Hey folks,
I wanted to try something different for this chapter…so, I did. Not sure if many of you will like it or even understand it. But this chapter is an introduction for the series of final chapters of this story. It kind of explains (of course not in a clear way, because that is not my style) the concept behind this fic…I got to say that when I first started writing this fic this is not what I had in mind…I just wanted to write some drama without much plot…or at least not such an AU plot…but bear in mind that when I first started all this madness all we had were four books…then came OoTP and the prophecy and Neville as The Boy Who Could Have Been, there's Luna and Tonks and the Order and Sirius was dead and nothing else made sense and I just put it in my mind that all of this new information had to fit somehow... that in the end even the AU context would have to make some sense…and well the story became even more AU because of this stubbornness of mine but…I kind of like where this led me and in the end a lot of things will make sense…So I've been using some HBP spoilers…not anything specific…just some ideas, that's how I tried to explore Ron and Hermione's relationship a bit further…so I came up with the Book of Life…I mean this whole fight against destiny thing was going on since the beginning of the story but after reading HBP and seeing what JKR had planned…and the couples she, as the Goddess of the HP World, matched in Heaven, I just couldn't help myself…
So the end is near. Just a few more chapters to go. Oh my….The End…Hmm…I wonder if I'll ever get to write these typical last words in my final chapter…
Kind Regards,
LW
Special thanks to Jess for the help in the beta department.
And to all my faithful reviewers... I know that I'm in debt with you guys (I still have 60 old reviews to answer!!!) Sorry. But don't worry I'll answer them all before the end of this fic because how could I not. All your reviews are such an inspiration and everytime I get a new one I just few like writing a new scene for the next chapter...If this fic is still in the way it's because of you guys! Thank you!
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Chapter 19 - The End of the Beginning
There are places I'll remember
All my life though some have changed
Some forever not for better
Some have gone and some remain
All these places have their moments
With lovers and friends I still can recall
Some are dead and some are living
In my life I've loved them all
But of all these friends and lovers
There is no one compares with you
And these memories lose their meaning
When I think of love as something new
Though I know I'll never lose affection
For people and things that went before
I know I'll often stop and think about them
In my life I love you more
Though I know I'll never lose affection
For people and things that went before
I know I'll often stop and think about them
In my life I love you more
In my life I love you more
-- The Beatles, In My Life
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Part I - More than Once
Once upon a time in a land far, far away... there was a boy who was born as the seventh month died. His name was Neville Longbottom and he was destined to do great things...
When he was only an infant, his house was attacked and his parents were killed by the Dark Lord of the land and age...Lord Voldemort. But little Neville had survived for he was protected by the love of both his parents. So when the unforgivable curse known as Avada Kedrava hit him he did not die but the curse left a scar in the shape of a lightning bolt on his forehead...and deep wounds on his soul.
It was believed that Lord Voldemort, once known as Tom Riddle, died on that night. And little Neville Longbottom was acclaimed all around the world as its savior...and from then on he was known as The Boy Who Lived.
But Lord Voldemort was not killed that night.
But the Wizarding World didn't know that. Nor did little Neville know that his destiny was yet to be fulfilled.
He was the most famous boy of his age. The poor boy was raised by his grandmother, who made sure to remind him of that fact every waking hour of his life, expecting him to be the hero the world said he was. Nevertheless, Neville Longbottom grew up to be not a snob celebrity but one of the kindest souls to have ever walked on earth.
The truth was that he didn't really follow the hero stereotype. He was not the most athletic, not the most handsome, nor the bravest or smartest wizard around...He was a shy and clumsy boy, who was not really into Quidditch, could barely perform a charm and could really lose a few pounds...
Anyway, his true adventures only began soon after he said goodbye to his grandmother on that eventful morning of the first of September at Platform nine and three-quarters. It was in that same day, in the Hogwarts express that he meet his best friend in all of the world, a bushy-haired, bossy, know-it-all named Hermione Granger. He had shared a cabin with her and she had been so kind and helped him when he lost his remembrall, a present from his grandmother seeing that he had this annoying habit of forgetting things or losing them...just like he lost his parents...
Hermione had been his best friend, his guardian angel through his school days and many adventures...He would have never passed all his classes without her help, nor he would have survived his many close- to-death experiences with the Dark Lord...
