AN: Here's my responses to your wonderful reviews:
a reader: I told you it was someone important!
blackenedsoul: thank you!
Lux-soap: Your name confuses me, but thanks!
When Harry and Lupin and Tonks all got downstairs, Harry asked, "So how are we getting there this time?"
Moody replied sardonically, "Well apparently, the others didn't care for going by broomstick so this time we are going by portkey."
Uncle Vernon jubilantly said,"Good riddance to bad rubbish!"
Harry glared at him. "Don't miss me when I'm gone, you pathetic excuse of a flobberworm."
Uncle Vernon wasn't sure how insulted he should be. Dudley called out to Harry "Just get out, you son of a ---"
Moody quickly raised his wand again, "Don't say it, or you won't live to regret it!"
Aunt Petunia screamed and grabbed Dudley to prevent him from maybe receiving another pig's tail.
"Don't worry," Lupin said, "Mad Eye won't do anything too permanent. Besides, he's so ugly we couldn't curse him even if we wanted to."
With the insults out of the way, Moody brought out a salt shaker and told everyone to touch it in the count of three.
"1--2--3--"
Harry felt the familiar pull on his stomach, and then Tonks and Lupin crashed against him as they whipped to number 12, Grimmauld Place, London.
He looked around and everything looked the same on the outside as before. He thought of Number 12, Grimmauld Place, and it instantly appeared between numbers 11 and 13, pushing them out of the way. Having seen this before he wasn't surprised.
Lupin tapped on the door as before and they stepped inside. Instantly Kreacher wandered up to him.
"Well, the Potter boy still lives, I see." Under his breath, pretending that Harry couldn't hear him, he mumbled, "Too bad, too bad, the little putrid ball of slime, what would my mistress say about that,"
"Yeah, good to see you too." Harry grumbled back at him.
Still muttering to himself, Kreacher went over to Sirius's mother's portrait and flung the curtains apart, and then the screaching began.
"What are these slimy, filthy half-breeds doing in my father's house! Get out! I'll not stand for this---"
Quickly Moody and Lupin ran over pushing Kreacher out of the way and pulled the curtains shut.
Harry said, "Are Ron and the Weasleys here too? How about Hermione?"
Lupin looked a little uncomfortable. "Well, no. They are going to Albus' funeral tomorrow, so maybe you'll see them soon."
Harry started to fume again. "I suppose I won't be allowed to go?!"
"Uhh---that's right" replied Lupin, trying to stop Harry from getting more angry. "We knew you'd want to go, but the new Head of the Order didn't think you should."
"Oh, is that so?! I suppose he's got my best interests at heart!"
Suddenly, the screaming in the hall began again, "Insignificant worms, and traitors to the Dark Lord, get out of my father's house---"
"Harry! Calm down, you know yelling gets that old hag started again!"
Again there was quiet as the painting was covered up.
Harry tried to control his anger by closing his eyes, but all he could see in his mind was the picture of Dumbledore lying dead on the bed.
More calmly he said, "Who is the new Head of the Order, anyway?"
Lupin replied, even more quietly than before. "Ahh, you will meet him soon enough, but right now let's get your stuff into your room."
Getting more furious, Harry snarled, " Who is he?"
Lupin just looked at him and shook his head, "It's always about you isn't Harry? Just accept that you will find out soon enough!"
"Fine, if you won't tell me, I'll find someone who will!"
"Harry, nobody will say because we were told you would be informed all in good time."
Harry tried a different tactic, "I thought you were my friend."
Lupin just looked at him, and shook his head again at Harry's belligerency. "Harry Potter, you must learn control, or you won't grow up to avenge your parents or Sirius. Albus had great faith in you. Don't throw it away by losing your temper all the time. Now is the time to grieve for our great friend and mentor. I suggest you do that. Think of how Dumbledore would keep his cool at all times. Even when under great pressure, he wouldn't lose it like you do. You must keep a clear head at all times. If you're mad all the time, you will fall apart, and be of no use to anyone, especially at this time of great fear for what Voldemort might do.
