Disclaimer- I make no claim to owning anything related to the world of Harry Potter. It is the sole property of J.K. Rowling. I only own the plot.
The Summer After Sirius
Chapter 1: Harry's Tragic Day
The summer after fifth year had so far been better than most because of the Dursleys actually not making life a living hell for Harry. This was due entirely to Moody's warning not to mistreat him this summer or they would have to answer to him. It would have been the best summer ever except for one thing; Sirius was dead.
He had died saving Harry, when Harry himself had been on a mission to save him. On the outside Harry presented a somewhat happy face so as to not make anyone worry about him, but the irony of it all was tearing him up on the inside. Since he had gotten back from school two weeks ago, Harry had only left his room to use the loo and to shower. As in the summer before his second year, his Aunt Petunia brought him his meals and gave them to him through his little food door.
His grief was even made even greater when he saw the cover of the Daily Prophet one day…
Just today there was a massive breakout of the convicted Death Eaters who were only just put there mere weeks ago, after their attempted break-in at the Ministry of Magic…
Disgusted, he wouldn't even finish reading it.
Malfoy would no doubt be gloating about that when school started again. He wasn't even really sure he wanted to go back and deal with it all this year since so much had happened.
So far it had been a repeat of last summer with no news from Ron or Hermione about what they were up to or about the Order. In fact, they had only each bothered to write just once.
Harry,
Not much going on. We're all staying at the place we stayed at last summer. (Can't say in case the letter gets intercepted.) Dumbledore isn't sure when you will be able to join us. I know that you're probably beating yourself up over Sirius's death but it's not your fault. He would have done anything for you. On a happier note, I've recently figured out why I don't like anyone going out with Hermione, I'm in love. I've recently asked her out and so far it's been great. Anyway, see ya soon mate.
Ron
Hermione's was slightly better…
Harry,
I hope your really doing well. I'm really sorry about Sirius's death and can't even begin to imagine what you must be going through. Please don't do anything rash and to get yourself expelled again as fudge is still the Minister of Magic and even after admitting that Voldemort is back still tries to run your name through the mud as much as possible. Professor Dumbledore won't say when or if you will be able to join us. You wont believe this but the most amazing thing happened right after I arrived at you know where, Ron asked me out. I could tell he's had a crush on me for a while but never thought that he would ever get the nerve to actually do anything about it. And before you ask, I accepted and we've been pretty happy since. Well hopefully you will be able to come and stay soon.
Love
Hermione
He didn't know why but the fact that Ron and Hermione had finally admitted their feelings for each other filled him with a jealous rage that was slowly eating away at him. It wasn't that he wanted Hermione for himself, but the fact that once again he was left all alone. Once school got started again he knew he would always be in the way because they would want their 'alone time.'
Lately though, he had been thinking of Ginny more and more often. Sometimes he would just wonder what she was up too or how she was tormenting Ron. Until this summer he had never really thought of Ginny in this way. He often wondered if she felt the same way. He understood that she was over her infatuation with him but maybe there was a chance that she still felt something for him.
Then he remembered Dean.
She was going out with Dean now. She had told all of them on the train ride home at the end of term.
Again he felt sorrow.
He often wondered 'Why am I always the one left alone.' First his parents, then Sirius, and now his two best friends; 'Its all that damned prophecy's fault' he mused to himself. That was the other thing that occupied his thoughts day and night.
"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches…. Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies… And the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not… And either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives…. The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies…"
Either he must die or he must become a murder. Neither sounded like something he would be able to handle. It was because of the prophecy that he had stood up on the roof arguing with himself whether or not he should just end it all right here? It was because of the prophecy that he had nicked a kitchen knife and held it to his wrist every night looking for a reason not to do it.
The thing that usually kept him from actually doing though, was the thought of Remus and how he had also lost so much and was still here. He would have to stay strong for him because he needed a friend in the world. Sirius's death must be hitting him just as hard, as he was the last of his school friends.
