A Different Sort Of Magic

Chapter One

It was two days into the summer holidays and a fifteen-year-old Harry Potter lay on his bed, miserable. The truth was he had never felt so bad in his entire life. He felt drained of energy even though he left his room only to use the bathroom, to do chores, or to eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner, which as usual were in smaller amounts than the rest of the Dursleys�.

He avoided his uncle as much as possible; Vernon would only bark orders at him anyway. His cousin Dudley looked fatter than ever, even though he was supposed to be on a strict diet. He�d spent the last two days out beating up ten-year-olds with his gang of unruly friends and hanging around causing all sorts of trouble.

Rubbing his tired eyes, Harry rolled over onto his side to face the wall, hoping to at least get some sleep. During the early hours in the morning, at three forty-two, he had woken up drenched in sweat from the same nightmare as before that usually ended with Cedric�s lifeless body staring back at him and Voldemort�s chilling laugh in the background, haunting him.

Sighing with frustration, as no sleep seemed to be coming any time soon, Harry thumped the bed with his fist, which didn�t help. He sat up, scowling when Aunt Petunia�s loud, demanding voice trailed upstairs, telling him to complete today�s chores or Vernon would not be happy.

I�ll just Stun him if he tries anything, Harry mused. He pictured himself Stunning Uncle Vernon, with Dudley and Petunia cowering in the corner of the kitchen. Smiling to himself, he reached out to the bedside cabinet and put on his glasses and swung his legs over the side of the bed. Standing up, Harry yawned and stretched tiredly.

He stomped moodily over to the door and yanked it open and thumped noisily down to the kitchen.

�Do you have to make such a racket, Harry? Here�s the list,� said his aunt coldly, handing him a piece of paper.

Huffing, Harry grabbed it. Looking down, he saw:

Mow the lawn
Clean out garden shed
Mow the back garden

That would take all day Harry fumed. He stormed through the patio doors and down to the shed, where he had to stop and inhale a good dose of fresh air before his anger subsided slightly.

Realising he had forgotten the key to the shed, he swore to himself and was about to make his way back to the kitchen and get it when he remembered his magic. He went back to the shed door and pulled his wand out of the back of his jeans, where he kept it safely hidden from view under his shirt, held in by his belt.

With a furtive look round to make sure no one was watching, he pointed his wand directly at the lock and said, �Alohomora!�

Hearing the door unlock, Harry looked around again to make sure no one had seen him and then slipped inside to get the lawn mower.

His chores did indeed take him all day. He was still at the front garden slugging it out in the dreadful stuffy heat when his uncle pulled up in the driveway. Vernon glared at Harry as he got out of the car.

Ignoring him, Harry continued to push the heavy machine back and forth.

�Boy, get inside now!� Uncle Vernon�s sudden sharp voice made Harry jump.

Sighing, Harry turned the mower off and slowly made his way inside, wiping perspiration off his forehead.

He headed into the kitchen where his aunt, uncle, and Dudley sat at the table waiting for him. All of them avoided making eye contact with Harry.

�Sit down,� ordered his uncle.

Obeying with much reluctance, Harry sat down and stared at the table, deliberately not looking at the others.

�We have to go away for two days as my sister has a terrible chest infection and we are going to make sure she has everything she needs. You, of course, will stay here and keep an eye on the house and complete the chores I�ve set up for you.�

Too shocked to speak, Harry looked at his spiteful uncle and saw that he wasn�t kidding.

�B-but�� he stammered.

�No buts, Harry. My sister needs us. It�s only two days�not a lot can happen in two days if you leave the house only to do your chores. There will be no funny business while we�re gone or you�ll have me to answer to. Have you got that clear?�

Harry nodded silently, still in shock at the prospect of being left in the house by himself with the threat of Voldemort still looming. He watched as his uncle, aunt, and Dudley left the room without another word to him.

Harry was still sitting at the table forty-five minutes later when he heard loud footsteps descend the stairs and the door slammed. Then heavy footsteps came back toward the door and it opened.

�Remember�no funny business!� Vernon�s loud voice cut right through Harry, and then the door slammed shut again.

The bang brought Harry back to his senses. He jumped up and ran to the living room. Looking out of the window, he saw his uncle�s car drive off. Fear soared through his veins as he stood there wondering what he should do. Should he alert Dumbledore or the Ministry? Was the first thought that entered his head? What about Ron and Hermione�surely they would know what to do?

