A New Path
AN: Fair warning, this chapter has multiple flashback scenes in it so it jumps around quite a bit. The present here is at Grimmauld and the past is Malfoy Manor. I could have written it in chronological order, but I didn't.
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CHAPTER 4 - Grimmauld Place
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The Order were packed into the long kitchen of Grimmauld Place awaiting the return of Dumbledore and his charge.
The door opened and every head turned to watch the tall wizard enter.
"Mister Potter is to remain undisturbed." Dumbledore told them. He strolled to the end of the bulging table and sat heavily in the only empty chair. "He has been though much these last few days and requires rest. Tomorrow he will tell us what he knows but for now we can rest in peace knowing he is finally safe."
There was a collective sigh.
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"Harry!"
Harry opened his eyes to the sight of the Weasley twins, Ginny and Ron crowding in through the door. Hermione was stood at the end of his bed.
"How are you?" She asked urgently.
Harry laughed. He couldn't help it. "I won't break." He told his friends. "You don't have to walk on eggshells."
The twins pushed past their brother into the room as Harry rolled his feet out of bed, reaching for his glasses. Hermione handed them to him.
"We're just worried mate." Ron said.
"Yeah, you've been missing two whole weeks." Ginny told him. "The order were searching but they couldn't find you. We were worried."
"We still are." Hermione added. "What did they do? Are you ok?"
"I'm fine Hermione. Nothing a good night's sleep didn't help."
She didn't look convinced.
"C'mon mate, breakfast's up." Ron said. His stomach rumbled and the whole room laughed.
"Just give me a minute." Harry said. "I'll follow you down in a bit."
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Breakfast at Grimmauld was at best busy.
"C'mon Harry, tell us what happened."
Harry put another spoonful of cereal into his mouth.
"How did you really escape? It wasn't really Snape was it?"
"Don't be silly Ginny, of course it wasn't that slimy bat. He's a death eater."
"Ron! Professor Snape is a spy for the Order. I'm sure he would help where he could."
"Shush, he's finished-"
"-eating. Go on Harry. -"
"- Tell us, what-"
"-happened?"
Harry sighed and looked from face to face.
"I've already told Dumblebore." He said with exaggerated tiredness.
"But you haven't told us." Hermione pointed out. She looked at Ron for support.
"Yeah mate. Come on, tell us. Was it really old bat-face?"
"Ronald Weasley!"
"Sorry Mum."
Harry smiled as the twins ruffled their brother's hair.
"Sorry Ron, it was." He said. "I mean, I broke out. But it was because Snape helped."
"So he didn't actually rescue you?" Ginny asked.
"Well, he couldn't, could he? You-know-who would find out. This way he can still claim innocence." Hermione told her. "Go on Harry."
"Well, I just, legged it. Simple. Once I got out of the cell I made my way out through the gardens. They're huge by the way. Snape must have called the Order or something because by the time the Death Eaters realised I was out there were aurors and people there fighting them. And that's it really. Next thing I was here. Talking to Dumbles." He shrugged. "Simple."
"Oh Harry." Hermione practically threw herself on him.
Harry hugged the girl. "I'm ok, Hermione. Really."
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Flashback.
"We will arrange for you to be seen fleeing by the Order." Voldemort said as he and Harry sat in his private study. Harry had the occulmency book on his knee, a pad of paper on top and a self-inking quill in hand.
"What about what I tell Dumbles?"
The Dark Lord smirked. "You will tell him his precious spy released the binds holding you." He answered. "Severus will inform him of the exact details and will also contact the Order to say he has found you."
Harry nodded.
"I will be ordering several Death Eaters to be here for your 'escape.'" Voldemort continued. "They will not know it is staged, and I cannot risk telling them, so I advise you treat it as the real thing."
"Because it pretty much will be once I'm outside."
"Precisely. Lucius has been informed that I will be moving a prisoner into his dungeons soon. It will look like you escaped by incompetence during the move."
"Dumbles should fall for that." Harry agreed.
Voldemort glanced down at Harry's lap. "Have you finished reading that yet?"
Harry looked at the book. He shook his head. "I stayed up most of the night to finish it but by the end I was so confused I had to stop. I've taken notes," he held up the pad, "and tried re-reading some this morning but I think it's something I need someone to explain to me."
Voldemort nodded. "Soon. Later this year perhaps. For now you should be ok as long as you avoid eye contact and practice the preparative mind training I taught you yesterday."
"Every morning." Harry confirmed.
"Good."
End Flashback.
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"Harry dear." Molly Weasley called. "Dumbledore has just arrived. He'd like to speak to you if you've finished your breakfast."
