Disclaimer: I own no part of this story except for the plot and spell work. J. K. Rowling owns everything else, including dozens of hours of my life that I am dedicating to this story.

When Darkness Surrounds Us All

Chapter 1:

Harry stood quietly while staring at the star-studded sky. The sound of crickets chirping filled the alley that he and his friends were hiding in. They had been tracking Lord Voldemort for the past three weeks, first following rumors, then gathering clues from witnesses, and now they had finally caught sight of him and his hideout this morning. They had been observing Voldemort as he went to and from his hideout throughout the day, watching for any sign of Death Eater activity. So far they had only seen Voldemort and a Death Eater known as Bellatrix Black, formerly known as Bellatrix Lestrange. Harry knew of Bellatrix because she was the one who had murdered his godfather Sirius nearly two years ago. Back then he was just a fifth year student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Now, he and his friends Ron and Hermione were official Aurors. The Ministry was running low on the number of those who actually wished to become Aurors because of the large number that had been killed by Voldemort and his Death Eaters.

The three had known the risks when they had signed up for this career, but the murder of Hermione's parents during their last year at Hogwarts had reaffirmed their decision in becoming Aurors. Harry and Ron had always dreamed of joining the Aurors, but Hermione wanted to go into the Ministry in Muggle Relations. After her parents' murder however, Hermione had also decided to join the two boys in their career decision. Harry and Ron had tried to convince her otherwise, but the two knew it was futile after seeing the look of determination set on Hermione's face. Harry had supported Hermione's decision after that because he knew Hermione would succeed in whatever she chose to do. Ron however had not taken the news quite as well. Harry knew that Ron just wanted to keep Hermione safe, but the resulting fight had nearly ended their relationship. Had it not been for Ginny—

Harry winced as the name crossed his mind. Before he was able to consciously push the thought from his mind, his musings were interrupted as a voice suddenly cried out.

"Ouch Ron! You're stepping on my foot!"

"Oh – sorry," was Ron's only reply.

"That's odd…Ron would normally start up an argument with Hermione. Sometimes I think that they love to fight with each other as much as they love one another. Hell, I couldn't get him away from Hermione long enough to tell him how close we were to Voldemort last night. I guess the seriousness of the situation finally hit him. Come to think of it, I don't think that Ron has spoken a word since we left the safe house this morning."

Harry shook his head clearing his thoughts. He didn't have time to think about little things like that. It was likely that Ron was just as stressed about the mission as Harry was. Harry listened carefully to make sure that nobody had heard the loud exchange and let out a breath he didn't know that he'd been holding.

The group was hidden under two invisibility cloaks so anything they said would cause any by-passers to wonder who had uttered the words. It was more common, and a lot less dangerous, to simply disguise yourself when on a mission like this, but Voldemort's connection with Harry would allow him to see through any disguise that they were able to create. Harry wasn't even sure if the invisibility cloaks would keep Voldemort from knowing they were there.

Other than Harry's, the group only had one other invisibility cloak with them. This meant that both Ron and Hermione were forced to share it. Ron's tall frame made it difficult for him to keep both himself and Hermione covered, but he was doing a pretty good job at it. Harry chuckled slightly as two pairs of feet suddenly became visible before Hermione let out a small cry and they disappeared again.

"I hate just waiting here under this cloak, I could be practicing that new hex I found out about last night." Hermione whispered.

Harry heard Ron reply, "I would love to get into an argument with you Hermione, but I don't think that we should be talking. I can think of something else that we could be doing instead."

Harry gave a soft snort hearing Ron's comment. "That's more like the Ron that I know." At first it had been strange seeing his two best friends together. He remembered how awkward it had been when he had walked in on their first kiss. Harry was worried that he had messed things up for them, but as Ron didn't return to the common room for a good hour or two Harry supposed that everything went okay.

