Fan Fiction ❯ The Second Serpent ❯ Prologue ( Prologue )

Tobias's DISCLAIMER: I do not own the Harry Potter series. This story takes place thirteen years after this prologue, and the prologue takes place during the summer after book five.

Belle's DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter or any character that appears in the books.

DEDICATION: To all the people who inspired us and to all the people who allowed us to still believe in magic.

The Second Serpent

By Belle & Tobias

Prologue: The Final Confrontation

Dear Harry,

How are you doing? I haven't heard from you all summer. I hope you're okay, and I just want you to remember that Ron and me will always be here for you.

Love,

Hermione

Harry Potter sighed and fed Hedwig a treat after crumpling up the letter. Besides the letters he had to send to the Order of The Phoenix, Harry had broken off all contact with his friends. Harry had anguished for weeks over his 'hero complex' and its inevitable consequence of luring his godfather out of hiding, into the line of fire of his cousin's wand, and ultimately into the folds of the veiled archway deep within the Department of Mysteries. It was his entire fault that his friends had been hurt in the attack. IT. WAS. ALL. HIS. FAULT!

That was Harry's final breaking point. Once he realized what he was doing each year to those closest to him there was no other option, in his mind, than to disappear. He knew it would be next to impossible to escape into the wizarding world; he was too well known. However, he thought he knew enough about the muggle world to make a good stay of it until Dumbledore and the Order had a chance to find and deal with Voldemort. But first he'd have to make a clean break of it and disappear from the eyes and ears of everyone for a small while. The situation presented itself with the arrival of an owl the previous day.

Mr. H. Potter

4 Privet Drive

Little Whinging

Surrey

Gnog Gnast

Senior Executor

Gringott's Wizarding Bank

Diagon Alley

London

Concerning The Estate of Sirius Black

Dear Mr. Potter,

We are most saddened by your recent loss of your godfather, but we are charged with carrying out his Last Will and Testament. In such, all accounts under control of Mr. Black have been transferred under your control. All of your current and recently acquired funds have been transferred to a new and larger Gringott's Vault. Also the deed to 12 Grimmauld Place (we regret to inform you we are unable to locate it since the property seems unplotable, we only hope that you are aware of it's location), and the Black Family Treasures & Jewels key have also been included in this letter. We again regret your recent loss and we hope you will continue to use our bank as your financial advisors, as did the Black's.

Sincerely,

Gnog Gnast

Senior Executor

Gringott's Wizarding Bank

Slowly, a plan had come to Harry's mind over the next day. He would wait until he received the latest letter from Remus on the Order's behalf (and his own) and then make his way to Gringott's, convert a large portion of the money into muggle money, and fade away into the muggle world for a while. Harry had just received the letter that afternoon, along with Hermione's. He quickly wrote reply that all was well, and sent the large brown owl back with the letter. Hedwig herself was sleeping peacefully in her cage. He quickly threw all his things into his trunk, and then strapped them onto his broom. He opened Hedwig's cage and gently woke her; coaxing her onto his arm.

"I'm going away for along time girl. I want you to go stay with Hermione, okay?" he asked. Hedwig gave a small hoot, but did not take wing.

"Go on! Go!" he snapped and jerked his arm at the open window. Hedwig blinked again, and gave a mournful hoot. This time she did fly out, and Harry watched her go, until he couldn't see her in the night sky. He let out a sigh, and put on a thick winter cloak before taking off into the night sky.

*****

Hermione sighed as she stroked Crookshanks' fur while completing her notes for Transfiguration class, by the time she returned to Hogwarts she would have all her notes prewritten and in order. There was a light tapping at the window and Hermione looked to see the owl she borrowed had returned, bearing a letter from Harry. She quickly crawled over her bed and opened the window to retrieve the letter from its beak.

Dear Hermione,

I know I have you and Ron, I just need some time alone to think about all that has happened. I'm fine, really. I just want to clear my mind before doing anything. I'll be fine and if I need anything I'll let you or Ron know.

