Chapter 2: Black Dawn

Albus Dumbledore had never looked older as he stared at the gaunt ring sitting on his desk in front of him. He knew this was no mere Salazar family heirloom but what he and his former best friend had once searched for, one of three Deathly Hallows. The unmistakable triangular symbol could be seen etched on the stones glossy surface. Albus subconsciously tapped his wand, he now had two of the immensely powerful magical artifacts and the thirds whereabouts he was almost certain. The Potters invisibility cloak past down from father to son as fabled in the Beetle and the Bard was the most remarkable cloak he had ever seen. It never faded like most cloaks weaved from unicorn hair and it offered true invisibility.

Albus looked up at the sword of Gryffindor perched in its mantle on the wall. He knew that the weapon should be able destroy the Horcrux but still he hesitated. What if it destroyed the stones power as well? He knew he shouldn't be tempted by power but he would very much like to see his sister Arianna just once more and alleviate some of the guilt that plagued his heart. Slowly he reached for ring, running his finger along its cool gilded surface. 'Perhaps just for a moment'Albus thought, his judgement clouded. As he went to place the ring onto is index finger he was sharply interrupted by a portrait on his wall.

"Albus the ministry is in chaos! Death Eaters have struck all over the country and Albus there has been reports of a dark mark floating over Surrey." Professor Everard panted.

Dumbledore's heart sank, there was only one reason Death Eaters would be in Surrey but how? 'This is not a time to compose a hypothesis' he thought and went over to the grand fireplace in the corner of the room.

"Phineas go to the headquarters and alert the Order, tell them I will meet them there." Dumbledore said rapidly.

Phineas Black nodded his head sharply and disappeared from the frame. Without time to waste Albus grabbed a handful of floo powder and threw it into the marble fireplace.

"Number 12 Wisteria Walk." He spoke with force and walked into the bright green flames.

Albus immediately came out of the small cosy fireplace situated in Arabella Figg's lounge, or what was left of it. Tables and chairs were overturned, the wallpaper was shredded and all of the electrical devices had exploded from over exposure to magic. Clearly the poor squibs association with the Order had been compromised and Dumbledore didn't even want to think what that indicated.

A loud meowing sound brought his attention to behind the upturned couch. As he circled round he saw an abundance of cats with perhaps a touch of kneazle blood in them pining over there former owner. Albus was filled with sorrow as he saw the dishevelled body of Arabella Doreen Figg surrounded in a pool of crimson. Her cats were pawing at her tattered jacket as if trying to awake her from a deep slumber. He bent down and ran two fingers down her face closing her eyes. With her eyes closed she did in fact look like she could be peacefully sleeping.

"Forgive me Arabella." He spoke softly and exited the small house.

As he turned into Privet drive his blood ran cold. Smoke was rising from where the Dursley's house once stood and the dark mark's ghostly visage still lingered in the sky. With a speed that betrayed his years he made his way to house, scanning the area for any lingering threats. He appeared to be alone with the exception of the half dozen muggles staring at the carnage from their front steps. 'The ministry can deal with that' thought Dumbledore.

His attention turned back to the ruined house before him. The entire second story had been destroyed and the first had not fared much better. The lawn was strewn with debris and had deep gouges obvious evidence of spellfire. The glimmer of hope in Dumbledore's chest was begging to fade. He entered the house through the gaping hole in the front wall dousing the small smouldering fires with his wand as he went.

"Harry? Harry?" He wheezed but received no response neither could he sense his presence.

Poking out of the rubble of what used to be the stairs Dumbledore noticed Harry's Hogwarts trunk, somewhat charred but still in one piece. Shrinking it he put it into one of his robes deep pockets and continued forward. He checked the rooms he could one by one until finally he rested in the kitchen. The sun had begun to rise causing a steam of light to enter the room through the absent ceiling. The red glow combined with the blackened area gave the room a sense of foreboding. The room almost permeated magic causing Dumbledore's wand to vibrate slightly in the rich environment. A flicker of reflected light alerted Dumbledore to a small object on the floor. Kneeling down he picked up a familiar pair if circular wire rimmed glasses from atop a pile of ash. Fire had turned the glass yellow and cracks littered the left lens.

