All the cars arrived moments after each other. It was late; the sun was
setting in now clear sky. The first car pulled into the destination; a
short driveway of what looked like to be a deserted house. As it was a
fairly uneventful ride for Ginny, Hermione and Percy, they immediately
started unpacking their belongings. Cameryn seemed to be a bit worried
about something, but hid it fairly well as she only gave a quick, sad
glance up at the house then started unpacking herself. She knew, however,
that it was useless to bring it all out when they weren't staying for long.
Hermione sensed there was something wrong, something about the house, but
coming from a muggle family she didn't know what it was.
Out of the explorer, the twins were energetic to start on their ideas and were quick to grab their luggage. Mr Weasley and Kadence both wore the same expression as Cameryn, though only Hermione sensed this. Molly Weasley just happened to be just as energetic as the twins, so she hid her concern very well. She mentioned to the twins to just leave their stuff in the car, she'll bring it in for them.
Once again, when Sirius and Ryal exited the car they did nothing but look up at the house. Deep sorrow was shown through Sirius' eyes and there was no question that the adults all knew something that the rest didn't. That is if you consider the five Canadians adults.
As Kale turned in the drive way, she was the only who stepped out of the truck. Like Sirius and Ryal she didn't bother starting for her bags, but silently looked up at the house. After receiving a puzzled look from Molly, in one word she explained it all. "Sleeping."
The car that had the most excitement had arrived last. Marphie quickly told Harry not to worry about his bags just yet, that he would bring both his and Ron's to the house. He carried on just as he said and had the matching expression on his face just as everyone else. Harry decided to look at the house from a better view.
Harry watched as Ron exited from the back. He had a wild, dazed look in his eyes, but Harry didn't think he'd have to wait long to figure out why. However, as Harry and Ron advanced on the house, the look quickly changed. They both grew still at the same time, stopping dead in their tracks, both realizing the situation before them.
Ron stared unbelievingly at the house in front of him. He wasn't sure how he knew, but there was no question in his mind that he was incorrect. He house before him, the one they were supposedly planning on staying at, was indeed the old Potter house.
A sinking feeling consumed Harry the moment he looked at where exactly they were staying. He was absolutely positive that he had never seen it before, yet it was so familiar. Nobody needed to tell him that this was in fact the place where he was born, the place where his parents died, where he obtained his scar; the place which made him famous before he could speak.
For some reason this didn't seem to go farther than the sinking feeling. No tears came, his hands weren't shaking and his heart beat didn't increase a great deal, though he could slightly feel it beating faster than usual. He was unnaturally calm, just like he had been for last three weeks. This was the part that made him feel uneasy.
Questions flooded his mind. Shouldn't he be a wreck? Cry, sour or break something? Isn't that the normal reaction in this kind of situation? Unaware that everyone was staring at him, Harry decided to study his surroundings more closely. The windows weren't boarded, but had cobwebs on both sides of the glass. The paint on the exterior walls, doors and frames were peeling. The lawn seemed as if it had been unattended for a little over a year. Someone obviously had been kind enough to make it look at least half decent. The house was two stories, unless there was a basement.
Harry took a deep breath and thought, 'No matter how much the Weasley house has felt like home for the past couple years, it doesn't compare in the least to this.' Harry laughed to himself; it'll feel like home once everyone helps clean it up a bit. "I thought it was destroyed," Harry commented. There must have been something in his voice that explained he was perfectly fine, because he heard several exhaled breaths behind him. He chose to ignore it.
In an unsure voice, Molly tried to explain, "Oh, Harry dear, this house was your only link to your past. I believe someone cast a restoring spell on it not to long after it happened. I of course don't know exactly -."
"I can explain completely," Sirius spoke up. Harry turned to meet Sirius' serious eyes. He continued in a calm voice that matched the way Harry felt, "That night I came here in a last attempt to help you parents. I travelled by motorcycle, a flying motorcycle. But when I arrived, Hagrid had Harry and was off to meet with Dumbledore. I knew right away what had happened, so I gave Hagrid the motorcycle to transport Harry safely to the Dursley's.