Thanks,

Harry

Hermione sighed as she read the letter again before picking up her quill and writing a letter to Ron. She didn't know what to do to help Harry and neither did Ron, but they had promised each other that they would help Harry through Sirus's death. She rewrote Harry's letter word-for-word, the actual letter would stay in her scrapbook with every other letter she had received from Ron or Harry. Hermione sighed as she handed the owl his payment and then Ron's letter before returning to her bed.

"Please be all right Harry," she sighed as she went back to bed and sat down with her Potions book and began to finish more homework. Crookshanks curling up beside her purring softly, it didn't help her calm down as it usually did.

*****

Harry flew much slower on his Firebolt than usual, the trunk weighing him down more than usual. Harry was deep in thought about where to go, so deep he didn't see the red beam that shot up from the ground, until it was almost too late. He jerked to the right and narrowly avoided it, but then it exploded, the shockwave from it, pitching Harry off and deep into the dark forest below.

*****

Hermione had been packing for Hogwarts when Hedwig arrived….letterless…then came the owl with a letter from Ron.

Dear Hermione,

Harry's gone missing! Come quick to The Burrow! Dumbledore, Lupin, and Tonks will be waiting. Hurry!

Love,

Ron

Hermione who always had a way with words found that reading that letter took all her thoughts away and she grabbed her container of Floo Powder and headed to the chimney.

"The Burrow!" she cried before appearing in the Weasley's living room looking at all the Weasleys as well as the three members of the Order. Hermione looked at them all, no one said a word before she realized the truth. Harry was gone and none of them knew where he was.

"Oh Ron!" she sobbed before she launched herself into his arms. Hermione sobbed into his chest, before she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up into Dumbledore's eyes.

"Now, now, Hermione, we do not know for certain that Harry is gone," he said softly.

"Ya, cheer up, kiddo, we'll find him," Tonks said with a smile but Hermione knew better. Harry was much smarter than they were giving him credit for. Hermione knew what Harry would do, they both knew the Muggle world well enough. Tonks, Dumbledore, Lupin, and the Weasleys would never think about giving up the world of magic, but Harry and Hermione, they had grown up without magic, they could easily return to that life.

*****

They split up and looked everywhere they could think Harry might go, but the Dursleys were worthless, they seemed thrilled he was gone. Hogwarts was obviously not somewhere he would go. Dumbledore even went to the remains of the house where his parents had died. He was gone. Hermione sent a letter to her parents letting them know she would be staying at The Burrow for a few days. Soon after lights out she snuck out of Ginny's room and into Ron's.

"Ron…Ron…. wake up Ron," Hermione hissed as she shook his shoulder. He turned over and looked at her, his eyes were sleepy.

"Hermione?" he asked and Hermione looked at him. She began to sob as she looked at him, thinking about their adventures with the Sorcerer's Stone, when she had gone back through the fire to wake Ron up and get to Dumbledore. Hermione was unable to stop crying as Ron wrapped his arms around her.

"Oh Ron, why did he leave us?" she sobbed as she wrapped her arms around his waist, crying into his chest. Ron seemed shocked that Hermione was coming to him for comfort. "Oh Ron, I hope he's okay. I want him to be okay!" Ron slowly began to do something that shocked her. He began to stroke her hair and back.

"It's okay Hermione, it's okay to cry," he whispered as he held her softer than she thought he could, yet making her feel more protected than Victor ever had. "We're all worried about him. Let it all out, Hermione." Hermione sobbed into Ron's arms until she fell asleep and dreamed of green eyes and lightning-shaped scars.

*****

Harry groaned and opened his eyes to see……….Voldemort?! Harry gave a shout, and kicked back, scrambling away, trying to reach for his wand.

"Easy Potter. If I had wanted to kill you I would have done it while you were unconscious." He sneered. Harry yanked his wand out, and kept it pointed at Voldemort.

"What do you want?" Harry snarled. He noticed Luscious Malfoy and Bellatrix Lestrange standing behind Voldemort.

