Independence Of A Hero

Summary: Realization dawns on Harry following the discovery of the contents of the prophecy. Intent on running away to train, he is unexpectedly thrust a thousand years into the past. Can Harry keep the veil of secrecy over the future while planning Voldemort's demise or will the task be one too many for the Boy-Who-Lived? Follow him on a perilous journey of love, hate, and justice in the "Independence of a Hero." A DarkAngelNemesis production. Harry/Rowena/Bellatrix/Blaise.

AN: This story was one of my absolute favorites, and I was very disappointed that it hasn't been continued. So I have decided to continue it. Hope all you readers enjoy.

Chapter One – The Missing Link

The first week of the summer passed like a blue to Harry, all that he was thinking about was his deceased Godfather. The emptiness filled his soul as another person close to him was taken away. All because he was foolish enough to follow a false vision. The incident in the Department of Mysteries was still clear in his mind, as if mocking him for being alive every second of every day since his return to his relatives. Worst of all was that Dumbledore refused to relocate him anywhere else, claiming he was safe from Death Eaters and their master Voldemort.

What about his own mental health? Did Dumbledore think that by keeping secrets from him he'd be safe? In addition, when he returns to Dumbledore's office after the battle, he was kind enough to decide to reveal the prophecy to him just right after his Godfather died.

'I would have studied harder and applied myself to the Occlumency lessons with Snape if I had known the reason for it.' Harry thought bitterly.

The Occlumency lessons were a disaster. There was no doubt about that. When Snape caught him looking in his Pensieve, he was a memory of a younger Snape being humiliated by James Potter, which made him resent the fact that his father was a bully. Harry hated feeling helpless or trapped, which was the main feeling inside him after he heard the prophecy from Dumbledore.

How do they expect him to defeat Voldemort? He is only almost sixteen yours old with not enough knowledge to defeat a wizard who spent his lifetime studying and learning Dark Magic. He sighed and decided to go to the park to have some fresh air. He passed the Dursleys, who were watching T.V. and were ignoring him completely after the warning from the Order of the Phoenix members at King's Cross Station. He was walking past a few houses when he heard a woman whispering to her neighbor.

"Did you hear about the scientist who moved to Magnolia Crescent? He's a lunatic, I'm telling you. He kept talking about creating a Time Machine." the woman said to her neighbor disdainfully.

Harry raised an eyebrow but kept walking until he reached the park and sat down on a bench, thinking about what was in store for him.

He closed his eyes, relaxing for a little while and cherishing the silence that surrounded him. It was only after a few minutes that he heard someone's footsteps near him. He opened his eyes in alert and fingered his wand, which was in his pocket, and kept quiet. He sat patiently, waiting for the person to come near and hoping it wasn't a Death Eater or an Order member as he didn't want to talk to either.

It was a few moments when the person appeared a few meters from Harry and sat down on a bench near him. He was a short man who appeared to be in his fifties. He had white hair, clear blue eyes, and he was talking to himself, muttering strange things that Harry couldn't help but overhear.

"What is the missing link? What do I need to make the machine work? Everything is calculated and the equations are stable, but there is something missing. There must be a failure in the equation of…" the man kept arguing with himself.

Harry watched amused as the man argued until Harry had enough and went to the man.

"If you relax, you might find the answer sir." Harry said quietly.

If was ironic, since Harry himself never found the answer to his dilemma, relaxing or otherwise. The man looked at Harry then shook his head and extended his hand.

"Robert Anderson, I'm a scientist."

"Harry Potter. It's nice to meet you, Mr. Anderson." Harry said quietly, shaking the man's hand.

The man motioned for him to sit down on the bench next to him.

"I cannot relax, not when I'm close to finding an answer to my problem!" exclaimed the man, frustrated with the lack of answer.

Harry looked sympathetically having experienced the feeling of helplessness many times before.

"Do you like Physics, Harry?" the scientist asked conversationally.

Harry shook his head since his only Muggle education had only lasted until he turned eleven. They talked for a while about anything and everything, and Harry got to know the man better.

The sun was considerably lower in the sky when Harry excused himself and walked back to the Dursley's home. Fortunately, he had no schoolwork since they would be choosing the subjects for their N.E.W.T.s during the summer. Harry decided that being an Auror fell in the category of working for the Ministry of Magic, which was corrupted from the Minister to the lowest clerk. He decided that he must check to see the options available to him other than being an Auror and to do that; he needed to write Hermione a letter.

