Harry Potter
And
The Green Flame Torch

Chapter 2

Sirius Black felt sicker than he ever had in his life as he stood in the middle of Diagon Alley. The air was filled with death and destruction and came no where close to even his worst nightmare. All around him people lay dead or dying as the few that had survived unharmed physically slowly worked their way through all of the bodies searching for survivors. Not a single building had escaped Voldemort's wrath. A few of the buildings only had minor damage, yet most lay in complete ruin.

"Sirius are you alright?" Alex asked as she carefully approached her fiancé. Wrapping her arms around him, trying to offer some small semblance of comfort;

Unable to speak, Sirius simply nodded as he wrapped his arms around Alex and buried his face in her shoulder.

"Sirius! Alex! Have you seen Ginny?" Molly Weasley cried as she ran toward where Sirius and Alex were standing in the middle of the street.

"She came to run a few errands for me and get her school supplies." Molly cried as she began to frantically wring her hands together.

"Take her home and wait. I will search." Sirius said as he turned to face Molly, while silently urging Alex to get the woman as far away from Diagon Alley as possible.

"Molly, you go back home with Alex, and I will come as soon as I find Gin." Sirius said as he gently shoved both women toward the nearest fireplace.

"Be careful love." Alex said as she took the distraught Molly by the hand and stepped into the fireplace.

Sirius wiped the tears from his eyes as he waited until they had disappeared before taking several deep breaths; Hoping for a miracle that he would not find Ginny Weasley among the many dead bodies that covered the street.

Harry sighed softly as he reluctantly left Ginny within Helga's care and headed for Salazar's lab. He had barely stepped inside, before Salazar began to bark order's without so much as a glance in his direction and within moments was fully engrossed in preparing a fire potion that could heal pretty much anything and everything.

For three solid hours he worked, forcing his mind to stay on the task at hand, before Salazar finally looked up.

"Why did you bring her here?" Salazar asked as his curiosity finally got the better of him.

"I could not just leave her there to die." Harry grunted as he added the last ingredient to the potion with a sigh. It would now have to simmer for two days before it would be complete.

"Of course you could have." Salazar snorted as he turned his attention back to his own potion.

It was on the tip of his tongue to argue with Salazar about what he had just said, however, Harry had learned that when Salazar was right, there was no argument that would stand up against the mans words, which left him pondering the real reason that he had brought Ginny back to Avalon.

"So why did you bring her here?" Godric asked as he leaned against the door frame.

""When did you get back?" Harry asked hoping to change the subject until he knew why he had brought Ginny back to Avalon.

"Just a few moments ago." Godric said as entered the room and exchanged a silent look with Salazar.

"Harry, I know that you're lonely here, but she can't stay here. We are all taking a huge risk that other's will find out that the four of us are traveling through time as it is. Despite who we are, it is just as illegal for us to do this.."

"Besides, I thought you didn't want anyone to know about ..."

"Ginny won't say anything to anyone!" Harry protested, cutting off the words of his mentor and friend.

"Are you sure about that?" Salazar asked.

"Positive. If I ask her not to say anything about you all or this place she won't." Harry stated feeling 99.9% that he was right.

"Alright." Salazar sighed knowing how lonely this place could be.

"She can stay for two weeks. That's it. After that she goes back."

"Fine in two weeks I will take her back." Harry agreed knowing that this was one of those arguments that he would not win, and decided it was better to take a bit of something than a whole lot of nothing.
Ginny awoke with a soft sigh as she attempted to snuggle deeper within the warm soft blankets that surrounded. Never in her life had she felt as if she could sleep forever, but just as that thought entered her mind, it was instantly replaced with what had happened in Diagon Alley and she snapped her eyes open and looked around in fear at the unfamiliar surroundings.

"I was beginning to think you were going to sleep all day." A soft husky voice said from near the door.

Ginny frowned as she looked in the direction of the voice, staring hard to see within the shadows, before her eyes adjusted to the dimness in the room and settled upon the tall figure dressed in black that was leaning against the door frame as if he had not a care in the world.

Ginny wasted no time in scrambling out the bed and snatching her wand off a small table that was beside the bed.

"Who are you and where am I?" She demanded as she held her wand tightly in her hand while trying to get a better look at her captor.

"Calm down, no harm will come to you here." Harry said in a calm soothing tone as he held both hands in front of him and took several hesitant steps forward.

"Who are you and why did you kidnap me?" Ginny demanded angrily as she took one step back for every step he came forward.

Harry frowned as he stepped into the light, sure that she of everyone he had left behind would recognize him for who he was. But after several minutes had passed and she kept backing away it hurt in a way he couldn't begin to describe that she had no clue as to who he was. Add to that, the way she was nervously waving her wand in his direction, made him just a bit nervous himself.

