A/N: I'd love feedback. I hate writing and then getting none. It reminds me of high school, where I wrote and wrote but no one told me what was wrong with my writing style that I kept getting C+'s and B-'s. If you're reading this then maybe you've read the first chapter and will read this one. So please review.

Act 1: Slithering Sun

Chapter 2

November 2012

Voldemort looked upon the muggle city of Dubai.. It no longer resembled the progressive city that rivalled any major muggle city. It's vaunted architecture had been reduced to rubble, a warzone now. A battle between muggles and wizards was a terrible thing to behold. Bullets flying all around. Missiles being launched all over the place. Spells that could instantly end a person's life or do worse things to a person. It was absolute chaos. And it was what Voldemort always wanted. Years and years of planning, decades of pain, all lead to this critical moment. The moment where the muggles would finally have to face their superiors.

Harry was on the convoy truck entering the city. It was disguised using the latest in muggle technology, creating an electrical stealth field. It was invisible to the naked eye but Harry didn't know how effective that would be against wizards. The whole convoy was awake now, talking in English, something Harry found odd. Some of them were laughing and joking around, perhaps knowing this would be the last chance they would have to do so. Others chose to use this time to reflect solemnly on their lives, clutching their weapons close to their chest. Harry chose to assume this position so as not to overexpose himself. He wore the standard uniform for the Dubai militia, a full helmet, complete with goggles that served the same purpose as his glasses, body armor and kneepads and elbowpads. The gun he held in his hand was foreign to him. It was an M4A1, equipped with a grenade launcher and a silencer, but Harry didn't know much about the guns. As he waited for the truck to arrive at the destination he chuckled at the irony of a gun being as foreign to him as a wand would to his muggle brethren here right now. A little humor was what he really needed right now.

November 2012

"Harry!" Hermione said, running towards her old friend arms open to embrace him. She stopped when she saw what he looked like. "Harry what happened? Why are you so..."

"Old?" Harry said, walking towards her. He stopped right in front of her and looked her dead in the eye. "Does it matter how old I am?"

"Of course not Harry!" she responded and embraced him. "I've missed you so much Harry it's been too long."

"You too Hermione."

"So have you seen Ginny? Have you seen your kids?" asked Hermione as she passed around the food.

"Of course he hasn't 'Mione. He's only returned to normal society yesterday. Tomorrow we'll all go to their house. It'll be just like the old days. " replied Ron as he gave himself a healthy serving of mashed potatoes.

Harry looked at the plate of food in front of him. It had been a long time since he last ate in the company of friends.

"You look old Uncle Harry." interjected Hugo. Harry stared at Hugo at this statement and Hermione admonished her youngest child.

"Hugo you know it's rude to call people old to their faces!"

"That's ok Hermione" Harry said cracking a smile. "I am old. The least you could do is call me a senior citizen."

Hugo laughed nervously afraid that there would be a punishment for his actions. Rose Weasley spoke up to ask what everybody on the table was wondering.

"Why do you look so... old Uncle Harry? You're the same age as Mom and Dad right?" she asked.

Harry held the pumpkin juice in his and pondered his situation. The aging process had begun about a year ago just a few months after he had set up the cabin in the mountains. He didn't want to go to a healer or any other wizard to find out what the problem was.

"I... don't know. It might have been from a cursed item in my auror days." Harry said. "Remember Dumbledore and the cursed ring?"

Hermione and Ron nodded their heads in understanding but Rose got curious at this piece of information.

"What cursed ring Uncle Harry?"

Harry was just about to answer this question but Hermione did it for him. "Something you're not old enough to understand yet.