Disclaimer: Psh. Right. I donÕt own Harry Potter! If I did I would have no need for Santa.
One For All
By Natural Anthem
It's not the size of the dog in the fight - it's the size of the fight in the dog. - Mark Twain
He awoke the next morning, after falling back into a deep sleep after the surprise that had almost stopped his heart, to his Aunt banging on his door and yelling for him to get up. He rolled out of bed quite literally and threw on some clothes. He searched quickly for a belt. The pants he was wearing were a pair of DudleyÕs old ones and he could have fit at least one, if not two, more of himself in there.
He put his wand in his back pocket; he could hear Moody, well, technically Barty Crouch Jr., yelling Constant Vigilance in his head. Since his fourth year he took his wand with him everywhere. The idea of being caught wandless was really not something he wanted to experience.
He put on his glasses, but everything was blurry when he put them on. He took them off and looked around. He could see fine. Well. He never had been a normal kid. He raced down the stairs as quickly as he could and met his aunt in the kitchen.
"Fry the bacon boy! Dudders needs his protein. Burn anything and you wonÕt receive any breakfast."
Harry quickly took over the position in front of the frying pan and cautiously cooked the bacon. Pounding slow footsteps sounded his UncleÕs arrival to the kitchen. He grunted to his wife and sat down on the poor kitchen chair and propped up the morning newspaper. Aunt Petunia went to alert Dudley that breakfast was ready, leaving Harry and his Uncle alone.
"There is a list on the fridge of chores for you to get done today. If you donÕt get them done then you wonÕt be getting food for a week. I have company coming over tonight and the house has to look good. None of that freakish stuff either or I will wring your neck." Harry could tell from the look in VernonÕs eyes that he really would go through with each threat he had just made if things did not turn out perfectly.
Harry replied in a monotone "Yes sir."
His Uncle gave him one last scathing glare then adjusted the newspaper so he wouldnÕt have to view his nephew. Petunia returned to the kitchen and made small talk on the neighbors with her husband. Loud ambling footsteps announced the coming of Dudley. Dudley immediately switched on the kitchen TV and plopped down in yet another unfortunate chair. The Dursleys' furniture really did have a hard life. Harry dished out the bacon on to three plates and took one piece for himself. He put the plates in front of the diners and went to eat the lone piece he had. Dudley saw the piece of bacon in his cousinÕs hand and swiped it from him.
"Hey!"
"Shut up boy. You can eat when your chores are done." Vernon said through a mouth full of bacon. Yuck.
Harry walked to the fridge and took down the list. He looked at all the numerous things and walked out the kitchen door to the backyard. He sat down on a rock trying to decide what to do first. He decided quickly to begin weeding the garden, then move to washing windows, cutting the grass and finally washing the car. He reckoned he could get it all done by two or three in the afternoon if he worked quickly. The Dursleys had been working him hard this summer. He had had to do a lot of manual work and work out in the sun. WhatÕs more at one he had to be a Grunnings Drills to work until seven. This summer really was a picnic.
As he worked he could hear Vernon saying his goodbyes and the car leaving. He heard the sound of videogame gunfire and knew Dudley was at one of his favorite pastimes.
Right after Dudley ate lunch he came out to take up another of his favorite pastimes, bullying Harry. Previously it had been called ÔHarry Hunting,Õ but Harry really wasnÕt being hunted anymore, he pretty much just stood still. Harry was presently finishing cleaning the car.
"Hey Potter. Whatcha doinÕ?"
"Your observation skills astound me Dudley. IÕm knitting a scarf of course."
"Shut it Potter."
"You asked Dudders." Harry set down the towel he had been using to dry off the car and began to put things away. Dudley, the charming gentleman that he is dumped the remaining dirty water the sponges had been in on Harry. He didnÕt even stop and react to the water being poured over him.
"Thanks Duds. I was a little warm." Said Harry as he finished lugging things back into the garage.
Angry that he had gotten such a weak response from Harry, Dudley followed his cousin when he started to walk down the block.
"Where ya goinÕ?"
"To work. I thought it was quite obvious." Harry walked quickly, it was 12:30 and he had to be at work at one. He worked hauling boxes around for his uncleÕs drill company from one to seven every day but Sunday. It hadnÕt been a very fun July but Harry had grown a bit, gotten quite a bit of muscle from all that lifting and a tan from being ordered to mow the lawn every few days. All said and done, he preferred working to staying around Number 4.
Dudley began to taunt him on various subjects, his parents, his apparent lack of friends and his appearance to name a few. Harry walked mutely beside him with his mind on other things. Harry couldnÕt shake the feeling that something was odd. Besides the fact that Dudley was walking, also known as physical exercise.
They continued walking until something caught HarryÕs eye. A gold galleon was sitting in the middle of the sidewalk. HarryÕs inner conscious groaned and put its hand on its face as the real Harry grabbed DudleyÕs shirt, trying to pull Dudley back, just as Dudley touched the golden coin. Stupid greedy Dudley.
Once again the tug just below his navel swept Harry along with his cousin to another location. Even if the inventor of portkeys was dead, Harry felt the urge to strangle them to death.
Harry looked around and gulped. Next to him, well technically attached to his arm, is cousin was looking at the scene with fear. With his free hand Harry pulled his wand from his back pocket.
They seemed to be in a huge stone dungeon. The ceiling was about 10 feet high and the walls held flaming torches. The floor was covered with smeared dirt and the air was thick. A large dark wood door stood about 20 feet away. Harry did not have a good feeling about this place.
"Hello Mr. Potter."
Harry whipped around to find himself face to face with Lucius Malfoy. ÔGreat,Õ Harry thought. ÔJust the way I wanted to spend my afternoon.Õ
His eyes scanned the room to find that there were at least 25 other Death Eaters in the room, black robes with lovely white masks to match. This certainly looked promising for him.
"The Dark Lord will be pleased to have his little play thing back. And it seems he gets to torture a muggle too. My, he will be happy." Malfoy said. Harry wasnÕt sure how he could talk and still have such a huge sneer on his face. It seemed physically impossible; then again Malfoy was well practiced at this art.
"Not so fast."
