1995
"AVADA KEDAVRA!"
A young muggleborn witch fell with a soft thud onto a blood-soaked patch of grass right outside of her single story cottage. Luckily enough, her parents would never find out the fate of their daughter. Their dismembered roasting bodies were still inside the locked and warded blazing home.
One of the tormenters let out a chuckle at the sight before him.
"That'll teach the other muggle-loving cunts to think twice before fraternizing with their kind." Said the man who fired the forbidden curse.
The young man to his left replied, "I sure hope not! I like when the Dark Lord sends us on these missions."
"Yeah." Replied the man to his right. "I love seeing them realize it's us, and plead at our knees to not hurt them."
All of them laughed heartily at that.
"Damn shame we couldn't have fun with the mum though. Even for a muggle, that arse was better than any whore I've seen down Knockturn Alley."
They laughed. The man in the center took his hood and mask off and snarled at the dead witch in front of him, before spitting on the body.
He turned to his two accomplices and said, "Apparate directly to the Dark Lord's base and report our success. I will stay and finish."
"Aye sir." "Yes sir." They both replied before turning on their feet and disappearing with a loud pop.
The man turned to the blazing home and smirked. He pointed his wand into the air above and yelled, "Morsmordre!" The smoke above the house started to swirl and contort into a giant skull with a snake slithering out of its mouth.
With his work done then man turned on his heel and disappeared, leaving behind a gruesome and rare site. It would be mentioned vaguely in a single paragraph on the 8th page of The Daily Prophet.
Same Time
A flurry of parchment flew into the wall of the smallest bedroom in 4 Pivot drive, frightening the owl that had returned them. An enraged Harry Potter stood opposite them, glaring holes into the cursed letters.
'Why would they send them back? What did I do?' Harry thought, wondering why his 'friends' would purposely return them knowing how neglected and alone Harry felt.
Harry sighed and closed his eyes tight, trying to fight the hot tears that were building behind his eyes. Opening them after a moment, he saw a still-shaken Hedwig glaring at him for the fright.
"Sorry Hedwig." Harry apologized. "But why would they? What did I do wrong?"
His faithful pet and closest friend flew to his shoulder and nuzzled her beak against his cheek, trying to comfort her human. They sat there for a few moments before there was a sharp knock on the door.
"Boy!" Shouted his aunt Petunia.
Harry sighed again and stood up and opened his door. Sitting right in front of it was a bottle of water, half a can of cold baked beans, and 2 slices of stale bread. Harry quickly grabbed his 'dinner' and closed his bedroom door. Walking around, he filled Hedwig's water bowl and sat the rest of the food on the windowsill. Looking outside he saw an old couple walking down the street, completely oblivious to the threat the world would have to face. Further down was his cousin Dudley and his fellow goons. More gorilla than human.
Harry looked away and laid in his stiff bed. Staring at the ceiling, Harry let his mind wander.
Cedric was dead. Voldemort was back. His parents murderer was alive again, by using HIS blood. His friends didn't want to be around him anymore, Sirius wasn't serious about them living together. Dumbledore sent him back to this hellhole after he had pleaded with him to let him live with Sirius or at the Burrow, anywhere but here. He was weak, he had a dark lord chasing him and Harry couldn't do anything to him in a real fight. His parents were Head Boy/Girl and Harry was average at best. He was small, friendless, and spat on by the entire wizarding world, and he was sick of it.
"I'll show them, I don't need them. I'll stop him. For you, Mum and Dad. Then I'm gone." Harry spat out in anger.
'I have to be stronger, smarter, faster.' Harry thought. 'I'll start by reading my spell books.'
Harry stood and yanked his bedroom door open and ran downstairs into the sitting room where his uncle sat watching the telly. His uncle Vernon was a despicable man, larger but shorter than any man you've seen. His temper was a quick one, and everything had to be 'normal'.
"Excuse me Uncle Vernon?" Harry quietly said.
"Hmm? Boy, what do you want to ask me that is so important that I should miss my show to answer? Hmm?!" His uncle snarled, not looking away from the screen.
"Uncle please, my godfather said that I had to finish all my summer homework before my birthday. If I don't, he said he'd come and make sure that I would." Pleaded Harry, keeping a smirk off his face.
"Your godfather eh? Fine, but if I hear a single noise up there I will burn everything up there and I'll deal with the 'godfather' of yours when he arrives."
"Thank you sir."
The chubby man stood and retrieved his keys and went to the cupboard under the stairs, unlocking the door with a turn of the small key.
