Chapter Five

-Shadows at Midnight-


Mrs Weasley finally found Harry sitting by the window in Flourish and Blotts, her face was, if possible, paler than the paper in the book she had clutched in her hand.

"Harry dear, what's wrong?" Molly asked as she took a seat beside him. Harry didn't reply at first, he didn't want to tear his vision from the sky in case the Owl arrived. "You know, your OWL results arrived this morning," she continued. Harry saw Ginny's worried face out of the corner of his eye but he didn't turn to speak yet. "I bet you did well," Molly said.

"Yeah," Harry said, solemnly. Ginny had moved out of his eyeline and he was touched slightly that was was concerned, though he didn't know why. He was so used to Mrs Weasley fretting over him he had never noticed that she wasn't the only one worrying; other people did to, and Sirius used to do it too...

"Come on dear, let's go," Molly said as her daughter joined her by her side. "It's going to be a long day on Monday," she reminded him. "I've got all your books here with me."

"Come on Harry," Ginny spoke up and Harry turned to look at her, for the first time he noticed she had had a growth spurt; she was no longer the fourteen year old he had travelled with to the Ministry, no longer the eleven year old he had rescued from the Chamber of Secrets. Ginny too had seen things like Harry had, Ginny had been there with him and fought bravely, she insisted to come along.

Harry stood up, however reluctantly and sighed, the Owl would find him where ever he was. It was most likely annoying Ted back at Malunovo Mansion, there was no use worrying about it untill the time came to rightly do so. Harry rejoined Hermione and Ron, who were, to no one's surprise, argueing.

"Oh please Ron, spare me some credit," Hermione said. "If you're so jealous of Vicktor then why don't you just put him to the back of your mind and forget it?"

"I can't! Not that I'm jealous anyway," Ron said, his ears were burning red now. "The guy's a git Hermione, he just thinks because he's a big Quidditch Professional that he has more rights than the rest of us."

Hermione looked along the street and sighed, "to be honest Ron, because he is a big Quidditch Professional he does get more rights, it's not right, I know, but it's true."

Ron fell silent all of sudden, thinking about what Hermione had said, Harry looked away from them and at Ginny, who smiled back at him.

"Do they always argue themselves out like that?" Ginny asked.

"Unfortunately so, just let them run their course and they'll be alright," Harry said, looking back at the two who had lapsed into silence.

"Hermione reminds me of my mum when she argues," Ginny laughed dully, Harry didn't know how to reply even though this statement struck him as halfway true.

"Harry?" Molly asked, it took Harry a minute to realise they were already at the alleyway leading to the back of the Leaky Cauldron. Harry walked in and held the door for Molly and Ginny, who smiled thankfully. Fred and George apparated to the Mansion when they saw Tom standing at the bar, making sure they didn't violate the ban.

Harry took some floo powder and threw it into the fire place, some of the power caught in the air floated down and made him sneeze as she said Malunovo Mansion and he fell foward into a fireplace that was obviously not the right place. He had done this before but never had he landed in another person's house.

The room was dull, it was painted in black and had very little decorations around it, just a long wooden table and a few chairs. The door of the room opened a bit and Harry stood up, looking around for somewhere to hide. He did so in a small room that looked like a closet, beneath his feet was a trap door and he frowned but paid little attention to it; his scar started to throb furiously now. He peeked through the crack in the door to see a woman walk by holding a bucket, the door of the room opened and Harry had to stop himself from crying out. Draco Malfoy stood in the doorway, holding the bucket in his hands as he belched up slugs.

"Stupid Potter, when I see him again I'm going to-" Draco threw up some more slugs, "-hex him into oblivion, he's so stupid I can make it look like he did it to himself." Harry clenched his teeth together and looked around the room again, so this is where Malfoy lived? No wonder the boy was dull.

"Here you go," another voice said, Narcissa Malfoy hurried in and passed her son a glass of water.

"What a revolting spell... I must remember it. Potter didn't even use an incantation to make the spell work," Draco said in between sips of the water.

"He must of used some forbiddon magic," Narcissa said, "with any luck he'll get expelled, the silly-"

"-Mudblood lover. He and that idiot Mudblood should be ashamed of themselves with the parents they had, Potter's mum was just as disgusting as Granger is." Draco drawled, Harry clenched his fist now, how was it possible for Draco to insult his mum and friend in the same sentence? Narcissa left her son to stew for a while and Harry sat down silently on the floor, trying to think how he'd get out of this one when a 'pop' made him look up. It was Walden McNair, the person who would of killed Buckbeak if Harry and Hermione hadn't stopped him; Buckbeak and Sirius had escaped over two years ago now.

