The Hours Unmake

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any other characters for that matter, nor do I own the places. It all belongs to Rowling.

The hours unmake

Our flesh, our bone.

The soul is all;

And all alone.

… thoughts

Please review…

Story start…

Harry Potter sat alone atop the astrometry tower as the last sunset of his sixth year at Hogwarts dipped below the tallest branches of the trees in the forbidden forest, casting intricate shadows across the smooth grass hill that acted as a standing place for the best wizarding school in the world.

Purple and pink lined the skies, blurring into each other, no sharp lines, just a kind of gentle fuzziness. Most would see this spectacular sight as beautiful, all it was to Harry Potter was the world giving him something amazing to remember before he was locked away for six long weeks. Six

long weeks with the Dursleys. Harry's 'family' As if he was stung, Harry noticed he was thinking about 'them' again and rapidly changed his course of thought. He instead thought about what he was leaving behind.

He was leaving Wizards and magic for six weeks. Sure, he would still have nightmares and wake up screaming drenched in cold sweat in the middle of the night, but for a short while he wouldn't be suffocated by people wandering why their 'golden boy' looked so tired, so thin , so sad. That's what Harry was doing, he was drowning, suffocating. Swamped by the weight of the wizarding world, robbed of his childhood. He needed to escape. To a place where he needn't think or move just sleep. Perhaps he thought, perhaps he needed to die.

Harry must admit to himself that the longer he lived the more appealing an end became. An end to everything.

The last colours of the day faded away, leaving only blacks and greys. Harry liked it this way. No colour, less confusion. Everyone asleep. The night was calm. The night was everything Harry wanted. Grabbing his invisibility cloak from the stone ledge next to him Harry made his way back to his dorm o get whatever resemblance of sleep he could through nightmare laced dreams. It would be an exhausting day tomorrow.

Dream

'Mummy!' A five year old girl screamed, tears streaming from her eyes , mucus flowing freely from her red button nose as she watched her mother being tortured and brutally raped by death eaters. This girl had white blonde ringlets, now stuck together in clumps by her father's blood; he had died protecting his small family from the inevitable. Lucius Malfoy was now taking his turn with the girls' mother. Using 'imperio' to force her to do the most hideous things to him in front of the terror stricken child. As the last bit of strength left her she slumped into the muddy ground face first, dead, eyes unblinking. The girl was dragged away, used for the death eaters pleasure and left, bleeding alone until a final gasp left her rosebud lips and she, like her parents lay dead in the dirt.

Harry woke up, his sheets stuck to him with sweat and his heart drumming in his ears. Silent tears were running down his face. He blinked several times but all he saw was the blaming eyes of the mother telling him it was all his fault. And it was, everything was Harry's fault. He actually caused the death of Cedric Diggory. He killed Quirrill with his bare hands. He had helped with Voldemorts resurrection. He looked at his watch. He had to squint to make sense of the little glowing hands but he deduced it was 5.00. He would wait for and hour and then get up.

Harry was always the first up in the mornings, he was usually showered, ready and out of the dorm before any of the other boys even stirred. And today was no exception.

Not feeling up to breakfast, actually Harry didn't feel up to many meals at all these days he went up to the owlery.

'You have to stay at Hogwarts this year girl.' He told the proud snowy owl perched on his shoulder with a cracked voice caused from lack of use.

Over the sixth year Harry had discretely pulled away from his friends and immersed himself in study. He wanted to keep them safe and no friend of Harry Potters was safe. Hundreds of Witches and muggles alike had already died because of him. Harry would not let his friends die too.

They hadn't taken well to this of course. Claiming Harry to just be playing the hero they well and truly left him in the dust.

But that was his job right? Playing the hero? Harry Potter? The- boy – who- fucking- lived? It was his duty to protect and destroy.

Harry spent the last few hours at Hogwarts saying goodbye to Hedwig, nearly headless nick and the baron. Half way through the year Harry had decided he needed friend that couldn't be killed so occasionally he had a discussion with Nick or the Baron.

As Harry had more time on his hands (Ron kicked him off the Quiddich team) he'd thrown himself into his studies. He was most likely to be found in the library or the tower. He had surpassed even Hermione in lessons. This change in personality didn't go un noticed ….

Staff meeting

'I called you here today to discuss the change in Mr Potter. I presume it hasn't gone un-noticed.' Albus Dumbledore addressed the whole teaching staff.

Each teacher he hired was a trust worthy and powerful wizard. Remus Lupin had returned to Hogwarts at the start of the sixth year and was soon to break the curse on the DADA position by returning the next year.

'Albus, I don't know what is wrong with the boy! He seems so lost and his marks in class are outstanding! He's always so sad.' Minerva McGonagall answered him. As head of Harry's house she felt a need to help the distressed boy but didn't know how.

'Remus, have you had any luck with the boy? You are one of the people he trusts the most' Albus directed his light blue eyes to the weary DADA professor.

'Sorry Albus, but he avoids me and if ii talk to him he gives one word replies and walks away.'

Albus Dumbledore sighed. For once he was at a loss at what he could do to help the raven haired boy.

Harry's ride on the Hogwarts express was pleasantly un-eventful. He found a compartment for himself and spent hours buried in a book of advanced potions , not even noticing the witch and trolley that had finally given up trying to catch his attention and moved on. But all too fast it was time to get off and meet his fate.

Wheeling his trunk and empty owl cage on a trolley through the barrier he instantly noticed the Dursleys. Vernon Dursley was steadily turning a deep shade of magneta being his bushy moustache at the prospect of being so close to so many 'freaks.

His tall blonde wife stood by him glaring at Harry like he was something unpleasant she'd stepped in and Dudley was even bigger than the last time Harry had seen him. The diet was obviously not still going as the mammoth boy was consuming large amounts of Doritos at an alarmingly fast pace.

Harry wheeled his trunk over to the new black Mercedes And loaded his trunk (that was at least three times his weight) into the back.

His living arrangements had changed since his last stay at the Dursleys. He found himself once again locked in the cupboard and his school stuff locked away up stairs. Not daring to say anything he just scrambled into the small space and sat in the dark.

It was a full five days later when sunlight once again lit up Harry's startling green eyes. It had been five days with no food, no water, just lying there in his own congealing filth.

This brief glimpse of sunlight revealed a disgusted look on is aunts bony face before being thrown a glass of water and some stale bread before the door was slammed shut again.

This happened for 30 days. Thirty long, long days. That was about four weeks. He still had a fortnight before Hogwarts.

Harry may have believed that the last two weeks would be like the first four but boy was he wrong. His oh, so loving uncle decided that starvation and isolation was not nearly enough punishment for his freak of a nephew, but he didn't want to leave a physical mark on the boy.

He pumped evil gases into the small space that made Harry's eyes stream, his small chest shudder as he hacked coughs that filled is hands with blood, around his eyes and mouth there were sores that spread over his hands. Harry Potter was ill, very ill.

One week 'till Hogwarts. Harry's heart was lighter in a way. His uncle had informed him that he would be returning to his 'freak school'. The only catch. He was going today. A week in Diagon Ally. He needed a disguise.

Well... There you go. Review. Who do you want Harry with?