Summary: Harry is living in Muggle London, framed for murder and wanted by Azkaban after the final battle with Voldemort. What happens when the law starts to catch up with him?
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any of the Harry Potter characters. Numb and Nobody's Listening belong to Linkin Park, and the song Ordinary belongs to Train.
Liam silently slipped through the door to his apartment, long ago established habits rising to the surface. He flipped on the light, and scanned the room. He then promptly let out a sigh and scolded himself for his paranoia. However, his paranoia was not unfounded. He wasn't really the man named Dr. Liam Johnson, but an entirely different man- Harry James Potter, better known as the Boy-Who-Lived.
He was also known by the greater wizarding population as The-Boy-Who-Lived-To-Murder. He had moved to Muggle London to avoid Azkaban after the final war, when Lord Voldemort was defeated. He was wanted by the Ministry for the murder of several upstanding wizards in the wizarding society- those the press refused to identify as Death Eaters. Then, to top it all off, Voldemort had framed him for the deaths of Hermione, Dumbledore, Remus Lupin, Fred and George Weasley, and Hagrid. No one else had been there when they had died.
Liam snorted and ran a hand through his hair. Trust the wizarding world to turn against their savior. He still had his trademark messy black hair, tied in the back into a small rat-tail at the base of his neck. His emerald eyes, however, were hidden behind ice-blue contacts. He had also legally changed his name to Liam David Johnson in the Muggle world. No one knew he was here, and no one knew who he was.
Liam had been a doctor for only two years, having only recently graduated from medical school. He was also the lead singer in a band called Lightning Strike. A rather interesting coincidence, he now mused. His own lightning-shaped scar was concealed with a deep red bandanna at all times.
Shaking himself out of his revere, Liam poured himself a glass of water- he'd had bad experiences with alcohol before- and collapsed into a overstuffed chair, rubbing his forehead in an attempt to dispel the headache that had plagued him since he had got to work that morning. Soft music was playing down from the apartment above him, and despite himself, Liam found himself dropping off.
Crimson eyes were all he saw. Demon eyes. Slitted eyes, just like a snake's. Desperate cries and agonized screams echoed around him, but all that filled his mind were those merciless, fiery crimson eyes.
Voldemort's dungeons. Harry had been captured almost two weeks before. Voldemort still didn't know the entirety of the Prophecy. Two weeks of torture, two weeks of blood, pain, and death, and he still didn't know it. Harry could sense the Dark Lord's- irritation. Family after family of innocent, ignorant muggles were killed right in front of him, but he held onto that single fact that kept him going. Voldemort did not have the Prophecy. If he knew it, the entire world was doomed.
He suffered for it. Others suffered for it too. Harry glanced down at his battered body- he'd lost count of Cruciatus Curses placed on him during his stay, and his body bled from a thousand cuts. Bellatrix reveled in his pain, both physical and mental. The blood was all around him, on his arms, in his hair, around him on the cold stone floor, in his mind's eye- everything was blood…
Liam woke with a jolt. Though the final battle had been over for almost seven years, the nightmares still plagued him. He slept as little as possible while still being able to function. If he slept, the nightmares came.
A knock at the door drew his attention so fast that he cracked his neck. Groaning and rubbing the offending appendage, Liam rose and staggered to the door. He unlocked a series of locks, but left the chain attached as he opened the door. It was Jake, the percussionist and a fellow member of Lightening Strike, as well as one of Liam's best friends. Liam closed the door to unlock the chain, the opened it again to stand face to face with Jake.
"Man, Liam, you don't look so good. Did you sleep at all last night?" He asked, concerned. Liam let out a small smile.
"Yeah," he replied. Jake shook his head in sympathy.
"Dude, man you've got to be the only guy I know who looks worse when he does sleep than when he doesn't. Anyway, I came to remind you about our gig tonight. Remember? It's a first real public one at the pub down the street, Demon's Landing. We're setting up at seven. Bring your gear!"Jake said, turning on his heel and starting down the rickety stairs. Liam gave another smile and shook his head. Jake was always on the move. Liam turned, closing the door and resetting all the locks before heading towards the shower. Today was going to be a long day.
"Doctor Johnson, you have a patient asking for you in room A4. He asks that you come as soon as possible," said one of the nurses. Liam sighed. That must be Albert Smith- the most annoying patient in the world. If there wasn't a doctor in the room, he must have some sort of life-threatening disease that would undoubtedly kill him the moment he was left alone. Not that he didn't have a serious disease; he was dying of lung cancer, having been a heavy smoker for most of his life. Liam headed for his room.
