Harry felt Sirius bumping into him as they flew trough the air. Harry
really didn't like this. Then, quite suddenly, they stopped. They had
landed on soft, bouncy grass. Sirius had landed on top of Harry in a heap
but he quickly got off and Harry stood to his feet.
"Hello Harry," said a very sombre voice. It was Amos Diggory, dressed completely in black, his wife was standing next to him.
"We weren't expecting any, er, extras," said Mr Diggory looking at Sirius.
"Oh sorry. He must have er... touched the paper at the moment it transported me," said Harry quickly trying to think up a reason for Sirius's presence.
"Oh, that doesn't matter in the slightest dear." This was Mrs Diggory.
"Its good to see you again Mrs Diggory, and you Mr Diggory. How are you?"
"Well under the circumstances..." Mrs Diggory let out a dry sob. Harry stood awkwardly as Mr Diggory went to comfort his wife.
He had a quick look around the graveyard. There was a lot of witches and wizards here, all dressed in black. The graveyard must have covered a good few acres of grassy expanse, and there were even more headstones than people.
"Come on Harry well take you over," said Mrs Diggory who had stopped crying but still looked as if she would break down at any minute.
"I think youll know a few people here," said Mr Diggory finishing off his wife's sentence.
"The Weaslys are here." But Harry had already noticed them. Who could miss that mass of red hair! By the looks of things they had noticed him too as they were all waving at him and calling him over.
"Harry! How you doin'?" asked Fred.
"Hey Harry!" yelled George.
"Hello Harry dear!" called Mrs Weasly.
"Hiya Harry" said Ron waving frantically.
"Hello," said Harry smiling from ear to ear.
"How's Sir - eh -Snuffles?" asked Ron patting Sirius on the head.
"He's fine," replied Harry unsure whether he should be talking about Sirius infront of all of the Weaslys. However, Mr Weasley who had interpreted Harry's expression correctly bent down and whispered discreetly in his ear, "Its all right Ron told Molly and me all about Sirius but nobody else knows." Harry let out a mental sigh of relief and noticed Mrs Weasly smiling knowingly at him.
"Glad to see you Harry dear," she said still smiling at him.
"Thanks, its good to see you all too."
Harry got hellos from Bill, Charlie, Percy who was as pompous as ever, a blushing Ginny and Fred and George who were still thanking him in hurried whispers for the thousand galleons of prize money he had given them at the end of term.
"We've got it well hidden," Fred assured him.
"Mum came close to finding it though," said George.
"Yeah that was a close one," said Fred wiping his brown with his sleeve. But Ron wasn't going to let his family keep Harry all to themselves.
"Do you want to go for a walk?" he interrupted giving Harry a meaningful look.
"Yeah OK."
The two of them walked away from the crowds towards a small, grassy hill.
"You'd better watch out Harry, there's a few journalists about."
"Oh no, just as long as Rita Skeeter's not here."
"Well Hermione told her that she wasn't allowed to write anything for a year, or she'd tell everyone that she was an unregistered animagus."
"That's true. I'm glad she won't be bothering us anymore," said Harry feeling relieved and they both sat down on the soft grass, with Sirius sitting protectively at Harry's side.
"So what is this place?" asked Harry, looking around.
"It's an all wizarding graveyard. Its got anti-muggle charms all over it."
"So its just witches and wizards buried here?" asked Harry sounding suddenly interested.
"Yeah. Why?" asked Ron looking puzzled at Harrys interest.
"Oh. It, er, doesn't matter," but a thought had occurred to him; If this was an all-wizarding graveyard that meant that his parents must be buried here. Harry tried to change the subject, "So did Hermione tell you that she's gone to Bulgaria?..."
*
Ron and Harry had been talking for about ten minutes about what Hermione and Krum could be doing in Bulgaria when, totally out of the blue, for no apparent reason, Harry's scar seared with excruciating pain. Harry yelled and clutched his hands to his scar. Ron sat up straight with shock and Sirius's hair stood on end.
"OW! That was really sore," said Harry clutching his scar. The pain had gone as quickly as it had come, "It hasn't hurt at all since...well you know."
"Are you all right?" Ron sounded concerned.
