Disclaimer : still ain't mine, still got no money, so I'm writing away, trying to be funny. Enjoy.
Summary :
Harry goes somewhere during the summer holidays after his forth year. He comes back a year later to teach D.A.D.A. (Defence Against the Dark Arts).
Authors Note :
Wow, only one chapter up, and 4 reviews already. Thanks to Ariel, valeries26, (Anonymous) and Phoenix353. This chapter will be longer than the first, which was an introductory chapter.
On another note, if you see a mistake, wether in the plot or a spelling glitch, let me know.
And, of course, Reviews are welcome and appreciated.
This is a long chapter. Bear with me. I try to keep events grouped in chapters. Chapter one was Harrys' dissapearance, so chapter 2 is logically his friends reactions to his dissapearance.
*************************************************************************************
"RON !!! GET UP NOW !!!"
The sheets stirred, a red crop of hair appearing at the head of the bed, gradually followed by the head of Ron Weasley. Last boy, but not the youngest child thanks to younger sister Ginny Weasley. His room was on the top floor in the Weasley house, baptized 'The Burrow'.
"RON !!! FOR THE LAST TIME, BREAKFAST !!!"
Ron opened his eyes, only to see a bludger heading straight his way.
"AAAHHHHHHH !!!" he yelled, rolling away to avoid the murderous ball heading his way. The result, of course, was his painful drop from his bed to the floor, which was thankfully not that high up. Sitting up, he realized the bludger was part of the new Chuddley Cannons poster he had bought. Being a magical poster, it was animated, and the scene was a scene from Quidditch, a fast and furious wizarding sport played on broomsticks and using 4 different balls : 1 quaffle, 2 bludgers, and the golden snitch.
Ron, seeing as how he was now wide awake, quickly got up and dressed. Exiting his room and descending several flights of stairs before reaching the kitchen. The rest of the Weasley family living at the Burrow were present. Mr and Mrs Weasley, Percy, the twins called Fred and George, and Ginny.
Sitting down at the table, his plate was almost instantly filled by Mrs Weasley, who placed sausage, fried eggs, some mushrooms, and several buttered pieces of toast on his plate. The speed almost equaled the way the food appeared at Hogwarts.
"Thanks mum" he said, before tucking in.
Percy was busy reading some official looking papers (probably some report concerning the sale of thin-bottomed cauldrons), Fred and George were quietly discussing potential articles for 'Weasleys Wizarding Wheezes', the joke shop they hoped to open once they finished Hogarts, and Ginny, Arthur and Molly were busy discussing what they were going to do during the day.
Molly turned towards Ron : "What time did Hermione say she would be arriving today ?"
Ron thought for a bit while chewing on a sausage. "Erm, …, she said she would be arrivinging at 1 o'clock."
"Will she have eaten before coming over do you think ?"
"I dunno. We could always have a late lunch. Or a picnic."
Before Molluy could give an answer, a letter flew through the open window. No owl, just the letter. And it went straight to Ron. All conversations stopped. Even Percy stopped looking at his papers to see what was going on. The letter landed straight in front of Ron.
Ron, however, made no mouvement to pick it up. He just looked at it as if it was going to explode.
"Erm, Ron, you've got a letter." Fred said, seeing that his younger brother wasn't moving.
"So I noticed, idiot."
"Well read it then."
Ron slowly put down his knife and fork and picked up the letter. Opening it, he was relieved when it didn't explode or contain a curse of any sort. He read :
Dear Ron,
By the time you have recieved this letter, I will have gone. I can't tell you where because, well, I actually have no idea where I am exactly. All I can say for sure is that I'm safe, and that there's no way Voldemort can get to me here. There's a lot I want to tell you, but the 'people' (no other word for it) here say I can't tell you. Hopefully, I'll be able to tell you when I get back. I'll be gone about a year, I don't know exactly how long, as that will depend on how fast my training goes.
I'll be sending similar letters to Hermione, Dumbledore, Hagrid and Lupin. They should recieve their letters at that same time as you do. Please try not to worry. I won't do anything stupid while I'm gone, and I'll try to regularly send you letters. According to the locals, time passes differently here. It's supposed to pass quicker, but won't affect me, which means that when I come back, I'll be the same age as when I left.
