WOW! I love you guys!!! Thanks for the many reviews! I was so surprised to get so much feedback, I really appreciate it!
Chapter 4: Chaos at the Lovegoods
As Harry collapsed to the floor of the kitchen inside the Burrow, he immediately felt happier. There was a cool breeze wafting over from the open window above the sink, and a warm rush came from the crackling fire. The aroma of brownies filled his nostrils. The kitchen was empty, however. Confused, Harry left the codfish and his belongings and went to the dining table, where a note scrawled in Mrs. Weasley's hand was floating about playfully. Snatching it from the air, he read it quickly:
Hello, Harry Dear! I'm so sorry, but there was an emergency at the Lovegoods, so we all hurried over to try and help. Have some brownies and go on up to Ron's room. We have a bed made for you, and we'll bring your things up when we get home. Sleep well, and I'll see you tomorrow.
Love, Molly
Harry helped himself to a few brownies, and poured himself a glass of milk. When he finished eating his midnight snack, he trudged on up the stairs, a fresh wave of fatigue washing over him.
As Harry lied down on his bed, he thought about everything he'd learned that day. It was a little overwhelming, really. Dudley had a girlfriend? What was the world coming to? And he and Aunt Petunia had had two civilized, decent conversations. Definitely a world record. And his mum didn't have green eyes when she was younger. Who ever heard of eyes that changed color when one went to a new school? His last coherent thought of the night was that Lupin may be able to help him figure things out about his mother's eyes. He'd owl him tomorrow, Harry decided, removing his glasses and finally letting his mind rest.
"Is he awake yet?"
"He looks pretty out of it, still."
"He's been sleeping for hours! Wake him up already!"
"What time is it?"
"Noon-thirty."
Harry heard all of this as he slowly began to wake-up the next morning. Were they talking about him? But he was so comfortable. Who was talking? He reluctantly opened his eyes, just as someone began to shake him awake.
"Morning, mate," Ron said cheerfully, releasing his shoulder. "Long time no see."
Harry frowned at his friend's blurry figure, and reached for his glasses. Ginny, Fred and George were standing over him, as well.
"Tired?" Ginny asked, smirking as Harry rubbed sleep from his eyes and sat up.
"Exhausted. What time is it, anyway?" he croaked.
"Past noon. We got home around three this morning, and we still got up earlier than you," George said merrily.
"You lazy boy, you," Fred chided. Harry raised his eyebrows at the twins. And then he remembered--
"What happened at the Lovegoods? Are Luna and her father alright?" he asked. Ron's expression darkened, and the twins exchanged dark looks. Ginny spoke first.
"Voldemort," she began. Her brothers flinched, "Chill out, guys! I mean, You-Know-Who, attacked the Quibbler headquarters last night. Apparently Mr. Lovegood got a hold of a story that You-Know-Who didn't want printed, so he and about 20 Death Eaters destroyed the printing press there, and they killed a photographer for the magazine. So we went over to the Lovegood's to help restore the press and get the story printed and circulated, along with the story of You-Know-Who's attack on the Quibbler." Harry stared at Ginny, aghast.
"What story was Voldemort after?" he asked, ignoring the winces as he said the forbidden name.
"Dementors. Dunno why it was such a big deal," Ron said. "And I wish you wouldn't say his name like that," he added.
"Can I see?" Harry was anxious to learn what Voldemort was up to now that his quest for the prophesy was over.
"We have a copy downstairs, Mum'll show you," Ron assured him. Harry stood up and opened his trunk, which had been set at the end of his bed, to get some clean clothes.
"So Luna and her dad are okay?" he asked, while trying to decide which shirt to wear.
"Yeah, they're fine," Fred said.
"Luna was sure shook up, though. She was in hysterics the whole time," George added solemnly.
"But she calmed down later on, and went and locked herself in her room, and we didn't see her any more after that," Ginny said.
"Thankfully," Fred muttered. George and Ron agreed fervently.
