Long Way to Go: Part Two

by mald1983

Discontinued! See Chapter 13 for news. Sequel to LWTG: Pt. I Another year full of shocks and surprises leaves Harry feeling alone and haunted by his destiny, his owl pal, and his unknown future as he learns how far he will have to go in his last year. AU since HBP.

2. Where the Heart Should Be

Disclaimer: No, no, and no…I don't own it. sigh Still wishing upon the stars for it, though.

Chapter 2- …Where the Heart Should Be

"I will not stand for this! How dare you pull me and my family out of our home to God only knows where!" Harry heard Uncle Vernon shout from the foyer of Grimmauld Place shortly after he finished unpacking his trunk. He sighed as he closed it and stood it up in the closet, opening the door to the hallway and starting for the first floor again.

"Mr. Dursley," Mr. Weasley pleaded quietly, "Let's take this into the kitchen so we can discuss the situation with you and your family over tea." Harry quietly made his way down the stairs to see a purple-faced Vernon glaring at Mr. Weasley and Remus Lupin with Petunia and Dudley cowering behind him.

"I will not be going anywhere but to my house!" Vernon shouted at the worn down men, "You show up at our home—unannounced and uninvited—shove a broken cup in our hands, and we end up somewhere else! We don't even know where you sent us to! For all we know, we're in the colonies!"

"You're still in London," Harry announced as he approached the group. Vernon glared at him and Harry noticed the all too familiar vein popping out from his uncle's forehead.

"How do you know where we are?" Dudley asked as he peeked out from behind his father to glare at Harry, too. Harry straightened his back and looked at them seriously.

"Because I own this place," he answered simply.

"Y-you own this?" Petunia started as she stared at Harry in horror, "B-but how? You don't have a shilling to your name!" Remus chuckled and raised an eyebrow at Harry who merely shrugged in response.

"I'll take it that they know nothing of you anymore," Remus offered as Harry sighed and smiled.

"They never knew anything about me," he retorted as he looked to the Dursley's seriously again.

"I suggest we take this to the kitchen," he ordered sternly, "The Order will notify us of the situation there and we can try to fix it before it's too late." Vernon crossed his arms before him and snorted. Harry sighed and rolled his eyes before looking at his uncle and clenching his fists, holding his ground as much as his uncle.

"Mr. Dursley," Mr. Weasley began again, "As Harry stated, we should take this into the kitchen. Professor Dumbledore will explain everything when he returns from your home with the other members of the Order. In the meantime, we can have a cup of tea and try to relax." Uncle Vernon opened his mouth to say something before Harry stepped forward.

"We aren't going to find out anything while standing here yelling at each other," he gave sternly, "I'm going to the kitchen with Lupin and Mr. Wea-Dad whether you join us or not. Now, you can stay here and wait in the foyer of a strange home—a wizard's home—by yourself and be afraid of what might attack you. Or you can join us in the kitchen for a cup of tea and conversation." Harry looked to Mr. Weasley and Lupin before nodding. Mr. Weasley smiled and clapped his hands together.

"Well, let's go then, shall we?" he questioned before leading them down the hallway to the kitchen. Harry waited for the Dursley's to go first before turning to Lupin and looking at him in confusion for the grin planted on the tired werewolf's face. Harry sighed and started down the hall after the Dursley's, eager to end the fight for the time being.

"It's a good thing Mrs. Black's portrait is gone," Harry muttered to Lupin as they passed the empty frame, "We would never have peace and quiet between her and my uncle's bellows." Lupin laughed and followed Harry into the kitchen where they found the Dursley's and Mr. Weasley seated already with tea cups in front of them all and two extra ones for Harry and Remus. Harry sat down and began sipping his tea before noticing that the Dursley's were staring at their cups in fear.

"They wouldn't poison you yet," he tiredly offered, "You haven't given them a reason to." Still, they looked at their cups in fright before his aunt tentatively picked hers up and sniffed it. Harry snorted and returned to his own cup, wondering when the others would get there.

"So, Harry," Remus started, "how has your summer been?"

"Fine, thanks," he answered as he looked to his former professor, "I'm just glad to be back home." Lupin winced slightly as he nodded and Harry looked at him strangely before turning to Mr. Weasley.

"Is everything alright?" Harry asked as Mr. Weasley closed his eyes and sighed.

"Harry, it's best if we wait-" Mr. Weasley began but Harry jumped out of his seat, knocking the chair to the ground.

"No," Harry pressed frantically, "What's going on? Did something happen at the Burrow? Is Mum okay? Are Ginny and Ron alright? What's happened?" Mr. Weasley rose from his chair and held a hand to Harry.

