Somewhere I Have Never Traveled

This story takes place after Harry's 5th year at Hogwarts. Harry has just found the prophecy and little does he know that his life is about to change. For better or for worse, Harry will just have to find out for himself. I'll do my best to update this as often as possible! I work two jobs, and school is coming up soon so it'll do it as often as i can, please enjoy and followers and comments are all welcome, just be friendly lol. Okay, to the story now! I do not own any of the characters depicted in my story. they belong solely to JK Rowling and her story.

Chapter 1

"Somewhere I have never travelled, gladly beyond

Any experience, your eyes have their silence:

In your most frail gesture are things which enclose me,

Or which I cannot touch because they are too near"- E.E. Cummings

Death Eaters were swarming the boy. Green flashes of light were being shot at them from all directions, and the group was just barely managing to cast them away. Out of thin air, the Order apparated into image, and before the students knew it, they were fighting back. They weren't just defending themselves anymore, but sending their own counter-jinxes back at the dreadful followers of Lord Voldemort. He stood next to his beloved godfather, sending jinxes at Lucius Malfoy and a second Death Eater who still had his mask. Harry casted a jinx that sent the Death Eater flying backwards, and his godfather disarmed Lucius and was about to send him flying as well before a green light flashed in the corner of Harry's eyes. He turned to face his godfather, but before he could do anything, his godfather fell back into an empty doorway which lit up and Harry could hear voices, hundreds of them screaming and calling for help, and then he saw his godfather's soul cast out of his body and floating above it. His godfather gave him a weak smile, and then his body disappeared into the doorway and it became empty again.

He awoke drenched in sweat; covered from head to toe and panting like a ravage dog that was just brutally injured. Sitting upright in his bed, he reached to his right to grab his glasses off his nightstand, not that it would do much good in the thick of night when it was pitch black anyways. It was only after he retrieved his glasses and was finally aware of his surroundings that he noticed his wand gripped tightly in his opposite hand pointed at the door. It was out of reflex, he couldn't help it. He had the same nightmare each and every night, and each time he awoke in almost the same pattern, wand in hand and covered in sweat. And each night, the lightning scar on his forehead would burn more and more each time. Harry raised his free hand to his scar to rub it, hoping it would ease some of the pain. He finally decided there was no threat and laid back, glasses still on and stared at the ceiling remembering the last words the great Dumbledore spoke to him: "The glass orb you retrieved was a prophecy, Harry… Voldemort and yourself cannot live while the other survives… You have a weapon of your own, something Voldemort has no knowledge of… you have the power of love, Harry, given to you when your mother sacrificed her life to save yours…" Harry couldn't help but wonder what all of this meant in the long run. He couldn't understand what Dumbledore meant when he spoke of 'the power of love' that his mother magically gave him. It was old magic, and it could be found in various books, but it was still hard to wrap his head around. Those weren't even the things bothering Harry the most, because the other thing Dumbledore mentions was crystal clear, one would have to kill the other, and that was driving Harry mad.

The morning came faster than Harry could have hoped, with Aunt Petunia slamming on his bedroom door, ordering him to make breakfast. He grudgingly told her he was up then grabbed his glasses and without thought, rubbed his scar that was still prickling from last night's recollection. The nightmare played over and over, and he could never figure a way to escape from it. He pulled an old over-sized shirt of Dudley's from his collection and began his trudging walk down the stairs. He reached the kitchen to find Dudley dressed in his gym shorts and work-out shirt and seated at the table. "I'm still waiting for my meal, Potter." Harry gave him an annoyed look, but found it best not to give him his usual reply. He grabbed the frying pan and began making the breakfast for all the Dursley's, occasionally peaking back to see if they were watching, then sneaking a bite of food knowing that they weren't going to let him have anything after he had finished. He laid down the plates of food on the table, and the three Dursley's began their breakfast meal, before Harry's Uncle Vernon spoke in. "After you wash the plates, be sure to water the plants for your Aunt. Then, I 'spose you are welcome to do whatever it is your type do."

