Disclaimer- I own what you don't recognize...okay?
It was an abnormally cold Halloween that year. Darkness flowed across Godric's Hallow as Voldemort and some of his most trusted death eaters invaded the Potter's residence. The group marched in deadly silence in a single file line towards the large house. The sound of their boots crunching through the fallen leaves seem to echo throughout the night. Finally, a cold hoarse voice cut through the air.
"Wormtail, where is this so called vanquisher?" Malfoy hissed in Peter Pettigrew's ear.
"I don't know, maybe they split, Dumbledore must have inside sources and found out what we knew, yeah. I'm sure of it!" he squeaked nodding his head vigorously in the dark.
A pale sickly looking man with long greasy hair shifted and looked uncomfortable when he heard this. Nobody seemed to notice.
"Just like you were sure of the Longbottom's place?" Bellatrix Lestrange, a well known notorious Deatheater, snarled sarcastically at Peter, making him jump back a few inches. "And what a pity, I was really in the mood to play with some Mudblood lover's that night..."
"H-Hey! The prophecy is real! Dumbledore's was real close to these people, that's all. They'll turn up sooner or later!" Peter reminded them fiercely, "You should treat me with respect! Because if it wasn't for me Master would have been history a long time ago!"
"How dare you speak such blasphemy concerning me?!" Voldemort screeched in a bone chilling tone. Peter covered his hair and whimpered audibly.
"Never speak about the master that way, cretin!" Lucius Malfoy growled in a way vicious enough to scare his own shadow away.
"How dare you?! Crucio!" Lestrange bellowed into the night. Out of her wand came a blinding red light that wrapped it way around Peter. Peter was lifted off of his position on the grassy field into midair, surrounded by the light. He began to cringe and howl in pain. He writhed in midair screaming until he was on the point of tears.
"Much as I hate to admit it, I think Pettigrew is right...Dumbledore could have those brats anywhere, training them up for the day when one of them has to kill- I mean- has to die...maybe we should just lay low until we find them." Severus Snape muttered aloud as he watched the pathetic sight.
"Snape is right, let the fool down, Bellatrix." Voldemort said barely moving his nonexistent lips. He stroked the top of her head like she was a little girl.
"Who are you to tell the Dark Lord what to do? Are you suggesting what I think you are?! The Dark Lord will never step down to muggle lovers likes yourself!" Lucius spat, edging closer to Snape, drawing his wand.
"STOP!" Voldemort demanded, holding his thin palms flat out in the air.
Lestrange released the spell and Peter fell into a crumbling heap on the floor, slightly smoking. Malfoy stopped harassing Snape and turned his attention to his Master. Snape did the same.
"Yes Master." All three chorused in unison.
"Maybe...just maybe Snape is right." Voldemort hissed in his shrill voice. "Dumbledore has been plotting against me since the very beginning! I bet he has got something under his sleeve concerning the brats! Perhaps...Perhaps we shall put or plan on hiatus for a while...until I get those children, at least one of them, in my clutches..."
"How long will we wait to regain our reign over the wizarding world then?" Lestrange questioned with her temper rising slowly.
"As long as it takes for either Dumbledore to die or we find the only two children capable of defeating me. I will not take any chances of being knocked down by a mere child while I am in my prime!"
"But, Master-!" Malfoy exclaimed.
"Keep your mouth shut Malfoy! I would hate to give one of my favorite death eaters the Pettigrew treatment!" Voldemort hissed angrily, pointing to Peter.
They all remained quiet for a while just listening to the wind blow through the darkness.
"Shall we be on our way then master?" Snape questioned stepping over Peter.
"Let's. Malfoy, keep a close eye on Pettigrew until we here from those children!" Voldemort instructed as he whipped out an old stopwatch engraved with Thomas Marvolo Riddle, a portkey.
"I wouldn't be surprised if the filthy drunk imagined the whole prophecy thing..." Lestrange muttered under her breath as she touched the portkey.
Malfoy got real close to Peter's slightly charred face, "There better be something worth waiting for Pettigrew..."
When Peter didn't move or make any noise Lucius whipped out his wand.
"Someone's gonna spend the next few years getting in touch with his furry side..." he said as he transfigured Peter into his animagus form and dumped him into his pocket. "Young Draco will be happy for another playmate." He remarked cackling.
The chilling voice faded out in Harry's head and in came the soft swishing of the waves milling up and down the slightly grassy shore. He cringed as a bit of wetness rolled under his outstretched leg. He rolled off his side, getting a few grains of rocky sand and scattered grass caught in his long dark rumpled mane. The blazing sun beat down onto his face until a shadow was cast over his resting figure.
