He had awoken early one particular day for three reasons. One, the sun was so bright; it had made the whole room glow. Two, Buckbeak, who had insisted on staying in the same room as Harry, was making a loud grunting sound, which startled Harry. And three, Mrs. Weasley was trying to wake him up early, since they were going to Diagon Alley that day to go get the new school things. Harry had been inside all summer, not allowed to go outside. Dumbledore thought it was a good idea for him to be able to go out this once, since it would be in an entire village packed with wizards who would be looking after him, their only hope at defeating Voldemort. So Harry got out of bed and got some of his clothes ready for a shower as quickly as he could. He did not want to wait for anyone else to be done with theirs in order to take his. He wanted to be the first one in and the first one out. He walked out the door and saw that Hermione was also walking out of her door, going towards the bathroom with her things to take a shower. He broke into a run, not wanting to have to wait for Hermione to be done with hers.
He took a shower and hurriedly got dressed and ready for his day at Diagon Alley. He went downstairs into the kitchen, where Mrs. Weasley was still currently fixing breakfast. Lupin was also sitting there. Harry had just realized that Lupin was his last connection to his father. Sirius had died, Peter was working for Lord Voldemort, and both of his parents were dead. He sat there with this thought in his head. As well as thinking about breakfast.
Lupin, seeing the glum expression on Harry's face, said to him in a fatherly tone, "It's okay Harry. I miss him too."
"Who? Breakfast?" Harry asked, puzzled.
"No, Sirius, I know you've been thinking about him a lot lately. It's okay, I have been too," Lupin said, trying to comfort Harry.
"I know. But I just can't stop thinking about it. If I would have just listened to Dumbledore and continued with my Occlumency, then I wouldn't have gone to the Department of Mysteries, and Sirius wouldn't have died," Harry said, very sadly.
"It's not your fault! Don't ever talk like that! Sirius did that because he cared for you. He would've done anything to save you. A person with as much bravery as he had, should not have to be held up locked in a house where he had so many bad memories growing up," Lupin said to Harry.
"Breakfast is ready!" Mrs. Weasley called, trying to cheer the both of them up. They both jumped and started to eat their breakfasts. Ron, Hermione, and Ginny came down after a little while and ate with them also. Fred and George had both already left for work in Diagon Alley at their new joke shop.
After breakfast, Tonks arrived and explained to them that she would also be escorting them to Diagon Alley as well as Mrs. Weasley and Lupin. They all lined up by the fireplace to travel to Diagon Alley. Harry had gotten quite used to using floo powder and had learned from his previous mistakes that you had to speak clearly. Lupin went through first followed by Ron, Ginny, then Tonks, Hermione, and then Harry.
"Diagon Alley!" he shouted as he stepped into the whirl of green flames. He was immediately spinning. He zoomed past many fireplaces until he reached the on he wanted. He landed with a thud in a thick pile of ashes in the fireplace of the Leaky Cauldron. He walked over to where the rest of the group was waiting for him. Hermione brushed off all of the ashes that were covering his robes. A moment later, Mrs. Weasley had arrived, and they headed off towards Gringotts to take out some money for Harry.
They entered the big white building, which was Gringotts, and Lupin pulled out a two keys from his pocket. He gave the keys to a goblin who led them to an empty cart, to escort them down to the underground vaults. The first vault they came to was Harry's. Harry stepped out and allowed the goblin to unlock his vault for him. Harry quickly filled a bag with money from the vault. He got back inside the cart and allowed the goblin to take them to the other vault, which Harry had no clue what was inside. Harry watched as Lupin and Tonks both went inside the second vault and retrieved a package. It was wrapped in a silver material, and was probably very important, seeing the way that the two of them handled it. Lupin and Tonks both got back inside the cart and the goblin drove them away. They reached the outside and the goblin gave the keys back to Lupin before leaving to go help another group of wizards. They left Gringotts and headed out to get some new schoolbooks for the kids.
He had received his book list along with his OWL results earlier in the summer and was admitted into six NEWT classes. Potions, Defence Against the Dark Arts, Care of Magical Creatures, Transfiguration, Charms, and Astronomy. They entered Flourish and Blotts and gave their book lists to a woman who worked there.
"Starting your NEWT classes this year I suppose?" she said to him.
"Yep," he answered.
"This is very impressive. Six NEWTs. You must've had outstanding OWL results," she said as she gathered the last book and took them up to the counter for him to pay. "That would be twelve galleons and seventeen sickles," she told him. Gladly, he took the money out of his moneybag and gave her the money needed. He met up with the rest of the bunch and headed out of the store to go to Madame Malkin's Robes For All Occasions.
