DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of the characters… tho owning Draco Malfoy could be quite fun… Oh, the things I could make that boy do… Ahem! See the AN's page for my full disclaimers.

Author's Notes: I don't know if it's been done. I'm just doing my take on what might happen… I believe there may be slashy-ness in the fic at some point, so I'm going to warn you now. If you don't like slash, don't read my stuff. Easy as that. :-D So, I hope you all like the new fic! As with all my serials, there will be an author's notes page, so I'll do all my disclaiming and notes, etc. there. So don't expect any notes at the beginning of any more chapters after this. That's about all till I write the notes page, so without further ado… Enjoy. Embrace. Review.

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Tabula Rasa

By Katie of Gryffindor

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Chapter One

Struggling

Harry Potter stood in a dark forest. He could barely see the trees, but he knew they were there. He made to draw his wand, but found nothing in his pocket. He moved forward slowly, trying not to tread on any twigs lest his position be discovered.

He squinted through his glasses, hoping they would help him see more than just darkness. He looked up and saw nothing but thick branches. No moon, no stars. Just black branches and leaves. He was starting to get more and more frightened. But he pressed on, hoping that maybe safety was somewhere ahead. After an undetermined amount of time, Harry stepped around a few trees and came to the edge of a clearing.

Suddenly, a searing pain surged through his head, blinding him. He dropped to his knees, trying to push past it. Harry knew the pain well by now. Voldemort. Harry blinked away the debilitating ache to look around himself.

Standing on the other side of the clearing was Lord Voldemort, grinning evilly at him. Flanking him were Peter Pettigrew and Lucius Malfoy, and writhing in the grass around the three men's feet was the gigantic snake Voldemort had dubbed Nagini.

Harry set his jaw and stood proudly, fighting off the pain. He lifted his chin and stared down the Dark Lord.

"So happy you could join us, young Potter," sneered Voldemort, his red eyes flashing with mirth.

"Thanks for the invite," Harry sneered back. "Is there something you would like to talk to me about, or are you going to go about trying to kill me right off the bat like usual?"

Voldemort chuckled softly. "Ah, always the hero, Potter. Even when you aren't armed." He shook his head and tutted disapprovingly. "My dear Potter, you should not act so superior when I have everything you want and more."

Harry glowered at the snake-man standing before him. "You have nothing I want, Voldemort."

Voldemort tutted some more. "Oh, but I do." He brought his hand straight out before him and swept it out widely.

Out of nowhere, about a dozen figures appeared on the ground before the Dark Lord. Harry watched as each unfolded themselves from the curled position they were sitting in and stood slowly.

The first pair of faces Harry recognized were his parents. They were looking down their noses at him, hatred in their eyes.

"Mum? Dad?" Harry whispered.

That made the hatred in James and Lily's eyes burn brighter.

The next face to the right of James Potter was that of Cedric Diggory. He too glowered down at Harry. Harry looked past his mother to another pair of men righting themselves.

"Remus? Sirius?"

His former professor and his godfather glared at him. Remus Lupin even growled. Harry just stood there, rooted to the spot, watching as more and more of the people he loved, both dead and alive, began appearing at the feet of Voldemort. By the time the last few figures were straightening themselves out, the others began to circle around Harry, sneering and throwing insults at the sixteen-year-old.

"You are the reason I'm dead, Harry," hissed Cedric.

"We never loved you," sneered Lily Potter.

"You were always screaming for attention and keeping us apart from each other," whispered James.

"You could never understand any of the things I taught you, Harry," mocked Remus. "That Patronus of yours was a fluke."

"I never gave a damn about you," jeered Sirius Black.

"You could never stay out of trouble, you little brat," cried Albus Dumbledore, hatred in his eyes.

"You always took the credit for everything we did," grumbled Ron Weasley.

"I was the one who always got the answers, but you got all the attention," growled Hermione Granger.

"You have only brought danger into the lives of my family, you little monster," said Molly Weasley angrily.

"I've always been better than you at everything, Scar-Head," cracked Draco Malfoy.

"You were only put on the team because you were famous," taunted Oliver Wood. "You never had any real talent."

"I don't know why I ever liked you, you ugly git," scoffed Ginny Weasley.

"I shoulda never come teh fetch yeh," bellowed Rubeus Hagrid.

As all Harry's friends swarmed around him, ridiculing him, Voldemort looked on with a confident smile. "You see, Potter," said Voldemort happily. "I have all those people you thought loved you under my wing. You will never defeat me. Soon enough, I will break you. I will break you, and you will be nothing more than an empty shell."

