Chapter Text
CHAPTER ONE
Prologue
January was a cold month in the United Kingdom of Great Britain. The wind howled in the distance. A blizzard was coming in soon - and fast.
Wizards and witches in the village of Hogsmeade - bundled up in layers of clothes, scarves, and boots - shivered in the cold. This day was a particularly windy evening in the castle Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and so happened to be the coldest time of the year. The Clock Tower's clock chimed in the distance; the big bell‘s chime echoing across the castle school grounds.
Not a sound could be heard throughout the castle, only the occasional ambience of the wind and the crunch of snow under fur coated boots. Not even Peeves - the mischevious poltergeist ghost who normally caused all kinds of mayhem - made a peep.
But it was quiet, too quiet for it to even be obscenely normal. What had happened to Hogwarts, you ask? Well, let me tell you, my dear reader. You must know the whole story by now, yes?
What once used to be a lively castle, full of joyous magical children full of hopes and dreams to become wizards and witches someday was now a castle that was suddenly lifeless and dull. All of their dreams, all of their hopes, all of that. It was all but silenced and quieted, as if someone had forced it out of them (in fact, someone had....).
It was as if all those dreams were crushed in one hand, and that fat hand happened to be a certain someone's....
The castle, once warm and full of color was now grey and cold.
These were dark, dark times to be in.
The Dark Lord Voldemort was on the rise once again, having resurfaced into the world and causing chaos to the Wizarding World as we know it. Now the wizards and witches know nothing but fear. There is only darkness and suffering and now people only feel a sense of hopelessness. There was little joy to be found these days in this dark time and so people have lost hope.
Now Hogwarts was under a strict decree- under a corrupt magical order by none other than the Minister of Magic himself. In his cowardice, he submitted and gave in - they had already lost, hadn't they? he had thought - with Voldemort back, there was nothing he could do. And so, the Ministry of Magic had officially taken over Hogwarts and had come up with all sorts of rules to restrict magic as much as possible. One of his supporters had secretly orchestrated it this way so that she could, in fact, rule the school herself.
This led to the problem that was now: the supporter had been promoted to Headmaster status by the Minister himself. In doing so, Minister Fudge fired the Headmaster of the school following the old man's mysterious disappearance to who knows where
So now Hogwarts is without a Headmaster. Dumbledore is gone. Now there is no hope left for the Wizarding World. What had become of him is a mystery, but he is believed to be out there somewhere. Where, no one knows.
For now, the students in the wizarding school are lost without their ray of light to guide them.
But without Dumbledore as a Headmaster, who is there to? Why, Well, there is a now a new Headmistress who is goes by the name of Dolores Umbridge and is now ruling the school under an iron fist(or, you know, under a fat one).
The Death Eaters, Voldemort's loyal followers, stood close by outside of the castle, but not close enough to the wards. The air was thin as the snow crunched underneath their feet. War would come soon. Bloodshed would spill as soon as the Dark Lord returned back to power. Until then, they could only wait. They then Disapparated in a whoosh of Darkness, leaving behind nary a mark. And then they were gone. Just like that.
One young man with a lightning-shaped scar on his forehead sat still on the bed in the Hospital Wing. He had gotten hit pretty badly, if the cast and the rather large bruise on one side of his face were anything to go by (Fred and George hadn't seen him coming for the Snitch and accidentally swung a bludger at him in a blind frenzy -- they immediately came to his side thereafter, but the damage was already done).
Harry Potter awoke to the sound of the door to the infirmary opening and a rush of a cloak swishing by. Suddenly, he found himself in the arms of his best friend, Hermione Granger.
“Oh, Harry! Thank goodness you're alright!” She exclaimed, worry clear in her voice as she looked at him in concern. “Oh, are you alright? We were so worried! Ron and I wondered what had happened to you after you fell off your broom"
Then she noticed his injuries. Her face scrunched up at the rather large injury on his head. Puss and blood leaked out of the wound, even with a bandage covering half of his heavily damaged face.
"Oh, Harry! This is horrible!” She said with obvious sympathy for him.
Harry shrugged helplessly.
