Chapter 9

As Harry led them through another hall Carlisle spoke for the first time since Harry had told his story in the bathroom.

"So did you ever find out who the student was that died?"

"Yes it was Myrtle that died. We figured it out the day we rescued Ginny. Myrtle told us how she died and we knew right away what was happening. That and the clue that Hermione had clenched in her petrified hand. She had torn out a page from a book all about the snake." Harry explained.

"How did you figure out Hagrid's innocence? I don't think I quite understood that." Edward asked hoping he wasn't pushing him to much.

"Ron and I followed the spiders into the forbidden forest and the leader of the oversized spiders told us about how hagrid had been protecting them. And that he was totally innocent."

They fell into a odd silence as they stepped out onto the grass outside the castle. "I would ask you not to ask any questions about that incident in front of Hagrid. You'll be meeting him momentarily and it still upsets him."

The two vampires nodded in agreement as they went on their way stepping over some debris that hadn't been cleared yet. Harry led them to a small hut that stood near what used to be a garden of some sort. Harry deftly knocked on the door and stood slightly back. The door opened and the half Giant beamed as he caught sight of Harry standing on his porch.

"Harry how are you?" he boomed as he threw his arms around Harry in a huge hug.

"I'm fine. It's tough being back here though I have to admit."

"Of course I understand. So are you going introduce me to you friends here?"

"Oh yeah sorry. Hagrid this is Carlisle and Edward Cullen. Carlisle, Edward this is Hagrid. Hagrid is part giant that is the reason he is so large."

Hagrid looked at the two men and gasped.

"Harry you do realize that they are Vampires?"

"Yes I know. But they aren't like most vamps. They feed off of animal blood not human." Harry said. Hagrid sighed a bit in relief.

Harry looked around the yard. He spotted Buck Beak and painful memories filled his mind. He walked absently towards the hippogriff and bowed low. Buck beak looked at Harry almost as if he recognized him and bowed in return. Harry petted the animal murmuring small words of praise to him. Soon he walked away from Buck beak and back to the Cullen's and Hagrid.

"Buck Beak is a link to my third year. It started as horribly as the rest did at my aunt and uncle's house. Uncle Vernon's sister was visiting and I ended up inflating her in a burst of accidental magic. She had been comparing my mother to a female dog and calling my father a drunk good for nothing. So I lost it and then left. I fell and raising my wand just down the road called the emergency transportation of witches and wizards otherwise known as the knight bus. I went to London and met the minister of magic at the leaky cauldron. That is a bar for wizard and witches in London. I spent the rest of the summer staying there." Harry looked out at buck beak dreamily.

"That was where I first heard about Sirius Black. He had escaped from Azkaban. Arthur Weasely told me later that he was searching for me and wanted to kill me. How was he supposed to know the truth? How could I have known?" Harry trailed off. As he stared off he didn't notice Professor McGonagall walk up to the group.

"Harry are you ok?" She asked worriedly.

Harry nodded once and walked towards the hippogriff again. She looked at Hagrid with concern.

"What was he talking about?" She asked.

"He was trying to tell them about his third year. But I think it's a bit to much for him." He said. Minerva nodded and walked towards Harry stopping before she got to close.

"Harry do you mind if I finish telling your friends about your third year?" she asked kindly. Harry nodded wordlessly and she walked back to the group. She conjured up some chairs and they all sat down where she could keep her eye on Harry and tell the story.

"Security here at Hogwarts was different than it should have been. We had dementors guarding the castle and looking for Mr. Black. Dementors are dark creatures that feed off of all a persons happy memories and emotions leaving them with all their worst memories to torment them. They also will suck a persons soul out of their body leaving the person still living but an empty shell. They seemed to seek Harry out that year. They even attacked him during a quiddich game causing him to fall from his broom and injure himself and his broom flew into the whomping willow and was destroyed. After that Professor Remus Lupin taught Harry to conjure a corporeal Patronus to ward of the dementors. Lupin was one of Harry's dad's best friend." Minerva said peeking over at Harry who was now sitting next to the hippogriff.

