A/N: Chapter 2! I'm so excited! Anyway, I thought I should get straight to
the point in the last chapter because I hate waiting on those stories that
spend so much time trying to tell you about the world before whatever
switch comes up that you get annoyed by the third chapter in which nothing
has happened and go to a different story. Okay, so I ranted. But not much.
Chapter 2: Back to Back Then
Sit down, loose yourself in thought
Then you might find it's all we've got
Take a chance, the future's in your hands
Make it what you can before our time has reached the end.
-The Calling
Harry woke up with a horrible pain in his back and an unfamiliar setting all around him. He struggled to his feet, glancing sharply around. This couldn't be right. How did he get here?
The memories of the past night came back to him. Harry grimaced involuntarily. He had fallen. Had Malfoy just left him there? That didn't seem like him.
He took another look at his surroundings. Everything appeared different. He could sense it. A dark magic hung in the air. He closed his eyes and concentrated on its source. He sped mentally after the magic trail, seeing everything through his shut eyes. The trail came to an end in front of a pair of evil red eyes. They searched for him. They knew about him. They tried to find him.
Harry jerked his eyes open and nearly staggered to the ground. Voldemort was here! Voldemort had been resurrected! Malfoy had left him here for the Dark Lord to get him! Malfoy had brought Voldemort back!
Harry took a deep breath, stopping the insane thoughts that fought to drive him into a panic. That could never happen. Voldemort couldn't come back. It would take someone with a lot more power than Malfoy to get through all the charms, hexes, and curses Harry had placed around any magic that might even slightly be able to do that. But the eyes. Harry knew those eyes. They haunted his dreams every time he went to sleep.
Harry snapped to attention of his surroundings. He heard noises.laughter. This wasn't evil laughter. This was real laughter. Harry winced. It had been so long.
A group of teenage girls came walking down the path. They paused when they saw Harry.
"Who are you?"
Harry didn't answer. He stared at them, determining their intent. He didn't sense magic. They were Muggles.
"I am Harry Potter."
"Better question," one girl said. "What are you doing here?"
"Better question," Harry said a small smirk appearing on his face, mocking her. "What can you do to extract the information?"
The girl locked her jaw in annoyance. "I think I'm the one who can ask questions. You are on my land."
Harry laughed. It didn't compare to the easy, carefree laughter of the girl's. This laughter reflected the laugher-one who has seen far too much and if forced to see the humor in things that have none. The girls looked at each other uneasily.
"You don't own this land," Harry said, stopping the eerie laughter abruptly. "He owns it. Just as He will own everything. You have no idea what you're talking about." Harry looked them straight in the eye and snapped his fingers. He disappeared.
He appeared seconds later at the Ministry of Magic grinning to himself. Very little brought him pleasure nowadays, but he enjoyed irritating the Ministry by breaking the Decree of Wizarding Secrecy every once in a while. And they irritated so easily.
He walked into the front doors and went straight to the Department in control of protecting the very law he had just broken.
"Two Muggles need a memory charm," he said to the man behind the desk. He didn't recognize him, but they seemed to change every once in a while.
"What happened?" The man asked without looking up.
"I Apparated in front of them."
The man looked up, exasperated. He paused at the sight of Harry. "Who are you?"
Harry raised his eyebrows. "You're kidding, right?"
"Listen here," he said, standing up. "I really don't care who you are. You should know better than to do this sort of thing! We have enough on our hands then having to watch over you and your hooligan friends who-" He stopped suddenly by the look on Harry's face.
"Do you have any idea who you're talking to?" Harry said in a voice of deathly calm.
"I-I-no. Should I?" He faltered, intimidated as everyone was by the aurora of power Harry gave off when he became angry.
"Yes," Harry said. "After all, I only saved this entire pathetic world more times than once." Harry faltered this time. He had caught a glimpse of the calendar. 1998. "Or I will."
