A/N: Here's chapter eight. However, I only got one review for seven (Thanks, phox! At least I know you're enjoying what I write in here!) I'm losing my confidence in you people. I want to know your opinions. Your opinion will not tick me off. Those of you who reviewed earlier seemed to like what you saw, but lately I haven't seen much reviews at all. Thanks to those of you that have reviewed, and to those of you that haven't, please do!
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More Than Yellowed Pages
Chapter Eight
"I never said anything like that! I just want you to talk to me about it is all!" Ron yelled. "I never said you couldn't handle it! I know you can. I just wish you'd communicate with us!"
Hermione turned red. "How the bloody hell am I supposed to 'communicate' about something I don't even understand yet?"
Harry rubbed the sleepiness from his eyes as he descended the stairway that led to the Gryffindor common room. Reaching the bottom step, he yawned. "Lighten up, you two. Ron, I'm sure Hermione will tell us when she's ready...Hermione, no one is trying to 'protect' you. We just worry, is all..." he smiled.
Ginny's eyebrow rose. "And what put you into such a good mood? Usually, you come down from there grumbling about how terrible everything is in the morning..."
"Nope. Good dream last night," Harry nodded to her.
"It's about time!" smiled Neville.
Harry looked up. Luna was running through the portrait hole frantically waving a copy of the Daily Prophet at the group. He cocked his head sideways, and stared at her. "What is it?" he asked.
"They actually published it!" Luna smiled.
Harry scratched his head. "Published what?" he asked, taking the newspaper from her. He read the cover quickly, slapping his hand on his forehead. On the front page of the Daily Prophet, the 'it' Luna had been talking about was practically blinking. It caught his attention almost immediately, which meant that it was sure to catch other peoples' attention as well.
Journalist Killed for Lead on You-Know-Who!
The Article the Dark Lord Never Wanted You to See!
Harry nearly choked. "Luna!" he yelped. "I...I didn't think they would take it this seriously. This is bad, Luna..." Oh god, Voldemort will come after her now! What am I supposed to do? I'll never let her out of my sight! Not intentionally, Harry blurted out what he was thinking. "Luna, are you mad? He's going to kill you, Luna! What am I supposed to do if he kills you, huh?"
"It's not like it'll matter too much, anyway!" Luna yelled back. "If he already plans to kill us before we're twenty one, I say we scare the bloody hell out of him while we still have the chance! Besides, you heard what Lupin said, Harry! The Order isn't just going to roll over and let Voldemort curse me to oblivion!"
Harry relaxed slightly. True. Lupin had said that the Order planned to protect Luna. They weren't planning on just letting her die. He was starting to feel better already.
"Fine." He sighed. "But don't even think about leaving my sight for a while. It'll make me nervous."
Luna nodded, and jumped. Someone else had just walked through the portrait hole. It was Professor McGonnagal. She smiled at them. "Are you ready for another trip down to Godric's Hollow?" she asked.
"What for?" asked Ron.
"A meeting. The Order has several things that need discussing..." she answered.
"We get to go?" Neville gasped.
"Of course.... if you wish to go, you are of age now." She replied.
"If we wish to go? Honestly, Professor." Harry smirked. "When do we leave?"
"Now."
McGonnagal motioned for them to gather around her. "I've made a port key out of the quill in my pocket. We'll use that to get to Harry's house..."
"My house?" Harry repeated.
"Yes, Potter. That is where the meeting is being held."
"What kind of meeting?" asked Ginny, the only one not old enough to accompany them.
McGonnagal smiled. "Ginny, I'm sorry. I can't discuss that with you just yet...however I'm sure Ron and your friends will be certain to fill you in on every little detail, nonetheless." She sighed.
"Professor! You have no faith in us!" Ron gasped.
"You know we will, Ron. Honestly, now..." Harry whispered.
"Okay, the first order of business is our recent progress with the Death Eater situation. As of yesterday, Bellatrix LeStrange was found in Spain. She has been captured and delivered to the Azkaban guards..." Dumbledore shuddered here, "who fully intend to deliver the Dementor's Kiss to her tonight at midnight."
