"This can't be happening," Harry groaned. He sat on the platform at the top of the staircase of Number 12 Grummauld Place, the home of his godfather Sirius Black. It was a cold, intimidating home filled with dust and foreign memories, but its powerful protective enchantments and location hidden within plain sight made it the ideal base of operations for Dumbledore's private force, the Order of the Phoenix. Dumbledore had reformed the group after Voledmort's return, and every day members came and went, working diligently to gather intelligence on the Dark Lord and his plans. Of course, Harry was kept well out of the way by everyone except Sirius, the only person who didn't think Harry too innocent or naïve to handle the dangers the rest of them were burdened with. His arguments to the contrary proved fruitless, and despite his best efforts here he was, alone and still in the dark, both literally and metaphorically.
The landing was pitch black and he could hear the gentle sounds of sleep from the open door of the bedroom he had just left. The events of the past few days left him in a foul mood and with a constant headache. He had been accused of abusing magic after saving his demented cousin from a soul sucking creature, tried in court in front of the Wizengamot and the Prime Minister, Cornelius Fudge, himself, and somehow rescued from a formerly convinced jury by the ever watchful Dumbledore. This would have been fine had Dumbledore not immediately removed himself from Harry and staunchly ignored him after the trial. The insult had only grown as he and his friends, Hermione Granger and Ginny, Ron, Fred, and George Weasley all received their invitational letters from Hogwarts, along with Prefect positions for both Ron and Hermione.
Harry knew it was selfish of him to resent Ron for being selected as prefect instead of himself, but his pride reminded him of the many occasions he thought he had demonstrated himself to be the superior wizard. Added with his friends' promises to the Order to NOT contact him over the summer break (a slight betrayal he had not taken lightly), and the Daily Prophet's slander of him being an egocentric liar, Harry was less than happy. Sleep had eluded him, though if it was because of his current frustrations or the fear of reliving his most recent and constant nightmare, he couldn't decide. It was all he could do to not shout in frustration as he ruminated alone in the hallway.
The noise of a creaking door below him jogged Harry out of his thoughts. He quickly rose to his feet and prepared to sneak back to his room where Ron and the Weasley twins were still fast asleep. Curiosity gripped him, however, as he leaned carefully around the corner, looking down the staircase where the end of the entry hallway was just visible. He heard two people step into the hallway before the door closed shut, and the sounds of footsteps (and possibly a cane from the scraping sound he heard, though it could have been dragging boots or something similar, Harry thought) approaching the end of the hall. Two figures came into view, one who was clearly Dumbledore in his travel wear, and the other an enormous, clothed figure, easily between six and seven feet tall given how it had to duck slightly to avoid hitting the ceiling. His cloak surrounded him completely, and the hood moving left and right as he examined the hallway was the only distinguishing feature Harry could see.
"Your headquarters is…humble," the figure commented quietly on his surroundings, earning a small laugh from the aged wizard. "Though you still never explained why it was so urgent for me to come here, Dumbledore."
"It was merely a precaution," Dumbledore answered, "in case of an emergency; you will be able to find this place now that I've shown you. Of course, I am not trying to include you in the actions of my group, but it never hurts to be prepared. I hope, of course, that you will never have to return."
The figure, whoever it was, chortled at the comment before countering with, "You and me both."
The two stood silent, though Harry was unsure why until the hood of the unknown person slowly looked up through the winding stairs towards Harry's landing. Harry could only see two dimly glowing points that must have been the figure's eyes before he realized he had been discovered and ducked behind the corner. He still listened intently, trying to catch any remaining conversation. The silence that followed made him fear that they were coming to find him until he heard the voice of the figure continue, "I appreciate you trusting me with this information, Albus. If we are finished, I am eager to return to the others and prepare for tomorrow."
"Of course, my friend," Dumbledore replied as the two walked back to what sounded like the front door. Harry could hear them leave and the thud as the door closed shut once again. He wasn't sure exactly what he had just witnessed, but the fatigue in his body seemed to flow out and remind him of the rest he so desperately needed. He closed his eyes and bundled up beneath his sheets, still wondering about the strange figure he'd seen in the hallway. He'd mentioned "preparing for tomorrow", the day all of the students were leaving for Hogwarts. Harry knew nothing of the man's intentions, but, despite his current distaste for his headmaster, he would have to trust that the two would only be corroborating if it were to further the goals of the Order.
A short lived dream about his still mounting jealousy of Ron's position as prefect later, Harry awoke to blinding light filling his eyes and his best friend shouting at him about getting ready before they missed the train. Harry was still lost in his thoughts and the morning disappeared before his eyes. Suddenly, they were at King's Cross Station and his godfather was wishing him luck in the coming year, along with the usual warnings of being careful and staying safe. Harry, Hermione, and the Weasley children all quickly filed into the train moments before it began to leave the station. Hermione and Ron had uncomfortably excused themselves to the prefect carriage, and Harry had somehow ended up staring outside a window at the passing greenery like always with Ginny next to him and their friend Neville Longbottom sitting across from them beside a girl Harry only knew as "Loony" Luna, a nickname whose roots he was coming to understand.
