To Walk Through Fire
Disclaimer: Once again, I do not own Harry Potter and the characters associated with him. They belong to J.K. Rowling. I am not making money off of this story. So please don't sue.
Chapter VII: The Storm
Only one thought floated through his mind as he pushed the door open. He had to save Harry. And without calling for backup, he apparated to the docks of Azkaban.
He gasped in horror at what he saw . . .
Alexander Brown had somehow apparated right onto the island of Azkaban. Right before him stood the great fortress, left unguarded by the anti-apparation spells that had been used for thousands of years to keep it safe. He looked back over his shoulder, across the water that separated Azkaban from the mainland. Alarms went on in his head. He now knew, without a doubt, that the note was no hoax . . .it was true!
Suddenly Alexander realized that he was standing in the open, where an enemy could see him. He quickly berated himself and flew up against the wall. It was hopeless to save Azkaban. One man could not do that. It would take too long to call back up. But one small boy could be saved. Alexander refused to allow Harry to suffer anymore. He did not care what it cost, he was taking the boy out of this place, out of the Death Eaters' reach.
He scanned the barren, rocky land before him. As far as he could see, there was no other living soul outside the fortress. That was odd. There should have been prison guards standing all around the fortress, prepared for an occupant to escape. And Dementors, there should have been Dementors guarding the prison at this time at night. The Ministry had become slack in their security. That had to be the reason there were no guards standing around. He could not be too late. They could not have already attacked the fortress. Could they? No, if they had attacked the fortress, then the Death Eaters would have set up their own guards to keep an eye out for Aurors. Alexander was sure he would have seen them. But maybe he would have missed them in the dim light. He hoped not. Prayed that it was not true, just the idea of an over re-active imagination. He would have to tell the Ministry later about this, warn them to increase their security in other buildings.
He heard a soft noise behind him. Alexander turned around, ready to curse whatever creature it was that had made that sound, but he saw no one. A cold, nameless fear descended upon him. He should have spent the extra time to find more Aurors to help him. One person could not survive against an army of Death Eaters, and maybe the Dementors as well . . .But he did not need to. He needed to enter the prison, and take Harry away from here as quickly as possible.
The nameless fear still remained.
Alexander looked around once more. He scolded himself, and pushed the nameless fear away. He was becoming too much like Mad-eye Moody in his old age. Starting to jump at shadows and soft noises created by an over reactive mind. He pushed himself from the wall, prepared to run towards a side door of the prison, one that only several Aurors and Ministry officials knew about. Just as he was about to take his first step, a hand grabbed his shoulder . . .
Alexander stiffened.
He was too late! They had already arrived! He turned around, but stopped suddenly when the hand on his shoulder tightened. If it was a Death Eater who had caught him, then it was pointless to struggle; they all enjoyed watching people suffer. He stood stock still in the Death Eater's grasp. He had been wrong, the Death Eaters had posted guards, he had just not been able to see them in the darkness.
Alexander hoped the man would take him to his master, so if nothing else, he could find out who the true leader of the Death Eaters was. Harry's situation was hopeless now, the boy was as good as dead in the Death Eaters' hands. They would kill him without a second thought. Unless . . .No, please don't let them make that connection. They couldn't. If they did . . .No! They would not figure out the connection between Harry and He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. He shivered slightly, pushing his fears away. He could not dwell on his fears now.
"What do you want?" Alexander whispered to the man. He winced. He sounded frightened, that was not good. He steeled his resolve. Even though he was captured he refused to beg mercy from them. No matter what . . .
The man – or at least Alexander assumed it was a man from the strength in that hand – spun him around, so they were facing each other. It was too dark for Alexander to distinguish any details, other than the man's figure, the blackness of his clothes seemed to keep the man in shadows.
"There is very little time." The man hissed urgently. "You must listen, they will be coming soon." He seemed to be looking over Alexander's shoulder to the water. "Do you understand? There will be no time for questions or repetitions, so listen carefully." The figure waited for a minute. It was not until Alexander nodded in understanding that the man continued. "Do you know which cell Harry Potter is kept in?"
