Year 5: War With Voldemort

Chapter 3 Renaissance Life

Harry woke up aching and screaming as if someone were killing him with a knife. Voldemort was very mad. Harry had just witnessed his destined enemy being tortured by a two year old (looks like) with amazing powers. He was sure that he had been killed, when he saw the red rose on Voldemort's head. That symbol was sustaining him, yet killing him at the same time, causing Harry Potter all the more pain.

The Weasleys were scared of Harry's constant screams, and even more scared by the fact that he was in a serious amount of pain. Later, that night, after five goblets of pain relieving potion, Arthur Weasley went to Dumbledore for help. Dumbledore came over to the house to see how bad it was.

When he stepped in the front door, the first sound was screams, sometimes in the form of names, others in the form of anguished sentences, and others in plain screams. On his way up the stairs to Ron's room where Harry was, he blindly ran into a very pale Ginny Weasley. She gasped and muttered an apology. As he sped up the stairs, the screaming got louder and louder. Upon his arrival in the room, Molly looked up and quietly walked out of the room. Harry realized that he was there, and lowered his screaming as much as he could.

"Harry, listen to me and concentrate on my voice. I'm going to cast a very difficult and painful spell, but whatever you do, never, ever repeat this, unless, and only if you really must. The only time that you can do this is if someone important, or special is dying; someone that you have to save. If you repeat this after having it cast on you, you will die the most gruesome death twenty-four hours after casting it. From the very pit of your stomach, a fire will start. This fire will slowly grow and cannot be put out. It will burn you from the inside out, and after it is finished, all that will be left of you will be your clothing. Are you ready?" Harry nods his head, fear evident on his face.

"Adiuvare facere necare occidere facere iuvare." Harry's scream broke the silencing charm on the house, the silence of the dinnertime peace in the village, and could be heard all throughout the British isle faintly though. The people in the house were temporally deaf, Harry included.

"Are you alright," Dumbledore quietly questioned. Harry's reply was a very quiet rasp in the sound of yes. Suddenly a loud buzzing was heard as the eight in the house regained their hearing. Footsteps were heard clomping up the stairs as the Weasleys appeared in the room. Dumbledore pulled a vial from his waistband and uncorked it, pouring its contents into Harry's open and chapped mouth. He swallowed difficultly, but the medicine got down eventually. Harry had stopped screaming and his throat was as good as new; he didn't rasp any more. The others breathed a sigh of relief.

¡ Between Harry's arrival at the burrow and three days before the end of summer break.

"Hey Harry! Up for a game of Quidditch?" Ever since Harry's arrival at the Burrow, three days ago, the twins had been bugging Harry about Quidditch, and their last year. He finally decided to have a go at some Quidditch.

End score: 170 - 15. Harry had tried to tell them that it wasn't a good idea to play two on two, Harry and Ron vs. Fred and George. They lost pathetically, even with Harry playing both seeker and keeper.

The remaining slow and seeming endless days of summer were spent playing at least one Quidditch game a week, lounging around, chucking garden gnomes, swimming, and writing letters to no one in particular. *Cough Ginny Cough*

As for the twins, they were constantly in their rooms experimenting. Otherwise making many odd noises that became just another part of the Weasley house. Percy was always at the Ministry of Magic, worshiping Fudge, as the twins put it. The eldest two, Bill and Charley, were never at home, they were off in their different countries doing their separate jobs. Then there was Ginny. She seemed extremely happy and secretive. What really happened was every other night, a white owl would come and deliver a letter and wait until after she finished for a reply. Each letter was signed: Your knight in shining armor. Her last reply read: My knight in shining armor, please meet me at three in the morning at the river behind my house tomorrow night.

She found out who it was, Harry Potter. After that they would meet at that same place and sit on the ground together staring into space, occasionally kissing.

¡ Back to three days before school.

The next day, Bill and Charlie came home. They proposed a master game between the Weasleys and Harry. Bill, Harry, George, and Ginny were on one team, leaving Charlie, Fred, Ron, and Percy on the other team. On each team there was one beater, two chasers, a seeker; the seeker also doubled as a keeper. (You should be able to figure out who plays what, for Charlie's team, Charlie is the seeker, that should help you.)

The game was fierce and rough. The score was six hundred thirty to four hundred eighty five; Charlie's team was winning. Harry saw the snitch then and went into intricate dives and motions, chasing after the tiny golden ball. The snitch went into a vertical climb upwards to the very top of the troposphere. As ball and seeker reached the limit of the troposphere, Harry caught the snitch. He then fell, his broomstick following, just not as fast. Harry was engulfed in white flames he was falling so fast. As he approached the ground, Harry woke up from his trance. He landed lightly on his feet, as if he were a feather; the flames disappeared. His Firebolt was spiraling above, so fast that it caught fire and blew up. He would have to go to Hogsmeade, or Diagon Alley for a new one.

