A/N: These chapters may take a while to get out to you because I am the most procrastinating procrastinator ever. Sorry:) .
Harry froze. The book was telling him that to even turn the pages you had to be a dark wizard. Yet, he had turned them with no trouble at all. Before his mind could begin to process that implication, he wondered if Hermione had tried to read it at all. He hoped that she had just pulled it off the shelf, thinking it might make interesting reading. It didn't scare him, per se, but it definitely worried him to some extent.
He closed the book for the night, deciding that some things are better with time. Harry finished the last bit of treacle tart as he turned out the light and crawled into bed. He thought about the book some more and cam to a conclusion, of sorts. It doesn't matter. Nothing matters anymore.
And with that he drifted off to a night filled with nightmares.
Harry spent the next eleven days studiously avoiding the book from Hermione. He wasn't afraid to read it, or even that he was able to read it; however, he was very worried about what he might learn, and subsequently use. The days were long and boring, as Vernon hadn't ordered him to do any work over the summer. He reread his textbooks again and again, and was tempted every so often to pick up Of Darkness, but the thought that he had dark tendencies in him was enough to keep him from picking it up.
After what seemed like years, the day of the 27th finally came. Harry awoke at a surprisingly late 10:30 a.m. He went downstairs to get a bite to eat and discovered that the Dursley's were gone. He found a note on the kitchen table telling him that they would be gone all day, not to touch anything, and not to do anything that the neighbors would notice. Well, he thought. Even if anything did happen, I won't be here for them to yell at. This last thought cheered him up a great deal, even though he was already quite perky compared to his normal self as of late. He had waited until this morning to pack his trunk, but there wasn't very much to put away as he couldn't just leave his things laying about (and only so much could fit in the floor and closet). He got out his broom (which he hid under his blankets until it was time to go), and fed a few owl treats to Hedwig before lying down on his bed to wait. He didn't have long though, and at precisely 12:30 the doorbell rang. He brought his trunk and Hedwig's cage (he had let her out of his window, telling her to meet him at Ron's house) to the top of the steps and then bounded down to open the door, expecting to see Ron or one of the other Weasleys. Upon opening the door Harry saw an unfamiliar woman. The stranger wore a crisp black suit over her lean body, and her jet black hair was pulled back in a tight bun which rather reminded him of Professor McGonagall. She wore black sunglasses as well, which only added to her mysterious appearance.
"'Ello," She said in a very nasal cockney accent. "I'm 'ere to pick up one 'Arry Potter. That you?"
Harry stepped away from the door quickly, drawing his wand. "Who are you?" he said in a low, but forceful tone.
"Why 'Arry!" exclaimed the woman. "Let me give you a little 'int. If you'll just let me in, I can show you something you might recognize. Can't do it out 'ere though, what with the neighbors and all."
He stepped back, allowing her to enter, but kept his wand pointed at her. As soon as she was in the door her body began to change. Before he could even get out a stunning spell, he heard two words that stopped him from further action.
"Wotcher, Harry!" He growled at the words. "Tonks! I'm going to get you for that. You scared me half to death. I thought you were someone trying to kill me or something. You're going to regret it."
Tonks looked at him for a second, the glasses gone now, and her hair much shorter and spiked. "Well," she said thoughtfully. "Not as much as the Weasleys will."
He started to ask her what she was talking about when something struck him in the side. He turned to face through the front door, ready to hex the first person he saw when he realized that his side was wet. He hadn't felt any pain, and was trying to figure out what had hit him when he saw a flash of red hair and another something struck him, this time right on his midsection. They were water balloons.
"Weasley!" he shouted at the front lawn. "You will pay! Mark my words!" Before he could say anything more he was struck by three more water balloons. He quickly stepped back into the house, shutting the door as fast as he was able.
"Tonks! This isn't funny!" But as he said the words he couldn't help but laugh at the situation. He went to the kitchen and got a white napkin, and all the while Tonks staring at him, wondering what on earth he was doing. He grinned at her, and then opened the door. He stuck the napkin out first, waving it around for a good minute to make sure it was seen. Cautiously he opened the door further and peeked out. When nothing hit him he stepped all the way out onto the doorstep. For a few seconds he thought that they would come out, but then he was attacked with another barrage of balloons. "Enough!" he shouted to the lawn. "I give! Just come out already!."
The red heads of Fred, George, Ginny, and Ron suddenly appeared in front of him. "Aw, Harry. We were only getting started." This came from Fred.
"Yeah," said George. "Just wait until we're back at the Burrow. Then you're really in for it."
He grinned at them; happy to see people he knew, other than the Dursleys. "So," he said in an offhand manner. "Do I get to go to the Burrow yet, or are we going to stand here all day, making a show for the neighbors?"
"Well, Harry," said George. "I don't even see your trunk. Won't get very far without that, I imagine."
"And besides," added Fred. "What makes you think we want to be seen with some sopping wet boy wonder?"