What? Harry? Why would the man want to know where Harry was? Was this an elaborate plot to make him spill his secrets? No. It could not be. They would already know where Harry was if they had taken over the prison, the guards had kept records of where every prisoner had stayed. The man had said that they were coming. So did that mean he had made it in time? What was going on? Wasn't this man a Death Eater?
"Yes." He said slowly, prepared to refuse to tell the man where the exact location was.
"Good." The masculine voice said. "That will save some time. You have only several minutes to enter and leave the prison before the Death Eaters come." So they had not come yet. Alexander almost sighed in relief. That statement proved that the figure in front of him wasn't a Death eater. Who was he then? "If you value your life then you will do exactly as I say. Go to Harry Potter's cell, take the boy out of there and leave the prison. When you get to the boy, put this around his neck, it has several protective spells that will keep him safe for a while." He felt something cold pressed into his hand. He took it gingerly and strung it about his neck so as not to loose it while running through Azkaban. "Harry will probably not be conscious enough to move around, if this is true then give him this potion, if will bring him around for a while, so that he can run on his own if you are attacked. You will not be able to apparate off the island unfortunately, the old protective spells will not allow you to do so. However here's a portkey that will activate as soon as you are out of all the protective wards, which reach ten meters into the channel." Alexander felt something pressed into the same hand. He looked down and could faintly make out the shape of a handkerchief. He just nodded and pocketed the object. The man continued. "The portkey will take you somewhere safe, where you will be met by someone who can help you. By that time the potion will have worn off the boy and he will probably faint."
Alexander nodded in understanding. The potion must be one of those that all Aurors were suppose to carry around so that they could function during an emergency even if they were on the verge of a collapse. He wondered where this safe place was that the man was talking about. This man definitely was not a Death Eater, he was trying to help free Harry, even offering Alexander tools to aid him in the rescue. Who was this man and why had he appeared now?
"The Dementors will give you no trouble, for Voldemort (Alexander shivered at that name) has a spy who made sure they were out of the way until the fighting is over." Alexander nodded in gratitude at that statement, he had honesty not thought of how he would get past those creatures before. At least now he did not have to face them, did not have to relive those horrible memories again . . .
"Will you do everything that I have told you to do? If you will not, then return the objects and be on your way before all the Death Eaters get here, you will never be able to fight them all off." The man whispered dangerously. This man was not one to be fooled around with.
"Yes, I will. The fate of the world revolves around this rescue doesn't it?" He had wondered that from the beginning. Had wondered how much of the world the boy held on his shoulders.
"Yes Alexander it does, and if Harry is not saved, dire consequences could ensue. The boy carries a great burden, he is the one who can save us, or destroy us." And with that the man disappeared into the growing darkness.
Alexander looked around trying to find the man, to thank him for his help. But he was not there. "Thank you." He whispered softly into the night.
He wondered who that man was and how he had known his name. It was strange; the man had come out of nowhere and given him help, even though it was unasked for. He hoped that one day he could meet this man again, if just to thank him for his help.
Without wasting another precious second. Alexander took off towards the door, his wand in his hand, believing that he was prepared to face whatever came next.
***************
He watched the man walk away. It had been too easy. The Auror had agreed all too readily. He knew that the man was not a Death Eater, no he had never seen him near Voldemort. So why had the man agreed immediately with the plan? It could not be some elaborate plan to gain status, the man was already one of the most respected Aurors still working for the Ministry. Did the man discover the truth about Harry's parentage? He seriously hoped not. If an Auror knew that information . . . He did not dare think about it, too many terrible events could happen. Maybe the man just understood the importance of removing Harry from Voldemort's reach. Yes that had to be the reason. Alexander had always been smart and quick, figuring out mysteries quickly.
The dark figure looked out towards the water. He hoped that Alexander would hurry and quickly move the boy away from this place. The hour that the Death Eaters were going to attack was fast approaching, the sudden appearance of the Auror on the island had shown that.
He could see a tiny light coming from the mainland, he would bet everything he owned that Voldemort was standing there right now, removing all the protective spells that surrounded the island. And he was not a betting man.
