Let Me Be Your Hero
Chapter 1
Rescue From The Dursleys
Harry Potter woke up with a start in a small bedroom on a lumpy mattress. He sighed to himself, then shook his head to clear it as a flood of images assaulted his vision… Cedric lying in the graveyard, eyes wide in fear…a pair of glowing red eyes…an unidentifiable old man falling over dead, a silent scream on his lips…a battle occurring in the Ministry of Magic… countless bodies lying on the floor, each of them killed by the twin brother of another, held by a pale white hand…
Harry fell back on his bed, unconscious, as the images took their toll on his body…
Ginny Weasley sat up straight in her bed, heaving. Her body sat rigid as she remembered her dream…Harry was in trouble. She screamed shrilly as she suddenly felt a fraction of his pain. It was as if one hundred death eaters had cast the Cruciatus and she was experiencing it all at once. The pain ended as soon as it began. She lay on her bed, trembling as the after affects shook her body. 6 men burst into the room, blearily wiping their eyes, awakened by her scream. Molly Weasley fought her way through the men in her life, save Charlie who would be arriving later that week, and gasped as she saw her baby girl convulsing in pain from her spasms. Ginny showed no other notion of this pain, it was only in her eyes. She whispered one word, "Harry…"
Ron Weasley looked at his sister in shock along with the rest of his family. She sobbed quietly in her mother's arms. He wanted nothing more than to pull her into his own arms, but Harry needed his best friend more than Ginny needed her brother. He cast one last look as his sister and left the room with the men.
"Let's go," Ron said hoarsely. Bill nodded and the Weasley men grabbed their broomsticks and flew off into the night…
Hermione Granger woke slowly to a tapping on her window. Muttering about owls who couldn't tell the difference between 8:00 A.M. and 2:00 A.M, she got out of her cocoon of blankets and opened the window.
"What do you wa- RON! What are you doing here? What's going on?" she asked, suddenly wide awake.
"Harry-Ginny-need-you-broomsticks-Dursleys-Dad-Fred-me-Harry-help?" Ron muttered incoherently. Obviously, seeing his baby sister in so much pain shocked him. Hermione's eyes widened and she nodded vigorously.
"Of course I'll help! But…I don't have a broomstick," her face fell.
"Ride-me-behind-Harry-rescue?"
"Um…OK. Let me grab clothes and my wand." She grabbed her clothes and went to change in the bathroom attached to her bedroom. She quickly came out, grabbed her wand and robes, then boarded Ron's broom, hugging him tightly from behind.
Off to save the day for Mr. Potter once again…
Molly Weasley ran her fingers through her only daughter's hair, hoping it was as comforting to her as it had been for herself when she was young. Eventually Ginny's tremors stopped and she lay on her bed with her head in her mom's lap, still crying softly. Molly wondered what could have caused her daughter so much pain…
Bill Weasley nudged his broomstick so it would go faster. He hoped they wouldn't be too late, that no one else would get to Harry first. Bursting through the cover of the clouds, he was Privet Drive a little while away. The Weasleys (and Hermione) pulled into a dive and landed on the Dursley's front lawn, parched as it was from the drought. Bill walked to the front door, drew his wand, and whispered, "Alohomora." There was a faint click and Bill kicked the door open, his family behind him, all with their wands drawn. Seeing nothing, Bill and Mr. Weasley ran up the stairs and encountered the Dursleys. Ignoring them, Bill crept to the only closed door. He wrenched it open and gave the room a quick glance. Seeing no death eaters or traps, he and Mr. Weasley entered, only to see Harry lying on his bed; bruised, broken, and unconscious. Hermione crept over to them and gasped when she saw him.
"Oh Harry…"
Lord Voldemort looked distastefully at a nervous Bellatrix Black.
"What do you mean, he wasn't there?" his silky voice asked. She cowered in fear.
"We followed the plan exactly My Lord. We waited in the backyard for 30 minutes for any Aurors or Dumbledore. After the time passed, we went in to find the Muggles awake. After stunning them, we checked his room, but he was gone," Lucius Malfoy drawled.
"You fools!" Voldemort exclaimed, drawing his wand. "You can't handle a simple task of kidnapping Harry Potter! Crucio! Crucio!" Voldemort screamed. Both Bellatrix and Lucius fell to the ground, writhing and screaming in pain. Voldemort turned to Severus Snape. "Is this true Snape?"
"I would not know Milord. I was working on the Elixir, as you informed me to do," he said, his baritone smooth. Voldemort nodded and looked away, satisfied with his alibi. Snape let out a breath he had not realized he was holding.
"Well, what are you waiting for, you fools? GET HIM!" The Death Eaters nodded and bowed as one, apparating to find Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived…
Severus Snape sneered as soon as he arrived in Hogsmeade. He understood why Dumbledore had made the wards that allowed no apparating done in Hogwarts, but it was still a bother to have to walk from the lawn to Hogwarts, especially if you had important news. Resigned, he sighed and started a brisk jog to the castle...
Panting, Snape arrived at Dumbledore's office. "Laffy Taffy."
The gargoyle moved and Snape got onto the staircase. It arrived at the oak door and Snape barged in. Luckily, it was only Dumbledore and Fawkes inside.
"Albus, it's Harry Potter. Voldemort inflicted his mind with images and pain, and he fainted. Lucius and Bellatrix were supposed to kidnap him, but he was gone," Snape forced out before collapsing in a chair.
"I was informed seconds ago that he is safely at the Burrow, thank the heavens. You had no word of this?"
"No, Albus. I was working on the Elixir."
"Ah, of course…"
Lucius Malfoy apparated to his home in a location that no one knew, as it was Unplottable. He quickly stalked to his study, fuming. Why was it that he, the Dark Lord's left-hand man, got hit with an Unforgivable curse, yet the mere potion's master got away with naught but perhaps a scratch? He strode over to the liquor cabinet and downed a few shots, contemplating this...
Lucius was now quite intoxicated, and roaming the halls of his manor. He stumbled and fell into a suit of armor, cursing loudly. He heard his heir's snores stop as he woke up. Infuriated, he convinced himself it was all Draco's fault, and opened the door to his son's suite…
Draco Malfoy woke to loud cursing and the falling of objects near his room, specifically in the hallway directly behind his head. He frowned slightly, still half asleep. As he woke, he realized it was his father, in a drunken rage. His expression became one of fear. He quickly hopped out of bed and reached for his wand on his dresser. Before he could do this, however, the door to his luxurious suite opened and in came Lucius Malfoy, his eyes bloodshot and his stance wavering slightly.
"You. Boy. You caused this. THIS IS YOUR FAULT!" Lucius threw a crystal glass at the wall behind Draco. He didn't even flinch as it shattered and shards of cut his skin.
"Hello father," he said in a flat tone that suggested Lucius wasn't fit to be his father, let alone wipe his shoes.
"You're such an idiot. Can't beat a Mudblood in class, can't beat Potter at Quidditch. WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM?" In his rage, Lucius came and slapped Draco's face so that his head hit the stone wall behind him and he crumpled to the ground. Smirking happily, Lucius kicked Draco fiercely in the stomach and left the room. Fighting to stay conscious, Draco wished that he had a different life. Even that Mudblood Granger's life had to be better than this…
The centaur Moonwind looked up at the sky. "Venus is close to the moon tonight." The centaurs looked up at the sky, agreeing with him. The Promised One would soon be joined with The Chosen One.
