Summary: Evan Dursley is a mild mannered reporter working for the Daily Prophet. Harry Potter is a legend throughout the wizarding world as a hero, and a mystery since all anyone knows about him is that he shows up when people need help. Not even star reporter for the Daily Prophet Ginny Weasley can tell that they're actually the same person.
Rating: PG-13
Categories: Alternate Universe, Post-Hogwarts
Characters: None
Genres: None
Warnings: None
Challenges: None
Series: None
Published: 2008.12.31
Updated: 2009.03.16
Index
Chapter 1: Prologue
Chapter 2: Dinner and Partners
Chapter 3: Battle
Chapter 1: Prologue
Author's Notes: This is my first story up here and I'm putting it up on this site because one of my reviwers on ff.net recommended it. This story is based off of Superman because I can't help but to see all of the parallels between the two but it won't follow any exact story from Superman, it's simply based off of it. If you have any questions feel free to message me and I'll answer them as soon as possible.
The day the Dursleys found their baby nephew on their doorstep they knew everything was going to change. When Petunia saw her sister’s son she took him in as her own and Vernon quickly followed that sentiment. Dudley and Harry were inseparable from the moment they met. After the tragedy of Halloween Harry Potter found a home with the Dursleys, but his new parents couldn’t shake a feeling of uneasiness.
So they packed up their home and two sons and headed off to the country, to where the farm Vernon’s father had left him was. They also changed Harry’s name to Evan Dursley so as not to look suspicious (and so that no wizards could find them). The only magical being who knew anything about them was Albus Dumbledore and he would never betray the small family. In fact, he made sure that no one even remembered that Lily had a sister who was still alive-everyone thought she died in a car crash two years before that Halloween and that she had never married.
For almost ten years the family lived peacefully on the farm. The three males worked the farm together while Petunia took care of the house. Thanks to Dumbledore Evan fit in perfectly with the family. He had brown hair, bordering on black, which was kept tamed through certain spells, and he wore thick glasses that his brilliant green eyes. Both boys were in shape from working on the farm, although Evan was always smaller than Dudley.
Then, a few days after Evan’s 11th birthday Professor McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry appeared on their doorstep. They’d been expecting her, of course, and ushered her into the living room and called the boys in from the barn. Once everyone was sitting McGonagall began her explanation.
“I am here as an envoy to acquaint you, and your family, with magic. Our society has existed for hundreds of years and you will find a wealth of opportunities available to you.” Her tone was stern and Evan exchanged an annoyed glance with Dudley. “There are two levels of magic, the primary and the secondary. During your first year at Hogwarts you will take a class in each of the primary magics, which are Transfiguration, Charms, and Defense Against the Dark Arts.
“After your first year your specialization will be evident and you will continue with that primary only throughout the rest of your seven years at Hogwarts. Specialization is the primary magic that works for you. Everyone can work only one primary magic, although there are few truly exceptional people who can do a spell or two of another primary.
“The secondary magics you do not specialize in. There are many different types, such as potions, divination, flying, herbology, etc. During your third year you will choose which secondary magics you wish to take courses in, although you will have potions, hebology, and history of magic beginning in your first year. Do you have any questions?”
The Dursleys did their best to make it look as if they were hearing all of this for the first time and Evan quickly though up a question, so as not to appear too knowledgable. “So I’ll only learn one of the primary magics because I’ll only be able to do one, but I can learn as many of the secondaries as I want?”
McGonagall nodded and took a sip of her tea. “Exactly. Whenever you are ready to go I will take you and your family to Diagon Alley to purchase your school supplies.”
“How much is this all going to cost? Farming doesn’t exactly bring in the big money, you know.” Vernon asked and Petunia placed her hand on his arm.
McGonagall gave a small smile while she placated their monetary concerns and then the five of them prepared to portkey to the Leaky Cauldron. The trip was relatively uneventful, although Evan and Dudley managed to convince their parent to buy a snowy owl they later named Hedwig, a name they discovered in one of Evan’s new books, and to stop for ice cream. The most memorable part was when Evan received his wand and Ollivander told them the story of how Evan’s wand had a brother wand and how they should “Expect great things from you, Mr. Dursley.” (Dudley had teased Evan about that for awhile afterwards).
