Shattered Memories

Harry was falling through the house. He passed floor after floor, with boards and nails scratching his skin and hitting his flailing limbs. The Jarvey was attached to his back, shouting words into his ears.

"THIS WEATHER IS LOVELY!" It said as a particularly large piece of wood slammed into Harry's arm. He yelled in pain, his voice lost in the roaring of the air whipping past his body. He kept falling until it felt like his body was one large bloody mess. Everything hurt and he couldn't open his eyes to see how far to the bottom as dust and dirt would blind him almost immediately.

Finally, after it felt like days that he had been falling, Harry hit a large bend at the bottom of the shoot and he was forced out and into a small, cramped room. His whole body was aching and his arm felt like it was broken in five different places. The Jarvey had been squashed against his face and all he could see and smell was the creatures matted fur. It smelt like rotten eggs mixed with old books. Harry was trying not to gag for fear of suffocating in the disgusting hair.

Harry's legs were squashed up into his chest, with one coming up past his elbow. One arm was twisted above his head and was caught between something hard and hot. The space was incredible small and the floor was soft and lumpy. Something sharp was digging into his lower back and the Jarvey was attempting to speak but couldn't manage due to it being squashed between Harry and the wall.

"C is - weather - Eggbert Swiss - cheese - hear about that - Frankfurt - know a man named Simon -" it mumbled, sounding disoriented and wheezy. Harry groaned and tried to move. But it only caused him immense pain that shot through his entire body. He was lying there for ages, straining for any sounds other than that of the Jarvey. And finally, he heard something. Through the wall that he was pressed against, he could hear the loud voices of people.

He tried to make a noise to draw attention to him but all he managed was a painful groan. The Jarvey, however, was wriggling energetically. Obviously, it had heard the voices also. It began to shout muffled words that Harry would have laughed at if it weren't for the circumstances.

"FANCY A - SIMON - LEGOLA FRANKFURT - THE WEATHER IS - CHEESE - AND I HEAR URANUS IS QUITE GOOD THIS YEAR - FAVOURITE COLOUR IS - GHOUL?" it shouted at the top of its lungs. Harry tensed when he heard the other voices stop. There was a mumbled exclamation from outside Harry's cramped prison and he could feel footsteps vibrating through the floor. Suddenly, the wall fell away and curtains of light enveloped him and the squealing Jarvey.

Harry fell sideways, his arm getting caught on something above him as he went. The Jarvey untangled itself from Harry's neck and bolted from view. He fell unceremoniously onto the stone floor of the kitchen, his arm cracking painfully as he went. He lay sprawled on his back, his entire body aching and bleeding. He could hear voices above and all around him but couldn't make anything out. Something swam into his vision and he blinked in annoyance. The Jarvey was leaning over him, its blue eyes round as saucers. Harry heard its final words before darkness consumed him.

"Fancy a kipper?"

oOo

It was so cold. He felt the icy wind tearing into his flesh and chilling his very bones. He hurt all over. The pain was unbearable and ever present. The stone beneath his body was hard and cold, and was making his body numb. His arms were aching painfully as they were chained against the wall above his head. The shackles were digging into his skin; the blood had dried long ago.

He attempted to move his legs but was only greeted with pain. It felt like his leg was broken; it was stiff with misuse. He opened his eyes and stared through the caked blood on his eyelids. He looked out to his stone prison, four walls and no window. The solid wood door had a small, barred slot at the top. He stared at it as he heard the dreaded sound of footsteps approaching.

They were drawing closer; ever closer. The steps echoed of the tonnes of stone and rock used to create this place. He waited with a rattling breath and a deep pit in his stomach. The cold was now deeper and more painful. It bit at his bones, chilling his entire body. With each footstep, a small puddle of blood at his feet rippled with the impact. He stared at the solid door and heard the footsteps stop.

The sound of a ring of keys rattled around in the damp room, as one was slid into the lock and the bolt was pushed aside. Harry straightened his back, ignoring the pain that shot through his entire body. The wooden door was grated open, scratching the stone floor all the way around. Harry tilted his head up and set his eyes in a fierce glare at the robed figure standing in the door.

