A/N: Wow...not exactly anything to say this time. That is unusual...Hahaha.
Well, guess all I can say is the usual read and review please!
Chapter Five
It had been two weeks since Harry's sixth year at Hogwarts had ended. He was spending a blissful Dursley- free summer at the Burrow with the Weasley family. He even found the time to explain to Mr. Dursley the function of a rubber duck ("Fascinating, Harry! Truly fascinating!"), and show the rest of the family the proper way to use the telephone. They seemed just as easily fascinated with these ordinary objects as Harry did with the many aspects of the wizarding world.
This day, Luna and Hermione were supposed to come to the burrow for a visit. Neville, the only other new Marauder not currently at the Burrow, had written Harry and Ron to tell them about his summer vacation to Romania ("...To visit a d...d...dragon colony..."). Harry and Ron were tossing dung bombs at the kitchen door when Mrs. Weasley announced Hermione and Luna's arrival.
"Hey, Harry! It's been, what? Two weeks!" Luna smiled. She wrapped him in a hug. "Wow! Living at Hogwarts is neat! Been kind of bored though, without the rest of you around to get into trouble with." She admitted.
"You can't tell me you've been looking for trouble, can you?" Ginny smirked.
"Nope. No time. I've spent almost the entire past two weeks exploring Hogsmeade. It's so neat!" she jumped up and down.
"How could you get bored of Hogsmeade?" Ron asked, as if she were some type of criminal.
Luna stomped her foot. "Well, when you have to go all by yourself, it gets kind of old after a while." She defended herself.
"Your Hogwarts letters are here! Hermione's and Luna's have come as well!" Mrs. Weasley called from the kitchen. "Ron! Ron! You're Head Boy!" she screamed. "I can't believe it!"
"She nearly died when I made Prefect," Ron explained to Luna.
"It can't be that surprising," Luna shrugged. "You're not that bad."
"Mum thinks I take after Fred and George too much," Ron admitted.
Hermione smiled, and kissed him on the cheek. "I don't think you take after anyone too much," she whispered. "If you did, I would've been bored of you by now."
Ron blushed until his skin color matched his flaming red hair. "That sounds mean, but I know to take it as a compliment," he said after a few moments.
Hermione was shocked to find out that Ron wasn't the only one that got a surprise with his Hogwarts letter. She had made Head Girl ("Like that's a surprise!" Harry had groaned almost immediately).
That night, Hermione and Luna camped out in the Weasley's living room with Ginny, and Harry and Ron slept in what was now Ron's own room. Harry was tormented by his dreams. First, it was his parents. Then Sirius. Then, the Marauders and Luna. It was happening again. The Dark Lord Voldemort was trying to play tricks with his mind. He wasn't sure what to think anymore. He tossed and turned through the night, seeing it all over and over again. His parents. Sirius. Ron. Hermione. Ginny. Neville...and Luna...over and over, with nothing he could do. "No!" he screamed. "What did they do? Leave them alone! It's me you want, damn it!"
Someone was shaking him, hard. "No! Don't kill them!" Harry screamed. The shaking continued. Finally, he jolted awake. His face stung. Someone had slapped him.
"Harry, you were having nightmares again," Luna sighed, "I didn't want to slap you, but you were starting to scare Mrs. Weasley. She's downstairs hitting Mr. Weasley over top his head with her oven mitt..."
"Huh? Why?" Harry slowly sat up, and yawned. "What did he do this time?"
"You haven't seen the Daily Prophet for this morning yet, have you?" she whispered. "You'll see."
"What is it?" Harry wondered aloud. He stretched before he stood up. "Luna, where's the paper at?"
Luna shrugged. "Downstairs. Mrs. Weasley threw it out her window when she read it this morning. Hermione told me about it. Nearly hit her and Ron square in the head. They were," she cleared her throat, "they were, err...in the garden, you know..."
Harry laughed. "For crying out loud, Luna! You act as if the whole thing is a big hush-hush secret between them."
"Might as well be!" yelped Luna, narrowly avoiding squishing the cat as she made her way quickly downstairs. She lowered her voice to a whisper. "You know, besides Ginny, and maybe Fred and George, I don't think the rest of the Weasley family knows anything about it..."
