Chapter 7
The next four days passed quickly. Mrs. Weasley kept them all busy with various chores. However, the fact that Harry, Ginny, Ron and Hermione were able to work together made those tasks a lot more fun that they were supposed to be. Cleaning out the twins' old room and scrubbing floors always turned into an afternoon that passed quickly and a day that Harry treasured.The fact that he got to be alone with Ginny every day was just icing on the cake.
In spite of all that, Mrs. Weasley kept apologizing that they had to stay at the house. Harry didn't care that they couldn't leave or go to Diagon Alley. He was exactly where he wanted to be, safe and sound with his loved ones.
Lupin dropped by occasionally and chatted with Harry, so the only person that Harry still desperately wanted to see was Dumbledore. Lupin kept reassuring him that it would happen, but Harry still kept an ear out for any opportunity to interact with the Headmaster.
Harry awoke on his birthday full of excitement and anticipation. He could hear that Ron was still snoring, so Harry sat up in bed and tried to picture what a real birthday would be like.
Ron mumbled something in his sleep that sounded suspiciously like, "Hermione". Harry screwed up his face in disgust and remembered what it had been like to see his two best friends snogging a few days ago.
He was so surprised that Hermione would even think of being so open with her affections, but he decided that she had waiting long enough to be kissed.
"Oh, Hermione…" Ron moaned, much clearer now.
"Ugh! Gross!" Harry could not listen to that. He decided to wake him now before something even more embarrassing came out of his mouth.
"Ron!"
Ron turned over.
"Ron, wake up!"
He turned over again.
"RON!"
His eyes shot open.
"Damn it, Harry – I was having a good dream!"
"Yeah, I heard!"
"What?" He blushed. "Sorry, mate."
"It's alright. A bit disturbing, though."
"Sorry...oh! Happy Birthday!"
"Thanks!"
Just then, Hedwig sailed in through the open window. She had a small note addressed to Harry.
"Thanks, girl." Harry stroked her back and unfolded the note.
Harry,
I have the morning and afternoon all planned for you. Get dressed and I'll be by to get you in an hour.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
-Remus
Harry looked up at Ron, "Apparently I'm going somewhere with Remus in an hour."
"Oh, ok."
"I'm going to go get ready."
Harry went to the bathroom, took a shower, and began getting ready for the day. As soon as he finished brushing his teeth he heard someone outside the door. Worried that he was keeping someone from using the loo, he opened the door.
Ginny was leaning against the door frame, blocking his exit from the room. She smiled at him mischievously and walked into the room, closing the door behind her.
She smiled and him and said, "I'm sorry love, but I just couldn't wait to see what 16 year-old Harry looked like…and I was also wondering how he kissed…"
She trailed off as she put her arms around his neck and stood on her tiptoes to capture his lips. She kissed him passionately for a moment then pulled away to look at him in mock disappointment.
"Hmm…not any different from 15 year-old Harry."
He smiled and said, "How about this?"
He leaned in and kissed her as sensuously as he could (since he didn't know much). When he pulled away he knew it had had the desired affect. Her eyes were still closed and her arms loosened their grip on his neck and she buried her head in his chest.
She heaved a large sigh, hugged him close and said, "I like 16 year-old Harry."
He laughed and she looked up and said, "Happy Birthday."
"Thank you. This is definitely the best birthday I've ever had, so far."
"Good!"
Suddenly there was a loud knock on the door.
"Oy! Are you two finished yet? I need to use the loo!" Ron's voice boomed through the door.
"Oops! Sorry Ron!"
Harry opened the door and he and Ginny walked out as Ron raced into the room and slammed the door. Ginny looked at Harry as if she was seeing him for the first time that morning.
"Why are you already dressed?"
"Oh! Remus has something planned for me. He's picking me up in about 20 minutes."
"Oh, wonderful. Just enough time for a little breakfast. Come on." She pulled him down the stairs and into the kitchen.
