Disclaimer: I own NOTHING! The Harry Potter Universe is property of J.K.Rowling, who is an awesome author and I'm just someone who enjoys playing with her creations
The editing of story goes to Amna!
A/N: as anyone reading this ff will have realized, the next 7 chapters are going to about events before the prelude, it will keep going as 7,6,5 & ect. Until we get to where the prelude is left off, and by then you all will know who the female in the prelude is! Thanks to Amna who is a great beta and is also my co-writer, but she is mostly doing all of my Draco and Ginny scenes, which I promise will appear… later. Ok, enough talk, read on! AND REVIEW!
8 months prior to Prelude: The Reluctant Servant
Chapter 2: Godric's Hollow
A soundless wind rode through the peaceful country town of Godric's Hollow. The trees swayed and the dead leaves fluttered through the green meadows. Little cottages lined the streets, gardens adored with colourful flowers. People made their way through the market, minding their own business and going on about their lives. Little kids ran ahead of their parents and laughter rang through the main market street.
In this town, time hadn't been able to destroy the serene peace and quiet for a long era, but as is always the case, looks could be deceiving: you would never guess that it had been this little town that had been terrorized by evil; but the people of Godric's Hollow had learned to let that go and learn to live with their lives once again.
It was on one very bright and sunny afternoon that three youths found their way to this little piece of paradise. They made their way through the streets of the town until they came to the local cemetery.
It wasn't hard to find what they were looking for, for the graves they wanted to visit were clearly the most exquisite in all of the green meadow. A giant white marble angel stood looming over their graves and right under it engraved into the grave head was:
Here Lie:
Lily and James Potter.
Beloved parents
And
Friends to all they knew.
Their work and hardship will never be forgotten,
While they were with us.
A single tear rolled down Harry's cheek, as the three of them stood in the isolated graveyard. Harry bent down and placed a single red rose on their grave, before standing up and silently reading the engravings over and over again.
A quiet breeze picked up and blew a couple of dead leaves around, causing them to make a rustling noise. Ron and Hermione stood a little behind Harry to give a bit of space, until Hermione walked up to him and placed a comforting hand on his arm. The wind caused her hair to blow all over her face- a fact that, too, was wet with tears. They just stood there until the sun started to go down the west.
`Come on, Harry we better find a place spent the night, it's getting dark and cold' whispered Hermione.
With a silent nod of his head Harry agreed and subconsciously put an arm around Hermione's waist as they made their way towards the main part of the quiet town. The street lamps were just turning on as they made it to the main street. They spent the night at the local tavern, where every one was nice and welcoming, but where no-one really understood.
*
The sun rose in the east and danced across a certain burnet's face as she slept peacefully. As she opened her chocolate brown eyes, she noticed she was not in surroundings that were familiar to her; and then it came back to her, how the three of them had been traveling and how they no longer had to attend Hogwarts and how right now they were in Godric's Hollow and that they had only yesterday visited Harry's parents graves.
He looked so lost, just standing there. She thought to herself. He can't do this, but he'll never understand that… ok so I make him understand, he'll listen…eventually.
*
In the room next door to the 18-year-old girl, slept a redheaded boy of about the same age. He was lost in his dreams, until a knock was heard at his door, causing him to jump up in surprise.
`What do you want?' he gave a muffled yell as he tried to get out of bed to unlock the door.
`Ron, get up, we have things to do today you can't be expected to stay in bed all day, now can you?' Hermione yelled back through the door, until finally a very devilish looking Ron opened it.
`Thank You, now that you are up, get dressed and meet me down stairs in about 20 minutes, I'm going to wake Harry up.' She said all this in rather a hurry and then dashed off before he could protest any further.
`Busybody, Hermione! Doesn't she have anything better to do than be annoying people while we try to get a well deserved night's worth of sleep, in a proper bed?' he continued to mutter to himself as he went back into his room, only fall back onto the bed and succumb to sleep again.
