Gundam Wizard

"Hero distracted by defeat"

"And I stare at the sky.
And it leaves me blind.
I close my eyes.
And this is yesterday."

Manic Street Preachers - This Is Yesterday

~~~~~*~~~~~

I often look to the sky and think, why? I seek answers to questions I don't ask, I get no answers to the question I do ask. Do I even know who I am any more, does any one? No, they don't. I feel alone yet there are people around me. I feel empty yet I feel fulfilled. I no longer feel welcome in Hogsmeade, is it time for us to move on?

"Harry are you alright?" came a voice out of the daydream. "You look like you're not completely with us."

Harry blinked his eyes and saw Ron sat across the table, his head resting on his folded arms. "I was just thinking," he replied.

"About what?" Colin enquired.

"Proberly about how the-boy-who-lived became the-boy-who-got-expelled," Draco sarcastically commented.

"Piss off, Malfoy," Harry spat and sighed before admitting, "but you're right."

Draco raised an eyebrow, he knew that admitting that he was right was something that Harry would never do.

"And it's your fault Malfoy," Ron told him, almost in a growl.

Harry looked over at Colin who was slumped down in his chair, usually he was excitable but now he just distant, his eyes focused on nothing. He couldn't blame him though, for Colin finding out he was a wizard meant the world to him and now it had all been taken away from him for coming across their attempt to find Ron's parents.

"Can't get any worse," Draco groaned, "no school and no home."

"Not to mention no money," Ron kindly reminded him.

Draco's head hit the table with a loud thump that caused many people in the Three Broomsticks to stare at them. Harry looked around but didn't recognise anyone, which did make him feel a little better. "I think we should go," he then said.

"Where?" asked Ron.

"Anywhere but here," Harry told him, "especially the Shrieking Shack; it needs to be somewhere near them. I'd say Exeter as that is near to where they seem to be based now."

"I don't want to go back to The Burrow," the red-haired boy said, putting his head back on his arms.

"No that's the first place they will look," Harry pointed out.

"You think they're after us?" Draco mumbled as his head was still against the table and had his arms on top. He was still sulking about having no money.

"Of course Malfoy, you and Blaise defied them after all," he explained, "then Ron and I stupidly broke you out, letting Colin see us and dragged him into this mess."

Draco lifted his head and glared at Harry, "As usual when something goes wrong, you go and blame me," he replied. "If it wasn't for the fact that Voldemort was after me I'd keep my distance from you four."

"Petty threat Malfoy," Harry said, rolling his eyes. "If you want, we'll just leave you here while we bugger off down to Exeter, see how you like that."

"Fine by me," Draco growled.

~~~~~*~~~~~

The group found themselves walking along the road outside a small football stadium totally lost. Draco, who was still sulking, walked along behind the other four as they stopped walking. Harry noticed that something must have been happening there as there were people leaving. Remembering that it was a Monday, he guessed that the local football team had just finished training or something. One of the men stopped to do up his shoelaces, as he stood up again he saw them. His eyes drifted over to Harry.

"Wait a minute, Harry Potter?" he asked.

The others were surprised to find a wizard here, at least they expected him to be one. Harry just nodded his head to say yeas.

"Pleased to meet you," the man smiled. "I'm Steve Flack. Sirius has told me all about you."

Harry's eyes widened. "You know my godfather?" he asked.

Steve nodded, "Course I do, known him since I started Hogwarts," he explained. "I'm surprised to see you around here considering you-know-who's back," he looked around before saying, "we'll go back to my place."

They left St James Park in Steve's car, though it did take sometime to convince Draco that is was either this or walk a couple of miles or so. The house itself was an old grotty 1930's house that was rented. Steve led them into the living room where Harry was surprised to see Remus Lupin, Sirius Black and Mrs Figg, the old lady that had loads of cats and used to baby-sit him when the Dursley's went out.

"Mrs Figg?" Harry asked.

"Yes Harry," she smiled. She seemed different somewhat, she looked much younger and sounded different. "I suppose it is time I came clean with you, so to speak. When you were left with your relatives, Albus Dumbledore asked me to watch over the neighbourhood whilst you were to stay there."

"Guess you don't need to be there now," Harry said, his face appeared expressionless.

"Yes we've heard what happened," Sirius told them. "I'm sorry that there's nothing we can do about it." He felt really guilty about Harry and the others being expelled, especially there was nothing he nor Dumbledore could do about it.

