Chapter 7: Dursleys Again

It's going to be getting more lighthearted again, after this chapter; I can't write gloomy, depressing stuff all the time, can I? I'll try to keep Ron as realistic as possible, but eventually he's going to have to learn to deal with it. I'll try to ease him out of his current strait. Also, I'm sorry if I make a mistake about British law. I'm an American, you can't expect me to know everything! Wow, I just realized why I always interrupt silence with a clock ticking. There is an incredibly noisy clock in the computer room, one in my bedroom, and even one in our upstairs bathroom. When I'm upstairs, which is the only time it's quiet, I can never escape them.

It was Friday night, and at Number 4 Privet Drive that meant television. Harry knew full well that the Dursleys would be very annoyed with him for interrupting it, but he didn't care. Now he would have allies in the muggle war. They would not put him down so easily now.

It was Dudley who answered the door. "What?" he said, sounding surly. Then he saw who it was. He whimpered.

"Hey, Dudley." Harry sounded bored. "Would you mind telling Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia that you guys will be hosting a slumber party?"

Dudley blanched, but didn't stop there. Soon he was ashen grey, then green. Suddenly he scuttled towards the living room, bawling at the top of his lungs. Harry stepped into the open doorway, but Ron and Hermione hesitated. Just then Uncle Vernon bellowed like a mad bull and appeared in the door frame of the living room. His chest was heaving, and the light in his eyes was like a red flame.

"Get – out – of – here," he panted, swelling.

"I'm not eighteen yet," noted Harry. "You cannot legally kick me out." He advanced until he was directly in front of Uncle Vernon, then looked up into his beady eyes. "These are my friends," he said defiantly. "The Ministry of Magic said that they could stay here."

"Ministry of Magic? What is all this rubbish?" asked Uncle Vernon, startled out of his fuming silence. Harry held up a piece of parchment.

"Signed by the personal assistant to the Minister himself," stated Harry proudly. "It's a good thing Fred and George sent those prank letters to Penelope Clearwater," he added silently. They hadn't even bothered to ask Percy to sign it himself.

"And since when does some Ministry of Magic have power over me?" asked Uncle Vernon menacingly.

"Since they added 'magic' to the title," replied Harry nonchalantly. "Of course, I could just bring this note around to the neighbors and see if they would let me stay -"

"No!" Uncle Vernon's voice held traces of panic, and his normally purplish face had gone red. "I mean – I suppose you could stay here. Just until the end of vacation, mind you," he qualified, indignantly, "and never again..."

"Thanks, Uncle Vernon," said Harry cheerfully. He turned to Ron and Hermione, who would have been, under other circumstances, trying very hard to suppress giggles. "Come on in, you guys. Hermione, you can probably have the guest room; Ron, you can use my room. I'll sleep under the stairs. It's homelike enough down there."

The three of them sat on Harry's, temporarily Ron's, bed. Although he hardly dared to admit it, Harry's room was almost as comforting to him as Hogwarts; the Dursleys never came in, after all, just stood in the door frame and yelled at him. For the time being, he was fairly certain that they would not be bothered: the lure of the television along with the amazing repellant force generated by three magic users would probably keep the annoying relatives away for the rest of the summer.

"Why are we here anyway, Harry?" asked Hermione softly, staring off into the distance. "They hate magic, and you hate them. Why are we staying here of all places?"

"I'm certain, no matter what Fudge says, that the attack on the Burrow was caused by death eaters and that the purpose of their mission was to destroy me. Now -"

"That sounds so paranoid."

"I know, but it's the truth. He really is out to get me."

"Sure, that's what they ALL say."

Harry laughed loudly, and soon both of them were laughing riotously. It was a wonderful relief of tension; everything they had seen in the past few days was now but a memory, they could get on with their lives again. Inwardly Harry marveled that a simple sound could be so helpful.

Something wasn't right – the laughter soon died away into an uneasy silence. It had sounded different from any other laugh they had shared, and suddenly Hermione realized why. She got up, then sat down again next to Ron.

Of course! What would a joke be without Ron's loud, low laughs? It was like playing in an orchestra without the string bass.

Ron sat on the bed, not moving, his eyes focused somewhere past the floor. "Ron?" whispered Hermione, as she sat softly next to him. She put her hand on his shoulder and he jumped visibly. Coming out of his trance, he turned to face her, Harry sitting unnoticed behind them.

"Why?" he asked, his eyes half full of tears. "Why them? Dad and Fred, what did they do, that he killed them and not us?"

"They were the only ones there," responded Hermione tentatively, but truthfully. She had not quite expected this.

"But why did they bother with us in the first place?" Ron's face would have melted a heart of stone. Bewilderment, confusion, loss, all were blended into the paling skin and wide eyes. He clasped his hands around one of Hermione's, trying to hold on to something. "Oh please, God, don't take her away from me too," he thought.