Despair overcame Dumbledore as his worst fear came to fruition. Harry Potter the boy who had always managed to overcome such overwhelming odds was dead. A single tear rolled down Dumbledore's cheek as he thought of the boy who had never lived to see his sixteenth birthday. Dumbledore knew he was considered leader of the light but it was Harry who was truly the best wizardkind had to offer. Burdened with the weight of the wizarding world Harry had remained the most selfless and compassionate person he knew. Already the world seemed a little less bright as he clenched his hands around the ruined glasses.

Loud cracking sounds pierced the silence interrupting Dumbledore's mourning, the Order had arrived. Dumbledore took a few moments to regain his composure and went out to inform his comrades of the grave news. Around a dozen assorted witches and wizards stood in waiting at the front of the house, their eyes alert and ready.

"Where's the boy Albus?" Mad-Eye Moody said in his usual gruff tone, his magical eye swivelling around searching the area.

"I'm afraid we were too late my friend, Harry...is gone." Spoke Dumbledore softly.

The reaction was imminent, Tonks's hair turned sheet white, Remus Lupin fell to his knees as if delt a physical blow and the rest of the order stood open-mouthed trying to process the situation.

"What of the prophecy?" Said Serverus Snape who was surprisingly distraught to all those who watched.

"Unfortunately fulfilled." said Dumbledore said piquing the interest of several coherent Order members who had thought the prophecies contents were lost in the department of mysteries.

"But that means-"Serverus was cut off sharply.

"Yes I'm aware of the implications but here is not the place to discuss it. Aurors will be here soon and our presence will only complicate things. Arthur may we head back to the burrow?"

"Of course Albus but why not Grimmauld?" Arthur choked.

"Sirius left the Black home to Harry in his will, without Harry it would go to Sirius's closest living relative which unfortunately in this case happens to be Bellatrix Lestrange so the enchantments may be compromised. Also I fear we may have a leak in the Order." Dumbledore said causing those around to pale even further. "No one here I'm sure but best we keep this meeting to those present."

Grave faces nodded their heads in agreement and sharply apparated out of Privet drive.

In a tall rickety home on the outskirts of Ottery St. Catchpole Ronald Weasley was awoken from an unpleasant dream by a very painful jab to the stomach.

"Bloody spiders!" He yelled sitting up on his bed.

"Honestly Ron, you and your arachnophobia. Now get up we have work to do." Hermione said loudly.

"Ah...What time is it?" Ron said whilst rubbing his eyes.

"6.30 now come on you promised to get up early to help put up the decorations for Harry's surprise-."

"There's no such thing as 6.30 in the morning Hermione." Ron interrupted closing his eyes and falling back into his nice comfortable bed.

"Ronald Weasley!" Hermione shouted but received no response. "Get up, get up, get up!" She said punctuating each word with a jab of her wand.

"Ouch, fine I'm up." Ron said clutching his side. "Now are you going let me get dressed or would you like me to help you half starkers?"

Hermione's face went bright red as she looked at Ron's bare chest. Muttering an apology she quickly left the room. Ron however was not upset but the happiest he had been in months. Hermione had decided to visit for a few days around Harry's birthday and he enjoyed having her around the Burrow. Whenever she was in the room he felt the most intoxicating mix of nervousness and elation. He had even made an effort to fight less with her and as a result they had finished all their summer assignments together. Most nights they had spent curled around the fireplace writing on their parchments and stealing glances at each other when the other wasn't looking. Without contemplating too much into this recent development in their relationship Ron got dressed smiling to himself.

He found Hermione waiting in the stairwell looking out the small porthole like window to the front of the property. Wondering what she was looking at he put a hand around her waist and stood beside her. She looked up and gave him one of his favourite smiles that she did only when he was around. Glancing out to see what had captured Hermione's attention he saw his father was coming down the dirt pathway to the house followed by Dumbledore and what looked like half of the Order.

"You don't think they are here for the party do you? They're very early." Hermione said raising her gaze to meet Ron's.

"I'm not sure, let's go find out." He said.

Hermione nodded and together they made their way downstairs. Pleasant smells greeted the two as they entered the kitchen. Ron's innate love of food brought his attention to the counter where dough appeared to be kneading itself and pans full of bacon and eggs were flipped by unseen hands. In the corner of the room he noticed his mother leaning over a cookbook labelled Charmed Creations.

