Hey everybody whos taken the time to read this, as cliche as this sounds, this is my first fanfiction. At least the first one i've ever posted. Just to give you a little background on myself, I'm a soldier serving in Iraq right now and please don't flame me for the war or anything. This isn't a forum and nor do I intend to make a forum for such a purpose. I'd like to thank everyone who reads this, reviews mean alot considering where i'm at so please give them, in ample amounts. Its much appreciated.

I'd like to thank J.K. Rowling for creating Harry Potter, as my imagination did not birth it and I don't own it. Nor do I wish I did, I plan on making my own storyverse that will rock the literary world. Props to J.K. for succeding so amazingly and creating an escape for people wether it was intended or not. I'd also like to thank the other writers on the site, you give life advice through your stories even if you didn't mean to. Theres a lot to learn by sifting through these stories.

Tell me what you think, I have no beta readers just yet. But seeing as I reread my stories about five times before I even think about posting them I'm not so sure I need them, no offense. If you'd like to offer yourself for a beta leave a review letting me know. Believe me your reviews will make my day. I now bid you adieu as you delve into my story, enjoy.

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Harry sat there staring at a knot in the Gryffindor's table in the Great Hall and not staring at it at the same time. His green eyes were unfocused and his black hair its usual untidy mess atop his head as he sat amid the excited conversations about another school year and the worried looks of first years as they eyed their schedules not knowing what to expect of their classes. And still he stared, unmoving toward the food Ron had heaped onto his plate, his fork untouched and glass of pumpkin juice still full reflecting the beautiful sky the enchanted ceiling was projecting.

The Sorting had been done the night before, after a speech from the new Headmaster McGonagall. While she remained as tight lipped as ever from Harry's seat he saw a smile being not so expertly suppressed and a watery look in the old witch's eyes. Even the cheers and shouts of joy and well done's could not pierce the veil of unfeeling Harry had felt ever since he had stepped foot on the Hogwarts Express back at the platform 9 ¾. Hermione had noticed him staring absentmindedly out the window as the passing scenery and had cast a knowing look in his direction before she redirected Ron's attention away from his best friend. She even initiated a conversation on Quidditch, which kept Ron talking non stop the rest of the trip as she tried her best to pretend to be interested.

While he was grateful for her intervention, the look in her eyes had not gone unnoticed and he knew exactly what had crossed her mind. He was not thinking of the 'Final Battle' as the Daily Prophet and the rest of the wizarding world had called the last encounter between Lord Voldemort and Harry Potter and the remaining members of the Order of the Phoenix at the grounds of Hogwarts, in fact his mind was thinking nothing. It was just blissfully blank, and the veil of unfeeling was as secure as ever. He had done more than enough feeling after that battle. He cried for the dead before, during, and after the funerals, he had felt an unending sense of guilt for his survival through it all though he did die and come back, but that didn't count, not really, and a limitless sense of joy and love when he had returned to the Burrow for the summer and had first wrapped his arms around Ginny after so long.

Now he just felt nothing, he didn't know if it was a good or bad thing, he just knew it was. Maybe its because he was returning to the place where so much had happened, he could remember overhearing Arthur and Molly talking about it in the kitchen one morning before the rest of the family had woken up. How she was worried about him returning there and how he might have nightmares or flashbacks to that fateful day. Arthur had assured her that things would be alright and unknowingly reassured Harry at the same time, though he was as unsure of his return now as he had been that morning.

His eyes flicked back and forth between the passing country side and the pale reflection of his face in the window. The lightning bolt scar on his forehead was a few shades lighter than it had been during the previous seventeen years of his life. Maybe it was fading away, he had always wondered what it'd be like to have an unmarred face. Perhaps people wouldn't recognize him as well without it, he doubted it as the Daily Prophet had a picture of it on every page, well, every page except the obituaries though it could have just as well belonged there. The brief thought of obscurity that had streaked across his nothingness of his mind like a shooting star had once welled up feelings of hope for a normal life, today it brought up nothing. He sighed internally not having the will to do it physically and continued to stare at the horizon much like he found himself doing to the table this very moment.

"Hey mate, have you heard anything I've said?" Ron asked between mouthfuls of food, apparently him dating Hermione had added to his list of practiced manners that had numbered zero a few months before.

"What?" he replied as if he suddenly remembered where he was. Picking up his fork he pushed his scrambled eggs around his plate before he started pecking at them.

"I said I can't wait till Quidditch starts, wonder who the captain's going to be." he took a long drink, "Bet it'll be you."

Harry poked some more at his eggs before bringing up the smallest scrap to his mouth.

"I don't want it."

"What!" Ron said loudly nearly snorting out what was left of his pumpkin juice. Hermione merely raised her eye brows and continued to put together a study schedule for them for the rest of the year.

