Disclaimer: Anything familiar to JKR's books probably comes from there and is hers not mine. Also, Harry Potter, Hogwarts, the Wizarding World, and anything else that has to do with it belongs to the lovely JK Rowling, not me. I'm just playing in her sandbox and building my own Hogwarts in it.

Chapter Four

Lord Voldemort looked down at the small village that was just down the hill. It was an all-Muggle village and a perfect place to allow his Death Eaters to do as they pleased for a few hours.

"Go down there and do anything you wish," he informed his Death Eaters quietly, and he saw many grinning in anticipation for what was to come. "Remind the world what the Death Eaters can do. I expect no resistance."

The Death Eaters happily Apparated down to the village, ready to accept their reward.

…

Euan Abercrombie was in his bedroom on the second floor of his home after dinner when he felt something odd outside. For some reason, it made his magic, which had been trained for a year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry with him in Gryffindor as his year's leader, twinge slightly, as if other magic was nearby.

Standing up from his bed where he had been reading a book, his shrunken Journal hanging from the leather cord around his neck, Euan went to the window of his bedroom and looked outside. What he saw there was something he would never forget, not for his entire life.

Adults in black robes and white or silver masks were outside in the village he lived it, Apparating in before each one chose a home to enter, wands flashing in the darkness of night. These were Death Eaters, and by the screams echoing throughout the village, they were already enjoying themselves.

Rushing to his bedside table, Euan opened it with a rough pull and grabbed his wand. He then went to his trunk, in which he had never unpacked his school things except for his Muggle clothes, and quickly threw in as many clothes and special things from his room as he could. Slamming it shut and locking it, Euan tapped the trunk with his wand to activate the charm on it so that it shrunk to the size of a matchbox and was as light as one, using no magic as it was built in.

Slipping the trunk into his pocket, Euan then ran down the stairs, yelling at the top of his lungs, "MUM! DAD! LIZ!"

He raced into the kitchen, where his younger, non-magical sister Elizabeth was helping his Muggle parents do the dishes after dinner. They had heard the screams and were listening, but they didn't understand what they really were. All three had turned at his entrance, taking in his scared appearance and the wand in his hand.

"Euan, I thought you knew not to even have your wand with you except at school just to be sure you don't use it," his mother said, her face stern.

"Mum, it doesn't matter now! We have to get out of here!" Euan yelled, shocking all three members of his family; he was never really like this. "Those screams are being caused by wizards attacking the village; I'm allowed to use magic if I have to, but we need to get out of here!"

"Euan, explain yourself!" his father said, not moving an inch even as Euan put his eight-year-old sister on his back before trying to pull his parents from the room.

"There's no time!" Euan exclaimed, looking down the hall to see the lights coming nearer in the living room window. "They're getting closer!"

"Euan, put your sister down and explain yourself this instant!" his father yelled, and Euan froze, realizing that, because he hadn't explained the war to his parents, they might die.

"Liz, get off," Euan said softly, bending down enough for her to slip off before he went to the kitchen table. As he walked there, he pulled the Journal from around his neck and returned it to normal size, not even bothering to sit down as he opened it, activated it, and opened a conversation with Harry, who was thankfully using his Journal. Putting his pencil in place, Euan began to talk really quickly.

Euan: Harry! I need help right now! I haven't explained the problems in our world to my parents, and now Death Eaters are attacking our village!

Harry: Euan, slow down, take a deep breath, and tell me where you live so I can get help.

Euan took a deep breath and gave Harry the name of his village. He watched his Journal as Harry spoke to some people and told them to send Aurors there right away.

Harry: Euan, help is coming. Can you protect your family until the Aurors get there? Five minutes, ten at the most, Euan.

Euan: I can try, Harry, but please, if they get to me before then, promise me you'll find a way to stop this from happening to someone else.

Harry: I will, Euan, but you'll be saved before too long. Just protect your family until help arrives.

Euan: Got it.

Euan then closed his Journal, shrunk it again, and replaced it on the necklace around his neck, his family staring at him in shock. Knowing this would surprise them even more, Euan brought out his trunk, returned it to normal size in the middle of the kitchen, and retrieved his sword and dagger before returning the trunk to his pocket. The sword and dagger were both quickly attached to his belt as he held his wand tightly in his hand, ready to fight for his family.

