Disclaimer: If people keep suspecting me of making money off Harry Potter I might go crazy and actually become dumb enough to believe it!
Hey! Goshh! I was shocked to see how many wonderful people reviewed my story! That was the most reviews I got for the first chapter! And I'm (barap bap pap baaa!) lovin' it! LOL, yes I am a dork at times. Anywhoo yay it's Friday! TGIF! At least where I live it is...
wmlaw: Thank you! Ron is alive I assure you but he won't be seen till later in the story. He'll be mentioned but it'll be kind of shocking to find out what he's up to.
dancerrdw: Thanks! : )
Willow: Thanks so much! It means a lot to me!
PinkyTheSnowman: Yeah, it'll be long. I like the code name too. It strangely does fit Harry. I suppose you're right about the Draco thingy. Anyways thank you for your review!
Katwoman0884: Hey, thanks a bunch! Yay I got somebody craving!
Wow!: Nice pen-name. And thanks for the awesome one-word review! Btw, I thought Hawaii was next to England too...
HandsOff: Your sexy beast? Excuse me. He's mine! Don't worry I'm a stoner too...LOL. Hah anywhoo...thank you for reviewing!
daddysgirl101989: Haha I LOVE your enthusiasm. I want to be a writer but it's tough to be one. Perhaps I'll take on a meaningless, easy-to-get-rich job and write on the side ; ) Thanks so much for the support, compliment and review!
HarrysAnEmoKid: I guess they call him Dragon because they even think of him as Dragon. They're so scared in the society they're living in that they don't dare to think the real name, you know? Maybe not but I tried! Anywhoo thanks for liking it and reviewing it!
Brinneybit: Thanks! I hope you do read more!
Megan: Yeah I hope so. Harry's intial awakening is going to go...unexpectedly. Very unexpectedly. Thank for for reviewing too btw!
JPx: Hah...thanks! That's super duper! : )
FutureGoddess: Thanks all around!
Angel-In-Gold613: Yay! I'm glad I got you hooked on the first chapter! I love it/hate it when stories do that to me!...Thanks for the review too!
sjpgurl13: Ron isn't dead. I don't have the heart to kill him lol. But he is in a horrible situation. Even though you won't seem much of him expect mentionings at first, he comes in deep later on. Lol...I'm glad the "Dragon" thing kept you going! Thanks for reviewing!
HogwartzBoizRHottiez: Aww thanks! : )
horseloverforever: Thank you! It's really appreciated!
hpchick13: Ron, ron, ron. I've been hearing lots of questions about him. Then again, why not? He's the best! He won't come in till later on and it'll be rather dramatic. I'm very happy to hear you like it and thanks for your review!
antnum: Thanks...I hope it's a bit different then most stories of it's type.
QueenWeasel: Thank you! No, to reassure you, Ron isn't dead! I love Ron too but he comes in later in the story. Hah, I kept most people alive but how long they'll stay that way is another question...thanks so much for reviewing too!
Milky Neon: Da da da! I finally get a review from you! I've seen you on the list of author's that have me on their author alert list for a long time and been wondering! Nice to meet you, finally! Glad you like it and thanks for your review!
Tristic: Thank you! I hope it keeps people on the edge most of the time! And yes he's bacck!
trikkity: Ok, so maybe you reviewed and I forgot. Sorry Jui Pui Lui. LOL. Ron's in it but later! Gosh I know you're obsessed but calm yourself. Anyways thanks for the review, byeee!
koalainglasses: They're all calling Harry the Dragon 'cause they don't want anyone to know he's still alive. Even in the safety of Number 12, they still call him the Dragon because they're just so used to it! Anywhoo thanks for reviewing! Lots of love!
'There are lots of people who mistake their imagination for their memory'-Josh Billings
It was raining. Raining harder than it had for many years. He felt his heart beating wildly. Felt the rain pound his back. Everything was so disoriented. He didn't know where everyone was. Some were still in the castle, others were outside along with him. He tried to ignore the bodies he saw on the ground. Pretended it wasn't his fault.
But wasn't it?
It should've ended by now. He shouldn't be here, hiding from the enemy.
"Harry...," a timid voice piped up, "Harry, let's stop under this tree."
He didn't reply but let the red-headed girl lead him under a large tree. He was in a forest now. Dark and uninviting.
She was beautiful. He could hardly get his eyes off her face. Even though she was barely sixteen, she looked much older than she was. But not in the good way. It seemed years had worn away at her. Leaving bags under her eyes and creases on her forehead.
"What are you thinking?" she asked, gently, noticing him watching her.
"I'm thinking of how big of a coward I am and how brave you are," he replied, solidly.
She smiled, "You're not a coward, Harry."
Har-ry. Somehow that named seemed so familiar yet so far away to him. As if it were an old friend he hadn't heard in a long time.
