Getting up today? Decidedly not worth it. Really, hottest day of the summer, horrible relatives, paranoia inducing cracks, and your entire secret (yet amazing) world declaring you barmy and ignoring genocidal maniac? Forgive me if I weep for the future just a little bit. For the love of merlin Cedric died! He was murdered and I'm the one with a problem! Hermione was absolutely right, magic replaces a person's common sense. They probably had dumb conversations all the time like:

"Hey, did you hear that the kid that defeated You-Know-Who and saved his school from danger three times is claiming He-Who-Has-too-many-Hyphenated-Names is back?"

"Merlin's beard! Really? Well he must be an attention seeking brat or completely round the bend! Kids these days."

Ok, I might be exaggerating just a little bit. Maybe. Actually, that could have happened. You never really know with wizards. Oh, did I mention that? Yes, my secret world has magic. Let me repeat that.

They. Have. Magic.

Honestly, but noooo, it's completely ridiculous to even contemplate that the dark tosser might be back. Bloody gits.

Wow, I might be spending a bit too much time with my best friends. You know you have a problem when your thoughts start sounding exactly like them. Well, not exactly. I doubt Hermione's ever called Voldemort the dark tosser, but my inner Ron was spot on.

Oh yeah, them. Amazing friends who can't be bothered to even tell me anything. Don't get me wrong, I understand they can't really say anything important. Terrorists can read too, you know. I'm not asking for the whole war strategy and a list of allies, but they can't even imply that something's happening? It's like there isn't a homicidal snake-faced git walking around fantasizing about killing me in horrible way. With the lack of anything I sometimes even doubt myself, thinking the ministry might be right. Maybe I really did make up the whole thing to deal with seeing Cedric die.

He died. Right in front of me. I watched the whole thing happen and I couldn't do a single thing about it. I couldn't save him…

Damnit! Focus Potter! Remember what Madam Pomfrey taught you first year. When it becomes too much focus on the facts. Voldemort killed Cedric. Not you.

Doesn't stop the nightmares though, does it?

Why thank you inner cynic, that was very helpful. Okay, it did, in fact, have a point. I barely get any sleep dealing with nightmares about the graveyard. What happened there… Nope! Not thinking about it. Sleeping is horrible, but it's not like being awake is much better. Trapped in the neighborhood from hell. At least, the OCD version of it. What I wouldn't do for some diversity. Unfortunately Durskaban is safe, so I'm stuck here until something changes.

Which brings me to today. Being yelled at for watching the news of all things, then hearing what sounded like someone apparating. Enough to give anyone the willies. Running to the park was, admittedly, not my best plan. Looking at the competition, that's saying something. Running for my life from dementors though, that's a fantastic idea. Which I should really start doing. Right Now.

Yes, the rotten cherry on top of the crappiest cake ever. Dementors. In Little Whinging. Trying to suck out the souls of me and my fat git of a cousin. On the bright side, I've never seen Dudley run so fast. Ah yes, good old Dudley. Forgive me, good old Big D. The watery, tasteless frosting on the crap cake. I was sitting there minding my own business and he and his gang just had to test my surprisingly short temper. Probably shouldn't have pulled my wand on them, even if only Dudley knew what that meant.

Wow, running for your life is exhausting, even when you're used to it. Helps you contemplate your life choices though. If I knew I was about to bite it via dementor I definitely would have hexed the wanker. Definitely worth it, The same wanker I just followed blindly into an overpass while being chased by flying soul-sucking demons. Dear lord, I really am an idiot. To bad I'll never get to tell Snape he was right.

It was hard to bring my pounding feet to a screeching halt, but somehow I managed to avoid running into Dudley. I readjusted my glasses as they slipped down my sweaty nose. There was an unpleasant ache in my lungs and my muscles burned. That took the back burner to the horrible, soul crushing, all consuming hopelessness that pervaded from the dementors twisted auras. Dudley started quaking despite the heat. I felt small tremors going down my own spine despite my experiences with the horrid things. Then real shivering set in as their malevolent presence froze the underpass we were trapped in. I whipped my head back and forth trying to keep track of the two dementors who were slowly closing in on us.

Dudley was babbling and curled up in a ball on the ground. So he was useless. My breath quickened and became erratic. My green eyes blown wide watching the danger enveloping us I knew I had a choice. I could just stand there and pray for help, or I could break the rules and defend myself.