"Oh well," Harry sighed. He shook his head and held up the snitch signifying the end of the game, and win of his team, by five points. The others slowly drifted down to the ground staring with dumbfounded looks on their faces. Ginny was the first to reach the ground; she ran up to him and hugged him fiercely. He hugged her back distractedly while saying,

"What? What's wrong?" Ron cautiously responded,

"You.you just fell eleven thousand feet off your broom, and didn't break anything or die."

"Oh so that's it now! Just because I catch the snitch and am not on your team, you wish for me to die! If I knew anything, Ronald Weasley, I'd say that you were jealous."

Fred and George snapped out of their dumbfound-ness and roared at Harry, "Now listen here 'Mr. Savior'. You obviously have no clue what happened up there. You were flying at a speed close to the speed that is of sound, and then fell off your broomstick. You were on fire, not a figure of speech; you were engulfed in white flames. And as you reached the ground, you landed as if nothing happened. Falling like that, you should have died, or at least broken a few bones. So just leave Ron alone!"

"White fire you say? That wasn't the only time I've done that. I manage, time and time again, to escape the clutches of death by the same white fire. In fact, I've done that about three hundred thousand times in total. For you see, I have been here since the beginning of time. I was there calling the asteroid to the earth; I was there telling Joseph, the dream reader, of the prophesy of my life. I even know who my father is, even though he doesn't know it, neither does my mother. The fates have yet to let me speak his name in the sentence that will kill some, and change the world, as we know it. Afterwards there will be mass chaos and I will be the last to surrender to death and the end of the world."

He walked back to the house leaving the seven others staring after him, amazed and stupefied. Later, like an hour later, the whole Weasley family searched the house for Harry, but were only able to find his trunk. They went to Dumbledore, but he hadn't seen him either. The next morning at breakfast Harry was sitting in his seat, dressed all in black, cape and all, his head shrouded in shadows; only the bright green eyes visible to anyone. He ended up spending the whole afternoon sitting on the bank of the river, playing a strange flute/ harmonica like instrument. It was high pitched like a flute, but was small enough to fit inside his mouth like a miniature version of the harmonica. He didn't stop for dinner, or to go to bed. When they awoke the next morning, he was standing in front of the fireplace, just staring. Ginny tried to console him, but the most she got out of him was a bow of the head and a long, drawn out hug with him playing his eerie instrument the whole time. After they ate, Ginny brought him a plate of food, but he just stared at it and fell asleep in the chair.

When they were about to leave, Harry was still sleeping, but when they arrived at the platform, he was there, with his school robes and a black traveling cloak on, hood down. He greeted them cheerfully and picked up, his, Ron's and Ginny's trunks.

On the train it was just the three of them, and the annual visit from the ferret and his two lackeys. During their very short visit, Harry cocked his head, and raised his pale and delicate right forefinger, thus using wandless magic throwing the ferret and his two lackeys from the last compartment to the girl's lavatory at the front of the train, causing a great commotion.

When they reached Hogwarts, Hagrid was not there as he normally was. Harry bellowed into the night,

"First years, to the boats!" They did as they were commanded, and headed towards the boats, lead by the famous Harry Potter. He then led them up to McGonagall to be sorted, and to retrieve his prefect badge. At dinner, he stood at the back, partially hidden in the shadows, not eating. Dumbledore then announced,

"I would like to welcome you to a new year at Hogwarts and would like to remind you that the Forbidden Forrest is off limits to everyone, except our new Care of Magical Creatures, our very own." (Will be continued in the next chapter.)

{[Back to Hermione, and one day before Hogwarts]}

Severus awoke to Hermione cradling her sister, crying. He sat up unnoticed, unconsciously rubbing the area where his dark mark was. He then realized that the dark mark wasn't there. Severus cautiously pushed up his sleeve, revealing the ruby rose. He broke down, bawling his eyes out. Only then did Hermione realize that he was awake. She got up and carried her sister to her room, and returned to Severus' room. Severus immediately barraged her with questions about his newfound freedom from the Dark Lord, but the only answer besides 'not now' was 'Alia killed him last night right there.' She pointed at the wall nearest the foot of the bed.

When he asked the question 'What's wrong with Alia, and why are you acting so?' Hermione started shaking, and huge sobs wracked her body. Soon she was bawling into her professor's arms, not caring the least bit that he was the most feared teacher in Hogwarts. That night at dinner, which was held in Alia's room, Hermione explained what had happened the previous night. While she did this, Snape cradled and fed Alia, listening attentively. When Hermione finished the story, Snape shook his head and hugged her and Alia close.

