Dreams of Home Chapter 74 (Patreon)

Chapter 74Jonathon Evans surveyed the scene around Cokeworth with horror in his eyes. Eight years he had spent in the Royal Navy. He had seen violence in his time of service, but nothing compared to this. Nothing compared to what the men in the mask did to his neighborhood with mere sticks.When the masked men had arrived it had gone against every instinct in his body when he listened to his daughter's instruction to run with his wife. Lily had explained that she could not defend herself and them at the same time, and the best thing they could do for her was run. It was a hard pill to swallow even when she assured him that help was on the way.It was his duty as the patriarch of the family to protect his wife and daughter, but after watching Lily blast one of the masked men through the wall into the garage with ease, he felt himself give way to the idea. When he then watched her exchange rapid-fire blasts from her stick with another man, destroying half the house, he knew he should listen to his daughter. The girl proved capable when she dropped their second attacker to his knees, and he didn’t hesitate a moment longer when Lily yelled at him to run.`Jonathan had practically torn Iris, his wife, away from the house, but that didn’t stop him from ambushing a masked man who came through the back door with the intention of harming his daughter. Suddenly, Captain Evans had re-emerged despite being retired for over a decade. When the man entered his home with his stick leveled at his daughter's back, the veteran didn’t hesitate. With a decisive surge forward, his hands went up to the masked man’s neck, and with a mighty twist, a loud snap was heard as the man dropped to the ground.Iris had screamed, and was nearly catatonic as her husband dragged her into the yard. Lily was right behind him however, as she fired a cannon blast out of her wand destroying the fence and giving them a path to escape. Pops around the neighborhood were heard, however and Lily continued to scream at them to move.The married couple were in their neighbor's house next after finding the back door open. When they made it to the kitchen his longtime friend, Malcolm was looking at them wide-eyed. Before he could question the couple on what they were doing in his house Jonathon barked out, “We are under attack. We have to move!”Swearing loudly, Malcolm began trying to ask questions, but Jonathon didn’t even dignify him with an answer as he dragged his wife through the familiar home, out the front door, and broke out into a run down the street. No more attackers arrived in front of them as they crossed a block, but the sounds of a fight were still happening behind them.When they made it to the end of the street, he put a hand on each of his wife’s shoulders, looked around, and then said, “Iris, go into the Stewarts house with Malcolm, and hide. I am going to help Lily.”“Jon, no! They will kill you. You can’t beat them.” The woman sobbed.“I can’t leave our daughter to fight alone either.” The man barked back as he motioned to his longtime neighbor, “Take Iris and go. I have to find Lily.”Thankfully, his friend didn’t hesitate and began dragging the woman away as he took off towards a neighborhood fence, leaped over it, and crossed into the next street. It was here that the man’s jaw dropped. At the other end of the street he had just left, he could see Lily was no longer alone. A dark-haired man was at her side now with the boy she had introduced them to earlier, James Potter. The other man wasn’t recognized at first, and he carved a path of destruction unlike anything he had ever imagined. The world seemed to bend to his will as he ripped apart the street with a few flicks of his wrist. In a flash, he had taken down several opponents and when one remained he stalked towards them with fury etched into his features.Lily had told her parents that she had a surprise for them, and wanted to bring a special guest over for lunch. Initially, Jonathon had thought it was going to be this James boy, especially when she introduced him as her boyfriend, but then it turned out it went beyond that. When James arrived and spent the afternoon with them, he promised that he was going to pick up his cousin, whom they had met on the platform several months before. Jonathan wasn’t sure why Lily was so anxious to reintroduce them, but he had left quite the impression last time.When the attack had begun, he had forgotten all about the help coming. His only thoughts were on his daughter and how he would go about protecting her. Now seeing so many bodies in the street, his mouth dried at what the teenage boy was capable of.The man slowly gravitated towards the screams as he watched the teen dismantle the last attacker, presumably for information. He seemed to give instructions to James and Lily, causing the two to turn away from him, and after a few seconds, the teen stood up, removed his enemies head, and began following behind them.Jonathan’s eyes locked on to the teens' fury filled features, who seemed to recognize his presence as he approached the trio. Lily seemed relieved to see him and ran forward to embrace the man with a sob. Jonathan embraced his daughter tightly, but his eyes remained on the teen that followed closely behind her. He hardly even caught his daughter's question, “Where is Mum?”Swallowing and breaking eye contact with the teen that had just saved their lives, he said, “Safe down the street. I came back