*
Hermione practically ran up the corridor until she came to the room where Harry was staying. When she knocked on the door she got no reply. It wasn't like Harry to leave a door knock unanswered. Again she knocked, a little more loudly this time. Still no reply was heard. Taking a chance she turned the doorknob, and shockingly found that the door was unlocked. Slowly she walked into the room, only to find Harry in his bed, with his sheets all tangled up around his body. His face was twisted up in concentration, and he was sweating all over.
`Harry?' Hermione whispered, not sure how to wake him up. When nothing happened she called out his name again a little louder this time. This however she got a reaction, even though he was still asleep.
`Hermione?' came the whisper from his sleeping form. `Where are you? I can't see you, Hermione?'
`Harry, I'm right here, wake up, Harry.' This time she shook him a little.
`HERMIONE?!?' With that his eyes flew open and he bolted up in bed, breathing hard and sweating all over.
`I'm here, Harry, it's okay.' She soothed in a small voice, surprised that he had been dreaming about her.
The next couple of minutes were spent with her trying to reassure him that she was there with him and in no mortal danger.
He suddenly looked up at her and gave her a little smile, which she returned.
`Um- sorry, about that,' came his sheepish apology.
`Um- yeah, it's okay, everyone has nightmares, remember?' her question, followed by an awkward silence.
`Yeah, I guess.' Again the awkward silence continued. `So, what were you doing in here?'
`Oh- yeah, that… um, I came to um- wake you up, we have to get a move on and your door was unlocked and when you didn't reply to my knock I came in and found you-.'
`yeah okay, so I'll get changed and meet you down stairs in- say, 20 minutes, right?'
`Yeah, that'd be fine, I'll see you then.' With that she made her way out of the room, after she gave him one more smile.
When she got outside, a slight blush had risen to her cheeks. The fact that he had been dreaming about her was still surprising to her.
Okay- it was more like a nightmare. But still he was dreaming about me!
As she past Ron's door she could hear a faint snoring and this time without knocking she entered the room, only to find Ron in his bed- again, asleep and snoring rather loudly.
`RONALD WEASLEY! GET UP- NOW!' as she saw him jump and looking lost, she couldn't help but feel a little satisfied, to find that someone was as confused as she was.
With that she marched out of the door, slammed it just for good measure and made her way down to breakfast, where eventually Harry and a grumpy-looking Ron joined her.
*
The rest of the day the trio spent, exploring Godric's Hollow. Ron bought a present for Fluer and Bill's wedding, which would be taking place in a couple of weeks at the Borrow. They would go back to the Borrow and give the whole "looking-for-Voldemort-thing" a rest for a couple of hours on that day.
It was true that they spent a lot of time in Grimmauld Place nowadays and even had some visits to Hogwarts, once in awhile, but it was mostly official Order business. Since there was no more Dumbledore, the Order had some more help from the Ministry of Magic. True, the Minister wasn't all that fond of Harry, but still he didn't exactly like Voldemort either. Now that they had a little more of the Auror force on their side the number of Order members had increased.
Most of the orders came for Kingsley, as he was the representative for the Auror's, and Harry as most people looked on him as their unofficial leader. McGonagall had a lot of say too, as in to what happened in the Order, as she was the Head Mistress of Hogwarts. True the school was open to students but the population had dramatically deceased: very little parents wanted their children away from them and most wanted to just protect their children, since Dumbeldore's death.
They once more visited Harry's parent's graves, again so that Harry could say bye. They visited the property on which the Potter house had once stood. Now it was nothing but an empty field with wild flowers and lots of over grown grass and a couple of things that looked as if they were remains of the Potter home, but almost all of these items were old and unrecognizable.
`You know this will be a prefect place to live after this whole Voldemort thing is over, don't you agree Harry?' asked Hermione, in hope to lighten the mood.
`Yeah, it would be, if I survive,' came Harry's reply after a short pause.
`Of course, you will survive, Harry! We all will,' replied Hermione, in an optimistic voice.
`Yeah, you can't die on us, mate!'
Ron's statement got a small simile out of Harry and on a much lighter tone they made their way back to the Tavern to pack and get ready to leave Godric's Hollow, not knowing if they would ever return to the quite and peaceful town.
-->