Once the shopping trip was over McGonagall escorted them back to the farm and then left the family to sort out their day. After she left the four went to the kitchen and Evan let down his glamours with a sigh of relief. His dull olive eyes became emerald and the glasses were removed and his hair became ebony and impossibly messy. Petunia smiled and shook her head at him.
“You’ll have to get used to those glamours soon, at school you won’t be allowed to take them off.” Harry rolled his eyes in response.
“I know mom. Don’t worry-I’ll be careful.” Vernon chuckled and ruffled Harry’s hair and Dudley laughed with him.
Petunia began to make dinner while Harry and Dudley set the table. “Of course you will son. You know what will happen if you don’t.” Vernon said in a menacing tone, which caused the others to burst out laughing. “What’s so funny, you lot?” he blustered, “I mean it!”
“Of course dear,” Petunia said with a wave of her hand, “of course.”
The small kitchen filled with the family’s laughter once more, as it had so many times before. That room was the gathering place for the Dursleys and had born witness to many events over the years. Harry sighed in contentment as they sat down to dinner, knowing that even if he didn’t fit into the wizarding world he would always have a home here.
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Evan sat on the Hogwarts Express for the last time as he watched Hogwarts disappear into the distance. He smiled as he thought of his seven years there, and of all the friends he had made during that time.
Luna Lovegood was his best friend, and the only one who had ever figured out who he really was, Harry Potter. She was a year his junior and in Ravenclaw to his Gryffindor, but they were always close. She was also the only one of his friends to ever visit the farm.
His other two really good friends were Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley. The two were in his year and in his house, although Hermione specialized in Transfiguration, Ron in Defense, and he had, supposedly specialized in Charms. He hadn’t actually specialized in any of the primaries, he could do any spell out there, that was what made him so special.
Not that anyone besides Luna knew that he hadn’t specialized, well Dumbledore knew as well. In fact it was Dumbledore who had taught him Transfiguration and Defense when he had had to pretend to specialize and had chosen Charms to ‘specialize’ in. Now, after hiding in Hogwarts for seven years he was ready to face the world as Evan Dursley, the newest addition to the staff at the Daily Prophet.
Of course, he had also faced the world as Harry Potter. When he had saved the Philosopher’s stone, Ginny Weasley, Sirius; he had had to leave his disguise behind so as not to be discovered and so the legend of Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived and the one who appeared when someone needed help, was born. With the return of Voldemort during his fourth year he had been forced to dive even deeper into hiding and any hope of revealing who he was disappeared. Evan Dursley would continue to be flesh and blood while Harry Potter, the real one, would remain a legend.
No one knew who Harry Potter was, besides their savior, and he was determined to keep it that way. After all, because no one knew he was Harry Potter, no one treated him differently than any other person. No one even knew where he lived because no one remembered Lily’s sister, except for Sirius Black.
During Evan’s third year the man had escaped from Azkaban and had come to Hogwarts to find Pettigrew. When Sirius had found him as Evan Dursley, he had escaped from his friends and was exploring the shrieking shack; he had known exactly who ‘Evan’ was, because he remembered Petunia Evans-Dursley. After hearing each other’s stories it was agreed that Sirius would live on the farm, as their dog. If Sirius was cleared then he couldn’t live with Harry, because that would have been suspicious, but no one would question a dog living on a farm.
Life was going well for Evan, or it would have been if not for the girl known as Ginny Weasley. After years of knowing the girl, who had always managed to get into arguments with Evan whenever they saw each other, Harry had fallen in love with her. Of course there was no way he could ever tell her that, especially since he couldn’t even tell her his real name. Not to mention the fact that they were barely friends at absolute best and often acted as if they were bitter enemies. Knowing that Ginny would start work with the Daily Prophet next year, she was already interning there this summer, his future was beginning to look a bit dimmer, as his plans to escape her for awhile and hopefully get over her that way, were crashing and burning.
Not that he could really bring himself to really care as he watched her laugh with her brother and friends, his friends too. As they pulled into the train station he said goodbye to them, promising to keep in touch before he spotted his parents and brother and hurrying towards them, and home.
