A/N: As I told you in my previous note, Part IV is done and Part V has
begun. This is a whole new and perhaps different aspect for this story,
but I hope you enjoy it as much as you have enjoyed the rest. We begin
with Harry now, I hope you like his upcoming adventures.
*~*~*~*
Disclaimer: HP and relevant characters, places and words belong to JK Rowling, not to me.
*~*~*~*
~ Legacy of Two Generations ~ ~Year Six: Harry Potter and the Lady of the Isle ~
*~*~*~*
Chapter 1 ~ Master Harry
Summer was starting, and it looked to be as warm as the previous year. The fans were on and the windows open in every home of Privet Drive. Children were playing in the street, taking care not to get anywhere near Dudley Dursley's path.
Harry lay on his bed. The window open and Hedwig in her cage eating some owl treats that Harry had brought with him from Hogwarts.
It was the week after his return from school and he hadn't been allowed to go out.
"You'll stay in your room." Uncle Vernon had said after they returned from the station. "I'll not have you running around when those monsters can find you."
Harry was surprised that his uncle cared what happened to him.
"I'll not have you bringing danger to this family." Uncle Vernon continued.
Of course, Harry thought, it's his family he cares about.
"If the only place that it's safe for you it's inside this house, you will stay inside this house." Uncle Vernon roared. "You will not leave your room, except for meals."
"Fine." Harry had exclaimed before taking his trunk and Hedwig's cage to his room. He hadn't really cared.
Nothing really mattered now, Harry thought as he lay on his bed on this warm night. The sky looked darker than usual and his thoughts were just as dark.
He couldn't sleep. His nightmares had become harder to deal then last year's. Last summer he only had to worry about Voldemort, but he had Sirius on his side. This year, he didn't even have his godfather with him anymore.
He groaned and rolled on his side. He didn't want to remember what had happened at the end of the school year. He didn't want to see his godfather's death all over again. It was a memory that returned to him every night.
For once, he was glad to be at the Dursleys than with his friends. There was nobody here to pity him or commiserate with him. He hated it when Ron and Hermione tried to make him feel better, somehow, they only made him feel worse and he lost his temper. At least, the Dursleys didn't bother to say anything to him.
Although, life with the Dursleys was somewhat different this year.
The night news had become a daily ritual. Uncle Vernon would call him to sit with them during the show and every time a report about something strange appeared he would turn to Harry and ask "Well?" Until now, Harry had shook his head, it had nothing to do with Voldemort.
Strangely enough, Harry felt a sort of camaraderie with the Dursleys. Last year, he waited alone to hear about Voldemort. That feeling of agitation had been his alone. Now, there were others waiting with him. He wasn't alone waiting to hear from Voldemort.
It didn't matter that the Durlseys never asked about things by name, they were only vague, but he understood. For the first time in his memory, they cared about what was happening in the Magical World.
Harry sighed in the darkness of his room. Somehow, the night looked darker. He just hoped it was his imagination and not a sign that Voldemort had made his move. Eventually, he fell asleep.
Images started flashing before him. Cedric falling beside him. Wormtail cutting his hand over a cauldron. Voldemort, rising from before him. And worst of all, Sirius falling through the veil.
"NO! SIRIUS!" His own voice woke him up. He was shaking and sweating. The sheets were tangled at his feet and Hedwig was hooting madly in her cage. "Sorry." He said.
He groaned and fell back on his bed.
Great, he thought, this is just great. At least the Dursleys were not pounding on the wall to silence he.
"That's something." Sighed Harry and looked out the window. It was open, as he usually kept it during the summer, that way Hedwig could come and go as she pleased and the air cooled his room after a hot day.
He looked out the window, he knew it would be a while before he fell asleep once more and he was sure that even then his dreams would not be happy ones.
He sensed, rather than saw, Hedwig fly out of her cage and soar through the open window. Harry said nothing.
Ron and Hermione had not written. And he hoped it would continue to be so. For the first time since he turned eleven, he honestly wished that nobody thought of him. He didn't want to read through sympathetic mail that tried to make him feel better when the only thing that came out of it was sadness and memories that he wished would go away.
He sighed once more and turned letting his eyes close for a little while.
Perhaps he should try to sleep once more, it did no good to think of things that he couldn't change. If he could, he would've done so long ago.
