Hullo fellow fanfic readers! Decided to try my fic, have you? I feel the need to warn you, this is my first Harry Potter fanfic, although not technically. I actually have about a chapter or two written for ten different stories; this is just the first one I've decided to publish. I found it easier to write – since it starts right after fifth year I'm free from having to come up with ideas about his past. Well, sort of free. Either way, I figure that it can't be any worse then my quality of Sailor Moon fanfiction. And I've got beta-readers – they're doing their best to help.
Oh, and I should mention, this does contain spoilers. Therefore, unless you want the end ruined, anyone who hasn't gotten to the end of the fifth book should maybe put this fic aside for a bit.
Hmm, well, I suppose I should mention the ships in this fic. There are none. Lol! Well, I might put one in, but I haven't decided yet. And whom it's with could be an issue; since I've got a sequel all planed out and don't want to give anything away. Although, my original plan went caput when I came up with the Revelation, because now either it has to go completely one way, or everyone will just know right away. Unless, I introduce new characters…. Hmmm, that idea has promise…
Anyway, and here's a game to all of you. There is going to be a huge Revelation (that's the word I want, I think). I'll drop little hints here and there, but it'd be interesting to see who gets it. There probably won't be any hints for a little while, at least not for the first few chapters. And, just to make it fun, anybuddy who guesses right (and guesses all of it right, since one part most people in the chat rooms have figured out) will get a place in the fic as one of the characters (and as a nice character, unless you specify otherwise, I'm always looking for new Death Eaters;)). The game hasn't started quite yet, I'll wait for a few chapters, and it'll run right until I write the Revelation down. However, I may make Harry figure out a part of it sooner, so then everyone will have to guess the other part. Haven't decided yet, I guess I'll just wait and see what my muse says. But, sounds fun, huh?
Right, right, almost forgot. The DISCLAIMER:
I do not own Harry Potter. I never will own Harry Potter. Harry Potter will never be a part of my possessions. J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter. J.K. Rowling will always own Harry Potter. Unless of course she takes part in a poker game and foolishly bets the rights to Harry Potter. Someone, quick, ban gambling in the U.K.! Lol! Where was I? Oh yes. For those who didn't understand: Me no own Harry Potter. I however, do own the idea and nobuddy can take that away from me, unless I foolishly bet it in a poker game… I also own a character (well, sort of own, I suppose me and J.K. can share) that will appear soon enough. Oh, and I own an adorable plush green frog, but that doesn't matter, does it?
By the way, I originally had this really wicked font for Dumbledore's letter, but fanfiction.net wouldn't upload it. For anyone who wants to know, it was in Vivaldi.
Well, on with the story!
~*~*~*~*~
The Grass Isn't Always Greener
Harry was panicking. Death Eaters had him enclosed in a circle, with only him and Voldemort standing in the center. The circle was tight; there was no way he could escape. Plus, Voldemort was standing, with a smile on his face, ready to kill him if he moved.
"Had enough?" Voldemort asked, traces of amusement in his voice. Harry looked up at him from his position on the floor, trying to keep his eyes from betraying the pain that consumed his body. He had just undergone a Cruciatus curse that lasted far too long, but he wouldn't beg. He was a Gryffindor, and a Potter. There was no way he'd beg for his own life.
"Foolish boy." Voldemort said, his words tinged with annoyance. He had hoped to hear Harry plead for mercy – that always made the final kill more rewarding. Instead, the boy's eyes retained the look of steely resolve to stay strong. Gryffindor's, in Voldemort's eyes, were far too arrogant. They didn't know a hopeless cause when they saw it.
Harry's screams filled the chamber, mixed with the malicious laughs of the Death Eaters, as Voldemort fired another Cruciatus curse.
'Where are they?' Harry wondered, as he was left panting on the cold floor, the curse once again lifted for the time being. Voldemort had captured him hours ago, when his Aunt Petunia had sent him out for groceries. The members of the Order of the Phoenix would be furious when they found out, but shouldn't they have come for him? Shouldn't he have at least heard Voldemort dispatching Death Eaters to deal with them? 'Maybe they don't know yet,' Harry considered. 'That's likely.' His Aunt Petunia probably wouldn't bother owling anybody to say that he had disappeared until tomorrow, if she did at all. She and the rest of the Dursleys had been terrified after what had happened at King's Cross Station at the end of June, especially after Moody's threat, so actually, they probably took off when they realized he wasn't coming back.
'Best put a plan together, Potter.' He thought, as he realized that Voldemort had begun circling him. There was no chance for escape, but that didn't mean he was ready to surrender. Vaguely, he heard Voldemort speaking to him, but he wasn't paying attention. Instead, Harry's mind had drifted back to the beginning of the summer.
