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.
Chapter 7 One Long Day
Shortly after breakfast the twins set off for work. They had given Ginny the day off so she could spend time with the others. While Mrs. Weasley cleaned up Hermione suggested that they plan out their day. "Well Harry, Happy Birthday." She said as she gave him a squeeze and a quick peck on the cheek. Harry grinned sheepishly while the color rose on his face and his mouth opened slightly in shock. He hadn't expected that. "You didn't think we forgot did you?" Hermione continued. "So what would you like to do today?"
"To be quite honest I only remembered this morning myself." Harry said as everyone laughed quietly at his words. The group looked at Harry hopefully. It was the first time in months they had seen him smile or heard anything but remorse in his voice.
"Well Harry I suppose I could make a cake for later if you like." Mrs. Weasley put in as the laughter died down a little. Harry felt the day was full of promise. She gave him a hug too. He laughed inwardly at how well she had guessed his desire.
"Oh and before I forget dear," she continued, "Dumbledore asked me to remind you that Kreacher is still here. He could not be sent away, and Albus was sure that you would be upset if you saw Kreacher. So he has been told to stay in a room on the third floor where he will be out of everyone's way. I know you don't want him here, but if he gives you a problem you just let me know." The sudden reminder brought a rush of hatred forward in Harry's mind. Still as long as he didn't have to see the little traitor, everything would be okay. Harry forced his mind to other thoughts, unwilling to start the day in a bad mood.
Harry was just happy to be with his friends for his birthday. It didn't matter much to him what they did as long as they were together, and he thought it best to do things that they could all enjoy. He might have asked to play Quidditch if they were at the burrow but there wasn't enough room here. In the end they decided to play some games for awhile. Harry indicated that he was interested in exploring the library later, much to Hermione's delight. Ron rolled his eyes but stopped dead when he saw she was looking at him. Ron jumped up and said "Why don't I go and get the games and meet you in the drawing room? Want to help me Mione?" It was an odd request Harry thought but Hermione readily agreed.
"Why does he need help getting the games?" Harry thought to himself, but they were gone before he could ask. He looked quizzically from Ginny to Mrs. Weasley who were both grinning a little. It dawned on Harry that his friends had grown much closer, and perhaps they were accepting their feelings for each other. He smiled quietly and decided to go wait for them in the drawing room.
"Due try and have a good time." Mrs. Weasley called after him as he got up from the table and left for the room.
"Wait for me Harry." Ginny said just as he made it to the steps. She caught him up and pulled him into a short embrace. "Happy Birthday Harry." she said as she gave him a kiss on the cheek. Harry was blushing profusely as Ginny smiled at him. She didn't seem to notice though. "Come on, let's have a look around while we wait for them." she said while she tugged on his arm, dragging him up the stairs.
"It must be a girl thing." he mumbled to himself and they entered the drawing room and threw themselves into some chairs. After Ron and Hermione came back they spent the morning laughing and playing games. Even Remus joined them for a game of gobstones. Despite the fun Harry had to shake himself a few times when he found his thoughts wandering towards memories his Godfather. "He would want me to have fun." he said to himself. Although the thoughts never entirely left him Harry found it easy to enjoy himself while he was surrounded by his friends. Mrs. Weasley called everyone for lunch in the early afternoon, and afterwards they adjourned to the Library.
The room he had visited last night with Professor Dumbledore and Lupin seemed to grow in the light that shimmered through the two tall windows on one end of the room although the overall tone of the library was deep and dark in color. Aside from the table and chairs in the center of the circular room there was a desk set against the wall near the door. Also there was a fireplace opposite the windows with a sofa centered in front of it. It appeared that until recently there had been some sort of portrait hanging above the mantelpiece. The book shelves surrounding the walls stretched to the ceiling. There was a ladder that ran on wheels around the room to access the top shelves. The sun shining through the windows played upon the dust that seemed to dance throughout the space. The vast number of texts was overwhelming, Harry was sure that Hermione would be content to spend a great deal of time in here.
Harry had stopped just inside the door and wondered if Sirius had spent much time in here reading. He could picture his Godfather sitting in one of the large cozy chairs musing to himself over the volumes late at night. Ginny tugging on his arm stirred Harry from his brief reverie. "Are you alright Harry?" she asked. But Harry only turned his head and looked at her blankly.