*~*~*~*
The rays of the shining sun hit Harry's eyes. Harry groaned and covered his eyes with his arm, but it was too late to go back to sleep. He was awake now.
He put down his arm and looked around. The repaired clock showed that it was near noon. He groaned. Aunt Petunia was sure to be angry that he hadn't been awake to cook breakfast for Uncle Vernon and Dudley.
He frowned. Why hadn't they knocked on his door? Usually, he was awoken by the pounding on his door when Aunt Petunia wanted him up to cook breakfast. Even though Uncle Vernon had said he was to remain inside the house at all times and he had stayed within his room most of the time, he was still waken up early by Aunt Petunia. But this time it was different, and he wondered what made it so.
He left the bed and dressed. He looked stranger than ever wearing Dudley's old clothes. They were no longer short, but baggy. He hadn't noticed that he had grown a few inches during the year, then again, there were other things in his mind than how many inches he had grown. But the fact remained that even though he and Dudley now seemed to be of the same height, Dudley still retained more fat than Harry would ever accumulate for the rest of his life.
If he could use his wand, he would shrink it a bit. But after the hearing last year, he didn't dare do anything that would take him back to the Ministry once more.
He tied the belt as tight as he could and open the door. He peered into the corridor, but nobody was nearby. He slipped out the door and shut it behind him and started walking to the stairs as quietly as he could.
He house seemed eerily quiet. He couldn't hear the voices of Aunt Petunia or Dudley, he knew that Uncle Vernon would be at work and wasn't expected for lunch today. He couldn't even hear the TV.
He climbed down the stairs and walked toward the kitchen. Nobody was inside. The table was cleared and the sink was clean.
He frowned, where could they have gone.
"They went shopping." A voice said behind him.
Harry turned quickly, his wand clasped tightly in his hand.
"Put that away! You might hurt somebody." Moody said as he pulled the invisibility cloak from himself.
"You shouldn't sneak up on people like that." Said Harry, slipping his wand back into his pocket where he had slipped it from a few moments ago.
Moody grunted but said nothing.
"How do you know Aunt Petunia and Dudley went shopping anyways?" Asked Harry as he turned to the refrigerator in search for something to eat.
"Heard them myself. Was standing by the door when the woman said they were going to buy things for the house and that they would eat out as a treat." Moody said as he watched Harry pull some meat and salad from the cooler.
Harry nodded and walked to the stove to prepare his meal.
"I thought that you would stop watching me." Harry said and turned to look at Moody, who was now sitting on a chair, the invisibility cloak was folded on the table.
"Voldemort still out there, isn't he? And after what happened a few weeks ago, he will be more angry." Moody said, his normal eye was looking around the kitchen but his magical eye remained on Harry.
"He hasn't done anything yet, has he?" Harry asked cautiously. He hadn't heard of any suspicious attacks but that didn't mean Voldemort hadn't done anything.
"Not yet. He must be waiting to recoup. After the capture of many of his Death Eaters, he will need to think carefully before continuing." Moody said.
Harry looked at Moody with surprise, he hadn't really expected that Moody would answer him, after all they had all been reticent about their activities last year. He thought that maybe now things had changed after what had happened a couple of weeks ago.
"I see. And what will happen to them?" Harry asked, hoping that Moody would continue answering his questions.
"Don't know. Ministry's in quite a mess right now." Moody said.
"Why?" Harry asked with surprise. He had stopped receiving the Daily Prophet this summer. He hadn't really expected to find much among its pages after all the lies it published during the past year.
"Ministry's under investigation." Spat Moody. "After the mess of the past month, people want to know why it happened."
"Why what happened?" Harry asked in confusion. Maybe he should reinstate his subscription to the Daily Prophet.
"Well, several of the Death Eaters captured had escaped from Azkaban and then there were quite a few that were regular members of the Ministry or friends of the Minister himself. Not to mention the fact that Voldemort himself was inside the Ministry, only somebody close to the Minister could have led such and attack. They think." Moody said as he watched Harry place the hot food on a plate and walk to the table.
"Malfoy?" Harry asked. He knew that Mr. Malfoy had been a constant visitor to the Ministry, he himself had seen him in company of the Minister.
"He's one." Moody said.