Chapter 2: Dinner and Partners
Author's Notes: Thank you to all of you who reviewed! I'll answer all of your questions (present and future) here in the author's note.
1. So what happened to Sirius? Where are Remus and Tonks? It was explained in the prologue that Sirius did escape from Azkaban and is living on the Dursley farm as their dog since even if Sirius was declared innocent he would have nothing to do with Evan Dursley and this way he could stay close to his godson. Wormtail is still with Ron, although they keep a good eye on him. Remus and Tonks have yet to meet Evan and so I can't answer that question right now. You'll find that out later.
2. Why do Harry and Ginny have such a rocky relationship? Why do they always argue and why are they almost bitter enemies? They're that way because of an incident you'll find out about in a later chapter.
3. Are Harry and Ginny OOC? I'm trying to stay true to their characters but there are minor adjustments since this is an AU story, but overall they'll still be in character.
If I missed any questions ask them again and I'll answer them in the next chapter. Which there might be a delay for since my godmother (who's name is Ginny, isn't that awesome?) is visiting and I have finals in a little over a week.
Evan looked up and smiled as he saw who had just entered his new flat. “Well, what do you think Luna? Is it good enough now that I’ve got my stuff in here?”
“Yes. I think there’s even an infestation of nargles in the ceiling,” Luna said with complete seriousness. “You’ll have to let me look into that one of these days, it’ll make for a great story for the Quibbler.”
Evan laughed in response. Luna was always working on something for her father’s magazine. She was one of the best reporters he had ever met and could have easily gotten a job elsewhere but she refused to work anywhere but at the Quibbler. In fact, she was such an avid reporter that she had started a newspaper and made him one of her reporters, which is what had gotten him into journalism in the first place. She was his best friend and influenced so many aspects of his life.
“I don’t know, Lu. I think I like my privacy a bit too much to let you do that. Besides, I only just moved in and I don’t want all your fanatics coming into my new flat. Now, can you continue helping me unpack the kitchen,” Evan told her in a stern tone as he opened a box of pots and pans. “Everyone will be here in a few hours and I want everything to be ready.”
Luna giggled but started to sort out a box of cooking utensils. “Oh, I don’t think you care so much about Ron, Hermione, Fred, or George coming over. I think what you really care about is a certain redhead girl known as Ginny.”
“Luna!” Evan yelled and threw a dish towel in her direction, which she caught, much to his annoyance. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I know I used to fancy Ginny while I was at Hogwarts, but it’s been over a year since I graduated and I’ve hardly seen her at all. I’ve gotten over it. Now pick up the pace, we’ve got three more boxes to do in here, then we just have to set up the common area and we’ll be done with the unpacking.”
“Look, Harry-“ She stopped at Evan’s warning glare. “Sorry, Evan. I know you think you’re over her but the last time you saw her you weren’t and I honestly don’t think you’re ever going to get over her until you find someone else.” Her serious tone and complete lack of dreaminess made Evan stop taking apart the box he had just finished unpacking and turn to look at her. “It’s not something you want to hear, I know, but I think you need to hear it. You didn’t get over Cho until you started to really notice Ginny and I think that’s how you’ll get over Ginny, by finding another girl to obsess over.”
“I do not obsess over her!” Evan cried indignantly.
“Sure, sure. Whatever you say Ev,” Luna said with a wave of her hand and a smirk as she started to put the plates away in the cabinet. “By the way, how’s the Daily Prophet these days? I’ve noticed that they’ve stopped printing those bullshit stories about the Ministry being great and them having contact with ‘Harry Potter’ and all that. It’s printing the truth now, even about the war.”
Evan grinned, he was proud of the way his newspaper was now reporting the news. “There’s a new editor and she’s great! Allison White prints only the truth, or as close to the truth as she can get. After all, there’s still a society column in the paper and not everything in there is really verifiable.” He and Luna laughed at that, well aware of some of the stuff that had been printed in the society column, including the fact that Draco Malfoy had once been dating Hermione Granger (Which was completely untrue because even in sixth year she had been pining after Ron).
