Harry watched with trepidation as the two owls flew through the kitchen window. A quick look around the kitchen confirmed to Harry that everyone realized at once what was happening. It was a strange sort of feeling. Accepting the fact that the O.W.L. results had arrived was to accept the fact that Ron and he wouldn't be opening and comparing their results together with Hermione. Possibly even making a little fun of her for how she would probably have freaked out when the owls were spotted. The sight of the two owls, where there should have been three, drove this point home quite harshly. However, a refusal to accept that the results had arrived was also unthinkable. Not only would the fear and excitement, which was the result of facing the results that could determine your entire post-Hogwarts life, eat you up. It would also be an affront to the memory of Hermione to dismiss something she would be so incredibly excited for. Even Fleur, who had not really known Hermione, looked like she understood the tension in the kitchen, or at least felt the tension in the air.
Mrs Weasley got up to gather the letters and handed them to Harry and Ron with a small and forced smile. "Here you go, Harry," she said, "Ron." Harry's stomached twisted and turned very uncomfortably as he accepted the letter. Slowly, his right index finger fumbling but breaking the wax Hogwarts seal nonetheless, he opened the envelope and unfolded the letter.
He looked over his results a couple of times. While the kitchen came back into focus in his peripheral, Harry's stomach turned even more as he looked at the small black "E" after "Potions." While he had not expected an Outstanding at all, the realization that he could not continue to get a NEWT struck him painfully. He could not go on to become an Auror, which considering the content of the Prophecy would have been the most obvious career path to take.
The failing grade for Divination was to be expected, as well as the failing grade for History of Magic, considering he had collapsed halfway through the examination. He had collapsed and had acted on a false vision, implanted in his head by Voldemort, which was the reason why only Ron and he were now receiving their O.W.L. results. Harry briefly wondered whether Hermione had managed to score straight O's across the board before he looked up from his letter and met Ron's eyes.
They looked at each other for a brief moment, before they were interrupted by Mrs Weasley tentatively asking "Well Ron, Harry, how did you do?" Harry saw a grim determination settle in Ron's eyes before it gave way to tears. "Not nearly well enough," Ron managed, while the tears ran down his cheeks.
Even if Harry had tried to stop his own tears from flowing, the sight of his best friend in tears would be enough to do anyone in. The moment he felt Remus' arms come around him, the dam gave way completely. He had experienced this kind of hug only once before when Mrs Weasley had put her arms around him in the infirmary after the graveyard, a little over a year ago. He had assumed then that that had felt like how it was to have a loving mother. He couldn't quite remember if he had cried, but there was no mistaking the tears now. Remus may not have the parental experience of Mrs Weasley but his relation to Harry was through James. Harry was Remus's best friend's son and even though Harry did not question that Mrs Weasley was very fond of him, his relation to Remus was just more personal.
So, he let the tears flow as the harsh reality set in. Rationally he had understood of course, that he would never see Hermione and Sirius again. But there is a world of difference between rationally understanding something and really feeling the impact of what that means.
He let Remus steer him into the sitting room where he was sat on the couch, Remus taking place next to him. Ron was similarly steered into a comfortable chair, while Mrs Weasley hovered next to him. It was Ron who broke the silence.
"It's so weird to realize that we'll never see her again," he said with a thick voice. Harry felt a small twang of annoyance at the chosen pronoun but felt immediately bad for it. He could understand Ron thinking primarily of Hermione at this moment. In any case, he was unable to form words to say something anyway.
It was Remus who spoke next. "It'll feel like that, for quite some time yet," he said. "It took me almost three years to come to terms with what happened between James, Lily, Sirius, and Peter. Even then, I think, I still didn't quite accept what had happened until we all met Sirius in the Shrieking Shack." He squeezed Harry's shoulder and looked at Ron. "That's also where I feel like I truly met you two and Hermione," he continued, "For Hermione to realize my problem on her own, and still trust me… that's quite unheard of. At that moment, it became clear to me exactly what kind of person Hermione was. She was an extraordinary kind witch."
Ginny, who had followed them into the sitting room looked like she was trying hard not to cry as well. "She really was," she agreed. "It meant so much to me when she sought me out the first full day back at Hogwarts in my second year. Not only did she try to comfort me after the Dementor came into the train compartment but she also offered her friendship and support the day after."