Since I can't be reached by owl post, letters will have to be magically sent. You have to touch the letter or package with your wand and say the incantation 'Envoyus' followed by the name of the person. If the letter is urgent, the incantation becomes 'Envoyus Urgentes', followed by the name of the person. Since you can't do magic during the holidays, you'll have to ask your parents or one of your older brothers to do it for you.
Well, I hope to be in touch soon and receive a letter soon.
See you soon, Harry.
"Are you going to read it out loud ?" Molly asked.
He nodded and complied, as if on automatic pilot, replacing 'Voldemort' with 'You-Know-Who'. A stunned silence followed the reading of the letter.
"He's GONE ?!?" Molly exclaimed, finally coming to her sences.
Arthur just nodded, his gaping jaw unable to give a voiced answer. Percy, Fred, George and Ginny just stared at the letter that Ron was holding. Ron could do nothing other than stare at the letter. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of silence, Ron said, "We have to contact Dumbledore."
"Quicker done than said. Or is it the other way round ?"
They turned to see Albus' head floating in the fireplace.
"Professor, did you just receive a letter from Harry ?" Ron quickly asked his headmaster.
"I did."
"Does it say where he is ?" Ron asked hopefully.
"I'm afraid not. May I come over ?"
"Of course Albus," Arthur said.
His head dissappeared, only to be replaced by a popping noise as Albus Dumbledore, headmaster of Hogwarts, came out of the fire. In his hand he clutched the letter Harry had sent him.
"Can I see your letter, Ron ?" Albus said.
"Yes, of course. Here you go," Ron said, handing his letter to Dumbledore.
After a quick read, Dumbledore spoke : "I'm afraid he gives no other information in your letter as he does in mine."
"Do you have any idea where he could have gone ?" Arthur asked, hoping the headmaster would have at least a plausible theory about the whole thing.
"The only possibility I can come up with is that Harry left to some alternate dimension or plane that can be magically attained. The question is, how did he reach it in the first place ? Assmuing, of course, that me theory proves correct."
The fire behind Dumbledore roared green flames as Hermione stumbled out of the fire, covered in soot (unlike Dumbledore). And just like Dumbledore, she held a letter tightly in her hand. She was obviously on the verge of tears : her eyes were shiny and her hand trembling. She just stood there, not knowing what to say. Finally, she chose to say nothing, choosing instead to fall crying in Rons arms. Molly, too, had trouble keeping in her tears, as Arthur took her hand in his to give it a reassuring squeeze.
"What should we do, professor ?" Ron asked Dumbledore, hugging Hermione and patting her back in what he hoped was a reassuring gesture.
"Well, I think it would be best if we wrote back, if only to say that we got the letter."
Molly nodded, and got up to get some parchment, a quill and a pot of ink.
"Professor, couldn't you put a tracing charm on the letter before sending it. It might give some clue as to Harrys' whereabouts." Arthur suggested.
"Good idea, Arthur. I'll give it a try, although if my thoery about his being on another plane prooves correct, I doubt he could be traced. But it's always worth a try."
Molly returned with a the necessary to write a letter. Dumbledore quickly wrote a short note to say that he, Ron and Hermione had received their letters, and that he hoped to get some news soon. Ron signed, and Hermione managed to dry her tears and shakily signed next to Ron. Dumbledore sealed the letter, then performed a tracing and a water-repelling charm on it (just in case it was raining where Harry was, wherever that was). Dumbledore then placed his wand on the letter and muttered 'Envoyus Harry Potter'. The letter glowed gold for a second, before rising and flying quickly out of the window.
"Sir ?"
"Yes Hermione ?"
"I've never heard of that spell before. Did Harry invent it ?"
Dumbledore smiled at Hogwarts top student. "No, Harry didn't invent it. It was existed for quite some time. But it has been banned by the ministry, and declared a dark charm. I wonder where he got the spell from."
"A dark charm ?" Ron snorted. "It's just used to send mail. Why on earth would a letter-sending sharm be declared dark magic ?"
Dumbledore sighed. "Unfortunately, not all spells or potions considered as part of the dark arts are evil in nature."
