I own nothing from this story
Some warnings: This story, as you can guess from the summary, is completely AU, but follows cannon up until the battle from the DoM. It'll have some Dumbledore, Hermione and Weasleys bashing, but it won't be much, just the necessary to give it some sense to Harry's actions. I don't know for sure, but maybe some lemons too.
AN: Hi! Welcome to my first story. This is my first time writing anything and english isn't mi first language, so you can expect this gramatically hard to read, as I don't have a beta. I'm just doing this for fun because I ran out of Haphne fics to read (Yes, it will be a haphne story). That means I'll not even read comments regarding how bad written this is. On the other hand, if you have any advices, they're welcome.
Finally, I don't even know if this will be finished, I'm studying, you know how this works. But, meanwhile, I hope you enjoy the ride!
Chapter 1. The Church
I liked rain. It gave me peace back in jail, being almost the only thing that could make that happen. And it was raining a lot at the moment. It was like the universe knew how important the conversation I was having in a few minutes was, so it was doing everything it could to maintain me focus on what was important and keep me calm.
I was walking slowly, hands down in my pockets, enjoying the feeling of the water running down my hair and thinking, once more, what could go wrong in the meeting. And the more I thought about it, more the things I found that could fuck it all up. It was so easy to say a word I shouldn't, to interpret something she didn't mean. It was even easier that she wouldn't talk to me at all. If any of that happened, I'd have to do something I really didn't want to do.
Then, of course, came the thought that haunted me since the very day I discovered I was a wizard and what had happened to my parents: "Why?". Why the fuck did I have to be the one to end all of this shit? Why did he choose me that night, and not some other random boy in the other fucking end of the world? Why did he even want to rule this madhouse we called Earth? It was all for nothing, though. In the end, as I always ended saying to myself, it didn't matter why. Things were the way that bastard chose them to be, so I had to do it, whether I liked it or not.
The door of the church creaked annoyingly when I opened it, giving some creepy atmosphere to the empty and slightly dark place. I supposed the churchman was in some cabin so you could confess your sins, if you wanted, given that it wasn't mass time. It was the main reason why I chose this place to meet her. It was always empty, save for the occasional old couple.
I dried my hair and conjured a hat to put on, so she wouldn't recognise my stupid hair instantly. I didn't even know if she would recognise it after these nine years that had passed since our fifth year, but I couldn't take the risk. Then, I sat in the middle of the church and waited for her to come. I looked at my watch. It was a bit earlier than I thought. It had to be the nerves. Yes, I was nervous, I had to stop trying to lie to myself. But, given it was my only chance to find some help to end all of this, I thought the nerves were justified.
I tried to meditate while I waited, listening to that marvelous, calming sound that rain was, focusing on how I wanted to do this, even if I knew I'd be improvising while the events unfold. It was what I did the best, after all, and the reason why I needed help. You can't rely the future of the wizarding world on just instinct and luck. Not even my instinct and luck.
I didn't turn around when I heard the door creaking a few minutes past the settled hour, I didn't need to. It was one of the most useful skills I'd learned from that bastard. I was able to sense it was a magical person who entered. And what other wizard would have come in here if not her? It had to be her. What "surprised" me was that she wasn't alone. Another person entered the church just a few seconds after the first one, taking just the time to see if I was looking at them or not, I supposed. I'd be lying if I said I didn't think about this possibility, though.
It was something positive, too. It meant they were cautious. I could tell the second person was way more magically powerful than the first one, the second magical aura I felt was very strong. That was interesting. I was very confident in my skills and my power, and I was sure that I could beat them both, if needed, but I'd have to be careful with that second person if it came to a fight. Being magically powerful didn't mean that you knew how to fight, but if they were who I thought they were, they'd know.
I heard one single pair of footsteps coming closer and closer, my heart going faster with every one of them. 'Relax, you bastard. You're going to fuck everything up'. Why was I so nervous all of a sudden? I wasn't in any danger, and I'd been in way more screwed up situations than this one. I couldn't fail now. Not after everything I had been through.
-"Who are you? What do you know about my parents?" - Came the feminine voice behind me.
-"Hello to you too, Tracey Davis, it's been a lot of time since we last saw each other". - There, one tiny clue for her to think and keep her here.
It seemed she wasn't taking it how I thought, and the first unexpected event happened. She was getting up from her seat, just behind me like I told her to do. I supposed she was going to come and see who I was by her own means. I couldn't have that.
-"Please, I don't want to start this meeting the wrong way. I'll tell you everything you ask, but at the right times. Could you, please, sit down again so we can continue?" - I hoped she would do as told. She did, a few seconds later.
-"You better start speaking, then" - was all she said.
-"Okay, I'll be frank. Your parents are dead, Davis. I'm sorry." - I thought it was the better option in this situation. To go straight to the point. There were a lot of possibilities that she was expecting that answer, given that her parents had been captive for two months now, so she'd be prepared. A simple *sniff* was all the reaction that came from her, so I was probably right. Good.
-"Are you going to tell me that I have to trust in you, or are you going to tell me how you know this?" - she said.
-"I'm going to tell you, Davis. But, before that explanation, I think you had another question. You'll see why it was important you listened to me before you knew who I am, and why I do know what I know." - I said, and, immediately, I turned my head, so she could see my profile, my round glasses and part of my scar.
-"What the fuck…" - Yes, she remembered me. There was a long pause, so I turned my head back. These were the most critical moments. She now knew who I was, so she'd be pondering her options. The first, and the most impulsive one, was to try and escape from here running back to her companion. I really hoped she wouldn't do that, she was a Slytherin, after all. That was one of the reasons I picked her as the one to seek help from. I needed people who didn't succumb in difficult situations, people with the calm and cunning necessary to think of all the possibilities, no matter what. I'd be needing that, a lot.
