HARRY POTTER AND THE PROPHECY TRUE

Chapter 10

Everything was dark. There was no moon or stars visible through the pitch-blackness that surrounded him, yet Harry knew from the crunching sound beneath his feet that he was outside. He walked on for what seemed like hours. He didn't know what direction he was headed or where he had come, all he knew was the urge to continue was compelling, forcing him to move onward.

The sound beneath his feet slowly changed, his shoes no longer struggled through the moist, dense brush that covered the ground. Now he walked on the hard surface of stone. The closed in feeling made him think he was on a narrow path. The dark distance ahead of him began to thin, revealing a dim light up ahead. As he neared, Harry could see the light was shining through a doorway, standing slightly ajar. Harry reached it in a matter of moments, pushing it open and walking through.

Tall, lush, green leafy trees rustled gently in a warm summer breeze. There to either of him were vine-covered walls about eight feet tall. The very tops of trees poked their heads across the walls to welcome him. Harry felt oddly comfortable here, as though he belonged among these trees and vines. He continued to walk forward, his feet falling on the tops of a cobblestone path that lead him into a large clearing. Harry walked curiously away from the pathway and into a vibrant orchard filled with ripening peaches, apples, plums, cherries and grape vines. He reached up, plucking a fuzzy large peach from its branch and bit into it. It was the sweetest thing he had ever tasted. He took another large bite, reveling in the nectar. The juice dripped from the hole he had bitten into it and down his chin to his shirt. Harry glanced down to see himself wearing a dark pair of slacks and a white shirt. He recognized them as part of the school uniform that he had worn for the past seven years, but without the jumper and tie.

Wiping the juice from his chin, Harry bit into the fruit again, looking around at his surroundings. Just beyond the orchard stood a large old house, covered in thick green ivy. A gravel pathway winded around the side of the house, disappearing around the edge of the building. Harry quickly finished the peach he had eagerly eaten, tossed the pit aside into the thick grasses and licked his fingers as he followed the path around the curve of the house. He stopped short and looked up at the massive structure in front of him. What he had only a few moments ago assumed was a large house, turned out to be much more of a castle.

A half dozen brick inlayed steps lead to the front door, which stood in the center of a large porch. Above him hung a number of shining glass windows, each one open to the afternoon breeze. The rustle of curtains and drapes flapping in the air welcomed Harry, as he stepped toward the large dark oak door. As he stepped closer the door began to open, allowing him admittance into the front foyer. There stood a cherry oak table in the center of a large, open and tiled room. On the table was a vase of mixed flowers and circling around them were small pollen mites, similar to pixies only much more friendly and whose soul job was to ensure the pollination and survival of plant life. In front of him was a massive, winding staircase complete with white marble banister and stairs. To his right stood an open door, revealing a room beyond filled with bookcases and books, several large wing back chairs of crimson red, a thick rug with an emblem of what appeared to be a crest and coat of arms, a dormant fireplace with the stuffed head of a dragon mounted above.

To his left was another room, also with an open door. There the décor was much different. It was decorated in soft colors of mauves and creams, a flowered carpet covered the floor beneath a cream and blue flowered settee, four blue low-back arm chairs and a large fireplace, much like the one across the hall, but with a painted portrait of a family. The two adults in the picture smiled with polite sophistication, while te young boy fussed with his tie. Harry stared at the portrait, walking closer to the opening of the room. He couldn't help but stare, though he knew it was rude, there was just something very familiar about those people.

Sounds from the room next door, brought Harry out o his state of absorbed recollection. He followed what sounded like plates being stacked together, to find a huge dinning room complete with a table nearly as long as those in the Great Hall at Hogwart's. The rich, shining oak gleamed in the sun that shone trough the open windows at the far side of the room. The chairs were made of a matching oak, each with an embroidered cushion in a design that matched the rug in the first room with the books. Harry frowned, watching as three sets of dishes set themselves on the long table. The aroma of a meal drifted from behind a door at the far end of the room and instinctively Harry stepped toward it. Passing three long wooden buffets complete with candles in silver holders, crystal goblets and bottles of wine, he slowly made his way to the door and pushed it open. Inside were a half dozen house elves, each busily preparing food and cleaning the room he recognized as a kitchen, though he had never seen one this large in a house before. There were five large ovens, four doublewide refrigerators, three triple sided sinks with running water, a large serving counter in the middle of the room, twice as long as Harry was tall. Along the far side of the room stood a wall enclosed in shelves and cupboards. The floor was a crisp, white tile and the cupboards were made of wooden framed glass doors. There were six large windows surrounding the room, encasing it in the warmth and light of day.

