Harry walked up the beaten path towards the house. As soon as he
opened the door, a welcoming Mrs. Weasley greeted him. "Harry, dear!" she
exclaimed as she looked up from a pot over the stove. She quickly embraced
him. "How are you?" before he could answer she went on. "We've missed you
so much dear, but Professor Dumbledore insisted that we kept you at your
aunt and uncle's until August. I suppose you want to see Ron... I believe
he's down at that joke shop... Harry, I don't know whether to thank you or
shame you for that generous donation you gave the twins. I mean, all they
do now is canoodle around, making some kind of useless rubbish, but at
least they're doing something... with three NEWTs there's little one- or two,
I suppose- can do."
Harry didn't know what to say to this, and he was about to open his mouth when Mrs. Weasley grabbed him by the shoulders and steered him by the fireplace. She picked up the nearby clay pot of Floo Powder. "Here," she said, taking a handful and dropping it in Harry's palm. "Say nice and clearly, Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes, Diagon Alley. You'll arrive in the backroom, be sure to go through the red door." Harry nodded. "Don't stay out too late," she added, and gently pushed him into the fireplace.
"Bye," he said, then, "Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes, Diagon Alley," he tossed the powder to the ground and was off. After a moment, he stumbled out of an old stone fireplace and knocked something over. He looked down and realized it was a lantern, and glass shards were now scattered across the dusty floor around him. As he looked around, he noticed the room was old, dark, and dusty, and sacks identical to the one Harry had received his presents in were stocked around the room, flooding with products. Crates lined shelves above the sacks.
The doorknob of a door to Harry's far left turned, and out of it came Fred Weasley. "What the hell..." he whispered. He looked up and saw Harry standing there. "Harry! There you are!"
"Hi," Harry gasped, "Sorry, I knocked over the lantern." Fred didn't seem to hear this and pulled him through the red door.
An exploding purple paint similar to the color of the Knight Bus flooded the room, and the floor was sparkling red linoleum. Harry was impressed as he saw hundreds of items lining the store, he had no idea the twins had invented so many things.
"Look who I found!" boomed Fred, as he turned toward a bright counter, in which George and Ron were working behind. Both looked up, and their faces immediately brightened.
"Harry!" they both said, grinning in unison. They came up and patted him on the back.
"Let's show him around the shop!" Fred boomed again, and the three Weasley's steered him towards a shelf in the corner. A big yellow poster read, "Have a meeting, lesson, or appointment today? Less than excited about attending? The Weasley twins are at your service! Introducing the original Weasley Wizarding Wheezes!" Underneath the poster were boxes Harry recognized from last term.
"We've perfected these," George boasted. "Top sellers... sure to be hits when the Hogwarts shoppers come in a week or two. Moving on..." Rectangular boxes with pictures of wands on them were stacked on the next area of shelves. "These are the fake wands we made in fourth year... now available in bugs, strange goo, mice, and garden snake!"
"These over here," Fred continued, motioning to big boxes adjacent to the wands, "are InvisiGoo. You simply make the goo in a cauldron and pour it out over an area on the floor. It turns invisible, and whoever walks over it sticks to the floor!"
They went on like that for an hour. It was amusing at first, but Harry desperately wanted to talk to Ron. Finally, Fred and George began to wrap it up. "Well, Harry, we've got to start opening now. We open usually at ten o'clock, but on Mondays, we open at noon," said George in a very businesslike tone.
"What do you think we do all day, give tours?" boomed Fred. Harry gave a slight smile. George switched the little sign on the back of the door window to "Open." He and Fred then stood behind the counter, waiting patiently. Ron rolled his eyes.
"Look," he said, a little impatiently, "Can I go now?"
"Certainly, my fair little bro... actually we would prefer it if you did!" George said as he counted the galleons in a small violet sack.
"Can I have my galleons, then?" Ron said hopefully. Without looking up, George dropped three golden galleons on top of the counter. "Thanks," Ron said briskly, then motioned for Harry to follow him out of the door.
Harry was relieved to be outside again, in the warm summer air, in the streets of Diagon Alley. Few wizards were roaming the streets; Ron assured him in a few hours there would be a sea of people running in and out of shops. Harry and Ron quickly got a table at Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor. Ron and Harry found themselves talking away; Harry found he had much to tell Ron, despite his most uneventful summer.
"How many OWLs did you get?" Ron asked anxiously.
Harry's heart sunk. The last thing he wanted to admit was that he only got six OWLs. "Six- ones in Defense Against the Dark Arts, Transfiguration, Herbology, Charms, Care of Magical Creatures, and Potions- but I didn't qualify for NEWT Potions, I only scraped an acceptable there... How'd you do?"
"Pretty much the same... except I got History of Magic and Astronomy, too," Ron said, trying his best not to sound boastful.
"Well done mate! Did you make NEWT Potions?" Harry desperately wanted him to say no, that he didn't, and they could both laugh and talk about how they didn't want to face Snape again, anyway.
Ron went a light shade of pink and nodded. Harry tried to conceal his disappointment. "Wow! Excellent!" Ron nodded and looked off. '
"So Ron's got a new girlfriend..." Ron said, desperate to change the subject. "She's simply terrible. Came here this summer to meet Mum and Dad, and simply refused to sleep on a camp bed. 'It will hurt my delicate figure...' "he moaned in a mock-girl voice, rolling his eyes. "So I was forced to sleep on a camp bed in Percy's room. Barrel of laughs that was. Then Penelope- that's his girlfriend, Penelope Clearwater, you've met her at school- decides she doesn't like my room because she 'doesn't like Quidditch!' And the color is too bright, it causes her to wake up in the morning! So then, she starts cleaning my room! That's when we started having a bit of a row... I actually think she had Percy make a good match, they're both so bloody anal and mad." This made Harry laugh.
