May
Hermione was avoiding Harry. She had noticed that around May every year Harry began trying to save the world; which was interesting and exciting as long as she and Ron were involved. However, as soon as one of them was overcome by petrification, broken limbs, madness etc. it simply became depressing, and distracted her from her exams. Hermione suspected that her failure to attain perfect marks last year was directly related to Harry's efforts . This year Hermione's exams mattered more than ever before, these exams would determine her future, and just this once Hermione was going to do her own studying and let Harry save the world all by himself.
If she had forgotten how much work was involved in studies for examinations, she soon remembered.
There were still three weeks to go before the first sittings, but pressure was starting to tell; Ron was getting irritable, and Hermione started giving detentions to anyone that dared to make too much noise in the common room.
The teachers had finished their classes and were devoting lesson time to revision. For the first time in his life Harry felt as if he could actually use a pensive to store all his thoughts in. Perhaps that way they wouldn't keep escaping.
Exams came around exceptionally fast causing massive amounts of groaning, moaning, whining and grumbling. "I don't see what everyone hates about exams. People always act as if it's the end of the world or the worst thing that could ever happen to them. What really is the big deal? If you ask me, exams are much better than lessons. Much easier." explained Hermione to Ron, who was beginning to believe that he was too stupid to take exams "Really." said Ron in disbelief, rolling his eyes towards to ceiling. "I wish I was as clever as you Hermione"
"You don't have to learn anything new - just remember what you've already been taught, you get tons of time off when other people are being tested and, to be honest, how hard can remembering a load of facts be? I know I'm particularly good at it, but it's not about intelligence; everyone's been to the same lessons. It's all a question of how many of the facts they cram in to your brain all year you can recall. Simple".
"That didn't help". Ron turned back to his book
The Intelligence Boosting Potion is to be handled with care. No more than 5 ml of the solution will boost the intelligence (one IQ point more than the person already had within). Before using the potion, it is necessary to know one's IQ, as too much potion can bring the level back to zero. The potion will wear off after an hour, no matter how much was used...
"That might" he said to himself "Hermione, what do you think about this?"
"Forget it" she replied, without even looking at it.
Each revision class seemed to begin identically, give or take a few sighs of foreboding. No teacher was shy about letting everyone know at every possible available moment of the dire importance of the N.E.W.T.s. Harry was thoroughly bored with it. Yes, it was imperative that they work to their utmost abilities. Yes, the results of the exams would have tremendous impacts on the rest of their lives. So why were the teachers wasting precious time telling this to them instead of actually teaching?
Harry strummed his fingers on his desk as Professor McGonagall repeated her version of the same speech he had been hearing all day.
"...one of the most important things you will ever do. I must impress upon you the seriousness of these exams. They should not be taken lightly. This year, they must be your utmost priority. All else can wait. Your future lies within the tests ..."
The future. What of the future? If Professor Trewlany's prediction was true, his future didn't lie with these tests, but with the ultimate test; Harry against Lord Voldemort
The first exams rolled around far too quickly. Some of them were very easy, namely the muggle studies exam which was so easy Harry nearly fell asleep. He was astounded that living with the Dursleys could actually be beneficial.
Others were very hard, the Defence Against the Dark Arts was very difficult. It was partly written and partly practical. Harry was confident that he had performed well in the practical, after all, he had a vested interest in learning the subject.
Charms was fairly average, and Harry felt he had done reasonably well. Ron didn't look so confident.
Hermione said she found the Transfiguration practical exam was surprisingly easy; they had to perform a number of different charms and they were graded on their effort and neatness.
Potions was a different story.
Harry's potion didn't shimmer as it should have done, but it was definitely the right colour and viscosity.
'Well, that was bloody awful,' said Ron wearily, as he and Hermione entered the common room in the aftermath of their Potions' final.
'Ron, don't swear,' said Hermione primly
"I'll never be an Auror now" he sighed, flopping into the seat next to Harry
"What happened? "asked Harry, bracing himself for Ron's ranting, which was considerable.
"So then I thought, oh no I've done it wrong and then I put half a cup full of water in just to soften it up a bit and it might have worked"
"It could have been worse" interupted Hermione.
"How?"
"I saw Goyle brewing his potion wrong and the look on his face as it bubbled red instead of being flat and silver. Then there was poor Hannah Abbot who seemed to be trying so hard but still managing to burn her fingers and make the potion completely wrong"
Ginny sat her first O.W.L and vowed that if she ever laid eyes on another exam, she'd hurt someone. Ron wasn't entirely sure she was kidding. Luna was her usual calm serene self.
"Well, you know what I think", began Ron, "If she can keep her head while everyone else has lost their's, then she hasn't understood what's going on"
Harry glanced up at the ceiling of the Great Hall as he and Ron walked through the huge oak double doors towards the Gryfindor table. The ceiling was bewitched to show the sky; today it was overcast and the grey clouds chased each other.
He followed Ron across the stone floor to the long wooden table that ran the length of the Hall.
Breakfast was eaten in near silence as most of the students had examinations later, although Harry was in the minority having already finished his. Ron sat next to him, spooning in his porridge with one hand, and turning the pages in his Herbology book with the other. Hermione and Ginny sat opposite, both looking tired and stressed. As usual, breakfast was interupted by the noisey arrival of the owl post. Unusally though, Harry received a letter. Even stranger, it was from Dumbledore.
There is a meeting tonight which you should attend. It is of the utmost importance that you tell no one.
Professor Dumbledore.
Bemused, Harry put the letter into his pocket. He looked up to see Hermione reading The Daily Prophet.
"Anything good happening in there?" he asked
Hermione shock her head. "No. Only more muggle killings" she replied glumly.
Not another word was said during the rest of the meal, and the others said their goodbyes and headed off to the library for more revision.
I wonder what Luna's got today, thought Harry, as he stood up to return to the Gryfindor tower, then changed his mind mid step, which made him appear to stumble, as he changed direction towards the Ravenclaw table.
"Hello" he said, sitting himself on the wooden bench next to Luna, who was eating by herself, and reading the latest edition of the Quibbler.
"Good morning" she replied, with a faint smile. Harry glanced at the article she was reading. It was entitled "How to tell if He-who-must-not-be-named is your neighbour".
"You alright?"
"I'm going to fail everything" she began. Her eyes were bulging. "I don't know how people pass exams"
"I reckon you'll pass Defence against Dark Arts no trouble" said Harry grabbing her hand. "What else have you got?"
"Potions. I'll never pass it. Snape hates me"
"He hates me more" said Harry. And with good reason, he thought
"This is different. He picks on me because he thinks I'm weird" Luna's voice had gone up an octave and she was starting to sound a bit hysterical.
"Don't wory about it. He's not going to be examining you, and that makes a big difference"
Luna had the same expression as Ron when Hermione was trying to convince him of something. Harry knew it meant that she didn't believe him.
"Okay, then. I'll help you."
"How? Take Polyjuice potion and be me for an afternoon?" she asked sarcastically, still with the same squeaky voice. She was beginning to test Harry's patience. It reminded him of the time Hermione tried to study every subject in the third year and nearly had a breakdown.
I wonder if that would work? Harry thought. "Takes too long to brew, but I'll test you if you want"
Luna seemed to calm down a little. She finished her breakfast and they walked out of the hall together. The sky had changed in the last hour; the clouds were gone, and the sun was shining.
"Where shall we go then?" Luna asked
"Somewere quiet, somewere you feel comfortable." Harry thought for a moment. "How about the lake?"
He spent the entire day with Luna in the shade of the trees at the side of the lake, breaking only for lunch. Harry passed on his tips for making the perfect potion, most important of all was to read the instructions properly, a lesson that had taken him an extraordinary amount of time to learn. He was testing her on the properties of moonstone, when she suddenly, lost interest, and stared at the undergrowth.
"What, am I boring you or something?" he asked, slightly anoyed.
"Shh. There's something silver moving in there" she whispered pointing at a small shrub to their left.
"It's probably a crimpled snorehat or something" said Harry testily, turning to look at the shrub
"No. They're black" she said, missing the sarcasm in Harry's comment. "Look, it's moved again".
