Harry's anger continued to grow as he read over yet another useless, pointless letter. He crumpled the letter this time from Hermione. Turning in his seat he tossed it into the rubbish bin like it was a quaffle. His anger had been growing steadily all summer so far. With the feeling of isolation, and the lack of any kind of news no matter how small had set him on edge. That coupled with a lack of sleep was definitely not helping. He could really use a dreamless sleeping potion right now.
Somehow this tightlipped manner of Hermione's bothered him even more than the others. While Sirius and Ron were typically straight to the point, Hermione normally was wordier and more detailed. Usually, Harry lived vicariously through their letters hearing about Ron playing quidditch with his brothers, and Hermione traveling the continent with her parents. The lack of even those stories in the letters really bothered him.
Since it was OWL year for Harry he had gone through and read his textbooks for charms and transfiguration and using muggle notebooks he had rewritten all of the notes for first through third year. As Harry was about to turn his attention to his charms homework for the summer there was another tapping at his window. There was a beautiful golden Eagle Owl. The bird came through as soon as he opened the window. Harry gave it a gentle pet on its head. Then relieved it of its burden. Curious as to who letter might be from Harry swiftly opened it.
Potter,
I wanted to reach out given the way that the Prophet has been treating you lately. It is sad that our government is being so willfully blind. Just know that not everyone believes that you're a nutter, although I'm sure that your friends have assured you of that. Also know that you have allies in our world, even in some unexpected places.
-Shadow
PS: If you need help know that I'm willing to listen.
Harry had to reread the letter. Someone believed him about Voldemort being back. He had an ally in an unexpected place. Whoever Shadow was they wanted to make sure to stay in the background and they were someone that would not be expected.
Harry turned back to his charm's homework. One of the few positives about this summer was that the Dursleys were leaving him alone. With nothing really engaging to distract him he actually read his textbooks and put more effort than normal into his schoolwork.
As Harry closed his text finishing off the essay for Professor Flitwick, he noticed that the gorgeous owl was still waiting for a response. Taking out a piece of parchment he started his reply to the mysterious correspondent his messy scrawl slowly filling the parchment.
Shadow,
Thank you for writing to me. It made me feel better and able to focus more on my homework. As to my friends, I assume that you mean Ron and Hermione. I thought that they believed me. Mostly all that I hear from them is stay put, stay out of trouble. I guess that I really could use someone in my corner willing to help.
I don't know if you've ever experienced reoccurring nightmares. I have been experiencing those all summer. I wish that I were at school right now as I could really use a dreamless sleep potion from Madame Pomfrey. I don't have a situation where I can brew it myself at home. Do you know where I might be able to get some?
-HJP
Harry felt relieved at having someone to talk to even if they were choosing to be in the background for now. He folded the letter and gave the response to the gorgeous bird, and it took off out the widow to deliver his reply. With that he began the process of getting ready for bed and then settled on his mattress one of the few pieces of furniture that he was allowed use of and set about reading his year four transfiguration textbook. While the theory may be dry, he understood why people like McGonagall and his dad would love it. Through doing this he found that he was developing a new appreciation for the subjects. While nothing could help him in potions, he could at least make sure he did well in his other core subjects.
Harry shut the window to avoid any complaining from Uncle Vernon about it getting drafty. It was two o'clock in the morning by the time that Harry eventually fell asleep. As had become normal every evening Harry fell into an endless loop of nightmares. There was first the one about that graveyard where he would be forced to rewatch Cedric's death. Then, the graveyard would fade, and he would find himself walking down a long corridor of endless doors. It would seem that he was searching for something, but he did not know what. As always, he ended up waking in a sweat. He looked at the clock next to his mattress. It was time to get up anyhow. Even though the Dursleys were leaving him alone this summer, his body had long been accustomed to waking at this hour. Harry returned to working through his fourth-year transfiguration textbook and took some pumpkin pasties from his hidden stash to snack on. He had gotten into the habit of buying a stash to keep in one of the desk drawers so that he could have something to eat should there be no other options available to him.
Harry was about halfway through the book and rewriting his notes when he heard a tapping at his window, and he let the beautiful Eagle Owl in. This time offering the beautiful bird some owl treats while taking the letter and a small package from her. Harry chose to open the letter first.
Potter,
I am unfortunately quite familiar with reoccurring nightmares. I have sent a couple of vials of dreamless sleep from my own private stash. If you need more let me know I have also included an owl order form for one of the better apothecaries. Even if you were in a situation that would allow for you to be able to brew for yourself, no offense I wouldn't suggest it. I have seen you in class.
It's funny really you do know that you don't have to be friends with them, right? Sometimes loyalty can be really misguided and abused. Over the years I know that you're a very loyal person, but some people and some causes aren't worthy of that level of loyalty.
-Shadow
Harry reached over and opened the box inside was indeed a folded order form and two vials of what was clearly dreamless sleep. Harry felt calm and took some parchment out of his desk and scrawled a reply.
