DISCLAIMER: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Number Twelve Grimmauld Place was a different world. Molly, Arthur, and Lupin were there, of course, and with the rest of the Weasleys, they were as much of a family as Harry could wish for. Molly hadn't stopped moving since the minute Harry had arrived. She was currently busy in the kitchen, working tirelessly on dinner for a large number of people.
Lupin and Arthur had joined Harry and his friends in the parlor. They deftly avoided any talk of Voldemort or Death Eaters or any of the attacks. For a while, Harry had thought they had been simply ignoring it, but he noticed how they would steer conversation to cheerier topics whenever they seemed to stray too close.
As they talked, a number of other people joined them, some of whom Harry didn't recognize though only Order members could possibly be there. The Order seemed to be growing. Tonks was one of the first to arrive, She took a seat next to Ron, and across from Harry. From her seat, she faced both Harry and Ginny, and she seemed to be watching them with interest.
Some of the people who had come in earlier started slowly disappearing. Bill and Charlie arrived. Elphias Doge left. Mr. Weasley said that he was going to run some errands with Hagrid. Harry kept waiting for Dumbledore to arrive, but the longer he waited, the less he believed that he would be joining them. With a squeak, the door to the kitchen opened and Fleur Delacour quietly stepped into the room and went to stand silently next to Bill.
"Good evening, Fleur," Arthur said with a smile.
"Good evening, Mister Weasley," Fleur replied politely and with slow concentration. "And good evening to you, too," she said with a nod to Harry. "It is nice to see you again, 'arry."
"I don't suppose you saw Fred or George?" Arthur asked her.
"I did," she answered stiffly. Her accent was much softer than it had been, but it had come at the cost of some of the grace with which she had spoken before. "Zey said zey will be coming shortly." Mr. Weasley nodded and returned to his conversation.
Tonks was talking with Ron and Ginny about the Chudley Cannons. Ron listened raptly as he listened to her tell them about the day she had spent at one of their matches. She was telling them about all the extra security they had, earning her a warning glance from Lupin. She ignored it, but moved on quickly to talk about the match, and how one of the players had found her after the match and offered to take her out to a dinner at one of the fancier pubs in Ireland. She'd turned him down, mostly, she said, because she hadn't slept for almost a whole day.
"It's just as well," Ron said consolingly. "He's not that good, anyway."
Hermione frowned at him. "I thought you said he was the most best Chaser they had?"
"Yeah, well I'm sure he was, once," Ron replied distractedly.
"You said it two weeks ago."
Ron gave her a disgusted look. "Since when have you ever paid attention to me when I talk about Quidditch?"
Tonks broke out laughing. Ron hadn't been wrong, but Harry decided not to try and defend him. Theodore Rackham really was the Cannons' best Chaser, and he really wasn't that good.
"So you're not going to tell him about that bloke you went dancing with?" Fred nearly shouted as he and George walked over toward Harry and the rest of them. Tonks looked at them pleadingly. "You know, the one who plays for the Tornadoes? Seen him a few times now, haven't you?"
Despite her ability to change her nose or hair at will, it seemed that Tonks could not fight the blushing of her face. Ron looked amused and disappointed at the same time. Tonks was saved from further embarrassment by Molly announcing dinner.
The kitchen was pleasantly surprising. While the parlor had been decorated for Christmas, it was reserved and almost subtle. It had obviously been kept a more subdued out of necessity. The kitchen, however, appeared to have been the site of a nearly catastrophic explosion of greenery and Christmas cheer. Harry was amazed by the small forest of miniature pine trees which seemed to sprout from almost every flat surface around the edge of the room, each twinkling faintly as if sprinkled with tiny jewels.
Forgetting her previous embarrassment, Tonks beamed at Harry's reaction. "We were particularly proud of the trees. Hestia and I helped the twins figure out how to do it," she explained with a sidelong glance at Fred and George. "Of course, now they sell it for eight Galleons at their shop and we've yet to see a single Sickle."
Fred and George slipped out of the accusation by grabbing plates and utensils and laying them down neatly around the table. Everyone was filing into the kitchen now, and Harry joined them as they took places in front of the plates. The conversation picked up where it had left off in the parlor and Harry relaxed and let his worries slip away.
That night, he had his own room to sleep in. No one said it, but Harry knew it was yet another room Sirius had either added or renovated in the house. The decorations were plain but comforting. The walls were a deep red with a high ceiling. At one side of the room was a large four poster bed, similar to the one he had at Hogwarts. At the foot of the bed was his trunk. In the center of the room, between two large windows, was a handsome desk with an owl perch which Hedwig had already found. At the other end was a large fireplace with a comfortable looking chair sitting in front of it. The mantle was empty except for a single silver figurine in the unmistakable shape of a stag.
The room felt comfortable and almost familiar. Lupin stopped in to see if Harry was okay with the room. He was glad to hear that Harry appreciated it and left after wishing him a restful night's sleep. That was exactly what Harry was hoping for. After the enjoyment of dinner with the Order that night and the comfort of the room, he couldn't imagine how he couldn't feel rested the next morning.
The next morning, however, he understood how. He woke up in a cold sweat, trying to remember who's screams had filled his last nightmare. There had been so many that night and picking out the most recent was a journey he didn't look forward to recounting.
The sun was already well into the sky, and its light flooded into the room through the windows on either side of the desk. He'd slept late, and perhaps the most comforting thought was that there was no reason why he could not. The Dursleys rarely let him sleep as long as he wanted, and he seldom had the freedom to sleep in at Hogwarts.
Someone would come looking for him eventually, if only to tell him that he should eat. It was unlikely that he'd find anyone else still eating breakfast at that hour, so instead he took the time to wash up and dress. So far as he knew, there was nothing he had to do all holiday. He might eventually help with chores around the large mansion, but Christmas was only three days away and it seemed likely that there would be few chores which would still need to be done.
To his surprise, there were still platters of food for breakfast. The plates had been charmed to remain warm somehow and Lupin encouraged Harry to take some of the food.
"It isn't long before lunch." he said casually. "Ron and Hermione already ate. I think they're upstairs with Bill. And most of the rest of them are probably just going to wait until then." Harry asked just who 'they' were, and Lupin looked almost apologetic. "The other members of the Order. They don't often keep the most regular schedules, especially where food is concerned."
"So the Order is keeping busy, then?" Harry asked as he spread some butter over some toast. Lupin looked uncomfortable, and kept quiet. "Fine," Harry said coldly, and started walking away with his toast. He was famished, and the toast would do little to change that, but he wasn't in the mood to deal with the Order's secrecy either. He felt almost relieved when Lupin asked him to stop.
