Taken

Harry, Ron and Hermione were bundled up in their sweaters. Harry thought it was way to cold for October. But October it was! The students of Hogwarts had let their hair down. He looked around at the other children who had come also bundled up in cloaks, jumpers, hats and scarves. They seemed to have forgotten the war going on just outside the castle. He supposed it was because they were still children. They didn't have the fun prospect of the fact that they either had to kill Voldemort or be killed by Voldemort.

Heaving a sigh Harry felt that this whole trip had been rather depressing as they had managed to run into Mundungnus Fletcher who it turned out had been plundering Sirius' old home. He knew Sirius wouldn't care, he knew Sirius hated all his inheritance. But the fact was that the thief didn't care enough about Sirius' death to respect his fuckin' privacy!

This is what led Harry to accost Mundungnus in the middle of Hogsmeade village ignoring Hermione protests; uncaring of the fact that there were plenty of people watching his display of anger. At the very least it would be all over the school before they even were back at Hogwarts. And if he was very unlucky the Prophet would get wind of "The Boy Who Fuckin' lived" while his whole family were brutally murdered short temper and there would be a huge thing about it. Probably saying something about how the stress of having to save the Wizarding world was finally getting to him. That was the thing about fame; they always expected so much of him. They'd go from loving him to calling him mad in the space of a few minutes. Harry knew he wasn't prefect – he also knew he wasn't the freak his aunt and uncle claimed he was. But he had led four people to their deaths; his kind, selfless mother – Lily Potter - who gave up her life so he could live. Harry's brave and courageous prankster father – James Potter - who tried to buy Lily and Harry time to get out. Then, Cedric Diggory who was the fair, just, kind, Hufflepuff who just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time led there by Harry. Then there was his brave, reckless, intelligent godfather who was murdered by his cousin because of Harry's blunder. Oh why did he fall for that vision? How he hated himself for that now!

Feeling tears in his eyes and Hermione's eyes on him he forced his thought away from depressing thought that had plagued his mind since that fateful day.

'Shall we go back and call it a day?' Hermione asked the two boys.

Harry and Ron nodded.

In Harry's mind the only trip to Hogwarts worse than this was when he uncovered the "truth" about how his parents were betrayed. Back when he himself wanted Sirius dead. Maybe it was some sort of karma that Sirius was taken from him.

Again he ignored these thoughts as he followed Ron and Hermione into the cold, frozen wasteland of Hogsmeade. Surely it was too cold for October!

On the path back to Hogwarts the trio caught sight of two girls, arguing. He recognized one of them as Katie Bell one of his Chasers. He'd never seen the other girl but assumed it was a seventh year friend of Katie's.

'It's nothing to do with you, Leanne!' Katie was shouting into the thundering snow.

Suddenly Katie spotted him and seemed to rush at Harry thrusting a necklace into Harry's hand. Before Harry had time to think he realised that it was a Portkey feeling the familiar jerk around the navel taking him far from where he was safe. The last thing he thought was what's up with Katie.

Arriving he looked around him he saw many people – men and women – all in long black cloaks and silver skeleton like masks. The one in the middle, his mortal enemy, red eyes glistening, pale skin gleaming in the dark room.

'How nice of you to join us Harry Potter?' hissed Lord Voldemort as his death eaters laughed and jeered.