Mrs. Weasley was sitting at the table writing on a piece of parchment. She looked up and saw Harry, shoved the parchment into her pocket and got up from the table.
"Happy Birthday, Harry, dear."
"Thank you, Mrs. Weasley!"
"Would you like some breakfast?"
"Maybe a little."
"Eggs and toast?"
"Great."
She conjured up a fire and cooked breakfast in five minutes. She sat down and joined him and Ginny and asked him what he wanted from his birthday. He nearly choked on his eggs.
"You don't have to get me anything!"
"Nonsense! With those O.W.L. results and a big 16th Birthday…I would love to get you something."
Harry smiled at her thoughtfully and said, "You know, honestly, being here on my birthday is the best present I could have asked for."
She reached over and patted his hand and then dabbed her eyes with a hanky conjured out of nowhere.
"Well, I'm sure I can think of something."
Suddenly, the Floo erupted and Tonks and Lupin popped out.
"Happy Birthday, Harry!" Tonks said. "I'm just going to run and check the perimeter. See you later!"
She bounded out of the kitchen.
Lupin looked at Harry, "Ready to go?"
Harry nodded.
"Bye, dear." Mrs. Weasley said.
Ginny kissed him quickly and both women left the room.
Lupin sat down next to Harry and said, "I know this might be the last thing you want to think about, but I thought we might go see Grimmauld Place today. What do you think?"
Harry considered the offer and for the first time, felt up to such an outing. He had been so sheltered the past few weeks and felt like he would rather go there with Remus and have the choice of leaving when he wanted then having to go with everyone else and be stuck.
"I think I'm ready."
"Wonderful. Come on."
He stood up and Harry followed suit.
"Dumbledore authorized this Portkey for us to use." He pulled out an empty ink bottle. "He'll be coming to Number Twelve a bit later on today. He wants to see you." Lupin smiled down at Harry, as if not knowing the affect these words would have on him.
Harry felt a rush of relief. "Really?"
"Yes. Now come on, Portkey starts in ten seconds."
Harry reached out and touched the ink bottle in Lupin's outstretched hand. Lupin looked down at his pocket watch.
"…3…2…1."
Harry felt the familiar pull behind his navel, and his feet landed hard on the ground. He looked around and recognized the etrance hall of Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place. It was different than he remembered. Quieter.
He looked at the wall. "Where's Mrs. Black?" Her portrait, along with the moldy curtains she hung behind were gone.
"Dumbledore finally got her off the wall. She was shall we say…disposed of?"
Harry nodded. "Understood. There's something else…is it brighter in here?"
Lupin nodded and looked around, "Yes, we put up a few sheer curtains in the upstairs hallways, and all the walls got a fresh coat of paint."
"Ah – that's what it is. The walls are lighter. Who did all of this work?"
"Well, we have acquired a couple of helpers."
Harry felt a tug on his shirt tail.
"Mr. Harry Potter, sir! So good to see you!"
Harry looked down and saw two very familiar bat-like ears positively quivering with excitement.
"Dobby!"
"Yes sir, it is Dobby sir!"
"What are you doing here?"
"Professor Dumbledore said he had a special top secret mission for Dobby, sir, and he brought me here to work at the top secret headquarters, sir. Dobby is proud to be keeping the Headmaster's secret."
"Dobby, that's wonderful…" Harry turned to Remus and said in a dark voice, "Where's Kreacher?"
"He's dead…we found him right after Sirius…" He trailed off.
Harry nodded. He knew it was wrong to be glad of his death, but somehow, knowing that Kreacher would not be around lurking in the shadows made Grimmauld Place seem more inviting.
He looked back at Remus, "You said you got a couple of helpers."
"Dobby is bringing his Winky too!" Dobby said excitedly.
"Winky? Is she alright? The last time I saw her she was…a little distraught."