Heads whipped around to see Sirius, Lupin, Moody, Arthur Weasley, a woman with bright pink spiked hair, a tall bald black man, andÉMs. Figg? ÔWell. It was surely an interesting rescue partyÉÕ Harry thought.
"Ah. Black. ItÕs great to see you again. Although I donÕt know what you think you are doing here. This is our business, not yours. You wonÕt be able to save him. You couldnÕt save his father after all. " He pointed to Harry.
Sirius had paled considerably, but his face had filled with anger quickly. Lupin grabbed his robes, catching MalfoyÕs attention.
"Ah. The werewolf has joined our little party too I see. He should be quite easy to take out. LetÕs see, Moody, itÕs been a while. I hear you have gone quite crazy. Although nine months in a trunk could be a reasonable explanation." Some of the Death Eaters snickered. Moody only grabbed his wand tighter as his magical eye swiveled in its socket. " Arthur Weasley, the muggle lover himself has graced us with his presence. He can be easily taken care of, as will his entire family. Tell me Weasley, how is your son Percy these days, I seem to remember running into him a few days ago. Not a very strong fighter. My my. If it isnÕt my lovely relative Nymph-"
"ITS TONKS."
"Ugh. Muggle name. You, my halfblooded dear, are on the losing side. Hmm. Shacklebolt may put up a little fight, top Auror I hear. And Arabella Figg. I must say itÕs a pleasure to see you again. DonÕt you think you are a bit old to be here?" Malfoy finished looking at the elderly woman.
"Boys I believe you know what to do, we mustnÕt waste this wonderful opportunity to kill off more members of the Order of the Phoenix." Malfoy ordered the Death Eaters. Ah. He was right. Order of the Phoenix is a group against Voldemort.
The Death Eaters began firing spells at the Order of the Phoenix members, as Malfoy had called them. The Order member scrambled to fire off spells return. Harry looked desperately around. He had to do something. If only he could protect them somehow. They would all die at this rate. He shut his eyes and suddenly he heard the angry yells of Death Eaters.
He turned to where all the Death Eaters were looking. The Order members were covered in a clear silver dome. From the looks on the Order membersÕ faces they hadnÕt made this dome. Spells that were fired at it bounced off, including a certain green spell.
Harry realized that his body was tingling all over with magical energy. ÔOh. My. God. I think I did that. Stupid BrainÉUnfortunately it seems I was not bright enough to cover myself in the domeÉÕ HarryÕs thoughts trailed off as he noticed Malfoy turn to him.
"Well if we canÕt get to you, maybe we can just get to Potter and his muggle friend over here." Horrified looks came over the adultsÕ faces as they found they could not leave the silver dome or fire any spells that went past the barrier. He was really going to have to work on making his wishes more specific next time.
Malfoy approached Harry. Harry, deciding to just roll with it for now, he had no idea what he was doing but it seemed to be working better than trying to throw some weak stunner on them from his wand. He held up his hand and Malfoy went flying to the wall.
Sweet.
Harry turned and used his power on other Death Eaters.
The first one he targeted had a silver hand coming from his robes. He knocked the silver handed man and three others unconscious. Rapid popping sounds were heard and when Harry looked around he saw that all the Death Eaters, except one standing on the other side of the room and the four he had knocked unconscious had apparated out.
The silver dome disappeared, but none of the adults moved. Harry summoned ropes around the four Death EaterÕs arms and legs. The movement that brought the adults back to reality was the Death Eater who had stayed behind lowering his hood and walking towards them.
"What the hell was that Potter?"
"I actually donÕt know Professor Snape," Harry addressed the black-cloaked figure. Before Harry could say another word he found himself with a face full of black hair, in a breath-depriving hug.
When the hugging assailant stood back and looked at Harry he found he was speechless and looked to Remus. Sirius found that Remus had taken his place in hugging Harry and waited until everyone was at least a little composed.
Harry, upon finding himself being hugged by Remus, was quite surprised. He had not spoken with his ex-professor since his third year when he was begging him to stay. He supposed that nearly scaring the werewolf to death had earned the hug.
"Can we continue this little heart felt reunion later. We need to get these Death Eaters to Dumbledore. ItÕs probably best if we discuss this whole thing with him. He might know what is happing." Snape said, disgusted look on his face.
Albus Dumbledore had been sitting quietly in his office looking through old books while softly stroking FawkesÕ feathers. He looked up just before 14 figures rolled out of his fire into his office. ÔWell, this should be interesting,Õ he thought as he surveyed the visitors. Tonks tripped over the fireplace tools and caused a loud clatter.
"SorryÉ" Several people signed, Harry got the feeling this happened a lot when the girl tripped over yet another thing and muttered another apology.
"Ah welcome to my office everyone. Would anyone care for a lemon drop?" After several raised eyebrows and a scowl from Snape he invited everyone to sit down. He himself sat down and put the tips of his fingers together and waited for an explanation.
"Where are we? What are we doing here?" Dudley asked, terrified of all the people that sat around him. He had a new found fear of his cousin after seeing him perform magic, much less such powerful magic.
"Well Mr. Dursley, we are in my office. My name is Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. We are currently waiting for an explanation as to why 14 people just tumbled into my office. Four of whom unconscious Death Eaters," Dumbledore replied, a sparkle in his blue eyes. Dudley nodded, still looking completely confused.
Snape sighed when no one responded. "Fine. IÕll tell him what happened. Malfoy had laid a portkey for Potter to find. Apparently he did-"
"Dudley picked it up. I was trying to restrain him," Harry muttered annoyed. He didnÕt want to be to blame for being that stupid. That was DudleyÕs job.
Snape sighed. "Fine. The muggle picked it up, and it took them to a hideout of ours. I was there with about 25 to thirty other Death Eaters. Malfoy had planned for us to take Potter to the Dark Lord to increase his popularity. The Dark Lord was not happy that Malfoy became chicken once Potter took him down. Malfoy started talking to Potter when these people marched in. The battle wasnÕt going good. The Order members were greatly out numbered and their spells were failing fast. Suddenly a clear silver dome covered the Order members." DumbledoreÕs eyebrows went up at this.
"Silver you say? Are you sure? Most wizards magic can not be seen like that."
