Harry Potter and The Year of Discoveries

Gryffindor's Legacy (Part 3)

Liz Peterson stood at the window of Number 7 Privet Drive, staring worriedly at the house next door. She shuddered, thinking about all that Harry had told him of his life with the Dursleys. Her eyes filled with tears as she remembered that night so long ago...

*The night air was cold that Halloween. Bone-chillingly cold. Lily Potter (ok, if that wasn't obvious, then I don't know how to be more clear) was tending to her young son, when she heard James yell upstairs. "He's here! Take Harry and run!"

Gasping, Lily quickly bundled Harry into a blanket and ran to the stairs. The Dark Lord was standing at the bottom, facing off with James. He laughed, sending chills down Lily's spine. Oddly enough, Harry only watched the scene with fear and curiosity, but he did not cry. He never made a sound.

"Avada Kedavra!" Voldemort shouted, directing his wand at James. Lily screamed as the flash of green light hit her husband and he hit the floor. She took a deep breath, steeling her nerves, and carried Harry down the stairs.

Voldemort looked up at the sound of a stair creaking and smiled grimly. "So you bring me a sacrifice, Mrs. Potter? How nice of you to offer Godric Gryffindor's Heir!"

Lily was trembling inside, but she dare not show her fear to Voldemort. He would only play off of it. "Not Harry, not Harry, please not Harry!"

"Stand aside, you silly girl...stand aside now..." Voldemort demanded of her, cold and commanding.

"Not Harry, please no, take me, kill me instead--" (This was taken from PoA) He said something else, but Lily didn't catch it. She was too distracted by the small movement she saw from James. It wasn't much, but it was enough to give her hope. It was an indication that the Bonding had worked and James and Harry truly were the Heirs of Gryffindor.

"Avada Kedavra!" The Dark Lord pointed his wand at Lily, narrowly missing Harry. She gasped as a strange feeling came over her when the green light hit. Lily felt at peace somehow, yet she grew cold with the realization that death was near. She hit the floor and her eyes snapped shut. *

Liz/Lily reflected.

Part 4:

Back at Privet Drive, Harry Potter was still digging up the weeds in the garden after what had seemed like hours. He glanced at the watch and looked around at the night sky in surprise. "It's 8:00 already? Why on earth didn't the Dursleys fetch me for supper? Guess since I didn't have the weeding done, I won't be getting anything tonight. Thank goodness for the treats Hermione and Ron have been sending," Harry mused, once again talking to himself.

He stood up slowly, brushing the soil of his hands and clothing. Harry surveyed his work and saw, with satisfaction, that he had succeeded in pulling up every last weed. He smiled to himself when he noticed the lily standing as tall and as bright as ever. He packed up the gardening tools and took them to the garage, all the while noticing a strange gold light coming from the Peterson's house next door. Red and gold swirled together and Harry gasped as he saw something that looked like a phoenix form in midair. He rubbed his eyes and looked again, but it was gone. Shrugging, Harry turned back towards Number 4 Privet Drive and released a rather loud sigh.

He walked slowly up to the house, dreading whatever confrontation that he and Vernon might have that evening. Harry opened the door to the kitchen and sauntered inside to see his Aunt Petunia glaring at him dangerously.

"How long could it possible take to weed that garden, boy?" She asked him maliciously. "You've been out there all day."

Harry looked down at his dirty sneakers and fiddled with the gardening gloves still in his hands. "I-I'm sorry. I guess I wasn't paying attention to the time." It seemed the easiest way to placate any of the Dursleys was to just apologize and leave it at that. As long as he agreed with them and did as he was told, Harry wouldn't have to worry about them for the summer.

Petunia nodded tersely and sharply replied, "Very well, then. Don't let it happen again."

Harry nodded and began heading towards the cupboard to return the gloves. Petunia's loud screech stopped him though before he could get one foot off of the small rug at the door.

