Disclaimer: I am very sorry to admit to you all that unfortunately I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters etc in it, Poor me.

WARNING: THIS CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR THE 5TH BOOK SO IF YOU HAVEN'T READ IT THEN DO NOT CONTINUE READING THIS!

Right, on with the show.

Chapter One: No longer there

Harry sat at his window staring out into the deserted street below. Nothing was stirring but he expected this as Privet Drive was a very respectable street so there would never be any noise at this ungodly hour. He tilted his head up so he was now starring into the depthless black of the sky. Stars twinkled down at him as he peered yet he could not help but to feel that something was missing. Turning his head to see better; he started to mentally go through all of the constellations that he knew. Suddenly it hit him; a wave of sadness overtook his body and he crumpled to the ground beside his bed.

"Sirius is gone" he whispered into the night.

It was true, the brightest star in the sky was missing, almost as though someone had reached up and plucked it from the darkness.

Harry remained sitting on the floor with his arms wrapped tightly around his slender legs. He could not cry; tears were too trivial for the loss he had suffered. He would not cry, crying would make it definite. Harry lowered his head until it was resting on his knees. He shut his eyes and willed himself to sleep, only to be woken in a few hours time by a rapping on his door.

"Up! Get up boy! Up now! If your going to stay in this house you might as well make yourself useful!" his aunts' voice penetrated the thick wood of his door like the knives that seemed to have penetrated his heart.

Slowly he rose; rubbing sleep from his eyes he made his way towards the door. Pulling it open he was met with the bony face of his aunt Petunia.

"Get dressed and get downstairs! Your uncle wants a word with you boy! Make sure you keep a civil tongue in your head while you're taking to him" she snapped before heading off to the cupboard under the stairs to fetch the vacuum.

Harry trudged downstairs, anger boiling up inside him. Why couldn't they just leave him alone, couldn't they see that he was in pain? When he got to the kitchen he found his uncle Vernon sitting at the square table with a letter clutched in his large blotchy hands.

"Sit!" he barked at Harry

Harry obeyed and sat down opposite him. He did not want to look up; instead he studied his hands willing his uncle to let him go.

"I received a letter this morning, delivered by one of those ruddy owls! It says you're to be picked up tomorrow. I've been told to tell you that you must be packed and ready by 7pm on the dot. . . no doubt the crack pot old fool wants you back at that freak house. . .well I say good riddance! The earlier the better" His uncle said all this in a very strained voice. Clearly he did not relish the idea of having more 'freaks' in his house yet he was still too afraid to protest.

"Right" Harry muttered "can I go now?"

"Yes, get back to your room and don't come down unless you're called, I see too much of you as it is" his uncle bit back in reply.

"Fine, s'not like I enjoy your company either" Harry snapped as he retreated from the room.

"Watch your mouth boy!" he heard his uncle say as he climbed the stairs.

Once he was back in his room he flipped open the lid of his trunk and started packing.

Wonder why they're getting me so early tis time? Bet Dumbledore feels guilty about last summer. Still, it's only been two weeks. Wonder who's coming to get me?

He continued on this train of thought all throughout his packing. After he finished he flopped down onto his bed staring at the ceiling. Slowly he drifted back off into a fitful sleep.

At around six fifty-nine the next evening Harry was sitting on the edge of his bed anxiously awaiting his pick up. The clock on his beside table struck seven just as a series of loud 'cracks' came from outside his door. He leapt from his bed and wrenched open the door only to come face to face with bubble gum pink hair and a bright smile.

"Wotcher Harry!" said Tonks "Me, Lupin and Mad Eye have come to collect you! S'pect your happy 'bout getting out of this odd muggle place"

"'Course I am" he replied looking over her shoulder at his two former professors. "We going now?"

"Certainly are, here let me get your trunk Harry" Lupin said striding past him into his room. Harry noticed the increased amount of grey hair his old teacher seemed to have gained in the short amount of time since he had last seen him.

Lupin performed the Locomotor charm on his trunk and sent it zooming downstairs.

"Right Potter, we'll need to put a disillusionment charm on you again, hold on" Moody said gruffly.

Once again Harry felt the odd trickling sensation down his spine. Looking down he saw that he was now completely blended in with his bedroom.

