A/N: Sorry that I couldn't get this out faster, but we had a lightning
strike at my house and it wiped out my cable modem and everything attached
to it. I hope that you like the next chapter and can give me some reviews.
Chapter 4: Curses and The Burrow
Harry woke up at his usual time, then woke Hedwig up and sent her on to the Burrow. He packed her cage in the trunk and hauled it downstairs with Blaze, invisibly perched on his shoulder. Harry set his trunk near the front door and then went into the kitchen to see Dudley there drinking a couple of glasses of water before his run.
"I wanted to wish you good luck in your karate test next week and to thank you for your friendship this summer, because it helped me out a lot after everything I went through at school." Harry said as he stuck his hand out to his cousin. Dudley took the offered hand and stated, "I will do my best on the test and that friendship went both ways. I think that I would have been equally miserable if I didn't have you to talk with me Harry."
They smiled at each other and then Harry said, "Would you like to meet another friend of mine? Just don't scream." Dudley just nodded his head wondering where was this friend. Harry turned to his shoulder and smiled as he sent, * "Blaze, would you drop your invisibility for my friend." * Dudley gasped as he saw a dazzling white and silver winged bird appear on Harry's side. It was the most beautiful bird he had ever seen. "Blaze meet my cousin and friend Dudley, Dudley meet my friend Blaze." Harry grinned. Pl..Pleased to meet you Blaze." Dudley stuttered, still awestruck at the phoenix. Blaze let off a small trill of her voice, which filled Dudley with more happiness and courage that he had ever felt.
Harry stated, "She just said that she is glad to meet a friend of mine and is now she too is your friend." Dudley grinned at the phoenix as he petted her chest softly. " I have to get to my run and the Youth Center. Please write me so I know that you are alright." said Dudley. " No problem cousin, but make sure you don't get in trouble with your parents. I will see you next summer." smiled Harry while following Dudley out of the house and giving him a friendly wave as he ran towards the Youth Center.
Harry brought his trunk back out to the curb and sat there to wait for the Weasleys to pick him up. While he was sitting there, he went over the strange dreams that he'd been having recently. Harry felt they were like his visions he got from Voldemort, but there was no pain in his scar when he woke up from these dreams. He rubbed his had through his hair absently as he was thinking that somebody or something was coming closer to him, but that they meant no harm. Harry then turned towards the phoenix and said, "Blaze why don't you go on ahead to the Burrow, because they will be here in just a few minutes." As she took off the phoenix sang, * "I will meet you there." * He stood in the street watching her disappear in the distance, when he heard a "pop" behind him. Thinking that it was the Weasleys, he turned around with a smile on his face. Harry's face dropped as he saw that it was a Death Eater with a wand pointed right at his chest.
"Mr. Potter, my master is giving you this one chance to join him, as he thinks that you are a powerful wizard to have escaped him." drawled the Death Eater. Harry's eyes flashed with rage as he spat," I will never join that murder. I thought I made myself clear to Voldemort last time we met." The Death Eater sneered at him and stated, "If you will not join him then you will feel pain. Crucio." Harry fell to the ground screaming as he felt the curse rip through him. It felt like a thousand knives were cutting him and then liquid fire was being poured into the cuts. He tried to focus pass the pain, but couldn't do anything except to wish that it would stop.
Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia awoke to hear their nephew yelling. Vernon was very angry as hell thinking that Harry was having another nightmare and would wake half the block at his weirdness. He and Petunia ran to their nephew's room roaring, " Boy, cut that infernal racket off!" Vernon found that Harry wasn't in his room. The both of them looked out the window and saw Harry lying in the street screaming bloody murder with a dark cloaked figure towering over him and a strange red beam going straight towards him. This filled them with an unnamed dread that made it impossible foe them to move from the spot.
At about the same time Ron, Ginny, and Author Weasley transported, by portkey, to pick up Harry. Ginny was smiling, because she was looking forward to seeing Harry whose friendship she held most dear even if he didn't feel more towards her, but as they arrived and saw what was happening Ginny screamed, "Harry!"
Mr. Weasley and Ron pulled out their wands and both yelled, "Stupefy." "Petrificus Totalis," putting every ounce of magic into the curses. The Death Eater turned too late to do anything as he was knocked out and put in the full body-bind. Ginny ran over to Harry with tears streaming to the ground. She could see pain etched into Harry's face as he croaked, "I'll miss you Gin." He fainted as Mr. Weasley and Ron ran over and tried to revive him. Mr. Weasley took the shoe that was the portkey and gave it to Ron as he said, "Ron get Ginny and Harry to the Burrow. Tell your mother to contact Dumbledore immediately. I will be home after I check on Harry's relatives."