~*~ Flashback ~*~
Harry was shocked when he realized that it wasn't a fireball descending out of the night sky, but instead a bird. A bird with plumage the colour of a burning fire, roaring away at its peak. Fawkes, Dumbledore's pet phoenix. Although what he was doing around Privet Drive Harry couldn't figure. Actually, what he was doing was a bit obvious, especially when Harry noticed the package he was carrying. The better question would have been 'why'? Harry knew that Dumbledore did use the school owls, all the teachers did, since all were a brownish colour that camouflaged them easily. Even Hedwig, Harry sometimes worried, was constantly in danger of attracting unwanted attention. But the attention that Hedwig could attract was miniscule compared to the crowds of people the phoenix would draw. Besides the fact the phoenixes were believed to be a myth, Fawkes would never be able to slip out of notice without someone thinking that the tree he was hiding in was on fire. Whatever he could possibly be bringing must be of great importance.
Fawkes gracefully flew through Harry's window, though Harry noticed that it had been a close call. It reminded him a bit of the bright colored birds that had delivered him letters from Sirius during the summer before forth year. Sirius. The pain from his death was still raw, and thinking about him was often like pouring salt in a wound. Although some had tried to help, there were some things that couldn't be healed. At least not soon.
The phoenix's greeting forced Harry out of his depressed thoughts, and he immediately reached for the package that Fawkes had presented. After which he gave the bird a pat on the head before he flew off to Hedwig's water dish for a drink.
As Harry began to open the package, he felt an odd sort of tingling, starting from where his fingers had touched the wrapping. It wasn't painful, just bothersome, but it passed in a few seconds. Harry paused and thought about it for a moment, before shrugging it off and deciding to think about it later.
Two things fell out when Harry had the package opened – a necklace and a letter. Harry immediately reached for the letter first, and felt the guilt and anger inside him begin to smoke and fume. It was from Professor Dumbledore. Harry still felt a bit bad about last year; he hadn't meant to lose control like that, at least not in the Headmaster's office. But after everything he had dealt with that year, the hurt, the loss, the feelings of stupidity, and, although he would never admit it to Snape, the knowledge that arrogance had finally got the better of him. Although, he may have been able to keep himself under control for longer if he hadn't been so furious about all that had been kept from him 'for his own good'. It was his life! He should have been allowed to know what would happen to it!
Taking a deep breath, to calm himself once again, Harry slowly unfurled the letter. He was greeted with Dumbledore's familiar script, and the Order seal at the top. So it wasn't personal, it was strictly business. Well, at least they had decided to include him this time.
'Mr. Harry Potter
4 Privet Drive
Little Whinging, Surrey' it said at the top.
'Dear, Mr. Potter,
I do hope you and your family did not mind my sending Fawkes to deliver this parcel, but it was imperative that it wasn't intercepted, and he did seem most eager for the job. However, I do offer my apologies if he has caused any problems.
The Order of the Phoenix has decided that it is necessary for you to have a sort of emergency protection, should you ever enter a situation where you will most certainly die and we cannot reach you in time. Enclosed you will find a small pendent, which you are instructed to wear AT ALL TIMES. Mr. Potter, you are to never take it off, no matter what the circumstance. This bit of magic is very rare, and immensely powerful – it can get through any ward, bypass any spell. If Voldemort were to lay his hands on it, it would be the end of us all. However, it may one day be the only thing able to save you.
Keep it around your neck, preferably hidden under clothes, and if anyone is to ask, simply tell them that it is an ordinary pendant. Do not let them know what it is.
This is a highly advanced portkey. It will take you to somewhere that is hopefully safer then where you are, should it be activated. To use it, simply grasp it in one of your hands and say "auxilium". However, I must impress upon you, use this only in the most dire of circumstances. Sadly, we are not sure where it will take you, only that you will be far away from where you are when you use it. I hope you understand, Harry.
If there is anything that you simply could not bare to live without, touch it with the sword pendent and say "venare". If you ever activate the portkey, these things will come along as well. Don't bring much, but I'd say that your trunk (containing your invisibility cloak at least) and that delightful owl of yours should be included.
Remember Harry, we may not be able to bring you back, but this could be the only way for you to stay alive. Whatever you chose to bring will be all that you will have of this world.
Enclosed in this letter you will find another letter and a sheet of paper. On it are names of people that you can give the letter to. Those are the only ones who may see that letter, for they are the only people I would trust. However, if you are given any indication that one of the people is a Death Eater, or any other untrustworthy being, I must ask that you stay away from them, and give the letter to another name. And Harry, I want you to be very suspicious – we can only guess at what could be different. So many things could have been changed, and some could be now very dangerous. Constant vigilance Harry, constant vigilance.
