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Harry Potter was a special child. Destined to be the Chosen One, to stop the terrifying monster that was Lord Voldemort. Yet how much of that story was true? How much of that story was destiny? Was any of it? Or was it all orchestrated by one twisted old man with a superiority complex? No one wondered if prophesy was all a load of bull, since they all wanted hope to cling onto. And that hope was in the form of the Boy Who Lived.
It was a nice, sunny day at the Burrow, the residence of the Weasleys, when Dumbledore apparated the young Harry Potter to his makeshift home. Living with the Dursleys was never much fun, and the Weasleys always treated him like one of their own. With a loving smile, Mrs Weasley welcomes Harry into her home, a bone crushing hug being the norm.
As the raven-haired boy disappeared upstairs, still quite distressed about the loss of his Godfather, Sirius Black, his friend Ronald appeared from behind the corner.
"Professor Dumbledore, sir?" The redhead said, a little uncertainty in his voice. "Can we talk for a moment?" The request came, and the elderly fellow nodded with a small laugh. "Of course, my boy. And please, call me Albus." With the suggestion that they enter his father's shed, with the various Muggle equipment laying around, the odd pair was off for an obviously private conversation.
"You promised I would have her by now!" Ron stormed angrily, his face bright red as they entered the shed. "It's not fair. That prissy mudblood bitch should be grovelling at my feet right now, sucking my cock." He said, his face holding a dreamy look for a moment before shaking out of it. "I've been keeping up my end of the bargain like you asked. I've been a nice friend to the Potter prick, but now I want what's mine!" He finished, his face matching his hair.
"Quiet Ronald! You don't want anyone to hear you. Now... I intended Mr. Potter to die by Tom's hand at the Ministry, but he was much stronger willed than I inticipated. I even used a mild Cruciatus curse on him, but he relented still." Dumbledore sighed. "We are all missing out Ronald. Miss Weasley hasn't been able to give Harry her love potion yet. I haven't gotten the fame and fortune, so I think you can wait a few more weeks for that mudblood slut..." He suggested. Dumbledore was a powerful man, so crossing him was not advised.
"Yes sir." He sighed in defeat.
"Good. Now, I have made you and Miss Granger the Head Students a year early this year. This will give you two the master suite. I don't need to know what you'll be doing to that mudblood, just make sure she's still alive."
"Yes sir." Ron said again. A few minutes later, the conversation was finished.
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It had never been easy, being the friend of the Boy Who Lived, since it meant that they were risking their own lives by being by his side and helping him in his fight against the Dark Lord. Hermione Granger, however, was not one to back down from any threat, no matter how daunting. Friends were friends and the bushy haired know it all, as she'd been known as for as long as she could remember, would defend Harry's honor and stick with him through thick and thin.
Given they were all at the Burrow now, their home away from home, maybe now she could convince the boys to be a bit more meticulous with their studies and maybe even get Ronald to support S.P.E.W, although the brainy witch knew that would be easier said than done. He was so incredibly thick....
Speaking of Ron...she'd wondered where he'd gone off to. It wasn't until she looked out the window and saw him with...Dumbledore, of all people, that her curiosity was piqued, and so despite her usual politeness the young muggleborn couldn't help but to sneak out towards the shed to listen in on what the two were saying. If this concerned herself or Harry, surely she had a right to know?
But what she heard next made bile rise to her throat and make her go quite pale. No...she wasn't hearing it right, she wasn't...Ron couldn't be...dear God. It was them...Dumbledore wasn't the kindly old man that she thought him to be...and Ron...Ron was such a...such a slag! Tears filled her eyes...was that truly all he thought of her as? Just a mudblood? She thought he was better than that, better than Malfoy. Harry....
Harry! She had to tell him! Backing away, Hermione gave a flick and apparated with a crack from outside into the bedroom her bespectacled friend was no doubt in, "Harry, Harry we must get out of here, Dumbledore and and...and Ron..." Her voice quavered at the end, but she held strong, "I overheard them in the shed, they're planning on using us both, Dumbledore wanted you dead!" She takes a deep breath, "Ginny is also planning on giving you a love potion. I know it sounds like rubbish...but it's the truth. We must leave now!" She didn't know how much longer they had; she prayed Ron and Dumbledore hadn't heard her taking her leave. If she could apparate herself and Harry out of there, she knew that she'd have a chance. It was the only way. Ron had hurt her...she'd fancied him for so long...and to know he was no better than Malfoy? It was sickening...was this entire family as traitorous as the death eaters made them out to be? How had they not seen the signs?
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Harry entered Ron's bedroom, the room he shared with his redheaded friend. Relieved to be away from the Dursleys, the raven-haired boy took advantage of his alone time with a nice shower, using all the hot water that he wanted. It felt good having that freedom, and he only had the Weasleys to thank.
A good ten minutes later, Harry was finished in the shower, having washed himself thoroughly. Seeming quite calm and at ease, despite his issues regarding the passing of his godfather, the last thing the boy expected was to have his best female friend apparating into his room. "Mione!" he yelled in shock, slipping over and exposing his naked body, which had previously been covered with a towel. Blushing profusely at the situation, he quickly covered himself once again. "What are you doing?!" The boy asked angrily, annoyed and embarrassed.