"Good morning Mrs Weasley." Hermione greeted to his left.

"Why hello dear, call me Molly, Mrs Weasley makes me feel old." Mrs Weasley said with a laugh.

"Yes Mrs W-I mean Molly." Hermione corrected with a grin.

"Mum do you know why Dad is bringing half the Order to our house?" Ron asked.

"Oh is your father home? I hope they're not helping him with his silly idea to enchant a muggle fellytone." Mrs Weasley said worryingly.

Just at that moment Arthur Weasley entered the kitchen. Ron noticed his sunken shoulders and sullen withdrawn expression. He watched his father roll his chequered hat around in his hands as if working up the courage to say something.

"What's wrong love?" Mrs Weasley asked.

"I...we have some bad news." Mr Weasley said softly glancing in Hermione and Ron's direction.

Ron immediately recognised the expression plastered on his father's face, mourning, someone had died. Dumbledore came into view and placed a hand on his father's shoulder.

"Perhaps we could talk in the lounge?" Dumbledore took over to the evident relief of Arthur.

"Sure." Mrs Weasley said nervously and ushered the children into the living room.

Ron watched as the room filled up looking for someone missing. After Dumbledore Snape entered to his dismay then Moody, Tonks, Lupin, Kingsley and a few other members whose names he could not quite remember. His father sniffed next to him trembling just ever so slightly. He checked the Weasley family clock for his older brothers Charlie and Bill who he knew were in the order but they appeared to be travelling, even his unappreciative brother Percy was safe at work according to the magical clock hands. 'Who else could cause my father to be this distraught?' Ron thought.

"Today is the darkest day in our history," Dumbledore spoke solemnly "Voldmort has struck with a force he has not exerted since the first war and his first act of many has struck a most terrible blow. Somehow in the night he has managed to break the enchantments surrounding Privet drive. By the time I was alerted it was already too late, Voldmort had destroyed the Dursley's home and Harry..." He stopped speaking unable to continue and instead he placed the scorched glasses from inside his robe onto the table for all to see.

Everyone recognised Harry's signature glasses even in their present condition. Molly burst into uncontrolled tears and gripped her husband's arm tightly. Ron knew that his mother who even after having seven children loved Harry as one of her own. Hermione looked the most devastated and sobbed loudly into Ron's shoulder. Ron however showed no emotion at all as he was still in shock over his best friend's death. He hadn't always been there for Harry, his jealousy getting the better of him sometimes but he had come to realise that Harry was poor in the way that he was rich. Sure Ron had little money but he had a family who loved him and what did Harry have to go home to? The most repulsive hate filled muggles he had ever met. Occasionally in the Hogwarts dorms Ron would be awoken from one of Harry's nightmares about his poor treatment at the Dursleys and abuse at the hand of his brute of an uncle. Ron respected Harry's privacy and never spoke of the things he learned about his home life but the behaviour appalled him. Ron steeled his heart with anger and located the person most deserving to direct it at.

"You bastard!" Ron screamed pointing at his Headmaster. "You forced him to go back to those hateful relatives of his every summer 'for his own bloody good'." He mocked.

"Ronald Weasley." Molly gasped her eyes red from crying.

"They locked him in a bloody cupboard mum! They treated him worse than a house elf and you," he pointed at Dumbledore again "sent him there year after year promising him that was the only place he was safe."

This news astonished everyone inside the room and many started distancing themselves from Dumbledore. Dumbledore's eyes twinkled with unshed tears. He knew that Harry's relatives did not love the boy but he could never imagine that it was that bad. Harry had certainly never mentioned it in their meetings but then he realised in Harry's stoic personality he probably wouldn't.

"It is true I have made an old fools mistake of thinking that I know best for those under my charge but those blood wards are truly the strongest magic I have ever seen. I don't see what went wrong." Dumbledore said the latter mostly to himself.

Suddenly the fireplace burned green flames and out rolled a scruffy looking man with scraggly ginger hair. After a few failed attempts at getting up the man was dragged to his feet and surrounded threateningly by the tips of a dozen wands.

"It's just me Dung." Mundungus Fletcher hiccupped raising his hands in a nonthreatening manner. "Wait a second...this isn't my flat."