"After he left I cast the restoring spell on the house. It was repaired and the muggle's thought Potter's had moved or something, but had left the house waiting for their return. Nobody said otherwise, though many witches and wizards have visited over the years." He turned to look at the house before him. "This is exactly the way your parents left it, well, other than the cobwebs and long grass. Your mother kept everything well kept."
Harry couldn't believe it and started becoming a little hysterical, which was obvious in his voice. He had always assumed that it had been destroyed. Hysteria overcame a bit of him, "How are all of us going to stay here and make it not look suspicious?" As if he was reading headlines he continued, "The Potter's 'leave' all of a sudden. Nobody shows up for over a decade. Then, out of the blue, five cars show up and seventeen people stay in the house. After fixing it up, just as mysteriously, they all, too, disappear." He started laughing again, "Or just tell me how seventeen of us will be able to stay in there comfortably period."
Hermione, trying to see the best in the situation, laughed along with Harry in attempt to make it seem he wasn't all that crazy. Catching on to Hermione's plan, Ron and Ginny joined in laughing, After a while, the only reason they were laughing was because they were laughing.
Ron's dad had to stop them laughing, there was something Harry didn't quite understand. "Please stop laughing. Harry, I am happy how . er .well your taking all this, but this is very serious. You have the key for the house and you must search the house alone first." This made all four stop laughing at once.
"What?" Harry asked in an honest sense. Mr Weasley must have eaten something spoiled.
"Deep back in you mind is the memory of that night and the house. It is important for you to spend the night going through the house. You must member as much as you can about your parents as possible." Mr. Weasley started talking lower and lower, as if he didn't want Harry to actually carry out what he was directing. "Oh," he added, "to answer your question, we are renting hotel rooms in town."
"WHAT?" Harry almost screamed. Suddenly he knew where all his anxieties were going to come out. "You think that I can go through all my past in one night, ALONE?" His voice suddenly rose a bit, and hysteria had completely ruled over. "I am only fourteen and have been somehow very lucky to be here right now! I've gone through four years at Hogwarts and have dealt with my past in more detail each year! First year everybody knew more than me about me and I just dragged my best friends into a situation that could have killed them! Second year I realize that Voldemort gave some of his powers to me and I have to kill a big giant snake. I have to live with the fact that I share the same powers of the most dangerous and despised wizard of all time! In third year I get to start hearing my dead parent's last words, which is the only time I'll ever hear them speak. If that's not enough Ron's pet rat killed my parents and my god father is alive and wished dead. Oh and most special of all, four year. I fight a dragon," at the mention of dragon Charlie's head popped up in the car behind them, "swim in ice water to rescue my best friend in fear he'll die because I took the poem too seriously. And the last event, after going through a horrible maze me and Cedric take the cup together. I brought Cedric to Voldemort; I could have just killed him myself. Oh," Harry was literally screaming now, "don't you think it's a little ironic that thirteen years after I had somehow brought Voldemort down from power I also bring him back? And now after living three weeks in ignorance and in fear that I could die any minute I have to spend a night, alone, in the house Voldemort killed my parents in? Now maybe, just maybe, I could have considered it if you gave me time to prepare for it but . but," Harry didn't finish.
He looked up at the house towering over him. Nobody seemed to want to say anything to him. As Harry considered staying at the house, it seemed to tower over him more. "Could Ron and Hermione stay with me?" Harry asked in a calm voice, as if he hadn't said anything about not wanting to a second before.
"I'll stay, no matter what they say. I refuse to leave you Harry," Hermione responded with no hesitance.
"Me too," Ron agreed. "I'll be here whenever you need me."
Fred laughed out loud. "The Dream Team together again!"
George joined in, "The unbeatable Trio!"
To everyone's surprise Ginny added her own bit, "The brains, the heart and the muscle!"