Harry saw it and drew his wand, Luna followed his lead. A rat darted out from the bush, and ran away from them across the parched grass, towards the Whomping Willow. The rat had a silver paw.
"Wormtail" snarled Harry setting off after him, feeling anger and disgust rising inside him.
"Stupify"
Harry's curse missed Wormtail, creating a crater in the hard mud behind the rat.
"Accio rat"
Harry continued to rain hexes on the rat as he chased it around the lake, much to the anoyance of the other Hogwarts students he passed, who trying to study. Unfortunately Wormtail was too small and fast for him. Luna was following a short distance behind.
THAWK
Intense pain filled Harry's arm. He stumbled, and fell over sideways onto the grass. Once again, he had come off worse against the Whomping Willow. This was the tree that almost wrecked Mr Weasley's flying Ford Anglia, utterly destroyed his Nimbus 2000, and given him and Hermione a good thrasing the time they followed Sirius into the Shreiking shack.
Harry saw a flicker of silver as Wormtail disappeared inot the tunnel as he rolled backwards out of reach of the tree. Luna caught up with him and helped him to his feet by grabbing his injured arm.
"Arghh" he screamed. Luna apologised.
"Help me look for a long stick". Harry could see the knot that froze the tree, but needed something long to reach it, without sustaining further harm.
A suitable stick was soon found, and once the tree was immobile, Harry and Luna raced in the tunnel.
"He's not here" said Harry astounded. "I know I saw him run in here"
They were standing in the middle of what would probably have been the living room. The bare floor boards creaked as they walked across them. It smelt mouldy and the wall paper was peeling from the walls. Surrounding them was destroyed furniture; some riped, others with large bite marks on them. All were thick with dust.
"Expelliarmus!" Wormtail entered the room, casting his spell as he did, and catching Harry and Luna's wands in his silver hand as they soared through the air.
Luna span round. She faced him with an upturned chin, an arched eyebrow and a message of hate flashing in her eyes.
Wormtail hadn't changed since their last meeting, three years ago when Sirius wanted to kill him. He was still short, Harry remembered that then they were approximately the same height, now Harry looked down on him. His hair was still thin, colourless and scruffy, face still pointy and rodent-like.
"What are you doing hear? What do you want?" spat Harry
"I've come to repay my debt" said Wormtail
"What?" said Harry incredulously. He couldn't believe that this wretched man had caused him so much loss. The desire to hurt Wormtail was taking all of Harry's self control to suppress.
"First, we need some privacy" said Wormtail slowly. He turned slowly towards Luna with an evil grin on his face and stunned her. She screamed sofly, then fell to the floor, causing a cloud of dust to fly into the air.
Harry moved aggressively towards Wormtail, who quickly pointed his wand away from Luna in the direction of Harry's chest.
"As I said, I'm repaying my debt. You're not going to that meeting tonight"
"How do you know about it?" asked Harry.
"That's not your business. But I can't have you warning Dumbledore, so you and her will spend the night here in the Shreiking Shack"
"No deal" said Harry, eying the wand
Wormtail started pacing around the dirty room, leaving footsteps in the dust as he did.
"I've already done enough. Who do you think put that wizard under the imperious curse to destroy the ice cream parlour? And who do you think put the werewolf in the forest? Malfoy. That's who"
Harry said nothing.
"Malfoy has been trying to make you and your little friends suffer all year. He wants revenge for the time he spent in Azakaban. Who do you think his son learnt the Dark Arts from? Why do you think Draco wanted to kill you?" Wormtail stopped pacing and looked Harry directly in the eyes.
"Who do you think delayed that wizard who attacked the Ice Cream Parlour in Diagon Alley long enough until you and your friends had left? Who made sure the werewolf didn't attack you? Me."
He turned and glanced around the dirty room.
"I've been saving your worthless hide all year. You don't have any say in the matter. I'm risking my life by telling you. If the Dark Lord finds out, I'm dead."
Wormtail dropped Harry and Luna's wands by the door, constantly watching Harry to keep him a safe distance away.
Harry was wishing he had taken a leaf from Mafoy's book and kept a spare wand hidden. Wormtail evidently knew something that would be of benefit to the order. Dumbledore's words came to him; he could perform magic without the need for a wand. He concerntrated hard.
"Legimens"
Wormtail obviously had a weak mind; Harry was inside it, learning his secrets. He was in another dusty room, face to face with Voldemort. Harry stared at the pale white face with it's red slitty eyes. He could sense that Wormtail was scared. He felt his hands shaking.
"Tonight, Wormtail, tonight we wipe out the order"
"That's good m m master" stammered Wormtail. Harry felt his fear; his hands shook uncontrollably.
"There is a meeting tonight, and I have learned it's location through my informer. "
Suddenly the room swam in front of him, and Harry was winded as he hit the floor. Wormtail had fought the spell, and was standing over him, wand raised.
"You've learnt enough" he hissed. "Stupify"
The Burrow was lying in ruins. Black smoke was pouring from the rubble. The garden looked like a battle ground. Several bodies lay smouldering on the ground.
Malfoy charged forward, shouting the incantation to the sky:
"MORSMORDRE SUBSANNATIO!"
A blast of greenish light issued from his wand, rising into the sky over the hill and forming into the serpent-skull that was the symbol of the Dark Mark. Another blast of greenish light, slightly darker in color, erupted from Malfoy's partner's wand, and struck its target dead center in the chest. The effects of the curse on the victim was immediate, much to Malfoy's satisfaction.
Malfoy ran up and looked down at their victim, as his comrade joined him, admiring his handiwork. With fixed stares of hatred, they looked at the limp body on the ground. It was Mr Weasley, and he was unmistakably dead. Malfoy's partner broke into a grin and spoke.
"That's what you get for being a muggle loving fool Weasley"
Looming above them, the Dark Mark opened its mouth and a huge yellow tongue came out.
"Where's Potter?" asked Harry. I'm here thought Harry, then he realised he was seeing through Voldemorts eyes and listening to his thoughts.
"Wormtail" he shouted "Where's Potter? He is supposed to be here"
Wormtail was cowering by a tree in The Burrow's garden. It was a pathetic sight and Harry felt pity for him, as he had done when he prevented Lupin and Sirius from killing him.
"He is watching us!" roared Voldemort.
Harry tried to clear his mind, but was too slow; Wormtail's curse had weakened his defences. Voldemort was able to extract with ease all the details of Wormtail's wizard debt to Harry, and the events in the Shreiking Shack that day.
Harry woke with a start. He was cold and aching all over. The sky was dark outside realised that it was imperative that he spoke to Dumbledore as soon as possible. He got to his feet and stumbled out of the room, leaving Luna where she was.
His scar started to burn white hot, causing him to stop and lean against the side of the damp, dark tunnel. Wormtail was being punished, or worse.
The grounds were pitch black, but Harry knew the route back to the castle and was outside Dumbledores office within ten minutes. But Dumbeldore wasn't there.
Snape was on his late night prowls though. "What are you doing out of bed at this time of night? I think that's 10 points from Gryfindor"
"Where's Professor Dumbledore?"
"The headmaster's business is none of yours Potter, and a further five points from Gryfindor for not addressing me properly. Why are you covered in dirt? What have you been doing?"
"I was in the Shreiking Shack with Luna" Harry blurted, then cursed himself for not thinking before he opened his mouth.
Snape raised his eyebrows. "I'm not interested in your sordid noctural activites Potter, but I will deduct a further 50 points for being out of bounds from you both, and another 50 each for improper behavoiur"
"It's not like that" shouted Harry
Harry knew that he didn't have time for this. "The burrow has been attacked". He was pleased to see the smug expression on Snape's face change to concern.
"I'll alert the order". Snape was gone with a swish of his black robe.
Why wasn't Snape at the meeting?
Harry stood in the dimly lit corridor, overcome with an intense feeling of uselessness. Suddenly he realised what he had to do, and ran back through the castle.
