Behind Emerald Eyes

"I remember when every other day was bad. You were my brother, so tall was all you had. Sirius was dead but we had you instead. Now I remember our precious petting zoo. Our delicate high school and all the things we said we'd do. They all fall like, Sweet Rain. Wet my memory, Sweet Rain. Come on down on me. It wasn't hard to look ahead. You wanted to be me instead. I wanted to be you instead but. I fell and you fell back. What is wrong with me; well what is wrong with you, Jack?" - Sweet Rain by Train (with minor alterations)

Changes

"Harry, could you pass the marmalade?" It was breakfast in the Burrow. Ginny, Hermione and Molly had cooked up a large, delicious breakfast. The sounds and smells of the occasion brought a grin to Harry's lips. He passed the marmalade to Ginny and returned to the conversation he was having with Arthur Weasley.

"We are now working on improving our connections with the remaining giant colonies. So far, we have found a group in Britain and another in Greenland. However, they don't seem to trust us. Voldemort must have affected them more than we may ever know. We have reason to believe there is a small clan in the Forbidden Forest near Hogwarts. It seems after the main male was introduced with a female the clan has spread. We're not sure if they are hostile, but Hagrid seems stuck on the idea they they're friendly and he knows the leader," said the greying redhead, sipping at his coffee. Harry nodded and grinned sheepishly. He remembered Grawp and the day Hagrid brought his half-brother a mate. Her name was Relafiel or Rela for short. She was even wilder than Grawp had been. Luckily, when the two giants met, they formed a bond and settled down quickly in the deepest parts of the forest.

At the thought of this, Harry brightened. "Say, Arthur, how is Hagrid these days?" he said, chewing his toast, unable to keep his excitement hidden.

"Quite well, actually. He is still working at Hogwarts, but moved his cabin into the forest well he has expanded it to accommodate Madam Maxime and their children," Harry almost choked on a piece of bacon.

"Children?" he stammered. Arthur nodded eagerly, grinning broadly. "Oh yes. Olympe had twins the summer before last, a boy and a girl. The boy is named Goliath and the girl is Arowyn. Great children, taking after their parents. It's the next generation; hopefully they will strengthen ties between our race and the giants." Harry was stunned by the news. Had he missed so much?

"What else has happened while I was away?" he asked, starting back on his breakfast, which consisted of almost cold eggs.

Mr Weasley looked thoughtful for a moment. "Well, you know about the twins' business, they should be back from their trip tomorrow evening, hopefully. Charlie is doing great in work. Oh, Bill and Fleur were married last Easter and she is due for her first child next month!" said Arthur proudly, his eyes glistening.

"That's great!" Harry said. "Still no word from Percy?" Harry felt he had to ask. Personally, he did not care what had happened to the git, but he knew that Mr and Mrs Weasley still worried about him.

"I'm afraid not. However, Ron said he seen him last month, briefly, in muggle London. I'm still not sure what he was doing down there. But, he's looking after himself. Still..." Arthur looked over to his wife who was chuckling at something Ginny had said, and then shook his head.

"Hopefully he'll come round soon. It's been too long, too long for everything. I'm just glad your back, Harry, for everyone." He said truthfully, clapping him on the shoulder. It was great to be back with the Weasley's. Ever since he had entered the Magical World, Harry had considered them his family. It didn't matter about blood, in his heart they were what mattered. Molly was his loving mother, if he couldn't have Lily; she was the next best thing. Arthur was his father; caring and devoted, if he could not have James or Sirius, he would have Arthur. Then there was Ron, his best friend, his brother through and through. He had stuck by Harry all these years, except for the times they had their slight disagreements, but they were always ended quickly. They were practically inseparable. Fred, George, Bill and Charlie were his older brothers. Good for giving advice and help if needed.

