Ok, I apologize, I really have no excuse for taking so long, but there's been a heavy lack of inspiration when it comes to all things Twilight.

At the moment I am too busy to write for this fics, however I will go back home on July and will dedicate my time to finish this fic. I still wanted to at least let you all know that I am alive, the fic has not been abandoned and I will endeavor to finish it this year.

Thanks to my awesome beta, Stephvamp25, who has kept an eye on me and hasn't forgotten this fic, and of course thank you all of you who had reviewed.

Here we go again!

Chapter 5

Sheer Stupidity

Harry stood stoically a few feet from the shivering form of Edward. The younger vampire was curled up in a corner, skin translucent, lips blue and eyes pale grey. Harry watched the clothed figure hovering over the other vampire, and crossed his arms unconcerned.

Edward needed to learn his lesson, and since the ignorant idiot had dragged him to this hell hole out of sheer stupidity, he was going to make sure he learnt it right. Edward's scream pierced the small interrogation room they were at. Harry looked at of the fake window. This week could not get worse, and as always, after conjuring the magic words to bring mayhem and chaos, all hell broke loose.

The sad thing for Harry was that this Wednesday barely made it into the top ten crappiest Wednesday of his existence… fuck Garfield and his Mondays, Wednesdays were the real deal.

- 0 - 0 - 0 -

Bryan raised his eyes from the newspaper he was reading and watched bored as his mate paced around the apartment muttering curses under his breath. A few of them directed towards Harry, but most at 'the new pity project' as hen had taken to call Edward. Once in a while he entered the kitchen to ask Bryan something, before reassuming his pacing. He sighed and wondered what had he done to deserve such a… dramatic mate. The question was promptly disregarded; even if he could, he wouldn't change a thing about Francois.

"Stupid hero complex! Stupid, stupid, stupid Potter you should know better by now!" the blond vampire moved out of his range of vision, before coming back in a blur. "You agree with me right? Right Bryan!" he put both hands on his hips and stared at his mate.

"Of course I do honey" Bryan responded without looking up, Francois nodded satisfied and went back into the living room. Bryan shook his head frustrated, of course he didn't agree. It wasn't a matter of who was right or wrong; it was simply Harry's nature after all. Bryan reassumed his lecture and frowned at the news. He briefly worried about Harry. He was the one most affected with the situation after all. He changed the page, oh well, life moves on, and Harry was old enough to know what he was doing.

Francois stepped into the balcony. He fished a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket and a lighter. With fluid and elegant movements he lit one and started smoking. Usually he preferred to stay away from such an unbecoming and nasty habit. But Francois was worried; when he was worried he had three ways of dealing with his emotions. Smoking, shopping, and sex, the three sacred Ss.

He was worried about Harry and his 'guest'. Francois had known Harry during all his vampire life, and 237 years was a long time, at least in human terms. Hell, he considered Harry more of his Sire than the bastard that transformed him, he and Bryan were the only close people in his life. He had friends, good friends even; however they were not people he would miss for the rest of eternity should something happen to them.

He was worried because Harry saw Edward with a different look than he saw everybody else. It was a mixture of things really, concern, helplessness, compassion, and a good deal of frustration too. Harry probably related to what Edward was living. Yet, none of those things worried Francois, he had seen Harry directing that gaze to too many people before, himself included. No, what Francois was worried about was the clear curiosity Harry was showing in Edward. Harry probably disregarded it off as part of the interest he had in helping the broken vampire.

Francois knew better.

Harry genuinely wanted to know Edward. Harry was a nice guy, he always showed a polite interest in hearing about people's lives, be it old or new, nevertheless he didn't pry. Harry may have been acting aloof and calm around Edward, but Harry was curious, too curious for Francois' taste. He hadn't seen this side of Harry in a long time. Harry was burning to question Edward about his life. What was worse, Harry was all too willing to share his life with Edward; it usually took more for him to open up. The new stray wasn't worthy of so much attention. He gave a long last drag to the cigarette before extinguishing it against the ashtray.