"I said I don't want to be captain, I'm not even sure I feel like playing this year."

Ron looked completely shocked, he had even stopped wolfing his food down, the sausage that had been on his half raised fork plopped onto the table before it rolled to the floor.

A flicker of a feeling flitted inside Harry like a spark, remaining just as brief. Was it so hard to believe that he didn't want to play Quidditch this year? He had loved it before and he still did, all he wanted was for his last year at Hogwarts to pass by blissfully uneventful. He didn't want all the attention that being a star Quidditch player would bring, not to mention the limitless possibilities of trips to the hospital ward. He was sure there'd be scouts there for the major teams at every game watching his every maneuver hoping that he'd choose to sign on with their team. He was even willing to bet all the galleons in his vault at Gringotts that some would sigh him on just so they could say they had Harry Potter on their roster, even if he was a rubbish player his name alone would still sell tickets for them.

Frowning slightly he continued to poke at his eggs and had even stabbed his treacle tart a few times when he felt a pair of arms wrap around his neck and the smell of flowers filled his nose. The blanket of non-feeling left in an instant and he couldn't help but smile.

"Good morning love." Ginny said giving him a quick peck on the cheek sliding on to the bench next to him.

"Morning Ginny." Harry replied leaving his fork sticking out of his tart like an antenna as he leaned over for a proper morning kiss, Ron muttered something as he shoved some toast in his mouth.

"And what has you in a foul mood this morning dear brother?" she asked lightly scooping some porridge into her bowl.

"Harry doesn't want to be captain of the Quidditch team."

"So, thats up to him if he doesn't want to be, hes earned that right I would think."

"He doesn't even want to play!" At that statement Hermione flicked her wand banishing all of Ron's dishes. "Hey! I was still eating!"

"No Ron, you were busy questioning Harry's wishes so I figured you were quite finished eating and decided to help the house elves clean up." She said putting the parchment she had copied her schedule on into her bag. Ron crossed his arms fuming at the injustice of it all, after all he did have a right to question Harry's decision, at least he thought so.

"Whats that Harry?" Seamus asked overhearing the conversation as he passed. "You don't want to play Quidditch this year?"

Harry's nerves bristled, the happiness Ginny's company had brought him quickly fading. Several more voices murmured down the table as Seamus' comment was loud enough for even more people to overhear. The few sparks in his chest became annoyance and threatened to grow into something more. Standing up he strode out of the Great Hall leaving his bag and bewildered friends behind.

He had no idea where he was going he just knew he wanted to be away from everybody and their questions. Did it really matter what he wanted to do this school year? He had fulfilled the prophecy, he had vanquished Lord Voldemort-on these grounds no less- and yet still there were things expected of him. Quidditch champion, he snorted at the idea but guilt at his reaction to what seemed to be such simple questions to anyone else was replacing his annoyance. He had over reacted, well, he didn't feel like he had over reacted but it appeared just the same. Deciding to leave that train of thought on its depressing tracks he looked at the surroundings his feet had carried him to.

He was stunned to find himself somewhere in the dungeons. He had always found solace taking a walk out on the grounds or basking beside the lake why had he come here? Maybe its because where everybody expected him to be that his feet had carried him to a place they were unlikely to find him. Sighing he tried to get his bearings but he had only been down here for potions class and when he and Ron had impersonated the bumbling idiots Crabbe and Goyle during his second year when they were trying to find out if Malfoy was the heir of Slytherin, so he had no idea where in the dungeons he was. He wished he had the Marauder's Map.

The sound of voices floated up from down the hall catching Harry's ear. Moving his way down the torch lit corridor the voices grew louder and the tone changed from a barely audible whisper to muffled shouts. His heartbeat quickened as he stopped outside of the only door in the dingy hall that had light coming out from under it. Pressing his ear to the smooth wooden surface he was surprised to discover it was warm and conducted sound rather well.

"-did you think we'd let your kind wander around after whats happened?"

Your kind? Harry narrowed his eyes, suppressing his anger that he felt rising up for the second time that morning. Who was in there, were Slytherins taking out their frustrations and anger out on innocent students over what had happened to their's and their house mates families?

"I hope someone does find you when we leave, wouldn't want you to die down here." the same voice said sounding like it was hoping just that.

Deciding he had to do something before the situation got out of hand Harry burst into the room and hit the first person he saw with a full-body bind. Now that he had the element of surprise and had incapacitated a potential adversary he surveyed the room and was shocked at what he found.

