Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and
owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to
Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros.,
Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is
intended
I only own the plot and some characters; I don't own Harry and co.
HP and the Days of Forgotten Innocence One Fine Mess
It was summertime in the town of Little Whinging, and most youths could be found outside enjoying their summertime freedom, that is all but one. Harry Potter lay in bed nursing bruises received from his drunken uncle and stoned cousin. While he tried desperately to get to sleep, he wondered what he had to live for. He wondered why he opposed Voldermort in the first place. 'Why do I fight so hard to protect the bloody muggles when I don't even like them?' As he lay there pondering the sham he called life, Harry wondered if he should kill himself and save everyone else the trouble. Since he had returned to Privet Drive, he had been beaten, verbally abused, starved, and basically forced into slavery. Harry couldn't even send for help because his beloved snowy owl had been hunted by his cousin with his new air gun. Although his beloved owl had escaped, he hadn't seen her since. The only reason he gotten was his uncle pompously saying "I won't be threatened in my own house by those freakish people." Even his so called 'Protectors' were nowhere to be seen. On the fourth day of break, Professor Dumbledore sent Harry a letter saying that they couldn't take the risk of someone tracking to owls back to Headquarters or to Privet Drive. So in essence Harry was totally helpless and he hated it. For two weeks he had been degraded and made to feel less human; furthermore, he had been kept in the dark about what was going on in the Wizarding World. However, before Harry could further dwell on his pitiful situation, he heard the shrilly voice of his Aunt Petunia
"Boy get down here and make breakfast."
As Harry got up from his bed, his aching ribs seized up causing Harry to fall to the ground and writhe in pain for several minutes. However, despite the pain, he didn't cry out because he knew that it would only attract his uncle and cousin. After finally scrapping himself up off of the floor, Harry slowly made his way toward the kitchen. He figured the less noise that he made the less trouble he would attract for himself. However, this proved to be futile and ultimately had the opposite affect. In fact, the Dursleys had taken note of Harry's gloominess and decided to give him extra work. So not only did he have to cut the grass, weed the garden, and wash the dishes; he was also responsible for preparing meals, repaving the driveway, completing all of Dudley's summer homework, and work in Uncle Vernon's drill company for a minimum of 3 hours every weekend. Yet Harry didn't complain, in fact he did all the work without a fuss because all the work helped to keep his mind off of the previous terms events, namely the death of his Godfather, Sirius Black.
While he was preparing the morning meal for the Dursleys, his aunt lectured him about the list of chores that he had to do for the day. For the most part, Harry ignored her and nodded his head to give the allusion of paying attention while thinking about more important issues. After a couple of minutes of vegging (spacing out), there was a loud shriek
"Don't burn the eggs or you will be punished."
Harry realized that he had been spacing out and quickly reduced the heat and started distributing the eggs. By the time that he finally got to his plate Dudley had already finished his, and before Harry could take his first bite Petunia grabbed his plate and switched it with Dudley's. She eyed Harry who was staring wide eyed at her.
"I saw the portion that you gave my Duddlekins and I will not have you starving my boy" hissed Petunia. Uncle Vernon put his paper down and said "What's this...what has the boy done." Dudley laughed and almost choked while he gluttonously wolfed down the eggs and toast. By the time Harry had gotten to his room Vernon was yelling but he didn't even respond.
After changing into his work clothes, Harry made his way downstairs to find an empty house and his list of chores on the kitchen table. As he looked at the list, he figured that if he worked really hard that he could finish the work by noon and have the remainder of the day to finish his summer assignments and study his old course books. Unlike other years, Harry was now conscious of the great task that had fallen into his lap, he still hadn't come to grips with the fact that he would have to kill in order to live, but he had promised to prepare himself for battle. Harry still blamed himself for Sirius' death, but now the majority of blame was placed on Voldermort and Dumbledore. Harry had sworn to do two things in honor of Sirius. One was to hunt down Pettigrew and the other was to avenge his death; and in order to do either, Harry knew that he had to get stronger.
As Harry toiled away in the blazing heat, he mentally reviewed all the spells that he had learned over the years. He practiced clearing his mind as he cut the grass, and he worked on storing all the painful memories away while he watered the flowers. After a while he just went into autopilot mode and put all his effort into burying his painful memories. Before he knew it, the only chore that remained was to wash the Dursley's extra car. So without much hesitation, Harry quickly took out the supplies and got to work. While he was washing the car, his thoughts went back to Sirius, sure he had gotten over the majority of his despair, but the loss still hurt him deeply. However, as soon as these thoughts started to become too much for Harry, he used his newly acquired Occlumency skills to push back the hurtful memories. Once he was finished, he quietly put away the supplies and made his way to his room. Unlike the previous years, the Dursley's allowed Harry to bring his trunk, and more importantly his wand to his room. In some strange way, they believed that Harry would protect them if any unsavory characters came around. Harry had thought about it, and he wasn't sure what he would do if Death Eaters attacked Privet Drive, but he knew that he couldn't die until Voldermort was dead.
After a couple of hours, Harry was somewhat tired of studying so he leaned back in his chair and massaged the crook of his nose where his glasses normally sat. As he was resting his hatred and distaste for his life came to the forefront of his mind, and then came thoughts of his missing avian friend. He wondered how muggles and his family could be so cruel as to hunt an innocent animal. Harry looked at the wall near the door. The walls bore testament to his banging, there were dents in the walls and fist shaped blood stains from where he had tried to escape the room to save his first friend. He missed the calming affect that she had on him, the regal look she would take when she had finished preening herself, or the affectionate way that she would nip at his ears when she was trying to gain his attention. At that moment, while the tears were fleeing from his eyes, Harry made another pledge to take control of his life and take revenge on any and everyone that had ever wronged him. He knew that he wouldn't kill anyone except Voldermort, but he also knew that there were worse fates than death. With his pledge made, Harry Potter made plans to leave Privet Drive that day, never to return again.
'If I am to be a tool then so be it'
Harry's plan was quite simple really, he planned to sneak out of the house under his invisibility cloak and catch a taxi that he had scheduled. He planned on taking the taxi to the train station and catching the train to Kings Crossing. From there he would go to the Leaky Cauldron and spend the night. The following morning, Harry planned to go to Gringotts and take out enough money to rent a nice flat for the rest of the summer. While in Diagon Alley, he planned on doing a lot of shopping before most of the regular patrons arrived. After revising his plan several times, Harry started packing. He knew that the only thing hindering his plan would be the Order members or Death Eaters watching his home. However, Harry was confident that he could avoid them; after all, he knew all the hiding places and shortcuts in the neighborhood from his times of running from Dudley and his gang.
At about one o'clock in the morning, Harry stealthily made his way downstairs to the kitchen and placed the phone call to the taxi company with instructions to meet him at the corner of Magnolia Crescent and Privet Drive. He chose the location because it was far enough away from his relative's house to be discreet, but close enough to Mrs. Figg's house should something go wrong. After placing the call, Harry went back upstairs and carefully and quietly carried his trunk down to the back door. Once there, he donned his cloak and snuck out the back door.
As Harry made his way toward the end of the block, he kept a watchful gaze out for any unusual sounds, any movement, in short everything. As he took the small measured steps, his arms started to protest due to the great weight that he was carrying and the fact that he had less than developed muscles. After he passed the first block, he let out a sigh that he didn't realize that he had been holding. His pace quickened, but his paranoia rose. He knew that it would only be a couple of hours before his disappearance was exposed and he wanted to maximize his time. From under his cloak he looked at his watch and realized that he only had another fifteen minutes to wait until his transportation arrived.
