Chapter 2
"Ennervate!" Harry called out as he woke Rita Skeeter for the second time. She had regained consciousness the first time only to faint again at the sight of the man before her.
Rita finally stayed conscious as Harry helped her back into her chair.
"This can't be.....it simply can't. He's dead, it was all over the papers."
"You, of all people Ms. Skeeter, should know not to believe all that you read." Harry said quietly as he looked at Wormtail. "This man is the reason I was denied my godfather as I was growing up, indeed did not even know I had one. This man is the reason Voldemort walks again in this plane of existence."
"I can see this is going to take a bit of time to work through" Rita said as she got out her quill. Harry was happy to note it was not a Quick Quotes Quill and his respect for Rita grew just a bit.
"Gerald have you gotten a photo yet? ... Gerald? Oh damn he fainted too."
"Enervate!" Harry cast amusedly as the photographer mumbled something about his mother and a canary. Finally Gerald sat up, shrieked rather like a little girl and backed into a corner gibbering.
"Oh do shut up Gerald. Intrepidus! Now please go take as many pictures as you possibly can and be very careful not to lose or ruin any of them or so help me I'll shove your wand up a very dark place and will be quite happy to light a fire there."
Gerald, having been thus calmed, shakily walked over to Peter's bound form and quickly started taking as many pictures as was possible. Harry absently noticed that the film never seemed to run out.
"Now, Mr. Potter, if you don't mind I'd like to find out what in the name of Merlin's left butt-cheek is going on here."
"Very simply put, Ms. Skeeter, My godfather, Sirius Black, was never a supporter of Voldemort. He was framed by this so aptly named rat. My parents, almost 15 years ago went into hiding under the Fidelius Charm. As you know, this charm requires the use of a secret keeper whom you trust above any other person in the world, someone to whom you would quite literally trust your life. My parents had three such friends whom they trusted this much. One was Remus Lupin, but he was unfortunately disqualified because of his condition. Being a werewolf, you are extremely susceptible to capture and once you transform back, are too weak to withstand the inevitable constant torture. Sirius Black, perhaps the closest of the three to my father James, was originally chosen due to his fierce and unending loyalty he has always displayed to his friends. While quite a few trusted people were informed of this choice, as there was a suspected spy within the resistance group my parents belonged to, my parents decided to switch at the last moment to the last person anybody would suspect, Peter Pettigrew. Sirius was a decoy you see, fairly capable of defending himself he could draw all enemy attempts to get at the secret keeper to him. Pettigrew, in the meantime, was supposed to be hiding out and keeping a secret. Peter knew this secret meant his friend's lives and yet did the unthinkable!" At this point Harry stopped for a second as he attempted to get the sadness and anger that was threatening to boil over under control.
"Sirius went one night to the small cottage Peter was supposed to be staying in and found it empty. It was obvious Peter hadn't been there for at least a day or two. With no obvious reason and only irrational paranoia, Sirius then rode to Godric's Hollow where he discovered he was a bit late. Peter Pettigrew had been working for Voldemort and had betrayed my parents to the one person they least wanted to know. He was supposed to have been their friend, he was supposed to protect them and instead he gave them to the DARK LORD!!" HE BETRAYED THEM AND ALL THAT THEY STOOD FOR BECAUSE HE WAS TOO GREEDY FOR POWER, TOO WEAK TO RESIST THE TEMPTATION, AND TOO GULLIBLE TO UNDERSTAND THE DARK LORD NEVER FULFILLS HIS PROMISES!!!!!" At this point Harry was shouting, eyes literally glowing and power reeking off him. The air around them tingled with the immense amount of power now leaking off the boy who had lost so much.
Rita was mute with awe at the unwitting display of power that was being displayed and immensely sad at the story that she had been told.
Stan was gaping, trying to understand everything he had been told and wondering how the world had gone so wrong so quickly for this young man.
Gerald had stopped taking pictures, dropped his camera and sat down suddenly in the chair in the corner.
Tom was weeping silently, finally knowing and at the same time not wanting to, the palpable pain Harry was feeling at the moment.
Harry stared at Peter his eyes dancing with hatred, pain and grief as he tried to regain some of his control. Suddenly the magic in the air dissipated and the room returned to a semblance of normality as Harry dropped to his knees, buried his face in his hands and cried. For the first time in his life, he openly mourned the loss of his parents and dealt with the guilt and regret he felt at never having known them and having felt responsible, partially, for their deaths. He cried for all the moments they had never shared and for all the experiences he had missed. He cried for his Godfather, the guilt and shame he felt for his death the worst of all. He let all the emotions he had been holding up for so long consume his every fiber as he shook with the intensity of what he was feeling. And then he screamed, at the top of his voice, and in that scream was every injustice and all the helplessness of the world
After awhile, Harry got up slowly and faced the other occupants of the room. "I'm sorry for that." He said as he hung his head a bit and shuffled his feet quietly.
