Harry Potter and the Fight for Survival

Disclaimer: I own nothing, but the plot of this story. The characters and the base of this story all belong to J.K. Rowling.

Title: Harry Potter and the Fight for Survival

Category: Action/Adventure with a small dose of drama, romance, and fantasy.

Rating: PG-13

Summary: A story where Harry decides to finally take control of his life, see what he is truly capable of, and stop blaming others for the mistakes of his life. Watch as Harry grows, matures, cries, learns what fear truly is, and finally learns what love truly is.

Spoilers: SS/PS, CoS, PoA, GoF, OoTP

Chapter 1: Summer Vacation

It was a hot, sunny morning in Little Whinging, as a skinny, bespectacled, black haired; fifteen-year-old Harry Potter sat on the windowsill of his window. From a distance it would seem as if the teen was gazing at the rising sun but if you took one look at his vivid green eyes you would see the glazed look to them. Harry Potter wasn't gazing at the rising sun at all, his mind was a mile away as he thought about everything that had taken place in the last year.

A year ago both Harry and his cousin were attacked by Dementors, which resulted in Harry almost being expelled from Hogwarts for defending himself and his cousin. Just when Harry thought things couldn't get worse he went back to Hogwarts only to have to endure hours of torture at the hands of his Defence Against the Darks Arts teacher, Dolores Umbridge. Months and months of dreams finally reached a head when Harry had a vision doing his History of Magic O.W.L., which resulted in him going to the Ministry of Magic. A battle took place in the Department of Mysteries between a group of Death Eaters and Harry's friends. The result of said battle was his five friends ending up in the hospital wing and the death of the only father figure Harry had ever had, Sirius Black.

After the worse night of Harry's life he was sent back to Hogwarts to only be told of a prophecy that involved him and Voldemort. Said prophecy played itself over and over again in Harry's mind constantly since he had been told of it. He hadn't had a decent night of sleep since and he knew things would only get worse before they got better. He didn't believe he would ever be smart enough or strong enough magically to be able to fulfil the prophecy. He is the only one who can defeat the Dark Lord, Voldemort. At least that's what the prophecy led Harry to believe, but he wasn't sure he trusted anything that was said by that hag Professor Trelawney even though Albus Dumbledore himself believed the prophecy.

Harry grimaced at the very thought of the Headmaster of Hogwarts, Albus Dumbledore. He wasn't exactly pleased with the man at the moment. He had avoided looking at Harry for an entire year and then he tells Harry on the worse night of his life that he basically had to kill or be killed. In Harry's opinion Dumbledore should have told him the contents of the prophecy years ago and he should have trained Harry so he could be prepared for his so called Destiny. The man claimed he cared too much for Harry but Harry wasn't sure he believed him. His faith and trust in Albus Dumbledore was at a serious low and he wasn't sure he could ever put his faith and trust in the man again.

The green-eyed teen sighed softly as the sun finished rising. His eyes slowly lost their glazed look as he turned his attention away from the sky. He climbed out of the window, slowly making his way to his closet, where he pulled some of his cousin's hand-me-downs out of the closet, and reluctantly began to get dressed for the day.

After he was finished getting dressed he even more reluctantly began to make his way downstairs. As Harry entered the kitchen he saw that his Aunt Petunia was also up and was currently drinking a cup of tea. He ignored her as best he could as he began to make breakfast for her precious Dudley and husband Vernon. Once he was finished making breakfast he sat the meal inside the oven to stay warm till Dudley and Vernon came downstairs. Harry grabbed a piece of toast and didn't spare his aunt a look as he made his way out the back door.

Harry made his way around the house and across the front yard. He began his normal morning walk that he started at the beginning of summer break to help relax his frantic mind. It gave him something else to concentrate on besides the prophecy, the death of his godfather, and the fact he hadn't heard from anyone all summer. He kept his promise to the Order and wrote to them once every three days but no one had tried to contact him. At first he had been extremely disappointed and later angry, but after a couple days he calmed down and realized he didn't want to hear from anyone.

He didn't want to hear the condolences for Sirius's death nor the “it isn't your fault Harry.” And the “you shouldn't blame yourself,” that he knew the letters would be filled with. He had started his subscription at the Daily Prophet again and he got the newspaper every morning, which was always filled with news of attacks on Muggles, Muggle-borns, and half bloods. Harry figured that in the past three weeks since his fifth year had ended, Voldemort had to have recruited some new Death Eaters because almost his whole Inner Circle with the exception of Bellatrix Lestrange and Peter Pettigrew were in Azkaban.

As Harry reached the park of his neighbourhood he vaulted over the locked park gate and made his way across the park. Once he reached the only swing that was still intact he sat down on it and began to swing slowly back and forth. As he swung the prophecy began to play itself in his head again. 