With five minutes left, Harry took off his cloak but he was careful to stay hidden within the shadows. In the distance, Harry could see the lights of the taxi coming; so he let it approach him. When the cab was just about to pass him, he picked up his trunk and walked to the curb. He then looked at the driver, opened the back door and got in with his trunk. Harry made sure that he had his wand in hand but kept it hidden.
"Where to Mister?"
"Can you take me to the train station?"
"Sure thing Mister"
As the car pulled off, Harry could have sworn that he heard a loud popping noise in the background. As the cab got further and further away from Privet Drive, he could have sworn that he saw a brief red light. As the cab left Privet Drive, the Dark Mark sprung up, and the cab driver saw it in the rear view mirror.
"What do you think that is?"
Although Harry knew what it meant, he told the driver that they were probably some really ornate but experimental fireworks. The driver bought it, and they continued the trip in silence. After about ten minutes Harry had to bite down on his lip because his scar was hurting him. From the pain, Harry could tell that Voldermort had just killed someone, but he could also tell that he was really angry. Harry knew that the Dursleys were dead, but he couldn't bring himself to feel sorry for them. Soon they came to the train station and Harry got out and paid the driver with some money that he had nicked from his uncle. Harry was extremely wary of the people that were in the station, and he made sure that he looked at everyone's face. At this stage in the game, Harry knew that the Order didn't know where he was and that he wouldn't get any assistance until well after it was too late. Harry paid for his ticket on the first train leaving and rushed toward the boarding gate.
Harry had just made it to his seat as the train started to move. During the hour long trip, Harry constantly scanned the train. He somewhat calmed down when he reached London proper, but his senses were sent into upheaval when he saw a man wearing a trench coat that had looked like robes in the dark. Outside the station Harry hailed another taxi and had it drop him off a block away from the Leaky Cauldron.
As Harry made his way into the Wizarding Pub, he was quite relieved to find out that there were no people in the pub, but then again it was four in the morning. Harry put on his cloak before fully entering the pub and covered his features. Harry quickly made his way toward Tom the Barkeep, but he did take the time to make a cursory scan of the room.
"Tom do you have any available rooms?"
Tom could see that Harry was trying to remain incognito, so grabbed some keys and made his way toward the stairs. Harry followed him, while taking out his moneybag. When they arrived at the room, he motioned for Tom to follow him into the room. Once inside, Harry took his key out of the bag and handed it over to Tom.
"Tom, it's me Harry, I want to stay in this room for a day, two at most. However, I am being hunted so it is crucial that you deny seeing me." Harry waited until Tom nodded and then asked his next questions. "When do Gringotts and the other Diagon Alley stores open?" "Harry, Gringotts stays open 24 hours a day and the other stores open at seven o'clock."
"Thanks Tom...does this room have floo access, and any protection spells on it?"
"Yes on both counts. The floo powder is in that little pot, and this is actually the most secure room in the building. This is where the Minister room when he stays,"
"Thanks Tom, you have been a real big help."
With that Tom left the room, and headed back to the bar to count the money. As soon as Harry knew that the coast was clear, he stealthily snuck out of the room, put on his invisibility cloak and made his way to Diagon Alley. Once he exited the back alleyway, he took out his wand and tapped the third brick.
Once he was in Diagon Alley, he knew that he would spend the day there stocking up on supplies. All along the walls, he saw flyers notifying him that all the stores were having massive clearance sales. Harry took it to mean that the stores weren't doing well because Witches and Wizards weren't venturing out of there homes to shop, and if they did, they didn't stay long. As Harry was walking, he scanned the storefront looking for any unsavory characters. Before entering the goblin run bank, Harry bent down and picked up one of the flyers from off the floor.
Once inside the bank, Harry went to a dark corner and took off his invisibility cloak, but kept his other cloak up so that his face remained hidden. As he reemerged from the shadows, he quickly made his way to the first available counter. The attending goblin gave him a scathing look before saying "Key Please" Harry handed over his key and lowered his hood and asked, "Is there anyone that I can talk to because I have some questions about my account." The goblin took one look at the key and his head immediately jerked up and he stared at Harry with what looked like fear. "Certainly Mister Potter, please excuse me for my rudeness." Harry was a little taken aback by the sudden change in the goblins demeanor but he let it skip. "No problem...by the way is Griphook here?" The goblin's face was unreadable but he answered in the affirmative. "I will get him for you while you wait for the first available bank manager." Harry thanked the goblin and went to have a seat.
While waiting, Harry took out the flyer and was astounded by the spell work that went into making it. The sheet was a normal piece of parchment, but it had been enchanted so that the sales for various stores would pop out at different intervals. Once a certain time limit was expended, the parchment would go blank and then the advert for another store would come up. Harry amused himself by looking at the ads and comparing them to muggle commercials. During his wait, Harry saw several useful sales going on like the closeout sale at the magical menagerie, the clearance sale at Lexus Luggage, and the closing clear out sale at Flourish and Blotts. Even Ollivanders was having a promotional sale.
Before Harry could think about the sales further, a relatively harried looking goblin nearly ran into him. "Does Mister Potter wish to speak to Griphook?"
"Sure...How are you doing Griphook?"
"These are troubled times Mister Potter, but I am as good as can be expected."
"That's good to hear. Say Griphook, do you know why there are so many sales going on?"
"Yes Mr. Potter, all the stores are closing their doors because sales aren't what they used to be, they are preparing to transfer all their sales to owl order. It's much safer that way." Harry nodded.
"So what brings you to Diagon Alley Mister Potter?"
"Well, I haven't been able to come over the past several years, and there are some purchases that I would like to make without being hounded" answered Harry somewhat cryptically. "Also, I was wondering about my funds since I have never received an official statement."
Griphook looked mortified after that statement. "How is it that one of our largest accountholders doesn't get statements? Do you know who handles your financial matters?"
"No, that's why I am here now."
"Well, right this way. The manager will answer all of your questions."
Harry was led down a long, winding hallway, until they reached the last door in the hallway. Griphook knocked gently on the door and ushered Harry into the office. Once Harry had settled into one of the comfortable chairs, he was immediately offered a cup of tea and some biscuits. "How may I help you today Mister Potter" asked an ancient looking goblin. Harry was temporarily rendered speechless which caused him to burn himself with the tepid tea. "Um...I was coming to inquire about the status of my account, I was wondering who oversaw my accounts, and I would like a detailed list of my transactions and holding...also I was wondering if I had any properties other than Godric's Hollow. If not, I would like to see any vacant properties that you might have available." Both Goblins were left staring at him for a couple seconds, but eventually they burst into motion and started getting all the required material.
After an hour, Harry walked out of Gunthers office thoroughly pissed at Dumbledore for withholding more information, but ultimately happy because he no longer had to let anyone else dictate his affairs. During the meeting Harry found out that his account was in the upwards of ten figures. In fact, Harry had so much money that the goblins couldn't give him an exact numerical value. In addition to being monetarily rich, Harry had more than 20 properties and shares in over 40 of the oldest Wizarding companies. Harry was particularly interested in a property that one of his ancestors had left him. It was a school that was called the Ashcroft School for Mages and Sorcerers. Apparently it was a contemporary of Hogwarts, but it fell into disuse when Andrew Ashcroft V was killed in combat against a Dark Lord. His daughter, Ophelia, was only an infant when he passed, so her mother sent her to Hogwarts to learn. However instead of reopening the school, she married the son of Godric Griffindor and Rowena Ravenclaw and decided to take up a teaching job at Hogwarts. The property was ideal for what Harry had in mind so he took the deed and an authority ring that would allow him to get past the wards on the school. In addition to all of the newfound information, Harry also filed his Emancipation Papers and was granted his freedom with the help of Gunther's contacts. Harry also had a new Wizard credit card, which he planned on putting to extensive use.