"What are they going to do now?" Harry asked.
"Those old ladies of the Ministry haven't decided yet, and people are not happy." Moody replied.
Harry nodded. He could understand that, he wasn't happy about it all either.
"How long do you think they will take in fixing everything?" Harry asked.
"Months, maybe a year. Wouldn't be surprised if Dumbledore had to step in and make things right." Moody sneered.
Harry thought he might be right. Dumbledore seemed like the perfect solution to take care of the problems that the Ministry now faced.
"Do you think he will leave Hogwarts to go the Ministry?" Harry wanted to know.
"Don't think so. Dumbledore doesn't care much for the Ministry." Moody scoffed. "Loves Hogwarts too much."
"Good." Harry exclaimed and finished his meal.
The clock marked one.
"Have to go. Someone should come and take my place in a moment." Moody said.
Harry saw Moody disappear underneath the invisibility cloak.
"Don't go anywhere." Moody's disembodied voice said.
"Ok." Said Harry and waited for the pop that he was sure to hear at the moment Mood disapparated. A second pop was heard a minute later.
"Who is it this time?" Harry asked as he washed the dishes.
"Me." Remus said with a smile.
Harry turned and smiled in return, he liked Professor Lupin more than Moody, he was a lot friendlier than the taciturn old man.
"How are you doing?" Remus asked as he peered closely at Harry.
Harry sighed silently. He knew Remus was worried about him, they all were, he reckoned. But even though he understood, it didn't mean he had to like it.
"I'm fine." He answered.
Harry dried the dishes and put them in their place.
Remus settled in his chair and conjured a cup of tea.
The Order had decided that Harry was in more danger than ever. Voldemort was surely to be very angry that Harry, and not to mention Dumbledore, had been able to thwart him one more time from his objective. They had continued keeping an eye on Harry, but this time it seemed a waste of time to keep hidden from him, as he already knew what they were doing. And perhaps this way, there would not be a repeat of what had happened last year. The only reason they bothered with the invisibility cloak was to hide from the muggles, but as Harry didn't seem to leave the house much since his return from Hogwarts, that didn't seem to be a problem.
"Moody was telling me there is some trouble in the Ministry." Harry said.
Remus looked surprised as he looked at Harry. After a moment, he nodded.
"Things are not good for the Minister right now." He responded.
Harry nodded. "I'm glad." He said and looked around the kitchen. He might as well do something, if he started thinking about what had happened weeks before he would only get depressed.
"You don't mean that." Exclaimed Remus. "It's true that he has not been wise in the last couple of years, but that doesn't mean that he is not a good man."
Harry shrugged. "He is a fool."
Remus chuckled. "Nobody will argue with that."
"He could have done a lot to prevent what happened." Harry said angrily. "But he was an idiot and ignored everything I and Dumbledore told him. If he is having trouble now, good. He deserves it."
Remus sighed silently. "I know what you're feeling Harry. He was my friend too and I miss him. But nothing we do can bring him back. We can only work and do what we can to keep others from going through the same thing we are."
Harry didn't want to hear what Remus was saying. He didn't want to let go of his anger, it was the only thing that kept him from shedding tears at the thought of Sirius' death.
"Sirius knew what could happen when we first joined Dumbledore. So did your father years ago. If we became bitter every time we lose one of our own, then we couldn't perform our duty and we would be no better than Voldemort and his Death Eaters. Don't let grief do that to you Harry. Sirius wouldn't like it, neither would your parents." Remus said.
"I will never be able to know that now, will I? If Fudge hadn't been such an idiot and had listened to us, Sirius would still be here." Harry exclaimed.
"He was scared to believe, Harry. Many people were. That's why it was so easy to discredit Dumbledore and make you seem some sort of liar. Those of us who joined the order this time always believed that the night of your parents' death was not the end of Voldemort. We all knew that all he needed was a little help and he could return to his old self. But many people didn't want to believe that it could've been possible. They preferred to think that Voldemort was gone and he wasn't coming back. You must have noticed when your interview appeared in The Quibbler. Ron and Hermione have mentioned how discouraging it was to find that some people didn't want to accept the truth. It wasn't that they didn't want to accept it, they just didn't want to believe that it was possible for it to be the truth. Unfortunately, the Minister was one of those people, and you're right, he lost a lot of time trying to discredit Dumbledore and you that he left the field wide open for Voldemort. But now he knows the truth, along with everybody else. That's the one right thing to have come out of the attack on the Ministry. And we must not forget it, there are a lot of people out there that depend on us." Remus said kindly.
