CHAPTER 18: Prisoner 777

A/N: Hey guys, welcome back. Not making this up but, up until now this chapter is the one I've been most excited about ever since I planned my series draft. Now that it's out of the way, my excitement has shifted to another chapter, which I will not disclose now. All I will tell you is that it will be at the end of year 2. I'm not going to give you any hints regarding what's in this chapter. You will just have to find it for yourself. You might think it is a total bust and wonder what I was smoking or you might think it's the greatest thing since Shakespeare. Don't know why I mentioned his name, I'm not even a fan of his. But anyway, I'll stop my rambling and without further ado...

Harry braced his hands against the backside of Ron's seat as Fred inclined the Ford Angelina to descent. He stared outside his window at the ground below, that was slowly becoming visible as the morning fog started to clear out. The land was mostly covered in green lush fields, that stretched as far as his eyes could see all the way up to the mountains. There were small specks of earth scattered about that were shining bright red due to the sunlight peeking behind the grassy hilled mountains, cascading a red hue over the ground.

He didn't know how fast they were going as the scenery remained unchanged until he spotted a canal quickly approaching. He shifted his gaze upwards and furrowed his eyebrows when his vision landed on the most odd-looking building he had ever seen.

If he wasn't staring at it right now with a bewildered expression, he would've thought such a structure couldn't exist. But as they got closer and closer and the building started to get bigger, he couldn't discount it, especially after he rubbed his eyes to check if what he was seeing was real. And real it was.

His mouth was open in shock as he couldn't turn his gaze away. He was so enraptured by the spectacle, if one could call it that, he almost forgot about his fear for the last ten minutes, wondering how Fred was supposed to land the car without crashing it. He may not have such less confidence in his driving skills but after witnessing him zoom left and right and barely escaping the oncoming traffic, which there wasn't any, unless birds were taken into consideration and still managing a few scrapes for flying to close to a hill for the last 4 hours, he'd be lying if he didn't at least admit that he feared for his life and on couple of occasions actually believed that he was going to die.

His eyes turned wider, although the bewildered expression was replaced by one of terror as they approached the muddy driveway. He barely held in the scream that was begging for release as the tyres made contact with the ground.

"AAAH!" screamed Ron, who wasn't shy to express his fear even when he fully knew that his brothers would take the mickey out of him later, if they lived to tell the tale that is.

Harry's head hit the back of the headrest of Ron's seat as the car jerked wildly before skidding on the wet ground and zooming in circles.

Harry felt he was about to throw up even with his eyes shut tight when both back tyres got stuck in a hole and the car's movement halted abruptly, sending him flying onto George's lap, who hit his head against the window.

"Ouch"

"Aah"

"Ow!"

The groans of all the occupants mingled together as they all silently thanked whatever higher power they believed in for saving their lives from ending prematurely.

Harry slowly lifted his head off George's chest and looked up at him. His face was ash white and he was sweating profusely. He had one hand gripping the handle tightly and his other arm was clutching Harry to his chest.

Harry watched him slowly open his eyes before turning his head to stare at him. "That was fun" He croaked, as he mustered a toothy smile. Harry was almost fooled by his brave act if he didn't see a lone tear pathetically roll down his cheek at an angle and straight into his open mouth.

"The door, George" whispered Harry, indicating towards the handle.

"Right" George whispered back. Harry waited for him to open the door, or do anything but he just kept staring at him. He grew a little self-conscious, feeling he was staring right through his soul.

He gulped loudly before trying once again. "George, the door" he said a little louder this time.

George blinked his eyes couple of time before shaking his head. "Right, sorry. The door, yes" He finally pulled back the handle before pushing open the door. He moved his arm from around Harry before getting out, with Harry following suit shortly after.

He took deep breaths to calm his thumping heart as the morning chill hit his face. He felt all the tension slowly leave his body as he opened his arms wide and released a long sigh. He looked to his right to see George doing the same thing.

