Author's Note: I hope everyone likes this, I rewrote it 9 times. LOL. If I had stuck with number 4 you would all be reading a 142kb chapter. *sigh* I rewrote it because I had made Ron way out of character (he origionally spit on Harry). So thank me all of you Ron-lovers. Also, I killed all chapter to all my stories, and somehow I ended up mixing up this story, with 2 reviews, with sword of fortune's reviews. Which came to a total of 60 reviews... lol. *innocent look* Most are old flames, they don't apply to this story. Heh.

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.










The Long Road to Hogsmeade: Freedom Included
Chapter 2















Harry stumbled out of the fireplace, still grinning from the idea of an entire summer with his best friend. Mr.. Weasily and the other group of his rescue party stumbled out of the fireplace soon after.

"I sure hope we lost them." muttered Bill, as he turned towards his father. Mr. Weasley had a worried expression on his face. His eyes unfocused as he debated whether or not they were in danger.

"What is it, Mr.. Weasley?" Harry asked. His face fell, "Oh no, its not... him? Is it?"

"No," came Mr.. Weasley's reply. He sighed deeply, "we might as well tell you the truth." He set his glasses down on the table. "We found out today that a half-blood named Rowling,something or other, has published a muggle book about you."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "but-they have written books about me before... this." He nearly strangled on his words.

"No, I am afraid that you don't understand me, Harry. She didn't publish the book inside of the wizarding world, but as a muggle novel."

Harry looked puzzled at this-not knowing what to say about such an incident-he found that only one question was on his mind. 'Why? Why him? What was so important about him?' He quickly decided to voice his puzzlement.

"Why me?"

Ron stepped out of the dark shadows of the Burrow. "B'cause you're Harry-blasted-Potter. That's why. All the ladies want you, and all the blokes want to be you."

Ron turned around. Harry could swear he saw a single tear run down his face. He watched as the retreating Ron trembled up the stairs.

A moment of silence passed.

"Well, that went well." mouthed out Mr.. Bode. "A successful evening I would say." He turned to Mr.. and Mrs.. Weasley. "I thank you for a most interesting night, but I am afraid I must attend to other matters." He turned, addressing the crowd, and said simply, "I bid you good night."

" . . . and a goodnight to you," quickly mumbled Mr.. Croaker. "Molly, Arthur-I am afraid that I must be going too, as the hour is late."

Respective goodnights were handed out as one by one the party left. Soon, only the twins, Bill, Charlie, Mrs.. and Mr.. Weasley, and himself were left. Mrs.. Weasley was quickly shuffling around the kitchen making hot coco.

Harry turned to Mr.. Weasley. "Have there been any further attacks, Mr.. Weasley?"

"Well, Harry, yes and no." Came the reply. "There have been attacks, but not on muggle-borns, rather quite the opposite." Charlie interrupted him.

"The families of purebloods, more than favored by their money purses, have been attacked."

Mrs.. Weasley served the hot chocolate, and they chatted for another 20 minutes-all uneventful-before going up to bed.




A clicking could be heard as cheap dragon hide boots swiftly made contact with the floor. An echo sounded throughout the corridor, and in every branching chamber. Tom Riddle was not one to waste time. Constance Malfoy and her cousin, Riane, had held him up for almost an hour. He had things to do, and places to be. It wasn't like he needed to talk to them. He knew that Riane's father was a muggle-born, even with her mother hiding it.

Tom turned quickly, looked up and down the long corridor to make sure that nobody was coming. Confident that he would not be found out, he uncovered a blank section in the wall, shedding the tapestry that hid it. He shoved a hand close to his mouth and whispered the password. He was smart enough to realize what he had. The key to life! The way to live on forever--well, at least a portion of him. The Forbidden Section held such secrets.

He looked through his bag in a hurry, before his face became alight with recognition. He pulled out a wrinkled bundle of cloth, then proceeding to open it. There was a book inside. He stopped for a second, admiring the moving snake on the front.