Still during his first year at Hogwarts, Neville made another important friend. Well, truth be told if anyone had told him in the beginning of the term that this friend would be Ronald Weasley he would probably have laughed in their faces. After all his best friend almost died because of the guy, as everybody knew that Ronald Weasley was the reason a crying Hermione had locked herself in a bathroom and was almost killed by a Troll. Thank Merlin, Professor Snape was near by and after hearing her screams went there and saved her...
Ronald Weasley felt very guilty after he heard about it...and tried to apologize and make amends but it was only after a very bizarre game of Wizarding Chess that the three of them became the best of friends...
And later on his two friends became a couple. And he became the boyfriend of his best friend's sister, Ginny Weasley and...
Well, knowing the power the Dark Lord knew not...The Power Tom Riddle had never experienced in his life, had never let himself experience as he lived an empty life, all alone, consumed by his greed for power and immortality...a life without friends.
And it was with the help of his friends and an enemy in particular that Neville Longbottom defeated the Dark Lord.
And lived happily ever after beside Ginny Weasley.
The End.
Or at least that should have been the end of this story written by the Stars and printed in the Book of Life.
However, this story has never taken place, because knowing about it... a Guardian, who long before had turned its back to the rules, decided to change things a little...
For the Serpent had been imprisoned for many years...but as the World around her changed and she could feel the human kind killing themselves and the world little by little...she could feel the power of the other guardians fading...at that rate soon in a millennia or two there would be one less planet circling around the sun...
But she was tired of waiting. She could not wait, she didn't want to die because of that scoria...she wanted them to die because of her. She wanted her revenge.
So she sent a message...a message to the boy who she knew would be the next Dark Lord... she haunted his dreams...and offered him power...power so he ruled...power so she changed what had been written so long by the ones beyond...The Boy Who Lived would die...Lord Voldemort would win...
And a new story would begin.
Once upon a time in a land far, far away... there was a boy who was born as the seventh month died...He was destined to kill the Dark Lord but he failed. And the age of terror began. The End. Now, that was the story the Guardian wanted told.
*********
The Guardian's interference did not go unnoticed by the Ones Beyond as nothing that occurred in that world did.
Still, they decided to let her change it. Humans, be them of the wizarding kind or not, had asked for it. They were the ones who lead one of their Guardians to rebel itself. And Tom Riddle was a human and if he was willing to kill other humans...
They had been destroying their world, killing all the other species, killing themselves for too long...
Humans were a lost cause...
*********
Once upon a time there was a boy, who wasn't really a boy. He did not fear anything. Not even death...as death had no meaning to him for his kind had created life. He was an immortal. And the Power that he had came from Beyond. His powers knew no bounds, no weakness. He had a family, Brothers and Sisters, a Father and a Mother; He had Everything.
Yet, he left all of this behind...for reasons unknown to all of those of his kind, of all kinds.
No one could understand why The One, who had Everything, would leave Everything behind and choose a mortal life...
***************
Once upon a time, there was a boy who wasn't really a boy but chose to be one. He gave up everything he was to become a mortal...even if that was forbidden, even if that was impossible.
But he came as a mortal...or at least, as mortal as an Immortal could be. He chose a family, and stopped their deaths, helping them survive another one of the Dark Lord's rampage so the prophecy lines were not completely broken...and things didn't change as much as they should and balance was kept.
So he was reborn as the Potters' son.
An immortal soul in a mortal body...In other words, a bomb ready to explode.
A new story would be written.
Once upon a time there was a boy named Harry Potter, born to those who have thrice defied The Dark Lord, born as the seventh month dies. He would be marked by the Dark Lord as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not . . .
When hit by the unforgivable curse his mortal life would end and The Power from Beyond he carried within himself would stop Voldemort for once and all and bring an end to the Guardian's attempt of revenge.
And once he finished what he came to do in this world, he would go back to his home.
He never did go back.
***************
Once upon a time there was a boy who wasn't really a boy but chose to be one. He chose to be Harry Potter knowing that Voldemort would chose him to be the one of the prophecy, so he waited...
And while he waited he was loved by Lily and James Potter...
And unknown to him he loved them in return...
And when Voldemort finally came that love was so strong...and Voldemort's hate combined with the Guardian's hate was equally powerful, so in the end, the little Immortal lost himself in those emotions...and lost the control of his powers...
A connection was created...a bond between heaven and hell...good and evil...mortal and Immortal...