* * *
"Some guy came in," said the head in Dumbledore's fireplace. "He said two Muggles who needed a memory charm. Said he Apparated right in front of them! Now I know what you're thinking," the man said. "But he didn't look like any Death Eater I've ever seen. He had a mighty amount of power though. I could feel it and I'm not the best at telling these sorts of things."
Dumbledore sighed. "And you didn't recognize him? What did he look like?"
"Black hair.amazing emerald eyes. That's about it really."
Dumbledore nodded. "Thank you. Check in if he makes another appearance."
The man hesitated.
"Is there something else?"
"I don't know if it's relevant. I mean, he could have been a raving lunatic. But he seemed to think I should have known him."
"Did he now? Did he say why?"
"I asked, and he said that he had saved the world more than once. I have to admit, with the power that guy had, I actually believed him. But then he looked past me and kind of muttered something. Then he looked at me again and quickly Disapparated."
"Disapparated? But there is a spell blocking any form of Apparition around the Ministry."
"There is, isn't there?" the man looked thoughtful. "But this guy had power. I didn't even think it unusual when I saw it. I felt kind of relieved too. He intimidated me a little. I wouldn't put it past him to Apparate right in there!"
Dumbledore nodded. "Thank you for the warning."
The man nodded, seeing the dismissal. His head disappeared with a small pop.
Dumbledore sat back in his chair and rubbed his temple. He had sensed the same presence earlier. Another problem.
He sat up quickly. He sensed someone's presence in the room.
A man stepped into the light. Dumbledore managed to hide a startled exclamation. It looked like Harry.
"I know what you're thinking," the man said. "But I'm not who you think I am."
Dumbledore looked at him. The Ministry official had been right. This man did have power.lots of it. Dumbledore gave him his piercing gaze. He saw the man's eyes.Lily's eyes. They were nothing. They looked like mirrors, reflecting everything but showing nothing of what lay beyond.
The man seemed to know what Dumbledore tried to do and instead of turning away as seemed almost customary with anyone who got into range of the gaze, he looked straight into his eyes and smirked.
"How did you get in here?" Dumbledore asked abruptly.
"I didn't Apparate if that's what you're thinking," the man said with a smirk. "I've been in here for quite some time. I simply didn't wish to be seen."
"Why have you come?"
"To business then," the man said. "I thought you should know. Voldemort's searching for me. He knows." the man stopped and shook his head. "He felt me coming, as you did. Do not worry for my safety. Do not worry about me falling to the Dark Lord. Your concern is for the boy."
"Harry."
"No, Ron," the man said with another smirk.
"Who are you if you are not Harry Potter?"
"I am already beyond your help," the man said shortly. "And I do not need help. I need a way home. I can find that on my own. I'm here to lift a strain. I know what it's like to know one too many things."
The door opened suddenly. The man whipped around. Hermione Granger, prefect, walked in. Dumbledore saw the man's shield drop like a stone. He had been hurt. He knew all that could happen, all that would. He had seen loved ones die around him and be powerless to stop it. Dumbledore saw self blame and self inflicted emotional torture.
"I'm sorry," Hermione said, embarrassed. "I didn't hear anyone in here-I- where did he go?"
The man had disappeared.
Hermione looked shocked. "How did he do that? No one can Apparate in the Hogwart's grounds!"
"No," Dumbledore said softly. "No one can."
A/N: Okay, for all those who are thinking, 'No one can Apparate inside the Hogwarts ground!' You're completely right and everything will be revealed in later chapters. I'm not sure which one. One of them.
Gilthas: That's brilliant.
Me: Shut up. I thought muses were supposed to encourage.
Gilthas: See now, you've always thought that when the reality is, the muse is supposed to inspire. I don't have to encourage to inspire.
Me: Well, if you don't be more encouraging about my first story, I'll use Drizzt from Forgotten Realms as my name instead of you.
Drizzt: Yay!
Me: Hey! You're a dark elf! You're supposed to scowl.