"About what?" asked Mrs. Weasley, causing Luna to jump several feet in the air and giggle uncontrollably.
"Nothing...Mrs. Weasley," Harry smiled. "Where's the Daily Prophet at?"
Mrs. Weasley grumbled something under her breath, and pointed out her kitchen window. Harry sighed, and headed in that direction. Once outside, he noticed Hermione and Ron, hiding in the begonias, and lip locked once again.
He smiled as he found the Daily Prophet. "If you don't tell them, I certainly will. This is getting too amusing for words..." he whispered to the couple before he went inside.
He took a seat next to Luna at the breakfast table. Ron and Hermione came in a few minutes later, claiming they had been attacked by one of the garden gnomes. Harry and Luna nearly snorted into their milk. Harry was already scanning the paper, but he didn't see much of interest.
"...The front page, you genius..." Luna whispered.
"But I didn't see any..." Harry began, but stopped. He hadn't actually read the front page. He had learned in his fifth year that this could be a very futile practice. He went back to the beginning. There it was. 'Ministry Worker Arthur Weasley and the Order of the Phoenix: Details on page 3!'.
"What did you do, Mr. Weasley?" Harry couldn't help but laugh a little bit. After all, Mrs. Weasley's face was dangerously close to the ghastly shade of purple his uncle's face usually was.
"Dumbledore came by, you see. Wanted me to go on assignment for him." Mr. Weasley was whispering as if every person inside the house didn't already know about the Order. "Well, Mundungus Fletcher was there with Tonks- drunk, I expect..." He paused. "And he just let it rip. 'Doing some business for the Order of the Phoenix, Arthur? Going to go kick you some death eater ass, are you Arthur?' It was horrible. The whole office heard him..." Mr. Weasley groaned. "I wanted to hex him. Dumbledore sure got out of there pretty quick..."
Ron shoved another corn flake into his mouth. "Well, are you? Going on assignment, I mean?"
"Can't go now. The entire Ministry thinks they know what I'm up to. It'd be too suspicious."
"Can we change to a happier subject?" Hermione smiled hopefully. She was no doubt remembering their fifth year at Hogwarts, when they had found out that Mr. Weasley had nearly been killed while doing 'business' for the Order.
"I've got something I'd like to share..." Harry shot Ron and Hermione a sly look.
Mrs. Weasley looked interested. "What is it, Harry dear?"
"Well, it's about Ron and Hermione. You see, they are quite the item at school nowadays..." Harry smiled and dodged a flying muffin from Ron's side of the table.
"So are you and Luna!" He hissed accusingly, turning a brighter red than his own hair color.
Luna laughed. "Daily Prophet already caught us," she reminded the entire table.
Mrs. Weasley blinked. "Ron? Hermione? Is this true?"
"Yes, Mrs. Weasley," Hermione whispered, embarrassed.
"It's wonderful news!" Mr. Weasley stood and wrapped both Ron and Hermione in so tight a hug that they were nearly asphyxiated. "Wonderful! Absolutely splendid!"
Hermione looked slightly shocked. Ron remained the bright red color he had turned when Harry first told his parents, but looked rather relieved. Ginny was unnaturally quiet, and was watching to see what Ron and Hermione might do next. Mrs. Weasley glanced around the entire table.
She smiled. "So, my boys are growing up..." she choked back a small sob. She was looking at Ron and Harry with big, motherly googly-eyes. "Harry and Luna, Ron and Hermione..." she said their names as if she had suddenly had a brilliant idea. "I should bake you a cake!"
"See what you've done?" Ron groaned. "She got like this when she found out about Percy and Penelope," he whispered.
"Think of it this way," said Harry, barely able to contain his laughter. "At least now when you want to suck Hermione's face off, you won't have to hide in your mother's begonia bushes!" Luna seemed to think this was hilarious as well.
Later that day, the Weasley family, Harry, Hermione, and Luna headed to Diagon Alley. They got all of their school supplies, and decided to spend the rest of the summer staying in Diagon Alley at the Three Broomsticks.
