Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry, Draco etc. or any of the Lord of the Rings cast...I wish!

Rating: It's a PG-13 cause of swearing, cutting and slash. (H/D) Don't like then review and I might change it!

A/n That last chapter was kinda sappy and stuff but it was only a prologue and I'm probally going to change it slightly. Anyway enjoy and plzplzplzplzplzplzplzplz R/R!!!!!!

Of Mortals and Immortals

'Just a man,

With a man's courage.

Nothing but a man,

Who can never fail.'

Queen – Flash Gordon

Chapter 2 Tainted Denial

Harry Potter, saviour of the Wizarding world and Boy-Who-Lived was staring. It has always been thought of as rude to stare but Harry was not staring at a person. He was staring at an object; a sharp, dangerous metallic object that had somehow found it's way into his palm. It was the lock picking knife his god – his dead godfather had given him. Harry felt a rush of guilt fill and consume him as images flashed before his eyes.

Sirius in his animagius form...Sirius' letters he had written to him...Sirius battling the werewolf away from him...Sirius telling him they could live together...Sirius telling him he loved him...Sirius falling, dying and he just stood there watching.

The knife was steady in his hand as salty tears dropped onto it. Harry felt him self raise the knife closer to his left arm as if in slow motion. Nothing mattered, anymore. He began to thirsty...but not for drink.

He watched the knife as it embedded itself into his flesh. First a red line, then he saw the first small trickles and then he saw the blood flow over his wrist in small streams and small pools in the sink and he angrily drove the knife deeper, determined to make the pools bigger.

He could feel the pain coursing through him and didn't care, just as long as it drowned out the stabbing pain in his heart.

He could smell the rank smell of blood as it wafted up to his nose. His eyes looked at the blood now dripping quickly from his wrist and into the sink. A sudden emotion filled him and he wondered what he was feeling, relief? Was it grief? Or perhaps pain? His heart was too full to orchestrate the distorted emotions. His eyes drifted upward slowly and he saw his own eyes look back at him from the reflection in the metal. Emerald locked with emerald and immediately he felt sick.

He grabbed the already bloodied towel and wrapped around his wrist and quickly wiped up the remaining blood. He half ran back to his room and slammed the door behind him.

He worried momentarily of his Uncle coming up to shout at him but remembered that the Dursely's had all been out thanks to a business diner. They never brought any business guests here since 'the incident' of the cake. Harry scowled at the unpleasant memory and looked back to the knife that had found its way back into Harry's right hand.

Harry looked at the object with a weird shred of hope as he ran a slim finger along the blade, slicing his finger open. Harry continued to watch the blood flow from his finger. He welcomed the stinging pain but it didn't last long and soon Harry became frustrated. He looked back at his wrist that was clotting up already. He scratched the wound open again and sighed heavily, weakly as he smiled grimly at the warm blood.

Blood, his treasured red mercury. Again the wound started to clot up again and he gave up, his thirst had been fulfilled.

Harry pocketed the metal object subconsciously and walked over to the small mirror that hung near his bed. He looked anxiously at his reflection not really wanting to see those horribly gleeful eyes again.

He looked at his self carefully seeing his raven hair that had grown over the summer and was half covering his eyes. His once lightly tanned skin had lost its normal look and had become pale and it looked, Harry raised his eyebrow in shock as he realised it was giving of some sort of...glow?

He looked up and into his own eyes warily and saw his normal deadened look star back sadly. He bowed his head and caught a look at his worn and too baggy clothes. Maybe he could by some more? With his own money from Grimgotts? As he thought of this his thoughts turned to the wizarding world he had left at the start of summer.

Ron and Hermione had been refusing to comment on what ever had been happening to them, 'cant say much, blah blah blah, could be intercepted.' All he knew for certain was that they were at Grimauld's palace with the Weasley family and the Order as they kept hinting at. He couldn't understand why he could go there. They probably couldn't trust him, probably started to believe Rita Skeeter's word that he was 'deranged and deadly.'

He glared at himself in the mirror as he realised her awful word had held some truth in them. He was certainly not deranged but deadly? He was certainly deadly with the blood of two innocent souls on his hands and he was only sixteen!

Turning away from the pitiful mirror he went for a quick shower mentally preparing himself to...talk with the Dursely's.

"We're not your bloody slaves, boy!" His uncle snarled at him and started to turn an unnatural shade of purple.

He had asked to go into London and had luckily prepared himself for this predicted reaction. His Aunt and Uncle were not as scared of him this year as they had accidentally intercepted an owl informing them of Sirius' death and the headmasters' condolences. He knew he could never use his godfather as a threat as he was dead but... he himself was a wizard, right? Being a wizard gave you certain powers, right?