"You think he's dead?" a familiar voice whispered cautiously. But of course every voice gets to be familiar when you live on a deserted island with the same ten people for fifteen years.
"Yeah, yeah!" another voice belonging to a toddler added eagerly as he poked Harry's bare stomach with a long stick. Harry groaned and attempted to fan the nuisance away, unsuccessfully.
"Oh, you say yeah, yeah to everything, Milo!" the first voice said exasperatedly.
"Hawwy, Hawwy, Hawwy..." Milo chanted, bouncing around Harry merrily.
Harry reached out and gripped at one of their ankles briskly.
"Ahhh!" the older boy yelped helplessly.
"Yeah, yeah, Hawwy!" Milo responded to his brother's sudden action by tugging at his shorts, indicating for him to get up.
"What is it Alvin?" Harry croaked to the eleven year old, shielding his eyes from the light with his sandy hand. Harry stared up at the pudgy adolescents that had disrupted his six hour vacation away from everybody. Alvin's rust colored hair shimmered in the sunlight as his lower lip trembled slightly. His dark brown eyes shifted around nervously, giving Harry a big hint as to what he was about to say.
"Your mother wants to know if you wanted your lunch." Alvin replied rubbing his ankle carefully and shifting his eyes away from Harry's. Harry gave him a funny look and rolled his jade green eyes towards the sky.
"...Alvin this is the fifth time you ate my lunch this week and it's only Saturday!" Harry exclaimed throwing his hands up.
"I didn't eat all of it...I just took an itty bitty nibble...There's probably one lobster patty left." Alvin muttered shifting his feet around in the sand.
"You would think your mother doesn't feed you..." Harry mumbled thrusting himself up on his palms. "What time is it anyway?" Harry questioned, dusting himself off.
"About...two, I think." answered a voice behind them. Harry glanced over his bare shoulder and saw his good friend Neville Longbottom grinning back at him. "What have you been doing out here all morning anyway? Planning a great escape?" Neville questioned sarcastically, cautiously stepping down from the rock.
"Why in fact I have! My boat made out of toilet tissue, seaweed, and human scabs is almost completed!" Harry said with false cheeriness.
"Room for two?"
"Only if you can pull your weight on the S.S Harry. You know, power the scab sail by breath? I don't feel a breeze." Harry said, starting on the path back to the house. Neville, Alvin, and Milo followed.
"Yes, yes, but what do we do when the man eating sea bubbles get too near?" Neville said shielding his mouth with his hands as if he was terrified at the idea.
"We could always bring along Milo, he's small, doesn't take up much space, and he would make the perfect snack." Harry suggested.
"Yeah, yeah!" the two year old chirped, glad to hear he was included in his brother's escape plan.
Alvin looked at all three of them with a cocked eyebrow.
"You guys are weirdoes." he stated simply, walking ahead of them.
"You could come too, Alvin! We can tie you to the back of the boat and use you as a raft when worst comes to worst." Harry shouted after him.
"Nah, he would sink us and I don't know how to swim..." Neville commented in a serious manner.
Harry chuckled as Alvin turned to scowl at them. He headed into one of the modest houses they were nearing. The houses were both identical two stories painted white with red trimming. It looked as if the houses were just plopped in the middle of the sand and grass field surrounded by many tropical plants and bushy apple trees that were just beginning to sprout little white flowers. Over the horizon on all sides of them was sparkling blue water that looked tempting on a lukewarm day like this one.
"How can you live in this wretched place for fifteen years and not learn how to swim, it's an island!" Harry questioned Neville for about the millionth time.
"Let's just say I don't like trying things where the outcome of my failure is death by drowning." Neville said looking as sheepish as his younger brother Alvin did when he told Harry he ate his lunch.
"Then how do you eat soup?" Harry questioned with a grin as they entered Harry's house.
"What? How the heck would you drown in soup?" Neville asked incredulously, looking at Harry as if he was mad.
"You could fall asleep over a full bowl then bam! Potatoes and chicken floatin' up your nose!" Harry said dramatically, clogging up his nose with his fingers as if to demonstrate.
"Oh no! I'm never touching soup again!" Neville exclaimed extremely worried as they both stepped into Harry's kitchen where James Potter was reading the newspaper he had delivered every week via seagull (as to not arouse suspicion of an owl flying to the middle of the ocean every week).
"What a pity, your dad just told me he was cooking his famous clam chowder tonight!" James said eyeing them over the newspaper as Milo clambered onto his lap.