Listening to Hermione's tear-filled story, it sickened him to know what his fame did to this family. He trusted Hermione more than anyone, as she was always by his side, so he believed her. He didn't want to, but she had no reason to lie, right? "Ugh.. I can't believe this. Ron's been my best friend for years, how could he do this?" he asked, though it seemed like he was talking to himself more than her. Sitting on his bed with his head in his hands, this was when he realised the importance of the situation and the need to escape. "Turn around while I get dressed, and then we can go." The boy wizard requested.
As she turned, Harry quickly grabbed the closest clothes and put them on. By mistake his shirt was put on backwards, but he could fix that later. It was then that he noticed the heart shaped box on his bed. The note attached said:
Harry,
I'm sorry once again about Sirius. I'm always here if you need someone to talk to.
I can also make you very happy, trust me, I have my ways.
With Love,
~ Ginny
The note made him feel sick, as they must hold the love potion that Ginny made for him. Sighing softly, he turned to Hermione and tapped her on the shoulder. "I'm decent." He promised. "Okay, I'm ready to go... wait, actually!" He stopped himself, turning back to the chocolates and getting an idea.
Finding a container, he filled it with the chocolates and put it in Ron's trunk. Hopefully he would fall for the bait, as that would be the start of some very nice revenge.
Nodding to the girl, Harry laced his fingers in with hers, giving the affirmative that they could now leave. "I've got my Gringotts key, so they won't be able to grab money from me either." He smiled proudly, glad he had obtained it from Hagrid the previous year. Taking a deep breath, Harry waited for the now-familiar feeling of apparation, which felt very odd...
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Of course the last thing Hermione had expected when she'd apparated, in her panic, was for her best friend to be completely naked. "Oh goodness! I'm so sorry Harry, I didn't know!" Is all she can really squeal out, face absolutely pink now, covering chocolate colored eyes with both of her hands. God she hadn't expected him to have been showering, but she should have expected it, given all that he'd gone through, what with losing Sirius to Bellatrix. The blow had hurt her considerably as well, but no one was hurting as much as Harry was, that was evident. Sirius was his godfather, after all, one of the last real links to his parents aside from Lupin and, unfortunately, Dumbledore himself. All she could do was wait for the boy to cover up, and when he had was when she'd recounted her story slowly again.
She hadn't expected Ron or especially Dumbledore to betray them like this; Dumbledore had been their greatest shield and Ron had always been there. To think he just wanted to use her and treat her like rubbish? It not only sickened her, it angered her beyond anything she could have ever felt in that moment. She had half the nerve to hex his bits off, and given how good of a witch she was and a blunder that he was, she suspected she could have pulled it off. Of course, that wouldn't make her any better than him, and by doing so she'd lower herself to dirt and she swore after she'd hit Malfoy she wouldn't ever stoop that low again.
"I don't know...he's sick, I thought he was our friend...I'd...I'd fancied him, but now...I don't know what to feel except anger." When Harry requested her to turn around she did, allowing the black haired wizard to get his clothes on, and when he had, she'd finally turn back. Her attention turns down to the note and the chocolate and she realized that it must have been what Ginny intended for Harry to have. And while she normally would have chided her friend for dumping the chocolates into Ron's trunk, their former friend deserved it. He and his disgusting sister both. She hoped that he ate it and fell in love with the nearest ghoul inflicted with spattergroit!
Her fingers loop with Harry's, much easier than ever now since all they had were each other now. She smiles back at her best friend; good thinking on his part. His vault was loaded with money from his parents so she knew he'd be set. It didn't take her long at all though to apparate on the spot, that feeling of being pulled just behind the stomach lasting only a second before she'd apparated the both of them far away from the burrow. Since they were on the run now, the best place to disappear to, she felt, would be the Forest of Dean. Far enough to give them time to collect their thoughts, formulate a plan, and make a move from there. "Are you alright, Harry?" She'd ask when their feet hit the ground, getting her wand out and performing protective wordless charms that would at least keep them safe for the time being.
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As they entered the Forest of Dean, Harry fell, still not used to apparating. Shaking it off, Harry stood and watched as Hermione performed charm after charm. It was impressive, as none of these spells even sounded familiar to him.
"I... I don't know if I am, if I'm completely honest. I lose Cedric, I lose Sirius, and now I lose the Weasleys." Harry said softly, punching a nearby tree and instantly regretting it. "Mother fucker." he swore. "Don't suppose you know any healing spells too?" He asked his friend sheepishly, displaying his hand if she hadn't noticed his mistake.
"So... what do we do now?" Harry asked, a hopeless tone in his voice. "Dumbledore knew how to kill Voldemort, but now we're all alone. Not only that, but we can't trust anyone." He was speaking out loud to help himself formulate an idea, but so far it wasn't working. "I don't suppose you packed anything? A tent, clothes, food?" Harry asked, but he already knew the answer. She had come immediately after the bad news, so he knew that there was no time to pack.
"Okay. We need to go to Gringotts and make a withdrawal, then go shopping. The first stop should be to get wands that can't be tracked - the Ministry likely can track me, and I wouldn't put it past them to track you." He suggested. "I bet Knockturn Alley would have something like that."