Chapter 10 - A Flurry of Action
When Harry opened his eyes, at first everything was pain. His body felt as battered as when he had fallen off his broom in third year. His scar seared with pain and as he gingerly tried to move his arm up push his glasses up his nose, he felt shooting pains crash through his arm. Squinting through his glasses, he made out the fuzzy form of Remus Lupin crouching by Harry.
"Harry?" he said, his tone anxious. "Harry are you okay?"
Harry nodded slowly, his head cascading with pain. He gasped with pain, and Remus started to move a beaker towards his mouth.
"Don't worry Harry, it's a pain relieving potion," he said reassuringly, obviously calmed at Harry's being conscious. Harry sipped the potion and instantly felt his head clear slightly, but moving still hurt. He gingerly raised himself to sitting position. He was on his bed, and in the background he could see his parents frantically trying to see if he was all right. Remus stood up.
"You wait here a moment Harry, I'm just going to fetch Professor Dumbledore. Try to relax." Harry let out a hollow laugh, but did as Remus bade him until, less than a minute later, Remus returned with Dumbledore.
"Ah, the eternal patient!" said Dumbledore, his jovial smile and kindly words not following through to his normally twinkling eyes. "How are you Harry?"
"I'll live," Harry grunted. Remus laughed, and Albus drew up to chairs in mid air for himself and Remus. Dumbledore settled himself down next to Harry's bed, gazing intently at Harry.
"I need you to tell me what happened," he said simply. His expression had become grave, and Harry knew argument was futile. He closed his eyes and pictured what had happened.
"Well..." he started, casting his mind back, "I was talking to mum and dad, and they were getting me to try my last two Animagus forms. I had successfully done my stag transformation - "
"What?" said Remus suddenly, and Dumbledore's eyes suddenly had regained a small portion of their twinkling enthusiasm.
"You can transform into a stag?" Dumbledore said, smiling. Harry nodded, and Remus clapped his hands, before turning to the portrait of Harry's parents.
"Did he?" he said, smiling broadly.
Lily and James smiled. "Yes he did," Lily said proudly, "and again, he exactly resembled James in his Animagus' form."
Lupin smiled and turned to Harry, but Dumbledore raised a hand. "Harry can show you his transformation when he is feeling a bit better. Please continue Harry."
"Well, like I said, I could transform into a stag, when my dad persuaded me to try transforming into a snake," Harry said, glancing sideways at the portrait.
"I shouldn't have done that," James said bitterly, but Lily hushed him before indicating for Harry to carry on."
"And when I tried, I imagined all those snakes I've ever seen, that night with Mr Weasley, at the zoo with Dudley, the Basilisk and the one with the Aniservian potion, and I could just do it. Like the stag, I could become the snake first time I tried to." Harry hesitated, unsure exactly of how to go on.
"And you could see Voldemort?" Dumbledore asked quietly.
Harry's head shot up. "How could you possibly know that?"
Dumbledore shrugged slightly. "The only logical explanation. So what exactly happened?"
"Well... err..." Harry paused slightly. "I saw him, and he was writhing on the floor and I could tell that, well... that he was in the same pain that I was in. It was like transforming into a snake connected us somehow. Then I broke the connection and I... blacked out." There was silence for a few seconds as Dumbledore looked grave. Harry asked the question he desperately wanted an answer to. "Why did it connect us?"
Dumbledore frowned slightly, his eyes narrowed in thought. Harry was about to ask again, when Dumbledore started to reply. "Harry, it is my belief that your connection to Voldemort, forged that night when you got your scar, is brought much closer when you transform into that Animagus figure that he gave you."
Harry blanched. "Voldemort gave me the ability to become a snake?"
Dumbledore nodded. "His sign is that of a snake and he was brought up in Slytherin house. He gave you the ability to speak Parseltongue, and now I think he has made you able to transform into his sign. However, all this was unintentional, and your transforming into a snake brings you two, mentally, very closely together, and both you and he feel enormous amounts of pain. I can't even imagine the amount of pain this transformation would bring about, Harry. Was it worse than the Cruciatus curse?"