Sirius eyed Draco, even if he had rejected Voldemort and his father he still didn't trust the ex-Slytherin. He guessed that Harry proberly felt the same way, and that also included Blaise.

"Sit down, sit down," Mrs Figg told them. "You're making the room look like a mess."

Steve smirked as he looked around the living room, which looked like no one had bothered to clean it in month. Mrs Figg shook her head and said, "I retract that statement, you are making the room messier then usual."

"Not my fault," Steve protested. "I live with a couple of animals."

Both Sirius and Remus glared at him. Eventually they all managed to sit down somewhere in the living room. Steve had been surprised to find that he actually owned two settees rather then just the one when he removed boxes of Remus' old teaching books he had used when he was the DADA teacher.

Draco hated the place. The house was too Muggle like and it felt too poor, the fact that the convict and the werewolf were there to made it worse. Not to mention the wizard who played a Muggle sport. He looked over at Blaise who seemed indifferent at their surroundings.

"So what were you five doing outside St James Park then?" Sirius asked.

"Just happened to be in the area," Harry shrugged. Which was true of course, it wasn't lying though he just didn't want Sirius to know that he and the others were planning to take on the Death Eaters themselves. He looked over at Ron who was gently tapping his fingers on the arm of the settee, he looked very calm considering his parents had been taken to Azkaban. Colin on the other hand looked like a complete wreck as he was very pale, even more then Draco usually was, and was fidgeting with his camera. "Is it safe for us to stay here?" he then asked.

"Yes for now," Remus assured him.

Harry wasn't assured however, by the look on his face neither was Ron. Draco on the other hand just smirked, Harry expected that he was enjoying the fact that he had gotten them expelled.

"With the rise of Voldemort we are entering dangerous times again," Sirius told them. "Hogwarts is the only truly safe place to be, hence the reason Fudge had you expelled."

"Figures," Harry sighed.

Mrs Figg looked at the five boys sternly. "I would suggest not staying in one place for too long," she told them. "You five have become targets for Voldemort so you will have to stay alert at all times."

~~~~~*~~~~~

"You have done me well Fudge," Voldemort said.

The Dark Lord paced around the dark damp room, it was much like the dungeon of a castle. The room was bare, save for a cauldron and dozens of black candles.

"As you would expect of me Master," Cornelius Fudge bowed to his Master.

"And the traitors, they are now on the run?" the Dark Lord then asked.

"Yes," Fudge replied.

Voldemort was pleased with that. He always enjoyed a good hunt, especially with those who were traitors to him. "Then I will have an excuse to leave this Muggle-infested castle," he said coldly, "so where are they then?"

"Exeter," Fudge told him.

"Good, I want you to find out where exactly," the Dark Lord then demanded.

"Yes my Lord," he accepted his orders.

~~~~~*~~~~~

"Arrrggghhh!" Harry grimaced as he felt a sharp pain sheer its way through his scar. It was more painful then he could ever remember it.

"What's wrong Harry?" Ron asked.

"It's my scar," he explained.

"You-know-who planning something?" Sirius asked from behind them.

Harry just nodded, he didn't know what to say. He didn't even know what Voldemort was planning, all he knew was that he was planning something. Looking up at the door he saw Draco stood there scowling at him.

"Will someone shut Potter up, I'm trying to get my beauty sleep," he told them.

"Malfoy, by the looks of you it doesn't make much difference," Ron replied. "You have the looks of someone who never gets any beauty sleep."

"Piss off," the Slytherin spat at him.

"Make me," Ron growled back at him.

Draco sneered before he leapt across the room and landed a punch right in the redheads left eye. Ron held his hand over his eye and with his good eye he glared at him before saying, "You bastard Malfoy."

He managed to stop Draco from punching him a second time and pushed him away. As the Slytherin put out his hand to stop his fall, Ron took the chance to jump on him and start returning punches. Harry and Sirius were content with letting them fight it out. The scar was still painfully throbbing as Harry watched his friend fight his enemy.

"OI! Stop that right now," Steve yelled. "If the landlord catches you two fighting like that we'll all be on the streets."

By then Harry and Sirius had decided to pull Ron away from Draco. His only injury was a black eye that had swollen shut. Draco meanwhile had blood trickling from his nose and a cut on his lip. He wiped away some of the blood with his sleeve and said, "always the violent one of the trio."

"Shut up Malfoy," Ron told him. "If we bump into you-know-who, we're gonna throw you to him and make a run for it."

