Summary: Another sixth year fic with high amounts of AU twists. Harry trains to defeat Voldemort, while dealing with the Order, school, nagging friends, and other things.
Note: Major PoA and Ootp spoilers.
Chapter 1: How it all began
After the Order threatened the Dursleys, Vernon took Harry over to a car in the parking lot. It was a very fancy SUV, and it looked like the Dursleys bought a new vehicle, again. Harry didn't know why, but they'd more then likely tell him why they have a new one.
"Boy," said Uncle Vernon. "This is a new van that we bought. We bought it so that Dudley could have our old car, since he recently received a driver's license. Yes, boy, he turned sixteen two weeks ago, and passed the practical exam. This van is not here for you to wreck it in any way, shape, or form. In order to ensure that, you are going to ride in the trunk with your luggage. Do you understand me, boy?"
"Yes Uncle Vernon," replied Harry, dragging Hedwig and his trunk toward the new van. He knew better than to retaliate to his uncle. Vernon pushed a button on his keys, and the trunk latch opened. Harry struggled with his trunk for a whole five minutes until pushing it in. He then put Hedwig in, knowing that she wouldn't like it, but he didn't have a choice in the matter. He then reluctantly climbed in after his luggage. Vernon closed the trunk, and they were off to home.
One good thing about the trunk was that it was bigger than their last car. True, Harry was cramped, but he was used to being cramped from his time in the cupboard. Figures that Vernon would be smart now and lock him in here.
He did, however, say that Dudley had a license. Harry was surprised as Dudley seemed like he'd be a bad driver. True, he'd never seen him drive, but he'd probably start accidents with anyone on the road who annoyed him. Besides, Vernon would probably encourage him to do stunts like that often. He just couldn't see anybody crazy enough to give Dudley a license.
However, Harry then remembered a movie that they watched in muggle primary school once. A boy basically managed to get a driver's licence while not knowing anything about driving. That was due to incompetent instructors like the DADA ones they had in the past. Dudley probably got stuck with one of those.
Suddenly, Hedwig started screeching and flapping her wings. Harry knew that she wanted out, but they were both stuck in the trunk, and there was nothing he could do about it. Vernon yelled at him a few times to keep her quiet. Harry tried, and Hedwig eventually settled down.
After what seemed like an eternity, the van finally stopped. He could hear Vernon shut off the engine, and then open the trunk door. He beckoned Harry out, and he did so. However, he was very confused. This wasn't Privet Drive. This was the middle of the desert! What were they doing in the middle of a desert, anyway? He didn't dare to ask Vernon, but he was curious.
"Listen, boy. I suppose you're wondering what we're doing in the middle of nowhere. Well, you'll see soon enough what I have planned. For now, I'll just start setting up for my excellent idea," replied Vernon evilly. Harry gulped. That didn't sound good. It didn't sound good at all.
Vernon opened the back door of the car, and took out some rope. Harry was very scared. This didn't look good. Was Vernon planning to tie him to a tree and leave him here? Oh yeah, they were in a desert. There weren't any trees around here. Was he going to be tied to a saguaro cactus, then? He hoped not. That would hurt.
Harry would of broke for it then and there if it wasn't for a few factors. First of all, they were in the middle of a desert. There wasn't even a road in sight, as Vernon appeared to have drove off it to make them less likely to be found. That was actually smart of him.
Vernon then tied Harry with the rope. His legs were bound together, and his arms were tied to his back. Vernon then took out four steaks and a hammer. He secured the steaks into the ground and used them to tie Harry stomach up onto the ground. Harry groaned. This could not be good. It couldn't be good at all.
His thought was confirmed when Vernon pulled the last artifact out of his car. It was a rifle. Harry gulped. Vernon was planning to kill him. But, wasn't he scared of the Order's warning at all? Maybe he could convince him that this was a bad idea.