After leaving the office, Harry donned his cloak and stepped out into the storefront a new man. The first stop on Harry's list was Lexus Luggage in which he purchased four deluxe co lapsable auror trunks which in total cost him 1000 galleons, the next store was Flourish and Blotts, where he purchased two copies of each book which cost him about 10 thousand galleons. Harry went on to purchase a new wardrobe from Madame Malkins, several useful gadgets from an Auror's supply depot. Harry also purchased their entire selection of herbs, and 3 different sets of potion making supplies at the Apothecary. Harry bought several enchant able precious gems and jewels. He also went to Ollivanders and purchased a healthy dose of wand cores and enchanted wood and was able to get his parents wands, which Ollivander had been holding in the 'curious' chance that Harry would want them as a keepsake. The last stop that Harry made was to the Magical Menagerie. There he got several trainable baby animals like fire lion pups, newly hatched griffins, and two nice phoenix eggs. Harry figured that at the very least that he could give some of the animals to Hagrid for the Care of Magical Creatures class. Once Harry was satisfied with his purchases, he shrunk the four trunks with the press of a couple buttons. Harry felt really confident that with his purchases, he could really increase his skills so that he could be on par with Voldermort.
After storing his purchases in his cloak, Harry went down into Knockturn Alley. Looking around, Harry wondered what the big deal was. He wondered how the handful of stores could cause the entire alley to be dubbed as a haven of the dark. Harry quickly dismissed these thoughts and went to Borgin and Burkes. Once in the store, Harry found several interesting books on obscure dueling tactics and in the very back of the store he found a really ancient looking book on light and dark rituals. Harry was intrigued so he placed it in his bin. On the way to the checkout counter, Harry distinctly heard a voice demanding to be freed. At first Harry thought that there was someone trapped in the basement, but on closer inspection Harry found an interactive book on reptilian familiars, and parselmouth spells and hexes. Harry figured that Voldermort already knew these spells, so he picked it up. Harry justified his purchases by thinking that he had to know his enemy. When he got to the counter, there was a timid mousey looking man. Harry didn't speak a word, but just handed the man his card. The man looked at Harry and was about to ring up the purchases when he saw the parselmouth book. Once he saw the book, he stopped for a minute then just put the books in a bag. The man handed Harry his card and said "N...No Charge." Harry didn't question the man; he just took his card, the bag of books and exited the store. As Harry walked further into the alley, he saw that it was starting to get somewhat crowded. Harry decided to conclude his business after he went to one more store. In the far corner of the alley, Harry saw an opticians/ medical sign hanging from rusty chain links. As he approached the door, Harry distinctly heard the sounds of screaming coming from within. Harry built up his nerve and pushed open the door.
"What can I be gettin you young master?"
"Do you have anything to cure eyesight?"
"Yes we have enchanted contacts, we have the true sight potion, and we have the wizard corrective surgery."
"Can you tell me about the potion and the surgery?"
"Yes. The potion gives you enchanted sight, can be inserted into the eyes before sleep, but is incredibly painful. If taken it is suggested that you take a dose of the Dreamless Sleep potion unless you get off on pain. The corrective surgery is mainly for people who have lost an eye or two in battle. It is very painful, but the pain only lasts for three hours max. The drawback is that you won't have enchanted sight until the end of the week. Now that you know, how can I help you?"
"I would like a dose of the potion and some dreamless potion if you have it."
"Yes we do sir. That will be five hundred galleons."
Harry paid the woman and pocketed the potions. As he was leaving Knockturn Alley, he passed a street merchant and for some reason, he got a strange feeling. It was as if he was being drawn to the man. When he stood in front of the man, the elderly merchant said "So you have finally come Light Bringer" in an eerie voice. Before Harry could ask any questions, the man shoved something into his hands and smiled. The man said "Good luck in your quest" and vanished. When Harry looked down into his hands, he saw a seven inch vial of blue liquid, wrapped around the bottle was a sheet of parchment that had some information. The curious thing about the information was that it was written in a different language. By now the sun was overhead denoting that it was midday, Harry was really tired from his sleepless night and shopping spree, so he made his way back to his room. Once he made it to his room he unloaded his things and repacked them so that if he had to flee, he could ready. Harry fed and played with the animals for nearly half hour before his exhaustion started to claim him. Harry tiredly climbed out of the trunk and shrunk it before collapsing on the bed. Before going to sleep Harry tried emptying his mind because he could feel his scar prickling him. The pain had been there the entire day, but it hadn't been to bad so Harry ignored it.
When Morpheus finally took Harry into his forgiving arms, Harry had a very fitful sleep. Harry saw glimpses of Voldermort and his death eaters torturing the Dursley's, but later his dreams went to the normal scenes of horror. Harry saw his friend Cedric dying by the hand of Wormtail, but instead of changing to the resurrection, his eyes never left Cedric. From the corpse rose the hazy outline of an angered teen rebuking Harry for causing his death. Scenes like this plagued Harry' dreams for the entire night, sometimes alternating between his parents screams, and Sirius' death. Needless to say, Harry' sleep wasn't pleasant.
When Harry woke up, his stomach was growling louder than Hagrid's snoring. So he rolled over, started his daily hygienic cleaning, fed his animals, and made his way down to the pub so he could get a decent meal before leaving. As he entered the pub, he had his cloak drawn to hide his identity. On this particular evening, there was a tall man nursing an amber drink that had smoke rising out of it. When Harry sat down in an ill lit corner, Tom came over and started taking his order. Harry ordered a double order of fish and chips with a tankard of butterbeer. While Harry was waiting for his food, the man finished his drink and sat back on his stool and blew smoke circles. When Harry's food arrived at his table, he tucked in rather vigorously. Harry was so wrapped up in his meal that he didn't notice the man get up and start walking toward his table. However, Harry did notice the man when he got within a few yards of Harry's table. Harry quickly drew his wand and said "What do you want?" The wizard looked somewhat shocked that Harry could draw his wand that fast, but then he let out a small chuckle. "We have been looking for you for two days now, and you have been holed up in the Leaky Cauldron...Rather ingenious if you ask me, nobody would imagine that you would be hiding in plain sight. However, grandfather did say that you were somewhat crafty." When Harry didn't say anything Simon let out a sigh and said "Look my name is Simon Prewitt, Albus Dumbledore is my grandfather, and I am a member of the Order." Harry still wasn't impressed so he kept his wand trained at this unknown wizard. Harry then asked "What is Dumbledore's pets name and what type of creature is it?" "Fawkes the Phoenix" "Where is the headquarters and what will happen if you enter the house?" "On Grimmaud Street, and the portrait of Mrs. Black will scream like a banshee." "What does Dumbledore consider the next great adventure?" "Death" Harry started to lower his wand, but kept it aimed at Simon. "Why are you here?" "I am here to take you to headquarters, Dumbledore and Moody want to debrief you and your friends are quite anxious to see that you are really okay." "I'm sorry if this seems tactless, but I thought that all the Prewitts were killed during the first reign?" "That's only because my grandfather rescued me from the house before it went up in flames. He wasn't able to save my parents though. Since then I have been living with him and he has been training me." Harry was shocked. "Dumbledore trained you personally?" "Well not the entire time, my grandmother trained me for the most part, but after she past away my grandfather took over."