He gained a scar and became more human than it was advisable...
Voldemort disappeared on that night, having gained the knowledge and access to a Power that no mortal should have.
In every breath he took, as air became a necessity to the mortal him, as oxygen ran into his blood, he started to forget...forget his home...forget who he was...
He knew he had to go back home. But he couldn't. Not until he finished what he went there to do...
So, he waited for Voldemort. He lived as the Boy Who Lived...and waited for another chance to end it and go back home.
And the more he waited the more he wondered why he was still waiting...What was he still waiting for?
He missed his home. He missed everything.
His family had been right. Humans were a lost cause. He should just have let them meet their own fate...the reaction to all of their actions.
There was nothing in that world for him...he was so scared, he never felt that way...and when that fat human uncle of his had slapped him...it hurt so much...
If only the Potter's were still there... Maybe he would have a reason to stay a little longer...they had been so kind to him....in a brief period of time they had shown him why he was there...they showed him that humans were worthy because their emotions were so true and their feelings so strong...their love was so warm, and cozy. Lily and James Potter had shown him they were worth saving...
But they were gone...
There was nothing for him in that world, nothing keeping him there.
*****************
Once upon a time there was a boy who wasn't really a boy but he chose to be one. He chose to be Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived... and he knew his destiny...he was waiting until the time came to fulfill it...he knew what he had to do...he had to die...not that he would really die as that was not really an option for an Immortal, but Harry Potter had to die...Harry Potter was connected with Voldemort....Harry Potter was dangerous... If he died, the connection would be broken and Severus Snape would be able to fulfill the prophecy...
But then he met her... And at first he felt something...something he could not name...
Of course he became her friend. She was supposed to be Neville's Longbottom best friend so as he had taken his place...
Her aura was so bright...that it almost made him blind...him ...an Immortal blind...surely that could not be good...
Okay, so he really didn't need to follow Neville's history...
He couldn't let her be attacked by a Troll and do nothing, could he? So... they became friends after that.
And oh...well, of course, Ronald Weasley was his best friend, too...he had met him in the train and he was so human...it was funny to the little Immortal to see how he acted...his feelings and thoughts...very human indeed.
But this Hermione girl was... What about that smile? He didn't even know humans could have their own light. Was she a star?
Her eyes...Sometimes when she looked at him he could swear she was seeing the true him...the one hidden behind The Boy Who Lived persona...
Could she see his Immortal soul?
Sometimes The One had the impression she could even see beyond that...that she could see him beyond his Immortal persona.
Was she an Immortal too? There was something about her soul...reflected in those chocolate eyes...
He thought it to be very strange but Ronald's soul didn't look like hers...
That was ridiculous...he knew that his two "best friends" would end up together. The two of them should be together...their love was written in their stars...they were soul mates.
The way she worried about her studies intrigued him...why worry? She was probably the smartest witch to have walked on earth...he knew that...it was all in the stars, really, all you had to do was read them. And the way she was always arguing with Ronald was so funny and the way she worried about her hair...
'Why worry?' The little Immortal thought, her hair was so soft that he wished he could just reach it and...
The way she cared...and all those warm waves that she sent him... those waves that wrapped him up with such a sense of lo- Did she know what she was doing to him?
OH DEAR ONES FROM BEYOND...HELP HIM.
He was losing his mind...these human feelings were so confusing...she was confusing...or at least, she confused him.
The little One didn't know how to describe her. She was just so...so...so.... Hermione.
Her scent...the way she made him feel...she was always by his side... she helped him with the stupid homework...
Honestly, it was not that he needed any ...He was an Immortal, he was The One, he didn't need to know how to do Potions...if he wanted someone dead or healed or to have a lucky day all he needed to do was think...not that his kind thought the way humans did...
Although he sure had been thinking a great deal like them...and most of the time was about her...
The One had to wonder where the hell Voldemort was. What was he waiting for? For if he didn't kill him soon... she would. Honestly, that human girl was taking his breath away... and now that he was half-human the lack of oxygen had become an issue.
Why was she looking at him like that? And what about all of those hugs? The little Immortal thought all that extremely unsettling and strange as her hugs felt...they felt like home...like Beyond...how could a simple mortal hug feel like home...feel better than home...