The conversation lulled for a moment as the two finished taking apart the boxes that they had finished unpacking and stacked them with the other empty boxes. Once that was finished they continued on into the common area where everything was sitting on the floor, waiting to be arranged. Luna turned to Evan and raised an eyebrow at this.
“You took everything out of the boxes but couldn’t be bothered to put it away?” she asked in a tone that made him blush.
“I was distracted.”
“You were distracted enough to completely forget about all of this in here? Evan, there’s stuff everywhere!” She said in amazement. “How in the name of Merlin do you expect us to finish all of this and still make dinner for the seven of us?”
“My mum made dinner, it’s in the fridge, we just have to heat it up for it to be ready,” he responded defensively, “’sides this won’t take too long.”
She gave him a Look that all women seemed to have mastered (or at least all the competent ones) that made men feel extremely small. “That’s what you think.” She sighed and began to set up all of the pictures in a stack on the floor while Evan started to pick up the cushions and blankets waiting to be put away. “Honestly, didn’t your mother teach you any better?”
“Watch it, Lu, you’re starting to sound like Mione. Pretty soon you won’t even believe in nargles or crumple horned snorkacks,” Evan warned her and she laughed in response. “I’m serious! Next thing you know you’ll be campaigning for SPEW!”
“I think the feezles have been messing with your brain, Evan. Better be careful, you wouldn’t want to infect Ginny, would you?” She laughed until the cushion he threw at her hit her in the face. She stood there in complete surprise while he began laughing until she chucked the cushion back at his head.
“Hey!” he yelled in protest.
She simply smirked and continued to straighten up the room, which between the two of them and their constant distractions took them almost two hours to do so. They’d just finished when Evan glanced up at the clock and saw the time.
“Bloody hell!” he exclaimed, “I’ve got to start heating everything up, they’ll be here in a few minutes! Lu, can you set the table?” he called as he ran into the kitchenette and began to pull covered dishes from the fridge.
“Don’t worry, I’ve got it covered. Besides, you know that only Hermione’s going to be here on time. The entire Weasley clan suffers from chronic lateness syndrome.” Her only answer was Evan’s laughter as she began to set out the flatware.
Only minutes later the flames in the fireplace and Hermione stepped through, brushing off a bit of soot from her jeans. “Mmm, it smells wonderful in here. Did your mother do the cooking, Evan?” She asked as she walked into the kitchenette. “Hello Lu, Evan. This place looks great, I can’t believe what you’ve done with it!”
“Hey, Mione. I thought you were coming here directly from work, what’s with the jeans?” Luna asked as she hugged the older girl.
“Oh, I decided to stop in at home first because those Ministry appropriate robes really aren’t all that comfortable. Besides, I wanted to make sure that Ron didn’t just pass out after practice and be super late tonight.” They all laughed, knowing that Ron often passed out after Quidditch practice. He was the new keeper for the Chudley Cannons and worked hard to do the best he could for his team. “Honestly, that boyfriend of mine! He was asleep, but I woke him and he’ll be along in a few minutes.”
At that moment the twins decided to enter with a loud bang as they flung the door open. “Hey Evan, old chap, how’s it going?” George said as he sprang into the room, followed by his even louder twin.
“Evan, old boy! How nice to see you! When are you coming ‘round the store for that interview you were so keen on?” The three already in the flat looked at each other and burst out laughing, knowing they were meant to be startled by the two bursting in to the flat.
“Honestly, you two. Can’t you tone it down a little? Evan’s neighbors will start complaining,” Hermione scolded them and they did their best to look appropriately chastised, which was actually quite hard for them to do. “One of these days you two will have to grow up a bit.”
The twins looked at each other in horror before looking back at Hermione. “Never!” they shouted in unison before they were each hit upside the head by the girl walking in the door they had left open behind them.
“Oh shut up, the both of you. I could hear you from two floors down,” Ginny told them with a roll of her eyes before dropping her very large purse next to the door and shutting it. “Evan, Hermione! I haven’t seen you two in ages! I can’t understand how you always manage to not be there while I’m at the Prophet, Evan! Our desks are across from each other and I haven’t seen you in almost three weeks!” She announced as she hugged the two of them and Luna.