Screw the rules.

Really, given my history the choice seemed quite obvious. Oh well, the ministry would just have to deal with it.

I hoarsely shouted "EXPECTO PATRONUM!"

Raspy as my voice was and my magic gummy and tar like from disuse it still flowed through me my wand lit up. Prongs, my stag patronus burst forth and galloped headfirst into the fray. I watched, still awed by the sight, as the blinding pure light of prongs clashed up against the perverse darkness of the dementors. My ears rung as an unholy, inhuman screech erupted from the dementors as the stag patronus gored them and sent them shrieking away back to the hellscape they came from.

Oh, shut up, metaphysical wonders make me poetic, okay?

With that done I felt my body sag from the strain of casting such a draining spell, especially after a summer of my magic just sitting there stagnant in my core. I fumbled a bit as I shakily turned towards my cousin. Apparently I'm not the only one awed by the sight of a patronus fighting off dementors, because Dudley was just sitting there, staring. It was disconcerting seeing him, still as a statue, with glazed eyes locked on the spot the battle took place. Irritated, tired and a little disturbed by the sight I snapped the fingers of my left hand about a foot from his face. He jumped and his body spasmed a bit as he refocused on me. The sudden movement made my right hand, still holding my wand, twitch and tighten the white knuckled strangle hold I already had on the smooth holly wood.

My magic flared a little bit but I clamped down on it. I forced it aside as I put my wand away. I leaned down and offered a hand as I grated out "come on Dudley, we have to get back." he stared back uncomprehending at me for a moment before he slowly stood, ignoring my offered hand. Rude.

We slowly made our way out of the underpass and found a face full of a concerned, ranting Mrs. Figg. She caught sight of me and shouted "where on earth is your wand! There could be more of them around! I'm going to kill Mundungus for this!"

Wait, what?

No, seriously, what? How does crazy old cat lady Mrs. Figg know about magic!

"You're a witch" just came sliding out of my mouth without permission. Given the circumstances, I'll let it slide just this once. She stared at me incredulously and barked "no you idiot boy, I'm a Squib." Oh, that made more sense. I listened to her rant about cauldrons and some bird order while my body unconsciously grabbed Dudley and followed behind her. I did catch her mention this Mundungus character a few more times, but I was still processing. I glanced around, still on high alert for any more danger (I also realized my brain had followed Mrs. Figg's order as my wand was back in my hand) and caught sight of Dudley.

If I was still processing then Dudley was barely functioning. His eyes had returned to the glazed over stare into the distance he had back in the overpass. He probably didn't have a clue what was going on and didn't seem to be aware of his environment. That was problematic. If something else attacked our ragtag trio and we died because Dudley couldn't get his fat arse moving then I was going to be pissed. The kind of pissed Uncle Vernon gets whenever someone mentions-

Oh bloody freaking hell!

Pissed is an understatement to how my aunt and uncle would react to their precious little Dudders being attacked. Especially with magic involved. While I was catastrophizing about my family's reaction we somehow made it back to Privet Drive. There was a crack as a smelly ragamuffin of a man appeared. While Mrs. Figg started to lay into him for leaving I just continued on and brought Dudley back to number four. Aunt Petunia met us at the door. Predictably, she had a meltdown of legendary proportions. I wasn't really paying attention, letting myself get shoved off into the kitchen. I stood in the background, perfectly content being ignored, as Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon tried to calm down Dudley. I don't recall exactly what was said but somehow Uncle Vernon found out I was involved and was now right up in my face yelling at me.

I reacted without thinking. Uncle Vernon startled me and my brain saw him as a threat. Before anyone knew what was happening my wand was in Uncle Vernon's face. The rest of my body buzzed with tension while my hand remained perfectly still. At some point my magic had flared to protect causing an eerie glow to surrounded me. Uncle Vernon had gone from purple to a strangely green shade of pale. Everything had gone silent as a tense atmosphere slowly engulfed us. I doubt even the sword of Gryffindor could cut through the tension.

Owls, of course, had no such qualms against interrupting human foolishness. Proven as a barn owl flew in, dropped of a letter, and left with a complete disregard to the chaos it had just caused to erupt. My magic fizzled out as I approached the letter like it was a dementor. Uncle Vernon was ranting again but was now standing at a distance. Dudley had thrown up and Aunt Petunia was hysterical. Maybe I should rethink my cavalier attitude towards rule breaking, because I had a horrible idea about what that letter was. My hands shaking and fumbling around my wand I slowly opened the letter.