Harry didn't evade his nightmares here, either. They actually seemed to get worse. His parents, dead. Sirius...as if he wanted to see that again. Then, at Hogwarts. He watched each one of his closest friends, each one of the Marauders, die before his eyes. Luna was always the last to go, no matter where his dreams seemed to take him.
He awoke in a cold sweat. He'd expected to see the entire Weasley clan, or at least someone, staring at him as he woke, but no one was there. Maybe he hadn't been screaming? He had thought he might have been. He frowned, walked over to the desk in his room, found some parchment, and began to scribble out a note to Lupin.
Dear Lupin, Hey, sorry to write like this. I know school doesn't start for a couple weeks, but I had to tell you. Well, you were right about Luna. I'm sure you saw the Daily Prophet? Oh, who am I kidding? The real reason I am writing you is because of the nightmares. They only get worse. I'm afraid it'll end up like fifth year. You remember, don't you? Mr. Weasley...and, Sirius...What if it happens again? What should I do? I am at a loss...
Harry
He looked the letter over several times before he finally handed it to Hedwig. "Take this letter to Lupin, understand? And hurry back. Thanks, Hedwig." He told her.
"Harry! Hurry up, Harry! Everyone has left already!" Luna was hollering for him from downstairs.
"Why didn't anyone wake me?" he asked when he finally joined her.
She smiled. "I was going to, but you looked so cute while you were sleeping. I didn't want to disturb you..."
He kissed her. This one was longer than the others, and more passionate. A definite fireworks starter. He didn't know why...but then again why should he have a reason? He loved this girl, did he not? Love? Oh, now he had gone and done it. He was thinking too much. His head was starting to hurt. His brow furrowed, and Luna couldn't help but laugh.
"You're doing it again!" She pointed. "Come on. Let's hurry and meet up with the Weasley's before they leave us here...or before you hurt yourself..." she added playfully.
They were outside now. It was one of those perfect days. Not too hot, but not too cold either. The kind of day that only happens every once in a blue moon. The streets of Diagon Alley were crowded with Hogwarts students buying school supplies, and many different witches and wizards from all over the world. Harry and Luna began to scan the crowd for the bright red hair that would lead them to the Weasley family.
"I don't see them? Do you?" Luna was asking him, but he wasn't paying attention. The pain in his scar had suddenly seared to new heights. It was nearly blinding him.
"Harry, are you all right?" Luna asked, a worried expression on her face.
They heard screams. Harry ran in the direction of the commotion. Luna followed him to where a crowd had started to gather in the middle of the street. He couldn't see, so he began to push through them in hopes of seeing what had happened.
He gasped. In the middle of the street lay not Mr. Weasley, not Mrs. Weasley, but Hermione Granger. Luna screamed and dropped to her knees beside Hermione. She was still alive. Harry hadn't seen what had hit her, nor who, but the anger swelled in him.
Luna held Hermione. The two seemed to be talking all right, but Hermione was still bleeding. Harry looked around, but oddly enough, didn't see any of the Weasley family anywhere.
"Hermione? Can you hear me? Where are Ron and the others?" Harry asked, a note of panic in his voice.
"Went after him..." Hermione groaned.
Harry was puzzled. "Who, Hermione? The person who did this to you? Who was it, Hermione?" he demanded.
"Malfoy..." she frowned.
Now Harry was really confused. "Hermione, but Mr. Malfoy is in jail. Remember? He tried to kill us fifth year..."
"Not that one!" Hermione seemed annoyed at his sudden thickness. "It was Draco..."
Harry would have taken off just as the Weasley's had done after Draco, had it not been for Albus Dumbledore's sudden appearance. Dumbledore carefully picked Hermione up, motioning for Luna and Harry to follow him. On their way back into the Three Broomsticks, Dumbledore stopped to whisper something to the inn keeper Tom, and then had Harry and Luna follow him into a back room. He pointed to a vase.
"It's a portkey," he explained. "It will take us directly from here to St. Mungo's. Grab on. I've already told Tom where we were headed, so the Weasley family will know where to go..."
Harry and Luna nodded, and touched the vase with Dumbledore. They were instantly taken to a place that was very familiar to Harry from his fifth year. The witch at the counter smiled at them. "How may I help you?" she asked. Dumbledore gave her a very agitated look. Hermione groaned. "Fourth floor." She smiled.
