A Stolen Past

The Burrow

When Harry Potter awoke, he was startled to feel the warmth of the sun on his skin - he had never slept anywhere where the sun's rays could reach. After opening his eyes and realizing where he was, he decided that he liked the feeling. It was definitely much nicer than waking up in a damp dungeon or a dusty cupboard under the stairs. As he sat up and looked around, the events of the previous night came crashing down on him, and he collapsed back onto the ground, a soft sob escaping his throat. Hassseth was gone. She may have been a snake, but she was more human to Harry than most people he knew. He lay there among the trees, motionless, for a long time, just allowing the sorrow to envelop him.

It was late afternoon when Harry was startled back into awareness of his surroundings by a loud hoot coming from the tree over his head. Looking up, he saw Hedwig perched on the branch, watching him expectantly. He finally stood, stretching his stiff joints and wiping his eyes. It was true that Hassseth was gone, but she had died so that he would be able to escape and lead a happy life, not wallow in sorrow and self-pity.

He opened his schoolbag and, being careful to disturb Hassseth's body as little as possible, withdrew his notebook and a pen. Then he began to write.

Dear Ron,

I was attacked by wizards last night. I escaped on a stolen broomstick, but I don't know where to go. I can't go back to where I was, and there's no way I'm going to the Dursleys', but I've got no place else. I wish I could tell you where I've been, but I can't. It's not that I don't want to; I really can't. I tried to tell you and Hermione where I was in my last letter, but I couldn't write it. Is that normal?

Anyway, I still can't tell you where I am, but now it's because I don't know myself. I'm hiding out in a little grove of trees until it gets dark, because I really don't fancy having a bunch of Muggles see me flying around on a broomstick, and walking down the street carrying a broom that's obviously meant for riding on would be almost as big of a giveaway.

Please tell me where you are so I can come find you, since the opposite doesn't seem to be possible. And please hurry - I don't know if the wizards that came after me last night have figured out a way to track me or not, and I'd like to be gone at nightfall just in case.

See you soon,

Harry.

For several hours after sending the letter, Harry waited impatiently. He sat, stood, paced, and even climbed a tree to scan the sky for Hedwig more times than he cared to count. Once, he sat down with the broomstick - which was now caked in mud - to try and repair its tail, but after only two minutes it was clear that it would take more expertise than he possessed. Finally, just as night was falling, Harry's pacing was interrupted by a low hoot overhead.

"Hedwig!" he exclaimed. "I was starting to worry. Okay, I've been worried ever since you left, but that's beside the point. Have you got a response for me?"

The owl fluttered down to rest on a low branch and held out her right leg for Harry to untie the letter. He tore off the string and hurriedly unfolded the parchment, reading quickly.

Harry-

You were attacked? How did you manage to steal a broomstick? Sorry we didn't understand that you really couldn't tell us where you were. That's really weird; I'll tell Dumbledore about it as soon as I send off this letter.

It would be really hard for you to find Hogwarts on your own, even with directions, so it probably wouldn't do much good to try and tell you how to get here. Not to mention the fact that you'd be mobbed as soon as you arrived - your disappearance was huge news, and nobody but us knows you've been in touch with anyone. It would probably be best if you just went to my house. I'll owl Mum and tell her to expect you. Term ends soon anyway, so I'll definitely see you when I come home, if not sooner.