Chapter 2: Frustrations
Been a while.
Let's just jump into it.
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of its characters. Seriously, do I need to write this?
Harry Potter grunted when he felt soreness all over his body as he woke up. God, why did he feel so drained? He could certainly say that he has had worse though, that's for sure. With a Quidditch Captain like Oliver Wood around, that was a given.
That didn't mean that he didn't feel like he had been run over by a tow truck on his right arm. Harry winced in pain when he moved his right arm towards his body. It felt like it was hypersensitive, as if the slightest of cuts could make it bleed like it never had.
The young woman in front of him noticed his wincing and called out, 'Sirius, he's awake!' Harry groaned when he heard the familiar voice of Ginny call out to his godfather.
Sirius was there next to Ginny in a second, grabbing Harry by the shoulder, 'Pup, are you alright?' He asked, desperately. Harry blinked when he saw the blurry face of Sirius, before he realized that he did not have his glasses on to see him clearly.
Harry coughed when he first tried to say something, and heard someone say, 'Bring the boy some water, girlie.' The voice was familiar, and felt like someone had rubbed on it with sandpaper. It was Alastor Moody.
'Sirius, I need my glasses' Harry managed to say. Sirius' eyes lightened up when he heard his godson speak, before nodding quickling and snatching the glasses from a surprised Hermione, who had been just about to hand over the glasses to her best friend.
Sirius placed the glasses in his left hand, careful to avoid the right one, for some reason Harry didn't understand, 'Here you go, pup.' Sirius replied softly.
Harry nodded thankfully, and placed the glasses in their place, mentally sighing when he saw the number of people in the room staring at him as if he was about to faint at any second. He was just about comment when Hermione came up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. Harry blinked up at her.
'…Hermione, what just happened?' He asked his best friend. Hermione smiled reassuringly at him, before scowling.
'Harry Potter, how dare you worry us like that?!' She scolded him. Harry blinked dumbly for a second, before he chuckled at the girl's predictable attitude. In the corner of his eye, he saw the Twins mouthing the exact same thing just before Hermione did. Sirius looked at Hermione amusedly.
'Sorry, Hermione, but when I realize what just happened; I'll try not to do it again.' He said with a wry grin on his face. Hermione sniffed, but smiled softly at him.
Sirius spoke to his godson, his previous humor vanished, 'Harry, do you know what happened earlier?' Harry looked at Sirius blankly before his eyes lit up in recollection.
'Oh yeah, I was yelling at the portrait for insulting you… who was the woman-banshee in the portrait anyway?' He asked the man, who snorted in dark amusement.
'That, Harry, is my 'dear beloved' mother. Certainly a character, that one, she was a fanatic of the Pureblood agenda and hates just about every Muggle-born and Half-Blood you can find.' Sirius paused as the rest scowled at the reminder of how many insults the portrait had thrown their way, 'enough of that, do you know what happened after that?' He asked.
Harry's brow furrowed thoughtfully, though from the expressions of worry and exasperation on the faces of the audience he commented, 'Judging by the way the rest are staring at me as if I was made out of glass… I can only assume that I fainted.' He said.
Ginny snorted, 'Yeah, you are right about that. Though why you fainted is the topic of debate right now.' She said, Harry raised his eyebrows when he realized that he had not fainted just like that.
'…You're right. Why would I faint just like that?' He wondered out loud. Molly, who looked like she was restraining herself from hugging him tightly and suffocate him, spoke up,
'Harry, dear, are you sure that you have eaten anything all day?' She asked, concernedly. While Harry was grateful at her concern, he was also sure that it wasn't the reason he had fainted. He had gone through far more days with little to no amount of food, sometimes for days together.
Ginny, however, had seen the lightning around Harry's right arm earlier and asked him, 'Harry, what's up with the lightning on your arm, earlier?' Sirius nodded suddenly.
'Yes, pup, what's up with that? It shut my mother right up. Now she refuses to even open the curtains.' He said, a little relieved and a little peeved at the same time. The way Harry looked at his right arm, he knew that his godson had no idea what it was, and by the way his mother got scared, she probably knew what it was or at least had some idea of what it was, and now she refuses to even speak anything! He felt like he was never able to help Harry by letting him know what he wanted.
Harry frowned and looked at his right arm, and felt strange when he could actually feel the tickling of the hair on his arm. He drew an invisible line on his right arm using his left and nearly shivered when it felt like someone was tickling his arm. He looked at his arm in wonder.
'I don't know… it feels really sensitive…' He breathed out. Sirius looked confused for a brief moment, until Hermione softly placed a hand on his forearm. Harry nearly flinched at the warmth of her hand on his cold ones. He slowly nodded,
'Yeah, it doesn't hurt though…' Harry shrugged off her hand and instead grabbed her wrist and instantly let go with a jump when he heard her sharp cry of pain.
'Hermione, are you okay?!' Harry demanded. Hermione would answer the question if she could. Her wrist just felt like something had crushed it. But as soon as he let go, it became soothing.
She looked at her wrist, and her jaw dropped. Her wrist, which had a sharp cut from her parent's house that she had not healed since she cannot perform magic in the Muggle world, and had promptly forgotten about here in the Magical World when she had arrived here.
Hermione looked up at Harry's increasingly concerned expression, 'How did you do that?' Harry had no idea what she was talking about, but he could only guess that he had hurt her.
'I'm sorry; I don't know what you are talking about.' He replied, confused. Hermione nearly smacked her forehead, but instead, she pulled up her sleeve and showed her wrist to him, the one which he had just grabbed. Harry looked very confused when he saw only the clear unblemished skin of her wrist.
'Right here, on my wrist! It had a cut before, I got the cut when I was with my parents but I didn't heal it since I am not allowed to do magic there, and had forgotten about it once I got here, but now it is completely gone! Not even a single mark!' Sirius' brow was furrowed.
'So? Maybe it got healed overtime and you did not notice it.' He guessed, but Hermione shook her wild hair.
'No, it does not go away that quickly, unless you apply magic, of course. But I never did! I'm sure I never did!' she told the older man, whose eyes were getting wider.
Harry worked his jaw for a moment, 'So… basically what you are saying is… I grabbed your wrist and the cut just… vanished? Just like that, it vanished?' He asked her skeptically.
Hermione looked taken aback and quieted down, '…Well, I don't know. I… I am sure that I didn't use magic before though.' She defended. Harry raised his hands.
'I don't doubt you Hermione, but I really don't think I have a magical touch that could heal wounds like a fairy.' He replied dryly. Hermione smiled slightly in amusement, but it slipped off her face quickly with an expression of thought.
Kingsley Shacklebolt, as Harry remembered the man to be, spoke up, 'But how did Harry faint? You did not touch anything that would be… dark, did you?' He asked Harry. Ginny shook her head.
'Nope, he was there with us all along. I was there beside him when lightning suddenly coated his arm. I'm sure that he did not touch anything.' Ron nodded his agreement with his sister's words.
'Yeah, Harry is now more careful with such types of things.' Ron flinched when Ginny stomped on his foot. Harry stilled at the reminder of what had mare him so cautious of touching everything he sees. Hermione, Remus, Tonks, Sirius, Ginny glared at a scared-Ron, who berated himself and his big mouth.