Before Harry could ask any more questions, the doors of the pub opened and Moody, Remus, and Professor Dumbledore walked in. "So, you have found Mr. Potter." "How did you find me, I'm quite sure that I have been sleeping for over a day and I was very discreet when leaving Privet Drive?" "How about we continue this discussion at Headquarters?" "Sorry to disappoint you professor, but I have other places to be." After his remark, Dumbledore sent him a piercing look, and then Harry felt a light foreign presence in his mind. "Get out of my head professor, you have no right to be there, and we aren't at Hogwarts." The presence didn't wane, so Harry started thinking about his childhood, and all the times he had been beaten or starved. He recalled all the times where he was locked in the cupboard crying, and the few times where he was beaten for crying too loud. Harry also brought up memories of birthdays and past Christmas'. Harry put a lot of effort into his projections and he felt the tendrils recoil. Once they were at manageable level, Harry raised his wand at Dumbledore and said "Now that you know what my home life was like, you should be able to deduce why I don't trust you. You have manipulated me, withheld information crucial to me, and at some points flat out lied. Now if you will excuse me, I have some things to attend to that don't require your assistance."
As Harry made his way to his room to retrieve his old trunk, he heard two distinct voices arguing in the background. Then he heard several curse being mumbled. Harry instinctively dove for cover behind one of the tables. When he turned around he could see Professor Snape appearing from beneath an invisibility cloak, but he didn't have enough time to focus because there were three more spells coming toward Harry. Harry had his wand out and used the Protego shield to repel the spells. Harry then shot two stunners, and made for the stairs. When Harry arrived at the top of the stairs, he quickly shrunk his old chest, and threw on his invisibility cloak. Harry knew that if he activated the portkey that it would be traced, so he figured his best shot would be to get to muggle London and leave from there. Harry's concentration was broken when he heard tapping at the window. In the time that took to regain his composure, there was a small pfft sound and as he turned to defend himself he was hit with a stunner.
When Harry came to he was bombarded with sadness, he lay in the center of Sirius' bed. As Harry sat up, the first thing he noticed was the stuffy air, the next thing he noticed was the unkempt order of the room. The most important facet was that Harry was now wandless. Harry searched his pockets and found that his trunks hadn't been tampered with, but he was also missing his invisibility cloak. Harry fingered the ring on his finger, but knew that he would need his wand in order to survive. Harry summoned his courage, and made his way to the door. On the other side of the door was a nervous looking Hermione, and a very angry Ron. Apparently their relationship had changed since the last time he had seen them because they were snogging like it was a competiton. Harry wasn't surprised that his two best friends had finally gotten together, but he was surprised that he felt jealous and resentful. When they realized that Harry was awake, Ron reluctantly got off of Hermione and she darted toward Harry like an arrow. Harry with his quick reflexes caught her and used her momentum to spin her around. "It's great to see you two. Congratulations are in order" Harry said more jovially than he actually felt. "It's great to see you Harry, I was so worried about you when Hedwig arrived at my house injured and then when we heard about the attack at your house. What happened?" "So Hedwig is with you. That makes me feel so much better." So Harry started filling them in to what he had been up to for the last few days, but he made sure to leave out a lot of information. As he was finishing his story, Hedwig flew down and landed on his shoulder. Harry stroked her feathers and made several apologies to his beloved owl, and after several minutes she forgave him and gave him a loving nip on his ear. "Hey girl, why don't you spend time with Hermione, she seems to be quite taken with you, and I don't know how things are going to be with me for the near future. I would hate for you to be injured and have no way to care for you." The owl was quite vexed and she let her master know it by pecking him nearly to death before taking off in search of Hermione. Harry sighed because his owl had misinterpreted what he said. He decided that he would find her once she had settled down and explain the situation fully. For now, Harry had bigger obstacles in front of him, the first being to get his wand back.
As Harry approached the kitchen, he could hear several voices which meant that an Order meeting was taking place. As he pushed the door open, he heard small snippets of conversations going on, he heard his name mentioned, he heard whispers concerning the ministry, and he also heard comments about his conduct being out of line. The last comment was said with a great deal of hatred, and he immediately knew that it had come from Professor Snape. As Harry fully entered the room the conversations immediately came to a halt.
"Ah, Harry I see that you are finally awake. This is a good thing because we have many issues to discuss with you." At this Albus Dumbledore gave Harry an appraising look before pressing on. "It has come to my attention that yesterday you perceived an attack and retaliated thus resulting in another charge of underage magic use being brought against you. As your magical guardian as well as professor, I had to confiscate your wand until after your hearing. I was able to avoid you being taken into custody but we must appear at the Ministry tomorrow morning at ten o'clock." After speaking Professor Dumbledore looked at Harry waiting for the youth to explode in emotion. However, Harry shocked everyone by laughing and then walking to the ice cooler to get himself a butterbeer. Professor Snape started to make snide comments about Harry being an arrogant fool when Professor Dumbledore interrupted him. "Harry this is a delicate matters; I honestly don't know why you think this is a laughing matter." Harry just stared at his elderly professor for a minute before he walked straight toward him. When Harry was standing directly in front of Harry he reached into his pocket and took out a neatly folded sheet of paper. After carefully unfolding it, he handed it to his headmaster. By now the entire Order was waiting to see what ace Harry had waiting under his sleeve. After reading the sheet of paper, Dumbledore handed the paper back to Harry and asked "Why have you done this?" Harry looked at the old man and replied "I'm tired of everyone controlling my life. I'm tired of living the consequences of other people's mistakes. From this summer, I've decided to live with my own mistakes and no one else's. That's why I taken matters into my own hands. I already have my parents, Cedric's, and Sirius' deaths on my conscience. Not to mention the whole prophecy business. Voldermort isn't going to stop coming after me and I won't put anyone else in danger." The entire Order waited patiently for someone to explain what was going on, but they were confused when Harry mentioned the prophecy because several of the members had seen the sphere break before Harry had a chance to listen to it.
Professor Dumbledore let out a great sigh and his age started to show when his eyes lost there twinkle. "Harry we need to have a long talk very soon because you are under some false assumptions." The headmaster then took off his glasses and massaged the ridge on his nose. "Until we have a chance to have that conversation, we must focus on the issue at hand...Although you have great leverage in the upcoming case, Minister Fudge is going to try to discredit you because he has an ulterior motive that you aren't aware of. By taking matters into your own hands you have pre-empted his political finagling. Harry, the issue that I speak of is Sirius' Last Will and Testament. You see Harry, when a wizard dies his or her executor is notified when a life essence sphere flickers out. The executor then sends the will through the appropriate channels for a reading." Harry and the rest of the Order listened to Dumbledore wondering where he was going with his spiel but they continued to listen. "However Harry, in Sirius' case there is a very substantial amount of galleons about to change hands, and Fudge is trying to get his hands on it. With Sirius being a convicted murderer, his claim to the money is shaky at best and so he is trying to force the Wizagamot to allow the ministry to seize the assets of all Death Eaters. It is also not a hidden fact that the Minister blames you for the drastic decrease in Ministry approval, so he will go to any great lengths to see that you don't get the money. With you taking matters into your own hands, you have basically crippled his movement before it came to fruition. I am quite certain that tomorrow's proceeding will be quite interesting indeed."
Authors Notes: I need a beta because I have some ideas for chapters of Mark of Merlin and Guradian of Magic. I can send you the chaps easily, but I don't have time to make some necessary changes before they go out. I got this idea last night and I just ran with it. Also, I plan to update the other 2 stories soon because I have a cache of unpublished chaps.
