Title: Reflections

Rating: M to be sure

Summary: Harry returns for his sixth year to find everything is not as it was. Add in a horrible time at the Dursleys, a few surprises, and a trip to St. Mungos and you get one hell of a year.

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Prologue

Warning(s): mentions of child abuse, minor violence, angsty

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Harry Potter was standing on the near empty platform in front of the scarlet steam engine known as the Hogwarts Express. A slight breeze blew his long, matted hair out of his face to reveal a slowly healing bruise and a swollen lip.

Harry was back for his sixth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry after a full two months of nothing but a near empty belly, beatings, and something that made death seem like a good option. It made Harry shiver when he thought about it and hoped that no one noticed. It was summer after all, and one usually did not shiver in the ninety-degree heat.

Another ten minutes of standing in the heat in pants and a long sleeve shirt forced upon him by the Dursley's to mask his injuries, Harry decided to move into the air-conditioned steam engine. Shoving a bundle under his armpit, the only things the Dursley's let him keep, he moved towards the express.

Harry ignored the pointed looks and stares as he moved through the hallway, searching for an empty compartment. He passed by a crowd of Gryffindors and realized that one of them had red hair and freckles. He paused for a moment and studied the tall figure.

It was a male, Harry realized. And it looked a lot like Ron. 'But he shouldn't be here just yet, the Weasleys never arrived until the Engine was about to take off.' Harry thought. The figure raised his head and Harry found himself staring into the blue eyes of his best friend.

Harry opened the compartment door with a smile and opened his mouth to greet the red head, but was stopped when every single wand was flashed out and pointed at him. Harry could only blink stupidly.

"Stay away from us." Ron snarled. "We don't want you here."

"What did I do?" Harry asked in confusion. The girl beside Ron, that Harry later realized was Hermione, gave him a strange look that was a cross between anger and pity. Harry back out of the compartment and the door was magically slammed shut and locked.

Harry stood there, gaping, as the others smirked. Then he lowered his gaze in defeat and retreated to an empty compartment farther down the hall. 'Of course they wouldn't want to be friends with me anymore.' Harry thought as he slowly seated himself on a bench. 'I almost killed Sirius.'

His head filled with depressing thoughts about the previous year, Harry began to doze off just as the train was moving.

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Harry got off the train with everybody else, now noticing the fearful and angry looks he received. He was jostled and bumped and forced himself to remain calm amongst the large crowds that behaved too much like his uncle for his comfort.

After a long look at the thestrals pulling the carriage, Harry climbed in. His door swung shut once everyone was in a carriage, and Harry realized that he would be alone this year. Harry sighed unhappily and the carriage lurched foreword.

Once at the school he followed the large group up to the Great Hall, ignoring the heated glares and whispers made by his once friends. He was stopped outside the Hall by a stern looking McGonagall, who closed the doors once everyone was through.

"Professor Dumbledore wants you to go to his office until after the feast. I shall escort you." She said imperiously. Harry nodded dejectedly and followed her up to the Headmaster's office, his stomach growling all the way. McGonagall gave him a sympathetic look once they arrived. "There's sandwiches and juice for you on his desk."

"Thank you." Harry said. She nodded once and left Harry to look around the room. He passed by the strange odds and ends until e made it to the desk with the food. He tore into one sandwich ravenously as he looked around.

A glimmer of silver caught his eye as he was finishing his second sandwich, and he found himself staring at a pensieve. He chugged down a cup of pumpkin juice and walked over to the unguarded pensieve. "Should I?" He asked out loud. "Oh what the hell.."

Harry pulled out his wand and dipped it into the pensieve. Memories swirled around, almost like a video on rewind. Then it was like someone hit play. A scene appeared in front of him. Two people stood in the room. One was obviously his mother, and the other Dumbledore.

"But why would he have a memory of my mother?" Harry asked to no one. He moved closer until he could hear them talking, and sat back to watch.

"But Dumbledore, I can't just give him up." Lily patted her slightly rounded belly with a sad expression. "Even if he isn't James', I can't just…"

"Lily, he should not haven even been conceived!" An enraged Dumbledore said, making Lily wince. "I'm sorry, but he is either to be terminated or he is to have his appearance changed so he is not recognized."

"I understand sir." Lily said finally, making Dumbledore smile. "I'll call him Harry, like James wanted me to. But what of his father?" Dumbledore's smile vanished.

"Severus will not know. In fact, you will marry James and never see that other man ever again."

Harry was ripped violently from the pensieve and landed on the ground with a soft cry of pain. He looked up with a pained expression to see Dumbledore. A furious Dumbledore. "I was unaware that I gave you permission to look in there."

"I…I…" Harry crab walked backwards, away from Dumbledore. He knew that tears were running down his cheeks, and that he had a fearful look on his face, but Dumbledore seemed too enraged to notice.

"You what? That was my personal…"

"IT WAS MY LIFE!" Harry suddenly shouted. He felt something in him snap, and he leapt up off the floor. His injuries protested but he didn't care. Dumbledore was staring at him in shock and growing horror.

"You saw…"

"I saw what you made my mother do." Harry hissed. A wind picked up and whipped about their feet, blowing their robes back. Dumbledore started to look a little nervous.

"Calm down and let me explain." Dumbledore tried and he fumbled on his desk.

"No. You manipulated my life. You knew I had a father!" Harry screamed. A burst of energy shot at the Headmaster, who was forced to duck. The energy hit a book case and everything on it went flying. Harry panted for breath and opened his mouth to shout some more.

"I had to do what was best Harry." Dumbledore tried again.

"Best for who? You? I…" Harry was cut off as the headmaster's door was blown off its hinges. Four aurors and a man in a lab coat rushed in. Harry gave Dumbledore a murderous expression as they surrounded him.

"Okay now child, take deep breaths and calm down." The man in the lab coat said soothingly. "I am Doctor Nevans and I'm here to help you." Harry growled at Dumbledore one last time before passing out cold.

He never felt the hands gently lifting him into a warm embrace. Nor did he hear the whispered words of encouragement and the mumbled words saying he would be okay. He just saw, heard, and felt darkness.

TBC

Author's note 1: I keep starting new stories, but I can never seem to finish them. The inspiration just seems to leave me when I reach a certain chapter. Maybe that's because I never write out a plot summary….hmmm…maybe I'll try that for this one. Anyways, I am determined to have this one finished even if I have to stay up all night to work on it. Wish me luck.

Author's note 2: I got the disk with my story back! Unfortunately I won't be posting it as soon as I thought I would be. Because it's already become so long I decided to write it all out before posting it. I haven't even gotten past the second part of Merlin knows how many. Fear not, it will be posted eventually.

Author's note 3: I will be starting the sequel to "Phantom" shortly. I've just come across a bad case of writers block for the series. I can't seem to start it…. so I have a close friend helping me with that one. I promise it will be up soon.

Author's note 4: I will only say this once. I do not want any reviews that are like the one I got for "Phantom", from a person I will not name. (But the review is still up there for those who want to read it.) Readers do not dictate what I do or don't write, and my stories will be the way I want them to be. And that means it may not be in canon with the series' books or DVDs. If you don't like that then don't read.

Author's Note 5: I wrote out a summary for each chapter. There will be 19 chapters, including the prologue and epilogue. I will not set a specific time that I will be getting each chapter out, but I hope it will be one every two days or something along those lines. Hope you enjoy!