More to Life

More to Life

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Chapter One - Dark Marks and Death Eaters

Change blue..... Change blue...

Little Harry Potter tried to hide his grin behind his hand as his teacher's hair changed to blue for the third time that week. He thought it was funny, at least till the end of the day when Dudley would catch up with him and call him a freak, among other things.

He had no idea why, but every time he willed Mrs. Alleyworth's hair to change colour it always did. Harry thought it was total coincidence, until he realised he could do other things just by willing it to happen. The time he ended up at the other side of the school field because Dudley was chasing him one break time just reinforced the fact.

She knows it's my doing, Harry thought as he watched the teacher suspiciously eyeing him from her desk. He fought down his smirk and put his hand back on the desk top.

Change back before she ends up giving me detention for laughing...

Thankfully it did change back. Harry sighed in relief, at least until he noticed the said teacher hovering - for lack of better word - in front of him. He gulped.

He knew it wasn't his day. As soon as he got up that morning he knew today was going to be rotten.

"Detention Potter," Mrs Alleyworth said dangerously.

"I didn't-" Harry tried to protest.

"Don't even think of worming your way out of it this time." She stormed back to her desk at the front of the room.

Harry sighed. Detention. Again. Third time that week. Aunt Petunia would really shout at him for that, not to mention Uncle Vernon too.

He hated Mrs. Alleyworth with a passion. Maybe as much as he hated Dudley... Ok, maybe not quite as much, but she was defiantly high up on his hate list, along with his Aunt and Uncle, Mrs. Figg and Piers.

The bell to signal the end of the school day rang minutes later. Grabbing his detention slip before the teacher could say anything, Harry bolted out the classroom door. He took a glance behind him to see if Dudley was following him. Indeed he was.

"Potter!" his cousin yelled. Harry took off out the black school gates.

And so he was running yet again. He found that he was always running away from his cousin. It was just lucky that nine year old Harry could, and always had, ran faster than Dudley could ever hope to. It also helped that Harry was in fact half the size Dudley was. Of course there's always a disadvantage to an advantage.

"Potter!" Dudley panted from behind him.

Little Harry was beginning to get stitch. He began to slow down. Desperately hoping that Dudley would be too winded to carry on chasing him much further, Harry slowed down even more. He eventually came to a stop, gasping for breath.

Unfortunately for Harry, this was one of the days Dudley managed to catch up to him.

Dudley came up beside the slightly younger boy and gave him a look of disgusted.

"It was you who changed the teacher's hair colour today, wasn't it?" Dudley snarled.

Harry managed to sigh while still trying to get his breath back. Whenever something... weird... happened at school or at home, Harry always took the blame. Even now Harry didn't know why, but apparently Dudley did. Hell, his whole family did.

"I-it wasn't me!" Harry protested.

"Yes it was! I saw you. You looked at her all funny then her hair changed colour. You're just a freak!"

Yes, always the freak wasn't he? The boy no one at school would come near with a ten foot barge pole. Harry closed his eyes wearily for a few moments before looking back at Dudley.

"It wasn't me!" Harry said with more venom this time.

Dudley gave him a weird look. "Didn't you just get your hair cut yesterday? It's grown back."

Harry rolled his eyes. He really had just had his hair cut yesterday. During the night it had somehow grown back. Not that Harry was complaining, he liked his hair at the length it was; shame his Aunt Petunia didn't. She gave him a slap for answering back to her this morning.

"Boy! Didn't I just cut your hair yesterday?!"

"Yes... but I swear I didn't do anything!"

"Didn't we teach you anything?! Always doing m..." Slap. "Don't answer back!"

Harry absently rubbed the side of his face, even though it didn't hurt anymore.

"Potter!" Dudley yelled again.

Harry turned to look at Dudley. "What?"

"Don't ignore me when I'm talking to you!"

Harry sighed again. "I wasn't ignoring you." Harry closed his eyes and waited for the punch he knew was coming; it always did.

"Freak!" Dudley threw a blow at the younger boy's stomach, making Harry bend over in pain. Without another word, Dudley began to walk off.

As soon as Harry caught his breath again, he followed silently behind, rubbing his sore stomach.