The room was quite devoid of any furniture only sporting a set of shackles on the far wall and a pair of torches that flanked the doorway he was now standing in casting a glow that barely illuminated the room. Up against the wall was a blond girl he recognized faintly but he couldn't quite place her, she was clutching her bag to her chest like it was some kind of shield and in front of her were two boys pointing their wands at her with looks of shock plastered to their faces. It seemed they weren't expecting to be caught in the dungeons. Once Harry's eyes adjusted to the dim light his heart skipped a beat, he hadn't walked on some Slytherins seeking revenge he had found quite the opposite. The boys wore robes that bore the marking and colors of Ravenclaw while the girl had a green house scarf around her neck- glancing out of the corner of his eye to the person he had hexed upon entering he noticed the boy was wearing the yellow of Hufflepuff.

"Whats going on here?" Harry demanded his mind swam as it tried to make sense of the scene.

The Ravenclaw closest to the Slytherin girl recovered first.

"We were just about to teach this Slytherin a lesson." he sneered, the word Slytherin coming out of his mouth like it was something foul meant to scraped from the bottom of his shoe.

"What did she ever do to get teamed up three to one, couldn't take her on your own?" he asked his voice suddenly flat.

"Shes one of them, what more reason do we need?" the second boy chimed in.

Harry's anger began to build as he fought to control it. One of them? Hadn't they learned anything from the war? Titles, categories, worth of lives based on who bore you as a child, he was tired of it, so sick of it all. All this self appointed supremacy floating around. One house being better than the other, the ignoring of the actual people that were in them.

A growl escaped his throat as his anger turned to rage and the lights in the small room flickered out. The two Ravenclaws bolted for the illuminated doorway only to receive hexes in their backs that sent them across the hall and crashing through the opposite door. With a flash of light and another crash the third boy was rejoined with his friends.

The girl stood petrified up against the wall, her fingers were curled so tight they hurt and she held onto her bag like a life preserver in the open ocean. There was no light in the room save a little bit of green moss in the far corner that was giving off a sickly green glow that didn't pierce the darkness anymore than a few centimeters. Where was the boy who had burst into the room and saved her? She could hear his ragged breathing coming from somewhere. Slowly she reached into her bag for her wand and with a wave she re lit the torches and gasped. The raven haired boy was pale and shaking, he green eyes felt like they were looking through her, through the wall behind her and at nothing all at the same time. His disheveled hair revealed a fading lightning bolt scar that caused her breath to stop in her chest.

"Are you alright?" he asked as he regained some of his composure, she nodded.

"Good, could you by chance lead me out of this maze?" he smiled wiping the distant look from his eyes.

She was still rooted to the spot.

"You're Harry-"

"Potter." a new voice announced.

Harry whirled around pointing his wand at the newcomer who turned out to be none other than Draco Malfoy.

"Good morning Malfoy." Harry greeted dropping his arm to his side.

"What has you wandering around the dungeons Potter?" he asked a flash of anger in his eyes. "Cornering girls from Slytherin, is that Weaslette not enough for you?"

Harry just smiled at Malfoy who was having a staring contest for dominance that Harry wasn't participating in.

"He wasn't doing anything like that!" the girl chirped. "He actually saved me from some Ravenclaws and a Hufflepuff, they were going to hex me and leave me here to die!"

Malfoy turned his gaze from Harry to the girl looking her up and down.

"Get to class Greengrass, I'll inform your sister of this incident." the girl scampered out the door and down the hall. Malfoy waited for her footsteps to fade away before he spoke again.

"Still playing the hero Potter?" he sneered. "Was defeating the Dark Lord not good enough for you?"

Harry's smile disappeared from his face his wand arm twitched.

"Plan on hexing me Potter? I'm not so easy to beat, this isn't second year anymore."

Still no reply, smirking triumphantly Malfoy turned to leave.

"Draco."

The Slytherin stopped. When had Potter ever called him by his first name? Never, he was sure of it. Even when they had first met it had been last names, why was the Golden Boy calling him by first name now?

"Yes Potter?" he asked not facing him.

"How's your mother?"

Malfoy's heart beat faster anger burned through him like a flash fire. How dare he ask about his mother. It was his fault she had been and was in so much grief. Was he goading him? He branished his wand shoving it under Harry's chin bringing his face inches from his rival's. Angry blue eyes met sad green ones and his rage dropped a few notches. He seemed geniuenly concerned about his mother, this disturbed him. Why would he care? He had all the fame and fortune any wizard anywhere could ask for and his family was nearly bankrupt, he had the love and adoration of the masses while his name was spat on and he condemned. Unable to stand it any longer he petrified Harry.

As Harry's frozen form hit the ground Malfoy kicked him in the ribs, hard. If it weren't for the body-bind he was sure the wind would've been knocked out of him. The next few moments were spent at the receiving end of the Slytherins anger unable to do anything.

"I'll send Professor Slughorn down here to get you at lunch." Malfoy said sweeping his hair back behind his head. He left the room and closed the door behind him. For some reason beating Potter didn't give him the same satisfaction that it once had. Putting off these thoughts he made his way to the Great Hall for a bit of breakfast, the exertion had made him peckish.