"Boy, you have been nothing but trouble to my family ever since you were left at our doorstep. I should of done this that very day, but now I finally have my chance. I am finally going to kill you, freak," stated Vernon. Harry then wondered if Vernon was put under too many cruciatus curses.
"You--You wouldn't. You heard what The Order said. If they find out that you killed me, they'd pay you and your family a visit, and the result won't be pleasent. This is a bad idea and you know it," replied Harry.
"Don't take me for an idiot, boy. I know what they said. Do you actually think I'm dumb enough to tell them that I killed you? I can very easily just say that you ran away. I could also just make up a story that somebody murdered you. Now, prepare to die, boy," finished up Vernon.
Harry sighed and looked at Hedwig and his surroundings one last time. This would be the last time he would see this place again. Oh well, at least he would be with his parents and Sirius now. The four of them could be one big, happy family together. This was very ironic, though. Voldemort had been trying and failing to kill him for his whole life, and he ends up dying at the hands of a muggle. Maybe this would teach Voldemort and wizard-kind to never underestimate muggles.
Vernon pulled the trigger, and the bullet zoomed out towards Harry's heart. Harry wished he knew how to apparate. Maybe then he could just do that. It was at that point that a white streak flew out from the corner of his eye, and took the impact of the bullet. The white thing fell down to the ground, helpless, blood spilling from the wound. It was clear that it was dead.
Harry looked down, and noticed that it was Hedwig. Hedwig flew in front of that bullet to save him. A couple of tears then poured down his face. Hedwig just sacrificed herself for him, but it made no difference anyway. If Vernon was smart enough to drive to a secluded area, then he was smart enough to bring multiple bullets.
Harry was right. Vernon laughed at the fate of his owl, and refilled his gun with more bullets. This time there was no owl, or anything else to hit instead. He pointed his gun at Harry once more.
"Stupefy!" yelled a voice. A stunner then shot through the air, and stunned Vernon. Vernon fell face forward into the dirt. The person who stunned him then came forward, and finally came close enough for Harry to see. It was Remus Lupin. He was here to save him. Maybe he wouldn't die at the hands of muggles after all.
Remus used his wand to cut the ropes, and released Harry. His next step was to take that gun away. Harry knew that stunners only lasted about a few hours on muggles, so they better disarm him.
"Hey kid," greeted Remus. "Now can you tell me what just happened here?" Remus was stunned. He was in the desert, and he finds Harry tied to the ground, with his uncle trying to kill him.
"What did I do last year in retaliation of Umbridge?" questioned Harry. He wasn't sure if this was actually Remus or a death eater. He would of asked a Marauder question, but it could be Wormtail, who would probably know the answer.
"You started the D.A. which stands for Dumbledore's Army. You taught students how to defend themselves,' replied Remus. Harry then wanted to give another test. He always heard that it was best to give two tests.
"Ok, Professor Lupin. Now, how did the Order's HQ animal residence escape?" asked Harry. He told Lupin about the Buckbeak incident and a DE would have no idea what he was talking about.
"You used Hermione's time turner to go back three hours, and rescue him when the executioners were signing papers," replied Remus. Harry grinned. It really was his favorite professor.
"Professor Lupin! It's you! Thank you for rescuing me. Why are you out here in the first place, though? We're in the middle of nowhere. There's even a sign there that says Absolutely Nothing for 35 miles," asked Harry.
"Sure thing, Harry," replied Remus. "However, I would like to know what you are doing out here as well." That was true. How many people would go out in the middle of a desert?
"Ok, Professor Lupin. I'll go first. After I reached Kings Cross, Vernon took me to his new car, and made me ride in the trunk. When he let me out, it turns out that we're in a desert. He then tied me down, got out his gun, and shot the bullet. Hedwig, however, was out of her cage, and dived in front of the bullet to save me. Vernon cursed, reloaded his gun, and was about to aim again when you showed up. That's basically what happened," explained Harry, turning to look at Remus. Remus looked ready to kill Harry's uncle.