'Yes, I don't touch anything that might even look a bit suspicious. I learned from experience that you don't touch things as if you are in Broom Store.' Harry replied darkly, making many in the group flinch.
Ginny spoke up, more hesitant now at the dark turn of topics, 'Well, the lightning could be a case of accidental magic?' She theorized. Sirius looked skeptical.
'Accidental Magic at the age of fifteen? While not unheard of, certainly very, very, rare.' Sirius replied, Remus nodded in agreement before saying, 'Unless Albus shows up, that is the best theory we got for now.' Hermione shot the werewolf an inquisitorial glance.
'And my wrist?' Remus looked thoughtful as everyone looked at the werewolf. He was probably the most brilliant out of all of them, aside from Albus Dumbledore himself, but he was not available, so…
'I'm not sure.' He admitted, 'we could rule out accidental magic in this one, I really don't think that any accidental magic, if it is actually case, could be the Healing magic.' Harry was really getting annoyed at the group who were speaking as if he were a test subject in a lab.
'…Can you quit with the staring? This is getting awkward.' He snapped lightly at them, making the entire group look away with a slightly sheepish look on their faces. Harry looked at his former professor, 'So, we should just wait until Dumbledore gets here to figure it out, is that it?' He said neutrally, but his eyes betrayed his true feelings towards the ancient headmaster. He was not exactly fond of the man right now, considering the fact that he was the reason Ron and Hermione never sent any letter to or had any contact with him. Plus the fact that the man kept insisting that he be kept in the dark as much as possible, and Harry was not the Headmaster's biggest fan right now.
'Professor Dumbledore, Harry.' Hermione chided him, but cringed when he shot her a look. Remus observed the two friends, and could clearly see that they were not exactly on the best terms with each other.
'Yeah, yeah, Professor Dumbledore. Making me spend the entire summer with my relatives.' Harry said with a scowl on his face at the thought of Vernon and Petunia Dursley, how that horse could be related to his mother, he would never know.
Molly instantly objected to this, 'Harry! Albus was only looking out for you! The Death Eaters-'
Harry scoffed, 'Clearly. Considering the fact that he expected Death Eaters to find and attack in the middle of nowhere. Just in case any you've forgotten Muggles can't see Dementors, but everyone can see Death Eaters.' He said dryly. Molly opened her mouth and closed it a number of times, not really able to think of a response. Sirius couldn't really fault his godson's logic. He was not exactly the old geezer's biggest fan either.
Remus frowned, but nodded, 'Yes, Harry, that's right. We just have to wait for Albus to meet you, and you can ask him… provided you want to.' He added when he saw Harry's irritated look at the thought of the Headmaster.
Harry's stomach decided to remind him that he had not eaten anything that day, and growled loudly. He blushed in embarrassment when he saw Sirius and Tonks grin in amusement. Hermione snorted, giving his arm one last look before getting up.
Molly smiled brightly at him, 'Come on, Harry dear. Let's go satisfy your stomach.' Harry nodded slightly, sending the older witch a shy smile.
The rest of the group agreed, though Sirius was watching Harry like he was going to fall over any moment. However, instead of making him annoyed, like he does when most people stared at him that way, it actually warmed his heart to see Sirius with concern etched in his face and eyes. Though he felt like he had to make a comment.
'Relax, Padfoot, I'm not going to keel over.' Harry said. Sirius gained a slightly sheepish look on his face.
'Sorry, pup, but I can't help it.' He replied with a grin on his face. Harry smiled at him, and though it was small, it was noticed by everyone. Most of them felt happy for the green-eyed wizard, and couldn't help but notice that the smile was the most genuine they had seen since they had visited him, save for meeting Remus. Molly also noticed this, with some jealousy in her eyes, that Harry was a lot more comfortable around Sirius than her, even though he has known her for four years. She really, really, didn't think that Harry was safe with Sirius, especially considering the fact that Sirius was not a good parenting material, something that she felt she was more than qualified for. Hopefully, she could show the boy that staying with Sirius was not a good idea for him.
Sirius sat down at the head table, since he is the Head of House Black, and Harry sat down next to him, ignoring Ron and Molly waving over a seat between them. Molly couldn't get a seat next to Harry either, since Tonks sat down on the other side. Harry grinned at Tonks, making the pink-haired Auror grin back.
'Say, baby green try not to faint next time will you? Siri was just about to burn his mother's wonderful portrait.' Tonks said with obvious sarcasm. Harry bit back a smile as he remembered her relieved expression when he had just woken up.
'No worries, punk rock, you're there to catch me aren't you?' He asked cheekily. Tonks snorted, and Sirius raised his eyebrows. The group that had come with Tonks to pick up Harry already knew about this.
'You two know each other?' Sirius asked. He had no idea that his 'niece' and his godson had any contact prior to their meeting.
Harry nodded, 'She was in her Seventh Year when I arrived at Hogwarts. She kind of became my first female friend in the school.' At Hermione's indignant expression, he added, 'yes, Hermione. Before you.' He said smirking at her huff. Tonks grinned slightly.
'He looked so cute-'
'Thank you, Tonks.' Harry interjected with a glare directed at her. Tonks pouted and Harry couldn't help but think that it was a cute expression on her face…
He mentally shook his head. Where'd that come from? 'Anyway, I didn't see her since she graduated. I don't think I said this yet, but good to see you again, Tonksie.' Harry said. Tonks smiled brightly at him, making him flush slightly, something that Sirius noticed with amusement.
'You too, Harry! I'm more than delighted to see you, especially since you've grown to be taller than me!' Tonks said brightly. It was true; Harry was taller than Tonks was, standing at five feet seven inches, making him taller than Hermione, Ginny, and Molly. Not as tall as Ron, at his five feet eleven, or Remus with his six foot, or Sirius with his six foot four frame, but then again he was only fifteen.
Ginny snorted, 'But Harry was only about this high in his First Year.' She said innocently pointing to her knee length with a cheeky grin on her face. Harry mock-growled at her, while everyone laughed.
Harry rolled his eyes at her teasing when Bill Weasley's voice called out, 'Journey all right, Harry? Mad-Eye didn't make you come via Greenland, then?' Harry smiled at the eldest Weasley.
'He tried. Tonks told him to shove it.' Tonks smirked when Bill simply chuckled, 'I imagine that to be the case.'
'You've met Mundungus, haven't you?' Sirius said pointing to what looked like a pile of rags. Harry blinked.
'That's a person? I thought that it was a pile of rags.' Sirius snorted, while the rest just chuckled quietly.
The thing Harry had taken to be a pile of rags gave a prolonged, grunting snore and then jerked awake. 'Some'n say m' name?' Mundungus mumbled sleepily.
'I 'gree with he said. . . .' He raised a very grubby hand in the air as though voting, his droopy, bloodshot eyes unfocused. Ginny giggled.
Harry raised his eyebrow at the smell of alcohol surrounding the man, 'That you're a pile of rags? Yeah, I thought so.' He commented dryly, making Sirius laugh loudly this time along with the rest of the table.
'The meeting's over, Dung,' said Sirius after getting over the laughter over his godson's comment 'Harry's arrived.'
