"Lily had found a way to protect you," James continued, "but the magical cost for the ritual to function was extremely high, and was a solution of last resort."
"What cost?" Harry asked, though he was certain he already knew the answer. James wrapped his arm around Lily and pulled her tight against him.
"It was a ritual based on our shared blood, Harry," James replied, "and as with most rituals it required a sacrifice. In this instance..." he hesitated and looked to his wife.
"The sacrifice came from James and me." Lily said softly. "We bound ourselves to you during the ritual, so that if and when we were struck down, our magical energy would charge the shield protecting you. We forced Riddle to kill us...so that we could protect you."
"Y-you...you deliberately sacrificed yourselves...for me?" Harry whispered, tears beginning to show in the corner of his eyes.
"Of course we did, honey," Lily exclaimed walking over and embracing him, "you mean everything to us! How could we not do what we did?"
"We love you, son," James added, before joining the hug, "there is nothing we would not have done for you."
Harry's heart swelled with love for his parents and their devotion to him, and he held them just as tightly. The Potter family embraced each other for a short time, before Harry pulled away, ready for them to continue.
"Yes, so," James began, wiping some tears from his eyes, "it goes without saying that the ritual was a success. Voldemort cast the killing curse at you, but you were protected and his curse rebounded. This, along with the magical backlash from the ritual, destroyed his body and left him as nothing more than a wraith."
"Riddle had already completed the preparation to create a horcrux before attacking our home," Lily continued, "and all that was needed to split his soul was the cold blooded murder of an innocent. His killing of James and I had already splintered his soul, and when his spell rebounded off you..."
"...the spell fragment attached itself to the only living thing in the room." Harry finished, looking deeply disturbed by the revelation. "Me..." Lily and James nodded sadly.
"Unfortunately, yes." James replied. "The fragment manifests as your scar." Hearing this, Harry's left hand shot up to his forehead while Hermione squeezed his right, attempting to reassure him.
"That's what Dumbledore thought the prophecy meant, Harry," Lily said, "'neither can live, while the other survives'." Sirius snorted in his disgust for the man.
"And that is where the old fool really messed things up!" Sirius exclaimed, joining the conversation. "He set you up to die at the hands of Moldy-shorts, so the horcrux could be destroyed, but it wasn't necessary! There are ways to remove horcruxes without destroying the object or person it's in! It's not common knowledge, but there are those who know about that sort of magic." Harry smiled briefly at his godfather's childish insult of the dark lord, before sobering and frowning at his words.
"I thought knowledge of horcruxes was restricted?" Harry asked confusedly. "Who would know how to remove them?"
"Well, the Goblins for one," Sirius answered, "they are particularly well versed in the disposal and destruction of truly dark magic! They employ and train cursebreakers to remove dark magic from tombs, after all."
"Horcrux magic originated in Ancient Egypt," Lily added, "and it's a regular occurrence for them to come across soul anchors made by the pharaohs in their tombs in the Valley of the Kings." Sirius, meanwhile, began to pace in his agitation.
"The damnable idiot even had a cursebreaker in the Order!" Sirius exclaimed. "Bill Weasley is an expert on magic like this, and if Dumbledore had bothered to mention it to him, he would have told the headmaster they could be removed!"
"Calm yourself, Sirius," Remus said gently, placing his hand on his shoulder. "Dumbledore made many mistakes, but it's no help getting worked up over it." Said wizard took a deep breath in and out and ran his fingers through his hair.
"You're right Remus," Sirius replied, before he looked back to Harry, "Sorry Harry."
"S'alright, Sirius." Harry replied, giving his godfather a small smile, before focusing back on the matter at hand. "So how did we survive his killing curse?"
"Essentially, the extra piece of soul acted as a sort of buffer between you and the curse, Harry." Remus answered. "Following the completion of your bond, the horcrux was divided between the two of you, giving you both a barrier." The old wolf smiled. "When the curse hit, it cut away the horcrux and knocked you unconscious instead of damaging your souls."
"Wow," Hermione breathed, "that's incredible! So we both survived the killing curse..."
"Hey, does this mean we should start calling you the Girl-Who-Lived?" Harry teased, grinning as her face flushed with embarrassment. The others laughed good-naturedly at her reaction, while Hermione threw a playful slap at his shoulder and rolled her eyes in response.
"Just you try it, buster!" She threatened light-heartedly, a small smile curling the edges of her mouth. Harry chuckled at her reaction. "Be nice, or I might start calling you the Chosen One..." Harry faux gasped and pretended to swoon.
"Surely not, Hermione," he exclaimed, pretending to look shocked, "you fiend!" With a light huff at his reaction, she shoved him lightly.
"Enough, you goof!" She laughed. Harry grinned in reply. Lily, meanwhile, looked between them exasperatedly.
"Are you both quite finished?" Lily asked amusedly, trying and failing to look disapprovingly at them. This set off another round of laughter, but very quickly she tried to get things back on track.