Shadow,
Thank you for sending the dreamless sleep potion and the order form. That will prove most useful this summer with the way that things are going. Other than the nightmares, which I guess are to be expected after the events of last year, I've been doing a fair bit of studying in order to prepare better for the war and the OWL Exams.
I guess that I can see your point. This last year Ron didn't speak to me after the goblet spit my name out until after the first task. He gets far to jealous far too often. I just never really let it bother me before. Hermione though this was new for her. Do you really feel that I'm being misguided and abused by people in our world? I know that people can turn on a dime. I just always assumed it out of lack of knowledge. Am I wrong?
What have you been up to this summer? You don't have to say if you don't want, I just thought that I would offer to return the favor and listen if you need it.
-HJP
Harry folded the parchment and gave it to the beautiful golden Eagle Owl to take his reply. He had been exhausting poor Hedwig needlessly earlier this summer with pointless deliveries. He should write to Professor McGonagall about his newfound resolve and see if he could do some independent study or something and drop divination. At least that would keep him from dealing with his untimely demise being predicted several times a week.
Harry continued to study his fourth-year textbooks for charms and transfiguration throughout the rest of the day and looked forward to the first peaceful night of sleep in a month. Taking out a chocolate frog to snack on as he turned to his transfiguration assignment for the summer. The sun was getting low when Harry heard another tapping at his window.
Harry opened the window and allowed the bird in and took Shadow's reply from it.
Potter,
I would indeed be paying attention to what people around you are saying and more importantly not saying. In every action and conversation with people think of it as making a play in a game of chess or cards. Read the board or cards and understand what is behind what people are saying and doing. It would be good for you to look back over the last few years and consider that. That is not the sort of thing that I should give you an answer about. It is something for you to determine for yourself.
As for my summer, it's been eventful to say the least and not in a pleasant way. Like you I have been doing a lot of studying in trying to prepare for the OWL Exams. That is when father is gone, which is more often than not again, and he always comes home in a bad mood. Then, there are the boring formal garden parties he forces me to attend.
-Shadow
Harry sat back and began to go the through his years at Hogwarts. He took a different notebook out and divided the first page into people, actions, and events. He needed to take the time to think this through too.
Harry's notebook began to take an alarming turn as he began to look at the strange number of coincidences that had occurred during his Hogwarts years. First of all, the Weasleys a pureblood family, just happened to be using the King's Cross Muggleborn Entrance when Hagrid forgot to tell him how to get onto the platform. Ron telling Harry everywhere else was full and asking to sit with him. Ron and Hagrid both making a point of telling him that "there isn't a witch or wizard who went bad who wasn't in Slytherin." Yet, that is exactly where the Sorting Hat had wanted to put Harry. Ron knew who he was and yet Ron's jealousy pretty regularly got the better of him. It had been in the forefront of Harry's mind on several occasions that Ron would not continue to be his friend if he took studying seriously and did better than him. Which reinforced the Dursleys' conditioning of him not to do better than Dudley all the way through primary.
There was the Troll attack in first year. That was how he and Ron had ended up becoming friends with Hermione. The teachers had been looking for the Troll, but it ended up being a couple of first years that took down the troll and then Hermione lied to teachers who just happened to show up afterwards.
There was the whole sorcerer's stone mess which again he got no help from the professors when we went to Professor McGonagall about it. Instead, Ron and Hermione helped him through a series of tests that were to protect the stone, yet they were not too hard if three first years could make it through. He had begged Dumbledore not to have to return to the Dursley's and yet year after year the old man insisted on him returning. He had been starved and locked in his bedroom after a house elf made a mess of his uncle and aunt's fancy dinner, with some clients. That was after the same house elf steals his correspondence all summer. The Weasley boys ended up pulling the bars off his window and rescuing him.
Then in the second year, after the platform didn't let them through the chamber of secrets is opened, and he gets revealed for being able to talk to snakes. Draco Malfoy just happened to conjure a snake in their duel during the dueling club leading to the whole heir of Slytherin debacle. Not only that, but the year's defense against the dark arts teacher was a total fraud, who turned out useless when they attempted to get help to save Ginny.
Then there was the fact that not one of the professors would help him when he needed to get out of the tournament that he shouldn't have been allowed to participate in in the first place. Dumbledore and Moody were supposed to be old friends and yet he didn't know all year that that the man teaching them was an imposter? Things just were not lining up right.
Harry thought also about his new ally who had been writing back and forth with him lately. They were clearly in his year. The fact that Shadow had indicated sharing potions class told him that. It also told him that Shadow was in Slytherin house. A house that someone clearly had not wanted Harry to be placed in. The quality of the paper and the owl delivering Shadow's messages also told him that they were wealthy.
As Harry's birthday approached, he moved on from transfiguration and charms to defense against the dark arts for his study focus. The only textbook he bothered with was the one that Professor Lupin had them pick up before third year. He had been the only teacher that had been competent aside from the fake Alastor Moody.