Harry potter woke up in the hospital room of Hogwarts School of witchcraft and wizardry. In the beds beside him were the students that were being treated for petrifaction. He frowned to himself thinking of how they should all be safely cured by now. The basilisk was dead and Ginny was saved from tom riddle's diary. But something was missing. He didn't see his friends around him. They all had things to do, he realized this, but there was no indication that anybody had been here since he arrived. He gazed longingly at Hermione's still form and decided that he needed time to think. He climbed painfully out of the bed and left the infirmary. He made his way towards the Gryffindor tower. Once inside he stealthily made his way to his room and grabbed his cloak. However as he was making his way towards the astronomy tower he was grabbed by Fred and George Weasley. They quickly pulled him into an abandoned classroom. Once the door was securely locked they turned to him.
"We realize that you probably need time to think and possibly brood Harry." One twin, Fred harry realized once he spoke first, stated.
"But we need to tell you something." George stated quietly but seriously.
Harry was quiet for a moment before lowering his hood and nodding for them to continue. George motioned for fred to begin.
"We realize that you are the reason we still have a little sister and we would like to tell you." Fred stated looking more serious than Harry had ever seen him in these last two years.
"That whether our father formerly accepts it or not there is a debt between our family and yours." George said with a solemn tone that frankly frightened Harry.
"And because of that we pledge to you that we will be there for you as vassals of house Potter." Fred stated pulling out a knife.
"Our mother didn't want to 'burden' you with the knowledge that our family owes yours." George said pulling out a small silver chalice.
"But the truth is that she just doesn't want to have you over her." Fred said offering the knife to Harry. Harry took the knife feeling surreal.
"See the fact of the matter is that if our father acknowledged our families debt to you we would become yours to command." George said placing the cup before Harry.
"And our dear mother has always somewhat resented our status as low ranking family." Fred said with a sad smile.
"So she convince dad that you were to young to have such things over your head." George said in a similar melancholy.
"She's not really a bad person she just feels as though our family has been shafted by the pure-blood society at large and is looking out for us." Said Fred with a explanatory tone. And harry truly could sympathize. He would do anything for his friends and family was supposed to be even closer than friends.
"We're getting off track brother mine." George said, a soft reminder to why they had cornered Harry.
"Your right of course brother mine. We need a bit of your blood in the chalice Harry-kins." Fred said with a wry smile. Harry contemplated that as he looked at the brothers, oh so like his own. If he couldn't trust these to then there was no one in the world he could. He centered his palm over the chalice and slide the razor edged knife along it. His blood quickly filled the cup and was about to over fill when the cut healed. Harry looked at the twins questioningly.
"Magic knife." Fred grunted in response to Harry's questioning gaze.
"Made for just such an occasion." George added.
Harry watched enthralled as Fred picked up the cup and began to speak. "As you laid down your health for our kin we lay down ours for yours." Fred then brought the cup to his lips and took a long drink. He then passed the cup to his twin.
George picked up the speaking from then. "We take of your blood to symbolize this pact. Forevermore we shall further your interests and help with your goals." Then he also took a long drink from the cup. When the cup was emptied the twins continued on in synchronization.
"Your enemies are ours. Your friends are ours. Through victory or defeat we will follow you. This is our pledge let magic be our witness as we bind ourselves and our heirs to you and you line." When they finished speaking their bodies began to glow and soon a white light had surrounded them. Little did they know that the magic being use was felt all through the castle.
When they finally stopped glowing Fred and George nodded to Harry and turned to leave. Fred turned back to the confused twelve year old. "We will leave you to your thoughts my lord."
"Come to us if you need anything." George said as they left the room. Once the twins were out of ear shot of Harry fred sighed.
"He wouldn't have agreed to that if he was thinking clearly." George said with a sad sigh.
Fred merely nodded. His twin was right after all, but done was done and it would prove to be the right choice. He was sure of it.
Harry sat alone on top of the battlements of the astronomy tower gazing across the grounds of Hogwarts thinking of the wizarding world as a whole and their incompetence. Forcing someone else to fight their battles. He thought of what he had seen before passing out in the Headmaster's office.
(flashback)
Harry stood in front of the headmaster's desk telling what had happened against the basilisk. He had just gotten to the part where fawkes had healed the bite when in swept Lucius Malfoy. He glared at Dumbledore and sneered.
"I believe that you were dismissed by the board of governors." Lucius stated with contempt.
"It's funny you should mention that Lucius as the governors unanimously decided that I was the best person to be here in this crisis. They were also under the assumption that if they didn't vote me out their families would be in some vague form of danger."
"I'm sure I have no idea what your talking about you old fool but that hardly matters I'm here for an update. Is the situation under control?" Lucius sneered.
"As it happens it is in fact resolved." Dumbledore said with a gleam in his eyes.
"Oh so you managed to catch the one responsible?" Lucius asked with a predatory look in his eyes.
"Why yes in fact we did." Dumbledore said with a glimmer of anger.
"And just who was it that perpetrated this crime? I'm sure Minister Fudge would like to offer them Azkaban's flaunted hospitality." Lucius stated looking downright giddy.
"The same person who did it last time." Dumbledore stated rather calmly. "Your old master in fact."
Harry simple looked at the cowering elf behind Lucius. He noticed right away that it was Dobby. He also noticed that Dobby was looking at the diary on the desk and then at Lucius before slamming his head into a wall. Harry's eyes widened as the pieces fell into place. He turned a glare fill with hatred at Lucius.