"Oh, Winky is still having a hard time being free. She likes Professor Dumbledore. He says he will pay her only when she is ready to be paid. She is liking Dobby too, sir." Dobby seemed to blush a bit.
Harry smiled and said, "Well, I'm glad she's doing better."
The door to the kitchen opened and Kingsley Shacklebolt and Elphias Doge emerged, deep in conversation.
"Oh, hello there Harry!" Kingsley said upon seeing him. "Good you to see you here. How do you like the place? Looks right good doesn't it?"
Harry smiled at how obviously proud Kingsley was, . "Yeah it does."
"Remus, you two enjoy your day. Oh! Happy Birthday, Harry!"
"Thank you!"
"Happy Birthday!" Doge wheezed as he and Kingsley walked to the front door.
"Thank you!" Harry said.
Suddenly there was an eruption of voices coming from upstairs, almost like a flock of birds chattering. Harry looked up and saw a group of about a dozen witches and wizards coming out of the drawing room and down the stairs. Harry didn't recognize most of them, but Emmeline Vance was at the head of the group.
She saw Harry and said, "Happy Birthday, Harry!"
Immediately, the group behind her echoed the sentiment. When Vance got down the stairs she patted Harry on the shoulder and said, "Remus, the new members meeting went well. We've had a few sightings of Death Eaters, though. Nothing remotely serious. I'll be back when Dumbledore gets here, alright?"
"Ok, Emma. Thank you."
The rest of the chattering group dispersed in all directions. Some went to the front door in pairs, others headed downstairs to the kitchen. Two tall red-heads came straight at Harry.
"Well, well…look who broke out of the Burrow." Fred Weasley smirked at Harry.
"Happy Birthday, Harry," George added, patting Harry on the back.
"Hey guys. Thanks! What are you doing here?"
"Ah, Order meeting…just to give updates on intelligence," Fred said.
"Anything going on in Diagon Alley?"
"Not much. We spotted Lucius Malfoy one day but he was just shopping with Draco, the git."
Harry nodded.
"Well, we have got business to attend to. Have a good day, Harry!" George said. Both boys turned and walked to the front door, nodding at Remus as they passed.
Harry looked up at Remus. "Man, it's busy in here, isn't it?"
"Well, since Voldemort showed up at the Ministry, people are finally convinced that he's back. A lot of people wanted to help…why don't we look around?"
"Ok."
Dobby waved. "I'll be seeing you, Harry Potter!"
"Bye, Dobby."
Harry looked up the stairs and turned to Lupin,"Where are all those elf heads?"
"They scared Winky half to death. Dumbledore got rid of them."
"Good."
They started walking up the stairs and Harry remembered the first time he came here. Sirius had been so depressed, being around his parents things: reminders of his parting of ways from the 'Noble House of Black'.
They arrived on the first landing and Harry admired what a fresh coast of paint and curtains that let in a bit of light could do. The walls were a nice shade of pale blue and with the sunlight pouring in, Harry hardly recognized the hallway.
Remus pointed to a door at the end of the hall. "That's where Tonks is staying."
"She's staying here now?"
"Well…we've been so busy that she thought it was best to take a room. She picked the wall color. What do you think?"
"I think it's wonderful!"
Remus turned and opened the drawing room doors.
"Wow!" Harry exclaimed.
The room had positively transformed. Harry remembered how it looked the day they first waged war on the curtains. Gone were the tattered tapestries and the thick, dusty carpet. There was now a thin rug on the floor and the walls were painted a shade of light green. The table was covered in parchment from the last meeting.
"Better, right?" Remus asked.
"Much." Harry was in awe.
Dobby suddenly appeared and began gathering all the parchment up quickly. He smiled at Harry and disappeared again, leaving the room spotless.
"Come on." Remus motioned for Harry to follow him.
They moved up to the second floor and Lupin pointed to the door next to the room Harry and Ron usually shared.
"That's where I've been staying."
Suddenly, a thought occurred to Harry.
"Remus, can I see Sirius' room?" He asked.
