Disclaimer: I own nothing in the Harry Potter Universe, however cool it would be to do so. I am simply using the characters and stuff for my own whims.
This story is set after the fifth year, and the shipping will be H/G, R/Hr, probably others.
Review, doesn't matter whether it is good or bad, I enjoy the advice, but please no flames, I want constructive criticism, not assholishness.
This is actually a re-write of my first attempt at a story, and is still technically my first shot at a story. so, here it is.
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The air in Little Whinging was unnaturally cold for being late-spring. It would be another week before the students of Hogwarts would be released. Even though there was a breeze, the air seemed to hang ominously still, almost choking the city.
Atop of #7 Privet Drive, a young man dressed in a dark hooded cloak stood tall in the cold, almost challenging it, the hair protruding from inside his hood flowing in the light wind.
"I heard that it was like this, but I didn't know it was this bad." The man mumbled to himself as he examined his surroundings. The dim lighting of the streets night-lamps almost seeming smothered by an unknown darkness. Unknown to muggles that is.
The man stood above the street, pondering over the events that would occur in the coming months, and how he would affect them.
The man suddenly realized that he wasn't the only one keeping a watch on a certain house on this street, as he saw two figures near the side of the property casting spells on a seemingly invisible shield.
"Well what do we have here? Ah, what is this? No more wards, cool." the man asked himself in a sarcastic voice as he sensed that these men were indeed Death Eaters, which put a smile on his face. "Little Harry is going to have a grand party for his sixteenth, maybe I should drop by, wish the bloke a good day and help him get rid of some unwanted guests." Then with a *pop*, the man disappeared, awaiting the boy-who-lived's return.
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Harry sat, his face giving a blank stare, looking out of the window in his compartment on the Hogwarts Express as it made its way swiftly back to London. Blocking out the conversation being carried out around him, Harry's mind danced from the face of his deceased godfather, to the prophecy.
"Harry."
He jumped slightly after being shaken out of his daydreaming.
"You sure you're ok mate?" Ron asked as he, Hermione, Ginny, Neville, and Luna all looked worriedly at him.
"Yeah, I'm fine." He said dismissively. He looked at his friends then. Ron seemed to accept this and went back to his chocolate frogs. Hermione had a frown on her face, telling him that she was going to try her hardest to get him to open up. Neville had the same look, but soon after resigned and continued talking to Luna, who was rambling about sightings of some creature in Italy. Ginny on the other hand caught him off guard as she got up and hugged him, then returned to her seat. Confused and comforted by the action, he returned to his passive attitude, but now thinking about Voldemort. Too many people had died because Voldemort was after him.
'They'd be better off if I got away from them.' He thought gloomily.
As the train pulled into the station, Harry quickly grabbed his things, put on his cloak, and hurried through the station.
He pulled off his cloak just as he entered the Dursley's car, making them all jump.
"Boy… Don't you ev-"
"Shut up. Now could we be going?" Harry demanded as the Dursleys literally felt static in the air, as if some power was coursing through their vehicle.
Vernon considered starting a row with his nephew, but aside from the power he felt, something in Harry's voice had made him choose not to. He couldn't place it on one emotion exactly, but it was a range of sounds, from sadness, to complete and utter hatred, and it terrified Vernon.
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Harry lay in his bed at #4 Privet Drive staring at the ceiling, planning his quest to destroy the filth that people called You Know Who. He had to leave as soon after his 16th birthday as possible, as to avoid any attacks against him after his mother's blood protection had worn out. He was told that it would last until he turned 17, but so far the truth for Harry was very hard to believe. The Dursley's were anything but kind to him, but they were still his family, and he didn't want any harm to befall them.
With a sigh Harry let his mind drift between Voldemort, Ginny, and the rest of his friends. Peace finally came when sleep claimed him.
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Hermione was sitting at her desk in her room attempting to write a letter to Harry. She wanted to wish him a happy birthday, but at the same time try to tell him that what happened at the Ministry wasn't his fault, as he was probably brooding over it.
With a sigh, she got up and trudged her way towards the hallway.
As she entered the hallway she heard a loud crash and her mother's scream. She was about to go downstairs when her mother and father came bounding up the stairs.
"Hermione, we need to go, now!" Her father said as he carried his wife into the sitting room.
