Visitor from the Future

Chapter 4: The Letter and Changes

Nearly fourteen hours later, Harry finally woke up from the first dreamless slumber in weeks. Sitting up in bed, Harry looked around his room. Hedwig was sleeping in her cage, and the letters and birthday gifts were still strewn all over his desk from the day before. Looking at his gifts, the night before and the memories from the "awakening" flooded back to him. Getting up out of bed, Harry's entire body protested. Jheeze! I feel like I just got run over by something. Maybe Buckbeak, or even the Knight Bus.

Staggering out of his room and into the bathroom, Harry took a good look at himself in the mirror. His face was still pale, drawn, and tired-looking, and he was still unhealthily thin, his collarbone and ribs showing clearly. His eyes, however, were bright, vibrant, emerald-green, and they sparkled with a power that Harry would liken to that of Dumbledore, although without the trademark twinkle that always brightened the Headmaster's kindly blue eyes. At first, Harry was intimidated by the thought that he was anywhere near as powerful as Dumbledore, but, as he thought about it, he realized that it was highly likely. After all, Harry was the one who was supposed to stop Voldemort, and Dumbledore was the only wizard Voldemort had ever feared. Maybe this new power will give old snake-faced Tommy-boy something else to fear, was the only thought that ran through Harry's mind, and a mischievous spark that didn't look amiss in the eyes of the son of a Marauder, and the godson of another, lit Harry's eyes for just a split second, but it was so quickly gone that, had anyone seen it, they would have probably thought that they had imagined it.

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Going back to his room after a quick shower, Harry decided to sit down and write some letters to his friends, and to the Order, since his three-day deadline was quickly approaching. After his letters to Hermione, Ron, Neville, and Luna, in which Harry thanked them for their support, apologized for being "such a prat," and assured them that he was "doing better with everything." His next letter was to Ginny, which was somewhat harder to write, but eventually that too was finished. In it, Harry thanked Ginny profusely for her gift, apologized for his behavior, and finally told her that he was finally getting it through his head that maybe, just maybe, Sirius' death was not his fault. Although it had been hard to write Sirius' name down, as the letter to the young redhead went on, it was easier, as if a huge weight was being taken off of Harry's shoulders. The final, and probably most difficult letter was to Remus, and after multiple copies, all of which were chucked into the rubbish bin with disgust, Harry finally felt that he had said what he needed to.

Dear Moony,

I hope it's alright if I call you that, since it makes me feel closer somehow to my parents and Sirius, if that makes any sense at all.

I want to thank you for your letter, and tell you how much it meant when you wrote that they would be proud of me today. Even though I only got a year or two to get to know Sirius, it was longer than I got to know Mum and Dad. I wish I could remember them in some other way than through nightmares and the Dementors, but I'm afraid I have been told very little about them. The Dursleys aren't exactly the "let's walk down memory road," type, at least with me.

I want to tell you something, but I need you to promise to not tell anyone, even Dumbledore, or the Weasleys, until I'm ready to. I've got to tell someone, Moony, and the only one I could think of was you. I don't want to lose you, Moony, and while I don't want to replace Sirius, I still need an adult to talk to: someone who doesn't already have other concerns: the Weasleys have all but adopted me, but they have their own children to worry about, and they shouldn't have to choose whether or not to put me before them, or vice versa. And while Dumbledore is a mentor-advisor figure, he already has so much to worry about, and, honestly Moony, I don't really trust him as much as I used to anymore. So, you were the only one left that I felt I could trust, and I'm just going to tell you what's happened, and maybe you'll prove me wrong, and that adults really can be trusted.

Two nights ago, around three or four in the morning, I woke up really suddenly. Like someone had been watching me or something. There was this person in my room (please just finish reading before you freak out, Moony. Please?) and she told me that she needed to talk to me about something important. Suddenly, I was in this void-type-thing with her, and she said that it was the Realm of Shadows, or something like that, and that she needed to show me what might happen in a few years if I don't do something about it. She took me to Hogwarts, in 2010, where the final battle had taken place. It was a war zone: I couldn't even tell that it had been Hogwarts, it was so destroyed. There were bodies everywhere, including, the Weasleys, Order members, my friends, teachers, and classmates. What this woman told me was horrible: I can't even think about it, it was so bad. I can't even force myself to write it on paper, for fear that it might come true.

