Harry Potter and the Legacy of Slytherin

Chapter 4

Questions & Quidditch

As soon as Harry got out of the car, he was enveloped in one of the most massive hugs he had ever known. Harry wasn't used to being hugged, having had no real family for most of his life. In fact, he could think of only three people who had ever hugged him; his friend, Hermione Granger, his Godfather, Sirius Black, and the woman who was hugging him now, with enough vigour to leave Harry short of breath.

Eventually, Molly Weasley, Ron's mother, let Harry go, and advanced on her son, allowing Harry to reclaim his breath. At the door leading into the house, a torrent of red-haired children started to erupt onto the garden, wanting to greet their friend. At the front were Fred and George, who seemed to be just as boisterous as ever. Their identical, freckly faces wore their trademark wide grins, and their eyes, as ever, were glittering with mischief.

In the wake of the Weasley twins, two of the three older Weasley brothers were visible, their lankier frames distinguishable from the two strong beaters. They walked with more care and calm than their excited siblings, but they still made for Harry at a considerable pace. Bill was the most distinctive, with his long flame-coloured ponytail flapping in the wind, and his single golden earring reflecting the light from the afternoon sun. He walked just behind the twins, his long, powerful strides covering the ground of the front garden easily.

Percy walked beside Bill, almost in stride with him, but the two could not be more different. Percy's paler, gingery hair looked more like Ron's, and was cropped very short, giving him a severe look. This, added to his glasses and studious bearing, made him look more suited to life behind desk than in the outdoors. Despite all this, he kept pace with his older brother easily, without having to run to keep up.

Looking behind Bill, Harry could see a young girl, almost hiding behind Bill's back. This was Ginny, the youngest of the Weasley children. Her hair was the same fiery red as Bill's, and her eyes twinkled with the same life as Fred's and George's did, although even at this distance, you could see a kinder, gentler side to the look on her face. She seemed to be deliberately keeping her brothers between her and Harry, and her shyness reminded Harry of the hospital wing at the end of the last term at Hogwarts, when she had been the only Weasley not by his bedside.

Normally, this memory would make Harry draw into himself, pulling back into a shell of misery and despair. But it is very hard to be unhappy when a crowd of your best friends are all around you. Before long, Fred, George and Ron were dragging Harry into the house, with two bemused Weasley parents following after, holding a trunk, broomstick and empty cage between them. As soon as they all entered the house, Harry and Ron took Harry's things to Ron's room, which was still an orange-hued shrine to the Chudley Cannons, Ron's favourite Quidditch team.

Ron helped Harry to unpack his things, but Ron seemed to be distracted, as if there was something on his mind. Harry had a fair idea what it was, but decided not to say anything. He had been hoping to come to the Burrow, the same as most summers, and have fun with the Weasleys, without having to talk about what had happened last summer. Finally, all Harry's things were packed away, but Ron made no move to leave the room yet.

"So, what do you want to do first?" asked Ron, looking at Harry almost as if he was expecting him to disappear at any moment.

"I don't know... Just as long as it doesn't involve Potions homework or chores!" Harry laughed, trying not to notice the look on his friend's face.

Ron laughed, although it was a very thin, watery laugh. Then he asked another question. The one Harry had been dreading for some time.

"Harry... I have to ask... What happened that night? What happened when... when..." Ron faltered, not knowing how to phrase his question.

"...when Cedric died?" Harry completed for him. He couldn't look at Ron, so he looked away, out of the window.

"Yeah."

"Sit down. This could take a while," Harry started, almost tearfully, "and please don't let me stop..." Then Harry started to tell Ron everything that had happened that night. He told him about helping Cedric stop Krum, and about suggesting they take the TriWizard Cup together. He told him about seeing Cedric killed so carelessly. He told him about having his blood taken as part of Voldemort's return, and the duel the two of them fought.

But the worst part, as it always had been, was what came next. What came after the duel. Seeing the images of Cedric, and his parents. Hearing their voices. Afterwards, Harry couldn't even tell how it had happened, but he had moved from standing by the window, to hunched on the floor, with his head buried in his arms. For a long time, both Harry and Ron just sat there, neither of them sure what to say. Eventually, it was Ron who broke the silence.

"I can see why you didn't want to tell me about it..." Ron said, sounding like he was unsure of what he was saying.

"No... I'm glad I did. And I'm glad you asked." Harry replied, finally looking up at Ron. His eyes were red, and he had obviously been crying.

"I should have been there, you know... To help you." Ron looked almost guilty as he forced the words out.