He smirked at he thought this Uncle and said, "You will take me to London Centre if you don't want to get hexed!"

"You can't do magic, you'll be expelled!" Uncle Vernon said confidentially but his frightened eyes gave him away.

"Yes I can! I'm now of age since I'm sixteen." He retorted happily. Harry knew you didn't turn of age until you left school but he also knew the Dursely's didn't know.

"N-no. You can't, prove it!" Said Aunt Petunia fearfully. Harry snorted at the fear coming from his 'family' and took out his wand slowly, waving it at his Uncle (he wasn't hard to miss) and just as he opened his mouth his Uncle shouted. "Y-yes. Okay, f-f-fine. Just don't expect us to drive you all around the country!" Uncle Vernon looked at his watch quickly and added, "Be down in ten-minutes."

Satisfied Harry turned around and headed up to his room to get ready, the lock pick knife still weighing his trouser pocket down.

Harry sat in the back of the car quietly...well he had to. Uncle Vernon had sworn to snap his wand if he made a sound and Harry didn't want to risk having to pretend to do magic again. It just might not have a good outcome. The car sped up as they got out of traffic and Harry's mind started to wonder.

He was remembering the end of his last year and the Prophecy that he still hadn't told his so-called-friends. He really had no idea what he was going to do about Voldemort and couldn't even imaging defeating-"Stop fidgeting!" his Uncle shouted back at him as they waited at the traffic lights. He looked down and saw he had been subconsciously scratching his wrist. He only just managed to stop him self groan in pain, pleasure and annoyance as a line of blood stained his top.

As his Uncle's eyes were back on the road he pulled up his sleeve and looked at his arm. Scars and cuts lined up his arm, small and big, long and short. He was disgusted and amazed at this as he traced his index finger along the marks.

The car was slowing down and Harry quickly pulled his sleeve down and hid his secret again.

"Right boy, I'm going to meet a client. Be back for four o'clock." He Uncle snapped before literally throwing Harry out the car, locking it behind him and walking away quickly.

Harry picked himself out the gutter and walked in the opposite direction looking for a clothes shop. He had not walked ten metres when he saw one he liked and pushing open the door stepped inside. The shop was packed full but Harry was quite skinny –not unhealthy skinny- and could squeeze between the people. He took ages to find what he wanted as he had always been given Dudley's clothes from Aunt Petunia but when he did find what he wanted he went over and paid for them at the desk before going to the changing rooms and changing in to a set.

As he walked out the shop he looked at himself nervously in his reflection in the shop window. He was wearing a long-sleeved tight dark green top with a pure black T-shirt on top. He had a pair of black jeans on with a heavy silver chain as a belt. He also bought himself a coat but didn't put it on as it was too hot (A/n unlikely in England ;-) ). The clothes were expensive and he was now very glad he had thought of getting some muggle money last time he was in Grimgotts!

About an hour later he was walking down the street happier than he'd been in days. His hair had remained its raven black appearance but with it put into spikes. It also had its tips dyed green and silver streaks running through it. He was now walking along to find a shop to get contacts until finally he found one and walked inside or that's what he would of done if the shop wasn't closed!

"Fuck!" he said angrily as he smacked his head into the door.

"Something wrong? Do you have an appointment?" Said a nervous person to his left.

He turned around to reply 'No' when the woman stared to stutter. He raised an eyebrow confused as he looked at her. She had short blond brown and looked very familiar. He then suddenly remembered his new hair cut! He should of asked for something else, now his scar was clear to everyone.

"A-a-re you 'Thee HARRY P-POTTER'?" She said when she found her voice and that's when it struck Harry who she looked like. "Yes."

"Oh my gawd! I'm Cassranda Creevy!" She grabbed his hand and started to shake it vigorously. "It's soooo nice to meet you. I almost didn't recognise you! Oh, well. Doesn't your hair look funny? Anyway what can I do for you?"

He looked at her slightly annoyed at the praise and anyway couldn't he dress what he wanted! "Er...thanks...are you the owner?" He was still trying to pry his hand free as she replied. "Yes."

"Oh, well. Can I get contacts, please?" He asked as politely as he could without glaring as he nursed his sore hand.

"Contacts? You don't just want you eyes magically fixed?" She said now confused and blinking a lot.

"Wait! You can do that?" He said surprised.

"Yes of course." She said.

"I thought Colin had muggle relatives." He stated as if it were obvious, "Colin? Oh, yes but I never see him, so he wouldn't know. Should be a nice surprise one of these days!" She giggled.

"Erm...yes. Well, I would like to have my eye's fixed-" He started to say before she interrupted him. "Great!" She said grabbing his arm and pulling him into the shop.

