A/N- hey everyone thanks for reading along and for reviewing! This was a hard chapter for me to write so don't be too hard on me. If anything confuses you in this chapter, be assured that your questions will be answered towards the end of the story, if you can't wait until then you can leave me a review and I will try to answer them as best as I can without giving the story away! If you have ever read any of William Blake's poems then you will recognise the symbolisms, if not then you should read 'The lamb' and ' The Tyger'. The symbolisms from 'The Tyger' will be used towards the end of the story, they're great poems from a fantastic poet and I really recommend that you read them. ANYWAY, on with the story! Happy reading!
**Islanzadi** J
Harry felt the veil trail lightly across his face, and it was replaced by a warm sensation that spread from his face right down to his toes. He felt like he was falling and there was nothing he could do to stop it, there was a blinding white light all around him and he closed his eyes tightly, hoping that he'd stop falling soon.
He landed with a heavy thud, which he had been expecting to hurt. But as he slowly flexed his legs and arms he realised that they actually felt better than what they had done before. He rolled his back a little as he sat up and smiled when he wasn't greeted with the uncomfortable ache that seemed to have been plaguing him ever since he had gone to stay at the Burrow. He felt completely at peace and smiled at how light his heart felt. He looked around and saw that he was standing in the middle of a large green field. The sky was a wonderful light blue colour and seemed to stretch as far as the eye could see. There were small white objects moving in the distance and he moved towards them, curious to see what they were. 'Lambs' thought Harry 'lambs in a field in the middle of nowhere. This certainly wasn't was I was expecting'
"Actually," said a calm voice from behind him "you're making this Harry. You cannot see the true beyond until you have faced death itself. Until then you will see what you want to see. So, even though you're conscious mind did not know it this is in fact what you were expecting," Harry whirled around and stood face to face with Professor Dumbledore, his long white beard seemed luminous and his eyes twinkled brighter than Harry had ever seen.
"Dumbledore!" said Harry, trying to keep the tears from his eyes but unable to do so. His old headmaster opened his arms and Harry moved into them, feeling safe and…at home. They stood like that for quite a while, with Dumbledore stroking the top of Harry's head and muttering reassurances.
"Wait," said Harry quickly "Where's Luna?"
"Miss Lovegood has her own journey to make in the beyond Harry. You shall see her once everything is taken care of here," Harry nodded his head and looked around at the scenery again. It seemed so peaceful here; he could sit on a blanket and look at the sky all day. He looked at the floor where a patchwork blanket appeared and stared at Dumbledore in amazement.
"Ok," he said a little unsteadily "I thought of the blanket, but I wasn't thinking of lambs and meadows."
"Maybe not that exactly," said Dumbledore, his eyes twinkling "But you imagined a place where everything is innocent. Meadows, open skies and children are all symbols of innocence Harry. You also thought of something holy, some kind of higher power. What else could represent that but the Lamb? The Lamb of God, some say…" Harry nodded and watched as a group of young children began walking towards them on the horizon.
"Are they here?" he said quietly, his voice cracking with an emotion he knew he couldn't control. He watched Dumbledore's serene face smiling down upon him as he nodded his head. Fresh tears began to make their way down Harry's face. He was finally going to see them; he was finally going to see his parents.
"Sirius too Harry," said Dumbledore quietly "he's been anxiously awaiting your arrival." Harry couldn't seem to form any words, there was a large lump in his throat and he didn't trust himself not to cry. He simply nodded his head and began looking around again. The children in the distance were getting closer and Harry watched them laugh and dance around each other. Dumbledore coughed lightly and Harry looked up quickly.
"We have much to talk about today Harry, and your time here is very limited indeed. You are going to learn a truth today that you will not like…but it is imperative that you heed what we say. Do you understand?" Harry nodded his head quickly, feeling a ball of unease begin to unwind in his stomach. Dumbledore pointed towards the children and Harry turned around…only to crumple to his knees. They were not children walking towards him anymore, his mother and father walked towards him hand in hand. Sirius was right behind them, with a bounce in his step that Harry had never seen before. With a strength Harry was surprised at, he pushed himself to his feet and began sprinting towards his parents. He hoped this wasn't a dream, he hoped they wouldn't disappear. He hoped this wasn't some kind of sick joke; it seemed to good to be true. His mother let go of his fathers' hand and began running towards him; he could see tears streaming down her face. His vision began to blur and he let out a wretched sob that he would never have thought himself capable of. She finally reached him and threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly to her. She fell to her knees and dragged Harry down with her. Her hands stroked his face, his hair and lightly touched the scar on his forehead.
"My beautiful boy," she whispered, kissing his forehead lightly "how I have missed you so…" Harry wrapped his arms around his mother and cried. He cried for all the time they hadn't spent together, he cried for the way she was cruelly taken from the earth. He cried for all the times they could have shared, and he cried because he thought that this would be the last time he would see her. The person he had wanted so much as a young boy, the person he had dreamt about so often was finally in front of him. He stifled his crying and moved his face in front of his mothers, wiping away her tears softly.
"I've missed you mum," he whispered.
He felt someone sit down next to them and saw a person watching him that looked so much like himself.
