Chapter 1 - Privet Drive
Harry was lying on the bed in his room staring at the wall. He didn't feel like doing anything. He looked around at his room. He was numb. There were two reasons why he was feeling numb. The first was the fact that his godfather Sirius, the only father figure he had ever known, was now dead. Killed by his cousin, Bellatrix Lestrange, who worked for Lord Voldemort. Voldemort was a wizard. An evil wizard. He was the reason for Harry's emptiness. He was the reason that Harry now lived in number 4 Privet Drive with relatives who hated him instead of with his parents. He was the reason why Harry now had a scar in the shape of a lightening bolt on his head. Harry had gotten the scar the night that Voldemort had killed his parents and had tried to kill him when he was only a year old. And the relatives that he lived with, the Dursleys, hated him because he too was a wizard, though not evil like Voldemort. He had been face to face with Voldemort 4 times in the past 5 years he had been at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Harry sighed deeply. Now he had yet another reason to hate Voldemort. It was because of Voldemort that Sirius was now dead. Voldemort had lured Harry to the department of mysteries so that Harry could retrieve a prophecy for him. Harry remembered talking to Professor Dumbledore about the prophecy a little over a month ago. The prophecy was the other reason that he felt numb. The prophecy foretold that at some point in his life, Harry would either have to murder, or be murdered by Voldemort. He shuddered at the thought and got up off his bed and walked over to the table which sat across the room. He picked up a piece of parchment that he had received the previous day from the desk and re-read it for what seemed to be the hundredth time.
Dear Harry,
Sorry you've had to wait so long. We'll come by and pick you up soon. Be waiting, but not impatient. It may take some time to organise.
Remus
Harry sighed as he put down the letter. He had been waiting for a month, but it didn't matter to him anymore. Last year he had been furious because he hadn't received word from anyone and had been left alone with the Dursleys. Now it didn't matter. Harry had so far been pretty much left to his own devices the whole time he had been here, and spent most of his time in his room mourning the loss of Sirius. His aunt had surprised him by coming in to ask if he was alright, but had not stayed long because Harry didn't feel much like talking. Downstairs, Harry heard the buzz of the doorbell. He heard some muffled voices a few moments later.
"Harry" his aunt called from the bottom of the stairs.
He sighed and walked down to see what she wanted. Harry seemed, if it were possible, even more skinny than he had been the previous year, owing to the fact that he had grown taller and had not been eating much of late. He was very pale from spending so much time indoors and the overall effect was that he looked quite sickly. Petunia had been much more giving in the food department this holidays, but Harry simply refused to eat.
When he finally reached the bottom of the stairs he shifted his gaze from the floor to the two women standing at the foot of the stairs. One was Petunia, and the other was Mrs Figg, the old woman who had babysat for Harry when he was younger. He had found out the previous year that she was a squib (a non-magical person with magical parents). Mrs Figg looked up at him sympathetically. Harry figured that Dumbledore must have explained what had happened at the ministry.
"Mrs Figg would like to know if you could help her with some odd jobs today Harry" Petunia said, almost kindly.
Harry looked up at her for a moment and as their eyes met, Harry saw concern behind her eyes. He was surprised by this. The only other time he had seen that concern was when he had informed her that Voldemort had returned the previous summer.
Harry nodded finally and followed Mrs Figg silently out the door. As soon as they were out of earshot from the Dursleys, Mrs Figg turned to him.
"Are you alright Harry?" she asked, concerned. "You look a little peaky" Harry nodded mutely.
"Have they been feeding you properly? You look like you could do with a good meal" she said, looking back at the Dursleys house with a scowl.
"Yes they've been feeding me. I'm just not all that hungry of late" Harry said in an empty voice.
Mrs Figg looked at him sympathetically again, but did not say anything else. They walked in silence the rest of the way. Mrs Figg opened the door of her house and let Harry go in first. Harry gasped when he walked into her lounge room.
Standing in the middle of the room, beaming at him was Remus and Tonks.
"Wotcher Harry!" Tonks cried and ran over to give him a warm hug.
Harry smiled in spite of himself. He had locked himself up in his room for the past few weeks and had to admit that it was good to see some friendly faces again.
"Hello Harry" said Remus calmly, walking over to shake his hand when Tonks had let him go at last.
"How are you feeling?" Remus asked concerned.
"Fine" came Harry's mechanical reply.
Remus and Tonks both looked at his sympathetically. It made him feel uncomfortable.
