As always, I'd like to thank everyone for reviewing (last chapter had a particularly high count, 31 I think), your words inspire me to write.
One quick thing, I've noticed that a few people have picked up The Second War Trilogy, which begins with my far and away worst piece of work, The Times are Changing. If you are brave enough to venture into that land, I only ask that you PLEASE don't point out the numerous mistakes and canonical errors. I'm already aware of them, and I hope to one day rewrite that story so that's it's better. This has been a public service announcement from your local author.
Also, this is a public service announcement to everyone that this story is rated R. Please remember that as you read this chapter.
Enjoy!
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Chapter 5: Godric's Hollow
Harry stared silently at the red sunrise from his seat at Ron's window and sighed.
"You alright, mate?" asked Ron, throwing on a pair of pants.
"Yeah," replied Harry. "Just..."
"A bit thrown that you're finally going back to where you lived with your parents?" suggested Ron.
"Something like that," said Harry with a smile. "I never knew them...but I can't shake the feeling that I'm going home."
"I wouldn't really know," shrugged Ron.
"You boys almost ready in there?" asked Hermione, knocking on the door.
"Yeah," replied Harry. "C'mon in."
The door opened slightly and Hermione poked her head inside.
"Come on," she urged. "We want to avoid people bugging us, remember?"
"Yep," replied Harry.
"Do we even know where we're going?" asked Ron as they got downstairs. "It's not like we can apparate there, can we?"
"Even if we could, I don't think it would be a good idea," said Hermione. "We might apparate right in front of some muggle."
"So how are we getting there?" asked Harry, mentally chastising himself for not thinking of this sooner.
"Well...as much as I hate to say it..." trailed Hermione. As they got out back she pointed to three brooms leaning against the side of the house, one of which Harry recognised as his Firebolt. "We're flying."
"How did you get a hold of these?" asked Ron, inspecting the broom next to Harry's. "They're not half bad...and aren't we liable to be seen flying around in broad daylight?"
"That's why we're leaving before the sun is fully up," replied Hermione with a huff. "And I asked Remus for some help in getting them."
"He didn't object?" asked Harry.
"On the contrary, he thought it was a smart idea to fly instead of trying to apparate and he approved of us asking him for help as opposed to trying to do it ourselves."
"Well," said Harry, grabbing his broom. "Let's be off."
"Alright," said Hermione. "Now mind you, Godric's Hollow is a fairly small place, so we may have to ask for directions, but I know the general area that it's near."
"Okay," said Ron, mounting his broom. "So which way are we headed?"
"Due south," replied Hermione, getting on her broom as well. "Straight over the forest."
"Lead the way, then," said Harry, doing the same. Hermione gave a great sigh and Harry swore that he could see her lips move in a silent prayer as she kicked off the ground and flew a few feet into the air. Smiling, he did the same and rose up next to her.
"I bloody hate flying," she muttered.
"You'll get used to it," replied Harry with a smile. "Besides, it's not like we're going to be playing a game of quidditch or anything.
"And thank god for that," she replied.
"Oy! Let's get a move on you two," smiled Ron from behind them. With a nod, Hermione rose higher and sped off over the canopy.
Harry flew after her, followed by Ron. He took a deep breath and let the wind penetrate his body...it had been far too long since he had been flying properly. Taking another breath, he looked to his left and saw the sun barely creeping over the horizon in the distance, giving the sky a warm, pink glow.
"It's really beautiful, isn't it?" said a voice to Harry's right.
"LUNA!" exclaimed Harry, nearly falling off his broom. Ron, barely seeing Harry skid to a halt in time, had to make a quick move up so as not to crash into him. "Don't do that!"
"Sorry," she said with a shrug. "I would've thought you heard me come up behind you."
"You could've given me some warning, mate," said Harry, narrowing his eyes at Ron.
"But then it wouldn't have been funny," he replied, trying to conceal a laugh.
"Why are we stopped?" asked Hermione, flying up to them. "Oh, hello Luna."
"Hello," she replied in her usual airy voice. "So why are you three up so early?"
