Chapter One
The Burrow
"Thank you for letting me stay again this summer," Harry said politely to Mrs. Weasley as he looked around the house. The Burrow never ceased to interest him. He could not fathom the wonder what it would be like to live in such a lovely place. Harry could also not help wondering if all wizard homes were so interesting.
"Oh, you're quite welcome." Mrs. Weasley smiled kindly at the sixteen-year-old boy. "And Happy Birthday, dear." She added fondly. It was true, he had just turned sixteen that exact day. It was almost the beginning of the schoolyear, and Harry was thrilled to receive a birthday present as wonderful as being able to stay at the Weasleys for the rest of the summer, instead of the small, cramped home of his aunt and uncle at Number Four, Privet Drive.
Harry returned her smile and thanked her again before running up the stairs to see Ron. On his way to Ron's room, he almost knocked into Ginny (he couldn't see her due to the occupied owl cage in front of his face).
"Oh, I am sorry, Harry!" Ginny gave him a small, sympathetic smile and then ran off down the stairs. Harry didn't know why she was in such a hurry. It sort of reminded him of how she would act around him a few years ago, when she had been so smitten with him that she had hardly been able to stand his presence. But he knew that those days were long gone, and it wasn't too entirely much of a concern to him. He continued on his way up the stairs to Ron's room.
When he finally arrived there, he knocked once. "C'mon it!" Ron's voice, growing ever deeper every year, called from inside the room.
Harry opened the door (how he managed with a large trunk and heavy owl cage in his arms, he'll never know) to find Ron, Fred, and George leaning over something, all huddled together.
"What are you three up to now?" Harry asked, laughing to himself.
"The Daily Prophet, what else?" Fred gave Harry an obvious look, and then turned back to the article they'd been inspecting. "I just can't get over it!" He sat down beside Ron in a slump.
"It's completely unusual. At least, it didn't happen last time. Did it?" Ron asked, agreeing with his brother, completely confused.
"What are you talking about?" Harry asked, walking over to them.
"Honestly, Harry, don't you still get the Pro- Harry?" Suddenly, Ron seemed to realize who he was talking to. He dropped the paper on the bed and ran over to his friend, taking his owl cage and placing it on a nearby table. He opened the cage and allowed Hedwig to join Pigwidgeon. Harry set his trunk down and pushed it against a wall.
"Happy Birthday, Harry." Fred and Georeg said at the same time.
"Yeah! Happy birthday!" Ron added with a sheepish grin.
Harry grinned back. "Thanks." He followed Ron back over to the bed, where he'd deserted the copy of the Daily Prophet, and where Fred and George were sitting (and George was flipping through the paper, disappointed to find that he'd read every article on whatever subject interested them so).
"What are you so interested in, now?" Harry turned his head sideways to peer at the paper, and the front page's contents caused him to jump, his eyes wide. He looked at Ron, horrified. "No…"
"Haven't you heard, Harry? It's You-Know-Who's first attack since… well, since that day in the Ministry of Magic, in June!" Ron shoved the paper at him and Harry began to read.
Attack at School
The end of Golden
Students and teachers at the American wizarding school, Golden Education of America's Witches and Wizards, were taken by surprise last Tuesday. An attack by He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and his remaining followers that have not been taken captive in Azkaban murdered a total of ten of the fifteen teachers, and injured the other five. Twenty-seven students were killed, seventeen have been left in critical condition, and thirty-two more had minor injuries. The branch of the Ministry of Magic in that area sent thirty-five members, twenty-two of which are dead; the remaining in critical condition.
After three hours of attack, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and his followers fled somewhere unknown.
The headmaster of Golden, Sanity Mayermore, 79, was not present at the time of the attack. But upon her return that evening, she assumes they were searching for something. "Though there was much damage, however, nothing was stolen. Whatever they were looking for they did not find."
In the meantime, Golden Education for American Witches and Wizards has been shut down immediately. Reopening is highly unlikely, but if it should indeed happen, further details will be promoted.
(For more information on the victims, page 4-5. The aftermath and current status of what was once Golden Education for American Witches and Wizards can be found on page 7.)
Between the title and the article was a picture of a large building, half of it up in flames. One section of the roof had caved in, and hundreds of witches and wizards were crying and inspecting the damage done. Families and friends of the survivors were hugging and sympathizing, thankful they were all alive.
Harry looked up at Ron with wide eyes. "W-what could Voldemort have been looking for?" He asked in horror. At the sound of his name, all three Weasleys winced.
Ron shrugged, and George began to speak. Harry whirled around to face him. "No one knows. We can't even figure out what they were doing out of the country."
" 'Suppose he thought news might not've reached them about his return, yet." Fred shrugged. Harry whipped around to face the other Weasley twin now, still in a slight panic. "They had, but they weren't very well prepared, were they?"
"How could they've been? What do you expect them to've done?" Ron pointed out. Harry and the twins agreed.
"So, where is he now? Is he back in England? Is he still in America?" Harry asked.
George clapped a hand on his shoulder, and Harry turned his head to look at him again. "Didn't you read the article, mate? No one knows where he's gone."
"He could be anywhere." Fred agreed, and Harry turned around one more time before the door was opened. All of the boys looked up in surprise as Hermione came bounding in, two trunks in either hand, Crookshanks right on her heels, tail swinging gently back and forth.
"Ron! Harry, Happy Birthday!" Harry and Ron jumped up and greeted her with loose hugs. "How has your summer been? Bearable, I hope, Harry?" Hermione gave him a knowing grin, and he laughed a little, the thoughts of Voldemort and the other Death Eaters hid in another corner of his head until their return to school.
