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Disclaimer : ME?! Own the Harry Potter Characters?????? {Laughs on and on for about a million years} HA. No, they belong to female Einstein. (a.k.a J.K Rowling).
This first chapter is dedicated to Remus, who encouraged me to really start writing a fic'. ( By the way, check her own out : "With only Hope and a Promise" by Remmyo.) :D.
Chapter 1 : Boarding on Hogwart's Express – The Flashback.
-"Ron!!, Hermione!! This one's free!". Shouted Harry.
It was September 1st, and they had all boarded the Hogwarts express. And after having spent the last day in the anxiety to smell that same old wonderful smell, he was ecstatic to be here.
This summer had probably been the best of his life!. Harry had vanquished Voldemort in June earlier that year. He, Ron, Hermione , Neville ,Luna and Ginny had all made their way to The Department of Mysteries. It was a place he never liked and never will like. He remembered,with the familiar pang in his stomach, in 5th year how Sirius had fallen behind the Veil. He still missed him very much and always had this insane thought that he would emerge from the door, with his long untamed hair falling in his handsome face.
When they all arrived in front of the familiar revolving doors. Hermione was the first to speak.
FLASHBACK – FLASHBACK – FLASHBACK – FLASHBACK – FLASHBACK.
"We have to search them all this time, She could be anywhere!."
Voldemort had (somehow) managed to capture Tonks, and Dumbledore had a pretty good idea where she was. He thought of him, and how they had left them there to deal with all the Death Eaters in the Atrium. But his headmaster had insisted on telling them to go on, that they keep on moving until they find Tonks. Harry, who had always taken any risk to save his friends, was filled for the first time with an urge to go back, and sit down in the confortable armchair in the Gryffindor common room. The truth was, the thought of finally having his " Duel to the death" to fulfill the prophecy nearly paralysed him with fright, even though Professor Lupin and Moody had filled him in with all very dangerous hexes and jinxes, Voldemort was still the darkest wizard ever, and probably knew even more terrible –or worse- curses than he, Harry, will ever know.
But an image of Tonks twisting and jerking under the effects of the Cruciatus Curse made him feel something very different.
Determination.
With a deep breath, he took the handle of the door closest to reach, and turned it. Hoping it wasn't the one he was dreading.
Pure relief swept over Harry. It was actually a room he had never seen , and it was a very very strange room. It was filled with what looked like misty fog that looked as if someone had just blown and made it all swirl. It strangely reminded Harry of the fog he saw in some singers concerts that Dudley always watched on television, while hogging a bacon sandwich. Ron stirred behind him.
-" Do you think she's in here?". He looked very intrigued by the fog, and when he asked Harry this, his voice sounded oddly distant.
But Harry wasn't listening. It wasn't important anymore, he couldn't even see Hermione, or Ginny or anybody. He just wanted to watch the fog.
Harry remembered feeling this when he had first seen the stupid Veil. But now the feeling was much much stronger. The Fog was so thick he wasn't even sure that there was a floor underneath it all. And maybe he was imagining things, but once in a while, the dense fog would give a swirl, and it would turn into what looked like, unmistakably, a face. What Harry couldn't figure out, was that he knew those faces. He felt his heart skip a beat as he looked into that familiar face.
Sirius. He hadn't seen him in so long. He had almost forgotten what his face looked like. But now, there it was. Before he had time to recover from the actual shock of seeing his face, and trying to enjoy it, the misty form of his godfather's face gave a swirl, and drifted out of site....
Sometimes the fog gave a half swirl, but then, as if it thought better of it, floated and then became a part of the fog. He didn't know what it meant. But what he did know, was that this...this fog, took the form of Sirius's face, and he was very impatient for the fog to take the form of Snuffles again.
Then.....YES!! There, at his right, the fog was giving another swirl.! He felt his heart pounding very loudly....any moment now, Sirius's face will appear...
But his face didn't. instead, he was looking into the face of his father. James Potter. His lips were turned into a very cheeky grin in Harry's opinion. But again, this time, the shock was even bigger, so before his brain had registered the fact that it was his dad, his face disappeared again.
He was starting to feel very frustrated indeed. Why can't they stay longer. He made a decision. He was going to stay here until another face appeared....
-" Oh my gosh!!!!!! What the hell are we doing????" We've just lost 30 minutes in here!!!." Ginny's voice interrupted Harry's thoughts. And it all came back into him.....Tonks....In danger......Voldemort.
