A/N: This used to be a collaboration between myself and another author, Jade Caminus. She became too busy to keep up with my usual writing schedule and I've decided to write the rest of this story on my own. I'm also taking this story in a different direction than we had originally planned. I'm leaving Jade with full permission to proceed with our original idea however she sees fit. I won't speak of our original plan, in case she wishes to use it for her own.

Disclaimer for entire story: I do not own Harry Potter or any of its affiliates.

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As the next few days passed, Remus knew for a fact that something was being kept from him. Something very important. It stood to reason that he would be very interested in knowing what this secret was, but no one in the entire Order seemed to think it was important enough for him to know. Yet, they all were going to extreme lengths to make sure he didn't discover this secret.

Just the previous day he had walked into the kitchen to merely pour himself a glass of juice, and had interrupted Molly and Arthur Weasley, along with Alastor Moody, whispering fervently to each other over a baked casserole. They had all immediately gone deathly quiet, something Remus was suspicious about, and left the room completely. Remus had stood with a confused look on his face, contemplating the casserole and what could have possibly been so interesting about it.

Another incident as suspicious as the last had happened just this morning. Albus Dumbledore, wearing a quite shocking color of purple, had been speaking with a portrait in the hallway when he'd walked inside the house. Albus stopped talking as soon as he'd been seen, but Phineas Nigellus had kept on going, not realizing he had entered the room.

'I'm as eager to have him freed as you are, Albus. But you simply can't let either of them know," he'd said before Albus managed to get the portrait to stop speaking. Phineas looked up sheepishly from his frame and smiled a fake smile. "Ah, Remus. How good to see you again," he had said before slipping out of the portrait and disappearing into another. At the time, Albus had refused to tell him what they had been talking about, or why they had mysteriously become closed lipped as soon as he'd entered into the range of hearing their voices.

Now, he was beginning to wonder. They were obviously keeping something from him, and he planned to find out precisely what that was. And he had an idea what it might be. It was almost too much to even hope for. But if it were true…

……………………………………

As soon as the morning light filtered through a crack in the bars on the window, succeeding in hitting Harry directly in one eye, he blinked open bleary eyes to another day of hell. He tried unsuccessfully three times to roll off of his bed before finally getting his tired body to respond. It had gotten worse as the days progressed. No food and hardly any water were taking a desperate toll on his already weakened body. Too much more of this abuse and he knew he wouldn't survive the rest of the week, let alone the month. Somehow, he wasn't all that worried about the notion that he was probably closer to death's door than he had ever been in his entire life. He just didn't care anymore. And, sadly, he thought he'd only be closer to the one person he wanted to be with. Sirius.

Sitting precariously on the edge of his bed, Harry made another attempt at making his body move, but he just lacked the energy to do so. He knew he needed to get up, or he'd miss his chance to clean up and get some water in the loo. He couldn't miss that chance. He was so thirsty.

It seemed the Dursley's were reading his mind because at that moment Harry heard the locks raking against each other, as each one was undone. Harry tried to get some life into his movements, but it just wasn't going to happen. He sat, resigned to his fate.

When Harry looked up, he could hardly believe what he was seeing. Petunia Dursley stood in the doorway with a small bowl of dried cereal and a partially eaten apple. "Here," she said crassly, and dropped the tray on the floor. "Don't say we never do anything for you," she said before closing the door. Harry waited until all the locks were refastened before dragging himself off the bed and across the floor. It seemed to take an eternity, but as soon as he reached the food, Harry shoved his hands into the cereal and started stuffing his mouth as full as he could. He nearly choked at one point, but was able to work around it, even as he shoved more into his mouth. His hunger only kept him going for the first third of the meal before he thought he might vomit it all back up. He stopped eating then and lay back on the floor, willing his queasy stomach to keep the food within it. He couldn't afford to sick up. Not when he needed the nutrients quite so badly.

Ten minutes later he was finally able to move without fear of throwing his breakfast back up. Soon, instinct took over and he dumped the leftover cereal into an old basket under his bed and shoved the apple inside of it as well. He had to make the food last for as long as he could, otherwise he'd go another week or so without anything at all.