Dear Hermione,

Firstly, I want you to know that I am very sorry for what happened in the Department of Mysteries. I should have heeded your warning and stayed at Hogwarts and you were almost killed in the process. I am also sorry for snapping and shouting at you the whole year when you did nothing but try to help me. I was stressed with everything happening around me and with Umbridge's actions against me; it pushed me over the edge. Moreover, I wanted to thank you for sticking by me through everything that happened since we arrived at Hogwarts. You are the best friend anyone could ever ask for, thank you for being there for me.

I also wanted to ask you if you have the book that contained the job options since I have decided no to be an Auror. Working for the Ministry is not what I have in mind for my future.

Your friend,

Harry

Satisfied with the letter, Harry tied it to Hedwig's leg and opened the window for her to fly into the distance.

"This is for Hermione, girl." Harry said softly, rubbing her feathers.

Hedwig nipped his finger affectionately then took off through the open window. Harry watched his owl fly away and sighed, wishing for the freedom of soaring through the sky.

From the first day at Privet Drive, Harry had studied his old school books repeatedly until he memorized every detail. The studying helped him keep his mind from thinking about the death of his Godfather.

He slept a few hours everyday, waking up screaming with nightmares of his Godfather falling through the veil, which brought his thoughts back to the prophecy. He realized that he won't so Sirius any good by crying every night and his Godfather wouldn't have wanted him to feel guilty. With that, Harry vowed revenge on everybody responsible for the death of his Godfather.

Harry was reading his fifth year Transfiguration book when a strange looking owl flew through his window, settling on the chair in front of Harry. Harry untied the letter and opened the seal, which was strangely familiar to him, but he couldn't place where he saw it before. He shrugged and took out the letter and started reading.

Mr. Harry J. Potter,

In accordance to the last will and testament of Sirius Orion Black, you are requested at the reading of his will on the 16th of July at Gringotts Bank in Diagon Alley at 9 a.m. Please note that failure to show up will result in forfeiting the inheritance to Mrs. Narcissa Black-Malfoy and Bellatrix Black-Lestrange. If you drop two blood drops on this letter, it will turn to a Portkey to Gringotts at the mentioned time and it will take you directly in front of our bank.

Smicklehook,

Gringotts Bank

Harry looked at his calendar and realized that the will was to be read the next day. He read for a few hours until he was too tired to continue and fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. He found himself in the same repetitive dream. This time however, Harry noticed something was wrong with Bellatrix Lestrange. Her eyes were red for a minute, but as Sirius fell through the veil, they changed back to violet. It was the first time that he'd noticed the change in eye color. He woke up panting and turned the light on, taking in what he saw.

Was Bellatrix Lestrange a Metamorphmagus? Tonks was one and she was half a Black. He sighed tiredly and decided that it was no use to go back to sleep, seeing that he slept for three hours. He changed out of his sweaty clothes and grabbed his Transfiguration book and continued his studying. After a few hours of reading, Hedwig flew through the window with a package and a letter from Hermione.

Dear Harry,

Don't blame yourself for what happened in the Department of Mysteries, it was our decision to come with you and we knew the risks. It was my fault that the curse hit me and I did not try to dodge it so don't blame yourself for that either. You know that if you need to talk, I'm here for you and if your scar hurts, please tell Dumbledore. I have sent you the book you asked for, along with a few books for you to prepare for the N.E.

Love,

Hermione

PS: Did you get you O. ? I hope I don't fail in any subjects.

'Fail?' Harry thought amusedly. 'If Hermione ever failed in something, then nobody would pass it in the first place.'

He looked at the clock and saw that it was 7 a.m. He had two hours before the will reading so he decided to take a shower. He went to the bathroom and thankfully, the Dursley's were not up yet so there was no need to rush.

He relaxed as the water ran down his body, relieving him of some stress. Half an hour later, he exited the bathroom and went to his room. He threw on the best looking hand-me-downs that he owned, resolving to buy new clothes for himself. He was ready to go, but he had an hour and a half to spare so he took out his Charms book and started reading and memorizing again.

He kept reading until it was three minutes to nine. He pricked his finger with a pin, drawing drops of blood that fell on the parchment and readied himself to leave. The three minutes passed by quickly and Harry felt a tug on his navel before disappearing from his room with nothing but his wand.

After appearing in front of the huge white building of Gringotts, Harry entered and headed for a nearby Goblin. Harry showed the Goblin the letter and the Goblin motioned for him to follow. They walked through a strange door on the side to a hall which was filled with paintings of some prestigious Goblins. Harry ignored the paintings and kept walking behind the Goblin until they reached an office.

