Chapter 6 - The Diary
Picking up a quill, Harry opened the diary.
~Hello?~ he wrote.
The reply came back to him in beautiful green script. ~Hello! Who is this?~
Wondering if he should trust the diary, he wrote back ~Is this Lily Potter?~ This COULD be just another plot on his life, this time trying to get to him through his mother.
As his words faded into the page, the reply surfaced. ~Yes, this is. Are you Harry?~
~Yes...~
~Harry! OH! My baby. I suppose this means your father and I have died? You've found the trunk.~
~Mum! It's really you?~ He knew he probably shouldn't trust this book, but he wanted to. He wanted nothing more than to be talking to his mother. Or at least a memory of her. ~Mum...What did you call me when I was a baby?~
~Bambi, of course! You just remind me so much of James. Why? No one knows though. Do you still remember?~
~No, well, yes. Sort of. I had a dream. I just wanted to make sure this wasn't a trick by Voldemort. I figured Death Eaters wouldn't bother to put that information into it even if they had known.~ He was relived. Whether they liked it or not, he was going to trust this book. He was quite aware if any of the Order knew, they would berate him for being so stupid, and take the book away, but he didn't care. This was his MOTHER.
~Voldemort? The bastard's still around then?~ Her writing was jerky. Immediately after those words faded away, more letters took their place. ~Sorry, Harry, I shouldn't swear. I just thought he'd be gone. Dumb huh?~
~Mum, I'm nearly 17. I've heard worse you know. And he was gone. For nearly 14 years. He only came back in my fourth year. Using my blood too.~
~WHAT? Your blood? What are you talking about?~ The writing took almost a worried tone. Harry knew this was his mother. No one else could be that concerned.
~Uh...Yeah...I wasn't the greatest night of my life.~ 'Wow,' he though sarcastically, 'I guess I've learned the fine art of understatement.' He smirked slightly, and thought, 'You know something's wrong when you're sarcastic towards your self.'
~You met him? In your FOURTH year?~ Harry winced. His mother was getting slightly angry.
~Well, actually I met him in first year...~ Ooh, he shouldn't have told her that. Well, it was too late now he figured.
~What? Didn't you say he only came back in your fourth year?~
~Yes. It's a long story.~
~Tell me, young man!~
So, Harry started recounting his adventures from first year. His mother stayed silent throughout. It was a lot to absorb, he though. When he finally got to the end of sixth year, he stopped.
~Harry, oh Harry!~ Looking at the page, he noticed the book was slightly wet. The book was crying.
~It's okay, Mum. I'm fine now.~ He tried in vain to comfort her.
~But you're so young. When I was in seventh year all I had to worry about were the NEWT's. You have a Dark Lord chasing after you. I'm sorry I can't protect you.~
~Mum, you DID protect me. You're what stopped him from killing me as a baby.~
~I know, but I want to protect you now!~
~Enough people protect me now. I do need to kill of Voldemort for them, don't I? Anyway, do you mind if I go to sleep now? It's nearly 2 AM. I'll talk to you first thing tomorrow morning.~
~Of course dear! It's not healthy to stay up this late you know. You need your sleep.~
~Yes, Mum~ wrote Harry amused. ~Goodnight.~
~Goodnight! Sweet dreams Bambi. I love you.~
~I love you too Mum.~
And with this Harry closed the diary and crawled into bed. Brushing away his tears, he fell into a peaceful sleep.
****
The next morning, Harry woke with a jolt. The memories from last night came flooding back. The trunk. The books, the pictures, the 7-key trunk. The diary. His mother. He could talk to her. Scrambling out of bed, he reached for it. Then he noticed all the other things from the trunk lying around and decided to clean it up just in case his aunt or uncle came in. He gathered everything up and dumped it back into the trunk it came in.
Suddenly he had a better idea. Expanding the 7-key trunk, he dropped both his mother's trunk in and his school trunk into the Apartment compartment. He would arrange it later. Eagerly, he opened the diary and started to write.
~Mum?~
~Harry! Did you sleep well?~
~Yes, Mum,~ scribbled Harry. It filled him with warmth to have his mother fussing over him, even only a memory of her.
~So, what else is happening in your life? You know, besides fighting Dark Lords?~ 'Ah,' Harry though. 'So that was where I got my sarcastic streak.'
