Chapter Text
Harry barely noticed the rain, the wind, or the biting cold. He was to focused on flying, it always helped him feel better. The slandering and bullying was much worse this year than years previous due to the blasted Tournament, not to mention Ron refused to listen to reason and had actually joined in the hate campaign. The red head of course begged forgiveness after the first task, but it didn't take away the sting of his betrayal. All of it was enough to make him scream in frustration- so he did. Not that anyone heard him over the storm.
Lightning flashed across the sky and Harry wondered if wishing on lightning worked any better than stars? Deciding `he had nothing to lose and no one to look foolish in front of, he shouted his greatest desire to the raging heavens.
He didn't see the stout figure that had come to see who was crazy enough to fly in such weather, but the figure definitely saw the boy disappear in a flash of light.Gasping in horror the man quickly cast a wide range scans of the area which came up empty. He ran back to the ship to report the mysterious death. Hysteria and panic would be soon followed by late coming grief over the newly dubbed Boy-Who-Was-Lost.
(^^)
He was falling. He tried to open his eyes but the felt like lead. His arms and legs and his whole body to. Paralyzed. Helpless. Vulnerable.
The wind roared in his ears, but thin it wasn't just wind, there were voices to. Cheering...then screaming. His fall seemed to slow before he felt strong arms around him. Voices he couldn't make out. The arms held him for awhile, the they were gone and he was a lone.
Harry almost like the darkness, the quiet. It was easy, didn't require thought or explanations. It wasn't demanding or judgmental. He let it claim, welcomed it.
(^^)
He was dreaming the twins were playing a game. Unsure of what type of game, he listened. They seemed to be pretending to be someone else. Odd. But then they always have been a bit odd. Their voices faded away after awhile.
There came a point that the darkness began to push him back into the light. Harry clung to it. He didn't want to wake up to everything that was making his life twice as horrible as normal. still in the end he did, and of course it was to the sight of the hospital wing.
Harry sighed softly. a slight gray light leaked through the tall windows. Must be morning then, he thought. After stretching like a cat and slipping on his glasses Harry got out of bed. No slippers and no spare clothes. Hmm...forgetting it was supposed to be the middle of December, he decided to go for a walk before Madame Pomfrey noticed he was awake and forcing potions down his throat. He didn't think she'd mind too much, he felt fin anyway. Curious that he was there at all as he couldn't remember why. A memory tried entering his thoughts but he pushed it away. he didn't want to think much.
He reached the lawn but it was odd as there wasn't any snow. He thought there had been snow. It wasn't even cold. Loving the feeling of the grass between his toes, he just stood there smiling and enjoyed the peace... until it was broken by laughter. He let out another sigh. It was nice while it lasted.
The laughter abruptly cut off when he assumed they caught sight of him.
heavens he was so tired of the whispering and murmuring. as if he couldn't hear them, so he pretended that he couldn't, that he was deaf the their scorn and malice.
soon he found himself at the Black Lake. The Giant Squid was sunning itself in the shadows so he sat down on a tree root that reached a few feet out above the water. Leaning down to tickle one of the tentacles and giggled at the shudder and wiggle he received in return. The Squids eye looked up at him so he grinned and waved. He got a wave back. Harry giggled again.
He heard two gasps behind him, "You know it's rude to spy on people, don't you?" no response. "Just leave me alone would you?"
"Why are you out of the hospital wing?" A man asked.
'"Why would I want to stay in there when it's such a nice day?" he ignored the fact that he thought it had been snowing when started his walk.
"Oh, I don't know, maybe because you fell a good thousand feet and have been in a coma for nearly three months?!" the man'ts irritated concern was surprising to say the least... did he say coma?
"Sorry did you say coma?"
"Yes. the nurse thought you wouldn't wake up at all." the man was closer now causing Harry to tense and realize he didn't have his wand.
Harry jerked to his feet and sup around completely forgetting what he was perched on so he lost his balance. A strangled sound escaped from him as he flailed in alarm and in the end failing. He caught a glimpse of red hair and shocked blue eyes before long arms wrapped around him and turned him over as they fell.
(^^)
Madame Pomfrey was just about to send the teachers out in a search party to find her wayward coma patient when none other that the Prewett twins came striding in with aforementioned patient in one of their arms. Drenching weto And shivering. She was not happy. Not at all.
"Madame Pomfrey, we seem to have found something of yours!" One twin was grinning as if they had just won a prize.
"I said I can walk, now put me down!" the smaller boy complained. "I'm not hurt, and I'm definitely not an invalid so let me go!"
"Hold your hippogriffs, we're almost there." Setting him carefully on the first bed they come to then holding his hands up in surrender. "See?"
The boy just huffed and wished he could see the brute. "Can I at least have my glasses back?"
"Aah..."
"Don't aah me! Where are they?!"
"They somehow got smashed. I tried repairing them but they were too far gone. Sorry."
"I'm blind as a bat without them."
"Well, there's always the potion to fix your eyes permanently." cut in Madame Pomfrey.
"There's a potion for that?! Why hasn't anyone mentioned that before?!" Harry was entirely outraged.
"Well it is rather costly if you can't make it yourself, but as it happens we have a capable potion's master who doubles as a teacher." That would explain it, Snape would never offer me help willingly.
"Here you go. We keep one dose on hand in case of emergencies." She said cheerfully.
He gulped it down without hesitation, then grimaced as his eyes began to itch and water viciously. Harry pressed the palms of his hands into his eyes until it stopped.
When he opened his eyes he had to pause at how clear and sharp everything was. He could actually see the dust floating in the light. Harry looked to Madame Pomfrey and saw how much younger she seemed than before. That didn't seem right to him. He remembered Sirius saying she had been at Hogwarts for at least fifteen years before the marauders had even come to the school.
The next to her was unfamiliar with auburn hair and a cleanly shaved face. None of the others were familiar either. Strange.
"Who are you all?"
The auburn hair man chuckled merrily as if Harry had just told a joke. "This fine lady me is Madame Pomfrey. I'm Headmaster Dumbledore, then there's Professor's Grubby-Plank, Slughorn, Flitwick, McGonagall, Sprout, Hooch, Pince, Vector, Sinister, Babbling, Kettleburn, and Stitch-wright. Welcome to Hogwarts!" The other teachers gave Dumbledore funny looks that he either ignored or didn't notice.
Harry gave a nervous laugh and before any of them could lift a finger to stop him he was out the door and dodging between students on their way to breakfast. Behind him he heard shouts but didn't stop.
He was a few yards from the entry doors when a heavy body collided with his, sending them both tumbling to the ground in a heap. A large hand was shielding his head from hitting the stone floor. Harry struggled to escape but it was rather useless against the larger man. "Stop struggling. Nobody is going to hurt you here. You're safe." The man rasped as he tried to get his breathing under control. "Damn, your're bloody fast!" He huffed and shifted them so Harry was in his lap then again to his knees and with the help of a man who looked to be his twin, stood.
"Still capable of walking on my own." Harry grouched.
"Are you going to run again?... Thought so." The man hitched Harry higher for a better grip and waded through the gawping students to the Hospital wing.