Shattering the Glass

Shattering the Glass

The darkness was thick around the street at this hour. So thick, that it felt like a blanket had pressed against all of the stars, to block out their light. No sound was heard, except for the scratching of a quill upon a parchment.

No one heard this scratching noise, for everyone on Privet Drive, was dreaming their lighthearted dreams. The young man, whose quill was disturbing the rest of night, looked up and shut the open window, when a small breeze ruffled his untidy hair.

Locking the window against the darkness, the teenager caught sight of his gaunt face reflected in the window. The lines of strain, which were starting to appear around his mouth, seemed to tighten with animosity. The eyes, which were once so bright, now reflected the night's bitterness.

He was writing a letter to his godfather, like he had done many times before, but this time it would not reach him. Nothing would reach him, for he was dead. The sound of that word, reverberating in his head, made his eyes tear. Wiping away his tears, he went about finishing his missive.

This was no ordinary boy; he was a wizard who went to school at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Under the tutelage of Albus Dumbledore, this young man had grown to be an exceptional wizard, one whose courage in the face of danger had no equal.

This young man was Harry Potter, the son of James and Lily Potter, whose lives were stolen one fateful night, by the century's most evil Dark Lord; Voldemort, who had tried to kill Harry but surprisingly couldn't.

Harry was extraordinary in his own right, as one of the best "Defense Against the Dark Arts" students in his year; and as a phenomenal Quidditch player, being the youngest seeker in over a century.

He was now trying to finish the homework, his teachers had assigned him. He had yet to receive the owl, which would tell him how many Ordinary Wizarding Levels (O.W.L.s), he had received. They were to come soon, and then he would know whether he would be continuing some of his classes at Hogwarts.

There was a sudden knock on the window and pulling out a thin wand, he approached the window. Seeing Hedwig, his snowy white owl, he cautiously opened the glass. Around her leg, was a letter, and he carefully pulled out the scroll. Inside was a letter from his friend, Ron, wishing him a happy birthday.

Ron Weasley, his best friend, had sent him a card and a book called To Be A Seeker, the Ultimate Guide to Seeking. Hermione Granger, his other best friend, had sent him a wand polishing kit which would prevent his wand from breaking, and ultimately keep it in the best condition possible. Hagrid, the gamekeeper at Hogwarts and the Care of magical creatures teacher, had sent Harry some chocolate from Honeydukes, along with a birthday card.

He looked out of the window, almost waiting for a flashy bird to soar in and bring him a letter from Sirius, but it wasn't going to because Sirius, his godfather, was gone.

Shoving the thoughts of his godfather, out of his head he opened the secret floorboard that hid all of his important possessions, and placed the cards and the presents underneath. Crossing the room to his bed, Harry made it as neat as possible. Glancing around, he noticed an owl staring at him from on the other side of the window.

On opening the window, the owl stuck out its foot and he took a letter from her, confusedly.

"Who else sends me owls?" he asked himself, bewildered.

He unrolled the letter and dropped it from his fingers and stared at the writing, he never thought he would see again in his lifetime. He carefully picked it up again, and after ensuring it wasn't a fake, he read on:

Dear Harry,

I must say that it has been wonderful getting to know you the last few years. I do not think I ever told you this, but you are extraordinarily and uncannily like James. You have the same courage in the face of fear, the same inquisitive nature, and the same thirst to prove yourself. I do not know if I mentioned either, that, you have become an integral part of my life and I am proud of you and your accomplishments. It was a long twelve years in Azkaban, but the thought of being liberated and seeing you, always kept me going. I am your godfather, but in some ways I was trying to be a friend, a brother, and a father. I do not know if I have succeeded but I know that I would have done anything for you. Do not blame yourself. It was my choice to fight for you, and I would have made the same choice again even if I knew the outcome. When you were in danger, I was there, not only because it was my responsibility but because I could not stand the thought of you in harm. I love you Harry. You are the son I never had. In the past two years, I have grown closer to you than to any other person besides, James and the gang. Thank you for everything, for allowing me to be close to you. I know you will do what you have to do, but be careful.

