The Dursleys finally pulled up at 4,Privet Drive later that day. Petunia saw something that would give her and her gossiping bitch neighbours something to talk about all summer, Harry thought. At the opposite end of the street, someone was moving into the "insert name"'s house, as a lodger. The "insert name"'s usually took a lodger in over the summer. Usually it was some builder who was working on the many motorways around the area. But, as Harry and the Durselys got out of the car, it wasnt the usual scruffy, loner type of man, but a girl. Harrys case was thrown onto the floor by Vernon and he and Dudley scurried into the house, Vernon with a protective arm around Petunia, but she tried to slow down to get a look at the girl that was moving in. Vernon pressed the button on his remote control key, the car bleeped and they went inside the house. Petunia was soon at the window, her bony face peeping around the curtain. Harry, however, had a perfect view. The girl was carrying a black bag slung over her shoulders, some black, low cut jeans and a red tight tee-shirt. Her hair was a bright red, and Harry suspected she had used one of those hair dyes that you see in Muggle shops. He liked it. The red shone through the brown, reflecting at every angle. She flicked her hair over her shoulder, and turned to look at him. Harry felt a bolt of pain go through his scar as her dark brown eyes locked onto his green ones, then a slight tingling, which was, suprisingly pleasant, like a tickling feeling. She visibly flinched and broke eye contact, and pulled her hair away from her face, tying it loosely in a bobble. Harry reddened in the face and looked away, embarassed, picked up his case and walked inside. Harry was suddenly very pissed at himself for staring at some girl when Sirius was - He swallowed and walked inside the house, wondering how he was going to cope with going back the Order of the Phoenixs HQ. Petunia stood in the kitchen, tapping on the worktop and looking at him. Her mouth was slightly pinched and Harry could tell that she wanted to ask him questions about the girl. Harry thought, Go ahead, give me a reason to explode and I will...like Id tell you anything, you bitter old bitch. There was a stony silence between the two and Harry stood there, defiant, looking at her. "Well? You gonna say something or am I just gonna have to stand here all day?" Harry asked her. Petunia clenched her lips even tighter, and said "The girl. Is she one of YOUR LOT? I saw you staring, like you recognised her." Harry grinned, simply shrugged and put his hand in his pocket, whistled a tune and walked casually up the stairs with his case in his right hand. He knew that silence and not answering her question would piss her off more, because he had neither denied or asserted that she was ONE OF HIS LOT, she so subtley put it. Harry knew she wasnt, she looked around his age, maybe a little older and he has never saw her at Hogwarts. Yet the pain..but that could have just been Voldermort. Harry flung his case down, determined to learn Occlumency before he got lead into another trap and someone else he loved died because HE LOVES PLAYING THE HERO, again, as Hermione so subtley put it. And that was what got Sirius killed. No, Kreacher was what got Sirius killed. Harry decided he was going to torture that fucking stupid house elf until it was insane, then cut off its head and stick it on the wall. Just like Sirius had threatend to do. Except the CRUCIO part of it. Harry laughed at the memory of Sirius saying "...of course, he could have crawled into the attic and died, but I musnt get my hopes up". Harry heard him saying it like it was yesterday, like Sirius was stood right next to him, and Harry saw everything, heard it echoing over and over in his head...Harry remembered Hermiones shocked expression, Rons laughter...then he remembered Hermione getting hit with a curse, almost dying, Ron having a brain trying to kill him, and Sirius, being the usual him, all cocky "thats the best you got?" Harry had almost laughed, until that Lestrange BITCH had hit him, and he had fallen through the Archway of the Dead, smile still on his face, light still in his eyes...Harry wasnt sure whether it was the curse that had killed him, or the fall through the archway...Harry snapped out of the flashbacks and found that his face was extremely wet from the tears. He wiped at his tears, thinking that he was weak for crying, and Sirius would hate that...Harry kicked his case and let out a roar, knocking his case across the floor, and stood there, angry as ever...

_________________________________________________ ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~PART 2~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --

The girl sat across from Dumbledore, vaguely resembling the beautiful young girl she had been. Mostly due to the dust and dirt on her, from sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall for the past 16 years, staring ahead of her. Personally, he thought it extremely creepy, and when he brought Remus Lupin to see her, just after the First War had ended, and then almost every month after that, they both saw no change in her. The girl was itching to ask Dumbledore questions, this he could tell, but she was just trying to find the words, and the strength to ask them, both physically and mentally.

She looked up at Dumbledore, too shocked, hollow, drained and numb to even start to speak. She just looked at him. Dead? Sirius? Lestrange? Voldermort? Harry Potter? Snape? Wormtail? Lupin?.....The thoughts, names, images whirled round and around her head, and she just wanted to shut them all off, shut everyone out and recline deep into herself like she had years ago for so many years. But at the same time, she desperately wanted answers, revenge, and she knew that she had to keep herself grounded, and not float away. She slowly licked her lips, a good sign that she was still very much human, mused Dumbledore. She brought herself out of her thoughts, and also so did the sound of the door creaking open.

The audible gasp was followed by him rushing around to the side of Dumbledore, openly staring and shocked at the girl. The girls eyes opened wide, and a grin cracked across her dirty, dusty, hollow, battleworn face. "Moony" she rasped. "Oh my god.." Lupin rushed over and embraced the girl, holding her tight. The girl took a gasp of breath, shocked at the affection, and closed her eyes, not moving. Lupin hesitated, almost drew back, and then the girl threw her arms around him and held him close, pulled him down and wouldnt let go of him. Lupin put his hands around her back and held her tight. Dumbledore smiled thinly, this had had the effect he was hoping for. An old face would keep her grounded. Moony was exactly how she had remembered, only older, slightly grey haired, but he still had the kind of hollow appearance that he had since Hogwarts. She was one of the few people who knew what he was. WHO, she had corrected him, not WHAT, makes you sound like an animal, a thing, ya know? its WHO you are. This had comforted him somewhat, and he had always been struck by how mature and bright, not to mention powerful the girl was, to say she was 5 years younger than Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs. He smiled warmly, remembering that they had thought she was just yet another girl who had a crush on Sirius, till something that happened made them all think otherwise.....