"You have to understand, Harry," he said in a whisper. "Molly was very adamant about it. There's to be no talk of Order business until after Christmas, and even then only when necessary." He pulled out his wand and wiggled it at the door. "And Molly... well, it's not worth trying to fight with her about such things."
Lupin gestured for Harry to sit down at the table, while he locked all the doors. When he was finished, he returned to sit across from Harry and poured him some water from a large pitcher.
"The Order has been very busy," he told Harry. "We know what's been happening at Hogwarts. At least, we know what Dumbledore has been willing to share. No doubt you know even more." Lupin kept looking over his shoulder. Apparently, Mrs. Weasley could be quite intimidating.
"Voldemort's still trying to find out about the prophecy, but he's doing it quietly. We're in a bit of a spot currently because we've lost track of every Death Eater we know of. The ones who escaped are gone, of course. But even those who weren't there are gone. Business trips, visiting relatives, there's always an explanation, but they've all disappeared. One even got himself admitted to St. Mungo's and then Obliviated the wizards there, letting him slip away."
Harry listened as the words spilled out of Lupin's mouth. Harry felt guilty about his previous thoughts. It was apparent that Lupin was almost eager to tell Harry everything he knew.
"We know there have to be more that we don't know about. We even know some of the things they've been getting up to."
"Have there been any attacks?" Harry interrupted.
"No," Lupin said gravely. "Only the ones at Hogwarts. Whoever these other Death Eaters are, they haven't been using violence. Someone was paid eighty Galleons to turn over a copy of the staff list of the Department of Mysteries from just over sixteen years ago." Before Harry could wager a guess, Lupin continued talking. "It seems likely that they were looking for the keeper of the Hall of Prophecy."
"Who was it?"
"No one knows. If anyone would, it would be Albus, and he isn't sharing that with anyone. It would be too dangerous." Lupin reached for the last piece of toast. "Other than that, the worst they've done is some minor theft. They're targeting the estates of the oldest magical families, but they never take much. Usually just minor artifacts, old books, and official scrolls. There isn't much sense in it, but we're taking it as a good sign."
"Why?"
"Well, by all accounts he's being quite cautious. It seems we surprised him at the Department of Mysteries. Now he's making himself known slowly, and using every bit of time to try and find some understanding of the prophecy and how you've defeated him so often."
"So... the attacks at Hogwarts, they're—"
"Unexplained," Lupin finished for him. "For now, that is. We're working on that, too, but for now it seems like Voldemort is simply trying to confuse us and draw our attention away from whatever the other Death Eaters are doing."
"What about Celeste Warrenton? I know there is something—"
"Remus?" Molly called from the other side of the door leading to the parlor. She rapped sharply on the door. "Who are you talking to?"
Lupin jumped to his feet and quickly unlocked the door. Molly's face darted through the opening and stared accusingly at Lupin.
"Remus, what were you talking to Harry about?"
"We were, er... having a rather private discussion," Lupin replied while acting rather embarrassed.
Mrs. Weasley raised her eyebrows at him. "Was there any particular topic to this private discussion?"
"Er... It's rather, er..." Lupin stammered. "It's between Harry and I, I'm afraid." He suddenly lowered his voice and stepped toward Molly. "Since James and Sirius aren't around, I felt it was my duty to—"
"Oh!" Molly said as her eyes widened instantly. "I'm terribly sorry. I... Well, I really should talk to Arthur about that very thing. Perhaps I should send him and Ron in..."
"No," Lupin answered quickly. "No, I think we were pretty much done, right Harry?" Harry gave him a couple enthusiastic nods. He certainly didn't want to have to add that to his day.
Pleased at his success in avoiding any uncomfortable situation, Lupin nodded and walked off toward the parlor, leaving Harry to himself. Without anything chores to do or essays to write, Harry decided that he should go find Ron and Hermione. With luck, Ginny would be with them.
He was right. They were all sitting in an empty study, watching Bill and Charlie demonstrate various odd Charms they knew. Harry joined them and they continued showing them all manner of charms ranging from odd to completely pointless.
After only a few minutes, Mr. Weasley walked into the room, asking Ron if he could have some help clearing out an old closet. Ron reluctantly agreed and told the others that he'd see them at lunch. Before he left, Harry gave him a sympathetic look, and whispered an apology.
"Don't worry about it, Harry," Ron said. "You look tired, anyway."
When Ron left, Bill and Charlie looked at Harry. "What was that about?" Bill asked.
"Er, nothing," Harry replied. "Just... Well, I don't think your dad really needed help with the closet. I think he just wanted to... er... talk to Ron."
Everyone's eyes widened in realization. Ginny seemed paler than the rest of them. "Did... Did he... talk to you?"
"Well... no, it was Lupin but..." Harry glanced at Bill and Charlie. They wouldn't tell Molly, would they? He decided to risk it. "We were talking about something else, but Molly walked in—"
"And that was the excuse he used?" Charlie asked with a broad smile. "And it got Mum thinking..." He sat down and laughed loudly.
Bill just shook his head. "He was telling you about the Order, was he? About what we've been doing?" Harry nodded. Bill just smiled. "He's a braver man than I am. Mum would have skinned him if she'd known the truth. It was a good cover, though Ron might not agree."
After Ron heard the story, he wasn't laughing. "Yeah, that's great," he said sarcastically. "Lupin gets out of a row with Mum, and I end up being subjected to the most painfully awkward conversation with my dad." Harry tried not to laugh, but Ginny and Hermione were snickering.
When Lupin saw them later, he gave Ron and apologetic look and slipped him a Chocolate Frog. By then, Ron had moved on to simple acceptance of his ordeal and was able to fully enjoy the frog. There really wasn't much else to do, and they spent the rest of their day exploring the Black House.
Dinner was less of an event that night. Fred and George both showed up, as did Charlie. Bill's absence was unexplained, as was the lack of questions regarding it. The shattering of a china vase announced Tonks' arrival. Moody, who'd only recently appeared at Grimmauld Place rolled his normal eye. She'd arrived just as everyone else was sitting down at the table. With a little shifting and a few Summoning Spells another place was set and she took her place near Harry and his friends.
Dinner felt as comfortable and familiar as his bedroom had. Harry wasn't terribly hungry anymore, but he thoroughly enjoyed his dinner. He was convinced that this was the way his life was supposed to be. After dinner, the adults congregated in the parlor, playing and watching others play games.
Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny joined them. Harry was surprised at the amount of activity in the House. Considering its location was supposed to be completely secret, there certainly was quite a bit of traffic in and out of it. Everyone was still remaining quiet about their reasons for leaving and returning, though.
Bill walked in late that night with a nasty bruise across one of his eyes. One of the Aurors Harry hadn't seen before took care of it, and a few minutes later he started a game of chess against Lupin. When Ginny asked how he'd gotten the bruise, he shrugged it off.
"Nothing interesting," he said stiffly. "Just a bit of a disagreement in a pub."
Harry knew he wasn't telling the truth. Ginny was frowning too, but they both knew that they'd get no better explanation. Had he been fighting Death Eaters? How dangerous had it been?
Those questions were still swirling in Harry's head as he laid in his bed. It somehow seemed worse to think that Bill and Charlie were doing anything dangerous. Would that mean that Fred and George could be, as well? If they were, then Ron and Ginny were the only Weasley's who weren't already fighting the Death Eaters. Harry thought back to the photo Moody had shown him last year, and how many of the wizards in the photo weren't alive anymore.
Ginny and Ron were supposed to be the ones who were safe from all of that, and instead they'd both found ways to get close to the one person who would put them in danger. But, laying there, staring at the stag on the mantle, Harry realized that this was simply the way things were meant to be. Almost out of habit, he closed his eyes and tried to clear all thoughts from his mind before drifting off to sleep.
The next day was little different to the previous one, and Harry found it much more relaxing than monotonous. After the first term he'd had, he didn't mind a little boredom. They day after that was Christmas Eve, and it seemed even busier than the day Harry had arrived.
Kingsley Shacklebolt appeared at Grimmauld Place just before lunch and spent a couple hours locked in one of the studies with Mad-Eye Moody. He stopped just long enough to say hello to Harry and the other Gryffindors before disappearing. Professor McGonagall arrived and claimed one of the smaller bedrooms. She explained that she would be staying just until Dumbledore arrived the next day.
Harry had pretty much forgotten about Dumbledore. After not following them, Harry had assumed that, like everyone else, he simply had more important things to do than keep Harry company. However, Harry was still happy that Dumbledore would be showing up for Christmas.
Everyone seemed to head off to bed early that night. Harry felt somewhat excited about the next morning. It would be the first Christmas he'd had with a real family, even if it wasn't really his family. His dreams, however, were not equally happy. There was nothing new about them, but it was worse knowing that the man he watched die in his nightmares had created this room just for him.
Again and again, he fell asleep only to wake up some time later. Each time he tried harder to block out any thoughts he had, but it didn't help. He didn't even care so much about the nightmares. He simply wanted the night to end. The next day was Christmas. Everything was going to be alright.
Christmas morning was bright and windy. Instead of sunlight, Harry awoke to the howling sound of wind whipping past his windows. Normally, he and Ron would wake each other up, and as Harry squinted out the window, he realized that it was somewhat later than he'd expected. He still felt exhausted, but he didn't want to keep anyone waiting.
As he'd expected, Ron and Hermione were awake and waiting for him. In a unique twist, Hermione was toying with a large wooden case while Ron was paging through a book. They were surrounded by scraps of paper and empty boxes.
"Morning, Harry," Ron greeted him cheerily. "We were about to send the twins to wake you up." As tired as he felt, it was worth getting out of bed early to avoid being woken up by Fred and George.
Harry sat down next to Ron and looked over his shoulder to try and figure out what book he was so interested in. Ron noticed and held the book up for Harry to see. Across the top, in sharp letters, was the title: "Keeping Secrets". Harry was confused for a moment before looking beneath the title to see a set of three circles with lines poking down below them. They were Quidditch hoops.
"Katie sent it with Fred," Ron explained. "I bet she's got big hopes for us in the first match. It'll be Slytherin in front of the International Confederation of Wizards. It's sure to draw quite a crowd."
As people realized that Harry had woken, they gathered in the parlor to hand him a small number of gifts. It wasn't nearly so many as he'd been given for his birthday, but it was still more than any other Christmas he could remember.
Ron and Hermione had pooled enough Galleons to buy him a nice cloak. It wouldn't make him invisible, but it was supposed to protect him against fire and some less violent injuries. Tonks handed him a book titled Practical Concealment and Disguise.
"It's barely been used," Tonks said brightly. "I figured you might get more use out of it than I did."
Harry smiled. It must the book used for Auror training. Harry smiled back at her and thanked her. It wasn't as if he really needed the book now, or that he wouldn't be able to afford it if he needed it, it simply felt good to know that his friends believed in him and supported him.
Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had given him a new bag to hold his books. His old one was starting to fray and rip in places. He'd also received his very own sweater, a dark green with a grey H across the chest. The twins had brought him (and Ron) an assortment of merchandise from their shop. As Harry rifled through the crate from Fred and George, Bill handed him a small box.
With a surprised look, Harry carefully unwrapped the curiously heavy box. Inside was a small crystal globe. At first, Harry thought it was some larger version of an Obscuring Orb. But as he pulled it out he realized it was on a small stand. Setting the box aside, Harry stood it on the palm of his hand and looked closely at it.
The glittering mist inside swirled and condensed into a number of nearly identifiable shapes. For a moment, Harry thought it had formed the shape of a stag, but it melted away too quickly.
"What is it?" he asked.
"It's a Razjani Crystal," he answered, "but the shops call them Comfort Stones. They're supposed to be able to help you relax and cheer you up. Mostly, they just show you pleasant things."
Harry stared into the crystal and for a brief moment, the mist shifted into an unmistakable image of Ginny. Harry quickly put it back in the box.
"Er... thanks Bill, I, er..."
"Don't thank me," Bill said with a curious look at Harry, "Ginny asked me to give it to you. She ran off to dress and clean up just a short while before you woke up."
Harry stared at the crystal in its box. Had Ginny known it would do that? Harry had to admit that he had felt somewhat more relaxed as he had stared into it. It might not be such a bad thing to have around after Advanced Potions.
"There is one last thing, Harry," Lupin said as Harry sealed the crystal in its box. "I know this is a bit early, but he... well... I guess I think it's best you have this now."
Lupin handed him a heavy envelope. Harry took some care in trying to peel it open, but finally gave up and ripped it open. Inside, a single clean piece of parchment was folded in thirds. As Harry opened it and read it, his jaw dropped. He looked up at Lupin, who looked rather worried.
"It's... it's mine?"
"That's right Harry."
"But... all the work, everyone who uses it..."
"What's it say, Harry?" Ron asked impatiently.