"Er...we could ask the same of you," said Harry, with a small smile.
"Oh I always go out for flights in the morning," replied Luna. "They help calm me."
"That's lovely," said Hermione. "We really must be going though..."
"Oh, where to?" asked Luna with a bright smile.
"Um...where my parents used to live," answered Harry.
"Godric's Hollow?" she asked, prompting Harry to nod. "Okay, have a nice day!"
And without another word she flew off.
Harry stared off after her for a moment before looking over at Ron, who was looking at Hermione, who was looking back at Harry. He chuckled and shook his head before laying flat on his broom and speeding off after Luna.
"Hey," he said catching up to her a few seconds later. "Do you want to come with us?"
"Oh," replied Luna, slowing to a halt. "I couldn't possibly intrude..."
"I wouldn't be inviting you if I thought you'd be intruding," said Harry with a smile. Luna grinned broadly at him and nodded once. "Let's go then."
They flew back to where Ron and Hermione were waiting for them, and were met with a chuckle from both of them.
"Glad to have you along, Luna," said Ron, with a smile.
"I'm quite honored that you said I could come," she shrugged. "I don't really feel like it's my place to be with you at such a sacred place."
"You're a friend," said Harry. "A good friend at that. You're always welcome."
Harry thought for a second that he had silenced Luna, something that he thought was probably impossible, but the next moment she shrugged and smiled at them.
"Well, let's get going," said Hermione. "We've got a bit of a flight."
"Right," said Luna. "It's something like a hundred kilometers to the southwestern coast as it is."
"What does that have to do with anything?" asked Ron.
"Godric's Hollow is near the shore down there..." said Hermione. "How did you know about that Luna?"
"I've been in that area many times," she shrugged. "A lot of rare animals are supposed to inhabit that part of Britain."
"Right..." said Harry hesitantly, though it was with a smile. "Well, let's get on with it then."
=====
The four of them were flying for just under two hours before the coastline became clearly visible. Hermione was in the lead, followed by Harry, while Ron and Luna were flying side by side, bringing up the rear.
Harry turned his head around to look at Ron and Luna who were talking to each other animatedly. Chuckling, he flew up to Hermione who was looking determinedly straight ahead.
"Relax," said Harry, looking at her. "You're much too tense. It causes the broom to react too fast."
"I. Hate. Flying," growled Hermione through gritted teeth. They were flying above the bottommost clouds so as not to be seen by people on the ground, and he sensed that the height was bothering her.
"Just relax," repeated Harry, reaching over and placing his hand on hers. "Merlin, what are you trying to do? Choke the broom?"
"It's not funny," replied Hermione, though Harry noted that she did ease slightly at his touch.
"How come you hate flying so much anyway?" asked Harry, pulling his hand away.
"I just keep feeling like I'm going to mess up and it'll be all over in a flash," she said, still looking straight ahead.
"You know that even if you did fall, I'm much faster than gravity," said Harry flashing a grin.
"I suppose you are," chuckled Hermione. "See that village way down there?"
"Yeah," replied Harry. "Is that it?"
"No," replied Hermione. "That's as close as I can get us. You should probably ask Luna if she knows the rest of the way."
"Alright," said Harry. "And remember, just relax."
"I'll try to," said Hermione, smiling.
Harry fell back to where Ron and Luna were flying, and managed to catch some of their conversation as he approached.
"...and my father always said that knarples were rather tiny, but I don't think they'd be too much smaller than a hinkypunk given their diet..." Harry heard Luna as he reached them "Oh, hello Harry."
"Hi," he said with a smile. "See the village down there?" Both Ron and Luna looked down at the village a few kilometers ahead of them and nodded. "Hermione knows that Godric's Hollow is near there, but that's it. We're hoping you can show us the rest of the way."
"Ask Hermione if that's Bhraunwall," said Luna. Harry nodded and flew up to Hermione.
"Is the name of that village Bhraunwall?" he asked, noting that Hermione had resumed her death-grip on the broom.
"I believe so," she replied quickly. "Named for the famous eighteenth century wizard who secretly helped the muggles -"
"Hermione?" interrupted Harry.