"So what's been going on with the Order?" Harry asked.
"Oh, they're busy, you know, they have meetings once a week. Percy and Penelope have joined, and so have Fred and George, except no one trusts them to do any particular job yet, of course. The Diggorys have joined, too, and so have the Fawcetts- they're my neighbors. Loony Lovegood's dad has joined too, and he's just as barking mad, always suggesting You-Know- Who is being attacked by some strange animal and saying he's breeding fire crabs underground in Turkey. But they can't really turn him down, now, can they? Anyway, they reckon You-Know-Who is trying to get more Death Eaters... he's disappeared again. There's another meeting on Wednesday, so you'll get to see everyone again."
After Harry and Ron finished enormous sundaes, they walked over to Quality Quidditch Supplies to do a bit of shopping. Ron, who still had the majority of his three galleons left, was looking at a tiny device you clipped to the stick of your broom to monitor your speed. If you pressed a tiny gold button, it monitored your height in the air, and, by pressing the same button again, you could check the time. Harry browsed the shop, looking at broomsticks. His own broom model, the Firebolt, was still the best model, however a new Nimbus 3000 rivaled it. As he walked towards Quidditch gloves, a large display caught his eye. A large glass case was hoisted against the wall, holding many different types of Quidditch balls. His eyes quickly fell above the Golden Snitch, and he read the plaque that was right underneath it.
Premium Golden Snitch. A snitch, made with bronze and real
gold, fastened with wings made
from Phoenix feathers to ensure only the best durability.
Guaranteed to last ten years with-
out any sign of aging. Monogramming available for four galleons.
Price: Twelve galleons.
Harry realized this was the same snitch he had received from Hermione, and he couldn't help but gape in amazement at her generosity. He turned back to the gloves, his pair from Hogwarts were old and worn, Harry found them hard to move in as they were most likely fifty years old. He immediately realized however, that it was likely that his father used them, and at this thought he completely forgot about new gloves and turned to see Ron spending the rest of his money on the broom device he'd been eyeing.
As they walked out of the store Harry asked Ron when he'd be inviting Hermione. Ron grew slightly red from embarrassment as he mumbled, "I already have. She'll be here tomorrow."
"Ahh," said Harry, grinning slightly. It was a bit obvious Ron had feelings for Hermione, and he was a bit sure she had feelings for him. He wondered how he would feel if they became more than friends and whether or not he would begin to feel left out. But soon he and Ron were chatting away about Quidditch; Harry had been reading scores from the daily Prophet.
It was nearly five o'clock when Harry and Ron returned to Fred and George's shop. Sure enough, the store was bustling with young wizards, and the twins didn't even notice Harry and Ron creep back into the storeroom and travel home. When they arrived back at the Burrow, Mrs. Weasley was hard at work tossing a salad.
The first thing Harry noticed when he and Ron walked into Ron's room was a large, pale orange rectangle on the wall. It took him a moment to realize this discoloration was undoubtedly caused by the absence of Ron's Viktor Krum poster. Together Ron and Harry made up Harry's camp bed, and Ron noted that he thought it would be much easier if he just got a second bed for Harry. "I'm serious," said Ron with wide eyes. "Half the time I'm home, you're here too!"
As Harry laid on his camp bed paging through one of Ron's Quidditch magazines, Ron, sitting on his own bed, told Harry all about the ceremony they'd have to endure when they returned to Hogwarts.
"It's some ceremony to celebrate the Head Boy and Girl. It's not a ball, it's a ceremony, but you have to bring a partner. Well, you don't have to, but according to Fred and George, you'll look like an unpopular prat if you don't. And its sixth and seventh years only, and there's a dance afterward- that's why you need the partners. Fred and George said it's livelier than a ball though, not like that stuff we did at the Yule Ball. It's more like a party- with a boring beginning. But now we have to go through asking people again. At least Fleur won't be there, and either will Krum." He said this last part about Krum so softly Harry could barely hear him.
"Dinner's ready!" Mrs. Weasley called from the bottom of the stairs. Harry and Ron raced downstairs, towards the warm aroma of food. Mrs. Weasley was setting plates of food around the table. Ginny, who Harry was seeing for the first time since his arrival, was reading a copy of Witch Weekly at the head of the table.
"Hello, Ginny," said Harry, taking a seat next to Ron, who was sitting to Ginny's right.
"Oh, hello," said Ginny cheerfully. She closed the magazine and gave it to Mrs. Weasley, who stuck it in a magazine rack nearby.
"Ginny, dear, would you mind sticking your head through the fireplace and telling the boys dinner is ready?" Mrs. Weasley asked, rubbing her hands on her long, knit poncho. She took a seat across from Ron.
Ginny got up and stuck her head in the fireplace and started to talk to the twins. Mrs. Weasley glanced up as she spooned some salad onto everyone's plates. "Ron, when is Hermione coming?" She asked, moving on to spoon mashed potatoes onto everyone's plates, including the two empty plates to her right.
"Tomorrow morning," he said, "Around ten. Her parents are driving her in a car." Ginny wiped the soot off of her hands and onto her jeans. Mrs. Weasley gave her a disapproving look, and she opted for her napkin.
"The boys won't be here for dinner, they have to restock. They said they'll pick something up from the Leaky Cauldron." Mrs. Weasley shook her head and cleared they're plates.
