Hello, everyone, and welcome to my second book, which surprisingly enough, is a Harry Potter book! I always thought to myself, "There's no way I can do that!" But, after reading a few fanfics, I believe the time is ripe for me to have a go! It's been so long since I've published on Fanfiction (2 flippin' years!), but I will do my best to deliver a fantastic story! One that is unique and original, yet keeping the story true to heart. So, before we can begin the actual story, we must begin with this:
Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter series. If I did, I would be enjoying a very early retirement right about now.
With that, we'll start with...
Prologue: The Dark Times
Here we go!
The years 1970-1981 were a rough time for the Wizarding World. Especially considering it was known as the First Wizarding War.
During these times, chaos and mistrust ran rampant not only on the streets, but also in people's homes and everywhere else. And leading the way was Lord Voldemort.
Known as the most powerful dark wizard of modern times, he sought to make himself all-powerful and eternal, and his best lieutenant, known as the Dark Prince, was feared to be almost as strong as him.
Murders and tortures were common between the years of 1971 and 1978, during which the Dark Prince used his vast powers to cause strife amongst the witches and wizards of the world for Voldemort, using his Metamorphagus powers to decieve their targets, and easily defeated all who dared to duel him using his vast knowledge of normal and dark magic alike. Then, they came.
Fresh graduates from Hogwarts, a number of new members of the meddlesome Order of the Phoenix were causing problems for Voldemort and Rigel, but no one caused as much trouble as Michael and Brynn Williams.
And, on June 5th, 1979, they had a meeting, one of which was filled with bad news.
"My lord, I bring a report," said Bellatrix Lestrange, Voldemort's third-in-command. " Rosier and Wilkes have been defeated by the Williams."
Voldemort, angry at hearing such news, said, "Those fools have failed me. How dare they die to a couple of blood traitors."
The Dark Prince looked at Voldemort and said, "My lord, I have expressed my opinion on finishing them myself. If you will permit me, I will see to it that the Williams are dead and out of your way."
"As much as I appreciate your vigor, Prince, I will see to it that your cousin will be the one to finish off Brynn Williams," said Voldemort.
"Oh, thank you, Master!" exclaimed Bellatrix, who threw herself at her master's feet. "I will not let you down!"
Two days later...
"What happened?!" yelled Voldemort.
Bellatrix, nearly breaking down, her face covered with tears, said, "I don't understand, my Lord! I went and cast a curse, being sure that it would kill her, and it simply bounced off!"
"Lies!" shrieked the Dark Lord. "Curses cannot simply bounce off!"
"My lord," said the Dark Prince, "Perhaps we could have her extract the memory of the duel and see it for ourselves."
As he snapped his fingers, two house-elves appeared and put a Pensieve on the living room table.
"If my cousin is willing to provide, of course," he continued to say as he looked to Bellatrix with an evil smirk.
"Of course!" exclaimed Bellatrix, who wasted no time in extracting the memory and placing it in the Pensieve.
"You haven't tampered with it, have you?" asked The Dark Prince in a menancing tone.
"I have nothing to hide from you, my dear cousin," she said to him as she bowed to him.
"Let's find out," said the Dark Lord as he went into the Pensieve.
"After you, dear cousin," Rigel said with a dark smile.
Shooting him a dark look, she went into the memory, with Rigel following right after.
The three of them were in a middle of a field where the memory Bellatrix said, "Look at you, you filty blood traitor! Prepare to die!"
Looking at this red-headed young woman of ocean blue eyes and attractive features, the redhead shouted back, "You're sadly mistaken, Bellatrix."
And, a great duel began. Brynn Williams was able to match Bellatrix spell-for-spell, twice anticipating Bellatrix firing off a Killing Curse and dodged in the nick of time.
Near the end of the duel, Bellatrix fired off a curse that Brynn Williams could not fully dodge but, instead of eliminating her, it bounced off her, making a terrible sound, but Brynn Williams was indeed unharmed.
Voldemort, who watched the fight with keen interest, said, "Perhaps she could be very useful to us."
Eventually, Bellatrix was saying, "I'm going to win, you filthy blood traitor!"