"Yeah I'm fine." Sirius laid his head on Harrys lap to try and make him feel better. Harry began to absent mindedly stroking his head. It wasn't safe for him to transform with so many wizards about.
"Do you think we should be getting back?" asked Harry.
"Ah yeah OK. The service will be starting soon," said Ron looking at his watch. Harry didn't wear a watch anymore he had only been wearing it out of habit after it broke during the second task. Ron was still looking a little unnerved. Harry was still feeling unnerved himself. Why would his scar be hurting now, when it hadnt hurt since he had come face to terrible face with Voldemort?
When they stepped over the hill they saw that even more people had arrived. Including Albus Dumbledore and when he saw Harry, he stopped talking to Mr Diggory and came straight over.
"Hello Harry. Amos just told me that you had arrived. How are you feeling now?" Harry was beginning to wish people would stop asking him this, he wasn't a total wimp.
"I'm fine thanks professor. I've had Sirius staying with me."
"So I see." Harry knew that this wasn't the only reason Dumbledore had come to see him but he wouldn't find out why he had really come to see him, because the Minister of Magic himself had just walked over.
"Excuse me Dumbledore but I'd like a word." He looked stern and almost as though he didn't want to be there.
"Certainly," said Dumbledore his eyes twinkling while he stayed next to Harry.
"I'd prefer to talk to you in private," he said eyeing up Harry and Ron.
"I'll meet you in a moment Cornelius. I just need to say something to Harry."
"Hmm," he said as he turned around walked a few paces and stopped, to wait for Dumbledore. When Dumbledore was sure he was out of ear shot he said, "I need to speak to you later Harry. Its very important."
"Oh OK," said Harry wondering what could be so important.
"Good. Now I'd better be off. I'll see you later Harry. Goodbye," then he dropped his voice to a barley audible whisper and bent down to Sirius on the pretence of giving him pat on the head, "and goodbye to you Sirius." Then he left with a swish of his long black cloak.
"Wonder what's so important," said Ron.
"Dunno, but he seems to really want to speak to me." Harr and, Ron were thinking of going back to meet up with the rest of the Weaslys when Harry heard a very unwelcome voice calling his name. Harry and Ron suddenly stopped walking and looked at each other. It couldn't possibly be who they thought it was...
"Harry! Harry! I know its you Harry!" The voice was getting louder. Sirius was growling when both Harry and Ron turned round to face the direction of the voice. When Harry saw the voice belonged to who he thought it did his heart sunk so low it felt as if it was in his stomach.
It was Rita Skeeter.
She was dressed in a mass of lime green robes that contrasted wildly with the sea of black. She was carrying a notepad and her Quick quotes quill. There was a photographer running along behind her, struggling with his equipment. As she got closer Sirius bared his teeth and growled.
"Harry! How lovely to see you!" She said once she was right in front of them, "Would you like to say a few words? Maybe tell us how you feel?"
"You can't write anything! Hermione will tell everyone you're an unregistered animagus!" spat Ron.
"Well she'd be lying wouldn't she," a smug grin was spreading across he face.
"What do you mean? We wouldn't be lying! We saw you as a beetle." seethed Harry.
"Well you see. After your curly haired friend threatened to expose me for being unregistered I went straight to the Ministry and registered myself." She was being so smug Harry would have dearly loved to see her get a smack in the face.
"So Harry any comment on this sad occasion?"
"After all those lies you wrote about me and my friends you'll be lucky if I ever speak to you again!" and with that he turned round and started to walk in the opposite direction, Ron and Sirius very close behind.. Just as Harry began to turn Rita whispered threateningly in his ear, "You know you'll have to give me a story sooner or later. What I saw in that hospital wing would make a very interesting story." Harry gave her a quizzical look as amazement washed over him like a wave. She merely winked. What could she have seen? He thought, the answer was, a lot. Had she seen Sirius transform? Harry decided to keep these thoughts to himself, no need to worry the others.
"I can't believe how smug she was being about all that!" fumed Harry, as he Ron and Sirius walked quickly to try and find the rest of the Weaslys.
"Yeah, she thinks she's been really clever, but everyone knows she writes rubbish, nobody'll believe her if she writes something horrible about you. I mean people like you don't they, look at what they did to Hermione when everyone thought she was your girlfriend." This made Harry feel slightly better.