"Mm?" she asked nervously.
In one deft move, Harry swung his legs over the side of his broom and, making sure to maintain a firm grip on his broom, jumped to Hermione's, causing her to shriek in terror and drop a few feet in height.
"Relax," he whispered in her ear with a smile.
"Don't you ever bloody do that again!" she yelled, breathing hard. "We could've been killed!"
"Nah," grinned Harry, placing his left hand on her waist, while still holding on to his Firebolt with his right. "Despite the fact that you hate flying, you know what you're doing."
"That doesn't mean you have the right to scare me like that," said Hermione, calming down.
"I'm sorry about that," said Harry, placing his chin on her shoulder. "But I have to get you to relax somehow."
"You're still a right git," replied Hermione, leaning back into Harry slightly.
Neither of them spoke for about a minute, and Harry had actually forgotten that Ron and Luna were behind them until Harry felt a light tap on his shoulder.
"Mate?" asked Ron from his right. "Looked like you dozed off there."
"Nah," said Harry, looking over and seeing Luna on the other side of Ron. "That's the right village, Luna."
"We need to go west for about four kilometers," she replied. "Godric's Hollow doesn't have more than thirty buildings, so we'll need to fly low to see it."
"There's a forest up ahead," pointed out Ron. "We can fly just above the canopy."
"Sounds like a plan," smiled Harry. Ron and Luna nodded and dropped back, presumably to continue their conversation. Harry turned back to Hermione and could see that she was smiling slightly. "What's funny?"
"Nothing," she replied. "Just how adorable those two are."
"Huh?" asked Harry, turning around to look at Ron and Luna. It surprised him to see that they weren't looking where they were going, but were actually making such extraordinary eye contact that had it not been for the fact that Ron's mouth was moving, Harry would've guessed they were playing the game where one tries not to blink.
"She's liked him for ages," said Hermione. "But she's just really shy when it comes to things like that."
"I had no idea," commented Harry, turning back to Hermione. "So you're warming up to her slightly?"
"She's a good person at heart," she replied. "And that's what counts."
"You've relaxed," he whispered, grinning.
"It's easier when I have a bodyguard," replied Hermione with a smile. "I suppose we should start to descend."
"Don't miss me while I'm gone," said Harry, giving her arm a quick squeeze with his free hand before jumping clear off her broom, only to right himself on his Firebolt a moment later.
"Must you do stuff like that?" asked Hermione, as she descended down to him.
"I haven't been flying in so long," shrugged Harry. "I miss the old quidditch moves, after all."
"I certainly don't," replied Hermione, shaking her head.
"That's it!" Luna called out from behind them. They turned around to see her pointing at a small cluster of buildings close to the ocean a few kilometers ahead of them, surrounded by trees on three sides.
"Last one there's a rotten Malfoy!" called out Ron, accelerating past Harry and Hermione. Grinning, Harry chased after him, while Hermione and Luna flew behind them, going slow on purpose.
"You two are no fun, you know that?" asked Ron a few minutes later, as Hermione and Luna landed next to him and Harry.
"Well unlike you two, we don't see fit to partake in such juvenile acts like racing," said Hermione, dismounting.
"So this is it," said Harry, looking around.
They were standing on a dirt road that led into the heart of the small cluster of buildings that was Godric's Hollow. On their left was clear, flat, country, and on their right was forest, the ocean only a few hundred feet beyond the trees.
"Guess we go on foot from here," shrugged Harry, walking off towards the houses.
"And what are you going to do about that?" asked Hermione, pointing at his broom. "It is a muggle village, after all."
"Er..."
"Give it here, then," said Hermione, holding out her hand. Harry reluctantly handed her his broom, and with a quick flourish of her wand, she had shrunk it to the size of a matchstick. "Just don't lose it," she said, giving it back to Harry, who put it in his pocket.
"I won't," said Harry seriously, watching as Ron shrunk his and Luna's broom too. Hermione followed suit with her own, and in no time they were walking towards the village.