"Finally, a doctor! I could be dying for all you know! No one's ever here to check on me," spoke Mr. Smith as soon as Liam stepped into the room.
"Mr. Smith, I'm here to check on you. How do you feel? Is anything wrong?" soothed Liam, seating himself in a chair next to Mr. Smith's hospital bed. He steeled himself. This was going to be a very long, boring hour with Mr. Smith.
"Hey, kid. How're you feeling? Does your arm hurt?" Liam coaxed from one of his younger patients, a seven-year-old with a broken arm. She had fallen off the monkey bars at school.
"Better, sir. I feel kinda dizzy though…" she mumbled blearily to him.
"Ah. That's to be expected. The drug that we put in your blood to get rid of the pain makes you a little disoriented for a while. You should feel better after it heals a little more and you don't need the drug anymore.
"Dis- disohrie-ented?" The little girl asked, confused. Liam smiled at her slightly. She reminded him a little of how Ron used to be, sounding out all the words that Hermione used that he didn't understand.
"It means dizzy." Liam replied. "Remember, you can tell one of the nurses to come and get me if anything feels wrong, okay? I'll be here in just a few minutes if I get a call." He gave her another small smile before standing and walking out of the room. That was his last patient check-up for the day- and it was about time he finished. It was already passed six o'clock by the time he finished all his little chores- cleaning equipment, putting things away and filling out paperwork.
"Hey Sheila!" He called to a nurse. "I gotta go, call me if anything happens, alright? I'll get here as soon as I can!" With that he sprinted out the double doors to the hospital to his car. He had to hurry if he was going to make it to the club by seven. He stopped at his apartment for just a few minutes, to grab his gear, then set off for Demon's Landing. Just a few minutes later, he arrived.
"Hey guys," he said casually to his band mates. Jake was already there, fidgeting all over the stage. Liam grinned. Always on the move.
"Hey, Lightening Strike, you ready to go? It's time!" Came the shout from the owner of the bar a little less than an hour later. They were adding the final touches to their gear, checking sound and lights. Liam gave a slightly manic grin.
"Ready guys?" he asked. A chorus of "yes!" rang around the stage.
"And may I present, Lightening Strike!" Cried the bar owner to the bar. The lights fell, focusing on the stage. Liam gave a small smile. Music started up behind him. He let the music guide hem as he began to sing. This song he had written himself- reminiscing over the final battle and those that had led up to it.
"This song's called Numb, written by myself with help on the music."
I'm tired of being what you want me to be
Feeling so faithless lost under the surface
Don't know what you're expecting of me
Put under the pressure of walking in your shoes
(Caught in the undertow, just caught in the undertow)
Every step that I take is another mistake to you
(Caught in the undertow, just caught in the undertow)
Memories flashed through his minds as he sang. Dumbledore forcing him into the hero role. He couldn't fill his shoes. The entire wizarding world, putting him on a pedestal just to tear it down around him at the slightest sign of failure.
I've become so numb I can't feel you there
I've become so tired so much more aware
I'm becoming this all I want to do
Is be more like me and be less like you
He didn't want to be Dumbledore. He didn't want to be their hero. He wanted to be himself- Harry Potter, Liam Johnson.
Can't you see that you're smothering me
Holding too tightly afraid to lose control
Cause everything that you thought I would be
Has fallen apart right in front of you
(Caught in the undertow just caught in the undertow)
Every step that I take is another mistake to you
(Caught in the undertow just caught in the undertow)
And every second I waste is more than I can take
They were afraid. Afraid to lose their weapon. They wanted control, and when Harry went against that control, they slammed it down harder than ever, crumbling who he was, creating a crueler weapon, an ultimate weapon. Then they condemned him again, afraid to lose control of that weapon.
I've become so numb I can't feel you there
I've become so tired so much more aware
I'm becoming this all I want to do
Is be more like me and be less like you
His reaction to the war- numb to pain, numb to death, numb to ridicule. Always exhausted, but never missing a thing that happened around him. Paranoid.
And I know I may end up failing too
But I know You were just like me
With someone disappointed in you
I've become so numb I can't feel you there
I've become so tired so much more aware
I'm becoming this all I want to do
Is be more like me and be less like you
I've become so numb I can't feel you there
Tired of being what you want me to be
I've become so numb I can't feel you there
Tired of being what you want me to be
The song ended. Liam's flashbacks didn't. He pushed them aside, and forced a smile at the audience. The next song started up.
