Harry and Sirius had been sitting in silence for several minutes when
a large barn owl flew into the cave. Harry sat while Sirius read the
letter. He thought about what the older man said, "We have to put all our
faith in you". Great, Harry thought, as if I don't have enough on my mind,
the future of humanity rests on my shoulders.
He glanced at Sirius and was shocked by what he saw on his face. Fear. His eyes were not shuttered as they had often been, but this open fear was even more disturbing. Sirius finished reading and looked at Harry.
Harry swallowed, "What is it?"
"I can't tell you right now. You have to get out of here. Come on."
Harry looked at him. There was an animalistic wildness in his eyes.
"Come on! I'm serious."
Harry jumped up and followed him, not knowing where they were going or even why they were going.
"Do you have your invisibility cloak?" Sirius asked suddenly.
Harry nodded and went and got it.
I want you to put it on and don't say a word until we get where we're going. He transformed into the shaggy black dog and Harry put the cloak on. They walked down the side of the mountain and into Hogsmeade. Sirius crept along the sides of buildings and slipped into the Three Broomsticks. Harry followed him and made sure that the door didn't stay open longer than necessary.
Once inside Harry noticed that the usually crowded tavern was empty save for Madame Rosmerta who rose and nodded in the general direction of Harry.
"Come."
Harry glanced at Sirius who was nodding, at least to the best of his ability.
Harry followed Madame Rosmerta out into the street and into Honeydukes.
"G'day Rosemerta, I coulda sworn I just saw you come in 'ere a moment ago."
"Nah, couldn'ta been me Frank, I just left the pub for a moment, I'm in the middle of a dry spell."
Frank, who Harry surmised was the owner of Honeydukes, nodded.
Madame Rosemerta hurried to the back of the store, then with a hurried glance over her shoulder she dropped into the cellar. Harry followed her and was shocked to see Madame Rosemerta lying slumped on the floor and standing in front of him. The Madame Rosemerta who was standing in front of him muttered a spell to rouse the sleeping one then she whispered a memory charm and sent the second Rosemerta back upstairs. The Rosemerta Harry had been following originally found the passage that Harry recognised from his third year when he had followed it from Hogwarts. It was the passage that started behind the statue of Gregory the Smarmy. He wondered how Rosemerta knew about it.
They walked along the passage and despite the darkness Harry was quite sure Rosemerta was shrinking. He shook his head and decided he needed to clean his glasses. After quite some time they came out from behind the statue and Harry saw not Rosemerta but Lupin.
He still did not say anything and Lupin led him down the corridor and into Dumbledore's office.
"You can take the cloak off now Harry." He said softly, "Dumbledore will be with us in a moment."
Indeed the moment Harry flicked the cloak off Dumbledore stepped in.
"I had hoped we would not meet again so soon Harry, but it appears that fate has reared it's head."
"What's going on professor? Could somebody just tell me what is going on?" Harry was so exhausted and so confused he felt like he was going to cry. Anger was the only thing that kept from breaking down.
Dumbledore sat down and gestured at Harry and Lupin to do the same. "I received an owl from Sirius telling me that the Dursleys had not read the letter I placed with you upon your delivery to their doorstep. However I know for a fact it would have been quite impossible for them to ignore it."
Harry was looking at Dumbledore with a glazed expression. What was taking him so long? Harry hoped that Dumbledore would not pick this time to completely fall off his rocker.
"Dumbledore, with all do respect could you cut to the chase? This kid is about to collapse."
"Of course." Dumbledore nodded. "As I was saying, I placed a charm on the envelope, whoever opened that door on November 2nd would have found it impossible to resist opening that letter and reading it's contents."
"So you think they ignored it?"
"No. They wouldn't have done that. They would have tried to pass you off on one of the several people mentioned in the letter. I'm quite sure of it."
"So you thing some Muggle wandering the streets at 4.00 saw the letter and read it?"
"No Harry, I think Peter Pettigrew found the letter."
"So?" Harry was too tired to think this concept out, he much preferred Dumbledore to explain it to him.
Dumbledore seemed to understand this and he took care explaining. "In it-the letter-I told Mr and Mrs Dursley about the securities that they would be given should they decide to take you. I foolishly told them what spells I had used, not thinking that if the letter fell into the wrong hands it could be dangerous."
"But if Pettigrew got the letter why didn't he take me too?"
"I'm sure by now you realise that Peter Pettigrew is a very weak man, he did not take you because Peter Pettigrew only thinks about himself. If it turned out that Voldemort was gone for good he would not want to be stuck with incriminating evidence. So he took the letter and left to destroy Sirius."
"He returned to Voldemort two years ago. Why did he just go after me now? And why did they go when I was gone?"
"Even though he knew what the protections were I'm sure it took him a rather long time to get past them. Why he did it when you were gone I'm not sure. Perhaps he thought classes were out earlier. Perhaps he thought he would kill the Dursleys and meet you after. I don't know. I don't think I ever will."
"So what do I do now?"
"We're going to keep you here at Hogwarts for the remainder of the summer."
"Is it just me or does that sound very unappealing?"
Lupin smiled and shook his head. "Come on Harry, let's get you back to the common room. You'll find your stuff already up there."
"You never answered my question. Or has it always been a dream of yours to overnight at Hogwarts for the summer?" Harry asked irritably as they walked down the hall.
Lupin just shook his head. "Our hero is in a rather foul temper isn't he?"
"Oh no, the event of today have done much to brighten my spirits."
"Yes, you always did handle your misery well didn't you. Aberlingarn."
"They had reached the portrait of the Fat Lady and Lupin had spoken the password. He pushed the door open. "There you are. I'll be by with a snack in a bit."
