AN: I do not own Harry Potter.
We get action!? We're also doing one year in one chapter, because we're skipping expanding on social angst.
Chapter Warning: Death by burning, though briefly mentioned.
Harry Gains A Stone
Dear Harry,
The snake has been killed. It wasn't us that killed her. She seems to have been the victim of a type of necrosis curse. I cannot imagine that it meant that she was cared for at the same degree as she cared for the Dark Lord. Either way, the Dark Lord and horcrux are no longer in Little Hangleton. It is interesting to note that Headmaster Dumbledore came upon us as we were leaving, and was perfectly cordial. Those that had gone were Sirius, Remus, Moody, and I.
Lucius Malfoy and Andromeda Tonks had yet another argument over muggleborn rights and origins. Yes, they seem to have gotten a few of the others involved in trying to draft a proposal for the start of the research to look at and gather information on the backgrounds of muggleborns. The Tonks, and Samuel Abbott want to add in halfbloods, because we know a good portion of half-bloods have muggleborn parents, and that information would be good to know in winning our argument. Despite the utter foolishness of the belief that some families have the muggleborns steal magic from squibs, we may not settle this argument until this paper is completed, and I would not be surprised if some still refuse to believe it based on pure stubbornness. Malfoy and Prince wanted to force the muggleborns to do it, and that started a huge argument on the autonomy and rights of the average wizarding folk, and how that muggleborns are part of them. Not that this isn't a big thing for you and those that managed to switch allegiances to you, but it's good you don't have all of them fighting over this one piece of paperwork.
As Dumbledore seems to be searching for Horcruxes, I wouldn't be surprised if he gets you into his office to talk about the Dark Lord. I would advise you to be on guard when you do this. Abbott's friend said to remember to keep that rune protected pin on you. I would say to use it like a tie pin. Tie pins are not outside of the dress code; I should know because I just graduated from there.
I'm glad you're not facing the same stress at school as you were last year.
Sincerely,
Cedric
.
Dear Cedric,
Thank you for the overview.
Again? I'm glad he's arguing way less when I'm there, but I wish Lord Malfoy would stop fighting when I'm away. I am pretty sure it has something to do with military chain of command, which half of us have, and the other half of us doesn't. Tell him I give you authority to step in to make them stop fighting. You do, including separating them temporarily, stinging hexes, and hanging up-side-down and dropping the instigator/both if they get on your nerves too much. Your aspect is more in tune with being an advisor/fellow leader, whereas if Ron and Hermione would have military titles, they would be more like body guards or aides-de-camp. I'm not too sure, as I've never been an actual part of the armed forces, but now I kind of have some of my own.
If my second year self would see me now, he wouldn't believe what's going on.
Good luck.
Sincerely,
Harry
Despite what Harry imagined, going back to school was very normal. Well, it was mostly normal. Snape was no longer teaching Potions, and instead moved to DADA. Harry and his friends and allies (he tried not to think of them as followers) hoped the man did not die this year, but it seemed that based on past experience that it meant that the man would have to escape the school before exams to survive. Harry also didn't want to think of what would force the man to flee to survive. The other change was that there was a balding older man in charge of Potions instead. That change meant that Harry, Ron, Vincent, and Greg were now in Potions because he accepted those with the EE grade. Neville didn't make the grade, because he was terrified of brewing potions.
Harry was still getting the weekly economy lesson from Padfoot. They were all about reading the environment about a job, the returns, and business life. It had a lot of math. Mind you, it wasn't as tough as trying to read Hermione's Arithmancy, but it definitely had math with formulas and graphs. Hermione thought it was simplified business arithmancy, simplified for busy idiots. As Harry wasn't the worst at math, it was within his capabilities for learning.
Meanwhile, his adults were busy. Besides work, they were scouting out the area, and, really, waiting for Snape. Snape had told them that what the Dark Lord had him doing was making a potion with a Horcrux to hopefully have the Horcrux make the wraith more solid. However, a stasis potion was a class or two below what Voldemort wanted, let alone what ingredients were required. Snape was waiting on mandrakes, as the alternative was not something he could have and have his boss look at him right, i.e. the fresh corpse of a stolen child. The one he was working on did require bones and some blood like the first resurrection potion supposedly had, but it also didn't cross one or two of the last remaining lines he had.
He wasn't saying that the Halloween curse hadn't struck. It had. He had been walking to Quidditch practice when he was struck from behind, and then he had blacked out. When he awoke, the corridor was blackened, and little curls of flame were still eating away at the portraits and belongings of those who had dropped their stuff when they ran away to keep from getting burnt in the short-lived fiery halo that Harry had gained upon dying. He had died. He thought the only reason he was still alive was because Madam Pomphrey was in the process of healing the gash at the back of his neck. That hurt. Does he dare ask how many deaths he will take before he will start fixing himself somewhat when he dies? What? Was he in shock? He might be in shock, because he didn't seem to be registering much, other wise he was pretty drugged. The school nurse kept him in the hospital wing for a week after that before getting him to have check-ups once a week.