Chapter Five
It had been two weeks since Harry's sixth year at Hogwarts had ended. He was spending a blissful Dursley- free summer at the Burrow with the Weasley family. He even found the time to explain to Mr. Dursley the function of a rubber duck ("Fascinating, Harry! Truly fascinating!"), and show the rest of the family the proper way to use the telephone. They seemed just as easily fascinated with these ordinary objects as Harry did with the many aspects of the wizarding world.
This day, Luna and Hermione were supposed to come to the burrow for a visit. Neville, the only other new Marauder not currently at the Burrow, had written Harry and Ron to tell them about his summer vacation to Romania ("...To visit a d...d...dragon colony..."). Harry and Ron were tossing dung bombs at the kitchen door when Mrs. Weasley announced Hermione and Luna's arrival.
"Hey, Harry! It's been, what? Two weeks!" Luna smiled. She wrapped him in a hug. "Wow! Living at Hogwarts is neat! Been kind of bored though, without the rest of you around to get into trouble with." She admitted.
"You can't tell me you've been looking for trouble, can you?" Ginny smirked.
"Nope. No time. I've spent almost the entire past two weeks exploring Hogsmeade. It's so neat!" she jumped up and down.
"How could you get bored of Hogsmeade?" Ron asked, as if she were some type of criminal.
Luna stomped her foot. "Well, when you have to go all by yourself, it gets kind of old after a while." She defended herself.
"Your Hogwarts letters are here! Hermione's and Luna's have come as well!" Mrs. Weasley called from the kitchen. "Ron! Ron! You're Head Boy!" she screamed. "I can't believe it!"
"She nearly died when I made Prefect," Ron explained to Luna.
"It can't be that surprising," Luna shrugged. "You're not that bad."
"Mum thinks I take after Fred and George too much," Ron admitted.
Hermione smiled, and kissed him on the cheek. "I don't think you take after anyone too much," she whispered. "If you did, I would've been bored of you by now."
Ron blushed until his skin color matched his flaming red hair. "That sounds mean, but I know to take it as a compliment," he said after a few moments.
Hermione was shocked to find out that Ron wasn't the only one that got a surprise with his Hogwarts letter. She had made Head Girl ("Like that's a surprise!" Harry had groaned almost immediately).
That night, Hermione and Luna camped out in the Weasley's living room with Ginny, and Harry and Ron slept in what was now Ron's own room. Harry was tormented by his dreams. First, it was his parents. Then Sirius. Then, the Marauders and Luna. It was happening again. The Dark Lord Voldemort was trying to play tricks with his mind. He wasn't sure what to think anymore. He tossed and turned through the night, seeing it all over and over again. His parents. Sirius. Ron. Hermione. Ginny. Neville...and Luna...over and over, with nothing he could do. "No!" he screamed. "What did they do? Leave them alone! It's me you want, damn it!"
Someone was shaking him, hard. "No! Don't kill them!" Harry screamed. The shaking continued. Finally, he jolted awake. His face stung. Someone had slapped him.
"Harry, you were having nightmares again," Luna sighed, "I didn't want to slap you, but you were starting to scare Mrs. Weasley. She's downstairs hitting Mr. Weasley over top his head with her oven mitt..."
"Huh? Why?" Harry slowly sat up, and yawned. "What did he do this time?"
"You haven't seen the Daily Prophet for this morning yet, have you?" she whispered. "You'll see."
"What is it?" Harry wondered aloud. He stretched before he stood up. "Luna, where's the paper at?"
Luna shrugged. "Downstairs. Mrs. Weasley threw it out her window when she read it this morning. Hermione told me about it. Nearly hit her and Ron square in the head. They were," she cleared her throat, "they were, err...in the garden, you know..."
Harry laughed. "For crying out loud, Luna! You act as if the whole thing is a big hush-hush secret between them."
"Might as well be!" yelped Luna, narrowly avoiding squishing the cat as she made her way quickly downstairs. She lowered her voice to a whisper. "You know, besides Ginny, and maybe Fred and George, I don't think the rest of the Weasley family knows anything about it..."
