A.N.: Hello again! This took longer than expected to post, but at last, 'Things I Don't Remember' is up and ready to be read! WARNING: This is the sequel to 'The Memory Charm'. If you haven't read that first, I advise you to do so before you read 'Things I Don't Remember'! As always, feel free to review, but no flames please! After all, this is only my second fan fiction.

Disclaimer: Any character/ thing/ creature you recognise are J.K. Rowling's. I don't own anything.

1. Back to School

Platform 9 and ¾ was packed with people giving cries of 'hello' to those that they knew. I stood awkwardly with my real aunt and uncle- Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon. I had only spent a couple of weeks at their house this summer, to get to know them a bit again. And I had hated it. I had spent four of the six-week holiday at Hogwarts apparently re-learning the things I was supposed to have learnt by now in Hogwarts or in life. Having spent most of the summer on my own or with my disapproving relatives, I had been looking forward to seeing the people from my dorm again and most of all, Ron, Hermione and Ginny, the only people I had been able to keep in touch with. Uncle Vernon had locked up my owl, Hedwig, but Ron had sent me letters from he and Hermione using his owl, Errol, and I had replied using his owl. I'd had a letter from Ginny, Ron's younger sister a several times, too. She seemed a bit attached to me now though, and I wasn't sure I liked it.

At long last, I spotted a mass of people all with red hair. I recognised the youngest two instantly. There was Ron, pushing a trolley with his trunk and rat cage sat on top. Behind him was Ginny with her trunk on a trolley like Ron's. Ron caught sight of him and came up to him, pushing his heavy trolley my way. Then Ginny spotted me too and blushed, going the same colour as her hair.

"Alright, Harry?" He asked me, "You managed to survive the summer?"

"Yeah, just about," I grinned, "how are you? You look a bit too pink!" Ron grinned back.

"It was sunny in Egypt," he shrugged, then, "did you get my card?"

"Yeah, but Errol was too tired for a trip back to Egypt. For a few days, anyway." Ron shook his head.

"Stupid bird," he muttered. "Ah well, at least he delivers the post before he collapses. Have you seen Hermione yet?" I shook my head.

"No and I've been standing here with this lot for about-" I checked the clock- "-ten minutes." Timings were another thing I had 'relearnt' during the four weeks at school

"Unlucky. She'll be here soon, I expect. It's already quarter to eleven, and she wouldn't dare miss the train."

Sure enough, a couple of minutes later, we spotted the mane of thick, bushy, brown curly hair that belonged to Hermione.

"Harry! Ron!" She called when she spotted us. She almost literally flew to us and hugged us both, though Ron's seemed to be slightly awkward. "It's great to see you again! How was your holiday, Harry? What was it like, being at school all by yourself?"

"Let him speak, Hermione!" Ron cried, exasperated, "How's he supposed to answer your questions if you don't let him talk?" Hermione grinned sheepishly. Her parents reached us and she started putting her trunk on the train.

"It was alright," I said, in answer to her questions, "at least, school was. The rest of the summer was boring though. Was it always like that?" Ron nodded.

"Last year they put bars on your windows because you stopped your uncle from making a deal with some rich customers." I gaped at him.

"What? Really?" I asked, "Are you sure you're not pulling a GL?"

"GL?" asked Hermione, confused.

"A Gilderoy Lockhart- telling me something that isn't true but me believing it is true- like how he tried to make me think he's my uncle."

"No, it's definitely not a GL," Ron replied firmly. I nodded, relieved. Apparently I was much more "gullible" now- I believed much more than was real.

I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"Harry," Ron's dad said in my ear, "how are you?"

"Erm- I'm good, thanks, you?"

"Yes, yes, very well, thank you." He hesitated. "Would you mind if I could have a quick word?" I shrugged and nodded. He turned and led me down the platform.

"I don't know if you have heard, Harry, but there is a prisoner loose from Azkaban, the wizard prison." He began.

"No, I hadn't heard." I told him, "What has he got to do with me?"

"Thirteen years ago, the prisoner, Sirius Black, was a big supporter of You-Know-Who, and he believes...well, he believes that if he kills you, then his old master can return." I stared at him. "All I ask, Harry, is that you take extra care this year, and however long it takes to capture him. Whatever you do, don't go looking for him. He will kill you without a second thought." I nodded.

"I'll keep my distance," I promised.

"Good. That's everything, I believe. Good luck this year, Harry."

"You too, sir." We headed back to the train where the others stood, ready to go, and their trunks on the train.