Late into the night, Alia woke up, screaming something awful. Hermione and Snape ran to comfort her, and only around five thirty in the morning did she settle down. She obviously had given up her magical powers when she vanquished the dark lord, because she was back to a normal two month old: crying, gurgling, and not talking or walking. She was also back to a normal two-month-old's height. Hermione picked her up and Snape conjured up a heated bottle of milk. This she fed to Alia, while letting Snape hold herself in his strong and muscular arms, whispering gentle words to both her and Alia. Hermione didn't even realize it when she fell asleep like that in his arms.

Six hours later, Hermione woke up in her own bed, and only then remembered what happened the six hours earlier. She had been holding her sister, and falling asleep in Snape's arms at the same time. She remembered how blissful it had been to have his strong arms wrapped securely around her waist. He had been whispering thanks to Alia, and had been trying to keep her awake. Slowly he rocked her in his arms, slowly her sister had fallen asleep; she had set her down on the bed. He continued rocking her, this time her head was nestled in shoulder. Snape started rubbing her back in small circles, pulling her closer to his muscular body. Soft moans of ecstasy escaped her lips. The rest was a blur to her, probably because she was asleep during it all.

Hermione got out of bed and got ready to head back to Hogwarts. When she got to the dining room, she noticed a figure sitting at the polished mahogany table, a mug of steaming something was before them. She realized that it was Snape. Quietly she approached him. Hermione smelled the strong scent of coffee mixed with alcohol. He was muttering something to himself, so it seemed. When she reached the table, she realized he was talking to a house elf.

"Lils, remind me again why I can't just go and blow up this manor." Snape slurred.

"Master is not to blow up manor because Miss Hermione and Miss Alia is peacefully sleeping in their rooms. I would be with no job then; I'm bound to this house." Lily stated.

"Right you are Lils. I won't go blow up my manor. Even if it means that I have to destroy something." Snape shouted

"Severus, why do you want to destroy the manor?" Hermione questioned.

"Her Hermione! I.I just. you don't remember, do you?" Snape asked.

"Remember what?" Hermione wondered.

"You don't remember what happened after you set Alia on the bed?"

"Yes," This earned a groan from Snape. "I fell asleep in your arms; you were massaging my back."

"Thank the heavens!"

"Thank the heavens for what?"

"I mean you were asleep the whole time then. You see after that, you started to move downward and undo everything your hands got on, and I did nothing to stop you. In fact, I think I took advantage of you. I, your robe and, you; never mind. I think you get what I mean. When I snapped out of it, you were saying something like 'it hurts'. So you have a healing spell on you so you won't be in any pain. I don't know if anything came of this, but within, the next week, if you don't feel good, you'll know what it is. Just come to me then, I'll give you a potion to terminate the pregnancy. Now I understand if you want absolutely nothing to do with me after this, but just promise me, you won't tell anyone about this ever."

"I promise. But I have just a few words for you: Thank you for having the courage to tell me that, for giving me a new experience, and for doing what I couldn't do. What I mean by that is that I never would have been brave enough to do that when I was awake, so thanks for not stopping it." Hermione was crying at the end, but nonetheless threw herself at Snape and hugged him and kissed him, not just little pecks, but downright full passionate kisses.

Who cares how much later it was, just it was the same day, Lily the house elf came in with Alia to remind them that it was time to go to Hogwarts. They immediately stopped and straightened themselves up and went out into the front yard; from there they apparated to Hogwarts. It was the day before the students were due to arrive, and all other teachers were there already.

Hermione decided to stay in Gryffindor tower, and not in a special room. Alia was to be sent to be raised by Molly Weasley during the school year the next afternoon. Neither said a word about the previous morning, instead they chose to ponder the rose on his arm, and what it could do. That evening the students arrived, except Harry wasn't with them. He arrived later just before the sorting ceremony, but didn't eat. Dumbledore made an announcement,

"I would like to welcome you to a new year at Hogwarts and would like to remind you that the Forbidden Forrest is off limits to everyone, except our new Care of Magical creatures, our very own." (Will be continued in the next chapter.)

A/N: Ok, so the end is a bit shady, and I think you are beginning to see the pairings here. Some people think I'm crazy pairing Herm and Sev, but hey, I've seen plenty of this particular pairing! Um. oh yea! I'd like to thank Kanri the assassin for reviewing my story, and Eclipse, if you're out there, I've updated! Kanri, u need help, k? No more sugar 4 u! Say Kanri, did you eva' search for my knee on your road? I'd like it back if u can find it. Then again, the street cleaner probably has it. C u in school Monday, oh and when u have the time, GIVE ME THAT POSTER!!!!!! I'll see you all in the next chapter. So please review!