“The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches…born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies…and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not…and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives...the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies…” 

He didn't understand the prophecy, did it mean only he could kill Voldemort and vice versa? Or was there another meaning behind the prophecy? He really wished he had Hermione here and she knew the prophecy so she could help him interpret the prophecy properly. He realized this summer how important Hermione was to him. She was the one person who had stood by him no matter what. She went to the Ministry of Magic with him despite thinking it was a trap. When she had been hit by that curse in the Department of Mysteries and Harry thought she was dead, he had for a moment felt true sorrow.

Harry cared for his friends more than it was probably healthy to care about someone. He couldn't help it though, he had been deprived of having people to worry and care about for ten years. He knew that doing his sixth year he was going to be closer than ever to Hermione and Ron but also Neville, Luna, and Ginny. They were the ones who risked their lives for him even though they didn't have to do it. They were true friends who would do whatever it took to support their friends.

Harry was brought out of his thoughts as he saw something shimmer out of the corner of his eye. He blinked, as his eyes moved to the tree where he saw the shimmer. He quickly realized that it was probably a member from the Order who was designed to spy on him like Mundungus Fletcher last summer. Of course if asked the Order member would say they were guarding Harry but he didn't believe that.

Harry wasn't sure he trusted the Order of the Phoenix. Albus Dumbledore led them but Dumbledore had never given Harry any reason to support or believe in the Order. They hadn't done anything magnificent in the fight against the Dark so far and until they did Harry wouldn't be able to think of them as anything but a group of witches and wizards who opposed Voldemort. They had failed Harry on numerous occasions doing and before his fifth year. Harry and his cousin had almost lost their souls because the Order failed in protecting him. He could never forgive them for that.

The only person in the Order that didn't treat him like he was someone helpless and a child was Nymphadora Tonks. She treated him like an equal every time they were together and he respected her for that. She was a very clumsy person but also an Auror. He had seen her fight at the Department of Mysteries and she was very good at what she did. She was also a Metamorphmagus, which meant she could basically change her appearance at will. She was very good at it and it was a very rare talent, there was at most twenty in the whole world.

As he once again saw the air shimmer around the tree he grew annoyed. He rolled his eyes as he jumped off the swing. He walked off, slowly moving through the park. He stopped suddenly, leaned down, picked up a small rock, and threw it at the place he imagined the Order member would be. He got a loud yelp of pain and surprise as his answer. Harry smiled sweetly as he realized immediately whom he had just hit with the small rock.

“Hello Tonks,” he hissed, smiling slightly as he did so.

 Tonks seemed to hesitate before taking the invisibility cloak off. Harry's eyebrows hot up at the sight of the young woman. Her hair was currently a bright orange, her right eye a light green, and her left eye a bright blue, a tight purple shirt with the Weird Sisters on the front, and torn jeans. She was currently rubbing at her left arm where she quite obviously had just been hit with a rock.

Harry smiled at Tonks as she glared at him, which quite obviously was having the opposite affect then it should because of the way she looked. Tonks suddenly stopped glaring at him and smiled at him. She bounded over to him but not before tripping and having to pick herself up off the ground.

“Wotcher Harry,” she murmured to him as she patted him on the back hard. She beamed up at him for a couple seconds before frowning at him.

“I'm not supposed to show myself to you,” said Tonks as she continued to frown at him.

Harry shrugged as an answer before flopping down on the ground and staring up at her with suddenly big green eyes. Tonks's features immediately softened as she saw the innocent look Harry was giving her.

An idea had suddenly begun to form in Harry's mind and he knew he could get Tonks to help him out. Of course he would have to persuade her to help but it shouldn't be to hard.

“When do you have guard duty again Tonks?” This immediately drew a suspicious look from the orange-haired woman. Harry's eyes if possible grew even larger giving him the look of a child just having discovered a big secret.

Tonks blinked and answered before she realized what she was doing. “Wednesday starting at midnight to noon.” Harry beamed up at her as he stood up. He wrapped an arm around Tonks's shoulders and he began to walk. Tonks quickly realized she had just been had and frowned at the teenager.

“What are you up to Harry?” Tonks asked as she stared at him with a cautious look.

 Harry's smile only grew at the suspicion in Tonks's voice. “I was just wondering if you would do me a favour?” Tonks stared at him for a couple minutes before sighing.

“It depends on what the favour is.” She answered as she began to stare at him curiously.

“I was just wondering if you could go buy me some new Muggle clothes,” said Harry forcing himself not to begin to snigger at the surprise that came across Tonks's face.