"Yeah I suppose your- Argh!" Harry flung his hands up to his scar, it was hurting again. The pain only lasted for a few seconds, but it made Harry nervous. Why was it hurting him?
"You OK Harry? Does your scar hurt again? 'Cause if it does that's – that's serious isn't it? But you don't think...I mean he can't be here can he. Can he?" Ron had gone very white.
"No I don't think he's here. But I have no idea why its hurt twice on the same day, that's never happened before." Harry kept rubbing his forehead, trying to think, he lowered his voice so that nobody could hear,
"Ron, I don't want to worry you or anything but I had another dream a few weeks ago."
"Was it about, him, You Know Who?"
"Yeah Voldemort was there," Ron shuddered involuntary, "There was a load of deatheaters too and Wormtail. But I -eh- cant remember anything else," Harry looked at his feet again, he didn't like lying to Ron either.
"Harry this is really serious I think you should tell someone, you could tell dad or, or Dumbledore."
"Yeah all right. I probably should," he looked down at Sirius and said, "What d'you think Sirius, should I go and tell Dumbledore?" Sirius gave a low 'woof' meaning yes.
As the three of them walked around trying to find Dumbledore in the heaving mass of people, there was easily five hundred people in a small area of the graveyard. Harry hardly knew any of them, but they obviously knew him, they kept looking at his scar and when Harry saw them looking they would quickly look away and pretend that they weren't looking in the first place, and then start whispering to their friend. Harry saw Cho Chang in the distance, every time he saw her he felt kind of warm and befuddled.
After a few minutes they found Dumbledore, he was having, what looked like a very heated conversation with Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic himself.
"Do you think we should interrupt," said Ron, "It doesn't look like they want to be disturbed." But Dumbledore saw the three of them standing there and said, "Hello, there Harry. Hello Ron," with a jovial wave.
"Ah, Harry. Feeling better now are you?" Fudge sounded different. He used to be very friendly to Harry, sort of like an Uncle to his nephew, but now his tone was cold and formal.
"Yes thank you Minister. Professor, can I have a word?"
"Certainly Harry! Excuse me Cornelius." Once they were out of earshot Dumbledore asked kindly, "What is it Harry?" his blue eyes roving over him.
"Well...It's my scar Professor."
"Indeed," said Dumbledore looking interested, "Carry on."
"Since I got here, its hurt me twice and it hasn't hurt at all since...the night Voldemort came back," Harry had to force the last few words out of his mouth.
"Do you think that's a bad sign Professor?" asked Ron as though desperate to be included in the conversation.
"Well I am certain it's not a good sign. I want you to tell me the next time this happens Harry. No matter when it happens. Do you understand?"
"Yes Professor," said Harry feeling slightly startled at Dumbledores insistence.
"Remember that I want to speak to you later-" He couldn't say anything more as an echoing voice boomed across the graveyard, "If you could all please assemblearound the podium, the service is about to begin.
"Id better go, I'm going to say a few words about Cedric but 'Ill see you all promptly. "Harry and Ron made their way over to the magically erected podium in the centre of the crowd, in which Rita Skeeter stuck out drastically in her lime green robes. They found the rest of the Weaslys standing right in front of the podium.
"And just where have you three been?" demanded MrsWeasly.
"We just went for a walk mum!" Mrs Weasly was about to say something else but she stopped when Mr and Mrs Diggory stepped up on to the podium and began to speak. Mrs Diggory only managed to speak for a few minutes before completely breaking down. Mr Diggory continued, looking very pale and with one arm around his wife. He talked for about fifteen minutes, his eyes tear filled through out. Then Dumbledore stepped up once they had stepped off, each supporting the other. Dumbledore had barely even begun to speak when a loud, piercing scream ruptured the silence, reverberating off of every eardrum in the crowd.
It was Harry.
He was curled up in a ball on the ground, desperately clutching his scar with one hand, the other on the ground supporting him. Dumbledore rushed over to him at lightening speed, almost as if he had apperated from place to place.
"Harry! Harry! What is it?" Harry was still screaming. The pain, it was if the cruciatus curse had focused itself just on his s car. But this pain was different and Harry knew why. He realised it and a freezing fear ran through every fibre of his body like electricity. All he could say by means of a warning before it actually happenedwas: "He's coming."
