No One's Hero

Prologue: Lily's Lullaby

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Harry Potter does not belong to me.

This is the sequel to 'the Legend of Harry Potter'. This story will make more sense if you have read that first but it is not absolutely essential.

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Many years in the past…

Voldemorts wand trailed away from Harry's forearm and despite the pain Harry smiled as the dark mark glowed black on his skin.

"Thank you master" he said smiling up at Voldemort.

Suddenly Voldemort's hand was at his chin forcing his head up so that he could look into his eyes. His head felt like it was going to explode but he did not flinch, he was a death eater now… and not just any death eater for that matter, Voldemorts apprentice. Harry forced himself to smile up at the dark lord.

"I wonder how many have been fooled by your facade?" Voldemort asked quietly.

The smile left Harry's face "many" he said.

Voldemorts mouth morphed up into a grin "Now you will become what you were always meant to be… with you by my side even Dumbledore will crumble"

Harry bowed his head "yes master"

"Now turn and face your brothers" Voldemort said and Harry turned to face the gathered death eaters. Voldemort's meeting hall was packed fill, Death eaters in their full black robes and white masks stood facing their master.

Then Voldemort began clapping and soon the clapping filled the whole hall. It grew louder and louder as the death eaters joined in. The sound resonated off the high roof so that it sounded like thunder.

Harry smiled to himself, if only the Dursley's could see him now. He was not a worthless freak, not any more. Now he was wanted, revered, loved. Now those who had hurt him would pay.

In amongst the death eaters Severus Snape watched with intense anger, this was news he would have to share with the Order, but he dreaded their response. Particuly Albus's. The betrayal hurt even him, so how would it affect the old man? Even with the knowledge of what the boy must have been through he couldn't help but feel anger towards him, though not a fraction of what he felt towards Voldemort. Holding up his hands he clapped loud and strong. 'God help us' he thought watching the boy who was looking out at them a triumphant smile on his face.

………………….

Many years in the past…

"You are warm

And you are safe

And you are loved

Cradled deep with in my heart"

James watched from the door way as his wife sang their son a lullaby.

She looked beautiful, her long red hair falling over her face as she looked down, but even so James could make out her startling green eyes, he felt a smile on his lips as she kissed their son and turned to leave.

Harry was not content to let her go but not long after they had left and closed the door he had given up and fallen to sleep just as he usually did.

"Don't worry so much" James told Lily and pulled her into his arms planting several small kisses on her forehead.

"I'm not"

He pulled her back and looked into her eyes raising his eyebrows "I would never let anything happen to you or Harry, we can trust Peter, I would never have agreed otherwise."

She nodded "I know", smiling she leaned in for a kiss.

………….

The Shrieking shack

Harry nearly stumbled as his feet once again hit a solid surface.

Dazed and in shock he steadied him self - he wasn't dead, which was a good start.

But he wasn't alone either, He could sense other presences in the same room, he could here there deep breathing. His wand was instantly in his hand and he glanced around ready for any attacker.

He was in a dark old shack; it smelt musky and rotten. But if he wasn't mistaken he was sure that this was the shrieking shack.

His eyes locked on the two other people whom were present in the darkness, two shadows in dark cloaks, which gave nothing away of age or sex.

"Harry Potter I presume" one of them said, the voice that spoke was old and rough.

Harry had no idea what strange plan Lucius had in mind. But he was sure the slytherin didn't intend for him to walk out of it alive.

"Who are you?" he asked coolly taking a step forward his wand held threateningly.

"We are friends, I am Cullen" he gestured to his companion "and this is Matt, we are from the Order of the pheo…"

"Liar" Harry hissed and lifted his wand a spell selected in his mind.

"We tell the truth," Cullen said raising his hands to show he did not have his wand in his hand.

Although Harry did not curse them (there was still plenty of time for that) he did not trust them and kept his wand trained on them.

"Be careful what you say, I know a lot about the Order and never have I herd of any members by the names of Cullen and Matt"

Cullen sighed heavily, he had been so focused on finding the box he had not thought of what exactly he would have to deal with when he opened it.

"You may know of the Order, but I speak of not the Order of your time, but the Order of this time"

Harry frowned at them "your insane" he said.

"You have been trapped in the Box of Lucius Malfoy the first" Cullen supplied gently "for a very long time"

Harry's eyes darted from one shadowed figure to the other. It was a trick, it had to be…

"We have just fought our way through the 'Ministry of magic' to get to it, and open it"

The old man seemed sincere, but there was no way Harry could know for sure.

