A/N: Alright people! Second to last chapter. This one is a shorter chapter than the rest. I swear it is-- by at least a thousand words. This story is so exciting for me because I don't know what's going to happen next, so it's as tense and curious to me as I'm sure it is to you all. Thank you all for the reviews-- I LOVE them. I'm sorry for spelling mistakes that I make, and as much as I would like to go back and re-edit and re-post chapters to fix them... I'm sorry I can't. This chapter is dedicated to... well duh! Fred! Love ya bro! Now!... read and review! Thanks!
--------
"Ginny go!" Harry yelled immediately, "Take Mary and go!"
"J-James," Ginny whispered out as suddenly Mary began to cry.
"Just go!" Harry's voice raised up in urgency, "Run!"
"Bu--" Ginny started but was interrupted.
"Ginny go!" it was Ron's harsh voice that pierced the air.
"Where?" Ginny asked after a split second of silence.
"The Dursley's," Harry said, "You'll be safe there."
Numbly, Ginny nodded, and ran off out of the house. Harry looked at the dark mark glowing in the centre of the room, and then suddenly, as if it had finished it's business, it disappeared.
"That's not right," Ron whispered, "It shouldn't just disappear."
"Well Dumbledore said that it was a different mark," Harry, too, spoke in a hushed voice, "That it was one to call Voldemort. Maybe it works differently?"
"No," Ron shook his head, "Something like this can only be taken away by an Auror, Ministry of Magic member, or from the one that conjured the mark."
"But a Ministry member would have shown themselves," a sinking feeling filled in the pit of his stomach, "And you didn't make it go away."
"A bright one aren't you Potter," the voice was heard before the person stepped through the door leading into the hallway, "But not smart enough."
Harry and Ron stared wide-eyed as the man walked into the living room. If it hadn't been for the sinister eyes, Harry would have never known that it was Voldemort. His skin was pulled tight over his bones, looking like smooth wax. The small amount of light from a nearby lamp cast a yellow glow on the evil wizards white skin, casting long, dark shadows beneath his sunken eyes. He wore a long, black cape that hung limply at his sides. His long black greasy hair framed his face, and he wore a sinister grin.
"Voldemort?" Ron whispered.
All the old wizard did was laugh.
"What did you do with them?" Harry fumed.
"You should have listened to me," Voldemort glared, "I told you that I would kill everyone you cared about if you tried to stop me. And I've already started."
"What have you done?" Ron asked.
"I believe Emily is of some dearness to you?" Voldemort's lip curled up in a way that reminded Harry of Snape.
"What have you done to her?" Harry screamed out viciously.
"My, my Harry," Voldemort sneered, "Even you should have figured it out by now. I wanted seven Horcruxes," his eyes seemed to glow red, "And I always get what I want."
"No," Ron's voice squeaked, "Emily… no."
Voldemort pointed his wand quickly at Ron and muttered, "Stupify." he then turned his attention back to Harry, "The last thing we need is a blubbering father around here."
"Yeah," Harry ripped out his wand, "Well what about an angry Uncle?"
"Come now Harry," Voldemort took no threat to this, "Even you must know that all good things come to an end."
"What did you do to her?" anger pulsed through Harry's steady voice.
"A lovely spell," Voldemort mused, "One called 'Sectumsempra'. I believe you've heard of it?"
Memories flashed through Harry's mind back to sixth year when he'd done that curse on Malfoy.
"Yeah, I have," Harry whispered, desperately trying not to imagine that being done on Emily.
Voldemort studied Harry's features for a long moment, "You're just as I was when I was younger Harry. You truly are. And you could have been as powerful as me, if it had not been for the choice you made at the age of six."
Harry froze. The memory had always been in the back of his mind, but he'd been told by Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon that it had all been because he was sick.
"No," Harry stared at Voldemort, his head spinning, "No! You're just a murderer, why should I trust anything you tell me?"
Voldemort grinned, "Because you remember Harry Potter."
Harry's heart pounded hard in his chest as the memories from so many years ago replayed in his mind…
Harry laid in bed, sweat dripping down his face, his cheeks pink from a 103 degree fever. In his six year old mind, he was sure he was going to die as pains and aches wracked through his body.
"Mummy!" Dudley's cry could be heard just outside of the bedroom door, "Mummy!"
Harry heard thumping on the stairs, and his Aunts voice, "What is it Dudykins?"
"Why should Harry be aloud to sleep in my room?" Dudley whined.
"Dudley dear, it's only for a little while," Petunia explained, "And it is your smaller room."
"But he's going to get ickies all over my stuff," Harry could almost hear him glare menacingly at the door.
"Now Dudley run and play down stairs," Petunia coaxed, "I think Daddy got you a new toy at the store."
