FIC: History and Truth
Feb. 24th, 2009 09:47 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
leashy_bebesTitle: History and Truth (prologue and Chapter 1)
Rating: PG for now, will probably be higher in later chapters
Summary: There's history, and then there's truth. Remus Lupin never imagined he'd be the keeper of the wizarding world's biggest secret - he and he alone knows the truth of what happened when Harry Potter confronted Lord Voldemort, and he never intends to say a word. Let them have their history, the truth is for him alone. Something - or someone, rather - is about to change all that.
Pairing: For now, gen. Will be R/S eventually (promise!).
Notes: WIP. AU. There are still horcuxes, but beyond that, everything's pretty different.
Words: ~500 (prologue) ~1000 (chapter 1)
Harry Potter died in the final battle of the war. There were skirmishes afterwards, certainly. Desperate Death Eaters made desperate last stands against determined, elated, grief-stricken Aurors. The last death of the war was recorded as the demise of a Muggle who was hit with a Death Eater's paralysis curse and toppled into the Thames, unnoticed until it was too late.
Harry Potter and Lord Voldemort perished in the final pitched battle of the war. It centred around Malfoy Manor but there were werewolves and giants and Death Eaters all over the grounds. In the midst of the madness, Harry Potter had chased a weakened Lord Voldemort into a large room. With sweeping waves of his arm, Harry Potter had sent the supporting pillars crumbling into dust. Rubble cascaded down around them and Harry Potter advanced unstoppably.
Effortless, impenetrable shields sprung up around Harry Potter, deflecting everything Lord Voldemort had the strength left to hurl at him. With closed eyes and a lowered head, Harry Potter had brought his hands together and then spread them wide in a sudden, sharp movement.
Those few unlucky enough to be in that room as rubble rained down found themselves magically expelled from the room, appearing in various locations throughout the Manor. When the first wizards managed to break down a door some ten minutes after silence fell in the room - all magical means were repelled - the room was empty of anything but rubble and dust.
There had been frantic location and sensing spells conducted, but no trace could be found of either Harry Potter or Lord Voldemort. Word spread around the magical world and representatives from over sixty countries reported that nor could they find any trace of either one.
Jubilation was mixed with sorrow, and lingering fears. Doubts. What if? 'He came back once,' people said.
When panic threatened to spread, along with troubling rumours of a total overthrow of the ministry, the work of the Order of the Phoenix was made public. No mention was made of horcruxes, or of the months of terror and sacrifice before open war was even possible, but it was made known that the Order had developed a particular method of tracking Lord Voldemort - truthfully, his horcruxes - that was utterly reliable.
The darkest wizard of the ages. Gone.
Every member of the Order of the Phoenix received an Order of Merlin, First Class. Many were awarded posthumously, and many more were declined. That tarnished the Order in the eyes of the public, but they weren't really needed. They had given the assurance that Voldemort was gone. Their role was over.
If the wizarding world needed a hero, it did not need to look to the Order. Harry Potter had died, had vanquished himself as thoroughly as he had vanquished Lord Voldemort. A life for a life. A life for the whole world.
Chapter 1 - Truth
Pls to forgive the totally unintentional Blackadder reference. Cookies if you see it ;)
Remus felt a tug around his waist like a portkey and before he could even shout, he was whirling away from the battle, with no idea where he was going, much less how he was getting there. He blinked against the sensation of movement, and when his eyes opened he was inside a rubble filled, blood stained room. On the floor was what remained of Voldemort. Remus winced at the same time as realisation dawned. The horcruxes were all gone, and Voldemort himself was now well and truly dead. His stomach rolled over as he took in the ruined flesh, severed limbs, and headless stump of a neck.
"Remus?"
"Harry?"
"Yes, are you alright? I don't have much time."
"But you - he's dead. Harry, you killed him, you have all the time in the world!" Remus knew he was babbling, and Harry shook his head. For a moment he looked sad, but then excitement bubbled up in his face.
"I have to tell you something, but you can't breathe a word. Not ever." Harry waited then, and Remus nodded hurriedly. "Remus, I've been planning this for - well, since Sirius," Harry said awkwardly.
"Planning - " Remus started faintly, his stomach rolling again, twice as bad that time. This does not sound good, he thought.
