A New Game

Chapter One

"Make yourself at home, freak." Uncle Vernon positively spat in his face. Harry only felt a brief stab of shock before he settled back into his normal listless demeanor. So the Dursleys hated him even more now. It wasn't like this was something new, was it? The Dursley's hated freakish Harry Potter ever since he had been brought into existence.

He dragged his trunk upstairs quickly, not wanting Dudley to come down and 'investigate' the noise. He quite liked his current possessions, and wasn't really in the mood to see them mercilessly destroyed by the elephant right across the hall.

As he collapsed on the lumpy mattress, his pet owl Hedwig gave a soft hoot. He reached over and unlatched her (rather small, now that he noticed it. He hadn't bought her a new cage for years) cage. She let him stroke her a couple of times before she took off into the night.

It was rather ironic that one of his best friends was an owl, especially since he was considered the Chosen-Boy-who-didn't-die or whatever hogwash they were coming up these days.

Well, then again, it wasn't exactly hogwash anymore, was it? Not with the prophecy that he'd just been informed of, courtesy of a certain Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore.

The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches ... born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies ... and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not ... and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives ... the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies …

Yes, it was rather dramatic. Honestly, Harry didn't even know what to make of it. It basically said the Dark Lord would be hunting him until one of them died. It also said that they were destined to kill each other.

Harry had a nagging feeling that the prophecy intended to send both the Dark Lord and the Chosen One to their deaths.

He should have known about this blasted prophecy sooner. Instead of hearing it from someone 'light', such as Dumbledore or the Order of Phoenix, Harry was forced to learn the importance of his entire existence from a Death Eater nearly everyone in this damn world despised!

It was almost as if Dumbledore and the Order wanted to send him in untrained, unprepared and weak.

Two loud bangs on his door alerted Harry to the presence outside.

"Come get your dinner! We don't need those- those freaks thinking that we don't feed you!" Petunia screeched before thudding down the stairs quickly. He sighed, thinking about the Order's threat. At least he was getting food.

ONE WEEK LATER

He was woken with yet another pound on his door. He smiled ruefully. The pounding and stomping reminded him of his cupboard days a little too much for his liking. He quickly checked the little area on his desk where Hedwig left his mail.

Harry nearly smacked himself for his stupidity. He'd had to clear away half of his desk, but he realized that Hedwig had dropped three letters here days ago! However, he was already late. He quickly decided to open them later.

At least he had something to look forward to now.

At breakfast, Aunt Petunia hastily placed some lukewarm porridge and a piece of lightly buttered toast before him, along with a large list. He held it up.

"What is this?" She glanced at him and turned back to making a large english breakfast

"It's your list of chores for the day. Get it done by dinnertime, and you'll get your meal. We are all going out, which is even more a reason you should be able to finish, you hear?" He nodded curtly and went back to scan the list. It was the usual chores, with strange ones like clean out the cupboard.

Yes, he sighed, it was definitely going to be a fun day.

Without anyone purposely sabotaging his efforts, Harry finished half an hour before dinner. He quickly went to shower before the Dursleys returned. Dudley always took great pleasure in dragging him out of the bathroom, regardless of whether he was finished with his shower or not.

He returned to his room, freshly showered with dripping hair. He felt the parchment crackle under his pillow and pulled it out once more.

He saw Hedwig, a brief glint in the sky. He nearly jumped over the chair in his haste to open his window. She immediately flew in and dropped a letter on his rickety old desk.

"Hey Hedwig. Have a good flight?" He asked, stroking her softly. She hooted, conveying her thoughts with her eyes.

It was quite eerie how easy Hedwig was to understand.

"Yeah, well-" He was interrupted by a bright flash on his desk. He immediately pulled out his wand, despite knowing how futile it was. One spell, even a simple nox, and the Ministry would have his head before he could say 'underage'.

There was now another letter on his desk, right next to the other 3.

Dear Mr. Harry J. Potter,

It has come to our attention that a certain Sirius Orion Black has passed away. We'd like to extend our condolences for your loss.

Since Mr. Black's name has been cleared of charges, the Black accounts have been unfrozen. Sirius Black was the Head of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black. Mr. Black also made a will before his death, and stated you as a benefactor. We have scheduled a will reading to take place tomorrow at noon. If tomorrow at Noon is unable to work for you, please contact Gringotts at a later date in order to know what has been left to you.

Please let Gringotts know if you are able to attend. There is an included parchment. Simply sign your name and state if you are attending or not. If you need special accommodations, be sure to let us know. A drop of blood is needed to confirm your identity.

Thank you,

Goreclaw

Manager of Black accounts

Gringotts Bank

Harry was shocked. He couldn't believe that Sirius had made a will despite being cooped up in Grimmauld Place.

Was it really that obvious to him that he was going to die?

He set that aside. He needed time to think before he replied. Signing that paper was like signing a death slip for Sirius. Something he obviously wasn't prepared to do.

He turned to the next one, eyes widening when he realized who had sent it: Dumbledore. It was the one Hedwig had just brought. Curiosity overwhelmed him, despite his anger at the Professor.

Dear Harry,

I realize you have probably received a letter from Gringotts about Sirius's will. I just want to tell you that we have reason to believe that Sirius had never made a will. This may be a trap.

I regret to deny you your closure, Harry, but I need to ask you to please refrain from agreeing to attend the reading. I am sorry, but your safety takes precedence in this matter

Hope your holidays are enjoyable.

Albus Dumbledore

Harry was surprised. He didn't know that Gringotts had Death Eaters working there. He wondered how Gringotts had even gotten his address. If someone working against him knew his address, why not attack him there and be done with it? Why lure him into the magical world, where he could use magic to fight back?

