Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter

Chapter 4 – Twisted Harry

"The Death Eaters are on their way to the train?"

"Yes My Lord."

"Good," the Cloaked Figure said simply.

"However may I ask you why you want to kill Harry Potter's friends?" Voldemort asked, with a hint of irritation.

"Why do you care Lord Voldemort?" The Cloaked Figure watched him without eyes. It was quite unnerving, even to Voldemort.

Voldemort paused for a moment, considering his options and trying how to word this without offending his Master. "Our resources could be used elsewhere," he finally settled on.

"There are more complexities to this than you know," the Cloaked Figure said simply. He didn't say another word, but Voldemort feared that sentence. There were to many unknowns and variables in the Cloaked Figures words to really understand what he meant.

"Anything else My Lord?" Voldemort he asked simply. Whatever the Cloaked Figure had planned, Voldemort was sure he would be better off he stayed on his Master's good side.

"No Lord Voldemort. Believe me, your time with Potter will come. The final battle is inevitable."

"So this agent was successful in bringing Potter in?"

"I do not know," the Cloaked Figure confessed, "but with much luck, the mission will be successful."

"With all due respect," Voldemort said hastily, "I think you underestimate Potter. You don't know how clever the man actually is."

"Voldemort, how many times must I tell you?" The Cloaked Figure sneered. "You are too stupid to understand things."

Voldemort let the comment pass, but he did say, "Nonetheless, beware of Potter."

"Do not give me counsel. I know more than you do."

"Yes My Lord," Voldemort said. After all, if Potter killed the Cloaked Figure, then the man would get what he deserved.

"Still, even after your curiosity, you have done well. Let's just hope this Death Eater agent of yours actually was up to the challenge."

"He is My Lord," Voldemort said, trying to reassure his Master.

The Cloaked Figure said in a deadly voice, "I hope so Voldemort. For your sake at least. Harry would have enjoyed the feeling of his Firebolt, which was still flying just as smoothly as always, if worry hadn't been racking him since he started. The hillish countryside had been flying by with a breeze, the green grass flicking past without ever knowing he was here. He had on his invisibility cloak so that nobody could see him, that didn't stop him from being cautious. The last thing he needed was for some Muggle to see him.

He knew which train station the Death Eater was talking about. Harry concluded that it was probably the one that Ron and Hermione were transferring in. Harry checked his watch. He grimaced. He was still about fifty miles away and he only had fifteen minutes to get there, and do anything he could.

Anything he could. He hadn't begun to think of a plan yet, and in fact, when he thought about it, what could he do? Harry shuddered at using Avada Kedavra, but he might just have to. In Harry's mind this was defense, and aggression could be used in defense.

"What am I going to do?" Harry thought. He knew that if he didn't try though, he would regret it forever. The flight seemed to take forever, but Harry knew why. He was anxious and no matter what, when you are anxious it will take a long time.

Harry noticed a little hillside house on his far left. There was a mother outside hanging her laundry, with two children running around the yard.

"That must be such a simple life," Harry thought, "simple, but perfect." Harry would've thought more about it, but he had already thought of matters such as that, way too much. Harry had the life he had, and nothing could change any of that. Period.

Harry thought again. He knew he did not want to kill, but how could not he? If it meant a Death Eater or his friends, what would happen? Would he betray his feelings or would he save his friends.

Either way, he would be miserable. How much of this paradox could he take? Harry shuddered. No matter what, his life would never be the same after the confrontation with Voldemort. He wouldn't go over to evil, that he knew. He vowed to fight it, no matter what happened.

Nevertheless, he was not confident in his vow. "If I am evil, then do I really care about vows?"

The other side of his head said, "Only time will tell." Harry saw the train-station near when he could see it. The fog was very difficult for visibility and it wasn't until he was very close to the station could he actually see it.

Hell had already broken when he got saw it. Trains were a mess, flying everywhere, and people were screaming, fleeing from the Death Eaters. Some of course, had there wands out, ready to fight, but fear was just too much.

A green blast came whizzing through the air, nearly hitting him. Harry swerved to avoid it, and saw the Death Eater below. "Riptosempra!" he shouted, and the Death Eater did a double take as he cracked his head against the wall.

Harry dismounted, feeling woozy. If he would not have these damn qualms about violence, none of this would be happening. Voldemort would be defeated and the world would be at peace.

Harry shook his head. "No more dilemmas. I need my head clear," he thought to himself.

Harry ran along the wall, away from the destruction. "Hermione! Ron!" he called out every so often. Harry didn't know why he did, but he ducked. A knife came slinging in his direction, thrown by a Death Eater. It barely missed his head. When Harry looked up, the Death Eater was already pointing his wand at him. Simply be reflex, Harry thrust his wand out and muttered a stunning spell. It blasted the Death Eater in the chest and sent him flying backwards into a wall.

"How very clichéd," Harry thought, remembering action movies he had seen since he graduated from Hogwarts.

He turned around the corner and heard a voice. He knew that voice and it was quietly calling his name, "Harry, Harry, in here! Please." He spun around a corner and into the ruined train station. There, huddled in the corner, was Hermione and Ron. Harry ran over.