His mind drifted to the article in today's newspaper and to the conversation he had with Harry an hour ago. Harry had gone to great lengths to help Edward. And how did he repay him? He ran off, and got himself in a huge mess that Harry was going to have to fix. Francois scowled; the cigarette was not enough to relax him. He smirked viciously and reentered the penthouse. He may not be able to go shopping this late at night, but there was another S he could always rely on.

"Oh Bryan, would you come in for a second?" the tone grabbed his mate's attention immediately. The werewolf left the newspaper on the table. He had learned his lesson a long time ago, it was much easier (and beneficial) to just go along with what Francois wanted. He always got something out of it. It was time to collect his reward. The paper lay on the floor in a mess. The headline of the day managed to stay on top of everything.

Rouge Vampire Execution Rescheduled for Tomorrow

- 0 - 0 - 0 -

The week before

Thursday, 10:33 PM

- 0 - 0 - 0 -

Harry allowed the water to wash away his frustration. If he had been human, the temperature would have been unbearable by now. Harry found his train of thoughts moving towards the 'new stray' he had picked up. The term was oddly fitting. Meryl used it, Francois used it, Bryan used it, hell even his family used it before they died.

It was hardly his fault that over the course of 5 centuries he had encountered several people and creatures in need of help. Werewolves, veelas, wizards, muggles, dragons, house elves, giants, centaurs, goblins, hippogriffs and that was only when he was human. After being transformed the list seemed to grow and grow. He could imagine Hermione sighing frustrated about his 'saving people thing', that of course followed by an enthusiastic rant about all the good he had made for the creatures he took in.

He used to think that given the choice of doing one thing differently, he would have avoided becoming a vampire or prevent the death of his loved ones. Stop Riddle before he could begin his campaign of terror. His heart screamed, yes, I would save all the innocents who died. Yes, I would have stopped the war. Yes, I would have wanted a mortal life. But he knew differently. The Wizard World would have been stuck without a war that showed how pointless the blood discrimination was.

Like the Second World War helped muggles realize how damaging prejudice could be, the Blood War stirred the moral fundaments and principles of the wizard community. Hell, he could perfectly imagine the Magical World being in the current present with the same customs and views had not something drastic happened. And what he dreaded the most was the fact that had he not been a vampire he wouldn't have been around to help the transition.

The magical community could have forgotten about the war with time. His presence being know to the most powerful figures helped the message to be kept alive. Now, his name was a symbol of hope. His name was up par with Merlin, and that knowledge was one of the few things that scared him greatly. It was too much to hear everyday his name from an unknown witch or wizard, cursing their fates or thanking their good fortune. He was at least grateful for his dislike of fame and notoriety; otherwise Draco would have looked like a modest down to earth guy.

He shook his head returning to the more pressing matters. Edward. The vampire had an aura of depression around him that Harry easily recognized. The self-hatred, guilt, disgust, pain, remorse. Yes, he knew all too well what it felt like.

A normal person went through the 5 stages of loss, from Denial, to Anger, Bargain, Depression and finally Acceptance. The problem with Edward and his way of dealing with Bella's death was that instead of following the normal stages of grief, he had skipped from denial to depression. In fact, the closest to any emotion that Edward had shown was his earlier outburst.

"Great, at 504 I have to deal with teenager puppy love" he muttered to himself, while washing his hair. He knew Edward would be offended with the patronizing way he referred to his relationship with Bella, but Edward wasn't aware of the implications that a prolonged exposure to a singer had in a vampire.

"Why do I get the feeling a temper tantrum is going to be unavoidable?" with that last question he turned the water off and stepped out of the shower. After putting on a random pair of pants he jumped into bed and let out a sigh of pleasure.

He proceeded to clear his mind and allow his body to relax. Even if as a vampire he couldn't sleep anymore, every now and then he took a few hours to clear his mind. Damn Snape, if only he knew that his lessons didn't go to waste. He smirked. The bastard probably was rolling in his grave. After a few more breaths his mind started to clear.

He was more than certain of the decision that Edward was going to make.