Secondly, she could try to blackmail me, because of my fugitive status. My head had a very succulent reward, dead or alive, in Europe in general. It was even bigger here, in Britain, for obvious reasons. Again, I hoped she wouldn't do that. It wouldn't be very intelligent of her. It had been nine years since she last saw me and I wasn't exactly weak at that time. It was true that most of this time I had been in jail, but I escaped, being the second one who achieved it by his own means in history, and the first one who achieved it wasn't precisely weak, either. Does the name Gellert ring any bells? No, she wouldn't do that, either. That left the third, and most intelligent, option: to listen to why the fuck I was here, talking to her.
-"I have to say it, Harry Potter, once again. You're fucking crazy." - Bingo. She was still shocked, as she had said that in a monotone, but she'd listen.
-"I've been told that once or twice in my short, free life, yes." - I had to wait until she recovered from her shock to start speaking, but it didn't take her long.
-"So, are you, Harry the fugitive Potter, going to tell me how you know my parents are dead?"
-"It'd be good if I speak to everyone who will know this information in the future at the same time, Davis. There's a lot I have to say and it's crucial that everyone who I hope I'll work with understands everything."
-"I don't know what you're talking about, Potter. What do you want to work in?"
-"Stop with that bullshit, Davis. I know what you and your group do. I want in. So, why don't you go and tell that companion of yours, seated at the back, to come over here? It'll be easier." - Everything was going great, as planned, so I was so much calmer now.
Davis hesitated a little, but, eventually, she got up. I could hear some heated whispers when she reached her partner. This wasn't going as they had planned, for sure. Well, as if they could have imagined the mysterious writer who was going to give information about Davis' parents was going to be Harry Potter, The-Boy-Who-Was-Shockingly-Arrested-Without-A-Trial-By-Albus-Dumbledore in his fifth year after supposedly killing Bellatrix Lestrange using an Unforgivable. I chuckled and shook my head. It sounded surreal even to me.
After five long minutes, the whispers ended. I didn't change my relaxed posture once in that time (looking ahead, my right arm extended and resting on the back of the bench, my right leg crossed over the left one), not even a tiny glance. It was important they thought I had the upper hand in this, that I was so over them they wouldn't try anything stupid. I was, actually, but they didn't know it. Yet.
When they came closer to me and I saw them for the first time, I had to be honest, I stared at her partner a little bit. They were both dressed in simple muggle clothes: a jumper, jeans and boots; but, sweet Merlin, She was gorgeous. Her blond hair reached her shoulders, her eyes were the deepest blue I had ever seen, and she had a figure that almost made my heart skip a beat. If just she wasn't looking at me like I was some shit in her shoe… Yeah, I remembered her. It looked like Daphne Greengrass was still the prettiest witch I'd ever seen. And now, it seemed, she had gotten pretty strong, too. That made her… Interesting.
-"Well, Potter, it seems you still can't be normal." - Greengrass said, while they sat on either side of me. - "And, as you apparently claim to know, I'm trying to keep my life as normal as I can. So, please, could you explain to me why the fuck would I accept YOU to join our group?" - She was smiling "sweetly" while saying this, but her eyes… They told a hole different story. My God, she was scary. So why on earth did that turn me on a little bit? I had to be mental.
-"Hello to you too, Greengrass. It's been a while." - She stopped smiling, becoming even scarier. 'It's not the time to mess around, you dickhead. Go straight to the point or it will all have been for nothing.' - "Look, I won't lie to you. You need me, Greengrass, Davis. And I need you."
-"We…need you. What on earth would I need you for, Potter?" - Asked Greengrass.
-"And what does all of this have to do with my parents?" - Asked Davis.
-"I already told you, Davis. I prefer to tell all I have to say just once, to everyone at the same time. It's a VERY long story. And believe me, it will explain how I know about your parents and why you need me."
-"If you are expecting me to take you to the people I, as you say, work with just because you prefer it, or because we need you, you're even more insane than I thought." - I was prepared for the negative coming from Greengrass. It was normal she wouldn't want to. That was about to change, nevertheless.
-"Tell me, Greengrass. As a Pureblood who was friends with Malfoy and other sons and daughters of Death Eaters, you would know what a Horcrux is, wouldn't you?" - That changed Greengrass' expression. Her "you're scumbag" facade was gone. Now she had an expression of full interest and…worry? This made me like her even more. But it was time for serious business now.
-"And how do you even know that term?" - She asked. Davis had a "what the fuck are you two talking about" expression on her face, but she didn't interrupt us.
-"Well, you see, you become familiar with that term when you WERE one." - I emphasized the word "were" very clearly so there wouldn't be any misunderstandings. Her shocked face I gained with that bit of information was priceless. - "Will you and your friends listen to all I have to say now, or are we going to lose even more time?"
-"I need to speak with them first, I can't decide this on my own. If it's true what you just said, we're going to put a "KILL ME" mark on all of us if you are seen with anyone" - She said when she recovered.
-"I understand. But I assure you. I've been in hiding for more than a year, I entered the country, I came to this church and there's no one in Britain who knows even if I'm still alive, except for you two. I hope that's enough for them to trust me."
-"We'll meet here tomorrow, Potter, at the same time as today." - Greengrass said, and both of them got up from the bench and were gone.
It was now their turn. Everything went OK, I thought. I just hoped everything kept that way tomorrow…