Disclaimer: I am not J.K Rowling therefore I own none of this. She owns it all.
Chapter One
Look, I didn't want to be in this situation. I never do. If anyone ever tells you I go looking for trouble, they're lying. Trouble comes looking for me and trouble is exactly what came knocking tonight.
But wait, I'm getting ahead of myself. I need to take it slow. Let me tell you what's happened so far today, then we'll go into what's unfolding in front of me while I hide behind this bush.
Today started like any other day, that is until I got a letter from Hagrid during the last few minutes of breakfast. The letter asked me to come down to his house after sunset because tonight is when Buckbeak is supposed to be "humanely executed," which I know for a fact is an absolute lie. They are going to cut off his head, which, quite frankly, is about as cruel as you can get. But I'm getting off topic; he wanted me to come down to support him while they executed Buckbeak. He actually took his idea to Professor Dumbledore, who agreed whole-heartedly, so I had permission to be outside the castle after curfew.
After I finished my breakfast, I went to the library to finish an atrocious ten inch essay on the Goblin Rebellion of 1162 from Professor Binns with Hermione. Lately its just been me and her in the library because Ron is being a git and has been mumbling something about me being an attention seeking prat... Asshole. But I don't care anymore. He really doesn't matter to me. I've finally realized that he was the reason I never got my homework done before the last minute, so now I'm at the top of the year with my new study schedule. For some reason if I just read a spell once I can normally get the practical usage in two or three tries. I've been doing so well that I'm actually ahead of Hermione in the practical portion of my classes, even potions, but she's still ahead of me in the written portion. I'm okay with that though, because in real life, who needs to know the Twelve General Rules of Transfiguration? That's right. No one. The practical portion is all that matters.
Once we both finished our essays, Hermione went to go ask a question about her Defense essay, which I completed yesterday, while I went for my daily run. I've learned recently that going for a run in the mornings both eases the tension from my life and helps me gain some muscle which a majority of the girls in my year have started to notice. I'm by no means ripped, but I've started to fill out. This summer is when I really want to get strong.
I make it back into the Common Room in a little under ten minutes and change into a cutoff Nike shirt that Hermione got me for Christmas, pull some shorts on, lace up my trainers then head off for the lake.
As soon as I get to the lake, I go through my warm up stretches, then start to run my six laps around the lake. You see, after two days I realized that one lap around the lake is one half of a mile, so I run six laps for three miles. Obviously, I didn't start off running this many laps, but I got there very fast. Almost too fast. It only took four weeks to go from one half of a mile to six. I was never sore or drop-dead tired like I should have been. It kind of scared me at first, but I just ended up deciding to go with it.
After six laps, I walked back up to Gryffindor Tower to sleep, since it was only 12: 15 and I didn't get much sleep last night because I was reading a Defense book I checked out from the library. I crawled onto my bed and was soon asleep.
I had a dream, which was normal for me, but the odd thing about this dream was that I could only remember a few parts of the dream clearly.
The parts of my dream that I could remember were fuzzy at best, but I do remember seeing twelve people sitting on thrones in a U shaped palace. The two people at the head of the U were having a heated discussion, but I couldn't hear any of the topic.
Suddenly, a young woman of maybe twenty-five years- the dream was so fuzzy at this part I have no idea if this is how old she really is- with beautifully clear and piercing gray eyes looked at me, whispered something inaudible, and I suddenly woke up.
With the details already fading from my mind, I shake my head a couple of times, grab my best school robes and go to take a shower.
As I dry off, I glance at my watch, and, seeing that it's eight o' clock, rush to put my robes on and head down to Hagrid's house.
When I'm walking out of the Common Room, I start thinking about all the times I've had to do this under my cloak, then, of course, I start thinking of my many adventures outside and inside of the castle, and most importantly the one last month were I got a letter from an anonymous person saying to go to the Common Room fire at mid night that night.
Sirius had somehow found a way into a wizard's house and used their Floo. I was getting ready to scream for a teacher, when he told me he was innocent. Needless to say, that got my attention.
Later that night I found out that Ron's rat, Scabbers was really Wormtail. He was the actual Secret Keeper for my parents, not Sirius.
After that we met every Saturday night in the forest until about a week ago.
Flashback
I was sitting with Sirius in the forest and talking about whether England will do anything in the World Cup this summer, when suddenly we had a wand pushed on both of our heads from behind us.
"Fancy seeing you here."
I didn't even need to turn around to know who said that.
"Wormtail!" Sirius spits. You can practically feel the anger coming off him in waves.
"What are you doing here? I thought you were still lying in Ron's pocket like a washed up beggar?" I say with a smirk, but with my back to him still. Beside me Sirius is trying to stifle a small laugh.
"You two aren't the only ones who know the passages in and out of the castle," he says with venom. "Besides, when I am reunited with my Master he will annihilate that entire family of blood traitors." He ends his rant with a stinging curse to the back of our necks.
In the next instant, I whipped around and cast the most painful and legal spell I knew: the Bone Breaking Curse. The curse hit him squarely in the right arm. Sirius has cast the same thing beside me and hits him in the left leg and he goes down in pain.
We turn to talk about how this could get him free since we thought we had him incapacitated. Apparently we were wrong because we forgot to take his wand. Crap.
He casts a loud numbing spell and gets up to run away like the rat he is.
By the time we have our wands raised to jinx him again, he has disappeared back into the dense undergrowth in his animagus form.
