(A/N: Here we are… SIGH! This is the last chapter… SIGH! I thank you all for following this story until the end, you're great! I need to thank another new reader Laen, who has read all the chapters in one day! Thanks, thanks, thanks. Even if this is the end of "Secrets from the Past", there are still great questions to be answered, like "What's happened to Mark Evans?" or "What's going to happen to Harry and Hermione now that they're a couple?" and "Will Harry be finally able to defeat Voldemort?". I'll try to give an answer to those questions in the sequel. So, enjoy your reading and look for "Secrets from the Future", which I'm going to publish next week, maybe around Thursday, march 24th .
I love you all! : )
Chapter 35. A NEW START - 2nd part -
Over the following two weeks, Harry did his best to get better. He ate everything Mrs. Weasley brought and drank all of the potions Snape had prepared for him.
Hermione had to return to school for final examinations. She was, however, feeling relieved to know that Harry was getting better. Almost daily, Hedwig delivered a letter from her to Harry; he was always ready to answer her back. They wrote each other a huge amount of owls, as if they didn't have anything else to do the entire day except write to each other.
Even if he had wanted to, Harry didn't have a chance to feel lonely. From the day he had woken up, he had been receiving visitors from the Order of the Phoenix, most often Lupin, Tonks, and the Weasley twins.
At the beginning of June, Harry was finally able to return to Hogwarts; all of his school mates and teachers were extremely happy to see him again.
Up in Gryffindor Tower, the students had organized a big party in Harry's honor; they all drank and sang together until very late. Seeing Ron was deeply moving for Harry. The two best friends hugged each other tightly and for a fraction of a second, Harry saw a few tears crossing Ron's cheeks even though he had instantly tried to hide them. Ginny, on the other hand, didn't have any fear showing her true feelings. She hugged Harry and burst into tears of joy. Apart from Ron, Ginny, and Hermione, no one else there knew the true reason Harry had been away for so long.
Hermione couldn't be happier. It looked as though all of her worries had vanished from her heart. She was constantly watching over Harry, always trying to be present when he needed her. Even though Snape considered him to be completely recovered, and despite Harry's efforts to hide any sign of it, Hermione knew that Harry was still feeling extremely weak. In the evenings, he became tired sooner than the others and his appetite had greatly decreased. Harry wasn't complaining, however. It was a great joy for him to be back with his friends, talking and joking with them as he had before. The thing that gave him hope was knowing that he soon would be able to complete the ceremony in front of the Veil of Death.
That Wednesday, Harry and Hermione walked downstairs to the dungeons for their usual two hours of Potions. As soon as they reached the classroom, a group of students moved over to them enthusiastically. Ernie Macmillan kept patting Harry on the shoulder, while Padma and Parvati Patil couldn't take their eyes off him.
Suddenly, they heard a commotion coming from a group of Slytherins; Draco Malfoy slowly moved forward to Harry and Hermione, as his cronies stood around him, waiting.
"Well, well, well. You've come back to us, Potter! What a pity! I thought I was finally rid of you this time!" Malfoy's chilling words were followed by a chorus of laughter coming from the other Slytherins.
Before Harry could react, Hermione stepped in front of Malfoy and confronted him. "I see you're still the usual braggart, Malfoy!"
The smile plastered on the young Slytherin's face vanished abruptly, though it didn't prevent him from replying. "What is it, Potter? Cat got your tongue? You need your Mudblood girlfriend's help now?" Another chorus of laughter followed Malfoy's words, but Harry kept staring at him, unmoving. He then slowly walked forward and stopped right in front of his rival.
Hermione began to fear the worst and grabbed Harry by his arm, looking at the scene worriedly.
"You're feeling brave, aren't you, Malfoy? I've stared death in the face too many times to fear someone like you. Throughout your entire life, you've done your best to be like your father, not even realizing what the truly important things are. I just feel sorry for you!"
Harry spoke with firm voice, never taking his gaze away from Malfoy. This time, nobody laughed in the background; all of the students kept staring seriously at the two. Malfoy looked around him nervously, his hands and forehead starting to sweat. Then, with a quick movement, he took his wand out of his robes and pointed it directly between Harry's eyes. Harry didn't move or blink.
"Why don't you say it again, if you dare!"
"You. Don't. Scare. Me." Harry emphasized every single word, always staring directly into Malfoy's eyes.
Hermione had held her breath until that moment; among the rest of the students was heard a low murmuring. Everybody watched the scene which was full of tension.
Suddenly, they heard the sound of quick footsteps coming out of the classroom and Snape was shortly at their sides. "What's happening here?" he asked menacingly.
Malfoy lowered his wand and tried to explain his actions. "Potter started it! He challenged me!"
The freezing gaze of Snape traveled from Malfoy to Harry.
"Malfoy, detention!" said Snape in the end.
"What? Detention? B-but how... why?"
