Chapter 5 ~ July 31
The morning after the rescue at the Riddle manor, Mrs. Weasley sent an owl to Dumbledore, informing him of what had happened. As a result, he ordered that Harry, Hermione and the Weasleys stay at Hogwarts for the remainder of the summer. Mrs. Weasley informed the children a week later.
"Dumbledore has asked that in the last week of July, you all go to Hogwarts, under his watch," she said to the group, "Be prepared to leave on the twenty first."
Over the next couple of weeks, Hermione and Ron acted secretive. Much of the time, Ron left Harry with Fred and George to create more Wizard Wheezes (Stink Pellets – same compact size, emits more stink; Weasley Twin Croissants – made with Polyjuice Potion, these croissants will turn the consumer into a Weasley twin. Which one are you?). Harry enjoyed it, but he still wanted to know what was up with the two of them.
It was the night of the twentieth, and he still had no clue what the two of them had been doing. Harry and Ron were packing their trunks, getting ready to catch the train in the morning. They had just gotten back from Diagon Alley and, with his dad's pay raise and Percy's contribution to the family, all of the Weasleys were able to get brand new robes and schoolbooks. Ron was ecstatic and couldn't wait to show them off. As Harry was folding his Quidditch robes, Fred burst in.
"Guys," he began, "we have more Wizard Wheeze supplies and merchandise then I thought."
Ron looked up from his packing, "Well, what have we got?"
"Three hundred Stink Pellets, Twin Croissants, XXL Bubble Blowing Gum, Ton – Tongue Toffee, Truth Spillers and Canary Creams. We also have five hundred Potter Bouncers, Spinnet Bouncers, Weasley Bouncers, Johnson Bouncers and Bell Bouncers."
"That doesn't sound too bad to me," Ron exclaimed, "Its only eight hundred small things. Just shrink them."
"No, Ron, that is forty six hundred small items," Fred corrected.
Harry gulped, "We can't shrink all of that! A spell that huge would…we, we might get expelled for it! You can shrink some of the things, but the other things will just have to be randomly shoved in our trunks."
Ron and Harry looked down at their already full trunks and quickly realized that it was out of the question. Suddenly, Ron's face brightened up.
"I know a spell that will extend the area of our trunks without increasing the size of the trunk itself," Ron exclaimed, "If I use a formula I learned in Arithmancy, I am sure that I can create a spell that will increase the area by two square feet. This is the most I can do without triggering the alert that will inform the Ministry that I am breaking the Underage Wizard rules."
Fred nodded, "Ron, you work on that. I will tell George."
He left and Ron pulled out a piece of parchment.
"Now, lets see," he mumbled, "I need to remember how I did this…"
Harry sat and tried to help. The twins walked in a while later and things began to roll. It took them three hours and sixteen tries, but finally, they had the spell.
"I can stick some vials in here, too," Harry said as he stuffed his share of the Wizard Wheezes in his trunk.
"Just one question," Ron began, turning to his brothers, "Where are we going to set up our laboratory?"
Fred and George smiled mysteriously.
It was five in the morning when Harry was awaken by Mrs. Weasley.
Wake up, Harry, sweetie. We have to catch the train in an hour."
Harry rolled out of bed and met his friends in the kitchen where breakfast was being served.
"Good morning, ol' chap," Fred exclaimed, nearly bouncing out of his seat.
Harry was startled by this enthusiasm. George giggled and passed Harry syrup for his pancakes.
"George, what is wrong with him," Harry asked in a monotone voice as he poured syrup on his pancakes.
George looked down at the table and began to laugh as Harry took a bite of his pancakes. A sudden burst of energy ran through his body and, in no time, he was shaking with hyperness.
"Don't tell me that this is a Wizard Wheeze," Harry said quickly, almost unable to separate his words.
"But it is, Harry," George replied, "and a bloody successful one at that."
"What do you call it?"
"Energy Syrup – the extra boost you need before Potions."
Harry smiled, "Excellent."
Everyone finished their breakfast, got dressed and dragged their trunks to the common room from where they traveled to Diagon Alley by floo powder. They arrived in the Leaky Cauldron, and then proceeded to Muggle London. Mrs. Weasley was surprised that Harry and Fred seemed to energized while the others were so quiet and tired. It was not long before everyone had clambered onto Platform 9 ¾. Instead of the Hogwarts Express, there was a small steam engine with two cars coming off the back. Even though it was small, it was no less luxurious than the Hogwarts Express. Fred and George seized every opportunity to slip Ginny a Wizard Wheeze with the candy that Harry bought her and Hermione and Ron were being more secretive than ever.
