A/N: I'm sure that you have figured out that Harry is quite possibly the most stupid person in the world at the moment and/or is completely cheesy and caught up in sad romantic notions. I can assure you he is all of that. And probably more.
Disclaimer: You know, I really do hate disclaimers. They're very annoying.
Dedication: Everything is in memory of Kylie, a wonderful person, an even better friend, who shouldn't have died so soon. But she'll make an even better angel.
~**~
It's my life,
And it's now or never,
I ain't gonna live forever,
I'm just gonna live while I'm alive,
'Cause it's my life.
~"It's my Life," Jon Bon Jovi
~**~
"How is he even going to find him?" James demanded. "It's not like he's going to stand out in the middle of a field and yell, 'HEY VOLDEMORT! I'M HARRY POTTER! COME FORTH AND DO BATTLE!'"
"I don't know, that technique might do well," said Dumbledore gravely. "But the fact of the matter is, Harry is gone, and neither of you an go and save him."
"He is fifteen years old," said Lily angrily. "He's just a kid. And he's my kid, to make matters worse. He's not even trained all the way. You expect us to sit here and not go after him…"
"Do you know the consequences if you are seen?" said Dumbledore quietly. "Or even if you are killed? The world as we know it would shut down. Lily, you must face facts. You must not go after Harry."
"What about Sirius," said Lily desperately. "Or Remus. Or somebody!"
"They are too well known," said Dumbledore. "Sirius is a convicted murderer. Remus was an auror. How do you expect them to go out and infiltrate a Dark Arts meeting when nobody knows where it is, and everybody knows their face?"
"So we can't do anything?" Asked Lily incredulously. "We just have to sit here and wait…"
"Yes," said Dumbledore firmly.
"He's our child," said James. "Even if he is only three years younger than us at the moment. We can't just sit here. I'm going to have to…"
"You are not going anywhere," said Dumbledore. "And neither is Lily, and neither are Sirius or Remus. And the doors, windows, and portrait holes are making sure of that. We don't know where Harry is. We don't even know if he was going to find Voldemort. He could have just decided to take a holiday to Hogsmeade."
"Not without Hermione," Lily muttered.
"And Hermione is not missing, correct?" asked Dumbledore.
"She was sleeping," said Lily. "James noticed Harry was gone when he woke up. I decided not to wake Hermione up until I have to, she'll worry herself sick."
"Well," said Dumbledore. "Let her sleep. Finish lesson plans for tomorrow, all four of you, but you are not under any circumstances, invisibility cloaks or otherwise, to leave the castles. The doors and windows will not allow you to."
Lily and James, recognising this as their cue to leave, stormed out of the room in a huff. They nearly bumped into a Hobbit on their way out.
"Hello," it said. "Can I speak to the Professor now?"
"Sure, he's in there, Ad," said James grumpily. "He won't let us out of the building, so you better be careful to have an escape route."
Then he stormed off down the hallway, Lily at his side, with the Hobbit looking curiously at them.
~**~
"I don't even know where he could find Voldemort," said Lily, pacing the floor.
"Oh he could find him, alright," said Hermione. "It's in that book, Pages of Mages Through the Ages. Voldemort is a mage. It had a whole chapter on him. Told about how he raised the dead at every quarter moon at…well, I'm not going to tell you where. But it was to summon up teellihores…you know, those things that Remus told us about that the Dark Lord used in his army. It's the quarter moon tonight. Don't bother looking for the book, I've already torn the page out."
"What are you doing?" said Lily, aghast. Hermione looked up.
"Packing," she said shortly. She began stuffing articles of clothing into a bag with grim determination.
"What?"
"I'm going to find Harry," she said, picking up her wand and stuffing it in the bag as well. "And don't bother trying to stop me, because I won't let you."
"You can't," said Lily dully. "Dumbledore forbid all of us to follow him. Normally that wouldn't stop me, but all the doors and windows recognise if one of us tries to get out." She went to the window, and attempted to open it. It magically fastened the lock, and apparently wouldn't budge, whatever spell Lily used on it.
"He didn't forbid me," said Hermione.
"You weren't listening by the door again, were you?" said Lily suspiciously.
"No," said Hermione. "Look." she went to the window, and opened it easily. When Lily walked over to the window, it shut tight again. "Besides, Harry left me a note."
"May I see it?" asked Lily.
"No," said Hermione shortly. "It's gone. I can't find it. I think it was one of those things that can self-destruct."
"But, you're not even a mage," said Lily helplessly. "How could you…" Hermione motioned for Harry's invisibility cloak, which had been on the floor, to fold it's self neatly and tuck it's self into the pocket of her bag.
"I am a mage," she said quietly. "Harry didn't want me to tell anyone because he thought it would put me in danger. As if I'm not in enough danger, being Harry Potter's best friend. He's been training me. Two half trained mages are better than one, aren't they?"
"You still can't go, Hermione," said Lily angrily. "Voldemort would kill you if he had the chance. Have you no self preservation in you at all?"
Hermione looked up, her eyes burning.
"No," she said suddenly, giving a wry laugh. "I don't. None at all. I can't afford that. Not where Harry's concerned." Lily grabbed Hermione by the shoulders and looked at her.
"You really love my son, don't you?" she asked quietly. Hermione nodded. "And you'd do anything for him, wouldn't you?" She nodded again.
