It took his brain a second to realize he was no longer in the graveyard…and he certainly wasn’t dead, if the crackling and popping of a cozy fire was any indication. Confused and always on guard, he slowly slipped his hand and searched for his wand…only to find, to his growing horror, that it wasn’t there. Instead of panicking, he kept his breaths controlled and even. Someone had been there in the graveyard with him…but who? And what reason would they have for taking him with them?
Suddenly, he heard heavily booted footsteps coming his way and stop just inches from him. Then he heard a sigh and a soft groan as a man, definantly a man, got down on his knees and tucked the blanket securely around Harry’s shoulders. Harry frowned inwardly at that. It confused him. If he were kidnapped, the man wouldn’t treat him so nice. So obviously he had no reason to worry…yet there was something pricking in the back of his mind that didn’t quite sit right about the situation. Such as, why was he here? And who the hell had brought him? Where exactly was here?
The man pat Harry’s shoulder and smirked. “Ya need the sleep lad. I know. I just wish he wouldn’ta asked me ta take ya away from there…and bring ye here. Why he couldn’t jus’ show himself to ye instead of puttin’ you through hell, I will never know. Poor boy,” he said on a sigh before shaking his head and getting up again on a groan, his knees cracking and creaking in protest. The footsteps were slow as they made their way to a rocker nearby. The man sat down and cleared his throat before picking up a decanter and poured some firewhiskey into a glass.That man…he sounded so…regrettable. And so familiar. Who was it, he wondered as he filtered the voice through the thousands or so he’d heard through the years. After a minute, it clicked. Abe. Aberforth Dumbledore. Why was he here? And what had he meant when he said mentioned a man putting him through hell, or showing himself? Merlin’s bloody beard he was confused. Not to mention tired again from all this backward-forward thinking. Sighing softly, he fell back asleep for what seemed an eternity, though in reality it was only for another hour.
When he finally woke up again, daylight was just barely creeping through the dingy window of the room he was in and he yawned. Slowly, he sat up and chuckled softly when he heard snores coming from the elderly man. Looking around, he found his glasses and put them on, blinking at the dark room as it came into focus, the only sources of light being the dim sunlight and the slowly dying fire.
Clearing his throat, he waited for the man to stir from his slumber and blushed a bit as the man stared at him for a second to recollect his thoughts. As if he should be the one to be embarrassed, he thought to himself with a mental snort. Still, at least now that they were both somewhat awake, he’d get to find out just what was going on.
Abe cleared his throat and rubbed his face. “Mornin’ Harry,” he said with a slight smile before going into his pocket for a cigar. “You want one?” he asked before lighting it. When Harry shook his head, he shrugged mid puff and coughed. “Shouldn’t be smokin’ these things anyways. Bad habit these…they’ll kill ye quick too,” he said on a smirk.
“Where’s my wand?” Harry asked after a few minutes of slightly awkward, slightly companionable silence. He thought it odd when the man took a second to think on it, watching the aged face frown in confusion before grinning. “Right. Yer wand. Here it is,” he said before tossing it to him. “You fell asleep in the graveyard. Was told were to find you and to bring you…here. The old Prince estates,” he said with a nod.
Harry frowned. “I thought I recognized this place…but I wasn’t really sure. Why here though? And who told you to bring me here?”
Abe shook his head. “Can’t tell ye that now, can I? Least…not yet I can’t. Not until he wants ya ta know.”
“Who?”
“Does it matter?” the old man asked.
Harry sighed softly. Did it really matter? Honestly, he wasn’t sure himself, but he wanted some answers, and he was determined to get them.
“So if I wasn’t taken for anything, I can leave?”
“Aye…you could, but I figured you’d like some answers. About what happened the night you saw him die.”So that’s what this was about. His dad. Closing his eyes as a sharp pain hit his heart, he ran his hand through his hair and sighed. “What’s there to answer? I saw him die. I saw his spirit leaving his body.”
“Now…that ain’ quite true Harry. You thought you saw someone die…but it wasn’t real. Think about it. A man as great as him? One who could stop death, dying? He knew what was going to happen. A few weeks before the death, the odd old bat had an actual vision again. Only this time, she saw him dying…and he knew just how to stop it.
All he did was make a potion he knew would react as soon as Nagini’s poison entered his system and…yeah. He’s alright.”
Harry just…blinked slowly. “You’re lying,” he said after a few minutes, anger and hurt in his voice. “He wouldn’t do that to me. He wouldn’t…wouldn’t just pretend to die and leave me alone when I needed him,” he said softly, his voice cold and even just as his father’s had been.
He couldn’t believe it…yet…what point was there for Abe to lie to him? Abe had always been honest to him before. Even to the point of being cruel at times. So why start now?
“Why would he do that?"
“Because he knew it was the only way you’d have the strength to do what you needed to do. He might not have wanted the prophesy to come true, but he weren’t no fool. A little daft at times, but not a fool. Never that. And ya know he loves you lad.”
Harry looked at Abe in disbelief. “My dad was not daft. He played a role and he played it till the day he died. How dare you disrespect the dead?” he asked, his voice barely a whisper at the end.
“Because he ain’ dead I’m tellin’ ya. And he is daft fer believin’ that you didn’t need him…and that Lily would ever stop lovin’ him. And before ya ask, no…yer mum’s still dead. Same with James. Sirius is another matter however.”
Harry blinked. “You mean…Sirius is back? My godfather’s back?” he asked, getting excited.
“Not…not quite. But we’ll get to him later. Fer now…just know yer dad’s alive. He wanted me ta keep ya here until ye were well rested…and well, you are now. So I guess you can go.”
Harry sighed softly. “Fine. But I will return. Count on that. And we will speak more on this.” Getting up slowly, he winced, rubbing his lower back and getting the blood back into his legs. Grabbing his cloak, he slowly made it to the door and disapperated, not noticing that he’d left his wand behind.
As the younger man left, another man stepped out of the shadows. “He’s grown,” he said softly.
Abe looked up and smirked before groaning and shifting in the chair. “Yeah, well, what’d you expect old man?”
The man simply smirked back before walking back into the darkness, pocketing the wand that had been left on the floor, not saying a word.