DISCLAIMER: I do not, nor will I ever, own any of Harry Potter or its contents apart from this plot, and something new I have created… You shall see…
A/N: I hope people read this! Basically, if you haven't read my profile then you will not know that this very story used to be on another account (also my account). I did not steal this story! It is all mine. I have changed accounts for a complicated reason – if you would like to know then look on my profile. If you do not care, however, then that's great, and please feel free to read on Just don't accuse me of stealing this story if you think you've seen it before, as it was on another account that was my own and no one else's!
WARNING: Rated 'M' for later chapters. Sexual content and male on male action, don't read if it offends you!
Summary: Harry Potter has just turned twenty-one years old, it has been four years since Dumbledore left him the task of finding and destroying the rest of the Horcruxes, but hope has gone downhill… With Voldemort and his 'armies' of Death Eaters roaming all over England, all the Muggle-borns and some half-bloods are being taken away, either to die or rot away in a new prison. Harry's hope also dies away, but when he is taken into the prison, he meets a new source of comfort to him that changes his attitude. There are a few elements of DH in here, but obviously I have changed it a bit. All the information up until the end of HBP stays the same, however. Hope I made that clear.
Ice Breakers
The Caught One
The Caught One
Harry Potter (also known as The Boy who Lived or the Chosen One) was charged and prosecuted yesterday for helping two Mudbloods who were awaiting the Dementors kiss. Potter, 21, will spend one year in the new detained London prison. Witnesses say that Potter was 'different' to how they had known him to be at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, perhaps less hopeful about his plans to overthrow the Dark Lord. He was, however, seemingly pleased at his efforts to save to the Mudbloods in question, Hermione Granger and… (Full story page two.)
"Ron, what are we going to do?" Hermione cried as she put down the copy of the Daily Prophet that she had been reading.
"Look," Ron said, going to sit beside her, "We just need to not worry, keep calm. Harry wouldn't want us to worry about him."
"But Ron, I've heard things about that prison," Hermione choked, "It's not like Azkaban, Dementors don't guard it, Death Eaters do! And think how much worse a Death Eater can treat people than a Dementor can!"
"I know, we all know," Ron replied consolingly, "But Harry's strong, he'll get through it. A year is like a week to him."
Hermione jumped and turned at the sound of someone scoffing at Ron's words behind her.
Ginny stood in the corner of the room, like a lingering shadow in the darkness. Her tone shocked Hermione as she spoke; it was like she had been kissed by a Dementor, and all her hope and warmth was gone. "Harry had given up hope of winning this war long before he went to save you and Colin. He won't last three days in there, not if what I've heard about it is true. He's got no hope, no love, nothing left to give."
Hermione turned away and burst into tears yet again. It was true, that when Harry came to save Hermione and Colin Creevey only the day before, he had seemed almost half dead already when he thrust his fathers old invisibility cloak into Hermione's hands. So how would he get through a year in a prison built for death? Hermione knew of no one yet who had come out of there a stronger person; they had all committed suicide if they had come out alive.
"Shut up, Ginny!" Ron snapped over Hermione's cries. "If that's all the faith you have in him then you don't deserve to be his girlfriend!"
"You know you're thinking it too!" Ginny argued, "All you have to do is imagine what you'd be like if you went in there, because Harry's no different to us. Do you really think you'd have hope if you were in a place like that?"
"You need to get some sleep, Ginny, you're not thinking straight," Ron said defensively.
"No, you're right, I'm not. But I'm thinking probably the same way Harry is right now: Like a dead man walking."
"Harry is not going to die!" Hermione exclaimed suddenly, making both Ron and Ginny jump.
"I hope not too," Ginny said quietly after a moment, tears now filling her eyes. "But do you really think that You-know-who is going to let him out of there after a year? Just let him go to carry on trying to kill him?"
Before either Ron or Hermione could say anything, Ginny had walked out of the room. The two of them sat in silence for a moment, Hermione staring at Ron for some sort of comfort. Instead, he spoke about something else.
"We need to pull ourselves together, Hermione," He said softly. "There are two more Horcruxes to find and we could get them and destroy them in the year that Harry is away. Then when he comes out he can kill You-Know-Who. And the whole thing will be over…"
"Didn't you hear Ginny?" Hermione barked, "Harry is not going to live to be able to fulfil the prophecy. It's never going to be over!"
"He's been gone one day and you're acting like this already?" Ron shouted.
"Harry knew it!" Hermione shouted back, "I could see it on his face yesterday. You weren't there, Ron. He told me to get myself and Colin out. I asked him what he was going to do, and he said he'd follow on behind. Well how would that work when he didn't have the cloak? He knew that he was going to get caught, so I'll bet he just went for one last walk around Hogwarts before he did. He went to say goodbye."
Ron stared at her for a few minutes, stony-faced with fire burning in his eyes.
"You're the one who never gives up," He whispered, "You're the one who kept us going all that time when we were searching for Horcruxes. And when I left you were the one who stuck with Harry because you believed in him. Well now I believe in him. And I'm not going to let him down just because you and Ginny have got your knickers in a twist! If you won't come with me, I'll find the last two Horcruxes alone, and Harry will have me to thank when he comes out next year."
Ron stood up and walked away from the table, away from Hermione. Her face was now dry, but she still sniffed as she said, "Why?"
Ron stopped and turned to look at her. "Because I love Harry, and I love you. I'm not going to let him or Dumbledore down."
A tiny smile appeared on her face and she looked down to the paper lying on the table. She then took it, stood up and threw it in the fire.
She looked back at Ron and saw him smiling widely at her before she said, "Where are we starting then?"
A/N: Hope you all like it. Thanks for reading. The next 6 chapters will probably come up really quickly – because they're already written! It's after chapter 7 that I will begin writing again Enjoy!