Back To Bedlam

Chapter One

Death and Life

Disclaimer: I own nothing. You hear.

Summary: What if Harry was rescued from the ruins of his house by someone other than Hagrid. They and Harry leave England till they are stumbled upon years later. It's been done before, by mine is going to be different. Enjoy…

The Rhode's were just sitting down to tea. Jessica Rhode, the woman of the house, was dishing out the nights meal onto plates whilst her husband, Michael Rhode, ruffled his stiff hair angrily. He had had a hard day at work. Apparently the Minister suspected him of being a Death Eater so, having been cornered at lunch by a couple of his minions, he was led down to the old courtrooms and was questioned under Veritiserum. Having once been placed under the dangerous truth potion he answered all of the Ministers niggly little questions honestly, invigorating the Minister because he couldn't find any evidence. At the end of the interrogation the Minister was so upset that he demoted Michael just to relieve some of his own anger. Michael just wanted to quit but with their first baby on the way he needed an income. So tomorrow morning, Michael would start his new job in the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office. He hadn't told his wife yet, not really wanting to have to face her fury.

Meanwhile Jessie had just finished putting the last spoonful of peas on her plate. She placed the empty pot on the sink and joined her husband at the kitchen table. Tying her long brown hair back into a pony tail so it wouldn't fall into her food she sat down and stared at Michael.

'What's wrong?' She said bluntly. Michael spit out the peas that he had just placed in his mouth in surprise.

'Wh-What was that dear?'

'You heard me, you've been off in your own little world ever since you got home from work. What's wrong?'

'Your right, I can't hide anything from you can I?' He said quietly as he placed down his knife and fork and looked back at his wife. 'I've been demoted to the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts office for not being a Death Eater.'

'You're not serious. What happened?' She snapped.

'Well, first they took me down to one of the old courtrooms and was placed under Veritiserum. I then spent the next half hour answering all the Ministers questions. Well what I said, seemed to disappoint him. In the end he realized he couldn't convict me of being a Death Eater so he vented some of his humiliation through me. I now chase after wizards that sell biting doorknobs or swallowing toilets. My colleague is a bloke called Arthur Weasley, nice enough guy. It'll be better than working with some of those poor excuses for wizards that I used to work with.'

'How stupid can they be? Don't they realise they've already lost James, with him hiding and now you.' Jessie shouted, pushing her chair back leaving her meal forgotten. 'They don't understand what they're doing. Who's going to lead the case against Lucius Malfoy now?'

'I'm not sure, probably Sirius. He's as good as James or I.' He too pushed his plate away, uneaten. They sat in silence for a while, the only sound being the "drip, drip" of the water leaking from the sink tap.

'Why did he suspect you of being a Death Eater anyway?' Jessica said, breaking the silence with her curiosity.

'They thought that my knowledge of the Dark Arts was deemed worthy of being called a Death Eater. Dumbledore probably put him up to it, no doubt. That man is a bloody nuisance.' He got up from the table and moved around to stand behind his wife who was looking out the window. He threw his arms around her and placed his hands on her pregnant stomach. 'Listen Jessie, as long as I have a job and can provide for you and the baby, then I don't care what department that idiot puts me in. Ok?' His wife spun around and faced him, a small smile on her glowing face.

'Ok. You're a good husband Michael and you're going to be an even better father.' She said proudly, and then pulled him down into a kiss.

BOOOOOOOMMMMM.

Michael and Jessica jumped apart from there kiss and stared at each other in shock. Michael ran to the front door and yanked it open. He looked down the road just in time to see a green light fill the home of the Potter's. He called back into the house.

'Its James's and Lily, you stay here, I'm going to see what's happened.' He pulled his wand out and started running down the road to his friends. Hearing footsteps behind him made him turn his head sharply. Jessica was trailing him with a determined expression on her face. Biting back his emotions he turned and ran even faster as he saw another blast of green light fill Godrics Hollow. They were only 50 metres away from the front gate when a third blinding green light filled the house. The light was followed by an inhuman shriek that made Michael and Jessie's bones quake with terror. He stopped and waited for his wife as the wind moved around them, flapping their cloaks with its ferocity. It picked up in pace and made the shriek heighten in it eeriness. Finally reaching crescendo, the wind and shriek exploded in a force of power so strong that it blew the Rhode's onto the ground. Then, all was silent.

Michael got up first and helped Jessica up. They just stood there in the middle of the street looking at the site that was the Potter's home. Slowly, they approached. Their eyes blinking, not wanting to know the destruction that might have taken place inside.