- 0 - 0 - 0 -

Friday, 7:12 AM

- 0 - 0 - 0 -

Edward sat there looking at the fire without moving an inch. He hadn't seen Harry or Albus since yesterday. Without realizing he had dropped the human act, he didn't breathe, didn't blink, he could have been mistaken by a statue easily. His mind on the other hand was in constant movement. His whole world had been moved from under him. Edward had always believed that vampires, with their need to feed on human blood, were the lowest creatures on earth.

Now… could it be true? Could there be something out there dark enough to actually feed on souls? In a very morbid way Edward hoped it was true. Not only so he could be certain once and for all if there was still a soul in him. He wanted them to be real so that his existence wouldn't seem that horrific. If there was something out there even worse than a vampire, it had to be a Dementor.

If Dementors existed, Edward could actually look at vampires and think more highly of them. See them with the unshakable hope that Carlisle always held. It was a bittersweet thought. The fact that he could hold such an incredibly selfish wish made him wonder for the first time if his human nature was as dark as his vampire one.

"A galleon for your thoughts" Edward looked up startled and met Dumbledore's gaze. He had a small inviting smile in his face "No? How about 17 sickles?" Edward blinked confused. The portrait made an exaggerated sigh of surrender before saying "Oh fine! 493 knuts, but that's my last offer"

There was a soft chuckle from behind. He turned to see as Harry descended the invisible stairs, he was dressed in a pair of plain old jeans and a forest green hoodie, which had printed in big white letters the word GAP. Edward wasn't sure what to make of Harry's taste. It seemed incredibly simple. After living so long with Alice he had grown used to expensive, over the top, brands. Beside his family, the only other coven that interacted with humans was the Denali Clan, and they all seem to have a similar preference for expensive things.

"Albus! Shame on you! Trying to scam a muggle" Edward rose from his seat as Harry entered the living room at a sedated pace. His whole body seemed relaxed. "Edward, don't listen to this old fool, he's just trying to play mind games with you"

"Nonsense! I am deeply offended Harry, and I shall never forgive you" Albus crossed his arms and pretended to sulk. Harry dismissed his childish actions with a wave of his hand, and then with a smirk he asked his guest.

"Edward, would you care for a lemon drop?" he appeared a plate seemingly out of thin air. The younger vampire looked at the plate with incredulity.

"Are they magical?" there had to be some sort of magic involved. He couldn't think of another reason to be offered something that tasted like dirt. Maybe they were some sort of vampire candies?

"Nope, plain muggle lemon drops" he had his eyes fixed in the portrait; the smirk hadn't vanished from his face. Albus on the other hand was glaring at Harry with fury. Edward thought that for a portrait, it was quite intimidating. The older vampire remained unmoving.

"That's below the belt, Potter" and with that Albus left the frame. Harry chuckled and disappear the bowl.

"Sorry about that, he has been awfully intrigued by lemon drops since he heard of them. It's fun to tease him from time to time" Harry moved towards one of the ends of the room, the wall disappeared and displayed an extensive collection of wine bottles that reached the ceiling. After Harry opened one, the smell danced across the room, Edward realized they stored blood.

"I want to see them" spoke Edward, his voice strong and full of conviction.

Silence followed the statement. Harry stopped the motion of pouring himself a coup of blood. To a normal human he stood frozen by the announcement. However Edward could see that his shoulders dropped a little, like if suddenly a great weight had been put on the older vampire.

Harry returned the bottle of blood to the place that it had been seconds before and turned slowly. He searched Edward's eyes for any sign of doubt, knowing that there wasn't going to be any. Edward looked into Harry's eyes, and felt completely exposed; not even with Jasper or Aro's abilities, has he ever experienced such vulnerability. He wondered whenever or not Harry had a special talent beside his magic.

Harry gave his back again, shaking his head slowly in resignation. The bottles shifted at an incredible speed, the top ones moving down. Harry waited a second before taking one. He poured blood in two whiskey glasses. Edward wrinkled his nose, suddenly burned from the smell. Surprisingly his throat ached in pain and not in hunger. It felt like he had salt rubbed against an open wound. He resisted the urge to stop breathing. The color of the blood was extremely dark. He was sure that without his enhanced view he would have described it off as black.

