Comments: Ok I know this is all sad and such but I wanted Dani to be able to relate with Harry in some way...someone they loved more than anything had been taken from them...

The bug thingreally did happen to my sister. Apparently it was in her laundry when she was doing it and scared the crap out of her, and then again when she was folding it. Dani's quote: 'HOLY SHIT! That was the biggest damn bug I've ever seen!' is exactly what my sister said. And Harry's phobia of them is from my Dad who looked ready to murder my sis when she asked him to look under the sofa (where the bug was apparently hiding) and see if it was still there. All as a joke mind you…she and I were cracking up as she asked.

The beginning of this chapter was really, really hard to write. I wasn't going to have Dani have a younger sister who'd been killed...but it happened. I have and older sister (I make references to her in this...) and she dose have a daughter (she's mentioned too). I can't stand my sister, but I love my neice to death...

I forgot about O.W.L.s. But thenI remembered. SoI just stuck em in.

Chapter Nine: Sad Memories

Harry jerked awake and lay in his bed gasping for breath with tears rolling down his face. He'd had the dream again, he'd been watching the scene in the Department of Mysteries from above. He'd seen himself on the stairs and Neville's foot kicking the prophecy onto the floor and seen it break. Then he'd seen Lestrange and Sirius dueling and Sirius laughing as Lestrange's spells missed him then his eyes widening as he got hit square in the chest and fell back into the veil. Harry had watched himself run towards the veil after him and seen Remus hold him back. As he'd continued watching the Harry below had broken free of Remus' grip and plunged through the veil after Sirius, and then he'd woken up.

Harry rubbed his eyes and wiped the tears from his face then sat up and grabbed his glasses from the bedside table and put them on. He quickly climbed out of bed and changed then walked down to the kitchen for breakfast. He sat down next to Ginny and Dani and quickly started eating his breakfast. Ron and Hermonie soon came down and joined them at the table, shortly followed by Amy.

"Harry mate you ok?" Ron asked and Harry looked at him.

"I'm fine...I just didn't sleep to well...nightmares you understand." Harry replied.

Hermonie looked at him worriedly, and Harry sighed in frustration. "Every time I have a nightmare doesn't mean it's about Voldemort you know."

Dani smirked "It wasn't about...Tipper...was it Harry?"

Harry flushed slightly then shook his head. "No something serious."

Ron looked at Harry and frowned then got an understanding look on his face and nodded slightly.

Hermonie bit her lip and watched Harry with worried eyes. "It was about...the Department of Mysteries wasn't it Harry?"

Harry frowned then stood up "I have to finish packing." He mumbled then hurried out. Ron and Hermonie watched him leave with sad looks on their faces then turned back to the table and to the uncertain faces of the others.

"Erm...Monie?" Dani asked softly looking at her cousin. Hermonie sighed then looked at Ron who nodded slightly then resumed poking at his breakfast. She frowned then looked at her cousin and her friends. "I suppose I should start back in our third year when we first met Sirius..." Hermonie started. Then went on to explain how Sirius had been wrongly imprisoned and how he'd come to find Peter Pettigrew in hopes of clearing his name and found out that he'd been masquerading as Ron's pet rat.

He'd also found that Harry wanted to live with him after finding out that Sirius had been his parents' best friend and his godfather. She explained how Harry had convinced Sirius and Remus not to kill Pettigrew, and then how Pettigrew had escaped. And then how in their fourth year Pettigrew had in turn ended up using some of Harry blood to bring Voldemort back into power. And how last year they'd found out about the Order of the Phoenix and that Sirius had offer his home as headquarters since that was all he could do seeing as he was still wanted for the murder of Harry's parents. And how Voldemort had been using Occlmency on Harry to put images in his head and make him think things that hadn't happened. She explained how Voldemort had tricked Harry using Occlmency, into thinking that Sirius was being tortured in the department of mysteries, and how she, Ron, Harry, Ginny, Neville, and Luna had gone to save him only to find out that it was a trap.

Then Ron took over the story seeing that Hermonie was close to tears. He explained how'd they'd gone through the Department of Mysteries and found the prophecy, and then how'd they'd been chased by Death Eaters and how in the room with the veil they'd been sure they were dead until Tonks, Remus, Sirius, Kingsley, and Dumbledore had come to save them and started dueling with the Death Eaters. Ron explained all that had happened in the room of the veil up to the point where Sirius had been hit and had fallen into the veil before breaking off and staring at his plate in despair.