He felt only slightly better after eating for the first time in almost a week, but not up to top standards by any means. He knew he was still on dangerous ground where his life was concerned. He also knew the Dursley's didn't give a damn whether he lived or died. He wondered what would happen when the Order found out what had happened to him. How they had been treating him all this time while they had never once checked in. He'd hoped and prayed they would. But then he found himself as he was now. In this awful, uncaring world where he himself had stopped caring if anyone ever came for him. He'd probably waste away sooner or later. But, with something finally in his belly, he realized he was fighting for his life once again. He did care, if only a little bit. Harry never wanted to leave his friends behind, the Weasley's or even Dumbledore. But most of all, he worried about leaving Remus alone. Remus was the only thing left he had to remind him of his parents, of Sirius, how they all used to be. When times were happier.

……………………………….

The room was deathly silent when he walked inside. He looked at Albus and saw the twinkle that had been so frequently missing in his eyes, return at full force.

"Did something happen?" asked Remus, taking his seat amongst the other Order members.

"You could say that," Albus was quick to reply in that calculating way of his.

Remus sighed. "That doesn't tell me anything. I know the entire lot of you has been keeping something from me. What is it?" he asked, and grinned slightly at everyone's shocked looks. "Did you actually think you were being sneaky? I've seen first years be more surreptitious than you have."

Molly looked chagrined but raised her eyes to meet his. "I believe we all just wanted to tell you so badly that it became hard for us to keep it a secret."

"Then you are going to tell me what's going on?" he implored them.

"Not at first, we weren't," started Moody, the only one who looked to be against telling him. "But you've a right to know, if anyone ever had a right. And, now we've got full proof of it. No use in keeping it a secret any longer."

Remus waited anxiously, but everyone seemed to be debating who would tell him first.

"What is it?" he asked, his voice a little higher than he would have liked it to be. "Please tell me."

It was actually Severus Snape who broke the news to him, something Remus would later find to be quite ironic. "Black is alive."

………………………..

After being dragged from his bed and unceremoniously dropped into a small chair in front of his equally small and rickety desk, Harry was given a pen and a pad of paper was slapped down on to the desk. "Write your damn letter," hissed Vernon, before taking a seat on Harry's bed and watching the boy like a hawk.

It was all Harry could do to even pick up the pen. Writing was a more difficult task, as all his energy was dwindling again. He'd eaten this morning, but now it was almost time for supper. One meal in just a week could only go so far. Feeling light-headed, Harry propped his head up with a trembling hand and began to scrawl out his letter. The lettering looked horrible and he couldn't possibly imagine anyone not noticing it when it arrived at Grimmauld Place. Vernon didn't seem to care one way or another, and Harry found himself hoping again that someone would come for him.

As soon as he was finished writing the letter, one of his shortest yet, Vernon snatched the missive from his weak grasp and quickly skimmed over his words. He didn't seem satisfied, but when the man looked over his nephew, he saw the boy was about to fall from his chair and grudgingly got up from the bed. After slipping Harry's letter into an envelope, he started from the room. "You have five minutes and you best hurry if you know what's good for you," he said before slamming the door behind him.

The thought of water was the only thing that got him moving from the desk chair. He was so incredibly thirsty that he was willing to crawl if he had to. When he finally made it to the door, he briefly wondered if it had all been a trick and the door was locked. That wasn't the case, however, and the door swung open as soon as he turned the knob. It was nearly as difficult as he thought it would be, making his way down the hallway. He thought for a moment he really would crawl, but finally the bathroom door was within reach and he stumbled into the room. Knowing he had just wasted precious moments just walking down the hall, Harry unsteadily made his way to the sink and turned on the tap. Shoving his mouth underneath the flow of water, Harry greedily gulped down as much as he could handle before his stomach started feeling queasy again.