"What is it?" Draco spat at McNair, he threw up violently again and Harry watched in relish as he saw what he could only guess was pain flicker across the Slytherin's face.

"It's about the thing our Lord wanted," McNair said quickly, as if he could of been followed. "That fool Dumbledore's only gone and hidden it in Potter's vault."

"Fine," Draco said, "break in and get it."

"It's not as simple as that, those Goblins have a tight security on the place," McNair replied.

"I said break in and get it, you don't want me to tell the Lord that you're directly disobeying orders from a top Followers son?" Draco asked.

"No, of course not, I'll get it," McNair said and dissaparated quickly. Harry hoped he spelched himself.

"You're going to pay for this Potter," Draco said to himself and swiftly walked out the room. Harry brushed all the Floo Powder he could off himself and collected it in a small pile in his hand. He ran to the fire as quickly as possible and walked in, throwing the powder.

"Malunovo Mansion," Harry said clearly and as he saw fireplaces pass before him he saw Narcissa Malfoy's surprised face as he dissapeared from view in her fireplace. Harry hit the living room fireplace hard and rolled out, coughing soot and ashes out of his mouth. Narcissa had walked in at the last moment and seen him disappear... would she follow? Would she get a big group of Death Eaters to attack the Mansion?

"Hello?" Harry coughed, he got up and walked into the hallway. The eccentric decorations assured him he was in the right place and he walked down to the kitchen, opening the door. The crowd of people stood there, Ginny saw him first and looked relieved.

"Harry!" Mrs Weasley said, taking him in a bear hug. Ron and Hermione sighed in relief too when they saw him.

"We wondered where you'd gone mate, not all the fireplaces are a great place to land in," Ron said.

"I know," Harry replied as Molly squeezed him. "I ended up in Malfoy's house."

"Oh my, Harry..." Molly said as Tonks pulled her off him, she was back from the meeting but without Remus.

"What's it like? Full of dark arts and stuff I bet!" Ron exclaimed, looking intrested now he knew his friend was safe.

"Dull actually, Malfoy's mum saw me just as I disappeared again," Harry said, then turned to Tonks and Alastor, "there's going to be an attack on Gringotts, something about something in my vault. What is it?" Harry asked, sternly. "Why did Dumbledore move it there?"

"Harry, we'll answer questions... soon enough," Tonks said, her chocolate coloured hair hanging in bangs around her young face.

"When's soon?" Harry snapped. "I'm tired of things being kept from me!"

"Soon is when we know the answers ourselves, Potter," Alastor said. "Now keep your voice down."

Tonks frowned, "Alastor, you can't seriously think that they'd attack here... now? That's outragous."

"Constant vigilance, Nymphadora," Alastor said, before Tonks could complain about her name he continued, "expect the unexpected."

"Really Mad-Eye, if everyone expected the unexpected imagine the amount of paraniod wizards we'd..." Tonks trailed off when she saw Molly's vicious headshaking. "Never mind," Tonks finished.

Dinner that night was a small one, consisting only of Molly, Ginny, Ron, Fred, George, Harry, Hermione, Tonks and Alastor; it was much smaller than usual. They all sat around the long table and when someone asked for the food they would often have to repeat it loudly twice before someone understood what they were saying because the group sat so far away from each other. If the shouting had been at Grimmauld Place Sirius's mother would be shouting her head off now. Harry half expected her to everytime some one asked for the carrots or the mashed potatoes.

"Gravy!" Ron bellowed down the table, a little too loudly. Fred had been using the gravy last and, with his wand, send the gravy pot speeding down the table to Ron. It hit his outstretched arm and splashed in his face, Fred snorted loudly but not half as loudly enough so that anyone could hear.

"This is ridiculous," Molly said, angerily.

"What?" Tonks bellowed from the other end.

"I said this is ridiculous!" Molly replied, equally as loud.

"I know," Tonks replied and looked down at her untouched food; no one, especially Harry, was at all hungry. Anxiety stopped Harry feeling hungry, what was in his vault? Why hadn't he been expelled for using magic? Why did no one tell him off for using magic out of school? Silence came over the group, the only sound was that of Fred and George picking at their food and their forks hitting their plates sometimes.