“I just hope you’ll get better soon! I'm sure Madam Pomfrey can heal that - whatever that is. I honestly can’t believe those two. The nerve of them! Those Weasley twins, I swear! I told them to be careful this time, but they never listen! They're always so competitive and as reckless as ever!" Hermione said angrily. She ran a hand through her hair and looked back at Harry, worriedly.
"Oh, I really do hope you'll recover soon. This isn't the ideal place to stay, is it? I should know, I stayed here as a cat in second year. A cat! Remember that?" He nodded. Of course he remembered. Who couldn't remember? How could he forget something as crazy as that? It would forever be ingrained in his memory.
"Yeah. Me and Ron were Crabbe and Goyle....that was one of the craziest moments of my life. I can't believe we actually thought that Malfoy of all people was actually the heir of Salazar Slytherin. He's too much of a pathetic prat to get away with something like that. Plus, he couldn't kill chickens and use chicken blood to write that message on the wall even if he tried." He says in a hushed voice, as Hermione tried to shush him. She quicked a glance behind them to see if anyone was eavesdropping on their conversation. Luckily, none of the other patients heard as she cast a silencing charm. Otherwise, they'd be full of questions.
"Yeah! I'll never do that again, that's for sure. Blimey, I forgot how faulty it tasted. It was disgusting!" Ron blanched, making a choking sound.
"Me neither. I can't believe I was so stupid. I should've known I added in that cat hair from Millicent Bullstrode's robes." She sighed, "I was so sure I had her hair, not the cat's."
"You, er, did make a good cat," Ron said quietly, his ears turning rather red all of a sudden.
"Ronald!" Hermione turned on him, steam coming out of her ears. "Say that again, I dare you!"
Harry couldn't help laugh. Seeing them bickering just like old times was sort of...refreshing. Especially during these dark, dark times. But here...he was home. Here he was welcome (unlike at Privet Drive where he was shunned his whole life). Here, he had his friends. "Yeah. It was horrible." Harry says, forcing a small smile, trying to reassure them. "Listen, I won't be long. I tend to recover really fast, in case you hadn't noticed." Hermione rolled her eyes.
"Well...we'll be sure to visit when we can and bring back something from Honeyduke's. We promise. Right, Ron?" She turned to him, expecting him to agree along with her.
"Err - yeah. Right." He says sheepishly and then turns to Harry. “Look. 'Mione's right, Harry. Don’t you ever scare us like that again!You could've gotten seriously hurt back there.” Ron said from beside her. He, too, looked worried sick. There were bags under his eyes, as if he hadn't slept for a week.
"I won’t. I promise" Harry swore under his breath. He wouldn't let his friends down. Not for all the things they had done for his sake.
"Reckon Mum 'll freak about this. Knowing her, she'll probably send a Howler to Fred and George. Joke's on them. They got themselves into this bloody mess in the first place." He shook his head and looked down. Harry nodded, feeling his stomach drop. He knew they hadn't meant it, but now he was glued to the bed for who knows how long. He also couldn't fly on his broom, which soured his mood greatly. He loved flying! Now he'd He was doomed!
Apparently it showed on his face, because Hermione squeezed his hand.
"Harry, are you hurting right now? We can fetch Madam Pomfrey real quick." Harry He loved them very much, but... he wasn't a baby! He could take care of himself!...Unfortunately they didn't see him that way.
"Thank you, guys. Really. But I'm fine." He said with a
He tried to stand up, but his body wouldn't move for the life of him. It stayed rather limp on the bed, and he couldn't move to stand up. He winced, his arms and legs felt like lead. And he was sure he was seeing stars....
Merlin. This was going to be a long day.
"Oh, no, you don't!" Hermione snapped, holding him down. "You have to stay here, remember? You're still healing!"
And that was another thing. He hated it when they babied him, as if he couldn’t take care of himself.
"Okay, mom," Harry rolled his eyes, not missing the flash of anger flashing across Hermione's eyes. "I'll stay in bed like a good little boy. Now, will you please leave me alone? I told you already, I'm fine."
