Hello! Firstly, thanks to my M-Azing reviewers! Chocolatewith M&Ms to you all! Here:

bananaboo: Hey, thanks for putting me on your favorites! blushes And I'm glad the review button works for you now! There's not as much action as I planned on in this chapter--it just didn't fit. So let me know what you think.
RSegovia: Really? Hmm, interesting! There's just something about eyes that I think gets a lot of people. Thanks for the review and for the cool info!
Minty: Thank you! )
WolfMoon: Thanks! I used to be very against the H/G shipping, but now I love it. I dunno, it may grow on you.
GiGiFanFic:
Thank YOU for reading and reviewing!
fire-icecat: Thanks!
weselan: Thank you! And yes, Pettigre the prat returns…
Misty's Dawn: smiles I really like Sirius/Natalie too, but I dunno if I can fit it in this fic. Maybe in another one though…
tina7610813: No, you didn't call me a slacker! ) I've just been procrastinating w/ updates. Thanks for reviewing!
HecateDeMort: Thanks!
Nimbirosa: Hey, awesome! Where abouts do you live? I'm pretty naïve about boarding schools, so that's really cool! Thanks for the review )
Raiining: Hey, thank you! Although I'm a little confused about what a 'canon-like-twist' is…I'm guessing it's good! ;)
megan7: Thanks for reading, and sorry it took so long to update!
NB80: ::Laughs:: You're right, that is screwed up. My bad! Thanks for the review!
TheSunAndTheMoon: Thank you! I'm far from perfect w/ conventions and stuff, but I try to keep it more clean-cut. I tried to find a part of the book that mentions Petunia's eyes, but it just says they were pale or something. It would take oodles of luck for my story to be at all close to what the almighty Jo has in her head, but I'm glad you like it! Thanks a ton for reading, and I hope you like this chapter!

And now, on to Chapter 12. Thanks for your patience! It's longer than most chapters of mine, because I love y'all so much!


Chapter 12: The Guest

Ron and Harry feverishly stuffed everything into their trunks. As they were returning to Ron's room, Mrs. Weasley informed them that they would be leaving for London in a half hour, and that if they weren't ready, they'd just have to leave their belongings behind.

"This sucks," Ron scoffed. "For one, it's almost dinnertime, and we never got lunch. My stomach feels like a bloody balloon. For two, my house is about to be attacked by You-Know-Who, and I can't do a single bloody thing about it. And for three, I think I just saw another one of those confounded spiders over there." He pointed to his dresser.

Harry meandered over to the area Ron had pointed to, in search of the cause of Ron's distraught.

He'd seen a fair amount of those bronze-colored spiders recently, and they had him wondering if there was a colony of them at the bottom of his trunk or something.

Before Harry successfully found the spider, Ron's bedroom door flew open, and Hermione and Ginny appeared.

"Ever heard of knocking?" Ron asked irritably.

Ignoring him, the girls plunged through the chaos of Ron's room toward his window, where they anxiously peeked outward.

"What's going on?" Harry demanded.

"It's Voldemort," Hermione said distractedly. "We think he's coming. A bunch of the Order members keep Apparating here, and Mrs. Weasley told us to get upstairs and stay."

"He's here already?" Ron darted over to the window. "What, is he just walking on over or something?"

Harry stood on his toes and looked down over Hermione's head.

"Why are we looking out the window?" he demanded.

"Dumbledore's put anti-Apparation charms all around the house," Ginny said over her shoulder. "So the only way they can come is by Floo Powder or foot."

The group was anxiously peering out the window when a thud sounded on the staircase. Jumping in surprise, the four students whirled around to see a familiar face peering at them through the doorway.

"Professor!" Hermione said in alarm. "You gave us a fright!"

