Disclaimer:I don't own any of this.
la2ur2a-Thanks! I know I hate writer's block. Good luck on your story!
Starry Eyed GIrl- Thank you! I know they're the best hp couple.
gundamhardcore-ah! sorry! thanks for reviewing!
eTRINITYs11-Wow! Thanks so much for all the reveiws! Thanks for the ideas and stuff, too!
(princessofcountry68@hotmail.com)- thanks! I'm glad you liked it!
Chapter 17
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Professor Dumbledore tore his tired eyes away from the dark window to look at the ancient clock hanging on the wall of his office. 11:55. He moved away from the window and retired into a plush arm chair if front of his blazing fireplace. He waited in silence for a few minutes before the flames turned bright blue and a worried looking face appeared in it.
Sirius Black had cut his hair and shaven since the last time Dumbledore had seen him, making for a much more civilized looking man. But the deep shadow was still apparant in the black eyes, the only evidence now left of the severe pain suffered so many years before.
"What happened, Albus?" Sirius asked, his voice ringing with concern.
Dumbledore sighed and sank further back into his arm chair. Sirius knew the old man well enough to know that he wouldn't be getting an answer right away.
"I heard about some kind of attack on Hogwarts in the paper, but they didn't have any details. Said something about Harry, though." Sirius tried again, hoping that the less direct approach would coax some kind of exlpanation out of the wizard.
Dumbledore could see the concern and questions shining in the man's eyes. Dumbledore shut his eyelids and, beginning with the Auror lessons that Harry had been taking for about a year now, started telling Sirius the events that concerned his Godson.
About an hour later Dumbledore finished his story and opened his eyes to see the reaction of the younger man. Sirius still looked slightly worried, but the main emotion shining in his eyes now was relief.
"The paper made it sound a lot more serious. I'm just glad Harry wasn't hurt too bad."
Dumbledore shook his head slowly. "Wasn't hurt, Sirius? Look into the boy's eyes and then tell me that he wasn't hurt. Harry has been hurting since the day that Voldemort killed his parents. Voldemort has instilled the worse possible kind of pain in him, the pain of loss. And Voldemort is going to keep killing those Harry loves until the pain destroys the boy completely."
Sirius had never seen the older man look more tired and hopeless than he did at that moment. Sirius knew that he was right. Now that Voldemort knew how hard Harry would be to kill directly, he would kill those close to Harry to try and bring the boy to him.
Sirius sighed and rubbed his eyes wearily. "I wish there was some way to protect him from all this. To let him live a normal life, to keep him safe. Like James asked me to." Sirius's voice choked painfully as he said the last part.
Dumbledore shook his head again. "I do too. But even if there was a way to protect him, somewhere we could send him where he would be safe, you know as well as I do that we couldn't do it. We need him, Sirius. After what I saw last night I know that we'll never be able to defeat Voldemort without that boy's help. As much as I want to protect him, if the terror is ever going to end, we need him to put himself in danger."
Sirius nodded in a agreement, but still looked displeased and concerned.
"What's he going to do after graduation?" Sirius asked, changing the subject.
"He's enrolled for Auror school. Most likely he'll want to stay with the Weasley's for the summer, but I think it would be better if he stayed with his aunt and uncle for one more summer, considering the circumstances. Voldemort still doesn't know where the Weasley's live, since we made it unchartable, but I still think Harry would be safer at the Dursley's." Dumbledore said
Sirius nodded. "Yes that would be much better. Harry isn't going to like it, but if he stayed with the Wealsey's it would make it easier for Voldemort to track him and then the whole Weasley family would be in danger. What about when the term begins?" Sirius asked the older wizard.
"When his training starts he's going to stay in the school dormitory, where he'll be surrounded by other Auror's. I'll contact Tilney and inform him of the precautions that will need to be taken when Harry arrives. Hopefully...." Dumbledore was cut short when Sirius whirled his head around to look behind him.
"I have to go, Albus. I had to break into someone's house and I think they're back. Thank you for your time." Sirius said hurridly before disappearing with a loud popping noise that echoed strangely off the stone walls of the office.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"I don't believe it!!" Harry said angrily as he threw the note that Professor Dumbledore had sent him onto the coffe table in front of him.