Remus surveyed Harry's face for a moment and said, "Of course."
They climbed one more flight of stairs.
"He took the room across from Buckbeak."
They walked midway down the hall and Remus opened the door on the right. Harry could tell that this room hadn't been touched. The bed was still unmade. A trunk lay open at the foot of the bed.
Harry's eyes traveled around the room to the traveling cloak that was thrown over the back of a chair, ready to be picked up on the way out the door. He reached out and lightly ran his hand across it.
"It's just…so hard to believe he's gone. I feel like he's going to walk through the door any minute."
"I know…"
Harry kept walking and saw a picture frame on the desk. The occupants of the frame were laughing and hugging each other. It was another picture of the three Marauders at 16 years old: James, Remus and Sirius.
Harry's eyes passed over the picture and fell on a stack of parchment and an open bottle of ink.
"He was working on a letter to you, Harry."
"Why was he writing me a letter?"
"I think there were some things he wanted you to know, and Sirius wasn't the best at showing emotion. He got really worried about you after you saw those things in Snape's Pensieve, and since he was stuck here and he couldn't send these things through Hedwig, he was waiting to give it to you this summer. Do you want to read it?"
Harry felt numb. It wasn't right that Sirius wasn't here to give this to him. He wanted to read it though, even though he knew it would be hard. He nodded and Remus handed the stack to Harry. Harry stepped back until he found the edge of the bed. He sank down onto it and forced his eyes down to the letter.
Dear Harry,
I have been thinking about you a lot lately, and the fact that we have never really had a chance to sit down and talk about some things that are important. Let me start out by saying that even thought I don't have the whole godfather thing down yet, this is my attempt at trying to start it out right.
When your parents chose to make me your godfather, they changed my life. When I held you for the first time, I knew that I was going to protect you with everything I had, until the day I died. I had never felt love like that before. It broke my heart to not be there for you when you were a child.
When I first met you in the Shrieking Shack, I was very, very impressed with the young man you had become. While I was in Azkaban I was convinced that you were going to live a miserable life without me to raise you. That's part of what kept me sane. I wanted to be a part of your life more than anything. When I saw you raise your wand three years ago to defend your friends, I knew that even without me in your life, your strength of character had shown through.
I'm not sure what I was expecting – I knew you were 13 years old already and you were no longer a baby, but it was a bit of a blow realizing that you didn't need me after all. Now don't go feeling bad, because all of those feelings were mixed with the immense pride I had for the young man you had become.
James and Lily were the most amazing people I have ever known. Your parents were as valuable to me as gold, and I know you feel that way about the friends that are in your life. Losing them was a horrible shock, but it taught me a valuable lesson. When you find amazing friends like that, you have to let them know how special they are to you. Once they were gone I wished that I had told them how much I loved them one more time.
I understand exactly how you have been feeling this year, but I don't want you to make the gigantic mistake of pushing your friends away. Take this day to tell them how special they are, and make sure you realize how lucky you are to have them in your life.
Harry blinked through the tears and thought about how he said those very words to his friends a few days ago. Maybe Sirius had been with him in that moment. He kept reading.
The next thing I need to tell you is a bit embarrassing, so just bear with me. Without a father around to teach you about girls, I figured I was going to have to pull you aside one day and give you 'The Talk'. Then one day I saw something that changed my mind. I met a girl that is very much in love with you. She may not be ready to admit how she feels, but I know the look when I see it. The talk you and I must have will not be about girls…it will be about this girl.
When a woman chooses to give a man her heart, he is honor bound to protect it. I'm not sure how you will feel about her later on but I know you aren't ready for that quite yet. Someday you will be, though. When you are, we will have that talk.