Always and forever,

Sirius

The letter left his fingers and drifted slowly to the floor. As the sun reached its highest point, the young man at Privet Drive, cried silently and alone.

Petunia Dursley woke suddenly as though, a bright flash of green light had flashed before her eyes. Looking around she saw her husband, Vernon, roll over in his sleep and continue to snore. Getting up, she made her way to the bathroom, passing by her nephew's room. Hearing the silent cries, she slowly opened the door and seeing Harry weeping into his pillow, she closed the door quickly.

Shaking her head, she padded downstairs and put on a pot of coffee. Looking out of the window, she had the strangest sense of foreboding; almost as though some bird had swooped down to her ear and told her to run. She ignored the voice, shaking it off as nerves. "You are getting as bad as your sister, Petunia; you're not in any danger."

She once again glanced out the window, but her view was obscured by a cloud, as it drifted in front of the morning sun. It was as though someone had dragged the cloud across the sky haphazardly to block out the light blue sky.

She went upstairs, woke Vernon and told him her suspicions.

"Vernon, there are some weird things happening outside. We must leave now."

Turning towards her, the large man yawned and blinked up at her. "What are you going on about now? There's nothing that can harm us here. Stop nagging me."

Petunia looked fearfully out the window, as the darkness crept steadily closer. She walked quickly towards Harry's room, hoping to find the answer there. But there ..., Harry was floating half off the bed, supported by an invisible force, as it spun him towards the window. Petunia rushed over to the boy and grabbed his sleeve. Screaming at the force to let him go, she kept her grip on Harry, as they were both dragged towards the window.

Knowing what Dumbledore said, about keeping Harry safe, because of the shared blood with her sister, Petunia slashed her wrist with her nails and let the blood flow. As it hit Harry's skin, he began to glow with an eerie light. A phoenix's song ripped through the air and the force dropped him into Petunia's arms.

She gathered him close to her as she gazed around the room, looking for some sign that the danger was gone. Spotting Hedwig, the owl, she called her down to them. Taking a pen and paper, she quickly wrote to Dumbledore.

He is not safe here anymore.

Tying it to the owl's leg as she had seen Harry and Lily do, she told Hedwig to deliver the missive to Dumbledore. Hedwig flew into the night and disappeared from view. After watching the bird leave, she went to her nephew and touched his skin, which seemed leeched of all warmth.

Taking a blanket, she wrapped the warm cotton around him and dragged his body towards the bed calling out to Vernon, who came into the room in a huff.

"What has that boy done now, getting us out of bed at this indecent hour!"

"Vernon, help me with him. They almost got him. We have to wake him up. Harry, wake up!"

"WAKE UP NOW, you LAZY, GOOD FOR NOTHING SON OF A DOG! Wake up, you hear me, Harry!" yelled Vernon until his lungs were exhausted, but the boy did not even blink, his eyes looked unstaring at the ceiling, as if they were being held open.

Suddenly, there was a crash downstairs. Vernon went in front of Petunia, as if to protect her, from whoever dared to come up the stairs. A step creaked as pressure was set upon it, and both the man and the woman shrank against the opposite wall.

The bedroom door opened and there stood the most mystical, magical sight they had ever seen. For in, stepped the headmaster of Hogwarts, the most powerful wizard in the world, Albus Dumbledore.

Following behind him, were several tired and weary faces that rushed in and looked at the Harry, lying still. Vernon watched as a teary, short woman, with a mop of red hair choking back a sob, went to Harry and laid a comforting hand on his cold forehead.

"He is alive, just stunned I believe. Enervate!" she mumbled under her breath, and he took his first shaky breath into his lungs. Coughing and retching he made a dash for the bathroom but fell upon the floor, tired and powerless.

