Hello! Here comes another chapter, but first, to my magnificent reviewers:
Misty's Dawn: Well, the Quibbler usually is rubbish, but apparently something they printed was true, because Voldie really wanted to stop it from circulating. The dementor thing is kinda confusing, so if I get something wrong, let me know! We'll find out if the Quibbler was right in a few chapters. Thanks for reviewing!
WolfMoon: See what I said to above about the dementors. :) Thanks for reading!
Harry/Ginnyfan4ever: Hey, I think the plot's a little too thick for too much drama, so you'll probably get your wish, and not have any H/L thrown in to this fic. :)
Me262: Hey, thank you! I really wanted to throw in some H/L (really subtle, but enough to confuse people), but I don't think I'll be able to work it in. Ah well.
KMK: Actually, I wasn't going to have Dean know anything, but maybe he will...Hmmm. Thanks for reading!
Silver Scale Serpent: Thanks for the review!
Silwen Aurdomiel: Ah yes, you may see some romance, but not in this chapter. Thank you!
Lady Phoenix Slytherin: Thanks for reading!
gaul1: Maybe...or maybe not. :) Thanks for the review!
I hate myself (a lot): Thanks for reviewing, like, every chapter! Here's that update.:)
Valentina Marie: Thank you! The next few chapter will have some clues sprinkled, so you real good detectives can try and figure the mystery of Lily's eyes before Harry. :)
dancegirl1152: Sit down already! Lol, and darker eyes=better eyesight! Hee hee...
The Wolf's Pen: Ahh, don't you worry. I don't like romance overdone, either. I'll try to make it good, I promise! Thanks for reviewing!
Whew, alrighty, on to Chapter 6! Hope y'all like it! :)
Chapter 6: Where There's a Will
It was on an especially hot Sunday afternoon that Harry received a reply from Lupin. He and Ron were lazing about underneath a very large, very old, tree. They were currently watching the clouds overhead and muttering to each other every now and then about how bloody hot it was. Just as Ron began to murmur about being near dehydration and certain death, Hedwig swooped down and landed on Harry's chest. Seeing the letter she was carrying, he anxiously sat up and quickly retrieved the letter. Ron sat up as well, looking on with a rather board expression.
"So how's Lupin?" he asked as Harry quickly read the letter. Harry's face hardened a little as he read.
"He's fine," Harry muttered. He then began searching the sky expectantly. Ron watched his friend, confused, and looked around, trying to find what Harry was looking for. Just then, a large barn owl swooped down, dropping a letter into Harry's expecting hands, and soared away.
"Another one?" Ron was aghast. "Mail usually comes in the morning. Is that from Lupin, too? It's gonna look suspicious. I thought--"
"It's not from Lupin," Harry cut in. "It's from the Ministry of Magic." He pointed to the official seal on the back.
"What do they want?" Ron wondered. "Go on, Harry! Open it!"
"It's about...the will," Harry muttered, not moving to open the letter. Ron looked confused for a moment.
"The will? What will?" And then a look of understanding crossed his freckled face. "You mean Sirius wrote a will?" Harry shrugged, and lied back down on the grass to watch the clouds again. Unfortunately, it wasn't really the same now. After a few more minutes in the sweltering heat, an uncomfortable silence hanging in the air, Harry and Ron stood up to go back inside the house. But before they had even stepped out from the shade of the tree, the back door swung open, and Ginny skipped out, dragging another girl along with her.
"Ron! Harry! Look who came to visit!" Ginny called out cheerfully. "It's your girlfriend, Ronny!" she added with a merry giggle.
"Hermione!" Ron whispered under his breath. Harry looked at Ginny strangely, wondering why she was so perky today.
Indeed, Hermione Granger was being pulled by Ginny towards the two young men, her bushy hair pulled back, donning muggle clothing and huge grin. He and Harry strided over to greet their other best friend from Hogwarts. Hermione gushed about how much she'd missed them the past few weeks and gave them both hugs. It was then that Harry realized something. Hermione usually stood only about 3 inches shorter than him. But it appeared he was now well over a head taller than her.
"Hermione, have you shrunk?" Harry marveled. She raised her eyebrows at him.
"Not to my knowledge, but it appears you've had a bit of a growth-spurt." Ron looked at Harry in surprise.
"Have you, mate? I didn't notice!"
"Yeah, Harry's shot up," Ginny said. "You can't tell, Ron, because you're still growing like a weed, too." Ron glared at his sister, who laughed at his lack of maturity happily.