"Harry," he said, his voice sounding choked "Look at the man you have become,"
He grabbed him and pulled him into a much rougher hug than his mother had, but Harry didn't mind. His father cried too, and soon enough all three of them were holding each other and crying. Tears of sadness as well as tears of joy. Eventually Harry's mother helped him to his feet and he linked his arm through hers. She softly smoothed his hair and began to laugh at its stubbornness. Harry looked at his father and laughed as his father stepped over and ruffled it up even more. He gave his mum an affectionate kiss on the cheek and smiled, just the simple gesture of smoothing his hair tenderly and it felt like she had filled a hole within him. He turned around to see Sirius standing there. Goodness, he'd almost forgot about Sirius…
"Harry!" he said, and started to laugh wildly. Harry grinned and launched himself at his Godfather, rolling around on the grass laughing as if they had just seen each other the day before and had always had such a carefree relationship. After some time had passed he stopped laughing and sat up, looking up at the four people surrounding him who he loved most dearly in the world. All he needed to complete it would be to have Hermione and Ron here. Then it would be perfect…then it would be heaven.
The five of them sat on the blanket that Harry had imagined to the meadow and talked. Harry's parents knew everything that Harry had done; it gave him such a warm and comforting feeling knowing that they watched over him. That they cared about him so much that they would use their time in the beyond to watch over him rather than move on. He had never felt so loved and special. Eventually Dumbledore sighed as he looked up to the sky.
"The time has come to discuss the true meaning of your journey here Harry," he said softly "Your time is running out…"
"Luna wanted me to come here," said Harry quietly "she said I would know what I needed to do once I had been here."
"She's a wise girl," said Sirius, and he looked fixedly at the floor. Harry looked at all four of them, and the ball in his stomach began to unwind once more.
"Yeah," said Harry quietly "people judge her because she seems odd, but there's more to Luna that just her oddities and quirks…you just have to look for it."
"You have your mothers eyes Harry," said Dumbledore softly. Harry looked at his mother and smiled. She truly had the most beautiful eyes. His father looked at her affectionately as she flushed a light pink shade.
"Yeah," said Harry quietly "I can see that now,"
"But do you see Harry? Do you really see?" asked Dumbledore, sounding anxious now.
"Erm…" began Harry, but was interrupted with Dumbledore's soft voice.
"You have the ability to see the good in people no matter what Harry. Sometimes you have let your pride or anger get in the way, but that is the folly of age. You always do what is right, you see people for what they are…nothing more or nothing less Harry. You showed the same kind of wisdom with Severus Snape as your mother did when she was in school. You have her eyes Harry, and don't ever forget that." Harry nodded in understanding, he had an awful feeling of what they were about to tell him and he really didn't want to have to face it. He took a deep breath and finally said in a quiet voice -
"Tell me,"
And so in Harry's meadow in the beyond, four people told Harry the reason that he was there. What he had to do to defeat Voldemort and the reasoning behind it. They had to watch as he came to terms with his love for Hermione which he had been trying to ignore for so long, then cry, as he had never cried before. They held him as he cried and tried to soothe his pain, knowing that this would be the hardest thing Harry would ever have to do in his life…
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Harry tumbled out of the veil and landed with a painful thud on the floor. He got up shakily to see Luna sitting there, her face streaked from tears. He moved to her quickly and she threw her arms around him.
"I'm so sorry Harry," she said sobbing "My mother told me, there's a way out…I know there is!"
"Lets not think about that now," said Harry his voice muffled from being pressed into her shoulder "I have to tell Hermione something. We need to go back now…"
"Are you going to tell her…" began Luna was interrupted by Harry
"No…not that," he said quietly "But I do know now that I love her. I was stupid to think what I was feeling wasn't love. Stupid and scared Luna. But now I know, I love her so much and I have to tell her."
"I know Harry," said Luna quietly "You were being rather stupid…" Harry laughed a little and began to wipe his face, trying to make himself look like he hadn't cried more in the last few hours than he had in his entire life.
"What are you going to do Harry?" she asked him worriedly.
"What can I do?" he asked, "Hermione was right. Last night she said that we should 'just be' and not worry about what was in store for us. I can see what she meant now. Life throws too much shit at you; it's pointless hiding from it. You may as well let it hit you in the face and have fun at the same time" Luna began to laugh as they made there way out of the Ministry of Magic and out into the London street.
"It's dark outside!" said Luna "Time must be different behind the veil! I hope we're still on the same bloody day!"
"We are," said Harry quickly pointing to a paper shop with the headlines and the date advertised in large letters. He was walking so fast that Luna was rushing next to him in an attempt to keep up. He had never felt so sure of anything in his life and he felt wonderfully alive. He loved Hermione Granger with every ounce of breath in his body, and he was going to let her know whether she felt the same way or not. Of course, he knew deep down that she felt that way and had just been waiting for him. How could he have been so stupid? How could he have let his fear blind him to his feelings? Well…there was going to be no more fear, there was going to be no more worry and no more guilt. Life was too short. He and Luna reached a small darkened alley and stepped inside quickly. Harry grabbed her by the arm and grinned at her.
"Harry Potter's words of wisdom!" she said smiling. "Don't worry about shit on your face!" Harry grinned at her and began rehearsing what he was going to say to Hermione in his head. She laughed at his excitement and started singing a muggle song about love in the air, and with a crack they disapparated to Grimmauld place.
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