It's been a while hasn't it? Well rumours of my demise were exaggerated! A brand new story which I hope you'll enjoy, my first venture in using the Next Generation characters. Enjoy!
Age of Heroes
Chapter One
Stories of the Past
The raging storm had gotten worse in the last hour, what was heavy rain was now torrential and the wind which carried it had gotten unbearably strong almost as if the elements themselves were trying to convince the lone traveller, who ventured forward through the forest, to return to a safe haven but she was determined to find her target. The stories she had been told as a child painted a picture of a hero but words meant nothing to Rose Weasley. Harry Potter was her parents' best friend, apart from each other of course, but he had disappeared after a terrible tragedy took his wife, Rose's aunt, Ginny Weasley away from him. She now laid in a part of The Burrow's garden, magically charmed to never be tampered in any way, it would never rain on Ginny's resting place and she would know peace.
From what her mother told her, it was her father and Uncle Harry who took Ginny's death the hardest than anyone else. Ginny was targeted by a wannabe Voldemort impersonator, Harry and Ron who were still just Aurors then were sent to deal with him but before they struck the impersonator down, he had killed sixteen people in Dufftown, Ginny included. Her mother would never tell her more than that feeling that the story made her too sad to continue but Rose's inquisitive mind wanted more and she went to her father who took some convincing but eventually he told her the rest to fill in the gaps in Hermione's retelling of the events of Harry's fall and subsequent disappearance.
Harry had gone near-crazed in anger at both himself and the killer and had to be pulled off of the killer as Harry had jumped on him and began to beat him with his bare fists. So full of anger was Harry that he had even attacked Ron and the Aurors sent to take in the killer. Harry himself had to be stunned in order to ensure the killer didn't die at Harry's hands. That was only the beginning, Harry chose to leave the Aurors believing he had failed himself, Ginny, his family and the Aurors and no amount of convincing from Ron, Hermione or Kingsley Shacklebolt, the Minister for Magic at the time, changed his mind. He then began to spiral into a cycle of depression coupled with self-loathing and it was only a matter of time before Harry's mind began to fracture. He tried to find ways to resurrect Ginny and almost found a way before Ron felt he had to do the right thing and take Harry in once he had begun to research necromancy, one of the darkest and abhorrent forms of magic known to exist, Harry attacked Ron in retaliation and nearly killed him, his temper unleashed at near-full force at his once-best friend had unlocked something almost primal in Harry, his power now augmented with his emotions had made more than a match for a squad of Aurors.
Hermione, being a step ahead of Harry, knew what he was really looking for, one of the Deathly Hallows namely the Resurrection Stone, a magical artifact that could be used to at the very least, call forward the souls of anyone who had died. Harry had told Hermione that he had dropped it somewhere in the Forbidden Forest before he faced Voldemort in the Battle of Hogwarts. Hermione had tried to find it before Harry could but she was too late, it was believed that holding all three Hallows granted one the title of 'Master of Death', Harry using that very belief confirmed it for Hermione when she saw him retrace his steps right back to the Stone. She had seen who came to his call, his parents Lily and James Potter, his beloved Godfather Sirius Black and his wife Ginny. Hermione could not hear what was being said or rather she never shared it with anyone but it was clear that Ginny gave Harry the closure he so desperately needed.
What Rose had been told next shocked her to her very core, Ron knowing Hermione so very well had placed a tracking charm on her so that once she had found Harry, he would know where to go and with three full squadrons of Aurors, nearly thirty in total, he tried to take Harry in. But Hermione had warned Harry and told him to disappear to everyone's surprise, Harry had done so, apparating away and never to be seen again and where? Nobody knew except perhaps one person in the whole world, Hermione.
Rose had discovered the truth about her Uncle Harry at the age of 12 and now ten years later, her mission was clear. Bring in Harry James Potter, not to arrest him but to bring him home finally. The storm that had only grown in intensity had tried to warn her off but she was both a Weasley and a Gryffindor, she never gave in until the job was done. She struggled to see where she was going with every step until she thought she saw something ahead of her, could it have been a light or was it just her eyes playing tricks on her?
She took one step with her left foot over a fallen tree branch before she felt something in her head, a voice. She drew her wand immediately and ducked down, she knew a compulsion charm when she felt it but this one was different, more localised and stronger than any other type of compulsion charm she had felt or read about. She looked up ahead again and noticed that what she had thought could have been a light was indeed one after all. Someone lived out here she questioned herself, she heard a twig snap directly to her left and aimed her wand in the direction of the sudden noise.
"Whoever you are, you're not welcome here. Turn back the way you came and never return. Forget you ever came here." A voice then said, it was laced with a compulsion charm.
"My name is Commander Weasley. I'm with the Special Crimes Unit of the Police, I'm trying to find someone." She replied, she knew it had to be him but one could never be too careful.
"Weasley?" The voice asked, it went silent and a loud sigh followed and ahead of her, the air distorted and shimmered as a man appeared out of thin air, he didn't portkey-jump or apparate so it was clear to Rose that he was using an Invisibility Cloak.
"Yes. I'm Rose, Rose Weasley. I'm looking for Captain Harry Potter." She said.
"He's dead. I'm sorry but he's long dead." The voice said back.
Rose lit her wands with a Lumos charm and spoke again, "Step forward please, with your hands on your head."
The man sighed and did what he was ordered to do. He was an old-looking man, his hair mostly grey with a few strands of brown hair, a beard that had been kept neat over some time. But the old man had made a mistake, perhaps in rushing when his charms were triggered to change his appearance, the eyes, as green as the pictures and paintings of him described. It was now clear and without another step from either one of them, the Auror Commander or the former hero, Rose spoke again.
"Harry Potter, I'm to bring you in to speak with the Senior Undersecretary to the Minister for Magic, she would like to speak with you and I have a message from my mother."
Harry Potter raised his eyebrow, still wearing his facade.
"She says it's time to come home."
So that's the first chapter/prologue done. To confirm for anyone wondering, Ginny is dead and with that James, Albus and Lily II Potter are not around. Next chapter will be Rose introducing Harry to the Senior Undersecretary, any guesses as to who that may be, and also find out more about the Commander herself.
I know also Commander isn't really a rank in the Aurors but I feel like it would carry some weight in a police service which can also act as a military force when called upon. So Harry served as a Captain alongside Ron with Hermione...well you'll find out soon.