to help you in any way I could. Seems like help arrived just in time.”Before Lily could say anything, Harry spoke again, “We need to get you and your wife someplace safe. My family would be happy to offer yours asylum for the time being.” The teen hesitated and surveyed the area before sighing, “I think it’s the least we could do.”Jonathan swallowed heavily as his eyes flitted back to where his house once stood. In the aftermath, there were hardly even scraps of it left, “I don’t think I am in much of a position to turn that offer down. However, I don’t want to impose on your family.”Before Harry could counter the words, Lily grabbed her father by the arm, “Harry is our family, Dad. In more ways than I can explain right now. The Ministry will be on the way though, and we need to get Mum, and get out of here.”Harry agreed, “She’s right. We don’t know who will show up, the Ministry, or the Dark Lord himself. He won’t appreciate that his plans were foiled by Lily’s competence with a wand. I doubt he thought his men would have an issue with a single Muggleborn.”“Charlus will inform the Ministry.” James added, “I can take them to Potter Manor.”Harry nodded in acceptance, and Jonathan Evans shook his head, “I won’t leave without my wife. We go together.”In understanding, Harry nodded as he began moving in the direction Jonathon had originally come in, “Then we shouldn’t waste anymore time.”.o.Finding Iris Evans and getting her back to Potter Manor took little to no time. Explaining what happened to Charlus and Dorea was a different matter altogether. Charlus was seething by the end of their tale, and he stood to his feet, “We ought to go back and wait for the Dark Lord to arrive. We would just keep killing his followers until he shows up and deals with us himself.”Harry was standing in the corner, staring out the window of the family room. With him were the three members of the Evans family, James, Dorea, and Charlus. Jonathan Evans shook his head, standing to his feet, “Why were we targeted? I recognize a political assassination attempt when I see one. My daughter, as a seventeen-year old girl, wouldn’t have been targeted if she wasn’t involved with this boy.”Mr. Evans was gesturing towards James, who looked outraged by the suggestion, but Harry immediately voiced his thoughts from the window, “She wasn’t attacked because of James. You were all targeted because of me. One of the Death Eaters I killed said, ‘The Dark Lord sends his birthday wishes’.”“Birthday wishes?” Charlus asked dangerously, “That son of a bitch!”“Charlus!” Dorea snapped, and the man held up his hands in surrender, walking away from the table to take a moment to himself.“You can’t blame yourself, Harry.” Lily said after a few minutes of tense silence, “I am a member of the Order just like the rest of you. They were bound to come after me sooner or later.”“She’s also become quite adept at kicking Slytherin arse, so she was bound to be a target.” James said proudly.Lily was sitting on one of the couches, watching her friend in concern. James was at her side, with an arm casually behind her, but she could tell in his eyes that she was equally worried about Harry. They had all been since Elaina left. He hadn’t been the same. He had trained harder than ever before, and he fought with a certain ruthlessness that she had never seen out of him. He was always a powerful wizard, but on the battlefield today, he had been terrifying.The room was silent for a moment and Jonathan Evans looked between Lily and Harry in confusion with knitted eyebrows, “So they attacked us because Lily is a part of some secret organization and she beat up on some Secondary school kids? That doesn’t add up. What aren’t you telling us?”All eyes in the room were on Harry now as he clenched his fist, still refusing to look at the others. His eyes may have been looking toward the grounds, but it was clear he wasn’t really looking at them. His expression was blank, and a cold feeling emanated off of him in waves. Harry heard movement behind him, but he said nothing, nor moved as he felt Lily place a hand on his elbow, “We lost our home today, Harry. They could’ve been killed. Like it or not, they are a part of this now. They have a right to know.”The confusion from both of the Evans mounted at their daughter's words, and Harry’s head turned to see the emerald green eyes he often saw in the mirror. The eyes of his mother in a different world. Offering the girl a nod, she squeezed his arm, placed a kiss on his cheek and returned to the table without another word. Harry could feel the tension in the room as he returned to the other end of the table. He looked at Jonathan and Iris Evans, two people he had always wanted to spend time with, and sighed, “I am your grandson. I was born Harry James Potter in the year 1980. James and Lily were my parents. Last year, I jumped twenty years in the past to continue the fight against the Dark Lord, who sent the men in masks to burn down your home.”Jonathan and Iris had wide eyes at his proclamation, and soon he delved into a very condensed version of his story. Harry had tried to keep it as relevant to them as possible. He told them about growing up with Petunia, and admitted he wasn’t exactly sure how they had died. By the time he gave the short version of the war they were speechless.The shock on Iris Evans wore off much quicker than Harry would’ve expected when she spoke softly, “I knew there was something different about you. When we met on the platform at King’s Cross. You have so much resemblance to my own father, down to the eyes.”Offering the woman a small smile Harry said, “I was quite anxious to meet the two of you. I never had the chance in my time, so I made a point to find you both. Petunia hardly shared even the most basic of stories. I didn’t even know my grandfather served in the Navy until Lily told me as we were getting to know each other. She only found out a few months ago herself.”