PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS STORY AND ITS PREQUEL AND SEQUEL ARE NOT HARRY CENTRIC AND FOCUS ON OTHER CHARACTERS BESIDE HARRY

Disclaimer: HP belongs to JKR/OCs belong to me.

Chapter 1: Goodbye

4th May 2028

Harry watched his wife pick up her overnight bag.

"I'll see you in the morning, Harry."

"Goodbye, Seville." Intending to kiss her, Harry drew her into an embrace that Seville briefly returned before pulling away from Harry.

"Sorry, Harry, but I really need to get out of here otherwise I'm going to be late." Seville was a little distracted as she was already thinking about the news conference she was going to be attending in Paris later that day.

"Take care," Harry called out as she hurried out the door and out of sight.

"I will," Seville called back as she ran down the staircase. If she had known that this was to be the last time she would ever see her husband, Seville probably would have treated their goodbyes a little differently.

Harry waited for the sound of her disapparating before entering his closet and removing the box he had placed in there several days ago. Even though he planned to enter the archway and slip beyond the veil, he still felt the need to take the things that were most precious to him, especially as he had the feeling that he wasn't going to his death, at least he hoped not. After shrinking the large box, he slid it into his pocket before opening the door and walking out of his bedroom.

Opening the kitchen door, Harry saw his three daughters at the breakfast table discussing Tara's upcoming wedding, and he sat down in a spare chair. "Good morning, girls. Kennedy, I was hoping you'd be here." Harry had seen his son Robert and his wife Jennifer the day before.

"Hi, Dad." Kennedy had agreed to meet her sisters for breakfast before they went shopping for bridal shoes, but she hadn't expected to see her father. "Are you all right? You look a little tired."

"Bad transformation." Harry's last transformation had been extremely painful despite the Wolfsbane he had taken and, just over a week later, Harry was still feeling the effects of it. Severus had been trying out a new formula in the hope that it would help with the pain and arrest the transformation, but it had failed.

"Why don't you come with us today?" Tara suggested, sporting a cheeky little smile as she knew how much her father hated shopping. "You can help decide on the final choice for my wedding shoes."

Harry hid his distress that he wouldn't be there to see his daughter marry George and Katie Weasley's eldest son, David, in three months' time. "I'd love to but I've something important on today."

"Maybe we could get together tomorrow for lunch? Nic's on a training course all day," Kennedy said, as she smiled brightly at Harry.

"Let me get back to you. I've got a lot of work on at the moment."

Being the daughter of the head of Auror Division and married to a trainee Auror, Kennedy knew how hard her father worked. "Just don't overdo it."

"I won't," Harry promised. Unable to eat, he got up from the table. "I need to go but how about a hug before I do?"

Kennedy could sense that something was bothering Harry but believing it to be work related she didn't push it and simply slid her arms around his waist. "I love you, Dad."

"I love you too, Kennedy." Harry kissed her on her cheek before addressing his two youngest daughters. "Now, how about a hug from you two?"

Both girls got up and hugged him, and Tara looked endearingly at her father as she let him go. "Are you positive you don't want to come with us?"

"You know how I feel about shopping." Harry tweaked Tara's nose. "Now give me a kiss goodbye."

Tara dutifully plonked a kiss on Harry's cheek before Willow did the same. Harry then walked over to the dining room door and looked back at his daughters. "Goodbye, girls."

All three girls smiled at Harry and hollered out goodbyes to him before returning their attention to the list that Kennedy had begun to make. Harry gave them one final glance before closing the door behind him, tears starting to form in his eyes. Dashing them away, he took a deep breath and apparated out to British Auror Division, or BritAD as it was more commonly known.

Orion was waiting for him in his office, and he immediately began to pester his brother. "Harry, please reconsider."

"No, Orion!" Harry had known that his brother would try one final time to talk him out of his decision. "I just can't."

Orion, however, wasn't ready to give up, and he tried to use Harry's family to sway Harry's decision. "But what about Seville and the children?"

"They'll be well taken care of." Harry performed his trademark action when he was stressed or upset, and ran his hand through his hair. "And they'll get over it."

"The girls will eventually be fine, but Seville might not." Orion knew it was a low blow but he didn't want to lose the brother he had always adored and looked up to.

Harry disagreed. "I doubt Seville will even notice I'm gone." With the busy lives they led, lately Harry had felt as if he and Seville were sometimes little more than ships that passed in the night.

"I'm certain she will." Orion knew that while Harry loved Seville, he wasn't as happy in his marriage as Orion was in his own. "And I'm not going to get over it."

"You will, Orion," Harry said as he checked over his office one final time before turning to face his brother. "You're going to do a great job here."

"You should be doing a great job here, Harry." Orion placed his hands on the top of Harry's arms, and he tried one last time to change his brother's mind. "Please, Harry, don't do this. I don't want to lose you when there's no need."

"I have to, Orion." It hurt Harry to see that his brother had tears in his eyes. "And I think it might be better if we say goodbye now."

Realizing that he was going to be unable to change Harry's mind, Orion pulled his brother into a tight embrace, trying not to let the threatened tears fall. "I love you, and I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too…" Harry gave a small grin and tried to lighten things up, "…provided I don't die of course."

Orion lightly punched Harry on the arm. "I don't believe you will. Nor do you, or you wouldn't be doing this."

"You're right. I don't believe I will." Harry kissed Orion's cheek. "Look after everyone."

"I will," Orion promised, and he closed his eyes as Harry left the room, before locking and warding the room and then giving into the tears that had threatened to fall moments earlier.

Nic and Peri were waiting for Harry just outside of the Death Chamber. "I almost wish I could come with you." Nic had felt tempted.

"But I've told him this journey is for you alone." Peri, like Harry, believed that he, and he alone, was needed for something important, even though none of them knew what it could be. She hugged Harry and kissed his cheek. "Be safe."

Harry took Peri's hand and kissed the back of it. "I love you."

Nic gave Harry a brief hug. "And we love you. Now get in there and get this done." Nic watched as Harry entered the room and closed the door behind him, before he put his arm around his wife and led her away.

As Harry turned around from closing the door he let out a shocked gasp. The room was no longer the dark, stone-stepped pit it had been when he had entered it moments ago. Now it resembled the white room from his dreams, and, just as in his dreams, Hermione was standing in front of the white stone steps leading up to the archway.

"Hello, Harry."