"Good one Gin!" Fred exclaimed happily.
"Well it doesn't seem that we can stop them, now can we?" Molly laughed. "But please dears, be careful. Oh and Ron and Hermione, be sure to help Harry, not slow him down."
"We won't mum, promise!" Ron answered sincerely. "Just one question; what are we doin' for food?"
Everyone laughed at Ron, who suddenly turned slightly red and moved his eyes to his shoes. Saving Ron just as he had saved him, Harry helped, "I'm starving! I could eat a horse!" It seemed that the realization that they were all hungry set in and they all stopped laughing.
Kale gave a quick wink at Charlie (who had dragged himself out) and muttered choice words as she waved her wand. This caught everyone's attention and soon she had no choice but to explain. "Food is in the house for the Dream Team. Hermione, I assume you know how to cook."
Hermione's eyes lit up as she exclaimed, "Yes, I cook for myself all the time when my parents aren't around!"
"Okay, you'll find more than enough options in the kitchen. We'll all eat out." Kale walked back to her car, as did most of them.
"Can't I stay with them too?" Ginny spoke up suddenly.
Immediately after her father spat, "Not a chance. You proved how trust worthy you really are no longer than a week after your return from school. The discussion is over Ginny; don't even try looking in your mother's direction."
Everyone went back to they're cars and loaded both themselves and their luggage. Then Harry shouted out, "I don't have the key!"
Sirius answered, "In your father's invisibility cloak he kept a spare key in the left inside pocket." And with that they all drove off.
"There is no pocket in that cloak. I'm positive." Harry shook his head in disbelieve as he rummaged through his belongings.
"After you put it on there is, didn't you two notice? There are at least fifty pockets in that cloak. I've used them before," Ron said.
"I've never noticed," Hermione answered.
"What did you use them for?" Harry questioned as he wrapped himself in the cloak. He started going through the pockets on the left side and found the key right away.
"To store food in, we spent a lot of time under that cloak, I never knew when I'd become hungry."
"His stomach, we did I even ask?" Harry mumbled quietly. They walked up to the house quickly, the night was theirs and they weren't going to waste anytime. Harry slipped the key into the bolt and turned the handle. He pushed open the door, and then slowly walked inside.
Out of the explorer, the twins were energetic to start on their ideas and were quick to grab their luggage. Mr Weasley and Kadence both wore the same expression as Cameryn, though only Hermione sensed this. Molly Weasley just happened to be just as energetic as the twins, so she hid her concern very well. She mentioned to the twins to just leave their stuff in the car, she'll bring it in for them.
Once again, when Sirius and Ryal exited the car they did nothing but look up at the house. Deep sorrow was shown through Sirius' eyes and there was no question that the adults all knew something that the rest didn't. That is if you consider the five Canadians adults.
As Kale turned in the drive way, she was the only who stepped out of the truck. Like Sirius and Ryal she didn't bother starting for her bags, but silently looked up at the house. After receiving a puzzled look from Molly, in one word she explained it all. "Sleeping."
The car that had the most excitement had arrived last. Marphie quickly told Harry not to worry about his bags just yet, that he would bring both his and Ron's to the house. He carried on just as he said and had the matching expression on his face just as everyone else. Harry decided to look at the house from a better view.
Harry watched as Ron exited from the back. He had a wild, dazed look in his eyes, but Harry didn't think he'd have to wait long to figure out why. However, as Harry and Ron advanced on the house, the look quickly changed. They both grew still at the same time, stopping dead in their tracks, both realizing the situation before them.
Ron stared unbelievingly at the house in front of him. He wasn't sure how he knew, but there was no question in his mind that he was incorrect. He house before him, the one they were supposedly planning on staying at, was indeed the old Potter house.
A sinking feeling consumed Harry the moment he looked at where exactly they were staying. He was absolutely positive that he had never seen it before, yet it was so familiar. Nobody needed to tell him that this was in fact the place where he was born, the place where his parents died, where he obtained his scar; the place which made him famous before he could speak.
