Disclaimer: This is the tidbit where I mention that while I may own this personal take or version of the story, the characters, the world, and the colossal amount of mystical lore this story is based on is property of none other than the great J.K Rowling. Thus, this is just a peer into my thoughts on the characters, and my fanboy impulses to formulate an alternate take on the last few years the Gryffindor Trio will have at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

For the love of The One

(An AU, H-Hr fic) by Juno Altaeus Libgood

Dedication: To my dearest Emily, the only person who was able to bring out my "love" for the Harry Hermione team up, and the person responsible for this story's coming to life

Prologue

The scar burned. Harry lay tossing in his bed. The skin-seared sign of his destiny began gleaming emerald. While the dark forces laced into him by the dark lord burned in his veins, his muscles began to spasm, his hairs stood on end, and sweat beads began to seep outwards from his every pore like raindrops on a windowpane.

Harry found himself in a dark room. He could see nothing, but he could see himself. "I must be dreaming…"

Then, a force took over his head, and he found himself keeling on the floor, ragged in pain. In his mind, Harry felt each pulse of murderous intent. He had a pretty good idea where that hate came from…

"Vol…de…mort" He was shown a vision. A barrage of torturous curses that Voldemort dealt upon those that dared defy him flashed vividly through Harry's head. He was virtually incapacitated as he looked on, watching countless innocents and defenders of the light crying out blood-curling screams.

Harry tried to fight it, but every second through the vision made him feel like a million blast-ended Skrewts were blowing up in his head. He started banging his fist on the floor, then without warning, the vision shifted. Harry then found himself before a great mirror, twice his size stretching vertically, two fifths girth-wise. The shadowing structure seemed black and empty from afar, but as he came closer, light issued forth. Similar visions as the tortured souls appeared before his eyes, but this time, no uttering was heard. All that was there were lifeless faces, with eyes devoid of light. Each being smote down by the dark one's wand slowly flashed before him as he peered upon the reflection of the glass. After ten long minutes, the faces faded, and the glass once more darkened into a void of nothingness.

"Damn it…Merlin, when will this dream end?"

"You have borne witness to all who have fallen by the hands of the dark lord. Fragments of their souls are captive under his will. Until he is no more, their souls cry out for freedom."

Harry was startled. The voice did not seem familiar, but it soothed him for some reason. He looked around him but found no one. The voice from nowhere then restated. "I know this, because I too am yolked by his shackles."

The mirror revealed an image of a woman. Harry immediately understood just why her voice seemed eerily comforting to him. Her almond-shaped emerald eyes, and dark red hair - Harry knew them anywhere. He knew her from her pictures, and from a mirror, called Erised, which he peered into once as a child.

"Mom…" Tears began to well from his eyes.

"Harry…I'm sorry you have to see my like this."

"Mother…you're dress is in tatters, your face covered in soot…who did this to you?"

"It is all HIS doing my dear. This fragment of my soul shall reside within his nature until he is nothing more…"

"No…"

"Harry, what I tell you as you sleep can only be done so long as Voldemort is unaware. He rests. But for how long, I do not know. I don't have much time. Listen very carefully to me Harry. You are the chosen one. The fates have written that you shall endure much agony, but through it lies your destiny. The strength from the sea of your soul will rise beyond all those that come before you, which all in existence have yet to comprehend."

Again with the talk that he was special…Harry knew to an extent that some things made him a little bit different than any of the others in Hogwarts. Everyone had their own story, but never had he met someone his age who had been through a lot worse. A happy family broken apart, a pathetic foster home, countless Christmases wishing he had something more comforting than a false spark of hope…

"Mom…I've trained myself to death, but the last time I faced Voldemort in a deathmatch, he nearly beat me with his hands behind his back. The only reason I survived was because our brother wands would not let one another kill their masters."

"That won't be the case when you face him the next time. When next time comes, you must be ready. Harry, on the path of the next two years of your life lays the most difficult part of your training. You will lose many. Just by living, your existence will end the life of someone you hold dear with all your heart…soon. When that occurs, the power sealed within your core shall be released. Until then, you must prepare your body and soul for it, or else your own power will destroy you."

This did not sit well with Harry. "Just by living? I kill someone I love just by LIVING?! Mom, I've had enough of this bullocks! Enough people have died because of me! It's not fair if it has to happen again!"

"You will endure Harry. You always have, because you know in your heart that the people you love most need you to be. You're right, it's not fair, but that's how your destiny is written. That's how things must be."

"I don't care what destiny says! If I had a say in it, I'll give my life so that someone I love won't have to die! I don't want this destiny! If…if..." Tears welled up in his eyes "If I could just give it up…"

"Oh Harry, so much like your father…" She herself, holding her hand to her mouth and tears falling from her eyes "when that day comes, I pray you will not regret your actions…"

"Mom…if I could only touch you…" Sobbing, he puts his hand to the cold glass.

"You must be strong Harry. If you won't lake your destiny in your hands, countless more shall perish. You are my son." Her hands came closer to the glass. She came close enough to almost touch him. "You are the light that shall purge the darkness – the hope for this age."

Lily Potter's fingers were just an inch away from Harry's when Lily was sucked back into the darkness, the last scream fading within seconds. "HARREEEE…."

"MOM!"

"Potter" Hissed a familiar snake-like tongue. "Your mudblood mother came to fill your head with false hopes!"

He knew this voice, this chilling chuckle that filled the room, and Harry felt his scar burn.

"Damn this being," he thought. "For all my life, he's made it a living hell." He fell to his knees in his agony, and Voldemort permeated through the glass like it was water.

Inching closer, Harry tried to back away as much as he could, searching himself for a wand. He lifted Harry by the neck, and said "Potter, Potter, Potter…YOU WILL NEVER HOPE TO DEFEAT ME! Muhuhahahahaha!" He threw Harry's body like a ragdoll across the darkness and Harry rolled until a wall of nothingness stopped his motion. "I AM THE DARK LORD! HEAR ME ROAR! AVADA – "

"NOOOOOOOOOO"

"KEDAVRA!" A green light then encompassed all vision from his eyes.

TO BE CONTINUED...