The Tip of the Knife
Summary: The wizarding world is at war. The fate of its people lies on the tip of a knife. Should the littlest catastrophe happen, it will fall. Despite the war around them, the witches and wizards find ways to move on with life, now that the only one Voldemort ever feared is gone. Life goes on, with weddings, new romances, anything that will momentarily take their minds off the death and destruction going on around them. Friends of "the Chosen One" turn worried eyes to the future, anxious of what Harry Potter's fate might have in store for him. Hogwarts remains open, but many have chosen not to return, Harry among them. With his two best friends at his side, he sets out to destroy Voldemort by tracking down the remaining Horcruxes, and to eventually bring down the wizard who has brought nothing but despair to the people around him. The mission could cost everything that Harry holds dear, and it could also cost him his life.
A/n: In light of the sad news in the 6th book, with Dumbledore dieing and Harry going out with Ginny, I decided to try writing a version of the next book. I've never done anything quite like this before, so be gentle. Don't flame me too bad.
Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter characters. They belong fully to JK Rowling, and I'm just borrowing them purely for entertainment purposes only. This goes for this chapter, and every chapter after it.
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Chapter 1: The Visitor
"So is she really pretty?" Harry nodded.
"Yeah, she's really pretty." Dudley grinned. Harry couldn't believe he was having an actual conversation with his cousin without one or both of them taunting the other. But there he was, the middle of July, talking with his cousin about his girlfriend, Ginny Weasley. Harry left out the part that he had broken up with her, because as far as Harry was concerned, he would pick up where they left off after he defeated Voldemort. If he defeated Voldemort. Dudley said,
"So, are you going to be going back to that school now that your headmaster is dead?"
"I don't know, I don't know if the school will even be open for this year." Dudley nodded slowly, and Harry still couldn't believe this change of heart in his cousin. It was slightly unnerving, as though there was a catch to his being kind. Dudley got up from the chair when Petunia shouted from the kitchen that his friends were there to see him. Harry went upstairs and fell back onto his bed, staring at the ceiling. He thought about what Dudley had asked him about whether the school would reopen or not. Harry decided that if it did, he wouldn't be going back. He had a mission to complete, and he couldn't do it very well at school. Harry hadn't fallen into a depression as most he read about in the Daily Prophet had because of Dumbledore's death. He handled it like Sirius's death, though the death of his headmaster and the only one that Voldemort ever feared had more of an effect on him. Soon enough, Harry started to doze off, and didn't wake up till after dark.
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It was late, eleven-ish, and Dudley was sitting in the living room, the only one still awake, whole large pizza to himself, and a movie his mother definitely wouldn't approve of on the TV. He didn't know that at that moment a woman was walking up the street, and turned at the end of the sidewalk to Number 4 Privet Drive. She was dressed in a black dress, with a black cloak. Her bowed head was covered by a hood, and she looked up at the sign that read, Number 4. She knocked on the door and waited for someone to answer. Dudley came to the door, and his jaw dropped slightly when he saw the woman's face. She said sweetly,
"Hello, I'm here to see Harry."
"Uh…sure…c…come on in." She smiled and came inside. Dudley said,
"Um…I'll go get him." He ran upstairs to get his cousin. The woman looked around the house, raised an eyebrow at how unnaturally tidy it was. She glanced at the TV, and made a face at the dirty movie playing on screen. With a flick of her wand, the movie was shut off.
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Harry jerked awake and for a minute was unsure of where he was, and what that noise was. He opened the door and rubbed his eyes groggily.
"What is it?"
"Your girlfriend is here." It took Harry a minute to register what Dudley had said. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
"What? She is?"
"Yeah." Harry left the room, Dudley in tow, and they went downstairs. The woman had her back to them and Harry said,
"Ginny?" The woman turned around and looked up at Harry. She smiled.
"No."
"Hermione? What are you doing here?" Hermione reached up and pulled the hood from her head. She looked different from the last time that Harry saw her. Her hair was smooth and sleek, pulled back into an elegant knot at the back of her head. Her black dress was very un-Hermione-ish. It was strapless with just a little cleavage, and the skirt reached the top of her heels. She wore chandelier earrings and a matching necklace, and black eye liner and black mascara and silver eye shadow that made her chocolate brown eyes look bright. Dudley couldn't stop staring at her, and the way he stared at her didn't set well with Harry.