It was a quiet dinner; Mrs. Weasley inquired Harry about his summer, and his OWL results. They cleared their plates and Ron and Harry went outside to play some Quidditch in the dark. After a while, Fred and George joined them. When they became too tired to go any longer, they made their way inside and went to bed.
The next morning, Harry and Ron dressed themselves quickly and walked downstairs to find Ginny cooking eggs above the stove. "Where's mum?" Ron asked, rubbing his eyes.
"Out," she snapped. "At Grimmauld Place. We're going over after Hermione gets here. Which, since you lot slept so late, should be in about five minutes."
Harry and Ron shrugged and went out the front door and sat on the stoop waiting. Finally, a shiny black car pulled up and Harry spotted Hermoine in the passenger seat, and her father, Mr. Granger, driving. Harry and Ron stood up and walked over to the passenger side of the car. Hermoine smiled at them through the window. Mr. Granger pressed a button and the window rolled down. Ron's jaw dropped in awe. "How- what- how did-"He babbled. Hermoine opened the door and stood up.
"Hello, Harry, hello Ron," said Mr. Granger.
"Hello," they both said somewhat shyly. They didn't know Mr. Granger very well, and Harry wondered what he must have thought of letting his only daughter, who lived in a world much unknown to him, stay with two sixteen year-old boys he barely even knew instead of going off on holiday somewhere with he and his wife. Mr. Granger pressed a button and the trunk popped up. It looked very much like Ron's eyes might have popped out of his head. Hermoine hoisted her things out of the trunk.
Hermoine and her dad said their goodbyes, then Ron grabbed Hermoine's trunk and pulled it inside. "Thanks," she said breathlessly as she began to walk beside Harry. "So, how were your OWLs?"
Harry groaned. "I got six... Charms, Herbology, Transfiguration, Care of Magical Creatures, Defense Against the Dark Arts, and Potions- but I didn't make NEWT Potions," he added quickly. Hermoine looked genuinely pleased.
"Excellent Harry! That's all the major subjects... Divination and History of Magic aren't very useful anyway... How about you Ron?"
"Same thing, but I got History of Magic and Astronomy, too, and I made NEWT Potions," said Ron sheepishly, looking at his feet. Hermoine smiled and gave him a huge hug. Ron looked slightly alarmed but happy all the same.
"Hello, Ginny," she said after she had let go of Ron.
"Hi," Ginny said. "Great to see you! We're supposed to head over to Grimmauld Place... Order meeting... even though we're not of age yet, Mum wants everyone to see-"she stopped herself, but Harry was certain she meant to say, "to see Harry." There was an uncomfortable pause. "Well, let's go, then," she continued, smiling, her dimples showing and freckles multiplying. One by one, they stepped into the fireplace, Ginny in the lead, Ron bringing up the rear, and disappeared to Grimmauld Place.
"Harry!" cried Mrs. Weasley as soon as he fell through to the sooty fireplace. "Go upstairs and go to the last room to your left right away! They're waiting for you!" Deeply confused, Harry ran upstairs just as Mrs. Weasley had told him. He didn't like being in Sirius's house, Sirius's absence was more present then ever as he walked down the hall full of portraits of the Blacks. This house was darker then ever, and Harry felt quite uncomfortable and lost.
The last door was wide open, and as Harry walked into it, he found Lupin sitting on a chair gripping a hat and tapping his foot impatiently. Moody was sitting on a chair beside him, his eye roving around wildly. McGonagall was pacing the back end of the room, right behind Dumbledore, who was sitting at a desk. "Ahh, Harry," Dumbledore said softly and summoned a chair up facing his desk.
"Good to see you, Harry," Lupin said, standing up to give Harry a handshake. Moody stood up too.
"How's your summer been?" he growled.
"Good," Harry lied, and shook his hand. Harry took the seat in front of Dumbledore. Dumbledore folded his hands and leaned forward. He had a look of concern on his face; Harry instantly thought he had done something wrong.
"Harry. You certainly remember last spring, when you and I discussed the prophecy?" Harry nodded. The last thing he wanted to talk about was that prophecy. Dumbledore continued. "That prophecy stated that you would have to kill Lord Voldemort for him to die- no one else could kill him. Well, I know you realize this, and I certainly do, but I think no one wants to admit what you have to do. It is time, Harry, to face reality. You must kill Lord Voldemort, or the entire Wizarding World- and perhaps the Muggle one, too- will be torn apart. Lord Voldemort will live forever, and keep coming to power. It is up to you, Harry to save us." He looked very sorry. Harry hadn't really realized it until now that if he didn't kill Voldemort, the entire world would be in peril.
"I know this is a great responsibility, Harry. But already you are a powerful wizard. I have full faith that you can defeat Voldemort. However, you certainly won't have learned- even by your graduation of Hogwarts- how to defeat the world's darkest wizard. You will need training, and the teaching of spells I don't normally allow to be taught at my school. You do Defense Against the Dark Arts, yes, but that won't help you entirely. You need to learn how to do the Dark Arts. This is also another great responsibility. I certainly trust you, Harry, to use these spells for the good of mankind. Other people will not, however, so it is best to keep these lessons to yourself.
