Harry Potter sat in a plush room on a tall armchair. This was his new room at number twelve
Grimmauld Place. Over the summer following his fifth year, they had cleaned more and worked
very hard to clean the home, eventually resulting beautifully. Now the house was quite clear of
black magic, and had very nice furnishings. Kreacher still stumbled about, mumbling rude things
under his breath. Other than that, Grimmauld Place was a very nice home now.
Harry's room was the one Sirius had growing up, with burgundy walls and a large burgundy and
gold rug on the floor. Harry had a large bed with a burgundy down comforter and a large dresser
on which stood a few photographs. One was of Harry's two best friends, Ron and Hermione,
smiling and waving at him. Another was of his late godfather, Sirius Black, and the last was of
his parents, Lily and James Potter who were holding hands and standing on a beach while the sun
set behind them. This had been given to Harry over the summer and was a great comfort to him
after seeing Snape's Pensive. At least now he knew they had loved each other. All of the photos
were in simple, gold frames. He stared at the pictures, but a frown remained on his face. He
missed Sirius.
Most of the summer he had been at Privet Drive, with the Dursleys simply ignoring him. It was a
nice change–he had been allowed to get second helpings at dinner, and wasn't assigned quite as
many chores as usual. Mrs. Figg had even brought him a chocolate cake on his birthday. Just last
night he had arrived at Grimmauld Place. It had been extremely painful for him to be in Sirius'
old home again. The moment he arrived, he noticed many things. The picture of Sirius' mum had
been removed, and a portrait of Sirius now hung in it's place with a bronze plaque. The floors
were swept and rugs covered them. Harry also noticed the House Elves' heads had been taken
down, and now portraits of members of the Order were there. The one he especially noticed was
one of his parents, Sirius, and Remus. It looked like Peter had been there, but been cut out.
Everyone in the picture was so happy...
Ron and Hermione were both overjoyed to see Harry, but he just muttered hello and ate his
dinner quietly. Since then, he had been in his room lying in the dark or sitting in his armchair
staring at pictures of Sirius and his parents. Mrs. Weasley had come and knocked on his door this
morning with a breakfast tray, but he declined, saying he wasn't hungry. Now it was evening, and
Harry could hear the footsteps outside his door of Hermione, Ron and Ginny who had just
finished dinner. He thought they were all going by, until he heard a quiet knock on the thick door.
He spoke in a low, silent voice. "Who is it?"
The person on the other side of the door quietly responded. "Harry, let me in." he immediately
recognized the voice as Hermione's.
"Come in..." Harry muttered once more. Both Ron and Hermione came into his room. When
Hermione entered the room, he had to admit she had changed a bit over the summer. Her hair
was bushy as always, but a little more under control than usual, and she had grown a few inches,
causing her legs to seem very long and awkward. Today she was wearing jeans and a light blue t-
shirt, with white tennis shoes. She had pulled her hair up and put a light blue ribbon in it, (though
it was still quite bushy) and had actually gotten her ears pierced and wore tiny rhinestone studs.
Hermione even wore a small amount of makeup now, with light lip gloss. She had come quite a
way since first year, but she was still the same know-it-all Hermione Granger.
Ron had also grown some, now standing at about six feet. Over the summer his freckles had
multiplied, and he now wore his hair in a shorter fashion. His grin was more crooked than ever,
Harry noticed, even as little as he had seen it. Ron's voice had dropped several octaves and
whenever he spoke Harry looked around for someone older before realizing it was actually Ron.
Today Ron was wearing a pair of pants that were about two inches two short, and an orange
Chudley Cannons t-shirt that clashed terribly with his hair.
They came into the room and sat on the edge of Harry's bed. Both of them were frowning, and
looked at each other. Ron nodded, and Hermione began speaking.
"Harry..it's not healthy to stay in this dark room all day...come on out..." When she finished her
sentence, Ron started in. Harry knew that they must have memorized this carefully.
"We're both really sorry Sirius died, mate...but you've got to move on..." Harry got very mad
after Ron made that statement. He stood up from his chair and felt like he could attack both of
them. His familiar feeling from last year was creeping up again.
