Stepping Back

by TheBlack'sResurgence

Post-OOTP. The episode in the DOM has left Harry a changed boy. He returns to the Dursley's to prepare for his inevitable confrontation with Voldemort, but his stay there is very short-lived. He finds himself in the care of people who he has no choice but to cooperate with and they give him a startling revelation: Harry must travel back to the 1970's to save the wizarding world.

14. A Tryst With Death

Chapter 14: A Tryst With Death

Albus Dumbledore looked upon the young, unconsciousness man before him, his head shaking with a mixture of sadness and disbelief. The sadness because the necessity for the young man to possess such prowess in his youthful years and the disbelief that one had actually achieved such a level of skill at such an age. He had only allowed such emotions to overcome him once the school matron had healed the aesthetic wounds, something that had taken a surprisingly short amount of time, much to his relief. The cuts and bruises had been handled with relative ease, the broken bones however, would take more time. That is not to mention the potential damage Harry had caused to his magic.

According to the healer, the teen had depleted his reserves to a dangerously low level and she could not even hazard a guess at the impact this would have on him. She was hopeful that he would recover completely, perhaps even be better off in the long wrong, but she could not be certain on anything at this point.

He was alive, that was all she could ascertain with confidence.

The aged headmaster sighed deeply as he thought back to battle he had witnessed. Albus Dumbledore had seen and achieved great things himself, prided himself on the fact that he was no longer easily impressed. But Harry Potter had impressed him beyond anything he could have ever expected. The magic the young man wielded was nothing short of breath-taking and it had been clear that Tom too had struggled to comprehend such skill.

The old man shook his head once more.

He himself had an impressive arsenal of magic, spells he had created and many he had gathered over the years from tomes of old, lost and forgotten with the passing of time, but Harry Potter too clearly had magic that most could only dream of possessing, spells that Albus had only heard whispers of or briefly mentioned in the aforementioned tomes.

Harry fading into the shadows as little more than a smoky fog had been the first indication of such skill.

Dumbledore had heard of such things, mostly from legends of the once great shadow mages that lived amongst them, eventually hunted into extinction because of their darker ways. These men took their knowledge to the grave with them and none had been able to replicate such feats since. Until Harry Potter arrived that is.

Albus scratched at his chin, deep in thought.

"Perhaps such a thing is no longer uncommon from where Harry comes from," he mused.

Such things would have to wait however, he now had the duty of the headmaster to uphold and inform the young man's family of what had transpired this evening, a conversation with Charlus and Dorea he was not at all looking forward to.

With a final glance towards the occupied bed, he exited the hospital wing and began heading towards his office, thoughts of the impending conversation with Potters quelling the curiosity that had begun percolating within his mind.

(BREAK)

Frank Longbottom paced outside the gates of Hogwarts, frustrated that he had found them locked, though he should have expected such a thing in times like these. He had already spent several minutes contemplating his next move and this time spent did nothing but cause his frustration to grow.

He cursed under his breath at his own foolishness and fired off a patronus, destined for those who would know how to get him in. It just so happened that one of them was the one he needed to talk to first.

All he could do now was hope they would wake. Until then, he would have to wait, his panic continuing to aggravate him further.

(BREAK)

James Potter was pulled from his peaceful slumber as the wards around his bed were triggered by a foreign magic. He had learnt the hard way over the last year to not be so no negligent whilst sleeping. Twice he had been caught out by Harry and Sirius, but no more. His wand was in his hand in an instant, pointed towards the bright light that had invaded his space, a curse ready on his lips.

He found his eyes unable to open of their own accord, the brightness of the spell preventing that ability. He deftly rolled from his bed to the floor to buy a moment in order for his bearings to establish themselves in his sleep addled mind. He was caught short however as a familiar voice made itself known.

"I'm at the gates, you have to let me in. It's about Harry".

For a second, James could only stare at the space that had previously been occupied by the ethereal hawk before he clambered to his feet and began dressing quickly.

"What is it Prongs?" the sleepy voice of Sirius startled him.

"Frank needs to speak to me about Harry," he whispered in response.

"At 1:30 in the morning?" Sirius questioned irritably as he noted the time.

James shrugged.

"He's at the gate now".

Sirius nodded before he stretched and sat up, pulling the clothes he wore the previous day from the floor and attempting to dress in the darkened room.

"Just go back to sleep, Sirius," James chuckled as he watched his friend struggling with the task at hand.

"You're not going alone, how do you know it's even Frank?"

"It was his voice and his patronus".

Sirius shook his head.

"If it's about Harry, then I'm coming," he said firmly.

James nodded.

"Shall we wake the others?"

Again, Sirius shook his head.

"Full moon is in two days," he reminded the other. "Let me Moony sleep. Wormy won't wake up even if you fired a blasting curse under his bed".

James snorted at the truth of the statement. The boy was near impossible to rouse.

He removed his invisibility cloak from his trunk and waited for the other boy to finish getting dressed before gesturing him to follow.

"What about the map?" Sirius whispered as they reached the thankfully empty common room.

"We gave it to Harry to look after when we went flying yesterday," James reminded him. "It'll be in his trunk and there's no way we can get in there".

Sirius sighed.

It would be foolish to even attempt to get into the trunk. It wasn't exactly protected with prank spells and he was quite certain that if they were to try, they would be spending a considerable amount of time in the hospital wing at the very least.

"Just like old times then," Sirius deduced.

James nodded and sent off a patronus of his own to Frank, instructing him to meet them at the Shrieking Shack before draping the cloak over himself and Sirius and making their way from the castle.

"It's quiet tonight," he murmured as they reached the entrance hall having met no one on their journey.

Sirius hummed his agreement. The castle being this quiet was not unusual, but it felt wrong with so much happening outside its walls.

They remained unimpeded as the door opened as easily as it always had on their night time excursions and made their way to whomping willow, neither missing a step as James fired a mild bludgeoning curse towards the knot at the base to still its movements.

The cloak was no longer necessary once they were within the tunnel, so James folded and pocketed it as the pair made their way towards the shack, both with wands in hand.

"Why would Frank call for you in the middle of the night?" Sirius suddenly questioned, his tone edged with concern.

"He only said it was about Harry," James muttered in response.

Sirius frowned, his mind now much clearer than it had been when he had first woken.

"And it couldn't wait until morning?"

James shrugged.

"It was definitely his voice and patronus," he replied confidently.

Sirius nodded as the two continued on their way. He knew a voice could be altered, but a patronus was not something that could be faked. Both had seen Frank's form many times over the previous year as they practised, and Sirius had more than enough faith in his friend to be able to recognise it, even in his most sleepy of states.

They eventually reached the trap door and entered the shack, both wands of light sweeping across the room into the very corners.

"Homenum Revelio," Sirius whispered, just to be completely certain. "Only one person outside," he confirmed.

James nodded and aimed his wand towards the front door of the property. It had been warded well, but he had found a way quite some time ago to transfigure it briefly, though it would only work from the inside of the property. The one and only time he had attempted it from the outside had ended very painfully for him and he was not keen on experiencing that outcome again any time soon.

"Quick, get in here," James hissed as he struggled to hold his spell in place.

The duo was greeted by the sight of a very pale Frank Longbottom as he crossed the threshold, both a mixture of concern and relief on his face.

"What the hell are you doing here, Frank?" Sirius questioned as he levelled his wand at the man.

"Harry fought the Dark Lord," he blurted out.

It took a moment for his words to sink, but when it did, both began firing a myriad of questions at him at a pace in which he could not even comprehend what was being said.

"We haven't got time for this," he hissed irritably. "I…I think he could be really hurt. Dumbledore brought him back here".

Without a further word, James turned and began stalking back towards the school, a lead-weight of differing emotions warring within him. He was terrified that Harry had indeed been hurt as Frank suspected. He was equally furious that Harry had done such a thing without even talking to him first, and he already planning the most brutal retribution he would dispense amongst any that followed the Dark Lord.

Sirius too was in a similar state, though disbelief currently took precedence. Harry had spent hours, days and weeks even training himself and the rest, only to leave them behind when it mattered most. He was scared that because Harry had been so stubborn, they would all suffer the loss of the boy that had ingrained himself in their lives so seamlessly.

He shook his head as he matched James's pace, neither even considering putting the cloak on as they exited the tunnel and made their way back to the castle with Frank following closely behind.

"Hospital wing," James stated, his voice hollow.

Using the knowledge of the school's secret passages, they reached said room within only a few minutes, the Potter amongst them hammering on the door upon arrival. His hammering persisted until the door opened, only for the three to be confronted by a very unimpressed school matron.

"My s..brother is in there," James growled.

The school matron's eyes softened as she took in who stood outside her door. She had seen them together throughout the school over the past year, had seen how close they all were and how much time they spent in the company of the young man she was currently treating.

"I can't let you in," she explained apologetically. "Headmaster's orders".

James nodded stiffly and turned, his stalking now aimed towards the office of Albus Dumbledore.

Any sense of social decorum in regards to time were forgotten. He wanted answers, and he would get them immediately, even if it meant blasting his way into the man's office.

(BREAK)

Both Charlus and Dorea sat stunned opposite the grave figure of Albus Dumbledore as he seemingly waited for one of them to break the prevailing silence. Dorea, looked simply stunned and Charlus confused. A confusion that was quickly giving way to fury.

The Headmaster had explained all that had transpired this evening and both, in their sleep addled minds, were clearly digesting what it was they had heard.

"Why?" Charlus ground out.

He was beyond anger and could not trust himself to speak. He wanted nothing more than to strangle the man before him with his bare hands for allowing such a thing to happen.

He inhaled deeply, allowing clearer thoughts to make themselves known.

Dumbledore sighed before rubbing tiredly at his eyes.

"I suspect it has more to do with the reason that he first came here," he said softly. "Where he came from, you had all been taken from him before he was old enough to know who any of you truly were," he offered.

Charlus nodded grudgingly. It made sense just from what he had seen in the boys' memories the first day they had met. It did very little to quell his anger however.

"Is he okay?" Dorea broke in with a whisper.

Dumbledore nodded, though it was lacking much confidence.

"Physically he seems to be fine, magically, it remains to be seen".

Dorea shook her head.

Before another word could be spoken, one of the portraits on the wall coughed to garner the attention of the Headmaster.

