Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

Beta: Lunicle and MetalCloud

Author's Note: For the purpose of this story, I will be manipulating the time line of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. For example, Hogsmeade weekends and the dates of certain lessons will not be cannon accurate.

Chapter 1: Of Hidden Memories

It was a perfectly normal train ride back to Hogwarts for Harry's third year except for a few things, of course. Harry couldn't help but wince when his sore back was jostled by other people on Platform Nine and Three-Quarters. It seemed that the worse the injury, the more difficult it was to heal. The only good news was that Dissimulo got easier with practice. Harry could do the spell easily now; it was maintaining it over long periods of time that gave him trouble.

Harry made his way across the train station and was greeted by several people as he walked through to find Ron and Hermione.

He caught sight of Hermione's bushy hair; she was making her way into a compartment, so he followed. He gave a wince as he strained his arm when opening the door, but quickly turned his grimace into a smile when he saw Ron watching him with concern.

"Hey, mate!"

"Harry," Hermione greeted him, before giving him a quick hug.

Harry half smiled, half winced again.

"Are you alright, Harry?"

"Yes, Hermione, I'm fine," Harry replied. 'Everything's normal, perfectly normal.'

Hermione cocked her head to the side for a moment before shrugging in agreement. She began to chat about her holidays before Harry suddenly interrupted her.

"Who's that?" he said, pointing to the sandy-haired man in the corner. He was so silent Harry hadn't noticed him at first.

Hermione gestured to a wooden truck above the man before saying, "Professor R.J. Lupin. He's probably the new Defense professor. He's been asleep since we got in here."

Harry nodded in agreement when he caught sight of the name engraved on the trunk.

"As long as he's better than the last two," Ron said with a smirk.

"Should we check his turban?" Harry bantered.

He and Ron talked for a little while, while Hermione rolled her eyes at their antics, until suddenly his entire body swung forward as the train lurched to a stop.

"We can't be here yet?" Hermione said, making it more of a question than a statement.

"This isn't normal…" Ron muttered.

"What's going on?"

"Why are we stopping?"

"What's happening?"

Questions seemed to flood the train's corridors as everyone stuck their heads out of their compartments to see what was going on. Ron stuck his head out of the compartment and didn't see anything except chaotic students.

He came back into the compartment when, suddenly, the lights flickered. Then they were plunged into darkness, and it seemed like the train went dead quiet. A whimper and a wail came from the hallway as Ron scrambled to close the door for safety.

"Wand, where's my wand?"

"What's happening?"

"Oh, my Go-"

Their panicked questions were cut off when the door suddenly began to open.

"Quiet," said a soft voice. "Stay quiet."

Harry's head swam as a darkly cloaked figure glided into the compartment. His thoughts seemed to stop all at once and yet go a million miles a minute at the same time. He shivered with cold. He felt himself falling, but he had no power to stop it. His knees buckled beyond his control as his breathing changed erratically. Violent screams filled his very being. He saw a shadow come from behind him. A blurred light seemed to fill the compartment.

And then as quickly as it began, it ended. It was over. The lights flickered on, but Harry lost consciousness.

IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiI

Harry awoke to an irritating slap on his cheek. He groaned for a moment before being pulled to his feet by Hermione.

He was about to ask what had happened when he noted Hermione's face. She was pale, nearly white, and her brow had a gleam of sweat. The rest of the compartment's occupants were looking at him with concern.

He cleared his throat for a moment before hoarsely asking, "What happened?"

Ron began to speak hesitantly for a moment, "The thing that came in, it… looked around, and Professor Lupin made it go away. But you, well, you had some sort of… fit, and you fell to the ground. We've been trying to wake you." Ron paused for a moment to think of how to continue, but Professor Lupin thankfully took over the explanation.

"The thing was a dementor," he began. He paused for a moment and handed them some chocolate, indicating that they should eat it. "Dementors suck the happiness from everything around them. The dementor was a guard from Azkaban prison, searching for Sirius Bl -"

He was interrupted by a "Bloody Hell!" from Ron, and then a smack on the head to Ron from Hermione.

"Language, Ronald. And in front of a professor, honestly."

Harry gave both of them an exasperated look before gesturing to Professor Lupin to continue.

"I take it you know who Sirius Black is."

Ron and Hermione nodded in acknowledgement while Harry shook his head.

Professor Lupin glanced around and noticed none of them were eating the chocolate.