She reached her hand up to push hair away from his green eyes. She paused at the scar and traced it with her index finger for the hundreth time. He felt the usual shiver jet up his spine.
"You don't have to lie. If I were brave, I'd be out there looking for him. Fighting him," he said, bitterly.
"It's not wrong for you to want to live," her voice cracked, "For you to want to be here with me..."
He took her hand. It was so cold. They both wore their school robes, which had now become a second skin under the weight of the water. Her lower lip trembled and she fought the urge not to cry. He stroked the ring on her finger. The one he had given her. He'd been so scared to do it and had been so happy when she'd accepted it without the slight hesitation. They were young he knew. Perhaps foolish. But they were also madly in love.
"I've waited so long for you to come around...," she whispered, "Don't I have the right to want to keep you?"
He pulled her closer to him and nodded.
"I love you," she said again. He kissed the top of her head and tucked her in his arms. If circumstances hadn't turned out this way...
"How sweet...," a voice chilled. It sent another jet of shivers up his sign but not in the same as her word's had done, "Potter and his girlfriend."
"Actually, my Lord," another voice spoke up. This time, a Death Eater. "They've recented gotten engagement."
"Oh, pardon me then. Potter and his-ah-fiance," Lord Voldemort slurred, "How lovely."
He pulled away from the red-haired wonder and drew out his wand. He knew this man-or rather beast. No matter how alien other names sounded to him right now, Voldemort's name was etched in his mind. So this is how it was going to be. Him and Voldemort under a tree in this Forest.
"Leave her out of his," he said, trying to sound in control.
Voldemort laughed. To him it was like nails on chalk.
"I don't plan to make Miss Weasley a part of this at all," Voldemort smirked, "Avada Kedavra."
"No!" he gasped and turned but it was too late. He knew she was dead even before he'd faced her. She fell to the ground...and died...gone. Like Cedric and Sirius. He'd never had a chance to say good-bye.
"Now that we've got that nuissance out of the way we can concentrate on this duel," Voldemort said just as icily as before. How could he not show the slightest guilt in taking another life?
"SHE WASN'T A NUISSANCE!" he screamed, trying to release all the pain. But yelling didn't help the aching one bit. It just made him edgy, hot and fussy.
"My, my, quite a temper," Voldemort smirked and the Death Eater who had accompanied him laughed. The Death Eater let down his hood and-finally he got a glimpse of his face.
A pale upturned face that was adorned by pale blonde hair. Two gray pools gazed out at him. He knew this man. And he had a feeling this man was feeling for him exactly what he felt for him. Hate.
"Now...even time wasting. I don't have all day to kill you," Voldemort slithered, "Well, actually I suppose I do since I'm immortal. And as inviting as it sounds to stay here all day torturing you to the death, Potter, I'd rather not. I want to see you dead. I've waited forever."
He took in a deep breath. There was no escaping this one. No lucky chances. All exits were blocked. However, he was not about to die a coward.
"Give me your worst, Voldemort," he said in a stronger voice than he thought he could manage right now.
"That I shall, Crucio!"
He blocked and spell but felt a slight quivering at his bones none the least.
"Ahh...I see you've managed to learn a thing or two since we last met?" Voldemort said, almost teasingly, "Fine, if you care to ruin my fun let's get straight to it. Ava-"
He clamped his eyes shut. He was going to die...
But then the spell was never finished. Silence met his nervous ears. Maybe he was already dead? He struggled to open his eyes. He was still in the forest. Voldemort and the Death Eater were both present.
"You truely are a coward, Potter," Voldemort hissed.
"Me the coward? Why haven't you finished me off yet?" he demanded even though he knew he shouldn't be pushing his luck.
Voldemort laughed. However it was such a laugh that his mouth barely moved. It sounded more like a certain hissing.
"That it because I, unlike you, Potter, am not satisfied by ending this epic without a certain special quality," Voldemort spoke, "I've done Avada Kedavra on you one too many times. And I know all too well it doesn't always work on you. No, for this I'll need to think of something else."
He felt an uneasy feeling creep up on him again. Whatever Voldemort was planning wasn't good.
"What do you mean?" he asked.
For what seemed like forever to him, Voldemort didn't respond. Just stared at him, maliciously, seeming to try to decide how to dispose of him. Then somehow it seemed like the most brilliant idea came to Voldemort. The corner of his lips twitched happily.
He gulped.
"Imperio," Voldemort ordered more than said. He immediately felt himself go stiff. Someone else was now in control.
"Since you like to fight the Wizard's way of death so much, I'll kill you the Muggle way," Voldemort smiled, "Just like your Mudblood mother would've liked."
He heard a voice in his mind. Telling him...telling him how he was to commit suicide...
'Go to the lake Potter...'
'Everyone will think you abandoned them...'
