Well, um, I finally got the muse again for this story. Still no real plan, it's just trying to write itself. I hope you enjoy, and please review.
"Screw The Prophecy"
Chapter 2, "Life Goes On"
Harry got up and went to the window. As he stared out at the cloudless sky, he had second thoughts about what he had just done. Could it actually work? He felt a little exhausted, the link must have drained him as much as this new war had taken its toll on him.
"Soon," he muttered to himself as he gazed up at the full moon shining brightly. Soon, the death of innocents would stop. He would ensure that. His anger was buried, for the moment, deep down. He could still feel it, yes, but it was under control now.
He looked at the clock. 3 am. Time to get some more sleep. He cleared his mind of any remaining emotion as he drifted off back to sleep, resetting his mental shields.
Harry awoke the next day feeling completely rested and alert, but something was still a bit off. He sat on his bed looking around the tiny room, trying to figure out what it was. He got up and went to the door. Opening it, he stepped out and listened to his relatives downstairs. Hearing them acting like a normal family suddenly angered him. He quietly went to the bathroom and then back to his little room and slammed the door. He paced back and forth trying to calm down to no avail.
The voice from his cousin made his blood boil.
"Oy, dad says to quit makin' such a racket up here."
Harry's anger went up a notch, all he did was slam the door, for Pete's sake. He grabbed one of Dudley's old broken toys off the shelf, a plastic snow globe and threw it at the door. To his astonishment, it passed through the door, followed by a dull thwack, an 'Ow! Daaaaaad!', and the sounds of Dudley running down the stairs.
Although he was astonished at this new ability, it did make him feel a bit better. He walked carefully to the door, and cracked it open. He heard nothing coming from downstairs. Apparently, Uncle Vernon was too afraid to say a word now. What a rush Harry felt at this.
"So this is what Voldemort feels, not bad," Harry mumbled to himself. "Not good, either, I don't want to be another Voldemort," he said a little louder and sat down on his bed and put his head in his hands.
"Sirius, I need you. Mom, Dad, I need you," Harry whispered to himself.
Harry realised what was off, he was lonely. He felt put off by his friends, except for Neville, who was back with his gran. Harry wiped his eyes that he didn't even realise were moist.
"Help, Dobby," he said suddenly.
Dobby popped in. "I is sorry, Master Harry. I was listening."
"Don't start banging your head or something Dobby, it's alright. I need a friend right now."
"Harry Potter considers Dobby a friend?" Dobby looked wide eyed.
"Absolutely Dobby, always."
"Such a great wizard Harry Potter is," Dobby sniffed.
"Dobby, I need a favor."
"Anything sir."
Harry let out a sigh of relief. "I know you work for Dumbledore, and he sent you to keep an eye on me, but, I think he's finally starting to lose it, really. I was wondering if you would be loyal to me, over Dumbledore. Sirius is dead because Dumbledore acted too slowly. I have an idea how to keep anyone else from dying, but I have to be free from the Order's overprotection. Please, Dobby, people's lives depend on it."
"It would be Dobby's pleasure to work for Harry Potter. I will be loyal to you over the barmy old codger." Dobby smiled nervously at his own boldness.
"Thanks, Dobby. I really appreciate it. Hopefully no more of my friends will die."
"I will be glad to help. What can I do?"
"Well, since I am safest here because of my aunt's blood, I was wondering, could you magically expand this room? Maybe put some nicer furniture in it?"
"No problem, Harry Potter. It will be done."
"Don't go overboard, Dobby. Don't go underboard either. I would like some comfort that I've never had growing up. I'll be back, I'm gonna try and get one of my birthday presents a little early, I think."
"Go for it!" Dobby dared nervously.
Harry got dressed and went downstairs, and just glanced angrily at his relatives as he left. He stepped out into the July sunshine a took a deep breath.
"Oy! Babysitter, let's go," Harry said loudly to whomever was hiding nearby.
"Where you plan on goin' Potter?" came a gruff voice from behind him.