Harry had as a result started understanding his owl, and the birds closest. It made going into the owlery different, and loud. He would still go there to talk to his owl, because at least she wasn't human, but there were now times he wouldn't because he wanted quiet.
There was a result of this in which the Headmaster gave more attention to Harry. This manifested in two ways, calling him up to his office to reminisce on Tom Riddle's memories, and keeping an eye on him. Too be honest, Harry found it mildly creepy after the Headmaster's almost complete demand for his death just that summer. His tie pin stayed on.
He started having a crush on Susan Bones. He had decided that marrying someone whose close relative was sworn to him was off the table, and that knocked both Chang Qiu and Hannah Abbott off the table. He had started calling her Qiu when he learned that calling her Cho was a mangled version of her name, and didn't want to do to her what Luna's seniors had done to her by calling Luna Looney.
June.
The month of exams, yet it was also the month that Harry had to fight something normally related to the defense teacher. Harry hoped he wasn't about to fight Snape, yet the fact that Snape hadn't allowed him to switch his allegiance in his mark bothered him. It could be that this month Voldemort would die. Harry hoped that it wouldn't be too bad, yet he would not relax until the month was over.
Then Harry was told to stay behind by Snape after class one day. During their short conversation, Snape handed him his report. Harry took it with him, putting it in his robe pocket to read later.
Harry didn't think much of that letter, as he and Ron headed up to the owlery to attach their letters to Hedwig. When they got there, Neville had just sent one out. A pleasant greeting later, Harry was chatting with his owl as he tied his letter on. It wasn't much different than normal, just he understood his owl for real now.
The surprise happened when one of the students Harry didn't know rammed into Neville, who fell into Ron, Harry, and Hedwig as Ron was about to tie his letter on.
A portkey trip to an unknown location later, the four students were standing in front of who could only be Voldemort, Snape, and MacNair.
"I brought him, Dark Lord, as well as his companions of the time."
"Well done, child. Stand back, and you might see the fall of the great Boy-Who-Lived."
Harry started hurriedly channeling magic through his finger into the pin, trying to get help. The pin had the ability to call his marked supporters, instead of having to have a marked supporter nearby to do so. Even as he did so, he stood.
"Voldemort, I wonder why you need me. You have a body already."
"You are so impertinent, crucio."
Harry was pushed out of the way by Ron, who took the spell.
Voldemort lifted the curse and then cast it at Ron again.
"How does it feel, to see your best friend take the spell that you have taken so many times. Not going to stop me? You know, Snape has told me of your little group and how you're learning new spells..."
Harry cast bombarda at the monster's head. Voldemort stopped casting the curse to dodge, and Harry stepped in front of his friend raising a shield spell. Neville had gotten up as well, after he had finished squeezing Hedwig to his chest in fright. The owl hadn't taken that too kindly, so he quickly released her.
"You know, Potter," said Voldemort, "I could have seen that as very rude, seeing as I have... invited you... into my company."
"Yeah, right," snorted Harry. "You kid-knapped us."
"That may be so," said the man, setting his chin in his hand as he sat once more. "I know dear Lucius, traitor though he may be, will still be a thorn in your side. He still believes what his dearest father taught him still, doesn't he."
"He is still mine, now."
Harry was still now trying to funnel magic with his off hand to his pin. It was something he could do, it just took more effort. It also made him glad that there was no active fight going on. A passive one, mostly done with words, but still. He had dropped the shield, but not his wand.
At the same time, Harry could see Snape watching him.
"You know, I can feel my wards being dismantled. Have you got a cursebreaker as well, then?"
Harry smirked. He could feel and see his owl land on his shoulder, leaning forward in the direction of the Dark Lord, as if to take offense to being brought into his presence again.
"It seems very logical to have."
Voldemort's eyes gleamed with excitement.
"Of course. Now, I've hit you with the AK more than once, and you've bounced back both times. I've been wondering what it would take to kill you."
"Naturally, I hope you would allow the others to leave in that instance because what it would take to kill me would definitely kill them."
"Now why would I do that? They would be a hindrance down the line, you see."
"Why do you think they would be a hindrance?"
"Because of the fact that they followed you here. Now, the fire that was released last time you died caught my attention. It wasn't fiend fire, but that is what I would try."
"Wouldn't that put your own dwelling into fear of fire?"
"Of course it would, but a call to the DMLE should see it put out before it spreads to the neighbours. It's the beauty of having these two with me."
"Two, or three, you mean."
"Didn't you see the signs of the second Unforgivable, or were you just in too much to the side of my friendly puppet there? By the way, it's time for you to die."
Voldemort smirked before casting the incantation for Fiend fire in Harry's direction.
Snape deflected it.
