Chapter Twenty-One
"Something True"
Harry bolted upright in bed, sweaty and shaking. Breathing hard, he pushed his damp hair out of his eyes and looked quickly around the room. While he slept, someone had placed a pair of glasses on the bedside table, which Harry snatched up and pushed on without thinking twice.
Ron was still soundly asleep in the other bed, and through the window it looked to be late afternoon. Harry toyed with the idea of waking him up and telling him about the dream, but quickly decided against it. It was only a dream... only a dream. Harry rubbed his chest and breathed deep, trying to slow his heart rate as he blinked the frightening scene away.
But it was so real...
Harry shook his head. Just a dream. A strange one, but nothing more...
Harry got out of bed and made his way across the floor to the dresser. He stared at his pale reflection in the mirror, leaning closer to inspect. The scar over his temple had faded completely, for which he was thankful; one scar was bad enough. Harry lifted up the front of his shirt and examined the damages to his chest and sides, turning so he could see more clearly. Those scars were much darker, and would take longer to disappear. He ran his hand over them, deep in thought, when a sly voice issuing from the mirror frame caused him to yelp and jump backward, knocking over a lampshade. "You might want to do something about that."
At the crash of the lamp falling from the dresser, Ron jolted awake. "Wha...?" He grunted, blinking heavily and staring around until his eyes found Harry. "Wha's goin' on?"
Harry stared at the empty mirror. "Hello?" He said loudly. The mirror was silent.
Ron sat up in bed, becoming more fully awake and fixing Harry with a puzzled look. "What are you doing, Harry?"
"The mirror, it-it spoke," said Harry. "Just now, it said something!"
Ron stared at Harry and the mirror, and then shrugged. "It happens."
Harry shook his head, rubbing his temple with one last look at the empty mirror frame.
"What time is it?" Asked Ron with a long yawn and a stretch.
"Around 4, I think."
There was a squeak as Ron got off the bed, stretching again. "That's enough sleep for me. What do you say we go wake the twins? They'll hate us for it, but they'd do it to us if it was them up first."
"Yeah," said Harry, still pushing down the uneasiness from the dream. After rousting the twins out of a peaceful slumber, and being knocked around by them down a few flights of stairs all the way to the ground level, he was beginning to feel a little less disturbed. Hermione and Ginny still slept somewhere above them, but Ron had wanted to let them sleep a while longer, so they hadn't woken them.
In the hallway at the bottom of the stairs they ran into Sirius, who was bidding goodbye to someone leaving through the front door. Sirius was looking-if possible-even more haggard and worn than he had before he'd rushed off to the meeting. When he saw Harry and the Weasleys coming he rearranged his face and met them with a strained smile. "I see Kreacher must have brought you those," he said to Harry, noting the glasses. "Are they the right prescription?"
"Yeah, they're exactly like my old ones," said Harry as Sirius fell into step with them.
"Any news on You Know Who?" Asked Fred pointedly, trying to peer through the panes of glass in the door to see who had departed.
"No," said Sirius heavily, still eyeing Harry. "We don't know anything yet."
"Well... George and I have somewhere to be," supplied Fred mysteriously.
"Tell everyone we'll see them in a bit," said George, clapping Harry gently on the shoulder.
The twins headed down an adjacent hallway into the darkness. Sirius watched them go, vaguely considering asking them where they were going, but he decided against it. They could take care of themselves, he supposed. Sirius looked back down at Harry, who was watching them go with mild curiosity.
"We really don't know anything yet," said Sirius glumly. "I don't know what they think they're off to find out, but we're treading water right now..."
Harry resolved right then to talk with Sirius about the dream he'd had. If he should tell anyone at all, it was Sirius...
The three of them made their way down the hallway toward the kitchen, where they could hear more loud voices. Upon entering, Harry saw that there weren't very many people there, but some of them were in such energetic states of glee that their voices carried quite far into the house. Remus Lupin was seated at one of the tables, pouring over a small, black book, impervious to the elevated chatter.
When the kitchen door opened, everyone looked up and the chatter immediately abated. Harry felt all eyes in the room turn to him. He looked awkwardly around at the unfamiliar faces, all of them shining in happiness at seeing him there. He wondered if he should say something to them, introduce himself, but he didn't have time to think about what he should say before he heard from across the room, "Harry-over here."
Lupin had set down his book, and was calling Harry from across the room. Sirius put a hand on Harry's shoulder, steering him across the room under the rapt gazes of its occupants. Lupin stood to receive them, and reached out to shake Harry's hand. Harry noticed that Lupin had subtly slipped the mysterious black book into a pocket in his cloak.
"Harry, let me introduce you to everyone," said Lupin apologetically. Harry let his one-time Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher lead him by the shoulder over to the first few people in the room whom Harry had never met. "This is Nymphadora Tonks. She works in the Ministry as an Auror, and for Dumbledore in the Order of the Phoenix."
She was a small-framed, pointed nosed young woman with short, bright pink spikes of hair and a dark purple jacket. She was glaring at Lupin through grayish blue eyes. "What did you call me?" She asked sharply.
Lupin grinned at Harry. "She prefers to go by her surname only."
Tonks rolled her eyes and shook Harry's hand, giving him a smile. "So would you, if your fool of a mother had called you Nymphadora.How are you, Harry?"
"Fine," said Harry. "Nice to meet you."
"Over here is the Ministry's Kingsley Shacklebolt, he was there at the manor last night. He obtained the capture of several of Voldemort's key followers."
Kingsley was a large, black skinned man with a kind face, and a gold earring in his right ear. He shook Harry's hand tightly, nodding his head. "We're so glad you're alright, Mr. Potter."
"Thank you," said Harry.
Mrs. Weasley smiled at Harry from beside the stove, and next to her were the last two people to be introduced.