However, she felt a spell hit her in the back. As she whipped around, she saw a man with red hair, strong features, and a face full of fury saying, "Over my dead body, Lestrange!"
"Michael Williams!" shrieked Bellatrix, who went on the attack.
"Michael Williams, huh," said The Dark Prince, mostly to himself.
It was then that Michael Williams nearly overpowered Bellatrix by sheer cleverness and excellent dueling skills, which caused Bellatrix to retreat the fight.
Once out of the Pensieve, Voldemort said to The Dark Prince, "Perhaps this matter shall be dealt with by me personally."
The Dark Prince bowed to him (all the while smirking) saying, "My Lord, it would be a great honor to assist you in this endeavor."
Voldemort looked at him and said, "You just want to be the one that kills one of them."
"My lord sees everything," he simply stated.
"And I will allow you to do so," said Voldemort. "Come, Dark Prince. Destiny awaits."
"So, what's next?" asked Sirius Black.
The Order of the Phoenix was in a middle of an emergency meeting, discussing further actions after the William's duel against Bellatrix Lestrange.
"Voldemort will definitely be coming after us," said Michael to the rest of the Order. "If a fight with Voldemort is inevitable, then I would prefer to go down fighting."
"No!" James Potter roared. "Michael, I know you've accomplished a lot. Star Chaser, genius in all of your classes, very creative and unpredictable. And Brynn, you're right up there with him, except for the fact that you like to overpower your opponents. But, there is a massive difference between dueling Bellatrix and dueling Voldemort!"
"I agree with James, Michael," said Remus Lupin. "Going after Voldemort is not the right decision. Not without reinforcements."
"And he would not be alone!" said Brynn as she slammed her fist onto the table. "He will have me!"
"No one is denying your value, Brynn," said Dumbledore calmly. "But Voldemort is not to be underestimated."
"I'm not underestimating him," said Michael. "That's why I have a plan."
"And what exactly is your plan, Michael?" asked Sirius.
"Corner him and take him by surprise," Michael said. "I'll give him another wizard to fear."
With that, the rest of the members felt his anger and no one else dared argued.
"This is your plan?" asked Brynn. "Waiting out smack dab in the middle of London?"
"Yep," said Michael. "Gives us breathing room and no chances to corner either of us."
Right then, they heard a groaning sound from the sky.
They looked and, as Michael somewhat predicted, two forms were shooting out of a skull and were heading straight into their direction.
"Why are there two people coming at us instead of one?" asked Brynn, confused.
"I don't know," replied Michael.
The two forms landed thirty feet away from the two, one of them being Voldemort, and the other being a man that looked exactly like-
"Sirius?!" shouted Michael.
The man besides Voldemort said, "Most definitely not. In any case, I believe introductions are in order. I'm the Dark Prince."
"Shit," muttered Brynn. "The Dark Prince is here as well?!"
"I'm going to have words with Sirius when this is over," muttered Michael.
"You stand in the presence of the most powerful wizard to ever live," said the Prince as he gestured to Voldemort. "He knows of your noble blood and skill and wishes to make a most interesting offer. I only ask that you listen to him before you decide."
As the Dark Prince stood to the side, Voldemort took a few steps forward and said, "Michael and Brynn Williams, I have taken notice of your abilities and offer you both a place in my inner circle, as Death Eaters. When I rule the Wizarding World, I will ensure you two highly rewarded for your services to me. Refuse, and you will feel the wrath of a wizard more powerful than you can imagine."
Michael and Brynn looked at each other for a second before blasting the street in front of Voldemort.
As he Apparated back to The Dark Prince's side, they shouted in unison, "How's that for an answer?!"
Voldemort merely stated, "So be it."
And with that, he shot a Killing Curse at the both of them, who dodged to opposite sides, Michael shouting, "Bombarda Maxima!" and attacking Voldemort head on.
"I'll start with you, blood traitor!" Voldemort spat as he shot another Killing Curse at Michael Williams.
"You're not alone, Michael!" Brynn shouted as she made her way to Michael, only to be stopped by a fire spell that hit the road right in front of Brynn.
She looked to find the Dark Prince, wand raised, saying, "Oh, he'll be very much alone in his fight against the Dark Lord. You'll be facing me, Williams!"
