Harry Potter and the Power of One

Chapter 1: A Dudley Situation

Full Summary: AU Sixth Year. Voldemort is on the rampage, and sources say he is planning on stepping up his game to kill Harry. Protection at Privet Drive is strengthened tenfold, and a deadly summer ensues. Harry begins his Sixth Year with a new perspective after tragedy strikes. If Voldemort wants a war, he's going to get one.

A/N: Hi guys! I'm kind of new at this, so go easy on me! This will be a fairly long story, and since I'm just finishing school and have exams to study for, it will be updated every 1-2 weeks. I hope you all enjoy it! Please Review, as I need them to feed my muse!

Disclaimer: As you can see, I'm not J.K. Rowling. If I was I wouldn't be writing on here! All recognizable characters and themes belong to the lovely Queen Rowling, and anything you don't recognize came from me. I'm just playing in her sand box!

Fifteen-year-old Harry Potter lay in his small bedroom at Number Four, Privet Drive, staring listlessly at the ceiling. He had only been at the Dursley's for a week since summer break began, yet it seemed like months to him. You see, Harry Potter wasn't a normal teenage boy. No, he was a wizard. A famous wizard for having "killed" a Dark Lord when he was a baby, and one that is destined to save the entire wizarding world. He was most commonly known as the "Boy-Who-Lived", The Youngest Seeker in a Century, and now the "Chosen One". His school, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, had just ended for the summer. Every summer he was forced to come back and spend weeks with the Dursleys. His only living relatives. However, they didn't enjoy his company very much. The feeling was mutual.

'Maybe if I had remembered to use the stupid mirror, Sirius would still be alive,' Harry thought, rolling over to check the time. The clock on his bedside table glared back at him, 2:04am. Harry groaned and rolled back over. He was grieving the loss of Sirius Black, his Godfather, who had died in the Department of Mysteries just weeks earlier. Every time Harry went to sleep, all he could see was his Godfather's accusing face staring back at him in his nightmares.

'I'm such a git for letting it happen. Hermione's right, I do have a saving-people thing, and it's just getting everyone I care about killed.'

Harry laid there for another half hour, throwing what-ifs and blames back and forth, until his eyelids finally began to droop. 'Well, I haven't slept hardly at all since I got here…' With that thought, he drifted into an uneasy sleep.

~.~.~.~

Harry awoke at the sprightly hour of 7:00am, having not the slightest chance at a peaceful slumber. Since it was Monday and his Uncle would be working, he figured getting up early was a good thing. After all, cooking breakfast wasn't something Uncle Vernon usually did, nor Aunt Petunia, at least not when he was there.

"BOY! Get down here and start the bacon and eggs! Your Uncle needs to leave soon!" Came the irritable shriek of Harry's Aunt Petunia. Harry hastily threw on a shirt and darted down the stairs, an annoyed scowl on his face.

"What took you so long, boy? Writing letters to those freakish friends of yours?" Uncle Vernon addressed Harry with a distasteful frown, sitting at the kitchen table with a newspaper in front of him.

Harry got the bacon and eggs started, then walked over to where his Uncle was sitting. He carefully controlled his anger before he answered, "No, Uncle Vernon, I was just getting dressed," His Uncle set the paper down and glared at Harry.

"Now, boy, don't you take that tone with- What are you doing?!" Uncle Vernon cut off as Harry snatched up the paper, his eyes wide in shock.

Local Family Killed in Mysterious Car Crash

A family of four was travelling along the West road in London, when suddenly there car swerved off the road and landed in an off-road ditch. The family, described to be out-going, friendly, and helpful by their neighbours, seemed to have no reason for going off the road. The driver, the father known as Michael Creevey, had no impediment such as being drunk or careless. The driver had a clean record with the police, and no incidents like this were ever reported with this family.

The others that died were Michael's wife, Priscilla, and their two young children, Colin and Dennis Creevey. They are reported to have been coming back from a relative's home. The family members were residents of London, and were seen frequently helping out in the community.

"Their car just swerved right off the road, and all of them seemed shocked, like they had no control over it…" Stated one witness, who was crossing the street in front of them at the time.

A memorial will be held on Sunday to pay respect for the Creevey family, outside of their home in London.

For more details on this mysterious incident, see Page 3.

For the obituaries of the victims, see Page 7.

Harry put down the paper then, thoughts racing through his mind a mile per minute,

'Colin Creevey… No. Surely he was annoying, but he didn't deserve this.'

'Dennis Creevey… I didn't know him that well, but I know he didn't deserve this.'

'Their mum and father… They didn't deserve this either, none of them did! Why does this always happen to innocent people? It was the Death Eaters, no doubt… I'M GOING TO KILL VOLDEMORT.'

"Yes, boy, there are lots of mysterious things happening these days, but that doesn't give you a reason to snatch my paper and stare into space like that! NOW FINISH BREAKFAST BEFORE YOU BURN IT!" His Uncle roared at him.

