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Rise of the Dark Angel	By : isabel88 Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Harry/Draco Views: 61368 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 12
Disclaimer: I DO NOT own Harry Potter. J.K. Rowling does, as such, I am NOT making any money off of this....

Chapter List
- 2
- 3
- 4
Title: Rise of the Dark Angel

Author: Izzby09

Beta reader/Co-Author: Tonks-is-Cool

Chapter: 3: Reevaluations: Allies/Enemies

Settings: AU after OOTP: It's canon up to the beginning of the battle at the DOM when they are in the veil room, after that, it's AU and mine.

Pairings: HP/DM; LV/SS; RL/LM; NL/LL; BL/RL

Warnings: This story will contain mentions of Violence, Child Abuse, Alcohol Use, Adult Language, Slash/Het Sexual situations. Please discontinue reading if such scenes or themes are offensive to you.

Disclaimer: I own nothing…if I did, Ginny would have died in the CoS, Dumbledore would have choked on his lemon drops and Harry would have stood up for himself against Molly and Dumbledore.

Disclaimer 2: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

O.P.D.: Sunday 14^th November, '10.

Last time on RDA:

When they got back to Harry's room, Hedwig flew off his shoulder and went back to her perch. Harry took up his place back on his bed while Snape took his place in the chair.

"You have a lot more explaining to do," Snape said.

"I know," Harry smiled. "That's why you're here; things are going to change Severus and like I said in my letter, you're going to help me." He paused for a few seconds before continuing. "I know that you have questions, so you can go ahead and ask; I will answer whatever question you ask and tell you everything you need to know and I expect the same courtesy."

"Alright," Snape nodded after thinking it over for a few minutes.

"So," Harry gestured with his hands. "Ask away."

"How long have you been able to do wandless magic?" Snape asked.

Harry wasn't surprised that Snape would ask that question first; in fact, he was kind of expecting it. He had seen the shock in Snape's eyes, though his face showed nothing, when he had seen Dudley's back and knew that the man was starting to believe him about being dark.

"Let me tell you something first," Harry said.

"My family hates magic; they hate any and everything that has to do with it, including me. Petunia hates it because of my mother; apparently, she and Lily were close when they were kids, but when they found out Lily was a witch and Petunia was not, she became jealous. That jealousy soon turned to anger and hatred and Petunia turned that anger to her sister.

“As they got older, it became worse; especially when Lily fell in love with James. The night Voldemort died, Dumbledore left me on the doorstep with only a note telling them my parents were dead and they were now my guardians. So you can only imagine the life I was going to have. Me, a magical baby, placed on the doorstep of magic haters."

"It seems I was led to believe that you lived a charmed life," Snape said. "That your family treated you like a prince."

"Please," Harry snorted. "More like a servant; from the moment I was old enough to reach the stove, which would've been age four, I've been cooking for them. However, my job started a year before; I was three years old when I did my first bit of accidental magic. My uncle decided I was ungrateful just because I told him I was hungry, so he kicked me in my stomach and punched me in my face. My magic reacted and broke one of Petunia's vases and it healed my bruises; my uncle didn't like that. Petunia made me scrub my blood off the floor; age three and they forced me to clean up.

“As the years went by, the beatings got worse because my magic kept reacting, though I didn't know it was me. When Dudley was old enough to understand, I became his favorite punching bag. I didn't know what my name was until I went to school; I was always called 'freak' or 'boy'. During one of Dudley's Harry Hunting games, I was running from him, wishing I could get away and the next thing I know, I'm no longer on the ground but on the school roof."

"You were able to Disapparate at such a young age?" Snape's voice held disbelief.

"I didn't know that that was what I was doing," Harry said. "All I cared about was getting away. I was seven when I realized that I could make things happen; it was just after my seventh birthday and Petunia had me outside cleaning out her garden. When I was done, I was hungry and messy so, silly me decided it would be ok to go in the house; it wasn't. Petunia freaked out and hit me across the head with the book she had in her hands and that's when things changed; for the first time I became angry.

“I was so angry I wished that the book would attack her so she could see how it felt to be hit and to my surprise, it did. Of course I got the beating of my life for that, but I didn't care. I realized I could do things and I started practicing. I started out small, doing things like pushing my cot away or wishing away the smell of urine in my room and when I got control over that, I went bigger. By the time I was eight, I had enough control over my magic so that whatever I wanted, my magic did it for me. And at that time, there was only one thing I wanted; revenge."

"You attacked your family," Severus remarked. It was not a question.

"Yes," Harry nodded. "I broke Dudley's arm and his leg and then I made him do jumping jacks before I made him clean all his blood off the floor with his broken arm; I loved his screams. I placed Vernon in a glass cage with a couple of snakes, as he's completely terrified of them. I forced Petunia to clean the bathroom with her own toothbrush before she brushed her teeth with that same toothbrush and then I placed a harness over her face and made her drink from the toilet; I had so much fun doing that."

Harry laughed and Snape held back a shiver at the dark undertones to it.

"Anyways, after that, my magic healed them up and I spent the next few years perfecting my control over my magic by having revenge on every person that tormented me," Harry continued.