Sirius quickly took over. "Yes. The Death EaterÕs spells bounced off, but ours did too and we couldnÕt move out of the dome either. Then he threatened Harry. Harry put up his hand and Malfoy went flying back into the wall. He turned and put up his hand again and knocked out these four Death Eaters. Then all the conscious Death Eaters apparated out, and the silver dome disappeared."
"Really now? Harry, did you create the silver dome?" Dumbledore asked, eyebrows still raised.
"I think so sir. I remember thinking that I didnÕt want any of them to die and wishing I could protect them. Then I felt a wave of magic come over me and then the dome appeared. Same thing when I put spells on Malfoy and those Death Eaters. I thought about what I wanted to do and held up my hand instead of using my wand." Harry wasnÕt really sure himself about his new power and didnÕt feel like giving people another reason to call him crazy so he declined to mention the bracelet or the dream.
"Wait. You mean thatÕs not normal?" Dudley asked, even more terrified.
"No Mr. Dursley. An average wizard must use a wand to channel their magical power. Harry here seems to have extreme power, because he can do things some wizards canÕt even do with a wand with out barely thinking of it or using much power. This is a very good sign." Dumbledore finished, looking pensive.
Dudley tried to slide away from Harry in the chair he was in, but he was too huge to budge.
"Really Dudley, IÕm not going to do any magic on you. Besides, your distance from me wouldnÕt matter," said Harry, an innocent smile appearing. Sirius, Remus, Tonks and Arthur laughed. Moody, as far as he could tell, laughed too, although it sounded similar to a dog being strangled. If possible, DudleyÕs eyes would have fallen out from fear.
Dumbledore removed himself from his deep thought and spoke. "Harry, why donÕt you show your cousin around the castle a bit." At HarryÕs Ôare you serious?Õ look Dumbledore added, "IÕm sure Sirius and Remus would like to walk around the castle again too. I must have some time to think about our next plan of action."
"Ok," said Harry, looking resigned. He would have to spend an afternoon with his favorite cousin (only favorite by process of elimination), but at least there were two marauders present to make sure things didnÕt get ugly.
The four walked down the stone steps and emerged from the large stone gargoyle that guarded the headmasterÕs office. Harry decided to walk up towards the Gryffindor common room.
Dudley gasped and grabbed HarryÕs arm and pointed speechless to the paintings hanging on the wall. Harry grinned.
"Those are magical paintings. They capture a part of the subject and will forever be able to move. Same thing holds true for photographs." Harry groaned. Sir Cadogan had just ridden though some paintings down the way and was headed for them. After some questioning looks Harry announced, "Sir Cadogan is on his way." Sirius and Remus had apparently met the knight when they were at Hogwarts, sharing a smile.
A voice rang out from the picture "Aye! You still owe me a fight Lad!"
"IÕm sorry Sir Cadogan. Must have slipped my mind." Harry laughed as the man again got his sword stuck in the ground and was jumping up and down trying to pry it out. His eyes went to the knightÕs chubby horse, which was already walking away from him.
Harry left Sir Cadogan to battle other paintings and continued the walk. They reached the moving staircases and laughed at his cousinÕs expression when he saw the stairs. He could tell it was not the moving that he was unhappy about. It was the sheer volume of stairs.
On the stairs Sirius asked, "Harry what happened to your glasses?"
"Oh, I donÕt know, I just donÕt need them any more," He said. He wasnÕt positive what happened really and although Sirius was shooting him a suspicious look he couldnÕt think of any thing better.
When they had finally reached the portrait of the Fat Lady Dudley sounded like someone in labor. After a bit of sweet-talking the Fat Lady let Harry, Remus and Dudley enter. She slammed shut at the sight of Sirius.
"SIRIUS BLACK!"
Harry pulled his hand down his face and walked back out the portrait. Sirius looked like a deer in headlights. Harry decided to take action and stop the Fat Lady from entering a rant. "Ah My Lady. I know that Mr. Black here has not been kind but I assure you that if he so much as touches your painting he will suffer dire consequences. I will see to it personally that he is punished for the wrong doing which he did to you. On my honor," he held up his palm.
The portrait looked pleased at HarryÕs kind words and finally opened after making Harry promise to punish Sirius severely if he harmed her again.
"That was some fine sweet talking their Harry, really saved Sirius," Remus said, barely containing the laughter.
Both Sirius and Harry advanced on Remus. Remus, being a smart wizard backed up slowly. Sirius changed into dog form and tackled Remus to the ground. Harry meanwhile decided to think of something creative to do to Remus. He grinned and looked at him. He snapped his fingers for effect and Remus was sporting quite an intriguing new style.
His sandy hair had turned purple and pink and was spiked up. His robes had become a swirl of pink and purple. ÔYes. Definitely RemusÕ colors,Õ he thought.
Sirius became human again and burst out laughing. Remus blushed brightly then narrowed his eyes at Harry.
""You should never trick a Marauder Harry. We have ways of getting you back," he said dangerously, removing the coloring charm.
Harry smiled and turned to his cousin who was sitting huddled in the corner. He decided he should talk to him a bit, because he probably had no idea what was happening.
"So Dudley. How you doing? Any questions for me?" He said casually.
Dudley mouthed like a fish out of water. Technically he was really. He pointed at Sirius and Remus. "Who are they?"
" Ah. This is Professor Lupin."
"Remus or Moony please Harry, IÕm no longer your professor."
"Ok. This is Remus Lupin, otherwise known as Moony. He was my Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher in my third year. Best DADA teacher we have ever had." Remus blushed. "Granted first year had Voldemort in the back of his head, second year couldnÕt manage to contain pixies and fourth year turned out to be a Death Eater." Remus smacked Harry lightly on the arm. He grinned. "But Remus was definitely the best."
"And him?" Dudley said pointing at Sirius.
A wide smile overtook HarryÕs face. "This is my Godfather, Sirius Black or Padfoot. Convicted murderer." Dudley paled and Harry laughed when Sirius cleared his throat. "Although he is actually innocent. But I wouldnÕt put murder past him really," Harry paused at the raised eyebrows of Sirius. "Getting between him and his food is definitely not wise. When I brought you food in the cave you nearly ate my hand when I gave you the food."
Sirius shrugged. "Good chicken."
