Disclaimer: I don't own any rights to Harry Potter or any characters or places in this story, they belong to JK Rowling. I am making no money from this story.
Author's Note I wanted to say thanks to the people who reviewed. I appreciate the feedback. So to binki678, iknowall, Meiko, hu, Meg, Nayhleii, Mulledmead, and Sachigh05, Thank You. I will try to adjust to some of the suggestions you made. Let me know how I am doing.
Chapter 6 What Dreams May Come
When he entered the room he was surprised to see that Ron was already asleep. Harry had assumed that Ron and Hermione would be awake and waiting for him to return with news from the meeting. However this was not the case and Harry was glad for it. It had been a very long day and as much as he had missed his friends for the last month he was looking forward to a nice long lie in.
He slowly got changed while he pondered the days events. His thoughts drifted back to the letter from Sirius. Almost unknowingly he reached for it. He was too tired to read it and deal with the emotion that would inevitably follow, but that wouldn't stop him from having it close by him. As Harry lay down he clutched the envelope close to himself and felt loved again as he quickly fell into a deep sleep.
The first hour of sleep had passed silently for Harry, but slowly he began to slip into dreams. The most horrible memories flashed in his mind, much as they had done all summer.
Ron who was now quite used to Harry's tossing and turning wasn't surprised when he woke up to hear his friend talking in his sleep as he was reliving those thoughts in his dreams. "Oy Harry, you need to stop dreaming about that stuff." yawned Ron as he rolled over and covered his head with a pillow.
Harry had just started dreaming about the scene at the Department of Mysteries. Ron could still hear him moaning about Sirius. The dream however changed. Directly after falling through the veil Sirius stepped back through, grinning broadly and he jumped right back into the fight. Harry couldn't express the joy he felt. Bellatrix fled at the sight, and Sirius turned to Harry beaming. He had his Godfather back, he was going to- but his thought was cut off. The grin on Sirius' face disappeared. In an instant the mirth in his eyes turned to a cold glare. They became red with slits, surrounded by pale skin. Harry's own expression changed in horror. The snake-like face before him sneered at him mockingly. "Goodbye Potter." said the cold high pitched laugh as Voldemort aimed his wand at Harry.
Harry writhed in pain as his scar burst. He panicked from the torment and fell off his bed screaming in terror. Ron jumped up quickly to try to help his friend. He pinned Harry's shoulders to the floor to try and steady him. "Harry wake up! WAKE UP!" Ron yelled.
"Let me go Ron. I'm alright." muttered Harry. The screaming had ceased but Harry's hand pressed his scar the second he was able to move. It took a few minutes for Harry to open his eyes. They were watery as he sat there shaking but trying to reach for his glasses.
Ron took notice of Harry's efforts and grabbed his glasses from the nightstand for him. As he placed the spectacles in Harry's hand he asked, "You sure you're okay mate?"
"Yeah. J-Just a bad dream." Harry responded as though he was having difficulty forming words. He concentrated hard trying to remember what had happened in his dream. He cursed himself silently for not clearing his mind before he went to sleep. Ron moving back to his bed stirred Harry from his deliberation. "Thanks for that Ron. Waking me I mean." said Harry as he rubbed the palm of his hand vigorously against his forehead.
"Forget about it. Let's just get some sleep." Ron replied with another yawn. "You should probably tell Dumbledore as soon as you see him though. Goodnight Harry."
"Goodnight Ron." Harry said as he climbed back onto his own bed. The last thing he wanted was to fall asleep again though. In fact he was determined to stay awake. He waited until Ron was snoring soundly and then slid silently out of his bed. Harry guessed that it was sometime around four-thirty in the morning. He decided that a quick shower might help him sober up after his nightmare. Harry pulled a change of clothes out of his trunk, and crept quietly out of his room and down the hall into the bathroom and sealed himself inside. He turned on the water but made sure it wasn't too warm, he needed it to keep him from getting drowsy. Harry removed his robe and pajamas and stepped under the shower. The water hitting his face was a tremendous relief as it cooled the scar on his forehead. He braced himself against the shower wall and made no movements for a few minutes. Once he felt he could gain no further relief he got out and dressed for the day.
He made his way down to the kitchen and was happy to find that it was empty. He needed time to figure out what he had seen before he spoke to anyone about it.
Harry rummaged around a bit and after a few minutes was boiling some water over a small fire for tea. He also managed to find a few biscuits when an entirely new thought entered his mind. "Today is my birthday." He thought to himself. Harry was sixteen years old. This was his first birthday outside of Privet Drive. "Well, " he said to himself, "It has yet to be any better than living with the Dursley's. Maybe I can have a cake later though."
"I am sure that could be arranged." Came a familiar voice from the doorway. Harry spun around to find himself facing Mr. Weasley. "Sorry there Harry, I didn't mean to startle you. If I may be so bold as to ask, what are you doing up this early, on your birthday no less?"
