Disclaimer: I am not J.K. Rowling, and therefore do not own Harry Potter and any characters you recognize. I am not writing this for any financial gains. I enjoy writing and putting my own creative spins on things, and am thankful that J.K. Rowling allows fanfiction to be posted. If I did own Harry and friends, things would be a little different, but we can't all have our way.

The Search For The Four

Chapter 1: The Road Back

By Heart of a Lion

Harry's chest constricted as he approached the car. He was going back to Number Four Privet Drive. He was going to be stuck at the Dursley's for another summer--this time, however, by his own volition.

He stepped into the car resignedly as Aunt Petunia motioned frantically for him to get in. She took one last look around, and, apparently satisfied that no one recognized them, got in herself. Uncle Vernon then drove out of the car park as fast as he possibly could without attracting much attention.

Harry would have found it funny, under normal circumstances, but normal was something no one would ever associate with the "Great Harry Potter" let alone what had happened at Hogwarts only a few days ago. Everyone had been in a state of shock, even the Slytherins, and the train ride back was a gloomy affair. The train was very quiet, and there were few passengers, most students having left early. Harry didn't blame them.

King's Cross disappeared from view as the car turned down a southeasterly road and headed back towards Little Whinging.

Harry's thoughts dwelled on his last few moments with his friends. Harry was both grateful and terrified that they wanted to come with him. "It's good to have friends-people who truly care about you," Harry decided, watching the buildings whiz by.

The rest of the trip progressed rather smoothly in Harry's opinion, although Uncle Vernon nearly jumped out of his skin when Hedwig gave a startled hoot as they navigated a particularly sharp bend in the road. Harry could hear him muttering something about "bloody owls" and "even freakier than the last time."

Harry gave Hedwig a quick smile and stroked her through the wire. He made a mental note to give Hedwig an owl treat when they arrived.

The car turned into Privet Drive and he felt a sense of impending doom. At the sight of the house on Number Four, Harry remembered exactly why he hated the Dursleys so much. Images and thoughts flashed unbidden through Harry's mind.

a small boy hugging his knees to his chest in the darkness

Uncle Vernon's purple face smiling nastily before slamming the cupboard door in his face

Aunt Petunia shrieking when he re-grew his hair, or anything else she deemed "unnatural"

Dudley pummeling him in the playground while the others merely watched and laughed

going days without food as punishment for doing "unnatural" things that he couldn't even control

watching Dudley open his mountains of presents and remembering his own pitiful birthdays, where he sang to himself

"Life just isn't fair, is it?" thought Harry bitterly as he stepped out of the car and unloaded his trunk. He had lost all the adults he had ever looked up to, with the exception of Remus and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. Harry walked through the doorway and up the stairs.

Harry entered his room and set his trunk down. He let Hedwig out of her cage and watched her fly to the battered windowsill. At least she could be free. Harry bent down and rummaged in his trunk for an owl treat. He walked across the room and opened his windows that no longer had bars on them. He offered her the owl treat, which she smartly nipped out of his hand. Hedwig gave a hoot in thanks and took off in search of prey.

Uncle Vernon had decided it wasn't worth the effort if the bars would just get torn off again, and Aunt Petunia was afraid that the neighbors would ask questions about it.

Harry sat down on his bed that he had been rapidly outgrowing. After all, it had been Dudley's when he was eight.

Harry had only been at Privet Drive for three minutes and he already felt trapped. He was here to honor the wishes of a dying man. A man who had died for him. But that didn't mean that he had to stay long. Only as long as he called it home for a short period.

Harry flopped back onto his bed and lay unmoving, eyes fixed on the blank ceiling...

...Harry jerked awake, looking around frantically in the dark with wild eyes. Eyes that saw nothing. But in his mind he could clearly see Snape's twisted face, and the glowing green figure lifting off the ground and over the edge.

Pain welled up in Harry's chest as the guilt hit him like a train.

That had been his third nightmare in the four days since arriving at Privet Drive. He would wake up in the early morning bathed in sweat, blood pounding, and fear in his eyes. He could think of nothing else. His death had left a hole in Harry where his parents should have been, had he had parents. Now there was nothing left.

Harry lay there, in the dark, not bothering to light a candle. Harry did nothing but wallow in dark thoughts until the sun began to rise.

When dawn finally did come, he got wearily out of bed and grabbed his glasses.

"Might as well get a head start on making breakfast, so I won't have to endure Aunt Petunia's banshee screeches about how lazy and ungrateful I am."

Harry trudged down the stairs and pulled out the different cooking utensils he would need. His mind drifted as he absentmindedly prepared the food. No one would really notice if the food was slightly burnt. Everyone would be too busy to care. Uncle Vernon would be in a rush to get to work as usual, and today, Dudley and Aunt Petunia would be out of the house as well.

Harry, of course, wasn't planning on staying at the Dursley's long, and wanted to leave before his birthday. Harry was planning out some of the things he wanted to do. He wouldn't be protected anymore after his birthday, and he had no desire to stay longer than necessary. He was doing it because he had been asked to by a special man, for his own safety, and he couldn't refuse that man's dying wishes.

Aunt Petunia would be taking her Dudders to a renowned boxing gym in London for summer training. Today was the first day for Dudley, and while Harry felt sorry for the kids that would inevitably be hurt by Dudley, he couldn't help but feel relieved that Dudley wouldn't be around to bug him during the day.

"BOY! Where is my breakfast!" thundered Uncle Vernon as he trundled down the stairs. Harry could hear the steps creaking under his weight. "If you make me late, you won't have dinner tonight. We'll give it to Dudley instead. He needs it, he's a growing boy."

Uncle Vernon conveniently forgot that Harry was about the same age, and he too was a growing boy.

"It's..Right..Here!" yelled Harry through gritted teeth.

"Oh, well, in that case, hurry up and clean the kitchen, it's a right mess."

Just then Harry heard a loud thud upstairs. He rolled his eyes. Dudley must have fallen out of his bed again.

"OH Diddykins!" Aunt Petunia screeched from upstairs. "It's time to get up! You've got a big day ahead of you!"

Harry heard some muffled reply, which seemed to satisfy her. She arrived in the kitchen and whisked away the plate he had set out for her.

Dudley came downstairs and waddled through the kitchen and picked up his plate, eyes locked on the food. Harry snorted as Dudley nearly tripped over a chair, and finished up cleaning.

He took his own plate up to his room, where he could eat in peace. Hedwig fluttered in and deposited a dead rat at his feet. Harry stroked her affectionately while wishing he had a certain other rat in front of him. One that he would take pleasure in squashing with his potions textbook. To think he had used the book; even liked the mysterious Prince. Just the thought of its owner made him want to set it on fire.

Harry sat himself down on the bed. He would have been able to lead a normal life with his parents. He would have been able to see his godfather every day if he wanted to. Harry would have grown up knowing love and having fun.

But he could never have that. His life had been destroyed by one man. One who had just replaced Pettigrew and Bellatrix as Voldemort's most hated Deatheater.

Severus Snape

Thank you all for reading. I've transfigured my 6th year fic (now that it is obsolete) into my new 7th book fic, so this might look a bit familiar to some of you.

Heart of a Lion