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Chapter Ten: A New Heartache

When Harry arrived at breakfast a couple of days later, Professor McGonagall was sitting at the table. She and Albus appeared to be in the middle of a very serious conversation. When they looked up and saw him, all talking ceased.

"Good morning." he said hesitantly. "If I am interrupting something, I can go back to my room."

"No that will not be necessary, Harry. Please join us." Albus said.

After the meal, Harry asked to be excused.

"Just a moment, Harry." Albus said. "I need to inform you of the fact that Minerva will be staying with us for a couple of days."

"Oh, okay." Harry responded reluctantly. He then added, "I guess it might be fun. I've never lived with an old goat before."

"What did you call me, Potter?" shrieked Professor McGonagall.

Harry's face went bright red. "Oh sweet Merlin. He meant you." He was vaguely aware of his guardian chuckling in the background.

"Who were you under the impression he was talking about?"

"Um," he stuttered. "Um, well it's just that I know you as Professor. When he said 'Minerva', I thought he was talking about Aberforth's goat."

"You told him about the goat, Albus?" she asked, still in a huff.

"Well, he did ask about the bedrooms. I had no choice but to explain it to him." He was still laughing as he said it.

"I swear. That brother of yours is about to enjoy a very long and unrewarding life as a dung beetle. He promised me the goat's name would be changed."

"Yes, well at one point it was. The goat did not respond to her new name, so he was forced to reinstate Minerva."

"What was the name he tried instead?" Harry asked.

Albus glanced at Minerva, almost hesitantly, before answering. "Tabby."

"WHAT?" roared Professor McGonagall.

It wasn't a lot different having the professor stay with the pair. She had bristled at the fact she was going to be staying in the goat's room, but after casting several strong cleaning charms all was well. The stay turned out to be quite pleasant.

Professor McGonagall told Harry stories about his parents at school. He even learned a couple of things that he hadn't before, like the fact that his mother had gone out on a date with Sirius. When James found out, he was furious. Sirius decided that for the sake of his friendship with Prongs, he would step aside. His godfather had been reasonably sure at the time that Lily had only gone out with him to spite James anyway.

On her last morning at the cottage, the head of Gryffindor asked Harry to become quidditch captain.

"Can I? I thought I had been banned for life."

"All of Delores' decrees have been overturned. That includes you ban." explained Albus.

"Then I accept." said Harry happily.

Professor McGonagall left later that day. Harry still didn't know why she had needed to stay in the first place, but figured they would have told him had they been able. It was probably sensitive to the Order.

Albus and Harry discussed what supplies Harry would need from Diagon Alley. Albus felt it would be a very bad idea for Harry to go. He hated to have to exclude his ward from the shopping trip, but he didn't see another safe option. Harry hadn't really taken the news that badly, either. Albus would just have to make it up to him some other way.

At four the next morning, Fawkes flew to Albus and began to awaken him. The phoenix quickly thrust a piece of parchment at him. Albus allowed a moment for his eyes to adjust, then scanned it briefly. He transfigured his pajamas into robes, spoke with Dobby, and left in an rush.

When Harry arrived in the dining room for breakfast, Dobby told him he would be eating alone. It seemed that Albus had been called away in the middle of the night, and had yet to return.

Albus hurried through the halls of Grimmauld Place. He had to return to the cottage and talk to Harry before the morning post came. The headmaster feared what would happen if Harry learned the news of the latest attack from the paper, instead of him. How the Daily Prophet had discovered it so quickly was beyond him.

Harry knew something horrible had to have happened for Albus to have left so early. There was a sinking feeling in his stomach that seemed to grow by the minute. He was attempting to choke down breakfast, when an owl fluttered through the window with the Daily Prophet.

Harry took the paper from the owl, anxious for something else to occupy his mind. What he saw completely broke him. There, on the front page, was a picture of Number Four, Privat Drive. The Dark Mark hung over the decimated house.

Last Blood Family of Boy-Who-Lived Dead

In an apparent Death Eater attack last night, Harry Potter's only living relatives were killed. The Boy-Who-Lived appeared not to be home at the time of the attack, though his whereabouts are currently unknown. Petunia Evans-Dursley, Vernon Dursley, and their teen son, Dudley Dursley all appear to have been murdered with the killing curse. This is not being considered a surety by the Ministry at this time, however, due to the tortured state of the bodies.

Harry couldn't read anymore. They had mistreated him, yelled at him, verbally abused him. Yet, he had lived with them full time for ten years. He had stayed with them over the summer for an additional five. Aunt Petunia and Dudley were the last people connecting him with his mother. Besides, no one deserved torture and death at the hands of Voldemort's minions.

Would they have been safe had he still been with them? Would the blood protection have held, and worked for their benefit as well as his? All these thoughts were too much for the emotional teen. At this point there was only one thing he could thing to do. He quickly ran to his room, taking his knife from breakfast with him.

A/N: Boy, I seem to have a problem with cliffhangers. Sorry, again. On the bright side, half of the next chapter is already written so you won't have to wait long. As always, eternal gratitude to my reviewers.