FicWad

Chapter 1
Chapter 1: The wayward hero



It was just another silent summer night as the wind blew the few loose leaves over the grounds of Hogwarts castle. The school was currently empty, the students having left a few weeks ago. The few people in it were not at the best of moods, as only a week ago, the evil that had once terrorized the whole of Britain, Lord Voldemort, an evil most thought vanquished thirteen years by Harry Potter, a mere infant who vanished when his home was attacked and his parents killed. Although no trace was ever found of the boy, the Ministry decided that a missing hero was better than a dead one, so they proclaimed him as the boy-who-lived, the child that ended Voldemort's reign of terror. But now, Voldemort had managed to return to a body, after several attempts that were thwarted by a few students. Three years ago, in this very school, the spirit of Voldemort possessed one of the teachers, trying to get the Philosopher's Stone that was kept inside.

In the end, it was the quick reaction of two students, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger that managed to stall the man long enough for Dumbledore to reach them and banish Voldemort's spirit from the teacher's body. Sadly, this cost the man's life, as Voldemort had drained him too much.

The two students were instantly heroes, with everyone praising them. Even though the pair became friends during their first year, they didn't start off so well, with Ron constantly teasing Hermione, they eventually became friends when it was time for the exams, when Ron begged the smart girl for help, and once he got to know her, they became inseparable.

In their second year, a major disaster was averted when Hermione noticed Ron's sister Ginny acting strangely, and after investigating for several weeks, the two discovered she was being manipulated by an enchanted diary that was once Voldemort's. Thanks to this, Dumbledore could destroy the diary, thus preventing the reopening of the Chamber of Secrets.

In their third year, the entire year passed under the treat of the escaped convict, Sirius Black, but as the duo caught him, it was revealed that the man was innocent, and the real culprit, who turned out to be Ron's pet rat, an Animagus by the name of Peter Pettigrew, was quickly apprehended, questioned and tried. Unfortunately, during his transport to Azkaban, the man managed to escape, and eventually returned to his fallen master.

The fourth year was just as exciting, with a legendary event taking place at Hogwarts, the Triwizard Tournament. This brought the three European schools together for a magical contest which had not been held in over a hundred years. The contest ended tragically however, as the Hogwarts champion, Cedric Diggory was kidnapped by converting the Triwizard Cup into a portkey, and used in a ritual to revive Voldemort. However, his resurrection was not as secret as he had hoped, as his man inside Hogwarts, a Death Eater by the name of Barty Crouch Jr. who was using polyjuice potion to masquerade as the new Defense against the Dark Arts teacher Alastor Moody was revealed, captured and questioned by Dumbledore and the other teachers.

Knowing that the Dark Lord was alive once more, Dumbledore quickly gathered the Order of the Phoenix, the resistance group that fought Voldemort during the first war, and made sure that the two students who had stopped his plans three and two years ago were safe. It was decided that the two and their families would be moved to Sirius Black's family house, which on top of the many protective enchantments was also placed under the Fidelius charm, which hid the location to everyone but those that the Secret Keeper had informed. Sadly, the Ministry of Magic had decided to deny the return of Voldemort, instead trying to make Dumbledore appear senile, and those that supported him insane. As each of these factions forged their plans for the future, a new element would soon arrive, someone they had long since forgotten, someone who would destroy all their carefully laid out plans.

As the moonlight fell over the castle grounds and shined of the lonely cabin that was the home of the groundskeeper Hagrid, the light that illuminated it slowly grew, but as it did, it became obvious that it did not come from the moon. The large man who lived there was still awake, even with the lateness of the hour, as he thought about the events that had transpired over the summer, and preparing for the mission the Headmaster had entrusted him with. His thoughts were broken as he noticed the bluish light that rapidly grew in intensity. Deciding to investigate, he picked up a huge crossbow, and cautiously walked outside. Once he got around his cottage and saw the source of the light, however, he almost dropped the weapon, for before him stood a circle of blue energy, which grew rapidly in size. The insides of the circle however looked like a mirror, or more accurately, thousands of mirrors placed upon an uneven surface. (A/n Think Stargate) He could see his fractured reflection as the surface slowly rippled. Once it grew as big as him, it stopped, and moments later, a metal box no bigger than a trunk was thrown out, followed by a young man who appeared to be twenty. The portal closed the moment he stepped out, and he rushed to the box, opened it, and rummaged trough it for a few moments before sniffing the air. He looked up, and finally noticed the large man and the weapon he carried. Hagrid saw the man smirk and gave him a look that clearly said the man didn't consider him a treat. Thanks to the full moon, Hagrid could easily see the man, who had black messy hair, and was wearing what could only be a uniform of sorts, fully black, with blue collar and lining, and a crest of a clawed hand gripping a fanged skull painted in red over his heart. But once Hagrid got a closer look at the man, he gasped and this time, dropped the crossbow. He looked like...