Harry sighed. Despite Dumbledore's warning against it, he was seriously thinking about attending.

And his holidays? Enjoyable? What was Dumbledore playing at? He knew that his time with the Dursleys' was hell. How could he say that his holidays should be enjoyable!?

There were three letters left. Thankfully, they were from different people. He chose to open the one on top first, despite not knowing who it was.

Harry,

Hello. It's me, Luna. I seem to remember you asking me to write you during the summer.

It's summer now, and I'd feel bad ignoring your request. Especially since you're the first person that ever asked me to write.

His eyes widened in shock and anger. It wasn't fair of the Ravenclaws to ostracize Luna so much just because she was a little batty. He resolved to be a better friend to her in the future. Despite only knowing him for 6-8 months, she had been extremely loyal and helpful to him. He quickly returned to the letter.

Harry, if you want to talk, I'm here. I was at the Ministry too, obviously. I know what it's like to lose someone important to me. I can help.

I think we should write more often. Despite going on a life threatening mission with you, I don't know anything about you. Except your defense skills.

You don't have to reply if you don't want too. I won't mind.

And your owl really is beautiful.

Luna.

Harry smiled. This was Luna, all right. Despite her oddness, her letter really did help her feel better. He reread the line about loss. Luna's mother. Of course! She really did know how she was feeling because she went through it herself. He set it to the side, right by the other two letters he had already read. He picked up the next one, expecting it to be Ron.

It was Neville.

Harry,

I know we haven't really had a chance to talk much, even in school. I just wanted to say thank you for having my back at the Ministry. It meant a lot that you let me come and help.

Gran's really proud, and she doesn't even mind that I broke my wand. I'm getting another one. I know we aren't really that close, but I'd love to get a chance to talk with you more, if you'd like.

Hope you're alright.

Neville.

He opened the one with Hermione's handwriting last, despite knowing she was probably worried by the lack of response.

Dear Harry,

Guten Tag from Germany! Yes Harry, that's where I am right now. Mum and Dad surprised me. We only came home for two days, and then we were off. Don't worry, we'll be back before your birthday.

Wow, Germany is just amazing, Harry. Our villa is so large, it's like I need a mapto get in. There's a bookstore half a block away, and a small coffee shop right next to it. I love to go there and read sometimes. The owner of the coffee shop has a daughter, a really young one. We became friends the instant I was reading her favorite book. Now, I've been there so much I practically have a free pass for the drinks! She likes books too, so we frequently think of quotes and words from famous books to 'quiz' each other. It's quite fun, really.

Aren't you excited to return to school?! We'll be taking NEWT classes soon, and I'm just so excited!

Write back soon, Harry. I'll be waiting for your reply. If it's not here in 5 days, I'm busting you out of that horrible house.

With Love,

Hermione

He smiled slightly as he read it. Hermione was writing strangely… Maybe it was from the excitement? He scanned the parchment again. Hmmm, some words were slightly darker than the rest… word, map, and pass, to be exact. He scratched his head. Hermione didn't do something like that for no reason. Something was going on.

He quickly began mentally rearranging the words.

Map, word, pass? No, that doesn't make sense. Pass, map, word? What the hell? He tried another combination, and everything suddenly clicked. Bloody hell, you idiot, he admonished himself, it's the map password! The Marauder's Map! He tapped his wand and repeated the infamous words.

"I solemnly swear I am up to no good."

The writing faded right before his eyes, only to be replaced with new words.

Harry,

Oh, I really hope you understood my clues. Harry, we need to talk about the prophecy. I understand that you don't feel ready, but you really need to understand. Maybe you should ask Dumbledore or someone in the Order about training? You really do need to learn to protect your mind, just not with Snape.

And Harry, if nobody offers to train you, we can always figure something out. Maybe you could pick up some helpful books when you shop for your booklist? I know I will be! Just be careful there, all right? Are the Dursleys treating you all right?

You're okay, right? Don't keep overthinking Sirius's death. He was a great man with a sad ending. At least he died fighting for something he believed in Harry. To him, that was the noblest way to go. So, how are you, Harry? You're not still upset about the Ministry, right? Harry, it wasn't your fault. Not at all. Please, please, please don't blame yourself for what happened. You didn't point the wand, Harry, you didn't say the spell. You didn't lure him there, you didn't intend for it to happen. If you ever need anyone to talk to, I promise you can talk to me. I may not empathize, but I certainly can listen and understand. Did you get the letter about the Will reading? I did. Maybe if you attended you can get some sort of closure? I would understand if you didn't want to come. Take your time, Harry.

Be safe, Harry. Please.

Love,

Hermione

Also, have you heard from Ron yet? He hasn't written me.

He sighed. Hermione was correct about Sirius. He needed to stop blaming himself.

However, that didn't mean he was going to stop.

Hermione had gotten the letter too? Harry suddenly found himself doubting as to whether it really was a trap or not.

He decided he would go in some sort of disguise. That way, if it was a trap, he would be able to escape without detection.

He fished around in the envelope, finally finding that small piece of parchment that the letter spoke of.

I, Harry James Potter, will be attending Sirius Orion Black's will reading tomorrow. I wish to keep my attendance private from anyone attending or inquiring.

He then pricked his finger with his quill and coaxed out some blood. Mere seconds after he smeared it across the parchment, it glowed white and disappeared.

He then penned a few more letters.

Professor Dumbledore,

Yes, I had gotten the letter. If you believe it is a trap, then I won't go. Thank you for warning me sir, even though I didn't have means of reaching there anyway.

Thank you.

Harry

There. That was sufficient.

He had less than 14 hours to see if it was actually a trap or if it was a true will reading.

And he couldn't wait.

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