'Well, duh,' Harry thought sarcastically, keeping his facial expressions in check. He proceeded to look appropriately questioning. "Please, continue, Professor."
"We need your help. Professors Snape, McGonagall, and I have been grappling with this issue since the end of spring term. Apparently Lord Voldemort," at this Harry shuddered, "Lord Voldemort has returned to power. At the forefront of his crusade stands Lucius Malfoy." He paused, looking about the room. Harry followed suit. He saw Professor Snape giving him one of the dirtiest looks he'd ever received from him, and Harry looked away quickly. He met the stare of Professor McGonagall, who was receiving him rather harshly as well. 'What is with this animosity?' he wondered, curious. He smiled weakly at the two of them and turned back to Dumbledore, who continued.
"Do you have anything you'd like to put in, Mr. Potter? Or perhaps Professors?" he asked, looking at Harry first.
"I mean no disrespect, sir, but are we honestly surprised that Lucius Malfoy is back crusading for the Dark Lord? He's done so in the past and I myself saw him in Knockturn Alley when I took a wrong turn on the Floo network from the Weasleys' house," Harry paused, knowing he shouldn't have said that. Snapes eyes shot daggers at him, and he had a note of cruel glee on his face. Snape had wanted to get Harry in trouble for something ever since the first day he'd ever been at Hogwarts. Harry hated Snape with a fiery, all-consuming passion, and he knew the feeling was mutual. Harry pursed his lips and turned back to Dumbledore, who was giving him a concerned look.
"You were in Knockturn Alley, Harry?" he said in a fatherly tone.
"I'd rather not talk about it, if you please," Harry said, trying to get Snape to stop looking at him like he was.
"We need to know, Harry," Professor McGonagall interjected sternly.
He sighed deeply, giving in to McGonagall. "I stayed at the Weasleys' home for a month last summer, and when we went to buy our books and new school supplies in Diagon Alley, they decided to travel by the Floo network because it would be the quickest. I'd never travelled by Floo powder, and I was a bit nervous. I think I stuttered or something when I entered the fireplace, because where I ended up was definitely not Diagon Alley. It was dingy, dark, and smelled of rotting cabbages and sulphur. I had landed inside a shop filled with all sorts of bizarre instruments, and soon saw Lucius and Draco Malfoy enter the same shop. I quickly hid in a cabinet, leaving the door cracked so I could see and hear what was happening. I don't remember the shop name, but Lucius was selling things to the shop owner, who put on a false appearance of liking him. When Lucius and Draco left, the shop owner was grumbling that if the rumours he'd heard were true, then Lucius hadn't sold him half of the things that were in his mansion. I left the shop without being noticed by the shopkeeper, and then I ran into Hagrid, who was looking for a Flesh-Eating Slug Repellent. He took me back to Diagon Alley, where I met up with the Weasleys and the Grangers right away," he finished, out of breath.
Professor Snape fixed his steely glare on Harry, a glint in his eye. Harry could see that he wanted to catch him in a lie, but since he hadn't been lying, he had nothing to worry about. Harry looked away from Snape and instead looked at McGonagall.
She had a stern look upon her face. Harry wished he hadn't looked at her after Snape.
"For future reference, one must be careful when travelling by Floo, Mr. Potter," Snape said irritably.
"Yes, sir, I am aware of that now," Harry said, struggling to keep the acid out of his voice. He barely succeeded. Snape shot him a nasty look and Harry returned it with as much venom as he had received.
"If you please, gentlemen," McGonagall snapped.
The two returned to the room and avoided looking at each other for the remainder of the conversation.
"Now, we haven't any ideas yet of what we will be doing. We cannot expel Draco Malfoy from Hogwarts, or Lucius will turn his wrath on the school, which is not something we want. He is strongly against half-blood and Muggle-born witches and wizards," at this, Harry snorted inwardly, for that was a gross understatement, "and this school boasts some of the finest Muggle-borns and half-blood witches and wizards, like your friend Hermione Granger," Dumbledore said, suddenly serious. "I'm sure you recall the opening of the Chamber of Secrets?"