"Then why was it banned ?"
Dumbledore gave a little smile. "What do you think would happen if everyone used that spell ?"
"Well, no one would use owls anymore ?" Hermione said, more as a question than an answer.
"Correct. Which means that no one would have to buy owls for postal uses, nor would owl post offices have any use anymore. That means money lost for someone, somewhere."
"A spell is considered a dark art because it was cause someone financial loss !!! That's crazy !!!" Ron all but shouted.
"Unfortunately, it's not the only one. Snape knows a number of health enforcing potions that are considered dark. If anyone could brew them, doctors and nurses would be less needed, resulting once again in financial loss for someone." Dumbledore patiently explained. "Of course, never forget that some dark arts spells are truly dark and dangerous. But not all of them are."
Ron could just gape at Dumbledore as Arthur spoke : "It's the same with jinxing muggle objects. Some spells cannot be cast on certain objects, because it would remove jobs. Not forgetting conjuring objects or transfiguration. If everyone conjured up all their food, no one would have to buy any."
Hermione and Ron thought about this, as Dumbledore turned to Fred and George and said, "This does not apply to objects or food that will be used in pranks, however.", his mustace twitching as he tried to stop a smile coming to his lips and a twinkle in his eye. He ten got up and turned to leave. Upon reaching the fire, he turned to address those present : "I must go. I have some people to contact, plus I must see how successful the tracing charm goes. I hope to be in contact soon. Enjoy your holidays. Do not let Harrys dissappearance spoil them. And don't forget to write from time to time." With that Dumbledore threw some floo powder into the flames and said, in a firm and clear voice "Hogwarts, headmasters office," and left in a flurry of green flames.
Upon reaching his destination, Albus shook his head and thought 'I hope Sirius doesn't take this too badly' before hearing Hagrids heavy paces climbing the stairs …
*************************************************************************************
Sirius was staying with Remus Lupin. They had just come back from a spying trip together for Albus Dumbledore in eastern Europe. Death eater activity had been noticed in countries such as Bulgaria and Romania, and Dumbledore wanted a complete report as to what the situation was there.
Sirius was sitting on the couch in the living room with his feet on the coffee table in front of the fire. Remus was coming down the stairs, his hair wet, visibly just having finished bathing.
Sirius was watching carefully with a small grin on his features. His face was no longer gaunt, his eyes no longer dark, lifeless and sullen. His hair was clean and short, and was now worn in quite a stylish crop cut. It didn't really matter if he didn't like it, as it could be magically lengthened, to a certain degree. He could even be called handsome. Of course, the good food and exercise meant that he was back in good physical form, his frame filling out the robes.
Just as Remus stepped off the last step, a small explosion of green and purple smoke appeared at his feet, making his float. Remus just managed to keep his balance as the multicoloured cloud started floating randomly around the room, carrying a precariously balanced Remus with it.
"SIRIUS !!!"
Said person was, of course, rolling around on the floor laughing his head off, holding onto his ribs as if they were going to burst through his sides at any moment.
5 minutes later, when Sirius finally managed to control himself once again, he took out his wand and performed the counter curse. Remus slowly floated back to the floor, where the cloud vanished, freeing its temporary prisoner. Remus looked over at Sirius, who had a huge grim on his face, an said,"You know this means war, don't you ?"
"Of course I do, Moony old friend, old buddy, old pal. I wouldn't have it any other way."
Remus had been one of Sirius' best friends when he was at Hogwarts. He was also a werewolf, but this didn't prevent his from being one of the kindest, most patient people Sirius knew. He was also on of the best pransters he knew, as they had belonged to the 'Marauders', probably the biggest trouble-makers Hogwarts has ever had the privilege of teaching. Good food and exercise also showed on Remus. As a werewolf, he had increased physical attributes, but his frame was still large enough to be intimidating when need be.
Remus was about to retort to Sirius when a letter came through the open window. It didn't matter the windows were open, since Remus' house was so much in the countryside that nobody ever passed by accident. Remus caught the letter in mid-flight and quickly opened it. His eyes went wide as he read.
"Is it bad news ?" Sirius asked, noticing Remus' reaction to reading the letter. "What does it say ?"