"...Alright. I suppose we could," Hermione says slowly, biting her lip. She looked torn as to whether or not to leave him in peace or to take good care of him. "Oh - Bloody hell," Ron said, staring openly at Harry's arm, "What happened to you?" He pointed to the cast, as if just noticing it now. He edged closer to the bed as he stared
It was slung over his shoulder, holding onto his broken arm.
"Arm broke. Madam Pomfrey said she'll fix it soon with a Skele-Grow potion." Harry said quietly, looking away at anything but at them. He hated the stuff. It was disgusting. But what else was he supposed to do?
His face turned green. He felt like he was going to be sick.
"See, mate? You don't look OK to me. You look live you've seen a ghost." Ron said hastily, "Let's just get Madam Pomfrey like 'Mione said. And then we'll be on our way, OK?"
"Look, I said I'll be fine. I can handle myself. Don't worry about it." Harry covered his bruise self-cautiously. Really, all this attention was way too much. It was just one small measly little bruise. It was nothing too serious. Ron and Hermione were just...over reacting. Yeah, that was it. Besides, it was nothing compared to what he had to endure at the Dursley's.
"Well, on the bright side, we won 150 points!!! You were bloody amazing out there, Harry! Tonight is a night to celebrate! Cheers!" Ron held up a goblet of butterbeer with one hand and laughed. “Good job, mate,” Ron claps him on the back good naturedly. “We won the House Cup! Isn't that brilliant?"
"Of course it is," Harry says, rubbing the bridge of his nose in distress. He made to reach for the glasses and put them on. His eyes adjusted as he stared between the two of them. "What? I'm happy. I really am."
"Are you absolutely sure? You've been down a lot lately. You've hardly smiled at all, Harry." said Hermione.
"I'm just.... a little tired. That's all." He said, faking a yawn. He really didn't want to tell them about the cuts on his arms. Or the fact that Professor Umbridge used a Blood Quill to make him write "I must not tell lies" etched across his hand. They didn't need to know that. They'd only freak.
Harry managed a small smile and turned to Hermione, who didn't look the least bit convinced at his happy behavior. She opened her mouth to speak, but then Madam Pomfrey exited out of her office and strode towards them in hurried footsteps.
She pushed her way past Ron and Hermione and tended to Harry almost immediately.
“So uhh how long will he be here exactly?" Ron asked, concerned. He looked at his friend with a look - pity? Sympathy? - kind of sadness.
Harry didn’t like that look. It was disgusting. What was this? A pity party?
“He’ll be bedridden for a few days, I’m afraid. You can visit him whenever you'd like, but he won't be able to move properly for quite some time. His bones still need to regrow after that horrific incident." She sighed. She hated how the boy always seemed to get himself into danger of some kind. Whether that was in the form of the Dark Lord or dementors, he was always in imminent danger.
"Boys," she tisked, shaking her head. She brought out some gauze and poured some antidote over it and dabbed it onto his bruise. It stung for a few minutes, before it became almost completely normal. At least it only had semi- of it's skin color.
"Always getting into trouble. Sometimes they need a girl to keep them on their feet."
"Oh, believe me. I try," Hermione crosses her arms and sighs through her nose. "Honestly, if it weren't for me, Ron and Harry would have been in loads of trouble already! They'd die without me around. Harry and Ron could've gotten killed. Or worse, expelled!"
"Well, you do an excellent job, m'dear," Madam Pomfrey tells her with a warm smile, "Thank the stars! They're lucky to be alive. I'm surprised you survived after that fall. It was near fatal." She said to Harry, who was staring up at the ceiling, bored.
"The only one you have to watch out for are those twins. They're always up to something."
Harry grinned, thinking of when they gave him the Maraunder's Map. Little did he know at the time it was made by his Dad, his Godfather, and his old Defense Against the Arts Teacher Lupin.
The twins with all those tricks up their sleeves. Well, the Weasley twins weren't mischevious for nothing. If they could outsmart Peeves and Filch, they could do anything.
"Well, I shall report this to the Headmaster. He will be in here shortly to see your injuries himself. Rest, Mr. Potter,"
The Weasleys came in at that moment, bursting through the doors to
"Sorry, Harry -“
"-We wanted to say something sooner, we really did -"
"- But we got distracted. Detentions, you see -"
"- And now we're here and we're -"
"- Sorry -"
"-So sorry for the trouble," Fred ended with a wink to Harry.