"Harry you apologize far too often for situations that indeed it is you who should be apologized to." Albus Dumbledore said as he stepped out of the shadows. "Ms. Skeeter you have no doubt seen and heard enough for the article, I trust the truth will be well preserved with you. I must ask you, your photographer and Mr. Shunpike to depart for the night while I finish up with Mr. Potter."
Rita, Gerald and Stan left after saying goodbye to Harry who gave a small smile as they left. Once the door shut, Dumbledore asked Tom to restore the wards surrounding the room and sat quietly at the table, motioning for Harry to sit as well.
"How....how did you find me sir?" Harry asked as he sat.
"Very few wizards or witches find they have the power or aptitude to project themselves Astrally Harry. It has its obvious advantages as you can see but it has an equal amount of disadvantages. It is easily warded against and while you can speak and interact with people and objects in your environment to a limited degree, you cannot use magic in this form. This is why I had Tom re-ward the room instead of doing it myself. One other disadvantage is that while you are projecting, your physical self is left defenseless and so the art must be practiced while you are somewhere completely safe. In any case I've digressed from your original question which I've found to be quite dangerous to the objects around me. While you are an incredible wizard Harry and a wonderful person, you have not had much time to adapt and learn the things that most wizards take for granted from childhood. Thus once Hedwig had arrived at the Burrow and your destination was clear, it was only logical you would head to the first public floo that you could think of. I assumed you would want to go somewhere that didn't involve meeting one of the Order's members who would potentially have stopped you. Once I disbanded tonight's meeting, I projected myself here as I assumed it would be empty and would allow me privacy. I was startled when I arrived and found Ms. Skeeter waiting quietly. I confess my curiosity got the better of me and I waited here to discover who she was waiting for and why. You'll forgive me but she does tend to turn up in the oddest situations and her eyes and ears are extensive."
Harry had listened quietly to Dumbledore's imparting of knowledge. After Dumbledore had finished he had sat quietly back in the chair as Harry continued to think and absorb what had happened so far that night. While he did this, Dumbledore called Tom over and asked him to contact some of the Order members to come for Pettigrew. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Harry look slightly surprised and then understanding crossed his face as he grasped Tom's status as a member of the Order.
"I am sorry I've caused yourself and the Order worry, but I'm not sorry I left those people. If I hadn't left when I did, I would have done something the consequences of which I would have regretted greatly later. I still want to go to Hogwarts and I don't feel like dealing with the Minister this year." Harry smiled slightly as he said this, more of a sardonic smile then anything but it gave Dumbledore some comfort to see.
"Harry I have made many mistakes in the past with concern to you and one of the biggest was having you live with your relatives. I have no problems with your leaving and indeed should have realized the problem sooner. I am quite aware of how some people think of me, the Great Albus Dumbledore, defender of the Light and greatest wizard of this time. It is therefore saddening to know that I am simply human and can be prone to mistakes just as anyone else. I simply make less of them because of my age and experience but even that is a hindrance because sometimes I am too blinded by my own successes to notice my failures." Dumbledore leaned forward and grabbed Harry's hands in his own and looked intensely into Harry's eyes as he said "Harry I cannot change the past or the mistakes I've made but I'm willing to pay closer attention to the present and the future and hopefully avert any future failures on my part where your concerned. Your like the son I never had Harry, and I find that I'm coming to depend upon you as much as you depended upon me in the past. Please forgive an old man his mistakes and give me your trust once more. We both know what lies ahead in your path and I'd like to work together to ensure he's ridden from this world once and for all. Please give me a chance."
Harry reflected for a moment on Dumbledore's words before replying with as much sincerity as he could.
"Sir, you never really lost my trust. Last year was extremely rough I'll admit. It hurt more then I ever thought it would when you wouldn't talk to me. The past five years I've grown closer to you then we probably should be given our positions as student/teacher. I can't help but think of you as the Grandfather I never had. I don't think our relationship needs mending at all, just adjustment. You need to treat me as more then the child you have been. I stopped truly being a child at the end of my first year and at this point, I'm more an adult then a lot of the adults I've met in the wizarding world. I know my future now, and I need to know what's going on more then ever. I hope you understand my need. You helped to shape that need by encouraging many of my actions in the past. By the way, I'm sorry about your office. I'm not apologizing for my anger but I am sorry for the loss of your things."
