Title: Curtain of Lost Souls
Author: JJCookie16
Chapters: 1/?
Archive:
Category: angst
Spoilers: For entire series, if you haven't read any of the books.
Pairings: none
Rating: G
Warnings: None other than the previously mentioned spoilers from the series.
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or anything related to that. I do not make any money from my stories either, I simply post them for my own amusement.
A/N: Thank you very much SnowyBlackOwl for beta-ing this story, you are a lifesaver.
Summary: Harry runs into a familiar looking dog in Diagon Alley and now the dog won't leave him alone. What is he supposed to do with it and what happens if Dumbledore finds out he's been keeping it?
Chapter 1:
Harry trudged through Diagon Alley, barely even looking through the snow frosted windows that everyone else seemed to be eagerly pressed up against. Ron had been left behind about five minutes ago when he started to drool over a window display showing the newest high tech flying broom. Harry just sighed morosely, and even the excitement of brooms and Quidditch related things couldn't seem to melt the block of ice that had formed in his chest. The worst part was that he knew that this wasn't normal, he should be happily enjoying the simple things in life; but when had his life ever been simple?
Suddenly a whilwind of fluffy auburn hair latched onto his arm, startling Harry out of his thoughts. "You would not believe what I saw in the bookstore while Mrs. Wesley and I were getting Ginny's textbooks..." Harry glanced down at Hermione as they continued to walk slowly down the street, not really listening to anything she was saying but somehow nodding at all the right times. He'd gotten very good at deceiving his friends that way; so good in fact that even Hermione seemed to be fooled.
As the two were about to enter Honeydukes Harry quickly pulled to a stop, causing Hermione to stumble into the back of him. "Harry...?"
"Sorry Hermione I thought I heard something for a second," Harry shrugged, his green eyes darting over to the alleyway next to the sweet shop. Just to confirm that Harry hadn't been hearing things a large, shaggy, black dog scrambled out of the alleyway, kicking up large clouds of powdery snow in every direction. Covered in cold, wet, snow the beast barrelled straight into the couple that was standing in its path.
Harry soon found himself laid out flat on his back trapped underneath several pounds of black fur. It didn't help much that he had hit his head when he had fallen and it looked as though his glasses had broken. Before he could think about it any longer the weight across his stomach and chest was lifted and his face was getting a thorough tongue bath. Within seconds Hermione was beside him, yanking the dog away and gently helping Harry to his feet; while asking him a million rapid-fire questions that he could only grunt or nod at.
"Harry, are you sure you're alright?" Hermione asked for the seventh time after she had fixed Harry's glasses. Gently ghosting his fingers over the golf ball sized lump growing on the back of his head Harry nodded.
"I'm not bleeding and it's only a small bump, so yes Hermione I am fine," he insisted, flashing a quick smile for reassurance. Of course Hermione was well into her mothering-mode and would not be satisfied until Madam Pomfrey gave Harry a clean bill of health; and even then if the girl was worried about concussions and the like she'd bury herself in the biggest medical book she could find until she was certain that Harry wasn't going to drop dead on her.
Deciding to save his pounding head from any more torture Harry gave in and let Hermione drag him back to Hogwarts. An hour later with an ice pack held against the knot on the back of his head and firm instructions from Madam Pomfrey for it to stay there until the ice melted, Harry settled down on a couch in the Gryffindor common room.
Harry didn't remember closing his eyes or for that matter falling asleep, so it was with some surprise when he opened his eyes hours later to find himself alone in the Gryffindor common room.
The ice pack had slipped off the couch at some point but Harry was pleased to find that the swelling had gone down considerably and he no longer felt any pain from it.
Still rather sleepy and stifling a yawn that proved as much, he swung his legs over the side of the couch and stood up. Remembering the ice pack, the boy bent down to retrieve it and with a yelp of surprise nearly fell flat on his face as two large black eyes met his.