"Professor Moody," he motioned toward Moody, "will be returning to Hogwarts to teach you Defense Against the Dark Arts. Harry, on Mondays you will report to him to learn Dark Arts at nine o'clock. On Tuesdays you will visit me, to practice Occlumency-"Harry let out a groan. "Yes, Harry," Dumbledore reasoned. "It is essential that you resume this lesson. On Wednesdays, you will visit Professor Lupin, who will be staying at the castle, but not teaching, to learn more advanced Defense. Now, I notice that you didn't make NEWT Potions. Professor McGonagall has informed me that last April she promised she would coach you nightly to see that you achieve the demanding results of becoming an Auror. I for one think you would make an excellent Auror. So on Thursdays, you will report to Professor McGonagall to take Auror training. On Fridays, you will report to Professor Moody again, then on Saturdays to Professor Lupin, and on Sundays to myself. Professor McGonagall will schedule her meetings around your Saturday schedule."
Harry was rather taken aback. "What about Quidditch? And homework? And Hogsmeade?" His new schedule would deprive him of all the going-ons and fun things that made Hogwarts Harry's place in the world. But surely Dumbledore would cancel meetings that interfered with those things, he thought. He thought wrong.
"You will need to some how squeeze these things in. Harry, you must understand that these lessons are much more important than making sure you ace a Charms exam, or playing Quidditch," Dumbledore said sternly. McGonagall nodded. "Now, what we have discussed must not leave this room. The staff and students do not even know Lupin has returned to Hogwarts, nor do anyone in the Order. It is very important that you do not tell anyone whatsoever- nobody must know. It also would help if you used your Invisibility Cloak when traveling to and from these lessons. Do you understand?"
Harry nodded gloomily. They wrapped up the rest of their meeting and headed downstairs. Soon after that, the entire Order all entered an upstairs bedroom. Harry, Ron, Ginny, and Hermoine went upstairs to and adjacent bedroom and tried to hear through the wall. "It's no good," Ron said, irritated, after several minutes of absolutely no success. "Dumbledore must have soundproofed it or something..."
He took a seat on one of the beds next to Hermoine, who was busily writing away on a pad of paper. "What're you doing?" he asked leaning in to catch a glimpse. Hermoine quickly pulled away and muttered, "Nothing" but she was too late. Ron looked away in horror.
"You're still writing to Krum?" he roared.
Hermoine began to turn very red with anger. "Yeah, I am," she snapped. "Is something wrong with having a pen pal? And no, we are nothing more than that," she added quickly. "I haven't even seen him since last summer." She immediately realized what she said and looked down and looked away from Ron.
"What?" said Ron. "When did you see him last summer?" The color in his face was draining, and he soon became pale.
"I meant last summer term, as in the end of our fourth year, at Hogwarts," she said a little too quickly.
Ron didn't believe her. "You-you went to Bulgaria, didn't you? You took up his offer and came to visit him, didn't you? I'm right, aren't I?" Hermoine looked at the ground. Ron's jaw dropped, and he looked paler than ever. He stood up, horrified, and ran out of the room, slamming the door behind him.
Hermoine rolled her eyes. "The only reason he doesn't like Krum is because he fancies me! I mean, Krum fancies me..." she added quickly.
"Oh Hermoine," said Ginny, sitting on a bed opposite her. "You know he just likes you. Isn't it obvious? You should hear the way he talks about you... And then, when I mention it, he... well, he acts strangely, and says no very suspiciously... just let it be. Anyway, I never knew you went to visit Viktor Krum."
"Oh, it was nothing," she snapped. "I was just there for a day or two, and nothing happened. Besides, I don't even fancy Krum. I just enjoy talking to him. His life is so fascinating. He might want to be more than a pen pal, but I don't. Our relationship is strictly platonic."
Harry went down to visit Ron, who was sitting at the kitchen table with white knuckles. "I can't believe her," he roared. "He- he- he knows Dark Arts! He's three years older than her..."
"Really, mate, they're just friends..." Harry tried to reason. Ron wouldn't listen.
Later that day, after having short greetings with the rest of the Order, Harry, Hermoine, and the Weasleys returned to the Burrow. Harry felt his month at the Burrow went very quickly. Many days, Harry, Ron, and Hermoine headed off to the twins' shop. Other days, Ron and Harry played Quidditch, and made up games to play on their brooms. Harry received his Hogwarts letter a week before he was to go to Hogwarts. Mrs. Weasley, who seemed desperate for something to do with only two of her children spending their holidays at home, insisted on going to Diagon Alley to purchase their things. Harry, who had had a good second half of his summer, had mixed feelings about returning to Hogwarts, especially considering the boatload of extra lessons he'd need to take each day, but he missed Quidditch, and was greatly excited to return to the pitch, especially after he received this letter the day before going to Hogwarts:
Dear Harry, When Professor McGonagall told me I'd need to pick a team captain, I immediately thought of you. Being one of the best Quidditch players Hogwarts has ever had, it didn't seem an option not to pick you. Even after your little rendezvous last year involving your suspension from the team- and essentially from ever flying on a broom again- you still have good leadership skills. I just hope you can hold your temper.
As the new captain, I can't exactly tell you what to do. However, I highly suggest you take back your position as seeker, and put Ginny Weasley in my position as Chaser. The two replacement beaters are fair, however, when you are getting another new Chaser, I would have the beaters tryout for this, just to see how they do as Chasers, and I would have all those trying out for Chaser hit the bludger around, just to see how they do as beaters.