“Why weren’t we told sooner?” Jonathan Evans grunted out.“Our enemy only found out a few months ago. As muggles, you have no defense against a wizard of his caliber. The information would’ve been very dangerous back then.” Charlus defended as he re-entered the conversation, “Now, well, it seems your daughter was ready for you to know the truth. It is only poor circumstances that lead to you finding out this way.”“Poor circumstances?” The man scoffed, “Our neighborhood was burned down. We could’ve been killed, our friends could’ve been killed, our daughter could’ve been killed, and you call it poor circumstances?”Charlus said nothing, but stared at the man evenly. Harry for his part, countered quickly, “You did die.”Jonathan looked sharply at Harry, who looked at the man coldly, “You did die in my time. My mother, your daughter, was killed in my time. Everything I have done since the moment I arrived here has been to prevent all that from happening again. You may have lost your home, but you still have your life. Now that you are here, you are also in one of the safest places in the world, defended by some of the competent witches and wizards alive. We aren’t asking you to be grateful, but we are asking you to understand that we are fighting a war that has already been lost once. If we lose again, it would mean the enslavement of the muggle world.”Scoffing, the man shook his head, “Impossible.”“I could bend your Prime Minister to my will with a flick of my wand.” Harry said coldly, “I could enter his home completely undetected.Wipe his mind. Convince him to nuke his own allies. To murder his own family. What stops me? A moral compass. Something our enemy does not possess. Something we are slowly having to get rid of if we have any hopes of stopping them. You saw what I did to those men today? They weren’t the first, and they won’t be the last. I will kill a thousand Death Eaters if it means my family, my friends, and this country survives that madman.”Harry was practically yelling by the time he was done speaking, and Jonathon Evans stared at him evenly while crossing his arms. He would not be cowed by a teenage boy, no matter how terrifying his words may be, “Sounds like you are no better than the bad guys.”“Jonathon.” Iris scolded.Before the man could defend himself, Harry shook his head at his grandmother, “No he’s right. We aren’t. As a military man, though I thought you would understand that some things are done for the greater good. If you aren’t willing to sacrifice a thousand to save a million, then you don’t deserve to play at all. I learned that last time. I played by the rules. I tried to save every life, and took them sparingly. You know what happened? All my friends and family were killed. Down to the last man, woman, and child. I never wanted to be this way, but I know what I have to be to win, and even then, I am not sure it will be enough.”Turning to face Lily, Harry sighed, “I am sorry your family was attacked, Lily. I am sorry; it was my fault. My only promise to you is that I am going to make them pay. You are all welcome here as long as you need, as long as Charlus and Dorea are okay with it.”Harry’s eyes shifted to his father, and Charlus seemed to be biting his tongue from saying something scathing towards Lily’s father, but eventually nodded, “Of course.”“Then I am going to go rest. Tomorrow is a big day, and I really don’t feel like celebrating anymore.” Harry said as he turned on his heel and walked out of the room.Silence fell upon the room at Harry’s sudden departure, and Charlus had a deep frown on his face as he stared at the table clearly biting back scathing words. To the surprise of Lily, her mother was the first to break the silence, “Jonathan Evans!”“What?” The man defended himself loudly.“Don’t you think the boy has been through enough today?” The woman scolded.“Forgive me for not taking the news of our time-traveling grandchild well. You didn’t see what I saw. The ease with which he took a life. I have never seen anything like it.” The man said, seeming to be distinctly uncomfortable by the situation.“There aren’t many who can claim to have been through what he has.” Charlus said ominously, “The fact that the boy hasn’t just gone on a murder spree, especially knowing what he knows about the future, is miraculous.”Jonathan looked like he would comment, but James beat him to it, “I get it, Mr. Evans. I really do. When Harry first arrived, I thought it was the coolest thing in the world. Then he defended my childhood home, and killed some of the attackers in the process. From that point on I knew he was different. I knew he had been through things I couldn’t imagine. After that, he killed another in single combat, a man that I knew was a bully, and a killer. Even knowing that he did it to protect Lily and our friend Elaina I looked at him differently. Every step of the way, I looked at him differently. Then my dad was murdered in Hogsmeade by these bastards, and everything changed.”The room was silent as they