The Hogwarts Effect

Happy Birthday Harry

     My name is Harry Potter and as long as I can remember, I've had a problem with letting go. When I was a teenager, I had lost so much. My parents, my godfather, my headmaster Albus Dumbledore who I felt the closest too, even my owl Hedwig who I thought would never leave me. I believe for that reason I was blessed with The Hogwarts Effect. But more on that later.
        My story starts 10 years after my graduation from Hogwarts and my defeat of the Dark Wizard, Voldemort. You see, me and my wife Ginny had just recently started to try to have children and it wasn't working out so well. For one I thought my semen was the problem and two, I didn't think I was getting enough time with Ginny being a full-time Auror and wizarding hero. It was the morning of my 27th birthday and she came in our bedroom, as I was waking up, with a large birthday cake; it was my favorite flavor, Double chocolate. "You didn't have to baby," I said and I could tell from her smile faltering that it wasn't the response she wanted.
        Truthfully, I hadn't been my cheery self since my Fourth year, before all of his Voldemort crap occurred; losing everyone close to me had really taken a toll on me. "I wanted to, Harry," she said, taking out her wand and lighting the candles with magic. "Now blow out your candles and make a wish!" I knew what I wanted to wish for. A redo, another chance to make my life better. I closed my eyes and blew out the candles.
        "Now let's get down to your party," she smiled. "My what?" I exclaimed. "Your birthday party of course. I've invited everyone," she said. Everyone, hmm who was left? I got out of bed, put on my glasses, and pulled on some blue jeans and a White, button-up shirt.
         I messed up my Jet Black hair to give it my trade-mark "Just-Got-Of-Bed" look and followed her downstairs. Our flat only had 2 floors; the upper one consisting of our bedroom, a guest bedroom, and a bathroom. Then the lower one had the kitchen, the entry hall, the living room, and another bathroom. We reached the last step and shouts of "surprise" echoed around the living room. At the front of the small crowd stood my Two best friends, Hermione and Ron Weasley.                 
        They managed to survive Voldemort's reign of terror and started dating soon after, then got married a year into it; Ron was the brother of Ginny. Hermione held baby Rose Weasley, in her arms; she had given birth to her only a couple weeks ago. The sight of their daughter caused me to sigh. I wanted a child so badly and so did Ginny. She patted my back with the hand she didn't have the cake balanced on, then went into the kitchen.
         I could make out several more faces in the crowd. Ginny's parents, Arthur and Molly Weasley, who were practically my parents, her and Ron's other brother Percy and his wife, Audrey. But most importantly, George Weasley. He had a twin named Fred, but Fred was killed in the battle of Hogwarts, a war that started between death-eaters and Hogwarts students, when Voldemort tried to break into the school and kill me. Most of my friends were taken from me during that, but George handled Fred's death differently.
         He drank his pain away until all that was left of him was a shell of his former self. Fred was his best friend, along with his brother. As far as he was concerned, George Weasley died with Fred. They owned a joke shop together, but after Fred's death, George sold it to Ron, who still tries to keep it afloat, but without the twins, the shop was never the same. It gets the occasional customer, but that was it really.
         He looked up from his Firewhisky bottle and nodded at me. I smiled and he looked back down at his bottle. In all honesty, I think he still blames me for Fred's death. Hermione and Ron hugged me and for a split second, I felt happier than I've ever been. Then they let go and it ceased.
         I kissed Rose's forehead and she smiled up at me; a tuft of Red hair had grown on her head since the last time I saw her.  "Harry, how are you,"  Hermione asked; she was a brunette woman with a kind face. "Fine. I've missed the both of you very much. Considering I've never really had a family, since arriving at Hogwarts, you have been my family. It has been hard not going back every year," I said. "If you ever need us mate, we aren't far. Just write us and we'll be here before you can say Quidditch," Ron said; he was tall with Red hair and Blue eyes. Quidditch...the thing I missed most about Hogwarts.
        "Maybe, but I know in my heart that things will never be the same as when we were in Hogwarts," I sighed. "Well maybe this will help," Hermione said, handing me a medium-sized leather-bound book. "What is it," I said, turning it over. There was an engraving in the back that read: "It does not do to dwell on dreams, Harry, and forget to live". It stirred a memory in my head. I was standing in front of the mirror of Erised, back in my First year of Hogwarts and my old, deceased headmaster, Dumbledore was there.
        We were talking about the prospect that I was seeing my dead parents in the mirror and he used the quote. "It was his," I stated. "He was going to give it to you, but never got the chance before his death. He had only began to fill it, but we finished it for him," Hermione smiled. "Thank you," I said, hugging her. About an hour later, after I opened my presents and we ate some of my birthday cakes, the party guests began to leave.
        Soon, all that was left was Hermione, Ron, and the rest of his family. I saw George go into the kitchen and I followed. He was filling his glass with more muggle wine. It was all we had in the cabinets. He turned around and saw me.
        "Harry, I was just," he trailed off. "It's fine. Me and Ginny don't drink much. Take the bottle if you want," I said. "Thanks," he muttered. "I'm sorry," I said. "What are you sorry about," he said, blinking a couple times.
        "I could've saved him....I could've went into the dark forest and ended the battle, before Fred died," I said. "Don't. You know that isn't what he would've wanted," he said. "I could've saved everyone if I hadn't been so stupid," I said. "Playing the blame game doesn't help anyone," he said. "I just wish I could go back and do things differently," I sighed.
        "Wishes don't exist, miracles don't exist. What you would've done doesn't matter, what you did do does. You saved me, percy, Ron, Hermione....you saved a lot of people, Harry, Fred didn't die at your hands. He was murdered by a terrible man," he said. Despite what he was saying, I still felt responsible. I knew for a fact that if I was at the right place at the right place, I could've saved Fred or my other fallen friends. We went back into the living room and I told my true family goodbye. I hated doing this, but I knew that they would have to leave eventually.
        "Cheer up and have a good rest of the day, and take care," Hermione said, when her turn to get a hug came. I kissed Rose again, then Hermione gripped Ron's hand and the Three of them disappeared with a pop. "You planning on going into the office today," Ginny asked. "No. I might as well take the rest of the day off," I said. "We could go to a club or something," she suggested.
         "Actually I was just planning on getting some rest. You can go if you want," I said. "Are you sure?" she asked in a worried tone. "Yeah. I'll be fine," I said, giving her a faux smile. But when she left, my face fell again. I went back upstairs to our room and I saw the book Hermione gave me.
         I sat on my bed and opened it. Almost instantly I realized it was a photo album and I now knew what Hermione meant when she said that she had finished it. The book was filled with pictures of my years at Hogwarts. I opened it to a random picture and saw it was one of me at the Third task for the Triwizard Tournament, the dangerous maze. Only nerves were on my 14-year-old counterpart's face.
        He had no idea that he would enter the maze and return with the knowledge that the dark lord had returned and that it was his fault, and the body of his friend, Cedric Diggory. This moment was when my life had changed forever. That was when it happened. A light sprouted from the page and the room began to shutter. There was a sharp pain in my forehead and the light from the page blinded me.