Harry Potter and the Veil of Life

Chapter One: Birthday Surprises

Story Note: An Alternate Universe, this story takes place in Harry's seventh year, Sirius and Dumbledore are dead, but there is no knowledge of the Horcruxes. I'll leave that to Jo.

It was five past midnight in Surrey, England, and in the shadows a figure snaked around the hedges of Magnolia Crescent, the flickering lamp post above giving little relief to the hardened edges worn into the man's face. For those who may be watching outside in this late hour, some latent knowledge that something remarkable was soon to happen, they would have seen the dark figure dart from house to house, avoiding the light-and detection- at all costs, and quite succeeding.

He was here for one purpose, and one purpose only. The belief of his death was enough to get him anywhere nowadays, as did his remarkable change in his appearance. He was here to cause a little mayhem, a little hell, and maybe a little spilt blood. Nothing too bad on his agenda. He was almost there, already.

Soon enough, the dark figure finally reached the pre-determined destination. He looked up, and on the top floor of this respectable looking home a light was in the window. The man grinned. Just as he thought, the boy was awake and using magic as soon as he turned seventeen, the legal wizarding age. But now, he was in danger, for the protection on his relative's home was gone, which was why he was here.

Taking ten steps up the walkway and to the door, the man did not even bother to knock. Instead, he pulled the door open with amazing strength, and ignoring the bickering he was soon to recieve from three of the residents, he took his leave upstairs to get the object of his plight.

It was five minutes to midnight, and Harry Potter was sitting in his bed, wide awake, studying his watch as though his life depended on it. Which it did. Professor McGonagall had written him a letter two weeks previously that on this night and the moment of his seventeenth birthday, the protection that Dumbledore had placed on him and his relatives would cease to exist. The Professor had also stated that someone would be coming to pick him up on that night, tonight, to help him, should anyone interfere.

Harry had assumed that he would have a hoarde of Aurors on either side of him at midnight, ready to apparate, floo, fly, or otherwise extract him from the Dursley's. He didn't look forward to it.

He had already packed his things. His books, robes, and various other magical items were in his trunk, put in days ago. The only things he had left out was one robe, his invisibility cloak, which he had in his robe pocket, and his wand, already in his hand.

Soon to be seventeen, Harry looked more as though he were a strange combinatioin of twelve and forty. His green eyes, once a shiny colour many of the girls of Hogwarts would swoon over, was now darkened, as though they had lived thirty generations in the space of a moment. His hair, a pure black, had a white hair or two growing in the back, something he had yet to notice. He had grown quite a bit more over the summer, now over six feet, and retained the gangly apperance of someone young, but the hardened look of an adult.

When he arrived at the Dursley's house after school, they had cowered away from him, leaving him to his devices as he pleased. Mr Dursley, Mrs. Dursley, and Dudley usually bothered him with their abuse, but he supposed the Dursleys had recieved something via owl post to leave him alone, and it was good that they had. Harry didn't think he could stand the Dursley's constant bickering.

At one minute before midnight, Harry double checked his room, making sure that he had nothing left behind he wanted. He made sure Hedwig, his snowy owl, was locked tightly in her cage and rested comfortably on top of his truck for easy access. Finding nothing he would need for his new life as an adult wizard, he reassumed his position on the bed and looked again at his watch.

It was midnight. Holding his breath, he lifted his wand and tried out his first bit of magic outside Hogwarts that was not illegal.

"Wingardium Leviosa!" Harry whispered, as he pointed the wand at his trunk.

Slowly but surely, the trunk and owl both hovered in the air about two feet. Harry looked out the window cautiously, as though half-expecting the Ministry of Magic swooping in on their broomsticks, ready to expel him, but they weren't. Harry Potter was seventeen, an adult.

Letting the trunk and Hedwig down back onto the ground, Harry lay back on his bed and pointed the wand at the ceiling.

"Lumos!" A bright light filled the room.

"Oh, bollocks," Harry thought, and immediately extinguished the spell with an uttered Nox.

He had better be careful, who knows who could have seen such a bright light? He looked at his watch once more. It was seven minutes after midnight. He wondered where his guards were? Surely they wouldn't be-

A loud crash reverberated below him. It sounded as though a beast ripped a wall off completely.

Oh, bollocks, he thought again. This can't be good.

Wand at the ready, Harry silently opened the door to his room and out into the hallway. Strangely enough, the Dursleys were not already awake and at the ready. He wondered if McGonagall really was joking when she said she'd make sure the Dursleys were not going to be any trouble when he was leaving.

Before he could get to the staircase, someone was already there. A dark figure obsucured by shadow. Harry did not know whether it was friend or foe, but wasn't about to take any chances. Instead, he raised his wand arm to knock out the intruder, but was unable when the man spoke.

"Don't, Harry." was all he said. Not who he was, not anything, but the second Harry heard his voice, his wand fell at his side in shock.

"S-Sirius?" he whispered

So ends the first chapter! Please comment below, tell me what you like! I do quite enjoy comments/critisism, so go nuts! The more replies I get, the more I know that it is appreciated and wanted, therefore I continue! Thank you in advance for reading and replying.