pettiness.”
She looks at James, “This is your punishment for bullying and assaulting Severus Snape and others without cause. Everyone gets punished eventually, you are stupid to think you would not be held responsible for your actions during your lifetime.”
Lily and James are looking at each other, this is their fault?
“Furthermore, you are blood traitors, you turned your back on me, there is no reward for traitors,” Lady Magic departs, leaving Lily and James to their thoughts.
-
Afterlife passes along, Harry barely moves around anymore, opting to stay in bed and look at nothing, and his parents must watch him become a shadow of himself. James looks at Lily, “We need to get Snape here. I am sure once he sees Harry, he will fix this.”
“No, I said before this is your punishment,” Lady Magic informs them, “Harry will slowly fade, it will take centuries and you will have to sit by and watch,” she looks at Harry, she knows he can hear her, “Your daughter Lily, she is the current Dark Lady and James is the Dark Lord. They sacrificed Albus to get his power. They’ve been ruling for half a century, and everyone knows by now that you are partially responsible for the war and that Ginny is responsible for the Dark Lords. They also know you are the reason for magic dying. They all hate you and your friends.”
Harry says nothing.
-
Hermione can’t believe her eyes, “We did this?” Magic is truly gone, all the buildings that were magical have imploded and created earthquakes in the muggle world. Millions died when half of Scottland sunk into the ocean. Thousands when London sunk into a hole. Diagon Alley is gone, everyone who was there died. So many deaths!
Lady Magic nods, she looks at Dumbledore, “This is your work, you laid the foundation for this. I hope you are happy.”
Albus says nothing, this is not what he wanted. He looks around and sees many people he once knew. He is surprised to see Remus standing with the Malfoys and not the Potters. He wonders where Harry is, he is not with James and Lily, nor Ginny.
“Mr. Potter knows what you did to him, I showed him. He did not want to come, not that he could. He is currently fading away,” Lady Magic tells Albus.
Albus swallows hard, he had hoped Harry would never find out. He did not account for Lady Magic judging them and revealing everything. He is curious as to the reason for Harry’s fading. But he can wonder all he wants, he will never get answers.
James is looking for Snape, he is disappointed when he does not see him.
-
Harry can feel that the second end is near, he wonders what will happen next.
Lady Magic sits down on the bed, “You know, Mr. Potter, all you had to do was honour me in this life. Yet you choose to do nothing and simply accepted your fate. You could have repented for your past mistakes, but you did nothing. If you had gone out and read the book about magic, or done a ritual, I would have brought you back to Severus, so you two could work things out. If you had showed me that you were sorry, I would have been more sympathetic towards you, but you did nothing.”
Harry feels tears escape his eyes, he could have fixed this. He could have been with Snape all along. He feels like a fool, “Sorry.”
“You should be. You wasted your afterlife away by doing nothing. You really are a huge disappointment. And worse, Severus had hope, the two of you would eventually be together. But when nothing happened after two centuries, he asked me to ferry him on.” She takes his hand, “You have been here over two millennia. It is time for you be gone from this realm. I cannot tell you what happens next, for I do not know.”
Harry is ready, he closes his eyes and fades into nothingness.