'Drown yourself...'
'The Wizarding World will know they're savior is only a coward...'
'Drown yourself. Don't resist me...'
'To scared to face me...rather save his own neck by dying...'
'DROWN YOURSELF!'
He couldn't fight it any longer. He wanted to cry. To scream. What would everyone think of him? But Voldemort had even ordered him not to open his mouth...
He left the cave with Lord Voldemort watching him fondly.
'Good-bye Potter. I'm sure the Wizarding World won't miss you, the infamous traitor. Oh, and one last word. Try to do anything out of the ordinary and I'll know. I'll watch your journey, your death through your own eyes, Potter, for we are one.'
He screamed. Over and over again in his mind. He could hear Voldemort laughing...and slowly he lost control of where he was going...lost sight of his vision...everything was going dark faster than he could handle.
Then suddenly as fast as the darkness came it disappeared. He felt himself open his eyelids gently. The hazy at first surroundings came into focus. Well as much as it could come into focus for him without his glasses. He was in a room. A rather large room that resembled a hotel room and yet almost a hospital room all the same. The wallpaper was pink and peeling and a table by the bed, surprisingly, held his glasses.
He reached for them just as two witches (they wore long, billowing, robes) entered the room. For a second they stared blankly at him and he stared back. Then one of them, the one with darker hair screamed. He flinched.
"Padma, Padma! Calm down, go-go-inform the rest!" the blonde one calmly suggested. The other one-Padma, he guessed-nodded and rushed out of the room.
As she left, he felt how awkward a situation he was in. In a gloomy room with a complete strange woman...how'd he get here? Why wasn't he dead? Was this heaven? He doubted it although the blonde had a rather angelic quality.
"Um-do you need help putting on your glasses?" she asked, gesturing towards his glasses which had been in his hands for two minutes.
"Er-no, no," he replied, slightly bewildered. Her voice was soothing and familiar. He stuck his glasses up his nose and was happy to see everyone came into perfect focus.
The blonde stuck some new, bleached, towels into a dresser and then came to sit at the edge of his bed. He moved his feet away and curved them to his chin. She smiled at him, almost like a mother would at her son.
"Do you remember me, Harry?" she questioned, cheerfully.
He almost gasped. Somehow these two very different worlds were connected. The red-head had called him Harry and so had this blonde. Perhaps, perhaps he was Harry. He almost sighed in relief. He hadn't know how to refer to himself.
Harry didn't want to say no and seem dispolite because somehow he wanted he keep on friendly terms with this young witch. Yet he couldn't lie.
"I'm sorry...," he murmured, "But I don't..."
She smiled, "Well it's been almost ten years."
'It has?' Harry thought. Where had he been during those ten years?
He was about to ask when a loud stomping could be heard in the hall and about twenty people piled into the room. Harry was so shocked by this sudden on pour of visitors that he edged farther away from them. They entered the room and stared at him as if they hadn't ever seen anything like him before. And suddenly a rush of red jolted towards him and ingulfed him in a chokingly, tight hug.
"Oh, Harry dear!" he had now identified her as a witch with bright, red hair. Just like that girl from his dream.
"Harry, I've missed you so much!" she sobbed, uncontrollably into his shoulder, "To think of all the days and nights I've cried alone and wished for your return!"
By now Harry was getting extremely uncomfortable. Another older wizard seemed to have noticed because he stepped in.
"Now Molly, let's give Harry a little space," he said, earnestly.
She pulled away from him and wiped her eyes, "You're right Remus. Sorry about that Harry, dear."
Harry nodded numbly but felt even more scared. He was in another world that he had no clue about...yet somehow he didn't know where he came from.
"Harry...," what looked to be the oldest witch amongst them all said, "Welcome-welcome back."
Everybody continued to smile. Yet a young witch with bushy hair stared back at him suspiciously. Harry didn't like it. It was like she expected something of him.
"Harry-who am I?" she inquired in mock innocence but he knew the question meant something more. A few were about to say something but the aged witch stopped them.
They all stared at him expectantly. He froze. He had no clue what her name was. He didn't know what any of their names were yet they all knew his name...he was frightening.
"I-don't know," he confessed, "I'm sorry. I don't know who any of you are."
Shock hit the large group, everyone that is except for the bushy haired witch. She gradually came over to Harry and sat next to the blonde on the bed.
"Hello Harry. I'm Hermione Granger," she explained, "I'm guessing you don't know this but I've known you since you were eleven years old."
Harry breathed in sharply. Since he was eleven? That was a long time. Yet he was glad someone had explained something. Now if he could only remember...bushy haired witch, Hermione Granger.
"And I'm Luna Lovegood," The blonde spoke up, "A classmate of yours from Hogwarts."
Hogwarts. That word struck a pool of ripples in his mind.
