Shattered Memories

Chapter Two

The Abolishment of Mrs Black

Harry fell clumsily to the floor as he landed. Picking himself up, he looked around at the stone kitchen of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black. Pots and pans were still hanging above a long, carved table, stretching towards an empty fireplace. A shelf ran along the wall, full of recipe books and assorted ingredients. A few pieces of paper were scattered across the table, mixed with a mug or two and half a plate of unfinished food.

Harry was nursing his knee, which had collided with a chair on his sudden entrance. He still felt dizzy and cold from the Dementors, but it was slowly fading, being replaced with unwanted emotions. Here he was, back in Sirius's old home, when his godfather was dead and not to return. The pain he tried so hard to keep inside was released in the form of tiny teardrops, trickling from behind his glasses. It all came crashing down on him, all the sadness and guilt. It threatened to suffocate him until he collapsed with misery upon the stained stone floor.

Harry felt bile rise in his throat and could feel the tears dribbling over his chin. He quickly wiped them away, furious with himself for letting down his guard. If it was not Voldemort sneaking up on him, it was his own emotions.

Harry sat in one of the stiff wooden chairs and stared at his shaking hands. His wand was still clamped tightly in his fist and his knuckles were turning white from the force. There were a few scratches running across the back of his hand, from when the Dementor had attacked him from behind. It had been a narrow escape; too narrow. Harry shouldn't have let down his guard when he knew Dementors were swarming all over the house. If it had not been for Remus, both Harry and Dudley would be dead.

The silence hung thickly in the underground kitchen, with Harry staring blankly at the scratched table, his thoughts on the battle at Privet Drive. It seemed like an eternity when Harry heard the front door screech open from upstairs. He practically flew from his seat and up the many stairs to stumble into the dark Entrance Hall. It was still gloomy and foreboding, with a few portraits still stuck to the walls, their eyes glaring at him as he past. A group of people were spilling through the front door, standing in a patch of light created by Nymphadora Tonks' wand.

Harry stood a bit back, waiting for the heavy door to shut with a slight click. They were talking hurriedly about something, when Harry stepped from the shadows and into the patch of light. Tonks almost screamed when he appeared and a few others jumped. They were all staring at him in shock. He would have found the situation humorous if it was not so dire.

"What happened?" he asked Lupin who was looking pale and supporting an injured arm. The others looked in much the same state; Tonks had a gash across her forehead and Elphias Doge was holding his side wearing a pained face. Remus looked at him sadly.

"We'll talk once we're in the kitchen, the walls have ears up here," he said, leading the party back down into the basement kitchen. Harry seated himself in the same chair and watched Lupin be settled next to him. Now that Harry could see the man in a clear light, he noticed how bad he was. Apart from Lupin's pale face and sore arm, he had even more lines on his forehead and dark hollows beneath his eyes. He seemed thinner than usual and had a painful emptiness in his eyes. Harry knew he must look much the same way; Sirius's death had affected them the most.

"What happened?" Harry asked once more, this time stronger. A few people looked away at his words and some looked at him with pitying eyes. Lupin was looking in his eyes, sadness in his own.

"After we got you out of there, we were able to secure your cousin, so he wasn't furthermore affected by the Dementors. I went upstairs to check on your relatives but there were three more Dementors in their room. I was almost unable to force them away, but I did, using much of my strength. I checked your aunt and uncle, and they had just fainted. I enervated them and helped them from the house but as we got onto the lawn, Death Eaters apparated from everywhere. I lost them in the battle and when I found them, I discovered your aunt stunned and your uncle was-he-," Lupin broke his gaze and dropped his head. Harry felt his stomach plummet to the floor. "He was killed by a Death Eater, Harry, I'm so sorry,"

Harry felt that a Dementor was standing right in front of him. Coldness swept through his body and a piercing pain stabbed through his heart. His uncle was dead. It wasn't as if his uncle was ever nice to him, but far from. Vernon Dursley had been horrible to him and he had wished Harry were dead. But he was still family to Harry, and that was what mattered. He now only had two people in this world that were his blood relatives. Harry was slowly becoming more and more alone.

He felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up into Remus's kind eyes and bowed his head. He would not cry, not for his uncle. But he would grieve, in his own time and in his own way. Just not now. At the moment, he needed answers. With unknown determination and renewed strength, Harry looked up. A strange fire was burning in his eyes as he looked around at the assembly of seven witches and wizards: his saviours.

