The Return of the Saviour.

Just Harry.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own the world of Harry Potter in any form, as it belongs to J.K. Rowling.

SUMMARY: After Voldemort hits Harry with the killing curse in a battle at Hogwarts at the end of Harry's seventh year, Voldemort is forced to retreat, as his soul is once again ripped out of his body when the killing curse bounces of the boy-who-lived for a second time. However, life isn't all roses as Harry himself disappeared mysteriously when the curse hit. Three years later, Harry is back, but this time with a new identity and new powers. Voldemort has returned, and become stronger than ever in Harry's absence, and it is up to the boy-who-can't-seem-to-die to put a stop to the Dark Lord, once and for all.

PAIRINGS: Harry/Luna, Ron/Hermione, Remus/Tonks.

Chapter unbeated

Harrry swore wildly as he got sight of Daily Prophet's Front Page. He had just gotten up, and he already had a feeling this would be one long day…

AZKABAN PRISON EMPTIED!

YOU-KNOW-WHO MAKES HIS FIRST MOVE AFTER A LONG SILENCE!

Yesterday evening, muggles from the shore reported a strange light coming from the middle of the sea. The muggle police was befuddled, as they found nothing at the scene. It was all brushed away as imagination. However, we know better.

The light the muggles saw came from the island on which the Azkaban prison rests, invisible for all muggle eyes. The light was a result of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, when he broke out his loyal followers from the cells, meeting no resistance from the Dementors, which, have now joined the Dark Lord. The seven wizarding guards at the prison were killed in cold blood, and it is with a heavy heart this reporter wonders what his next move will be – and who is there to stop him?

The Boy-Who-Lived, but Died anyway, can no longer help us, and while You-Know-Who grows stronger, Albus Dumbledore (the only wizard - aside from Harry Potter – You-Know-Who feared), is growing weaker.

It truly seems this is the end, and we can only hope that when the wizarding world finally crumbles – because we will - we will do so with a bang – just like our late hero Harry Potter (may he rest in peace).

Harry angrily crumbled the paper into a small ball in his fist and threw it into the fire. How dare they? Make it sound like he was some kind of martyr, who had been the only hope the world had had against Voldemort. This article would do nothing but put fear into the people. It would only result in panic – the newspapers should try to encourage the people to stand up for themselves and the world at large, not hint at that the only option left is to pray and hide! It was preposterous!

Harry paced around his quarters for several long minutes, letting off a lot of steam. Finally, he calmed down, and decided that it was time for a visit he had wanted to do for a long time… He took a deep breath, closed his eyes…and in the next second, Harry was gone from his quarters, and gone from Hogwarts.

It didn't take long to find them. Harry walked slowly up to the grey-coloured stone, and kneeled before them, burying his hand in the murky grass.

James Potter & Lily Evans Potter
1960-1981

Your love was a light that will never fade
Rest in Peace

"Hi mum. Hi dad." Tears appeared in Harry's eyes as he stared at the words that were imrprinted in the stone. "It's me. Harry."

One single tear trailed down his cheek, and he brushed it away, angry at his own weakness.

"I'm sorry I haven't come here before…there just hasn't been time…" He chuckled humourlessly. "There never seems to be any time for me…never any time when I can be just Harry."

A wind slowly blew past his ear, and it seemed to whisper, soothingly, telling words of comfort and warmth.

"Do you miss me?" Harry sniffed. "I miss you…so much."

Another tear fell.

"I wish you were here," Harry muttered, bowing his head. The tears fell freely now. "I wish you were here, telling me what to do. I could use some guidance."

He looked up at the clouded sky. "Do you hear me?!" He yelled, angry. Angry at himself, angry at his parents for leaving him, angry at the world, angry at mother destiny who had dealt him such a bad hand of cards. It wasn't fair. Why him? "Just because I'm all powerful doesn't mean I have all the answers!" He looked down again.

"I'm afraid," he mumbled. All anger had left him in one single breath, and suddenly, he just felt tired. "Does that make me weak?"

Another wind flew past, and for a second, it felt as if someone was hugging him from behind. Harry turned around, and frowned. Just a moment ago, he thought he'd seen a woman with red hair…and sparkling green eyes.

"Mum?" He whispered. "Are you there? Dad?"

Nothing. Everything was silent and still.

Harry bowed his head again. "I must be out of my mind," he muttered.

There was a flash of light, and as Harry looked up, he thought he saw a man with messy dark hair and glasses, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. And then he was gone. Harry shook his head, desperately trying to clear it. Maybe he was truly mad.

He got up from the ground, and stared at his parents grave for a long time.

"Bye mum. Bye dad. I'll try to visit more often."

Harry turned around slowly and walked away, without looking back. The wind seemed to whisper to Harry as he prepared himself for apparating away.

'Goodbye Harry. And good luck.'

Harry looked up at the red train in front of him, breathing in the smoky air, lost in the memories of all the times he'd travelled with the Hogwarts Express before. He grinned, levitating his trunk behind him, and entered at the same time as the Express let out a loud whistle.

He slowly passed all the compartments, nodding slightly at the many students, who all gave him wide-eyed looks, wondering what an adult was doing with the train. Finally, he found a seat at the end of the train, the compartment completely unoccupied, aside from one person, who was staring dreamily out the window, absently patting a white owl – Hedwig (who had been given to her after Harry's "death.") – on the head.

