Chapter 15: Forgotten Dreams

"Wormtail, you fool! Can you do nothing right! You have failed me yet again," Voldemort spoke coldly. "

"I'm sorry master," said the groveling death eater at his lord's feet.

"Sorry doesn't fix anything," hissed the snakelike voice, "Crucio."

 Finally he released the curse and Wormtail lay shaking before him.

"Never mind now; Even with your incompetence I have come up with another task, one which you will not fail. We intercepted an owl to the mudblood Granger. She will be returning to her muggle parents in two days. Kill her parents as you like and bring me Granger alive. If we're lucky he'll kill himself before we even have to attempt to breach the wards. How long did that fool Dumbledore expect to keep the location a secret anyway. We'll show the Wizarding World how easy it is to break Harry Potter."

~*~

 Harry woke with a start to feel a cold rag pressed to his scar. His head was pounding and he blinked a few times before his vision improved slightly, though he was still nearly blind without his glasses. He heard the voice of Molly Weasley and soon found himself gulping water greedily. After being handed his glasses he was able to see that the whole household was gathered around him worriedly. He groaned and let his head fall back down to the bed.

"Sorry to wake you," he said feebly and was quickly admonished by Mrs. Weasley for suggesting that he was of any inconvenience.

"Harry..." said Hermione, "Was it one of- you know."

"Yes Hermione," sighed Harry as he tried to recollect the dream. "It was one of those." He could remember Voldemort cursing Wormtail and then-

He didn't remember.

He buried his head in his hands again. It wasn't that he enjoyed the dreams, no far from it. But these could be the key to saving lives if he heard Voldemort's plan. What scared him more was that he knew he was blocking it somehow subconsciously. And that must mean it was particularly nasty,

As well as most likely vital.

 The Weasleys comforted him and suggested that maybe it would come back to him later. But what if that was too late? He didn't want to consider what could happen to some innocent person. Eventually he was coerced into a sleeping potion, not dreamless though as they could become addictive. He could only hope that there was no more activity tonight. He didn't think his aching head could take anymore.

 Harry and Ron awoke the next morning, or rather afternoon after having a bit of a lie in before walking downstairs to the kitchen and grabbing some muffins from the counter. They spent much of the rest of the day playing chess. Harry saw nothing of Hermione or Ginny and assumed the two were off doing whatever it was that girls did together. It was not in his nature to question some of the more intricate mysteries of life. Who knew what those two did when he and Ron weren't around. His thoughts returned to the chessboard as Ron won yet another game.

"Checkmate," said his friend with a grin.

 Finally the day was dwindling to a close and Mrs. Weasley called everyone to dinner.  Harry watched Ginny enter the kitchen and was surprised that Hermione wasn't with her. He waited a few more minutes and when she still hadn't come down asked Ginny about it.

"Didn't you know?" asked Ginny curiously. "Or perhaps in all the commotion she forgot to tell you. She didn't want to wake you this morning. She had to go back to her house."

 Harry jumped from the table and everyone watched as he ran up the stairs. He had to get to Hermione. He couldn't let her be taken, or lose her family. One orphan was quite enough per trio. There was no way he could lose her. He quickly grabbed his wand, cloak, and Firebolt and as an afterthought Hedwig for a guide. After all, he'd never been to her house before. By the time he'd reached the front lawn again they were all running out after him inquiring what exactly he was up to.

"The dream," he said. "I remembered it. Voldemort's going after Hermione."

And at that he kicked off from the ground before any of them had a chance to stop him.

~*~

Harry had been flying at top speed on his Firebolt for only a few minutes but to him it seemed like hours. Questions poured through his head as the wind whipped his face. What if he wasn't on time? What if she died first? Would her family have to suffer cruciatus?  He had no idea exactly how he was going to stop a group of fully trained (not to mention evil) adult wizards. But there was no way in hell that he wouldn't try. He knew already that he'd give himself without hesitation before letting anyone he cared about die. They didn't deserve it. All they'd ever done was to befriend him and that was exactly why Voldemort wanted to kill them. Finally he saw what must be her house, the name Granger hung on a sign from an ornately crafted iron mailbox post that was designed to look like vines covered in roses. He flew lower down towards a kitchen window and gulped as he saw two death eaters standing there. Further along he could see Hermione sitting just in the next room with her parents on the couch. He didn't want to give them anymore time to advance and finally decided to take action.

"Stupefy," he muttered focusing his wand through the open window. Unfortunately the other death eater managed to duck the second spell he sent. The thud of his partner against the floor had given him a fair warning. The death eater whirled around the kitchen and Harry was thankful once again for the invisibility cloak. By now the Granger's had been attracted to the kitchen and were running in.

 Mr. Granger was about to advance on the man and Mrs. Granger was standing protectively in front of her daughter, not allowing Hermione to step out. Harry watched in horror as he stepped through the window when he heard the beginning of the last two words Mr. Granger was likely to hear.

"Avada Ke-"

 Harry dived without thinking in an attempt to bowl Mr. Granger over but at the last minute it seemed he would be hit instead. He braced himself for the last but then watched in shock as the beam of green light veered and hit a kitchen light instead. The death eater lay on the floor and he turned to see Hermione shaking and holding out her wand. The only thing he could think of was 'Thank God.'

 It was not long however before another terror descended upon them. It was in the form of a pack of volatile Weasleys. The parents entered first and when they signaled that there was no danger the children followed. As they entered they were alternating between saying how grateful they were that everyone was okay and how stupid it had been of Harry to run off like that. Mr. Weasley managed to bind the death eaters and said he expected that Dumbledore would arrive soon. He was not wrong and Dumbledore appeared with a pop in the kitchen where Harry was sitting with his friends and the shell-shocked Granger's. (He honestly didn't know how Mrs. Weasley did it but she had already made herself at home in the kitchen, gotten them tea, and comforted the distressed Anne Granger.)

 Harry gave a quick recounting of the events as Dumbledore walked over to the death eaters. Dumbledore added some more complex binding charms.

"Oh my," said Dumbledore, as he peaked under a mask. "I daresay you'll want a look at this one Harry." As Dumbledore pulled away the mans hood Harry choked and sputtered on his tea spewing half of it onto the table.

"It looks like Sirius might just get his trial after all," said the man with the twinkling blue eyes.

'Not too bad of a night considering how it could have ended up,' thought Harry, 'Not too bad at all.'

And then he slumped into his chair, completely exhausted.