Imagine: The List
Fic posted by members of Vo's Imaginings YahooGroup


Disclaimer: Chocolate cake good. Chocolate cake better than disclaimer but if no write ‘I don’t own Harry Potter series nor do I make any money from this fic’ then I don’t get any chocolate cake because lawyers will take it from me. So write disclaimer and eat chocolate cake

Bad Author Notes: And finally we have reached the last chapter of this story. And before anyone can ask the question, the answer is No. There will be no sequel! If you want more about Hermione, Mr. and Mrs. Granger and what happens afterwards then you have my blessing to write it. I’m off to write more WTF stories.



With the help of Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick, Peter was quickly forced back into his human form and bound to the chair that earlier contained the man he framed. After forcing him to take the veritaserum, the questioning began.

“What is your name?” Harry demanded.

“Peter Pettigrew,” Peter replied.

“Are you, Peter Pettigrew, a Death Eater?” Harry asked.

Peter struggled for a moment before he finally succumbed to the potion and answered the question, “Yes.”

The silencing ward Madam Bones placed on the majority of those in the Great Hall prevented any exclamations from being heard.

Harry closed his eyes and took a deep breath before slowly letting it out. Opening his eyes once again he fixed his steely gaze on Peter. “Were you the secret keeper for my parents?"

"Yes," Peter answered simply.

"When did you become a follower of Lord Voldemort?" Harry said.

"Short… shortly before your birth," Peter stammered,

"Why did you become one of his followers?" Harry demanded.

"He was winning," Peter laughed bitterly. "No one could stop him. Better to be a follower of the Dark Lord than to be dead."

Harry looked down upon Pettigrew with a mix of pity and disgust.

"Did you fake your death and kill 12 Muggles when Sirius Black confronted you on the street after you betrayed my parents?" Harry asked.

"Yes," Peter replied with pride. “Sirius was always so prideful, so confidence of his abilities that he never noticed what I could do. He never realized that a rat is most fierce when cornered.”

"By your actions you not only betrayed my parents but your friends, your family and the world," Harry declared. "Now it is up to me to decide your fate."

Harry bowed his head in thought as the crowd waited impatiently for the fate of Pettigrew. Many people were whispering how Peter deserved death, others spoke of how Peter should lose his magic and be forced to live as a Muggle

Harry nodded his head. Raising his head up so that he could look at Pettigrew, Harry said in a strong voice, "A rat you have been and a rat you shall be. From this day forward until you die from old age you will live as a rat in the streets, your magic bound from you. No human hand will aid you in any way nor will you experience any act of kindness. That is your fate."

"Harry. Please," Peter begged as he heard Harry's decision. "Please I beg of you don't do this. What would Lily and James think of this?"

"I would say he was being too lenient," a male voice said from out of no place.

"Oh come now James, it is a fitting punishment," a female voice responded to the man. "After all now everyone can see Peter's true nature; a dirty sewage rat."

"Lily? James?" Peter squeaked as he looked around for the source of the voice.

"Hiya Wormie," the ghost of James said as he appeared in front on Peter. "Missed us?"

"Of course he didn't, James," Lily's ghost appeared next to her husband. "You can't miss what you didn't love."

The reaction to the appearance of Lily and James Potter can only be described as pandemonium. The first 30 seconds was dead silent as everyone gazed at the Potters in shock then Sirius Black let out a high pitched "James!" before his eyes rolled up in his head and he slumped in the seat the Healer had placed him in. It was immediately after that, that whatever spell held everyone else was broken as those gathered to watch the Breith Chríochnaitheach started to talk among themselves.

"I seem to remember him doing something like that when Harry was born," James said thoughtfully as he looked over at Sirius.

"Only because you were sharing the floor with him, James," Lily said sweetly.

"Oh yeah," James said, his brow furrowed with thought. "I knew there was a reason why Remus got to cut the cord."

"Oh baby," Lily gushed as she turned her attention to her son. "I'm so proud of you. You looked so handsome as you manipulated everyone just like we planned."

Harry blushed. "Well it was dad and yours plan, mum."

"But it was the execution, my son, that made a great Marauder," James declared. "Even the best plan can be waylaid by bad acting. Isn't that correct, Moony?"

Before Remus could reply, Dumbledore interrupted the reunion. "Lily. James. It's wonderful to see you again," he said. "But how is this possible? To my knowledge no spirit has ever returned after person had died due to the killing curse."