He raced across the moonlite grounds to Hagrid's hut. His Firebolt may be fast, but Sirius's bike was faster still, and time mattered. He wheeled it round to the front of the hut and pushed the starter. A growl that shook the branches of the trees in the Forbidden Forest announced that the engine had come to life. Harry lept on, selected first, opened the throttle, released the clutch and shot forward. The grass churned under the large rear tyre as the bike charged towards the school. He selected second gear and pulled up on the handle bars. As the bike reached take off speed, he eased it round away from the school and towards the gates.
As he passed over the hut, Hagrid came out and started waving his arms, calling to Harry. No doubt he had been woken by the noise. Harry saw the tyre marks in the grass, fifty meters long, such was the force of the bike's acceleration. Third gear brought 120 mph, fourth delivered 160 mph, and fifth reached 210 mph. Soon Hogwarts was hidden in the dark behind the mountains.
The line of the horizon was clear and hard against the sky, and in one particular quarter it showed black against a silvery climbing phosphorescence that grew and grew. At last, over the rim of the waiting earth the moon lifted slowly until it swung clear of the horizon and rode off, free of moorings. Harry began to see the panorama beneath him - meadows widespread, rivers and quiet gardens, all softy disclosed, all washed clean of mystery, all radiant as by day.
The aerodynamic charm that Sirius cast meant that the airflow around the bike was directed away from Harry. He flew south for hours in the cool dark night, while the moon did what it could to help guide the way; till it's hour came and it sank earthwards reluctantly, then vanished beneath the horizon. Mystery once more held the landscape, and Harry found himself dreading the sight he expected to see upon his arrival.
Harry saw the main road into Ottery St Catchpole, lit by muggle street lamps. Slowly a change began to declare itself. To the east, a faint pastel pink glow was visible on the horizon beneath the clouds. The sky became clearer, fields and trees came into sight.
He slowed the bike down to bring it closer to the ground. It skimmed the tops of trees, then hit the road with a squeal from the rear tyre. The bike bucked and weaved for a moment then righted itself. The brilliant orange sun appeared through the trees, and it reminded him of his first visit to The Burrow, just before the start of his second year at Hogwarts. Then he remembered why he was here and urged the bike onwards. It growled menancingly as Harry rode through the sleeping village.
Then he saw the Dark Mark, and feared the worst. As he aproached The Burrow he began to smell the black smoke that was curling it's way into the sky. He turned the final corner to see for real the utter devastation he had witnessed in his vision.
Lupin and Dumbledore were patroling the yard extinguishing the fires with their wands. The Burrow had been raised to the ground. What was once a home, several stories high, was now unrecognisable. They looked up as Harry rode in. Lupin looked pale and shocked, whereas Dumbledore merely appear tired.
"For a second I thought you were Sirius" said Lupin. "What are you doing here Harry?"
"I had to come. I saw what happened"
"Saving people again Harry?" asked Dumbledore
Harry looked down at his feet.
"It's nothing to be sorry about. It's one of your greatest qualities" said Dumbledore, forcing a smile onto his dirty face. "But there is nothing anyone can do anymore. Bill, George, Fred, Molly and Arthur have all been taken to St Mungo's. Fleur was here but she ran once she realised what was happening. She too is in St Mungo's being treated for shock."
"We also found a number of injured Death Eaters, who have been taken away by the Aurors" added Lupin
"But the Weasley's will be alright? Won't they?" asked Harry
No one answered; the silence spoke much louder than words. Lupin and Dumbledore looked at each other, then after a moment Dumbledore spoke. "No Harry. I'm sorry"
Harry was stunned. He stood there, numb, just staring. It was too much to take in. He remembered the first time he met the Weasley's on platform 93/4 before he started at Hogwarts, and then when he met Mr Weasley after flying in his Ford Anglia. He rembered the look on Mrs Weasly's face when they arrived at The Burrow, the twins grins when they gave Dudley the ton tongue toffee.
He had had some good times at The Burrow with the Weasley's, and now they were gone. Forever. Like rain falling into the sea; they would not come back.
For an hour he helped Lupin and Dumbledore to remove the Dark Mark before any muggles saw it, and talking about what had happened. The sun rose above the trees, and it's light brought out the horror of the nights events.
Another body was found lying face down in the garden. Some Red Caps had already discovered it and were eating part of a leg. Harry felt nauseous as their tiny blood stained faces gorged on the remains.
Harry approached triping over an arm that was hidden in the dew laden, knee length grass. He recognised the long blond hair covering the top half of the blood soaked robes. Suddenly a terribe howl cut through the silence. The noise came from the bottom of a large tree trunk.
"Professor Dumbledore, Remus" shouted Harry at the two figures walking amonsgt the ruins.
"What is it Harry" called Lupin turning and running towards Harry. Lupins gaze fell upon the body, his nose wrinkled in disgust at the Red Caps.
"Vile creatures" he snarled, "but I suppose that's the best that Lucious Malfoy deserves"
"Bad Dobby, bad bad Dobby", then "THUNK", followed by a quieter thud. It was the unmistakable sound of Dobby punishing himself.
"Dobby" called Harry, "Dobby, where are you? And stop punishing yourself"
They watched as a pair a bat like ears made their way through the long grass towards them. Harry looked down to see the bruised, battered and tear stained face of Dobby the house elf.
"Dobby has killed his old master" he sniffed. "Dobby had no choice. Old master was trying to kill Professor Dumbledore."
"It's okay" said Harry, stroking the top of the elf's head "You don't need to punish yourself anymore"
"Why are you hear Dobby?" asked Harry
"Dobby, and a group of freed house elves were at the meeting last night t be inducted into The Order" Dumbledore spoke as they took long strides through the grass.
"How much did you see in your vision?" asked Lupin
"Not much. The ruins, Malfoy, and Mr Weasley. Why didn't I know this was going to happen?" asked Harry. "That's the point of legimens, isn't it?"
"It seems that Voldemort has learnt to shut his mind to you. It's very important that you don't blame yourself for this Harry" replied Dumbledore. "It is also very important that Miss Granger, Ron Weasley and Miss Weasley don't know about this"
"What!" said Harry in disbelief "how can they not know? They'll find out sooner or later"
"I will tell them, later. They are about to sit examinations that will affect their entire lives. I'm sure you are aware what a shock like this will do to them"
Harry looked unconvinced.
"I must insist on your word Harry". Dumbledore spoke quietly, but Harry knew the only possible course was to agree. He nodded.
Once the trio had done all they could at The Burrow, Dumbledore turned, scanning the devastation until his eyes reached Harry who was standing beside a crater, possibly caused by a deflected curse.
"I need to know why you weren't at the meeting tonight" he said grimly.
Harry took a deep breath and recieted the events of the previous day, and how Wormtail had captured them in the Shreiking Shack. Dumbledore and Lupin listened intently, without interuption.
"Wormtail won't be bothering you anymore" said Lupin once Harry had finished his tale. "You're standing next to the place anyone saw him last"
Harry cast his eyes down at the charred edges of the crater and shuddered.
"Professor" said Harry looking at Dumbledore, "I used legicemy on Wormtail. I found out that Voldemort had an informer. And there's something else; Snape wasn't at the meeting"
"Professor Snape" said Dumbledore, stressing the title, "was not required to attend the meeting."
"Oh" said Harry "Professor, I need to return to Hogwarts. Luna is still in the Shrieking Shack"
"Yes, yes. We should all return now. There is nothing more to be done here" Dumbledore drew his wand, pointed it at the motorbike and mubbled "Portus"
Before they touched the motor bike Dumbledore spoke once more .
"The Order of the Pheonix has suffered a great loss tonight." He paused "Destruction leads to a very rough road, but it also breads creation. We have much work to do, if this particular bird is ever to rise from it's ashes."
He paused. "If we don't the future wll be very bleak indeed".
"We also need to find Voldemort's spy" added Lupin.
"Erm shouldn't we do something about Malfoy?" asked Harry tentertively
"Red Caps are quite efficient scavengers; they will leave little if no mess" replied Dumbledore
Harry woke Luna, who it transpired, was not pleased to have spent the entire night on a dusty floor.