"You should've seen her, Harry. One minute she was crying her eyes out, screaming about revenge and death to You-Know-Who, throwing things all about, and then she just stopped, turned around, and left," Ron said, his eyes wide with fear at the memory.
"Hang on--I thought Luna said she and her dad were going to Sweden this summer, to catch Rumple-Horned Corksacks or something," Harry said.
"They are. They were planning on leaving tomorrow, but they may have to put it off for a couple of weeks," Ginny said. "Her Dad has a lot to do now, what with the attack and all. But he said they're still going.
"Anyway, we woke you up because Mum wants you to come down for breakfast. Although I suppose you can call it lunch now." She smiled at Harry, and he felt a strange twist in his stomach.
'Weird,' he thought to himself. 'I never realized what a pretty smile she has.' He quickly pushed this thought away, though, as Ron gave him a towel and directed him to the bathroom.
"No offense, mate, but you could use a shower," he teased.
When Harry was all washed up and dressed for the day, he went downstairs, where Mrs. Weasley engulfed him in a hug.
"Harry, dear, so good to have you here!" she gushed. Harry hugged her back, and realized for the first time what a relief it was to be away from Privet Drive, even if he'd only been there for a day and a half. "You must be starving!" she continued. "Let's get you some breakfast."
A/N: I know, kinda abrupt ending to this chapter, but I wanted to post this update soon, and I'm still working on the details for what happens next. Thanks again to all who reviewed! Here are some personal thank yous, because I figure that if you take time out of your busy lives to review my story, I owe you a personal thank you! So here we go...(hope I didn't miss anyone!)
Me262: Dumbledore would think up something like that, wouldn't he? I love that crazy old guy!
Edith: Thank you! I probably won't get Chapter 5 up for a couple of days, now, though.
Misty's Dawn: Hey, thanks for the review! Let me know if I start deteriorating.
Kiki Cabou: Finagle?! Awesome word! I've gotta use that one! And thank you! Harry's going to cheer up, don't worry! :)
Hermes09: Well, I can't tell you that! It would ruin the story! LoL, thanks for reading!
Filler Bunny Rox: Thank you! Here's that update...
Burningphoenix47:
Thanks! Petunia's living proof of the saying "weak people
shouldn't hold strong opinions," because she truly hasn't got a
clue!
Harry/Ginnyfan4ever: Yeah, I always found it
really hard to understand why Petunia was so awful to Harry, and I
like this theory more than the "she's just mean" one. Thank
you!
bast4: Elven blood? Cool idea! I can't say what's up w/ her eyes yet, though. All I'll say is that her eyes changing don't really have much to do w/ genetics. Thanks for reviewing!
Procyon Marie: Thanks for the review!
dreams-renewed:
Thank you! My editing isn't near perfect, but I do try to make this
easy to read. And you're right--I think I may've softened Petunia up
a little too much. I may do something about that later. :)
Gurlsboy: Thank you! I'm glad you like it!
Mistress-Genari: JKR once said that Harry's eyes are important, so I'm surprised more people haven't tried writing about them. Thanks for the review!
The
Lady Quotes: LoL, thank you! I hope nobody here is named Daffy,
because I thought it was a rather laughable name, as well.
Don't
Go Girl 12: Don't worry--I won't drop this story! You'll find out
all about her eyes in a little bit...
k00lgirl1808: Thanks for the review!
Hermione: Thank you! Is the suspence just killing you? :) I'm not nearly near being as creative and genius at JKR, but that was a major compliment! Thanks!
esta-gr: Thanks for reading it!
Silwen Aurdomiel: Thank ya! I guess Dudley has some hidden charm that Daffy saw... I actually got the idea for the title from a Shakira song. Excellent song. And here's that update...:)
KMK: Harry inherited his green eyes from his mum...but the question is, where did she get her green eyes? They were blue when she was young, and then they changed, and apparently her genes changed as well, because Harry was born with green eyes. Thanks for the review! I really appreciate it! And don't forget to review this chapter! ;) Thanks for reading!
