For those of you who don't know (and I'm sure a lot of you know by now) Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is coming out on July 16, 2005! Yey! Merry Christmas!

Chapter Five

Reunited

The Big Ben was one of the most fascinating structures in all of England. It was a sight of many eyes. A clock, a tower, a landmark, etcetera.

But tonight the Big Ben is right now a checkpoint for the boy and the green cloaked enigma. They were at the top of the clock tower where the boy was standing beside the green cloaked enigma who was squatting with his long battered briefcase behind him. They were both sitting at the edge of the clock tower's top and they both gazed at the beauty that is London.

The news of Harry leaving for London shocked him. The boy was right. When he and the boy ran to the street the incident happened, there was no sign of Harry…

Except his wand.

“So this is a wand?” the green cloaked one asked as he held the one in arm's length gazing at the wonderful holly material.

The boy nodded as the green cloaked one continued.

“Why would you think Harry's here?”

“They were going to London's direction” the boy slowly raked his chestnut brown hair against the slightly strong breeze.

“How are you so sure?” his sniper skills kicking up again “I suppose he took the other way round” he stood up and started walking the catwalk “It would be suicide for the Boy Who Lived to be here especially when Death Eaters are crawling around for him! You said so yourself, the Death Eaters are planning to get him on his way to London. Of course as they always say: `Always have plan B'” he stopped and turned to the boy “If Harry passes the first guard then he would be expecting more here on London or on the way but he probably took another way. Besides, where can he go here?”

“The Order of Phoenix headquarters. It's in Grimmauld Place”the brown haired boy spoke pointing at the distance.

“Order of the what?”

“The Order of the Phoenix… my aunt and uncle were members till they got murdered” he frowned

“By who?”

“Voldemort” the boy said sadly

“Now that's someone I know”

There was a long silence as the sound of the breeze and the sound of the clock's machinery hummed underneath them.

“If you say that Harry's not here,” the boy looked at him “then where is he?”

The green cloaked opened his battered suitcase to reveal a long old-fashioned sniper rifle that looks like it was used for numerous times.

“Anywhere but here” the green cloaked enigma peeked at the scope looking for any sign of activity at the London streets.

- - -

Harry's mouth fell open shocked to see the girl who was standing right in front of him. She was shorter than Harry, bushy brown hair and chocolate brown eyes.

“H-Hermione?” Harry chocked

She made a small squeak as she ran to him and gave him a bone breaking hug.

“It is you!” she hugged tighter while Harry started feeling numb around.

It was in between his shock and happiness that Harry realized that there were two people in the store looking for him.

“Hermione, let go first” Harry pushed her away and dragged her behind a nearby vending machine.

“What?” she asked still smiling. Harry noticed tears of joy in her chocolate brown orbs.

“Sh!”

Harry peeked around the corner and saw the two Death Eaters walking out of the store.

“I think he went that way” one of them said as the other followed suit then they were gone.

“Whew” Harry wiped his forehead and saw Hermione peeking around the corner like Harry was.

“What was that?”

“Death Eaters” Harry said looking at her

“Death Eaters? Here in Bristol?” she covered her mouth

“Yeah,” Harry replied “but before we get to any complications… what are you doing here?”

“That was the same question I should be asking you” Hermione poked him on the chess playfully “What are you doing in Bristol?”

“Not now, Hermione” Harry looked around the street for any sign of life “I'll tell you later”

Harry then realized how close they were. Hermione's back was against the vending machine while his body was blocking her from moving around. He took a step back and realized the one who Harry worried the most was right in front of him…

Hermione seemed to read his mind.

“What's wrong Harry?”

“Nothing… I just wondered what are you doing here of all places”

Hermione shook her head with a smirk.

“I've been your best friend for six years and I forgot to tell you where I live! How stupid of me? Anyway, this is my hometown, Bristol. My house is at the outskirts of the city”

Harry saw her beaming at him.

“Is this a blind date or what?” she asked quietly

“Er - I dunno… well, what are you doing here at this time of the night?”

Then Hermione clapped her mouth.

“Oh my gosh! My groceries!” then she rushed into the store coming back with a small paper bag under her arms.

“Well, after that interruption” Harry continued “I just want to ask what were you doing here up so early?”

Hermione started looking guilty and spoke quietly.

“I-I was er - I was” she sighed “Alright, to tell you the truth, Harry.” she winced “I-I have this thing… well, more like an urge of well… you know - chocolates. Don't tell my parents about it!” she added quickly, her fingers tangled with each other.