"No!" screamed Harry, his hands clapped to his ears. "You're wrong. You're all wrong!"

Voldemort watched Harry shaking his head, trying to block out the taunts of his loved ones. The Dark Lord threw his head back and cackled.

"No!" cried Harry, tears streaming down his face. "Noooooooooo!"

~ " * " ~

Harry was awakened by his best friend, Ron Weasley. "Harry. Harry!"

Green eyes snapped open and met brilliant blue.

"Harry, mate? Are you alright?"

Harry blinked. He looked wildly around, searching for Voldemort and the rest of his assailants. But they were nowhere to be seen. Instead of the ring of trees, there was only a rectangle of burgundy curtains. Instead of kneeling in dirt and grass, Harry was spread eagle on his bed, tangled up in his sheets.

Ron was still there, but instead of staring at him in hatred, the red-head's startling blue eyes were showing only worry. "Another dream, then?" he asked quietly, putting a soothing hand on Harry's shoulder.

Harry nodded glumly. He sat up and untangled himself from the sheets, moving over a bit so Ron could have a seat. "It was horrible, Ron."

Ron scooted into bed next to his best friend. "Want to talk about it?"

Harry stared down at his hands. He sighed sadly.

"You don't have to, Harry," started Ron, but Harry shook his head.

"I think I need to. Maybe it'll help stop the dreams." Shining green eyes moved up to meet worried blue. Ron nodded and stayed quiet, waiting for Harry to speak again. "It was horrible, Ron. I was in the woods, with Vol- erm, You-Know-Who. Sorry. Anyway, he was there with Mister Malfoy and Wormtail, and then he somehow got my parents and Lupin and Sirius and Ced and all of you guys there…" A choked sob escaped Harry's lips. Ron slipped a long arm around the boy's shoulders. Harry took a shuddering breath and continued. "You were all saying such horrible things, about all the stuff wrong with me…" Harry dissolved into tears.

Ron put his other arm around Harry and hugged him close. "God, Harry, I'm sorry. It was just a dream. Remember that, Harry. Just a dream." Ron rocked his best friend slowly, running his hand over Harry's sweat-drenched hair, whispering over and over, "It was just a dream."

The two best friends sat together in Harry's bed for a long time. Eventually, Harry stopped sobbing. Ron knew Harry had gone back to sleep.

Ron leaned Harry back into his pillows. Harry snuggled into the pillows, not letting go of Ron. Any normal friend would have been bothered by this scene, but Ron was used to it now. Ever since fourth year, Harry had been screaming himself awake with nightmares. From the beginning of fifth year, Ron had been rocking Harry back to sleep. And since the beginning of sixth year, he'd stayed in Harry's bed for the rest of the nightmare-nights, so that he was there already if there were any more on the way.

Ron relaxed back into the pillows, too. He pulled the blankets over himself and up to his and his best friend's chins. He slipped a protective arm around Harry's waist, hoping it would sooth Harry, even a little.

As he closed his eyes, he felt Harry snuggle closer to his own warmth. He chuckled softly and tightened his grip on the infamous boy.

Ron sighed heavily. He hated that Harry had so much trauma in his life, that he had to deal with so many after-effects. I wish I could just make him forget… Ron sighed again and let sleep claim him slowly.

~ " * " ~

Hermione walked into the boys' dormitory the next morning, looking for her two favorite men. She found them the same place she often did. Wrapped up in each other, sleeping soundly in Harry's bed.

An ordinary girl would have been very upset by the scene, especially since one of the two boys was her boyfriend. But Hermione was no ordinary girl. She was amused by the sight of the two best friends curled up together. In fact, she found it to be rather adorable.

But the thought only lingered in her mind for a minute. They were all going to be late for class if these two lazy bums did not get out of bed. She drew her wand, a wicked smile forming on her lips.

BANG!

Hermione set off several blasts from her wand tip, each sounding like a shotgun.

After the first one, the two sixteen-year-old wizards sat bolt upright in bed. The second had them groggily grabbing for their wands and Harry for his glasses. The third had them unsteadily on their feet on the mattress, Harry blindly waving around what he thought was his wand and Ron armed with a pillow. The fourth sent their eyes searching the room for the cause. And the fifth and final blast had four angry eyes trained on her.

"Hermione!" yelped Harry, grabbing at the covers and trying to shield his scantily clad body from the girl. After all, he and Ron both only ever slept in boxer shorts.

