Chapter Text
At first the teenager believed that he had gone blind and was the reason behind him not being able to see anything but utter blackness. Just as he began to think that, it began to lighten just the smallest bit and realized that he wasn't blind; his surroundings were getting lighter until everything was just very grey. From the floor to the walls, to the smokey haze that surrounded him everywhere. He hadn't been sure at first but as things came into focus, he realized that he was in a very familiar place despite it's lack of color and the haze. It was the train station where he'd crossed a portal into a world where he'd finally found family; people who had cared for him and not the-boy-who-lived or the neighbor’s pitiable troubled nephew. A world he belonged to much more than the one he’d lived before he found out all the strange things he could do were magic. Just as he was beginning to wonder why he was there, he spotted a familiar form ahead of him and he immediately recalled what had happened as he began to run after the man calling, "Sirius!"
Harry had been in the veil room, a standoff between himself and Lucius Malfoy had happened over the prophecy that Voldemort was eager to get his hands on. The teen's friends had been held hostage by the Death Eaters causing him to be tempted to hand it over save for the fact that he was stubborn and even Neville hadn't wanted to give the enemy any help. Then the Order of the Phoenix had come to the rescue to even the odds in the teenagers' favor. There had been confusion as flashes of light and movement had taken over. It had happened as if in slow motion when Harry saw his godfather hit with a spell and fall backwards into the veil. He'd felt someone grab for him, but his sleeve had slipped out of the grasp as he'd instinctively as well as impulsively ran for his godfather. Harry barely heard his name being called out as everything went black and he couldn't see.
Which led him to his current situation of chasing after the man he would gladly would have been living with if it hadn't been for Fudge and Snape! It was as if Sirius was deaf and unable to hear him calling out to him, pleading for him to stop, to turn around! All around him smokey indiscernible shapes began to form into people who were walking the platforms and the more that the teenager focused on them, the more solid they appeared to be; gaining a bit of color even if it was severely washed out. At the same time the more indistinct his surroundings became and he lost where Sirius had disappeared to.
Something, some deep instinct perhaps told him that he had to make sure he kept his focus on the important things, to discard everything else, and let it flow around and away from him. It worked as he made sure to remember that his name was Harry, he was here for his godfather. Narrowing his eyes he caught a flicker of movement that was different than those around him. Where Sirius' wavering form had been was the one that he had been first introduced to when he was thirteen. At the same time the dog began to trot faster and Harry had to sprint to try and keep up with him.
Padfoot had trotted into the station and disappeared behind one of the open doors that was slowly swinging closed. Harry nearly ran smack into the door in his mad dash to get there before it shut completely. When he pushed it open, he hadn't expected it to be so full of people which caused him once again to lose where the dog had sidled off to. Those that were just loitering and lingering about were forming lines and stepping through the many doors. There was something about that, the many doors that seemed to be wrong; there were too many! In fact, the station itself seemed bigger than it had upon first glance when he was out on the platform.
Stepping closer to one of the strange doors he saw that it was just like the rest of this place. The more he concentrated on it, it came into sharper focus and gained color. The teenager hesitated when he was standing in from of the rectangular bronze door with its strange silver and copper twined snake handle. Even though the shades behind him weren't actually making any noise -which was again something Harry belatedly realized was something he should know was wrong- he got the sense that they wanted him to move aside or go through the door. Perhaps it was the way they were moving in an agitated manner that gave him that idea. Whatever it was, Harry decided to step well away from the door and as he did so the door drained of color and began to grow fuzzy as if he wasn't wearing his glasses. Frowning, the teen looked around and wondered, 'Why am I here?'
'To choose a door.' Well, of course he was here to choose a door! But there was something else that was nagging at him and wouldn't let him be. There was something he was forgetting. It was like when one left the house and wasn't sure if they'd left the toaster plugged in. A chance glance was what saved him and had him recall that he'd been chasing a dog. Said dog was disappearing through an open green door with a brass doorknob in the middle of it. Running in that direction, Harry was glad that there wasn't a line and he was through the door before he could blink.