Kakole
I only own the plot and some characters; I don't own Harry and co.
HP and the Days of Forgotten Innocence One Fine Mess
It was summertime in the town of Little Whinging, and most youths could be found outside enjoying their summertime freedom, that is all but one. Harry Potter lay in bed nursing bruises received from his drunken uncle and stoned cousin. While he tried desperately to get to sleep, he wondered what he had to live for. He wondered why he opposed Voldermort in the first place. 'Why do I fight so hard to protect the bloody muggles when I don't even like them?' As he lay there pondering the sham he called life, Harry wondered if he should kill himself and save everyone else the trouble. Since he had returned to Privet Drive, he had been beaten, verbally abused, starved, and basically forced into slavery. Harry couldn't even send for help because his beloved snowy owl had been hunted by his cousin with his new air gun. Although his beloved owl had escaped, he hadn't seen her since. The only reason he gotten was his uncle pompously saying "I won't be threatened in my own house by those freakish people." Even his so called 'Protectors' were nowhere to be seen. On the fourth day of break, Professor Dumbledore sent Harry a letter saying that they couldn't take the risk of someone tracking to owls back to Headquarters or to Privet Drive. So in essence Harry was totally helpless and he hated it. For two weeks he had been degraded and made to feel less human; furthermore, he had been kept in the dark about what was going on in the Wizarding World. However, before Harry could further dwell on his pitiful situation, he heard the shrilly voice of his Aunt Petunia
"Boy get down here and make breakfast."
As Harry got up from his bed, his aching ribs seized up causing Harry to fall to the ground and writhe in pain for several minutes. However, despite the pain, he didn't cry out because he knew that it would only attract his uncle and cousin. After finally scrapping himself up off of the floor, Harry slowly made his way toward the kitchen. He figured the less noise that he made the less trouble he would attract for himself. However, this proved to be futile and ultimately had the opposite affect. In fact, the Dursleys had taken note of Harry's gloominess and decided to give him extra work. So not only did he have to cut the grass, weed the garden, and wash the dishes; he was also responsible for preparing meals, repaving the driveway, completing all of Dudley's summer homework, and work in Uncle Vernon's drill company for a minimum of 3 hours every weekend. Yet Harry didn't complain, in fact he did all the work without a fuss because all the work helped to keep his mind off of the previous terms events, namely the death of his Godfather, Sirius Black.
While he was preparing the morning meal for the Dursleys, his aunt lectured him about the list of chores that he had to do for the day. For the most part, Harry ignored her and nodded his head to give the allusion of paying attention while thinking about more important issues. After a couple of minutes of vegging (spacing out), there was a loud shriek
"Don't burn the eggs or you will be punished."
Harry realized that he had been spacing out and quickly reduced the heat and started distributing the eggs. By the time that he finally got to his plate Dudley had already finished his, and before Harry could take his first bite Petunia grabbed his plate and switched it with Dudley's. She eyed Harry who was staring wide eyed at her.
"I saw the portion that you gave my Duddlekins and I will not have you starving my boy" hissed Petunia. Uncle Vernon put his paper down and said "What's this...what has the boy done." Dudley laughed and almost choked while he gluttonously wolfed down the eggs and toast. By the time Harry had gotten to his room Vernon was yelling but he didn't even respond.
After changing into his work clothes, Harry made his way downstairs to find an empty house and his list of chores on the kitchen table. As he looked at the list, he figured that if he worked really hard that he could finish the work by noon and have the remainder of the day to finish his summer assignments and study his old course books. Unlike other years, Harry was now conscious of the great task that had fallen into his lap, he still hadn't come to grips with the fact that he would have to kill in order to live, but he had promised to prepare himself for battle. Harry still blamed himself for Sirius' death, but now the majority of blame was placed on Voldermort and Dumbledore. Harry had sworn to do two things in honor of Sirius. One was to hunt down Pettigrew and the other was to avenge his death; and in order to do either, Harry knew that he had to get stronger.
As Harry toiled away in the blazing heat, he mentally reviewed all the spells that he had learned over the years. He practiced clearing his mind as he cut the grass, and he worked on storing all the painful memories away while he watered the flowers. After a while he just went into autopilot mode and put all his effort into burying his painful memories. Before he knew it, the only chore that remained was to wash the Dursley's extra car. So without much hesitation, Harry quickly took out the supplies and got to work. While he was washing the car, his thoughts went back to Sirius, sure he had gotten over the majority of his despair, but the loss still hurt him deeply. However, as soon as these thoughts started to become too much for Harry, he used his newly acquired Occlumency skills to push back the hurtful memories. Once he was finished, he quietly put away the supplies and made his way to his room. Unlike the previous years, the Dursley's allowed Harry to bring his trunk, and more importantly his wand to his room. In some strange way, they believed that Harry would protect them if any unsavory characters came around. Harry had thought about it, and he wasn't sure what he would do if Death Eaters attacked Privet Drive, but he knew that he couldn't die until Voldermort was dead.
After a couple of hours, Harry was somewhat tired of studying so he leaned back in his chair and massaged the crook of his nose where his glasses normally sat. As he was resting his hatred and distaste for his life came to the forefront of his mind, and then came thoughts of his missing avian friend. He wondered how muggles and his family could be so cruel as to hunt an innocent animal. Harry looked at the wall near the door. The walls bore testament to his banging, there were dents in the walls and fist shaped blood stains from where he had tried to escape the room to save his first friend. He missed the calming affect that she had on him, the regal look she would take when she had finished preening herself, or the affectionate way that she would nip at his ears when she was trying to gain his attention. At that moment, while the tears were fleeing from his eyes, Harry made another pledge to take control of his life and take revenge on any and everyone that had ever wronged him. He knew that he wouldn't kill anyone except Voldermort, but he also knew that there were worse fates than death. With his pledge made, Harry Potter made plans to leave Privet Drive that day, never to return again.
'If I am to be a tool then so be it'
Harry's plan was quite simple really, he planned to sneak out of the house under his invisibility cloak and catch a taxi that he had scheduled. He planned on taking the taxi to the train station and catching the train to Kings Crossing. From there he would go to the Leaky Cauldron and spend the night. The following morning, Harry planned to go to Gringotts and take out enough money to rent a nice flat for the rest of the summer. While in Diagon Alley, he planned on doing a lot of shopping before most of the regular patrons arrived. After revising his plan several times, Harry started packing. He knew that the only thing hindering his plan would be the Order members or Death Eaters watching his home. However, Harry was confident that he could avoid them; after all, he knew all the hiding places and shortcuts in the neighborhood from his times of running from Dudley and his gang.
At about one o'clock in the morning, Harry stealthily made his way downstairs to the kitchen and placed the phone call to the taxi company with instructions to meet him at the corner of Magnolia Crescent and Privet Drive. He chose the location because it was far enough away from his relative's house to be discreet, but close enough to Mrs. Figg's house should something go wrong. After placing the call, Harry went back upstairs and carefully and quietly carried his trunk down to the back door. Once there, he donned his cloak and snuck out the back door.
As Harry made his way toward the end of the block, he kept a watchful gaze out for any unusual sounds, any movement, in short everything. As he took the small measured steps, his arms started to protest due to the great weight that he was carrying and the fact that he had less than developed muscles. After he passed the first block, he let out a sigh that he didn't realize that he had been holding. His pace quickened, but his paranoia rose. He knew that it would only be a couple of hours before his disappearance was exposed and he wanted to maximize his time. From under his cloak he looked at his watch and realized that he only had another fifteen minutes to wait until his transportation arrived.