He entered the store and saw the one person he did not want to run into. Cho Chang. She was getting measured. Luckily, she hadn't seen him yet. He still had a chance to get away. He turned around and started to walk back out the door.
"Harry! Over here!" he heard Cho say.
"Oh, hey Cho! I didn't see you there!" Harry lied. He was not glad to see her.
"Sorry about last year. I cried when I realized what I had done," she said to him. He did not want to hear this. He did not want her to cry anymore. He had no clue that someone could cry that much. Harry thought that it was impossible to cry more than she had in her lifetime. Madame Malkin escorted him to a chair for him to stand upon while she bewitched a tape measure to measure him. After being measured up, she ran off and gathered the robes. He paid for them and hurried out the door, not wanting to talk to Cho any longer.
Then he saw Fred and George's new joke shop, Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. They all entered the store, which was packed with people, and filled with many new objects that Fred and George had created over the summer.
"Hey Harry!" Fred yelled from behind the register. Harry pushed his way through the crowd and to the register. "You have a discount. 40% off everything in the store! So go ahead and shop away!" Fred told him. Harry did just this. He found many things that amused him. He bought some of the Skiving Snackboxes, and some lollypops that changed the color of your hair to a puke green. He paid for them and left the store. After a few steps, George came running after him.
"Harry, here, take this. Five hundred galleons. We owe you," he said.
"I can't take that! It must be half of what you've made!" Harry exclaimed.
"Are you kidding?! We've made plenty! This is nothing! It's the least we can do," George told him.
"Well, thanks then!" Harry said, taking the money, but still feeling a little guilty.
"See you later Harry!" George said as he ran off towards the store.
Harry then passed Quality Quidditch Supplies. There was a new broom in the window. The Lighting Star.
"I want it!" Harry said as he ran into the store, Ron at his tail. "How much is it?" Harry asked the man.
"How much is what?" the man asked him.
"The Lighting Star! Of course!" exclaimed Harry.
"Six-hundred galleons," the man told him.
"I'll take it!" Harry said. He took out six hundred galleons and paid the man. The man then went and grabbed the Lighting Star from the window display and wrapped it up.
"Here you are," the man said, "Last one we had!" Harry gladly took the broom and walked outside.
"Wow! The Lightning Star!" exclaimed Tonks.
"That's really cool!" Ginny said.
"Okay, you kids wait right here. We have to go do something," Mrs. Weasley told them. She, Tonks, and Lupin all walked off, leaving the kids there.
He heard seven cracks and before he knew it, there were seven death eaters surrounding him.
"Hello Potter!" one of them said. It was a woman's voice. He knew it, but wasn't quite sure who it was.
"I've been waiting for this all my life!" another of them said. He knew this one. It was Lucius Malfoy.
"What do you want?" Harry asked them, remaining calm.
"What do you think?" one of them asked.
"I don't know. Maybe you came to get some shopping done," Harry said, laughing on the outside, but not laughing at all on the inside. He was trying to keep himself cool and not show any weakness.
"Haha. You think you're funny Potter? Don't you?" one of the other men spoke up.
"Oh my god! Snape really has gone back!" he thought, realizing who that voice was. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Lupin come around the corner, but then Lupin went back. "Why wasn't he trying to save me?" Harry thought. They started to close around Harry and his friends.
"So, is little baby Potter scared?" the first woman said. He knew it now. It was Bellatrix Lestrange. "Do you miss Sirius?" she said in a mock-like tone, "You shouldn't. He wasn't worth anything!"
"Don't ever say anything about my godfather like that!" Harry said defensively. Then he heard a bunch of people coming from all over. He knew he was saved.
He saw Moody, Dumbledore, Lupin, Kingsley, Tonks, Mr. Weasley, and a couple others that he recognized from the Order. Professor McGonagall was also there. They took out two death eaters, but the rest got away. They wrapped the two death eaters in thick metals binds that shot out of their wands and picked them up. Professor McGonagall took the hood off of one of them. It was Wormtail. Harry spat on him as he walked by. He was disgusted by the sight of Wormtail and had been since his third year when he first found out about him. The mask of the other death eater was taken off by Tonks, to reveal Bellatrix Lestrange, the other death eater whom he hated the most. Dumbledore walked over to where Harry was standing and started to speak.
"Harry, that was brave of you to stand up for your friends," Dumbledore said, with a twinkle in his eye, "And I've been meaning to talk to you. I'll tell you my plans when we get back to Headquarters."
