Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter and characters related to it. Harry Potter and its characters are the intellectual property of the talented J.K. Rowling, Warner Bros. Scholastic, Raincoast and Bloomsbury books. Storyline and plot have been developed partially based on the plots, characters and storylines of the first 5 installments of Harry Potter, The Sorceror's Stone, The Chamber of Secrets, The Prisoner of Azkaban, The Goblet of Fire and The Order of the Phoenix
Author's Note: Thank you for the reviews. I don't seem to get a lot of them but it's not that I'm troubled by that fact. =) I'd finish this story by hook or by crook even if I'm the only person reviewing my work =Þ, but I really appreciate the reviews regardless. I thank every person that has reviewed my work so far. Anyway, thank you for pointing out that it is Privet Drive. I always thought it was Pivet. Seems like there was actually something I did miss when I read the books. Not the first mistake I've made but I do appreciate the nitpicking. Helps me know where I've gone wrong and I can correct mistakes if necessary. If anyone notices anything else please mention it. On another note, thanks to the info from some reviewers I have managed to stumble upon a site which contains information about Mythical beasts and creatures. I think I will be able to cook something up in the next few chapters about magical creatures (dark creatures). Hopefully my creative "cooking" when it comes to writing is nowhere near as bad as my real cooking. One other note I think I should mention. I know that some people might think that Remus should become the legal guardian for Harry, I have to admit that I thought that is a very good idea, if not the most likely or practical thing that should happen. However, as I think I will explain in the next few chapters, I have a very strong gut feeling that Remus Lupin will not become Harry's legal guardian in the next books. Again, I might be wrong (which chances are I am, I'm not psychic after all). Okay enough riff-raff on to the story.
Chapter 8
When Harry returned to Grimmauld Place that day, he felt as though the aching inside of him suddenly felt even more pronounced than he had felt previously. He might have received the ownership of the Black Manor, but in his heart he didn't know if he could fully bring himself to live in this place and be totally comfortable with it. Still, he was a little heartened to know that he had a real place to call home, instead of Privet Drive. Remus was also very quiet after the reading of Sirius's final testament. He hardly said a word during dinner, and shortly after dinner he had retired to his room. Harry felt as though he should talk to Remus, but he didn't know what he would say to him. After all, his former professor had always seemed as by far the wisest of the Marauders, the most practical, and the best in providing advice. Nevertheless, the rest of the family tried to cheer Harry up after the reading. Ron was especially supportive when he learnt that his parents were now Harry's legal guardians. When he had heard the news from his parents, he clasped Harry's hand and engaged Harry in the "brotherly" clap on the back welcoming him to the family. The twins especially played a part in trying to cheer Harry up, they were going on and on about catching up on the lost years of pranks they would have to play on Harry before they could welcome him properly into the family. Bill was not at headquarters for dinner that night. He had left on a mission for the Order almost as soon as they returned from Diagon Alley. He stayed long enough to welcome Harry into the family and left for his respective duty. Overall, Harry felt like this was a day of very mixed emotions for him. He was really happy to have a family of his own, and not just any family, it was his favourite family in the world. He still couldn't help thinking about Sirius's last statement though. Deep down inside, he still found it hard to truly forgive himself for Sirius's death and he tried very hard not to show this so as not to disrupt the mood at the dinner table.
Later that night, after conversations with Ron, Hermione and Ginny, they were shuffled off to bed by Mrs.Weasley. Harry did not complain when they were sent off to bed. He was feeling particularly tired after the day and looked forward to hopefully, having a good night's sleep. After lying down on his bed for a short while, and Ron's snores started to drone, Harry's mind drifted off to sleep. His hopes for a good night's sleep it seemed, was not to be. Soon after he had fallen asleep, Harry could see himself in the Department of Mysteries again,
Bellatrix Lestrange was standing in front of him, the room was filled with the sounds of malicious laughter echoing through the hallways. Harry reached for his wand, his heart burning with hatred and vengeance. He screamed the words for the killing curse and aimed his wand at Bellatrix, who vanished as soon as the beam of green light touched her. Harry heard the laughter coming from behind him and spun around. As soon as he did, he was met with a sight that made his heart crumble into pieces, as he saw Sirius lying on the ground, wide eyed and expressionless. "NO!" he said, shocked, as he turned away, only to be met with a sight that shattered his resolve, and destroyed his nerve completely. Lying on the floor were the bodies of Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Mr and Mrs. Weasley, Remus, the twins, Bill and Charlie. Harry's mind screamed in agony. "THIS IS A DREAM, IT'S NOT REAL, IT'S NOT REAL!" the screams went in his mind as he was met face to face with Bellatrix Lestrange and Voldemort. The malicious laughter continued, and Voldemort spoke, "This is what awaits your friends Potter. They will end up like your godfather and your parents. You cannot save them, nor can you save yourself," as he raised his wand and pointed it at Harry. Harry was now blinded by a great wave of emotion, hate, anger, despair. He looked up at Voldemort only to see a flashing green light. "NOOO!" he shouted as he put his hands up in front of him.
