Harry Potter and the Man Who Lived

Sitting down to breakfast the next morning with the Weasley's was nothing less than torture. Everyone who had been involved in the happenings of the previous night kept sending him worried glances. Mrs. Weasley was the worst of all. He even thought he saw her dab away a few tears as she nibbled her toast.

"So, you lot are going to Diagon Alley today?" Asked George where he sat next to his twin. Fred had perhaps had the closest call out of anyone that night at Hogwarts. Having a wall fall on you would bring anyone dangerously close to death. Luckily, though, Madam Promfrey had been close by and had managed to administer the immediate medical attention he needed. Since then the Weasley twins had been closer than ever before, and they were already as close as two seperate people could be.

"Yeah. Hermoine's meeting us there for a bit of shopping." Ron answered through a mouthfull of eggs and sausage. Out of the corner of his eye, Harry could tell that Ron was grinning. Death and destruction hadn't been the only thing to happen that night. Ron and Hermoine were now an inseperable couple. And it was about time too. Harry had been waiting seven years for them to admit their feelings to eachother, and to themselves. He only wished they'd come to their senses earlier. It would have saved all three of them a lot of unneeded stress. He found himself recalling their fourth year in which they'd attended the Yule Ball. Much to the horror of Ron Weasley, Hermoine had ended up going to the ball with Viktor Krum, instead of him. Thus resulting in both Harry and Ron having no choice but to take the Parvati twins. It definitely hadn't been the best night of their lives.

That was all behind them now though. Hermoine and Ron were absolutely head over heels for eachother and it didn't look like that was changing any time soon. And despite being happy for them, Harry couldn't shake the overwhelming feeling of jealousy that he felt. Why shouldn't he get to experience that joy of being in love? He was probably crazy for even thinking such a thing. He wasn't the type of person who got to be in love, or have anyone love him in return. He was Harry Potter, the savior of the wizarding world. His only purpose in life was to destroy Voldemort and his reign of evil. And since he had accomplished that...his existance was now pointless...

"Harry, dear..." He glanced up when he heard Mrs. Weasley's voice. He'd been aimlessly pushing his eggs around his plate, with a blank expression, "Are you alright? You haven't eaten much...if there's something you want-"

"I'm fine." He said sharply, causing everyone's eyes to turn to him. He sighed and pushed his plate away before standing and leaving the room. As soon as he was alone his mind wandered, taking him back to the night before. Snape had been there. He had.

Pushing his hands into the pockets of his loose jeans, he turned toward the door that lead into the back garden. Now that it was light outside he might be able to find more evidence about what had happened. He walked slowly across the damp earth. The ground squished softly as he walked across it, still soaked with rain. When he reached the spot, he stared down at it. It looked the same. Slightly flattened grass and the faintest shoe marks in the dirt. Bending down, he placed his hand against the area, feeling the grass and letting his fingers explore the outline of the footprints. The prints definitely belonged to an adult. Last night, he had thought, for one wild moment, that it may have been the twins playing some joke, but he figured their behavior would have been much different during breakfast if that had been the case. Those two would never turn down the credit for a brilliant prank.

Letting out a soft sigh, he stood back up again and lifted his gaze. Behind the flattened area, there were a few more faint footprints, but they didn't lead to anywhere. Snape, or whoever it was, must have Apparated into the garden before stumbling forward and collapsing on that spot. That then lead Harry to the conclusion that he must've then Disapparated out from that same spot. He must have done it while Harry was hurrying to get downstairs.

Hands now back in his pockets, he turned toward the house, but stopped, seeing Ron coming toward him.

"Are you sure you're alright, mate?" He asked, running a hand through his fiery hair. Harry noted how much longer it had gotten over the last few months. He'd stopped letting his mother cut it - just like Bill - for a couple of reasons. The first being that he just thought it looked cool, and the second being that Hermoine thought it was sexy. Harry had also stopped taking interest in his own hair. It was now almost down to his shoulders and as messy and unruly as ever. There just wasn't any point anymore. He never left the Burrow, so who was gonna see him and complain about his hair? Though he knew Hermoine would of course. She loved Ron's long hair, but heaven forbid that Harry should be the same.

Giving Ron a small shrug he stepped past him before turning to look at him over his shoulder.

"I wish you guys would just give it a rest already...I'm fine." He said, doing his best to give Ron a smile as the red-head looked at him. He could tell it hadn't been convincing, so he merely sighed and gave Ron a look that he hoped said something like, 'please, just drop it.' Evidently Ron got the hint, because he smiled slightly and reached out to give Harry a small pat on the shoulder.

"No worries." He said, grinning a little wider before taking his hand away and mimicking Harry's stance by shoving his hands into his own pockets.

