Chapter 1

"Harry."

Nothing.

"Harry?"

Still nothing.

"Harry!"

Harry Potter shot straight up in his bed, wand at the ready. He came face to face with blurry blue eyes and a fuzzy patch of red hair. He fumbled for his glasses on the nightstand and once they were situated on his face, the intruder came into clear view. "Ron, what on Earth are you doing here?"

Ron Weasley feigned a hurt expression. "That's the kind of greeting I get?" At Harry's bewildered look he smiled. "We're here to pick you up and rescue you from another horrible summer with those pigs you call relatives."

"We?" Harry asked while tentatively getting out of bed.

"Yes, we!" came a female voice from towards the doorway. Harry turned and was greeted with the smiling face of Ginerva "Ginny" Weasley. "Now are you going to lay around all day or are you going to help us pack your stuff?" Her smile widened at Harry's sleepy expression.

After getting dressed quickly, Harry helped his friends pack up his belongings. Not much was said between them but Harry couldn't help but wonder why Ginny was more focused on him than anything else. It made him nervous and he felt like his arms and legs were much too long for his body.

Not being able to stand the silence anymore, Harry ventured, "So how exactly are we getting to the Burrow?"

Ron's face broke out into a wide grin, "We aren't going to the Burrow, mate. We're going to Headquarters!"

Harry smiled broadly and exclaimed, "I get to see Sirius!"

"See me, you get to spend the whole summer with me!" Everyone jumped at the unexpected voice and turned towards the window to see Harry's god-father, Sirius Black, floating on his motercycle. "Now hurry up, you lot, and let's get this show on the road!"

With a new found happiness, Harry, Ron, and Ginny started tossing Harry's belongings in his trunk as fast as they possibly could. After shrinking the luggage, they climbed through the window and onto Sirius's bike - Ron and Ginny in the side-car and Harry behind Sirius. The trip didn't last long and b efore they knew it they were touching down in front of the small clearing where Headquarters would materialize. Sirius said the incantation and the three watched with mild fascination as Number 12 Grimmauld Place appeared seemingly out of no where.

"It never gets old," Sirius said smiling as he began to walk towards his home. Ginny and Ron hurried after him but Harry stayed back a moment. He stared at the big dark house as a small smile barely graced his lips.

"Home," he whispered almost incoherently. He ran into the house and was greeted by a bone-

crushing hug. "Omph, hello Mrs. Weasley."

"Harry, dear," Molly Weasley said lovingly. "How are you? Did those Muggles treat you alright? If not you just let me know and I'll go there -"

"Molly, he was barely there a week," Arthur Weasley interjected. He shook Harry's hand strongly, "Good to see you, son."

"Thanks Mr. Weasley, it's good to be here," Harry smiled. He glanced around as he followed them into the kitchen and took notice on how much brighter the place seemed. When they reached their destination, he laughed loudly at the sight of Ron already stuffing his face with his mother's cooking. Ginny looked up and smiled brightly at him.

"I've already made up a plate for you, Harry. It's got all of your favorites. I helped Mum cook it all so she would get everything right."

Harry sat down across from her and stared at all of his favorite foods on his plate. "Thanks, Gin. It looks great." Ginny beamed as her face turned that infamous Weasley red. She began babbling about how she knew his favorite treat was a treacle tart with whipped topping and had to make it at least ten times before she got it perfect, when Sirius plopped down next to Harry.

"Sirius," Harry started politely ending Ginny's babbling. "The house seems different. Brighter almost."

Sirius smiled widely as he reached for a drumstick. "Well of course it's brighter! I cleaned it up! Old Kreacher was right pissed when I told him to take down the House Elf heads. Told me I was defiling the house and it would swallow me whole. I said let it try! Then, Remus and I found a way to get my dear mother's portrait down. She's in the basement behind the boiler where Kreacher sleeps. Then I enlisted Molly's help witht he rest," he leaned in close to Harry and whispered, "Never get between that woman and household spells. Nearly threw me out of my own house, she did."