Harry jolted awake. His entire body was shaking and cold sweat was pouring down his brow. "It was just a dream, just a dream, just a dream…..," his thoughts echoed in his head. To Harry though, the dream had seemed so real and his greatest fear since the death of his godfather had been realised in that dream. He was going to lead his best friends, and every person he had ever cared for, or had cared for him to their deaths. Not able to close his eyes again for fear of further nightmares, Harry got out of bed slowly, opening the door to the room carefully so as not to wake Ron and carefully walked down the stairs to the kitchen. He got himself a glass of water as he sat down on the kitchen table, burying his head into his hands, trying to shake the images out of his head. His eyes drifted to the black box lying at the corner of the kitchen. It had been brought over by Mr.Weasley after the goblins at Gringotts transferred Sirius's possessions that were intended for Remus and Harry to the burrow. Slowly, Harry put the box on the kitchen table and opened it to view its contents. There was a note in the box, and it was written in Sirius's writing.
Harry,
Some of these belonged to your parents. I had wanted to give these to you since your fourth year in Hogwarts, but I was not in a position to retrieve it from Gringotts seeing as how I am labelled as a wanted criminal. I would have asked Remus to retrieve it, but I'm afraid that I could not have risked the world knowing that Remus was associated with me. I just wrote this note and sent it to the bank, asking them to put it into this box. Should you ever come in possession of this box, only two things could have happened. One, Peter has been found and I am free and we are both looking at this note right now, or two, something has happened to me and you are receiving this as part of my final testament.
If I'm not with you, I'm sorry that I can't be with you when you see all this. I hope you like them.
Sirius
Harry viewed the contents of the box. It contained numerous items that had definitely once, belonged to his parents. In a small box contained two plain gold rings, engraved inside them were the words James Potter and Lily Potter. There was another elegant brown rectangle box, which contained his parent's wands, kept there together. There were albums that contained pictures of his parent's wedding. Pictures he had never seen before. There were also other pictures, pictures of his parents and Sirius, cradling him as a child, pictures of the Marauders together on his parent's wedding day, pictures taken of his mother when she was asleep on the couch, pictures of his father trying to comb his hair in front of the mirror.
Harry was trying to take all of this in. In front of him were the possessions that belonged to his parents and his godfather, now taken away from him by the most powerful dark wizard the world had ever known. Surprisingly, Harry had expected to feel sad, or had expected to have a sense of longing for his parents and his godfather. However, what Harry could feel inside now was a resolve beyond anything he had ever felt before. He had never felt this burning sensation in his heart before, a fire that lit his senses ablaze, that gave him such determination that he had never before felt. He knew why he had to endure these feelings, the reasons for his life being the way it is, and there was only one reason for it. Voldemort. Harry now understood why he was the one in the prophecy, and why his life would have to end in murder, either of himself, or committed by his hand. He knew he would never forgive Voldemort, that he would never let anything like this ever happen to anyone else that he loved. He could still feel the grief within his heart, but he knew he had to shut it out, to concentrate on what he must do. Slowly and silently, he placed his parent's belongings into the black box and put it away.
Harry was about to return to his room when he noticed footsteps approaching the kitchen. He wondered who it could be at this hour of the night, and he waited in the kitchen to see who it was. Ginny Weasley appeared in the kitchen, looking slightly pale and had sweat on her brow.