"Thank you Mrs Weasley." He stood and carried his bowl to the sink.
As he neared she opened her arms wide. "Come here." A big squishy hug ensued. "We're so glad you're back, safe and sound." She said into his ear before letting go. "Off you pop."
The four Weasley teenagers and Hermione started to follow.
"Oh no you don't." The Weasley matriarch called. "The headmaster wants to see Harry. You five stay right here."
Harry turned back to his friends with a smile. "I'll tell you what happens." He promised.
He left the room and walked down the corridor, passing the portrait of Mrs Black thankfully silent, and entered a room near the front door.
"Harry." Dumbledore greeted.
Harry forced a smiled and stared at the sickly orange pattern on the elderly wizard's robes.
"Headmaster." Harry returned.
"I'm afraid your ordeal is not quite over. There is a small matter of your use of underage magic to deal with."
Harry couldn't help it. He looked directly at Dumbledore. Who just happened to be looking somewhere else.
"But there was a dementor." He argued.
"I know, my dear boy. However we must prove so at a hearing. Mr Weasley will accompany you. It is on the twelfth, tomorrow, at nine." The headmaster paused. "I hope you are keeping well, how are you feeling today?"
Harry looked away from the older wizard again.
"I'm ok. Really. Just glad to back."
He made sure to act like he had been held captive, nervy and relieved, but it didn't seem to matter, Dumbledore was avoiding Harry's gaze as much as Harry was his.
There was a moment of almost awkward silence.
"Very well then, I will leave you to your friends, my boy. I am glad you are alright."
And then Dumbledore left.
Harry stood alone in the room. Confused. He made a mental note to tell Voldemort next time they talked.
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Flashback.
It was early morning and a restless Harry Potter was searching his room.
"Dinky?"
The demure house elf popped in.
"Yes Master Potter?" She asked appearing beside the messy figure currently with his head in a drawer.
"Have you seen the clothes I arrived in? I can't really go to the Order dressed in new robes and they're the only clothes from the muggles I have but I can't find them."
Dinky clicked her fingers.
Hearing the noise, Harry pulled his head out of the drawer and looked around.
The oversized second-hand clothes were lying on the bed waiting.
"Thanks." He said, rising.
He stood, staring at the outfit. "Wish I didn't have to wear these again." He said quietly to himself, definitely not muttering. "Dinky, don't you think these should be a bit more, I dunno, ragged. I'm supposed to have been wearing them for two weeks in a dungeon after all." He added turning to face the elf.
Dinky bowed and clicked her fingers again. The clothes became rags and Harry smiled. "Perfect."
He sighed.
"Do you think Voldie will let me have my wand back yet?" He asked.
Whilst the tracking spells had been removed the day after he'd arrived, Voldemort had refused to leave Harry with his wand. On days where he had been trying to practice the spells Voldemort had been teaching him, Harry was forced to use a different wand. No explanation had been given.
"Master Dark Lord is wantings Master Potter to collects Master Potter's wand whens hes seeses Master Dark Lord before Master Potter leaves, Sir." Dinky replied quickly.
After a quick mental translation, Harry smiled what was fast becoming known as his evil smile.
"Then I'd better go visit." He said, picking up the rags and beginning changing.
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"Can I have my wand?" Came the far too sweet request from the doorway.
Voldemort looked up from his notes on the Hogwarts wards and defences.
"What, are you wearing?" He asked as he saw the teen.
Harry strolled in innocently and sat on the chair opposite the Dark Lord.
"Well I have to look the part." He said. "Dinky created this masterpiece," indicating the rags covering his still glamoured frame, "because I am currently without wand."
The hint was painfully clear yet got ignored.
"You walked through the manor like that?" Voldemort asked, eyebrow raised, if he had one.
Harry looked down at himself. "Yeah..."
Voldemort cast several quick privacy spells many of which were veils preventing sight as well as sound.
"Remove your glamour." He ordered.
Harry complied.
The glamour that had become so normal for the pair flickered and fell.
Harry, the real one, sat in his chair in his rags.
"You have changed too much." Voldemort informed him.
Harry looked at himself again. Voldemort conjured a mirror for the teen to view himself better.
"You're right. I'm the opposite of what they'd be expecting after spending time as a Malfoy's prisoner."
"Death Eater's." The Dark Lord corrected. "As far as the order will be aware, you will only just be joining the Malfoys and that will be how you escape."
Harry nodded. "Do I need another glamour or is there some kind of potion that will make me look starved for a while? I can look healthy again in a couple of weeks and the Order will think it's their doing plus a growth spurt."
"True. I will get Severus to create such a potion, I believe there is a base in existence already but it will no doubt require additional changes to be of use here."