~I'm going into seventh year, at Hogwarts obviously. My best friends are Ginny, Ron and Hermione. And Tonks, Remus and Sirius too I guess. I'm on the Quiddich team for Gryffindor. Seeker.~
~Wow, Harry! Your father was on the team too. However he was a chaser. So what NEWT's are you taking? Any special girl I should know about?~ Lily was bursting with questions. She wanted to know everything about her son.
~Well, I'm taking NEWT Defence Against the Dark Arts, NEWT Potions, NEWT Charms, NEWT Transfiguration and Healing.~
~You got into Healing? Well done! That course requires really high OWL's. I'm so proud of you Harry! But you still didn't answer my other question...~
He had been hoping she'd forget about that. ~Ah...Well...No. Not really. Well, I have a crush on this one girl but I don't want to ask her out because we have a great friendship and I don't want to ruin that.~
~Harry, relationships that come from friendships are often the best kind. You already know her, so there's no awkwardness. But you'll get to know her better.~
~I know. I guess I just have to get the courage to ask her.~
~Where's that Gryffindor courage? Or does that only apply for evil wizards out to kill you?~ The writing had a teasing look to it.
~Well girls are more scary than Voldemort!~
~HARRY! I'M a girl remember??~
~Sorry Mum. But Dad must have felt this nervous when asking you out too.~
~James?~ came the amused reply. ~No, not in the slightest. Nor Sirius. They both thought they were god's gift to women when they were younger.~
~Right~ wrote Harry uneasily. He remembered the scene in Snape's pensive in fifth year. ~Well I guess I'm not like them then.~
~I guess you're not. I'm quite glad to tell you the truth. James and Sirius were insufferable until their seventh year. They became better after that.~
~Oh.~ Harry didn't know what to say. Luckily, at that moment Hedwig flew through the window. ~Mum, I've got to go. My owl just got back with some letters and if I don't reply quickly, they'll think something's wrong. Can't think why... I want to explore that cool trunk after so I'll be back later today. Bye!~
~Sure Harry. Have fun with that! But come back before you go into the last compartment. I don't want you to get stuck in there!~
~Alright Mum. Bye!~
~Why would they be worried about you? Couldn't you be busy? And if they're that worried can't they floo Sirius?~
'Oh shit!' thought Harry. 'I guess she doesn't know I live with the Dursley's.' He closed the diary pretended he didn't see that last sentence. He didn't feel like tell her the entire story right now. His mind was still reeling from the first hand information that his mother thought Sirius and James were prats.
He got up and walked over to the window. "Hey girl. How was your flight? There's water and food in you cage if you want it."
Hedwig hooted, dropped his letters and flew over to the cage. Picking up the letters, Harry noticed there were only two. One from Sirius, and one from Ginny. Picking up Ginny's he started to read.
'Dear Harry,
I'm glad your okay and the Dursley's aren't being too bad. I'm
doing okay too. I don't really want to talk about it, but thank
you for your suggestion about talking to Tonks, and your
concern. It means a lot to me. And I may talk to her if I need to.
I don't really have anyone to talk to here.
I've been asking but no one will tell me when you can leave the
Dursley's. Dumbledore just says when it's safe. Honestly. It's
just as safe here as it is there. There's a Fidelius Charm over this
place. And he's the bloody Secret Keeper. No Death Eater is
going to find this place. I'm thinking of asking Tonks to take me
when she goes to visit you next. Would you mind if I did? I've
got no one to talk to here. Ron and Hermione are constantly snogging.
Nothing much has been going on here. Well I've been listening
in on Order meetings with Fred or George whenever they're
home. Dumbledore doesn't know you've mastered
Occlumency. Death Eaters have been pretty quiet. All in all,
nothing much. Anything interesting happen to you? Oh, and
if you wait 5 minutes after reading this, the words will disappear,
and if you write back on this, no one but the two of us can read it.
At the Headquarters they can't detect Underage Magic.
Love,
Ginny
P.S - I'll keep asking about you coming here!'
Harry looked up from the letter. He was glad she was feeling better. Slightly annoyed that Ron and Hermione were ignoring her he put the letter to a side to wait for the words to vanish. While waiting he opened the letter from Sirius.