"Hello Harry," said a very sombre voice. It was Amos Diggory, dressed completely in black, his wife was standing next to him.
"We weren't expecting any, er, extras," said Mr Diggory looking at Sirius.
"Oh sorry. He must have er... touched the paper at the moment it transported me," said Harry quickly trying to think up a reason for Sirius's presence.
"Oh, that doesn't matter in the slightest dear." This was Mrs Diggory.
"Its good to see you again Mrs Diggory, and you Mr Diggory. How are you?"
"Well under the circumstances..." Mrs Diggory let out a dry sob. Harry stood awkwardly as Mr Diggory went to comfort his wife.
He had a quick look around the graveyard. There was a lot of witches and wizards here, all dressed in black. The graveyard must have covered a good few acres of grassy expanse, and there were even more headstones than people.
"Come on Harry well take you over," said Mrs Diggory who had stopped crying but still looked as if she would break down at any minute.
"I think youll know a few people here," said Mr Diggory finishing off his wife's sentence.
"The Weaslys are here." But Harry had already noticed them. Who could miss that mass of red hair! By the looks of things they had noticed him too as they were all waving at him and calling him over.
"Harry! How you doin'?" asked Fred.
"Hey Harry!" yelled George.
"Hello Harry dear!" called Mrs Weasly.
"Hiya Harry" said Ron waving frantically.
"Hello," said Harry smiling from ear to ear.
"How's Sir - eh -Snuffles?" asked Ron patting Sirius on the head.
"He's fine," replied Harry unsure whether he should be talking about Sirius infront of all of the Weaslys. However, Mr Weasley who had interpreted Harry's expression correctly bent down and whispered discreetly in his ear, "Its all right Ron told Molly and me all about Sirius but nobody else knows." Harry let out a mental sigh of relief and noticed Mrs Weasly smiling knowingly at him.
"Glad to see you Harry dear," she said still smiling at him.
"Thanks, its good to see you all too."
Harry got hellos from Bill, Charlie, Percy who was as pompous as ever, a blushing Ginny and Fred and George who were still thanking him in hurried whispers for the thousand galleons of prize money he had given them at the end of term.
"We've got it well hidden," Fred assured him.
"Mum came close to finding it though," said George.
"Yeah that was a close one," said Fred wiping his brown with his sleeve. But Ron wasn't going to let his family keep Harry all to themselves.
"Do you want to go for a walk?" he interrupted giving Harry a meaningful look.
"Yeah OK."
The two of them walked away from the crowds towards a small, grassy hill.
"You'd better watch out Harry, there's a few journalists about."
"Oh no, just as long as Rita Skeeter's not here."
"Well Hermione told her that she wasn't allowed to write anything for a year, or she'd tell everyone that she was an unregistered animagus."
"That's true. I'm glad she won't be bothering us anymore," said Harry feeling relieved and they both sat down on the soft grass, with Sirius sitting protectively at Harry's side.
"So what is this place?" asked Harry, looking around.
"It's an all wizarding graveyard. Its got anti-muggle charms all over it."
"So its just witches and wizards buried here?" asked Harry sounding suddenly interested.
"Yeah. Why?" asked Ron looking puzzled at Harrys interest.
"Oh. It, er, doesn't matter," but a thought had occurred to him; If this was an all-wizarding graveyard that meant that his parents must be buried here. Harry tried to change the subject, "So did Hermione tell you that she's gone to Bulgaria?..."
*
Ron and Harry had been talking for about ten minutes about what Hermione and Krum could be doing in Bulgaria when, totally out of the blue, for no apparent reason, Harry's scar seared with excruciating pain. Harry yelled and clutched his hands to his scar. Ron sat up straight with shock and Sirius's hair stood on end.
"OW! That was really sore," said Harry clutching his scar. The pain had gone as quickly as it had come, "It hasn't hurt at all since...well you know."
"Are you all right?" Ron sounded concerned.
"Yeah I'm fine." Sirius laid his head on Harrys lap to try and make him feel better. Harry began to absent mindedly stroking his head. It wasn't safe for him to transform with so many wizards about.
