I dont own the characters or places or anything else that JK does.

Chapter Two

The Veil Laid Bare

Immediately he felt arms close round him in a warm embrace, 'Oh Harry,' sobbed Mrs. Weasley, 'we were so worried about you, Merlin's beard death- eaters at the house!' her tears poured down Harry's shoulder. Not knowing what he should do Harry patted her on the back weakly his face peering around at everyone else in the kitchen.

There were more people then Harry remembered, he could see Mad-Eye Moody chivvying the Dursley's up the stairs and Ron and Hermione. They both looked terrified; Hermione was grappling onto Ron's hands so tightly that Harry felt sure it would stop the circulation. On one the walls was a large map, which reminded Harry a lot of the Marauder's Map as little red dots moved around the British isles.

Eventually Mrs. Weasley managed to gain control of her hysteria, mumbling under her breath about, 'shouldn't have broken down, silly,' she turned around and started making some dinner, but Harry noticed her hands were still shaking violently.

Harry was about to leave with Ron and Hermione when he felt a hand close on his shoulder, 'Harry,' he heard a familiar voice say, 'I would like to talk with you,' He turned round and saw the twinkling eyes of Albus Dumbledore sparkling at him. Harry nodded wordlessly and followed Dumbledore down in to the cellar of the headquarters. Dumbledore flicked his wand and a chair appeared out of no-where, it reminded Harry of the disciplinary hearing he had been to the previous summer and a large globe started to form in his throat.

'Harry?' said Dumbledore, 'I'd like you to tell me everything, I know you probably you do not want to,' he cut in over Harry's objection, 'but it is vital I know the extent of Voldemort's power and the amount of death-eaters he has.'

Harry took a deep breath, 'OK,' he said and he told Dumbledore as much as he could remember, which wasn't allot and Harry saw little significance in the information he told Dumbledore. But as Harry told him Dumbledore listened, never interrupting but attentive as if memorizing every word. After Harry had finished, Dumbledore thought for a moment and then turned to Harry and said, 'Now Harry, did you feel your scar hurt at all?'

The question shocked Harry it hadn't occurred to him that at all that his scar had been blissfully peaceful. Seeing Harry's reaction Dumbledore nodded quietly, 'it is as I thought Harry,' he said in a very quiet voice, 'Voldemort can shut you out, of course this is highly predictable him being a highly skilled Legilimens it is clear he is also a developed Occlumence. Thank-you Harry, I'm sure you know where your room is,' and he added, 'no doubt you and Mr. Weasley have a lot to talk about.' His brilliant eyes flickering in the candle light.

'Professor?' Harry asked quickly remembering something that had been bothering him for many weeks now, 'what was that veil in the Department of Mysteries,' Dumbledore, who until this point had been quite cool about the proceedings, looked over his glasses at Harry.

'Harry,' he said, 'are you familiar with the terms of life and death?' his voice quiet and precise.

'Yes, sir,' mumbled Harry, not knowing what relation this had to the conversation, 'I am.'

'Well, could you please define your view on death, Harry'

'Well,' Harry muttered, 'I suppose it's when you stop existing, when...' he floundered while Dumbledore sat waiting patiently. 'I suppose, its when your body stops working.' He paused thinking what he was saying was foolish, he looked up but saw no flicker of emotion on Dumbledore's face. It looked quite cool and benevolent, it annoyed Harry to see Dumbledore speaking about death so lightly.

'Harry,' Dumbledore repeated, 'that is an almost accurate interpretation, however, I will now tell you the true meaning.' He drew in a deep breath. 'As you know from your encounter with the dementors in the third year. Every person and living thing in this world has a soul, what this is exactly, wizards and muggles alike have argued since the dawn of their existence. However, it is my belief Harry,' he looked at him his blue eyes sorrowful, 'that a soul cannot exist without a means of transport a body if you will in this world, otherwise it would fade from our view and dimension, thus leaving this world. It is also my belief and probably only my belief, that a soul is immortal it can exist in our world as long as it has a body. Therefore, once the body is destroyed the soul is lost, going to the next world. Now, Harry,' Dumbledore added. 'What I'm about to tell you is highly confidential so much so that many people who work in the ministry do not know.