"You were going to use magic between classes! I don't want to hear anything more from you, or it will be doubled! Now, I want everybody in the classroom immediately! ALL OF YOU!"
Malfoy frowned at Snape, then turned toward the classroom and walked in, resigned. Snape shot a quick stare at Harry then joined the other students.
"Come on, let's go!" exhorted Hermione; Harry followed without replying. He was shocked by Snape's behavior. During the entire month he was at Snape's manor, he never had the right opportunity to be alone with him to thank him for his invaluable help.
At the end of the lesson, Harry waited for the other students to leave the classroom and told Hermione to wait for him in the Great Hall. He then slowly moved up to the teacher's desk. Snape had his back to Harry, erasing instructions on the blackboard. When Snape turned, he was surprised to see Harry there.
"Is there something wrong, Potter?" the Potions Master asked hastily. Harry hesitated for a moment, then cleared his throat and spoke.
"P-professor Snape, I-I just wanted to apologize for what I said to you during our last Occlumency lesson."
Snape lowered his gaze to the desk and started skimming through a few pages of a book. "I thought that chapter had been definitively closed!"
Harry was hit by Snape's coldness; nevertheless, he decided to go on. "I wanted to thank you for all that you've done for me. I owe you my life. I'll always be thankful for that."
Snape raised his gaze and stared directly into Harry's eyes.
"There's no need for thanks, Potter. However, it wasn't for you that I did what I did."
"B-but I..."
"I appreciate your words, but it doesn't mean that I'm going to be more generous with you from now on! I'm still one of your teachers and I will always demand the very best. Now go; your next class is going to start soon." Snape lowered his gaze and returned to skimming through the book.
Harry didn't have any choice but to leave the classroom. Strangely, this time Snape's words didn't hurt him at all. On the contrary, Harry now felt a deep bond between them, a bond that would unite them forever. Harry wasn't sure that the two of them would ever be friends, or even choose to be in the same room with each other for that matter, but he did know that there were certain connections that went beyond friendship or even, in this case, the lack thereof.
***O***
The night was dark and without moonlight, a pleasant summer breeze blowing in the air. A group of six hooded figures slowly walked across the Hogwarts grounds, each with a lit wand in his or her hands.
Shortly, the silent procession reached the west edge of the grounds where the small cemetery was partially hidden by vegetation.
The group stopped in front of the stone mausoleum and waited for a few minutes. One of them then took off his hood and spoke in a deep voice.
"The time has come, Harry. You know what to do." Dumbledore encouraged him, but Harry hesitated for a moment in front of the sturdy iron gate.
Harry stared at the entrance closely. There were ancient runes inscribed on it and in the middle, the Hogwarts coat of arms was engraved: a crossed shield with the four symbols of the school founders, a lion, a snake, a badger, and an eagle.
Dumbledore had explained to Harry that there was a connection between him and Godric Gryffindor, though the Headmaster had not willingly gone into any details. Harry only knew that the iron gate could be opened only by someone who was predestined to do so.
Harry stretched out his hand toward the coat of arms and it started to shine with an intense light. Suddenly, the gate opened and Harry raised his eyes to the Headmaster, who nodded, smiling.
"Now you can enter the mausoleum," said Dumbledore, as Harry pushed open the door and moved inside, followed by the others.
The mausoleum was dark, lit only by the light coming from the six wands. It looked like a place out of time; the walls and floor were made of black marble and there was absolutely nothing inside other than a huge square tombstone against the wall in front of them. The tombstone was engraved with a large celtic cross, but there was nothing written on it.
Dumbledore moved forward, heading to the tombstone. He whispered some incantation in a strange language and it slowly opened, making a deep, hollow sound; a narrow corridor leading underground appeared. The group of witches and wizards queued up and started to walk along the corridor carved into the rock. It felt as if they were heading to the center of the earth.
After a good half hour, Harry finally saw something. At the end of the corridor, the passageway had been widened to create more space. In the wall in front of them was a tall stone archway, a black veil hanging from it, fluttering as if pushed by a slight breeze. It was the Veil of Death. Just as in the Department of Mysteries, Harry was entranced by the whispering, murmuring voices coming from the other side of the veil.
The others removed their hoods and stood in a semicircle around Harry, who stood in the middle. In addition to Dumbledore was Hermione, Ron, Tonks, and Lupin. In turn, they placed a lit candle, a bowl of pure water, a rose, and Sirius's two-way mirror in front of the Veil, and then returned to their places.
Everything was now ready for the ceremony. Even though Harry was feeling extremely nervous, he turned to Dumbledore, who nodded to him. Harry had trained so much for this moment, and now he had to think hard; he had forgotten everything he was supposed to do. His hands became sweaty and he felt a painful pang in his stomach.
"Try to concentrate and visualize Sirius in your inner sight," the Headmaster said.