"There, and I swear boy if you try and use magic under my roof again I will throw you out and never look back! Got it?!" Vernon shouted, inches from Harry's face.
"Of course sir, no magic." Harry agreed.
With that said Harry dragged his trunk up the stairs into his room and quickly closed the door. Leaning against it, he let a relieved laugh. Now he can start changing his life.
Same Time
Amelia Bones stormed into the Minister's Office in the Ministry Of Magic, furious at him.
"Minister Fudge! I just got out of a meeting with the Head of The Daily Prophet, and he told me that you said the murder of the McTavish family wasn't important enough for the front page! The dark mark was there! We HAVE to take it more serious than a normal case!" Amelia stressed to the stubby man sat behind a large desk, surprised at the sudden entry into his personal office.
"Amelia! You can not barge into here unannounced. Be more professional." Cornelius Fudge reprimanded her.
"Bollocks Fudge, why are brushing it off? This is the second time this month! It cannot be a coincidence!" She stressed to him.
"Amelia" Fudge sighed, taking his glasses off and rubbing his nose. "With the rumors and lies of the return of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named we cannot allow every case that crosses us to have us up in arms! We cannot allow this foolishness to enter the press and scare the public."
"Fudge! You cannot be serious."
"I have a way to fix this entire mess, I will stop the lies at the source." Fudge replied with confidence. "I am sending Miss Umbridge to Hogwarts to help stop all the nonsense coming from the young Potter boy."
"Umbridge? She isn't fit enough to be around children, let alone teach them! And Potter? How could any of this possibly be from Harry Potter?"
"Enough Miss Bones. It is settled. Leave it." Fudge demanded.
"This isn't over." Amelia gave Fudge a glare and turned to leave, making her way through the door but was stopped dead in her tracks when Fudge replied, "It is. Let it go."
Amelia slammed the door and stormed to her office. Sitting behind her desk, she thought of all the injustice that was happening and not being able to stop any of it. She glanced down to a moving picture on her desk. Amelia posing with her 2 brothers outside of main gates to Hogwarts. They had taken the photo the day she had graduated. Soon after both had been killed in the last war by death eaters. She swore than that she would avenge them, and now she was allowing crimes to go unpunished because of a scared ministry.
'I cannot allow it anymore. I have to help, no matter what.' With that thought, she decided to go over anything involving Voldemort, including Harry Potter's statement about the dark lord's resurrection. She had to know what happened.
Two Weeks Later
Cool air brushed against Harry's face as he ran, sweat pouring from his face and body. His clothes were wet and his glasses were slipping from his face every few feet, but he didn't stop. In fact, he was further than he had ever gone. Now a few miles from his house, he stopped in a park and flopped into the grass facing up. Heaving and gasping for air, he couldn't help but feel a sense of accomplishment.
Gaining the ability to breathe again, Harry sat up. Looking around, he noticed all the new houses and people moving around.
As he sat, he began to think back on past few weeks. He had begun running and lifting. He had done all of his schoolwork and read almost all of his spellbooks and textbooks. Nobody had replied to his letters yet, which aggravated him greatly, but it was to be expected.
His thoughts were cut short as he was interrupted by a new voice.
"Hey! Could you help us?" It was a young boy, no older than seven years old. "Our football got stuck in the tree over there." He pointed to large tree nearby. "Could you get it out?"
Harry shrugged his shoulders and stood. "Of course I can, just don't kick any at me while I'm up there." He joked.
"Good idea, just don't move to much." The child joked back.
They walked over to the base of the tree and Harry looked up at the stuck ball.
"How'd you even get it up there?" Harry asked.
He pointed at his foot.
"Yea thanks." Harry said.
With a jump Harry grabbed a large branch and swung his leg over. Getting on top of the branch and climbing more and more, twisting and moving through the large tree, getting caught a few times but getting out. After a minute he got to the ball and grabbed it.
"Watch out!" Harry yelled pushing the ball free and dropping it to the group of kids below. Once it hit the ground the kids all yelled in excitement, happy to have their ball back. Harry smirked and slowly climbed back down. Getting to the bottom, Harry approached the kids and said, "Just keep it close to the ground please."
They laughed, "Next time we'll use magic to get it down!" The child said. Harry laughed hard at that, getting more than a few weird looks for that.
"Anyway, have fun."
Harry turned and went back to his spot in the grass to retrieve his water bottle and started getting ready for the run back home when he was interrupted again.
"Nice thing you did back there."
Harry turned and saw a young woman looking at him, waiting for a response.
"Oh uh.. thanks. He needed help so I just figured.." Harry was looking around quickly, not matching her eyes. She laughed.
