ripped at every edge (but you're a masterpiece) (Hp x Mcu) by Lissy

Chapter 22: don't need another perfect lie

Summary:

The truth is further revealed, and Hari does something supposedly impossible.

Chapter title:
Secrets - One Republic

Notes:

Timeline:
[x] (2012) The Avengers
[x] (2013) Iron Man 3
[x] (2013) Thor: The Dark World
[ ] (2014) Captain America: The Winter Soldier; Guardians of the Galaxy; Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 2
[ ] (2015) Avengers: Age of Ultron; Ant-Man
[ ] (2016) Captain America: Civil War; Spider-Man: Homecoming
[ ] (2017) Doctor Strange; Black Panther; Thor: Ragnarok
[ ] (2018) Avengers: Infinity War

"And I thought my family had problems," Tony whispers in her ear.

Hari's head ping-pongs between Thor and his parents. The God of Thunder looks stricken, betrayed, and Hari pities him. She's been in his shoes before, has felt the sharp sting of betrayal so keenly. She'd stumbled out of Dumbledore's pensieve with that same look on her face, reeling from the revelation that she wasn't meant to survive the endgame.

It was there, in the cold, empty Headmaster's office that Hari almost succumbed to despair.

She'd wanted to curse the unfairness of it all, had wanted to let loose the scream that had built in her chest until her throat tore.

Most of her life had been fighting, and one of the things that had kept her going was the thought of a tomorrow without Voldemort looming over her shoulder.

If she was never meant to live into adulthood, what was the point?

Grief was heavy in her heart, but even so, she didn't have it in herself to weep. Her world was tumbling down, and she wanted to sit on the stone floor until the cold seeped into her bones and numbed her, but she couldn't. The castle was practically vibrating from the furious onslaught outside, and as Hari looked out the window at the students battling Death Eaters in the courtyard, a sense of calm came over her.

Her life may end, but those people down there? They could have a chance at a better future.

And as she thought of Hermione, the Weasleys, Neville, Luna, all of the friends she'd made in her tenure at Hogwarts, she'd decided that maybe dying in this world, dying for them, maybe that wouldn't be so bad.

"You raised Lily's daughter like a pig for slaughter!"

That was, perhaps, the part of the memory that had nearly succeeded in breaking her.

Snape, the man that had belittled her, taunted her, threw her father's memory in her face over and over, he understood. He'd looked at Dumbledore with almost a bigger sense of betrayal than she had.

Funny, how long it took for Hari to see Dumbledore's true face.

He hadn't cared about Hari, an orphaned girl desperate for a family and some sense of belonging in the world who wanted nothing more than to be loved.

He just needed her to survive long enough to die at the right time.

She hadn't seen it coming.

Why hadn't she seen it coming?

Deep down, she knew it was because after the years of neglect and abuse she'd endured from her relatives, she was starving for attention, like a dog begging for scraps.

And Dumbledore, a war veteran who knew Voldemort's return was inevitable, who knew that she would be the Wizarding world's only hope this time, who had to take up the mantle as leader of the resistance once more, knew this.

He knew she was treated little better than a house elf.

He knew she never considered Number 4 Privet Drive as her home.