I'd previously had another work that I was doing but unfortunately some unexpected real world issues took me away. I've recently started reading again and it's inspired me to write something again. Hopefully I can get through it this time as I'm really looking forward to how it unfolds. For anyone who had read that first work and stumbles across this one welcome and thanks for the kind words. For anyone new hi and bear with me I'm a one person show. Though any feedback is appreciated be kind haha.
For the first time in his life, Harry Potter felt truly at peace. Stretched out on the sandy shores of a Caribbean beach, the soft sun shining down on him, The waves gently lapped against the shore as he glanced at the empty beach, marvelling at the stunning scenery, before sinking further into his folding chair with a contented sigh.
Having the beach all to himself felt odd, but the reprieve was well-earned. He didn't want to spoil the tranquility with the whispers and stares that usually followed him. He shut his eyes, concentrating on the gentle rhythm of the waves and the salty tang in the air. But a faint, acrid smell tugged at his senses, fleeting and almost imagined, vanishing before he could place it gone as quickly as it came, leaving him to question if it had ever been there at all.
"Merlin," he breathed out, "I really needed this. When was the last time I had a moment to relax?" He paused. 'I should reach out to Ron and Hermione; it's been too long…' His thoughts faltered, confusion furrowing his brow as he tried—and failed—to remember the last time he'd seen them. When had he last seen them? How long had he been here? When did he even arrive? His mind raced, grasping at fragments of time slipping through his fingers like sand.
Ron's laugh, Hermione's determined gaze—they flickered in his memory, distant and hazy. But when had he last seen them? How long had it been? The harder he tried to remember, the more elusive the answers became, dissolving like water through cupped hands. Suddenly, he found himself standing. When had he risen? He couldn't even recall the moment. Brushing the thought aside, he dove deeper into his mind, searching for answers.
His face scrunched in concentration as he desperately sifted through his memories. Times, places, faces—half-remembered lessons from Hogwarts—flashed by in a blur, his mind a chaotic whirl of fragmented images as his eyes darted beneath tightly shut lids. Seconds stretched into an eternity, and confusion twisted, darkening into dread. He found nothing.
And then—his thoughts snagged on a blank spot, a void where something should be. It felt as though a chunk had been violently torn from his mind, leaving behind a ragged, hastily patched hole that throbbed with the weight of what was missing. He probed the jagged edges of the void, each mental touch sending a wave of panic surging through him, tightening like a vice around his chest. He had to act—time was slipping away—but what was he supposed to do?
Ron's voice echoed in his mind, thick with anger, but the words were just out of reach. Then came Hermione's scream—a sound of pure agony that nearly drove him to his knees. His head throbbed as images of a forest—alien yet familiar—flooded his senses. The cloying scent of damp earth and pine filled his nostrils. In an instant, everything shifted. The sound of cracking ice, a sudden weightlessness, and then the shock of biting cold. The gentle warmth of the summer sun faded into a distant memory, as if it belonged to another life altogether.
"Shit, it's breaking!" A voice echoed faintly, as if muffled by a wall, yet it seemed to come from all around him. The voice was male, reedy with panic, and though the words were English, the accent was completely foreign to Harry.
"Then fix it!" A second voice sliced through the haze, sharp and commanding. It was higher—feminine—but carried an edge that sent a shiver down his spine. Just as foreign. Just as unnerving. "Stay calm. Increase the stabilizer inputs by thirty percent. We cannot afford another blackout."
"It's not that easy," the first voice shot back, urgency edging out panic. "Error after error—twenty-six and counting. It's cascading fast. His rig is pulling massive resources from the grid—it's near total collapse! Everything's destabilizing. We're seconds from a complete crash. If we don't settle him now, he'll bring down the whole sector… again."
Throughout the exchange, Harry struggled to force his eyes open, but his body refused to obey, betraying him completely.
"I'm going to have to go in," the female voice whispered, her words dripping with a gravity that made Harry's heart race. He braced himself, though he had no idea for what.
"You can't," the male voice whispered, panic creeping back into his tone. "If Verity finds out you've been inside a rig…"
"Then what?" she snapped. "Best case, we can't contain the bleed, and he brings down the sector. Worst case, his rig cracks and he's voided."
Harry certainly didn't like the sound of that. Harry's breath quickened, chest tightening as if a vice were being slowly twisted. His pulse pounded in his temples, each beat sounding off like a warning bell."
"Shit" The male swore again. "It's getting worse. What ever you're going to do just do it quickly but if anyone asks I don't know anything".
A beat passed and then suddenly A dainty hand landed on his shoulder, the touch sending a cold shiver down his spine, yet the voice that followed was warm, almost soothing.
"Harry, I need you to listen to me. Calm down"
And with that, his eyes shot open, flooding with the blinding light of the sun at odds with how cold he still felt. As his eyes struggled to readjust, the scene around him felt wrong. The sun blazed above, but the warmth had vanished. The ocean, once alive with motion, was eerily still—frozen mid-wave, like a glass sculpture. Even the seagulls were suspended in the sky, as if time itself had stopped. Even the salty tang of the sea was gone, replaced by a sterile, metallic taste on his tongue. Confusion froze him in place till he snapped back to himself at a gentle shake from the hand on his shoulder.
"Harry… Harry… focus please," The voice was firmer now but still trying to make a stab at calming. "I need you to calm down, I'll explain everything but I need you to take a deep breath"
Deciding that an explanation sounded good, Harry took a second closing his eyes and breathing, in an attempt to wrestle his heartbeat down to a level less likely to cause a heart attack. When he opened his eyes again, the fear had drained away, replaced by a cold, steely determination. It was time for answers. He turned to face his captor, ready for whatever came next.