"I've come to get you."
"For what?"
"For Bill and Fleur's wedding."
"Oh. I forgot about that."
"I'm to come and get you for a week, and then you'll come back to stay until your birthday. Then you're free."
"What's going on here?" Everyone turned at the sound of the voice, and saw Petunia and Vernon Dursley standing on the steps. Vernon said rudely,
"Who the bloody hell are you?" Hermione smiled, and forcing herself to be polite, said,
"My name's Hermione Granger, Mr. Dursley. I'm one of Harry's friends from school."
"From…" Vernon trailed off as he remembered what he had overheard Harry telling Dudley a while back.
"What about your friends?"
"Well, my friend Ron is a Quidditch player, he has a huge family, and is," Harry laughed, "sort of thick sometimes. And my other friend, Hermione, is well, the best in our year, there's no spell that she can't do, and when you get on her bad side, then it's not pretty. Ron found that out this year when she sent a flock of little yellow birds at him, and they started pecking at him." Hermione said,
"I've come to get Harry for our friend's brother's wedding. He'll be gone for a week, and then I'll bring him back here until his birthday and then he becomes of age."
"Why are you coming to get him? From what I've heard that that Lord Voldie-thingie has come back again, and they send a student to get him? Why doesn't that Dumbledore come and get him?" Harry and Hermione both looked at the floor at the same time. Hermione bit her bottom lip and looked back up at her friend's uncle. She said simply, yet sadly,
"He's dead." The only one of the Dursleys that reacted to the news was Petunia, whose jaw dropped and she put a hand to her mouth in shock. She asked,
"He's dead?" Harry and Hermione slowly nodded.
"Oh my God."
"Right now everyone is still mourning in the wizarding world, but we're trying to get on with our normal lives, or as normal as possible in the middle of a war. That's why I came to get Harry. So, if you don't mind, we should probably be leaving soon. The Weasleys are expecting us, and if we don't return soon, they might send out a search party for us." Without another word, Harry and Hermione were on their way upstairs so Harry could pack for a week. Harry pulled out an old backpack that he had used when he was younger, and started putting clothes into it. Hermione wasn't much of a help; she wandered around Harry's room, taking in all the surroundings. She put a lid back on a bottle of ink, and pointed her wand at Hedwig's dirty cage and cleaned it.
"Scourgify!" Harry said,
"So how long have you been at the Burrow?" Hermione said simply, still looking around at things, and tidying the room up a bit,
"Since term ended."
"You haven't been home to see your parents?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"Because I'm not safe there."
"Why not?" Harry said again.
"Because there's no protection there."
"Why are you in danger?" Hermione turned and faced him and smiled sadly.
"The reason is right here in front of me." Harry slowly nodded.
"So, because of your association with me, you're in danger?"
"Pretty much."
"And yet you're still here? Still wanting to speak to me?"
"Yes, because I'd rather take the necessary precautions than lose one of my best friends."
"You'd rather risk your life for something that's not your fight, just because you don't want to lose one of your best friends?"
"Right."
"But it's not your fight."
"In a way it is. But I know you have to be the one to defeat Voldemort. But as long as it is your fight, I can guarantee that I'll stand by your side every step of the way." Harry smiled.
"You're stubborn, you know that?" Hermione laughed.
"And you're not? Anyways, finished packing?" Harry nodded as he shoved the last t-shirt into the bag. He slung it over his shoulder and Hermione led the way down the stairs. The Dursleys were still downstairs, waiting for Harry and Hermione. Hermione smiled politely, and went to the door, Harry in tow. Hermione opened the door and exited, and Harry stopped, holding the door open.
"See you in a week." He left and shut the door behind him. Hermione had stopped and was waiting for him to catch up to her before walking again. It was unusually cool for the middle of July, but the sky was clear and the stars were out, twinkling brightly. Hermione led the way, for Harry had no idea where they were headed.