"YOU TWO DON'T UNDERSTAND! YOU TWO BOTH HAVE YOUR PARENTS! YOU
BOTH HAVE FAMILIES! AND WHAT DO I HAVE? I DON'T EVEN HAVE A
GODFATHER ANYMORE! ANY WHY? BECAUSE I WAS TOO THICK AND FELL FOR
VOLDEMORT'S TRICKS! NOW SIRIUS IS DEAD BECUASE OF ME! DO YOU THINK
IT'S EASY TO JUST 'MOVE ON'? I FINALLY FOUND SOMEONE WHO I COULD
ALMOST CALL FAMILY, AND NOW HE'S NOT EVEN ALIVE BECAUSE OF ME!"
Harry's face was red as he shouted the words out. Hermione was shaking and looked on the
verge of tears. Ron looked even a little frightened.
"It's n–not your f–fault H–Harry...." Hermione managed. A few tears had fallen down her cheeks
now. Harry was beginning to feel bad about his outburst. Ron was patting Hermione on the back
a little as the redness of Harry's face toned down a bit.
"I'm sorry...for acting..like that.." Harry began. He sat back in his chair. "I've just lost so many
people I love...and I feel like It's all my fault S–Sirius died.." he still had trouble saying Sirius'
name.
Hermione had walked to his side now, her eyes rimmed with red. She placed a hand on Harry's
shoulder.
"We've all got to get through this together...Harry, we're both really sorry about..him...but...our
lives must go on..." Hermione said kindly. Harry looked very depressed.
"Sometimes I just wish Voldemort would do me in so I could be with my parents and Sirius.."
Harry was frowning, while Ron and Hermione looked horrified at his statement.
"Harry...don't talk like that..." Ron said, with his voice shaking a bit. Harry shrugged.
Hermione's mouth was hanging open. Then she spoke.
"Maybe you should come down to dinner..." She suggested gently. Harry was getting a bit
hungry, as he hadn't eaten much since he arrived. It was just so hard to be with everyone at
mealtimes and remember Sirius grinning at him from across the table. Tonight he decided to join
everyone however.
Harry nodded. "I guess I'll go to eat..." So Harry, Ron and Hermione descended to the kitchen,
which was very full. Mrs. Weasley was in the corner baking some bread while various utensils
made salads. She smiled largely when she saw Harry, and he managed a tiny grin at her.
"Mum, Harry'll be joining us tonight.." Ron stated.
"Good!" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed. "Hermione, would you please be a dear and help Ginny set the
table? We have many people coming tonight!"
Hermione smiled at Mrs. Weasley, and took a stack of plates. Ginny was folding napkins and
placing silverware on the table. It was an odd assortment of plates and silverware. It seemed to be
many shabby collections pulled together to accommodate anyone. Ginny looked up as she placed
a spoon with rose print next to a fork with a Black family crest on it.
"Hullo Harry, nice to see you..." Ginny said, somewhat shyly. Somehow, he found himself
smiling broadly at her.
"You too, Ginny." Mrs. Weasley soon asked Harry and Ron to help get things ready as well, and
set a table in the dining room. The last time Harry had been at Grimmauld Place, there was no
dining room, only the kitchen. The dining room had an elegant chandelier that Sirius' mum most
likely placed there. A large table was in the room with huge carved feet on the legs of it. The
chairs and table both were made of cherry wood and the upholstering on the chairs was cream
with vertical, tan stripes. It looked very nice indeed. The floor was hard wood with a cream and
burgundy rug placed on it.
Ron and Harry placed a yellow tablecloth on the table that had been given to them by Mrs.
Weasley. It clashed terribly with the rug and chairs, but somehow to Harry it looked very homey
with the mismatched plates and silverware.
Slowly, in small groups or by themselves, wizards and witches began to appear for dinner.
Remus showed up accompanied by Tonks, whose hair was short, curly and fuschia today.
Kingsley came to dinner, with Mr. Weasley. Bill also arrived, with Fleur Delacour, who had
recently joined the order. Apparently, she had also become Bill's girlfriend. Charlie also showed
up, accompanied by Fred and George, who were wearing very nice robes. Apparently their joke
shop was doing incredibly well. It comforted Harry a bit to see everyone else so happy. He
wished he could only feel so good.