'Harry,
How are you? I'm fine. Yes, I am at the Headquarters,
but for how long, I don't know. It's been pretty quiet
in the Wizarding World lately. Fudge is still an idiot.
Stay at Privet Drive and don't get into trouble!
Dumbledore will tell you when it's safe to leave.
Try to get your homework done so you can have
fun when you leave.
Sirius.'
The letter was so short Harry didn't know what to think. All it said was to stay out of trouble. You would think he went looking for trouble. Finally, he decided that Sirius probably had other things on his mind. After all, he couldn't be expected to think of Harry all the time.
He wrote and equally brief letter to Sirius, and turned back to Ginny's letter. It was blank, so Harry wrote his reply. He told her he would be quite happy if she came to talk to him with Tonks, and told her all about the trunk he had found. He promised to show it to her when they met. Setting these letters to one side to send off when Hedwig had rested, he looked out the window.
The sun was still high in the sky, indicating it was early afternoon. Checking the clock, he realized it was one o'clock. After eating a quick sandwich for lunch, he climbed into the Apartment compartment of his trunk. Looking around he decided to set it up like a proper Apartment. He could live here instead of that horrible room. Of course, he couldn't stay here all the time because Tonks wouldn't know where he was, and if by some miracle, he was allowed out, his aunt or uncle wouldn't be able to find him.
First, he unpacked his mother's trunk. Setting all the books on the bookshelf in the corner of the sitting room, his mind wandered. Finally, hanging up the TrenchRobe, in the closet, and displaying the pictures around the room, all that was left from that trunk was the rings and the diary. Leaving them both in a bedside drawer, he unpacked his school trunk. Decided that he could use this trunk as his only trunk from now on, since it could be shrunk, and because it would be nice to have a proper home for once.
Harry spent the rest of the day completing one of his Charms assignments, occasionally stopping to talk to Lily, either to ask her for information or just to get to know her better. Finally, he fell asleep in his bed, dimly realizing that this was probably the most comfortable bed he had ever slept in.
****
Upon awakening the next morning, Harry leapt out of bed. Tonks and Ginny were coming today! After quickly getting dressed, Harry made himself breakfast, making sure to make a little extra in case Tonks and Ginny came early. He was glad he did, because no sooner had he climbed out of the trunk, he heard a 'POP' behind him. Glad he was fully clothed this time, Harry turned around.
Today, Tonks had long flaming red hair, and chocolaty brown eyes. She could easily have been mistaken for a Weasley, especially with Ginny standing beside her. Harry grinned.
"Nymphet!" he cried, giving her a hug. "Glad you came." Turning to the other redhead, he said, "Hey Angel! Dumbledore let you come!" An unidentifiable emotion passed across Ginny's features before she smiled.
"Well, Dumbledore doesn't really know I'm here. He wasn't around to ask."
"Oh. Well thanks for coming, both of you! And I've got so much to show you!" Harry walked over to the trunk and opened the first compartment. Motioning them to come inside, he explained about finding his mother's trunk. He didn't know why, but he didn't tell either of them about the diary.
After a grand tour of the Apartment, Harry led two slightly shocked girls to the sitting room. Offering them both a drink, he sat down to talk to them.
"So...What do you think?"
"It's amazing Harry!" exclaimed Ginny. "An entire living area in a trunk. I've heard of expansion charms but this is huge!"
Tonks made a noise that seemed to indicate agreement.
"There are other compartments too," said Harry. "There's a library, a garden, a duelling room, a potions laboratory, and even a Room of Requirement. I can show you them later if you want." He decided to wait to tell them about the last room. He wanted to discover how to use it first.
The three of them sat around and talked about everything, and nothing. Harry noticed Ginny was strangely quiet, but didn't say anything. Suddenly, Tonks turned to him and said "Harry, does Ginny know Occlumency?"
Harry nodded, slightly confused. "We both learnt it last year. I taught her everything Dumbledore taught me, and we learned it together when he didn't."
"Good. Now if I tell you something I want you to promise not to repeat it, even to Ron and Hermione, and not to do ANYTHING about it, at least without first talking to me. Alright?"
Both teenagers nodded quickly. "I promise" they said in unison.