"When Hagrid came to get me that first summer, I realized that he had no idea I could do magic and he expected me to be, for lack of a better word, untouched; so I decided not to tell anyone just what I can do. "

Any and all doubts that Snape had about Harry's claim of being dark was destroyed by what he had just revealed.

"What about your school work?" Snape asked. "Was that the true extent of your abilities or were you hiding that as well?"

"I was hiding," Harry smiled. "Before I went to Hogwarts, before I really had any control over my magic, I wasn't allowed to do better than Dudley. I learned at a young age that my scores should always be lower than his, so I had to pretend that I didn't know anything. When I got to Hogwarts, I realized that I had to do the same thing there as well, especially if I wanted them to believe I was the innocent, naïve boy they thought I was. After Granger and Weasley became friends with me, I knew I definitely had to go that way; Weasley was too jealous and Granger didn't seem like she'd be able to stand someone being better than her."

"So you noticed that?" Snape drawled with a slight twitch to his lips; he was curious as to what happened to make him refer to them by the last name, but would wait before asking that question.

"Yeah," Harry laughed. "Like I said, I was a lot more observant than I let on; made it a lot easier for everyone to underestimate me."

"I have to say I am one of the ones that did," Snape confessed.

"I know," Harry nodded. "But the thing of it is, even though you did underestimate me, you were one of the few people in the school that didn't see me as the Boy-Who-Lived. To you I was just Harry; messy-haired, irresponsible and a pain in the ass. And I really appreciated it."

"You're welcome," Snape said. "I cannot for the life of me, fathom that I am actually sitting here with you having a real conversation."

"I bet if someone had told you that a week ago you would've had them committed to the insane ward at St. Mungo's," Harry laughed. "I think it's because a part of you knew something was off about me, and with all that happened with Dumbledore, you now find a way for you to get the answers you wanted."

"I think I'm beginning to like this Harry Potter," Snape said. "And if you ever tell anyone I told you that, you will find yourself as one of the ingredients in a potion."

"You wouldn't," Harry laughed. "And I guess I'll have to call your bluff seeing as this coming school year, I refuse to act the way I did for the past five years. A new Harry Potter will be entering Hogwarts come September, one that doesn't give a damn about appearances and what everyone else thinks."

"I look forward to teaching that Harry Potter," Snape said; the twitching of his lips could almost pass off as a smile threatening to break free. "One more question and then you can ask what you need to know."

"Ok," Harry nodded. "Go ahead."

"Your appearance," Snape gestured to his body. "Could you explain that?"

"Well, after my first year," Harry said. "I realized something; I realized that the Headmaster had to know about my home life and that he expected me to look a certain way. Since I had gained control over my magic at eight, I no longer allowed the Dursleys to starve me. I started getting more food…healthier food and I didn't do all of the chores that my family gave me. I did the ones that actually required working; like Petunia's garden.

“By the time I entered Hogwarts, I was actually very healthy; but since I needed everyone to think I didn't know squat and I didn't want to draw much attention to myself, which looking back I can see that made no difference, I wore Dudley's old clothes to hide my body. Why do you think Madam Pomfrey never reported anything about undernourishment or malnutrition? It's because she had nothing to report."

"But why exactly did you decide to start working out?" Snape asked.

"It was because of Dumbledore," Harry answered. "I noticed something the night he saw me in Dudley's clothes; it was a look of satisfaction. It was as if he was happy with the way I looked. It was then that I realized that I was doing the right thing in having them think I was naïve. That summer, I started working out…I know, I know; an eleven year old working out, but I did. Every summer I would work out and at the end of the summer, I would cast the glamour spell over myself so that no one would know. And well, working out every year for five years and eating food to nourish your body and this" he gestured to his body "is the end result."

"And your eyes?" Snape asked; he had noticed that Harry was not wearing his glasses and was curious as to how he had gotten his eyesight fixed.

"That's thanks to Hedwig," Harry smiled over at his familiar. "You know that Fawkes healed me after my fight with the Basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets; when I got home that summer, I was outside working in the garden and I had gotten some of the chemicals in my eyes. I stumbled my way into the house and into the bathroom. I tried washing it out with water, but when it didn't work, I made my way to my room and collapsed on my bed.

“Now, in my panic, I completely forgot I could just use my magic to make the pain go away. Hedwig came in and she cried directly into my eyes. Well, you know how a Phoenix tears work and the next thing I know, I'm blinking my eyes really fast and when the pain was gone, as well as my need to blink, I realized that I could see perfectly; in fact, my eyesight was better than ever. Then I had something else to hide from everyone."

"So I am the first magical person to see how you truly look?" Snape asked; he couldn't explain why he felt the beginning of a warm feeling through his body at that thought.

"Yes," Harry nodded. "My aunt saw it first, then Dudley and Vernon."

"Speaking of you family," Snape said. "That wound on your cousin's shoulder…that is advanced spells."

"I know," Harry said. "Granger wasn't the only one that loved to read; I wanted to be better than everyone and I knew that for that to happen, I would have to know what I was doing. I spent a lot of time in the library. I was there so often, that Madam Prince warmed up to me and she showed me a place in the library where I could go and not be disturbed and she never told anyone I was there. She even showed me where I could find books with more information about spells and magic in general. Granger would die to read the books I've read."

"Ok," Snape said; he was satisfied with the answer, as he knew that no matter how powerful Harry was his knowledge had to have come from somewhere.