Tonks dropped her fork, "I'm going to bed, see you all tomorrow," she said. Her dinner was untouched and Harry wondered why, was she as anxious about something as him?

"Me too," Harry said quickly, he vaulted out of his seat and ran after Tonks, he caught up with her as she started to go up the stairs. "Tonks," Harry said, almost out of breath. "What's wrong?"

"Right back at you," Tonks said. "This morning you ate that toast like a pig and now you won't even pick at your food."

"I'm worried," Harry said. "I used magic out of school today..." he told her.

"I know," Tonks said flatly, "Albus told us," she didn't tell Harry whether or not he was in trouble though.

"Why are you worried?" Harry asked, looking up at her young face; he realised that she had a worried expression on it. She reached over and took Harry's glasses off his nose, Harry reached for them out of instict as Dudley used to do this to tease him.

"What do you see?" Tonks asked, holding Harry's glasses carefully.

"Nothing without my glasses," Harry said, waspishly.

"If somone apparated infront of you could you tell whether or not they were good or bad?" Tonks continued.

"My scar," Harry replied simply, he didn't see the point of this.

"What if your scar wasn't there, how would you know?" Came the reply from Tonks.

"I... I don't know," Harry said, and as he said these words Tonks put his glasses back on.

"That's one thing that worries me Harry, that you can't see through people, that you can't see the good and you can't see the evil, not without knowing them. Just looking at someone isn't enough to decide."

"What's all this got to do with your worries?" Harry asked, a little more colder than intended.

"I worry that maybe you're looking at some people in the wrong light," Tonks said. "That your accusing people without knowing them."

"What else are you worried about?" Harry asked, not wanting her to go into detail on his lack of judgement.

"Remus, but that's all I'm saying," Tonks said, going to walk up the stairs again when Harry grabbed her sleeve.

"Tell me," he pressed.

"I told you Harry, we'll tell you when we know the answers," Tonks replied, pulling her sleeve from Harry's grip.

"But you know the answers, you just won't tell me!"

"Stop being a child," Tonks snapped suddenly. "Harry, look at me, sitting around here whilst Remus, my friend and my fellow Order member, is out on a mission none of us wanted to take on isn't my prefered choice of action. Remus is a dear friend and a strong man and I know he can fight this battle but it's not just him I'm worried about, his mission involves others and it doesn't just stop and start with 'Harry' all the time. Stop thinking you're the only one who wants to know stuff, the only one kept in the dark; stop acting like a five year old and start acting your age!"

Harry looked taken aback, his hand dropped limply to his side and Tonks ran up the stairs, obviously fuming. He followed her silently but walked to his room slowly as Tonks slammed her door. Ron came up a few minutes after Harry did, looking worried.

"You alright mate?" Ron asked, sitting down on his bed. "What happened?"

Harry looked at Froggy sitting in a corner and frowned, "Tonks just snapped, she went crazy..." Harry said. "She rambled on about not being the only one in the dark and... and acting my age."

"PMS, I'm sure everyone is getting that more than they should do recently," Ron said.

"She just flew at me," Harry said. "She shouted at me, she called me a child... do I act childish?" Harry asked.

"Well, er..." Ron said, looking around for a distraction. "I'm sure she didn't mean it."

The door opened again and Hermione entered, looking awkward.

"Hello Harry," she said, she sat next to him and watched him look sadly on at his frog.

"Cheer up, Harry, all woman are snappy like that," Ron assured his friend.

Hermione looked over at Ron, angrily, "perhaps we're snappy because men are so ignorant to what we are feeling?" she suggested. "Harry, Tonks is anxious about Remus, he's obviously on an important mission; they're friends, what do you expect? She is the end of her thether dealing with you using magic out of school and with you ending up in Malfoy's house. Her anxiety will keep her awake, it will stop her from eating, she'll be quick to anger and snappy."

Ron gaped at her, "you have to consider writing that book, Hermione."

"How did you know I used magic out of school?" Harry asked suddenly.

"Fred and George kept going on how brilliant it was to watch you hex Malfoy so he threw up slugs," Hermione winced. They heard Molly climb the stairs and Hermione left the room to go to sleep, she slept in a small room on the other side of the mansion with Ginny. Harry laid down still fully clothed and sighed heavily, shutting his eyes for a second. Within minutes he was asleep, his wand still tucked in his pocket.