"You're drunk! I can smell the fire whisky on your breath from here." Tonks said with disgust.

"Am not." Mundungus belched to the infuriation of everyone in the room.

Moody grabbed the sad excuse for a wizard and shoved him against the wall knocking off a few Weasley family portraits. The wizarding pictures responded in kind with a few rude gestures.

"Where were you last night Dung? You were supposed to be on guard duty." Moody growled.

"Well I was going to but I just stopped off at the Hogs Head for a quick drink before my shift," Everyone frowned at this information "Anyway I was going to leave but there was this group of cloaked blokes who kept buying me drinks."

"You didn't tell them about Harry did you?" Dumbledore asked urgently.

"Nope didn't say a word about Harry duty." Mundungus said with a crooked grin. "Real friendly blokes though they wouldn't let me apparated away lest I splinch myself but I said that's ok I could just floo over to old Figgy's house."

"You idiotic waste of space!" Lupin shouted closing his hands around Mundungus Fletcher's throat.

"What?" Mundungus spluttered.

"They were Death Eaters Troll brain! You lead them right to Mrs Figg's house and Harry's. They're both dead!" Lupin said before getting yanked away by Moody.

Mundungus paled at his monumental blunder. He averted his gaze from the many murderous stares he was receiving and glanced at the open doorway.

"Not so quick there Dung." Moody rumbled "He must have been obliviated. I'll take him outside and see if I can't still jog his memory."

Mundungus's cries of protest were ignored as he was dragged out of the room. When Dung was out of earshot the room was once again silent except for Hermione's stifled sobs.

"Serverus mentioned the prophecy in Privet drive, what did he mean?" Kingsley Shacklebolt spoke up for the first time.

Again the attention in the room was drawn to Dumbledore. Dumbledore sighed and conjured himself a comfortable chair to sit down on.

"I guess there is no harm telling you the prophecies contents now that it has been fulfilled." Dumbledore said gravely and recounted the prophecy and how it came to be to all those in the room.

"Professor Trelawney?" Tonks scoffed. "She's a hack. She predicted I would get eaten by a dragon on my final year."

"A hack she may be but she comes from a long line of seers and this was no fictional creation." Dumbledore said.

"This is all too much, can we get some air?" Hermione said quietly looking up at Ron with a tear streaked face.

"Sure." Ron whispered back and led Hermione out of the room.

They both remained silent as they walked on a well worn path away from the Burrow. Ron was sifting through his memories of Harry occasionally smiling at the good times he had enjoyed with his best friend before being abruptly reminded that they would never have anymore again. He thought of the hardships Harry had faced and how he always managed to pull through. Harry was perhaps foolish at times rushing into danger headfirst but that's just who he was. His friends were his family and he would do anything for them. 'So why wasn't there anyone there for Harry?' This thought was what plagued Ron the most. Harry who had protected Ron and Hermione on countless occasions had died alone. He wished that he had told Dumbledore to stick it where the wand don't shine and rescued Harry like he and his brothers had done his second year but all his regrets were futile.

"Why didn't he tell us about the prophecy?" Hermione asked finally breaking the silence.

"He probably didn't want us to worry, typical Harry move." Ron said causing Hermione to emit a small laugh between sobs.

"Yeah that's our Harry." Hermione choked.

Ron led Hermione to a willow at the edge of their family's pond to sit down. In the shade of the tree they sat talking about their closest friend until the sun had travelled well into the sky. Unknown to them a figure was watching them from the other side of pond, hidden amongst a clump of reeds. This figure had many common elements with the boy Ron and Hermione described. He had wild untameable hair but was a dirty blonde instead of jet black. The figures face had many similar features with the boy who lived but was more angular and streamlined. The one thing that did not differ was his striking green eyes although they were not hidden behind a pair of glasses as Harry's usually was. The figure stood watching in solace for sometime before turning his back and disappearing in a plume of flame.

"Did you just see something?" Hermione asked scanning the other side of the pond.

"It's probably just a garden gnome." Ron replied and Hermione didn't give it another thought.

Authors Note: Sorry guys for the late update. The next chapter Crossroads is where the story will really start to heat up. I think I really nailed the essence of Dung in this chapter though. Please review what you think of the story so far.