"I could have been eaten alive by dust Nargles" she said as she stomped out of the room towards the tunnel, brushing the dirt from her robes with her hand as she went.
"Luna wait" Harry called after her. "There's something important you need to know. He ran after her and caught her by the arm
"A terrible thing happened last night". Harry drew a deep breath and told her the story. When he got to the part about the motorbike, she exploded
"So because he owed you a debt, I had to spend the entire night on a dusty floor, and you didn't wake me, and you went off on that motorbike to have an adventure all by yourself"
Harry looked at his feet. He didn't want to say the next sentence. Luna looked at him.
"What? She said crossly "Then what happened?"
"Ron's parents" he stopped and looked at her. Luna's expression changed immeadiately to concern.
"And his brothers" Luna put her arm around him. He couldn't bring himself to say they were dead
"The Burrow was attacked last night by Voldemort. Only Dumbledore and Lupin survived"
Ron, Hermione and Ginny sat their final exams that afternoon, and Harry had taken great care not to speak to any of them before hand. Once they had finished Professor Mcgonagall escorted them to the Headmaster's office. Harry waited with Luna, sitting in the shade of the tree beside the lake. It seemed odd that his father sat here with Lupin and Sirius. Perhaps Mr & Mrs Weasley also sat here, perhaps Bill did. He knew the twins had and that the only thing seperating them all was time. They were all in the same place, just at different times. Somehow this comforted him.
The sun was shining and the giant squid was sunning itself in the shallow part of the lake. He listened to the wind blowing the leaves above him and watched the ripples on the lake. Occasionally students would walk past, but apart from that, there was no one else in the grounds. It would have been a beautiful day, if only...
Ron Ginny & Hermione appeared with puffy red eyes sometime later. They sat next to them, each deep in their own thoughts, and nobody said a word for sometime.
"How much did you see?" asked Ron timidly some time later. Ginny sobbed and Hermione wipped her eyes.
"Not much, just The Burrow and the Dark Mark" Harry lied. He didn't want to upset Ron anymore by telling him that he actually saw his father killed.
"I heard you leave on the motor bike" said Hermione.
"I think everybody did" said Harry. "Hagrid came out waving his arms about."
"Why didn't you wake me?" asked Ron
"I didn't know I was going" replied Harry. He paused, then continued "there wouldn't have been enough room on the bike anyway"
"Oh. But I could have gone on one of those mad horse things" Ron was starting to get cross. Hermione put her arm around his shoulders.
"Ron" she said calmly "It was early in the morning and Harry probably was only thinking about getting to The Burrow. You can't be angery with him for what happened. This is a terrible shock for all of us"
Ron took a deep breath closed his eyes. "I'm sorry"
"It's alright."
Harry knew what Ron & Ginny were going through. The loss of Sirius left hole inside him; the loss of their parents and brothers must have carved a gaping chasm. Harry was lucky, Sirius had returned, and he had Luna.
Ron, Ginny and Hermione returned to the school for lunch. Harry and Luna remained at the lake, talking. The day drew on and the large fiery mass that was the sun eventually disappeared behind the powdered mounds of mountains surrounding the enigmatic school. Though it was past ten o'clock, the sky still clung to and retained some lingering skirts of light from the department day; and the sullen heat of the torrid afternoon broke up and rolled away at the dispersing touch of the cool fingers of the short mid-sumer night.
Harry lay streched on the bank, still sweating from the stress of the fierce day that had been cloudless from dawn to late sunset He remembered the time Mrs Weasley failed to remove the boggart from Grimauld Place, and how she had seen her family and Harry dead. Who was going to look after Ron and Ginny now? he wondered. Lupin had promised that The Order wouldn't let them starve. Perhaps Dumbledore would let them stay at Hogwarts; perhaps Harry could stay also.
Gently, the moon rose to the sky, joined soon after by it's companionable stars. Several hours passed before the cool wind forced Harry and Luna to seek shelter. "Will you walk me back to the common room, I'm getting cold" asked Luna.
Harry got to his feet and helped her up. Arm in arm they walked across the grounds. Under the dappled moonlight of a large oak tree as he looked over the shimering water of the vast lake before him. Sighing, he glanced up at the full moon, admiring it's magnificence. It was so close and yet so far away, like so many things in his life. The memories clouding his mind drifted silently through his thoughts, some recent and others once thought to be forgotten.
You think the dead we have loved ever truly leave us? You think that we don't recall them more clearly than ever in times of great trouble?
Harry remembered what Dumbledore had said to him the night they saved Sirius from the Dementors, and he thought he had seen his father. Perhaps it was true; perhaps he, or Ron might even see the Weasley family again. After all, Sirius had returned, lifting the blanket of misery Harry had been hiding under, and was his father not his protector? His patronus? Looking back up at Hogwarts castle, encased in a shimmering beam of moonlight, he sighed.
Harry said goodnight to Luna outside her common room. So much had happened that day that would have repercussions for the rest of his life. With his mind in this state he knew he would never be able to sleep. For a while he wandered aimlessly thrugh the castle, churning the events over in his mind. There was one person in the castle that didn't need sleep that he could talk to. He ran through the castle to Myrtle's bathroom, and pushed open the door.
"Sirius" he whispered "Sirius, are you here"
"Hello Harry, what's up? Why aren't you asleep?" said the pale ghost of Sirius.
Harry lent against the wall and told the story once again. When he finished, Sirius sat down and looked at him.
"I feel sorry for you, Ron and Hermione, these people have run mindlessly over all of your childhoods."
"What was your childhood like" asked Harry
"It was full of mystery and wonder" replied Sirius. "We were so full of ourselves that nothing seemed beyond our boundaries. We probably thought we were brighter than the sun" He chuckled.
"But we wasted a lot of our talent. I remember one day finding that ten years had got behind me, and all I had was plans that had come to nothing." He sounded a bit more solemn now.
"Time took my dreams away, and left me with a life that was consumed by slow decay in Azkaban. No matter how hard you try, you'll never catch up that time." Sirius had a bitter tone in his voice.
Harry said nothing for a while, considering Sirius's words.
"Sirius, can Ron's family come back as ghosts, like you"
Sirius shoke his head. I didn't really die. The ancient magic that resides in that arch has only moved me to another place, my soul still exists."
"But what about"
"They were killed by the killing curse." Sirius interupted. "It totally destroys the soul. That's why your parents aren't here"
"And Percy?"
"Same thing. The dementors took his soul, so it doesn't exist either"
"Harry" said Sirius, looking unusally flustered. "When this has calmed down a bit, we need to talk"
"What about?" Harry was a bit nervous. Siruis sounded something pressing on his mind.
"The future"
"What about it?"
"Things are going to get worse, much worse than this. But in the end, everything will be as it should. Did you know there is Seers blood in Ron's family?"
"No, but Mrs Weasley" Harry paused. It was another painful memory" She was fighting a boggart in Grimauld Place, and she saw...saw everyone dead."
"Perhaps now's not the best time for this" said Sirius. "Look Harry, it's late. Why don't you get some sleep"
Harry bade Sirius goodnight and left the bathroom. He still wasn't tired enough to sleep, so again, he found himself meandering through the castle.
Slowly he climbed the spiraling staircase up towards the Astronomy Tower, towards the West wing of Hogwarts castle. Panting, he pushed open the large oak door, moonlight illuminating his features. He stared up at the full moon and felt comforted by the shimmer that was radiated from its surface. He moved over to a nearby ledge and lifted himself onto the cold stone platform, dangling his legs over the side and swinging them idly in time with the cool breeze. His eyes roamed over the moon lit site before him, even the Forbidden forest looked beautiful from his position. With the light gently brushing the tops of black, ethereal trees and shrubbery and gentle tufts of clouds descending over the scene
He thought forlornly over his life and nothing but pain and misery came to mind, constant anguish that could not have been avoided. And so, he sat there, hoping to take his mind off all that had happened. His thoughts strayed constantly and without boundary, delving deeper into the confines of his mind. Voldemort had taken almost everything he held dear.
