In The Darkness

Disclaimer: Well obviously the original title [Burzum-Ishi] is too cool to be mine of course and it is in fact a piece of Elven script from Tolkien's 'Lord of the Rings', likewise so are other parts of the legends within, although some is my own cobbled together Latin/French work [clue if you want to work stuff out]. Also I feel this piece may need my standard movie disclaimer as I am heavily influenced by really cool movies, and so I disclaim any right to claim the creation of some situations or actions that are reflections of those from the silver screen. As for the rest the standard disclaimer applies: Harry Potter and all relevant characters are owned by J.K Rowling, only the plot and characters of my own creation are my own by moral right [who readers of my previous work should recognise]. This disclaimer is applicable to all chapters under the title [so I don't have to write this out again and again].

Chapter One: Beginnings

The car had been parked across the road for a good few hours, but that had not bothered the occupants of number four, Privet Drive. People could come and go as they pleased because he was gone and no one need ever know. Now aged fifty, Vernon Dursley sat happily in his armchair, for the past twenty years the trouble had left his house and now he lived with his wife, his son and daughter-in-law living next-door with his two grandchildren, and no abnormalities.

Harry Potter, his nephew fostered on him at birth had left twenty years ago and since then he had heard nothing, and nor did he wish to hear anything of him. Whistling to himself he unfolded his paper and turned to the news, there his face crinkled with displeasure as he read about the escalating violence that was threatening to spread from the cities to the towns. With a tsk he put the paper aside as the doorbell rang, disturbing him from his afternoon routine, walking out of the living room he smelt the food destined for his evening meal being cooked.

With a chirpy whistle to his wife in the kitchen he opened the door with his satisfied grin swiftly fading as the doorbell was pushed twice more. Opening the door he spoke brusquely to the suited man outside; 'Think it's funny to ring my bell constantly? How about I ring up your employer? Who are you to come and annoy me?'

'Mr. Vernon Dursley?'

'Yes, who are you, what do you want?'

'I'm here with news concerning your nephew, a Mr. Harry Potter.'

'Then I'll thank you to leave now, I want nothing to do with the boy.'

'The boy,' the man let out a silent chuckle, 'amazing you see him as that.'

'One of his type are you then? Well you can sod off, I do not care or know where he is.'

'That's a true shame, may I come in?'

'No, you can sod off.'

'May I at least ask for a tissue then, you appear to have spat on my glasses.' Removing the sunglasses that covered his eyes, Vernon looked into the ocean blue eyes that had been hidden behind them. 'At least one small favour.' In reply Vernon snorted and moved into the house to grab a tissue from inside the kitchen, as he opened the door he heard a small creak and turned to see the blond haired man was now standing in the hallway.

'GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!' Vernon bellowed but rather than quail as most would do under the tirade the man drew a silenced pistol from inside his jacket and shot him through the head with a small but mirthless smile on his face. Inside the kitchen there was a smash as Petunia dropped the sodden plate she had been holding, her mouth opening to scream as her husband's body fell to the ground, then with another click of the gun's hammer she fell to the ground with blood trickling from the wound in her head.

With another small smirk the man checked the chamber of his gun and moved into the dining room, searching quickly through the shelves he moved with purpose, finding nothing of interest he stepped over the bodies lying on the floor of the hall and kitchen and went to the living room. There he once again searched the shelves, this time removing a few photos from gilded frames and stowing them in a black bag he withdrew from his pocket, he also took some of the ornaments on the mantle of any real value and threw them carelessly into the sack.

Exiting the room he threw the sack down beside Vernon's body, which was now lying in a pool of deep crimson blood that was spreading along the hall. Avoiding the pool with his feet the man paused by the door that opened to the cupboard under the stairs, turning to look at it the blue eyes focused on the strong padlock that bound the outside, something they feared had been laid here. Taking out a thin stick that tapered to a point the man pointed at the locked and muttered under his breath until a golden light shot and passed into the mouth of the lock, with a small click it then fell from the door and landed with a clunk on the floor.

Opening the door a soft golden glow seemed to spill outwards and cascaded over the man's feet and onto the drying blood. Looking inside the man picked up a dusty wrapping and read the legend that it bore: Ton-Tongue Toffee. With another small smile he pocketed the wrapper and strode swiftly out of the door of number four, Privet Drive…the hunt was on.

*              *                *

Several miles away and several hours later Neville Longbottom answered the door on the setting sun to reveal a man dressed in a well-fitted suit, his dark hair falling over his forehead in a neat way despite the scruffy way in which it was brushed. A smile sprang to his lips as Neville pulled the door open and removing his glasses bright emerald eyes shone in the light of the day. 'Hullo Harry!' Neville exclaimed as he swung the door wide and embraced Harry who grasped him back, 'it's been too long.'

'Yes, about fifteen years too long I think.'

'Well you can hardly blame that on me, in fact you could hardly blame that on anyone.'

'You've definitely become more perceptive, I seem to recall you threatened to do that when you started to read all those Muggle psychology books.'

'Well you never should have told me about Sigmund Freud should you?' Neville replied with a chuckle as he ushered Harry inside and shut the door. 'I've actually got a PhD in it now, I studied from work at the Ministry.'

'So you got a position there, then?' Harry asked as he sat down in a chair while Neville moved to the kitchen and grabbed some cups from a cupboard.

'Yeah, in the Department of…well, one of the other departments.'

'Aha, you're an Unmentionable.'

'What, from the Mysteries? You must be kidding, if I was an Unmentionable you wouldn't even be in here, Harry Potter or no.'

'Well, what other departments are there?' Harry asked as Neville entered the room, sitting up and accepting the warm Butterbeer that he had brewed, his interest peaked.

'Me later,' Neville said after drinking a bit of the warming drink, 'you're the one who's pulled a disappearing act for fifteen years.' At this Harry remained silent while Neville pierced him with a gaze with which he seemed to be reading his mind.

'Are you trying to 'psych' me out now?' Harry said eventually placing his mug on the small coffee table, clasping his hands he perched them on his knees and rested his chin on them. Smiling he reached for the copy of the Daily Prophet that was lying on the table and opened the pages to find the news in the centre, browsing he spoke as Neville continued sipping and listening.

'For fifteen years I have been hiding in plain sight,' Harry replied to the question that Neville had been asking without needing his voice. 'You remember after the End, when Voldemort had gone?' he looked up and received an affirmative nod from Neville, 'you didn't flinch, that's good, he is gone you know. I still know…people who think that he's out there…that maybe he's coming back again.'

'Plain sight is probably what you're wondering about,' he looked again and got a confirmatory nod, 'you've been into London, despite being in this new department?'

'Yeah,' Neville replied, finally putting down his Butterbeer, 'given that we don't exist, there is of course somewhere for us to exist. I go in through the Cauldron and then…well even I can't tell you that.'

'The Cauldron, I haven't been there in years, sure I used to risk it with a Glamour Charm but now I can't even try that in case…well, there was always a few people who could figure me out. Well beside the Cauldron is the bookshop and the department store, been in them? I can't blame you, they're always packed with Muggles, impossible for a wizard to hide in…but then again…'

Harry and Neville spoke into the night…fifteen years of Harry's life flew by in one night, in the darkness.

*              *                *

'Mr. Dean Thomas?'

'Yes, how can I help you?'

'I have a message for you, concerning a Mr. Harry Potter.'

'Harry? You must be kidding!'

'No, I just need you to sign this, I'll get my pen.'

'So what's he got to say?'

'Avada Kedavra!'

A/N: Well, that's Chapter 1: Beginnings, what did you all think?