A/N: Hi there, I know it may seem odd to post fanficton now that DH has been released but I hope you like this story. I won't reveal anymore of the plot than I already have but I will say that this will be a Harry/Hermione story. Enjoy.

Chapter 1- Harry gets a message.

It was a hot July evening. All of the residents at Privet Drive had their windows thrown open in hopes of tempting a non-existent breeze. An electronic whirr could be heard from some houses that had decided to buy air-conditioning units. In the smallest bedroom at Number Four Privet Drive a young boy of about fifteen with very messy jet black hair and startling emerald green eyes was lying on his bed polishing a broomstick. This might seem unusual to some people but for him it was normal. This boy's name was Harry Potter, a very powerful wizard.

He had returned from Hogwarts, his school, after competing in the Tri-wizard tournament- a very dangerous tournament held between magical schools. Harry had the misfortune of having to watch Lord Voldemort, a powerful dark wizard long thought to be dead return and kill a schoolmate. Needless to say Harry was sacred and angry. He had spent the last few weeks locked in his room helplessly reading everyone of his text books, trying to learn as much as possible. Now that he had seen the terror of Voldemort he felt like he needed to be trained. Unfortunately no-one was giving him any information. Harry felt completely alone.

Even his friends refused to give him information, or rather, Dumbledore refused to.

"GOD DAMN IT DUMBLEDORE WHY WON'T YOU HELP ME!" Harry screamed in frustration. As if answering his call a phoenix appeared in a flash of flame. It looked similar to Fawkes except its tail feathers were tinged with silver. "Fawkes?" Harry asked in amazement. The phoenix gave Harry what he took to be a withering look before he deposited a letter in his lap before disappearing. Harry, utterly confused by all this reached out with a trembling hand and unfolded the parchment. Instead of Dumbledore's loopy writing he was met with elegant writing that almost radiated the fact the person behind this was powerful and wise beyond belief.

Because he can't help you, not in the way you deserve to be helped. But I can help you.

Harry stared open mouthed. Here was a mystery person he had never seen (or so he thought) who had just sent him a letter offering to train him. Given what he had witness a few weeks ago one thought sprung to mind. "Voldemort" Harry growled but before he could through the paper away it wiped blank and more writing scrawled across it.

No, and before you talk again can you just write on the parchment, it is less exhausting than making me use magic to hear you. I am someone who wants to get rid of Voldemort as well, however due to certain, restrictions I am prevented from interfering. I am offering you the chance to train with me. Do you accept?

Harry was floored. This person was offering to train him. However a few doubts lingered. Grabbing a quill he quickly scrawled 'Why are you prevented from interfering? And who are you?'

Once again the parchment wiped blank before the elegant handwriting appeared again. I will explain if you take me up on my offer. If you say yes I will arrive at the dawn of your fifteenth birthday.

Harry thought for a moment. What harm could it do? He could always decide against the idea when he arrived, and his birthday was the day after tomorrow, but then again what if it was an elaborate trap? As he was struggling with indecision more writing appeared. Did I mention Dumbledore did the same thing? Harry stared at it. It was then he made his decision. If Dumbledore did it so could he. Harry scrawled a quick 'I'll do it' and watched as the parchment erupted into flame.

Well at least I'll know what this is about now; I wonder what Hermione would say. Harry thought before he went into a sleep filled with dreams of the brown haired witch.

At the same time…

Hermione Granger was sitting in her bedroom at Number Twelve Grimmauld Place. She was going mad. Harry had to witness the rebirth of Voldemort and see Cedric die and he was being left alone. She was furious with Dumbledore for leaving him there. Of course everyone knew why she was so angry, even Ron was suspecting something. Of course Mrs. Weasley would mutter 'ah young love' whenever she saw Hermione. Everyone residing in Number Twelve could see it; Hermione had yet to admit it to herself. She was deeply in love with Harry.

In fact she knew she was as well, she just didn't want to admit it. She had even tried distracting herself with Viktor but after the events at the Tri-Wizard Tournament all of her feelings had surfaced. But now, thinking of Harry sitting all alone in Privet Drive she had become a driving force for getting Harry out of the house on his fifteenth birthday. It seemed that even Dumbledore had become afraid to challenge her on that front. After much arguing they had managed to talk her into staying behind. It was fortunate that they made that decision. Needless to stay she, like Harry, awaited his birthday. During the summer Ginny, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had been dropping hints that Harry felt the same way about her. Some of these had obviously made it through because she went to sleep that night thinking of ways to confess her feelings to him.

Harry's birthday arrived painfully slowly. It was ten minutes to midnight on the 30th of July and Harry was till awake, too excited to fall asleep. That day he had been wondering what would happen at dawn. In the last half hour it had started to rain heavily, almost out of nowhere. Harry looked at his clock, it read 11:58.

