The Hidden Portrait

Summary:

"They are fools! Did they honestly think that I had only ensured one method to enable myself to return? I am immortal."

There is a hidden room in Hogwarts Castle, only one person knows about this room: for this is the room in which the portrait of Lord Voldemort resides.

Voldemort hasn't returned. No… he never left.

A/N: Yes, this is one of those fics where Voldemort hasn't really been defeated and has formulated a clever plan to rise once again to power, just because every Harry Potter fanfiction writer has to do one.

A/N: This is still epilogue complaint, this story just happens to occur before the "Nineteen Years Later."

So basically it's a post-Hogwarts, pre- Epilogue story.

Rating: K. There's really nothing to worry about for now. In later chapters I might take it up to "T" because of battle scenes but there won't be any mature content or strong language. It's just for the fighting.

Warnings: Nothing in this chapter.

Word Count: 2,296

Chapter One: De jà vu

There is a hidden room located in Hogwarts Castle. A room that only one person ever found.

That person was Tom Riddle.

He never said a word to anyone about this room to anyone for his talented yet cunning mind knew that one day he would find use for this room.

How right he was.

Oo00oO

"Harry! We have to leave soon; Ron and Hermione are expecting us for six."

" I'll be down in a minute, Gin." Harry's voice called down the stairs.

Ginny frowned. Something was wrong. "What's wrong, Harry?" She called.

"Err- nothing. Seriously, Gin, I'm fine." But he wasn't Harry's voice was strained and he sounded as if he was in pain.

Ginny ran up the stairs and knocked on the bathroom door. "Harry, open the door."

There was no answer, just gasping pain. Ginny grimaced. It would be very embarrassing if she burst in there to find Harry having toilet troubles. But she had to be sure he was alright. She cast Alohomora, gritted her teeth and walked in.

Immediate relief washed through her as she found that Harry wasn't on the toilet. He was on sitting on the bathroom floor with his head in his hands, his back leaning on the bath tub. Ginny's relief soon turned into concern. It was obvious Harry was in great pain. She went to kneel beside him.

"Harry, what is it? What's wrong?" Ginny's voice was calm yet it had an undercurrent of terror.

"Gin, it's-" Harry was cut off as another wave of pain washed through him making him gasp. "My scar." He managed to choke out. "So. Much. Pain." He let out a loud cry of pain before he promptly passed out.

Oo00oO

It was dark, damp and there was a cold chill in the air. Harry shivered involuntarily. He didn't know where he was, he didn't recognise his surroundings. He was in a large, rectangular room. There was a long table in the middle and sitting around that table were hooded figures wearing masks that looked a lot like Deatheater masks. An alarm went off in Harry's brain, urging him to keep to the shadows.

A figure stood up and all heads turned to it. He spoke in a cold, harsh voice. He wasn't loud but his voice sounded through the whole room. "It is time. Today is the 31st of October of the year 2000. The day or master told us about. He gave us direct instructions of what to do when this day came and now is the time we follow these instructions. Hold out your right arm." Everyone promptly did so. "Roll up your sleeves." Again, everyone obeyed. "Now do what was commanded of us!" The entire room pressed their forearms and immediately disappeared from the room, leaving Harry alone to come to terms with what he just saw.

Oo00oO

Harry opened his left eye to a little slit but he couldn't see clearly. Everything was blurry.

"Poppy! Poppy, he's awake!" The relieved yet hysterical voice of Ginny Weasley sounded.

"Gin?" Harry croaked, confused and feeling disorientated.

"I'm here darling, don't worry about a thing. Madame Pomfrey will patch you up in no time." She tried to sound cheerful and strong for her boyfriend but she was really very anxious for his well being.

Madame Pomfrey promptly appeared and started bustling about, taking out various vials containing different coloured liquids from the cupboards in the Hospital Wing. "Good, you're awake." She said still bustling. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I've been trampled by a heard of Hippogriffs then hit by the Knight Bus." Everything ached, his head was pounding painfully and his scar was stinging badly. Harry tried to sit up but found he couldn't move his limbs.

"Don't worry about not being able to move, H. Poppy cast an immobile charm on you so you wouldn't try to get up and risk injuring yourself even more." She brushed a bit of hair from his face fondly and gently kissed him on the forehead. "As soon as she deems you well enough, she'll take it off."