"All right, Professor," Harry said, still in shock.
"Portus," Dumbledore said, pointing his wand at an old boot, "All of you, take this portkey back to Grimmauld Place. 1...2...3." They were lifted off the ground in a whirl and when they regained thought, they were back at the Order headquarters. Mrs. Weasley was already there.
She grabbed they kids and pulled them all into a giant hug.
"I'm so glad you're all okay," she said. "Here, have some food," she told them, pointing towards the kitchen where there was a great pile of sandwiches in the middle of the table. They all sat around the table and ate. Several Order members showed up to make sure things were going well including Lupin, Moody, Kinglsey, Tonks, and Snape, who apologized for back at Diagon Alley. Dumbledore arrived and asked everyone if they could please leave the kitchen except for Harry. Once everyone had gone, he spoke up.
"Harry, I just wish for you to know that you will be continuing Occlumency this year. But I will be teaching you. Every Tuesday night. On weekends, you will be taking classes with Lupin and Minerva on becoming an animagus. I have persuaded Minerva to let you be unregistered, against her will. But she has finally agreed," Dumbledore told him.
"Wow! I'm going to become an animagi?" Harry said, amazed.
"That is our hope, yes," Dumbledore told him, "I understand this is a lot. And that you already have a lot on your hands, but you must understand that this is all for your benefit. It will greatly help you. Now go get some sleep. Rest up." Harry did just this. He put all of his new school stuff in his room and leant his new Lightning Star against the wall. He laid down on his bed and drifted off to sleep.
He awoke the next morning when Ron started shouting in his face, "Get up Harry! Breakfast is ready!"
"I'm going," Harry said as he tried to lift himself out of bed. Ron ran out of the room and down the steps. He could hear Ron fall down the last step as he ran towards the kitchen. "Man, that kid must love food," Harry muttered as he finally got out of his bed. He went downstairs and into the kitchen where Ron was sitting, stuffing his face with food as usual. They ate some blueberry muffins that Mrs. Weasley had made for them and then went back upstairs. Hermione and Ron played chess. Ron was beating her badly like usual. Harry was sitting on Ron's bed polishing his new broomstick. He couldn't wait to fly it.
"You can fly it later if you want," Ron told him, "Dumbledore put up a charm so people couldn't look into the yard either. So it's perfectly safe."
"Awesome!" Harry exclaimed, wanting to fly the broom so badly. Later that day, he did get a chance to fly it. He was impressed by the broom. It went faster than he imagined. "Wow!" he thought as he flew it around the house once more. It was like he wasn't on a broom. It felt like he was flying himself, with no help from a broom. He just couldn't wait to use the broom out on the pitch at school this upcoming year.
He took a shower and hurriedly got dressed and ready for his day at Diagon Alley. He went downstairs into the kitchen, where Mrs. Weasley was still currently fixing breakfast. Lupin was also sitting there. Harry had just realized that Lupin was his last connection to his father. Sirius had died, Peter was working for Lord Voldemort, and both of his parents were dead. He sat there with this thought in his head. As well as thinking about breakfast.
Lupin, seeing the glum expression on Harry's face, said to him in a fatherly tone, "It's okay Harry. I miss him too."
"Who? Breakfast?" Harry asked, puzzled.
"No, Sirius, I know you've been thinking about him a lot lately. It's okay, I have been too," Lupin said, trying to comfort Harry.
"I know. But I just can't stop thinking about it. If I would have just listened to Dumbledore and continued with my Occlumency, then I wouldn't have gone to the Department of Mysteries, and Sirius wouldn't have died," Harry said, very sadly.
"It's not your fault! Don't ever talk like that! Sirius did that because he cared for you. He would've done anything to save you. A person with as much bravery as he had, should not have to be held up locked in a house where he had so many bad memories growing up," Lupin said to Harry.
"Breakfast is ready!" Mrs. Weasley called, trying to cheer the both of them up. They both jumped and started to eat their breakfasts. Ron, Hermione, and Ginny came down after a little while and ate with them also. Fred and George had both already left for work in Diagon Alley at their new joke shop.
After breakfast, Tonks arrived and explained to them that she would also be escorting them to Diagon Alley as well as Mrs. Weasley and Lupin. They all lined up by the fireplace to travel to Diagon Alley. Harry had gotten quite used to using floo powder and had learned from his previous mistakes that you had to speak clearly. Lupin went through first followed by Ron, Ginny, then Tonks, Hermione, and then Harry.
