Ok. Everyone knows the drill. Still here goes nothing -
Harry Potter and the other characters of J.K. Rowling are strictly hers. I am not the original writer (though I wish I could be J) and I do not wish to make money from this. Most Importantly, I DO NOT want to get sued. So if anyone has any problems with anything I write, then just tell me.
There's plenty more...blah blah blah...forget it and let the story begin :).
Note: US English has been used here.
Note: This is the sequel to Harry Potter & The Power Of Hogwarts. Please read it before moving on with this story.
HARRY POTTER & THE NEW DAWN
Chapter 2 – It Isn't The Right Time…Yet
The Daily Prophet
Largest Killing Spree Of The Century by Rita Skeeter
Our special correspondent Rita Skeeter reports what is probably the largest death eater attack ever of the current century…
…People have flocked to the Hogwarts castle from all over England and reports of more people leaving for Hogwarts are still coming in. Overnight, many of the wizarding villages have turned into ghost towns.
The war has started!
&&&&
As Harry made his way towards Dumbledore's office he cast a glance at a corridor leading towards the great hall. Even in the warm shelter of the castle, Harry could feel the drift of the cold wind rushing in through the open doorway of the great hall. As the blast of ice cold wind hit his face, he couldn't fail to notice the murmur of hundreds of people being carried on by the wind. He could hear children crying while some other people seemed to be arguing with each other. One voice seemed to be much higher than those of the others and Harry came to the conclusion that it was the voice of Filch. Obviously he was disgusted at the amount of dirt these "filthy" people might have brought with them. Hurrying on so that he would have to meet an angry Filch coming down the passageway Harry soon found himself in front of the stone gargoyle.
"Cadbury" Harry said absent mindedly. The gargoyle seemed to give a small smile as it jumped aside. Taking the moving stairs upwards, Harry soon found himself outside the headmaster's office. Just as he was about to knock, the door opened revealing the figure of Minerva McGonagall stepping forward. She was looking at something in her hand when she noticed someone standing a couple of feet from her.
"OH!" Professor McGonagall exclaimed as she looked at the person. It was quite obvious that she had not expected anyone to be up here at the moment and Harry's presence had scared her for a moment. Regaining her composure as quickly as possible, she asked "What are you doing here so early, Mr. Potter?"
"I came to meet the headmaster" Harry replied even as he mentally counted the time it took for McGonagall to recover from her shock. His calculation revealed she had taken approximately 3 seconds.
"He is not here at the moment" Professor McGonagall said as she closed the door behind her.
"But I need to talk to him" Harry said in a desperate tone. "It's important"
"He is not at Hogwarts now Mr. Potter" Professor McGonagall replied as she passed him and proceeded down the staircase. Harry, seeing no other option, decided to follow her.
"When is he going to come back?" Harry asked again.
"As soon as his work is done at the places he is required most" came the curt reply.
"But…" Harry started to say something but stopped. After all, there was no point in asking McGonagall repeatedly as to when Dumbledore would be back. Maybe she knew when he would be back…maybe she didn't. Whatever might be the case, he decided that he would have to come back later to check again. Even as Harry had finished coming to this conclusion, he found that he had walked past the stone gargoyle once again.
"He might come back in a few hours" McGonagall said as she walked in front of him. "Check after some time". It looked as if McGonagall had sensed exactly what was going through his mind.
"Yes ma'am" Harry replied and hurried past his transfiguration teacher. However, he suddenly found a hand on his shoulder stopping his movements.
"How are you doing Harry?" McGonagall asked in a low voice. As he looked at her, he once again saw a very concerned looking face similar to the one he had seen many a month back. This face didn't seem like that of the teacher who taught them transfiguration.
"Hmmm…I think I am doing ok" Harry replied without exactly knowing what he felt like. He was really sad in his heart but he hadn't been able to get over Tonks yet. He knew it would take time but somehow it was proving much harder than the time Sirius had died.
"If you want to talk about something then you can come to me, ok?" Professor McGonagall continued in her concerned voice. As Harry nodded in reply, his face showing gratitude for the offer the Professor had just made, the look on McGonagall's face changed back to her normal one.
"And now get down to the hall for some breakfast" McGonagall said. "You need to eat properly"
"Yes ma'am" Harry replied obediently. He knew that McGonagall wanted her students to be disciplined in all their tasks but, somewhere deep down, she cared for their feelings more than anything else. He couldn't help but respect the manner in which she conducted herself and yet got through to all the students when the necessity arose. Harry was lost in his thoughts as McGonagall turned a corner and vanished from his view. As Harry looked around, he saw that he had reached the passageway to the great hall once again but the number of voices seemed to have increased. Not wanting to go in the middle of so many people, he proceeded on walking towards the Gryffindor tower all by himself. Just as he turned a corner, he came face to face with a well known person.
"Potter" Draco Malfoy said in a loathing voice. "Seems like your friends have deserted you". Harry didn't want to get into a skirmish and ignored the boy's words. He moved right past him and continued on his way.
"Sorry she had to die" Malfoy said in an awkward tone. This caused Harry to stop dead in his tracks, his anger suddenly rising.
"Your friends always seem to end up…"
"Stop it Malfoy" Harry said in an icy cool voice, his fists balled to keep himself into control.
"From what I have heard, you rejected the Weasley for her" Malfoy's taunting voice continued. Harry turned around slowly to face Malfoy who had also turned around to look at him.
"Nice choice though" Malfoy said again with a sneer on his face. However the sneer vanished as he saw something inside Harry snap. All of a sudden Malfoy found Harry holding him by the collar of his cloak with a deadly look on his face.
"One more word Malfoy…" Harry hissed a warning through gritted teeth as he pushed Malfoy up the wall. Harry expected Malfoy to take out his wand and hence balled his right fist in case Malfoy tried anything of the kind. However, Malfoy made no such move. Instead, he put up his hands in surrender.
"Take it…easy…Potter" Malfoy said in small gasps. Slowly Harry loosened the grip as his anger started to fade slightly. He let go of Malfoy, who was breathing heavily, and started to make his way towards the Gryffindor tower once again.
"Why don't you take care of this issue once and for all Potter?" Harry had moved about four paces when he heard Malfoy speak up again.
"What do you mean Malfoy?" Harry asked as he stopped in his tracks once again.
"Why don't you fight the dark lord once and for all and get this sorted out?" Malfoy explained. Harry turned around at this and his eyes closely inspected Malfoy.
"And why would you be suggesting this Malfoy?" Harry asked, his eyes narrowed with suspicion.