"How was Voldemort able to get the Dementors to pass through the Protection Spells?" he asked, ignoring the winces at the Dark Lord's name. Lupin looked a bit taken back by Harry's sudden determination but answered as best he could.

"Actually, we're not sure how he did it. Dumbledore said the spell would protect you from any forces out to harm you. That should have covered both Voldemort and any of his followers. At the moment, Albus is researching the matter and says he will be by later to see how you are," Remus said, watching Harry's face screw up at the mention of the headmaster's name.

"I don't want him to ask how I am," he said stiffly, balling his fist. "He's the one that keeps saying sending me back to the Dursley's was the safest thing to do. And now look, I was almost kissed by a Dementor while my uncle is-he's-dead..." he said, his voice breaking.

"Harry-," began Lupin but Harry stood, startling Tonks, so much she sloshed steaming tea onto her lap. "I don't want to TALK to that man, ever again! He is the one that said my relatives and me would be safe! I believed him! I thought as long as I was with my mother's sister that the Blood Bond would be in place-," Harry said loudly. Many people looked confused.

"Blood Bond, what's-," Remus said before Harry cut him off. "WHY DON'T YOU ASK HIM THAT?" Harry shouted, storming from the room leaving a very confused and shocked audience behind. The floorboards groaned under his heavy footfalls as he walked forcefully through the house. At every turn, he was reminded of his godfather and if he stopped, he remembered why he was here in the first place.

He began to climb the stairs, his mind turmoil of raw emotions and boiling anger. As he neared the top of the stairs, a door opened on the left and a face appeared.

"Harry? What are you doing here?" Ron asked confusion and shock framed in his eyes. Harry tried to keep his anger down but it burst from him like air from a balloon.

"Why do you want to know? Aren't I allowed to have a break for once!" he yelled. Ron looked as if Harry had hit him. His mouth was hanging open and face was pale.

"Mate, I never said-," Ron began before Harry cut him off. "DO YOU EVER SAY ANYTHING?" Harry yelled. "OR IS IT ALWAYS ME WHO HAS TO TALK? AND ME WHO HAS TO DO EVERYTHING AND GO THROUGH EVERYTHING?" He continued, not caring that Ginny had appeared beside her brother and was standing too shocked to move.

"WHY CAN'T I JUST DO NOTHING FOR ONCE AND SEE WHAT HAPPENS? JUST GIVE UP AND LET SOMEONE ELSE DEFEAT VOLDEMORT?" he yelled. Anger was now rolling through him, only there to mask the pain he felt inside. Another set of screams broke the tense silence. Mrs Black's curtains had flung open and she was screaming at the top of her oil-painted lungs.

"HALF-BREEDS, MUDBLOODS, FOUL CREATURES FORSAKING THE HOUSE OF BLACK! BE GONE THE FILTH THAT IS DIRTYING MY ANCESTORIAL HOME!" Harry had had enough at this point, with his anger in full swing, he sped down to where the old woman was rolling her eyes and screaming manically. He looked her straight in the face and she stared straight back.

"You," she started. "You half-blood and abomination! You who bring your kind into this house and spread your filth like my god-forsaken son did-," Harry shut her up by starting his own stream of yelling.

"ME? YOU ARE THE ONE WHO IS DISGRACING THIS HOUSE! SIRIUS WAS THE BEST THING TO COME OUT OF YOUR FAMILY AND THE ONLY ONE OF YOUR LOT TO DO GOOD! AND I DON'T CARE THAT I'M A HALFBLOOD, I WOULD RATHER BE PART TOAD THAN BE RELATED TO YOU!" Harry yelled, sending all his pain and anger towards the foul portrait before him. How he would love to see it burn.

Ginny screamed from the stairs as the painting suddenly exploded in a ball of flames. Harry was blown back from the force of it and landed with a painful thump on the Troll Foot stand. Mrs Black's screams echoed around the house, they sounded so distraught and horrifying that Harry felt slightly pitying of the old woman. People appeared from the kitchen, all staring nonplussed at the crumbling wall. Remus and Kingsley were the first to jump forward and shoot streams of cool water towards the flaming fortification. Others soon joined in and a moment later, all that was left was a blackened piece of wall and a great hole where Mrs Black's portrait once was.