Ron could only nod his head as he grabbed hold of Ginny's shoulder with one hand, since she was hugging Harry to herself and took hold of the shoe with his other hand. He felt the familiar tug on his navel, before all three of them were sprawled out in the middle of the living room in his house. Mrs. Weasley, Bill Weasley, Charlie Weasley, Fred Weasley, George Weasley, and Hermione Granger, all of what Harry considered his family, were waiting for them to return to greet Harry, but all their smiles turned to shrieks of horror on seeing Ron arrive with Ginny crying and Harry unconscious in her arms with the pain that the curse inflicted still on his face.
Molly Weasley and Hermione immediately ran over and tried to revive Harry, but were near tears themselves when they couldn't get him to wake. She turned to a listless Ron and asked, "What happened to Harry?" Ron tonelessly explained what occurred at Privet Drive as Bill and Charlie picked up Harry to lay him on the couch. Hermione started hugging a sobbing Ginny and crying herself on hearing how Harry was attacked.
Fred and George ran to the fireplace in the kitchen and threw Camilla powder into the fire, before they yelled, "Albus Dumbledore." The fire turned green as Albus Dumbledore's head appeared with a "pop" in the fireplace. "Misters Fred and George Weasley what can I do for you on this fine summer day?" questioned Professor Dumbledore with his usual twinkle in his eyes. "Professor you have to come to the Burrow immediately with Madam Pomfrey. Harry was attacked by a Death Eater using the Cruciatus Curse and he won't wake up!" said George urgently as a great look of fear came over Fred's face.
The twinkle in Dumbledore's eyes went out quickly after hearing this disturbing news as he stated, "We will be there momentarily! Please try and calm everybody down." Dumbledore's head disappeared from the fire as Fred and George returned to the living room letting everybody know that the Headmaster and Nurse Pomfrey would be here soon. Mrs. Weasley had tears falling down her face as she thought, "Who could do this to such a sweet boy." Hermione was crying into Ron's shoulder at not being able to help her friend and Ron had unshed tears in his eyes as he looked at his best friend. Bill and Charlie were trying to get a sobbing Ginny to calm down, but it wasn't helping. Ginny wouldn't let go of Harry's hand as she sat next to him and anybody who tried to get her to let go were met with a sad, but determined look.
A few minutes later Professor Dumbledore and Madam Pomfrey arrived through the back door. The nurse rushed over and went to work right away on Harry trying to determine any injuries. She looked up and spoke quickly, "Harry is physically alright except for a few cuts and bruises, but he is in a coma and there isn't much that can be done, except to pray that he wakes soon." There were gasp from the men at Harry's condition, but the women just started sobbing more at this news. "I would like to move him to the hospital wing of the school if that is fine with you Albus." continued Pomfrey.
Dumbledore just nodded his head sadly at the request. Madam Pomfrey turned and stated, "Wingardium Leviosa!" to levitate Harry, but dropped her wand in shock as a golden aura surrounded Harry's body and shielded him from the spell. When she backed off from Harry the shield went dimmer, but as she came closer to try and levitate him again the aura became brighter. The Weasleys and Hermione were stunned at what was happening to Harry. The Headmaster was stroking his beard as he saw all of this, while some of the twinkle came back to his eyes he said, "Very interesting. I don't think that we will move him to the infirmary, since even in a come, it looks like Harry doesn't want to leave the Burrow."
Everybody was contemplating what the shield was as a beautiful white phoenix with silver tipped wings flew through the open window and landed above Harry on top of the couch. The phoenix sadly trilled down towards her friend and looked up at Dumbledore as she telepathically asked, * "What happened to my master and friend Harry?" * Dumbledore thought-spoke back, * "Harry was attacked by a evil wizard and he is in a coma." * The professor turned to the rest of the people in the room, who were in complete shock at the appearance of the phoenix, and said, "Apparently this is Harry's phoenix. I don't know how this came to be, but hopefully he will wake soon and let us all know what has been happening with him this summer."
After Professor Dumbledore and Madam Pomfrey left, Author Weasley returned home and spat, "The Death Eater was Walden Macnair from the Ministry. The whole place is in an uproar that they had a Death Eater in their midst, but Fudge still claims that You-Know-Who hasn't returned and that it was an isolated incident." After everybody settled down from this news or the stupidity of Fudge, Bill and Charlie carefully picked up Harry and brought him to Percy's old room, since he had moved out to a flat in Diagon Alley. This was to become Harry's room whenever he was over as a surprise for his arrival.
Ginny pulled a chair up from the desk in the room. She was holding his left hand, but had tears coming down her face with a hollow, lonely look in her eyes as she gazed at the boy that meant more to her than anything. Ginny only left for food and other necessities during the next few days, but wouldn't leave his side otherwise.
A/N: I would like to thank everybody for the kind reviews and will try and get the chapters out faster. Also to the answer one of the questions I received in a review, I have read a number of fan-fictions and may have come up with some ideas from them, but have not copied anybody's story. I wouldn't do that, because I like the stories my own insanity comes up with. Until the next chapter, I hope you like this.
