Ch 14: Operation Dumping Lockhart

"Harry, wake up!" Harry heard someone calling his name. But he didn't want to. He was too comfortable, too tired, to wake up.

"Harry, mate?" the same someone was shaking him gently, "wake up! We're home! We're at the Burrow!"

Harry shot up at the word "Burrow", and winced as it hurt his neck. It was then he realized that he had fallen asleep on Ron's shoulder. Feeling embarrassed, he tore away from his best friend, "you should've woken me up -"

However, he knew, too, Ron wouldn't have woken him up even if there was a Death Eater attack. Since after the War, the trio became particularly protective towards each other, especially when Harry was concerned. Sleep was one of the things they indulge each other without complaint, and Ron must already knew that Harry was having a hard time sleeping again.

"Don't bother," interrupted Ron, "I enjoyed it," he gave Harry a wink, "you're welcome."

Harry scowled before letting Ron guide him out of the car and to the house. Mr Weasley had already taken Hedwig's cage and his trunk, and both Weasley adults were waiting for them in the kitchen.

"I'm very pleased to meet you, Harry." Mrs Weasley stood up and shook Harry's hand, "you look like you could use some food. We have some minced pies, would you like some?"

Hearing food, Harry's stomach let out another growl. Mrs Weasley smiled and turned to work before Harry could answer. Five minutes later, she returned with a steaming hot mincing pie and a pitcher of pumpkin juice.

Both Weasley adults and Ron watched as Harry ate. Mr Weasley excused himself after a few minutes, and went upstairs to set up a camp bed in Ron's room. Mrs Weasley kept glancing the bruise on his neck but did not say anything. Harry supposed Mr Weasley warned her before they came in. Feeling rather uncomfortable, he shoved down the pie quickly and thanked Mrs Weasley for cooking. Ron then led Harry to his room upon his mother's orders.

Harry was feeling a little nervous when Ron stayed silent as they got ready for bed, but was grateful nonetheless. Dropping into his bed, he bid Ron a good night, and was only vaguely aware of Ron doing the same.

Harry woke up the next morning feeling well-rested. He put on his glasses and sat up. Ron was already up, sitting on his bed reading one of the books they "borrowed" from Room of Requirement. "Morning," murmured Harry. Ron looked up from his book and smiled,

"Morning, Harry. Mum said breakfast in 10."

Harry grinned. He had missed Mrs Weasley's cooking so much, and last night he was in such a rush that he didn't had the mind to enjoy it. He got changed quickly, and was ready by the time Mrs Weasley called for breakfast from downstairs.

Before he exited the room, though, Ron held out a room and warned him, "Mum and Dad are both thinking about talking to you, watch out."

Harry thanked Ron and the two headed downstairs where Mrs Weasley greeted them warmly. Soon, Percy, Fred and George came down yawning, followed by a red-faced Ginny. Ron introduced them to each other, and Harry was greeted warmly. The usual noisy breakfast gave Harry the perfect opportunity to think about Ron's warning, while stealing glances from Ginny.

When everyone was finished, Harry stood up to help with cleaning up out of habit, only to be pushed back into the chair by Mrs Weasley. Percy and Ginny quickly retreated to their rooms. She then ordered Fred, George and Ron to de-gnome the garden. Harry stood up again, and was again pushed down. Before he left, Ron gave Harry a "good luck" look. Harry smiled faintly.

"So, Harry," Mrs Weasley waited till the boys were gone, "Arthur told me there were bars on your window?"

Harry nodded. Mrs Weasley press on further, "mind telling me the reason? It's okay if you don't want to -" yet her tone suggested otherwise, "- Ron's been telling us some… Unpleasant… Things, and Arthur and I, we're just concerned."

"There was a misunderstanding," Harry decided on telling half-truths, "and they were afraid of me running away."

"And how, may I ask," she was fidgeting now, "did you get that bruise?" She shot a pointed look at Harry's neck.

It was Harry's turn to fidget. He had been preparing for this, yet it was still hard to talk about, especially since he didn't need any special attention, not anymore. "Like I said, Mrs Weasley," Harry said slowly, carefully choosing his words, "there was a misunderstanding, and my uncle, he lost his temper and -"

"And choked you?" asked Mrs Weasley, her eyes glaring with fury.

