Author's Note: Well it's finally here! Next week will be the Half-Blood Prince! So this will be the last installment until August. Thanks for reading. See you on the first Friday in August.

Chapter Twenty-six

"Have you told anyone else about this?" Tonks asked soberly.

Harry had just confided his concerns about Ginny Weasley to her. "No, I didn't want to get her into any trouble but I thought maybe you could talk to her. I'm worried about her. She's pretty mixed up about what happened with Voldemort her first year - amongst other things."

Tonks was very concerned. She said that she would definitely talk to Ginny and soon.

Harry had just opened his mouth to comment further when Lupin came strolling in. "I hope I'm not interrupting."

"No. We were just catching up," Tonks said with a wink to Harry.

He smiled back, feeling 100 better that he had spoken to an adult about Ginny. And Tonks, he knew, would be discreet. She would not tell the girl that Harry had snitched on her.

Lupin kissed her on the cheek and sat down at the table with them. "This just came for you," he said, tossing a small package to the boy.

When Harry unwrapped it a half-eaten biscuit fell out with a note that read "Happy Christmas." It was his Christmas present from Aunt Petunia. Even though it was a pitiful and rather insulting gift, Harry found himself wondering how his aunt and cousin were spending their holiday. He had to think it was not very festive there.

"They shouldn't be allowed to treat you like this," Tonks fumed.

Although he appreciated Tonks' support, Harry did not feel much like trashing the Dursleys this year. He remained quiet.

"Mrs. Figg tells me your aunt is doing okay," Lupin informed him kindly. "And your cousin … well, he'll be heading back to school at the end of break."

"That'll be hard," Tonks interjected. "He goes to Muggle boarding school, doesn't he? Which one?"

It was the oddest sensation. Although Harry knew exactly where Dudley attended school, had heard it boasted about numerous times, now that he actually had to name it, he found he could not. It completely slipped his mind. Every time he tried to tell her, he found he could not remember. Harry chalked it up to a residual side effect from the Elysian Elixir and, from the shrewd way Tonks was eying him, Harry had to assume that she had come to the same conclusion.

Lupin and Tonks began discussing plans for the evening while Harry dug into his lunch. They heard an odd scratching noise in the next room and all three tensed in their chairs. Kreacher was coming.

Lupin had already spoken to Harry about the old House Elf. "Don't let him get to you, Harry. His mind is broken. He doesn't even know what he's saying. Just try and steer clear of him and he won't bother you."

But Harry was convinced that the elf had spent the night outside his bedroom muttering and laughing madly. And where Kreacher had merely been insulting last year, his ravings now were downright disturbing.

"Master will not come back from the Department of Mysteries," Kreacher cackled in a sing-song voice. Lupin's face hardened and the elf laughed inanely as he lurched toward the table.

Filled with revulsion, Harry shrank away from him. Snatching the half-eaten biscuit off the table, Kreacher immediately gobbled it up. He leaned further into the table, pressing against Harry.

'Get off me!" the boy shrieked. 'Don't touch me!" He fingered his wand. It was warm to the touch and he itched to use it. "Get away from me!" There was a note of panic rising in Harry's tone. He was disturbed by the intensity of his feelings against the creature.

"Get out of here, Kreacher!" Lupin said sharply. "You've had your lunch Now leave us in peace." He put a steadying hand on Harry's shoulder.

Still Kreacher continued to lean over the table picking food off their plates like a poorly trained house pet. Tonks looked as if she were two seconds away from hexing him into next week. She glared at him with obvious loathing.

"Drop it!" she demanded when he grabbed her bumbleberry scone. "And get out of here!"

Dropping all the food that he had snatched, Kreacher backed out of the room, bent slightly at the waist.

"How dare he!" Tonks cried as she shuddered with anger. "How dare he show his face in here and with Harry."

"You managed to scare him off," Lupin said. "I can't believe he listened to you."

"He's so crazed. He probably thinks I'm Bellatrix Lestrange!" She said it lightly but her face darkened at the name of her aunt.

Because of Kreacher, Harry kept close to Lupin or whoever else happened to be in the house. Generally, the elf stayed out of sight but it seemed like whenever Harry was alone he would seek him out and Harry found it virtually impossible to ignore his ravings which often seemed quite personal.

