Harry Potter and The Time For War
by RBlack

Chapter 1 For whom wants to live. Or Die?

The sun reeled brightly through the windows of Number 4 Privet drive, a boy just out from his 5th year at his school abroad lay staring at the ceiling of his small room. It was 4 days after he arrived back at that cursed house. Squinting to keep the sun from his tear sown eyes, the boy asked himself, 'I wonder if I can die from depression?' This boy was none other than The-Boy-Who-Lived; however now it was more of The-Boy-That-Was-Trying-To-Die.Why you ask? Simply that Harry had just lost the only parental figure left in his life, one who he didn't even get to know well. Harry didn't want to die he just wanted his godfather back. Sirius Black – innocent but convicted killer, the one to whom Harry's parents had given the charge of providing their only son a life -- one that he never had and now probably never will. So he lay there not in self pity but lost to the world of all feeling except loss and pain. 'So many die for me. Why ? why?' Harry kept asking himself.

Two weeks later somewhere in Scotland, a tired old wizard of the name Albus Dumbledore was sitting behind his desk at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry wondering where he had gone wrong. His plan was so simple, leave the boy at his mothers sister's until he was of age to take on the responsibility of his fate. However, here it was nearly 15 years later, the boy was broken, his godfather dead, and now he'd found out the Dursley's (Harry's aunt and uncle) had mentally and physically abused the boy for the last 14 years. 'I should have listened to Minerva' Albus scolded himself. He knew he had to get Harry away from those people, but how to do it without destroying the blood protection that kept him safe, well that was a different potion all together.

Two weeks later Harry still lay there on his bed at Privet Drive, he'd only moved to relieve himself. Dirty, tired, lonesome, and now ill, his aunt and uncle left him thinking that he would be gone soon one way or another. A few days later Harry was near death when his cousin Dudley entered his room. Dudley, even though he didn't like Harry at all, had decidedly made up his mind that nobody deserved what Harry was going through and doing to himself. Harry had saved his life the previous summer and now it was his duty to save him.

As Dudley walked into the small room he noticed that it was spotless, nothing had been unpacked since Harry had arrived back. Dudley knew that his father hated the "Bloody Owls ," however Dudley could think of no other way to get word to Harry's "world" that he was in trouble and dying. Dudley eyed his cousin slightly, noticing that his skin was pale and his breaths shallow; there seemed to be very little life in him. Dudley eyed the desk that sat next to the window and noted the quill, ink, and parchment that Harry used to send "I'm fine" letters to those people. Dudley quickly scrawled a note.

To Hogwarts Headmaster,

To the Headmaster of Hogwarts the school that Harry goes to, you need to send help fast. Harry is dying, my parents are just sitting there watching it happen hoping for it to come soon. You must get him away soon or Harry will die.

Dudley Dursley.

Dudley saw the owl in its cage, he'd seen Harry send letters before and it was his only choice to get the letter quickly to who needed it.

"Erm owl could you take this note to the Headmaster of Harry's school, Harry's dying and he needs help." Dudley asked the owl. Hedwig hooted and nipped the letter from Dudley's hand and was off in a flash. Dudley looked back at his cousin as he left the room and spoke quietly, "Harry I'm so sorry for the years of torture. I hope when you get better we can talk." Closing the door Dudley left and all was quiet again in the small bedroom.

Albus Dumbledore was sitting in his office a few hours later working through how to get Harry away safely from his home of Privet Drive when a snowy white owl appeared at a window of his office. "Hedwig you ole girl what have you got for me from Harry?" The owl deposited the letter on the desk and flew to a chair to perch on , apparently waiting for a response. Albus opened the letter and quickly noticed that it was not in fact from Harry but from his cousin Dudley, as he read the short note the old wizard took on a grave look and then it turned to panic. Quickly he notified as many Order members as he could to meet him at Privet Drive immediately and told Hedwig to go to "Headquarters" and await him. Moments after Dumbledore disappeared, hanging onto Fawkes's tail reappearing directly into Harry's bedroom.

