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Another short bit, but it is the end of My Heart Burns. I hope you all like it and it answers the questions The Prelude had us all asking. And I really hope it makes sense to you. It made sense to me, but then again, this is me we're talking about here lol. If it still leaves you with questions, feel free to ask and I will answer to the best of my abilities. Thank you all again so much!

My Heart Burns

Aftermath: Whispers in the Dark

SsSsS

Shadows are born of the night; they can have no place within the light.

SsSsS

Whispers. Voices all around. They spoke comfort, of care. Not of hate and weakness. They were soft and warm, not cold and harsh.

There was darkness surrounding him. Harry saw nothing but the black.

There was also so much pain. Pain everywhere. Harry's body was burning, aching over every inch of flesh. Like he had no skin left.

The bed was soft. The sheets clean and stark white. Or, as far as he could tell, they would be white.

It took only a minute for Harry to realize he was in the hospital. It was not Hogwarts' own infirmary, but what he figured must be St. Mungo's.

It took only a second for Harry to realize he was not alone.

His eyes barely opened against the pain, Harry could see directly above him something he never thought he would see again, something he had longed to see just once more for the past five years. Above him, floating serenely, hung the very same shadowy presence that had saved him from the Dursleys.

It seemed to be smiling at him.

Harry wanted to reach out, to touch this being, but his arm would not move. It felt as though he were made of stone, and when he tried to force the limb, the muscles practically screamed at him in agony. The Harry heard the shadow's voice, just as thick, just as sweet as he remembered in his dreams.

No, no. Don't try to move, little one. You've been too badly injured.

It was real, all real. It had to be, if he could hear it speak. Harry's head hurt with questions, with eager curiosity, with so many things unknown. He just had to ask one more time.

"Who are you?"

The shadow seemed to pause, deciding something, before it chuckled that low, husky laugh.

I suppose you deserve to know… I was a wizard once, but I recall nothing of my life. Only my death and everything since has any meaning to me now. The first memory of my afterlife I can remember is pain, suffering, inside a wall of fire. I assume I was killed by muggles in the witch hunts of old.

It made sense, yet it didn't. If only Harry could understand…

Some would call me a spirit, or a shade. To other, less inclined humans, I would be feared and persecuted as a demon. Muggles are very narrow-minded though, and fear what they do not understand. They do not understand the meaning of the word "demon."

Demon? Harry knew the meaning, but could conjure nothing of substance in his muddled brain to truly help him focus on the shadow's words. It was all just too much, but he had to know.

"Have you been…with me all this time?"

You mean, have I been possessing you? Yes. And no. I have not taken control of your mind, forcing you against your will. I found you, Harry, through your magic.

Harry remembered the theories from books, from Charms class, about the magical core of a wizard. A magical center, like a muscle, that held all the power a human could harness. Harry had always compared it to the Eastern ideals of the chakra system, a pathway of magic throughout the body. These were only myths and theories, though, and they had never been proven to be true.

I felt a great force growing, I felt magic pulling energy from the environment around it, like a vampire feeding from a human. When I found the magic, it had grown to be large, very powerful. I was…excited, and wanted to investigate further. This energy lead me to you. A child, who had subconsciously suppressed his magic, causing it to break free and grow, using the energy of the earth. I saw you would be powerful one day, so I clung to your magic, attached myself to your power. And when the time came, I saved your life from those filthy muggles, and when your magic returned to you, I came with it.

"You… you brought the ashwinder?"

Yes. It was easy enough, once I had access to magic again. It was the only way to save you, the only thing I could do. I would not let you die, and I still won't. I wanted to protect you, to nurture you into a great wizard. But I was impeded by another presence that had already been with you. You had an uninvited guest tainting your very soul, Harry.

What? Uninvited… oh, Harry was getting so tired. He didn't know how much longer he could stay awake. Or alive for that matter.

Don't worry, little one. You will be fine now. I will not fail you again. Now that the fragment of darkness is gone from your life, we will start anew. You will have a guardian fit to raise you, that Black boy, and you will have me.

"Fragment of darkness?"

Yes. The dark one, that Voldemort, he had left a piece of his own soul within you, and it was terrible. I tried to fight it, tried so hard, but it was too strong for me. It corrupted everything inside, turning your mind against you. Against me. Only with your new-found love and the fire curse were you able to rid yourself of the imposter. I could not help you then, but will not abandon you anymore. Just sleep now, Harry. Rest, knowing I will never be far from you. Your darkness will no longer be cold.

Harry drifted, fighting the urge to let go and dream. He felt a rising dread, a fear that would not rest within his heart. As it gnawed at him, filling him with a tired persistence, Harry fell into sleep, wondering if he would wake to a new beginning, or if it would just be another bittersweet end.

An open end? Maybe a sequel, some time in the future? Only if you want more! Let me know.