Harry Potter - Vengeance and Wrath: The Rise of the Dark Lord
- CHAPTER FOUR -
Return to Grimmauld Place
Dark clouds skulked overhead, threatening to rain, as Harry stood outside the peeling black door that had just appeared between 11 and 13 Grimmauld Place. Mr. Weasley pulled out his wand and tapped the door once, sending some old flakes of black paint tumbling to the floor. The clinking, clanking sound of numerous metallic locks being opened filled the cool, evening air.
Harry gazed around the old, decrepit housing estate to make sure no-one was watching them, but he needn't have worried. All the windows and doors of the surrounding houses had been boarded up, much like the houses in Little Whinging. Only, Harry wasn't sure whether the residents of this neighbourhood had boarded up their homes because of the so-called plague, or because of vandalism.
The door of Number 12 creaked open, and Harry followed Hermione and the Weasleys into the dark, gloomy hallway to be greeted by Remus Lupin, one of Harry's old Defence Against the Dark Arts teachers.
'Now, remember to keep quiet.' Mrs. Weasley hissed, nervously glancing at a pair of old moth-eaten curtains.
Harry didn't need reminding. He could never forget that behind those curtains was a horribly realistic, life-size portrait of Mrs. Black - Sirius' mother. He also couldn't forget that even the slightest noise would wake the portrait and that she would start screaming and shouting a barrage of insults at anyone who walked by.
'Now why don't you lot go upstairs and get settled, while I make us all some dinner?' Mrs. Weasley smiled.
'But we want to see everyone first.' Ron protested.
'You can see them all at dinner.' Mrs. Weasley whispered sternly. 'Now, go on. Upstairs!'
Mrs. Weasley followed her husband down to the basement kitchen, and Ginny tiptoed up the stairs, leaving Harry, Ron and Hermione in the hallway with Lupin.
'Had a nice summer, Harry?' Lupin smiled.
'Not really.' Harry answered honestly. 'Better than last year though, I suppose.'
Lupin was about to reply, when Hermione suddenly gasped.
'Oh, no!' she cried, tears welling in her eyes as she raced over to the display of shrunken house-elf heads mounted on the wall.
'We know, Hermione. It's a bunch of dead house-elves. We saw them last year, remember?' Ron sighed impatiently. He was thoroughly exasperated with Hermione's protest to free all house-elves from enslavement.
'I know we saw it last year, Ron.' Hermione snapped. 'But look.'
Harry suddenly realised why Hermione was so upset. Beside the shrunken heads of the other house-elves, was Kreacher, the elf that had worked for the Order of the Phoenix last year, and had a rather unhealthy obsession with Sirius' dead mother.
'Ah, yes.' Lupin sighed. 'Rather a shame. Can't say I feel sorry for him though.'
'What?' Hermione hissed, trying her best not to yell and wake up Mrs. Black's portrait. 'Why? He was just a poor, innocent, confused house-elf.'
'Oh, whatever Hermione!' Harry yelled. 'Is that why he went to the Malfoys and told them all about my connection to Sirius? That "poor, innocent, confused house-elf" is partly to blame for my godfather's death!' he spat angrily.
A horrible wailing, screeching sound filled the air, and Harry turned around to find that the moth-eaten curtains had burst open, revealing Mrs. Black, her eyes rolling and her yellowing skin stretched as she screamed.
'Filth. Blood-traitors. Mudbloods!' she shrieked. 'Be gone from this house! How dare you trespass in the Ancient and Most Noble house of Black?'
Lupin raced over to the curtain and dragged it back across Mrs. Black's haggard face. At once the screaming and shouting stopped.
'Sorry.' Harry apologised.
'It's OK. And you're right, Harry. Kreacher did go to the Malfoys, and he did tell them about you and Sirius.' Hermione replied.
'Not to mention his attack on Buckbeak.' Ron added quietly.
'Yes. But Buckbeak got his revenge.' Lupin smiled mischievously.