What you saw in the Department of Mysteries, Harry was a window into this world, not a door,' he added hastily, seeing Harry's hopeful expression, 'a window. This is why Voldemort is weak, he believes that when you die your soul is destroyed, whereas the truth is far from it, the soul moves to another plane of existence and that veil in the Department is a window.' Dumbledore continued, 'however, it is only a window. You may look out onto the universe without time but you cannot communicate or see anything of value, unless of course you were an artist.' He smiled at the nuance he had created and continued, 'Harry, if I was the Minister for Magic I would have it destroyed.' Seeing the look on Harry's face Dumbledore elaborated:

'Do you remember the Mirror of Erised Harry?' 'Yes,' replied Harry. 'I told you that men had wasted away staring at it, it is the same principal with the veil, people stare longingly for loved ones fuelled by the strongest emotion a man knows: hope. While I believe that hope is a great asset it can also be a destroyer of men's hearts. When Sirius fell through the veil his body was lost along with his soul. When he crossed the border between our world and theirs his body could not exist, their world does not have the capacity to hold physical substance, he died.' He let the words sink in before continuing, 'I have trusted you Harry with this information, please don't let me down.' His twinkling eyes were now murky blue, a tear trickled down his face as he watched Harry come to terms with what he had just heard. Harry heard from what seemed a great distance an apology, 'I'm sorry Harry.'

'But Professor,' Harry faltered, 'I heard them, I could hear them muttering,'

'Yes you could,' replied Dumbledore weakly, 'but could you hear what they said could you differentiate between the voices?'

Harry's heart slumped.

Dumbledore flicked his wand and the chair vanished, he strode out of the cellar, and left Harry sitting by himself in the cellar. The memories of last year started to swell in him and he wasn't sure whether he wanted to talk to either of his friends not yet anyway. He cast his mind back and remembered them holding hands. It suddenly dawned on him and the need to talk to them shrunk even more.

Harry didn't know how long he sat there on the empty crate his face buried into his hands, trying to get Sirius out of his mind. He just sat there, the walls closed in around him as time slowed. He couldn't ever come back, never. Why had he believed Voldemort? Why had he survived that curse? Why couldn't he have died? The thought rose in him, yes, that was right, he wouldn't have to face the pain. The pain, it reverberated around his mind, Sirius, Cedric who next he wondered Hermione?

The thought made him shudder, and lapse into an uneasy dream.

'Harry Potter,' he awoke with a start, somebody had just screeched his name, 'Harry Potter, has come back.' Still not himself, he rubbed his eyes, and Dobby the house-elf came into focus. 'Harry Potter, Dobby is so glad Harry Potter is safe,' Dobby exclaimed, 'Professor Dumbledore told Dobby that Harry Potter was in the cellar and now Dobby finds him all alone, by himself.

'Dobby.' Repeated Harry, 'why are you here what happened to Kreacher?' 'Kreacher?' Dobby asked apprehensively, 'who is Kreacher?' Dobby bowed, his head almost touching the floor, 'Professor Dumbledore said to Dobby that he had to get Harry Potter for his dinner and Dobby is a good house-elf.' 'What dinner?' asked Harry, 'What's the time Dobby?' 'Its quarter past four now Harry Potter, Sir, you've been sleeping all day and Dobby has had to tend to the Dursleys. He doesn't like it much but Professor Dumbledore said so, he said that if Dobby looks after them well I will get another Galleon a month.' Dobby's voice quivered as though he might break into tears. Well versed in this peculiar behavior Harry quickly said, 'Well let's go and have some dinner then.'

They went up the stairs, Harry holding on to the cast iron hand rail, and into the hubbub that was the kitchen. Mrs. Weasley and Tonks stood over a cauldron of thick stew that bubbled throwing off delicious aromas. In the corner where the map was Moody and the other auror stood talking, pointing at certain areas. He saw Moody point up to Scotland as he shook his head. Fred and George Weasley apparated into the middle of the room and announced that Ron and Hermione would be down as soon they were ready. On the opposite side of the room sat a lone person probing through a rather ancient looking book, which seemed vaguely familiar. He looked up and snapped it shut, the eyes of Severus Snape met Harry's in mid glance a sneer spread across his face and he vanished from sight, striding through the doors.

As the door swung Ron and Hermione entered into the hysteria. Hermione saw Harry and ran towards him, she embraced him as warmly as Mrs. Weasley had done the previous night. 'Harry,' she said through her rapid breathing, 'I'm so glad to see you, Dumbledore looked so frightened I had never seen him like that.' She looked up and tried to compose herself, but even Ron wasn't sniggering, on the contrary his face was a mask of admiration and relief. 'All right mate,' he said, 'glad you're here now, she's been awful,' he added glancing at Hermione he put on a high pitched voice and started squealing, 'Harry this and Harry that, I wonder what OWLs he got, I hope he passed potions, he said he wanted to be an auror.'