They both stared at each other for 5 seconds before bursting into laughter. Harry clutched his midsection as his stomach physically hurt from how hard he was laughing. George was hollering rolling on the ground on his back and kicking his legs in the air.

Harry turned around and walked towards the front door of the car as he continued to laugh. He peered inside the car and his eyes turned wide by what he saw.

Fred with his arms around Ron who was sitting on his lap with his hands grasping the steering wheel. Both their mouths were wide open and their faces were devoid of any colour.

"HA HA HA!" Harry couldn't control himself, not that he wanted to as another bout of laughter hit him. Seeing his reaction, George leapt up from the ground and ran the small distance before looking inside the front seat.

He followed Harry and the two shared another loud fit of howling and hollering.

"What is going on!" they both turned their head toward the house before their eyes landed on the person standing outside the front door.

The laughter stopped immediately and simultaneously before they turned their gazes towards the ground.

"George! What are you doing outside this early. You're not usually out of bed till afternoon" huffed Mrs Weasley angry as she approached them. "And who is this young man with you?" she said casting a quick glance in Harry's direction who still had his head down.

"Don't tell me you were out all night and just came back" she gasped. "Where were you!" she lifted his chin up and fixed him with a penetrating glare. She burrowed her eyebrows in confusion when her gaze shifted to the car. "What is the car doing here?" she turned back to him.

"Promise not get mad" George gave her a cringing smile as he leaned his head back slightly.

"Wait is that..." Molly brushed past him and walked over to the car. Her eyes turned wide before her face turned red in anger as she glared at her children, who were staring back at her in horror, and not because of what they had experience but rather at the prospect of what that were about to experience.

"GET OUT!"

Harry truly felt sorry for his friends as they were getting a massive telling off by their mother. All 3 brothers were standing in a straight line after Mrs. Weasley had pulled Fred and Ron out by their ear.

He was worried for himself as well as he wasn't sure how Mrs. Weasley would react upon recognizing him. He just hoped it would be slightly less volatile than what was happening right now.

He felt his face grow warm as the sun rose high above the mountains and enveloped everything in its path in a pleasant glow.

Harry turned around towards the house he was utterly fascinated by a short while ago. I can't believe it's a house. How? He wondered as he crept closer to the wooden building.

It was three times taller than any house he had seen and so crooked in shape that it defied any laws of physics. It could only be held together by magic, he thought.

He inclined his head back and noticed 5 chimneys perched on top of the red roof, before looking down at the sign stuck in the ground near the front door, which read THE BURROW.

"But it's Harry mum! He's my best mate. What was I supposed to do!" Hearing his name aloud, Harry turned around to see Ron pointing at him.

He watched Mrs. Weasley turn her confusing stare towards him. She narrowed her eyes and walked a couple of paces to get a better look at him.

He nodded politely. "Hello mam"

"Oh my god" she gasped, putting her hands over her mouth. "Harry"

He offered her a small smile and watched with wide eyes as she bustled towards him at a pace he wouldn't have associated with her and before he knew what was happening, he felt air squeeze out of his body as he was being hugged like he had never been before.

"Oh, my dear boy, why didn't you say something sooner" she patted his unkempt hair.

"Yeah Harry, very classy of you mate. Could have saved us a lot of trouble. A real token of appreciation after what we did for you" yelled Fred.

"Shut up!" Mrs Weasley glared at him over her shoulder. "You're still not out of trouble. Just wait till your father gets home" she spat before turning back around and giving Harry a warm smile. "C'mon Harry dear, let's get you inside and I'll make breakfast for you."

He nodded embarrassingly after his stomach growled right on cue. Mrs. Weasley turned him around and walked him inside the house. He looked over his shoulder to see the twins and Ron follow them sulkily with and couldn't stop the chuckle from escaping his mouth.

The first thing that hit him as he walked inside was the smell. He could smell it all day long. It smelled sweet like honeysuckle and oddly of bread. It filled him with a feeling of comfort and relaxation instantly.

