Destiny

Being Shown the Way

Chapter 12

"Mum?"

Harry's vision grayed slightly and he stumbled backwards in shock. When his vision cleared, he took a closer look at the spirit before him. Though she was still transparent, she was more solid than any other ghost he had seen here. Lily Potter had long straight red hair that seemed to shine even in this world of gloom and shadows. Her green eyes sparkled at him even though her expression was somber. She was wearing a long white dress that he assumed was the nightdress she had died in and was barefooted.

Blinking a few times to make sure she was real, he whispered again, "Mum..."

Smiling sweetly at him, she answered in a misty, far away voice, "Harry... You're going the wrong way. Come with me. I'll protect you, I'll lead you home."

As she turned away, Harry called out to her. "Wait! I need to get Destiny! I need to at least go to her cemetery place and make sure she's alright!"

She just smiled at him.

"I didn't mean your home, I meant mine: Godric Hollow Cemetery. We will wait for her there. Come on now, your father will wonder where we've gotten to."

Reaching out, she took his hand in hers. Surprisingly, it was completely solid to him, even though it remained transparent.

"You're solid... But I thought-"

Laughing at her son's still apparent shock, Lily said, "Things are not always as they appear on the Ghost Roads. This is the world of mist. I belong here; you do not. I am as solid here as I was in life; that's why it's so dangerous for you to be here. The ghost can fight back; whereas they can't on earth."

With that, Lily began to walk with Harry down the road. Giving a happy smile, Harry walked along the road at his mother's side.

*****

"Where are they?" Sirius exclaimed impatiently.

"Calm down Sirius. I'm sure they're fine," Dumbledore said soothingly.

"Bull crap they are!"

"Sirius," Remus hissed, "shut up! You're making us even more nervous than we need to be. And if you don't stop pacing, you're going to go through the floor!"

"I can't help it!" Flopping bonelessly into a chair, he let his head drop into his hands. Shoving his hair violently out of his eyes, he jumped back to his feet. "That's it! I'm going back to that cemetery!"

Quickly moving to block the doorway, Remus said determinedly, "You can't. You heard what Destiny said before. She had us apparate specifically so that the Ministry would come to the scene. You're showing up there would only get you arrested and sent back to Azkaban!"

"I was going to apparate a mile or so away and then spy on them as Padfoot... Good plan?"

Reluctantly Remus agreed, seeing that he was never going to get anything better out of him. Seeing Sirius' satisfied look, he hastily added, "Just be careful!"
"Aren't I always?"

At the snort of disbelief from the rooms other two occupants, he smiled, changed into a large grim- like dog and ran out the door.

*****

At the cemetery, Destiny was having the time of her life. She rarely ever got to use the full force of her powers and it felt great to be able to without fear. She threw another spell at a Death Eater- not even attempting to hit him, just wanting to wear them down- that would separate his soul from his body for a few seconds. That all changed though when one of the Death Eaters managed to hit her with the Cruciatus curse. Gritting her teeth, she squeezed her eyes together and refused to scream. When the searing pain had been reduced to a dull ache, she was surprised to find she was still on her feet.

"Ow!" she shrieked. "That so did NOT feel good!" Glancing over their shoulders, she smirked cruelly at what she saw. "Your turn!" Raising her hands, she let a blast of power out. When nothing appeared to have happened, the Death Eaters chuckled menacingly.

"What's the matter, honey? I thought you were supposed to be amazingly powerful!"

Giving them the charming smile that only a Black could give, she spoke the words she knew would haunt them until the day they died: "Behind you."

She could practically see the fear coming off of them when they saw what was behind them. Twenty ghosts had assembled to fight for her. Twenty ghosts that had died at the Dark Sides hands, and leading them was none other than James Potter.

*****

Being dead was hard.

To be able to see your loved ones but not be able to touch them; to let them know that you were there... It was even worse after you'd given your life for that person, only to be forced to watch them suffer. It hurt terribly to watch a close friend be sent to Azkaban for crimes he hadn't committed... for being the cause of your death.

James knew what all of this felt like.

After he had died, him and his wife had followed some of their friends around with nothing better to do. It had been with a mixture of joy and sadness that the Potter's had seen Destiny Black be born. Joy that she existed and sadness that she would never know her father.