"I had no idea she did that, but it doesn't surprise me at all," Ron mumbled. Harry agreed. Going above and beyond for someone is just something Hermione did. Even when she was working herself to the bone in third year, she still found time to help Hagrid with Buckbeak. And it was Hermione who came up with the Murtlap Essence to heal the cut on Harry's hand after his detentions with Umbridge. In fact, it made Harry wonder if he had ever really done something for someone else like that.
His attention was caught by Ron, who was inexplicably grinning through his tears. "Hey Harry, remember that time she punched Malfoy in the face? That was bloody brilliant!"
Mrs Weasley gasped in shock, while Ginny demanded: "What! How come I don't know this story? What happened?"
"Yeah, Malfoy was making fun of the fact that Buckbeak was going to be executed, and Hermione just snapped and punched him square in the face," Ron said with a reminiscent smile. "The look of total disbelief on Malfoy's face… it was fantastic."
"I wish I could've seen that," Ginny replied. "I may have punched him myself. How big of a bloody arsehole do you have to be to make fun of someone's pet dying," she said with a scowl.
"Ginevra!" Mrs Weasley remonstrated, "That's no language for a young lady! Violence is never the way to go!"
"If he makes one joke about Hermione next year, I'll do much worse than punching him in the face," Ron muttered angrily. Mrs Weasley shot him a reproachful look, but Harry couldn't help but agree with Ron. He could very well see himself or Ron losing their cool in such a situation.
"What is your favourite memory of Hermione, Harry?" Remus asked, obviously seeing this as an opportunity to get Harry to talk.
Harry thought about it a second, while Mrs Weasley went back to the kitchen to prepare some tea for everyone. "I'm not sure, there are so many memories to choose from. I guess it would be the time we became friends when she lied to McGonagall about the troll incident."
"She did tell me about that," Ginny said. "I think you two never quite realized how awful those first two months were for her, and you certainly didn't help matters, Ron!" Ginny looked upset.
Ron looked thoroughly chastised. "I don't think we even apologized for being such gits, just thanked her for saving our asses," he said, with a frowning look towards Harry. Harry decided this wasn't the right time to note that it was primarily Ron who had been an arse.
"Really Ron, you'd think we forgot to teach you manners," Mrs Weasley said, walking in with the tea tray levitated in front of her.
"Ginny, could you explain what you meant about how awful Hermione's first two months at Hogwarts were?" Remus asked.
"Well, to be fair I'm not completely sure," Ginny responded musingly, eyes red. "She never directly told me, but I always got the feeling that she didn't really have friends before Hogwarts, you know? She certainly didn't mention any to me at least." She accepted a cup of tea from her mother and took a sip. "So I always assumed she saw coming to Hogwarts as a chance to make friends. Especially considering the whole accidental magic thing she probably struggled with before she was told about her being a witch." She threw an ugly towards Ron. "And then to be told she's a nightmare and that it's no wonder she hasn't got any friends. No wonder she was crying in that bathroom!"
"Ron! We didn't raise you to be a bully!" Mrs Weasley said angrily.
"We became friends with her anyway, so don't give me that" Ron grumbled, "I don't need to be reminded of how much an idiot I used to be."
"Used to be?" Ginny laughed, a bit maliciously. "Remember when you realized that she was a girl, just in time to be turned down for the Yule Ball and you spend the entire evening of the ball angry and sulking? That was only a year and a half ago!"
"Ginny! That's enough!" Mrs Weasley intervened before Ron could respond, as he was becoming increasingly angry, his cheeks, neck, and ears becoming alarmingly red.
Before he could say anything, however, Fleur, who had been quiet until that point, spoke up, probably looking to calm the situation. "I did not really know Hermione but I remember how beautiful she looked at the Yule Ball. Elle était plus belle. And she went with Viktor. I can always… er … apprécier when someone can look past l'image d'une personne." Harry wasn't sure, but he thought he saw her sneak a glare towards Mrs Weasley and Ginny at that statement.
They were preoccupied, however, as Ron had sprung up at the mention of Viktor, scowled at Fleur as best as he apparently could, and stormed to the garden. Mrs Weasley shot a meaningful look towards Ginny, the kind of look that Harry couldn't interpret. Ginny had no problems whatsoever.