Harry turned away from him. He knew Remus was right. But he couldn't help thinking that thanks to Voldemort and his Death Eaters he would never know what his parents or Sirius expected from him.
He slammed his hand against the counter and walked out of the kitchen. He heard Remus call after him and the sound of the chair scraping on the floor as if Remus had stood abruptly. But Harry didn't turn back. He ran up the stairs and snapped shut the door behind him as he entered into his room.
He slumped on the bed.
He didn't hear Remus anymore, perhaps he had gone, he thought. It didn't matter to Harry, and tears started to slide down his face.
*~*~*~*
He didn't leave his room for the rest of the day. He heard his aunt return a couple of hours after his talk with Remus, but he didn't bother to move from his bed. He was sure he wouldn't be missed. He could hear his aunt and cousin talking in the kitchen. The deep rumbles of his cousin's voice intermingled with the sharp tone of his aunt. Harry listened to the droning voices and eventually fell asleep.
He didn't stay so for long. He was awoken abruptly by his cousin, who was knocking smartly on his bedroom door.
"Mom wants you!" Dudley was yelling on the other side of the door.
Harry groaned and stood up.
He heard Dudley continuing on to his own bedroom. Since their return from school, Dudley had tried to avoid Harry at all costs. Harry didn't mind, he just wished that it was possible for them both to avoid meeting at all. But they would never dare miss any of the meals with Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon. Even then, Dudley tried to ignore Harry.
Harry only shrugged it off. Dudley ignoring him was much better than Dudley bothering him.
Harry left his bedroom and climbed down the stairs. He could hear Aunt Petunia gathering pots and pans to prepare their afternoon meal.
Aunt Petunia turned sharply around when she heard Harry enter the kitchen. She frowned. "Have you been sleeping the whole morning?" She snapped as she turned back to her pots.
"No." Harry said. He went to the grocery bags in the middle of the table and started to pull the shopping from them.
"Humph!" Snorted Aunt Petunia, it was clear that she didn't believe him and thought he had been sleeping.
Harry didn't say anything to contradict her.
"Leave the vegetables and the meat out, you can put the rest away." Ordered Aunt Petunia.
"All right." Said Harry and started to put things away, leaving the vegetables and meat on top of the table.
"Put the vegetables in the sink, and wash them while I prepare the meat." Harry heard Aunt Petunia say as he put the shopping bags away.
Harry nodded and took the vegetables to the sink. He could hear Aunt Petunia pulling spices from the pantry to prepare the meat.
Harry looked out to the garden. It was a sunny day. July had barely started and kids were trying to enjoy their summer as much as possible. Harry sighed and looked down on the vegetables. He wished he could be like a normal boy his age, things would be a lot easier if he was.
*~*~*~*
The days continued to get hotter as July was nearing its end. Harry's birthday was only a couple of weeks away and he hadn't received many letters from his friends.
A few notes had made their way to him, but Harry had ignored them and left him upon his desk. On this warm afternoon he decided to open them.
Hedwig was out flying around the neighborhood. He could hear Dudley playing music very loudly in his bedroom and knew that Aunt Petunia was happily watching her soaps in the kitchen TV.
The first note he opened was from Ron.
As he expected, it didn't contained much news that he didn't know already. "Dad says that the Ministry is under so much pressure that there are rumors that a committee will be formed to investigate all of those working directly under Mr. Fudge." Ron wrote. "Mum was upset to find out that Percy was one of those people under investigation. Dad doesn't talk about it, of course, but we know he is sad about it too."
Harry was sorry that Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were saddened and worried about what was happening to Percy, but in his point of view, Percy deserved it. He should've known better than to take a stand against his family. Know it seemed that his career in the Ministry was on the line and might very well lose it. But the worst thing, Harry thought, was that Percy was going to deal with it on his own, he didn't even had the safe knowledge that no matter what happened during the investigation his family was behind him. He had lost his family and now he stood alone.
