隐蔽军队

The Hidden Army

A Harry Potter Fanfiction Story by Gfyuwatr7

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter in any way, shape or form. It all belongs to J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros. All other works referenced in this story belong to their respective owners.

Chapter 1: Uninvited Guests

Summer at Privet Drive. In other words, Harry Potter's version of hell. It was certainly hot enough these days to justify the name. A heat wave was striking all across the county, and if the weatherman's forecast could be trusted, then it would be hitting the rest of the country soon enough. Just add another thing to Harry's list of miseries. He was lying in his Aunt Petunia's flowerbed, just outside the kitchen window. From there, he had at least a marginal amount of shade. It was also the perfect place to hear the evening news without being spotted by his family, or by anyone else for that matter. Harry felt quite proud of himself for having found this little spot.

"Haven't seen Harry lately," Uncle Vernon said from the living room. He and Aunt Petunia were watching the television, waiting for the weather forecast to finish. Like Harry, they were waiting for the real news. "Where is he anyway?"

"Don't know," said Aunt Petunia, only mildly concerned. "Not in the house."

Uncle Vernon grunted. "Watching the news," he said thoughtfully. "What on earth could he need from our news? It's not like there'll be anything about them on our news-"

"Vernon, the window's open!" Petunia warned.

"Oh, right…Sorry, dear."

The news came and went. Harry didn't care about workers' strikes or anything like that. If something had happened, some indication of Voldemort's return, it would be on the news. Disappearances, mysterious deaths, anything. Why was nothing happening… It had been this way all summer. Harry would wait to hear news about a violent death, something that might give him a clue that Voldemort was on the move. But there was nothing. Not even the Daily Prophet, the wizard newspaper, had anything. He'd glance at the front page, and not seeing any news of the Dark Lord, would throw it away. The bin in his room was starting to overflow.

Harry shifted on the ground uncomfortably. He had grown quite a bit in the last month. Dudley's clothes were staring to fit less and less, and the Dursleys finally decided to buy him new clothes. It wasn't much, for the clothes came from a second-hand store, but at least it fit. He'd even managed to buy his own shoes. His hair was also quite a bit longer than it had been a month ago. It was now reaching slightly past his shoulders, and no matter how many times he tried to have it trimmed, it would grow right back. Eventually, he just gave up and left it as it is.

There won't be anything, Harry thought dejectedly. The news had gone by fast, and now the television was playing a piece on some celebrity's wife or something-BANG!

A loud noise shot through the street, and Harry twitched violently, banging his head on the windowsill. Rubbing his head furiously, he pulled out his wand. He didn't see anything out of the ordinary, but he couldn't help feeling that magic was involved somehow. He gazed wildly around the street, looking for the source of the noise. It sounded like someone Apparating...

"Put that thing away, boy!" Uncle Vernon whispered in a panic behind him. Harry turned around quickly; he hadn't noticed his aunt and uncle at the window. He hurriedly stuffed his wand out of sight.

"What the devil are you doing out here?" Vernon hissed, trying to keep his voice down.

"Nothing," Harry snapped, glancing around the street once more. "Nothing at all."

Some time later, Harry found himself in the small park a little ways off from Privet Drive. He was still fuming from his argument earlier.

Just when I think things are getting better, they get worse, Harry thought gloomily. He had noticed that his relatives were treating him slightly better than usual. Ever since the end of last term, they had taken to being more polite and accommodating. Still, they weren't above being strict and authoritarian most of the time. Today was just another bad day for them. Harry knew it was probably just the weather that had everyone in a bad mood. But that didn't stop him from being angry at them. Still, it was better than last year. And the year before that, and so on…

Harry wished they hadn't caught him under the windowsill. They had raised a good point, for once: why was he listening to the Muggle news if he had friends and the Daily Prophet bringing him news? The answer was: they weren't.

Any time he had sent his friends a letter, they would always reply with vague, cryptic messages. They would always leave hints about "you know what" and other such nonsense. He supposed Ron and Hermione were together at Ron's house. Their letters seemed to suggest so, at any rate. Harry wished he could be with them, but instead of feeling nostalgic, he felt angry. He always seemed to feel angry, though. Well, that's not my fault, is it? It's their's…I was the one who was there, not them…Don't I deserve answers?

Harry shook his head. Don't think about that, he repeated to himself for the hundredth time that summer. It was bad enough that he would dream about that night in the graveyard whenever he fell asleep. He didn't need to dwell on it during the day.