Not for the first time, Harry wished that he had died in the car crash that had killed his parents. It hurt not knowing who they were, even what they looked like. He couldn't remember them; he was only one when they died after all.

He had a dream sometimes. He always heard a woman's screaming that sounded familiar to him though he couldn't place it. A green light that always hit the woman, making he fall to the floor. There was also a small black haired child in a bassinette. If he knew any better, he'd say that the child was him.

"H-Harry!"

Harry's head snapped up to look at Dudley. Dudley never, ever called Harry by his first name, unless he was scared out of his wits, which evidently he was right now. It didn't take Harry long to find out why.

Several people, dressed in what only could be described as black cloaks. The word 'robes' seemed to hit Harry in the face. The black haired boy shook his head and blinked. It was then he noticed the hazy light above the house.

It was in the shape of a skull, with a snake hanging out of it's month like a tongue. Green smoke swirled around it in the air. Harry took an involuntary step back. He knew he should be scared, but he couldn't quite put his finger on why he should be.

"Dudley?" Harry whispered, "Maybe we should get out of here."

"What about mum and dad?!" Dudley shouted. Harry tried to shush him, but it was too late. The people around the house noticed them both.

"That's him!" a male voice shouted, his finger pointed directly at Harry.

Harry felt his heart jump into his throat. He grabbed Dudley's sleeve and began dragging him. "C'mon!"

"But what about..."

"I have this feeling you can't save them Dudley!" Harry shouted frantically. "Now c'mon!"

They both began running in the opposite direction of Privet Drive. They didn't get far before they heard a loud pop in front of them. One of the people in the black cloaks had somehow appeared out of thin air. At any other time, Harry might have sat down to ponder how that actually happened. Now really isn't the time...

"H-how did you..." Dudley trailed off.

"It's called magic dear boy," the sickeningly sweet female voice said. It made Harry shudder; reminded him of his Aunt Petunia when she was talking to the neighbours. "Potter!"

Harry gulped. Somehow he wasn't surprised that this woman knew his name.

"How can someone like him defeat the Dark Lord?" The same man that had pointed him out before murmured.

Dark Lord? Harry thought to himself. As if this day couldn't get any weirder than it already had. "Who are you?" he asked. His eyes widened in surprise at how his own voice sounded. He thought it would at least be a little shaky; it wasn't in the slightest.

"It doesn't matter who we are, it's what we'll do you should be caring about!" the voice snarled. The man drew what only could be described as a stick from under his cloak. "Stupefy!"

Put your hand out... Without even questioning the little voice in his head, Harry did exactly that. He closed his eyes tight and waited for the red light to hit him. It didn't. Somehow, this nine year old boy who didn't even know magic existed made a blue barrier in front of him. The curse rebounded off the barrier and shot off towards the man. It hit the man straight in the chest, flinging him back into a tree with an ear-splitting crack. Even Harry winced. The man slid down the tree, his head rolled to one side.

The woman ran off to inspect the man and with a shrieked shouted, "He's dead!" She spun and looked at Harry again. "You killed him!"

"H-Harry? What d-did you d-do?" Dudley stuttered.

"I have no idea..." Harry whispered with wide eyes. That wasn't his fault, right? The man shouldn't have thrown that stupid coloured light at him. What the hell was that light? It clicked. Well not exactly, he still didn't have any idea what it actually was. It couldn't have been very nice if it was meant to kill, could it? It wasn't Harry's fault it was reflected back at him. Really not my fault... He dwell about it later, now really wasn't the time.

A hand wrapped itself around Harry's mouth to stop him from screaming. He then felt the breath of someone near his ear. Harry stiffened.

"Listen child, don't scream. I'm here to save you," the male voice whispered.

Harry instantly relaxed. Even though this man was dressed like all the others around him, he felt he could trust him. Even when his rational thoughts were screaming, 'what are you doing?! He's dressed just like them, you idiot! They're trying to kill you!'

"Harry?" The black haired boy looked up at his cousin and gave him a slight nod. Harry realised Dudley was probably the only family he had left, even if he wasn't the best cousin in the world.

"Dudley, come here," Harry whispered frenetically.

The man gave Harry a small nod and produced something from his pocket, an empty crisp packet. Harry gave the man a skeptic look.

