First to Fall

Title: First to Fall

Chapter 2 - A Certain Sob Story?

Author : QueenNarca

Rating: R

Pairings : Harry/Snape ∨ Rabastan. Others/Various.

Warnings : AU. Dark themes. Insanity.

Disclaimer: I don't own HP in any form.

Summary: A plot amongst plots to win a war in a ravaged world.



"The world is a stupid place to be when I can not even get someone to realize that I am trapped in an everlasting nightmare that scares the shit out of me."



A/N: A plot twist number one for the changing weather. It was angry.

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“I will not and can not go back there Professors. Things happened that forced me to leave and I’m much better off here.” Harry said calmly. He sighed and closed his eyes wearily. He had spent to much of his life locked and caged away following someone else’s commands. He didn’t think he would be able to give away the freedom he had now; No matter how piss poor this freedom he had was, he was not giving it up.



“Harry you must come back. Voldemort if almost completely in control now. The Order’s numbers dwindle daily trying to protect a Ministry that hardly exist anymore. Each day more and more of the old light wizarding families have to relocate because they don’t want to have to come home to find another owl from the Ministry telling them ‘sorry, but we couldn’t save our son’. Please Harry sympathize with these people and help.” Dumbledore said in a voice ragged and gruff with grief. Harry racked his hands across his face and allowed an eerie grin to pass across his face.



“I do sympathize with those people Headmaster, and in return I ask that they sympathize with me. I moved away to escape the war and so I didn’t have to receive one of those ungodly letters,” Harry paused and got up and traveled into the other room before returning with an old worn envelope, “But for all the troubles I went to, I was to late.” Harry finished as he passed the envelope to Dumbledore.



“Harry? Who?” Remus asked cautiously as he peered over Albus’s shoulder and saw that the envelope was in fact one of those dreaded Ministry letters. That grim, wistful smile passed over Harry’s face momentarily.



“I met Arcana in muggle London when I first ran away from the Wizarding world. We immediately became friends then something more. She knew all about who I was and I told her of the dangers of even being within five feet of me, but she didn’t care. She was everything I could have ever asked for. After about nine months of being involved I asked her to marry me and she said yes. Gods, we were so happy. Then to add to our excitement she informed me she was pregnant. My little girl would have turned four next month, but I’ve never had a happy ending to a story and this one is no different. I must have become careless, wrapped up in my fiancé and our unborn baby so much that a group of five Deatheaters were able to corner Arcana when she went out one night. The Deatheaters weren’t even high enough in Voldemort’s ranks to even count, but that didn’t matter when they killed Arcana. I got the letter three days later; Three days of combing the entirety of London and I come home to find an owl waiting on my windowsill.”



By now the other were enraptured with the young man’s tale. It was a tear wrenching tale, but after being hardened by the daily letters that were much the same they were hardened by the effects. Harry sighed slowly.



“Do you want to know the worst part?” Harry asked solemnly. He had tears in his eyes, but he dared not cry. He had to prove to these people that he was putting his life back together here and that he couldn’t go back.



“What’s the worst part Harry?” Dumbledore asked.



“Before they killed her they put a knife through her stomach. Just because she was tied to Harry Potter the bloody boy-who-lived, they made sure that that child was assured not to come into this world. I won’t go back to a world like that Dumbledore and you cannot make me do so.” Harry said.



“It doesn’t look to me as if you are doing much better living in these circumstances Potter.” Severus decided to speak for the first time since entering the apartment. He vaguely gestured to their surroundings, and Harry couldn’t help but to silently agree.



“I’ve had my chance at my dreams, and it was ripped away. I’ve given myself to this fate and am quite fine with leaving my days out here. Thank you for the concern, but this is twenty times better than my cupboard.” Harry said still smiling grimily.



“ Be all that it may Harry, I’m going to have to demand that you put aside all that has happened and come and finish this war. You know the prophecy. If it hadn’t been for that, I would not have bothered you, but we need you Harry. The world needs you.” Dumbledore told him and began to slip his wand out of where it was hidden up his sleeve in case he had to stupefy the young man and bodily haul him back to England.



“Listen to your self old man. You ask me to sympathize, yet you treat me merely as a weapon to meet your own ends. You're not as convincing in your arguments as much as you used to be. You tell the truth of your thoughts to easily in your old age.” Harry snapped back sarcastically. Dumbledore drew his wand and was half way through casting the stupefy curse when his arm was stalled.



“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”



“Who the hell are you and hell the hell did you get here?” Snape cursed as he jumped up, pulling his wand and leveling it straight at the mans heart.



