A/N: Ok everyone, this is my first FanFic story so please don't be too harsh on me. So the idea of the story has been hanging around in my mind for the last week or so...actually after i saw the last movie (NOOO!) and basically its a different approach to defeating Voldemort, meaning there aren't any Horcruxes.

So...read and review!

Chapter 1: Nightmares

"Harry Potter…" Voldemort drawled as he drew his wand for the kill, "...the boy who lived…"

KAZAAM! A brilliant flash of green light emanated from the wand when suddenly -

"Oof!" Harry groaned as he fell out of his bed. He had had the dream again, and had fallen out of bed...again.

"Aw, was it that dream again?" Ron groaned. He was used to these frequent wake-up calls, but that didn't mean he liked it.

"Yeah," Harry replied, getting up. "I'm gonna go for a walk, you know, clear my head and all that."

"Mmm," mumbled Ron as he fell back to sleep.

It was eerily quiet as Harry crept through the corridors under the Cloak. He had no idea where he was going, but it was better than facing that dream. He walked out and sat at the edge of the Black Lake, reflecting on the events which had occurred these past few weeks. Dumbledore had been killed, ironically by the man he had trusted so fervently. And now Snape was in hiding, a coward unwilling to own up to his actions. Voldemort had been sighted near Little Whinging and, if rumour was true, he was getting stronger. Voldemort. Now that Harry had lost his mentor, it was up to him to discover the secret of Voldemort, to pry deeper into his history and finish him off, once and for all. No pressure, of course.

As he walked back to the castle, Harry thought more about Voldemort. Surely people weren't born evil, were they? As much as Harry completely loathed that cold-blooded murderer, there must've been something that made him tick. Something that completely set him off the right track of humanity on to the psychopathic allures of total dominance and power. And Harry was determined to find out what it was.

"So Ron tells me you had a midnight stroll?" Hermione inquired at breakfast the next morning.

"Mm-hmm," mumbled Harry, his mouth full of bacon.

"So, where did you go?" she asked slyly.

"Nowhere," came the disinterested answer.

"Who did you meet?" she asked persistently.

"What is this? 20 questions or something? If you really want to know, I went for a walk to clear my mind because I've been having these dreams about Voldemort for the past few nights. Is that all you want to know?" retorted Harry. She looked taken aback at his sudden outburst. He immediately regretted this. It was important that he didn't let Voldemort affect his daily life, especially without Dumbledore to set him straight. Professor McGonagall, the newly-appointed Headmistress of Hogwarts stood up.

"Students, quieten down please. Now as you may all have vaguely heard, there have been some more Death Eater attacks during the last couple of days," she paused. "Even though Hogwarts is under the best magical protection offered by the Order, careless mistakes by the students can render these protections useless. Therefore, strict rules will be applied as of today. No student is allowed outside the Castle for any reason after 6pm, no student is allowed out of their House room at night and all Hogsmeade trips from today onwards will be banned." Her face softened as the students groaned. "I understand these inconveniences, but please try to remember that we are doing this in your best interests," she finished.

"Voldemort's doing a bloody good job of ruining our lives," hissed Ron under his breath. A couple of first years glanced over, terrified at the mere mention of the Dark Lord's name. Harry, Ron and Hermione all chuckled as they walked back to their dorms.

"So I was thinking," Hermione started as they all lay slouched over their chairs in the common room that night, "how are we supposed to end Voldemort?" The others shrugged. "Oh, come on!" she sighed exasperatedly, "why aren't you the teeniest bit concerned about this?"

"Uh, maybe because we don't know how?" retorted Ron.

"You know, I've been thinking," replied Harry, "Voldemort couldn't have been born this way, right? I mean no one is born a psychopathic killer."

"Yeah, I think," said Hermione, thoughtfully, "but what are you getting at, Harry?"

"I was thinking that we need to delve further into his past, you know, find out what made him tick," he replied. Ron snorted.

"You're wasting your time, mate. Voldemort's a freakin' maniac. There was nothing proper about his life. You heard Dumbledore, hell you even saw them memories. Voldemort is not normal, you hear me?" finished Ron.

"No, no, no Ron," interjected Hermione, "Harry could have a point there. But we just need somewhere to start."

Grinning, Harry knew exactly where to start.