Quietly, Harry backed out the door and walked back into the foyer. The sound of a woman's laughter echoed down the massive staircase and he found himself climbing them before he could form a complete thought. The hallway above the main floor was covered in a rich crimson red carpet, inlayed with a golden braid design that formed diamonds down the center of the hallway. He walked past one door after another, each standing open to reveal a different bedroom. Harry counted twelve bedrooms in all, as he made his way toward the sound of laughter, now a man's voice mingling with that of a woman's. There, at the end of the hall was a double door of rich mahogany colored wood, among the matching tables that lined the white walls. Several pictures of people Harry didn't recognize lined the crisp, clean hall, each watching, smiling and whispering to their neighbor as Harry made his way toward the doors that stood slightly a jar. He stopped in front of them, feeling guilty for intruding, but desperate to know where he was. He slowly pushed the doors open, wondering what he might find beyond. A lover's secret escape into the afternoon for a quite interlude, perhaps?

As he drew a breath, his heart took a giant leap into his throat. Standing at the end of a four poster bed large enough to comfortably sleep six full grown adults, stood a tall man with glasses, messy dark hair and a smile to rival any Harry had ever seen before. In his arms was the slender frame of a beautiful red haired woman, her smile content and happy, her laughter light and inviting. Harry gasped as he recognized his parents. They seemed so alive, so real, but that was impossible. Or was it? Had something happened during the night? Had he died and come to join his parents? Perhaps Voldemort had found him as he slept, but if that were true, then where was Ginny?

"Hello Harry," the deep voice of his father said as the couple turned toward him. Harry's eyes grew large, his mouth dropped open.

"You...you can see me?" he asked softly.

"Of course we can see you darling," Lily Potter said, stepping toward her only child and hugged him tightly. Harry gasped. He could feel her arms around him, warm and secure and without thought, he reached forward and wrapped her in his own embrace. Tears sprang to his eyes as he realized that this was the first time he had actually ever hugged his mother. Dream or not, he relished the feeling of maternal love.

"Don't worry son," James said with a chuckle that sounded very much like the younger Potter's. "You're not dead." Harry looked up as his father stopped next to him, his arm around his shoulder.

"Then where am I and how are you here?" he asked, afraid to speak too loudly, in case he should wake up.

"You're home, Harry," James answered, stepping to his son's side and hugging him to his chest.

"Home?" Harry asked.

"This is your family home," James said with a warm smile.

"But...how?"

"We called you here," Lily said with a warm smile.

"What? How?" James chuckled and Lily smiled.

"Just like your father," Lily said proudly. "Always so curious."

"There are times in a person's life when his heart asks questions, his mind never knew he asked," James answered. "You have been wanting to see us, to be with us for so long Harry, but it has never been the right time. You were too young to understand all that we have to tell you and your powers were never strong enough before. But now, you are a full-grown wizard. There are things your heart has wanted to know and feel that you have been afraid to ask."

"I don't understand," Harry said looking at his father standing next to him.

"Don't you, Harry?" his mother asked with a knowing gleam in her green eyes. "Are you sure there isn't one question that has haunted you for years, that you were always afraid to confront?" Harry frowned for a moment, then he heard it. A voice inside him seemed to rumble up from the pit of his soul to his throat, where tears sprang instantly to his eyes.

"Why did you have to leave me?" he asked, his tone clogged with tears. Lily reached out and collected her son in her arms, holding her to her chest.

"We didn't want to Harry," she whispered gently. "We would never have stayed in Godric's Hollow if we had known what would happen that night. But fate had other plans for you and we were not a part of them."

"But I just wanted you. All my life I only wanted you. I don't want to be The-Boy-Who-Lived. I just wanted to be a normal kid, to laugh and play like all the other kids. To have parents who loved me."

"I know son, and you did have parents who love you," James said, placing his hand on the back of Harry's head. "Don't you think we wanted that too? We would do anything if only we had that one chance to make things different. But we don't."

"Maybe I do," Harry said suddenly, slipping the chain from around his neck, revealing the crystal wish the three witches had given him. "I can change what happened. I can make it so it never has to happen."