"Ohhh, the Rocket Monster!" Dudley squeaked out and ran down the stairs.
A few moments later, Petunia opened the door, and Harry, blurry-eyed, looked at her. With pursed lips, she walked over to Harry and stuck a thermometer in his mouth. Harry was used to this by now, as for the past three days, Petunia had randomly walked into the room at least twice an hour to give him medicine or check his temperature.
"Vernon will be taking you to the doctors tomorrow," Petunia spat out reluctantly as she took out the thermometer.
"What is it at?" Harry slurred.
Petunia looked at it, "It is at 103.4. Here," she shoved a glass of some purple liquid in it into Harry's hand, "Drink this."
Harry drank it up, and placed his head gingerly back down on the pillow. Then, suddenly, before Petunia could exit the room, the light went out and the room started to shake, sending different things flying off the shelves.
"Harry!" Petunia cried out, "What are you doing!"
"It's not me!" Harry managed to yell out as wind roared through the relatively small room.
Just as suddenly everything stopped, and there was a tall man with a long, white beard standing in the middle of the room. He wore green velvet robes and had on a tall pointy ruby hat.
"Not you again," Petunia fumed.
"Oh Petunia, you have yet to see my last," the man said pleasantly and then turned to Harry, "I believe you are feeling quite ill Harry Potter."
Harry nodded his head, "Y-Yeah."
"My name is Dumbledore," Dumbledore explained, "And I believe you are sick from something that no ordinary grape juice will help with."
Petunia stood there, looking cross with her arms folded infront of her chest. Dumbledore took out his wand, and walked towards Harry, who quivered into the corner of the bed.
"Do not be afraid Harry, this will not hurt," Dumbledore spoke kindly, "I promise you."
His wand lightly touched Harry's temple, and a long, thin red thread came out. It pulled out nearly a foot, and suddenly disappeared into thin air. Harry stared, shaking.
"Feeling better?" Dumbledore asked.
Harry didn't answer, but very slowly nodded his head.
"Excellent," Dumbledore looked at Petunia, "He had what is commonly known in the wizarding world as the redwing flu. Easy enough to cure, deadly if not."
"Is that all?" Petunia huffed.
"Hardly," Dumbledore wasn't taken aback from Petunia's attitude, but contrarily found it humorous, "I received a message the other day from a gentleman whose name is Lucius Malfoy. He is, naturally, a wizard, and has a son, Draco, who is Harry's age. Lucius came to myself, and was asking about Harry, and offered to bring him into his own home to raise him as a wizard."
Petunia was taken aback by this, "Why? What has he heard?"
"Nothing, I'm sure," Dumbledore smiled, "There are some concerns with this however. One is that Lillian's spell of protection is on this house; as you recall."
"Yes, I know," Petunia spat out, "She of course made our house the safe house."
"And I'm sure you know what the regulations are of a safe house," Dumbledore continued as Harry sat, wide-eyed on the bed listening, "That only while the which or wizard is in that house, is he or she and his or her family protected. So if Harry were to go and live with the Malfoy's he would no longer have that protection."
"I gathered that," Petunia said sarcastically.
"Yes, well, there are some positive aspects to this as well," Dumbledore went on to say, "If Harry went there, he could be raised as the wizard we both know he is, and he could become very powerful."
Petunia looked over disgustingly at Harry, "We don't even know if he is one of… them."
"I believe you do know," Dumbledore objected, "For only at the tender age of six Harry is showing some remarkable abilities. If I am not mistaken only last week he got down a Frisbee from the roof without even going near it. Am I correct?"
"It was the wind," Petunia stated bluntly.
Dumbledore laughed, "I do not believe it was the wind," he looked at Harry, "Harry, do you understand what is going on?"
Harry quivered as he shook his head and mumbled, "No."
"Do you know what magic is?" Dumbledore sat down on the end of the bed.
"Yes," Harry nodded, "It's when something happens that can't be explained. The teacher at school read us a book about it."
"Right," Dumbledore smiled, "And in this book, was there witches and wizards that could do magic?"
"Yes," again Harry nodded as he emerged more from the blanket, "There was a wizard who was saving a Princess from an very large dragon."
"A very brave wizard," Dumbledore's eyes twinkled behind his spectacles, "Harry, what would you say if I told you that you were a wizard?"
"I can't be," Harry shook his head, "I don't know any Princess' to save and I hate dragons," he lowered his voice then, "They breath fire."
Dumbledore chuckled, "Yes they do, don't they. But Harry, not all wizards have to save Princess' you know. Some wizards like to play games on broom sticks that fly high in the sky, other wizards like to learn how to make things float into the air, and others like to make things light up. How does that sound?"