With five minutes left, Harry took off his cloak but he was careful to stay hidden within the shadows. In the distance, Harry could see the lights of the taxi coming; so he let it approach him. When the cab was just about to pass him, he picked up his trunk and walked to the curb. He then looked at the driver, opened the back door and got in with his trunk. Harry made sure that he had his wand in hand but kept it hidden.
"Where to Mister?"
"Can you take me to the train station?"
"Sure thing Mister"
As the car pulled off, Harry could have sworn that he heard a loud popping noise in the background. As the cab got further and further away from Privet Drive, he could have sworn that he saw a brief red light. As the cab left Privet Drive, the Dark Mark sprung up, and the cab driver saw it in the rear view mirror.
"What do you think that is?"
Although Harry knew what it meant, he told the driver that they were probably some really ornate but experimental fireworks. The driver bought it, and they continued the trip in silence. After about ten minutes Harry had to bite down on his lip because his scar was hurting him. From the pain, Harry could tell that Voldermort had just killed someone, but he could also tell that he was really angry. Harry knew that the Dursleys were dead, but he couldn't bring himself to feel sorry for them. Soon they came to the train station and Harry got out and paid the driver with some money that he had nicked from his uncle. Harry was extremely wary of the people that were in the station, and he made sure that he looked at everyone's face. At this stage in the game, Harry knew that the Order didn't know where he was and that he wouldn't get any assistance until well after it was too late. Harry paid for his ticket on the first train leaving and rushed toward the boarding gate.
Harry had just made it to his seat as the train started to move. During the hour long trip, Harry constantly scanned the train. He somewhat calmed down when he reached London proper, but his senses were sent into upheaval when he saw a man wearing a trench coat that had looked like robes in the dark. Outside the station Harry hailed another taxi and had it drop him off a block away from the Leaky Cauldron.
As Harry made his way into the Wizarding Pub, he was quite relieved to find out that there were no people in the pub, but then again it was four in the morning. Harry put on his cloak before fully entering the pub and covered his features. Harry quickly made his way toward Tom the Barkeep, but he did take the time to make a cursory scan of the room.
"Tom do you have any available rooms?"
Tom could see that Harry was trying to remain incognito, so grabbed some keys and made his way toward the stairs. Harry followed him, while taking out his moneybag. When they arrived at the room, he motioned for Tom to follow him into the room. Once inside, Harry took his key out of the bag and handed it over to Tom.
"Tom, it's me Harry, I want to stay in this room for a day, two at most. However, I am being hunted so it is crucial that you deny seeing me." Harry waited until Tom nodded and then asked his next questions. "When do Gringotts and the other Diagon Alley stores open?" "Harry, Gringotts stays open 24 hours a day and the other stores open at seven o'clock."
"Thanks Tom...does this room have floo access, and any protection spells on it?"
"Yes on both counts. The floo powder is in that little pot, and this is actually the most secure room in the building. This is where the Minister room when he stays,"
"Thanks Tom, you have been a real big help."
With that Tom left the room, and headed back to the bar to count the money. As soon as Harry knew that the coast was clear, he stealthily snuck out of the room, put on his invisibility cloak and made his way to Diagon Alley. Once he exited the back alleyway, he took out his wand and tapped the third brick.
Once he was in Diagon Alley, he knew that he would spend the day there stocking up on supplies. All along the walls, he saw flyers notifying him that all the stores were having massive clearance sales. Harry took it to mean that the stores weren't doing well because Witches and Wizards weren't venturing out of there homes to shop, and if they did, they didn't stay long. As Harry was walking, he scanned the storefront looking for any unsavory characters. Before entering the goblin run bank, Harry bent down and picked up one of the flyers from off the floor.
Once inside the bank, Harry went to a dark corner and took off his invisibility cloak, but kept his other cloak up so that his face remained hidden. As he reemerged from the shadows, he quickly made his way to the first available counter. The attending goblin gave him a scathing look before saying "Key Please" Harry handed over his key and lowered his hood and asked, "Is there anyone that I can talk to because I have some questions about my account." The goblin took one look at the key and his head immediately jerked up and he stared at Harry with what looked like fear. "Certainly Mister Potter, please excuse me for my rudeness." Harry was a little taken aback by the sudden change in the goblins demeanor but he let it skip. "No problem...by the way is Griphook here?" The goblin's face was unreadable but he answered in the affirmative. "I will get him for you while you wait for the first available bank manager." Harry thanked the goblin and went to have a seat.
While waiting, Harry took out the flyer and was astounded by the spell work that went into making it. The sheet was a normal piece of parchment, but it had been enchanted so that the sales for various stores would pop out at different intervals. Once a certain time limit was expended, the parchment would go blank and then the advert for another store would come up. Harry amused himself by looking at the ads and comparing them to muggle commercials. During his wait, Harry saw several useful sales going on like the closeout sale at the magical menagerie, the clearance sale at Lexus Luggage, and the closing clear out sale at Flourish and Blotts. Even Ollivanders was having a promotional sale.
Before Harry could think about the sales further, a relatively harried looking goblin nearly ran into him. "Does Mister Potter wish to speak to Griphook?"
"Sure...How are you doing Griphook?"
"These are troubled times Mister Potter, but I am as good as can be expected."
"That's good to hear. Say Griphook, do you know why there are so many sales going on?"
"Yes Mr. Potter, all the stores are closing their doors because sales aren't what they used to be, they are preparing to transfer all their sales to owl order. It's much safer that way." Harry nodded.
"So what brings you to Diagon Alley Mister Potter?"
"Well, I haven't been able to come over the past several years, and there are some purchases that I would like to make without being hounded" answered Harry somewhat cryptically. "Also, I was wondering about my funds since I have never received an official statement."
Griphook looked mortified after that statement. "How is it that one of our largest accountholders doesn't get statements? Do you know who handles your financial matters?"
"No, that's why I am here now."
"Well, right this way. The manager will answer all of your questions."
Harry was led down a long, winding hallway, until they reached the last door in the hallway. Griphook knocked gently on the door and ushered Harry into the office. Once Harry had settled into one of the comfortable chairs, he was immediately offered a cup of tea and some biscuits. "How may I help you today Mister Potter" asked an ancient looking goblin. Harry was temporarily rendered speechless which caused him to burn himself with the tepid tea. "Um...I was coming to inquire about the status of my account, I was wondering who oversaw my accounts, and I would like a detailed list of my transactions and holding...also I was wondering if I had any properties other than Godric's Hollow. If not, I would like to see any vacant properties that you might have available." Both Goblins were left staring at him for a couple seconds, but eventually they burst into motion and started getting all the required material.
After an hour, Harry walked out of Gunthers office thoroughly pissed at Dumbledore for withholding more information, but ultimately happy because he no longer had to let anyone else dictate his affairs. During the meeting Harry found out that his account was in the upwards of ten figures. In fact, Harry had so much money that the goblins couldn't give him an exact numerical value. In addition to being monetarily rich, Harry had more than 20 properties and shares in over 40 of the oldest Wizarding companies. Harry was particularly interested in a property that one of his ancestors had left him. It was a school that was called the Ashcroft School for Mages and Sorcerers. Apparently it was a contemporary of Hogwarts, but it fell into disuse when Andrew Ashcroft V was killed in combat against a Dark Lord. His daughter, Ophelia, was only an infant when he passed, so her mother sent her to Hogwarts to learn. However instead of reopening the school, she married the son of Godric Griffindor and Rowena Ravenclaw and decided to take up a teaching job at Hogwarts. The property was ideal for what Harry had in mind so he took the deed and an authority ring that would allow him to get past the wards on the school. In addition to all of the newfound information, Harry also filed his Emancipation Papers and was granted his freedom with the help of Gunther's contacts. Harry also had a new Wizard credit card, which he planned on putting to extensive use.