Harry stood silent as he looked deep into her eyes and flinched at the pain, fear and heartache that filled their depths. He knew then that he should have never brought her here and that any feelings she once had for him were buried to deep to cross the river that now flowed between them. Too much had happened and both of their lives were too different Harry thought as he waved his hand and sprung forward as Ginny fell into a deep sleep. A brief moment later, Harry gently laid Ginny on the sofa in the small living room of her parent's home. Pressing a brief kiss to her lips, he quickly disappeared as footsteps alerted him that someone was coming.
James Potter sat staring blankly into the fire, a glass of brandy at his side as he tried desperately to make sense of every thing that had happened in the past twenty four hours. Voldemort had destroyed Diagon Alley and along with it many of the witch's and wizards that had been shopping there as well. Unfortunately that attack had just been a diversion for the evil wizard. As the day had drug by and everyone pulled together to try and find any survivor's many other reports had begin to drift into the ministry. The demeantor's had left the wizarding prison and joined with Voldemort and almost every first year student that had just received their Hogwart's letter had been killed as well. That thought alone weighed more heavily on his mind than anything else. Why someone would harm an innocent child was beyond his capabilities of understanding.
Lilly stood just inside the door watching as different emotions flashed across her husbands face. She wanted desperately to reach and assure him that despite everything that had happened that everything would be alright, but because of the problems that now lay between them, she could not force herself to reach out to him. Tears slid silently down her cheeks as she forced herself to turn away and walk silently up the stairs. However, before she made it to her room, she found herself pausing in front of another door. Taking a deep breath, she slowly entered the room, but stopped just inside the door. The room itself was nothing special however it had been set up for their son. Just thinking of Harry was enough to crumble what little resolve she had left. For years she had dreamed of the day that she would once again be able to see her son, teach him, hold him, hug him, and love him. When that day had finally come and she saw a young man standing before her, rather than the small infant that she had been tricked into leaving behind, she felt she had failed at being a parent. Looking back at the way she had treated Harry and his girlfriend she knew that she had failed her son in the worst way possible. It was no wonder that Harry had left at the first opportunity that had presented itself. Leaning heavily against the wall, Lilly slid slowly to the floor. The tears falling like rain as she covered her stomach, making a desperate plea to the powers above that one day she would see her son again and making a promise to the child that was yet to be born, that never again would she do to it what she had done to Harry.

"Please give me a chance to make things right with my son." She whispered desperately to the empty room.
Salazar Slytherin stood on the balcony just off of his room, looking down upon the gardens of Avalon watching as Harry went through his daily routine of exercises. It was only eight in the morning, but he knew Harry had been up for several hours, practicing and exercising to keep his body in top shape for the moment he would finally face Voldemort. Watching as Harry took out two of the ghostly shapes within the blink of an eye, Salazar smiled proudly to himself, knowing that if Harry was his son, he would be proud of the child no matter what. It was on that thought that Salazar turned away from the scene below and headed downstairs. Wanting to have breakfast with Harry before the child took off for parts unknown to do the one thing that made all his sacrifices to other's worthwhile.

"Good morning." Salazar said as Harry entered the room a short while later.

"Morning." Harry said as he helped himself to some toast, surprised to see Salazar sitting at the table so early in the morning.

"Where is your friend?" Salazar asked puzzled not to see the girl Harry had brought with him the day before.

"She wanted to go home." Harry said softly as he shielded the hurt in his heart from his eyes knowing that Salazar would see it.

"I'm sorry." Salazar sighed knowing how much it had meant to Harry to finally have someone closer to his own age near.

"For what? You were right; I never should have brought her here in the first place." Harry said as he lost what little appetite he had and started to rise from the table.

"I have some stuff to do before tonight." Harry threw over his shoulder as he strode swiftly from the room, when it seemed that Salazar might be about to say something else.

In reality, Harry had nothing to do, but he had no desire to speak about Ginny with anyone. It simply hurt too much, he thought as he reached the apparition point just outside the gates of Avalon.
The moment Harry arrived at his destination it was not surprising to find that everything was surrounded by chaos. It was always this way, and to find it any different would have been too traumatic for words. It didn't take long for Harry to quickly sort everyone out and get them all back on task. It was only then that he realized from his view point on the stage that someone had been standing just inside the shadows watching.

Carefully making his way off stage, Harry walked down a corridor filled with people, not once giving in to the urge to see if he was being followed. Instead he smiled and waved to those he passed and entered his dressing room. Crossing the room, Harry sat down in a chair, twirling his wand in his hand and waited. A few moments later he couldn't contain the smile that tugged at his lips as a tall stranger dressed in dark robes slipped into the room and began to lower the hood that kept his face hidden as he turned to face Harry.

"I think I have always known that it would be you that found me first." Harry said softly as he rose to his feet and crossed the room wrapping his arms around his old professor.

Severus Snape wrapped his arms around his ex-student and friend patting his back and whispering a silent thank you to the powers that be.

"I found you because you wanted me to find you." Severus said as they stepped apart.

"What can I say, I missed you. However it took you long enough to figure out the clues I sent." Harry said as he went to a corner of the room and poured them both a drink.

"How was I supposed to know that you, who hate to be the center of attention, would have the nerve to perform in front people, much less a concert hall that seats fifty thousand people? Plus all the smoke and lights make it hard to tell what is happening up there." Severus said as he took the drink Harry poured for him and sat down.

"Why do think no one had been able to find me?" Harry said as he sipped his drink and sat down across from Severus.

"How are you?" Severus asked as several moments of silence passed between them.

"Honestly?" Harry asked.

"Tired. So very tired." Harry admitted as he met his professor's eyes.

Severus only had to take a glimpse within the depth of the emerald orbs to see that Harry was telling him the truth.

"What can I do to help?" Severus asked, knowing that he would go to the ends of the earth for the young man seated before him.

"Ever heard of a magical object call The Green Flame Torch?" Harry asked as he sat his drink aside and leaned forward.