Hermione suggested that they should ask someone where their destination was, so as they reached a petrol station, the four of them headed over to it and walked inside.
"Kin I help ye?" asked the man behind the behind the counter in a very heavy Scottish accent. Harry was immediately reminded of Hagrid, in that this man was probably over six and a half feet tall, and had an extremely long beard, though his hair was red, and he was chewing on a toothpick.
"We're looking for something," said Hermione with a smile.
"Oh, aye?" asked the man. "Well, there's nut anythin' round these parts that I dun know about. Mebbe I kin help ye out."
"We're looking for where James and Lily Potter used to live," said Harry, looking the man dead in the eye.
Harry wasn't sure if the man was gaping, but the toothpick fell out of his mouth and landed on the counter, bouncing slightly.
"Well, bless me marbles," said the man looking at Harry. "Ye look jus' like James Potter yerself."
"I'm his son," said Harry. "I'd like to know where they lived."
"Course...o' course," said the man, fishing around the register for something. "I'll take ye there meself. Ne'er a nicer pair o' people, yer parents." The man finally found a set of keys and led them from the store, locking when they were outside. "I knew 'em o' course."
"Did you?" asked Harry, walking alongside the man while Hermione, Ron, and Luna all followed behind them.
"Ye," replied the man. "Terrible thing, tha' gas explosion. How'd ye survive it anyhow?"
"I don't know," shrugged Harry, understanding that this man knew nothing of Lord Voldemort.
"Well, ye couldn't 'ave bin more than a couple yars old anyhow," said the man. "Blimey, I haven't even introduced meself yet. Folks round here call me McCleary."
"Nice to meet you," said Harry with a smile.
"Same to you, Misser Potter," replied McCleary. "That be the spot, just up on the right past that thar house at the end."
"Thank you very much," smiled Harry, extending his hand to the man.
"Anything for the son of James an' Lily," said McCleary, shaking his hand. "And if ye need anything at all, come round the station."
"We'll do that," said Harry. The man turned and smiled and nodded at Hermione, Ron, and Luna, all of whom smiled in return as he walked off.
"Honestly...how ye got this far out into the country without a car..." Harry heard him mutter as he walked away.
"Well he was nice," remarked Ron, once the man had gone.
"Very nice," agreed Luna. "So is this it?"
"I guess so," said Harry, turning to his right and looking at the empty space between the last house, and the trees on the left. In the middle of the ground was a patch of bare earth, where grass didn't grow. "I guess that's where the house was."
"They probably filled in the foundation after it was destroyed," said Hermione, as the four of them walked up to it.
"I wonder why they never built a new house here," remarked Luna.
"I bet Dumbledore had something to do with that," said Ron. "Probably paid a load of money to keep it like this."
"C'mon," said Harry, walking up to the edge of the trees towards the back of the empty space. "There's a path here."
The four of them walked along the path through the woods for a few minutes, stopping every so often to look around and remark on their surroundings.
They had been walking for about ten minutes when Hermione put her hand on Harry's arm, causing him to halt.
"Look," she whispered, pointing at a tree on their right. Harry turned and saw a rather large tree standing a few feet off the path. There was nothing unusual about the tree, except for something scratched into the bark. Curious, Harry walked up to the tree and froze when he saw what was carved there.
JP
+
LE
Harry felt tears sting at his eyes as he stared at the inscription, so simple, yet so meaningful to him.
"L.E.?" asked Ron, confused.
"My mother's maiden name was Evans," reminded Harry, wiping at his eyes. "This must've been from before they were married."
Ron nodded silently and the four of them stood there for a while in silence, thinking about what the world must've been like when the initials had been carved into the tree.
"Well, let's move on," said Harry. "I want to see where this path goes."
It only took them a few more minutes to find out where the path went. The trees in front of them disappeared to reveal a small clearing that stretched to a cliff, where waves from the ocean could be heard crashing on the rocks below. In the middle of clearing stood a simple white arbor, similar to the one at Bill and Fleur's wedding, behind which there was a small garden in which, surprisingly, dozens of flowers were growing.
"This must have been where they were married," breathed Hermione, looking around.