Unlike Ron's letter, which contained news about the latest in the Ministry investigation, Hermione's made it clear that she worried about him. "We haven't heard from you in days!" Harry read. "I'm sure that Ron is as worried about you as I am. Please don't be angry Harry. You know that we will always be with you if you need us."
There were a few notes from Hagrid. They were full of news about some preparations going on at Hogwarts and about the continual health of his giant brother. The notes seemed to be cheerful and optimistic. And made Harry smile with Hagrid's accounts of his continuing efforts to help his brother.
No news were relayed about the Order's activities, but Harry didn't expect any. It had been very clear in the past year that Dumbledore and others were rather worried of allowing him to know much about what they did. It was easier for Harry to accept their silence than he had last summer. Now he knew how dangerous his bond with Voldemort was and Harry wasn't too keen in giving him any more weapons to hurt him with.
His scar had continued to twinge since his return from Hogwarts and there were times when he slept that he was aware of being somewhere he shouldn't be. But most of the images didn't make any sense to him, but he tried to keep the memories of such images fresh in his mind. The same thing had happened to him last year and he was sure that the memories of the images that had invaded his mind then, had saved them from serious harm when they found themselves in the Department of Mysteries a few weeks ago.
He put away the notes and lay back on his bed. He knew his friends worried, but he couldn't help but feel what he did. It was worse this summer than the last, he thought, this time he had lost somebody who very close to his heart.
He turned and twisted on his bed as he tried to keep the images of Sirius' death from his mind, those were images that he didn't wish to remember.
*~*~*~*
He stayed in his room for several days. The Dursleys didn't seem to notice him missing, and were clearly happy that he kept himself apart from them. The only time Harry left his room was to go to the bathroom and to eat his meals with the rest of the family. Even Dudley was keeping close to home.
Unlike the last summer, this summer he seemed to have decided to spend all his time in his bedroom, playing with his computer, watching TV, or listening to his stereo system at full volume. Harry was sure that Dudley still remembered the last time he found himself alone late at night, and he was sure that it was for that reason that he tried to be home early. Harry himself still remembered that night, it was something that had brought several revelations about life at Privet Drive. Because of the Dementors' attack last summer, Harry found out about Mrs. Figg and the Order of the Phoenix much sooner than he would've had. Of course it lead to a series of events that he wished at the time he wouldn't had to.
He also started to notice that Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia were rather nervous, he didn't know the reason why, but he was sure it had something to do with him.
During his self-imposed retirement Harry didn't see any member of the Order in the house again. He knew they still kept an eye on the house, but he wished they would apparate in his room to keep him company. But he thought it was likely that Professor Lupin had told them to keep away from him for a while. But now, Harry wanted news and wanted to know what was happening in the various investigations the Ministry had begun as result of the Death Eater attack on the Ministry last June. He hadn't continued with his subscription with the Daily Prophet and he still didn't want to take it up again, he wasn't sure if it was safe to trust it, not after the false news it imparted for the last year.
It was about a week after his talk with Professor Lupin that Harry found himself leaving his room for no reason at all.
The house was silent. He knew Uncle Vernon had gone to work early and Aunt Petunia had gone with him to shop in London for a dinner they planned to throw for some important people in the neighborhood. They thought it was time for them to show off to the neighbors the new furniture that Aunt Petunia had bought a few weeks ago, before Harry and Dudley had returned from school. Dudley, Harry knew, wasn't at home either. He had heard Dudley leave the house an hour after his parents' departure.
Harry left his room and climbed down the stairs. He looked into the parlor before he entered the kitchen, making sure that the house was indeed empty.
In the kitchen, he grabbed some fruit from the bowl Aunt Petunia had bought for the purpose a few days ago. Harry knew that her reason for buying the bowl and the fruit was for decoration not for them to eat. The bowl was made of expensive crystal, the golden rim glinted in the light streaming through the window. Harry looked around, there was really nothing for him to do. He knew that his Aunt Petunia would've had thought of something, but to him, the house looked perfectly clean and he didn't feel like doing chores he knew would not be appreciated.
He shrugged and turned on the TV, there was nobody that could deny him the pleasure of watching whatever he wanted. He pulled out a chair and sat by the table watching the screen as he switched channels looking for something to watch.