"Albus, there seems to be three young men at the entrance to the office very keen on entering. One is threatening to force entry if necessary," the elderly woman explained calmly.

"Thank you Dilys," Dumbledore sighed.

He flicked his wand towards the door, signalling the guardian to allow them in. It was only a few seconds later that James Potter crossed the threshold, his expression wrought with conflicting emotions, with Sirius Black and Frank Longbottom in tow.

"What happened?" James ground out, his steely gaze flickering between his parents and the Headmaster.

"Perhaps I should show you rather than attempting to explain with words," Dumbledore suggested.

James nodded stiffly, and Dumbledore summoned his penseive before withdrawing a thin, silvery strand from his temple.

"Not me," Frank exclaimed. "I don't need to see it again".

"Then you should head home," Charlus instructed. "We will need to discuss family business as it is".

Frank bowed his head in understanding.

"We will let you know how he is doing," Sirius promised.

The man offered him a grateful nod before exiting the office. Knowing that he would be kept informed had made him relax considerably.

The remainder of the group exited the pensieve an inordinate amount of time later, all reeling from the duel they had witnessed.

"I've never seen anything like it," Charlus exclaimed.

"I must admit, much of what I have witnessed tonight has surprised me also," the Headmaster admitted.

"I didn't know he could do that," James muttered, his eyes wide with disbelief. "What was that thing with the smoke?"

Dumbledore shook his head.

"I was hoping that you would be able to explain that," he sighed. "I thought that it was perhaps family magic".

"Not as far as I know," Charlus spoke, his tone thoughtful. "Not that I would share that knowledge with you," he added irritably.

The Headmaster nodded his understanding.

"How is he?" James questioned, knowing Harry must at least be stable if they were here discussing the fight.

"As good as can be expected," Dumbledore answered truthfully. "His physical wounds have been treated, he just seems to be suffering from magical exhaustion".

James nodded as he exhaled loudly.

"I want to see him," he demanded.

"He will be asleep for some time Mr Potter, perhaps you should go back to bed and wait until morning," Dumbledore advised.

James shook his head, his stoic demeanour slipping considerably.

"He is my son," he growled as he leaned on the desk and glared at the older man. "You can't stop me from being with him".

Dumbledore held up a placating hand.

"I was merely thinking of you Mr Potter,' he assured the teen. "It would not do you well to miss out on sleep".

"Then a bed will be arranged for him next to Harry," Charlus decided in a no-nonsense tone.

Dumbledore bowed his acceptance. It would not do well to create a divide between himself and the Potters now.

"I shall have it seen to immediately," he acquiesced.

"You will need to be there to tell the rest," James whispered to Sirius. "Don't forget to tell Bellatrix".

Sirius gave a short nod before exiting the office. He knew Harry would be fine with James there and that he was the only one James would trust to tell the others.

"Go home, Mum, you can come back in the morning," James instructed.

Dorea frowned, her eyes narrowing towards her son. She was however stopped from speaking by Charlus as he placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"He's right Dor," he whispered. "There's no point in us all being tired".

Dorea huffed slightly but allowed herself to be led towards the fireplace nonetheless.

She wanted nothing more than to be with Harry, and she had to remind herself once more that he was in fact James's son, no matter how much he felt like her own.

Once the flames had reverted to their normal orange from the bright green, James turned to find the Headmaster waiting by the door. The man gestured for him to follow as he led the way towards the hospital wing. Neither spoke whilst they walked, both clearly lost in their own thoughts, James thinking of how such a thing could happen without him knowing, and Dumbledore wondering what their next move could possibly be.

It took only a flick of his wand to enter the ward and he quickly found himself behind his younger companion as he rushed towards the only occupied bed causing the Headmaster to allow a sad smile flicker across his face. Regardless of the relationship between the boys, it was clear that each meant the world to the other.

He watched for only a moment longer as James grasped Harry's hand tightly and began whispering to him, obviously hoping the boy may wake and calm his worry.

It was not meant to be however. Harry lay as still as he had been from the moment he had been placed in the bed, unmoving, with even his breath barely audible.

Dumbledore busied himself by conjuring another bed close to Harry's and completed his spell work by adding some curtains to ensure their privacy.

"There are monitoring charms on him," he informed James, though he suspected the young man was paying no attention to his words. "However, if you do need anything then do send for the matron, she is keeping a very close eye on him".

James could only nod as his gaze remained intently on the unconscious Harry. He distantly heard the door to the wing click shut as the Headmaster exited, finally leaving him alone with his son.

He breathed in deeply as he traced his thumb over the back of the others hand, simply taking comfort in the rising and falling of his chest.

"What were you thinking, Harry?" he mumbled as he rested his head on the edge of the mattress.

(BREAK)

Rudolphus Lestrange woke with a hiss of pain as his dark mark seared his flesh in a much more painful way than he had become accustomed to. The pain receded as quickly as it had started, and he grumbled as he shifted, an attempt to make himself comfortable within his bed once more.

His peace was soon broken again, this time by a muffled rattling coming from within his trunk. This time he growled irritably as he pulled the pillow over his head to drown out the irritating sound.

His effort succeeded briefly, but he soon found himself yelping in agony as his mark flared once more.

"Alright," he spat furiously as he dragged himself to his feet and swung his trunk open.

He quickly found the small non- descript book he had been seeking and opened it. There were only three words written on the page in a writing he did not recognise.

Front Gates, Now.

He swore under his breath as he noted the time and pulled his invisibility cloak from the trunk also. It had been a gift from the Dark Lord, a gift he was assured he would need this year, and now he knew why, though he was not at all pleased to be bothered at this early hour. Although he knew he would not be visible to any, he drew his wand and silenced his feet, just to be certain.

He had been training diligently over the summer with the upper members of the Death Eater ranks but was not confident enough in his Disillusionment Charm to be without the cloak. Charms had never been his strong point in any case. His expertise had always lied heavily in curses and offensive magic, something he had shown off at every possible opportunity.

He exited the dorm and the common room without meeting any member of his house and found the castle to be conveniently void of any patrolling teachers or prefects, much to his relief. It would not do him well to be caught out of bed at this late hour, especially as whomever was waiting for him clearly was not feeling particularly patient.

After exiting the castle, he reached the gates in a matter of moments, experiencing the burning pain in his arm only once more, a reminder that now meant precisely that.

He lit his wand and dropped his cloak as he reached the gate, unable to see who it was that had summoned him.

"Put it out you fool," a harsh voice commanded angrily. "You will have Dumbledore on us even before we begin".

Rudolphus grumbled but complied nonetheless.

"You have a task," the man continued, his dark cloak obscuring all of his features. "Harry Potter is to be punished but is not to be harmed directly".

Rudolphus frowned.

Himself and the other Death Eaters returning to school had been personally warned by the Dark Lord that the boy was to be left, severe punishment being the outcome of defiance in the matter.

"What's changed?" he questioned, his curiosity getting the better of him.

"That is not your concern," his associate growled. "You are to avoid engaging him, which should not be difficult as he is currently indisposed. Those around him are fair game however".

Rudolphus nodded as a smirk formed on his lips.

"It will be done," he assured the man with a slight bow.

"Good. Do not disappoint the Dark Lord, you will find yourself heavily in disfavour if you do".

With his final words said, the man disappeared with a gentle crack leaving a very thoughtful and excited Rudolphus Lestrange in his wake.

(BREAK)

Sirius was sat in his favourite armchair in the Gryffindor common room staring intently into the dying embers from the fire he had relit upon entering the room several hours ago. The first streaks of the dawning day were now visible through the windows and he groaned as he stood and stretched as he attempted to alleviate himself of the vestiges of discomfort he had experienced this past night.

He was tired. His puffy eyes and unkempt hair gave the look of a tested man. Emotionally, he had been. But he managed thus far to keep his emotions in check. Yes, he was worried for Harry, but he knew that equally he could do nothing for the boy. He had been tasked with ensuring those who mattered were informed, starting with his housemates.

He dragged both of his hands through his hair as he made his way up the staircase towards the dorm room. He had elected not to return last night. There was no use waking the others and them being as exhausted as he was. There would be plenty of time for sleep later, but for now, he had a job to do starting with Peter and Remus.

He found them both still sleeping peacefully and decided he would rouse the werewolf first. He noted that Remus was indeed looking sickly, understandable with how close the full moon was.

"Moony," he whispered loudly as he shook the boy by the shoulders, his voice croaky. He repeated his actions after clearing his throat, this time with more clarity.

Remus opened his eyes, ready to admonish the other for waking him. Sirius knew better than to do this at this time of the month. Usually an amiable person, the approach of his change made him rather surly at times.

"What's wrong?" he asked as he took in the dishevelled appearance of his fellow marauder.

Sirius shook his head, a gesture for the other to wait a moment.

He knew that waking Peter in a similar manner would be fruitless. He instead opted to seize the boy by his ankles and pull him from his bed. The rat groaned as his conscious surfaced and he mumbled dispassionately whilst rubbing furiously at his lower back.

"Bloody hell, Pad," he moaned. "Why would you do that?"

"Sorry Wormy," Sirius replied with small sincerity. "But you need to get up".

"What's going on Sirius?" Remus questioned as he was pulling on his shirt.

Sirius shook his head in what seemed to be disbelief, or maybe despair? It was difficult to tell with the many emotions flittering across his face.

"Harry is in the hospital wing," he said simply.

Remus frowned deeply.

"He duelled the Dark Lord," Sirius elaborated.

"Shitting hell," Remus growled, his eyes turning a slight shade of amber.

"How is he?" Peter asked, the worry in his voice evident.

Sirius shrugged, uselessness coursing through him.

"I don't know," he answered honestly. "But we need to get Lily and Alice and then we can go and see him".

Peter nodded and hurried to dress as Remus took deep breaths attempting to reign in his temper. They were silent as they readied themselves, finishing in record time and quickly finding themselves in the still empty common room.

"How are we going to get the others?" Peter wondered aloud.

Sirius fired off a Patronus and took a seat whilst he waited, the tiredness in his limbs weighing him down heavily. Peter appeared to be at a loss and seemed content to stand where he was, his wand rolling in his palm.

Remus chose to pace, his impatience for the wait evident as his eyes would trail towards the staircase almost every few steps he took.

"They're coming," he muttered a few minutes later.

"This had better not be one of your pranks," Lily warned as she entered the common room with a very sleepy Marlene and Alice in tow.