He glanced around him, no one seemed very eager to go. Luna was watching the fog and he was surpised to see tears in her normally round and distant-looking eyes. Neville was wearing the expression that reminded him forcibly of the time when the fake Moody had tortured the spider in front of a whole class. But Hermione and Ron turned around, and their expressions turned from longing, to complete and utter horror.
Harry wasn't feeling so good himself. 30 minutes???!!! It seemed much much shorter than that.
-" Luna, Neville – SNAP OUT OF IT" Bellowed Ron, waving frantically in front of them.
They both jumped as thought they had been electrocuted, but Harry didn't have time to watch, he was already heading for the door.
-" Come on! We've already lost enough time in here". He opened the door and waited for them to all fill out. And with one last glance at the fog covered room, he noticed something he hadn't seen before. There was something at the very end of the room, but it was so far behind he couldn't make out what it was...It looked tall, and rather wide, and if he turned his head a bit, he saw something shiny. So, not wanting to become hypnotized like he had with the fog, he quickly got out of the room.
It's over. That's it. He doesn't exist anymore.
He couldn't believe it. The hall in which he was standing was oddly quiet. Nobody made a sound. Could it really be over? There was an odd ringing in his ears, he didn't feel the throbbing pain in his arm anymore, he was shocked. He, Harry Potter, had just killed the one of the darkest wizard's. Lord Voldemort. He hadn't even done it on purpose. "Come, Harry," Voldemort told Harry this, only minutes earlier. But Harry didn't answer. He remembered thinking : If I'm going to die. It's not going to be like that.. They had then been approaching the door that Harry recognized as the one, with that particular round deep hole slightly above the handle.It was this door that had burned the knife Sirius had gave him. And he had a crazy thought. He didn't know where it came from. It was like with Tom Riddle's diary, when he had taken the basilisk fang and plunged it into the cursed book. He had to find a way to be able to open that door. He was so lost in his thoughts, he did not hear distant footsteps approach him. Untill he saw the man that was making them approach him.
Dumbledore.
It seemed as if he had managed to control the Death Eaters, because he came only with a slight scratch slightly above his right eyebrow. He made eye contact with him. And it was like an invisible string of understandment went through them. Had Dumbledore known all along that this was the way to defeat Voldemort?. But Lord Voldemort's voice cut his thoughts.
"I was wondering when you should arrive Dumbledore". Voldemort said with a hint of cackle at the end of his voice. "Have you forgotten what the prophecy states??? Either must die at the hand of the other. I see no use of you here, Potter does not stand a chance even if you did come to his aid.".
"You are quite right by saying that only Harry can vanquish you, Tom." Said
Dumbledore calmly. Harry couldn't understand how confident he sounded.
He was probably about to be killed!. Dumbledore continued "But I am
Allowed, to, of course, give Harry assistance, which I'm sure his friends would have done, but judging their state-" he paused to point at the unconscious Ron , his head resting slightly on Hermione's shoulder, who had her arm across Ginny's stomach, who's foot made slight contact with Neville's.And Luna who had been flung across the room by Peter, and was now resting her bloodied head on the marble floor of the hall. "- they will have to hear the events by Harry's mouth". Harry saw Lord Voldemort's thin, snakelike lips turn into a twisted smile.
"I see you are quite confident that Harry is going to get through this alive".
"Oh yes Tom. This time, I think taking your life is just what everyone would like." Dumbledore said with a smile.
Voldemort's face turned into pure rage, and he sent a spell so powerful, that Harry thought that even at Hogwarts someone must've heard it. And, ever so discreetly, even with a spell flying towards him at a fast speed. Harry catched, what looked like a blood red badge. it was very small. Barely bigger than a snitch actually, that Dumbledore had thrown him. He was still petrified with fear, and Voldemort was still throwing spells at Albus and both did not paying the slightest attention to Harry. Maybe Voldemort thinks there's nothing to worry about. That he's going to kill me, and that it will be easy...what if he kills Dumbledore?? The mere thought of this made Harry's insides fill with fear he had never known or experienced before. But something made him break with his thoughts... the badge was growing warm....it was even slightly glowing, and it seemed to want to move...Harry was watching it twitch slightly, wanting to make it's way to the right... But when Harry twitched his head to the side, there was nobody. Just the door.
It was as thought and invisible lightbulb had gone on in Harry's Head. The Badge opens the door...Dumbledore gave me this to open the door!!! But what would he do then? Was he supposed to jump into it??