Standing tall and impressive, with his white hair framing a pointed face and a pair of cold, grey eyes, Lucius Malfoy smirked a smirk of triumph.

oOo

Harry regained consciousness. But instead of opening his eyes immediately, he instead tried to register where he was. The bed he was upon was comfortable and soft, and the blankets provided just enough warmth. His body was throbbing painfully, especially his arm and back. He had a headache, unlike the one's he got from Voldemort.

Someone was in the room with him. He could hear them shuffling around, mumbling under their breath. "School hasn't even started and he's already got himself into trouble...unbelievable!" Harry would have laughed at the words but his throat was too sore to move. Instead, he tried to open his eyes to find the lids too heavy to lift. He let out a moan of annoyance that drew the attention of the person. Their footsteps grew louder and Harry could feel their presence beside his bed.

Something warm was placed on his forehead and a hand lifted his left arm. "Just remain still, Mr Potter, and swallow this potion I'm giving you," she said, placing a goblet to Harry's lips. He parted them stiffly and winced as the cold liquid entered his mouth. He swallowed sorely and almost gagged on the foul taste of the liquid.

"There's a good boy, now, just lie there for a few minutes while I alert the other's of your being awake," she said while Harry nodded. He could hear her walk across the room and exit through a squeaking door, where there was silence for a moment before Harry heard mumbled voices and the return of the nurse.

"They will be along shortly, Mr Potter, how do you feel?" she asked softly, adjusting his pillow and blankets. "'etter," he croaked, feeling the potion work its magic against his headache, as the pain slowly ceased. "Good, good, I will be just here if you need anything as will your friends," she said, Harry finally recognizing her voice as that of Poppy Pomfrey, the Hogwarts School Nurse. He nodded warily, finally opening his eyes. Light assaulted them immediately and he had to blink a few times to stop them watering.

Through a blurry gaze, he recognized the form of a bedside table to his right, so he fumbled with his one good arm and picked up his glasses. Once they were on his face, the room came into greater focus and he was able to see his friends enter the room. Ron and Ginny were first, both wearing pale faces. Harry tried to smile but it turned out as a pained grimace.

"Mate, are you okay?" said Ron shakily, standing at his side. Harry raised an eyebrow and said, "I've been better," Ron was able to smile at that as was Ginny who took a seat at the end of his bed. "You had us worried, Harry; we didn't know where you had gone!" She said worriedly. Harry furrowed his brow. "Where did I go?"

The skinny redhead exchanged looks with her brother before another voice answered, "In Kreacher's nest." It was Remus Lupin and he was looking shabbier than ever. Harry started at that comment and felt himself grow sick.

"Under the Boiler?" he croaked painfully. Ginny nodded solemnly while Ron made a disgusted face. "When you fell through the floor, we could hear that stupid creature yelling the whole way down. So we ran to the kitchen and told everyone what happened. We all panicked and went searching through the whole house and found nothing. But when we returned to the kitchen and were discussing where you could have gone, we heard shouting." Ginny said.

"Yeah, and we found out it was coming from the Boiler Cupboard. So I opened the door and almost had a heart attack when the Jarvey shot out with you tumbling after it!" said Ron loudly, his eyes wide. So that's why the wall fell out! Harry thought, nodding slowly.

"And you should have seen yourself! You were covered in plaster dust and blood, and even had some Doxy's stuck to you! So we contacted Dumbledore who called for Madam Pomfrey. She got here as fast as she could and fixed you up as she knows how," Ron continued, shaking his head as if not believing his own words. Harry grimaced at those words, and looked down at his body. He was shocked to find cuts and bruises running up his arms and over his hands, and his left arm wrapped in a tight bandage.

"You broke a couple of bones in your arm," said Remus as if reading Harry's thoughts. "What happened to the Jarvey?" He asked, suddenly remembering the hairy creature who was the cause of his fall.

"Oh, dad took it to the Ministry," said Ginny. Harry drew his eyebrows together. "How long have I been out?" he asked, thinking of the nightmare that had plagued his unconscious thoughts. "Erm - around ten hours. It's about four in the morning..." Ron said nervously, watching Harry's face twist in bewilderment.

"Ten hours? Why are you lot still awake then?" Harry said pointedly. "We couldn't leave you alone, dear!" said Mrs Weasley, who Harry hadn't even known had entered the room. The woman started fussing over his blankets and even tried to flatten his hair. "You should get some more sleep, Harry, you need your rest," she said motherly. Harry nodded slowly, still trying to get over the fact that he was unconscious for ten hours.