While Ginny was hugging Hermione, Luna gave Evan a look that said she knew exactly why Ginny never saw Evan and it had nothing to do with having a lot of work to do. “I still can’t believe that Luna managed to turn both you and Evan into reporters. You were always so set on Quidditch and then all of a sudden you were interning at the Daily Prophet and now you’re working there and already making headlines!” Hermione exclaimed while the two girls hugged.
Ginny laughed and turned to hug Luna as well. “Well, we always knew you would work in the ministry, Ron would play Quidditch, and the twins would have their joke shop. Somebody had to be a surprise. Besides, Evan was a born reporter. Somehow he always manages to get somewhere the second Harry Potter shows up. How do you manage it?” she asked in wonderment.
“How does who manage what?” Ron asked as he too appeared from the fireplace. He greeted Hermione with a kiss on the cheek and then turned to his sister and repeated his question.
“We were just talking about our jobs and I was wondering how Evan always knows when Harry Potter is going to appear. Do you have a Potter Radar or something?” she joked and everyone laughed, although Evan’s and Luna’s laughs were a bit forced. Then the timer went off and Evan began to pull the food out of the oven and everyone was too distracted by the wonderful smells of Petunia Dursley’s cooking to care about the unanswered question that Ginny had posed.
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Evan walked into the main offices of the Daily Prophet in London the next morning feeling quite content. He even stopped for some coffee along the way, remembering to get an extra for Ginny because if he didn’t then she would just steal his. Entering the lobby he stopped to chat with the security guard for a few moments before continuing up to his office on the 17th floor. Well, not really his office since only the editors got offices, but it was his desk. As he walked into the large room he dodged around the people to get to his desk and wasn’t at all surprised to see Ginny already hard at work at the desk across from his.
Without saying a word he placed her coffee next to her and then sat down at his desk. As he pulled up the article he had begun the day before he remembered once more all the reasons why he was so grateful that the old editor, Robert Benitt, had been replaced with Allison White, who he, and pretty much the rest of the staff at the Daily Prophet, viewed as a godsend. After seeing the archaic ways being used in the offices she had wasted no time in getting computers, magically-enhanced of course, for all those who needed them.
Returning his thoughts to his work he diligently began to correct the mistakes in his article about some new discoveries in the field of healing. It was an interesting topic and much better than all of the tales of death and destruction that flooded the news these days with the war going on. Just as he was putting on the finishing touches he was jolted out of his single-minded focus on his article by a shout from behind him.
“Dursley! Weasley! Get in here now!” He sighed and saved his article before closing it and looking up to find Ginny waiting for him.
“Come on, let’s go see what the chief has in store for us now.” He grinned in response and followed her to the office that was a few desks behind him.
“I still don’t get why you call her that, you know it just annoys her,” Evan said as they walked. “Besides, I think she’s a great editor, much better than Benitt was.”
Ginny rolled her eyes in response. “I call her that cause she is the chief. She dictates everything around here because she’s the editor in chief so I don’t find anything wrong with calling her chief. Other people call her that too.”
“They only call me that because you insist on doing so and it’s catching on.” Evan tried to hide his smile at the frustrated tone in his editor’s voice. “So quit doing it before I fire you.”
Both of them knew this was an empty threat and Ginny rolled her eyes. They stepped into the office to find Allison White standing in front of her desk next to a young man. White, as she was always called because almost everyone was afraid of calling her by her first name, was a small woman. Standing only five feet in height and looking rather delicate she did not give the impression that she was one of the most influential people in Magical Britain. She had just turned 23 and was already in charge of the largest newspaper in the country. Her looks made her seem rather sweet and innocent but underneath that was a mind of steel and a woman who knew exactly what she wanted and how to get it.
After being the assistant editor at the Daily Prophet for three years she had become the editor in chief when the old one had been fired for printing false news and various other misdemeanors the year before. A single mother of a little boy, she never let anything slip by her and treated everyone who worked at the Prophet as her children, even those much older than her.
Evan relaxed when he saw her smiling, her temper could be quite nasty, and continued into the office, shutting the door behind him when White motioned for him to do so. “Dursley, Weasley, I want you to meet Colin Creevey. He’s going to be our new photographer so I want the two of you to show him around and he’ll be your photographer for whenever you two need him. Oh, and I’m making the two of you partners. Now get out of here.”