"How are these flowers here?" asked Harry, kneeling down next to the garden. "Flowers don't last for nearly twenty years."
"Someone must be taking care of them," said Ron. "Wouldn't surprise me in the least if someone was paid to take care of this place."
"Harry?" asked Hermione, as he got up and began to walk towards the cliff.
"I'm just going to go have a seat," he replied, not turning to look at her. None of them made any argument, and he walked to the edge of the grass and sat down, staring out at the waves rolling towards the shore.
He sighed and plucked a few strands of grass from the ground, releasing them individually off the edge of the cliff.
"Do you mind if I join you?" asked Luna, from behind him.
"Not at all," replied Harry.
She sat down and hugged her knees to her chest, resting her chin on them.
"It's so peaceful here," she remarked, looking out at the ocean.
"Yeah it is," replied Harry. "I can see why my parents lived here...it's gorgeous."
"You have wonderful friends, Harry," said Luna. "Don't ever forget that, no matter what happens."
"Er...I won't," he replied, turning to look at her. "What makes you say that?"
"Just reminding you," shrugged Luna. "Keep them close. Especially Hermione."
"Why Hermione?" asked Harry with a smile.
"If you don't know already, I'm not going to be the one to tell you," replied Luna with a smile.
"Hey mate!" shouted Ron from beside the garden. "C'mon! There's food to be eaten!"
Harry turned around and saw that Hermione had apparently brought a picnic, as there was a blanket laid out on the ground with some food laying on it.
"One second!" shouted Harry in response. "What are you talking about, Luna?" he asked, turning back to her, but she had already gotten up and was walking back towards Ron and Hermione. Chuckling to himself, he made a mental note to talk to her about it later, got up, and walked over to where Ron had already begun shoveling food into his mouth.
"You could've waited Ron," chastised Hermione.
"Why?" mumbled Ron through a mouthful of food.
"Because it's polite to wait for everyone to be present," said Hermione as Harry sat down beside him. "Especially when the last person arriving is the reason why we're here."
"'Arry doesn't mind, do you?" asked Ron, his cheeks bulging.
"Er..." said Harry nervously, everyone looking at him intently. "I'm staying out of this one on the grounds that I can't give a satisfactory answer to everyone present."
"Oh go on mate, just say she's right, I don't mind," said Ron, swallowing.
"It has nothing to do with being right," huffed Hermione. "It's the principle of the -"
"Oh just let it go you two," chuckled Harry. "This is supposed to be a happy day. Happy. Not arguing."
"Sorry," said both Ron and Hermione bashfully.
"Now come on, let's enjoy some of this food," said Harry, looking down at the spread that looked very similar to something one might find at Hogwarts. "Who enlisted Dobby's help, anyway?"
"I did," chuckled Hermione, blushing slightly. "I apparated over there this morning before you two were awake and he made this for me. I got the feeling he wanted to come along but was too shy to ask."
The four of them chuckled at this.
"How'd you bring all this with you anyway?" asked Harry.
"Broomsticks aren't the only thing you can shrink, you know," winked Hermione.
"Noted," smiled Harry as they all began to tuck in.
=====
"Ahh, that was a great meal," said Ron about an hour later, patting his stomach. "Remind me to compliment the house elves."
"I still don't approve of how they're used," frowned Hermione. "But I really suppose there isn't much I can do about it."
"Who are you and what have you done with Hermione Granger?" asked Ron with a smile. Hermione shrugged.
"You're not really giving up on SPEW, are you?" asked Harry.
"It's S-P-E-W," corrected Hermione, rolling her eyes. "And I don't know...I just don't feel like it would go anywhere."
"Hey," said Harry putting an arm around her. "What happened to the girl that never gave up on anything she put her mind to?"
"I guess I realised that it's just not possible to do everything," sighed Hermione. Harry chuckled and gave her shoulders a quick squeeze before letting go. He opened his mouth to say something but a rustle from somewhere to his right caused him to freeze.
"Did you hear something?" he asked, looking around.
"No," shrugged Ron. "What was it?"
