September 7, 2004
Harry Potter twirled his wand between his fingertips as he read about the October Revolution in Russia during the 1920s. A strange new cult had risen (not unlike Voldemort) to challenge the Ministry in Russia ever since their involvement in the Great Muggle War.
Harry continued to flip the pages of the incredibly large book labeled 'Wars and Rebellions.' Neatly stacked piles of books lay on either side of Harry on the long Hogwarts library table. The books continued further and further and eventually changed into rows and rows of yellow parchment
The top of one yellow parchment was poking out from the rest and the name read 'Amos Diggory.' The Hogwarts library was littered with bundles of these yellow parchments with the same heading across the top: Ministry Files.
Harry Potter muttered to himself as he read about the October Revolutions. Outside, the weather remained as stellar as always. Nearly twelve seasons had passed since Harry's conception into this barren world yet the weather remained as magnificent as always.
The sun rose and set at the same time and it neither rained nor snowed during all of Harry's time here. The trees were abundant with leaves as the usual fall maelstrom of dead leaves did not pass. Harry Potter had noticed the unusual lack of poor weather but of course, it did not bother him greatly since it was already included in the already long list of unusual things in this abnormal world.
Harry scribbled on a piece of parchment beside the book. The piece of parchment was filled with Harry's tiny handwriting was scribbled in all different directions. Some words and phrases were underlined and circled but the top of the paper was dominated by one question, 'What is this place?'
Closing the book of warfare, Harry opened another book titled 'Of Higher Forms and Lower Forms.' He placed his wand down to run his hand through his disheveled hair, pausing slightly to touch the other scar along his hairline.
He paused for a second to stare at his wand, lying innocently on the table as if absolutely nothing was wrong with the world.
Harry walked through the hallways of Hogwarts with a crudely formed cane and a slight limp. The resonance from the cane striking the floor echoed through the empty corridors as Harry approached the Room of Requirement.
Although he was skeptical in probability of success in this situation, nothing could be left unattended. Harry limped back and forth three times, focusing on what he wanted exactly. The door did not materialize however as it had previously done.
Harry walked miserably back and forth six more times before staring at the stone wall. He took his cane and poked it a couple of times and frowned as nothing happened.
Disappointed with the results, Harry stepped away but not before he heard the stone crack. He turned around and smiled for the first time in several days as an archway revealed itself. He quickly limped and opened the door with a soft push of his hand.
Instead of the usual high ceiling room, there was a dark room with a low, sloping ceiling. There was a plain brown crate on the far wall with an object lying on top of it.
Harry's wand was the lone object lying on top of the wooden crate in the cramped, dark room of the Room of Requirement. Harry gasped at his good fortune and quickly hobbled his way toward his wand. He smiled as the familiar warmth spread through his body as he picked up the wand.
"Lumos," he said.
The wand, however, did not cast the usual bright light. Harry's smile slowly slid off his face as he attempted various spells, all with no effect. Harry's stomach lurched with disappointment again at the failure of his wand.
He was frowning at the useless brown stick before he had a strange idea.
"Point Me," he whispered.
The wand whirled and pointed in the opposite direction of the Room of Requirement. Excited, Harry stepped out and watched as the wand suddenly twirled in another direction. He followed it through Hogwarts, his heart beating faster and faster with each step he took.
The wand led him out into the grounds of Hogwarts and he did not look up as he waited for the wand to change direction. It did not change however but kept in one course and Harry marched on.
Harry looked up to see where the wand was pointing and stopped for a moment as he saw the direction it was pointing. It was the same path he had taken that horrific day nearly three years ago.
His wand kept pointing the direction of the lake within the Forbidden Forest and although Harry had not revisited the locale upon which he had discovered his insanity, there was no stopping him now.
Harry bravely walked on, his shoes cracking the branches and twigs as he recognized the beaten path. He walked deeper and deeper into the heart of the forest until he was at the same clearing. The wand signaled that he needed to keep walking forward.
Slowly, Harry waded into the water, his wand still held in the palm of his hand. He sloshed his way through the water until he was about chest deep when the wand suddenly started spinning in place. It spun in a clockwise direction, and Harry was perplexed on the sudden change of the wand.
He looked around and deduced that there was no one by himself. Shrugging, Harry dipped his head underneath the water to examine the murky bottom of the lake.
He looked around for a moment before he saw the flash of silver deeper into the lake. There was something mesmerizing about the silver figure on the murky bottom. Harry surfaced to take a quick breathe and started swimming to the silver statue.