She frowned as she took in demeanour of the three boys.

"What's going on?" she demanded. "Where is James?"

It was Sirius that spoke, his unusually severe countenance the first hint that something was not right.

"He's in the hospital wing," he informed the trio, holding up his hands in a manner that begged no interruption. "Harry duelled the Dark Lord last night and James is with him".

"Shit," a now wide-eyed Marlene gasped in surprise.

Lily however did not choose words to express herself. In lieu of utterances, she immediately exited Gryffindor Tower and headed towards where the two Potters were, wanting to be there for both equally. She had no idea what had possessed Harry to do such a thing and that was a conversation that would undoubtedly be had later. She just knew that she had to be with him, it was though her magic insisted upon it.

She arrived only moments later, shortly followed by the rest of the group to find that the hospital wing was still locked. Undeterred by this, the red head pounded on the door, demanding the attention of everyone within. Her efforts were rewarded when the door finally opened to reveal an exhausted looking James, who managed a weak smile at seeing all of his friends here, their mere presence giving him a much-needed boost.

"How is he?" Lily whispered, concern evident in her eyes and words.

James could only shake his head as he took her hand and led them inside, quickly taking hold of the unresponsive Harry's hand, continuing his vigil.

"Not really any different," he replied, his voice rather hoarse.

Lily took James's free hand and squeezed it comfortingly. If anyone ever had doubts of how much the boy loved is brother, despite the pranks the pulled on one another, those doubts would very much be quashed if such folk were to witness this tragic moment. It was very rare to see any of the people around her so sober, reticent even. When one was to think of the Marauders, Sirius and James in particular, it would always be the mischief they seemed to be alight with and many would never imagine such a demeanour she was witnessing from the duo now was possible. If she hadn't seen it herself, she would be of similar thinking. But here they were before her and it felt wrong to see such emotions mar their features.

Both had irritated her over the years, and still did frequently. But seeing the pair in such a way left a hollow feeling in the pit of her stomach.

She would gladly endure the irritation of both just to see their eyes alight as they should be.

She turned her attention to Harry and shook her head.

He had very little bruising from what she se could see, but he was pale. He could merely be sleeping if he did not look so pale and his breath as ragged as it sounded.

A pang of sadness such as she'd never felt passed through and the tears began to fall.

She did not know how she had become so close to this brilliant young man in less than a year, but the thought of him suffering pained her equally. She loved him in a way that she could not explain. It was not the same way she felt for James, but it was just as strong. She was drawn to him in a way she could not comprehend. She felt the need to care for him, to feel pride at his achievements, to hold him close and keep him safe.

She shook her head and sighed.

Her thoughts sounded even foolish as they made themselves known. The boy was an incredible wizard and he certainly did not need protection. She knew that there was very few who could hope to stand against Harry and even be considered a threat. That did not however prevent the protective inclinations she felt towards him.

Unconsciously, she leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on his forehead and took a seat in James's lap.

Sirius coughed awkwardly, his eyes still fixed on Harry.

"I'm going to get Bellatrix," he announced before he exited the ward and headed towards the dungeons, attempting to push the strangeness of the scene he had just witnessed from his mind.

It didn't take him very long to reach his destination and he sighed deeply as he knocked on the door to Professor Slughorn's office, hoping that the man was an early riser. He was soon greeted by the opening of the door, the rotund man looking at him in confusion as he fastened the belt to a silk, plum dressing gown.

"To what do I owe the pleasure, Mr Black?" the Slytherin head questioned. "It is not often I am disturbed at such an hour by a lion".

"My apologies for disturbing you, Professor. But could you please fetch Bellatrix for me?"

Slughorn frowned but nodded nonetheless. His experience of Sirius Black had been limited over the years, but from what he knew of the boy, the matter must be of real concern.

"I shall get her at once," he assured the teen as he brushed passed Sirius and headed towards the Slytherin common room.

It was around ten minutes later that the large man returned with Bellatrix, looking as pristine as ever.

She frowned at her cousin and waited for him to speak, not at all happy that he had seen fit to disturb her so early in the day.

"Harry is in the hospital wing," he sighed in answering to the questioning look he was on the receiving end of.

Her frown deepened as she took in his words, confused at how this had happened.

"Explain," she demanded, ready to curse the boy if one of their pranks had gone wrong.

Sirius shook his head and held up his hands in a bid to show his innocence in the matter.

"He duelled the Dark Lord," he whispered, still conscious of Slughorn standing nearby.

A myriad of expressions made themselves known on her face; anger, betrayal and sadness being obvious. It finally settled on worry, something that Sirius had never expected he'd see in the eyes of his cousin.

When her legs allowed, she began stalking towards the hospital wing, a desperation to her pace.

"What happened?" she asked, unable to keep the fear from her voice.

"I don't know," Sirius replied apologetically, this side of the usually intense girl throwing him off. "All I know is they duelled, and Harry is in the hospital wing".

Bellatrix nodded and somehow quickened her stride even more so, walking straight into the ward without breaking her rhythm.

She was briefly taken aback by the amount of people surrounding him, obscuring the young man from view. She took but a second to regain her usual posture, not wishing for any to see a hint of weakness in her.

She cleared her throat, garnering the attention of those within the room.

"You should all go and get some breakfast, and a shower," she added as she took in the haggard look of James Potter.

It appeared as though he would protest vehemently but was quietened by Lily as she placed a comforting hand on his forearm.

"She's right," she whispered. "It won't do any good if you starve yourself or at least have a wash".

James sighed and nodded tiredly as he stood and gestured for the others to follow.

"Don't leave him," he almost pleaded as he past Bellatrix.

"I won't," she promised. "How is he really?"

James shrugged.

"According to Dumbledore, he's physically as good as can be expected. Magically, they just don't know," he offered apologetically.

Bellatrix nodded.

"He was amazing," James added with a proud smile.

"You were there?" Bellatrix growled.

James shook his head.

"I saw the memory," he explained quickly. "I should have been though, we all should," he added sadly.

"I'd like some time alone with him, please," she requested.

James offered a sympathetic smile. He had felt what she was feeling and could relate to it. She needed the reassurance of his breathing and warmth to know that he was still there with her. With those thoughts, he left the hospital wing, granting the young woman some time with the boy.

She had no issue with any of these being around Harry and knew that each of them would protect him with their lives if necessary. She simply needed some time with him, a moment or two to allow her repressed emotions to come forth.

The moment she heard the door click shut as the others exited, she sunk in to the chair that James had vacated and took a firm grip on Harry's hand. An errant tear slid down her cheek as she took every detail of him in.

She would investigate all of the details later; Harry's health was much more important to her. It mattered not how he came to be here, she just needed to know that he would be okay.

"You stupid man," she whispered, a little of the anger she felt towards him lining her words.

She swallowed that emotion, now was not the time for such thing. There would be ample of opportunity in the future for her to vent on him for acting this way when he woke.

She squeezed his hand tighter as a few more tears made themselves known.

"I understand," she assured his still form. "More than anyone, but you forget how much you are loved. Or you just don't know it".

She swallowed again. She knew her words were falling on deaf ears, but she felt the need to speak.

"I love you, Harry. We all do. But you have to let us help you. What do you think would happen to me, or any of us if you were gone?"

She shook her head and wiped the tears that fell freely.

"You promised me forever and I plan on holding you to that," she chuckled.

Her laughter stopped immediately, her usual serious expression prevailing.

"Just come back to me," she begged. "Nothing else matters, I just want you here".

She felt tired, exhausted even as she gave his hand a final squeeze and contented herself with simply staring at him.

Her time alone with Harry was shorter than she would have liked however. Barely an hour had passed when the appearance of Charlus, Dorea, Arcturus and those who had been present earlier entered the ward, pulling her from her moment. With a quick wandless spell, she managed to remove the vestiges of tears before she turned to greet them.

The elder Potters wore matching looks of concern as they looked upon their Grandson and even her Grandfather wore a perturbed look.

"How is he?" Dorea questioned softly, as she took in the still form of the teen.

"The same, I guess," Bellatrix shrugged.

Dorea nodded as she pulled the girl into a hug, not at all convinced by the brave front she was putting on.

"He's strong," she whispered. "He will make it".

Bellatrix could only nod, not trusting herself to be able to speak clearly enough to maintain her composure. She was aware of his strength, probably more so than any other.

It didn't take long for the others to surround the bed, helped by James who demonstrated his gift in Transfiguration as he conjured several chairs, his eyes not once leaving the seemingly sleeping Harry.

What felt like hours later, though it could have been minutes, Dumbledore arrived with the matron in tow, the Headmaster looking older and more tired than any had ever seen him. He said nothing and stood away as the woman went about her work, casting diagnostic charms and administering a variety of potions as she shook her head, clearly not pleased at what she was seeing.

"What's wrong?" Dorea questioned worriedly.

The healer sighed as she shook her head.

"He is not improving as he should be," she replied morosely. "He seems to be developing a fever and his body is getting weaker as his magic is trying to replete".

The adults in the room became alarmed at the news and even Lily gasped in horror.

"What does that mean?" James demanded urgently.

"It means that his own magic will kill him as it gets stronger. His body will be too weak to handle it," Lily sobbed as she gripped the front of his robes tightly.

A sound similar to a whimper escaped James throat as he fought to control himself. "Not like this Harry, please," he ground out.

"What can be done?" Bellatrix enquired, her violet eyes shining with unshed tears.

The matron shook her head.

"Nothing," she whispered. "I have done all I can and now it is up to Mr Potter to do the rest".

"So, we just sit and wait?" Bellatrix hissed furiously.

"Bella," Arcturus chided her, his own voice slightly hoarse.

"I am sorry dear," the matron tried. "If I do any more then it will do more harm than good".

Bellatrix nodded and sunk back in to her chair, not at all conscious to the fact that she had even stood.

A stunned silence seemed to have overcome the majority of the room as none spoke further. Dumbledore had muttered his apologies and left, the man looking much more distraught than when he had entered the room.

Remus and Peter both were pale and in the case of the werewolf, it had nothing to do with the approaching full moon, both were completely shocked into stillness by the turn of events, neither knowing how to cope.

Sirius appeared to be almost blank as Marlene held him as close as can be. His expression said little of what he felt, though his eyes were full of dread, defeat even. Harry was the one that he had no doubt would survive this and now, the reality of war had set in. If Harry wasn't safe, then nobody was.