all watched James rise to his feet, his fist clenched, “I don’t always agree with the way Harry does things, but I know without him, I wouldn’t be here…neither would Lily…and now, neither would you, sir.”James turned and began to leave the room, but stopped at the threshold, pausing before speaking again, “I don’t know if Harry and I will ever see eye to eye on how to handle this war, but I haven’t lost what he has. I haven’t watched all my friends die. If I find myself in his position one day, I can only hope I have the strength to keep fighting like he does.”The room was silent after James' departure. Charlus was the next to depart and his only parting words were to call for Mipsy if anything was needed. When Dorea and the Evans were the only ones left she offered the family a strained smile, “I know this must be hard on the two of you. Believe me it was very hard on Charlus and I. To know that Harry suffered in our absence has caused us more pain than I could ever put into words. He fights for all of us now.”The woman hesitated before adding, “I feel the self-hate he has these days. I think his biggest regret since coming to this time was forming relationships with all of us. He thinks he wasted his best chance at defeating the Dark Lord. He accepts all the responsibility of defeating this madman and only blames himself that Voldemort has gotten this far. You may think my son is a monster Mr. Evans, but you have no idea what someone with the power that the Heir of Slytherin holds could unleash upon our world. Think about that before speaking such words again.”With that the woman followed her family out of the room, leaving the Evans to themselves. Jonathan stared at the doorway with furrowed eyes as he contemplated what he learned. Iris for her part put a hand on her husband's arm comfortingly, “This is beyond what I ever could have imagined.”“It’s crazy.” The man grunted out.“It’s the truth, dad.” Lily said pleadingly, “I know it’s hard to believe. I know this world all seems so strange to you, but I have seen the truth with my own eyes. I have seen Harry’s memories. What he experienced in his time was horrid. My friends…I watched them die…their children, I watched them die. All through Harry’s eyes. I can’t imagine what it was like. I can’t imagine the strength it takes to keep fighting. Now it’s all happening again, and he is powerless to stop them.”Jonathan and Iris stared at their daughter in horror and the girl wiped at her eyes, fresh tears threatening to spill out, before she shook her head, “He cares what you two think. Dad, go talk to him. You fought for our country…you know what it’s like to be a soldier. What would you have done? If we were all killed right in front of you? What would you have done?”Jonathan Evans swallowed hard before his eyes shifted from his wife to his daughter multiple times. Ultimately, he sighed, being unable to deny the truth, “I would want revenge.”Nodding, the girl accepted his words, “It’s natural. What separates Harry from the bad guys is that he doesn’t go around killing innocent people. His fighting isn’t decimating non-magical people by the hundreds. He wants to protect the world, and if the Death Eaters all disappeared tomorrow he would just rest, and make things right with his family, and the girl he loves. Can you really blame him for that?”Running a hand through his hair, Jonathon thought about his daughter’s words, before rising to his feet. She was right. He would speak with the boy, and make things right..o.Harry stared out over the grounds with a cold fury resonating in his lungs. Where had it all gone wrong? The Death Eaters attacked Cokesworth tonight to send him a message. The Dark Lord obviously knew of his family, which meant Lily and James were in more danger than anyone, and there wasn’t a thing he could do about it. On top of that, traces of Elaina were non-existent. Nearly every day he had sent her a Patronus, begging her to come back, but no response ever came. It crushed him a little more each day that she didn’t return, and the realization that he would have to move on without her became increasingly difficult to accept.His eyes were hardly registering anything in front of him as he saw the look of dismay on his maternal grandfather's face earlier. The look had practically seared into his mind. It was unfair that he was not given a chance to meet the man under normal circumstances. Unfair that his grandfather thought he was a monster just because he was saving their lives.Sighing, the teen ran a hand through his hair, and shook his head. He couldn’t consider these things when fighting the war. He couldn’t let the opinions of others influence his decisions. Not when he knew what was coming.A knock on his door drew him out of his thoughts and with a wave of his hand the door opened behind him. Turning his head to look over his shoulder, he was surprised to see his grandfather standing there at the door looking distinctly uncomfortable, “May I come in?”Turning to face the man, Harry nodded slowly, examining the stout man as he entered the room and closed the door behind him. The man did not fidget, and his eyes met Harry’s evenly. In some ways, the man reminded him a lot of Charlus, but it was clear to Harry that while the man may have seen some violence in his time, it paled in comparison to what Harry and his father had seen.