'Eh?' said Mundungus, peering balefully at Harry through his matted ginger hair. 'Blimey, so 'e 'as. Yeah... you all right, 'arry?' Harry narrowed his eyes at him. I'm not going to like you am I?
'Other than a few Dementors trying to kiss me to death, I'm just brilliant. Never been better, whatever made you think any different?' Harry snarked at the man. He really didn't want to deal with the crap of the Ministry and this man was the prime reason for it. He had already gotten over the fact that there were several people who were practically stalking him, but if 'Dung' could not stay long enough to do a his job, then he certainly didn't deserve any respect from him.
Sirius opened his mouth but comment but couldn't really refute again, while Hermione looked surprised at her friend's change in attitude. He sounded a lot more sarcastic and sometimes even cold.
The man seemed to glare at Harry for something that he had done, which made Harry wonder even more at what Dumbledore was thinking by bringing such a man who seemed to care less that there is a freaking Dark Lord on the loose and the fact that he had nearly gotten the one thing he was supposed to protect, that thing being him, killed by Dementors.
There was an awkward silence where not even Mundungus seemed to know what to say. Molly was the one to clear things up, 'Nearly time for bed, I think,' said Mrs. Weasley on a yawn.
'Not just yet, Molly,' said Sirius, pushing away his empty plate and turning to look at Harry. 'You know, I'm surprised at you. I thought the first thing you'd do when you got here would be to start asking questions about Voldemort.' The atmosphere in the room changed with the rapidity Harry associated with the arrival of dementors. Where seconds before it had been sleepily relaxed, it was now alert, even tense. A frisson had gone around the table at the mention of Voldemort's name. Lupin, who had been about to take a sip of wine, lowered his goblet slowly, looking wary.
Harry turned to look at Sirius, 'I was actually hoping you tell me, Padfoot.' He replied, and continued, 'No one seemed to be willing to tell me anything. I only found out so much by myself.'
'And they're quite right,' said Mrs. Weasley. 'You're too young.' She was sitting bolt upright in her chair, her fists clenched upon its arms, every trace of drowsiness gone.
'Since when did someone have to be in the Order of the Phoenix to ask questions?' asked Sirius rhetorically.
'Harry's been trapped in that Muggle house for a month. He's got the right to know what's been happen —'
'Hang on!' interrupted George loudly.
'How come Harry gets his questions answered?' said Fred angrily.
'We've been trying to get stuff out of you for a month and you haven't told us a single stinking thing!' said George.
'You're too young, you're not in the Order,' ' said Fred, in a high-pitched voice that sounded uncannily like his mother's.
'Harry's not even of age!'
'It's not my fault you haven't been told what the Order's doing,' said Sirius calmly. 'That's your parents' decision. Harry, on the other hand —'
'It's not down to you to decide what's good for Harry!' said Mrs. Weasley sharply. Her normally kindly face looked dangerous. 'You haven't forgotten what Dumbledore said, I suppose?'
'Which bit?' Sirius asked politely, but with an air as though readying himself for a fight.
'The bit about not telling Harry more than he needs to know,' said Mrs. Weasley, placing a heavy emphasis on the last three words. Ron, Hermione, Fred, and George's heads turned from Sirius to Mrs. Weasley as though following a tennis rally. Ginny was kneeling amid a pile of abandoned butterbeer corks, watching the conversation with her mouth slightly open. Lupin's eyes were fixed on Sirius, but immediately snapped towards Harry when he decided to interject,
'Oh, he said that, did he? Since when was he the one to control my life?' Harry asked calmly yet dangerously. Molly didn't turn towards him but answered in a clipped tone that had Harry's eyes narrow,
'Harry dear, Albus knows what's best for you. You're not a member of the Order and you don't need to know all of it, until you're ready.'
'And how long will that be? After I face a Dragon? A Sphinx? A revived Dark Lord, maybe? Oh wait, I've already done that, haven't I? I'm getting less creative every second.' Harry replied sarcastically with a cold look on his face and nearly everyone at the table looked taken aback at that, but not Molly.
'Harry, those were just a matter of circumstances-'
'Circumstances that he did nothing to prevent.' Harry added. Sirius made a noise of agreement,
'Besides, I don't intend to tell him more than he needs to know, Molly,' said Sirius. 'But as he was the one who saw Voldemort come back' (again, there was a collective shudder around the table at the name), 'he has more right than most to —'
'He's not a member of the Order of the Phoenix!' said Mrs. Weasley. 'He's only fifteen and —'
'— and he's dealt with as much as most in the Order,' said Sirius, 'and more than some —'
'No one's denying what he's done!' said Mrs. Weasley, her voice rising, her fists trembling on the arms of her chair. 'But he's still —'
'He's not a child!' said Sirius impatiently.
'He's not an adult either!' said Mrs. Weasley, the color rising in her cheeks.
'He's not James, Sirius!' Both Harry and Sirius stiffened at the mention of their father and best friend respectively. The Weasley's looked like they wanted to crawl into a hole and never come out, since it's the second time that Molly had said that, this time with Harry right in front of her. Sirius closed his eyes and took a long, deep, calming breath and when they opened they were icy.
'I'm perfectly clear who he is, thanks, Molly,' said Sirius coldly.
'I'm not sure you are!' said Mrs. Weasley. 'Sometimes, the way you talk about him, it's as though you think you've got your best friend back!'
'Nothing wrong with that.' Harry said. He didn't like that fact that Molly felt like she had some sort of ownership over him, as if she considered him hers, which was.. fine and Sirius himself has said that he might not be the best father-figure, but bringing in his father into the conversation that has nothing to to with him, and comparing him to Harry was completely unnecessary. Sirius has already had twelve years of reminder, guilt and sadness over the loss of his best friend.
'What's wrong, Harry, is that you are not your father, however much you might look like him!' said Mrs. Weasley, her eyes still boring into Sirius. 'You are still at school and adults responsible for you should not forget it!'
'Meaning I'm an irresponsible godfather?' demanded Sirius, his voice rising.
'Meaning you've been known to act rashly, Sirius, which is why Dumbledore keeps reminding you to stay at home and —'
'We'll leave my instructions from Dumbledore out of this, if you please!' said Sirius loudly.
'Arthur!' said Mrs. Weasley, rounding on her husband. 'Arthur, back me up!'
Mr. Weasley did not speak at once. He took off his glasses and cleaned them slowly on his robes, not looking at his wife. Only when he had replaced them carefully on his nose did he say, 'Dumbledore knows the position has changed, Molly. He accepts that Harry will have to be filled in to a certain extent now that he is staying at headquarters —'
'Yes, but there's a difference between that and inviting him to ask whatever he likes!'
'Personally,' said Lupin quietly, looking away from Sirius at last, as Mrs. Weasley turned quickly to him, hopeful that finally she was about to get an ally, 'I think it better that Harry gets the facts — not all the facts, Molly, but the general picture — from us, rather than a garbled version from... others.' His expression was mild, but Harry felt sure that Lupin, at least, knew that some Extendable Ears had survived Mrs. Weasley's purge.