Later, in bed, Harry thought about what Lupin said, and realized he was correct. He was losing his temper all the time now. Harry thought it had something to do with his connection to Voldemort. He thought that Voldemort would love for him to get all bitter and defeated. All that much easier for him to win!
That night Harry had a dream that Albus Dumbledore was still alive, and was talking to him about how to defeat the evil dark wizard. The Professor was telling him to just say please go away, and that was all it would take. Harry just stared at him, not believing for a second that that would work.
"You must trust me, Harry," the dream Dumbledore told him. Harry just looked at him increduously, and replied " You are dead, Professor. Your advice wouldn't work if you were alive, so just go away unless you have some real good ideas."
The dream Dumbledore looked at him sadly, and faded away, to be replaced by a horrible nightmare of Harry seeing everybody, including Ron and Hermione, dying. They were looking at him as if it was his fault. Hermione who was glaring at him pointed her finger, and said," This.. is..your..doing...Harry...You ...should...have...listened...
The look in Ron's eyes were telling him the same thing, and Harry awoke with a bloodcurdling scream.
Harry fumbled for his glasses and knocked the table lamp onto the floor. Shaking all over with sweat filming his forehead, he got out of bed, and fell to the floor. The door opened and Tonks ran in with her wand out, thinking that Harry had been attacked in his sleep.
Stepping on the glass from the lamp, she yelped in pain, then tripped over Harry, who was trying to get up.
"What is going on in there?!" somebody called from outside the door.
Tonks was howling in pain from slicing her foot, while Harry's scar felt like it would split his head in two.
The voice outside the door called out to somebody downstairs to send for Lupin or Moody. Then suddenly the light was on in the room, and another member of the Order came in. "Tonks! What happened? Are you okay? What can I do to help?"
The man got out his wand, pointed it at the lamp and said "Reparo". The lamp proceeded to come back together. Moody finally came limping in , took one look around, and said to Harry, "Tell me, my boy, what happened?"
The pain from his scar was beginning to fade, so Harry was more lucid now. "I had a nightmare that seemed so real, I wonder if I do have the Eye of a Seer."
The other member, by the name of Elphias Doge, had helped Tonks up and onto the bed where he proceeded to mend her wound.
Tonks said miserably, "I heard him scream, as I was guarding his door, but I forgot to get some light and I stepped on the broken glass from the lamp, and then tripped over him."
Moody just looked at her and chuckled.
"It's not funny Alastor!" she said indignantly.
"Right, right, if you say so. Well, Harry, what was this dream about?" Moody said kind of bored like.
"It was a dream about everybody, including Ron and Hermione, dying. They were accusing me of being at fault."
"Well, I can see where that would be upsetting, but I'm sure it's because of all the stress you've been under this last year." Moody replied with a look of disinterest on his gnarled face.
"You don't think it is anything, do you? You think that I just have vivid dreams? Well this one was so real, especially the part about Professor Dumbledore---".
"Professor Dumbledore?" interrupted Mad Eye, "You didn't mention that."
"I just remembered!"
"What did he say?"
"I don't really remember, but it was some really dumb idea".Harry recalled.
Moody looked at him thoughtfully, " If you remember, mention it to Remus or myself."
"Yeah, sure" Harry said, wondering what the sudden change in Moody's interest was about.
"Get back to bed now. Maybe you'll dream again about Dumbledore", Mad Eye said.
Wondering what Mad Eye's interest in the part about the Professor was, it took Harry a long time to fall back asleep. Suddenly it was morning, and Tonks was calling him down for breakfast.
Harry pulled some clothes on, and came down to the kitchen.
Sitting at the table looking as greasy as ever was Professor Snape. Harry was a bit surprised to see him there.
"What are you doing here?" Harry said irritably.
"Have a care, Potter! You don't want to upset me, seeing as I am the new Head of the Order of the Phoenix!
AN: Sorry, cliffhanger! Oh well...
--Demented Rick