And When The Dawn Begins
Chapter One - A Change of Pace
Harry Potter rolled over in bed and looked at the clock on the wall. He sighed, frustrated with the clock as it glared back 2:00AM back at him, instead of the friendly note of "Go back to sleep" or "too early" he got at Hogwarts. Harry, was, as he ever was at 4 Privet Drive, in his bedroom although the time made it a bit more normal than it would usually be.
He stared at the wall opposite, and glanced at the writing on the skirting board:
Harry Potter 1992
.He vaguely remembered writing that short message to any future visitors, when he was first forced into the small bedroom he now resided in, when he discovered magic. He also remembered the way in which Dudley Dursley his cousin, who bore a startling resemblance to a whale in weight and a pig in appearance had rushed off to copy him. Dudley, as ever, had to out do Harry, and so had made sure the date on his message was earlier than Harry's.
Harry didn't bother to point out that Dudley wasn't even born in 1978.
He looked back at the clock, and lamented the fact that he couldn't get to sleep when it read 2:01AM. Turning onto his back, Harry closed his eyes and started counting sheep. To be perfectly honest with himself, Harry believed that the fluffy white things could get him to sleep, just about as much as he believed most of Professor Trelawney's predictions. However, at this point, he was willing to try just about anything.
"One, two, thre.zzzzzzzzzz"
He fell asleep, and began the same dream which had deprived him of sleep for the past two weeks, and was the reason he was reluctant to try to sleep at all.
Harry stood in a dark space, and found it impossible to pin-point any particular object.
A Green Flash.
A Loud Thump.
Cedric.
The scene started to speed up, and the events flashed before Harry's eyes in a matter of seconds.
The glint of a blade.
The screams of pain.
The smell of a caldron.
The feeling of terror.
Voldemort.
The shadows.
The visions stopped.
Harry was lying face down on the Quidditch pitch, clinging to Cedric's body, unwilling to let go, unwilling to accept the fact that he was dead.
Harry's eyes snapped open, and he realised he had been dreaming. Again. Re-living the nightmares in the same way he had been since he left Hogwarts.
He lay on his back, tears pricking in the corner of his eyes wishing for the thousandth time that he had simply taken the cup by himself. Voldemort hadn't wanted Cedric it was all Harry's fault. All his fault.
Harry swung his legs out of his bed, determined not to sleep again, and walked over to Hedwig's cage. He reached out a hand, and started to stroke the only friend he had in this world, then taking a piece of paper, started to write to one of his many friends in what he considered the real world.
**
"Sirius! SIRIUS BLACK! PADFOOT! Er..SNUFFLES!" Remus Lupin snapped at his friend.
"Oh to hell with it" he muttered, whapping Sirius over the head with his newspaper.
"Will you please stop staring off into space, Sirius, and eat something, please you're quite thin enough at it is without starving yourself.
Sirius finally looked up.
"Sorry Moony, I'm just worried about Harry I haven't heard from him for a while.."
Remus rolled his eyes.
"Yesterday, Sirius, Yesterday he sent you an owl remember?"
"Oh right perhaps I should send him another one then" Sirius replied, standing up.
"Honestly, Sirius, give the boy a break at this rate Hedwig will be bald having sacrificed all her feathers so Harry can replace the ones he wore down, stopping you from starting the Spanish Inquisition."
(A/n NOBODY EXPECTS THE SPANISH INQUISITION sorryreally. Sorry..i'm afraid I'm a Monty Python
Lover..i'll stop now.sorry)
Remus grinned, but frowned when he saw his friend had his head in his hands.
"I'm sorry, Remus. It's just thatwell..that it's my fault James died, James and Lily I persuaded them to change secret keepers, Remus if anything happened to Harry I don't know what I'd do."
Sirius looked up, tears falling freely down his face.
"Harry has nearly died five times Remus five 2 of which were my fault he has a habit of being pulled into the middle of everything. After what happened last year, I'm not sure how much I can protect him!"
Remus looked sadly at his friend, and gently placed a comforting hand on his back.
"Harry is a lot stronger than you or I give him credit for, ad he has plenty of people looking out for him.." Remus tried to rationalise. "Arabella Figg doesn't live far away and there's something about the Dursley's as well."
"Remus," Sirius interrupted, "Dumbledore is the only one who knows what protection the Dursleys offer how can we be sure it works?"
Remus frowned. " I trust Albus for one, Sirius, and I am willing to accept anything he say's as truth."
The two friends sat in silence for a bit, picking at their food.
"I know one thing though Remus," Sirius finally said, a determined look on his face. "As long as I live, no more Potters will die."
**
"I hate doing this"
"Just hurry up and get the door open, Steve."
"Why d we need to though?" said 'Steve'.
"We need to find out whether they have any relatives to inform so we need an address book or something oh hurry up for goodness sake!"
"Sorry, Helen," Steve said. "Right, there we are"
"You take upstairs, and I'll check downstairs."
Harry carefully looked around the door of his bedroom, to see who or what 'Steve' and 'Helen' were, as 'Steve' came upstairs.
"A policeman" he thought to himself, stepping out.
The man in front of him stopped short and stared.
"Blimey" he said, and having regained his composure shouted "HELEN!"
"What now Steve? Have you found someth-"
She stopped talking abruptly and she, too, stared at Harry.
"Excuse me young man, but, who are you?" she asked.
Harry stared back.
"Harry, Harry Potter and what are you doing in this house?"
"Do you know a Vernon, Petunia and Dudley Dursley?" Steve asked.
"Yes, I'm their nephew well Dudley's cousin why?"
The two police officers looked at each other, and led Harry downstairs.
"I'm afraid, Harry, that your relatives have died."
Harry didn't move. He turned the information over in his head, unsure what to make of it. He wasn't hysterically upset why would he be, but then he was sad they were his relatives no matter how badly they treated him.
He looked up.
"How?"
The two officers looked fairly surprised at this question.
"Er we're not entirely sure. To be perfectly honest, it looks like they were scared to death their eyes wide open. They were driving the car, and stopped slowly. Somebody got out to look and found them like that."
Helen was glaring at Steve, obviously he had told too much to a child.
Harry didn't notice. His insides had lurched as soon as he heard that information. He knew exactly what that description was. He heard a voice whispering in his head.
"Three less protectees how many left now Potter?"
Harry suddenly knew what had happened. Voldemort.
"Do you want to see them Harry?"
Harry shook his head.
"Do you have any other relatives?"
Harry thought about Aunt Marge and shook his head again.
Steve and Helen looked at each other sadly, before slowly leading Harry to the car.
"Do you have anything you want to bring with you?"
Harry thought of Hedwig, but remembered that she was at Ron's. His next thought was of all his Hogwarts belongings. Then, he figured where her would be going. He wouldn't need them there nor would he be allowed them either.
"We'll take you to St. Walburga's then."
Harry sighed, recognising the name of the area's orphanage, and followed the two police officers.
Disclaimer – I own nothing, JK Rowling owns everything.