Summary: In Harry's Seventh Year of Hogwarts, Harry was waiting for the Order to take him after his aunt and uncle left. While waiting, Harry heard a bright crash in the kitchen. When he ran down to see what happened, he saw a bright flash of light that left a gun-toting, warrior trained girl with auburn hair and bright brown eyes, who claims that the last wish of her dying mother was to protect Harry Potter and make sure that he defeats Voldemort. Who is this girl and why is she so determined to protect Harry?
Disclaimer: I do not own HP.
Warning: OC as main character [the mysterious girl], Canon pairings, sort of sticks to the original plot for the most of time. Also, you can read the Q&A in the bottom of the chapter.
***Anything in Black Bold means that it is taken out of the text in the book.***
Harry was looking outside of the window, bored out of his mind. He had packed and repacked his bags, waiting for the Order to come and take him to a safe house. Hedwig hooted softly in the cage next to his luggage, worrying about her master. Harry smiled at Hedwig lightly and stroked her feathers.
There was no one in the house as Dedalus Diggle and Hestia Jones had taken his relatives to their own hiding space. The silence was unbearable and Harry had resorted to tapping on the windowsill for amusement. Only Hedwig's hoots and the fact that he was talking softly to himself kept him sane in the unbearable silence.
As Harry was tapping on the windowsill and muttering to himself in sync with Hedwig's hooting, a loud crash was heard, coming from the kitchens. Thinking that a burglar, or worse, a Death Eater, had broken inside, Harry grabbed his wand and promptly headed downstairs in a cautious manner. He noticed a glow coming out of the kitchen, which confirmed that the person was most likely a wizard that broke into the house. He hid behind the wall and looked at the kitchen, pointing his wand first, just in case he would need to yell a spell and escape upstairs to get his things and Hedwig.
He peeked his head in, when the light vanished. He looked inside and stared. A young boy, no teenage girl, about five feet tall, was trying to stand up in a rather wobbly way. She was grimy and looked like a feminine-looking guy, but the slightly prominent bulge in her chest area proved otherwise. She had a slender, slightly malnourished looking figure and wore a tattered, faded forest green shirt and a set of light and dark brown shorts. Her hair was auburn red and was cut short in a jagged manner, like if someone just hacked it off with a knife. Her hair was also tousled and messy. She also had some healed scars around her body.
The girl had rather interesting possessions on her. She carried a small fanny pack on her belly. Attached to the fanny pack was a sheathed dagger… With… Is that bloodstains on the dagger? Harry shuddered as he kept his wand up, feeling queasy as he cautiously studied the girl still, who was still trying to stand up steadily.
A brown wand holster was on her arm and obviously, it stored a wand inside of it. A necklace, with an onyx black stone as the pendant, was on her neck. And… Merlin's balls was that a small gun on her side? Harry blinked, trying to make some sense of the newcomer who probably wasn't a Death Eater, based on the gun that was attached to her fanny pack. No Death Eater would willingly use guns, since Muggle weapons were beneath them.
The girl stumbled and Harry dropped his wand, his hero instincts taking over as he bent down to help her. He supported her until she stood and blinked at him, her bright brown almond shaped eyes staring into his ones. Harry nearly dropped her as he noticed how familiar the eye color and eye shape looked, but could not place them.
The girl spoke in a hoarse voice, "Are you Harry Potter?" She held on to him in a tough grip and faced downwards. Harry nodded as the girl puked on the floor, still holding on to him for support. Harry winced as the small of vomit filled the room.
"Um yes," Harry replied.
"Sorry," the girl said, pulling out her wand from the holster. She cast a quick 'Scourgify' and the smell was gone, as well as the vomit on the floor and the room. She then pocketed her wand.
"Who are you?" Harry asked, instinctively realizing that she was not a threat. After all, she just used a cleaning charm and pocketed her wand away.
"I am Asphodel Jamie Lunette. You can call me Al for short though," the girl replied, staring at his eyes a bit. Harry walked backwards, freaking out a little with the girl's staring. 'Must be some insane fan girl,' he thought to himself.
"Um, okay, what are you doing here?" Harry asked, wondering why some ragged random witch appeared in 4 Privet Drive, who looked like she desperately needed a shower and a meal.
The girl rolled her eyes, "I am carrying out my mother's last wish. She raised me to be your bodyguard."
"W-WHAT?!" Harry exclaimed, "I don't need a bodyguard! You are just a kid! You look even younger than me!"
"I am eighteen. And don't test my patience. I have killed many and won't hesitate to hurt you as well, kid," Asphodel snarled, pulling out the dagger from a side. Harry backed away, realizing that he did not have his wand in his hand, as he had conveniently dropped it when he went to help the girl up.
"Well, wouldn't hurting me go against you mother's wishes?" Harry asked.
"She never said that I couldn't roughen you up a bit…" the girl said, smiling sadistically. Harry had no doubt that she knew how to use the dagger well. The girl sheathed her dagger and looked at him again.
"So, uh, you were sent to be my bodyguard… Why?" he asked.
"Dumbledore had my mother raise me to be trained to protect you with my life. And I intend to carry out that wish from them both," the girl said.
"How do I know I can trust you?" Harry asked, suddenly reaching down and pulling out his wand. The girl pulled out her wand from the holster again.
"Several reasons… One, the wonderful Death Munchers don't use guns because it is below them, being a Muggle weapon. Two, I know where 12 Grimmauld Place, the Order's Headquarters, is. Three, I can swear an Unbreakable Vow, that I was sent to protect you with my life. And four, I know about the Horcrux and what they are, which only you, Ron, and Hermione know."
"Prove it," Harry said, still pointing his wand at her. "Tell me the Horcruxes and swear a Magical Vow."