"But at what cost Harry?" James asked. "So much has happened because of our deaths, so many lives have been touched both good and bad. If you change all that, what do you think your life would be like?"

"I don't care. I'll have you back and that's all that matters." Harry began rubbing the crystal in his hands, feeling the warmth of it as it began to glow.

"No Harry," Lily said, placing her hands around his and stopping him from going any further. "That wish is not meant for us."

"But the witches said I could use it for anything I wanted. I can't think of a single wish greater than having you back in my life."

"What purpose would that cause?" James asked, a serious look spreading across his face.

"It would give us a second chance at being a family," Harry told him, glancing to his mother. "Don't you want that?"

"Oh, Harry, of course we do, but there are too many circumstances surrounding our deaths that would change and not all of them would be for the better."

"Voldemort would still have his powers," James said. "He would still be reigning terror on the Muggles as well as the wizarding world. Peter Pettigrew would still be supplying him with secrets, the Death Eaters would still be torturing and killing innocent people. By now, things would be so horrible, there may be no hope of stopping it."

"Then I'll wish for Voldemort to never have been born."

"That would be all right, but what about the Death Eaters? They were not created solely by Voldemort; he simply reinstituted an old cult. Even if you remove the source of evil, Harry, there will always be another maybe more deadly then the first, waiting to take its place." James explained.

"And what about Ginny?" asked Lily. "Do you think she would have given you that special present last year, if things had been different? Would Arthur Weasley be Minister or Ron and Hermione be your best friends? Think about the whole picture, Harry. So many other factors would be influenced because of your one wish. Fudge would still be in control of the Ministry and Lord only knows what would be of Dumbledore and Hogwart's. Voldemort wanted both gone. By now, he may very well have succeeded, or another person would have taken up where he had once been."

"But we'd be together," Harry argued. "Sirius would still be alive, maybe he'd even have his wife and baby with him. Dumbledore's a great wizard; he could look after himself and Hogwart's. And as far as Ginny goes, well, I love her and nothing would change that. Even Dumbledore said we were destined to be together."

"You are destined in this version of life Harry, but you may not be in your altered one," James said. "And your mother and I may not be together, either."

"What do you mean?"

"Many people think your father and I were school ages sweethearts, but in truth I couldn't stand him for many years. Your father was a show off and in a very big way, a pompous arse."

"Thank you love," James said with a wicked smile. "You were no real prize yourself, you know? Always had your nose in a book, or tutoring some little nobody, like Severus Snape."

"You spent a great deal of time trying to get my attention for someone who thought I wasn't a prize. Anyway, Harry, your father and I fell in love in our last year of school, but we didn't start dating until after he had rescued me from a group of Slytherins who wanted to prove to the Dark Lord that they were worthy of him."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked, as his mother lead him to a settee near the fireplace at the end of their bedroom and sat down with him.

"There were five boys and two girls involved, though there was never any proof of it and they were never caught, I believe it was Lucius Malfoy and his two cohorts, Crabbe and Goyle, along with Narcissa Black and her cousin Bellatrix and her boyfriend Rodolphus Lestrange. Malfoy had already graduated Hogwart's by then along with Crabbe and Goyle, but he kept in close contact because of Narcissa. One night just after our seventh year started, two other Muggles and myself was kidnapped on our way to the Quidditch pitch to watch practice. We were taken into the Forbidden Forest, our wands were taken and spells were placed on us to keep us bound and gagged. We were there for hours. They wanted a Muggle from each house and since Slytherin was composed of purebloods, it wasn't that difficult for them to decide which other houses to snatch students from. The one from Hufflepuff was a third year boy, quite an excellent Quidditch player. He was chosen because he was very well liked. The girl from Ravenclaw was in the sixth year. She was very intelligent and very advanced in her lessons. She made the mistake of showing up Bellatrix in Positions class, so her being taken was out of revenge."

"Your mother was taken because she was the only student in all of Hogwart's to hold the highest marks in all of her classes since the founders started the school," James continued, a tone of pride in his voice.