"Ron and Hermione was fighting that year because Ron was sure that Hermione's cat had ate his rat when he found his pet rat missing and blood on the ground. Harry was mad at Hermione because she told me about a broom that had been sent to him but without a card. I had confiscated it to ensure it was safe. As the school year progressed the trio were still fighting when they to check on Hagrid. Buck beak had been provoked by Draco Malfoy during the first care of magical creatures class and his father had pressed the issue and the animal was to be executed. While they were their they found Ron's rat and as they left the rat bit Ron causing him to release the rat." Minerva again checked on Harry to see a few tears falling from his eyes. Her heart ached for him but she continued the story fighting the urge to go hug him.

"The rat ran towards the whomping willow which Ron didn't notice. Before he could turn back and big black dog grabbed him by the leg and managed to pull him into a secret tunnel under the tree. Harry and Hermione rushed to get into the tunnel and go after the dog and their friend. Lupin had been looking at a special map of the school and noticed that two someone's who shouldn't be there was their and Harry and Hermione were heading straight for them. He rushed out to save them." Minerva took a deep breath.

"When Lupin got there he was face to face with Sirius Black. As it turned out Sirius was an animagus. Between the two of them they tried to explain that Sirius had not been the Potters secret keeper and had not betrayed his best friends. Harry was skeptical but was convinced after they revealed the rat's true identity. The rat was Peter Pettigrew. He had lived in his animagus form after he had framed Sirius and lived with the Weasely's. He had been the Potter's secret keeper. He was the only one that knew where they lived and had told Voldemort. The night James and Lily Potter was killed Sirius had went after Peter. He found Peter in the middle of a busy street and called him out. Peter then made a scene to make it look like Sirius was going to kill him and caused an explosion that killed 13 people cut off his finger and went into his rat form. Sirius was sent to Azkaban." Minerva stopped for a moment and closed her eyes.

"After they convinced Harry the two men were intent on killing Peter but Harry would not let them become murderers. But just as they were getting ready to leave Snape showed up. Harry knocked him out and they all made their way out of the shack. As they reached the top of the tunnel it all went badly. It turned out it was the night of the full moon. Remus was a werewolf and when he saw the moon he transformed and nearly attacked Harry and his friends but Sirius quickly changed into a dog and attacked the werewolf. But during the fight Peter escaped and returned to Voldemorts side where ever he was at the time." Minerva took one look at Harry's shaking form and knew that she had better speed the story up. He was going to need some one and soon. And she was determined that she would be there for him.

"To make a long story a bit shorter Harry went after Sirius as soon as it was safe and found him surrounded by dementors he tried to do a patronus and failed as just as the dementor tried to suck his soul out someone formed one from across the lake. He was confused but hours later he found out it was himself that did it. Hermione and Harry used the time turner to go back three hours and managed to save the hippogriff as well as his Godfather Sirius' lives." Minerva told them as she got up and quickly bowing to the hippogriff who bowed back instantly as if he knew it was near an emergency.

She carefully walked up to Harry and put her arms around the shaking boy and helped him to his feet. He cried on her shoulder as they walked back to the group. He sat down next to her in the chair she conjured for him and simply put his head in his hands. After several minutes he stopped crying and looking up apologized for the display.

"Harry it's ok to feel and to have emotions. That is what means your human." Carlisle told him.

It took a few minutes but soon they were walking across the grounds towards the quiddich pitch. Minerva had decided to go along with them for the tour. They went up into the stands and found seats. Harry looked around and sighed.

"Some of my best and worst memories happened in this very spot. My fourth year was memorable. We had the Tri Wizards Tournament here and a death eater posing as a professor entered my name into the thing. I was the fourth and unexpected competitor. There was three tasks. The first was to get an egg with a clue away from a dragon and I managed to do so. The second one was to rescue my best mate from the bottom of the lake which I did as well as another contestant's sister because she couldn't get there." Harry looked at the pitch with a hint of sadness in his eyes.

