Author: Jade L. M. Skywalker
Beta Reader: Cindy Evans
Amdorn
Release Times: Longer than 'The Final Belonging' about two to four weeks on the long side.
Category: AU/Action/Adventure/Angst/Romance/General.
Spoilers: Books 1-5, though this occurs directly after Harry's fourth year it contains information from Book five.
Warnings: Possible OC: Out Of Character
Rating: PG-13 (cause I can't swear THAT much)
Characters: Harry James Potter, Evan Knight, Hermione Jane Granger, Ron Weasley, Ginny Molly Weasley, Bill Weasley, Charlie Weasley, Fred and George Weasley, Molly and Arthur Weasley, Neville Longbottom, Albus Dumbledore, Sirius Black, Minerva McGonagall, Remus Lupin, Destiny Potter, Jacen Potter, James Potter, Lily Potter, Melissa Malkin, Tom the bartender, Cara the mirror personality, Tom Riddle, Lord Voldemort, Peter Pettigrew, Wormtail, Prongs, Padfoot, Moony, Artoo, Fawkes, Hedwig, Phoenix, and many more.
Summary: What would've happened to the world as we know it if Harry Potter wasn't the one chosen that Halloween night so long ago. What if it had been Neville Longbottom's destiny, and what if things didn't turn out the same, if something different occurred that night? Join Harry Potter and Gang to see just what did occur, and how even though it's not their real world, they are just as destined to save this other world.
Disclaimer: Alas I own nothing, I am just borrowing these wonderful toys for this story and I hereby promise to put my toys away when I am finished. Therefore these wonderful toys belong to JK Rowling, Scholastic Publishing and Warner Brothers Inc. Star Wars is owned by 20th Century Fox and George Lucas Entertainment and I am borrowing some of the story and or characters, in general, anything you recognize is not mine.
Chapter Fourteen
Repercussions of the Ashamed Kind
Godric's Hollow
Sirius Black pushes open the house door, knowing he should at least knock, but is too excited to care. He wants to know what he missed out on. He wants to know what happened with the kid. He all but dashes into the living room and sees it empty. Instantly he knows it wasn't good. For he knows the kids have been sent to their room, and this only happens at various times in their lives. It is this most telling sight that tells him everything, or at least the first part of everything. Making his way to the study where he knows they will be, he wonders what could have gone so bad.
As he approaches the door he gently knocks on it and when he receives no answer he gently pushes it slightly open after a minute, knowing they have placed a silencing charm on the room and for them to hear him he has to break it slightly. "It's me," he says knowing they are about to let into one of their kids for not doing as they have been told.
"Padfoot," James asks as he opens the door the rest of the way to see his dear friend standing before him.
Sirius takes in the frown on James face and knows what he thought was an easy conversation with a kid, turned out to be anything but, "what happened Prongs," he asks instantly.
"Oh Sirius," Lily's voice sighs sadly as she steps next to James. "We were," she starts but is unable to tell him as the truth once again weighs heavily on her heart.
"Okay," Sirius says as he pushes the door closed behind him, "sit down," he directs them to the center of the room. "Now," he tells them once they are sitting, "Tell me everything," he asks of them.
For the next two hours Lily and James would trade off telling parts of what happened earlier in the day. Lily finally was able to tell him what was happening on her side of the battle, whereas he already knew about James's side of things. They tried to relate all of the questions they asked while in the Great Hall. They even tried to repeat Evan's answers word for word; and even told him about the question, the ultimate question it seemed to boil down to. When Sirius heard the question Evan asked he wanted to rip the kid's throat out. That is until he heard the next part and he realized Evan's question was valid after all. When they finished their story of a meeting that should have gone easily but did anything but, Sirius sighs as he closes his eyes.
"That could have gone better," he finally admits.
"I just hope we haven't chased him away," Lily whispers sadly.
"The problem is," James says, "I think we did," he admits. "I know I wouldn't give us another chance," he explains to the two people with him.
"Neither would I," Sirius is forced to admit with a small nod.
"What are we going to do now," Lily asks the two men and the two men shrug in return, not having a clue as to how to proceed from here.
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
The Great Hall
Albus Dumbledore steps into the Great Hall as his mind returns to earlier that day, returns to a meeting where they should have been more open to the person they were talking to but were too busy assaulting him to get to know him. It seems they have rightfully failed what feels to be one of the most important tests they have ever taken. He looks up to see most of the staff in the Great Hall, in almost the same places they were this morning. "What did I do," Flitwick says with a sad shake of his head. "What kind of Head of House am I when I won't listen objectively to people," he rants on himself.
"He was right," Minerva says after a moment as she looks over at Flitwick who is sitting two chairs to her right as Albus makes his way to where he had sat during that time as well. "We all but sent him to Azkaban for breathing, for saving our lives," she whispers with a shake of her head, speaking more to herself than anyone else.
"I was warned," Dumbledore says to them in a remorseful tone of voice, "but I didn't heed that warning," he says sadly.
"We were all warned," Flitwick's shrill voice calls out correcting the Headmaster. "We were told to be honest, truthful and not to judge him and we did," he says as he picks at the dinner on his plate.
Severus Snape can't help the soft snort at this words, he can't help but agree completely. They did judge Evan, they judged him harshly and for the first time in his life he can actually say he didn't jump on the band wagon, he let these sheep jump off their own cliff as he watched from a distance. He finds he likes this feeling of rightness; he likes to see his colleges squirm in their own self pity. Shaking his head he returns to his own meal, trying to keep himself from shouting out, 'ha, ha, ha, I passed and you didn't', though he doesn't really know where that urge is coming from.