“Er - why?” Harry asked

“Of course, they are strict with me when it comes to sweets. That's why I bought them right now”

“Are you - are you on sugar high?” Harry gave her a look of concern

“No” she shook her head “I'm controlling the habit though”

“How many do you got in the bag?”

“Er -” she looked into the bag “Twenty-six candy bars”

Harry's eyebrows disappeared under his bangs.

“Twenty-six? I thought you were controlling -”

Hermione then pressed a finger to his lips.

“I know, I know” she sighed “But this is what I want. It's my choice. No one pushes me around, remember?” she assured Harry in her bossy voice.

Harry nodded and then become conscious of the area he is at.

“This is your hometown, right?”

“Yes… actually, I used to live here in the main city but we live right now in the outskirts just west of Bristol. Unfortunately, there are no stores nearby and this is the closest I can get.”

“Where is your home, then?” Harry looked around

“Come to meet the parents?” she smirked “Alright. C'mon, just be yourself and maybe this blind date might be worthwhile after all”

- - -

The green cloaked enigma tapped the top of his sniper rifle still peering into the scope which was now scanning the Parliament then London Bridge. It was already ages passed since they explored the street where Harry and the Death Eater had that encounter and still no sign of the Boy Who Lived.

It was nearing sunrise. The orange glow that illuminated the eastern parts of London was now evident and the upper edifice of the Big Ben had a tint of orange.

The brown haired boy walked along the catwalk to view the wonderful sunrise. It was rare for London to have some sun and this was a rare sight for the young boy.

“Beautiful, isn't?” the boy muttered

“Yeah,” the green cloaked one replied looking over his scope to view the yellow sphere rising “A friend of mine always said that the last thing he would want to see is the sunrise. He says that dying at the rising sun shows a form of glory to your soul… it's like being in new life… just like when Christ rose from the dead at sunrise…”

The boy smiled. Very symbolic, he thought.

“Who said that?”

“My mentor… he was your professor last term”

“Oh” the boy raked his brown hair “Where is he?”

“Anywhere but here -”

The green cloaked one stopped on mid-talk and started looking behind him.

“What?” the boy asked looking at the sniper's sudden silence.

“I heard something…”

Then the boy heard it too. It was a sound of the swish of a cloak.

“Did you hear it?” the green cloaked stood up putting his rifle inside the battered briefcase and took out a long silver dagger from inside his green cloak. The boy noticed ethereal engravings on the blade.

“Yeah,”

Nothing but silence was in the area around the two enigmas. The boy took out Harry's wand and his own.

“I see you are a dual wielder” the green cloaked enigma spoke moving inside the window which they came from that lead to the clockworks of the Big Ben. “Impressive. For an amateur”

The two entered the Big Ben's innards and the sound of tick and tock echoed the room. Though noisy, the atmosphere was tense.

Before they could make their way down, the green cloaked turned to the boy and pointed at him.

“Whatever you do… don't make a noise. Got that?”

The boy just nodded and walked on. They were walking across the largest sprocket which was moving steadily making a loud but dull tick.

“Do you see anything?” The boy whispered

“No,” the green cloaked looked up cautiously “But if you see anything that moves beyond the mechanics, just say it and -”

BANG!

The boy and the green cloaked one jumped and turned to see where the bang came from. They looked behind them and saw a black cloaked woman staring them down with her wand at them.

“A Death Eater!” the boy gasped looking at the symbol on the woman's bare forearm “What are you doing here?”

“I come for the boy you seek” she replied coldly

“This looks bad,” the green cloaked whispered to the boy “Don't underestimate her -”

But before he could finish, the boy points his dual wands and bellows

“You will pay for what you and your friends did to my parents! STUPEFY!!”

“NO!” the green cloaked shouted

It was too late, the two wands that the boy was holding shot out sparks that flew directly to the woman.

"You idiot!" the green cloaked slapping the boy's hands out of the way.

The sparks jolted toward the girl and before the sparks could make contact, the woman brandished her wand in one full swing.

"Protego!"

The sparks bounced back and shot back to the boy and the green cloaked one.

"Duck!" the green cloacked grabbed the boy from the front collar and tossed themselves to the ground as the sparks flew above them "Dammit!" he swore as he and the boy stood up to their feet.

