Hey everyone! Well this is my new story, The Alliance of the Protector. It has a lot of action & adventure in it, as well as a strong love story going on in the mean time. So I hope you like it!
Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling & Warner Bros. I own no part of it whatsoever, except for the plot. That's totally mine.
Rating: PG-13
Pairings: H/Hr (of course), and some slight R/Hr. Also Neville & Ginny.
Word count for this chapter: 3,315. Pages: 7 on MS Word.
Author's Note: This story is written by ME, a HUGE H/Hr fan, so despite popular belief while reading this, I won't let my fellow shippers down!
Let the story begin!
Chapter 1
The Black Forest was dark and dismal. Somewhere within, people were in mortal danger, in pain. Screams could be heard from a great distance; those of fright, and of desperation. Branches crunched beneath his feet as he walked through the eerily familiar place with all the bravery and confidence he could find within himself.
Shadows raced all around him, going deeper in the trees as he walked on, carefully watching his back in hopes of keeping himself alive long enough so he can save the others. Within his pocket he clutched his wand, slowly bringing it out to prepare for use. The knuckles of his hands were ghostly white, and his black, unruly hair brushed over the sweaty skin of his forehead. He stretched out one strong arm, and smoothed it away from his dark eyes. He couldn't see; it was too dark, and the slightest amount of light, even from a simple spell could give his position away to the ones that hunted him. He had to succeed in his mission and save the ones dearest to him or all would be lost; the reign of terror would continue on and the one with the key to stopping it, the one in the prophecy, would be forever forgotten.
Determined, he picked up his pace, listening closely for any signs of danger in his vicinity as he did so. He stopped and noticed how deadly-silent it was. It was far too quiet for all that was just happening. The shrill screaming he had heard just moments earlier, had stopped abruptly, but faint voices could be heard a short distance away.
He clutched his wand tighter in his hand, preparing himself for the worst, and readying to strike. All his concentration went into taking gentle steps, hoping with his entire being that he could finally take the upper hand in this battle and no one would notice his presence. Ahead of him was an opening, leading somewhere, the destination unknown. Reluctantly he went through the dark tunnel, which was very shallow. It opened up into a clearing amidst the clusters of trees he had been hiding in. The moonlight was strong, casting itself down on its audience.
His stomach dropped. Nearly breaking his wand from a rock-hard grip, he watched as the ones under his careful protection had become captives to the one they all feared. Voldemort had them all surrounded by his Death Eaters, ready to strike and take the one thing from them they all craved: their lives. There was little room to imagine any hope for the situation, but he waited in the shadows for Voldemort to slip up and make yet another mistake. Fortunately, Voldemort was looking morbidly unhappy with what was before him. His loyal Death Eaters had disappointed him yet again.
Voldemort appeared to be hissing something dreadful to his Death Eaters, with his back turned to his hostages.
On the ground behind the large group of villains, the brunette Gryffindor prefect hung her head low beside the one person who had always given her comfort. All seemed lost to her. Having her two best friends right there next to her helped to numb the pain in her heart, as well as the physical pain inflicted on her throughout the night. To her left was her number one partner in crime, and Gryffindor prefect also, trying everything in his power to hold back the anger rising in his chest. His mussed up black hair stuck to his forehead, and his glasses finally gave in to gravity and tumbled to the ground he was kneeling on. His vision blurred.
The clink of the glasses hitting a rock caught Voldemort's attention and he turned around immediately. Glaring, he looked at the three prisoners presented on the ground before him. His slit eyes scanned them closely, finally locking onto the boy on his far left. His red hair shimmered in the moonlight and rustled in the breeze. The boy looked up at him with angry eyes, clenching his fists despite the fact that they were bound at his front. Voldemort let out a soft, unthreatened, breathy chuckle.
"What's the matter boy?" he hissed, then continued, "Angry at me for tying you up? That can be changed; I can kill you now if you wish."
The other two then glared at Voldemort with the same degree of anger flashing in their eyes. Voldemort now had three different colors of eyes watching him. One set a bright green, belonging to the one person he hated most: Harry Potter. The other two sets were brown and blue, their owners Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley.
After a few moments, Voldeomort saw someone out the corner of his eye, coming out of the trees at a bolt, pointing their wand at the gathering of Death Eaters. Voldemort's attention turned to the growing commotion immediately, as did the trio, though they were bound and gagged, when a fresh group of cloaked individuals came rushing out of the trees behind this one man.
Harry's eyes hunted around the scene before them. Anger rose as he watched the Death Eaters swarm around the initial invader. None of them could believe it; someone had come to rescue them. An unrecognizable amount of time passed and they all recognized their rescuer. Shock settled in their minds, but none more than Harry. He panicked with uncontrolled anger and confusion for not understanding fully what was going on. Pushing all thoughts aside, he knew this was it. Their chances were slim, and if things went wrong in any way, this could end right here and now…in death. As if someone intended, Harry's ties came free from around his wrists with a rough snap. Not caring how this happened, he frantically pulled the rag from his mouth, and reached down to untie his bound feet. His cut and bruised hands worked quickly as he freed Ron and Hermione at lightning speed. A diversion had been created, just as planned, though it was quite a surprise to all of them.