Once inside and the door had closed behind him he once again engulfed in complete blackness, or so he thought. As he slowly stepped further into the room it slowly gained a greyishness much like the train station had. The only difference was that here, there were no other people. Or at least none that the teen could see. He felt his eyes widen when he realized that the source of the a soft light that enabled him to see around him, was coming from where he was standing. Taking a few steps further into the room and discovering the light moved with him another realization dawned on him. The light wasn't following him or coming from anywhere but emitting from him! Lifting a hand he saw that there was a soft glow coming from beneath his skin and he might not as well have been wearing clothing as it went straight through the cloth and denim. It entranced him and wasn't sure how much time had passed before he stopped staring at himself and became aware of other lights further in the dark space.
Striding over and seeing someone else that was glowing, he opened his mouth to ask where he was but halted when the other was doing the same. Furrowing his brows, he drew nearer and then was once again mesmerized. For he was staring at his reflection. Or he assumed it was. Like the doors, there was something different about his reflection that he just couldn't but his finger on. Yet, he knew that it wasn't an actual representation of him. Moving on to the next one it took him a moment but he finally found what had made him pause. This reflection didn't have the scar on his forehead that had set him apart from everyone else. Reaching up, his index finger found the raised flesh. Tracing it he found it strange that he had almost forgotten about it.
So it went as he slowly made his way further into the room and encountered more strange mirrors that showed his reflection but with slight and subtle alterations. He'd been turned around a time or two as well in order to see them all before that urgency nagged at him once again. It took his attention away from the latest mirror which he had been scouring to try and find the difference. It had been taking him longer and longer and was beginning to forget what his true form looked like. It wasn't as if he had taken the time to 'admire' himself when he was either at school or in his room for the summer. In fact, those memories too were harder to dredge up when he tried to think about them.
There were two lights ahead of him: one of a soft radiance like the one he was nose used to that was coming from himself and were reflected from the mirrors. The other was brighter and seemed more natural having a yellowish cast to it. The latter one was the one that he gravitated towards. The closer he stepped into the light the warmer he got. Raising an arm to block out the glare, he realized that if felt and seemed like sunlight! Yes, it was the sun, because there was a brief stirring of air that took some of the heat away. Taking a deep breath, he could smell green having been well acquainted with how plants and earth smelled during his lifetime. Shutting his eyes he felt his lips turn up into a smile as he enjoyed the sensation of the sunlight on him; warming him from the inside out.
Opening his eyes after a time he was almost disappointed to see what he believed to be another mirror. Granted, this one was rather larger than average and quite round rather than rectangular. Almost looking like a window without it's frame. Reaching out to brush his hand across the surface the teen was quite surprised when he didn't encounter the cool feeling of glass beneath his palm. The surface had give to it, much like a solidified gel substance. If he had to name it, it almost seemed like jell-O. Pushing his hand against the mirror he was fascinated to his hand go through it! Quickly he pulled it out and stared at his hand. It looked the same as when it had gone in and even retained the glow which for some reason, relieved him. Placing his hand once more upon the strange surface, he pushed again and this time brought up his other hand to do the same. Slowly he found that he didn't have to push so much as the mirror was now sucking him in! Instead of panicking and trying to free himself from the mirror, he relaxed and let it pull him through and out the other side where he near stumbled.
Blinking, he looked around and had to rub his eyes to be sure that what he was seeing was real. All around him was sand, though he could see a forest in front of him a bit away. Behind him lay the sea and he had completely forgotten he'd steeped through a mirror as he went to squat by the water's edge. He inhaled the brine smell and smiled as he let the cool water lap at his feet. His toes curled into the wet sand and enjoyed the sensation as something told him he'd never gotten to play at or been on a beach before. It never crossed his mind that he shouldn't have been able to feel the sand as he'd last had on shoes! What occupied his mind was how fun it was to run along the shore, jumping and splashing in the water as one would a rain puddle. He laughed, having fun and not minding in the slightest the salt water that splashed the rest of him as he played. He'd only stopped when he saw something white in the sand. Squatting, he reached down and picked up the strange looking shell. He turned it this way and that, sad that the back was broken a bit, but quite happy the rest of it was intact. The front looked like there was a flower impression that someone had carved in it. Using the sea to rinse all the sand clinging to it away, he kept his new find as he stood and decided to head towards the forest.