Harry smiled and said, "To the Ministry, Moody. I knew that Dumbles wouldn't give up that easily, but I'm kinda glad it's you watching out for me, let's go." Harry took off down the street followed quickly by Moody. He stopped in front of Mrs. Figg's house. "We can floo from here unless you know how to piggy back someone when you apparate."
"Piggy back? Oh you mean a side-a-long. Yeah we could do it that way. I hate traveling by floo."
"Yeah, me too. Let's do it behind Mrs. Figg's bushes."
Once behind the bushes where they couldn't be seen, Harry cleared his mind and reached out with his senses to maybe get a glimpse of what Moody does.
"Alright, Potter, grab hold and we'll be off."
Harry grabbed hold of Moody's arm, and with the feeling of being squeezed through a tube, found himself and Moody at the Ministry of Magic apparition point.
Dumbledore and Fudge were in the lobby arguing when they noticed Harry and Moody pop in.
"Glad you're both here," Harry said walking forward.
Dumbledore gave Moody a look who just said, "Potter said he was coming here and I thought I would come along to see what he had in mind."
"It is simple, really," Harry started. "I need to learn how to apparate. It would be most beneficial in my fight against Voldemort."
"Harry, you try my patience," Dumbledore said.
"No, Professor, you try mine. Thanks to how you handled things, Sirius is dead. You want me to be your golden boy, but you just keep me in danger without really giving me the tools with which to protect myself. You haven't yet regained my trust. In fact, I think what you gained might be slipping away again."
"The council is considering terminating me, Albus," Fudge broke in with a whisper, trying to continue his argument with Dumbledore. "I simply must have your help. There have been too many mistakes."
"Yes, too many mistakes. Everywhere I look, that's all I see," Harry said plainly, and loud enough for the reporter standing off to the side to take notice.
Fudge just spotted the reporter as well, and made one last attempt to gain favor in the publics eye. "Albus, I think Mr. Potter has a point, I am going to grant his request." Then turning to Harry, he added, "Mr. Potter, Harry, considerate it my birthday present to you, as well as the pardoning of your godfather, Sirius Black. I am truly sorrow for not believing you."
He held out his hand for Harry to shake, and although Harry knew Dumbledore had convinced the minister to clear Sirius, he didn't let on. Harry shook the offered hand firmly as a flash bulb went off behind them.
As Harry shook that hand, he wasn't sure if he should be happy or sad. A single tear ran down Harry's cheek at the thoughts of Sirius.
"I'm sure Professor Dumbledore will be glad to have you escorted here for apparition training," Fudge said. "Anything to help in our fight against you-know-who."
"Well, I've been stuck with my abusive relatives since school ended," Harry said with a subdued smirk. "Could I start my training now? Today?"
"Certainly, Mr. Potter, I'll escort you to the instructor personally," Fudge said and headed for the lifts.
"I think I'll go watch, as I'm still on duty," Moody said quietly to Dumbledore with a twisted smile.
Dumbledore was both shocked and worried, but finally gave a nod. "Harry is getting mixed up in politics, and it's my own fault," he thought to himself. "I'm not just losing Harry's trust again, I'm losing much more," Dumbledore sighed to himself and left.
The Minister led Harry to a door that had the words Office Of Apparition written on it. Beyond that door stood a large room with only a wooden hoop on the floor and a desk in the corner as its furnishings. Behind the desk sat a wispy little man who looked so frail a slight breeze might cause him to disappear.
"Harry," the Minister stated, "this is Wilkie Twycross. He will instruct you on the art of apparition." The man look up from his papers at the introduction. "Mr. Twycross, this is none other than Harry Potter."
"Is it really?" the man jumped up and moved more quickly than one would have thought capable, and shook Harry's hand enthusiastically.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, sir," Harry said as he freed his hand from the grip.
"Pleasure's all mine, Mr. Potter." the man replied emphatically.
"I have given my personal permission for Mr. Potter to get his apparition license even though he won't be of age for some time. To help with the war effort, you see." Fudge said importantly.
"Of course, of course," Twycross said, "my pleasure. Shall we begin then?"
