Post by magicmuggle01 on Sept 19, 2018 10:01:33 GMT
Awesome Quality banner by StayAwayGravity@TDA. MANY MANY THANKS.
It was just after the battle for Hogwarts, and Harry was wandering aimlessly through the shattered halls and corridors of the once beautiful castle he used to call home. All around him there was rubble, and no matter which way he turned there was another pile of stone, Harry felt like screaming. The sight of the dead bodies of friends and Hogwarts staff proved too much for him. With so much visual information it felt like his brain was on overload. He wanted to get out and run away, and to continue running until the nightmarish visions were purged from his mind forever. He never wanted this responsibility heaped upon him. He wanted to be a normal kid that grew up with a normal life.
Harry bumped into many people that day: parents of friends, parents of friends who had lost loved ones, and people he knew well who were mourning over the deaths of sons, daughters, husbands and wives. He walked slowly toward, what was left, of the Great Hall entrance, and quickly turned away once he saw the dead and the tearful living. He spotted Mrs Molly Weasley kneeling beside the dead body of her son, Fred. He saw the girl that he loved, being comforted in the arms of her brother, also known as his best mate Ron. Harry wanted to go over and be with her. He wanted to hold her and give her comfort, but the feelings he was experiencing wouldn’t let him. No longer able to handle what he was seeing, he closed his eyes and ran from the remains of the castle.
When he stopped running he found himself in the east end of London, without any memory of getting there. He wandered aimlessly through the streets without any specific destination in mind, images flashed through his mind like flashes of lightening. He suddenly screamed and clutched the sides of his head as he fell sobbing to his knees onto the pavement. People walked around him giving him peculiar looks.
Soon, night started to fall and he realised he was growing tired. Harry wondered what he was going to do because he knew he couldn’t go back and face the horrors of what he’d caused with his stubbornness. He wandered about until he came across a run down area of the city, inhabited by what looked like the homeless and the destitute of the city. He found a quite corner and sat down, hunching his knees to his chest, followed by staring vacantly at a wall opposite him. Several people stopped by to offer him a bottle and have a drink, but he just ignored them and continued to stare vacantly with a glazed look. Eventually people just chose to ignore him, which suited Harry fine.
The next morning Harry woke up to the sounds of dustbin Lorries emptying the large bins behind the rows of shops on the opposite side of the road. He stretched his arms and looked at his watch. It was six o’clock. He decided to move on, it was almost as if he didn’t even feel that he belonged even with the beggars and down and outs of the Muggle world as much as the wizarding world. He must keep moving and avoid being friendly toward other people or even be around people. He was a jinx, and he brought nothing but misfortune and heartache to anyone he was around. Again his thoughts went out to Ginny and his friends, and his heart ached for their pain.
That day Harry just walked in any direction he could, not really caring where he was going. He was conscious of the fact that he smelt, and was dirty and needed a bath, but nothing mattered. He didn’t really care anymore. Once again he didn’t notice the passing of time, it was night time again and for the first time that night he stopped walking and looked around him, wondering where he was. He noticed a sign pointed to the right that read: Epping Forest one mile. Without thinking, he moved in the direction of the sign. Upon reaching the forest he moved in amongst the trees, settling down with his thoughts before falling asleep.
He was disturbed of his sleep in the middle of the night by some sound. At first he wasn’t sure what it was that he heard, but then there came the sound of voices.
‘He was spotted coming into this forest. We have to find him and quickly. Goodness knows what his state of mind is in.’ Said one voice.
‘Are you sure he came here?’ asked another voice.
‘He was spotted by Stephen Willis going into Epping Forest so he must be here’ replied the first voice again.
Harry who was now alert quickly rose and got into a crouching position and looked out from behind the tree that he’d been sleeping against. He spotted two shadowy figures walking toward him. As they drew nearer he started to panic and suddenly broke his cover by running in the opposite direction. He heard shouting behind him and what sounded like shots hitting the trees all around him. Suddenly something hit him and he fell forward, but just before he slipped into unconsciousness he saw the figures bend over him in the darkness. Then he saw nothing.
Harry woke with a scream. Bolting upright, sweat pouring down his brow, he looked wildly around him and saw that he was in a room with a wooden roof and lying on a soft bed covered with white sheets and blankets. Suddenly the door opened and in ran Ginny, Ron and Hermione.
‘Your’re awake mate’ Ron said.
Ginny ran over and flung her arms around Harry’s neck and hugged him tightly.
Harry looked confused and said,
‘What’s going on here? How did I end up here? I take it I’m at the Burrow?’ He asked.
‘Yes Mate’ said Ron ‘You were brought here two nights ago. You were in a right state mumbling incoherently a lot about You-Know-Who. What happened to you after the battle? When we turned around we found that you disappeared. We’ve been looking for you for nearly two days. It was only thanks to a wizard called Stephen Willis who stays next to Epping Forest that we knew you were there. Where have you been? Why did you run away?’
‘Ron!’ exclaimed Hermione ‘this doesn’t have to be discussed at this time. Give him a chance to rest’.
‘It is okay Hermione’ said Harry ‘I’d be better talking about what happened. It might even help me to talk about my fears.’ So Harry described how he was feeling about all the deaths and how families were broken up because of him. He also explained how he had been the cause of everything. His fear of losing Ginny, the love of his life, and how disgusted he felt about himself. The others listened as he talked and didn’t interrupt until he finished. When Harry finally finished he felt drained as if all the weight of the world had suddenly been lifted off his shoulders. If Ginny hadn’t had his head resting against her shoulder, he would have just fallen back onto the bed.
When he finished, there were tears flowing down Ginny’s cheeks as if she was feeling the pain of the one she loved and adored. Gently, she stroked Harry’s cheek, making him turn his head toward her and see the love flowing from her eyes. He then realised how foolish he had been. He reached up and lightly kissed her on the lips.
‘The healers wanted to send you to St Mungo’s for treatment’ said Hermione, ‘but Mrs. Weasley put her foot down and wouldn’t let them saying that you would get more help from being around people who loved and cared for you. She said you would heal quicker that way.’
At that moment Mr. and Mrs. Weasley came into the room and when Molly saw that Harry was awake she immediately pulled him into a bone crushing hug. She fussed over him like he had never been fussed over before. When she finally – after much coercing from Arthur – let him go, Harry looked around at his friends and was wondered if it was all worth it. He came to the conclusion that fighting for freedom was worth taking the risk.
~#~#~#~#~#