Chapter 4: Curses and The Burrow
Harry woke up at his usual time, then woke Hedwig up and sent her on to the Burrow. He packed her cage in the trunk and hauled it downstairs with Blaze, invisibly perched on his shoulder. Harry set his trunk near the front door and then went into the kitchen to see Dudley there drinking a couple of glasses of water before his run.
"I wanted to wish you good luck in your karate test next week and to thank you for your friendship this summer, because it helped me out a lot after everything I went through at school." Harry said as he stuck his hand out to his cousin. Dudley took the offered hand and stated, "I will do my best on the test and that friendship went both ways. I think that I would have been equally miserable if I didn't have you to talk with me Harry."
They smiled at each other and then Harry said, "Would you like to meet another friend of mine? Just don't scream." Dudley just nodded his head wondering where was this friend. Harry turned to his shoulder and smiled as he sent, * "Blaze, would you drop your invisibility for my friend." * Dudley gasped as he saw a dazzling white and silver winged bird appear on Harry's side. It was the most beautiful bird he had ever seen. "Blaze meet my cousin and friend Dudley, Dudley meet my friend Blaze." Harry grinned. Pl..Pleased to meet you Blaze." Dudley stuttered, still awestruck at the phoenix. Blaze let off a small trill of her voice, which filled Dudley with more happiness and courage that he had ever felt.
Harry stated, "She just said that she is glad to meet a friend of mine and is now she too is your friend." Dudley grinned at the phoenix as he petted her chest softly. " I have to get to my run and the Youth Center. Please write me so I know that you are alright." said Dudley. " No problem cousin, but make sure you don't get in trouble with your parents. I will see you next summer." smiled Harry while following Dudley out of the house and giving him a friendly wave as he ran towards the Youth Center.
Harry brought his trunk back out to the curb and sat there to wait for the Weasleys to pick him up. While he was sitting there, he went over the strange dreams that he'd been having recently. Harry felt they were like his visions he got from Voldemort, but there was no pain in his scar when he woke up from these dreams. He rubbed his had through his hair absently as he was thinking that somebody or something was coming closer to him, but that they meant no harm. Harry then turned towards the phoenix and said, "Blaze why don't you go on ahead to the Burrow, because they will be here in just a few minutes." As she took off the phoenix sang, * "I will meet you there." * He stood in the street watching her disappear in the distance, when he heard a "pop" behind him. Thinking that it was the Weasleys, he turned around with a smile on his face. Harry's face dropped as he saw that it was a Death Eater with a wand pointed right at his chest.
"Mr. Potter, my master is giving you this one chance to join him, as he thinks that you are a powerful wizard to have escaped him." drawled the Death Eater. Harry's eyes flashed with rage as he spat," I will never join that murder. I thought I made myself clear to Voldemort last time we met." The Death Eater sneered at him and stated, "If you will not join him then you will feel pain. Crucio." Harry fell to the ground screaming as he felt the curse rip through him. It felt like a thousand knives were cutting him and then liquid fire was being poured into the cuts. He tried to focus pass the pain, but couldn't do anything except to wish that it would stop.
Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia awoke to hear their nephew yelling. Vernon was very angry as hell thinking that Harry was having another nightmare and would wake half the block at his weirdness. He and Petunia ran to their nephew's room roaring, " Boy, cut that infernal racket off!" Vernon found that Harry wasn't in his room. The both of them looked out the window and saw Harry lying in the street screaming bloody murder with a dark cloaked figure towering over him and a strange red beam going straight towards him. This filled them with an unnamed dread that made it impossible foe them to move from the spot.
At about the same time Ron, Ginny, and Author Weasley transported, by portkey, to pick up Harry. Ginny was smiling, because she was looking forward to seeing Harry whose friendship she held most dear even if he didn't feel more towards her, but as they arrived and saw what was happening Ginny screamed, "Harry!"
Mr. Weasley and Ron pulled out their wands and both yelled, "Stupefy." "Petrificus Totalis," putting every ounce of magic into the curses. The Death Eater turned too late to do anything as he was knocked out and put in the full body-bind. Ginny ran over to Harry with tears streaming to the ground. She could see pain etched into Harry's face as he croaked, "I'll miss you Gin." He fainted as Mr. Weasley and Ron ran over and tried to revive him. Mr. Weasley took the shoe that was the portkey and gave it to Ron as he said, "Ron get Ginny and Harry to the Burrow. Tell your mother to contact Dumbledore immediately. I will be home after I check on Harry's relatives."