Jumbled thoughts rushed through Harry�s mind as he stood staring out the window. He finally decided to write to Ron at the Burrow. Harry snapped out of his troubled thoughts and ran from the living room all the way up to his cousin�s second bedroom. He slammed the door shut loudly, partly just because he could, and stopped to catch his breath for a few moments. He was about to make his way over to his desk when he noticed something lying on his bed.

That wasn�t there before, he thought. And his relatives never came into his room. He looked around to see if anything had been moved, and listened intently for any noise that shouldn�t be there.

Hearing nothing apart from his rapid breathing, Harry checked the wardrobe and under his bed just in case someone from the Order had sneaked in like they usually did. �Anyone here?� he called out. There was complete silence.

Harry stared at the object on his bed. It appeared to be a thick, dusty old book. He cautiously sat down on the side of the mattress and was about to touch it when the thought suddenly occurred to him that it could be a Portkey leading him right into Voldemort�s hands.

He grabbed his pillow and threw it on top of the book and waited a few seconds. Then he gingerly lifted the pillow to find the book was still there. With one finger he touched it and was somewhat surprised to find he was still in his bedroom.

Harry reached out both hands and attempted to lift the book, but it was so extremely heavy that he could barely move it. With some difficulty he slid it onto his lap instead, startled by its weight. He glanced about for something he could use for a rag and saw a sock scrunched up on the floor. He picked it up and scrubbed at the thick layer of dust covering the book.

Once it was relatively clean Harry saw that it looked very old. Under the dust he could see that it was dark green, with a beautiful trio of red circles in the centre that formed a triangle. Curious, he opened it slowly; the heavy cover creaked and rustled.

The first page was brown with age and appeared to have been much handled, but was still intact. It bore the words �Book of Shadows� and had the same triangle made out of circles in the middle, but much smaller. The words made him gasp; he had heard of such books in which witches and wizards kept note of useful spells, charms, and herbs, and sometimes used as diaries.

Excited and even more curious now, Harry eagerly turned to the next page. Some sort of incantation was neatly written on it in black ink. Never thinking of possible consequences, he began to read it out loud.

�Invoking The Powers Spell

�Hear now the words of the witches, the secrets we hid in the night. The oldest of gods are invoked here; the great work of magic is sought. In this hour, I call upon the ancient powers. Bring your power to me. I want the power; give me the power.�

Hmm. Harry made a thoughtful noise without noticing. He turned page after page, admiring the pictures of scary-looking creatures and examining with interest spells he had never heard of, such as Empath Freeing Spell. He had no idea what that meant. He flicked through more pages saw a picture of a monster with red skin and black lines all over it, and black eyes. The words below the picture said:

Beware of this demonic soldier of fortune. Both powerful and dangerous, he has destroyed countless witches, innocents, and demons. As sinister as he is intelligent, he is not to be trusted. Balthazor�s known abilities include throwing energy balls and shimmering from place to place, but it is doubtful that his powers are limited to those capabilities. Because there is no known way to defeat him, Balthazor should be avoided at all costs.

Harry shivered slightly as he reread �throwing energy balls� and �shimmering from place to place�. This monster much sounds even worse than Voldemort, Harry thought to himself.

He was about to turn to the next page when suddenly the pages started to move by themselves, flipping backwards rapidly until the book slammed closed and he found himself staring, wide-eyed, at the front cover. He tried to open it but the cover wouldn�t budge.

Harry sighed with frustration. He looked out of the window and saw that it was dark outside; and for the first time he noticed what eerie, dark corners his room had.

He heaved the book off his knees and got up and turned on the ceiling light. When he turned back to the bed he was startled to see the red circles on the cover of the book glowing. Entranced by the sight, Harry sat back down and dragged the book back onto his knee.

He tried again to open it but couldn�t. The triangle, still a glowing red, suddenly turned bright gold; the book itself seemed to be glowing all over and felt lighter on his knees than it had been just seconds ago. Harry stood up quickly and the book with its glowing gold light fell to the floor. As he stood there looking down at it there was a sudden flash of gold, making him close his eyes and blink a few times.

Then Harry Potter�s body fell in a limp heap on the floor, with the gold light nowhere to be seen.

Chapter Two

Early the next morning Arabella Figg stood in her front garden picking up her newspaper, which the newspaper boy had carelessly flung onto her front lawn so that it landed on some of her flowers.

Sighing, she retrieved it, and out of habit she looked over to the Dursleys’ house. Her wandering eyes went over the neat flower beds to the grass with not a strand out of place to the house, which looked as it normally did. But a cold chill ran down her spine, causing her to shiver, when she noticed that Vernon’s car was nowhere to be seen and the front door was wide open.