It hadn't taken him long to travel from the beach to the forest and feeling a sense of familiarity when he looked up at the tall trees. He'd been in a forest before, that he knew, but he couldn't recall the exact details. Just remembered that they had been exciting as well as scary. Looking around this particular forest, he didn't get scared, and enjoyed how the sun could been seen and felt through the leafy canopy. This was where he was supposed to be, he could feel it. Here was where he was supposed to wait because this was where he would be found. Traversing the wood was something he dearly wished to do, but didn't want to miss the one he was here for. Glancing over his shoulder back towards the shore, he almost heeded the allure of it to play. If he had, he would have missed the pair of dark eyes watching him from a felled tree. As it was, he heard a branch crack and snapped his head back around to see the form of a giant scraggly dark wolf padding closer to him.
While part of him was more curious than afraid, his heart still beat quicker and he clutched his prize from the shore closer to his chest. Feeling the wind that he had enjoyed back on the shore as it brought the scent of the sea to him, now tickled his hair as it blew in the direction of the advancing wolf. The slowed it's approach as it took in the scents the wind carried to it, halted for a brief moment as it recognized that scent, and charged towards the teen. Harry gave a yelp when he was pounced and had his face unceremoniously licked all over causing him to make a face then laugh. Pushing the black furry face away from his when he got enough breath to breathe, begged, "Stop."
The wolf did so but still looked eagerly down at the boy happiness radiating off of it's body language and shining in his eyes. For his part, the teen threw his arms around the neck of the creature, mindful of his shell as not to break it, nuzzled into the black fur. This was whom he was supposed to meet here. "Padfoot," he breathed feeling himself relaxing completely now that he had found his companion. The pressing need to leave the shore and come to the trees had slacked as well causing him further ease. That was until his stomach rumbled causing him to huff and Padfoot to lick his ear which had him immediately releasing the furry neck he'd been latched to.
The canine got up and started to trot back into the depths of the woods and when the boy went to follow, he was promptly pushed to the ground by Padfoot's head. He softly growled at Harry and when the boy seemed to get the hint he was to stay put, the wolf turned, ran, and disappeared into the thick foliage. Padfoot ran through the forest following his nose, his entire being in the mode of predator as he hunted. One ear twitched as it heard something causing him to go from a trot to a standstill. Both ears swiveled as it heard the disturbance once again. His sharp eyes caught the subtle movement making him drop down to crouch on his belly before he lunged and started running on his powerful legs. The hare had caught his movement and tried to run. Padfoot chased it nearly taking a tumble as it jack rabbited about and backtracked the way he'd come, but he was able to pounce and get it. It still tried to run injured as it was, but he was able to kill it. Taking it by the head he trotted victoriously back to where he'd left his boy.
It seemed in his absence, the teen had scrounged about the area he was instructed to stay and had found some edible plants that he was nibbling on to sate himself until Padfoot had come back. He looked guiltily at the wolf before giving an abashed shrug. Dropping the dead hare at the boy's feet he gazed at him expectantly. His boy dropped into a crouch and poked at what was supposed to be his supper. Looking up, he smiled and thanked the wolf before standing and heading back towards the shore. Confused, Padfoot picked up the hare but then stopped and sat on his haunches when it was the boy who told him to stay. Watching closely, he saw when the teen had bent finding whatever he was looking for and came back with a triumphant smile. In his hand that wasn't holding the sand dollar was a rock.
Soon, the boy had his hands full -having set his treasure aside to be able to use both hands- with the hare. He'd used the jagged edge of the rock to skin the animal after using an opening where Padfoot's teeth had made punctures to start. It was messy and not a very skillfully done, but it got the job done. Wit it no longer having a skin, the boy looked at it as if he wasn't sure what to do next. His eyes traveled around the forest before his body seemed to deflate. He confessed, "I don't know hot to start a fire."
Padfoot didn't see what the fuss was about and nudged the meat towards the boy and when he just looked form it to the wolf and back again, he hugged. It seemed the growling of his stomach made the boy's mind up. Slowly he reached for the hare and using his rock, cut off a piece of meat and then with his eyes scrunched closed, popped the small piece into his mouth and chewed. Padfoot laughed in the way that canines do as he watched the teen's antics. Bit by bit the hare disappeared into his stomach which satisfied Padfoot's need to take care of his boy. While he was busy slicing pieces of meat off to eat, Padfoot went back into the woods to hunt his own meal.