Harry covered his eyes tighter in his dream. The scene changed. Voldemort was gone, but the images encircled him. It was everyone that Voldemort had mentioned. Everyone bore a furious stare and shouted at him.
"Its all your fault we're dead!"
"Die Potter! It should have been you!"
His parents struck his heart with their words.
"We were foolish to have had you! Look what you've done!"
Sirius was the worst. "And I took you in when you had nowhere else to go! Ha! I should have taken and pitched you into the sea just as Hagrid said."
Cedric didn't even look at him. "Now my mother weeps for me and I can't bear for her to suffer. Cho was better off with me thatr you, I have all the talent."
Harry clutched his head and rocked on the floor. "Go away!" he screamed. "I didn't mean to!"
The figures dissapeared in a roar of fire and Voldemort's cruel laugh echoed in his ears.
"Harry, dear!" someone shouted from far away. "Wake up. Wake up dear!"
Harry felt someone shake his shoulders and slap his face eagerly. His eyes snapped open and the face of Mrs. Weasly was the first thing he saw. Her face was full of anxiety and pity. She stroked his cheek tenderly. Harry suddenly sat up and breathed heavily.
"Calm down, everything is all right." she soothed.
A pulling feeling erupted in his chest. Soon he found himself sobbing in Mrs. Weasly's embrace.
"Shh.." she whispered. "Your safe. Everything is fine."
Harry trembled and cried harder into the woman's shoudler. "Mum," a weak voice spoke. "Is he okay?"
"Ron, go downstairs. Stay down there until I say."
Her voice was unlike her usually crisp order. It was frail and stange. Ron stared down at his friend weeping in his mother's grasp and said nothing. Harry never cired. He left and walked to the girls' room to tell the news.
Once alone, Mrs. Weasly kissed the top of Harry's head and rocked him gently.
"Harry, what did you see? I need to know."
He shook his head and tightened his body.
"Please. I cannot help you if I don't know what is wrong."
Harry softened his tears slightly and tried to force his voice to speak.
"They blame me," he whispered. "The all said I killed them and Voldemort kept telling me it was true."
Mrs. Weasly had tears flowing in her eyes now. She gripped him tighter and kissed him again.
"Don't you ever believe it Harry. Not for a moment. All of that is a tool of you-know-who to drag you down. He's doing this Harry. Fight back."
"I'm tired of fighting, Mrs. Weasly." he whispered.
She could not find any other words to say. The tightness in her thought swelled as she contined to soothe him.
Minutes passed and Mrs. Weasly realized that Harry was alseep. She carefully placed him back onto the pillow and wiped his tear stained cheeks.
"Be brave Harry," she said soflty. "We have faith in you."
The weeks went by and Voldemort attacked Harry's dreams almost every night. During the day, his scar constantly seared with pain and he walked around muttering to himself about it and his dreams.
The Dreamless Sleep Potion could only be taken three times a week, which wasn't enough. Harry muttered about that too. If seated on the floor, he would rock and stare at nothing ahead. His behavior alarmed the Order and brought suspicions.
"He's going insane, can't you see?" Lupin argued.
"I know, it's that damn Voldemort getting into his head and brainwashing him." Moody growled.
"If Potter had been practicing his Occlumency this wouldn't be a problem." Snape replied in the same way.
"No," Dumbledore said. "This is something much worse than just dreams he should be blocking out. Voldemort is using something."
"But what? If he continues we'll lose Harry in his own mind." Lupin asked feebly.
The headmaster did not answer.
A week later there was news that two ministry workers were missing from their work.
Missing Ministry Employees
Kidnap or Murder?
Just yesterday the families of two ministry employees complained that they did not return after their job conducting new articles for the Daily Prophet, in which the two write for. No trace of struggle or murder have been found, and it has the whole Mininstry in an uproar.
"I don't understand," says the secretary. "They were here just like they always were and just dissapeared." Both Dery K Hobbs and Francic Lestromberg have not left any traces of their existence. Some fear it was the work of the newly risen Dark Lord. "I have no doubt it was something to do with him," says Kevin Cahill, a worker in the Department of Magical Transpot. Until further information is found, this case in unknown."
"Blimey," said Ron as he read the article in the Daily Prophet. "The Ministry has it rough, don't they?"
Hermoine tapped her finger softly on the table. "Yeah, but why was the ministry attacked if you-know-who is behind it? Malfoy practically lives there."
Ron shrugged. "Beats me. At least its not happening to us. Nice to see them is a sticky spot for once."
Hermoine gasped. "Ron! Those men could be dead for all we know!"
"You know what I mean, don't have a cow!"
Harry was sitting across from them silently. For once his scar no longer pained him and he could think more clearly. The news of the ministry workers saddened him, but he could not help feel good because those men contributed in scattering lies about him and making his life hell. But as soon as he thought this scar throbbed horribly.
Another week went by and Harry felt things around him change. He would wake up and discover that something was always different. He found his trunk open and the invisibility cloak was gone. The Firebolt he had got from Sirius was lying on the floor as if it had been used. Harry figured Fred and George were at their usual pranks and perhaps Moody was using the invisibility cloak because his was gone. Harry thought nothing of it.
Despite that, Harry began to see things and hear a voice in his head telling him not to do something or just to annoy him. A man with a black hat always came to terrorize him about his dream.
Harry sat next to a window looking out. An image of Voldemort appeared on the streets, but he shook his head and squeezed his eyes shut. Harry opened them and found nothing.
"Why do you continue to do this?" the voice asked him.
"Do what?" he replied out loud.
"You know what I mean. It's not wise to keep doing this."
Harry said nothing. He watched the empty street without realizing it was there. The voice no longer spoke. Harry knew that it told the truth. Something was wrong with him. It scared him a lot, but often times Harry figured it was normal.
The door creaked but he made no movement to see who it was.
"Harry?" Ginny asked soflty. "What are doing?"
He didn't respond. Ginny closed the door and sat down next to him. She noticed his vacant expression with sorrowful eyes and felt her heart sink.
"Harry, don't do this to yourself. Get you-know-who out of your head, he's destroying you."
He made no acknowledgment that he heard her. Ginny pulled a peice of his hair out of his eyes and stroked his face. Harry's eyes were now lit in fury. He jerked his head away from her and buried it into his knees.
Ginny felt the desire to weep in front of him but she fought it off. Instead she stood up and quickly left the room.
Ron and Hermoine saw her walk swiftly down the hall as she tried hard to not let her tears fall.
"What's wrong Ginny?" Hermoine asked worridly.
"Harry!" She almost shouted. "That's what is wrong."
They were quiet. Hermoine frowned at Ron who did the same.
"Don't talk to him," she went on. "He'll ignore you or get angry."
She continued walking walking and wiped her face.
"Ginny, we have to talk to him. If we don't you-know-who will get to him." Ron told her.
Ginny stopped but didn't face them. "He's already gone."