Presently there was some noise from downstairs, Harry awoke; the small oil candle that had been burning had burnt itself out and Ron was snoring loudly, spread out over his bed.

There were voices outside the bedroom and Harry grabbed his wand, his heart beating fast as he saw a light and people's feet under the gap between the door and the carpet. The voices were hushed so Harry couldn't make out what was being said. He hoped this was all a dream and he'd wake up in a minute and the sun would be shining. Harry checked his watch as the light from in front of the door lit the room up enough to see it. Four o'clock in the morning. Whoever was outside were early birds, he'd give them that.

Beside him Ron stirred, sitting up as the light shone in his eyes.

"Turn out the light," he complained quietly.

"Keep your voice down," Harry said, he felt like Mad-Eye now with all his paranioa. Ron sat up, drawing his own wand as he heard the door creak open, both boys were up and alert and when the two people stepped inside both were ready. One of the men stood dead still and Harry saw in the light from the others wand it was not an Order member. The other man lunged forward at Ron, he hit his head hard on the cabnet and fell to the floor. For one second Harry feared his friend was dead but Ron sat up, shoving the man off him.

"Geroff," he growled, holding his wand to the the mans head. Ron's own head hurt badly where he had hit it and Harry called to him as the other man attacked him with a spell, Ron ducked and the spell hit the man laying over Ron.

"Lumos!" Harry called and the spell lit the room, more magic used. The man laying on Ron was a short, stocky one with blue eyes and brown hair. The man at the doorway was McNair and he apparated from sight as Tonks and Molly, dressed in nightwear, arrived at the scene.

"What's going on?" Molly asked, looking from her son laying on the floor to Harry to the man laying on her son.

"McNair and this guy attacked us," Ron explained, rubbing his head. Tonks held her wand out to the man on Ron.

"Don't move," she warned him. "Make one wrong move and I'll kill you," she said. Ron whimpered, if the man didn't get off him soon he'd get killed too if he moved.

"Kill me and you kill the boy too," the man said, he looked young, around his late teens. Ron looked exteremely uncomfortable under a Death Eater that was theatening with his life.

"A risk I'll have to take to protect the rest of the people here," Tonks told the boy. Ron whimpered louder and with all the strength he could muster he pushed the man off him, howling in pain as the man put his hand on Ron's leg. Ron had landed awkwardly on it as he had been tackled, and his head hurt too.

"Who are you?" Tonks asked. "And put your wand on the floor," she ordered. The man bent down and put his wand on the floor infront of Tonks and took a step back.

"I'm no one," he said, simply.

"No one isn't a name, give me a name!" Tonks said, forcefully.

"Marcus Flint," the boy replied, looking angry. Harry now recognised him from school he had graduated last year only that he looked different, he looked sick even; he looked in pain.

"What happened?" Ron asked, holding his head.

"I believe your victim asked you a reasonable question, Flint, answer him!" Tonks bellowed.

"Nothing happened, when I left school I was made to drink unicorn blood by my parents," Marcus continued, coughing now and then. "I fell ill because of it and... and the Dark Lord offered me a trade, my health for Weasley," he said, nodding at Ron.

"What on earth does he want with me?" Ron asked.

"I can't say that," Marcus said. "I'd rather be ill than dead." Tonks looked at Molly who put her wand down, the boy who was obviously in pain had been trying to save his own skin from something someone else inflicted on him. Although Marcus Flint was a brutal Quidditch player he wasn't trying to still kill Ron, or bring him back to Voldemort.

"Are you alright Ron? Harry?" Molly asked, Harry nodded as Ron shook his head.

"I think that idiot broke my leg," Ron said, holding the same leg he had broken back in his third year.

"Hold still while I splint it Ron," Tonks said, waving her wand at Ron so bandages wrapped around his leg and Harry helped him onto the bed. Marcus stood in the middle of the room, looking tired. "As for you, come with me," Tonks said, taking the boys wand, "and no funny stuff."

"Funny stuff?" Marcus repeated, frowning. He followed Tonks out of the room silently, she kept a close eye on him and made him walk infront once they were outside the room again. Alastor caught up with them and Molly looked down at Ron, envoloping him in a bear hug.

"Alright mum... you're squashing my leg!" Ron shouted through his mother's tight grip. She let go and hurried out to see where Tonks had taken Marcus.

"You think they'll send Flint to Azkaban?" Harry asked.

