DISCLAIMER: Nothing you will see in this text has been created by me except the plot. The characters, worlds, and words all belong to J. K. Rowling.
CHAPTER ONE
The Ambush
It was a sweltering July afternoon, and a tall, gangly boy with unruly black hair lay sprawled on his bed, face burrowed into a pitifully flat pillow. He awoke with a start as a large brown owl soared in through his window and pecked him with her beak persistently until he sat up and untied the letter she bore from her leg. The boy opened it eagerly.
Hi Harry,
Happy birthday! Hope your summer has been okay, and you too, as well. I'm rather sunburned from all the time I've spent out in the sun swimming. Dumbledore says you'll be taken to headquarters as soon as it is feasible, Ron is already there with the rest of his family, and I'm joining them tomorrow. When you get here, I'll give you your birthday present -Ron too.
See you soon,
Hermione
Harry Potter crumpled up the letter and chucked it across the room, falling back onto his bed with a threatening groan of the mattress springs. But he didn't care. Just a month before, he had seen the only father figure he had ever known, his godfather Sirius Black, fall through a mysterious veil in the Room of Death, deep down inside the Ministry of Magic. Looking back on it, seeing Sirius fall so slowly, so gracefully -why hadn't anyone caught him? Harry ground his forehead against his knuckles -why hadn't he saved him?
Everyone told him it was no good reminiscing about the past and what might have been, but Harry had cast all their advice aside and gone about things the way he wanted to. And for the past month, he had eaten only enough to sustain himself, cried himself to sleep, and lived the day in a kind of dull oblivion which was, all too rapidly, becoming tedium. Dreams of what might have been haunted his sleep, causing him to wake fitfully in the night. The year before, he had dreamed of a black door at the end of a ghostly corridor, each time venturing further and further into the Department of Mysteries until he had seen his godfather being tortured ..then run to save him from Voldemort. Yet it was so unfair that because of his blunder, Sirius had had to come save him instead ..and fallen to his death.
Harry thought of how Sirius had died for his sake, without ever being given a trial, without Wormtail ever being brought to justice. He had not lived for twelve years in Azkaban, and two years, later, look where he was! Harry choked. A place no one knew, no one could reach, from where no one could return. Even after a month of mourning, Harry had not come to terms with, or even accepted his godfather's death.
Aunt Petunia rapped loudly on Harry's door. "Dinner!" she said curtly, and left without bothering to see if he was coming.
Harry pulled himself away from his musings and walked sullenly downstairs to the dinner table.
"Oh look, Potty's still sad because his godfather died! How sweet!" Dudley sneered.
Harry clenched his fists, spinning around and pulling out his wand, pointing it at Dudley's heart. "Don't - you - dare .." he snarled, waiting until his cousin looked properly horrified before replacing his wand. He sat at the table, across from Dudley, who he ignored. Harry had just dribbled some dressing over his salad when the doorbell rang.
A familiar voice said, "Open up, Dursley."
Another familiar voice said hoarsely, "No, Mad-Eye, not like that -Mr. Dursley? We've come to take Harry -"
Uncle Vernon cast a fleeting look at Aunt Petunia, who gasped and checked to see if any of the neighbors were watching, before closing the drapes over the windows. The room grew steadily hotter as the air failed to circulate. There was a pant and a clatter, and Harry's former Hogwarts professor, Remus Lupin, as well as ex-Auror Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody made their way into the kitchen, accompanied by Uncle Vernon who had gritted his teeth in protest to their being there, face taking on a purple tinge in bottled up rage.
Lupin said kindly to Harry, "Do you have your things? We've come to take you away."
Not sure if he should be thrilled at this bit of information, Harry nodded. "I'll go get them."
Before he left, he saw Lupin and Moody exchange a fleeting glance, but Harry didn't think too much of it. He was upstairs in his room getting his things together when he heard an unearthly scream from Aunt Petunia that raised all the hairs on his neck, as well as some loud clatters and swearing. Unless he was much mistaken, Moody had just muttered a curse vehemently under his breath -they were being ambushed! Harry whipped out his wand and inched downstairs, holding it in front of his body.