"It says that Grimmauld Place is mine," Harry recited in a hollow voice.
"—Not until you turn seventeen—" Lupin corrected.
"Sirius left it to me." Harry continued before pausing and looked at Lupin in confusion. "But how... Did he expect to—"
"Oh, he didn't expect to die, Harry," Lupin said in a soft voice. "That was always the last thing on his mind. No, it has nothing to do with his death. He gave this place to you. That document was signed last year. He didn't want to force himself into your life. He wanted this to be your home, a replacement for the one you lost and repayment for the favor your father did for him. He hoped you would let him stay, but he wanted it to be your choice."
"But... what about everyone else? What about the Order?"
"That will be up to you," Lupin answered. "Of course we would like to continue using it, and there is plenty of room, but it is a decision that you alone will get to make."
Harry sat motionless and silent for a moment. It was almost too much to understand at the time. Sirius had given him almost everything he owned. He'd simply signed it over hoping that Harry wouldn't throw him out. Harry looked about the room. Sirius had created it. While the rest of the Order was looking after him, he'd spent his time fixing up the house, knowing it wouldn't be his.
"I, er... I think I'm going to wash up and get dressed," Harry announced quietly. Lupin nodded and reached out a hand to help Harry to his feet. Without another word, Harry quietly walked out of the room. He needed time to think, and his familiarity with the old house hadn't improved much in the last few days. He headed to the only place that he felt comfortable: his bedroom.
As he climbed the staircases and walked through the twisting hallways, he couldn't ignore all the signs he'd missed before. The painting of Sirius' mother had been permanently encased in granite, and now acted as a coat rack for any guests. The heads of all the house elves were removed, as were countless other wall decorations Harry could scarcely remember.
More importantly, there were subtle additions that certainly hadn't been there the Order moved in. The door-knockers on all the doors were ornate lion heads holding large gold rings in their jaws. Paintings of stuffy old warlocks were gone, replaced by a host of things oddly familiar to Harry. At the top of the stairs hung a large painting of a hippogriff taking flight. There was also a painting of a large horned dragon, and another of a knight fighting off a ancient-looking snake.
The Order had been working for a year at making the place livable, but Sirius had been making into a home for his godson. Harry didn't need Lupin to tell him why. He could almost see and feel the answer as he walked past a large portrait of Nicholas Flammel. Sirius felt that he'd failed Harry, and this house was to be part of the never-ending apology for Harry's loss.
How had he not seen it earlier? Had it started before he even got there last summer? How much had changed already when he was trying to hide from everyone last Christmas? The guilt he felt was strong enough to ignore the fact that his door was already open when he walked through it. He turned and gave it a rough shove. The loud slamming of the door echoed in the room, and mixed with the panicked shriek of a girl.
"Ginny?" Harry asked as he stared at his bed. Ginny had been lying on her stomach, but was now twisting to stare back at Harry with a face which was turning increasingly brighter shades of red. After a moment of looking utterly horrified, she pushed herself up and flailed about a bit as she tried to get off the bed as quickly as possible.
She managed to both succeed and fail. As she slid off the side of the bed, she lost her footing and tumbled quite ungracefully to the floor. She landed hard on the wooden floor, forcing out another shriek. As she sprawled in pain, the thick robe she was wearing flopped open exposing her legs. With a third (and final) yelp she sat up and slid against the corner where she proceeded to cover her face with her hands.
Harry stared at her, dumbfounded. He had almost said something, and had even taken a step forward to try and help her when she'd fallen, but he stopped when it became obvious that, like him, she still hadn't gotten dressed.
"Were you, er... sleeping in my bed?" Harry asked as he tried to look at her without making it seem like he was looking at her.
"NO!" she shouted from behind her hands, "I mean, Yes!" she corrected as her hands pulled away from her face. It was as violently red as Harry expected, and she covered her face again with a frustrated whimper a second later. "I... I was just relaxing."
"Don't you have a room on the second floor?"
"Yes," Ginny answered defensively. "I, er..." she started as she slowly pulled her hands away from her face. Her face was still rather pink, and she refused to look at Harry. "I just wanted to see what it was like," she explained. "I've never seen this room. No one has. Sir—" Ginny paused and glanced at Harry for a moment before looking away. She continued with a quieter voice. "Sirius always kept it locked up. Only Remus ever came in here. We always wondered what was in here. I guess Lupin knew Sirius wouldn't mind if you stayed here."
Harry turned and walked to the fireplace and stared at the small statue of the stag. "He wouldn't. He gave it to me."
"He... Sirius gave you the room?"
"No. He gave me the whole house. All I have to do is send in a piece of parchment and it's mine when I turn seventeen."
Ginny was speechless. She slowly stood up and sat on the edge of Harry's bed. Harry gently touched the figurine, and it shimmered brightly as it bowed and shook its antlers.
"Oh, I had a gift for you. I—I didn't want to give it to you in front of everyone else, because... well..." He trailed off, hoping that the knew what he meant. After rummaging in his trunk for a bit, he pulled out a long, flat box and handed it to Ginny.
She gave it a curious look, then pulled off the loose cover. Harry felt his heart beating quickly as she stared into the box, and then leap into his throat as her eyes and mouth both opened wide.
"Harry, it's amazing," she exclaimed as she pulled a long gold chain from the box. At the end was a long, slender crystal that shown with faint flame red light. She slowly lowered it back into the box. "I can't accept this. This must have cost—"
"Don't worry about that," Harry interrupted. "I'll manage. I hoped you would be able to wear it with your dress robes."
"It'll look wonderful," Ginny said as she rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand."
"Well, thanks for the crystal," Harry said.
"Oh, it was nothing compared to this. I... I had something else for you, but I can't give it to you now."
"Why not?"
Ginny made a sound that was something between a laugh and a sob. "I don't know if you'll like it, and it's rubbish compared to this." With a little encouragement, though, Harry convinced her to pull a small box from her pocket and hand it to him.
He opened it carefully and stared at the contents. Inside was a single silver chain with a small silver talisman of a snake looped around it, its head and tail hanging down and twisted together.
"It's a snake. I haven't a lot of fun with snakes."
"I know," Ginny mumbled. She was hiding her face. "I wasn't thinking, I guess. I thought..." Ginny kept rambling and Harry struggled to make any sense of it. It seemed as if she was on the verge of tears again.
"I— I've never forgotten waking up in the... It was horrible, and yet... It was a stupid idea. I'm sorry." She reached for the box, but Harry pulled it out of her reach.
