Welcome to Arcadia

By Chyna Rose

Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to JKR and WB (among others)

Darkness. A deep black nothingness. There was no up, no down. No border or boundaries. It was very disorienting.

Standing. I was standing. Or at least that's what my body told me. In the space I called below me, there was nothing. In the space I called above me, there was nothing. In 'front' of me, nothing. 'Behind' me, nothing. Absolutely nothing.

Movement. Just the most basic of sensations. A finger twitching; an itch. I have a form. I have control. Leg one up. Bend. Extend. Down. Now leg two. And don't forget to shift 'weight' 'forward' on the down. I am walking.

Still nothing. Not even time. How long have I been here? I don't know. Can't tell anyway in the nothing. My thoughts wandered as I wandered. Then… something.

A name, whispered. Hermione. Mine? No, I don't think so. For me, it isn't right; the way I guess my name would feel. Yet it's familiar. I know this name. It calms me, puts me at ease. And for a moment, I feel some resistance under my feet. Ground.

Another whispered name. Ron. No, not mine, but familiar still. Like the other name, Hermione, it doesn't make me uneasy. Warm. It's warm. Warmer than the other. And for a moment, I feel a warmth around me and the black isn't as black there. Light.

Yet another whispered name. Draco. Still not mine. Familiar, but unlike the other two – Ron and Hermione – it doesn't sit well with me. The others, I can define. Friend. The word whispers through my ease. Friend is calm, and ease, and warmth. I feel none of that with this name. Draco feels raw and chaotic and… conflicting. Pain and blood and… something. Something that crawls around in my gut. I am… Alive.

A single whispered name, softer than the rest. Yet somehow louder. Harry. Then it all clicks. I am Harry. Ron and Hermione are my friends; although in different ways. Draco is my worthy adversary; although there is something hidden about him that I will not look at. Not yet anyway. They define me. Friend and adversary. Oh, there is more, and there are others, but I need not think of them. I know who I am now.

And then the nothing that became me is gone. I'm laying on my back on the lawn. Ron and Hermione are leaning over me, calling my name. Draco stares at me, an alien look on his face. Hagrid, Seamus  Neville, Lavender, Professor Mc Gonagall, Professor Snape… Even a few Slytherins like Pansy and Crabbe. They all want to know where I've been. I can't answer; I don't know. But a single whispered phrase echoes through my head.