Harry entered and was impressed with the well decorated room. The wall behind the desk was made of white marble, which was adorned with two portraits of important looking Goblins. The sidewalls were made of other strange material and on it hung two swords and some fancy looking shields. Harry's sight finally settled on the Goblin sitting behind a mahogany desk with some papers in front of him.

"Welcome to Gringotts, Mr. Potter." said the Goblin, who was sitting behind the desk as the other left the office. "I'm Silverhook and I will be in charge of the Black will reading today. Please have a seat."

Harry sat down in the chair offered to him and the Goblin took out an envelope from his desk and gave it to Harry. Harry opened the seal and read, the grief coming back to full force as he read.

LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT OF SIRIUS ORION BLACK

I, Lord Sirius Orion Black, Head of the Ancient Most and Noble House of Black, hereby declare this as my last will and testament. I leave my Godson, by the name of Harry James Potter, the entire Black fortune and assets and hereby declare him my heir, and head of the Black family.

Lord Sirius Orion Black

Head of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black

"You will be the Head of the Black family as soon as you sign these papers." Silverhook said, presenting the inheritance papers.

Harry was presented a Blood Quill, which reminded him of Umbridge and her detentions. He calmed himself down and signed the papers, a feeling of guilt filling him as he officially received his deceased Godfather's money.

The Goblin gave him another paper to sign which Harry gave a look of uncertainty.

"These are emancipation papers prepared by you deceased Godfather." Silverhook said, giving the papers to Harry.

It made Harry smile for the first time since his Godfather died as he signed the emancipation papers, giving him adult rights.

"Since you signed the emancipation papers, you are now the Head of the Potter family and are allowed control of your family vaults." Silverhook said calmly. "You are also considered an adult in the wizarding world, so you can practice magic, are able to have an Apparating license, vote, and every other privileges and responsibilities of an adult."

"Thank you Silverhook, and please call me Harry." Harry replied smiling slightly and extending his hand.

The Goblin looked shocked for half a second the shook Harry's hand.

"It was a pleasure doing business with you, Harry." said Silverhook.

The Goblin presented Harry with a card that looked like a Muggle credit card.

"This is used by the old families to do large purchases. Are you familiar with the Muggle credit card?" Harry nodded at this. "It works the same way, but for both wizarding and Muggle shops."

Harry nodded his head, took the card, and left the office. He decided to go shopping for clothes, books and other stuff that he would need to start training. He vowed to have revenge for Sirius and kill Voldemort even if it cost him his life. He exited the bank and headed for his first stop, which was a trunk shop.

"How can I help you, young man?" asked the man behind the counter.

"I need a Sorcerer's Trunk." Harry said as he turned towards the man.

The man's eyes widened and he approached Harry quickly. A Sorcerer's Trunk was the same trunk the fake Mad-Eye Moody had in his Forth Year. It was equipped with a bedroom, bathroom, dueling room (practice room), potions room, and a regular wardrobe room.

"Are you sure, young man? It is very expensive and there are many cheaper school trunks." replied the man.

Harry rolled his eyes and took out his Gringotts card, which made the man hurry to the back to get the trunk. He returned with the trunk and placed it in front of Harry.

"That would be six thousand Galleons, young sir." the shop manager said.

Harry gave him his Gringotts card and signed him name on the slip. He shrunk his new trunk, put it in his pocket and exited the shop as he thanked the store manager. He then headed for Flourish and Blotts. He entered the shop and started collecting every advanced book he thought he would need on Dueling, Defence Against The Dark Arts, Transfiguration, and Charms. He collected about three hundred books, which made the woman at the counter almost faint. They cost him about fifteen thousand galleons and he put them all in his new trunk.

He did not find anything related to Occlumency and Legilimency since they were frowned upon in the wizarding world. His next stop was Madame Malkins where he bought new school robes, two dueling robes and many everyday robes. It was the first time that he would wear new clothes and not the ones previously owned by his whale of a cousin. After purchasing the robes, he thanked the woman and exited the shop.

He looked at the sign before him which read 'Knockturn Alley' and shrugged before proceeding into the alley. He passed by many shops before coming to a bookstore. He slid into the shop and decided to look around for anything helpful. The only books he was interested in were a book on Occlumency and Legilimency, a book on talents and two basic Dark Arts books.