The eyes of the talisman were two tiny jewels. They were deep red, like Voldemort's eyes, and yet, Harry was intrigued by them. They symbolized so much that he despised: Slytherins, the Basilisk, Voldemort, and the events which left him a Parseltongue.
"What does it do?" Harry asked as he stared into the eyes.
Ginny choked and looked down at the jewel clutched in her hands. "What does it do?" she repeated. "It's just a necklace, Harry. I saw it in a catalog and thought of you... and me... and I just ordered it. It's just a decoration... It was a bad idea—"
Harry silenced her by taking the chain and clasping it behind his neck. It felt good somehow. It felt defiant. Strong. It wasn't just a symbol of everything bad in his life, it was a symbol of everything that had changed him and made him what he was.
Malfoy's arrogance had made him choose Gryffindor. His mistreatment of Neville had made Harry realize his talent on a broom. Voldemort had taken his parents, but left Harry with the only chance the world had of defeating him. His ability to speak Parseltongue had allowed him to defeat Tom Riddle and save Ginny's life. The connection he shared with Voldemort, the connection they both learned about through Nagini, was the reason he and Ginny had formed their conspiracy.
It was a symbol of everything that had brought them together.
"No. I think I understand." He tucked the chain under his dressing gown. Ginny smiled and wiped at her eyes again.
Harry was suddenly aware that he was alone in his room with Ginny. His throat was tight and he couldn't get himself to swallow. The pounding of his heart seemed to echo in his own ears. Ginny's face seemed to be getting closer and closer until he could feel her short, rapid breathing against his lips.
For a brief moment, Harry felt his lips pressing against Ginny's, before a sharp tapping at the door made Ginny jerk away. The brief feeling of bliss was replaced with panic as Harry and Ginny searched the room for some place for her to hide.
"I'm, er... I'm getting dressed!" Harry called out as Ginny searched in vain for a closet. How could Sirius forget a closet? Was he supposed to live out of his trunk for the rest of his life?
"Harry? Can I have a word?"
There was a faint gasp as Ginny recognized the voice. It was Mr. Weasley. They might have been okay if it had been Hermione or even Lupin, but Arthur would require quite a bit more explaining. As quickly as he could, Harry leapt for his trunk and tossed the contents on the floor. As Arthur knocked a second time, a ball of fabric sailed toward Ginny. She recognized it in an instant, and pulled the Invisibility Cloak over her head just as the door opened with a faint creak.
"Hello, Harry," Arthur said cheerily. "I just wanted to let you know that the Order will be getting together tonight. They've all been invited here for Christmas dinner. Molly still doesn't want any talk of Order business around you, but I've convinced her that it should be up to you."
"Oh... Alright."
"Everyone will understand if you don't want to hear about it. I'm sure you spend enough time dealing with those sort of things. It really wouldn't be a problem."
"No," Harry answered. "I think I'd rather know what's going on. It's not really something I can avoid." He tried to keep his voice even to hide the gripping fear he felt in his stomach. Ginny was standing not ten feet from Mr. Weasley, or at least she had been.
"Alright, Harry. There is another thing I wanted to talk to you about." Arthur looked momentarily uncomfortable, and Harry felt his stomach clench at the thought of Arthur talking to Harry about girls.
Please don't do this with Ginny here, he silently begged.
"By tonight everyone will have heard about what Lupin just gave you. And with the entire Order together, it's almost certain that someone will ask you about what you intend to do about Grimmauld Place."
"I... I guess—"
"You don't have to answer now," Arthur interrupted. "In fact, I'd rather you not tell me. Moody would never stop asking if he knew you'd told me. Just give it some thought, and be ready to say something tonight, even if you just say that you'll decide later. I just didn't want you to be unprepared. And Harry..."
"Yeah?"
"Don't worry about us. I mean Molly, Ron, Ginny and I." Arthur was the one who looked embarrassed now. "The Burrow might not be safe, but we'll do fine, even if we aren't here. Dumbledore will see that we're safe."
Harry nodded silently, unsure of what he should say. Arthur turned to leave, but stopped at the door.
"I don't suppose you've seen Ginny? Ron said she went to her room, but she's not answering."
Harry looked away and pretended to pick up his clothes. He didn't want to lie to Mr. Weasley, but at least he wouldn't have to look at him while he did. He tried to think of something to say. "I didn't see her on the way up," he said truthfully, "And I don't see her in here anywhere."
"'Course not," Arthur replied. "No one's been allowed in here. I've only seen it once myself. She's probably just locked herself in her room again. I'd hoped she'd be over that after a term of school. I suppose she is just a fifteen year old girl. Molly wasn't all that different when she was Ginny's age."
As Harry listened to Arthur walking away, Ginny suddenly appeared in the center of the room, not far from Harry's desk. She quickly folded the cloak into a neat package and scowled at the door.
"What was that supposed to mean?" Ginny asked with a disgruntled whisper. "He has no idea what I've been doing."
"Right, of course," Harry said in a placating tone. "Shouldn't you be finding a way to make it seem like you haven't spent the last hour in a room you're not supposed to be in?"
"I suppose you're right," she admitted with a frown. "Er, I don't suppose you'd let me borrow the Cloak, would you?"
"Sure, but it won't do any good if Moody's around."
"I'll take my chances."
With a flourish, Ginny covered herself with the Cloak and Harry watched the door open. "Goodbye, Harry," he heard her whisper. "I, er... I enjoyed it... the— well, you know." Before Harry could answer the door closed and he heard faint footsteps leading away from his room.
When Harry returned after cleaning up and finding some comfortable clothes, he found Hermione alone in the parlor sitting on one of the couches and reading a very old book. Harry took a seat next to her.
"Where'd everyone go?"
"Somewhere else."
Harry paused and looked at her. She was still staring at her book and seemed to be ignoring him. "Well, do you know where Ron is?"
"Well he's not here, is he?"
"No," Harry responded with a little annoyance. "I already know where he isn't."
Hermione finally looked up from her book to glare at Harry with narrowed, slightly bloodshot eyes. "He left," she said with a bitter smile. "He wanted to find something interesting to do," she almost sneered. She returned to her book, but kept talking. "He's probably drooling over some Cannons poster or helping Fred and George find some shocking new way of doing something pointless."
"I'll try the drawing room, then," Harry said as he stood up. "I think I can handle that myself, but I'll let you know if he turns up." He heard an annoyed huff as he walked off toward the stairs.
