**Yep, Harry's dead meat. I can't believe I'm already on chapter six. I feel like I've only done three chapters.

Evil Snapple Pie – You never annoyed me! **

Lunar Writer – Erm.. good question actually. Maybe I murdered something just so the axe would be scary but I'm not really that sort of person. Let's call it a Metaphor. Glad you liked both fics.

More Pressing Matters – Like Voldemort. Chapter 6 – The House in the Clouds.

It took Sirius a very long time to calm down. He had dragged Harry all the way back up the street by the back of his t-shirt, with Remus and a couple of Ministry Wizards close behind them.

They had already been there, about twenty of them, searching among the debris for something or other. Right now, Harry didn't dare ask what that something might be.

Once all five were in the living room, Sirius let Harry drop into a chair while he paced the rug before the fire, so firmly that before long he would wear a hole in it.

The lecture was a long one.

"I can't believe you went down there, after we expressly told you not to, you might have got hurt, and who would have been there to help?

You are very, very lucky that we decided to go down there today. If we hadn't been there who knows what might have happened?

And after I forbade you to go down there and snoop around, you go down there with a rope and a knife and deliberately cut a way through. I saw them, there's no use trying to deny it Harry.

You're fifteen years old for God's sake, I would never have expected this kind of behaviour from you…"

And so it went on. Harry was very uncomfortable, but not sorry. When at last Sirius had stopped repeating himself and sank onto the sofa next to Remus, who was also looking at Harry sternly, Harry whispered, so that no one could hear, "and what about your behaviour?"

"Well, Harry," said Remus, disappointment in his voice. "What have you got to say for yourself?"

Harry felt like a child being lectured by a Nanny, but he wasn't going to stand for it.

"You lied to me," said Harry quietly. The Ministry Wizards leaned forward to catch his words. "I could tell you were lying. I wanted to see for myself."

"Would you have stayed away if we'd told you the truth?" asked Remus.

"I don't know," said Harry. "Well, yes, I suppose, if I had a good reason."

"Well, we have one," groaned Sirius. "I can't believe it. How did you get through the spell?"

"What spell?" asked Harry. "There weren't spells on the trees were there?"

"No" said Remus. "The mere stubbornness of the trees themselves are enough to keep Muggles out, and all the wizards are too scared to go near the place anyway."

"We put a spell on the front door," interrupted Sirius. "So that you wouldn't go haring off down there even if the urge took you. A bit like the Imperious Curse, only legal."

"Oh, that," said Harry, a little offended at his Godfather's mistrust until he realised that Sirius didn't have a reason to trust him anymore. "That's not as hard as the Imperious Curse. I threw it off."

The Ministry Wizards stared at him, Sirius looked livid, and Remus interested.

"YOU THREW IT OFF?" cried Sirius, not angry now but purely shocked. "I don't suppose you can throw off the Imperious Curse entirely too?"

"Of course," said Harry. This was starting to get a little too personal. What was the point of this? All he wanted to know was why had Sirius and Remus lied to him about his parent's old house – his old house? What was so dangerous?

Harry asked them. Neither answered. Then Remus said, "After they cleared the bodies away, they started trying to rebuild some of the house. They didn't bother removing the furniture because another squad was coming to pick that up later.

As soon as bricks were laid upon bricks, or platforms set up, they exploded. Two wizards and a Muggle died. The Muggles blamed it on the story that had been spread: there had been a gas leak in the old house that had blown the place up.

They've never tried building on that site since. The trees were planted when Muggle children started playing with the rubble. A few were grievously injured.

We didn't tell you about it Harry, because we want you to be happy. Shades of the past do not bring back the past."

Harry remembered the queer events at Sirius' trial and was about to argue with that, but decided that Sirius' temper should not be tested right now.

"But why do things keep blowing up?" asked Harry.

"Because a terrible and heartless thing took place there. The theory is similar to that of unicorn blood. Godric's Hollow is not the only place where this happens, Harry. There are several similar sites all over the world."

"Oh." Harry wondered whether Sirius would ever forgive him. He risked a brief glance in his direction. He wanted to apologise – but hell, it was Sirius' fault! If only they'd told him before he went down there…

As though reading his thoughts, Sirius looked up and sighed.

"I'm sorry, Harry. I didn't mean to get angry with you. I was just really, really scared that you were hurt. I don't ever want to lose you like I did your Father, Harry…"

Harry got up. His stomach and chest were empty, he felt like a hollow shell.