In his haste to make it from his room, Harry had completely forgotten his water cup. Cursing himself for his stupidity, Harry sank to the floor, waiting for his Uncle to tell him to get out. About ten minutes later, Harry wondered where the hell his Uncle was. It wasn't like him to let Harry have more than a few minutes out of his room, let alone ten. Not a moment after Harry had begun to question, it was answered. His Uncle lumbered into the bathroom, looking as menacing as ever.

"Why aren't you back in your room, boy?" the beefy man asked before grabbing a fistful of Harry's hair and dragging him from the room.

Harry tried to grab hold of his Uncle's arm to make it less painful on himself, but he just didn't have the strength to do it. He was literally dragged by his hair into his bedroom and thrown onto his bed. "You'll learn to do as you're told, you little brat!"

Harry wasn't sure what that meant until his Uncle reared back and backhanded him across the face. So far this summer, Vernon hadn't been hitting him, but he supposed that was about to change. But, the slap was all he had to endure at the moment as his Uncle was already leaving the room, slamming the door in his wake.

Rolling over tiredly, Harry placed a cool hand against his now flaming cheek, allowing a single tear to trail down his cheek in his misery.

…………………………….

"What?"

The silence in the room was deafening. No one was speaking and almost everyone was giving Snape a dark look. Apparently, they thought he could have been a bit more tactful when addressing the matter at hand.

Remus stood up, grabbed the back of his chair uncertainly, and then sat back down again. He just didn't know what to do with this information. He thought the entire Order had momentarily lost their minds. Or Severus was playing a cruel trick on him. But, the others' reactions had him starting to believe what he'd just been told. He just didn't know what to say about it. "How do you figure that?" he finally managed to say.

"The Veil is just a pathway to another world, but we have been able to contact him. His voice is louder than the rest. He'd just on the other side. All we must do is figure out how to pull him back through. And, we think we've discovered that method," Albus informed him, the twinkle growing stronger as he watched the shock start to form on Lupin's face.

"Are you serious?" he wondered, hoping against hope that what they were saying they were actually capable of. "But, how? How are you going to get him back?"

Alastor frowned at those surrounding him. "I'm sorry, but that information is to remain confidential. There have been quite a few people to fall into that Veil, many of whom still have family amongst the living. Sirius Black is the only person thus far who has managed to get back to the opening and get free. As such, we are keeping this to ourselves. If anyone who has lost a family member to this object tries to gain access…" he trailed off, but it was understood amongst them all what would happen. They could lose Sirius even further if more action was taken to remove others from the Veil. People wouldn't understand that those who fell through the Veil had to make the effort to release themselves, not the other way around. Any action might cause Sirius to be pushed further within the Veil, something they couldn't allow to happen.

"Does anyone else know about this besides the Order?" asked Remus, his curiosity getting the better of him.

"Yes. There are a few trusted members of the Ministry who have this information, but only so much as is necessary. We're are trying to keep this tightly secured," Moody continued to inform them.

"Will Harry be informed?" asked Remus.

"No," started Albus. "I think it would be in his best interest to keep this a secret from him as well. I don't want him getting his hopes up if something goes wrong."

Remus and Molly Weasley both seemed to agree with this. "That is a good idea."

"Have you received another of Harry's letters?" asked Molly.

A letter was produced from Lupin's inside coat pocket. "Yes," he muttered distractedly, before shoving it back inside to read later. "Is there any real hope we'll be able to save him?" asked Remus, his hope continuing to grow.

"Yes. We believe there is a great chance, Remus," Albus said. "Sirius could be coming home soon."

………………………………….

For the next few days, Remus kept himself as busy as possible. If he stopped to think about what was going on, he'd get sucked into the dream and he couldn't let that happen. If something should go wrong, he'd be devastated. Instead, he focused on preparing for the classes he would soon be teaching at the start of term.

He completely fell into his work, forgetting or ignoring everything else, so as not to think about what he was so worried about. In so doing, he was making the biggest mistake of his life.

………………………………….