Anyway, this woman (she said to call her Nyx, or something like that) said that my "powers will awaken in a few days," and unless I "trust someone enough to tell them," I will not get training started, and that future will come true. So, even though it goes against everything I have lived by for years, I am trusting you with this Moony, and I guess I'm asking for your help. I need to start training, and not the kind I would get at Hogwarts: I need to learn how to fight in a war. Moony, I'm the only one who can end this war, and if it was safe to do so, I would tell you why in this letter, but it's not, so I promise I will tell you when I see you next.

What this woman said was true, because last night, I guess my powers awoke. I can feel the power in me, Moony, and I'd be lying if I said it didn't scare me. It scares the shit out of me, Moony, and I don't know what I'm going to do, except trust you.

Since I'll be leaving here in a few days, I guess it wouldn't really matter if you wrote a reply back, unless you want to.

I guess I'll see you in a few days, Moony.

Love,

Harry

Harry had originally considered leaving off the "Love," part, but it just felt right to leave it on there.

Placing the letter in an envelope, and sealing it, he gave Hedwig all the finished letters. "Take these to Neville, Luna, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, and then Remus please, girl."

With a soft hoot, Hedwig took off into the early morning sun, and Harry watched his feathered friend fly away until she was only a blur on the horizon. Turning around, Harry looked at the time. Eleven seventeen. Lunch time, Harry thought as he got up to go downstairs for some food, his breakfast from yesterday long forgotten.

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Later that evening, Harry was reading Hermione's gift in his room when he heard the front door slam. Hearing the muffled, yet angry voice of his Uncle Vernon, Harry's heart dropped. He didn't need to hear what his uncle was saying to know he was mad. Harry stayed quiet, barely daring to breath, hoping that Vernon wouldn't decide to come up to "take his frustrations out" on Harry, as he had done when Harry was younger. Luck, however, was not with Harry tonight, for Harry soon heard the heavy footfalls of his uncle, coming up the stairs, straight for him.

"WHAT DID YOU DO, YOU WORTHLESS LITTLE FREAK!" His uncle's face was an interesting shade of puce, purple, and red, which meant that he had most likely gone out drinking before coming home. Sure enough, when Vernon had crossed the room and grabbed Harry by the scruff of his neck, rather quickly for a man of his great size and weight, there was a distinct sent of brandy on his breath.

"I SAID, WHAT- DID- YOU- DO!!"

"I-I don't know what you're talking about," was Harry's gasped reply, since he wasn't getting enough air into his lungs due to the large and rather beefy hand around his throat.

"I'm talking about you and your FREAKISH FRIENDS, and how you MADE SUCH A SCENE AT THE TRAIN STATION at the beginning of summer, which MY BOSSES SAW!! They wanted to know why my family and I hang around such SHADY CHARACTERS! HOW DARE YOUR LITTLE FRIENDS EMBARRASS ME IN FRONT OF MY BOSSES!" By the end of his rant, Vernon was breathing heavily, and literally quaking with fury, while Harry was trying to stay conscious, since the lack of oxygen to his lungs was making bright spots dance in front of his eyes.

"Th-They didn't -gasp- do -gasp- anything to yo-" Harry's reply was abruptly cut off as his uncle threw him towards the wall, and Harry connected with it, and tried with all his might to prevent the cry of pain from leaving his lips, since he felt a number of bones break on impact. His uncle crossed in front of him, and began to kick him repeatedly in the gut, and this time, Harry was unable to prevent the moan of pain from leaving him. Harry feebly attempted to protect his neck and head as best as he could, but soon even that was difficult.

"You WORTHLESS FREAK! YOU BASTARD! DON'T LIE TO ME!" His uncle's rage clearly was only getting worse, and soon he obviously got bored with just kicking Harry, and so took off his medal belt and began to lash Harry across the back with it repeatedly, tearing flesh off his thin back, exposing the muscles, and even bones, to the air. By this point, Harry was barely conscious, and had stopped fighting back, and laid there on the floor, drenched in his own blood, eyes wide and fearful, while tears slowly tracked down his face, mixing with the blood.

Suddenly, just as Harry felt he could take no more, he felt electric surges, similar to the ones he had felt the night before, race through him. The electricity in the entire house flickered, and Harry's bedroom window shattered because of an unseen force.

Harry was suddenly gasping for air while also coughing up blood, feeling that same immense power running through his veins, and the last thing he remembered was screaming at his uncle, who had stopped for a second when the power had gone out and the window had shattered, "NO!!!"