"Albus. Dear sweet Albus," Lily said sweetly with a grin that those who truly knew Lily Potter feared. "Please do the world a favor and busy yourself by fucking your brother's goats."

"Noooo. Albus. Noooo." James said in a poor imitation of what a goat would say if it could talk.

"James dear, that was a sheep," Lily said with fond smile to her husband.

"Sorry, my love. I don't know how to do a goat," James replied.

"Mr. and Mrs. Potter," Madam Bones said as she stepped forward while Dumbledore gapped at the Potters in shock.

"Madam Bones," Lily said with an honest smile. "Your brother and his wife speak of you and Susan all the time. They're very happy with how Susan is growing up. You should be proud of yourself."

Madam Bones froze at Lily's words. "Thank you," Bones finally was able to say. "But I need to know…"

"How we came back?" James finished.

Bones nodded her head.

"The family curse and blessing," James answered.

"What James is trying to say it that the Head of the Potter line is blessed with the help of the previous Head until that Head feels that they can do the job without any help," Lily explained.

"Which is a royal pain when your parents decide to pop in when you're busy," James grumbled.

"Your father did apologize," Lily pointed out.

"Only after you threaten to exorcise him," James countered.

"So you and Lily were with Harry the whole time?" Remus said finally recovering from the shock of seeing his dead friends.

"Yeap," Harry said cheerfully. "How else did you expect me to know anything about the wizarding world since I was dumped at my Aunt and Uncle?"

"And speaking of my dear sister and her husband," Lily growled as she glared menacing at the Headmaster. "I would like to know why my son was living with them when I know that our Will expressly forbid it."

"My dear Lily," Dumbledore said in a grandfatherly tone of voice. "It was the best option we had to protect young Harry with so many Death Eaters still free."

Lily fixed Dumbledore with a look as she considered his words. "Bullshit."

"Someone is in trouble," James said in a sing-song tone to which Harry and Remus nodded their heads in agreement.

"Mrs. Potter," Madam Bones spoke up, "Are you saying your husband's and your will was disregarded?"

"In the event of both James' and my death then Harry was to be placed in the custody of his godfather, Sirius Black with Remus Lupin acting as source for common sense…"

"I heard that, Lily!" Sirius who was starting to come to responded automatically, as he had done many times in the past when his friends had been alive. It was only when Sirius saw the ghostly forms of his friends that the past rushed towards him. "How can you be here? You're dead, aren't you?"

"Yes, Sirius. Now be quiet," Lily said before turning back to Madam Bones. "As I was saying before being interrupted in the event that Sirius Black is not able to take Harry then he was to be placed in the custody of my second cousin Angus MacGyver. And of course there are other alternatives in case something had happened to Angus."

"Well that is true, you must understand it was for the greater good," Dumbledore admitted.

"Greater good," Lily said in shock. "Greater good! "

"Come now, Lily," James said as he rubbed his hands up and down her arms in an attempt to calm her. "There's no need to get upset."

"Exactly, my dear," Albus said with a smile. "You see, James in complete agreement with me."

"I mean getting upset at him right now doesn't do anyone any good," James said, ignoring Dumbledore's comment. "After all he won't last much longer, especially if he loses his magic for his part in betraying us. Beside it will be more fun to plan with some other people who want to talk to Dumbledore."

An evil smirk appeared on Lily's face. "You're right James. It won't be right to deny the Prewett brothers the fun they deserve."

"Or any of the others," James said with a grin that match his wife.

Dumbledore blinked a couple of time in confusion but before he could say anything Madam Bones spoke up, "I don't understand. I understand about why both of you are upset over your Will not being honored and swear to you that as soon as I return to the Ministry I plan on have this matter investigated fully but why would other… spirits be upset with Dumbledore?"

"Because when you die, you learn the truth about everything. You learn how before you were murdered your murderer had been free with the promise that they would be good. Or how the truth can be overlooked because it didn't fit someone's picture of the greater good." James' voice was dripping with sarcasm a he pronounced the last two words.

A number of eyes turned towards Dumbledore as they remember his speeches on the greater good and on what is best for the wizard world.

"What about those of us who's still among the living who want to get their pound of flesh, so to speak?" Sirius growled as the Healer handed him another potion for him to take.

