War & Peace: HP Style

War & Peace: HP Style


This fic is based off of my imaginings while listening to Goodnight Saigon by Billy Joel. I do not own the song nor do I own any of the Harry Potter universe. No money is made from the writing of this fic.


For the record, this fic is completely AU/AR I am taking liberties with JKR's timeline and using her characters as I see fit. I promise to put them back where I found them, though. Any mistakes are mine alone (or I did it intentionally). Not sure where this story will take me, but I can't wait to see it unfold! Please remember, I have made up the dates to suit my story, they will not match the dates on any real calendar.

This fic begins in the Golden Trio's seventh year. Dumbledore's Army has just been recently formed. Dumbledore is still Headmaster, and Severus Snape is still alive, along with a host of other characters that died in the books.

For Snapes_Goddess, whose support and encouragement of this story has been amazing, even before the plot bunny came to visit.....SG - You knew I needed to write this, so thank you for pushing me creatively!

There's a battle outside
And it is ragin'
It'll soon shake your windows
And rattle your walls
For the times they are a-changin'.
-The Times They Are A-Changin'
Bob Dylan

Chapter One - The Times They Are A-Changin'

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Slytherin Common Room
Sunday, September 30th


"Are you sure, Zabini? I don't need to make an arse out of myself in front of Potter. This is serious business and if anyone knew what we are talking about, well my father would not hesitate to avada me, never mind disown me." Draco Malfoy was seated in a black leather chair in front of the massive fireplace that graced the Slytherin Common Room. He was leaning forward, elbows resting on his knees. His silver eyes were focused on the young man seated across from him. There was not a hint of humor, either in his eyes or his voice. Draco never joked about what his father was capable of.

Blaise Zabini nodded once and cast his eyes about the common room. It was empty as it was well past midnight and all the other students were in bed. He had used a Silence Bubble that his mother had given him to keep others from hearing their conversation. It was a small coin shaped object that was placed between two people. The invisable bubble expanded around them until the two occupants were comfprtable ensconced within it. Blaise had opted to use the bubble so that they had no need of their wands, and the magic could not be traced to them. The young Italian man had approached Draco with information that he had requested from him. Now it was Blaise's turn to request something of Draco.

"I want in." Three little words. One very big meaning.

"Blaise, mate, I can't ask you to do this with me. It's bad enough I am about to go against everything my father tried to teach me, against all this pureblood bullshit that pretty much everyone in this house spouts off about all the time. I'm tired of living a lie, of walking in the footsteps of someone who has taken the wrong path. You and your mother have the opportunity to be safe in Italy. Don't stay here." This was the first time Draco had ever spoken so clearly about his feelings to anyone. He was very much used to keeping his own council on everything.

"I don't care what you want me to do Draco. If I leave, I am no better than the cowards who fight for You-Know-Who. This is a fight we have to be a part of. We'll never make it out alive any other way. I refuse to let a mad man have control of my life." Draco could read the conviction in Blaise's eyes. His childhood friend would not let him go down this path alone. Draco sighed and stood up, signifying the end of the conversation.

"Tomorrow, then. We will approach Potter tomorrow."


~@*~@*~@*~@*~@*~*@~*@~@*~@*~


Monday
October 1st
The Black Lake


Harry sat on the shoreline and stared at the lake, lost in thought. It was still warm for the beginning of October and so his sweater lie abandonded on the ground near his shoulder bag, his white oxford shirt had the first few buttons undone and the sleeves and been rolled up over his elbows. There was a slight breeze rolling in off the lake that ruffled his already mussed black hair. A few girls in their fifth year strolled past, whispering to each other about how handsome the supposed savior-to-be of the wizarding world was, and musing aloud on what it would be like to be the hero's girlfriend. Harry neither noticed nor cared for their idle gossip. The fate of the wizarding world was upon his shoulders. Though there were others like Dumbledore, Shacklebolt, Arthur and Molly Weasley, Professor Lupin, and his godfather Sirius Black that were doing there best to take the weight off his shoulders, Harry knew the truth.

The fight was his alone.

Many had him pegged as being a martyr. This was not the case. Though Harry had been raised by his muggle family, a family that was ashamed of him, and a family that mistreated him because of their ignorance, he was not like them. He would do the right thing, whatever the cost. And the right thing for Harry now was to fight, to stand against Voldemort. Some would say that this was his goodbye to innocene, but he knew better. His innocence was lost on the day James and Lily Potter lost their lives while trying to save his.