"It would be helpful for me" Malfoy replied still rubbing his neck where Harry had squeezed it hard.
"Helpful?" Harry seemed confused.
"Yeah" Malfoy said. When he saw that Harry was still looking confused, he rolled his eyes and continued. "Not enough brains in that brave mind of yours, is there?". Harry didn't let the taunt get to him again and seeing that he was getting nowhere, Malfoy seemed to give up on the taunts.
"Look…if you two finish this off, then I, for one, will be able to choose which side I want to be" Malfoy explained. Seeing the look of disbelief on Harry's face, Malfoy continued "I am a Slytherin Potter. I don't want to end up dead. And I am not going to join any side until I know it is going to win for sure"
"But you were always so sure that the Voldemort is going to win this war" Malfoy winced at the name of Voldemort but Harry ignored it. "What happened to you Malfoy?"
"I grew up Potter" Malfoy replied with a cunning look on his face. "I don't care what happens to others as long as this war is over quickly. Even though you…" Malfoy stepped back and looked at Harry from top to bottom and then back to the top. "…you are no match for the dark lord, I can't say the same thing about Dumbledore"
"Afraid Malfoy?" Harry asked in a voice which he tried to make taunting. He didn't like taunting anyone but he had to pretend to do so right now because he wanted to be sure of what Malfoy was really up to.
"No Potter" Malfoy replied in his usual snobby manner. "Just being more intelligent than those fools who call themselves your friends and would blindly follow you to death. I am not with anyone in this war…yet…but I do plan to remain on the winning side"
"Seems like you are being as selfish as ever" Harry had a look of disgust on his face but couldn't help but appreciate the fact that Malfoy was checking all options available before taking his final decision.
"I am" Malfoy retorted. "And I am proud of it. Anyway…" Malfoy said in an arrogant manner. "…enough chit-chat. Just finish this thing soon so that I can make my decision, ok?". Even as Harry made to answer, Malfoy had turned on his heels and left. A worried looking Harry stood there for quite a few seconds before finally resuming his journey to the Gryffindor common room.
&&&&
"Not again" one of the first year students cried out as his fellow classmates dragged him out of his bed saying that they had to reach the great hall for an urgent announcement. This was the general voice of the entire Hogwarts student community including the Slytherins.
"What happened?" one of the fifth years asked a sixth year student.
"Look outside" the sixth year replied in a resentful voice as they proceeded towards the great hall. The fifth year student looked out of one of the windows they were passing and saw people still trickling across the Hogwarts grounds. His eyebrows were frowned in deep thought when it stuck him. These people must have come to Hogwarts to seek some kind of a refuge.
Slowly but surely the great hall seemed to be filled up by students. As the students entered the great hall, they couldn't help but notice that the hall had been enlarged to at least thrice of its original size. The house tables were still in their original position but the area between the house tables and the great hall door seemed as big as a quidditch pitch now. The only difference was that instead of being empty like a quidditch pitch, this area was brimming to the top with people coming in.
"Please be seated" Professor McGonagall said once she was sure that most of the students had come in. She saw that Harry was still not there but didn't read too much into it. He was obviously trying to avoid all these people here.
"As you all can see the attacks have begun" McGonagall said in a pained voice. "There are many of us here who have been affected by the attacks carried on yesterday night". Many of the students started talking amongst themselves in a concerned manner. Now that McGonagall had raised this point, it stuck them that none of them had had much news from their families…at least not yet.
"Hogwarts…" McGonagall said in a high pitched voice so that everyone could hear her over the commotion. The hall once again fell silent at hearing her voice. "Hogwarts will provide shelter to those who need it. We know that this is the time where we have to stand together and be there for each other". Many people in the crowd murmured their approval. "There are many ex-students of Hogwarts amongst you. This had been your home for seven years. Please treat this as your home…just like in the old days". Loads of people clapped and cheered at this statement.
"But there are others too who haven't been to Hogwarts before" McGonagall continued, addressing a section of people who looked slightly overwhelmed by what they had just seen. "Please treat Hogwarts as your home until we can find everyone a suitable replacement". A smile crossed the faces of most of the people present. This was what Hogwarts really stood for – friendship and camaraderie. They had only heard of it before but they were having the privilege to see it first hand for the first time in their lives. When they had left their homes many didn't know how they will be received here but McGonagall's words had reassured them to a large extent.
"Your living arrangements will be made in this hall for the moment after the students have dispersed" McGonagall continued from where she had left off. "Now…" McGonagall turned her attention to the students who had been listening to her for the past 10 minutes. "I know you won't like this but classes at Hogwarts are being postponed indefinitely for the time being". Even though the situation was very grave, some smiles could be seen on the lips of a few students. "Also, we expect you to treat our guests here with respect and dignity"
"Also, we, the teachers of Hogwarts, expect all of you present…" McGonagall looked at the refugees "…to treat the students with the respect they deserve". Almost everyone nodded their head in consent. "Now…" McGonagall turned to face the students once again. "…I will call the names of certain people and they will follow me to my office"
"Where is Dumbledore?" a person shouted from near the back of the hall.
"Yeah…where is he?" another voice echoed the same sentiment. "We need to talk to him. We can only be safe if he is around"
"Yes" a chorus of voices were heard the next moment.
"Only Dumbledore can save us from You-Know-Who" a voice was heard as saying.
"Please calm down" McGonagall looked irritated at the behavior of the people present but she knew that all of them were feeling very insecure. As the chaotic scene came under control a bit, she continued. "Headmaster Dumbledore has gone to meet the minister and take care of this situation at hand. He will be back by noon today". A feeling of unrest seemed to grow in the crowd.
"Till noon! That means we are without protection till then" one woman said shrilly, her weary face covered with lines of worry.
"No…" another voice spoke up. "Harry Potter is here, isn't he?"
"Yes…" another refugee spoke up. "Where is Harry Potter? Is he here?"
"He can protect us till Dumbledore gets here"
"BE QUITE" the magically enhanced voice of Professor McGonagall silenced the whole room in a single moment. "Please know that we maintain strict discipline here at Hogwarts and anyone who doesn't adhere by that is welcome to leave"
"We want to live Professor" one man spoke up. "Is that too much to ask for?" Professor McGonagall looked lost for words when another voice spoke up.
"If you want to live then live with honor" Fleur Delacour had entered the great hall. "Don't rely on just one person…rely on everyone around you. Fight for your honor". The hall fell into pin-drop silence at this.
"Easy for you to say lady" the man spoke again. "You live in this huge castle and have a posh lifestyle. How would you know what it means to live every moment thinking that it will be your last?"
