Shadow Master Normal Shadow Master 2 11 2003-06-01T03:09:00Z 2003-06-01T03:32:00Z 1 1531 6494 Home 124 64 7961 10.2625 Clean Clean 0 0 MicrosoftInternetExplorer4
Chapter One: unknown pain
It was the worst day of his life. Harry Potter was sitting on the bench in the backyard with his face in his hands. His girlfriend since Christmas of his fifth year, Cho Chang, was killed in the middle of a battle between the Auror Trainees and the Death Eaters just before the end of the school year.
The Order of the Phoenix, headed by Albus Dumbledore, was able to get there during the battle. Cho jumped in front of Harry to stop a killing curse from hitting him. Harry brought her body back to Hogwarts, where they gave her a proper burial.
Dumbledore sent him to the Weasley's for the summer. The Dursley's had been killed a year before in a small attack on the neighborhood. The Weasley's had done all they could to comfort him, but still Harry felt an emptiness he had never felt before in his life.
Harry Potter sat with his face in his hands, remembering the beautiful girl that he was going with for a little over six months. After the incident, Dumbledore took him out of the Order of the Phoenix for a while, so the pain wouldn't be too much to bear.
Ron came up from behind him and put a hand on his shoulder. His now 6' 5" height had him towering over all of the Weasley's, as well as Harry, who was only 6' 1".
"Hermione will be here in a few minutes mate. You want to be here when she arrives? Or do you want to be alone?"
Harry looked up at his friend, who was smiling. That smile vanished when he saw Harry's face.
"I'll be there in a minute."
Harry wiped away his tears. Ron was the same way as himself for the first few days of summer. Him and Hermione got into a huge fight and ended the relationship they had through out the year. They knew it wouldn't work out, and went back to being friends.
Harry walked to the front of the house to see a silver Hummer drive into the driveway. The Grangers always did like nice cars. Harry thought. When it stopped, the three Grangers, Daniel, Verona, and Hermione got out. The two adults went to get her stuff out of the car, while Hermione greeted her friends.
"Hey Ron."
"Hey there, Hermione."
She hugged him in her usual manner. Harry looked at her, with no emotion in face, or body movements.
"Hey Harry."
"Hi."
His reply was bland and emotionless. She hugged him and he hugged her back. She could feel nothing left in him. She couldn't feel the usual Harry she felt last year. All she felt was a shell. Soulless, lifeless, dead.
She pulled back with tears in her eyes. She couldn't stand to see Harry like this. The pain shown in his eyes. His face tear-stained.
I can't bear to see her like this. He thought. He turned around and walked back into the house.
Mrs. Weasley pulled her into a fierce hug.
"Don't take it too personally dear. He's been like that all summer. We can all see the pain. We all try to get him to talk about it. But I don't think enough words can describe his pain."
She pulled away to see Harry through the house, sitting on a bench, with his face in his hands. He's lost so many people. No wonder he is like this. He doesn't want to lose anyone else.
Fred and George helped Hermione put her stuff into Ginny's room. She could still see Harry on the bench, face in his hands. Tears came back to her eyes.
Ginny came up from behind her, "I know. It hurts doesn't it? The whole family is hurting, watching him everyday. But we know it hurts more for him then anyone else."
Hermione nodded in agreement. Being with family can be one of the best things sometimes, but he's lost too much to want to be with them. He's feared of losing them.
"He spends most of his time either on that bench, or shut up in his room. He has Percy's, now that he moved out, and you'll have Fred and George's room in a week, when they move in with Angelina and Alicia."
"Does he speak at all?" Why does it feel like I'm getting to know someone knew? I've known him for going on six years. All three of us spent most of our lives together, why does it feel like he's changed?
"No, I think he said his first sentence to Ron all summer."
"Even though I spent nearly six years with him, why does it feel like he's a whole different person?"
"Because he is. He's seen the worst things happen to the people close to him. He always put everyone before him, and now, those same ideals have been upgraded to pushing everyone close to him away. The only time we hear him say anything is when he shrieks in his sleep, when he ever does that is, is when he has the worst nightmares imaginable. Although, knowing what kind of hell he's been though, I really can't blame him. He's going to be scarred for life."
Hermione couldn't help but cry. She looked down at the man she called her best friend. My heart goes to you Harry. Whatever you need, I'll give you. I love you.
"Oh, dad has been gone a lot. We don't have the radio on. But we know that this year there have been more attacks then in half of You-Know-Who's first reign. People are calling the summer of the dead." Ginny saw her crying, tears flowing down her face as well, "I know, I know. It hurts to see him in this much pain. He doesn't sleep, he doesn't eat barely anything, and he doesn't talk. I know it hurts to see this."
Mrs. Weasley came up from behind him.
"Do you want to talk?"
Harry didn't say anything.
"Harry please. You've been silent all summer. You haven't spoken to Me, Arthur, Fred, George, Ginny, or anyone else. It hurts to see you in this kind of pain."
She looked down to see tears in his eyes. She could feel her own falling into her hand. She ran to the house with her face in her hands, her body wracking with sobs. Arthur saw her and immediately wrapped her into a fierce hug.
"Why does he have to suffer so much? How can people cause this kind of pain?" She asked her husband. They both considered Harry part of the family, and it hurt them both to see him in this kind of pain.
"I know that is hard to see how people can give this kind of pain to others. I can't explain it myself as a matter of fact. But I know that it's the simple yet painful things that life throws at you. Harry's had one too many of those."
They stood there, with tears in their eyes. Ginny, Hermione, Ron, Fred and George came down seconds later, and knew what happened.
"Children, dinner's almost ready. Ron, can you get Harry?"
"Sure. I'll do it."
He walked out to where Harry was again.
"Harry, time for dinner man."
Harry stood up in silence, his head bowed in defeat. Everyone closed their eyes, trying to suppress the tears that were on the verge of coming out of their eyes.
Mrs. Weasley set the plates on the table. Everyone grabbed a helping of food. Harry got a very little bit of each thing on the table. He didn't eat it, he just picked at it silently.
Everyone, including Hermione, was looking at him. Wanting him to say something. Wanting him to yell at them, anything. But nothing came. He stayed silent. His pain stayed inside of him. Their pain magnified.
The rest of the meal was eaten in silence. No laughing from Fred and George about their newest prank device. No talking about what to expect next year at Hogwarts. Just dead silence.
After the meal, everyone put their plates in the sink. Harry went outdoors again. He didn't sit by the bench though. He started walking into the woods.
"Where is he going?" Hermione asked Mrs. Weasley. She could feel none of the charm that used to be in this house. None of the happy faces. Things were too gloomy to have the happiness. She thought.
"Every night, after dinner, he takes a walk in those woods. We assume it helps a little bit, so we let him get on with it. But yet, he still hasn't gotten rid of the pain. We all see it. We all try, but he doesn't want us to help him." She said, the tears welling up again. She put her elbows on the counter, her face in her hands, and started to cry. Arthur was over there in an instant.
Hermione decided to follow him. It's time I find out what his problems are.