Just then an owl swoops in on the Headmaster and Albus instantly recognizes it as Tom's. "Here's where we learn our fate," he whispers to Minerva as he unties the burden from the owl only to watch it soar away again. Opening the letter he finds he really doesn't want to learn of their fate, their earned fate in the eyes of a fifteen year-old boy. A fate they more than likely deserve, for he knows he does. With almost hungrily greedy eyes he reads the words on the page before him.
Headmaster Professor Dumbledore
I have received your owl and I am now just replying to your request. I have had the need to calm down before I have written this reply. For I know if I hadn't I would have said things I know you wouldn't care to see and I wouldn't care to become. For I believe in the words told to me be by a FIFTEEN YEAR OLD-BOY, I will not stoop to your level or rudeness.
I may not know of everything that occurred, but I do know Evan has every right to hate you and none to believe in you. But he doesn't hate you and he believes in you. How, why, I do not know. He is saddened by your actions today, but he refuses to let what happened rule him. You have failed it seems in one of the easiest yet most important test you could ever take, kindness.
Evan it seems wasn't as inactive as you figured he might be after what all of you did to him today. He did things you were aware and unaware of. It seems he has been very busy after all. For Evan Knight will no longer be staying here at the Leaky Cauldron, though he has paid for two days more and has told me to wait on its return, saying there will come a day within the year where a family from somewhere else will need it. Anyway, Evan is now the proud owner of property. Not just any property, but unplottable property with a Secret-Keeper, to be honest I think he is the Secret-Keeper.
I know for a fact if Evan doesn't want to be found, he won't be. It seems to me that he doesn't want to be located by you or your worthless minions and I don't blame him. I have never thought in all my years that I would be ashamed of the great Albus Dumbledore, but I find I am. In the actions shown today by most of the faculty of Hogwarts I have just realized I don't respect you, all of you as much as I did yesterday. I don't know if you can regain this respect. I don't know if I will allow it to happen.
I believe I would be madder if Evan hadn't promised to come and see me from time to time. It is this fact and another that allows me to continue to work with you. Evan isn't mad at you, any of you. Disappointed, more than you can imagine, hurt, worse than the Cruciatus could ever dream of, but he doesn't hate you, he just doesn't know if he wants anything to do with you.
You asked if there might be hope, and unfortunately I have to answer, yes. Evan will eventually forgive all of you of your transgressions, but it won't be easy. Oddly enough Severus Snape is the only one he trusts.
How could you have done that to him, he had just been near the Dementors, he had just saved your sorry lives and you bit him in the butt as a thank you. I am extremely furious at this moment and I have to ask you to leave me alone for a while, while I cool down. I will owl you when I am ready, but know I no longer respect you as much as before and I highly doubt you will be ever to regain what has been lost here today. I believe both Molly and Melissa will agree with me. Evan is a nice boy and deserved more respect than he was shown today. I have seen you show more respect to Malfoy than you did to Evan.
Tom
Albus rereads the words on the paper and oddly enough understands what Tom is saying. As he hands the letter to Minerva for her to read, he finds himself more ashamed of himself then Tom could ever be. What occurred today was wrong. There are no other words for it. What they did was just plain wrong. They violated the trust of another human; they violated another human with their questions and comments. Oddly enough he also finds hope in the words Tom wrote him. Evan might give them another chance, but now he wonders if they should even try for how the first attempt turned out it just might be best to let the young man alone.
Outside Hogsmeade
Property Number JFB 1701-D
Evan looks up at the stone and smiles as he realizes he is finally as close to home as he can be. He looks down at the title in his hand reading, KNIGHT'S SANCTUARY, and smiles. He was able to get his home back and he knows it will know him just as Hogwarts did. For this was the home of Godric and Rowena Gryffindor all those years ago. He steps up to the gate and places his hands on the cool metal, instantly gold light shines all around him and the metal before him. When he removes his hands he steps back to take a good look at his work.
A golden K in the center of the gate, to open in the middle when someone deemed worthy is able to enter. He rubs his forefinger gently along each letter, H, Hermione, J, Jane, G, Granger, R, Ron, B, Bilius, W, for Weasley. He smiles knowing each W means just that. Going to the center he jumps over it and goes on downward, G, Ginny, M, Molly, N, Neville, M, Molly. At this point he goes to the opposite side, A, Albus, D, Dumbledore, M, Minerva, M, McGonagall, S, Severus, S, Snape, he once again skips the middle, S, Sirius, B, Black, R, Remus, L, Lupin, A, Arthur, G, George, F, Fred, B, Bill, C, Charlie. After feeling the shape of each of these letters he returns his finger to the center and works his way from left to right, L, Lily, P, Potter, E, Evans, K, Knight, H, Harry, J, James, P, Potter, J, James, P, Potter. Therefore this single letter contains all he holds dear, his family, his life.
He gently pushes on the center of the letter as the gates slowly open in welcome. He take his time as he makes his way to a home he knows is missing some of the important things but is as close to being home as it was. He knows it is missing the presence, the belongings of his family. At least he knows his way around and is welcomed here, for only those who are welcome, are destined for it can see it. That was they way Godric and Rowena had planned it, They planned it for him to find it and call it home, he has, he is and he will continue to do so. Now to type up his report so he can send it off to Sirius in the morning.