"We better get going..." Harry said, "I'm sure Hermoine's wondering where we are."

"Yeah, good thinking..." Ron answered, "To keep Hermoine waiting more than necessary would be a very bad thing."

Harry had to smile at that. Ron was still the same as ever. Some things just don't change.

As they went back into the house to let everyone know they were leaving, he just wanted to hurry and get out of there. He wanted the distraction of being away from the Burrow and seeing knew things and people. Diagon Alley was always so busy and packed. He was sure it'd be no trouble at all to get lost in the crowd while Ron and Hermoine were distracted by eachother. No doubt they would never even notice he'd left.

"Wait up!"

They were just about to Apparate, standing outside the gate, when Fred and George came trotting up to where they stood.

"You're not coming with us." Ron said, glaring at the two taller young men. The twins merely grinned and exchanged glances.

"We know." George said, as he reached into his back pocket to pull out what looked like an ordinary business card. He held it out for Ron to take, which he did, staring down at it questioningly.

"What's this?" He asked, returning his gaze to his brothers.

"Our new business card. Y'know, for Weasley's Wizard Weezes." Fred said, "All you have to do is hand them out while you're in Diagon Alley." Ron raised an eyebrow and looked down at the card again.

"But, there's only one. Do you have anymore?"

"Nope, that's all you'll need." They continued to grin at them, leaving Ron even more confused.

"So...you're hoping for me to wrangle in one really rich, enthusiastic customer...is that it?"

The twins both snorted softly with laughter.

"The card's got a charm on it that'll make duplicates as you hand them out." Fred said, shaking his head at Ron as if this fact should have been completely obvious.

"Oh..." Said Ron, giving the card one more glance before shoving it into his pocket, "Sure, whatever."

"Don't forget!" The twins both chanted in a sing-song voice as they turned and walked off.

Once they were gone, Ron looked at Harry and rolled his eyes, "Chyeah right..." He pulled the card back out, offering it to Harry. As the dark-haired teen put his fingers on it and pulled, they both stared, as Ron was still left holding a card. It had split into two seperate, but identical cards - one in Ron's hand, and one in Harry's.

"Well, what do you know, it worked..." Said Harry, smirking as he stuck the duplicate card into his pocket. Ron did the same with the one he still held, rolling his eyes and muttering softly to himself.

Then, without any further hesitation, both boys Disapparted, ending up safely in Diagon Alley. It had been a while since Harry had done any Apparting, so it left him a bit dizzy and lightheaded. However, the sensation soon faded away and he felt himself lighten a little as he allowed his gaze to travel around, taking in the familiar and comforting sights of Diagon Alley. It brought back both wonderful and painful memories.

"Wonder where 'Moine is..." Ron murmered, glancing around, but soon grinned as Hermoine herself appeared out of the crowd, grinning and waving. She didn't hesitate to throw her arms around Ron's neck once she reached them, then pulled back just enough to give him a brief, but tender kiss. Harry chose to look away during the exchange of affection.

"I missed you..." She whispered to Ron, unfortunately the sound of her voice still reaching Harry's ears.

Ron grinned, "I missed you, too." Hermoine grinned back, then turned to Harry, smiling as though she had just noticed he was standing there.

"Hello, Harry." She smiled.

Harry forced his lips to curve and smile back, "Hi, Hermoine...great to see you..." She seemed satisfied enough with this less than enthusiastic greeting. At that moment, Harry was glad that the two were so infatuated with eachother. It meant less pestering from Hermoine and less explaintions from him.

Soon they had headed off down the narrow street, Hermoine's arm looped with Ron's, and chatting about what they ought to do. Harry didn't care. In all honesty, he just wanted to get away from them and be on his own.

"Oh, look!" Hermoine cried delightedly, "Isn't wonderful how all the shops are coming back? Remember how it was before Harry defeated Voldemort?" Ron grinned at her and nodded before turning to look at Harry, who forced a smile back. He was really getting tired of people referring to that all the time. It was over and done...why keep bringing it back up? That time in his life only symbolized pain and bad things he wished to forget.

Finally Hermoine decided she wanted to go into a small shop at the end of the street that sold exotic potion ingredients. So they made their way slowly toward the shop. After a moment, Harry saw his chance. Ron and Hermoine had gotten slightly ahead of him, and there was a large group of goblin's arguing noisily between them. Hanging back and waiting until the other two were a bit farther ahead, he turned and strolled back up the street the opposite way. By the time they would realize he wasn't there, he would be long gone. And he doubted if they would even care anyway.

He walked slowly, letting his thoughts flow freely through his mind. He didn't even notice as people did double-takes as they saw him. If there was anyone left in the wizarding world who hadn't heard of him before, they certainly had now. He defeated Voldemort, not once, but twice, the second time killing him for good. He was their savior, and he was barely old enough to be called an adult. Yet, none of that mattered. He thought it would, before it happened. But it had come at far too heavy a price.