"Mum, Dad, Liz, there's quite a bit I haven't told you about the Wizarding world because it would scare you and keep you from allowing me to go to Hogwarts when I have to go there, but right now, you have to trust me or we'll all die," Euan said, looking at all three of them, his gaze hard. "I've been learning to fight all year from older students, and it's time I use what I know to protect you. Please, go upstairs and stay there no matter what noises you hear from down here."

Liz looked at Euan with a trust-filled look, ran to her older brother, hugged him, and ran upstairs to her room, probably to hide in the closet, or even to their parents' room and closet. Next Euan's mother went up to him and gave him a hug before going to the entrance to the kitchen and waiting for her husband. Finally, Euan's father hugged his son, a look of pride as well as sadness on his face. Both of them went upstairs quickly, and Euan knew they realized this wasn't their world right now, so they had to let Euan handle it despite his being only twelve.

Just then the front door to the house was blasted apart, and Euan gulped before pulling all his Gryffindor courage together and moving into the hallway to stop the Death Eaters from getting up the stairs.

"STOP!" he yelled before they went upstairs. Two Death Eaters in the doorway spotted him.

"Ooh, look at what we have here," one of them said. "It appears our Master was wrong; there's a little boy who thinks he can fight us even though he's probably just going into his second year now."

Euan waited no longer, firing a Disarming Charm at the Death Eater who was talking; the man barely blocked it. Moving forward, Euan continued to fire off Disarmers and Stunners, two of the main offensive spells he had learned and could use with just a whisper.

The Death Eaters took him more seriously, returning fire with Cutting Curses and even the green light of the Killing Curse. Euan just dodged as best he could, drawing his dagger with his left hand and cutting the Death Eater who had been taunting him before in the arm.

"Argh!" he yelled out in pain as the dagger went deep. "Yaxley, just go upstairs and find the boy's family. I'll handle him."

"Got it," the other Death Eater grunted, heading towards the stairs.

"NO!" Euan yelled in fury, slashing his wand instinctively as pure magic shot out of it, hitting the Death Eater Yaxley in the back and sending him flying into the stairs, groaning in pain.

Unfortunately, Euan took a Cutting Curse to the cheek for that and had to pay more attention to the Death Eater in front of him than Yaxley. Dodging and trying to get close enough to cut the man with his dagger again or perhaps even use his hand-to-hand training, Euan didn't hear Yaxley moving up the stairs until he heard his mother's screams of pain.

"MUM!" Euan screamed, his head turning towards the stairs in an instant, his body dodging the spell launched at him instinctively.

With a growl of fury, Euan launched another blast of magic, this time at the other Death Eater, sending the man flying into the wall by the doorway to his home. Euan then jumped forward and kick him in the crotch – hard. He then beat the man as much as he could with his fists and feet, bloodying him up to let out his fury and fear. Using his dagger, Euan cut up the man's face and destroyed his wand. Finally, Euan tied him up in ropes.

Turning, Euan ran up the stairs two at a time, charging down to his parents' room, hoping beyond hope that they were alive. The sight that met him would haunt him in his nightmares for the rest of his life.

His father's body was completely mutilated, his blood coloring the ground around him. Liz was also dead, some of her blood mixing with their father's. The worst part, though, was seeing the Death Eater Yaxley actually raping his mother and obviously enjoying himself greatly, moans and groans filling the room even as his mother was silenced so her screams couldn't be heard anymore.

As Yaxley finished, he heard Euan and turned to see the pale and almost sick twelve-year-old standing in the doorway, bloody dagger in his left hand and wand tightly held in his right. Grinning happily, Yaxley stayed where he was but picked up his wand.

"Your mother was mighty fun, boy," Yaxley said with pure happiness and lust coloring his voice. "Now, though, I'm done with her."

Standing, his pants and trousers still around his ankles, Yaxley pointed his wand at Euan's mother and uttered, "Avada Kedavra." There was nothing for Euan to do but watch as his mother died in front of him.