He was completely mesmerized by everywhere he looked. They passed a huge grandfather clock that had only one hand and no numbers. Written around the edge were things like Time to make tea, fold the laundry, feed the chickens, and You're late. A bookcase was tight next to it and was mostly covered with cooking books.

They crossed the living room and entered the open kitchen. He was once again shocked when he spotted dishes being washed and cleaned by themselves. Aunt Petunia would love that he thought fondly.

The radio was sitting on the counter and a female's voice had just announced that they would be playing singing sorceress, Celestina Warbeck's classics.

"Take a seat dear" Mrs. Weasley pointed at the large square shaped dining table.

Moments later Fred, George and Ron entered the kitchen and took a seat each, with Ron sitting beside him.

"Oh, I'm tired" moaned Ron, as he rested his head on the table.

"I'm sure breakfast will fix that" quipped Mrs. Weasley.

"You know me too well, mum" he muttered.

"Apparently not well enough since I didn't even know that you were out flying over the country and not in your bed" she fixed him with a venomous glare before going back to cutting the potatoes.

"Oh, c'mon on mum. Not this again. How many times do I have to say I'm sorry"

"You could've been killed, Ron. Imagine putting yourself in my position for once" Harry watched her wipe at her eyes and was overcome with guilt.

"It's not their fault Mrs. Weasley. If anything, it's mine. I didn't write back and Ron was right to get worried. If only I had-"

"No, Harry dear. Whoever is to blame for this, it is certainly not you, okay" she finished with a smile.

He smiled in return.

"Yeah, I forgot to ask you on the way. Why didn't you write back?" asked Ron.

"I'll tell you later" he whispered, conveying him with his eyes that they would talk about this later.

Ron subtly nodded his head and turned back to resting his head against the table.

The thumping of footsteps hurrying down the stairs made Harry look up towards the entryway to the kitchen, where a girl he remembered seeing at the train station a few months ago came bustling through.

"Mum, I can't find my copy of Ragarok's adventure anywhere. Have you-" She stopped mid-sentence as her eyes landed on him. He watched her eyes go wide as she slowly started walking backwards.

"I'm afraid not dear" replied Mrs. Weasley, but she was already out of the kitchen and by the thumping of footsteps on the stairs, he figured back to where she came from.

"Umm... what happened?" he turned to Ron, who shot him a sympathetic smile.

"Well, Ginny's been reading a lot about you recently. You know how you killed the dark lord and all that crap. She's sort of developed a crush on you. Hasn't stopped asking me questions ever since I got back" He paused before continuing. "How's Harry, is he really as brave as the books say, do you think he'll like me" he said mimicking her before a scowl came over his face. "I wanted to punch her half the time" he finished before seeing the grave expression on Harry's face.

"Don't worry mate, I know you hate all that stuff. I'll try and keep her away from you, alright" He assured him with a reassuring smile.

Feeling slightly better, Harry nodded his head.

"I'm home!"

Harry watched as he saw a man he figured as the patriarch of the family walk through the kitchen door. He was just short of 6ft with a small belly protruding out. His head was mostly bald with small wisps of ginger hair sticking out.

"Dad!" greeted the twins in unison.

"Hello my lovely children" he put his coat on the hangar before walking over to his wife. "How are you dear?" he kissed her cheek before a concerned look came over his face. "You seem a little tense. Everything alright"

"Ask your idiot sons why I'm so tense" she said, pointing with her head towards the table.

"Really? Why what have they done this time?" he walked back to the table and took a seat at the front, noticing Harry who was sitting closest to him. "Excuse me, I'm not sure we've- Dear me, Harry Potter" he masked his shock really well and extended his hand out. "Ron never stops talking about you, and I don't blame him for one second. It is truly a pleasure to meet you, Harry. Welcome to our humble home"

"Thank you, sir!" Harry shook his hand.

"How did you arrive if I may ask. I thought that since you lived with your muggle relatives, you couldn't travel by floo"

"Actually sir-" started Harry but was interrupted by Mrs. Weasley, as she placed a platter filled with bacon and egg sandwiches and a bowl of mashed potato.