"How would I know?" Fleur replied scathingly. "My house was destroyed by death eaters long before yours mister. My friend…" Fleur's voice choked slightly. "…she died in front of my eyes 5 days back. How would I know?" Fleur almost rushed towards the man when she found that one hand seemed to hold her back. Looking around, she saw it was Harry who had her in a tight grip. He was standing in such a way that part of his face and body was covered by the shadow cast by one of the pillars of the hall.
"You know what…" Harry said as he let go of Fleur. "…I think most of you do not have the slightest bit of self respect"
"Says who?" the man asked, his pride taking a beating.
"Me" Harry said as he stepped out of the shadows. "Harry Potter". The man gulped at the sight of seeing Harry Potter in flesh and blood for the first time. Same was the case with many others. However, many people in the crowd looked relieved at the sight of the Boy-Who-Lived.
"What makes you think that I can protect you from all the death eaters and Voldemort?" Everyone present in the hall winced at the name of the dark lord being mentioned. "I am a kid compared to many of you and yet you rely on me protecting you!"
"You are the Boy-Who-Lived" one woman said from the crowd.
"Do you want your son to be the Boy-Who-Lived lady?" Harry asked, looking at the woman. "Do you think that if he had been in my place then he could have saved the world by just waving his wand around?" Harry looked calm outside but was seething with rage inside. How could these people think that he was a match for one of the greatest wizards ever?
"Leave her" another person spoke up. "You have fought You-Know-Who so many times and yet you are alive!" the man's voice had a hint of disbelief in them. "If you can't save us…"
"He's a kid" another man, albeit much taller than the first one said. "He is no better than us. Only Dumbledore can help us"
"Shut up John" the first man replied. As Harry looked around, he could clearly see that there was a divide between these people. While most of them believed that he could save them, there were some who thought of this as a crazy idea.
"Look at what he is saying" the man named John replied. "He himself doesn't believe he can fight You-Know-Who"
"Because he has more brains that you" a woman replied. "If you had half his brains then god knows that you would have been a great wizard yourself"
"Martha!" John pointed his finger at her, clearly giving her the warning to stop.
"Will you all stop bickering?" the man, whose name was Peter, spoke up again. "John…we all know that he is a young man but he also has great courage. Even if half of what we have heard is true then…"
"Then what?" Harry asked, his eyes narrowed. "Then I will be able to save you all from a dark lord and hundreds of death eaters?". Peter squirmed under Harry's intense gaze.
"You people don't get the point, do you?" Neville spoke up from behind Harry. "A war is not fought alone. Harry cannot fight on his own"
"Leave it Neville" Harry cut in. "These people wont understand". With that, Harry turned around and left the great hall.
&&&&
"What are we going to do Peter?" a woman asked the man named Peter who had earlier taken a stance against the person named John.
"We will do fine Betty" Peter said to his wife as she cast a spell to clean another shirt which had been covered with blood.
"They killed him…" Betty sobbed. "They…they murdered our only child Peter". Betty couldn't control herself any longer and burst into tears. Peter, somehow managing to hold back his own tears, held his wife tightly in his arms. His heart was filled with hate for all the death eaters who had destroyed many a family the previous night.
He and his wife had been out on a social call and, on their way back, they had got stuck at the apparition point of Diagon Alley. For some reason, hundreds of people were apparating in that area around midnight and there were chaos all around. Rumor had it that death eaters were attacking the whole of England. Even as they tried to apparate to their homes, they found themselves about four kilometers from their target. Peter, who worked at the ministry, knew that this could mean only one thing – ministry aurors must have set up anti apparation wards around their village and were redirecting any apparition attempt to the nearest apparation point.
Even as Peter and Betty ran towards their village, they saw the dark mark over many houses. A spine chilling feeling passed through their bodies at every such sight and they ran even harder towards their village. Peter could hear Betty muttering a prayer that their eight year old son would be safe and sound…that they should find him sleeping in his bed just like any other day. Alas, that was not to be. As they turned the last corner and their home came in to view, the dreaded dark mark shadow loomed large over it. It was all over.
"They will all perish Betty" Peter said in a choked but confident voice.
"They will Peter…the have to" Betty said in between her sobs.
All around Peter and Betty, the same scenes were getting repeated over and over again. Even though the great hall was filled with a couple of thousand people, there wasn't much mingling between them. Everyone was lost in their own sorrow, trying to recover from the shock they had suffered yesterday. The two kids, whom Harry and the others had seen through the dormitory window, were the ones who seemed the most affected. Their grandparents were repeatedly trying to get them to talk but neither the ten year old boy nor his thirteen year old sister muttered a word. All they did was sit in a corner and stare blankly at everything that was happening around them. Some of the occupants of the hall pitied the condition of these kids but they too were not in a much better condition either. A look of sympathy was the most that these kids got. However, unknown to everyone present there, a single pair of green eyes watched the kids with great empathy. Everyone in this hall wanted revenge…and they would get it when the right time came.
&&&&
A couple of days later, Harry just didn't feel like staying in the trunk any longer. Instead, he wanted to go somewhere. Where, he didn't know…but he just wanted to get away from his memories for a short period of time. He knew that he couldn't run from his memories as they defined what he really was. However, it was one of those times when he just felt the need to go for a walk.
The common room was brimming with students as Harry climbed down the stairs. The commotion in the common room, which was quite common nowadays, stopped briefly as everyone paused to look at Harry. Harry sighed inwardly and stepped out of the portrait hole and into the corridors of Hogwarts. The corridors were much deserted nowadays since there were no classes held. Harry found the corridors more to his liking and started walking without thinking where he was going. It was as if his feet had a mind of it's own as he kept on walking slowly. He had thought that a long walk would take his mind off Tonks for some time but that did not happen. On the contrary, the memory of Tonks seemed to come back to him like a flood.
Harry could clearly remember the look on Tonks face as she had got hit by the curse. That smile…that lovely smile which always made him smile even in the worst situation. However, on that day, that smile had made him cry.
The last time he had cried before that was the day Dobby had died. He had never thought of his life without these two person's present but fate had something else in store for him altogether. He didn't know how Remus was managing it. As for himself, his eyes were set on quite a few figures for the time being – Voldemort, Snape, Wormtail and Ginny.
"Harry!"
Harry turned round to see the figure of Soha approaching him from one of the corridors.
"I have been…" Soha stopped to regain her breath before continuing. "…looking for you all day long"
"Is there anything important?" Harry asked as he started to walk down the corridor once again.
