The Potter Chronicles

Chapter 4: The Darkness Within

3 days before The Capture:

"Giiiivvveee meeeee Haaaarryyy Poooottteeer" a stone cold voice rasped. "Givvveee meee Haarryy Pootter aannd yyooouuu wiiill beee reeewaaardeed..." the snaky voice said. Harry was in running in the pitch dark, panting, but the voice followed. "Haaaarrry Poootteeer...coommme to dieee..." Harry hit a wall. He could feel the darkness coming towards him. Harry turned around wide-eyed, his heart pumping wildly, he embraced the dark....

Harry jerked awake from his sleep, shocked. He felt himself with his fingers to make sure it was just another nightmare. Just another nightmare. Harry's scar had stopped burning long ago, but that voice still haunted him. Those several moments when he was just a second away from getting murdered, those paralysing moments when he could think of nothing else but survival, still lived in the deep recesses of his mind. Harry huddled up in the bed. Beside him, Ginny was fast asleep. The open window was letting the chilling January air inside.

Harry got up and closed the window and went into the hall. He flopped on the sofa, rubbing his eyes. He had spent several nights sitting there, insomniac. The nightmares were more frequent now. He knew he had to do something about it. He knew exactly what he had to do about it.

"But no, this is very wrong" Harry told himself.

"No it isn't, it will give you a sleep you can never imagine" a voice told him inside his head.

A few months ago, Harry had conducted an Auror raid at an illegal wizard party in Downtown Diagon. Harry's raid had yielded some good results, but the most important, or rather an unfortunate one, was finding that white powder. Harry had bagged most of it from the evidence room.

Harry shook his head in disappointment as he gave in. He went to the back of the sofa and pushed it away from the wall. He pointed his wand and said "Revillio". Immediately, the bottom-right corner of the sofa hinged open, revealing a small cavity. Harry looked towards the bedroom to see if Ginny was still asleep. Carefully, took out the small box from the cavity. It was his only solace in this crazy world...

Harry mixed the cocaine powder with water to make a pasty solution. He then dabbed a wet cotton onto the solution. The cotton soaked the soaked the solution like a wet sponge. Harry inserted the syringe into the cotton and pulled it. Pure ecstasy flowed into the injection. 

Harry took out his left hand and struck it twice to let the veins bulge from beneath.

"Don't do it, Harry! Don't do it!" A voice said from within. Harry smiled a sad smile and the syringe struck his vein, letting the fresh drug in.

Harry sat there staring into oblivion letting the drug kick in. It felt so good... It was a pleasure he had never experienced in this glamorous, yet mundane life. He felt his senses dulling. He felt like he was the king of the world at the moment. No work, no worries at all...

Harry started feeling dizzy. "Yeah" Harry said as he struggled to get up but he couldn't. With great effort, he managed to get up. This was his world. He had no wife. No children. No dramatic Voldemort. Just him and himself. He staggered towards the general direction of the bedroom but bumped against a wall.

"Ow" Harry said rubbing his temple.

Harry was surprised that he managed to reach the bed without any other bumps. He simply crashed on the soft linen sheets. They felt so inviting... The bed felt hollow as a marshmallow... He would sink right through it...

Harry sensed that Ginny was awake.

"Harry, are you okay?" Ginny's voice sounded in the distance.