Harry Potter and the Guardian of Light
Chapter 1: Night Rescue
Disclaimer: The rights to Harry Potter are not mine and this is simply a written story with no commercial use what's so ever.
Summary: As his life breaks apart from under him Harry finds a new light from an unexpected source, Harry begins to shape his life for himself after a brutal attack on his home.
A/N: Alright I hope some of you have me on story alert, because this is about to get rough. After such a long break, other stories and writers block I am officially back and ready to hit hard. I am redoing this story completely with what skill I have managed to pick up along my writing way.
Time seemed to stop as misery and despair sunk in to the famous Harry Potter like never before. Just a simple month had gone by since the untimely death of his greatest mentor Dumbledore. Only one month since his entire life came crashing down around him, his goals and dreams passing with that aged but vibrant spirit. Choking on his own pathetic sobs his arms crushed his pillow against his chest in a vice grip, transferring his pain in to that simple stuffed piece of cloth.
Living with the Dursleys continued to be a hell on earth, the only noticeable aspects of his room a simple desk next to his trunk. That along with the silent owl cage made up his entire world outside of the comfort of his bed where he now sought comfort. Yet his choices were limited as he had no parents, no godfather, and not even a mentor to help him now. People thought he was this grand statue of constant strength, but even the toughest obelisk will fall under an earth quake.
In all of his insane inner torture he could realize through these painful memories that he was still left with that mission, the mission from that white bearded old man who charged him with destroying the worlds most evil creation and his blasted fractured soul.
"Why do I have to deal with this!" he managed to groan his words through gritted teeth, burying himself deeper in to his crushed pillow. Did he have any way of finding these horcruxes? No of course not, Dumbledore had told him anything at all to help him except riddles and rhymes. Fresh tears redoubled their efforts from his eyes, burning in to the sheets below him. He felt an overwhelming anger at his old teacher, for all the wisdom in the world that he could have given him all he received was that same warm smile!
The famous Potter had always been led, always hand held through his troubles. Sure there were times he had to think and act on his own, but those were rare. A lost puppy was better off than him now, as all he was capable of was crying in to the rustled and stained sheets wrapped tightly around his disheveled form. A simply pathetic sight…
Sleep overcame his fatigued body as tear stained eyes closed over the world surrounding him. Things would be different, but never like they were. The bravery he tried so hard to maintain was swept away with all the death this wizard's war caused to the poor souls.
Harry lurched from his coiled up position on his bed smashing down upon the floor in a mess. His glasses barely still on his nose he heard the explosion rattle the house from downstairs. Shrugging the shock away his hand rummaged under his bed, grasping the wand that rolled under the night before.
"What in merlins name is going on?" Rubbing the last bit of sleep from his eyes Harry propelled himself to his feet and threw the slightly opened door, the dark corridor of his uncle's house feeling cold and empty as another explosion shook the very foundations of this place he was forced to call home.
Half concentrated eyes saw the smoke rising up from the stairwell, the smell of burning wood causing his stomach to clench in a mixed sensation of disgust and fear. His feet carried him quickly to the top of the stairs where the raging inferno stood right before his eyes, even the railing of the stairs torn apart by the flames.
"NO! STOP IT!" screaming out through his already smoke filled lungs caused a raspy sound, still ignored by a man in night black robes and white mask adorned with markings of fire, much like they had engulfed this home with. His scream did not save his overweight uncle from feeling the full power of the killing curse directly in his large chest. Barely with enough time to take in the event the dead eyes of the once passionate Potter saw the deadly wand point his way.
It was pointless to hope that someone else had escaped, the only family he had left now was himself. But that left questions unanswered…how, how did they get past those supposedly impenetrable blood wards protecting him until he was 17? This had to be some kind of sick joke, yet this man standing at the bottom of the stairs with all intents of killing him was not joking.
"Potter!" growling his words out the death eater ripped his mask off with his free hand, sneering up at this young boy who he could offer as the greatest prize to his lord.
"Your mine now potter!" his wand once still and concentrated waved about quickly, spouting off hexes of all shapes and colors. Darting back around the corner Harry watched the mix of purple and red smash in to a once loving painting of the mountains hung upon the wall. Ignoring the smoldering wallpaper he turned the corner in haste.
