Title: Harry Potter and the Vicissitudes of Life

Chap 1: Oblivius

"The unusual thing about today is that the raven haired teenager who often lay amongst the flowers in the garden of number 4 Privet Drive was running like a fool on the road followed by half a dozen black cloaked men. Suddenly one of these men took a stick and the rest of them stopped as abruptly. The tallest amongst shouted angrily to the one with the stick and the latter immediately hid it," whispered the old woman, "They said something like 'the muggles should not notice' then they disappeared out of thin air. I am not telling lies. Ask Arabella Figg, she was with me when this happened."

"You were probably having a dream Miss Montgomery. Many such strange reports have been signaled over the years but the witnesses have always agreed about having dreamt afterwards," replied the young officer, "I will check it with Miss Figg."

"You do that for me Mike. I swear that it was no dream."

At number 4 Privet Drive,

The raven haired boy was still panting from his long escape. He was in the wardrobe under the stairs and still under constant vigilance. There was a tap on the door and the boy thought that his last moment has come. The door opened it self and the face of an old woman came into view. The tension in the room instantly dissipated.

"Harry, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, just a little tired. How did you know?"

"I noticed the scene from the window. Don't worry the others are all fine. Dumbledore is looking after them."

"He is here? I want to talk to him"

"Yes he has just brought the unconscious Lupin and Tonks into the kitchen. Petunia is helping him."

Relief swept over him. At least no one was injured or killed this time. He darted across the room into the kitchen. His aunt was helping the old man and to his great surprise they seemed to be doing quite well together.

His aunt was a muggle and hated wizarding folk. Harry Potter was in fact a wizard himself and Petunia Dursley was never what someone would call an aunt to him. Her son Dudley, that adolescent blue whale was always bullying him and the husband, Vernon, would turn purple with rage whenever he hears the word magic.

The fact that Petunia was associating so well with Dumbledore, even though the latter was probably one of the most powerful wizard alive, is nothing short of a miracle. The old men turned slowly towards Harry and smiled but this smile was not a usual smile nor did he have the twinkle in his eyes.

"Professor, they have found the Dursley's residence. How? "

"Harry you should understand that Voldemort is one of the shrewdest person on earth. Sometimes he just goes and come out with amazing conclusions. Even our spies were not told about this. Tom himself chose the ones going on this mission and even Severus did not manage to get a grip of what was said from his hiding place."

"This place is no longer safe, this means that I no longer have to live with the Dursleys?"

"Fortunately not, Harry. This only means that you no longer have to live at Privet Drive but will continue to live with the Dursleys. They will live in a new residence that I had long ago constructed myself, the Godric's Chamber"

"You certainly don't know the Dursleys very well. They would never accept this offer."

"You think so, nephew. Then you are underestimating my character. Vernon always agrees with me in the end and will not make an exception for this generous offer from Dumbledore. "

"I always thought that you hated magic-"

"You don't know me boy. That's all I'll say for now."

"Are you a witch, like my mother? "

"If I was a witch, I wouldn't have married Vernon but Remus!"

"What! You know Lupin!"

"Yes so what!"

The old wizard took out his wand.

"Enervate."

The grey haired man started to stir. Suddenly he opened his eyes and seemed much relieved when they fell on Harry.

"You are fine! Sorry Albus, we were outnumbered two against about six deatheaters."

"I completely understand Remus."

The latter's face turned paled when he saw Petunia. She looked at him with a mixture of relief and anger. They quickly turned away from each other. Harry could not understand what was happening right at that moment but promised himself to ask Remus about it.

"How have you been doing?" asked the old man once he and Harry were alone outside.

"It has been quite livable as the Dursleys have been intimidated by Moody but my scar has not stopped aching."

"Go and have a nap Harry. We will awake you when we are ready to move on," the twinkle in the Headmaster's eyes had returned. Something was going on and as much as Harry did not like to be kept in the dark, he could tell that the thing was going to be interesting.

He laid himself in the hammock in the garden room that his stupid uncle kept on repairing for his whale of a cousin broke it down almost every time. I am in danger? ARE MY FRIENDS IN DANGER? Yes for both but why? Because Voldemort wants to kill me – me not my friends; there are more terrible things than death. What? Pain; but I can resist Cruciatus. Pain can take other forms apart from physical agony - like the feeling left behind after the killing your loved ones. Damned prophecy! All these thoughts were gnawing his mind.