"Diagon Alley!" he shouted as he stepped into the whirl of green flames. He was immediately spinning. He zoomed past many fireplaces until he reached the on he wanted. He landed with a thud in a thick pile of ashes in the fireplace of the Leaky Cauldron. He walked over to where the rest of the group was waiting for him. Hermione brushed off all of the ashes that were covering his robes. A moment later, Mrs. Weasley had arrived, and they headed off towards Gringotts to take out some money for Harry.
They entered the big white building, which was Gringotts, and Lupin pulled out a two keys from his pocket. He gave the keys to a goblin who led them to an empty cart, to escort them down to the underground vaults. The first vault they came to was Harry's. Harry stepped out and allowed the goblin to unlock his vault for him. Harry quickly filled a bag with money from the vault. He got back inside the cart and allowed the goblin to take them to the other vault, which Harry had no clue what was inside. Harry watched as Lupin and Tonks both went inside the second vault and retrieved a package. It was wrapped in a silver material, and was probably very important, seeing the way that the two of them handled it. Lupin and Tonks both got back inside the cart and the goblin drove them away. They reached the outside and the goblin gave the keys back to Lupin before leaving to go help another group of wizards. They left Gringotts and headed out to get some new schoolbooks for the kids.
He had received his book list along with his OWL results earlier in the summer and was admitted into six NEWT classes. Potions, Defence Against the Dark Arts, Care of Magical Creatures, Transfiguration, Charms, and Astronomy. They entered Flourish and Blotts and gave their book lists to a woman who worked there.
"Starting your NEWT classes this year I suppose?" she said to him.
"Yep," he answered.
"This is very impressive. Six NEWTs. You must've had outstanding OWL results," she said as she gathered the last book and took them up to the counter for him to pay. "That would be twelve galleons and seventeen sickles," she told him. Gladly, he took the money out of his moneybag and gave her the money needed. He met up with the rest of the bunch and headed out of the store to go to Madame Malkin's Robes For All Occasions.
He entered the store and saw the one person he did not want to run into. Cho Chang. She was getting measured. Luckily, she hadn't seen him yet. He still had a chance to get away. He turned around and started to walk back out the door.
"Harry! Over here!" he heard Cho say.
"Oh, hey Cho! I didn't see you there!" Harry lied. He was not glad to see her.
"Sorry about last year. I cried when I realized what I had done," she said to him. He did not want to hear this. He did not want her to cry anymore. He had no clue that someone could cry that much. Harry thought that it was impossible to cry more than she had in her lifetime. Madame Malkin escorted him to a chair for him to stand upon while she bewitched a tape measure to measure him. After being measured up, she ran off and gathered the robes. He paid for them and hurried out the door, not wanting to talk to Cho any longer.
Then he saw Fred and George's new joke shop, Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. They all entered the store, which was packed with people, and filled with many new objects that Fred and George had created over the summer.
"Hey Harry!" Fred yelled from behind the register. Harry pushed his way through the crowd and to the register. "You have a discount. 40% off everything in the store! So go ahead and shop away!" Fred told him. Harry did just this. He found many things that amused him. He bought some of the Skiving Snackboxes, and some lollypops that changed the color of your hair to a puke green. He paid for them and left the store. After a few steps, George came running after him.
"Harry, here, take this. Five hundred galleons. We owe you," he said.
"I can't take that! It must be half of what you've made!" Harry exclaimed.
"Are you kidding?! We've made plenty! This is nothing! It's the least we can do," George told him.
"Well, thanks then!" Harry said, taking the money, but still feeling a little guilty.
"See you later Harry!" George said as he ran off towards the store.
Harry then passed Quality Quidditch Supplies. There was a new broom in the window. The Lighting Star.
"I want it!" Harry said as he ran into the store, Ron at his tail. "How much is it?" Harry asked the man.
"How much is what?" the man asked him.
"The Lighting Star! Of course!" exclaimed Harry.
"Six-hundred galleons," the man told him.
"I'll take it!" Harry said. He took out six hundred galleons and paid the man. The man then went and grabbed the Lighting Star from the window display and wrapped it up.
"Here you are," the man said, "Last one we had!" Harry gladly took the broom and walked outside.
"Wow! The Lightning Star!" exclaimed Tonks.
"That's really cool!" Ginny said.
"Okay, you kids wait right here. We have to go do something," Mrs. Weasley told them. She, Tonks, and Lupin all walked off, leaving the kids there.
He heard seven cracks and before he knew it, there were seven death eaters surrounding him.
"Hello Potter!" one of them said. It was a woman's voice. He knew it, but wasn't quite sure who it was.
