Harry blinked, not believing what he saw. The world around him had suddenly changed. One second, he was looking at the sunset over the lake in the woods. Now, he was in a desert with the sun high overhead. He opened his mouth and then closed it again. He blinked again and then closed his eyes, rubbed them, and then opened them again. He even took off his glasses to make sure they weren't contaminated. But nope, what he was seeing was real. And it wasn't just that. He could feel the heat on his skin and the sand against his shoes. He was really here, wherever here was.

Had he apparated? Or touched some sort of portkey? No, because he didn't feel the sensations he did when he moved such distances. It was just like he suddenly appeared here. He checked the ground, and saw nothing but sand. There was no object that could be a portkey. So, how had he gotten here? It didn't make any sense. He couldn't think of any other kind of magic that could transport someone like this.

Another option was that someone jinxed him from behind and then moved him while he was unconscious. But, he would have still felt it, wouldn't he have?

But if that was the case, why here? Where was he even?

Harry checked his pocket and was relieved to feel his wand there, pulling it out. That made the kidnapping situation less likely. They wouldn't leave him with his wand. Unless they were like Voldemort and wanted him for some sort of challenge. That was an unpleasant thought.

But it didn't matter. If he had his wand, then he could apparate out of here. He could do it without one, but this made it easier. He focused, picturing the Burrow in his mind. He knew apparating long distances could be dangerous but he decided to give it a chance. Whatever was happening here, he wanted no part in it. He then spun on the spot, determining to reach his destination. But all he did was trip over his own feet and fall over in the sand.

He groaned and spat out some sand, getting to his hands and feet. He frowned. Something had felt wrong there. He got up and tried again, spinning on the spot while focusing on appearing at the Burrow. And he felt that same sensation. Like hitting a barrier in his mind, stopping him cold. He tripped again but this time he caught himself.

Harry breathed in deep. There must be some sort of anti-apparition jinx over the area. But how far did it spread? And was it just to prevent him from leaving the desert. He scanned the horizon and spotted a sand dune slightly larger than the others. He focused on that and spun again. This time, he felt it. Like he was being squeezed through a space too small. He appeared instantly on the selected sand dune, stumbling a little before he recovered himself.

Ok, so small victory. He could apparate in the desert but not out of it. Well, then he just needed to travel far enough to be able to apparate out of here. He took a proper look around this time, scanning the area for any discernible features. But all he could see was an endless expanse of sand in all directions.

"Where the hell am I?" he muttered to himself. That would be a good start. Knowing where he was right now. But all he knew was that it was some sort of desert and that it was getting hotter with each passing second.

He randomly chose a direction and picked out the furthest sand dune he could see. With a quick spin, he apparated over to it. He then focused on the next furthest sand dune and apparated there as well, but as he did, he felt his stomach twist a little. He didn't think he could keep this up too long. Apparition really wasn't meant for consistent use but instantaneous travel. He scanned the sand dunes once more and let out a small breath of relief, seeing something on the horizon. He wasn't sure what it was, just a dark shape. But it was something. And that was enough for now. He focused on it and apparated again. He appeared instantly beside the dark shape and his shoulder's slumped a little as he realized it was just a rock. Still, it was something. And it was pretty big, more like a hill, so he bet if he went to the top he could see more around him. That was at least something.

He leaned against it for a moment, catching his breath. That much apparition had taken something out of him and he needed a short break. Plus, the sun beating down on him wasn't helping. He stayed in the rock's shadow, thinking deeply. He needed a real plan. So far, it was consisting of him apparating randomly until something happened. That wasn't a good plan. It wasn't even a real plan. But he honestly had no clue what to do in this situation except keep going and wait for something to happen. He wished he had his broomstick. Then he could just fly up into the air as far as he wanted in any direction. No limits there.

But what he really wished for were his friends. Maybe if Hermione was here or Ginny they might think of something. They usually did. Even Ron might come up with something, though Harry kind of doubted that. Planning ahead wasn't really Ron's forte. Honestly, he just wished Ginny was here. Even if she couldn't come up with something, her presence would make him feel better.

But he was alone. So he was stuck with his current plan until something better came along.

Harry stood back up and then stared up at the large rock in front of him. He could technically apparate to the top, to make it easier. But he had already done that so many times, he couldn't keep doing it. Besides, there was a better way. He raised his wand in the air and called out, "ascendio!" Instantly, the sand around him responded, lifting him up into the air. He kept his wand high, focusing on the top of the rock. The stone face was rushing past him rapidly and he could feel his stomach flummoxing inside him, uncomfortable at the sudden movement. But in a matter of seconds, he was there. He reached the top of the rock and stepped onto it, dropping his spell and letting the sand behind him fall away below.

