The Butterfly Effect

The Butterfly Effect

Prologue - One Man

It has been said that something as small as the flutter of a butterfly's wing can ultimately cause a typhoon halfway around the world. One butterfly can change the world as we know it; one butterfly can cause the destruction of the world. We cannot even begin to contemplate the influence we have on the world and the people around us. It all comes down to one man, one man who held the fate of the world.

All it took was one mistake.

~*~

It was Halloween night when it all began, when the fate of the wizarding world changed. Hogwarts was buzzing as the students entered for the feast; the great hall was nothing short of amazing as flashes of lightening streaked across the enchanted ceiling and lit up pumpkins floated over the tables. A wave of black cloaks and hats filled the four tables that stretched the length of the great hall and up on the teachers table were an assortment of the most unusual individuals known to the wizarding world. Sitting on the head table of one of the most famous and well known schools of witchcraft and wizardry in the world, were the most well known and respected of the community. Albus Dumbledore, Minerva McGonagall, Severus Snape, Filius Flitwick, Sybil Trelawney, Ronald Weasley, and many other teachers and guests of various importance. One who was not there was the most important and well known of all, Harry Potter.

Young Mister Potter has been famous before he could walk and talk; he graduated from Hogwarts only last year and has faced Voldemort on no less than eight occasions, he still lives and fights against Voldemort today. And like most stories about Voldemort and the two wars, the main character is Harry Potter. The-boy-who-lived. Stories of what he did to the wizarding world will live on for centauries, he will not only be known as the-boy-who-lived but also as the one man who betrayed the wizarding world as caused the largest war in history to escalate to the highest proportions. It was this one man who caused a war against the dark side and a war against muggles to become one, the cause of millions of wizards and muggles deaths, the cause of the destruction of the world; and yet he is known as the saviour, and protector of the entire human race.

This one man forgot, if for only a second, the most important and enforced law created by the ministry to protect its people from prejudice and discrimination, it was a law upheld by every ministry in the world. From Australia to America, from Indonesia to Iran. The statue of Wizarding secrecy was what kept the wizarding world alive and free from the hate muggles inflicted upon them. In that one second, when our saviour made a simple error of judgment, the wizarding world's existence was revealed beyond repair and the third war began before the second could even be stopped.

It was on this Halloween night that Harry Potter came thundering into the great hall, mid way through the feast. His face was covered in blood and his clothes soaked through from the torrential rain outside the castle, and the hall became instantly silent as Harry limped up to the head table his shoes squeaking loudly as on the floor as he passed the students feared faces.

"Harry, what happened?" A young girl in her seventh year looked up to Harry with her eyes wide as her red hair glimmered in the half light. "You're hurt!"

Harry gave an encouraging smile and whispered something in her ear; she nodded but still held a look of confusion and fear in her eyes. Harry continued on his path to the head table and stood in front of Dumbledore.

"We have a slight situation."