Ginny wasted no time in protesting this new development and Evan wasn’t quite sure whether or not to be happy about it. “Chief, we don’t need partners! Evan’s worked here for over a year, why does he need a partner now? I’ve already had headliners and I’ve only worked here for two months and I was interning here before that! So why do we need to be partners all of a sudden?”
“Because I said so Weasley, now get back to work.” Ginny opened her mouth to protest some more when an owl zoomed into the room and dropped a piece of parchment into White’s hands. “Bloody hell, there’s a death eater attack in Diagon Alley, you two are covering it! Now get the hell out there and bring Creevey with you!” White didn’t wait for a response and moved to sit back down at her desk while the three of them rushed out of her office, intent on reaching Diagon Alley.
Chapter 3: Battle
Author's Notes: I could go into a really long story about why this update took so long, but I'll give you the short version: my computer decided it hates me.
Colin started panting as he followed Ginny and Evan through the streets of London. Not for the first time he wondered why in the name of Merlin they were running when they were wizards, and they could use magic. He didn’t express that thought, of course. Besides the fact that he had no breath with which to ask it, there was also the problem of who he would be posing the question to.
He remembered quite well his years at Hogwarts and how both Evan and Ginny had been then. Ginny, even when she had been young, had always been treated with respect. Not only had she had six older brothers, but she had quickly proven she could take care of herself when she had specialized in Defense Magics. Her signature hex was still greatly feared, although that wasn’t surprising seeing as it had only been a few months since they had graduated.
Evan, on the other hand, hadn’t had any overprotective relatives, but he had earned the respect of the entire school. There was just something about the quiet boy, now man, that had drawn people to him. Maybe it was the fact that he was always there for everyone, always available to lend a helping hand or just to listen to what you had to say. Colin couldn’t remember ever seeing him angry, even when he had caught his girlfriend, Cho Chang, cheating on him with Michael Corner. He had simply walked away without any facial expression.
Cho had dated Michael for awhile after that, but nothing had come of it and then in their seventh year had briefly dated Evan again. A few weeks into it Evan had broke it off, and that was the last time they had been seen together. Cho had been the school’s Golden Girl, but after she had hurt Evan twice her reputation had never been the same. Evan may have specialized in Charms, long considered the least powerful, but the students of Hogwarts had always considered him powerful in other ways.
Colin was shaken out of his reverie when the two before him stopped abruptly and he nearly ran into them. Ahead of them was the Leaky Cauldron, and the entrance to Diagon Alley. He was a bit embarrassed that he was panting when both Ginny and Evan didn’t even look winded. That feeling quickly dissolved into horror as he saw the people who were running from the tavern into the street. Aurors dressed up as Muggle police were keeping the Muggles far away from the site of the disaster.
Evan and Ginny cut through the crowd expertly and, once again, Colin was left to follow them. They reached the barricade and surreptitiously showed the disguised Auror their press badges from the Daily Prophet and their wands. They were let through and quickly headed even closer to the Leaky Cauldron. Colin was afraid of all that was happening around him, too frightened to remember that he was supposed to be doing his job and taking pictures of the chaos.
“Just breathe Colin. I know this is awful, I remember how it feels, but you can get through this if you just remember to breathe. Focus on taking pictures now, and later, when you’re in private, you can fall apart. That way you can save your dignity.” As Evan spoke to him and laid a hand on his shoulder Colin did manage to calm down. Slowly he breathed deeply and then began to capture the event in photos that would help to tell the horrifying story.
Evan watched as Colin began to take pictures and then turned to Ginny, who raised an eyebrow at him. “Getting touchy-feely are we, Dursley?” Evan scowled at her and opened his mouth to retort but she cut him off before he had the chance. “Let’s split up now. Just get as much as you can, about everything you can.”
Then she was off without giving either of them chance to say anything. Evan nodded at Colin and then headed off too. He didn’t go very far, just to the nearest secluded place he could find, which turned out to be a dark alleyway. Once there he quickly released his glamour charms. His eyes turned a startling green and he pulled out his glasses. His hair darkened to true black and he grew just a few inches taller. The famous scar also took up residence on his forehead. His suit was also replaced by standard black wizarding garb.