Harry grinned at them. "It's your fault that I'm in this condition, mind you. You might watch what you say because when I get my revenge you won't know what hit you. And because it's you two, that's really saying something."
They just laughed, but he noticed that they had begun to edge away from him very slowly so that he wouldn't notice. "I'll be right back, I'm going to grab my trunk." Harry turned to go back up the stairs, but a quick shout from the twins stopped him. He looked at them questioningly. "Harry," they said simultaneously. Fred continued. "We're of age now. Don't even think about a silly little thing like manual labor." George laughed at this, adding "Muscles are attractive to the girls and all, but magic is so much more entertaining."
"Whatever you say, Mr.'s Weasley. Please, don't let me stand in your way." He mock-bowed to them and stood aside so they could see is trunk. They cast a quick levitation spell and his trunk and Hedwig's cage came floating down the stairs. His broom followed close behind, but Harry grabbed it out of the air, not trusting it to the twins' devices.
Once everything was out of the house and into the car that had been borrowed from the Ministry, everyone piled into the back seat letting the Ministry driver do his work. All in all there were six people inside the car, but it had been magically expanded to fit them comfortably. They chatted amicably about how their summer had been, and Harry was content to just listen to them. Sitting with them all on this relaxing ride didn't completely take away the ache he was feeling inside, but it helped considerably.
Before he knew it, they were pulling up in front of the Burrow, just outside of Ottery St. Catchpole. Everyone scrambled to get out of the car, anxious to get Harry unpacked so they could start a round of Quidditch. However, as soon as he stepped into the kitchen, Mrs. Weasley attacked him with a fierce hug. "Oh, Harry dear! We're all so glad that you can come and stay with us. I know it must have been awful staying with those Muggles. You poor boy!" Harry tried to escape her embrace, but she held on to him tightly.
"Really, Mrs. Weasley," he sputtered. "It wasn't that bad. And the food you sent was great. It made everything better." At this Mrs. Weasley finally released him, smiling broadly.
"Well dear, why don't you go unpack your things? Your trunk is up in Ron's room, and after you've finished you can head outside and do some flying. I'm sure it'll be very refreshing for you to get some Quidditch in, and it's especially beautiful out today."
He nodded to her with a small smile, and headed upstairs. Upon entering Ron's room he laid his broom on the bed Mrs. Weasley had made up for him, and turned to his trunk. He didn't really have much to unpack, so he sat on the bed waiting for Ron to come up as well. In a matter of minutes Ron was with Harry in what was to be their room for just over the next month. Harry stared at the posters of the Chudley Cannons all around is friend's walls, the players zooming around. "Let's go get some Quidditch in before dinner," said Harry finally. Ron just nodded, and they both headed downstairs after grabbing their brooms. They got Fred and George to play, and Ginny as well. The only problem was that now they were uneven.
"Charlie will be here in a few minutes," said Ginny, as a solution to this problem. "Mum said he'd be coming to visit for a few days. Bill's coming too, but not for another week or two." Ginny looked like she had more to say, but before she could get it out they heard a voice coming from the house. Soon after a very red head appeared and they shouted their greetings to their older brother.
"Hey guys! You look like you're ready for some Quidditch! Since I'm the oldest, I think it's only fair that I get to pick the teams." Charlie looked very excited to be playing Quidditch with them, so no one protested. "Alright, you lot, this is how we'll split up. Harry, Ron, and Fred, you're a team. Ginny and George, you're with me. This way we each have one Seeker, and one Beater, and one person, that'll be me and Ron, to play as Chaser and Keeper. Are you ready?"
Everyone was, so they quickly started their game. At first Harry's team seemed to be doing very well, but out of nowhere Ginny's side caught up to them, and soon the game was over. Ginny had won the game for her team, but Harry had been only seconds behind her when she grabbed the Snitch.
They all shouted at each other happily for a bit, but decided to head in and wash up before dinner. Ten minutes later they were all around the dinner table, with Mrs. Weasley placing numerous dishes before them. They dug in without hesitation, and were so involved that no one noticed Mr. Weasley's arrival until he shouted a greeting at them.
"Good evening!" Everyone at the table looked at him. "Well, er, that's better, isn't it? You lot are so involved in your food I don't think dungbombs would've disturbed you. Anyway, just wanted to say that I'm home. You can go back to your eating now."
They nodded at him, Charlie and Harry giving a quick greeting in return, before returning to their food. They continued to eat in silence, deciding that food was more important currently. After they had all eaten their fill, the group headed to the living room to sit down in front of the fireplace. (There was no fire, however, because the summer had been dreadfully hot, and didn't seem to be cooling down at all, even though it was almost August.) Mr. and Mrs. Weasley and Ron and Harry talked amongst themselves about what would be happening over the course of the summer.