"It's okay. I know you didn't mean to," Harry says with a fake smile, "'Sides, it's just a scratch. It's nothing to worry about. Honest."
"Well, if that's all then, I hope you don't mind if we scurry off. We've got places to go -"
"- Things to see -"
”-Adventures to go on -“
"- Worlds to explore -"
"If you don't mind, we'd better hurry and start big. Business is booming, thanks to you, Harry! Now off we go!"
"See ya later, Harry!"
"Take care!" The twins say before disappearing into smoke, leaving fireworks behind them that made confetti explode in the room!!
Ron and Harry exchanges glances at each other and laugh. As always, the twins went out with a bang. Making their dramatic exit, well,.... dramatic.
"Good one, George! Fred!" Ron calls after his brothers
Ginny stands there awkwardly, before moving closer to Harry's bed.
Ron chanced a look between his sister and Harry before whistling loudly while looking up at the ceiling. He mumbled a "c'mon" to Hermione and started to walk away. He took Hermione along with him making his leave with Hermione. They were out the door before Harry could say anything more.
—
“We need to talk,” Ginny said. An unreadable emotion flashed in her eyes, as she looked at his arm cast and the bruise on his face, before she sat beside his bed on a small chair. Her head was bowed, her red hair shadowing her eyes.
“Please-” Harry coughed, turning over to face her, “Can't this wait?"
She shook her head.
“I see the way you look at her,” she tells him coldly, eyes narrowing at the back of Hermione as the two left the infirmary. “You’ve got your eyes set on Granger. I know you do.”
“No, Ginny! Listen, it’s not like that --” He started, before he was cut off.
“First it was Cho Chang. Now it’s Hermione. Why won’t you understand that it’s me that you want? Not them,” she said, still glaring at Hermione where she was earlier.
Ginny reached out and grabbed Harry's hand.
“You don’t need her. I’m your girlfriend, remember?" She said angrily and through gritted teeth.
Harry hesitated. He knew he had liked her for a long time. Ever since they met at the Chamber of Secrets and even now. She was Ron's sister, after all. Who couldn't like her? She always spoke her mind without holding back, somewhat fierce and brave to some degree, and was a great friend. In fact, it was nice to have someone around whenever Ron and Hermione bickered back and forth.
She had changed over the years, that's for sure. Gone was the girl who was shy and embarrassed whenever she was around him. Now she was a mature young woman who still had a crush on him, but was able to stay with him without getting all tongue tied like she used to.
Ginny and Harry would talk and fly around the Quidditch field and then sometimes sit in companiable silence. That's when he started seeing her as an equal. As an ally. And maybe -- even as a friend. They shared so many similar experiences together. They had faced Voldemort, and Ginny had been possessed and lied to by the Dark Lord himself. That had changed her. Before then, she was always alone and wrote her thoughts and feelings out into her diary. In the end, it was a Horcrux she was writing to, not a diary. She was really never the same after all that. She had become a stronger person and now Harry and her became fast friends. It was easy to like her.
And yet...he couldn't. Not in the way she wanted him to. When he had come to terms with his feelings….he realized he only saw her as a friend. The Weasleys were like a family to him....he couldn't see her as anything beyond Ron’s sister. He couldn’t imagine being her boyfriend and having a family with her or with anyone.
"So that’s it, then, isn't it?" She was fuming. Her nostrils flare as she storms off out of the room and Harry can’t help but feel like total . He didn't want to hurt her feelings like that, but he didn’t feel the same way she did.
"It's over, Harry," she had said. "Don't come crying to me when that Granger witch dumps you."
At that moment, Professor Albus Dumbledore strolled casually inside the infirmary with his phoenix, Fawkes, on his shoulder. He wore maroon robes with golden stars patterned all over them and wore night slippers. On top of his once auburn hair sat a silver night cap sparkled with moon dust.
"Fawkes," Harry breathed, brightening up instantaneously. Fawkes flew over to his shoulder and cooed.