Tonks looked at them, and started to tell them about Voldemort. She told them about how he had been strangely quiet, which had worried the order. In fact, the only attack had been on a family in the order. Here, she looked at Harry, who refused to meet her eyes. The attack was still fresh in his mind.
She told them about the Order's activities. She also told them that Dumbledore didn't think Harry should be told anything since he hadn't been able to learn how to block Voldemort from accessing his mind. Finally she stopped.
Harry stared at her open-mouthed. "You're going to catch flies," she teased.
"Why did you tell us? I though Order Members were supposed to keep this a secret from us?" asked Harry.
"We are. However, I don't think we should. You are both involved in this war whether you like it or not. I believe you when you say you can block Voldemort, and that was Dumbledore's main argument for keeping out away from this. And you both trusted me with your secrets, so I trust you. I know you both are aware what foolish and badly planned actions can cause, and that you won't do anything without first talking to me or another Order member."
Ginny regained her powers of speech. "Thank you for tell us, Tonks. It's been driving me crazy not knowing anything, and not having anyone to talk to. Thanks."
They talked for the rest of the evening about lighter subjects, strengthening the bond between them. Harry showed them the other compartments, and eventually they left. He flopped down on his bed feeling happy yet disappointed at the same time.
***************************************************
A/N: Sorry about the delay. New semester just started in school and I've been pretty busy.
athenakitty - Sirius feels guilty about not writing to Harry. The trunk isn't refillable, it just had a charm on it to recognize Harry so that no one else could open it. Therefore everything was invisible until the trunk determined it was Harry opening it. About Harry getting new powers, he probably won't. I don't want him to be all powerful, and he's already quite powerful. Wandless magic and everything. He already knows about Ron and Hermione. They were together during his sixth year at school.
dolphingirl79 - Ooh! Someone new is reading my story! YAY! I think Harry and Ginny make a good couple too. They understand what the other is going through.
Ms.Marvel - Thank you, thank you. ::smiles::
Silvercrystal77 - The diary's going to have more importance in the next chapter. I just wanted to introduce it here. Thank you!
Lilo - Yeah I think the trunk is pretty cool too. Too bad we don't live in that world. ::sigh::
Picking up a quill, Harry opened the diary.
~Hello?~ he wrote.
The reply came back to him in beautiful green script. ~Hello! Who is this?~
Wondering if he should trust the diary, he wrote back ~Is this Lily Potter?~ This COULD be just another plot on his life, this time trying to get to him through his mother.
As his words faded into the page, the reply surfaced. ~Yes, this is. Are you Harry?~
~Yes...~
~Harry! OH! My baby. I suppose this means your father and I have died? You've found the trunk.~
~Mum! It's really you?~ He knew he probably shouldn't trust this book, but he wanted to. He wanted nothing more than to be talking to his mother. Or at least a memory of her. ~Mum...What did you call me when I was a baby?~
~Bambi, of course! You just remind me so much of James. Why? No one knows though. Do you still remember?~
~No, well, yes. Sort of. I had a dream. I just wanted to make sure this wasn't a trick by Voldemort. I figured Death Eaters wouldn't bother to put that information into it even if they had known.~ He was relived. Whether they liked it or not, he was going to trust this book. He was quite aware if any of the Order knew, they would berate him for being so stupid, and take the book away, but he didn't care. This was his MOTHER.
~Voldemort? The bastard's still around then?~ Her writing was jerky. Immediately after those words faded away, more letters took their place. ~Sorry, Harry, I shouldn't swear. I just thought he'd be gone. Dumb huh?~
~Mum, I'm nearly 17. I've heard worse you know. And he was gone. For nearly 14 years. He only came back in my fourth year. Using my blood too.~
~WHAT? Your blood? What are you talking about?~ The writing took almost a worried tone. Harry knew this was his mother. No one else could be that concerned.
~Uh...Yeah...I wasn't the greatest night of my life.~ 'Wow,' he though sarcastically, 'I guess I've learned the fine art of understatement.' He smirked slightly, and thought, 'You know something's wrong when you're sarcastic towards your self.'
~You met him? In your FOURTH year?~ Harry winced. His mother was getting slightly angry.
~Well, actually I met him in first year...~ Ooh, he shouldn't have told her that. Well, it was too late now he figured.