"You wouldn't dare," Draco growled.

"Just watch me," Ron then told him, but he couldn't do anything as Harry and Sirius still held onto him.

Steve pulled Draco away as he was about launch another attack on the Ron. "There will be no fighting here while I am at training, the new season starts on Saturday and I have enough on my plate as it is to worry about you two getting us all thrown out onto the streets, alright?" he then told them, letting go Draco and picking up his bag from the floor. Shaking his head in disgust, he left the house.

Draco wiped away yet more blood from his from his upper lip before storming out of the room. Harry winced as another bolt of pain shot through his scar and let go of Ron, stumbled backwards but was grabbed by Sirius before he fell over.

"I think you'd better rest Harry," Sirius told him and helped him over to one of the settees. He became frustrated at how helpless he felt toward Harry and the others. Though he was glad that they had a roof over their heads, at least for now anyway.

"I still don't trust Malfoy," Harry said, not realising he was rubbing his scar as if to make it feel better. "He's Slytherin through and through, same goes for Blaise."

"Still stereotyping Slytherins then?" asked a voice.

They looked up just as Blaise gracefully walked across the living room towards them. Wore his school robes still but was barefoot, his long black hair which was usually tied back was let down in a tangled mess. "Speechless then?" he smirked. "Bet Draco was too, just passed him and he doesn't look pleased."

"Just Malfoy being Malfoy as usual," Ron told him.

"Figures," he replied rolling his eyes. "It's all that bullshit his father fed him since he was old enough to walk." He then put his hands behind his head as if he was about to turn around and walk off again.

"Oh and I suppose you weren't," Sirius commented, raising an eyebrow.

A grin crept across Blaise's face. "Course I was taught all that bullshit as well," he told him. "My parents are just like his, both Death Eaters. Difference between Draco and I is that I know lies when I hear them and I'm not as gullible as he is."

As he was about to leave the house, Sirius asked him, "And where are you going?"

"Arellano Alley," he replied and quickly left the house to avoid being asked any more questions.

"Strange boy that kid," Sirius commented.

"Slytherin, what d'you expect," Ron told him.

Harry slumped down on the settee and sighed, he knew his scar would usually hurt when Voldemort was around or when someone near was in danger. Thing was right now they all felt relatively safe, at least until they knew about Death Eaters in the area. Steve had wards in place that would warn them if trouble was in the area. Though that only worked if Voldemort was within one mile of the house.

Sirius sat down next to him, but he'd never feel comfortable here. He wouldn't actually feel comfortable anywhere, not with Voldemort forever after him. His scar was no longer hurting but he couldn't quite put his finger on why though. Looking out the window he noticed it had started to rain.

~~~~~*~~~~~

It too was raining at Hogwarts. Ginny lay sleeping in the hospital bed still unknowing as to what had happened to her brother and the others. A book on the bedside cabinet glowed briefly, but no one witnessed it. Most teachers had gone on a brief break from Hogwarts before returning for the start of the new school year. She had no idea who had stayed, aside from Madame Pomfrey of course.

She rolled over in the bed and opened her eyes with a start. Before she had gone to sleep she didn't remember seeing that book there. It had been placed slightly over the edge as if to make sure she saw it.

"Dumbledore," was her first guess. That had actually been her first word that she had spoken since the incident at the Burrow.

Slowly she sat up and reached over to grab the book. It was bound in mouldy brown leather. Though when she opened it and flicked through and found it was blank and unlike another blank book she had und in her first year there were no dates that meant it was a diary. Ginny knew then not to write in the book and set it back down on the bedside cabinet, as she lay back down on the bed she wondered why none of her brothers had come to visit her.

~~~~~*~~~~~

It was still raining when Blaise returned from his errand at Arellano Alley, as he walked in through the door he was soaking wet. Ignoring the others he wandered upstairs. They hadn't even seen him come in, as they were busy watching the telly. Ron had only ever seen a telly when he was at the Dursley's collecting Harry, so he was watching it was intense fascination. His eyes were completely glued to the screen.

"Ron you better watch yourself, you're going to ruin your eyes like that," Sirius warned him.

Ron instantly broke out of his trance and looked over at him. "Are you sure?" he asked. "The telly looks so harmless."

"It's a Muggle contraption, of course it's harmful," came Draco's unmistakable drawl. He'd spent the last hour upstairs doing something that the others had no idea about, he leaned lazily against a wall across the room from them. Looking around he asked, "Where's Creevey then? Better watch him he looks the suicidal type."