"Constant vigilance," he muttered, taking one of Moody's favorite phrases.
When he reached the kitchen, nothing could have prepared him for the sight. Five Death Eaters were there, Lupin and Moody were fighting them valiantly, but they were outnumbered by over 2 to 1 ..the Dursleys had fallen back into a corner, Aunt Petunia whimpering, Dudley cowering, and Uncle Vernon looking horrified in spite of attempts to look brave.
Harry leapt out from behind the corner, aimed his wand at one of the Death Eaters, and roared, "STUPEFY!"
The Death Eater he had been aiming at froze in his tracks, stiffened, and keeled over backwards. Lupin had just caught another Death Eater with the Impedimenta jinx, which had much the same effect as the Stunning Spell, only the victim was still conscious. There were now three active Death Eaters left, and with Harry joining Lupin and Moody, there were three wizards to counteract them. Lupin glanced at the Dursleys often, Harry noticed. His old professor and last friend of Sirius was doing all in his power to block any curses the Death Eaters sent at the Dursleys. Harry knew that their memories would have to be modified after this entire ordeal -or would they?
He ducked a jet of green light, yelling "Petrificus Totalus!" But the Death Eater he had been aiming at ducked to the side, red light firing from the tip of his wand. His hood fell back, and Harry recognized him with grim satisfaction -Lucius Malfoy.
Glancing to the side, Harry saw the man Moody had been fighting fall back, limp form crashing into the dinner table. He made towards Harry, but Harry shook his head, mouthing for him to go help Lupin. Another jet of red light narrowly missed his chest, and Harry retaliated by sending a Stunning Spell back in the direction from where it had come. He was fortunate -his spell hit the Death Eater in the face, and he fell backwards. Harry ran to help Lupin and Moody with three of the Death Eaters who had awoken ..
Half an hour later, the three wizards had the five Death Eaters all stunned and bound with spidery ropes. Moody placed an anti-Disapparation jinx on the men who had been sent to ..sent to what? Harry pondered this for a moment. Sent to kill him? Kidnap him? Or did they somehow find out that Lupin and Moody were going to fetch him tonight ..
Panting, Lupin leaned against the wall, but Moody shook his head tersely and motioned for him to get up. "Get your things, Potter!" he growled. "Dumbledore is on his way, meanwhile, we have to get you out of here."
Harry picked up his trunk and Hedwig's cage, dragging them out to the ambush scene as fast as he could. Moody murmured, "Portus." A chair glowed brightly blue for a moment, then the light faded away.
"Hold on, Harry." Lupin smiled thinly. "One finger will do -"
"And three, two, one .." interrupted Moody.
At he said "one," Harry felt the familiar jerk behind navel, pulling him forward into a vast, spinning universe only accessible when one used a Portkey, as they had just done. Harry landed, sprawled on the ground, at the Order of the Phoenix headquarters, Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place. With he realized that he would never again see Sirius come strolling through the door, grinning to see Harry, never celebrate another Christmas with him, never -
"Come on, Potter," said Moody. "Mrs. Weasley and Tonks are here. Kingsley's dropping by in a few hours, I expect Dumbledore will be here too ..wonder how he's getting on back there," he added as an afterthought. Harry knew that "back there" referred to his aunt and uncle's house.
Harry frowned slightly. He knew Dumbledore was extremely capable, but still, the Death Eaters would be awake by the time he got there (or maybe he'd already arrived), but where would he put them?
"Harry." A hand touched his shoulder, and Harry looked up into the tired face of Remus Lupin. "Don't worry about it, Dumbledore will know what to do."
Harry nodded, noticing for the first time how old Lupin looked for his age. There were fine lines caused by weariness around his eyes, a wrinkle in his forehead from too much frowning and grief. Come to think of it ..when was the last time he'd ever seen Lupin happy? With a pang, Harry realized that Lupin must be feeling just as bad as Harry ..or worse, at the loss of Sirius. Harry had seen only him go, but Lupin had been there when Harry's mother and father had been killed by Lord Voldemort.
Lupin gave Harry another thin smile, barely recognizable. It was more like his lips cracked open, exposing just a fine sliver of his teeth before they closed again. "I'll help you put your stuff away, there's a lot of catching up you have to do."