Half an hour later he exited the shop with out glasses and only one more stop to go in muggle London before he went into Diagon ally.

It took him ages but he finally manages to find the tattoo and body-pricing parlour that he remembered from his childhood. He had run in there once to get away from Dudley, the memory still made him angry.

Luckily the woman at the counter didn't know who he was so he was in and out pretty quickly considering what he had done. He now had a right eyebrow ring, a lip ring, and a hoop through the top of one ear and even managed to get some 'accessories' to go with his change of style. He grinned madly when he saw his reflection in a shop window and though just how bloody brilliant it would be to shock his friends at the start of term!

He made his way quickly to Diagon ally and it was then that he noticed the man following him. It wasn't a shock really, he was standing very far back so Harry wouldn't be able to spot him but now Harry was entering a crowded bar that led onto another street he was hurrying to catch up. Harry had recognised the limp immediately. It was Mundungus who was trailing him, Harry knew that he had got the limp a while ago as he had seen him with a few other watchers outside his house every day and night. It was really starting to sicken him, all this babysitting. They wanted HIM to save the world and risk his own death but at the same time keep him on a leech!

Harry growled and ran straight to the fireplace at the end of the bar, "How much for a use of the fireplace?" he shouted to the bartender.

"Two Sickles and the powders over here." Was his reply.

Harry ran threw two sickles on the bar and grabbed a handful of floo-powder. He had a plan and was going to see it through.

"Knockturn Ally!" He yelled into the flames just as he saw the bar door swing open.

Everything was over very quickly, Harry expected Knockturrn Ally must be closer to the bar than the Burrow.

He picked himself up and dusted himself off before flattening his hair sheepishly and moving out of the familiar dark, damp shop. He only really wanted to escape the watcher but now that he thought that about it he realised what a good chance this was to do some erm...forbidden shopping! He grinned as he looked to find a bookstore and his grin widened as he saw how close it was to him and that a platinum-haired guy had just walked right in.

It was amazing. He had to watch just how many he bought, the whole store was like a glittering cave of jewels for him. Everything he needed to prepare himself against Voldemort was HERE! He finally decided on a few books to take with him.

A Clearer Look into the art of Occlumency. – By Miranda Mirror.

The Dark Arts and its more Dangerous Aspects. – By Svan Gogglesmut.

Attack and Defence, chose both and win. – By Richard Mallen

The foundations of Magic. – By ?

Light and Dark? Friend or Foe? – By Steven Marshell

Harry looked over his choice and knew that even though the books were heavy they were crammed full with thing he was almost dying to know. The book on the top suddenly fell to the floor with a "THUMP" and Harry carefully picked it up making sure that none of the other books fell with it. He looked around checking to see that no one noticed him (he wanted to blend in which was unlikely as he was wearing MUGGLE clothing) when he noticed Malfoy! He had seen the boy go in before him as he thought it would be amusing to spy on him but Malfoy had just sat down to read some book on 'wand movements 'that Harry had just gone off further into the store.

It wasn't that he noticed Malfoy that was what startled him but what he had caught him doing. If he had blinked he would have missed it, but Malfoy eyes' had just run all over Harry. Looking up from his legs to his torso to his face as their eyes met! Harry's brain was in overload, Malfoy, his arch-nemesis had just checked him out? He felt his knee's go weak and realised the heavy books were not doing anything to help him.

Malfoy was studying his face as Harry's brain just fizzled out into the Abyss and was giving Harry a genuine smile. Harry suddenly thought, 'why doesn't he smile more, it's really attractive on him?' before his brain came back from the Abyss at full force, 'what the fuck? You did not just compliment him! It's Malfoy, for fucks sake!" but he couldn't stop the muscles in his mouth from working and he soon found himself smiling right back at him!

Now he was in pure and absolute shock...

He felt like screaming at himself but most of his senses where now complimenting Malfoy's grin that was suddenly stuck on place instead of his normal cold façade. Harry quickly turned around to pay for his book all the while mentally arguing at himself for being...nice towards Malfoy even if it was just in his head! "Bad Harry brain, very Bad Harry brain" he stared to mutter to himself when he was clear of the shop and Knockturn Ally. He breifly saw his watcher find him again before he returned to his Uncle's car.

He then noticed that the closer he got to the car and the more he thought of the watcher the more he kept tugging at his sleeve's to make sure 'they' were hidden.

A/n you may have noticed the changes between Harry's mood and it's because he's confused lost etc. There was also a very light bit of Harry/Draco but not too much to make a deal out of, if there's too many people opposing the H/D slash then I'll change it. Well anyway, R/R. Please?! ;-)