"Come on, Harry, time to go!" Ron said cheerfully. I said a quick, awkward goodbye to my relatives and less awkward goodbyes to Ron and Hermione's parents, then clambered onto the train. Somewhere hidden by the steam from the train, someone blew a whistle. Other students crowded the windows, waving goodbye to their relatives.

XXX

"Are you alright, Harry?" Hermione asked, breaking into my thoughts, "You're very quiet."

"I'm just thinking." I replied absently.

"What about?" she asked curiously.

"Something Ron's dad said before we left." I replied.

"Which was what?"

Damn Hermione's curiosity! I thought. I reluctantly told them what Mr Weasley had told me, grateful that there was only the three of us and a sleeping man who Hermione had guessed was a new teacher. I was even more grateful that he was asleep.

"He's right, Harry," Hermione said as soon as I had finished, "You mustn't go looking for him. He's very dangerous, and if what I've heard is true, he once killed thirteen Muggles with one curse, and his old best friend! You have to avoid him!" I nodded glumly.

"I wasn't going to try and find him, Hermione! Why would I cross the path of some mad-man who wants me dead?" Hermione opened her mouth to say more, but the compartment door opened and a witch with a trolley of food appeared by the door.

"Anything off the trolley, dears?" she asked, cutting off what Hermione was going to say. I knew that while the witch who pushed the trolley was here, she wouldn't say anything, but when she wasn't… she was going to strike at the first chance she could get. I was going to have to be careful.

XXX

It was getting dark outside, and Ron and Hermione were talking about Hogsmeade, the most local wizarding village to Hogwarts.

"There's Dervish and Bangs: it's like the Wiseacre's Wizarding Equipment shop in Diagon Alley. Then there's Honeydukes: it's a sweet shop and has everything! Pepper Imps, Sugar Quills, great big Chocoballs filled with strawberry mousse and clotted cream, sherbet balls that make you float whilst you're sucking them…"

"It's a fascinating village historically too." Hermione added, "That's where the Shrieking Shack is: it's rumoured to be the most haunted house in Britain!"

"Where did you find that out?" I asked her, as Ron kept naming various magical sweets, completely oblivious to what she was saying.

"Sites of Historical Sorcery. It also says that the inn was headquarters for the Goblin Rebellion in 1612. In fact, that's one of the topics in A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot, if you've read it since the Chamber."

"Read what?" Ron asked, trying to tune into our conversation again.

"I can't say I have. Professor Binns didn't create much enthusiasm for the subject last summer."

"Not surprised," Ron said, "He makes us all go to sleep."

"You know, history of magic is actually interesting," Hermione began, but Ron cut across her.

"Really? Even when Binns teaches it?"

"Well… no," Hermione conceded, "but then again, Ron, you don't even try to listen."

"That's because he puts me to sleep!" Ron cried, incredulously.

"You aren't seriously saying that you can get head or tail out of his droning, are you?" I asked her, amazed.

"I can actually!" Ron gaped at her. Hermione looked slightly flustered now and continued, "but I find him just as dull as you do." Ron closed his mouth with a satisfied nod. We were quiet for a minute.

"Must be nearly there by now," Ron said, trying to see outside the window. The train began to slow.

"But- we- we can't be there yet!" Hermione cried, confused, looking at her watch.

"Then why are we stopping?" asked Ron. The train stopped completely. Thuds told us that some trunks had fallen from luggage racks somewhere in the train. The lights flickered, then switched off, plunging us into darkness.

"What's going on?" Ron asked.

"Does this usually happen?" I asked.

"No. D'you think we might have broken down?"

"I doubt it." Came Hermione's voice, but she sounded unsure. Ron tried to see out of the window.

"I- I think… I think something's moving out there…" Ron said quietly, uncertainly, "I think someone's coming on board…" we heard our compartment door open and something large and heavy fell on our legs.

"Ouch!" we cried all at once, keeping our voices hushed.

"Sorry!" the person said quickly, "Do you know what's happening?"

"Neville?" Ron asked, "Is that you?"

"Yeah," Neville said, "Ron? That's you isn't it? Hermione, are you here? And Harry?"

"We're here, Neville, and no, we don't know what's going on." I told him.

"Could we have broken down?" Ron suggested, as the weight lifted from our legs.

"I don't know." Hermione said. "I'm going to talk to the driver." I felt her pass by, heard the door slide again and two squeals of pain.

"Ouch!" two voices said at once. One was Hermione's, the other I recognised immediately as Ginny's.

"Who's that?" Hermione and Ginny asked together.

"Ginny?"