McGonagall will forward all information to you, and you'll have a meeting with her once you get back to school. I know you can do this, Harry. Yours, Angelina Johnson
A/N: It's going slow, I know. But I'm trying to speed it up. My least favorite parts of the books were always Harry's summer holidays. Its so hard to find things for Harry to do in his two months to make for an exciting story. It's a lot harder than I thought to write fan fiction! Next chapter will be the trip to Hogwarts on the Hogwarts Express, which I have some surprises in store. Also, I know I'm spelling Hermione's name wrong, but my computer keeps switching it to Hermoine. Please ignore this spelling! I haven't figured out how to get it off AutoCorrect.
Harry didn't know what to say to this, and he was about to open his mouth when Mrs. Weasley grabbed him by the shoulders and steered him by the fireplace. She picked up the nearby clay pot of Floo Powder. "Here," she said, taking a handful and dropping it in Harry's palm. "Say nice and clearly, Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes, Diagon Alley. You'll arrive in the backroom, be sure to go through the red door." Harry nodded. "Don't stay out too late," she added, and gently pushed him into the fireplace.
"Bye," he said, then, "Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes, Diagon Alley," he tossed the powder to the ground and was off. After a moment, he stumbled out of an old stone fireplace and knocked something over. He looked down and realized it was a lantern, and glass shards were now scattered across the dusty floor around him. As he looked around, he noticed the room was old, dark, and dusty, and sacks identical to the one Harry had received his presents in were stocked around the room, flooding with products. Crates lined shelves above the sacks.
The doorknob of a door to Harry's far left turned, and out of it came Fred Weasley. "What the hell..." he whispered. He looked up and saw Harry standing there. "Harry! There you are!"
"Hi," Harry gasped, "Sorry, I knocked over the lantern." Fred didn't seem to hear this and pulled him through the red door.
An exploding purple paint similar to the color of the Knight Bus flooded the room, and the floor was sparkling red linoleum. Harry was impressed as he saw hundreds of items lining the store, he had no idea the twins had invented so many things.
"Look who I found!" boomed Fred, as he turned toward a bright counter, in which George and Ron were working behind. Both looked up, and their faces immediately brightened.
"Harry!" they both said, grinning in unison. They came up and patted him on the back.
"Let's show him around the shop!" Fred boomed again, and the three Weasley's steered him towards a shelf in the corner. A big yellow poster read, "Have a meeting, lesson, or appointment today? Less than excited about attending? The Weasley twins are at your service! Introducing the original Weasley Wizarding Wheezes!" Underneath the poster were boxes Harry recognized from last term.
"We've perfected these," George boasted. "Top sellers... sure to be hits when the Hogwarts shoppers come in a week or two. Moving on..." Rectangular boxes with pictures of wands on them were stacked on the next area of shelves. "These are the fake wands we made in fourth year... now available in bugs, strange goo, mice, and garden snake!"
"These over here," Fred continued, motioning to big boxes adjacent to the wands, "are InvisiGoo. You simply make the goo in a cauldron and pour it out over an area on the floor. It turns invisible, and whoever walks over it sticks to the floor!"
They went on like that for an hour. It was amusing at first, but Harry desperately wanted to talk to Ron. Finally, Fred and George began to wrap it up. "Well, Harry, we've got to start opening now. We open usually at ten o'clock, but on Mondays, we open at noon," said George in a very businesslike tone.
"What do you think we do all day, give tours?" boomed Fred. Harry gave a slight smile. George switched the little sign on the back of the door window to "Open." He and Fred then stood behind the counter, waiting patiently. Ron rolled his eyes.
"Look," he said, a little impatiently, "Can I go now?"
"Certainly, my fair little bro... actually we would prefer it if you did!" George said as he counted the galleons in a small violet sack.
"Can I have my galleons, then?" Ron said hopefully. Without looking up, George dropped three golden galleons on top of the counter. "Thanks," Ron said briskly, then motioned for Harry to follow him out of the door.
Harry was relieved to be outside again, in the warm summer air, in the streets of Diagon Alley. Few wizards were roaming the streets; Ron assured him in a few hours there would be a sea of people running in and out of shops. Harry and Ron quickly got a table at Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor. Ron and Harry found themselves talking away; Harry found he had much to tell Ron, despite his most uneventful summer.
"How many OWLs did you get?" Ron asked anxiously.
Harry's heart sunk. The last thing he wanted to admit was that he only got six OWLs. "Six- ones in Defense Against the Dark Arts, Transfiguration, Herbology, Charms, Care of Magical Creatures, and Potions- but I didn't qualify for NEWT Potions, I only scraped an acceptable there... How'd you do?"
"Pretty much the same... except I got History of Magic and Astronomy, too," Ron said, trying his best not to sound boastful.
"Well done mate! Did you make NEWT Potions?" Harry desperately wanted him to say no, that he didn't, and they could both laugh and talk about how they didn't want to face Snape again, anyway.
Ron went a light shade of pink and nodded. Harry tried to conceal his disappointment. "Wow! Excellent!" Ron nodded and looked off. '
"So Ron's got a new girlfriend..." Ron said, desperate to change the subject. "She's simply terrible. Came here this summer to meet Mum and Dad, and simply refused to sleep on a camp bed. 'It will hurt my delicate figure...' "he moaned in a mock-girl voice, rolling his eyes. "So I was forced to sleep on a camp bed in Percy's room. Barrel of laughs that was. Then Penelope- that's his girlfriend, Penelope Clearwater, you've met her at school- decides she doesn't like my room because she 'doesn't like Quidditch!' And the color is too bright, it causes her to wake up in the morning! So then, she starts cleaning my room! That's when we started having a bit of a row... I actually think she had Percy make a good match, they're both so bloody anal and mad." This made Harry laugh.
"So what's been going on with the Order?" Harry asked.
