The Road Not Taken: Chapter Eleven
See Master Post for details.
Chapter Ten
The Road Not Taken Chapter Eleven: Interlude to Halloween
Days began to fly by for Harry. His time was eaten up between Quidditch practice and studying. Thank Merlin for Hermione, Harry breathed a sigh of relief as he finished his Transfiguration essay. I really wouldn’t have graduated without her. Not that I actually graduated, he hid a snort. This time I will.
With so much on his plate, he had little time to himself to think. It ended up coming out at night, the memories and worry and everything else bleeding into his dreams, turning them dark and ugly.
He still mourned for his children. He was able to keep the memories of them tucked away during the day, but from time to time he would recall bits of their lives, favorite foods, pranks - many things. That, too, bled into his dreams. Remembering the first time James had taken to a broom - he had played Keeper in his second year at Hogwarts. The school had gone wild when Oliver Wood had shown up for James’ debut game. Ginny had been so nervous - which was silly, Harry knew. They’d been friends with the then Quidditch star for years by that point.
Albus had never liked to fly. He was more interested in books than sports. Albus had had a deep bond with his Aunt Hermione. Harry had promised the boy that when he was old enough, they would take him on their outings to the used and antique bookstores. Harry never had a chance to fulfill that promise.
Lily had been indifferent to sports, or at least indifferent to her involvement in them. Ginny had been crushed - she had wanted a daughter that followed her into the professional Quidditch world. Ginny had taken the position as the senior Quidditch reporter for the Daily Prophet after Albus had been born. Harry hadn’t wanted her to take the position - mostly because he loathed the Daily Prophet. Ginny had been furious with him. It had taken Blaise Zabini, of all people, to talk Harry into being all right with Ginny’s job. Blaise had become a senior editor of the paper after Hogwarts - and Harry had to admit, the contents of the paper were much less hysterical than they had been in Harry’s youth.
Harry also found himself reflecting on how things had already changed, as compared to his life before. Ron was not his friend, choosing to spend his time with Seamus and Dean rather than take up any of Harry’s faint overtures of friendship.
Hermione and Neville were becoming the friends Harry had never known he had needed. Hermione’s practical approach and systematic schedules gave Harry and Neville an edge to their studies. They often won points for their house in class - except for Potions. Snape still glared bloody murder at Harry every Friday. Harry was starting to give up on ever being able to communicate with the annoying man - which was a damn shame, he acknowledged. Having Snape’s help earlier in his life could have made certain other parts of his future easier.
Another thing that had changed was Malfoy. Draco had lost his two hulking sycophants somewhere early on in the school year. Harry watched the blond interact with Nott on a regular basis - there seemed to be a rift forming in the Slytherin first years, with Draco and Nott on one side and Goyle and Crabbe on the other. Harry wasn’t sure if this was a good thing or not - especially when Draco seemed to be getting ribbed for his association with Harry, as well as Hermione and Neville.
That was another thing that was different. Draco was…not friendly with Harry’s friends, but he at least interacted with them, as did Nott. A few times the Slytherins had found the three Gryffindors in the library studying, and every time would choose to sit at the table next to them. Harry wasn’t sure what kind of machinations were going on in the Slytherin dorm, but he did hope that Draco wasn’t going to get into too much trouble over it.
Quidditch practice was as exhausting as he remembered it being. Wood’s insistence on keeping Harry’s position as Seeker a secret had lasted about as long as it took for Ron to open his mouth and shout about it at the table in the Great Hall. Fred and George had been all over their brother for the gaff, but the damage had been done.
That was one more aspect of Harry’s new life that was different. Fred and George had become his friends, real mates he could rely on, on and off the pitch. Fred and George also liked to tease him as well as Hermione and Neville when they caught the three first years studying, but there was never any malice behind it. The twins’ easy acceptance of Harry just seemed to drive Ron even madder. The whole situation with Harry’s former best mate was a stone in his gut - Harry had no idea how to fix the gap between them. He wasn’t even sure Ron would ever make an attempt to be his friend at this point.
Still, Harry kept trying, with small steps, to include Ron and the rest of the first year Gryffindors. Parvati had joined their study group a few times to Harry’s delight. Parvati had become a law wizard, along with her sister. They had started their own private firm. Harry had hired her for his divorce proceedings. Parvati had battled her way through reams of red tape and had won Harry’s side of the case, despite years of precedence piled against them. It was a pity they’d never had time to celebrate the success. Parvati had died during the first attacks, taking on a whole squad of Hammerstein’s wizards. She had bested them all, only to succumb to her wounds later at St. Mungo’s. She had been named a hero, but the blitz attack on Britain had come on too fast for anyone to remember her valor for long.
That, too, Harry was intending to change. Sometimes the sheer scope of what he wanted to accomplish staggered him. But all he had to do was look around and see the familiar faces of people who had died in their attempts to save the world as they knew it and Harry’s resolve strengthened.
The hard part, it was turning out, was how to accomplish all the jobs he had set himself.
I’ll figure it out, he promised all the ghosts in his memory after yet another nightmare. I promise. I’ll figure it out.