For some reason this didn't seem to go farther than the sinking feeling. No tears came, his hands weren't shaking and his heart beat didn't increase a great deal, though he could slightly feel it beating faster than usual. He was unnaturally calm, just like he had been for last three weeks. This was the part that made him feel uneasy.
Questions flooded his mind. Shouldn't he be a wreck? Cry, sour or break something? Isn't that the normal reaction in this kind of situation? Unaware that everyone was staring at him, Harry decided to study his surroundings more closely. The windows weren't boarded, but had cobwebs on both sides of the glass. The paint on the exterior walls, doors and frames were peeling. The lawn seemed as if it had been unattended for a little over a year. Someone obviously had been kind enough to make it look at least half decent. The house was two stories, unless there was a basement.
Harry took a deep breath and thought, 'No matter how much the Weasley house has felt like home for the past couple years, it doesn't compare in the least to this.' Harry laughed to himself; it'll feel like home once everyone helps clean it up a bit. "I thought it was destroyed," Harry commented. There must have been something in his voice that explained he was perfectly fine, because he heard several exhaled breaths behind him. He chose to ignore it.
In an unsure voice, Molly tried to explain, "Oh, Harry dear, this house was your only link to your past. I believe someone cast a restoring spell on it not to long after it happened. I of course don't know exactly -."
"I can explain completely," Sirius spoke up. Harry turned to meet Sirius' serious eyes. He continued in a calm voice that matched the way Harry felt, "That night I came here in a last attempt to help you parents. I travelled by motorcycle, a flying motorcycle. But when I arrived, Hagrid had Harry and was off to meet with Dumbledore. I knew right away what had happened, so I gave Hagrid the motorcycle to transport Harry safely to the Dursley's.
"After he left I cast the restoring spell on the house. It was repaired and the muggle's thought Potter's had moved or something, but had left the house waiting for their return. Nobody said otherwise, though many witches and wizards have visited over the years." He turned to look at the house before him. "This is exactly the way your parents left it, well, other than the cobwebs and long grass. Your mother kept everything well kept."
Harry couldn't believe it and started becoming a little hysterical, which was obvious in his voice. He had always assumed that it had been destroyed. Hysteria overcame a bit of him, "How are all of us going to stay here and make it not look suspicious?" As if he was reading headlines he continued, "The Potter's 'leave' all of a sudden. Nobody shows up for over a decade. Then, out of the blue, five cars show up and seventeen people stay in the house. After fixing it up, just as mysteriously, they all, too, disappear." He started laughing again, "Or just tell me how seventeen of us will be able to stay in there comfortably period."
Hermione, trying to see the best in the situation, laughed along with Harry in attempt to make it seem he wasn't all that crazy. Catching on to Hermione's plan, Ron and Ginny joined in laughing, After a while, the only reason they were laughing was because they were laughing.
Ron's dad had to stop them laughing, there was something Harry didn't quite understand. "Please stop laughing. Harry, I am happy how . er .well your taking all this, but this is very serious. You have the key for the house and you must search the house alone first." This made all four stop laughing at once.
"What?" Harry asked in an honest sense. Mr Weasley must have eaten something spoiled.
"Deep back in you mind is the memory of that night and the house. It is important for you to spend the night going through the house. You must member as much as you can about your parents as possible." Mr. Weasley started talking lower and lower, as if he didn't want Harry to actually carry out what he was directing. "Oh," he added, "to answer your question, we are renting hotel rooms in town."