Harry was about to laugh until he looked at Hermione and realised that Ron had done exactly the wrong thing at the wrong time. He could tell that she was about to burst into tears, she looked up at Harry as if willing him to say something that justified her behavior. Harry thought for a second: he knew that Ron hadn't meant to hurt Hermione's feelings but had just been relieved to see Harry like she had, he opened his mouth but it wasn't his voice that he heard. 'Sorry,' he heard Ron say, 'I didn't mean to hurt your feelings its just that...' his voice trailed off as he melted under the gaze of Hermione, 'I'm just sorry, alright?'

For the first time in a long time Harry felt at home and happy with his friends, they sat down and started eating the stew that had been prepared. It had caught Harry by surprise the last time he could remember Ron apologizing to Hermione ended in them nearly getting killed by a troll. He told this to them both and they fell about laughing. He was home.

As Tonks dished out the stew Harry was filled in with the information Ron and Hermione had been told and acquired. Apparently Cornelius Fudge had resigned as Minister for Magic and a new Minister was being looked, at this point Ron started to go red around the ears as Hermione talked until, even though his mouth was full of potato, he spewed out, 'Thad wechons ee's im wiv a hanss.'

Mrs. Weasley gave him a warning glare, her eyes flashing dangerously. He stopped talking and waited until he had finished his mouthful, 'Sorry,' he muttered, 'Dad says that he's in with a chance of getting in, I mean they want someone who knows a lot about muggles and loads of people at work like him.'

'You can see why,' continued Hermione, 'he works with muggles quite a lot and its more then just a job, it's a hobby as well, he's part of an old wizarding family that's not against muggle-borns, I think he has a good chance. I've been reading up about the past Ministers for Magic and the Wizarding Council and it appears to me that many of them were promoted from little jobs, even Cornelius Fudge wasn't that high in the Ministry and Ludo Bagman, well.' She added in a disapproving voice, 'I think that speaks for itself.'

Harry thought that this was an excellent idea, Arthur Weasley as Minister for Magic, he'd have muggles coming in with cars and probably want to have a computer in his office, just to examine the plug on the back. He thought of the Dursley's faces if he told them that the man who obliterated their living room was now leader of the wizards. He might go up and tell them, then he came to his senses.

'How's Percy?' asked Harry cautiously leaning in so they could whisper. 'Oh fine,' replied Ron, 'as soon as You-Know-Who was seen he sent an owl to Mum and Dad asking if he could be forgiven and well you know Mum she was ecstatic and now he's one of the main supporters for Dad to be the new Minister!'

Dobby hobbled up and quickly to the plate away from Harry as he finished eating, he went up to do the same to Hermione. 'Dobby,' she said, 'I've told you, you don't have to do this.' She got up and took her plate over to the sink, nearly tripping over the crate Dobby had put there so he could reach the soapy water, 'and you don't need to wash up, all we need to do is flick our wands and its done.' 'leave him alone,' mumbled Ron coninuting under his breath to Harry he muttered: 'She's been like this all flipping holiday, ooh house elf this and house elf that along with you and You-Know-Who of course, that's why we got Dobby obviously Kreacher couldn't stay here after what he did so there's a new head on that foul old board.'

Harry hated Kreacher utterly, it had been it that had betrayed Sirius and the order to Voldemort, him who had told Harry that Sirius was in the Department of Mysteries, he who had caused the death of Sirius. He didn't have any pity for that miserably creature.

At that moment there was a huge crash outside in the landing immediatley the portrait awoke, 'FILTHY MUDBLOODS BEFOULING MY HOUSE, TRAITORS TO WIZARDS, DEAD SON, PUTIRD FILTH STAINING THE BLOOD OF MY FOREFATHERS, HE HAS RETURNED HE WILL KI-.' Her voice was muffled as the curtain was pulled over her.

Eager to see what had caused the noise the trio left their seats but no sooner had they done so a huge bushy body came walking through the door bent double as it tried to fit through,

'Hello Harry,' announced Hagrid, ' How're you doing? Dumbledore said you're alright but I had to come up here m'self just to make sure.' He winked at Harry, 'think I've got something in my pocket for you, ah right,' he said as his plate like hands reached inside his many pockets, Harry was glad to see there weren't any moldy biscuits in there unlike the first year. 'Ah, here it is,' exclaimed Hagrid, 'sorry about the delay but had things going on up at the school,' he added mysteriously as he gave Harry a huge birthday cake with what looked like a huge green blob that Harry thought must have been a dragon on it.

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Please give me feedback and then I'll update may be longer though as more time is needed to make the chapters good, have some ideas for the plot ie new DADA teacher and Flying teacher. Along with the usual Lupin and HBP!