A/N: Well, here's the first chapter of my new story, Flash. This chapter may be a little confusing, but hopefully it will all be explained as the story continues. I hope that you like it!
Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Harry Potter.
Prologue
Midnight has arrived at an apartment building in downtown London. Most of the stores are closed in this area, and few walk the streets. All the apartments are pitch black, except for one. Apartment 706 stands there, with one light on, the only beacon. It is a small, three-room apartment with a kitchen, a bedroom, and a bathroom.
In the kitchen, a man hunches over a desk, shoulders bent forward and eyebrows furrowed in concentration. He is alone, save for a small owl in a cage. He stares at the blank sheet of paper before him, not knowing what to write. It had been 4 years, 2 months, and 16 days since he a plan had been planted in his head, and 4 years, 7 days since everything went spiraling out of control. But it had only been 3 hours, 17 minutes, and 56 seconds since the final product had been complete. He had slept for 3 of those hours, since sleep had not been a priority for years. The only thing that now remained was to make final arrangements for all he was going to leave behind.
Then he will start his plan. His plan is dangerous, deadly even; but he feels it is the only way.
20 minutes later, when all the i's were dotted and the t's crossed, the young man's letter is finished. He puts it in the cage, placing his wand on the letter. He begins to whisper quietly. A clock set for 7:30 materializes on the parchment. With a last tap, the letter seals itself and disappears, along with the owl and the cage.
The man sighs, mentally preparing himself for the next day's events. He moves slowly into his bedroom, and mechanically gets ready for bed. He lies on his bed, shifting from side to side. He thinks about all he will leave behind, but knows this is the only thing to do. He doesn't know where they are, or if they're even alive. So he falls into a restless and reluctant sleep with eyes wide open. As he has done for years.
"And again," a woman mutters, as if tired of hearing herself say that. "Luna, this time you and I will be together. Neville, you'll be against us." The two other people in the room- a man who is presumably Neville and a younger woman whose name is Luna- nod.
They get into a stance and begin. Spells fly back and forth, no pause at all. "Hermione," Luna calls, "surround and defend! I'll do the offensive. Remember, only Neville can do transformations."
Hermione nods, smiling bitterly, "I forgot, we're taking a break for this round. No breaks in a real fight. Alright, let's go." She speeds to Neville's other side, just as he draws out his dagger. Soon, even greater chaos has entered the room. As spells are being furled towards Luna, the dagger whips back and forth, a blur in the air. But every swipe is being physically blocked by pieces of furniture, pens, conjured bricks, magical shields, and even flying globs of goop.
'Keep going, Neville. Try to back into a wall in order to see them both at the same time. You can do this. Two weapons versus two people,' Neville tried to encourage himself, knowing that what he did here might help him survive in a fight. All of them had long since felt guilt when hurting their enemy, knowing that one more down meant a better chance of survival for them and their loved ones.
Throughout the mock battle, everyone is caught by a curse, or hit by a conjured object. They keep going, reacting to the pain with only a slight wince, but no hesitation.
In the midst of sending spells with all her force, Luna glances at her watch. 1:34 AM blinked back at her in neon lights. She projects the light against the wall, adding a three-minute count down.
Glances at the wall tell her that the countdown was seen, and she continues, putting her full effort forward. They all know that there is no countdown in battle, but they also know that there will be no battle, only defeat, with no sleep. It has already been one hour since they started two on one, as it always is no matter the pairings.
The last spells fly through the air, and suddenly the room is silent except for slight panting, the din deafening. Sweat pours down their faces' as the three get ready for bed. Another day, out of many, that they have been stuck in this place. No one comes in or out, no one even knows they are there.
Hermione adds a mark to their makeshift calendar, "It is November 30th. We've been here for… 1, 464 days. I can take the first watch tonight."
Luna and Neville don't argue, and just nod sleepily. "I'll wake you in an hour and a half, like always. So that will be… 3:30. We'll wake up at 6:30. Try to get some sleep. The two fall back, exhausted.
Hermione's watch passes slowly. She has this feeling that something is going to happen, and she can't shake it. She hopes it will have something to do with Harry. They haven't heard from him since he disappeared that day 4 years and 7 days ago, 4 days before they had found their hiding spot. They have no idea where he went, whether he was alive or dead, in Voldemort's keeping or alone. She sits and waits for her watch to be over, then wakes Neville and falls into a terrible sleep.
A/N: Well, that's the prologue. Sorry, it's a little short. I will try to update once a week, but it may change because I am also working on another story called My Fire.