Ok, so we have covered friends and girls, the only thing left is family. After you saw those things in Snape's Pensieve, I knew that I had to explain a few things about your father. First of all, he was 15 years old in those memories. I know that you were 15 when you saw them, but you at 15 is totally different from James (or me) at 15. You have seen more death, destruction, disappointment, danger and heartbreak in your sixteen years than James could have imagined at that age. Voldemort wasn't even around until our last year of Hogwarts and even then, none of us had been affected by him. We were kids; we were immature and sometimes cruel. You are no ordinary kid.
The second thing I want to point out is that James was the best friend I have ever had. He took me into his life with open arms when I left my parents house. James taught me how to be a man. That is something I could never have learned from my father. James was a good man, Harry. I will tell you anything about him that you want to know.
As Molly Weasley has a tendency to point out, I know that I don't have any kind of experience being a proper guardian. I worry sometimes that I will mess things up between us because I honestly have no idea what I am doing. Sometimes I think I should just let Molly take over and decide things for you – after all, she has raised a lot of fine children! But your parents chose me for a reason, and I promise you that I will do my best.
I know I'm not your father, and I know I'm about 16 years late, but I just wanted you to know that I love you. You make me so proud and I am excited to see what kind of a man you will become. I know you aren't grown up just yet so until then, you can count on me for anything. Remus loves you very much too (he loves you enough to edit this letter thoroughly) and he wants me to add that he'll be there for you too.
I love you, Harry. Happy 16th Birthday.
Love, Sirius
Harry could barely read the last few lines through the tears. He felt a combination of anger and heart-break. He lowered the letter and stared, unseeing.
Remus saw him put the letter down and said, "He rewrote that about 10 times. He kept making me edit for him. He wanted it to be perfect…"
"Was he talking about Ginny in the letter?"
Remus nodded. "He had his rare moments of being extremely perceptive."
Harry's eyes focused for a moment and he saw a framed picture on Sirius' nightstand. It was another picture of Harry as a baby, cradled in his godfather's arms. Sitting next to it was the thing Harry had hoped would bring Sirius back for a moment – the two-way mirror.
Harry slowly reached out a shaky hand and picked up the mirror. His eyes blurred with tears again as he brought the mirror to his chest. He was trying desperately to decide how to feel. The internal conflict was too much, and he finally turned over and curled up into a ball on Sirius' bed. Instead of deciding on one feeling, he just let it all out and cried.
He felt the bed give to Remus' weight and felt a soft hand on his shoulder.
"Harry…"
"He can't be gone."
"He is."
"But…he has to talk to me about Ginny, and tell me about my dad. This can't be it…it just can't be."
"Harry, I am so sorry. I know it's not right that you two couldn't have more time together…but I know that he loved you with everything he had. He wanted to be there for you as a father would, and I think he did that. He was protecting you."
"If I wasn't so stupid he never would have died."
"Harry, you know that's not true. Bellatrix and Voldemort are to blame, not you."
Harry sighed. "I know that…I know…"
"You want me to leave you alone for a minute?"
"If you don't mind…just for a minute."
"Ok, Harry." He patted him and got up from the bed.
Once Harry heard the door click shut he closed his eyes and hugged the mirror closer. With all his might he pictured Sirius in his mind.
He missed Sirius more than ever in the moment, and wished he could have heard all those things from his mouth instead of in a letter. He struggled to forgive himself for believing that stupid vision, and making it necessary for Sirius to come rescue him. He knew he had to stop torturing himself that he didn't stop Sirius from falling behind the veil. He knew it was time to let those things go, for his own sake. He let the tears fall slowly onto the sheets until he wasn't crying anymore.
He thought about all the things Sirius had taught him in the short time they had known each other. He suddenly realized how grateful he was for every minute he had with Sirius. He sat up and spent a few more minutes in silence, saying goodbye to Sirius.
When Remus entered the room again, Harry looked up and smiled. Remus crossed the room quickly and sat down next to Harry.
"Are you alright?"
"I will be."
"I know you will. I'm starting to think I will be too."
Harry smiled. "Do you think Sirius knew that I loved him?"