Harry was walking up the train when he heard Ron and Hermione's voice coming from a compartment.
"--- do you?"
"No, Ron. I think that everything is going according to plan."
"Are we sure that Ginny hasn't said anything to him? You know how Ginny adores Harry."
"I trust that Ginny hasn't said a word. She wont say anything unless she is asked about it, and I doubt Harry knows anything, so he cant ask her."
Harry chuckled at Hermione's last words and walked back to where he came from to find Ginny. He found her in a compartment, alone, writing in a journal.
"I hope that book isn't speaking to you," Harry said with a laugh and Ginny closed the book quickly.
"No," she replied, forcing a smile to her lips, "Its, er, something Hermione bought for me in Diagon Alley."
Harry could tell that she seemed nervous. He sat down across from her.
"Are you okay," he asked.
"Um…I…" Ginny's hands were shaking and her speech became slurred, "Isa…er, um…willsyou, I mean, willsyou…will – you – be – my – boy – friend," she sighed, happy that she had finally gotten that out of her system.
Harry smiled and held one of Ginny's trembling hands in his, "Ginny, you are the sweetest girl I know, but I cant gout with you. You are my best friends' sister and, well, you are like a sister to me as well. I am sorry, Ginny."
She nodded and a single, silent tear streamed down her face, "I understand."
"Please, don't cry," Harry begged, wiping the tear away with his thumb, "You shouldn't cry. I am still your friend and you can come to me and speak to me about anything. I am always here. Remember that."
Ginny nodded and Harry forgot all about what he was going to ask her.
The sky was black except for hundreds of twinkling stars and a full, blood red moon. Harry suffered from the bonds, which bound him to the tombstone as he saw all of the Death Eaters, heads bowed before their master. Blood ran down his right arm where Wormtail had cut him. Always the blood he could feel…the feeling of the end. Then, Voldemort pointed his wand at him and murmured "Avada Kedavra". Harry saw a green gleam escape from the wand and advance towards him. He felt the green smoke enter his lungs. He choked. The laughter of the Death Eaters rang out in the still night. The sound was of victory – evil victory. Harry did not hear anymore but the laughter of the Death Eaters.
Suffocating, Harry awoke with a rough taste in his mouth. Each night, since he had arrived at Hogwarts, the same anguish took him and each night, it seemed more real and stronger to him, which indicated to him that Voldemort was becoming increasingly more powerful. Each night, Harry awoke in full nightmare, his scar burning ever more powerfully. Tonight, it was especially bad, so he decided to talk to Dumbledore.
As Harry quietly turned the corners and tip toed down the corridors of Hogwarts, he couldn't help but notice how quiet it all was. None of the pictures were stirring and it was a relief to know that Mrs. Norris would be nowhere to be found. He just then realized that it was his fifteenth birthday and, for once, he hadn't been awake at midnight, feeling sorry for himself.
Harry approached the stone gargoyle, quietly gave the password and stepped upon the spinning staircase. He went to knock on the oak door leading into Dumbledore's office, but there was a note on the door that read:
Have gone out for OP duties. I will be back before the arrival of dusk.
~Prof. Albus Dumbledore
Harry looked the note over several times. Dumbledore didn't tell him that he was leaving. Harry was walking back to his room when he bumped into Professor McGonagall.
"What are you doing out of bed," she asked.
"I needed to speak to Professor Dumbledore, but he wasn't there," Harry replied.
McGonagall nodded, "Alright then. Go back to bed now and don't make any trouble on your way there."
Harry nodded and began leaving.
"Oh, and Potter…"
"Yes, Professor McGonagall," Harry asked, turning back to her.
"Happy Birthday."
Harry was awoken once again, though this time by someone he had never expected to be there.
"Hurry up, Harry. Wake up! It's a great day for training! Come on, I want to get as much practicing in as I can before lunch."
With a small groan, Harry sat up in bed. He looked up at whom had shaken him awake – it was Oliver. Harry smiled.
"Oliver," he exclaimed, "What are you doing here?"