Ron could only nod his head as he grabbed hold of Ginny's shoulder with one hand, since she was hugging Harry to herself and took hold of the shoe with his other hand. He felt the familiar tug on his navel, before all three of them were sprawled out in the middle of the living room in his house. Mrs. Weasley, Bill Weasley, Charlie Weasley, Fred Weasley, George Weasley, and Hermione Granger, all of what Harry considered his family, were waiting for them to return to greet Harry, but all their smiles turned to shrieks of horror on seeing Ron arrive with Ginny crying and Harry unconscious in her arms with the pain that the curse inflicted still on his face.
Molly Weasley and Hermione immediately ran over and tried to revive Harry, but were near tears themselves when they couldn't get him to wake. She turned to a listless Ron and asked, "What happened to Harry?" Ron tonelessly explained what occurred at Privet Drive as Bill and Charlie picked up Harry to lay him on the couch. Hermione started hugging a sobbing Ginny and crying herself on hearing how Harry was attacked.
Fred and George ran to the fireplace in the kitchen and threw Camilla powder into the fire, before they yelled, "Albus Dumbledore." The fire turned green as Albus Dumbledore's head appeared with a "pop" in the fireplace. "Misters Fred and George Weasley what can I do for you on this fine summer day?" questioned Professor Dumbledore with his usual twinkle in his eyes. "Professor you have to come to the Burrow immediately with Madam Pomfrey. Harry was attacked by a Death Eater using the Cruciatus Curse and he won't wake up!" said George urgently as a great look of fear came over Fred's face.
The twinkle in Dumbledore's eyes went out quickly after hearing this disturbing news as he stated, "We will be there momentarily! Please try and calm everybody down." Dumbledore's head disappeared from the fire as Fred and George returned to the living room letting everybody know that the Headmaster and Nurse Pomfrey would be here soon. Mrs. Weasley had tears falling down her face as she thought, "Who could do this to such a sweet boy." Hermione was crying into Ron's shoulder at not being able to help her friend and Ron had unshed tears in his eyes as he looked at his best friend. Bill and Charlie were trying to get a sobbing Ginny to calm down, but it wasn't helping. Ginny wouldn't let go of Harry's hand as she sat next to him and anybody who tried to get her to let go were met with a sad, but determined look.
A few minutes later Professor Dumbledore and Madam Pomfrey arrived through the back door. The nurse rushed over and went to work right away on Harry trying to determine any injuries. She looked up and spoke quickly, "Harry is physically alright except for a few cuts and bruises, but he is in a coma and there isn't much that can be done, except to pray that he wakes soon." There were gasp from the men at Harry's condition, but the women just started sobbing more at this news. "I would like to move him to the hospital wing of the school if that is fine with you Albus." continued Pomfrey.
Dumbledore just nodded his head sadly at the request. Madam Pomfrey turned and stated, "Wingardium Leviosa!" to levitate Harry, but dropped her wand in shock as a golden aura surrounded Harry's body and shielded him from the spell. When she backed off from Harry the shield went dimmer, but as she came closer to try and levitate him again the aura became brighter. The Weasleys and Hermione were stunned at what was happening to Harry. The Headmaster was stroking his beard as he saw all of this, while some of the twinkle came back to his eyes he said, "Very interesting. I don't think that we will move him to the infirmary, since even in a come, it looks like Harry doesn't want to leave the Burrow."
Everybody was contemplating what the shield was as a beautiful white phoenix with silver tipped wings flew through the open window and landed above Harry on top of the couch. The phoenix sadly trilled down towards her friend and looked up at Dumbledore as she telepathically asked, * "What happened to my master and friend Harry?" * Dumbledore thought-spoke back, * "Harry was attacked by a evil wizard and he is in a coma." * The professor turned to the rest of the people in the room, who were in complete shock at the appearance of the phoenix, and said, "Apparently this is Harry's phoenix. I don't know how this came to be, but hopefully he will wake soon and let us all know what has been happening with him this summer."
After Professor Dumbledore and Madam Pomfrey left, Author Weasley returned home and spat, "The Death Eater was Walden Macnair from the Ministry. The whole place is in an uproar that they had a Death Eater in their midst, but Fudge still claims that You-Know-Who hasn't returned and that it was an isolated incident." After everybody settled down from this news or the stupidity of Fudge, Bill and Charlie carefully picked up Harry and brought him to Percy's old room, since he had moved out to a flat in Diagon Alley. This was to become Harry's room whenever he was over as a surprise for his arrival.
Ginny pulled a chair up from the desk in the room. She was holding his left hand, but had tears coming down her face with a hollow, lonely look in her eyes as she gazed at the boy that meant more to her than anything. Ginny only left for food and other necessities during the next few days, but wouldn't leave his side otherwise.
A/N: I would like to thank everybody for the kind reviews and will try and get the chapters out faster. Also to the answer one of the questions I received in a review, I have read a number of fan-fictions and may have come up with some ideas from them, but have not copied anybody's story. I wouldn't do that, because I like the stories my own insanity comes up with. Until the next chapter, I hope you like this.