"Miss Granger," Professor McGonagall nodded calmly at her. "Dumbledore had the Burrow's fireplace disconnected from the Floo Network temporarily to avoid certain problems. Therefore, you four are to stay up here. I advise you to get your wands out and be ready for anything, but you needn't worry. I'll keep an eye on the staircase, and if trouble arises, you'll know. So stay put and behave," she said sternly.

Hermione and Ginny pulled their wands out from their pockets, and Harry and Ron found theirs as well.

"So now what?" Ginny wondered aloud as McGonagall left the room and softly shut the door.

"We sit around. Like the useless underage wizards we are," Harry said moodily.

"I'll go nuts if we're stuck up here all day!" Hermione said angrily.

"I'd rather leave then be up here, doing nothing," Ron added.

Everyone nodded in agreement.

The teenagers remained grumpy for the next few minutes, grumbling and cursing.

And then Hermione had an idea.

"Let's read more of your mum's diary Harry," she suggested.

Ginny straightened.

"More of? You guys were reading without me? Why didn't you say something!" she said exasperatedly.

"You were with Dean, and we were curious, Gin," Harry said quietly, a little bit scared of the furious girl. "Besides, it's my mum. I didn't want to wait."

Ginny still looked hurt that her friends had begun something without her, but she decided to drop it.

"So what did you learn?" she asked.

"Harry's mum was a stalker," Ron piped up. Hermione rolled her eyes and punched Ron in the shoulder, while Harry glared at his best friend irritably.

"Did you read a lot?" Ginny asked.

"Er, no. Just two entries," Harry said. "I think that's a good idea, Hermione. Let's keep reading. And if Ginny has questions or gets confused, we can try to explain."

Everyone agreed to the proposal, and so Harry fished the diary out of his trunk.

"Hermione, do you want to read?" he asked, holding the diary out to her.

A loud crashing noise sounded downstairs, and yells could be heard traveling through the house. Ron and Ginny went chalk white, and Harry cast a nervous look around at his friends, his fingers feeling numb as they were clutched so tightly around his wand.

"Erm, actually, I don't know," Hermione said, eyeing the book reluctantly and looking at the door nervously. "What if someone comes in and we're caught off guard?"

"We'll go crazy just sitting here," Harry reasoned.

"Then we won't just sit," Ginny said firmly. She jumped up and bolted to the bedroom door. Yanking at it violently, Ginny swore. "Damn her!" she yelled, harshly twisting the knob hopelessly.

"What?" Hermione and Harry asked in unison.

"It's locked!" Ginny was near hysterics, still trying to pry the door open, but to no avail.

"McGonagall locked us in?" Ron said inginantly.

"Apparently so," Hermione said, a pensive look crossing her face.

"So what in Merlin's name are we supposed to flippen' do?! Wait for some Death Eaters to corner us?!" Ginny screeched. Harry had never seen Ginny so hysterical, and she had been in some tight corners before.

"Calm down, Gin," he said firmly. "Let's leave the Order to do the fighting this time. We'll get our chance to have our say." Tearing her eyes from the door, Ginny sighed resignedly.

"Your right," she muttered. "We'll get to fight someday." She yanked at the door knob once again.

"I wonder if Fred and George are down there?" Ron wondered.

"Yes. Your mum mentioned them earlier," Hermione supplied.

"Oh Merlin. They'd better be alright. I don't think I could stand another death," Ginny sighed. "Especially…"

She didn't finish, but merely shuddered at the unpleasant thoughts crossing her mind.

"You'll have to stand more. There's going to be death until this is all over," Harry said softly.

"When it's over…how do you know it'll ever be over, Harry? How do you know that the war won't go on forever?" Ginny asked quietly.

"Because. It'll have to end someday. Someday soon." He was going to tell them. It was time. He wanted to tell them. "Remember that prophesy in the Department of Mysteries that was dropped? The one Voldemort was after?"

Everyone nodded, and Ron's eyes darted toward the door, as if he was terrified that Voldemort would suddenly appear in the doorway at the sound of his name. "Well, I heard it," Harry said softly. Three pair of eyes looked at him in surprise, confused and concerned.