Hermione was avoiding Harry. She had noticed that around May every year Harry began trying to save the world; which was interesting and exciting as long as she and Ron were involved. However, as soon as one of them was overcome by petrification, broken limbs, madness etc. it simply became depressing, and distracted her from her exams. Hermione suspected that her failure to attain perfect marks last year was directly related to Harry's efforts . This year Hermione's exams mattered more than ever before, these exams would determine her future, and just this once Hermione was going to do her own studying and let Harry save the world all by himself.
If she had forgotten how much work was involved in studies for examinations, she soon remembered.
There were still three weeks to go before the first sittings, but pressure was starting to tell; Ron was getting irritable, and Hermione started giving detentions to anyone that dared to make too much noise in the common room.
The teachers had finished their classes and were devoting lesson time to revision. For the first time in his life Harry felt as if he could actually use a pensive to store all his thoughts in. Perhaps that way they wouldn't keep escaping.
Exams came around exceptionally fast causing massive amounts of groaning, moaning, whining and grumbling. "I don't see what everyone hates about exams. People always act as if it's the end of the world or the worst thing that could ever happen to them. What really is the big deal? If you ask me, exams are much better than lessons. Much easier." explained Hermione to Ron, who was beginning to believe that he was too stupid to take exams "Really." said Ron in disbelief, rolling his eyes towards to ceiling. "I wish I was as clever as you Hermione"
"You don't have to learn anything new - just remember what you've already been taught, you get tons of time off when other people are being tested and, to be honest, how hard can remembering a load of facts be? I know I'm particularly good at it, but it's not about intelligence; everyone's been to the same lessons. It's all a question of how many of the facts they cram in to your brain all year you can recall. Simple".
"That didn't help". Ron turned back to his book
The Intelligence Boosting Potion is to be handled with care. No more than 5 ml of the solution will boost the intelligence (one IQ point more than the person already had within). Before using the potion, it is necessary to know one's IQ, as too much potion can bring the level back to zero. The potion will wear off after an hour, no matter how much was used...
"That might" he said to himself "Hermione, what do you think about this?"
"Forget it" she replied, without even looking at it.
Each revision class seemed to begin identically, give or take a few sighs of foreboding. No teacher was shy about letting everyone know at every possible available moment of the dire importance of the N.E.W.T.s. Harry was thoroughly bored with it. Yes, it was imperative that they work to their utmost abilities. Yes, the results of the exams would have tremendous impacts on the rest of their lives. So why were the teachers wasting precious time telling this to them instead of actually teaching?
Harry strummed his fingers on his desk as Professor McGonagall repeated her version of the same speech he had been hearing all day.
"...one of the most important things you will ever do. I must impress upon you the seriousness of these exams. They should not be taken lightly. This year, they must be your utmost priority. All else can wait. Your future lies within the tests ..."
The future. What of the future? If Professor Trewlany's prediction was true, his future didn't lie with these tests, but with the ultimate test; Harry against Lord Voldemort
The first exams rolled around far too quickly. Some of them were very easy, namely the muggle studies exam which was so easy Harry nearly fell asleep. He was astounded that living with the Dursleys could actually be beneficial.
Others were very hard, the Defence Against the Dark Arts was very difficult. It was partly written and partly practical. Harry was confident that he had performed well in the practical, after all, he had a vested interest in learning the subject.
Charms was fairly average, and Harry felt he had done reasonably well. Ron didn't look so confident.
Hermione said she found the Transfiguration practical exam was surprisingly easy; they had to perform a number of different charms and they were graded on their effort and neatness.
Potions was a different story.
Harry's potion didn't shimmer as it should have done, but it was definitely the right colour and viscosity.
'Well, that was bloody awful,' said Ron wearily, as he and Hermione entered the common room in the aftermath of their Potions' final.
'Ron, don't swear,' said Hermione primly
"I'll never be an Auror now" he sighed, flopping into the seat next to Harry
"What happened? "asked Harry, bracing himself for Ron's ranting, which was considerable.
"So then I thought, oh no I've done it wrong and then I put half a cup full of water in just to soften it up a bit and it might have worked"
"It could have been worse" interupted Hermione.
"How?"
"I saw Goyle brewing his potion wrong and the look on his face as it bubbled red instead of being flat and silver. Then there was poor Hannah Abbot who seemed to be trying so hard but still managing to burn her fingers and make the potion completely wrong"
Ginny sat her first O.W.L and vowed that if she ever laid eyes on another exam, she'd hurt someone. Ron wasn't entirely sure she was kidding. Luna was her usual calm serene self.
"Well, you know what I think", began Ron, "If she can keep her head while everyone else has lost their's, then she hasn't understood what's going on"
Harry glanced up at the ceiling of the Great Hall as he and Ron walked through the huge oak double doors towards the Gryfindor table. The ceiling was bewitched to show the sky; today it was overcast and the grey clouds chased each other.
He followed Ron across the stone floor to the long wooden table that ran the length of the Hall.
Breakfast was eaten in near silence as most of the students had examinations later, although Harry was in the minority having already finished his. Ron sat next to him, spooning in his porridge with one hand, and turning the pages in his Herbology book with the other. Hermione and Ginny sat opposite, both looking tired and stressed. As usual, breakfast was interupted by the noisey arrival of the owl post. Unusally though, Harry received a letter. Even stranger, it was from Dumbledore.
There is a meeting tonight which you should attend. It is of the utmost importance that you tell no one.
Professor Dumbledore.
Bemused, Harry put the letter into his pocket. He looked up to see Hermione reading The Daily Prophet.
"Anything good happening in there?" he asked
Hermione shock her head. "No. Only more muggle killings" she replied glumly.
Not another word was said during the rest of the meal, and the others said their goodbyes and headed off to the library for more revision.
I wonder what Luna's got today, thought Harry, as he stood up to return to the Gryfindor tower, then changed his mind mid step, which made him appear to stumble, as he changed direction towards the Ravenclaw table.
"Hello" he said, sitting himself on the wooden bench next to Luna, who was eating by herself, and reading the latest edition of the Quibbler.
"Good morning" she replied, with a faint smile. Harry glanced at the article she was reading. It was entitled "How to tell if He-who-must-not-be-named is your neighbour".
"You alright?"
"I'm going to fail everything" she began. Her eyes were bulging. "I don't know how people pass exams"
"I reckon you'll pass Defence against Dark Arts no trouble" said Harry grabbing her hand. "What else have you got?"
"Potions. I'll never pass it. Snape hates me"
"He hates me more" said Harry. And with good reason, he thought
"This is different. He picks on me because he thinks I'm weird" Luna's voice had gone up an octave and she was starting to sound a bit hysterical.
"Don't wory about it. He's not going to be examining you, and that makes a big difference"
Luna had the same expression as Ron when Hermione was trying to convince him of something. Harry knew it meant that she didn't believe him.
"Okay, then. I'll help you."
"How? Take Polyjuice potion and be me for an afternoon?" she asked sarcastically, still with the same squeaky voice. She was beginning to test Harry's patience. It reminded him of the time Hermione tried to study every subject in the third year and nearly had a breakdown.
I wonder if that would work? Harry thought. "Takes too long to brew, but I'll test you if you want"
Luna seemed to calm down a little. She finished her breakfast and they walked out of the hall together. The sky had changed in the last hour; the clouds were gone, and the sun was shining.
"Where shall we go then?" Luna asked
"Somewere quiet, somewere you feel comfortable." Harry thought for a moment. "How about the lake?"
He spent the entire day with Luna in the shade of the trees at the side of the lake, breaking only for lunch. Harry passed on his tips for making the perfect potion, most important of all was to read the instructions properly, a lesson that had taken him an extraordinary amount of time to learn. He was testing her on the properties of moonstone, when she suddenly, lost interest, and stared at the undergrowth.
"What, am I boring you or something?" he asked, slightly anoyed.
"Shh. There's something silver moving in there" she whispered pointing at a small shrub to their left.
"It's probably a crimpled snorehat or something" said Harry testily, turning to look at the shrub
"No. They're black" she said, missing the sarcasm in Harry's comment. "Look, it's moved again".