~What? Didn't you say he only came back in your fourth year?~
~Yes. It's a long story.~
~Tell me, young man!~
So, Harry started recounting his adventures from first year. His mother stayed silent throughout. It was a lot to absorb, he though. When he finally got to the end of sixth year, he stopped.
~Harry, oh Harry!~ Looking at the page, he noticed the book was slightly wet. The book was crying.
~It's okay, Mum. I'm fine now.~ He tried in vain to comfort her.
~But you're so young. When I was in seventh year all I had to worry about were the NEWT's. You have a Dark Lord chasing after you. I'm sorry I can't protect you.~
~Mum, you DID protect me. You're what stopped him from killing me as a baby.~
~I know, but I want to protect you now!~
~Enough people protect me now. I do need to kill of Voldemort for them, don't I? Anyway, do you mind if I go to sleep now? It's nearly 2 AM. I'll talk to you first thing tomorrow morning.~
~Of course dear! It's not healthy to stay up this late you know. You need your sleep.~
~Yes, Mum~ wrote Harry amused. ~Goodnight.~
~Goodnight! Sweet dreams Bambi. I love you.~
~I love you too Mum.~
And with this Harry closed the diary and crawled into bed. Brushing away his tears, he fell into a peaceful sleep.
****
The next morning, Harry woke with a jolt. The memories from last night came flooding back. The trunk. The books, the pictures, the 7-key trunk. The diary. His mother. He could talk to her. Scrambling out of bed, he reached for it. Then he noticed all the other things from the trunk lying around and decided to clean it up just in case his aunt or uncle came in. He gathered everything up and dumped it back into the trunk it came in.
Suddenly he had a better idea. Expanding the 7-key trunk, he dropped both his mother's trunk in and his school trunk into the Apartment compartment. He would arrange it later. Eagerly, he opened the diary and started to write.
~Mum?~
~Harry! Did you sleep well?~
~Yes, Mum,~ scribbled Harry. It filled him with warmth to have his mother fussing over him, even only a memory of her.
~So, what else is happening in your life? You know, besides fighting Dark Lords?~ 'Ah,' Harry though. 'So that was where I got my sarcastic streak.'
~I'm going into seventh year, at Hogwarts obviously. My best friends are Ginny, Ron and Hermione. And Tonks, Remus and Sirius too I guess. I'm on the Quiddich team for Gryffindor. Seeker.~
~Wow, Harry! Your father was on the team too. However he was a chaser. So what NEWT's are you taking? Any special girl I should know about?~ Lily was bursting with questions. She wanted to know everything about her son.
~Well, I'm taking NEWT Defence Against the Dark Arts, NEWT Potions, NEWT Charms, NEWT Transfiguration and Healing.~
~You got into Healing? Well done! That course requires really high OWL's. I'm so proud of you Harry! But you still didn't answer my other question...~
He had been hoping she'd forget about that. ~Ah...Well...No. Not really. Well, I have a crush on this one girl but I don't want to ask her out because we have a great friendship and I don't want to ruin that.~
~Harry, relationships that come from friendships are often the best kind. You already know her, so there's no awkwardness. But you'll get to know her better.~
~I know. I guess I just have to get the courage to ask her.~
~Where's that Gryffindor courage? Or does that only apply for evil wizards out to kill you?~ The writing had a teasing look to it.
~Well girls are more scary than Voldemort!~
~HARRY! I'M a girl remember??~
~Sorry Mum. But Dad must have felt this nervous when asking you out too.~
~James?~ came the amused reply. ~No, not in the slightest. Nor Sirius. They both thought they were god's gift to women when they were younger.~
~Right~ wrote Harry uneasily. He remembered the scene in Snape's pensive in fifth year. ~Well I guess I'm not like them then.~
~I guess you're not. I'm quite glad to tell you the truth. James and Sirius were insufferable until their seventh year. They became better after that.~
~Oh.~ Harry didn't know what to say. Luckily, at that moment Hedwig flew through the window. ~Mum, I've got to go. My owl just got back with some letters and if I don't reply quickly, they'll think something's wrong. Can't think why... I want to explore that cool trunk after so I'll be back later today. Bye!~
~Sure Harry. Have fun with that! But come back before you go into the last compartment. I don't want you to get stuck in there!~
~Alright Mum. Bye!~
~Why would they be worried about you? Couldn't you be busy? And if they're that worried can't they floo Sirius?~
'Oh shit!' thought Harry. 'I guess she doesn't know I live with the Dursley's.' He closed the diary pretended he didn't see that last sentence. He didn't feel like tell her the entire story right now. His mind was still reeling from the first hand information that his mother thought Sirius and James were prats.