He stared straight at the snake, and translated in parsletounge, "One day I will return for you, my sweet."

He quickly, and carefully hid the book, before sealing the spot shut. A minute later, he replaced the tapestry, that marked the spot fairly well. He was off as quickly and quietly as he had come.




Harry woke up with sweat all over his body. His dream fresh inside of his mind. Jumping out of his bed, he ran over to his table. He had to remember that dream. Knowing that he had already begun to forget the details of the dream, he wrote down, ' Tom Riddle, wall, book..'

Harry smiled down at the parchment. He nodded to himself and staggered over to his bed. Once his head hit the pillow, he was instantly asleep.




Ginny came into the room late, Ron was sitting up in his bed.

"Mom says that you and Harry need to wake up, or you will miss breakfast." Ginny informed him. She tapped her foot. "Well? Are you going to wake Harry up?"

"No, he can wake up on his own. Why not? He already does everything else by himself." Ron paused for a moment. "If you want him to wake up so much Gin, then wake him up yourself."

She shrugged and walked over to the bed that Harry was asleep in, Ginny tried to wake him up.

"Five more minutes, Aunt Petunia." came the reply.

"I'm not your Aunt." came an extremely dark monotone. Her eyebrows showed her annoyance.

"Oh, sorry Dudley, you sometimes have a woman's voice."

Ginny's face fell. She could notice a slick, toothy grin spread across Ron's face. That certainly was not very funny. She noticed Harry roll over. He seemed to be smiling in his sleep. The hairs on the back of her neck lifted up, partially out of anger. He was faking it! How dare him.

Ginny grabbed the edges of the mattress, and drug it off of the bed. As Harry fell he grabbed onto Ginny's arm. As Ginny fell with Harry, she grabbed Ron. Soon Harry and Ginny were rolling around laughing. Ron, on the other hand, got up and stared at the two of them.

"Oh, quit it, you two. I'm not in the mood."

Harry took this time to force a pause in his hysterical laughter. Ginny completely stopped. A moment, and there was nothing but silence in the air.

"What's crawled up your---" Fred told Ron from the hallway. He stopped when he noticed both Harry's, Ginny's, and Ron's look of astonishment. He foraged a reply with a shrug of the shoulders. "What? I just want to know what's crawled up him and died."

Harry burst out in another fit of hysterical laughter. How great it was to be back at the Burrow.

"Oh, pipe down-you git." Ron stated quite clearly. Perhaps a little to clearly.

"Well, Ronnikins!" he said with mild mock astonishment. I'll remember this around Christmas time!" He grabbed the door handle and slammed the door.

Harry continued to laugh after the door had been closed.

"Oh, shut up Harry."

"Anytime, Ronnikins, Lets go down to breakfast."




By the time that Ginny, Ron, and Harry made their way down to the breakfast table, the table was littered with Beacon, eggs, toast, and sausage. They quickly sat down to do their duty to Mrs.. Weasley.

Harry was halfway through his second egg, which he had been working at intensely, before he took a good look around the table. He noted Percy, Mr.. Weasley, Charlie, and Bill's absence. He looked over at Ginny, making eye contact with her.

"Um, mum?" Ginny started with uncertainty. "Where are dad and Percy?"

"Down at the ministry, dear."

"And where are Charlie and Bill."

"Dumbledore called them both early this morning."

Harry's eyebrows shot up. "What's happened?" He immediately directed this question at Mrs.. Weasley.

"I don't know, Harry. Finish your breakfast and we will go to Diagon Alley. We'll go to the Daily Prophet and find out what's happened. Besides it gives us a chance to pick up your school supplies. Oh, I almost forgot. These came earlier this morning." She picked up several Hogwarts letters off of the counter behind her.

"But, why don't we just owl Professor Dumbledore and find out what's happened." Ron suggested through a mouthful of eggs.