"There's no way you could've heard it, Harry…unless--wait, did a different prophesy get broken instead or something?" Hermione scratched her head in bewilderment. Harry shook his head.

"Dumbledore knew. He heard the prophesy being given, and he saved the memory in his Pensieve. And he let me see it." All attention was zoomed in on Harry, and his friends were now nearly oblivious to the crashing and yelling downstairs.

"The prophesy talked about me and Voldemort. It said I would be the one who could 'vanquish' him. It said that neither of us could live while the other one did, and stuff like that. So basically, one of us will have to kill the other. And so I'll have to kill him. So it will end."

Everyone stared at Harry. Silence loudly filled the room for a few long minutes. And then Hermione rested a hand on Harry's arm and squeezed it reassuringly, while Ron looked thoughtful and worried.

"So anyway," Harry said, looking for a subject change. He glanced around the room, not meeting anyone's eyes but feeling much lighter now that his burden was shared.

And then-

"I'll read," Ginny said firmly, snatching the green leather diary from Harry's hand.

"Page four," Hermione said softly.

More yells circulated through the Burrow. More crashes. More violent shakes shook the house frame. And then Ginny cleared her throat a little and began:

"September 12

"So a lot's been happening. I'm sorry I've not written for such a long time. I only have a minute before I have to go (I'll tell you where to in a moment), but I just wanted to write about some stuff before I forget.

"Natalie is like, my new best friend. She's so nice, and so fun to be with. And she fancies Sirius, the kid who looks like the Hartford brothers. So I showed her my picture of Jimmy that I brought--the one Kelly took from her kitchen window when he was playing football in the street--and we've decided that she can marry Sirius and I'll marry Jimmy, and we can tell people that they're brothers, and be sister-in-laws, because Sirius and Jimmy look, like, super-similar.

"School's not going too good. I think I'll expand on that note later, as it's rather depressing.

"Janna is a total dirt bag. I hate her so much. Which is really too bad, because we're stuck living together for the next seven years in the same dormitory and everything. The other day Annie and Natalie and me were talking, and Annie said that Janna is always talking about us behind our backs, saying mean things about me being a 'stupid muggleborn moron' and REALLY mean things about Natalie because she's black.

"Of course Annie didn't enjoy hearing any of that, as she's part Asian AND muggleborn. Obviously, Janna is not only a bigot, but also pretty stupid about who she spills her gossip to.

"So Natalie and me were really mad about what Janna said, so we decided it would be fun to pull a prank on her. Annie thought it was a good idea, but she was too scared to help us.

"So me and Natalie used a jinx on Janna that made her face and neck really swollen and green, and just for fun, we added purple polka dots to it. So she woke up and spazed out, because she looked awful, like an alien (and, as she's probably prejudice to aliens as well, that was probably pretty traumatizing to her). Since Natalie and I aren't very good witches yet, the dots were already really faded when she woke up, and her face was back to normal by lunch time. However, I think there's still a tinge of green on the nape of her neck.

"Professor McGonagall found out it was me and Natalie, and so we got detentions and she yelled at us, saying we were a disgrace to the name of Gryffindor or something. So I feel terrible, because it feels like I've started off the year on a very bad note. Probably because I have.

"Anyway, I think I have a crush on Sirius, too, but of course I won't tell Natalie or anything like that, because she'd probably be sad or mad at me, and it's just a crush, so it's not worth telling.

"Janna's cousin is Sirius's best friend, and Annie told Natalie and me that she heard him (I think his name is James) and Sirius talking about what happened, and we think they know it was us. We're not sure if they'll be sore at us and try to avenge the prank we pulled on James's cousin.

"Well, that was longer than I thought it would be. It's time for me to go, though, so I'll write more later! I have detention to head to right now.