The boy was about to conjure a stunning spell but thought better than to fight with a Death Eater especially when she just nearly decapitated your head off.

"That's it!" the green cloaked glared at the woman as he took out two daggers from his cloak and went into a battle stance "You're dead!"

Before he could attack, the woman snapped her fingers and the green cloaked one and the boy were surronded by black lights that resembled orbs.

"What is this?" the boy wondered as the black orbs started growing smaller.

As the orbs grew smaller, the orbs turned into an four-legged animal which resembled a leopard except that green smoke was coming out of there breath and it was as large as a bear. The boy remembered reading about these animals in Fantastic Beast And Where To Find Them. They were known as "nundu", one of the most dangerous animals in the world. They are known for their diseased and deadly breath which causes, as the info stated, death.

"A nundu!" the boy gasps

"A what?" the green cloaked asked

"It is deadly and I mean really deadly"

The green cloaked one stares down at one of the nundus, raises his daggers and says in a dull yet mocking voice.

"'It is deadly and I mean really deadly', that's a bunch of bullshit" he grins "besides, if we kill the cats and probably damaged the Big Ben they will call it a terrorist attack. You don't look like an Afghan, right?"

Before the boy could attack, the green cloaked one pounced on a nundu and lands on top of the large beast as if it was a horse. The boy watches on as his green clad companion stabs the nundu's left eye. The nundu flails as it swings its left claw backwards swiping the green cloaked ones' arm.

“Argh!” he groans loudly as he falls off the nundu clutching his forearm. He looks at his arm and saw the cut was a half long as his forearm.

“Kid!” he shouts at the boy as he points at his dagger which was still impaled at the eye of the nundu who was flailing and scratching its own eye.

The boy raises his wand.

“Accio Dagger!”

In an instant yet gruesomely manner, the dagger slides out of the nundu's eye causing it to roar in pain as blood sprays the whole area making the green cloaked ones robes turn blood red.

“Here!” the boy tosses the dagger the moment it went to him.

The green cloaked enigma grabbed the dagger and runs to finish off the nundu. He used the pain of the nundu to his advantage as he slices it into two bringing it to death.

“Watch out!” he shouts to the boy.

The boy turns to see three of the nundus pouncing on him. The boy dodges and avoids being crushed by these large animals. He makes a quick swerve and points his dual wands at them

“Stupef-”

He drops his arms and looks up to see the beams above the nundus. He aims at the beams and shouts

“Impedimenta!”

Jets of red sparks shot out of the wands and breaks the beams forcing it to fall on the nundus.

“Nice” the green cloaked one said with a smirk without knowledge that a nundu was behind him.

“Behind you!” the boy points

And in a split second the green cloaked one takes his rifle and shoots it from behind making it fall to ground lifeless.

The boy and the green cloaked one looked around to see any more nundus anf fortunately, there were none.

“Impressive” the Death Eater said coldly “For a muggle and a mudblood”

The two looks at the woman and prepared themselves for battle.

“Oh,” she says in a unusual patient tone “I may want to battle you but all I want is the boy”

“You will never get him!” the boy shouted glaring at the woman

“You will never get him!” the woman mocks him in a childish voice “Please, don't waste my time with your foolish games! Where is he? I know he is in London”

“He won't allow it” the green cloaked one answered

“He?” the boy whispered the green cloaked “Dumbledore?”

The green cloaked one didn't answer

“I don't care if Dumbledore won't allow it. The Dark Lord will always get what he wants. Isn't that right, boy?” she gives the boy a mock glare

The boy glares back as anger fuels his own being.

“He will pay for what he did to my family” the boy angrily spoke

“Save the drama” the woman waved her hand impatiently “I came here for him-”

“We already told you, dammit!” the green cloaked one shouted “Harry isn't here!”

There was a slight pause.

“Impossible!” the woman scoffed “He was heading straight for London after he passed the sentries”

“Oh so there are more of you!” the green cloaked pointed “Sorry to burst your bubble but Harry isn't here yet! And whether he is or is not with us I won't make it easy for you to get pass me!”

By the looks of it, the boy could see that the Death Eater is thinking but her eyes were filled with uneasiness.

“You are lying!” she suddenly shouts “The Dark Lord said that he is here! He is! I know it! I know that he is with you and that you are - Argh!”

The boy and the green cloaked one step back as the woman kneels down clutching her forearm as if it was burning.

“What the-?” the green cloaked wondered

“It's her dark mark” the boy explained

“Dark Mark?”