"Don't even think about tracking into the house, you nasty cretin!" She yelled at him. "Take your shoes off then put the gloves away." She paused as he quickly slid the old sneakers off of his feet and picked them up so as to put them away. "Oh, and boy? No supper for you tonight."

"Yes ma'am." Harry thought to himself. Harry quickly put his things back in the cupboard and trotted upstairs, hoping that Vernon and Dudley wouldn't see him. Thankfully, he made it to his room unnoticed.

Harry opened his door, and to his surprise, Hedwig was flapping her wings impatiently outside his bedroom window. He hurriedly shut the door and opened the window so she could fly in. "Hedwig!" He exclaimed in surprise. "I didn't expect you back so soon. Got a letter from Sirius for me?"

Hedwig landed gracefully on Harry's desk and stood patiently as Harry untied the piece of parchment from her leg. She hooted softly, nibbled his finger and flew into her cage. Harry tore open the letter, hoping to find out more about what was going on.

"Dear Harry,

I'm glad you told me about the dream. I don't think it was a prophecy so much as Voldemort being threatening. You have faced him three, technically four times, already. I won't be surprised if he tries to attack you again.

I know you hate hearing this Harry, but be careful! It's especially important that you keep an eye out for anything unusual. Don't go anywhere without someone with you once you get to Hogwarts; either Ron or Hermione. Dumbledore is trying to convince Minister Fudge that Voldemort has indeed returned to power, but so far, he's been unsuccessful. Dumbledore will do the best he can to tighten security, but his resources are limited without the support of the Ministry.

I'll be around Hogwarts occasionally, so I'll give you fair warning when I'll be coming in. We'll meet in the usual place. Once again, thanks for telling me about the dream. I'm passing the word along to Dumbledore and the rest of the crowd. Your connection with the Dark Lord may be our only way of knowing what's going on.

Keep in touch, Sirius."

Harry folded the letter and placed it on the desk. Harry paced his room in frustration. Frustration about being separated from the wizarding world during the summer, frustration about living with the Dursleys, and most of all, frustration about Voldemort's return to power.

Harry knew there had to be a reason for Voldemort wanting to kill him. It had to be more than just unfinished business. There had to be something about Harry, something Voldemort was frightened of. But Harry had no idea what that could possibly be. He knew about his parent's deaths, and he knew about their lives at Hogwarts, but no one had ever bothered to share why Voldemort had wanted them dead. Why his main targets had been James and Harry, but not Lily. It didn't make sense.

Harry pulled out the photo album of his parents that Hagrid had given him several years ago and paged through it as he had done so many times before. He stopped at he page with the wedding photos and stared at his Mum and Dad, tears coursing down his cheeks. "Why?" He cried, directing the question to no one, yet wanting to hear the answer. "Why did you do it? You should have let him kill me! At least I wouldn't have to deal with this all now, and we could be together. It just isn't fair!" He sobbed, rocking on the bed now. "It's not fair, it's not fair, it's...not...fair!" Harry continued his rant through most of the night; unable to understand why life had been so unkind to him and the people he loved.

Part 5:

I'm worried, about Harry Albus. He keeps having the same dream, and I know it's troubling him. But it's getting us know place. We aren't any closer to finding out what Voldemort is up to. And the more time we waste sitting on our hands is more time for Voldemort to get to Harry." Sirius Black was pacing back and forth in Albus Dumbledore's office at Hogwarts. He was concerned as any godfather would be about his godson, but there was more at stake here than how Sirius felt about Harry. The boy was the wizarding world's only hope.

Dumbledore sat back patiently in his chair, simply watching 'Snuffles' walk in circles, his blue eyes twinkling merrily. He didn't say a word until Sirius had sat back down in the chair facing the desk. "I understand, Sirius. I'd be a liar if I didn't admit that I'm worried too. Unfortunately, there isn't a lot we can do, not without Cornelius' support. And at this point, he's not hearing, or listening, to our warnings. I promise that Harry will be protected against Voldemort. I placed incredibly powerful protection spells on that house fourteen years ago. That's why he goes back there every year. He can't be harmed, so long as he's in the vicinity of the house. And I have placed a couple spies next door to keep their eye on him."