"I discovered a few century's back that although Vampire feed on blood, different ingredients can be added" Harry spoke calmly while putting one of the glasses against the light "venom for example can change the feel and intensity of the blood, make it spicier, sweeter, rougher, smoother, like a good spice. The essence of some creatures can create effects on the consumer. Make them feel happy, depressed, content, calm or even drunk, the possibilities are endless" he put the other glass against the light.

"Think of it as the art of creating a good wine" Harry handed one of the glasses to him. Edward absently noted that while his glass had approximately two fingers of the liquid, Harry's was almost full.

"What is it?" Edward sniffed it carefully, the burning sensation on his nose intensified to an unbearable level, in response he stopped breathing. Harry raised an eyebrow amused, a teasing smirk in place.

"Nundu's venom, Thestral blood and Lethifold's essence*" Harry fixed his gaze on the drink, before looking back at Edward with resignation and disapproval "I believe we should have something strong to toast your decision. This has the bonus to give you a little idea of what to expect. Drink it" Edward hesitated when Harry didn't make a move to drink from his own glass. After a second he made up his mind, something told him that Harry wouldn't go along with his request otherwise.

Edward emptied the glass in one motion, and regretted immediately. He always thought that the burning of his throat during his newborn years was the worst sensation he had ever felt. Instead of a burning sensation, he was consumed by a freezing in his veins. It was a feeling of cold he only recognized by vague human memories.

His eyes filled with venom and stung; after gasping for air, he realized oxygen was a bad idea. It only intensified the cold fire spreading across his whole system. He fell to his knees trembling, unable to control his body. His hand clutching to the glass that amazingly didn't shattered under the pressure. He couldn't move his limbs, his mind could barely focus.

Harry sipped his glass absently, just tasting it. He showed no effects whatsoever from the drink, he then held his drink a little higher than necessary as if making a toast. He connected their eyes while he spoke.

"To your sheer stupidity Edward" He gave the younger vampire a small nod before speaking again. "May your insecurities either banish or destroy you once and for all" In one fluid move he knelt at his level, clicked their glasses together and drank the whole content without even flinching.

- 0 - 0 - 0 -

Monday, 8:26 AM

- 0 - 0 - 0 -

"Meryl, you know I barely ask for any favors" Harry stated while following her around the Department of Mysteries. The woman kept walking without even sparing him a glaze "Common Merry, help a friend out pleaseeee" he purposely used her childhood nickname, hoping to annoy her enough to just give him what he wanted.

Meryl stopped suddenly and contained herself enough to not light the vampire on fire. "First of all, you ask me favors all the time, secondly don't you ever use that awful name again and for the last time Potter" his last name was said barely above a whisper, but still with a lot of anger "I will not give you a pass to visit Azkaban. Do you even realize what are you asking? It's a prison! A prison! Not a quidditch stadium!" they both stared at each other in silence.

"I see" replied Harry, while slowly a mischievous smirk appeared in his face. Meryl tensed and narrowed his eyes "If you can't do anything, you can't do anything" he then moved pass her "I'll just go and talk to Damian"

"Potter! Come back here!" she whispered furiously, he ignored her and reached the end of the corridor. Meryl was forced to run to catch him "Leave the Minister out of this! He has more than enough on his plate, Potter… Potter!"

Harry continued to ignore her, and after applying his usual glamour he reached the elevator. Fortunately for him, it opened immediately. He quickly pressed the bottom, the doors closed just in time for him to escape the wrath of Meryl. He greeted the young auror in the elevator, while humming happily along the elevator tune. Before Harry realized, he had reached the minister's office. He stepped into the hallway and saw that two of the secretary desks were emptied. Luckily the third was occupied by a dark haired girl.

"Hello there! Is there anything I can do for you?" her voice was a little too enthusiastic, most likely than not, she was new.

"Yes, I have to see the minister, I don't have an appointment, but if you tell him that Seamus is here to see him he'll let me pass in no time" she nodded and entered the office, only to exit promptly afterwards.

"The minister will see you now" she looked at him curiously, trying to determinate his importance. He grinned at her and motion to her to get closer.