James shrugs his shoulders. "Have fun," he say. "And when you finally pass away when you're old and grey… greyer then you pick up where you left off. Eternity is a very long time."

A soft pain-filled groan came from Snape at James' word while a number of teachers shook their head at the idea of what the Marauder could do for all of eternity.

"And speaking of punishment and eternity," Lily said as she turned to look were the teacher and congregated. "We haven't forgotten about you… Tom."

The professor looked at each other in confusion while those in the Great Hall back and forth between the Potters and the professors.

"Come now Tom, you don't want to make people thing that the great Lord Voldemort is a coward?" James teased.

"But Dad, I thought he was a coward," Harry chimed in. "And a failed coward at that too. I mean how many dark lords does it take to kill a helpless baby?"

"Harry, you know better than that," Lily chastised. "It's not nice to tease those who are magically and mentally disabled."

"But Mum, he did try to kill me," Harry whined.

"He has a point, Lily," James said in Harry's defense.

"Fine," Lily said as she looked heaven wards. "But you can only tease him. No other dark lords."

"Unless they try to kill me too," Harry said.

"Unless they try to kill you too," Lily said with a sigh. "But you can't encourage them to try to kill you."

"The last time I had a dream like this there were dancing girls and a gorilla was trying to kiss Snape while he was wearing a pink tutu," Sirius mumbled to himself.

"Snape, wearing a pink tutu?" Remus said in surprised.

Sirius nodded his head. "He said his blue one was for formal occasion and not for day-to-day wear. He then said he has to take basket to his grandma before the man with the axe cut the wolf in half."

Remus looked down at Sirius then up at the Healer. "Don't worry about it. He's always been like that."

"Mrs. Potter, are you saying that the Dark Lord is still alive?" Madam Bones asked.

"He's mostly dead," Lily replied.

"Mostly dead?" Madam Bones said.

"You see, there's a big difference between mostly dead, and all dead. Now, mostly dead: he's slightly alive. All dead: well, with all dead, there's usually only one thing that you can do," Lily explained.

"What's that?" Dumbledore demanded.

"Go through his clothes and look for loose change," Harry and James said at the same time before breaking down into giggles.

"Now with the mostly dead, there are a few things you can do," Lily said. "The first is to bring them back to life but you need their body for that." Lily floated towards some of the teachers. "Now if you're mostly dead but your body is gone then you can float around like a ghost but I image it's rather draining isn't Tom?" Lily said as she stops before a trembling man who was wearing a turban.

"I'm afraid your m-m-m-mistaken, Ma-Madam. My name is Q-Q-Quirrell, Professor Q-Q-Quirinus Q-Quirrell," the man wearing the turban stuttered.

"Yes, you are," Lily agreed, "but you are also possessed by Tom."

"I don't know what you are s-s-speaking of, m-m-madam," Quirrell stated sharply.

"This would be a lot easier if someone just used magic to remove his turban from his head," James said to Harry in a stage-whisper.

"But dad that would take a powerful witch or wizard who had the ability to levitate an object and they were smart enough to get a clue," Harry replied in the same stage-whisper.

Everyone waiting a moment before Remus said in disgust, "Oh for the love… Wingardium Leviosa," as he pointed his wand at Quirrell's turban.

"It's the inbreeding, my son," James said with a sad shake of his head. "Remember it is not a good thing to put your mother, father, brother, sister, and/or cousin to the test."

As the last bit of Quirrell's turban unwound, there was a gasp from those close enough to what had been hidden under the turban as those farther away struggled to see.

"Damn! Tommy-boy you got ugly" James exclaimed.

"You're right," a female ghost with lank hair and thick glasses said as she appeared next to Lily. "He was much better looking when he was in school."

"Hello Myrtle," Lily said as she gave her fellow ghost a hug. "It's been a long time."

"That it has been," a very handsome, dark-haired young male ghost dressed in 1940s style clothing said as he appeared next to Myrtle. Shortly afterwards two other ghosts who appeared to be the other ghost's parents appeared.

The dark hair ghost looked over at Voldemort. "I never knew she was pregnant. If I had, I would have taken you in. I could never have acknowledged you as my child; you could have been an unfortunate cousin who had lost your parents due to an accident."

"Because your wife was a witch, father," Voldemort snapped as he stared with hatred at the ghost.