Drizzt: *scowls*
Me: Excellent. All is right with the world. Oh, and readers, Please review the newbie author's story!!!
Chapter 2: Back to Back Then
Sit down, loose yourself in thought
Then you might find it's all we've got
Take a chance, the future's in your hands
Make it what you can before our time has reached the end.
-The Calling
Harry woke up with a horrible pain in his back and an unfamiliar setting all around him. He struggled to his feet, glancing sharply around. This couldn't be right. How did he get here?
The memories of the past night came back to him. Harry grimaced involuntarily. He had fallen. Had Malfoy just left him there? That didn't seem like him.
He took another look at his surroundings. Everything appeared different. He could sense it. A dark magic hung in the air. He closed his eyes and concentrated on its source. He sped mentally after the magic trail, seeing everything through his shut eyes. The trail came to an end in front of a pair of evil red eyes. They searched for him. They knew about him. They tried to find him.
Harry jerked his eyes open and nearly staggered to the ground. Voldemort was here! Voldemort had been resurrected! Malfoy had left him here for the Dark Lord to get him! Malfoy had brought Voldemort back!
Harry took a deep breath, stopping the insane thoughts that fought to drive him into a panic. That could never happen. Voldemort couldn't come back. It would take someone with a lot more power than Malfoy to get through all the charms, hexes, and curses Harry had placed around any magic that might even slightly be able to do that. But the eyes. Harry knew those eyes. They haunted his dreams every time he went to sleep.
Harry snapped to attention of his surroundings. He heard noises.laughter. This wasn't evil laughter. This was real laughter. Harry winced. It had been so long.
A group of teenage girls came walking down the path. They paused when they saw Harry.
"Who are you?"
Harry didn't answer. He stared at them, determining their intent. He didn't sense magic. They were Muggles.
"I am Harry Potter."
"Better question," one girl said. "What are you doing here?"
"Better question," Harry said a small smirk appearing on his face, mocking her. "What can you do to extract the information?"
The girl locked her jaw in annoyance. "I think I'm the one who can ask questions. You are on my land."
Harry laughed. It didn't compare to the easy, carefree laughter of the girl's. This laughter reflected the laugher-one who has seen far too much and if forced to see the humor in things that have none. The girls looked at each other uneasily.
"You don't own this land," Harry said, stopping the eerie laughter abruptly. "He owns it. Just as He will own everything. You have no idea what you're talking about." Harry looked them straight in the eye and snapped his fingers. He disappeared.
He appeared seconds later at the Ministry of Magic grinning to himself. Very little brought him pleasure nowadays, but he enjoyed irritating the Ministry by breaking the Decree of Wizarding Secrecy every once in a while. And they irritated so easily.
He walked into the front doors and went straight to the Department in control of protecting the very law he had just broken.
"Two Muggles need a memory charm," he said to the man behind the desk. He didn't recognize him, but they seemed to change every once in a while.
"What happened?" The man asked without looking up.
"I Apparated in front of them."
The man looked up, exasperated. He paused at the sight of Harry. "Who are you?"
Harry raised his eyebrows. "You're kidding, right?"
"Listen here," he said, standing up. "I really don't care who you are. You should know better than to do this sort of thing! We have enough on our hands then having to watch over you and your hooligan friends who-" He stopped suddenly by the look on Harry's face.
"Do you have any idea who you're talking to?" Harry said in a voice of deathly calm.
"I-I-no. Should I?" He faltered, intimidated as everyone was by the aurora of power Harry gave off when he became angry.
"Yes," Harry said. "After all, I only saved this entire pathetic world more times than once." Harry faltered this time. He had caught a glimpse of the calendar. 1998. "Or I will."
* * *
"Some guy came in," said the head in Dumbledore's fireplace. "He said two Muggles who needed a memory charm. Said he Apparated right in front of them! Now I know what you're thinking," the man said. "But he didn't look like any Death Eater I've ever seen. He had a mighty amount of power though. I could feel it and I'm not the best at telling these sorts of things."