“He is calling them” the boy stares in an enigmatic way

“He? Volde-?”

Before he could finish his sentence the woman disappeared in a faint pop. The whole room was quiet before the green cloaked one said

“C'mon, let's clean this up. The clock cleaners will be in a right state if they catch overlarge cats in the area”

“Yeah,” the boy said “okay”

- - -

“Are you sure this is concrete?”

Concrete? It sure was. The boy was trying to protect himself!

“You know what the circumstances were, Minister”

“I know, I know but what did you say on who attacked him? A death Eater? Impossible!”

“Hold that thought, sir” he cut him off “With all due respect, you are the Minister of Magic but you are not Cornelius”

He knew he had hit it were it hurts. The Minister started thinking while he drummed his fingers on the desk. After a long pause…

“Who put you up to the job on telling me this?”

“Albus Dumbledore, he wishes you a good summer though. He could've come up here to explain Harry's case on what happened last night but you know that the Dark Lord is around so Dumbledore isn't that accessible at the time being”

“Yes, yes. They should've given the position to Dumbledore but they have to give to me, of all people!”

This guy has no faith in himself, he thought

“Ahem. Sir, you know very well that you are to follow-up Cornelius' position as Minister”

“But why couldn't been Arthur? He has the potential”

“Arthur Weasley has other concerns than politics”

“How about you?”

He laughed as he scratched his forehead and trying to hide the sword beneath his brown coat.

“I'm a muggle and I have no interest in politics…” he looked as his wristwatch “Look, I've been here since three in the morning and I have to go back home. Albus already sent you the owl, right?”

The Minister frowned.

“Not at the moment”

“Well, it will be there at any mo - ah, there it is right now”

They both looked at the door which had a small window on it only to see a screech owl holding a letter on its talons.

“Anywho,” he said “That is my cue. Have a good day, Minister”

He walked towards the door and opened it letting the owl pass him by. As he walked towards the lift, he remembered this was all Albus' plan. Just talk to the Minister about Harry's record and that's it.

“I hate politics” he said as he entered the lift which was filled with flying paper planes above the lift's ceiling.

- - -

“Hermione!” Harry said loudly against the wind

“What?” she replied as they took a turn down a dirt path

“There are some things you didn't tell me about”

Harry then felt a jerk signaling that they've stopped. Hermione turned to him and said.

“About what, Harry?” she asked

“Hold on,” Harry swung his leg so he can stand on the ground “There much better…”

“What were you talking about again?” Hermione reiterated

“Oh yeah… Er - since when do you -” Harry looked at the scooter “since when do you -”

“Ride a scooter?” Hermione finished smiling as she dismounted the black scooter “Well, my uncle use to drive me to the er - library back and forth and when I was old enough he taught me how to ride”

“Oh, it's just that it is not like you ride these things” he gestured to the scooter

“I know you are use to my edifice as a bookworm but still” she looked around “Harry, if we don't go back soon enough my dad will kill me”

“Okay,”

Before Harry could hop behind the seat, Hermione turned to him.

“Oh one thing, don't hug too tightly”

Harry nodded as they hopped on the scooter and rode on.

- - -

“Are you okay?”

He looked up to see the brown haired boy sitting beside him.

“Yeah, I'm fine” he replied looking at his forearm “Are their scratches dangerous?”

The boy raked his brown hair and said

“I'm not sure but it is unlikely, nundus are known for their deadly breaths”

The green cloaked one nodded and looked below the London sunrise. Harry's not here… if he isn't then where is he?

“Look, kid. Harry isn't here and I bet he isn't in London either. I need to go back to home”

The green cloaked unknown stood up, took his battered briefcase and left the boy.

- - -

“When we arrive their please be quiet since my dad can get very grouchy when he wakes up by noise" Hermione said as they drove down a sleepy looking road. Harry could see the sun rising on the east.

"Where are going?" Harry asked "I know at your house but where?"

They both pulled to a sudden stop.

"Here" she replied getting off

Harry looked up to see Hermione overlooking a small village which looked very peaceful and beautiful. A slightly strong breeze blew around them giving a wonderful effect as Harry saw Hermione's hair flowing around.

"What is the name of your village?" Harry asked again as he got off and walked beside Hermione overlooking the peaceful town.

She looked at him with a frown which Harry didn't notice.

"We are at Godric's Hollow"

That word somehow rang a bell in Harry's mind.