"Harry possessions are simply that. They can be replaced and indeed most already have. It has lightened my heart and mind to hear what you've said. Now, as you had already planned out, it is getting late and I believe the time has come to complete your trip to the Burrow. Gather your things Harry, Stan left them just outside the door in the broom closet under the stairs. Up with your cloak hood and get on your way. I will Project myself there to let Molly know your coming and to await your arrival. Good job tonight with both the Death Eater's and with Peter. I assure you he will be detained and we will clear Sirius' name I am very certain."
"Thank you sir, I'll see you there." And with that Harry left the room as Tonks and Kingsley walked in to take Peter. They both greeted Harry and Tonks looked at Harry a little concernedly. Before she could comment though, Dumbledore got their attention and Harry continued out. He found the door under the stars and, with an irony laden smile, checked everything to ensure it was there and gathered his things. Harry went back to the private dining room and was not surprised to find it empty. He walked over to the fireplace and took some floo powder from the mantle. He put his things into the fireplace and threw the floo powder in shouting "The BURROW!" Once he had given a few moments for his things to get ahead of him, he stepped into the fireplace himself with another handful of floo powder. He threw the powder at his feet and once more shouted "The BURROW!" and with that he was gone.
As he traveled through the floo network he watched the grates pass him dizzily. The tingling feeling he usually felt in his hands and feet had spread to his entire body this time and after a moment of thought, he realized it was the magic flowing all around him. Hogwarts usually felt like this only to a much more subdued extent. After a particularly sharp turn which left him feeling slightly nauseous, he wished he could slow down a bit. Much to his great surprise, he didn't slow down but stopped completely. As he looked around him he could see all the different grates in his vicinity and could see the flashes of light he assumed were other people traveling the network. He was scared then wondering how he was going to get out of there now that he had stopped. He started thinking about the burrow again and how much he wished he could be there now and again to his surprise he started moving. Before he had more time to think about the implications of manipulating the magic around the floo network, he was thrown out of the grate at the Burrow and could only think that karma had paid him back for his little discovery.
He was pulled to his feet by an incredibly powerful woman he had come to think of as his own mum. Once he was standing she hugged him with all her might and greeted him happily.
"Oh Harry it's so good to have you here. We've missed you terribly and you have no idea how I've been on Dumbledore for sending you back to those wretched muggles. Ah no worries now though, we have you here and here you'll stay so long as you like. Albus told me some of your journey tonight and I've leftovers from dinner warming if your hungry. Please, please sit and have some tea while we wait for the food. I've sent Ron and Ginny on up to bed for tonight, didn't think you'd want to answer the hailstorm of questions from the both of them. Albus was here letting me know you were coming but we got word of some Order business and he had to leave ahead of your arrival. Told me to tell you he was quite confident in your abilities to arrive alright and unharmed." She went on like that for a bit more as Harry just looked around and soaked in the warmth, love and happiness the Burrow always seemed to have in abundance. As Mrs. Weasley set a plate of food in front of him he was stirred from his musings and greeted her back as warmly as she had greeted him.
"Thank you so much Mrs. Weasley for everything. Ever since I've been coming here I've learned what having a real family is like. Even when Sir...Sirius was alive I never got to talk to him or stay with him properly like a family should. There was never time. Thank you for giving me this experience. I...it's just that...well I don't think my mum would have been able to pick a better replacement since she couldn't be here and well...if I'm not being too forward...would it be alright for me to call you mum?" Harry looked down at his plate quietly while he waited on Mrs. Weasley's reaction. When she didn't say anything after a few moments he looked up only to be given the fiercest hug he'd ever experienced in his life and having known Molly Weasley for 5 years he'd had a few.
"Bless your heart Harry Potter." Mrs. Weasley said quietly as she continued to hug him. "We've always thought of you as one of our own and I'd be honored if you would call me that. Never once think there isn't anyone who loves you or cares for you. I know things have never been easy but if you'll give me some time I intend to set things right properly. Now eat up and head on to bed, I've no doubt Ron will have you up and wanting to play quidditch after breakfast." With that the person Harry Potter had for a while considered his mum, left the room still dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief. Harry ate quietly and slowly, the happiest he'd been in a good while and after putting his dishes in the sink to wash themselves, headed up to bed grinning and satisfied that things were going to be ok.
A/N: Many, many thanks to rotcneo. My best friend, soon to be best man at my wedding and most of all my brother. Last but not least, he's agreed to be my beta and it's with his support that I've continued this story. Hope you all enjoyed.