Harry could hear Ron and Hermione whispering quietly together and felt a sharp pain in his chest. It was killing Harry not being able to give into his own love. He wanted nothing else other than to be with Ginny, but knew that it wasn't possible. He had spent his entire seventh year at Hogwarts with her as his girlfriend and he missed her now that she wasn't a daily part of his life.

Memories from their brief time together during his last year of school flashed through his mind. He loved everything about her. He loved the smell of her hair, the taste of her lips, and the way her body seemed to fit perfectly with his when they embraced. He only wished it was possible for them to be together.

She had been distraught when he had broken up with her, only one week before school had ended. It had been, without a doubt, the most difficult decision he had ever had to make. In the end, he had told her about the prophecy that Professor Trelawney had made about him and Voldemort.

He knew that with his life expectancy as low as it was, especially now that Voldemort knew the prophecy in its entirety, it was not wise for him to get involved so heavily in a relationship. He was willing to live a life without the one he loved in order to keep her alive so that at least she might be happy.

He had told her all of this, but she didn't understand. She was delusional in thinking that she could help him with this burden, thinking that she could share it with him somehow. Harry couldn't believe that she still wanted to be with him even though she knew that he either had to kill or be killed by Voldemort. It was just too dangerous.

Ever since the day when Harry and Ginny had broken up, Harry had felt a little bit more of him die with every day. The thought that she could, and would willingly be his, was tearing him apart as he struggled to protect her from the dangers of being in a relationship with the greatest enemy of Lord Voldemort. If Voldemort ever found out about his love for Ginny, she would never be safe.

"She is the most important thing in the world to me and I will not let Voldemort take her from me." Harry told himself.

Harry was actually surprised that he was still alive, but that was largely due to the fact that Voldemort had not been able to find out the full wording of the prophecy until the past summer when Dumbledore had announced it at a Wizengamot meeting. Where Voldemort had been confused and worried concerning what he should do about Harry before, now the truth was out and Voldemort would no longer be hesitant.

The Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, was quick to make use of Harry. Once he found out about the prophecy concerning Harry and Voldemort, he quickly pushed Harry and his friends through the Auror training. Training that would normally take years, took only a few months and Harry and his friends were on their first assignment right now. They didn't have a chance in hell if they were actually in a battle against Death Eaters, and Fudge knew that but he was willing to sacrifice them in hopes of Harry being able to defeat Voldemort.

Harry thought about the instructions that Fudge had given him and his friends before they headed out on this suicide mission. "Avoid all conflict with Death Eaters, your mission is to only find the whereabouts of Voldemort, not to confront him or his followers." Later Fudge had spoken quietly to Harry alone, "Under no circumstances are you to engage any Death Eaters, however, if you come across Voldemort, you are to attempt to kill him at all costs."

"Humph…A lot of bloody sense that makes!" Harry thought to himself. How Fudge was planning to explain his instructions and make it not look like a suicide mission was beyond Harry, but a blind house elf could see through the explanation he gave him.

A few months later, as soon as Harry had become a full-fledged Auror, the prophecy of him and Voldemort was the headline of the Daily Prophet. Fudge was clearly trying to use it as a means of reassuring the people, especially after the last couple of week in which Death Eater attacks that had resulted in the deaths of twenty-three Muggles, four half-bloods, and two Aurors. Fudge also "accidentally" let slip that Harry and his friends were on a secret mission for the Ministry of Magic. No mention was made of Harry's short training. Although Harry now wished that Dumbledore hadn't told the Wizengamot of the prophecy, he knew that Dumbledore probably knew what was best.

An amused smile played across his lips when he remembered Dumbledore's expression when Harry had told him of the mission Fudge had given him. Harry didn't envy being Fudge in that situation. Dumbledore looked ready to kill the man who would so willingly sacrifice the boy who might be their only hope. Dumbledore had only said a brief goodbye to Harry and had disapparated with a loud crack.

Still, Harry had not seen Dumbledore, or come to think of it, anyone from the Order as he had expected to. For the first time, Harry began to get nervous and actually started to feel alone without help from Dumbledore.