That night, he went to bed a lot happier than he had been in a long time. But, during the night,
something happened that ruined any feelings of joy Harry had. He was having a dream of
Hogwarts, when suddenly it was interrupted by his scar aching. It was faint, but still hurt quite a
bit. It got stronger, and his Hogwarts dream suddenly went black. Harry saw Bellatrix Lestrange,
Lucius Malfoy, and Peter Pettigrew in a dingy, stone room that looked much like a dungeon.
Lucius Malfoy was talking to Pettigrew in an angry voice as Bellatrix glared at him. Harry knew
he should use his Occlumency – after all, these dreams were what had caused Sirius' death. But
somehow he felt compelled to watch...Bellatrix was looking a lot older, and thinner. Her hair was
peppered with grey and had bags under her eyes. Harry thought grudgingly, she lost her
beauty...the Longbottoms lost their minds...Sirius lost his life.
"Pettigrew! You clumsy, worthless, scum..." Lucius was saying, "You're hardly worthy to lick
dirt off Lord Voldemort's shoes! Why would I trust you with something so serious?" Peter was
cowering a little and wringing his hands together.
"Lucius...If you knew...if only I could make them think...make them believe I'm innocent...I
could get inside the Order! I could..." Peter was trying to convince Lucius of something...some
trick to get inside the Order of the Phoenix! Lucius now seemed to be considering it.
"And, Peter, how would YOU do this...task..?" Lucius asked. Bellatrix curled her lip.
"Exactly what I was wondering, Lucius...Peter, how would someone as ...unlikely as you do
this?" she asked smirking.
Peter opened his mouth to speak, but at that moment, Voldemort entered the room. Harry's scar
exploded with pain as he stared at those catlike eyes and slits for nostrils. Voldemort seemed
angry.
"FOOLS! IDIOTS! Do as I say...or I shall have to resort to other...methods." He paused for
moment. "Potter..." he murmured, barely audibly. Harry heard it however. He knew he must get
out of his dream! Or wake up! Voldemort spoke once more.
"Bellatrix! Potter is watching! Get him!" Harry felt her now bony hands around his wrist. Part of
him was in the dungeon. Soon Bellatrix would have him in the room! Suddenly, another hand
pulled him from behind. He was jerked from Bellatrix's grasp and pulled back into his bed. Ron
was sitting on his bed grabbing the back of his shirt, white as a ghost.
"Harry! You were screaming..and clutching your scar!" Ron explained. Mrs. Weasley was
standing at the door with Ginny and Hermione. Remus stood behind them, while Fred and
George apparated in his room. Harry felt very embarrassed.
"I'm sorry..." Harry explained. "But I saw Peter Pettigrew and Lucius Malfoy...and Bellatrix
Lestrange...they were planning something..and then Voldemort came in..." several people winced
as he said the name. "And my scar hurt...really bad...but...I think Peter is going to trick you all ...
somehow. I don't know..." Mrs. Weasley looked concerned, while Remus stepped through the
doorway.
"I'm sending a letter to Dumbledore..." He took out a piece of parchment and wrote the
following.
"Albus Dumbledore,
You have won the Weasley's Wizard Wheezes Sweepstakes. Come and claim your prize
immediately at our London office!
–The Weasley twins."
Harry looked very confused. Remus nearly smiled. "It's code." He then got a grey owl Harry had
never seen before and attached the letter to it's leg. "Dumbledore will be here tomorrow." Remus
explained. "If Dumbledore is sent a letter announcing he won a Weasley's Sweepstakes, he
knows you've had another dream. If we ask him to claim the prize, he will know he is to come to
Grimmauld Place. Just safety precautions." Harry nodded. He was very thankful that Dumbledore
was coming soon. He could see Mrs. Weasley shooing Fred, George and Ginny from the room as
Ginny said, "Mum! I want to talk to Harry!" Harry would have liked to talk to her too, but Mrs.
Weasley hushed her and made her leave with her brothers. Mrs. Weasley sat in Harry's armchair,
while Remus conjured another for himself. Hermione and Ron sat on Harry's bed and looked at
him expectantly and somewhat nervously.
Remus gently began.
"Harry...would you like to talk?"