'It wouldn't hurt to know what I'm up against.' Harry thought as he purchased the books and left the shop.

He was walking back towards Diagon Alley when he noticed a shop that was almost hidden from sight if you weren't looking clearly, and it was a wand shop. He needed another wand in case his other wand was taken from him of he was disarmed in anyway so he entered the shop.

The shop was dusty and there were no wands in sight, only cores, wood and gems. The store owner stood up and approached Harry, who was still standing by the door looking around in confusion and disgust at some of the cores.

"Are you going to stand there or come inside?" growled the voice of the man.

"I'm in need of a wand and I need to lift the Tracking Spell off my main one." Harry replied firmly as he glared at the man.

The man just chuckled at the glare that was sent at him.

"That's a fine glare you have there, young man. I can do all that you asked. Follow me." said the wand maker and walked to the back of the store and Harry followed.

The man took a potion from a shelf and handed it to Harry and then motioned him back into the main part of the store.

"Leave your wand in this potion for a few minutes and the Tracking Spell will be lifted. Your wand will glow red for a couple of seconds and then return to normal. This is the sign that the Tracking Spell is gone. For you custom wand, you have to choose the wood and core." Said the man as he pointed to his collection of wood. "Hold each wood and tell me which one you feel most comfortable with."

Harry held each wood until he found a suitable one and gave it to the man. The wand maker pointed towards the cores and told Harry to hold the wood he chose, which was yew, and send a bit of his magic into the wood. Harry did as he was told and two ingredients glowed leading to the man picking them from their shelves. The wand maker shuddered as he picked up one of the ingredients.

"Eye of demon." the man breathed out. "This ingredient is the only one of its kind, since the demons were banished into another plane thousands of years ago. It's very old and has been in my family for years, waiting for the right wand user."

Harry did not even know that demons used to run around thousands of years ago and the man started to sound like a mixture of Ollivander and Professor Binns. The man picked the other ingredient with a shaking hand and put it with the demon's eye in front of him.

"This is a fang of a Grim. It is almost impossible to come by and a very powerful ingredient. This wand will be terrifying!" exclaimed the man, who looked ready to faint.

The word 'Grim' reminded Harry of his Godfather's Animagus form and his heart clenched.

"The only thing left is for you to choose a gem. It will act as a focus to help enhance the effects of your spells. Go ahead and choose one." said the man as he pointed to the gem collection.

Harry walked up to the gems and looked at them carefully. He was about to pick an emerald when he spotted something interesting. It looked like a diamond, but it had an emerald green like flame in the center. Harry picked it up and handed it to the man.

"Ah, the Fire Core Diamond. This gem is a beauty and is found near an active volcano. Diamonds can enhance a spell by five times, but this gem can enhance a spell by ten times. This is going to be a fine wand."

The man applied many spells with his wand on the wood, cores and gem, making them fuse with each other. A few minutes later, he presented a black wand with a gem sticking out from the tip to Harry, who took it with awe. The power surge that coursed through him was like nothing he ever felt before, as raw power rushed from him magical core to his wand and back.

After admiring his new wand for a few minutes, Harry turned to the man.

"Do you have Wand Holsters?" Harry asked, satisfied with his new wand.

The man nodded his head, took several types of Wand Holsters and displayed them in front of Harry.

"These are made from Hungarian Horntail hide. They're spelled against Summoning and Disarming Spells." the man said as he pointed at one of the holsters.

It was a beautiful black one and Harry decided on buying a pair.

"It will merge with your skin as soon as you put it on and if you want to summon your wand from the holster, just will it out with a flick of your wrist." said the man.

"How much do I owe you?" Harry asked as he put on the holsters.

The holsters disappeared as he put both wands into them.

"Two hundred Galleons for the wand, potion and holsters, young sir." said the man and Harry gave him the money and exited the shop with a thank you to the man.

He reentered Diagon Alley and went through the Leaky Cauldron into the Muggle world. He took a cap to the nearest clothes shop as he needed Muggle clothes.

He arrived fifteen minutes later to a shop and paid the driver with some Muggle money he had exchanged before leaving Gringotts and entered the shop. A young woman approached him quickly.

"Can I help you?" the young woman asked him.

"I need a new wardrobe." Harry replied as he blushed slightly.

The woman's eyes lit up and she nodded her head in excitement. Two hours later, Harry left the shop exhausted, about six thousand pounds poorer, but very happy and satisfied with his new clothes.