Harry took the opportunity while they were eating to begin watering the plants, and after he finished he made it back into the kitchen before they had finished eating, and then took to cleaning the assorted dishes they had piled next to the sink. As he was washing them, he could hear the Dursley's talking.

"Dudley is going out in a little while, Vernon, so I'd like to begin making a proper dinner for when he returns. I believe he is going to be bringing some friends over tonight as well." Aunt Petunia always saw Dudley as perfect, and all Harry could see was a fat, under grown troll that he had the unpleasant luck of living with.

"Ah, that's wonderful. Looks like our Dudley is doing just as well as I did at Smelting's." Uncle Vernon replied, not removing his head from above the paper he was more-or-less inspecting rather than reading. Out of nowhere, an owl landed on the fence just outside the window from where Harry was washing dishes. It dropped a letter on the ground, and then flew off. Harry turned to his Aunt and Uncle, then placed the last dish he had on the drying mat, and left the room to go grab his letter. He opened the glass sliding door that connected the garden with the patio in the backyard, and proceeded towards his letter. Once he could make out the writing on it, he knew exactly who it was from and without a second thought he opened the letter immediately.

"Dear Harry,

This summer has been a nightmare. Explaining to my parents what happened at the Triwizard Tournament has been hard, and they both can tell that I'm bending the truth a bit. I've been worried about you Harry, and when you wrote to me explaining these dreams it got me even more rattled. I can't say I know how you are feeling, but just know that Ron and I are here for you. Ron and I are going on a vacation, and I'll assume you will be going too. Until then, please be safe Harry… if not for yourself, for me.

With Love,

Hermione"

Harry read and re-read the letter, trying to find any hints of what was going on. The only thing he could make out was that their 'vacation' was more of a re-location for protection rather than time off for relaxation. It was only common sense that Harry's closest friends would be move to a protected, undisclosed location in order to keep them as safe as could be. That made Harry feel much better knowing they were being taken care of, when he was incapable of doing it himself, what little he could do of course. He was curious as to why Dumbledore had not contacted him over the summer, but he just assumed that he was kept busy with fixing the Ministry's problems as-well-as building his allegiances with other species to fight against Voldemort. Harry stashed the letter into his back pocket, and then returned to the living room, where neither his Aunt nor Uncle had so much as moved their legs.

"There you are. You forgot this plate." She handed him her plate which she was eating a piece of bread and butter that she was still eating while Harry was washing dishes, then he returned to the sink and repeated the process of scrubbing and drying that he had become so accustomed to. After the finished he told them he was going out and his uncle merely grunted in approval, and to that Harry made sure to leave no time for his Aunt or Uncle to come up with more pointless things for him to do. He walked down the street and made a left towards the bus station. Once there, he took it into London where he roamed the streets pointlessly in an attempt to waste as much time as he could, while also taking in the sites. It had become a bit of a routine for Harry to roam the streets of London, it was calming, but it also made him a good people-watcher. Some days he would sit in the train station watching people walk by, or sit in a café and watch the people who came in and out, and he became very good at reading people. He checked the large clock that sat above the entrance to the train station to see that it was nearly 5 o'clock so he decided he'd better make his way back to his Aunt and Uncle's house before they started getting hopeful that he was actually gone for good. He arrived back at the bus stop before he realized who was there waiting for him.

"Professor McGonagall? What are you doing here?" Harry was baffled to see her waiting at the bus station.

"Well I'm here for you, of course." She put her usual extra-emphasis on her words and was standing with perfect posture, although he noticed something off about her. She seemed uneasy, as if expecting danger, and Harry was sure that was not a sign of something good.

"Professor, what's wrong?" He asked, curious as to what was making her so troubled. The Professor looked to her side at the street, and immediately reached for her wand. Harry bolted his eyes across the street and did the same as the Professor. Lights shot from one side of the street to the other; red, green, blue, orange- all being bounced in different directions by blocks by the defender. Harry and the Professor jumped behind the bench to gain some form of cover from the curses.