Taking to her heels, Arabella ran as fast as she could back into her own house. She went to the kitchen and opened a drawer; she racked through it until at the bottom she found what she was looking for: a Galleon, very old, that she had never used until now. By dint of scraping she managed to get it up off the bottom of the drawer.

Unsure how to use it, Arabella started to rub it to get the dust off and the Galleon suddenly started to glow.

“Help … please help?�

A loud “pop� made her jump and Albus Dumbledore appeared before her, causing her to stifle a scream.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you,� he said. Dumbledore held a golden Galleon also. Taking hold of her hands, he asked, “What’s the problem?�

“Oh, sorry, I didn’t think you’d come that quickly. Vernon Dursley’s car is missing and their front door is wide open, so I thought I would contact you as my instincts told me not to go in … that something horrible has happened.�

“Right, let’s go and have a look, shall we?� Dumbledore said, letting go of her hands. “Follow me,� he insisted, putting his Galleon into a pocket of his robes. Arabella followed closely behind, shooing many of her cats out of their way.

She closed the door of her own house behind her and hurried to catch up with Dumbledore as he stood staring at Number Four Privet Drive with the car gone and the front door open. She hovered behind him as he made his way down the Dursleys’ driveway. He sighed and pulled out his wand.

“You’re right, something doesn’t feel right,� he said. He stepped into the overly tidy hallway with pictures of the Dursleys, minus Harry, everywhere.

“Hello?� Dumbledore called. No one answered him. He made his way up to Harry’s bedroom with Arabella, caught between excitement and nervousness, close on his heels. As they reached the top of the stairway a cold wash of fear swept over Dumbledore, causing him to shiver.

“Harry… are you in?� He pushd the bedroom door further open and gasped when he saw the limp, unconscious body of Harry Potter lying on the floor by the side of his bed. Dumbledore rushed in and bent down to gently check for a pulse; he found one, but it was very faint. Behind him he heard Arabella gasp.

“Is he—“

“Barely. Harry, can you hear me? Its Professor Dumbledore,� he said, shaking Harry gently to see if he would wake. When there was no movement whatsoever, Dumbledore rolled Harry over onto his side in the recovery position.

“Arabella, I need you to lock up the house while I take Harry to St. Mungo’s,� he said, fixing Mrs Figg with a stern look.

“Right … yes, I can do that,� she said. Dumbledore slipped an arm about Harry’s waist and they both disappeared, having Apparated to St. Mungo’s. Hoping everything would be all right, Arabella went downstairs and out of the house, closing the front door behind her.

She went back to her own house and decided to wait and see if Dumbledore would contact her to let her know if Harry would be all right. He had looked very pale.

Meanwhile, Dumbledore waited in the St. Mungo’s waiting room for word on Harry, who was being examined by several Healers. Not knowing how long he would have to wait, he picked up an issue of the Daily Prophet and skimmed the pages with their moving pictures.

An hour passed, and he was engrossed in reading when there was the sound of someone clearing their throat beside him.

“Hello … Professor Dumbledore?� a voice said. Dumbledore looked up to see a Healer standing there.

“Yes?� he replied. He folded the paper and put it back on the low table in front of him.

“Will you follow me, please? I should like to have a word with you in private,� the healer said.

“Of course.� Standing up, Dumbledore followed the Healer out of the waiting room and down a corridor past several closed doors. She opened the fifth one and entered, beckoning to him to do the same. Once inside he saw Harry’s pale, motionless figure lying on the bed with a drip attached.

“What has caused this?� he asked the Healer, who looked down at her notes.

“Mr Potter is in an unconscious state of mind due to a shock to his system, possibly some sort of horrific experience. There is a chance he will sustain some memory loss and have dizzy spells. All we can do is wait for him to wake up, which could be any minute—or when his system is ready to do so.�

Dumbledore let the news sink in; he hoped Harry would be all right when he woke up.

“Do you mind if I stay with him? I want to be here when he wakes.�

“Yes, of course. I’ll leave you to it.� The Healer clipped her notes to the chart at the foot of Harry’s bed and departed with a reassuring smile.

When she had left, Dumbledore pulled a chair closer to Harry and sat down, taking hold of the cold, unmoving hand closest to him.

Dreaming . . . he knew he must be dreaming. Harry stood in the middle of a road. Trees and shrubs lined each side, making the road both inviting and secluded. He moved down the road smoothly and with no sense of pace as, if he was floating above the hard-packed earth. It felt wonderful, exciting. Eagerly he sped forward.