"About what?" asked Mrs. Weasley, causing Luna to jump several feet in the air and giggle uncontrollably.
"Nothing...Mrs. Weasley," Harry smiled. "Where's the Daily Prophet at?"
Mrs. Weasley grumbled something under her breath, and pointed out her kitchen window. Harry sighed, and headed in that direction. Once outside, he noticed Hermione and Ron, hiding in the begonias, and lip locked once again.
He smiled as he found the Daily Prophet. "If you don't tell them, I certainly will. This is getting too amusing for words..." he whispered to the couple before he went inside.
He took a seat next to Luna at the breakfast table. Ron and Hermione came in a few minutes later, claiming they had been attacked by one of the garden gnomes. Harry and Luna nearly snorted into their milk. Harry was already scanning the paper, but he didn't see much of interest.
"...The front page, you genius..." Luna whispered.
"But I didn't see any..." Harry began, but stopped. He hadn't actually read the front page. He had learned in his fifth year that this could be a very futile practice. He went back to the beginning. There it was. 'Ministry Worker Arthur Weasley and the Order of the Phoenix: Details on page 3!'.
"What did you do, Mr. Weasley?" Harry couldn't help but laugh a little bit. After all, Mrs. Weasley's face was dangerously close to the ghastly shade of purple his uncle's face usually was.
"Dumbledore came by, you see. Wanted me to go on assignment for him." Mr. Weasley was whispering as if every person inside the house didn't already know about the Order. "Well, Mundungus Fletcher was there with Tonks- drunk, I expect..." He paused. "And he just let it rip. 'Doing some business for the Order of the Phoenix, Arthur? Going to go kick you some death eater ass, are you Arthur?' It was horrible. The whole office heard him..." Mr. Weasley groaned. "I wanted to hex him. Dumbledore sure got out of there pretty quick..."
Ron shoved another corn flake into his mouth. "Well, are you? Going on assignment, I mean?"
"Can't go now. The entire Ministry thinks they know what I'm up to. It'd be too suspicious."
"Can we change to a happier subject?" Hermione smiled hopefully. She was no doubt remembering their fifth year at Hogwarts, when they had found out that Mr. Weasley had nearly been killed while doing 'business' for the Order.
"I've got something I'd like to share..." Harry shot Ron and Hermione a sly look.
Mrs. Weasley looked interested. "What is it, Harry dear?"
"Well, it's about Ron and Hermione. You see, they are quite the item at school nowadays..." Harry smiled and dodged a flying muffin from Ron's side of the table.
"So are you and Luna!" He hissed accusingly, turning a brighter red than his own hair color.
Luna laughed. "Daily Prophet already caught us," she reminded the entire table.
Mrs. Weasley blinked. "Ron? Hermione? Is this true?"
"Yes, Mrs. Weasley," Hermione whispered, embarrassed.
"It's wonderful news!" Mr. Weasley stood and wrapped both Ron and Hermione in so tight a hug that they were nearly asphyxiated. "Wonderful! Absolutely splendid!"
Hermione looked slightly shocked. Ron remained the bright red color he had turned when Harry first told his parents, but looked rather relieved. Ginny was unnaturally quiet, and was watching to see what Ron and Hermione might do next. Mrs. Weasley glanced around the entire table.
She smiled. "So, my boys are growing up..." she choked back a small sob. She was looking at Ron and Harry with big, motherly googly-eyes. "Harry and Luna, Ron and Hermione..." she said their names as if she had suddenly had a brilliant idea. "I should bake you a cake!"
"See what you've done?" Ron groaned. "She got like this when she found out about Percy and Penelope," he whispered.
"Think of it this way," said Harry, barely able to contain his laughter. "At least now when you want to suck Hermione's face off, you won't have to hide in your mother's begonia bushes!" Luna seemed to think this was hilarious as well.
Later that day, the Weasley family, Harry, Hermione, and Luna headed to Diagon Alley. They got all of their school supplies, and decided to spend the rest of the summer staying in Diagon Alley at the Three Broomsticks.
Harry didn't evade his nightmares here, either. They actually seemed to get worse. His parents, dead. Sirius...as if he wanted to see that again. Then, at Hogwarts. He watched each one of his closest friends, each one of the Marauders, die before his eyes. Luna was always the last to go, no matter where his dreams seemed to take him.