He swallowed a thick lump in his throat as the first tears fell, his vision becoming blurred and watery. He hung his head, the feeling of uselessness overwhelming him.

Alice felt lost, out of place and alone in the grief she was feeling. She wished that Frank was there, just to hold her, so she could feel some warmth in the numbness that had overcome her.

James could do nothing but shake uncontrollably as he fought back the sobs that threatened to wrack his body further. The tears fell freely down his face as he held the redhead in his arms in a death grip, clinging desperately to anything that could give him any kind of comfort.

Lily was almost catatonic, unaware of the lack of breathing she was managing in James's arms. She had no words, no coherent thoughts that could make any of this easier or help her in absorbing what was happening in this moment. It felt as though she was in a dream, the most unpleasant one could experience. She could only hope that it was and that she would wake soon to find everything as it should be. She silently begged for such a thing, begged to wake up in her bed and all of this one day becoming a faded memory.

The older Potters found solace in the arms of the other, neither speaking, both unable to convey their emotions in any way. This boy had walked into their lives out of the blue and had impacted them more than either could ever have imagined. And now, unless a miracle was afoot, it appeared that his foray into this world was to be short-lived.

A cruel life for one with so much to give, ended prematurely.

Arcturus could only shake his head in disbelief as he internally willed the boy to keep up the fight. He cared for him as though he carried his own name and not that of Potter. He was everything that he wished his own blood could be and more, despite how proud he was of those he had sired. He knew that if Harry were to pass, then Bellatrix would never be the same. It worried him at how close they had become, especially in the circumstances. He knew that it was a possibility that Harry could die but he had not taken into account his granddaughter and the affect it would have on her.

She loved him, it was clear for him to see. And if this ended in tragedy, then Merlin help those that had taken him from her. It had been many years since the 'Black Madness' had been seen and the old man couldn't help that another bout was on the horizon should things turn unfavourable.

Bellatrix remained in her chair, unmoving except for the circular pattern she traced on the back of Harry's hand, gently willing him to come back to her.

"Every last one of them will pay, I will take everything they hold dear from them if my Harry does not come back to me," she screamed internally, her rage and despair dominating her inner thoughts.

She took a deep breath and attempted to calm herself. She need not react this way, yet. Harry was still here, breathing, and could wake up at any moment.

She would not leave his side until he did. To do so was unthinkable. She wanted the first thing he saw when he woke to be her, and she could simply gaze and bask in the emerald brilliance of his eyes then she could hold him in her arms and never let go.

"Never let go," she whispered under her breath.

It was then that she felt the hand she was lovingly tracing twitch and her eyes shot to his face in anticipation.

"Harry?" she called, her voice much weaker than she expected.

In this moment however, she did not care how feeble she sounded.

The calling of his name had garnered the attention of the rest in the room and each came closer, hope shining in their eyes amongst the apparent grief.

His arm twitched this time, the rest of his body still motionless.

"Harry," Bellatrix called again encouragingly as she stood and cupped his face in her hands gently. "Come on, Harry. Please wake up, for me?"

Harry's body suddenly jerked violently once and then he fell still once more as the matron approached, wand in hand and spells already flying towards the boy.

"What's happening?" Bellatrix asked fearfully her gaze shifting between Harry and the woman.

"No, no, no," the healer whispered under her breath in disbelief as spell after spell left her wand.

Those gathered could only watch in horror as the woman's arm fell limp to her side and she shook her head in sorrow.

"He's gone," she mumbled.

"NOO," James roared as he launched forward and grabbed Harry's shoulders, shaking him violently as he did so. "Don't you fucking leave me Harry, don't you dare do this to me," he wailed as he continued his attempts to rouse the other teen.

Charlus and Arcturus shot forward and seized him by an arm each and attempted to wrestle the distraught boy away from Harry.

"That's my son you bastards," he screamed. "Get your fucking hands off me and let me be with my boy".

The fight quickly left his body as he slumped forward, the sobbing and trembling the only indication that he was conscious.

Dorea stepped forward and began ushering the rest of the teens from the room in an attempt to gain some control of the situation before more could be said that would bring unwanted questions.

"I'm staying with James," Sirius stated, refusing to be moved.

Dorea nodded understandingly and continued her efforts, succeeding in removing the clearly shocked from the ward.

"We need time," she managed to choke out. "Just family".

The group nodded but the redhead appeared to have a dozen questions.

"What did James mean when he said that Harry is his son?" she questioned, her tone confused.

"It's just the grief, my dear," Dorea placated weakly, knowing that the girl would not believe it.

Lily shook her head but was cut off from speaking further by Dorea.

"Now is not the time, Miss Evans" she said firmly.

Lily thought better than to argue, as much as she wanted to. The look in the older woman's eyes brokered no discussion on the matter.

Dorea gave her an apologetic smile and entered the hospital wing once more, her focus now on how the family were to cope with such a loss. Unwittingly, but completely expected, the tears fell from her own eyes as she finally lost control of her composure.

"Where is Bella?" she asked the others.

Arcturus could only shake his head.

He had seen her calmly kiss Harry on the forehead and disillusion herself, going only she knew where after that.

"She will need time," he sighed. "She won't be found unless she wants to be".

(BREAK)

Bellatrix Black found herself wandering the halls of the castle, her feet working of their own accord whilst her mind was focused on only one thing; Harry. She was in state of utter disbelief, a mixture of shock, rage and heartache, none of which were taking precedence within her. She knew not what to do, how to react or what would happen next. All she did know was that her Harry had been taken from her and that she would never be the same.

She loved him more than she ever imagined possible and the thought of not seeing that infuriating grin he wore or that sparkle in her eyes empty her very being, leaving her hollow. A void existing because of the absence of that boy.

A dry sob forced its way out of her as she entered the classroom on the third floor that they had first met, and she could only sink to the ground as the truth of what had happened set in.

Bellatrix Black was not a girl who had ever truly cried before, but here and now, she could not fight the tears that came even if she wanted to.

She cried for the loss of her love, she cried at the injustice of him being taken and she cried for the bleak future she was to face from here on out.

She did not want to live this way, not without her Harry.

She chuckled darkly, a chuckle which turned into a cackle as she despaired in her misfortune.

"Of course, it had to be this way, why would I deserve something so good," she whispered, her tears no longer falling.

She screamed, whether from anger or grief, she could not be sure. All she knew was that when her shriek finished echoing around the room, she was filled with fury. A fury directed at those who had dared bring her such misery. A fury aimed towards the Dark Lord and those that follow him. They were what had left her so alone in this world. Her anger was also for Harry, for the foolish actions he had taken and without her there to help him and for leaving her alone in this world.

But Harry was already dead. And she loved Harry. No matter what it was he had done, she loved him so.

The Dark Lord however, was very much alive as far as she knew and so were the fools that followed him.

Something within her snapped as she came to a realisation. There were only two things she now wanted. She wanted them all to suffer the same way she was, and she wanted to be back with her Harry, no matter the cost.

She smiled, knowing she could have both. She could avenge her Harry and be with him soon enough. She just needed the opportunity.

Instead of emptiness, she found herself full of hope, excitement even, and anticipation.

"I'll be with you soon, Harry," she promised as she exited the room with a spring in her step.

She had a little planning to do, but then she would strike.

The Dark Lord and those who followed him were about to learn that a Bellatrix Black trained by Harry Potter was a dangerous thing. But a Bellatrix Black that had had her Harry taken from her, was more than they could comprehend.

(BREAK)

James was sat in his usual chair within the common, having arrived only a moment ago. It had been decided that Harry's body would be taken to the family home and placed within the crypt whilst arrangements would be made for his funeral. It had been decided that the death of the boy would not be revealed as yet to allow the family some time to grieve appropriately before they were inundated with questions that they were not ready to answer.

James shook his head and swallowed deeply, his throat raw from all of the crying and shouting he had done.

Sirius had opted to seek out Marlene and explain everything as best as he could to those that had witnessed James's outburst. It did now seem completely moot to even attempt keeping them in the dark about Harry's true identity.

As it was, James found himself exhausted and not wanting to confront anything, a desire that would be short-lived if the face of a now approaching Lily was anything to go by. He couldn't tell what she was feeling from her expression, but it was clear that she had been crying. All he knew was that he had a lot of explaining to do.

She stood in front of him and held his gaze as her already puffy eyes filled with tears once more. He stood and pulled her into his arms so that he could at least absolve some of the grief that she was overcome with, his own frayed strength failing him as she melted into his embrace. They cried for a few moments together, those within the room daring not to question what had caused such a show of emotion between the two.

"I need to know what you meant, James," Lily whispered, the clarity in her voice hindered both by fear and hurt. "You said he was your son," she reminded him, her body heaving slightly towards the end of her words.

James could only nod as a fresh wave of tears broke free.

He needed a moment.

Not being able to speak, he did what he could, and he squeezed her tighter to him as he attempted to compose himself enough. This was not a conversation he was ready for, but he doubted he ever would be.

He took a deep breath as he took her hand and led her from the common room away from prying eyes. They made it to the seventh floor and Lily watched in confusion as he paced back and forth in front of a blank expanse of wall causing a door to appear. He led her inside and took a seat on the bed, pulling her beside him as he did so.

He took a moment to absorb the surroundings that he created and sighed as the familiarity of the room settled within him.

"This is Harry's room at home," he mumbled, his voice hoarse.

Lily nodded and waited patiently for James to speak further.

The young man found her eyes with his own and he smiled weakly.

"Harry is…was my son," he sighed.

Lily frowned and shook her head, but James held up a hand to quell any interruption.

"It's hard to believe, but I can promise you it is true," he assured her seriously.

He dragged a hand through his hair and attempted to find the words to explain in a way that she could understand.

"It started the summer before sixth year. I was spending time with Sirius at home when I was summoned to Dumbledore's office. I thought that I was in trouble for something I did at school".

He snorted slightly before continuing.

"I got there only to be introduced to Harry, a kid my own age that was the double of me and to be told that he was my son from the future".

He chuckled at the memory.

"I thought that it was some kind of joke and that my parents and Dumbledore were trying to teach me a lesson for all the pranks, but they weren't joking. I've never seen my parents so serious before".

He sighed again, all traces of humour now absent from his expression.