"Now I suppose you have some questions for me?"

"Hmm," Harry looked a little thoughtful. "I guess I do; first off, when you found us in Umbridge's office and I gave you that little message, did you understand what I meant?"

"Yes," Snape nodded.

"So you knew it was about Sirius, Voldemort and the prophecy orb?" Harry raised an eyebrow.

"I wasn't completely sure when you said the place where it's hidden," Snape admitted. "But I did get the part about the Dark Lord and Black."

"How long did it take you to tell Dumbledore and why did it take so long for the Order to get the Ministry?" Harry asked.

"I sent word to Dumbledore as soon as I was back in my warded quarters." Snape said. "I could not use the floo, because Umbridge had them all monitored, but the Order has a secret way of communicating for such emergencies."

Seeing Harry opening his mouth to inquire, Snape raised his hand. “No, I won´t tell you about this just now. I relayed word for word what you said. I assumed the Headmaster would first check up on Black at Headquarters and then send someone to the Department of Mysteries to look for anything suspicious."

"The Order showed up about half an hour after we met up with the Death Eaters," Harry said. "By then we had already been through hell."

"I had no idea," Snape said. "I was in my rooms after I send of my message to Dumbledore and I didn't come out until it was time for dinner. I didn´t realize that you and your little friends had left the castle and travelled to London, although I should have anticipated some foolish Gryffindor stunt like that. What were you thinking? A group of six teenagers on a harebrained rescue mission against the Dark Lord and his inner circle?"

Harry glared at the Potions Master.

"Yes, looking back it was very stupid and reckless, but then I believed that vision was true. I thought Sirius was really in terrible danger, Voldemort Crucio’d him and threatened to kill him! I believed that nobody else could help him."

Harry dragged his hands through his hair in rising agitation. "Dumbledore never told me that the Order had any secret means of communication. You just sneered and scowled at me, how was I to know that you would contact Dumbledore and pass on my message? I had flooed Headquarters from Umbridge’s office before she caught us; that's why I broke in her office to check up on Sirius. Kreacher said he was out, not at home. I didn´t want to take my so called friends along at all, they insisted and then Luna came up with the idea to ride on Thestrals to London. Whoa, that flight was so brilliant!"

Harry sobered quickly and sighed.

"Turned out it wasn´t such a great idea to race to the Ministry like we did. I must admit that it was a clever trap. Voldemort played me so well. You were right all along; he used my weakness and love for Sirius against me. It´s partly my fault Sirius paid the price, partly Kreachers fault for lying to me, but it´s also Dumbledore’s fault, because if he had only told me right from the start about the prophesy and that this prophesy was that all important secret something Voldemort wanted all year, I think I wouldn't have acted quite so rashly. Sirius might still be alive," Harry finished bitterly.

After a moment Harry asked, "Do you know why it took so long for the Order to show up in the Department of Mysteries?"

Snape ran a finger across his lips and mused, "Well; only Black and Lupin were at Headquarters on that day. All the other Order members were occupied elsewhere, I suppose either at home or at work. It would have taken some time for Dumbledore to contact them and more time for those members who could get away from their duties to Apparate to the Ministry and start searching for you."

Leveling a glare at Harry, Snape mocked, "You realize, Potter, that the Order of the Phoenix is not organized exactly like the Dark Order? Dumbledore cannot call the Order members immediately to him wherever he is and dispatch them into battle at once without a discussion like when the Dark Lord calls his Death Eaters?"

Harry's cheeks flushed with the embarrassment. "Of course, sorry I didn´t really think about this."

"That is more than obvious", Snape drawled.

Harry fought to calm down; he would not fall back into his usual reaction of anger and resentment.

"Do you know what the prophecy is?" Harry asked; he had no idea why he had asked the question, but like with Neville, his instinct had urged him to.

"I know that it's about you and the Dark Lord," Snape said. Snape for his part debated whether or not he should continue on and tell Harry just how he came to know about the prophecy. In the end, he decided to be honest, simply for the fact that Harry had been nothing but since he got there; if Harry asked, then he would answer. And as if he had heard Snape say that, he asked.

"Do you know what it says?" Harry asked; he was curious to know if Dumbledore had told anyone else.

"Yes," Snape answered; since not minutes ago he had just vowed to tell the truth. The only thing he did was pray that Harry didn't ask the question he truly did not want to answer. However, he should've remembered that the impossible always happened to Harry and if he wished that Harry wouldn't ask, he would and he did.

"How?" Harry asked.

Snape was silent for a few minutes before he began speaking; he knew that what he was about to reveal would expose a secret that was known by only a few people.

"Remember earlier I told you that was I as dark as you are," Harry told him. "It means I know where your true loyalties lie and I didn't need Hedwig to tell me that; in fact, all she did was confirmed it. I know you want to know how I know, but I'll tell you after you tell me how you know what the prophecy says."

"Fair enough," Snape nodded before he continued. "The night Dumbledore was told the prophecy I was there; I overheard the first part and I immediately left to inform the Dark Lord. The Dark Lord and I discussed the possibilities of just who exactly the child could be and thanks to Pettigrew; we knew it was the Potter's.