Harry was dying. Slowly, each day, he was getting closer and closer to letting go. Petunia, having realized how sickly Harry had become, had begun bringing him small meals when her husband wasn't at home to catch her. It was few and far between, but she wouldn't have the brat die while in their care. She wasn't stupid enough to not realize what would happen to her and her family if the boy died. But, Harry could only eat so much now before getting sick to his stomach. He'd started vomiting up most of what he ate. His stomach just couldn't take the food he was given. He'd gone so long without that his small stomach was rebelling against anything put inside it. He was hungry; he just couldn't keep it in.

Shivering on his bed, Harry weakly grabbed his blanket and pulled it over his thin shoulders. He lay on his bed, wondering why no one had come. Why did no one care enough to so much as write to him. The letters from the Order had suddenly stopped; causing Harry to wonder just what was going on. He assumed they were keeping secrets from him again, that they were unable to tell him something that he probably in all justification had a right to know. But he was once again being kept in the dark. As always.

Loud footsteps on the stairs had him looking apprehensively towards the door. He heard all the locks being undone before the door was suddenly swung open. "Your aunt thinks you need a bath," his Uncle said angrily. "I don't see why it matters, but she insists you don't stink up the place. Get up and get going!" he hissed. The man was waiting at the door this time, instead of stomping back downstairs to watch television. Harry assumed the man must know he couldn't so much as move, let alone get up.

Sighing in disgust, Vernon took the few steps to Harry's bed and yanked the boy off of it. Harry nearly collapsed, but Vernon's tight hold on the back of his shirt kept him from falling to the floor. He was roughly dragged to the bathroom and tossed onto the floor while the much bigger man turned on the water. Steam started to fill the room as the tub filled with warm water, and Harry, despite being embarrassed beyond capacity, was looking forward to getting clean. It had been weeks since he'd last had a good bath. He just didn't know if he'd have the energy to give himself one.

Once the tub was full, Vernon stripped off Harry's shirt and pants, leaving the boy in his boxers. Then, he was unceremoniously picked up and plunged into the warm water. It felt good, and Harry found himself so tired that he started to slip underneath the water.

"Damn it," hissed his Uncle, grabbing Harry's arms and pulling him upright. Harry gasped in a lungful of air before coughing, a loud wheezing sound coming from his throat. "You're pathetic. You can't even give yourself a bloody bath!"

And whose fault is that? Harry found himself wondering harshly. It certainly wasn't his fault no one felt the need to feed him.

Grabbing the body wash, Vernon poured it over his nephew and gave the boy a washcloth. "There, I gather you can handle it from here?" he asked scathingly.

Harry nodded, wanting the man to be far, far away from him at the moment. This was just too embarrassing for words. Vernon left then, slamming the bathroom door so hard that the mirror rattled in response. Harry sighed and quickly went to work, feeling light-headed and in desperate need of more rest. Washing his hair was probably the hardest, but he did manage it after a moment of contemplation. It just took time, time that he was actually given this time; instead of the measly five minutes he was usually granted.

An hour later, Harry was back in his bed, in clean pajamas and wishing he could have something to eat. Knowing he'd just throw it back up was beginning to be a deterrent, however. He just wanted to go to sleep and never wake up again, leave all his misery behind him.

………………………………….

Gasping and struggling for breath, Sirius Black was pulled from the Veil, weak and tired, but alive.

………………………………

Two days from the day Sirius was pulled from the Veil, Harry was being hand cuffed to his bed and had no idea why.

"Uncle, no. Why are you doing this?" he asked, feeling fear and panic starting to well inside of his chest.

Vernon scoffed and made sure the cuff was nice and tight around Harry's tiny wrist. "We're going out of town for a few days. I don't want you getting up and getting around with that magic of yours," he insisted. He knew Harry hid his wand in his bedroom, he just didn't know where. He wasn't willing to let the boy get to it and call those freaks.

Harry struggled against the cuff firmly holding his right hand to the bed frame. "I don't need to be restrained!" he said weakly. "I can't move as it is."