"Oh, they're busy, you know, they have meetings once a week. Percy and Penelope have joined, and so have Fred and George, except no one trusts them to do any particular job yet, of course. The Diggorys have joined, too, and so have the Fawcetts- they're my neighbors. Loony Lovegood's dad has joined too, and he's just as barking mad, always suggesting You-Know- Who is being attacked by some strange animal and saying he's breeding fire crabs underground in Turkey. But they can't really turn him down, now, can they? Anyway, they reckon You-Know-Who is trying to get more Death Eaters... he's disappeared again. There's another meeting on Wednesday, so you'll get to see everyone again."
After Harry and Ron finished enormous sundaes, they walked over to Quality Quidditch Supplies to do a bit of shopping. Ron, who still had the majority of his three galleons left, was looking at a tiny device you clipped to the stick of your broom to monitor your speed. If you pressed a tiny gold button, it monitored your height in the air, and, by pressing the same button again, you could check the time. Harry browsed the shop, looking at broomsticks. His own broom model, the Firebolt, was still the best model, however a new Nimbus 3000 rivaled it. As he walked towards Quidditch gloves, a large display caught his eye. A large glass case was hoisted against the wall, holding many different types of Quidditch balls. His eyes quickly fell above the Golden Snitch, and he read the plaque that was right underneath it.
Premium Golden Snitch. A snitch, made with bronze and real
gold, fastened with wings made
from Phoenix feathers to ensure only the best durability.
Guaranteed to last ten years with-
out any sign of aging. Monogramming available for four galleons.
Price: Twelve galleons.
Harry realized this was the same snitch he had received from Hermione, and he couldn't help but gape in amazement at her generosity. He turned back to the gloves, his pair from Hogwarts were old and worn, Harry found them hard to move in as they were most likely fifty years old. He immediately realized however, that it was likely that his father used them, and at this thought he completely forgot about new gloves and turned to see Ron spending the rest of his money on the broom device he'd been eyeing.
As they walked out of the store Harry asked Ron when he'd be inviting Hermione. Ron grew slightly red from embarrassment as he mumbled, "I already have. She'll be here tomorrow."
"Ahh," said Harry, grinning slightly. It was a bit obvious Ron had feelings for Hermione, and he was a bit sure she had feelings for him. He wondered how he would feel if they became more than friends and whether or not he would begin to feel left out. But soon he and Ron were chatting away about Quidditch; Harry had been reading scores from the daily Prophet.
It was nearly five o'clock when Harry and Ron returned to Fred and George's shop. Sure enough, the store was bustling with young wizards, and the twins didn't even notice Harry and Ron creep back into the storeroom and travel home. When they arrived back at the Burrow, Mrs. Weasley was hard at work tossing a salad.
The first thing Harry noticed when he and Ron walked into Ron's room was a large, pale orange rectangle on the wall. It took him a moment to realize this discoloration was undoubtedly caused by the absence of Ron's Viktor Krum poster. Together Ron and Harry made up Harry's camp bed, and Ron noted that he thought it would be much easier if he just got a second bed for Harry. "I'm serious," said Ron with wide eyes. "Half the time I'm home, you're here too!"
As Harry laid on his camp bed paging through one of Ron's Quidditch magazines, Ron, sitting on his own bed, told Harry all about the ceremony they'd have to endure when they returned to Hogwarts.
"It's some ceremony to celebrate the Head Boy and Girl. It's not a ball, it's a ceremony, but you have to bring a partner. Well, you don't have to, but according to Fred and George, you'll look like an unpopular prat if you don't. And its sixth and seventh years only, and there's a dance afterward- that's why you need the partners. Fred and George said it's livelier than a ball though, not like that stuff we did at the Yule Ball. It's more like a party- with a boring beginning. But now we have to go through asking people again. At least Fleur won't be there, and either will Krum." He said this last part about Krum so softly Harry could barely hear him.
"Dinner's ready!" Mrs. Weasley called from the bottom of the stairs. Harry and Ron raced downstairs, towards the warm aroma of food. Mrs. Weasley was setting plates of food around the table. Ginny, who Harry was seeing for the first time since his arrival, was reading a copy of Witch Weekly at the head of the table.
"Hello, Ginny," said Harry, taking a seat next to Ron, who was sitting to Ginny's right.
"Oh, hello," said Ginny cheerfully. She closed the magazine and gave it to Mrs. Weasley, who stuck it in a magazine rack nearby.
"Ginny, dear, would you mind sticking your head through the fireplace and telling the boys dinner is ready?" Mrs. Weasley asked, rubbing her hands on her long, knit poncho. She took a seat across from Ron.
Ginny got up and stuck her head in the fireplace and started to talk to the twins. Mrs. Weasley glanced up as she spooned some salad onto everyone's plates. "Ron, when is Hermione coming?" She asked, moving on to spoon mashed potatoes onto everyone's plates, including the two empty plates to her right.
"Tomorrow morning," he said, "Around ten. Her parents are driving her in a car." Ginny wiped the soot off of her hands and onto her jeans. Mrs. Weasley gave her a disapproving look, and she opted for her napkin.
"The boys won't be here for dinner, they have to restock. They said they'll pick something up from the Leaky Cauldron." Mrs. Weasley shook her head and cleared they're plates.
It was a quiet dinner; Mrs. Weasley inquired Harry about his summer, and his OWL results. They cleared their plates and Ron and Harry went outside to play some Quidditch in the dark. After a while, Fred and George joined them. When they became too tired to go any longer, they made their way inside and went to bed.