The moment he arrived he was driven further into grief, and even more was anger, anger at the "family" that was supposed to love and nurture him; instead they shun, berate, and physically cause him harm. Now they leave him to die. "Damn the protection," he said out loud. Just moments after, members of the Order were arriving. Tonks, Kingsley, Moody, Lupin, and Mr. Weasley were the first on the scene. Albus called them upstairs ignoring the screams and yelling from the elder Dursley's.

The moment those that had arrived saw Harry they went into shock, Tonks was in tears for the young man, and although she would never admit it to the rest of the order, she was clearly smitten with him.

With a nod from Dumbledore Kingsley, Lupin, Moody and Mr. Weasley simply walked back down stairs and proceeded to arrest Vernon and Petunia Dursley.

The old headmaster asked Tonks to gather everything that she could find of Harry's and take it back to headquarters. She nodded and proceeded to do just that.

Dumbledore gathered the broken and dying boy in his arms and apparated to headquarters, berating himself the whole time that if Harry died it truly would be his fault, for he left the boy there with those people.

To say the scene at Grimmauld place was chaotic was the understatement of the century. Mrs. Weasley, Madam Pomfrey, Ginny, Hermione, Tonks, and 2 mediwitches the order trusted set to their task of keeping Harry from passing, potions, charms, and muggle techniques were all being put into place. Three days later Harry looked better but was still in trouble.

Harry slowly stirred for the first time in weeks, opening his eyes, he noticed that his body felt better than it had in a month, also noticing that wherever he was it was not Privet Drive. That thought brightened his spirits some. Once he found his glasses and the room came into focus, he knew exactly where he was, and he also noticed 3 sleeping girls in the room all on cots.

"Why am I in the girl's room?" Harry questioned out loud. All three girls, Hermione, Ginny, and Tonks woke with a start. Noticing that their charge was up and looking better, all three smiled brightly.

Ginny spoke first. "Ohh Harry, you're awake thank Merlin, how do you feel?"

Harry thought about that for a moment then replied "I feel weak but much better physically, although I do believe that I will go mad with grief unless you get me out of this house." He finished.

Before any of the girls had time to respond the door opened reveling the Headmaster

Looking older than anyone had ever seen him. The Headmaster spoke "That will not be a problem Harry , as you won't be staying" Harry looked at the old wizard with fear in his eyes.

"You would send me back with them after all I've been trough? The abuse, the neglect?" Harry screamed out but soon lost his voice when the old headmaster held his hand up.

"Harry you will NOT EVER be going back to your Aunts. I have had them arrested."

They both will be gone for a very long time. "As for your cousin he's the one that cared enough to inform us that you were ill. In so, he is with us, downstairs as a matter for fact

Keeping Molly in the kitchen (he chuckled). No Harry you will be going home." He finished then sat down in a chair next to the bed."

"What you mean I'm going home?" Harry asked.

Dumbledore smiled and the twinkle in his eye glinted then responded "Exactly what I just said Harry, you need to go home, to your first and REAL home. To Godrics Hollow."

A look of shock now upon Harry's face, could he actually go home? Could it be true?

As if the Headmaster was reading his thoughts, he said, "Harry many years ago after it happened, I had the house repaired, yes your going home, and that's just the beginning of the good news. As for the rest I'm afraid will have to wait till tomorrow. Get some rest my boy." With that the headmaster stood up and left. The three girls fussed over Harry for a few minutes making sure he was ok and had everything he needed soon he fell back to peaceful sleep.

The next morning Harry woke, the girls were still in the room all awake and as soon as he stirred they all rushed to his side.

"Wotcher Harry, how are ya this morn?" Tonks asked.

"A bit overwhelmed I think" Harry noted. Then asked, "How come I'm in the Girl's room and why are you all looking at me looking like you just won a grand prize? "

Again before anyone could answer the door swung open and the Headmaster walked in.