"More like pinned me against the wall," muttered Harry. Mrs Weasley's eyes narrowed, "he was really angry at the time, you see. And I wasn't exactly… Behaving. And he didn't mean it. He let me go before long." Harry reassured, feeling more and more helpless by the minute. He hoped Ron was here to calm his mum down.

"I see," said Mrs Weasley coldly, "so you wouldn't mind if I report it to someone responsible?" Harry shrugged, "I'll fix it up as soon as we get this sorted. In the meantime, I want you to enjoy your stay here, all right?"

Harry nodded eagerly, and Mrs Weasley let him out to help Ron and the twins with the garden.

HG: Harry, are you there?

HP: What's up?

HG: Glad to hear from you. Doing all right?

HP: As good as Buckbeak.

AG: For Merlin's sake, just say it already!

HP: Say what?

DM: Holy Potter never admits personal problems.

RW: Shut up, Malfoy.

AG: Ron told us about last night, you being locked up, starved and choked and stuff.

HP: Blame Dobby on that.

DM: That's still my Elf you're blaming!

RW: Sorry, Malfoy. It's still your fault.

DM: Sod off, Weasel.

HP: Let's start with Dobby and his infamous Hovering Charm…

HG: Oh on, really?

HP: Really. So he crashed the pudding and Disapparated. And the owl that carried my official warning ruined Vernon's most important dinner party in his career.

RW: But he didn't choke you last time…

HP: I made a bad decision, that's all.

HG: Stop blaming this on yourself!

AG: What the hell happened?

HP: Last time I went after Dobby and attempted to stop him. Vernon saw me after it and automatically assumed that I did it. This time I stayed in my room and he came afterwards asking me what I was doing…

HG: Oh no you didn't!

RW: He did.

AG: Did what?

HG: He denied his "involvement"

HP: So Vernon pinned me against the wall to interrogate me.

RW: Blimey, Harry! And you didn't think it's a big deal?

HP: Knowing Vernon, it's perfectly normal. He physically threw me and Dudley out of the room when I first got my letter.

AG: That's disturbing.

HP: Never mind that. He hasn't been doing anything like that ever since, though. Except once before the Dementors.

HG: And you never told us that?

HP: How am I supposed to know he would do that? Besides, it's just one more summer before I could have my wand, then they won't dare doing anything.

RW: You just said the Dementors

HP: That was an accident… And blame Mundungus for it.

RW: I will

GW: Mum just sent Dumbledore a howler!

HP: Let me guess, it's about me.

GW: Five points to Gryffindor.

RW: Congratulations, Harry! Mum didn't do it till Grimmauld Place last time.

HP: I think you and Ginny's exaggerated stories helped.

DM: Told you.

HP: Wouldn't it affect the timeline too much?

DM: Theoretically, no. There's no way Dumbledore's changing his mind, and the Weasleys will still take you in, this time maybe faster. You just need to convince your Godfather not to fight Dumbledore over it.

HP: Sounds good.

The next morning, when it became clear that neither Dumbledore nor McGonagall was coming over, Mrs Weasley treated Harry's bruise while muttering to herself disgruntledly. Harry, feeling truly at home again, enjoyed his stay at the Burrow to no end. He was careful not to show much affection to anyone other than Ron, and avoided Ginny whenever they were surrounded by others. This, however, didn't escape Ron's sharp eyes. So one day, within a week of Harry's arrival, Ron dragged Harry and Percy from both of their rooms to the kitchen, chucked a set of Chess under their noses and ordered them to play each other. "I don't care if you or your girlfriends are dying, the rule is, if you don't want to talk to anyone, you keep each other company. Nobody, and I mean nobody, in this house should be left alone," he claimed firmly, determination shooting from his eyes. Harry understood it was a part of Ron's plan to include Percy, but still couldn't help feeling annoyed being bossed around by his best friend.

Another week passed by and brought them their Hogwarts letters. Harry was briefly tempted to buy all the Lockhart books for the Weasleys, only to be shut down by Ron. In the end, they decided not to buy their sets, and if the plan went well, Harry could get a free set for Ginny.

They day of Diagon Alley, Harry managed to come out of the right fireplace his first time around. Giving Ron and Ginny each a wink, they went after their family to meet Hermione at Gringotts. After enduring the embarrassment of opening his Vault, Harry was glad to be splitting up with the others. He, Ron and Hermione strolled off the Alley and bought their school supplies before wandering off into other shops. Harry, determined to get into Quidditch this year, bought himself a Nimbus 2000. They met Fred and George in a joke shop buying Filibuster Fireworks, and Percy in that small thrift store reading Prefects Who Gained Power. "Power is not the thing you want the most, Perce," Ron whispered. Percy looked up from his book, face as red as his hair. "Go away," he shooed, and the trio scampered away.