"I've been moving a little money every week from my Gringott's account into a Muggle bank account. I'm going. I can't be Harry Potter anymore, and I - " Harry broke off, frowning for a moment. "The magic's too - I could do anything, Remus, it's so easy." As though to prove a point, Harry glanced over his shoulder and suddenly Voldemort's remains and all of his spilled blood were gone as surely as though they'd never existed.
"How - "
"Don't know. It's easy. Listen, I - " For the first time since he started talking about his plan, Harry looked hesitant. "I'm really going, Remus. But I - I think - " he broke off again. "God, how can this be difficult when - I wanted to tell you because you're pretty much the closest thing I have left to a dad and if was going to remember, I would miss you. There." The words came out in a rush, and once he'd deciphered them, Remus worked hard to swallow the lump in his throat.
"What are you talking about?"
"I never really thought I'd live to carry this out," Harry said in a shaky voice, "but with my magic how it is now, I can do it, and do it properly. I'm going to change how I look and then I'm going to seal off my magic - "
"What? How?"
"I can just - see it," Harry said awkwardly. "I'm sorry I can't explain better. But I need to do this. I have to."
Remus just nodded roughly and reached out on impulse to grasp Harry's shoulder. Harry seemed to take that as a sign and lunged forward, hugging Remus tight, hard.
"You're the closest I've ever come to having a son, and I love you," Remus said into his ear. Harry pulled back abruptly and clasped Remus' face between his hands for a moment. "What are you - "
"Shh," Harry said, leaning closer, and for a mortifying second, Remus had thought the boy was about to kiss him. Instead, Harry had placed his forehead against Remus', a frown of concentration evident on his face. "There," Harry said, pulling away. "That's better."
"Where are you going to go?" Remus asked. Harry hesitated and then shook his head.
"I can't tell you. I can't risk it."
"I swear I won't come looking for you. You can remove the memory if you want, God knows you're capable - "
"I trust you," Harry said suddenly, as though coming to an unexpected decision. "Anyway, it's not like I'd believe you if you did come looking."
"Yes," Remus agreed shakily. This was all happening far too fast.
"Sheffield," Harry said. "For now. I - my name's going to be James Evans."
'Why Sheffield?' died inside Remus' mouth at that and he nodded once, briskly, horribly afraid that he would cry if he spoke.
"Bye, Remus."
"Bye, Harry."
"Close your eyes."
Remus did, and when he opened them again, he was outside in the midst of the confusion once again, and utterly unprepared when he was barrelled into the ground by Kingsley Shacklebolt seconds before a hex streaked across where Remus would have been standing.
He nodded to Shacklebolt in thanks and rolled to his feet, his head whirling as he groped for his wand.
***
Five nights later, Remus was in an emergency holding area at 12 Grimmauld Place. The ministry was still in an uproar, and there was no one left now to prepare the Wolfsbane potion, so Remus had quietly set wards around the cellar, and reinforced the door both physically and magically, before settling down to wait.
His first sign that something was wrong - wrong? Right, surely? - was that the moon's pull was barely palpable to him. Normally, so close to moonrise, Remus would have already been feeling sick to his stomach. There was the familiar sense of nervousness alright, churning at his insides, but that was all. There was no ache blossoming in his bones, no twitching preparations in his muscles.
Ten minutes after moonrise, Remus stood and walked across the room and back. He looked down at himself and shook his head, unable to believe, not daring to hope... He sat down again and counted out another ten minutes, then another, then another, and another, until it was a full hour past moonrise.
The thought forced its way into his mind unbidden - Cured! Cured, by God! - and that made him realise, no. Not by God.
It suddenly came clear in his mind, what Harry had done, what he had meant - There. That's better - and Remus felt weak with gratitude, and the enormity of the debt he now owed to a muggle named James Evans living in Sheffield.
There.
That's better.
Rating: PG for now, will probably be higher in later chapters
Summary: There's history, and then there's truth. Remus Lupin never imagined he'd be the keeper of the wizarding world's biggest secret - he and he alone knows the truth of what happened when Harry Potter confronted Lord Voldemort, and he never intends to say a word. Let them have their history, the truth is for him alone. Something - or someone, rather - is about to change all that.
