Chapter 1
The lights flashed around him to fast and thick to tell which came from whom. He was trying to get a few pot shots in but it was hard to see who was on which side, so he stayed down hidden behind a door to a house.
They had attacked about an hour ago; Harry had been reading a book on his bed when he was blinded by red light. The light had come from outside, when his vision returned, he saw magic being cast in every direction, Death Eaters were crying out spells of death and destruction, while Aurors and Order of the Phoenix members were shouting jinxes of incapacitation, he even saw a few hit wizards and unspeakables picking off Death Eaters from roof tops using the same spells the Death Eaters seemed to use. While all around he saw the dead.
There were so many dead muggles, Aurors, Order members, and Death Eaters, Harry had wondered briefly where they all came from, not having seen this many wizards in the same place.
That had been then, now the battle raged on, each side had chosen its territory, warded it, and found the best places for firing off spells. He was in no mans land, Harry had chosen a place that seemed inaccessible to either side. Harry was now leaning against the wallin number 13 wishing he had gotten a drink before he started reading so long ago.
Out of the corner of his eye he saw a Death Eater, he shot a cutting curse at the man, who took it in the arm, but didn't seem to affect him. The man whirled on him, firing off several high speed, powerful curses which Harry only barely managed to dodge, but didn't see the Reducter aimed at his feet. He was blown backwards, landing painfully on his back; he looked up to find his wand in the man's hand, with said man looming over him.
"Master will be so pleased."
"Give him a message for me will you?" Harry groaned painfully.
"I suppose a last request is appropriate."
"Tell the mudblood to go screw." Harry spat viciously. The man took offence to this raised his wand.
"Master will reward me above all others," Harry's eyes widened with horror, then shut tight, curling up in a feeble attempt to protect himself, "Avada Ked…" He never finished it, Harry heard the man's body hit the ground, he opened his eyes unbelievably. Moody was standing over the man's body, wand smoking.
"All right, Potter?"
"Y-yeah thanks." Harry responded shakily. Moody pulled Harry's wand out of the Death Eaters hands, and tossed it and a galleon, from out of his pocket, at Harry.
"Hey what's th…" He felt a jerk around his navel when he caught the galleon, and realized he had been portkeyed at almost the same time he landed.
He looked around the room; he recognized it as the family room of Grimauld Place. He pulled himself off the floor, he felt his hands shaking, and he shoved them in his pockets, and slumped his way into the kitchen.
It was empty, so he pulled out a shot glass and the bottle Firewhiskey that Mundungus and Mr. Weasly had after dinner usually. He dumped it in the little glass, looked at it speculatively. He took a sniff, it burned in his nose slightly, a sip, it burned all the way down, he coughed hard, smiled and tipped his head back, and poured the liquid straight down.
Several hours later
Dumbledore and Moody fairly stumbled through the door, exhausted. "Did they find Potter after the battle." Dumbledore inquired hopefully. His own thoughts were that the boy would run away as soon as a distraction came, would hide out in London for a while and then find Grimauld place when he needed help.
"Over here Bumblebee." Shouted a voice from the living room, very loudly and whimsically.
"I found him and sent him here." Moody grumbled, clunking towards the living room, Albus close behind.
Moody had a smirk on his face as he watched Albus take in the room. Pillows were strewn about some ripped some just chucked randomly. The couches were moved, one had been overturned, and Harry was sprawled across the other. The bottle of Firewhiskey swinging from his hand, half-empty. He was staring at the ceiling his head going around in circles.
"Harry?" Albus seemed distressed and a bit confused.
"Wassup?" Harry slurred swinging his head in the Headmasters direction, squinting as his glasses were on the oppisite side of the room.
"Harry what have you done to yourself?" Albus asked with only a trace of anxiousness.
"Well itzimple really," doing a very bad imitation of Dumbledore, "I'm getting…completely pissed!" Albus shook his head, sadly. Moody laughed and sat down next to the boy patting him on the arm and taking the bottle from him.
"So what should we do with Alastor?" Albus said preparing for the worst.
"About only one thing we can do really. Join 'im." With that Moody took a bit swig form the bottle and then another passing it back to Harry who was laughing at the scandalized face Dumbledore was making. Dumbledore walked from the room slowly.
"I'll be back in the morning to clean up what is left of you two." He shouted back over his shoulder.
Most of his time was spent reliving Sirius, he went on for hours telling Moody about the times he had with Sirius. In turn Moody told him about when Sirius was younger and before he went to Azkaban.
Harry discovered that Moody was quite fun, even more when he got a few drinks in him. They had a bit of a duel later on, which ended with both on their asses laughing their heads off.