"Dumbledore gave me the job of Madam Hooch's assistant. I will be helping the Quidditch Teams train and watch over their practices," he announced proudly.
Harry grinned and Oliver left so he could get dressed. As soon as he was in his practice robes, Harry walked down to the Common Room with his Firebolt. On the table was breakfast and tons of gifts. Oliver, Hermione, Ron and a black dog (Sirius, in animagus form) was sitting around it.
"Happy birthday, Harry," Hermione exclaimed.
"Come, come. Sit down and enjoy your breakfast. Oh, and put down that Firebolt. You wont be needing it any longer," Oliver said, clapping Harry on the back.
Harry sat and ate breakfast as he opened his gifts.
"This is from me, Harry," Oliver told him.
With a mouthful of pumpkin turnovers, Harry took the huge gift from Oliver and opened it. Even if his mouth weren't so full, he still wouldn't be able to say a word.
"It's the latest model of racing broom available," Oliver began, "The Thunderclap 2003 can go at a top speed of two hundred five miles per hour, the maneuvering is much lighter and quicker than the previous models, a stronger Breaking Charm, better Cushioning Charm and an anti- Hurling Charm. It is the perfect broom for a Seeker. While we are on the subject of Quidditch, I have something from McGonagall that you have to see."
Harry took a scroll out of Oliver's hand and unrolled it. Inside, there was a message from McGonagall.
Mr. Potter,
As head of the Gryffindor house, I must take care of the constitution of the Quidditch team. Indeed, the competition will be tough again this year and our team is complete no longer with the departure of Wood, our Keeper and Trainer. I had a long talk with him myself and we both decided that you would be the best candidate for Captain. Of course, it is up to you whether you chose to accept this position or not. As you think about your decision (which had most probably been decided, knowing you), please be aware of the responsibilities that this position implies. Send me your answer quickly. If indeed your answer is yes, your first responsibility is to choose a new guard. Happy birthday, young Harry.
With my best feelings,
Professor McGonagallDeputy Headmistress
Harry was stunned. He never believed that he would be offered the chance to be the captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team.
"Does anyone have a quill handy," Harry asked.
Hermione nodded and handed him one. Harry quickly scribbled a letter of acceptance to Professor McGonagall and sent Hedwig off with it.
"You can open my present now, Harry," Hermione exclaimed, handing him a neatly wrapped gift.
Harry unwrapped it and smiled. It was a magical quill and ink kit.
"You can write with it. While you write, the ink is visible. Once you put the tip of your wand on the note and say 'The password is ________' and put a password in, the ink turns invisible. If you want the ink to re-appear, say the password. If you say the wrong password, you will be squirted with ink. If, by the third time, you haven't said the right password, the parchment will disintegrate into nothing and let out a shrieking laugh," Hermione explained.
"Sounds perfect for Snape's class," Harry replied, "Thank you, Hermione."
Soon, the black dog that had been sitting there ever so patiently, barked. Ron took that as a cue to herd Hermione and Oliver out of the room so Harry could have some time alone with his Godfather. Once the three other people were out of the room, Sirius morphed from his animagus form to human.
"Harry, how have you been," Sirius asked as he sat down on the couch.
Harry shook his head, "Not so good."
"Are you still feeling guilty for the happenings at the Triwizard Tournament? Don't be, son. Put those things behind you and think of what you must do to defend yourself against Voldemort I the future."
Harry sat back and sighed, "Once I get on that Quidditch field, I wont think of a thing. Only the Snitch."
"Speaking of Quidditch, that is a pretty nice broom there. Thinking about it, I wish I had played Quidditch."
Harry and Sirius sat into late afternoon on the couch and talked. As the time neared for Sirius to go, Harry gave him one of the jars of magic invisible ink.
"Write to me and tell me where you are," Harry told him.
"What shall our password be," Sirius asked.
"Padfoot and Prongs Junior," Harry replied after a moment of thought.
Sirius nodded, put the ink in his pocket, hugged Harry and morphed back into his Animagus form. Harry walked Sirius out to the front of Hogwarts and watched him as he set off in the direction of Hagrid's hut. Harry met Oliver, Ron and Hermione in the Great Hall.
"I don't know about you, Harry, but I want to see how that Thunder Baby flies," Oliver said.
