A/N:WARNING this story containes metions RAPE. No details though, I assure you...

Setting up the scene is utterly dull, but necessary. Things are still a bit slow until the end of the first chapter, but once it picks up, it PICKS UP…

-x-

Strawberries

Prologue: The War

The War had lasted for 3 years. Voldemort had struck in Harry's 6th Year at Hogwarts. It had turned the world up side down. There was chaos an destruction everywhere. Ministry's from all over the world had banned together to stop Voldemort, but they were corrupted. Voldemort had spies all over, in every country, in ever ministry. They fell quickly and the wizarding world was thrown into disarray. There was no commander, no leader. But then suddenly, another force took it's place. A secret fighting force had starting fighting against Voldemort and his followers. Many were quick to join after they had found out. Voldemort was also quick to send spies there, but the secret fighting force had a way of separating out the bad from the good, and with more people on it's side, they had crushed the deatheaters, but there was still one last thing. Voldemort.

Harry Potter had been working with the secret force, who called themselves the Order of the Phoenix, for some years now, but had kept hidden. Voldemort would ultimately win the war if The-Boy-Who-Lived died; so they devised a plan. Meanwhile, Voldemort was left with little followers after the secret force had started killing them off and he found his most loyal turning away from him when he could not promise them power. They ran to the Ministry, claiming to be under the imperious curse. Many were not forgiven, but deatheaters spies in the Ministry, loyal to Voldemort or not, allowed many to walked free.

Finally, in the 3rd year of battle, The-Boy-Who-Lived showed himself. He had dueled with Voldemort, his loyal friends, Hermione Granger and Ronald Weasley ever at his side. Both were there when Harry was hit by the Killing Curse, and saw when he fell down and did not get up. They had thought that this was the end, and Hermione and Ron and both sent curses at Voldemort, but their magic, even combined, was weak against him. Instead they did the only thing they could do. They sacrificed themselves to bring Harry back to life. And they did. And with one finally blow, Harry struck down Voldemort and he vanished. But the price had been a great one for Harry. His two best friends; they had been loyal to the end.

And that was it, the war was over. It had been 3 years since the war, and the 26-year-old Harry Potter had nothing left but the world. He played a major role in organizing authority. And although many had asked him to become minister, he declined and then disappeared. No where could the press find Harry Potter, but they knew. They knew he was alive.

Harry had built a shelter after the War for all those who had lost homes or family and just needed a place to stay for a while or for support. He had a wide variety of witches and muggles coming in and seeking help. And then there was also the day care. Prices had risen during the War and it seemed that just breathing was expensive. Many magical folk and muggles had sunk into poverty. But when the War finally ended, things started to return to normal, and so did people. But some people needed more help than others, especially people will small children or expecting. The James Potter day care was a place where the parents could leave their kids and go to work without having to worry about them. Harry had been very keen on making the day care; he didn't want any child to have to grow up being left alone or hungry. He knew what that felt like, growing up the with the Dursely's, even if they were always around to make fun of him, had been lonely. Even at school he had never made any friends; that is, until he went to Hogwarts.

Hogwarts had been torn down by the war. It was a major battle site and many had fallen there: student, teacher,and deatheater. Harry had gone back to look upon his beloved school one last time before disappearing into the muggle world.

The familiar worn stone was crumbling and empty. Row upon row of stair cases led to drop off to nothing, empty air. Windows sat broken, high up on solitary walls; the shattered glass that hung in them reflected how empty it was. The once grand Great Hall was left to nothing, not a piece of ceiling left to show how dark the weather stayed around the place. Fireplaces that had once held cheery fires to warm students were cold and empty, only half of the bricks left. Such a dark desolation hung in the air that even the animals and the creatures in the forest had left.

It had been his place, his home, his sanctuary.

Harry shivered at the though, he couldn't stand to think of the past, of Hogwarts. He thought life was hard then… how naïve he had been.

This War had been all his fault. If the prophecy had never come true, none of this would have happened. Oh, if only Sirius had arrived at the Potter house just a bit sooner on that black night Voldemort came and killed them. And the thought of Sirius too... So much pain and suffering had happened.

Harry had lost practically everyone close to him, and he knew he shouldn't have let them. His parents, his godfather, his two most best and faithful friends, and the million more innocent and guilty people who had been killed. It had all been his fault.

That's why he hid out in his lonely muggle neighborhood with only a few selective people from his stained past who knew where he was. Gone was the heroic boy who had defeated the most hated wizard of all time. He grimaced at the though. How could he be called brave or heroic when all he wanted to do was lay down and die and forget all the pain from his past. He struggled daily just to get out of bed, and with each bridge he passed came the tempted pull of the emptiness of death.

And so was his life.

-x-
Short and sweet. Fed it to 'ya straight.

•lady incognita•