'What? You mean - Buckbeak...?' Hermione's voice trailed off.
'Well, he was found in Buckbeak's room, but we can't be certain - it may just have been an unfortunate accident. But I dare say that Beaky's feeling quite happy.' Lupin grinned.
A dull clunk, clunk, clunk noise drew closer towards them, and moments later Harry heard Moody's gruff voice.
'Hello, Potter.' he growled. 'Nice O.W.L results.' he continued, his magical eye focused on the piece of parchment in the pocket of Harry's jeans. 'With grades like that you shouldn't have any problem becoming an Auror.'
'Mind if I take a look, Harry?' Lupin asked eagerly.
Harry pulled the crumpled piece of parchment from his pocket and handed it to Lupin.
Harry James Potter - O.W.L results
Astronomy
'A'
Care of Magical Creatures
'O'
Charms
'E'
Defence Against the Dark Arts
'O'
Divination
'A'
Herbology
'O'
History of Magic
'P'
Potions
'E'
Transfiguration
'E'
'Well done, Harry!' Lupin grinned. 'Shame about History of Magic though.'
'Yeah. I passed out during the exam.' Harry recalled, shivering at the memory.
'Well, you'd better be going to your rooms now, then.' Lupin said suddenly, noticing the look of sadness that had fallen across Harry's face. 'No doubt you want to get settled in before dinner.' he added, walking back down the stairs and towards the kitchen door.
Harry sat at the long wooden table in the centre of the kitchen, and filled his mouth with sausage and mashed potatoes. All around him members of the Order talked and laughed, and Harry couldn't help thinking how strange it was that Sirius wasn't there. At the end of the table, Tonks was transforming herself, much to the amusement of Hermione and Ginny. Harry watched for a little while, before turning back to his dinner, listening to fragments of Mr. Weasley and Lupin's conversation.
'... what with Percy's demotion and all the letters of complaint, I think it's only a matter of time.' Mr. Weasley said.
'Who do you think will take over? Dumbledore?' Lupin replied.
'No, no - never wanted the job... word is it's someone from abroad... Bulgaria, I think.'
Harry tried to hear more of the conversation, but there were so many other discussions going on, that it was hard to untangle one from another. Still, Harry had heard that Percy had been demoted - maybe that's why he had come crawling back to his family after walking out on them last year? Harry had noticed, before he left the Burrow, that Percy had returned to all the family photographs. But what else had they been talking about? Only a matter of time 'til what? And what had it got to do with his headmaster? Harry thought he'd been keeping up to date with events in the Wizarding world, but clearly he was wrong.
After dinner, Harry, Ron and Hermione sat in the drawing room. Hermione had said that she wanted to get to work on a new campaign for elfish rights, and as she had appointed Harry secretary and Ron treasurer, she had dragged them in to help.
'Ron!' Hermione sighed, exasperated. 'It's S-P-E-W, not SPEW, youhave to put full-stops in-between the letters.' she scolded, talking to her freind as though she were a primary school teacher. 'Remember that, Ron. It's important.'
Ron looked up from the badge he was colouring in, and exchanged glances with Harry.
'Why are we starting this spew nonsense again?' Ron asked iratibly.
'Because, I know Kreacher was... strange and all, but it really is wrong to be keeping house-elves enslaved. If Kreacher was free, he may never have become strange and then he wouldn't have gone and told all those things to the Malfoys.' Hermione stated. 'And we're not "starting it again" because we never stopped. And it's not nonsense' she added.
Ron rolled his eyes.
'Whatever. Can't we finish these badges tomorrow? I'm tired.' Ron replied, making a show out of yawning.
Harry yawned too.
'Ron's right, Hermione. We can finish this tomorrow.'
'Well, just make sure you do!' Hermione huffed. 'You might not think my campaign is important, but I do.'
And with that, Hermione stormed to her room, leaving Ron and Harry sat in the drawing room, lost for words.
'Come, on.' Ron said eventually.'I suppose we'd better go to bed.'