On the morning of July 20th Harry woke up just like every other day, prepared to spend it wallowing in self-agony. It was on this day that Harry was staring out of his window watching all of the other happy and normal kids playing in the street without a care in the world. Not knowing that an evil beyond all evil could come down and take it all away with two little words.
Suddenly, of all the people in the world, Dudley started calling Harry by name. This might not seem unusual but ever since Harry had returned from Kings Cross all that he had been referred to by Dudley as, was either "YOU"! Or "That Potter Kid".
"Harry could you come down for a minute?"
'What would Dudley want with me?' Harry thought to himself. Intrigued, he made his way down the stairs to the front door where Dudley was waiting for him. As he approached Dudley he couldn't shake the feeling of dread that was beginning to overtake him because he couldn't remember a time when Dudley just wanted to talk.
"I was wondering if you would like to go to the park with me?" Dudley asked.
Harry was shocked. For one thing he had never ever been asked to do something with Dudley because he was usually adamant that Harry not be allowed to be near him.
"Well do you want to go then?"
Regaining his composure he blurted out an affirmative. "Um… sure."
As Dudley began to leave, he couldn't quite put his finger on it but there was something odd about the way that his cousin was acting.
As they made their way down toward the park Harry began to become more relaxed because there was no sign of Dudley's gang of hoodlums that Harry was expecting to jump out at any second.
"So what do you do all year at school?" Dudley asked.
Dumfounded, Harry couldn't even speak. 'Dudley is usually so fearful about my life, why is he suddenly interested?' wondered Harry. Though with Dudley's track record with meeting wizards he couldn't help but understand why he would be so fearful. But this didn't explain why he was suddenly interested in his life.
Dudley then turned into an alley that seemed awfully familiar. Suddenly, Dudley stopped and turned to face Harry with a glint in his eye. "Now you get what's coming to you," He said.
Silently cursing himself for being so trusting he braced for Dudley's gang to jump out and start beating him to a pulp when all of a sudden Harry was startled by the familiar crack of somebody apparating. Only it wasn't just one though, they were suddenly surrounded by three people in masks that Harry recognized as Death Eaters' masks.
"You've done well young muggle," drawled a familiar voice.
"Dudley, how could you do this to me?" Harry asked his cousin.
"Not to worry there Potter," said a voice that Harry recognized as the one belonging to MacNair. "He's under Imperius."
"Not that I don't think that he wouldn't do it anyway" said a voice that had been haunting Harry's dreams since the last week of school.
"You"! Yelled Harry. "I'll kill you."
"Ha" the voice shrieked, "I don't think so boy."
"You see Potter, this time we've got you. There's nowhere to run and no prophecy to keep us from hurting you like last time. Now how did our master put it last time… oh yes," Drawled Malfoy, "kill the spare!"
Harry watched in horror as Bellatrix Lestrange shouted "ADAVA KEDAVRA!" and a bolt of green light went straight at him and Dudley, throwing Dudley to the ground with a blank expression on his face.
It was just like the end of forth year all over again. The death of Cedric was still fresh in his mind. He couldn't believe it; Dudley was dead. While he certainly hated his cousin, he didn't deserve to die at the hands of Death Eaters.
"What's the matter Potter, did you love him too?" Snarled Bellatrix.
They were all laughing at him now, mocking him. Even though he had seriously considered suicide earlier in the summer, something inside of him wouldn't let them have the satisfaction of ending his life.
The Death Eaters were defiantly waiting for Harry to make his move but were unprepared for the sheer ferociousness of it.
Harry suddenly jumped at MacNair and threw him at Malfoy who wasn't expecting that kind of stupidly. He then whirled on Bellatrix and shouted "Petrificus Totalus" catching her off guard she fell to the ground stiff as a board. Turning his attention back to Malfoy and MacNair who were just getting up off the ground he called out "Stupefy" and stunned them.
He then ran out of the alley as fast as he could, all the way to Magnolia Crescent to report to Mrs. Figg, as she would be most likely to be able to contact Professor Dumbledore. When he got there he started pounding on the door.