"Everything's fine," he offered as Lupin helped Harry back into his seat, "Everyone is safe. Mrs. Weasley—Mum—will be bringing Ginny and Ron here later today. But recent news on You-Know-Who was brought to the Order's attention. We had no choice but to pull the four of you out of Privet Drive as soon as possible."

"Mum?" Petunia remarked in scorn, "What are you saying, Harry? My sister has been dead for years." Harry glared at his aunt.

"Mr. and Mrs. Weasley became my guardians last summer after my godfather died," he announced coldly, "He requested that they take over the care of me and be my guardians." Harry rubbed his head and ran a hand through his disheveled hair.

"Harry," Lupin piped in after a few moments of silence, "Most likely it will be some time before the others return. Why don't you go freshen up? I'll get your family settled in for you." Harry glared at the Dursley's as he stood from his chair.

"They aren't my family," he coldly muttered as Mr. Weasley laid a hand on his shoulder. Harry turned to him and blinked at the older man's tired smile.

"Go on, Harry," Arthur spoke softly, "You'll feel much better if you've freshened up and relaxed some. And there's nothing more we can do right now." Harry nodded and slowly left the room, wondering why they were pulled from Surrey and placed in the only place he felt was home. The place where his heart and some of his favorite memories were. He trudged up the stairs and into his bedroom to pull out fresh clothes before heading to the bathroom, eager to stand under the hot shower water and ease the tension in his shoulders from the stressful morning.

o-o-o-o-o

"I know you are all eager to hear of the situation regarding today," Professor Dumbledore began when everyone had returned to the Order's Headquarters, "But let me begin by saying that we are all lucky no deaths occurred as a result of the recent events."

"Just tell us what happened and let us go," Vernon shouted, "I would like to return to my house immediately with my family. You can keep this boy, but leave us alone." He pointed at Harry and glared at him as Harry rolled his eyes.

"Please, Mr. Dursley," Professor Dumbledore continued, "it will do us no good to shout in here. We are all capable of hearing what you have to say, but it is important for us to continue with the details. After we are done, we will decide what's best for everyone." Uncle Vernon snorted and crossed his arms before him as Professor Dumbledore turned his attention to the full room. Harry looked around as well, finally noticing that not only were they there but many members of the Order were present. Tonks sat next to Lupin with Kingsley beside her. Mr. Weasley was across from Harry, but Mrs. Weasley and the others weren't there yet. Even Professor Snape sat at the table, his usual stoic and bored expression on his face.

"We had received information last night that Voldemort was planning to attack the Dursley's home on Privet Drive today," Professor Dumbledore began, "We decided that our first course of action was to remove all residents in the house before he got there."

"What does this have to do with us being here?" Vernon interrupted, "And why would this Voldy-character come after us? We have nothing to do with your kind! So why do we need to be here anyway? Where are we?" Harry saw most of the people present grip their wands and glare at Vernon, but Professor Dumbledore merely smiled at him.

"On the contrary, Mr. Dursley," he continued, "You have much to do with our kind. Right now, you are in the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix. The Order was designed during Voldemort's first reign of power to fight against him and prevent him from taking over the world, not just the wizarding world but the muggle world as well."

"You said you owned this place," Aunt Petunia screeched as she glared at Harry.

"Harry does own the house and has graciously allowed the Order to continue its operations from here," the headmaster remarked, "As I was saying, the Order was reformed two years ago in hopes of preventing Voldemort from taking over once again. One of our main acts of business is to assure Harry's safety at all costs."

"But what makes him so special that he needs protection?" Dudley piped in with a look of disgust written on his face.

"Harry is what the wizarding world calls the 'Chosen One'. He is meant to save the world from Voldemort," Professor Dumbledore announced, "Because of this, the Order has stopped at nothing to keep him from harm, although harm always seems to find him."

"You!" Vernon snarled as he rose from his chair and glared at Harry, "Because of you my family was pulled from their home! What did you do to us?"

"Mr. Dursley, I suggest you calm yourself," Kingsley remarked as he rose from his seat and pointed his wand at Uncle Vernon. Vernon sat back down, eyeing Kingsley's wand, and glared at Harry again.

"Now, Harry," Professor Dumbledore began, "You already know all of this, so I want to discuss recent events with you. I know you have questions, so I believe we should take care of them now."

"Okay," Harry started as he turned his attention back to his mentor, "What happened yesterday? What has Voldemort done?"

"If I am correct, based off my information," the headmaster answered as he looked to Professor Snape, "Somehow, the blood bond failed to protect you at Privet Drive. It was weakened yesterday, sometime in the late evening." Harry nodded as he looked down.

"Does that mean that the blood bond is gone?" he questioned.

"No," the headmaster continued, "It is just weak at your relatives' home. Something happened there yesterday that caused that." Harry looked up to his mentor, knowing that he wanted to hear the details of yesterday. Harry sighed and leaned forward in his chair.