"Finally," said Lupin, "This is Emmeline Vance, and-have you met Dedalus Diggle?"
A very excited looking wizard beside the gray-haired Emmeline Vance danced forward, a violet top hat falling off of his head. "Mr. Potter, so good to be seeing you again, my dear boy!"
Harry shook his hand. "Good to see you."
Dedalus Diggle looked delighted and shook Harry's hand more vigorously. "The pleasure is mine, all mine. Anything you need, anything at all-"
Lupin smiled at Mr. Diggle as he and Harry peeled themselves away and returned to their corner table.
"So we've gotten some of that over with," Lupin said with a grin to Harry, who tried to grin back. Lupin sat down and Harry followed suit, lowering himself onto the bench beside Sirius.
Sirius leaned toward him. "There aren't many more introductions to be made. At least not today," he assured Harry quietly. "Most of the other Order members are out looking for the Dark Lord."
Harry thought back to his dream again. His scar gave a throb of pain as he remembered looking through Voldemort's eyes, seeing that dark, wintry landscape and the northern lights above him.
Where was the Order searching? Could he have glimpsed something true...? Should he tell the Order?
He hoped not. It was all a little too much to consider on top of everything else.
"Wish there was something we could do from here," said Ron testily. "Since you lot haven't let us leave this house."
Sirius shook his head. "No, and for once I agree with keeping you cooped up. It's too dangerous, Ron."
Harry was about to argue that point when they all heard the kitchen door creak open again, and Professor McGonagall peered in. She nodded to Harry with a hurried, "Good to see you've mostly recovered, Mr. Potter," before turning to Sirius in haste. "Remus, Sirius-they need you now. They're moving him."
The kitchen was quiet, and all the people inside were paying close attention. Sirius was already off the bench and heading toward the kitchen door, followed by Professor Lupin, and they both looked back when they reached it. "Harry, Ron-wait here." Said Sirius grimly. "I won't be long."
"Who're they moving?" Asked Ron loudly.
"Just wait here, Mr. Weasley," replied Professor McGonagall in a disapproving tone.
Sirius, Lupin and McGonagall disappeared and shut the door behind them, leaving the kitchen in silence. Harry, like Ron, was experiencing a burning desire to know what was going on.
"Come on," said Ron quietly beside him.
"What-" began Harry, but Ron held up a hand to silence him.
"Fred and George have got it figured out," whispered Ron, shooting a conspiratorial glance over his shoulder at the others in room. "If we ever want to know what's going on, we'll have to find out on our own."
Harry wondered for a second whether or not he should ignore Sirius's order that he wait in the kitchen. But only for a moment, and then his hesitation passed.
Ron was right. Not even Sirius seemed as though he wanted him in the loop, so perhaps the only real way to know was to find out for himself.
The two of them slipped casually out of the kitchen, and Harry closed the door behind them before any of the others could stop them. Now he and Ron were alone in the dampened, eerie darkness of the hallway, and the sound of their footsteps seemed to be eaten up by the peeling walls as they made their way down the hall.
"Where do you reckon they headed?" Ron whispered.
Harry looked around as they entered the front hall. It was deserted except for the wrinkly elf heads lining the wall up the stairs. "I dunno," he murmured, his eyes piercing the gloom. "Upstairs?"
But no sooner had Harry's foot touched the bottom step before he heard hushed voices from up the stairwell, getting nearer. A thudding sound reached their ears; an offbeat rhythm that shook dust off some of the house elves' noses. Ron and Harry flattened against the wall just outside the reach of the dim hall light and watched a few figures come into view from above.
The rhythmic thudding continued, and as the group came into the light Harry could start to make out their faces. Sirius, Lupin and Mad-Eye Moody flanked a small, slight form, restraining his movements with their hands and wands. At the sight of Mad-Eye, Harry felt a deep shiver in his gut, but when he was able to discern who walked between them, he felt his heart drop to somewhere between his knees.
It was Peter Pettigrew.
Harry felt his breath catch in his chest, and Ron shot him a quizzical look. "It's him!" Harry hissed, and Ron looked more closely.
"Hey, it's Scabbers-"
"He's the one who betrayed my parents! He works for Voldemort!"
"Sshh!"
They hushed as Lupin turned his head sharply toward their hiding place, listening. Then the procession had reached the landing and Lupin returned his attention to the captive.
Pettigrew was a blubbering mess. He tripped as they crossed the landing toward the front door, and turned a wet face to Sirius in a bleating protest. "Sirius... old friend... at least tell me where they're taking me!"
From what little Harry could see of Sirius's face, there would be no 'friendship' transpiring. Sirius shoved Pettigrew roughly toward the door, while Mad-Eye Moody leveled a rickety looking wand at the captive's head.
"You change, boy-you even start-and I'll kill you faster than you can flick your slimy tail," growled Moody, pulling open the front door.
Pettigrew quailed at the threat and allowed himself to be pushed out onto the front stoop by Sirius and Lupin.
Once all of them were outside, Harry and Ron could still hear and see them through the open door.
"Do you have him, Mad-Eye?" Lupin asked lightly.
"He's not going anywhere," growled Moody. And with that, Mad-Eye Moody grasped hold of Pettigrew's sleeve, and the two of them Disapparated with a crack!
Sirius and Lupin waited a moment, watching the empty street. Harry could hear himself breathing as he waited too, listening. Then Lupin made a small gesture, and Sirius glanced back through the open doorway toward where Harry and Ron were hidden in the shadows. He shook his head and stepped back inside, with Lupin right behind him. They came toward Harry and Ron, who stopped breathing.
"You can come out," said Lupin mildly, with a sideways look at Sirius. "I heard you earlier. Wolf ears, you know."
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