"So now we've gotten that out of our systems," Lily said, rolling her eyes at their antics, "we still have more things to explain." Harry and Hermione both sobered and began to listen attentively once more. "If things had happened without intervention, after you had been hit by the curse, you would have woken up near Voldemort, very much alive. However, as she explained, Amanda brought you here for a choice."
"And what is this choice we have to make?" Hermione asked interestedly. With the question asked, all turned their attention to Amanda.
"Righto, I'll get straight to the crux of it," Amanda announced, with a smile. "As I've said, Fate's plan has gone wrong and the two of you died before your time, without fulfilling your destiny to defeat Voldemort. As mortal interference has caused so much damage and pain, completely muddying up these events, the immortals have decided to allow you both a chance to fix things!" At this, Harry and Hermione grinned excitedly, holding the other.
"Oh, this is wonderful!" Hermione exclaimed, clutching Harry tightly. "So we can go back just after Riddle attacked us?" Amanda beamed and nodded.
"Yes, that is one of your choices!" She replied happily. "But there are three choices you can make." Seeing their curious expressions, she continued. "First choice: you can decide to end your fight and remain here. You will be able to move on to the afterlife and be with your family." A look of shock grew across their faces.
"What?" Harry asked incredulously. James chose this moment to speak.
"No one would blame you if you chose to stay, Harry," James replied reassuringly, "you have both been through some great hardships in your life. No one could fault you for being sick of fighting..." Harry and Hermione stared at James for a moment, before sharing a look and having a silent conversation. Soon enough, they both nodded and turned back to Amanda.
"Err, I think we can safely say 'no thank you' to that first choice," Harry replied, while Hermione nodded next to him, "we aren't finished fighting yet, and won't be for..." he looked to Hermione and cocked his head questioningly, "...a hundred odd years, yet?" She nodded firmly at his words.
"At a minimum," Hermione agreed primly. Upon hearing their decision, all four of the deceased adults beamed at their decision.
"Well said, Harry!" James exclaimed proudly. "A Potter never takes the easy road! I'm proud of you, both of you!" Harry grinned in response. Amanda nodded approvingly also.
"To be honest, I'm glad you said that!" Amanda replied, relieved. "The two of you have a lot of good work left to do!" She grinned at the pair before continuing. "Second choice: you can return to the world just after Voldemort cast his spells at you. You will still be in danger, but you will have the chance to finish him, once and for all." Harry and Hermione again shared a look, and nodded as they considered this choice.
"I think we'd both like to go back and finish what we've started," Hermione said determinately, while Harry nodded in agreement.
"Hold your horses," Amanda exclaimed amusedly, "I haven't gotten to option three!" They nodded and listened attentively. "Third choice," she paused here, and fixed them with a firm expression, "you can go back." Hermione frowned at the choice.
"Go back?" She asked confusedly. Amanda nodded.
"Back to a point in time before the Battle of Hogwarts," the immortal announced, "you can go back and change the future for the better." The soul bound couple stared at her in complete amazement.
"We can alter the past?" Hermione asked in disbelief.
"If you choose to, yes you can." Amanda replied.
"But..." Harry hesitated, trying to order his thoughts, "why would we want to live our lives again? To what end?" The four deceased adults shared anxiety filled looks, deciding who would lead the explanation. Eventually, Sirius decided to bite the bullet.
"You know we mentioned before about...Dumbledore messing things up and manipulating people?" Sirius asked, and they nodded. "He has been orchestrating your life, Harry, from the day the prophecy was made, right up until the end." Harry and Hermione's eyes widened at this revelation.
"What?" Hermione gasped in shock.
"Dumbledore has been plotting and scheming for years," Sirius replied, "and almost all of it centres on you, Harry. You are the keystone for his plans." Lily nodded in agreement.
"His plotting has caused a great deal of heartache and pain for many people." Lily explained sadly. "As he moved and manipulated his pieces across the board, he made many decisions which resulted in irreparable damage to people's lives, and caused needless deaths. All for the sake of his endgame." Harry swallowed a lump in his throat, before asking a question he wasn't sure he wanted the answer to.
"What has he done?" Harry asked unsteadily.
"A great many things." James replied sadly. "Before we start though, I want to apologise to you, Harry. We don't want to put you through this," he shook his head, "Merlin knows you don't deserve it. But..." he paused briefly, but guessing what he was going to say, Harry spoke instead.
"...but we need to know." Harry finished, and James nodded. Taking a deep breath, bracing himself, he nodded. "I forgive you. I know you wouldn't hurt me on purpose. I trust you, all of you." He looked around at his family, and they nodded in reply.
"Alright," James said, smiling weakly, "thank you, Harry." He hesitated, before letting out a sigh. "I don't know how to begin this in a gentle way..." Harry shook his head.
"Just hit me with it, Dad," Harry insisted, "don't sugar-coat it. Just tell me." He nodded.
"Harry," James began, "Dumbledore has been grooming you from the day your mother and I died. He has been moulding you into the perfect weapon." Harry's eyes widened and he felt Hermione squeeze his hand reassuringly.