"You better read it for yourself," And gave the letter to his friend who had come to stand just in front of him. Sirius took the letter and quickly read through. His reaction was more or less the same as Lupins had been.
"We have to go to the Dursleys."
"My thoughts exactly." Remus said, as he went to get his wand. Once his wand was safely in his pocket, the disapparated to number 4, Privey Drive …
*************************************************************************************
"BOY !!! GET UP NOW !!! DON'T MAKE ME CALL YOU AGAIN !!!" Petunia's voice called (shrieked) up the stairs. She then entered the kitchen once again, attending to the sausages and eggs that were being cooked. She didn't want to have to take care of them.'He should be doing that' she thought savagely.
"What is that boy doing ?" Vernon Dursley asked, looking over the top of his newspaper to his wife.
"Whatever it is, can I punish him for not coming down ?" Dudley asked. He was no longer on the diet that Smeltings had put him on, as it had failed to make him lose anything other than his temper. If anything, he had continued to put on weight since he would binge and raid the fridge. His clothes would have to be tailor made from now on, and probably forever more.
"Of course you can, son." Vernon said, returning to his paper.
2 minutes passed, before Petunia decided to act. "I'm going up there. I'll drag him down here if need be." She got up, just as the doorbell rang. She went to open it and met with …
"Good morning," Remus joyfully said. Beside him was a big black dog.
"And you are ?"
"My name is Remus Lupin. May I come in ?"
"What do you want ? We don't want any of your kind in here."
Vernons voice came from the kitchen, "Who is it dear ?"
"It's one of them."
The scraping of chairs could be heard, and Vernon entered the hall. Dudley was doing his best to hide behind his father, and doing an awefully bad job of it.
"What do you want ?" Vernon spat out, not bothering to hise the disgust and disdain from his voice.
"I would like to see Harry, please."
"Boys not up yet. We called, and he still isn't down yet." Turning his fat head towards the top of the stairs, he shouted "HARRY !!! COME DOWN THIS INSTANT !!!" Yet, there was still no reply.
Remus kept his eyes on the top of the stairs, in the hope of seeing Harry come down at any moment.
"See ? No consideration whatsoever. I wonder what made me keep him when he turned up after his stupid parents got themselves killed …"
He never got the chance to finish his sentance as Sirius transformed back into a human, whipped his wand out of his robe pocket and level it at Vernons head. "Another word, another insinuation, another breath without my permission, and I will curse you. Get that ?" Sirius hissed at Vernon, who blanched and stubled back, banging into Dudley and Petunia and causing all 3 to fall in a heap at the bottom of the stairs. Remus was glad Sirius had acted, as he was on the verge of loosing his temper. And when a werewolf looses there temper, even in human form, the results are nasty. Remus was usually calm, however, and very rarely violent, so no one never really knew about it. Seeing the Dursley family react to Sirius, however, brought a small smile to his lips.
Sirius entered the house as the members of the Dursley family were doing their best to disentangle themselves from each other. They weren't doing a good job of it, and it looked like a game of 'Twister' gone horribly wrong. He quickly ascended the stairs and opened Harrys room. Nothing. No trace of Harry whatsoever. No book, no item of clothing, not even a quill that belonged to Harry was here. It looked like a toy cemetary, broken toys all over the place, not forgetting the broken TVs, console, and empty comsole game boxes. Sirius looked around in disgust before exiting the room. Taking a quick glance in each of the rooms, he saw no more proof that Harry had at one point lived there.
Coming back downstairs, he looked at the Dursleys who were cowering in the hall under Lupins gaze. Hearing Sirius come down, he looked hopefully at his friend, only to be met with a look of disgust and a shake of the head. Remus looked at Vernon, bringing himself to his full height and squaring his chest, and asked "When was the last time you saw Harry ?"
"L-last night, ar-ar-around n-nine o' c-clock," Vernon managed to stutter. Petunia and Dudley didn't speak, but nodded frantically at Remus. "He finished d-dinner, then went up to his r-r-room."
Remus gave a sigh, and the Dursleys withdrew even more at this. They were already pressed against the wall, so they now seemed to be trying to pass through it or melt into it. "Sirius, we'll have to go see Dumbledore about this."