The girl smiled at him. "At least you are still cautious… Anyways, there are four 'living' Horcruxes currently. The diary and the ring were destroyed. The rest are Slytherin's Locket, Hufflepuff's Cup, something of Ravenclaw, and . Also, I hereby swear on my magic that I am not one of Voldemort's minions and that I was sent here to protect Harry Potter with my life as his bodyguard."
A bright light formed a string between the two wands. Harry noticed her white neatly polished wand compared to his holly brown and black, slightly unpolished wand. The light sealed the vow and the girl said, "Wingarduim Leviosa," with a swish and flick, causing a glass to rise into the air by a few feet. She gently put it down on the counter again and cancelled the spell.
"Is that proof enough for you?" she asked.
"Yes, it is, Asphodel," he replied, feeling awkward calling her such a weird name.
"Please call me Al. Or, if not Al, call me Miss Lunette," Al replied. Harry nodded, pocketing his wand and looked at her. She smiled, when her stomach grumbled.
"Oh sorry… You must hungry," Harry said. She nodded, flushing a bit in embarrassment.
Harry opened the fridge and took out some of the leftover meatloaf from the previous night that he had made for his aunt, uncle, and cousin. He handed a fork to the girl. The girl immediately began scarfing the meal like she had not eaten for days. Judging by her slightly malnourished figure, she probably hasn't had a decent meal for at least a day.
Harry watched, amused, as the girl cleaned the plate and looked at him with gratitude. He quickly filled a cup with water and handed it to her. The girl, much to his surprise, pulled out her wand and cast a small glow on the cup.
"What was that?" he asked.
"Water Purifying Charm. It also detects poisons in various foods. But, anyways, it is a small spell that I modified for purifying water. It is useful for when you have to drink from a lake or ocean or something."
"Oh… Well, this is tap water. It is filtered already," Harry said. The girl merely nodded, gulping down the water at a rapid pace. Harry was surprised that she was not throwing up or getting sick.
"Thanks for the food… Are there any canned meats, water bottles, and canned vegetable?" she asked. Harry looked at her in confusion and nodded, pointing to the pantry. She headed there and opened her fanny pack, taking multiple cans of meats and veggies out and sticking them in her pouch. She did the same for the water bottles.
"How is your pouch not full?" Harry asked, curiously, "And why do you need the cans?"
"It is a moleskin pouch, of course. You need to go Horcrux Hunting right? We will need provisions."
Harry frowned, "We just met. You can't go Horcrux Hunting with us. It is too unsafe and I would rather go alone."
The girl stared pointedly and pulled out her gun, this time. "You are either going to be willing with letting me go, or I will have to use force," she threatened. Harry held up his wand.
"I can use a Shield Charm. You can't hurt me then," he said, unsurely.
The girl snorted in response and placed away her gun. "The speed of a bullet is much faster than that of a spell, except for the Unforgiveables, of course. The bullet is slightly faster than those three. If those three curses can break a Protego like it is nothing, imagine what a bullet can do… And it will be messy too."
Harry looked at her and placed his wand away, realizing that she could easily force herself to come with him and his friends. She smirked and looked outside at the night sky.
"Aren't your friends going to come soon?" she asked. Harry realized this and looked outside through the window.
A deafening roar caused him to jump, as the girl pulled out her gun and fumbled with reaching into her pouch, pulling out an Invisibility Cloak and draping it over herself. Harry stared at her before she disappeared, wondering where she got the cloak from, as those cloaks were very expensive and rare. How did a girl, who looked like she had no money to buy clothes and food, have enough for an Invisibility Cloak?
In a few minutes, a group of figures came into view, taking off the Dillusionment Charms on themselves. Some came on Thestrals, while the others rode broomsticks. Only one, a very familiar half giant, came on a motorbike, with a sidecar attached. This was Rubeus Hagrid. The others were Ronald 'Ron' Weasley, Hermione Granger, Fred Weasley, William 'Bill' Weasley, George Weasley, Mundungus Fletcher, Alastor 'Mad-Eye' Moody, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Arthur Weasley, Fleur Delacour, Nymphadora Tonks, and Remus Lupin.
Harry smiled and went up to the greet up, when a bullet went whizzing by Mundungus' head. Mundungus yelped and everyone, excluding Harry, pointed their wands in the direction of where the bullet came from. Mad-Eyes' eye whizzed and he sent a stunner in the direction. The person under the cloak, which Moody could see with his magical eye, dodged. In the process, the cloak came off the girl, who was holding up a gun in one hand and a white wand in the other.
"Next time, I won't miss… Harry, back away from them. They can be dangerous," the girl commanded. Harry looked at her, confused.
"Why? They are my friends," he said. Everyone trained their wands on the girl still.
"They can be Polyjuiced or under the Imperious to serve Moldyshorts and his loyal minions. You don't know if they are who they are!" the girl screeched, "Now step away from them, Harry."
Harry, trusting his gut instinct more, didn't obey the girl's direct command. The girl held the gun tightly, but held her wand more loosely than the gun. Obviously, she trusted her gun more than her wand, at least against wizards and witches.
"Who is she?" Hermione asked. Harry walked up to Al and placed his hand calmly on her shoulder and whispered something in her ear. She relaxed her hands but was still tense.
"This is Asphodel Jamie Lunette, but she says that I can call her Al or Miss Lunette. She told me that she was sent by Dumbledore and her mother to make sure I succeed in completing the prophecy," Harry said. At this, everyone except Moody and Lupin lowered their wands.
"How do you know she is what she claims?" Moody asked, about to curse Al. In response, Al tightened her grip on both Muggle and Wizard weapon in her hands.
"She swore a magical vow that she isn't with the Death Munchers or Moldyshorts, as she calls our favorite Dark Lord, and his loyal minions," Harry said, "She cast a first year Levitation spell after that."
"I guess we can trust her for now…" Lupin said. Moody was about to protest, claiming that he needed more proof, but the look from the werewolf stopped him.