"What?" He whispered fearfully.
"Forgive me Harry," James apologised in again, tears building in his eyes. "Dumbledore manipulated you into becoming the perfect soldier. He left you in the care of the Dursley's, a family who he knew feared and hated magic, who abused you despicably. " Hermione held Harry tightly as she felt him stiffen at the reminder of his childhood.
"Once you started at Hogwarts," Lily took over, her own anger with the man visible on her features, "Dumbledore forced you to return to my accursed sister's family every summer against your will, using the excuse of blood wards to keep you there. And when he allowed you the privilege of staying for a few weeks at the Burrow or Grimmauld Place? He did it because it was part of his plans for you and it made you feel indebted to him as he 'rescued' you from the Dursley's." At this point, Harry was white as a sheet, holding onto Hermione tightly as the betrayals and manipulations mounted.
"All of it was planned and designed by Dumbledore to shape you to the way of thinking he wanted you to have." Remus remarked. "The abuse," Harry flinched, "made you grow up nervous, distrustful of anyone but your close friends, and eager for affection. Albus used those flaws, manipulating your life to create a loyal soldier. A soldier who saw his own life as meaningless, and would walk into the jaws of death to preserve those he cared for. He made you into someone who was willing to do what he thought needed to be done..." While Harry was distant, processing all this traumatic information, Hermione scowled as she realised what Remus was going to say.
"Sacrificing himself willingly to defeat Voldemort," Hermione ground out, fuming as she thought of their old headmaster, "that...that...monster!" Sirius nodded in agreement with her words.
"And that's only part of it," Sirius began, about to throw his penny in, "we haven't even started on the Weasley's..." Before he could speak further however, a look of horror came over Harry's face and he cried out.
"No!" Harry yelled, tears trickling down his cheeks. "No, no! Not the Weasley's! Please don't tell me they were involved in this..." he looked at Sirius pleadingly, "please..."
Harry's despair filled tone spilled the wind from Sirius' sails and he hesitated. Were they hitting him with too much all at once? Sharing a look with the other deceased adults, they silently debated how to proceed. However, before they could decide, Hermione released Harry and turned him around to face her. Holding his face in her hands, she looked into his betrayed and pain filled eyes.
"Harry," Hermione called softly, "remember what I said before we went into the forest?" He nodded shakily, trying to get a handle on his emotions. "It's you and me, Harry..." he took an unsteady deep breath in and out, before speaking.
"...you and me to the end." Harry whispered, looking into her warm auburn eyes. Closing his eyes, a few tears trickled out of the corners. "I'm sorry..."
"Hey," Hermione said tenderly, and his eyes reopened, "don't you apologise. You've done nothing wrong." She smiled at him. "We've been through the emotional wringer this past year, haven't we?" He chuckled weakly and nodded.
"Yeah," Harry replied, a small smile on his face. As his thoughts turned back to the conversation, it quickly faded. "I don't know if I can take it if the Weasley's were working against us, 'Mione." She nodded in understanding.
"I know Harry," Hermione murmured, "I know. I love the Weasley family, just as I know you do." He nodded. "But...if they are working against us, I fear we need to know. We need the truth." Closing his eyes once more and taking another deep breath in and out to centre himself, he quickly reopened his eyes and nodded firmly.
"You're right," Harry whispered, pulling her into a short embrace, before turning back to Sirius. "Alright," he croaked, before clearing his throat, "tell us." Sirius stared at him unsurely.
"You sure?" Sirius asked uncertainly. Harry nodded, but did not reply. "Ok. You know the Weasley's are a firmly light side family, loyal to Dumbledore..." They both nodded. "He made sure they were your first experience of a magical family, Harry. He wanted them to become your role models, to guide you to the way of thinking Albus wanted." At this point, Remus took over the conversation.
"It was genius, really," Remus continued, a dark look on his features, "very dark and highly immoral, but truly genius. For what better way to gain control of an abused, love starved child, than by inviting them into a materially poor, but loving and caring family?" His face softened, and he looked at Harry. "For a boy who had been denied such love by his guardians, to be exposed to and welcomed into such a loving and diverse family...it's no surprise that you latched onto them, Harry."
Said wizard was trembling as many things began to snap into place in his mind. Hermione held onto him tightly, trying to reassure him, her heart aching as she thought of the pain he must be in. If they didn't truly need to know this information, she would think it cruel for putting him through it.
"He planned your initial encounter," James said, taking the baton, "when you met Molly and her sons inside King's Cross Station. Hagrid had not explained to you how to get onto the platform, by design. Dumbledore made sure you were waiting there alone, out of your depth, and afraid. He arranged for Molly to be there, loudly talking about 'muggles' and Platform 9¾..." Remus snorted at the reminder of what she'd said.
"Had an Auror been nearby," Remus observed wryly, "Molly would have most likely been fined for threatening the statute of secrecy." The adults nodded in agreement.