Erised's Bane
Author's Note: Hey there! Glad to see you've joined me for yet another installment of my little concession to insanity. I'm quite bored right now and I've been pigging out for the past few days, so my mom has decided I need to do something. Due to my incredibly hyperactive nature this chapter will turn out to be either brilliant or a complete and utter waste of time by both you and me. So whichever it turns out to be, expect the unexpected and I hope you enjoy!
Ooh...and uhm...sorry that this is taking...forever. I am a dork. But there you have it.
Disclaimer: I'm writing my own story. I don't NEED Harry Potter. Well, I do need him. And it would be nice. But...NOT MINE! So don't sue me! Okay?
The Fifth Catch
Some rather odd company greeted Harry, Ron, and Ginny when they got off the train. They looked around for any sign of people that they knew would be at the Burrow for the holidays, and seeing nobody decided perhaps whoever would be picking them up might be a little late. However, they didn't expect the tall redhead who was lingering nearby to come over to them or smile, and they certainly didn't expect her enthusiastic greeting until...
"Tonks!" Ginny breathed under her breath. Harry looked closer and saw that it was indeed Tonks, in guise with the typical Weasley-red and a nose that looked remarkably like Charlie's honker. She put her finger to her lips and grinned.
"I'm your cousin Judy, remember?" she said, a twinkle of amusement in her eyes. "So, where are those trunks of yours, kids? Or did you expect to live in those togs all through the vacation?"
Ron motioned to the pile in the corner and Tonks nodded. "Well then..." she said, "might as well find a cart. Unless you think the muggles won't be bothered by a trio of floating luggage."
"A cart it is." Said Harry, who looked around until he spotted an empty one.
"Hey Tonks." Said a voice from behind. Harry looked over his shoulder and saw Hermione standing there.
"I'll get it." Ron said, blushing bright red for no reason known to anybody except perhaps Harry and Hermione. He went off quickly and took the cart, loading it up with their luggage.
"I have to be going in a moment." Hermione said slowly. "My mum and dad are just out there. I just wanted to say, Merry Christmas."
"Oh, you won't be joining us?" said Tonks.
Hermione shook her head. "I promised my parents. I actually had to promise not to break my promise...they were getting tired of only seeing me in the brief spaces I came home for summer. Last Christmas I spent was in our first year of Hogwarts."
"And the last Christmas I spent at the Dursleys was before Hogwarts." Harry muttered. "Thankfully."
"My mom and dad might be coming, though dad still isn't all too comfortable around all these wizarding folk. He's always afraid that somebody is going to turn him into a rat or something."
"Well...nobody has yet, have they?" said Hermione.
"Only once." Tonk said with a shrug. "And not even that if he hadn't made mum mad."
"I've got our stuff." Said Ron, coming back over. "Shouldn't we be going?"
"Oh, we'd better." Said Tonks reluctantly. "See you later, Hermione."
"How'd you know, anyway?" Harry asked under his breath.
"She was talking to you." Hermione muttered back. "Besides, her eye color hasn't changed." She hugged Harry, despite a look from Ron that should have made her wither, and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Bye. Have a nice holiday."
"You too Hermione." Harry replied.
"Yeah. Same here." Grunted Ron.
Meanwhile, Ginny was busy waving at Neville, who blushed and waved back at her vigorously as he walked out of the station beside his grandmother, who Harry thankfully had only met once before.
"Well...we off then?" said Tonks. When everybody nodded, she turned and began walking, Ginny beside her, while Harry fell back with Ron, who had opted to push the cart.
"How are we getting to the Burrow?" asked Ginny.
"Car." She replied. "Not borrowed. Mine."
"You have a car?" said Harry in surprise.
"Yeah. My dad thought it best that I learn how to drive, even though I spend most of my time in the wizarding world. I even got my license when I turned sixteen."
Harry suddenly remembered the fact that Dudley had requested driving lessons early on in the summer, but he hadn't really paid attention. It only took him a moment to connect this fact to the sudden disappearance of the Dursley's prized company car, and he sniggered at the thought. "Maybe I should learn how to drive sometime." Harry said thoughtfully. "You know, a car that doesn't fly."
He looked over at Ron, who shared a grin with the shared memory. "But the Dursleys would never let you, would they?"
Harry shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe next summer I'll see about getting an odd job, paying for the lessons myself. So long as I get back home before Dudley, they don't really care that much about where I go."