Ron wasn't in the drawing room, or the room Harry guessed was his bedroom. It seemed that Hermione wasn't really in the mood for company (which explained why everyone else had left), and there wasn't really anything else Harry had to do, so he decided he might as well explore the place while he looked for Ron.
He found Buckbeak's old room, but no sign of Buckbeak. Perhaps the Order had released him. The room still had a large set of quilts in the corner, but most of the small bones had been cleaned up. There was a set of large glass doors leading to a wide balcony. He could see why Sirius would have liked the room as well. From the balcony you could see quite a bit of the city.
He found a large storage closet that the Order used to store all sorts of bizarre things. He recognized the Invisibility Cloak hanging on the peg near the door, but most of the other items were complete mysteries to him.
He kept searching and eventually heard voices coming up from the cellar. He carefully descended the steep, stone steps, expecting to find some dank dungeon that only Snape would find charming. Instead he found a clean and surprisingly bright room filled with chairs and shelves of books and trinkets. Fred and George were sitting in the middle of the floor with Ron and Ginny in chairs on either side of them.
"Oh, hello Harry," George called out. "Don't suppose your up for testing out one of our new items? Hasn't even made it to the shelves yet."
"I think I'll pass," Harry said as he tried to decide where he should sit.
"Figured you would," Fred said with a dejected sigh. "Everyone gets so cautious around Christmas."
"I guess no one really wants to end up without any hair for all those Christmas photos," Ginny added with a laugh. Her hand was rubbing something on her upper chest. Harry tried to see what it was when he realized that she was probably wearing her necklace. He decided it was probably best if he didn't sit next to her.
"Did you see Hermione around up there?" Ron asked as Harry sat down next to him. Fred and George rolled their eyes, and looked away.
"Er, yeah. She's reading some book."
"Figures," Ron mumbled. "Everyone is coming here to take a break from whatever they've been doing, but she wants to read a book. And I'm supposed to sit there with her? She's mental."
Ginny was frowning and rubbing her eyes. "She probably didn't think she'd have any time to, er... read once everyone else showed up. I'm sure she'll join in later."
"Right, I'm sure she'll be dancing on the tables with the rest of us tonight," George said sarcastically. "Forget about that, Harry. We've got something to show you." They slid a heavy box over toward Harry, and started pulling out a number of heavy cloth bags of various sizes. "Most of these aren't ready to be sold yet, but none of them should cause any damage."
"—any permanent damage—" Fred corrected.
"Right. No permanent damage."
Despite his initial concerns, nothing the twins showed the three of them had left anything more than some scorch marks on the floor. He had to admit that some of them were quite clever, bordering almost on downright useful. Lupin had apparently been helping them try to figure out how the Marauder's Map had been made, and they'd succeeded in making maps of their shop which labeled people's pets, but never the people themselves.
They also had made a simple metal ring which could be fit around a broomstick that would noticeably reduce its speed. They tried to loan it to Harry for year's Quidditch season but he forced himself to turn it down. As good as it would feel to see Malfoy struggling with his expensive broom, he knew that Hermione would never forgive him.
As Fred and George showed them more of the things they'd been creating, Harry could hear more people walking around the floor above him. The Order had started arriving. A few minutes later, Molly's voice echoed down the stairs asking them to come up and help prepare dinner.
Ron, Ginny and Harry climbed the stairs as Fred and George carefully packed up their things. When they got to the kitchen there were already several wizards at work. Lupin was slowly growing the table as a pair of witches were duplicating chairs to fit it.
"...but he wasn't much for talking after that," one of them said as the chair in front of her split in two and slowly grew into to separate chairs. "Pity. He was drunk enough to start talking about the place they'd been meeting, some place pretty far north it seemed. I mentioned it to Dumbledore but he didn't believe it could be too close to—"
Her voice stopped short as a heavy spoon struck the sink. The witch looked up and stared at Harry. "Oh," she said with wide eyes. "Hello, Harry. Er... I didn't see you come in. I'm Eustice Meade." Molly was scowling at her.
Harry frowned. For a moment he simply stood where he was as he tried to breathe and calm himself. The other witch he recognized as Hestia Jones. She was looking away from him and Molly. Everyone in the room seemed to avoiding looking at him except Lupin. His eyes seemed to plead with Harry to restrain himself. The door to the parlor opened, and Hermione stepped into the kitchen.
"Am I interrupting something?"
"No," Harry growled as he strode toward the doorway and pushed past Hermione. He heard the door close behind him as he walked along the wall to the back of the parlor. Several wizards were in here as well, but they were lounging in chairs and paid little attention to him. A moment later, the door opened again and Harry heard Lupin's voice coming in from the kitchen.
"...telling you it's just making things worse. You heard what Dumbledore said, Harry can't..."
The door closed, shutting the argument out. Harry took a seat in the darkest corner he could find and turned his back on the rest of the occupants of the room.
"Mind if I sit with you?"
Harry turned to see Ginny standing next to him. She looked as upset as he felt, though he couldn't imagine why.
"You're not worried about what they might say?"
"Don't care," Ginny said as she pulled a high backed chair over and sat next to him, shielding him from the rest of the room. They sat silently for a while until the door to the kitchen opened again. This time, the only noises coming from it were the sounds of plates being put on a heavy wooden table.
"I'm sorry about that, Harry," Lupin said, completely ignoring Ginny.
"You're sorry about just that, or about the last six years of that," Harry grumbled.
"Both, I guess," Lupin answered. "She didn't mean for it to be like this. She just wanted you to relax and be happy." There was a long pause as Lupin waited for a response that never came. "It's ending now. You're all members of the Order. You'll be treated just like everyone else."
"Which means I'll still be in the dark?"
"Probably. We're all in the dark, Harry. You probably know more about what is going on than anyone, and you're telling us less than we're telling you."
"You have no idea what—"
"No, I don't!" Lupin agreed urgently. "I know, Harry. As I said, we all have our jobs. Molly was simply trying doing hers, and I'm trying to do mine. You're doing yours, too, and better than any of us could ask."
Harry felt his anger slowly flowing away from him. He looked over at Ginny and saw her staring back at him. Her eyes held so much pride, trust and concern. He felt as if his back had turned to jelly. He slumped in his chair and just relaxed. Finally someone had admitted that Harry was being put through as much as anyone else. Before he was able to relax too much, he heard the steady thump of wood on the floor.
"So they're to be treated no different, are they?" Moody growled as he appeared behind Ginny.
"Harry's done a lot more than many of us, Mad-Eye," Lupin stated calmly.