"Sounded like something in the forest," replied Harry, squinting at the trees.
"It was probably a gnarlyfunk," commented Luna absently. "There's a surplus of them in this region."
"I don't think...Hermione?" asked Harry, turning to look at her. "What is it?"
"Look," she breathed, eyes wide. Harry followed her gaze to the edge of the trees where the path ended, and distinctly saw four figures in black cloaks just as his scar began to tingle.
"We have to get out of here," he said quickly. "Let's go."
"Now what's the rush, Potter?" an icy voice behind Harry said.
Instantly there were several cracks around the four of them, and five cloaked figures with white masks appeared, wands drawn.
"When did you get out, Lucius?" asked Harry acidly, recognising the voice as Draco's father.
"Well after the enchantment that Dumbledore put on me to keep me grounded disappeared, it was rather easy to...slip away," replied Lucius. "Now get up."
Figuring it would be easier to make an escape with a standing base, Harry complied, but kept his back turned to the elder Malfoy.
"You three as well," ordered Lucius, and the other five death eaters converged quickly to drag Hermione, Ron, and Luna to their feet. "I cannot wait to see the look on the Dark Lord's face when he discovers the situation," he continued, pressing the tip of his wand to the black mark on his left forearm.
A dark chill filled the air and the sunlight seemed to disappear as black smoke flew from the path in the forest to where Lucius was standing.
"What is it, Lucius?" the cold, high voice of Voldemort asked. "I told you not to interrupt my search...well what have we here?"
The smoke began to swirl and gather, only to materialize in the form of Lord Voldemort a moment later.
"Harry Potter...and his band of minions," said Voldemort with a sick smile. "How wonderful of you to join me. Tell me...why are you here? Is it because you heard I was going to be here and wanted perhaps to 'get the best of me'? Or is it something...else?"
"My parents lived here," said Harry in a monotone. "You of all people should know that."
"And you just wanted to come and reminisce?" asked Voldemort with a cold chuckle. "A waste of time, living in the past. I'm sure your headmaster...excuse me, ex-headmaster told you that." A chorus of chuckles rippled through the death eaters at this comment. "Tell me...why are you really here?"
"I wanted to invite you to a picnic," droned Harry, rolling his eyes. "Honestly, what does it look like we were doing?"
Voldemort leaned over to his right slightly to get a look at the white blanked laid out on the ground with the remnants of the meal still sitting on it. He frowned slightly and gave Harry an appraising look.
"You disappoint me, Harry Potter," sighed Voldemort. "And all this time I thought you were plotting against me."
"My lord," called a familiar voice from the woods. "We haven't found anything with the spell you gave us -"
"You are interrupting me, Severus," spat Voldemort, not breaking eye contact with Harry. Harry, however, snapped his head around and saw his former teacher standing with his head bowed at the treeline.
"I beg your forgiveness my lord," said Snape with utmost reverence. "I did not realise -"
"Of course you didn't," hissed Voldemort. "But then again, you didn't know we had company, so for this time I shall forgive you."
"My deepest gratitude," said Snape, still looking at the ground.
"Come, then Severus, join the party," said Voldemort with a sick smile. Snape finally raised his head and made his way over to the circle of death eaters, bowing to Voldemort when he got there. "As you can see, young Potter and his friends decided to join us today."
Harry made sure to stare at Snape with the most amount of loathing he could muster, while wishing his former teacher would burst into flames at the same time.
"Harry here seems to really despise you, Severus," chuckled Voldemort. "Now why could that be...ah yes! Perhaps it was because of Dumbledore?"
"You know bloody well that's why," said Harry through gritted teeth.
"Now, now Potter, I don't take kindly to being talked to like that," chastised Voldemort, brandishing his wand. "Perhaps I should teach you some respect. Crucio!"
Harry thought his skin was melting as Voldemort kept his wand trained on him. He vaguely registered someone screaming in the back of his mind, and thought for a moment that it was him until the curse was lifted and he realised it was Hermione."
"Stop!" she cried, her eyes red in terror.
