Chapter 1 – The Unsuccessful Patronus

The sun peaked up from behind the houses of Privet drive, shining on the once perfectly trimmed lawns now patchy and yellowing and sparkling clean cars now dusted with dried mud. The windows were opened wide with the hope of a non-existent breeze to sweep through and cool the inhabitants down slightly.

In the smallest bedroom of number 4, a young 15-year-old, messy haired, emerald eyed boy lay sprawled out on the bed, too hot and sweaty to move, his chest and b ack sore from the punishment the night before. He was staring into space, trying not to think as his plagued dark mind toyed with him after reliving the third task of the Triwizard tournament and its aftermath for the second time that night, screaming himself hoarse until he woke up sweating and panicking.

An own fluttered easily through the open window and hooted gently to bring Harry Potter out of his daze. Harry sat up yawning, bags protruding under the teens haunted eyes due to the lack of sleep and constant nightmares, he took the five brown coins from his bedside table, untied the daily profit from the owls outstretched leg before placing them into the leather pouch attached to the leg.

The own hooted softly before flying back out the window. Harry unravelled the daily prophet and read the front page heading 'Ministry Officials Clamp Down on the Usage of Broomstick Boosters'. Harry rolled his eyes and threw it across the room and onto the pile of the unread daily prophets. Harry didn't know why he even took the paper; it was obvious the ministry was oblivious to the return of the Dark Lord. If they finally had some sense knocked into them, it would have been on the front page.

Soon after the teen cast the paper aside, movement could be heard from the rooms in the house, the Dursleys were awake and soon Harry would be required to come down and cook them some breakfast. Harry sighed inwardly and started to make his way across the room to change out of his sweaty clothes, he didn't make it far because his leg collapsed underneath him as he put weight on it, pain shot up his leg making him forget about his chest and back. Knee now throbbing he slowly stood back up on his good leg and limped across to his wardrobe.

Looking at himself in the mirror attached to his wardrobe door he looked at his bruised and scared chest, there was not much healthy skin left, yet Harry was used to this sight and continued to put on an overly-large long sleeved shirt and jeans. Though the welts and bruising on the young boy's torso showed the Dursleys treatment this summer, Harrys leg on the other hand was the result from the last task of the Triwizard tournament back in June before the holidays. During the last leg to the cup Harry was bitten and picked up by an acromantula before being dropped awkwardly on it.

After the happenings in the graveyard and witnessing Barty Crouch Jr's confession under veritaserum Harry had to relive everything by telling Dumbledore and Sirius everything that had happened. Fawkes the phoenix had healed Harrys cuts from the acromantula but because the venom had already been in his system for a while and had attacked the structure of Harrys leg, the damage had already been done. Madame Pomfrey had given Harry dreamless sleep and then discharged him the next day, not realizing the damage to his leg. Since then the strength in his leg had dwindled and now was on the verge of collapse

"BOY!" a shout could be heard from downstairs, which was Harry's indication to get down as fast as he could before he earnt himself another punishment. He limped as fast as he could downstairs and into the kitchen to cook breakfast.

Half an hour later Harry had served sausages, bacon, eggs and toast to his Uncle, Aunt and cousin, he was now cleaning up the breakfast dishes. His Aunt had given him a list of chores to do that day to earn his food at teatime. Harry spent the morning cleaning non-stop, not matter how much he was hurting. If he was fast enough, he could be sent outside out so he could have some sort of peace for some of the day, and to find a hiding spot to listen to the evening news.

"Why would YOU need to listen to the news, it's not as if your lot will appear on our news!" cried his Uncle when Harry sat down in the living room with his Aunt and Uncle the first week of the holidays, since then Harry had been forced to find a new hiding spot to listen as his Uncle had taken to beating him whenever he found Harry near the TV at seven o'clock or if he was in his Aunts way doing his chores. Why? Harry didn't know, but the threat of Sirius coming and jinxing them stupid had been taken away due to Sirius handing himself into the ministry after Remus had captured Pettigrew, Sirius was now awaiting a fair trial which was scheduled for the 12th of August. Sirius was now on home arrest until the trial date, where Harry didn't know but he hoped that the trial would allow Sirius to allow Harry to live with him. That was the only glimmer of hope in Harrys darkening thoughts.