"Well Harry a few things have happened since we picked you up. See you were very ill, near death. You have these three young ladies here to thank for your quick recovery. See in order to bring you back to us, these three lovely ladies invoked a very old magic. A spell of sorts, one that relies on only one requirement. The spell is referred simply as 'The Great love' I shall let the girls here inform you of the details, but suffice to say that your are much loved Harry. One thing I must make clear, is that it IS very acceptable in our world to love more than one." With that said the Headmaster left the room.

Harry sat wondering what exactly was going on, for minutes there was nothing spoke.

Then Hermione decided it was time to fill in the blanks as she could see that Harry wasn't able to grasp the details. 'Boys are so thick' she mused to herself then chuckled.

"Harry, let us explain. You were so close to leaving us (a tear began to fall from her eyes) we had to do something, we couldn't loose you, so Dumbledore told us of an ancient spell that worked from the love of three to another it is a healing spell. So we performed is that is me, Tonks and Ginny. We couldn't loose you. The spell requirement was that only three of the opposite gender with great love of the one could perform it.

(All three girls blushed deep red) Hermione finished.

Harry took what had just been said in then it clicked.

"You mean to tell me that all three of you are 'In-Love' with me?" Harry quickly asked.

Looking shyly at Harry Ginny spoke. "Harry you need to understand we didn't know if this would work, we had to confess to each other (pointing to the other two girls) of what we felt for you, when it turned out that the spell worked, we all accepted and welcomed it. After you woke though it was weird, a really nice kind of weird though you seemed to be radiating, well love to us."

For the first time in his nearly 16 years Harry felt it, and it was powerful, "The power the dark lord knows not," Harry mused. He was happy, his thoughts turned to Sirius, instead of regret and loss. He felt a quickening of happiness that Sirius had been right he was loved, and he could love back. He looked into his thoughts of Sirius and was content knowing that his mangy godfather was running in the after life with the stag he called father.

Harry looked to the room noticing the girls watching him while he was lost in thought.

"I feel it too" Harry said "I don't really know what love is, as I've never had first hand experience, but I feel it. Can you all teach me what it is?" Harry asked.

They girls knew that it would be difficult to keep away feelings of jealousy and spite with three of them loving him, but they resolved to be there for him and for each other.

A while later Dumbledore informed Harry that he would be leaving in two days time for "Home" also informing him that The Girls, Ron, Dudley, And Remus will all be joining him.

For the first time in his life Harry was feeling good, inside and out, his bout with death was one by three of the most loving ladies in the world. And to top it off he had all his closest friends, and Remus going to stay with him for the remainder of the the summer.

All except Dudley that is, Harry couldn't figure that out. Why had he helped him? Why hasn't he come to see him? He would find out soon enough though.

The next day those going "Home" were busy packing, as Harry hadn't even unpacked yet, he was left to his own thoughts for a few moments. "Home? Yea that sounds brilliant," he kept musing to himself. With a smile he sat and watched the chaos of Grimwald place preparing to send a few of it residents to his new home.

The next day the group traveling to Godrics Hollow left early as to have enough of the day to settle in and to get acquainted with the new house. They arrived by portkey with all their belongings with them. Looking around Harry couldn't feel that he already knew this place very well. The house rather mansion was 5 stories with 18 bedrooms each with it's own bath, 2 kitchens, 2 floors in the basement, 2 libraries, and many more rooms. It was as if there wasn't a battle in this place, it was spotless not the derelict of a building he expected.

"Wow, would you look at this place it amazing, I thought that your parents home was destroyed Harry?" Ginny asked.

Harry still in awe of the feelings and site of his family home simply replied "erm I thought so too" and proceeded to drag his trunk to the stairs.

"Which rooms should we take?" Hermione asked.

Remus was asking himself that same question.

"Well!" Harry exclaimed "I believe as this is my house and you all are my family I think that we will all be taking a room in the family wing, which is on the 2nd floor."

The group all headed up the elegant golden marble staircase to the 2nd floor hall. Which even before Harry's birth was called "Familia Penna" Latin for "Family Wing", once they arrived at there destination, Each noticed that plaques had been put on each door down the hall and the names on the plaques were changing before their very eyes as to indicate that the house itself was assigning their rooms.