The next morning, Harry and Ron dressed themselves quickly and walked downstairs to find Ginny cooking eggs above the stove. "Where's mum?" Ron asked, rubbing his eyes.
"Out," she snapped. "At Grimmauld Place. We're going over after Hermione gets here. Which, since you lot slept so late, should be in about five minutes."
Harry and Ron shrugged and went out the front door and sat on the stoop waiting. Finally, a shiny black car pulled up and Harry spotted Hermoine in the passenger seat, and her father, Mr. Granger, driving. Harry and Ron stood up and walked over to the passenger side of the car. Hermoine smiled at them through the window. Mr. Granger pressed a button and the window rolled down. Ron's jaw dropped in awe. "How- what- how did-"He babbled. Hermoine opened the door and stood up.
"Hello, Harry, hello Ron," said Mr. Granger.
"Hello," they both said somewhat shyly. They didn't know Mr. Granger very well, and Harry wondered what he must have thought of letting his only daughter, who lived in a world much unknown to him, stay with two sixteen year-old boys he barely even knew instead of going off on holiday somewhere with he and his wife. Mr. Granger pressed a button and the trunk popped up. It looked very much like Ron's eyes might have popped out of his head. Hermoine hoisted her things out of the trunk.
Hermoine and her dad said their goodbyes, then Ron grabbed Hermoine's trunk and pulled it inside. "Thanks," she said breathlessly as she began to walk beside Harry. "So, how were your OWLs?"
Harry groaned. "I got six... Charms, Herbology, Transfiguration, Care of Magical Creatures, Defense Against the Dark Arts, and Potions- but I didn't make NEWT Potions," he added quickly. Hermoine looked genuinely pleased.
"Excellent Harry! That's all the major subjects... Divination and History of Magic aren't very useful anyway... How about you Ron?"
"Same thing, but I got History of Magic and Astronomy, too, and I made NEWT Potions," said Ron sheepishly, looking at his feet. Hermoine smiled and gave him a huge hug. Ron looked slightly alarmed but happy all the same.
"Hello, Ginny," she said after she had let go of Ron.
"Hi," Ginny said. "Great to see you! We're supposed to head over to Grimmauld Place... Order meeting... even though we're not of age yet, Mum wants everyone to see-"she stopped herself, but Harry was certain she meant to say, "to see Harry." There was an uncomfortable pause. "Well, let's go, then," she continued, smiling, her dimples showing and freckles multiplying. One by one, they stepped into the fireplace, Ginny in the lead, Ron bringing up the rear, and disappeared to Grimmauld Place.
"Harry!" cried Mrs. Weasley as soon as he fell through to the sooty fireplace. "Go upstairs and go to the last room to your left right away! They're waiting for you!" Deeply confused, Harry ran upstairs just as Mrs. Weasley had told him. He didn't like being in Sirius's house, Sirius's absence was more present then ever as he walked down the hall full of portraits of the Blacks. This house was darker then ever, and Harry felt quite uncomfortable and lost.
The last door was wide open, and as Harry walked into it, he found Lupin sitting on a chair gripping a hat and tapping his foot impatiently. Moody was sitting on a chair beside him, his eye roving around wildly. McGonagall was pacing the back end of the room, right behind Dumbledore, who was sitting at a desk. "Ahh, Harry," Dumbledore said softly and summoned a chair up facing his desk.
"Good to see you, Harry," Lupin said, standing up to give Harry a handshake. Moody stood up too.
"How's your summer been?" he growled.
"Good," Harry lied, and shook his hand. Harry took the seat in front of Dumbledore. Dumbledore folded his hands and leaned forward. He had a look of concern on his face; Harry instantly thought he had done something wrong.
"Harry. You certainly remember last spring, when you and I discussed the prophecy?" Harry nodded. The last thing he wanted to talk about was that prophecy. Dumbledore continued. "That prophecy stated that you would have to kill Lord Voldemort for him to die- no one else could kill him. Well, I know you realize this, and I certainly do, but I think no one wants to admit what you have to do. It is time, Harry, to face reality. You must kill Lord Voldemort, or the entire Wizarding World- and perhaps the Muggle one, too- will be torn apart. Lord Voldemort will live forever, and keep coming to power. It is up to you, Harry to save us." He looked very sorry. Harry hadn't really realized it until now that if he didn't kill Voldemort, the entire world would be in peril.
"I know this is a great responsibility, Harry. But already you are a powerful wizard. I have full faith that you can defeat Voldemort. However, you certainly won't have learned- even by your graduation of Hogwarts- how to defeat the world's darkest wizard. You will need training, and the teaching of spells I don't normally allow to be taught at my school. You do Defense Against the Dark Arts, yes, but that won't help you entirely. You need to learn how to do the Dark Arts. This is also another great responsibility. I certainly trust you, Harry, to use these spells for the good of mankind. Other people will not, however, so it is best to keep these lessons to yourself.
"Professor Moody," he motioned toward Moody, "will be returning to Hogwarts to teach you Defense Against the Dark Arts. Harry, on Mondays you will report to him to learn Dark Arts at nine o'clock. On Tuesdays you will visit me, to practice Occlumency-"Harry let out a groan. "Yes, Harry," Dumbledore reasoned. "It is essential that you resume this lesson. On Wednesdays, you will visit Professor Lupin, who will be staying at the castle, but not teaching, to learn more advanced Defense. Now, I notice that you didn't make NEWT Potions. Professor McGonagall has informed me that last April she promised she would coach you nightly to see that you achieve the demanding results of becoming an Auror. I for one think you would make an excellent Auror. So on Thursdays, you will report to Professor McGonagall to take Auror training. On Fridays, you will report to Professor Moody again, then on Saturdays to Professor Lupin, and on Sundays to myself. Professor McGonagall will schedule her meetings around your Saturday schedule."
