"HEDWIG!"

The snowy owl hooted and clacked her beak at the girl, whose name was Hermione.

"Hedwig, get down here right now!" The owl hooted defiantly and flew over the girls' head and into the hallway. She soared through another door and out an open window. The girl shook her head and sat on a chair, Summoning a book to her hand.

In the basement, a gangly, red-haired boy commanded pencils, flying them in formation. From the basement, a spider crawled its way to a large room filled with smoke and strange fumes. In the midst of the confusion, a greasy-haired man scribbled in a small notebook.

A pair of bright green eyes snapped open. A tall, thin frame stood up and stretched.

"Lumos", it whispered, and a subdued light filled the room. Turning, the figure looked in a mirror. A thin, sad-eyed face looked out from under an unruly head of black hair. He reached up to touch the scar on his forehead. The thin lightning bolt was a permanent reminder of his duty, and of the fact that love is stronger by far than any curse. Sighing, he looked down at the snake curled around a leg of the chair he had been sitting in

: Come, Lestolth. We must go.:

Slowly, the deep green snake uncurled and looked at the boy with a silver eye.

:. As you say, speech-friend:

The boy walked to the door and unlocked it with a word, then strode through and up a flight of steps. He entered a door and stared at the pictures on the wall.

"Albus Dumbledore, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Nymphadora Tonks. Minerva McGonagall, Molly and Arthur Weasley. M. Sprout, Draco Malfoy, Alastor (Mad-Eye) Moody, Luna Lovegood, Bill Weasley, Percy Weasley, Neville Longbottom, Cho Chang. Cedric Diggory, Padma Patil, Cornelius Fudge, Parvati Patil, Lavender Brown, D. Umbridge, Fred and George Weasley, Dean Thomas, Seamus Finnigan, Ernie Macmillan, Lee Jordan, Colin and Dennis Creevey, Justin Finch-Flechley, Hannah Abbot, Susan Bones, Amelia Bones, Michel Corner, Zacharias Smith, Katie Bell, Alicia Spinnet, Angelina Johnson, Oliver Wood, R. Hagrid, Gilderoy Lockhart, Stan Shunpike, Rita Skeeter, Sibyll Trelawney, Firenze- Centaur, Dobby and Winky- House Elves. Kingsley Shacklebolt, Marietta Edgecombe, Willy Widdershins, Fleur Delacour, Barty Crouch, Mundungus Fletcher, Elphias Doge, Dedalus Diggle, Professor Quirrel, Emmeline Vance, Sturgis Podmore, Hestia Jones."

Here the tall eighteen-year-old with the hundred-year-old eyes stopped reading off the names for a moment.

"...and Lily and James Potter..."

He bit back a small sob as he looked at all those names, all those portraits, everyone he knew or had known that was killed by Voldemort or his lackeys at some time or another. And he hadn't been able to stop him.

"Here this, Tom Riddle! I will hunt you down, you and all the pieces of your soul, and I swear again- I WILL KILL YOU!" He dropped to the floor and buried his head in his hands, remembering.

Downstairs, at the anguished shout, Hermione, Ron, Ginny and Severius Snape all jumped. Snape cursed as he spilled some of his Veritaserum, Ginny and Hermione ran into each other, and Ron's pencils hit a spider web and roused a spider. Yelling he darted for the steps as the others ran into the hall- from different directions. At the foot of the steps they ran into Lestolth. She barred the steps, letting no one pass. The four exchanged glances and settled down for a wait. They weren't disappointed. An hour later, Lestolth slid to one side and the thin boy stumbled down the steps. Snape rushed forward, catching him as he fell.

"Harry!"

Gently Snape carried Harry Potter to his small room.

Faces swam in and out of focus, first Snape, then Hermione, then Ron…and Hedwig? He dimly remembered that there was someone else, but he didn't know who... then Voldemort…no, Tom Riddle…and Sirius, his godfather…he had been like a father before he died…because of Tom Riddle, styling himself as Lord Voldemort…he wanted them dead…Only Harry had survived…there was Ginny… and… for some reason…Hedwig? Harry's last thought before falling into the blackness of sleep was simply You will pay, Tom Marvolo Riddle…

Snape looked up from Harry's prone form. Ever since Dumbledore had died, and almost everyone at Hogwarts along with him, everyone thought that he, Snape, was to blame. But Harry…he had proof that Snape was innocent, and was not the traitor…that in fact, Draco was the traitor. His lip lifted in a sneer…so touching, that the two were finally getting along, and then…Draco turns to the Dark Lord, betrays the castle, and then, trying to make it seem as he died so that he would not be blamed, he gets killed by his own father…Ironic, really. Since Harry now had no one to care for him, Snape took him under his wing. True, he still called him dunderhead and other assorted names at times, but honestly, Harry deserved it…sometimes. A soft moan shook Snape from his reverie. Harry was awake.

" Nice to see you up and awake again. You know, food and sleep really aren't optional…" Harry grinned weakly.

"Well then…where's the food?"

Snape laughed at the typical teenage reply, then waved his wand and conjured up some food from the kitchens.

"Harry!"

Two tall girls flew into the room, yelling.

"You're up!"

They pulled to a stop right next to his bed, running into Snapes' chair and almost falling over.

"Ginny! Hermione!"

A third person hurtled into the room, ducking under the door and falling face first onto the bed.

"Ron! What do you think you are DOING?"

Ron looked up and grinned.

"Your feet stink- I can smell them through the sheets!"

Harry jerked the fore-mentioned parts up, hitting Ron squarely on the nose.

"Ok, break it up, you two. Harry, eat."

Snape held a plate in front of Harry's nose and glared.

"Ron, sit up. Harry, take this." Harry obeyed.

" Ron, what are you doing here? For that matter, what are all of you doing here? I thought that you were staying at your homes?"

They glared at him.

"Harry, if you think you are alone, and then because of that, you don't eat or sleep, then you go and try to weave a complex spell that is draining even when you're well…"

Harry lifted his hand- complete with fork- and halted the tirade.

"Hermione, I'm fine, just surprised. Sir, I thought that you were at Grimauld Place until Christmas?"

"You thought wrong, Potter. And it's a good thing, and so as not to repeat what Hermione said, you are an idiot."

"Why thank you for that bit of information, Severius."

Harry gulped a few mouthfuls of eggs and mumbled "not that we needed to know that…again…"

After breakfast, well, supper, actually, Harry got dressed in his long black robes and went downstairs. Lestolth met him at the base of the steps.

:. Hello master…it issss nisssse to ssssse you awake:.

She hissed, gliding up to him.

:. You musssst not do that again…your friendssss were about to jump over me to get to you:.

Harry totally missed that and blinked

:. You knew that they were here:.

:. Well yes, seeing as you stayed in that room, locked up for days:.

:. But I'm out now. Let's go outside:.

With that, Harry Potter and Lestolth left the old Riddle house.

Far away, on the isle of Azkaban, Lord Voldemort lazed around. Safely surrounded by huge walls and many Death Eaters, he could afford to relax. The old jail on Azkaban Island was no more- now it was Castle Azkaban, the new home of the Death Eaters and their Lord. Outside, on the rest of the huge island was where the rest of his army stayed.

"Lucious, has the Dragon Ambassador arrived yet?"

"No, my Lord." the tall, pale man replied, bowing. Somewhere, from the front of the castle, a gong rang.

"Excuse me, milord. I believe that should be the ambassador."

Lucious Malfoy bowed and scurried from the presence of his master like a white rat. Voldemort grinned and reclined in his chair. Power was indeed a wonderful thing.