"I want you to do something for me, anytime now the head of the Mystery Department is going to appear here asking if you have seen me. When she does, tell her I went to look for the Minister in the international conference room" he smiled at her reassuringly, he could clearly see and smell her blush. She nodded her head, a little dazzled. "I shall be forever in your debt" he winked at her and entered the office.

The Minister was reading a document, however as soon as he heard the door closing he raised his eyes. Harry could practically see the child glee in them. Damian was more than competent as a minister, but even after all this years he still couldn't shake the hero worship he felt towards Harry. If there was something he regretted regarding his upcoming retirement, it was knowing that Harry's existence was going to be erased from his mind.

"Mr. Potter, Sir! How are you? Everything is good I hope, it's been a while since we last meet, hasn't it?" Harry smiled indulgently at the excited chatter.

"Since your reelection if I recall correctly. However, I hardly consider 5 years a long time; then again, time has become very superfluous to me" the minister smiled excitedly, this was going to be very easy.

"I know you are a busy man Damian, so I will go straight to the point. I need two passes to go to Azkaban, just to be clear, the other guest is also a vampire" he smiled reassuringly "The trip is mostly for academic purpose. We are conducting a study to determinate the difference between a human and a vampire exposition to Dementors"

"Sounds very intriguing, hopefully you will finish it before the elections and I'll be able to read it. Which date is best for you?" the minister was more than happy to collaborate. In his mind Harry always compared him to Colin Creevey, thankfully a more toned down and mature version.

"I will be most grateful if you can arrange it for tomorrow"

"Tomorrow is the change of guards. That will not do at all. I hope you don't mind Wednesday?" Harry's smile became a little strained, although the change was unnoticeable for human eyes.

"Wednesday is perfect" Damian nodded while taking out forms.

"Would you need an escort?"

"No need, I know my way around" replied the vampire with a satisfied smirk. He stayed a little longer than necessary, chatting with the Minister about the upcoming elections and the candidates.

He indulged Damian's request of retelling his third year at Hogwarts; the favorite story of Damian and the reason he decided to get into politics. To fight for justice, that has been his personal slogan politically and in his personal life. Harry had always liked Damian for his integrity. It was good to know that Sirius' name had inspired so many people. Harry felt his godfather deserved the recognition more than he did.

- 0 - 0 - 0 -

Harry arrived home little after midday, went straight to his office, barely casting a glance at Edward. He only spoke to him to inform him the time they would leave the day after tomorrow. Edward tried to say something; Harry closed the door on his face before he could. He was annoyed and in a bad mood. Azkaban was going to bring back a mountain of bad memories.

Harry had hoped not to visit the prison for another 20 years at the least. He had been there too many times to count. Between the wards he helped to build after the war (wards that ensured Dementors, would be unable to leave the prison unless they had the authorization of the Minister of Magic, the Director of Azkaban, the Head of Aurors and the Head of the Department of Mystery), and all the visits in his capacity as an Auror and later an Unspeakable, he knew the place better than anybody else.

Harry shook his head, he needed to get some work done, prepare a few potions for the trip too. He also felt it prudent to meditate and strengthen his mental shields. A field day trip to Azkaban was always a consuming deal. He didn't have the time to sulk.

While the dark haired vampire went through his paper work, Edward stared baffled at the door.

"Don't take it personally. Harry's relationship with Dementors has always been very precarious. You must understand that, while the goals of your mission seem to be worth the sacrifice for you. Harry has nothing to win over this situation" Albus attempted to sound soothing, Edward found it annoying.

"Why does he do it then? I would be more than happy to go alone, he just needs to point me the direction. I don't need to be baby sat." Edward growled at the portrait, Albus simply smiled in that grandfatherly way of his.

"You want to die alone as well? Ignoring the fact that as a muggle you would be unable to find and enter the island without the company of a wizard, and assuming that you somehow bypass the multiple protections around the island that demand for an authorized signature of one of the four entities that have authority over the island. Do you really think it's a matter of finding a Dementor, dissipating your doubts and walking out?"