"And she's done more to stop us than many Death Eaters," Moody snarled back at him. "And here they are together." Moody's magical eye locked onto Ginny, while his normal eye looked at Harry. "I hear you've been told about Sirius' gift?" Harry nodded.
"So what's it going to be? Are you going to take your father's place in the Order or you going to turn us out?"
"It's not mine until I'm seventeen," Harry said evenly. He'd never imagine kicking the Weasley's out, or any of the rest of the Order, but something about the ex-Auror's tone annoyed him. "It doesn't really matter what I say now."
Moody seemed just as annoyed as Harry was. "Your father never needed to be asked. He helped wherever he could." Harry saw his normal eye glance over at Ginny. "And Lily never stood in the way." Ginny bristled, but refused to move from her chair.
"If he listened to me, he'd let everyone stay but you," she said acidly.
Moody turned both of his eyes on Harry. "You be careful, Harry. The last thing you need is a woman using you for her own purposes. "
Lupin stepped between Harry and Moody. "That's quite enough, Alastor. I believe it's just about time for dinner."
Taking his cue, Harry and Ginny both stood and followed him into the kitchen. Harry was certain that Moody wasn't far behind him, but he refused to look. Others were already drifting toward the door, and the kitchen was quickly filling up.
Everyone was making their way to the table, and Harry quickly found Ron. To his surprise, Hermione was sitting next to him and both of them were too engrossed in some conversation to even notice Harry and Ginny walk in. Instead of being at each other's throats, they were smiling. Hermione was even leaning on Ron's shoulder as she laughed. Harry and Ginny looked at each other and shrugged.
Harry sat across from Ron, and Ginny across from Hermione. They were at one end of the table, close to many of the younger members of the Order. Tonks took a seat next to Hermione and Bill and Charlie sat next to Ginny. Fred and George took seats next to Ron.
Harry watched as quite a few people he didn't recognize sat down closer to the middle of the table. Lupin sat near Arthur and Molly, along with Kingsley Shacklebolt and a number of Aurors. Seats were starting to get scarce, but a number of seats on the far end were still unoccupied and there was someone that Harry was still waiting to see.
Not much later, Harry saw what he'd been waiting for. The door from the parlor opened and Fawkes swooped in perched in a clearing of the tiny trees near the fireplace. An instant later, Dumbledore and McGonagall stepped through the door. He hadn't expected what happened next.
Severus Snape slipped into the kitchen, seeming to skirt the edge of the room. He joined Dumbledore and McGonagall at the opposite end of the table. Ron, Hermione and Ginny had also noticed his entrance. Ginny seemed to be staring at him in shock, while Ron and Hermione simply scowled.
"What's that git doing here?" Ron asked under his breath.
"Dumbledore probably didn't want to leave the students at Hogwarts alone with him," George mumbled.
Something kept bumping into Harry's foot, and he looked quickly to see what it was. Of course, as soon as he looked, it stopped. When he looked up again, Ginny was looking at him as if he'd just done something stupid.
"What?" he asked quietly.
Ginny said something through her teeth, but Harry couldn't catch it over Ron's complaints about Snape ruining Christmas dinner. When he failed to catch it a second time, she spoke louder.
"Mark," she in a low voice into Harry's ear.
"What are you talking about?"
"On his hand," Ginny said as she nodded toward the other end of the table. Harry looked over as Snape sat down across from McGonagall. Dumbledore was changing his chair into one with more cushions.
They'd guessed that Snape had been marked before, but no one had known where. "How do you know?" Harry asked her as discretely as he could.
"Just do," Ginny mumbled as she looked away from Harry. Tonks had noticed them talking and was smiling oddly. Could she hear what they were saying?
Harry looked back at Snape. He was giving Harry a sour look. He couldn't have heard what they'd said. He had never needed an excuse to be disgruntled around Harry. He was probably as put off by Harry's attendance as Harry was of his. Harry tried to push Ginny's comments from his mind for now. He'd discuss it with his friends later. There were too many people paying attention to him at the moment.
The food was as good as anything he'd ever had at Hogwarts for Christmas. Molly received quite a few compliments, and even Harry admitted that the treacle tart was better than even the house elves had made the year before.
Regardless of how good the food was, it didn't keep the rest of the Order from watching Harry closely. He felt more relaxed than he might have felt sitting alone at Hogwarts, but he wasn't sure how much longer he could stand the looks and treatment of the other Order members. He felt almost relieved when everyone had finished eating and Dumbledore suggested they move to the parlor.
As they filed into the larger room, the fire in the fireplaces grew, spreading heat and light throughout the room. Some of the members were exchanging gifts with others they hadn't seen yet that day. As Harry walked in, he saw Moody and Mrs. Weasley deep in some conversation. They seemed to finish, and Mrs. Weasley immediately walked over to ask Ginny to help her clean up. Ginny glared at Moody, who had a crooked smile on his face, and followed her mother back into the kitchen. Harry headed for the back corner again, with Ron and Hermione following him.
The rest of the wizards in the room broke into a number of separate conversations, most of them rather uninteresting. With all of them spread out, Harry was able to notice anyone who might be missing. Other than Hagrid (who was spending the holiday in France), the most obvious absence was Mundungus Fletcher. No doubt he found his own way to celebrate the holiday. However, it seemed that Dedalus Diggle and Emmeline Vance were both gone. When he was fairly certain everyone was engrossed in their own conversations, he spoke to Ron and Hermione in a low voice.
"Snape was marked," he announced quietly.
Ron leaned closer. "I thought we already knew that?" he hissed.
"I was only guessing," Harry replied. "Ginny's certain of it now."
"Where?" Hermione asked quietly.
"His hand." Harry paused as Ron and Hermione exchanged curious looks. "Yeah, I know. I'm not sure I understand either."
"Well, Millicent was marked on her hand, and from the way you two talked about it, Snape was just as responsible as she was for Hermione's hand."
"Alright, then why was he marked two months later?" Harry asked.
Ron shrugged. "Maybe whoever is doing it has a busy schedule."
"I doubt it," Hermione commented. "They got to Snape within hours of his argument with Harry."
Harry agreed. There was something they weren't thinking of. Harry racked his mind. Snape had never touched him, or thrown anything at him (at least, not that year). Neither Ron nor Hermione were able to think of anything either. In the end, Harry just decided to put it aside, and hope that some explanation would come to him later.
When Ginny returned some time later, they had given up and were simply listening in to other conversations around the room. Ron gave her a strange look, and when she said nothing, he took a more direct route.
"What was that about?" he asked. Ginny just blinked at him. Ron rolled his eyes and tried again. "What did mum want to talk to you about?"