My brain reeled as I tried to swallow the new development. I just got expelled from Hogwarts. They were coming to snap my wand. The Ministry was going to kick me out of the magical world.

Well that wasn't going to happen. Never in a million years would I give up magic. What could I do though?

Run.

Yes, I could do that. If Sirius has managed for the last two years then I certainly could. Sirius even had the complication of staying near me. I wouldn't have such a problem, and, well, neither would he. Not anymore. We could run, together. We could go anywhere and start new lives. Just the two of us against the world.

Of course the second letter changed that. It was Mr. Weasley telling me Dumbledore would handle it and not to leave the house. Mr. Weasley, the man who had taken me in with nothing more than a smile the summer of second year. It reminded me of the people I would risk capture and imprisonment for.

Okay then, Dumbledore was handling it. Fine, I bought that. Mr. Weasley wouldn't lie to me. This was further proven by the third letter that said there would be a disciplinary hearing about my expulsion. A hearing. At the ministry.

Bugger.

Out of the frying pan, into the fires of stupidity I guess.

I calmed down enough to glance at the rest of the room. Uncle Vernon is practically jumping up in down in rage frothing at the mouth about owls of all things. It took all of my hard earned self control I got from living here for fifteen years to not burst out laughing at the sight. An angry uncle Vernon was a funny Uncle Vernon. Unless he was mad at me, then he was bloody terrifying. Speaking of which, he glanced at me and must have seen something in my eyes. He started yelling at me again.

After a lovely chat with my dear Aunt and Uncle about dementors, I stayed in my room until rescue came. At least I assume rescue is coming. I think Uncle Vernon might cross that line that he teetered on the edge of if I stayed here any longer. Hedwig's out hunting so I can't write to anyone. Not that they would actually tell me what was going on. Speak of the devil, or in this case amazingly intelligent and loyal owl, and there she is. Hedwig swooped through my window with a dead frog in her mouth.

"Nice hunt then?" I inquire.

"Hoot"

"Really, you don't say?"

"Trill. Clack,clack."

"Brilliant Hedwig, you show those snakes whose boss!"

Hedwig preens in pride while I smile at her dopely. My owl is fantastic. She's the best owl there ever was. Uncle Vernon yelled up the stairs, something about taking Dudley to the hospital for shock or something. I turn to Hedwig and roll my eyes. She lets out a few gleeful barks and goes back to devouring her frog. We sit in companionable silence for a while.

Crash.

"Tonks, watch where you're going!" A voice exclaimed in exasperation.

Who the blue bloody blazes is Tonks and-

Wait a minute. Remus!

Without any more prompting I jump up and rush down to the kitchen. Sure enough, Remus is standing there with seven or eight other people. One was a young woman with a heart shaped face standing over the remains of Aunt Petunia's favorite vase. She was blushing like mad and had the oddest hair I'd ever seen. It's violet at the base but is turning the same red as her blush at the roots.

I take in the rest of the group, nine in total. In the front was Remus, who could really use a sandwich. Next to him was tall black man who seems quite bemused by something. The next five seem very unremarkable so I dismiss them them and focus on the last man.

Squint.

Hedwig, in her typical disregard to the impossible, somehow sense my distrust and wings down with a shriek. She lands gently on my shoulder, giving a quick reassuring squeeze with her talons. She flares her wings out and joins me in glaring at the final wizard.

Wand in hand, magic at the ready I stare icily in suspicion at none other than Mad-Eye Moody. I bark out "what are you doing here" awkward pause "professor." Moody raises the brow of his original eye at me and gives me appraising glance. He seems unimpressed and stiffens, wand in his own hand. My magic flares as I prepare for a battle. No offense to Moody, but he has nothing on a thousand-year-old, seventy-foot basilisk.

'Tonks' decides to burst in asking "What the bloody hell is going on?"

I turn to her indignantly, never taking my focus or wand off Moody, and sputter "He tried to kill me last year!" I gesture with my free hand in rage with my free hand as much as I can without disturbing Hedwig. Hedwig discreetly nips my ear in affection and folds her wings in. She then turn to this 'Tonks' character and clacks her beak in agreement. (Unknown to me the rest of the group had just relaxed exponentially as I went from glowing, pissed-off slayer of dark lords with murderous familiar to angry teenage boy with motherly post owl.) Remus sighed and dragged his hand down his scarred face. Moody relaxes, causing me to whip towards him at the movement (scary teenager's back) as he releases a barking laugh.

