Chapter 1 Dreams and Remembrance
The past year all seemed so surreal. Nothing made sense anymore. The events of betrayal, love, magic and most of all MURDER played themselves out endlessly behind the eyes of the boy. He felt lost. The once vivid emerald orbs that sat behind their bespectacled cage were dull and lifeless, the mind of their owner totally withdrawn from everyone and everything around him.
It had been a week since the train ride home on the Hogwarts express, a week since the tearful goodbyes on platform nine and three quarters and a week since┘ the funeral.
Harry sat at his rickety desk, in the smallest room of number four privet drive and thought. He▓d been doing that a lot lately.
He thought of many things, Ron his git of a best friend, Hermione and her quiet scholarly ways, Ginny and their brief but blissful relationship, the death of his great friend and headmaster, the death of his godfather and parents, Voldemort and the prophecy.
The damned prophecy!
He slammed his fist angrily into the wood of the desk, startling Hedwig where she sat gazing into the misty darkness of the British midnight.
The words rang endlessly through his skull ▒and either must die at the hands of the other!▓
Over and over, a chant that spelled doom and misery upon the wizarding and muggle worlds alike.
It wasn▓t fair! How could they all expect this of him? How could some crackpot old seer place such a doom on his life? How could a monster be allowed to steal not only his childhood but almost every person that mattered to him? How could they all sacrifice themselves for him? How could they die and leave him all alone?
How could they?
Tears ran from his eyes as he blinked furiously. Shaking his head in frustration he shoved his chair back angrily and threw himself onto his worn bed sheets.
Sleep was out of the question, every doze brought new flashes and nightmarish visions of that night.
The horrifying in ultimately fruitless search for the horcrux, the betrayal of that bastard Snape, the battle for Hogwarts and finally and most painfully, the image of Albus Dumbledore, the greatest wizard of their time, falling through the air limp and powerless like a rag doll.
He fixed a grim stare on the ceiling of his room as he lay on his back and tried to think of happier times. Times with Ron and Hermione and Ginny at the Burrow, strangely the last mentioned Weasley did not feature too largely in these remembrances.
At last his body demanded what his overwrought mind had done all it possibly could to avoid. Sleep crept over him and for a few merciful hours he knew no more.
▒Severus, please?▓ the now familiar scene started again.
▒Avada Kedavera!▓ the awful green bolt shot forth for what felt like the hundredth time but slowed by memory and nightmare it flew slowly, painfully towards Harry▓s mentor and friend.
Despair filled him as he fought to look away, to wake up, to do anything but stand immobile in the hold of Dumbledore▓s last spell.
The bolt struck home and as the life of a great man ended once more at the hands of a supposed ally Harry shot awake.
Never again. He swore silently.
Never again would anyone stand between him and the Avada Kedavera. He would not let that happen ever again!
Disentangling himself from his sweat drenched sheets he stumbled to the bathroom squinting in the murky light of the dawn over Surrey. Leaning heavily on the basin he met his reflections gaze for the first time since the funeral. He sighed the bags under his eyes were nothing new nor the wildness of his hair.
What was new was the small almost invisible trickle of blood running from the hated lighting bolt scar on his forehead.
When had that happened? He had no idea but he was relatively certain that he would have noticed injuring his forehead, especially there!
But then that scar had only ever bled when touched by┘ Voldemort!
Harry spun, fearing for a moment that the self styled Darklord would be standing in the shadows of the hallway.
As his beating heart subsided he thought, was it possible that these nightmares were being sent? He remembered some vague reference to dream magic from charms or was it divination? Wracking his brain proved useless, if only he knew as much as┘ Hermione!
The thought sprang to the front of his mind and before he could find himself he was sitting at his desk, breathless from the dash through the hall, with a parchment spread before him and a quill in his shaking hand.
But what to write?
He couldn▓t simply say ▒Hey Hermione! Ever heard of dream magic? Cause I fancy that Voldemort is sending me nightmares!▓ that sounded singularly stupid to him even at this time of morning.
He sat for what felt like hours scribbling and scratching out but finally settling on a rough-
Hey Hermione, how has your summer been? I hope you▓re doing okay. How are your parents? I▓m sure that you▓ve already started studying (do you ever stop?). Listen I was wondering, do know anything about dream magic? I▓ve been having some nightmares and wondering if maybe you knew a spell that would help. I▓m sure its nothing serious just hoping for a good nights rest if you take my meaning.
Love.
Harry.
He was unsure why he added ▒love▓ instead of just ▒Harry▓ but the parchment was already covered in so many scratchings and crossings that he left it there.
Best not to offend her with illegible letters he thought and smiled for the first time in days.
Hedwig was just turning away from her silent vigil at the window sill when Harry called her softly.
▒Heya girl, I▓m sorry to keep you awake like this but could you deliver this to Hermione for me? It▓s rather urgent.▓ He said feeding her some owl treats before attaching the letter to her proffered leg. She sat momentarily unwilling to leave her master in these uncertain times but then took off in a flurry of beating wings, disappearing into the dawn murk just as there came a familiar angry call from downstairs.
▒POTTER!▓