'Well,' said Mrs. Weasley, breathing deeply and looking around the table for support that did not come, 'well... I can see I'm going to be overruled. I'll just say this: Dumbledore must have had his reasons for not wanting Harry to know too much, and speaking as someone who has got Harry's best interests at heart —'
'He's not your son,' said Sirius quietly. 'He's as good as,' said Mrs. Weasley fiercely. 'Who else has he got?' Harry glared at Molly right there, tiny sparks surrounding his fingers, grabbing the attention of Remus, but he said nothing, choosing to observe.
'He's got me!'
'Yes,' said Mrs. Weasley, her lip curling. 'The thing is, it's been rather difficult for you to look after him while you've been locked up in Azkaban, hasn't it?'
Sirius stopped right there. His expression turning into one of anger and started to slowly rise from his chair, 'Yes. I am at fault that I was forced to stay in that hell-hole for twelve years. I am at fault that Dumbledore decided to send Harry to his Aunt and Uncle rather than someone qualified for it. I am at fault for him nearly dying every year. Right, Molly?' Tonks and even Harry felt a need take a few unconscious steps back, Tonks placing a hand on his shoulder, because the look on Sirius' face could make anyone believe that he was a murderer.
'Molly, you're not the only person at this table who cares about Harry,' said Lupin sharply. 'Sirius, sit down.' Mrs. Weasley's lower lip was trembling.
Sirius looked at Harry, who looked like he was scared of him. His eyes widened at what he had done and sank slowly back into his chair, his face white. 'I think Harry ought to be allowed a say in this,' Lupin continued. 'He's old enough to decide for himself.' Harry took a deep breath.
'Am I?' He asked , Molly looked like she had won the argument, 'The Goblet of Fire certainly seemed to think so. The Ministry certainly seemed to think so when they forced me to compete. I've never been a child, and I don't know why Dumbledore seems so hell-bent on keeping me in the dark, but know this, even if none of you will tell me, I will find out. Somehow I will, even if it means I have to walk right up to Tommy Riddle and his snake face to ask him.' He said, his voice leaving no argument. Remus noticed that the sparks have vanished, and he had a somewhat clear idea of what was going on with the sparks.
With Harry's proclamation that he would stop at nothing to know what's going on, 'Very well,' said Mrs. Weasley, her voice cracking. 'Ginny — Ron — Hermione — Fred — George — I want you out of this kitchen, now.'
'Three, two, one...' Tonks counted down in a whisper.
There was instant uproar. 'We're of age!' Fred and George bellowed together.
'If Harry's allowed, why can't I?' shouted Ron.
'Mum, I want to!' wailed Ginny.
'NO!' shouted Mrs. Weasley, standing up, her eyes overbright. 'I absolutely forbid —'
'Molly, you can't stop Fred and George,' said Mr. Weasley wearily. 'They are of age —'
'They're still at school —'
'But they're legally adults now,' said Mr. Weasley in the same tired voice. Mrs. Weasley was now scarlet in the face. 'I — oh, all right then, Fred and George can stay, but Ron —'
'Harry'll tell me and Hermione everything you say anyway!' said Ron hotly. 'Won't — won't you?' he added uncertainly, meeting Harry's eyes. For a split second, Harry considered telling Ron that he wouldn't tell him a single word, that he could try a taste of being kept in the dark and see how he liked it. But the nasty impulse vanished as they looked at each other.
'Fine, I guess.' Harry said with a shrug. Ron and Hermione beamed. 'Fine!' shouted Mrs. Weasley. 'Fine! Ginny — BED!'
Ginny did not go quietly. They could hear her raging and storming at her mother all the way up the stairs. It was only when the shrill noises stopped and Remus got up closed the kitchen door behind him and taking his seat at the table again, that Sirius spoke.
'Alright, Harry what do you want to know?' Sirius asked him.
Harry took a deep breath and asked the question that had been obsessing him for a month.
'Where's Voldemort? What's he doing? I've been trying to watch the Muggle news,' he said, ignoring the renewed shudders and winces at the name, 'and there hasn't been anything that looks like him yet, no funny deaths or anything —'
'That's because there haven't been any suspicious deaths yet,' said Sirius, 'not as far as we know, anyway... And we know quite a lot.'
'More than he thinks we do anyway,' said Lupin.
'How come he's stopped killing people?' Harry asked. He knew that Voldemort had murdered more than once in the last year alone.
'Because he doesn't want to draw attention to himself at the moment,' said Sirius. 'It would be dangerous for him. His comeback didn't come off quite the way he wanted it to, you see. He messed it up.'
'Or rather, you messed it up for him,' said Lupin with a satisfied smile, Harry tilted his head to the side.
'How?' Harry asked perplexedly.
'You weren't supposed to survive!' said Sirius. 'Nobody apart from his Death Eaters was supposed to know he'd come back. But you survived to bear witness.'
'And the very last person he wanted alerted to his return the moment he got back was Dumbledore,' said Lupin. 'And you made sure Dumbledore knew at once.'
'How has that helped?' Harry asked.
'Are you kidding?' said Bill incredulously. 'Dumbledore was the only one You-Know-Who was ever scared of!'
'Thanks to you, Dumbledore was able to recall the Order of the Phoenix about an hour after Voldemort returned,' said Sirius.
'So what's the Order been doing?' said Harry, looking around at them all.
'Working as hard as we can to make sure Voldemort can't carry out his plans,' said Sirius.
'How d'you know what his plans are?' Harry asked quickly.
'Dumbledore's got a shrewd idea,' said Lupin, 'and Dumbledore's shrewd ideas normally turn out to be accurate.'
'So what does Dumbledore reckon he's planning?'
'Well, firstly, he wants to build up his army again,' said Sirius. 'In the old days he had huge numbers at his command; witches and wizards he'd bullied or bewitched into following him, his faithful Death Eaters, a great variety of Dark creatures. You heard him planning to recruit the giants; well, they'll be just one group he's after. He's certainly not going to try and take on the Ministry of Magic with only a dozen Death Eaters.'
'So you're trying to stop him getting more followers?'
'We're doing our best,' said Lupin.
'How?'
'Well, the main thing is to try and convince as many people as possible that You-Know-Who really has returned, to put them on their guard,' said Bill.
'It's proving tricky, though.'
'Why?'
'Because of the Ministry's attitude,' said Tonks. When Harry looked at her confused, she elaborated, 'You saw Cornelius Fudge after You-Know-Who came back, Harry. Well, he hasn't shifted his position at all. He's absolutely refusing to believe it's happened.'
'But why?' said Harry desperately. 'Why's he being so stupid? If Dumbledore —'
'Ah, well, you've put your finger on the problem,' said Mr. Weasley with a wry smile. 'Dumbledore.'
'Fudge is frightened of him, you see,' said Tonks sadly.
'Frightened? Of Dumbledore? I mean I know that his robes are a bit frightening to look at in the dark, but seriously?' There were a few weak snickers while Tonks and Sirius chuckled out loud, before Mr. Weasley replied, 'Maybe not frightened of him but rather frightened of what he's up to,' said Mr. Weasley. A look of realization dawned on Harry.
'Ah, he thinks Dumbledore wants to overthrow him.' Mr. Weasley nodded.
'He's never wanted the Minister's job, though, Dumbledore. Even though a lot of people wanted him to take it when Millicent Bagnold retired. Fudge came to power instead, but he's never quite forgotten how much popular support Dumbledore had, even though Dumbledore never applied for the job.'