There was silence as the adults tried to ask what happened. Both Ron and Ginny were unable to speak as they rounded on Harry who was just as speechless as they were. How did the wall catch on fire? Was it another of his accidental magic spurts which somehow was triggered by his saying he would love to see the portrait burn?

He turned to Lupin who was staring at him, his eyes asking for an answer. Harry then remembered why he was yelling in the first place and the events that led to it occurring. His anger and pain returned, just as strong as before. He quickly stood and pushed past the group, ignoring the comments made about him and the daggers glared at him by Ron. All that mattered was reaching somewhere where he could be alone and sort out his life.

He reached the top of the first landing and continued to the next. He reached a door he knew used to contain Buckbeak the Hippogriff and pushed it open. Shutting it quickly behind him and locking it carefully, he turned to find the magnificent beast spread out on the half-collapsed bed. Edging closer to the Hippogriff, he bowed and waited eagerly for it to return it. Buckbeak looked at him with his golden eyes before bending his knees in a slight bow. Harry was glad the creature did not attack him as he settled down next to it on the floor.

Bones and carcasses littered the floor with large feathers, hair and dried droppings. It didn't look like the room had been cleaned in a while and Harry wondered who was feeding the animal. As Harry was leaning against Buckbeak's feathery side, he had a flash of the Christmas before and Sirius singing God Rest Ye Merry Hippogriffs at the top of his lungs. The image brought tears to his eyes, which he didn't bother to cover up.

The room closed in on him, the walls moving slowly inwards, threatening to squash him in the middle. The roof was falling in and the floor was moving up. His breath suddenly became rugged and his heart was furiously bumping in his chest. Bile was in his throat and his eyes were stinging painfully. The tears that he tried so hard to keep inside him fell free. They felt warm on his skin and made everything come loose.

His hands found his glasses and placed them on the floor then covered his eyes. Harry grieved for the first real time since loosing Sirius. He grieved for his aunt and cousin, for loosing their father and husband. They did not deserve to be caught up in Harry's life as so many other's had been. Harry grieved for Lupin, for loosing his best friend just after getting him back. Harry let the tears fall freely, so his face was warm and slippery when he finally wiped away the essence of his pain.

He remained in that room for many hours, alone apart from the magical beast snoozing at his side. No one dared disturb him when his body and powers were so rubbed raw from the strain of Sirius's death and his uncle's untimely demise. Harry was so emotional at the moment and likely to blow someone up if they interrupted his mourning process.

Plus, he had too many things going through his mind, making everything seem not what it was. He had Sirius's death haunting him in his sleep and now his uncle's sudden murder, and add that to his already fragile mind.

One other thing was tormenting him tremendously. The one thing that was the cause of so much pain and loss in Harry's life. It was the cause of his parent's murder and Sirius's false imprisonment. It was also the cause of Voldemort's first downfall and the reason he was reborn two years ago. It was the cause of Harry's pain last year and the reason he was drawn to the Ministry of Magic. His godfather had died trying to save it and Harry had been possessed because of it.

The cause of his pain and anger and sadness was the prophecy. A simple string of sentences was the reason Harry was a famous orphan; it was the reason he could speak to snakes and see into the Dark Lord's mind. It was this single thing that had made Harry's life a living hell and would continue to do so until it was fulfilled. And at that moment, it was the one thing running through his mind.

"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches ... born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies... and the Dark Lord will mark him his equal, but he will have powers the Dark Lord knows not ... and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives ... the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies ..."

It had been spoken by Sybil Trelawney before Harry was even born. It could have been one of two boys born at the end of July. One was Harry and the other had been Neville Longbottom. Nearly two weeks ago, Harry had wished it had been Neville Voldemort picked and not him. He wished he had been the boy Voldemort went after and the one he marked his equal.

But now, Harry wished the curse on no one but himself. If he were the only one to destroy the Dark Lord for the last time, he would do all in his power to do it. Even if he was a small, skinny sixteen year old boy with only a thin piece of wood to defend himself. But what were the powers he knows not? Harry did not have any power strong enough to kill Lord Voldemort, and even if he did, would he? He did not want to kill someone; he didn't want to be a murderer. Even if it was to kill the most feared wizard of their time, he didn't have enough strength to cast an Unforgivable, and even the Dark Lord knew it. He didn't even have enough anger in him to cause pain to Sirius's killer.