Harry banished the thought quickly knowing that the Dumbledore knew what he was doing. Doubts about the mission were definitely not needed, as the mission itself was dangerous enough.

Suddenly Harry heard footsteps approaching. "Shhh, I hear someone coming," he whispered.

Harry heard a cruel female voice say, "But my Lord, you know that Dumbledore is constantly watching over the boy. It is impossible for you to be able to find and kill him without that Muggle loving fool interfering."

A cold high-pitched voice suddenly echoed in the dark alley, "You have doubt in my powers Bellatrix? Do you actually think that the old man is more powerful than me?"

"No my Lord! Of course not! I of all the Death Eaters would surely know of the immensity of your powers." Bellatrix was letting a slight bit of panic start to enter her voice as she made her last pleading statement.

"Liar! You think that Lord Voldemort does not know? That he cannot tell when the minds of his followers are beginning to plot against him? All of the Death Eaters, including you, are beginning to have their doubts about me, especially after the problems the Mudblood lover caused me last year. I cannot let Potter rest alive now that I have heard the prophecy in its entirety. However, I think that you need a reminder of the power of the greatest wizard alive."

"No my Lord! Please! I know of you power and…"

"Crucio!"The cold voice cried out.

The air was filled with Bellatrix's screams as she was tortured by the one who she had pledged her eternal allegiance to.

Harry, hidden in the shadows behind a dumpster, was secretly pleased to hear Bellatrix's shrieks of pain. He was happy that she was suffering especially after all the suffering she had put him through when she had killed Sirius. Suddenly, the feeling of happiness was gone and he was left only with the guilt of seeing a person tortured in an unbearable way and being able to do nothing about it. Harry actually found it difficult not to just strike out at Voldemort while he was unaware of their presence. However, Harry knew that it would be a foolhardy attempt and would likely result in his death and the deaths of his friends. Regardless of Fudge's instructions to try to kill Voldemort, he would not attempt it with Hermione and Ron around – he would do it alone.

As Bellatrix's screams finally died out, Voldemort began to walk from the suffering Death Eater chuckling. Bellatrix sat writhing and whimpering on the ground until Voldemort said, "Mobilicorpus," and Bellatrix's body began to float and follow the Dark Lord as he strode into a deserted warehouse.

"That was awful!" Hermione cried as they heard the door to the warehouse close and stepped away from the dumpster. "To think that he would do that to those who are loyal followers, imagine what he would do to those who aren't." The group pulled of their invisibility cloaks and Harry saw that Ron looked like he was going to pass out. He was white and trembling uncontrollably.

Harry was suddenly filled with a passion, "That is why we have to stop him! He doesn't give a damn about anyone, be it a fellow Death Eater, wizard, or Muggle. So many people have died trying to stop him just because of his greed for power."

A cold drawling voice met them from the alley. "And it looks like three more will be joining that list of the dead tonight."

Harry turned to see Lucius Malfoy standing there with his son, Draco. Behind them were Avery and Macnair, and all four of them had their wands pointed at Harry and his friends.

"Don't do anything rash!" Harry whispered out the side of his mouth.

"Oh please do Potter! It would please me to finally be able to kill you at last," Draco mocked.

"Come now Draco, you know that the Dark Lord wants that pleasure all to himself, however the Mudblood is one that he will probably allow you to kill. He has killed enough that the fun is starting to wear off."

"You filthy, stinking bastard! You won't lay a hand on her!" Ron cried out finally regaining his composure.

"And you're going to stop me Weasley? As if you could even afford a decent wand to be able to stop me." Draco said in a drawling voice.

"Just try it Malfoy!" Ron growled.

"Ron, calm down and think rationally," Harry chided him turning around to look at the two. He had just seen something in the corner of his vision that gave him a bit of hope. He moved his eyes to the end of the alley and the look of recognition that crossed their faces let Harry know that they knew what he was planning. He turned back around with his wand clenched in his hand.