Ginny and Neville were busy sharing stories about their summers and recent events, while Luna read an odd magazine upside down with strange, multicolor glasses. Her behavior would normally have begged his curiosity, but Harry couldn't seem to tear himself away from the window. He was lost in his countless concerns when something caught his eye. What he had thought was a typical formation of birds just didn't seem quite right, though he couldn't think of exactly what was off. Their shapes and movements were just so peculiar, but they were far too out of focus for him to truly see them. Memories of the Hungarian Horntail he had been forced to fight a year ago came to his mind, however, as the strange formation flew off into the distance in the same direction the Hogwarts Express was headed.
Deciding he was still deprived of rest, Harry relaxed and tried to gleam what sleep he could from the train ride, anxiously awaiting the moment he could see the towers of Hogwarts on the horizon. For the first time, he realized with a twinge of sadness, Harry was actually afraid of the new school year. His sense of foreboding grew stronger with every churn of the train's engine. He felt abandoned and alone, he wasn't sure how to overcome everything that stood in his way, and somewhere out there was an impossibly powerful wizard trying his best to murder him. It was more than any teenage boy should have to contend with. As if I have a choice, he thought bitterly.
To his disappointment, sleep brought him no comfort. Vivid and terrifying images danced behind his eyelids and stole away his chance at peace.
He was walking at the summit of a mountain, below him an endless skyline of buildings swallowed in an ocean of yellow lights filling his vision. The wind kicked at the low grasses around him, flowing through his robes and those of the figures at his sides. In front of him stretched a barren field, so wide and empty that he could feel a desperate yearning for it to be filled with ornate columns or soaring towers. The full moon hung in the night sky above him, and for a moment he thought he saw a flicker of light flash before him.
"This is it," he whispered airily, drawing his wand from his sleeve and gently waving it before him. The air shimmered, rippling in waves throughout the field.
The figure to his left sucked in a wheezing breath in response. "Old Magic…as she said, my lord."
"Indeed it is…" the man answered. A faint sound drew him to the center of the field, the guttural laugh growing louder as he neared. It's malice was almost tangible, encouraging the tall, pale wizard forward. A large snake followed him through the grass, hissing viciously at the voice.
"Now, now, Nagini, we mustn't be rude." The man stretched his arm forward, probing the air with his wand before swiftly slashing it downward. Instantly, he was rebounded and the air around him flashed with defiant light. The voice returned, roaring with laughter so loud that the figure to his left threw his hands up to cover his ears.
"What do we have here?" it sneered. "A wizard? What is the meaning of this?"
The figure that had remained unspeaking to the man's right stepped forward, dropping her hood to reveal her aged face and shrewd gaze. "I believe I have found a…solution, master," she answered carefully, her words dripping with subservience.
"And what is this solution?" the voice asked, disbelief evident in his tone.
It was the man's turn to speak now as he raised head in superiority. "That would be me. I would be more than happy break through your prison. That is...if we can reach an agreement."
He was not pleased by the refusing huff that followed from the voice. "As if any wizard could be trusted with a deal, and you are arrogant to think any mere magician could penetrate this magic."
The hunched figure to his left hissed angrily, "You dare question the strength, the power..."
"Enough, Wormtail." His disciple quickly retreated with a low bow. The man raised his arms in an imploring gesture. "I seek only power…and those strong enough to use it," the man spoke aloud. "The choice is simple: you can either join me and aid in the destruction of all those inferior to us, or remain trapped. You need not trust me, but believe that we share a common enemy, one which I am sure you would relish the opportunity to meet." A wicked grin spread across his face as he bellowed, "So tell me, do you want to be free?"
The voice responded with a low grumble that steadily grew louder and louder into the same earsplitting laugh. He let out a single, emphatic, "Yes."
With a surge of emotion, his wand flew out once more, a stream of blinding light colliding with the invisible barriers and throwing the world around him out of focus, his own cackling laugh drowning out all other sounds.
Harry opened his eyes to see the mountain was gone, its distant peaks replaced by a small, foggy cemetery. A tall, gaunt man was holding him by his throat with pure ecstasy lining his face, pressing him against a looming statue. He looked down to see his friend's body lying cold and lifeless in the grass, his eyes glazed and unseeing. The man holding him continued the cackling laughter, a green light from his wand slowly filling Harry's vision…
Neville shook him awake and Harry shot up, covered in cold sweat and eyeing the robes meant for him in Neville's hands. Though he was concerned, Longbottom didn't ask about Harry's nightmare and left him to change in privacy. The sky was dark outside of the train, and Harry could see the many lit windows in the distance of the school he had once considered, and to some degree still did, his home.
The train began to slow and shake as Harry finished adjusting his tie. Neville popped back into the cabin. "We're here," he said.
As always, if you have any opinions or advice (positive or negative), PLEASE review and comment! Any feedback is great feedback, and it lets me know you at least cared enough to respond! This is my first fanfic, so I'll take what I can get.