In His Eyes

In His Eyes Chapter 03

'Sirius!' Harry whispered. 'What are you doing?!'

'Sweet Merlin, it's really you, isn't it? I had to see you! I mean--I haven't seen you in, well, a year! I just got your owl, and we need to talk--I need to see you! Is there any way you can get to where I am?'

Harry thought for a moment. 'Hm, well, a while ago, I bought a packet of Floo Powder from Diagon Alley. It's worth a try. Stay there and I'll be with you in a sec.'

He was feeling very confused as he ran upstairs and rummaged in his trunk. He retrieved the Floo Powder, and raced back downstairs, two steps at a time. He flung a handful into the fireplace (Sirius had gone by then) and said fairly quietly, 'Number 12 Grimmauld Place.'

The familiar sensation gripped him as he stepped into the emerald flames.

~ • ~

A few seconds later, he was standing in front of an astounded Sirius. He hugged Harry tightly, looked him over, and ushered Harry into the kitchen.

Harry sighed. 'Aren't you going to ask me a stupid question, or feed me Veritaserum, or something, to check it's really me?'

Sirius smiled sadly. 'No need. I know it's you. Although, Remus and the others are right. There is something different about you.'

'What? What is it?'

'Your eyes, Harry, they aren't at all how they used to be,' Sirius replied gently.

Harry grabbed a copper kettle off the counter, and examined his reflection. His eyes were the same vivid green colour, but, now that he looked more closely at them, he could see they were hollow, and almost lacked life. Not his own. Not how they were before.

He put the kettle down and sank into his chair. What is happening to me?

Just then, there was a knock at the door. They looked at each other.

'You stay here, Harry.'

Harry nodded, and Sirius got up and left the room.

Then Harry heard muffled voices.

First he heard Sirius speaking. 'Erm, hello! Is there a...problem?'

Then he heard a more agitated voice. 'Someone used the Floo Network at Hogwarts--'

'Yes that was--'

'And Harry's gone. We think something has taken him again.'

'That was--' the voices were coming closer.

'The Order needs to be on red al--'

The door to the kitchen burst open.

Dumbledore froze in the doorway, staring at Harry in surprise. 'Harry!'

Harry didn't look him in the eye.

'Professor,' he said coldly.

Dumbledore recoiled slightly at his welcome. He seemed not to dwell on it though. 'Harry! You're here! Alright, well, there's no panic any more! We thought we had lost you again!' He was trying to sound cheerful. Harry said nothing, and continued looking out of the window. Just then, to Harry's relief, there was a commotion in the hallway, and something crashed to the floor. There was a moment of silence where everyone braced themselves, for they knew what was about to happen.

The door opened, and immediately, the old portrait of Sirius' mother started screaming and yelling at the top of her voice.

'FILTHY HALF-BREEDS! SCUM OF THE EARTH THE LOT OF THEM! THEY DESERVE TO ROT IN--' The door was slammed shut, and her voice was muffled slightly.

Mr and Mrs Weasley bustled into the kitchen, the latter carrying the heavy troll's-leg umbrella-stand, looking worn and weary. They stopped when they saw Dumbledore, and greeted him. If Dumbledore had been a shock, that was nothing compared to when they saw Harry. They both looked as if they had seen a ghost, and Mr Weasley muttered something that sounded distinctly like, 'Merlin's beard!'

Mrs Weasley dropped the umbrella-stand, and it made a loud crash as it hit the floor. Her mouth opened and shut several times.

Mrs Weasley seemed unable to speak, so just threw herself at Harry and hugged him.

'Mrs-Mrs Weasley, you're ch-choking me,' Harry croaked, and she leapt off him. He straightened his glasses, and looked at her.

She was crying. 'Oh, dear, where have you been? Everyone's been so worried.'

'That's the thing; I don't understand why everyone keeps saying that. I haven't been anywhere!' Everyone in the room, except for Harry and Dumbledore, frowned and looked at each other.

'He's not lying,' said Dumbledore suddenly. Everyone turned to look at him, even Harry. 'He genuinely has no idea where he has been for the past year, or, indeed, that he has been away at all. But wherever he was, they taught him to develop a talent for Occlumency, which, if you'll pardon me Harry, you were hopeless at. He is now so good, that even Professor Snape could not break through his defences--'

'But I wasn't even trying! I've never properly learned how to block someone!' Harry felt that he needed to justify himself.

'Exactly,' said Dumbledore patiently. 'Voldemort wouldn't stand a chance.'

Some of the adults raised their eyebrows in surprise.

'My Godson! A master at Occlumency!' said Sirius, ruffling Harry's hair.

Harry, however, frowned. 'Voldemort? Who's Voldemort?'

Everyone froze, and there was silence.

'What?' Sirius' eyes widened. Dumbledore had gone a disturbing shade of white, along with the rest of the adults in the room.

'Harry,' Mrs Weasley started gently, 'don't you remember who he is?'

Harry shook his head, feeling incredibly stupid. 'It sounds vaguely familiar...' he mumbled, 'but it keeps slipping away from me.' He frowned in concentration, but he couldn't grasp who this strange "Voldemort" person was.