He flew around a curve and then recoiled in sudden horror, a wordless scream coming from his mouth. Before him, blocking his way, was a dying serpent, a black, rolling, two-headed snake. Its flesh was hacked and eaten away; blood stained the road, its bitter, repugnant scent making him cover his nose and mouth. The thing was dying; it curled upon itself in agony, twisting as it lost its breath. Harry backed away slowly, not sure how dangerous it might still be.

From the sky a beautiful, cold, crystalline cage dropped over the thing. With one last shriek of torment the two-headed black serpent lashed its barbed tail and died. The cage shimmered around it gently, a mirage that seemed to shift between something made of air one moment and of gold crystal the next. It was made of magic. He, Harry, had made it, and his cage had helped to kill the serpent.

Gasping, he clawed his way back to consciousness. He opened his eyes to find his heart pounding, the scent of the serpent’s blood still in his throat. He wanted to gag; the horrible images still lingered behind his eyes. When his focus became clearer he saw an old man with a long white beard and long grey hair holding his hand.

“Who are you?� Harry rasped, his mouth dry.

“Harry, it’s me, Professor Dumbledore. What is the last thing you remember?�

“Don’t know . . . waking up here . . . where am I?�

“You are in St. Mungo’s. I found you unconscious in your room at your relatives’ home, so I brought you to hospital. Do you have any idea what happened to you?�

Unable to answer him, Harry shrugged and watched as the old man got up from his chair and went to the door to call for someone called the Healer.

A plump woman with brown hair tucked in a cap came in. “Ah, you’re awake, Mr Potter. Any side effects—memory loss, dizziness, feeling sick?�

“Memory loss,� said the old man he did not recognise.

“Right, Mr Potter, your memory should return in a couple of days, or even hours. What’s the last thing you remember?�

“Nothing,� replied Harry. “Who am I?�

Chapter 3

“Who am I?� Harry asked again.

“I’ll leave that for you to explain,� said the Healer, looking at the old man. Nodding his head, Dumbledore sighed and went back to his seat as the Healer left the room.

Harry watched the man and waited for him to explain who he was.

“Your name is Harry James Potter. You are a wizard and I am Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardary,� Dumbledore said.

“I am a wizard? What is that?� Harry asked, confused.

“A wizard, Harry…you can do magic. You know, spells and stuff that Muggles cannot do.�

“Muggles?� Harry enquired.

“People who cannot perform magic and do not know Hogwarts exists.�

“Oh,� replied Harry, still unsure what to say. “What about my parents?�

“I am afraid they both died when you were one year old. They were killed by a bad man named Vol�Voldemort, who tried to kill you. Somehow you survived his attack with nothing but a scar in the shape of a lightning bolt on your forehead.�

Frowning, Harry touched his head and indeed felt a scar. Bits and pieces of his memory came flooding back, but he still couldn’t remember what had happened to him when he got knocked unconscious, and that was starting to frustrate him.

“This bad man, Voldemort�why is he trying to kill me?� he asked, beginning to feel scared.

“Only one of you can live, and he wants it to be him. That’s why he is desperately trying to kill you,� Dumbledore said.

As he took in all of the information, Harry started to remember everything, from his parents’ deaths to killing Voldemort.

“Thanks for being honest, sir.�

“No problem. Do you remember what knocked you unconscious?� Dumbledore said casually.

Harry racked through his memories but still couldn’t remember what had happened to him back at the Dursleys’ house.

“No, sir, I don’t know what happened. It’s all blank. Do you think it could have been Voldemort?�

“I don’t know,� replied Dumbledore, worried that it could have been the Dark Lord. The hospital was not a safe place for Harry to be. “We must leave soon,� he added to Harry, who did not look well.

“This place is not safe.�

Nodding in agreement, Harry pushed back the tight bed sheets as Dumbledore stood up and moved the chair away. When Harry stood up he felt slightly dizzy and steadied himself by holding on to the side of the bed.

“Are you all right?� Dumbledore asked, concerned.

“Yes. Just stood up too fast,� Harry assured him. “Where are we going?�

“Back to Grimmauld Place,� replied Dumbledore, and he headed to the door. As Harry followed he noticed how busy the place was with all the ill patients, visitors, and Healers running about.

The woman who had spoken to them a few moments ago spotted them leaving and hurried over to them from a trolley full of medical equipment.