"Both of you touch this at the same time. It'll take you away from here. Wait there until I come and fetch you."

Without another thought, Harry grabbed hold of Dudley's wrist and placed it on the crisp packet the same time he touched it himself. Harry felt a tug behind his navel as his feet left the ground. A second later, both he and Dudley fell to the ground with a thud.

Harry pushed Dudley off him and rubbed his eyes. He was really beginning to think it would have been better if he had never gotten up this morning.

"W-where are w-we?" came Dudley's voice from the side of him.

Harry raised an eyebrow. "If you don't know how do you think I do?"

Dudley looked dumbfound at him.

Harry let out an exasperated sigh. "Forget it, Dud. Probably too much for your little brain to handle."

"My brain isn't little, Potter!"

"T'is so!"

"Is not!"

Harry began to ignore him as he looked around the room they had landed in. It looked to be a huge dinning room. A long table - well long by Harry's standards anyway - sat in the centre of the room. A painting was hung on the wall at the far end of the room.

Harry blinked. He blinked again. He could have sworn that the figure in the painting had winked at him. Harry shook his head. He really was seeing things.

"Did that painting just move?!"

Or maybe not...

Harry smirked. "Scared of a little moving painting, Dudley?"

"N-no!" Dudley spluttered.

"Yes you are!"

"Am not!"

"Are we really going to get into this again?"

"Potter!"

"What?"

"... Just shut it!"

Harry laughed out loud. He loved to rile Dudley up and since his Aunt and Uncle weren't there to protect Dudley... Harry blinked. He had nearly forgotten that his Aunt and Uncle were at home, where there had been a green skull floating above it. Skulls weren't generally good news. Any sane person could see that. What if they were... dead? According to his Aunt and Uncle, they were the only family he had left, except Dudley's Aunt Marge. Harry shuddered. He had forgotten Aunt Marge on his hate list earlier. He detested her more than Dudley, always bad mouthing his parents.

Apparently Dudley had remembered about his parents too. "Do you think they're all right?"

Harry sighed. "I don't know, Dudley."

"What if-"

"I don't know, Dud."

They both jumped as a door slammed shut. Harry looked expectantly at the only entrance to the room and a few seconds later a man strode in. To Harry's knowledge, the man looked a little bit angry. Maybe angry was a little bit of an understatement. The man looked as though he was going to start bad mouthing anything he could think of, until he caught sight of the two boys. They had listened to him after all, not that he gave them much of a chance to go anywhere. He waited until one of the children spoke.

"Where are we?" Harry asked as he seemed to notice the man was waiting to be asked.

"My home," the man said attentively.

Seeing Dudley wasn't even going to try and speak, Harry spoke again. "And who are you?"

"Professor Severus Snape, teacher and head of Slytherin House at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

If Harry hadn't noticed the serious look the man had on his face, he would have laughed. "Witchcraft and Wizardry?"

Severus looked amused now. "Yes."

Harry was dumbfounded. "Wizards actually exist?"

"Yes."

"As in they cast magic?"

"Yes."

"And appear as if from no where?"

"That as well."

"That is so cool!" Harry exclaimed.

Severus Snape would have laughed if he hadn't been such a composed man.

"So you're a Wizard?" Harry asked.

"Yes."

"Am I?"

"Yes."

"You say yes a lot, don't you?" Harry questioned.

"Only because you are asking me questions that require the answer 'yes'."

"Ah." Pause. "Is he?" Harry asked, jabbing his thumb towards Dudley.

"I doubt it very much."

Harry looked satisfied. "One last question?"

"Of course."

"What happened today?"

Snape sighed. This question would take time to explain. He knew the child deserved to know and if he let Albus tell the child, he wouldn't exactly get the full story. Severus knew Albus would omit certain important details if he thought it would protect the boy. Harry had already had enough kept from him.

The child was nothing like Severus thought he would be. Most eleven year olds were scared of the Potions Master, but Harry didn't seem to be the least bit bothered by him. The child Severus guessed was Harry's muggle cousin seemed to be shaking.

"Sir?" Harry asked in a small voice. He wondered if he had said the wrong thing.