"Oh no, I better warn him!" Neville said, striding out of the kitchen.
"About drowning?" Harry questioned, looking up from the refrigerator.
"No, the danger of clam bites!" Neville remarked on his way out the door.
Harry scoffed a bit and returned to his quest for food. He had missed breakfast also so he was positively starving.
"I worry about that kid." James muttered as he returned his attention to the newspaper. Harry took a seat next to him at the table and sipped from a milk carton nosily.
"What have I told you about drinking from the carton?" James questioned in a mock stern manner.
"Err...the same thing you tell me about every bad habit I have: don't do it when mom's around." Harry said draining the carton.
"Mam, Mommy!" Milo squealed, poking his face from behind the newspaper and glancing over Harry's shoulder with his laughing hazel eyes.
"Well it looks like you'll have to be punished then." Lily Potter's voice surprised them both. She walked from her position at the doorway to Harry and plucked the empty carton out of his hand and smacked Harry on top of his head with it.
"Ow!" Harry exclaimed, reaching his hands up to protect his aching head.
"I have eyes everywhere, young man." Lily replied with a smirk on her face.
"You should know that by now..." James muttered putting down his news paper to release a struggling Milo from his lap.
"I'll keep that in mind..." Harry replied sarcastically. Seeing as the last drop of milk did not satisfy his great hunger, he got up and began to scan the cabinets.
Milo stood expectantly behind him with his hands on his hips.
"You hungry or something?" Harry asked a bit irritably, turning away from his search.
"Yeah, yeah!" Milo said as he nodded vigorously.
"Don't give him any more snacks. This little piggy helped Alvin finish off your lunch!" Lily said stepping up and grabbing Milo by his sides. He squirmed in her grip as she ruffled his curly black hair.
"About that. Why do you always give my meals away? I was just gone for a moment!" Harry mumbled, settling on making a peanut butter and marshmallow sandwich. James scoffed at his comment.
"Try six hours! Where do you disappear to anyway, kid?" James questioned, plucking some of Harry's marshmallows out of his oozing sandwich once he was settled at the table again.
"Hmm...I stopped to the town square before I went to the arcade about ten miles from here...oh yeah, then I way down to the ice cream shop where I met some new kids!" Harry replied sarcastically before taking an angry chunk out of his sandwich. "Honestly, there are only so many places I can go on this rock! Where do you think I was?" Harry asked them a little more angrily them he attempted.
Lily and James both stared at Harry and sighed deeply. They went through this a lot with him.
"Well it's not like we enjoy having to be here, isolated from people either Harry." Lily commented testily while pouring herself some lemonade.
"It's not like we chose this..." James muttered, gazing out of the window with a blank, almost sad, look in his now dull hazel eyes.
"Oh, yes, blame it on me!" Harry exclaimed throwing down his sandwich in a tantrum.
"Nobody's blaming anything on anyone." Lily said sternly.
"Why don't you just come out and say it?'If it wasn't for you Voldemort wouldn't be hunting us down!' I know you want to! Even I want to!" Harry hollered as he made his way out the kitchen in a flurry.
"...Well somebody's having a temper tantrum." James remarked, not taking his eyes off the window.
"What are we gonna do with him? He's been acting like this too much lately! None of the other kids have-" Lily went on, taking a seat next to James.
"None of the other kids have been here as long as Harry." James reminded her. "And he has to live with the fact that we're basically here because of him."
"Neville too. You don't see him carrying on like this!" Lily commented.
"Neville and Harry are two different kids, Darling." James said finally turning around to face Lily. "He doesn't decide to run away for hours at a time so he can rant and rave at everybody later like Harry, and Harry doesn't go around paranoid at everything that happens. It's just the way they are."
"I suppose so..." Lily said letting out an exasperated sigh. "I bet he gets that from you..." she smirked.
"Me?" James questioned skeptically.
"Well, he sure doesn't get that bad temper from me!"
"Says the redhead, notorious for her temper..." smirked James, earning a smack on the arm from Lily.
"Not all redheads have temper problems, that's just a stereotype!"
"Don't worry Red, I like feisty girls!" he said, again getting clobbered by his wife.