When Moody made like to stay and watch, so did Fudge. He still didn't trust Dumbledore's friends too much. And his curiosity about Harry had quite increased with recent events.
Twycross positioned Harry in front of the hoop and said, "Now then, then important things one must remember about Apparating are the three D's. Destination, Determination, and Deliberation!"
Harry was getting a little nervous. He stared at the instructor with rapt attention, wanting to get this right, especially with the audience he had.
"Step one," he continued. "Fix your mind firmly upon the desired destination, in this case, the interior of the hoop. If you would do so, now."
Harry thought about the inside of the hoop with all his might, with a little of his old anger spicing things up a bit.
"Now, step two," he went on, "you must focus your determination to occupy the visualized space. Let that determination flood from your mind to every particle of your body."
As Harry did the second part, his mind wavered with his fury at Dumbledore. He quickly beat it back down so as not to cloud his thoughts on what he was trying to do, using his recently learned meditation skills.
"The final step, step three," the old man added at last, "when I give the command, you will turn on the spot, feeling your way into the nothingness, and moving with deliberation."
'Mum, dad, Sirius, if I'm on the right track, help me with this. I'm so lost without you.' he thought to himself and then added his memories of what he felt when Moody apparated them to the Ministry to his concentration.
"Ready now? One, two, THREE!"
Harry spun like he was suppose to and determined to get into the bloody hoop. Like with Moody, he felt himself get squeezed through a tube and suddenly he found himself standing inside the wooden ring on the floor. "Bloody hell," was all he could think to say.
"Excellent, Mr. Potter," Twycross said and examined Harry to see if any part of him got left behind.
Needless to say, both Moody and Fudge were a little surprised. Very few people EVER did it on the first try. Not even Dumbledore.
"Well done, well done, Mr. Potter. No one usually gets it the first time," Twycross praised Harry again.
"Yeah, well, I kinda used my anger at every way Dumbledore has wronged me to give my determination a little push," Harry said softly and bitterly, getting nonplussed looks from everyone.
"Yes indeed," the old man said coldly, "shall we have another go?" he added with a little more cheer.
"Okay," Harry said and spun and found himself standing behind the old man's desk smiling at them all like the cat that ate the canary.
"Alright," Twycross said with a grin, "perhaps.."
Harry cut him off with a pop as he apparated back to the hoop. Just as he was about to speak again, Harry apparated behind him and said "BOO!"
"Now cut that out," Twycross said cheekily. "I was going to suggest that you take your test now.
"Er, okay, it was unnerving the first time, but it's kinda fun after you do it a few times," Harry said and popped on top of the mans desk.
"Get down from there," he said, his smile fading as Moody chuckled and Fudge seemed to be embarrassed for some reason.
Harry replied with a pop right next to Moody this time. "So how does this work?"
"Well, the test has to be done over a distance, to be sure of the safety."
"Alright," Harry said, full of the same confidence he got when he was on his broom. "Name the place."
"The place is here, of course," the old instructor said, "you just do it back from the statue in the lobby."
"Fine," Harry said and popped out.
Twycross rolled his eyes as the Minister actually gave a little smile and the three of them apparated to the lobby.
"What kept you?" Harry said cheekily when they all popped in.
"Alright, Mr. Potter. I think that's enough. The course is usually given over twelve weeks."
"But I thought I had to apparate TO your office," Harry said with a pout.
"Fine, let me get back there then," Twycross said and popped out.
Harry smiled at Moody and Fudge popped out himself.
Fudge turned to Moody and said, "So, Dumbledore has various people like yourself keeping an eye on young Mr. Potter?"
"Yep, course now it's gonna be a little harder I suppose," Moody tried to smile at the thought.
"Indeed," Fudge smirked and started to head back to his own office when Harry popped back.
"Well, cool. Mr. Twycross says I'm legal now. Thanks so much, Minister," Harry said and shook his hand as another flash went off, making the Minister smile even more as this would surely increase his approval rating.
