As I sit by the window, I find myself feeling sick of the same old things, when I have no right to. I've got an attentive girlfriend, two understanding best friends and a doting mother figure. But I still don't feel content. Instead, I feel rather ... bored. It's not like the past year hasn't been exciting. I've fought in the war, defeating the most powerful and dark wizard of all time. I'm an international hero, though I don't want to be. I have everything I need, and have the means to get anything I want. I rest my head against the cool glass of the window, an action that I've found to calm and soothe me over the years. As I feel my eyes getting heavy, I start to wonder. What would life be like if I wasn't the chosen one? Before my eyelids snap shut, I think one last thing. Take me back; give me a chance to be normal.
I wake to the sound of chirping birds and start. I look around me frantically, wand drawn, looking for danger, when I realise I was never in danger. The night terrors have haunted me all my life, but the most recent ones have left me with the most mental scarring. I awaken every morning, seized by terror, looking for threats that were never there. I rub my eyes and shake my head, blinking blearily around me. I must have fallen asleep in the chair. I head out into the landing, to find the house filled with unfamiliar voices. I freeze where I stand, then slowly back into the wall. A sudden shrieking rings familiar in my head, and I recognise the shill voice of Sirius' mother. Someone must have woken her. I draw my wand and start to head down the stairs when I hear another voice I know. But this time, there's no explanation to how I can hear it. It's impossible. No, there it is again. One voice I could recognise among millions. Sirius. I continue my descent downstairs, slowly heading towards the kitchen. I stop, having an idea strike me. My hand enters my pocket, withdrawing my cloak, and I slip it on. Suddenly, footsteps approach, and I press myself against the wall once more, making it just in time for Regulus to pass. No, what? Regulus is dead, Harry! My breathing quickened, I go down the steps into the kitchen, stopping dead at the scene I see before me. All the Black family, seated at the table. Impossible! I scream in my head. I spot a Daily Prophet on the side of the table. I approach it carefully. I check the date; 28th August, 1986. 1986! How? What am i doing in 1986?! I feel lightheaded and go outside the kitchen to steady my breathing.
A second set of footsteps head my way and I run up the stairs, forgetting to be quiet. I stop at the top of the flight and see Sirius looking at me with great confusion. Well, not at me, straight through me. As he starts to climb the stairs, I nearly faint.
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I'm heading to the kitchen when I hear it. It's like the rustling James' cloak makes. But James isn't here. I approach the noise quietly, and then it's as if someone is running up the stairs, but no-one's there. I stand at the bottom of the stairs, listening, but there's nothing to be heard. I'm about to turn away when I hear someone sigh. My head snaps back towards the stairs, and I sprint up them, turning towards the bathroom, as I heard a door close. The sound came from behind me, so I turn to the door to my room. It's closed the opposite of how I left it this morning. I mutter a silencing charm on the landing and open the door. The room looks the same as it did when I left it; nothing's been taken. I hear the spell before I can block it. "Stupefy!" I hear a faint pop, and then I black out.
When I awaken, it's dusk. I look around me, searching for the attacker that I know won't be there, when my eyes fall on something round and shiny. A snitch. I sit up and grasp the shimmering golden ball, twirling it in the light. I stand and stretch, slipping the cool metallic sphere into my pocket, before heading downstairs. "You, boy, where have you been?" I'm bombarded with this as soon as I enter the lounge. I have to resist the urge to roll my eyes as I respond to my lovely mother's patient question. "I was sleeping, Mother," She snarls at me, baring her stained yellow teeth. "Have you packed your trunk yet, Boy?" She demands of me, grimacing when I shake my head. "Your brother Regulus had his case packed two weeks ago!" She points at Reg, who looks extremely uncomfortable. We get along now, rather than fighting as we used to when we were children. I just shrug and leave the room, ignoring whatever insults she throws at me retreating back. I decide it best to pack my trunk, before I forget. Besides, the sooner I get it done, the sooner it'll feel 'til I go back to Hogwarts for my seventh and final year. I grin at the thought of seeing Moony and Prongs again. I'll have to tell them about the intruder and the snitch. James'll probably just laugh and say I've got a Quidditch playing ghost living in my attic. Moony'll have something more intelligent to say. Once I've finished packing, I flop down on the bed, ready for a proper sleep.
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