He sighed as he looked at the vast expanse of sand awaiting him. The rock wasn't that tall, so it didn't offer too much more to see. But he was able to make out something other than sand in the distance. He narrowed his vision, trying to focus on it. He couldn't really see it, just a dark smudge on the horizon. But whatever it was, it wasn't more desert. And he couldn't see anything else around him so he guessed that the smudge was his new destination.

He looked down at his wand and then at the smudge, contemplating whether or not he should apparate there. He disregarded that though. Apparating was taking a lot out of him and he honestly didn't know what was waiting for him at the smudge. Maybe it was nothing. Maybe something good. And maybe something bad, like the people who brought him here in the first place. He needed to get there slowly.

Harry scanned the desert below and frowned. It was still a long distance to walk though. And the sun wasn't going down anytime soon.

He looked down at his wand again and nodded. Magic was used for a reason, to make life for wizards easier. So time to make his situation a little easier. He pointed it at the rock beneath him and broke a large piece off. Then, with a swish and flick, he lifted it into the air, a flying rock for him to ride on. He jumped on and wobbled for a second, gaining his balance, before turning his wand and shifting the rock's direction, sending him floating through the air.

Riding the rock took a little time for him to master. He had to move his wand in certain ways to be able to fly accurately and he was constantly moving his feet, trying to keep his balance. In other words, it was nothing like a broomstick. But he was still moving much faster than he would be just by walking. All he had to do was keep his focus on the wand and keep his balance on the rock. Easy enough.

The sand dunes passed below him in an endless parade while the sun continued to beat down on him relentlessly. To try and pass the time, he tried to think of who might be behind this or how he had wound up here, but all he really focused on was how uncomfortable he was and how bored. He looked up to the smudge on the horizon and was glad to see it getting bigger, closer. He glanced away again and then he frowned and looked back. It was getting bigger, really quickly. But there was something off about it, something he couldn't put his finger on. He turned his wand slightly and his speed increased, zooming him closer to the strange smudge. As he peered at it, he noticed it wasn't a smudge anymore. It was more like a stain growing across the sky, and it was growing fast. Like a large storm system coming towards him. Except it didn't look like a cloud. It was…something else.

Harry could only think of one way to do this. It had been something he had been testing out for a little while. He got the idea when he had seen the pair of ominoculars of Ron's that Harry had bought for him way back when. It occurred to him that there might be a way to do that with his glasses, give them certain capabilities. He'd had Hermione help him out since she was the best with spells and was more knowledgeable than him. He hadn't fully tried this out yet but there didn't seem to be a better time than now.

Harry slowly lowered the slab of stone to the ground, landing gracefully in the sand. He walked up to the crest of the dune and looked out, still seeing the large cloud-like thing growing on the horizon. He then held out his wand in front of his glasses and muttered the spell, tapping the frames as he did so. Instantly, his vision soared as he now could see miles ahead just like Muggle binoculars. It was a simple spell and wouldn't last long, but it worked. He grinned, proud of himself and a little sad Hermione wasn't here to share in it. But he quickly pushed that aside, focusing on the task at hand. He looked over to where the cloud was and centered his vision there.

And then he felt his stomach drop flat, his blood turning as cold as ice.

He had been right. It wasn't a cloud or a storm. It was a swarm. Hundreds, probably thousands, of winged creatures flew in a tight formation, furry little devils with wicked claws and gnashing teeth, wings protruding from their shoulder blades. And they were all coming right for him.

"Bloody hell," Harry muttered, quoting Ron. Then he took off down the dune right back onto the stone slab. "Wingardium Leviosa!" he cried out and the stone levitated in the air again. He twisted his wand and sent himself soaring back the way he had come, back to the large stone pillar standing in the middle of the vast desert. The only thing for miles around. The only place he could go. He had no idea what he was going to do when he got there. He had no idea how he was going to fight off those things from there or hide from them. He had no idea what to do. He just knew he had to do something or else he would completely panic. All he could do was go to that rock. After that…he had no idea.

"One step at a time," he muttered to himself, glancing back and still seeing that large dark smudge growing bigger, an endless flock of monsters. "Just one step."

He really wished he had his broomstick.

Sorry for the slow burn, I'm building this up. Don't worry, Harry starts meeting other people soon. Hope you all enjoyed this little segment and please leave a review if you can to tell me what you think.