"Yes" Soha said in a very concerned voice as she fell in step with Harry. "The thing is…" Soha was still lost for breath but somehow managed to go through her sentences. "The thing is that many people out there are concerned for you but you don't even talk to them". Harry didn't reply to this and, casting his glance in different directions, calmly continued to walk down the corridor.
"You once told me that it was for your friend's own good" Soha carried on. "But it is not doing them any good. Everyone is worried sick about you"
"People still worry about the Boy-Who-Lived Soha" Harry replied in a cold voice as he turned another corner. "Very…" Harry lost his voice for a second before continuing. "…very few people have really cared about Harry"
"You are wrong" Soha stomped her foot on the floor. "You are so wrong. Ron, Hermione, Neville, Cho, myself…we all care about you Harry"
"Maybe you are right Soha" Harry replied softly. Soha continued walking along with Harry expecting something more from him but he didn't say anything.
"So?" Soha stepped in front of Harry to stop him. "What are you going to do?"
"Walk along a bit more if you don't mind" Harry replied calmly. He tried to side step Soha but she was too quick for him and blocked his path again.
"Why are you doing this to us Harry?" Soha asked in exasperation. "Forget me…I am new here…you have known Ron and Hermione and the others for so long. Why are you doing this to them?". A vague look came over Harry's face and Soha could understand that he was reliving some of his old memories. However, the face soon became expressionless again as was the case ever since the New Year had dawned.
"I don't know" Harry said absent mindedly and walked past a helpless Soha. If someone had been near Harry as he turned yet another corner, they would clearly have heard him say "It isn't the right time…yet"
&&&&
"What can we do to stop all this?" Anthony Goldstein's whisper could be clearly heard in the D.A. meeting room. The D.A. had met to discuss the future planning's of it's operations now that there were refugees in Hogwarts but none of them could think of anything. All that was going through everyone's mind was the state of devastation they had seen outside.
"I don't think there is much we can do right now" Hermione said. "We have got to help out the needy people right now"
"But we need to do something for people to stop becoming needy" Anthony said in a sarcastic voice. He had been very upset from the morning when he had learnt that his uncle and aunt had died in the attacks and none dared argue with him at the moment.
"I agree with Anthony" Neville said.
"But what can we do?" Hermione asked Neville. "I mean…there are hundreds of death eaters out there. We can't fight them"
"Hermione's right" Cho chipped in. "For the time being, I think that all we can do is try to keep Hogwarts safe"
"Hogwarts IS safe" Anthony said again. "Hogwarts has Dumbledore. Others don't"
"Anthony…" Neville went over to the boy and sat down beside him. "…we all know how terrible you must be feeling. But we just can't rush out there, can we?"
"Why not?" the boy asked in a choked voice. The emotion in his voice conveyed the message as to how much his aunt and uncle had meant to him.
"No Anthony…we have to wait for the right time" Neville said in a soothing voice. "Also, we are still not up to the level to take on hordes of death eaters"
"No…we can" another student, a Hufflepuff, said. "We took on those giants and the death eaters"
"They were not using the unforgivables" Cho spoke up. "If they had, then most of us wouldn't have been present here today"
"But we need to do something" another member spoke up. "Just look at the people outside. I mean…none of us wants to be in a similar situation and nor do we want others to have a life like this"
"Yes…I agree with you mate" another guy, a Ravenclaw, spoke. "But we still need a lot of things to be of some real help outside. I think it is better that we play to our strengths"
"And they are?" came the question.
"Our strength is that we know Hogwarts inside out" Hermione spoke again after a long time. "Many people will be coming here to seek refuge. We can ensure that they have a safe passage across the fields and around the lake and don't stray outside when it is dark"
"As if that is going to stop You-Know-Who" Anthony's voice was filled with loathing.
"No" Cho said. She could feel the tension in the D.A. and she knew that somewhere deep down every member was scared. It was her and Neville's responsibility to calm them down. She missed Harry very much right now since, whenever Harry was present, they always could look up to him and think that here was a person who had suffered many a loss and yet was fighting it out. They needed someone like that amongst them right now but Cho knew that Harry was not yet ready to come back…not after what Soha had told her about her conversation with Harry. Fighting a feeling to go and look for Harry, Cho opened her mouth to speak but stopped as the door to the Room of Requirements opened. In the doorway stood Ron.
No one except Hermione had dared to talk to Ron ever since they had heard about what had happened. Some of those present knew the feeling since a few of their family members had joined the dark side in the war. In any case, everyone knew from the look on Ron's face that he was feeling awful.
"C'mon inside Ron" Hermione said after Ron didn't move from his place for well over a minute. He seemed to be staring at everyone present to see if they were staring back at him or not. While the younger members did stare at him, the older ones didn't meet his eye. He considered every stare cautiously, as if to see whether they held sympathy for him or whether it was hatred. Finally satisfying himself that he was amongst friends and well wishers, he proceeded towards the back of the room and sat down on one of the empty chairs present.
Even as Cho saw Ron walking towards the back of the room, a thought stuck her. She knew that Ron was going through one hell of a time and yet…
"Look at Ron" Cho said with emphasis and got up from his feet. Everyone seemed slightly stunned at these sudden words but continued to listen nonetheless.
"We all know he is going through one of the worst phases of his life" Cho said as she looked Ron dead in the eye. She knew that she had to make her point and yet she should not hurt Ron's feelings. "We all sympathize with you Ron and we all hope that nothing like this happens to any of us but…" Cho paused slightly to make her point. "…but it will happen again. Today someone from Ron's family has made a wrong choice, tomorrow it might be my own brother. Today a lot of people have died…some very near and dear to many of us. Tomorrow's casualty list might contain my parents list". Many people, including Neville, looked on with a new found respect for Cho and the way she was dealing with the members of the D.A.
"We know the times are bad but we have to do what we have to do" Cho continued. "Ron came here because he felt it his duty to be here. We have to protect the people at Hogwarts because it is our duty. If we can at least protect these people, then also we will be taking a lot of burden off Dumbledore's shoulders. Then…"
"Then he will be able to devote more of his time to gather his own forces and get ready for the final battle". Neville said the very words which were on Cho's mind. Cho stopped once she saw that Neville had taken over the mantle. They had developed a good understanding over the past few months and knew where to let the other take the lead. She now knew why Harry had asked both of them to be joint leaders.