He got up and walked over to the window. "Hey girl. How was your flight? There's water and food in you cage if you want it."
Hedwig hooted, dropped his letters and flew over to the cage. Picking up the letters, Harry noticed there were only two. One from Sirius, and one from Ginny. Picking up Ginny's he started to read.
'Dear Harry,
I'm glad your okay and the Dursley's aren't being too bad. I'm
doing okay too. I don't really want to talk about it, but thank
you for your suggestion about talking to Tonks, and your
concern. It means a lot to me. And I may talk to her if I need to.
I don't really have anyone to talk to here.
I've been asking but no one will tell me when you can leave the
Dursley's. Dumbledore just says when it's safe. Honestly. It's
just as safe here as it is there. There's a Fidelius Charm over this
place. And he's the bloody Secret Keeper. No Death Eater is
going to find this place. I'm thinking of asking Tonks to take me
when she goes to visit you next. Would you mind if I did? I've
got no one to talk to here. Ron and Hermione are constantly snogging.
Nothing much has been going on here. Well I've been listening
in on Order meetings with Fred or George whenever they're
home. Dumbledore doesn't know you've mastered
Occlumency. Death Eaters have been pretty quiet. All in all,
nothing much. Anything interesting happen to you? Oh, and
if you wait 5 minutes after reading this, the words will disappear,
and if you write back on this, no one but the two of us can read it.
At the Headquarters they can't detect Underage Magic.
Love,
Ginny
P.S - I'll keep asking about you coming here!'
Harry looked up from the letter. He was glad she was feeling better. Slightly annoyed that Ron and Hermione were ignoring her he put the letter to a side to wait for the words to vanish. While waiting he opened the letter from Sirius.
'Harry,
How are you? I'm fine. Yes, I am at the Headquarters,
but for how long, I don't know. It's been pretty quiet
in the Wizarding World lately. Fudge is still an idiot.
Stay at Privet Drive and don't get into trouble!
Dumbledore will tell you when it's safe to leave.
Try to get your homework done so you can have
fun when you leave.
Sirius.'
The letter was so short Harry didn't know what to think. All it said was to stay out of trouble. You would think he went looking for trouble. Finally, he decided that Sirius probably had other things on his mind. After all, he couldn't be expected to think of Harry all the time.
He wrote and equally brief letter to Sirius, and turned back to Ginny's letter. It was blank, so Harry wrote his reply. He told her he would be quite happy if she came to talk to him with Tonks, and told her all about the trunk he had found. He promised to show it to her when they met. Setting these letters to one side to send off when Hedwig had rested, he looked out the window.
The sun was still high in the sky, indicating it was early afternoon. Checking the clock, he realized it was one o'clock. After eating a quick sandwich for lunch, he climbed into the Apartment compartment of his trunk. Looking around he decided to set it up like a proper Apartment. He could live here instead of that horrible room. Of course, he couldn't stay here all the time because Tonks wouldn't know where he was, and if by some miracle, he was allowed out, his aunt or uncle wouldn't be able to find him.
First, he unpacked his mother's trunk. Setting all the books on the bookshelf in the corner of the sitting room, his mind wandered. Finally, hanging up the TrenchRobe, in the closet, and displaying the pictures around the room, all that was left from that trunk was the rings and the diary. Leaving them both in a bedside drawer, he unpacked his school trunk. Decided that he could use this trunk as his only trunk from now on, since it could be shrunk, and because it would be nice to have a proper home for once.
Harry spent the rest of the day completing one of his Charms assignments, occasionally stopping to talk to Lily, either to ask her for information or just to get to know her better. Finally, he fell asleep in his bed, dimly realizing that this was probably the most comfortable bed he had ever slept in.