He awoke in a cold sweat. He'd expected to see the entire Weasley clan, or at least someone, staring at him as he woke, but no one was there. Maybe he hadn't been screaming? He had thought he might have been. He frowned, walked over to the desk in his room, found some parchment, and began to scribble out a note to Lupin.
Dear Lupin, Hey, sorry to write like this. I know school doesn't start for a couple weeks, but I had to tell you. Well, you were right about Luna. I'm sure you saw the Daily Prophet? Oh, who am I kidding? The real reason I am writing you is because of the nightmares. They only get worse. I'm afraid it'll end up like fifth year. You remember, don't you? Mr. Weasley...and, Sirius...What if it happens again? What should I do? I am at a loss...
Harry
He looked the letter over several times before he finally handed it to Hedwig. "Take this letter to Lupin, understand? And hurry back. Thanks, Hedwig." He told her.
"Harry! Hurry up, Harry! Everyone has left already!" Luna was hollering for him from downstairs.
"Why didn't anyone wake me?" he asked when he finally joined her.
She smiled. "I was going to, but you looked so cute while you were sleeping. I didn't want to disturb you..."
He kissed her. This one was longer than the others, and more passionate. A definite fireworks starter. He didn't know why...but then again why should he have a reason? He loved this girl, did he not? Love? Oh, now he had gone and done it. He was thinking too much. His head was starting to hurt. His brow furrowed, and Luna couldn't help but laugh.
"You're doing it again!" She pointed. "Come on. Let's hurry and meet up with the Weasley's before they leave us here...or before you hurt yourself..." she added playfully.
They were outside now. It was one of those perfect days. Not too hot, but not too cold either. The kind of day that only happens every once in a blue moon. The streets of Diagon Alley were crowded with Hogwarts students buying school supplies, and many different witches and wizards from all over the world. Harry and Luna began to scan the crowd for the bright red hair that would lead them to the Weasley family.
"I don't see them? Do you?" Luna was asking him, but he wasn't paying attention. The pain in his scar had suddenly seared to new heights. It was nearly blinding him.
"Harry, are you all right?" Luna asked, a worried expression on her face.
They heard screams. Harry ran in the direction of the commotion. Luna followed him to where a crowd had started to gather in the middle of the street. He couldn't see, so he began to push through them in hopes of seeing what had happened.
He gasped. In the middle of the street lay not Mr. Weasley, not Mrs. Weasley, but Hermione Granger. Luna screamed and dropped to her knees beside Hermione. She was still alive. Harry hadn't seen what had hit her, nor who, but the anger swelled in him.
Luna held Hermione. The two seemed to be talking all right, but Hermione was still bleeding. Harry looked around, but oddly enough, didn't see any of the Weasley family anywhere.
"Hermione? Can you hear me? Where are Ron and the others?" Harry asked, a note of panic in his voice.
"Went after him..." Hermione groaned.
Harry was puzzled. "Who, Hermione? The person who did this to you? Who was it, Hermione?" he demanded.
"Malfoy..." she frowned.
Now Harry was really confused. "Hermione, but Mr. Malfoy is in jail. Remember? He tried to kill us fifth year..."
"Not that one!" Hermione seemed annoyed at his sudden thickness. "It was Draco..."
Harry would have taken off just as the Weasley's had done after Draco, had it not been for Albus Dumbledore's sudden appearance. Dumbledore carefully picked Hermione up, motioning for Luna and Harry to follow him. On their way back into the Three Broomsticks, Dumbledore stopped to whisper something to the inn keeper Tom, and then had Harry and Luna follow him into a back room. He pointed to a vase.
"It's a portkey," he explained. "It will take us directly from here to St. Mungo's. Grab on. I've already told Tom where we were headed, so the Weasley family will know where to go..."
Harry and Luna nodded, and touched the vase with Dumbledore. They were instantly taken to a place that was very familiar to Harry from his fifth year. The witch at the counter smiled at them. "How may I help you?" she asked. Dumbledore gave her a very agitated look. Hermione groaned. "Fourth floor." She smiled.