Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own Harry Potter. I make no money off it. But JKR does. Everything belongs to her.
Worlds Apart, Hearts Close
By Hermione Potter
Chapter 1: The Mysterious Rider
Seventeen-year-old Harry James Potter sat with his parents, Lily and James. Harry was no ordinary wizard of your everyday life. He was Prince of Gryffindor. His best friend was Ronald Billius Weasley. The Weasleys were like his second family of course.
But it was harder than you think. Not all the Weasleys remained harmonized with Harry in a way. The youngest child, Virginia, referred to as Ginny had a crush on his since he was twelve. He considered her as a sister and nothing more. But her crush on him had developed into a case of love.
"Harry, seeing as how you'll be eighteen soon, you should consider marriage. We are not forcing you to be wed, but only giving our opinion. I think you should marry in your own time and with the person you will love for eternity," Lily Evans Potter said softly to her son. Harry turned to look at her.
"Mum, I don't think now is a good idea. Millions of innocent people have been killed because of the war against Voldemort. I cannot risk a person's life because of my own needs. And anyway, I love no girl here in the Wizardry World," Harry replied, waving his hand and dismissing the idea.
"What do you think of that Ravenclaw girl? I think her name was Cho Chang," James suggested.
Cho was the Princess of Ravenclaw. But she was just another pretty face. Sure, she was a great Quidditch player, but after what happened in 5th year, he wouldn't want to deal with her again.
"No, thanks Father. I know I used to like her, but it was a physical attraction. Nothing more," Harry told.
"Excuse me, your Majesties, but Prince Harry is needed in the Forbidden Forest. It seems that there is a quarrel with the centaurs," a man from their royal court, informed.
"Thank you, Remus. Why don't you join my parents for lunch? I'll be right back," Harry grinned, before exiting the dining room.
"Remus, come, come. Sit. Eat!" James laughed. Remus smiled politely and thanked him.
Harry walked out into the stable and took out his faithful horse, Lightning. The horse was black with a beautiful shiny coat. His eyes were a soft brown that could be loving, but fierce at the same time.
Harry swung his leg over the side and patted Lightning's head.
"Ready, pal?" Harry asked with a smile. Lightning neighed and ran into the Dark Forest.
When he got there, he saw the centaurs surrounding something.
"What's wrong here?" Harry asked. One of the young centaurs, Jacob, turned to him.
"Ah! Prince Harry. We found a girl who we had tried to help, but treated us like vermin," Jacob said, a bit upset.
"Please move out of the way," Harry commanded. His mouth dropped.
"Ginny?! You aren't allowed in here! What were you thinking?!" he scolded. But she didn't answer. She flung her arms around his waist and buried her face in his chest. He rubbed his temple before pushing her off.
"I'm sorry, everyone. She is from the Gryffindor Kingdom. I'll take her back with me," he sighed, looking around. It was quiet. Too quiet. Even for the Dark Forest.
"Does it seem too quiet in here or is it just me?" he asked.
"It is unusually silent," Jacob replied, looking around.
Suddenly, hundreds of Dementors erupted from the shadows.
"What? Dementors are never in here! Run! All of you!" Harry commanded them, pushing Ginny, who was clinging to him like a pest. (A/N: No offense to Ginny fans!)
The centaurs scattered out of sight as the Dementors reached their hands out to Harry. He backed away slowly with Ginny in back of him.
He grabbed his wand and pointed it at one of the Dementors. 'Damn it! I forgot the spell! I need to pay more attention in class,' he cursed.
"EXPECTO PATRONUM!" a voice shouted. A silver light exploded through the forest as Harry watched a unicorn Patronus (A/N: Remember! It's AU!) run through the heap of Dementors. They scurried away as fast as they came.
Harry looked around to see no one around.
"Oh, Harry! You were so brave!" Ginny squealed, kissing his face.
"Blah, get off Gin. I don't have time for this," he shook her off and heard someone approaching.
A horse jumped out from the trees. But it was not like any other horse Harry had seen. It's coat was pearl white. But what was extraordinary about the horse was that it had flames on its sides, hooves, and mane. Its eyes were blue with silver specks.
On its back was a person. Harry could tell it was a girl. Her face was hidden by the hood of her cloak. She dropped it.
"You are not welcome in this place. Leave. Before it's too late," the girl warned.
Harry examined her face closely. She had wavy brown hair and cinnamon brown eyes. Her cheeks were tinted. And on her back was a bow and arrows.
"We are not looking for any trouble," Harry said slowly.
"Yeah, so why don't you just back off and leave US alone," Ginny spat from behind. Harry shushed her. The girl's eyes narrowed.
"Leave with your woman. Don't come back to this place. Leave and never set foot in here. It is not safe. Hurry before they come back," she said, kicking her horse gently and ran off.
"Wait!" he shouted. But she was gone.
"Come on Harry! Before the Dementors come back!" Ginny whined, dragging him onto Lightning. She wrapped her arms around his waist a little too tight for comfort. Harry rode off, his mind drifting back to the mysterious girl.
A/N: I know this is a lot to handle for an author. But what can you do when you have ideas bubbling inside your head? This idea came to my head thinking about medieval times. Hope you enjoyed it! Please review!
-Mione Lynn Potter