He took a cab back to Privet Drive, arriving a 6 p.m. He went to his room and unloaded everything in his old trunk, putting them in his new one with the exception of Dudley's clothes, which were sitting on the floor in a pile. Harry took out his new wand and pointed it at the pile of clothes.

"Incendio." Harry whispered.

The power he felt from the wand was unbelievable and the spell did not even leave ashes of the clothes on the floor which Harry was grateful for. He took out the potion and immersed his old wand in it, waiting for a few minutes. The wand glowed red then back to normal, indicating that the Tracking Spell was lifted.

He tried a few spells with his old wand, since he had to practice control with his new wand before using it frequently. After trying the spells, he read about in his old books, he opened the book about rare talents and began to read. The book was interesting and Harry read until he was mentally exhausted and very tired, so he went to sleep.

He was in the Riddle's house, in a cell where a very familiar person was being held. Bellatrix Lestrange was chained to a wall and was surprisingly crying. Harry's scar burned and Voldemort entered the room, followed by Rudolphus Lestrange, a woman he had never seen before and Wormtail.

"My dear beautiful, Bella." hissed Voldemort. "It is time for your yearly Imperius Potion."

"Oh my dear wife is crying." mocked Rudolphus condescendingly. "Crying for the mutt you killed?"

Bellatrix was shaking from crying and fear. One of the advantages of the Imperious Potion that made it very powerful and forbidden was that it only needed to be applied once a year; it was far more powerful than the Imperious Curse ever was. They kept dosing her from her sixteenth birthday when she refused to marry Rudolphus and serve Voldemort.

"Why are you doing this?" she sobbed. "Isn't it enough that you made me torture people and kill my own family? What more do you want from me?"

Voldemort raised his wand and pointed it at her.

"Crucio." Voldemort hissed.

Bellatrix was tortured until she was in no condition to move, and Rudolphus made her swallow the potion. Her eyes flashed red for a second then back to blank violet eyes.

Harry woke up shaking from the pain of the Cruciatus Curse and stunned at what he'd observed. He never would have thought that Bellatrix Lestrange would be under Imperius, but that explained the change in her eye color in the Department of Mysteries. He opened one of the books he'd bought named 'Most Potente Potions' and searched for the Imperius Potion. He only found information about the potion and its side effects, but he did not find the directions to make it or its antidote.

Imperius Potion:

Use: This is perhaps one of the most dangerous potions invented. It is used to make the victim's submit to the user's will. The user puts drops of his blood into the potion before applying it by 20 minutes. It lasts a year, which is a very long time for the person applying the potion to make the victim do anything.

Symptoms: Change of eye color, which happens when the victim is trying to fight the potion, and coughing of blood every twelve hours.

Harry cursed Voldemort for ruining everyone's life. He was too angry to work on Occlumency so he decided to leave the Dursley's house. He shrunk his new trunk, put it in his pocket, and searched for anything he would ever need. Finding none, he exited his room and went out of the house.

Harry walked for a few minutes when someone came out of a house that he passed across and called his name.

"Harry!" shouted the scientist, Robert Anderson.

Harry rolled his eyes and turned to the man. Robert reached Harry and shook his hand, smiling at him.

"Hey, Harry. Why don't you come in for tea?" Robert said.

Harry was about to protest but the man dragged him inside. Harry readied himself in case it was a trap and was led inside the house.

It was a simple house with the basic living necessities, nothing too fancy or abnormal. It seemed to Harry that most of the scientist's money was spent on something else, rather than furniture or fancy carpets. Robert took him to a lab of some sorts and standing in the middle was a strange looking machine.

"This is the machine I was arguing with myself about, Harry." Robert said wryly. "Unfortunately however, there is something missing that I don't know of. It would have been the greatest achievement in the world for science, but the officials at the research centre kicked me out, saying that I was a waste of resources."

Harry was looking at the machine, trying not to look bored and was trying to stop himself from commenting. He was nice to the man, but he hated wasting his time with nonsense. Harry was about to turn and leave when pain from his scar brought him to his knees. Unknown to him, his aura flared and raw power went everywhere destroying glass, but when it came in contact with the machine, everything in the room exploded and darkness embraced Harry.

And just like that Harry James Potter, The-Boy-Who-Lived, youngest Seeker in a century to play at Hogwarts, Slayer of a Basilisk, warder of a hundred Dementors at once, vanished from Privet Drive and wouldn't be seen for four months.

AN: I hope you all like it. Please review and tell me what you think.

DarkAngelNemesis signing out.