Betrayal
Chapter One
The Accident
It is August 31. Harry Potter was just arriving at The Leaky Cauldron. He went straight up to his room. Collapsing on his bed, he thought about his life. Now going into his seventh year at Hogwarts, Harry had many friends. He was almost at the top of his class. He had killed Voldemort the year before, miraculously. Ron and Hermione had helped, as usual, along with some of his other friends, Ernie, Justin, Parvati and Neville. Somehow, after Voldemort dying for good, the death eaters had followed in his footsteps. Perhaps it was a spell, associated with the Dark Mark. Many Slytherins had died as well, Crabbe, Goyle, Zambini, Nott…There were too many to count. Even first years, Lesterange, even someone with the last name of Tonks, somewhat related to Nymphadora Tonks, who would object to Harry thinking of her first name. Harry hadn't heard from her in a month. She was on some kind of mission, somewhere in Antarctica or something. Harry had to admit, he missed her. She had been the most help after Sirius had died at the hands of Lesterange. Harry found something odd about the sudden deaths of the Slytherins. One, whom Harry had felt for sure would've died, hadn't. That person was…
"Oh, hello Draco."
Draco Malfoy. His head was sticking out of the fireplace. No one would recognize him, after his father had been killed. His hair was now long and messy, and his perfect face was now a little darker and dirtier. A few days after Voldemort had died, Draco had changed a lot. He was no longer the snobbish, stuck-up little prat he had been during the six years Harry, Ron and Hermione had known him. He was nice and caring to Gryffindors and Slytherins alike. His change of attitude had ended the century-long rivalry between the two houses, for goodness sakes! Well, now Harry, Ron, Hermione, Parvati, Neville, Ernie, Justin, and Draco were the most inseparable group of friends at Hogwarts. But, little did all the others know, one was a traitor.
"Hey, umm, Hermione needs to see you downstairs…"
"Okay, I'll be down there I a second." Harry said, his heart leaping.
"Okay,"
Harry quickly did his hair, which now had golden highlights, in it, and freshened his breath. He went downstairs and sat next to Draco. Hermione walked over from a table, her long, dark hair flowing out behind her like a river.
"Ouch!" Harry said as Draco elbowed him.
"You're staring," he muttered. Harry blushed.
"What're you talking about; I was umm, looking at the specials." Harry said.
"Yea…Right." Draco said, laughing.
Hermione sat down on the chair next to Harry. She looked at Draco, an odd look in her eyes.
"What's so funny?" She asked questioningly.
"N-nothing! Ha-ha, J-just the-the specials!" Hermione looked over at the specials, which proclaimed that deep-fried fish heads were half price, due to shortage of lifesaving vessels. Shrugging, she turned back to Harry who had slumped down again.
"Harry, I have something very serious to tell you."
Harry straightened up and nodded.
"Harry…the Dursley's are dead."
Harry sat up in shock.
"What? How?"
"AK."
"Who?"
"They don't know. Some witches in the area, such as Doris Crockford said they saw a man with red, snake-like eyes about an hour before they were killed, but you killed Voldemort…"
"Yea, I did." Harry, Hermione, and Draco started wondering what had happened, while one of his friends in the background grinned evilly at him, as if they knew something he didn't.
"Hey Harry," Ron said, coming out from behind him.
"Hey Ron," Harry said, in an almost glum voice.
"Mum just wanted me to come and tell you-,"
"Hey Ron, Harry, Hermione," someone said, from ahead in the shadows. It was Neville.
"Hem hem," Draco said, so much like Umbridge that they all jumped.
"You know what?" Justin said, now coming into the picture, "We all have absolutely no life if we still jump at Umbridge's trademark throat clear. I mean, she's been gone for like two years."
"You're probably right. She fled to Australia or America or something after Fudge getting sacked."
"Yea, so did Percy." Parvati said, as the shadows let her go to show her leaning on the bar, filing her nails. All the boy's eyes and Hermione's eyes narrowed.
"Gee," Ron said loudly, "thanks for bringing that up, Parvati."
"Sor-RY! Gosh, I was just stating a point."
Everyone laughed. Parvati had all the talents for becoming one of those muggle things, an Aktres or something.
"So, have you auditioned for that muggle thing yet, Parvati, Broodway, or something?" Ernie asked, appearing out of the shadows.