"We have to protect these people" Neville said earnestly. He knew how it was to grow up without the love of one's parents since his parents were all but dead. "These people think that only Dumbledore can protect them and if Dumbledore is not there then they are unsafe. We have to give them a feeling of security"
"And…" Cho took over from Neville and started circling the students. "…once they know that we are there to save them if needed, then they will be there to help us when we need them. God knows we need as many people fighting as possible. If the adults in these groups know that we can protect their kids then they might also take Dumbledore's side when the war comes to the door of Hogwarts"
"We need everyone fighting for us" Hermione was the one to speak up now. "We can't just rush off to our homes and fight there. One person…" Hermione's eyes became a bit misty as she stopped for a moment. "One person suffered a lot to see us work as a team. We can't let him down". Everyone in the D.A. knew that Hermione was talking about Harry. Even though they still thought that Dumbledore had been the one to organize the D.A. training under Moody, they believed that it was at Harry's insistence that the training had taken place. And everyone knew that it was because of the training that they had survived the last Halloween feast.
Slowly a murmur of consent went through almost everyone present there. They had their own problems but they knew that they had to do their duty – that to protect Hogwarts and it's occupants to the best of their capabilities. They couldn't let them down…they couldn't let Harry down. However, one person seated at the back did not say anything. All that was racing through his mind was a single sentence"
"My sister let us down…she let you down Harry"
&&&&
"That was close" Cho said to Neville and Hermione as they gathered in the great hall for the dinner.
"Well…" Hermione looked at Cho and said "You showed great guts to take the example of Ron. I would never have dared to say anything like that". Hermione's voice reflected the admiration she had for Cho's action.
"I had my fingers crossed" Cho replied. "I don't know Ron too well but he is sometimes a bit short tempered. I was just hoping that…" Cho's voice trailed off at this.
"I must say he took it very well" Neville said thoughtfully. "Ron's changed a lot"
"Yes…he has" Hermione agreed as Cho went towards the Ravenclaw table while she followed Neville to the Gryffindor table.
&&&&
"Harry" Remus called out softly as he entered the trunk. Finding Harry's room empty, he went over to the training area. There he found Harry hard at work with different spells. Remus recognized some of the spells which Harry used while a couple of spells looked new to him. He knew that Harry was going through his books a lot lately to take his mind off Tonks and hence he had started learning new spells at a fast rate. Not wanting to disturb Harry, Remus settled down at an empty chair in the dining table and kept watching his godson at practice.
Harry seemed to have changed a lot in the past week. Nowadays he seemed much more focused in his daily routine and his every movement seemed to be calculated. He spent a lot of time training…sometimes more than necessary. His mingling with his old friends, which had been on a comeback trail before the death of Tonks, also seemed to have taken a backseat. Also, he sometimes behaved like a younger version of Moody but Remus knew that he couldn't blame Harry for being over cautious. After all, what could be expected if someone like Ginny betrayed him?
However, on other occasions, Harry seemed to care about nothing in this world. He would spend hours on the end in the trunk gazing at some place or the other. Remus could only guess that Harry was thinking of Tonks in those moments. It's not as if Remus himself didn't think about Tonks. In fact, he thought about her a lot and wished that maybe somehow she would be in their midst. Similarly, he couldn't forget the little man of the trunk – Dobby.
Harry didn't say anything about Dobby but Remus could feel how much Harry missed Dobby. Whenever Harry entered the kitchen to fix himself a snack or make their dinner, he would stop for a moment and look at Dobby's room. It was a small one attached to one end of the kitchen. Just by the look of emotion in Harry's eyes whenever he looked at Dobby's room, Remus could tell how deeply scarred Harry had been by the little elf's death. Without Dobby and Tonks around, the trunk seemed very quite and…it seemed just like a trunk. He missed the yelling of Tonks…about how Dobby…
"Hi Remus" Remus was brought out of his thoughts by the distant voice of Harry. Looking around, he saw Harry walking towards him with their dinner leviated in front of him. Presently, Harry placed the plates on the table.
"You seemed lost in your thoughts" Harry said in an apologetic voice. "Sorry if I disturbed you"
"No" Remus brushed off the apology and pulled his dinner plate towards him. "No problem at all"
"What were you thinking?" Harry asked curiously.
Remus squirmed around in his seat for a couple of seconds even as Harry continued to gaze at him. "I was just thinking of some…old times" he finally managed to say. Harry didn't say anything at this and his focus shifted to his food. The rest of the dinner passed off in silence as both of them were lost in their own thoughts. Soon the table was cleared away by Harry and they found themselves sitting at their respective places. The only difference was that two of the opposite chairs were empty.
"They were very good to us" Remus said finally. Harry just kept looking at the chair opposite to him and didn't say anything in reply.
&&&&
"I have heard that some auror died that night" one of the girls in the Gryffindor common room said to another. The rumors regarding the death of Tonks had subsided in a couple of days but now that classes had been postponed sine-die, many of the students had nothing better than to gossip around.
"Yeah" replied the other girl. "And I hear that she had died while fighting Severus Snape"
"That's not true" one of the boys who had overheard these girls came over. "She was killed when they were fighting Ginny"
"She?" one of the girls looked at the boy in a wide-eyed manner.
"Yes" another member of the group spoke up. "I had also heard that it was a lady"
"Was Harry there?" came another question.
"I heard she died trying to save Harry" the boy replied.
"How do you know that?"
"Word gets around fast here, doesn't it?" the boy replied. "I have reliable sources"
"Why would someone risk their life for Harry?" the first girl asked even though she knew the answer to this.
"Lots of people are out there who would do anything for him" the second girl replied, saying exactly what was on the first girls mind.
"It was a girl, right?" another guy had joined the group of gossip mongers. More and more people were beginning to listen to this conversation.
"Yeah" the guy who had first come over replied.
"Do you think she was Harry's girlfriend?" the new boy asked. At this many people exchanged glances. Most of the people present there knew that Harry didn't have any serious girlfriend after the problem with Cho. Also, lately he had withdrawn himself from Hogwarts public life completely and hence had almost no chance to mingle with other girls.
"No" one of the girls replied. "From what I had heard, she was much older than him. After all, she was an auror"
"And where is it written that a guy cannot have an older girlfriend?" the new boy asked in a sarcastic voice. "What do the others think? Why would a girl die for someone?"
"Well…" one of the girls looked very thoughtful. "Hermione tried to save Ron but they were a couple then"
"Exactly" the boy said emphatically. "People do these kinds of things for their families and loved ones. If she was not his family, as we all know Harry has no family, then…" the boy left the sentence hanging and looked at everyone present. No one could argue with his logic and yet they didn't dare to agree with the boy completely.
"He must be so sad then" one of the girls in the group, which had swelled up to twenty five by then, spoke up. "I mean…if they really were a couple then it must be so hard for him to take it". Many of the girls had sympathetic looks on their faces.
