Dark Memories

Book 2 - Part 1: Changed

Harry was thankful for his room. Ever since the 'letters from hell', as Vernon called them, came, Harry got Dudley's spare bedroom.

Several weeks had passed, and during those weeks, Harry had done a great deal of thinking, as well as planning. And whether or not he would admit it, those weeks alone in his bedroom, with nothing but his school supplies, Hedwig, occasional letters, and those dreams/nightmares/memories, he had changed.

He had convinced his aunt and uncle to let him keep his supplies in his room, saying that it was less likely to be seen, since no one saw his room, unlike the cupboard (which now held coats and boots, and the occasional jacket of a visitor). This horrified Petunia and Vernon. What would the neighbors think if word got out they were keeping magic books under the stairs?

He also got them by saying that if he wasn't able to study and keep up on his school work, he might get kicked out, and that would mean he would have to be with them during the school year, or they would have to pay for him to go to some boarding school.

After that discussion, Vernon all but ordered Harry to stash his school things in his room, which was all Harry wanted in the first place.

Once coming home, from either the second Voldemort exposure or the forming of the Custosae de Lux, Harry had dreams every night, seeing Voldemort's detailed memories.

Waking up from these 'memories' was always a little draining, but after experiencing them for years, these ones were not particularly stressful or traumatic, at least in comparison to the one that had woken his dorm mates at the beginning of term.

He had taken to documenting his dreams, writing down the spells he saw, describing what the spells/curses did, and how to do them. He also wrote the names of anyone identified, describe what they looked like, and any personality traits he noticed. He figured it could be useful later, either to him (though he was unlikely to forget), or to the Custosae de Lux.

He was certain he could do the spells he saw in his dreams himself, just like the curse, Ardesco, which had taken out the troll during Halloween. He wouldn't practice them in his room or anything of course, but he knew he could do them with no problem if necessary. His notebook of spells, curses, and charms was now half full, and growing after every night.

He became more excited about the Custosae de Lux as each day passed. He would teach his friends these things he learned from these dreams, take the terror Voldemort had used on innocent people, and turn it against Riddle and those like him.

The horrors he saw in his dreams would not befall upon anyone else if he had anything to say about it.

He had spent hours pondering the memories he had seen, particularly the prophecy memory and the Horcrux one.

Whirling the prophecy around in his head...

The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches...Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies...

His stomach lurched as he looked at several facts. His birthday was at the end of the seventh month... his parents probably defied Voldemort several times... and Voldemort wanted him dead more than anything else...

Taking these things and putting them together, recalling that Dumbledore most likely knew why Voldemort was after him to begin with, he came to a conclusion...

He, Harry, was the one with the power to vanquish Voldemort... That was why Voldemort wanted him dead; Harry was a threat to him.

The moment he determined that, he felt something deep within him solidify. He was right.