As much as he wanted to stay to make sure that Harry was safely taken away from this place, he could not, if Voldemort found out that he, the famous Potions Master had helped Harry Potter to escape from Azkaban and the Death Eaters then . . . He shook his head away from those thoughts. He slipped into the shelter of several large boulders that surrounded the island.
Severus turned around and looked back at the looming fortress. He shuddered. He had been cast into one of the cells there once, long ago. Albus had saved him though, from a life spent wasting away in Azkaban. The man had vouched for him. Despite the fact that it had only taken several days for the jury to agree that he was innocent, the horrors of Azkaban still haunted him. He honestly wondered how Black had survived there for so long. He highly respected the man for that, not that he would ever admit it to anyone.
And now Harry had suffered in there for several days. The boy had to survive. He just had to. Harry had a knack for survival that would pull him through. Right? And Severus was sure that Black would hover over the boy like a mother hen. The boy's godfather – no, father – was the best man he knew to help the boy through his troubles. Black would know the horrors and would be able to help Harry deal with the nightmares and memories. And he, Severus Snape, would be there to help the boy too, even if he was Black's son.
Pop!
A figure appeared in front of the fortress.
Pop! Pop! Pop!
More followed him.
Pop!
No! It could not be time yet, it just couldn't. Alexander had not come out with Harry yet! They were still inside! Severus looked around. There was no way he could run through the Death Eaters and help Harry out. They would recognize him in an instant. He was not supposed to be participating in this attack, instead he had been given leave to complete a certain potion for Voldemort. He was expected to be at Hogwarts at the moment.
Maybe some would call it cowardice, others self-preservation, but for Severus Snape it was one of the hardest decisions he ever had to make. He turned around towards the rocks, towards the water and started walking, his feet making no sounds as they touched the tiny pebbles. He could not help Alexander and Harry now, he had done all he could. He would only put them in more danger.
Now all he could do is wait.
Severus kept walking towards the water. His eyes glued on the horizon as he forced his feet to move forward, away from the boy he had promised to protect.
Bang!!
Severus Snape looked back towards the fortress at the sound of the noise. His foot caught on the edge of a sharp rock. The next thing he knew was that he was falling. He could see the rock coming up towards him.
Agony erupted through his head.
Then all went black with the finality of a dungeon gate slamming shut.
***************
Wormtail watched as his master whispered the last counter-curse. The Dark Lord had ordered that he be present to watch the destruction of Azkaban, one of the greatest fortresses in wizarding history. He had not wanted to watch. Actually he had not wanted to see more people die. He was sickened by all the death. He had been forced to watch as Voldemort had tortured people – muggles and mudbloods alike. It had disgusted him to no end. He was beginning to wonder why he had joined the Dark Lord in the first place.
Power.
That had been the reason. He had wanted power. It had not worked. The Dark Lord had given him no more power than he had had before. To tell the truth he had even less power than he had had with the Marauders.
And no friends.
He had lost everything that mattered to him when he had joined Voldemort. Not that he, Peter Pettigrew, realized that when he first joined. No, he had thought that he would gain the power that Sirius Black had, that James Potter had. That had never happened. After the betrayal of his best friend the other Death Eaters had shunned him as a traitor. Some even believed that he had known that Harry Potter would destroy the Dark Lord. Of course he had not, how could he have known. But he was still marked as a traitor. And the Death Eaters hated traitors, not that any of the realized that they had been turncoats when they renounced the Dark Lord. And he had been branded one.
None of the others seemed to realize that he had brought their master back, sacrificed his hand to bring Him back. His master had hardly rewareded him for his sacrifice with a silver hand. The Dark Lord just dragged him around and used him as if he were a slave.
Had the sacrifice been worth it? Peter was not sure. It stopped Siri – no, Black – from revealing that he was a traitor. His one-time friend would be too busy trying to help fight in the war against the Dark Lord that he would not have the time to compile a case against Peter. But now he had to deal with the killings, the blood, and the smell of fear. He did not know how much longer he could stand it. At first he had not found entertainment nor disgust in the activity of tormenting another being, now he was revolted by the idea. And in a few moments he would have to watch as another dozen human beings were tormented till they were dead, or insane – well, more insane than they already were.