"Diary, I've always been a pretty good girl. I follow the rules. I get top grades. I have no enemies. Well, I haven't ever, until this year, had enemies. And this is the first time I've gotten detention, and the first time I did something really rebellious. And my grades--well, we're not gonna go there now, because Natalie's telling me to 'hurry my butt up.'

"Anyway, this is all just so foreign to me. It feels weird, being in the magical world. I don't feel like I belong. Or at least, like the true Lily Evans belongs here. I want to go back to being to my old self. I'm terrified that I'm morphing into a stranger--a stranger that I have no desire to morph into.

"Shoot, I really need to go. We're late. Bye!

"Love from Lily"

Ginny stared at the diary pages strangely for a moment, and then glanced around the room.

"Go on," Harry said, as a loud crash sounded from somewhere below.

Nodding, Ginny turned to the next page and continued:

"September 15

"Hello, Diary. Today was really crazy.

"I woke up same as any other day, except a little bit earlier. Margaret McGonagall was up already, too, and she was practically hyperventilating about the Potions quiz we took two days ago, that she's sure she failed.

"Margaret gets really tense about stuff like school, because her mum is a teacher and has high expectations of her. But she really gets worked up about grades and what not, and I don't understand why. She's a genius, really. Everyone says she'll be Head Girl seventh year, which is probably true.

"I like to get good grades, and I work hard in school, but this girl is so focused on getting top marks, it's ridiculous. And she's not even muggle-born, like me! Not to mention, she has no need to even focus on getting high marks. She just gets them automatically.

"Anyway, so this morning she was SO emotionally high-strung, and so I wasn't sure if I should comfort her and miss breakfast or just ignore it--I mean, we're not really friends or anything.

"But then Natalie woke up and she just leapt at the chance to help Margaret feel better, so feeling like a complete jerk, I decided to help as well, by getting her a Kleenex or something. (I know--I'm SO helpful, huh?)

"But anyway, so Margaret thanked us for helping, and went off to class.

"While we were in Transfiguration, Professor McGonagall looked around and asked where Margaret was.

"We were all surprised--nobody had really noticed her missing. So Professor McG. sent Alice and Natalie to find out if Margaret was in the dormitory. She wasn't. Then a Hufflepuff prefect came in at the end of class and told her that Margaret had been found unconscious somewhere, and that she was in the hospital wing.

"Margaret is still in the hospital, and nobody knows what happened. But even Janna's been subdued lately, just because it's a big mystery what happened. Madam Pomfrey knows how to cure everything, but Margaret just won't wakeup.

"Also, I was going to tell about my grades.

"Basically, I'm failing everything except for Charms, in which I have an 'above average' grade. Pathetic, I know. Mum and Daddy will flip out when quarter reports are sent home. I don't know what's wrong with me! I'm just an awful witch!

"Petunia has been ignoring me entirely. I've owled her tons. I even charmed a card to sing to her. But she just won't reply. It's driving me mad, diary! My life is just crumbling under my feet! I'm not the top student anymore--that would be Margaret, and I'm not even second or third--I think I'm in the lowest rank. My sister is avoiding me. Kelly has been too busy to write much, either, and Jimmy's not around. And Janna makes life miserable in any way she can, with her stupid personality and blind prejudice ideas.

"Basically, the only good thing here is Natalie, and Annie and Alice are really nice, too, and Sirius, just because he reminds me of Jimmy--but then again, maybe that's not so good. The teachers always nag me, and I just feel like I'm drowning in the cauldron of magic. I just want OUT!

"Professor McGonagall just called Janna, Annie, Alice, Natalie and me downstairs, probably to tell us how Margaret is doing. So I'll write more later. I'm sorry this entry was so dramatic--I just read over some of the last few lines. I guess I'm just in a weird mood. Maybe magic is getting to my head, making me a little nutters.

"Until next time, Love from Lily, YourDrowning Diary-Writer."