Dumbledore sighed. "And you didn't recognize him? What did he look like?"
"Black hair.amazing emerald eyes. That's about it really."
Dumbledore nodded. "Thank you. Check in if he makes another appearance."
The man hesitated.
"Is there something else?"
"I don't know if it's relevant. I mean, he could have been a raving lunatic. But he seemed to think I should have known him."
"Did he now? Did he say why?"
"I asked, and he said that he had saved the world more than once. I have to admit, with the power that guy had, I actually believed him. But then he looked past me and kind of muttered something. Then he looked at me again and quickly Disapparated."
"Disapparated? But there is a spell blocking any form of Apparition around the Ministry."
"There is, isn't there?" the man looked thoughtful. "But this guy had power. I didn't even think it unusual when I saw it. I felt kind of relieved too. He intimidated me a little. I wouldn't put it past him to Apparate right in there!"
Dumbledore nodded. "Thank you for the warning."
The man nodded, seeing the dismissal. His head disappeared with a small pop.
Dumbledore sat back in his chair and rubbed his temple. He had sensed the same presence earlier. Another problem.
He sat up quickly. He sensed someone's presence in the room.
A man stepped into the light. Dumbledore managed to hide a startled exclamation. It looked like Harry.
"I know what you're thinking," the man said. "But I'm not who you think I am."
Dumbledore looked at him. The Ministry official had been right. This man did have power.lots of it. Dumbledore gave him his piercing gaze. He saw the man's eyes.Lily's eyes. They were nothing. They looked like mirrors, reflecting everything but showing nothing of what lay beyond.
The man seemed to know what Dumbledore tried to do and instead of turning away as seemed almost customary with anyone who got into range of the gaze, he looked straight into his eyes and smirked.
"How did you get in here?" Dumbledore asked abruptly.
"I didn't Apparate if that's what you're thinking," the man said with a smirk. "I've been in here for quite some time. I simply didn't wish to be seen."
"Why have you come?"
"To business then," the man said. "I thought you should know. Voldemort's searching for me. He knows." the man stopped and shook his head. "He felt me coming, as you did. Do not worry for my safety. Do not worry about me falling to the Dark Lord. Your concern is for the boy."
"Harry."
"No, Ron," the man said with another smirk.
"Who are you if you are not Harry Potter?"
"I am already beyond your help," the man said shortly. "And I do not need help. I need a way home. I can find that on my own. I'm here to lift a strain. I know what it's like to know one too many things."
The door opened suddenly. The man whipped around. Hermione Granger, prefect, walked in. Dumbledore saw the man's shield drop like a stone. He had been hurt. He knew all that could happen, all that would. He had seen loved ones die around him and be powerless to stop it. Dumbledore saw self blame and self inflicted emotional torture.
"I'm sorry," Hermione said, embarrassed. "I didn't hear anyone in here-I- where did he go?"
The man had disappeared.
Hermione looked shocked. "How did he do that? No one can Apparate in the Hogwart's grounds!"
"No," Dumbledore said softly. "No one can."
A/N: Okay, for all those who are thinking, 'No one can Apparate inside the Hogwarts ground!' You're completely right and everything will be revealed in later chapters. I'm not sure which one. One of them.
Gilthas: That's brilliant.
Me: Shut up. I thought muses were supposed to encourage.
Gilthas: See now, you've always thought that when the reality is, the muse is supposed to inspire. I don't have to encourage to inspire.
Me: Well, if you don't be more encouraging about my first story, I'll use Drizzt from Forgotten Realms as my name instead of you.
Drizzt: Yay!
Me: Hey! You're a dark elf! You're supposed to scowl.
Drizzt: *scowls*
Me: Excellent. All is right with the world. Oh, and readers, Please review the newbie author's story!!!