25-June 2015 Hi Guys, thankx for your patience. Personal and health issues have been a bitch the past six months and I am sorry. I am going back chapter by chapter, improving ( I hope) the story as I work and pulling out the worst areas and errors. I hope you all enjoy the revised work. I am taking a leaf from Mr Butcher's book and enforcing an hours writing a day upon myself. Hopefully I will make some good progress. A new chapter is about halfway complete.

All recognisable characters are the properties of Ms J.K. Rowling and Mr Jim Butcher. The Dresden and Potter verse, their magic and creations are the property of their respective owners and I make no profit from my tale. I own only this random story idea.

Chapter 3

Here We Go Again

Dresden's POV

I am always screwed when a woman begs and I had Molly, Mouse and even Bob and Thomas all making puppy-dog eyes at me. Though the last two weren't nearly as cute as Molly or Mouse. Karrin was simply waiting and watching. She was great like that, my Murph, she'll take anything that was thrown at her and throw it right back. I smiled at her and she nodded and smiled back. Whatever I might have decided I knew how she thought and if I didn't help this woman, this Lily Potter.. Murph would let me know of her disapproval. "Alright I.. Ow!" my brother elbowed me, "Ok! Ok! We will help you." It was only once I'd agreed to help that I began recalling certain aspects from the books and movies. Vividly.

"Whoa.. wait I am not going back to deal no bloody great snake! UhUH! No Way!" I said, firmly. Not at all in a high frightened voice, no not at all. Lily laughed, her voice a bit weak. " No, no.. too far back, I can't send you back that far, too many recent losses. If I had my way... but it would complicate things too much. As much as I wish you could go all the way back and snatch him away from my bitch of a sister, make changes right from the start.. no. The Laws really won't allow it.. and even Maab won't let us mess about that much with time. Can't have you saving the already dead ones now." I glared. I remembered that Harry Potter from the books had been abused as a child and had lost many that he'd loved and I had already began plotting to change it. Of course Lily had known the direction of my thoughts.

"I need you to save the kids from the Snatchers. Prevent the whole Gringotts catastrophe." she took a deep breath "Help my son, please. I cannot bear to see him sacrifice himself, like your books say he will.

Long story short two minutes we were getting ready for a fight, and entering another reality. We appeared on a small knoll, overlooking a small clearing with a battered tent and a cluster of people. The kid's enchantments were loose fragments of magic on the breeze and I saw two figures being dragged roughly from the tent . A third boy lay painfully curled on the ground. Off to one side was a small knot of captives, tied together

With long familiar hand signals I sent Molly and Karrin to free them, hidden completely by one of Molly's impeccable Veils. Most of the Snatcher's looked dirty, mean and ready for violence but there was something about the biggest of the men that set my teeth on edge and Mouse's growl was just off audible, I could feel it more then hear it. Thomas was also growling, just a bit in his throat, leaning almost over me, light grey eyes fixed on a particularly bestial looking man.

"Werewolf, and feral.. bad combination." The way he was handling the girl, the lecherous, hungry look on his face sickened me and sent a louder growl rumbling through Mouse. Then his hand moved and my inner Outraged Father took over. I started sprinting towards them, bellowing "Hands off the girl Ugly!" Stupid I know but screw it.. his hand did not belong on her top there. Mouse pounded past me, his mane almost standing on end in rage. I had remembered who this guy was, Fenrir Greyback. However, the Potter books description of a Werewolf sounded a bit like a soft sell of a Loup Garou.. I really did not want to meet another one of those. Mouse was already well past me, menacing the other men trying to hold onto the gangling redheaded, Ron Weasley, but he kept shooting longing looks back at the girl, Hermione. She actually did look much like Emma Watson had portrayed her. Her hair was curly, brown and wild, coming free from a tight plait, the werewolf's fist painfully knotted in it. Her eyes were a very pretty brown, and clearly terrified, She had clear skin, and her face was quite lovely, if gaunt from too long without proper food. She was scared but determined and unless I missed my guess she was planning something. Suddenly she slumped limply against the werewolf, forcing him to take all her weight or drop he. However I saw the slim hand dragging in the dirt scoop up a handful of gritty sand. "Smart girl" I thought. The boy on the ground had to be Harry Potter, curled up holding his face, moaning in agony. Ron beyond him was struggling as his captors dragged him around and around, a rather ungainly barrier between them and Mouse. He was, I was delighted to note, making it increasingly difficult. Greyback, the Werewolf holding the girl looked about and I could see the cogs working in his brain. He took in his freed captives, now surrounding him and the other Snatchers, looked hard at my friends, my silver eyed brother, my dog and then at me and at the runes on my staff blazing with Winter power. He came to a decision apparently and before I could seize him, he shouted "NOW" and he and the rest of his crew just snapped out of the clearing, taking Ron and Hermione with them. Harry cried out miserably then sunk facedown, agony and misery tearing through him as he sobbed.