"Did I mention your sister was just as good as your mother, if not better?" Yaxley asked with a grin.

Furious, scared, sick, grieving, and completely numb, Euan screamed and watched as, for the third time that night, pure magic flew from his wand. This time, it was more powerful than either time before, sending Yaxley into the wall on the other side of the room, completely unconscious, his wand snapping in two as it hit the wall.

Euan raced to the man, beating him up and cutting up his arms, legs, face, and torso, though never able to kill the man who had killed his parents and sister, raping both of the women before doing do. Tears were falling down his bloody face as he hurt the man who had basically ruined his life, his emotions so messed up that he couldn't even think.

Finally, though, Euan felt a calming hand on his arm and spun around, afraid it was another Death Eater. Instead, Euan was faced with the sight of Harry Potter.

Dropping his wand and dagger, Euan jumped at Harry, hugging the older boy around the waist tightly and crying into his chest. Euan could feel Harry's hand rubbing his back in soothing circles as he wept, his innocence completely shattered in one night.

Feeling himself falling to sleep from the exhaustion of all that had happened as his tears lessened, Euan let it take him, preferring the darkness to what really surrounded him.

…

Harry felt Euan fall asleep against him and slowly fell to his knees, taking Euan with him.

The Death Eater before them was still unconscious and bound, so Harry wasn't worried, especially as he knew Aurors were in the house as he sat there with the poor, young Gryffindor in his arms, tears and blood still covering his face.

Harry reached into Euan's pocket and found the boy's trunk there, so he left it where it was. Putting Euan's wand with his own in his wand holster, Harry sheathed the dagger on Euan's belt before lifting the twelve-year-old in his arms, cradling him to his chest.

Looking around the room, Harry was disgusted and horrified by what he saw, and he knew Euan would be forever changed, especially if his guess was correct and he had seen his mother being raped before she was killed. No, this young boy in his arms would now be a young man way too early, just as Harry was.

Sighing, Harry carried Euan from the bedroom and downstairs to the living room where Samuel was waiting for him. He had arrived at the house, taken one look in the master bedroom, and returned to Marauder Manor for Harry, knowing that he was the best person to take care of Euan after all of this. Harry was thankful that Samuel had done so, no matter how much he knew this would be in his nightmares the next time he slept. Euan needed him.

"Grimmauld Place or Marauder Manor?" Harry asked Samuel quietly, the other Aurors going upstairs now that Harry had brought Euan from the room.

"Grimmauld only until we can have Samantha tell him the secret, though keeping him at Grimmauld might be a better idea…" Samuel replied a bit thoughtfully, but Harry shook his head.

"He needs friends, people he knows, and we both know you won't let me stay at Grimmauld for more than tonight to watch over him," Harry said. "No, he comes to Marauder Manor, even if it means letting him in on a few secrets. Euan has no one left anymore, Samuel, so we'll let him live with us."

"Very well," Samuel agreed, pulling out a napkin and handing it to Harry. "You know the phrase, so go put him to bed and keep him safe. I'll send Samantha over in the morning, sooner if I can. Tracey is probably already there if she thinks anything like you."

Nodding, Harry spoke the activation phrase and was pulled to Grimmauld Place, Euan in his arms. Harry landed on his feet, Euan still asleep in his arms, in the front room of his old home.

It only took moments for Harry to hear others rushing toward him, so Harry stayed there, not letting the boy holding onto the front of his shirt like a lifeline out of his arms. If Euan needed Harry, he would have Harry.

"Merlin," Harry heard someone gasp softly, and he looked up to see all of the residents of Marauder Manor crowding the hall in front of him. Grimacing at them, he used his head to gesture for them to move, and they did so, allowing Harry to walk up to his old bedroom.

Placing Euan on his bed, Harry pulled out his wand and cleaned the boy off, healed him, and changed his Muggle clothes into pajamas. Harry then pulled the quilt over Euan before settling down next to him on the bed, rubbing Euan's brown hair with his hand softly.