"Why don't we ask Harry if the auror was his girlfriend or not?" another new member to the group said.
"Are you nuts?" the girls who had first started this conversation said in a chorus. "He will curse you to oblivion"
"Whatever you think!" the boy said with a shrug. "I just suggested the best way to confirm whether we are thinking the right thing or not"
"Yeah" another girl said with a roll of her eyes. "The best way to know whether meddling with the private life of the current best DADA student is going to have a good effect on your life or not"
"Well…he has a point though" the first boy said. "If we just asked Harry politely…" at this moment, the voice of the boy trailed off. Everyone looked at each other questioningly as to what had happened when a series of nudges pointed out the source of this abrupt stop. Everyone followed the fifth year boy's gaze and found it to be fixed on the figure of a serious looking Harry Potter whose cold stare sent a chill down everyone's spine.
No one said a thing as Harry climbed down the dormitory stairs. The whole Gryffindor common room had fallen into pin drop silence. Other students, who had avoided getting into the gang of gossipers, looked on in anticipation to see what might happen next. Everyone's eyes were fixed on Harry whose eyes were scrutinizing the faces of thirty odd students gathered around the fire.
"Ask me what?" Harry asked in a calm but cold voice as soon as he came up to the group. Many of the group members turned their eyes towards the floor. This included the boy who had just suggested asking Harry about Tonks.
"You people were going to ask me something" Harry said again. "What did you want to know about?". There was something in Harry's voice which dared anyone to ask him anything. Everyone knew that Harry had overheard a part of the conversation and knew exactly what they wanted to ask and yet they didn't dare say anything. Gone was their Gryffindor courage in front of Harry's commanding presence. Neville, who was standing near the staircase to the boy's dormitory, could not help but admire Harry's overall personality. He knew that deep down Harry was just the same old person they had always known and yet, when the situation demanded, he could go that extra step to keep the situation under control. He had not seen this side of Harry at the end of their previous year of schooling and guessed that Harry had matured a bit more than the others and knew how to handle different situations better than most. Only if he had been there to lead to the D.A. then they would have been able to achieve much higher standards.
"It's always better to speak in front of a person rather than gossip behind their backs" Harry said slowly to make his point very clear. "Would you have liked someone else prying on your private life if it had been you instead of me?". The remaining students, who still were maintaining some kind of eye contact, also lowered their heads. They knew that Harry was right and they wouldn't want to be in his shoes for all the gold in the world.
"We are sorry Harry" said one of the boys. Harry knew that it took a lot of courage to admit one's own mistake and he appreciated the boy for it. Gossiping was something which everyone did…more so when they were in their teens. It's just that he was slightly weary of all this gossiping because of the amount of controversies he had been involved in throughout his life in the wizarding world. Just nodding his head towards the boy in an acknowledging gesture, Harry walked across the common room and climbed out of the portrait hole.
"Ouch!"
"Oh…sorry Fleur" Harry said as he recognized the person with whom he had collided outside the portrait hole.
"It's ok" Fleur replied. Seeing that Harry seemed a bit upset, Fleur continued "Where are you headed now?"
"Well…" Harry looked around uncertainly. Now that he thought of it, he really didn't know where he was going. "I was just going for a walk inside the castle" he said truthfully. Harry didn't know when this had become a habit for him but every day he wandered around the corridors of Hogwarts aimlessly. Every evening he was reminded of the happenings of the dawning of the New Year and he would inevitably end up going to the spot where Tonks had got hit by the fatal curse from Ginny. Inexplicably, he felt very peaceful whenever he was at that spot.
"Maybe you could spend some time with us" Fleur said a bit timidly. To tell the truth, she was in a mental mess. She didn't know whether talking too much with Harry was good or bad for her. She was way too deep in love with him to avoid him all the time. However, she loved him so dearly that the thought of her confessing her love for him was sacrilege to her. How could she even dare to take the place in Harry's heart which he had reserved for Tonks?
"Us?" Harry asked in mild confusion.
"Well…my family has come over to visit me" Fleur explained. "When they saw the reports of attacks all over…"
"I see" Harry absentmindedly interrupted Fleur. "Ok…I think I will like seeing them once more". Fleur's smiled at this and led the way towards the dungeons which was her home at Hogwarts. Inside, she felt her heart skipping a beat with every step but on the outside she knew couldn't show it. She knew very well that she was nowhere near to the place which she wanted in her heart. Whatever be the case, she had made a resolve to be Harry's friend throughout their lives. If this meant that confessing her love might destroy their friendship, she wouldn't do so. Just having Harry by her side was enough for her.
"How is Gabrielle doing?" Harry asked as they came nearer to Fleur's living quarters.
"Why don't you find out for yourself when you get there" Fleur replied with a smile and continued walking beside Harry. The ecstasy she felt having Harry beside her was too much for her right now. She hadn't met him for what seemed to be a very long time and she wanted to enjoy the moment of walking side by side with Harry. Maybe one day he will hold her hand when they walked side by side…
"No" Fleur whispered lightly to herself at this thought. She couldn't let her heart get the better of her head. She couldn't replace Tonks. With an inwardly sigh, she opened the door to the potions classroom and led Harry to the room where her family was present.
&&&&
Harry was walking towards his dormitory and felt much better after meeting with Fleur's parents and siblings. They loved him very dearly…almost as if he was family. However, he didn't wish to have a repeat of what had happened to Tonks. He had made it a point to be as far as possible from Fleur and her family in public. Also, whenever they asked him as to what he was doing or how he was feeling, he would always provide a positive answer. He would always tell them that he was busy studying or that Remus had helped him in overcoming the "problems" they had been facing in the recent times. The Delacours never referred to the death of Dobby and Tonks directly and Harry was grateful for it. He wouldn't have minded if the Delacours had spoken about the deaths again but he still preferred to keep the conversations away from this topic.
"I feel much safe now that he is here" Harry heard a group of people coming down the corridor around the bend. Not wanting to face them, Harry quickly ducked into one of the empty classrooms on his left. The last thing he needed now was another "save the world" plea.
"I agree with you Matt" a female voice said. "Having Dumbledore here is really reassuring"
"But what can he do to save us mommy?" a tiny voice asked. Harry guessed that the lady was not taking any chances by leaving her daughter alone in the great hall. After all, Hogwarts was a huge place and any kid could get lost easily.
"He will fight against You-Know-Who and protect us all honey" her mother said in a soothing voice. Harry stood still in the dark and listened as the group came nearer and nearer, their voices becoming clearer by the moment.
