Dark Veil

"Ow." That was the first thought in Harry's head. "What did I do this time? Okay, let's open the eyes. Hmm, that's weird." As Harry took in his surroundings he started to get confused. "What did I do last night? This doesn't look like Hogwarts." Everything was dark, not the absence of light, just like the light didn't reach his eyes. Like a black and white photograph, he could see things clearly, even though it was dark. He was standing on a hill, with a ring of stones around him. All around down the hill were houses, just small shacks that didn't look fit to house Snape. Though Harry would still put him in one of those instead of having him at Hogwarts. "I'm behind the veil. Oh jeez, the spell worked. This is awesome. Ow." Again that throbbing pain welled up inside of him, causing him to double over. Harry decided maybe getting up would be a good thing and set about doing that. Slowly crawling to the closest stone, Harry used it to pull himself up. He then slowly started down the hill, every step putting pain in his head and body. After what felt like hours or days, he reached the first hut. He opened the door, was shocked to see it was inhabited, and promptly passed out.

"-it's the Boy Who Lived, I'm telling you I recognize him. Voldermort must have finally killed him. I expect we shall be seeing an increase of people now, and we'll be moved farther along more quickly. Ah, oh well, why bother about the future when you can worry about the past, as I always say."

"Wh-who's there?" Harry asked, opening his eyes, "Where am I?" He seemed to be in one of the houses on a bumpy mattress, and there was someone in the shadows.

"Oh, bless him. He's so confused, poor thing. Well, Mr. Potter, you are dead and are currently residing in the house of Freda and Jim Bungles. Soon you'll be getting a house of your own of course, and then you will probably move due to the influx of dead that will be arriving," said a woman who Harry could only assume was Freda.

"No, I'm not dead. I'm still alive. I just went through the Veil, that's all," Harry mumbled. Someone put a hand on his chest and suddenly he was wide awake, wand at the ready.

"Relax, sonny. Just check your heartbeat before you start saying your alive. That'll settle it once and for all," Jim said. Harry checked his heart beat and breathed a sigh of relief, it was beating steady and strong under his hand.

"I, am, alive," he said with great difficulty through the relief that was trying to make him laugh, "and I will be damned if anyone says I'm not." Harry motioned for Jim to feel for himself, and Jim did.

"Oh my god, you're right. Oh, you're alive! But how is this possible. It can't happen. Oh fiddlesticks and flapjacks, He won't be happy," Jim whispered of awe changing to horror.

"He won't find out," replied Freda, "We won't let him."

"Wait, what are you guys talking about? Who's he?" Harry asked, getting frustrated. Jim and Freda gave each other looks and Jim gently sat Harry on the bed.

"In the beginning," Jim explained, "whoever made the earth also made this place. I don't know what it is and I don't know anybody who does, but I do know it's the land of the dead." Harry learned quite a few things about this new land and few of them pleasant. As he understood it, the land was controlled by a being of great power, the Overlord, and he ruled with an iron fist, making sure everything was always as it should be. And the way it should be is this. When someone died they came here, they would then inhabit one of the houses closest to the stones causing the person who had been dead the longest to move farther down, which was the only thing they had to look forward to. If you died with family or with a partner then you were allowed to live together. Usually nobody lasted in one place for a whole month, and sometimes people would only stay for a week. These people had been dead for about a week and Sirius had been dead for a couple of months, so he was a bit farther down. Harry wondered how large this place was if it housed all the dead people from the beginning of time.

"Okay. If it's okay I'd like to crash here for a night and then start looking for somebody. Hey, do you guys eat around here?" Harry asked.

"Oh yes, you can stay here as long as you want. Things like this never happen around here, so we're gonna take advantage of it while we can," Freda said with a grin, "And yes we do eat here, although I don't know why. So yes dear, you can have some of our food, too." she added.

Harry nodded and smiled then leaned back onto the mattress resting his aching head. He started to dream, Voldermort was possessing him, he begged Dumbledore to end it, then pain exploded into his body his mind was reeling. He cried out, then the blackness came rushing in.