Conversations and Dreams
Prologue, Correspondence
Although they would never admit it, the Dursleys had been extremely intimidated by Mad-Eye Moody and his two companions (admittedly more by Mad- Eye than Lupin or Tonks), and although they were far from pleasant to Harry over the next week, they were at least civil. In fact, mostly they ignored him, unless it was to ask him to "pass the peas" or inform him they they were all going out. It was quite the improvement in Harry's opinion, since he didn't enjoy their company anyway. Regardless of the step up in treatment by his relatives, Harry's summer still loomed gloomily in front of him, leaving him even more melancholy than he had been the year before. He tried, over and over again, to forget that Sirius was dead, that Voldemort was back on the loose and in the open, and that somewhere, the whole Weasley family (minus Percy, he imagined) was having a good summer holiday without him. These thoughts gathered in his mind and clouded his brain so that his days became a haze of unhappiness, his mood lower than the lowest valley. At least last summer he'd had letters from Sirius to look forward to from time to time. This summer all he had was the vague empty feeling that only the loss of someone very dear can bring.
Finally, a week after his arrival at Privet Drive, Harry received an owl from Ron. Pigwidgeon zoomed about Harry's room happily, as Harry read the note:
Hey Mate!
Is all well with you? We finally heard from Percy.
He hasn't apologized for his behavior, but at least he's speaking to us
now. Mum cried herself into a fit with joy. Hermione's here, I'll let you guess
where here is.
Not much else is happening, I hope the muggles are treating you well. I
think dad will
have a talk with them if they don't, or Moody will.
Ron
P.S. I thought you should know that there's a new house elf head on the
wall.
Folded neatly inside the note from Ron was another smaller note in adult handwriting that seemed vaguely familiar to Harry.
Harry,
Are the muggles keeping up their end of the bargain?
Have you had any more dreams?
Keep in touch.
R.J. Lupin
Harry felt slightly better after reading Ron's note, and reread the P.S. several times with immense pleasure. He was also generally pleased to receive the small note from Professor Lupin. Lupin had been Harry's favorite professor in his third year and perhaps, Harry thought, his favorite professor ever. Harry pulled two pieces of parchment and a quill out of his desk drawer, then fished around in his trunk for a moment to find his ink. Seating himself, Harry thought for a moment while he started at Ron's letter, then quickly dashed off a few lines reflecting his happiness that the Weasley family had come to terms with Percy, claiming to feel "fine," and informing Ron that the Dursley's had been treating him very well, thank you, and not to worry about it. He couldn't think of anything to say in response to the revelation about Kreacher's head joining his ancestors on the wall, so he finished off by inquiring about Fred, George, and Ginny. Satisfied, Harry read over the letter and folded it neatly. Then he began on a response to Lupin.
Professor Lupin,
Thanks for your note.
The Dursley's have been treating me okay, much better than last summer.
I don't have anything to complain about. How are things there?
Harry
Harry ignored Lupin's request about his dreams on purpose. In fact, he had been having some odd dreams, mostly about various deeds of the Death Eaters, though none of them were very clear or as intense as they had been last year. He had become used to them, in fact, so that he hardly noticed them. There wasn't enough information to be useful, so he didn't feel that anyone needed to know - they would lead to too many questions. Those were not the only dreams he'd been having, however. Much more disturbing to Harry were the recurring dreams he'd been having every night, in which he relived that fateful night at the Department of Mysteries, and the moment when Sirius died. Every night Harry saw it clearly, Sirius dueling with Belltrix Lestrange, taunting her, then being stricken with a curse, falling backwards, through the veil. Harry saw, as if outside of himself, his reaction, screaming Sirius' name, and being told by Lupin over and over again, "he's gone." Every night this dream repeated, every night Harry was forced to relive the painful moment. It was eating him up, driving him mad, though outwardly he remained calm and impassive. Indeed, the Dursley's were suspicious of this change in their young ward, though they were afraid to say anything to his face for fear that his "freaky friends" would descend on them and turn them all into swine or something equally atrocious. Though Harry was hopeful that Lupin would respond, he also hoped there would be no more questions about his dreams. He wasn't sure if he could take it.