"It wasn't a joke and I found out this kid had had the worst life imaginable because the me from the future wasn't around for him. I died before he was two," he explained sadly.

Lily was stunned by what she was hearing, the million questions she had running through her mind not coming forth.

"Anyway," James continued. "I was told that he would be staying with us and that we would pretend that we were brothers," he shrugged. "I was okay with that, but I didn't really think about the long term. I only saw the potential of the pranks and how much of a laugh it would be".

He snorted again, this time bitterly.

"I didn't expect to feel the way I do about him. I didn't expect to see him as my son".

"How?" Lily questioned dumbly.

James shrugged.

"I don't know," he sighed. "I don't understand it myself. All I do know is that Harry James Potter was my son and he's not coming back," he choked.

He found himself in the girl's embrace as he broke down once more for the loss of the other boy.

"Who was his Mother?" Lily questioned as she attempted to push down the feeling of envy she was feeling.

She knew that James couldn't be held at fault for what his future self-had done. That didn't mean she had to like the idea of him being with someone else so deeply that a child had come of it.

She was taken aback by the heartbreak she saw as James met her gaze once more.

"He had his mother's eyes, Lily," he whispered.

Lily choked back another sob as she was hit by the realisation, all of the strange feelings she had felt towards Harry from the moment she had met him making themselves known once more, only this time she was not confused. The only thing she felt was pain and loss.

"Me?" she whispered in disbelief.

The reply she got was another tear breaking free from the boy as he nodded, his eyes now full of sorrow.

All she could do was cry with him for their loss. She had so many questions but none she wanted to ask for the moment. Instead, she allowed a new sense of grief to wash over her as she once again found herself in his arms.

They stayed this way for an inordinate amount of time before she pulled away, a hollowness within her chest.

"Why didn't you tell me?" She asked calmly, though she was feeling anything but that. "What happened to us for him to be on his own?"

"What could I say?" James replied. "Oh, hi Lily, you hate me right now, but this is our son from the future".

Lily huffed in frustration.

"I don't know, James," she fired back irritably. "But I had a right to know".

James nodded.

"I'm sorry," he offered sincerely. "We both died in his time Lily. Voldemort came for us and left him an orphan".

This itself explained a lot of why Harry had turned out the way he was. He was fiercely protective and had a lot of hate towards the man without even seemingly having anything to do with him. It all began to make sense now.

Lily shook her head.

"Is Harry the reason you wanted to be with me?"

James frowned and took her hands in his own.

"I wanted to be with you from the moment I saw you," he answered. "Long before Harry came along, it was you that wasn't interested," he pointed out.

Lily sighed.

"I know," she conceded. "It just feels like all of this is kind of convoluted for some reason," she added in a whisper.

James nodded his understanding.

"I always wanted you Lily. You were always the girl I wanted to be with and I can admit, before Harry came along, I wasn't right for you. I was an arse and having Harry around made me grow up a lot. He made me want to be a better person and he made me realise that you deserved better than what I was".

Lily shook her head.

"I always liked you for some reason," she admitted, causing James to smile. "Most of the time, I really didn't want to. You were arrogant, childish and even a bully at times, but there was always something about you. I could see there was more to you and you showed me that when he came along. You grew up James, but was it because of him or is this the person you really are?"

"A lot of it is because of Harry," he agreed. "But this really is me," he assured her as he took her hands once more.

"I do believe you," she finally responded. "But this is a lot to take in. I've lost one of the most important people in my life today and then I find out all of this," she continued sadly.

"I know, and I am sorry," James tried.

Lily nodded.

"I know James, but I think I need some time. I need some time to take this all in and just deal with it".

"I understand," James replied, his chest tightening considerably.

"I love you," she reminded him before kissing him gently on the cheek. "Please don't forget that".

James could say nothing as he watched Lily Evans walk away, leaving him even more heartbroken.

Lily herself couldn't comprehend what it was she was feeling, but everything she had ever felt for Harry was now falling into place; the protectiveness, the way she cared for him and the way she felt for him without anything other than affection all now easily discernible from what was once uncertainty and confusion.

None of this however compared to the sense of loss, the emptiness that could be filled by nothing other than having Harry Potter back in her life.

She decided that she needed some air, just some time to mull things over and with a little luck, she would be able to put everything into perspective, though more than a small part of her wished to wake within her bed, this having all been an awful yet strange dream.

(BREAK)

It didn't take Sirius long to locate Remus and the others that had been in the hospital wing as Harry had passed on. It did however take an agonising amount of time to fill them all in of the details of what had happened since the day the other Potter had arrived. All of the teens seemed to be in too much shock to ask many questions, something that Sirius was grateful for as he too was in no mood for talking. The only thing he kept to himself was the identity of Harry's mother, though he did not expect that to remain hidden for long.

"I can't believe he is gone," Remus whispered sadly.

"We have to keep it to ourselves, for now," Sirius reiterated. "Aunt Dorea and Uncle Charlus were clear on that".

The others nodded in agreement, none still truly believing anything that had happened this day.

Peter simply sat, his state almost catatonic as he cried silently for his friend, already missing his presence. Before Harry had come along, his future had been uncertain as he himself was uncertain in himself. But Harry had changed that. He had been the first one embed a feeling of worthiness in the smallest Marauder. He had been the one to assure his place amongst them when his self-doubt had been at its worst. The others had agreed with every word that the green-eyed boy had said, but it will always be Harry that made that happen for him.

Even Marlene and Alice felt the sting of his loss, though they had spent the least time around him. They always knew that there was something special about Harry and he had proven it time and time again throughout the time that had known him and spent time in his company. He always had a way of making the difficult appear easy and always filled them with the confidence that they too could believe beyond what they deemed their capabilities. He pushed them in more ways than they thought possible, but he did so in a way that only encouraged them further and the grin they received when he proved himself right in his faith in them was as irritating as it was endearing.

Both the young women would miss him. They would miss that smile. They would miss the way he tousled his already messy hair when he was frustrated, but most of all, they would miss the laughter that he would elicit within their group.

Remus wept at the absence of a member of his pack, the wolf within him too surprisingly subdued considering the full moon was nigh. Ordinarily by this point in the lunar cycle, the wolf would be pacing, feral and salivating with the impending freedom. This time however was different. This time the wolf was content with his usual isolation. The wolf was aware that his foray into the world tonight would not be a pleasant one.

The wolf, was of course correct in its prediction.

That very night, the entire grounds of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry played host to a werewolf, not and angry wild beast as one would expect, but a werewolf mourning. If any were to listen closely enough, the melancholic howls of despair could be heard emitting from the forbidden forests as the wolf bayed its loss for the world to hear.

Even to those that would condemn such a creature for his condition, the pain of loss was prevalent. There was no anger in the sound, only regret, something that none would believe possible of one considered so dark.

(BREAK)

Rudolphus Lestrange rolled his wand between his fingers as he contemplated his next move. He knew that his time was limited in which he could act, until Potter inevitably returned from wherever he was. Despite his own confidence in his abilities, he was not keen on finding himself on the other end of the wand of the younger teen, he had experienced humiliation and agony enough times at his hands.

The others, he was confident he could handle with no issues. With the extra training he had been having with the Dark Lord and several of his higher-level Death Eaters, it was highly unlikely himself or his brother could be bested by any of them.

He however, was not about risk his life unnecessarily. He knew they were all capable in their own ways and he did not want to be caught off guard by anything, not when he could give himself such an advantage.

"The Slytherin way," he decided aloud with a smirk. "They can't defend themselves from what they don't see," he added as looked upon his invisibility cloak.

(BREAK)

Harry Potter opened his eyes, only to blink rapidly as he took in his surroundings. The place he found himself was strangely scentless, soundless and colourless, everything in sight being black or grey and flickering as though he was in a distorted silent movie. With considerable effort, he manged to push himself to his feet and take in his surroundings with a little more clarity. The black and grey prevailed as far as he eyes could see, the grass beneath his bare feet that should be lush and green following suit in the dreariness.

Hills, rolling hills at that, all the way to the horizon, an inordinate distance away. If it weren't for the small, dilapidated cottage and neighbouring, almost offensively white tree, the teen would be worried that he had been deposited in a barren and lifeless land.

With a shrug, he began strolling towards the only sign of civilisation, a frown marring his features as he attempted to piece together his final moments before arriving here.

He remembered his duel with Tom clearly and his final burst of magic as he attempted to end the Dark Lord, and then nothing. The darkness had engulfed him and brought him here.

He reached the tree and attempted to trail his fingers down the bark, needing to feel assured that it was truly there. However, his hand met nothing although the thing itself called to him, almost begging for his touch.

His frown deepened as he turned away and began the walk to the cottage, glancing over his shoulder at the elusive wooden behemoth, ignoring the call to continue his efforts to make contact.

The gate, he found yielding. Though it did not call to him in the same manner, he almost expected it to resist his desire to open it, to frustrate him further. The clang of the metal as he pulled the catch and the ominous creaking of the hinges that followed as he pushed it open, did very little to comfort him as he expected. If anything, it drew a weariness from within him as he crossed the threshold into the overgrown garden as a sense of not belonging filled him. It was not dread of fear that caused him pause, but the unknown beyond.

He had found himself in many such situations throughout his years, but none with this depth of foreboding, none where he felt so insignificant and none where he had felt such vulnerability.

He was acutely aware that he had no means of defending himself, no wand in which to speak of and not even a thread of clothing to adorn him. Whatever brought him here wanted him defenceless and whatever brought him here was the master of this place, wherever here was.

He steeled himself as he reached the door and prepared for his inevitable next move, his bold tendencies from his younger days having never truly being curbed.

His louder than necessary knock echoed throughout the innards of the building, the eerie silence prevailing once more after the final note had faded.

He held his breath unconsciously as he waited for a sign of life from within. A sudden raising of his eyebrows followed as he heard what appeared to be a chair scraping across a floor and footsteps begin, almost reverently coming ever closer to where he stood as though the person they belonged to was savouring this moment.

A sudden rattling of chains lasted but a second before the door opened, revealing a faceless figure shrouded in black smoke.

"Ahh, Peverell. Please do come in," the thing wheezed, as it gestured for Harry to enter, allowing him passage by stepping to the side.

Harry did so, choosing to ignore the strange way in which he had been addressed.