Harry nodded numbly. Lupin straightened up in his chair. "You should have more rest then Harry. Albus, I don't think there is much more that he can tell us."
Albus nodded grimly, before bidding Harry to rest and not to try that transformation ever again. He left the room with Lupin, leaving Harry a jumbled mix of thoughts before eventually settling down to sleep.
Harry awoke the next morning feeling slightly better. He had spent the remainder of the previous day in and out of sleep, but his aches and pains seemed to have subsided substantially. He got up fairly quickly, before descending downstairs to the kitchen. Remus was already sat there, absorbed in his paper. He looked up as Harry walked in.
"Ah Harry!" he said happily, pleased to see Harry up and about again. "How are you feeling?"
"Not bad," Harry said, shrugging as he settled down into his chair. He gratefully accepted the breakfast Dobby placed in front of him, and as the little house elf scuttled away delightedly Harry noticed the headline on the paper that Remus had been submerged in. He nearly dropped his glass.
"Remus?" he said timidly, reaching out with his hand for the paper. "Could I have a look at that?"
Remus sighed. "I suppose you ought to. I'm done with it anyway." He passed it across the table, carefully and Harry turned to the front page:
"Death Eaters raid Muggles and Ministry – Three Killed.
Yesterday, the second war between good and evil took a nasty turn for the worse. Two simultaneous assaults were launched, one in the Muggle town of Basingstoke, whilst the other took place directly on the Ministry of Magic. Two security guards at the Ministry of Magic were killed defending the office of Arthur Weasley, Minister of Magic, whilst the third death was that of a Muggle in their home in Basingstoke.
A spokesperson gave this statement: "We are saddened to say that two employees of the Minister of Magic were today killed amongst fighting with several of You-Know-Who's Death Eater's. The Minister is currently dividing his time between the families of these wizards and the intelligence gained on the Death Eaters. We successfully managed to capture four Death Eaters, and we are hopeful that one of them may give information that could be very valuable."
Since his return to power was announced just over a year ago He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named has been strangely quiet, with only one attack of note, being the full scale assault on Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where once again he was fought off by Harry Potter. After a day like yesterday, young Mr Potter will have a lot on his plate to keep the forces of evil at bay, although many of the wizarding world stand united against these evils. For the obituaries of the two guards, please turn to page seventy five."
Harry sat back, stunned. He glanced at Remus, who was frowning at the floor. Harry asked the question he was sure Remus was puzzling over also.
"Erm... Remus?" Harry said gingerly. "Why would they start to attack now?"
Remus sighed. "I don't know," he said, looking up at Harry. "I just don't know."
During the last week before September the 1st and the beginning of Harry's final year at Hogwarts, news of similar attacks came through each day. The Ministry managed to stem the bloodshed by keeping a mini army of Aurors very close to the Ministry, but they were kept close to the floo fires, so some could easily be despatched to any Muggle disturbance that occurred. Entering the Ministry of Magic now required rigorous security checks, after which all entrants had to submit to a mind wipe, meaning that they could not tell others the requirements to enter the building.
Harry was kept equally confined at Godric's Hollow. Banned from sending letters for the last week of term during the uproar that was the Muggle raids, Harry had very little to spend his time on.
However, the day before school was due to begin again, Harry was called into a last minute Order meeting, where Albus, Remus, Arthur Weasley and most of the other prominent Order members were present. Harry sat down at the end of the table, and was very aware of how everyone seemed to be looking at him.
Dumbledore was sat at the other end of the table and smiled at Harry, his intelligent eyes sparkling with their usual mystic quality. Dumbledore coughed slightly to regain the attention of the Order members who were present. They turned to face him.