Harry saw it and drew his wand, Luna followed his lead. A rat darted out from the bush, and ran away from them across the parched grass, towards the Whomping Willow. The rat had a silver paw.
"Wormtail" snarled Harry setting off after him, feeling anger and disgust rising inside him.
"Stupify"
Harry's curse missed Wormtail, creating a crater in the hard mud behind the rat.
"Accio rat"
Harry continued to rain hexes on the rat as he chased it around the lake, much to the anoyance of the other Hogwarts students he passed, who trying to study. Unfortunately Wormtail was too small and fast for him. Luna was following a short distance behind.
THAWK
Intense pain filled Harry's arm. He stumbled, and fell over sideways onto the grass. Once again, he had come off worse against the Whomping Willow. This was the tree that almost wrecked Mr Weasley's flying Ford Anglia, utterly destroyed his Nimbus 2000, and given him and Hermione a good thrasing the time they followed Sirius into the Shreiking shack.
Harry saw a flicker of silver as Wormtail disappeared inot the tunnel as he rolled backwards out of reach of the tree. Luna caught up with him and helped him to his feet by grabbing his injured arm.
"Arghh" he screamed. Luna apologised.
"Help me look for a long stick". Harry could see the knot that froze the tree, but needed something long to reach it, without sustaining further harm.
A suitable stick was soon found, and once the tree was immobile, Harry and Luna raced in the tunnel.
"He's not here" said Harry astounded. "I know I saw him run in here"
They were standing in the middle of what would probably have been the living room. The bare floor boards creaked as they walked across them. It smelt mouldy and the wall paper was peeling from the walls. Surrounding them was destroyed furniture; some riped, others with large bite marks on them. All were thick with dust.
"Expelliarmus!" Wormtail entered the room, casting his spell as he did, and catching Harry and Luna's wands in his silver hand as they soared through the air.
Luna span round. She faced him with an upturned chin, an arched eyebrow and a message of hate flashing in her eyes.
Wormtail hadn't changed since their last meeting, three years ago when Sirius wanted to kill him. He was still short, Harry remembered that then they were approximately the same height, now Harry looked down on him. His hair was still thin, colourless and scruffy, face still pointy and rodent-like.
"What are you doing hear? What do you want?" spat Harry
"I've come to repay my debt" said Wormtail
"What?" said Harry incredulously. He couldn't believe that this wretched man had caused him so much loss. The desire to hurt Wormtail was taking all of Harry's self control to suppress.
"First, we need some privacy" said Wormtail slowly. He turned slowly towards Luna with an evil grin on his face and stunned her. She screamed sofly, then fell to the floor, causing a cloud of dust to fly into the air.
Harry moved aggressively towards Wormtail, who quickly pointed his wand away from Luna in the direction of Harry's chest.
"As I said, I'm repaying my debt. You're not going to that meeting tonight"
"How do you know about it?" asked Harry.
"That's not your business. But I can't have you warning Dumbledore, so you and her will spend the night here in the Shreiking Shack"
"No deal" said Harry, eying the wand
Wormtail started pacing around the dirty room, leaving footsteps in the dust as he did.
"I've already done enough. Who do you think put that wizard under the imperious curse to destroy the ice cream parlour? And who do you think put the werewolf in the forest? Malfoy. That's who"
Harry said nothing.
"Malfoy has been trying to make you and your little friends suffer all year. He wants revenge for the time he spent in Azakaban. Who do you think his son learnt the Dark Arts from? Why do you think Draco wanted to kill you?" Wormtail stopped pacing and looked Harry directly in the eyes.
"Who do you think delayed that wizard who attacked the Ice Cream Parlour in Diagon Alley long enough until you and your friends had left? Who made sure the werewolf didn't attack you? Me."
He turned and glanced around the dirty room.
"I've been saving your worthless hide all year. You don't have any say in the matter. I'm risking my life by telling you. If the Dark Lord finds out, I'm dead."
Wormtail dropped Harry and Luna's wands by the door, constantly watching Harry to keep him a safe distance away.
Harry was wishing he had taken a leaf from Mafoy's book and kept a spare wand hidden. Wormtail evidently knew something that would be of benefit to the order. Dumbledore's words came to him; he could perform magic without the need for a wand. He concerntrated hard.
"Legimens"
Wormtail obviously had a weak mind; Harry was inside it, learning his secrets. He was in another dusty room, face to face with Voldemort. Harry stared at the pale white face with it's red slitty eyes. He could sense that Wormtail was scared. He felt his hands shaking.
"Tonight, Wormtail, tonight we wipe out the order"
"That's good m m master" stammered Wormtail. Harry felt his fear; his hands shook uncontrollably.
"There is a meeting tonight, and I have learned it's location through my informer. "
Suddenly the room swam in front of him, and Harry was winded as he hit the floor. Wormtail had fought the spell, and was standing over him, wand raised.
"You've learnt enough" he hissed. "Stupify"
The Burrow was lying in ruins. Black smoke was pouring from the rubble. The garden looked like a battle ground. Several bodies lay smouldering on the ground.
Malfoy charged forward, shouting the incantation to the sky:
"MORSMORDRE SUBSANNATIO!"
A blast of greenish light issued from his wand, rising into the sky over the hill and forming into the serpent-skull that was the symbol of the Dark Mark. Another blast of greenish light, slightly darker in color, erupted from Malfoy's partner's wand, and struck its target dead center in the chest. The effects of the curse on the victim was immediate, much to Malfoy's satisfaction.
Malfoy ran up and looked down at their victim, as his comrade joined him, admiring his handiwork. With fixed stares of hatred, they looked at the limp body on the ground. It was Mr Weasley, and he was unmistakably dead. Malfoy's partner broke into a grin and spoke.
"That's what you get for being a muggle loving fool Weasley"
Looming above them, the Dark Mark opened its mouth and a huge yellow tongue came out.
"Where's Potter?" asked Harry. I'm here thought Harry, then he realised he was seeing through Voldemorts eyes and listening to his thoughts.
"Wormtail" he shouted "Where's Potter? He is supposed to be here"
Wormtail was cowering by a tree in The Burrow's garden. It was a pathetic sight and Harry felt pity for him, as he had done when he prevented Lupin and Sirius from killing him.
"He is watching us!" roared Voldemort.
Harry tried to clear his mind, but was too slow; Wormtail's curse had weakened his defences. Voldemort was able to extract with ease all the details of Wormtail's wizard debt to Harry, and the events in the Shreiking Shack that day.
Harry woke with a start. He was cold and aching all over. The sky was dark outside realised that it was imperative that he spoke to Dumbledore as soon as possible. He got to his feet and stumbled out of the room, leaving Luna where she was.
His scar started to burn white hot, causing him to stop and lean against the side of the damp, dark tunnel. Wormtail was being punished, or worse.
The grounds were pitch black, but Harry knew the route back to the castle and was outside Dumbledores office within ten minutes. But Dumbeldore wasn't there.
Snape was on his late night prowls though. "What are you doing out of bed at this time of night? I think that's 10 points from Gryfindor"
"Where's Professor Dumbledore?"
"The headmaster's business is none of yours Potter, and a further five points from Gryfindor for not addressing me properly. Why are you covered in dirt? What have you been doing?"
"I was in the Shreiking Shack with Luna" Harry blurted, then cursed himself for not thinking before he opened his mouth.
Snape raised his eyebrows. "I'm not interested in your sordid noctural activites Potter, but I will deduct a further 50 points for being out of bounds from you both, and another 50 each for improper behavoiur"
"It's not like that" shouted Harry
Harry knew that he didn't have time for this. "The burrow has been attacked". He was pleased to see the smug expression on Snape's face change to concern.
"I'll alert the order". Snape was gone with a swish of his black robe.
Why wasn't Snape at the meeting?
Harry stood in the dimly lit corridor, overcome with an intense feeling of uselessness. Suddenly he realised what he had to do, and ran back through the castle.