"Wasn't your mum Head Girl, Harry?" Hermione demanded as Ginny looked up from the diary again. "She must've improved her grades."

Harry nodded. "She was, so I guess she picked things up later," he said.

"Let's read on," Ron said with a shrug. "McGonagall never talks about her daughter. Maybe she died or something." Harry and Hermione raised their eyebrows at him. The three turned to look at Ginny. She was looking on in the diary, her eyes darting over the next page.

"What's it say, Gin?" Harry demanded.

She looked up, her soft brown eyes meeting his.

"Ron's right. She died," she said softly. "Lil-your mum- wrote a really short entry saying that Margaret died a few weeks later, and that the funeral was to be held the following day. The next entry is dated three years later." Everyone stared at Ginny, shocked.

"She really died?" Ron said in astonishment. "How?"

"Doesn't say."

"And we still don't know why your mum's eyes changed," Hermione murmured, staring off vacantly, looking extremely disappointed.

Crashes were still erupting from downstairs, but the four teenagers hardly noticed, as they were each off in their own little worlds, conjuring up explanations to the increasingly bewildering story of Harry's mother's eyes.

Suddenly, the loudest crash yet thumped the youth from their thoughts, forcing them back into the present.

Ginny shot up from her seat and tossed the dairy aside, grabbing her wand from her pocket.

Professor McGonagall's voice suddenly filled the room, as if she was standing right there with them.

"Detangio!" Everyone looked around, aghast.

"What the-"

"She's warning us!" Hermione shrieked, whipping her wand out. "Death Eaters are coming upstairs, and she can't hold them off any more!

"How the heck did you know that?" Ron demanded.

"Never you mind. Get ready," she snapped. Harry felt a searing pain on his forehead. He hardly flinched, though. He was getting used to it.

"We won't get in trouble for using our wands, will we?" Harry wondered, remembering the previous summer.

"Merlin, Harry, of course not! And even if yes, now's not the time to fret over that! Alohamora!" Hermione said hurriedly.

The door flew open, and Harry braced himself as it swished open to reveal…nothing.

Ron and Harry led the way as the four cautiously marched to the empty threshold. The house was dark, and the only an eerie jet of light from outside streamed in, golden and mystical.

Crashes still sounded from below, and a thick, smoky dust filtered through the air. However, no voices could be heard.

No sign of human life could be detected by Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny as they slowly stepped as quietly as they could, down the first step, then the second…they reached the level of the house where Ginny's room was located.

And there they saw Professor McGonagall, lying crumpled on the ground.

Ginny gasped, and Hermione let out a sob. Ron dropped to his knees and grabbed the older woman's wrist.

"She's breathing," he said after a moment, and relief rushed over the four.

"Where is everyone?" Ginny asked, looking nervous. "The house is…dead…"

"Not yet, actually," a squeaky voice said from above. Harry knew that voice. Four heads jerked upward to see Amos Diggory sitting on a step two meters away.

"Mr. Diggory?" Hermione asked nervously.

"No--it's Pettigrew," Ron spat angrily. "He must've transformed into his rodent-self as we came down."

"The Dark Lord is coming," Pettigrew said softly, and Harry glowered at him.

"Expelliarmus!" Ginny yelled. Pettigrew managed to block the curse, and was about to shoot his own at her when he suddenly went white, and crumpled to the ground.

"Stupefy!" Hermione stunned Pettigrew. "Just in case…" she said as Ron and Harry looked quizzically at her.

"Why did he pass out?" Ginny marveled.

Harry began to shrug, and then he noticed something--a little bronze spider, skittering across the floor, away from Pettigrew, the golden sunlight gleaming on its brilliant little form.

Just then, a very distraught Mrs. Weasley appeared, covered in dust.

"What are you doing down here?" she demanded. She then saw Professor McGonagall, and her face went ashen.

"She's alive," Ron said quickly.