"Hermione! Now! Those men in masks will be up here soon!" Her dad yelled.
"Okay, get over here!" She said as she tossed the powder she had grabbed into the fireplace and grabbed hold of her father's arm. "THE BURROW!"
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Ron awoke as he felt a pain in his stomach.
"Bloody hell." He exclaimed as he looked at his clock and realized how early it was. As he got out of bed to get a snack, he thought of the Department of Mysteries, and Harry.
Ron couldn't even begin to imagine how Harry must feel losing his only father figure, and knew that Harry was probably blaming himself for Sirius' death.
"Damnit." Was all that he could come up with as he crept downstairs.
After eating breakfast, Ron made his way to the door, and was about to wander his yard when he heard a loud *thump* in his sitting room.
His wand out, Ron burst into the room, and was stunned to find his friend and her parents covered in soot.
"Hermio-" he started.
"Ron, wake everyone up, we were attacked."
Just then Bill burst through the Burrow's door panting and bleeding slightly.
Ron ran to his brother. "Bill, what in the hell is going on? What happened to you?" he demanded.
"Death Eaters." He panted. "Get everyone up, and get them down here, they are about to attack the Burrow."
Ron went pale at the thought of Death Eaters attacking his home.
"Bill, what about me and Ginny? We aren't of age yet…"
"RON, FUCK THE MINISTRY CODE AND GET EVERYONE DOWN HERE!" Bill screamed as he shot spells through the doorway.
Ron then raced upstairs to warn everyone.
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Harry woke on the morning of his 16th birthday shaking. His room was cool yes, but that wasn't why he was shaking. Harry had decided that he was going to leave to try to find a way to kill Voldemort.
He crept downstairs, trying to avoid making sound so he could escape unnoticed.
"You're up quite early Harry." Dudley said from his position on the sitting room couch.
'Shit.' Harry thought as his plan was crushed. "Good morning Dudley."
"Where you headed?" Dudley asked, with a hint of genuine curiosity on his face.
He didn't know why, but Harry felt absolutely no reason to lie. "Well Dudley, sixteen years ago, a seer, I guess like a fortune teller for you, made a prophesy about me saying that I would be the one to destroy Voldemort. This year, I found out that Voldemort had somehow found a way to get into my head and plant images there. He tricked me into going into the Ministry of Magic, where I believed that my godfather was being held. Turns out it was a trap, and my godfather ended up dying, so I'm leaving to try to find a way to kill him." Harry took a deep breath, as he had said most of this without pausing.
The fish-like opening and closing of Dudley's mouth was the only indicator that he had understood, and he covered it up quickly.
"Uh, wow." Was all he managed to get out.
"Yeah." Harry said passively as he reached the floor and made his way toward the door.
"Harry, there's something I wanted to give you, you know, for saving me last year, but I couldn't with Dad around."
At this, Harry felt slightly confused. Since when had Dudley not thought of Harry as a nutter? Sure, since Harry had saved him from dementors the previous year, they had been polite with each other, but they had never really talked much.
"I found it when I was little, in a box upstairs. I think it was with you when that old guy left you here." Dudley said as he pulled a picture from behind him and handed it to Harry.
What Harry saw made him choke, and he felt tears welling up in his eyes as he stared down at a picture of his parents, Remus, Sirius, and Peter all laughing and waving to him outside of the picture.
"Dudley… thank you." Was all that Harry got out when a man in a hooded cloak appeared before him.
"However touching this may be Potter, a few nasty looking fellows outside are wanting to rain on your parade, snakey in particular. That one definitely seems to have a superiority complex."
Harry stood there stunned as he realized that the man was referring to Voldemort. Lowering his wand, he stumbles over his words.
"Voldemort, is…. Outside?" he asked, his eyes filling with anger.
"Yes and he definitely did not seem pleased when I threw a rock at his head then apparated in here, so if you please, we really need to go, as the concept of a painful death is not appealing to me in any way. " The man said, grabbing Harry's arm in the process. "How convenient that you're already packed, much quicker than standing around here waiting for your bloody arse to sort out your-"
He was cut short as the door of the house was shot through the air against the back wall.
"Shit." The man finished as he tightened his grip. He then yelled out "Avada Kedavra!" And sent a killing curse at the door and apparated away, carrying a very confused and angry Harry with him.