A/N: Okay, the prologue turned out much darker than I intended it to be, but I am proud of it nonetheless. Don't worry; the rest of the fic will be a little lighter. I just wanted my readers to have a general understanding of Harry's character in this fic since I did not write from his point of view in the original story. The prologue represents Harry's conscious thoughts about half way through the story. (Like a little preview). I hope I didn't give too much away. This chapter begins where the last story, Bring Me to Life, left off.
Chapter 2- And So the War Has Begun
Harry felt his soul travel through the vast depths of time and space as he desperately clung to Draco in the metaphorical darkness. A blinding white light surrounded them completely as they made their endless journey. He felt as if he was being pulled into some unknown direction, but he was not afraid. He was with his Draco and that was all that mattered.
Suddenly, the bright light vanished and he was again surrounded by darkness. He felt oddly heavy and alone. He could no longer feel Draco's warm presence and that terrified him. He was so exhausted from recent events that his body felt like it was a thousand pounds pressing into whatever bed he had currently found himself laying in. He could barely manage to open his eyes, and he felt himself slipping back into unconsciousness when he heard a familiar voice.
"Harry! You gotta wake up now!" Someone grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him gently. Harry tried with great difficulty to awaken from the deep sleep that was threatening to claim him. His eyelashes flickered a few times until he was finally able to open his eyes completely.
"Draco?" his voice croaked as he tried to sit up. Draco embraced him fiercely. Harry was overwhelmingly relieved to be back in the arms of his soul mate once again. Harry was vaguely aware of seeing Ron over Draco's shoulder as he left the room quietly. They clung to each other as if they were hanging on for dear life. Raw emotion passed back and forth between them with each passing heart beat. Both of them were now crying openly, quietly professing their love to one another. After what they had just been through, words didn't seem like enough.
Awakening in the dimly lit hospital room in the Hogwarts infirmary had been a very surreal experience for Harry. His mind was still foggy from his soul's experience in Limbo and he felt like he was now somehow dreaming. He could recall where he had been, but he could not figure out how he had come to be here in the hospital ward. It felt as if he had been gone for such a long time, but he later discovered that he had only been unconscious for a day. He loosely remembered the battle that had taken place in Hogsmeade on Halloween night, and wondered what became of Voldemort and his followers. He prayed that everyone had survived the attack.
Ron had returned shortly with Hermione and Madame Pomfrey, who came in to check the two boys over. His brain still seemed to be a little hazy and it took Harry a while to register what was going on around him. Dumbledore, Remus, and Professor Snape soon arrived as well. Harry was truly touched about the amount of concern everyone was expressing towards him. Everyone looked so relieved that he was still alive. He even saw unmistakable tears in Ron's eyes, which in itself was entirely odd. Usually any type of affection made him feel uncomfortable, but after what he had just experienced he appreciated the kind gestures. Ron and Hermione both expressed how much they cared for him before they left to tell the others the good news. His friends knew better than to pressure him for information, and there was always an unspoken agreement that Harry would talk about what had happened if and when he ever felt ready.
Dumbledore, however, had insisted upon speaking to Draco and Harry separately so that he could get an accurate account of what had actually occurred after Draco had cast the soul mate spell. Harry waited patiently in the small hospital room while the others spoke with Draco. He had no idea what to expect when it was his turn to speak to them. He wasn't comfortable revealing everything that happened to him and decided to stick to the basics. He just hoped that Draco would not reveal too much about what had happened to him in Limbo.
After a long while, the professors entered to small room and prepared to hear Harry's testimony about what had occurred. Draco was to wait out in the hospital ward while they were talking. Knowing that the situation would be uncomfortable for him, Madame Pomfrey administered to him a calming potion. As always, Dumbledore was very professional and careful about how he questioned Harry. He even enchanted a quill that would record everything that happened for an official record. After all, it was the first time that Solara Amicus had been used successfully in a thousand years or so. Since Harry knew nothing about the spell's origins, Snape quietly explained that he had been the one to suggest using the spell to Draco. In some small way, Harry felt connected to his mother through his experience. Lily Potter was the one that had begun researching the ancient texts looking for ways to protect wizards against Voldemort. It was strange that his experience would be added to the research that she had started.