Harry managed to finish his chores by 3 o'clock and to his relief he was allowed out onto the streets, he walked to his usual hiding spot away from anyone and the hot sun and sat up amongst the branches of his oak tree hideout. Time passed slowly, like everything else in this drought, slow seemed the way things were going these days. At five to seven Harry jumped down and went back to number four, he hid behind a hydrangea bush underneath the window of his aunt and uncles living room. He congratulated himself on his new hiding spot, unless his uncle came and looked directly downward, he wouldn't be seen.

The news didn't bring anything that could indicate the Dark lord had been up to something, no missing people, no unlikely deaths and no strange happenings. It was when a story about a water-skiing bird was announced did Harry give up on listening. No more than two minutes later when he was thinking of moving and getting back to his hiding spot did a loud crack and a car alarm went off in the distance. Harry jumped up grabbing his wand from his back pocket of his jeans, but he was met by the sharp corner of the widely opened window. Harrys head had a splitting pain but before his Uncle could drag Harry in through the window Harry ran for it, towards the sound of the noise because he could have sworn that is the exact sound Dobby made when he was appearating and disapperating. Someone magical was in Privet drive and Harry wanted to know why.

When Harry made it to the car alarm that was going off, he saw its owner come down their driveway and so he deserted his mission and walked. Harry didn't know where is feet were taking him, all he knew is that he wanted to know what was going on, weeks and weeks of bland and non-informative letters from his best friends telling him Dumbledore was up to something but they couldn't tell him what because they were forbidden to say. Obviously, they thought of him as weak, he could have saved Cedric and now everyone was punishing him, blaming, his dreams, his friends, his thoughts and his uncle.

Harrys leg was now too painful to walk on anymore, so he made his way over to the nearby park and to the only swing that his cousin Dudley had not broken yet. Harry then went back into his daze, the heavy smothering negative cloud that had followed around ever since the third task had settled heavily on his shoulders and stomach once again. He rolled up his left sleeve and pressed hard on the cuts that he had made, it gave him some relief, at least his was punishing himself now.

Harry saw that Dudley was making his way home, so he must too otherwise he would be in for worse punishment than he was already. Harry ran through the small forest as a shortcut and as predicted his was now in front of Dudley and he could slow down, his leg couldn't take anymore running anyway.

The crack of knuckles behind Harry brought him back to the real world once again, "Father told you not to go showing those in public" mocked Dudley "You were always a freak, now you are freakier than ever, mother always said you were just like her sister, horrible, freaky, lazy" Harry had enough, he took the wand out of his back pocket and held it to Dudley's heart. "You can't do that outside of school!"

"Who says they haven't changed the rules?" spat Harry

"they haven't!" exclaimed Dudley, lacking confidence.

"DON'T YOU DARE MAKE FUN OF MY PARENTS" shouted Harry

"Uncle does it" defended Dudley

"DO YOU UNDERSTAND" shouted Harry again, Dudley whimpered as the street lights turned off, Harry thought he had done magic without meaning to but it was too cold for that, and then he saw them. Two ten feet tall, hooded, rattling dementors coming towards them. "RUN DUDLEY! THE OTHER WAY!" Harry yelled as Dudley started to run away. Harry wasn't allowed to do magic unless he was in real danger, and this was danger alright. He lifted his wand and shouted "EXPECTO PATRONUM", nothing happened, he needed to concentrate, he tried to think of a happy memory or anything but he couldn't the dark negative cloud had only become heavier and heavier, his dark thoughts were overwhelming. Harry didn't give up he continually repeated "Expecto Patronum" over and over again, he tried Ron ad Hermione, Sirius being let free, his parents alive again, nothing helped.

Harry was running backwards now, not knowing where he was going, the dementor getting closer and closer, one had gone after Dudley, there was nothing harry could do to stop anything. Why couldn't he do the Patronus charm, there was no hope left. Thoughts that Harry had squashed deep down were now re-emerging, everyone would be better off without him, he wanted to die, death would make everything better.

He replaced his wand back into his pocket, stopped where he was and stared at the dementor coming towards him, but he wasn't met with a clamping of his lips onto some cold slippery ones, he was met by pain, the smashing of glass, a loud crack of his injured leg before being thrown into the air and onto the road that he now only realized he had run onto.

The dementor started to come towards him but was impeded after a crack of someone apperating and shouting "Expecto patronum". The dementor left immediately but before Harry could see who it was everything went black.

NOTE: First Chapter What do you guys think?