"Is something the matter?" Hermione broke in. They were all looking at him anxiously.
"What? Oh, no. I was just thinking, about Sirius." Harry said stoically. "It's nothing really. I'm fine." The look on their faces told Harry that they didn't believe him, but he had really meant it. It hadn't been a sad thought, it was perhaps even comforting to think of Sirius like that. "Honestly, I'm alright. Come on why don't we grab a few books and sit down?" This sounded like a good idea, especially to Hermione. So after a few minutes of examining the different books they each selected one and sat on the couch and began to leaf through their choices. There was a wide selection which included a few muggle books, which Harry found odd in the home of a pure-blooded wizard family.
After about an hour of reading Harry began to get bored and decided to have a look at some of the things around the room. Ron shared the same thought and volunteered to fetch some tea. Hermione surprisingly set aside her book to go help him.
A few moments passed while Harry examined the desk near the door. When he looked up he noticed that Ginny had stopped reading as well. She had been staring at him when he looked up, but quickly turned her gaze to the fireplace. "This place is pretty interesting isn't it." he sighed, trying to break the awkward silence. "So how is the joke shop coming along? I hope your brothers aren't overworking you." Harry continued in an attempt to strike up a conversation.
Ginny returned her eyes to meet his, "Well actually the business is doing great. It is a lot of work, but at least working with those two is fun. Anyway, how have you been doing? I mean this summer can't have been easy for you with-" Her voiced trembled a bit with apprehension.
"It's okay to say it Ginny. Look I know you are all worried about me. It hurts to think about him sometimes, but I'm getting better. I think about Sirius a lot. I guess that he wouldn't want me to mope around all the time. I didn't want to come here at all, I thought it would just make the pain worse, but I'm not sure now. It makes it easier to think of some good memories of him."
Harry hadn't flinched at all as he spoke, but there was a sadness in his eyes that made Ginny quail. He was not the same boy he had been a few years ago. Yet there was still the same soft spirit about him. She didn't respond for a moment as they continued to look at each other. When she spoke she started cautiously, "I don't know if I can help you with what you are feeling, but I, we, all want to help. The night he d- died, we followed you because we believe in you Harry. I feel safe around you, and we trust you." She stopped short as it looked like she had struck a nerve. A frown flashed briefly across Harry's face, but she wasn't sure what she had said wrong.
"I know everyone trusts me, and everything, but I'm not sure that you should. Maybe I just need to work past this but it seems that the people around me always get hurt." He put up his hand to stop her before she could respond, "I am beginning to realize it isn't my fault, but that doesn't change the fact that it happens." At that moment Ron and Hermione came back with the tea, and looked at him inquiringly. He tensed as he began to feel that it was time to come clean with his friends. "Look, I have something to tell you guys. It isn't easy for me to say or for you to hear. I just ask for a little patience while I tell you and then you can ask me whatever you want." he finished with a sense a determination.
"Alright then, what's your news?" said Ron who gave an apprehensive look at his best friend.
"Sit down and I'll tell you." Harry said fixedly. As they all took a seat he began, hoping to be able to finish without breaking down. "I know what was in the prophecy." Harry said it quickly trying to get the initial shock out of the way. Both of the girls gasped, but he continued so as to avoid any questions. "The night we returned from the Ministry, Dumbledore had me in his office. The orb was only a recording of the prophecy. He was present when it was made, so he is able to recall what it said, and he told me what it contained. It told of the birth of the person who could defeat Voldemort, which is why he was so interested in the prophecy." Harry went on to recall the full details of the prophecy in detail, as his friends looked on in horror. "So you see, when Voldemort attacked me as a baby, he chose me as his enemy. Now I am the one who has to beat him, or, he will- he'll kill me, but we can't both go on living." Harry finished in a very somber tone. His friends looked at him stunned and crestfallen. Harry couldn't bear the lack of response.
It wasn't Hermione or even Ron who broke the silence, but rather Ginny. "We still believe in you Harry." She spoke tenderly but resolutely. Hermione nodded in agreement as silent tears were forming in her eyes.
"Er, Harry, do you reckon you have any good luck at all?" asked Ron who was decidedly uncomfortable, but obviously couldn't think of anything better to say.