Sirius gave a nod and left the house after becoming a dog, followed by Remus. Once they were far enough away, and making sure no one was watching, they apparated to the Weasleys house. All the Weasleys had been told about Sirius, even Charlie and Bill, so they had ne trouble with him. He still stayed in a dogs form, in case the Weasleys received unannounced visitors.
*************************************************************************************
Cho Chang woke up as the light streaming through the curtains hit her face. Cursing under her breath, she turned over, hoping that she would manage to get back to sleep. It seemed that sleep fleed from her, and when she did manage to get a good nights rest, she would be brutally awoken. Today, or rather, last night, she had forgetten to close properly her bedroom curtains. Since her window faced the rising sun, this equated her early forceful awakening.
Of course, this could but remind her for the reason sleep was missing recently : Cedric Diggory. She missed him terribly. But not in the way everyone thought. True, they had been going out with each other, for several months. Yet, she could see him as nothing other than an older brother, the one she never had, but dearly wished she had had.
They had come to some sort of mutual agreement to stop going out together, but to remain good friends, no matter what. However, Cedric had been killed by the dark lord during the last task of the tri-wizard tournament end of last school year. That's what Dumbledore said anyway. And she believed him. But she wanted to know exactly what happened. Everything that had happened. And there was only one person who could tell her : Harry Potter.
This was where her problems started. Harry must have been one of the sweetest people she knew. He was, every time she saw him, looking out for someone else, usually one of his best friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. He was also very smart, getting good points in most, if not all, classes. He seemed to excel in DADA (Defence Against the Dark Arts), but this could be due to the many stressful situations he seemed to find himself in, and had successfully overcome. Every time he would accomplish an act of bravery, the whole school seemed to be aware of every detail. The Philosophers Stone in the first year, the Chamber of Secrets in his second year, coming face-to-face with his parents secret keeper at the end of the third year, without forgetting the tri-wizard tournament just last year.
Yet, he would never benefit from his fame. He wouldn't flaunt it. At least, not to her knowledge. Quite the opposite, in fact, as he seemed to hate the fame that came with his name.
Without a doubt, he was the person she loved. Not Harry Potter, the boy-who-lived. Not Harry Potter, tri-wizard champion. Just plain Harry Potter.
'Yet, Cho realized, how well do I really know him ? I only know what I see of him, what I read on him. But how well do I know the REAL Harry Potter ? Not well' she admitted to herself.
That was why she had made a resolve last night. She had swore to herself that she would write to Harry during the holidays. 'Goodness knows he would need a friend. Plus, she thought, from what I see, he could start to wallow in guilt, and I can't allow that to happen. He had to know that what happened wasn't his fault.'
She got up and quickly dressed. Opening the curtains fully to let the light fill her room and leaving a window slightly ajar to make sure her room didn't overheat. It was summer, after all. Walking over to desk, she pulled out a piece of parchment, a quill, and a half-full pot of ink. Placing herself in the chair, she had just opened the pot of ink when she saw a letter slipping between he window and the frame, and fly in her direction. She could do nothing but stare as it landed just in front of her. Warily picking it up, she opened it and read :
Dear Cho,
It's Harry. I must be the last person you expected to write to you during the holidays, but I just had to. There's so much I have to say.
First of all, I want to apologize. I can't help but feel that it's my fault Cedric died. We were in front of the tri-wizard cup. He told me to take it, and I told him to take it. Eventually, I stupidly suggested that we both take it, as it would still be a Hogwarts victory. Some victory.
I just thought that you had the right to know. I won't be supprised if you never want to talk to me again, but I wanted you to know that I am truly, deeply, sorry.
If you do ever find it in your heart to forgive me, know that I will always be here for you. If you want to ask me something, anything, don't hesitate. It's the least I can do.
Since I can't be reached by owl post (I can't tell you where I am, I'm afraid), letters will have to be magically sent. You have to touch the letter or package with your wand and say the incantation 'Envoyus' followed by the name of the person. If the letter is urgent, the incantation becomes 'Envoyus Urgentes', followed by the name of the person. Since you can't do magic during the holidays, you'll have to ask your parents or maybe another member of your family to do it for you.