Ron, Hermione and Ginny all looked up from their homework and dove for the note, but Ron grabbed it first. It only took him a few seconds to read and when he finished his face had the same indignant expression that Harry's had.
Ginny snatched it away from her brother and read it through quickly before handing it to Hermione.
"What?" Was Hermione's reaction. "He's going to make you stay with the Dursley's again? Doesn't he know how they treat you?"
Harry moaned as he dropped his head onto his hands.
"It's only for one summer, Harry. And you know that Dumbledore only has your safety in mind." Ginny said, trying to comfort him but still a little upset herself.
"Yeah. Oh well one more summer won't kill me." He sighed as he stood up and took the note from Hermione to read it again. When he was finished he dropped it back onto the table. "Come on, lets go eat. I'm starving." He muttered as he made his way toward the portrait hole.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
A couple days later Harry, Ron, Hermioine and Ginny were all standing on platform 9 3/4. Ron and Hermione both hugged Harry and made him promise to write them before they left to say their own goodbye's to eachother. As soon as they were gone Ginny threw her arms around Harry's neck.
"Don't let the Dursley's get to you too much, ok?" She whispered into his ear.
"That's not what's bothering me. I can handle them. It's not being able to see you for two months that bothers me." He whispered back.
She pulled away from him slightly to look into his eyes. "You'd better not foget about me." She said in a mock threatening tone.
Harry smiled. "The same goes for you." He leaned forward and kissed her softly on the lips. He pulled away again after a few minutes when he heard a car honking loudly behind him. He sighed and picked up his trunk.
"I'll come see you as soon as I can." He whispered as he leaned forward and kissed her gently on the forehead before turning and walking to the car. He slid into the back seat and was about to close the door behind him when he heard Ginny yell for him to wait. She ran up to the car door and leaned in slightly. Harry could see tears shining in her eyes.
"Write me." She said weakly, her voice choking with emotion.
He forced a shaky smile. "Sure." Was all he managed to say before Uncle Vernon started honking the horn again. Ginny closed the door and watched the car until it was out of sight. She sighed deeply as she turned to find her family.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
A/N: Very short, I know. Sorry, I'm really busy right now. Thanks for reading it and please review!
~Katydid
la2ur2a-Thanks! I know I hate writer's block. Good luck on your story!
Starry Eyed GIrl- Thank you! I know they're the best hp couple.
gundamhardcore-ah! sorry! thanks for reviewing!
eTRINITYs11-Wow! Thanks so much for all the reveiws! Thanks for the ideas and stuff, too!
(princessofcountry68@hotmail.com)- thanks! I'm glad you liked it!
Chapter 17
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Professor Dumbledore tore his tired eyes away from the dark window to look at the ancient clock hanging on the wall of his office. 11:55. He moved away from the window and retired into a plush arm chair if front of his blazing fireplace. He waited in silence for a few minutes before the flames turned bright blue and a worried looking face appeared in it.
Sirius Black had cut his hair and shaven since the last time Dumbledore had seen him, making for a much more civilized looking man. But the deep shadow was still apparant in the black eyes, the only evidence now left of the severe pain suffered so many years before.
"What happened, Albus?" Sirius asked, his voice ringing with concern.
Dumbledore sighed and sank further back into his arm chair. Sirius knew the old man well enough to know that he wouldn't be getting an answer right away.
"I heard about some kind of attack on Hogwarts in the paper, but they didn't have any details. Said something about Harry, though." Sirius tried again, hoping that the less direct approach would coax some kind of exlpanation out of the wizard.
Dumbledore could see the concern and questions shining in the man's eyes. Dumbledore shut his eyelids and, beginning with the Auror lessons that Harry had been taking for about a year now, started telling Sirius the events that concerned his Godson.
About an hour later Dumbledore finished his story and opened his eyes to see the reaction of the younger man. Sirius still looked slightly worried, but the main emotion shining in his eyes now was relief.
"The paper made it sound a lot more serious. I'm just glad Harry wasn't hurt too bad."
Dumbledore shook his head slowly. "Wasn't hurt, Sirius? Look into the boy's eyes and then tell me that he wasn't hurt. Harry has been hurting since the day that Voldemort killed his parents. Voldemort has instilled the worse possible kind of pain in him, the pain of loss. And Voldemort is going to keep killing those Harry loves until the pain destroys the boy completely."