"Do you think we should be getting back?" asked Harry.
"Ah yeah OK. The service will be starting soon," said Ron looking at his watch. Harry didn't wear a watch anymore he had only been wearing it out of habit after it broke during the second task. Ron was still looking a little unnerved. Harry was still feeling unnerved himself. Why would his scar be hurting now, when it hadnt hurt since he had come face to terrible face with Voldemort?
When they stepped over the hill they saw that even more people had arrived. Including Albus Dumbledore and when he saw Harry, he stopped talking to Mr Diggory and came straight over.
"Hello Harry. Amos just told me that you had arrived. How are you feeling now?" Harry was beginning to wish people would stop asking him this, he wasn't a total wimp.
"I'm fine thanks professor. I've had Sirius staying with me."
"So I see." Harry knew that this wasn't the only reason Dumbledore had come to see him but he wouldn't find out why he had really come to see him, because the Minister of Magic himself had just walked over.
"Excuse me Dumbledore but I'd like a word." He looked stern and almost as though he didn't want to be there.
"Certainly," said Dumbledore his eyes twinkling while he stayed next to Harry.
"I'd prefer to talk to you in private," he said eyeing up Harry and Ron.
"I'll meet you in a moment Cornelius. I just need to say something to Harry."
"Hmm," he said as he turned around walked a few paces and stopped, to wait for Dumbledore. When Dumbledore was sure he was out of ear shot he said, "I need to speak to you later Harry. Its very important."
"Oh OK," said Harry wondering what could be so important.
"Good. Now I'd better be off. I'll see you later Harry. Goodbye," then he dropped his voice to a barley audible whisper and bent down to Sirius on the pretence of giving him pat on the head, "and goodbye to you Sirius." Then he left with a swish of his long black cloak.
"Wonder what's so important," said Ron.
"Dunno, but he seems to really want to speak to me." Harr and, Ron were thinking of going back to meet up with the rest of the Weaslys when Harry heard a very unwelcome voice calling his name. Harry and Ron suddenly stopped walking and looked at each other. It couldn't possibly be who they thought it was...
"Harry! Harry! I know its you Harry!" The voice was getting louder. Sirius was growling when both Harry and Ron turned round to face the direction of the voice. When Harry saw the voice belonged to who he thought it did his heart sunk so low it felt as if it was in his stomach.
It was Rita Skeeter.
She was dressed in a mass of lime green robes that contrasted wildly with the sea of black. She was carrying a notepad and her Quick quotes quill. There was a photographer running along behind her, struggling with his equipment. As she got closer Sirius bared his teeth and growled.
"Harry! How lovely to see you!" She said once she was right in front of them, "Would you like to say a few words? Maybe tell us how you feel?"
"You can't write anything! Hermione will tell everyone you're an unregistered animagus!" spat Ron.
"Well she'd be lying wouldn't she," a smug grin was spreading across he face.
"What do you mean? We wouldn't be lying! We saw you as a beetle." seethed Harry.
"Well you see. After your curly haired friend threatened to expose me for being unregistered I went straight to the Ministry and registered myself." She was being so smug Harry would have dearly loved to see her get a smack in the face.
"So Harry any comment on this sad occasion?"
"After all those lies you wrote about me and my friends you'll be lucky if I ever speak to you again!" and with that he turned round and started to walk in the opposite direction, Ron and Sirius very close behind.. Just as Harry began to turn Rita whispered threateningly in his ear, "You know you'll have to give me a story sooner or later. What I saw in that hospital wing would make a very interesting story." Harry gave her a quizzical look as amazement washed over him like a wave. She merely winked. What could she have seen? He thought, the answer was, a lot. Had she seen Sirius transform? Harry decided to keep these thoughts to himself, no need to worry the others.
"I can't believe how smug she was being about all that!" fumed Harry, as he Ron and Sirius walked quickly to try and find the rest of the Weaslys.
"Yeah, she thinks she's been really clever, but everyone knows she writes rubbish, nobody'll believe her if she writes something horrible about you. I mean people like you don't they, look at what they did to Hermione when everyone thought she was your girlfriend." This made Harry feel slightly better.