Prologue, Correspondence
Although they would never admit it, the Dursleys had been extremely intimidated by Mad-Eye Moody and his two companions (admittedly more by Mad- Eye than Lupin or Tonks), and although they were far from pleasant to Harry over the next week, they were at least civil. In fact, mostly they ignored him, unless it was to ask him to "pass the peas" or inform him they they were all going out. It was quite the improvement in Harry's opinion, since he didn't enjoy their company anyway. Regardless of the step up in treatment by his relatives, Harry's summer still loomed gloomily in front of him, leaving him even more melancholy than he had been the year before. He tried, over and over again, to forget that Sirius was dead, that Voldemort was back on the loose and in the open, and that somewhere, the whole Weasley family (minus Percy, he imagined) was having a good summer holiday without him. These thoughts gathered in his mind and clouded his brain so that his days became a haze of unhappiness, his mood lower than the lowest valley. At least last summer he'd had letters from Sirius to look forward to from time to time. This summer all he had was the vague empty feeling that only the loss of someone very dear can bring.
Finally, a week after his arrival at Privet Drive, Harry received an owl from Ron. Pigwidgeon zoomed about Harry's room happily, as Harry read the note:
Hey Mate!
Is all well with you? We finally heard from Percy.
He hasn't apologized for his behavior, but at least he's speaking to us
now. Mum cried herself into a fit with joy. Hermione's here, I'll let you guess
where here is.
Not much else is happening, I hope the muggles are treating you well. I
think dad will
have a talk with them if they don't, or Moody will.
Ron
P.S. I thought you should know that there's a new house elf head on the
wall.
Folded neatly inside the note from Ron was another smaller note in adult handwriting that seemed vaguely familiar to Harry.
Harry,
Are the muggles keeping up their end of the bargain?
Have you had any more dreams?
Keep in touch.
R.J. Lupin
Harry felt slightly better after reading Ron's note, and reread the P.S. several times with immense pleasure. He was also generally pleased to receive the small note from Professor Lupin. Lupin had been Harry's favorite professor in his third year and perhaps, Harry thought, his favorite professor ever. Harry pulled two pieces of parchment and a quill out of his desk drawer, then fished around in his trunk for a moment to find his ink. Seating himself, Harry thought for a moment while he started at Ron's letter, then quickly dashed off a few lines reflecting his happiness that the Weasley family had come to terms with Percy, claiming to feel "fine," and informing Ron that the Dursley's had been treating him very well, thank you, and not to worry about it. He couldn't think of anything to say in response to the revelation about Kreacher's head joining his ancestors on the wall, so he finished off by inquiring about Fred, George, and Ginny. Satisfied, Harry read over the letter and folded it neatly. Then he began on a response to Lupin.
Professor Lupin,
Thanks for your note.
The Dursley's have been treating me okay, much better than last summer.
I don't have anything to complain about. How are things there?
Harry
Harry ignored Lupin's request about his dreams on purpose. In fact, he had been having some odd dreams, mostly about various deeds of the Death Eaters, though none of them were very clear or as intense as they had been last year. He had become used to them, in fact, so that he hardly noticed them. There wasn't enough information to be useful, so he didn't feel that anyone needed to know - they would lead to too many questions. Those were not the only dreams he'd been having, however. Much more disturbing to Harry were the recurring dreams he'd been having every night, in which he relived that fateful night at the Department of Mysteries, and the moment when Sirius died. Every night Harry saw it clearly, Sirius dueling with Belltrix Lestrange, taunting her, then being stricken with a curse, falling backwards, through the veil. Harry saw, as if outside of himself, his reaction, screaming Sirius' name, and being told by Lupin over and over again, "he's gone." Every night this dream repeated, every night Harry was forced to relive the painful moment. It was eating him up, driving him mad, though outwardly he remained calm and impassive. Indeed, the Dursley's were suspicious of this change in their young ward, though they were afraid to say anything to his face for fear that his "freaky friends" would descend on them and turn them all into swine or something equally atrocious. Though Harry was hopeful that Lupin would respond, he also hoped there would be no more questions about his dreams. He wasn't sure if he could take it.