"Oh. Kay." Dudley said timidly. Harry doubted he had heard anything except ÔSirius Black, convicted murderer.Õ Oh well. At least he could still use Sirius as a threat at the Dursleys. Murderer or not, he was a wizard who could use magic freely.
"Sirius? Remus?"
"Yea Harry?" They responded together.
"Malfoy called you guys the Order of the Phoenix and Ron mentioned it once in a letter. What is the Order of the Phoenix?"
"ItÕs the anti-Voldemort group. We were around during his first reign. I believe Moody has a good picture of all of us from the first reign. Most of the people were killed. Those of us who are still around have gotten back together and we are recruiting more members, like Tonks and Kingsley Shacklebolt. We are still working against him, even if the Ministry refuses to help," explained Remus.
"Oh. Were my parents part of the Order?"
"Yes."
"Harry, you look better than you did when I saw after third task in June," said Sirius.
"Yea, I got a job, so IÕve been keeping busy."
DumbledoreÕs head in the fireplace stopped Sirius from saying anything more. "Will you four please return to my office now?"
Back in DumbledoreÕs office the four sat down.
"The Death Eaters have been turned in and I have made sure that they will receive trial and be questioned under the truth potion by Kingsley Shacklebolt. I doubt the ministry will come to saying that Voldemort has returned, but the Death Eaters will be taken care of accordingly, including a certain rat," this earned a grin from most in the present.
"As for Harry and Dudley, you two will be returning to Privet Drive momentarily via portkey. Harry, we will arrange for you to come to the castle within a week. We need to train these new powers of yours. You still have much to learn. Until then do not leave the house. Inside the house you are protected but once outside your motherÕs love does not protect you."
"Wait sir, if Voldemort had my blood, doesnÕt that mean he is under my motherÕs protection as well?"
"Ah, no one who wishes to harm you can enter, so no Death Eaters can enter and VoldemortÕs intentions will set of the wards. If someone does break all the complex wards then you will immediately be at the gates just outside Hogwarts. The gates themselves have been charmed to recognize you and will open for you. Right then. Lets see. What to use as a portkeyÉ"
Dumbledore being Dumbledore found a bag of Bertie Bots Every Flavor Beans and charmed it to become a portkey.
"Wait sir."
"Yes?"
"Will I be getting a letter from the ministry on my magic usage? Early this morning I think I used magic to bend," Harry paused he didnÕt want to mention that he had bars on his windows. "ÉSomething. They must have tracked that and already be sending me a fine or something."
"The way the ministry tracks underage magic changed last year. They made it easier on themselves and now only have a spell on each underage wizardÕs wand to alert them if magic is used during the summer. They cannot track wandless. Your second year they could, which is why you received a letter on DobbyÕs magic but it was very hard to keep track of so many young wizards and witches that way. You can do wandless with out detection." Dumbledore said.
"I canÕt stay in the house. I have a job."
"You do? I seeÉHmm. Take this portkey with you when you go. If trouble arises, speak the word Safety and you will be transported here." Dumbledore handed him a pocket watch.
Harry received a hug from both Sirius and Remus then touched the bag with his cousin and found himself in the living room of Number 4 Privet drive. His Uncle had a look of pure hate and anger as he glared down at Harry and Petunia immediately started to baby Dudley while giving Harry hateful looks. Boy, he had a lot to explain.
"What the hell happened boy? What did you do to Dudley!" Vernon yelled.
A pop resounded and the doorbell rang. Vernon glared as Harry raced to the door. Ok. He didnÕt really ÔraceÕ to the door. It was like watching a penguin chase fish on land. Minus the tux.
Vernon opened it and found that Dumbledore had apparated to his house. He walked in past Harry with a smile.
"Hello Mr. and Mrs. Dursley. I decided it might be best if I come and explain what has happened today." Petunia and Vernon had paled at the sight of the tall powerful wizard.
"Your son touched a portkey which dragged him and Harry to a Death Eater hideout. Harry saved Dudley, a few Order of the Phoenix members and knocked out a few Death Eaters. The boys then came to Hogwarts for a little while. No harm has been done"
"I knew that it had something to do with that boyÕs freakish magic!" Vernon exclaimed.
Dumbledore frowned. This was not how he expected the Dursleys to react to Harry saving their sonÕs life. "But Harry saved young Mr. DursleyÕs lifeÉ"
"Ha. Its all that boyÕs fault Dudley was in that mess." Vernon retorted.
"Vernon hush. Or he will never leave," Petunia whispered to her husband.
Vernon cleared his throat. "Yes of course the boy will be congratulated. Please leave my property."
Dumbledore continued to frown but decided it would be best if he left quickly and did not anger HarryÕs relatives. They were probably just sick with worry for the two boys.
Vernon glared at the spot where Dumbledore had been standing then his head snapped up at the sound of Harry attempting to leave the room. Petunia ushered Dudley into the kitchen for food while Vernon approached Harry. Harry pinned himself to the wall. He didnÕt know what his Uncle would do, but it didnÕt look good.
"I warned you boy. I warned you," Vernon said in a deathly whisper.
HarryÕs thoughts turned sarcastic ÔActually you warned me about getting my chores done, which I did. There were no specific mentions of Dudley getting us in trouble with his greedinessÉÕ HarryÕs thoughts were abruptly ended when Vernon punched him in the stomach. Ow.
"You better get your butt upstairs, I donÕt want to see you until work tomorrow, even there you better try and avoid me, I might just kill you!" He could smell alcohol on his UncleÕs breath. Harry had known he would find that scent there. Anytime his Uncle hit him he was drunk.
Harry staggered up the stairs, the punch had only knocked the wind out of him but that didnÕt mean he wasnÕt dead tired. He got up to his room and fell onto his bed.
Harry awoke in the same odd position he had blacked out in. Sunlight was streaming into the room, casting the window bar pattern on the floor. Wheezing, Harry got up on his shaky legs and went to sit on his bed. He really needed to get some food.
When he glanced at the small digital clock sitting on his dresser he found that it was 6:30 in the morning. His Aunt would be yelling for him to get up any minute to come help with breakfast.
Just as he was pulling the shirt carefully over his head his Aunt called him to wake up and he heard the twelve locks click into the open position on the outside of his door.