“And just where do you think you’re going, Mr Potter?�

“Umm...home?�

“You can’t leave as you haven’t been discharged yet,� she insisted.

“I feel fine,� replied Harry. “My memory has returned.�
“It’s not safe for Harry to be here,� said Dumbledore, slightly annoyed.

“Well, as long as you don’t overdo it. If you feel dizzy or sick you must come back, as you have had a tremendous shock. And you must sign the discharge papers before you go.� They followed the Healer down the busy corridor to a desk at the far end. She stepped behind the desk and shuffled through some papers. “Ah, here we are, Mr Potter. If you just sign on the dotted line both here and here, then you are free to go.� She pulled a quill from her pocket and handed it to him.

Harry signed the papers and sighed with relief, glad to be going somewhere he knew.

Going back the way they came Dumbledore led Harry away from the crowded place, in the direction from which they’d come. When they reached the Apparation point he said,

“Take my hand, Harry.�

Harry took his hand without thinking and immediately felt the horrible sensation of Apparation. Just as he started thinking he was going to throw up, they appeared in the hallway of Grimmauld Place. Harry sighed with relief.
Voices could be heard coming from the kitchen.

Following Dumbledore, Harry made his way through the gloomy hallway to the kitchen, where they found everyone having lunch at the table. Mrs Weasley was standing with a plate of food. Ron and Hermione were sitting at opposite sides of the table eating, Ginny was next to Hermione, and Mr Weasley was at the head of the table. Remus was there, too, sitting next to Ron.

They stopped talking at once when they saw Harry.

“Harry!� said Hermione.

She got up and hurried over and threw her arms around him, giving him a big hug. Ron came over and shook his hand; Ginny also gave him a hug, and then it was Mrs Weasley’s turn.

“Are you all right?� she asked. “We were worried about you!�

“I’m fine, just a little memory loss. It’s all coming back except what happened at the Dursleys’ house, which is annoying as Dumbledore found me unconscious,� Harry explained.

“Is it The Dark Lord?� Mrs Weasley asked.

“Don’t know,� Dumbledore replied. “That’s why I have brought Harry here. It’s not safe at the Dursleys’ or at the hospital at the moment, so Harry can spend the remainder of the summer holidays here.�

He sat down at the table.

“Right, then. Harry, you sit here,� said Mrs Weasley as she pulled out a chair, “and have some lunch.�

Harry looked down as Mrs Weasley ladled some lentil soup into his bowl. Unsure whether or not he could keep it down, he took a spoonful and sighed when it tasted quite good.

After lunch he, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny went upstairs to a room that Harry would be sharing with Ron. There Harry found his stuff from the Dursleys’ waiting for him. He pulled his trunk off the bed with a sigh of relief. In it was everything he would need.

Harry spent the rest of the day catching up on the gossip. Unaware of how late it was, he found himself yawning, tired from the day’s events.

“I’m going to turn in,� he said. The others followed suit, Hermione and Ginny going to their room across the hall.
Harry retrieved his pajamas from his trunk and made his way to the bathroom. Turning on the light, he found it to be a small but tidy room with a shower, toilet, and sink. No bath tonight, he thought as he changed into his pajamas.

When he had just finished brushing his teeth, his vision suddenly became blurry. He put down his brush, wondering what was going on as he still had his glasses on. He closed his eyes and then opening them in an attempt to clear his vision, but he still couldn’t see anything but a fuzzy fog. He started to panic.
He was about to call someone for help when he felt the air around him become much colder. Harry closed his eyes again and collapsed in a heap to the floor.
When he opened his eyes again, Harry got a shock to find that he was sitting in the cold stone floor of the entrance hall of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
.
“What the hell!� he gasped.

“What the hell!� he gasped.

Standing up, Harry looked around in shock to find no one around. It was eerily quiet apart from his heavy breathing. It was so quiet that he thought he could hear his own heartbeat.

Unsure what to do, Harry was about to go and find Dumbledore when his vision became blurry again. Oh no, he thought, panicking. As he pulled off his glasses, Harry felt the cold stone beneath his feet becoming warmer.

He put his glasses back on and found himself back in the bathroom at Grimmauld Place, staring at his pasty reflection in the mirror. A knock at the door made Harry nearly jump out of his skin. He yanked the door open and found Ron standing there in his pyjamas.

“I was just at Hogwarts,� said Harry.

“What?� asked Ron, looking at him strangely.

“Just now I was at Hogwarts,� replied Harry, watching as Ron took in the information.

“Have you gone mad? Ron asked.