"Why should I go apologize, everything I said was true! Right, Harry?" Harry blanched. The last thing he wanted to do was to interfere in Weasley family business. As he remained mute, Ginny violently exhaled through her nose. "Fine." She scowled at Harry, and then stood up and went after Ron.
Remus squeezed Harry's shoulder again. "Are you alright, Harry?" he asked.
"I'm fine," he answered. He obviously wasn't, and he knew that Remus knew that also. But he honestly had no idea how he felt at this point. Certainly, their discussion on some of Hermione's finest moments had helped a bit, making it easier to think back fondly rather than only sadly, but he found it hard to realize that they wouldn't experience any new moments with her.
"Well, in that case," Remus said instead, "why don't you tell us how many O.W.L.'s you achieved?"
"Oh! yes!" Mrs Weasley added. "Let me get Ron's letter because he didn't say."
Harry gave his letter to Remus, who looked it over critically. "Seven O.W.L.'s! And an Outstanding in Defence Against the Dark Arts! You should be proud of yourself, Harry!" he said with a proud smile. It was soon replaced with a frown, however. "But you don't seem to be very happy with the results?" he added.
Harry didn't respond. How could he tell Remus that he agreed with Ron's assessment of their grades? He might have managed seven O.W.L.'s but immediately after he had been catastrophically stupid. Maybe if he had studied harder Hermione and Sirius would still have been alive. Why hadn't Hermione, Ron and he studied healing spells considering how often he was hurt? Maybe then he could have done something to help save Hermione. And what good was an Outstanding if he hadn't been able to protect Sirius during battle? So he chose the easy way out.
"I didn't get an Outstanding in Potions which means I can't get the Potion Newt necessary for Auror training," he said sadly. He looked at Fleur for a moment and then shot Remus a look that said 'and considering what I'm supposed to do in the future that seemed like the obvious choice, right?'
Remus looked thoughtful for a moment. "I can understand why you would want to be an Auror but I don't think it is a disaster if you wouldn't become one. Everything you'd learn during training there you can learn from Alastor or Nymphadora." Harry nodded, feeling a bit better about his prospects. "I would also like to advise you to not let Voldemort control your life, including your career path."
Before Harry could answer, Fleur spoke up. "Has Ron ever told you that Bill got twelve Newts?" she asked Harry, who frowned. "Er, yeah, I think he has mentioned it at some point, why?"
Fleur smiled. "Do you think that he actually took twelve courses as well? Can you imagine how that class schedule would look like?"
Harry thought back to Hermione's third year when she had to use a Timeturner just to make it to all her classes. "But if he didn't take twelve courses, how was he able to sit for all those OWL and NEWT exams?" he asked the French girl.
It was Remus who answered, apparently cottoning on to what Fleur was saying. "Because taking a course is not a prerequisite for being allowed to sit an O.W.L. or N.E.W.T. exam," he said with a thankful smile towards Fleur. "Not every magical child in Britain goes to Hogwarts, so there have to be exams for those who don't follow the courses."
"Yes," Fleur agreed, "that is what Bill did. He only took the classes he needed for curse breaking, but studied the other courses on his own."
Harry looked puzzled. "Which means… er… oh wait! Does that mean I could study Potions on my own and still sit the N.E.W.T. exam?" he asked hopefully.
"Yes! That's exactly what it means!" Remus said. His look turned thoughtful. "But to be honest, Potions would be one of the harder subjects to study on your own. It takes a trained eye to see whether a potion is brewed adequately. Whereas, in for example charms or transfiguration, it is easier to see whether a spell has worked or not."
Harry could see that logic. "That's something to think about then. But at least I still have the option to become an Auror." He wasn't sure if he would have the discipline to self-study an entire course load, but he was willing to try at least.
Ron, Ginny, and Mrs Weasley came back in. Ron's eyes were bloodshot and he clearly was still a bit irritated, but also surprised. "How did the hell did you manage an O in potions?" he asked Harry. He apparently had only heard the last sentence of the discussion.
"I didn't, but turns out that doesn't really matter." At Ron's puzzled look, he continued. "Apparently Bill sat exams for courses he didn't take. I take it you also didn't get an O in Potions?" At Ron's confirming head shake, he added: "So if you want, we can study potions ourselves and still sit for the exam."
