AN: I know I should be working on my Special Investigations series but I got bit by the plot bunny and unfortunately I had to do this....please don't hate me.
By Kai Lun Mau
October 31st, a terrible date in the magical world if ever there was one. Seventeen years ago the date was etched in peoples memories as the day Lily and James Potter were killed, but at least on that day the world had gained a reprieve from an evil that had plagued it for almost twenty years, that was the day Harry Potter had defeated the Dark Wizard Voldemort for the first time. But now seventeen years on the date had gained a more despairing claim on peoples memories, it was the day that hope died in the wizarding world. It should have been a happy day the old man thought, allowing the 6th and 7th years to go to Hogsmeade the day before Halloween, but instead it had been the biggest mistake of his life, it was the day that two wonderful young adults disappeared. It was November 1st when they were found, their bodies dumped on the steps of the school, a boy and a girl very much in love had died together, both tortured, beaten, the girl raped several times.
The old man sighed a very tired and defeated noise. "I failed you, I swore to prepare you, to make ready for the challenges that were ahead and I failed you both." He kneeled leaving a single enchanted rose on the girls grave and his eyes lingered on her head stone.
Hermione Anne Granger.
Brightest Star of Hogwarts.
Beloved Child.
He wiped a tear that ran down his face, but in the October rain it was swept away with the rain drops, slowly he let his eyes rest on the grave stone that was beside the first.
Harry James Potter.
Gryffidors Pride.
The boy who lived.
Beloved friend.
"I'm sorry Harry."
With those words Albus Dumbledore turned and walking as if the weight of the world rested on his shoulders he made his way from Hogmeades cemetry and began the long walk back towards his school.
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The Crow: Some times somethings are stronger than Magic.
People once believed that when a person died, a crow carried their soul to the land of the dead. But sometimes something so bad happens that the soul can't rest. Sometimes, just sometimes, the crow can bring that soul back to set the wrong things right
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The rain was still falling as a dark speck circled overhead. As it slowly descended it took on the form of a crow. It continued it's slow decent until it rested on the Gravestone of Harry Potter. It croaked and started to peck at the marble, somehow slowly chipping away at it, the sound of the strikes of its small beak striking the stone filled Graveyard, it was loud enough to wake the dead.
His eyes snapped open as he desperately sucked air into his lungs. It was dark he could feel the sides of his prison his fingers scrabbling against the silk lining. `Oh god, he was in a coffin, he'd been buried. Sweet merlin they had buried him alive.' Panic, fear, anger, filled him and he began to beat his fists again the coffin lid pushing solidly, his screams filling the small coffin as he forced all his strength into moving the coffin lid. He grunted as he felt the lid shift and slowly but surely push upwards, earth falling into the coffin, wet from the rain mud smearing his face as he screamed, forcing the Lid up through the ground and he was met by the sight of cloudy skies and rain falling onto his face.
Slowly he crawled from the open hole almost falling back in as he stood unsteadily, his balance failing him. He fell, his arms wrapped around the marble stone as he gasped for breath. Sobbing he tried to gain his bearings, vision hazy he felt his face pulling his glasses off throwing them aside. For a time he lay there gasping for breath before his eyes fell upon the gravestone beside what he gathered to be his own. "No Mione..."
The croak from the Crow perched on his head stone drew his attention and he met it's gaze and he gasped as emerald eyes met emerald eyes and it cawed softly and Harry nodded as if he understood what it was trying to say. Shakily he tore the dress robes from his shoulders and pushed himself up from the gravestone casting a last glance at the head stone of his girlfriends grave and bit back a cry of pure sorrow before the Crow took to the air and cawed at him again, and this time Harry knew exactly what it had meant.
It had meant Revenge.
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He staggered through the rain shivering from the cold that wracked his body, he stumbled through the muddy streets as he made his way to the town of Hogsmeade the Crow circling over head, Harry following in it's wake. Soon enough he was in the small wizarding town and he watched as the Crow soard through the air and through one of the windows in the Shrieking Shack. Following he tried to make his way up the hill, but the rain and the ordeal he had suffered rendered his legs unsteady and several times he slipped and fell before he finally made it to the door. He started to check the bottom floor windows looking for a way into the shack, but they were all boarded up, slowly he made his way to the front door and found it unlocked he tried to push it open but it would move but an inch. In a burst of anger Harry put his shoulder to the door slamming into it repeatedly till he felt it give and slowly it slid open. He squeezed through the gap and he tripped on the debris landing awkwardly in the floor. He pushed himself to his feet as he heard the Crow call from somewhere up stairs and he silently made his way upsatirs, pushing open the door he stepped into the room and he almost vomitted as wave upon wave of memories crashed into him, like an emmotional tsunami and swept him away.
