Lost Souls

Harry Potter and the Lost Souls

By: Fair Rose

Prologue

Harry watched as the moon rose against the dark summer sky, it had to be at least midnight on Privet Drive. It had been three weeks and still no one had been able to tell him what had happened to Sirius. It was like a bad dream. One moment he was living his dream of being happy with a family of his own, and the next it was gone. He looked around his small room at his relative's house. Several weeks of anxiety and sadness had made his room worse for ware. Clothes and books were scattered around, and he hadn't had the patience to clean up after Hedwig, whom he had let fly around his room, not having the heart to lock her up. He knew he should get to sleep but he couldn't, not after the dream he had had last night.

It seemed to take Sirius an age to fall. His body curved in a graceful arc as he sank backward through the ragged veil handing from the arch...

And Harry saw the look of mingled fear and surprise on his godfather's wasted, once handsome face as he fell through the ancient doorway and disappeared behind the veil, which fluttered for a moment as though in a high wind and then fell back into place.

The veil, the archway...it was the cause of all his misery. Why wasn't he there to save him? He could have made it if he had tried, and even if he didn't he could have joined him. But no, that wasn't right. He had to stay here and fight off the dark lord or the world would be ruined. Familiar pangs of rage seared through his body as the thought of the prophecy ran through his mind. "Why does it always have to be me!" he said to himself furiously.

Just then, an unfamiliar owl soared through the window. It was large and brown, and carried a letter with the Hogwarts crest on it. A school owl, he concluded. The owl dropped the letter in Harry's lap and immediately took off into the night sky.

Great, he sighed, going back to Hogwarts again. What miseries does it have in store for me this year? In all his life Harry had never dreaded life more then he did now. How could he let this happen to him? He was supposed to be the all around good boy who will save the world from Voldemort. Didn't anyone think that he would be depressed, angered or upset about this? Did they believe that he like it? Once they thought that he was a lying, attentions seeking fool, but since they found out the truth, everyone acted as though he was some Great War hero. All his life, people had known more about him then he knew of himself. As daybreak slowly crept over the horizon, he wondered when he had become such a bitter person.

The next morning took forever to come. He was up early and had a lot of time to think about the events of last year. Harry packed his school supplies and got ready to go to the Weasleys' house, who would be picking him up later that day. He looked around trying to make sure he had everything he needed. It was then that he realized there was a letter on the foot of his bed. In a matter of seconds Harry had picked up the letter and opened it. He saw the neat flowing script of Hermione, and for some reason his heart leapt. The letter was brief, containing the dates she would be in Diagon Alley, and wondering if he would join her. But the signature at the bottom caught Harry's eye.

Love,

Hermione

Harry was shocked towards himself. He had always believed Hermione as a friend, nothing more, because Ron had liked her. But now, no...what was happening to him? He slowly made his was down the stairs and waited for the familiar voices of the awakening Dursleys to echo through the house.