After the Minister and reporter left, Harry's mood switched back to one of sorrow and anger. He looked around at the large room trying to figure out what he should do next.
"What's the matter, Potter?" Moody said. "You got what you wanted."
"Sirius, and Dumbledore," Harry said. "The first I want back and the second I want to suffer."
"I've seen a lot, lad. Someone of Dumbledore's age has made all the little mistakes. All that's left are big ones," Moody said with a sigh.
"Yeah," Harry said sadly. "Tell that to Sirius."
"It'll get better with time, Potter. I've been there."
"Okay, Gringott's and then the muggle mall by my aunt's house," Harry said and apparated.
"So young," Moody sighed and followed Harry wishing for once he could really help the-boy-who-lived.
As he approached Gringott's Harry caught his reflection in a shop window. He just stared at his soon to be sixteen year old self with a slight pondering scowl. Screw the prophecy indeed. Did he really want to learn magic? Yes, he did in fact. He didn't really want to live totally as a muggle with his inheritance. Then he looked around at the various witches and wizards walking about Diagon Alley. Some of them, most of them were really clueless. He couldn't see himself living totally there, either.
He wanted to live with muggles but still do magic. A balance. That's what he wanted for his future. At least for now. He figured he could change his mind at some point, he was only sixteen, for Pete's sake. Dumbledore said he wanted him to have as normal a childhood as possible. "Messed that up, didn't ya, Dumblefuck," Harry said to himself and then jumped when Moody spoke up next to him.
"I know you can't forgive him now, lad, maybe not ever. But, like I said, I've been through it. If ya need to talk to someone who won't judge ya, I'm hear, Potter."
"Ya, thanks Moody. Right now I can't tell which hurts more, the loss, or the anger." Harry looked up at Moody. "He said he was trying to preserve my supposed childhood. Thats why he kept me in the dark all these years. It just made it worse."
Harry felt his anger welling up again at the thoughts that might have been. He might have also spilled his plans to Moody, whom he could only trust so far. He swallowed down the painful emotion and felt himself relax.
"I don't really know what else to say, Potter. Harry."
"S'okay. I'm gonna have fun now. Muggle fun."
Harry went into Gringott's and asked about a muggle credit card tied to all of his money. They informed him that one was available and that he needed to sign a few parchments because Mr. Black's will had recently been found and he left everything to him. Harry swallowed his emotion again and asked about a credit card for wizards. They promptly informed him that wizards were idiots that wanted nothing to muggle concepts, however, the goblins had convinced, or tricked Harry thought, that a piece of parchment that looked rather like a check could be used. One simply filled it out and then signed it, and the ink would vanish and reappear on a logbook at Gringott's, after which the funds would be promptly transfered from one account to another. That was a lot better than the money bag he had been using since he found out he was a wizard. It was cool, sure, pretty much bottomless and charmed to be light, but still, in a lot of ways, muggles had wizards beat, hands down.
He decided to spend a bit of money in Diagon Alley first, getting the books he knew would be on the sixth year list and updating his potion stores so he could really learn it. It would probably be a lot easier without Snape breathing down his neck. In fact, he thought maybe he and Neville could learn and study together.
He then popped back to the living room at Number 4, Privet Drive, because he knew that his room would be too different for him to apparate properly. And he was right. It was bigger than two of the houses. It looked like a loft apartment. A really big loft apartment. A fifty foot ceiling stood over his head. It was charmed the same as Hogwart's, to look like the sky outside. There was a great fireplace in the center of one wall, with a sitting area around it at an angle, to allow for watching of the large screen TV that was set further along the same wall.
On the opposite side was a small kitchen, well maybe medium size kitchen, as it was slightly larger than Petunia's. Next to that was a good size dining area with a great window looking out over the street below. Odd, since his room was at the back of the house.
Across the room from the dining area was his bed. Correction, a new, and much larger four poster bed. A whole bedroom set, really. There was no wardrobe either. His clothing was in another small room, almost as big as his room was before.
As he checked out the kitchen, he realized that it wasn't just for food, but almost a lab for potions as well. He started to put the potion ingredients away but Dobby popped in and stopped him, that was his job.