"Hold you horses, Oliver, and let the boy have some lunch," Ron ordered, "Come on Harry. Grab some chicken."
"No, no, that's no good for a Seeker," Oliver exclaimed, "There are plenty of fruits and whole grain breads. Eat those. A bulky Seeker is not a happy Seeker."
Ron laughed and Oliver looked at him strangely. Harry couldn't relax. He was just as anxious as Oliver to get on the Quidditch Field. Harry ate a slice of pumpkin pie and ran up to the Common Room to get the broom. He met Oliver on the Quidditch field. Hermione and Ron were sitting in the stands to watch.
"Alright, Harry," Oliver yelled to him, "Do a few laps around the Pitch. Show me what this broom's got."
Harry took off. Slowly he continued accelerating until he reached two hundred miles per hour. The force was so great that it about blew Harry off of the broom. He skid to a halt beside Oliver who couldn't believe his eyes.
"Bloody hell, Harry," he exclaimed, "That is amazing! Lets get to maneuvering. I'll throw some balls in different directions and we'll see how quickly you can catch them."
Harry and Oliver worked for hours on Quidditch. Late dusk was turning into early night when they decided to go in for dinner. They walked into the Great Hall. The Gryffindor table was decorated with streamers, Gryffindor flags and confetti. As the two of them walked closer, Harry realized that the entire Gryffindor house was there, sitting around gifts, dinner and a huge cake decorated with the Gryffindor coat of arms. Headmaster Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall were sitting there as well.
"Happy birthday, Harry," everybody exclaimed.
There was a lot of talk, laughter and stories about everyone's summer exchanged as they ate. The partying went on well through the night and in the Common Room until the next morning. By six, everyone was in bed except for Ron, Hermione and Harry.
"I can't believe you organized all of this for me," Harry exclaimed sleepily, "Thank you so much."
"Don't mention it, Harry," Hermione said, "Professor Dumbledore helped us out a lot."
"Speaking of Professor Dumbledore," Harry began, "I went to speak to him early yesterday morning and there was a note on his door saying that he was out for OP duties. He never told me he was leaving and he usually always does."
"Maybe that means he didn't want you to know he was leaving," Ron suggested.
"Exactly," Hermione exclaimed, "That is why we have to figure out what he meant by OP. I am sure that there is a book in the library that would have something on it. We can start looking now and ----"
"How about you can start looking now while Harry and I get some sleep and we'll meet you down there later," Ron said.
Hermione glared at Ron.
"Why don't we all get some sleep and meet here around one, okay," Harry asked.
They all agreed and left to get some sleep. When Harry walked up to his room, Hedwig was sitting on his bed, waiting for him to arrive. There was roll of parchment around one of her talons. Harry took it an unrolled it. This is what it said:
Dear Harry, 8/15
I have been wondering all summer whether I should write you or not, since we don't know each other every well, but what I need to know, I have decided that I should learn from you. As you know, Cedric and I went to the Yule Ball together, but what most people don't know is that we were a couple from that point until his death. I have been grieving all summer, not knowing how exactly he died. I know that He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named killed him with Avada Kedavra, but I need more than that if I am going to be able to sleep at night. I wont be satisfied until I hear the story of his death from you, the only person that can truly tell me what exactly happened. Please, Harry, reply as quickly as possible. I anxiously await your letter.
~Cho Chang
Harry blinked and read the note repeatedly. As soon as he was able to gather his thoughts, he pulled out a scroll, a quill and ink and began writing.
Dear Cho, 8/15
I don't mind that you wrote me, though, for this reason makes me terribly sad. You deserve closure and I hope that I will be able to give it to you.
At the end of the third task in the Triwizard Tournament, both Cedric and I reached the middle of the maze at the same time. After a moment, we decided to take the Triwizard Cup together. The Cup had been turned into a Portkey, which transferred us to a churchyard in Little Hangleton. As soon as we arrived, I caught sight of Wormtail, Voldemort's servant and one of his Death Eaters. It was not Voldemort who killed Cedric, but Wormtail under the orders of Voldemort, and used Voldemort's wand. Wormtail pointed his wand at Cedric and said, "Avada Kedavra". A stream of green light came out of the wand and hit Cedric. He lay motionless…dead.
I hope that what I have told you puts some of your nightmares to rest. I wish someone could put mine to rest just as easily. If there is anything you want to talk about, I'll listen.
