Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Title: Harry Potter and the Flaming Soul(Unfortunately, I have no title-writing skills, sorry about that.)
Rating: M (Just to be on the safe side because there are some slightly Mature themes)
Summary: Book 7 as I see it, with a twist: there are more perspectives than just Harry's
A/N: This is my first foray into fanfics for a
while … as opposed to actually sending stuff to publishers… I
sincerely hope you are kinder than them .
But seriously R&R, and tear into it if you must (I won't be
offended, I've developed a thick skin!)
Harry waited outside the Burrow, knowing the loud crack from his apparition would not go unnoticed for long. Sure enough, Mrs. Weasley stuck her head outside, holding her wand aloft with one hand and slowly opening the door with her free hand.
"Who's there?" she demanded.
"Just me!" yelled Harry.
Mrs. Weasley spotted him and smiled widely, running forward to pull him into a tight hug. Her forgotten wand had fallen to their feet.
She stood back to scrutinize Harry, "Harry, you're so…" she could not honestly say that Harry was skinny, for he had followed Hermione's advice and trained with her both physically and magically in Godric's Hollow. His arms were, for the first time in his life, corded and strong, and his face had hardened and matured. He pulled Mrs. Weasley into a hug that could only be exchanged between a mother and son, and she pulled him back to her.
"You're so… lean!" she exclaimed, picking up her wand, and began to pull him toward the rickety house.
Harry nearly tripped over Crookshanks as he chased a group of gnomes through the garden.
"Oh, just wait until you see them all – they'll be so excited – Bill – who's doing better now, Charlie, Fred and George were all able to come and then of course Hermione, but I daresay you already knew she was here, having spent the summer with her already!" Mrs. Weasley fussed, and Harry flushed automatically.
"We… we… just, trained-" but Mrs. Weasley cut him off, saying, "Of course, dear," and pulling him into the messy kitchen.
Bill, Charlie, Fred, George, Ginny, Ron and Hermione all sat around the magically expanded table in their pajamas. George had a piece of sausage halfway to his mouth when he stopped, stunned at Harry's arrival. They all sat in shocked silence for a moment before settling into a relaxed and happy mood at seeing Harry.
"Ay Arry, ow ah yah?" Bill managed through a mouthful of pancakes. His face was scarred, and he seemed to have a snout rather than a nose, but he was normal otherwise.
"Alright," Harry responded, grabbing a plate and loading it with sausages, eggs, and pancakes.
Hermione had grabbed Ron's hand and towed him away from Harry, awkwardly avoiding Harry's glance in her direction.
Ron ripped his hand away from her and muttered, "Are you insane? He's my best mate!" He dragged her back to Harry, where she gave him a shy smile.
Ron patted Harry's shoulder and asked, "How long are you here for?"
Harry thought for a moment and responded, "At least until term starts for you two… but, let's not talk about that now."
Ron nodded, "Alright, then, are you really going to eat all that sausage?"
Harry grinned. "Yes," he replied simply.
Harry navigated through the sleeping bags to Ron's bed, where he sat comfortably until he noticed the expressions on Hermione and Ron's faces.
"Look, I'm not about to jump up and fly out the window, I'm still trying to figure out where all the horcruxes are!" he confirmed, but they did not seem convinced. "If I say I'm staying, then I'm staying!" He could feel the anger building up within him, why didn't they trust him?
Ron started, "It's just that you have a tendency to… er… fly off the handle a bit-"
Harry grimaced and interrupted, "Fly off the handle! This is Voldemort we're talking about, I'm not an idiot - I'm not going to run off thinking I can get him! If Dumbledore were –" Harry's heart clenched as he thought of Dumbledore, it had been his own fault.
"Harry…" Hermione approached him; momentarily forgetting her embarrassment, "You know we care about you, we don't do this to make you angry," she stopped for a moment, looking into his emerald eyes. She added in an undertone, "And it's not your fault Dumbledore is gone, don't blame yourself, you've got enough to worry about right now."
She grabbed him in a comforting hug and he pushed her away, much to the discontent of the beast within his chest.
"I know, but I'm not going to run off, you have to believe me," He said.
She thought about this for a moment then asked, "So what is your plan?"