"Oh Harry, he knew. That was why he wanted so badly to do what was right for you."
"I know you and Sirius talked about all the stuff he put in this letter."
Remus nodded.
"Do you think maybe, someday soon, you could have that talk with me about Ginny and about my dad?"
Remus' eyes welled up with a few tears and he blinked quickly to stop from crying. He put a hand on Harry's shoulder and said, "I'd be honored."
"Great. Thank you for bringing me here today."
"I'm sorry it had to be on your birthday. I was hoping that when you saw how things had changed here, it would help you feel better."
"It has. It helped a lot. I'm glad it was today." Harry looked down at the mirror in his hand.
Remus gestured to it., "You know, at Hogwarts, Sirius and James had those on them wherever they went."
Harry ran a thumb over it and considered telling Remus about the fate of its brother. He decided against it.
"You think I could keep this one?"
"Sure, Harry. Say, do you fancy a visit with Buckbeak?"
"Yeah! How is he?" Harry hopped up and slipped the mirror and the letter into his pocket.
Buckbeak was as happy as a hippogriff could be to see Harry. He nudged Harry's face and chirped quietly as Harry moved around the room, inspecting the quality of the creature's living conditions.
Harry turned to Remus, "He looks good. Dumbledore said Kreacher injured him to distract Sirius."
Remus nodded somberly, "Yes, under his wing."
Harry patted Buckbeak's back, moving his way down to his wing and gently lifted it. A small patch of hair was missing and there was a small wound that looked almost healed.
"It looks good. Who's been taking care of him?"
"Dobby. He's quite good with him."
"Really?"
They spent the next half hour tossing rats to Buckbeak and watching him prance around the room, catching them in style. Remus finally looked at his pocket watch and said, "Dumbledore will be here any minute. Let's move down to the front hall."
Harry felt a nervous as they left Buckbeak and moved down the three flights of stairs to the former location of a very loud portrait. He wasn't quite sure what to say to Dumbledore first. He still felt the heat of anger over the fact that someone he trusted had practically ignored him for a year of his life. He had realized over the past few weeks that this was what had hurt him most. He missed the comfort of Dumbledore's friendship. He understood why the details of the prophecy had been kept from him, and knew that this man was wise. Remus had pointed out, that until Harry was able to face Voldemort on his own, he should trust Dumbledore.
He thought back to the events in the Headmaster's office, and felt instantly guilty for his behavior. He had no idea how to approach him after all the tension that had occurred. He didn't have to wonder for long though, as Dumbledore promptly appeared with a soft crack.
He looked at Harry, his blue eyes surveying Harry's face.
"Hello there, Harry. Happy Birthday."
"Thank you, Professor." Harry felt like he was 11 years old again. He wished Dumbledore would look away. Luckily, he turned to Lupin.
"Hello, Remus."
"Hello, Professor. Why don't we go down to the kitchen?"
The three of them headed down the stairs and into the basement kitchen. This room had not changed at all, except there was now a small female house-elf wearing a tiny blue dress standing on a stool at the stove. Remus spoke to her as they sat down at the table.
"Winky? Do you think you could make the three of us some tea?"
She turned around, and Harry was shocked to see a small smile on her face.
"Yes, Mr. Lupin." Her eyes flicked to Harry. Her smile faded.
"Hi, Winky.," Harry offered.
"Hello, Harry Potter." She turned and began to make the tea.
Harry turned and looked at Dumbledore who was seated across from him, hands folded. He assessed Harry over his spectacles and then spoke, "Well, Harry. I suppose in the time since we've seen each other you might have some questions for me?"
Harry started a little. "Questions? Er…no…"
Dumbledore blinked. "Ah, well…perhaps we'll get to that a bit later."
He looked at Remus and then back at Harry. "How are you enjoying the Burrow?"
"Oh, I love it there. I'm really happy."
"Wonderful."
"Thank you for letting me go there."