Harry was suddenly chilled. Of course he remembered. Ginny Weasley had been trapped in the Chamber by her diary. Hermione had been petrified by the basilisk that lurked within. That had been one of the most difficult times of his entire Hogwarts career thus far.
He shook off this feeling of fear and replied, rather shakily, "Yes, sir, yes I do."
"If I may, sir," Snape cut in with an edge in his voice.
"Go ahead, Severus."
"While the opening of the Chamber of Secrets is quite relevant to this situation, we need not dwell on the past. Instead, we must concentrate on the task at hand. Lucius Malfoy will stop at nothing to gain a following. Acting quickly and stealthily is the only way to overcome him and his cronies. I suggest a coven, made up by myself, Minerva, you, and possibly Mr. Potter here. Studies have shown that covens are the most effective forms of white versus dark magic," he finished with an air of determination.
"I understand that covens are highly effective in wiping out dark magic, and I myself have a part of one or two in my lifetime. However, I don't think that a coven will be the best way to effectively combat Lucius and Lord Voldemort," Dumbledore replied calmly, ignoring the fact that smoke was nearly coming out of Snape's ears, he was so angry.
"Yes, sir," Snape replied tightly.
"Minerva, have you any ideas?"
"No sir, none as of yet," McGonagall replied crisply.
"I suppose, then, we must have a break in time to brainstorm ideas of how to defeat Lord Voldemort while also keeping his followers, namely Lucius Malfoy, at bay. We will meet back here tomorrow, at 10 in the morning. Please be well rested and have ideas regarding the current situation," Dumbledore said. He smiled at them and dismissed them to go to their chambers.
Harry left the staff room feeling more confused than ever. How was he supposed to help these wizards, all greater than he, defeat Lord Voldemort? Sure, he had done it multiple times in the past, but in his opinion, it had been sheer dumb luck! He had been helped on the last few occasions by Hermione and Ron as well, so no one could easily give him all of the credit. The only occasion which was unexplained was when Voldemort had killed his parents, and he'd been left with a simple scar. Of course, the scar was less than simple, but it paled in comparison to what had happened to Voldemort. He, as the entire population of the wizarding world knew, had been rendered useless, without powers and nearly without followers as well. He sighed and continued walking.
When he reached the portrait of the Fat Lady, he realised that he did not know the password for the new term.
'Damn,' he thought, 'I'll have to go to Dumbledore and ask him.'
---
Ron received Harry's owl on the day he was supposed to arrive at the Burrow.
'Dear Ron,
I have been called to Hogwarts early, (for what I don't know) so I can't come to the Burrow and stay with you and your family. I hope you understand, and I will see you on 1 September. Tell your family and Hermione I wish I could be there.
Harry'
Ron scowled. He didn't want to spend the rest of the summer with just Hermione. Sure, she was a wonderful person, nice and that whole bit, but she was so overbearing and condescending sometimes. He had been looking forward to Harry's visit to soften the blow of Hermione's.
"Ron?" the voice of Molly Weasley called up the stairs. "Ron, that was Hedwig, wasn't it?"
"Yes, Mum, it was," Ron called back.
"Is Harry alright?"
"He's fine, Mum, but he can't come visit because he said Dumbledore called him back to Hogwarts early."
"Why?
"He doesn't know."
"Oh. Well, come downstairs and set the table for lunch."
Ron left the crumpled parchment on his shocking orange bedspread and slammed his door open to galumph down the stairs with a cross look on his face. He avoided the eyes of his family, slamming plates and mugs onto the table. He shoved a blue mug so hard onto the table that it shattered into thousands of pieces. Embarrassed, he pulled his wand out and performed a simple repairing charm. The pieces flew back into place and it looked like the mug had never been broken. He continued setting the table, placing silverware at each setting and then accioed napkins into place.
The family sat at the small oak table, conversing between each other. Only Ron was silent. He chewed his bread thoughtfully, unaware of the looks from his parents and brothers.
"Ron? Earth to Ron!" George snorted at him through a glass of milk.
"What?" Ron snapped, irritated.
"What's up?" Fred inserted with a toothy grin.
"Nothing. None of your business," Ron retorted angrily, and, finishing the last bite of his cheese sandwich, pushed his chair into the wall and left the table in a huff.