Edward didn't say anything. He had read the description of the Dementors, he was pretty certain he could out run them. As if reading his mind Albus sighed sadly and offered a final observation. "You are either very arrogant or naïve Mr. Edward" with those last words the man closed his eyes and the curtains surrounding the frame closed.

Edward stormed into the guest room. He didn't know why Harry's attitude towards him bothered him so much. He was driven crazy by the other vampire half of the time. He somehow felt guilty. There was a bottle in the bed with a simple note. Drink me. He snorted, the last time he followed that instruction it proved to be a bad idea.

He paced around the room a few times, his eyes going back towards the bottle every few minutes. He decided to distract himself with reading a few of the books Harry had suggested. Hours passed and he hadn't gone further than the first page. Every few minutes his eyes strayed towards the bottle. Finally with a small growl of annoyance he drank the contents. A small pleasant sensation invaded his body, it was blood. He hadn't even realized he was hungry.

He stared at the bottle, wondering why it had been impossible for him to ignore the written order. Deciding not to dwell on the matter, he placed it on the night stand, picked up the book and was finally able to start reading.

- 0 - 0 - 0 -

While Harry busied himself with directing the boat, Edward focused his gaze on the somber island ahead. A constant chill seemed to run under his skin. It had no effect on his dead body, but it reached deeper. Unconsciously he shifted closer to Harry, who seemed unfazed by the dark presence that was slowly consuming them. It was surprisingly reassuring to have the older vampire so close. He didn't dare to press it further and lose the small comfort. Whether Harry tolerated him because he didn't notice or because he didn't care, it was unknown to Edward.

Edward fought the instinct to run away; slowly, as the island got closer, unintelligible whispers started entering his mind. Images of horrible moments in the lives of strangers momentarily drowned Edwards own memories. Harry observed stoically, waiting for him to compose himself.

"Killed him, murdered him, with my own two hands, I did it. I did it. I did it. Yes I did it"He tried to keep the voices out, but they were too strong, or maybe he was getting weaker.

"Cold, so cold"

"I had to do it; I didn't have to do it. But I did? Or did I? Who did it? Was it me? Yes I did, no I did not. My hands are dirty, I can't get the blood out!"

"Please… no more… no more… please"

"…hurts"

"Bloody rats, the whole lot! A plague, a plague, a plague is invading!"

"Edward!" Harry's voice managed to pull him out of the pit of despair that the minds of the prisoners had become. The relief was short lived. The thoughts started to once again overwhelm his senses. "Hush, hush, hush, here they come"

"Hide, hide, where do I hide"

"I swear I didn't mean to, please, come back, don't leave me alone! Honey, honey, come back"

He grabbed his head in pain. Everything was too intense, too hurtful. With a sigh of annoyance Harry grabbed both sides of his face. "Concentrate on my mind!"

With a great amount of effort, Edward did as he was told. Harry's mind was heaven on the hell that Azkaban was. He slowly breathed in and out, relaxing his tense body. Harry's mind was still blank, blocking Edward from even getting a glance of the wizard's thoughts. However, as soon as his presence was inside the older vampire's mind, a feeling of numbness surrounded him.

"It's temporary and not a particularly strong shield. You just need to get out of my mind to break it. I don't recommend it; after all, it wouldn't do for you to have a breakdown before we even get to see the ever delightful guardians of Azkaban. I recommend visiting this time of the year, winter is starting after all. It adds something to the atmosphere" he flashed him a vindictive smirk "The lucky ones die this month…"

Edward stared, unable to recognize this Harry as the one that joked around with Albus. The boat reached the island and a short, bald man, stepped forward.

"Mr. White I presume" Harry stated unperturbed by the island. His magic had come forward, surrounding him in an invisible shield. Just because Edward was a masochist didn't mean he was going to suffer for him. "Nice code name, by the way, real subtle" the man grimaced.

"Boss' choice, how about yours too?"

"It was kind of last minute, so I'm going for a classic. I'm Mr. Potter and this is Mr. Weasley" the guard chuckled. Edward felt that he was missing something. It wasn't often he felt like an outsider of a cultural kind.