"You've been careless this summer, Potter, and the Death Eaters have been following you and learning your routines." She raised her wand just above the bench and casted a jinx that shot a Death Eater back into a bush and then returned her arm down to her side. "And because of that, the Headmaster has asked that I bring you to a safe location, now grab my arm!" Harry did as he was told and before he knew it he felt his body spinning and twisting into the air, crushing his lungs and making it hard to breathe. Then, before he knew it, he landed flat on his back with the Professor landing smoothly on her feet beside him. She lowered her arm to help him up, and he took it. As he wiped down his clothes to clean off the dirt that had been gathered from his fall, he finally realized where he was.

"Professor, may I ask why I'm at Hogwarts when term doesn't start for another two weeks?" Harry raised an eyebrow to the Professor, and Professor McGonagall merely gave him a look then proceeded towards the staircase. "We must inform the Headmaster that you have arrived safely." The two of them made their way up the marble staircases until they finally arrived at the Eagle gargoyle that was the Headmaster's entrance. The Professor stood eye to eye with the gargoyle before saying "Vainqueur" and then the gargoyle began to spin counter-clockwise revealing stairs. Harry and the professor both took a step and let the rotating staircase take them to the Headmaster's office, where Dumbledore was, as expected, waiting for them to arrive.

"I see that the two of you encountered a bit of fun before you were able to arrive at Hogwarts." He smiled at Harry then looked to Professor McGonagall who had a look of displeasure.

"FUN? If I had not been there Harry could be in the hands of You-Know-Who as we speak. His carelessness and need to explore nearly cost him his own life!" McGonagall was outraged at the Headmaster for acting so soft with a boy who held the fate of so many in his hand. The Headmaster waved his hand at the professor and she stopped rambling, only to turn on her heels and exit the office. Harry watched her leave, and then turned his attention back to the Headmaster. Dumbledore stood from his highchair, and walked over to Harry, placing a hand on his shoulder in comfort.

"I have to apologize, Harry, for not having much time to write to you. With the Order in its current state I have taken it upon myself to handle the most delicate of matters that I would not wish any of my friends to do. Therefore, I find that it is important to fill you in on what I have been doing, and why I have brought you to Hogwarts earlier than expected. As I'm sure you are aware, Harry, I have been trying to gain allies for the future. We have gained support from the Griffins, Hippogriffs, and the Myrmidons, which I myself believe was a great addition to our cause. As I'm sure you are away of Hippogriffs, they are descendants of Griffins, who bare the more noticeable qualities of the Eagle and Lion. As for the Myrmidons, they were ants who have transformed into a close resemblance of the human form, and are rumored to be unbeatable on the battlefield. Centaurs have agreed to fight with us as well, but what I am afraid is that we will lose our allegiance with are the Sphinx's, because of their violent tendencies I'm not sure our side seems as promising to them as Voldemort might be. Now, as to why I have brought you here, there had been rumors of Death Eater's searching the streets of London for you and that you would be there later this afternoon. Lucky for you, I planted those rumors." Dumbledore smiled down at Harry, while Harry looked up in shock.

"Why would you do that, sir? The Professor and I could have been injured, or even killed!" Harry was beyond confused, but Dumbledore simply took a seat on the steps leading up to his desk, and gestured Harry to join him, and so he did.

"I am more-than-content in your abilities as a wizard, Harry, and with the Professor there with you… well, let's just say I was confident that nothing was going to go wrong. I needed to know for certain that Voldemort was on the lookouts for you, and my guesses were right, as they usually are." Dumbledore placed his hand on his long beard and began to flatten it. Harry looked down into his lap, starting to understand the Headmaster.

"So what you're saying is, I wasn't just bait. I was necessary." Harry looked back up at the Headmaster in hope that his understanding was the right one.

