Introduction

The dream

He felt dead. He felt dead and broken and nothing anyone could say or do seemed to be able to dissuade him and as he stared down at the dead bodies of his loved ones he fought to keep the howl of misery, which was fighting to escape, within him.

Ron Weasley, his loyal and trustworthy friend, faithful beyond reason and oh so important. His blue eyes were open but glazed over, staring at something that he could no longer see. His flaming red hair was mingled with blood which had spilled from a deep gash on his forehead and his jaw, slack. He could still hear Ron's scream of terror as he was attacked without provocation, without need and certainly without justice.

Hermione Granger, also his loyal and most trustworthy friend. The girl that had stuck by him through thick and thin, believed him when even Ron turned his back and helped him to remain sane during his latter years at Hogwarts. This girl was now lying next to Ron but unlike Ron her eyes were shut, as though she was sleeping. She looked peaceful, happy almost as her left hand lay just inches away from Ron's, as though they were unconsciously gravitating toward each other…lovers until the end. Her usually bushy brown hair now lay flat beneath her, concealing the wound that ended her life. Even a Witch as cunning as Hermione couldn't help prevent this attack.

George Weasley, just half of what he should be lay at Ron's feet. His face was blank, like Hermione's and splattered with mud. His hair, flaming red like all of the Weasley children was caked in mud and blood was dribbling down his chin.

Fred Weasley, the other half lay next to his twin. His arm reaching out, groping for something. His face was blank and streaked with mud and patches of blood that seemed to be flowing from a hidden wound.

Finally his eyes found her, the beautiful Ginevra Weasley, the woman he had intended to marry was now laying dead next to her brothers. Her eyes half open and her mouth open so slightly that the white of her teeth were visible beyond her lips. Her luscious red hair was flaked with mud, the result of landing heavily in a muddy puddle. Her left arm lay over her stomach and her right reached out to the bodied of her parents, Molly and Arthur Weasley.

He tore his distraught eyes from his lover and turned around slowly where his eyes met the bodies of Hagrid, Sirius, Severus, Professor Dumbledore, Lupin, Tonks, Dobby and so many more faces that he couldn't bare to name. So many people had died because of him, his friends, people that he could call family and people who were going to be his family…everyone he ever knew, ever loved and ever trusted were now gone and there was nobody left…nobody.

"Potter"

Somebody called his name from the distance but when he turned nobody was there.

"Potter!" The voice sounded closer now and very angry but when he turned again, he was still alone.

"Potter!" Something hard hit him over the head and he fell to the floor, just missing the bodies of his friends but…when he opened his eyes the field was empty. He blinked again, this time the field had gone and he was lying on his back with a man with greasy black hair and hooked nose glaring down at him. "How very kind of you to rejoin me, Potter" he hissed "what was that memory?" He snapped

Harry shook his head and groaned as he sat up, his head hurt and the room had tipped slightly "wasn't a memory" he muttered "it's a dream I have been having since Voldemort died"

Severus Snape looked murderous "you are not taking this seriously!" he snapped "the Dark Lord may have gone but it does not mean that you are above your education. Now, Professor Dumbledore may have made an exception for you, Granger and Weasley and whoever else missed last year because of the unfortunate events that took place but I want you to know that I fought long and hard against letting you back in. You are lazy, disobedient and obnoxious, just like your father!"

"I would like it if you kept my father out of this, sir" Harry growled back "I am proud to be like my father" Harry glared at his professor, silently wishing that he had died at the hands of Voldemort's Snake but just as soon as he had thought it he rebuked himself. He had a new found respect for the man that had taunted, detested and disliked him ever since day one after Harry had seen Snape's life story in Dumbledore's pensieve and found out just how much Snape had sacrificed and risked to protect Harry all because he was his mothers son.

"Well, let's see" and before Harry had the chance to even try and protest, Snape shouted "LEGILIMENSE!"

"PROTEGO!" Harry roared.

Snape deflected Harry's spell and shouted "EXPELLIARMUS!" So that Harry took the rebound of his own spell and smashed into the wall behind him. "No wands Potter" he hissed

"Why do I have to do this?" Harry asked feeling irritated as he rubbed the lump on the back of his head

"Because Dumbledore says so and what the headmaster says, goes! Now get out of my sight before I hex you into next week!"

Harry snatched his wand up from the floor and hurried from the room still scowling. He was much more relieved than he thought he would be when he received a letter from Dumbledore a month ago, inviting him back to retake his seventh year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry with Hermione, Ron and the rest of the people from his year. He of course kept the Quidditch captaincy from his sixth year and Ron and Hermione became head boy and girl.

He smiled slightly as he trod the familiar path from the dungeons toward the Gryffindor common room, he never would have thought that just three short months ago the castle was almost in ruins it is amazing what magic can fix. "I love magic" he muttered as Peeves appeared out of a doorway on the fifth floor, juggling ink pellets.

"Oooh!" Peeves cackled "it's Potty wee Potter!"

"Get out of it Peeves!" Harry snapped as he instinctively held his bag over his head

"Aint doin nothing if you don't say please" he taunted

Harry sighed, slung his bag back over his shoulder and grabbed his wand as he shouted "Waddiwasi!" A useful spell Remus Lupin had taught him in his third year which sent chewing gum down Peeve's left nostril. Peeves glared at him, dropped the pellets and zoomed off. Harry dodged the pellets as they landed before continuing up the stairs.

"Are you ok Harry?" Hermione asked as he flopped down in the seat they had saved him and sighed heavily

Harry grunted and closed his eyes, willing the images of his friends, dead, out of his mind. They had been haunting him since the death of Lord Voldemort and he sorely wished that he knew if it was just a dream or maybe a warning that was to be heeded. "Snape working you too hard" Ron frowned and then sighed "I don't get why you have to do occlumency again, it didn't work too well the first time did it?"

Hermione frowned and put her book down "did Snape say why he was teaching you? I mean, Dumbledore is just as skilled at occlumency and legilimency as Snape…why couldn't he teach you?"

"Beats me" Harry shrugged

"Anyway" Hermione smiled "it's our first day back"

"Second!" Protested Ron

Hermione frowned at him fondly "first not counting yesterday" she corrected "we don't have homework…how about we go and pay Hagrid a visit?"

"Yeah" Harry stood up "yeah I think he'd like that"

And they hurried from the room, Harry had the invisibility cloak tucked under his right arm and the Marauders Map clenched tightly in his left, just in case they met any unwanted distractions along the way.