Living with Vernon and Petunia Dursley had not done much for him also. They had forced him to live in a cramped closet under the stairs, they hated taking him anywhere, barely celebrated his existence much less his birthday and had taught his good-for-nothing cousin that he could have whatever he wanted and never have to work for it.

Harry had always had to work for it. Especially when he found out he was a wizard. At first it had been cool, realizing all the neat stuff he could learn, dreaming of all the stunts he could one day pull on Dudley as payback, finding out that he and his parents had unique abilities that the Durselys were actually afraid of. Then the incident in first year with the Sorcerer's Stone and Professor Quirrell happened. He had known then that there was more to being magical then he had first anticipated.

From first year on, Harry had fought, with his best friends by his side against Voldemort and his minions. Finally, Dumbledore had reaveled to him that Voldemort had spilt his soul in to seven horcruxes. He had also given Harry a list of hiding spots for six out of the seven horcruxes. The last horcrux was an unknown. No one could figure out what it was or where to even look for it. Dumbledore was insistent that Harry come to him with any ideas. Harry was very insistent with Ron and Hermione that Dumbledore had had his turn at trying to destroy Voldemort. It was now up to the only person who had lived after the Dark Lord had cast the killing curse on him.

Harry had wanted to leave immediately. There were six horcruxes to be destroyed and a seventh to be found and destroyed. Hermione had pleaded with him to wait until after the Christmas holidays. She had too much research to do now, with the all the information Dumbledore had passed on, and they needed a plan. She had scolded him, much like a parent to a child, that trying to do a job unprepared only resulted in failure. Their success at the destruction of the Horcruxes was imperitive. Failure was not an option, she had said. Not for her and certainly not for the fate of their friends and families. Hermione's speech had been so impassioned and so stirring that Harry had a brief vision of Hermione standing at a podium waving to the crowd that had just elected her the new Minister of Magic. He smiled at the thought, thinkiong there really was not anything Hermione could not do.

A shadow crossed over Harry blocking the sun from him. He glanced up to see Draco Malfoy and Blaise Zabini standing in front of him. Jumping up, he had his wand in hand, when Blaise spoke.

"Easy, Potter. We just want to talk. No fights, no wands."

"I'm supposed to believe that, when ferret-boy over here has done nothing but antagonize?" Draco glowered at Harry, reminders of the incident from fourth year were never a favorite of his. But he held his tongue, this was important, and it had been decided that Blaise would do the talking for him.

"You're absolutely right, Potter. However, look," Blaise reached into the pocket of his robes and produced two wands. One was his, the other was Malfoy's. "He can't hex you. So please put yours away. When I said we wanted to talk thats exactly what we meant." The young Italian man's voice remained steady. No trace of any worry or concern shone through. It was as though it was perfectly natural for two Slytherins to approach Harry and have a conversation with him.

Harry was torn, he had no real issue with Zabini. Malfoy, on the other hand could be an issue. Blaise did have his wand though, rendering the blond wizard magically useless, and Harry knew Malfoy would never willingly part with his wand, so this must be serious.

Blaise and Draco waited while Harry weighed the pros and cons of speaking with them. Blaise remained unpreturbed. Draco was becoming impatient and finally he snapped.

"Sweet Merlin, Potter, Blaise isn't asking you out on a bleeding date. It's a simple conversation. Either you want....oomph!" Draco sucked in a breath as Blaise elbowed him in the ribs.

"Sia calma, amico, noi lo vogliono ascoltare noi." Blaise gently chided his friend. Draco merely glared at him as he rubbed the spot Blaise had elbowed.

Harry gave in to the inevitable. His curiosity was too great to ignore these two. "Alright, then, lets walk and talk then shall we?" he gathered up his things and began to walk to the far side of the lake. Blaise and Draco followed, knowing that their lives now rested in the hands of a boy they had been taught to hate.


Author's Notes:

"Sia calma, amico, noi lo vogliono ascoltare noi." is Italian for "Be quiet, friend. We want him to listen to us." I got it from an internet transating sight so I apologize if it is wrong.

This chapter was helped along by the following songs:

Winds of Change by The Scorpions
The Times They Are A Changing - Bob Dylan
Heavily Broken - The Veronicas

ALSO: I have deleted my unfinished stories, but don't panic...I WILL finish them...This story is just taking up all my time and effort right now and I didn't want to be unfair to the unfinished fics. I have saved all your reviews from the deleted stories as they have inspired me and will keep me inspired to finish those stories. AFF has some of the best reviewers around and I will not disappoint you! Thanks to all my reveiwers for all my stories for supporting my work, and making it a great feeling to post here. =) I heart you all!!!!