The ghost, the father of Lord Voldemort shook his head. "Because I was a pet. I was drugged by your mother and forced to do things I never wanted to do. I was in love to another woman when your mother kidnapped me and drugged me. I was a doll she used for her sick fantasy, a thing to show off to others. There was never any love, no true love between a man and a woman; just her potion. But I would never have turned my back on an innocent and that was what you once were. If I had known, I would not have turned you away."

It was about now that some of the students started to notice that more and more ghosts had been starting to appear in the Great Hall. Just like secrets the news of more ghosts appearing quickly spread among the students.

"And now look at you," Voldemort's father said. "A parasite. Leeching onto this poor soul in order to pretend that you're still alive."

"I am alive!" Voldemort exclaimed. "I've not some powerless spirit like you. Soon I will have a new body and then the world will bow at my feet."

Voldemort's father shook his head sadly. "I used to believe that a man, if he truly wanted to could rise above his station and do great things with his life. I am sorely disappointed that my own child has proven me wrong."

"Perhaps it's something from his mother's side," Lily offered. "After all the Gaunt family were highly inbred. And it's well documented that inbreeding causes a host of problems including emotional and sexual problems. For example did you notice how easily he was distracted and never once noticed how he was surrounded with no way of escape."

Myrtle let out a schoolgirl giggle at Lily's words as did those who had not previously noticed how more spirits had arrived.

Voldemort looked around at the spirits that seem to be every place in the Great Hall. "And you expect them to be able to stop me."

"No, Tom," James replied as he walked over to his wife. "I expect them to destroy you. After all Tommy boy only another spirit can destroy a spirit and since you're mostly dead…"

"You'll fail," Voldemort said with a smirk. "I am invincible."

"And yet, here you are, living as a parasite on the back of some guy's head, hiding under a smelly turban," Harry said cheerfully.

"And did you know that goblins will do almost anything if the money is right?" James said. "That includes hunting down and destroying things like say a Horcrux or seven of them."

"Bye bye Tommy," Harry said with a wave of his fingers. "Enjoy the weather in Hell. I hear it's hot down there."

Suddenly as one all the spirits surge forward and hid Quirrell and the thing on the back of his head from view.

"I don't think this will take too long," Harry said as he watched the mass of spirits, "after all there is not much left to him anymore."

"What do you mean, Lord Potter," Madam Bones asked.

"Mum said that he split his soul up into pieces in order to achieve immortality. Not that it would work," Harry explained.

"And why is that Harry?" Dumbledore asked.

Harry shot the Headmaster a look for using his given name instead of his title. "What do Dementors eat?"

"Souls," Madam Bones replied.

"Correct and incorrect," Harry replied. "They suck a soul out of a body but they don't eat it. They eat the energy, the emotions in the soul. An endless supply of food until the soul escapes or the Dementor dies."

"So a soul can not be destroyed," Bones said as she glanced at the mass of spirits.

"But they can be shredded. Shredded and scattered so that they can be absorbed by something else. Something that can clean them," Harry explained as one by one the spirits began to pull away from the mass and disappear. "Make no mistake, Voldemort, Tom is gone and can never return."

"It's over," James declared as Lily and he reappeared next to Harry.

Those gathered around looked over to where Quirrell had been only to find him laying on the ground, eyes opened, breathing normally.

"He’s not dead but his soul is gone. The only way to destroy Tom was to free Quirrell's soul," Lily explained.

"So it's like he's been Kissed," Bones said. "Only instead of his soul being in a Dementor it's free to move on?"

Lily nodded her head. "A lot of souls are freed now that they have had their revenge," Lily said in a tone that said she was one of them.

Dumbledore said, “I almost envy you as you start your next adventure."

"Oh we're not leaving yet, Dumbledore," Lily purred as she glared at the Headmaster. "After all we're here to guide Harry until he feels comfortable enough with the duties of a High Lord."

"And beside we'll be around a hell of a lot longer than you will be Albus," James said with a smirk. "If I was you, I won't be looking forward to your next adventure."

Dumbledore stared at the two spirits in shock. "But why?"

"You forgive the guilty too readily and condemn the innocent," Lily said. "There is too much blood on your hands, Dumbledore. Blood with you don't feel shame for. If you honestly felt remorse for your actions and the actions you inspire other to commit and you tried to make retribution, then things might be different."

"We need to go," James said with a yawn as his spirit seems to dim.