One last thing, I wish to apologize. For everything I waited to tell you, for everything I assumed you were too young to understand. You must know Harry – I do not blame you for your actions at the end of last term. For a fifteen-year-old boy, who has been unrightfully kept in the dark, your reaction was rather tame. Truthfully, I had expected far worse. We obviously underestimated your control, and we can definitely be sure that you inherited neither of your parents' temper, which I assure you is a good thing. If you had, I would surly not have an office anymore.
Be careful Harry. Stay inside your aunt and uncle's house, it is where you are safest.
Try to have a good summer, Harry. I look forward to seeing you at the start of term feast on the first of September.
Sincerely,
Albus Dumbledore
Harry reached for the pendent after reading this. It was an amazing design – a pure silver sword, much like Godric Gryffindor's, complete with rubies, sapphires, and emeralds decorating the hilt. It wasn't very heavy, but it wouldn't be easy to forget it was there. Following the instructions in the letter, Harry immediately unclasped the chain and put it around his neck. It felt cool against his chest, and was easily hidden by his t-shirt, save the bit of chain showing at the top. After this, Harry unfolded the piece of paper that the letter had mentioned, and set the second letter aside. It wasn't too long a list, and as Harry noticed, contained many of the members of the Order. Naturally, Albus Dumbledore was the first name on the list, followed by Minerva McGonagall. But Harry gasped when he read the two names below them.
James PotterLily (Evens) Potter
Those were his parents, but they were dead, weren't they? Where was this portkey supposed to take him?
~*~ End Flashback ~*~
It had been weeks since Harry had read the letter, but he didn't think he would ever forget what it said. He had, of course, piled all of his things in his trunk, and touched it and Hedwig with the pendant. He didn't really understand, but figured better safe than sorry, so had been living out of his trunk and keeping Hedwig close by, only letting her roam around the neighborhood.
Although parts of the letter had confused him greatly, he understood that the portkey was only to be used in a desperate situation. Now, Harry felt, probably counted. He could feel the coolness of the metal pressing against his chest, practically begging to be used. Voldemort wouldn't wait much longer before killing him, for he just wasn't that patient. Gritting his teeth against the extreme pain as he moved his arm to grab the necklace, Harry slowly reached to take hold of the pendent.
However, this action didn't go unnoticed by Voldemort, and he aimed a hard kick to Harry's ribs to stop him.
"Do you want to die so soon, Potter?" Voldemort hissed. He knew Harry was of no danger to him; the constant curses had damaged the boy far too much to attempt anything harmful. Still, he wasn't going to let the boy try anything new. This was a particularly satisfying moment for him, and he wasn't going to let it be ruined. Harry Potter, the bane of his existence, was going to die, with his wand in hand, knowing that he wasn't strong enough, and that Lord Voldemort was more powerful then him or his precious Dumbledore. After the news that Harry Potter was dead, and his mangled body was put out for all to see, the magical world would fall into a panic, and he could easily take over. Dumbledore was the first on his list, and the old man wouldn't be able to put up much of a fight, he'd be far too depressed after the death of his prized pupil. Yes, the world would acknowledge Lord Voldemort as their supreme ruler, and he could finish Salazar Slytherin's noble work.
Harry gasped as the blow was aimed to his ribs. He could hear the sounds of breaking bones, and intense pain swept his body yet again. If Voldemort didn't kill him soon, the pain would finish him off instead. He'd already been bashed up enough that he couldn't stand, and figured that at least one of his legs must have broken. Blood covered his face, which Harry assumed was coming from a large cut at the top of his forehead. He could barely see anymore, and the blood on the lens of his glasses was not very comforting. This was it, a now or never thing. He could see Voldemort raising his wand, apparently bored of just watching Harry in pain, and wanted to move onto the next step of his plan.
With the last bit of strength he could muster, Harry swung his hand up to his neck, grabbed the tiny sword, and practically screamed "auxilium". He felt the familiar tug of the portkey, but it was a bit different this time, although he was too weak to figure out why. The last thing Harry saw before he passed out was a binding flash of light, and Voldemort snake-like red eyes filled with confusion and anger.
~*~*~*~*~
So, what do we think??? Bad? Good? Please, pretty please, comment. Suggestions are appreciated, although I do have most of the next few chapters already written. And if you want, you can start guessing the Revelation now, although, I haven't given out any clues yet. Well, it's up to you.
Hopefully, I'll have the next chapter up in a week, although I'm about to start exams, so I don't have very much writing time. However I will do my best.
Billions of thanks to Chels and Jacquie, my loyal Beta-readers. They do there best to turn what I give them into something readable. Kudos to them!
Till next time^.^