"Oh thank the heavens," Mrs. Weasley said, suddenly seeming very weak. "I think it's about over…Dumbledore and Moody are checking some things. He told me to have Minerva get this Portkey to you lot. We'll bring your stuff along later, and explain everything." And Mrs. Weasley pulled a wooden ladle from her apron pocket. She tapped it with her wand as soon as all four youth were touching it, and before they could utter another word, Harry and his friends were whisked away…


In a heap, the four fell to the cold stone ground of the Great Hall.

"We're at Hogwarts?" Ginny said vaguely. Professor Flitwick appeared.

"Hello," he said cheerily. "Professor Dumbledore told me you'd be arriving here. Said you may be staying overnight while repairs are applied to the Burrow, depending on how long it takes to clean up. Sorry about your house, Ron, Ginny," he said. "If you head for the kitchens, you can get some dinner. Dormitories are undergoing summer cleaning, but other arrangements will be made for the night if needed. Dumbledore seemed to think you'd all be happier here for the night than at Order headquarters. He'll be back soon to talk to you, and I think Mister and Misses Weasley will be by as soon as the house is cleared up, to get you all back home."

"Food?" Ron repeated in a raspy voice. "Come on guys!" And he practically sprinted off toward the kitchens, Harry, Ginny and Hermione following at a less enthusiastic pace, despite the loud grumbles of their stomachs.

"I really hope McGonagall's okay," Ginny said.

"Yeah, things didn't turn out so well for her daughter when she was knocked unconscious," Hermione pointed out.

"You're awfully quiet, Harry. You okay?" Ginny inquired.

"Yeah, I reckon," he said, shrugging. In truth, he felt responsible for what had happened. The Burrow wouldn't have been attacked if not for him.

The three traveled in silence the remainder of the way to the kitchens.

After dinner, Dumbledore came, along with Mr. and Mrs. Weasley.

"The Burrow's all ready for you to return home to," the elderly headmaster said, his tired blue eyes smiling at the four youth. "Oh, and Miss Weasley, Miss Granger, these are for you." He handed each girl an envelope. Harry recognized the letters to be Misuse of Magic warning letters.

"Let's Floo home," Mrs. Weasley said, looking cleaner but very tired.


The Burrow was a disaster. Dumbledore had helped repair the damage inflicted on the home's structure, but many odds and ends were forever changed. The family clock was cracked down the center. Picture frames were broken, breakable vases and keepsakes had shattered and been removed forever. The dining table was scraped up pretty badly, and the number of dishes had decreased immensely. The front room sofa was still covered in dust, and a sticky pool of blood defiled the center cushion.

"Did anyone--" Ron began to ask as he saw the pool of blood.

"Nobody died, Ronald, no," Mr. Weasley sighed. "Mundungus is pretty scraped up, and Tonks will be in the hospital for a while. And Minerva was stunned pretty hard. But no, no deaths tonight."

"Good," Ron said, looking much happier. Everyone stood in silence for a moment, taking in the damage that had been done to the home.

"I'm so sorry," Harry said, looking around the house he loved so much, which had been so carelessly wrecked. "It's all my fault. If I hadn't come--"

"Shut up, Harry," Ginny snapped. "It's not your fault. It's flippen You-Know-Who. Nobody blames you, so stop apologizing." He looked at Ginny, grateful but still unsure.

"Still, I'm sorry," he said, glancing around at the rest of the Weasley family.

"Don't be ridiculous," Mrs. Weasley said firmly. "Ginny is right. Now off to bed, you lot. There's a lot of cleaning to be done over the next couple of weeks, and I'll be needing all the help I can get from you kids."

As Harry climbed into bed, thoughts of the day's events piled up inside his head, and he felt himself slip into an uneasy, confused sleep, anxious for morning, when he could ponder the day's revelations further with a clear mind.


A/N: Ahhh, a very long chapter! (For me, at least) It kinda went different than I planned, so please review and tell me what your thoughts are! And thank you for reading! :)