"Any news regarding the Malfoys?" asked Snape.
"Lucius was taken to Azkaban nearly two years ago. About a week ago, Kingsley spotted the boy, Draco, who was taken into custody without much of a fight..." Dumbledore rattled.
Luna cleared her throat. "What about Voldemort?"
Snape shivered. "We've had no such luck, but we're considering a truth serum..."
"A truth serum? Who do you plan on using it on?" asked Hermione.
"I say Draco. Besides, his father babbles to him, and he was a giant git to begin with. I bet we'd have better luck getting information out of him than out of LeStrange or Lucius Malfoy...don't you agree? I mean, even if he doesn't know where Voldemort is, he has been running around with his father's crowd, so he could have some really useful information..." Ron suggested. .
His mother, after a few seconds, nodded. Fred clapped. "Brilliant!"
"Or...we could wait a little longer...see what happens..." whispered Neville.
"How do you mean?" asked McGonnagal. She shivered. Moody's strange spinning eyeball was trained on her. "Ahem..." she cleared her throat loudly.
Neville swallowed. "Well...Hermione is a..." he nodded, and everyone understood. "V-Voldemort doesn't know about her, right? Maybe she'll come up with something useful?"
"Neville, I've known about this all of a week. How is it supposed to help everyone when I'm not able to control it?" Hermione glared at him.
"Jackie wasn't exactly 'able to control it', either, Hermione." Lupin whispered. He was starting to look rather ill. "They just sort of came to her. And then, she would report them to Dumbledore. You know, of course, that the prophecy about Harry's parents came from her lips?"
Everyone in the room nodded.
"What about this place...Godric's Hollow, I mean. Is it safe here yet?" Luna asked after several minutes of silence.
"We think so. Yeh scared the bloody tar outta Voldemort with yer article, Luna. He'll be bound ter slip up eventually..." Hagrid mused.
"We just have to wait for it, right?" Harry didn't mean to be thinking out loud, but he was.
"Now, Harry, I want you and your friends to be very careful. After all, this is not over by a long shot. It is still very dangerous for you. Keep that in mind. I thought it would be good for you to know what's going on within the Order, but I do not want you getting hurt because of it." Dumbledore sighed.
Harry frowned. "I wasn't going to do anything!" he whined.
"I know you're not." Dumbledore nodded.
"Any other business before I'm on my way?" asked Professor Snape.
Hermione frowned. "On your way to where, Professor? What's happened?" she demanded.
"Professor Snape is going away on a mission, Hermione. Nothing has happened yet." McGonnagal sighed. "Don't worry yourself so much...."
"What kind of mission? You wouldn't try anything crazy, would you...like sticking him out with those crazy Death Eater types? I know he had the Mark...I know what he used to do, but that's suicide!" Hermione gasped. She studied the various faces in the room, and then rounded on Snape. "That is what you plan to do, isn't it? Have you gone mad, Professor? If they find out you're working for Dumbledore..." she paled.
Snape nodded. "I am aware of the consequences, Ms. Granger. Don't worry about me. I've been looking for a reason to like myself for a long time now..." he whispered.
"Severus..." groaned Molly, "don't talk like that!"
George whistled. "I always knew the day would come when old Snapey- boy would finally snap. Got your calendar out Fred?" he smirked.
"Boys!" growled Mr. Weasley.
Dumbledore, ignoring the commotion, cleared his throat. "That will be all for this meeting. Good luck Arthur and Molly...and Severus, be safe..." he smiled. "We must all go back where we belong now. It will not do us good to be missed for too long..." he sighed.
Ron followed Dumbledore. "What are my parents going to do?" he demanded.
"Nothing to worry about, Ron. They're going to Romania to help your brother is all. It's nothing to fret over. Now, go with McGonnagal before she gets cross with you." Dumbledore ushered him away.
"Hmm...so that's why Snape said he was going to be gone...?" whispered Ginny.