"Out of my way!" she shouted as she fired off a volley of spells at him, who merely moved out of the way of each spell and raising a Shield Charm for the last spell.
"No one gets in my Lord's way or my own!" he shouted as he said, "Acerbus Navitas!" and blasted Dark Energy right at Brynn.
She immediately roared and caused the Dark Energy Wave to be negated.
"What was that just now?!" he thought to himself. "That was not natural! I better start getting serious."
All of a sudden, he metamorphed into Lily Potter, clothes and all, and said (with Lily's voice to match), "All those times in the Library, studying spells and becoming strong and you fall short against the Dark Prince. I'm ashamed to call you my friend."
"Shut up, you snake!" yelled Brynn as she blasted fire at The Dark Prince.
The Dark Prince (still looking like Lily Potter) repelled the flames with another Shield Charm, used the flames to cover himself morphing into Sirius Black and said (matching his voice), "You honestly thought those flames would do anything? Here, Brynn! Try these flames instead!"
With that, he ushered Fiendfyre in the form of a snake, who noticed Brynn and went on the attack.
To The Dark Prince's utter shock, she charged the snake, swiped his neck with her right hand, and disintegrated the Fiendfyre snake in an instant.
"Fiendfyre burns everything that the caster wants to burn!" thought the Dark Prince. "I don't understand how she was able to do that!"
He metamorphed into James Potter and said, "I thought I knew you better than this, Brynn. What kind of a friend are you if you can't stop the terror that is the Dark Prince?"
"You may look like them, sound like them, and morph to match their clothes, but I'm still able to see your true form!" shouted Brynn, who launched jinx after jinx at The Dark Prince.
Dodging all the jinxes, The Dark Prince morphed back into his normal self and stated, "So, psychology won't be effective here. In that case, I'll overwhelm you!"
He then shot pure black Dark Energy from his wand straight at Brynn, who put up a Shield Charm, which broke the moment the Dark Energy made contact and Brynn fell to one knee, doing everything she could to not fall to the ground as she was being buffeted by the Dark Energy.
"You honestly thought you could stand up to me, the Dark Prince of the Wizarding World?" shouted The Dark Prince, who persisted with the Dark Energy despite Brynn's weakening attempts to stay on her feet. "I, who defeated the Prewett Brothers and Marlene McKinnon with ease! I, who traveled far and wide to gain the power I have today! You foolish woman! You dared to come here today, and for that, YOU DIE!"
Brynn heared Michael shouting, "NO!" as The Dark Prince shouted, "SECTUMSEMPRA!"
The Dark Prince watched her struggling form as red arc of light erupted from his wand and straight at her, fully expecting to cut her existence away from the world and had an evil smile on his face.
Which faltered when he saw the curse bounce off of her skin and into the sky.
"What is this?" said The Dark Prince, who for once in his life, was very concerned.
"You've pissed me off for the last time," said Brynn, whose eyes took on the color of pure gold, went into a rage and attacked.
He saw Brynn starting to duel the Dark Prince, then looked at Voldemort, who said, "Don't you dare turn away from me, Williams!" as he fired off a Killing Curse.
Michael dodged to the side and said, "What's the matter, Voldemort? I thought your aim was better than that."
"How dare you!" he yelled as he fired off Dark Jinxes at Michael, who merely dodged them and said, "I really don't understand why everyone's afraid of you. My grandmother has better aim than you, and she's dead."
Voldemort screamed in anger and started compressing Dark Energy with his hands.
"I don't think so!" yelled Michael, who (using all of his concentration and praying that he was doing it right), started to compress Light Energy in his hands.
Both combatants let loose their energy at the other, negating on contact, but broke all the windows in the area by sheer force.
"So, this is what The Dark Prince meant," said Voldemort. "Michael Williams, 'The Copycat Wizard'. So, are you a great observator and improvisor, or are you merely a thief?"
As he asked this in his sneer, Michael replied, "Anything would be better than being a coward like you."
Deepening his rage, Voldemort cast Fiendfyre, taking the form of a snake, hissing at Michael and preparing to strike.
"First, you hide behind your Death Eaters, then behind a snake?" asked Michael. "A truly cowardly man you are...if you can be called human anymore."
