Chapter One
The Mysterious Maiden
Harry walked along the dark streets of Little Whinging. It was his 16th birthday and, as usual, the Dursleys did their best to make the day as miserable as possible for him. Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon had solemnly presented him with a half-used tube of toothpaste. Dudley had jovially offered to give Harry 16 whacks; that is, until he saw Harry toying with his wand. Harry smiled at the memory of that.
Deciding that the best gift he could give himself was some time away from them, Harry had left the house. He knew that Sirius and Dumbledore would have reprimanded him for taking such a risk, but he needed some freedom.
Suddenly, a beautiful young woman came running straight towards him. She looked to be in her early twenties, with long strawberry blond hair. She was wearing a long, shapely white dress. As she looked behind her, her foot caught on the length of her dress and she stumbled into Harry, knocking them down.
For a moment, Harry found himself looking into her eyes which were a pale, watery blue. She seemed strangely familiar.
She scrambled to her feet and turned to run again.
Only then did Harry realize she was being chased. He recognized her first pursuer as MacNair, the Death Eater who had almost executed Buckbeak. Not far behind, huffing and puffing, was none other than Peter Pettigrew.
Harry felt a wave of anger and revulsion. He reached for his wand and aimed for Pettigrew. Peter and MacNair stopped suddenly as they realized who stood before them. Peter began to shake and instantly disapparated. MacNair closely followed suit.
Harry turned to find the young woman staring at him.
"Art thou Albus Dumbledore?" she asked in a breathless, but hopeful voice.
Harry was dumbfounded by her beauty, the question and the style of her speech. He stared into her eyes, and then glanced lower towards the strange necklace she was wearing. The center was a five sided gemstone, which was clear, yet seemed to glow with a thousand different colors. The stone was surrounded by delicate but ornate scroll-worked metal. He could not tell what kind of metal for it seemed to change from silver to gold in the breeze and was almost as iridescent as the gem itself.
The woman grabbed his arm and asked again, "Art thou Dumbledore?"
Harry shook his head and said, "No. . .No. . . . I'm Harry Potter."
She almost looked disappointed, so Harry quickly added, "But I know Professor Dumbledore. . .I can introduce you."
"Harry Potter?" she said. "They seek to kill you, also."