"That is what Bill and .. that's what Bill did," Mrs Weasley said, skating over almost saying Percy's name.
"That is actually also kind of what the twins did," Ginny added. At her mother's raised eyebrows, she continued: "All that inventing they do, that takes understanding. They just didn't care about the exam results themselves."
Mrs Weasley looked a bit shocked, but Harry saw the truth in that statement. Even Hermione had been impressed with their Headless Hats last year. He would have no idea how to even start making a Ton-Tongue Toffee.
"Well, Ron, let's see your O.W.L. results!" Mrs Weasley said, having recovered from the realization that she had always misinterpreted the Twins' dedication to their studies.
"Oh, right," Ron said, extracting the crumpled letter he had stuffed in his pocket when he had stormed out. "I failed Divination and History of Magic."
His mother made a disapproving noise. Ron was about to defend himself but was cut off by a smiling Mrs Weasley. "What I think you meant to say, is that you managed 7 O.W.L.s! Oh, Ronnie, I'm so proud of you!" She pulled Ron into a huge, bone-crushing hug. He looked over her shoulder to Harry. He silently reiterated his previous statement of "not nearly good enough."
"And you Harry?" Ginny asked.
"Same as Ron I guess," he answered. "He got an O in Defence, of course," Remus added with a proud smile. "Which, considering you didn't have a teacher actually trying to teach you, is an amazing result."
Ron didn't look surprised. "Of course you got an O, you were the teacher Harry!" Ginny smiled her agreement.
"I think that is a promising sign that you can study a course by yourself," Fleur added.
Both Harry and Ron smiled at that compliment.
After that conversation flowed freely between the six for a while until they all got on with their day. Harry gestured to Ron to wait before leaving the room, as he still wanted to talk to him about what Remus had told him about his family. He wasn't sure yet whether he wanted to tell Ron about the prophecy. Not when they were still trying to deal with Hermione's death. He thought it a bad idea to drop something so big, and life-threatening, on his friend. Harry's strategy of self-isolation might not have worked, but considering how Ron had stormed out over the mention of Krum, he thought Ron wasn't handling it well either. Harry decided that he would postpone that decision to after his week with the Dursleys and after a chance to talk with Dumbledore.
Of course, starting this conversation with Ron would mean acknowledging the fact that someone close to him had passed away because of his stupidity. He also wasn't sure how Ron would take the idea that Harry was going to be even richer. He hoped that his problems with jealousy would have abated by now. So, after they made their way to Ron's sweltering and humid bedroom (it was mid-July after all) and sat down on their respective beds, he took a deep breath.
Staring at the ground he began. "I just wanted to tell you something Remus told me a couple of days ago." Ron merely looked curious, so he told him what he knew about the Potter estate and the problems with the Black family inheritance.
After he told him everything, he looked up to see his friend's reaction. The first words out of Ron's mouth were words he had not expected at all.
"I'm sorry Harry… I only now really realize that you lost Sirius as well as Her-Hermione," he said, swallowing thickly.
"Yes, I noticed you only mentioned her this morning," Harry snapped, surprising both Ron and himself. He sighed. "I'm sorry Ron, it's just, remember last summer? I'm trying very hard not to direct my anger at people who don't deserve it."
"So you're really angry all the time?" Ron inquired.
"Obviously," Harry defended himself.
Ron just looked at him and sighed. "At least promise me that you don't blame yourself, mate"
"How can I not," Harry growled. "Hermione even warned us before we went off to the ministry remember? She called it my "saving-people-thing"! And she was right! And now both her and Sirius are gone!" he snapped, angry tears threatening his already unstable composure.
"Yes! And she was right!" Ron snapped back "Which is exactly why we tried to check whether there was any truth to it! And in the end, even Hermione couldn't deny what the signs seemed to mean!"
"Whatever, Ron. I just wanted to tell you about the Potter estate." Harry stood up. But before he could leave, Ron pulled him back.
"Harry, mate. Please," he said softly. Ron didn't say anything else, but Harry got the message anyway. Now was not the time to push each other away. He sat back down on the bed.
