Chapter 1
[
The scene is chaotic. Some screams can be heard in a distance. Wildfire erupts suddenly making the bone-chilling cold sipping through his body a bit warm. Harry steps into the clearing and there their eyes meet. Lord Voldemort – with his black as raven feather robe and his pale deathly skin stands, looking at him. His red orbs that seemed like blood felt eerie. The wood around is silent and in a moment everyone that is battling near them as in truce looks at Harry and Lord Voldemort.
“Harry Potter,” he hissed. Harry grips his wand in hand, determined to march to his death.
“Voldemort.”
There, they dance for victory.
]
-Excerpt of The Golden Children, Chapter 66
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“I read this so much, but this scene still gives me chills,” Harry tells Evelyn beside him. Evelyn hums, not even looking at the messy hair lad. Her eyes are glued to the phone in her hand.
“You still read that?” Julian asks. Harry nods as he hugs the book in his hand. The book binding is Harry’s favorite. The book spine’s color is red and embroidered in gold. This gives the book, the elegance and aesthetic aspect it deserves and what attracts Harry to buy the book in the first place.
“Isn’t that an old book? I remembered it was popular twenty years ago.” Julian sips his drink.
“Yes, it is. But, I like the villain from this book. The best antagonist is ever written by the author. He’s a much-anticipated character. Can you imagine, being derived by goals almost in your life and being obsessed with them? Obsessive, possessive, unhinged.” Harry chuckles, as he talked about Lord Voldemort in almost a fond way.
“Are you for real?” Julian raised his eyebrows.
“Not lying.”
“The talk about multi-universe is real.” Evelyn cuts them off. She shoves her phone to Harry and starts to ramble off about space and theories of multi-universe.
“A book is a universe, is it not?” Harry asks. Evelyn and Julian stop discussing, throwing a look at Harry before both starts laughing.
“It’s a fiction Harry.” Evelyn says. Julian nods. “It’s the world written by the author.”
“Still, it’s a universe.” Harry retorts.
“Well, but like Eve here said, it’s a fantasy.” Julian adds. “And…the characters there are written by us.”
“What if…the world is alive, actually?”
“Nonsense.” Julian and Evelyn simultaneously shake their heads. Harry huffed.
“Okay, let’s stop this talk about space or whatever. Have you all finished writing the essay due this Friday?” Harry stared at them and Julian mouthed off something like, ‘you just can’t accept reality’ and Harry rolls his eyes.
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It’s not a lie to say that Harry is fascinated with Lord Voldemort. Their life is almost the same. Like stars aligned, Harry isn’t deranged and deems himself normal. Lord Voldemort is a genius psychopath, and nothing can change his opinion on that one character, he’s strong enough to defend himself since he is a child. Harry can tell anyone that he gets his strength from someone, but it’s just a character – a book character. Still, Harry wants to say thank you to the author of The Golden Children. But, there are a lot of rumours saying the author is missing for years, for reasons unknown.
Harry caresses the book softly. He let out a sigh as he embraces the book.
If you are falling into a deep slumber, it is hard to wake yourself up unless your eyes opened itself and sometimes the way to disrupt a peaceful sleep is something horrific like a nightmare or any other thing.
Can’t breath.
Harry struggles for air as he starts to move just to wake up. His eyes come upon red orbs that almost make him scream if not for the fact that his hands are trying to pry the man on top of him.
Let me go!
The man’s pale skin glows in the darkness and his smile almost adorns his face. “Die, Harry Potter.” The man hisses.
Harry always thinks of how his life would end. But, not this way. He won’t let himself being killed and he still wants to read The Golden Children. Just to see his favorite villain. The hold makes him almost choke and Harry starts to suffocate. His vision is starting to dim.
Let me go.
Let me go!
Just like there’s an invisible force throwing the man to the wall and Harry takes his chance to take a deep breath, gulping in the air as he holds his neck. It hurts. But, his instinct is telling him to run and Harry runs.
He takes in his surrounding before noticing he is in a house. It’s not his familiar hostel room and he starts to panic. Harry can feel the man has started chasing him and it’s not until he finds the entrance of a door that Harry feels like he is in a dream.
The patterns of snakes on the mahogany door start to move and Harry backs away. The orange hue from the light makes the silence much creepier. What happens? There’s a scene he is reminded of from The Golden Children, the Dark Lord – Lord Voldemort’s manor is very much filled with snake statues that are alive. It may be seen as decorations for the hallways, but it actually serves as eyes and ears for the Dark Lord and it also can attack the intruder of the manor.
“It’s a dream.” Harry mutters.
“It’s not a dream.” The voice behind startles him and he sees the Dark Lord looking at him warily.
“Why are you trying to kill me?”
The Dark Lord stares at him. They are looking at each other. Harry sees the Dark Lord frown and the description in the book doesn’t give Lord Voldemort the justice he deserves. His coiffed black hair was slick to the back and his aristocratic features with his high nose and well-defined cheekbones. His skin is sickly pale, and his eyes are as red as blood. He’s handsome, Harry notes. But, to say he is normal…he isn’t normal at all.
Harry can’t fathom the situation he’s in right now. “Well, why?”
Voldemort puts his right hand on his mouth as if he tries to restrain his laughter. And Harry listens to the wry amusement laced in his voice. “I don’t know if you forget this, Harry. But, both of us are always trying to kill each other. Don’t we? Even when death took you in.”
Harry blinks and horror dawns on him.
Don’t…don’t tell him that he becomes the Harry in the book?
[
Hermione sobs when she sees Harry is carried by Lord Voldemort’s loyal right hand, Regulus Black. The fight ceases as the sea of people part to make way for the Dark Lord and his followers. “Harry Potter is dead!” Bellatrix announces with glee.
“No!” Ginny shouts and there are roars, rejecting Harry’s demise. She shuts up when Voldemort looks at her.
“Silence girl. He is dead.”
]
-Excerpt of The Golden Children, last chapter
Harry remembers. He likes the book because the antagonist won. A book mostly will give readers the happy ending it deserves. The protagonist should be happy ever after. The Golden Children isn’t like that. It does not stop even when the protagonist – Harry is dead. The book’s popularity quickly dwindles when most people spoil it due to the sad ending and there’s still the last paragraph and the message left by the author to the readers.
[
After the savior’s death, most of the light wizards decide to leave Magical Britain before the decree Voldemort made is implemented. It is a long time afterward that Hermione and Ron knew of the new Magical Britain, and they heard of the amazing stories talked by passing wizards and witches of how it comes to pass in the long run.
Author note: Thank you for reading The Golden Children. I decided to leave it here first. If you have any other interpretation of the story, you are welcome to send me your mail in my website. But, The Golden Children still lives on. 😊
]
Harry doesn’t know what he needs to do. He isn’t that bright after all. What state is the story in right now? Does he become the Harry in the book or there are two of them right now? Harry blinks again.
“I…am I dead?” He asks, dryly.
The Dark Lord steps toward him slowly. “Well…” He cocks his head, watching him like a predator. “You’re very much alive even if you are dead for a hundred years.”
A hundred years?
Harry stills. “I’m sure there’s something wrong here. I am dreaming, am I?”
Lord Voldemort smiles. “Oh Harry, I put you in a casket after your death and I always wonder why your corpse doesn’t rot even when I don’t preserve it with magic. The question is, you are dead and how…did you come back to the realm of the living?”
Harry still opts to run away from the room. He doesn’t know why he ever comes here, does he?