Harry stumbled out into the backyard angrily trampling sprouts of grass in his path. He didn't really mean to get so steamed at his parents as often as he knew it was harder on them than it was on him. They hadn't seen their friends or families besides them for years. Dumbledore had put a strain to them receiving many letters because of the risk of them being intercepted. Harry's only friend outside the island, Austin also contacted him this way. They were only aloud to get mail other than newspapers and supplies once a month when Dumbledore visited or by the seagull he trained. Their fireplace was cut off from every floo network except for Dumbledore's office in Hogwarts and that was only for emergencies and for one trip to Diagon Alley to get a wand for each child once they turned eleven. Dumbledore insisted they be home schooled so once they finally got off the island they would be prepared to attend Hogwarts. Harry doubted that he would ever see life off of the island though. Even though Voldemort had not been heard from for the last fifteen years, besides the minor muggle murders by hostile and restless deatheaters, Dumbledore said he felt Voldemort was still out their, biding his time until he could find his potential destroyers.
Harry sat on the top of the hill facing the open field. On the bottom of the hill he spotted his two other siblings fourteen year old Ethan, better known as Ziggy, and twelve year old Rose, named after Harry's grandmother, along with Alvin in the shade of the apple tree. Ziggy shared a lot of Harry's characteristics including his brilliant eyes, his slightly crooked nose, the same gold rimmed rectangle glasses, and he was just about as lanky. The main difference in their appearance was that Ziggy had a wild bush prickly red hair that stuck out in all directions opposed to Harry's long ponytail of untamable black hair. Rose was a petite little twelve years old that was the image of Milo with her curly raven locks and her light hazel eyes. She reminded Harry of a more tomboyish version of his mother, as she was usually seen nagging people, especially Alvin. For this reason Harry found Rose the easiest person to talk to.
Rose held a shiny pair of scissors in her hands as she stood over Ziggy who was crouched beneath her. Alvin just struggled to hang on to a low bough of the tree. Deciding he didn't want to be alone he trekked down there to join them.
"Don't cut it to close to my head this time, you here?" Ziggy voiced, squinting his emerald eyes up to Rose who just tugged his wild auburn hair in all directions, trying to proportion it.
"Yeah, yeah, I know..." Rose muttered, snipping off some of the edges.
They all noticed Harry coming towards them.
"Whoa oh, can it be? Our illusive brother gracing us with his presence?" Ziggy questioned in mock awe, slapping his palm against his cheek.
Rose looked up at Harry and grinned curiously, still snipping away at Ziggy's hair.
"Damn, you came back! We were just about to divide up your stuff and I was gonna move into your room..." Rose said jokingly.
"Yes, you'll just have to wait until I get dragged off by a giant squid or what not." Harry said shaking the bough that Alvin clutched onto, roughly.
"Alright there, Vinny?"
"Get aw-w-w-w-way jerk!" Alvin quivered helplessly as he kicked wildly barely missing Harry's face.
Harry plopped on the floor next to Ziggy, chuckling.
"Why do you always pick on him?" Rose reprimanded, tugging at Ziggy's hair toughly.
"Why does he always climb trees if he's afraid of heights?" Harry countered, the grin on his face still unwavering.
"He's got a point there." Neville said, approaching them from behind. He took a seat next to Harry on the grassy lawn.
"Finally got the evil clams under control?" Harry questioned sniggering as Neville blushed deeply and looked away.
"Hey, you're cutting too much!" Ziggy wailed.
"Stop whining, I'm only cutting it down on one side!" Rose replied.
Harry observed Ziggy's hair with a cocked eyebrow. It was hacked off in various places and due to Ziggy constantly moving nowhere was level making his already unkempt hair jut out even more. Harry looked at his brother and gave him a thumbs up. He knew Ziggy actually liked having his hair in a wild state and that's why everyone called him Ziggy.
"So what were you doing away so long Harry?" Rose questioned finally as she put the last finishing touches on Ziggy's head.
"No doubt harassing some poor misfortunate snake, planning an escape, hunting for buried treasure...you know the usual" Ziggy answered for him.
"You shouldn't talk to the snakes away from the garden Harry, the others can be dangerous!" Neville reminded him.
Ziggy scoffed at Neville's wariness.
"Did your mom tell you that one Neville?"
"Of course!" Alvin chirped from in the tree. He had managed to climb higher and was beginning to loose his grip. "Ah...a little help here please!"
"Oh, calm down, Harry wasn't bothering any snakes...right Harry?" Rose questioned beginning to make her way up the tree.
"Actually, I dozed off." Harry answered, making Neville sigh with relief.
"-After being attacked by a venomous snake?" Ziggy questioned looking excited at the prospect of there being something dangerous on the island.
"No. By exhaustion because a certain idiot wouldn't stop screaming about aliens and what not in his sleep! Honestly, I don't know why Uncle Padfoot sent you those stupid comics in the first place!" Harry said glaring at a blushing Ziggy maliciously.