He recounted his story slowly. The calming potion had helped and he found himself explaining his experience in a monotone voice. At first it was relatively easy to talk about it since everyone in the room knew about much of the abuse he had endured as a child. Harry felt hesitant about revealing the degree of he abuse he had suffered. A lump formed in his throat that made it difficult to speak. Sensing his discomfort, Remus placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, much like the way Sirius had done after the third task during the Triwizard Tournament. Remus could never replace Sirius's role in Harry's life, but his unwavering support and general concern over Harry's welfare made him feel like he finally had another father figure to look up to. He was able to finish by explaining how he had chosen to live again and had returned to his own body.
In the end, Harry decided to only reveal information that most of them would have already known about. The sexual abuse he suffered as a child was too horrible to say aloud. The professors looked at him as if they were expecting more, but accepted what Harry had to say nonetheless. After the several hours of interrogation, Harry and Draco were reunited once again. They were left all alone in the hospital ward. The faculty and students who had been injured during the battle had been healed a short time ago and released from the infirmary.
After their fateful encounter with Voldemort, Harry and Draco were to spend the rest of the night in the hospital ward. Madame Pomfrey had insisted that they be kept for observation to ensure that there were not complications left over from the spell Draco had used. Even after spending almost 24 hours unconscious, the young couple were both extremely tired. It seems that their emotional struggle while in Limbo and the fact that they both underwent the cruciatus curse had left their bodies weakened.
There were no words to describe the complex emotions each boy was feeling as they walked towards each other. In the end, words were not necessary. Draco simply walked up to Harry and embraced him warmly as he planted a gentle kiss on the smaller boy's forehead.
Harry felt himself led to one of the hospital beds, and Draco encouraged him lay down and get some rest. They each took a sip of a dreamless sleep potion the nurse had left them and got ready for bed. The blonde then scooted another hospital bed closer to Harry's and lay down beside him. Instinctively they both reached for each others hand at the same time as emerald green eyes met grey blue ones.
He was very tired, but the silence was deafening. Harry felt that he should say something. After all, Draco had just risked his life and soul in order to bring Harry back from the brink of death. After a long pause, he feebly whispered, "Thank you."
Draco nodded at him in response. The small amount of appreciation was enough. They fell asleep instantly, aided by the effects of the potion.
In the morning, they dressed quietly and walked down the Great Hall for the morning meal. Harry was feeling pretty apprehensive about dealing with such a large crowd of people. He didn't feel like answering anyone's questions. Draco apparently sensed his uneasiness and decided to join the Gryffindors for the breakfast despite the glares that he got from the Slytherin table.
They found Hermione, Ron, Ginny and Neville anxiously waiting for them. They each gave a reassuring smile and scooted over to make room for the couple. They didn't seem to mind that Draco was accompanying their friend this morning. Draco sat down next to Harry happily and began eating feverishly. He shoveled the food on his plate into his mouth at a surprising rate. The behavior was quite out of the ordinary for this usually dainty and well mannered snob.
Hermione laughed at his behavior while eating, "Draco, you have been hanging out with us for much too long now. You are even eating like Ron."
"Hey!" said Ron through a mouthful of food.
"Sorry! I am starving," said Draco as he polished off a piece of toast. "I haven't eaten for an entire day."
Harry sat in a quiet reverie watching the scene around him. It was oddly comforting to see Draco interacting with his friends, but he couldn't help but feel a little out of place after his recent experience. Not being particularly hungry, he picked at his food a bit while lost in his thoughts.
"You are not eating very much. Are you okay, Harry?" asked Hermione who was always concerned about his eating habits.
"Yeah, just been through a lot recently, okay?" he looked over at her hoping that she would drop the subject. He wasn't ready to discuss anything just yet.