End Flashback
I think the worst part of that night was when I realized I could go to live Sirius this summer, but ended up having that dream crushed in as little as five minutes. He did tell me when we were sitting in the forest once more that he would try to stay in the general area to help me with some "illegal extra-credit," as he put it.
Grinning like a fool as I remember the end of that conversation, I fail to notice the doors of the Great Hall in front of me. I'm suddenly brought out of my thoughts once my head starts hurting like no-ones business.
I slowly open the door, check to make sure there isn't some random student around, and sprint down the lawn to Hagrid's.
Once I reach his house, I notice that I'm that last person to arrive. Minister Fudge and the executioner, a man named Mcnair I think, are both scowling at me. Dumbledore is quietly humming to himself while Hagrid is trying to contain his tears, but failing horribly.
When I'm standing next to Hagrid, Fudge says, "If that is everyone I would like to start now." After staring with venom at me he continues, "Let's start shall we." He unrolls an official looking paper and reads, "Let it be noted that today the dangerous beast described is to be exacuted at sundown. Signed by Minister Cornelius Oswald Fudge and Senior Undersecretary Delores Jane Umbridge. Executioner, you may continue."
I stare with horror as he finishes and think, 'What! Does Hagrid even get to say goodbye? Shouldn't the paper say more than that?'
The answer to my mute questions are apparently no because at this time the executioner raises his blade and Hagrid starts to cry even harder. I could have even swore I saw Buckbeak lower its head clear to the ground as if he knew what was going to happen.
When the blade is starting to come off the climax of its arch, I silently will the blade to stop, to not be able to hurt him, to not work. To Hagrid's and my pleasure; Dumbledore's shock; and Fudge and Mcnair's anger, the blade stopped. It literally stopped in mid air. It couldn't come any closer.
Dumbledore, being the first to recover, suggests that they go inside and talk this over. Fudge and Mcnair nod slowly. Outside they have a calm facade, but their eyes are betraying them. They hold so much anger and resentment they almost don't seem human.
As soon as I start to follow, Dumbledore turns to me and says, "Harry, it's really late why don't you go back to the Tower?" I nod and slowly turn around.
As I walk back, I think to what I had just saw. 'Why did the blade just stop?' I think to myself. 'I just wanted Buckbeak to be okay and somehow the blade couldn't touch him. Absolutely shocking. I'm going to have to ask Hermione when I get...'
I am brought out of my musings by a huge black dog that's chasing a rat who runs by. The dog even looked like it winked at me when I almost tripped over it. When I saw that, I realized the dog wasn't a dog, but a Grim. I also noticed the rat was missing a toe.
I run into the forest after the animals/ people and trail them to the edge of the Black Lake. I drop behind a bush to watch.
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There you have it! You're caught up! Now let's talk about what's happening right now.
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They both morph back into humans and exchange some words that I can't hear. They suddenly pull out their wands and start to duel.
Sirius is the faster caster and quickly fires off a stunner. Peter dodges the spell and starts his own barrage of spells. They go off very quickly and most are Dark. Out of nowhere they both stop, turn to the side, and stare at a place in the middle of the lake. The Dementors are slowly gliding across the lake and are almost half way to the other side.
Peter, using Sirius momentary ceasefire, casts a body-bind curse at him, which immediately drops him to the ground and to the mercy, or lack thereof, of the Dementors. He quickly changes back into a rat and scurries out of there.
I stand up to cast the Patronus Charm to drive them off, but only get a wispy smoke. This shocks me because when I tried it last Friday with Professor Lupin I was able to create a Corporal Patronus- a stag. I try the charm one more time since Sirius has roughly twenty seconds until they are upon him. The result is the same as last time. Only smoke.
By this time, the Dementors are to the edge of the shore that's frozen because of the effect they produce- pain, hopelessness, sorrow, like nothing can be happy again. They reach him, and kill him. They don't suck out his soul like normal, they kill him. He had no choice; no chance.
I drop to the ground in grief once I see this. I would have been content to stay this way until they sense me and come for me. That is, until I hear a horrible screech come from overhead. I look up to see Headwig flying to them like she was possessed.
She tries to attack them but is knocked off into a tree where she slumps down; dead.
Seeing my first ever friend and the only family I'll ever know killed by these demons makes something snap inside if me. It feels as if a multi-staged wall is holding back a massive river and just now the first few walls have broke. A sudden surge of power fills up every part of my being. An ancient, war-like, untapped power.
My vision turns crimson red and the only thing I see is enemies who must be eliminated. I cast the Patronus Charm once more and I get a Copral. It isn't a stag though, but a boar. A massive boar the size of an average man and as bright as the sun on freshly fallen snow.
I tell him to attack and kill. He plows towards the enemies and makes them scream in pain and even makes one turn to dust. The rest are pushed miles away.
Satisfied that the enemy has been naturalized, my vision clears and I slump back down to the ground.
As unconsciousness threatens to overtake me, I see my own reflection on the Lake. What I see shocks me to my core. My eyes have turned blood red with just a strip of green near where my iris should have been. Only it wasn't. There were only roaring fires. The rest of my face is mostly the same except for a more squared jaw. My hair has surprisingly turned into a long buzz cut with red highlights.
My body changed too. I looked taller by a few inches at least. I also had a little bit more muscle packed away everywhere. With the height and muscle I now have a rounded and fuller look. I am no longer the skinny, malnourished kid who was beaten by his Uncle just for getting a better grade than Dudley. No. I am a powerful man who demands respect and awe.
These were the last things I am able to notice before Professor Snape steps into my field of vision and I lose my final grip on consciousness.
AN: I know this chapter was short but the next one will be longer. I promise.