Then there was Ginny. Back when he was in school, Harry would have considered Ginny like his sister. But things had changed. She was no longer the small, skinny eleven year old who had written him a poem for Valentine's Day in his second year. She was a full-grown witch, beautiful and talented. It would be wrong to call her his sister, although the love for her was still present. He couldn't call her his sister as he felt feelings for her that a brother shouldn't have for his sister. It was like, being back here, made his feelings finally fully develop. A few years ago, they had been there but he didn't realise, but the time apart had made Harry truly understand what they were and that had strengthened them.

Hermione was his true sister. He loved her completely. He trusted her with his life, as she did his. She was the one that had stuck with him up to the final battle. If it was not for her, Harry would have been killed in his first year by the Devil's Snare; Harry could have seen the headlines: The Boy-Who-Lived strangled to death by a plant!

If darkness threatened to consume him, at any part in his life, she and Ron were always there to draw him back out. And he loved them for that. They had been there when he felt all was lost, when Sirius died. The only other person who truly understood how he felt was Remus Lupin...

Harry whipped his head around to face Arthur, his heart thumping in his chest. "Have you heard anything about Remus?" he said quickly and softly. Arthur swallowed what he was eating and gazed at Harry with eyes full of pain, sorrow and pity.

"No, I'm sorry Harry; we haven't seen him since you left, all those years ago..."

"Then do you have any idea where he would be?" he said once more. Arthur just looked at him and shook his head slowly. "Well, I need to find him. Where have you looked?"

"We looked in Grimmauld Place, Remus's old home, Sirius's old home; we looked everywhere we thought he would be. But we can't find him!" said Mr Weasley sadly. Harry hung his head, disappointment and pain building inside him. It was his fault that Remus was gone now. And they did not know where he was. He could be dead for all they knew.

"Don't go there, Harry," he said softly under his breath so no one would hear. It was not the time, or place, for thoughts like that to be popping into his head. It was a time for celebrating and remembering. There would be a time for mourning later, where no one could see. Besides, Harry would have felt it if Remus was dead. After all, he was the son and godson of two Marauders. Harry would find Remus, whether it took him years to do so. Moony was not meant to be kept hidden away. Harry needed him. It was his fault he was gone, so it would be Harry to bring him back. No matter the cost.

"Hey, Harry, are you up for a game of Quidditch?" came Ron's voice, breaking Harry's chain of thought.

"Huh?" he answered, shaking himself. Ron looked at him strangely. "I asked if you wanted to play some Quidditch. Do you still have your broomstick?" said Ron, grinning goofily. Harry inwardly swore.

"I'd love to, but I forgot all my other stuff in London!" Harry answered, hitting himself in the head. "Well, you can just borrow one of our old brooms if you want?" Ron suggested, biting into a sausage. Fat dripped from it in a sickly slime. Harry cringed and turned down to his half-finished sausage.

"Nah, I think I might just Apparate over there and pick my stuff up, that way I don't have to go back later. Anyway, I have to hand in my badge and uniform."

"Oh, okay, mate. Well," Ron looked slightly excited for a moment. "Do you mind if I come, it would be great to see where you've lived for this long!" he said hurriedly, his eyes glittering. Harry grinned. "Sure, mate. We can go as soon as you finish your breakfast." Just as Harry said this, Ron was shovelling his eggs into his mouth with a newfound passion.

"'eady!" he managed, spitting a few bits of chewed egg onto the tablecloth. Ginny squealed at this, pushing her chair back to avoid being sprayed with Ron's breakfast.

"You're so disgusting!" she said, sweeping the front of her top. "Can I come too, Harry? I have to speak with Dave," Harry nodded and stood quickly, yawning in the process.

"Sure," he said, dropping his arms. Hermione was looking up at him, with shining eyes, while batting her eyes lashes. Harry grinned at her. "Yes, you can come too, Hermione. We just have to tell Dave that we are old friends and lived in the same neighbourhood when we were younger."

"Why can't we say we went to the same school?" asked Ron. Harry shrugged. "I told him I went to St Brutus's and that's an all boy's school. You could say you went to the same school, if you want, Ron?" he said, grinning.