"Uh, right… Sorry…" Harry trailed off, still distracted, as he went to get the bacon and eggs for his Uncle.

~.~.~.~.~

Harry sat at his desk, a quill in hand. He couldn't stop thinking about Sirius, and now Colin and Dennis, so the least he could do, he thought, was try and work on his unnecessarily long Potions essay assigned by none other than Professor Snape.

'Greasy git. This essay is ridiculous,' Harry thought as he angrily jammed his quill down on the desk. He just couldn't focus right now, least of all on a stupid Potions essay.

A knock on his bedroom door snapped him out of his thoughts. His Uncle was at work and Aunt Petunia was grocery shopping, so the only person that can be is…

"Dudley? Uh, come in?" Harry said awkwardly.

The door was pushed open and the overly chubby figure of Dudley Dursley stepped into his room. He stood there in front of the door, awkwardly looking around the room, before he finally spoke. It was something Harry would have never expected to come from his cousin's mouth.

"Th-thank y-you…" Dudley stuttered at him.

Harry gaped, simply staring at Dudley.

"I mean, thank you for last summer. When you saved me from those things. Uh, well, it was really scary and I thought we were done for… But you did m-magic even though you're not supposed to in the summer, just to save me and I guess… you'renotasbadasIthoughtyouwereandI'msorryfortreat ingyoubadly," Dudley sped off.

Harry hardly caught the last thing Dudley said, as he rushed it so, but once Harry had comprehended everything Dudley said, he smiled. For once in their lives, they both were genuinely smiling at each other.

"Well, you're welcome Dudley. It was the least I can do and I guess… I forgive you for all those years of bullying. It's not like me to hold a grudge, after all," Harry replied.

Dudley nodded.

"Well, um, do you maybe want to go to the park and play football for a while? My friends are all on vacation, so they won't bother us," Dudley asked.

"Sure, just let me write a quick letter and then I'll meet you downstairs," Harry said.

Dudley left the room, and Harry, feeling a little odd about what had just happened, got out a new quill and a piece of parchment. He hadn't written to Ron for a few days, and he didn't have to write to Hermione since she and her parents were in Florida for the next week.

Ron,

Hey, mate! Sorry I haven't written in a while. You know the Dursley's, work, work, work. Don't worry, though, I'm fine. How are you and your family? I hope you're enjoying your summer. I'm sorry about the Department of Mysteries in June, too… I almost got you killed! All because of a stupid vision. I hope you don't think I'm a git after all that. I'm really glad you're OK.

Well, I have 2 things to tell you. First, I know you don't get the muggle papers so I don't know if you heard of this yet but… Colin Creevey and his family are dead. Him, his brother, and his parents. Their car sped off the road last night for no reason at all, and they fell into a ditch. I'm still in shock, they didn't deserve anything like that, and it was obviously the Death Eaters behind it. Words can't even express how angry I am right now! It's truly horrible that they need to kill muggles and muggle-borns for enjoyment.

Well, my second thing is… Dudley. Just a few minutes ago, Dudley came in and thanked me for saving him from the Dementors last year, then said he doesn't think I'm all that bad and apologized for bullying me in Primary School. Can you believe it? Then he asked me to go to the park and play football with him (muggle sport), so I guess I'm going to.

Also, do you know if I can come and stay with you and your family soon? I really hate it here. Talk to Dumbledore and whatever you need to do, but I just really need to get out of here!

Write back soon!

Harry

P.S. Can you please feed Hedwig when she gets there? I haven't got a lot of owl food and treats left, and I figure those are better for her than human food scraps. Thanks.

Harry set down his quill and sealed the letter in an envelope, smiling. Things were really turning around. Maybe he and Dudley could get along, after all. After all the years of bullying and hating each other, maybe they could at least establish some sort of understanding between them.

Harry walked over to Hedwig's cage and opened it. Hedwig, in all her pure white-feathered beauty, soared out of her cage and landed on Harry's shoulder, nipping at his ear affectionately. She then got off and landed on the window still, holding out her leg and giving him a look that clearly said, hurry up already.

Harry hurried and tied the letter to her leg, remembering that Dudley was waiting for him downstairs. As Hedwig hooted and soared off into the evening sky, Harry grabbed a jumper and started downstairs.

~.~.~.~

Harry and Dudley walked out of Number Four, Privet Drive, moving toward the park in comfortable silence. It was a dreary evening, only 5:00 with dark clouds and fog already hanging in the air, making it slightly harder to see everything in front of them.

"Want to run down to the park and kick the ball between us?" Dudley asked.

"Er, sure," Harry replied, slightly uncomfortable. He hadn't played football since PE class in Primary school, so he wasn't sure if he still retained his decent skill with it.

As they began to run down the path while kicking the black and white ball back and forth, Harry realized, even though he missed a kick here and there, that he was still fairly good at it. Dudley, however, bested him. Dudley still played it much more often than Harry did.

When they reached the park, Dudley suggested that they take turns taking shots on each other. Harry went in the net first, and had success at blocking all but three of Dudley's shots, one of which had painfully hit him in the shin.