“At the time, I was still desperately in love with Lily Evans Potter and I must confess I cared nothing for you or your father. I pleaded with the Dark Lord to spare her life if he insisted on getting rid of you and he assured me that he would at least give her the choice. When I heard that Lily had died, I left and went to Dumbledore to confess what I did and I convinced him that I truly regretted my actions; he gave me the choice to become his spy."

"But Dumbledore doesn't know that you're a spy for Voldemort and not for him," Harry smirked.

"No he doesn't," Snape admitted. "No one does; which begs the question, how do you know where my loyalties truly lie?"

"You called Voldemort the Dark Lord," Harry said. "Only his most faithful followers call him that; when did you switch back over to his side?"

"I never left," Snape said. "The night I told him about what I had overheard, he was concerned and I was the only one that saw it. We discussed well into the night many different possibilities; the biggest and hardest discussion was one where he didn't succeed. It was difficult to get him to see reason, but I did. I told him that despite how powerful he was, he shouldn't underestimate the fact that Dumbledore would probably have some kind of trick waiting for him if he attacked Godric's Hollow. He had to consider the possibility of his defeat.

“He told me that he had a plan should the night not go the way he intended; if it didn't go in his favor, I was to go to Dumbledore and plead my case. We knew that Dumbledore would say yes because next to Lucius, I was the most trusted follower that the Dark Lord had. So if I was on Dumbledore's side, then he could gain information into the Dark Lord's plans. When Dumbledore said that he didn't believe the Lord was truly dead, I knew him to be right; if he had died, I would have felt it through the mark."

"Knowing that Dumbledore would have had compassion and power behind him," Harry stated. "You would have been safe from any persecutors and in a position to help Voldemort return."

"Exactly," Snape nodded. "Even now, Dumbledore still has no idea that I am loyal to Voldemort; he thinks I am on his side."

"You are the ultimate Slytherin to pull off this deception for so long," Harry chuckled. "I would love to see the look on the Old Man's face the day he knows exactly who you're loyal to."

"When that day comes," Snape smirked. "I'll let you know."

"Good," Harry smiled.

"What really happened that day in Dumbledore's office?" Snape asked.

"He told me the prophecy and then he basically told me that it was my fault that Sirius died," Harry said. "And then, when I asked why he never told me from the start the real reason why Voldemort was after me, he said it was because he wanted me to have a normal childhood; needless to say, I didn't take that well."

"After everything you have just told me about your childhood," Snape said. "I can say you were in the right with how you reacted. I do have something to ask though."

"What is it?"

"I just told you that I was basically the reason your parents were killed," Snape said. "I must admit I expected a different reaction than the one I got."

"Did you expect me to yell at you or something?" Harry raised an eyebrow.

"Yes," Snape nodded.

"Why would I?" Harry asked. "I know people expect me to be upset or sad about my parents being dead, but I'm not. For the first eleven years of my life, I was told that my parents were drunks who died in a car crash and I believed it. It wasn't until Hagrid came to get me that I learned that they were actually killed by Voldemort, but by then, I didn't really care."

Seeing the slightly confused look on his professor's face caused Harry to chuckle.

"Sev," Harry said. "It didn't make any sense to me to cry and be angry over someone I'd never met in my entire life; sure my parents loved me enough to die for me, but that's as far as it goes. I can't miss what I never had; sure I'd wonder sometimes what my life would be like if they had survived that night with me, but they're didn't and I accepted that and their deaths a long time ago. When I heard about Sirius in third year, I was excited to meet him regardless of the fact that everyone thought he was the betrayer—

He stopped suddenly.

"What is it?" Snape asked.

"Something you said earlier," Harry had a thoughtful look on his face. "You said that you got information about my parents from Pettigrew and that was the only way that the Dark Lord could find my parents."

"Yes," Snape nodded wondering where Harry was going with the questions.

"But how did Voldemort know to question Pettigrew when no one knew that Sirius had switched the role of the Secret Keeper from him to Pettigrew?" Harry asked. "Exactly who is involved in the Fidelus Charm?"

"Well, you have the ones being put under the charm, which would be you and your parents," Snape said. "The Secret Keeper, which would've been Sirius and the one to cast the charm, which would've been…"

"Which would've been who?" Harry turned questioning and hard eyes to his professor. "Who would be the one to cast the spell?"

"Since it was not only your family but your house as well that was placed under the Fidelus Charm, it would've required someone very powerful to cast it and that same person would have to be the one to transfer it. And at the time, the only one that the Potters trusted to do that would be—

"Albus Dumbledore," Harry said. "That means that Dumbledore had to have let it out to someone, knowing it would get back to Voldemort."

"Yes," Snape nodded; his eyes widened slightly as he realized just what Harry was getting at.

'Is he trying to say what I think he is? But he is right; everyone thought that Sirius was the Secret Keeper, so how did the Dark Lord know that it had been switched to Pettigrew when even the wolf didn't know? Only those involved would know. If he is right, then Albus is darker than anyone suspected.'

Harry stood up off the bed and walked over to the window; he leaned his palms flat against the glass and looked out. He was slightly surprised to see that it was mid afternoon, not even realizing that they had spent so many hours just talking.