Lifting his eyes from the cobble stones beneath his feet, he happened to glance to the side and come face to face with a snowy owl perched outside a shop.

...Hedwig...

He sighed, eyes softening as he looked at the owl. No, it wasn't Hedwig, but it could have been her twin. This owl looked almost identical to the bird he had lost. Reaching out with one finger, he tried scratching the bird on its head, but it immediately snapped its beak, nipping the tip of his finger roughly.

"Ow..." He groaned, rubbing his finger gingerly before sticking the tip in his mouth to suck on the small wound. He glared at the bird for a moment then walked away. Nope. Definitely not Hedwig.

Just a few minutes later, he found himself standing at the entrance to Knockturn Alley. He had no idea how he'd ended up there, but here he was, and there was the dark, dangerous looking alleyway that lead into the dark arts part of Diagon Alley. Chewing the inside of his lip, he stood there for a brief moment, until he made up his mind and walked forward. He didn't care. If he wanted to go into Knockturn Alley, then he would go into Knockturn Alley.

Oddly enough, once he was inside, surrounded by dark, imposing shops, he felt more comfortable than he had back in the brightly lit streets of Diagon Alley. He felt free to look around and not worry about people staring at him just because he was Harry Potter.

"Potter?"

Turning quickly, he searched for the owner of the voice. Directly behind him, several feet away, was a slender young man with platinum blonde hair and a pale face. Harry knew that face. Just like Snape's, Draco Malfoy's face was one he would never forget.

"What do you want, Malfoy?" He demanded, fingers clenching into fists at his sides. Draco immediately put up his own hands, palms toward Harry in a signal of peace. Harry then realized, the more he looked at Draco, the more different he seemed to look since the last time he saw him. He didn't look quite as pale, and he seemed healthier somehow. Not only that, but his eyes were warm - no longer cold and cruel as they had been since the day he met him in their first year.

"Please, Harry...I don't want to fight anymore..." He said, taking a few steps toward the other teen. Harry took a small step backwards, but his hands relaxed slightly. Draco bit his lip lightly, but continued to close the gap between them, "I'm serious, Harry..."

"Why should I believe you? You and your family tried to kill me..."

Draco sighed and looked away, Harry's words seeming to cause him actual pain.

"I...I know...and I'm truly...truly sorry for everything I ever did to you..."

Harry blinked.

"I don't have any excuses...I was wrong...I was wrong about...everything..."

Instantly, Harry's whole body relaxed and he gazed at Draco as if he'd just found a long lost friend. Could this really be happening? Draco was sorry and admitted he was wrong...it was like a dream...

Draco then looked up timidly at Harry.

"Ever since that first day at Hogwarts...I've wished...that we could be friends..." He said, staring into Harry's eyes, "I'm so sorry, Harry...I'm sorry for everything..." Harry then realized that his silvery eyes were glistening and the blonde quickly raised a hand to wipe them.

"Thank you...Draco..." Harry said, stepping toward the other boy and giving him the most genuine smile he'd given anyone in months. Draco looked up and smiled also. Harry could clearly see the relief washing through him. Then, without warning, Draco stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Harry, pulling him into a hug that Harry, shockingly, felt himself relax into and return it willingly. Why did he feel this way? He was hugging Draco Malfoy...a boy who had been his sworn enemy since his first day at Hogwarts...

Draco's arms tightened around his neck while Harry's held him more securly around his thin waist. It just felt...right...

A few warm, silent moments passed before they finally broke slowly apart. To Harry's surprise, none of it felt awkward. Infact, it felt more right than it ever had to hug Ron or Hermoine.

Draco was smiling and Harry felt himself smiling. He couldn't believe it. He was actually feeling happy.

"He was right about you..." Draco said, then almost immediately his eyes widened and he clapped both hands over his mouth. If he had been trying to keep his words inside though, he had failed - it was too late. Harry had clearly heard what he said, but he didn't understand what it meant in the least.

"Who was right about me?" He asked, looking deeply into Draco's eyes. The blonde's hands were still clamped tightly over his mouth and he stared at Harry in horror, shaking his head.

"Draco, please..." Harry said, doing everything to keep his voice calm. Slowly and gently, he took the blonde's wrists and pulled them slowly away from his mouth. Draco bit his lower lip and kept his eyes away from Harry.

"I promised I wouldn't say anything..." He whispered, reminding Harry an awefull lot of Dobby whenever he had done something he knew was wrong. This made Harry all the more determined to find out what Draco had meant.