"Hermione?"

"What are you doing?"

"I was looking for Ron, Harry and you."

"Come in and sit down."

"Ouch!" I said as I was suddenly sat on by Ginny and found her long red hair was suddenly in my mouth.

"Oops! Sorry, Harry!" Ginny said, probably blushing, although I couldn't see her face in the dark.

"Don't worry about it," I told her, "are you alright?"

"Yes," she replied, and slid off my lap onto the empty seat beside me. "Are you?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." I replied.

"Ouch! Whoever that was, that was my foot you trod-" Hermione began, but was interrupted by a hoarse voice suddenly saying:

"Quiet!" The teacher had finally woken up. Silence fell. "Stay where you are!" A soft crackling noise followed, and then we could see a little bit. The teacher seemed to be holding something that was giving out light. It looked like little flames. The teacher rose to his feet, just as the door slid open yet again.

But whatever stood in the doorway wasn't human; at least, it didn't feel like it. Before I looked, I felt cold; colder than I'd ever been in my life. I felt as though I would never be happy again, kind of like how I'd felt at the Dursley's sometimes.

Then I looked.

Illuminated by the teacher's flames was a tall, hooded figure, something that somehow seemed even more dangerous than the Basilisk.

The temperature plummeted, penetrating my body like a knife, right into my heart. Fog clouded over my eyes. I couldn't feel; I couldn't see. I felt like I was drowning in cold, being dragged down... down... down... Then, from what felt like miles away, I heard screaming. Terrible screams. It was a woman's. I wanted to help, but I couldn't move, I was too deeply stuck in the fog...

"Harry! Harry! Are you all right? Can you hear me?" Someone was hitting my face.

"What...?"

I opened my eyes. The floor was shaking; lanterns above me were lit. I could see again. I could feel again. I hadn't drowned. The Hogwarts Express was moving again. I lay on the floor of the compartment, and I realised that I must've fallen off my seat and onto the floor. Had it really happened then? Or had it just been a dream?

One look at the other's faces and I knew it had been real. They were all too pale.

Ron and Hermione were kneeling next to me. Ginny was sitting in a corner next to the door with her knees drawn up to her chest, her arms wrapped around her knees, her long red hair forming a curtain around her small figure. She was shaking. I felt again the urge to protect her, just like I'd had in the Chamber last year, when Tom Riddle was using a little girl for his evil plans. The teacher and a boy from my dormitory I recognised as Neville were sitting behind Ron and Hermione: Neville sitting, the teacher crouching.

I had cold sweat on my face. Ron and Hermione helped me onto the seat next to Ginny, on her right.

"Are you OK?" Ron asked me nervously.

"Yeah." I glanced uneasily at the door, as if the creature was still there. "What happened? What was that thing? Why was it here? Where did it come from? Who- who was screaming?" My questions came before I could stop them.

"Harry, nobody screamed," Ron told me, more nervously still. I stared at him, disbelieving.

"But I heard it. It was a woman. Someone was screaming." The others exchanged worried looks.

"That, Harry, was a dementor." The teacher said, changing the topic before the silence became awkward. The others seized this change immediately with relief.

"They guard the wizard prison, Azkaban." Ron said.

"A dementor sucks the happiness from a person, and, in some cases, forces a person to relive their darkest memories."

"Even if the person doesn't remember them?" I asked. The teacher looked slightly puzzled, but replied, "Yes, even if the person can't remember it happening. It is possible, Harry, that you were reliving one of your darkest memories when you heard the screaming. We didn't hear any screams, which means that the scream you heard was part of the memory." He reached into his pocket and drew out a chocolate bar. He snapped it into pieces and handed a piece to each of us.

"Here. Eat this. I'm going to talk to the driver. Please excuse me."

He strode out into the corridor and disappeared from sight.

I took a bite from my chocolate and felt slightly better.

"Did any of you... you know..." I shifted in my seat uncomfortably, "pass out? Faint?" They shook their heads.

"I felt terrible though, as though I'd never be cheerful again." Ron said sounding hollow. Ginny, who looked worse close up, gave a small sob. I put my arm around her shoulders, let her lean her head on my shoulder and leant my cheek on the top of her head.

"Why was it here?" I asked.

"It was probably looking for Sirius Black." Hermione answered at once.

"Did you feel it too?" I asked Ron.

"Feel what?" He asked sharply.

"That it was worse than the basilisk." Ron nodded.

"Yeah. I felt it all right."

A.N: Well now the third year is underway! Please let me know any thoughts or reviews! The next chapter should be up shortly.