"I doubt it, I reckon they'll think it's too risky; he'd just have someone come rescue him wouldn't he?" Ron replied, wincing painfully. "Always the leg," he said, laying on the bed. Two figures appeared at the door dressed in pyjamas, Ginny and Hermione looked distraught.

"Are you alright?" Hermione asked.

"Did they hurt you?" Ginny said, simultaneously. Both boys looked shocked at this attention and Ron pointed to his leg.

"Just a friendly tap," he said, his sister sat at the end of his bed while Hermione, who was getting increasingly worried, paced the room. Harry felt his anxiety, if possible, rise more... he was now putting his friends in direct danger; he was a threat to them more than Voldemort was.

"I think... I think I'll go find Tonks," he said. "I'll go see what she did with Flint." Harry jumped up and strode quickly across the room and out the door. He thought as he walked... Ron could of been killed because of him; what if they went after Ginny and Hermione next? What if they didn't defend themselves? What if no one reached them in time? Given a few more seconds Flint and McNair would of killed Ron on the spot. Harry was met in the hallway by Ted Tonks, who grabbed his arm and pulled him into a bathroom, a small beam of light from the hallways trailed in, illuminating Ted's face.

"Harry," he said, gruffly, "listen to me, be careful," he said. "Remus Lupin has gone on a mission that involves you, Snape and Aberforth," he told him. Harry stepped backwards in to the wall, he was suddenly aware of how easy it would of been to attack him then; he didn't quite register the information Ted was giving him.

"I- Where did Tonks go?" Harry asked quickly.

"Nymphadora went downstairs with a boy," Ted said, the bathroom door crashed open and missed Harry's face by inches. Mad-Eye Moody stood in the doorway, looking extremely angry and worried.

"Out, get out!" Alastor snapped as Fred and George's bedroom door slammed open and looked out at what the fuss was. "You two go back to bed," Alastor ordered but neither twin made a move to shut the door.

"What's going on?" Fred asked Harry who opened his mouth to reply.

"I said go to bed," Alastor said, he was imensely angered now, Harry guessed the fact they'd had an attack right under the Orders' noses had shaken him even a little bit. "And you Harry, go back to bed," Mad-Eye said.

"What are you doing with Flint?" Harry ordered but Alastor's stern look told him that he wasn't going to know, not tonight at least. Harry left back to his room, where Ron was reaccounting (with small added details) the attack that had taken place.

"What's going on then Harry?" Ginny asked, cutting her brothers' tale short.

"About Flint I don't know," Harry replied, "about Remus' mission I do..." Harry began to reaccount what happened when he had tried to go downstairs, but not quite made it.


The sun rose next morning on a glorious day, outside the warm sun had replaced the cold and a gentle breeze replaced the fierce southern winds. Harry awoke and for a second believed he was at home with the Dursleys, where he made breakfast and worked day in and day out. He smiled when he realised he was at the creaky, eccentric Malunovo Mansion and that today, Sunday, was the day before his return to Hogwarts. Harry didn't want to return to Hogwarts one little bit, the same old familier feeling of wanting to crawl under his duvet and never come out had returned. Harry eventually got up, trying to remember what had happened after Alastor had sent him back to his room. Ginny and Hermione had gone back to their rooms and Alastor had fixed Ron's leg perfectly, perhaps even better than Madame Pomfrey could of done.

He sat on his bed after he had changed and waited for Ron to awake, his friend wasn't much of a morning person where as Harry had become accustomed to going to bed and waking up sometimes before sunrise. Ron snored and turned over, finally awaking as he set his eyes on Harry who was up and changed.

"It's a Sunday mate, rest, have a lie-in," Ron told him, "everyone else won't wake for hours and you'll be alone down in the Kitchen." As soon as Ron had said these words his best friend was on his feet and making his way to the door. "Suit yourself," Ron said, yawning and shutting his eyes again.

Harry had the slight happy feeling of waking up and feeling refreshed. When he got to the kitchen he stopped short, sitting at the kitchen table was Alastor Moody and Marcus Flint.

"Morning," Marcus said, as if he had never tried to hurt Harry or Ron the night before; his peaky look had lifted and he looked a little less ill.

"We're working on a potion to get Marcus well again, come help us," came a voice from the pantry, Tonks jogged up the stone steps, almost tripping.

"I'll pass," Harry said dully and headed to Buckbeak's room for some much needed alone time.