"WHAT?" Harry almost screamed. Suddenly he knew where all his anxieties were going to come out. "You think that I can go through all my past in one night, ALONE?" His voice suddenly rose a bit, and hysteria had completely ruled over. "I am only fourteen and have been somehow very lucky to be here right now! I've gone through four years at Hogwarts and have dealt with my past in more detail each year! First year everybody knew more than me about me and I just dragged my best friends into a situation that could have killed them! Second year I realize that Voldemort gave some of his powers to me and I have to kill a big giant snake. I have to live with the fact that I share the same powers of the most dangerous and despised wizard of all time! In third year I get to start hearing my dead parent's last words, which is the only time I'll ever hear them speak. If that's not enough Ron's pet rat killed my parents and my god father is alive and wished dead. Oh and most special of all, four year. I fight a dragon," at the mention of dragon Charlie's head popped up in the car behind them, "swim in ice water to rescue my best friend in fear he'll die because I took the poem too seriously. And the last event, after going through a horrible maze me and Cedric take the cup together. I brought Cedric to Voldemort; I could have just killed him myself. Oh," Harry was literally screaming now, "don't you think it's a little ironic that thirteen years after I had somehow brought Voldemort down from power I also bring him back? And now after living three weeks in ignorance and in fear that I could die any minute I have to spend a night, alone, in the house Voldemort killed my parents in? Now maybe, just maybe, I could have considered it if you gave me time to prepare for it but . but," Harry didn't finish.
He looked up at the house towering over him. Nobody seemed to want to say anything to him. As Harry considered staying at the house, it seemed to tower over him more. "Could Ron and Hermione stay with me?" Harry asked in a calm voice, as if he hadn't said anything about not wanting to a second before.
"I'll stay, no matter what they say. I refuse to leave you Harry," Hermione responded with no hesitance.
"Me too," Ron agreed. "I'll be here whenever you need me."
Fred laughed out loud. "The Dream Team together again!"
George joined in, "The unbeatable Trio!"
To everyone's surprise Ginny added her own bit, "The brains, the heart and the muscle!"
"Good one Gin!" Fred exclaimed happily.
"Well it doesn't seem that we can stop them, now can we?" Molly laughed. "But please dears, be careful. Oh and Ron and Hermione, be sure to help Harry, not slow him down."
"We won't mum, promise!" Ron answered sincerely. "Just one question; what are we doin' for food?"
Everyone laughed at Ron, who suddenly turned slightly red and moved his eyes to his shoes. Saving Ron just as he had saved him, Harry helped, "I'm starving! I could eat a horse!" It seemed that the realization that they were all hungry set in and they all stopped laughing.
Kale gave a quick wink at Charlie (who had dragged himself out) and muttered choice words as she waved her wand. This caught everyone's attention and soon she had no choice but to explain. "Food is in the house for the Dream Team. Hermione, I assume you know how to cook."
Hermione's eyes lit up as she exclaimed, "Yes, I cook for myself all the time when my parents aren't around!"
"Okay, you'll find more than enough options in the kitchen. We'll all eat out." Kale walked back to her car, as did most of them.
"Can't I stay with them too?" Ginny spoke up suddenly.
Immediately after her father spat, "Not a chance. You proved how trust worthy you really are no longer than a week after your return from school. The discussion is over Ginny; don't even try looking in your mother's direction."
Everyone went back to they're cars and loaded both themselves and their luggage. Then Harry shouted out, "I don't have the key!"
Sirius answered, "In your father's invisibility cloak he kept a spare key in the left inside pocket." And with that they all drove off.
"There is no pocket in that cloak. I'm positive." Harry shook his head in disbelieve as he rummaged through his belongings.
"After you put it on there is, didn't you two notice? There are at least fifty pockets in that cloak. I've used them before," Ron said.
"I've never noticed," Hermione answered.
"What did you use them for?" Harry questioned as he wrapped himself in the cloak. He started going through the pockets on the left side and found the key right away.
"To store food in, we spent a lot of time under that cloak, I never knew when I'd become hungry."
"His stomach, we did I even ask?" Harry mumbled quietly. They walked up to the house quickly, the night was theirs and they weren't going to waste anytime. Harry slipped the key into the bolt and turned the handle. He pushed open the door, and then slowly walked inside.