"Oh thank God you're okay Harry," Hermione said, tears quietly slipping down her face. "I lost my wand, and Ron has a broken leg. Stay here Harry! Don't fight!" Harry just noticed that Ron was unconscious. He grimaced. Hopefully he could keep the Death Eaters out of here for awhile.

Harry turned his attention back on Hermione and realized what she just said. "What why not?"

"You scared me last night! I don't want you to be a murderer," she sobbed slightly.

"Don't worry, I won't be." Harry said, his thoughts going cold as he remembered his near murder on the Death Eater who followed him.

"I know you won't be," she said, and threw her arms around him.

Hermione sobbed, but did not say anything else. Harry looked at her and said, "I have to fight Hermione. It's my duty," he said, sensing that she was unsatisfied with his answer.

"Don't you TELL ME ABOUT DUTY!" Hermione screamed. "YOU COULDN'T KILL LAST NIGHT. WHY CAN YOU NOW?"

Harry looked at her. "Hermione, trust me. I won't kill anyone." Hermione visibly calmed down as he said this. "There are alternatives to murder in battle you know," Harry said with a wry grin on his face.

Hermione put her fingers on his face and laughed through her sobs, "I know Harry. I know."

Harry got up to leave, but not before an explosion ripped the front of the building apart. In strode about five Death Eaters, hooded as always.

"So we have the great Harry Potter here, do we?" one of them mumbled after seeing him.

"Yes. I imagine the Dark Lord will be pleased," a different one said.

"Yes," came the reply of the first one.

Harry stood there motionless, for there wands were all pointing at his heart. His mind said, "Do something Harry! NOW!" but he couldn't move. This was really the end. But it couldn't be. Unless it was Voldemort under that hood, the Death Eaters couldn't kill him.

Then something inside of him told him to leap to the side. He didn't know why he followed it, but he did. As he hit the stone floor, he saw a green light shoot past him. It hit one of the support beams causing the ceiling above Ron and Hermione to start to fall. It was braced at the last second, by another beam on top of it.

"Well what do we have here?" The Death Eater asked. He cackled and fired a green light at the ceiling's one support beam. Hermione screamed as the whole ceiling started to collapse. She leapt out of the way, but Ron could not. He was unconscious and had a broken leg.

"RON!" Harry yelled, as the ceiling fell on him, but it was too late. The ceiling fell on him. In it a swirl of emotions raged across the room. The Death Eaters had triumph, Hermione had grief, but Harry, he had something far worse. But it didn't matter, because only one thing mattered. Ron was gone and nothing was going to bring him back. Harry got up from the rubble, a new emotion besides sadness bellowing inside him. The Death Eaters were smiling underneath there cloaks when suddenly Harry had his wand at their throat. "AVADA KEDAVRA! he screamed. The biggest light Harry had ever seen billowed from his wand. It was a bigger spell than he saw Voldemort do, and as it engulfed the Death Eaters, they all fell dead.

Harry breathed. He wasn't shaken, nor trembling. It was this that scared Hermione the most. He was smiling, and his eyes were wide with amazement. "Harry, you-," but the expression she saw in Harry's eyes wasn't his. It wasn't the even anger. It was pure hate. In his eyes she saw nothing else. There was only hate. No happiness, no sadness, no guilt. "Harry," Hermione whispered. Harry's amusement faded, and his eyes began to waver. Suddenly, the impact of what he did hit Harry in a wave of guilt. He collapsed to the floor, crying. Hermione had never seen a more pitiful sight. Her heart melted for him. She wanted to comfort him, but was at a loss for words.

Harry was curled up in a ball, crying. Thousands of thoughts were going through his mind. Could he kill Voldemort now that he did it once? What did Hermione think? What would Dumbledore think? Why could Voldemort kill without remorse?

Death Eaters charged into the building around him. Harry did not care; nothing could've moved him for the world. Hermione stepped over him, her wand ready. It looked like she would have to fight after all.

"Step aside girl," the Death Eater hissed in a cold and calm voice that was eerie even to Hermione who had heard them before.

"No," said the other. "She's a Mudblood." Hermione gulped down fear, and stared defiantly. "Kill her!" he concluded.

Hermione raised a hand without even thinking and sent a fireball in their direction. It was way off, and crashed into the stonewall behind them harmlessly. She was trembling, because this might be the end.

"Let me show you how to aim, girl," the Death Eater said and grabbed his arm. Hermione twisted, but he only pulled harder. Hermione screamed, trying to bring herself away from the man. Why didn't he just let go?

And he did. There was Harry, tear-stained, standing where he had just been pitiful. His stunner had taken out both Death Eaters.

Harry walked away from her. He heard her call after him, but he didn't look back. As he walked outside, Harry saw the other wizards driving the Death Eaters back. One of them came up and shook his hand.

"Thank you Mr. Potter. You gave us hope! We wouldn't have been able to-," but Harry let go of his hand and walked off, again, ignoring the man.

He found his Firebolt and kicked off, away from his personal tradgidies, into a better world and sky. He cried out in anguish and almost fell off his broom. Harry had killed those Death Eaters and hadn't thought twice about. Harry had no doubts that he would have killed the rest of them if Hermione hadn't said his name.

A name. That was all that separated him from good and evil. Harry gulped. He knew why he felt so bad. He had enjoyed killing the Death Eaters, and wished he could have killed more. He was now a twisted human being, never cleansed of the shame.