The three of them fled the area and took off into the trees, running as fast as they could. A loud, pained voice filled the air and Harry stopped his running short. Fear came to his heart and for a slight moment, he forgot what it was that he was doing and turned back to run in the other direction. Ron and Hermione had finally stopped their mad dash to freedom and whipped around to get him. Harry was already running back the way they had just came, back to the danger. His heart had interfered once again in their great plan to bring Voldemort to his knees.
"Harry wait!" Hermione called from behind him. Harry didn't do anything to acknowledge her shouting, but kept charging to where they had just been. He weaved in and out of trees, jumped over rocks and logs, and burst through to the moonlight.
As soon as they reached the clearing again, Harry's voice, like a cannon, shot through the air and slowly faded into it in slow motion. He shouted into the night. Everything went eerily quiet as he fell to his knees, hitting the ground with clenched fists. Hermione rushed to his side and launched herself at him as magical sparks flew in their direction. The situation slowed in their minds and Hermione was knocked back into the tree behind her, taking the full energy of the spell meant only for Harry. He watched her as she slid down the tree and pooled on the ground, appearing lifeless. Harry's heart sped up and he felt everything else around him stop…
The nightmare finally came to an end and Harry shot to a sitting position in his bed, desperate to catch his breath, and kill anyone who came near him. He wanted to inflict pain into anyone he could get his hands on at the moment, but it took him a few minutes to calm down and realize it was just another dream. Reality soon floated back into him and he turned on his side to look out the window near his bed, trying to regain his senses. Harry sat up again but soon flopped back down to suck in refreshing breaths to calm his racing heartbeat. He pulled the thick comforter tight to his chest and continued to gaze out the window; the moonlight dancing across the empty room, giving him enough light to see the shadow of him in his bed on the wall. Willing himself not to be pulled into the emotions of the dream, he focused on something else instead.
After calming down and drying the sweat from his hot skin, he sauntered sleepily over to the window. Stars decorated the night sky, but off in the distance lightning flashed and thunder boomed. Harry sighed contently, enjoying the bright flashing of light streak across the sky above, taking his mind off the dream yet again; something he truly needed in this case. After a moment or two he looked down toward the lake. There, the moon was reflected almost perfectly, in the glassy waters. Closely observing the sight before him, he noticed someone was at the water's edge, pacing back and forth every few moments.
A gentle smile spread through him to his lips when he realized Hermione was out for another late-night sitting by the lake. Resting one elbow on the marble window sill, he leaned into the window and watched her silhouette change direction every now and then, making it quite obvious she had a lot on her mind. Harry's forehead felt numb against the frosty glass, and heat radiated from him, creating a slight amount of fog on the window.
Then another thought occurred to him. It was very dark outside right now, and it didn't look like she had anyone accompanying her. It was dangerous for her to be out alone at night, for anyone to, even if they were within the safety of Hogwarts. It just wasn't safe anymore. Harry turned hastily to put his slippers on and rushed back to the coolness of the window as he threw his robe on over his shoulders. Putting those frantic thoughts aside, he then saw that someone was indeed out there, appearing to be coaxing her into coming back inside. He felt frustrated again and took off out of his room, flew down the stair case and raced down the deserted corridor. Harry remembered he left his light on, but didn't bother worrying about it anymore until he knew Hermione was safe.
Hermione was in much need of comfort these days. Their sixth year at Hogwarts was about to end, and summer holiday would be starting immediately after. With only three days left until departure to who knows where, her mind was constantly reeling the bad things that could happen while away from the safety of Hogwarts. Voldemort was still out there; and an even greater threat to them now, more than ever. Since Sirius's death the previous year, things rapidly escalated into more dangerous situations. Hogwarts was always their safe haven, but during holidays, they remained cooped up in the castle, not allowed to step foot outside even once. The anxiety and terror of it all was starting to settle in Hermione again. She had such a hard time the previous summer, moving around all over the place and not getting time to herself to think or just have fun; and it would be starting all over again. The school year didn't prove to be a time for relaxation as there were many elements all around, working to destroy anyone's hopes and dreams. A whole summer filled with secrecy and not knowing where they would be from one day to the next wasn't much of a pleasant way to spend time away from school, yet Hermione craved it; so badly. She needed to get away from the confinement of the castle and to just breathe different air and be somewhere else.
Ron, however, was different these days. He seemed to have taken the position of the trio's support and somehow he had managed to suppress most of his anger for when he needed that negative energy most. Between the three of them, he became a mediator, as well as a messenger when things were rough. Still, he had his moments; times when he just couldn't take any more pressure, but felt every need to relay it back on everyone else around him. He finally took time to piece things together and fully realized that Harry and Hermione had been through much more together than he had been with them. It didn't make much sense to him at first, to always be the one to run for help, but he knew there must have been a reason for it, and that he needed to embrace it and be there for them when things were inevitably going to get worse.
