Chapter 2

At First Glance

Harry glanced at Snape, who seemed perfectly aware that Harry was watching him, but chose not to acknowledge him. He seemed different to Harry. What had always been the epitome of evil during Harry's first five years at Hogwarts now seemed...less menacing. Ever since Harry went into the Pensieve, he had begun to see Snape as something more resembling human. He didn't doubt that Snape had been working for Dumbledore over the summer; there was a weariness in his features that suggested so. His hair hung more limp and stringy around his sallow face than usual, and his eyes had dark smudges under their distant gaze. Harry almost felt sorry for him...almost. At that moment, Snape turned and sneered at Harry in his usual manner.

"Where are we going?" Harry ventured to ask.

He had an overwhelming feeling that some attack had happened, and now he was being taken into hiding. The thought of cowering away in some lonely cave instead of returning to Hogwarts plagued Harry's mind. He thought of the Burrow, where he had been hoping to spend the rest of the summer.

Snape didn't even glance at Harry as he said, "Dumbledore saw fit for you to go to Weasley's house."

"Did something happen? I mean, it wasn't safe at the Dursley's anymore?"

"No, it was perfectly safe. In fact, if it were up to me, I would have left you there, Potter. But Dumbledore insisted."

"Well, er...won't it be obvious where I went? If I'm putting the Weasley's in trouble...I can't do that."

Snape snorted. "Don't give me that hero complex, Potter. I've grown tired of it."

When they reached the Burrow, the Weasley house erupted with what seemed like a thousand floating fireballs. The first two out of the door were Ron and Mrs. Weasley. Ron grinned widely at Harry and simply said, "Alright, Harry?" while Mrs. Weasley threw her arms around him and seemed like she wanted to squeeze him to death. The twins (who were obviously home for the weekend) and Ginny followed closely behind, two with mischief in their eyes, and the other with honest concern. After Mrs. Weasley had settled down a bit, Ginny gave Harry a quick hug and gave him a lopsided grin. Harry watched Ginny for a moment, but was distracted by Mr. Weasley and Bill making their way from the house. Mr. Weasley smiled good-naturedly at Harry and shook his hand.

"Hello, Harry. Great to have you here."

"Thanks, Mr. Weasley," said Harry, grateful for the way Mr. Weasley didn't act like he was walking on eggshells around Harry like the others seemed to be doing. Excluding Fred and George, that is, who seemed to be plotting something against him already, judging by the whispering and sly looks that were coming from their direction.

Harry noticed that Bill hung back more than the rest, and he craned his neck to see around the twins who had taken something out of their pocket and were talking animatedly. Bill's back was turned to Harry, and he was talking to someone who had petite, pale arms wrapped around his middle. Harry couldn't see who it was, but that wasn't surprising, given Bill's height.

Harry nudged Ron with his elbow and nodded his head in Bill's direction.

Ron snickered. "Wait 'til you see."

At that moment, Bill turned and started walking toward Harry, hand in hand with a beautiful, silvery-blonde haired and crystal blue-eyed woman.

Harry almost laughed out loud. Fleur! Or Fleur and Bill, rather. Why doesn't that surprise me? Harry remembered someone telling him last summer that Bill had met up with Fleur in London, where she was hoping to "eemprove 'er Eenglish."

The couple walked easily up to Harry and Bill clapped Harry on the back.

"Hey, Bill." He grinned. "Hullo Fleur. I didn't think I'd be seeing you here." He shot Ron a look, but Ron just shrugged his shoulders.

She seemed to shrug her shoulders and then flashed a heart-melting smile at Bill, who smiled back goofily and seemed to be lost in his own world.

"Well," said Mrs. Weasley, putting a protective arm around Harry with a snigger from Ron, "Let's go inside and make Harry feel at home. Thank you for bringing him here, Severus." Harry noticed that up until this point, Snape had been watching the scene with something like amusement, and now he merely gave a slight nod of his head and Apparated without a word.

"Harry! Harry, wake up!"

Harry opened his eyes to see nothing but a fuzzy orange ball five inches away from his face. He took his glasses off of the nearby stand, put them on, and looked up at Ron's excited face. His eyes were nearly bulging out of the sockets at his tried to wriggle Harry out of the small, but cozy bed. It didn't take much; Ron had grown over the summer, and was now a half a foot taller than the small-framed Harry.

"What is it?" Harry asked groggily as Ron pulled him down the stairs at a frightening pace.

"We're home alone!" Ron exclaimed with a flash of child-like glee in his eyes. "Mum and dad went to visit Charlie for a few days, Bill and Fleur went out somewhere, and Fred and George went back to Diagon Alley, said they can't leave the shop for too long, business is booming. Ginny's here and we sorta have to watch her, but she doesn't count."

