𝐉𝐈𝐆𝐒𝐀𝐖

Chapter 1

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Chapter One:

Alone

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Harry Potter dreamed almost every night he spent at Number Four, Privet Drive. They were nightmares, really. Nightmares of watching Sirius die, over and over. It never seemed to end. And when it did, it got worse.

Aunt Petunia, Uncle Vernon, and Dudley seemed to notice there was something wrong with him. For the most part they left him alone, heeding the warning of Harry's friends. It was strange when, about three days after Harry arrived home, Aunt Petunia received a letter by owl post. She read it, stared at him, and then put it in the food processor before throwing it away. However, she acted a little different after that letter. When his cousin Dudley had been angry with him for breaking the remote control (even though he'd never touched it), Aunt Petunia had silenced Dudley and sent him to his room. If Harry had cared, he would have been pleased. Dudley had never been sent to his room for anything like that before. The last time his uncle had snapped at him for not paying attention, his aunt had hushed him. She offered Harry no visible comfort, but she constantly whispered around him, as though he was ill. A few times, Harry thought he caught her looking at him with sympathy, but then she would turn her face and Harry was positive he had imagined it.

After all, Aunt Petunia, her husband, and her son had been treating him like he was inconsequential his entire life, why should they stop now?

Harry felt empty most of the time and would sit around the house and stare at things. He never went outside, not even to visit Mrs. Figg--in fact, he studiously avoided her. He didn't want her sympathy and he didn't want her to understand him. He didn't want a reminder of a world that had given him something so precious, only to wrench it away. The only time Harry felt anything was when he had his nightmares.

Dudley kept playing a Muggle song from his stereo as loudly as could be. Over and over. Harry could sometimes hear it even when it wasn't playing. "I'm a firestarter, twisted firestarter," ran a constant refrain in his head whenever he was angry.

To avoid thinking about his nightmares and what caused them, Harry often lay in his bed at night, reading a book Lupin had sent for him to read while he was at the Dursleys'. "To help prepare you for sixth year Defense Against the Dark Arts," the note had read. The title read: Shadow Arts. The book described Shadow Arts as "the practice of magic not inherently evil, yet often misused." It was rather like magic that was too ambiguous to be Dark Arts, in Harry's opinion.

The Beheading Charm in "Chapter the Third" had vaguely interested Harry. He wondered if it had been cast on Nearly Headless Nick, but knew he could never ask the ghost without offending him. Harry noted that Legilimency and Occlumency were included in this book, since both had rather dubious uses. Unpleasant uses for spells Harry was familiar with--such as the Severing Charm--were described.

There was one small section near the beginning of the book about a form of magic that Harry had never heard of before. It was entitled: "Necromancy". Harry glanced at the entry, noting a picture of a dark-haired woman who was both beautiful and terrifying at the same time. The caption read: "Morgan Le Fay: The Most Legendary Necromancer Ever Born." He went on to read the entry below her.

Necromancy [Gr. nekros "death" and mānteia "divination"] is a form of magic that can be translated as "Death-Divination". It is the branch of the Shadow Arts that is most closely affiliated with the Dark Arts. Necromancy is a branch of magic that specializes in death, spirit, and souls. Spells such as channelling the dead and speaking to the dead can be used by anyone. Preparing one's soul for becoming a ghost is considered Necromancy, although this has been disputed. In the past, Necromancy was a common branch of Divination--although it has become very unpopular in the modern era. A Necromancer, however, is different from those who simply practice Necromancy. They are defined as witches born with the power of Soulsight (the ability to see souls--a power not exclusive to Necromancers, but also found in other types of wizards such as Seers) and the ability to enter and exit the Netherworld. Little can be confirmed of other powers, and it is doubtful they possess any. Certain spells have been often confused with Necromancy, such as the Dark Arts spell to animate the dead. Necromancers have long been associated with death, disease, and torture. Many argue that Necromancy is part of the Dark Arts, as many Necromancers are Dark Wizards, but much like Parselmouths, the skills are not inherently Dark, only the wizards that cast them.