"We'll see you in the morning, mate," Ron said warily, yawning himself. "Yeah, I'll bring you some breakfast," Ginny said, smiling encouragingly and exiting the room with her brother. Remus squeezed his hand tightly, "Have a nice sleep, okay?" he said hoarsely while Harry smiled and nodded, suddenly feeling tired. Mrs Weasley tucked his blankets in one last time before wishing him a goodnight. Soon it was only Harry and Madam Pomfrey left in the room. The nurse was organizing a few goblets of potions on a tray and brought them to Harry.

"Here, could you drink these for me?" She said, offering him the tray. Once Harry had downed the steaming potions and was readying himself for sleep, he thought of something just before the matron left the room.

"Do you have any Dreamless Sleep Potion?" he asked quietly. The witch turned and looked suspiciously at him. "I do, but why would you need it? I heard you weren't having dreams?" She said, putting her hands on her hips in a very good Mrs Weasley imitation. Harry shifted uncomfortably under the sheets.

"Oh, I - I'm only having small dreams that - you see..." Harry trailed off, looking hopefully up at the Healer. Madam Pomfrey's stern gaze softened at his pleading eyes and she sighed, retrieving a small phial from her case and walking towards Harry with it. "Just drink this one down and you will have a peaceful, dreamless sleep." She said softly, handing Harry the liquid. He smiled in thanks and raised the potion to his lips.

"If you need anything else before school, just call me, okay?" she said motherly as Harry nodded and drank the potion completely. As he put his head down on the pillow and felt sleep immediately overcome him, he looked up at the wavering form of Madam Pomfrey and said a muffled, "Thanks." His last thoughts were of seeing a flash of red pass across the doorway before a deep sleep claimed him.

oOo

Harry awoke the next morning just as Remus Lupin entered his room, looking tired but better than the night before. "I'm glad to see you're awake," the man said as he smiled at Harry. Harry was feeling much more energized this morning. His body was a little stiff but not throbbing anymore and his arm was still a little tender but he was able to move it.

"Did you have a nice sleep?" Remus asked lightly, drawing the curtains from the window. Bright sunlight streamed into the dimly lit room, lighting the corners and allowing Harry to see where he was. The room was large and looked to be once majestic; the walls were a deep mahogany with dust coating them thinly. The floor was covered in a threadbare, deep green carpet, with golden patterns running across the surface. The bed he was lying on was at least fit for five people and was sheeted with black and green covers, and a golden throw rug. There was a wall length mirror on the opposite wall but it was cracked in three places, although it was set in a golden frame, with carvings of snakes and old runes. Also, there was a large portrait hanging beside the mirror; whoever was meant to be in the portrait was gone, leaving a background of a thick forest, with a stone cliff and deep, silver lake.

Harry thought the room was beautiful compared of the rest of the house and asked Remus whose room it had been. The old Marauder looked at him warily and age seemed to pile onto his face all at once. "It was Sirius's room, Harry," Remus said warily. Harry immediately felt his stomach drop and he felt an urge to jump from the bed and exit the room as fast as he could. But something held him back. Something made him want to stay in his godfather's room, because it was Sirius's room. Sirius had stayed in here before and Harry suddenly found everything so much better.

"Oh, okay..." he said softly, pulling his eyes away from the bed covers to look Remus in the eyes. The man looked back at Harry and strained a smile. "Molly wanted to know what you wanted for breakfast, she's down there now making anything and everything," he said. Harry smiled. It felt good to have someone caring about him so much.

"Tell her I'll be down soon, I just want to get dressed," Harry answered. "Are you sure you're up to walking as yet? I mean, you did fall through five floors!" Remus said in disbelief, his brown eyes sparkling. Harry grinned, "I hurt my arm not my legs, Moony!" Remus seemed a little shocked at Harry using his old nickname but soon recovered and was smiling broadly.

"Okay then, just don't go falling down any stairs. Molly would have my head if we found you in the basement next!" Both of them laughed as Remus left Harry alone in the room. As soon as he left, Harry took a deep breath. He thought he had gotten over Sirius's death. That he accepted the fact that his godfather wasn't coming back. But being in his room and being confronted by all his things was overwhelming. His emotions were threatening to take over once more, and he couldn't let that happen.