"Where am I? I can't see!"

"Harry, calm down, we are here," a faraway voice murmured.

"Professor Dumbledore, why can't I see?

"You have temporarily been blinded by the flash of the Inobulo charm, which is used to transport unwilling persons. It stuns a person, as well as makes them blind so there is no need for blindfolds. It only lasts for an hour, so do not worry."

"Who tried to take me? I thought he could not harm me here!"

"I do not believe it was him. I think it was one of the Death Eaters who serve him."

"What am I supposed to do now? I cannot stay here and put my aunt and uncle in danger."

"No, this isn't a safe place anymore. You will be moved to Hogwarts and will stay there for the rest of the summer."

"Why can't I go to the Burrow?"

"It is safer at Hogwarts.... I am sorry Harry. The Burrow is not a safe place, with Voldemort arisen again. There will be another person there, someone your age, if that makes you feel any better."

"Who?"

"A new student by the name of Ariyana. She is to be sorted at the start of the term; though she is currently residing in the Gryffindor dormitory. She is very nice, and will be excellent company. Her mother is the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. She is actually teaching another class along with DADA, called Talisman: Defensive Amulets and Deepest Curses. I think you will enjoy it and I would recommend you take the class, Harry; you might find it interesting and helpful. "

"Her mother?"

"Her name is Professor Casala; you will find her around the castle as well. She is researching different talismans, and creating her own protective talisman. She is a very strange woman, but do not let that scare you."

"Now come along, we must leave; and Petunia, thank you"

The group left quickly from Privet Drive, wands out ready to cast spells at a moment's notice. They traveled hard and fast.

Once Hogwarts was within view, Mrs. Weasley hugged Harry, and said, "Goodnight Harry. Take care."

Watching her depart, Harry looked up into the Headmaster's concerned eyes;

"Thank you Professor for helping me but what exactly happened back at my aunt's house?"

"Your soul was being stolen by another spirit, a strong spirit; I do believe that Hogwarts has enough defenses to prevent that from happening again. I cannot tell you any more right now, if you need any help, just call Professor Casala and we will try to help. Good night Harry. The password is Inoptuna"

"Good night Professor Dumbledore."

Harry went up the stairs to Gryffindor Tower, stepping before the Fat Lady. Looking up, he muttered the password, wondering why it was Inoptuna and what it meant. Sighing, he trudged up the stairs to his dormitory noticing the silence which greeted his ears. Looking at the bare walls, he sighed discontentedly.

"I could have tried to stay at Grimmauld Place, couldn't I?"

He stopped in mid-thought as his throat started to close up on him, as he remembered Christmas last year. Closing his eyes, he pictured Sirius' laughing face, the sunken features draining away in such merriment. He choked back a sob, and looked around haphazardly, looking for something to save him. Knowing that the only father he had ever known, even for just a short period, was Sirius and he would never be there.

"No, I could not stay there. But what am I to do? I am stuck here with a student I do not know, for company? What did I ever do to deserve this," his voice rising with each word, "Why does this always happen to me, I mean, I am just 16 years old! I have tried hard not to be selfish, and where has it gotten me? Forgotten! My only family destroyed. Nothing makes sense anymore; I do not know who I am. What difference does it make to anybody if I bloody die anyway? Maybe Ron and Hermione will care, but the others, they just do not understand. I wish, I wish.... What am I saying?" his head dropping to his chest, as his voice gave out to finally a whisper. "All my wishes are in vain . . ."

He sat there dejectedly for ten minutes before getting up and sitting at the window. Looking out, he saw the lake shimmer in the moonlight. The trees were whistling a merry tune, as the wind stirred up the leaves into a dance. He closed his eyes listening to the sounds of night, and a bitter smile graced his mouth before his mind started once again to race along familiar corridors full of doubts and anger.

Silent tears ran down his face, as he contemplated what it meant to be Harry Potter, no; what it meant to be the Boy who Lived.