He raced across the moonlite grounds to Hagrid's hut. His Firebolt may be fast, but Sirius's bike was faster still, and time mattered. He wheeled it round to the front of the hut and pushed the starter. A growl that shook the branches of the trees in the Forbidden Forest announced that the engine had come to life. Harry lept on, selected first, opened the throttle, released the clutch and shot forward. The grass churned under the large rear tyre as the bike charged towards the school. He selected second gear and pulled up on the handle bars. As the bike reached take off speed, he eased it round away from the school and towards the gates.
As he passed over the hut, Hagrid came out and started waving his arms, calling to Harry. No doubt he had been woken by the noise. Harry saw the tyre marks in the grass, fifty meters long, such was the force of the bike's acceleration. Third gear brought 120 mph, fourth delivered 160 mph, and fifth reached 210 mph. Soon Hogwarts was hidden in the dark behind the mountains.
The line of the horizon was clear and hard against the sky, and in one particular quarter it showed black against a silvery climbing phosphorescence that grew and grew. At last, over the rim of the waiting earth the moon lifted slowly until it swung clear of the horizon and rode off, free of moorings. Harry began to see the panorama beneath him - meadows widespread, rivers and quiet gardens, all softy disclosed, all washed clean of mystery, all radiant as by day.
The aerodynamic charm that Sirius cast meant that the airflow around the bike was directed away from Harry. He flew south for hours in the cool dark night, while the moon did what it could to help guide the way; till it's hour came and it sank earthwards reluctantly, then vanished beneath the horizon. Mystery once more held the landscape, and Harry found himself dreading the sight he expected to see upon his arrival.
Harry saw the main road into Ottery St Catchpole, lit by muggle street lamps. Slowly a change began to declare itself. To the east, a faint pastel pink glow was visible on the horizon beneath the clouds. The sky became clearer, fields and trees came into sight.
He slowed the bike down to bring it closer to the ground. It skimmed the tops of trees, then hit the road with a squeal from the rear tyre. The bike bucked and weaved for a moment then righted itself. The brilliant orange sun appeared through the trees, and it reminded him of his first visit to The Burrow, just before the start of his second year at Hogwarts. Then he remembered why he was here and urged the bike onwards. It growled menancingly as Harry rode through the sleeping village.
Then he saw the Dark Mark, and feared the worst. As he aproached The Burrow he began to smell the black smoke that was curling it's way into the sky. He turned the final corner to see for real the utter devastation he had witnessed in his vision.
Lupin and Dumbledore were patroling the yard extinguishing the fires with their wands. The Burrow had been raised to the ground. What was once a home, several stories high, was now unrecognisable. They looked up as Harry rode in. Lupin looked pale and shocked, whereas Dumbledore merely appear tired.
"For a second I thought you were Sirius" said Lupin. "What are you doing here Harry?"
"I had to come. I saw what happened"
"Saving people again Harry?" asked Dumbledore
Harry looked down at his feet.
"It's nothing to be sorry about. It's one of your greatest qualities" said Dumbledore, forcing a smile onto his dirty face. "But there is nothing anyone can do anymore. Bill, George, Fred, Molly and Arthur have all been taken to St Mungo's. Fleur was here but she ran once she realised what was happening. She too is in St Mungo's being treated for shock."
"We also found a number of injured Death Eaters, who have been taken away by the Aurors" added Lupin
"But the Weasley's will be alright? Won't they?" asked Harry
No one answered; the silence spoke much louder than words. Lupin and Dumbledore looked at each other, then after a moment Dumbledore spoke. "No Harry. I'm sorry"
Harry was stunned. He stood there, numb, just staring. It was too much to take in. He remembered the first time he met the Weasley's on platform 93/4 before he started at Hogwarts, and then when he met Mr Weasley after flying in his Ford Anglia. He rembered the look on Mrs Weasly's face when they arrived at The Burrow, the twins grins when they gave Dudley the ton tongue toffee.
He had had some good times at The Burrow with the Weasley's, and now they were gone. Forever. Like rain falling into the sea; they would not come back.
For an hour he helped Lupin and Dumbledore to remove the Dark Mark before any muggles saw it, and talking about what had happened. The sun rose above the trees, and it's light brought out the horror of the nights events.
Another body was found lying face down in the garden. Some Red Caps had already discovered it and were eating part of a leg. Harry felt nauseous as their tiny blood stained faces gorged on the remains.
Harry approached triping over an arm that was hidden in the dew laden, knee length grass. He recognised the long blond hair covering the top half of the blood soaked robes. Suddenly a terribe howl cut through the silence. The noise came from the bottom of a large tree trunk.
"Professor Dumbledore, Remus" shouted Harry at the two figures walking amonsgt the ruins.
"What is it Harry" called Lupin turning and running towards Harry. Lupins gaze fell upon the body, his nose wrinkled in disgust at the Red Caps.
"Vile creatures" he snarled, "but I suppose that's the best that Lucious Malfoy deserves"
"Bad Dobby, bad bad Dobby", then "THUNK", followed by a quieter thud. It was the unmistakable sound of Dobby punishing himself.
"Dobby" called Harry, "Dobby, where are you? And stop punishing yourself"
They watched as a pair a bat like ears made their way through the long grass towards them. Harry looked down to see the bruised, battered and tear stained face of Dobby the house elf.
"Dobby has killed his old master" he sniffed. "Dobby had no choice. Old master was trying to kill Professor Dumbledore."
"It's okay" said Harry, stroking the top of the elf's head "You don't need to punish yourself anymore"
"Why are you hear Dobby?" asked Harry
"Dobby, and a group of freed house elves were at the meeting last night t be inducted into The Order" Dumbledore spoke as they took long strides through the grass.
"How much did you see in your vision?" asked Lupin
"Not much. The ruins, Malfoy, and Mr Weasley. Why didn't I know this was going to happen?" asked Harry. "That's the point of legimens, isn't it?"
"It seems that Voldemort has learnt to shut his mind to you. It's very important that you don't blame yourself for this Harry" replied Dumbledore. "It is also very important that Miss Granger, Ron Weasley and Miss Weasley don't know about this"
"What!" said Harry in disbelief "how can they not know? They'll find out sooner or later"
"I will tell them, later. They are about to sit examinations that will affect their entire lives. I'm sure you are aware what a shock like this will do to them"
Harry looked unconvinced.
"I must insist on your word Harry". Dumbledore spoke quietly, but Harry knew the only possible course was to agree. He nodded.
Once the trio had done all they could at The Burrow, Dumbledore turned, scanning the devastation until his eyes reached Harry who was standing beside a crater, possibly caused by a deflected curse.
"I need to know why you weren't at the meeting tonight" he said grimly.
Harry took a deep breath and recieted the events of the previous day, and how Wormtail had captured them in the Shreiking Shack. Dumbledore and Lupin listened intently, without interuption.
"Wormtail won't be bothering you anymore" said Lupin once Harry had finished his tale. "You're standing next to the place anyone saw him last"
Harry cast his eyes down at the charred edges of the crater and shuddered.
"Professor" said Harry looking at Dumbledore, "I used legicemy on Wormtail. I found out that Voldemort had an informer. And there's something else; Snape wasn't at the meeting"
"Professor Snape" said Dumbledore, stressing the title, "was not required to attend the meeting."
"Oh" said Harry "Professor, I need to return to Hogwarts. Luna is still in the Shrieking Shack"
"Yes, yes. We should all return now. There is nothing more to be done here" Dumbledore drew his wand, pointed it at the motorbike and mubbled "Portus"
Before they touched the motor bike Dumbledore spoke once more .
"The Order of the Pheonix has suffered a great loss tonight." He paused "Destruction leads to a very rough road, but it also breads creation. We have much work to do, if this particular bird is ever to rise from it's ashes."
He paused. "If we don't the future wll be very bleak indeed".
"We also need to find Voldemort's spy" added Lupin.
"Erm shouldn't we do something about Malfoy?" asked Harry tentertively
"Red Caps are quite efficient scavengers; they will leave little if no mess" replied Dumbledore
Harry woke Luna, who it transpired, was not pleased to have spent the entire night on a dusty floor.