"Stupefy!" the spell caught the cocky servant by surprise smacking him in the face and knocking him out on the debris covered floor. Without time to spare he leaped down the majority of the steps, coming to land on the now uneven floor. Ducking under a spell fired from another room Harry soared out the already smashed in door, just realizing the coughs heaving through his body. Unable to stop through these tortured wheezes he forced himself down the seemingly calm street, trying to save the only thing left to be taken…his life.
He had made it halfway down the street when shouts and grunts whispered in his ears from behind, the Death Eaters had finally made their way out to chase him after realizing what he had done during their murder of his family. Turning in to an ally Harry had barely made it to the other side before realizing that a reinforcement squad had already appeared at the corner.
"Damn, how am I supposed to get out of here!?" his timely ducked save him from a mix of killing curses and stunning spells, the sound of cracking concrete from a nearby house catching his ringing ears. He fired several spells in return but couldn't manage to hit the agile cloaked assassins. Throwing himself behind the cover of a large garbage can he was saved from a smaller curse, rolling out to counter.
"Reducto!" the gleam blew apart a pile of boxes near his pursuers, throwing broken pieces of wood against them. The distraction proved successful to give him the time to run, again to run from the death that awaited him a few feet back. He was in no way a coward to fighting, but without backup his mismatched battle would only cause the world to morn his demise. He couldn't protect anyone close to him and now he couldn't even save himself.
He crossed two more quiet streets before collapsing against a hard earthen wall, his lungs crying out for a break. The cold air sunk in to every pore of his body, numbing the skin and attacking his insides. His body screamed for some way to survive, the adrenaline pumping through him moments ago washing away. He could sense the end coming for him. Aurors wouldn't show up for at least a few more minutes while the gnashed voices of his enemies grew closer, his vision growing dim. Finally without hope he succumbed to his bodies troubles and passed out there on the street, the place of his hopefully quick death.
Harry groaned in protest as his senses began to revive one by one, his sense of touch gaining the feel of soft fabric beneath him and his nose filled with the faint smell of food. His emerald eyes flickered open slowly to concentrate on his surroundings. An elegant room dressed in royal furnishings of vibrant colors stared at him from every direction. His form was imprinted in to the very center of a large king sized bed.
"W-where…in the world am I? I was at the…Dursleys! And…and then…wait, did I die?" slowly and carefully he fully pulled himself up to a sit, looking around the room adorned with oak desks and magnificent portraits of rivers and people unknown. To his left a small side tabled sat a large glass of water and a streaming bowl of soup. Suddenly he realized just how dray his throat was, the uncomfortable feeling driving him to grasp the glass and chug it without hesitation, rhythmically moving his throat to keep it moving.
"Was I captured…?" his words followed a long gasp of relief from the sweet refill of fluids to his body. It was then that a laugh filled the room in amusement, but not evil like he would expect. No…this was friendly, as if Harry had told some sort of joke. Turning his gaze hopefully towards an open door he saw a wizard dressed in the purest of white robes sparkling with a silver hue, A giant golden eagle sat in front staring out at him with confidence. In his hand saw a staff of the same pure white while a teal orb of almost see through quality was embedded on top of the long rod held there by what appeared to be silver eagle talons.
"Who are you? Did you kidnap me!?" his hand whipped to his side to find his wand by pure instinct but failed to find the missing piece of wood, obviously and not unexpectedly taken by this seemingly kind man. Taking a closer look of the features of this man he would say no older than 25, his face handsome but not overly. His eyes a brilliant teal matching his staffs orb. The short brown hair was just below the length of Harry's, but the stomach was pudgy enough to stretch his robes out a small deal.
Another laugh only made Harry feel more uncomfortable, gripping helplessly at the spot he usually kept his wand. Striding towards him the man used his staff almost as a walking stick; whether or not he needed it wasn't really important to the possibly kidnapped boy.
"I guess in a sense you could say I kidnapped you, but I'm fairly sure you would rather be kidnapped by me then a snarling death eater…did I assume wrong?" Harry's eyes blinked dizzily at this odd man, eccentric to the last. Yet he still reminded him of a young Dumbledore, or maybe that was blind hope.
"Wait…then you are not a death eater?" Those teal eyes stared at him almost threateningly before the form broke out in to a fit of laughter, clamping his hands tighter on his staff to keep steady.