"Hmm," said Voldemort appraisingly, stroking his wand with his long, white fingers. "Miss Granger...young Harry here means something to you, doesn't he?"
"He means something to all of us, you bastard," whispered Hermione.
"Hermione shut up," said Harry fast. Her eyes widened at his outburst. "Don't get involved in this."
"Ah, but she is already involved in this," said Voldemort silkily. "As are your other two friends...I wonder, Potter...are they as good at resisting the Imperius Curse as you are?"
Harry's mouth remained closed, but in his head he was truly fearing what was about to come next.
"Well let us find out," said Voldemort, training his wand on Ron. "Imperio."
Instantly Ron's eyes glazed over, and the death eater holding him let go. Silently, Harry watched as Ron walked over to Voldemort and bowed once, causing the assembled death eaters to laugh imperiously. Without a word, he stalked over to Lucius and, in one quick move, reached through his robes and pulled a hidden dagger from them.
"Ron..." whispered Harry as his friend began to walk over to him. "This isn't you...remember who you really are...remember the Weasley inside you."
Ron's steps faltered. Harry could see that he was fighting it...but he wouldn't win the battle without some help. Silently, Harry remembered something that he had once overheard the teachers at Hogwarts talking about, and focused everything he had on the one spells he was thinking of.
'Expelliarmus,' he thought, looking at Voldemort. The result was about what Harry expected. A small ripple flew through the air, and Voldemort easily blocked it, but in the process his concentration faltered and Ron broke free.
"So..." said Voldemort, turning to Harry as Ron dropped the dagger like it was an acromantula. "You've learned wandless magic..."
"I haven't learned anything," spat Harry. "I just tried as hard as I could."
"So you're a natural, then," smiled Voldemort. He paused for a moment and then frowned. "I'm wasting time here...I came here for a reason and you've distracted me yet again. I will not let this opportunity pass though." He looked Harry dead in the eyes and pointed his wand at him. "I intend to find out what you denied me over a year ago Potter. I know Dumbledore told you the prophecy...and now you will tell it to me. Legillimens!"
Harry closed his eyes and braced himself for the invasion, but instead of seeing a rush of images surge through his mind...he saw only a brick wall. Slowly he opened his eyes and met Voldemort's, rage and frustration running through them.
"So Potter," he ground out, not breaking the spell. "You've learned Occlumency...and here I had thought you failed."
Harry didn't know what to say so he kept his mouth shut. He was sure that if the brick wall wasn't present in his mind, Voldemort would be seeing nothing but confusion. Harry continued to stare at the dark lord until something just beyond him caught his eye. He was careful not to break eye contact, but paying attention very carefully, he could distinctly see Snape staring hard at him, mumbling something under his breath, his lips barely moving.
Comprehension dawned on Harry and it began to confuse him even more. Finally, after a few more seconds Voldemort gave up, and with an angry growl, stalked over to Hermione and trained his wand on her.
"Tell me the prophecy Potter," he said venomously. "Tell me the prophecy or the mudblood dies."
Harry was breathing hard...his heart was beating harder. Despite trying to find a way out, he knew that his time was running short.
"You have five seconds Potter," said Voldemort, his arm around her neck. "Five...four -"
An extremely loud gunshot from the woods sounded, and five armed men, led by McCleary came running out of the woods, the barrels of their guns leveled at the death eaters.
"Ye leave those kids alone ye bastards!" yelled McCleary, a double-barreled shotgun aimed at Voldemort's head. "Ye git on outta here or I'll blow ye head off!"
Harry looked quickly between Voldemort and McCleary, the former obviously weighing the situation and his odds. Before anyone had time to react though, one of the death eaters spun around and aimed his wand at one of the men beside McCleary.
Harry couldn't help but find it ironic that for all the magic wizards had, they were really no match for a gun. Three shots sounded loud and clear before the death eater could even utter a word, and he fell to the ground in a bloody mess.
"Ye try anything like tha' again, and ye're all dead!" bellowed McCleary.
Voldemort was livid, it was easy to tell...but even Harry knew that Voldemort wasn't stupid.