"Well, Miss Lunette, are you related to the Weasleys by any chances? Your look a lot like us," Arthur asked, smiling lightly at the girl.
"My mother was distantly related to the Weasleys, but I am not sure. She said that she had some relative that was related to the Weasleys, and that was where I probably got my red hair and eye color from. But everything else is from my father," she answered. Arthur nodded, satisfied with her answer.
"Well… What is Kingsley doing here? I thought he was protecting the Prime Minister," Harry asked.
He can get along without me for one night," said Kingsley, "You're more important." "Harry, guess what?" said Tonks from her perch on top of the washing machine, and she wiggled her left hand at him; a ring glistened there. "You got married?" Harry yelped, looking from her to Lupin.
Only Hermione noticed Asphodel looking uncomfortably at Lupin and Tonks. Al shook her head and Hermione looked slightly confused, wondering what the red haired girl was thinking about. "I'm sorry you couldn't be there, Harry, it was very quiet." "That's brilliant, congrat-"
Al looked at them uncomfortably again and Hermione noticed that something in the girl's eyes. Was that… Pity? "All right, all right, we'll have time for a cozy catch-up later," roared Moody over the hubbub, and silence fell in the kitchen. Moody dropped his sacks at his feet and turned to Harry. "As Dedalus probably told you, we had to abandon Plan A. Pius Thicknesse has gone over, which gives us a big problem. He's made it an imprisonable offense to connect this house to the Floo Network, place a Portkey here, or Apparate in or out. All done in the name of your protection, to prevent You-Know-Who getting in at you. Absolutely pointless, seeing as your mother's charm does that already. What he's really done is to stop you getting out of here safely." "Second problem: You're underage, which means you've still got the Trace on you."
"Oh shit," Al said, horrified. She looked at her wand in horror realizing that she had used the Scourgify spell and Moody had used the Stupefy.
"Oh, don't tell me… There have been spells used already," Hermione groaned. "I don't-"
Harry tried to protest about the Trace being on him, but everyone reminded him of his age, which he obviously didn't like. "The Trace, the Trace!" said Mad-Eye impatiently. "The charm that detects magical activity around under-seventeens, the way the Ministry finds out about underage magic! If you, or anyone around you, casts a spell to get you out of here, Thicknesse is going to know about it, and so will the Death Eaters." "We can't wait for the Trace to break, because the moment you turn seventeen you'll lose all the protection your mother gave you. In short, Pius Thicknesse thinks he's got you cornered good and proper."
"So, in other words, he will be fucked when he turns seventeen, which is why you all are here," Al said.
"My life is already fucked up. It probably won't get any worse," Harry replied.
"Don't count your chickens before they hatch, kid," Al replied. Hermione and Mr. Weasley scowled at them for their language usage. Harry could not help but agree with the unknown Thicknesse. "So what are we going to do?" "We're going to use the only means of transport left to us, the only ones the Trace can't detect, because we don't need to cast spells to use them: brooms, thestrals, and Hagrid's motorbike."
"Oh great, this is gonna suck. Stupid Death Muncher and the Dark Side," Al said, rolling her eyes.
"If you don't like this plan, you can get the hell out," Moody snarled at her, his patience thinning, thanks to the uncooperative girl.
"This plan is stupid, old man. There could be Death Eaters waiting right on top of the house waiting to ambush us right now, but can't get in because of the blood protection."
"Be quiet, Al. By the way, how did you get in here?" Harry asked. She obviously wasn't a blood relative of his mother's side, as she admitted that she may have some Weasley genes in here, and Harry's mom was all Muggles.
"Dumbledore enabled the wards to let me in when he visited you here in your Sixth year," she said, lowering her eyes a bit. Harry could tell that she was lying, but knew that now was not the time to question her. Harry could see flaws in this plan; however, he held his tongue to give Mad-Eye the chance to address them. "Now, your mother's charm will only break under two conditions: when you come of age, or"- Moody gestured around the pristine kitchen- "you no longer call this place home. You and your aunt and uncle are going your separate ways tonight, in the full understanding that you're never going to live together again, correct?" Harry nodded. "So this time, when you leave, there'll be no going back, and the charm will break the moment you get outside its range. We're choosing to break it early, because the alternative is waiting for You-Know-Who to come and seize you the moment you turn seventeen."
"And that would, again, me that he will be fucked, because one teenage boy, versus twenty Death Munchers and Moldyshorts himself, will not survive, even if he is the Boy-Who-Lived," Al said. Hermione scowled at the other girl's language. "The one thing we've got on our side is that You-Know-Who doesn't know we're moving you tonight. We've leaked a fake trail to the Ministry: They think you're not leaving until the thirtieth. However, this is You-Know-Who we're dealing with, so we can't rely on him getting the date wrong; he's bound to have a couple of Death Eaters patrolling the skies in this general area, just in case. So, we've given a dozen different houses every protection we can throw at them. They all look like they could be the place we're going to hide you, they've all got some connection with the Order: my house, Kingsley's place, Molly's Auntie Muriel's- you get the idea."
"Oh and that will totally work because a Stunner was used in this house by the-genius-with-the-weird-eye here," Al sarcastically remarked. Hermione scowled at her.
"You used a Scourgify here," Harry said.
"Shut up," Al said, grumbling to herself. Everyone could see that she was visibly upset, but no one knew why. "Yeah," said Harry, not entirely truthfully, because he could still spot a gaping hole in the plan. "You'll be going to Tonks's parents. Once you're within the boundaries of the protective enchantments we've put on their house you'll be able to use a Portkey to the Burrow. Any questions?"
"Yeah. We have one Harry and like fifty billion of everyone else. How is this foolproof?" Al remarked. Everyone gave an exasperated sigh and ignored her, for she was really getting on their nerves with her attitude. "Er- yes," said Harry. "Maybe they won't know which of the twelve secure houses I'm heading for at first, but won't it be sort of obvious once"- he performed a quick headcount- "fourteen of us fly off toward Tonks's parents?"