"So it seems," he said hatefully. "I know Petunia has been sneaking food up to you. I've told her time and again to just let you starve, but she refuses to listen. I know you're stronger than you let on," he said, his eyes dark with anger. He grabbed Harry's chin and pushed his fingers in hard enough to bruise. "I'm not fooled by your act, you little shite!" he hissed before throwing Harry's head away from him violently.

Only when the door was slammed and the locks were tightly bolted did Harry let the tears stream down his face. He felt so lost and alone. It had been two weeks since the last letter from the Order. He was beginning to worry about them, and his friends. Maybe something had happened to them? What if they were hurt? The thought that something had happened to the only ones he considered family while he could do nothing to help him sent a spike of guilt up through his chest.

Logically, he knew there was nothing he could do. Not in this state. Not with how the Dursley's had been treating him. But, he still felt he should have been able to stop it from happening. Knowing he couldn't didn't make it any better.

But, then he wondered if perhaps he'd just been forgotten. According to the Dursley's, it was an easy thing to do. After all, who would care about a worthless piece of filth like Harry?

………………………….

Five days after he'd been rescued from the Veil, Sirius was starting to mend. He'd gained a few more pounds and was finally able to talk without his voice cracking horribly. He was even able to get up and move around the Hospital Wing from time to time, with the help of Remus, of course.

"How is everyone?" asked Sirius. It had taken a while for Sirius to gather his thoughts and discover where he really was. He hadn't actually been aware for quite a bit when he'd been in the Veil, and for a day or two after he'd emerged from it. He remembered wanting out, wanting to get back to his friends, his family. And he remembered seeming to find the way. And then here he was, Remus and Albus Dumbledore at his side, and a few Order members as well.

"Everyone is doing fine," responded Dumbledore before he really had a chance to consider it.

"Where's Harry?" asked Sirius. He'd been anxious to see his Godson for a while now, but didn't mention it for fear they wouldn't let him see the boy until he was healthier and on his feet.

Remus seemed startled at first. Then he pulled a rumpled letter out of his coat pocket, smoothing it distractedly with his fingers. "I'd forgotten about his letter," he said, looking up at the other members with a growing sense of alarm. "Have we received another letter since this one?" he asked.

Molly, starting to look concerned as well, shook her head in the negative. "No, I assumed you were receiving all of his letters."

He nodded. "I was. But the last one I got was a few weeks ago," he said, opening the letter now with haste. "How could I have forgotten?" he mumbled to himself and then skimmed the letter. "Merlin…something's wrong," he gasped, thrusting the note into Albus' hands. "Just look at his writing. It's obvious he was having trouble writing it," he said, indicating the shaky writing.

Albus snapped his head up. "Remus, Severus, go check on him. Make sure he's all right," he sighed then, and lowered the letter. "If he's not, bring him back immediately."

Sirius was sitting up in bed, his arms going a bit shaky themselves as he tried to hold up his weight. "What's going on? Is Harry okay?" he asked, his voice terse. "If those Muggles have done something to my godson, so help me…"

Albus cut him off. "I'm sure he's fine, Sirius," he said, but Sirius was far from convinced.

………………………………..

Remus and Severus quickly walked down the street from where they had apparated in on Privet Drive. Feeling a sense of urgency, Remus spurred them to go faster.

"I'm sure the brat is just fine, Lupin," replied Severus, feeling as if this trip was a complete waste of their time.

Remus shook his head emphatically. "No, I don't think he is."

The Potions Master looked sideways at the man he was practically running with and found himself wondering if the werewolf was truly correct in his assumptions. He just couldn't imagine Potters relatives treating him any other way but kind. How little he knew.

Upon reaching the correct house, Remus quickly scanned up and down the darkened street before magically unlocking the door. His whispered alohamora quickly did its job and the door sprang open, probably sensing the man's urgency.

"I don't believe anyone is home, Lupin," informed Severus unnecessarily.

"Yes, I can see that," he said, thinking they had possibly gone on some type of vacation and just forgotten to owl. That could be the reason. He hoped. "We should search the premises just the same."