Harry frowned. "Not you?"
Another inexistent eyebrow rose. "Do you really not like Severus that much? I may be a genius but he is by far the better Potions Master." It seemed to take effort for Voldemort to admit that.
"Good thing there's a privacy veil up." Harry teased. "Wouldn't want the Death Eaters hearing that."
Voldemort threw a stinging hex at the teen who got the hint and left. After replacing his glamour and demanding his wand again.
End Flashback.
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Harry was sat on his allocated bed, the room empty because he had asked for time alone. Most surprisingly, no one had argued the point.
"Master Potter, Sir?" A quiet voice whispered into the still room.
Harry looked around in shock.
"Dinky?" He whispered.
A head appeared behind Ron's bed and Harry smiled.
"Dinky has beens sent to tells Master Potter hes is to reads these," she clicked her fingers and a notebook landed beside Harry on his bed, "and Master Potter is tos writes back the ways its bes sayings tos." She said.
Harry frowned at the message and reached for the notebook.
Dinky wrung her hands nervously. "Dinky bes bad and looks but Dinkys not understands squiggles, sir." She said staring at the floorboards. "Should Dinky punishes herself nows Master?" She asked unsure.
"No." Harry answered firmly. "Why did you look at them Dinky? It's not like you."
Dinky stared at the bed sheets now, trying not pull on her ears despite her hands repeatedly rising to them. "Dinky sees it opens on Master Dark Lord's desk, Master Potter sir. Dinky doesn't means to seeses Master Potter sir, but Dinky seeses. Should Dinky punishes herself?"
"No."
There was a sudden noise just outside and Harry turned to the door. When he turned back Dinky was gone. And so was the notebook.
The door opened.
"Harry?" It was Ron. "You ok mate? Thought I heard you talking to someone." He looked around the room finding only Harry and glanced questioningly at him.
"I was talking to myself." Harry told him. "I know, first sign of madness."
Ron shrugged and let it go. "Me and Gin were gonna play a game of chess, wanna join us?"
He picked up his chess set.
Harry laughed. "You know I'm no good."
Ron grinned at the memory of previous games.
"Still?"
"Maybe. I'll be down in a bit. Just don't expect me to play, alright, I don't fancy getting thrashed just yet."
Ron laughed and left the room.
Harry waited for the footsteps to fade completely.
"Dinky?" He asked cautiously.
An invisible hand touched his own.
While he watched, Dinky reappeared in front of him.
Harry's mouth formed an o. "I didn't know house elves could do that?" He said amazed.
Dinky simply smiled, handed Harry the notebook and diapparated, leaving Harry alone in the room again.
After a moment, Harry put the notebook in the bottom of his trunk and went to join Ron and Ginny.
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Flashback.
"You will need these."
Snape was standing in the door way of Harry's room while the teen studied Voldemort's book on Occulmency for the last time.
Harry looked up.
"What are they?"
"The Lady Malfoy wishes you to take these potions to tide you over until Hogwarts. Should you feel the pull of withdrawal from the stronger ones you were using before you are to take one."
Harry nodded and walked over to the table where Snape was placing four small phials.
"This one," he placed a fifth larger phial on the table, "is the glamour. It will fade gradually over the course of one month."
Harry nodded with a thoughtful breath.
"How should I hide them when I leave? I can't exactly take a bag."
Snape gave Harry his patented look of derision. "That is for you to consider." He said, leaving the room in a sweep of his cloak.
Harry picked up one of the small phials and tucked it into his pocket before examining himself in the mirror. Invisible.
Removing the phial and placing it back on the table for now, Harry returned to his studying.
End Flashback.
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"Ha! Checkmate."
Ron examined the board in detail and then leaned back with a huff.
"Well it took help from Hermione and Lupin but I finally beat him." Ginny said smugly.
"Hi Harry."
Hermione's words made everyone turn.
"Thought you were coming down earlier?" Ron said, pointedly ignoring the finished chess game beside him.
"I was-" He started.
"But we decided -"
"- to take him -"
"- on a tour -"
"- of the house -"
"- didn't we Sirius?" The twins chorused.
Sirius entered the room, ruffling Harry's hair playfully as he passed.
"I have some bad news." He said solemnly. "I have information your dear mother is on the way here with more chores for each of us." He turned to Harry. "I'm so sorry Pup but that includes you."
Harry looked between his friends and his godfather. "What?" He asked. "It can't be that bad? Can it?"
A lot of looks got passed around before anyone answered.
"It depends what the task is." Ginny told him.