His mind went over everything they had just talked about; 'It's hard to believe Dumbledore betrayed my parents…and for what? What could he possibly benefit from it and why would he do it in the first place. He knew that Sirius wasn't the Secret Keeper and yet he did nothing; he let my godfather spend twelve years in Azkaban for a crime he didn't commit. All because he wanted me under his thumb? He destroyed my family and I'm going to find the real reason why.'

Without turning back to Snape, he spoke. "When the time comes, Dumbledore will be mine to kill."

"Understandable," Snape nodded. "Do you have any more questions for me?"

"No," Harry shook his head. "Not right now. I want to process everything that happened today, but if I do, I'll ask."

"Very well," Snape said as he stood up. "I should be returning before the headmaster gets a wind of my being gone."

"Alright," Harry turned to him. "Be careful; Albus is as slippery as a snake, and just as dangerous. I wouldn't be surprised to learn he had been in Slytherin in his school years."

"I can take care of myself brat," Snape said; though the brat was laced with affection rather than scorn.

"I know that," Harry smiled. "But like I said, you're one of the few people in this world I actually like and I'd hate to see something happen to you… especially since it's so much fun annoying you."

"I can tell this school year will be very interesting," Snape mused, his lips twitching as if fighting a smile. "I look forward to it."

"As do I," Harry smirked. "Feel free to stop by anytime; just call Hedwig's name and she'll come to you."

"Have no doubt that I will," Snape said. "There are still some things that need to be explained on both our sides and I must admit I am looking forward to speaking with you again; it feels good to speak to Harry and not the bloody Golden Boy."

"I know," Harry replied cheekily before turning to Hedwig; noticing that she was asleep, he walked over to her and rubbed her chest. She trilled softly as she woke, spreading her wings to shake herself off. "Hey girl; Severus is about ready to go. Can you take him back?"

Hedwig trilled in response before flying over to land on Severus' shoulder.

"I'll see you Harry," Snape said.

"Severus?" Harry called just before they left.

"What is it?" Severus raised an eyebrow.

"I realized you didn't ask about my views on Draco," Harry said; he was curious as to why that was as his rivalry against Draco was legendary.

"That is true," Snape nodded. "I suppose that like you're outlook on Granger and Weasley, yours on him has changed."

"There was no reason for my outlook on Draco to change," Harry said. "Because it's always been the same."

"You still harbor feelings of hostility towards him?" Snape raised an eyebrow.

"I've never hated Draco," Harry shook his head. "In fact, my feelings about him are quite the opposite."

Snape was silent for a few minutes before he nodded; he and Hedwig disappearing in a flash of fire. When the two left, Harry sighed before falling back to his bed. A smile came on his face as he thought of the upcoming school year; he was truly looking forward to it as he would be himself and not the illusion that has been there. But for that to happen there were still some things that he needed done. He got up off the bed and stopped when he heard the crinkling; looking back he saw the letter's that Pig had delivered earlier.

"Might as well see that they traitors said," he muttered to himself. He grabbed one and opened it and recognized the feminine handwriting. "Granger."

Harry

You've been my friend for that past five years; however I never thought that being your friend would have me risking my life every single year. And this past year was the worst; I told you it was a trap and you didn't listen to me and now Sirius is dead. You never listen to me and we always have to pay the price for it. I can't go through another school year like the others. Trouble always seem to follow you and I want a normal school year for once and plus, the NEWTS are coming up and I need to concentrate on those and not suicide missions. I truly am sorry, but I cannot be your friend any longer. You are just too reckless and you simply refuse to listen to reason, especially when I know I'm right. I would really appreciate if you didn't write to me this summer.

Your Former Friend,

Hermione J. Granger

"Well," Harry mused. "That was not unexpected; what surprised me was that I didn't think it would have taken her this long to write. Incendio." He smiled as he watched the parchment burn before turning his attention to the other one. He opened it and couldn't stop the snort that escaped as he read it;

Harry

I don't think we should be friends anymore. You're too reckless and you keep putting us in danger. I didn't think it'd be this much trouble to be the best friend of Harry Potter; I don't even get the fame that comes with it; you always get everything. Just stay away from us from now on.

Ron

"Wow," Harry said. "I didn't think he was this eloquent. His bitch of a girlfriend probably helped him; oh well, no love lost, don't really care if they're my friend or not."

A trill alerted him to Hedwig's return.

He looked up and smiled at her. "Hey girl; so I read the letters from Weasley and Granger."

A few trills had him shaking his head. "I know, I know, but I figured I might as well see what they had to say; at least that way, I can prepare for the upcoming school year."

She ruffled her feathers as she let out a few trills.

"Yeah," Harry nodded. "I'm going to talk to Severus about that; I can't believe I actually took Divination as a subject. Hopefully I'll be able to trade it in for a free period; I don't really have any interest in any other subject and even if I did, there are things that need to get done without the added pressure of another class."

Looking around his room, Harry sighed before he decided to fix it; instead of using his magic, he decided to do it by hand. When he was done, Hedwig trilled at him before settling down and closing her eyes. Smiling, Harry left his room and headed downstairs.

Avoiding his family, he went outside towards the garden; this was the one chore that he didn't mind doing. He loved cleaning it out and fixing it up because it had a calming effect on him. He went to the tool shed and grabbed a bag of fertilizer and his gloves. Walking back to the garden, he placed the bag of fertilizer on the ground and knelt down next to it just outside the flower bed; he cleaned out the weeds that had grown up, throwing them to side. As he worked, his mind worked as well; as he went over information, he thought on two things that he definitely needed to work on; Draco and Voldemort.