"Only to talk my dear boy, only to talk. You see, after the event in the Ministry of Magic, I came to realize that it might be more…………favorable, if I might have a short chat with you." Voldemort said, and Bellatrix snickered. Harry's hand tightened on his wand.

"You're nothing but a murder, why would I want to talk to you?"

"Because, I have a proposition for you. I came to realize that if we joined forces we would not have to kill the other. And with our wands, we could make magics others could only dream of! Think of it Harry! Two wands, nearly identical! The power we could wield! Why I believe we might be able to bring back your parents! And your un-born sibling…"

"You lie!" Harry shouted, his hand shaking.

"I am not my dear boy. Malfoy has found the autopsy reports of your parents." Voldemort said, pulling a roll of parchment from out of his robs. He tossed it at Harry's feet. "Feel free to read it yourself."

Harry could barely hold back the tears. He could have had a little sister or brother, and now he didn't because of this…thing, in front of him!

"Think of it, Harry! All the things we could do or UN-do together! All you have to do is say yes!"

Harry saw the knowing smirks on Lestrange and Malfoy's faces. He tried looking at the wreckage of his things and saw his Firebolt directly behind Lestrange along with a large piece of his trunk behind Malfoy. He snarled and quickly whipped his wand at Lestrange, Voldemort, and Malfoy, bellowing, "Accio Firebolt! Lumos! Accio Trunk Lid!"

His Firebolt flew at him but the handle stabbed Lestrange in her chest. She gave a great scream as Harry's spell blinded Voldemort, who bellowed and clutched his eyes. Harry's trunk lid slammed into Malfoy's head, knocking him out. Harry pointed at Voldemort again.

"Expelliarmus!" he cried, and Voldemort was thrown back, his wand flying into Harry's free hand. Voldemort hit a tree with a thunk and tried to get to his feet. Harry rushed foreword, and slammed his foot onto his chest.

"You're right, Voldemort. I think it would be a MUCH stronger spell if our wands were used together."

"You honestly think the Killing Curse will work on me? I have made myself immune to it, just as you are immune from it! You cannot beat me boy!"

"There is more than one way to kill someone rather than the Killing Curse!" Harry screamed at him, tears coming down his face, as he moved the wands in unison. "EXPLODERE UTWEARD!"

The resounding explosion could be seen for miles around.

*****

"Ronald, Hermione, it is time to wake up," the gentle voice of Dumbledore roused them and Hermione realized she was resting against Ron. He apparently noticed the same thing and they both fell out of bed on either side. "I'm sorry to wake you two, but I have some bad news. Come downstairs when you two are ready." He left the room and Hermione looked over at Ron, he was deep red and she imagined she looked quite the same.

"Bloody hell, Harry disappears and Dumbledore wakes us up, probably thinking we're a couple or something," Ron sighed and Hermione looked at him before nodding.

"We better get downstairs," she sighed and grabbed Ron's hand, practically dragging him downstairs to see Mrs. Weasley in tears with Ginny, Fred and George looked like their hearts were broken, Mr. Weasley was rubbing his eyes with his glasses on his forehead, Professor Lupin was patting Tonks' shoulder, and Dumbledore was talking to Charlie, Bill, and Percy.

"I wish I could tell you that we have found Harry, but that is not the case, all we have found is the remains of his traveling chest and his broom," Dumbledore sighed and Hermione felt her heart began to pound hard. "There was a large magic explosion last night, the remains of Harry's chest were spread around the area, as well as the remains of Bellatrix Lestrange. I fear that Harry and Voldemort have had their final confrontation. Neither of their remains nor their wands are any where to be found." Hermione felt her heart stop in that moment, her eyes over-pouring with tears.

"No," Ron whispered and Hermione felt herself begin to sway.

"I think Harry has defeated Lord Voldemort at the cost of his own life," Dumbledore sobbed in a whisper.

"No…Harry…" the world began to fade away for Hermione, the last thing she saw was Ron's concerned face as his strong arms wrapped around her, catching her as she fell.