"This one's called Nobody's Listening."
Coming at you
Coming at you
Coming at you
Yo, peep the style and the kids checking for it
The number one question is
How could you ignore it
We drop right back in the cut over basement tracks
With raps that got you backing this up like
Rewind that
We're just rolling with the rhythm
Rise from the ashes of stylistic division
With these non-stop lyrics of life living
Not to be forgotten but still unforgiven
But in the meantime there are those who wanna talk this and that
So I suppose that it gets to a point
Where feelings got to get hurt
And get dirty with the people spreading the dirt, it goes
Tried to give you warning
But everyone ignores me
Told you everything loud and clear
But nobody's listening
Call to you so clearly
But you don't want to hear me
Told you everything loud and clear
But nobody's listening
I've got a heart full of pain head full of stress
Hand full of anger held in my chest
And everything left is a waste of time
I hate my rhymes
But I hate everyone else's more
I'm riding on the back of this pressure
Guessing that it's better I can't keep myself together
Because all of this stress gave me something to write on
And the pain gave me something I could set my sights on
You never forget the blood, sweat, and tears
The uphill struggle over years
The fear and trash talking and the people it was to
And the people that started it just like you
Tried to give you warning
But everyone ignores me
Told you everything loud and clear
But nobody's listening
Call to you so clearly
But you don't want to hear me
Told you everything loud and clear
But nobody's listening
I've got a heart full of pain head full of stress
Hand full of anger held in my chest
Uphill struggle blood, sweat, and tears
Nothing to gain everything to fear
Heart full of pain head full of stress
Hand full of anger held in my chest
Uphill struggle blood, sweat, and tears
Nothing to gain everything to fear
Heart full of pain
Tried to give you warning
But everyone ignores me
Told you everything loud and clear
But nobody's listening
Called to you so clearly
But you don't want to hear me
Told you everything loud and clear
But nobody's listening
I've got a heart full of pain head full of stress
Nobody's listening
Hand full of anger held in my chest
Nobody's listening
Uphill struggle blood, sweat, and tears
Nobody's listening
Nothing to gain everything to fear
Nobody's listening
Coming at you
Coming at you
Coming at you
Coming at you from every side
That one had been inspired more by his anger at the press- turning on him at the drop of a hat if he did anything wrong or challenged them. After fourth year, he had warned them all about Voldemort's return, but none listened. He didn't have to fake the smile at the audience this time, remembering their revenge on Rita Skeeter.
"Just one more song before our break. This one's called Ordinary."
Whose eyes am I behind?
I don't recognize anything that I see
Whose skin is this design?
I don't want this to be the way that you see me
I don't understand anything anymore
And this web that I'm tied up
Is taking me right up these walls
That I climb up
To get to your story
It's anything but ordinary
And when the world is on its knees
With me, it's fine
And when I come to the rescue
I get nothing but left behind
Everybody seems to be getting what they need
Where's mine?
'Cause you're what I need so very
But I'm anything but ordinary
Can you save me from this world of mine
Before I get myself arrested with this expectation
You are the one
Look what you've done
What have you done?
This is not some kind of joke
You're just a kid
You weren't ready for what you did, no
And when the world is on its knees
With me, it's fine
And when I come to the rescue
I do it for you
Time after time
Everybody seems to be getting what they need
Where's mine?
'Cause you're what I need so very
But I'm anything but ordinary
I think I'm trying to save the world for you
You've been saving me, too.
We could just stay in and save each other
I'm anything but ordinary
I'm anything but ordinary
With that Liam replaced his microphone and saluted the audience, then joined his band mates as they sat at a table nearby.
"Yes! That was awesome! Did you see their faces, Liam? They loved us!" Jake gushed. Liam gave him a smirk.
"But of course. How could they not like a fabulous singer like me?" He teased. He dramatically placed the back of a hand to his forehead, drawing laughs from all his band mates. Lee, the guitarist spoke up.
"Dude, they loved us! Did you see? Standing ovation!" He gave his easy smile that seemed to relax almost anyone. The bassist, a lady named Jess spoke her agreement.
"We did rock, Liam. Did you see their faces?"
At that, a waiter approached their table with a tray of drinks. "The lady over there ordered you guys a round of beer. Enjoy. Hey, nice playing." She said with a wink as she departed. Liam froze. The girl she had pointed to was the one and only Ginny Weasley.