So how was he meant to cast one of the most powerful and deadly curses of all time if he couldn't even cause pain to the most evil woman he ever knew.

The thought of him killing someone just made him sick.

Some time past and it ended in Harry having to leave the sanctuary of the room because his stomach was threatening to start eating him soon if he did not feed it. He cautiously peered down to the landing below, not liking the idea of confronting Ron on his outburst earlier. Luckily, Ron's bedroom door was shut, so Harry made his way down the stairs and into the Entrance Room. The hole in the wall had stopped smoking but looked like a disaster area anyway.

The incident still confused him and he would have to ask Dumbledore about it later, before remembering that he was mad at the old man. Harry stood at the top of the stairs leading down to the kitchen. He could hear voices echoing up towards him and they made him nervous. He didn't want to talk to them; he didn't want to talk to anyone. And he especially didn't want to see their sympathetic and pitying looks that made anger crawl beneath his skin. His temper was always short these days and it didn't take much for him to loose it. Just as he was about to go back to the room upstairs and get food later, the appearance of Ginny Weasley spoiled all his plans.

She jumped when she spotted him standing motionless at the top of the stairs. She had just come down from upstairs and was looking at him with a gaze mixed with anger and sadness that made him nervous.

"Err-hi Ginny," he said softly. The redhead was just looking at him with that what do you have to say for yourself look that she had inherited from her mother.

"Hi, Harry," she said in return. "Were you going down?" she asked, pointing down the stairs. "Yeah, I suppose so," he said, wondering why the girl hadn't blown up at him for yelling at Ron earlier for no apparent reason. When the two entered the kitchen, Harry was surprised to find only Remus, Tonks and Ron sitting at the table, eating lunch. They all looked at him but said nothing as he sat down at the end of the table. Ginny sat near her brother, who was staring at Harry.

Harry was feeling uncomfortable and ashamed now. "Look, I'm sorry for blowing up at you before, Ron, I didn't mean any of it, and Remus, I'm sorry I shouted at you as well..." Harry murmured, his eyes pleading for understanding. "It's just, I was so angry at Du-everything and I had to get it out somehow," Harry had almost said Dumbledore but thought better off it, as the old man was still something he had to sort out.

Ron was scraping his plate with a fork, his eyes staring directly at it. Harry felt as though he was sinking through the chair when Ron looked at him and smiled slightly.

"It's alright mate, I understand," Ron said, but Harry could tell he would need time to properly get over it. Harry nodded his thanks and looked at Remus who was watching him with a faint twinkle in his eyes.

"And I don't mind about the shouting, I've heard it all before, but I am curious about that Blood Bond thing and will ask Dumbledore about it," Moony said, watching for Harry's brief flaring of anger at the headmaster's name, but it didn't come.

"Thanks you guys, I don't know what I would do with out you," Harry said truthfully. Noticing someone missing who should be there, he asked, "Where's Hermione?" Ron grinned.

"She's in Rome with her parents. They thought she was spending too much time away from them so they took her on a holiday. But she'll be here next week," he added, Harry spotted a strange twinkling when Ron made that last statement but thought nothing of it. Instead, he turned his eyes to the plate of food in front of him. There were a couple dishes of pasta and sandwiches sitting in the middle which Harry looked at with hunger. Remus laughed and said, "Help yourself!"

A second later Harry was shovelling hot spaghetti into his watering mouth, moaning with the good taste. He had not eaten much the night before and had missed breakfast because of his isolation in his room. When he was done and the dishes were cleaned, he was just leaning back in his chair when he noticed everyone's gaze was on him.

"What? Do I have cheese on my face or something?" he asked, rubbing his mouth with the back of his hand.

"No, you don't, but we were wondering-?" began Ginny but was cut off by Ron who said, "How the bloody hell did you manage to shoot fire at the wall?" he said in an awed voice. Harry frowned.

"Because it was bloody brilliant!" said Tonks, her hair spiky and green today. Harry shrugged his shoulders.

"It was accidental, I've been doing stuff like that all summer, but nothing as powerful as that," he added, truthfully. Remus raised his eyebrows at this. "You've been doing Accidental Magic all summer? How?"

"Umm, how am I supposed to know, its accidental, remember?" Harry said humorously. "Then, why have you been doing it?" said Ron. Harry looked to him and raised his own eyebrows. He thought Sirius's death would have been quite obvious to the reason why this stuff had been happening. Harry had been angry all summer, and magic feeds off emotions and in a strong burst of emotion, power was released with it. Ginny glared at her brother and punched his arm.