"Dobby this is brilliant!" Harry said to the little elf, causing him to blush fiercely. "All I really need now is a place to practise spells and workout a bit."
"Oh, but there is, Master Harry. In the closet is the door to it," Dobby said proudly.
"Fucking brilliant then," Harry added. "I think Sirius and I would have been very happy here, much better than Grimmauld Place."
That reminded him of a potential problem. "Dobby?" Harry said as the elf went about putting his purchases away. "I may have a problem and I want to know if you can handle it."
"Anything sir Harry. What is it being?"
"A very mean, disturbed, and uncontrollable house elf that I might own," Harry said with worry.
"Yous means Kreacher, don't you," the elf said plainly.
"Yeah, if the Black estates are truly mine and not Bella's, then I own him. He's bloody trouble."
"He won't be," Dobby said very sternly with the same look he gave to Lucius when he tried to hurt Harry at the end of his second year.
Harry relaxed a little. "Kreacher, come here," he said forcefully.
The insane elf popped in yelling, "Won't won't won't. Must go to my mistress. Shan't serve the Potter brat. Shan't shan't shan't."
"Shut up, Kreacher," Harry said and the little pain in the arse started to beat his fists on the floor silently obeying Harry.
"That settles that for sure," Harry said. "The order won't be in danger from what he might say to Bitch Bella. Not that matters much anymore, now that I've taken steps to ensure the safety of everyone."
Dobby looked up in awe at Harry. "Yous is a great wizard Master Harry. What is I to do now?"
"I want you to deal with Kreacher however you see fit," Harry said with a smile that slowly turned to an evil smirk. "Kreacher, you WILL accept and do everything Dobby sees fit to do with you or tell you."
Kreacher's eyes drooped as did his ears, making Harry smile. "Get him to take a bath or something too," Harry said as he left to get some new muggle clothes. He would wear Dudley's no more, now that he didn't have to worry about making his parent's inheritance last.
Harry had started to lose some of his toned body not playing quidditch the past year, but he still looked pretty good, if he did say so himself, as he stared in the mirror at the clothing store. He got a full wardrobe of various styles and colors. His favourite though, was just regular fitting jeans, a t-shirt of some muggle rock band and stylish trainers. After a trip to the music store for some cd's, and a trip to the electronics store for a decent stereo, video game system and video games, he was ready to head back.
As he got out of the cab with all of his packages, he could feel the eyes of Snape on him. "Hey Snape, since it's your turn to babysit, get your arse over here and give me a hand."
"Not part of the job, Potter," he replied with a smirk.
"It is if you don't want me to use Wingardium Leviosa," Harry responded with his own smirk. "They would blame you, you know."
With a grunt, Snape reluctantly gave assistance to the brat. Once everything was out of the cab, Harry paid him, and he left.
"I would have shrunk everything, but I don't know the spell yet," Harry said blandly and watched Snape out of the corner of his eye, but Snape said nothing whatsoever and just helped carry the stuff into the house.
"How dare you bring another freak into this house," Vernon said as they entered.
"Shut your fucking hole, SIR," Harry said as the headed up the stairs.
Vernon was so pissed that his blood pressure shot up and he passed out. Petunia was so shocked it was a good minute before she went to get some water for him. Dudley was standing at the top of the stairs shaking with fear, and unable to move.
He just watched as Harry and Snape entered the enlarged room. "What the hell?" he finally managed to say as he stared at the lush apartment that rested where the smallest room used to be.
"The joys of magic, my dear fat cousin," Harry said after setting his packages down. "Also, you're not allowed in here. You better heed my warning, magical consequences you know." Harry smiled and slammed the door in the face of a stunned piggy, er, Dudley.
Snape looked around at the apartment, not really knowing what to think of Potter. The headmaster had said he was unforgiving and seemed to have changed, but he didn't really expect this. "What's up with you, Potter?" he finally said.