"Nah, I'll be alright, I don't need to tell people I went to some nutters school for the insane or something,"

"Yeh, they can just look at you and know that!" said Ginny, causing all of them to laugh, including Mr and Mrs Weasley.

"Well, we better go." Harry said, "We should be back around lunch, if all goes well" The others followed his lead into the Lounge Room. "We will just apparate to the Apparation Point in Diagon Alley, okay?" The group nodded at him. Harry pulled out his wand and swished it slightly. In a moment, and after a loud crack, he was gone. Ron, Hermione then Ginny followed his movements. The room was left in silence, with the soft tick of the grandfather clock sounding in the background.

.................

The sounds and smells of the familiar Wizarding Street met Harry's senses. He had not entered Diagon Alley for four years, and he forgot how much he liked it. Witches and wizards were walking the streets, laughing and talking in the golden sunlight. Even though it was early, the street was alive with the buzz of shopping. Harry stepped off the Apparation Platform just after Ron appeared beside him on the next platform. He too grinned at Harry's expression and swept his hand in a greeting motion.

"Welcome, to Diagon Alley!" he said, laughing along with Harry. Once the girls had apparated to them, the group moved off through the busy street. Objects in store windows caught Harry's eyes every second and he couldn't keep the broad smile from his face. Ginny and Hermione were smiling along with him, but their grins were directed at him. Anyone could see Harry was happy.

As they moved through the Alley, Harry was drawing many eyes to him. Witches passing opened their mouths and their eyes and stared at him. Harry walked straight passed them, his eyes staring at a space before him. A few familiar faces popped into their way, but they continued. Just as they were walking passed Flourish and Blotts, an elderly woman walked form the shop and clasped Harry's arm.

"Thank you!" she said into his ear. Harry was taken back and looked into the woman's face. It was quite familiar and her blue eyes sparkled with an intense glint. "For what?" he stammered.

"For everything!" she said. Then it struck him. This was Neville Longbottom's grandmother, except she was missing the stuffed vulture hat, which was the reason Harry did not recognise her. She let his arm go and smiled broadly. Harry watched her disappear into the thick crowd, a strange feeling welling inside him. In the Battle of Hogwarts, just as Voldemort had appeared, Neville was in the Green Houses. A whole swarm of Dementors had flown across the forest and into the grounds. Harry, spotting them, had fled down through the doors. He sent his patronus flying at them while he ran to warn the Herbology class.

But, just before he got there, Death Eater's apparated into the grounds, the wards having been broken by Voldemort. Neville was placed on the Cruciatus Curse, as were many of the others. Neville was about to be killed by one of the masked villains, when Harry pounced on the man and brought him head first into a newly transported Japanese Fighting Fern. The plants many thorned vines had dug into the Death Eaters flesh and strangled him. Other students had flocked onto the grounds, as did the professors, just as the other Dark Creatures appeared. Harry had helped Neville up to the castle, where he placed the boy in the care of Madam Pomfrey just before he cast the Boundary Charm over the castle.

Harry had been learning that charm for many months. He had known it would come in useful when an occasion like this arose. He had made sure it only prevented Death Eaters, Voldemort and dark creatures from entering the castle, but allowed the professors and light fighters to enter the castle. Harry had also placed a few sort out words into the spell that kept Hermione, Ron, Ginny and the first years inside the castle and behind the boundary charm. This type of incantation had caused much of Harry's energy and magical power to diminish. Luckily, he always carried a phial of Everlast in his pocket from Snape's private store. Once swallowed, it replenished the drinker's energy and power. Back in the days following the prophecy's reading, Harry had been ready for everything. He purchased himself a second wand and participated in extra training and classes.

Even, in the middle of his sixth year, Professor Dumbledore had asked if he wanted to learn to become an Animagus. Harry had immediately agreed, but found out it took up too much of his time for training. So he had abandoned that project just before the last stage at the beginning of his last year. Hermione and Ron knew none of this, but they participated in some of his other training, such as weapon fighting like swords and daggers. Also, they learnt new spells, new hexes. The headmaster wanted Harry to learn the Unforgivables, mainly the Killing Curse, but he refused. He would not sink to Tom's level by using the curse that killed his parents.

