This story is discontinued! The first 18 chapters are here on , but I won't continue writing it.

Disclaimer: Alas, I do not own any of the characters, names or places mentioned in this chapter. Unfortunately, they all belong to J. K. Rowling, Warner Bros., etc…

AN: That's how I see the sixth book. I heard somewhere that its name is going to be "Harry Potter & the torch of the green flame", so I decided to write a fic about it. I hope you enjoy it, so READ & REVIEW!

This story is dedicated to Sirius Black, R.I.P

HARRY POTTER & THE TORCH OF THE GREEN FLAME

Chapter 1 – The present

It was another sunny day in the town of Little Whinging. All the houses in Privet Drive were as silent as always. Nobody could have known that it was the sixteenth birthday of Harry Potter, who lived in Privet Drive 4. Harry was having a not-so-sweet sixteen. True, his best friends Ron and Hermione sent him great presents (Hermione – yet another book about Quidditch; and Ron – a bag of chocolate frogs, along with a homemade cake from his mother and a few inventions of his twin brothers, Fred and George, who had a joke shop), and even the present he got from his aunt and uncle was better than usually (They gave him, believe it or not, a pencil). Still, Harry's mood couldn't have been worse. The only thing he thought about, when awake, was the loss of Sirius, his godfather. Although he knew that it wasn't his fault that Sirius died, he felt that he could have prevented it, had he been more careful. And, of course, he kept having dreams about Sirius, ever since he'd returned to his relatives' house. But this year, the dreams he had were nothing alike the nightmares that he had during the previous summer. Last year, in his dreams, Harry kept reliving his encounter with the evil Lord Voldemort, and the death of Cedric Diggory. But now, it was different. Strangely, he didn't have a single dream about Sirius falling through the veil in the Department of Mysteries. Instead, every night, Sirius managed to survive his fight with Bellatrix Lestrange, and the dreams always ended in a tremendously happy feeling. This made Harry feel worse when he woke up than he was feeling during the day, because each time, after coming back to his senses and realizing that Sirius wasn't really alive, he suffered more and more. He felt ashamed of dreaming that Sirius was alive, when he'd been gone for a month already. Harry knew that he would give anything to return Sirius to life. He sometimes thought that if it could bring him back, he would have even left Hogwarts, but as Dumbledore once said to Sirius himself, "No spell can reawaken the dead"… So, Harry continued to suffer silently…

The grief didn't make Harry forget what was going on outside Privet Drive. He knew that now, when everybody knew that Voldemort is back, the wizarding world, and especially Harry himself, were in danger. So, since his return to Privet Drive, he actually started practicing Occlumency. After last year, he understood just how important it really was. Each night, before going to bed, he emptied his mind of all thoughts. Harry thought he was really getting better at it. At least, he didn't have any dreams or visions related to Voldemort. His scar sometimes prickled, but he was already used to it, and it didn't really bother him.

The only happy thought that Harry had these days was the prospect of going to The Burrow, to be with Ron, and maybe Hermione too. This summer, their letters were of normal length, and as he read them, he sometimes managed to forget for a while about his grief. He really was looking forward to Ron's next letter, probably telling him when and how he could come to his house.

As the day drew to its end, Harry's mood became worse. He knew that in the night, he'll be dreaming once again about Sirius, who, once again, will somehow escape. Harry dreaded that moment, so he didn't want to fall asleep. He was sitting by his desk, absent-mindedly stroking Hedwig, his snowy owl, as the doorbell suddenly rang. Harry raised his head for a second, but as whoever was at the door couldn't possibly concern him, he continued to stroke Hedwig. A minute passed, and suddenly Harry's uncle Vernon opened the door to his room, obviously in a very bad mood. "Get down, NOW! There's somebody here who wants to talk to you, and I don't want - anyone of - of - your folk in my house, so hurry!" he muttered in an angry voice and went out. Harry was stunned. Who could possibly come to the Dursley's house to talk to him? Harry took out his wand – after all, it could be one of the free Death Eaters, and he certainly didn't want to meet one of them here and now. However, when he came down, he had a huge surprise – standing near the front door, dressed in shabby Muggle clothes and carrying a bag, was Remus Lupin – Harry's former teacher in Hogwarts, and the best friend of James Potter and Sirius Black since their school days. Harry liked Lupin, who also was one of the members of the Order of the Phoenix. He was completely amazed seeing him here, standing in the Dursleys' house, waiting for Harry to come down, while the Dursleys eyed him with great dislike. Dudley, Harry's cousin, looked especially scared, as his two previous encounters with wizards ended tragically for him – either with a pig's tail or with a few-feet-long tongue…

"Pr… Professor Lupin? What are you doing here?" asked Harry.

"Let's go outside, and I'll explain everything, Harry," said Lupin and went out to the front yard. Harry followed, feeling a little bit rude – he didn't even greet Lupin… They walked for a minute in silence, and stopped far enough from the Dursleys' house. Then, Lupin finally spoke. "Well, first of all, you know that I'm not your teacher anymore, so you are, of course, free to call me Remus" and he smiled. Harry managed to put a little smile in return, but before he could say anything, Lupin continued speaking.

"And now, back to business – I'm here because we're sure that you would like to spend the rest of your summer with the Weasleys."

"Yeah, of course I would! Are we going there now?" Harry became really excited, and Lupin's next words turned to be a small disappointment. "No, no, not yet… But it is going to be very soon."