CHAPTER ONE
The Ambush
It was a sweltering July afternoon, and a tall, gangly boy with unruly black hair lay sprawled on his bed, face burrowed into a pitifully flat pillow. He awoke with a start as a large brown owl soared in through his window and pecked him with her beak persistently until he sat up and untied the letter she bore from her leg. The boy opened it eagerly.
Hi Harry,
Happy birthday! Hope your summer has been okay, and you too, as well. I'm rather sunburned from all the time I've spent out in the sun swimming. Dumbledore says you'll be taken to headquarters as soon as it is feasible, Ron is already there with the rest of his family, and I'm joining them tomorrow. When you get here, I'll give you your birthday present -Ron too.
See you soon,
Hermione
Harry Potter crumpled up the letter and chucked it across the room, falling back onto his bed with a threatening groan of the mattress springs. But he didn't care. Just a month before, he had seen the only father figure he had ever known, his godfather Sirius Black, fall through a mysterious veil in the Room of Death, deep down inside the Ministry of Magic. Looking back on it, seeing Sirius fall so slowly, so gracefully -why hadn't anyone caught him? Harry ground his forehead against his knuckles -why hadn't he saved him?
Everyone told him it was no good reminiscing about the past and what might have been, but Harry had cast all their advice aside and gone about things the way he wanted to. And for the past month, he had eaten only enough to sustain himself, cried himself to sleep, and lived the day in a kind of dull oblivion which was, all too rapidly, becoming tedium. Dreams of what might have been haunted his sleep, causing him to wake fitfully in the night. The year before, he had dreamed of a black door at the end of a ghostly corridor, each time venturing further and further into the Department of Mysteries until he had seen his godfather being tortured ..then run to save him from Voldemort. Yet it was so unfair that because of his blunder, Sirius had had to come save him instead ..and fallen to his death.
Harry thought of how Sirius had died for his sake, without ever being given a trial, without Wormtail ever being brought to justice. He had not lived for twelve years in Azkaban, and two years, later, look where he was! Harry choked. A place no one knew, no one could reach, from where no one could return. Even after a month of mourning, Harry had not come to terms with, or even accepted his godfather's death.
Aunt Petunia rapped loudly on Harry's door. "Dinner!" she said curtly, and left without bothering to see if he was coming.
Harry pulled himself away from his musings and walked sullenly downstairs to the dinner table.
"Oh look, Potty's still sad because his godfather died! How sweet!" Dudley sneered.
Harry clenched his fists, spinning around and pulling out his wand, pointing it at Dudley's heart. "Don't - you - dare .." he snarled, waiting until his cousin looked properly horrified before replacing his wand. He sat at the table, across from Dudley, who he ignored. Harry had just dribbled some dressing over his salad when the doorbell rang.
A familiar voice said, "Open up, Dursley."
Another familiar voice said hoarsely, "No, Mad-Eye, not like that -Mr. Dursley? We've come to take Harry -"
Uncle Vernon cast a fleeting look at Aunt Petunia, who gasped and checked to see if any of the neighbors were watching, before closing the drapes over the windows. The room grew steadily hotter as the air failed to circulate. There was a pant and a clatter, and Harry's former Hogwarts professor, Remus Lupin, as well as ex-Auror Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody made their way into the kitchen, accompanied by Uncle Vernon who had gritted his teeth in protest to their being there, face taking on a purple tinge in bottled up rage.
Lupin said kindly to Harry, "Do you have your things? We've come to take you away."
Not sure if he should be thrilled at this bit of information, Harry nodded. "I'll go get them."
Before he left, he saw Lupin and Moody exchange a fleeting glance, but Harry didn't think too much of it. He was upstairs in his room getting his things together when he heard an unearthly scream from Aunt Petunia that raised all the hairs on his neck, as well as some loud clatters and swearing. Unless he was much mistaken, Moody had just muttered a curse vehemently under his breath -they were being ambushed! Harry whipped out his wand and inched downstairs, holding it in front of his body.
"Constant vigilance," he muttered, taking one of Moody's favorite phrases.