'Deep down, Fudge knows Dumbledore's much cleverer than he is, a much more powerful wizard, and in the early days of his Ministry he was forever asking Dumbledore for help and advice,' said Lupin. 'But it seems that he's become fond of power now, and much more confident. He loves being Minister of Magic, and he's managed to convince himself that he's the clever one and Dumbledore's simply stirring up trouble for the sake of it.'
'And how exactly does proclaiming me a liar help him?' Harry asked Remus.
'Because accepting that Voldemort's back would mean trouble like the Ministry hasn't had to cope with for nearly fourteen years,' said Sirius bitterly. 'Fudge just can't bring himself to face it. It's so much more comfortable to convince himself Dumbledore's lying to destabilize him.'
'You see the problem,' said Lupin. 'While the Ministry insists there is nothing to fear from Voldemort, it's hard to convince people he's back, especially as they really don't want to believe it in the first place. What's more, the Ministry's leaning heavily on the Daily Prophet not to report any of what they're calling Dumbledore's rumor mongering, so most of the Wizarding community are completely unaware anything's happened, and that makes them easy targets for the Death Eaters if they're using the Imperius Curse.' He explained. Harry frowned at the thought of the curse. He had been subjected to the curse himself, and though it didn't work on him, he knew what the curse entails, and it wasn't pretty. It might as well be the deadliest of the three Unforgivables, since you can just order the Imperioused person to kill themselves and they would do it willingly.
But the Cruciatus is the worst, though. At least you can dodge a Killing Curse.
'I don't suppose we, well, you are able to convince people that he is actually back?' He asked them. He was not exactly expecting a positive answer, and he didn't receive one when they all just smiled humorlessly.
'Well, as everyone thinks I'm a mad mass murderer and the Ministry's put a ten-thousand-Galleon price on my head, I can hardly stroll up the street and start handing out leaflets, can I?' said Sirius restlessly.
'And I'm not a very popular dinner guest with most of the community,' said Lupin. 'It's an occupational hazard of being a werewolf.' Harry nodded sympathetically.
'Tonks and Mr. Weasley would lose their jobs if what you are saying about Fudge is true, so that only leaves me.' He concluded. Mr. Weasley nodded.
'Yes, Harry. You are the only one who was openly claiming that You-Know-Who has returned and killed Cedric Diggory. So Minister Fudge has it out for you, and wants to shut you up.' Tonks added her two knuts into the conversation.
'You see, people think of you as a nutter, right now,' Harry rolled his eyes, not really surprised, 'hehe, but you still are the Boy-Who-Lived, and no amount of shyte that Fudge throws at you, people will still think of you as a hero.' She said with a smile. Harry snorted in dark humor.
'Yeah, thank Merlin for that.' At least he didn't just assume and proclaim that I killed Cedric of something. Though he was pretty sure that some Hufflepuffs already do and until Voldemort finally shows himself or they somehow prove that he is back, it would remain that way.
'We've managed to convince a couple of people, though,' said Mr. Weasley. 'Tonks here, for one — she's too young to have been in the Order of the Phoenix last time, and having Aurors on our side is a huge advantage — Kingsley Shacklebolt's been a real asset too. He's in charge of the hunt for Sirius, so he's been feeding the Ministry information that Sirius is in Tibet.'
'But if none of you's putting the news out that Voldemort's back —' Harry began.
'Who said none of us was putting the news out?' said Sirius. 'Why'd You think Dumbledore's in such trouble?'
'What d'you mean?' Harry asked.
'They're trying to discredit him,' said Lupin. 'Didn't you see the Daily Prophet last week? They reported that he'd been voted out of the Chairmanship of the International Confederation of Wizards because he's getting old and losing his grip, but it's not true, he was voted out by Ministry wizards after he made a speech announcing Voldemort's return. They've demoted him from Chief Warlock on the Wizengamot — that's the Wizard High Court — and they're talking about taking away his Order of Merlin, First Class, too.'
'But Dumbledore says he doesn't care what they do as long as they don't take him off the Chocolate Frog cards,' said Bill, grinning. Harry rolled his eyes again and said,
'Of course he did.' At least he's doing something right. He thought to himself.
'It's no laughing matter,' said Mr. Weasley shortly. 'If he carries on defying the Ministry like this, he could end up in Azkaban and the last thing we want is Dumbledore locked up. While You-Know-Who knows Dumbledore's out there and wise to what he's up to, he's going to go cautiously for a while. If Dumbledore's out of the way — well, You-Know-Who will have a clear field.'
'We don't want that, and I know from experience that he's clever, very clever and he could do whatever he wants stealthily without us even knowing what is going on.' Sirius said tiredly.
'Severus has been doing what he can, Sirius.' Mr. Weasley said reassuringly, making Harry groan.
'That greaseball is here?' Sirius snorted in hysterical laughter and even the most composed members of the Order had to cough to hide their chuckles. Harry, in his opinion, was tired of Snape being in Hogwarts, and now he had to bear him here too? I just can't seem to catch a break...
'What's he after apart from followers?' Harry asked.
He thought he saw Sirius and Lupin exchange the most fleeting of looks before Sirius said, 'Stuff he can only get by stealth.' When Harry continued to look puzzled, Sirius said, 'Like a weapon. Something he didn't have last time.'
'When he was powerful before?'
'Yes.'
'Like what kind of weapon?' said Harry. 'I can't think of something that is worse than Avada Kedavra.'
'That's enough.' Mrs. Weasley spoke from the shadows beside the door. Harry had not noticed her return from taking Ginny upstairs. Her arms were crossed and she looked furious. 'I want you in bed, now. All of you,' she added, looking around at Fred, George, Ron, and Hermione.
'You can't boss us —' Fred began.
'Watch me,' snarled Mrs. Weasley. She was trembling slightly as she looked at Sirius. 'You've given Harry plenty of information. Any more and you might just as well induct him into the Order straightaway.'
Harry looked at her and her serious expression, and sighed, 'I don't suppose you'll give me an invitation.' He asked dryly.
'No.' It was not Mrs. Weasley who spoke this time, but Lupin, this time not amused by Harry's sarcasm.
'The Order is comprised only of overage wizards,' he said. 'Wizards who have left school,' he added, as Fred and George opened their mouths. 'There are dangers involved of which you can have no idea, any of you... I think Molly's right, Sirius. We've said enough.' Sirius shrugged, looking torn but didn't complain.
Harry recognized defeat when he saw it. He turned around to leave, surprising the others who expected a more... protesting leave. Mrs. Weasley beckoned imperiously to her sons and Hermione, who quickly followed behind the green-eyed wizard.
Mrs. Weasley followed them upstairs, before letting out a tired sigh and followed them upstairs. 'I want the lot of you all to go straight to bed, no talking,' she said as they reached the first landing. 'We've got a busy day tomorrow. I expect Ginny's asleep,' she added to Hermione, 'so try not to wake her up.'
'Asleep, yeah, right,' said Fred in an undertone, after Hermione bade them good night and they were climbing to the next floor. 'If Ginny's not lying awake waiting for Hermione to tell her everything they said downstairs, then I'm a flobberworm. . . .'
'All right, Ron, Harry,' said Mrs. Weasley on the second landing, pointing them into their bedroom.