He grimaced.
The Dark Lord had promised him a prize out of this massacre though. His master had promised him a reward for his loyal service. Wormtail was not sure whether he wanted this 'prize' or not. It could be another human to torment, or it could be something else. He hoped that it was something else. He did not want to torment another human being, he would not even subject Sir – no, Black – to the kind of torment that the Dark Lord enjoyed.
"Come Wormtail we shall watch my army." His master hissed from beside him. Wormtail shuddered at that voice. He feared it, and yet for some reason he felt drawn to the man, that had been the second reason why he had joined the Dark Lord.
Peter bowed his head and followed his master obediently. They both apparated to the island, Malfoy had killed the ferryman earlier so there was no other way to cross the channel unless one knew the currents.
It was dark and hard to make out any details, but despite that Wormtail did not like the island one bit from the moment he stepped on it. Fear, pain and death seemed to radiate from the fortress like a beacon. He shuddered again. Rats usually thrived in places like these, but of late, Wormtail had started to feel the desolation in places like this. It had happened around the same time he had started to question the reason he had joined the Dark Lord in the first place.
Ever since he had heard of the Dark Lord's plans for Harry Potter.
"Master." Wormtail could hear the shuffle of robes as the man bowed low to their master. "I present you with Azkaban."
"Now? Have the guards given up so easily?" The Dark Lord hissed, almost sounding surprised.
"No, my Lord, however they are only few and we are almost fifty strong."
Suddenly a light flew right by Wormtail's head. He could feel the heat of it brush against his face and the smell of burnt hair wafted to his nose.
"It seems Malfoy that you have misjudged the enemy." The Dark Lord stated coldly as another curse came towards them, almost hitting Malfoy. "I would suggest that you go help your troops fight, they seem to be having some problems." Wormtail watched as the dark figure of his master turned towards him. "Wormtail, you will go with Malfoy and protect him. Now go, the both of you, I don't want to see either of you until this business has been completed."
"Yes master." Both men bowed respectfully.
Wormtail started to shake as he followed the other figure towards the fighting. In the back of his mind he wondered if he would go to the Underworld when he died, he probably would. No one granted mercy to a traitor.=, and he decided as he followed Malfoy that he would never be a traitor again, he would not betray his master, the man to whom he owed his life.
***************
His footsteps echoed off the stone as he made his way quickly through the maze of Azkaban. No torches lit his way down the halls, only a small muggle 'flashlight' lit his way. He was glad that it was required for an Auror to carry the 'flashlight' around, or he would never have been able to use the secret entrance on the side of the building. It was not possible to use magic without alerting the guards, or at least it had not been possible before. He did not want to try now, he could not waste his time explaining the reason he was here.
A dim light appeared ahead of him. Alexander relaxed a little, he was getting closer to Harry. How much time had passed? Was he too late? Had the Death Eaters already attacked? The strange man had said that he had only a short time to take Harry out of here. It must have only been minutes since he had pushed the ancient door open. But several precious minutes had been wasted trying to open the side door.
Alexander felt panic rise in his chest. He had never faced a whole army of Death Eaters before, if they had arrived . . .Could he fight his way through them to the water? Could he protect Harry? He squashed the thoughts down. These thoughts would only lead to failure.
He had to find Harry first before he left the island. There was no way that he was leaving this island without the boy, he owed Harry that much. Alexander had been the one to put him here and he would take the boy out no matter what it cost.
The dull light from a torch washed over him as he passed it. Alexander put away the flashlight in his robes, there was no point in using it anymore the torches created enough light to see by, and they would light the rest of the way to Harry's cell. He was about to take a step further into the light when he heard footsteps coming from the other direction.
Alexander quietly stepped back into the darkness, they would not be able to discern his figure out of the blackness. His heart raced against his chest as he watched a figure appear at the end of the hall. There was no time for this. He did not have time to waste waiting for the guard to make his rounds.
His breath echoed loudly in his ears, he was sure that every creature a mile away could hear him. He could not approach the guard, that would take more of the precious time he was given. No, he needed to wait.
He held still as the man came closer towards him. Please don't let the guard see through the darkness . . .