A sharp pain in his knee brought Harry back to the present. He had run into a garbage bin. He rubbed his leg, hissing in pain. Ron snickered at his side. Harry just glared at him to find himself standing outside the entrance to the Leaky Cauldron. Hermione and Ginny were watching him with worried eyes while Ron stood oblivious to Harry's wandering mind. They entered the dingy pub. Harry was shortly stunned at how the place hadn't changed. There was still a thin layer of smoke hanging around the ceiling and the odd veiled figure hiding in the corner.

They passed through without meeting anyone and entered the cool street on the other side. Muggles were passing by without throwing a glance their way. Cars drove up the street and a boy on a bike rode passed. Harry stepped to the curve and hailed down a taxi. It pulled over to the side and Harry got in the front while the others squeezed into the back. The cab driver was an over-weight man with a long beard and stringy moustache.

"Where to lads and ladies?" he said in a rich Scottish accent.

"The Fresh Snow Apartments thanks," Harry said. It took around twenty minutes for them to reach the tall apartment block. They all piled out from the car, Harry paying the driver eleven pounds for the trip.

"This," said Ron, signalling to the building, "is where you spent the last five years of your life?" Harry grinned and said, "Yes." Before walking up a slight slope and entering the main lobby. He led his friends down a thin flight of stairs and entered a long hall of locker rooms. As he walked down the middle, he pulled out a ring of keys from his pocket. He stopped before a large wired door and placed a certain key into the padlock. A second later, the lock clicked and the gate swung open. Inside were three large trunks, containing all of Harry's things. Casting a quick look around, he flicked his wand and turned the security camera around to face the wall while he shrank his trunks and put them in his pockets. A while later they re-emerged into the lit lobby. Harry handed over his key to the front desk and entered an elevator after the others. He pushed the button for the third floor and waited for the usual sinking feeling to hit his stomach.

When they reached the top, Ron rushed out, grabbing his mouth. "I am so taking the stairs back down!" he said. The other's laughed at him and made their way to the sixteenth room. Harry knocked once before entering, it was, after all, his home too.

It seemed to be empty, so he began to boil the kettle to make them all a cup of tea. Ginny sank down onto the sofa and looked quite content. Hermione walked out to the balcony and was watching the streets below. Ron was inspecting every piece of muggle ware in the house. He almost jumped out of his skin when he switched on the ice machine and spent a good bit of thirty minutes picking up each piece of ice. Harry sat down at the kitchen table and looked around at the place he called home for five years. It was nothing like the Burrow. Or Hogwarts.

Oh, how he missed that place. With the ghosts and enchanted armour; moving staircases and hidden rooms and passages; the magic and the good memories. He just wished he could go back there, just to spend a day walking the corridors and sitting at desks he once sat at and see teachers who taught him all he knew. He would even give a galleon to see Severus Snape again; Harry did not know what had become of the snivelling Potion's Master. But Harry owed a lot to him. He saved Harry's life in his seventh year and it almost lost him his own.

The sound of the front door opening drew his attention. The doorknob was rattling. Everyone was watching it as Dave Ream entered. The man looked scared out of his wits when he spotted Harry sitting at the table. When he composed himself, his eyes roamed over to Ginny on the couch, to Hermione staring at him on the balcony and at Ron, who was half way through disassembling the cappuccino maker. His eyes met Harry's and he started forward.

"Hi, James," he said shakily. "Didn't expect to see you back any time soon..." He placed his jacket and car keys on the door side table and stood uncomfortably near the table.

"Hello, Dave," Ginny said pleasantly. He glanced at her and seemed to find himself. "Hey, Gin, what are you doing here?" he asked, slightly confused. She smiled brilliantly at him, making Harry's stomach clench momentarily. Hermione walked in from outside and held her hand out to Dave.

"Hi, I'm Hermione Granger, you must be Dave." She said, shaking his outstretched hand. Dave seemed quite taken back by her abruptness but greeted her in return.