“No, I swear I was standing in the entranceway of Hogwarts.�

“Come with me,� said Ron, taking Harry by the arm. He dragged Harry along the hallway and down the stairs to the kitchen, where the adults where still sitting.

“Harry says he was at Hogwarts,� Ron told them.

“What?� Mrs Weasley exclaimed.

“Go on, tell them,� Ron urged Harry.
“Just now in the bathroom�� Harry faltered, knowing it was impossible. “I was in Hogwarts.�

“Really?� Molly asked.

“Yes.�

“And how did you get there?� Arthur asked him.

“Don’t know�Apparated, maybe?�

“You’re too young for Apparation, Harry.�

“I know, but….� Harry stopped as his vision became blurry again.

“Oh no,� he said, and as he covered his glasses with his hand they saw Harry disappear in blue swirls of light.

“HARRY!� Arthur yelled.

“LIVING ROOM!� Harry yelled back.

“Wow!� said Ron, shocked. “Bloody hell!�

Everyone hurried out of the kitchen to the living room to find Harry standing behind the chair, holding onto it as if he was going to pass out.

“What is going on?� Arthur asked.

“I don’t know,� replied Harry, his voice shaken. “It keeps on happening.�

He disappeared again in swirls of blue light only to reappear seconds later on the same spot.

“Someone should call Dumbledore,� Molly suggested.

“Yes,� replied her husband as he went out of the room.

“What’s going on?� Hermione asked, coming down the stairs in her pyjamas with Ginny behind her.

“That.� Ron pointed as Harry disappeared and then reappeared seconds later at the other side of the room next to the book shelf.

“Oh.� Hermione stared at Harry and Ginny, also staring, gasped in shock and wondered what to do.

Harry disappeared and reappeared again. This time he ended up sitting on the chair. Everyone continued to stare at him.

“Dumbledore is on his way,� said Arthur, coming back into the room.

Harry sat there nervously and tapped his feet, waiting and trying not to Apparate or whatever was happening to him.

“Hello?� Dumbledore’s voice came from the hallway.

“In here!� Mrs Weasley called.

“What’s going on?� Dumbledore asked.

“Harry can Apparate,� replied Ron.

“What?�

“Do it again, Harry�go on, show him!�

“I don’t know how.� Harry suddenly sneezed and disappeared, reappearing seconds later. He felt scared and gasped when a bolt of blue light shot out of his chest and formed a circle of blue light around him and the chair, causing Dumbledore and the others to step back.

Dumbledore reached out and touched the light around Harry but was unable to get through it.

“No one is going to hurt you, Harry. Put the shield down.�

“I don’t know how,� Harry gasped.

“Try and calm down�see if that works.�

Harry tookseveral deep breaths and reminded himself that he was safe with Dumbledore here, and the blue bubble disappeared back into his chest.

Relieved Harry looked at Dumbledore and asked, “What do we do now?�

“We need to take you back to St. Mungo’s hospital again and have you tested to find out how you are able to Apparate and how you are able to put a force field around yourself.�

“In my pyjamas?�

“Go and get changed.�

Harry disappeared once again and this time found himself in the bathroom.

“I’M IN THE BATHROOM,� he yelled.

He quickly changed back into his clothes, still feeling a little scared about what was going to happen to him, as he and everyone else had no idea what was wrong with him. He still had no Idea what was going on, how he was able to Apparate and put up a force field. It could have something to do with him blacking out, he thought. He couldn’t figure it out.

Once he changed he was about to head out of the bathroom when his vision went again and seconds later he found himself standing in front of Dumbledore, who was sitting down next to Arthur and Molly. Ron, Ginny, Remus, and Hermione were sitting opposite them.

“Are you ready?� asked Dumbledore.

“Not really. I don’t want to go.�

“Take my hand.�

Harry reluctantly accepted Dumbledore’s hand and they Apparated to St. Mungo’s, the spinning nearly causing Harry to throw up. Taking several deep breaths, he attempted to calm himself down and clear his head. Feeling slightly better, Harry followed Dumbledore to the reception desk where the Headmaster had a few words with the Healer on duty.

“If you take a seat in the waiting room, I will find you a room and have you admitted,� the Healer said to Harry.

Once again Harry followed Dumbledore to the waiting room and sat down on the uncomfortable plastic seat.
It was at least two hours before the Healer came through and told them that they had a room ready for him.

“Finally!� Harry said. “I was really bored waiting.�
Dumbledore nodded in agreement, and he and Harry followed the Healer through the busy corridors.