"So, you're … er… you're even richer than you thought, eh?" Ron said, obviously shifting away from a subject they both didn't really want to discuss.
"yeah I guess, I'm not sure exactly how much I have, though," Harry said, glad that Ron seemed to take that in stride.
"Maybe you could ask Bill? He might be able to give you an overview or take you into the vaults?" Ron suggested
Harry thought that was a good idea. They continued discussing what Remus had told Harry. As he told Ron about this family's apparent love for Potion-making, Ron laughed out loud.
"I mean, to be fair, we both somehow managed an E in Potions! The greasy git teaching us is probably just holding us back during class," he said, making Harry laugh at the way he was referencing Snape. Judging by the look Ron got in his eyes after they were done laughing, Harry was certain that they both remembered the disapproving noise Hermione would have made at such disrespect towards a professor. This in combination with what he had just told Ron about Sleekeazy, sparked the memory that had escaped him during his talk with Remus.
"Did you know that Hermione used almost an entire jar of Sleekeazy before the Yule ball?" he asked Ron. "No wonder she needed almost four hours." Then, remembering how Ron had stormed out that morning, he quickly added: "Shit, I shouldn't have said that mate, I'm sorry."
"S'okay," Ron mumbled. "Fleur was right though, this morning, she did look amazing, didn't she?" he continued with a bit of wonderment in his voice. His mouth twisted into a grim smile "It would've been impossible not to realize she was a girl after seeing her in that dress," making Harry snort. Ron shot an uneasy glance towards him, fidgeting with his bedsheets. He seemed to be building up to something.
"Harry… er… did you … have you …. I mean," he stuttered and stopped. Taking a deep breath and apparently summoning his courage, he blushed immensely, turned to Harry, and with his eyes closed, asked: "Did you ever think of Hermione in that way?"
"Er, what way?" Harry answered non-plussed. Then, Ron's hesitance, his blushing, and his statement that Hermione had looked beautiful, not to mention the way he acted during the Yule Ball, all suddenly clicked into place. "Fuck! Ron, you mean…," he trailed off
"Like she's a girl, and you're a boy…?" Ron said with a weird kind of hopefulness in his voice, that Harry couldn't really place.
Harry didn't know what to say. He had always thought of Hermione as a kind of sister, but he didn't think that Ron shared that point of view. But if what Ron was seemingly alluding to was true, it'd be monumental. Disregarding that it meant that Ron actually had the kind of understanding of his own emotions needed to figure that out, it also means that for him losing Hermione was fundamentally different than it was from Harry. Harry and Hermione's relationship had already reached its peak, he thought. He wouldn't ever see her as anything other than as a kind of sister and best friend. But Ron, apart from having to say goodbye to one of his best friends, also had to say goodbye to the idea of them as a couple. And Harry wasn't sure whether Ron had figured that out before her passing, or whether he had figured that out after.
Realizing his continued silence was making Ron very uncomfortable, he asked:" Did you … you know … were you in love with her?"
Ron gaped at him. "What! No, no of course not! I mean, I think not? I just meant, you know, er, have you never thought what it would be like, to, you know, date her?" Harry thought that Ron was beginning to sound very unsure of himself. Ron added quietly: "I've heard the rumours about you two after Cho."
"What rumours?" Harry demanded. "That I and Cho ended because I was secretly in love with Hermione? Come on, Ron, I thought I made it clear that that's not the case"
"So, you have never, you know…," Ron inquired softly.
"I've only ever seen her as a best friend or a sister," Harry said. "I'm quite sure that Hermione secretly wished she had siblings, and well, you know my situation, so I guess we just naturally drifted towards each other in that way. It's different for you of course."
"Yes, of course," Ron mumbled.
Hesitantly, Harry inquired further: "So you have thought about dating her?"
Ron nodded. "Yeah, I mean, after the way she blew up after the Yule Ball and the things she said, it made me wonder you know? About what it would've been like if I had asked her before Krum swooped in." His eyes were glistening now, "but now I'll never have the chance to find out" he managed to say. Tears silently made their way down his face, it made him look utterly defeated.