At long last he fell back to sleep – only to land into his nightmarish visions of the fate reserved to the light side. Each time his nightmares changed, flashes of a man falling into a veil greeted his subconscious. Sirius threatened by Voldemort and Purebloods. Voldemort filthy halfblood like him cursed to fight each other until death separates them. Anger fills inside him when he thinks of Purebloods – but Weasleys are purebloods, father was pureblood, Sirius was pureblood and most of the Order is pureblooded. Purebloods - everywhere, invading and controlling.

"Purebloods, I hate you!" he hissed as he woke up in a start to find a man dressed in white and having a unicorn tattoo on his left arm – his eyes always darted to the arms of people nowadays, vigilance was reaching paranoia.

"Too right you are." said the man calmly, "Voldemort should remember that he is no more pureblooded than you or me."

"Who are you and how did you manage to get here?" Harry asked loudly hoping to capture some attention from the Order.

"Only those with the Dark Mark cannot apparate directly into this yard. And I have someone very effective amongst your guard who gives me good advice indeed," no one seemed to have heard Harry which meant nothing other than a silencing charm around them.

"Harry, there is no need to be alarmed – just join me in my hunt for Voldemort and his supporters, the purebloods," the man continued.

"Wait, you said purebloods, surely you have meant Death Eaters," Harry said hopefully.

"No I effectively meant purebloods."

"Dumbledore is a good wizard and also a pure-"

"Nobody knows Dumbledore as well as I do, except perhaps Voldemort and I think that's why he fears him. Hypocrite Dumbledore thinks he can fool everyone. "

"Dumbledore has always been a good wizard and he even defeated Grindelwald, that dark lord."

"I see that you are not going to change your mind so easily," Harry felt something strange – his gut feeling kicked into action.

He rolled over to catch his wand but found none. As he slowly turned his face towards the stranger, he realized that the latter had a familiar twinkling in his eyes and two wands including his.

"Harry, Harry…," said the wizard as calmly as always, "Please give me your rankings for the most powerful persons in the wizarding world - the first three and there relative power assuming that Dumbledore has 100 points."

Harry found it weird but complied; "First place Dumbledore 100, second Voldemort 99 or something near; third Moody…no Bellatrix Lestrange 80 approximately."

"Your estimations are quite good but a change of order is going to take place. Dumbledore may have been first before but he is becoming old and Voldemort is becoming stronger as now his wits are competing with Dumbledore. Given that Voldemort already has powers that your Headmaster has not, I would say Voldemort first place with 105 points approximately, Dumbledore and for the third place, the remaining of the wizarding folk is far behind as the next would be at about 90 and this would be me."

"This whole schema is about to be shaken with the arrival of a new factor, you. I have researched and found many things and my collaborators amongst the Order and Voldemort are more effective than even Severus Snape."

"Who are you?" Harry asked angrily.

"Do you wish to join me? – because you will be joining me at one point in time and many things will be accomplished," the stranger paused a bit and then added, "This has been prophesized by my mother."

"I won't join you and Dumbledore has my entire trust!"

"So be it!" the man raised his wand and muttered, "Obstructus Spytra"

Harry did not have time to react as a white beam of light collided against his torso. However nothing else happened.

"You are not so powerful after all!" Harry had a grin on his face as he said this.

"You really think so?" the voice of the stranger contained a strange tone of amusement. Harry did not know what was going on and moreover he began to wonder if this was not a form of silent killer like a poison or something that caused incurable illness like cancer.

The man seemed to be reading his thoughts; "Don't you worry I won't harm you. You are too precious. This was only an anti-tracking charm that I thought wise to use. Now are you coming with me or would you force me to do something that would do harm to yourself!"

"I am not coming… you could be a sort of mercenary working for Voldemort. I know that he is one of the shrewdest snakes alive."

"You give me no choice!" without any warning, the wizard took aim at Harry and said "Oblivius."

Harry was reminded of the scene some moments before as this time a blue light bolt hit him straight in the head. Then all went blank and Harry's limp body fell to floor.