She glared at him. "Why don't you tell me?"
"I can't. She wasn't talking to me, was she?"
Ginny smiled. "That's right, Ronald, she wasn't." She turned away, leaving Ron to stare pointlessly at her long red hair as she started talking to Harry. "If you wanted to know what the Order's been up to, now's your chance."
Taking her advice Harry looked around the room. Slowly, the talk was turning to Order business, and he could hear several of them discussing various missions they'd been on.
Charlie, it seemed, had been traveling between England and Romania quite a bit over the last few months. He didn't say what he'd been doing in Romania, but he seemed to be worried about whatever it was. The Aurors were talking about a number of missing people, most of them expected Death Eaters.
For once, no one seemed to be paying much attention to Harry, and no one cut off any conversations upon seeing him in the back of the room. The four of them sat quietly listening to whatever they could hear, mentally noting anything that seemed worthwhile. Much of it didn't seem to make sense at first. Bill had already mentioned over a dozen pubs he'd visited, and Tonks and Hestia Jones were comparing stories about Quidditch matches.
"Must be hard," Ron mumbled, "Quidditch matches and pubs. I wonder if they have time to do any real work."
However, the reasons behind them became fairly clear. Eustice Meade had mentioned talking with some drunk wizard. It seemed Bill had been in a bit of a fight at one pub just a few days before. Tonks and various other members had been watching the Quidditch matches and concerts. They had been working with the Aurors trying to find the missing Death Eaters. While they seemed be gathering somewhere, they didn't stay there all the time, and several had been seen at various pubs and other entertainment events.
The Order was trying to track them, and if possible, get them to talk about what they'd been doing. However, it seemed that it was getting harder and harder to find them, and more dangerous. The fight Bill had been in had started after another wizard at the pub he was in recognized him. That wizard had been put on a 'Suspected Death Eaters' list, but both he and the wizard Bill had been watching disappeared. At the moment, it was uncertain whether they were even alive.
Overall, they hadn't accomplished very much, but there really wasn't much to work with. Everyone seemed to expect Voldemort to act much more aggressive than he was. Few of them seemed to take the attacks at Hogwarts seriously. Only Kingsley Shacklebolt seemed to think they were an immediate concern.
"Maybe Dumbledore's propaganda is working a little too well," Hermione commented.
Harry tried to ignore it. There were plenty of Aurors at Hogwarts, and it only mattered that Kingsley took it seriously. It might have been helpful if some of the members spent more time trying to figure out who had attacked the students, but why should anyone think they might have any better chance than the small army of Aurors?
As the night wore on, more people formed small groups around various games. Much like Halloween, there were a few that Harry had never seen before. Ginny and Ron tried to explain them all to Harry and Hermione, and Harry thought he understood most of them. One of them, which Ron had called Knacktop, was played with a deck of cards and a number of colored cubes. Ron had explained it three times when Harry gave up and simply tried to understand by watching it. Partway through the game (or so Harry guessed), Tonks announced she was leaving and stopped to wish Harry a good night.
"You're leaving?" Ron asked skeptically. "But it was finally starting to get fun."
"Sorry 'bout that," Tonks apologized. "I've already made plans for the night."
"Don't suppose those plans involve a tall bloke who's pretty good with a Quaffle, do they?" Fred called out from the floor where he and George were playing a four person game of Exploding Snap.
"They might, not that it would be any of your business," she replied with smile. "He's got a cozy castle on the coast near Blackpool."
Ron looked scandalized. "You're leaving this to go sit in a tower with that Chaser from the Tornadoes?"
Hermione gave a frustrated sigh. "Yes, Ron. It's called a romantic evening."
"Says you. I call it a few hours of boredom."
"Of course you would," Hermione snapped. Tonks gave Harry and Ginny an apologetic look as Ron and Hermione began a fresh argument. Or perhaps it was the same argument. It was difficult to tell. When Tonks walked off, Hermione stood and walked off with her. They talked for a minute before turning opposite directions. Tonks left Grimmauld Place, and Hermione went to her room.
Throughout the next two weeks, it became almost sickeningly common for Ron and Hermione to be arguing about something. Tonks' relationship with the Tornadoes' Chaser was a recurring cause, but they didn't seem to have any troubles finding reasons to fight even after Tonks began avoiding the entire topic.
Most bizarrely, when Ron and Hermione fought, she seemed to get annoyed with Harry and Ginny for no reason. This seemed to upset Ginny less than Harry, so he often left her to keep Hermione company when she was upset. It seemed that they simply had been spending too much time around each other. The return to Hogwarts was looking more and more encouraging. Perhaps more classes and homework would leave them less time to nettle each other.
All four of them tried to catch as much as they could of the work the Order had been doing. There wasn't much, and the longer he stayed, the more discouraged Harry got. He could see the same discouragement in the eyes of Lupin and Arthur and some of the older members. They were all feeling like they were losing a battle that wasn't even being fought.
It was clear that this war was not at all like the last. Voldemort was being cautious, restrained. He was waiting for something. All the Death Eaters were gathering, but doing nothing else. No one knew if they were recruiting wizards in other nations, or if they were all working to create some horrible plan that was still unfinished. Whatever it was they were doing, they weren't talking about it, and the Order had no idea what it was.
Harry looked forward to the day they were to return to Hogwarts. Grimmauld Place still felt like home, but it also seemed filled with a form of desperate uneasiness, and Harry couldn't escape the feeling that it was him they expected to put an end to it.
When he woke up the Saturday before the next term started, he found Fawkes perched on the mantle of the fireplace in the kitchen. Ron and Hermione had both noticed it, and they seemed as ready to return as he was. They waited for Dumbledore to show up nearly all day, but he didn't arrive until just before dinner. They ate a quick meal and after Lupin collected their trunks, Dumbledore gathered them all in the parlor. One by one they let Fawkes take them back to Hogwarts. Again, Harry was the last to go, and he found Ron, Hermione and Ginny waiting for him as he popped into the Gryffindor common room.
Dumbledore joined them with a final flash and puff of smoke. "Dobby will be bringing your trunks momentarily," he announced. "I understand that this is an unusual and somewhat mysterious request, but I must stress that you are not to leave the Tower until the students return tomorrow. The house elves should take care of any needs you might have."
The four of them seemed equally confused for a moment, but didn't argue with him. Harry had little desire to leave the Tower, and the rest of the students would be returning in less than a day. The only real danger was the thought of a day alone with Ron and Hermione. Still, if they fought, it would just give him a valid reason to spend more time with Ginny.