Dumbledore nodded and then asked, "How are Mr. Weasley and Miss Granger?"
"They are doing well. Ron's scars are healing up and Hermione's side only hurts when she's worn out."
"This is good news. And how is Miss Weasley?"
Harry involuntarily blushed. "She's wonderful, sir. Thank you for letting me see her at Privet Drive."
Dumbledore smiled, his eyes sparkling. "You can thank Remus for that. He let me know the urgency of the situation." His face suddenly became serious. "I'm glad you are happy at the Burrow, but there is a possibility that you may not be able to stay there for the rest of the summer. Right now everything is fine, but it might be in everyone's best interest if we moved to a more secure location for the rest of the summer."
"Where?"
"How would you feel about coming here?"
"With everyone else, too?"
"Yes."
Harry took a moment to consider this proposal. After this morning, seeing everything so much brighter, after sitting on Sirius' bed and saying goodbye, Harry knew he would be ok here. Somehow he knew it was time to move on.
"I think that would be fine, sir."
Remus beamed next to Harry.
"I'd like to be here with Remus anyway."
Dumbledore was smiling again. "Wonderful, Harry. I didn't want to force you to go anywhere."
"Thank you, Professor."
"Would you like to know how things are going with the Order?"
"You'd tell me that?"
"You have a right to know, Harry. I'm through keeping things from you."
Harry felt a rush of gratitude mixed with guilt. He knew this was better than being kept in the dark, but he was embarrassed that he had gotten his way out of throwing a tantrum. He looked up at the Headmaster and tried keep his voice steady. "I am so sorry."
"For what, Harry?"
"I acted like a child in your office after that day at the Ministry."
"You had every right to be upset."
"I had no right to take it out on you…not like that."
Dumbledore looked a tad emotional himself for a split second and the next; he was up and sitting next to Harry. "I suppose I could try and convince you that you had every right to treat me that way, but it is very mature of you to apologize to me. I am so proud of you, that I am tempted to just agree that you were in the wrong."
Harry looked up at him., "Please do. I know you were just trying to protect me. I just didn't recognize it because no one has ever done that for me before."
He intended the sentence as explanation, but he could tell it had hurt the Headmaster.
Dumbledore lowered his face and said, "That is my fault as well that you did not have the proper love as a child."
"You are not responsible for how the Dursleys have treated me."
"But it was my choice to put you with them."
"Sirius had been carted off to jail and Remus was probably too heartbroken to do anything. Who else could have taken me?"
"Perhaps I should have taken you in myself. I only feared that it would add to your life being in danger."
"You have given me a home at Hogwarts for the past five years. That's the only place I feel completely safe, and that is because of you."
Dumbledore looked up, "You feel safe there even though I have failed to protect you from Voldemort?"
"I feel safe there because you are there. Voldemort is with me all the time. I am never safe from him because of this stupid scar. That's not your fault, anyway. I do have that habit of taking off willy-nilly to try and save people…" He trailed off, remembering what Ginny had said about that.
"I think Miss Weasley might agree that your habit of saving people is a very good habit to have."
"Yeah – she said that…"
"I know you feel foolish for falling for that vision, but the impulse that took you there is why Voldemort will ultimately fail."
"I wanted to ask you about that..." He looked up as Winky put the tea on the table. "Would you mind giving us some privacy, Winky?"
"Of course." She walked out and Harry waited until the door had closed to continue.
"Remember how you said that 'the power he knows not' is love?"
"Yes."
"Well, the other day something kind of interesting happened." Harry thought 'interesting' was a polite way to say 'something totally freaked me out'.
"What?"
"It's kind of embarrassing…" he was searching for the courage to talk openly about this.
"Does it involve your newfound relationship with Miss Weasley?"
Harry looked up quickly., "Yes, actually, it does."
"Go on."
"Alright…something happened when she uh…when we were um…when we were…kissing."
Dumbledore looked completely unfazed by the subject matter. "I see. Something physical or something magical?"