Pairing: For now, gen. Will be R/S eventually (promise!).
Notes: WIP. AU. There are still horcuxes, but beyond that, everything's pretty different.
Words: ~500 (prologue) ~1000 (chapter 1)
Harry Potter died in the final battle of the war. There were skirmishes afterwards, certainly. Desperate Death Eaters made desperate last stands against determined, elated, grief-stricken Aurors. The last death of the war was recorded as the demise of a Muggle who was hit with a Death Eater's paralysis curse and toppled into the Thames, unnoticed until it was too late.
Harry Potter and Lord Voldemort perished in the final pitched battle of the war. It centred around Malfoy Manor but there were werewolves and giants and Death Eaters all over the grounds. In the midst of the madness, Harry Potter had chased a weakened Lord Voldemort into a large room. With sweeping waves of his arm, Harry Potter had sent the supporting pillars crumbling into dust. Rubble cascaded down around them and Harry Potter advanced unstoppably.
Effortless, impenetrable shields sprung up around Harry Potter, deflecting everything Lord Voldemort had the strength left to hurl at him. With closed eyes and a lowered head, Harry Potter had brought his hands together and then spread them wide in a sudden, sharp movement.
Those few unlucky enough to be in that room as rubble rained down found themselves magically expelled from the room, appearing in various locations throughout the Manor. When the first wizards managed to break down a door some ten minutes after silence fell in the room - all magical means were repelled - the room was empty of anything but rubble and dust.
There had been frantic location and sensing spells conducted, but no trace could be found of either Harry Potter or Lord Voldemort. Word spread around the magical world and representatives from over sixty countries reported that nor could they find any trace of either one.
Jubilation was mixed with sorrow, and lingering fears. Doubts. What if? 'He came back once,' people said.
When panic threatened to spread, along with troubling rumours of a total overthrow of the ministry, the work of the Order of the Phoenix was made public. No mention was made of horcruxes, or of the months of terror and sacrifice before open war was even possible, but it was made known that the Order had developed a particular method of tracking Lord Voldemort - truthfully, his horcruxes - that was utterly reliable.
The darkest wizard of the ages. Gone.
Every member of the Order of the Phoenix received an Order of Merlin, First Class. Many were awarded posthumously, and many more were declined. That tarnished the Order in the eyes of the public, but they weren't really needed. They had given the assurance that Voldemort was gone. Their role was over.
If the wizarding world needed a hero, it did not need to look to the Order. Harry Potter had died, had vanquished himself as thoroughly as he had vanquished Lord Voldemort. A life for a life. A life for the whole world.
Chapter 1 - Truth
Pls to forgive the totally unintentional Blackadder reference. Cookies if you see it ;)
Remus felt a tug around his waist like a portkey and before he could even shout, he was whirling away from the battle, with no idea where he was going, much less how he was getting there. He blinked against the sensation of movement, and when his eyes opened he was inside a rubble filled, blood stained room. On the floor was what remained of Voldemort. Remus winced at the same time as realisation dawned. The horcruxes were all gone, and Voldemort himself was now well and truly dead. His stomach rolled over as he took in the ruined flesh, severed limbs, and headless stump of a neck.
"Remus?"
"Harry?"
"Yes, are you alright? I don't have much time."
"But you - he's dead. Harry, you killed him, you have all the time in the world!" Remus knew he was babbling, and Harry shook his head. For a moment he looked sad, but then excitement bubbled up in his face.
"I have to tell you something, but you can't breathe a word. Not ever." Harry waited then, and Remus nodded hurriedly. "Remus, I've been planning this for - well, since Sirius," Harry said awkwardly.
"Planning - " Remus started faintly, his stomach rolling again, twice as bad that time. This does not sound good, he thought.
"I've been moving a little money every week from my Gringott's account into a Muggle bank account. I'm going. I can't be Harry Potter anymore, and I - " Harry broke off, frowning for a moment. "The magic's too - I could do anything, Remus, it's so easy." As though to prove a point, Harry glanced over his shoulder and suddenly Voldemort's remains and all of his spilled blood were gone as surely as though they'd never existed.
