Disclaimer: I don't own anything in this except new characters and plots
Dumbledore's funeral had been almost three months ago. Harry had been staying at The Burrow with Ron and his family while Hermione left for her parents' house, to visit for a while before returning. She kept postponing her return to them. Harry understood, she needed more time with her parents.
Harry held firm in his decision to find the Horcruxes and kill Voldemort, regardless of Mrs. Weasley's having forbidden it. She was glancing at him rather sullenly when several resounding cracks broke the early morning silence as Mr Weasley, Remus Lupin, Alastor Moody, and an unknown man Apparated into the kitchen.
The mysterious man, who seemed both very young and very old in comparison to his traveling companions looked thunderously angry. Harry had never seen a man whose presence was so intimidating, overpowering and yet strangely comforting. The stranger wore a deep green woolen cloak over what appeared to be breeches and high boots. He was almost six and a half feet and his skin was deeply tanned, as if he had been living in a desert. His hair was dark and his eyes were so light they seemed to glow silver.
The stranger suddenly spoke, startling Harry " Why is she doing this?" he growled in a deep voice as he slammed his fist on the Weasley's thick wooden table, causing it to creak under the force of his blow. Lupin slowly sat beside him and the others followed suit, Mrs Weasley forgetting Harry's presence in the room in the presence of this enigmatic man. " I have already said that if you can't catch her than she doesn't want to be caught. My understanding is that we must wait until she comes to us." Lupin replied in an attempt to alleviate the mystery man's obvious anger, his voice holding an odd inflection, worry?
The stranger growled deep in his throat, " It is true. She will come when it damn well pleases her. She is aware of Albus' death. She just refuses to heed my call. Insufferable witch as usual."
Moody suddenly laughed low to himself, a sound that startled everyone in the room. He realized he was being stared at in the complete silence of the room as if everyone was holding their breath to see what would happen next. But why did they seem so nervous about a little, muffled laugh? Moody immediately straightened up, " Well it's just that if she were just a witch she'd be a damn sight easier to catch."
The man spoke, breaking the tension . "I wasn't using the term in it's magical sense. It is true she is no ordinary witch. No she is much more powerful. Nothing has changed in the past..." The dark man looked directly at Harry as if suddenly realizing they were being watched. " Who is this?" he demanded of the group standing so swiftly Harry almost missed it. Mrs Weasley seemed startled, clearly having forgotten that Harry was in the room. Before she could speak Harry felt suddenly emboldened, as if a magnet was attracting him to this demanding stranger. He practically vaulted from his seat and across the room to the table where the stranger had come to his feet.
" Potter. Harry Potter." Harry said his name and stuck out his hand stiffly before he had a chance to think about it. The man smiled in a slightly condescending way, further irritating Harry. He then looked down at Harry's proffered hand as if confused for a moment. Harry was instantly offended and began to pull his hand away. Suddenly the man's hand shot out unbeleivably fast and grasped Harry's retreating hand firmly.
Harry's vision snapped back to the man's face whose smile was now considerably warm, although the same could not be said for his nearly frigid hand.
" I apologize if I offended you, I haven't shaken a hand in a good many years." Harry thought that was strange considering the man could be, at the oldest twenty-six. Harry was about to make such a comment when he realized his hand was going numb. The man realized Harry was looking at their clasped hands and immediately withdrew his. Harry swore he saw ice on his own hand. " Once again I offer my apologies, we have been outside, where it is quite cold." Humor dancing in the stranger's light eyes.
Harry glanced around and noticed the other men looking rather warily from him to the stranger and back when Mrs Weasley stepped forward toward Harry. " Harry dear, why don't you go on and wake the others for breakfast." Harry almost ignored the request when he noticed Mrs. Weasley's pleading look. He changed his mind and as he obediently began to go up the steep stairwell he heard Mrs. Weasley speak softly to the stranger, something about when a new arrival would come. Harry was scaling the stairs when Remus cleared his throat loudly.
Once up the stairs , knocking on all the doors loudly until he got to the top and burst into the room he was sharing with Ron. Ron was so shocked by the dramatic entrance and the sound of his door rebounding off of the wall that he fell out of bed, tangled in his sheets.
