Yo dudes!

Right, so, here is chapter one, all purdy-like.

Find the Prologue here.

 Quick Summary: Harry Potter is the wizarding world's hero. But when Voldemort discovers a dark magic that could turn his greatest threat into a valuable asset, will Harry be able to hold onto who he is, or submit to the shadows within?

Set in 7th year, but follows canon only till the end of Goblet of Fire.

Title is a song by Ben Harper

Pairings: Harry/Draco, Sirius/Remus, Hermione/Ron. Implied Voldemort/Draco, Voldemort/Death Eaters

Warnings:

-Spoilers for books (and movies, I guess), 1-4 with occasional 5-6 spoilers for largely irrelevant things like character names and monsters and things. Not plot-related stuff. (I think/hope).

-Rated R-18 (for later chapters) Also known as NC-17 (for Americans.)

-This story contains - obligatory capitals: SLASH! Also known as YAOI, also known as males having sweaty sex with OTHER MALES. If you don't want to read that kind of stuff, don't read the fic, don't complain to me if you do and it grosses you out, that's just silly on your part. There are also issues of non-consensual sex. Run while you still can.

Endless thanks go to mimei for the beta.

Burn To Shine

Chapter 1

A Light Untainted

By Page Russet

Disclaimer - This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. Title copyright Ben Harper. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

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“Broaden your minds, children!”

“One thousand five hundred and twenty seven.” Ron whispered.

Harry groaned quietly at the table. It was 7th year; two weeks into first term, and Ron was continuing to total the times Professor Trelawney used the same old catch phrases. He had been counting since third year to give them something to do while in the mind-numbing class. However this year, even Divination was morphing into something new and terrifying as the end of year NEWTs loomed at the background of every lesson. Harry raised his head from where it had been resting on the table and looked around the class.

It had only been two years really, for most of the people in this room. Two years since Voldemort came back, two years since everything had changed.

Harry had never known what a “normal life” was like. The years with the Dursleys had been spent in fear and yearning for something he barely knew was missing. After that, coming to Hogwarts, it was like a bright light had illuminated his whole life. But a greater shadow had been introduced, a thousand times more potent than what he ever feared with the Dursleys. The shadow over time had become greater and greater, while the light grew dimmer with every passing year.

With the end of Harry’s Fourth year at Hogwarts, the shadow that had been cast over the Boy Who Lived’s lifetime had passed by him alone to cover every student at Hogwarts, with the death of Cedric Diggory. Three weeks into the holidays afterward, the Wizarding world had been horrified as Dumbledore’s words at the end of year feast were proven. With seemingly cheerful abandon Voldemort had declared his return by orchestrating the death of eight major Muggle world leaders, only vaguely disguised as Muggle terrorism.

“Harry, do you think Hermione will have finished her Arithmancy homework and we can head down to the lake this afternoon?” Ron leaned over and asked quietly while Trelawney ranted something about crystal-balls and vision quests.

Harry moved his head and peered up at his friend, “I dunno, probably. But don’t forget that we have Quidditch practice at seven tonight, and Remus wants that essay on the Origins of the Unforgivables in tomorrow afternoon.”

“Oh right, damn. Well, we can keep it short, but I feel like we never have any time just for being ourselves and relaxing anymore, you know, with everything, and – and stuff...” Ron trailed off, looking out the window, his eyes distant with memories.

Watching his friend, Harry sat up quietly. Not only had everything changed, but so had everyone. Fifth year had been different to the years before; Defence against the Dark Arts had been split into two classes, generic classes for normal students, and Advanced Dark Defence for the students who wished to be able to protect themselves in the war situation. It had marked a change in everyone’s attitudes as the young students had started growing and changing into trained fighters. Remus had come back to teach the generic lessons. And once Peter Pettigrew had been arrested at the Ministry of Magic after poisoning the Minister, Sirius had eventually been cleared of all charges and come to Hogwarts to teach the advanced lessons.

Harry looked down at his hands; a long thin scar ran from his inner wrist around his lower arm up almost to his elbow. Other scars marred the rest of his body, covered by his clothes but never out of his mind. Ron bore a scar at his temple, running just below his eye. The spell that caused it had been millimetres from taking out the red-head’s eye. Ron didn’t mind much, but Harry never forgot that this battle was sacrificing the lives of innocents.

“This is a different type of Divination to what we usually practice within these walls children, an ancient type seen in many different cultures; can anyone tell me why this particular magic is seen so often in so many different areas?”

Harry started out of his pondering as Lavender spoke up from across the room, “This magic is special and unusual because at times Muggle specialists in low level magic have been known to perform very similar spells as the crystal Vision Quests. Some cultures even used it as a basis for naming children and making important decisions for their tribe.”

Harry’s eyes glazed over again.  He and his friends had learnt a lot in their classes in the last two years. Too much, really. There had been three raids in Fifth year resulting in the deaths of 12 students and one teacher. Sixth year had been filled with furious learning and training; the year had been quiet until there was an attack that occurred during the end of year Quidditch final. Death Eaters and Giants had swarmed the pitch, and many students and teachers were injured, some killed. Harry had been trying to keep up with the numbers, the names, but it had become so hard as Voldemort and his followers ignited with chaos and blood.

“What do you think about that, Harry?”

“Huh?” Harry looked at his friend, “What did you say?”

Ron grinned. “Trelawney,”

The professor was gesturing at the class, beaming, and for a change the entire class appeared to be listening. Harry glanced around, “What’s up?” he whispered to Ron.

“Listen, it’s kinda cool.”

“As the name suggests, the crystal Vision Quest is a journey designed for a specific purpose; to answer a question.” Trelawney said grandly.