"Your idiot sons flew your car all the way to Surrey and brought him here" she said, putting her hand on her hips and glaring down at her children, who had their eyes fixed on the table.

"Really?" asked Mr Weasley excitedly. "How did it fly?" he asked gleefully.

"Absolutely fantastic dad"

"It was amazing"

"You wouldn't believe how cool I landed it"

"Arthur!" Mrs. Weasley smacked him on the arm in a reproaching manner.

"I mean, I'm extremely disappointed in you boys, extremely disappointed indeed" he changed his tone in a matter of seconds, fixing his children with a menacing scowl, which none of them took seriously, and instead of fearing for their lives, chuckled, including Harry.

Mrs. Weasley walked away with a roll of her eyes and muttering under her breath about "buffoon headed men"

…...

Meanwhile, Azkaban

Lucius had a sour expression on his face as he walked the narrow corridor. With every step he passed metal bars on either side that housed a prisoner serving their due, in some cases, sentence.

A guard was walking ahead of him, leading him to the cell he knew the path to with his eyes closed. He had long forgotten how many times he had been here. A fact he would like to be wiped out of his memory.

He turned a corner and continued ahead. The hallway, similar to the one he just exited, was lit dimly by torches mounted high on the stone walls.

"Oye! Where do you think you're going? Huh" cackled someone from behind one of the cells but Lucius paid him no mind.

Lucius followed the guard as he turned right at the end of the corridor into a small closed off passage, that had only one cell at the back wall, staring right back at them. It was larger than the other cells he walked past on his way.

The guard stopped walked towards the cell and stopped in front of the gate.

"Prisoner Seven-Seven-Seven (777). Someone's here to see you" Lucius could hear his voice crack in fear. He didn't blame the kid.

The guard fished out a bunch of rusty looking metal keys. Lucus rolled his eyes exasperatedly as he watched the guard try and fail multiple times as he searched for the right key.

He walked over to him and snatched the keys from his hand before shooting him a glare. The guard gulped in fear and backed a couple of steps away. "Sorry sir. It's my first day"

"You're lucky it's just me, son. I know people who would've killed you right on the spot for wasting their time" Lucius spared him any further embarrassment as he feared he might make a mess in his pants. He shook his head and without looking at the keyhole, unlocked the door.

He threw the keys over his head, and waited for the sound of them hitting the stone floor. But it never came. "Maybe there is still hope for you" he chuckled without looking back at him before entering the cell and closing the gate behind him.

He turned around towards the guard who was in the middle of putting the keys back in his pocket. "Leave us"

"But sir, my orders were_" his stopped trembling upon seeing Lucius raise his hand.

"I'm not going to repeat myself, son." He inclined his head while raising an eyebrow. "I'll let you know when I'm done alright. Be smart, not brave. There's a time for both, but never together"

The guard nodded and bowed his head before realizing what he was doing and scrambled away.

Lucius shook his head.

"You didn't forget." came a voice from the back of the cell.

Lucius turned around and walked further into the dark room that was lit only by a single torch hanging from the ceiling. It was enough for him to make the form of the person who was sitting in the corner with their back to the wall and arms curled around the knees.

The prisoner's head was bowed down, with long black curly hair hiding the face.

"You seem surprised" he walked closer to the prisoner before sliding down the wall next to him.

A chuckle from the prisoner made him turn his head towards him. "What?"

Lucius's gaze fell upon the prisoner's hands that were bound together by metal cuffs. "Watching you sit on the floor always makes me smile. The high and proud Lucius Malfoy wearing his expensive attire that took him an hour to decide upon and a further hour to put it on, sitting in a rickety, old, foul-smelling, dirty cell, in the most notorious prison in the world with the most notorious prisoner in the world"

Lucius rolled his eyes before a chuckle escaped his lips. "Yeah, well don't get used to it. It's just for 10 minutes"

The chuckles slowly died down till there was absolute silence.

"How's the family?"