"How are we getting to The Burrow? Are we going to fly again, like last year? Or we're using Floo powder?" Harry's excitement leapt up once again.

"Well, actually, I don't know yet. It is up to Dumbledore to decide how and where you're going, as he knows best how to protect you," said Lupin.

"So I might not go to The Burrow?" asked Harry, puzzled.

"Yes, you might. As a matter of fact, right now, nobody but Dumbledore knows where exactly you'll go. Personally, I think you will come to the Headquarters of the Order, again," Lupin answered. The Order of the Phoenix was a secret organization of wizards who fought Voldemort. Last year, the Order was kept in great secrecy, because the Ministry of Magic didn't believe that Voldemort was back. However, a month ago, the Minister for Magic himself, Cornelius Fudge, saw Voldemort, so now everybody in the magic community knew of his return. Harry thought this must mean the Order wouldn't have to operate secretly anymore, but instead, in cooperation with the Ministry. The Headquarters of the Order were in Sirius's old house, and Harry spent a month there during the previous summer. But now, he felt – no, he knew one thing: He wouldn't go there – he couldn't stand the thought of being in the place where he had been with Sirius for so long, the place where lived Kreacher, the house-elf who was to blame for Sirius's death.

"I… I can't go to the Headquarters… I won't…" he said in an unsteady voice. He just couldn't go there, even if it meant not meeting Ron and Hermione until the start of the school year. Harry was sure that Lupin would object or protest, but surprisingly, he seemed to understand. He suddenly looked sad, and struggled for the right words: "When… We… After…" Finally, he said: "The Headquarters were moved to another place… So it – it won't be a problem…"

Harry felt easier. "Where is it now?"

"Obviously, I can't tell you – Dumbledore is a Secret-Keeper for its location. Actually, I think that when you move there, he would be Secret-Keeper for your location, as well."

Harry's mind was working very slowly. "What… what do you mean?"

"You see, now that everybody knows about Voldemort's return, he has only two goals - regaining his power and support, and…" Lupin's words broke.

"Killing me?" asked Harry, sure of the answer.

"Well, yes… So we have to protect you in the best ways we have. We cannot risk, and let Voldemort or one of his supporters catch you," said Lupin and smiled grimly.

Harry's mind finally seemed to return back no normal. "How will I know when to be ready?" he asked. Lupin thought for a moment.

"I think that you'll have to get yourself ready for leaving the house as soon as possible, even today, and wait for us to come and take you. I believe that it'll be this week, so you won't have to wait for long. And make sure that you tell it to your aunt and uncle, we don't want any troubles with them… We'll have enough troubles with the Ministry…"

"Why? They know that Voldemort is back, what's the problem?" asked Harry.

Lupin sighed heavily. "Now it's the other way around. The ministry is keeping a close watch on you and on any magical activity here… I had to notify the Ministry about my arrival here today, and to go through all kinds of checks… So, if we take you without any notice, they'll track us down, and we don't want it to happen. You see, the Order is still kept in secret, and we don't want anybody in the Ministry to have a slightest piece of information of our whereabouts."

Harry was really puzzled. "But why?" he asked.

"Voldemort had spies in the Ministry once, and he would surely have them again. So we cant take the risk…" Lupin answered.

Now, Harry began to worry. "How do you know that nobody is listening to us now?"

But Lupin laughed. "Before I came here, I cast a spell that prevents other people from hearing what we talk about. So don't worry, it's OK. And now, I think, we'd better return."

They walked back to Privet Drive 4. Harry was already near the next door, when Lupin called him again. "Harry, wait. There's another thing that I want to give you," and he pulled something out of his bag. "Happy birthday!" Lupin gave him a wrapped present and Disapparated with a 'pop' before Harry could say another word. He smiled and went inside. Now, he had to tell aunt Petunia and uncle Vernon that he would be going away in a week's time, and though he knew they definitely wouldn't object, he'd rather disappear without a warning. He hesitated, and then went to his aunt.

"Aunt Petunia?" he said.

"What?" she said irritably.

"I… I'd be leaving the house sometimes this week," he said firmly.

Aunt Petunia raised her head. "How, and where are you going, exactly?"

Harry was surprised to hear a note of anxiety in her voice. "A few wi… ehm, people will come and pick me up. I'm going to my friend Ron's house."

No, he must have imagined it, he thought, as his aunt answered in a perfectly normal voice. "Whatever you say," she said and continued reading the magazine she was holding.

Harry went upstairs to his room. Has he imagined, or has his aunt actually expressed a bit of concern for him? Well, he had more pressing matters to deal with. He had to pack his things, and he still hadn't opened Lupin's present. He unwrapped it, and saw it was a picture. When he turned it over, he gasped. It was a picture, taken almost sixteen years ago, of his mother, who was holding him, his father, Sirius and Lupin. They were all smiling and waving at him. For a moment he felt very sad, but then he smiled and said to himself – it was the best birthday present he had ever got. Harry put the picture on his bedside table, and lay on his bed for a few hours, staring at it, occasionally wiping a tear, until, finally, he fell asleep.

AN: Liked it? Hated it? Tell me what you think, I need to know. Constructive criticism is welcomed, but no flames. As soon as I get a couple of reviews, I'll put another chapter. REVIEW!