"Mrs. Figg I've been attacked again, they've killed Dudley" he yelled. Suddenly the door was thrown open and Harry was looking at the old face of the squib, Arabella Figg.
"What are you yelling about, are you trying to alert the whole block to me?"
"Mrs. Figg, Death Eaters are down in the alley that the Dementors attacked me in last summer. They killed Dudley but I stunned them. I don't know how long that will last though."
"What!" Yelled Mrs. Figg. "You get straight back home. I'll contact Dumbledore."
Harry never ran so fast in his life. He ran all the way back to Privet Drive then to the one marked number 4. When he arrived he tore the door open and slammed it shut behind him making sure to deadbolt it.
"WHAT IN THE BLOODY HELL DO YOU THINK YOUR DOING?" yelled a very purple faced Uncle Vernon. "YOU ALMOST RIPPED OUR DOOR OFF." Aunt Petunia was standing right behind him with a look of pure loathing on her face.
Suddenly he was very nervous, he would have to be the one to tell his Aunt and Uncle about their son being dead.
"Um, Uncle Vernon" he started "I um…"
"SPIT IT OUT BOY, I DON"T HAVE ALL RUDDY DAY."
Deciding to just get it over with quickly, he started telling them the story.
"Three dark wizards put a spell on Dudley and they were controlling him. He then took me with him for a walk to the alley we were attacked in last summer. They cornered us and killed Dudley. It was all in an attempt to get to me," he said simply and quietly.
Whatever they were expecting, that wasn't it. Aunt Petunia had sunk into the chair that was right next to her with a horrified expression on her face, but; the look on Uncle Vernon's face was unlike anything he had ever seen before. It was beyond rage.
"I always knew you were trouble," said Uncle Vernon very softly. "I feed you, clothe you and put a roof over your head and this is how you repay me. You go and get my son killed by your freak friends."
"But Uncle, they weren't my…" He didn't have time to finish as his Uncle grabbed him by the throat and threw him through his cupboard door.
He didn't even have time to register what had happened when Vernon was on him again. Picking him up by his hair. He punched him in the chest and stomach repeatedly. With every savage blow he could feel his ribs breaking. He was then thrown at the door with such force that when he tried to brace himself, all he heard was the sickening crack of his arm being broken.
Gasping with pain, Harry looked up at his Uncle wondering what on earth he had done to deserve this. Hadn't he been punished in life enough already? At this point Uncle Vernon was pulling out a handgun from a cabinet. 'Surely he wouldn't be sadistic enough to actually shoot me?' he asked himself.
"I'm going to do what I should have done 15 years ago. You've been nothing but a burden on us since you got here and now you go and get my son killed." He said with a mad glint in his eye. "Hope your ready to meet your no-good parents."
With that, he cocked the hammer back, and fired.
He was thrown back into the door so violently it was unreal.
Pain.
Pain unlike anything he had ever felt before suddenly ripped through his body. It was even worse than when Voldemort put the Cruciatus Curse on him at the end of his forth year. It was worse because while the Cruciatus made your mind think you were in pain, this was real. Also since the Cruciatus was all over your body, it all kind of blended together. The pain he was experiencing now was concentrated in one spot making him focus on just that one particular spot.
The bullet made a clean pass right through his left shoulder, separating it. He tried to crawl away but with his right arm broken and his left shoulder separated, it was a useless effort. He ended up sitting on the floor with his back leaned against the wall. He looked up at his Uncle one last time seeing him pull back the hammer again and aiming at him.
'Goodbye Ron and Hermione, I hope you have a safer life with out me now that I won't be there to put you in danger. And to think, after all the times I'm faced the most feared wizard in the world and lived, I get snuffed out by a mere muggle.' Were his last thoughts as there was another defining BOOM! And everything went black.
The boy who lived knew no more.
A/N This is my first fanfic and it was originally planned to be a one-shot to test the waters with my writing. Due to the great reviews though, I've decided to try and make a go of it and carry it through till the start of their sixth year.
Don't forget to review.