11.59

When it struck midnight there was a flash of lightning and clap of thunder. When Harry looked away from the window he saw a stranger in his room. He was wearing a black hooded robe that made it impossible to see his face. In his right hand he held a large scythe with a bright blue stone at the top. Harry had seen this image before. In muggle books it was the attire of the grim reaper or death himself. All he needed to be was a skeleton. It was at this point the man stretched out a frail arm that was so old his skin had been stretched over his bones to make him look exactly like a skeleton. Close enough, Harry thought. He was scared. When he was facing Voldemort he had felt like he was going to die but now he was sure of it.

"Harry Potter?" The man asked from underneath his hood. Surprisingly the voice sounded like it belonged to a young man, perhaps in his early twenties. When Harry didn't answer he gave a snort of laughter. "No I am not the Grim reaper. And no I am not here to kill you. I am here to take you to your training with me."

Harry finally found his voice; unfortunately it was around the most stupid question that was in his head at the moment. "Are you sure you can train me?"

The man snorted again. "Yes, I don't actually look like this you know. I have to appear like this whenever I visit humans. Outside of our realms my real form would blind you. Now are you ready to go?"

Harry's head was buzzing with many questions but he found his voice again. "I haven't packed or anything, I wasn't expecting you here until dawn."

"Oh damn, I forgot about the time change. I apologise, it is dawn in my land at the moment. And no you don't need to pack anything. You will just be bringing yourself and that stick you cast spells through."

"My wand. But wait…what about my friends; they will want to know where I have gone."

"Ah, this is the part I was hoping to avoid, especially with you, from what I have seen you don't like to hurt your friends so this will be hard for you to do. They must believe you are dead."

Harry gaped at the man then shook his head. "No. I won't put Hermione through that. I won't" However this produced mixed responses from the man; he jumped in the air whooping, and then became sullen.

"I thought you would say that. So it's Hermione eh? Good, I always thought you two should be together. But I am afraid that if you want to truly become powerful enough to defeat Voldemort then you must come and train with me. You are a very powerful wizard Harry, as powerful as the four founders. They all trained with us, as did Dumbledore and then Voldemort."

"Voldemort?" Harry said in disbelief. "Why would I want to train with someone who trained Voldemort?" The man seemed offended by this.

"Hey, I never trained that scum; it was one of us who went bad who trained him. I can't tell you more until you agree to come with me. I would suggest leaving a note first, here, give me your hand." Harry held his hand out, uncertain what was going to happen. The man raised his scythe and touched the tip of it to his palm and then to his own. He then conjured some parchment from mid air and wrote down some words all over it making it look like he had been researching something and had paused to make brief notes. He then handed the parchment and a quill to Harry. "Just write something about Hermione there, like you were daydreaming, her name in a heart or 'must finally tell Hermione how I feel'"

"Why are you so obsessed with Hermione?" Harry asked.

"Oh for pity's sake, are you that much of an idiot. YOU ARE IN LOVE WITH HER. THAT SQUIRMING YOU GET IN YOUR STOMACH WHENEVER YOU SEE HER SHOULD TELL YOU THAT!" the man shouted. Harry motioned to be quiet, before he snorted again. "I silenced the room. Now tell me, are you or are you not in love with her?" Harry looked down but then nodded. "Good and that is the reason why we must make people believe your dead, and she should know that you love her don't you think?" he said kindly. Harry gazed at him.

"Why do people need to think I am dead?" Harry asked.

"Because that way when you return their, or more importantly Hermione's, love for you will give you strength. The fact that you can love is your biggest advantage. You draw your power from love. And think about it, if Hermione knows you are in love with her, when you return you will probably get one hell of a snogging" the man said with a quiver of laughter as Harry turned crimson at the thought of snogging Hermione. "Now go on and write something."

Harry looked at the parchment. Already written there were, in Harry's exact handwriting were the words 'time' and 'High Elf'. He gave the man a questioning look but then drew a snitch and made its path spell out the letters 'HG'. He embellished them and then drew a heart around another set of letters spelling 'HG&HP'. "Done" Harry said, unsure of anything else to say.

"Good, now before you ask me about what I wrote I will explain it when we get out of here. Now first we have to hide this, with the appropriate materials of course." With surprising speed he swung his scythe and a pile of books appeared which he slipped the parchment into. "And now to make it look like a struggle…" With one fluid motion he swung his scythe high in the air before levitating it away from him. He then proceeded to clasp his hands together and bring them from one side of his body, over his shoulder to the other sending out gusts of wind as well as fire, thoroughly destroying the room. Her then carefully slipped the books into the chaos that was once Harry's room. "And now in order to leave you will have to declare that you no longer call this place your home." Harry nodded and said in a commanding voice

"I Harry Potter no longer call Number Four Privet Drive my home." The man nodded and stood up.

"Well Harry, lets be off. I have taken care of your owl; she will come here and then go straight to Hermione, who will be her new owner, is that agreeable?" Harry nodded. "Good, now lets be off, oh and by the way, my name is Knithsil, Knithsil Ashwrath. Now come along." And with that he grasped Harry's arm and disappeared into thin air. On the street outside the house a rat with a silver paw watched as the house seemed to glow for a minute, like a spell had been lifted before squeaking excitedly and running away into the night…