"The thing is…" one person whose voice sounded more deep than the others, said. "…why isn't the headmaster getting rid of You-Know-Who?". Harry guessed that this person was a student of Hogwarts sometime long ago since he referred to Dumbledore as 'headmaster'.
"Don't know" another person replied. "They say Harry Potter is the only person who can fight against him"
"He's a kid" someone else said. "But he has a lot of character in him"
"That's right" the lady spoke again. "The way he was speaking in the hall in front of everyone…even John didn't say anything after that"
"Mommy…was he really Harry Potter?" Harry heard the little girl ask in a awestruck voice. As he peeked at the group passing by, he saw the girl couldn't be more that eight years old.
"Yes dear" her mother replied, causing the girl's eyes to go wide. "But don't you stare at him when he comes in front of you. It is…"
"…rude to stare" the girl completed the sentence with a giggle. Evidently she was used to hearing it quite often. The groups voice grew indistinctive as they moved farther away from Harry's hiding spot. Once their footsteps had died down, Harry slowly stepped out of the classroom and started walking towards the Gryffindor tower thinking about what he had just heard. Dumbledore was back…and he needed to talk to him. Quickly Harry turned and started walking towards Dumbledore's office. He had to take many detours to avoid groups of people talking to some professor or the other in the corridors. Finally, he found himself in front of the gargoyle guarding the opening to the spiraling staircase. Upon giving the password, he climbed the stairs and was about to knock when he heard the voice of McGonagall inside.
"What is the matter Albus?" she asked impatiently. It seemed as if she had been asking him this question repeatedly over many an hour or many a day.
"It's very hard to let go Minerva" Dumbledore said in an emotional voice.
"Let go of what?" McGonagall seemed slightly puzzled.
"Memories…" Dumbledore replied as Harry listened from outside. "…the past…the present…"
"How come you still manage to confuse me with your words?" McGonagall said in exasperation.
"Experience" Dumbledore said with a sigh. To Harry, it seemed as if Dumbledore was bearing a great burden on his shoulders…one which was starting to take it's toll on him.
"Can I help you is any way Albus?" McGonagall asked.
"You have always been very helpful Minerva…" Dumbledore said slowly. "…but not this time"
"You have always had your way" McGonagall sounded very irritated. "Something is building insid…"
"I think I will like to talk to Mr. Potter now" Dumbledore cut short McGonagall which, to Harry, seemed very rude. He knew Dumbledore was not the sort of person who would do something like that to hurt anyone but then again, maybe the situation was such that he had to do it. Harry's thoughts, however, were interrupted by five words "You may come in Harry".
"Good evening sir" Harry said as he pushed open the door and entered the headmaster's office. "Good evening Professor McGonagall"
"Good evening" McGonagall replied in a cold manner without meeting Harry's eyes and walked out of the room. Harry knew for sure that McGonagall had been deeply hurt and he had a slight inkling that he had seen tears in her eyes as she had passed him.
"Minerva told me that you were looking for me" Dumbledore said as Harry took the seat on offer.
"Yes sir" Harry replied, feeling a bit angry at how Dumbledore seemed to be unaffected by the way McGonagall had walked out. There was no way Dumbledore could not have known that McGonagall had been deeply hurt but Harry decided it was best to leave those matters alone. Just as he didn't like others meddling in his life, he didn't want to meddle in anyone else's life either.
"So what is it that is on your mind?" Dumbledore said as he cleaned his glasses.
"Where is all this leading to sir?" Harry asked in a voice devoid of all emotion.
"To you Harry" Dumbledore replied calmly.
"And these people?" Harry asked in the same monotonous voice. "Why do they have to suffer?"
"I really don't have an answer to that one Harry" Dumbledore replied as he put on his glasses, a strained look on his face. "He is exerting his new found freedom"
"What can I do to stop him?"
"I am afraid that we cannot do anything right now Harry" Dumbledore replied as he stared out of the window on the dark horizon. "He has all the cards right now and we have to wait for him to make a wrong move"
"But…" Harry's voice rose as his temper got the better of him. "But…by then a lot of people will end up dead. Families destroyed…orphans…"
"I can understand your feelings Harry" Dumbledore said as he looked straight at his favorite pupil. "But we have to take into consideration that we are fighting one of the greatest wizards of all times who also has a big army of death eaters now"
"But there must be something we can do" Harry stood up, his adrenaline running high. "There must be something the Order can do to stop his followers…or maybe the ministry aurors…"
"We are doing whatever we can Harry" Dumbledore replied. "We have over 50 Order members and 60 aurors…"
"50!" Harry looked at Dumbledore as if it was the most ridiculous thing he had ever heard. "60!" Harry's voice peaked even more. "What are you trying to tell me? There are hundreds of death eaters out there and we have about 110 light wizards protecting the people of England?"
"I am afraid that is the strength we could muster till now" Dumbledore replied. "But they are not protecting the people of England"
"Then what the hell are they doing?" Harry asked, his face betraying the anger inside him.
"They are escorting everyone to a safe place" Dumbledore said. Harry looked at Dumbledore with narrowed eyes before comprehension dawned upon him.
"They are escorting everyone…here?". As Dumbledore nodded in reply, Harry got up from his seat.
"Voldemort knows I am here so sooner or later he will come here" Harry seemed to be thinking aloud as he started pacing around the room. "If there are so many refugees here, then he will come here sooner so that he can take care of everyone at once. I don't care what happens to me but if there is a war here at Hogwarts…which there will be…then there will be lots of casualties…" Harry stopped in his tracks and looked at Dumbledore. "You can't keep them here"
"I can understand your feelings but…" Dumbledore paused for a long moment before continuing. "…but…I cannot stop anyone from wanting to come here. We are not forcing anyone to come here. We are only escorting those people here who want to come here"
Harry leaned over Dumbledore's desk and asked "And how many of those people are there who want to come here?"
"I have to admit there are quite a lot of them" Dumbledore replied.
"You just cannot let this happen" Harry threw up his arms in the air in desperation. "The more the people are near to me the more they are near to their doom"
"The more the people that are near you, the more united we will be and the better we will be able to fight Lord Voldemort" Dumbledore countered Harry. Harry looked at Dumbledore for a second before starting to pace the room again.
"That's your way of looking at it" Harry said bitterly. "If only you had lived my life…seeing my near and dear ones…" his voice choked slightly and he stopped momentarily to blink back the tears that were starting to form in his eyes.