She beamed at Harry and wrapped her arm around his small waist. She led them over to a bench and practically shoved Harry onto it. She looked around but when she didn't see anyone she whipped her wand out of her back pocket. She pointed it at Harry and muttered a spell as she flicked it in a weird pattern. A tape measure flew out of her wand and began to move around Harry. Numbers began to appear above the tape measure and Tonks seemed to be memorizing them.

Harry opened his mouth to say something but Tonks seeming to have read his mind cut him off.

“Think of it as a birthday present from me.” Tonks hissed as she winked at Harry. Harry frowned at this before sighing and smiling at Tonks. She had fallen right into his trap. He now knew when she had Guard Duty again and he was going to use that time to sneak out and go to Diagon Alley to get some things he would need this summer. A thought suddenly hit Harry and he grimaced.

“When can you have the clothes ready?” He asked her. Tonks beamed once again and she flicked her wand. The tape measure disappeared in thin air and she pocketed her wand.

“Meet me at midnight Wednesday in the Dursley's back yard.” She answered smiling as she did so. Harry relaxed at this. He would have new clothes to wear and could easily sneak out since he now knew Tonks would be keeping guard in the back yard. He just hoped she had good taste in clothes for guys because he didn't want to walk around looking like an even bigger idiot. Harry thanked Tonks despite her protests. The orange haired woman merely rolled her eyes at him before pulling away from him.

“I'm supposed to be guarding you and if Mad Eye catches me not under the cloak he will kill me.” Tonks told Harry as she unfolded the invisibility cloak and pulled it over herself. As she disappeared Harry did something he had never done before. He felt for Tonks and as his hand came in contact with something he gripped Tonks's shoulder. He hesitated for only a second before hugging Tonks tightly. She tensed before relaxing after a couple seconds and wrapping her arms around Harry. She hugged him tightly and shivered as he whispered in her ear. Harry broke the hug after a couple minutes and walked off without a backward glance.

Harry entered the Dursley's house and made his way upstairs. He entered his room and sat down at his small desk. Harry pulled out some parchment and a quill. He began to make a list of all the things he would need to get in Diagon Alley while he was there. When he was finished his eyes moved over the list. 

Things to buy in Diagon Alley:

1. Regular robes, work robes, battle robes, and dress robes

2. Defence books

3. A new wand.

4. Weapons

5. New glasses (maybe contacts)

6. A new trunk

7. Potion ingredients and equipment

8. Look for invisibility cloaks (might have to go to Knockturn Alley) 

Harry smiled slightly as his eyes moved over the list one last time. He couldn't think of anything else to add but he was sure he would think of more by the time he went to Diagon Alley in two days. Harry folded the list up and placed it in a small draw in his desk. He stood up and stretched his tense muscles. Harry slowly made his way over to his closet. He opened the door and hesitated as he stared into the full-length mirror.

His eyes stared into his reflection's eyes, noticing that his dark green eyes had lost the fire they used to have in them. His eyes moved down to his full pale lips before moving to his button nose. His cheekbones were slightly high but not too high. He was far to pale and quickly realized he would need to spend some time in the sun this summer. His eyes were almond shaped and identical to his mother's that he remembered from the Pensieve in his fifth year.

He was scrawny, malnourished and short for his age. That was the Dursley's fault and he would do all he could to rectify it this summer. He had quickly realized over the years that in the Wizarding World if you lost your wand you were going to be in a lot of trouble. The best thing he could do since he now knew he was completely hopeless without his wand was to learn a new way of defence that didn't require a wand. He planned on signing up for some local self-defence classes in Little Whinging. A Death Eater would never expect him to resort to Muggle defence in a duel. It would be a great surprise and could give him an advantage in a fight.

So he was definitely going to be getting in shape this summer, physically, mentally, emotionally and magically. He was going to be prepared for the unexpected so he would never be taken by surprise again in a fight. He wouldn't let anyone else die if he could help it. He would rather die then watch another loved one follow in Sirius's fate.

With this in mind Harry moved over to his bed. Kneeling down he pulled his trunk from underneath the bed. He pulled it open and began to pull all his books out of the trunk, dropping them on his bed. Harry sighed softly as he finished pulling his books out. He climbed up onto his bed and curled up into a comfortable position. Grabbing his Transfiguration book from his first year he began to read his book occasionally making notes in some parchment he grabbed. Harry continued reading and taking notes for the rest of the day. There was only thing on his mind, I must prepare for the War.  

AN1: This is the beta'd version of this chapter! Just want to say thank you to Paige and WhiteFoxPl who both beta'd this chapter for me!

AN2: This story is updated every Sunday at around 10:30 p.m. (central time), so that's when you should look for updates.