Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. All the characters are from J K Rowling's brilliant best-selling series.

Prologue

It was a cold, blustery autumn evening in the quiet village of Godric's Hollow. The sun lay low in the sky as the main street gradually emptied, with no one wanting to face the cold, post-sunset winds that howled all night. All was silent when a small pop was heard in the alleyway off the main street. A second later, a man and a woman appeared out of what looked like thin air, and the man tucked a silvery cloak into his bag. Holding hands, the set off together towards the graveyard.

"I don't think anyone saw us," said Harry Potter sombrely, looking at his companion, a medium-heighted witch with flame-red hair. Her honey-brown eyes stared deeply into his almond-shaped, green ones. "I don't think so, either," she said softly. She knew the emotional turmoil he was going through. It was the anniversary of his parents' deaths, and he'd returned from Auror training early in order to visit their graves. She had insisted on going along, and he'd acquiesced.

Ginny Weasley looked worriedly at Harry. He hadn't said much from the time they'd set off, and he'd seemed preoccupied. She followed him into the graveyard and said gently, "Let's split up, Harry, unless – unless you remember –?" He nodded curtly and she followed him, walking a little faster to keep up with him. He kept walking at a frenetic pace, walking through the gravestones without so much as sparing a look towards them, until abruptly coming to a stop.

"Here they are," he said, his voice a little thick. She quickly slipped her hand into his, and squeezed it as she read 'Lily Potter' and 'James Potter' on two gravestones, side by side, with the same mark, rather like a triangular eye, on them. She raised her wand and conjured a flower wreath, and handed it to Harry wordlessly, who proceeded to put it on his mother's grave. She repeated her spell and he placed the second wreath the other grave.

Harry turned around and looked at her straight in the eye. "There's something you need to know," he said, his voice steadier than before. She looked nonplussed. He continued, "I lied to you. The night of the battle, I dropped it in the forest. I said I was going to leave it there, but I didn't." He paused, waiting for his words to sink in. She looked dumbfounded; he didn't blame her. He'd told her exactly what had happened in the forest after he'd set off on the final walk to his death, and she knew about him recalling Lily, James, Sirius and Lupin. He quickly continued, "I went looking for it the next day, and I found it." He put his hand in his pocket and pulled out a small, black stone. She saw the triangular mark on it, identical to the one on the graves. There was no mistaking what it was; it was the Resurrection Stone, the second of the Deathly Hallows.

"Why?" she asked. "Why did you go back looking for it?" He looked uncomfortable. "I know, I know, no spell can reawaken the dead, and they don't truly belong to the living. It's just… I never got to know them. What kind of people they were when they attended Hogwarts, how they fell for each other, how they battled side-by-side for the Order of the Phoenix, you know…? Their story. As if they were telling me."

Ginny sighed. She understood his desire to see his parents again, but she knew that calling others back from death was unnatural, and too much attachment to the dead would sink him into a sea of despair. "Promise me," she said, "Just this once. Then you will let them rest in peace. I will dispose of the stone." He looked at her, and nodded. "Yes, I promise," he said. She nodded once and he took the stone in his palm. He closed his eyes and turned it three times in his hand.

He knew it had worked, just like he'd known it the last time. He opened his eyes and saw them standing in front of him, smiling at him lovingly.

"Well done, son," said James, "You destroyed Voldemort and fulfilled your destiny. We are… So proud of you." Harry nodded back, throat too constricted to speak. James instead turned to Ginny and said approvingly, "A Quidditch player, and a redhead. A worthy choice, son." He laughed.

"Can you make yourself visible to her?" he said, "So that she doesn't think I'm a nutter, speaking to my dead parents?" Lily smiled sadly. "I'm afraid we're visible only to you, sweetheart," she said softly. "But we can help you another way." He stole a glance at Ginny, who was looking at him with an intense gaze, as though she couldn't understand what to make of what he was doing. He quickly turned back to Lily. "How so?"