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Ten
The Road Not Taken Chapter Eleven: Interlude to Halloween
Days began to fly by for Harry. His time was eaten up between Quidditch practice and studying. Thank Merlin for Hermione, Harry breathed a sigh of relief as he finished his Transfiguration essay. I really wouldn’t have graduated without her. Not that I actually graduated, he hid a snort. This time I will.
With so much on his plate, he had little time to himself to think. It ended up coming out at night, the memories and worry and everything else bleeding into his dreams, turning them dark and ugly.
He still mourned for his children. He was able to keep the memories of them tucked away during the day, but from time to time he would recall bits of their lives, favorite foods, pranks - many things. That, too, bled into his dreams. Remembering the first time James had taken to a broom - he had played Keeper in his second year at Hogwarts. The school had gone wild when Oliver Wood had shown up for James’ debut game. Ginny had been so nervous - which was silly, Harry knew. They’d been friends with the then Quidditch star for years by that point.
Albus had never liked to fly. He was more interested in books than sports. Albus had had a deep bond with his Aunt Hermione. Harry had promised the boy that when he was old enough, they would take him on their outings to the used and antique bookstores. Harry never had a chance to fulfill that promise.
Lily had been indifferent to sports, or at least indifferent to her involvement in them. Ginny had been crushed - she had wanted a daughter that followed her into the professional Quidditch world. Ginny had taken the position as the senior Quidditch reporter for the Daily Prophet after Albus had been born. Harry hadn’t wanted her to take the position - mostly because he loathed the Daily Prophet. Ginny had been furious with him. It had taken Blaise Zabini, of all people, to talk Harry into being all right with Ginny’s job. Blaise had become a senior editor of the paper after Hogwarts - and Harry had to admit, the contents of the paper were much less hysterical than they had been in Harry’s youth.
Harry also found himself reflecting on how things had already changed, as compared to his life before. Ron was not his friend, choosing to spend his time with Seamus and Dean rather than take up any of Harry’s faint overtures of friendship.
Hermione and Neville were becoming the friends Harry had never known he had needed. Hermione’s practical approach and systematic schedules gave Harry and Neville an edge to their studies. They often won points for their house in class - except for Potions. Snape still glared bloody murder at Harry every Friday. Harry was starting to give up on ever being able to communicate with the annoying man - which was a damn shame, he acknowledged. Having Snape’s help earlier in his life could have made certain other parts of his future easier.
Another thing that had changed was Malfoy. Draco had lost his two hulking sycophants somewhere early on in the school year. Harry watched the blond interact with Nott on a regular basis - there seemed to be a rift forming in the Slytherin first years, with Draco and Nott on one side and Goyle and Crabbe on the other. Harry wasn’t sure if this was a good thing or not - especially when Draco seemed to be getting ribbed for his association with Harry, as well as Hermione and Neville.
That was another thing that was different. Draco was…not friendly with Harry’s friends, but he at least interacted with them, as did Nott. A few times the Slytherins had found the three Gryffindors in the library studying, and every time would choose to sit at the table next to them. Harry wasn’t sure what kind of machinations were going on in the Slytherin dorm, but he did hope that Draco wasn’t going to get into too much trouble over it.
Quidditch practice was as exhausting as he remembered it being. Wood’s insistence on keeping Harry’s position as Seeker a secret had lasted about as long as it took for Ron to open his mouth and shout about it at the table in the Great Hall. Fred and George had been all over their brother for the gaff, but the damage had been done.
That was one more aspect of Harry’s new life that was different. Fred and George had become his friends, real mates he could rely on, on and off the pitch. Fred and George also liked to tease him as well as Hermione and Neville when they caught the three first years studying, but there was never any malice behind it. The twins’ easy acceptance of Harry just seemed to drive Ron even madder. The whole situation with Harry’s former best mate was a stone in his gut - Harry had no idea how to fix the gap between them. He wasn’t even sure Ron would ever make an attempt to be his friend at this point.
Still, Harry kept trying, with small steps, to include Ron and the rest of the first year Gryffindors. Parvati had joined their study group a few times to Harry’s delight. Parvati had become a law wizard, along with her sister. They had started their own private firm. Harry had hired her for his divorce proceedings. Parvati had battled her way through reams of red tape and had won Harry’s side of the case, despite years of precedence piled against them. It was a pity they’d never had time to celebrate the success. Parvati had died during the first attacks, taking on a whole squad of Hammerstein’s wizards. She had bested them all, only to succumb to her wounds later at St. Mungo’s. She had been named a hero, but the blitz attack on Britain had come on too fast for anyone to remember her valor for long.
That, too, Harry was intending to change. Sometimes the sheer scope of what he wanted to accomplish staggered him. But all he had to do was look around and see the familiar faces of people who had died in their attempts to save the world as they knew it and Harry’s resolve strengthened.
The hard part, it was turning out, was how to accomplish all the jobs he had set himself.
I’ll figure it out, he promised all the ghosts in his memory after yet another nightmare. I promise. I’ll figure it out.
Chapter Twelve