Contrary to what everyone else believed, he never hated Draco; in fact, from the first time he saw him, he was captivated. That day in Madam Malkin's, he had so wanted to speak to him, but he knew that if he wanted them to think he was naïve then he couldn't be with him. When Draco had insulted Ron, it had taken a lot of his control not to laugh out loud. He had seen the hurt look in Draco's eyes when he had rejected his friendship and it had hurt him to do it, but at the time, it was what he needed to do.

But now that he was done with being the good boy, he could finally do what he had wanted to all those years; he could finally have that friendship with the blond…and maybe more; it was no secret that Draco was attractive. Throughout the years, Harry had noticed that his feelings for the blond had changed from friendly to something more. While he did want to be Draco's friend, what he wanted more than anything was to be with the blond; he wasn't sure when his feelings had changed, but if he had to make a guess, it would've been around third year. He was glad for the change, though at first he was a little worried about it all. But now, he wasn't afraid to admit what was in his heart; truth was that he was glad that he would finally get the chance to tell Draco how he really felt about him.

"I wonder how he'll take it when I tell him I'm in love with him," Harry mused to himself as he cleared away the last of the weeds. "I bet it'll be the first time the sophisticated Slytherin Ice Prince will be speechless."

While anyone else would be worried as to how they would be received if they told the person they liked how they felt about them, Harry wasn't worried; he knew that Draco felt just about the same way as him. After all, why else would he do things that made sure Harry's attention was on him and him alone? He got angry and mean whenever Harry showed any interest in anyone and hated it when Harry's attention was not on him. To anyone else it would seem like a petty rivalry, but Harry knew better. He knew Draco better than anyone else did; after all, if you are going to have an enemy, you have to know everything about them.

He was about to spread some fertilizer through the garden when the flapping of wings alerted him to an owl's arrival; looking up, he saw a black owl heading towards him. Harry moved to his feet and held out his arm so that the owl could land; when it did, he carefully brushed its head.

"I wonder who you belong to," he asked softly.

He took the letter from the bird before turning to look at it. "You can go; I'll send my reply later on with my own bird."

The owl hooted twice before taking off. Harry sighed before pushing the letter in the back pocket of his jeans. He knelt back down and grabbed the fertilizer, spreading it throughout the garden. He continued to work for another hour and a half before deciding to stop. After putting the tools and fertilizer back in the shed, and throwing the weeds in the garbage, he was surprised to note that it was already sunset. He never thought it would've taken him so long, but it didn't really surprise him as he always seemed to lose track of time when he worked the garden.

He made his way back to the house; he knew that his shoes were dirty, and he would be tracking dirt through the house, but he didn't care. He smiled as he thought on his aunt and her reaction. When he got to the stairs, she was coming out of the kitchen; he watched as she paused and looked down at the mess he made before looking back at him. Seeing she was getting ready to say something, Harry turned fully towards her and raised an eyebrow.

"Is there something you'd like to say Petunia?" he asked, his voice devoid of emotion.

"No," she said stiffly as she shook her head. "I have nothing to say."

"If you say so," Harry said before turning to go up the stairs.

He locked his door behind him and headed to the bathroom. He placed the letter on the sink before going in the shower. Half an hour later, he stepped out of the shower and grabbed the letter before going back to his room. He tossed it onto his bed before pulling out a pair of jeans and a muscle shirt. After getting dressed, he sat down on his bed, his back resting on the wall, facing the door. He picked up the letter and opened. Hedwig, who had woken up when he came into the room, flew from her perch to his legs.

"Hi girl," Harry cooed to her. "Nice nap?"

She trilled a couple of times, the musical tone washing over Harry.

"It's a letter from Nev," Harry told her. "I wonder what he says."

Hiya Harry,

How are you? I hope you're summer's going ok so far. Mine is ok, my grandmother's been acting a bit strange; she keeps giving me these looks. I mean, she's always giving me looks, but before they were smug and now, it's like she looks at me with hatred and anger. I am so confused. I don't even know why I just told you that because I'm never this open about anything with anyone, but I trust you Harry. Anyways, I can tell you about that later.

The reason I'm writing is because Ron wrote to me and told me to stay away from you; that you were dangerous and would only cause me trouble. And that it wasn't worth being the friend of the Boy-Who-Lived when we were in danger so much. He also said that you're just an attention seeking prat that doesn't like to listen and everyone else ends up paying for it.

I laughed when I read it and I couldn't believe that he would say things like that; well, actually I could. Ron has always been jealous of you Harry; remember fourth year when he thought you had entered the tournament yourself? He was mad because you were once again the center of attention. I don't believe Ron Harry and I meant what I said to you that day by the lake; I will always stand by your side no matter what. You were the first person to stand up for me and try to be my friend and I will forever be grateful for that. Even Hermione, with all her talks about equality, still saw me as a clumsy boy, but you saw me as Neville and you made me believe I had potential in myself. You're my first friend Harry and I will always be on your side.

Ron is an idiot and truthfully, I think you're better off without him. Anyways, I'm going to go; I have to check on some of the plants. I hope to hear from you Harry and I hope your summer is better than before.