Otherwise, Harry was quite enjoying his holiday. Lupin and Tonks both spoiled him and a number of visitors came through Grimmauld Place for business and social calls. Although Dumbledore frowned on too many owls coming to headquarters, Hermione and Ron, true to their word, wrote nearly everyday.

Hermione was having a marvelous time with her parents, though she did worry about Grawp. Apart from Hagrid, she and Krum were the only people he ever saw. Ron said little in his letters and Harry suspected he knew why. Some of Percy's actions as Minister were beginning to attract bad press. Ron was likely embarrassed by him.

There was one owl that Harry looked for that never came, Ginny's owl Monticore. Although she had not said that she would write, Harry found himself looking daily for a letter. He missed her. He thought of sending a card by way of Hedwig but what he really wanted was to see her again. So much so that he eventually stammered a request of Lupin about using the fireplace.

Lupin looked distinctly amused and Harry felt certain that his request would be repeated to Tonks. He blushed, embarrassed, but Lupin attempted to be casual. "Of course, Harry. There's a full jar of floo powder on the mantle. I know you two will want your privacy so just give us the word and we'll clear out of the drawing room."

A couple of days after Christmas, Lupin informed him that he had an assignment for the Order and he would be out for the night. Harry swallowed hard. Although he had insisted that he could stay by himself in the house, the truth was that he now feared to do so. He had barely slept since he had come to Grimmauld Place. Kreacher's ravings, combined with a number of eerie noises and dark artifacts, gave the Manor a sinister, isolating air. It made Harry feel powerless, though he was loathe to admit it.

Lupin, however, had apparently guessed as much. "I've asked Tonks to spend the night here," he told Harry. "She'll be here after work."

There would be a short period where Harry would be on his own but he felt comfortable with that. He was just grateful that he had not had to reveal his true feelings to his teacher.

On his way out the door, Lupin turned back. "If you have any problems and you can't reach Tonks, use the floo network to contact the Weasleys. They'll be happy to assist you."

After Lupin left, Harry brought his things down to the Drawing Room where he planned to camp out until Tonks arrived. He turned the WWN on high to keep him company and locked all the doors into the room. Despite what Lupin had said, Harry was certain that Kreacher would come looking for him once he realized that Harry was alone in the house.

Shortly after, Tonks' head appeared in the fireplace to check on the boy. She would be leaving the Ministry soon and asked him what he wanted for dinner. Relieved that she was on her way, Harry began leafing through a book that he had received for Christmas.

He could hear Kreacher shuffling around in the hallway, laughing to himself as Harry imagined he had the night Sirius was killed. Then he tried to enter the drawing room. He pulled on the doors and the handles shook.

"Master will not come back from the Dept. of Mysteries," he shrieked gleefully.

Even on its highest setting, the WWN was not able to drown out the disturbing sounds of Kreacher trying to get into the room or extolling the praises if the ladies Black and Lestrange. No longer able to concentrate on his book, Harry paced anxiously in front of the window waiting for Tonks.

When Tonks did appear it was not at the door but again in the fireplace. Her hair was out of place and she appeared distinctly frazzled.

"Harry," she called. "Something's going on here and I can't get away just now."

Harry felt a surge of panic. "Well, how long will you be?"

Tonks brushed a long strand of hair out of her eye. "Another hour, maybe two. You'll be alright, won't you?"

"I don't know …" Harry started nervously.

"Is something wrong?"

Harry bit his lip. While there was nothing actually wrong, he was feeling increasingly unnerved in Grimmauld Place.

"Harry? Oh, how stupid of me! Remus said you would get scared in the house by yourself -"

"I'm not scared!" Harry bristled.

"I'll tell Arthur Weasley. He can sit with you until I get done."

Harry convinced her that he was alright and did not need Arthur Weasley to sit with him. He would be fine on his own.

Tonks still seemed hesitant. "Use the fireplace if you need me. I'll come straight back."

Harry agreed, pleased that Tonks no longer believed him to be a scared child, but the minute she popped out of the fireplace he regretted his decision. He felt alone and powerless.

"Did you love him, little Potter?" Kreacher cackled from the hallway. He pulled and scratched at every door, as though desperate to get in.

"Shut up!" Harry screamed. He threw his book at the door. Every dark moment from last year looped through his mind as Kreacher continued to taunt him. Before long, Harry no longer cared if Tonks thought he was afraid. He got up to use the fireplace but, to his horror, the jar of floo powder had vanished. Had the House Elf taken it? Utter despair set in. Harry dropped to the floor and covered his ears tightly with his hands.