Destiny had screamed non-stop for hours after she had been born- nobody could make her stop. Out of pure frustration, Lily had told the child to hush. The amazing thing was, she had been silenced instantly. Within a week, they had realized that she could see them. Her large, curious eyes would follow them everywhere and it was at this time that they had started to form the perfect plan. Lily and James had decided then and there that the only way they could even begin to make amends to Sirius was by teaching Destiny everything that he would have wanted her to know.

At the beginning, one of them would always stay with Destiny while the other followed their son Harry. They had continued in this manner until Harry had gone to Hogwarts. By then, they were trying to advance the girl in the art of magic as quickly as possible. They had to set Sirius Black free.

When Harry had set off to Hogwarts, Destiny had been nine and they made their first- and last- attempt to break into Azkaban. They had made it all the way through the Ghost Roads and onto the island that held the infamous prison before the Necromancer had begun to panic. She had felt the terrible sadness and agony that surrounded the place and it had appalled her. While she was technically an evil creature, Destiny had something that was rare to any race: empathy; she could feel others pain.

They had never tried it again.

Over the past six months, the Potter's had gradually started to move away from her, hoping that she would start to take an interest in the world of the living. She hadn't and as much as it had hurt them, they knew that she never would if they were around. So they'd left. Standing before the Death Eaters though, James realized that no matter what he or Lily did, Destiny would never change. She would always be the girl who preferred the dead to the living, the night to the day. And for the first time, he was okay with that. It wasn't his fault he realized; it was just who she was.

Smiling amusedly at the masked figures, he lazily raised his eyebrow. "You want to see the power of a Necromancer? Then you have to realize that her power is in being able to control the dead."

One cue, Destiny whispered dangerously, "Get them."

And then, all hell broke loose.

*****

After apparating down the street from the cemetery, Sirius turned and ran as fast as his four furry legs would carry him. He could hear the sounds of fighting and was praying it was the Aurors fighting off the Death Eaters and not his daughter and godson fighting for their lives.

Looking through the poles on the gate, Sirius froze. 'What the...'

The Death Eaters were going for their wands or trying to run away as transparent figures attacked them. And at the edge of the fray, Destiny stood as calm as can be with a small smile on her face. The ghost that stood next to her though, is what caused him to freeze.

'James...'

Hearing popping noises, he quickly glanced over is shoulder. Aurors were appearing all over the street.

He obviously wasn't the only one who'd heard them, for Destiny immediately lowered her arms and let the ghosts vanished after giving them her nod of thanks. Glaring at the Death Eaters, she hissed, "I'll see you again." Turning, she ran to the back of a mausoleum and disappeared.

Knowing he could do nothing to help, he ran off so he could apparate back to Hogwarts. He'd just have to wait there.

*****

At the Godric Hollow Cemetery, Harry waited for Destiny to arrive.

Though he appeared to be alone, Harry knew that both his mother and Katherine- who had joined them along the way- were both standing next to him. He knew they were there because his hair kept being pushed comfortingly off of his forehead and he had the feeling of butterfly wings against his cheek- something he would usually put down as wind.

"Mum?" Realizing she couldn't answer him, he kept talking. "Is she okay? Don't lie... Um... Poke me if the answer is yes- OW!" he exclaimed when he got a really hard jab in the shoulder. "That hurt!" Feeling his hair being rumpled, he jumped away. "Hey, my hairs bad enough!" Hearing giggles from behind a nearby stone angel; he called out, "Who's there?"

"Who the heck are you talking to, Mr. Harry?" Destiny asked as she stepped out from behind the head stone, still giggling.

"Mr. Harry?" he asked, grinning.

"Yup! So how did you fare all by your lonesome?"

"Um... I-"

"He got lost."

Spinning around, he saw mother leaning against the edge of the crypt.

"Well that's to be expected. I mean, he IS a guy! They never can stop and ask for directions."

"Hey now!" Harry's eyes widened when he saw his father appear beside his mother. "No dissing my gender!"

"Dissing!" Destiny shrieked with laughter. "Where did you get 'dissing' from?"

"...You."

"I do NOT talk like that!"

"Anyways-"

"Any-hoo," Lily muttered.

"What?" Harry asked, jumping in to the conversation.