"Gin, what happened? Why am I at Hogwarts, more importantly why aren't we at Ron and Hermione's engagement party?"

Ginny couldn't help but laugh at her boyfriend's sense of priority. "Don't you remember, Harry?"

Harry concentrated hard and tried to regain his memories. They came back to him slowly. He remembered getting ready for Ron and Hermione's engagement party. He remembered telling Ginny she looked beautiful in her red dress and helping her put on a silver necklace. He remembered asking Ginny to help him do his tie and commenting on how his green shirt really complemented his eyes. He remembered her going downstairs to floo Ron and Hermione telling them they'll be there soon. He remembered feeling a slight twinge of his scar and thinking it was strange because his scar and done that since he had defeated Voldemort. He remembered the pain steadily getting worse until it reached excruciating. He didn't to collapse at the top of the stairs for danger of falling down so he had rushed into the bathroom. He remembered seeing Ginny enter and his world going black.

"Yeah, I remember now Gin. I passed out on the bathroom floor after my scar started hurting."

Ginny nodded. "That's right. You gave me a right scare... Do you- urm what I mean is, can you..."

"Spit it out Gin."

"Do you remember what you saw in your vision?"

"How do you know I saw something?" Harry asked curious.

"You were- urm- murmuring in your sleep." Ginny said uncomfortably.

"You don't have to sugar-coat it Ginny, I was shrieking and rolling around wasn't I?" Harry sighed; he had hoped his sleep activities were finished.

"We'll actually, no."

"No?" Harry was pleasantly surprised.

"No. In fact you were really just talking. It was what you were saying that is worrying us." Ginny started worrying her lip.

"Why? What exactly did I say?" Harry was wary once more.

"Something about it being October 31st and instructions the Dark Lord gave out for when this day came." Ginny started worrying her lip again. "You sounded like a Deatheater at a Deatheater meeting, Harry."

Harry suddenly remembered what he saw and was about to open his mouth to speak when Albus Dumbledore waltz in to the Hospital Wing, his robes billowing behind him. The old wizard didn't have his usual twinkling eyes, he looked rather grave.

Oo00oO

"Professor Dumbledore." Harry breathed.

"It's been too long, Harry. It's such a shame about the circumstances in which we are re-united."

It had been a long time indeed; Harry hadn't seen Professor Dumbledore since that night at Hogsmede just before the Final Battle. In person at least.

" I'm sorry to disturb you, Harry, but it is vital you tell me everything you saw while you were unconscious." Dumbledore addressed the others in the room. "Would you all mind leaving Harry and I alone for a short while?"

No one dared question Dumbledore of course. And soon he and Harry were left alone in the room, but not before Madam Pomfrey had forced about 6 different potions down Harry's throat.

"So, Harry my boy, how have you been?" Dumbledore attempted to start with small talk instead of jumping straight to the gun.

Harry didn't answer, he was too dazed.

"Harry? Are you alright? Has your scar started hurting again?" Dumbledore's voice was concerned.

Harry snapped out of his stupor. "Forgive me Professor, it's just weird- seeing you here I mean. I was so sure you were-"

"Dead? Yes I know; that was how I intended it to be. It must have been quite a shock when you discovered I wasn't."

"Yeah… it was."

Ron and Hermione had thought that the pressure of the war was finally getting to Harry. He wouldn't stop saying that Professor Dumbledore was alive. They tried to explain to him that it was impossible, but he wouldn't listen. He kept pointing at a little piece a glass going on about how it was Dumbledore's eye he kept seeing. They had thought he was crazy.

" I'm telling you, this is Dumbledore's eye. He's alive!"

"No, Harry. He isn't You miss him so your subconscious is trying to tell you he's alive when in reality… he isn't." Hermione had sounded pitying and patronising and it infuriated Harry so much.

It wasn't until when they had apparated into Hogsmede and Aberforth Dumbledore helped them escape form the Deatheaters that the truth was revealed.

"You're Aberforth Dumbledore aren't you?" Hermione had asked.

Aberforth nodded in reply. "I also just saved your sorry lives. What the hell were you thinking when you decided to come here? You know this place is crawling with Deatheaters!"

"Yes we do, sir. But we had to come. We have something that we need to finish for your brother." Harry had spoken up. "Is here?" He added eagerly.