With that, a flick of his wand caused the fire snake's head to be cut off and the fire disintegrated.
"I will not be belittled by you, Williams!" yelled Voldemort as he Disapparated and Apparated right in front of Michael, getting ready to cast another Killing Curse.
Michael, anticipating this move, Disapparated behind him and used the Force Spell.
"Augh!" yelled Voldemort, who conjured up a silver shield to deter the spell.
"Like this spell?" asked Michael rhetorically. "Learned this one from Dumbledore. You're familiar with him, right?"
"Don't you dare mention that Muggle-lover's name to me, Williams!" shrieked Voldemort as he started raising all the shattered glass on the streets.
"Oh, crap!" said Michael. "Time to disappear!"
So, he blasted the street in front of Voldemort as a cover so that he could use the Disillusionment Charm, then proceeded to hide behind a Muggle car.
"How dare you run away from me, Williams!" roared Voldemort as he sent the shards of glass flying in the direction of Michael.
After they took their course, Michael thought, "Duplicatus Maxima!"
Afterwards, he shouted, "If you had trouble hitting just one of me-"
As he was saying this, he lifted the Disillusionment Charm and Voldemort found himself looking at 20 Michael Williams.
"-imagine trying to hit all of me!" finished the 20 Michaels in unison.
"You think you're so clever, hiding behind your precious Duplication Spell," said Voldemort, who was on the brink of losing his temper altogether. "Perhaps I'll show you why every witch and wizard in the world fears me!"
"What's he planning now?" thought Michael.
Out of nowhere, Voldemort sent a much more powerful, omni-directional blast of Dark Energy, sweeping all of the Michaels off their feet, breaking the Duplication Spell.
Before Michael Williams could get up, he saw his wife on her knees, the Dark Prince getting ready to kill her. He shouted, "NO!", fearing for the life of his wife. However, Voldemort Disapparated and Apparated right next to Michael and shouted, "CRUCIO!"
Michael felt searing, unimaginable pain coursing through his body. An image of his wife flashed through his mind, his drive renewed knowing he had to live.
"I will not lose! I will never lose!" he thought.
With every bit of strength he could muster, he got to his knees, then one hand, then two hands.
"What is this?" yelled Voldemort, who was still using the Cruciatus Curse on him.
He got to one knee and, still feeling unimaginable pain, stood on his feet, saying, "I am driven by a force by which you know nothing about."
"CRUCIO!" yelled Voldemort, a bit of fear in his voice now present.
Michael merely winced as he continued, "It is because of this force that I fight you today, unafraid and unimpressed. I look in front of me and see a decrepit form of a man desperate for something he will never achieve!"
"CRUCIO MAXIMA!" shrieked Voldemort, very much afraid of Michael Williams.
He felt his his body was about to break into a million pieces, but continued, "You, who know nothing of love, shall always LOSE!"
And, with that last word, Michael yelled as loud as he could and shattered the Cruciatus Curse, making Voldemort fly back 30 feet.
Voldemort, getting on his feet, now looked at Michael Williams in an entirely new light. He saw this man, whose face was determined and spirit unbreakable.
"This man broke my Cruciatus Curse!" he thought. "He's not human!"
At that moment, Michael saw The Dark Prince coming right at him, wand raised and ready to strike.
However, he was cut off by fire that landed five feet in front of Michael.
The Dark Prince looked and cursed himself. There stood Albus Dumbledore and half of the members of the Order of the Phoenix, standing 15 feet behind Michael and Brynn, who rejoined her husband's side.
The Dark Prince Disapparated to Voldemort's side and said, "It appears we are very much outnumbered, my Lord."
Voldemort noticed everyone's presence and said nothing as the two of them Disapparated.
"Damn it!" shouted Sirius, who ran to the Williams' side. "We nearly had him!"
Michael, who fell to one knee, said, "No, we didn't. He greatly underestimated me and paid the price. Next time, he will not hesitate."
Dumbledore got Michael to his feet and said, "You've done a fantastic job today, Michael Williams. You too, Brynn."
"I don't think I did that great," said Michael.
"Oh, really?" said Brynn. "Then, what about them?"
As he looked around, hundreds of witches and wizards looked at Michael and Brynn in awe and shock.