Parvati smiled sweetly at him, "Why, no Ernie, I haven't."
Ernie grinned, and went to sit down, only to be scooted away at the next moment, with Hermione saying
"Well, we better be off to bed, we've got a big day tomorrow."
Harry head up the stairs, hearing at least seven pops behind him as his seven friends went to their separate homes.
Lying down in his warm bed, (the work of House Elves, most likely) Harry grinned, and fell asleep.
"Kill his friends!" Voldemort's high, cold voice commanded his Death Eaters.
"NO! Everyone, AK!" Harry's low, confident voice bellowed.
"AVADA KEDAVARA!!!" The eight voices yelled harmoniously.
Voldemort was instantaneously killed, as were seven of his friends. Harry and the others kept yelling Avada Kedavara, killing many death eaters.
But one of Harry's 'friends' was thinking 'with all these dead, Potter and his buddies won't notice a few knocked out' So one, instead of saying Avada Kedavara said Abra Kedavara, their own spell, which just knocked someone out, kinda like Stupefy.
Harry woke up. Hedwig was pecking at his ear. A newspaper in his hand.
Minister A. F. Iuvare To Teach At Hogwarts.
Minister of Magic, A. F. Iuvare has said that he will be taking the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts this year.
'I'm an old friend of Dumbledore's, and he couldn't find anyone the whole summer. This is kind of a short notice thing, but after last year's teacher…'
I'm sure all Hogwarts students and teachers alike remember last year's teacher, Cerinus A. Casus, who turned out to be the cowardly fake, really by the name of Peter Pettigrew. Peter is now in the hands of The Dementors at Azkaban. Sirius Black, who died two years ago, has now been cleared of all charges, given an Order of Merlin, 1st Class, and one thousand Galleons that will be given to some of his closest friends. The friends will then decide who to give the money to. More of Sirius Black-The Crimes He Didn't Commit-on pg.2-Things you Didn't Know About Sirius-pg.5-A Memorial Service for Sirius-pg.8.
Just then another owl flew into the room. Harry recognized it as Lupin's owl, Fides. He took Lupin's letter, and read it
Harry,
We're trying to decide who to give the money to. We need your vote. It's either A. The Weasleys, or B. To help finance Tonks' expedition to free iceberg-enclosed Blast-Ended-Skrewts. It's your choice. Pick whichever you want. Just remember, your fourth-year, and Hagrid's classes.
Remus Lupin
Harry didn't need telling twice. He quickly turned the sheet over, and scribbled down, Weasleys in hasty handwriting. Sending Fides off, Harry threw on some robes and his badge. He walked downstairs, and met Ron. Ron immediately bowed.
"Your Head Boyship," he said, in a form of respect.
"Aww, shut up!" Harry said, disgusted.
"Okay," Ron said in fake pouting.
They walked to Kings Cross Station, meeting up with the rest of their friends on the way.
Upon entering Kings Cross, Harry went straight towards Platform 9¾. He had to try and find some first years and tell them how to get on the platform. Hopefully they'd tell all the other ones.
At Platform 7 Harry saw someone that made his blood boil.
"Belatrix," he snarled.
Absent-mindedly he reached for his wand. Taking it out, he said the one curse that would pay her back for all the pain she caused him.
"Crucio."
"Harry no!" Hermione came running behind him. Harry turned to look at her, a glazed look in his eyes while the woman screamed in pain. People started running towards her. Harry's friends came up behind Hermione.
"Harry, snap out of it mate!" Ron yelled desperately. It didn't work.
Frantically, Parvati ran to him and slapped him. Harry's eyes came back in focus.
"Wha-? What happened?" then Harry looked at the wand in his hand, then slowly turned around to look at the woman in agony. Harry looked back in horror at his friends. They nodded, stricken. Quickly, Harry stopped her pain. Soon, the crowd turned angry.
"He did it!"
"Yea, with that stick thing!"
"Get him!"
The crowd headed towards Harry. Harry shook his head and tried to explain. All that made it out was stutters. Hermione jumped into action.
"Obliviate Maximus!" She yelled.
Soon everyone except Harry and his friends (and the one traitor) had forgotten about the boy with the stick. Shaken, the group of friends went on with their lives.