Hermione nodded. "Uh huh. And your parents are heading to Romania. They told me to tell you there is no need to worry..." she smiled.
"They get to go see Charlie?" Ginny looked angry. "How come I never get to do anything?" she demanded, although by this time Hermione had all but stopped listening all together.
Hermione gasped. She was in a room somewhere...an old hotel, maybe? Snape was there...and several people she didn't recognize. They were arguing about something. She could barely make it out.
"I don't care what you say! How do I even know where your loyalties lie? You left when I was weak! You went to work for Dumbledore! You betrayed me!" This had to be Voldemort.
"No, My Lord, no! Dumbledore has people protecting the Hollow! If you head back there, you are sure to be spotted! Have you not seen the Daily Prophet? My Lord, you would be heading right back to where they think you already are! You are much safer here in London! No one in the Muggle world is even aware of your existence!"
The Dark Lord shook his head vigorously. "I have something that needs to be done. Bellatrix and Lucius certainly cannot do it for me, so I must do it myself. Unless, Severus, you would volunteer?"
Snape slowly took a step backwards. "My Lord, I..."
"How would he possibly be able to kill the boy with Dumbledore around him all the time, My Lord?" snickered someone in the corner. Hermione had heard the voice before. The man stepped forward, forcefully grabbing Snape's shoulder. Snape winced, turning around...and finally, Hermione could see...Peter Pettigrew!
"Oh, it's only you, Pettigrew. And I thought it was someone important," smirked Snape.
"You do prove a point, Wormtail," hissed Voldemort. "I shall have to go myself after all..." the Dark Lord stood and paced the room a moment without speaking. "However, I must acquire some information before I leave..." Voldemort looked at Snape. "What can you give me that I do not already know?"
Snape shrugged. "There have been no new developments."
Wormtail laughed. "You choose to lie to the Dark Lord?" he accused.
Voldemort twirled on his heel. "What? Tell me, Wormtail...what has he been hiding from me?" he demanded.
"Snape knows much more than he is telling you, My Lord. The Potter boy and that Luna Lovegood will soon be moving into Godric's Hollow. Remus Lupin and Dumbledore himself are protecting them. And that little Mud-Blood Granger is...well..." he paused.
"What?"
"A seer..."
Snape tried to utter a silencing spell, but he was not quick enough. Voldemort wheeled around. His nose was only an inch from Snape's face. "You lied? You betrayed me! You are working for Dumbledore! The rumors were true!" he screamed. A blue light shot from his wand. It hit Snape, who quickly apparated away.
"Come, Wormtail. I have a job for you," smiled Voldemort, with a 'come hither' sort of gesture of his index finger.
"Yes, master?" asked Peter.
"Go to Hogwarts. Kill the seer. I shall be going to Godric's Hollow soon enough..."
"But, master, I thought you wanted the prophecy to be fulfilled? Why kill the boy now?"
"It will be, Wormtail. It isn't the boy that I'm worried about. It's his parents and that Sirius Black that worry me. Bringing you back was not a good idea. I feel I may have brought back some of my enemies as well as some of my allies..."
Hermione gasped as if her ability to breathe had just been restored to her. She was back in the Gryffindor Common Room, and Harry, Ginny, Ron, and several of the Professors had gathered there. They were all staring intently at her.
"Are you all right, Ms. Granger?" asked Professor McGonnagal. "Has something happened?"
Dumbledore's half moon spectacles were resting on the end of his nose. He blinked. "Why don't you tell us, Ms. Granger," he whispered, "what it is that you have just seen?"
Hermione plopped down into one of the large red velvet chairs in the common room, and took a big breath. "I saw Voldemort, and he is in London with a bunch of the Death Eaters, and Wormtail told him Snape was lying, and Snape is hurt, but he's alive, and so are Harry's parents and Sirius, and Wormtail's going to kill me, and Voldemort's going to kill Harry's parents and Sirius, err...again..." Hermione looked as if she was about to pass out, but she had managed to tell them everything all at once without getting flustered, and that was her goal. However, it did not exactly please everyone in the room.
