Chapter 2- Death Comes on Swift Wings
Just when Harry had started wondering if Ron had gotten his letter he heard a small pop and looked over at his school chest and found Ron reply lying on top of it. Harry opened it and read it out loud so Dudley could hear what it said
Hey Harry,
Sorry it took so long to send a reply but every time I tried to use that spell you told me about it ended up catching the letter on fire but I finally got it right
I told my dad about happened and he said he would send a Ministry car to come pick you and Dudley up and bring you to the Burrow which should get there shortly after you read this.
I'll see you when you get here
-Ron
Dudley who apparently been worried about where they were going to be living suddenly relaxed when he heard that they would be staying with one of Harry's friends from school. They had only been waiting a few minutes when a blue car turned the corner and stopped right in front of them and a young looking wizard got out of the car and helped them load their things into the trunk of the car which looked like it could never hold everything they had with them but somehow it did. After everything was loaded into the car Harry and Dudley got in the back which amazed Dudley because of how big it was compared to normal muggle cars.
Several hours later they pulled up outside of the burrow which looked a lot bigger and a lot sturdier. Harry and Dudley walked up to the front door where they were met by Ron and his dad
"Hi Harry glad to see you made it here ok, but who's that with you?" asked Ron glancing over at Dudley
"Oh that's my cousin Dudley he is going to be attending school with us" Harry told Ron "His parents threw him out with me when they found out that he is a wizard and would be attending school with us"
As they were talking a small tawny owl flew up and delivered a copy of the Daily Prophet to Harry. He paid the owl five Knuts and it flew off. Harry looked at the headline on the front page and his jaw nearly hit the floor as he read the front page. "Harry are you ok" Mr. Weasley asked looking a little worried.
Harry was too shocked to speak all he could do was show them the front page where a small picture of Number four Privet Drive only nothing remained from the house except a large pile of rubble with the dark mark blazing high above.
Dudley stood looking at the picture with a puzzled look on his face obviously not understanding why everyone was staring at the picture "um guys what's wrong" starting to get a little worried.
"I think we should go inside and talk" said Mr. Weasley guiding everyone into the lounge just off the main hall where they all sat down and Mr. Weasley looked up at Dudley wondering where to begin. "Dudley I have something to tell you and it will not be easy for you to accept and I don't expect to you to understand everything right now"
Dudley had a look of pure panic on is face wondering what could have happened that could have caused them to be this worried about a story in the news paper. "wh- what's happened "
"Dudley I'm sorry but the picture in the paper of that house that was destroyed was your mom and dads house the story said that they were found dead trying to escape from Lord Voldemort" continued Harry
Dudley's look of panic instantly turned into a look of disbelief and shock as he stared at Harry. "What do you mean? How could my parents be dead they didn't have any ties to the wizarding world so why would Voldemort want to try to kill them?"
"I think I can answer that" answered Mr. Weasley "Voldemort's master Dumbledore put a Kinsafe charm on your house when Harry came to live with you seventeen years ago which only he and Harry knew about well since Dumbledore joined forces with Voldemort and the Death Eaters again he probably removed the charm allowing Voldemort to come and find you and Harry to try and kill both of you but apparently you two had already left by the time he got there"
"But why does he want to kill Harry I mean what makes him so important to Voldemort?" asked Dudley nearly crying at the loss of his parents
"You see Dudley Harry is destined to be one of the most powerful wizards in the wizarding world and when Voldemort lost his body when he tried to kill Harry when he was a baby and failed he spent 13 years trying to get his body back and when he finally did during Harry's fourth year at Hogwarts he vowed to find a way to kill Harry and anything or anyone that gets in his way?" explained Mr. Weasley before he and Ron got up and left Harry and Dudley to talk amongst themselves.
"Harry why didn't you ever try to warn me or my parents about Voldemort?" demanded Dudley as if blaming Harry for the deaths of his parents "I mean you could have tried to warn us even if my parents probably wouldn't have listened to you you still could have tried"
Harry stared at the floor unable to look Dudley in the eyes because everything he said was true "I don't know why I didn't tell you, just thought we would be safe there. I wouldn't have intentionally put you or your parents in any danger non matter how bad they treated sometimes. I don't expect you to forgive me but in time I hope you will"
Dudley was about to say something when Ron, his father, and his brothers came into the room "Sorry to interrupt but I'm afraid I have more bad news we just received word from Hogwarts that all prefects and the Head Boy and Head Girl are to report to the school Dudley they would also like you to come so they can finish teaching you anything that Harry hasn't already taught you yet"
"Great and I thought that this summer vacation was going to be boring. First Dudley and I narrowly missed getting killed by Dumbledore and Voldemort and now I find out that I have to go back to school a whole month early" complained Harry
"I know but the ministry of magic and your teachers at Hogwarts want to make sure that it will be safe for students to return to classes at the start of term. So the Ministry will be posting Aurors at all the entrances to the school grounds and throughout the school" said Mr. Weasley while gathering up some food for their trip seeing as Harry and Dudley had been at the Burrow for several hours and hadn't eaten since breakfast and were starving "we have to hurry everyone has been instructed to arrive at Hogsmeade station by 7:00 pm tonight"
Ron looked at the clock on the wall "They want all of us there by seven but how are we supposed to get there it's already 5:30 and it would take hours to get there taking the train"
"Not to worry the school made sure that all students that would be arriving early were sent a portkey." Explained Bill holding up an old broken dinner plate "now all we have to do is go get Hermione before we leave for Hogwarts"
Ron and Bill lead everyone into another room in the back of the house that had a large fireplace that took up almost all of one wall had a large bronze container of Floo powder "everyone wait here I'll go get Hermione and come back then we can all go to Hogwarts" said Mr. Weasley and just as he was about to throw a handful of Floo power into the fireplace when a huge pillar of green flames filled the fireplace lighting up the room and when the flames had died down Hermione stood in their place.
"Hermione what are you doing here" demanded Harry and Ron at the same time "we were just about to come and get you so we can go to Hogwarts"
"Well I heard that the teachers were calling the school prefects back to school early and I figured that everyone would meet here before leaving for Hogwarts so I thought I'd save you the trouble of coming to get me. By the way congratulations Ron on being made a prefect"
"Ok I know this isn't the time to ask this with us being short on time but when were you planning on telling me that you were made a prefect" asked Harry almost insulted that Ron had not told him something that important.
"Well you don't think that I'm going back to school a whole month early just for my health do, of course I'm a prefect" answered Ron "now what do you say we all get going"