'Off to bed with you.'
' 'Night,' Harry and Ron said to the twins.
'Sleep tight,' said Fred, winking. Mrs. Weasley closed the door behind Harry with a sharp snap. The bedroom looked, if anything, even danker and gloomier than it had on first sight. The blank picture on the wall was now breathing very slowly and deeply, as though its invisible occupant was asleep. Harry put on his pajamas, took off his glasses, and climbed into his chilly bed while Ron threw Owl Treats up on top of the wardrobe to pacify Hedwig and Pigwidgeon, who were clattering around and rustling their wings restlessly.
'We can't let them out to hunt every night,' Ron explained as he pulled on his maroon pajamas. 'Dumbledore doesn't want too many owls swooping around the square, thinks it'll look suspicious. Oh yeah... I forgot. . . .' He crossed to the door and bolted it.
'What're you doing that for?'
'Kreacher,' said Ron as he turned off the light. 'First night I was here he came wandering in at three in the morning. Trust me, you don't want to wake up and find him prowling around your room. Anyway . . .' He got into his bed, settled down under the covers, then turned to look at Harry in the darkness. Harry could see his outline by the moonlight filtering in through the grimy window. 'What d'you reckon?' Harry didn't need to ask what Ron meant.
'Most of what they told me, I had already guessed. Now I know the reason why exactly the Ministry is after me.' He said thinking about all the answered he had gotten from Sirius, Remus and the rest of the Order. 'Other than the fact that the Order is trying to stop Lord snake-face from gaining followers, I learned more about the Ministry than Volde-' He sighed when Ron shivered at the name. '-mort.'
'Yeah, you're right,' he said. 'We already knew nearly everything they told us, from using the Extendable Ears. The only new bit was —' Crack.
'OUCH!'
'Keep your voice down, Ron, or Mum'll be back up here.'
'You two just Apparated on my knees!'
'Yeah, well, it's harder in the dark —' Harry saw the blurred outlines of Fred and George leaping down from Ron's bed. There was a groan of bedsprings and Harry's mattress descended a few inches as George sat down near his feet.
'So, got there yet?' said George eagerly.
'The weapon Sirius mentioned?' said Harry.
'Let slip, more like,' said Fred with relish, now sitting next to Ron. 'We didn't hear about that on the old Extendables, did we?'
'Wonder what it could be.' said Harry.
'Could be anything,' said Fred.
'But there can't be anything worse than the Avada Kedavra curse, can there?' said Ron. 'What's worse than death?'
'Maybe it's something that can kill loads of people at once,' suggested George. Harry paused thinking about it. That would certainly put a lot of fear into the people, easier to control people when he finally makes his return known.
'Maybe it's some particularly painful way of killing people,' said Ron fearfully. Harry shook his head, still getting a shiver whenever he thought of the pain caused by the Cruciatus Curse, something that he never wished to experience again.
'Cruciatus. Nothing worse than that.' He said in a low voice, completely flat.
There was a pause and Harry knew that the others, like him, were wondering what horrors this weapon could perpetrate.
'So who d'you thinks got it now?' asked George.
'I hope it's our side,' said Ron, sounding slightly nervous.
'If it is, Dumbledore's probably keeping it,' said Fred.
'Where?' said Ron quickly. 'Hogwarts?'
'Bet it is!' said George. 'That's where he hid the Sorcerer's Stone!'
'A weapon's going to be a lot bigger than the Stone, though!' said Ron.
'Not necessarily,' said Fred.
'Yeah, size is no guarantee of power,' said George.
'Look at Ginny.'
'Excuse me?' said Harry. 'You've never been on the receiving end of one of her Bat-Bogey Hexes, have you?' George said with a proud smirk and was about to continue when his other half shushed them.
'Shhh!' said Fred, half-rising from the bed. 'Listen!' They fell silent. Footsteps were coming up the stairs again.
'Mum,' said George, and without further ado there was a loud crack and Harry felt the weight vanish from the end of his bed. A few seconds later and they heard the floorboard creak outside their door; Mrs. Weasley was plainly listening to see whether they were talking or not. Hedwig and Pigwidgeon hooted dolefully. The floorboard creaked again and they heard her heading upstairs to check on Fred and George.
'She doesn't trust us at all, you know,' said Ron regretfully.
She's got a right reason for it. He thought.
-x-x-x-x-x-
Harry and the group had to clear out a doxie infestation in the large house which was a very tedious task to do. He didn't know whether he was dirty before he took a bath or he was more dirty now. All of them probably smell horrible right now and it seemed like Ginny and Hermione were not pleased with the smell.
'Doesn't this place have house elf? I heard Most Ancient and Noble Houses have a house elf.' Malfoy had Dobby. He thought to himself, and saw Hermione's reproachful look boring into his face and sighed, apparently she still hadn't let go of her SPEW obsession.
'It does, but- Ah, there's the little bugger.' Sirius said with disdain. Harry turned to see the door creak open and a house elf walked in.
Except for the filthy rag tied like a loincloth around its middle, it was completely naked. It looked very old. Its skin seemed to be several times too big for it and though it was bald like all house-elves, there was a quantity of white hair growing out of its large, batlike ears. Its eyes were a bloodshot and watery gray, and its fleshy nose was large and rather snoutlike. The elf took absolutely no notice of Harry and the rest. Acting as though it could not see them, it shuffled hunchbacked, slowly and doggedly, toward the far end of the room, muttering under its breath all the while in a hoarse, deep voice like a bullfrog's, '. . . Smells like a drain and a criminal to boot, but she's no better, nasty old blood traitor with her brats messing up my Mistress's house, oh my poor Mistress, if she knew, if she knew the scum they've let in her house, what would she say to old Kreacher, oh the shame of it, Mudbloods and werewolves and traitors and thieves, poor old Kreacher, what can he do. . . .'
'Hello, Kreacher,' said Fred very loudly, closing the door with a snap. The house-elf froze in his tracks, stopped muttering, and then gave a very pronounced and very unconvincing start of surprise.
'Kreacher did not see Young Master,' he said, turning around and bowing to Fred. Still facing the carpet, he added, perfectly audibly, 'Nasty little brat of a blood traitor it is.'
'Sorry?' said George. 'Didn't catch that last bit.'
'Kreacher said nothing,' said the elf, with a second bow to George, adding in a clear undertone, 'and there's its twin, unnatural little beasts they are.'
Harry and Ron glanced at each other and didn't know whether to laugh or not. The elf straightened up, eyeing them all very malevolently, and apparently convinced that they could not hear him as he continued to mutter. '. . . and there's the Mudblood, standing there bold as brass, oh if my Mistress knew, oh how she'd cry, and there's a new boy, Kreacher doesn't know his name, what is he doing here, Kreacher doesn't know . . .'
'This is Harry, Kreacher,' said Hermione tentatively. 'Harry Potter.' Kreacher's pale eyes widened and he muttered faster and more furiously than ever.
'The Mudblood is talking to Kreacher as though she is my friend, if Kreacher's Mistress saw him in such company, oh what would she say —'
'Don't call her a Mudblood!' said Ron and Ginny together, very angrily.