Remembering what happened earlier, he looked to his wife and said, "Brynn, how did your body deflect that curse in your duel against the Dark Prince?"
Brynn looked away from him and said, "I'll tell you once we get back to headquarters."
Sirius looked at Brynn and asked, "You deflected a curse?!"
All of a sudden, Michael rounded on Sirius, slammed him against a wall, yelling, "And why didn't you tell us about the Dark Prince accompanying him?!
Startled, Sirius asked, "What are you talking about?"
"The Dark Prince!"yelled Michael. "The man that looks an awful lot like you nearly killed Brynn!"
Taken by surprise, Sirius said, "He's alive? You saw him?"
"Wait, what?" asked Michael.
"Now is not the time for such talk," said Dumbledore. "We must go somewhere safe."
"Agreed," said Brynn and Michael as everyone in the Order Disapparated.
Febuary 9th, 1980
"No, no, and no! I don't agree to this!" said Michael.
Michael, Brynn, Sirius, Lily, James, Remus and Dumbledore were having a meeting discussing what needed to happen since the Williams' duel against two of the most powerful Dark Wizards of all time.
Dumbledore, who was keeping calm, stated, "A prophecy has been made regarding the downfall of the Dark Prince, as well as Voldemort. We need to hide you two as well as James and Lily."
"But, why are you suggesting Brynn and I to move to America?" yelled Michael.
"In light of recent information, it is necessary to split up Voldemort and The Dark Prince on their respective manhunts. And familiar soil will no doubt be crucial as camoflauge."
"So what if a prophecy has been made? Big freaking deal!" yelled Michael.
"I agree with you completely, Michael," said Brynn, who was rather subdued. "I don't set much store by prophecies either. But Voldemort and The Dark Prince will set much store by the prophecies. And you can guarantee that they won't stop until they've succeeded in destroying their obstacles."
Feeling defeated, Michael said, "When would we go?"
"As soon as possible," Dumbledore stated.
James looked at Dumbledore and asked, "You've planned this out for a while, haven't you?"
"Since I've heard the prophecies," admitted Dumbledore. "I've had a couple members of the Order set up everything for our arrival. They are standing by now."
All of the people that attended stood up and said their goodbyes, all teary eyed. Michael and Brynn had a horrible feeling that they wouldn't be seeing some of their friends ever again.
"Oh, by the way," said Dumbledore. "Brynn, you might want to be careful in the next upcoming months. You might do something that could cause complications to the baby."
Everyone looked at Brynn while Michael said, "You're pregnant?"
Both Lily and Brynn looked away from their spouses while Brynn said, "4 months and counting."
"You've been pregnant since our duel with Voldemort and The Dark Prince?" asked Michael.
"Yes," said Brynn and, this time, Lily Potter.
"You too?" asked a shocked James.
"Enough," said Dumbledore. "Michael, Brynn, my sleeves."
Not wanting to upset Dumbledore, they grabbed his sleeves and Disapparted to America.
Upon their arrival, they looked at their new place and said, "Well, at least the accomodations are nice. But, what about citizenship? Jobs?"
"I've arraigned with the U.S. Ministry of Magic to give you Auror positions once the Wizarding War is over and your citizenship is already taken care of. As Brynn originates from America, she has no need to apply for citizenship."
"So, I take it you'll be Secret-Keeper," asked Brynn.
"Oh, yes," said Dumbledore. "As long as I'm the Secret-Keeper, you'll be safe. Just don't make too many ventures outside of your home until the War is over."
"Understood," said Michael.
July 9th, 1980
"Michael Williams, I swear to God, if you don't shut up, I'm going to tear you in half!" screamed Brynn.
As Brynn was currently in labor at their home, Michael decided to keep his mouth shut as the mid-wives kept telling her what to do.
Meanwhile, James, Sirius, and Remus were waiting just outside their bedroom, anxiously awaiting the birth of their best friend's child.
And, sure enough, they started hearing the cries of their newborn child as Michael exclaimed, "He's a boy! Our child is a boy!"
The three men came rushing in to see an adorable baby boy wrapped up in a blanket being held by Brynn with a smile on her face while Michael couldn't seem to take their eyes off him.