Your friend,

Neville F. Longbottom

"Well," Harry looked at Hedwig. "That was interesting; the traitor tried to turn Neville against me. It doesn't really surprise me that it didn't work. Neville might be a little shy, but when it comes to something he believes in, he sticks to it with everything in him."

Hedwig trilled a few times.

"I agree," Harry nodded. "He's going to be a strong ally and an ever greater friend; I'm glad the Old Man didn't get to him; I wonder why his grandmother is giving him those looks. I'm going to write back."

Hey Nev,

I'm a little curious as to why your gram would look at you that way and I hope you find out soon. I'm glad you trust me Nev; I don't trust easy and I don't trust a lot of people, but you are one of the few that I do trust.

I got a letter from Ron as well and he said he couldn't be my friend anymore as I was too dangerous; I also got one from Hermione and she basically told me that she's always right and I never listen to her and because I didn't, Sirius is dead and they got hurt. She actually blamed me for Sirius' death. Needless to say, I've decided to cut all ties with those two.

I've been thinking a lot Nev, and a lot of things about the past five years just don't add up and I won't stand for any crap anymore. I'm tired of hiding who I really am and this September it will be a new Harry Potter that enters Hogwarts and I am really looking forward to it.

You and Luna are two people I completely trust. I'm glad you're both going to be on my side. If you ever want to talk Nev, just write.

Your friend,

Harry J. Potter

"There," Harry said. "That should do it." he folded the letter before turning to Hedwig. "Deliver this for me, please?"

She trilled before moving from his legs to his lap, making it easy for him to give her the letter.

"You can wait for a response," Harry told her as he placed the letter in her beak. "Don't let his grandmother see you; I don't want the Old Man to know of your appearance until we're back at Hogwarts."

Hedwig trilled a few times, giving Harry a peck on his finger before disappearing in a flash of fire. After she left, Harry headed down to the kitchen to make something to eat; this time, his aunt was not there and he was able to fix his meal and head back to his room without any interactions with his family.

He settled into his bed once more, eating his meal while his thoughts ran over Voldemort. Contrary to popular belief, he did not hate the guy, in fact he held admiration for him; people might think him crazy for thinking that, after all, the guy killed his parents, but it was the truth. And in all honesty, Harry understood why he did it. it was a time of war and Voldemort came across a threat to his victory; one that he needed to eliminate, though he never thought that by doing anything, he caused the prophecy to go in effect.

"He should've thought things through before he decided to attack," Harry mused. "But, what's done is done and the past can't be changed."

What Harry admired about Voldemort was that he knew what he wanted and he went after it with no care as to what others thought.

"People say Dumbledore is the greatest wizard alive and yet Voldemort has accomplished things even he couldn't," Harry snorted.

Finished with his meal, Harry placed the empty plate on the bedside table before lying down on his back; this time, his thoughts went over the prophecy and what it truly meant. He twisted the words, the different meanings, trying to see it in a different angle. He was just about to fall asleep when a realization came to him.

"Sweet Merlin," Harry gasped. "It can't be! Is it really that simple?" he ran the words through his head once more, trying to see if the answer would change, but it didn't.

"Well," he smirked as he lay back down. "They never said which one."

…

While Harry was having his epiphany, Neville was in his room staring at the phoenix in shock. He had been going over Ron's letter and the one he wrote to Harry when the phoenix flashed into his room. His eyes travelled over the bird, taking in its unusual colors, until he came to a stop at its eyes.

"Who do you belong to?" he asked he stared at it. He looked into the eyes once more and saw amusement in the soulful amber-colored gaze. 'Amber-colored? Wait a minute, there's only one bird I know with that type of eyes.'

"Hedwig?" Said bird trilled a few times, making warmth spread through Neville. He got up off his bed and walked over to her. "Wow; what happened to you girl? Last time I checked, you were an owl."

He looked down at her feet and saw the letter lying there from when it had fell from her beak as she trilled. He picked it up and gave her a few snacks and some water before sitting back down on his bed. He opened the letter and read what Harry wrote. When he was finished, he placed the letter on the bed beside him.

"Ron doesn't really surprise me," Neville said to himself. "But I never thought Hermione of all people would be so mean to Harry. I can't believe she blamed him for his godfather's death. What was she thinking?" he turned to look out the window before looking back at Hedwig.

"I know you're a phoenix," he said. "But do you mind staying here for the night and going back to Harry tomorrow?"

Hedwig nodded her head before moving to Neville's own owl's perch. After that, Neville changed into his pajamas before climbing into his bed. He fell asleep the moment his head hit the pillow.

Hedwig looked up at him, her eyes staring at his head; now that she had full use of her true powers, she could sense something off about the boy. She let out a few trills, her magic weaving through the air to caress his body; she saw her magic wrap around his mind and her amber eyes lit up as she found what she was looking for. She let out a couple more trills, her magic pouring through him, before she pulled it back. Satisfied, she settled down and closed her eyes.

Soon after, Neville's brows furrowed as he turned in his bed, a dream taking hold of him.