Ron lowered the pillow grumpily and set his free hand on his flannel-clad hip. "I am so going to get you for that one day, girl."

Hermione was too engrossed in her current activity to take notice of the angry glares she was receiving. What was Hermione so engrossed in? She was currently on her knees, banging on the floor and laughing her head off. After all, seeing two of the most powerful wizards of their year wobbling around on a bed dressed in skimpy boxer shorts and waving around a pillow and a skinny candle was a scene of pure hilarity.

Harry looked down at the candle in his hands. "Damn," he said angrily. "I really thought I had grabbed my wand this time."

This statement only made Hermione fall over on her side and laugh even harder. The two boys glared at her and got off the bed carefully. As the two cranky Gryffindors went to their respective wardrobes to grab robes for the day, the giggling girl on the floor fought to regain her control.

"Oh, Merlin," she giggled. "That never ceases to bring me amusement." Hermione gasped for air as she felt another laughing fit coming on. "The-the-the looks on your faces…" she stammered. "Priceless!" she squealed before dissolving into laughter again.

Harry and Ron glared at her again as they made for the showers.

"You are going to get it, Hermione," said Harry, pointing a threatening finger at the girl wriggling on the floor.

With that, the best friends left their room, the female third of their famous trio still on the floor laughing madly.

~ " * " ~

Harry, Ron, and Hermione sat in their usual places before the fire that night in Gryffindor Tower. They always took the last hour or so of every day to just sit and talk. No homework, no games. Just talking. About what life had thrown their way so far, usually. But tonight was a little different. Hermione had asked Harry what he wanted to do after life at Hogwarts.

"After Hogwarts?" Harry stared at the girl. "Merlin, I don't know." Harry sat back in the crimson armchair, a contemplative look on his face.

Hermione looked surprised. "You mean you haven't thought about it at all?" she asked, scandalized.

Harry shook his head. "No, not really. I mean, there were the passing 'where-do-I-go-from-here' kind of thoughts, but they were usually gone pretty fast." He shrugged.

"That's incredible. We're going to be out in the real world in less than two years, and you've no idea what you want to be doing!" Hermione shook her head, amazed. She started playing with the fringe of a pillow on the couch she was curled up on.

"What, and you've got your whole life planned, 'Mione?" asked Ron from the other half of the couch.

Hermione looked back at him calmly. "Not my whole life," she said defensively. "But at least the first few years after school." She stared at the two boys. "You should be really thinking about what you want to do."

"Christ, Hermione, we're sixteen years old! There are only five things I think about right now." Ron held up one hand, his fingers splayed out. He ticked them off as he mentioned each of his concerns. "How far away my next meal is, whether or not my homework is done, how well my Quidditch team is doing, how to best get that git Malfoy expelled, and if my girlfriend is in one of her moods again." As soon as the last of his worries left his lips, Ron knew he was in trouble.

Harry curled himself into the armchair, knowing if he moved to leave that he, too, would bear the wrath of Hermione. Three… Two… One…

"One of my moods?" she shrieked. "My moods? What pray tell is included in one of my moods?" Her voice had gone dreadfully quiet. Many of the other Gryffindors outside of her line of sight began to move toward the dormitory stairs. They knew how bad Hermione could get once she was set off.

Ron held up his hands, trying to backpedal. "No, what I meant was-"

"How dare you. I can't believe how insensitive you are. I do not have 'moods,' as you call them." Hermione was turning purple. "What exactly do you mean by my 'moods,' Ronald Weasley?"

Ron glanced at Harry helplessly. Harry shook his head. He was not about to get into the middle of this. Ron stared back at his furious girlfriend. "Hermione, I-"

"What do you mean by 'moods,' Ron?" she hissed.

"I-I-I-" Ron looked at Hermione, terrified. He knew he wouldn't be able to get out of this without answering. He stared down at his sneakers and mumbled, "Your P.M.S. moods."

"WHAT?!?" she roared. "Ron, I can not believe that you could be so amazingly insensitive. You prick! You blithering idiot! How dare you?! Don't you dare even think about talking to me for a very long time, unless you want me to hex your dick off!"

With that, Hermione turned on her heel and stormed up the stairs to her room. A few seconds later, the tower shook as she slammed her door.

"Well, that went well," said Ron dejectedly. He plopped back onto the couch and put his head in his hands.

Harry got up and moved to sit next to Ron. "Just give her a few days, and then apologize. And a couple dozen roses wouldn't hurt either."

Ron groaned.

~*~TBC~*~