Harry Potter and the Anima Vessel

Harry Potter and the Anima Vessel

CHAPTER 1: Things Change

The sky was a dismal gray. Wisps of clouds crossed the winter sky above an old, abandoned house. Leaves were tossed about in the yard outside. To the average spectator this house was nothing of particular interest; it would be seen, at the very most, as a land mark of a dieing age, no one being the wiser of the residents who had recently taken refuge within its walls.

"With my resurgence into a physical form, the time is now upon us to regain the supremacy that I once had. Too many people have forgotten the fear which I struck into their hearts in days past. Now is the time to reclaim what I lost and take my place on a throne of power once more."

"Of course my lord. We will show those fools that you cannot be defeated by a mere child, however much they wish it to be true."

"Silence, you idiot. I do not need yes men now; I need a plan in which I can regain my former strength quickly. Dumbledore already knows of my revival and whether or not those cowards at the ministry have chosen to recognize my arrival or not could prove even more cumbersome. Though I have regained my body my power is still much weaker than it was before my downfall. As of this moment, I am no longer indisputable."

"My liege, they will soon realize that you are back in full force. We already have delegates going to the Giants in the northern mountains, as well has some offering an alliance with the dementors. Even if you are not undefeatable, your armies shall be."

"I said stay silent unless your words will help our situation. Dumbledore will surely have his own men sent to try and recruit the Giants for his own, as well as warning the ministry that the nature of the dementors will suggest that they shall not stay loyal to there positions at Azkaban. Though the ministry will most likely not listen to his warnings, I would not be so naïve to not believe Dumbledore would go behind the ministries back and try to neutralize the dementors as much as possible. I need a trump card that Dumbledore will not have thought of. I need something that he would not expect in his wildest delusions."

"As pathetic as he is, Dumbledore is not likely to overlook any obvious source of leverage that we could use to gain a foothold over him and the rest of the ministry... except for, well..."

"Yes I've already thought of that, but there hasn't been one of those in centuries..."

* * *

It was Harry's fifth year at Hogwarts. He and Cho had been finding comfort in each other, both still shaken from Cedric's death the year before. They had spent a lot of their time together about the grounds, wandering around the outer limits of the Dark Forest. They consistently spoke of things to come; what would happen now that Voldemort had arisen once more.

If it were not for the lingering thought in Harry's mind that Voldemort was once more at large, this year would have been one of Harry's best. He had got to spend a lot of time with Cho, the girl in which he had had a crush on for the past year or so. Also the potions teacher Professor Snape was no longer teaching at Hogwarts. The students had been told by Dumbledore, at the beginning of the year, that ptions class would be suspended for the year if not longer. Harry and his friends had guessed this had something to do with the fact that Voldemort had arisen and that Snape had been a Death Eater.

Recently though, Harry had been growing apart from some of his friends from previous years. He still talked to Ron, who remained his best friend and to whom he told all his secrets. However his relationship with Hermione had deteriorated since he began spending so much time with Cho. He simply found spending time outside with the girl he had eyed for so long more interesting than the monotonous hours spent in the library with the girl he had known for four years.

Hermione's exploits in the library had become dreary as of late, more so than they had been in the past. Harry could no longer stand to be trapped inside these days. He would sit outside and think, even if Cho was not there to be his companion. He would think of what he would do if Voldemort was to attack the school. Would the children have to band together in a makeshift militia and try to fend off the Death Eaters? Surly there weren't enough teachers to fight a war. What if Voldemort attack a muggle city?

This particular day Harry was accompanied by Ron as he sat by the lake that bordered the school.

"Do you think that Voldemort will attack London, Ron?"

"I don't know what to expect out of someone as mad as him."

"He probably will, if he attacks London he could use the chaos the muggles create to hide. Attack the ministries Aurors during the confusion."

"Hey Harry, I've got something to talk to you about."

"Or maybe take them hostage or something."

"Harry are you listening?"

"What? Sorry I didn't hear you."

"I could tell."

"Sorry I just have a lot of things on my mind."

"Quite alright. But what I wanted to talk to you about was Hermione."

"What's going on? Is something wrong with her?"

"Well no, not with her."

"Then what is it?"

"I've been feeling differently towards her lately, you know how things have changed a lot around here since last year. The thought that there might be a war with the Death Eaters. Kind of puts a new outlook on things, you know."

"So what? Because of Voldemort you don't want to be friends with Hermione anymore?"

"Well, you could say that?"

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means that I want to be more than just friends. If You-Know-Who starts a war then people are going to die. And I don't know who is going to be involved and who isn't. I don't want something to happen and Hermione not to know how I feel about her."

This caught Harry off guard. He sat there and stared at Ron for what seemed to be a few minutes. He had always known Ron and Hermione to get in heated arguments about mundane subjects. He knew that they did not hate each other. He knew that Ron and Hermione, even himself, had been like family to each other since the very first year of attendance at Hogwarts. Though he never thought of Ron and Hermione being romantically involved with each other. Especially after the Triwizard Tournament last year.

"Umm, well, isn't Hermione still, you know, involved with Krum?"

"Oh come on Harry! He lives miles away! She doesn't ever see him, don't you think she would like someone... well closer to home, someone who she's already comfortable with?"

"Sure, I guess she would. What has she had to say about all this?"

"I haven't exactly told her yet."

"Well go tell her, what is the worst thing that could happen? She makes fun of you for a few days."

"I'm nervous Harry. What if she does think I'm being stupid? I really do have feelings for her.

Harry was still not used to Ron saying that he had feelings for Hermione. But none the less he convinced his friend of many years to tell her how he felt. The two continued to talk throughout the rest of the afternoon. Their conversation drifted from the subject of how Ron could impress Hermione; to the more lighthearted subject of Quidditch and the season that Gryffindor had been having, which was not bad in the least. However, Harry still had the thought of Voldemort and the battles that were sure to come stuck in the back of his mind.

Harry thought to himself: What could he be doing now? Where is he hiding?