In the face of such raw grief and loss, Harry didn't know what to do. He really wasn't one to initiate physical contact, as it had always made him a bit uncomfortable. He knew that in the Weasley household, physical contact was almost impossible to avoid. He also knew what Hermione would've done in this situation. And isn't doing what is necessary, even if it makes you uncomfortable, a form of bravery? Somewhere in the back of his mind, he registered how weird it must seem to other people that he needed to talk himself into doing something so simple as hugging his friend. He stood up to sit down on the bed next to Ron and pulled his taller friend into a hug.
That Harry wasn't one to initiate physical contact became clear as Ron startled as Harry sat down. No more words were spoken, Harry just awkwardly held on to Ron for a bit. A couple of moments later, Ron gathered himself and shrugged Harry off. He moved away and mumbled an apology.
Harry felt a fleeting moment of pride in his initiation of the contact but pushed it down quickly. Why would you be proud of such a basic interaction? He stood up from the bed, held out his hand for Ron, and simply asked: "Up for some quidditch?" Ron agreed, both determined to never mention what had happened again.
-In Her Memory-
The next Saturday the twins came around for dinner and a bit of quidditch. Harry and Ron asked them for some tips on self-studying potions. Their main advice wasn't to just brew a lot of potions, but to research how and why different ingredient combinations lead to different reactions. The way Snape had always taught potions was just to give the instruction in class and give essays on the potions as homework. But, as George said, if you want to make Ton-Tongue toffees, you need to understand how to manipulate the standard ingredients of a Swelling Potion, being dried nettles, puffer-fish eyes, and bat-spleen, so the Engorgement Charm used will be activated when it comes into contact with saliva, and then find a way to cook it dry so you can put into the toffees, without it losing its potency.
They recommended some books that could be found in the Hogwarts library: A Rudimentary Guide to Potion Ingredients by Brigid Brewer and Potion Making Techniques by Circe Crouch. Fred had joked that with him and George now gone, those books would actually be available in the library. When pressed on what that meant, the twins displayed yet again that they were smarter than some people gave them credit for.
"You see," Fred had said," you know how you can't keep lending the same book over and over again? Well…"
"We are, of course, more than one person," George quipped.
"So just like how we talk…
… we also lend the books."
"First, George would lend it," said Fred.
"And when I returned it, Fred would immediately take it out again!" George continued.
Ginny had made a quip about how they seemingly had held a book hostage for over three years.
During dinner, the conversation turned darker, as Fred and George told the Weasleys, Harry, Remus, and Fleur about how Diagon Alley was changing day by day. Shops were closing and each day people walked by quicker.
They also reported that an increasing number of pop-ups shops were showing up, selling all kinds of jewellery supposedly enchanted with protective charms. Mr Weasley, who had recently been promoted and now headed the newly formed Office for the Detection and Confiscation of Counterfeit Defensive Spells and Protective Objects was very interested in this. If only there was a way for him to be immediately notified if such a shop popped up, he said.
"You could always try to create a two-way mirror," Remus suggested. "James and Sirius crafted their own, so maybe you could look into that?"
Fred and George exchanged a look, clearly they saw profit in the idea. If they could find a way to make sure that only the two owners of the mirrors could use them, it would probably be the most effective and safe way to communicate for those unable to send Patronus messages. Especially as a Patronus was not something you could use in undercover Order missions.
"Remus, do you know where the mirrors are?" Fred asked. "So we can study them?" George added.
"I think Sirius gave his one to Harry last Christmas?" Remus passed the question on to Harry.
Harry hesitated a bit. "I don't know where Padfoot's mirror is and the one he gave me broke, but the shards are somewhere in my trunk I think." He promised the twins that they could take the shards. Honestly, Harry wasn't that sorry to be rid of them. Carrying them around would only remind him of how stupid he had been.
After that conversation quietened down. Harry was mainly thinking about how he was going to spend the next week at the Dursleys. He grimly assumed that Uncle Vernon would make him do as many chores as possible, to really maximize his use as a human House Elf. He didn't even mind the prospect that much. He thought spending entire days doing chores would maybe tire him out enough to fall asleep easily. He didn't fancy lying awake for hours on end thinking about everything. He had already discussed with Mr Weasley that they would send their copy of the Daily Prophet to Harry when they were done with it, that way Harry could keep up with the Magical World during the week. Being up-to-date seemed important nowadays. Remembering the last time he had been at the Dursleys, he did wonder what being away from Ron and thus sleeping alone in a room would mean for his nightmares.
