Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Chapter Four: Missing Owl
"HOW COULD THAT HAPPEN! IT WAS THE MOST --" Bill Weasley sauntered out furiously.
The goblins next to him mumbled what sounded to be apologizes in Gobbledegook and other excuses in the same language while nodding in agreement with one another.
"Harry!" Bill had caught Harry staring at the corner of his eye and made a motion. The Goblins shut up and Bill took a few steps to be at Harry's side.
"Uh, Harry! Hi!" said Bill, in a very different tone than the one he was used to.
"Hello..." came the nervous response.
"Did you happen to see anything unusual when you were down there?"
"No. Why?"
"Oh. Just wondering," he answered while reverting to his collected exterior and stalked back to the Goblins.
But Harry had seen through to his true nature, and beneath, and he was just became another scared, suspicious person who knew how to act.
Harry picked up his bags, watching his surroundings. Something tickled his hand, and he abruptly dropped his bag.
Just a piece of moss. he thought, brushing it off casually.
Their next stop was Diagon Alley, or more specifically, Flourish and Blotts. All the necessary items were accounted for, and Hogsmeade was next on the list.
*~*~*~*
"Harry, this is the end of my stay with you. I have to go somewhere else now... somewhere important nonetheless. I'll be sure to see you soon. Are you sure you don't want me to wait for the Weasleys? I have time..."
Harry shook his head. "No thank you. Hedwig was sure to deliver the letter... and it's almost 7:00. I'll be fine."
Athena grinned eagerly at the boy and said, "Have fun in Hogwarts... I'm counting on you to take my place as Honorary Member of the Marauders..."
Surprise shining in his eyes, he asked, "You were a Marauder?"
"No, Harry, only an Honorary Member. Your Mum was the only girl to ever become one. Don't give me that look! I can be just as much of a prankster as Fred and George, where do you think my Mum named me after the Goddess of Wisdom and War? The War had to come from somewhere you know..."
Leaving him with this final thought, she waved and drove her BMW somewhere in the general proximity of Hogwarts.
And that's when he remembered that she never told him if she was related to the head of Gryffindor House...
*~*~*~*
7:00 rolled around, and then 8:00, and 9:00... 10:00... 11:00...
At Midnight, Harry gave a great yawn and struggled to keep his sleep-laden eyes awake.
Hedwig had come back hours ago and was already fast asleep, giving little hoots every five minute interval. There were still lights coming from another building, so he found somewhere to sleep for the night.
In the morning, Harry decided to check the Shack again. On the way through an alley, he heard a familiar sneering voice talking.
Malfoy! came the obvious thought, and then another. Why would he be here?
Most of the conversation was mumbled, but now and then a few words were audible enough for Harry. Words like, "Present" "Gringotts" "Shack" "Asleep" and finally, "Lord."
Once the word, "Lord" was said, the unknown voice said to who Harry thought was Malfoy, "Someone's listening to our conversation, my boy. I suggest you fix this dilemma as soon as possible..."
Harry automatically started melting into the shadowy corners of the alley's end and behind some well-placed boxes.
He saw the face of the person, and his guess was right. It was Draco Malfoy.
Draco began zapping boxes and such, mumbling inaudibly. A few cats yowled--and that was probably what saved Harry for a voice behind Draco demanded, "Malfoy! What are you doing?!"
"How long have you been standing there, Mudblood?"
The puzzled answer was, "Just now."
"Good." Draco stalked off, and air of arrogance surrounding him.
"That irrepressible git, hurting cats... what if Crookshanks was in here?"
And at the name, Harry jumped out, none too quietly.
"Hermione!"
"Harry? Harry! I'm so glad to see you."
"Yeah, me too." Like a torrent, Harry's entire story came out, explaining everything, even the half-heard conversation.
"You're lucky I came Harry, at the time I did..."
"Very lucky. I can't believe Ron didn't come!"
Another voice quickly ended their conversation. "What are you kids doing in there?"
"Nothing," Hermione said quickly.
"Well, whatever you're doing, you can do that somewhere else... there's no need to be sneaking in dark alleyways... yes there is... but you could rent a room for that..."
Hermione had the grace to blush scarlet and Harry tried to stare defiantly, but they were already gone.
Harry and Hermione spent the rest of the day just walking in Hogsmeade. Her parents had let her spend the rest of the summer with the Weasleys again. Dumbledore was supposed to meet him here, or something. But they never saw him.
After their sixth butterbeer after dark, Molly Weasley stormed into Madam Rosmerta's.
"Harry Potter! Where were you? We waited at the Shrieking Shack for nearly an hour!"
"I was with Hermione..."
Her gaze softened a bit, but she went on, "Get outside with everyone else. You too Hermione. We'll talk about this at home."
Harry and Hermione carried their stuff and met up with Fred, George, Ron, and Ginny outside.
Ginny was totally enthusiastic upon seeing him again. "Harry! Did you get the picture?"
Smiling broadly, he answered in the affirmative.
Now content, Ginny feel quiet, only watching him dreamily.
"Why weren't you there Harry? Didn't you get my owl?"
"Yes, and I replied."
"No... you never replied to this owl..."
"Then I never got it."
"It wouldn't be the first time Errol fainted on a job," stated Mr. Weasley. He then waved the conversation away and ushered them all to a large fireplace. "Floo Powder everyone, just say the Burrow!"
One by one, they all got into the fireplace, and one by one, they all came out at the living room of the Burrow.
A/N: Now for the personalized messages...
Kelzery: Thanks for the encouragement, I hope to make this at least ten chapters long... Sorry to keep you waiting for all your questions to be answered, but believe me, they will.
Noodle: So you noted the subtle hints along the way... I hope you enjoy the rest of the story as much as the first chapter.
rachel: No, I can't post it daily until the summer... too much homework. But you're in luck, there's about ten more days left of school!
G: Well, thanks for the review, but I hope you'll see that there's more to a story than quantity, it's the quality.
All's Well that Ends Well: You put me on Author's Alert! Wow... this is my "first" fic too...
angel: I hope you think the following chapters were as good as my beginning, just so you could review!
MagicianX: I happen to *like* JK's title, and I believe my plot that goes along with it is singular anyway...
nikki: thanks for the complement!
Shadow: Don't worry about the wait, as I said before, I'll try to post at least weekly during the summer.
Tinabedina: Ah! another complement! I love complements, please keep them coming.
Val: Well... next time you review, please specify...
mel: Thanks Meli! And for your answer, bobbies are the English name for the police...
Sarah Taylor Malfoy: Hey Sara! I deleted my story because I didn't like the plot line... I'll fix it later and probably dedicate it to you for pushing me.
Oceana: Hee hee! you summed it up in one word, well, I hope you keep reviewing too...
Jedi Cosmos: I'm trying, I'm trying!
Frogstar42: Oh, I don't hope to quit anytime soon, unless of course there's a lack of reviews, *hint* *hint* ; )
Ady: Two thumbs up for you too! Don't worry... you'll see lots more of Bill in the future.