"It was because of me," said Harry in a flat voice. The other two had almost forgotten that he was there. "They knew I was staying there, that I was unprotected by my family. Only chance made their plan fail."

Ron looked at Harry's dry eyes and expressionless face. "How do you do it?" he asked. At Harry's inquisitive look he continued, "How do you keep it from showing? Teach me. Teach me how."

"Ron!" said Hermione reproachfully. "Don't hide your feelings, that only creates more sorrow." She put her finger lightly on his chin and turned his head to look in his eyes. He searched back into hers, and found there strength, understanding, and compassion. After a few seconds he collapsed into her arms, sobbing. She rocked him gently, comforting him. Harry watched, feeling strangely detached from the situation. It was like watching people you don't know from a far way off.

"I do not hide my feelings." Harry looked at Ron with pity. "Ever since last year, I have not been affected by death. When she died, I knew – and I no longer fear to die." He said this calmly, although for anyone else it would have been an intensely emotional moment. Hermione and Ron had been there, as had the whole school, when the corridor caved in; they had seen Harry digging through the rubble, trying to recover her dead body, weeping as he worked. Perhaps he had spent all his tears then, for now they all knew what a waste his efforts had been. While many corpses had been uncovered, the one he was searching for was not. There would be a headstone and a grave, but Cho Chang's body would not be there.

Gradually Ron's sobs slowed, became quieter, and then stopped. There was silence for a minute, except for the ticking of the clock, and then Harry spoke again. "That was the final word in a lesson life began teaching me when I was one year old: death happens, but life goes on."

Ron looked up and sniffed. There were tear-tracks down his face, but his eyes were dry now. "You're right. Let's see where life leads us now." He looked around, as if for the first time realizing that he was at the Dursleys' house. He swallowed his sorrow and tried to grin. Hermione could see through it, though I doubt that anyone else could have. "What fun we're going to have with your cousin Dudley!"

Dudley, who had been spying with one ear pressed to the door, gave a frightened little 'meep' and sped downstairs.

***

I have decided it's a lot easier just to answer the reviews here, especially since I now have internet connection in my room. On the other hand, I'm going to end up posting replies to all the reviews for all the chapters, so...

Chapter 1

Charlotte Black ~ Thank you! I do my best.

Chapter 2

My note of foreshadowing doom (in response to an extremely revealing review from Galadriel):

Galadriel I'M GONNA KILL YOU! For Galadriel and for anyone else I've run ideas past, please don't post them because until I put them in I'm not sure if I'll use them or not. So don't give anything away! But I will provide you with some hints:
Oliver Wood is as hot as he is in the movie.
Brother will turn upon brother (and father, and mother, and sister)
The Magical Marauder Joke Shop has bought out Zonkos!
Beware Halloween.
There will be a romance (no not pansy Parkinson and harry i'm not that sick - and no gay/lesbian relationships either) (and no snape-hermiones, or teacher-students; those are disgusting)
Olivia has payed me $2.25 to make Harry like Hermione heheheh.
After Halloween, Harry will not be afraid of death.
Hagrid will finally meet his magical-creature match. No, not like that, I mean one that he has to run away from.
Some main characters will die. Some minor characters will die. In general, a lot of death.
I think that's all I can tell you w/o giving everything away... have fun!

Charlotte Black ~ Nope, sorry, the Dursleys are important... obviously...

Chapter 3

Charlotte Black ~ There will be a purpose for it later on, too... o_O

Chapter 4

PotterPerson ~ Sure thing.

Charlotte Black ~ Thanks for telling me. I fixed it.

Galadriel ~ Hee hee, I know you don't like what I'm going to do with this story... :-P

Chapter 5

Indiviualists ~ Hope you had fun on your vacation/trip/whatever...

Charlotte Black ~ Changed it. You're like my delta, lol. You catch it after I post it.

Galadriel ~ :-D Yup, why do you think I called it an angst fic?

Chapter 6

PotterPerson ~ Well, obviously it wasn't Sirius' place, but good guess. Oh, and per your brother turning on all relations comment, let's think a bit... Arthur is dead. Perhaps that is the turning bit? Hmm... Oops I think I just gave a lot away...

Charlotte Black ~ Yeah you're missing something. Something huge. Like, you should be able to tell who the death eater is already. I mean... did I say that?

Sherman ~ I am never going to figure out why you chose Sherman as your fanfic name. And FYI, I got a C+ in his class so yeah I really have to worry about his papers this semester or else... *makes vague strangling noise*

Tigress of the Night ~ Perhaps this chapter will explain?

General Responses

I would like to issue a grand thank-you to Charlotte Black, who was the first reader that I didn't know personally and has corrected me on – well, not numerous occasions, but twice. I would also like to thank Galadriel and Sherman, whom I do know personally, for keeping up with my story although Galadriel really doesn't like what I'm planning to do with it. And, of course, everyone who reviews!