Sirius glared at him. "Sit down, shut up," he told him.

"And what if I don't want so sit down, shut up?" he sneered.

"A wizard never leaves his room without his wand," came Blaise's voice. "Didn't your father ever tell you that? I guess you were to busy listening to him saying how great the Dark Lord was meant to be."

Draco didn't bother replying to that, he just sneered at his fellow ex-Slytherin. He didn't even notice that Blaise held his wand in his hand. The black haired Slytherin then walked over to him and said, "This is yours I believe?" waving Draco's wand in front of him.

"Give that back," Draco spat.

Blaise just stood there grinning at him. He jumped aside as the blond slithering made a grab for his wand and stuck his foot out sending Draco sprawling.

"My my aren't you the feisty one today," Blaise mocked him.

"Blaise just give him his wand," Sirius yelled at him. It was like babysitting a bunch of six year olds, at least that was how it felt to him.

Blaise reluctantly gave Draco his wand back and wandered over to the settee with the others. Draco meanwhile disappeared upstairs which started to make Sirius suspicious of him.

"You know that Creevey kid isn't anywhere in the house," Blaise told them after a few minutes silence.

The other three stared at him in shock and surprise.

"How long did you know this?" Sirius demanded.

"Since just now," he replied, standing up from the settee. "he must have slipped out while you lot were gawking over the bloody telly."

Harry stood up and without saying anything he walked out the door. Seeing that, Ron stood up and said, "I'm coming with you Harry."

Harry's head popped around the side of the door. "No, stay here you'll be safer," he told his friend.

"Not safer for you," Ron moaned.

"I agree with Harry," Sirius said. "Best not to have to many of you running round Exeter with Death Eaters based nearby."

Ron didn't like that one bit, he'd rather be out there helping Harry look for Colin but of course everyone else knew what was best for him. That meant staying in the house with two Slytherins. Of course there was Sirius for protection but that never really made him feel safe.

It was over an hour of walking the Exeter streets in the pouring rain when Harry had at last found Colin. He was sat on a bench in a rather deserted cathedral green, save for the shoppers from the high street. He seemed oblivious to his surrounding as Harry went to sit down next to him.

"Why are you sat out in the pouring rain?" he asked him.

Colin said nothing, his eyes looked unfocused.

Harry sighed at sat back. This was hard for all of them, but it seemed like Colin was taking it much harder then the rest of them were. "Look I know being expelled is hard on you, it's hard on all of us," he told the younger boy. "But sitting out here isn't going to do anything good for you, you'll just catch pneumonia from the rain."

Colin slowly shook his head. "I don't care anymore," he said coldly.

"Being expelled isn't the end of all things," Harry tried to assure him.

The younger boy still shook his head. "I've never known my mother," he calmly said. "My dad died the day before we came home, been at my grandma's ever since." A confused look came over his face. "It's not that I don't like her, it's just that it doesn't feeling right because she doesn't really know Dennis and I are wizards, she just believes that Hogwarts is an exclusive normal school. I've always had my dad and brother around, at least when I was home from school anyway. I thought everything would be better when I saw you walking up the lane past my grandmas house" He paused again, Harry didn't say anything so Colin could carry on saying what he felt he had to.

The rain was actually coming down harder now then it had done before. Harry felt like it was coming down harder because of Colin's increasing sorrow. He noticed that there were Muggles running past them to get cover from the rain.

"Not even Professor Dumbledore knows about this, I don't want anyone else to know," he told Harry

"Why? You can't keep this quiet for long," the raven-haired boy then told him.

"Long enough," Colin replied, crossing his arms. "My grandma's going to keep me away from my brother now. She's always going on about how kids who get expelled are too violent for society and should be locked up."

"That's not good," Harry said shaking his head. "Come on we should head back and get out of the rain."

But as they stood up, Harry noticed shapes appearing at the entrance of Exeter Cathedral. He stood up, still looking at them. They were dressed in black hooded robes and he couldn't see their faces.

"Shit Death Eaters," he cursed.

Colin squeaked with fright. Harry turned to face the younger boy. "Run," he told him.

"But..." Colin began.

"Just do it," Harry interrupted, his teeth clenched shut as the Death Eaters began to approach.

Colin then did as he was told, he didn't dare look back as he ran out through a small side road out onto the High Street before going down Fore Street toward Exe Bridges.