****
Upon awakening the next morning, Harry leapt out of bed. Tonks and Ginny were coming today! After quickly getting dressed, Harry made himself breakfast, making sure to make a little extra in case Tonks and Ginny came early. He was glad he did, because no sooner had he climbed out of the trunk, he heard a 'POP' behind him. Glad he was fully clothed this time, Harry turned around.
Today, Tonks had long flaming red hair, and chocolaty brown eyes. She could easily have been mistaken for a Weasley, especially with Ginny standing beside her. Harry grinned.
"Nymphet!" he cried, giving her a hug. "Glad you came." Turning to the other redhead, he said, "Hey Angel! Dumbledore let you come!" An unidentifiable emotion passed across Ginny's features before she smiled.
"Well, Dumbledore doesn't really know I'm here. He wasn't around to ask."
"Oh. Well thanks for coming, both of you! And I've got so much to show you!" Harry walked over to the trunk and opened the first compartment. Motioning them to come inside, he explained about finding his mother's trunk. He didn't know why, but he didn't tell either of them about the diary.
After a grand tour of the Apartment, Harry led two slightly shocked girls to the sitting room. Offering them both a drink, he sat down to talk to them.
"So...What do you think?"
"It's amazing Harry!" exclaimed Ginny. "An entire living area in a trunk. I've heard of expansion charms but this is huge!"
Tonks made a noise that seemed to indicate agreement.
"There are other compartments too," said Harry. "There's a library, a garden, a duelling room, a potions laboratory, and even a Room of Requirement. I can show you them later if you want." He decided to wait to tell them about the last room. He wanted to discover how to use it first.
The three of them sat around and talked about everything, and nothing. Harry noticed Ginny was strangely quiet, but didn't say anything. Suddenly, Tonks turned to him and said "Harry, does Ginny know Occlumency?"
Harry nodded, slightly confused. "We both learnt it last year. I taught her everything Dumbledore taught me, and we learned it together when he didn't."
"Good. Now if I tell you something I want you to promise not to repeat it, even to Ron and Hermione, and not to do ANYTHING about it, at least without first talking to me. Alright?"
Both teenagers nodded quickly. "I promise" they said in unison.
Tonks looked at them, and started to tell them about Voldemort. She told them about how he had been strangely quiet, which had worried the order. In fact, the only attack had been on a family in the order. Here, she looked at Harry, who refused to meet her eyes. The attack was still fresh in his mind.
She told them about the Order's activities. She also told them that Dumbledore didn't think Harry should be told anything since he hadn't been able to learn how to block Voldemort from accessing his mind. Finally she stopped.
Harry stared at her open-mouthed. "You're going to catch flies," she teased.
"Why did you tell us? I though Order Members were supposed to keep this a secret from us?" asked Harry.
"We are. However, I don't think we should. You are both involved in this war whether you like it or not. I believe you when you say you can block Voldemort, and that was Dumbledore's main argument for keeping out away from this. And you both trusted me with your secrets, so I trust you. I know you both are aware what foolish and badly planned actions can cause, and that you won't do anything without first talking to me or another Order member."
Ginny regained her powers of speech. "Thank you for tell us, Tonks. It's been driving me crazy not knowing anything, and not having anyone to talk to. Thanks."
They talked for the rest of the evening about lighter subjects, strengthening the bond between them. Harry showed them the other compartments, and eventually they left. He flopped down on his bed feeling happy yet disappointed at the same time.
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A/N: Sorry about the delay. New semester just started in school and I've been pretty busy.
athenakitty - Sirius feels guilty about not writing to Harry. The trunk isn't refillable, it just had a charm on it to recognize Harry so that no one else could open it. Therefore everything was invisible until the trunk determined it was Harry opening it. About Harry getting new powers, he probably won't. I don't want him to be all powerful, and he's already quite powerful. Wandless magic and everything. He already knows about Ron and Hermione. They were together during his sixth year at school.
dolphingirl79 - Ooh! Someone new is reading my story! YAY! I think Harry and Ginny make a good couple too. They understand what the other is going through.
Ms.Marvel - Thank you, thank you. ::smiles::
Silvercrystal77 - The diary's going to have more importance in the next chapter. I just wanted to introduce it here. Thank you!
Lilo - Yeah I think the trunk is pretty cool too. Too bad we don't live in that world. ::sigh::