One For All
By Natural Anthem
It's not the size of the dog in the fight - it's the size of the fight in the dog. - Mark Twain
He awoke the next morning, after falling back into a deep sleep after the surprise that had almost stopped his heart, to his Aunt banging on his door and yelling for him to get up. He rolled out of bed quite literally and threw on some clothes. He searched quickly for a belt. The pants he was wearing were a pair of DudleyÕs old ones and he could have fit at least one, if not two, more of himself in there.
He put his wand in his back pocket; he could hear Moody, well, technically Barty Crouch Jr., yelling Constant Vigilance in his head. Since his fourth year he took his wand with him everywhere. The idea of being caught wandless was really not something he wanted to experience.
He put on his glasses, but everything was blurry when he put them on. He took them off and looked around. He could see fine. Well. He never had been a normal kid. He raced down the stairs as quickly as he could and met his aunt in the kitchen.
"Fry the bacon boy! Dudders needs his protein. Burn anything and you wonÕt receive any breakfast."
Harry quickly took over the position in front of the frying pan and cautiously cooked the bacon. Pounding slow footsteps sounded his UncleÕs arrival to the kitchen. He grunted to his wife and sat down on the poor kitchen chair and propped up the morning newspaper. Aunt Petunia went to alert Dudley that breakfast was ready, leaving Harry and his Uncle alone.
"There is a list on the fridge of chores for you to get done today. If you donÕt get them done then you wonÕt be getting food for a week. I have company coming over tonight and the house has to look good. None of that freakish stuff either or I will wring your neck." Harry could tell from the look in VernonÕs eyes that he really would go through with each threat he had just made if things did not turn out perfectly.
Harry replied in a monotone "Yes sir."
His Uncle gave him one last scathing glare then adjusted the newspaper so he wouldnÕt have to view his nephew. Petunia returned to the kitchen and made small talk on the neighbors with her husband. Loud ambling footsteps announced the coming of Dudley. Dudley immediately switched on the kitchen TV and plopped down in yet another unfortunate chair. The Dursleys' furniture really did have a hard life. Harry dished out the bacon on to three plates and took one piece for himself. He put the plates in front of the diners and went to eat the lone piece he had. Dudley saw the piece of bacon in his cousinÕs hand and swiped it from him.
"Hey!"
"Shut up boy. You can eat when your chores are done." Vernon said through a mouth full of bacon. Yuck.
Harry walked to the fridge and took down the list. He looked at all the numerous things and walked out the kitchen door to the backyard. He sat down on a rock trying to decide what to do first. He decided quickly to begin weeding the garden, then move to washing windows, cutting the grass and finally washing the car. He reckoned he could get it all done by two or three in the afternoon if he worked quickly. The Dursleys had been working him hard this summer. He had had to do a lot of manual work and work out in the sun. WhatÕs more at one he had to be a Grunnings Drills to work until seven. This summer really was a picnic.
As he worked he could hear Vernon saying his goodbyes and the car leaving. He heard the sound of videogame gunfire and knew Dudley was at one of his favorite pastimes.
Right after Dudley ate lunch he came out to take up another of his favorite pastimes, bullying Harry. Previously it had been called ÔHarry Hunting,Õ but Harry really wasnÕt being hunted anymore, he pretty much just stood still. Harry was presently finishing cleaning the car.
"Hey Potter. Whatcha doinÕ?"
"Your observation skills astound me Dudley. IÕm knitting a scarf of course."
"Shut it Potter."
"You asked Dudders." Harry set down the towel he had been using to dry off the car and began to put things away. Dudley, the charming gentleman that he is dumped the remaining dirty water the sponges had been in on Harry. He didnÕt even stop and react to the water being poured over him.
"Thanks Duds. I was a little warm." Said Harry as he finished lugging things back into the garage.
Angry that he had gotten such a weak response from Harry, Dudley followed his cousin when he started to walk down the block.
"Where ya goinÕ?"
"To work. I thought it was quite obvious." Harry walked quickly, it was 12:30 and he had to be at work at one. He worked hauling boxes around for his uncleÕs drill company from one to seven every day but Sunday. It hadnÕt been a very fun July but Harry had grown a bit, gotten quite a bit of muscle from all that lifting and a tan from being ordered to mow the lawn every few days. All said and done, he preferred working to staying around Number 4.
Dudley began to taunt him on various subjects, his parents, his apparent lack of friends and his appearance to name a few. Harry walked mutely beside him with his mind on other things. Harry couldnÕt shake the feeling that something was odd. Besides the fact that Dudley was walking, also known as physical exercise.
They continued walking until something caught HarryÕs eye. A gold galleon was sitting in the middle of the sidewalk. HarryÕs inner conscious groaned and put its hand on its face as the real Harry grabbed DudleyÕs shirt, trying to pull Dudley back, just as Dudley touched the golden coin. Stupid greedy Dudley.
Once again the tug just below his navel swept Harry along with his cousin to another location. Even if the inventor of portkeys was dead, Harry felt the urge to strangle them to death.
Harry looked around and gulped. Next to him, well technically attached to his arm, is cousin was looking at the scene with fear. With his free hand Harry pulled his wand from his back pocket.
They seemed to be in a huge stone dungeon. The ceiling was about 10 feet high and the walls held flaming torches. The floor was covered with smeared dirt and the air was thick. A large dark wood door stood about 20 feet away. Harry did not have a good feeling about this place.
"Hello Mr. Potter."
Harry whipped around to find himself face to face with Lucius Malfoy. ÔGreat,Õ Harry thought. ÔJust the way I wanted to spend my afternoon.Õ
His eyes scanned the room to find that there were at least 25 other Death Eaters in the room, black robes with lovely white masks to match. This certainly looked promising for him.
"The Dark Lord will be pleased to have his little play thing back. And it seems he gets to torture a muggle too. My, he will be happy." Malfoy said. Harry wasnÕt sure how he could talk and still have such a huge sneer on his face. It seemed physically impossible; then again Malfoy was well practiced at this art.
"Not so fast."
