I Will Not Bow – Harry's Awakening
Author's Note: Okay so I started this fanfic under a different penname in 2008. Then the muse died and it was left unfinished. I was cleaning out the hard drive last week and the muse came back to life (It's Alive!, Its Alive!) anyway its back and longer so here go again!
I will not bow
I will not break
I will shut the world away
I will not fall
I will not fade
I will take your breath away
Breaking Benjamin
Number Four Privet Drive – Surrey, England
In a tiny, dingy room on a tiny dingy bed laid the boy who lived Harry Potter, He laid in that bed and dreamed of a different life, a life where the weight of the world didn't rest on his shoulders. He was tired, tired of Voldemort, tired of Dumbledore Just tired he was tired of bowing to everyone who thought they knew what was best for him. He got off the bed and walked to the barred window, it was time for his escape. In exactly 36 minutes he would be 16 years old. This year would be the best of his life, you see after 16 years of being a slave he would finally be free. No longer a slave to the Dursley's or to Dumbledore.
Unknown to all except his best friend Harry had gone through a change this summer. He didn't even fully understand it himself. He just felt different. Stronger and more clear-headed than ever before. It was like his Slytherin side had finally won out over his Gryffindor side. He didn't feel evil just a bit darker and more in control of himself. Harry knew in his soul that it was time for the real Harry to reveal himself. After Dumbledore's betrayal of him in his 5th year that had led to the death of his godfather and the old man continued non-attention of how the Dursley's treated him. Harry figured it was time for an attitude adjustment on his part.
All his life he had been selfless, always doing everything for everybody else. Never thinking or caring about himself. First it was the Dursley's treating him little better that a house-elf. Then it was off to the wizarding world where he was expected at 15 years old to defeat the evil of the century. He was always being told that it was his destiny and his fate to kill Voldemort. People just didn't understand how much he hated those two fucking words destiny and fate. He was ruled by them, they had defined his existence dooming him to a life of solitude and service, to a life of almost constant physical and mental pain to the point of almost driving him insane.
A wicked smirk came over Harry's face as he thought of how the coming year at Hogwarts would be. He and Hermione would rule the school by the end of the year. You see Harry had a plan. He wasn't just going to destroy Voldemort; he was going to take Dumbledore's power as well. It's not that Harry wanted to rule the world; he just thought that neither Dumbledore nor Voldemort deserved to be in power. It was amazing how alike the two men were, both would do anything to achieve their goals. Harry could understand this trait in Voldemort because; well he was an evil son of a bitch. Dumbledore on the other hand was supposed to be the ultimate wizard of the light, yet he was willing to sacrifice the mental and physical health of their "hero". Sometimes Harry wondered if Voldemort and Dumbledore were having a race to see who could drive him insane faster.
Harry thought back to the dream that caused this change in attitude,
Flashback – Harry's Awakening
Harry walked through the dark, shadows wrapped around him like an embrace from the mother he barely remembered . He had never been afraid of the dark, it had always comforted him. As he wandered he heard a voice call out to him All of a sudden he heard a beautiful feminine voice calling his name "Harry Potter follow my voice!" The voice called sweetly but insistently.. Harry followed the voice through the shadows till he broke through the dark into a meadow. A beautiful ethereal looking woman sat underneath a tree waiting. She had long red hair and green eyes and a translucent quality to her skin. Harry saw the woman and froze at the face he had only seen in photographs and dreams, "Mother?!" he whispered walking forward as if in a trance. Lily Evans-Potter smiled and beckoned her son closer "Sit with me, my beautiful boy" Harry sat underneath the tree with his mother. "Harry it is time for you to know the truth about yourself, the truth that Dumbledore would have always kept hidden from you" " What truth mother?" "You are very special my son not because you are the boy who lived but because you are an Avatar"
"What are Avatars?" Harry asked
"Avatars are the ones chosen by the powers that be to rule over the elements" His mother explained "Altogether there are five Avatars. Earth, Fire, Air, Water, and Shadow" Do I know the other Avatars?"
"With the exception of one, all the other avatars currently attend Hogwarts."
"They do?" Harry asked
"Yes, and it is up to you as their leader to gather them together, to defeat the great evil once more" his mother answers
"Will you tell me who they are?"
"No! I cannot the other 4 Avatars have to awaken on their own, each must face their own trial to prove that they are still worthy of their divine gifts."
"What about me? Do I have to prove that I'm still worthy?"
"No, My Lord, you have already proven yourself worthy by surviving your encounter with the evil one during the Tri-Wizard Tournament." his mother explained
"I already faced my trial? Then why don't I have my powers?"
You must be blocking them subconsciously, you're not letting them fully awaken, but you feel them don't you? You feel closer to the darkness then ever before?"
"That's what this feeling is? I thought it was because I was beginning to listen to Voldemort's teachings."
"So the evil one has already begun to train you to become his apprentice?"
Harry hung is head for a moment. "No one knows that he has been using his link with me to train me over the past year."
"He is trying to make you believe that darkness is the same as evil, in this he is not correct My son, You are the shadow, He is pure evil."
"Now close your eyes and focus your thoughts on the darkness inside you . The Shadows protect you as you protect the world; you are the night that protects the earth when there is no sun."
Harry closed his eyes and did as his mother asked of him. He delved into the shadows within but felt no evil. He felt his determination to protect the world from Voldemort's evil taint. All of a sudden her felt a different part of him self open its eyes "You've finally discovered me."
Harry opened his eyes and instead of seeing His mother he saw an older version of himself standing there. This version of himself seemed about 25 years old, he wore no glasses and had long purple and green streaked black hair that reached his waist. The man bowed and introduced himself. "I am Commander Hayden; I'm your past self from 1000 years ago."
"My past self, how is that possible?"
"The last time we fought the evil you know as Voldemort my final act before dying was to cast a spell that would cause me and my friends to be reborn if Voldermort returned. That spell must have come to past if you are here. You're going to need these, a sword and necklace appeared in each of Harry's hands. The necklace is the stone of shadow, it will help you channel you powers. The sword is Shadowspawn it is your Avatar weapon. You will learn more along the way. It's time for you to awaken now"
Harry awoke in his bed at Privet Drive, The stone of Shadow around his neck and Shadowspawn in the bed next to him.
"What the Hell was that?" Harry asked himself out loud
Just then Harry realized that there may be a hell of a lot more to being the savior then he had ever thought there was.
And he thought his life couldn't get anymore complicated
end flashback
Harry had been waiting all summer for this chance. It was finally time for the real Harry Potter and Hermione Granger to show themselves. No one knew how hard it was to act the angel when you knew you weren't. Harry was brought out of his thoughts by the chiming of the hall clock, it was finally midnight.
Let the games begin.