"That sounds like fun," Harry smiled.
Petunia stood in the corner of the room, watching as Dumbledore told Harry what they'd been struggling to hide from him for six years.
"Now Harry," Dumbledore spoke slowly, "How would you like to go live with some other wizards so that you can learn to do all of those things better?"
"Leave here?" Harry asked, "Leave Aunt Petunia, Uncle Vernon and Dudley?"
"Yes," Dumbledore nodded.
Harry glanced at Petunia who had a stern look on her face, "No, I don't think I can."
"Why is that Harry?" Dumbledore asked calmly.
"Because," Harry struggled to think of the right words, "I heard you saying that Mummy put a spell on this house to keep me safe."
"That's very right," Dumbledore nodded.
"And if I leave, bad things will happen," Harry continued, "Very bad things. And I don't like bad things. I like it when happy things happen. Like when Dudley got grounded for eating the whole pie in the fridge."
Dumbledore laughed, "Yes, I see. But Harry, how do you know bad things will happen if you go and live with the Malfoy's?"
Harry pondered this for a moment, "Because of Mummy's spell. It was like the Princess in the story book. The Princess was put into the castle, and if she stayed in there, no bad things would happen. But if she tried to leave, the dragon would eat her. And like I said; I don't like dragons."
Again Dumbledore chuckled, "Very well Harry. You wish to stay here?"
Harry nodded.
Dumbledore got up and walked over to Petunia, "To make things easier for yourself and the rest of the family, before I leave, I will cast a spell to remove this whole visit from Harry's memory. He won't recall any of this."
Despite herself, Petunia found herself mumbling 'Thank you.'.
"But remember this," Dumbledore warned, "Harry cannot leave this house for grave danger will happen upon him, and quite possibly yourself and your husband and child."
"I know," Petunia whispered, her own painful memories flashing through her mind, "I was in a safe house as well when I was younger."
Dumbledore nodded his head, "As I remember," he looked at Harry, "I will see you in just a few short years Harry. Until then, I must go."
"Bye," Harry grinned.
Before leaving Dumbledore turned again Petunia, "Do not forget."
Wordlessly Petunia nodded. Quickly Dumbledore lifted his wand up, and a large puff of burgundy smoke filled the room. Instantly after, it was gone, and only Harry and Petunia were left in the room, the toys and items from the shelves magically back in their respected places. Harry looked around, his eyes wide.
"What happened?" he asked.
"You were just ill Harry," Petunia snapped back to reality, "But I trust you feel better now?"
"Yeah," Harry nodded, "But I thought there was a man in here."
"There wasn't Harry," Petunia said sharply, "You were ill. Now never you mind any of this, and get some rest. I'll be back to check on you in a while."
'Yeah,' Harry thought as he laid his head back down on the pillow, sudden sleepiness taking over his body, 'I must have been ill. There was no man in this room.'
Harry fell asleep, dreaming dreams with wizards, dragons, Princess' and large castles. His own fantasy.
'If only it were a fantasy!' Harry now thought as he stood infront of Voldemort, anger pouring through him.
"If you had chosen to stay with the Malfoy's," Voldemort broke his thought, "You could have joined me, and made your Horcruxes early on before you knew the effects of life and death. It didn't have to be the way it is now Harry."
"This isn't my fault," Harry shook his head.
Suddenly he realized what Petunia's howler had been about in the summer before his fifth year. She'd gotten one with the ominous warning of 'remember my last'.
'It must have been Dumbledore reminding her of his last visit!' Harry thought to himself, 'That's why she wouldn't let me leave the house.'
"Where is everyone?" Harry asked suddenly.
"Back where it all began," Voldemort said, "Back, before my muggle of a father left my mother."
"It wasn't his fault," Harry suddenly said, "You mother was using a love potion on him. He didn't really love him."
"She did everything for him," Voldemort steamed, "Anything he wanted she got for him, and anything he needed he'd fetch. And then he just left her. Left her with me."
Harry's head spin, and he was just about to demand again where everyone was when a loud, thunderous voice boomed through the room.
'Kezio!'
--------
A/N: Getting excited yet? I know I am! One more chapter left... but there might be a 'surprise' at the end of the last chapter. What is it? You'll have to wait and see. And how do you get the next chapter quick? Do I even have to tell you?... gezzz... review!
...
Ok, I know you're waiting for it. Here's a snippet from the last chapter:
Harry had forgotten that it was there. For so many years it had been sitting deep in the depths of his trunk, and he'd forgotten about it.
"Maybe," he whispered, his heart pounding, "Maybe it will work..."
Mean, I know, but now you have something to look forward to! Yay!