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Prologue

Eyes of an entrancing yet strange shade shone as they meticulously scanned the controls before them. Pale hands of long, thin fingers fluttered over the knobs and buttons, pressing and turning them until they were just right. A smile tugged at the corners of thin, pink lips.

"My boy," a gravelly voice started with a raspy sigh. Wrinkles etched their lines into every inch of the elder man's tanned face, especially where his eyes crinkled from the past nine years of unadulterated happiness. Combined with his long beard and hair of such a dark grey splaying over his upper chest and dark robes, the man could have been easily mistaken for the fictional Gandalf the Grey. Though his eyes were quite a few shades a lighter blue, the wise man had been a dead ringer for the Lord of the Rings warlock.

Shaggy hair fell in the eyes of the fifteen year-old young man as he pivoted around. His eyebrows scrunched as he attempted to blow it upwards and out of his face, but to no avail. Sighing minutely, he ran a hand through his ever-messy hair, pulling as much as he could out of his face, though most of it still flopped into his eyes. "Sir?" he asked, eyes rolled up to look at his hair as he tried new ways of tackling the tangled mop.

A smile crossed the elder man's face, crinkling the corners of his ice blue eyes once again. Reaching a hand over, he pushed the dark locks out of the boy's face. They fell back, but stayed out of his eyes, much to both of their pleasure. "There's no point." A deep chuckle rumbled from his chest as he pulled his hand back to his own side. Twiddling with his robes, the man grew somber quickly, the smile still staying in place, but the crinkles were gone. "I..." he heaved a great sigh. "Be safe. Please?" It was the first time the boy had heard any hint of desperation in his mentor's voice. But love was there too; which only served to fuel the young teen's excitement.

Resting a hand on the taller one's shoulder, he gazed up at his closest friend. "Always." The seriousness in his tone served as a small shock to the grayed man, but he quickly shook it off, enveloping the child in his surprisingly strong arms. The hug was returned with the same vigor from the boy, who buried his head in the man's chest with a deep, shuddering breath. His throat was tightening up and his eyes pricked. He didn't want to cry. He was going to be one of the saviors of humanity. Saviors do not cry. "I'll miss you," the youth choked out, squeezing his eyes shut.

The arms tugged tighter. "And I you." It was only a whisper, but it conveyed so much more meaning than the young man had thought possible. Sniffling, he squeezed the man tight and released him, stepping back and quickly shielding his face with his hair. He didn't want his mentor thinking he was too weak to take on the mission. He used the back of his calloused hands to wipe his nose before composing himself. He knew the older man noticed, but was ever-thankful he left it alone. "Are you ready to go?"

Nodding fervently, hair flying in every direction, the smile crept its sneaky way back to his face. "When am I not?" It was meant to lighten the mood, which it, thankfully, did smoothly.

With a small roll of his light eyes, the man hovered beside the dark-haired child as the teen climbed into the pilot's seat. Typing a few codes into the ship's main control system, the engine roared to life, purring healthily. It relaxed the child's nerves just to feel the ship rumble beneath him. This was it. No turning back.

A small pat on the head and the wrinkled man stepped back, headed for the exit. "I have faith in you, Harry." The teen's heart swelled at the sentiment. "I'll be waiting for your report of your landing," he added, and Harry didn't even have to look back to know the man was waggling a finger at him in a half-hearted way.

Chuckling, he replied. "I'll see you soon, Ab. It'll all be over in a matter of days once I get down there. You just wait." He heard the telltale click of the metal door sliding closed and sealing air-tight. A small beep echoed in the cabin a few seconds later and Aberforth's face appeared on the screen.

"Don't be too cocky now. I taught you better than that." The smile on his face displayed all the pride he felt in the boy.

It brought Harry to do something he had never dared. "Love you, Ab." He kept his confidence in his voice, hoping he wouldn't be shot down or reprimanded for uttering such a sentence.

But Aberforth was always full of surprises. "Love you too, Harry. Make me proud."

Harry's smile widened tenfold, almost putting the Joker to shame. "Mission accepted." And he launched the rocket into the black depths of space.

A/N: So this story will be told in third person all throughout, just for future reference. This is short, but, hey, it's the prologue, that's okay. Any criticism (be it constructive, praising, degrading) is welcome. I'll update soon, hopefully. Don't come after me with torches for starting yet another 'fic. Please.