Oh, and the sweet things she said to him... He felt like he could talk to her about anything...Once he almost told her about home...What was wrong with him? Next he would be giving her the key to the Nadir Gates...Could you imagine a human at the Nadir Gates? Good thing he stopped himself or he would probably be the first Immortal to actually die in the history of all histories...
And shouldn't she and Ron be together by now? It was their last year at school and... Well, the little Immortal probably should have a go with Ronald's sister... Of course, it's not that he would like to do that... these humanly things really didn't really mean anything to him and Ronald's sister was a little too bold for his taste...not that he had any taste... Well, it was not like he went there to kiss human girls to see how they taste, that was not really the purpose of his trip to the human hell-like land…
OH DEAR ONES FROM BEYOND... He was turning too human to his own and our good...
Wait! Wait a moment! What the hell was this? Was she kissing him? The bushy-haired, bossy, bookworm, know-it-all was kissing him? Wait just another moment. Was he kissing her back?
Of course, he was kissing her back... and to the little One from Beyond that felt so good, she felt so good....
She was so...so...so...Everything.
But what about -
It didn't matter...none of that mattered to him anymore...nothing mattered...nothing aside from her...
Harry Potter could not die. Harry Potter would not die.
Because he needed to stay. He needed her.
He would never go back home. She was his home now.
*************
Once upon a time there was a boy (who wasn't really a boy) who loved a girl (who was indeed a girl.) Although their love should never be, their love was. So the boy left all he had been and would be behind. He chose to be simply Harry.
However, turning his back to his kind was not really a wise choice…
For the little boy was not a boy and should never be one. His stay on that world put that world and many parallel ones at risk…for the boy held within him a Power from Beyond…
So Fate cursed their love.
So Fate took from him Everything he held dear...
Everything that kept him on that world…
But instead of coming back home…
The boy, the man, cursed his Fate, and went back in time…
**********************
Once upon a time there was a boy who wasn't really boy but he could not remember that…as his Immortal soul was too weak after turning back many pages in the Book of Life…So he rest within himself…dreamed within himself…waiting the moment…
Waiting until he found her again.
But five of The Seven Guardians, the Tiger, The Unicorn, The Phoenix, The Toad and The Turtle, took advantage of the fact that the One was sleeping within the boy and locked him there… In hope that the boy fulfilled the prophecy as told before the One had the chance to wake up and find a reason to stay, they had combined their powers and conjured a pair of spectacles, which they hoped would be enough to stop the boy from becoming blind with love again…
The Guardians had sacrificed a great deal to keep their world safe…
Nonetheless…
The boy found her…
And heaven and hell broke lose again…
And in the end history repeated itself…
The World as they knew it came to an end…
And then they turned back in time…
***********************
Once upon a time, there was a boy who loved to fly and a girl who loved books…
Twice upon a time…Thrice upon a time…
More than once upon a time, there was a boy who loved to fly and a girl who loved books…
He would not give up…He was warrior. A warrior fighting for his love…for the one who kept him going ..for the Keeper of his heart…
For she was his everything. She was his home.
They lived so many lives…each of them different…in each of them, different choices were made…but in the end…their love remained…
Somehow…someway…they always found each other…their souls, who unlike them had never forgotten, always found each other.
More than once the Guardians tried to interfere…They shouldn't but they were too consumed by the emotions they had never experienced before, the human feelings they could now taste because of the bond with The One…
They knew they were weak…too weak… They feared (and that was already an influence of the human feelings) that if they didn't try and stop it they would end up like The Serpent, consumed by these feelings…consumed by hatred for the humans who were killing their world, in other words, killing themselves. They had no idea how long they would be able to keep up the balance. Once they were Seven…now they were only Five. The Dragon was to be forever in a deep slumber to keep The Serpent at bay…
No word came from Beyond but the lines in the Book of the Life were still the same, so they tried to keep the path of the story but… The Serpent knew as much as they did and unlike them she didn't hesitate to interfere so she could have her revenge.
Besides they had no way to stop the angry Immortal One if he awakened…as time and time again the One from Beyond or as they started referring to him, the Warrior, had proven to them.
His fragile human body could not hold all his power…His pure Immortal soul could not hold all those human feelings…
He could never have her. And he could never be without her.
And so...it all started again…
More than once upon a time…
They would always return to the beginning of the story...
They had lost track of how many times it actually happened…so many…
And no matter what…their love remained…
But they needed it to end. The story had to end somehow…
They needed to bring an end to all those beginnings…