Heads whipped around to see Sirius, Lupin, Moody, Arthur Weasley, a woman with bright pink spiked hair, a tall bald black man, andÉMs. Figg? ÔWell. It was surely an interesting rescue partyÉÕ Harry thought.
"Ah. Black. ItÕs great to see you again. Although I donÕt know what you think you are doing here. This is our business, not yours. You wonÕt be able to save him. You couldnÕt save his father after all. " He pointed to Harry.
Sirius had paled considerably, but his face had filled with anger quickly. Lupin grabbed his robes, catching MalfoyÕs attention.
"Ah. The werewolf has joined our little party too I see. He should be quite easy to take out. LetÕs see, Moody, itÕs been a while. I hear you have gone quite crazy. Although nine months in a trunk could be a reasonable explanation." Some of the Death Eaters snickered. Moody only grabbed his wand tighter as his magical eye swiveled in its socket. " Arthur Weasley, the muggle lover himself has graced us with his presence. He can be easily taken care of, as will his entire family. Tell me Weasley, how is your son Percy these days, I seem to remember running into him a few days ago. Not a very strong fighter. My my. If it isnÕt my lovely relative Nymph-"
"ITS TONKS."
"Ugh. Muggle name. You, my halfblooded dear, are on the losing side. Hmm. Shacklebolt may put up a little fight, top Auror I hear. And Arabella Figg. I must say itÕs a pleasure to see you again. DonÕt you think you are a bit old to be here?" Malfoy finished looking at the elderly woman.
"Boys I believe you know what to do, we mustnÕt waste this wonderful opportunity to kill off more members of the Order of the Phoenix." Malfoy ordered the Death Eaters. Ah. He was right. Order of the Phoenix is a group against Voldemort.
The Death Eaters began firing spells at the Order of the Phoenix members, as Malfoy had called them. The Order member scrambled to fire off spells return. Harry looked desperately around. He had to do something. If only he could protect them somehow. They would all die at this rate. He shut his eyes and suddenly he heard the angry yells of Death Eaters.
He turned to where all the Death Eaters were looking. The Order members were covered in a clear silver dome. From the looks on the Order membersÕ faces they hadnÕt made this dome. Spells that were fired at it bounced off, including a certain green spell.
Harry realized that his body was tingling all over with magical energy. ÔOh. My. God. I think I did that. Stupid BrainÉUnfortunately it seems I was not bright enough to cover myself in the domeÉÕ HarryÕs thoughts trailed off as he noticed Malfoy turn to him.
"Well if we canÕt get to you, maybe we can just get to Potter and his muggle friend over here." Horrified looks came over the adultsÕ faces as they found they could not leave the silver dome or fire any spells that went past the barrier. He was really going to have to work on making his wishes more specific next time.
Malfoy approached Harry. Harry, deciding to just roll with it for now, he had no idea what he was doing but it seemed to be working better than trying to throw some weak stunner on them from his wand. He held up his hand and Malfoy went flying to the wall.
Sweet.
Harry turned and used his power on other Death Eaters.
The first one he targeted had a silver hand coming from his robes. He knocked the silver handed man and three others unconscious. Rapid popping sounds were heard and when Harry looked around he saw that all the Death Eaters, except one standing on the other side of the room and the four he had knocked unconscious had apparated out.
The silver dome disappeared, but none of the adults moved. Harry summoned ropes around the four Death EaterÕs arms and legs. The movement that brought the adults back to reality was the Death Eater who had stayed behind lowering his hood and walking towards them.
"What the hell was that Potter?"
"I actually donÕt know Professor Snape," Harry addressed the black-cloaked figure. Before Harry could say another word he found himself with a face full of black hair, in a breath-depriving hug.
When the hugging assailant stood back and looked at Harry he found he was speechless and looked to Remus. Sirius found that Remus had taken his place in hugging Harry and waited until everyone was at least a little composed.
Harry, upon finding himself being hugged by Remus, was quite surprised. He had not spoken with his ex-professor since his third year when he was begging him to stay. He supposed that nearly scaring the werewolf to death had earned the hug.
"Can we continue this little heart felt reunion later. We need to get these Death Eaters to Dumbledore. ItÕs probably best if we discuss this whole thing with him. He might know what is happing." Snape said, disgusted look on his face.
Albus Dumbledore had been sitting quietly in his office looking through old books while softly stroking FawkesÕ feathers. He looked up just before 14 figures rolled out of his fire into his office. ÔWell, this should be interesting,Õ he thought as he surveyed the visitors. Tonks tripped over the fireplace tools and caused a loud clatter.
"SorryÉ" Several people signed, Harry got the feeling this happened a lot when the girl tripped over yet another thing and muttered another apology.
"Ah welcome to my office everyone. Would anyone care for a lemon drop?" After several raised eyebrows and a scowl from Snape he invited everyone to sit down. He himself sat down and put the tips of his fingers together and waited for an explanation.
"Where are we? What are we doing here?" Dudley asked, terrified of all the people that sat around him. He had a new found fear of his cousin after seeing him perform magic, much less such powerful magic.
"Well Mr. Dursley, we are in my office. My name is Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. We are currently waiting for an explanation as to why 14 people just tumbled into my office. Four of whom unconscious Death Eaters," Dumbledore replied, a sparkle in his blue eyes. Dudley nodded, still looking completely confused.
Snape sighed when no one responded. "Fine. IÕll tell him what happened. Malfoy had laid a portkey for Potter to find. Apparently he did-"
"Dudley picked it up. I was trying to restrain him," Harry muttered annoyed. He didnÕt want to be to blame for being that stupid. That was DudleyÕs job.
Snape sighed. "Fine. The muggle picked it up, and it took them to a hideout of ours. I was there with about 25 to thirty other Death Eaters. Malfoy had planned for us to take Potter to the Dark Lord to increase his popularity. The Dark Lord was not happy that Malfoy became chicken once Potter took him down. Malfoy started talking to Potter when these people marched in. The battle wasnÕt going good. The Order members were greatly out numbered and their spells were failing fast. Suddenly a clear silver dome covered the Order members." DumbledoreÕs eyebrows went up at this.
"Silver you say? Are you sure? Most wizards magic can not be seen like that."