"Correct, Harry. I could not have found the answer without you involved. Although I must apologize for not informing you of my plans, but if the Death Eater's saw you looking over your shoulder every few seconds I am sure we would not have gotten the same answer as we have tonight. I am relocating your Aunt and Uncle, as well as your cousin Dudley. It is important that they are kept save, because even though Voldemort cannot enter the premises of the estate while you are still underage, that does not guarantee that another member could not. Also, it would be unwise to place our faith in the Ministry's hands in a time like this. After all, when we tried to warn them in the beginning they would not listen. Now, to the matter that is at hand, I must ask that this remains between you and myself, and perhaps you're two friends Ron and Hermione. This is essential: do I have your word, Harry?"

Harry nodded and he kept his eyes on Dumbledore.

"Because I do not underestimate the Dark Lords powers, I would like to train you in wandless magic. It is not easy, by any means, but you are no ordinary wizard Harry and I believe with my help you can master it just as I have." Harry's eyebrows rose and his eyes widened. "You want to teach me how to use magic, without my wand? Will I even be able to do that, Professor?"

Harry was baffled, but the Headmaster merely nodded at him and smiled. "Do you remember the first experience you had with magic, Harry, at the zoo with your cousin? You were not even eleven when you unintentionally used magic without the services of your wand, now why should it be any different when you have a larger understanding of magic?" Harry processed the words from the Headmaster, and once again, he was correct. He didn't even know magic existed when he first touched into his inner wizard, and now that he was older and more experienced in the magical world, he shouldn't be afraid of trying it. He began thinking about his mother and father, and then Sirius. He didn't want to wait, he felt a part of him burning inside, and he needed to start learning now. "Can we start tonight, Professor?" Dumbledore looked down at the boy, and nodded in approval. Then the Headmaster stood, and put out his hand. "If we are going to do this Harry, you must relinquish your wand to my possession until the end of our lessons. This is not a punishment by any means, so do not confuse it as such. It is only to help you control your magic without your necessity for a wand. Over the years you have become comfortable with the use of a wand for magic, and in order to use wandless magic, you must first break that comfort. Now, your wand please, Harry." The Headmaster gave a reassuring smile, and Harry reached into his jean pocket and placed the wand into the Headmaster's hand.

The Headmaster placed Harry's wand into his cloak pocket and then waved his own wand at the floor. A few of the bricks that made up the floor folded upwards and a lamp appeared out of the floor. "If you remember from your first year, I used my hand to light the candles rather than my wand. That will be our first lesson, but instead of using the fire charm, we will practice with the light charm to keep things a bit safer. Think Lumos in your head, just as you would with your wand, but instead use your hand as the casting point. Like so." Dumbledore shifted his eyes towards the lamp, and raised his arm up at it. His hand looked like it was holding a ball, and he casted the Lumos charm at the lamp. A blue-light flashed from his palm and shot across the room, landing inside the lamp and causing it to spark, creating the lamp to light up. Harry smiled in excitement and took a step towards where Dumbledore was standing.

Harry raised his hand just as Dumbledore had, and he put all of his thought on the image of casting magic without a wand: all of his thought towards making that lamp light up. He could feel a tingling in his hand, and he lowered his head slightly to get a better aim on the lamp. He could feel the magic in him, something he had never felt before. He could feel his focus, his body straining to maintain itself. Before he knew it, Harry was collapsed on the ground staring up at Dumbledore's face. Harry blinked a few times to clear the fogginess in his vision, and then tried to regain his balance as he stood. "Wha…what happened?" Harry asked, as he rubbed his eyes under his glasses. Dumbledore was smiling at Harry, and gave his reply. "You fainted, as I expected. The first attempt at controlled wandless magic comes with a cost, not a terrible one, but none-the-less unpleasant." Harry took a seat on the steps, worried he might faint again if he tried to stand much longer. "If I had to guess, it would be because of the overwhelming of the magic in you. When casting a spell with your wand, the wand contains the magic from overpowering your own body. When you are casting without your wand, you have to gain a level of control over that overwhelming buildup of magical power. You fainted because you have no tolerance or control of your wandless magic. It happened to me as well when I first attempted this, so do not feel troubled by it. You simply just try again." Dumbledore gave him an encouraging smile, and Harry nodded and stood to attempt it again.