“What’s she talking about?” Harry whispered to Ron.

“It’s this weird kind of Divination spell where you look into a crystal and have a vision to try and answer a specific important question.” The redhead murmured back.

“Vision quests must not be taken lightly, nor should they be embarked upon with too great regularity. Most ordinary people can only complete two or three Vision Quests in their lifetime.” She stressed the word ‘ordinary’ like it was something she was very far from being. “Even a powerful Seer has to be highly talented to successfully complete multiple Vision Quests, as the more powerful the seer, the more powerful the vision. Many Seers throughout the ages have been known to be lost to the power of a truly strong vision – unable to tell between vision and reality, the Seeker becomes trapped within their own mind.” Trelawney peered at the class with bated breath, as if expecting a great explosion.

For once, there was more reaction than the usual dull murmurs – the class was chatting amongst themselves or watching the teacher interestedly.

“So, what, you can answer any question at all?” Harry asked Ron.

“Pretty much anything, yep, past, present or future,” Ron nodded, “But you gotta be careful, otherwise you get sucked in and might never find your way out.”

Harry frowned, “Don’t you think that’s a bit dangerous?”

The red-head grinned at his friend, “Harry, mate, we’re at a magic school!”

Harry smiled back, “Fair point, I take it back, forget the words ever left my lips.”

Both boys, still smiling, looked back to the front of the class as the professor began speaking again, “Now children, I have gained permission for you all to today embark on a crystal Vision Quest in light of being equipped with the most knowledge possible these days. You shall be analysing the experience and results of your quests in the coming weeks, as well as studying the flows of Magic that allow such a fascinating phenomenon to exist. Please turn to the crystal balls in front of you.”

All of the students were seated in pairs at the small round tables with a crystal ball between them. “Choose one person from your pair to embark on the Quest first, while the other is to monitor the Seeker and record any incidents of changes in facial expression, magic emissions of the crystal, or body language. Try to think of a question you would like answered, it can be anything, but keep it small, remember. It would be wise to think in regards of what is happening a week to either side of you, for instance, will the teacher assign you more homework tomorrow, or what will happen if you ignore the letter you got from home yesterday telling you to fire-call your mother?”

The class sniggered.

“I will lead you through the spell to activate the Vision Quest, you will need your books open to page one hundred and forty nine, please prepare yourselves; you have five minutes to think of a question.” Trelawney finished.

The two best friends looked at each other. “You do it!” They said simultaneously.

“I don’t want to do it.”

“You’re the ‘Seeker’, Harry, you should do it.”

Harry made a face at the lame play on words, “It sounds too weird for me, and I don’t have any questions I want answered.”

“Sure you do,” Ron said, but seeing Harry about to debate the fact, he held up his hands for them to stop, “Let’s flip a coin.”

Harry frowned, “I guess that’s fair.”

There was a pause as both boys started intently at the Knut that had flown through the air.

“.....Damn.” Said Harry.

Ron crowed and shoved the text-book in front of the darker haired boy, “Looks like the Boy Who Lived is in the front line again!”

Glaring at his best friend, Harry arranged himself in front of the crystal while Professor Trelawney started to prepare the class.

“What are you going to ask, Harry?”

Harry foundered, “Oh, crap. Uh, I dunno. What do you think?”

Ron looked blank for a few moments, “I don’t kn- Hey!” The red head brightened, “Weren’t you saying something about Sirius and Lupin acting weird yesterday? Why don’t you ask about that? Trelawney said it had to be something this week, right?”

Harry frowned. His Godfather and friend had been giving each other strange looks the other day and Harry had paused long enough to wonder out-loud to his best friends about it, though he didn’t really care enough to magically pry...

“Children, prepare yourselves, we are about to begin. Remember to keep your eyes on the centre of the crystal.” The Professor paused, looking over the students, then started reciting the incantation for the spell, which the class quickly copied.

Frustrated at the professor’s enthusiasm not allowing him time to decide, Harry too started speaking the charm, as he spoke the shadows within the crystal started to swirl. Finishing the incantation, Professor Trelawney called to her class, “Remember, speak the question aloud within your conscious mind. Say it quickly before you descend too deep, focus, and then return as soon as you have your answer.” Harry barely had time to take this all in before the mists within the crystal seemed to spread to cover his whole vision, until his mind was filled with nothing but swirling grey cloud.

~..*..~

Harry drifted for a while, in the silence, time seemed irrelevant, it took a few moments (or a few hours, he couldn’t really tell) before he managed to jerk himself out of his stupor.

‘The question…right.’

His thoughts wafting rather alarmingly, Harry tried to think of the question. He knew it had something to do with Lupin, and Sirius too... Feeling vaguely like he was floating gently down some infinitely large hole, he pondered his two friends – the only two adult mentors left to him in this battle. Without noticing, his thoughts wandered through the lists of those lost, and eventually the images of his mother and father came to him, ingrained from years of staring intently at photos from a now-battered album. Sirius and Lupin had done as much as they could to fill the gaping hole left from the loss, but growing up without parents to trust and hold onto in the night was something that never really left you, even if you learnt to live with it.

Staring into the mists that had been gradually getting thicker and darker, Harry wondered, as he often had, what would his life have been like if Voldemort had never existed.

The mists quavered.

Harry stopped moving.

Suddenly there was a great heaving movement, like one of those earthquakes when the whole ground rolls like waves.

A voice came echoing back though the shadows, shaking the air with its intensity, ~what would my life have been like if Voldemort had never existed??~

The universe went black.

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( Next Chapter )

A/N: I totally haven't re-read this, so if LJ caused any errors I wouldn't have a clue, so comment if you spot anything. -_-;; *tired* Workin on Chapters 2 and 3 now.