"Yea he asked for my help first, but he got the damn thing stuck in the first place so he could get it." She said. "I'm Joanna." She introduced, holding her hand out.
"Im Harry." He replied, shaking her hand. "Nice to meet you Joanna." He smiled.
"You too Harry. I've never seen you here before, you just move here?" She asked.
"Oh no I don't live here, I live a few miles from here. I've started running and today it brought me here." Harry explained, staring at her.
"Running? I love running! It's so calming, everything washes away. Gives a sense of peace, you know?" She said excitedly.
Harry gave her a laugh, "Yea, good reason to leave the house." A shout brought them out of conversation. "Joanna!" It was the kid from before, yelling at them.
"Guess I have to go, it was nice to meet you Harry." She said smiling, offering him her hand again.
"Of course, you too!" Harry said smiling, shaking her hand.
She smiled again and turned to leave when Harry blurted out, "Do you wanna run together sometime?" He immediately went red and stuttered out, "Unless you don't want too of course."
She laughed and smiled at him and went up to him again.
"Definitely." She replied. "Tomorrow, here, four?"
"Ok" Harry said, grinning.
She looked at him for a second before moving up to him and giving him a small kiss on the cheek.
"Tomorrow." She said pulling back.
"Tomorrow." Harry said shocked.
Joanna gave him another small smile and then turned and walked to her brother. Turning around, she gave Harry a wave before leaving.
Harry stood there for a few minutes, not knowing what just happened before leaping in the air. A large smile never leaving his face. Harry grabbed his stuff and ran home, excitement coursing through his body the whole way.
He never noticed the slight glimmer in the light following him, or that it suddenly stopped when he arrived home.
A Moment Later
"Dumbledore!" The headmaster was interrupted from his work by a head shouting at him from the floor.
"Yes?" Asked the headmaster. "Nymphadora, what is it?"
The pink haired auror looked alarmed, "It's Harry, he's started to talk to a woman in his neighborhood. They even have plans for tomorrow."
Dumbledore sighed, taking his glasses off and rubbing his temples. 'It's too early."
"Are you sure?" He asked.
"Positive sir, she could be trying to get him alone." Nymphadora replied quickly, clearly worried.
"Ok, get a group together. Tonight after dark, we will rescue young Harry."
"Yes sir." Nymphadora nodded her head then dipped out of the green fire.
Dumbledore sat back after she had left, completely forgetting about all his work. He glanced at his beloved pet Fawkes. The fire bird sang a calming song, bringing an ease to the old man.
"Am I wrong for what I've done, for what I must do?" Dumbledore asked his familiar. In response Fawkes sang a somber song, worrying the old headmaster.
He had much to think on.
Same Time
Harry couldn't sleep, too excited about what happened earlier. He kept replaying the conversation in his mind, thinking about her. While laying there he heard a long bang downstairs. He jumped out of bed and grabbed his wand. Was it death eaters? He heard his aunt screaming and his uncle shouting. Harry opened his bedroom door and crept to the top of the stairs. Looking downstairs, he saw the front door was blown off it's hinges, exploding into a million different pieces. There was a group of 4 wizards standing there looking at his uncle and aunt.
"Shut it you old hag!" Shouted a young woman with spiky pink hair in response to the loud yelling of the two.
"Where is Harry?" Asked someone Harry could vaguely remember. Until the man looked up the stairs and connected eyes with him.
"Professor Lupin?" Harry said, now knowing who it was. The man smiled up.
"Harry, lovely to see you again. Please, call me Moony. I'm not your professor anymore." He said with a smile.
"All packed up and ready to go?" The lady asked, looking at him.
"Go? Where?" Harry asked.
"A safe house lad." Said the third man, who Harry recognized as his old professor Moody.
"Professor Moody? Why? Am I in danger?"
"We don't know for sure, but we think so." Remus replied.
"You don't know? Well than I can't. I have something important going on tomorrow." Harry defended.
"Yea we know lad, that's why we're here. She could be dangerous."
"Joanna? What's wrong with her?" Harry asked.
"Enough questions. Get your stuff and come on. We have to move." Moody demanded.
"No"
".."
"What?"
"I said no"
"Why Harry?" Remus asked.
"Because I've had a terrible summer waiting for you, now that something exciting is happening you want to whisk me away. No, do it at the end of the year. Not like I have any friends that will miss me." Harry explained.
"Harry of course you do, come on and we'll-" Remus was interrupted by a streak of red light wizzing by him and hitting Harry square in the chest. Everyone immediately took their wands out and looked around. Their eyes landed on Moody, who had fired the curse.