"Hogwarts...," Harry mumbled, "I know that place...it was my...school?"
"Yes!" the, slightly crazy, red-haired witch said and clapped her hands, "Thank goodness. He remembers something."
What was he supposed to be remembering? He was so confused...However slowly that increased as the aged witch, who he later found out to be Mrs. McGonagall, encouraged everyone in the room to introduce themselves to Harry.
He found that most of them triggered strange emotions within him. Like...annoyance...love. Many of the male wizards reminded him of that dream-girl. They all shared most of the same features, red hair, freckles, long noses. Perhaps she was a piece of his imagination that was created from these beings?
Harry found himself liking them all on one level or another. However he came to attach himself to Hermione and Luna the most. They stayed by the bed and helped him converse with the various people.
Then last of all came a man... pale upturned face that was adorned by pale blonde hair...Harry's eyes widened. Could it be? He gazed into the cruel, gray eyes and was sure. This was the man from his dream. The evil man that had stood and watched him and the dream girl suffer.
"You!" he gasped and backed away from him as he drew near. The wizard froze a few feet from the bed.
"You stay away from me! You watched her die! You killed her!" Harry shouted, knowing he was probably not making sense to these people. They must not know what this wizard really was.
"Harry!" Hermione said, alarmed, "Harry, what are you talking about?"
"He's from my dream-he killed a witch!" Harry continued to yell. He wasn't about to stop till the wizard got out of this room!
"Harry! HARRY!" Hermione cried, "Calm down!"
Everyone suddenly looked fearfully at one another and fought the urge to worry for Harry's sanity. However, no one could stop him and he continued to scream.
"Harry Potter!" Mrs. McGonagall snapped over himself. Somehow even though she wasn't very loud, her strict tone and demeanor immediately got Harry's silence, "Harry Potter...this isn't the same man."
"But...," Harry said, lost, "They look so much alike."
"Yet I assure you they are not one in the same. Look at this man. Doesn't he look younger? And his hair isn't half as long," Mrs. McGonagall said, trying to make him understand.
Harry studied him. He did look younger. Almost by twenty years. They couldn't be one in the same then...yet even though he had everyone's assurance he still felt his stomach squirm at the sight of him.
"This is Draco Malfoy," Mrs. McGonagall continued, "And I know once you two get to know each other, you'll become worthy allies."
Behind her, Harry noticed Draco's face. He looked guilty and scared of him. However he was still haughty all the same.
"Now, Harry, I'm sure this has been quite a day for you. I know it has been for us. So if you please you must go back to a meeting," Mrs. McGonagall clarified, "Padma and Luna will be here with you-"
"Professor," Hermione interrupted, "Could I stay here with Harry?"
"Actually, Hermione, I think it'd be best if you came to the meeting," Mrs. McGonagall responded, "And what have I told you about calling me 'Professor'?
Hermione blushed lightly and turned to Harry, "I've got to go, Harry. Perhaps we can talk another time?"
He nodded, truely sad to see her go. She snatched him up in a last minute hug which caught him off guard. Yet somehow it didn't feel weird. Comfort and familiar was more like it. He had a feeling he'd be using the word familiar a lot lately.
After everyone left, Harry found himself alone with Luna and Padma. Embarrassingly enough his stomach let out a low rumble of hunger. He felt his face heat up. Padma stood and suggested she go make him something even though he protested. She seemed glad to be out of the room. Taking care of an unconsicious Harry was far more easier than the real thing.
Luna, however, didn't seem in a rush to go anywhere and lifted her legs up on his bed and crossed them. She stuck her wand behind her ear and Harry had the slight feeling she wasn't your average witch.
If not out to break the silence than out of curiosity Harry asked, "Why did Hermione call Mrs. McGonagall a professor?"
"Well McGonagall used to be her teacher didn't she?" Luna said, casually, "Just like she was your Professor and mine."
"She was?" Harry asked, awestruck.
"Yep, for all the seven years you were at Hogwarts. Taught transfiguration she did," Luna went on.
It was then that Harry felt the impact of how weird it was to call Professor McGonagall 'Mrs. McGonagall.' The former sounded so much more easy to remember. If he spoke to Luna how enough he was sure he'd recall everything.
"Why doesn't she teach anymore?" Harry questioned. Luna's face darkened considerably but she quickly recovered.
"Let's not talk about that," she said, swiftly, "Anyway, have you ever heard of a Crumple-Horned Snorkack?"
Harry pondered over that, "I think I have actually."
It was the first thing he'd actually known without Luna having to explain it. If Luna wasn't going to tell him everything maybe-just maybe-he could squeeze the answers out of his own mind.
Author's Note: I know the beginning was a bit confusing with the whole Harry always been referred to as "he" but yeah. It's how it goes. Anywhoo I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I hope you review! : )
love
winky