"I've been waiting for this all my life!" another of them said. He knew this one. It was Lucius Malfoy.
"What do you want?" Harry asked them, remaining calm.
"What do you think?" one of them asked.
"I don't know. Maybe you came to get some shopping done," Harry said, laughing on the outside, but not laughing at all on the inside. He was trying to keep himself cool and not show any weakness.
"Haha. You think you're funny Potter? Don't you?" one of the other men spoke up.
"Oh my god! Snape really has gone back!" he thought, realizing who that voice was. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Lupin come around the corner, but then Lupin went back. "Why wasn't he trying to save me?" Harry thought. They started to close around Harry and his friends.
"So, is little baby Potter scared?" the first woman said. He knew it now. It was Bellatrix Lestrange. "Do you miss Sirius?" she said in a mock-like tone, "You shouldn't. He wasn't worth anything!"
"Don't ever say anything about my godfather like that!" Harry said defensively. Then he heard a bunch of people coming from all over. He knew he was saved.
He saw Moody, Dumbledore, Lupin, Kingsley, Tonks, Mr. Weasley, and a couple others that he recognized from the Order. Professor McGonagall was also there. They took out two death eaters, but the rest got away. They wrapped the two death eaters in thick metals binds that shot out of their wands and picked them up. Professor McGonagall took the hood off of one of them. It was Wormtail. Harry spat on him as he walked by. He was disgusted by the sight of Wormtail and had been since his third year when he first found out about him. The mask of the other death eater was taken off by Tonks, to reveal Bellatrix Lestrange, the other death eater whom he hated the most. Dumbledore walked over to where Harry was standing and started to speak.
"Harry, that was brave of you to stand up for your friends," Dumbledore said, with a twinkle in his eye, "And I've been meaning to talk to you. I'll tell you my plans when we get back to Headquarters."
"All right, Professor," Harry said, still in shock.
"Portus," Dumbledore said, pointing his wand at an old boot, "All of you, take this portkey back to Grimmauld Place. 1...2...3." They were lifted off the ground in a whirl and when they regained thought, they were back at the Order headquarters. Mrs. Weasley was already there.
She grabbed they kids and pulled them all into a giant hug.
"I'm so glad you're all okay," she said. "Here, have some food," she told them, pointing towards the kitchen where there was a great pile of sandwiches in the middle of the table. They all sat around the table and ate. Several Order members showed up to make sure things were going well including Lupin, Moody, Kinglsey, Tonks, and Snape, who apologized for back at Diagon Alley. Dumbledore arrived and asked everyone if they could please leave the kitchen except for Harry. Once everyone had gone, he spoke up.
"Harry, I just wish for you to know that you will be continuing Occlumency this year. But I will be teaching you. Every Tuesday night. On weekends, you will be taking classes with Lupin and Minerva on becoming an animagus. I have persuaded Minerva to let you be unregistered, against her will. But she has finally agreed," Dumbledore told him.
"Wow! I'm going to become an animagi?" Harry said, amazed.
"That is our hope, yes," Dumbledore told him, "I understand this is a lot. And that you already have a lot on your hands, but you must understand that this is all for your benefit. It will greatly help you. Now go get some sleep. Rest up." Harry did just this. He put all of his new school stuff in his room and leant his new Lightning Star against the wall. He laid down on his bed and drifted off to sleep.
He awoke the next morning when Ron started shouting in his face, "Get up Harry! Breakfast is ready!"
"I'm going," Harry said as he tried to lift himself out of bed. Ron ran out of the room and down the steps. He could hear Ron fall down the last step as he ran towards the kitchen. "Man, that kid must love food," Harry muttered as he finally got out of his bed. He went downstairs and into the kitchen where Ron was sitting, stuffing his face with food as usual. They ate some blueberry muffins that Mrs. Weasley had made for them and then went back upstairs. Hermione and Ron played chess. Ron was beating her badly like usual. Harry was sitting on Ron's bed polishing his new broomstick. He couldn't wait to fly it.
"You can fly it later if you want," Ron told him, "Dumbledore put up a charm so people couldn't look into the yard either. So it's perfectly safe."
"Awesome!" Harry exclaimed, wanting to fly the broom so badly. Later that day, he did get a chance to fly it. He was impressed by the broom. It went faster than he imagined. "Wow!" he thought as he flew it around the house once more. It was like he wasn't on a broom. It felt like he was flying himself, with no help from a broom. He just couldn't wait to use the broom out on the pitch at school this upcoming year.