He would probably be receiving more mail tomorrow, but he knew he wouldn't read most of it. But there were a few letters he was looking forward to. Letters from Sirius Black, his godfather, and from Cho Chang, his girlfriend.

Sirius's letters, though also mysterious, at least reassured him that things would get better. He also left him advice: don't get into any trouble, keep your head down and your nose clean, that sort of thing. But at least it was something.

Cho's letters brought him a sense of normalcy more than anything. He could count on her to lift up his spirits, even by a little. She never wrote him cryptic messages. She wrote to him in plain language, without trying to hide anything. And that was what made him feel better. He knew she wasn't in on some secret plan, trying to keep him in the dark like his friends were. Most of the time, she would write about her day-to day life. She truly regretted not being able to invite him to her home. Her parents had apparently forbidden her from seeing him. But far from letting them deter her, she wrote letters expressing how much she missed him very regularly. She assured him that they would continue seeing each other when they returned to Hogwarts, rules be damned. He found her willingness to rebel against her parents quite endearing.

His thoughts were interrupted by loud voices across the street from him. Glancing up, he saw his cousin Dudley Dursley saying good-bye to his friends. One by one, they left him, until Dudley was on his own. He began making his way to Privet Drive. Harry got up quietly and began to follow him.

"Hey, Big D!" Harry called out, calling him by his nickname.

Dudley turned around quickly, hands raised, but relaxed when he saw who it was.

"Oh, it's just you," he said. He slowed down to allow Harry to catch up to him.

"Just me?" Harry said with mock severity. "I must be losing my edge."

"Shut it, Harry," Dudley replied, shoving him playfully on the shoulder.

One of the only positive things to come out of Harry's miserable departure from Hogwarts was his growing friendship with his former tormentor. He almost couldn't believe it himself. Soon after he had returned, Dudley, as tactless as ever, began to ask him about magic. Harry was shocked. His cousin had always seemed to favor his parents' perception of the world. Magic was evil and all that nonsense. Yet all it took to change that was a quick visit to Hogwarts. He had been traumatized by Cedric's death, of course (not that he knew him; he had just never seen a dead person's body in real life). Harry began showing him his textbooks and magical items: his wand, his cauldron, the small Hungarian Horntail model he kept from the First Task last year, and his broom. But more importantly, he taught Dudley about the responsibilities of using magic. When he asked why he was so interested in magic all of a sudden, his cousin's answer surprised him.

"Because I saw it was good," he had said simply. "Mum and Dad were wrong. That castle was so cool." And that was all he had to say about that. Harry didn't press him further. He needed all the support he could get.

"You been sleeping alright?" Dudley asked suddenly. Harry jumped slightly at this sudden question.

"What d'you mean?" Harry said, though he had a feeling he knew what.

"Heard you muttering in your sleep again last night," Dudley said quietly. "Something about Cedric?"

Harry did not respond for a while. He knew perfectly well what his cousin was talking about. Almost every night, he would revisit the graveyard. He would relive Cedric's death, and Voldemort's return. And every time, there was nothing he could do to stop it…

"Yeah, something like that," Harry said aloud. "But it was just a dream. I'm fine."

"If you say so," Dudley said uncertainly. They walked on in uncomfortable silence. Eventually, Harry decided to relent. He knew Dudley was trying to help, even if he didn't know how. But it was the thought that counted.

"Look," Harry began. Suddenly, a chill swept through his body, and he realized that the night had become unnaturally cold. The stars had disappeared, the streetlights had gone out. The whole world had gone dark.

"Harry," Dudley said slowly, "what's going on? Why can't I see?"

"I don't know," Harry said. "I mean, I have an idea. But I really hope I'm wrong."

"Let's go!" Dudley yelled shakily, blundering away into the night.

"Dudley, wait!" Harry cried. A second later, he heard a squeal and a thud. Dudley had hit something and had fallen to the ground. Behind him, Harry heard a familiar rasping breath. His worst fears had literally come true. Turning around, he came to face-to-face with a large, hooded creature with rotted flesh. The Dementors were here.

"Expecto Patronum!" Harry bellowed, and a giant, glowing white stag burst out of his wand. Rearing its head, it charged at the Dementor nearest to him. The creature shrieked, and flew away into the night.

"Over there!" Harry yelled desperately, pointing his wand at the other Dementor. It was seconds away from sucking out Dudley's soul…He couldn't let anyone else get hurt because of him.

The stag turned and galloped at full speed, hitting the Dementor in the side like a battering ram. It too flew away. As soon as it was gone, the streetlamp came back on, the stars had reappeared, and the sounds of traffic reached Harry's ears once more.