Hermione had put an arm on Harry's shoulder and said to Aberforth "You have to excuse Harry; he's under the illusion that your brother is still alive."

Aberforth had said nothing but simply continued cleaning his pub.

"Harry! You've got to stop spouting this nonsense that Dumbledore is still alive. People will think you're crazy."

"What, like you do?" Harry had retorted angrily. Hermione didn't reply. "I know he's alive, I saw his eye!"

"That was Aberforth's eye, Harry! Don't you see they're exactly the same?" Hermione was near hysterical at this point.

"I'm afraid Miss Granger, for no doubt the first time in your life, you are wrong. I am very much alive." The voice came from the shadows.

And into the light stepped Albus Wulfric Brian Percival Dumbledore.

No one spoke for a while. Then the silence was broken by Harry screaming, "I TOLD YOU SO!"

"Professor, what- when-i mean, how...?" This was the first time that Ron had spoken; Hermione had been rendered temporarily speechless.

"Mr Weasley, it's good to see you back with your two friends at last," Ron had the grace to look guilty. Of course Dumbledore knew he had left, after all he gave him the Deluminator to help him go back to them.

"Albus, stop with you theatrics you old codger and just explain. Can't you see how shocked they are?" Aberforth was becoming very tired of his older brother's cryptic ways.

"Ahh, yes of course. I have a bit of explaining to do."

"YES YOU BLOODY WELL HAVE SOME EXPLAINING TO DO! I THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD! *WE* THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD! HARRY SAW YOUR BODY FALL FROM THE TOP OF THE ASTRONOMY TOWER. WE SAW YOUR BODY LYING ON THE FLOOR. WE SAW AS THEY LAID YOUR BODY IN THE TOMB. SO YES, YES YOU HAVE SOME EXPLAINING TO DO. YOU HAVE TO EXPLAIN WHY YOU-ARE-NOT-DEAD!" Hermione screeched at her old Headmaster.

Ron and Hermione turned to her with looks of shock on their faces. Hermione had shouted at a teacher! Hermione even looked shocked at herself. Dumbledore however, didn't say anything. He had not flinched or made a move to stop Hermione on her rant nor interrupted her. His expression was calm, almost detached.

"I know things are confusing right now Miss Granger, but all will be revealed."

And he sat down and revealed it all.

"It's still a bit of a shock actually Professor, sometimes I still can't wrap my head around it sometimes. You would have thought I had gotten used to it by now, but I really haven't."

"I know, Harry. Of course it's hard to get used to, but really Harry, are you that surprised?"

Harry thought for a while. "Honestly... no. I always thought you were immortal."

Dumbledore chuckled at Harry's confession.

"I mean, I know you're not!" Harry said defensive. "I'm just saying that it doesn't really surprise me to find out that a simple killing curse can't kill you."

"But that's because of you, you know?" Dumbledore reminded Harry.

"Yes, Professor, you've told me enough times!"

"Good. Now onto the unpleasant business of why your scar has been hurting."

Harry sighed. He knew he had to talk about at some point but exchanging pleasantries with Dumbledore had been a nice break from all of it. And now the mention harshly brought Harry back to reality. "Yes sir. It's hasn't so much as twitched in the last 5 years and then suddenly- on the same date as my parents died might I add- it feels excruciating. You can't argue that that's suspicious."

Dumbledore nodded in agreement.

"Oh and that's not all!" Harry spoke suddenly and snapped his fingers as if he had just remembered something. "I also had the strangest vision."

Harry went on to describe the vision to Dumbledore whose expression was growing graver by the minute. Harry used is arms to assist with his description. He held out his arm in front and when he spoke about the Deatheaters doing so and then he pretended to touch a dark mark on his forearm. Finally he finished by throwing his arms up into the air when he talked about how all the Deatheaters had suddenly all disappeared,

"Just like that?" Dumbledore questioned. "They just touched their marks and they were gone."

"Yes! They just- went. It's like they all dissaparated but at the touch if the mark. Their marks were basically portkeys."

Dumbledore sat still for a while, his cogs in his brain turning like mad. Harry swore he could have seen some steam, come out of his ears.

Harry had seen that look before. Between Dumbledore being cryptic as ever, Harry seeing visions and his scar hurting; Harry was getting the most horrible sense of De jà vu.

Something terrible was going to happen.