"How can he possibly do that to you!" yelled out Remus. It was both anger and a question. '"We warned them not to give you trouble, and what happens? He attempts to kill you! That's it. There is no way that you can stay with them any longer. We'll have to tell Dumbledore that you can't. Until then, however, you can come with me. I'm here, because I'm heading off to a shopping center to pick up some supplies for the Order," explained Remus. Harry nodded, but then looked confused.
"Professor Lupin, we're in the middle of a desert! How can you possibly buy supplies in the middle of a desert! Shouldn't we just head on over to Diagon Alley instead?" questioned Harry.
"No, Harry. This place has more variety, and has no affiliation with the Ministry. As such, none of our actions are reported, and it's easier to obtain things they'd rather not have you own. If you want, you can buy some supplies as well," said Remus. Harry nodded. He had never gone on a shopping trip before.
"Ok, Professor Lupin. What about Hedwig, though? We can't just leave her body there to rot. We'll have to bury her somewhere," replied Harry.
"You're right, Harry. We'll have to bury Hedwig. For now, we'll have to wrap her body in a cloth, and bury her after the shopping. Don't worry, it will preserve in the meantime. It's magic," said Remus.
"Remus, I don't know where to bury her though. Do you have any ideas?" questioned Harry.
"As a matter of fact I do, Harry. We could bury her in a beautiful clearing in the forest behind my house. It has muggle repelent charms on it and everything, so you don't have to worry about that. And how many times do I have to tell you to call me either Remus or Moony?" replied Remus. He seemed deep in thought about something.
"What made you come up with that spot, Pro... I mean, Remus," replied Harry. He was curious. After all, he mentioned a specific area there.
"Well, it's a long story," replied Remus. "When the four of us were at school, we all had some pets. James, like you, had an owl, only a black, male one. He received it as a going to Hogwarts gift, and named him Shadow. Shadow was very close to James, but he also liked me and Sirius. Wormtail, on the other hand, never liked Shadow, because he had a pet rat named Whiskers that Shadow always wanted to eat for supper. The good news is that Shadow was usually in the Owlery, so Shadow-Whiskers conflicts mainly occured in the great hall. That made Wormtail hate him, and Shadow hate Wormtail in return," said Remus. Harry stared in awe. He liked hearing these stories about the Marauders. He never even thought about his parents having pets at school.
"During the summer between fifth and sixth year, the four of us were spending the week at my house. The sun set, and it was dark in the woods. We were all bored, and decided to take a hike through the woods. James, naturally, brought Shadow along, since owls are nocturnal. That was a very smart move for him."
"Either way, a very unusual event happened. We were just hiking when a huge, massive creature jumped out in front of us. It looked like a werewolf with glowing red eyes, but it wasn't even a full moon! I would know. How would that even be possible? The werewolvish creature lunged at us, and would have eaten us if Shadow didn't get an idea. He flew off James' shoulder, then flew in the opposite direction. The werewolvish thing then turned and chased after the owl. James, of course, wanted to follow, but we had to restrain him, then went home."
"The next morning, we went out there to look for Shadow. We found his dead body the next day, which was surprising. You would expect that creature to eat him. We buried him in that clearing, and I still visit him every now and then. Maybe you could bury Hedwig and Shadow next to each other," replied Remus.
"That will work, Remus. Thanks!" replied Harry. "Now what?"
"Well, for now we'll wrap up Hedwig's body in that cloth I mentioned, then go shopping. We'll have to bury her after the trip, as we have to buy a few things for this first," replied Remus. "Either way, let's get started.
Harry obliged and followed Remus in the direction he was going.
AN: I know the driving age in Britain is either 17 or 18, but I had to lower it for reasons you'll see later. Vernons extremeness also has an explanation.. What do you think of Shadow though? Oh yeah, and feel free to leave a review. However, if you hate it, then let me know why you do. I also take suggestions, as well I have a plot in mind, it could use a bit of small guidance.
Next Chapter: In the Middle of Nowhere
Harry and Remus travel to the shopping area.