"Oh that's right! Harry has to wook out for his widdle bitty friends." Draco mocked.

"Stow it Malfoy. Let's just get this over with." Harry said.

"Certainly Potter," Lucius began in a smooth, silky voice. "If you would just follow me we will find the Dark Lord and see how…"

Suddenly Harry, Hermione, and Ron each raised their wands and uttered the same curse.

The word "Stupefy!" echoed loudly through the alley and Harry knew that the neighbors must have heard it, but the spells did the trick.

Macnair was instantly stunned and Harry dove right narrowly missing the jet of green light that sped over his head. He came to a crouch and pointed his wand at Avery.

"Suffococum!"

Harry barely had time to see the effects of his Choking Spell before he had to hastily construct a shield to block Draco's Imperius Curse.

Harry was knocked backwards by the force of the curse but his shield held. Harry quickly threw back a Conjunctivitis Curse followed by a stunner. After the first curse connected, Draco wasn't able to see the red jet of light until it was almost upon him and had no time to evade the quickly moving spell. Harry quickly turned around to locate another target, but saw that Tonks, Kingsley, and Mad-Eye Moody had neutralized the rest of the Death Eaters.

"Wotcher Harry. Sorry we were a little late to the party." Tonks said with a wink.

"That's okay, I was actually wondering where you guys were." Harry said.

"Well what do you say we head back to headquarters and we'll explain it all to – Harry look out!" Tonks suddenly cried.

"Impedimenta!" Voldemort cried. The spell, while only aimed at Kingsley, was so strong that in knocked both Tonks and Kingsley back and they fell unconscious. Moody, the quickest of the remaining four, got a quick spell off at Voldemort but Voldemort blocked it easily. Then Voldemort cried out, "Reducto!" The spell looked like it would miss Moody, but it caught his uninjured leg, right at the knee. His knee exploded into a thousand pieces, throwing flesh and blood all over the alley, and Moody collapsed in pain, his wooden leg unable to support his weight.

As Harry tried to bring up his wand he knew it would be too late. He saw Voldemort's smile of victory, knowing that his problem with Harry Potter would soon be over.

"Avada Kedavra!"

Harry braced himself for the pain that would follow the spell, but it never came. Harry's surprise quickly turned to horror as the green spell caught Ron full in the chest as he dove in front of Harry. Ron's eyes widened in surprise as he fell towards the ground. Before he hit, he was dead.

Harry heard Voldemort let out a cruel laugh and say, "Foolish boy. So influenced by love that he gave his life so that you could have another chance of defeating me. It's too bad that his sacrifice was made in vain."

Voldemort raised his wand and pointed it at Harry again. Harry looked into Ron's eyes as the green light faded and then at Voldemort with such a hate filling him that he thought he would explode.

Harry raised his wand and pointed it directly at Voldemort's nonexistent heart. He began to cry "Cruc– "

Harry saw Voldemort's eyes open in surprise as a figure in blue suddenly appeared between Harry and Voldemort. Harry quickly let the sound of the incantation die in his throat as Dumbledore stepped forward to face Voldemort. Voldemort took one look at the look of fury etched in every line of Dumbledore's face and said, "You were lucky this time Potter, next time you won't be so lucky!" and disapparated with a loud crack.

"Harry, are you alright?" Dumbledore asked looking worried.

"I…I…I'm fine…well…I'm not fine…but…I'm not hurt." Harry said truthfully, knowing that while he was not hurt physically, it wouldn't be long before the finality of Ron's death began to set in. He had been though this too many times and lost too many friends and family to even hope for any reprieve from the grief that would soon follow his best friend's death.

Ron, Harry's best friend in the entire world, was gone. Harry had now lost his parents, his godfather, and his best friend to the Dark Lord and his followers. He didn't know how many more deaths he could take before the hate that built up inside him with every death began to spill out. If Dumbledore had not shown up when he did, Harry was not sure what he would have done.

Harry, unable to control himself any more, merely sat down on the ground and began to cry.