"What's the child's name?" asked Sirius eagerly.
"Marcus Michael Williams," stated both parents at the same time.
"Sirius, will you be godfather?" asked Michael.
Sirius looked at Michael and said, "Of course! Oh, Brynn, can I hold him?"
As Brynn let Sirius hold him, Marcus opened his eyes to reveal ocean-blue eyes.
"Hey, he's got your eyes, Brynn!" said Sirius. "And your beautiful red hair, too!"
"Well, thank goodness," said Michael. "At least he didn't inherit my looks."
Brynn proceeded to punch him on the arm and said, "You stop that! You are a very handsome man!"
Sirius sat down with Marcus in his arms and said, "Hey there, Marcus. You got two fantastic parents, so I know you'll be raised well. And, as soon as this horrible War is over, I'll teach you everything you need to know about being a prankster. You got your mother's looks, and I'm willing to bet you've got your father's personality. You're going to be an amazing wizard, I just know it!"
As Sirius and the others looked at Marcus, Michael leaned over to Brynn and said, "Hey, honey, you don't think there's a chance that-"
"He could be exactly like me?" finished Brynn. "Well, my intuition tells me that's exactly the case."
"Well, we'll find out for sure eventually," said Michael.
They spent the rest of the day conversing, anticipating Lily's baby that was due in a couple of weeks, and not worrying about anything at all.
November 1st, 1981
The news that the Dark Lord Voldemort had disappeared and the War was finally at an end went all over the Wizarding World, witches and wizards everywhere were celebrating.
Everyone except Michael and Brynn, who were devasted by the loss of their two dearest friends, James and Lily Potter.
While they were in their living room, mourning their loss, they heard a knock on the door that could only mean one thing: Dumbledore.
And, sure enough, they opened the door to find Dumbledore, who merely said, "May I come in? There is something I would like to discuss with the two of you."
So, as soon as they settled themselves in the living room, Dumbledore said, "I do not wish to burden you anymore than I have to, so I will make this quick. James and Lily's will was discovered in the wreckage and it states that everything they own was to be left to Harry James Potter. However, they mentioned one other thing."
"What would that be, Dumbledore?" asked Michael.
"The will also states that, in an event that the two of them are unable to take care of their child, that full custody is to be rewarded to Michael and Brynn Williams of Harry."
"Well, where is Harry?" said Brynn, excited to see him.
"I regret to inform you that I cannot allow you to uphold this part of their will," said Dumbledore, tears running down his cheeks.
"WHY NOT?!" roared Michael.
"There's no doubt that Voldemort will one day return and, when that happens, Harry will need a place to go to that will shield him entirely from Voldemort. I have Harry currently living with his one remaining blood relative's family until he is of age or no longer calls it his home."
"That Muggle family?" asked Brynn in horror.
"First, you move me and my wife away from my friends, to a place where we can't help them," said Michael, his voice shaking with fury, "And then this?!"
"Believe me, Michael Williams, if I could, I would be more than glad to let you two raise Harry," said Dumbledore. "However, this is for his safety, and there are many things I wish for Harry to be oblivious of until he's old enough to understand."
Brynn looked at her husband, fully expecting him to attack Dumbledore. To her utter surprise, he slumped and said, "I understand, Dumbledore. I really do. It's just...why? Why was I not able to save the people I love?"
Dumbledore, who couldn't reply to that, looked to Brynn and said, "I have one more thing to tell the two of you. You're officially hired by the U.S. Ministry of Magic as Aurors. They are very excited to have you start tomorrow."
He looked to Michael and said, "I'm sorry for causing you so much pain."
"Don't apologize, Dumbledore," said Michael, not meeting his eyes. "I know you didn't mean for any of this to happen."
With that, Dumbledore bid them farewell.
July 9th, 1985
"Happy Birthday, Marcus!" exclaimed Michael and Brynn.
They were in their living room, celebrating Marcus's fifth birthday with cake and presents.
"Thanks, Mommy! Thanks, Daddy!" said Marcus with a beautiful smile.
"Look, Brynn, he's a spitting image of you," said Michael, to which Brynn could not deny, with their son's red hair and ocean-blue eyes.