"Uncle Vernon and I had a fight yesterday," he replied, "Mrs. Wea-Mum sent a howler to Aunt Petunia regarding the treatment I receive at Privet Drive. Uncle Vernon asked what I had said and accused me of telling you all lies. He said that it was his home and not mine. I agreed with him and said I never considered it home." Professor Dumbledore closed his eyes and nodded.

"That, I'm afraid, is what weakened the blood bond," he remarked, "Do you remember what I told you about the blood bond, Harry? So long as you can call your relatives' home your home, the blood bond stays intact. However, since you no longer consider it home, your blood bond has been weakened. Therefore, Voldemort has a much greater chance of harming you if your blood bond is not strong. That is why he chose today to attack the Dursley's, as well as other homes." Harry shot a glance at his mentor and realized that the Weasley's still weren't at the headquarters.

"What's happened at the Burrow? Where's Mum? And Ginny and Ron? Are they alright?" Harry questioned frantically.

"Calm yourself, Harry," Mr. Weasley started, "They are all fine. We moved them to Hogwarts first to get them out of the way. We would've brought them straight here, but we wanted to talk to you and your relatives before they joined us." Harry nodded but still stared at them in fright.

"And the Burrow?" Harry watched as Mr. Weasley and Professor Dumbledore exchanged glances.

"No one blames you, Harry," Mr. Weasley stated, "What happened couldn't be prevented."

"I blame you!" Vernon shouted, "You! You have done nothing but cause harm and trouble for my family! You have put us in danger more times than I can count! And now, you've put your friends and their families in danger! What kind of person are you? Have you no sympathy for those that go out of their way for you?"

"How dare you accuse Harry of such things!" Harry heard from the doorway. He turned to the voice and saw an angry Mrs. Weasley glaring at Vernon, Ginny and Ron right behind her with equal looks of disgust on their faces.

"How dare you treat Harry like a burden!" she continued as she entered the kitchen, "Had you treated him like a part of your family, this would not have happened! Had you shown him just an inkling of love like you've showered on that child instead of yelling at him all the time, you would not be here and nothing would have harmed you. Instead of treating him like the wonderful person he is, you have chosen to treat him like a burden and harm your own child more. It's no wonder why Harry doesn't consider your home his home. Home is where the heart should be, and his heart does not belong under your roof!" Harry blushed and looked down at his feet until Professor Dumbledore coughed slightly.

"Thank you for joining us, Mrs. Weasley," he replied, "This will only take another moment. Harry, Ginny, Ron, why don't the three of you run upstairs and wait for us to finish. There are some circumstances we need to discuss with the Dursley's. We shall call on you when the meeting is finished." Harry nodded and started for the door to the kitchen before Mrs. Weasley stopped him with a bone-crushing hug and a smile.

"It's good to have you here, Harry," she began as Harry smiled at her.

"It's good to be home, Mum," he remarked before walking out of the kitchen with his friends.

o-o-o-o-o

"Harry," Ginny began as she lay sprawled across his bed, "what happened?" Harry looked up at her from his position on the floor, leaning against his bed, before looking up at Ron, who sat at the desk across from him. Harry sighed and shrugged his shoulders.

"According to Dumbledore," he began, "my blood bond was weakened yesterday when I told my uncle that I no longer considered his home my home. Because of that, my blood bond—or my mum's blood bond—weakened at their house and Voldemort had a chance to come after me."

"That's horrible, Harry!" she started as she sat down beside him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"It's okay," he started as he looked up at Ron, "I'm just glad no one was hurt. I feel really bad about your home, though." Ron shrugged and looked down at the floor.

"Mum always says 'home is where the heart is' and our hearts are with our family," Ginny remarked with a smile, "Our family is here, so our hearts and our home is here." Harry forced a smile on his face as Ron stood up.

"She's right, mate," he stated as he smiled to Harry and offered a hand to help them up, "This is where our home is right now." Harry smiled and took Ron's hand before they turned to Ginny to help her up. She scoffed and rolled her eyes before ignoring their hands and rising from her position on the floor.

"Honestly, the two of you treat me like I'm incapable of taking care of myself," she muttered as Ron and Harry chuckled. Ginny soon joined in their laugh and walked to the door.

"I wonder if they're done yet," she offered, "This is boring!" Harry and Ron nodded before Mrs. Weasley called them back downstairs. Harry, Ron, and Ginny sighed with relief and left the room, eager to find out the latest news. As they entered the kitchen, Harry noticed that Uncle Vernon and Dudley were scowling while Aunt Petunia sniffed.

"Harry," Professor Dumbledore started as Harry finally noticed he was still there, "Please sit. There are a few things we need to discuss before I leave." Harry sat down and looked eagerly at his mentor.