"Heavens no! Since when is a death eater dressed in white anyway? Harry Potter you must really think things through much more carefully, drawing conclusions so fast can make potential allies your most hated enemies." Harry found his curiosity peaked, the strangest man he had never met since Fred and George was before him.
"Then who are you?" moving swiftly to the edge of the bed his feet slid off, dangling from the high position just above the hard floor. A sincere smile radiated from him as his entire form leaned against that long staff, gripped with two tight hands. His face and his gestures seemed to contradict each other. Where his smile was warm, his hands seemed rough and crude.
"Kinfall Hopkins is my name, and due to recent events…I guess I've sort of figured I might help guide you, a bit." A warped version of a gasp escaped the young wizard, picturing this man too killed by someone like Snape just for this greater good that was Harry Potter.
"Guide? You mean…your going to help me defeat Voldemort?" a wide grin met him, the warm yet still troubling stare of this man tearing apart his nerves.
"Oh I suppose I'll be around to help you fight, but this battle is yours…as I'm sure you have been told. My most important goal is to train you, train you to understand what it takes to defeat a wizard without an equal left in this world. And as the guardian of light it is only fair I teach you what you need."
"Yeah I sure am some guardian, letting my parents die…my godfather…my mentor, and even what was left of my family." His eyes watched Kinfall approach him with a much more devilish expression, that peaceful staff smacking him upside the head and throwing Harry to the floor in a gasp of pain.
"Ok listen here! We all choose are own fates and they had their choices awhile back, now you must make your own and fast!" reaching his hand down Kinfall pulled him up roughly by the front of his robes, sighing as h pulled back a few steps.
"That hurt a lot you know, what makes you think you can just hit people like that!?" Another thud as the staff butted him in the chest with less force, causing him to stumble back. This man wasn't kind; no he knew cruel and hurtful tactics. But…he still knew how to be a person, a human.
"I can hit you if I bloody well choose to, learn to take a hit before you get swallowed hole and I refuse to train you." As the pain subsided from his chest Harry let out a weak cough, straitening himself.
"T-train? Then you mean…" seeing the third strike coming Harry caught the swinging staff under his arm grinning sheepishly towards the slightly surprised Kinfall. Suddenly a return smile sent chills down his spine just as he felt his 'saviors' foot kick him back on to the bed, dislodging him from the staff.
"Not too bad there, but eat your soup. I will be back later" deeply sighing out his discontent In the kid Kinfall turned and left the teen alone. With no small amount of confusion Harry slip over to pick up the bowl of soup, he was alive and as long as that was the case he could at least listen to this odd man.
#12 Grimmauld Place
"Silence now!" Tonks sighed through her tired stare, sitting down as the Order of the Phoenix finally calmed its raging debate. Her stare moved to Mrs. Weasley and the rest of her family, even Hermione was standing off to the side staring intently. After a rough hour or so they were finally allowed to at least listen in to their discussions.
"I know many of you have heard of the attack on Harry but from the scene we believe he was able to escape" the table once quiet and reserved broke out in sighs of relief alongside a few shouts and cheers for Potters quick legs. Only after these loud outbursts finally ended did she even bother trying to continue.
"U-unfortunately…we have been unable to locate him as of late…we did apprehend a death eater present at the actual wreckage of #4 Pivot Drive. Also we found another 6 laying unconscious just two streets away" her voice audibly cracked while trying to maintain calm as Dumbledore would, but it was increasing hard as the minutes rolled on. Thankfully Lupin rested his hand on her shoulder, a silent nod agreeing to continue the story for her. His voice came out much weaker then normal from the constant fatigue but was much calmer.
"The Death Eaters were hit by an unknown curse and are currently at St. Mungos under heavy guard for treatment." A hoarse grunt prevented the werewolf from continuing, the toughened voice of Mad-Eye Moody shook the room in a rage. Pounding his fist down on the old meeting table he glared around at him.
"What is the point of talking about Death Eaters? We need to find Harry before the tons still out there ambush him, wherever he might be." His magical eye circled and landed on Remus Lupin while his other circled the whole room. Although it was rare for Moody to show such passionate force it only served to intensify his argument.
As conversation continued Ron felt increasingly fed up with the chatter, balling his fists in to tight balls he approached the table and slammed them down shaking a few ink bottles over. The ink spilled off the table but everyone had their eyes glued on Ron.