"Anyway, they began torturing the Hufflepuff boy first. They used every possible curse they could think of, every forbidden curse that wouldn't cause instant death. When he was close to dying, they decided to move on and leave him to suffer in silence. The Ravenclaw girl was next. What I saw them do to her that night, no human should have to go through. The two girls tortured her at first. She had every curse and hex placed upon her that they could think of. They transfigured her into a number of mismatched creatures; half hog half snake, a horse with no head but two tails. It was disgusting and barbaric. Then the boys took over. She was very beautiful, Harry. She dated quite a few young boys from her grade and the seventh year; even your father and Sirius dated her a few times. The torture those four boys put her through, should never happen to any girl. It took them hours to tire of her. She couldn't even scream because of the silencing spell they cast on us. When they finished with her, they turned to me."

"Oh God, mum," Harry whispered, thinking about stories he had heard over the years of what the Death Eaters did to their women captives, the torture, the rape, the brutal beatings. The idea that his mother was in the hands of those very creatures, made his skin crawl.

"Nothing happened, Harry," Lily said, placing a warm hand around his shoulder. "Your father rescued me before they could do anything."

"How?"

"I knew Lily was coming to the pitch to watch us that night," James said in a serious tone. "It was my last chance to impress her since she turned her nose up to me every other time I tried, but when she didn't show up, we called an early end to the practice and I went looking for her. She was nowhere to be found. After searching the entire castle, Sirius and I went to Dumbledore and told him what was going on. By that time there was news of five Slytherins, a Hufflepuff and a Ravenclaw students missing, as well as your mother, from the school grounds. A search party was called and Sirius, Remus and I persuaded Dumbledore to let us help search. We looked everywhere and since we weren't allowed into the Forbidden Forest, we were sent back to the castle when Firenze appeared and told Dumbledore that there was a group of students in the forest. We arrived just as two of the Slytherins started to remove your mother's cloaks."

"Your father and I became quite close after that. I actually discovered your father wasn't as bad as I had always thought him to be."

"So you see Harry, it was because of Voldemort that we got together. If it hadn't been for the would-be Death Eaters wanting to prove themselves to him, we would never have gotten any closer than your mother telling me what a prat I was being for tormenting and teasing Severus Snape."

"Harry, the witches were right," Lily continued. "You will know when the time is right to cast you wish, but it is not now and it is not meant for us."

"I am really getting tired of people telling me I don't know what I want. What I want is to be with you. I want us to be together."

"We are always together, son," James said with a wicked smile. "Even when you and Ginny want to sneak off to the Room of Requirements." Harry blushed deeply at the thought of what his parents may have seen over the past year. James laughed at his son's embarrassment, while Lily patted his shoulder.

"I wouldn't let your father stay around to see what happened, Harry," Lily promised.

"I only wanted to make sure he was doing things right."

"I'm quite sure they could figure out the finer points alone," Lily scolded.

"Well I had to tell him to use the Room of Requirements, didn't I?" James argued. "If it wasn't for me, him and Ginny would never have stopped fighting."

"You told me about the room? How?"

"We are always with you Harry," Lily explained. "You may not see us, but there are times when you sense us and times when we whisper in your ear."

"Like the day I told Malfoy I was sorry about his mum?"

"No, actually that was all you," James admitted. "I was trying to get you to punch him in his turned up nose."

"Come on," Lily said with a smile. "Let's get something to eat."

"What?" Harry asked with a frown. "This is a dream, right?"

"No, not really," Lily explained as they walked down the stairs toward the large dinning room. "It's a form of astroprojection. You've advanced so far on your Occlumency skills, that we are able to join you from time to time. We felt it was necessary for you to find out a few things about your past. So we brought you here."

"My past? Like what?"

"You already know about Petunia receiving a letter," Lily asked after they sat down at the large table, huddling close to one end. "And by the way, Harry, I'm very proud of you for not leaving Dudley to the Siren."

"I would have," James grumbled, dishing up a large amount of shepherd's pie.

"But Harry wouldn't," Lily scolded again. "It's not in him to surrender the innocent to a fate worse than death. Now let's see, where was I? Oh yes, my parents were quite excited when I received my letter, but they were very upset when Petunia refused to accept hers. She had already met Vernon by that time, and even though she was only eleven, she was determined to stay with him. His parents were very self absorbed, prejudice people, so it was only natural for him to follow suit. Because of that, Petunia was afraid of what he would say if he knew she could have been a witch. Mum and dad were so disappointed; they barely spoke to her after she married Vernon.

"I wish I could see his face now," James said with a wide grin. "His own precious Dudley, a wizard. I'll just bet he's fit to be tied."