They walked to the end of the wing of which a very elegant oak door was located, on the door the name of its resident appeared, "Harry James Potter Lord of Godrics Hollow".

Each of the teens as well as Tonks gasp, Remus was the only one simply grinning wildly.

"Harry you're a lord?" Tonks piped out.

"Erm, I don't know. None has informed me of this as to yet." Harry said look directly at the grinning ole marauder.

"Now Harry nothing to get upset over, we didn't know if the house would accept you, now that it has we are certain that you are now Lord Harry James Potter of Godrics Hollow" Remus calmly said. "You see Harry your father wasn't a Lord, Godrics Hollow is governed by magic and sometimes it skips a generation or two, in your case it skipped five. Remus finished.

"So you're saying that the house is alive right?" Hermione asked.

"In a way yes, this house carries the spirit of Godric himself." Remus replied.

The teens as well as Tonks were simply too shocked to say anything until Dudley who had yet to say anything piped in "Where's the kitchen? I'm starving and want a snack".

Harry who knew his cousins appetite decided it would be best for everyone to simply stow their trunks in the rooms and head off to find some lunch.

After lunch each decided that they would take an hour to unpack and then meet up in the 1st floor library to do some exploring in the house, to get to know it better.

Once everyone met up, they explored for hours, every inch of the second through the fifth floors were explored. Although what they had found on the fifth floor was a complete shock to Harry.

"WHY THE HELL DIDN'T ANYONE TELL ME THAT MY PARENTS HAD WIZARDING PORTRAITS HERE? I COULD HAVE TALKED TO THEM GOT TO KNOW THEM ALL THESE YEARS AND NOONE THOUGHT THAT I DESIRVED THAT?" Harry roared with tears of rage and happiness at the fact his parents had wizarding portraits made of them and were locked away in a storage room on the fifth floor.

"Harry James, you settle down. Its not as if it was on purpose sometimes it takes a bit for

a portrait to work, it just so happens that Albus thought that ours didn't work and save us from being tossed out when they rebuild the damaged part of the house. We didn't arrive in our portraits until nearly two months later." James Potter said look at Harry.

Each of the portraits were now hung in Harry's master bedroom so that Harry could get to know his parents.

"Yes, dear in any case were so glad you found us, we had hoped that Albus would have brought you here long before now." Lily Potter spoke up.

Harry still in shock of having the ability to speak to his parents had only one question on his mind. "Mum, dad? Have you seen Sirius?"

His parents looked at each other trying to figure out why they would have seen Sirius.

"Harry why would we have seen Sirius?" his mother asked.

"He, he died in June mum, he fell through the veil at the Department of Mystery's" Harry replied now shaking very badly as that fateful night came running through his thoughts again.

"Ohh son were so sorry that you had to go through seeing that, however Sirius isn't dead." His father noted.

"What? How? I mean I saw him fall" Harry was now at a loss for words, the girls seeing how shaken Harry was all came over to him to give support and comfort.

"Well you see its like this son, the veil doesn't kill like they think it does, it's a holding place and only those that have the love and need for one who goes through can bring them back. If Sirius did in fact go through the veil, you need to get him out immediately" James spoke thinking of all the dark wizards that the ministry had sent through it, hoping that his old friend would survive that horrid place.

"I'll contact Albus immediately" Remus spoke in a hurry, amazed and excited that his friend and the last of the marauders might be alive.

Remus ran through the halls to the nearest fireplace scooped up a handful of powered from the mantel and yelled "Headmasters Office, Hogwarts"

In a matter of minutes Remus and informed the Headmaster of everything that had transpired over the course of the day, and a plan was made to rescue Sirius from the veil.

Remus made his way back to the rest of the group and proceeded to explain the plan to them on how they would bring Sirius back. Many hours later after everyone was tuckered out from either discussing the plan or talking to Harry's parents, they all decided to head to bed as at least for Harry it was going to be a long day the next morning.

Harry fell asleep the moment his head hit the pillow and found himself for the first time in many years dreaming of happy thoughts and visions of a future that just might have something for him.