"Yes, I'm Dave, nice to meet you," he said hesitantly. "And that is Ron Weasley," she said, motioning to Ron, who was straightening back up, trying to hide the in pieces coffee machine; his ears were bright red.

"Hey," Ron said, walking to the table and sitting down next to Harry, who grinned sheepishly at him.

"Yeah, sorry about intruding, Dave, but I needed to pick up the rest of my stuff and Ginny wanted to talk to you." Harry said. Ginny turned to him and raised an eyebrow. "So, erm, here we are," he said, scratching his head. Hermione huffed, as did Ginny.

"Could I speak to you in the other room, please, Dave?" Ginny asked standing and taking the muggle man by the hand and dragging him down the hall. Ron looked ready to follow them but he kept still in his seat.

"So, that was your room mate?" Hermione said, sitting down on the other side of Harry, sipping at her cool tea. "Yes, that was Dave. Watch what you say around him, as he's as smart as you," Harry said warningly. They nodded and stopped their conversation just before Ginny and Dave returned. Dave was looking a little but disappointed about something but Ginny seemed slightly satisfied.

"Have a nice chat?" asked Ron stiffly. "Yes, as a matter of fact, we did." Said Ginny. Dave smiled shakily at Harry and fixed himself a strong cup of coffee. "So, how do you lot know each other? Harry said he didn't have many friends when he was in school?" Dave asked, his brown eyes sparkling curiously. Ron glanced at Harry who was looking blankly out the window.

"We all lived in the same neighbourhood. Ginny and Ron are brother and sister, and I was friends with them and their family." Harry said as if it was the truth. Dave nodded and seemed to believe it. Hermione was looking at Harry with her mouth slightly ajar. He was so used to lying now that it seemed like second nature to him.

"Well, if we've done everything we've came to do, we better go. I told your mum we would be back around lunch and its a quarter passed twelve now." Harry stated, removing his gaze from the bird on the railing and standing up to face them.

"All right, mate. Are you going to come back soon?" Dave asked, standing as well. "Sure to," Harry answered, gathering their mugs and carrying them to the sink. "I might come back at Christmas, if that's okay, just to say hello to your sister, I told her I would give her that photo back of us last Christmas. Besides, if I didn't go, she would probably hunt me down and hit me!" Harry said. Sophie Ream was five years younger than Harry was and would be turning seventeen in November. She was quite taken with Harry that first summer they met a few years ago and they became friends.

"Yeah, she would, wouldn't she?" Dave said, laughing. Harry chuckled along with him while walking to the door. Hermione and Ron were first out and said goodbye to Dave from the hall. Ginny hugged the muggle man and kissed him lightly on the cheek before backing away. Harry shook Dave's hand and wished him luck. As Harry was walking down the hall, he felt Dave's dark eyes staring into the back of his head the whole way. Some things would never change.

They entered the full heat of the day outside and worked a few paces down the street before calling for another cab. They got it to take them back to the small pub that only they could see and paid him another eleven pounds. Harry was grateful he had saved enough muggle money in his pockets to pay for their trip otherwise, they'd be stuck.

They waited for the taxicab to turn around the corner before entering the magically hidden pub. The same people were seated around each table as the last time they entered but this time they stopped at the bar.

"Hey, Tom, could I get four Butterbeers thanks?" asked Harry at the front table while the others found a secluded spot near the back. Tom, the old innkeeper appeared. He looked odder then ever but he still got the same awed look on his face when he recognized the person who called him.

"Harry? Harry Potter?" he stammered, wiping his glasses on his dirty apron. Harry grinned. "The one and only, Tom. How much will that cost?" Harry asked, pulling out his moneybag. The innkeeper seemed to regain his speech.

"What? Oh, there is no need, Mr Potter, it's on me. It's the minimum I could do to repay you for what you've given us all!" said the grey haired man, filling up four large mugs of steaming Butterbeer and giving them to Harry.