"Thanks, you big prat," Ginny said indignantly from the kitchen table between bites of toast. "You do have to take me wherever you go," she reminded him with a triumphant look on her face and a nervous glance at Harry.

"C'mon, I owled 'Mione, and she said she'd meet us at the Leaky Cauldron. We just need to find where mum hid pot of floo...oi, there t'is!"

"Ron, I don't think--"

"Shut up Ginny, she won't know if you don't squeal."

Ron pushed Harry toward the fireplace and handed him the pot.

"Here, Harry. Think ya can do this?" he asked sarcastically. Harry laughed at the insinuation, remembering the time in second year when he had first traveled by floo, and ended up in a store in Knockturn Alley.

Harry rolled his eyes and grabbed a pinch of powder before tossing it into the fire and saying "Diagon Alley" as distinctly as he could.

The Leaky Cauldron looked the same as it always had when Harry stepped out of the grate and into the candle-lit, mysterious world of magic. He waited for Ron, who came sputtering out from swallowing a mouthful of ash. They said their hellos' to Tom before sighting Hermione, who was, of course, absorbed in a book. As they began to walk over to her, she glanced up and a huge grin spread across her face.

"Ron! Harry!" she practically squealed with delight. She ran up to them, throwing her arms around their shoulders and squeezing with all the strength she had.

"Hermione, you're...strangling...me," Harry gasped while trying to wiggle free. Ron didn't seem to mind; he almost seemed to enjoy being smothered by the excited, bushy-haired girl. Harry smiled to himself. Nothing had changed over the summer. Hermione stepped back a bit and asked them how their summers had been.

"Nothing different then usual," was Harry's answer. "Dudley's still huge, the Dursley's still hate me, and I couldn't say the 'M-word,' " Harry said dryly.

"Boring. Mum's been lecturing me all summer about O.W.L.S, I hope I did okay on them, or she'll kill me," replied Ron.

This sent Hermione into a rant on the O.W.L.S and the assignment books she had bought them for Christmas last year, and then she began to fret about what she had scored on the tests. Ron rolled his eyes and snorted, which sent Hermione into a glare, and further caused Ron to cross his arms.

The air was thick with awkwardness, and Harry shifted from foot to foot wishing he could think of something--anything--to say. Just then, a small diversion happened in the form of a red-head walking up and saying, "Thanks for waiting for me," with sarcasm dripping off every syllable.

"Ginny!" Harry cried, as relieved to see her as if they were back in the Chamber of Secrets, second year.

Ginny stopped in her tracks and the smile on her face faded. She looked utterly confused for a moment, but then her eyes, that up to this point had been glued to Harry's, strayed over to look at Ron and Hermione. Then the realization came to her. Harry wanted her to distract them from the fight they had obviously just ensued in.

"Hermione?"

Hermione turned around and faced the questioning girl. "Ginny! Wow, I've missed you! You've grown over the summer." Hermione embraced Ginny in a friendly hug and forgot all about the right that she and Ron had seemed poised to partake in.

"Thank you," Harry mouthed to Ginny. She gave him another one of her dazzling smiles and then turned with Hermione back to the table, talking about the summer, and speculating what Hermione had got on her O.W.L.s.

After they had finished their drinks they went out to Diagon Alley and walked around for a while, the four of them glancing into various shops (Hermione dragged them into the book store) and stopping to talk to a few Hogwarts students they met along the way.

"Harry, didn't you say you wanted to stop at Gringotts?" Ron asked quickly when the tall white building came into sight.

"Er...yeah," said Harry, not understanding why Ron looked so much like he was up to something.

"Well, why don't you and Ginny go ahead and go? There was something--I mean--Hermione--she...there was something she wanted to show me."

Harry looked back and forth between the two, and then glanced quickly at Ginny, who had a look of perfect innocence on her face. Too perfect, Harry thought. I'll just play along, for now.

"Oookay..."

"Thanks." Ron and Hermione turned and walked quickly down the street before breaking into a run and disappearing behind a building.

Hmm. Wonder what they're up to? Harry didn't have very much time to wonder because Ginny interrupted his thoughts with, "Harry, do you want to go now?"

"Sure."

He followed her up the steps to Gringotts, watching her back as she made her way up to the grand double-doors. He was so busy watching her shoulder length vivid crimson hair sway back and forth that he carelessly ran into another girl retreating down the steps.

"Oof. Oh, sorry," said Harry.

The girl paused and looked wide-eyed at Harry like she had seen a ghost. Harry was used to it, though. People were always gawking at his scar. He smiled briefly at her, and then continued up the steps after Ginny. He glanced quickly over his shoulder, only to see that the girl hadn't moved, but seemed rooted to the spot, staring after Harry.

Odd, Harry thought. There's something familiar about her. Her eyes, maybe? Harry shook his head to clear it and walked through the doors to Gringotts.