The room was silent as they all sat and thought over all that had just been told. Then there was a soft sob and Ron looked up to see Amy and Dani leaning on each other sobbing quietly. Ginny sat by herself blinking rapidly to try and keep the tears that welled up in her eyes from falling but failing. Ron got up and went over to his sister and gathered her into his arms and Ginny broke down and started sobbing into his shoulder.

The group broke up slowly as they silently stood and walked up the stairs to finish preparing for the train ride to Hogwarts.

Dani knocked on Harry's door softly and opened the door slowly at his soft "Come in." She walked over to Harry who was lying on his bed looking through what looked like a photo album. He looked up at her as she neared the bed and then sat up and pulled the book onto his lap. "Sit down" he said softly and Dani slowly sat down next to him.

"Ron and Hermonie told us," she said softly and looked at him.

"I figured they would..." he mumbled then looked back at the album in his lap. "Look" he said and then pointed to a picture. "That's him... he was the best man at my parents' wedding..."

Dani looked at the picture of a handsome laughing man wearing a tux with an arm around a man that looked a lot like Harry. "That's my dad," Harry said pointing to the man who looked like him, "and that's Sirius..." he said and pointed to the other man. Then he flipped through the pages until he reached one at the back. It was of him and Sirius. They both were grinning and wore goofy Santa hats and were standing in front of a Christmas tree in what Dani recognized as the living room. Sirius had his arms around Harry's neck and Harry held onto his arms. "That was last Christmas..." Harry said softly as he delicately ran his fingers over the picture.

"I kind of know how you feel..." Dani started "My little sister was my best friend in the world…she was about 6 years younger than me and when she was 5 and I was 11 and got my letter of acceptance to Medlets she was so proud of me. She wanted to stay with me forever and was worried I'd forget about her when I left."

She smiled sadly then reached into the back pocket of her jeans and pulled out her wallet and opened it then showed Harry a picture of a little girl about 5 with light brown curly hair and clear blue eyes smiling up at an older girl who was obviously Dani. "Mum took this on the day I got my letter...the day that Carrie..." She broke off with a sob. Then took a deep breath and continued "Mum took this the day I got my letter and the day that Carrie...was kidnapped... We found her a week later...she'd been raped and beaten to death..." Dani managed to say before lapsing into silence with tears rolling down her face. "I've always blamed myself...I was too happy because I was a witch I wasn't paying attention to her...so she got mad and stomped off to the swing set we had in our back yard...the last thing I ever heard her say was 'Please play with me Dani!' and I didn't because I was to busy being happy for myself..."

Harry put an arm around Dani's shoulders and held her as she sobbed. After a while she stopped crying and wiped her eyes, then smiled slightly at Harry. Then she closed her wallet and put it back in her pocket. "I have to go finish packing..." she said quietly and Harry nodded and watched as she walked off.

An hour later they assembled in the hallway with their trunks packed and ready to go. Mrs. Weasley came out of the kitchen holding several rolled up pieces of parchment in her hand. She quickly passed them out to the teens. Harry opened his and read the contents:

Dear Mr. Potter,

Here are your results for your O.W.Ls.

Care For Magical Creatures: O

Defense Against the Dark Arts: O

Astronomy: O

Divination: E

Potions: E

Charms: O

Transfiguration: O

Please note that you have received high enough grades to peruse your goal of being an Auror if you still desire. Please inform me if you still wish too.

Yours Sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall

Deputy Headmistress

Ron peered over Harry shoulder and read his results. "Not bad mate, you still going to be an Auror?"

"Yeah I think so, how'd you do?"

"Same as you, funny isn't it?"

Sure is...you sure you didn't cheat?"

But Ron never got the chance to respond because of a loud scream from Dani.

"HOLY SHIT! That was the biggest damn bug I've ever seen!" she said as she backed against the wall.

"What was it Dani?" Asked Amy.

"I don't know...it was black and kind of fuzzy and about this big!" she said as she held her hands about 7-8 inches apart.

"Ew...that sounds like a centipede." Hermonie said and looked at Harry in surprise.

Harry backed against the wall and was staring with disgust at the place where Dani had been standing. "AHHH UGH!" He said as a huge black bug crawled towards him

The others all gave similar responses:

"EW!" Amy squealed

"AHH GET IT AWAY FROM ME!" Hermonie screamed.

Harry got up and ran up the stairs where he ran in Fred and George who were doubled over with laughter.