"Be that as it is, Harry," Lily said with a smile of her own, "My parents passed away just a few months after you were born. They loved you so much and were thrilled when James and I told them they were to be grandparents."

"But Dudley's older than I am," Harry said, stuffing a fork full of shepherd's pie into his mouth, amazed that he could actually taste it. "They already had one grandson."

"True, but they didn't care much for him. Vernon and Petunia mothered him and spoiled him terribly, which made him so even his grandparents couldn't stand to be in the same room with him."

"But you were different," James said as he poured a glass of wine. "You were always such a good baby and smiled all the time. They loved you terribly."

"And because of that, Harry, you were left a trust fund when they died. Dudley received one as well, but not like yours and Vernon used the money from Dudley's to buy their house. Yours, fortunately, had the stipulation that it was to be released to you on your twenty first birthday or the day of your wedding, whichever came first."

"I have a trust fund? Is it at Gringott's?"

"No, it is at the Bank of London. Your grandparents were Muggle, remember? Their attorneys handled their property and estate. Your trust is there, waiting for you."

"Mind if I ask how much it is for?" Lily smiled brightly.

"At the time of their deaths it was worth five hundred thousand pounds," his mother replied. "By now though, I'm sure it is a great deal more, with interest and all." Harry's mouth dropped open, his jaw falling to his chest.

"You mean I've had that money all along and nobody ever told me?"

"Nobody else knew," Lily told him. "My parents knew the trouble Petunia and Vernon would cause if they knew you were given the bulk of their estate, so the will was stipulated that only the portion pertaining to that person be revealed. As far as they knew, you were never given anything. Another reason they always felt Dudley was better than you. Ask Dumbledore for the information to get into your account, Harry. We left it with him in case anything happened to us."

"So how much was given to Dudley?" Harry asked after a moment to absorb all this information, imagining the reaction from Vernon if he ever discovered his precious boy was second to Harry with their grandparents.

"Fifty thousand pounds," James snickered, watching the shocked expression on his son's face.

"That's not all Harry," Lily continued before her husband could comment further. "My parents died in an auto accident when you were four months old, but your father's parents were killed by Death Eaters the summer after we graduated Hogwart's."

"Why?"

"My parents were great supporters of Dumbledore," James said in a very serious tone. "So were your mother and I. When Voldemort began to gain power and followers, my parents became very public about it. They spoke often at the Ministry hearings, demanding the Minister take whatever actions necessary to stop him. Voldemort knew they were a threat and when your mother and I decided to join them, he became consumed with silencing us. He attacked my parents in the middle of the night. Lily and I lived with them, but chose to spend the evening alone in Hogsmeade, to celebrate our fourth month wedding anniversary. We didn't learn about their deaths until the next day when Dumbledore sent word to us. Voldemort had hoped we would all be together, but fortunately for us fate had other plans. My parents deaths did not stop us from fighting against the reign of terror plaguing our world."

"Harry, you know about the prophecy Voldemort's consumed with," Lily clarified. "But your being chosen by him as his equal was not a matter of chance. Voldemort knew we would not stop at anything to see him pay for his crimes. Because of our loyalty to Dumbledore, he was determined to use us as an example to anyone else who challenged him. We went into hiding on Dumbledore's orders, but Pettigrew knew where we were. We didn't know he was working against us, though. When Voldemort attacked you and ended up loosing his powers, it wasn't because he planned to mark you as his equal, or even considered that you would the one the prophecy spoke of. He just wanted you dead along with us, to prevent your following in our footsteps and seeking revenge. He discovered too late that your life was prophesied before you were even born."

"Voldemort's arrogance has always made him vulnerable," James said. "He assumes a great deal and is a very good salesman. He has convinced his Death Eaters that he is the most powerful, evil wizard in the world. The truth is, he is nothing more than a sniveling coward, standing behind his followers as they carry out his dirty work. I'm surprised he even had the courage to come to Godric's Hollow that night, himself."

"We're getting off track," Lily said, sighing deeply and pushing her empty plate aside. "The main reason we brought you here Harry, was to explain about your heritage. You know about my family, but you don't know about your father's."