"Go where," Sirius said hurriedly. "You can't leave."

"It's all right, Padfoot," James said. "Just dealing with Tommy boy took a lot out of us. Just need to rest a bit and then we'll be back."

"We'll be back before you know it," Lily added in before vanishing like the fog against the sun.

Harry walked over to her his Godfather and his adopted uncle was standing. "Come on, Sirius," Harry said, "It's time to go."

"Harry, aren't you forgetting about something?" Dumbledore called out as Harry, Sirius and Remus were walking down the Great Hall.

Harry turned and looked at the Headmaster. "And what would that be?" he asked.

"Why, your sorting, of course," Dumbledore said as McGonagall carried in the Sorting Hat and the stool that was used during the sorting.

Harry looked at the Sorting Hat for a moment in confusion before it dawned on him. "Well… you see there no point in sorting me since I'm not a student."

The Great Hall was silent for a couple of heartbeats before exploding into noise.

"Silence," Dumbledore shouted as he projected his voice with magic.

As the room quieted down the Headmaster turn to Harry. "Would you care to explain what you mean by that Mr. Potter?"

"It's High Lord Potter and not really," Harry replied, "But since I doubt anyone would leave me in peace if I don't, I might as well. It's really simple, you assumed."

"We assumed?' Dumbledore replied, his confused was event in his voice.

Harry nodded his head. "You assumed that Sirius was guilty because he came from a so called Dark family. And you assumed I sent back an owl with my acceptance of your invite but I never did," Harry explained.

"But… but… you have to go to school," Fudge stammered.

"Actual, no, I don't. I can be home-schooled as long as I past my O.W.Ls and N.E.W.Ts," Harry replied. "But don't worry Minister I'm enrolled in a well-respected school."

"And where might that be, Harry," Dumbledore demanded.

"Cheyenne Mountain of Shamanism," Harry replied.

"That’s in America!" McGonagall exclaimed.

"Yeah, it is," Harry replied.

"If you were not a student, Potter then why did you come to Hogwarts in the first place," Professor Snape asked.

Harry shrugged his shoulder. "The Breith Chríochnaitheach. True I could have done it in Diagon Alley but it had more of an impact here at Hogwarts."

"And the Sorting Hat? How did you get him to play along with your little act?" Snape asked.

"Lily asked me," The Sorting Hat replied. "And with what she told me I saw no reason to deny her."

"Beside that Mum was really pissed off when she realized that Dumbledore had put up a mail ward in order to prevent me to get invites to other schools. She had to go visit the Headmaster and Headmistress of all the schools to explain the situation. Luckily only a few of them sided with you; the rest were more than agreeable to ignore the rejection letter you wrote."

"Albus!" McGonagall said in a chastising tone.

"Dad said there two things in the world you never want to piss off, a mother with her child and a goblin," Harry added in. "Congratulation, sir, you've done both."

"He stopped you from receiving mail from Gringotts," Madam Bones said with dread.

Harry nodded his head once again. "Luckily Dad was able to get them to promise to not do anything until we dealt with free Sirius and Tom. They seemed to like the idea of dealing with mail theft and false imprisonment of an account holder than simply dealing with someone stealing my mail."

"That's bad, instead it?" Fudge asked innocently.

Madam Bones pinched the bridge of her nose. "Yes that's bad," she said with a weary sigh.

"I'm sure that they'll be satisfied with an end of the corruption in the Ministry and a seat in the Wizengamot," Harry suggested. "Of course that is after all the parties have been given their fair trial."

An evil grin appeared on Bones' face. "Well to prevent another goblin war then I guess we must," she said. "I think High Lord Potter, that if you had attended Hogwarts you would have been sorted into Slytherin."

"Gryffindor, ma'am," Harry replied. "I come from a long and pride line of snakes hiding as lions."

"Hiding as lions!" McGonagall squeaked before her eyes rolled up into her head and she dropped to the ground.

The End

~*~

Note:

The goblins were able to get into the Lestranges' vault because they were arrested and convicted and therefore had no rights to the Vault.

The goblins were able to retrieve the necklace from Kreacher because of James's help. He was able to talk Kreacher into handing over the necklace for destruction. Kreacher was permitted to watch it be destroyed as Regulus asked.

And if you don't like my fix to those plot holes, blame Corwalch for pointing them out. :P
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