"Kids?" Came the call from the hallway. "The curtains in the drawing room are infested with Doxy and I need your help to clear it. Come on, chop, chop." By the end of her sentence, Molly Weasley was standing in the doorway ushering the teenagers, and honorary teenager, out to the infested area. "And after we're done there's still the rest of the drawing room to clear out." She said.
Harry heard a Mexican wave of sighs and chuckled. He turned to Sirius. "Is it really that bad?"
"You'll see kiddo." Sirius answered. "We've got to clear all the dark stuff out. And there's a lot of it."
"Oh well, at least we -"
"- can get some Doxy venom -"
"- for our experiments." The twins whispered to Harry who smirked.
The twins caught it and grinned.
"Looks like our little Harrikins -"
"- has developed a darker side -"
"- while in the company of -"
"- the Malfoys."
"Welcome." They said in unison while linking arms either side of Harry and waltzing him into the waiting room.
Mrs Weasley raised an eyebrow at them but turned to her youngest instead. "Ginny dear, would you fetchMundungus, he promised to help."
Ginny rushed, slowly, to her task while the others began de-doxying the curtains.
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"You know you can talk to me right Pup?" Sirius asked as they bagged the dark contents above the fireplace while the others took care of those in the glass cabinet.
Harry looked at him confused. "Of course."
Sirius stumbled verbally. "What really happened?" He said at last.
Harry stared at the suddenly very interesting woodwork of the mantelpiece, emotionally caught.
"It's ok." Sirius told him. "You don't have to tell me. I just want you to know you can."
Harry turned to him and smiled weakly. "I'm ok." He said.
"I know that. You seem better than when I last saw you. That's why I think there something more to what happened than what I've been told." He saw the look in Harry's eyes and continued. "But don't worry. I won't say anything. This is just between you and me. Besides, everyone else has seen you recently so they probably won't notice it as much."
Harry nodded. "Thanks. And maybe."
"When you're ready."
"Yeah."
They went back to their task.
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Flashback.
"Help! Help me!"
The Order members were flocking into the manor's large garden.
Beside Harry an albino peacock squawked and ran at his legs. Harry darted sideways and ran.
"Help!" He called again.
Death Eaters were chasing him but they were far behind. No point risking failure by actually getting captured.
"Harry!"
Finally someone spotted him.
Harry, checking the mad peacock was nowhere near him, collapsed to the ground as if worn out by his escape and recent experience - the lack of sleep the past two nights helping greatly.
"Harry!"
Multiple feet surrounded him and a pair of strong arms lifted him to his feet.
"Sorry lad, no time to rest."
"C'mon. Quickly."
They were moving, Harry practically carried between two tall bodies.
The second they were out of the gates, the group disapparated and Harry found himself falling heavily to the floor, barely being caught before the stone street reached his face.
"Sorry." He mumbled.
"C'mon lad." The same voice from before said. "Only a little further now."
A small scrap of paper was thrust under his nose. "Read this and remember it." Came the gruff voice of Mad Eye Moody.
Harry read the single sentence:
The Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix may be found at number Twelve, Grimmauld Place, London.
He blinked and the paper disintegrated.
"What?"
A gentle hand lifted his head to see a building appearing between a long line of similar houses.
"Oh."
Harry slumped over leaving the Order members to carry his sleepy frame into their Headquarters.
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Dumbledore stood to one side and watched as Harry was carried into the house. Hestia and Vance gently levitated him past the silent portrait of the former LadyBlack and towards a recently re-humanised room.
"No. Take him upstairs. The boy needs rest to recover." He ordered in a soft voice.
The two women obeyed, disappearing up the staircase with the sleeping form.
With an expansive sigh, Dumbledore turned and walked to the kitchen to tell the waiting Order members the news.
End Flashback.
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Harry, in a stormy mood, threw himself onto his bed at Grimmauld Place. In the back of his mind he felt a soothing presence that he assumed could only be Voldemort.
"So how'd it go?" Ron asked as he sat on the bed opposite.
Harry simply stared at the boy.
"That bad?" It was Ginny, standing against the door frame.
"Dad says the Minister tried to get Harry expelled." Bill answered from behind his sister in the doorway. "That even after the Headmaster proved the Dementors did attack Harry in Surrey, he pushed for illegal apparition charges."
"They tried to make me out to be a spoilt brat after the headlines." Harry grumbled. "That I did it on purpose. Why would I?"
"Harry," Hermione began comfortingly, wrapping her arms around her friend. "It's what they've been trying to do all summer. Fudge is scared. He thinks Dumbledore is trying to cause trouble so he can take over as Minister of Magic."
"Dumbledore would do that!"
"We know. But Fudge seems to think so. He's trying to make Dumbledore out to be stirring things, to paint him in a bad light, discredit him, and by extension, you too."