"Yeah I suppose your- Argh!" Harry flung his hands up to his scar, it was hurting again. The pain only lasted for a few seconds, but it made Harry nervous. Why was it hurting him?
"You OK Harry? Does your scar hurt again? 'Cause if it does that's – that's serious isn't it? But you don't think...I mean he can't be here can he. Can he?" Ron had gone very white.
"No I don't think he's here. But I have no idea why its hurt twice on the same day, that's never happened before." Harry kept rubbing his forehead, trying to think, he lowered his voice so that nobody could hear,
"Ron, I don't want to worry you or anything but I had another dream a few weeks ago."
"Was it about, him, You Know Who?"
"Yeah Voldemort was there," Ron shuddered involuntary, "There was a load of deatheaters too and Wormtail. But I -eh- cant remember anything else," Harry looked at his feet again, he didn't like lying to Ron either.
"Harry this is really serious I think you should tell someone, you could tell dad or, or Dumbledore."
"Yeah all right. I probably should," he looked down at Sirius and said, "What d'you think Sirius, should I go and tell Dumbledore?" Sirius gave a low 'woof' meaning yes.
As the three of them walked around trying to find Dumbledore in the heaving mass of people, there was easily five hundred people in a small area of the graveyard. Harry hardly knew any of them, but they obviously knew him, they kept looking at his scar and when Harry saw them looking they would quickly look away and pretend that they weren't looking in the first place, and then start whispering to their friend. Harry saw Cho Chang in the distance, every time he saw her he felt kind of warm and befuddled.
After a few minutes they found Dumbledore, he was having, what looked like a very heated conversation with Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic himself.
"Do you think we should interrupt," said Ron, "It doesn't look like they want to be disturbed." But Dumbledore saw the three of them standing there and said, "Hello, there Harry. Hello Ron," with a jovial wave.
"Ah, Harry. Feeling better now are you?" Fudge sounded different. He used to be very friendly to Harry, sort of like an Uncle to his nephew, but now his tone was cold and formal.
"Yes thank you Minister. Professor, can I have a word?"
"Certainly Harry! Excuse me Cornelius." Once they were out of earshot Dumbledore asked kindly, "What is it Harry?" his blue eyes roving over him.
"Well...It's my scar Professor."
"Indeed," said Dumbledore looking interested, "Carry on."
"Since I got here, its hurt me twice and it hasn't hurt at all since...the night Voldemort came back," Harry had to force the last few words out of his mouth.
"Do you think that's a bad sign Professor?" asked Ron as though desperate to be included in the conversation.
"Well I am certain it's not a good sign. I want you to tell me the next time this happens Harry. No matter when it happens. Do you understand?"
"Yes Professor," said Harry feeling slightly startled at Dumbledores insistence.
"Remember that I want to speak to you later-" He couldn't say anything more as an echoing voice boomed across the graveyard, "If you could all please assemblearound the podium, the service is about to begin.
"Id better go, I'm going to say a few words about Cedric but 'Ill see you all promptly. "Harry and Ron made their way over to the magically erected podium in the centre of the crowd, in which Rita Skeeter stuck out drastically in her lime green robes. They found the rest of the Weaslys standing right in front of the podium.
"And just where have you three been?" demanded MrsWeasly.
"We just went for a walk mum!" Mrs Weasly was about to say something else but she stopped when Mr and Mrs Diggory stepped up on to the podium and began to speak. Mrs Diggory only managed to speak for a few minutes before completely breaking down. Mr Diggory continued, looking very pale and with one arm around his wife. He talked for about fifteen minutes, his eyes tear filled through out. Then Dumbledore stepped up once they had stepped off, each supporting the other. Dumbledore had barely even begun to speak when a loud, piercing scream ruptured the silence, reverberating off of every eardrum in the crowd.
It was Harry.
He was curled up in a ball on the ground, desperately clutching his scar with one hand, the other on the ground supporting him. Dumbledore rushed over to him at lightening speed, almost as if he had apperated from place to place.
"Harry! Harry! What is it?" Harry was still screaming. The pain, it was if the cruciatus curse had focused itself just on his s car. But this pain was different and Harry knew why. He realised it and a freezing fear ran through every fibre of his body like electricity. All he could say by means of a warning before it actually happenedwas: "He's coming."