"What are you both doing here?" he asked, trying to get off the subject of himself so that they would stop staring at him like that.
"We've come to take you to the headquarters again. The Weasleys and Hermione are already there waiting for you" Remus replied with a small smile.
"What about my things?" Harry asked.
"Oh, don't worry about that for the moment. Tonks and I will be back later to get your things" Remus assured him. Harry smiled.
"Right then, we'd best be off. Thanks Arabella, we'll see you soon" he said to Mrs Figg who smiled and waved as they left the house.
They got into a car that was parked out the front, with Tonks in the drivers seat. She explained to Harry that her father, who was muggle born, had insisted that she learn to drive. She had changed her hair to brown, a much more conservative colour. Harry guessed that it was because she didn't want to draw too much attention to them in a muggle residential area. Harry was glad of this. He didn't feel he could stand anyone else staring at him.
They reached Grimmauld place by nightfall, and Tonks and Remus dropped him off.
"We have to go and do some things for the order tonight Harry, so just go inside. Mrs Weasley is expecting you. We'll be back in a few hours" Remus said with a smile.
Harry smiled back feebly and bid farewell to his two friends before walking over to where number 12 should be. Once again he thought about the address and the house sprang up, pushing the two other houses aside. Harry entered the house quietly and closed the door behind him carefully so as not to make any noise. He noticed that the portrait of Sirius' mother was still hanging on the wall behind a curtain. He walked carefully down to the dining room, so as not to wake her up.
It felt strange being here again and knowing that Sirius wouldn't be here. That he wasn't coming back. Harry sighed heavily as he opened the door to the dining room. There were two screeches as he walked in and he found himself enveloped in a hug first from Hermione, then from Mrs Weasley, who had managed to get from the kitchen to the doorway, despite all the obstacles, in a matter of moments. Harry grinned as they finally let him go and greeted the other Weasleys, who were much more conservative than Hermione and Mrs Weasley in their own greetings. They were all seated around the table about to eat dinner. Mrs Weasley pushed Harry down into a chair next to Ginny and put a plate of food in front of him. Harry smiled at her, but didn't eat much. He was thinking about Sirius. It must have shown on his face, because Ginny reached out and put a reassuring hand on his arm and smiled sympathetically at him. He forced a smile in return and looked away quickly.
Harry was lying on the bed in his room staring at the wall. He didn't feel like doing anything. He looked around at his room. He was numb. There were two reasons why he was feeling numb. The first was the fact that his godfather Sirius, the only father figure he had ever known, was now dead. Killed by his cousin, Bellatrix Lestrange, who worked for Lord Voldemort. Voldemort was a wizard. An evil wizard. He was the reason for Harry's emptiness. He was the reason that Harry now lived in number 4 Privet Drive with relatives who hated him instead of with his parents. He was the reason why Harry now had a scar in the shape of a lightening bolt on his head. Harry had gotten the scar the night that Voldemort had killed his parents and had tried to kill him when he was only a year old. And the relatives that he lived with, the Dursleys, hated him because he too was a wizard, though not evil like Voldemort. He had been face to face with Voldemort 4 times in the past 5 years he had been at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Harry sighed deeply. Now he had yet another reason to hate Voldemort. It was because of Voldemort that Sirius was now dead. Voldemort had lured Harry to the department of mysteries so that Harry could retrieve a prophecy for him. Harry remembered talking to Professor Dumbledore about the prophecy a little over a month ago. The prophecy was the other reason that he felt numb. The prophecy foretold that at some point in his life, Harry would either have to murder, or be murdered by Voldemort. He shuddered at the thought and got up off his bed and walked over to the table which sat across the room. He picked up a piece of parchment that he had received the previous day from the desk and re-read it for what seemed to be the hundredth time.
Dear Harry,
Sorry you've had to wait so long. We'll come by and pick you up soon. Be waiting, but not impatient. It may take some time to organise.
Remus
Harry sighed as he put down the letter. He had been waiting for a month, but it didn't matter to him anymore. Last year he had been furious because he hadn't received word from anyone and had been left alone with the Dursleys. Now it didn't matter. Harry had so far been pretty much left to his own devices the whole time he had been here, and spent most of his time in his room mourning the loss of Sirius. His aunt had surprised him by coming in to ask if he was alright, but had not stayed long because Harry didn't feel much like talking. Downstairs, Harry heard the buzz of the doorbell. He heard some muffled voices a few moments later.
"Harry" his aunt called from the bottom of the stairs.