"My father was not just any ordinary wizard Harry," James began. "Many centuries ago, the wizarding world was ruled by royalty. The greatest pureblood families fought for power, to rule over the world and control the Muggles. There were those families however, who felt it only right that Muggles be left to their own problems and wizards remain secret. It was about seven hundred years ago; Hendrickson Ivan Potter defeated the last rival to demand loyalty and slavery of all Muggle born. That rival was Frederick Dyer Malfoy."

"Malfoy?" Harry asked. "No wonder Draco Malfoy has always hated Muggles. It's in his blood."

"Sort of," Lily said. "More than that, he was convinced by his father that pureblood is the only true form of wizard. Fortunately, Dumbledore has been tutoring and spending a great deal of time with young Malfoy over the past few months, and has been successful in showing him another side of life."

"Anyway, Harry," James interrupted, irritated that Lily would speak so gently of a Malfoy, after what the boy's parents tried to do to her during their years at Hogwart's. "My ancestor won the battle and in doing so, was crowned king."

"I didn't know the magical world had royalty?" Harry asked.

"They don't, not any more, but they did once before the Ministry was formed. The wizarding world, mainly the Potters, formed the Ministry and decided that it was wrong for any family or person to rule over the rest of the community. Once the Ministry came to power, our ancestors stepped down and advocated their title. Harry, our family, the Potter family, was the royal rulers of our world for over five hundred years. You Harry, are technically a Prince."

"I'm a what?" Harry gasped, feeling as if he were eleven again and was just being told by Hagrid that he was a wizard.

"This castle, this land belongs to our family, it belongs to you, Harry. It was the castle of a king. For centuries, there was royalty in the wizarding world and each one who ruled was a Potter. Harry, that's why Lucius Malfoy hates you so much and why Voldemort is determined to destroy you. With the last Potter dead, he can bring the Ministry to its knees and demand the old government be reinstated. Every Potter that lives must sign a declaration to the Ministry, giving them power until the next generation. It was set up as this, so no one Minister or office could hold sole power over the people. You must sign the document on your eighteenth birthday. If you are not alive to do so, the document will no longer be valid and Voldemort and his followers will be able to demand a return to the old ways. He would crown himself king and rule over both worlds."

"But that would never happen," Harry insisted. "The people wouldn't allow him to reign as king."

"Once you are dead Harry, there will be nobody who can stand in his way. Nobody will have the courage or the power to defeat him."

"What about Dumbledore?" Harry asked. "He's the greatest wizard who lived."

"True, but Albus is getting on in years and as all great wizards eventually do, he will soon be loosing his powers. He may not have the strength to stand against Voldemort."

"Are you saying Dumbledore is dying?"

"Not exactly," Lily said at last. "He is just growing weak. This war has cost him a great deal. He is old and tired. He doesn't have the energy he once did."

"But Voldemort doesn't know this, right?"

"It's hard to say what he knows," Lily said. "Albus has been growing weaker every year. That's why the spells and charms protecting Hogwart's has weakened. They are only as strong as the Headmaster."

"You know so much about what's going on," Harry said after a moment. "Do you know what Voldemort is up to right now?"

"We only know what you know," James said a little disgusted. "We know that Bellatrix is pregnant and that the child will be a great threat to the wizarding world."

"The future holds a great many clouds," Lily said after a few moments. "Keep up your lessons, Harry and listen to your instincts. You have powers Voldemort has yet to discover. Learn them and embrace them. And don't turn your back on your friends. They will be your greatest support."

"In the meantime, Harry," James said proudly. "Come home. Bring your friends here and learn about your heritage. There are wonders you have yet to discover. You are a very rich and powerful wizard, both inside and out. Tell Malfoy about it. I'm dying to see the look on his face when he learns you have more than he will ever dream of."

"Malfoy is the fifth point of the star," Harry said softly.

"Yeah, I know," James said just as softly.

"I have to rely on his powers and his loyalty."

"I'll never be able to accept that as a whole, but I do trust you and I do know you would never befriend a dark wizard."

"Maybe," Harry said looking down at his plate, wondering when he had finished eating. A thought came to him, a smile curving his lips and he looked up to his father with a wicked grin. "I think I'll let Ron know about all this. He can tell Malfoy." James exploded in laughter, causing the walls to ring with the joyous sound, while Harry and Lily smiled on, watching him. It was a sound Harry had always prayed he could have heard, and now burned into memory to carry him through the long months ahead. A few hours with his parents, made Harry realize just how lucky he truly was.