Sirius looked at his old Headmaster sharply. "Spies? Who?"

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled once more and he smiled slightly. "I'm afraid I can't reveal that information. Great steps have been taken over the years to get these people put in place. I will provide you with what you need to know when I feel it will be beneficial for you to know it." He smiled apologetically as Sirius huffed in indignation. "I understand your frustration, Sirius. I promise to keep you informed, and I will keep Harry safe. Now, if that is all, I have a few letters to send out to new students."

Sirius nodded, thanking the Headmaster. He walked out of the office, frustrated but more complacent than before. He knew that Dumbledore always had good reasons for his actions, but at times, those actions infuriated Sirius. "I just wish he would tell me who he has watching the house. I swear, I think I know exactly how Harry feels." Sirius muttered to himself as he walked down the corridors of Hogwarts.

Sirius had finally reached the Gryffindor common room, where Dumbledore had told him to stay for the time being. He stopped in front of the Fat Lady, looking worriedly up at her. "What's the matter, dear?" She asked him in her kindhearted way.

"Everything, to sum it up. Bouncing ferret." He told her, uttering the rather unique password.

"Of course," she replied as she swung open, revealing the common room. Sirius scrambled inside and went to sit by the fireplace. He pointed his wand at the fireplace, starting a blazing fire.

There were so many memories in this place. Some of them good, and some of them bad. Sirius sat back in his chair, closing his eyes, remembering his years at Hogwarts.

* "My name's James, what's yours?"
"Sirius. I'm named after the dog star." *

*... "Another detention? You guys need to be more careful."
"Yeah, thanks for the warning Lil. Very appreciated."
"I know I am, James. And you're welcome."
"Ooh!" Lily squealed as James suddenly attacked her, tickling her ribs. *

* "I've got it! I think I can do this now!" James yelled excitedly. He stood in the astronomy tower, reciting a rather complicated spell. Next thing he and the rest of the Marauders knew, James Potter was no longer standing before them in human form. He was a stag. *

* Lily Evans was crying as she stood at King's Cross Station with her best friends for the last time. "I can't believe we made it through all seven years! You all keep in touch, and be careful! Being an Auror is dangerous work."

"You're one to talk, Lily," Remus replied with a sad smile. "I believe we'll be seeing you at training?"

Lily nodded sheepishly. "I'll see you in a few months time then. Good bye for now." *

* "James and Lily, Sirius, how could you?" Wormtail wiped away a fake tear as he stood there accusing Sirius of betraying his best friends.

"What?" Padfoot hissed at his once good friend.

"James and Lily. I can't believe you betrayed them." (Forgive me for botching this scene up...I couldn't remember exactly how this confrontation went. So bear with me.)

"I can't believe...you slimy git!" Sirius yelled, attracting the attention of several muggles nearby. Both men drew their wands, but for once Wormtail was quicker in uttering his curse than Padfoot. Sirius jumped as a huge crash sounded and suddenly he was surrounded by smoke. He never saw the small rat scurry out of sight. He just stood there and laughed. He couldn't seem to stop this maniacal cackle as several Aurors apparated on the spot. *

Sirius shuddered as he heard the laughter echoing in his head. When it came right down to the nitty-gritty, everything that had ever happened to Harry was his fault. From the moment he suggested to James and Lily that Peter fill the role as Secret Keeper, Sirius has set Harry down a path of destruction. He could only hope that the boy was strong enough to withstand what was to come in the following months, and that Harry wasn't blaming himself for everything that had happened. Unfortunately, Sirius knew exactly what kind of person Harry was, and he knew that the Boy Who Lived placed the blame on no one but himself for all the horrible things Voldemort had done.

"I've got to talk to him, and make him see sense." Sirius muttered to himself. He sat forward in the chair, elbows resting on his knees. He began to formulate a plan to approach Harry about everything that was going on in the wizarding world. "He deserves to know."