"Oww, what was that for?" he said loudly, rubbing a red mark on his wrist. "Ron Weasley, you are the most insensitive and blind prat I have ever known!" she exclaimed. Ron looked to Harry, confusion evident in his eyes. It took a moment of silence where Ron was deep in thought before he let out a long, "Ohhhhhhhh...look, I'm so sorry, mate, I am a complete prat, aren't I?" he said, hitting his head with his hand. Harry grinned.

"Sometimes, but you can't help it," Harry said, laughing when Ron answered with, "Thanks, I think,"

Harry, Ron and Ginny left Remus and Tonks talking in the kitchen, strolling through the house to find a spot to talk. They ended up in the Black Family Library but decided not to stroll down any of the aisles, for fear of cursed Dark Arts books. Harry tested the moth-eaten sofa before sinking into it. Ron was sitting on a mouldy looking footstool while Ginny was stretched out on the grey carpet, using her arms as a pillow.

"So, what have you been up to this summer?" Harry asked, hoisting his leg up on his knee. Ron shrugged. "Nothing much, mum and dad are staying at the Burrow for a week or so, just to get everything we need and everything sorted. They didn't want us there because they thought it wouldn't be safe, so here we are," Ron said, motioning around him in a bored fashion. Ginny snorted.

"All we've been doing is play game after game of chess, with Ron the winner in each one, and game after game of exploding snap, with me the winner every one. There is nothing to do but clean or explore, and Professor Lupin won't let us explore anything anymore after Ron was locked in a closet up stairs after he was hiding from me. The door shut by itself and locked, then cast some sort of Silencing Charm on it so we couldn't hear Ron's screams," Ginny said as it that was the most unexciting thing to ever happen. Harry was left with stitches in his sides after almost collapsing with laughter.

"How did you find him?" he managed to get out in between bursts of laughter.

"Oh, we were walking past it when we heard this all mighty scream and the door of the closet slammed open and Ron came pelting out, screaming at the top of his lungs. There happened to be a large nest of tarantulas nesting in there and Ron had disturbed their peace and quiet!" Ginny said chuckling as Ron's face turned beet red and he slumped down over the pouf. Harry was struggling to breathe now and this fact was enough to make Ron throw a half-eaten book at him. Luckily, Harry had great reflexes as the book missed his head by inches and exploded in a puff of pages on the back of the chair.

"Hey!" Harry said, wiping away the powdery dust that had settled over his shoulders. Ron was laughing at him, as was Ginny and he realized, with embarrassment, that there was a large piece of parchment stuck in his hair. Reaching up, he pulled it out and was going to scrunch it up and pelt it at Ron when something on it caught his gaze. It seemed to be some kind of diary entry, and by the scrawl of it, was very old.

April the Twenty-Eighth Year 1960,

I have heard news today that I am to bare a son, a son who can furthermore carry on the Noble and Most Ancient Line of Black. His blood will be pure, like all in my family, and will be brought up knowing he is better than those who are tainted with the filth from the other world. I shall name him after my father, Sirius Phineas Black, who was a great man, powerful and one of those to help rid the world of the mudbloods and muggles that are dirtying our once pure world. I will teach him to become the best and he will grow to be a man like no other and will follow traditions set to him by our ancestors. Our blood will be carried on through him, will remain pure, and untainted until the world is once more ours to rule.

My only wish is that he is much like Phineas, my dear father.

Harry read it then reread it, not believing what he had found. "What is it?" asked Ginny. Harry passed her the parchment, which she read, snorted than handed it to Ron who finished it with a wide mouth.

"I am so glad that old toad got what was coming to her," said Ginny. "Yeah, I agree," Ron, said, throwing the paper back to Harry who slipped it into his pocket.

"Now I understand why Sirius ran away when he was sixteen, he opposed to everything his family had set out for him. He practically destroyed his whole family line because he believed in what he wanted to believe in!" Ginny said in awe.

Harry smiled sadly. "And he would do it again without a second thought," he said softly.

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Hey peoples, well here is the second chapter! I cannot believe I got like seven or something reviews for the first chapter! You people are the best, please review again and tell me how things are working out and everything. Also, I'm not sure when I will be able to update because I have other stories to write! So, please be patient!

DW