Harry grinned half-heartedly. "You know what Ron, I don't suppose I do." he replied trying to make light of the situation. Harry had barely come to terms with the contents of the prophecy himself but felt relief in sharing his burden with his friends. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner. I- I just couldn't deal with it, and I didn't know how you would take it."
"Well what did you expect, for us to turn our backs on you? Honestly Harry you should know better." retorted Hermione who had found her voice. "I mean I understand not being able to cope with that knowledge, but we're your friends, you can always count on us you prat." She grinned weakly as she finished, and leaned over to give Harry a hug. Hermione was one of the few people who could make him feel both better and worse at the same time. Harry felt his own eyes watering up, as Ginny came over to join the embrace. "Oh Ron, get over here you idiot." Hermione managed to choke out, and so he closed his arms around the group, and the sat for what seemed like forever.
Eventually they broke apart, but remained seated closely together. The weight of what they had been told settled in and the mood of the group changed to a pensive silence. After a moment of resigning to their own thoughts Ron spoke up, "So what do we plan on doing? I mean Dumbledore has a plan right?"
Harry shook his head. "If he does he hasn't told me yet. I'm sure if he does then he'll tell me when he needs to. I know that I'm not ready though. If you could have seen it when they dueled in the atrium, I mean I didn't know that those things were even possible."
"I suppose that means we'll have to train really hard to get you ready Harry." Ginny put in, smiling somberly at him.
"Have you given any thought to continuing the DA? I mean that was really helpful wasn't it?" Hermione added.
Harry pondered the question for a moment. "I hadn't thought about it, but I guess I would like to continue. We can ask Professor Dumbledore when he gets here tonight." Their conversation continued on about the different spells they could work on, and who would be included in the group if they were allowed to continue meeting, though it never strayed to the difficulty of what Harry was facing, or how each of them viewed the situation. An hour or so later they were called for dinner and so they left for the kitchen.
Author's Note: Sorry about the irregular updates, I was having a problem choosing an order for the story, I think I was crowding too much into each chapter. Anyway I think I have it spaced out better, and have a more direct idea now of where we are headed. Thanks Ater Black for the review. Keep sending more. Let me know if the characters are in line, or anything else that you notice. Thanks.
Jeremy
Chapter 7 One Long Day
Shortly after breakfast the twins set off for work. They had given Ginny the day off so she could spend time with the others. While Mrs. Weasley cleaned up Hermione suggested that they plan out their day. "Well Harry, Happy Birthday." She said as she gave him a squeeze and a quick peck on the cheek. Harry grinned sheepishly while the color rose on his face and his mouth opened slightly in shock. He hadn't expected that. "You didn't think we forgot did you?" Hermione continued. "So what would you like to do today?"
"To be quite honest I only remembered this morning myself." Harry said as everyone laughed quietly at his words. The group looked at Harry hopefully. It was the first time in months they had seen him smile or heard anything but remorse in his voice.
"Well Harry I suppose I could make a cake for later if you like." Mrs. Weasley put in as the laughter died down a little. Harry felt the day was full of promise. She gave him a hug too. He laughed inwardly at how well she had guessed his desire.
"Oh and before I forget dear," she continued, "Dumbledore asked me to remind you that Kreacher is still here. He could not be sent away, and Albus was sure that you would be upset if you saw Kreacher. So he has been told to stay in a room on the third floor where he will be out of everyone's way. I know you don't want him here, but if he gives you a problem you just let me know." The sudden reminder brought a rush of hatred forward in Harry's mind. Still as long as he didn't have to see the little traitor, everything would be okay. Harry forced his mind to other thoughts, unwilling to start the day in a bad mood.
Harry was just happy to be with his friends for his birthday. It didn't matter much to him what they did as long as they were together, and he thought it best to do things that they could all enjoy. He might have asked to play Quidditch if they were at the burrow but there wasn't enough room here. In the end they decided to play some games for awhile. Harry indicated that he was interested in exploring the library later, much to Hermione's delight. Ron rolled his eyes but stopped dead when he saw she was looking at him. Ron jumped up and said "Why don't I go and get the games and meet you in the drawing room? Want to help me Mione?" It was an odd request Harry thought but Hermione readily agreed.
"Why does he need help getting the games?" Harry thought to himself, but they were gone before he could ask. He looked quizzically from Ginny to Mrs. Weasley who were both grinning a little. It dawned on Harry that his friends had grown much closer, and perhaps they were accepting their feelings for each other. He smiled quietly and decided to go wait for them in the drawing room.