"Well, I'm sure he's got his daddy's personality," said Brynn as she kissed his cheek while Marcus blew out the birthday candles.
They spent the afternoon watching Marcus opening up his presents, which contained a toy broomstick and a few kid books, one of them being an encyclopedia of pranks and jokes.
"I wonder where the babysitter could be?" asked Michael. "We've still got to get him his last gift, and it just came in today."
Right on cue, they heard a knock at the door, and they opened it to reveal Orielle Caldwater, Marcus's babysitter.
Marcus noticed right away and ran to her, saying, "Orielle!"
"There's the birthday boy!" exclaimed Orielle, who promptly gave Marcus a hug.
"Well, Orielle, we're going to head into the city for a little bit," said Michael. "Keep an eye out on Marcus while we're gone, all right?"
"Will do, Mr. Williams!" said Orielle.
Once they left, Orielle looked at Marcus and said, "Hey, Marcus, do you want to play outside?"
"Yeah!" exclaimed Marcus with another big smile.
So, they played outside for a while, flying on brooms playing Chaser, playing hide-and-seek, all their favorite games.
Eventually, Orielle looked to Marcus and asked, "So, what do you want to do next?"
Marcus thought for a minute and said, "I want to play duel!"
All of a sudden, a voice out of nowhere said, "That sounds like fun. Mind if I join?"
They looked to find a tall man wearing a dark wizard cloak over a suit, with dark straight hair and red eyes, wand out and had a dark smile on his face.
"Marcus, get behind me!" yelled Orielle as she whipped out her wand.
Unfortunately, the man in black was too quick for her as he shouted, "AVADA KEDAVRA!"
Marcus watched as the bright green light struck Orielle, who died before she even hit the ground.
Marcus ran to her, falling on his knees, shaking her, saying, "Orielle! Orielle! Get up! Get up!"
"She's not getting up," said the man. "She's dead, killed by my Killing Curse."
Marcus looked at the man, terrified and was about to yell for help when the man cried, "Silencio!" and the young child found himself unable to say anything.
"Forgive me for not introducing myself before," said the man, who locked Marcus in the middle of the air, his limbs spread apart, as if he were chained to a wall. "I'm the Dark Prince. Perhaps your parents told you about me?"
When he shook his head, The Dark Prince sighed and said, "Dear, dear, I'm disappointed. Surely, someone of my stature does not deserve to be forgotten. But, enough about me. I'm here for you."
The Dark Prince started to walk around the boy as he continued, "Do you have any idea how long it took to hunt down your mother and father, boy?" He chuckled as he said, "No, of course not. How could you? You didn't even know I existed until this very moment. No, after the Dark Lord disappeared, I knew I had to shift my focus. Sure, I could look for him, help him revive, but as long as I know that I can be killed, why not take care of the problem first? Of course, that was much easier said than done, considering that Muggle-loving fool's protection. It took me a long time to find out that your family was out living in America, right outisde New York City. And, naturally, there was your mother to worry about, with her unnatural abilities, as well as your father. That is, until very recently. However, there is a way to avoid this unpleasantness. All you have to do is join me. Become one of my servants, and I'll show you what it means to be powerful."
Marcus, having regained his voice, looked at him and said, "I'd rather die before I join you."
The Dark Prince just shook his head and made noises of disapproval as he said, "So be it, boy. I'll be sure to take my time to kill you, to ensure you feel pain." With that, he whipped out his wand once more.
Marcus, once again unable to speak, looked at the man in horror as he continued, "See, I'm going to experiment on you. See if my suspicions are right."
With that, he pointed his wand at Marcus and said, "Reducto!"
Marcus watched as the red light from before simply bounced off his skin.
"I knew it," said The Dark Prince. "You are your mother's son. An unnatural freak. Well, naturally, I came prepared."
With that, he took out a fang and said, "Do you know what this is?"
When Marcus shook his head once more, he explained, "This is a fang from a lion. A particulary ferocious one, now that I recall."
Out of nowhere, he shouted, "Diffindo!" and shredded the boy's shirt to reveal his torso.
"Now, let's see if this works," he said with glee in his voice as he took the tip of the fang and made a great slash across his chest.
Marcus wanted to scream so badly, express his pain, but found himself still unable to speak.