Lucius raised an eyebrow in question. "Really, you want to talk about family"

"It's been a while since you last visited"

Lucius rested his head against the wall and stared at the torch. "Yeah, well I've been a little busy"

"I don't doubt that one bit"

"So, you've heard the rumours too, huh" asked Lucius. He saw the prisoner shrug their shoulder in response.

"I heard what happened at Hogwarts, and I don't think anyone believed that Quirrell could and would ever steal the stone for himself"

"I try not to think what it means. I prefer the way my life is at the moment"

"Lucky you" Lucius could sense the bitterness in the tone behind those words.

"You know what I mean"

Silence overcame them once more.

"There might be a way" started Lucius after a while. "I'm not entirely sure if it will work and it is crazy-"

"Stop"

Lucius looked at him.

After a beat, the prisoner continued "Crazy is good enough for me. Go on"

"I'm working on arranging a meeting at the winzengamot, mind you it will be sometime next year if it happens at all. It will be about Azkaban, and the changes improve its working, with numerous prisoners committing suicide in recent years."

A dry chuckle to his left made him stop. "You know they don't care about the prisoners"

"I know" Lucius said through clenched teeth. "But it doesn't matter whether they care or not. We just need the warden to be away."

There was a moment of silence before "Aah"

"Yes, you catch on quick"

"But what about the fountain of youth?"

"The warden can turn it off remember."

"You'd have to put on a flawless act"

"That's the easiest part. You forget I've been acting all my life"

"I think you're forgetting one major factor...Dementors. It doesn't matter if you change how you look from the outside. It would be still you, scared, nervous, every emotion you would be feeling at that moment, which the warden never feels when he is running the place. The dementors will smell it off you from a mile away let alone right under their nose"

"Hey, I told you it was crazy right...I'm the one sticking my neck out, the one whose risking everything, your life stays the same if everything goes sideways...Are you in or are you out?"

There was a long pause before "I'm in"

"Okay then"

The cell was filled with silence once again before Lucius voiced his thoughts. "By the way, do dementors have a nose. I'm asking you since your close relationship with them"

An elbow to his ribs was his answer. Lucius let out a small chuckle.

"I better get going before Narcissa brings the entire house down. We're taking Draco to Paris before his new term starts." He stood up and dusted himself off. He leant down and hugged the prisoner who was unable to reciprocate the gesture. "You stay strong now huh." He pulled back and wiped the prisoner's hair away. "C'mon, let me see you once so that I don't forget what you look like"

"I'm already forgotten, wiped out of everyone's memory who I once considered...well it doesn't matter now does it" replied the man as he finally looked Lucius in the eyes. His features were covered with facial hair. Lucius might not have recognized him if it weren't for his eyes. They still reminded him off a lion. Fierce, black as a night with a small white speck in them, the only thing different was the rage shining through them. "All I've become now is a number" He pointed at the side of his neck where a number was inked on his pale white skin. 777.

"Not to me you're not. You are still and will always be my brother, you hear me" Lucius touched his forehead with his before he stood up and walked towards the gate.

He opened the gate and was about to walk out when the prisoner's voice stopped him.

"Have you seen him?"

Lucius closed his eyes and released a slow breath. "No" He paused. "And I'm not the right person to ask anyway."

The prisoner let out a humourless chuckle. "Then who else should I ask. I've not seen another face beside yours for the LAST 10 YEARS"

Lucius turned around and shot him a deadly glare. "Should've thought of that before choosing sides" He paused a beat before continuing "But your choice was made long before that, weren't it brother" He slammed the door behind him and marched forward.

"Yes, it was, a long time ago..." whispered the prisoner, as he once again dropped his head between his arms.

Lucius turned the corner and saw the guard standing a few feet from him, juggling the keys in his hands. His eyes turned wide when he turned his head in his direction and dropped the keys on the ground.

Lucius raised an eyebrow in amusement as he watched him fumble with the keys before he finally picked them up. "All done sir" he cleared his throat.

"Yes" Lucius examined him from head to toe. "My wand" He extended his right hand.

"Oh yes right" He pulled a wand from the holster attached to his leg and handed it to him.