"You're in a really good mood today," Hermione said to Ginny with concern. "Really hyper."
"Dean's coming to visit tomorrow," she announced. "So I'm stoked about that."
"Will you be staying here for a while, Hermione?" Harry inquired, hoping for a change of subject. Ron was gaping at Ginny now.
"Who invited Dean here?" he demanded.
"Dean's your friend, Ron. Chill out," Hermione snapped. "And my parents and I went on a road trip this past week, to visit family and what not, and just dropped by on our way home, but I could stay some other time..."
"Dad's probably going to be talking to your parents for hours," Ginny said with a grin. "They'll probably regret coming here on a Sunday afternoon." Hermione laughed.
"They like your dad," she assured Ginny and Ron. "Although they don't really understand his fascination with the muggle way of life. They might get it though, now that they're seeing what a magical family's home looks like."
The four teenagers returned to the big, shady tree Ron and Harry had been lounging under, and sat in a circle.
"What've you got there?" Ginny asked Harry curiously, eyeing the two letter he was trying to conceal.
"Lupin owled him," Ron supplied, "and the Ministry."
"The Ministry?" Ginny repeated.
"Lupin? Can I see, Harry?" Deciding there was no harm in Hermione seeing Lupin's letter, as it had proven to be incredibly unhelpful, Harry handed it to her. Hermione unfolded the letter and beganto skim it.
"Read it out loud," Ginny said, casting Harry a searching look, trying to sleighed learned anything. Hermione nodded and cleared her throat.
"Harry: I'm glad you owled me, but I'm sorry that I cannot be of much help to you. When I first met Lily, it was on the Hogwarts Express our first year. I remember thinking to myself what pretty blue eyes she had, but a few weeks later I realized I must have been mistaken--her eyes were emerald green! I always thought I just imagined she had blue eyes. I'm interested in knowing why you have taken an interest in such a peculiar field. I hope to talk to you soon, and probably will, as you'll be getting an announcement from the Ministry requesting your attendance at Sirius's will reading soon after you get this letter, I expect. Take care, Harry, and I'll see you soon. --Remus Lupin." Hermione folded the letter again and looked at Harry expectantly. Ron was staring at him as well.
"What the hell was that about?" Ron finally demanded. Hermione frowned at Ron, probably because of his foul language, and handed the letter back to Harry.
"Yes, what's going on?" she asked him. Harry sighed heavily, and glanced at Ginny, who said nothing, but her warm brown eyes nodded at him, encouraging him to tell Ron and Hermione the whole story. And so he did. The next quarter of an hour was spent with Harry telling his friends the story of the scrapbooks, his audience of three listening with rapt attention. He told them about talking to his aunt, and owling Lupin in hopes of learning more.
"But he knows just about as much as me," Harry said glumly. Hermione was grinning, though. "What are you so happy about?" Harry demanded. She glanced and Ron and Ginny and her grin got even wider.
"Harry, isn't this exciting?" she asked him, her hazel eyes sparkling with excitement. "It's like a real live Mystery From History!" Her three peers stared at her, nonplussed. "Oh come on! Haven't any of you heard of the muggle TV show?" Everyone continued to stare at her. "Oh, never mind," Hermione huffed impatiently. "But seriously, how cool is this? It's like, a super intriguing mystery, and we can solve it! Like detectives!"
"I think you're way too excited about this, Hermione," Ron snickered. "Detectives? Are you joking?"
"Harry's been trying to get this whole thing figured out for nearly a month, and he hasn't gotten anywhere," Ginny pointed out.
"But four heads are better than one," Hermione said, the excited sparkle returning to her eyes. "No offence or anything, Harry," she added quickly.
Harry shrugged.
"None taken," he said nonchalantly. "So where should we start, Detective Granger?"
Hermione rolled her eyes at him and looked thoughtful. As Harry looked at her pensive expression, he couldn't help but be amused that his friend was taking this with so much enthusiasm. And then he had an idea.
Pensive. Pensieve...
"I wonder," he muttered. Ginny and Ron looked at him swiftly.
"What was that, mate?" Ron asked. Harry was glad Ron wasn't upset with him for not telling about his mother's eyes until today.
"I wonder," Harry repeated. "Dumbledore has a Pensieve. Snape has a Pensieve. Maybe my mum had one, too?"