"Pick him up, we're leaving." Moody said, tired of Harry's refusal to go.
Remus's face contorted with rage as he thought of words to shout at the old man but was stopped by Tonks.
"Are you crazy?! He was gonna come along! Do you think he'll be happy now that we are officially kidnapping him and taking him somewhere he doesn't know?! Do you ever think-"
Remus marched past the raging Tonks and grabbed Harry, softly raising him in his arms.
"Come on." He told Tonks as he walked past them, but giving a scalding glare to Moody.
Both men went outside and turned on their heels and disappeared. Nymphadora looked back at the quiet scared couple and snarled.
"Fix your own damn door." Then disappeared.
She appeared a moment later in front of a dark townhouse. Both men were already inside it seemed so she quickly followed behind. Once she entered she heard the ever-constant shrills coming from a portrait ahead, she cursed and stormed over to the open painting and slammed the curtains together. Making it quiet. Just then she heard a argument starting further in the kitchen, she started over when Hermione quickly went through the door crying and ran up the stairs. Confused, Nymphadora went inside to see what had happened. Opening the door she was faced with an angry Harry yelling at the two men who had grabbed him.
"Why the bloody hell did you do that? You have no right!" Harry yelled, Lupin and Moody on the other end. Moody sighed and left. Tired of the child ahead of him. Remus and Sirius tried to calm Harry down but he was going on a rant when Nymphadora stopped him.
"WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO TO HERMIONE?!" She yelled. Everyone went silent for a moment before Harry stormed off up the stairs and they heard a random door slam.
Remus sighed and sat down heavily. Sirius was leaning on the doorframe staring up the stairs.
"We've royally fucked up." Sirius said, breaking the silence. "You heard him Moony, he hates us because he thinks we hate him."
"But we don't!" Remus exclaimed, sitting up. "The headmaster-"
"The 'headmaster' has gone barmy with old age." Sirius agreed. "I will not stand by and allow anymore harm to that young man. From any of you." He threatened. Sirius moved to grab Harry's things and bring it up to Harry's 'room'.
Sirius climbed up the stairs levitating the truck behind him, he noticed that Harry didn't bring much. 'Just another thing I'll have to slaughter the Dursley's for.' Moving down the hall he came to the one he thought Harry went through.
Regulas's old room.
Sirius stood there looking at it for a moment before knocking twice. He didn't hear a response so he went to knock again when the door opened. Harry stood there looking up at the man, scowling.
"Hey pup, brought your stuff." Sirius said, smiling.
Harry didn't reply he just moved out of the way. Sirius took that as a invite so he brought the truck in and closed the door. Looking around at the bed and walls, it all looked so Slytherin he thought with a grimace. Glancing at Harry who sat behind a desk writing a set of letters, Sirius moved up and said, "You know, the kids didn't want to ignore you this summer. Dumbledore had told them that you needed time to heal, and put wards on Hedwig and their owls so they couldn't deliver a letter. No matter to who."
Harry stopped writing for a moment, then turned to look at Sirius. He dug in his pocket and took out a Nokia phone he had bought earlier in the summer, hoping to have the number to Hermione's house but never managing. He slammed it on the desk, glared at Sirius and turned back to his letters. Sirius sighed, and went back to the bedroom door. He stopped and turned before he opened up and said, "He didn't ward my owl, I hid him and didn't tell anyone. You're welcome to use it."
Sirius turned and left but he heard Harry say softly, "Thanks". Sirius said nothing, just smiled sadly and shut the door.
Harry sat staring at the parchment in front of him, but not writing or reading. Instead he sat there thinking. He stood and walked out of the door and walked down the hall a bit before settling in front of another door. He heard Hermione sniffling behind it and Ginny's comforting words. He stood there with his hand raised for a moment before quickly walking back to his new room and closing the door.
Seeing what had happened, Sirius who was hiding around the corner, smiled and walked to his own room and shut the door softly.
Harry rushed back to his room. He sat behind the desk and finished writing his letters. One to Neville, and one to Cho Chang. He wanted to apologize about Cedric, and talk about what happened. Harry realized that it was a bad idea and scrapped the letter. Resting his face in his hands he sighed. He needed to send this letter off.
Standing up and grabbing Neville's, he went to go ask Sirius where his owl was when a thought struck him. Thinking about it for a moment, he decided there was no harm in it. Sitting down, he wrote a short letter. He knew he wouldn't get a response, but he might as well try, right?
Finishing the letter, he grabbed both and left to Sirius's room.