He sighed and walked down to see what she wanted. Harry seemed, if it were possible, even more skinny than he had been the previous year, owing to the fact that he had grown taller and had not been eating much of late. He was very pale from spending so much time indoors and the overall effect was that he looked quite sickly. Petunia had been much more giving in the food department this holidays, but Harry simply refused to eat.
When he finally reached the bottom of the stairs he shifted his gaze from the floor to the two women standing at the foot of the stairs. One was Petunia, and the other was Mrs Figg, the old woman who had babysat for Harry when he was younger. He had found out the previous year that she was a squib (a non-magical person with magical parents). Mrs Figg looked up at him sympathetically. Harry figured that Dumbledore must have explained what had happened at the ministry.
"Mrs Figg would like to know if you could help her with some odd jobs today Harry" Petunia said, almost kindly.
Harry looked up at her for a moment and as their eyes met, Harry saw concern behind her eyes. He was surprised by this. The only other time he had seen that concern was when he had informed her that Voldemort had returned the previous summer.
Harry nodded finally and followed Mrs Figg silently out the door. As soon as they were out of earshot from the Dursleys, Mrs Figg turned to him.
"Are you alright Harry?" she asked, concerned. "You look a little peaky" Harry nodded mutely.
"Have they been feeding you properly? You look like you could do with a good meal" she said, looking back at the Dursleys house with a scowl.
"Yes they've been feeding me. I'm just not all that hungry of late" Harry said in an empty voice.
Mrs Figg looked at him sympathetically again, but did not say anything else. They walked in silence the rest of the way. Mrs Figg opened the door of her house and let Harry go in first. Harry gasped when he walked into her lounge room.
Standing in the middle of the room, beaming at him was Remus and Tonks.
"Wotcher Harry!" Tonks cried and ran over to give him a warm hug.
Harry smiled in spite of himself. He had locked himself up in his room for the past few weeks and had to admit that it was good to see some friendly faces again.
"Hello Harry" said Remus calmly, walking over to shake his hand when Tonks had let him go at last.
"How are you feeling?" Remus asked concerned.
"Fine" came Harry's mechanical reply.
Remus and Tonks both looked at his sympathetically. It made him feel uncomfortable.
"What are you both doing here?" he asked, trying to get off the subject of himself so that they would stop staring at him like that.
"We've come to take you to the headquarters again. The Weasleys and Hermione are already there waiting for you" Remus replied with a small smile.
"What about my things?" Harry asked.
"Oh, don't worry about that for the moment. Tonks and I will be back later to get your things" Remus assured him. Harry smiled.
"Right then, we'd best be off. Thanks Arabella, we'll see you soon" he said to Mrs Figg who smiled and waved as they left the house.
They got into a car that was parked out the front, with Tonks in the drivers seat. She explained to Harry that her father, who was muggle born, had insisted that she learn to drive. She had changed her hair to brown, a much more conservative colour. Harry guessed that it was because she didn't want to draw too much attention to them in a muggle residential area. Harry was glad of this. He didn't feel he could stand anyone else staring at him.
They reached Grimmauld place by nightfall, and Tonks and Remus dropped him off.
"We have to go and do some things for the order tonight Harry, so just go inside. Mrs Weasley is expecting you. We'll be back in a few hours" Remus said with a smile.
Harry smiled back feebly and bid farewell to his two friends before walking over to where number 12 should be. Once again he thought about the address and the house sprang up, pushing the two other houses aside. Harry entered the house quietly and closed the door behind him carefully so as not to make any noise. He noticed that the portrait of Sirius' mother was still hanging on the wall behind a curtain. He walked carefully down to the dining room, so as not to wake her up.
It felt strange being here again and knowing that Sirius wouldn't be here. That he wasn't coming back. Harry sighed heavily as he opened the door to the dining room. There were two screeches as he walked in and he found himself enveloped in a hug first from Hermione, then from Mrs Weasley, who had managed to get from the kitchen to the doorway, despite all the obstacles, in a matter of moments. Harry grinned as they finally let him go and greeted the other Weasleys, who were much more conservative than Hermione and Mrs Weasley in their own greetings. They were all seated around the table about to eat dinner. Mrs Weasley pushed Harry down into a chair next to Ginny and put a plate of food in front of him. Harry smiled at her, but didn't eat much. He was thinking about Sirius. It must have shown on his face, because Ginny reached out and put a reassuring hand on his arm and smiled sympathetically at him. He forced a smile in return and looked away quickly.