"Well, Harry dear, I do have a bit of news for you. You're not actually going to be staying here for the entire summer. One week after your birthday you're going to return to Hogwarts early, so that Professor Snape can continue with your Occlumency."
"What's the point in that?" Harry asked miserably. "Sirius is already dead, what good can it do now? I know, I know, it's for my own protection. Sorry to interrupt…"
Mrs. Weasley continued after patting Harry on the back. "Don't worry dear, it won't be as bad as all that. Professor Snape will be there to help, regardless of what happened last time in your sessions. Dumbledore has made it quite clear that he is to continue with these lessons, no matter what transpires. And that won't be the only training you'll be getting. There's a new Defense professor, and he'll be training you in some advanced magic that most don't learn at all." Here Mrs. Weasley left off, and Mr. Weasley took over.
"And in addition to Occlumency, Professor Snape will also be assisting you in your Potions studies. Dumbledore has asked him to help you with this because he feels that you'll progress in your studies much quicker without a classroom full of other students to disturb your work."
"Like Malfoy…" muttered Harry.
"What was that?" asked Mr. Weasley.
"Oh, nothing. Just imagining how much fun it will be to be locked away in Hogwarts with Snape all summer and some teacher I don't even know. Fantastic."
Mr. Weasley smiled kindly at him. "Don't worry about it, Harry. It'll be fine. Three weeks will go fast enough, and before you know it everyone will be back, and Quidditch will be on again. Speaking of which, you'll have everything with you when you go back to Hogwarts, so whenever you have some free time you can just go out for a quick spin on the Quidditch pitch."
Well," said Harry slowly. "I guess if I can play Quidditch then it won't be so terrible. So when am I going to get my things from Diagon Alley?"
"We can go anytime you want, dear," said Mrs. Weasley. "I'd like to wait until after your birthday, but we'll still have a whole week to visit. You can pick the day if you'd like."
"That sounds good, Mrs. Weasley. I'll let you know what day I'd like to go."
The next two days flew by, and before Harry knew it, it was his birthday. He woke up on the morning of the 31st to see Ron, Fred, George, Ginny, Charlie, and Hermione lining the walls of the room. As soon as his eyes were open he saw them start to reach behind their backs. Before he could get his wand out he was pelted by multiple pillows from all directions.
"Quit it!" he shouted.
"Quidditch?" asked Fred.
"I think that' what he said," said George. "Lets it him with some more pillows."
"Noooooo!" Harry cried out from underneath all the pillows. "Enough already!"
And suddenly there was nothing being thrown at him. He pushed a pillow off of his head and looked cautiously out at his friends. The second he caught Fred and George's eyes they threw more pillows at him.
"Alright!" proclaimed George.
"I think our work here is done," concluded Fred. And with that everyone except Ron and Hermione walked out. They sat on the edge of Harry's bed and smiled at him.
"Hey Hermione. I'm glad you could come to visit."
"Me, too," she said with a large smile. "I've been wondering how you've been over the summer. Your letters never seem to say very much, just a quick hello, how are you sort of thing. So Harry, how are you, really?"
"I…" he stuttered for a moment. "I'm okay, I think. It was really bad at first, like nothing in the world seemed to matter, but just being here has helped a lot. I think it'll keep getting better, but for now… for now let's just let it go, ok?"
Hermione and Ron smiled at him and nodded. "Mum's got breakfast set out, so let's go eat, and then you can open your presents."
Harry nodded, and waited for them to leave the room before he got dressed for the day. When he got to the kitchen he sat at the table and immediately Mrs. Weasley placed a full plate of food in front of him. He hadn't felt very hungry when he woke up, but seeing the food in front of him suddenly made him ravenous. He ate with gusto, and when he had finished his second helping he finally pushed his plate aside. He walked into the living room where everyone was waiting for him. He sat down in the middle of the floor and people just started pushing presents toward him. Hermione had, of course, gotten him a book (which reminded him to talk to her later about the other book that he had received over the summer) called Seekers: Past and Present. Ron had gotten him a large box of assorted candies from Honeydukes, which included Ice Mice and Chocolate Frogs. Fred and George had, of course, given him a wide selection of their products. When their mother was out of earshot they made him promise to put them to good use when he returned to Hogwarts. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had gotten him a thick new cloak, in a dark, blood red color, that closed with a silver clasp. Ginny had gotten him a new quill that was charmed so that only he could use it. If anyone else tried to use it, they would only be able to write their innermost secrets. Charlie's present was, of course, the best. The dragon keeper had brought him the talon of an Ukranian Ironbelly, one of the largest dragons in existence. Charlie had taken the talon and tied a thick black cord around it, making it into a necklace for Harry to wear. He put it on immediately and went to check himself out in the mirror. He was 16 today, and he looked cool.
Hey everyone, give me some feedback! I'd like to know what you think of this story. If you have any suggestions, my ears are open! And do you know what makes for a very happy author who posts often? Reviews!