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July 10, 2003

Harry Potter's Pensieve: Finding Sirius

Chapter 2: Trials and Tribulations

A cool, light breeze rustled through Harry's untidy hair as he watched the sun go down. The sun had colored the clouds with iridescent hues of pink and gold. As the sun gradually began to sink below the horizon, the sky slowly darkened into a midnight blue hue. The last remnants of the magnificent sunset were overshadowed by the glow of the streetlamps, which turned on one by one as the sunset faded into the distance. From his vantage point up on the second floor, Harry could look down on the sprawling neighborhood below and spot the tiny pinpricks of light coming from the flames of the streetlamps. As he sat on the windowsill, he lifted his eyes up toward the velvety black sky.

The stars were just beginning to emerge from behind the clouds. Harry searched the heavens until he found the star he was looking for: the brightest star in the sky…Sirius, the Dog Star. Looking up at it, he felt a calming peace drift over him. He could almost hear Sirius's voice telling him not to worry and that everything was going to be all right. When you wish upon a star…Harry smiled as the familiar song popped into his head. Makes no difference who you are. When you wish upon a star, your dreams come true… Feeling exceptionally drowsy, he slowly closed his eyes and allowed his head to sink down onto his arms.

This time, the ending of the dream was different.

He could see it almost as clearly as he had experienced it. The Death Eaters in the room…Dumbledore arriving…then Sirius, falling through the veil…

Sirius was hit with a burst of red light. His face still registered surprise as he slowly fell. Harry was willing his legs to go faster as he jumped down from step to step in a determined effort to get to Sirius. But by then, it was already over. Bellatrix's gleeful yell pierced into his mind as he saw the fluttering veil finally drift to a standstill, capturing Sirius in its grasp for eternity.

"SIRIUS! SIRIUS!!!" Harry could barely see through the tears streaming down his face. Sirius couldn't be dead, Harry knew, and this time he was determined to go through the veil. This time, Lupin didn't stop him. Harry reached the dais, pulled back the curtain, and was just about to step into the blinding white light…

CRASH!!! As Harry was abruptly jerked to consciousness, he nearly fell off the windowsill because his limbs seemed to have been paralyzed. His hair and clothes were soaked in water. Harry tried to move his feet, but instead encountered shooting pains all over his body. "Ughhh," he groaned as he finally got his limbs working again. His arms and feet must have fallen asleep, and in their cramped state, it was no wonder that it was painful to move them. Standing upright again, he quickly moved to close the window, from which rain was violently pouring in. The lightning crashed outside again, ending with an enormous thunderclap that rocked the whole house. His floor and his bed were thoroughly drenched. Sighing heavily, he turned toward his bedroom door to go get a mop, when he saw his alarm clock displaying the time 12:00. That much time had passed already? Harry thought groggily. In his dazed state, he could barely remember what day it was. Was it July 20…25…28? No…Harry shook his head, trying to dispel his sleepiness, when he finally remembered. It was July 31…his birthday.

He could hardly remember a gloomier birthday…except, of course, that time during his 8th birthday when Dudley and his gang had locked him inside an old abandoned mansion just on the outskirts of town and had totally forgotten about Harry. He had been trapped in there for a 3 days before the Dursleys finally began to look for him. But now, even when he had friends, it seemed like he could never be happy anymore. Voldemort changed everything, Harry thought bitterly. He took away my parents, my godfather, and everything that ever mattered to me! His innocence and childhood had been shattered. All his dreams and his hopes of living a better life with Sirius were gone…because of one person. Harry felt an all-consuming hatred bubbling from within his soul. He would make Voldemort pay…he would make Tom Riddle feel the pain that he felt…and he would never stop until that day came.

Author's Notes: So, how did you like this chapter? I agree, it is a bit short, but at least it didn't take long for me to write! And besides, I bet you all like reading short chapters frequently more than reading a long chapter once a month! But anyway, thanks to all my reviewers and a very big thanks to those who joined my forum! (I was going to continue the story, anyway, but I'm really glad that some of you decided to join! I was really happy!) So, I think that's all for now! Oh, and also, I can't post any new chapters over the weekend, so the earliest I can have the next chapter up is probably Monday. Also, please review if you like the story! Reviews always make me happy!