When Tonks appeared in the fireplace for the third and final time, Harry could not even focus enough to have a conversation with her. His things were strewn all over the floor and he appeared quite disheveled when he peered into the fireplace. Kreacher was still ranting in the background. Tonks made no comment on the scene before her but assured the teenager that she was on her way back. Harry, however, was well past caring if she came back or not. Even if Tonks appeared immediately and chased off Kreacher, she could not stop his taunts from ringing in his ears nor could she alter any of the terrible events that haunted his thoughts.

Desperate for a respite, Harry reached for the Elysian Elixir that he had sworn he would not take. Gulping it down, he collapsed on the couch. Kreacher was still raving in the background but his cackles soon faded, replaced by the now familiar screams of Bellatrix Lestrange.

Waking up the next day, Harry felt extremely refreshed and calm - and no wonder, it was practically lunch time. He was still on the drawing room couch but someone had thrown a quilt over him. The room had been put back in order and his things were stacked neatly on the floor next to him.

"Well, look who's up," Lupin said cheerfully when Harry wandered into the next room. "We thought you were planning on sleeping right through the day."

Harry smiled weakly. "Is Tonks still here?"

"No, she left about an hour ago. She told me that she got caught up at work last night but that you were doing okay. She did check in, didn't she?"

"Yes, several times," replied Harry. He did not want to talk about last night. He was rather embarrassed about how he had fallen apart and did not want to give Lupin any reason to suspect that he had taken Elysian Elixir again.

"She was so upset that she couldn't get here right away," Lupin explained. "But you know her work is important. And when she did get back you were sound asleep on the sofa. She hated to wake you."

Harry said nothing. Although he had been upset with Tonks last night, he knew she really was not to blame. Her work as an Auror was crucial and she had checked in several times. She had even offered to contact the Weasleys. Besides, the last thing Harry wanted was to be the cause of another argument between her and Lupin.

Lupin went on to say that he had to run an errand in town. "We can use the floo network."

Harry was about to tell him that there was no floo powder left but when he glanced in the next room he could see that the jar had been replaced. It did not really matter. He wanted Lupin out of the house because what he wanted most of all was another dose of Elysian Elixir.

"Can't I stay here?"

Lupin appeared surprised and, after all, why would he not be? Harry had barely left his side since they had come to Grimmauld Place.

"I just wanted to see if I could get in touch with Ginny," Harry lied hastily.

A look of realization dawned on Lupin's face and he smiled. "I won't be long."

The minute the door shut, Harry started up to his room to get his potion. Kreacher, however, had apparently heard Lupin leave and followed Harry up the stairs.

But Harry was not as distressed as he had been before. A night spent envisioning Bellatrix Lestrange writhing under his curse made Harry feel more powerful. He hated the elf but he no longer feared him.

Even before Harry had taken the potion, his hand tingled intensely. He fingered his wand. It was warm and that sensation traveled up his arm. He pulled it out and pointed it at Kreacher, hoping to scare him off. Unintimdated, the elf merely cackled and boasted about his part in Sirius' death.

Harry could barely stand it. He literally shook with fury. It almost felt as if he were dreaming again and it seemed as if he most natural thing would be to cry out "Crucio" and watch Bellatrix fall to the ground. But this was not Bellatrix Lestrange, it was Kreacher, the House Elf. Still, Tonks had said that he would not be punished for his part in Sirius' death. Now he, Harry, had an opportunity to punish him. The power was all Harry's. He could feel it coursing up his arm.

"Never used an unforgivable curse, have you, boy?" Kreacher shrieked madly.

Harry stiffened. They were the very words Bellatrix had screamed at him in the Department of Mysteries when he had been unable to make the curse work.

He could make it work now. He knew it, felt it deep within his core. Something in the boy's face must have changed because Kreacher's eyes suddenly widened in fear. He fled from the room and ran down the hallway.

Harry sprinted after him without thinking. It felt very much like in his dreams where he had so often chased Bellatrix. His wand was already over his head, poised to cast the curse he had so often dreamt of. He opened his mouth, intending to scream "Crucio" but, to his surprise and delight, another curse came tripping off his tongue.

"Avada Kedavra."

Kreacher tumbled lifelessly down the staircase.