" Wutchya doin' Harry?!" Ron stood, clearly upset and Harry laughed at the scene in front of him. In the near dark of the room Ron looked like some giant mummy wrapped in those sheets. Harry stifled his laugh as he threw Ron some clothes, " Hurry up, there's this... man downstairs." The word man to describe the stranger tasted odd on Harry's tongue," He came with your dad, Remus, and Moody. You've got to see him. He's huge!" Ron mumbled something about having seen a lot of tall men before, Hagrid came to mind. "And your mum said something about a new arrival. " Ron shoved his legs roughly into his trousers and mumbled, " Do you think it'll be another stranger or someone we know?" Harry shook his head.
"I don't know, it could be. But if they have something to do with this stranger they'll be a puzzle. "
Two minutes later the two boys were rushing downstairs in their usual galloping fashion when Harry came to a sudden stop at the bottom. The only people there were Mr and Mrs Weasley and Ginny , the source of his constant guilt and even more constant admiration. Ron slapped Harry on the back, " Where's Moody and Lupin and your mystery man?"
"RON!" Everyone in the room seemed shocked when Mr Weasley yelled at Ron for no apparent reason. His anger quickly dissipated and he cleared his throat, " Our guests have left. Why don't you boys sit down, I was just telling Ginny something you should hear."
The two boys quickly took seats on the opposite end of the table, as far away from the strangely acting patriarch as possible. Harry's seating problem was compounded by sitting as far away from both Mr Weasley and Ginny as possible. Harry finally found a seat near the warm stove. "As you know many of the Ministry's employees are being sent all over the world to work against V-V-Voldemort. Some old friends from Hogwarts, a married couple, are both being sent away. So your mother and I have offered to take their son in for the rest of the summer and settle him at Hogwarts."
" Cool, we could use a breath of fresh air. Who is it Dad? Seamus? Dean?"
Mr Weasley shook his head slowly. " No Ron. He has never attended Hogwarts before. His parents work at the Ministry in Morocco but they now feel the safest place for their son is Hogwarts." Mr Weasley stood and looked at his muggle watch. " Ahh. He should be arriving anytime." Ron leaned over to Harry," Funny time to arrive, isn't it? It's before breakfast!"
Harry nodded in agreement just as there was a knock on the door. Mr Weasley straightened his robes and reached for the door.
" Welcome to our home. Please come in."
A tall, hooded boy walked in. He was about Ron's height, but not quite so thin, he seemed like he was an athlete of some kind. He murmured something in a deep rumbling voice and shook the rain off of his cloak. Had it been raining? Harry glanced out the window and noticed that it must have stopped. The boy turned after hanging his cloak and Harry heard gasps from Mrs Weasley and Ginny, the latter making him see red. He had a shock of dark gray hair and the blackest eyes Harry had ever seen. He seemed to be the same age as Harry and Ron.
"This is Sharif de Aodhan. He'll be staying with us for a bit." Mr Weasley motioned to a chair at the table." Until term starts at least." Mr Weasley seemed to be waiting some sort of reaction. Sharif strode forward, pulled out the chair and sat rather heavily, the chair creaking under his formidable weight. Unlike Ron and Harry's gangly, thin height Sharif seemed to have filled out already.
" I'm Ron Weasley" Ron leaned forward over the table and stuck out his pale hand. Sharif let out a sly grin and grabbed it swiftly. " It is good to meet you Ron Weasley." Harry couldn't recognize his strange accent, although it wasn't very heavy. He followed Ron's example and stuck his hand out.
" Harry..." he began.
" Potter. " Harry wasn't that surprised as Sharif grasped his hand, but there was something about him that seemed...off.
" I'm Ginny." Ginny said sweetly and fluttering her long eyelashes. Which made Harry sick to his stomach. Sharif's gaze swung to Ginny and looked at her appraisingly, his eyebrow raised. " In Morocco I don't run into many red-haired beauties as I'd like. Maybe my luck has changed." Ginny giggled and Harry saw red as Sharif kissed Ginnys' proffered hand.
Mrs Weasley interrupted, " Ginny dear, why don't you go get dressed for the day? Breakfast'll be ready when you get back down." She ushered Ginny to the stairs and gave Sharif a death glare. Sharif flashed an unbelievably white grin at her and then turned to Harry and Ron." So you have faced the Dark Lord? Voldemort?"