"Good job, Harry! You're not as bad as I expected. No offense," Dudley added, seeing Harry's slightly irritated expression.

"Thanks… I guess I still remember the basics from PE class," Harry replied.

As Harry was moving so Dudley could take his turn in net, he thought he saw a slight rustling in the bush across from them. He peered at it for a good few seconds, but didn't see anything else. Of course, that wasn't very odd to him. It was most likely an Order member watching him.

Harry put the ball on the ground and stood behind it, making sure to position himself correctly and give Dudley a hard kick. Maybe, just maybe, Harry could overpower Dudley with his kicking and get a few goals. He pulled his leg back and kicked the ball, hard. Dudley looked shocked for a second that Harry could kick the ball so well, but then Dudley kicked it back with equal force. Harry wasn't expecting that, and before he could block or catch it, the ball hit him smack in the middle of his forehead.

Well, at least the park was empty. Or so he thought.

"Oof!" 'Ouch! That was a little too hard,' Harry thought as he painfully collided with the ground. He had landed on his side, and his arm was stuck under him. Thankfully, aside from some glasses that were jostled to the edge of his nose, and a thudding headache, Harry seemed fine.

"Oh god! I'm so sorry, Harry, I didn't mean to kick it at your head so hard like that!" Dudley yelled, running as fast as he could over to Harry, which wasn't exactly fast at all.

Harry was about to sit up, as the headache had subsided slightly, when he noticed someone standing above him. He looked up, and was surprised to see a familiar head of bubble-gum pink hair. Nymphadora Tonks was staring down at Harry with a flustered, yet concerned look on her face.

"Wotcher Harry, you alright there? I was watching you from the bushes over there and saw that football smack you down. You startled me a bit," Tonks said, extending her hand to help Harry up.

"Yeah, I think I'm alright. Thanks, Tonks," Harry replied, grinning while returning his glasses to their proper position.

Tonks was peering hard at him, as though trying to discern that he really was OK by just looking at him. She looked straight into his emerald green eyes, and seemed to figure out that he wasn't lying to her.

"Hm, well if you're sure," Tonks said, smiling at him.

'AHH! Wh-who are you?" Dudley screeched, one hand going to his overly large bottom, and the other pointing an accusing finger at her.

"Nymphadora Tonks, just here to guard your fantastic cousin," Tonks said, winking at Dudley and ruffling Harry's unruly hair.

"It's OK Dudley, she won't bite," Harry added.

Dudley still looked suspicious, but nodded. A loud ringing noise startled all of them, and Tonks pulled out her wand, frantically looking around.

"Oh, that's my cell phone…" Dudley said, pressing the 'talk' button. "Hello?" he asked.

"Mhm, oh, alright I'll be right there," Dudley replied, then hung the phone up and put it back into his pocket.

"It was Piers, he's back from vacation early. I should probably go, because I know you won't want him to come here, Harry. Can you let my mum know? Thanks! Bye," Dudley said, turning and stalking off down the path that lead to Mongolia Crescent.

"Piers?" Tonks asked.

"Yeah, that's one of his friends that used to bully me with Dudley while we were in muggle school together, it's a long story," Harry added, not wanting to talk about his past at all.

"Alright," Tonks said with a frown, "Well, why don't I walk you back to your house? I could use some company, and so could you."

"Alright."

Together, they walked back down the path that lead to Privet Drive. They remained silent for most of the time, both lost in their thoughts. Harry had to constantly wipe mist off his glasses, as the fog was getting thicker by the minute. Harry had realized Tonks was acting more jumpy than usual, so he decided he might as well ask her about it.

"Tonks, I noticed you're acting a little strange… Is there something going on? Is it Voldemort?" Harry whispered.

Tonks flinched slightly at the name. "It's not really my place to tell you, Harry… But I will say this. You-Know-Who is stepping up his game, there have been more and more attacks these days. So, of course we want to make sure you stay safe. You can expect a lot more Order members hanging around here."

Harry scowled. He didn't like being treated like a defenceless child. "Well, when can I leave the Dursleys? I really want to get out of here."

"I know Harry. Dumbledore said something about writing to you soon, so you can expect a letter from him. If I know Dumbledore, he'll let you know about that and much more as soon as he can," Tonks told him as they walked up the steps to Number Four.

Harry sighed, slightly frustrated. "All right, Tonks. Thanks for everything. So, I guess I'll see you around?"

"Yeah, of course! I am part of the Order, so we'll be seeing lots of each other I suppose. Now you get inside. Bye, Harry," Tonks replied, swinging the invisibility cloak around her shoulders.

Harry took a deep breath and walked inside, running a hand through his messy black hair. He was not looking forward to the next few weeks with the dreaded Dursleys at all.

A/N: Review please! Next chapter will come soon. I wasn't planning on any pairings for this story, but if you want any, let me know and I might consider it. Also, please note that the tragedy mentioned in the summary is NOT the Creevey family's deaths, although that is sad too...