'It doesn't matter,' Hermione whispered, 'he's not in his right mind, he doesn't know what he's —'
'Don't kid yourself, Hermione, he knows exactly what he's saying,' said Fred, eyeing Kreacher with great dislike.
Kreacher was still muttering, his eyes on Harry. 'Is it true? Is it Harry Potter? Kreacher can see the scar, it must be true, that's that boy who stopped the Dark Lord, Kreacher wonders how he did it —'
'Don't we all, Kreacher?' said Fred.
'What do you want anyway?' George asked.
Kreacher's huge eyes darted onto George. 'Kreacher is cleaning,' he said evasively.
'And what a wonderful job you're doing.' Harry said sarcastically. 'Age must be getting to you, you missed the doxies...' He commented idly.
'And a very likely story it is.' Sirius said from behind him. At the sight of Sirius, Kreacher flung himself into a ridiculously low bow that flattened his snout like nose on the floor. 'Stand up straight,' said Sirius impatiently. 'Now, what are you up to?'
'Kreacher is cleaning, Kreacher lives to serve the noble house of Black —'' the elf repeated.
'— and it's getting blacker every day, it's filthy,' said Sirius.
'Master always liked his little joke,' said Kreacher, bowing again, and continuing in an undertone, 'Master was a nasty ungrateful swine who broke his mother's heart —'
'My mother didn't have a heart, Kreacher,' Sirius snapped. 'She kept herself alive out of pure spite.'
Kreacher bowed again and said, 'Whatever Master says,' then muttered furiously, 'Master is not fit to wipe slime from his mother's boots, oh my poor Mistress, what would she say if she saw Kreacher serving him, how she hated him, what a disappointment he was —'
'I asked you what you were up to,' said Sirius coldly. 'Every time you show up pretending to be cleaning, you sneak something off to your room so we can't throw it out.'
'Kreacher would never move anything from its proper place in Master's house,' said the elf, then muttered very fast, 'Mistress would never forgive Kreacher if the tapestry was thrown out, seven centuries it's been in the family, Kreacher must save it, Kreacher will not let Master and the blood traitors and the brats destroy it —'
'I thought it might be that,' said Sirius, casting a disdainful look at the opposite wall. 'She'll have put another Permanent Sticking Charm on the back of it, I don't doubt, but if I can get rid of it I certainly will. Now go away, Kreacher.' It seemed that Kreacher did not dare disobey a direct order; nevertheless, the look he gave Sirius as he shuffled out past him was redolent of deepest loathing and he muttered all the way out of the room. '— comes back from Azkaban ordering Kreacher around, oh my poor Mistress, what would she say if she saw the house now, scum living in it, her treasures thrown out, she swore he was no son of hers and he's back, they say he's a murderer too —'
'Keep muttering and I will be a murderer!' said Sirius irritably, and he slammed the door shut on the elf.
'Sirius, he's not right in the head,' said Hermione pleadingly, 'I don't think he realizes we can hear him.'
'He's been alone too long,' said Sirius, 'taking mad orders from my mother's portrait and talking to himself, but he was always a foul little —'
'If you just set him free,' said Hermione hopefully, 'maybe —'
'If you set him free he will go find the nearest relative. Lestrange right?' Harry asked Sirius, who nodded with a dark look across his face, 'and the Order had all of their meetings right here, which means that he knows all of their plans. Let him go and we are basically killing off our plans and him.' Harry explained to his best friend.
'And anyway, the shock would kill him. You suggest to him that he leaves this house, see how he takes it.' Sirius walked across the room, where the tapestry Kreacher had been trying to protect hung the length of the wall. Harry and the others followed.
The tapestry looked immensely old; it was faded and looked as though doxies had gnawed it in places; nevertheless, the golden thread with which it was embroidered still glinted brightly enough to show them a sprawling family tree dating back (as far as Harry could tell) to the Middle Ages.
Large words at the very top of the tapestry read: The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black 'Toujours Pur'
'Huh, you're missing.' Harry said. Sirius smiled bitterly.
'Kreacher is quite fond of reminding me of that.' Harry winced at the bitterness of his godfather's voice.
'Sorry.'
'It's fine. I used to be there,' said Sirius, pointing at a small, round, charred hole in the tapestry, rather like a cigarette burn. 'My sweet old mother blasted me off after I ran away from home.' Harry looked at his godfather in surprise.
'You ran away from home?'
'When I was about sixteen,' said Sirius. 'I'd had enough.'
'Where did you go?' asked Harry, staring at him.
'Your dad's place,' said Sirius. 'Your grandparents were really good about it; they sort of adopted me as a second son. Yeah, I camped out at your dad's during the school holidays, and then when I was seventeen I got a place of my own, my Uncle Alphard had left me a decent bit of gold — he's been wiped off here too, that's probably why — anyway, after that I looked after myself. I was always welcome at Mr. and Mrs. Potter's for Sunday lunch, though.'
'But why would you...?' Hermione started, not quite knowing how to finish the question.
'Leave?' Sirius smiled bitterly and ran a hand through his long, unkempt hair. 'Because I hated the whole lot of them: my parents, with their pure-blood mania, convinced that to be a Black made you practically royal... my idiot brother, soft enough to believe them... that's him.' Sirius jabbed a finger at the very bottom of the tree, at the name Regulus Black. A date of death, some fifteen years ago followed the date of birth. 'He was younger than me,' said Sirius, 'and a much better son, as I was constantly reminded.'
'But he died,' said Harry.
'Yeah,' said Sirius. 'Stupid idiot... he joined the Death Eaters.' All of them looked at Sirius in shock.
'You're kidding.' They said in a single tone.
'No, I'm actually quite Sirius.' Harry shot his godfather a flat look, as did everyone else, making him laugh nervously.
'We really need to work on your puns, Padfoot.' Harry said with an amused smile on his face. Sirius rubbed the back of his head, something quite reminiscent of James Potter and through extension, Harry himself.
Harry looked at the tapestry again, looking over all the names through the Black family history, eventually his eyes rested on one name. Narcissa Cassiopeia Malfoy leading to Draco Lucius Malfoy. He shook his head, No wonder he is such a git...
'Harry! You're on the Tapestry.' Harry's eyes snapped to the direction Ginny was pointing, a few spaces left of Draco's name. Dorea Potter, and the line leading to James Potter, and then Harry Potter. His eyes widened involuntarily as soon as he spotted his name. He turned to Sirius, only to see him mildly surprised.
'Huh, I completely forgot about that.' Sirius said, scratching his beard.
'Forget what?' Sirius smiled at Harry.
'Well, you see, Dorea Potter, née Black was one of the... let's say... nicer of the Black family. She was in Slytherin, in fact even James was almost in Slytherin, as he told me before, but she was a very kind woman. Like I said, your grandparents were like parents to me.' Sirius explained. Harry's eyes were wide before turning to the tapestry again to look at his grandmother's face, for the first time.
'...So we're related?' Harry asked Sirius, who nodded.
'Yes, the once removed and twice removed are too confusing, and my line is different from yours. In fact, you and little Nymmy are more closely related than you and I.' Harry blinked several times, before slowly nodding.
'So... should I call you cousin... or 'Padfoot'?' Harry asked in mock-curiosity.
'Padfoot, please. You're old enough to be my son.' Sirius responded quickly with an amused expression on his face.