"The pig." Ron said. His friend had once gotten the pleasure of meeting Dudley Dursley, when the entire Weasley clan had visited Harry's home. Unfortunately, it hadn't been quite the experience of good relations between muggles and wizards that Mr. Weasley would have hoped.
"So...I trust your dad is well again?" Harry said reluctantly. He had only seen him once in a long time, when he had come for Harry's birthday celebration. The memory of the dream that had led to Mr. Weasley's injury was as fresh as ever in Harry's mind, and a little guilt still clung to Harry from the incident.
"Yeah. Didn't take him long to get back to work." Ron said. "Mom's making him take it easy, though, since you don't really know for sure what's going to happen with a wound like that."
They had been walking through the muggle station the entire length of the conversation, and they exited into brilliant sunlight that made Harry blink rapidly. There was a definite chill in the air and he pulled the scarf around his throat tighter, watching his breath make fog in the air before him. "I hope you aren't parked too far away, Tonks." Harry said.
"Nope...right here." She said, indicating a car that was bright yellow and, despite being pretty much an average car, quite conspicuous.
She popped open the trunk and Harry saw that, like the Ministry car, the trunk had been expanded, as it fit all three trunks easily, with room to spare. Tonks slammed the car closed and opened the doors. Ginny took the front seat, leaving the back to Ron and Harry, who had to rift through the masses of junk she had piled up to sit comfortably.
"So, why are you pretending to be our cousin Judy?" asked Ron as she started the engine. "And do we even have an cousin Judy?"
"No, you haven't got an cousin Judy." Said Tonks as they pulled out. "As for me, your parents had duties last night, getting the Burrow ready and all for the entire order, and they were asleep come time to pick you guys up. Now Remus wasn't there yet, and Moody was working on something, so I had to come. But then again, we didn't want to arouse any suspicions if somebody should see me, so I became your cousin for the day, just so nobody can say a single word." They pulled out into the street and Tonks began accelerating rapidly. Harry suddenly got very worried.
"Uhm...Tonks...you said you could drive. Just how well can you drive?"
"Well enough, I suppose." She said. "I've only gotten a few tickets..."
"Tickets?" Ron said. "What are those?"
"They're payments you have to make." Harry said sickly. "For breaking the law."
"How many do you have?" Ginny asked cautiously.
"I think they're somewhere around here. You don't have to worry though, it's been a while since I last drove, and there aren't any really recent ones. Ah..." she punched a button on the dash and music blasted out of the system. Harry, vaguely recognizing the music, asked her what it was.
"An American band." She said.
Of course, she didn't notice the red light that she was currently running through. Harry, uncertain whether or not to alarm the others, who thankfully hadn't a clue what a red light meant, paused on the brink of talking.
Soon enough, and to Harry's undeniable relief, they were out on country roads. They were of course still in danger, especially when Tonks seemed completely unconcerned about barging right on through a gaggle of geese gathered before the car (all of whom escaped, thankfully).
They pulled up at the Burrow in a few hours time. Harry, somewhat shaken, stumbled out of the car with Ron and a somewhat green Ginny close behind. "YOU DROVE THEM HERE?" screamed a very familiar scream.
Everybody turned to see Mrs. Weasley fuming at the door. "YOU DROVE THESE POOR CHILDREN HERE? TONKS, I'VE SEEN YOU DRIVE!"
"No injuries, Molly." Said Tonks, as she pulled open the trunk. "They're all here, right and proper and not a scratch to their persons."
Mrs. Weasley shook her head. "You three had better get inside and take a break, especially after what happened."
They entered the house, which looked mostly the same as it had in years past with only a few minor exceptions. The usual redheaded flock was seated at the table, and when the door opened they all turned to look as a group.
"Hey!" said Charlie. "Welcome one and all to the party!"
"It's the twerps!" said George. "How is Hogwarts treating you young lads?"
"More importantly, how are you young lads treating Hogwarts?" Fred asked.
Harry grinned at the greetings. "Hi, everybody." He said.
Greetings went all around, Mrs. Weasley entering later with Tonks at her side. "Well, let's get some dinner in you."
Fred and George cheered. "Hurrah!" said the former. "We were getting tired of waiting for these youngsters."
Mrs. Weasley shook her head and doled out food to everybody, giving the three travelers extra large portions.
"Mom, what are you trying to do?" Ginny said. "Make me fat?"
"Somebody needs to." Mrs. Weasley said. "The way you've been starving yourself lately."
Ginny rolled her eyes. "Mum, it's called a diet."