Harry grumbled something indecipherable.
"So... What happened at the hearing? You're here so does that mean Dumbledore got them to drop the charges?"
Harry gave Hermione a look, one he'd learnt from Voldemort. Hermione flinched and looked away.
"Yes." He said shortly.
It had been more obvious at the hearing, Dumbledore was up to something. For the first time, Harry had seen, or more noticed, the older wizard manipulating to get his way and it'd made him think. There was a burst of joyous emotion in the back of his mind that made Harry wince.
"You alright mate?" Ron asked.
"Yeah." Harry lied. "Just-"
"The Ministry?"
"Yeah."
"Don't dwell on it Harry." Bill said. "There are more important things to think about than a foolish wizard's failed attempt to expel you."
Harry raised an eyebrow.
"I could have phrased that better I admit but it's true."
"He's right Harry. You-Know-Who is back and we have to prepare. Fudge is just the annoying distraction."
"Who's getting in the way."
Hermione laughed and launched herself on her friend again. This time Ginny came to sit beside them.
"You know, I'm surprised you haven't tried to break into a meeting yet." Bill told Harry. "These three have."
Ron laughed now. "Not had much success though."
"What meetings?"
The three Weasleys and Hermione looked at Harry puzzled.
Harry laughed. "I'm kidding. Come on. I heard there was roast chicken tonight."
He left the room laughing, followed soon after by his confused friends.
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The last day of the holidays found Harry sat on the foot of his bed staring at the notebook from Voldemort. He hadn't had many chances to look at it and when he had they had been painfully short.
"Harry?"
Harry closed his eyes, exhaling. When he opened them again, Ron was at the door.
"There you are. Mum's been asking." He walked in and sat on the opposite bed, chucking an envelope towards Harry. "Booklists have arrived." He said, in case Harry hadn't got it. "About time too. I thought they'd forgotten us, they usually come much earlier than this ..."
Harry turned, picking up and opening the letter. "Two new books." He said skipping the standard letter and going to the second sheet.
The Twins took that moment to apparate in with dual cracks.
"Hey Harry, Ron. Seen the booklist? We were just wondering who set the Slinkhard book."
"Why?" Harry asked, chucking the letter and envelope over the open notebook.
"Haven't you heard? Apparently Dumbledore's been having trouble getting someone for the job this year."
"We overheard Mum and Dad talking on the extendable ears a few weeks back."
"Not surprising really, not after what happened last year."
"And the three before that."
"One sacked. One dead. One's memories removed. One locked in a trunk for nine months." Harry ticked them off on his fingers. "I see what you mean."
"Yeah. No surprise really." Fred turned to his younger brother. "What's up with you, Ron?"
Ron was sat on his bed, mouth agape and staring disbelievingly at his Hogwarts letter.
Fred walked up to his brother and looked at the letter. His mouth fell open too. "Prefect? Prefect?"
George burst over to his brothers and picked up the envelope, tipping the contents onto his hand. Sure enough a scarlet and gold badge fell out. "No way?"
A mass of confusion, denial and reasoning followed before Hermione joined the chaos.
"Did you -? Did you get -?" She saw the badge currently in Harry's hand and jumped to the wrong conclusion. "I knew it! Me too, Harry, me too!"
"No. Ron." Harry said passing the badge back to its rightful owner.
"Ron?" Hermione was knocked off balance for a moment before righting herself but not without going red. "That's - I mean - Well done! That's very -"
"Unexpected?"
"No, I, Ron's done loads of ... really he's ..."
Mrs Weasleys entered the room and it all started again.
Throughout it all Harry found himself begrudging Ron his success. It took him some time to recover and decide he was being foolish in blaming Ron himself but after he had he warmly congratulated the boy and things went back to normal between them.
They spent the day packing, finding their things all over the house. By the time Mrs Weasley arrived back they were just about done. Harry's notebook from Voldemort hidden at the bottom of his trunk beneath his school clothes, safe from others' eyes, and Ron's new badge hidden inside a maroon sock, locked in his trunk, safe from his brothers.
That night all Harry could think about was how Dumbledore didn't seem to trust him anymore. If he ever did. The same questions kept going through his mind. Why wouldn't the headmaster make him a prefect? Why Ron? Why was he ignoring him? Why didn't the headmaster speak to him after the hearing? Or even look at him?
Harry sighed, packed away his things and went to bed.
As he closed his eyes, in his mind he heard the words echo softly: "Because Dumbledore's an idiot."
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AN: Sorry this took so long. I got everything up to the hearing written and then had writer's block on how to finish without parroting JK.