The guard stopped before the darkness and stared into it. Straight at Alexander! The Auror held still, holding his breath as he waited. Both men stood completely motionless.
Waiting.
Staring.
The seconds dragged on. To Alexander it seemed they stood there for an eternity.
Then in a smooth, practiced motion, the guard spun on his heel and headed back towards the main office. The man's boots smacking smartly on the stone floor. Slowly the even sound of footsteps faded.
Alexander let out a sight of relief. He was safe. For now. But he had lost almost five minutes waiting for that guard to disappear. He did not know if he could afford that much time. He hoped that he did.
Alexander quickly dashed down the hall. He recognized it from years ago. He had not been in this part of Azkaban for many years. He remembered it though. And he knew the way to Harry's cell from here. Good. That would save time. As long as he did not run into any more guards he should have enough time. He was sure of that. The Death Eaters could not attack so quickly. Besides, he had not heard any noises coming from outside.
The flickering torchlight made it hard to see the stairs as he descended down them. He almost tripped on the bottom stair, but he managed to right himself, hurrying quickly towards the high security cells.
He had forgotten that the high security cells were watched at all times . . .
Just as he turned the last corner to the high security cells he ran straight into a hard surface. Alexander fell to the floor in a heap, stunned. He looked up towards the wall he had hit. There had never been a wall there before. Suddenly the 'wall' moved. Alexander blinked. His vision snapped into focus. Instead of a 'wall', he saw the figure of a man. Oh no! This could not be happening. It just couldn't. time was running out and fast.
Throwing caution to the wind Alexander pulled out his wand. Before the man could even react, with speed and agility born of years of practice, Alexander waved the wand at the man. "Stupefy!" He called out softly.
The man collapsed on the floor with a sudden bang. Alexander could hear the shuffle of another set of boots come towards him. He looked up. There stood another man, twice as large as the last one, who still lay crumpled in a heap of cloth on the ground. The man had his wand trained on Alexander.
"Put your wand down now. I won't hurt you, just put your wand down. If you put it down now I'll not tell a soul what I saw you do." The man told Alexander gently, as if he was talking to a child.
Put his wand down. Now why would he do something like that? Alexander looked up into the man's face. The man looked worried, frightened and . . .Surprised? The man was surprised to see him. Why? He had never seen the man in his life. Alexander did not waste time contemplating on this fact, he could do it later while he was in Glasgow with his family.
Alexander started to put his wand down. Just as it was about to touch the ground, when the guard was starting to relax, Alexander brought it up again. "Stupefy!" He called out a second time. The guard dropped like a log to the floor. Alexander smiled. He had learned that trick from Sirius Black when they had first begun their training.
He pulled the keys out of the larger guard's pocket. At least some good had come of relieving these guards of their duty. He still did not like wasting the time it took to bring them down though. Those precious seconds could be used to take Harry out of Azkaban instead of getting to the boy.
He quickly unlocked the door and dashed across the small room to the boy's side.
Harry did not look any better than he had the day before. But he did not look any worse. Alexander took that as a good sign. The potion he had given the boy had helped, if only a little.
The Auror pulled the vial the stranger had given him from his robes.
"Harry, you're going to have to drink this alright. I'll hold you, I just want you to swallow." He whispered softly to the boy. He was sure that Harry could hear him, for when he gently lifted the boy up and poured the potion down his throat, the boy tried to swallow. It was painful to watch as the boy slowly swallowed the small mouthfuls.
How could anyone do this to a boy?
Alexander put the vial back in his pocket as he gently laid the boy down again. He was not sure how long it would take for Harry to wake up, or even if he would. The boy was already close to death and had probably been running on reserves for the last week. That was not good. He hoped that the potion would do the boy no harm, or at least not irreversible damage.
He rocked back on his heels and waited for the boy to gain consciousness. Alexander started to count slowly. He would give the boy a minute. If the potion did not work by then, chances were that it was not strong enough to help. And he needed to remove Harry from this place as quickly as possible.
The seconds passed by slowly. A hint of colour appeared in the boy's ghostly pale cheeks. His eyes fluttered. But he did not wake up.