"I will now take my leave of you, Potter," said Voldemort, dropping his arm from Hermione's neck. "But I promise you, this isn't over by a long shot."
"I'm well aware of that," spat Harry.
"Come," growled Voldemort to his death eaters. With seven cracks they all disappeared, and the four teens instantly drew their wands in case they decided to return.
"Ye okay?" asked McCleary, coming up to them.
"We're alright," said Harry, walking over to Hermione to make sure she was okay. "How did you know we were in trouble?"
"Neighbor heard a lass screamin' an' called fer help," said McCleary, still holding onto his shotgun tightly. "An' there ain't no law around here 'sides me, so I rounded up me boys an' run ar arses o'er here."
"We're indebted to you," said Hermione graciously.
"Ah, dun ye worry 'bout it," said McCleary. "This is Jackson, McPherson, Farstall, Luther, and Kingsford, by the way."
The teens smiled and nodded at the men, who grunted in response.
"Don' take it personally," laughed McCleary. "They dun talk much."
"I understand that," laughed Harry.
"We best be getting away from here," said McCleary. "In case any o' those bastards come back, eh?"
Harry nodded and the four of them were about to follow the men out of the clearing when three cracks sounded behind them.
"Stupefy!" three different, yet familiar voices yelled. In an instant, three jets of red let hit half of the men, and in another second the other three fell. Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Luna whirled around, wands drawn, only to come face to face with Lupin, Tonks, and Moody.
"You really didn't need to make such a big entrance, you know," said Harry, shaking his head.
"Didn't know if they were the ones causing the commotion," said Remus. "What happened?"
"Voldemort showed up," said Hermione. "We'd be in a lot of trouble right now if these men hadn't saved us."
"McCleary?" asked Lupin, looking down at the fallen red-haired man. "Didn't know he was still around."
"You know him?" asked Harry.
"Course I do," replied Lupin. "He was good friends with your parents...but he doesn't know a lick about magic. Obliviate."
Harry watched as Lupin repeated the charm five more times for each of the men, and then woke them.
"How the hell did I end up down 'ere?" McCleary asked, blinking.
"Dunno," shrugged Lupin. "I reckon you lot got pissed and passed out."
"Oh aye..." groaned McCleary. "Well, sorry to intrude, we'll be goin' then."
Harry suppressed a chuckle as the six men wandered off down the trail before turning to Lupin.
"How did you know we were in trouble?" he asked, watching as Moody's magical eye continued to follow the men.
"Trouble sensors," Lupin explained, pointing at the garden. "I would've been here sooner but I didn't want to come alone in case I ran into more than I could handle."
"So you've been keeping the garden?" asked Ron. Lupin nodded.
"What happened anyway?" asked Tonks.
"Like Hermione said, Voldemort showed up," said Harry.
"He was actually here? Himself?" asked Moody, looking down at the dead death eater.
"Yeah," said Harry. "I think it was a coincidence though, he seemed surprised to see us."
"Macnair," grunted Moody, pulling the mask off the man.
"Pity," sighed Harry. "And here I was hoping it was someone important."
"I wonder why he was here," contemplated Lupin. "It's not like him to go prancing around the country in broad daylight, with or without death eaters."
"He said he was searching for something..." trailed Harry. "He was interested in why we were here..."
Harry's eyes widened as he remembered something Dumbledore had once said to him.
"Lord Voldemort would prefer objects that, in themselves, have a certain grandeur."
"Remus..." said Harry slowly. "Did my parents ever own anything that belonged to any of the founders?"
"Well...hmm," said Remus thoughtfully. "Not that I know of...why?"
"We have to get to the Durselys," said Harry, looking at Lupin. "Can you apparate us there?"
"Tonks, take Luna, will you?" asked Remus as he took Harry's arm.
Tonks nodded and placed her hand on Luna's shoulder.
"We'll see you there, then," said Harry, and a moment later he was gone.
---------------
And there you have it!
I know a lot of you will be upset at the quasi-cliffy...but I'm sure that several of you will know what Harry is
thinking. Nothing else this week, au revior!