The banter continued, but Harry was so involved in Mrs. Weasley's cooking that it hardly mattered. Although the food at Hogwarts was very good, there was something about having a meal made specifically for one's own self that made it even better and the fact that Mrs. Weasley had always made delicious dishes didn't hurt.
He finished up and gladly took seconds, and stretched when he was finally full. "That was very good, Mrs. Weasley." He said. "Thank you."
"You're welcome, my dear." She said. "Now see?" she said to her own brood. "This is a boy with manners, you could learn from him."
"Oh teach us, great master." Said Fred with no little bit of sarcasm. "From you we must learn."
"Git." Ron snorted, tossing a napkin at his brother.
They were talking when a knock came at the door and Mrs. Weasley got up to answer it. Harry turned when he heard voices, and saw Bill standing there with Fleur at his side. "Here comes your new sister." Harry said softly to Ron.
"It eez ze French girl." Ron said with a snort. "Ooh-la-la."
"You're such a dork." Ginny said. "There isn't a romantic bone in your body."
"And the young man should be proud of it!" said George. "Now Charlie here, have you been dating anybody...seriously...that we should know of?"
"Not at all." He said. "Not seriously."
"See?" George said. "Now that's a brother."
"I've been too busy with work." Charlie said with a sneer, making the twins groan.
Mrs. Weasley entered then, flanked by Bill and Fleur. "Let me see, Fleur..." she said, "this is Fred and George...and Charlie...and Ron, and of course you know Harry."
"Harry!" Fleur said suddenly. "Iz zat really you?" She smiled broadly. "You are much deefrent...much taller!" she said with a musical laugh. "My seester, you remember her? She 'as gotten quite the adoration for you."
Harry didn't know whether to laugh or not, and settled for a smile. "Hello." He said awkwardly, remembering the conditions in which he had met her. "Congratulations on your engagement."
"Thanks, Harry." Said Bill with a huge grin, clapping him on the shoulder. "But I hear you've gotten yourself tangled up with a girl back at school."
He blushed, unsure what to say. "That's all right, Harry." He said with good humor.
"That reminds me, Susan's definitely coming, I got word from her aunt this morning. But only for Christmas eve."
"So we get to open presents then?" said George eagerly.
Mrs. Weasley rolled her eyes. "Yes, George."
He hollered loudly and the youngest Weasley's began to cheer with him. He saw Bill give Fleur a quick kiss and turned away quickly, somewhat embarrassed by the display of affection. He wasn't used to such things, after all. In all of his years living at the Dursley's he'd never so much as seen his aunt and uncle shake hands. As for the Weasley's....well, he had the feeling that they were rather much too busy to whisper sweet nothings into each other's ears.
________________________________________________________________________
Harry rubbed sleep from his eyes as he sat up in bed. Something had woken him up but he wasn't sure what that had been—nobody else was awake and the only noise he could hear was Ron snoring on the nearby bed. He considered going back to bed but after a moment realized that he so restless that the attempt to sleep would be futile so he threw off the covers and padded silently to the window, where a full moon shone brightly into the room. He thought suddenly of Remus and realized why he hadn't come with Tonks to pick them up and felt a little ashamed...sometimes, he thought, he got a little too caught up in his own affairs. He and Remus weren't very close...not as close as he and Sirius had been...but it still made him feel selfish that he couldn't even think of Remus at the full moon.
He was standing there in contemplation when he saw movement down below. He squinted and suddenly realized what he saw there was a tall figure in a shoddy black cloak. His first panic-stricken thought was of the dementors, but then he realized that the hand reaching forth from the rags was young and definitely human. He turned and exited the room silently, making his way to the kitchen. He swept open the door, wand firmly held in one hand, just as the figure rose it's hand to knock.
"Hello?"
"Harry!" the robed figure swept off its hood and revealed the countenance of Professor Young. "You shouldn't have answered the door by yourself." She said sternly. "I could have been anybody."
"I hardly think a death eater is going to knock on the door and ask to come in." he said.
"You don't, do you?" she said with a look in her eyes that made Harry unconsciously shudder. She swept past him, closing the door quietly. "Is nobody else awake?" she said.
Harry shook his head in response and sat down at the kitchen table. Young, taking his lead, sat across from him. She sighed. "I'm glad. This will make what I have to do much easier."
"Why are you dressed like that?" Harry asked, noting again the raggedy cloak.
"I can't tell you much about that, except that I have a very strange crowd to blend in with. But this is what I'm here for..." she reached into a low pocket on the inside of the cloak and pulled out something wrapped in clean white silk. "This is for you."