"Erm, okay, thanks..." Harry said, loosing his smile while walking back to his seat.

"What's wrong, Harry?" asked Hermione as soon as he passed out the drinks. "Nothing," he answered automatically. The others only stared at him disbelieving. He sighed. "Fine. Everyone's acting different around me, like I'm some kind of hero who they should all worship or something!" he said. Ron just laughed while Hermione and Ginny smirked. Harry's patience was wearing thin.

"What?" he demanded. "Well, mate, you are!" Ron said. Harry just stared at him. "I am not!" he said loudly. Half the room turned to look at him before Harry waved them away.

"Ah, yes you are, Harry. You defeated Voldemort and practically saved the whole world. You are a hero in need of worshipping." Said Ginny softly. Harry just stared at her then shook his head. "Mental, the whole lot of you. I may have defeated Voldemort but I was just-!"

"-lucky?" answered the three in unison. Harry just nodded. "Exactly."

"Harry," said Hermione. "You said you were just lucky when you stopped Quirrel from giving Voldemort the stone. You said it was a fluke that you were able to kill the Basilisk and save Ginny from Tom Riddle's memory. You said you were just lucky to escape Voldemort in fourth year form the graveyard. Face it, you were not just lucky. You are good. You are the hero and the defender who helps everyone and defends from evil. That's just who you are, you can't stop yourself from doing what you're meant to do. And you can't tell people otherwise, or yourself for that matter!" Harry was just staring at her, mouth open and eyes wide. Ginny and Ron were laughing now, while the two remained eye locked. Then Harry just shook his head.

"Have I ever told you you're too smart for your own good?" he said. Hermione just grinned. "Hmm, maybe once or twice every day since third year!" They all laughed gaining the whole attention of the pub. They spent around an hour just sitting in the corner of the Leaky Cauldron, sipping their drinks and sharing memories.

After his third Butterbeer, Harry was feeling immensely happy. "I forgot how good this tasted!" he said, gulping down the rest of the steaming drink. Hermione nodded her approval.

"I think we should get back now, mum's probably worried. She's only had you back for a day and she's afraid she'll loose you again!" said Ron, finishing his fifth drink.

"Yeah, probably," said Harry, helping Ginny to her feet. The group of friends exited the pub, blinking rapidly in the sudden burst of light. Hermione tapped the appropriate bricks above the trashcan and they watched the portal open for them to enter through. They joined the queue for the Disapparation Point and soon it was Harry's turn to go. He stepped up and pulled out his wand. A flick later sent him being pulled forcibly through the air, with the sound of rushing wind blearing in his ears. As he landed at his destination with a deafening crack, the sound being the air being split by his presence, he immediately noticed something that sent his stomach hurtling into his throat.

A banner was hung across the ceiling reading the words: Welcome Home, Harry.

And beneath it stood all the members of the Order of the Phoenix, plus the entire Weasley Family, minus Percy and Charlie, Fleur Delacour was there next to Bill, looking quite large with her pregnancy; and behind them all, looming about a meter above everyone's heads, were Hagrid and Madam Maxime. The half-giant beetle black eyes were brimming with tears as he pushed passed everyone in front of him and picked Harry off his feet into a massive hug. His breath was taken from his lungs and it felt like his spine was about to snap. Finally, Hagrid placed his feet back on the ground, where they wobbled threateningly. He staggered a bit before being steadied by Hagrid.

They were all grinning at him; all happy and smiling; it was like old times. Emotions were pulling at his heart and tears were burning behind his eyes. There were three loud cracks and three more faces were standing before the crowd of glowing people. Hermione and Ron were smiling hectically, and Hermione was crying freely, her salty tears dripping from her lips.

Ginny stepped forward and kissed him on the cheek. When she stepped back, her face was red. Harry was too numb to move little lone speak. She grinned at him.

"Welcome home, Harry!"

.....................

Hey everyone!

This one was my longest yet. The next one should be up soon, if not all ready! Please review and tell me what you think! Luv ya's!

Peace Out

DW