“This is your room, Harry, number 42, with an en suite bathroom.� Peering into the room, Harry saw a bed with white sheets and a small toilet room. Slightly impressed, he went over and stood by the bed, unsure what to do.

“I will leave you to settle in, and there will be a few forms for you to fill out,� said the Healer.

“I will get Mrs Weasley to bring you some of your things in the morning,� Dumbledore told Harry.

“Yes, sir. How long will the tests take?�

“I don’t know,� Dumbledore replied. “I will see you in the morning.�

“Yes, sir.�

Once Dumbledore left, Harry’s only option was to go to bed.

After a really bad night’s sleep Harry was grouchy the next morning. Unable to eat any breakfast, around eight o’clock in the morning he was taken into a room where they took blood tests and x-rays. Then they sent Harry back his room, where he waited patiently. Several hours after lunch time, someone knocked on the door.

“Come in,� Harry called out.

The door opened and Ron walked in with Hermione, Ginny, Remus, and Arthur.

“We have brought some stuff for you,� Ron said, holding up a rucksack full of Harry’s things.

“Oh, good! I’ve been waiting forever,� Harry said, pointing at the clock. He’d been feeling forgotten and was starting to get angry. As he jabbed his finger at the clock, he watched as it exploded into tiny fragments, making a hole in the wall where the clock once was.

“Wow,� said Ron as the others gasped.

Pulling his finger away, Harry stared at it. “Oops. Was that me?�

“Looks like it, mate,� replied Ron, edging away from Harry.

“Hey…my headache’s gone,� Harry mused. “Where’s Dumbledore?� he asked.

“Not quite sure,� replied Remus. “However, I’m sure he’ll be in later on.�

“Oh, great�first he dumps me in this place and then he leaves me.�

“I’m sure that’s not the case,� Arthur replied. A knock at the door made them all turn.

“We need to take Harry in for more tests,� said a Healer, coming into the room. “What happened to the clock?� she asked.

Harry shrugged his shoulders, looking guilty, and turned away from the Healer.

“Right, then we’ll come back in a few hours,� said Remus as they began to file out of the room. Harry got up from his bed, ready to follow the Healer.

“See you guys later on,� he called out to them as they walked down the corridor.

After several more tests Harry had never heard of before, including a CAT scan, Harry was back in his room just in time for dinner which was fish, chips, and peas. Not bad for hospital food, he thought.

Once he had finished Harry was about to nod off and have a snooze when an image popped into his mind. It was a beautiful trio of red circles that formed a triangle. It seemed so familiar and Harry wanted to draw it so he wouldn’t forget it, but he had no pen or paper.

He snapped back to reality when he heard a knock at the door. “Come in.�

The door opened and Dumbledore walked in with Remus and Arthur behind him. “How are you, Harry?� Dumbledore asked.

“Fine. Just sick of all the tests,� mumbled Harry.

“That should be all finished with now,� replied Dumbledore. “All we need to do is wait for the results.�

“How long should that be?� Harry asked, feeling rather tired.

“A couple of days, and you should remain in hospital until then.�

“Oh, great, more boredom and despair.�

“We could bring you some books and magazines the next time we come,� said Arthur.

“Sure,� replied Harry.

The rest of the visiting hours went by quite fast as they talked about anything and everything. Soon it was eight o’clock and time for them to go. Harry was quite tired from having had no sleep the night before.

“Good night,� he said as they left.

“I will come first thing tomorrow and well see about your test results, Harry,� Dumbledore assured him.

Harry changed out of his clothes and into his pyjamas, then brushed his teeth and went to bed early. But once again couldn’t sleep. Tossing and turning, he began to see images of an old, dusty green thick book with the beautiful red trio of circles that formed a triangle. The trio began to glow…he woke up at that point, sweating and out of breath.

Putting his glasses on, Harry turned on the bedside lamp and looked at his watch. It was only three forty-four in the morning. Sighing, he took off his glasses and turned off his lamp and went back to a fitful sleep.

About six o’clock that morning Harry decided to get up. Putting on his glasses, Harry got up and changed into normal jeans and a blue t-shirt. Breakfast was at eight o’clock, so since he had a few hours to kill he lay back down.

He must have dozed off as there was a knock at the door round seven thirty-five. He got up to answer it and Dumbledore stood there.

“Sir, visiting hours are not till half past eight,� Harry said, stepping aside to let him in anyway.