"I could have been eaten alive by dust Nargles" she said as she stomped out of the room towards the tunnel, brushing the dirt from her robes with her hand as she went.
"Luna wait" Harry called after her. "There's something important you need to know. He ran after her and caught her by the arm
"A terrible thing happened last night". Harry drew a deep breath and told her the story. When he got to the part about the motorbike, she exploded
"So because he owed you a debt, I had to spend the entire night on a dusty floor, and you didn't wake me, and you went off on that motorbike to have an adventure all by yourself"
Harry looked at his feet. He didn't want to say the next sentence. Luna looked at him.
"What? She said crossly "Then what happened?"
"Ron's parents" he stopped and looked at her. Luna's expression changed immeadiately to concern.
"And his brothers" Luna put her arm around him. He couldn't bring himself to say they were dead
"The Burrow was attacked last night by Voldemort. Only Dumbledore and Lupin survived"
Ron, Hermione and Ginny sat their final exams that afternoon, and Harry had taken great care not to speak to any of them before hand. Once they had finished Professor Mcgonagall escorted them to the Headmaster's office. Harry waited with Luna, sitting in the shade of the tree beside the lake. It seemed odd that his father sat here with Lupin and Sirius. Perhaps Mr & Mrs Weasley also sat here, perhaps Bill did. He knew the twins had and that the only thing seperating them all was time. They were all in the same place, just at different times. Somehow this comforted him.
The sun was shining and the giant squid was sunning itself in the shallow part of the lake. He listened to the wind blowing the leaves above him and watched the ripples on the lake. Occasionally students would walk past, but apart from that, there was no one else in the grounds. It would have been a beautiful day, if only...
Ron Ginny & Hermione appeared with puffy red eyes sometime later. They sat next to them, each deep in their own thoughts, and nobody said a word for sometime.
"How much did you see?" asked Ron timidly some time later. Ginny sobbed and Hermione wipped her eyes.
"Not much, just The Burrow and the Dark Mark" Harry lied. He didn't want to upset Ron anymore by telling him that he actually saw his father killed.
"I heard you leave on the motor bike" said Hermione.
"I think everybody did" said Harry. "Hagrid came out waving his arms about."
"Why didn't you wake me?" asked Ron
"I didn't know I was going" replied Harry. He paused, then continued "there wouldn't have been enough room on the bike anyway"
"Oh. But I could have gone on one of those mad horse things" Ron was starting to get cross. Hermione put her arm around his shoulders.
"Ron" she said calmly "It was early in the morning and Harry probably was only thinking about getting to The Burrow. You can't be angery with him for what happened. This is a terrible shock for all of us"
Ron took a deep breath closed his eyes. "I'm sorry"
"It's alright."
Harry knew what Ron & Ginny were going through. The loss of Sirius left hole inside him; the loss of their parents and brothers must have carved a gaping chasm. Harry was lucky, Sirius had returned, and he had Luna.
Ron, Ginny and Hermione returned to the school for lunch. Harry and Luna remained at the lake, talking. The day drew on and the large fiery mass that was the sun eventually disappeared behind the powdered mounds of mountains surrounding the enigmatic school. Though it was past ten o'clock, the sky still clung to and retained some lingering skirts of light from the department day; and the sullen heat of the torrid afternoon broke up and rolled away at the dispersing touch of the cool fingers of the short mid-sumer night.
Harry lay streched on the bank, still sweating from the stress of the fierce day that had been cloudless from dawn to late sunset He remembered the time Mrs Weasley failed to remove the boggart from Grimauld Place, and how she had seen her family and Harry dead. Who was going to look after Ron and Ginny now? he wondered. Lupin had promised that The Order wouldn't let them starve. Perhaps Dumbledore would let them stay at Hogwarts; perhaps Harry could stay also.
Gently, the moon rose to the sky, joined soon after by it's companionable stars. Several hours passed before the cool wind forced Harry and Luna to seek shelter. "Will you walk me back to the common room, I'm getting cold" asked Luna.
Harry got to his feet and helped her up. Arm in arm they walked across the grounds. Under the dappled moonlight of a large oak tree as he looked over the shimering water of the vast lake before him. Sighing, he glanced up at the full moon, admiring it's magnificence. It was so close and yet so far away, like so many things in his life. The memories clouding his mind drifted silently through his thoughts, some recent and others once thought to be forgotten.
You think the dead we have loved ever truly leave us? You think that we don't recall them more clearly than ever in times of great trouble?
Harry remembered what Dumbledore had said to him the night they saved Sirius from the Dementors, and he thought he had seen his father. Perhaps it was true; perhaps he, or Ron might even see the Weasley family again. After all, Sirius had returned, lifting the blanket of misery Harry had been hiding under, and was his father not his protector? His patronus? Looking back up at Hogwarts castle, encased in a shimmering beam of moonlight, he sighed.
Harry said goodnight to Luna outside her common room. So much had happened that day that would have repercussions for the rest of his life. With his mind in this state he knew he would never be able to sleep. For a while he wandered aimlessly thrugh the castle, churning the events over in his mind. There was one person in the castle that didn't need sleep that he could talk to. He ran through the castle to Myrtle's bathroom, and pushed open the door.
"Sirius" he whispered "Sirius, are you here"
"Hello Harry, what's up? Why aren't you asleep?" said the pale ghost of Sirius.
Harry lent against the wall and told the story once again. When he finished, Sirius sat down and looked at him.
"I feel sorry for you, Ron and Hermione, these people have run mindlessly over all of your childhoods."
"What was your childhood like" asked Harry
"It was full of mystery and wonder" replied Sirius. "We were so full of ourselves that nothing seemed beyond our boundaries. We probably thought we were brighter than the sun" He chuckled.
"But we wasted a lot of our talent. I remember one day finding that ten years had got behind me, and all I had was plans that had come to nothing." He sounded a bit more solemn now.
"Time took my dreams away, and left me with a life that was consumed by slow decay in Azkaban. No matter how hard you try, you'll never catch up that time." Sirius had a bitter tone in his voice.
Harry said nothing for a while, considering Sirius's words.
"Sirius, can Ron's family come back as ghosts, like you"
Sirius shoke his head. I didn't really die. The ancient magic that resides in that arch has only moved me to another place, my soul still exists."
"But what about"
"They were killed by the killing curse." Sirius interupted. "It totally destroys the soul. That's why your parents aren't here"
"And Percy?"
"Same thing. The dementors took his soul, so it doesn't exist either"
"Harry" said Sirius, looking unusally flustered. "When this has calmed down a bit, we need to talk"
"What about?" Harry was a bit nervous. Siruis sounded something pressing on his mind.
"The future"
"What about it?"
"Things are going to get worse, much worse than this. But in the end, everything will be as it should. Did you know there is Seers blood in Ron's family?"
"No, but Mrs Weasley" Harry paused. It was another painful memory" She was fighting a boggart in Grimauld Place, and she saw...saw everyone dead."
"Perhaps now's not the best time for this" said Sirius. "Look Harry, it's late. Why don't you get some sleep"
Harry bade Sirius goodnight and left the bathroom. He still wasn't tired enough to sleep, so again, he found himself meandering through the castle.
Slowly he climbed the spiraling staircase up towards the Astronomy Tower, towards the West wing of Hogwarts castle. Panting, he pushed open the large oak door, moonlight illuminating his features. He stared up at the full moon and felt comforted by the shimmer that was radiated from its surface. He moved over to a nearby ledge and lifted himself onto the cold stone platform, dangling his legs over the side and swinging them idly in time with the cool breeze. His eyes roamed over the moon lit site before him, even the Forbidden forest looked beautiful from his position. With the light gently brushing the tops of black, ethereal trees and shrubbery and gentle tufts of clouds descending over the scene
He thought forlornly over his life and nothing but pain and misery came to mind, constant anguish that could not have been avoided. And so, he sat there, hoping to take his mind off all that had happened. His thoughts strayed constantly and without boundary, delving deeper into the confines of his mind. Voldemort had taken almost everything he held dear.