"It was you!" Harry roared angrily. "You gave the diary to Ginny hoping to get her sent to Azkaban!"
Lucius turned an angry gaze to Harry and glared. "You should watch were you level such accusations boy some people are simply out of your reach." He stated before he released the tight hold he had on his magic. Harry felt as though a mountain had been pressed down on him. He instantly began sweating and lost all the air from his lungs. The last thing he saw was dobby leaping in front of him, while Dumbledore roared angrily and rose from his chair with Fawkes flaring to his side.
(flashback end)
Harry realized that he was so far below Lucius' league that it was laughable. He hadn't even been able to stay on his feet when he came into contact with the pressure of Lucius' inner magic. At this point Harry knew two things. Voldemort wasn't dead, in fact he was trying to return. And two was that he was hopelessly, hilariously out gunned. He lost the ability to even breathe when he had been in front of Malfoy's father so how on earth was he to fight Voldemort?! Harry sneered at that thought and then yelled angrily to the sky.
Dumbledore looked at the portrait in front of his with a sad expression. It was the single most important frame in the school. It was the blank that allow every picture in the school to report to him anything of note in the school. The picture currently showed a small fat witch that overlooked an abandoned classroom near the astronomy tower. She had just relayed the events that had taken place there to him. He felt a single tear roll down his face at the report. For children so young to throw away their freedom so carelessly. It was a terrible state of affairs. It left him feeling hollow. As though all he had been working for equality wise in the world was useless. Not to mention the fact that once again Tom was putting his students at risk for his petty hatred.
"Fawkes what can I do? How do I make them see that this cycle of destruction only leads to more destruction?" Dumbledore asked the fiery being desperately. "How can there be peace when so much hatred and fear festers in the hearts of the populace. There has to be a way to overcome this mistrust they all have?!"
"I doubt Fawkes has anymore answers than usual Headmaster." Came a silky voice from the door. "Have you discovered what the burst of magic from earlier was?"
Dumbledore turned to see Serverus Snape and smiled sadly. "You are right of course. And as a matter of fact I have. It seems our resident prankster have taken it upon themselves to acknowledge the debt their parents didn't. They have sworn themselves as vassals of Harry Potter and his house."
Severus raised an eyebrow. "Those boys are seriously foolish to perform such binding magic to one so young and foolish."
"Severus surely you aren't still mistaking young Harry as James are you?" Dumbledore asked looking at his potionmaster in disappointment.
"No I am not. The boy is cut from the same cloth but he is his own fool." Severus said with a sneer. "He isn't even a mediocre student and I'm expected to believe that he will be our savior?!"
"He's just a boy, Severus surely he deserves a childhood?" Dumbledore asked looking at the younger man with pain filled eyes. "Why she he be treated as a weapon with nothing in mind but fighting?"
"Surely headmaster he should be trained so as to survive at least?!" Snape roared angrily. "Do you wish him to die the first time he comes up against someone against Lucius or Morgana forbid Bellatrix?!"
"I see you heard about the incident that took place in my office." Dumbledore said with a sad sigh.
Snape snorted. "Of course I did. It's all my foolish godson can speak about. Apparently Lucius is going to be taking an active role in young Draco's training this summer as is the Malfoy custom."
"And you believe he will be trained in the dark arts?" Dumbledore asked sharply.
"Of course." Snape said with a sneer. "He'll come back next year with blood on his hands or not at all."
Dumbledore slumped in his chair utterly defeated. "It seems there will be another lost to the darkness."
"It was always going to happen. Draco believes that he is Merlin's gift to the wizard world and with Lucius' vast library he will have the ability and money to back up his arrogance."
"Why must so many fall into darkness. They only ever feed the hatred eating the world." Dumbledore said with a broken countenance.
"Not only, headmaster." Severus said softly with a distant look seeing something only he could.
"I'm sorry Severus. You are right of course not only, it just seems that we are fighting an uphill battle my friend. One with no end in sight." Dumbledore said with a defeated sigh.
Severus turned towards the door to leave when he heard. "Severus?" He paused without looking back.
"Young mister Potter is atop the astronomy tower could you see him safely to the Gryffindor tower?" Dumbledore asked tiredly.
Severus gave a curt nod and left his cloak flapping behind with him. He made his way to the Astronomy tower and found Harry sitting there looking lost deep in troubled thoughts. Severus looked at the boy with an expression clouded over with pain and hatred. Finally he cleared his throat making his presence known.
Harry spun around and saw Professor Snape and frowned. He got up from where he was sitting and grabbed his cloak.
"You should put that on." Snape grunted "if it was noted that I was beside you and you where out of bounds after curfew you would have to be punished by default."
Harry quickly complied and began following Snape from the tower. After they had come half way to the Gryffindor Tower Harry spoke.
"Professor you were in the last war weren't you?"
Snape stopped dead and in a strangled whisper asked. "Why would you ask me that?"
"I need to find a way to get stronger. When Malfoy released his magic on me I couldn't even breath." Harry said by way of explanation. "I need someone who has actually fought to help me and you walk around like I did after I k-killed Quirrel."
Severus was silent for a moment standing in the hallway looking for all the world to see like he was alone. Finally he said. "What you ask isn't something I would start lightly. I would demand the very best from you and I'll push you till you break from the strain of it, only to push you even harder. Are you truly sure you want to do this?"
Harry gulped but he eventually nodded in affirmative. He had to. He couldn't be weak when Voldemort returned. Little did he know that the consequences of this decision would change the would forever.