After leaving the office, Harry donned his cloak and stepped out into the storefront a new man. The first stop on Harry's list was Lexus Luggage in which he purchased four deluxe co lapsable auror trunks which in total cost him 1000 galleons, the next store was Flourish and Blotts, where he purchased two copies of each book which cost him about 10 thousand galleons. Harry went on to purchase a new wardrobe from Madame Malkins, several useful gadgets from an Auror's supply depot. Harry also purchased their entire selection of herbs, and 3 different sets of potion making supplies at the Apothecary. Harry bought several enchant able precious gems and jewels. He also went to Ollivanders and purchased a healthy dose of wand cores and enchanted wood and was able to get his parents wands, which Ollivander had been holding in the 'curious' chance that Harry would want them as a keepsake. The last stop that Harry made was to the Magical Menagerie. There he got several trainable baby animals like fire lion pups, newly hatched griffins, and two nice phoenix eggs. Harry figured that at the very least that he could give some of the animals to Hagrid for the Care of Magical Creatures class. Once Harry was satisfied with his purchases, he shrunk the four trunks with the press of a couple buttons. Harry felt really confident that with his purchases, he could really increase his skills so that he could be on par with Voldermort.
After storing his purchases in his cloak, Harry went down into Knockturn Alley. Looking around, Harry wondered what the big deal was. He wondered how the handful of stores could cause the entire alley to be dubbed as a haven of the dark. Harry quickly dismissed these thoughts and went to Borgin and Burkes. Once in the store, Harry found several interesting books on obscure dueling tactics and in the very back of the store he found a really ancient looking book on light and dark rituals. Harry was intrigued so he placed it in his bin. On the way to the checkout counter, Harry distinctly heard a voice demanding to be freed. At first Harry thought that there was someone trapped in the basement, but on closer inspection Harry found an interactive book on reptilian familiars, and parselmouth spells and hexes. Harry figured that Voldermort already knew these spells, so he picked it up. Harry justified his purchases by thinking that he had to know his enemy. When he got to the counter, there was a timid mousey looking man. Harry didn't speak a word, but just handed the man his card. The man looked at Harry and was about to ring up the purchases when he saw the parselmouth book. Once he saw the book, he stopped for a minute then just put the books in a bag. The man handed Harry his card and said "N...No Charge." Harry didn't question the man; he just took his card, the bag of books and exited the store. As Harry walked further into the alley, he saw that it was starting to get somewhat crowded. Harry decided to conclude his business after he went to one more store. In the far corner of the alley, Harry saw an opticians/ medical sign hanging from rusty chain links. As he approached the door, Harry distinctly heard the sounds of screaming coming from within. Harry built up his nerve and pushed open the door.
"What can I be gettin you young master?"
"Do you have anything to cure eyesight?"
"Yes we have enchanted contacts, we have the true sight potion, and we have the wizard corrective surgery."
"Can you tell me about the potion and the surgery?"
"Yes. The potion gives you enchanted sight, can be inserted into the eyes before sleep, but is incredibly painful. If taken it is suggested that you take a dose of the Dreamless Sleep potion unless you get off on pain. The corrective surgery is mainly for people who have lost an eye or two in battle. It is very painful, but the pain only lasts for three hours max. The drawback is that you won't have enchanted sight until the end of the week. Now that you know, how can I help you?"
"I would like a dose of the potion and some dreamless potion if you have it."
"Yes we do sir. That will be five hundred galleons."
Harry paid the woman and pocketed the potions. As he was leaving Knockturn Alley, he passed a street merchant and for some reason, he got a strange feeling. It was as if he was being drawn to the man. When he stood in front of the man, the elderly merchant said "So you have finally come Light Bringer" in an eerie voice. Before Harry could ask any questions, the man shoved something into his hands and smiled. The man said "Good luck in your quest" and vanished. When Harry looked down into his hands, he saw a seven inch vial of blue liquid, wrapped around the bottle was a sheet of parchment that had some information. The curious thing about the information was that it was written in a different language. By now the sun was overhead denoting that it was midday, Harry was really tired from his sleepless night and shopping spree, so he made his way back to his room. Once he made it to his room he unloaded his things and repacked them so that if he had to flee, he could ready. Harry fed and played with the animals for nearly half hour before his exhaustion started to claim him. Harry tiredly climbed out of the trunk and shrunk it before collapsing on the bed. Before going to sleep Harry tried emptying his mind because he could feel his scar prickling him. The pain had been there the entire day, but it hadn't been to bad so Harry ignored it.
When Morpheus finally took Harry into his forgiving arms, Harry had a very fitful sleep. Harry saw glimpses of Voldermort and his death eaters torturing the Dursley's, but later his dreams went to the normal scenes of horror. Harry saw his friend Cedric dying by the hand of Wormtail, but instead of changing to the resurrection, his eyes never left Cedric. From the corpse rose the hazy outline of an angered teen rebuking Harry for causing his death. Scenes like this plagued Harry' dreams for the entire night, sometimes alternating between his parents screams, and Sirius' death. Needless to say, Harry' sleep wasn't pleasant.
When Harry woke up, his stomach was growling louder than Hagrid's snoring. So he rolled over, started his daily hygienic cleaning, fed his animals, and made his way down to the pub so he could get a decent meal before leaving. As he entered the pub, he had his cloak drawn to hide his identity. On this particular evening, there was a tall man nursing an amber drink that had smoke rising out of it. When Harry sat down in an ill lit corner, Tom came over and started taking his order. Harry ordered a double order of fish and chips with a tankard of butterbeer. While Harry was waiting for his food, the man finished his drink and sat back on his stool and blew smoke circles. When Harry's food arrived at his table, he tucked in rather vigorously. Harry was so wrapped up in his meal that he didn't notice the man get up and start walking toward his table. However, Harry did notice the man when he got within a few yards of Harry's table. Harry quickly drew his wand and said "What do you want?" The wizard looked somewhat shocked that Harry could draw his wand that fast, but then he let out a small chuckle. "We have been looking for you for two days now, and you have been holed up in the Leaky Cauldron...Rather ingenious if you ask me, nobody would imagine that you would be hiding in plain sight. However, grandfather did say that you were somewhat crafty." When Harry didn't say anything Simon let out a sigh and said "Look my name is Simon Prewitt, Albus Dumbledore is my grandfather, and I am a member of the Order." Harry still wasn't impressed so he kept his wand trained at this unknown wizard. Harry then asked "What is Dumbledore's pets name and what type of creature is it?" "Fawkes the Phoenix" "Where is the headquarters and what will happen if you enter the house?" "On Grimmaud Street, and the portrait of Mrs. Black will scream like a banshee." "What does Dumbledore consider the next great adventure?" "Death" Harry started to lower his wand, but kept it aimed at Simon. "Why are you here?" "I am here to take you to headquarters, Dumbledore and Moody want to debrief you and your friends are quite anxious to see that you are really okay." "I'm sorry if this seems tactless, but I thought that all the Prewitts were killed during the first reign?" "That's only because my grandfather rescued me from the house before it went up in flames. He wasn't able to save my parents though. Since then I have been living with him and he has been training me." Harry was shocked. "Dumbledore trained you personally?" "Well not the entire time, my grandmother trained me for the most part, but after she past away my grandfather took over."