"Due try and have a good time." Mrs. Weasley called after him as he got up from the table and left for the room.
"Wait for me Harry." Ginny said just as he made it to the steps. She caught him up and pulled him into a short embrace. "Happy Birthday Harry." she said as she gave him a kiss on the cheek. Harry was blushing profusely as Ginny smiled at him. She didn't seem to notice though. "Come on, let's have a look around while we wait for them." she said while she tugged on his arm, dragging him up the stairs.
"It must be a girl thing." he mumbled to himself and they entered the drawing room and threw themselves into some chairs. After Ron and Hermione came back they spent the morning laughing and playing games. Even Remus joined them for a game of gobstones. Despite the fun Harry had to shake himself a few times when he found his thoughts wandering towards memories his Godfather. "He would want me to have fun." he said to himself. Although the thoughts never entirely left him Harry found it easy to enjoy himself while he was surrounded by his friends. Mrs. Weasley called everyone for lunch in the early afternoon, and afterwards they adjourned to the Library.
The room he had visited last night with Professor Dumbledore and Lupin seemed to grow in the light that shimmered through the two tall windows on one end of the room although the overall tone of the library was deep and dark in color. Aside from the table and chairs in the center of the circular room there was a desk set against the wall near the door. Also there was a fireplace opposite the windows with a sofa centered in front of it. It appeared that until recently there had been some sort of portrait hanging above the mantelpiece. The book shelves surrounding the walls stretched to the ceiling. There was a ladder that ran on wheels around the room to access the top shelves. The sun shining through the windows played upon the dust that seemed to dance throughout the space. The vast number of texts was overwhelming, Harry was sure that Hermione would be content to spend a great deal of time in here.
Harry had stopped just inside the door and wondered if Sirius had spent much time in here reading. He could picture his Godfather sitting in one of the large cozy chairs musing to himself over the volumes late at night. Ginny tugging on his arm stirred Harry from his brief reverie. "Are you alright Harry?" she asked. But Harry only turned his head and looked at her blankly.
"Is something the matter?" Hermione broke in. They were all looking at him anxiously.
"What? Oh, no. I was just thinking, about Sirius." Harry said stoically. "It's nothing really. I'm fine." The look on their faces told Harry that they didn't believe him, but he had really meant it. It hadn't been a sad thought, it was perhaps even comforting to think of Sirius like that. "Honestly, I'm alright. Come on why don't we grab a few books and sit down?" This sounded like a good idea, especially to Hermione. So after a few minutes of examining the different books they each selected one and sat on the couch and began to leaf through their choices. There was a wide selection which included a few muggle books, which Harry found odd in the home of a pure-blooded wizard family.
After about an hour of reading Harry began to get bored and decided to have a look at some of the things around the room. Ron shared the same thought and volunteered to fetch some tea. Hermione surprisingly set aside her book to go help him.
A few moments passed while Harry examined the desk near the door. When he looked up he noticed that Ginny had stopped reading as well. She had been staring at him when he looked up, but quickly turned her gaze to the fireplace. "This place is pretty interesting isn't it." he sighed, trying to break the awkward silence. "So how is the joke shop coming along? I hope your brothers aren't overworking you." Harry continued in an attempt to strike up a conversation.
Ginny returned her eyes to meet his, "Well actually the business is doing great. It is a lot of work, but at least working with those two is fun. Anyway, how have you been doing? I mean this summer can't have been easy for you with-" Her voiced trembled a bit with apprehension.
"It's okay to say it Ginny. Look I know you are all worried about me. It hurts to think about him sometimes, but I'm getting better. I think about Sirius a lot. I guess that he wouldn't want me to mope around all the time. I didn't want to come here at all, I thought it would just make the pain worse, but I'm not sure now. It makes it easier to think of some good memories of him."
Harry hadn't flinched at all as he spoke, but there was a sadness in his eyes that made Ginny quail. He was not the same boy he had been a few years ago. Yet there was still the same soft spirit about him. She didn't respond for a moment as they continued to look at each other. When she spoke she started cautiously, "I don't know if I can help you with what you are feeling, but I, we, all want to help. The night he d- died, we followed you because we believe in you Harry. I feel safe around you, and we trust you." She stopped short as it looked like she had struck a nerve. A frown flashed briefly across Harry's face, but she wasn't sure what she had said wrong.
