HARRY POTTER and the DARKEST NIGHT
Chapter 1 - Harry's Dream
By Zero Star (zrostar)
Began in September 5th 2001
Finished 200-?
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There was blackness. Nothing was visible, for there was nothing to see.
It was like an endless field of starless space.
Time did not exist. There were no sensations.
Yet, suddenly, as if someone had struck a match, a tiny spark of bright red appeared in the center of nothing.
It danced and floated in the center of the void, unaware of it's surroundings and the blackness that was encasing it.
Oblivion reached for it, sucking away it's light, leaving the flame ashen and lifeless.
Harry burst awake! He was cold, frightened and sweating. It had been one of the vaguest dreams Harry had ever had...
nothing but a few blots of color. Yet, they were so terrible in his mind, even as he lay in bed awake he
felt threatened by these formless shapes.
His bedside clock was hard to read, having been Dudley's at one time. It was cracked down the middle and a few of the
numbers were faded out, but Harry was sure it read "3:00 am" in red digital numbers.
For a week now he had been having trouble sleeping. It was always the same: to bed a bit later each night.
Many things ran through his mind that he didn't want to deal with. Many more burdens than the year before kept
him laying in bed awake. Was he ready for his 6th year? It was coming whether he liked it or not.
He shook his head to clear his ears of the sound of rushing water. It was something that seemed to follow these awful
dreams.
Harry stretched and looked at his clock again. Three in the morning was the trend recently. He groaned to himself.
All these nights up late and school was starting tomorrow! How would he ever get his sleep back to normal if he
kept staying up all night? That was going to be a very hard habit to break. In the meanwhile, since he was awake,
might as well grab a snack for himself and Hedwig.
This summer hadn't been easier than the others, but more tolerable. Harry had discovered shortly after he
returned to the Dursley household, he could easily avoid them and their wrath by sleeping all day. In return he
was up all night, when they weren't bothering him, a bonus unto itself.
Hedwig seemed to agree with this schedule and made an extra effort to keep herself quiet in the daylight.
In return, she could wander out of her cage when she liked in the evening out and out of Harry's bedroom window.
Harry was awake in her nocturnal hours to play with her more often, sometimes carrying quiet conversations
with is only companion. Harry had become something of a night owl himself, sneaking down stairs while
everyone was asleep to get something to eat or watch the television quietly. The late night news was
constantly on his mind. He'd even risked a go at one of Duddly's video games, but had given up after
'Alien Warfare' had become redundant. A few good games of wizard chess with his friend Ron,
would have been much better.
How is Ron? Harry wondered to himself. He hadn't heard from anyone all summer, not the first time,
but just as painful. He assumed all his friends were afraid to send owls because of possible interception
by the Death Eaters. Oh well... He shrugged and opened his bedroom door.
The hallway was dark, unsettlingly similar to his dream, but he couldn't risk the light switch. Uncle Vernon had
never caught him out of bed, but he swore Aunt Pentunia had glimpsed him a few weeks ago,
while on her way to the toilet. If she noticed him, she did what she was best at: pretending Harry Potter did not exist.
Harry smiled to himself, taking a large roast beef sandwich out of the fridge. By the next evening he would
be back at Hogwarts, far away from the Dursleys and back with his friends! He needed them now, more than ever.
"Soon, Hedwig, soon..." Harry stroked the head of his beautiful snowy owl. Feeding her a small pieces of meat
while whispering quietly, "Back where you can fly, and so can I."
He didn't pretend he'd missed Quidditch. Especially since he missed nearly an entire playing season last year.
The want of the air and the need to practice his skills again pulled at his bones. He couldn't wait!
As he returned to bed that night, he had no more dreams. Just a deep happiness to be returning to his
real home and to his friends.
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Forgive the belated updates to my story... I'm in the middle of a rewrite that won't be anything serious
but I will be finally able to fix those typos I made some time ago.
I love reviews, don't be afraid to submit one .
Written 10-25-02
Rerwitten 8-13-03
Posted 06-09-04