In his mind, he could remember the hazel eyes that had bored into his own after Euan spun around at his touch. They had been haunted, full of pure grief and fury and fire and ice. To see those eyes and remember the challenging look Euan had given him on the Hogwarts Express not even a year ago when he, Harry, had told Euan's compartment that their House didn't matter as he would still help them all was so very painful, knowing that Euan's eyes would forever be different.

"What happened?" Harry heard Tracey ask quietly, and he looked up to see his friends all in different positions around the room, most sitting in different styles on the floor while Tracey knelt by Harry's side at the bed.

"Death Eaters attacked his village, as you heard," Harry began softly, his voice carrying to the others but not waking Euan. "Two entered his house, and Euan fought them, his family upstairs." He continued his tale, still seeing the gruesome scene in his mind's eye as he recounted finished his tale by saying, "When I grabbed his shoulder, he spun around, and the look in his eyes… He had been crying and jumped at me, crying into my chest for a very long time before he fell asleep."

Harry fell silent then, looking down at the poor boy next to him, his young face scrunched up in fear and anger, most likely having a nightmare about what had just occurred. The room was full of tension after the story had been told, but there was no way to break it, really. It had been a horrible thing, and the lone survivor was with them now, scarred for life.

When Euan woke up, things were going to get very hard very fast.

…

Harry was woken suddenly by a kick in his leg, and his eyes opened to see Euan fighting the blankets that Harry was sitting on, kicking and punching them with his mouth open in a silent scream, obviously in the middle of a nightmare.

Placing a hand on Euan's shoulder, Harry tried to shake him awake, to stop the nightmare. Euan woke with a gasp, sitting straight up, eyes wide and full of fear.

"Easy, Euan; it's just me, Harry," Harry said in a calming voice. It was probably four in the morning, and everyone had gone to bed, Harry staying with Euan for when this happened.

Euan's head turned so fast to face Harry that the older boy was surprised his neck didn't crack. All Harry could do was watch as the young Gryffindor's confused eyes slowly widened while the memories hit him, tears forming in the hazel eyes. Euan didn't even have to ask if it was real, the fact that he was with Harry was all the proof he needed.

Harry opened his arms, and Euan wrapped his arms around Harry again, crying into his chest. Just as he had only hours before, Harry rubbed the boy's back soothingly, whispering calming words in his ear to try to help him.

"Mum… Dad… Liz…" Harry could hear Euan sobbing. Harry just held him.

For a long time Harry didn't even bother to keep track of it as he rubbed Euan's back while whispering calming words into his ear. Slowly, Euan calmed, though Harry couldn't be sure if it was from lack of tears, exhaustion, or being calmer. He suspected one of the former two, not the latter.

"Did – did I –" Euan whispered softly, his voice raw from his tears. Harry understood his question instantly and shook his head.

"No, Euan, you didn't kill them, though they'll probably never forget you with the wounds you gave them," Harry told the twelve-year-old. "You did so well against two adult wizards, fighting them the best you could."

"It wasn't enough!" Euan cried out, his hands forming fists in his frustration. "I wasn't good enough to save my family! They're all gone, and it's my fault!"

"Euan!" Harry called, making the young boy stop and turn his face towards Harry. The Slytherin looked at his face, taking in the tear tracks on his cheeks and the haunted look in his eyes.

"It is not your fault, Euan," Harry said sincerely. "The Death Eaters are the ones who killed your family, not you. You did not mutter the words that killed them, you did not order for their deaths, you did not harm them in any way! The blame for their deaths rests with the Death Eaters and Voldemort, not yourself. Euan, you, a twelve-year-old boy, did all you could to try and save your family, beating two Death Eaters soundly in the effort.

"Maybe it wasn't enough, but it was all you could do, Euan! You tried your best, which is a lot better than most adult wizards could do, let alone one your age! I know this doesn't help the guilt and pain you're feeling, but it's the truth, and you'll come to recognize it as such once the grief begins to numb." Harry held both of Euan's shoulders in his hands, making the younger boy look him in the eye as he said all of this.

"How do you know?" Euan asked Harry quietly, sounding like a lost little boy who needed help finding his way.

"Because I went through the exact same thing after Cedric died at the graveyard during the Third Task," Harry told Euan.

"Really?" he asked, his eyes becoming just a little less conflicted.