"Make that fifteen, Potter," Al said, "You are so not leaving your bodyguard behind, when I am supposed to be helping you not get killed."
"We get it, now shut up," Harry said, annoyed at her interruptions at Moody's plans. She merely smiled and went to look out the window. "Ah," said Moody, "I forgot to mention the key point. Fourteen of us won't be flying to Tonks's parents. There will be seven Harry Potters moving through the skies tonight, each of them with a companion, each pair heading for a different safe house." From inside his cloak Moody now withdrew a flask of what looked like mud. There was no need for him to say another word; Harry understood the rest of the plan immediately.
At this, Al looked up at the vials, realizing the Polyjuice in the vials as well. She smiled lightly at the fact that the people were willing to save Harry, but quickly changed her face into a scowl at the vials. "No!" he said loudly, his voice ringing through the kitchen. "No way!" "I told them you'd take it like this," said Hermione with a hint of complacency. "If you think I'm going to let six people risk their lives-!"
"This random girl is risking her life for you as well," Lupin stated.
"Well she threatened me with her weapons," Harry said, "So I was forced into letting her do this. I had no say in the matter."
"By the way, how did you do that weird projectile thing when you were under the Invisibility Cloak?" Ron asked Al, while she stashed her cloak back in her fanny pack.
"It was probably some Dark Magic," Moody grumbled.
"It was a bullet, wasn't it?" Hermione asked, picking up the bullet of the floor. She examined it and handed it to the girl.
"What is that?" Ron asked.
"It doesn't look like Dark Magic," Mr. Weasley mused, looking at it.
"It isn't. It is a Muggle Weapon which is like a nastier version of the Avada Kedavra, provided that it doesn't miss," Hermione explained, about to go into her bookworm mode, when Harry cut her off.
"I still don't want people risking their lives for me for such a stupid plan," he said. "-because it's the first time for all of us," said Ron. "This is different, pretending to be me- " "Well, none of us really fancy it, Harry," said Fred earnestly. "Imagine if something went wrong and we were stuck as specky, scrawny gits forever." Harry did not smile. "You can't do it if I don't cooperate, you need me to give you some hair." "Well, that's the plan scuppered," said George. "Obviously there's no chance at all of us getting a bit of your hair unless you cooperate." "Yeah, thirteen of us against one bloke who's not allowed to use magic; we've got no chance," said Fred. "Funny," said Harry, "really amusing."
"Attack him, and I won't hesitate on using m dagger on you," Al said, cleaning her dagger, which gleamed brightly. The twins winced now, realizing that the threat was prevalent. She smirked and Harry looked at her gratefully.
"But if you do it for this plan for his safety, I can let it slide once…" At this, Harry glared, and flashed an innocent smile at him. "If it has to come to force, then it will," growled Moody, his magical eye now quivering a little in its socket as he glared at Harry. "Everyone here's overage, Potter, and they're all prepared to take the risk." Mundungus shrugged and grimaced; the magical eye swerved sideways to glance at him out of the side of Moody's head. "Let's have no more arguments. Time's wearing on. I want a few of your hairs, boy, now." "But this is mad, there's no need- "
Al snorted again and Harry glared at her. She just shrugged and pointed to Moody. "No need!" snarled Moody. "With You-Know-Who out there and half the Ministry on his side? Potter, if we're lucky he'll have swallowed the fake bait and he'll be planning to ambush you on the thirtieth, but he'd be mad not to have a Death Eater or two keeping an eye out, it's what I'd do. They might not be able to get at you or this house while your mother's charm holds, but it's about to break and they know the rough position of the place. Our only chance is to use decoys. Even You-Know-Who can't split himself into seven." Harry caught Hermione's eye and looked away at once.
Al looked closely at Moody, wondering if he knew about the Horcruxes. Obviously, he didn't. "So, Potter - some of your hair, if you please." Harry glanced at Ron, who grimaced at him in a just-do-it sort of way. "Now!" barked Moody. With all of their eyes upon him, Harry reached up to the top of his head, grabbed a hank of hair, and pulled.
Harry winced, and Al, taking pity on him, used her now clean dagger to go and cut off some of the hair. "Baby," she remarked, as he glared at her. She stuck out her tongue in response. "Good," said Moody, limping forward as he pulled the stopper out of the flask of potion. "Straight in here, if you please." Harry dropped the hair into the mudlike liquid. The moment it made contact with its surface, the potion began to froth and smoke, then, all at once, it turned a clear, bright gold. "Ooh, you look much tastier than Crabbe and Goyle, Harry," said Hermione, before catching sight of Ron's raised eyebrows, blushing slightly, and saying, "Oh, you know what I mean ¨- Goyle's potion tasted like bogies."
Al laughed hard at the dirty reference there, while Harry groaned and blushed. "Right then, fake Potters line up over here, please," said Moody. Ron, Hermione, Fred, George, and Fleur lined up in front of Aunt Petunia's gleaming sink. "We're one short," said Lupin. "Here," said Hagrid gruffly, and he lifted Mundungus by the scruff of the neck and dropped him down beside Fleur, who wrinkled her nose pointedly and moved along to stand between Fred and George instead. "I'm a soldier, I'd sooner be a protector," said Mundungus. "Shut it," growled Moody. "As I've already told you, you spineless worm, any Death Eaters we run into will be aiming to capture Potter, not kill him. Dumbledore always said You-Know-Who would want to finish Potter in person. It'll be the protectors who have got the most to worry about, the Death Eaters'll want to kill them."
"Why can't the girl take my place?" Fletcher asked.
"Because there is no way in hell I am going to take your place when I should be flying with Harry here and protecting him," Al stated.
"I don't think she should go with Harry though. She could still be a spy or something," Lupin said.