"Dudley!" Harry said hoarsely, running to his side. Kneeling down, he put a hand to Dudley's forehead. He was ice cold, and very clammy. He looked as though he were about to be sick. Hearing the sound of approaching footsteps, Harry put his wand away hurriedly. A familiar voice stopped him.

"Don't put it away, Harry," an elderly woman said behind him. "There may be more of them." Harry turned quickly and gasped in surprise.

It was Mrs. Figg, the old woman who used to take care of him when he was younger. How could she know about the Dementors and wands and magic…

Dear Mr. Potter,

We have received intelligence that you performed the Patronus Charm at twenty-three minutes past nine the evening in a Muggle-inhabited area and in the presence of a Muggle.

The severity of this breach of the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery has resulted in your expulsion from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Ministry representatives will be calling at your place of residence shortly to destroy your wand.

As you have already received an official warning for a previous offense under Section 13 of the International Confederation of Wizards' Statute of Secrecy, we regret to inform you that your presence is required at a disciplinary hearing at the Ministry of Magic at 9 A.M. on August 12th.

Hoping you are well.

Yours sincerely

Mafalda Hopkirk

Improper Use of Magic Office

Ministry of Magic

Scotland

"Cho, come down for supper!" Cho's mother called from across the hall.

"Coming!" Cho replied half-heartedly. She hurriedly put her quill and ink away, in case her parents decided to check up on her. Taking her letter to her owl, she tied the letter to the its leg. She opened the window, and the owl flew out into the night. She waited for a few moments, waiting to hear if her parents had seen her late-night message. Not hearing anything except for the clatter of plates, she closed her window slowly. Leaving her room, she headed for the dining room. If her parents knew what she'd been up to all summer…

Her parents worked for the Ministry of Magic, so she supposed it made sense that they had forbidden her from sending letters to Harry, or from seeing him at school. What with the Ministry's smear campaign against him and Dumbledore, it didn't make sense for them to allow Cho to continue dating him. She had never thought of her parents as accommodating people. They were strict, but they knew when to lighten up on her. On matters of the Ministry's agenda, on the other hand, they were like stones, refusing to compromise their own values for the sake of their jobs. The fact that they were doing so now was baffling.

She didn't like it.

As she approached the door to the dining room, she heard hushed voices. She stood at the door, listening closely.

"A Patronus Charm? You're sure, Remus?" her father whispered.

"Yes," Remus Lupin, former Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts, said tersely. "I know Harry personally, he wouldn't use that spell unless it were absolutely necessary."

"The only reason he'd need to use it," Cho's mother said, "would be if he were being attacked by Dementors. But if that's the case, what were they doing out there?"

"Unfortunately, the Ministry isn't seeing it that way," Lupin said. "They've effectively expelled him. We need to act quickly. Ken, can you…?"

"I'm on it," Cho's father said, and Cho heard him rising from his seat. "I'll talk to Madame Bones, I'm sure she'll be able to talk some sense into Fudge. At the very least, I'll be able to postpone Harry's expulsion. I'll be back soon." She heard the front door open and close. Silence fell across the house.

Cho couldn't believe her ears. Harry was going to be expelled. No, but her father… Her parents! Why did they care what happened to Harry? They had made things quite clear on what they thought of him. She couldn't stand the silence anymore, she needed answers. She burst through the door, and found her mother and Remus Lupin sitting at the dining table. Both looked up at her, but Lupin didn't seem surprised to see her at all.

"Cho!" her mother said in surprise. "How long were you-?"

"Long enough, mother," Cho replied tersely. "What's going on?"

Her mother glanced at Lupin warily, and said, "We've had an uninvited guest."

Author's Note: Here you go, the first chapter of the sequel to my first story! It's a little short, but it's only supposed to set things up for the next chapters. Hope you guy like it.

To WinterRain36: I decided not to have Harry at Cho's place because Harry, as of now, is the victim of a smear campaign by the Ministry. Cho's parents happen to work at the Ministry. It would cause some problems for them if the Ministry knew he was with them, wouldn't it? He will visit them along the way, I assure you.

To the Crimson Mage: I was initially going to have Cedric survive somehow, but I couldn't think of a good way to do it. But who knows, maybe he did survive… Anyway, thank you, I had a good Easter, hope you did as well!

As usual, reviews, comments, questions, constructive criticism are welcome. I'll be updating as soon as I can, while I write the first chapter for the prequel story. Hang in there!