"I'm sorry too, Sirius," he said.

~

Harry had a lot to think about that night. He tried to work out how he felt. He was angry with Sirius and Remus, he knew. Why hadn't they just told him?

He was sad. He didn't know why as such – except that when he had seen that sign in the blackened wreckage of his first home that he couldn't even remember, something had torn his heart, and all he could think of was his father and the last time they had met.

"Goodbye Remus. And… Sirius. Good… good luck, you know with Voldemort and that sort of thing. Professor," he nodded in Dumbledore's direction. And then…

"Harry," the shade of James Potter said. "I… we miss you. We love you, always remember that. Be brave Harry. Be careful."

"We'll watch out for him, James." That was Sirius' voice. Harry didn't register it.

"Harry," said James Potter more urgently. "I love you. Your mother loves you. I'll always be here." He held out his hand.

When Harry touched it, he felt cold rough skin, so solid, so real… and then he was gone. The tears welled up in Harry's eyes, but he refused to let them fall. He forgot how long he stood there, with Sirius' and Remus' arms around him as he gazed unseeingly at the empty space, the wooden floor where his father had stood, littered with parchment and spilled ink.

Where are you now then, Dad? Harry asked silently. You're not here. You're not lying somewhere underneath all the mess at our old place. You're not even in heaven are you? What did Mum say…?

We're dead James!" said Lily Potter. "We don't even know why we are here, why we aren't with everyone else who has died. I would have liked to see my father again… but that's just too simple isn't it? I can't even die without something going wrong…"

The House in the Clouds… Harry gave up after a while when he got a headache.

Sirius poked his head around the door. "Harry?" he asked softly into the dark room. There was no answer. Shaking his head, Sirius looked around before closing the door again. He promised himself for the hundredth time that he was going to get his own place.

The enormous stag carried Harry through the endless swirl of white-grey mist. Wasn't it grey before? Harry wondered. After a while he asked the stag, "Are we going to the same place we did last time?"

"Yes," said the stag.

"Then why is it taking so much longer?"

"Because it is further away."

Harry didn't understand, but kept quiet for a while. Then he said, "Why must we go?"

"Because you need to see."

Harry was strongly reminded of a centaur.

At last they had made it, as they landed in the neat garden of summer flowers.

Harry went to the door and hesitated. Then he opened it. The fuzzy screen was now dark. It hung in midair like a hole into nothingness.

Lily Potter was asleep on the sofa this time, but Harry's father was watching the inky blot in the centre of their living room.

It stayed black, but suddenly Harry could hear a voice coming from it, a familiar voice. Suddenly he recognised it as his own, but he could not remember speaking the words in his lifetime.

It's my thoughts, he realised with horror. He can hear my thoughts.

"Where are you now then, Dad? You're not here. You're not lying somewhere underneath all the mess at our old place. You're not even in heaven are you?"

James hung his head. Harry felt sick with guilt, but he couldn't help wild thoughts could he? It's not as if he had meant anything by it.

Someone else's thoughts drifted from the blank fuzz. "What am I doing? One day I will get caught, I will, there's no stopping it, but Dumbledore has given me this chance, I won't throw it up… I don't even like these people!

The Death Eaters had ideas, style, ambition, what is this side of you, Severus? Oh, I've got to stop thinking like this, one day I will start thinking out loud…"

That drew a laugh from Harry, though a bitter one. Snape was quite an interesting person from the inside it seemed…

He had little time to think as another familiar voice met his ears.

"What am I going to do? Hell, I wasn't cut out for this. To become as good as a father at my age… Oh, I know he can look after himself, but the question is, how much do I tell him?

Well, I can add today to my list of mistakes, right after 'get arrested'. Man I have sick humour.

Oh James, how'd I get landed in this position? I won't even have Remus to help me the week Harry goes back to school. I hadn't realised this before but not having him around for a quarter of the time is a complete pain in the…"

"Come away," said a voice from behind Harry. "We came at the wrong time again."

Harry was reluctant to leave, he wanted to see what everyone else in the world was thinking, but he climbed gracefully onto the stag's back, and let it carry him away back to Cottoning Lane.

**Well, what do you make of that? Any mysteries will be explained later – I hope. I do actually have a plan but it might be a while before I actually get there.  Love Laterose ^ ^ **