"Oh hell to you all! Do you NEED me to make another stupid magical vow?" Al screamed, grabbing her wand out from the holster. At Moody's nod, she made the same vow as before and cast a Lumos, which confirmed everyone's suspicions about her helping Harry. Then, they looked at Fletcher. Mundungus did not look particularly reassured, but Moody was already pulling half a dozen eggcup-sized glasses from inside his cloak, which he handed out, before pouring a little Polyjuice Potion into each one. "Altogether, then ..." Ron, Hermione, Fred, George, Fleur, and Mundungus drank. All of them gasped and grimaced as the potion hit their throats; At once, their features began to bubble and distort like hot wax. Hermione and Mundungus were shooting upward; Ron, Fred, and George were shrinking; their hair was darkening, Hermione's and Fleur's appearing to shoot backward into their skulls.
"That looks… Gross," Al said, shuddering at the Polyjuice effects taking place. Moody, quite unconcerned, was now loosening the ties of the large sacks he had brought with him. When he straightened up again, there were six Harry Potters gasping and panting in front of him. Fred and George turned to each other and said together, "Wow- we're identical!"
Al looked sadly at that comment now, which Hermione noticed. But when she looked at Asphodel again, the girl was carrying her typical scowl again. "I dunno, though, I think I'm still better-looking," said Fred, examining his reflection in the kettle. "Bah," said Fleur, checking herself in the microwave door, "Bill, don't look at me- I'm 'ideous."
"Wow, thanks Fleur. Now I know why the ladies hate me," Harry said.
"Sorry, I didn't mean it like that-"
Harry chuckled, when Lupin, surprisingly, claimed that it wasn't time for jokes, much to Fred and George's dismay. The real Harry thought that this might just be the most bizarre thing he had ever seen, and he had seen some extremely odd things. He watched as his six doppelgangers rummaged in the sacks, pulling out sets of clothes, putting on glasses, stuffing their own things away. He felt like asking them to show a little more respect for privacy as they all began stripping off with impunity, clearly more at ease with displaying his body than they would have been with their own. "I knew Ginny was lying about that tattoo," said Ron, looking down at his bare chest.
"Those whose clothes are a bit roomy, I've got smaller here," said Moody, indicating the first sack, "and vice versa. Don't forget the glasses, there's six pairs in the side pocket. And when you're dressed, there's luggage in the other sack."
Harry raised an eyebrow at that and Al looked a bit disgusted with the fact that someone was looking at Harry's chest. Hermione wondered why Al looked disgusted with that comment. "Harry, your eyesight really is awful," said Hermione, as she put on glasses.
Harry fixed his own glasses out of habit as well. Once dressed, the fake Harrys took rucksacks and owl cages, each containing a stuffed snowy owl, from the second sack. "Good," said Moody, as at last seven dressed, bespectacled, and luggage-laden Harrys faced him. "The pairs will be as follows: Mundungus will be traveling with me, by broom -" "Why'm I with you?" grunted the Harry nearest the back door.
"Because you're a thieving asshole," Al helpfully stated. Everyone secretly agreed with her. "Because you're the one that needs watching," growled Moody, and sure enough, his magical eye did not waver from Mundungus as he continued, "Arthur and Fred- " "I'm George," said the twin at whom Moody was pointing. "Can't you even tell us apart when we're Harry?" "Sorry, George- " "I'm only yanking your wand, I'm Fred really- "
Al looked sad at their twin jokes again, which Hermione noticed. She was rather curious about Al's facial expressions. "Enough messing around!" snarled Moody. "The other one - George or Fred or whoever you are - you're with Remus. Miss Delacour- " "I'm taking Fleur on a thestral," said Bill. "She's not that fond of brooms."
"Not even your broom, Bill. Wow, that is harsh," Al said, laughing. Both the twins high-fived her, as Bill spluttered at the sexual innuendo. Moody glared at her for her interruptions, Fleur glared at her for claiming that her fiancé is small, and Hermione glared at her for her crude humor. Fleur walked over to stand beside him, giving him a soppy, slavish look that Harry hoped with all his heart would never appear on his face again. "Miss Granger with Kingsley, again by thestral - " Hermione looked reassured as she answered Kingsley's smile; Harry knew that Hermione too lacked confidence on a broomstick. "Which leaves you and me, Ron!" said Tonks brightly, knocking over a mug tree as she waved at him. Ron did not look quite as pleased as Hermione. "An' you're with me, Harry. That all righ'?" said Hagrid, looking a little anxious. "We'll be on the bike, brooms an' thestrals can't take me weight, see. Not a lot o' room on the seat with me on it, though, so you'll be in the sidecar."
"Hagrid, make sure you hold her or keep a close on eye on her. I am still not sure if we should trust her," Moody whispered, as Hagrid nodded. The girl in the conversation pulled out a slightly work out Firebolt from within the confines of her fanny pack. Everyone else stared at the broom, and Harry wondered about how she managed to purchase a competitive broomsticks that few can buy, when she could barely buy clothes.
"What?" she asked, holding the broomstick. Everyone else went back to the conversation.
"That's great," said Harry, not altogether truthfully. "We think the Death Eaters will expect you to be on a broom," said Moody, who seemed to guess how Harry was feeling. "Snape's had plenty of time to tell them everything about you he's never mentioned before, so if we do run into any Death Eaters, we're betting they'll choose one of the Potters who looks at home on a broomstick. All right then," he went on, tying up the sack with the fake Potters' clothes in it and leading the way back to the door, "I make it three minutes until we're supposed to leave. No point locking the back door, it won't keep the Death Eaters out when they come looking. Come on ..." Harry hurried to gather his rucksack, Firebolt, and Hedwig's cage and followed the group to the dark back garden. On every side broomsticks were leaping into hands; Hermione had already been helped up onto a great black thestral by Kingsley, Fleur onto the other by Bill. Hagrid was standing ready beside the motorbike, goggles on.