(Dream)

It was dark, but the little light that shown in the room helped him to see. He heard a noise, a child's whimper followed by shouting and yelling and he followed it. He got to a room, one that seemed very familiar to him, though he couldn't place where he had seen it before. He stepped through the doorway and stopped; looking in, he saw a young child, probably just over a year old sitting in a crib crying with its arms raised. With a jolt he realized that he should know who the baby was, but its face was blurry so he couldn't place him.

"What is going on?"

He took a step forward but a sound to his right drew him; he looked up and saw five people standing there, wands pointed towards each other. Their faces, like the baby's, were blurry, so he couldn't really tell who they were.

"Give back what's mine." He heard one of the voices scream; he identified as being a woman.

"Never," another voice, another woman, said. "You don't deserve him."

"He is mine," the first female voice spoke. Without thought, she said a spell and he watched as the second woman ducked out of the way. That seemed to be the trigger for the others because they started firing spell after spell. He watched as they fought, his eyes drawing to the baby. The second woman made a dash for the baby and grabbed it before the others could get there. She held the child in front of her and started taunting the first woman. The woman screeched before launching herself at the two. He heard a scream and looked back to see one of the men on the floor; his gaze snapped back to the two women. The first women had managed to get the child and had cast a curse on the first woman.

"He is mine!" the woman snarled. The baby in her arms cooed and snuggled down to her chest while she cursed the woman; she held the curse for what seemed like a long time before she released it. She turned to the others, seeing the man was in the other state. She looked at the two standing over him before bringing her arm up to rub the child's back. She nodded to them and they turned to leave. But they were stopped by the arrival of someone else.

"I'm afraid I can't let that happen," the newcomer said and Neville felt his heart racing as his mind tried to place where he recognize the person from. The man raised his hand towards the woman, seeming not to care about the baby she held.

Neville didn't hear the curse; all he saw was the spell speeding towards the woman and her son. He moved forward, hoping to stop it

"No!" he yelled as he tried to reach them.

(End Dream)

Neville jerked out of his sleep, sweat coating his body.

"What the hell?" he stuttered out.

He grabbed his wand from his bedside table and cast a quick Tempus and groaned when he saw that it was three in the morning. He put his wand back on the table and dropped back on the bed. His mind went over his dream, but to his consternation, the more he tried to recall, the more it faded until he could only remember snippets of it. With a sigh, he shifted on his bed, finding a comfortable position before falling back asleep.

The next morning, he woke up to the Hedwig trilling softly and hoots from his own owl. Groaning, he rolled over to face the two of them. With a quiet 'behave', he got out of the bed and headed to the bathroom. When he came back out, Hedwig flew from the perch to land on his shoulder.

"Morning Hed," he said before turning to his own owl. "Morning Damien."

He walked over to his table and picked up Harry's letter once more to read it over; as he went through it, he scoffed and shook his head when he saw what Harry had said about Ron and Hermione. Grabbing his quill, some parchment and ink, he started writing a reply to Harry.

Harry,

I'm glad that I'm one of the few people that you trust and I promise you that you will never regret it. I wish I did know why she looks at me the way she does, but I don't.

You're not dangerous Harry; it's not your fault that trouble finds you, it's not like you ask for it. Ron is wrong…which doesn't surprise me. And I can't believe Hermione blamed you for what happened to Sirius. Listen to me Harry; it is not your fault. You didn't make us come with you and you didn't tell Sirius to come after you; we, or I should say, I did it because I wanted to help you and you're my friend and Sirius did it because he loved you. You tried to get us to stay back remember? But we chose to go with you, so it is not your fault. They were never really friends to me, so I have no problem not being friends with them anymore.

You told me that day by the lake that a change was coming, and I told you I would stand by your side. I will. I'm not too sure what you mean by a lot of things not adding up, so you will have to explain it to me…that is if you want to. It's good that you're not going to stand for any more crap; maybe I shouldn't either. A new Harry Potter huh? Well, I am looking forward to meeting him.

I know Luna feels the same way; she told me that you were the first person to see beyond her "Looney" persona. Despite Ginny being her first friend, she treats her like everyone else.

Oh yeah; what the bloody hell happened to Hedwig?

N.F.L.

Finished with the letter, Neville stood up and allowed Hedwig to move from his shoulder back to the perch.

"Here you go Hed," he said. "Take this to Harry."

Hedwig trilled, filling Neville with warmth, before taking the letter in her beak and disappearing in a flash of fire. Seconds later, his bedroom door opened to reveal his grandmother glaring at him.

"Do you plan on lying in bed all day?" She asked; her tone borderline on disgust. "There are things to do, you know?"

"I'm coming grandmother," Neville sighed, resisting the urge to yell at her. He had no idea why she had started acting the way she had, but it was getting to him and he wanted to know what happened.

"Hmmm," she said, looking at him with something akin to scorn before turning and walking back down the stairs.

"What the hell is wrong with her?" he asked himself the moment she was out of sight. "I have to find out what's going on."

~…~

A/N: in regards to anything Hedwig related, this is FANFICTION, so please just go with it.

A/N 2: Neville will have more than a few lines in this story and role that I don't think has been touched yet, so yes, there is a reason why his grandmother is acting the way she is…it all ties in to his specific role. By the way, does anyone know her name? All I know her by is the Lady Longbottom.

A/N 3: while it is Harry and Draco oriented, it will focus on the others as well.

You know what to do….
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Rise of the Dark Angel