"Thank you" Lucius took out his cane from inside his coat and attached his wand to it. "How old are you son?"

"18 sir"

"Hmm. Right out of school I presume"

"Yes sir"

"And from your accent I'm guessing Durmstrang"

"Right again sir" smiled the guard.

"What's your name?"

"Stalinsky, sir"

Lucius stared at him for a moment. "Alright then, off you go. Make sure you double check. He is a conniving bastard"

Lucius walked past him and headed towards the exit.

Stalinsky watched him leave before turning around and walking the short distance towards the cell Lucius just exited.

He approached the cell with fear and caution now that he was alone. He finally reached the cell and quickly locked the door before dashing the way he came from. He stopped at the corner and spared a final glance at the wooden board hanging over the cell, it sent a chill down his spine everytime he read the name written on it.

SIRIUS BLACK

…...

A few hours later, Burrow

Harry and Ron were lying on top of a small hill with their hands supporting their head as they stared at the full moon shimmering brightly on them, it's pasty white glow the only source of light keeping them from being surrounded by the complete darkness.

The sky, pitch black in colour, was devoid of any stars, and not a cloud could be seen.

"Whew!" exclaimed Ron. "That doesn't make any sense. I mean why would an elf of all people would warn you of not going back. It makes no sense" He finished, turning his head in Harry's direction who had a blade of grass between his lips.

"That's what I've been wondering ever since" he shrugged his shoulders.

"And you say he stole all the letters me and Hermione sent you over the summer" Harry nodded his head. "Blimey!"

"He said that if I didn't receive any letters from you, I would feel betrayed and wouldn't go back" he answered, turning his head in his direction.

Ron nodded his head before replying. "That's crazy. No other way to explain it"

They remained silent for a couple of minutes, simply enjoying the feeling of the gentle breeze wash over their body.

"It must've really sucked for you" started Ron, turning to look at Harry who inclined his head in his direction. "You know... being locked up in your room and having no one to talk to. I would've gone mad if that had happened to me"

Harry waited a few beats before replying. "It wasn't bad" Ron's eyebrows rose to his hairline as Harry continued in his passive tone. "Infact, I was the happiest I'd ever been living in that house."

"What do you mean?" Ron shifted his body sideways and rested his head on his hand.

Harry let out a deep sigh before continuing. "My relationship with my aunt changed. Completely. I...she is a completely different person to one I thought I've known since I could remember. I genuinely care for her now, which is crazy.

"It is crazy" cut in Ron. Harry looked at him as he continued. "From what you told me, she seemed like a nasty woman"

Harry shifted his head back to staring at the moon. "Yeah...but that's not who she is anymore...maybe she never was and only pretended to act that way"

"Why would she do that?"

Harry remained silent for a while, he had been thinking that exact same thought a lot during the summer and felt he finally had an answer "Because it was easier"

Ron's face scrunched in confusion. "I don't understand"

"Neither do I" scoffed Harry, eliciting a chuckle from Ron. "Also, I met someone" A small smile graced his lips as he went down memory lane.

"Really, who?" Ron raised an eyebrow in question.

"Her name is Olivia"

"A girl!" cried Ron as he sat in a kneeling position.

"Umm yeah... don't know why you got so excited. You are acting as if you've never seen one before" He looked at Ron weirdly before continuing. "You do realize Hermione's a girl too, right" he finished uncertainly.

"Of course, I do" Ron smacked him on the shoulder. "I'm just saying...you know...you didn't talk to girls when we were at school" He finished before adding. "And don't say Hermione. She doesn't count"

Harry sat up and leaned on his arms. "Not just girls, I didn't talk to anyone unless they talked to me first."

Ron agreed with a nod as Harry stared at the ground with a contemplative look. "She's unlike any other person I've ever met. We got along right away. There were no awkward moments or anything like that. It had never happened to me before. I feel like I've known her forever." A wistful smile came over his lips before he continued. "I feel like she understands me" He shook his head as the smile left his lips. "And I really miss her" He looked up at Ron to find him staring at him with a mischievous smile. "What?" he asked warily.