"I know everyone trusts me, and everything, but I'm not sure that you should. Maybe I just need to work past this but it seems that the people around me always get hurt." He put up his hand to stop her before she could respond, "I am beginning to realize it isn't my fault, but that doesn't change the fact that it happens." At that moment Ron and Hermione came back with the tea, and looked at him inquiringly. He tensed as he began to feel that it was time to come clean with his friends. "Look, I have something to tell you guys. It isn't easy for me to say or for you to hear. I just ask for a little patience while I tell you and then you can ask me whatever you want." he finished with a sense a determination.
"Alright then, what's your news?" said Ron who gave an apprehensive look at his best friend.
"Sit down and I'll tell you." Harry said fixedly. As they all took a seat he began, hoping to be able to finish without breaking down. "I know what was in the prophecy." Harry said it quickly trying to get the initial shock out of the way. Both of the girls gasped, but he continued so as to avoid any questions. "The night we returned from the Ministry, Dumbledore had me in his office. The orb was only a recording of the prophecy. He was present when it was made, so he is able to recall what it said, and he told me what it contained. It told of the birth of the person who could defeat Voldemort, which is why he was so interested in the prophecy." Harry went on to recall the full details of the prophecy in detail, as his friends looked on in horror. "So you see, when Voldemort attacked me as a baby, he chose me as his enemy. Now I am the one who has to beat him, or, he will- he'll kill me, but we can't both go on living." Harry finished in a very somber tone. His friends looked at him stunned and crestfallen. Harry couldn't bear the lack of response.
It wasn't Hermione or even Ron who broke the silence, but rather Ginny. "We still believe in you Harry." She spoke tenderly but resolutely. Hermione nodded in agreement as silent tears were forming in her eyes.
"Er, Harry, do you reckon you have any good luck at all?" asked Ron who was decidedly uncomfortable, but obviously couldn't think of anything better to say.
Harry grinned half-heartedly. "You know what Ron, I don't suppose I do." he replied trying to make light of the situation. Harry had barely come to terms with the contents of the prophecy himself but felt relief in sharing his burden with his friends. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner. I- I just couldn't deal with it, and I didn't know how you would take it."
"Well what did you expect, for us to turn our backs on you? Honestly Harry you should know better." retorted Hermione who had found her voice. "I mean I understand not being able to cope with that knowledge, but we're your friends, you can always count on us you prat." She grinned weakly as she finished, and leaned over to give Harry a hug. Hermione was one of the few people who could make him feel both better and worse at the same time. Harry felt his own eyes watering up, as Ginny came over to join the embrace. "Oh Ron, get over here you idiot." Hermione managed to choke out, and so he closed his arms around the group, and the sat for what seemed like forever.
Eventually they broke apart, but remained seated closely together. The weight of what they had been told settled in and the mood of the group changed to a pensive silence. After a moment of resigning to their own thoughts Ron spoke up, "So what do we plan on doing? I mean Dumbledore has a plan right?"
Harry shook his head. "If he does he hasn't told me yet. I'm sure if he does then he'll tell me when he needs to. I know that I'm not ready though. If you could have seen it when they dueled in the atrium, I mean I didn't know that those things were even possible."
"I suppose that means we'll have to train really hard to get you ready Harry." Ginny put in, smiling somberly at him.
"Have you given any thought to continuing the DA? I mean that was really helpful wasn't it?" Hermione added.
Harry pondered the question for a moment. "I hadn't thought about it, but I guess I would like to continue. We can ask Professor Dumbledore when he gets here tonight." Their conversation continued on about the different spells they could work on, and who would be included in the group if they were allowed to continue meeting, though it never strayed to the difficulty of what Harry was facing, or how each of them viewed the situation. An hour or so later they were called for dinner and so they left for the kitchen.
Author's Note: Sorry about the irregular updates, I was having a problem choosing an order for the story, I think I was crowding too much into each chapter. Anyway I think I have it spaced out better, and have a more direct idea now of where we are headed. Thanks Ater Black for the review. Keep sending more. Let me know if the characters are in line, or anything else that you notice. Thanks.
Jeremy