Harry wiped away the few tears that had been sneaking down his cheeks and let his breath out. He pushed the covers off his body and swung his legs over the side of the bed, ignoring the slight pain in his back. He found his trunk at the end of the bed and rummaged through it til he found a fresh pair of jeans and a shirt. When he finished changing, he inspected his arm. It still hurt when he touched it too hardly and he couldn't bend his wrist, but other than that, it was fine.

Harry stashed his wand in his pocket, and slowly made his way from the room. It turned out that Sirius's room was situated on the third floor, on the left side of the house. It took four staircases and eight corridors to take him to the bottom floor, and his back was throbbing by the time he reached the Entrance Hall. He clasped his hands to his sides in pain, waiting a few minutes for it to subside. When it had become a steady throb, he made his way down to the kitchen, each step feeling like a punch to his spinal cord.

When he entered the basement-like kitchen, he smiled slightly as all faces turned to him and everyone tried to ask him how he was at once. It took a lot of convincing from Lupin to settle everyone down and it still took a while for Harry to be able to sit down without someone barring his way.

"Let the man breath, for Merlin's sake!" Ron said in disbelief, pulling a chair out for Harry. "Thanks mate," Harry said gratefully sitting down and sighing as the pain decreased. "Are you okay Harry, dear?" Mrs Weasley said softly, smoothing down his hair to no success. "I'll be fine, Mrs Weasley." He answered, accepting the hot plate of food she set in front of him.

Harry, Ron and Ginny spent the rest of the day in the Drawing Room, with Harry playing a few games of chess with Ron and Ginny doing her summer homework. He and Ron did not have any homework for the holidays, as they wouldn't know what classes they would be taking until they received their OWL results. Harry was feeling incredibly nervous about getting his marks back, as they would determine whether or not he could follow his career as an Auror. He had gotten a letter or two from Hermione, and she sounded incredibly excited about getting her results. Harry didn't think she had anything to worry about; she was bound to get all Outstanding OWLs anyway.

After an extremely painful pang from his scar, Harry clasped a hand to his head. "What is it?" Ron immediately said. Harry shook his head, "He's happy about something..." Just like the year before, Harry could somehow read Voldemort's feelings. And the thought of the Dark Lord being extremely joyous about something, made him sick to his stomach.

The three of them made their way for lunch at around noon and Harry was just laughing about something Ron had said when the fireplace flared up with green flames. Kingsley Shacklebolt's head was sitting in the middle of the fire, the emerald flames licking his face. But the black wizard ignored them and turned his attention to Harry.

"Harry, have you seen Dumbledore?" he asked frantically. Harry shook his head, wondering what he wanted him for. "Well, is Lupin there? Could you get him?" he said loudly and quickly. He nodded as Ginny ran from the room, heading up to the second floor where Remus was resting.

"What happened?" Harry asked, suddenly feeling anxious. Kingsley was staring at him but just shook his head, "I need to find Albus, quickly." Ginny returned a moment later, with Remus in tow.

"What is it, Kingsley?" Remus asked quickly, kneeling down in front of the fireplace. The Auror's eyes flickered to Harry and the others, so Remus turned and said, "Could you three leave for a second, we need to talk in private." Harry nodded and led the other two from the room. As soon as the kitchen door shut behind them, Ginny pulled out a long piece of flesh coloured string and let it wriggle under the door. She placed the other end in her ear and Harry waited with abated breath as she listened to the conversation happening inside.

Harry watched the expression on Ginny's face turn from excited to confused then frightened. She pulled the Extendable Ear out from her own, her face was pale and eyes wide. "What is it? What happened?" Harry asked frantically, feeling as though something dreadful had happened.

Her words were blank with fear etched into them. "There's been an attack. All the Death Eaters have been released from Azkaban." Harry felt his heart drop and skin crawl. It had begun. The Second War was underway.

oOoOoOo

Hey everyone! Well, here is the next chapter and everything is under control. Well, matter of speaking, of course. Azkaban has been attacked and all the Death eaters have been released. How will Harry react and what will happen next? You will have to wait to find out! Please review and tell me what you think! And thanks to everyone who has so far!

Bye

DW