Disclaimer : I do not own any of the characters (but really wish I could own Draco..:D)

A/N : The story follws an alternate plotline after the sixth book.I've taken some ideas from the 7th book too. It's my first HP fic. So, I hope you like it. R&R

Chapter 1 - An Unexpected Visitor

Too much I've let everyone face
No more now, not any more.
Alone I shall now go along this way
Cause this my chosen road.
Don't come behind me,
Let me be.
But before I go
There's a promise I make
To all those I made to suffer
This will now end
I'll make it stop at once
Even though the path gets tougher

"Ouch!" he exclaimed as he pulled out his bleeding hand out of the trunk. He had never realised how much broken pieces of glass, plastic and what not had got collected in the bottom of his trunk over these years, over these beautiful six years he had spent at Hogwarts. But now, he thought, was the end of all of it. With Dumbledore's death a few months back, Hogwarts had changed forever. He had spent a few days there after his beloved professor's death and had realised that he could never really be happy in this place he had once called home until and unless he revenged the deaths of his parents, his godfather and now Dumbledore. So, Harry Potter made his decision and no one could deter him.

Hermione and Ron had made it pretty clear that they would accompany him, no matter what, but he couldn't let them. They had just discovered how much they loved each other,what if.... He didn't even want to think about that. That was one of the reasons why he planned to set off sooner than he had thought. The plan they had made was that members of the Order of Phoenix would come to fetch Harry from 4, Privet Drive on his 17th bday and would take him to the Burrow where they would discuss further plans. But Harry knew better than that. He couldn't let anyone else get involved in this. This was his fight and he would fight it on his own. He won't let anymore people die for him.

Resolute, he continued with sorting out his stuff to see what he would take along with him. Finally, he had it done. On one side of his bed lay all that he could need in his journey ahead - among the textbooks he only took DADA and half blood prince's copy of potions which he had retrieved from the Room of Requirement before leaving Hogwarts, next came his sneakoscope, the snitch he had caught in his first game (Dumbledore had given it to him before they went looking for horcruxes), a few sets of clothes, the set of mirrors Sirius had given him for communication(he didn't need them but couldn't leave them behind), a book of attacking and defensive spells Hermione had gifted him and many more. He reduced their size and put them all into his backpack he had bought a few days ago. He laughed dryly when he thought he was still underage but now was a time of total disruption of the law. The Ministry was doing all it could to fight Voldemort and did not pay attention to these petty laws.

After he was done he stuffed the rest of his things under his bed taking a last look at the photoframe that held two of the moments he spent with people he loved the most, one with Ron and Hermione and the other with Ginny. Seeing Ginny reminded him of another thing he had to do.

he picked up a parchment and a quill and wrote :

Hey Ginny,

Hope you are ok. I am sorry for leaving everything like this. Please convey this to Ron, Hermione, Mrs. Weasley and others.

I also want to say sorry for one other thing. That is my sole purpose of writing this letter. Ginny, I'm sorry but you should know that you were and will always be like a sister to me. What we had last year was just a bit of attraction but the truth is you are my best mate's siater and mine too. I know it will hurt you and I'm sorry for that, Gin.

Also let everyone know that they would rather not try to find me 'cause even if they do find me, there is no way to convince me to alter my plan.

Be safe and tell Ron and Hermione the same. And tell them they look great together.

Love Harry

He tied it to Hedwig's leg.

'I will be leaving in two days. After that you will be free. Take this to Ginny a day after I leave.'

Hedwig cooed softly making him smile a bit.

Satisfied with his arrangements, Harry went downstairs to prepare dinner before the Durselys came back.

He was in the process of making the dessert when he heard a loud thump at the , he went to open the door. There was no one there. Just then, he caught sight of a few boys running down the lane. Only then did he see a tiny creature lying semi-conscious at the doorstep.

He picked it up. It was a fox and a beautiful one. Its fur would have been white had it not been so full of dust and mud. But still it was the softest thing Harry had ever touched. He closed the door and ran to the bathroom with the fox in his hand. He checked that it didn't have any broken bones but just a wound on its leg. He cleaned up the wound and dressed it. After that he cleaned up the fox, whispering to it all the time, telling it that everything would be ok. After drying it up (with his aunt's hairdryer and then remembering that he was a wizard) he took the fox to his room and placed it on his bed.

"Don't worry. You are safe here," he whispered to the fox who seemed a bit withdrawn. He petted it for a while, keeping it close to him until the fox was purring (that's what it sounded like to Harry). He, then, slowly pulled it away admiring its beauty. The fur was pure white as he had expected but there was a streak of blue between its ears.

"You're gorgeous" he said, caressing the fox. "What shall we call you now? What do you think of - Felix?"

The fox rubbed its head with Harry's cheek. "Guess this means you like it. Hey just stay here for a while. I'll be back soon with something to eat. But remember DO NOT COME DOWN!"

Harry quickly finished his chores, in an unexplainable hurry to get to Felix, grabbed some bread and milk from the fridge and warmed it for Felix and himself.

When he got back to the room, Felix was sleeping soundly in his bed. Trying to make minimum noise, he put the dinner on the dresser and changed into his pajyamas bottoms. He never wore a T-shirt to bed, always felt it could strangle him in sleep. When he got back to the food, he noticed that Felix was awake now.

"Hey come on let's eat," he smiled gently.

Felix instantly placed itself near to him as Harry fed it.

"So let's get some sleep now, the Durselys,(Felix gave him a questioning look) that's my uncle, aunt and cousin I live with, anyways, so they have their key so we can go to sleep. And by the way, I'm Harry"

When he lay down, Felix positioned itself as close to Harry as it could, whining slightly.

"You still afraid? Don't worry, those boys won't come here to hurt you." He turned its face towards him as he spoke these words. The instant he looked into its scared eyes, the grey eyes with a mist of blue similar to its furcoat, Harry felt a wave of familiarity.

"Your eyes remind me of someone but who? I just can't place it."

Suddenly Felix squirmed out of Harry's hold and sat up as gracefully and haughtily as he could.

"Malfoy??"