Harry blinked, and then slowly, smiled. His trip had suddenly gotten a whole lot better. He coughed, and the person slowly turned around to look at him with large blue eyes.

"Oh," Luna Lovegood said. "It's you."

Harry grinned, sitting down in front of her. "Miss Lovegood. I thought you were working as a Healer at St Mungos?"

"I was," Luna said. "But I am to be an assistant to Madame Pomfrey this year. She is considering retirement and needs a replacement."

"I see," Harry said. "Well, it will be a delight working with you, I'm sure."

Luna rolled her eyes. "If you say so." She went back to stare out the window, but then, Hedwig suddenly flew up and landed on Harry's shoulder. Luna blinked in surprise, and a little suspicion, as the owl burred up and rubbed her feathers against the new DADA professor's face in a familiar, loving way, hooting slightly.

Harry, inwardly sweating and cursing, stroked the birds feathers awkwardly. Luna was rather insightful, and he'd have to watch his steps carefully now, unless he wanted to be found out…

"It's a lovely bird you have," he said, with a smile. "What's her name?"

"Hedwig," Luna said, still staring at him in suspicion, eyes narrowed. "But it's not mine – it's Harry's. She's just living with me, for now."

Harry nodded. "Well, it's really nice of you. To take care of her."

"Hmm…" She turned around, staring out the window once more, and Harry let out a silent sigh of relief, when Luna spoke up again.

"It's strange, you know," she said, and Harry stiffened slightly. "How she's so familiar with you right away." She turned around, her blue eyes boring into Harry's seemingly staring into his soul. "She doesn't take to strangers very well. In fact, since Harry disappeared, she hasn't been trusting anyone, except me and his friends."

Right then and there, Harry wanted nothing more than to jump up and give himself away, but Leonora's warning held him back. He couldn't do that. He mustn't do that. He had to keep himself in check. "Well," he said instead, voice wavering slightly. "I have a way with animals." He gulped, as Luna's eyes never left him.

That was when the train lurched, and Luna lost her balance, falling down from her bench, and would have surely landed on the floor unless Harry had caught her. Hedwig flew up from Harry's shoulder, hooting wildly, flaxing with her wings in fear.

"What's going on?" Luna asked, eyes darting around wildly, her mind taking her back to a day at Hogwarts grounds…the day when everything went to hell, and a green light had taken her lover away from her. The lights went out, and Harry opened his palm, a small fire giving the compartment light, and illuminating their faces.

"It looks like we've stopped," he noted absently, pulling out his wand, and peering out the window. "But we're not at Hogwarts yet."

Luna shuddered, pulling out her own wand, her mind doing another flashback to her second year; the last time the train had stopped in the middle of nowhere, in order to let the dementors onboard. Somehow, she had a feeling this was much worse…

Harry sighed, walking towards the compartment door. "I should probably make sure the students are alright. Can you go and ask the driver why we stopped?"

His senses were running haywire, and he had a feeling he knew why. After all, Voldemort must have broken out his followers for a reason…and what better way to put fear into the community than by attacking the next generation of witches and wizards?

He grabbed the handle and had just opened the door, when the train lurched again, and behind him, Luna let out a scream. Harry swore, as the fire in his palm went out…he was loosing his balance…he was spinning…there was a sharp pain in his shoulder, and a crash…in the back of his mind, he heard students crying and screaming…

For awhile, Harry lay completely stunned, the only sound his own laboured breathing. Then, he finally came to his senses, and he winced, slowly sitting up, looking around the dark compartment. "Accio wand," he muttered, and sighed in relief as he felt two wands – his and Lunas – landing safely and unbroken in his palm. "Lumos," he mumbled, and they both lit up, illuminating the compartment. He slowly stood up, hearing the crunch of glass under his feet. Looking around, he realised the train had been turned over onto its side.

"Luna?" He croaked out, feeling a sense of dread. The last he'd heard from her was a scream, that had been cut off… He hissed, touching his shoulder, which had fallen out of his socket…he must have hit it on something. He tensed up, grabbed…and…pulled. There was a crunching sound as it was forced back into its place, and Harry's eyes teared up. There's no such thing as pain, he told himself. No pain, just my imagination… He winced again, rolling with his shoulder. It would have to do – at least he could move it now.

He slowly made his way through the compartment, his breathing and the glass from the broken window under his feet the only sound. The wandlight hit a small and bloody bundle in a corner, and he sank down on his knees, not caring the glass that cut into his kneecaps through his pants, as he lifted up what used to be his loyal companion, Hedwig into his palms. She was dead, her body broken, and her white feathers matted with blood. He angrily blinked against the tears in his eyes. She was just a bird, he tried to tell himself, but knew she was so much more than that. She'd been his sole companion through all his miserable years at the Dursleys…a gift from Hagrid…

Harry let out a sob. As powerful as he was, there was still no way for him to bring back the dead. That actually was impossible. Or well, not impossible, but doing so would break the rules of existence, and as much as he loved Hedwig, he couldn't do that. Not for anyone.

He conjured up a small blanket and wrapped it around the owl carefully, before laying her down in the corner again. Harry stood up, his mind telling the owl a silent goodbye as he wiped his eyes, and started to look around the compartment again. Finally he found her…or rather, a pale hand, sticking out behind his trunk, that was blocking the doorway.

"No," he whispered, rushing towards it, and pulling it away, revealing the door opening, in which Luna lay, completely still, her blond hair matted with blood.