Best regards, Harry.
Finishing the letter, she could feel tears in her eyes. 'He feels guilty. He shouldn't. No one could have known, not even Dumbledore. I have to let him know …' Bet she couldn't react without more information. She would have to ask his best friends if they knew anything …
*************************************************************************************
Since Hermione had already arrived at the Weasleys', it was no use she returned to her house. Arthur had gone to her parents to get her trunk, and had stayed for a suspicious length of time. He later admitted he had spent quite a long time talking about different muggle objetcs and inventions with the Grangers. He was somewhat obsessed with anything and everything concerning muggles. The rest of his family, of course, considered him to be slightly insane.
Ron and Hermione were in the kitchen, talking about Harry. Remus and Sirius, after telling what they knew, had gone to see Dumbledore. Fred and George had gone back to their room, and regular small explosiosn could be heard. Arthur and Percy were at work and Molly had gone to do some shopping in Diagon alley with Ginny. They hadn't been speaking for long before the flames of the fire blazed up and turned green. Before they had the time to consider who would arrive, Cho Chang stepped out of the flames. If they had been expecting someone, it surely wasn't her. She shyly mumbled a "hello", realizing it was strange that she appear like that, seeing as she hadn't really spoken with either if them before, much less been invited over.
Hermione gave her a small but encouraging smile. "Hello Cho." Noticing she, just as Dumbledore had, was holding a letter tightly in her had, she asked, "What's the matter ?"
Cho looked up. "I just received a letter from Harry, and, well, there's parts of it I don't really understand."
Ron blanched slightly at this. "Erm, Cho, could we see the letter please. It might give us some more information."
Cho silently handed over the piece of parchment, and Ron took it before reading it, Hermione looking over his shoulder. When he finished, he let out a small sigh and placed the letter. "This does give us more information as to what state he's in. But nothing else. I suppose you want to know where he is ?" he asked Cho, whe gave a quick nod of her head. Ron pointed to an empty seat, and she sat down, Hermione taking her place once again next to Ron. "To tell you the truth, no one knows where he is." Handing over his own letter, Cho quickly read through it as Hermione started to speak. "We received this letter. He dissapeared at some time during last night. We don't know how, we don't know why, we don't know where."
Cho had by this time finished reading Rons letter. "But, hasn't anyone gone to his house to see if there are any clues ?"
"Professor Lupin and Sirius have been over," Ron said, before realizing what he said. Hermione kicked him in the shin as Cho gave him a puzzled glance.
"Sirius ? Sirius who ?"
Ron, looking at the table and muttered something under his breath while rubbing his shin. Bringing his head up, he said "Sirius Black" in a barely audible voice.
Cho eyes widened in shock. "The escaped convict ?"
"The one and only" Ron muttered.
"But he killed a street full of people !! He betrayed the Potter family !! Why would he do anything for Harrys' good ?!"
"Because he's innocent." Ron answered.
"How can he be innocent ?" Cho asked, incredulous. "There were LOADS of witnesses !!!"
Ron and Hermione looked at each other, gave a small nod, and turned back to Cho, who was eyeing them warily. They then took turns to explain to Cho the truth, and how they had found it out.
"The only people on our side to know are Dumbledore, professor Lupin, Harry, Hermione, my family and I. And Sirius, of course."
Cho looked, or rather gaped, at them both. "Wow," was the only thing she could say.
"Yep, my thoughts exactly," Hermione said.
"And have you written back to Harry yet ?"
Rons eyebrow rose slightly, causing Chos' cheeks to become slightly pink, and answered, "Yes. My dad suggested to place a tracing charm on the letter, but we haven't heard anything about it from Dumbledore yet."
"Oh," Cho said, looking at the table in front of her.
A few embarassing moments passed before Cho spoke again. "Can you talk to me about him ?"
Ron gave a small smile, knowing that Harry too had a … thing … for Cho, and before long, all three of them were talking like old friends …
*************************************************************************************
There. Finally arrived at the end of the chapter. Read and review.
Next chapter : Rons and Hermiones Fifth Year.