"Nice ride, Hagrid," Asphodel said, looking at the motorbike and admiring it. "Is this it? Is this Sirius's bike?" "The very same," said Hagrid, beaming down at Harry. "An' the last time yeh was on it, Harry, I could fit yeh in one hand!" Harry could not help but feel a little humiliated as he got into the sidecar. It placed him several feet below everybody else: Ron smirked at the sight of him sitting there like a child in a bumper car. Harry stuffed his rucksack and broomstick down by his feet and rammed Hedwig's cage between his knees. He was extremely uncomfortable.
Al snickered softly at his expression, while Hermione smiled at Harry. Harry glared at them all. "Arthur's done a bit o' tinkerin'," said Hagrid, quite oblivious to Harry's discomfort. He settled himself astride the motorcycle, which creaked slightly and sank inches into the ground. "It's got a few tricks up its sleeves now. Tha' one was my idea." He pointed a thick finger at a purple button near the speedometer. "Please be careful, Hagrid." said Mr. Weasley, who was standing beside them, holding his broomstick. "I'm still not sure that was advisable and it's certainly only to be used in emergencies." "All right, then." said Moody. "Everyone ready, please. I want us all to leave at exactly the same time or the whole point of the diversion's lost." Everybody motioned their heads. "Hold tight now, Ron," said Tonks, and Harry saw Ron throw a forcing, guilty look at Lupin before placing his hands on each side of her waist. Hagrid kicked the motorbike into life: It roared like a dragon, and the sidecar began to vibrate. "Good luck, everyone," shouted Moody. "See you all in about an hour at the Burrow. On the count of three. One ... two . THREE." There was a great roar from the motorbike, and Harry felt the sidecar give a nasty lurch. He was rising through the air fast, his eyes watering slightly, hair whipped back off his face. Around him brooms were soaring upward too; the long black tail of a thestral flicked past. His legs, jammed into the sidecar by Hedwig's cage and his rucksack, were already sore and starting to go numb. So great was his discomfort that he almost forgot to take a last glimpse of number four Privet Drive. By the time he looked over the edge of the sidecar he could no longer tell which one it was.
He looked next to him, and saw Al flying rapidly, whooping in the air. She flied very well, like a natural. He relaxed for a minute, when she suddenly tensed up and looked around, gripping the broom. And then, out of nowhere, out of nothing, they were surrounded. At least thirty hooded figures, suspended in midair, formed a vast circle in the middle of which the Order members had risen, oblivious –
Screams, a blaze of green light on every side: Hagrid gave a yell and the motorbike rolled over. Harry lost any sense of where they were. Streetlights above him, yells around him, he was clinging to the sidecar for dear life. Hedwig's cage, the Firebolt, and his rucksack slipped from beneath his knees ¨- "No - HELP!"
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the girl dodge a spell on and throw a shield at him. She then sent a flash of red at a Death Eater and knocked the person out of the sky. Then, Harry noticed a flash of green heading straight for him, something that he could not dodge. Only swerving the bike would cause it to be avoided, which Hagrid did. The sidecar jostled hard. The broomstick spun too, but he just managed to seize the strap of his rucksack and the top of the cage as the motorbike swung the right way up again. A second's relief, and then another burst of green light. The owl screeched and fell to the floor of the cage. "No - NO!" The motorbike zoomed forward; Harry glimpsed hooded Death Eaters scattering as Hagrid blasted through their circle.
Several Stunners hit more Death Eaters, as the girl gave up using her wand and pulled out her gun instead, shooting a few Death Eaters. While in the air, the wind pressure and speed that they were flying in caused her to miss her aim and hit their shoulders, instead of actually killing the Death Eaters outright by hitting their heads and chest. "Hedwig – But the owl lay motionless and pathetic as a toy on the floor of her cage. He could not take it in, and his terror for the others was paramount. He glanced over his shoulder and saw a mass of people moving, flares of green light, two pairs of people on brooms soaring off into the distance, but he could not tell who they were-
Terror filled Harry, as he realized that the others who came to came to rescue him were probably dealing with the same problems that he was. He did not want anyone to risk his life for him, instead for him to die for them. He didn't want to be the cause of anyone's death, like how Hedwig just died… "Hagrid, we've got to go back, we've got to go back!" he yelled over the thunderous roar of the engine, pulling out his wand, ramming Hedwig's cage into the floor, refusing to believe that she was dead. "Hagrid, TURN AROUND!" "My job's ter get you there safe, Harry!" bellow Hagrid, and he opened the throttle. "Stop ¨- STOP!" Harry shouted, but as he looked back again two jets of green light flew past his left ear: Four Death Eaters had broken away from the circle and were pursuing them, aiming for Hagrid's broad back. Hagrid swerved, but the Death Eaters were keeping up with the bike; more curses shot after them, and Harry had to sink low into the sidecar to avoid them. Wriggling around he cried, "Stupefy!" and a red bolt of light shot from his own wand, cleaving a gap between the four pursuing Death Eaters as they scattered to avoid it.
"SHIT FLY FASTER HAGRID!" Al yelled, flying close to the bike now, as if she needed to shield Harry with her body. All the time, she was using a Protego with her wand, trying to shield Harry from the less lethal spells, as the Avada Kedavra could not be blocked. "GET HARRY TO SAFETY FASTER!"
"Hold on, Harry, this'll do for 'em!" roared Hagrid, and Harry looked up just in time to see Hagrid slamming a thick finger into a green button near the fuel gauge. A wall, a solid black wall, erupted out of the exhaust pipe. Craning his neck, Harry saw it expand into being in midair. Three of the Death Eaters swerved and avoided it, but the fourth was not so lucky; He vanished from view and then dropped like a boulder from behind it, his broomstick broken into pieces. One of his fellows slowed up to save him, but they and the airborne wall were swallowed by darkness as Hagrid leaned low over the handlebars and sped up.