Harry walked into the common room and his eyes lit up.
"Ron! Hermione!"
He glanced at Sirius and was shocked by what he saw on his face. Fear. His eyes were not shuttered as they had often been, but this open fear was even more disturbing. Sirius finished reading and looked at Harry.
Harry swallowed, "What is it?"
"I can't tell you right now. You have to get out of here. Come on."
Harry looked at him. There was an animalistic wildness in his eyes.
"Come on! I'm serious."
Harry jumped up and followed him, not knowing where they were going or even why they were going.
"Do you have your invisibility cloak?" Sirius asked suddenly.
Harry nodded and went and got it.
I want you to put it on and don't say a word until we get where we're going. He transformed into the shaggy black dog and Harry put the cloak on. They walked down the side of the mountain and into Hogsmeade. Sirius crept along the sides of buildings and slipped into the Three Broomsticks. Harry followed him and made sure that the door didn't stay open longer than necessary.
Once inside Harry noticed that the usually crowded tavern was empty save for Madame Rosmerta who rose and nodded in the general direction of Harry.
"Come."
Harry glanced at Sirius who was nodding, at least to the best of his ability.
Harry followed Madame Rosmerta out into the street and into Honeydukes.
"G'day Rosemerta, I coulda sworn I just saw you come in 'ere a moment ago."
"Nah, couldn'ta been me Frank, I just left the pub for a moment, I'm in the middle of a dry spell."
Frank, who Harry surmised was the owner of Honeydukes, nodded.
Madame Rosemerta hurried to the back of the store, then with a hurried glance over her shoulder she dropped into the cellar. Harry followed her and was shocked to see Madame Rosemerta lying slumped on the floor and standing in front of him. The Madame Rosemerta who was standing in front of him muttered a spell to rouse the sleeping one then she whispered a memory charm and sent the second Rosemerta back upstairs. The Rosemerta Harry had been following originally found the passage that Harry recognised from his third year when he had followed it from Hogwarts. It was the passage that started behind the statue of Gregory the Smarmy. He wondered how Rosemerta knew about it.
They walked along the passage and despite the darkness Harry was quite sure Rosemerta was shrinking. He shook his head and decided he needed to clean his glasses. After quite some time they came out from behind the statue and Harry saw not Rosemerta but Lupin.
He still did not say anything and Lupin led him down the corridor and into Dumbledore's office.
"You can take the cloak off now Harry." He said softly, "Dumbledore will be with us in a moment."
Indeed the moment Harry flicked the cloak off Dumbledore stepped in.
"I had hoped we would not meet again so soon Harry, but it appears that fate has reared it's head."
"What's going on professor? Could somebody just tell me what is going on?" Harry was so exhausted and so confused he felt like he was going to cry. Anger was the only thing that kept from breaking down.
Dumbledore sat down and gestured at Harry and Lupin to do the same. "I received an owl from Sirius telling me that the Dursleys had not read the letter I placed with you upon your delivery to their doorstep. However I know for a fact it would have been quite impossible for them to ignore it."
Harry was looking at Dumbledore with a glazed expression. What was taking him so long? Harry hoped that Dumbledore would not pick this time to completely fall off his rocker.
"Dumbledore, with all do respect could you cut to the chase? This kid is about to collapse."
"Of course." Dumbledore nodded. "As I was saying, I placed a charm on the envelope, whoever opened that door on November 2nd would have found it impossible to resist opening that letter and reading it's contents."
"So you think they ignored it?"
"No. They wouldn't have done that. They would have tried to pass you off on one of the several people mentioned in the letter. I'm quite sure of it."
"So you thing some Muggle wandering the streets at 4.00 saw the letter and read it?"
"No Harry, I think Peter Pettigrew found the letter."
"So?" Harry was too tired to think this concept out, he much preferred Dumbledore to explain it to him.
Dumbledore seemed to understand this and he took care explaining. "In it-the letter-I told Mr and Mrs Dursley about the securities that they would be given should they decide to take you. I foolishly told them what spells I had used, not thinking that if the letter fell into the wrong hands it could be dangerous."
"But if Pettigrew got the letter why didn't he take me too?"
"I'm sure by now you realise that Peter Pettigrew is a very weak man, he did not take you because Peter Pettigrew only thinks about himself. If it turned out that Voldemort was gone for good he would not want to be stuck with incriminating evidence. So he took the letter and left to destroy Sirius."
"He returned to Voldemort two years ago. Why did he just go after me now? And why did they go when I was gone?"
"Even though he knew what the protections were I'm sure it took him a rather long time to get past them. Why he did it when you were gone I'm not sure. Perhaps he thought classes were out earlier. Perhaps he thought he would kill the Dursleys and meet you after. I don't know. I don't think I ever will."
"So what do I do now?"
"We're going to keep you here at Hogwarts for the remainder of the summer."
"Is it just me or does that sound very unappealing?"
Lupin smiled and shook his head. "Come on Harry, let's get you back to the common room. You'll find your stuff already up there."
"You never answered my question. Or has it always been a dream of yours to overnight at Hogwarts for the summer?" Harry asked irritably as they walked down the hall.
Lupin just shook his head. "Our hero is in a rather foul temper isn't he?"
"Oh no, the event of today have done much to brighten my spirits."
"Yes, you always did handle your misery well didn't you. Aberlingarn."
"They had reached the portrait of the Fat Lady and Lupin had spoken the password. He pushed the door open. "There you are. I'll be by with a snack in a bit."
Harry walked into the common room and his eyes lit up.
"Ron! Hermione!"