Harry turned and stared at Snape with a look that he had only seen from the Dark Lord. "Let's see," he said with the venom of Voldemort, "I finally get a parent after years of hell with these fuckers, and you and Dumblefuck get him killed. You could have got over your childish grudge years ago, but no, you just had to egg him on instead of really help. For that you will be punished. Not as bad as what I have planned for Bella, but it certainly isn't going to tickle."
Harry felt his rage surge up and around him. He really wasn't sure if he should let it out, especially in front of Snape. At least not yet.
"I'm not the same as those idiot deatheaters you went against at the ministry, Potter. I doubt there is little you could do to me," Snape said, swallowing down his fear at the look Harry gave him. The look of a future dark lord. Dumbledore may have indeed made a big mistake withholding so much he thought, ignoring his own minor guilt of his own treatments.
"Maybe not yet, but since without your belittlement, I may have done alright with my potions owls. In any case, I will be studying this summer, as well as having the childish fun I never had growing up," Harry said tauntingly. "Perhaps if you could actually teach without the bullshit, I might take it easy on you later if you were to assist in my studies."
Snape started to mock Harry until he saw that he was serious. Deadly serious. Again it reminded him of the Dark Lord. So much, he felt compelled to bow before him and agree to anything.
"I doubt you could hold your tongue though, especially since I have decided to study with Neville. Care to take the challenge? I would love to have a reason to curse you into next year, deatheater."
"I am not a deatheater, Potter," Snape said, not knowing why he felt the need to defend himself against the brat.
Harry had opened the link between himself and Voldemort, just for shits and giggles. He felt the Dark Lord's desire to get involved, and sent him a few ideas as well as some of his magic over the link. The new magic felt as natural as his parseltongue ability. No doubt Voldemort using his blood had made the two of them even more in sync with each other.
Harry walked up to Snape, who slowly backed up to the wall for some reason. "Voldemort made me his equal. That's in the prophecy that you only heard part of, Snape."
He raised his hand and Snape was froze against the wall. In shock, Snape watched as he lifted his sleeve and pressed a finger against the dark mark, causing it to burn. Harry was channeling the pain he normally felt into him.
"This scar link works pretty good now that I have some real Occlumency skills now. You might want to keep this display quiet or I might let slip to Voldemort that you're a traitor to both sides, and always have been."
Once he let go, Snape grasped and rubbed his arm, eyes showing something akin to fear but mixed with disbelief. Harry just smiled evilly as he thought 'goodbye for now' to Voldemort and closed the link. He sat down to watch TV and relax for a while, catching up on all of the muggle activities he had missed out on. He glanced up when Snape yelped out and grabbed his arm again. The Dark Lord was going to have a, er, talk with Snape it seemed. He wiggled his fingers in goodbye to Snape, who glared at him and apparated away.
"I wouldn't want to be him," Harry said to himself with a huge grin.
He decided to firecall Neville, as Dobby had informed him the fireplace was hooked up to the floo network, albeit with a ton of security features, to placate Dumbledore. Neville readily agreed as did his gran for Neville to come a stay again.
They studied potions and found out it really wasn't hard at all without Snape's berating. They also spent time playing video games, which Neville took to quickly. They watched TV, listened to music and had a great time. With Dobby's help, they planned a bash to end all bashes for Harry's and Neville's birthday. They sent out invitations and Dobby set up the silencing and expansion wards on the back yard.
Vernon tried to say no to such an event, but Harry said he really didn't have a choice in the matter. A simple stunner spell on Petunia and Dudley with a promise of something much worse for him had convinced him of his lack of choice.
A/N: I need you're opinion on what to do with Kreacher. Kill, torture and kill, torture, willing cooperation, semi willing cooperation, or forced cooperation. Any or all of the above. I've decided there will be some slash, though probably no really descriptive scenes like in my other story 'Harry, Draco, And The Evil World'. I may even make Harry a slut, any and all pairings, I don't know. Just for sure there will be one slash pairing, you can probably guess who. As for if the pair as a relationship will last, who knows. The story itself is directing its flow. No plans, just writing it the way Steven King says he writes, on the fly.