"Thank you. This evening I have called a very special meeting to discuss a very delicate matter." He turned his attention directly to Harry. "We have already discussed this matter, but we wanted to take you through with it also." Harry nodded vaguely, and Dumbledore continued.
"The matter in hand, is how to get you to school. The obvious solution would be just to send you up the gates, but we fear that doing so might compromise the safety of this house as a hideout. So, we conclude that we must put you on the train with everyone else."
Harry frowned slightly. "I don't see if there is a problem..." he trailed off, realising exactly what the problem was. "Ah."
Dumbledore nodded sombrely at Harry. "Indeed Harry, your presence on the train will undoubtedly endanger others. But we have decided that the best thing to do is to put you on that train. Your belongings will already be at Hogwarts whereas you will arrive later. And you'll be in your invisibility cloak until we're certain its safe. I want you to wait up front with the driver until you get to Hogwarts, and you are not to take off your invisibility cloak until then." Harry nodded dumbly, but Albus continued.
"I know it's a bit boring Harry, but you need to do it. For everyone's safety."
Remus woke Harry early the next morning. After taking a few minutes to awaken properly, Harry proceeded to go downstairs. His Hogwarts stuff was sitting in the hall, and Harry spotted a familiar face loading them into a huge cart outside the front door.
"Hagrid!" Harry said happily, leaping down the last few steps to greet his friend.
Hagrid warmly returned the embrace. "How're yer bin Harry?" he asked with his usual gruffness. Harry assured him that he had been okay, except a bit worried about returning to school. Hagrid nodded sombrely.
"You'll be all right, Harry," he said, hefting Harry's large suitcase into the cart. He straightened up. "I hear that there'll be Auror's stationed all the way 'round the school this term. Between them an' Dumbledore, I can't see You-Know-'Oo getting anywhere near you or anyone else. Dumbledore won't let the same thin' happen again."
Harry looked up at his friend, and Hagrid blanched at realising what he had just brought up. "Oh Blimey, sorry 'Arry," he said, looking down sadly.
Harry smiled reassuringly at his half-giant friend. "Don't worry Hagrid," he said, desperately fighting down the sadness that was threatening to erupt from inside him. "It won't happen again. I won't let it."
Harry wore his invisibility cloak as he travelled by Floo powder to the Leaky Cauldron in London. Once there, he met up with the Aurors, who took him to a safe location a mile away from King's Cross Station. It was there that he met the Weasley's.
"Harry!" Ron and Ginny said together as he took off his cloak. Ron tried to pat him on the back but was bundled out of the way by Ginny. Ron and Harry laughed until Ginny shot them both a glare. There was silence for a moment before all three laughed again. Harry felt glad about this. He couldn't help but feel like his heart was beginning to mend, and so was Ron's.
"Glad you made it mate," Ron said, when he was done laughing. "We were about to leave!"
Harry chuckled. "Well, I'll see you both later, either on the train, or when we get to Hogwarts."
Ron nodded but Ginny looked anxious. Harry shot her a questioning look, but she just bit her lip and shook her head. Harry watched them both leave, accompanied by Mrs Weasley. A few minutes later, an Auror Harry who thought looked vaguely familiar came up to him.
"Good morning Mr Potter," she said briskly. "If you'll just put on that famous cloak of yours, then we'll make our way to Kings Cross." Harry did as she bade, and followed her out of the station.
Harry knew a moment later why she looked familiar to him. Along side her was a child who Harry had known at Hogwarts, and who had been a member of the D.A. Dennis Creevey was stood, Colin's old camera tied around his neck. He looked even smaller then usual, and Harry guessed, with a pang, that the loss of his brother had made him feel even more diminished.
Harry felt like talking to him, trying to console him, but he knew that would compromise his position under the cloak, not to mention frighten the daylights out of little Dennis. Harry stayed silent and followed Mrs Creevey and Dennis through the streets of London, through Kings Cross Station and onto Platform nine and three quarter's. He somehow knew it would be a long day.