*Stunning Curses from the alleyway in Hogmeade*
*"Enervate" Waking, bound to the chair, screams filling his ears, Hermione, she was screaming, laughter, voices. "Show the bitch Mudblood what a real pure blood man is like!" Wait know that voice, Malfoy! "Please, don't hurt me anymore." Oh god they are raping her! Pain, rage, struggling against bonds that cut into his flesh. "Your girlfriends a pretty good F*ck Scar Head, little tight, guess you weren't giving it to her huh!" Rage, screams,a meaty thump as a fist connected with my face, again and again the large meaty hands beat into my face till i could barely see or think*
*Pop*
*Pain forehead feels like it's being cracked open, More voices now. "Ah Potter, I told you you were going to meet a sticky end just like your parents!" Know that voice, Malfoy senior, the second voice, know this voice I hear it in my nightmares, Voldemort. "Well the boy who lived is now the boy who died." Somewhere in the room Hermione is sobbing, I can hear her, I want to say something to her but my jaw wont work. "Shut your mouth Mudblood!" Lucious Malfoy again. "Avada Kedavra!" NO! HERMIONE! Her whimpers have stopped and they laugh at me as I struggle to break my bonds but it is pointless. I feel the tip of wood pointed at my chest and the cold cruel voice of Voldemort fills my ears. "Avada Kedavra!"*
Harry lay there gasping for breath, tears rolling down his face as the emmotional backwash faded and soon enough his grief turned to rage and he began grabbing the few items of intact furniture and began to smash and destroy everything he could in the room mindless of the pain as his knuckles split and burst from under the blows he was delivering, soon enough his rage burned out and he lay there panting for breath staring at his ruined hands when suddenly the wounds began to close, his blood running back up his hands into the cuts before they sealed themselves shut. He looked at his perfect hands and he started to laugh. Harry Potter finally died in that room and all that was left in his place was revenge.
His head jerked around as the Crow called out to him again, and he stood, no longer shaky or unsteady he turned and sprinted the five feet between him and the window and he leapt crashing through the glass and fell the twenty feet to ground below, landing in the muddy grass with almost perfect balance and began the walk back into town. He watched as the Crow landed on a shop sign and cawed at him to follow. As he drew near he glanced up at the sign `Glad Rags, Wizarding Robes for all occasions.` Harry gripped the door handle and pushed down on it and it clicked, suprised Harry pushed open the door and stepped inside and looked around the dark empty store the Crow flying in behind him and settling down on a rack and watched him with emerald green eyes that looked so much like his own. Harry wandered through the store grabbing clothes that would fit him, black pants made from some kind of material that felt like muggle denim, a black sleeveless muscle shirt and he stripped off the remains of his burial suit leaving them in a muddy and he calmly dressed in his new clothes. He stared down at his bare feet and he slowly crossed the store to their shoes and he found what he wanted, a black pair of work boots made from dragons hide and quickly pulled them on his feet.
As he passed a mirror he stopped to look at himself and was shocked, his complexion pale as always but his hair was now almost shoulder length and fell down around his face covering the scar given to him by Voldemort. He reached up and slowly trailed his finger along the scar before he snarled and drove his fist into the mirror shattering it. He turned away and started towards the door when three things caught his attention, the first was a selection of Masks behind the counter, one in particular, like an old fashioned clowns mask of black and white, another was a sign, `Glad Rags Magical Face Paint, guarnteed not to wash off or smear`. Harry looked at the mask for amoment before he grabbed the face paints and began to apply them to his own face, white then black till finally when he looked in the Mirror his own reflection was gone and all that looked back at him was that of the dark clown. He smirked and turned away from the counter satisfied and walked towards the final item that had caught his attention, the coat. He trailed his fingers along the sleeve, black dragon hide like his boots. He smirked as he pulled it off the dummy and slid it on. The Crow cawed in an almost approving manner and Harry nodded before he turned and walked out of the store into the rain, the crow following him only to land on his shoulder. Harry smirked slightly as he looked up into the distance and at the castle that sat on the hill. Harry Potter was going back to Hogwarts
TBC....