He nodded slightly, and Remus began asking him questions. He explained the whole dream, and
all he was feeling about Sirius. Everyone was sympathetic, and Remus clutched the arm of his
chair tightly at some points. When he finished, Mrs. Weasley let out a great sigh. She walked
over to the bed and hugged Harry tight. He hugged her back, wondering in his mind if his mum
would have hugged like that. When Mrs. Weasley pulled away, Harry quickly brushed a tear off.
He didn't want Ron or Hermione to see him cry. Mrs. Weasley gave Harry the biggest smile she
could muster and told him goodnight. Remus left shortly afterward, and told the three to be
careful.
Ron and Hermione shifted to the seats Mrs. Weasley and Remus had been sitting in. They just sat
there awhile, and Harry found it quite comforting. He battled with himself in his mind, whether
or not to tell them the prophecy. Eventually, he spoke up, breaking the silence in the room.
"Ron...Hermione...there's something I need to tell both of you. Dumbledore told me last year..."
Harry told them the prophecy as Hermione cupped her hand over her mouth and Ron looked
horrified. A tear fell down Hermione's face, and then Ron began to cry too. Harry was truly
touched by his friend's dedication to him. Tears began to trickle down his cheeks as well.
Hermione got up and walked to Harry, followed closely by Ron. They all three hugged each other
tightly, and didn't let go for a long time. It was the first time they had all been so emotional
together.
Harry felt all the emotions that had been building up inside of him flow free in his tears. As he
hugged Hermione and Ron, he felt safer and more loved than he had in his life. Hermione choked
a sob.
"We'll be by your side the whole way Harry..." Ron nodded at Harry and he felt very warm
inside. Nobody else spoke for a long time after, and eventually fell asleep. Hermione and Ron
both slept in the armchairs in the room that night beside Harry's bed.
The two of them slept, eyes rimmed with red, while Harry lie awake, staring at his two best
friends. Unable to sleep, he gazed at Ron for a little while.
His best friend Ron...in too-small pajamas with his freckles and bright, red hair. And
Hermione...with her bushy hair and nightshirt. He knew one thing just then– – he could never
leave them. He would ask Remus to help him fight! He would study very hard, and become the
best wizard he could be.
Eventually he fell asleep, with only one thing on his mind. He would have to be a murderer...or
be murdered.
Grimmauld Place. Over the summer following his fifth year, they had cleaned more and worked
very hard to clean the home, eventually resulting beautifully. Now the house was quite clear of
black magic, and had very nice furnishings. Kreacher still stumbled about, mumbling rude things
under his breath. Other than that, Grimmauld Place was a very nice home now.
Harry's room was the one Sirius had growing up, with burgundy walls and a large burgundy and
gold rug on the floor. Harry had a large bed with a burgundy down comforter and a large dresser
on which stood a few photographs. One was of Harry's two best friends, Ron and Hermione,
smiling and waving at him. Another was of his late godfather, Sirius Black, and the last was of
his parents, Lily and James Potter who were holding hands and standing on a beach while the sun
set behind them. This had been given to Harry over the summer and was a great comfort to him
after seeing Snape's Pensive. At least now he knew they had loved each other. All of the photos
were in simple, gold frames. He stared at the pictures, but a frown remained on his face. He
missed Sirius.
Most of the summer he had been at Privet Drive, with the Dursleys simply ignoring him. It was a
nice change–he had been allowed to get second helpings at dinner, and wasn't assigned quite as
many chores as usual. Mrs. Figg had even brought him a chocolate cake on his birthday. Just last
night he had arrived at Grimmauld Place. It had been extremely painful for him to be in Sirius'
old home again. The moment he arrived, he noticed many things. The picture of Sirius' mum had
been removed, and a portrait of Sirius now hung in it's place with a bronze plaque. The floors
were swept and rugs covered them. Harry also noticed the House Elves' heads had been taken
down, and now portraits of members of the Order were there. The one he especially noticed was
one of his parents, Sirius, and Remus. It looked like Peter had been there, but been cut out.
Everyone in the picture was so happy...
Ron and Hermione were both overjoyed to see Harry, but he just muttered hello and ate his
dinner quietly. Since then, he had been in his room lying in the dark or sitting in his armchair
staring at pictures of Sirius and his parents. Mrs. Weasley had come and knocked on his door this
morning with a breakfast tray, but he declined, saying he wasn't hungry. Now it was evening, and
Harry could hear the footsteps outside his door of Hermione, Ron and Ginny who had just
finished dinner. He thought they were all going by, until he heard a quiet knock on the thick door.