"Why are all you geezers sitting here talking about finding Harry but not actually looking? If you won't go, I will you gits!" shaken faces were mirrored across the room at Ron's heartfelt outburst, his glaring eyes and rough grip on the table leaving them speechless. Mrs. Weasley struck forward with a small squeak trying to pull the fired up red head away.
"Come on son this is for the adu-"Ron's glare cut through her sentence with raw fury, pulling his arm free of her loose grip. He knew exactly what she wanted to tell him, but that didn't mean he could agree with it.
"How can you say this is for adults to handle mom!? Are you trying to say adults will kill He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named? They haven't been doing a very good job of that have they?! Harry is my friend, bloody hell he's my best friend!" a sigh came in unison from all of the order members, all realizing just how helpless they were. The fact Ron used the dark lords name just showed how serious he was. Kingley Shacklebolt pushed himself back from the table before standing up slowly.
"We might as well start looking for Harry…Dumbledore always said he was our last chance." When the order was in agreement they split in to pairs to search dedicated spots, apparating out one at a time.
A long groan pulled from Harry's throat while he slowly rose from a short nap, still inside the cozy little room. A smile reminded him how much his head stung from getting hit with a staff. There was no substitute for the fact he was safe though, that this place wasn't a dream or part of his imagination. His mind shifted to loses he encountered but was forced to snap back as the door opened with a low creek. Hopkins with all his friendly smiles strolled in relaxed and without care.
"Well, well so your awake again are you? Well come on, we have some things to discuss" his grin held a slightly sinister point to it but it was easily ignored. He left the room leaving the door open where it took only a moment for Harry to follow, pulling the door closed behind him. Dazed by the blinding light in the large corridor he now stood in Harry couldn't believe how amazing it was.
"This place is…phenomenal" his ears caught another hearty laugh from Kinfall who just kept walking. Following closely behind Harry could see the walls covered with artifacts and famous portraits, the wizards and witches inside smiling and welcoming him. They were much warmer then most of the ones at Hogwarts. They exited the corridor in to a gigantic entrance hall.
"Most of this used to be in my family's vault, but when my father passed on I simply moved it all in to here. I never did trust goblins that well…" He stopped to watch Harry look at every wall in detail, examining the more interesting parts more and more closely. Harry found himself staring at a portrait of Godric Gryffindor who nodded his head briefly towards him.
"Well did you want a full tour, or should we begin your training now?" although Harry was tempted to explore he preferred to start his training. Despite the many questions howling to be asked from his mind he knew pushing was not something he should do, the best thing possible would be to just go with the flow as many muggles said. Kinfall seemed to enjoy the answer as a smirk crossed his lips while leading him towards a door at the far end.
"Well let us head over to the library then, I will ask you a favor though…I request that you remain here for half a year. This is entirely optional of course" Harry would eagerly accept if it wasn't for all of his friends waiting for him, possibly worried about his safety. Then again if his training would help maybe it wouldn't be too bad…
"Well I guess I could…but, do you think I could send a letter to my friends? I'm sure they would at least want to know I am safe." The odd wizard stopped in front of the door, turning his head back slightly during Harry's request.
"Well let's see…Ah! Yes I did manage to pick up your owl; the cage is in the library…I think. My memory was never too good…but anyway, just don't give your friends any specifics. Inform them that you're well and return in 6 or so months." Harry agreed eagerly, although it would be hard to try and write a letter without spilling everything. Following Kinfall in to the library he suddenly didn't feel like the word gave much meaning to the massive place.
"W-what…there's got to be a million books in here!" The room was well lit by lanterns and candles while spanning for many levels upward all connected by sets of spiraling staircases. Thousands of book cases seemed to be on every level except the very top which was probably more of a study area.
"Yes well…my family was always book lovers, so over the years we collected a rather dense stash. This house actually was once a library itself, so many books are simply left over from the purchase. Most of them are just pointless books with trivial information though. Now hurry along before you get lost…I know, I've done it." He began up a set of stairs directly to their left; the railings firm with eagle carvings every level or two. This man was definitely obsessed with the bird, or maybe it was his whole family.
"So Harry what would you consider an evil or dark spell?" the question caught the teen by surprise who struggled for some sort of answer. Between every word their footsteps carried and echoed throughout the empty place, ringing in his ears.