"Great, that's one down," Al said, rapidly firing a Stupefy at the one that had went to save his or her partner, hoping that those two Death Eaters would probably not rise again.
More Killing Curses flew past Harry's head from the two remaining Death Eaters' wands; they were aiming for Hagrid. Harry responded with further Stunning Spells: Red and green collided in midair in a shower of multicolored sparks, and Harry thought wildly of fireworks, and the Muggles below who would have no idea what was happening - "Here we go again, Harry, hold on!" yelled Hagrid, and he jabbed at a second button. This time a great net burst from the bike's exhaust, but the Death Eaters were ready for it. Not only did they swerve to avoid it, but the companion who had slowed to save their unconscious friend had caught up. He bloomed suddenly out of the darkness and now three of them were pursuing the motorbike, all shooting curses after it.
Al fired more Stunners, missing, as the Death Eaters swerved away from her. "SHIT FLY FASTER HAGRID!"
"ALLRIGHT!" Hagrid yelled back. "This'll do it, Harry, hold on tight!" yelled Hagrid, and Harry saw him slam his whole hand onto the purple button beside the speedometer. With an unmistakable bellowing roar, dragon fire burst from the exhaust, white-hot and blue, and the motorbike shot forward like a bullet with a sound of wrenching metal. Harry saw the Death Eaters swerve out of sight to avoid the deadly trail of flame, and at the same time felt the sidecar sway ominously: Its metal connections to the bike had splintered with the force of acceleration. "It's all righ', Harry!" bellowed Hagrid, now thrown flat onto the back by the surge of speed; nobody was steering now, and the sidecar was starting to twist violently in the bike's slipstream. "I'm on it, Harry, don' worry!" Hagrid yelled, and from inside his jacket pocket he pulled his flowery pink umbrella. "Hagrid! No! Let me!" "REPARO!" There was a deafening bang and the sidecar broke away from the bike completely. Harry sped forward, propelled by the impetus of the bike's flight, then the sidecar began to lose height ¨ In desperation Harry pointed his wand at the sidecar and shouted, "Wingardium Leviosa!" The sidecar rose like a cork, unsteerable but at least still airborne. He had but a split second's relief, however, as more curses streaked past him: The three Death Eaters were closing in.
Instantly, Al swerved her broom and flew towards Harry as well. But, she flew past Harry, as if she was going to intercept the Death Eaters, before they could get to him. Meanwhile…
"I'm comin', Harry!" Hagrid yelled from out of the darkness, but Harry could feel the sidecar beginning to sink again: Crouching as low as he could, he pointed at the middle of the oncoming figures and yelled, "Impedimenta!" The jinx hit the middle Death Eater in the chest; For a moment the man was absurdly spread-eagled in midair as though he had hit an invisible barrier: One of his fellows almost collided with him –
Then the sidecar began to fall in earnest, and the remaining Death Eater shot a curse so close to Harry that he had to duck below the rim of the car, knocking out a tooth on the edge of his seat- "I'm comin', Harry, I'm comin'!" A huge hand seized the back of Harry's robes and hoisted him out of the plummeting sidecar; Harry pulled his rucksack with him as he dragged himself onto the motorbike's seat and found himself back-to-back with Hagrid. As they soared upward, away from the two remaining Death Eaters, Harry spat blood out of his mouth, pointed his wand at the falling sidecar, and yelled, "Confringo!" He knew a dreadful, gut-wrenching pang for Hedwig as it exploded; the Death Eater nearest it was blasted off his broom and fell from sight; his companion fell back and vanished.
Al noticed his saddened face and saluted to him, swerving her body to follow the broken parts of the sidecar. Harry watched her go. "Harry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry," moaned Hagrid, "I shouldn'ta tried ter repair it meself- yeh've got no room- " "It's not a problem, just keep flying!" Harry shouted back, as two more Death Eaters emerged out of the darkness, drawing closer. As the curses came shooting across the intervening space again, Hagrid swerved and zigzagged: Harry knew that Hagrid did not dare use the dragon-fire button again, with Harry seated so insecurely. Harry sent Stunning Spell after Stunning Spell back at their pursuers, barely holding them off. He shot another blocking jinx at them: The closest Death Eater swerved to avoid it and his hood slipped, and by the red light of his next Stunning Spell, Harry saw the strangely blank face of Stanley Shunpike - Stan- "Expelliarmus!" Harry yelled. "That's him, it's him, it's the real one!" The hooded Death Eater's shout reached Harry even above the thunder of the motorbike's engine: Next moment, both pursuers had fallen back and disappeared from view. "Harry, what's happened?" bellowed Hagrid. "Where've they gone?" "I don't know!" But Harry was afraid: The hooded Death Eater had shouted, "It's the real one!"; how had he known? He gazed around at the apparently empty darkness and felt its menace. Where were they? He clambered around on the seat to face forward and seized hold of the back of Hagrid's jacket. "Hagrid, do the dragon-fire thing again, let's get out of here!" "Hold on tight, then, Harry!" There was a deafening, screeching roar again and the white-blue fire shot from the exhaust: Harry felt himself slipping backwards off what little of the seat he had. Hagrid flung backward upon him, barely maintaining his grip on the handlebars - "I think we've lost 'em Harry, I think we've done it!" yelled Hagrid. But Harry was not convinced; Fear lapped at him as he looked left and right for pursuers he was sure would come... Why had they fallen back? One of them had still had a wand... It's him... it's the real one... They had said it right after he had tried to Disarm Stan... "We're nearly there, Harry, we've nearly made it!" shouted Hagrid. Harry felt the bike drop a little, though the lights down on the ground still seemed remote as stars. Then the scar on his forehead burned like fire: as a Death Eater appeared on either side of the bike, two Killing Curses missed Harry by millimeters, cast from behind