The statue was nothing but the head of an average looking girl. Harry gazed upon the statue with a smile on his face. He reached out and touched the statue's bronzed hair and ran his eyes over her eyes. He was mesmerized by the long hair and defiant look on her face.
His lungs were burning and his muscles aching but Harry continued to caress the head of the girl with a nostalgic smile on his face. Harry stared right into her eyes and he could feel the pressure of the lake squeezing his body together.
He felt his lungs clamoring for air and his eyes sting from the salt and mud in the water but he cared not. For a moment, all there was in the world was Harry Potter and this beautiful girl. Harry closed his eyes as he accepted the cold slumber and attempted to place himself eternally besides the statue but it was not to be.
Harry snapped his eyes open and gasped as if he were a fish out of water. He breathed heavily as he snapped himself out of his second attempted suicide. He had not revisited the treacherous lake ever since that day. There was something mysterious about the placid lake, but he did not intend to find out after the two events which took place there.
He shut his book and walked over to the Ministry Files. He opened the first folder and started reading aloud.
"Jo-"
He coughed as his voice croaked from misuse. He cleared his throat and tried again.
"Joan Finnegan. Mother of former Hogwarts students and now Independent Owner Seamus Finnegan," Harry read aloud, "Former Muggle Husband killed during Death Eater escape from a fight with the Order of the Phoenix. Graduate of Hogwarts."
"Hey James, take a look at this!" Harry yelled aloud.
A corporeal figure, which looked exactly like Harry, strode through a wall to peer over Harry's shoulder at the picture and description of Seamus' mother.
"Well no wonder she hated you…us," James said.
"I guess she blamed the death of her husband on the Order. Still, that's got nothing to do with me," Harry pondered.
"Well, you were kind of the head of Light. Hero of the World. The Chosen One. The One to Bear the World's Burden. The Last Hope of Light. The One Boy to Rule them-"
"I get it."
"Point is you were the head figure of the Order, even more so sometimes than Dumbledore. I suppose that's why she blamed you."
"I guess you're right, James," Harry said dejectedly.
"Of course I'm right. I'm always right and I'm not even exaggerating. I have to be right because I'm in your subconscious. Don't get too sad though mate, she's not here to whine about it," James said cheerfully.
"Thanks," Harry said dryly.
He flipped the page over and continually read aloud with James interjecting at some of the more interesting people.
Harry continued this process for a couple more hours before eating some of the food from the kitchens and retiring for the night.
This process was how Harry Potter spent most of his days during his time here. Accepting the need for company, he often called upon his split personality on occasions when he needed to talk to someone. Since he was more than a striking resemblance to himself, Harry had named his doppelganger James after his father. He was aware that he was talking to himself but even the illusion of company kept Harry from attempting another suicide.
Just before he fell asleep, Harry was swept into another one of his now frequent flashbacks.
Harry floated through the air on his Firebolt, his palm held upwards with his wand floating above it. There was an ominous fog that blocked even the sun that surrounded Harry. His wand was currently spinning in a clockwise direction again as Harry flew aimlessly through the air.
The wand snapped in a certain direction and Harry turned the handle of his broom to right his course. He flew slowly, careful not to miss anything but all he could see was the fog and the sea below him. He dived low, hoping to escape the fog but it followed him all the way to the surface of the water.
At last, there was land in sight and Harry sped forward but found himself on the same bluff where he had started his escape.
Another one of Harry's plans to escape the depressing world had failed.
So with that unfortunate memory in mind, Harry Potter fell into another one of his restless nightmares.
***
Harry Potter: Boy Who Defeated the Dark Lord or Boy Who Wishes to be the next Dark Lord?
September 7, 2004
It has been over three years since the sudden disappearance of the person that rid the world of the Dark Lord Voldemort.
Harry Potter.
Harry Potter has not yet to be found nor has there been one credible sighting. Although there have been a deluge of tips in order to gain the record One Million Galleons for the discovery of Harry James Potter, most of have been vague sightings with little follow up.
Investigation by the Auror Department, lead by Head Investigator Ronald Weasley, have been fruitless as the interrogation of all known and even suspected Death Eaters have yielded no useful information. Weasley has been questioned more than once by yours truly, Rita Skeeter, for his sometimes brutal methods of interrogation. More than once, the Death Eaters have exited the interrogation room harmed and unconscious.
When asked to comment, Ronald Weasley aptly told me, "Go to hell."
As you can see, tensions run high when it concerns his beloved friend.