"Thank you for that sir, as bad as it was, I rarely get to laugh on the job" he signaled the prison behind "We received instructions that you would not be in need of an escort. However I still need to see your permits" Harry raised an eyebrow, the guard shrugged "Protocol, very useless, but…"

"No problem, we understand completely" handing out two blue cards to the guard he waited patiently for him to finish checking the paper work with his wand. "Congratulations on your hit wizards. They have chosen very fine positions" the man blushed.

"Is not very often we get the newbie's to practice visitor's protocol" muttered the man handing the cards back.

"As I say, it's not a problem" he directed Edwards towards the imposing doors of Azkaban.

"Mr. Potter, I just wanted to warn you, that in an hour it's rounds time, I'm not sure what you hope to accomplish, but I do recommend you to do it before that time. Otherwise, in 5 hours we will go to retrieve whatever is left of you" Harry nodded his head in acknowledgment and continued forwards, completely unaffected by the grim warning.

To Edward, Azkaban was a blurry maze. The chill overpowered his sense of direction and the only reason he keep going forward was because of Harry. He could hear heartbeats in the distance, followed by moans and mutters. Harry looked at him over his shoulder and with silent words conveyed his message. Keep up or stay behind.

They passed in front of the cells. Edward stopped breathing. The smell was a torture to his oversensitive nose. Harry stopped in front of an empty cell. Edward watched in confusion the flower arrangements, pictures, letters and other small miscellaneous items surrounding the statue of a dog. Harry smiled nostalgically and kneeled in front of it.

"Well old dog, you haven't been forgotten" Edward stayed quiet, doing his best to ignore the few prisoners that had noticed their presence. He watched curiously as Harry fetched a dog collar from his robes and attached it to the statue's neck. The tag said 'Padfoot'. "You won't be, not by me or anybody" he stood up and with one last look at the cell continued forwards.

They entered a small room that had only a chair. There was a window, which Harry promptly informed him was fake, he barked a 'stay here' and left. The cold set in deeper. Slowly he lost track of time, until he was unsure how long had he been in the infernal place.

Then it started. Voices, that didn't belong to the inmates. The voice of Bella, whispering, pleading him to save her, crying softly when she realized he was not coming.

Esme and Carlisle begging him to come back, throwing accusations and confessing the disappointment he was.

Rosalie's snotty tone, screaming she knew he was going to destroy their family. An image of Emmet growling in rightful anger appeared before him.

Alice's eyes were lost in visions of a future where he would finally leave them. Jasper was silent; he had always spoken with emotions better than with words. The betrayal, hurt, resentment, accusation, it was too much.

Faces of people he had never really spoken to appeared, all accusing him of different sins. The worst were the faces of the people he killed, who only looked at him blankly. Everything was a blur, things moving faster and faster until he was sure he was drowning in memories.

His mother, his real mother was there. Smoothing his hair and begging him not to die. To hold on, keep breathing while she went for the doctor, she looked feverish and stumbled as she walked deliriously.

Instinctually he knew; there was something in front of him. Yet his mind was too lost to try and understand the invisible presence. He was being pulled at different directions by the voices. And then a ripping sensation like nothing that he had ever felt made him scream in pain.

- 0 - 0 - 0 -

Harry created a mist barrier to push back the Dementor. The creature stared at Harry before nodding his head and leaving the room. Harry hummed in amusement, Dementors can remember, who would have thought.

"Edward?" he asked to the unmoving figure on the floor.

His head snapped forward violently, red eyes staring at him.

- 0 - 0 - 0 -

End Chapter 5

- 0 - 0 - 0 -

Ok, so again I owe you all a big, massive, fat apology for the long delay and thank you for sticking around after so long. I'll see you all in July when I will dedicate my time to finishing this fic.

For those interested, I have started to publish a GleexHP crossover that has KurtxHarryXBlaine as the main pairing. I have the first 20 chaps ready and loaaaads of bits and pieces that I am putting together, so there will be some continuity for a while.

Also coming up this month, a Criminal MindsxHP fic that has the first 10 chapters ready or so. It will be HotchxHarry. This is the first fic I ever write where Harry is not 'top' which is odd, but fun!

Thanks for reading!

Caroline