Harry almost laughed at the question because he was so mortified.
"Um…I think it was something magical."
"Ok, tell me exactly how it happened."
Harry felt his palms get sweaty. "Ok, um…the first time it happened we were talking about Voldemort and she told me she would be damned if he affected the way she felt about me."
"Good show!" Dumbledore said with a smile.
Harry smiled and continued. "Then she said that she…she said she loved me. Then she started kissing me, and I was feeling all happy, and then something started happening to me."
"What?"
"I felt this weird vibration in my stomach and then it spread throughout my body and I heard this weird sound sorta like a buzz, and then the force of it pushed me and Ginny apart."
"Hmm…and this was the first time it happened?"
"Yes."
"How did you feel?"
"Happy. I felt like myself."
"What do you mean, Harry?" Remus interjected.
"I mean that Voldemort was miles away from how I felt. I felt like I was completely Harry…and that's the first time I've ever felt that way."
Dumbledore smiled and suddenly asked, "You say that was the first time it happened?"
"Oh, yes…the second time was after I talked to Mr. Weasley about how I felt about Ginny. She kissed me and told me that she loved me and I told her I loved her too…When I stepped away from her we could both see something sort of radiating from me. I felt super-charged and then it just faded."
Dumbledore considered Harry for a moment then asked carefully, "Do you love her, Harry?"
Harry blushed furiously. "Yessir."
"Well, this is a new development – I can't say I am entirely surprised, but I had no idea you may come across this on your own."
"What exactly have I come across?"
"Your power."
"My magical power?"
"Yes. You were able to tap into the essence of your magical ability merely through powerful emotion such as the love you feel for Ginny. It is sort of like how you conjure a Patronus. You concentrate on good feelings, and you can make it happen. When a wizard taps into his power, he can master very difficult and very advanced magic. I must say, Harry, you never cease to amaze me."
"Thank you, sir. I just wish I understood it."
"Well, perhaps I can help there. How do you feel about replacing your Occlumency lessons with Professor Snape for some private lessons with me?"
"That would be brilliant!" Harry couldn't think of anything better.
"Good. We'll start up at Hogwarts when the school year begins."
"Does that mean you forgive me?"
"Harry, I was never angry with you."
"I know but, please…just accept my apology for the way I acted."
"Alright, Harry. I appreciate you apologizing."
"I'm just glad you got the chance. I couldn't take another year of silence from you."
Dumbledore looked sad again. "Do you think you could forgive me for that, Harry?"
"Of course, Professor." Harry just wanted things to be back to normal for them both.
"Thank you. Now, how about that tea, Remus?"
Remus reached over and poured the three of them some tea, and Dumbledore conjured some biscuits. The three of them enjoyed their tea and chatted politely for a few minutes. Harry talked about how the Dursleys had treated him and talked about Ginny a little (while feeling extremely embarrassed).
Remus looked at his pocket watch again and said, "Professor Dumbledore, the meeting will be starting in about five minutes – shall we head to the dining room?"
Harry frowned. He had been thoroughly enjoying himself spending time with his two mentors.
"What do you want me to do while you're in the meeting?" Harry asked Remus.
Remus looked to Dumbledore.
"Actually, I was hoping you would join us, Harry." Dumbledore said.
Harry looked up, shocked. "In the Order meeting?"
"Well, a lot of it will concern you. What do you think?"
"Oh, I …thank you. Really."
Remus scooted his chair back from the table and stood up, "Shall we?"
Harry stood up and felt a wave of realization hit him. This was it – he was finally being involved in the things that concerned him.
"Maybe Ginny's right," he thought., "We are growing up."
He turned and followed Dumbledore out of the kitchen.
A/N: Hey guys! Sorry it took me so long to get this up! I had some computer issues. I wanted to let you know that I also have this story up at checkmated . com. It will be updated there first in case you are interested. Keep reading and reviewing! I love them all!