I scowl until he laughs out "that wasn't me, boy. Remember, death eater scum disguised as me. Don't call me professor either, never did get around to teaching." My wand arm goes limp and I flush Weasley red (cranky fifteen year old it is.) I stutter out an apology "sorry, I forgot. He looked just like you for a year and I just saw you standing there,and I reacted without thinking, I'm so sorry I didn't mean to threaten you, well i did, but not you you…"

"Breath Harry" Remus chuckled, softly and slowly laying a hand on my owl free shoulder. The crazy haired woman giggled a little then froze as she moved on of the broken shards of vase. At that Remus backed up, folding his arms over his chest, and raised an eyebrow at her. She blushed again (hair bubblegum pink now, what) and stammered out "terribly sorry about that. I'm a bit of a clutz and break things all the time. I can pay for that."

I look at her, then the vase, then her again. Clumsy, aye? I smirk evilly and nonchalantly say "no problem! Hey, how would you like a tour of the house the boy-who-lived grew up in? It's not a museum so feel free to touch anything you want."

'Tonks' blinks at me in shock as Remus, Moody and the tall black man break out into laughter. The rest of the group shuffles a bit also laughing or smiling. Hedwig ruffles her feathers in amusement and gives me another light squeeze. I fully lower my wand and make to stuff it in the back of my trousers.

"Don't put your wand there boy, you'll blow your arse of!" The not-imposter Moody barks at me, causing me to jump. 'Tonks' snorts and drawls "who do you know who's blown their arse off?" Moody glowers at her and snaps "never you mind rookie, it's just wand safety is an important thing, not that anyone ever learns.." He trailed off and I realize I have no idea who these people are.

"As fun as this has been, I still have no idea who you lot are or why you're here. I think introductions are in order. I'm Harry Potter. Not that the whole bloody world doesn't seem to know that" I drone out in curiosity, while muttering towards the end. Remus flinches and replies

"Where are our manners! Well you already know Moody and I, but next to me is Kingsley Shacklebolt-" Remus gestured to the large black man next to him who bowed a bit in greeting.

"Next we have Nymphadora-"

"Do not call me Nymphadora. It's Tonks. T-O-N-K-S, Tonks. Remember that." The young witch with now firetruck red hair shouted.

"Alright then, next we have Tonks. T-O-N-K-S. Tonks-" Tonks glared holes into the back of Remus's head while Kingsley Shacklebolt chuckled.

"And then we have Elphias Doge, Dedalus Diggle, Emmeline Vance, Sturgis Podmore and Hestia Jones." Remus continued gesturing to each member of the group respectively.

"Alright, enough with this greeting rubbish. We're off schedule already. Time to bring Potter to headquarters." Moody growled preventing Remus from saying anything else. As if this was the signal the group needed they began going through the house collecting my things. Remus stayed behind and stared at me, anticipating some questions.

Never one to disappoint, I asked "What and where is this 'headquarters' and what's it for?"

Remus smile and replied "while I can't answer the first question I can tell you we're taking you to the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix. A group dedicated to fighting You-Know-Who and is currently comprised of everyone who believes he's back."

Well that certainly made me feel a bit better. So I'm not crazy. Thank Godric's fuzzy socks. I relax a bit and Hedwig starts to groom my hair. I would fight Mouldy Shorts alone, there was just something about the dark tosser that rubbed me wrong way (could be him trying to kill me, could be his boring speeches of vengeance, can't really tell), but it was nice to not have too. I already resigned myself to being the only one useful in the conflict, not that I wanted that. I was fifteen years old! I had to face reality though. No matter what help I got it would always be me and him in the end. Having people to help and support me would be great. All my stuff was gathered and we began our journey.

A quick hop, skip, and harrowing flight through london later I was standing in front of… absolutely nothing. Brilliant.

Just as I was about to lose my mind at the lack of information a piece of paper was shoved into my hand. I quickly scanned the contents and the most sinister and mean looking building I had ever seen just popped into view. I'm not entirely sure how a building of all things managed to look mean, but boy did it do so with malevolent style. I sighed and prepared myself for the rest of the summer.