Afternoon
Harry had woken around noon to find is head splitting down the middle, and everywhere else while he was at it. He stumbled down, moaning and groaning at the sound of his own footsteps, to the kitchen. He found Moody sitting, head in hands at the table, and Albus at the stove with an 'I told-you-so' look on his face. Harry gave him a scowl, and asked "Is my head supposed to be cracking like a…" he stopped his witty comment when he realized it made his headache worse.
"Not so loud," Moody whispered, "here kid, drink this it takes about an hour." Handing Harry a vial of red potion. Harry downed it, and sat at the table.
"So Harry what have you learned? I won't even ask you Alastor if you haven't learnt anything by now you won't ever." Albus added with a scowl.
"To find an anti-hangover potion to drink before drinking." Albus gave a defeated sigh.
"The Weasly's and Grangers will be arriving here tonight, to stay until term. Their families will most likely stay until we find a suitable place to move them. I suggest you clean up. We didn't manage to get any of your things from your house, it had been razed to the ground…" he sensed he lost Harry here so stopped, Harry had a look of horror on his face.
"Nothing? Not a thing?"
"Nothing Harry. But we can replace those objects, we must remember those who cannot be replaced." Albus tried to reason and act concerned at the same time.
"So what!" Harry shouted angrily, completely ignoring the pain in his head, "Some of that stuff is irreplaceable! My photo album! My dad's invisibility cloak! My Firebolt! My m-my…Sirius's mirror." Harry lost steam here and seemed just depressed with the mention of his lost godfather. He flopped into his seat.
"I'm am sorry Harry, I will take you to Diagon Ally myself to find everything we can, and I know a man who might have an invisibility cloak to sell you." He raised his eyebrows, hoping to spark interest in the young man's eyes, but they seemed dead now.
"Yeah okay. I'm goin' back to bed." He slumped his way out of the kitchen towards the stairs.
Later
"Harry wake up! Harry!" pound pound.
"Hey mate wake up!" pound pound.
"Go away, I'm sleeping." He yelled through his pillow.
He groaned as his door was opened, and he felt Hermione jump on his bed, and Ron pulling his pillow from his arms. "Alright alright I'm up." He rolled off his bed still in the cloths he was in the battle yesterday morning.
"Harry what's that smell?"
"Yeah mate, what is that?"
He lifted his shirt to his nose and found about three smells, earth, fire, and alcohol, "Which smells? Do you mean the fire or the alcohol?"
"Have you been drinking!" Hermione nearly shouted. Harry just nodded.
"Haven't you changed since the battle yesterday?" Ron asked. Harry shook his head.
"Yeah the hangover kinda prevented me from changing, then I was just tired from some stuff between the headmaster and I." He looked around the room realizing he didn't have any of his things, he sighed, "Besides I don't have anything to change into." Hermione glanced around as well, and mouthed a little 'o' as she figured out what happened. Harry muttered a little cloths cleaning charm, then a shower charm, he felt slightly refreshed.
"Okay then lets go." Hermione grabbed his hand and dragged him downstairs, when it seemed he wasn't going to go anywhere by himself.
"Wait Harry how come your not worried about doing magic?" Ron asked on the way.
"If they want to bother me about a couple of cleaning charms, they aren't spending enough time on the Death Eaters, besides Dumbledore wouldn't let them expel me." He waved it off. Downstairs they were preparing for an Order meeting, and Mrs Weasly quickly stood.
"Oh Harry! I was ever so worried." She crushed him in a hug, "I'm really sorry dears, but you three have to go upstairs. I'll have dinner ready when this is over." Ron and Hermione had anticipated this and were through the door before she finished. Harry just ignored her order.
He flicked his wand conjuring a chair between to new members, accio'd the firewhisky, poured a shot and gulped it, before banishing the bottle back to the cupboard. He sat back looking at the astonished look on everyone's faces except Albus and Moody. "Let's get started then."
"Get out you little drunkard!" Snape stood and shouted.
"Harry James Potter! What on earth are you thinking?" Mrs. Weasly was gathering speed for a rant.
"Hey that's my Whiskey!" Mundungus shouted.
"I can stay, can't I Albus?" he raised his eyebrows at the old man. The others who were getting ready to yell again when he used the headmaster's first name.
"I suppose… Are you sure you want to, Harry?" Harry nodded.
"Wait a minute here Albus, why is he allowed?"
"The little boy can't possibly be in here, Albus."
"I'm sorry but that information is secret for now. And yes he can stay. Albus tried to placate them. Harry threw a smirk at Snape. "Ron. Hermione, if you please?" Albus pointed towards the door. Harry was ready and locked the door, putting a silencing ward over it. Some were starting to realize he was blatantly using magic under aged, but Albus beat them to it, "Can we here a report on the battle yesterday morning? Kingsley, if you would." The others just mumbled under their breaths sending incredulous glares at both the headmaster and the boy-who-lived, but were caught in interest by the report.
