Dawn of a New Century

Chapter One – Elegie
... or how it all started

I was lying in my bed, re-reading Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone for the... to tell the truth, I have lost count of how many times I have read and re-read this series. From the time I was fifteen until now when I was thirty-two, this series has been my all.

No, I wasn't a fanatical fan like some of the others were that was obsessed with it to the point of being able to remember the Wikia and Pottermore information from the top of my head and able to argue about the lore like others did, but I did like to read the information on the series sometimes, I just didn't remember everything I ever read about it. I wasn't on top of things with Pottermore since the info about Ilvermorny came. Oh, I read what Rowling wrote about it and was sorted into Pukwudgie, but I didn't check on it daily or religiously to see if there were new things about my favourite characters. I was happy with the things I did know.

However in the last few months, I do have to admit that I took to reading and re-reading the books and the fanfictions a bit more.

The reason? I was dying and wanted my last days on this Earth to be full of things I loved. So, I binge watched my favourite TV shows, films and anime, and listened to the music I always loved and read my favourite books and stories again for the last time.

I didn't have the energy to play video games any more, but I did watch others play them. My favourite Let's Players had to be AwesomeMattG and StephenPlays which I followed kind of religiously, even if I have never heard or played the games before. They always made it fun, especially Stephen.

I listened to music to drown out the beeping of the machines that kept me as alive as possible with being in pain most of the time and not being able to breathe on my own. I was actually hoping it was over soon to spare my family and friends further pain of having to come visit me at my death bed every day. I was also hoping that it would be over soon so that I wouldn't be in pain any longer.

I never felt comfortable with them coming to visit. My brown hair was long gone due to chemotherapy and wasn't going to grow back any time soon. It made me feel a bit like I was less of a woman because I didn't have my hair anymore. I loved my hair. I would usually colour it dark reddish-orange, because I hated my boring natural colour, but I kept it long and neat. When it started falling out, I was joking about it at first, but soon it became a taboo when visitors came because I felt so depressed about it. I was more depressed about the loss of my hair then the loss of my health sometimes. My health was never the best, but I did my best with what I had. My hair, though.

But I digress, you didn't come here to read my monologue about my hair, you probably came to read about what happened after I died.

Well, you'll probably find out real soon, because I could see black spots in my vision and the pain suddenly peaked in my lungs, making the machines beep even more. How I wished that they would turn them off already and let me die. But no, my mum didn't want to let me go yet and she kept fighting past the point of no return, just as she did with my grandma when she was sick.

I kept telling her to let me go, but she wouldn't. Couldn't. She kept telling me that it was supposed to be her and dad that died before me. No parent should ever watch their children being buried before them. I remembered this quote from The Lord of the Rings when Thèodred was being buried by King Thèoden. Or at least I think I quoted it correctly.

But getting the quote correct wasn't important at the moment and I had to reign my mind back to the fact that I was dying right at this moment. I felt relief. My pain was finally over and I could rest.

I could feel my chapped lips quirk into a small smile as I closed my eyes and took my last breath.

You might be wondering why I started my story by mentioning I was reading Harry Potter. It's because after I died, I was reborn into it. At first, I was just floating in the warmth, not knowing what was going on. After a while, I could start to hear voices, though I couldn't understand them because they sounded like when you were floating under the water and people tried talking to you. Sometime later I could move again and I stretched a bit every now and then to check if I was still alive.

And then I was born.

You won't believe me when I tell you who I was reborn as, but I'll tell you anyway.

There was no Harry James Potter. Instead there was an Adaline Lily Potter.

Yes, you read this right. I was reborn into a female Harry Potter.

Go me!

Not really, if you remember what all Harry had to go through before he got his happily ever after.

Lily and James were wonderful parents, even if they were new to the parenting. Lily was the strict one and James was the lackadaisical one. I could tell by the time I was a month old that if James had lived past next Hallowe'en that he would have tried to spoil me rotten. Luckily Lily was there to temper his attempts. Sirius and Remus were also quite regular visitors during the next few months. I didn't see Pettigrew much, and when I did I tried to cry as much as possible whenever I saw him, hoping to let the adults know that I didn't trust him, as I could quite talk yet and it would be quite strange if I told them I didn't like him, since I was still a newborn baby.

I was just put to bed with my faithful Pafoo and Moo'y, two stuffed toys that were gifts from Sirius and Remus, when he came. My parents decided to trust Peter Pettigrew with the secret even if I never liked him and tried to make it known. You all know how that night went down, so I won't repeat it. Not because it might be boring to you, but because it was painful to me. I lost my second set of parents not long after I got them and I was going to have to live with my aunt Petunia. You can imagine I wasn't exactly jumping for joy.

I really loved James and Lily and was devastated when I lost them. I cried for days after that fateful night and only quietened down when Vernon lost his temper and threw me into the cupboard under the stairs. I guess I now knew why Harry landed there as well.

Author's Note: I got myself a Beta! So all hail to Child of Music and Dreams for going through this story and correcting it!