“I have come to get the results of your tests,�

Dumbledore said, gesturing toward the hallway. Harry followed him to reception, where Dumbledore asked to speak to the Healer in charge. A few seconds later a plump woman came out and asked them to follow her. As they did, Harry began to get nervous and decided this wasn’t the time to tell Dumbledore about the book he kept on seeing in his dreams.

They followed the Healer into a small office with two chairs in front of a desk; and that was all that was in the room, and there was no window.

“Right,� the Healer said, shuffling through some papers.

“Your blood results came back normal; nothing wrong with them. And the CAT scan also came back norma. Nothing to suggest that a blow to the head could have caused amnesia. That has caused some concern among my staff as to why you got amnesia in the first place, as the usual cases involve a blow to the head. Something traumatic could have happened to you and you passed out. But otherwise you are in perfect health for someone your age.�

“That’s good,� Harry replied, relieved.

“So if a blow to the head did not cause his amnesia, then something traumatic must have happened to Harry to cause this,� said Dumbledore, taking off his glasses and wiping them on his robes.

“It appears so. Do you remember anything traumatic happening to you?� the Healer asked.

“No,� Harry lied, thinking about the thick book.

“Well, if you do, let me know. It baffles me how you got amnesia,� the Healer said.

“Will do,� Harry said. “Does that mean I can leave?�

“Yes, that’s everything sorted for you.�

“Thanks,� Harry said.

“Yes, let’s get you back home,� Dumbledore said, standing up.

Harry followed Dumbledore back to his room. When they got there Harry packed away his things and looked around the room in case he’d left anything, then they were on their way.

“Take my hand, Harry,� Dumbledore said once they reached reception.

“Oh, no, I hate this bit,� Harry mumbled, taking hold of the Headmaster’s cold hand. Again Harry was spinning out of control, and he thought he was going to be sick.
In a few moments, which felt like forever, Harry found himself in the long hallway of Grimmauld Place. He could hear people talking in the kitchen, and Dumbledore led him in that direction. When they got there Harry saw Mrs Weasley serving up breakfast.

“Hey, guys,� he said, going into the room.

Everyone went quiet. “Well?� asked Mrs Weasley. “How did it go?�

“Everything was normal, no blow to the head, so something dramatic must have happened to Harry that we don’t know about,� replied Dumbledore, sitting down at the table.

“That’s great news,� Ron said, munching on bread. “I mean, except the accident.�

“I actually remember something. Well, it could be nothing,� Harry said tentatively.

“What do you remember?� Dumbledore asked.

“I remember a really old, thick book. It was dark green with a beautiful trio of red circles in the centre that formed a triangle. And that’s it. I don’t remember anything else.�

“Where is the book now?� Dumbledore asked, frowning.

“Don’t know. It disappeared,� Harry replied, sitting down.

“How can a book disappear?� Hermione asked. “Unless it was a Portkey.�

“No, a Portkey takes the person with it,� Dumbledore replied.

“Here, Harry, have some breakfast�some eggs and bacon,� Mrs Weasley said, placing them on a plate.

“Yes, please,� he said, pouring a drink of orange juice into a glass.

“Hermione, could you please pass the salt?� he asked.

She was about to pick the salt shaker up when it disappeared and re appeared seconds later in Harry’s hand.

“How am I doing that?� he asked.

“No one knows,� Remus replied.

“Given Harry’s strange abilities, I think it would be safer if he stayed the rest of the holiday’s back at Hogwarts,� Dumbledore said, taking some toast.

“I couldn’t agree more,� said Remus.

“Well then, we leave after breakfast.�

“Mum, can I keep Harry company?� Ron pleaded.

“I don’t see why not,� she replied.

“Yesss!� said Ron.

After a nice breakfast Harry and the others went up to their rooms and packed everything away into their trunks. He made sure Hedwig was safely in her cage. Dragging their trunks along, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny made their way downstairs to find the adults in the living room.

“Take my hand,� said Dumbledore, holding it out.

“Oh, I am going to miss you all!� Mrs Weasley said, dabbing her eyes with a hanky.

Ginny was first in line and took Dumbledore’s hand, then Ron took hers, Hermione his, then Harry was last, grabbing hold of Hermione’s hand.

Once again he was spinning out of control. Harry was feeling rather ill Hrry and was glad when he felt himself slowing down. Opening his eyes, he found himself outside Hogwarts with the others, who were also recovering from the journey.

Dumbledore instructed them to leave their luggage for the house-elves to collect. Harry was about to head into the castle when a swirl of white light appeared in front of him, blocking his way into Hogwarts. When the light subsided, he came face to face with�himself.