The Next Dark Lord

A New Year Ahead

As soon as he woke up, Harry remembered it was 1st of September. The day he would be going back to his true home usually. 'Azkaban has become my permanent address now', he thought.

Shaking his head he realised his life isn't as bad as it could be for an Azkaban inmate. 'I should be happy I haven't been suffering like Sirius did. At least he had Padfoot. I would have been dead by now', he thought and recalled how the initial days were before Hermione had Dobby pop the Head of the House ring.

Making use of the time he has now, he had sorted out a lot of information from among the junks and debris of thoughts and memories. He could see there were only three livings beings who loved him, Sirius, Dobby and last but not least Hermione. He could think of a couple more who had his best interest or could be considered, but he was sure only those three loved him.

'I'll miss going to Hogwarts, but I can atleast be away from Dumbledore here', he thought. In the distance he heard the prison warden making his usual morning rounds. Immediately he schooled his face devoid of any emotion and stared at the wall and started talking to people only he could see.

"No mom, you are not understanding. I can be a quidditch superstar you know. I have the talent to back that up. Dad, you gotta talk her out of this stubbornness", he said not overly loud. Harry knew the warden slows down near his cell to hear anything said and to gauge how senile he is becoming.

'I miss the old warden, I have never even spoke to him, but I miss him', thought Harry. The day after his annual visit, the Azkaban prison warden was called back and one of the stooges of Fudge was appointed instead.

Sensing the warden standing next to his cell entrance, Harry continued. "I love you Dad. I love you too mum. I believe I will take a nap now, it helps me clear my head before a big game". Saying this he went to bed and pretended to fall asleep immediately. 'Coming up with these kind of random dialogues are getting difficult. I don't know how long I can maintain this. Hermione, you better find the required runes before long'. Knowing that she'll be in Hogwarts by the end of the day, Harry knew she'll be able to make better progress on her research.

It had also become clear how much of his life had been a lie, either outright or indirectly made to assume. He shouldn't have been made to live with the Dursleys. He should have been introduced to magical world by one of the heads of house as has been done for Hermione, Dean, Colin, etc. Now that he is able to focus his thoughts and rationally think, he can see that the entire meeting the Weasley family before first year was a setup. It reeked of Dumbledore all through.

The so called traps to stop a dark lord, please... Three first years were able to break through. Year after year, he had to face trials. The adults who were supposed to be in charge never did anything unless it involved telling him off. Harry was afraid what else he will discover now that he had started going down that road. "Hermione's the only one who is steady from the beginning. Then came Sirius and now Dobby", he muttered to himself. Thinking of Hermione brought a smile to his face.

Dobby silently popped next to him and said, "Mater Harry Potter Sir, the bad warden is gone. I have this letter from Master Harry Potter's Hermy".

"Thanks Dobby", said Harry getting up. "You've to start calling me Harry. That's how my friends call me", he continued opening the letter eagerly.

"Dobby will try master Harry". Smiling Harry started reading the letter.

Dear Harry,

I don't know if you kept track of the days, but today is 1st September. By the time you read this letter I will be on the Hogwarts Express. It won't be the same without you there, both the express and the castle. On the other hand, without the constant cleaning chores from Mrs. Weasley, I could get more work done. Not to mention the Library where no one will keep spying on me to see what book I read.