They spent the rest of the hour at Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor, talking and enjoying their ice cream. They were in a heated discussion on Muggle technology when they heard a familiar voice, "Wotcher, Florean!"

Three pairs of eyes shot to the origin of the voice. There she was, Tonks with her favourite bright bubblegum-pink hair, smiling brightly at Florean. A second was all the trio needed to recover from the original shock, and they quickly tore away from the should-be stranger and continued their conversation guiltily. Tonks, however, was not an Auror for nothing. A few minutes later, Tonks sat down beside them, holding a bubblegum flavoured cone.

"You lot know me?" she asked.

Ron and Harry shook their heads, looking sheepish. Hermione blushed, "we like your hair, Miss -"

"Tonks," said Tonks simply, "it's just Tonks. And I know, right! Who doesn't like my hair! Here, let me show you," she scrunched up her face and turned her hair purple. The trio stared at her, dumbfounded. Tonks grinned, "I'm a metamorphmagus."

"Useful skill," gasped Hermione. Harry couldn't help but smile at Hermione's awestruck face.

Tonks nodded, "indeed. Helped me loads in Auror Training."

"You're an Auror?" asked Ron.

"Trainee. I'm starting my second year in two weeks. Better enjoy the break while I can," said Tonks lazily, stretching her arms and enjoying the sun. Someone stepped on Harry's foot.

"What's an Auror?" he directed the question to Ron, who was opening his mouth to answer. But Tonks got there first,

"Ministry-employed fighters that are supposed to catch criminals and Dark Wizards, except they do nothing. My mentor call them Lazybutts."

Harry grinned mentally. So some things never change: Tonks was still Tonks, and Mad-Eye was still Mad-Eye. By the looks of Ron and Hermione, they were thinking about the same thing. Purely by chance, Harry glanced at his watch.

"We're late!" he jumped up grabbing Hermione, "c'mon, Ron! Your Mum'll kill us!" he then turned to Tonks apologetically, "sorry, Tonks. We ought to go. See you around."

"See ya!" waved Tonks cooly, the trio ran off without saying another word.

It took them a while to convince Mrs Weasley that they didn't need their textbooks. At one point, Harry was convinced that the task was impossible until they started duelling each other, but Mrs Weasley softened at Ron's mention of "absolute necessities", and pulled him into a suffocating hug. At that precise moment, Lockhart stepped into the room, and the entire store was lit up by flashes.

Ron snorted loudly as a photographer pushed his way through them, successfully catching Lockhart's attention to Harry. The crowd parted a way. Lockhart strode forward and seized Harry by the arm.

Harry jerked away and pressed his wand at Lockhart's face purely by reflexes. "Do-not-touch-me!" he hissed dangerously and loudly. Lockhart and the crowd around them froze at Harry's reaction, while whispers and murmurs came from the back of the room. Harry then noticed he was still bombarded by camera flashes.

"I do not want any photos or mentions of me on any form of media," said Harry loudly and clearly, his voice echoed the now silent bookstore. The flashes died down immediately.

Lockhart seemed to come back to his senses, because he then gestured Harry to follow him to the front, which Harry did, and cleared his throat,

"Ladies and Gentlemen!" He said loudly. Harry automatically tuned out his speech, vaguely aware of the cheers and applause so from the crowd. A stack of heavy books found their way to his arms, and Harry went back into the crowd happily.

"Yours," said Harry as he dumped all his books into Ginny's cauldron, and went out of the store with Ron and Hermione. The rest of the day was in Malfoy's hands.

Twenty minutes later, a red-faced Mr Weasley was pulled out of the store by Hagrid and Mrs Weasley, followed by all the other Weasley children. Ginny gave Harry, Ron and Hermione a thumb-up, confirming she had got the diary. The three of them shared a grim look and nodded.

As soon as they got to the Burrow, Harry and Ron each put a different Tracking Spell on Ginny. Hermione examined their work and carefully hid the spells so that neither Tom nor Dumbledore would be aware of them unless they deliberately looked for it on Ginny. So far, their plan was working well.