But what about his other beloved (and sometimes more) friend? Hermione Granger, rising employee in the Department of Law Enforcement, has worked for three years to find any trace of Harry Potter. The bright but admittedly dressed down Witch has been reported to work for nearly sixteen hours a day in her search for her best friend.
Of course, I, Rita Skeeter, have always wondered if her heavy work load symbolizes her love for Harry Potter. It was not so long ago when I, Rita Skeeter, reported from Hogwarts the growing relationship between Ms. Hermione Granger and Mr. Harry Potter.
Although Harry Potter married school sweetheart, Ginny Weasley, four years ago, I, Rita Skeeter, have always stood by my stance that there is more than meets the eye concerning Ms. Granger and Mr. Potter.
Reports from Potter's great adventure to rid the world of the Dark Lord have indicated that Ms. Granger and he spent quite some time alone on the run. One has to wonder; what happened during that time? We may never know as the only eye witness refuses to comment about their activities during that mysterious time.
Obviously, Harry Potter's friends miss him and according to the Aurors, there has been no information gleaned from the multiple (some reports indicate that one Death Eater has been interrogated nearly one hundred times) interrogations.
What do I, Rita Skeeter, conclude then?
Harry Potter has disappeared of his own accord. In an exaggerated publicitiy stunt, Harry Potter staged his disappearance to focus the Wizarding world on him once again. Perhaps he was aware that his time in the spotlight was fading since his defeat of Lord Voldemort. Perhaps he hoped to gain the attention of his fellow Hogwarts peers and remind them of his greatness.
Nonetheless, we can all conclude that his disappearance has hurt many lives.
The most painful of which was his dear wife, Ginny Potter. Not three days after his disappearance, Ginny Potter jumped from the tallest tower of Hogwarts School. Although we dare not speak of the reason, the world knows that his sudden disappearance drove her to immeasurable grief.
I, Rita Skeeter, was one of the first to discover her body several hundred feet below the Astronomy Tower, an almost peaceful look on her face.
Her death took a toll on mother, Molly Weasley. Molly Weasley is the mother of two dead children, an earless twin, and four other surviving children. At Ginny Potter's funeral, Mrs. Weasley dissolved into tears and laid herself across Mrs. Potter's coffin, begging for her life to be taken.
Mrs. Potter's tomb can still be visited during regular hours for timeless photos.
Without any corroborating evidence from Death Eaters, we can conclude that Mr. Potter's disappearance was staged and not the work of Death Eaters. I, Rita Skeeter, implore my readers to tear down the illusions of his greatness. His publicity stunt caused the death of his wife and now Mr. Potter is afraid to show his face.
I brought this theory up with a couple high ranking officials in the Ministry and not two days before, Mr. Potter has a warrant for his arrest for the murder of Ginny Potter and her unborn child. Yes, my readers, her unborn child.
It is horrifying the extent that one could go for popularity but this situation embodies every occurrence in history of ambition. Mr. Potter has set himself out to be famous no matter what.
One must ask; Why?
I, Rita Skeeter, will tell you why Mr. Potter has done this dastardly deed. He wishes to become the new Dark Lord.
One can see the ramifications of this process. His yearning for the Dark Arts has always been shaded thanks to Albus Dumbledore, but the truth is now revealed.
Reports have indicated that Mr. Potter has attempted the Unforgivable Curses three times and has succeeded twice. All know that those who cast the Unforgivables are automatically sent to Azkaban (now guarded by Ministry officials). Harry Potter, due to his God-like status, was granted immunity in the face of danger but new reports indicate that his use of Unforgivables was completely unnecessary.
Harry Potter also studied the application of Dark Arts excessively, such as the creation of Horcuxes (used by the former Dark Lord) and the mastery of the Deathly Hallows (attempted by Albus Dumbledore). Although the explanation for his revival from death has always been his 'sacrifice', one cannot help but wonder at what lengths Harry Potter went for immortality. What drove him to survive even death?
Here is the answer.
He wanted to be the new Dark Lord. He wished to overthrow Lord Voldemort and I, Rita Skeeter, believe that one day he will return as Dark as ever.
I do not wish to be there in that time.
Article Written By
Daily Correspondent, Rita Skeeter.
***
-Thanks a lot for the reviews! Keep them up!
-Date Line (I am Gone), Chapter 3, is a song with relevant lyrics. Surprised no one caught onto that.
-RIP Ginny, but she's not done yet.
-Did you really think Harry was going to be welcomed back with open arms?
-Numbers are important. Use them wisely.
-I also like books.