Michael's Auror mind was already swirling with outcomes.

Three Potter's… Three green lights. Was the Potter line finally wiped out? James, Lily, Harry. They were all so young, my friends. Michael thought sadly.

While he was thinking to himself, his wife was crying. Already she knew that she would not find her friends alive. It was obvious as to what had happened.

Voldemort had finally found the Potter's…

Pushing away the pieces of wood that was once the front door, Michael and Jessica crossed the threshold into the Lily and James's house. Already they could feel the foulness of Dark magic. Putting himself in front of Jessica, Michael moved through the darkened entryway. He stumbled on something and lost his footing. Grabbing onto Jessie to support himself, he gripped his wand tighter and lit it to see what he had tripped on.

'Oh nooo.' Jessica moaned as the light of his wand came upon the object that had tripped him.

James Potter's pale face showed nothing but fierce determination. The man had obviously duelled with Voldemort. For it was Voldemort that had reeked this havoc, for he was the only wizard who could break Albus Dumbledore's Fidelius Charm. He didn't like the man but he did respect his power. But it was obvious that the old man did not have enough power to stop the Dark Lord. He shut James's eye lids and continued forward into the house. The thought that the secret keeper could have been a traitor didn't even cross his mind.

He saw that three magical signatures went up the stairs, so he followed them until he came upon Harry's room. Inside his light first came upon Lily's crumpled form on the floor. He moved inside and gasped as his light took in the rest of the room.

There, crying in his cot, looking at his mother's body with wide innocent eyes with a lightning bolt cut on his head was James's and Lily's son, Harry.

Jessica ran forward and collected Harry in her arms, trying to soothe the babe with kind words and soft tunes. Eventually, Harry stopped crying and stared at her with glassy eyes. Those huge green eyes pierced her soul and she knew immediately what she was going to do with this orphan. She bent down to Lily and payed her last respects to her dear friend, letting Harry touch his mothers face one last time. She then straightened and ran as quickly as she could out of the house. Leaving her bewildered husband behind to catch up, which he did, about 400 metres away from there own house.

'Jess, what are you doing?' He gestured wildly at Harry who was now asleep.

'Leaving.' She answered, continuing her brisk pace toward their house.

'What do you mean, "Leaving"?'

'I'm getting out of this town. It's not safe here for Harry, there are still Death Eaters about. There might even be a few right here, right now.' And with that she turned in circles, pointing her wand at anything that moved in the moonlight.

They had reached their home and Michael followed his hysterical wife through the front door, up the stairs, and into their bedroom. He then watched as she placed Harry down carefully on their bed, before pulling out their trunks and throwing things in them willy nilly.

'Don't just stand there like a stunned Flobberworm, start packing.' She whispered so she wouldn't wake Harry. Michael didn't want to argue with her so he started flying around the house picking up all the essentials that they would need to start life anew. The things like the television and the fridge they left behind. In record timing they packed four trunks full of all their belongings. Moving to the front door, they turned and took one last look at their house. Michael shrunk the trunks and placed them in his pocket, not before he grabbed a couple of cloaks though, the weather outside was quite chilly.

Michael pulled out a Butterbeer bottle and handed it to Jessica. He then looked down at the baby that was bundled up in his wife's arms. The only part of his body that was visible was his face. That cute little podgy face. And there on his forehead was the mark that would be with him for the rest of his life. The curse mark that was left behind from Voldemort's killing curse. A mark that would single him out from everyone else in the whole Wizarding world.

He was Harry Potter. The-Boy-Who-Lived.

Jessica then touched the Butterbeer portkey and just like that he Rhode's had left Godrics Hollow.

As they were whooshed away by the portkey, another magical person had arrived in Godrics Hollow. As soon as the humongous man cast eyes upon the ruins of the Potter's house he let loose a howl much like a dog would. The noise echoed around the town inharmoniously, the giant of a man than ran into the house and began a pointless search for survivors. The Potter's were dead. At least, that was what the Daily Prophets headline would read tomorrow.

And one and all would believe it.

The only people to no the truth would have left the country by then and were in no hurry to return and prove everyone wrong.

Note: Helllloooo. I just couldn't wait to finish RotE to start this story. And I know what your thinking and I have to say, don't worry. I plan to finish this story. I do have a plot for it. The chapters will get bigger too, this one was just a little prologue, if you will. So yeah, I plan to go on with this, I can't wait, it's going to be fun.

Do you like it so far?

Well I must go, got to finish RotE.

Toodles.

Flyin Eagle