Ron looked with concern at his best friend, "Yeah, you can tell us, we're your best mates, you know."
Harry smiled, "Yeah, you are my best mates…"
He had spent a lot of time considering his options, and had decided that he would be able to destroy Voldemort's horcruxes without alerting him to it.
"Well, since I don't think Voldemort-" Ron shivered, "will notice when I destroy a horcrux, I thought I ought to be very careful and let everyone assume I'm going back to Hogwarts, so he won't be tipped off… but I think… I think I won't stay away for my whole seventh year…" he paused for a moment, then continued, "And I have to find where the horcruxes are first, so I am going to get some advice from you, Hermione, on what you've read about Hogwarts history… Could he have something from Gryffindor or Ravenclaw?"
Hermione offered a few ideas, then stopped and looked expectantly back at Harry.
"Well, they'll be more time for that, but I was going to search out some people to give me memories. I thought I might be able to find some clues in Borgin and Bukes… and, well, destroy the horcruxes. But I don't think I'm ready to face Voldemort yet…" he trailed off, looking in the other direction. They were all silent for a moment, enveloped in their own thoughts.
Ron was the first to speak, "Well it sounds like a good plan." Hermione nodded her approval.
They all yelled as a sound like a cannon bang went off in the far corner of the room, along with a puff of smoke. Fred and George stepped out of the quickly dissipating purple smoke and smirked widely at the three of them.
"Well, what have we got here, George?" Fred asked.
"I believe we've got a slacker. Doesn't Ickle Ronnekins know that we won't tolerate that? Mummy wouldn't have us de-gnome the garden alone!"
Fred and George grinned wickedly at Ron, who sighed, "Alright, I'm coming!" They turned to leave the room, but not before George looked to Harry and Hermione and said, "I'm glad you enjoyed our latest invention – apparition in a bottle!"
Harry chuckled heartily and was certainly appreciative that he had not been recruited to de-gnome the garden. He looked toward Hermione, slightly hot in the face. Their momentary understanding had been replaced by uncomfortable embarrassment. Hermione had grabbed a book from beside the bed and was buried in it. Harry decided it was best to avoid an awkward conversation by acting normally.
"Hermione, I know we've talked about the plan for finding the other horcruxes, but what about the locket? How will we know when it has been destroyed?" Harry asked, genuinely concerned.
It was something that had weighed on his mind since he had found the note. Hermione closed the book with a sudden gesture, as if she were irritated. Harry couldn't think of a reason for her to be mad.
"Harry," she said suddenly, "I think you know very well that you are magically prepared to destroy Voldemort – or at least his horcruxes – but are you really ready emotionally and mentally?"
Harry considered this for some time before he asked, "What do you mean? I'm angry at him, so I want to kill him… and I've been taught that that is the right thing for me to do."
Hermione sighed and said, "Sometimes you are so clueless, Harry," and at the affronted look on his face she added, "Well you have never become much of an Occulmens," Harry agreed with a quick nod, realizing the usefulness of Occulmency, "And Dumbledore always said that your advantage over Voldemort was love," she said emphatically.
Harry smiled despite himself and said, "Well we know a little about that!" and winked at her.
Hermione's delicate white skin turned a deep shade of purple as she said, "Harry, let's not talk about that."
Harry's face felt unusually warm as he said, "About that, Hermione… I…" he paused, looking for reassurance.
She smiled and came to sit on the bed with him. "Harry, we were in Godric's Hollow and we had spent so much time together…" the beast in Harry chest purred with delight, "and Ron… he-"
Harry interrupted her, "I know he had to be here, and you and I-" he trailed off, remembering the unnatural, self-conscious night. 'But it wasn't bad,' he thought to himself.
He looked Hermione in the eyes, "I know, I broke up with Ginny for the same reason, and Ron… would skin me alive," the beast in his chest was growling in irritation.
Hermione grinned. "Well, Harry, it was… magical," she stopped for effect and they both laughed.
Harry looked at her, loving the way she laughed and the beast in his chest calmed.
"Hermione," he added sincerely, "I will always love you as a wonderful friend." A tear glistened in his eye, and they embraced, holding onto the moment.