Taking a deep breath, his advice to Colin flashing through his head ironically, he took a step and Apparated into Diagon Alley. For a moment Harry did nothing, simply taking in everything going on around him. Then he turned to the nearest Death Eater and engaged him in a duel that lasted only seconds before Harry’s opponent fell to the ground, stunned.
Another one took his place and Harry continued to fight with single-minded determinedness. Then, suddenly there was no one else to fight. After what had felt like years of dodging brightly colored light and debris, which had not lasted even nearly that long, Harry’s opponents had fled.
Diagon Alley was still a mess, even though there was no longer an active battle raging in the middle of it. Around him Aurors were going through the destruction, helping the wounded and arresting the Death Eaters. A crowd was beginning to form a circle around him as they realized that Harry Potter was here, that Harry Potter had helped to save their lives, something they had not been able to realize while in the throes of battle. Harry warily looked around before raising his wand. He could see red hair coming closer to him and knew that Ginny was making her way toward him and that he needed to get out of there, now.
So he did. He took one step and was gone, leaving behind only a loud crack. He ended up in the same place where he had removed his glamour charms. Harry hurriedly replaced them and Evan merged from his hiding place. All around him there was chaos once more, but this time it wasn’t dangerous, but instead very sad. People were crying and Aurors were trying to calm them down and give out information on what was happening.
Evan pulled out his notebook and a pen, he’d discovered they were much easier to take notes with than the standard quill and parchment, and began to interview anyone he could. Once he’d made it into Diagon Alley he ran into both Ginny and Colin. Ginny was still fuming that Harry Potter had once again managed to escape and Colin was horrified at the tragedy surrounding him.
They left the area and headed into Muggle London to begin working on the article. As they left their ability to think of anything besides what had passed began to return and they found themselves hungry. So, they stopped at a little Italian place about a block away from the Daily Prophet office. They chose the booth in the back corner, for some privacy, and got right to work.
"Okay, so what's our focus going to be for the article, Harry Potter? Do I even need to ask?" Ginny told them as she took a sip of water. "You two can figure that much out on your own, can't you?"
Colin nodded and Evan just rolled his eyes. "How about this, I'll give you my notes and you write the story. Then I'll proofread it and make any changes necessary. After all, I can actually spell," Evan added with a smirk.
Now Ginny rolled her eyes, but she agreed to the deal (she was well aware that she really couldn't spell at all). Colin just sat there, still very silent. Then he spoke up. "How do you two manage to do this? There's been a war going on for years now and you two seem to hardly even care about it. I just can't understand it. You must have seen so many things just like today and yet you don't act like it at all. How do you do it?"
"We do it because we have to. I can stand it because I know that someone needs to tell the world what's happening, and that if I can help to do that then I'll be helping. It's what I can do and if it gets too much for me sometimes I think about the Aurors or the healers who have it so much worse, who can never escape from the horror when they're working. That's how I survive." Ginny told him softly, seriously. Evan nodded in silent agreement and the table fell silent.
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Harry Potter At Battle In Diagon Alley
By Ginevra Weasley and Evan Dursley
Yesterday in the early afternoon Death Eaters attacked the magical hub of London, Diagon Alley. Aurors responded immediately and began to evacuate civilians. Then the battle began and Harry Potter appeared once more. The Boy-Who-Lived has been spotted on more than one occasion helping when there has been an attack, but this is the first time he's appeared before so many people at once.
Rumors of his ability to use all three of the specialities were confirmed by the Aurors who fought alongside him yesterday. After the battle he stayed for just a moment, but he disappeared once more before any reporters were able to catch him. All we have are the eye-witness accounts of all those who saw him yesterday.
One Auror, who wishes to remain anonymous, said, "He appeared with a great noise and then he was right in the thick of it. I've never seen anything like it. He was never still, always moving, always shooting off spell after spell. He was shooting off spells from all the specialities, without any trouble. Never seen anything like it."
On a more somber note, today we remember not only our hero, but those who lost their lives yesterday in the battle...