'Lunch,' said Mrs. Weasley's voice. She was holding her wand high in front of her, balancing a huge tray loaded with sandwiches and cake on its tip. She was very red in the face and still looked angry. The others moved over to her, eager for some food, but Harry remained with Sirius, who had bent closer to the tapestry.
'I haven't looked at this for years. There's Phineas Nigellus... my great-great-grandfather, see? Least popular headmaster Hogwarts ever had... and Araminta Meliflua... cousin of my mother's... tried to force through a Ministry Bill to make Muggle-hunting legal... and dear Aunt Elladora... she started the family tradition of beheading house-elves when they got too old to carry tea trays... of course, anytime the family produced someone halfway decent they were disowned. I see Tonks isn't on here. Maybe that's why Kreacher won't take orders from her — he's supposed to do whatever anyone in the family asks him. . . .', Sirius took a deep breath 'I never thought I'd be stuck in this house again.'
Harry understood completely. He knew how he would feel if forced, when he was grown up and thought he was free of the place forever, to return and live at number four, Privet Drive.
'It's ideal for headquarters, of course,' Sirius said. 'My father put every security measure known to Wizard-kind on it when he lived here. It's Unplottable, so Muggles could never come and call — as if they'd have wanted to — and now Dumbledore's added his protection, you'd be hard put to find a safer house anywhere. Dumbledore's Secret-Keeper for the Order, you know — nobody can find headquarters unless he tells them personally where it is — that note Moody showed you last night, that was from Dumbledore. . . .' Sirius gave a short, barklike laugh. 'If my parents could see the use it was being put to now... well, my mother's portrait should give you some idea. . . .' He scowled for a moment, then sighed. 'I wouldn't mind if I could just get out occasionally and do something useful. I've asked Dumbledore whether I can escort you to your hearing — as Snuffles, obviously — so I can give you a bit of moral support, what d'you think?'
Harry had, in fact, completely forgotten about the hearing. Ever since the dinner, all that's been on his mind was Voldemort and his Death Eaters and how they must be up to something, but what? That was all that he had on his mind. He had not exactly thought about the hearing.
Contrary to what he had told Hermione and Ron, he was actually concerned about the hearing. At Sirius's words, however, the sense of dread returned to him. He stared at Hermione and the Weasleys, all tucking into their sandwiches, and thought how he would feel if they went back to Hogwarts without him.
Sirius shot him an amused look, 'You haven't even thought of it, have you?' Harry grinned sheepishly.
'No, I haven't actually.' He quickly sobered up, 'I have a question, though.' Sirius looked at him, curious. 'If they do expel me,' said Harry, quietly, 'can I come back here and live with you?'
Sirius smiled sadly, 'We'll see.'
'I'd feel a lot better about the hearing if I knew I didn't have to go back to the Dursleys,' Harry pressed him.
'They must be bad if you prefer this place,' said Sirius gloomily.
'Imagine your mother, but twice as loud, imagine Draco, but ten times as fat, imagine Lucius but hundred times as fat.' Harry said flatly, and Sirius winced in sympathy.
'That bad, huh?'
'Had to live in a cupboard. My own personal Azkaban.' Harry said gloomily, and Sirius winced again.
'It is that bad.'
'Pretty much.'
They were saved from their own self-pity when Molly called, 'Hurry up, you two, or there won't be any food left,' Sirius heaved another great sigh, cast a dark look at the tapestry, and he and Harry went to join the others.
As they walked back towards the table in comfortable silence, Harry began to think about what he could say at the hearing. From Tonks' words, the Minister is quite adamant about getting him out of the Wizarding World, and likely won't listen to anything he says. He could only hope that Dumbledore would do something right and not get him expelled, but the problem was the only person he could say knew about the Dementors attacking him was Dudley, and he couldn't see the Dursley's jumping in to help him... ever. Mrs. Figg was an anomaly but he was sure that he would not be allowed to leave this place. So that left himself, Sirius, Remus, Tonks and most importantly, Hermione to help him come up with some sort of defense for himself until he knows what Dumbledore has planned. He sighed. My life sucks.
'What's the matter, young Harry? You seem troubled.' Tonks said, imitating Dumbledore's voice and essentially shaking him out of his thoughts.
He smiled, before returning to a neutral expression, 'Just thinking about what I should say at the hearing. Need to come up with some sort of defense, right?' Tonks' grin vanished and she nodded affirmatively.
'But Harry, Professor Dumbledore must have some evidence to prove that you are innocent!' Hermione said, 'He wouldn't leave you off by yourself.' Harry tried not to scowl at that sentence. Wouldn't leave him alone? He already has. Every year at the Dursleys and every year at Hogwarts, in fact, Dumbledore seemed to be keen on letting him do everything on his own.
'I'm not taking any chances, right now.' Harry answered out loud, to which she reluctantly nodded, oblivious to his thoughts.
'Well, for one, they can't expel you.' Tonks spoke up, and Harry raised an eyebrow.
'...Mind explaining that?' He asked.
'You are the Heir to the Most Ancient and Noble House of Potter, aren't you? Seriously Har, how can you forget something so important?' She asked, seemingly in disappointment. But Harry was even more confused.
'Most Ancient and Noble House of Potter?' He questioned, to which he received looks that ranged from flat to 'are you kidding me?'
'You've never heard of it?!' Tonks, Fred, George and Sirius demanded, making him and Hermione flinch and exchange a look.
'...No?' Harry answered with uncertainty laced in his voice.
Sirius looked like he might murder someone, as did Tonks, to be honest, making Harry think that maybe answering 'no' was a bad idea. Hermione decided to ask a question that was on his mind as well.
'...Umm... can you elaborate that look please, Sirius?' Sirius looked at Harry and grabbed his shoulders so quick that Harry felt a gust on his forehead.
'YOU ARE THE HEIR OF A PUREBLOOD FAMILY, HARRY, HOW COME NO ONE HAS TOLD YOU THAT?!' Sirius demanded shaking Harry back and forth. Sirius paused for a split second to hear his mother's painting to scream and heard nothing. Huh, maybe she was going to keep quiet until Harry has left.
Ginny couldn't resist a giggle at Harry's bewildered expression. Fred and George tapped an equally shocked Hermione on the shoulder and pointed at Harry, making her giggle at his expression as well.
'...Very funny, guys.' They laughed more at his protest, 'Sirius, let go, you're starting to look more and more like a dog. I swear if you drool on me...' Harry said, trying to hide his surprise and Sirius let go quickly and began to pace fast enough to burn a hole into the floor. Harry watched his crazy godfather walk back and forth with a confused expression on his face.
'...Sirius, the floors are too thick to repair using Reparo. Don't burn a hole into it.' Sirius stopped dead in his tracks and looked up, a beginning of a plan forming in his devious and crazy brain, and Harry noted the smile.
'...I feel bad for the Ministry.' Sirius turned to Harry and grinned.
'You should. Alright Harry, so the Potter Family are an Ancient and Noble Pureblood family...'
For some reason he felt like this was going to be one long history lesson...
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I'm sorry it took so long to update. My computer crashed and my parents refused to buy me a new one until the exams were over. Anyway, here's a longer chapter to make up for it. :D
Please Review.
Peace.