The phoenix chirped as Harry stroked his feathers.
”Ah, Harry, you’re a natural! You’re —- oh.”
"Harry," he turned to Harry. —- Dumbledore stopped when he heard someone crying and saw Ginny walk away.
But then he sees the retreating form of Ginny Weasley sobbing and Harry looking crestfallen as she scampered off away from him.
"Ah, young love..." Professor Dumbledore says with a kind smile. He offers Harry a chocolate frog from one of his inner robe stashes, but the boy seems to be in his own world. Albus chose that moment to look far off at the opposite wall, as he plopped a lemon drop into his mouth.
"So tragic....so romantic. So helplessly in love. What I'd give to see my Gellert-ikins again..." He says, thinking of his long lost love Grindelwald. He sighs. He really did miss him a great deal. Too bad he died back in '45. Now he'd never see him again.
Harry looks up at him, surprised.
"Wha - What are doing here?! I thought you were - well, I don't know what happened to you after what happened. I thought you were...gone..."
Dumbledore put a hand on his shoulder and stared down at him sadly, his eyes twinkling like stars.
"Oh, my dear doy. Wizards are never truly gone, you will do well to remember that. I've decided to come back, at least to pay you a visit. I owe you that much, at least. I warned Poppy beforehand so that I could see you myself. But I must leave soon, I am not supposed to be here,
"Anyway what do you mean by that?" Harry asks dumbfounded, completely confused. He had no idea who this Gellert guy was but it sounded like he was a good friend of Dumbledore's. Maybe even something more?
"Oh, never mind that, Harry. Alas, there are far more, ahem...pressing matters at hand." Dumbledore looks pointedly down at Harry's injuries, down his crooked nose and past his half-moon spectacles.
"Well, now that I get a good look at you, you do seem to be quite a bit beaten up." Dumbledore sat heavily on the small chair beside his bed side, looked old and tired. "I'm sorry, my dear boy....No amount of sorry's can repay the debt I owe you. Not even a lemon drop.”
"It's not your fault, Professor. I was just a bit careless, that's all." Harry said defensively. He didn't want anyone else to worry about him anymore. Wasn’t it enough that Ron and Hermiome treated him like a baby half the time?
Dumbledore already had enough problems on his own. He didn't want to bother him about his own.
"Hmm." Albus nodded, though he didn't look convinced in the slightest. His eyes lost their twinkle as he spoke in a serious tone.
He carefully opened his chocolate frog and retrieved a card from inside of it. "Aha, twinkies! Yes, there it is," he says with a bright smile.
"P - Professor?" Harry probed.
"Would you look at that. Newt Scamander..." Dumbledore chuckled, showing the wizard card to Harry. A young man with brown hair, brown eyes, and a nice face appeared. He wore a blue overcoat and held a wand in his hand. He waves awkwardly from inside , but his movements
"A brave Hufflepuff I knew a long time ago. He helped me capture a dark wizard a long time ago. You've probably heard of him from that infamous book Fantastic Beast and Where To Find Them. It was...a delightful read, I'm happy to say. I'm glad I read it from my former student. I'm so proud of him. He has grown so much over the years." Dumbledore said with a sad smile.
Harry nodded. The name sounded vaguely familiar. He didn't really know where he'd heard it before...
"Er, sir. About that Gellert guy. You knew him?" Harry asked.
"Yes. Why yes, I did. Or, that is to say, I thought I did. Well, he was an....old acquaintance of mine. I do miss him dearly, because I do love him. Even after all of this time. But he is no more than ash and bone now, I'm afraid. He now resides fifteen feet below us." He says gravely, his face now dark and solemn. He looked like a man who had
"O - Okay. Sorry I asked, Sir."
"Not at all, Harry. Not at all.
There was an awkward silence. Harry, not in the mood to talk about Ginny. And Albus, who blamed himself for not saving Harry sooner. He had failed, once again, and now he would pay for the consequences.
"Now, then. I shall get going. I have some business to attend to," Dumbledore said. "Please rest, Harry. You have a long day tomorrow."
Harry goes to sleep that night tossing and turning. His scar was burning like mad. All night, he was thinking when would it be over?