Harry Potter Fan-Fiction Short Story

After finishing The Cursed Child I couldn’t help reading enormous quantities of Harry Potter fan-fiction – fellow Potterheads know that the want for Harry Potter is insatiable-. While surfing Reddit I found a short story by user AtlasNoseItch, based on a prompt that said “Harry Potter is sitting at home sixty years after the battle of Hogwarts, an old man now, when suddenly his scar hurts”. I found this story so moving that I asked the author if I could share it in the blog. Here it is!*

Harry sat alone. The house once inhabited by his wife and children was near empty. Ginny had passed a year earlier and he had to admit that this had taken something out of him. He had lost so many people, but this time it had struck him hard.

He thought of his children. They all had families of their own, and they were supposed to be visiting soon. He sighed.

Almost no one knew he was sick. Ron knew, but he made him swear on his life not to tell anyone. Harry had lived a good life, and he wanted to go without fuss. His brushes with death had made him want to go quietly.

He wanted some tea, but felt too weak to get up. He took out his wand, then stopped, held the old, etched wood in his hands and lightly made sparks fly out of the tip. He smiled. He loved how, so many years later, magic still amazed him.

Suddenly, his scar hurt.

He wasn’t alarmed by it, nor by the man who had appeared in the corner of the room.

It was Tom Riddle. Not snake-like, pale and red-eyed. Human. He smiled, not menacingly, but warmly.

“Hello, Harry.”

Harry smiled as well. “Nice to see you again, Tom.”

“Is it nice? I was never much of a warm presence when I was among the living. I hurt many people. But most of all, I tried to hurt you. It’s ironic that you were among the few who saw me as Tom Riddle, rather than Lord Voldemort.”

“Fear can drive you mad,” said Harry. “I’ve seen it many times.”

Tom Riddle smiled again, somewhat sadly. “Harry, we’ve got to go.”

Harry looked at him. There were tears in his eyes.

“I’m scared.” he said.

“I know.” said another voice.

Harry turned and saw Ginny. He gasped.

Behind her stood every person he had ever loved and lost. Hagrid, Dumbledore, Dobby, Lupin and Tonks, Snape, Cedric, Sirius and even the Dursleys. His parents stood next to Ginny, smiling.

“We’re with you, Harry.” his mother said softly.

Harry turned to Riddle.

Tom stuck out his hand. “Come, Harry.”

Harry laughed with tears in his eyes and his scar burning as he grabbed Riddle’s hand. And then left this world together with Death, as equals.

Image credit: © JKR/Pottermore Ltd. ™ Warner Bros.

Do you read Harry Potter fan-fiction? I could use some recommendations! Please, share your favorites in the comments :)!

*Some lines vary from the original text. The author gave me permission to modify his work a little to clean it up.