"We always have to move on Harry" Dumbledore said in a sympathetic voice. "We have to live for the future"
"But we can't leave our pasts behind" Harry said as he slumped down in his chair once more. "I still think this is one bad idea. I mean…how many people have died in this first wave of attacks? Thousands if I am not wrong". Harry cast a questioning look at Dumbledore who gave a sad nod. "And now, more people are coming here. An absurd amount of people will end up dying if Hogwarts is attacked. And I don't know what protection you have got here but if Voldemort attacks with all his forces, then he is surely going to kill a lot of innocent people regardless of the outcome of this war"
"But I can't help it any more than you can Harry. If there is an attack then we will have to face it when it comes" Dumbledore replied. "We all know he will attack Hogwarts. This place resembles hope for all the people of England and conquering Hogwarts will easily propel Lord Voldemort to greater heights. However, I cannot stop anyone from coming here. I cannot force anyone to leave this place"
"Maybe I should leave this place" Harry suggested, the bitterness still present in his voice.
"No!" Dumbledore said in an alarmed manner. "You are our only hope but you don't stand a chance to fight against everyone single handedly. Never leave this place or else we will all perish". As Dumbledore continued to look at Harry, he saw a range of emotions crossing the face of the young man.
"Give me your word that you won't leave Hogwarts until the war is over" Dumbledore said as he leant forward. Seconds turned into minutes as Harry didn't reply to Dumbledore. He was weighing every option in his head to see which was the best possible way to fight Voldemort. Dumbledore, seeing Harry deep in thought, didn't want to disturb him either. However, he didn't take his eyes off Harry even for a second.
"Ok…you have my word" Harry said at last. At this, Dumbledore leaned back in his chair, relief washing over his features. "But I might leave Hogwarts…temporarily" Harry continued. "Maybe for a few hours or so…"
"I have no objection to that" Dumbledore said.
"I still think keeping all the refugees here is a bad idea" Harry said as he got up to leave. "Hopefully I am wrong"
"Hopefully" Dumbledore said as he saw Harry leave his office.
&&&&
"Hi"
"Hi" Harry said as he sat down at the end of his bed. He had not expected Ron to be present at that time but now that Ron had greeted him, he had to hang around a bit longer.
"How are you doing?" Ron asked tentatively. Harry could notice that Ron's voice had a hint of fear in them but at the same time the concern in his voice could not be missed either.
"Fine" Harry replied as briefly as possible.
"It's very hard, isn't it?" Ron continued but it seemed that he was talking more to himself than Harry. "After you have known someone for so long…"
"People make choices" Harry said, the scene of Tonks jumping in front of him seemed to be replaying itself in his mind. Tonks had definitely made a choice.
"Tonks choose to die" Ron said in a sorrow filled voice. "She was always so jolly…keeping us all laughing". Harry didn't reply to this and kept looking out of the window at the setting sun.
"She was a great friend" Harry said at last.
"I bet she was" Ron said with a nod. "Even I wouldn't die for someone with a scar on his head" Ron gave a hesitant laugh at this. Harry smiled slightly at Ron's pathetic attempt to lighten up the mood but didn't say anything. He knew that if required then Ron would die for him hundred times over but he didn't think saying all this stuff was of much use now.
"I wish I could have got to know her a bit better" Ron continued. "It's weird…six months and there is no Sirius…no Tonks". Ron stopped as he saw that Harry had balled his fists tightly at the mention of Sirius's name.
"I am sorry" Ron said as Harry slowly relaxed once more. Ron knew he had made a mistake by bringing up the issue of Sirius when Harry was already grieving Tonks. "I shouldn't have said that"
"No…" Harry replied. "I have to live with the fact"
"Yeah" Ron gave a sigh.
"I am sorry about Ginny and Percy" Harry said after a couple of minutes of silence.
"There's no need to feel sorry for them" Ron's voice was filled with loathing. "That girl tried to kill you…my best…"
"friend" Harry thought to himself as Ron stopped in the middle of the sentence looking slightly uncomfortable. Deep down however, he felt grateful to Ron for being so faithful…for still being there for him if needed. However, he knew that he couldn't let his emotions get the better of him. Not now…not after so long.
"I…" Ron stuttered slightly before continuing. "They are…they…"
"I understand" Harry said in a consoling voice. He knew that it must have been very hard for the Weasley's to know that members of their family had joined Voldemort. They must have felt as if two people of their family had died.
"Mom…Dad…" Ron kept on saying some broken words and kept shaking his head in disbelief.
"You guys are there to take care of them" Harry felt the need to take an elder brotherly attitude after seeing Ron almost breaking down. He knew that Ron must have kept a hold on his emotions throughout this period since he didn't want to appear weak in front of his family. However, the last thing Harry needed was to have to console Ron. "You, Fred and George have to be there for your parents when they need you the most"
"You are right" Ron said spontaneously with a firm determination in his voice. "We are not dead yet"
"You won't be" Harry said in a voice just low enough for Ron to clearly distinguish what he had said.
"You said something?" Ron asked.
"No" Harry said with a sigh.
"Do you think they have met?" Ron asked curiously.
"Who?" Harry questioned back.
"Sirius and Tonks" Ron replied before continuing. "I wonder what it is like in the afterlife". Harry looked at Ron for a few seconds before shrugging his shoulders. Ron didn't say anything else for a long time. It was Harry who broke the silence.
"Wherever they are, hopefully they are happy" Harry said. Before Ron could say anything in reply, Harry got up and entered the trunk. He needed some time alone. Dumbledore had been right after all. It was very hard to let go of memories.
&&&&
A/N: Second chapter here. Hopefully the continuity in the storyline is there. Thanks for all those reviews. Every review which you people made is very much appreciated. Please know that.
HP18 – Sorry but the time for Harry to make up with all his friends has still not come as is suggested by this chapter and its title.
Danielc – As to why Harry didn't see Tonks in his dream…that has something to do with his mental state. It will become clearer in the future 2-3 chapters.
polar2292 – If I am not wrong then you are the person who registered on to review PoH initially. Thanks for sticking around :)
cazten – This is listed under Harry/Tonks because Tonks will be a large influence on Harry throughout this story. Plus other information regarding Tonks will also come forth in the coming chapters.
Makotochi, Silverscale, yorkvillebird – Nice to see that you are following this story too. Thanks :)
Yoko Kitsune – Sorry about killing off Tonks in PoH. It was very essential in this story. How? You have to hang around this fic for a while to know.
strangeryou don't know – I don't know about romance yet but Harry will have some happiness in terms of a romantic life
Everyone else – A BIG thanks for all your reviews. Just because I didn't mention your name doesn't mean your review is of any less importance to me. It is very much appreciated. Also, those who didn't review – thanks for taking the time to read my fic.
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