"Right-o, let's get moving shall we? Harry, grab your Firebolt; we're off on another long cold journey"

Harry was surprised that Tonks could say all that and still remain oddly cheerful. He bent over and picked up his Firebolt, still grateful that Dumbledore had given it back to him at the end of the year, along with his place on the Gryffindor Quidditch team.

The three wizards and witch made their way downstairs, out the front door and into the still night. They mounted their broomsticks and kicked off into the cool summer air.

It felt wonderful to be back on his Firebolt. All his feelings of emptiness were pushed aside as Harry concentrated on his flying. They followed the same route that they had taken last summer, touching down in the dank darkness of Grimmauld Place. Number Twelve materialised in front of Harry's eyes and Moody stepped up to the door.

"Quickly now Harry, inside" Urged Lupin

Harry walked over the threshold and into the dark corridor beyond. Immediately he felt ill. This was Sirius' house; it was once alive with his laughter and loud Christmas carols, his grumblings about Kreacher and his cursing about Dumbledore. It was once welcoming, now it seemed to Harry as if the life had been sucked out of it. Swallowing the lump in his throat he started walking towards the drawing room behind Moody. He could hear voices coming from inside.

Moody opened the door and a bright light flooded into the corridor. Harry stepped into the room. He was greeted by the faces of most of the Weasley's and Dumbledore.

"Hello Harry, lovely of you to join us this fine evening, if you haven't already noticed Ron and Hermione are not present, so unless you want to be bored senseless by these old people, I suggest you make your way up to your old room. . ." George said this with a gigantic grin on his freckly face.

"Too true my dear brother. Now Harry my good man, you wouldn't mind if we joined you? You see, we are also bored senseless with these old folks" this time it was Fred who spoke, he also had an equally large grin gracing his face. 

"Right" was all that Harry could say, he was still overcome with grief from just being in this house. He nodded a 'hello' to the occupants in the room before turning on his heel and striding off towards the stairs. As soon as he got to his room he heard two loud cracks and Fred and George appeared in the middle of the room.

"Bloody hell you two! You could give us some warning!" Ron yelled, "Oh! Hiya Harry!" 

Before Harry could reply he was being strangled by a very overexcited Hermione.

"Oh Harry! How have you been? It's been awful at home! I haven't been able to concentrate on any of my homework at all! And then yesterday I got a letter saying I'm being taken here! Oh and when I got here it was awful too! This house is so full of memories!" she said all this without taking a breath. Harry was surprised that anyone could go so long without air.

"She's been like this since she got here! Honestly 'Mione, you could stop babbling for once you know!" snapped Ron.

"Well at least I show emotion! Not like somebody, Mr 'I'm so good" retorted Hermione in what Harry thought was a very immature and un-Hermione like way.

"Oh really! I don't show emotion! That's bull that is! At least I have some bloody tact! Can you believe her Harry! For Merlin's sake!"

"Oh shut up both of you! I don't want to listen to your bickering! I thought you stopped all that last year!" Harry said angrily.

Harry felt his anger rise up in him once again. It was strange really, that this was the same spot that he had blown up at Hermione and Ron last year.

"I'm sorry Harry" Hermione whispered, "It's just that every time I try to speak Ron here shuts me up. It's like he thinks that's I'm going to say something about Sirius!"

The room was suddenly filled with a reigning silence after Hermione had finished speaking. Harry looked down at his hands then turned to face the back wall.

"I'm so sorry Harry! I really didn't mean to say anything!" said Hermione frantically.

"S'ok 'Mione, could you guys just err, leave me be for a bit? Please?"

The desperation in Harry's voice told all the others that now would be a good time to go. Ron, Hermione, Fred and George all turned and left the room together with George quietly shutting the door behind him.

Harry sank down onto his bed. Why had they brought him here? To torment him with thoughts of Sirius? He put his head in his hands. After a while he decided he should just go to bed. He'd get answers in the morning as to why he was here. All he felt like doing now was forgetting. He quickly pulled on a pair of pyjamas from his trunk wondering how it had got there. He crawled into bed with one last thought drifting through his head before he slipped into sleep; why are they doing this to me?

TBC. . .