"Did your Aunt and Uncle ever tell you anything about your parents?" Severus asked. It seemed a good a place as any to start.

Harry fidgeted under Snape's gaze. "No..." he said slowly.

Severus sighed again and brought out his wand from under his robes, pointed it at the rug that lay near the open fireplace and transfigured it into a sofa. He motioned for the two boys to sit while perching himself on the corner of the dining table. He tapped his fingers on the table top for a while before speaking. Harry looked at the sofa in awe at what the Professor had just done, then sat himself on it, dragging his cousin with him.

"The Headmaster probably wouldn't want me to tell you the full story..." Severus watched as Harry's face showed disappointment. "... but I will anyway."

"Really?" Harry said a little excited.

"Yes."

"Why wouldn't the Headmaster want you to tell me?"

"Because he seems to think fame goes to everyone's head."

Harry gave Severus a puzzled look. "Wha?"

"In the Wizarding world Potter, you are about as famous as a wizard ever gets."

Severus watched in amusement at the shocked look on Harry's face.

"Me?" Harry said as he stood up from the sofa. "That can't be true. I mean I'm just Harry."

"Are you calling me a liar, Potter?"

Harry looked horrified at the fact that the Professor thought this. "NO! I'm sorry. It's just..."

"Unbelievable? Farfetched?"

"Yea..." Harry said weakly, flopping down on the sofa once more. "Why?"

"This ties in with the people you saw outside your house today. They're called Death Eaters." Severus explained.

Harry scoffed. Death eaters? Severus smirked slightly.

"Yes Death Eaters, Potter. Not a highly original name but who am I to question the Dark Lord... yes I'll get to the point Potter." Severus asked when he saw Harry's puzzled look.

Harry gave Dudley a side glance. The overweight boy didn't seem to be listening to the conversation. He seemed to be in his own world. Once again Harry was reminded of his Aunt and Uncle. He sighed, once again looking at the Potions Professor. "What happened to my Aunt and Uncle?" he asked. Severus didn't answer, but Harry seemed to read his face. "They're... dead, aren't they?"

Severus gave a fraction of a nod, which made Dudley burst into tears. The Hogwarts Professor drew his wand again, muttered a few words under his breath. Seconds later, Dudley fell asleep.

"The Death Eaters killed them..." Harry muttered under his breath. He looked at Snape. "What did they want with me?"

"They want revenge. You're the reason the Dark Lord fell in the first place." Severus explained.

"Who's the Dark Lord?" Harry asked.

"Exactly what the name implies, Potter. The Dark Lord is a well known dark wizard. He's known for having followers who are of course called Death Eaters. Eight years ago, he tried to kill you and your family."

Harry blinked. "Why?"

Severus shrugged. "No one really knows but Dumbledore, and he's not telling anyone." Harry began to open his mouth. "I doubt he would tell you either."

"So what happened then?"

Severus sighed. Harry's bluntness reminded him of Lily Evans, which he was kind of glad for. "He managed to kill your parents, but when it came to you, the curse reflected off you and back at the Dark Lord. Everyone thinks he's dead, but I'm not so sure he is."

Harry sat there for a few minutes in silence, his mind going over what he had just been told. The same Dark Lord that had killed his parents, he, Harry Potter, had defeated him at a year old. Sounded more like a fairy tale to him. Harry asked something he thought was incredibly weird to ask at the time, but he really wanted to know. "What was his name?"

Severus gave him the weird look he was expecting.

"I mean his name's not just the Dark Lord is it?" Harry said as a matter of faculty.

"Voldemort, although that was not his really name either. I wouldn't say Voldemort in public though Potter. People still don't say the name, even now. Most people call him He Who Must Not Be Named, or You Know Who."

Harry still wasn't satisfied. "So what was his real name?"

Severus gave in. "Tom Riddle."

Harry couldn't help but snigger. "Doesn't sound like an evil name."

Severus smirked. "It doesn't, does it."

Harry was silent for a while. He then looked up at Snape with gratitude in his eyes. "Thank you. I mean for saving me. You didn't have to."

Severus glanced at Harry for several minutes before answering, "You're welcome Potter."

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Leatrix Malfoy ~ 25^th September 2003