Just then, there came a knock at the door. Since Ron was closest, he answered it with a scowl. Hermione stood there smiling brightly, carrying her Hogwarts trunk and two added bags.
"Well, hello to you too, Mr. Merry Sunshine!" she giggled, stepping inside.
Ron nodded curtly and ushered her upstairs, where she stashed her things in Ginny's room. They moved on to Ron's room, where he proceeded to show her the hastily scribbled note from Harry. Her eyes widened, but then she gave Ron one of her patented looks.
"Ron, you know he would be here if he possibly could," she said knowingly. He knew she was correct, but didn't want to admit it. "Stop being such a baby, Ron. You're seventeen years old; stop acting like you're ten! Harry is a very powerful force in the wizarding world and thus he is called upon for help when a strong natural wizard is needed. He also possesses a lot of common sense, and he has the ability to see things many others wouldn't. He was the one to realise that the opening to the Chamber of Secrets was in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. He figured out how to become the possessor of the Sorcerer's Stone to thwart Quirrell and Voldemort! Give him a break, Ron; I'm sure he would change everything if he could. He'll need us now more than ever, and if we desert him, something horrible might happen. So please, Ron, spare us all and get rid of your pride. Gather up the courtesy and friendship to owl him back; I'm sure he's dreadfully bored at the castle with no one but the professors to keep him company. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going downstairs to greet your family and have a bit of lunch. I'm famished." With that, she turned around and whirled down the stairs in her familiar Gryffindor robes.
Ron felt a bit sheepish at how angry he'd been with Harry. All along, he'd known that it wasn't Harry's fault, nor should he be upset with Harry. And, of course, Hermione had been right. As usual. Gods, he hated it when she showed him up, which happened a lot. Another reason why she irritated him, added to the list. However, he was still hungry, so he followed her path downstairs and rejoined the family, this time in peace.
---
Harry arrived at Dumbledore's office, breathless from running the entire way. He wanted to get to his dormitory and scratch out notes to Ron and Hermione, apologizing again for his absence at the Burrow.
Realising that he also didn't know the password for Dumbledore's office, he stood outside and knocked loudly. He called out for him to answer the door, and, momentarily, the gargoyle moved aside and there stood Professor Dumbledore, regal in every way.
"Your password, Mr. Potter, is francophone. I trust that was all you required?" Dumbledore inquired with a kindly smile.
"Yes, sir, thank you very much," Harry replied, and turned to go back to Gryffindor.
"You will find, Mr. Potter, that your things have already been brought to your dormitory. Supper shall be held at 6:00 in the Great Hall. You are invited to join the staff, or you may order something from the house-elves to be brought to your dormitory. Whichever you choose, have a nice afternoon, and I will, at least, see you in the morning." With that, Dumbledore disappeared into the confines of his office, leaving Harry only to return to Gryffindor.
When he reached his house, he greeted the Fat Lady again with a smile and this time, the password, and she swung open to let him through. He climbed through with a bit of difficulty; he'd grown a little bit over the summer and had to hunch over more than before to be able to fit through the portrait hole.
He climbed the stairs and crossed into the boys' dormitories, entering the door which now had "Sixth Years" posted above it. He didn't want to be alone here. He had been alone all summer and now wanted someone with whom he could converse and have fun. This was partially the reason that he'd been looking forward to visiting the Burrow all summer; Ron and Hermione were what had kept him sane these past six weeks, sending him letters and gifts by owl and telephoning him once or twice. Ron had finally gotten the hang of using the telephone, and he no longer screamed or mentioned the fact that he was from Hogwarts. Harry had told Hermione and Ron when his family would be gone so they could talk freely, and he loved hearing their voices. It made him ache inside when he heard either of them speak. Every time he spoke to them, he wished he could be with them. Instead, he had been stuck with his aunt, uncle and disgusting cousin.
He groaned and sat down on his four-poster. He pulled out his school bag from his trunk and grabbed a piece of parchment and a spare quill.