~Harry Potter
Harry tied the scroll onto Hedwig's left and sent her off. Then, he went to sleep.
"Hoo-hoo, hoo…"
Hedwig walked up onto Harry's stomach and woke him up.
"Hedwig, what? Oh, a letter from Cho. Thank you."
It was around one thirty in the morning and he had been awaken from the first pleasant dream he had had all summer. Harry put on his glasses and pulled out his wand.
"Lumos," Harry whispered and the end of his wand lit up.
He took the scroll from Hedwig's talon and unrolled it.
Dear Harry,
I am sorry I wrote to you about such a terrible thing. I am sure that the memories are worse for you than they are for me. I didn't mean to bring them up. I hope you weren't mad about me asking.
I hope that your summer has been going well. I haven't done much except for Quidditch. How about you? What's the team doing now that Oliver is gone? I have also learned some new spells and brewed some potions. Nothing real fancy…just some practice.
Anyways, if you need to talk, I will be here to listen as well.
~Cho Chang
Dear Cho, 8/23
I don't mind that you asked about Cedric. You deserved to now. Don't feel guilty. I feel guilty enough without making someone else feel guilty.
I have trained for Quidditch a lot over the summer. Almost all of my waking hours were spent on the Pitch (I have been staying at Hogwarts over the summer) and Oliver has been helping me. I have been named captain of the team, but we don't have a Keeper yet. Oliver gave me a Thunderclap 2003 for my birthday.
Some other stuff that has happened over the summer: I got a detention with Sprout (can you believe that?) and Oliver and I snuck off a lot to go to Diagon Alley. Anyways, its bout two in the morning and I need to get some sleep before I have to train some more. School starts in a week! I can't wait!
Hope to see you soon,
Harry
It was the day before school started. Harry had just finished a team practice and was walking up to the castle with Oliver when Fred and George ran up to him.
"Hey, Harry," George began, "I think we are ready to show you our little secret."
"What little secret," Oliver asked, interested.
Fred shook his head at Oliver, "This is a secret for Harry and Ron…Oliver, you are just not cool enough to be let in on this."
Oliver shook his head, said bye to Harry and walked away. Harry smiled.
"So, I am finally allowed to see the laboratory," he asked the twins.
"Yes," George replied.
The three of them met Ron at the front doors of the school. He looked anxious.
"Come on, you three," Ron yelled to them, "I want to see this!"
They walked up to the seventh floor and into the tower. They walked into the portrait hole but turned into the reading room before reaching the common room. Fred and George led Harry and Ron around the bookshelves and up to a portrait. The man inside smiled.
"Flibbertigibbet," Fred said to it and the picture swung open.
They crawled into the hole, George first, Harry second, then Ron and last Fred. They had crawled into a hidden bathroom. Harry looked around at it and the several bubbling cauldrons, workstations and shelves of ingredients for the Wizard Wheezes.
"This used to be just a bathroom," George informed Ron and Harry, "and the reading room wasn't here when the castle was built here originally, either. This was a hallway to this bathroom, the guys' and a girls' bathroom was beside it. Then, one morning, Gryffindor students woke one morning to find that this room had built itself overnight. The girls' bathroom has been completely lost while this one has just been hidden behind a picture."
"How did you find it," Ron asked.
"Marauder's Map," Fred answered.
"The password?"
"Marauder's Map," George replied.
"Wow," Harry exclaimed.
The four guys worked for a long time brainstorming and figuring out formulas for new Wizard Wheezes. It was close to midnight before Harry was able to get up to bed. When he walked in, he found a surprise on his bed: another letter from Cho.
Dear Harry, 8/31
School starts tomorrow! I can't wait! I bet you are at the Pitch right now getting as much practice in as you can. Go Harry, go! Oh, and congratulations for getting the new broom. That's awesome. I bet Malfoy will be jealous.
Um, I have a question for you. I hope this doesn't seem too forward or anything, but I was wondering if you would like to be my boyfriend. Don't write me and answer yet. Think about it and tell me tomorrow night at the feast.
With Love,
Cho Chang
Harry read the last paragraph of the letter and felt chills run down his spine. He couldn't wait until tomorrow.
Wait until I tell Ron, Harry thought as he rolled the scroll up again and placed it in his trunk at then end of the bed.