Harry was rather taken aback. "What about Quidditch? And homework? And Hogsmeade?" His new schedule would deprive him of all the going-ons and fun things that made Hogwarts Harry's place in the world. But surely Dumbledore would cancel meetings that interfered with those things, he thought. He thought wrong.
"You will need to some how squeeze these things in. Harry, you must understand that these lessons are much more important than making sure you ace a Charms exam, or playing Quidditch," Dumbledore said sternly. McGonagall nodded. "Now, what we have discussed must not leave this room. The staff and students do not even know Lupin has returned to Hogwarts, nor do anyone in the Order. It is very important that you do not tell anyone whatsoever- nobody must know. It also would help if you used your Invisibility Cloak when traveling to and from these lessons. Do you understand?"
Harry nodded gloomily. They wrapped up the rest of their meeting and headed downstairs. Soon after that, the entire Order all entered an upstairs bedroom. Harry, Ron, Ginny, and Hermoine went upstairs to and adjacent bedroom and tried to hear through the wall. "It's no good," Ron said, irritated, after several minutes of absolutely no success. "Dumbledore must have soundproofed it or something..."
He took a seat on one of the beds next to Hermoine, who was busily writing away on a pad of paper. "What're you doing?" he asked leaning in to catch a glimpse. Hermoine quickly pulled away and muttered, "Nothing" but she was too late. Ron looked away in horror.
"You're still writing to Krum?" he roared.
Hermoine began to turn very red with anger. "Yeah, I am," she snapped. "Is something wrong with having a pen pal? And no, we are nothing more than that," she added quickly. "I haven't even seen him since last summer." She immediately realized what she said and looked down and looked away from Ron.
"What?" said Ron. "When did you see him last summer?" The color in his face was draining, and he soon became pale.
"I meant last summer term, as in the end of our fourth year, at Hogwarts," she said a little too quickly.
Ron didn't believe her. "You-you went to Bulgaria, didn't you? You took up his offer and came to visit him, didn't you? I'm right, aren't I?" Hermoine looked at the ground. Ron's jaw dropped, and he looked paler than ever. He stood up, horrified, and ran out of the room, slamming the door behind him.
Hermoine rolled her eyes. "The only reason he doesn't like Krum is because he fancies me! I mean, Krum fancies me..." she added quickly.
"Oh Hermoine," said Ginny, sitting on a bed opposite her. "You know he just likes you. Isn't it obvious? You should hear the way he talks about you... And then, when I mention it, he... well, he acts strangely, and says no very suspiciously... just let it be. Anyway, I never knew you went to visit Viktor Krum."
"Oh, it was nothing," she snapped. "I was just there for a day or two, and nothing happened. Besides, I don't even fancy Krum. I just enjoy talking to him. His life is so fascinating. He might want to be more than a pen pal, but I don't. Our relationship is strictly platonic."
Harry went down to visit Ron, who was sitting at the kitchen table with white knuckles. "I can't believe her," he roared. "He- he- he knows Dark Arts! He's three years older than her..."
"Really, mate, they're just friends..." Harry tried to reason. Ron wouldn't listen.
Later that day, after having short greetings with the rest of the Order, Harry, Hermoine, and the Weasleys returned to the Burrow. Harry felt his month at the Burrow went very quickly. Many days, Harry, Ron, and Hermoine headed off to the twins' shop. Other days, Ron and Harry played Quidditch, and made up games to play on their brooms. Harry received his Hogwarts letter a week before he was to go to Hogwarts. Mrs. Weasley, who seemed desperate for something to do with only two of her children spending their holidays at home, insisted on going to Diagon Alley to purchase their things. Harry, who had had a good second half of his summer, had mixed feelings about returning to Hogwarts, especially considering the boatload of extra lessons he'd need to take each day, but he missed Quidditch, and was greatly excited to return to the pitch, especially after he received this letter the day before going to Hogwarts:
Dear Harry, When Professor McGonagall told me I'd need to pick a team captain, I immediately thought of you. Being one of the best Quidditch players Hogwarts has ever had, it didn't seem an option not to pick you. Even after your little rendezvous last year involving your suspension from the team- and essentially from ever flying on a broom again- you still have good leadership skills. I just hope you can hold your temper.
As the new captain, I can't exactly tell you what to do. However, I highly suggest you take back your position as seeker, and put Ginny Weasley in my position as Chaser. The two replacement beaters are fair, however, when you are getting another new Chaser, I would have the beaters tryout for this, just to see how they do as Chasers, and I would have all those trying out for Chaser hit the bludger around, just to see how they do as beaters.
McGonagall will forward all information to you, and you'll have a meeting with her once you get back to school. I know you can do this, Harry. Yours, Angelina Johnson
A/N: It's going slow, I know. But I'm trying to speed it up. My least favorite parts of the books were always Harry's summer holidays. Its so hard to find things for Harry to do in his two months to make for an exciting story. It's a lot harder than I thought to write fan fiction! Next chapter will be the trip to Hogwarts on the Hogwarts Express, which I have some surprises in store. Also, I know I'm spelling Hermione's name wrong, but my computer keeps switching it to Hermoine. Please ignore this spelling! I haven't figured out how to get it off AutoCorrect.