"Well anything from the dark arts right? The killing curse at the top…" A hearty laugh filled his ears, causing shame to overcome him. With flushed cheeks he tried to realize what was so funny? Was he wrong? Of course he also had no idea what side of magic this man was for either.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to laugh. I expected that sort of question. Alas it is incorrect; ideally we could draw a line and say 'this is evil and this is good' but with magic things are much less simple." Sensing the boy's confusion he let out a lone sigh, catching the top of his head for a better way to explain this.
"Um…let's see. Basically…A spell can not be evil, only the person wielding it. Calling the killing curse an 'evil' spell is much like calling a baseball bat 'evil' because someone used it to kill. Spells are simply tools for our use." Harry thought he could understand the logic behind it, but it was hard to understand fully. He found himself wondering how true that information could hold.
"Wait but that doesn't make sense, if magic is an extension of us that would make the spell evil since its being used by an evil person." Frowning heavily Harry noticed his eyebrows twitch slightly during their long ascent; obviously he was struggling to make him understand the reasoning.
"Harry no! Ugh…a spell is a tool, not an extension. Picture this, Death Eaters attack a small town and Aurors arrive on the scene. Out numbered the Aurors decide to forgo stunning and use 'Avada Kedavra' to eliminate the men. Would you see that as evil?" Harry considered it for another level of stairs.
"Well no…but that's only because the Ministry is supposed to be the good guys. If I wasn't supporting them then I would consider them evil too…" Kinfall made several twists of his expression but seemed mostly pleased.
"Interesting deduction…but yes, that is exactly true. Our views are often based on the government in which we support. If we were supporting Voldemort then we would most likely consider it 'just cause' to kill the innocent people." Harry found himself getting slightly tired from the long walk up never-ending stairs.
"Is it really that important for me to understand if a spell is evil or now? I don't see how that has anything to do with it…" They appeared at the very top of the stairs, an apparent study room with desks of all shapes and sizes. The walls were empty and free of distraction, a few lamps and candles lit added an extra light over many of the tables.
"You may not see it as important, but it has everything to do with this! You are limiting your own capabilities by weeding out spells you think would make you 'evil'. It is not a desirable thing to kill…but it is an ok thing to do in the right circumstances. There is no line between light and dark, it doesn't exist. You have to make your own and decide what you want to use to accomplish your goals." Despite Kinfalls apparent great knowledge Harry found himself more and more dissatisfied with his techniques…or maybe it was because they made so much sense.
"Alas I'm sure it will take awhile to get used to that idea…so go write that letter so we can begin?" Harry nodded briskly as a familiar hoot sent a smile cascading across his face. Beaming at the lovely snow owl he ran quickly to the cage.
"Hedwig! I'm so glad your alright…give me a minute and I will let you out." Before ever asking Harry caught a sleek new ink bottle with quill as in slowly began to pas sunder his nose. Muttering a quick thank you he began scribbling down a small letter upon one of the many pieces of paper stacked up. He didn't want to make it too long but he wanted to make sure he got everything down too. Finally happy with it he tied it off to Hedwig's leg, letting the owl rest on his arm as he did so.
"Alright girl bring this letter to Ron will you? After you bring back anything they feel like sending feel free to fly around alone for awhile." His prized owl hooted happily, rubbing its cheek against him before flapping its wings and taking off through a slightly open window. He smiled slightly towards the daylight poking in before his attention was caught by Kinfall who apparently had been gathering books. Rising from the stairs he dropped a stack of books on the table, slipping one out from the middle.
"Alright we will start with Occlumency and Legilimens" He slid the book down the smooth table almost knocking the ink over. With a slow groan Harry lifted the book reading off the title Defending and Invading a mind: For the gifted reader.
"Um excuse me, but I don't even know the basics of either one and I'm certainly not gifted with them."
"Not to worry, it's mostly just a guide. I plan to do most of the teaching just look over it on your spare time."
And so on those simple words Harry began the hardest training of his entire life, something that would shape him for the hardest task ever left upon him.
A/N: STOP! Do not continue on to the next chapter, this is the first of an entire rewrite of this story. My suggestion would be to put it on your story alert list so you know when I rewrite the next one. I would not suggest reading the old versions.