“I just wanted to apologize for what I said downstairs.” The man started, “I don’t know the whole situation. I haven’t seen the things you have. I don’t have the advantage of the knowledge of the future, like you do. It’s all so hard to believe, and I think my natural instinct is to abhor violence, but I know at times it is necessary. This seems like it may be one of those times.”Harry nodded his head slowly at the man, “It is.”Jonathan fidgeted for the first time as Harry didn’t attempt to elaborate or continue the conversation. Eventually, the man sighed and gestured towards the chair that was attached to Harry’s desk, “May I?”Nodding Harry watched as the man took the seat at the desk and seemed to compound his thoughts before saying, “When Lily was born, I knew she was special. Of course, all fathers believe their baby girl’s are special, but there was something about her eyes. The way they shined, and the way she looked so peaceful. She hardly ever cried, even as a baby. She was just such a joyful little babe.”Harry wasn’t sure what the man’s intentions were with his words, but his fascination with what his mother was like as a child was something he could not ignore. He had never been given a chance to learn of his mother’s childhood, because Petunia never spoke on it, and Lily was so interested in his own.When Harry didn’t offer any comment, his grandfather continued, “She was my pride and joy. I loved Petunia of course, but Lily was just such a happy baby. To think she has a boy…no, a man—that she gave birth to is a little hard for me to register, let alone comprehend.”Harry swallowed hard, “I love Lily, like family, but I have a mother in this time. Dorea is everything I imagined a mother would be. I won’t expect anything from Lily, and she knows that now. I just want her friendship. I also want her to know that she is my family, and I will protect her with my life. She has come to learn that.”The man nodded and the look in his eyes showed Harry that he was at least attempting to comprehend the unprecedented situation, “We are all family. I want you to know I am sorry I was so quick to judge you down there. It wasn’t my intention to kick you or deem you guilty for what you have done. I took a man’s life today as well in the defense of my daughter. He was not the first either. I took lives in the defense of other’s homes while I was in the service. I have no right to measure your actions. This is all just so…”Unable to find the words Harry offered some of his own, “Surreal? Unbelievable?”“All of the above.” The man chuckled, shaking his head, and repeating the words again, “All of the above.”The silence that fell over the two now wasn’t as awkward as before, but Harry still watched the man closely, as a look of amusement began to cross the older man’s features, “I think my wife is quite put out with me. I think I upset your parents and this boy after my daughter's heart all in one go. Add on my grandson from the future, and I think I am at the bottom of everyone’s list right now.”“You did stick your foot in it.” Harry attempted to joke, making the man chuckle, “I do hope I get a chance to spend some time with you and your wife. Away from all the violence that plagues my world.”“I suspect Iris would have it no other way.” The man said evenly, “I suspect by the end of the night she will demand you call her grandma.” Contemplating his next words carefully, the man added, “I think it would go a long way in getting me out of the doghouse if you came and had dinner with everyone tonight. From what Lily says, some of your friends were supposed to come over tonight as well?”A dark expression crossed Harry’s features for a moment before shaking his head, “There is a lot going on in my life, even outside of what has happened today. I really wasn't in the mood for celebrating anyway.”The man stood up and walked over to Harry placing a hand on his shoulder, "Listen, son, the way I see it, there seems to be a really good chance that not all of us will gather again for your next birthday. I think you need to enjoy this moment as much as you can. If you don’t, you may regret it.”Harry pondered the man’s words and looked him in the eyes as he considered them, before deflating, “Very well. Just do me a favor and stop by the kitchen and talk to Mipsy, the house elf. Make sure she is making treacle tart. I am going to need it to get through tonight.”The man clapped Harry smartly on the shoulder, “That’s a good lad.”Seemingly feeling better about how the conversation ended Mr. Evans began to exit the room before he was stopped by the voice of grandson, “I just want you to know…you are a part of my family too. I will do anything to protect you and Iris. I don’t want what happened to you in my time to happen again. Lily should get to have her parents at her wedding, and to see her children grow up.”The man had his hand on the door handle now and looked back to Harry, “I will do the same for you lad. It’s like you said, we are family.”“To win this war, I am going to have to do things that I won’t be proud of.” Harry admitted.“Then do your best not to lose yourself along the way.” The man advised wisely.“Easier said than done, yeah?” Harry sighed.Jonathan forced a small smile on his face, “It certainly is. I can’t pretend to say what is truly right and wrong when the end justifies the means, but follow your heart. If you really are my grandson from the future, and you really are the son of Lily Evans, I can’t believe you would ever be truly evil.”With that, the man opened the door and left a thoughtful teen behind in his wake.