Sirius had never seen the older man look more tired and hopeless than he did at that moment. Sirius knew that he was right. Now that Voldemort knew how hard Harry would be to kill directly, he would kill those close to Harry to try and bring the boy to him.
Sirius sighed and rubbed his eyes wearily. "I wish there was some way to protect him from all this. To let him live a normal life, to keep him safe. Like James asked me to." Sirius's voice choked painfully as he said the last part.
Dumbledore shook his head again. "I do too. But even if there was a way to protect him, somewhere we could send him where he would be safe, you know as well as I do that we couldn't do it. We need him, Sirius. After what I saw last night I know that we'll never be able to defeat Voldemort without that boy's help. As much as I want to protect him, if the terror is ever going to end, we need him to put himself in danger."
Sirius nodded in a agreement, but still looked displeased and concerned.
"What's he going to do after graduation?" Sirius asked, changing the subject.
"He's enrolled for Auror school. Most likely he'll want to stay with the Weasley's for the summer, but I think it would be better if he stayed with his aunt and uncle for one more summer, considering the circumstances. Voldemort still doesn't know where the Weasley's live, since we made it unchartable, but I still think Harry would be safer at the Dursley's." Dumbledore said
Sirius nodded. "Yes that would be much better. Harry isn't going to like it, but if he stayed with the Wealsey's it would make it easier for Voldemort to track him and then the whole Weasley family would be in danger. What about when the term begins?" Sirius asked the older wizard.
"When his training starts he's going to stay in the school dormitory, where he'll be surrounded by other Auror's. I'll contact Tilney and inform him of the precautions that will need to be taken when Harry arrives. Hopefully...." Dumbledore was cut short when Sirius whirled his head around to look behind him.
"I have to go, Albus. I had to break into someone's house and I think they're back. Thank you for your time." Sirius said hurridly before disappearing with a loud popping noise that echoed strangely off the stone walls of the office.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"I don't believe it!!" Harry said angrily as he threw the note that Professor Dumbledore had sent him onto the coffe table in front of him.
Ron, Hermione and Ginny all looked up from their homework and dove for the note, but Ron grabbed it first. It only took him a few seconds to read and when he finished his face had the same indignant expression that Harry's had.
Ginny snatched it away from her brother and read it through quickly before handing it to Hermione.
"What?" Was Hermione's reaction. "He's going to make you stay with the Dursley's again? Doesn't he know how they treat you?"
Harry moaned as he dropped his head onto his hands.
"It's only for one summer, Harry. And you know that Dumbledore only has your safety in mind." Ginny said, trying to comfort him but still a little upset herself.
"Yeah. Oh well one more summer won't kill me." He sighed as he stood up and took the note from Hermione to read it again. When he was finished he dropped it back onto the table. "Come on, lets go eat. I'm starving." He muttered as he made his way toward the portrait hole.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
A couple days later Harry, Ron, Hermioine and Ginny were all standing on platform 9 3/4. Ron and Hermione both hugged Harry and made him promise to write them before they left to say their own goodbye's to eachother. As soon as they were gone Ginny threw her arms around Harry's neck.
"Don't let the Dursley's get to you too much, ok?" She whispered into his ear.
"That's not what's bothering me. I can handle them. It's not being able to see you for two months that bothers me." He whispered back.
She pulled away from him slightly to look into his eyes. "You'd better not foget about me." She said in a mock threatening tone.
Harry smiled. "The same goes for you." He leaned forward and kissed her softly on the lips. He pulled away again after a few minutes when he heard a car honking loudly behind him. He sighed and picked up his trunk.
"I'll come see you as soon as I can." He whispered as he leaned forward and kissed her gently on the forehead before turning and walking to the car. He slid into the back seat and was about to close the door behind him when he heard Ginny yell for him to wait. She ran up to the car door and leaned in slightly. Harry could see tears shining in her eyes.
"Write me." She said weakly, her voice choking with emotion.
He forced a shaky smile. "Sure." Was all he managed to say before Uncle Vernon started honking the horn again. Ginny closed the door and watched the car until it was out of sight. She sighed deeply as she turned to find her family.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
A/N: Very short, I know. Sorry, I'm really busy right now. Thanks for reading it and please review!
~Katydid