“I’m Harry’s roommate, Damien, and I would lower your wand if I was you. Especially if you want to take Potter here back to England.” The man replied slowly and he sighed glancing over at Harry.



“I suppose you’ve heard the Arcana sob story haven’t you?” Damien asked as he glanced at the other faces.



“Yes. What has that to do with anything?” Tonks asked quickly still not lowering her wand. Damien smiled at her before walking over to Harry. He tilted Harry’s head back and looked into his eyes before letting go and turning back to the others.



“You could’ve have probably got him to agree with you. He does it a lot actually. Tells people about Arcana, then agrees with anything they ask of him as long as it happens tomorrow, but he never remembers. By tomorrow he doesn’t even remember you. By tomorrow you’re just another nobody. He’s always to stoned to remember a face anyways.” Damien told them. The five were shocked at the revelation.



“But he appears so normal.” Minerva said as she glanced at the young man who was still sitting quietly on the coach.



“Do you need to see the needle marks? Should I go get the secret stash in the top of his closet to prove it to you?” Damien jeered back at Minerva.



“No. That will be enough. How long had he been like this? We need all the information about the situation you can give us.” Dumbledore said taking it all in stride. The others looked at Albus before sharing a look with each other agreeing to speak of the matter later.



“Harry moved in about a year ago. From what I gathered he had lived on the streets for about half a year then and before that well was the three years with Arcana in London. From what he’s told me it’s been five years since he disappeared from the Wizarding world, so that only leaves half a year that I have no clue as to were he was.” Damien told them.



“You know of the Wizarding world,” Snape asked incredulously, “Did the boy sprout our secret to the world?”



“No. I’m a wizard.” Damien supplied to settle Snape.



“How long has he been in a daze?” Remus asked worriedly.



“He started shooting up about two months ago. No matter how many times I’ve taken it away and no matter how many times I check him into rehab, he manages to turn up here the next day still walking on the clouds. Before that he smoked and drank when we went out, but he was normal. One day he just came in and told me his daughter would have been three today, and he hasn’t been on earth since then.” Damien explained to them.



“Why didn’t you take him to the Wizarding hospital in the region?” Remus asked. Damien just smiled before explaining.



“Here in America the Wizarding world is depleting rapidly. There are maybe ten pure blood wizarding families left in North America. The Salem School of Witchcraft and Wizardy shut down the year after I graduate. There aren’t enough Wizards being born to keep the schools running. Schools are small and voluntary now, and usually consist of the muggleborn. We’re a dying race.” Damien explained to them.



“So you are saying that if we don’t keep the blood lines pure then we will start to die out?” Snape asked shocked. Was it possible that the cause Voldemort had originally wished to achieve was the right path to take? Sure, Voldemorts doings now were corrupt, but had he been right when he had given his views as Tom Riddle?



“Yes. I would say the best bet would be to marry a muggleborn in every five generations or so, but that’s not the point right now. The point is that I can’t help Harry here. Take him back to England with you and get him some help, so what if he’s pissed late. At least he’ll remember why he’s pissed at you tomorrow.” Damien said.



“Very well. Would you please pack him up some clothes and his other things. We’ll leave within the hour.” Dumbledore said. Damien nodded and left the room.



“What help is he going to be in his condition? We might as well be talking to a corpse.” Snape sneered at the boy who was now staring at the ceiling with glazed eyes.



“Damnit Severus! You know that he is the only one who possibly has a chance of defeating Voldemort. Everyone knows that, but it seems you haven’t caught onto that small fact yet.” Remus roared at Severus. Dumbledore stepped between the two men and glared at them.



“I will have none of this. We haven’t the time for petty squabbles anymore. We need to get Harry back to Hogwarts and get him well before this reaches the press.” Dumbledore demanded. The two men looked slightly ashamed before nodding. Damien chose this moment to walk back into the room with a duffle bag.



“He doesn’t have much, and I didn’t pack the nasty things he’s acquired lately.” Damien smiled sheepishly at them before frowning slightly.



“Take care of him. He was a good friend to me before this happened, and remember what I said about the magic dieing. Please.” Damien asked. Dumbledore gave him a small smile as Remus hefted Harry up and helped the young man walk when he swayed. The others gave sharp goodbyes before following the two out of the apartment.



As soon as Damien heard the door close he rolled his eyes and smirked.



“People are so damn gullible.” He said to no one as he went into his bedroom to fire call his master. Thinking all the while that it really was rather ingenious of him to give Potter memories of a life he never had, and enlisting the fear of disappearing magic in five of the most prestigious supporters of the light. What a most fulfilling way to end the day.



“Why…. It’s good to see you again My Lord.”