"YOU TWO!" he exclaimed loudly and everyone looked up the stairs and saw Fred and George.

"Sorry mate but we had to test it out some how is that right George?" Fred said.

"Exactly right it's our newest invention, not a sweet, mind you, but a trick to fool your friends or enemies." George explained. "Amazingly life like doncha think?"

"There's a spell on em that make em act like real bugs for about 5 minutes...bloody brilliant if you ask us."

"Ugh! I HATE centipedes." Harry said with a shudder.

Later when they all had recovered from the centipede incident and were preparing to lave for King's Cross Station Harry turned to Mrs. Weasley and asked. "Mrs.Weasley, how are we getting to the station?"

"Oh Harry we'll be taking the Knight Bus just to save time you understand."

"Oh right." Harry said then calmly followed the others with bringing his trunk full of his school stuff outside.

Outside Mrs. Weasley stuck out her wand and then with a BANG! The large purple triple-decker bus appeared. A young man wearing a purple uniform leapt out of the bus and began speaking.

"Welcome to the Knight Bus, emergency transport for the stranded—"he broke off when he saw the large group assembled in front of him. His eyes landed on Harry and be broke into a wide grin.

"Neville! ...erm I mean Harry! Good to see you again mate." The conductor whom Harry knew as Stan Shunpike greeted him.

"Hullo Stan we're going to King's Cross Station...care to help us?"

"Sure! Lets get all your trunks on the bus and we'll head out." Stan said with another grin. And with that they all set out with shoving their heavy trunks into the bus. After they'd all gotten their trunks in they exited the bus to say good bye to Mrs. Weasley. She gave them all a hug and a kiss on the cheek then they got back on the bus followed by Remus, Tonks and Moody. The trip to the station was quite uneventful and soon they were heaving their trunks onto trolleys and pushing them towards platforms nine and ten.

"Alright then," Tonks said. "Harry you, Dani, and Amy go first because you lot have owls" they nodded then frowned when Moody stepped forward.

"I'll go with them...you know to make sure everything goes alright." He said Harry rolled his eyes, then he Amy, Dani, and Moody walked up to the barrier between platforms 9 and 10 and leaned against it chatting amongst themselves. And then they slid through the barrier. Amy and Dani stared at the scarlet train in awe. Then looked at each other and grinned. They turned around at the sound of Hermonie, Ron, and Ginny's voices. They grinned at their friends and then at Remus and Tonks.

"This is sooo bloody awesome!" Dani said and the others giggled.

"Harry! Hey Harry!" a voiced called and they all turned to look at three boys who were approaching.

"Hey Neville, Dean, Seamus." Harry replied and grinned at them.

"Harry you going to introduce us?" asked the round faced boy on the right.

"Oh right! Thanks Neville. This is Dani Clarkson, Hermione's cousin, and this is Amy Bankz, Dani's best friend." He said and pointed to each in turn. Then he said "and guys this is Neville Longbottem" he said pointing to the round faced boy "Dean Thomas," pointed to the black boy in the middle, "and Seamus Finnigan. They are in the boy's dormitory with me and Ron." He explained.

"Hi," Dani said with a cheerful grin and shook their hands, then frowned and stiffened her back. Amy glanced at her then looked over her shoulder and saw that Draco Malfoy and Lesa Hansen had just come through the barrier. They both grimaced then smirked at the look on Malfoy's face when he saw them.

Dean, Seamus and Neville looked puzzled at how fast Draco scurried off. Ron ginned. "We'll explain on the train but right now we need to get on it." There was a great deal of bustling about as they all shoved their trunks into a compartment then assembled back on the platform to say goodbye to Tonks, Remus, and Moody. The girls all gave Tonks and Remus hugs and shook Moody's hand then got back into the train to find a compartment.

"Hey Professor Lupin" Seamus said with a grin. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, I'm one of their chaperones as are Tonks and Professor Moody."

"Chaperones? You mean like...babysitters?"

"No as in they're parents and or guardians couldn't make it so we offered to bring them." Tonks said and raised an eyebrow at him.

"Oh right...well...um I'll see you on the train then Harry." Seamus mumbled then climbed on board as well.

Harry hugged Tonks and grinned at Remus then turned and got on the train as well. Ron waved then said softly, "Bye...Dad." and got on as well. They waved as the train started to leave then with a pop they disappeared. Harry and Ron went off in search of the others.