Harry did the same as he had before, he tried to focus in on the lamp, focus in on his magic, and focus in on the spell he was trying to cast. His next few tries presented little more than a blue orb surfacing in his palm, but he had not managed to cast it onto the lamp. Dumbledore looked at Harry and could see the disappointment in his face, so he did his best to change that. "May I offer a bit of advice, Harry?" Harry looked shocked that he would ask him to offer advice, but he nodded and Dumbledore continued. "When you feel the orb in your palm, not see, but feel, slightly tilt your wrist back and then thrust it forward slightly. As a beginner, little movements such as this will help you to cast spells, but as you gain a tolerance and control, these movements will cease to be necessary, as you will be able to manage it without them." He smiled, and put his arm out towards the lamp for Harry to try again.

Harry looked from Dumbledore to the lamp, and then stood with determination burning in his eyes. He tilted his head down slightly, focused in again on all the elements needed to do wandless magic, and closed his eyes. He felt that closing his eyes would let his mind focus less on what his vision showed him, and more on what his body gave off as Dumbledore had suggested feeling rather than watch. He felt the orb cover his whole palm, he moved his wrist back slightly, and then opened his eyes to focus in on the lamp, and thrust his wrist forward faintly. Before his eyes, he saw a blue light shoot from his palm into the lamp, and then the lamp lit. Harry smiled in amazement and joy at his accomplishment, surprised that he was able to do this on his first lesson with Dumbledore. Dumbledore clapped shortly then returned to Harry's side. "I feel I must be candid, Harry, I was not expecting you to achieve such a hard task on our first lesson, even if it were just lighting a lamp. I will contact you for out next lesson, as I have to leave the grounds for some important matters to attend to beyond the extremities of Hogwarts. You are welcome to go wherever you so desire as long as it is on Hogwarts grounds. Now, off you go, dinner will be served soon and I daresay you are starving after a night like this." Dumbledore winked at Harry, and Harry couldn't help but laugh. Dumbledore removed his wand from his cloak and gave it back to Harry, who then turned towards the door. As he reached the door, Dumbledore spoke again. "Ah, I almost forgot, Miss Granger has been moved to Hogwarts as well. Unfortunately, you will have to wait to see Mr. Weasley but I thought you might like to know that Miss Granger has been informed you returned and I expect waiting for you down in the Great Hall." Harry nodded, and exited the Headmaster's Office.

'I lit the lamp. I lit the lamp without even using my wand! Hermione isn't going to believe this.' Harry's thoughts were running wild on his walk down to the Great Hall for dinner, and just as he was turning the corner to the doors to the Great Hall, he was greeted with an embrace that struck him to the floor. Arms flung around his neck, with bushy brown hair covering his face; the smell of her conditioner overwhelming him as he embraced the person who tackled him to the floor. He knew immediately it was Hermione, he could tell simply by her touch as she embraced him before they fell. He wrapped his hands around her waist and held her on the ground before she let her grip loosen and she raised her head above his. "I'm sorry Harry I didn't mean to make you fall I was just excited to see you!" Hermione was blushing and she immediately removed herself from Harry, then helped him up.

Harry laughed and straightened his shirt and glasses, which had been muffled in the tackle. "It's alright Hermione; it's good to see you too." Hermione smiled at him and then stood next to him as they entered the Great Hall. "So, why were you with Dumbledore for so long?" Harry took a seat at the Gryffindor table, and then looked at her. "Well, Dumbledore is giving me private lessons." Hermione's eyebrows rose, "On what?" Harry looked around to make sure no one else was listening in or in range to hear them then leaned in to whisper in her ear, almost touching his lips to her ear, "He's teaching me wandless magic."