Haunted Memories and the Horcrux Hunt
He heard the whispers start as soon as they entered the death chamber.
The voices of his dead parents were speaking to him from beyond the veil, tempting him, beckoning him.
Loved ones gone too soon pleading with Harry to come join them through the veil.
All he had to do was brush up against the curtain, fall through the faint glowing mist, and greet them on the other side.
It would have been all too easy to listen to their pleas, to see his parents once more, and to leave all of his responsibilities behind.
Harry Potter had a mission to complete, however. Find the last Horcrux, destroy the blasted object, and go kill Voldemort once and for all.
His friends: Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, Neville Longbottom, Luna Lovegood, and Ginny Weasley had all once again followed him to the Ministry of Magic. Despite his many objections to them coming along, he didn’t want to be the cause of anyone else important to him dying again.
They were joined by the only adult he trusted with his life. He was the only adult left who was friends with both of his parents.
Remus Lupin had joined their merry gang as soon as Harry started making plans to search for the Horcruxes, again against Harry's wishes.
Harry had hoped that the only connection he had left to his parents would have stayed behind, maybe fixed his broken relationship with Tonks but no. Remus had been a steady constant companion while his friends and him searched for Horcruxes.
As Harry led his group of undesirables closer to the veil he hoped beyond anything that this wasn't another trap.
The whole reason they were at the Department of Mysteries in the first place was that Harry couldn't get the nagging feeling out of his head that Voldemort would hide something precious of himself in the exact place Harry lost the most precious person in the world to him.
Harry despised being in the death chamber once again.
The Lumos from his wand illuminated the grimace that spread across his face at the sight of the veil.
His steps faltered as the memories of the last time they were closest to the veil played through his mind, the echoed scream of ‘SIRIUS’ that reverberated through the room when his godfather was hit by a red spell. The way Sirius plummeted backward into the veil and the look of shock on his face before he disappeared.
It still haunted Harry's nightmares.
He remembered how proud he was when Sirius told him “nice one” when he disarmed Lucius Malfoy.
He still remembers the smile that appeared on Sirius' face before he was hit by the spell, the way his heart dropped into his stomach as his godfather fell through the veil.
The one person who could have given him a normal childhood, the only adult left who could and would have saved him from the Dursleys was gone in a heartbeat.
Harry remembered the sensation of Remus’ fingers that dug into his waist as he pulled him away from the veil when he tried to go after his godfather. The calming words Remus whispered to him as he sobbed, the angry red scratches he left on Remus’ arm as he continued to try and follow Sirius despite Remus’ attempt to stop him.
Harry felt a shudder run up his spine, his eyes turning glassy as he continued his stare off with the veil.
He took a step closer, the veil was within reaching distance when a hand grasping his shoulder brought him back to the present.
Looking back, Harry stared into Remus' brown eyes. Remus didn't say anything but he didn't have to, his eyes screamed unspoken words “Are you alright? It's okay if you're not, I'm always here if you need me.”
Firmly back in the present now, Harry gave Remus a shaky nod. He was all right, everything was fine. He gripped Remus’ arm which was still against his shoulder in thanks. Remus’ support meant everything to Harry.
He went to squeeze Remus’ arm to center himself back on the task at hand when he felt something in the air shift.
The whispers from the veil had stopped.
Remus’ hand tightened on his shoulder, hard enough to make Harry wince, and a guttural growl echoed around the otherwise silent chamber.
“We aren't alone,” Remus snarled out, his eyes turning amber.