Slowly he backed himself away from them both, towards the wall, finding its hard surface comforting behind him, but never once letting his guard down.

"Why the shrieking shack?" he asked

"Pardon?" Cullen asked

"This is the Shrieking shack, I'd know it anytime" Harry said cringing to himself a moment later.

"Ah… I chose this – building because it's not well known as well as being close to Hogwarts Castle"

Harry felt a little bit of warmth sink into his stomach at the mention of Hogwarts. His body had felt as though it was getting colder and colder as the possibilities of his predicament had made there way into his sluggish mind.

"How long?" He asked

Cullen did not answer for a moment "we can't be sure – much has changed – "

"How long?" He asked again.

"Centuries have passed – I am sorry"

"If your telling the truth" Harry said half to himself. But Considering everything it was looking more likely that they were telling the truth, The shrieking shack had always looked dilapidated, but now, it felt that way as well. It had always felt young and wild, but now it felt old and tired and dead.

It wasn't only the shrieking shack that seemed strange. He was no prisoner and he expected he would be able to take both men on if he needed to. Why would Lucius send him here? It did not make any sense unless they were telling the truth and he had been trapped in that box for … centuries.

He sucked in a breath at the implications. If what the old man had said was true then everyone he had known would be dead.

He had always known that Lucius Malfoy was not a stupid man, but he had not considered when he had rushed of to save the Dursley's what the consequences would be, there was no way he could have known… but he shouldn't have left straight for the Hall of Mirrors, he should have gone back to Hogwarts first and told Dumbledore what had happened….

Steading himself on the wall behind him he gazed over the two men again "why did you bring me back?" he asked.

"We need your help" Cullen said "desperately"

'Of corse' Harry thought bitterly.

"No" He said anger suddenly swirling up from with in "I've done my part"

The two wizards made no move to argue, but just stood there silently, seemingly at a loss of what to do.

"You don't have a choice though… none of us do, we fight or we die" Matt spoke for the first time.

"Lumos" Cullen said, while stepping closer to Harry, their hero's voice had been filling him with a horrible suspicion; he did not sound like a man.

A gasp filled the silent room as light filled it allowing them to see each other clearly for the first time.

Cullen had been expecting many things; this boy was not one of them.

He stood there for several moments trying to reorganise his thoughts and pull him-self together.

He looked the boy over (for that was what he was) a short skinny boy who's messed up clothing was covered in dirt, it didn't help that his glasses were currently sitting crookedly on his nose.

He was steering back at him angrily a frown on his face, but he was hardly threatening. He didn't know wether to laugh or cry, moments before he had been fearful in this wizards presence, he had been breaking horrible news to the man, who was supposed to be extraordinarily powerful… and now… no this boy was not a threat to any one. They had risked their lives for nothing. Jonathan had been right, the box had been worth more to them than this boy.

Looking at Matt he could see similar thoughts on this face, he felt sorry for him then. Matt had sacrificed more than any one for this boy. He had lost his son, true. But Matt had lost his home, his people, his family… everything.

Matt could hardly believe what he was seeing… after everything they had gone through, after all the lives that had been lost… and this was what the got… it really was all for nothing. All of it.

The image of all the dead bodies they had left behind at Workcamp 34 jumped into his mind. They had given up their lives for the hope that the legend of Harry Potter had given them. The hopes of the world had all been for nothing. For Harry Potter was just a scrawny little boy from the past.

"Your not Harry Potter" Matt found himself saying, "you can't be".

Harry looked at him in surprise "yes. I. am" he said slowly.

"No, your nothing like him, Harry Potter is a Hero. He defeated a powerful dark wizard" he suddenly turned to Cullen "you said he could save us!"

"He lied" Harry said angrily "I cant save anyone!"

"You're supposed to be a Hero!" Matt turned to the boy in front of him again.

"Well I'm not" Harry said firmly.

……………………….

Many years in the past…

"Take Harry and run" James yelled throwing himself in front of the door.

Lily ran as fast as she could up the stairs towards her baby, a wave of pain hit her as green light reflected on the walls around her. She knew he was dead. She felt in inside, a great empty void had just opened up.

But she did not stop until she was with Harry; she picked him up and turned towards the door only to find it filled up with the monster that had killed her husband and so many others…

……………………….

Harry is rescued from his prison, which has held him suspended in time for hundreds of year. Now he is in a world that is very different from the one he left behind, being asked again to be the hero that he was never able to be.