Harry grinned weakly for a moment while he pondered an answer. He decided that it was probably best to tell the truth. "Well I had a nightmare I guess. I didn't feel much like going back to sleep after that."
"Understandable Harry. Is there anything I can do for you?" Mr. Weasley asked, a touch of concern lingering in his voice.
Harry had usually enjoyed the fact that Mr. And Mrs. Weasley had always treated him like a part of the family, but he didn't want to bother them with his problems. He didn't want to burden the people he cared about, and he knew that a part of him didn't want to be close to anyone just in case he lost them. "Actually I think I'm alright. I would like to talk to Dumbledore though. Do you know if he will be here today?" Harry asked as he pondered the thoughts that he just had.
"I believe he is expected around dinner. If it is important I can get in touch with him sooner if you like." Replied Mr. Weasley as he was picking up his briefcase.
"No, it can wait until this evening." Harry muttered.
"Alright then. I am off to the Ministry. Let Molly know if you need anything. I'll see you tonight Harry. Oh, and have a happy birthday." Mr. Weasley finished, and with a wave and a pop he was gone.
He smiled at the warm thought from Mr. Weasley, as he gripped his mug, and knew that he could have told him about the dream. It was foolish to think that he could protect his friends by shutting them out. The only way he knew to defend them from Voldemort was to be upfront about what was happening. The discord that seemed to follow if he closed up would only serve Voldemort. A slow burning rage swept over Harry as his thoughts turned to his enemy. How he reveled in the pain and destruction he caused. What seemed like only a moment had passed when Mrs. Weasley came into the kitchen interrupting his thinking.
"Good Morning Harry dear, its good to see you are already up and about." She said in a tired voice.
"Good Morning Mrs.-" Harry began but stopped short when he noticed an odd pain in his hand. When he looked down he saw that he had broken the mug in his hand and cut himself in the process. He guessed he had done it when his thoughts turned to Voldemort.
"Harry, what happened to your hand?" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed as she quickly wrapped it in a towel. Just then Hermione and Ginny stumbled into the kitchen and looked as if they had just woken up. They both gasped when they saw the blood that had dripped onto the table.
"It's okay. I - it's just, I broke my mug is all. It will be fine once I clean it up. Sorry for the scare." Harry stood up from the table and went over to the sink. He very much wished that they wouldn't start to fuss over him. Hoping to turn the conversation he asked "What is for breakfast?" Mrs. Weasley stared at him disbelievingly for a moment and then turned toward the cupboards to prepare something. He had just ate a few biscuits but thought he would rather eat more than talk. Remus also entered the room, followed a few minutes later by Fred and George. Everyone sat at the table while Mrs. Weasley busied herself moving around the kitchen pulling out pots and pans.
Ron made his way into the kitchen just as the food was being set on the table. "Did you get anymore sleep last night Harry?" he said pulling a plate over in front of himself. Everyone at the table looked expectantly towards Harry awaiting an answer.
"Well, actually no Ron I didn't. I thought it best if I didn't go back to sleep." Harry replied with a cold glare at Ron. If he had resolved to tell anyone about his dream he preferred to do it on his own terms. Glancing from face to face he was sure he would have to explain now. "I had another dream last night. A- a nightmare I guess. It was about Sirius." He had hoped that this brief statement would placate them, but no one had removed their gaze from his face. So, placing his fork onto his plate, he continued. "We were in the department of Mysteries and Sirius fell through the veil." Harry lowered his own eyes as the emotion poured over him. "He came back through a moment later, but then he turned into Voldemort and attacked me." he finished with a sigh.
Lupin was the first to speak as nearly everyone else was still shuddering from the name of the Dark Lord. "Are you alright Harry?"
Harry nodded his head in reply, but still couldn't look at anyone. "I'm fine, I'm fine. I just forgot to clear my mind before I laid down. I'm going to speak with Professor Dumbledore when he's here later."
It was Hermione who spoke next "That sounds like a good idea Harry, but if you want to talk to us some more we'll listen you know."
Harry knew they were still staring at him and that Hermione would keep prying until she was satisfied. There was nothing for it but to answer as best he could. Looking up he said "I know Hermione. I was just shook up from it. I'll manage alright though."
"That's not the point," cut in Ron, "you shouldn't have to manage it alone, and we're here to help you." Mrs. Weasley's expression couldn't have been prouder at her son's words, even if he was beat red after speaking.
Harry shook his head again as he looked at his friends' faces. "Thanks for the support, all of you. It means a lot to me. I know you want to help me, but I'm the only one who can control what's in my head, but knowing that I can depend on you comforts me." he finished with a yawn. "So anyway, what are we doing today?" This statement seemed to evoke more shock than the tale of his dream. "What, what's the matter?" Harry asked taken aback by their reaction.
"Harry dear," choked out Mrs. Weasley, "We're celebrating your birthday today of course. You didn't expect us to pass up this opportunity for a party did you?" With that Harry grinned and began to eat.