"James?" Hagrid whispered. The man snapped up at this.

"My name is Harry. James was my father." He said in an insecure voice, which didn't portray nervousness, but lack of use.

"What? Harry? That's impossible." The poor man was shocked.

"From what I remember, I look a lot like my father, so the mistake is easy to make. And since you recognized me, I would guess you know my parents. Do you think it's possible to take me to them?" Harry asked the man.

"Take you to your parents? I don't think I'm the best to tell you, but your parents... they're no longer with us." Hagrid felt just as sad as he saw the young man's eyes widen at this, then quickly fill with tears. Harry fell on his knees, crying in pain, and Hagrid decided that it would be best if he let him cry it out.

After several minutes of crying, Hagrid saw him raise his hand as if trying to grasp something invisible, but his hand began to shake out of control, and he slowly gave up, and shouted out in a language that sent shivers down Hagrid's spine.

"Nok, dahuur mak, groosh sakur bturm apruk gratch, hfult gratch acrunt ernous! Hfult gratch acrunt letrum." The last part was said as a whisper.

Several minutes passed before Harry stood up and faced Hagrid again.

"How did they die? You must tell me." He stared almost begging him.

"Err, I dunno if I'm the best for this, you should talk to Professor Dumbledore." Hagrid seemed nervous.

"I will. But please, at least tell me how." Harry asked again.

"They were murdered. It was a horrible night, I was a friend of your parents, it hit me real hard, and you disappeared as well, a lot of people thought you're dead as well. But, I'm glad you're alright. Here, follow me; I'll take you to Professor Dumbledore. I think he should be awake." Hagrid quickly shifted the topic seeing the murderous glint in the man's eyes. Harry nodded, and picked up the metal box, then began walking next to Hagrid towards the castle.

"So, what do you have in that box?" Hagrid sounded curious.

"Just a few necessities. Things I need to have at all times." Harry replied vaguely.

Hagrid nodded, and remained silent as they walked into the castle, trough several corridors, until they reached the statue of a gargoyle. Hagrid said "Cockroach Cluster," and the gargoyle moved upwards to reveal a spiral staircase that they climbed until they reached a door. After the knock, an aged voice was heard say "Enter." They both walked in to a room filled with portraits and numerous strange instruments. Behind a large desk, an old man with waist length silver beard was looking over some papers. Next to the desk, on a golden perch, slept a large bird covered in red and gold feathers. Harry looked at everything, but spent the most time gazing at the bird.

The old man looked up to see who had entered.

"Ah, Hagrid, what can I do..." His voice faded as he saw the second man in the room, taking in his whole appearance.

"It can't be. Harry?" He whispered.

The man nodded with a small smile. "Yes. I am Harry Potter."

"You appear to be a bit older than what you should be. Harry should be almost fifteen now, and you look more like twenty." Dumbledore said cautiously.

Harry laughed at this. "Why thank you Professor. Do I really look that young?" Both men were confused at this.

"What do you mean by that? Would you mind telling me where you were for almost fourteen years?" Dumbledore sounded impatient now.

"Fourteen years? It's been a little longer than that for me. I'll tell you, but I wish to do that in private. No offence Hagrid, but the less people know, the better." He looked at the large man, who nodded in understanding and left without a word. Harry took a seat, and looked at Dumbledore.

"Before I answer your questions, I want you to answer some of mine. First of, who killed my parents, is he still alive, and where can I find him?" Harry spoke firmly.

"I had thought you would ask something like this. And I will answer. Your parents were killed by a man by the name of Tom Riddle, but he is known as Lord Voldemort. After he attacked your home the night you disappeared, his body was destroyed, and he spent a decade in spectral existence. About a week ago, however, he managed to return to a body. As for your last question, I cannot help you, as not even his followers know where his base is. I would advise you however not to seek him out, he is far too dangerous." Harry actually laughed at the last.

"Oh, I'm sure he's dangerous, for you at least. I doubt he could beat me."

"Now, I answered your questions, will you answer mine? Where were you all this time? Why are you older than you suppose to be? How did you get here?"

Dumbledore asked again.

"It is a long story. It will take me a while to tell it. Maybe we should wait until tomorrow when you're rested?" Harry looked at him with concern.

"That is appreciated, but not necessary. Please, begin." Dumbledore replied.