"Take my broom, and use the invisibility cloak," said Lily. "Go after him. You're the only chance he's got."
~**~
Harry knew where the Brookfield cemetery was. It was a small, quiet, rather out of the way place, right near the town of Chipping Sodbury. The least likely place that anything unnatural could happen.
The problem was, that very unnatural things happened there.
The very reason that it was so odd and unnatural, was that a mix of wizards and muggles were buried there. It was said to be the site where Stonehenge was laid to rest by Merlin for a few weeks, before Merlin decided that Stonehenge really did not suit that particular part of the country, and that he should do the redecorating elsewhere.
In other words, the place was teeming with magic.
It was the only place in the world where wizarding and muggle worlds were closely intertwined.
Perhaps that was the reason why Voldemort chose such a spot to raise the dead. Harry knew he wouldn't have long to wait. Perhaps an hour or two. It got dark quite early now, right before Christmas, and he knew as soon as the quarter moon showed through the clouds Voldemort would materialise and raise dead to wreak havoc upon the wizarding and muggle worlds alike. Harry knew he couldn't let that happen. Not again.
So he checked into a small muggle inn, using money which he had withdrawn and exchanged from his Gringotts account, and sat down to wait.
It was the longest two hours of his life.
~**~
Hermione normally hated flying. She was afraid of heights, and afraid to put her weight on a very small, very slippery piece of wood. She never did know how Harry talked her into getting onto that bloody hippogriff in third year. But Harry could talk her into a lot of things that she wouldn't have done otherwise. Directly or indirectly. Take now, for instance. If he hadn't had the sudden urge to run off and head over to a cemetery that they had just visited, to bury her parents, she would not be on this very precarious stick of wood two thousand metres over London, covered in an invisibility cloak, and preparing to meet a dark lord; half trained, not prepared, with only two hours left to find Harry, and when she was only fifteen.
She reminded herself to kill Harry if they lived through this.
~**~
Harry wasn't exactly sure how to approach Voldemort. He tied his shoes, and tried to figure out that particular problem. It's not like he could exactly get anywhere near him… not with the Death eaters around…not near enough to challenge him to a duel. Oh he was being stupid. He knew it too. But it wasn't that stupid, when you really thought about it. He was putting everybody's lives on the line, he knew that now. And Hermione was probably the next one in line…
He had no other choice. It was either Harry Potter or Voldemort. If he died, Hermione would be safe. If Voldemort died, Hermione would be safe. It was really the only way.
How to present himself to Voldemort was another problem. It wasn't exactly like he could yell, "stand forth and do battle, thou yellow-bellied coward!" If only there was a way to get out of it alive…
Harry still didn't know what to do where the two hours were up. He put on his cloak, and walked out the door.
~**~
Hermione waited. It was the longest period of waiting that she had ever had. She kept the invisibility cloak on, stashed the bag and broom behind a tree, and waited.
There was one slight problem.
The moon was out, but no one was there. Not one single Death eater. Then suddenly, a solitary figure appeared. Voldemort. Hermione knew it now. She shivered, and tried to remain as quiet as she could…but she was quite sure that Voldemort could hear her heart pounding. She had never been this afraid in her life. Not even when she had to leave Harry behind to face Quirrell. Not even when she thought Sirius was a mass murderer, and was locked in the Whomping Willow with him.
Not even when she thought it was Harry who was dead last year, not Cedric Diggory. Or when she thought that Harry had died falling off his broomstick. Or when she thought that Harry…
Come to think of it, Harry nearly died almost every year. Why would this year be any different?
Voldemort was doing something now, Hermione couldn't tell what, because he had his back turned to her.
This year would be different. Because if Harry was going to do what she thought he was going to do, he probably would die. And she wouldn't be able to save him. Another figure appeared. And that figure's appearance frightened her more than Voldemort.
It was Harry.
~**~
"Hello, Harry," Voldemort smiled. It was a grim, frightening smile, a travesty of a smile. It really couldn't be called a smile at all, rather like a frown that somehow went backwards. "I've been expecting you."
"You…you…have?" All of Harry's composure was gone, replaced by fear. Where were all the Death eaters.
"Oh yes," said Voldemort, smiling all the more. "Your charming little epistle told me exactly what I needed to know." He held up the parchment that Harry had left on Hermione's bedside.
"How did you get that?" asked Harry. "You can't get inside Hogwarts, Dumbledore would never let you…" That's right, Potter, provoke the only person in the world who can kill you with magic…
Voldemort, fortunately, did not seem provoked. In fact, he smiled even more, showing all of his teeth.
"I cannot get inside Hogwarts," said Voldemort. "But I have someone who can. Charming really," he held up the parchment. "If I were one for Romance novels, I'd say that this was a quality piece of literature."
"If you knew I was coming, why didn't you just kill me when you had the chance?" Harry asked.
"Oh it takes the thrill of the chase out," said Voldemort. "I have decided that killing you magically would just deteriorate from my enjoyment. So I found people who will do it for me. Kill you, I mean."
Figures moved out behind him. The figures were rotted, falling apart, but had enough brains and strength to strangle a person. Perhaps they had more strength, super human strength, because Voldemort raised them. The figures, given orders to kill, which they could not disobey, were people that Harry had once known. With human countenances, and human souls. It was Cedric Diggory, Cho Chang, and Hermione's parents.
~**~
A/N: More later…I don't have enough time to finish this right now…