"You're in loooove my friend" teased the red head as he cackled with laughter.

"No, I'm not" said Harry, as his face turned crimson.

"Yes, you are. I can't wait to tell Hermione "He said with a manic gleam in his eye as he stood up and started moving backwards.

"If you value your life, you won't" threatened Harry as he followed him.

"We'll see about that" yelled Ron as he started running towards the house. "I'm going to send her a letter right now"

Harry's eyes turned wide for a second before he dashed after him. "RON! GET BACK"

Harry entered the house through the back door and looked around. He saw the back of Ron's head before he disappeared into the living room and sprinted after him.

He entered the living room and saw Ron standing near the staircase with a smirk on his face and headed towards him.

"Hello Harry" Harry turned his head in the direction of the voice and did a double take, not believing his eyes. He stopped immediately. "Professor?" he gasped, slightly out of breath.

Dumbledore rose from the couch and walked over to him. "How are you, dear boy" Dumbledore gave him a warm smile as he put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

Harry stuttered a couple of times, still in shock at seeing him. "I'm-I'm fine sir. I didn't know you were coming"

"Neither did I until a few hours ago" he gave him a knowing look over his half-moon glasses.

Harry felt his cheeks go warm as he looked down for a moment before staring up at him.

"Don't worry Harry, you're not in any kind of trouble." he assured him with a smile.

"Really!"

Dumbledore nodded his head as Ron walked over to stand by his side. "What about-"

"Neither are they" Dumbledore's eyes flicked towards Ron for a second whose cheeks grew red in embarrassment. Harry nodded his head. "I was hoping Harry, that we could talk for a moment, alone, if it's not much trouble to you"

"Alright" nodded Harry before looking at Ron.

"I'll wait for you in my room" said Ron before he headed towards the stairs.

"Let's go out shall we, it's a bit warm in here for my liking. What do you say?"

"Okay"

Harry was feeling slightly anxious as they walked past the small fence that housed the chickens. The wind had slightly picked up from earlier and he found himself constantly swiping his hair back as they kept falling over his eyes.

"I know what happened" started Dumbledore in a serious tone.

Harry whipped his head in his direction. His eyes grew wide in alarm as he wasn't sure how much he knew. But he waited for him to continue.

"It is very unlikely you would be seeing your uncle again"

"What!" He couldn't believe what he was hearing. 'Surely Dumbledore didn't. He couldn't have' were the thoughts running through his head.

"It wasn't me" Dumbledore replied, as if reading his mind. "Not this time, anyway, though I'm not sure he would be so lucky next time, which I'm pretty confident to say there wouldn't be any"

"I don't understand" Harry shook his head as they stopped walking.

"I wasn't aware of any of this until I received a call from Arthur this afternoon"

"Mr. Weasley? But I didn't tell him anything" Harry looked at him confusedly.

"It wasn't about that. He simply wanted to let me know about your arrival. I believe his reasoning was that so we don't mail you your year list at Privet drive. That's all"

"Then how-"

"I went there myself, after"

Harry's mouth opened in question but he closed it as Dumbledore continued. "I knew something pretty bad must've happened for your friends to break you away. However, at the time I wasn't aware that it was in a literal sense if you know what I mean"

Harry gave a nod of his head as he watched Dumbledore play with the ring on his finger. By now he figured that he did it every time he was thinking hard. He didn't like it.

"What I'm about to tell you probably won't concern you since I know you don't ever want to set foot near that house or your relatives again but...Harry..."

Harry's heart was thumping wildly in his chest, he felt it might burst out if Dumbledore didn't finish whatever he is about to say.

"Your aunt is battling for her life"

A/N: Wow! right. I mean, didn't your brain just explode with all that awesomeness. As always, post your comments and let me know. I will read anything you guys have to say. If you love it or hate it, don't be shy of voicing your thoughts cause I'm here for you. If you want to talk about anything else we can do that too. Movies anyone...…..I clearly have way too much free time.