"How - "
"Don't know. It's easy. Listen, I - " For the first time since he started talking about his plan, Harry looked hesitant. "I'm really going, Remus. But I - I think - " he broke off again. "God, how can this be difficult when - I wanted to tell you because you're pretty much the closest thing I have left to a dad and if was going to remember, I would miss you. There." The words came out in a rush, and once he'd deciphered them, Remus worked hard to swallow the lump in his throat.
"What are you talking about?"
"I never really thought I'd live to carry this out," Harry said in a shaky voice, "but with my magic how it is now, I can do it, and do it properly. I'm going to change how I look and then I'm going to seal off my magic - "
"What? How?"
"I can just - see it," Harry said awkwardly. "I'm sorry I can't explain better. But I need to do this. I have to."
Remus just nodded roughly and reached out on impulse to grasp Harry's shoulder. Harry seemed to take that as a sign and lunged forward, hugging Remus tight, hard.
"You're the closest I've ever come to having a son, and I love you," Remus said into his ear. Harry pulled back abruptly and clasped Remus' face between his hands for a moment. "What are you - "
"Shh," Harry said, leaning closer, and for a mortifying second, Remus had thought the boy was about to kiss him. Instead, Harry had placed his forehead against Remus', a frown of concentration evident on his face. "There," Harry said, pulling away. "That's better."
"Where are you going to go?" Remus asked. Harry hesitated and then shook his head.
"I can't tell you. I can't risk it."
"I swear I won't come looking for you. You can remove the memory if you want, God knows you're capable - "
"I trust you," Harry said suddenly, as though coming to an unexpected decision. "Anyway, it's not like I'd believe you if you did come looking."
"Yes," Remus agreed shakily. This was all happening far too fast.
"Sheffield," Harry said. "For now. I - my name's going to be James Evans."
'Why Sheffield?' died inside Remus' mouth at that and he nodded once, briskly, horribly afraid that he would cry if he spoke.
"Bye, Remus."
"Bye, Harry."
"Close your eyes."
Remus did, and when he opened them again, he was outside in the midst of the confusion once again, and utterly unprepared when he was barrelled into the ground by Kingsley Shacklebolt seconds before a hex streaked across where Remus would have been standing.
He nodded to Shacklebolt in thanks and rolled to his feet, his head whirling as he groped for his wand.
***
Five nights later, Remus was in an emergency holding area at 12 Grimmauld Place. The ministry was still in an uproar, and there was no one left now to prepare the Wolfsbane potion, so Remus had quietly set wards around the cellar, and reinforced the door both physically and magically, before settling down to wait.
His first sign that something was wrong - wrong? Right, surely? - was that the moon's pull was barely palpable to him. Normally, so close to moonrise, Remus would have already been feeling sick to his stomach. There was the familiar sense of nervousness alright, churning at his insides, but that was all. There was no ache blossoming in his bones, no twitching preparations in his muscles.
Ten minutes after moonrise, Remus stood and walked across the room and back. He looked down at himself and shook his head, unable to believe, not daring to hope... He sat down again and counted out another ten minutes, then another, then another, and another, until it was a full hour past moonrise.
The thought forced its way into his mind unbidden - Cured! Cured, by God! - and that made him realise, no. Not by God.
It suddenly came clear in his mind, what Harry had done, what he had meant - There. That's better - and Remus felt weak with gratitude, and the enormity of the debt he now owed to a muggle named James Evans living in Sheffield.
There.
That's better.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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Date: 2009-02-24 11:44 pm (UTC)I demand that you write more immediately. I am so bloody intrigued!
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Date: 2009-02-25 12:56 am (UTC)no subject
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Date: 2009-02-25 04:09 am (UTC)*keyboard mash*
I want more. This is great. He's cured!!!! Yay for Remus.
Harry... James Evans. :) that's brilliant.
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Date: 2009-02-25 10:41 am (UTC)no subject
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Date: 2009-02-28 07:06 pm (UTC)gahh! remus without the wolf, its almost unimaginable, but i like how you make it happen here: its plausibl,e what with harry being the chosen one and all, if he could defeat a dark wizard surely he can sure lycanthropy, lol.
cant wait to see what happens next! :D
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Date: 2009-02-28 08:13 pm (UTC)