Voldemort's smirk hardened into a sneer as MacNair went to block the door.
"So, there was another traitor in my ranks. You'll die together."
With that, he stepped out with MacNair, locked the door, and sealed it.
With the fire circulating the room, it seemed involuntary to head to the window. Harry, Neville, and Ron, who was shaking, pulled the other boy towards the window in the room.
"You can't leave that way."
Snape, the one who had stood by Voldemort the entire time, had a shield up blocking the fiend fire from the area around the window with one hand, and held out a pendant to the boys and owl when they looked at him.
"Grab hold, it's a portkey."
They did.
"Cassava"
And the boys left the room.
Snape had let go.
With MacNair running ahead of the Dark Lord, who was casting fiend fire as he went, the invaders quickly turned around as well. Tortured screams from behind that cut off were helpful in that decision. Then they felt it, Harry was alive and pushing magic into the pin connected to their marks to show he was outside the run down manor. They were relieved, but had to escape for their lives, too.
Once outside, they were relieved to see the boys. Harry, Ron, and Neville were casting the water charm and getting the outside wet of the building, and the fourth was looking like he just woke up.
"Let's go; the wards will hold the fire in."
"Okay."
They dashed in back away from the building as fast as they could; Hedwig flew ahead.
MacNair was sending a message for the DMLE via Patronas, and both he and Voldemort got stuck in the wards as the ones that would keep the fire out activated. As MacNair only had a foot stuck inside, he cut it off. One of the men cauterized the wound closed. Voldemort was fully inside the wards still.
"Let me out."
"No."
"No?"
"If Snape had survived, I would have chanced it. Since he didn't, I won't."
"Harry, it's growing hot in here."
"No."
Harry turned away as the fire rose from the run down building, dragons and ravens and grims devouring the building and all inside it, but not before flicking a hand in the direction of Voldemort.
Hedwig took that as a cue, and turned and divebombed towards Voldemort.
The man jumped backwards, remembering the pain of being torn apart by owls, into the mouth of a firey mouth. He died screaming.
Cracks of apparition sounded a minute after he stopped screaming. Men and women of the DMLE started landing around them.
"What happened here?"
Cedric stepped forward.
"Voldemort kid-knapped Harry Potter and three other students. Harry called me for help, and when I had back-up, we followed him here. We went to tear down his wards, but tore down enough to enter the building. We got partially inside, and Voldemort came out casting cursed fire, and running for it, as well as McNair. Harry let me know he was outside the building, but Severus Snape, who was undercover in the Death Eaters, did not make it out."
"Professor Snape is dead in there?"
"He gave me and Ron and Neville and him a short-range portkey to get out," blurted out Harry. "He let go."
"He chose to die then."
Harry nodded his head, looking lost.
"Are there wards around the property?"
"You'd best ask the others. I don't know much about them."
"The wards will hold for a while against the fire, but it's a good thing that some of us are trying to put it out now. Thank you for the quick overview, but I'm needed to help put the fire out. I'm going to call for someone to get your official statements, and reinforcements, but I need you to wait to the side right now."
Harry was surprised that the place of the kid-knapping and following fire was the previously partly ruined Peverel Castle. It had been rented out a few times since the family went in hiding, but it was actually his as the last remaining person with Peverel blood.
Harry walked into the doorway, and saw a black shiny stone. He rolled it around three times in his hand, and his parents showed up, along with a hesitant Severus Snape.
"Hello, dear Harry."
"Hello, Son."
"Hello, Potter."
Harry took in a shaky breath, "Mom? Dad? Professor Snape? I didn't mean to call you guys."
"You've got the resurrection stone, sonny," grinned his Dad.
"Oh, you've grown so much." said his Mom adoringly. "That's one prophesy down."
"There's another? Wait, that was one?"
James Potter laughed before sobering, "I know. Isn't it great to know why you're famous? Anyway, Fate seems to love you. Death might as well, seeing as you seem to be set on the quest to collect the Deathly Hallows."
"I'm on a quest?"
"Does it seem like it?"
"No, it's more like they're given to me randomly."
"Or Death is giving different parts of them to you at different parts of your life."
"Huh."
"Dear, your next part is to go against Albus Dumbledore," interrupted Lily.
"I kind of thought... Why?"
"It shouldn't be necessarily soon, but Death was clear about that. Anyway, Snape has to say something before we have to leave."
"You have to leave soon?"
"Brat, I know most won't mourn me, and I won't force them to be hypocritical to. The vows I had were tearing me apart, and I was dying. I literally could hold on no longer."
Harry was aghast. "I didn't notice."
"You couldn't have helped anyway. I was going to die either that day or the next without fail. Just tell Draco for me."
"Okay," a couple tears formed.
"Goodbye, Son."
"Goodbye, Dearie."
"Bye, Mom and Dad."
Snape nodded.
"Bye, sir."
Then they were gone.