"Oh, I didn't think anyone would be awake at hour," she said softly as she reached for a glass of water.
"I was just…………….I had a nightmare, couldn't go back to sleep," said Harry as Ginny sat down on the chair next to him.
"I……had one too. I've been having nightmares ever since we fought the boggart Dementor," said Ginny.
Harry looked at Ginny. He had never seen her this way in the past 2 years. She looked visibly shaken and very much like the timid girl he remembered back in his second year, and not the strong and resolved girl that followed him into the Department of Mysteries. "Care to talk about it? It helps when you talk about it, I should know," said Harry as comfortingly as he could.
Ginny looked back at the boy that she had always admired since her first year, the boy that had saved her life before. "It's just…., I've been dreaming lately, of my first year. I see things you know, when I'm around the Dementors. Things that I never knew I did, things I never thought I had seen before, you know, down in the chamber. It keeps coming back to me, what I did that year, the attacks, the basilisk, Riddle. Every time the Dementors are around, or when I'm in those nightmares, I can see what I'm doing but I can't stop it. I try to stop myself but I just go on, I can't stop myself. I just….., I just feel so afraid every time I see those memories, when I think what I could have done to those people, what the basilisk could have done if you didn't stop it Harry," she said
Harry just sat there looking at Ginny. He had forgotten that Ginny Weasley had also faced Lord Voldemort before. Even though it was no where near the extent that he had faced Voldemort himself, she of all people knew what Voldemort was capable of.
Harry just put his hand on her shoulder and said, "Ginny, I know that you feel responsible in some way for what happened that year, but you can't blame yourself for it. Voldemort can manipulate even the strongest of wizards and you can't blame yourself for getting influenced by him, I should know. We stopped him that year and nobody was hurt. It's all in the past now. I'm just sorry you didn't tell me this sooner. I would never have suggested that we try to take on the boggart Dementor."
Ginny Weasley looked up at Harry. She was quite surprised herself that she had opened up to Harry that way when she had never mentioned her dreams to anyone else. She was about to say something else when a sudden realization hit her.
"Oh Harry, I'm sorry. My dreams must be trivial compared to what you have been through. All this is not your fault. Nothing is. You've already been through so much Harry. I can't imagine what it's like for you. I can't imagine what it would be like to lose one of my brothers," she said as she looked into his emerald green eyes, knowing that Harry must have had nightmares about Sirius. "Not even Percy," she added.
For a moment, the both of them merely sat there, their eyes fixed in one another. Harry saw the look in Ginny's eyes transform from the scared little girl just a moment ago to the look of understanding, of kindness and compassion. They looked into each other's eyes for what seemed like an eternity before Harry looked away and said to Ginny,
"I just don't want to see anyone hurt again because of me Ginny. I can't bear to lose anyone else. Now that your family is as good as my own, I can't help but feel that I'm putting all of you in danger."
"Harry, we are all in danger as long as …..You…V-v-voldemort is out there. No one is safe. Mum and Dad, Bill and Charlie knew the risks when they became part of the Order. The rest of us know the risks too, but we would not, for a second turn our backs on you. You know that as well as we do, we will all get through this together," she said as she placed her hand on his.
Harry just let the moment pass them by. He was actually quite stunned that Ginny had said Voldemort's name. A bit of Hermione must be rubbing off onto Ginny. Or maybe his own bravado he thought. He looked at Ginny again and said,
"Thanks Ginny. Who would have thought you'd be one to give good advice," as he grinned lightly. "I guess you're right. We will all have to face what's coming. I'm glad I've got all of you by my side for all of this. It sure makes things easier to deal with," he added before he looked up at the clock that hung on the wall of the kitchen. "I think we'd better get back to bed and try to get some sleep. It's getting really late already. Thanks a lot Ginny," Harry said as he got up.
Ginny also stood up, "No problem Harry. That's what friends are for. Besides, I'm just repaying the favour," she said smiling.
The both of them returned to their respective bedrooms. Harry lay awake for a while, trying not to think of the dream he had just experienced. He was reluctant to tell Ginny that at the end of all of this, he would have to face Voldemort alone. He wanted to face Voldemort alone. Despite what Ginny had said to comfort him, he knew that the time would come, and what he had to do, he would have to do alone.