"Okay," she said. She smiled warmly and resumed eating her own meal. They finished the rest of their meal in relative silence. Fortunately, the other students had known better than to pester Harry and Draco about what had happened. They too had experienced the battle, and they each had their own horrifying memories to deal with.
The six friends were just about to rise and head outside since they had the day off when Dumbledore stood proudly and began to make a speech. Every head turn towards him in confusion. Usually he left his big announcements for dinner time. Harry prayed that the headmaster wouldn't have the audacity to mention what he had experienced yesterday. He kept his head down and listened intently.
"I apologize for interrupting your breakfasts, but my message is most urgent. As you know, Voldemort and his followers waged a battle against us on Halloween night. He leashed upon on us the horrors of the dementors and his death eater followers, but he failed miserably. His attempt was unsuccessful because of the combined efforts of the Order of the Phoenix, the Ministry of Magic, the villagers of Hogsmeade, and the fine students and professors here at Hogwarts. Remember, we are only as strong as we are united. Although we were fortunate that everyone survived the ordeal, I am saddened to say that this will not be the last we see of Voldemort and his kind. A dark shadow is approaching out little world and many dark days are upon us. The light will only prevail if we join forces against this evil threat. We will not go down without a fight….and so the war has begun!"
The students began to murmur quietly about the implications of what Dumbledore has just said. Everyone was terrified. It was relatively easy for them before to ignore the fact that Voldemort had regained power. The Ministry of Magic had taken forever to recognize the Dark Lord's return, but since the attack on Hogwarts, the impending war was much too real. Some of the first years looked like they were about to cry.
Harry's friends began to discuss the seriousness of the situation. Ron and Ginny were sharing some information that they heard about the first war from their parents. Harry could only think about the prophecy and his involvement in this war. Was everyone really counting on the Boy-Who-Lived-Again-And-Again to win this war? Would he really have the power to bring Voldemort to his demise? He didn't think so, especially after he had come so close to death the other night.
Harry was ripped out of his thoughts when Dumbledore began to speak again. "In order to ensure the safety of all our students, the staff and I have put in place some necessary precautions. There will be no other Hogsmeade weekends until there is no longer a threat of danger. Also, the Ministry of Magic has placed some highly trained aurors at strategic positions around the school to ensure that no death eaters attempt to invade the castle. We also ask that you also keep a watchful eye out for any suspicious activities, not only at home on the holidays, but also here at school. Hogwarts will not tolerate any connections to Voldemort. Any student found to be communicating to the Dark Side will be dealt with accordingly. As you all know, Miss Pansy Parkinson was detained by the Ministry because of her betrayal. I am saddened to think that any of our students would willfully put the lives of others in danger. Remember, we are only as strong as we are united. Thank you," said the headmaster as resumed his seat.
Harry noticed that each of the professors had a grave look about their faces. These adults knew better than anyone just how terrifying the effects of war could be. They all remembered the horrors that Voldemort unleashed the last time he waged war. This situation was becoming more and more serious. Harry mentally reminded himself that his very own parents had been the victims of war. Who else would die because of this monster of a human being? Harry shuddered slightly at the thought.
He felt a comforting hand on his shoulder and he turned to look into Draco's eyes. "Let's all go outside and get some fresh air," the blonde haired boy said gently. He must know what I am thinking, thought Harry.
The six friends rose from the seats and quietly walked outside, each of them thinking about what Dumbledore had just said.
A/N: For the record, I hate this chapter. I found this chapter really hard to write and I don't know why. I thought it would be easy to begin where I left off, but I kept changing everything around. I also had to change the story from Ron's perspective to Harry's perspective. It's harder than you think. I feel like it is missing too much dialogue but I didn't want to only be repeating the final events in the last fic. I am not even sure if this is how I wanted the chapter to be, but oh well. Let me know what you think. BTW my beta, Tigercat, didn't get a chance to read this so please excuse any errors.
Please review!