"Ms. Granger, that was rather jumbled..." frowned Dumbledore.
"I heard her perfectly, headmaster." Groaned Lupin, looking still worse than he did earlier. "She mentioned Wormtail...Peter Pettigrew.... Sirius Black, Lily and James, and..." he gasped. "Wait a minute! How? When? Wha...they are supposed to be dead!"
Hermione nodded, and glanced nervously out the window at the not-so-full moon. She sighed. "I know. Voldemort said something about how he shouldn't have brought Wormtail back, because he'd accidentally brought back Harry's parents and Sirius Black. He plans to kill them, and then have Wormtail..." she gulped, and paused.
"What? Have Wormtail what?" demanded Ron.
"Kill me." Hermione finished, just loud enough for everyone else to hear.
Remus Lupin was beside himself. He paced the Gryffindor common room. "Lily, James, and Sirius are back from beyond the veil? Voldemort is going to kill them again, but can I do anything? No. Damn curse...where would Lily and James be anyway? How the hell does Voldemort expect to get into Godric's Hollow? Unless...Snape!" Lupin nearly yelled, raising his finger in the air as if a light bulb had just flickered on inside his head. He grabbed Hermione by the shoulders. "Voldemort didn't believe Snape! He's heading to Godric's Hollow anyway! You brilliant girl!" he hugged her.
"What do you suppose is in the Hollow?" whispered Neville. "We just came from there..."
Ron slapped his hand on his forehead, glancing sadly at Neville.
"I know who's in the Hollow," whispered Harry. "My family..." And with that, he turned and quietly left through the portrait hole.
"I'll follow the boy. If Lily, James, and Sirius have indeed returned, it will be a pretty big shock to him..." Lupin frowned.
"McGonnagal stepped forward. "No, Remus. You are ill. I will take Luna and follow Harry. We will bring whomever we find back into the castle. I will warn the Order to stay alert in case Voldemort shows up..."
"All right..." Lupin sighed in defeat.
As soon as Harry was safely outside castle grounds, he drew his wand from his robes, and apparated. In less than a second, he was standing outside the house in Godric's Hollow. He took a deep breath. The living room light appeared to be on. Slowly, Harry crept up the front walk, and swung open the door.
From inside the house, he could hear voices. Releasing the breath that he had been holding for some time, Harry slowly slid back the door that would allow him to see into the living room. He nearly screamed.
"Mom! Dad! Sirius!" he choked, unable to stop the lump in his throat from rising up. "You're alive! You're here!" he smiled, rushing over to them. He tried unsuccessfully to wrap all three of them in one hug.
McGonnagal walked in. Behind her was Luna.
"Hello Lily...James...Sirius..." McGonnagal smiled. She too, seemed to have a large lump caught in her throat. "It's good to have you back...."
"Question..." frowned Sirius, patting Harry on the head. "How is it that we are 'back'? I mean, I'm not complaining...I'm just a little confused..."
"It was Voldemort," whispered Luna, still sheltered behind McGonnagal.
"Voldemort!" gasped Harry's father.
"Yes, James. And I fear he may be on his way here. We need to get back to the castle straight away. Can you apparate?" she asked the three of them.
Harry's mother squeezed his hand tightly, and smiled. "Yes, we can, Minerva," she whispered. "And once we get back, we have a lot of catching up to do..." she looked down at Harry.
Harry nodded, but he couldn't help but think of what Hermione had said. Voldemort is going to try to kill them, but at least they're back, and...we can stop him can't we...? Harry shivered, and glanced at his father.
"Come," whispered McGonnagal, "everyone is waiting for us to return to the castle..."
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A/N: Okay, so this one was long, and that was the first time I've brought anyone back before. What can I say? I just couldn't decide...so I decided to have Voldemort screw up and bring all three of them back. Besides, I'm a Sirius fan, and why not bring Harry's parents back when the split storyline I used with the journal was about their lives? Makes sense, doesn't it? Please review and let me know what you think about it!