"You couldn't have been. Just look what happened to Cedric. If that had been you-"

"Don't." Ron cut Harry off in mid-sentence, to save Harry from voicing what neither of them wanted to hear. Silence fell over them both again for a few moments, until Harry spoke again.

"I could do with something to take my mind off all this now..." Harry mumbled.

"Yeah... Me too. Quidditch?" Ron suggested, and Harry nodded his assent, glad of any diversion from the thoughts going through his head.

After composing themselves, Ron and Harry collected their broomsticks, found Fred, George and Bill, and went out to the paddock where a great deal of every summer was spent playing Quidditch, with trees all around to hide them from any Muggles who might be watching. Some of the trees had been charmed to grow into a shape similar to goalposts, and Bill owned an old, battered Quaffle, which was enough to play a simple, timed game of Quidditch.

Percy and Ginny decided not to play, but they both came down to the paddock to watch the game, which soon got quite competitive. Ron, Bill and Harry should have won easily against Fred and George, but the twins always seemed to know exactly what the other was doing, and this understanding made them hard to beat. Before long, all five players were involved in a game as fiercely contested as any of the Inter-house matches at Hogwarts, although in a much friendlier atmosphere.

The intense competition helped Harry to take his mind off the conversation he and Ron had been having a short while ago, and soon Harry was caught up in the thrill of flying, which he had missed immensely while he was at the Dursley's. Once one game was declared over, another started, and then another, until the sun was starting to set over the horizon, and Mrs Weasley finally called everyone inside for an extremely welcome meal.

When Harry and the Weasleys got into the kitchen, they found a massive meal had been prepared for them, including a massive steak pie, large dishes of roast potatoes, peas, carrots, and a colossal fruit cake for dessert. Everybody enjoyed the meal immensely, especially those who had been playing Quidditch, but Ron seemed strangely subdued throughout the meal, and Harry wondered what could be on his friend's mind.

Once the meal was finished, everyone sat in the front room and listened to music on the Wizarding Wireless, even Percy. Fred and George told rowdy, unsubtle jokes, while Ron and Percy took turns to dance with Ginny to the music. At one point, Harry had a short dance with a very red-faced Ginny, who tripped over her feet at least twice, and ended the dance being picked up from the floor. Harry had so much fun, he almost managed to forget everything that was troubling him, and the Weasleys seemed to be doing everything they could to take his mind off it too.

Eventually, it became very late, and the children started to drift off to bed. Ginny and Percy went first, and then Ron started yawning, which Harry took as an unspoken sign that it was time for bed. After saying goodnight to Fred and George, they both went into Ron's room, dropping their broomsticks in the corner, and both started to get ready for bed. However, just when he and Harry were getting into their beds, Ron decided to give voice to what had been troubling him earlier.

"Harry..." Ron started, almost too quiet to hear.

"Yes?" Harry urged.

"What do you think will happen? With You-Know-Who? Do you think we'll be able to stop him?" The question seemed to hang in the air, weighing them both down.

At first, Harry couldn't reply. He'd been asking himself the same question every day ever since Cedric had died. It had become consuming, almost like an obsession. It was the first thing he thought about in the morning, and the last thing he thought about at night. Every time he'd pondered this question, his mind just span around in dizzying, confusing circles, until the sheer thought exhausted him. How could he know what to say?

Then, Harry realised something. Something that Ron had said, probably without meaning to. Will we be able to stop him. It was a simple word, but it was enough. It told Harry all he needed to know. In all the time he had thought about Voldemort's return, he had worried about his part in it. About the burden Voldemort's return placed on him. But Ron had just told him one thing; it may be his burden, but he would not have to bear it alone. And that made it easier to remember another piece of advice.

"What's coming will come, I suppose... And we'll meet it when it does. Just like always." Harry said, in a quiet voice. Ron just nodded in reply, and then said a simple goodnight before preparing to go to sleep. With the conversation over, Harry turned over and fell asleep, feeling better than he had done in a very long time.


Disclaimer: At the time of writing, I own 2312 pens (Mostly broken), 476 boring brochures, 33 empty sweet wrappers, 5 sherbet lemons and 3 empty coke cans. However, I admit I don't own Harry Potter, so you can't even sue me for what little I have!


Well, this chapter took a lot longer than it should have, because of my real life interfering again... Must get that removed somehow... This chapter was originally longer, but a lot of it has been moved to Chapter 5, so that's about half done already. Chapter 5 will see the return of Hedwig, Harry's birthday, and some interesting presents...

I have more reviews! :) So, thanks to seventeens stalker, Snidgey and bucky, and especially The Jolly Dollar, who hasn't quite given up on me... (At least, I hope not...) As usual, any reviews for this chapter will be very welcome...