He spoke in a low, silent voice. "Who is it?"
The person on the other side of the door quietly responded. "Harry, let me in." he immediately
recognized the voice as Hermione's.
"Come in..." Harry muttered once more. Both Ron and Hermione came into his room. When
Hermione entered the room, he had to admit she had changed a bit over the summer. Her hair
was bushy as always, but a little more under control than usual, and she had grown a few inches,
causing her legs to seem very long and awkward. Today she was wearing jeans and a light blue t-
shirt, with white tennis shoes. She had pulled her hair up and put a light blue ribbon in it, (though
it was still quite bushy) and had actually gotten her ears pierced and wore tiny rhinestone studs.
Hermione even wore a small amount of makeup now, with light lip gloss. She had come quite a
way since first year, but she was still the same know-it-all Hermione Granger.
Ron had also grown some, now standing at about six feet. Over the summer his freckles had
multiplied, and he now wore his hair in a shorter fashion. His grin was more crooked than ever,
Harry noticed, even as little as he had seen it. Ron's voice had dropped several octaves and
whenever he spoke Harry looked around for someone older before realizing it was actually Ron.
Today Ron was wearing a pair of pants that were about two inches two short, and an orange
Chudley Cannons t-shirt that clashed terribly with his hair.
They came into the room and sat on the edge of Harry's bed. Both of them were frowning, and
looked at each other. Ron nodded, and Hermione began speaking.
"Harry..it's not healthy to stay in this dark room all day...come on out..." When she finished her
sentence, Ron started in. Harry knew that they must have memorized this carefully.
"We're both really sorry Sirius died, mate...but you've got to move on..." Harry got very mad
after Ron made that statement. He stood up from his chair and felt like he could attack both of
them. His familiar feeling from last year was creeping up again.
"YOU TWO DON'T UNDERSTAND! YOU TWO BOTH HAVE YOUR PARENTS! YOU
BOTH HAVE FAMILIES! AND WHAT DO I HAVE? I DON'T EVEN HAVE A
GODFATHER ANYMORE! ANY WHY? BECAUSE I WAS TOO THICK AND FELL FOR
VOLDEMORT'S TRICKS! NOW SIRIUS IS DEAD BECUASE OF ME! DO YOU THINK
IT'S EASY TO JUST 'MOVE ON'? I FINALLY FOUND SOMEONE WHO I COULD
ALMOST CALL FAMILY, AND NOW HE'S NOT EVEN ALIVE BECAUSE OF ME!"
Harry's face was red as he shouted the words out. Hermione was shaking and looked on the
verge of tears. Ron looked even a little frightened.
"It's n–not your f–fault H–Harry...." Hermione managed. A few tears had fallen down her cheeks
now. Harry was beginning to feel bad about his outburst. Ron was patting Hermione on the back
a little as the redness of Harry's face toned down a bit.
"I'm sorry...for acting..like that.." Harry began. He sat back in his chair. "I've just lost so many
people I love...and I feel like It's all my fault S–Sirius died.." he still had trouble saying Sirius'
name.
Hermione had walked to his side now, her eyes rimmed with red. She placed a hand on Harry's
shoulder.
"We've all got to get through this together...Harry, we're both really sorry about..him...but...our
lives must go on..." Hermione said kindly. Harry looked very depressed.
"Sometimes I just wish Voldemort would do me in so I could be with my parents and Sirius.."
Harry was frowning, while Ron and Hermione looked horrified at his statement.
"Harry...don't talk like that..." Ron said, with his voice shaking a bit. Harry shrugged.
Hermione's mouth was hanging open. Then she spoke.
"Maybe you should come down to dinner..." She suggested gently. Harry was getting a bit
hungry, as he hadn't eaten much since he arrived. It was just so hard to be with everyone at
mealtimes and remember Sirius grinning at him from across the table. Tonight he decided to join
everyone however.
Harry nodded. "I guess I'll go to eat..." So Harry, Ron and Hermione descended to the kitchen,
which was very full. Mrs. Weasley was in the corner baking some bread while various utensils
made salads. She smiled largely when she saw Harry, and he managed a tiny grin at her.