"Oh, so it is true," said The Dark Prince with a smirk. "You and your mother are indeed weak to one physical thing. Oh, I'm going to have so much fun with this."
He then shouted, "CRUCIO!"
He felt unimaginable body throughout his body. He couldn't move, he couldn't scream. He just wanted this pain to stop.
The man named The Dark Prince continued to make new marks, each mark followed up with the spell that caused him great pain. Eventually, Marcus's front torso was covered in slashes, his head looking down at the ground below him, wanting so much to wake up from this nightmare.
The man took a step back and said with a wicked grin, "Ah, there we are, boy. What do you think?
Marcus looked down and noticed that the scars formed the shape of a crown followed by an X."
"It's my Mark," said the man. "This particular mark means I've got you marked for murder."
He then leaned towards the boy and said, "You don't realize what you truly have until it's taken away from you, you know? No, of course you don't know. Well, perhaps a little now."
Marcus looked over to Orielle, his late babysitter and he was overcome with anger and tried as hard as he could to break free of his invisible bonds.
"Yes, that's it," said The Dark Prince as he brought his head back. "Come at me! Come at me with your hate, boy! It'll do you a lot more good than love ever will."
He, once again, got closer to Marcus and said, "Love is for the weak. Love is for fools who put their feelings ahead of logic and power. If you want to beat me, boy, you'd better bring your hate and ferocity."
Then, out of nowhere, Marcus heard his mother cry out, "MARCUS!"
There his mom and dad stood, thirty feet away, looking in horror of the state of their son because of an old foe.
"Ah, ah, ah, Williams!" the Dark Prince said to Michael as he took the lion fang up to Marcus's throat. "Take one wrong step and your precious son will feel the fang in the side of his neck, and I can only guess what kind of pain that'll bring."
As neither parent could do nothing, Marcus could sense the Dark Prince smirking as he said, "Now, Michael Williams, let's see how death suits you!"
Before he could raise his wand to do the deed, Marcus, overwhelmed with anger, yelled, "Leave my mommy and daddy ALONE!"
With that, Marcus shattered the invisible bonds The Dark Prince had on him. Before The Dark Prince knew it, he was on the ground, looking at his mortal enemy.
"What is this?!" he yelled as he saw the boy's face show nothing but rage, his eyes now showing that familiar golden color, the red hair slowly turning to pure white. Suddenly, in that moment, the Dark Prince had found what he'd been looking for.
"YOU!" yelled the Dark Prince as he pointed his wand at the young boy.
"Stop right there, ya filthy Death Eater!" yelled a familiar voice as The Dark Prince's wand was blasted from his hands.
The Dark Prince looked behind him and saw Alastor Moody as well as five other Aurors on top of Michael and Brynn Williams pointing their wands in front of him.
Currently unarmed and not in a position to duel, Rigel said to Moody, "I figured it would only be a matter of time before you caught up to me, Mad-Eye. I congratulate you." He turned to Marcus, who was still fuming, and said, "I'll be back, young Mr. Williams. When the time is right, I will revive the Dark Lord, carry out my plans, and take you down!"
With nothing more to say, the British Aurors took The Dark Prince away while Moody looked towards Michael and said, "I'll be back later to ask a few questions."
When the British Aurors were gone with The Dark Prince, Marcus suddenly fell to the ground, exhausted.
"Merlin's Beard, look at his hair," Michael said to his wife.
Brynn looked and noticed something truly shocking: What was once beautiful red hair was now dazzling, pure white hair, whiter than snow falling from the sky.
"It's just like the prophecy says," Brynn hoarsed.
"What are we going to do?" asked Michael.
"We should perform a memory charm on him, just in case," said Brynn.
"There won't be a need for that," Michael said. "Today will be too traumatic for him to remember properly. He'll only be able to remember bits and pieces, at best. However, we need to take him to a hospital right away. And come up with an explanation for his sudden change in hair color."
With that, the two of them disapparated to the nearest magic hospital.
And that concludes the prologue to HP: Path Of The Stone! I'm really excited for this series to finally get underway, and I've pretty much got the general outline planned out, so hopefully writer's block doesn't affect me too much. Thank you so much for reading this and I hope you look forward to reading more!