Sirius quickly took over. "Yes. The Death EaterÕs spells bounced off, but ours did too and we couldnÕt move out of the dome either. Then he threatened Harry. Harry put up his hand and Malfoy went flying back into the wall. He turned and put up his hand again and knocked out these four Death Eaters. Then all the conscious Death Eaters apparated out, and the silver dome disappeared."
"Really now? Harry, did you create the silver dome?" Dumbledore asked, eyebrows still raised.
"I think so sir. I remember thinking that I didnÕt want any of them to die and wishing I could protect them. Then I felt a wave of magic come over me and then the dome appeared. Same thing when I put spells on Malfoy and those Death Eaters. I thought about what I wanted to do and held up my hand instead of using my wand." Harry wasnÕt really sure himself about his new power and didnÕt feel like giving people another reason to call him crazy so he declined to mention the bracelet or the dream.
"Wait. You mean thatÕs not normal?" Dudley asked, even more terrified.
"No Mr. Dursley. An average wizard must use a wand to channel their magical power. Harry here seems to have extreme power, because he can do things some wizards canÕt even do with a wand with out barely thinking of it or using much power. This is a very good sign." Dumbledore finished, looking pensive.
Dudley tried to slide away from Harry in the chair he was in, but he was too huge to budge.
"Really Dudley, IÕm not going to do any magic on you. Besides, your distance from me wouldnÕt matter," said Harry, an innocent smile appearing. Sirius, Remus, Tonks and Arthur laughed. Moody, as far as he could tell, laughed too, although it sounded similar to a dog being strangled. If possible, DudleyÕs eyes would have fallen out from fear.
Dumbledore removed himself from his deep thought and spoke. "Harry, why donÕt you show your cousin around the castle a bit." At HarryÕs Ôare you serious?Õ look Dumbledore added, "IÕm sure Sirius and Remus would like to walk around the castle again too. I must have some time to think about our next plan of action."
"Ok," said Harry, looking resigned. He would have to spend an afternoon with his favorite cousin (only favorite by process of elimination), but at least there were two marauders present to make sure things didnÕt get ugly.
The four walked down the stone steps and emerged from the large stone gargoyle that guarded the headmasterÕs office. Harry decided to walk up towards the Gryffindor common room.
Dudley gasped and grabbed HarryÕs arm and pointed speechless to the paintings hanging on the wall. Harry grinned.
"Those are magical paintings. They capture a part of the subject and will forever be able to move. Same thing holds true for photographs." Harry groaned. Sir Cadogan had just ridden though some paintings down the way and was headed for them. After some questioning looks Harry announced, "Sir Cadogan is on his way." Sirius and Remus had apparently met the knight when they were at Hogwarts, sharing a smile.
A voice rang out from the picture "Aye! You still owe me a fight Lad!"
"IÕm sorry Sir Cadogan. Must have slipped my mind." Harry laughed as the man again got his sword stuck in the ground and was jumping up and down trying to pry it out. His eyes went to the knightÕs chubby horse, which was already walking away from him.
Harry left Sir Cadogan to battle other paintings and continued the walk. They reached the moving staircases and laughed at his cousinÕs expression when he saw the stairs. He could tell it was not the moving that he was unhappy about. It was the sheer volume of stairs.
On the stairs Sirius asked, "Harry what happened to your glasses?"
"Oh, I donÕt know, I just donÕt need them any more," He said. He wasnÕt positive what happened really and although Sirius was shooting him a suspicious look he couldnÕt think of any thing better.
When they had finally reached the portrait of the Fat Lady Dudley sounded like someone in labor. After a bit of sweet-talking the Fat Lady let Harry, Remus and Dudley enter. She slammed shut at the sight of Sirius.
"SIRIUS BLACK!"
Harry pulled his hand down his face and walked back out the portrait. Sirius looked like a deer in headlights. Harry decided to take action and stop the Fat Lady from entering a rant. "Ah My Lady. I know that Mr. Black here has not been kind but I assure you that if he so much as touches your painting he will suffer dire consequences. I will see to it personally that he is punished for the wrong doing which he did to you. On my honor," he held up his palm.
The portrait looked pleased at HarryÕs kind words and finally opened after making Harry promise to punish Sirius severely if he harmed her again.
"That was some fine sweet talking their Harry, really saved Sirius," Remus said, barely containing the laughter.
Both Sirius and Harry advanced on Remus. Remus, being a smart wizard backed up slowly. Sirius changed into dog form and tackled Remus to the ground. Harry meanwhile decided to think of something creative to do to Remus. He grinned and looked at him. He snapped his fingers for effect and Remus was sporting quite an intriguing new style.
His sandy hair had turned purple and pink and was spiked up. His robes had become a swirl of pink and purple. ÔYes. Definitely RemusÕ colors,Õ he thought.
Sirius became human again and burst out laughing. Remus blushed brightly then narrowed his eyes at Harry.
""You should never trick a Marauder Harry. We have ways of getting you back," he said dangerously, removing the coloring charm.
Harry smiled and turned to his cousin who was sitting huddled in the corner. He decided he should talk to him a bit, because he probably had no idea what was happening.
"So Dudley. How you doing? Any questions for me?" He said casually.
Dudley mouthed like a fish out of water. Technically he was really. He pointed at Sirius and Remus. "Who are they?"
" Ah. This is Professor Lupin."
"Remus or Moony please Harry, IÕm no longer your professor."
"Ok. This is Remus Lupin, otherwise known as Moony. He was my Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher in my third year. Best DADA teacher we have ever had." Remus blushed. "Granted first year had Voldemort in the back of his head, second year couldnÕt manage to contain pixies and fourth year turned out to be a Death Eater." Remus smacked Harry lightly on the arm. He grinned. "But Remus was definitely the best."
"And him?" Dudley said pointing at Sirius.
A wide smile overtook HarryÕs face. "This is my Godfather, Sirius Black or Padfoot. Convicted murderer." Dudley paled and Harry laughed when Sirius cleared his throat. "Although he is actually innocent. But I wouldnÕt put murder past him really," Harry paused at the raised eyebrows of Sirius. "Getting between him and his food is definitely not wise. When I brought you food in the cave you nearly ate my hand when I gave you the food."
Sirius shrugged. "Good chicken."