'Harry, dear, he's the one who killed your parents.'

Harry froze as he remembered, and Mrs Weasley put a comforting arm around him. How could I have forgotten about Voldemort?

'It seems, Harry, that Voldemort stole more than a year from you,' said Dumbledore quietly.

Harry didn't bother to argue, and resigned himself to the fact that he had obviously been away for a year. And somehow hadn't realised or remembered it. No one could Confund that many people, he reasoned.

'So, you think Voldemort is behind this, Albus?' Mr Weasley said, stroking his chin.

'Yes, I do. Who else would even think about doing this? But do not worry, Harry, we will get your memories back.'

'Where do you think--?'

'Right, young man, off to bed with you,' Mrs Weasley cut across firmly. 'He might as well stay here for a few days, Albus, if that is alright with you?'

'Of course, Molly, of course.' Dumbledore replied sombrely.

'OK, Harry? Straight up the stairs, first on the left.'

'I remember where it is, thanks, Mrs Weasley,' Harry said quietly. He knew she hadn't meant it like that, but it made him think, what else is missing? She looked taken aback, but didn't say anything.

~ • ~

He shuffled off to the bedroom, and as he entered the room, there was a faint pop and his school trunk and Hedwig in her cage appeared.

He opened the cage door, and Hedwig fluttered out and perched on the wardrobe.

He was just extracting his dressing gown from the jumble of school books, clothes and other various items, when he stepped back, and trod on something cold and fleshy. Harry yelped, and jumped around. He spotted something lying on the floor.

It was an ear.

He dropped to his knees and looked closer. It wasn't a real ear, he realised, it was an Extendable Ear, no doubt left behind by the Weasley twins, Fred and George.

But it was broken. Harry grinned as a plan formed in his mind.

He took out his wand, pointed it at the broken extendable ear, and muttered, 'Reparo.'

He picked it up, and marvelled at how easily and perfectly magic had fused the flesh-coloured stretchy string and the ear together.

He crept out onto the dark landing, being careful to avoid stepping on the creaky floorboard, which was right outside his room, and lowered the Extendable Ear down through the gap between the flights of stairs, towards the light that was coming from underneath the kitchen door.

It just reached.

He put the end in his own ear, and listened.

~ • ~

The first person he heard talking was Mrs Weasley.

'--doesn't even know who he is! That--thing--killed his own parents, and he has no idea! He's faced him in person for most of his time at Hogwarts! You'd have thought he would remember something.'

Harry froze. Mrs Weasley doesn't believe that I'm not hiding anything?

'But still,' she continued, 'if he says he doesn't remember anything, I'll accept that as the truth.'

'Hear, hear!' barked Sirius.

'As do I, I just wish we all knew where he had been,' replied Dumbledore gravely.

'You don't think that it's maybe Harry's own mind blocking whatever it is out?' said Mr Weasley, then added quickly, 'I don't mean on purpose! I just mean, if what it was, was so bad, he might have done it automatically!'

'I do not think it is him blocking it out, or he would have completely blocked out most of his whole life so far. No one, especially not one of his age, should have to go through what he has gone through.'

'Well,' said Mrs Weasley in a matter-of-fact tone of voice, 'he can't go back to Hogwarts, it's not safe for him. Not at the moment, anyway. He will have to stay here, and not leave the house.'

Harry's mouth fell open in horror.

'No,' said Sirius suddenly, and Harry felt a rush of gratitude towards him. 'He can't stay in the house all day, every day. I know what it feels like, it'll drive him crazy.'

'Fine, but if he goes out, he will have to be with one of us, and be wearing a disguise.'

They then started talking to Mr Weasley about his day at work, and what the Ministry were saying about Harry's sudden reappearance. Harry reeled in the Extendable Ear, and returned to his bedroom.

So, they are planning on keeping me cooped up here? Harry sat down heavily on his bed.

It's bad enough that everyone, except for Sirius and the Weasleys, are treating him differently for something I can't even remember, but now I can't even see my friends?

Harry punched the wall in his anger, but then regretted it and sat down again, rubbing his bruised knuckles. He turned off the light, and lay in bed with the moonlight spilling in, onto his covers and face (there were no curtains in this bedroom).

~ • ~

An hour or so later he heard someone open his door, so he pretended to be asleep. They came in and removed his glasses and put them on the side table. He squinted a little, and saw sleepily that it was Sirius.

'What's wrong with me Sirius?' he mumbled. Sirius looked at him. His features gleamed in the moonlight, and Harry could see a look of unease flitting across his face.

'I don't know, Harry, but until we find out who's behind this, you've got to stay here. I'm sorry. But don't worry about that now. Sleep. Good night, Harry.'

'Good night, Sirius.'

Sirius patted him on the arm and walked out of the room. The door shut quietly behind him. Sirius must know all the ins and outs of his house, Harry thought, because there was no creak as he walked out onto the landing. But then, Harry turned over, he had lived in this house for sixteen years.

~ • ~HHi

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