"Come on Harry, wake up. Come on, please wake up." Alexander whispered softly to the boy as he kept count in the back of his mind.
His pleading did nothing. Harry remained unconscious.
A minute passed by. The boy still did not stir. Alexander looked around. He knew that he could not wait another minute. He quickly untied his cloak from around his neck and careful wrapped it around the boy. That would warm the child up a bit, and help him regain consciousness. Then carefully, so as to aggravate as few injuries as possible, Alexander lifted the boy up.
Harry seemed to weigh nothing. Even less than he had on the ship only four days ago. That worried Alexander. No one that young should weigh this much. No one. The boy would definitely need immediate medical attention if he got out of here. No, when he got out of here.
They would make it out of there. Alexander refused to believe otherwise.
He quickly retraced his steps back towards the hidden door, it would be easier to leave that way. If the Death Eaters had arrived then they could still be able to leave unnoticed.
There were no guards around as Alexander sped through the halls. He almost sighed in relief. At the same time though, he felt his fear begin to rise. The only reason guards would leave their posts is if something outside was more threatening than what the fortress held inside.
As soon as he passed the last torch he lit his wand. He did not think he could reach the flashlight from where it was kept in his cloak pocket, not without hurting the boy. Quickly he dashed down the dark hallway. It must have only taken him a minute to exit out the door, but to Alexander it felt like an eternity.
He charged out the door, not bothering to close it behind him. It would not matter anyway. The fortress was lost, the door would not longer be needed for anything.
The chilly night air surrounded them both, wrapping them in her cold embrace. As did the sounds of battle from the front of the fortress. Alexander's heart froze. It had taken him too long. The Death Eaters were already here. He quickly unlit his wand so that the two of them would not be such a target.
He looked down towards Harry. And barely, just barely, he could make out brilliant green eyes. Harry was awake. Alexander wondered if the boy had the strength to walk yet. He was sure that they would move faster if he carried the teen, but if the Death Eaters found them, he hoped that Harry was able to walk on his own, allowing Alexander to guard his back while he escaped.
"Do you think you can walk?" He asked the boy softly, keeping his eyes towards the front of the fortress.
"Yes." A weak whisper answered him. He put the boy down softly on the ground helping him to stand up. At first the boy wobbled a bit, but then he was able to stand without Alexander's help.
The Auror stared at the boy in amazement. Never had he seen anyone do that before. He had never seen someone at the verge of death be able to walk after taking a potion. The boy was stronger than anyone would have guessed.
Before anything else happened, Alexander pulled the handkerchief portkey out of his pocket and put it into the boy's hand.
"Keep a hold on this, it's our ticket out of here." He whispered. "No matter what do not let go of it. Should anything happen, I want you to run for the water, do you understand?"
"Yes." The hoarse voice whispered again.
"Good."
Alexander put his arm around the boy and started to help him towards the water.
Then he heard a noise. No voices. He heard voices.
"Wormtail, do you see someone there?" He heard one voice say. He knew that voice from somewhere, he just could not place where. It did not matter now though, they had been spotted. He looked at Harry. They had not yet seen the boy. Alexander studied the small figure beside him, he hoped that the portkey would take the boy somewhere safe.
"Harry, go now, towards the water." He hissed at the boy gently pushing the boy forward, away from the voices.
He stood up straight, his wand clasped tightly in his hand, prepared to fight the Death Eaters. It seemed as if only two stood in front of him, the one who had spoken and his companion. That was good, he knew he could handle two Death Eaters at once.
He muttered a curse, sending a spark towards the shadowy figures. For an instant, just before he heard a man scream, he saw what lay ahead of him . . .
Alexander felt fear envelope him.
He was not up against two Death Eaters, before him stood ten shadowy figures draped in black garments. He could hold off three, but he could not fight ten of them, especially when they were prepared.
He could not defeat them, but he could hold them off until Harry was safely gone from the island.
Even as he sent more curses flying towards the Death Eaters he wondered if he would see his wife and son again . . .
***************
Harry ran.
Just like he had been told to he ran. And kept running towards the rocks and water. He did not know where he had found the strength to move, but he did. It did not hurt to move. Actually he did not hurt at all.