"How are we getting to the Burrow?"
"Apparating."
"But I can't, I'm not seventeen yet, and I don't have a license yet."
"Harry, the wizarding world is in the middle of a war, do you really think that underage wizards breaking the law are their first concern?"
"Well, no. So does that mean, I could've been doing magic all summer, and no one would've said anything?"
"Probably not."
"Wish I would've known that. So where are we going?"
"The apparation area."
"Where's that?"
"Mrs. Figg's backyard. So remember that when you come back." They were silent for a while until Harry suddenly thought of something.
"You never asked me the question." Hermione smiled and rolled her eyes.
"Nor did you." Hermione stopped walking and so did Harry. She smiled and said,
"Favorite jam flavor?" Harry smiled and answered,
"Blackberry." Hermione nodded in approval that the answer was the right one. Harry said,
"Alright, same question."
"Strawberry." Harry mimicked Hermione's nod of approval at the answer.
"So how are things at the Burrow?"
"Busy. Mrs. Weasley is driving everyone crazy with the wedding plans, which is part of the reason why I volunteered to fetch you. Ron wanted to come with, but Mrs. Weasley wouldn't let him out of the house when there was things for him to do."
"How is everyone?"
"In mourning, like all the witches and wizards who were close to Dumbledore. But life must go on, and the Weasleys are proving that by having that wedding."
"Anything else new?"
"Not really. Well, the Lupin/Tonks relationship is going good. Ron and I have a bet that their wedding'll be the next one that gets planned. I'm betting the plans start around Christmas, Ron thinks maybe next summer." Harry smiled. They reached Mrs. Figg's house and Hermione knocked on the door. From the other side, Mrs. Figg called,
"Who is it?"
"Hermione Granger," She almost forgot to add, "and Harry."
"Ask the question!"
"Mrs. Figg, do I have to? You know it's me."
"That's exactly what a Death Eater impersonating you would say!" Hermione sighed.
"What was the name of your first cat?"
"Whiskers. What is the core of your wand?"
"Dragon heartstring." The door opened and Mrs. Figg let Hermione in, but held a hand up to Harry. She said,
"Is he the real Harry Potter?" Hermione sighed again and rolled her eyes from behind Mrs. Figg.
"Yes, he is. I already asked him the question." Mrs. Figg stood aside so Harry could come in.
"Harry! It's good to see you again! Have your aunt and uncle been treating you right?"
"All right…" Hermione cut him off and said,
"I'm sorry, I don't mean to be rude, Mrs. Figg, but we must be going, otherwise people will start to worry." Mrs. Figg nodded and followed Harry and Hermione outside. They reached the grass, surrounded by trees and brush so thick that no one could see into the backyard, no matter how nosy they were. Hermione stopped and turned and faced Mrs. Figg who was still behind them. She said quietly,
"Any news?" Mrs. Figg said in the same hushed voice.
"Nothing much more than the usual." Hermione nodded.
"Good, I don't want any problems." Harry noticed for the first time that night how grown up Hermione seemed. Of course, naturally, she was grown up, she was considered an adult in the wizarding world, but she seemed like a different person from the one that he had last seen. She seemed more like she was in her thirties, rather than late teens. Mrs. Figg said,
"Well, I'll let you get going. See you, Harry, Hermione." She went back inside leaving Harry and Hermione alone in the backyard. Harry said,
"Um, Hermione?"
"What?"
"I haven't apparated in a long time. And even then I wasn't that good at it. I'm going to have to hold onto you to make sure I get to where I'm going and that I don't splinch myself." Hermione smiled.
"Harry, I'm sure you haven't forgotten. But if it makes you worry less…" She took his hand, and closed her eyes. Harry did too, concentrating on his destination. He had that feeling of being pressed hard from all directions, he felt like his body was trying to cave in. He could feel Hermione grip his hand hard as they were transported across the countryside.
A/n: There ya go. This idea was just a thing that came to me and I had to type it out before I forgot it. Let me know what you think of it. For those of you who are reading my story, `To You I Belong', I haven't forgot about it, I'm just waiting for more reviews till I post.
Husker_fan_2006
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