Harry had managed to creep quietly out the doors of the castle and onto the grass. He leaned up against a tree to observe Hermione, and saw that Ron was standing behind her, wondering if he should get any closer. After watching them for a few minutes, Harry figured the two of them would be coming in soon so he contently walked back across the cold grass, back up the steps into the castle, down the dark corridor, and back up to his room. He proceeded to his bed and plopped down, thinking a bit, before concentrating on going back to sleep. He knew Hermione would most likely come to his room to talk once she came back, but it wasn't always such a good idea when she was so tired, and she knew that as well. Her mannerisms had been quite different lately, which is what brought Harry to the conclusion that she would just go to bed, and save the long talk for first thing in the morning. Harry worked on clearing his mind completely, as Snape and Dumbledore had instructed, breathing deeply, counting back from a high number, and imagining something other than Hermione or Voldemort until he was convinced he had accomplished the task.
Outside, the gentle night breeze danced across the waters of the calm, dark lake, and swirled through branches of trees, even rustling up the Whomping Willow a bit as it went on its way. The moon was full and seemed to be more discolored in the sky than usual. These were strange times, and the thought of the moon looking different didn't turn out to be something requiring a large amount of anyone's attention. With the things that had been happening recently, it wouldn't be a surprise if the sky appeared to be changing drastically, though no one would really care for it much.
Hermione's deep, frustrated, thinking was soon interrupted by the ominous feeling of someone creeping up behind her, watching her. Her movements died down. She slowly reached down into her warm pocket, plucked out her wand, snapped around to face the other direction, and pointed it at her intruder. It was Ron.
"Ron! Don't do that!" she said exasperated, and returned her wand to its place in her robe.
His hands, having been up to show his surrender, slowly came down as she took the wand away from his face. "Bloody wizards, Hermione! Watch where you point that thing," he teased with a heavy tone.
Hermione smiled gently at him and wrapped her robe tighter around her body. Knowing perfectly well why Ron had come to find her, she looked up at the castle windows and saw Harry's light shining through the window of his room. Her gaze returned to Ron again. "I'm glad you came," she smiled. "Have you heard from Tonks yet?"
Ron folded his arms across his body and smiled. "Of course I did. She did say she would get back to me, didn't she?"
Hermione grinned from one ear to the other, scrunching up her nose a bit as she did so. "So how is our summer looking so far," she asked warily. Ron sighed.
Apprehensively he took her small, gentle, hands in his and led her to sit beside him on the stone bench.
"What is it?" She pried softly.
"Tonks doesn't know much on what our summer will be like," he paused, watching Hermione slouch in her spot with a pout-y face. "But she promised the first day for us to do whatever we want."
Hermione's forehead crumpled, and she felt confused. "Then what is it you're worried about," she asked.
Ron sighed yet again, taking in a refreshing breath. "We're going straight to Sirius's place when summer holiday starts."
"Oh." She paused to think a bit. "Well maybe we can keep him occupied. You know, take his mind off Sirius for a bit and play Quidditch or something."
"Yeah right." Ron shook his head. "The only person or thing that will be able to distract him is you."
Hermione pinked up a bit in her face.
"You're the only one that can lift his spirits these days. Quidditch has been the furthest thing from his mind lately."
It was quiet between them for a few moments.
"I suppose even though we don't know what this summer is going to bring, it will be very good for Harry to get away from school. Too much pressure, you know?"
Ron nodded. All was quiet again. He leaned back gently on his palms, tipped his head back, and let the cool breeze run through his hair. Hermione just sat thinking about the next few days that were left of school.
Tomorrow night would be the farewell ball, a new tradition at Hogwarts, of course, for the fourth year students and up.
"Ron?" Hermione inquired, breaking him of his relaxed state.
"Hmm?" He asked softly. It was obvious he was tired.
"What are we doing tomorrow? During the day, I mean. Are we meeting Harry and the others to go into Hogsmeade?"
Ron slowly lifted his head and looked at her. "That's what Harry told me, so I guess that's the plan. We're supposed to meet in the Great Hall before breakfast and then decide for sure what we're doing."
"Alright then. We should go back inside."
Ron nodded, and stood up, then sleepily helped Hermione to her feet so they could go inside. He wrapped one arm around her shoulders, keeping her warm, until they were safely inside the castle. Being that Hermione was a prefect, and Ron with other duties, neither of them would get in trouble for being out of bed far after hours. The two of them had reached Ron's dropping off point, Gryffindor Tower, and they stopped. Ron gave her a gentle hug, then turned and disappeared through the Gryffindor portrait hole.
Now alone in the cold corridors of Hogwarts, Hermione wrapped her robe even tighter around her and made her way to the prefect's dorms. She merely whispered the password to the guardian of the dorms, yet she was loud enough he could hear her. The portrait swung open and she stepped inside. It was noticeably warmer than when she left, and she noticed a fire was still going, but it was dying down. Shaking her head, she walked across the dark common room to the set of stairs that would take her to the girl's side of the dorms. She was quite tired now, but chanced to gaze toward the other set of stairs, where Harry's room was up at the top. An idea floated around in her mind, but she shoved it aside and thought it best to save her ranting for in the morning. `Harry needs his sleep anyway', she said silently to herself, started up the stairs to her room, and walked in to hopefully get a peaceful night's sleep.