"Because of the blood bond weakening, the Order feels it is best for your family to stay with you at all times," Professor Dumbledore explained, "Since you already consider Grimmauld Place to be your home. By allowing your relatives to call this place home, you will ensure that the blood bond stays strong." Harry nodded and looked back at the Dursley's.

"Is that all, Professor?" Harry questioned as he turned back to his mentor. Professor Dumbledore smiled and nodded as he stood from his chair.

"That is all," he answered, "for now." With that, he left the room and disappeared into the house, leaving the Dursley's and the Weasley's to a quiet and uncomfortable breakfast at Grimmauld Place.

A/N: Thanks for reading! And now, for a long list of thank you's and reviews!

Long Way to Go: Pt. I
Reviews
iceprincess421-I'm so glad you decided to keep reading this story! I loved writing the first part, and I'm loving the second part! And Harry won't find out who Ginger is until later on. You'll see. Thanks for reading my attempts!

Khadon- Thanks for the review! I'm glad you enjoyed the first part, and I hope you continue to read this story! As for Harry being the way he is, he acts this way because of his character analysis I did. In this series, I've attempted to make him as realistic as possible. That's how people are in the real world.

shannyauburn- Thank you for your review! I'm glad that you've enjoyed the story, and I'm looking forward to hearing from my "number one fan" through this part as well as its sequel!

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Long Way to Go: Pt. II
Reviews
SpeechlessQuestion- Thank you for reviewing! I wanted to play it up a little and show the Dursley's something they hadn't experienced before about the wizarding world. I also wanted to show them why treating Harry so poorly over the years was a bad thing and have them experience the consequences of their actions. Stay tuned, though! More shocking news and surprises are coming!

iceprincess421- Thank you for reviewing! I'm so glad you're enjoying this story! As always, I will attempt to update every five days. It just depends on how much I get written each day since I have to work around my job as a Starbuck's barista. Anyway, thanks for your continued support!

TricaLee- You hit the nail on the nose! Kudos! There's more of an explanation coming, though, and more shocking news and surprises in store for not only Harry and the gang but also for the Dursley's! Thanks for the review!

Voldemort is Dead- I hope you enjoyed this chapter on what happened when the Dursley's went to the Headquarters! Just wait! More conflict is coming, and some surprising changes are right behind it! Thanks for the review!

Lovegood Loves Good- I'm so glad you really enjoyed the story! I hope it continues to entertain you! That's the point behind it! And I know what you mean about being impatient. I can be the same way! But, worry not! For my outlines are still in ink and being followed until this story is completed (as well as its sequel)! Thanks for the review!

jayley- It's true that Harry should've known that Ron would tell Mrs. Weasley about the treatment at Privet Drive, but I honestly didn't take that into account when I wrote the chapter. Harry just wrote down how he was feeling and Ron told Mrs. Weasley. Thanks for the review!

shannyauburn- Thanks for the review! I'm so glad that you decided to continue reading this series. Yes, it is a series; there are three parts to this story. It's a lot of writing, but I think it will be worth it! At least, I think it will be! I just have to reconfigure the ending of the third part. You'll see! Anyway, thanks again!

Stix-the-Rebel- If I were the betting type, I would've been in trouble. Of course, I'm the writer, so I can't bet on my own story! I'm glad you're enjoying the story and I hope you continue to read it! Thanks again!

nandhp- Thanks for the review! I'm glad you continued to read the story after the first part was completed! I look forward to your reviews in the future and I hope you continue to stick with this endeavor until the end of the third part!

drdsw- Thank you so much for your wonderful compliment in your review! It really makes my day to hear things like that! Believe it or not, I have seriously considered writing my own series on my own character, Maggie Parker. I even have the outlines written for the seven books in the series! I just need the experience for it, which I am (slowly but surely) getting right now. But I digress. I'm so glad you've enjoyed the two stories to this point and I sincerely hope you continue to read the series which will include threeparts in all!

phoenix-feather373- Thank you for your compliment in your review! I've always found my writing a little dry, so it's nice to hear someone say it's fantastic! As for who "Ginger" is, the truth--and the whole truth behind it--won't be revealed for awhile. However, the truth will (hopefully) blow your mind. Again, thanks for reviewing and for reading! I hope you continue to read!

maxamillions- Thanks for the review! I'm glad you are enjoying the story! I've enjoyed writing it and it's made me realize that writing is what I want to do for the rest of my life. I'm glad I've chosen it as my field. People like you make me realize how much I like writing and why I should continue to write! I hope you continue to read this series and the other stories I have on my mind!

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Man! Some of those names are long! At any rate, thanks to all for supporting me, both the old ones and the new ones! MALD