"Mum, Harry'll be joining us tonight.." Ron stated.
"Good!" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed. "Hermione, would you please be a dear and help Ginny set the
table? We have many people coming tonight!"
Hermione smiled at Mrs. Weasley, and took a stack of plates. Ginny was folding napkins and
placing silverware on the table. It was an odd assortment of plates and silverware. It seemed to be
many shabby collections pulled together to accommodate anyone. Ginny looked up as she placed
a spoon with rose print next to a fork with a Black family crest on it.
"Hullo Harry, nice to see you..." Ginny said, somewhat shyly. Somehow, he found himself
smiling broadly at her.
"You too, Ginny." Mrs. Weasley soon asked Harry and Ron to help get things ready as well, and
set a table in the dining room. The last time Harry had been at Grimmauld Place, there was no
dining room, only the kitchen. The dining room had an elegant chandelier that Sirius' mum most
likely placed there. A large table was in the room with huge carved feet on the legs of it. The
chairs and table both were made of cherry wood and the upholstering on the chairs was cream
with vertical, tan stripes. It looked very nice indeed. The floor was hard wood with a cream and
burgundy rug placed on it.
Ron and Harry placed a yellow tablecloth on the table that had been given to them by Mrs.
Weasley. It clashed terribly with the rug and chairs, but somehow to Harry it looked very homey
with the mismatched plates and silverware.
Slowly, in small groups or by themselves, wizards and witches began to appear for dinner.
Remus showed up accompanied by Tonks, whose hair was short, curly and fuschia today.
Kingsley came to dinner, with Mr. Weasley. Bill also arrived, with Fleur Delacour, who had
recently joined the order. Apparently, she had also become Bill's girlfriend. Charlie also showed
up, accompanied by Fred and George, who were wearing very nice robes. Apparently their joke
shop was doing incredibly well. It comforted Harry a bit to see everyone else so happy. He
wished he could only feel so good.
That night, he went to bed a lot happier than he had been in a long time. But, during the night,
something happened that ruined any feelings of joy Harry had. He was having a dream of
Hogwarts, when suddenly it was interrupted by his scar aching. It was faint, but still hurt quite a
bit. It got stronger, and his Hogwarts dream suddenly went black. Harry saw Bellatrix Lestrange,
Lucius Malfoy, and Peter Pettigrew in a dingy, stone room that looked much like a dungeon.
Lucius Malfoy was talking to Pettigrew in an angry voice as Bellatrix glared at him. Harry knew
he should use his Occlumency – after all, these dreams were what had caused Sirius' death. But
somehow he felt compelled to watch...Bellatrix was looking a lot older, and thinner. Her hair was
peppered with grey and had bags under her eyes. Harry thought grudgingly, she lost her
beauty...the Longbottoms lost their minds...Sirius lost his life.
"Pettigrew! You clumsy, worthless, scum..." Lucius was saying, "You're hardly worthy to lick
dirt off Lord Voldemort's shoes! Why would I trust you with something so serious?" Peter was
cowering a little and wringing his hands together.
"Lucius...If you knew...if only I could make them think...make them believe I'm innocent...I
could get inside the Order! I could..." Peter was trying to convince Lucius of something...some
trick to get inside the Order of the Phoenix! Lucius now seemed to be considering it.
"And, Peter, how would YOU do this...task..?" Lucius asked. Bellatrix curled her lip.
"Exactly what I was wondering, Lucius...Peter, how would someone as ...unlikely as you do
this?" she asked smirking.
Peter opened his mouth to speak, but at that moment, Voldemort entered the room. Harry's scar
exploded with pain as he stared at those catlike eyes and slits for nostrils. Voldemort seemed
angry.
"FOOLS! IDIOTS! Do as I say...or I shall have to resort to other...methods." He paused for
moment. "Potter..." he murmured, barely audibly. Harry heard it however. He knew he must get
out of his dream! Or wake up! Voldemort spoke once more.
"Bellatrix! Potter is watching! Get him!" Harry felt her now bony hands around his wrist. Part of
him was in the dungeon. Soon Bellatrix would have him in the room! Suddenly, another hand
pulled him from behind. He was jerked from Bellatrix's grasp and pulled back into his bed. Ron
was sitting on his bed grabbing the back of his shirt, white as a ghost.
