Title: Harry Potter and the Unforgettable Summer

Author: lildreamer

Rating: K+

Pairings: eventual HP/HG

Spoilers: There will be many references to years 1 through 5…So Be Warned!

Summary: "They are not ready…and we are running out of time." "I know," the headmaster replied, glancing up at one of the portraits in his office. "But there are no others."

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or his world. They are the property of J. K. Rowling. I'm just borrowing them :)

A/N: This is meant to take place the summer before their sixth year, before Harry is brought to the Burrow by Dumbledore. And this is my first Harry Potter fic...so please, be nice!

All right, on with the story…
Harry Potter swayed lazily back-and-forth on the park swing, his gaze distant, his mind a million miles away. The summer sun was beating down on him, beads of sweat dotting his forehead, but he didn't seem to notice. His thoughts were focused on the previous school year and what had transpired at the Ministry. The confrontation with the Death Eaters had proved disastrous. He and his friends would have lost their lives that night had it not been for the timely arrival of the Order. They had been spared for the time being, but at a great cost. The Order had lost one of their own that night. But even more, Harry had lost the only person that had come close to being like a father to him.

He could still remember the look on Sirius' face when the killing curse had hit his body. The shock. The confusion. The remorse. And finally the sad acceptance as he fell backward through the dark archway. Bellatrix stood there cackling triumphantly and Harry had wanted nothing more than to make her pay for what she'd done. And he'd almost succeeded in doing so, had he not been stopped by Dumbledore.

In the end, the events of that evening had awakened them all to a terrible realization: they were not ready. He was not ready. If they could not successfully fend off Voldemort's followers, how then would they fare against Voldermort himself? Even with everything they were learning at Hogwarts, their magic paled in comparison to those of the dark lord and his followers. Mere jinxes and curses were not enough. They all desperately needed more training. The only problem was…they were running out of time.

Harry pulled himself from his thoughts, bringing the swing to a halt. He wiped his sleeves across his forehead and squinted through the glare toward the line of trees surrounding the park. Something moved. He blinked, unsure of what he'd seen. Perhaps it was only his imagination. But then, there it was again. A rustling of leaves. A shadow in the trees. Then it was gone. He stood from the swing and carefully made his way toward where he'd seen the shadow. He peered into the thick clump of trees. It was dark and gloomy, the tops of the trees creating a canopy that blocked out most of the sunlight. There was a sound in the darkness ahead and he headed toward it, his hand reaching for the wand hidden inside his pocket. Something wasn't right.

He treaded carefully through the forest, the dead leaves crunching beneath his feet. It was quiet here. A little too quiet. There were no birds or insects. No animal sounds of any kind. The silence was deafening. Then he heard it. A twig snapped to his right. He whirled around, his wand now completely drawn from his pocket and held high in front of him.

"Who's there?" he called into the trees.

There was no response, save for the ominous whistling of the wind through the trees. He kept walking. The forest was growing darker and thicker and it was getting hard to see where he was going. More than once he'd almost fallen, tripping over a rock or log or anything else lying on the ground. He had no choice. He glanced around as if to check if he was being watched, then flicked his wand.

"Lumos!"

The tip of his wand lit up brightly, casting an eerily glow throughout his surroundings. He looked around, trying to remember which way he'd come. But all the trees looked the same.

Wonderful. He thought. I'm lost.

"Psst…"

Harry glanced around wildly, the light from his wand playing over the many tree trunks and branches. "Who said that? Who's there?"

There was a rustle of wings overhead then, "Over here…"

Harry peered into the darkness trying to discern where the voice had come from. "Where?"

"Here." There was laughter like that of a child then footsteps running through the trees. "Periculum!"

A shower of red sparks suddenly shot up through the trees and into the sky, momentarily illuminating the entire forest. Harry looked around and finally spotted something lying in a crumpled heap on the forest floor. He approached cautiously as the red glow died down, leaving his wand as the only light once again. He pointed his wand down at the spot and found an old rag doll lying there, staring up at him with its button eyes. He bent down to study it and as soon as his fingers touched it, a strange but familiar sensation coursed through his body. He felt the tug behind his navel and the magical force envelope him.

The doll was a portkey.

Hmm…what do you think will happen next? Where did you think Harry will end up? Review to find out!