Minerva without thinking put her hand on his shoulder and gave it a comforting squeeze. Harry looked up at her and smiled sadly.

"The third task was a maze. Me and Cedric Diggory touched the cup at the very same time and was transported to a graveyard. When we got there Voldmort and Pettigrew was waiting for us. Voldemort killed Cedric right off and tied me up to a grave stone. They then completed a ceremony taking my blood and gave Voldemort his body back. He then called for his death eaters and several came. He forced me to duel with him. He cast the killing curse at the same time I called out the disarming spell. They meet and it did a priori encantment and every one he ever killed their spirits came out of his wand and attacked him allowing me to get to Cedric's body and return here. I was then taken by the imposter to his office. Professor Dumbledore and Professor Snape along with Professor McGonagall here rushed in and saved me. But life was never the same after that."

Harry looked down at his feet. He could talk about Cedric's death easier than the others. Maybe because they was never close. He still was sad about his death and felt the guilt but he could talk about it and him with out breaking down.

To say that Ginny had been having a rough day since Harry left was an understatement. She sunk down onto the stair and put her head in her hands in frustration. It had started innocently enough. Harry had fixed breakfast for them all and then left leaving her and George alone for a while. It wasn't bad when her parents and brothers arrived. It wasn't even bad when the rest of the Cullen's had shown up. No it got worse when Lee Jordan, Oliver Wood, and Angelina, Alicia, and Katie showed up. It was loud and confusing and Ginny swore she had refereed more fights than a referee in a quiddich match seen in a lifetime.

As she sat there Lee and the group with George walked into the room where the Cullen's were visiting with her parents and older brothers. Ron was over at the safe house with Hermione and her parents. Lee looked about the room and his jaw dropped when he saw Rosalie and Alice. Ginny could see his expression and thought to her self 'this is not going to end well' but sat quietly hoping no one would notice her.

"hey George who are these two birds they are gorgeous."

"Those two lady's are Rosalie and Alice. They are members of the Cullen family and currently dating Emmett and Jasper. And I wouldn't be disrespecting them." George said earnestly.

"Aww George that's just because they haven't known real men like us before." Lee said cockily. Emmett and Jasper growled menacingly. At the same time three hands came up and smacked Lee upside the back of his head. The growl stopped and light laughter was replaced.

"Ow what was that for?" Lee asked rubbing his head. He looked around to see Angelina, Alicia and Katie standing behind him looking angry.

"For being an idiot. You need to get over yourself." Alicia said.

Ginny smiled lightly knowing it could have ended a lot worse. She watched as her brother Bill looked up briefly at the two vampire girls and groaned as Fleur noticed too.

"Beel, Vhy are you looking at them? Am I no longer good looking enough for you?" she cried shrilly.

"Fleur love I only glanced up. Of course you are still as gorgeous as ever. I love you. No one will ever be more beautiful than you." Bill said hoping his wife was at least listening.

The argument kept going but Ginny had stopped listening. She was lost in thought about how Harry was when she heard the Floo call in the kitchen she rushed in to see Hagrids head in the fire.

"Hagrid, How are you?"

"Ginny I'm fine but I thought I'd warn you. Harry has been giving his friends a tour of the castle and telling them about his years here. He didn't even make it thru his third year. He's going to be a mess when he gets back. I thought you should know."

"Thanks Hagrid. I better go try and calm things down here."

"Bye Ginny take care."

"Bye Hagrid." Ginny said stumbling out of the kitchen and back to her step. She knew she would have a lot of work to do with Harry when he returned. Again she was lost in thought when a group of loud voices came from the kitchen. She sighed and walked towards the kitchen. In the kitchen stood Narcissa, Draco, Andromeda holding Teddy and the Grangers. Ron and Hermione looked on nervously.