"Oh, good one Harry!" Hermione said excitedly. Her face suddenly fell. "But where would it be?"
"What's a Pensieve?" Ginny asked, looking confused.
"Thoughts stored in a sort of bowl, so you can--" Harry began to explain, but she interrupted him.
"Oh yeah, I remember now."
"Snape has a Pensieve? How do you know that?" Ron asked. Harry sighed, and decided that he might as well tell his friends about the day he had seen Snape's worst memory. So he did. Ron was grinning with glee when Harry finished.
"What was it they called him? Snivelous? The slime ball," he chuckled happily. "I'd give all my gold to see that." Ginny laughed to, and nodded in agreement.
"Your mum stood up for Snape?" Hermione said in wonder. "Sounds like she didn't care much for your dad." Harry nodded.
"She didn't. And I don't blame her. He was an arrogant prat." Everyone thought about this for a moment. Hermione broke the silence with a subject change.
"So you saw that much of your parents' past, in detail, from Snape's Pensieve?" Harry nodded. "Well then we might not even need your mum's Pensieve!" Hermione said excitedly. "Maybe we can find someone else's Pensieve. Why don't we just owl Dumbledore, Harry? The man knows everything." Harry immediately stomped this idea out.
"I don't want to bother him," he said firmly. He still was a little angry with Dumbledore about the prophesy, and he really didn't want to bother the headmaster. Not when he had more important things, like Voldemort, to worry about.
"When's the will reading?" Ginny suddenly asked. "Maybe Sirius..." Everyone exchanged significant looks.
"Maybe Sirius has something that can help us," Hermione said softly. "And of course he'd leave it to you, Harry." Harry refused to meet anyone's eyes as his own were threatening to run over with a salty substance. He tossed the letter into the center of the group's circle, and Hermione picked it up, opened the envelope, and began to read.
"To Harry Potter, We're sorry to hear that your godfather, Sirius Black, who was wrongfully convicted of murder 15 years ago, died while dueling in the Department of Mysteries last spring. His name has been cleared, and a will was found amongst his possessions. The reading of the will shall take place on July 29, at 9:30 AM. Please arrive at the Ministry of Magic promptly and you will be directed to a conference room. With sympathy, The Ministry of Magic, Department of Wrongful Convictions and Law Enforcement."
Harry looked up.
"July 29?" he repeated.
"July 29? Bloody hell, that's tomorrow!" Ron whispered. Just then, the back door banged open. It was Mrs. Weasley.
"Hermione, dear, your parents need to be leaving." And so the four headed back for the house, where Hermione hugged everyone goodbye, and promised to arrange another visit, for a longer time, soon.
"And Harry, tell me what happens tomorrow," she said softly. He nodded, and Hermione and her parents left the Burrow.
"Mum, Harry has an appointment at the Ministry tomorrow," Ginny said. Molly nodded vacantly.
"Yes, dear, Arthur told me. We'll be going, as well." Harry found that he was grateful to hear this. Going with the Weasleys made attending the will reading sound less forlorn.
"Dean will be here tomorrow at ten!" Ginny said, looking worried. "The reading is at 9:30!"
"Well then Dean will have to wait," Mrs. Weasley snapped, heading into the kitchen to start dinner. Ginny borrowed Pig from Ron to owl Dean, and then went to her room to pout. Ron and Harry went up to Ron's room, where Ron asked if he could see the scrapbooks. Harry, who felt bad for not telling his best friend about them sooner, dug the box out of his trunk, and Ron spent most of the evening looking at them, searching for clues, Harry assumed. Harry worked on some of his summer homework.
The next morning, Mrs. Weasley woke the boys up at about seven.
"Mum! We have hours!" Ron groaned. "Just let us sleep 'til eight?" But Mrs. Weasley would not yield to her son's pleas.
After breakfast, Mrs. Weasley, Ron, Ginny and Harry stood around the fireplace.
"Last year I'm sure your trip to the ministry was quite treacherous," she said to Harry. "But we can floo from here. So I'll let you go first Harry. Just say, 'The Ministry Entrance.'" And so Harry took a handful of Floo Powder and stepped into the flames...
And thus ends the sixth chapter! There was sooooo much dialouge! Sorry if anyone found that one boring, but it's important to the story. Next chapter we'll hear Sirius's will, and maybe get some BIG clues about Lily's eyes...Anyway, thank you for reading! And don't forget to review--it makes the author happy. ;)