"Any-hoo!" Destiny crowed loudly.

"What is with you and that word!"

"I dunno. I heard it on TV... I think..." Becoming more serious, she said, "We need to get you back to Hogwarts. My father was worried about you. He showed up as Padfoot right at the end of the fight."

"Come back with me," Harry pleaded, reaching out to take her hands.

Gripping his hands tightly in hers, she whispered, "Soon. Until then though, Lily or James will always be there with you. You won't be able to see or feel either of them like you can here, but if you need help; they'll come get me... Come on." Pulling on his hand, she picked up the portkey he had used to travel to the cemetery in the first place and handed it to him. "Goodbye Harry. I'll see you soon," she murmured mostly to herself.

With a deep breath of the night air that was tinged with the promise of dawn, she moved back into her 'home'.

*****

Landing with a jolt, Harry looked up just in time to see the sun rising above the mountain. Sighing sadly that Destiny was not there to share it, he started the long trek up to the castle.

'Soon,' he thought. 'She'll be back soon...'

*****

As the end of term drew closer, excitement filled the air. The Yule Ball was once again going to be held at the school making more than the usual amount of people want stay for the holidays.

Harry though, was not thrilled at the prospect of having to go to the dance- and having people giggle and point at him while they searched for a date. To him, it was just an annoyance. As soon as McGonagall had announced it, all of the girls had started giggling and quite a few had looked in his direction. When the bell rang, Harry had jumped out of his seat and had made a run for the door immediately.

"Harry wait!" Hermione called after him.

Slowing down until his friends caught up, Ron asked the question he hadn't wanted to hear: "Who are you going to ask to the ball?"

"I don't know-"

"You know, you shouldn't wait for Destiny to come back. Soon to her could mean three months."

Giving Ron a nasty look, Hermione said gently, "Harry, just ignore him."

Smiling nastily at Ron, Harry replied mockingly, "Don't I always?"

*****

"Destiny?" James called as he moved through the house beneath the mausoleum. "Where are you?" Turning the corner, he screamed. "My eyes, my eyes!" Putting his hand over his them, he let out another shriek.

"Oh, grow up! I have a towel on!" Destiny exclaimed.

"Scarred for life! Ewwy!" Giving an exasperated sigh, she shoved past him. Dropping his hand, he hurried after her. "Where are you going?"

"Well, I don't know about you, but I LIKE wearing clothes."

"How did you manage to get running water?"

Waving her fingers around in front of herself, she whispered mysteriously, "Magic..." Giggling she said in mock sternness, "Stay." When she returned dressed in jeans and a sweater, she asked curiously, "Any reason why you felt the need to come find me while I was in a towel?"

Bluntly, he asked, "Are you going back to Hogwarts soon?"

"Maybe after New Years."

"Hogwarts is having a ball."

"So?"

"You could dance with Harry..."

She gave him her most annoyed look. "Do you ever think of anything else?"

Giving her an innocent look, he said, "We just want you to be happy..." Dropping the so- very- fake look, he continued teasingly, "Oh, you know you want him!"

"James!" Destiny squealed in mock horror, "That's your son you're talking about!"

"You're right! Bad me!" Continuing, he said, "In all seriousness though, you really ought to tell Harry how you feel."

"And if he doesn't feel the same way?"

"Then at least you've tried. But if you don't try, you'll always regret it. So?..."

"I'll think about it."

*****

"...the goblin rebellion of 1398 was by far the..."

Sitting in History of Magic class with Professor Binns could only be described as a cruel and unusual punishment. The Gryffindors had only been in class for fifteen minutes and already Hermione was the only one paying attention. Harry was just staring out the window trying not to think about the next day.

Tomorrow was the Yule Ball and he still didn't have a date.

It wasn't the dateless-ness that bothered him, but rather the fact that he knew he would be having no fun while everyone else was...

"Harry!" Hermione hissed, jabbing him with her quill. "Pay attention!"

"Sorry," he murmured before turning back to his window.

Shaking her head, she turned to her other side to wake up Ron.

Already awake- and having seen what had happened- he whispered to her, "We need to send that girl a howler!"

Nodding her agreement, she whispered, "Yeah... Now take some notes! You're not copying mine!"