"Those things are really convincing..." He muttered while smoothing down his hair.
"Anyway, I had that weird dream again..." Harry continued, lying back down on his back. The warm grass felt good on his bare back which was chilly despite the warm weather.
Alvin gasped as his feet touched the ground.
"You mean the one about V-Voldemort?" he whispered, as if Voldemort would jump out and attack him if he heard his name mentioned.
"Yeah. This time the blonde guy turned the fat guy into a rat!" Harry said.
"A rat? What would he do with a rat?" Rose questioned with a skeptical smile playing on her face.
"I betcha he's gonna probe it...he sounds like the type." Ziggy muttered.
Everybody turned to him.
"You don't know how wrong that sounds." Rose replied to him.
"He said he was gonna give it to somebody named...Draco to play with."
Ziggy snorted loudly and leaned over Harry.
"Draco?"
"What kind of a name is that?" Alvin questioned starting to giggle lightly.
"Who knows, maybe it's a popular name in the real world." Harry remarked, his anger from earlier surfacing again.
Everybody remained silent for a while.
"We'll never get off of this stupid island will we?" Alvin muttered with his bottom lip poking out as if he were about to start crying from self pity.
"Nope, were doomed to be here for life just because of some freak that looks like a snake's got issues with muggles." Neville said.
"Ten castaways, damned to live life on this deserted island forever! Fate has dealt us a cruel hand indeed!" Ziggy said overdramatically, draping his arm over his eyes.
"Oh get over it! Look on the bright side-" Rose started.
"What bright side, idiot?" Ziggy said scowling at his younger sister.
"...No...no Dark Lord has come to kill us yet?" Rose suggested.
"How, super!" Ziggy exclaimed sarcastically.
"I kinda wish the weak lout would show his face. Then we'd show him, right guys? First I'd knock him off his toes, and then I'll aim to his face while you two start out with the hexes!" Alvin questioned determinedly, jumping around, attacking the air.
"Yeah, then he'd wipe us all out with one curse." Neville added.
"Don't be so glum guys. We'll get off of the island someday." Rose said trying to perk everyone's spirits up.
"Yeah, the day he wipes us all off with one curse, I told you." Neville replied again.
"Why do you always try to ruin our bad moods?" Ziggy asked in mock annoyance.
"Because, the thought of me dieing here, never ever experiencing all the things I've been deprived of is just too depressing."
"Things like what?" Neville asked with curiosity displayed on his face.
Rose settled on the lowest branch of the apple tree and thought for a moment before answering.
"Well, things like talking to another girl because talking to you four all the time is driving me insane...and well being able to do everyday things, I suppose...going a whole day without seeing a familiar face would be sweet...and of course," she batted her eyes dramatically at Ziggy. "I've always dreamt of falling in love with a handsome guy who would take me away on his noble steed into a crowded city where we would live for the rest of eternity surrounded by a whole variety of people that don't include you four." she finished, sighing deeply.
"That sounds nice." Alvin added dreamily, making everybody turn to eye him suspiciously.
"Not the part with the guy, the other crap." he added very quickly and unconvincingly, making everyone laugh.
"I think we all wish somebody would just whisk us away from here."
"Na uh! If all girls are like Rose I'm better off alone..." Ziggy muttered.
"Believe me they are." Harry said.
"What's wrong with Rose? I like the way she is." Alvin said.
"You like anybody who'll make sure you don't fall and bust your ass hanging out of a tree..." Ziggy muttered, lying down on his back next to Harry.
"What makes you think you know how girls act? You've been stuck on this island longer than any of us Harry!" Rose exclaimed from above in the tree.
"Austin writes me about everything."
"What's up with Milo?" Neville said pointing over the horizon towards the house.
Harry sprang up from off of his back to see Milo sprinting towards them as fast as his little legs could carry him. He had an excited grin on his face and ran with his arm pointing straight up in the air with his index finger extended.
"What's he saying?" Ziggy muttered, scrunching up his face in confusion.
"Sounds like he's saying 'turdy'." Alvin giggled.
"No listen!"
"Birdie, birdie! Birdie birdie!" Milo chanted in a distance.
"Bird?" Neville called out.
Milo paused and nodded vigorously.
"Yeah, yeah!" he said breathlessly, still pointing up.
Everybody looked up and saw a seagull swooping down towards the front of the house, carrying the monthly stack of letters.
AN- It's all a cycle. I write chapters...you write reviews...I get fluffery feeling...fluffery turns to inspiration...I write chapter...get the picture?
Next Chapter: A Wish Come True