The inside of the cottage was just as neglected as the outside and resembled more of an abandoned shack than any other dwelling imaginable. It was sparsely furnished and everything that was there was broken in some way.

The shadowy figure entered and took a seat on a chair with a leg missing, surprising Harry that it managed to stay upright. The figure said nothing and contented itself with seemingly staring at the teen, something that quickly made Harry uncomfortable as he couldn't be certain that the creature was looking in his direction.

Despite his discomfort, Harry found his tongue.

"Why am I here?"

The thing tilted its head and Harry could feel that it was smirking at him.

"You are here because I willed it," it replied flatly. "You are here because we have a problem, Peverell".

Harry shook his head, no longer able to ignore the name the creature was using.

"Peverell? My name is Harry Potter," he pointed out.

"I know the name your line has chosen," the thing spat. "But to me, you will always be Peverell. You cannot hide from me with a foolish change of name".

Harry sighed as he dragged a hand through his hair, completely dumbfounded by the situation he found himself in.

"And why is it you brought me here?" he questioned, his tone laced with annoyance.

The figure stood and turned its back towards him.

"You are here because I had need of words with you. You are here because you defied fate herself. Although she applauds you for such a feat, her ire has been provoked and her respect did nothing to abate her anger with you".

"Then why did fate herself not summon me?" Harry questioned irritably.

The creature let out a humourless laugh.

"Foolish boy. Only those with the eye can convene with her, something that you completely lack," the figure responded with equal irritation its voice.

Harry frowned.

"Seers?" he questioned.

"Not completely stupid are you, Peverell? Yes, seers. The vessels in which fate selects to be her word within your land".

"Then who the hell are you?" Harry bit back, his irritation growing further.

He could feel the thing smirking once more.

"I am a different entity altogether, though closely linked with fate. Those of your plain refer to me as Death, though my job involves nothing of the sort. I merely collect the souls of those that pass from your world into ours," it finished with a shrug.

Harry felt his blood run cold at the revelation.

"So, I'm dead?"

Another humourless laugh erupted from the creature as it should his head.

"No. I have simply borrowed your soul for a time so that we could convene. Fate selects her vessels as did I over a millennium ago. You can convene with me because you are a Peverell. Your relationship with me is the same as a seer would be with fate," it explained bitterly.

Hearing that he wasn't truly dead did little to relax the teen.

"So, you chose my ancestors to be your vessels?" he asked, his confusion growing more so.

Death shook its head again.

"In a way, yes. But it is more accurate to say that your line chose me when I was needed most".

The figure held up a shadowy hand to stall any further questions.

"Allow me to explain," Death sighed. "Then you will understand how it is that you came to be here".

Harry nodded and waited, though he doubted any words could clear his confusion.

"The story told amongst your own people would have you believe that three brothers cheated me of their souls and for such trickery, I gifted them a powerful heirloom each, of my own creation," he began, his tone bitter.

He laughed in disbelief.

"Such a story is merely a fabrication of what truly happened. I cannot be tricked, for every soul that comes into being, will one day be mine".

Harry swallowed deeply at the certainty of the words spoken.

"Now, these three brothers did exist, Peverell's, just as you yourself stand before me, but that is the only similarity you will find in the truth of what happened".

Death began to pace back and forth, though it was not a restless pacing.

"It was not much longer than a millennium ago that war ravaged the lands in which you call home. War itself is profitable for me as my collection of souls grow more the longer such conflict exists. It is not however, profitable for everyone. Fate in particular has an aversion to such a thing and will usually choose a champion to end it for her. This time was different. This time, it was those of your kind that took the needed steps to end the war and just like you, they themselves defied fate".

Harry nodded to demonstrate he was following so far.

"This is where your ancestors come in to it," Death revealed. "They created a ritual, a ritual in which they willingly sacrificed their very souls to bring peace to the land, a ritual that brought them here to me".

Harry's eyebrows rose as he pondered such a thing.

Death continued to pace.

"Now, as I explained, it is not my job to end life, only to collect the souls of those that have passed, and that is where things became complicated. Magic itself granted their wish for peace, though even for such a thing as magic, intervention on a plain not ours is not possible. Instead, as the souls sacrificed would become mine, as it should be, I was tasked with bringing the bartered peace. I myself, as fate and magic, also cannot interfere directly with your world, it is not our duty to do so. Subsequently, a deal was made between myself and your line".

Harry found himself once again uncomfortable. The feeling of a deal of sorts with Death did not bode well.

"I gifted the line with my own magic and gave each an item of power, the tools that would be more than sufficient to end the war that had befallen your lands. One received a wand, a wand powerful enough to win any open battle. The second, a cloak of true invisibility where subterfuge would prevail where open battle could not and the third received a stone capable of raising an army of the mightiest warrior's past to ensure their success".

Harry shook his head in disbelief.

"The deal itself was simple and agreed with yours. They were to come to me willingly and surrender their souls as promised once peace again reigned. Their souls and my gifts were to return to me immediately, that however, did not happen," Death continued angrily. "Each were corrupted with the power they wielded and defied me. Instead of handing himself over, as promised, the first brother sought power using the wand, only to join me very shortly after his quest began. He boasted of the prowess of the wand and found himself murdered in his sleep," Death explained gleefully. "The second believed that he could resurrect the soul of his passed lover and found nothing but misery as she sapped him of every ounce of magic he possessed. Oh, he was powerful, but magic such as that comes at a price, the price this time being his sanity. He too joined me quickly after he took his own life, but not before hurling my stone into the river in his addled state".

"What about the third brother?" Harry enquired, enraptured by the story being told.

"The third defied me most of all," Death growled. "Instead of sacrificing his soul and returning my cloak, he used it to flee from me, only handing his soul over as he reached a very old age. He gifted the cloak to his son, who in turn gifted it to his own and so on until it found itself in your possession, Peverell".

Harry felt a chill pass through him at the icy tone the creature had adopted and the realisation at what was being not so subtly implied.

"That however, is inconsequential as things stand," the cloaked figure continued. The problem we have now is you, though it is not only me you have defied, but fate herself".

Harry frowned.

"The time jump," Death hissed in frustration. "Your path had been set out before you and you chose to defy her, you stupid boy, and now it is up to me once again to put your world to rights".

"I don't see how it is your problem," Harry responded sagely.

"Usually it wouldn't be," Death sighed. "In normal circumstances, Fate would simply carve out a new path for you and everything would fall into place as it should be. You however sent me over a soul fragment from your own time before your little excursion into the past".

Harry frowned.

"A soul piece of the fool Riddle was within you and banished here once it was removed, and now here I am with a piece of soul that should not exist. You caused unbalance in the world and it must be restored".

"What are you talking about?"

"The Horcrux that was in you," Death returned furiously as he pointed to the faded lightning shaped scar on Harry's forehead.

The word Horcrux resonated within the teen as he thought back to when he had heard the term, the day he received his new wands. He raised his hands to gently caress the blemish for the first time in over a year, something that had become little more than a faded memory.

"I had some of his soul inside me?" he asked worriedly.

"You did," Death confirmed. "But it is now in my possession".

"And you want me to send you the rest?" Harry pried, quickly ascertaining where this was going.

"I only want what I am owed," Death hissed. "And you boy, owe me. Not only the soul of Tom Riddle that I am due, but for the defiance of your line".

Harry shook his head in disbelief.

"That's it? You only want me to kill him?"

Death nodded.

"What do you think I was trying to do?" Harry spat, his own anger getting the better of him.

"What you did was fail, Peverell. Should you have succeeded, then you wouldn't be here".

"Then I will get him next time," Harry vowed.

Death laughed; a mocking chuckle.

"Tom Riddle is a wizard, that even with your little time excursion, has many more decade's experience than yourself, the next time you meet he will be prepared".

"In case you didn't see, I got the better of him," Harry ground out.

Death shook his head.

"No, you merely surprised him. Tom Riddle had become lax in his arrogance, his self-image of superiority defeated him, not your prowess. Next time you face him will be on his own terms, and that will not be until he is ready and once again at his best".

"Then tell me what it is I need to do," Harry huffed.

Again, Harry could feel the thing smirking.

"Tom Riddle will pay any price to be the best. There are many rituals he has yet to undertake and the sacrifices to achieve these results mean nothing to him. That is where you both differ. You are not one to sacrifice others or things for more power. You are noble and weak for such morals. But it can be an advantage in this case".

"How?" Harry asked with a frown.

"Both of your lines have been blessed with my magic, though Tom chose to corrupt his body and soul for what he sees as further greatness. His fear of me and the acts he carried out to attain his power has seen to it that he cannot wield my gift as you can".

"Did you just say I am related to him?"

Death chuckled once more.

"He too is a Peverell and he too has decided to attempt to flee me at any cost as those of your line once did before him. You however, do not have the same goal. That is what makes you different".

Harry reeled in shock at the revelation that he was related to Voldemort. He felt physically sick as he shook his head.

"What power do you mean?" he managed to ask through his haze of emotion.

"The Peverell family magic," Death grumbled. "The magic I gifted the three brothers, though none have been born powerful enough since them to use it so well. That is until you were born. Oh, your Grandfather and Father can use it to an extent, but none have the raw magical power needed to do so as you can. That is the power Tom knows not".

Harry's eyes snapped towards Death at those final words.

"The prophecy," he whispered.

Death nodded in reply.

"You cannot fight fate, Peverell, and you certainly cannot escape me. One way or the other you will do fates bidding, and in your case, you will do mine also. You will face Tom Riddle and you will send me his soul. Both Fate and I agree upon this. That is your task, there is no compromise".

Harry nodded.

"That was the plan," he pointed out. "And what about your cloak? I guess you will be wanting it back".

Death laughed, a little humour evident this time.

"They are merely trinkets and will only work to their full potential in the hands of a Peverell. If you wish to seek out the other two, then be my guest," Death offered with a shrug. "But you do not need them. The magic you need is within yourself, not any object".

Harry nodded. He thought that the wand would be quite the acquisition, but he would have no use of such a thing. His own were more than sufficient.

"Where are the other two?" he questioned.

Although he himself was not particularly drawn to them, he didn't like the idea of them being in the possession of others, especially if they had unpleasant intentions.

"Why, Tom of course has the stone, though he does not know it. His line turned it into the Gaunt family ring after the stone was found, a ring that currently rots a way in his ancestral home".

Harry did not like the idea of Tom possessing such a thing and decided that it was best he liberate it from him as soon as possible.