With a sigh, he said, "Eat it. It will help. I need to go to the front of the train now to ask the conductor something. Harry, I'm sure Ron and Hermione will fill you in on everything. Please meet with me in my office after the feast." And on that final note, Professor Lupin walked out of the compartment.

Harry looked at the chocolate in his hands and tentatively took a bite. His body was rushed with warmth from his toes to his fingertips, and he ate more. Ron and Hermione did the same.

For a few moments, they sat in silence, simply staring at each other, not knowing what could possibly be said. Then, the eeriness passed, and Ron opened his mouth to speak.

"Sirius Black killed thirteen people with a single curse! He's a mass-murderer, and this summer, he escaped from Azkaban prison, where Hagrid went last year."

"And the dementors?" Harry questioned.

"They guard the prison like the professor said," Hermione replied.

"Merlin, they were horrible, I felt like I'd never be happy ever again," Ron added.

"Did either of you faint?" Harry said, flushing.

"No, Harry, we didn't," Hermione said, her eyes filled with concern.

They sat in silence for the rest of the train ride. Touched by darkness, they could only reflect. There was nothing they could say.

IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiI

"Well, Harry, I asked you here to make sure you were alright after what happened on the train. I would have made you come straight here, but I thought you were okay for the time being," Professor Lupin said.

"I'm okay, Professor," Harry said instantly. 'Everything is normal, Professor. Why are you asking about me? I… stupid dementors…' He sighed inwardly.

"If you're sure?" the man said, his eyebrows crinkling with concern and worry.

With Harry's nod, the topic was closed.

"I also wanted to explain a bit more about dementors to you, seeing as you are so affected by them. Dementors are horrible creatures, among the foulest to walk the Earth. And this isn't a simple prejudice. They literally suck the happiness from everything around them. You seem to have a very strong reaction to the dementors," Professor Lupin said, watching Harry flush head to toe. "I recommend you stay away from them this year."

"Why… was I the only one who fainted? And everyone else just felt cold… I heard screams…" Harry said. He was perplexed that this had happened.

"The dementors, by sucking the happiness from everything, cause us to relive our worst memories. Your past is worse than most people's. It's nothing to do with weakness; you've simply suffered more horrors."

"I… I don't even know what the memory was…" Harry said, utterly confused.

"Nor do I, but it would be best for you to avoid them, as I said."

"But the headmaster said they'll be here all year! I'm bound to see them again! There has to be a spell to protect myself!" Harry half-yelled, frustrated.

"I - there is a spell, but it is remarkably difficult," Professor Lupin replied.

Harry shut his eyes tightly for a moment before opening them, trying to hide the disappointment and frustration the best he could.

Feeling pity for Harry, Professor Lupin offered a compromise. "I doubt this will happen, but if they bother you again, I can attempt to teach you the charm. It's known as the Patronus Charm."

For a moment, Harry paused in shock. Then he nodded in acquiescence.

"Harry, I'll admit, I've been less than honest with you about why I asked you here. I… it's so strange for me to be here, a professor, teaching. Especially teaching you. No, don't take offence, I just mean it's surprising, because, I knew your parents, especially your father. In fact, as a baby, I knew you too."

Harry's face ran through a number of emotions, suspicion, pain, hope, and more. Within a moment, his face was closed off again, as he said, "Oh?" He tried to contain his emotions and say it with the least expression possible.

"Yes, and, I was hoping that we could speak a bit, get to know each other. I could certainly tell you about your parents," Professor Lupin said with his mustered up courage.

For a moment, Harry didn't say anything, but he couldn't contain himself as his face broke into a smile. "That'd be great, Professor Lupin."

Professor Lupin smiled as well, looking relieved. "Excellent. We can meet whenever you have some spare time."

"I won't be going to Hogsmeade, so, if you don't have plans to go, we can meet then," Harry said. Inwardly, he remembered getting the form and simply throwing it into the bin. There would be no point in asking for it to be signed. He had been safer not asking.

Professor Lupin paused for a moment, remembering how excited he had been to go to Hogsmeade in his third year. Then he belatedly realized that Harry probably wasn't allowed to go as a security measure. No need to bring more bad feelings into it then, he thought, and replied happily that it would be fine with him for Harry to stop in during the first Hogsmeade trip.

Harry nodded with a small smile before opening the large office door and leaving.