"Oh, no, I wont let you bother him-he has enough to worry about, already." She looked worried. "Finish your breakfast."

Harry made sure to eat until completely satisfied before taking his plate over to the sink.

Mrs.. Weasley turned around from her post at the kitchen sink, "Your not going to go wearing that, Harry dear?"

Harry took a look at his apparel. He was wearing an oversized sweatshirt that had once belonged to Dudley and a pair of slacks. "Of course not," he began, "I'll go up to change."

Harry ran up the stairs to Ron's rather orange room. He picked out a nice undershirt-he wasn't sure where he had gotten it. He kept on his slacks, but also put the sweatshirt that Mrs.. Weasley had given him the Christmas before.

Shoving his wand in his back pocket he flew out of the door and down the stairs and into the kitchen. Ginny had as well gone to change her apparel. She styled a patched cloak. Light from a window behind her made her look beautiful. Like an angel, Harry noticed.

"Ok, are we all ready to go?" asked Mrs.. Weasley decisively. Alright, lets go. Ron, you'll go first, Harry second, Ginny, Fred you go with George, and I'll go last.

Ron grabbed some powder, and threw it into the fireplace. "Diagon Alley!" Ron had made sure to specify his location clearly. Harry noted that the air had a sooty texture to it after Ron's departure.

"Well, hurry up, Harry" Stated Fred bluntly.

Harry took some powder up in his hand and mimicked the actions that ron had committed before him. A moment later he was engulfed in green flame.




Charlie dodged a curse. Something smashed into his back. It was Bill.

"God, that came close, eh?" he inquired.

"More than you know." Charlie answered. This was rough. Hogsmeade was under what he could only guess was a death eater attack. Another curse flew past his ear, causing the brick wall behind him to explode into a million shards. The shards rained down, each symbolizing one life that would be taken by the end of this war. Charlie looked out into the meadow just further than the Hog's Head. He could see a young man with sandy blonde hair fall to the ground. He seemed to be suffering from a mortal wound as he was clutching his sides. Blood began to squirt from his mouth. Charlie saw as the kid literally began to cry blood. Charlie couldn't take it anymore. He turned to Bill and threw up.

"Thanks, just what I needed." shouted an exasperated, gasping Bill. Charlie shot his brother a look of concern. A curse had obviously made its mark.

"Priori Incantatem." He made sure to pronounce each and every part of the spell correctly. He had always had problems with the particular charm. Bill gave him a nod before setting off to hex some more dark wizards. They had been fighting since early this morning. Thank god that Professor Dumbledore sent for them before the attack. If he hadn't, well, to be perfectly frank--there would have been a lot of dead wizards.

Charlie backed into what remained of the once-brick wall. He took a break, setting his eyes upon the scores of dead. His eyes settled on a small girl, perhaps about the age of four. Her body was contorted in different directions. Perhaps even raped. Her throat looked like it had been slashed. Her bloody mid-section also suggested that she had suffered a horrendous wound before her death. Charlie let a shiver go throughout his body. This was what he was fighting to protect. This was his whole reason for being here-in Britain. This was why he had left his dragons. So why was it still happening? Why was this not prevented? He had to do more to stop it. They were just delaying the inevitable. He knew it, Snape knew it, and above all, Dumbledore knew it. They needed to do more. Simply put, they were not doing enough.

Charlie barely noticed Bill make his way to his side. He nudged him.

"Look, Charlie." Bill seemed to be pointing slightly beyond an old shack. Charlie had to move slightly to the right to see what laid beyond the obstruction. It was an apparation point. Charlie issued a side glance at Professor Dumbledore, who in turn issued the order to finish the battle. Swift and easy. Charlie allowed the words to his second-to-last spell of the battle to leave his lips. A severing charm. And within a moment, every white wizard or witch involved shot a measure of fireballs at the gathering of Death Eaters. The battle was over.