Oh Well Done Dresden! Great start we were having. I just got his best friends captured, but we at least knew where they were going and with all our extra power, we could get there pretty quick. I knelt by the agonised boy.

"Hey, hey.. it's OK. We're the good guys, um.. I solemnly swear I'm up to no good.." His eyes widened and he sat up. "I know where they are taking your friends and we are going to go get them. I have some pretty impressive help. It will be OK." The boy nodded and Molly took over, assessing his injuries, looking at the angry, puffy skin on his face. "Shall we fix this?" she asked. The boy shook his head. "S OK.. 'Mione's pretty good at magic.. it usually wears off after 'bout an hour.. b'sides no healing potions left." he sighed and Molly smiled at him. "You, no, me yes. Here," and she placed a hand over his face, frowning very slightly and turned it, lightly brushing his skin with her fingertips as if wiping his face with an imaginary cloth. When she took her hand away his face was still blotchy and a bit red but it was no longer painfully swollen and his eyes and mouth could open easily, the skin no longer tight and drawn. He smiled at Molly and said "Thank you so much.. that was neat." then he looked about and saw the freed captives, Mouse and the rest of my team, watching him quietly.

"You say you know where they took my friends, we have to go.. now. They took them to HIM I know it."

"You're right, we do have to go. We don't have long and I messed up when they took your friends, I am sorry. I forgot you lot can travel like that."

"What.. Apparate? You can't?" he looked stunned "How will we get there if you can't Apparate?" I grinned at him.. "My Way." Molly groaned at my bad pun. Harry just looked confused. Then he stuck out his hand and said "Harry Potter" I shook it and said "Yeah, I know. You will not believe who sent me here. Name's Harry Dresden. This is my brother Thomas, my associate Molly Carpenter and my girlfriend Karrin Murphy." I indicated to my companions. Mouse huffed. I grinned. "And this mountain of fur is Mouse."

Harry looked at Mouse then at me and shrugged. "Better than Pig." I stared and Molly laughed. The boy blushed and we made quick work of pulling up his camp. The other wizards we'd freed slipped off into the night to find new places to hide and wait.

Packed and ready I stunned young Harry by opening the Way my mother had shown me through my amulet and we crept through a stretch of dark Never Never forrest, sticking close to the path before emerging not a mile from Malfoy Manor. Young Harry was impressed. "That is way better than flooing." he said and I nodded. Travelling by fire sounded unpleasant.

Malfoy Manor was a fortress, hidden behind not just walls but some pretty impressive wards. Sitting down, lotus style, Molly quickly dropped into a trance, and began pulling down and unweaving the wards around Malfoy Manor as if they were cobwebs and string. It took the Grasshopper less than three minutes to pull apart the Malfoy's intense defences. She stood up, and smoothly ensconced us all in an impenetrable veil as we approached the walls.

"We're here. Battle plan?" I asked.

"Quick and quiet. See if we can pull off a rescue without them knowing we are here? Don't want to show all young Harry's new aces." suggested Thomas.

"Good Plan..." I started to agree as we came upon the wall of the old Manor. A scream.. a scream of a terrified young girl in great pain rent the air and without pause Harry was off.. I could only stand and gape as the boy scrambled straight UP a wall taller then me and went over, hit the ground running and was darting off through the shadows, heading straight for the distant house. Thank God the Grasshopper was good with wards. He'd have blown our cover if she hadn't gotten them down so quickly.

"Or we could just charge in" said Thomas, staring at Harry's disappearing trainer before springing easily up onto the wall. I followed. Mouse whined, backed up a few meters, ran forward at full sprint and simply launched himself right over the eight foot high wall. The ground shook.. I swear.. when he landed. "Stop that damned kid Mouse!" I hissed as he bounded after Harry. Thomas and I shared a look as the great dog disappeared into shadows. "Kids definitely related to us." Thomas sighed, leaping down as Murphy gave Molly a leg up and I in turn leaned down and held out my hand. Being the Winter Knight had perks, I was really really strong and Karrin almost giggled as she walked up the wall holding my hand. We reached the other side and raced after the kid. He wasn't a sup and Mouse would keep him from doing anything stupid. He'd probably sit on him. I really hoped he did. Stupid reckless kid.