Just then a sudden explosion was heard, and as Harry looked behind, he saw that Voldemort had just blasted a desk where Dumbledore was standing, but was gone instantly with a swish of a cloak, and apparated on the opposite side, where they continued to duel.
Fumbling with the badge, that was now making wheezy noises as it approached the door. He inserted the badge in the small hole that was just above the handle. It made a soft "click" sound and the handle vibrating. Ok, this is it. No turning back. I'm going to open the door, and I'm gonna walk in". But as Harry made to turn the handle, Dumbledore apparated at his side with a slight smile, and spoke so softly that Harry had to strain his ears to listen –"You must get him behind that door Harry, it is the only way, quickly! He won't hold much longer!". He glanced around...Indeed. Voldemort seemed completely and utterly furious, and was bound with what looked like glowing green cords, and was fighting to get out so badly that Harry saw the ropes vibrate ever so slightly. With a scream of fury, he yelled : ROMPERE! And the green ropes began to grow holes as thought something was burning them. Grinning with triumph, he struggled some more. And was free from the ropes.
Harry looked at his left. But Dumbledore was gone. Harry began to slightly panic for the first time. Why did he leave???!!!!!! What am I going to do???!!! And as Lord Voldemort advanced him with his wand raised. A voice sprung in his head, repeating the words Dumbledore had just told him : –"You must get him behind that door Harry, it is the only way.
So With fresh determination filling his body, he dodged the jet of green light Voldemort had just sent streaming out of his wand, and ran to get closer to the door. He had to make Voldemort to come near the door. Plainly playing for valuable time, Harry turned the handle, but even though it was glowing very brightly now the door would not open.
Voldemorts laugh interrupted his attempt to open the door. – "Face me like a man Harry, try thinking about how you will see your foolish mother and father when I finish with you" Voldemort was advancing him with his wand raised. An evil grin on his face and his red eyes glinting with delight. But as he approached, Harry, who was leaning his back on the door, felt the handle vibrating more and more strongly and heard a second click, but louder this time. Surely this meant that the door would open now??.
And the next events happened as though it was in slow-motion. Harry didn't even pause to think. This time, he wanted to open the door. But he didn't feel safe standing right in front of it, so he grabbed the handle and quickly ran to his right. Lord Voldemort had been, at that very moment, coming closer and closer to Harry and was inches near the door when he had turned the handle. He couldn't see very well since he had tripped over a piece of the desk Voldemort had exploded earlier, but when he turned around, he saw Lord Voldemort being sucked through the door, but what was behind the door, made Harry shield his eyes.
It wasn't a room. It was just a light that was so incredibly bright. It was this that had caused Harry to shield his eyes. The light had the colour of the purest white Harry had ever seen in his entire life. He watched with astonishment as Lord Voldemort, the man who had murdered so many people, be pulled down by what seemed like a force down behind the door.
But at that very precise moment, People, Loads of people swept in, lead by Albus Dumbledore, he saw how their eyes swept from Harry lying on the floor, to Voldemort falling....falling.....falling...........
Gone.
As Harry was in the hall, remembering all of this, a slight noise from the right came. A strangled gasp, and when Harry turned around...
The Minister for Magic, (since the retirement of Mr.Fudge)
Mr.Zeller, whom Harry had taken quite a liking to since the middle of his 6th year, stepped forward and asked in a trembling voice. "Did....was that....did you just.....is You-Know-Who.......gone?"
Everybody held their breath. But Harry didn't trust his own voice right now. So he looked at his Headmaster, who was simply beaming, and nodded his head.
The effect was instaneous. Several Witches at the back broke into sobs, a man with a funny hat to harry's left fainted and Mr.Zeller looked astonished.
-"But....How...." he broke off, and joined the man with funny hat on the floor.
Harry still couldn't believe it...the Hall was now echoing the people chattering and asking Harry questions. He had survived. He was alive! The only injury he had was his arm, when he had fell!!! . he couldn't believe it!
As Harry remembered how he felt that day. A feminine voice broke into his thoughts.
"Oh I'm really sorry, I didn't know that this was full".
And when Harry glanced to see who had spoken, his jaw dropped.
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A/N ; Ohhhhh. That's a sort of cliffe eh? First ever chapter to first ever fic'. Please let me know what you think, If you didn't like something, tell me!! I'm open to criticism (don't be too harsh though :D ) and maybe I can work on it.
{Points down at the "Review" Button and says in a sing-song voice : You know you want to} :D