Harry laughed openly at the image of his god-father being tossed out of his own house. He took a bite of his tart, with Ginny watching intently for any sign - good or bad, and chewed thoughtfully. After swallowing he said, "Hermione would be pleased."

Ginny's faced turned from happy to a scowl as she all but spat out, "Hermione? Who mentioned her?"

"Well," Harry began after taking another bite, "she always did want to clean this plafe up. The House Elf heads especially since she's so intent on freeing them. And now that Mrs. Black's portrait is in the basement she won't have to go through the embarassment of being called a filthy Mudblood everytime she walks in."

"Too bad she's not answering her letters," Ron said after a huge gulp of pumpkin juice.

"Yeah," Ginny said brightly. "Ron's been writing her since we got here inviting her to spend the summer but she hasn't responded at all."

"We alternate days writing," Ron explained gesturing between Ginny and himself. "Gin said she talked about some weird place before we left school."

"Italy," Ginny interjected with a dreamy look in her eyes. "She talked about her parents planning on going there for holiday."

"Pig can't fly that far," Ron explained giving his sister a strange look.

"We'll send Hedwig tonight," Harry stated thoughtfully. "She'll be able to find Hermione wherever she is."

"Yeah, I'm sure she will," Ginny replied smiling. "Now who wants to play Quidditch?"

"Oh no you don't Ginerva," Mrs. Weasley chastised. "You helped cook, you'll help clean." She handed Ginny a pile of dirty dishes and pointed to the already stacked sink.

"Mum," Ginny whined, "how can there be so many dirty dishes?"

Mrs. Weasley pointed to a closed door down the hall. "The Order was having a meeting. You didn't think I'd let them starve did you?"

"Mrs. Weasley," Harry ventured, "what was the meeting about?"

"Oh, just about a recent Death Eater attack in another country. Nothing you lot should worry about," she responded airily. "Now Ginny, wash those dishes." Ginny stomped her way to the sink muttering incoherent phrases.

As Harry and Ron were leaving the kitchen to get their brooms they waved to Remus Lupin as he passed.

"Alright Professor?" Ron asked the weary looking man.

Remus nodded slowly and asked almost hesitantly, "Where's Hermione?"

Harry shot a glance at Ron, "Ginny said her parents planned to holiday in Italy."

At the mention of the destination, Remus's eyes visibly widened. "Has anyone heard from her?"

"We've been owling her for a week," Ron began cautiously, "She hasn't answered but Pig can't fly that far."

"Professor, is there something wrong with Hermione?" Harry questioned his mentor. He watched as Remus took in the information and went over it in his head. "Professor?"

Remus seemed to snap out of his thoughts and answered with a forced smile, "No, nothing. Goodnight boys." And with that he apparated away.

"Harry, I'm sure -" Ron started but Harry was already bounding up the stairs to the room he and Ron shared. When Ron reached the room he saw Harry hunched over the desk writing a

note feverishly.

"Hedwig," Harry called to his snow white owl. "Hedwig, take this to Hermione. Find her, wherever she is." He opened the window and Hedwig soared into the night. He turned to Ron,

"Hedwig will find her."

Ron simply nodded and asked gravely, "You don't think anything happened to Hermione, do you?"

"All I know," Harry said while slumping down on his bed, "is that if anything did, I'll find whoever did it and Avada Kadavera them so fast they won't know what hit them. We swore a Wizard's Oath to protect her, Ron." Harry held his face in his hands. "We can't let anything happen to her."

"Mate, she's a strong girl," Ron started while getting into his own bed. "Mental, but bright. I'm sure Hermione is just in some library reading up on some way to create a new spell." He smiled fondly at the thought but Harry noticed the smile barely reached his eyes. "Hedwig'll find her. Let's get some rest."

The two boys settled down in their beds, thoughts of a bushy-haired girl filling their minds.