Snape nodded and started up the stairs while Remus searched the first floor, first going to the cupboard under the stairs. He knew from talks with the boy and overheard conversations that Harry used to be kept in the precise cupboard he was opening. It was so small, he couldn't imagine anyone being able to sleep in there, let alone live in it for 10 years. My poor Harry, he thought miserably.

Upstairs, Severus had found the excessively locked door and was suddenly overwhelmed with a sense of dread. He could almost feel the despair coming from beyond it. "Remus," he called and heard footsteps coming hastily up.

"Yes?" he asked before his gaze also found the many locks and he looked at Severus with growing apprehension. "If they have him locked in there," he started dangerously while pulling his wand from his pocket. He didn't finish his statement, but it was obvious to Snape what would be done to anyone who dared to hurt Potter.

When the door was finally unbound, Severus and Remus came upon a sight that left Snape shocked and Remus nearly collapsing to the floor.

"No. No, Harry."

The boy looked dead. Remus rushed to Harry's side while Severus started pulling out vials from his inner pockets. He would never say the man wasn't prepared for any eventuality. "Is he?" asked Severus.

Lupin knew what the man was asking and was almost too horrified to find out whether he was still with them or not. Placing two trembling fingers against the boy's slender neck, he felt what he'd been looking for. "Thank Merlin," he whispered before looking up at Severus with a pleading look on his face. "He's alive, but barely. You have to do something."

Severus merely nodded and shoved the man out of his way. He started pouring a multitude of potions down the boy's throat, massaging it to get him to swallow. Harry started coughing weakly as the potions took effect.

Bleary eyes opened to see nothing but two fuzzy shapes. "Please, let me go now?" he asked, pulling fruitlessly at his bonds. "Please, Uncle?" he begged hoarsely. "It hurts."

He hadn't thought the day would ever come. But Severus Snape was enraged by how Potter had been treated. No one treated a child like this. No one. He pulled his wand free and the restraints were easily and efficiently wiped out of existence, permanently.

Hearing magic coming from their lips instead of harsh words and harsh hands, Harry tried to get a better look at the two in front of him? "Remus? Snape?" he asked, finally managing to focus on them. He sighed in relief. "I didn't think anyone was ever going to come," he managed weakly. "Are you okay?" he asked, his voice so hoarse he started coughing violently again, tears of pain slipping down his cheeks.

Remus found tears were falling down his face as well. "We're fine, Harry. It's you we're worried about, kiddo," he said, gently running a hand through Harry's messy hair. Remus was starting to feel like the worst person on the face of the planet. He'd left this poor child to a family who hated and abused him. He was noticing the yellowing bruises on the boy's face and chin. "What have they done to you?"

"Remus, we have to get him to Madame Pomfrey immediately," he said suddenly, his voice tinged with fear.

Looking up in shock, having never expected to hear that from this particular man. "Why? What's wrong with him?"

Severus leaned in closer and whispered. "He's been starved and deprived of water. If we don't get him on restorative potions right now, we're going to lose him," he said quickly and harshly, wanting his point to be clean and straightforward.

Remus thought he would pass out. "Quickly then, let's go," he urged, and gently picked the boy up from the uncomfortable looking bed and cradled him against his chest. "He doesn't weigh a thing," he said, realizing then how precarious his position was.

Severus raised his wand and brought down the wards. At Remus' look he explained. "The wards be damned. Potter is never coming back here again."

Agreeing full-heartedly, Remus disapparated with a loud pop.

……………………………..

A/N: Well, that's the first (technically second) chapter to Broken Dreams. I can't believe it's been so long since I first started on this story!

I hope everyone likes it and enjoys the ride. Remember, this one is going to be short. Only about 5 chapters long.

The rest of this story will be a surprise in the making, so I shant be telling you what will happen in the next chapter!

Next update: Two weeks from today on a Sunday. For further information on when I might update early, please visit my Yahoo group's page, the link to which is located on my Profile page.

I would greatly appreciate any reviews to let me know how this story is going.