Disclaimer:  Don't own, didn't create, and don't take credit of HP.

Chapter Six: Learning To Cope

Ron and Hermione looked overly shocked to Harry as he looked at their faces.  He had been expecting this since the return of Voldemort.  Even Dumbledore had said it was inevitable: The dementors would join forces with Voldemort.  There was no other way around it.  Yes, Harry was slightly worried, but not as terrified as Ron and Hermione apparently thought he should be, because their looks of fear turned to shock and indignation at the fact that Harry had barely flinched.  He shrugged at them and headed for the room.  His anger toward them had gone, and even happiness had reached him slightly, but now, with the sudden news of Azkaban, Harry felt what little happiness he had slowly ebbing away leaving nothing left but a thick film of sadness.

"I knew there was something up, what with the adults swarming around nervously and all like they were!"  Ron said with an expression as though he had finally seen the light through the thick of things.  Hermione still remained silent, lost in thought.  Harry was about to ask her what she was thinking when a familiar voice called up to them.

"Ron, Harry, Hermione!  Come along now, dears!  Dinner's ready!"  Mrs. Weasley's voice echoed up to them from the bottom of the stairs.

The second they walked into the kitchen, the immediate tension could be felt in the air.  It was so dense; Harry felt he could have cut through it.  Mr. Weasley was unfortunately missing from the table as were Tonks and Mundungus…and Sirius…. Harry felt as though he'd swallowed a brick of ice.  He had to turn his eyes away from the table quickly.  He didn't know how he was supposed to make it through this dinner, how he was supposed to stay in this house.  What did they expect of him?  Harry felt the anger rising in him again.  He wanted to yell at every one of them. To ask them how they could stand it.  Harry just couldn't take it in.  To do so, he would go mad.  Mad with anger, with rage and hatred.  All that had been pent up since the death of Sirius would come out.  And he did not want this.  He did not want to show them his weakness.

"Harry…Are you ok, mate?  You look a bit…off color…." 

"Yeah, I'm fine." Harry lied. 

"Come on then, you three, sit down." Mrs. Weasley said placing a large bowl of potatoes on the table beside a cauldron of soup.  Harry grabbed a seat between Lupin and Ron and choked back a smile.  Ron, who had been sitting next to Mad-Eye, was now the one who was looking peaky. 

"You alright, boy?" Moody said to him in his gruff voice.

"Er-Yeah…" Ron replied not making eye contact.  Apparently, while of view of Moody from far away was definitely not pleasing to the eye, a view of him up close was just nauseating.

"Good.  Pass me the potatoes then, will you?" Moody said stretching a snarled hand across Ron to reach the potatoes Harry was handing him.  Ron bent back dangerously in his chair and fell with a thud to the floor.  Lupin and Mad-Eye grabbed him by both arms and pulled him back up. 

"Alright there, Ron?"  Lupin said patting him on the back. 

"Yeah….S-sorry, my chair must have a-a faulty leg…." Ron said quite unconvincingly.  Harry repressed a snort.  Ron looked at him indignantly.   "Shuddup, how would you like to trade seats, then?  You sit next to him!" Harry tried to put on and innocent face.  This time it was Ron who snorted with stifled laughter. 

They sat and ate their dinner, all of them tight for conversation.  Harry couldn't take the silence anymore.

"So- that's why I'm here is it?  The dementors have turned loose?" 

All of the adults looked shocked.  A stunned and heavy silence took hold of the room, and then Lupin spoke.

"Yes, Harry, the dementors no longer are on our side as of this evening." 

"And things are no longer safe?" Ron asked.

"Ron, things will never be safe, never until Voldemort has come to his grave." Bill answered with a slight note of despair in his voice.

At that, Harry looked down.  Memories of the Prophecy echoed in his thoughts.  It was up to him, Harry, to send Voldemort to his grave, or die trying.  Either way, he must end up a murderer, or end his life a victim.  He would choose the earlier choice, if he could….But fighting Voldemort was such an immeasurable weight on his chest that he could not bear to think about it just now. 

"I-I know…" he said quietly.   

The next week went on quickly.  Harry didn't have much time to think, which he was glad about.  Mrs. Weasley had put him, Ron, and Hermione to work cooking and doing odd deeds around the house.

"Hey...where's Kreacher?" Harry asked suddenly remembering Kreacher as he carried rats to feed Buckbeak.  His hatred for Kreacher was strong.  It had been Kreacher who played a great part in Sirius's death.  Harry was actually shocked that he hadn't remembered Kreacher earlier. 

"Well, after Sirius died, there was no one left for Kreacher to obey.  He mumbled around the house for a few weeks according to Lupin, after that he got sick, real sick, and died.  Can't say that's a bad thing though." Ron said opening the door to Buckbeak's room. 

Harry agreed with Ron.  He was glad Kreacher was dead.  There was no telling what he would have done if he'd have seen him walking around the house one day.  Probably have kicked the little git, Harry thought nastily.  Hermione was the only one to look sorry at Kreacher's death.

"So, you feel sorry for him, do you?" Harry asked feeling his temper rising.

"Well, I can't say that I liked him, but you have to feel bad for him, I mean…he lived a hard life…."

"He caused Sirius' death!" Harry said outraged.

"I know…but if Sirius would have treated hi-"

"DON'T YOU TALK ABOUT SIRIUS!!" Harry yelled.  He didn't even realize he had stopped walking and dropped the pile of rats until a voice called up.

"Everything ok, you three?" Mrs. Weasley called up. 

"N-no, everything's ok, Mrs. Weasley…." Harry said glaring at Hermione, picking up the rat bag and entered Buckbeak's room. 

Harry got along with Hermione better the next few weeks and by the time the Hogwarts letters came, he was on good terms with her once again.

"I've got your letters here, dears.  I'll go to Diagon Alley today to get you you're books." She said poking her head through the door and handing them the envelopes.   Harry was feeling happier as he read the letter.  He would be leaving this house soon.

Author's note:  Longest Chapter yet.  Sorry took so long and it's not that good.  I've been moving.  Just moved into a new house and my computer doesn't have the internet hooked up or anything right now.  And this computer that I'm using obviously isn't mine.  I'll try to update again when I can.