Harry closed his eyes in concentration and thought intensely about his godfather; the image of Sirius Black appeared in his mind, as he appeared the last time they met, after Christmas in Grimmauld Place - slim, emaciated, and with long hair. Several minutes passed by, but nothing happened.
Sirius, where are you? Harry called silently, but nobody replied.
He was beginning to lose hope when suddenly the image of Sirius materialized in Harry's mind. When he opened his eyes, he jumped in surprise; his godfather was standing right in front of him, just behind the Veil.
Hermione let out a low cry as Ron's mouth opened and closed several times without uttering any sound; Lupin and Tonks' eyes widened in astonishment. Sirius Black wasn't exactly as they remembered him: he looked younger with short hair; his face was quiet and serene. His eyes were open but it seemed as though he wasn't able to recognize them.
Harry was overwhelmed by his emotions as tears started to well up in his eyes. Oddly, he started to feel attracted by the Veil, which was still fluttering between him and Sirius. Almost in a trance, Harry stretched out his arm, trying to touch his godfather's hand.
Realizing the danger, Dumbledore quickly stepped toward Harry and grabbed his arm, preventing him from getting closer. "Now's the time to set him free!"
Harry nodded, even though he wished he could to do more and bring Sirius back to him. The figure of Sirius looked so real, but it was only his soul and not his physical body. Harry tried to concentrate once more, stretching out his arms toward the Veil and repeated the incantation in a loud voice.
"I'm calling you, oh shining soul,
come out from your silence.
Open the doors, turn on the lights,
Fly away darkness.
Come to me shining light...
EXIS LUX SPLENDIDUS!"
At Harry's command, a vortex of light materialized in front of him and started whirl around. Everyone covered their eyes to protect themselves from the blinding light.
After a few minutes, the vortex disappeared and the everything was again shrouded by darkness. Sirius was finally gone. Harry looked on the floor. The candle, the bowl, and the rose had also disappeared, but the two-way mirror was still there. Harry bent down and took the mirror in his hands.
"It's Sirius's present for me. He wanted me to keep it, and I will forever."
***O***
Finally, the day to return home came; that morning at midday, all of the students, including Harry, Hermione, and Ron, would board the train to return to London.
Another year had passed by, full of events and emotions. Ron and Hermione had passed their examinations; Harry had been excused from them because of his serious injury. They had also passed the Official Apparating Examination. Now, Harry only had to turn seventeen to finally enter the adults' world and be able to use magic at home. Hermione, of course, had already turned seventeen at the beginning of the school year in September, as had Ron just a few months ago in March.
Harry was already anticipating the moment when he would be allowed to disapparate away from Privet Drive and never go back again.
One hour before their departure, Harry descended the stairs, heading out to the gardens, trying his best to avoid the students who were frantically running up and down, happy to return home. He had not asked Hermione to come with him, as he didn't want to distract her from getting packed.
The sky was clear and the sun was shining. Leaving the castle behind, Harry quickly walked to the west edge of the grounds and he shortly reached the small cemetery. He passed by the graves, found his parents' and bowed in front of it, caressing the tombstone with affection.
"I'm leaving soon, but you'll always be with me. You aren't imprisoned in this grave. I've seen the wonderful place where you are now. I just hope Sirius has joined you. He needs to find the peace he deserves. I love you all."
Suddenly, the thought of Mark Evans invaded his mind pressingly and Harry felt his heart becoming heavy with worry. Almost automatically, he closed his eyes and concentrated on Mark's face. Immediately, blurred images darted in front of him. When everything stopped, Harry felt a strong fear and discouragement inside him. When he realized that those feelings were overwhelming him, he opened his eyes abruptly, relieved to find himself still at Hogwarts. Despite these bad feelings, he knew that Mark was still alive.
"We'll rescue you, Mark! I don't want to lose you as well!" he said firmly.
Harry didn't know why, but there was a deep connection between himself and his cousin Mark, despite his past. It was as if Mark had taken Sirius's place in Harry's heart.
"HARRY?"
Someone was calling his name from far away. The young wizard turned and saw Hermione running toward him. When she was at his side, she stopped and panted heavily to regain her breath.
"I knew I'd find you here. It's almost time to go, aren't you ready yet?"
Harry didn't reply. He stretched out a hand, smiling sweetly. Hermione moved closer and squeezed his hand with affection, staring directly into his eyes.
They remained like that a few minutes, hand in hand, lost in each other's eyes. A light wind ruffled Hermione's hair and she raised a hand to brush it away from her face. In that moment, Harry thought that there wasn't any girl in the world more beautiful than her.
"Shall we go?" she asked him, smiling, and Harry nodded. Together, they walked through the gardens, heading to the carriages, which were already waiting for them in front of the castle.
The year that had just passed by had brought them strong emotions, but most of all, it had brought love into their hearts. Soon, summer holidays would be over and the couple would meet again. Their future was uncertain. The only sure thing was that they would face every new situation together, united as one soul, united as one heart.
THE END
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