"And the wand?"

Death chuckled.

"That would be in the hands of Albus Dumbledore, who is very much aware of what it is he is carrying".

Harry breathed a sigh of relief.

Despite his reservations about the Headmaster, he was the least likely person he knew that would use the wand for nefarious reasons.

"And this magic, how am I supposed to use it to its full potential?"

"You practice," Death growled simply. "You have already used it beyond the capabilities of any other since the three brothers. You use it as often as possible and you hone it as you would any other magic".

Harry nodded his understanding as the explanation Charlus gave him about the family magic came to the forefront of his mind.

"There is no written record," he muttered.

"Indeed," Death concurred. "You must merely become familiar with it and all will become clear".

Harry sighed as he nodded once more before frowning deeply.

"Is there any advantage to having the wand?" he questioned.

He wanted to clarify if possessing the wand itself would benefit him.

Death nodded once only.

"The wand itself is an advantage to any that possess it, but exponentially so for those of your blood in particular, you even more so than any other. The wand will always work to its full potential in the hands of those that can truly wield its power. In the hand of any other wizards, it is merely a powerful wand, in the hands of one such as yourself that holds capability of such magic and power, it would be a distinct advantage".

Harry dragged a hand through his hair at the new conundrum. Now he needed Dumbledore to relinquish the and, or he would have to take it. Before he could voice his concerns, Death continued its vitriol.

"The wand itself is semi-sentient and can help you more than you ever could without possessing it. I would suggest you obtain it at your earliest convenience. I do however believe that you will notice no significance in the power of your magic, if anything, it would be negligible. You are a rather powerful wizard after all".

Harry frowned and shook his head.

"Then there seems little point in having".

Death shrugged.

"That is your decision to make, Peverell. I am merely offering you what I can to achieve what it is you need to".

Harry knew he needed time to absorb everything he had learnt and prioritise what it was he would do next. The thought of the wand stayed at the forefront of his mind however. Death certainly was under the impression that it would be important to him.

"If you needed to speak to me so desperately, why did you take so long to summon me here?"

"As I explained, Peverell, I cannot interfere with what happens on your plain directly. I had to wait until you were weak enough so that I could borrow your soul for this meeting, quite the feat of magic, I'm sure you'll agree".

Harry rubbed his eyes tiredly.

"And when I kill Tom, then we are even?"

Death shook his head.

"We will never be even, Peverell," he snapped. "But your own debt to me will be paid. The defiance of your line will forever taint it, in my eyes".

Harry snorted at the petulant nature on display.

"It is fate that should worry you, Peverell. She is not as forgiving as myself. If it were her you were dealing with, she would insist your soul would be the price. Myself, I will be satisfied with the one that attempts to elude me. But have no fear, she will claim what she will to restore balance. Whatever that may be, rest assured Peverell, her claim will be staked".

Harry swallowed audibly at the implications, though his mind could not fathom what that declaration could possibly ensue.

"Now be gone," Death commanded. "I have grown tired of your presence".

At the dismissal, Harry found himself pulled thankfully away from this place as blackness engulfed him.

(BREAK)

Rudolphus Lestrange was lying in wait, his associates awaiting his signal to act. It had been a frustrating few days for the man at best. He had spent almost every waking hour scouring the castle for any sign of Potter's cohorts, only to find himself largely disappointed by his efforts. He had not seen hide nor hair of the other Potter, Sirius Black, lupin or Pettigrew. He had quickly deduced that whatever had happened, must have been significant for the group to be absent from sight within the castle. It bothered him more than he would care to admit, but it was very unlike them to miss any opportunity to create havoc.

He was however, somewhat grateful for their current status as it would certainly allow his endeavour to go unimpeded. Although he would have very much preferred one or more of that particular group to fall in to his trap, he would be content with whom his target currently was.

She had made it all too easy. Whatever was distracting her had led to her laxity and had allowed for what was to befall her to happen.

The Slytherin grew impatient as the wait continued, the silence of the corridor making him edgy. Patience had never been his strong point, but for this, he would wait as long as necessary.

He heard approaching voices, feminine at that and he smirked ruefully from within his invisibility cloak as he took aim.

He had expected only one, but it was three that emerged in the corridor, causing his smile to grow further still.

He became restless, so close to firing early as the anticipation and excitement coursed through him.

After what seemed an eternity, the unaware trio found themselves in the perfect position. He allowed his wand to peek beneath the folds of his cloak, his hand twitching in anticipation of the glory to come.

He fired, his own spell followed immediately by six others.

He frowned as his main target raised a shield to block the incoming spells. Her two comrades however, were not quick enough and slumped limply to the ground as a myriad of spells struck them.

He gritted his teeth through his smirk and fired again and again, determined to bring her down also, his comrades following suit.

(BREAK)

For the first time since her conversation with James, Lily found herself in the company of her two best friends. She had truly needed the time alone to digest what it was that had been revealed to her and although she felt betrayed, she could not help but miss Harry, even more so than she had before. The sting of his loss had been unpleasant enough but knowing that he had in fact been her own flesh and blood in whatever twisted way it was, made his passing even more unbearable.

She was angry, there was no doubting that, but her anger was slowly giving way to the reality of the situation and her grief had begun to take precedence over any of the rage she felt towards Harry and James.

The latter had respected her wishes for some time alone to come to terms with what she now knew, Lily suspected also the he himself needed some time to grieve in his own way. In fact, she had not laid eyes on the boy since their meeting, something she was equally pleased as she was sorrowful for. Her conflicting feelings on the matter had done little but raise many questions, questions she was yet afraid to ask nor prepared to be answered. That would of course change in the future, but for now, she still needed time for everything to sink in.

"I remember saying that you both had the same eyes when we first met him," Marlene whispered as they made their way down a little used corridor on the second floor.

Lily nodded numbly. There was no 'I told you so' tone in the voice of the other girl, but it did not make her feel any better.

"I guess it does make sense though," Alice sighed. "Just how you were with each other, it was weird that you weren't dating. I guess we now know why".

"Just stop, please," Lily pleaded with a grimace.

The revelations themselves were bad enough, dwelling on how she thought she could have felt about the boy just made it worse.

"Sorry Lils," Marlene replied sincerely. "It's just strange, the whole thing. I mean, how did he even get here?"

"I don't know," Lily murmured.

Without warning, she sobbed deeply, her friends quickly coming to her side to comfort her as much as she would allow.

"I just wish I knew before," she choked. "How could he do this to me?"

Alice patted her caringly on her back.

"I'm sure he had his reasons," she tried.

"None of it changes how much you cared about him, even if you didn't understand it," Marlene added.

"It changes everything," Lily countered heatedly. "He was my son, and I didn't even know it," she finished with a croak.

She had tried time and time again to piece everything together. All of the strange, conflicting feelings, all of the signs that pointed to the truth. It all made sense now, but it did nothing to comfort her, it did nothing to explain. Harry knew, and he certainly treated her differently to any of the other girls. She just wished she knew why. Why was it that he never told her? Did he think she could never understand, or would disbelieve him? Did he not want her around in that way?

These questions only gave way to more for the young woman. What had his life been like before he came here? Why did he come here? Was she not around for him?

She shook her head as it began to ache with the overwhelming thoughts that had been and now were purveying her mind.

"Why don't we go and get some air?" Alice suggested.

Lily nodded and allowed herself to be led further down the corridor only to find herself instinctively reach for her wand and conjure a powerful shield as a spell shot towards them from ahead.

The spell itself and several others smashed against her shield causing it to waver precariously. She watched in horror as both Alice and Marlene collapsed around her, unmoving on the ground, their bodies absorbing further punishment from the continued attack.

She poured more magic into her shield as she attempted to identify her attackers, there certainly being more than a few judging by the amount of impacts she could feel attempting to bring her down.

She could see nothing, and the panic began to set in. There was no opportunity forthcoming for her to defend herself any further than she already was, nor any chance to mount an attack of her own.

She gritted her teeth for a final push, not allowing herself the same fate as her friends without a fight.

After what seemed an eternity, her shield broke and she was hurled down the corridor by the force of an innumerable number of spells colliding with her.

The only thing she was truly aware of was pain and her vision began to blur as he cheek rested upon the cold surface of the stone floor.

Before she lost consciousness, she spotted several bodies flying around the corridor and a powerful wind ruffled her hair as she heard the sound of bodies thudding to the ground.

She smiled grimly.

They may have gotten her, but somebody had gotten them.

It was a bittersweet loss at worst, and in the circumstances, Lily would take it. Her final thoughts before the darkness claimed her were that of a green-eyed boy in which she was certain she would be seeing sooner than she expected.

(BREAK)

Bellatrix Black had spent much of the last days within her own mind, her legs simply leading the rest of her on a mindless wander of the castle and grounds equally. Thoughts of Harry plagued her as she tried to convince herself that what had happened had not been real, that she had merely been dreaming. She knew however, that no matter how hard she worked at convincing herself of this, that it had happened. The memories and her emotions were far too vivid for it to be anything other than fact. In these few and far between moments of clarity, she wept for her loss. The loss of those vibrant eyes and the comfort of being held in his arms.

It took very little time for her heartbreak to turn once more to anger and she would expel this through a fast and dangerous display of magic, spell after spell leaving her wand, surrounding herself in a destruction that mirrored what remained of her heart.

She wanted vengeance, nothing more than to repay in kind the pain that she herself was experiencing.

"We will get them all," she promised herself.

She laughed at the hopelessness of her situation.

She was a gifted witch and one that would never doubt her ability, but she knew that she could not win against the Dark Lord. She would fail, just as Harry had, but she would face him nonetheless. Countless moments had been spent contemplating the followers of the man she knew that resided in the castle and in these countless moments, she had to fight with every fibre of her being to curb the urge to simply kill them all.

It would not do well to be hindered by her own need for blood, no matter how much her inner voice screamed for her to act. She knew immediately the finger would be firmly pointed at her, particularly if she were to slaughter the fools in the Slytherin common room, a place in which very few dared leave as things were unless to attend meals or lessons.

The Dark Lord was whom she would save her anger for. He and he alone would pay for taking her Harry from her and when she met her end at his hands, she would be back with the boy who had taken her heart with him.

She paused as her thoughts were interrupted by the sound confrontation ahead of her. Checking her disillusionment charm was in place, she proceeded, only to be caught short by what she was witnessing.