"Oh. Kay." Dudley said timidly. Harry doubted he had heard anything except ÔSirius Black, convicted murderer.Õ Oh well. At least he could still use Sirius as a threat at the Dursleys. Murderer or not, he was a wizard who could use magic freely.
"Sirius? Remus?"
"Yea Harry?" They responded together.
"Malfoy called you guys the Order of the Phoenix and Ron mentioned it once in a letter. What is the Order of the Phoenix?"
"ItÕs the anti-Voldemort group. We were around during his first reign. I believe Moody has a good picture of all of us from the first reign. Most of the people were killed. Those of us who are still around have gotten back together and we are recruiting more members, like Tonks and Kingsley Shacklebolt. We are still working against him, even if the Ministry refuses to help," explained Remus.
"Oh. Were my parents part of the Order?"
"Yes."
"Harry, you look better than you did when I saw after third task in June," said Sirius.
"Yea, I got a job, so IÕve been keeping busy."
DumbledoreÕs head in the fireplace stopped Sirius from saying anything more. "Will you four please return to my office now?"
Back in DumbledoreÕs office the four sat down.
"The Death Eaters have been turned in and I have made sure that they will receive trial and be questioned under the truth potion by Kingsley Shacklebolt. I doubt the ministry will come to saying that Voldemort has returned, but the Death Eaters will be taken care of accordingly, including a certain rat," this earned a grin from most in the present.
"As for Harry and Dudley, you two will be returning to Privet Drive momentarily via portkey. Harry, we will arrange for you to come to the castle within a week. We need to train these new powers of yours. You still have much to learn. Until then do not leave the house. Inside the house you are protected but once outside your motherÕs love does not protect you."
"Wait sir, if Voldemort had my blood, doesnÕt that mean he is under my motherÕs protection as well?"
"Ah, no one who wishes to harm you can enter, so no Death Eaters can enter and VoldemortÕs intentions will set of the wards. If someone does break all the complex wards then you will immediately be at the gates just outside Hogwarts. The gates themselves have been charmed to recognize you and will open for you. Right then. Lets see. What to use as a portkeyÉ"
Dumbledore being Dumbledore found a bag of Bertie Bots Every Flavor Beans and charmed it to become a portkey.
"Wait sir."
"Yes?"
"Will I be getting a letter from the ministry on my magic usage? Early this morning I think I used magic to bend," Harry paused he didnÕt want to mention that he had bars on his windows. "ÉSomething. They must have tracked that and already be sending me a fine or something."
"The way the ministry tracks underage magic changed last year. They made it easier on themselves and now only have a spell on each underage wizardÕs wand to alert them if magic is used during the summer. They cannot track wandless. Your second year they could, which is why you received a letter on DobbyÕs magic but it was very hard to keep track of so many young wizards and witches that way. You can do wandless with out detection." Dumbledore said.
"I canÕt stay in the house. I have a job."
"You do? I seeÉHmm. Take this portkey with you when you go. If trouble arises, speak the word Safety and you will be transported here." Dumbledore handed him a pocket watch.
Harry received a hug from both Sirius and Remus then touched the bag with his cousin and found himself in the living room of Number 4 Privet drive. His Uncle had a look of pure hate and anger as he glared down at Harry and Petunia immediately started to baby Dudley while giving Harry hateful looks. Boy, he had a lot to explain.
"What the hell happened boy? What did you do to Dudley!" Vernon yelled.
A pop resounded and the doorbell rang. Vernon glared as Harry raced to the door. Ok. He didnÕt really ÔraceÕ to the door. It was like watching a penguin chase fish on land. Minus the tux.
Vernon opened it and found that Dumbledore had apparated to his house. He walked in past Harry with a smile.
"Hello Mr. and Mrs. Dursley. I decided it might be best if I come and explain what has happened today." Petunia and Vernon had paled at the sight of the tall powerful wizard.
"Your son touched a portkey which dragged him and Harry to a Death Eater hideout. Harry saved Dudley, a few Order of the Phoenix members and knocked out a few Death Eaters. The boys then came to Hogwarts for a little while. No harm has been done"
"I knew that it had something to do with that boyÕs freakish magic!" Vernon exclaimed.
Dumbledore frowned. This was not how he expected the Dursleys to react to Harry saving their sonÕs life. "But Harry saved young Mr. DursleyÕs lifeÉ"
"Ha. Its all that boyÕs fault Dudley was in that mess." Vernon retorted.
"Vernon hush. Or he will never leave," Petunia whispered to her husband.
Vernon cleared his throat. "Yes of course the boy will be congratulated. Please leave my property."
Dumbledore continued to frown but decided it would be best if he left quickly and did not anger HarryÕs relatives. They were probably just sick with worry for the two boys.
Vernon glared at the spot where Dumbledore had been standing then his head snapped up at the sound of Harry attempting to leave the room. Petunia ushered Dudley into the kitchen for food while Vernon approached Harry. Harry pinned himself to the wall. He didnÕt know what his Uncle would do, but it didnÕt look good.
"I warned you boy. I warned you," Vernon said in a deathly whisper.
HarryÕs thoughts turned sarcastic ÔActually you warned me about getting my chores done, which I did. There were no specific mentions of Dudley getting us in trouble with his greedinessÉÕ HarryÕs thoughts were abruptly ended when Vernon punched him in the stomach. Ow.
"You better get your butt upstairs, I donÕt want to see you until work tomorrow, even there you better try and avoid me, I might just kill you!" He could smell alcohol on his UncleÕs breath. Harry had known he would find that scent there. Anytime his Uncle hit him he was drunk.
Harry staggered up the stairs, the punch had only knocked the wind out of him but that didnÕt mean he wasnÕt dead tired. He got up to his room and fell onto his bed.
Harry awoke in the same odd position he had blacked out in. Sunlight was streaming into the room, casting the window bar pattern on the floor. Wheezing, Harry got up on his shaky legs and went to sit on his bed. He really needed to get some food.
When he glanced at the small digital clock sitting on his dresser he found that it was 6:30 in the morning. His Aunt would be yelling for him to get up any minute to come help with breakfast.
Just as he was pulling the shirt carefully over his head his Aunt called him to wake up and he heard the twelve locks click into the open position on the outside of his door.