"Draco...its okay...just, please...tell me..." Harry urged, tightening his hold on the blonde's thin wrists. Draco cringed, making Harry realize what he was doing, and immediately release Draco's arms, "I'm so sorry..." He whispered, mentally cursing himself, "But...I need you to tell me what you meant...I have a feeling its important..."

Draco only shook his head and kept his eyes down.

"I'm sorry, Harry...I can't..." And without another word, Draco turned and hurried back down the dark street, leaving Harry alone and confused.

He stared at the spot Draco had been occupying a moment before. He couldn't believe what had just happened. He wasn't even really sure what had happened. Was Draco just messing with him, or did he truly want to put their past behind them and start over? Harry certainly wanted to believe that was true. When he had hugged the blonde, there had been something there he'd never felt before. It wasn't like he had feelings for him...it wasn't like that...it felt more like...like he was hugging a family member...a brother or something...

Clenching his eyes shut and turning, he slammed his fist against the brick of a nearby building. Not that he wasn't already confused enough. Now he had one more thing to worry about...

Opening his eyes slowly, he leaned against the wall and rubbed his hand. He needed to talk to Draco again, but not yet. He would wait until the blonde had a bit of time to calm down. He was obviously very distraught by whatever information he had almost let slip to Harry. And obviously, it was important.

He was right about you...

What on earth had he meant by that? Who? Who had been right about him?

Sighing, Harry realized he already had an idea about who Draco meant. But...did he dare to believe it? It couldn't be possible...yet...he didn't have any other theories. It was the only thing that made sense in his mind at the moment.

Gazing, emotionless, down the street, his mind began to wander again. The man, in his long, black robes...and...the snake...it struck, fangs sinking into the pale, unprotected, vulnerable flesh. A scream, then blood and the collapse of a body. All he could do was stare in horror as he fell, falling in a bloody, crumpled heap on the floor of the Shrieking Shack. Then, Voldemort's face...his cruel, malicious eyes, just staring with silent amusment at Snape's lifeless body. Harry hated him. He still hated him, eventhough he was dead, eventhough he had killed him himself. He took Snape from him. He took the one person who he wanted to live for...

...Wait...what the hell was he thinking? The one person who he wanted to live for? That didn't make any sense. Why would he want to live for Snape? He couldn't explain his feelings...by God he wished he would. Eventhough everything he was told him he should feel nothing for Snape, his heart still ached for him. He wanted to see him, hear his voice, dig his fingers in the material of his robes and feel that he was real...

Feeling his breath hitch, the teen brought one hand up and touched his cheek, shocked to feel moisture clinging to his skin. He was crying. Tears clung to his dark lashes, trickling slowly down his cheeks.

"Wh-why...?" He whispered, covering his face with both hands and letting his feelings finally take hold of him. Shoulders trembling, he sunk slowly down until he had slid all the way down the wall and to the cobble stoned street. He wrapped his arms around his legs, bringing his knees up to hide his face between them. He hadn't cried like this since he was a little kid. Yet now, he sat there, in the middle of Knockturn Alley, sobbing uncontrolably.

A few moments passed and he slowly got his tears under control. He sniffled softly and lifted his head, instead resting his chin upon his knees, gazing out across the street infront of him. He didn't know what to do. He wanted to see Snape, but...there was no way he could do that...Snape was gone...

Sitting there for almost thirty more minutes, only seeing two or three people pass, he finally got to his feet and headed back out, returning to Diagon Alley. It didn't take long to find Ron and Hermoine. They were browsing through Flourish and Blott's, Hermoine giggling and Ron gazing at her while twirling a bit of her hair in his fingers. The sight was almost enough to make Harry turn right back around again.

"There you are!" Hermoine exclaimed once he'd joined them. She hugged him quickly, while he patted her back awkwardly. It made him immediately think of the hug he'd shared with Draco earlier. It had been so different. He hadn't even known a hug could feel that way.

"Where did you go anyway?" Asked Ron, putting his arm around Hermoine's shoulders as she stepped back beside him. Harry shrugged, keeping his eyes away from both of them.

"Just thought I'd look around on my own for a bit...that's all..." He focused on a book that sat on a shelf beside him titled "Strange Rodents and Where to Find Them." It made his nose wrinkle a little, and he gave a small shake of his head before turning his attention back to Ron and Hermoine. They were both staring at him with obvious concern.

"What, already? I'm fine! Why does everyone keep looking at me like that? Just stop worrying, okay?" He didn't give them time to respond before turning and walking back out of the shop. He couldn't stand to be around them anymore. He felt like a third wheel. Infact, he couldn't be around anyone anymore. No one felt good enough. Nothing satisfied him. He didn't want anything...except...except...Snape...he wanted Snape...and that was the one thing he was never going to get...