"Really," Harry agreed. "It's going to be hard in the beginning, but you'll have me and those staying with me to help you whenever you need it, Euan. We're all here for you and want to help you through this. Anything you need, you just ask for it."

Euan was silent, his eyes looking at the green comforter that covered his legs, fingers grasping at it just slightly. Harry let him think, knowing better than most that Euan would need patience and quiet at times to come to terms with everything.

"Can – can you stay with me right now?" Euan asked hesitantly, his head raising just enough for Harry to see the fear on his young face. "I'm afraid to sleep."

"I wasn't planning on leaving you alone, not after all this," Harry told Euan while placing a hand on his knee. "If you need to, you can stay in my room so that you're not alone." Euan nodded to show he understood, looking around the room for the first time since waking up.

"Whose room is this?" he asked quietly, and Harry's mouth twitched on one side.

"Mine," he stated easily, and Euan's head turned to look at him, eyes slightly widened in shock.

"This is your room?" he gasped, looking around again even more closely.

"Well, this used to be my room," Harry amended. "We moved to a new, better protected home at the beginning of last summer after Voldemort's return. Still, my room at the new house is similar to this one, just larger and with a different ceiling."

"This is an amazing room," Euan said softly. He looked up at Harry, his face showing a little worry along with hesitancy. "Are you sure I can stay with you in either room?"

"I don't mind at all, and I think we'd all prefer it to know that you have someone there for you, just in case. Please, stay with me for the summer and put us all at ease." Harry knew that making it a request would make it easier for Euan to accept.

"Thank you," Euan said, and Harry understood that he had accepted the offer and was grateful for it. "I do have a question…"

"Yes?" Harry prompted, wondering what Euan would ask.

"My house," Euan began slowly, "do you know what's going to happen to it?" Harry sighed slightly as he remembered what Euan's home had looked like when he had arrived before thinking about the question, mostly going on past conversations about Auror procedure spoken about at the Manor.

"If the Aurors follow procedure, they'll take pictures of your home, then clean it up so that it looks like nothing happened," Harry said. "As you're a minor, Minister Bones will most likely take control of it and use Ministry funds to pay off the mortgage so that you can decide whether or not to keep or sell it when you turn seventeen. It'll be protected by enchantments until then."

"Will I be able to visit?" Euan asked. "To gather some things, I mean."

"I'll talk to Samuel, but that could be arranged, I suppose," Harry said. "Should I assume you'll tell us when you're ready to go back?"

Euan nodded, tears forming in his eyes again, no doubt remembering the blood and destruction that had been all around his home by the end of the fight. Harry just opened his arms, allowing Euan to crawl into them again and cry.

The young Gryffindor slowly fell asleep, tears still covering his cheeks and his body relaxing against Harry. Harry knew that Euan trusted him like an older brother, especially after all that had happened. He only hoped he could live up to that standard as it was going to be a long month now.

…

Lord Voldemort was furious as one of his Death Eaters reported Yaxley and Smith being captured by Aurors, all because of a preteen from Hogwarts who had escaped his notice as the boy was Muggle-born.

Somehow, a young boy who had just finished his first year at Hogwarts had beaten two of his best Death Eaters. Now he was down two Death Eaters that he couldn't really afford to lose as he knew that the Aurors wouldn't leave even a single chance of a breakout, not after Bones had spoken to the goblins about helping them protect Azkaban without the Dementors.

No, Lord Voldemort now had to play an even more dangerous game when it came to this war… He would take a break for the next two weeks with the attacks, forming plans for the raids so that they would be even more successful.

Yes, that was what he, Lord Voldemort, would do.

I did warn you… This is war, and terrible things will happen. Perhaps none will be in as much detail as this was for the most part, but I will be writing about raids here and there as well as death. Be prepared for a wild ride, because that's what the third story is. And believe me, this could have been much darker – it actually was more detailed at one point in time. Only at the prompting of Arnel, my Beta, did I tone down the details in the chapter. I wrote this at a slightly darker time back in June the same week that my cat passed away, and I believe that's what allowed the darkness to flow so easily. In any case, I'm done. See you Sunday.

Posted: 1/11/12