"For me?" Harry said. "I can't..."
"No, you don't understand." Young said, realizing he must think that this was a gift. "This doesn't belong to me. It was just put into my safekeeping, until it got to its rightful owner. You, Harry."
"Who gave it to you?" he said, taking it slowly from her.
"Your mother."
He looked up suddenly, but the expression on Young's face only confused him even more. Although her gaze was stoical, something flashed in her eyes like a surreal mixture of anger and regret.
"She put it into my safekeeping before I went to America. Before she and James took you with them into hiding. I've heard that Dumbledore told you of your prophecy...which is why your mother created this for you."
He looked at her for a moment before his gaze fell to the wrapped article. He slid off the silk wrapping and saw a flash of gold. Something heavy slid out and with his seeker's reflexes he caught it before it hit the table. It was a circular pendant on a long chain, gold, with a large ruby in the middle.
"You'll see it's something like a locket." Young muttered, coming over to lean beside him. She took it and slid her fingers along the side until she found a catch. "You see this? There are five parts to it, something like a wizard chest that has several locks...like Moody's."
Harry found the catch and slid it until it stopped. Then, grasping the seams of the medal, he pulled it open. From one side his mother and father waved cheerfully at him, while from the other a young infant boy with bright green eyes waved his hands in the air, laughing. His heart rose to his throat before he closed it and slid the catch to the next stop.
"Sirius." He breathed. There were two more pictures here...on one side his father and his friends, engaged in a wild battle with white snow flying about every which way. Then his gaze fell to the other side and he saw his mother reclined in front of the fireplace with her arms lazily slung around a tall girl with dark brown hair. "And you." Despite himself, he tugged the picture out and looked at the writing on the back. It was written in very feminine lettering. "Me and Sabrina, sixth year at Hogwarts."
"I didn't know she had put that in there." Said Young. He looked up and saw her close her eyes, as if she was battling against something raging deep within. "Not until I looked afterwards. I was...surprised."
He looked back at it, saw Sabrina make a funny face and his mother punch her in the arm, before putting it back and finding the next catch. This one revealed two more pictures. "My grandparents." He breathed, before Young had to tell him.
He looked at the family on one side. An older man with messy black hair and glasses stood with his arms around a plump woman with graying red hair. To the side were two boys that could both have been members of the family, though Harry knew one was only kin by heart. It was Sirius.
"And there's your muggle grandparents." Said Young. He looked over at the old muggle photograph and saw a tall, skinny man with auburn hair sitting in a lounge chair, with a very redheaded young girl seated in his lap. Sitting on an ottoman holding the hand of a happy little girl with a horsey face was a woman with light blonde hair and a broad smile.
"I don't know what happened to them." Harry said, swallowing. "To any of them."
"Why haven't you ever asked?"
He looked up and saw Young staring at him hard. "Well...I guess I'm not used to asking questions. And getting a straight answer, anyway."
"Your muggle grandparents died the year after we all left Hogwarts. She had just gotten engaged to James, and we were living together in a flat by Diagon Alley...oh you don't know, but they used to have the nicest flats there. They're all gone now, they were torn down when they built the addition to Gringott's. But it was right before Voldemort took power and there was a lot of anti-muggle sentiment."
"They were....attacked?"
"Killed." Said Sabrina with a swallow. "You...don't know. You never questioned why your aunt hated your mother so much?"
"I thought...it was just Aunt Petunia. Jealousy."
"Oh, your aunt was jealous but she loved your mother. She even got along well with James. But the death of her parents changed all that. She was dating Vernon, and he found out about all this when he met your mother and James. He was completely against it, and none of the family approved of him. But she turned her back on that when Samuel and Rose died."
"How do you know all this?" Harry said, a veil of numb confusion overtaking him. "How?"
Sabrina sighed. "You know already, Harry, but I can't tell you. I just can't."
He turned the pendant over and moved it to the fourth catch. He opened it up and saw a picture on either side...a young man with black hair holding him, and a woman with sable hair in a braid down her back. "Sirius...and you." He took a deep breath. "You're...my godmother, aren't you?"
She bowed her head and stood. "I have to go now. The fifth catch is a keyhole, but there's no way to open it. I don't have the key." She shook her head. "She trusted me to give you truth but not love. Sirius had the key and now he can't give it to you."
Harry, shaken, took her word for it. Wrapping the pendant back up, he slipped it into a pocket and ran as quietly as he could up the stairs, avoiding the creaking steps. By the time he had his breathing under control and looked back down, the kitchen was empty.