Before Harry could ask any more questions, the doors of the pub opened and Moody, Remus, and Professor Dumbledore walked in. "So, you have found Mr. Potter." "How did you find me, I'm quite sure that I have been sleeping for over a day and I was very discreet when leaving Privet Drive?" "How about we continue this discussion at Headquarters?" "Sorry to disappoint you professor, but I have other places to be." After his remark, Dumbledore sent him a piercing look, and then Harry felt a light foreign presence in his mind. "Get out of my head professor, you have no right to be there, and we aren't at Hogwarts." The presence didn't wane, so Harry started thinking about his childhood, and all the times he had been beaten or starved. He recalled all the times where he was locked in the cupboard crying, and the few times where he was beaten for crying too loud. Harry also brought up memories of birthdays and past Christmas'. Harry put a lot of effort into his projections and he felt the tendrils recoil. Once they were at manageable level, Harry raised his wand at Dumbledore and said "Now that you know what my home life was like, you should be able to deduce why I don't trust you. You have manipulated me, withheld information crucial to me, and at some points flat out lied. Now if you will excuse me, I have some things to attend to that don't require your assistance."
As Harry made his way to his room to retrieve his old trunk, he heard two distinct voices arguing in the background. Then he heard several curse being mumbled. Harry instinctively dove for cover behind one of the tables. When he turned around he could see Professor Snape appearing from beneath an invisibility cloak, but he didn't have enough time to focus because there were three more spells coming toward Harry. Harry had his wand out and used the Protego shield to repel the spells. Harry then shot two stunners, and made for the stairs. When Harry arrived at the top of the stairs, he quickly shrunk his old chest, and threw on his invisibility cloak. Harry knew that if he activated the portkey that it would be traced, so he figured his best shot would be to get to muggle London and leave from there. Harry's concentration was broken when he heard tapping at the window. In the time that took to regain his composure, there was a small pfft sound and as he turned to defend himself he was hit with a stunner.
When Harry came to he was bombarded with sadness, he lay in the center of Sirius' bed. As Harry sat up, the first thing he noticed was the stuffy air, the next thing he noticed was the unkempt order of the room. The most important facet was that Harry was now wandless. Harry searched his pockets and found that his trunks hadn't been tampered with, but he was also missing his invisibility cloak. Harry fingered the ring on his finger, but knew that he would need his wand in order to survive. Harry summoned his courage, and made his way to the door. On the other side of the door was a nervous looking Hermione, and a very angry Ron. Apparently their relationship had changed since the last time he had seen them because they were snogging like it was a competiton. Harry wasn't surprised that his two best friends had finally gotten together, but he was surprised that he felt jealous and resentful. When they realized that Harry was awake, Ron reluctantly got off of Hermione and she darted toward Harry like an arrow. Harry with his quick reflexes caught her and used her momentum to spin her around. "It's great to see you two. Congratulations are in order" Harry said more jovially than he actually felt. "It's great to see you Harry, I was so worried about you when Hedwig arrived at my house injured and then when we heard about the attack at your house. What happened?" "So Hedwig is with you. That makes me feel so much better." So Harry started filling them in to what he had been up to for the last few days, but he made sure to leave out a lot of information. As he was finishing his story, Hedwig flew down and landed on his shoulder. Harry stroked her feathers and made several apologies to his beloved owl, and after several minutes she forgave him and gave him a loving nip on his ear. "Hey girl, why don't you spend time with Hermione, she seems to be quite taken with you, and I don't know how things are going to be with me for the near future. I would hate for you to be injured and have no way to care for you." The owl was quite vexed and she let her master know it by pecking him nearly to death before taking off in search of Hermione. Harry sighed because his owl had misinterpreted what he said. He decided that he would find her once she had settled down and explain the situation fully. For now, Harry had bigger obstacles in front of him, the first being to get his wand back.
As Harry approached the kitchen, he could hear several voices which meant that an Order meeting was taking place. As he pushed the door open, he heard small snippets of conversations going on, he heard his name mentioned, he heard whispers concerning the ministry, and he also heard comments about his conduct being out of line. The last comment was said with a great deal of hatred, and he immediately knew that it had come from Professor Snape. As Harry fully entered the room the conversations immediately came to a halt.
"Ah, Harry I see that you are finally awake. This is a good thing because we have many issues to discuss with you." At this Albus Dumbledore gave Harry an appraising look before pressing on. "It has come to my attention that yesterday you perceived an attack and retaliated thus resulting in another charge of underage magic use being brought against you. As your magical guardian as well as professor, I had to confiscate your wand until after your hearing. I was able to avoid you being taken into custody but we must appear at the Ministry tomorrow morning at ten o'clock." After speaking Professor Dumbledore looked at Harry waiting for the youth to explode in emotion. However, Harry shocked everyone by laughing and then walking to the ice cooler to get himself a butterbeer. Professor Snape started to make snide comments about Harry being an arrogant fool when Professor Dumbledore interrupted him. "Harry this is a delicate matters; I honestly don't know why you think this is a laughing matter." Harry just stared at his elderly professor for a minute before he walked straight toward him. When Harry was standing directly in front of Harry he reached into his pocket and took out a neatly folded sheet of paper. After carefully unfolding it, he handed it to his headmaster. By now the entire Order was waiting to see what ace Harry had waiting under his sleeve. After reading the sheet of paper, Dumbledore handed the paper back to Harry and asked "Why have you done this?" Harry looked at the old man and replied "I'm tired of everyone controlling my life. I'm tired of living the consequences of other people's mistakes. From this summer, I've decided to live with my own mistakes and no one else's. That's why I taken matters into my own hands. I already have my parents, Cedric's, and Sirius' deaths on my conscience. Not to mention the whole prophecy business. Voldermort isn't going to stop coming after me and I won't put anyone else in danger." The entire Order waited patiently for someone to explain what was going on, but they were confused when Harry mentioned the prophecy because several of the members had seen the sphere break before Harry had a chance to listen to it.
Professor Dumbledore let out a great sigh and his age started to show when his eyes lost there twinkle. "Harry we need to have a long talk very soon because you are under some false assumptions." The headmaster then took off his glasses and massaged the ridge on his nose. "Until we have a chance to have that conversation, we must focus on the issue at hand...Although you have great leverage in the upcoming case, Minister Fudge is going to try to discredit you because he has an ulterior motive that you aren't aware of. By taking matters into your own hands you have pre-empted his political finagling. Harry, the issue that I speak of is Sirius' Last Will and Testament. You see Harry, when a wizard dies his or her executor is notified when a life essence sphere flickers out. The executor then sends the will through the appropriate channels for a reading." Harry and the rest of the Order listened to Dumbledore wondering where he was going with his spiel but they continued to listen. "However Harry, in Sirius' case there is a very substantial amount of galleons about to change hands, and Fudge is trying to get his hands on it. With Sirius being a convicted murderer, his claim to the money is shaky at best and so he is trying to force the Wizagamot to allow the ministry to seize the assets of all Death Eaters. It is also not a hidden fact that the Minister blames you for the drastic decrease in Ministry approval, so he will go to any great lengths to see that you don't get the money. With you taking matters into your own hands, you have basically crippled his movement before it came to fruition. I am quite certain that tomorrow's proceeding will be quite interesting indeed."
Authors Notes: I need a beta because I have some ideas for chapters of Mark of Merlin and Guradian of Magic. I can send you the chaps easily, but I don't have time to make some necessary changes before they go out. I got this idea last night and I just ran with it. Also, I plan to update the other 2 stories soon because I have a cache of unpublished chaps.
Kakole