Her fury surfaced once more as she spied Harry's mother attempting to defend herself from several invisible assailants, her two friends already lying motionless on the ground around her.

Bellatrix drew her wand as Evan's shield failed and she too succumbed to the onslaught of spells sent her way, her body being propelled a considerable distance down the long hall.

She screeched in fury as she released her first spell; a powerful burst of wind in an attempt to identify her enemy, not that it would take much speculation to do so.

She smirked as she witnessed a few bodies flung high into the air and even more so ash they thudded to the ground, a few satisfying cracks of bones snapping as they impacted.

Two remained floored and the third barely made it to his knees before her bone breaker smashed into his face, the visage of August Rookwood quickly becoming an unrecognisable mess of twisted bone and flesh before he too fell limp.

At the corner of her eye she spotted movement.

"Crucio," she screeched, a cackle escaping her throat as she heard the screams of her victim, the pain he was experiencing a wonderful sound to her broken soul.

She had to duck quickly as a pair of curses sailed towards her, one a sickly yellow colour, the other the bright blue of an Asphyxiation Curse.

She cackled once more as the Carrow twins came in to view to play, her wand becoming a blur as she returned fire with the best and worst the Black's had to offer.

Alecto screamed as one of her eyes burst into flames within its socket, leaving a morbid mixture of the organ itself, blood and mucus oozing down her face, not even being able to respond with one further curse of her own.

She died painfully in the corridor of the school as her brother could do nothing but look on in shock.

She spent but a moment alone on her journey into the afterlife. Amycus, having been enraptured by the grim demise of his sister, had neglected his own defence, something he paid for dearly.

An almost serene silence fell around him as his chest constricted tighter and tighter, the pressure causing blood to flow freely from his ears and nose. Almost as quickly as it started, it ended. A strange lump had formed in his throat as the pressure moved upwards to join it.

He attempted to draw breath but could not until the pressure suddenly lifted and he gasped, hungrily drawing breath back into his body.

He frowned as he found himself on the floor, none the wiser to how he had come to be here. His eyes wandered curiously and landed on a red lumpy mass in front him, seemingly attached somewhere inside of his raw throat.

His frown led to him being wide-eyed as his fate became known to him. The red mass had begun to beat rhythmically, almost soothingly until his awareness of what this was caused it to beat quicker and quicker.

With a final, desperate howl, his heart exploded in front of his eyes, his final memory of his life being sprayed by the own contents of his lifeline.

Bellatrix panted heavily, an almost erotic aura exuding from her in the wake of the devastation she had wrought. Her hair was a mess and she was perspiring, a faint flush upon her cheek also.

She however, was not finished. She raised her wand to finish what she had started, only to be caught short by the appearance of a furious looking Albus Dumbledore who had entered the corridor on the opposite side to herself, wand aloft and ready.

She did all she could in that moment and she fled knowing that the man would only get in the way of her desire, the plea for her to remain by the headmaster only faintly heard.

Dumbledore shook his head at what he had come upon and sent off a Patronus for the matron to send for further assistance.

It was clear that these students were either dead, or severely injured at the very least.

The one thing he hoped to avoid had come to pass.

The war had made its way within the very walls of the school.

(BREAK)

Lord Voldemort hissed as his eyes finally opened, his hands immediately reaching to massage his throbbing temples. He took a few deep breaths before pushing himself up into a seated position, fighting back the urge to vomit as the taste of several potions made itself known in his mouth.

He spied his wand that had been left on his bedside table and gathered it up, basking in the warmth he felt as he grasped it.

Conjuring himself a goblet and filling it with water, he rose and took a sip of the cool liquid, feeling immensely better as he swallowed greedily.

A few moments of occlumency later and he had clarity of how he had ended up in this condition, grimacing at what permeated within his mind.

"Potter," he growled, though his growl was not one of annoyance, but one born of curiosity.

The boy had excelled what expectations the Dark Lord had of him, excelled beyond even what he would have considered excellent in itself. He had tested him and pushed him further than any other, the results having spoken for themselves.

He had grown lax in his own training, the certainty of victory never having once wavered within him. His mistake had been textbook, elementary even as he looked back on what had occurred. Though he hadn't quite been bested, it had been a very close thing and that was unacceptable.

"Never again," he spat.

In his anger at the realisation, he hurled the goblet he still held with as much force as he could muster in his weakened state, attracting the attention of whomever had been keeping a watch over him.

The door opened tentatively to reveal a relieved Abraxus Malfoy.

"My Lord, it is good to see you back with us," he intoned sincerely. "We have been rather worried".

"What have I missed?" Voldemort questioned irritably.

"We have been unable to locate Potter Manor, as expected," Abraxus began nervously. "Attacking the Black home as you know would be nothing short of foolish".

"I know this, Abraxus," The Dark Lord snapped.

Abraxus swallowed audibly.

"Rudolphus has reported success for his part. He believes that The Prince, Evans and McKinnon girl are all dead".

"He believes?"

"He had to flee, My Lord," Malfoy explained. "The attack was interrupted by Bellatrix Black. Rudolphus was the only one to escape. The Carrows were killed along with Augustus. Rabastan and Gibbon, we can't be certain," he informed him.

Voldemort growled furiously. His team inside of the school was now non-existent.

"Would you consider this a success, Abraxus?" Voldemort questioned silkily, his tone dangerous.

"No, My Lord, but it is not for me to make that judgement".

Voldemort nodded. He was seething, but he had more important things to focus on. He needed to heal and prepare for what was to come.

"Is there anything else?"

Again, Abraxus became nervous.

"There are rumours that the Potter boy has perished from his injuries," he little more than muttered.

Voldemort smirked and shook his head.

"Doubtful," he stated flatly. "A wizard of Potter's calibre would not die in such a fashion, not when another meeting between us is inevitable".

Abraxus said nothing and waited for the man to continue.

"Cease all efforts in locating the Potters and any of the boy's associates," he seemingly decided. "You will focus on recruiting and training until further notice, there are things that I must attend to in the interim," he instructed the man firmly.

Abraxus nodded his understanding and exited the room, leaving the Dark Lord to pour over the bookshelf he had been absentmindedly perusing towards the end of the conversation.

After hearing the door close, Voldemort pulled an aged tome from a hidden compartment in the bookshelf.

He needed to train, to better himself further even and this book could give him what it was he needed to do so. Reluctantly, he began scanning the pages, looking for any other ritual he could complete to aide him.

He had implemented a number of these over the years to help better his mind, body and magic, but there was still more that could be done.

He paused at section he had read several dozen times over the years, his finger tracing the elegant writing thoughtfully.

He shook his head and snapped the book shut.

He had been there, attempted it and achieved such a feat, though it was something that had had unfathomable implications.

"Horcruxes," he muttered.

It had once been a dream of a younger man to create several of these, securing his immortality, but that dream had died after he had created his first one. For such a thing to truly be effective, one needed to have another they trusted implicitly, something that the Dark Lord did not have then, nor did he have it now.

He had subsequently reversed the ritual knowing that it would be a pointless endeavour without an individual to make use of it. That however, did not stop him creating another at a later date, though he again found himself reversing the ritual after it had altered his physical appearance quite drastically.

It had left him hairless and red-eyed, a clear sign that one had dabbled in magic against nature itself. It had also left him with less humanity, something he could not afford to sacrifice as he was attempting to gain his followers. He needed his charisma and even the good looks he had blessed with at least for the time being. He needed the ability to charm those to his cause where his impressive power would fail. He needed his diplomacy in the earlier days of his uprising, something that he had less and less use of now.

"Perhaps, it may be time soon," he mumbled thoughtfully.

Although he did not trust any to that degree in this moment, there was nothing to suggest that wouldn't change at any time in the future, though, he could always ensure whomever he trusted would do as instructed. They would not even need to know what it is. The existence of such magic is not particularly well known unless one has gone as far as himself, which he doubted very much of the past few generations.

He pushed the thoughts of Horcruxes to one side as he opened the book once more to find something more realistic. The idea of a Horcrux or two was certainly appealing but was not an easy piece of magic to achieve, and it certainly left him feeling unwell for many weeks.

This was certainly something he could not afford to allow right now.

He needed to be rid of the Potter boy first of all and even perhaps Dumbledore before considering the option further.

He smiled as he found something much more obtainable and began to note down a list of ingredients he would need.

(BREAK)

The grounds of Potter Manor were eerily silent. No Thestral could be heard pawing at the ground, and no bird nor insect disturbed the night. Not even a gentle breeze disturbed the tress as was the norm in this part of the country.

All was quiet and as was still.

Within a thicket of trees, tucked away from the property lay a simple stone building; the building in which the bodies of a Potter recently passed would rest until the correct burial could be carried out.

Within this building lay one such Potter, his lifeless body unmoving and at peace, his arms crossed upon his chest as he waited for said burial.

A burial that was not to come.

Bright emerald orbs opened wide as the body pulled in a deep breath of its own accord, bringing the young man once more to consciousness.

A/N

Another one down and I estimate around 5 more until this is complete, though this is not set in stone yet.

For those worried about Lily, I will say that, no, she is not dead. It would be a rather poor showing for her not to get her talk with Harry after everything that has happened. The fate of the other two is yet to be decided.

I apologise for the time that passes during each posting. Between RL; working, family and other commitments, it is not possible for me to write as much as I would like, but I am getting there, and I am grateful for your patience.

I will be updating my profile soon as I haven't done so in a while.

'The Green in the Grey' has been put aside somewhat for this to be worked on but as I have said before, I will never abandon anything I start though I may tweak a few things with it. We shall see.

I have been planning my Harry/Fleur story also and believe that will be my most difficult to write, but I am optimistic that I will do the pairing justice.

The Blacks will not feature so heavily in that attempt and Harry will be much more independent, but all will be explained of course. I will reveal however that he will be attending canon Hogwarts as a student, something I have yet to do with any of my stories thus far.

I am also working on my own writing ventures, things that I am hoping to get published in the future. I will be looking for some people to read my original work as I write it for critiquing and constructive feedback. You can always drop me a message if that is something you would be interested in.

It will of course be fantasy based and I am quite excited for this as I have been researching for a very long time in preparation.

Anyway, thank you all again for your continued support, it really does keep us writers motivated when you review and follow etc.

TBR