Kingsley was only slightly startled by the turn of events, but he was an Auror, he had seen stranger things. "The entire drive was decimated, there were no muggle survivors on the whole street. We lost 18 Aurors, 5 hit wizards, and 2 unspeakables. The Death Eaters lost over 30 men, and we captured 10 more and 5 dementors. We estimate they sent in a total of 100 men, and were regularly changing them; also they had a force of 50 dementors. We had a force of 150 Aurors, 30 Hit wizards, and 10 unspeakables, almost 95 of our forces. It started as a small skirmish as a party of 5 Death Eaters broke through the wards, but they soon called back up, then we did and it escalated from there. We obliviated over 100 muggles from the surrounding area, and told the muggle government it was a terrorist bomb. The 10 captured Death Eaters are being interrogated by the unspeakables at the moment, and they told us not to expect to see them again." Some people cringed here, the unspeakables took loses personally, "The dementors are being held by the unspeakables as well, who are working on creating a way of tying them to the ministry, don't hold your breath on that one. Aside from that we didn't lose any Order members, and the Prophet is having a field day."
Albus nodded sadly "Such a great loss of life."
"It sounds like the death eaters out number us handily." Harry stated, accessing the situation.
"The Death Eaters draw on the whole continent, as of yet only France has taken any action." Kingsley informed the boy.
"Shouldn't you be out getting tortured for losing or something?" Harry shot at Snape.
"Its not my turn yet." Snape commented dryly.
"Has the minister said anything yet?" Albus asked Kingsley.
"The minister has set a press meeting for tonight on the steps of Gringotts."
"I want you and Tonks to attend. Come and see me after." Albus surveyed the group, there was nothing important left to discuss, and they seemed to realize this, and were once again making Harry the center of their attention. The boy in question didn't seem to notice, much. He would occasionally glace at the people staring, but he mostly was watching Albus. Albus locked eyes with the boy a moment, but Harry ripped his gaze from Albus', Albus knew Harry would never look him in the eyes again, fearful of the leglimancy. "Well I suggest we dismiss, unless there is anything else to add?" he waited for a moment, "Then I think Molly was going to make dinner?" Molly stood and started bustling about the stove.
Some stood and left, most stayed. Mundungus pulled out a pipe and started smoking. The smell wafted through the room, choking most. Harry just waited for dinner.
The Grangers came down for dinner and sat rather self-consciously, as Mr. Weasley asked questions about muggles. Ron and Hermione ignored him through dinner. He felt somewhat bad, but he was entitled to be in the meeting. He went to bed early, only to find Ron and Hermione, storming into the room.
"How the hell did you get them to let you in?" Ron yelled.
"Why are you drinking?" Hermione shrieked.
"Umm, well, they had to let me in, 'cause Albus knows I should be there. And I drink, because…well…umm because I can." Hermione seemed to calm down and went to rationalization mode.
"But Harry, drinking is illegal, and you can not drink."
"I can because no one is going to stop me, Albus just let me go why can't you?"
"Harry laws are made to be followed, just because nobody enforces them doesn't make it any less wrong."
"Something is wrong because its against the law?" he was really surprising himself, by this point in an argument with Hermione he was yelling in frustration, not getting his point across. "So where is the switch that makes it right when you turn eighteen?"
"Why do you need to drink anyway, and don't tell me its because you can, I know you don't just do things because you can."
"You really want to know?" Harry asked seriously. He seemed unsure whether he wanted to tell her, but if she wanted him to
"Please Harry, tell me." She pleaded, Ron seemed to be non-comprehending, the whole situation evolving beyond what he thought was going on.
"The only time…The only time I can remember S-Sirius…when he was happy… is when I'm drunk." He said haltingly, "When I'm sober, all I can see is his sunken eyes, when I first saw him, filled with vengeance, or his terrified screams when the dementors closed in on him, or when he was so angry with Snape, ready to curse him. I can't think of a single time he was happy, I know there where times, but I can't picture them." Hermione threw herself on him.
"Oh, Harry I didn't know! Why didn't you tell anyone? We can help!" she sobbed on him. He moved uncomfortably under her, but brought his arms up and around her, hopefully in a comforting way. He really didn't understand girls, he was under the impression that he should be crying, with all this sad stuff happening to him, but here she was soaking his shirt.
"Shh." He whispered, "I'll be okay, you don't need to worry about me." She pulled off of him, wiping her eyes.
"It's okay Harry, I'll always be here to help you remember Sirius." She headed for the door, turned back for a moment then left.
"Umm, I'll see you in the morning?" Ron hurried out, unsettled by the emotional turmoil in the room.
Harry sighed as he readied for bed, it had been a long couple of days.