Harry and Ron choked on the orange juice Mrs Weasley had just conjured for them and the pair just nodded yes, their eyes watering. " He is formidable, no? I have heard this is so. I have not personally met the monster but I have heard tales of his great evil." Sharif paused thoughtfully, " I have also heard that he has tapped into old magicks. That was a dangerous thing many years ago. Now it is even more so. Ancient magick has little to channel itself through these days, the magi who used it are all but gone. I believe that it is even too strong for this devil, this sheytan."
" This what?" Ron asked. Harry had to admit , the way Sharif talked was unusual. Then again so was everything about him. It seemed everyone in the room was watching Sharif and he seemed completely oblivious.
" So Sharif, your mum and dad work for the Ministry?" Harry's voice broke the silence and seemed to startle everyone, including Sharif. Harry's question brought a slow grin to Sharif's face.
"Yes Harry Potter, that is so. They have much to do that is dangerous in Morocco. They felt it would be safer for me to be at Hogwarts, the legendary wizarding school where they met."
" But Hogwarts is so far from home isn't it?" Ginny had reappeared in what Harry noticed was a very flattering robe. She seemed to float towards the table and took a seat across from Sharif, never taking her glowing green eyes off of him.
Sharif turned to face Ginny." There is an English saying, 'Home is where the heart is.' Perhaps I will find my heart at Hogwarts." Ginny let out, in Harry's opinion, the most sickeningly sweet sigh he had ever heard. "Besides my new friends Harry and Ron will be there to make me feel welcome, no?"
Harry ripped his gaze from Ginny and straightened in his chair, "No. We are not returning to Hogwarts. We have spent the summer preparing and researching for our hunt. For Voldemort, the 'formidable ' one." Harry let the sarcasm drip freely from his voice but Gabriel raised a single brow," You are not returning?" he turned to Mrs Weasley and she moved in.
" It isn't definite. Mr Weasley and I have expressed our desire for Harry and Ron to return to school." She then looked firmly at Ron and then at Harry. Ron looked down at the table but Harry held her gaze firmly. Mrs Weasley returned his stiff gaze. " Anyway some friends will be coming in order to decide what will be done." Harry and Ron got the message. The members of the Order of the Phoenix were coming to the Burrow to do some of their own persuading." And Hermione will be returning in a couple of hours. At Mrs Weasleys' mention of Hermione Ron immediately perked up.
"I must say that it is my hope that you will return to Hogwarts. I have a feeling we may find each other very useful." Harry raised an eyebrow." As friends of course."
"Riiiight." Ron grabbed Harry by the arm. " Harry and I are going to play a little Quidditch, sorry we don't have an extra broom." Ron bolted out the door dragging Harry behind. " So they're coming to convince us to go back."
"Yeah. I guess they are." Harry kicked the dirt around his worn sneakers, suspecting what was coming. " Harry they might be right. Hermione and I..."
"Hermione and you what?" Harry turned on Ron with anger in his eyes. Far from backing down Ron stood firm.
" We've been talking. We're with you Harry but you have to realize that we're a team. And you might be blinded by your hate and anger. The truth is we might not ready for this and another year at Hogwarts could help." Ron looked like he was about to be sick but he stood firm.
Harry inhaled heavily, " Ron I understand. Hunting for Snape and Voldemort is going to be really dangerous but we can't just..."
"It is going to be really dangerous Harry. And I think we should wait and see what the Order has to say." Ron and Harry turned to see a very grown up looking Hermione standing behind them. Forgetting their argument the pair ran to hug Hermione. "Oh how I've missed you two, but I don't think you know your own strength anymore because I can't breath." Harry and Ron let go, Ron noticeably more reluctantly which caused Hermione to blush.
"Alright let's get in, these bags aren't light you know." Taking the hint Harry and Ron grabbed her bags and they followed her into the Burrow. Hermione was only three feet in the door when she came to a sudden halt causing Harry and Ron to bump into her and fall with the weight of her bags dragging them down. Ron looked up in time to see Sharif kissing Hermiones' hand and see her giggle flirtatiously. Harry punched Ron, "Now you see how I feel."
Ron shook his red mane, "Twit." The pair pulled themselves up in time to see Hermione sit next to Sharif so that he was now sandwiched between her and Ginny. Ron rolled his eyes and sat down in a huff with Harry following.