"Ginny you'll never believe who arrived at the safe house this morning. The Dursleys and they are angry. They are threatening to come over here and strangle Harry. But we managed to get away before they could grab a hold of us." Ron said. All of a sudden their was a knock on the door and then a large booming voice. "BOY GET OUT HERE NOW!"

"Or maybe we didn't." Hermione said with a sigh. They heard as he went from room to room downstairs and ended up in the kitchen with Ginny and the others. Everyone in the living room just froze. They listened as the man followed by the woman and young man entered the kitchen.

"GIRL, YOU TELL ME WHERE THAT LITTLE FREAK IS RIGHT NOW!" Vernon yelled pointing his beefy finger at Ginny. Ginny squared her shoulders. She decided to try and stay calm.

"If by little freak you are referring to is Harry he is not here right now. Now if you have a problem we can try to fix it but screaming at us will get us all no where." She said as kindly as she could muster.

"Problem I should say we ruddy well have a problem. We are supposed to be home. Those freaks who was moving us around all year said that today we would be home but instead we are here in bloody America." Vernon spat.

To say Ginny was feeling angry was not quite accurate. She was beyond angry. With dark angry eyes she approached Vernon and with a stab of her finger forced him to back up a step.

"The only freak I know is the lot of you. Harry asked the order to protect you because despite every thing you have done to him he still loves you. I don't know why or how for that matter but he does." Ginny said taking another step towards them causing them to step into the living room. It was then that Petunia found her voice.

"Loves us. All he has done is bring us trouble. From the day he was dropped on our doorstep. My sister had to go and get herself blown away and leave him to us. If I had known that we would be taken from our home because of him I would have left him at the orphanage." Petunia said spitefully.

Ginny's eyes darkened and it took everything she had not to curse the lot of them into obliviation. Taking a deep breath she spoke again.

"Your sister sacrificed her own life to let Harry live. What would you know about sacrifice in your nice comfortable home? Nothing you don't even know what love is. I feel sorry for you. Because of you we almost didn't have Lily's son. Because of you we have to convince him everyday that he deserves love and that he is worth someone."

Petunia looked angrily at Ginny. "We will not be staying here. We will be going home to England. We want nothing to do with that freak of a nephew." she said angrily.

"We owe him nothing. He was the one that attacked Dudley with that snake."

The room tensed as they listened. Esme and the other Vampires could tell that the others in the room wanted to hurt these people. Ginny's eyes narrowed and she took a step closer to the Dursley's pinning them to the wall.

"He did that accidentally. But I will tell you what he did on purpose. He almost sacrificed his education so that he could protect Dudley from dementors. But you don't care. You don't care that He had to face Voldemort in his first year when he was only 11 years old. Do you know what it does to an eleven year old to watch a man die because of them? The teacher that was being the host to Voldemort died when he touched Harry. Do you know the kind of damage that does to a person?" Ginny said stepping back a bit.

"His second year wasn't much better. He had to save me from a bit of Voldemorts soul that possessed me almost getting him to be killed by a huge poisonous snake. His third he saved his Godfather while allowing his parent betrayers to escape. In his fourth year he participated in the Tri Wizard Tournament and he watched as Voldemort returned to power and murdered a fellow classmate. In his fifth year, he fought watched helplessly as his Godfather who wanted him to live with him giving him hope for the first time in his life fell thru the veil and died then he was possessed briefly by Voldemort before fighting off and nearly dying in the process." Ginny said finally completely freeing them from the wall. They instantly found a seat in the living room shocked at what they was hearing.

"Sixth year he took some lessons with Dumbledore. By the end he watched as another professor killed the headmaster. And every time some one died he found a way to blame himself. Even when it was apparent that he had nothing to do with it." Ginny said finally.

"What happened over this past year?" Petunia asked breathlessly. Ron and Hermione looked at each other.

"Ginny let us take this one ok?" Ron said leading her to a chair. She nodded at her brother and soon everyone was looking to him in expectation.