He felt something catch his foot and he fell forward onto his hands and knees.
Harry pushed himself up again and kept running. He had to make it towards the water. That was what the stranger had told him to do, it was the only thing he knew to do. He had not needed the man's prompting to head towards the coast, all his senses told him to get away from the island. Away from this terrible place. And the coast was the only way in which he could leave.
He pushed himself harder, forcing his legs to move faster.
Suddenly cold splashes of water flew all around him, he kept moving forward into the water. He could not stay on the island any longer. He needed to get away.
He kept a tight hold of the handkerchief, just as the stranger had suggested. He wondered who that man was. Harry felt a cold pit grow in his stomach. He should not have left that man to fight alone. He should have stayed and helped. He did not know how he could help, but he would have.
He had placed his burden on another.
Harry turned around prepared to go back and fight, to save the strange man. He did not want to, his mind screamed for him to leave, to get away from this place. But he refused to obey his body. He refused to be a burden on anyone and now he had to correct a mistake. Suddenly he fell back into the water, the current was dragging him down. He couldn't breathe. He didn't have the strength to fight the water. He was going to die. He, the boy who had caused Voldemort's downfall, was going to drown . . .
A familiar pull around his naval jerked him forward
Harry collapsed on the solid ground. There was no more water around him. He was free.
"Kill the spare."
Harry jumped up. He had to get away, this could be another trap . . . Someone might die again because of him.
Harry pushed himself up and ran blindly through the trees, not bothering to stop for a minute. He did not care where he was, he just had to get away from there. Away from Voldemort.
He could feel the weariness start to settle on him again. The agony started to come back. Every movement caused fire to run through his veins.
The next thing he knew, the ground was flying up to meet him. Even as the ground came closer, Harry hoped that this was finally the end.
All went dark . . .
***************
A small note rested on the headmaster's desk at Hogwarts. It lay on top of a small pile of books, stacked neatly on the side of the desk. Written upon the small piece of parchment was information about the destination of a certain portkey that was just currently being used. It told of where one Harry Potter could have been found if he had not run away from the protected glen.
It remained undisturbed, waiting for the headmaster to read it, until an owl from the Ministry flew into the office, bearing an unimportant notice. The wind from the owl's wing was enough to dislodge the parchment from its location on top of the desk to a new location in a crack between the desk and the wall, where it surly would not be found.
And so the parchment lay hidden, between the desk and the wall, unread by its intended recipient.
It was not on the desk to be discovered when its recipient came in, instead in its place was the unimportant notice from the Ministry . . .
***************
End chapter seven
A/N: I know it's a cliffhanger, but this was also the perfect place to put a cliffhanger.
A/N: I would recommend to anyone who has not read Butterfly Queen's Harry Potter 5th Year Journals, it's really good and she has not had that many reviews.
A/N: Thank you soo much to everyone who reviewed.
Death Eater: I hope the wait for this chapter wasn't that bad, it was only a week. Thank you so much for reviewing. What do you think? Was this a good chapter, did you like how I set it up? I hope that you did.
Charlie Girl: I know that the cliffhanger at the last chapter was cruel, but it was a good place to stop, and I wanted to see the readers reactions to it. Thank you so much for reviewing.
snowwy54: Thank you so much for reviewing. I hope that you did not spend too long on the edge of your seat waiting for this chapter. What did you think, did you like this one?
darkphoenix: Thank you for reviewing. I'm glad that you liked the last chapter, and you still think I'm doing OK portraying Sirius. Now I have to find a way to portray him after this event . . .I hope that this chapter is alright. What do you think?
Blizzard: Yes Albus will be back after this event, he will probably be in either the next chapter, or the chapter after that one, depending on how everything works out. So do you think this chapter was OK? I hope that it is.
Mrs. Moony: Thank you so much for reviewing. J
Melinda: Thank you for reviewing, I hope that you liked what happened.
Butterfly Queen: Keep up working on your story. And there is really no need to thank me for my reviews, I should be the one thanking you, especially since it seems you have a bunch of homework – which for some odd reason I don't have so much of this year – and you don't have a lot of time to read my story, which would take a while to read. So thank you so much. How was this chapter? Was it alright? It sounded a bit rushed to me.