'Dear Ron and Hermione,' he wrote in his neat hand, 'I am now here at Hogwarts, so please send your owls here. It's dreadfully boring here, since I'm the only student present now, and I have to deal with Snape every day! I'm dreading it more than double Potions with the Slytherins. I wish I could be at the Burrow with you two; it would be a lot more fun than staying here and having meetings with Snape, McGonagall and Dumbledore all day every day for two weeks. I hope you're both having fun; keep me posted on the things you're doing and please keep in touch until you leave for Hogwarts. I can't wait to see you both in two weeks! Love, Harry.'
He sighed. He knew Ron wouldn't appreciate having to deal with Hermione all by himself. He found her to be a bit too much sometimes, with her bossiness and her know-it-all attitude. Harry always laughed at Ron when he complained about Hermione; he knew how Ron felt but didn't share his feelings. Harry twisted his mouth into a pensive position and closed his eyes. Sleep seemed like the best option to him right now, but he knew also that if he fell asleep, he wouldn't wake in time for dinner. Instead, he would wake in the middle of the night and be famished, and would be unable to eat until breakfast. He decided against sleeping.
He stood up from the bed so as not to tempt him to sleep, and moved to the foot of the bed to unpack his trunk. He hung his robes and Muggle clothing in the enormous cherry wood armoire, which he had always shared with Seamus, Dean, Neville and Ron, with his clothes taking up only a small fraction of the space. His two pairs of worn-out shoes went under his bed; his black shoes to go with his robes, and his sneakers, which had once belonged to Dudley (like nearly everything else he owned), for the weekend visits to Hogsmeade both sat barely under the maroon comforter of his four-poster. His school supplies went on the shelf below his nightstand, and his current book for pleasure reading, Flying with the Cannons, rested on the top shelf. (Though he'd read it at least ten times, it still remained one of his favourite mindless reads.)
When he finished unpacking, he shoved his trunk under his bed, knowing he wouldn't open it until June, when he'd finished with his exams. He checked his watch and saw that he still had two hours until dinner in the Great Hall. He decided to read his schoolbooks, starting, naturally, with Potions: he knew Snape would be harder on him this year since he'd had two extra weeks to prepare for classes.
The book bored him almost to the point of sleep. He found his eyelids drooping more than once in the course of his reading, and when he found himself dozing off, he closed the book and stood up. He stretched his arms high above himself and yawned a huge yawn. He paced the room, trying to gain more energy to read, but decided to forgo studying and peruse Flying with the Cannons. He sat again on his bed, opening the book and watching the players fly around the arena. He half-smiled. Ron had given him this book four years ago; the Chudley Cannons were his favourite Quidditch team. When Harry had first met Ron, Ron had asked him what his Quidditch team was, and Harry recalled being completely bewildered. He'd not yet known what Quidditch was, and the sensory overload he'd been facing from being accepted at, and learning about, Hogwarts, was almost enough to make his head spin.
Harry looked back on these years with unmistakeable fondness: meeting people who became his friends, learning magic and playing Quidditch had been his pastimes. 'This year would be different,' he thought ruefully, 'very different.' Preparations for his N.E.W.Ts, dealing with Voldemort and Lucius Malfoy, trying to get a certain girl to notice him in a way he'd always wanted her to... He sighed, knowing things would be tremendously difficult for him this year.
He pushed these depressing thoughts from his mind and checked the time: nearly six. He replaced his books on his nightstand, laced up his worn-out tennis shoes (too big for him, which was not unusual) and left his dormitory for the Great Hall and supper with the professors.
A/N: First off, I'd like to say thanks to my wonderful beta Heather. Good job!!! : Secondly, I know that it's been quite some time since I've updated this story, and the reason behind that is because I've been trying to finish off RoTP. It's nearly finished; really, it is! Only one more chapter to go.
On a vaguely relevant side note, I was at Blockbuster today, perusing the movie merchandise, when I saw Harry Potter action figures. I laughed at first, because I saw two Harry/Quidditch figures, and then I looked behind those and…I saw a Sev action figure. I about died. If I'd had money, I would have bought it. He looked gooooood!
Finally, though, I'd like to thank all of you for reading this. It means a lot to me when I sign on and see that I have new reviews. I appreciate every minute of your time that you spend reading this, and I hope you've enjoyed reading it as much as I've enjoyed writing it. Please tell me what you do and don't like, and what you'd like to see. Have a wonderful, wonderful day, and enjoy the sunshine! --L--