-And then Harry saw him. Voldemort was flying like smoke on the wind, without broomstick or thestral to hold him, his snake-like face gleaming out of the blackness, his white fingers raising his wand again - Hagrid let out a bellow of fear and steered the motorbike into a vertical dive. Clinging on for dear life, Harry sent Stunning Spells flying at random into the whirling night. He saw a body fly past him and knew he had hit one of them, but then he heard a bang and saw sparks from the engine; the motorbike spiraled through the air, completely out of control - Green jets of light shot past them again. Harry had no idea which way was up, which down: His scar was still burning; he expected to die at any second. A hooded figure on a broomstick was feet from him, he saw it raise its arm - "NO!" With a shout of fury Hagrid launched himself off the bike at the Death Eater; to his horror, Harry saw both Hagrid and the Death Eater, falling out of sight, their combined weight too much for the broomstick –
Barely gripping the plummeting bike with his knees, Harry heard Voldemort scream, "Mine!" It was over: He could not see or hear where Voldemort was; he glimpsed another Death Eater swooping out of the way and heard, "Avada –"
A suddenly blast of red also shout out from a different direction, hitting the other Death Eater. Yet, Harry could not see what was going because of his scar. As the pain from Harry's scar forced his eyes shut, his wand acted of its own accord. He felt it drag his hand around like some great magnet, saw a spurt of golden fire through his half-closed eyelids, heard a crack and a scream of fury. The remaining Death Eater yelled; Voldemort screamed, "NO!" Somehow, Harry found his nose an inch from the dragon-fire button. He punched it with his wand-free hand and the bike shot more flames into the air, hurtling straight toward the ground. "Hagrid!" Harry called, holding on to the bike for dear life. "Hagrid - Accio Hagrid!" The motorbike sped up, sucked towards the earth. Face level with the handlebars, Harry could see nothing but distant lights growing nearer and nearer: He was going to crash and there was nothing he could do about it. Behind him came another scream, "Your wand, Selwyn, give me your wand!" He felt Voldemort before he saw him. Looking sideways, he stared into the red eyes and was sure they would be the last thing he ever saw: Voldemort preparing to curse him once more-
A flash of light gave the bike an extra boost and the bike headed for the ground. And then Voldemort vanished. Harry looked down and saw Hagrid spread-eagled on the ground below him. He pulled hard at the handlebars to avoid hitting him, groped for the brake, but with an earsplitting, ground trembling crash, he smashed into a muddy pond.
He blinked, his vision blurring. He felt some small hands grab him and pull him over to bigger ones, but he could not make out who was pulling him because of the pain. He saw a mass of red and blinked wearily, gripping on to the red. The red thing yelped in pain and Harry realized that it was a person. He blinked wearily and saw Asphodel holding up a white feather, which she handed to him wordlessly. Then, he fell back, collapsing.
…..
A/N: Well, I had this idea for a little while and I do like the story of Asphodel 'Al' Jamie Lunette better than my Death-adopts-Harry one at the current moment. Al is an OC in a way, her true uh origins will be revealed later. She will have a major aspect in the story with her attitude. I can answer some questions about her now that will not interfere with the stories' plot. I don't intend for her to be a Mary Sue or anything, everything will be revealed eventually as you read.
Q1: Why is Asphodel 'Al' Jamie Lunette named such a weird name?
A1: Not answering that as of now, but it will be revealed the significance of her name later on.
Q2: Who are Al's parents and are they going to appear in the story? Are they Muggles or not?
A2: Both her parents are deceased. Al will make references to them, but she won't actually mention them, as of yet. Both her parents are Wizards/Witches. And Al is a Halfblood. Her mom is from some minor British now extinct Pureblooded family and is named Jennifer 'Jen' Mary Lunette nee Martens and her father is an American Halfblood named Hal Jacob Lunette. Hal died in a fight while serving in the American military from a gunshot from the enemy before Al was born. Driven by grief, Jennifer moved to Britain to live with her parents, not knowing about the war. She was caught in crossfire of a Death Eater attack and nearly died when Death Eaters went to kill her parents for their neutrality, but ended up losing her left leg. She also had Al in the hospital and, two years after that, heard about Harry Potter defeating the Dark Lord. She realized that the Dark Lord was probably not dead as the body was never found and wanted revenge on the Death Eaters killing her parents, so she raised her daughter and trained her daughter to be the protector of Harry Potter. Later, she met Dumbledore and had Dumbledore adjust the wards to send Al to protect Harry Potter, when the time was right. She was killed by Voldemort in Harry's Fifth year.
Q3: Will Al and any Canon HP characters have a relationship?
A3: In a sort of way. In a life-or-death situation, most people tend to form familial relationships with each other. She will have it that with the main Canon characters- Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny. She will be like a pseudo-sister to them because of what they will endure together. But she will NOT have any love/sexual relationships with anyone, nor does she want one. She will reveal why later.
Q4: What is with Asphodel's attitude and why is she pretty powerful?
A4: Her attitude is based off that she does not want to make any emotional attachment to anyone, which will be revealed later on why. She is pretty powerful because of the training she has been through from when she was very little. Her mother trained and, later on, she got her 'mission' from Dumbledore and her mom. Her mom was later killed by Voldemort and she is the sole survivor of her family.
Q5: Will this story follow the book?
AF: For the most part. I will be skipping around some of the chapters to progress more quickly or be inserting some parts of certain chapters. Like from now to Bill and Fleur's wedding, there isn't many things major happening except for Harry getting the snitch, Ron getting the Deluminator, and Hermione getting the Tales of Beetle the Bard from Dumbledore's Will because that is necessary. However, the ending and around the middle, there will be a few changes, but most of the story will follow the book with the bolded print being whatever text is in the book. Sorry if not everything is copied and pasted perfectly. Tried my best, but it was hard because I had to fix the text at a lot of places.
Wow, I am at like 8500+ words already. This is the longest that I have ever written/ copied [lol]. Oh well… Anyways, read and review and no flames please .