Peacockgirl: Thank you so much. I'm glad that you like all the points of views, I like being able to write the different views, even though eventually I will centralize on one or two characters (Harry and Sirius) . I hope that you liked this chapter.
Sara Minks: Thank you for your suggestions, they were helpful when I was reading over this chapter, I hope that there were not that many mistakes in this one. What did you think of the storm, was it alright?
Aimee: I like your name. How long did it take you to read the entire story so far in one sitting? I think it's about 40 pages ten-point font, that must have taken a while. And I know that it is a little choppy, and I will do everything I can to keep it from being choppy, but one can only do one's best. Thank you so much for reviewing.
Kala: Thank you! I'm so glad that you liked my story that much, it really means a lot. And thank you so much for telling me that you think it is progressing well, I was beginning to think that it was moving too slowly, but I'm glad that you think it's moving at a good pace. The idea of Sirius being Harry's dad was supposed to be the first idea to draw readers into the story, or at least that it how I intended it. Thank you again for reviewing. I hope that this chapter is alright. J
kateydidnt: Thank you so much for reviewing. J
Moonlight: I hope that you liked what happened. Thank you for reviewing.
RedFeather: About Alexander Brown being related to Lavender Brown, I had not noticed that their last names were the same until you pointed it out. They were not supposed to have any relation, but now that you point it out, I think that yes Alexander Brown is related to Lavender Brown, her uncle. Thanks for pointing that out. It will help me later on in the story with Alexander's part. I read your story Finding the Truth and I think that it is really good. I hope that you continue it soon, I can't wait to find out what happens next.
GiggleGurl15: I hope that you liked this chapter.
( ): Thank you so much for reviewing. J
karen: I'm glad that you like my story. I hope that you liked this chapter.
Ashes: Thank you so much! I hope that this chapter was alright. J
Nagini: Thank you for your review.
ebony-moon2002: Of course you can't kill me or else I wouldn't be able to finish the story, and it would leave you right at a cliff hanger. I'm glad that you like my story so far. And thank you so much for adding me to your favorites list! J
FairyTale: You'll like the ninth chapter (if everything goes as planned), or at least I hope that you will, it hasn't been written yet, but I know exactly what's going to happen in that chapter. And yes Snape believes that Sirius is Harry's father, he is not positive. Fanfic won't allow anyone to review a chapter several times over? I did not know that. Well I guess it makes sense. I hope that you liked this chapter. Sorry I haven't reviewed your new story yet, I have not really had the time to read it.
Lady Python: Thank you so much for reviewing. I hope that this cliffhanger was not too much.
Lady Foxfire: Yes if Voldie saw Harry he would realize that Harry is his grandson, that would be very interesting . . .And then if he trained him to be the next leader of the world . . . Yes that would be very interesting. Well, you'll have to see what happens, if Voldie comes rescues Harry, or if he finds his way to a 'good' wizard.
summersun: Thank you so much! I hope that you liked this chapter.
( ) : Thank you so much for reviewing.
august wynd: I like your name. I'm glad that you like my story so far. Yes I would have to agree with you on Percy, even though he is starting to realize what is going on. And Fudge . . .Well what can I say, the man really does need to stop being so arrogant. Thank you so much for reviewing. I hope that you liked this chapter.
shadowarwen: Thank you sooo much! J I'm glad that you liked it so far. I hope that this chapter is alright.
Bridie: Thank you so much for reviewing. The thing that Harry touched was the note from Malfoy that Sirius found in the last chapter. I hope that this chapter is alright.
Slyffindor Protegy: Thank you for reviewing. I hope that you liked this chapter.
A/N: Once again thank you so much to all who reviewed. I have not yet written the next chapter, however the faster you review the quicker I write. So please review with comments, suggestions, theories on what's going to happen next, critiques or anything like that. And does anyone have a suggestion for a better summary of this story? Please do tell me if you do, you can e-mail me at bccreeks@hotmail.com or leave it in a review, thanks. Thank you sooo much to all who reviewed.