Remus and Ginny seemed to notice his contemplation, as Remus put his hand on his shoulder and Ginny smiled reassuringly at him. Harry thought there also was a hint of curiosity in her eyes like she wanted to ask him something but didn't think it was the right time.
-In Her Memory-
The next day, just after dinner, Professor Dumbledore appeared at the Burrow to take Harry to the Dursleys. As he knocked on the Burrow's door, Mr Weasley pulled out his wand and pointed it at the door, while Mrs Weasleys clucked her tongue disapprovingly.
"Honestly Arthur, if they had gotten to Albus we would've had bigger problems right now."
They could hear a faint chuckle from outside. "It's quite alright Molly. In fact, I commend Arthur for his vigilance," said the Headmaster from outside.
Mr Weasley raise his voice as he asked professor Dumbledore a security question: "What is Albus Dumbledore's favourite pastime?"
Harry assumed this must be a trick question because he knew from the Chocolate Frog Cards that the headmaster enjoyed ten-pin bowling. He turned out to be right, as the Professor surprised all of the young people in the room by answering that he liked to swim. Harry wasn't the only one who had never known that.
Mr Weasley opened the door. Apparently, the Headmaster didn't have to ask a security question. Harry assumed that being the skilled legilimens that he was, he could probably see that Mr Weasley was the real Mr Weasley.
"Good evening, Albus, would you like a cup of tea?" Mrs Weasley offered.
"No, thank you, Molly. If Harry is packed, we'll just head out immediately. These are busy times after all."
Harry was indeed packed, if you could call it that. Considering he'd be back in a week, he didn't see the point in taking his whole trunk with him. Moreover, Uncle Vernon would probably just lock it in the cupboard under the stairs anyway. He had just stuffed some old clothes into his bag along with some toiletries and had told Hedwig that he wouldn't bring her cage. She would probably fly back and forth daily anyway so he didn't think it was necessary to do so.
"I'm ready," he told the Headmaster.
Saying goodbye to the Weasleys they made their way outside.
Harry wondered why it was the Headmaster himself that was taking him back to the Dursleys. Surely, Mr Weasley could do so too? Remembering his outburst against Remus, he had vowed to be a bit more proactive in asking questions to those who supposedly 'knew better'. However, the last time Harry and Dumbledore had been in close proximity with each other, Harry had destroyed a large number of the Headmaster's possessions. Feeling a bit awkward, Harry decided to be as polite as possible.
"Sir, may I ask you a question?"
"Of course, my boy. Ask away," Professor Dumbledore answered genially.
"Why are you taking me to Little Whinging? Not Mr Weasley for example," Harry asked, emphasizing the 'you'.
"For three reasons, Harry. First, as I do every summer, I need to check the wards. Secondly, I will also return next Sunday, and thought it a good idea to inform your Aunt and Uncle of that personally. I assume they might want to prepare for someone so … er… yes, 'wizardly' shall we say?" The headmaster chuckled lightly. He turned to Harry and continued: "Thirdly, I wanted to check how you were doing. The last time we saw each other, the meeting was rather explosive as I remember."
Even though the headmaster's voice was free from any accusation and was only tinted with sadness, Harry felt himself squirm. He was not sorry for his actions per se, but he did think he could've gone about it less destructively.
"I'm fine, sir," he said.
"Of course you're not," the Headmaster disagreed. "How could you be? Even an old, experienced man like myself, is not "fine." Ms Granger and Sirius' losses will be felt for years to come by those lucky enough to have known them. To lose someone so young…," he trailed off. Harry thought he saw something akin to a haunting look in his eyes for a split second before the headmaster shook it off and continued: "I hope that having Remus around has helped?" he inquired.
Harry confirmed it. "We've been talking about things. He also told me about the inheritance issues?"
"Ah yes, an issue we will deal with next week. I assume that Remus has also told you about Potter Manor?" At Harry's "yes," he continued. "Yes, as I said previously, I will come to get you from the Dursleys next Sunday. I'll come by just after breakfast. I dare say our schedule that day will be busy."
Before Harry could ask why, the Headmaster held out his arm, which Harry took, and they apparated to the Dursleys