When he reached the kitchen, nothing could have prepared him for the sight. Five Death Eaters were there, Lupin and Moody were fighting them valiantly, but they were outnumbered by over 2 to 1 ..the Dursleys had fallen back into a corner, Aunt Petunia whimpering, Dudley cowering, and Uncle Vernon looking horrified in spite of attempts to look brave.
Harry leapt out from behind the corner, aimed his wand at one of the Death Eaters, and roared, "STUPEFY!"
The Death Eater he had been aiming at froze in his tracks, stiffened, and keeled over backwards. Lupin had just caught another Death Eater with the Impedimenta jinx, which had much the same effect as the Stunning Spell, only the victim was still conscious. There were now three active Death Eaters left, and with Harry joining Lupin and Moody, there were three wizards to counteract them. Lupin glanced at the Dursleys often, Harry noticed. His old professor and last friend of Sirius was doing all in his power to block any curses the Death Eaters sent at the Dursleys. Harry knew that their memories would have to be modified after this entire ordeal -or would they?
He ducked a jet of green light, yelling "Petrificus Totalus!" But the Death Eater he had been aiming at ducked to the side, red light firing from the tip of his wand. His hood fell back, and Harry recognized him with grim satisfaction -Lucius Malfoy.
Glancing to the side, Harry saw the man Moody had been fighting fall back, limp form crashing into the dinner table. He made towards Harry, but Harry shook his head, mouthing for him to go help Lupin. Another jet of red light narrowly missed his chest, and Harry retaliated by sending a Stunning Spell back in the direction from where it had come. He was fortunate -his spell hit the Death Eater in the face, and he fell backwards. Harry ran to help Lupin and Moody with three of the Death Eaters who had awoken ..
Half an hour later, the three wizards had the five Death Eaters all stunned and bound with spidery ropes. Moody placed an anti-Disapparation jinx on the men who had been sent to ..sent to what? Harry pondered this for a moment. Sent to kill him? Kidnap him? Or did they somehow find out that Lupin and Moody were going to fetch him tonight ..
Panting, Lupin leaned against the wall, but Moody shook his head tersely and motioned for him to get up. "Get your things, Potter!" he growled. "Dumbledore is on his way, meanwhile, we have to get you out of here."
Harry picked up his trunk and Hedwig's cage, dragging them out to the ambush scene as fast as he could. Moody murmured, "Portus." A chair glowed brightly blue for a moment, then the light faded away.
"Hold on, Harry." Lupin smiled thinly. "One finger will do -"
"And three, two, one .." interrupted Moody.
At he said "one," Harry felt the familiar jerk behind navel, pulling him forward into a vast, spinning universe only accessible when one used a Portkey, as they had just done. Harry landed, sprawled on the ground, at the Order of the Phoenix headquarters, Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place. With he realized that he would never again see Sirius come strolling through the door, grinning to see Harry, never celebrate another Christmas with him, never -
"Come on, Potter," said Moody. "Mrs. Weasley and Tonks are here. Kingsley's dropping by in a few hours, I expect Dumbledore will be here too ..wonder how he's getting on back there," he added as an afterthought. Harry knew that "back there" referred to his aunt and uncle's house.
Harry frowned slightly. He knew Dumbledore was extremely capable, but still, the Death Eaters would be awake by the time he got there (or maybe he'd already arrived), but where would he put them?
"Harry." A hand touched his shoulder, and Harry looked up into the tired face of Remus Lupin. "Don't worry about it, Dumbledore will know what to do."
Harry nodded, noticing for the first time how old Lupin looked for his age. There were fine lines caused by weariness around his eyes, a wrinkle in his forehead from too much frowning and grief. Come to think of it ..when was the last time he'd ever seen Lupin happy? With a pang, Harry realized that Lupin must be feeling just as bad as Harry ..or worse, at the loss of Sirius. Harry had seen only him go, but Lupin had been there when Harry's mother and father had been killed by Lord Voldemort.
Lupin gave Harry another thin smile, barely recognizable. It was more like his lips cracked open, exposing just a fine sliver of his teeth before they closed again. "I'll help you put your stuff away, there's a lot of catching up you have to do."