Double Trouble ~HP (Tomarry)

⚜Aftermath⚜

"I am...Harry Potter."

Harry felt like he should argue or get annoyed at the blatant nonsense the man was spouting. But he knew deep down....nobody knew his innermost feelings as much as he did himself....about his true feelings....and the man could read him so easily as if he knew exactly what Harry felt...

"How?" Harry decided to keep himself short.

The man...no Harry's elder self let out a tired sigh at that. "I-I come from the year 2014 Harry...20 years far way from this time." Harry nodded dumbly at that.

'20 years....he must be 34 years old by then....that was him after 20 years.' Harry watched in amazement at his older self.

'That was him...Harry could be the man as he grew up...' Harry thought amazed. 

"I hope you become nothing like me Harry." the man's statement startled Harry as he looked at the man inquisitively. But the man simply continued, "I hope you go through nothing from which I went through....I hope you see nothing from what I saw...I hope you and I hope with all my heart for you to become nothing like me." 

Harry just stared at the man...a man who looked like he was carrying the burden of the whole world....a man who looked so tired....so miserable...so broken...

Gone was the man who had looked all playful and cool a few moments ago....gone was the glow in the man's eyes as only anguish and regret remained in them. 

Harry mustered up all the Gryffindor courage within him as he stood on trembling legs and came to a stop right in front of the man. Kneeling, Harry directly stared at the downcast eyes which had lost their life and joy....

"What happened?" he asked in a mere whisper.

Intaking a shaky breathe, the man stared back right into Harry's own emerald eyes although they weren't jeweled as the man's, they were still the same...they both belonged to Harry Potter...

"A war will take place in the upcoming years." and Harry felt dread arising him from that very sentence. 'He couldn't avoid the war at any cost then.' Harry thought solemnly.

"And, you-I-" seeing the man struggling, Harry provided him with the right word, "We?" 

"We-we...the light is gonna win and we...we are gonna die." the man added with great difficulty. 'What?' Harry thought confused. 'He was gonna die? B-But his future self was alive?!' 

"What-" Harry made to ask but the man shut him up. 

"Please....please." Harry couldn't deny the voice. It sounded so pleading...so desperate...so crushed...

"Please don't ask anymore than I tell you...I assure you I-I will tell you everything when the time comes...but not now...now is not the time." 

Harry nodded, slowly taking the man's large hands in his own trying his best to comfort him. Once again, taking a deep breathe the man began, "After the war, everything was alright in the beginning but then...the wizarding world which I-we gave our life to protect....suddenly turned into ruins...and every single wizard, witch, child, creature who had supported me....helped me....fought for the light....were hunted until they ceased to exist....the death eaters had risen again..."

Harry didn't know how to react to that.   

"...Everyone died...right in front of my eyes...right in my arms..." Harry could feel the man trembling so he threw caution out of the window and simply hugged him tight. 

He didn't know how long they stayed that way....and Harry hated to admit it that, he felt so safe and secured for the first time....the way the man had embraced him....even Sirius's hug couldn't mean so much to him as this hug meant to him.....the feeling of being protected, cared and most importantly loved.