"We heard your wish," she said, "And so, I will let you in on a little secret that no one knows. You see, I kept a journal," she continued, a wide smile on her face, "Until your father –" she looked sideways, "Told me what a Muggle I was being, and asked me to store my thoughts and memories magically instead." She looked at James again, and he rolled his eyes. "Thus was created the Jar of Memories. It's still there in your room," she said softly. "I put an Unbreakable Charm on it, and it's still intact. Go find it, and your wish will be fulfilled. After all, that's what parents do, don't they?" she smiled even more widely. "They complete their children's wishes." James smiled too, and said, "Go find it. Just don't think too harshly of me when you see it." Lily rolled her eyes at that.

"Never," said Harry, his voice coming out in a whisper. He dropped the stone, and they both vanished, their smiles still etched upon their faces.

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"Harry?"

Ginny's voice brought him back to his senses. He looked at her, and saw that she'd already retrieved the Stone from the ground. "What happened? Did you see them?"

"Yes," he replied, filled with sudden excitement, "Come on, I've got something to show you!"

They set off running, stopping only until they came to the devastated cottage. Harry raised his wand. "Accio Lily's Jar of Memories!"

Before Ginny could react, a jar flew out of the cottage with a whoosh. He caught it, and his excitement rose on seeing the swirling, bluish mass inside. "Come on, let's go!" he yelled, and grasped her arm. "Where?" she asked, unable to understand his excitement, but he pulled her with him as they Disapparated.

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They materialized in front of the Leaky Cauldron, and Harry dragged her inside. He made straight to the fire, and grabbed a pinch of Floo Powder, and was just about to step into the flames, when he felt himself pulled back by Ginny.

"Harry, stop. Explain to me what we're doing, now."

He'd forgotten how forceful she was. Sighing, he pulled her back to one of the tables, and they both sat down. He briefly explained the interaction he'd had with his parents, the Jar of Memories, and the fact that they were now headed to Hogwarts to Dumbledore's office to get the Pensieve in order to see what his mother had left him.

"Now do you understand? I finally have a chance to get to know them!" he finished, his eyes dancing excitedly. She smiled and stood up without asking any more questions. "Let's go!" They stepped into the emerald green flames one after another, and felt themselves spinning into blackness, until –

"Potter! Miss Weasley! What are you doing here at this time?"

The shocked voice of Minerva McGonagall made him open his eyes. He was in the Headmistress' office at Hogwarts, and he saw the portraits look at him in confusion. He quickly got up and helped Ginny to her feet.

"Sorry to burst in like this, Professor, but we need to use the Pensieve – it is urgent –"

His expression caused Professor McGonagall's question about what the matter was to die in her throat; this was clearly important. "Is everyone all right?" she asked instead; it was almost six months after the battle, but Minerva McGonagall still bore psychological scars of the calamity.

"Yes," said Harry, now calmer; he'd realised that he had probably made her think that something awful had happened. "I have a favour to ask, Professor; can we please borrow the Pensieve?"

"As a matter of fact, you can," she said crisply, "I am now going to the Hallowe'en feast. You can stay here with the Pensieve, view your memories – yes, I know you want to do that, that is the purpose of a Pensieve, isn't it?" She said tartly, and he grinned. "You can then explain to me later as to why you burst in my office without prior notice." He smiled again. "Thank you, Professor," was all he said, though. She nodded before exiting the office.

"Well, this is it," he said as he placed the stone basin on the table. He slowly emptied the contents of the jar into the Pensieve, before looking at her and asking, "Ready?"

"Uhh, I think I'll stay here," she said uncomfortably, "I think it should only be you." She smiled wanly at him. He understood what she was trying to do, and appreciated it; after all, part of him wanted it to be him alone to see his mother's final gift. He nodded to her and said, "See you in a bit!" She blew him a kiss and smiled; he smiled back at her.

He bent down and touched his nose to the surface of the Pensieve. At once, he felt himself falling, and he felt a thrill of excitement… He was going to get to know his parents at last…

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