"Harry! You were screaming..and clutching your scar!" Ron explained. Mrs. Weasley was
standing at the door with Ginny and Hermione. Remus stood behind them, while Fred and
George apparated in his room. Harry felt very embarrassed.
"I'm sorry..." Harry explained. "But I saw Peter Pettigrew and Lucius Malfoy...and Bellatrix
Lestrange...they were planning something..and then Voldemort came in..." several people winced
as he said the name. "And my scar hurt...really bad...but...I think Peter is going to trick you all ...
somehow. I don't know..." Mrs. Weasley looked concerned, while Remus stepped through the
doorway.
"I'm sending a letter to Dumbledore..." He took out a piece of parchment and wrote the
following.
"Albus Dumbledore,
You have won the Weasley's Wizard Wheezes Sweepstakes. Come and claim your prize
immediately at our London office!
–The Weasley twins."
Harry looked very confused. Remus nearly smiled. "It's code." He then got a grey owl Harry had
never seen before and attached the letter to it's leg. "Dumbledore will be here tomorrow." Remus
explained. "If Dumbledore is sent a letter announcing he won a Weasley's Sweepstakes, he
knows you've had another dream. If we ask him to claim the prize, he will know he is to come to
Grimmauld Place. Just safety precautions." Harry nodded. He was very thankful that Dumbledore
was coming soon. He could see Mrs. Weasley shooing Fred, George and Ginny from the room as
Ginny said, "Mum! I want to talk to Harry!" Harry would have liked to talk to her too, but Mrs.
Weasley hushed her and made her leave with her brothers. Mrs. Weasley sat in Harry's armchair,
while Remus conjured another for himself. Hermione and Ron sat on Harry's bed and looked at
him expectantly and somewhat nervously.
Remus gently began.
"Harry...would you like to talk?"
He nodded slightly, and Remus began asking him questions. He explained the whole dream, and
all he was feeling about Sirius. Everyone was sympathetic, and Remus clutched the arm of his
chair tightly at some points. When he finished, Mrs. Weasley let out a great sigh. She walked
over to the bed and hugged Harry tight. He hugged her back, wondering in his mind if his mum
would have hugged like that. When Mrs. Weasley pulled away, Harry quickly brushed a tear off.
He didn't want Ron or Hermione to see him cry. Mrs. Weasley gave Harry the biggest smile she
could muster and told him goodnight. Remus left shortly afterward, and told the three to be
careful.
Ron and Hermione shifted to the seats Mrs. Weasley and Remus had been sitting in. They just sat
there awhile, and Harry found it quite comforting. He battled with himself in his mind, whether
or not to tell them the prophecy. Eventually, he spoke up, breaking the silence in the room.
"Ron...Hermione...there's something I need to tell both of you. Dumbledore told me last year..."
Harry told them the prophecy as Hermione cupped her hand over her mouth and Ron looked
horrified. A tear fell down Hermione's face, and then Ron began to cry too. Harry was truly
touched by his friend's dedication to him. Tears began to trickle down his cheeks as well.
Hermione got up and walked to Harry, followed closely by Ron. They all three hugged each other
tightly, and didn't let go for a long time. It was the first time they had all been so emotional
together.
Harry felt all the emotions that had been building up inside of him flow free in his tears. As he
hugged Hermione and Ron, he felt safer and more loved than he had in his life. Hermione choked
a sob.
"We'll be by your side the whole way Harry..." Ron nodded at Harry and he felt very warm
inside. Nobody else spoke for a long time after, and eventually fell asleep. Hermione and Ron
both slept in the armchairs in the room that night beside Harry's bed.
The two of them slept, eyes rimmed with red, while Harry lie awake, staring at his two best
friends. Unable to sleep, he gazed at Ron for a little while.
His best friend Ron...in too-small pajamas with his freckles and bright, red hair. And
Hermione...with her bushy hair and nightshirt. He knew one thing just then– – he could never
leave them. He would ask Remus to help him fight! He would study very hard, and become the
best wizard he could be.
Eventually he fell asleep, with only one thing on his mind. He would have to be a murderer...or
be murdered.