"Turn it to channel 2, they show a soap I've been wanting to see for so long." Somebody said behind him.
Harry turned to find Tonks smiling brightly.
"Do you mind if I sit and stay with you a while? It's boring keeping watch on the house." She said as she pulled out a chair.
"Of course." Said Harry, he was only too happy to have somebody friendly to speak to.
"Thanks." Murmured Tonks as she reached for an apple from the fruit bowl.
"How are things at the Ministry?" Harry asked. He had been very curious about what was happening in the investigation of Mr. Fudge.
"Bad. I don't think Fudge will stay as Minister for long." Tonks said.
"Really? Why?" Harry asked. He didn't like Mr. Fudge, in his opinion he deserved whatever he got, but he didn't know what could happen to Mr. Fudge, he always thought that as Minister of Magic, there was nobody in a higher position than him.
"People want him out. A petition has been started asking for Fudge's resignation and the investigation started on his people is not making him look good to the public. In fact, the press seemed to have a field trip with him. Not that the press is high on the public's esteem to begin with. Especially the Daily Prophet. People have started to pull their subscriptions from the Prophet and sign up with other less known publications. In fact, The Quibbler has doubled their subscriptions in the last two weeks." Tonks reported with a smile.
"It has? Why are people not happy with the Prophet?" Harry asked curiously.
"There are many people that are angry that the truth about You-Know-Who's return was kept from them and that it was reported only after the attack on the Ministry. They think that the press should be kept out of politics and be impartial in their reporting, the fact that the Ministry used the Prophet to feed false reports to the public and used it to discredit those who knew the truth - you and Dumbledore of course - it all makes the public weary of believing a publication that is clearly run by the Ministry and not by impartial members of the press." Tonks said.
"What is the Prophet doing about it?" Harry asked.
"Well, for starters, the Head Editors and reporters have been replaced. Most of the new staff are new members of the press under the direction of known reporters hired from other well-known publications. Even the Witch Weekly has suffered. It is owned by the same people who owned the Prophet you know." Tonks said eagerly, Harry shook his head, he didn't know anything about how the Prophet or the magazine were ran, but it would explain how Rita Skeeter had been able to publish her writing in both publications so easily. "It has all been big news in the last days."
Harry nodded his understanding, hadn't he stopped his subscription to the Prophet as well? But he had never thought to take his subscription elsewhere, not that he knew of any other newspaper in the Magical World.
"So who is reporting truthfully about what is happening at the Ministry?" Harry asked. Maybe he could get a subscription from one of those other publications.
"Well, they all are really." Said Tonks thoughtfully. "Even the Prophet, they are all trying to keep the public happy with their reports and are staying within the true reports coming out of the Ministry."
"Is the investigation over yet?" Harry asked.
"Oh no, it's barely starting!" Tonks exclaimed. "The later reports say that all members of the staff have been asked to appear before the Wizengamont. Well, at least in front of the remaining members of the Wizengamont." Harry looked confused, so Tonks explained. "There were some members who were asked to step down from their seats because of their close ties to the Minister and their acceptance to all the radical changes that the Minister has done in the past year."
"Oh." Exclaimed Harry. He could understand why they would be asked to leave the Wizengamont.
"They have been asked to appear before the court as well. They are being questioned about the Minister and the orders they have received from him lately. They have been asked to take Veritaserum during questioning." Tonks said with glee. "No way they can lie about what the Minister planned and ordered in the last months."
Harry was surprised at the tactics the Ministry was willing to take to reach a conclusion to their investigation. He never thought that he would live at a time when trust was a valuable trait.
"There are a lot of things that the public is aware of that had been kept from them a year ago." Tonks said.
"Like what?" Harry asked.
"Well, like that dementor attack on you last summer." Whispered Tonks.
"What? Why?" Harry was surprised. He knew that the attack had been hushed, and had not been reported. Harry had thought at the time that it had been the Minister who had kept the press from reporting it, but now he knew it had been Professor Umbridge who had ordered the attack and had kept it from everybody else.
"Dolores Umbridge, the Senior Undersecretary to the Minister, was one of the first persons to appear before the court. She confessed to have been the one to order the attack." Tonks whispered. "Can't tell you the uproar that created. She was even sentenced to spend six months at Azkaban. But it was late for the Ministry to keep that from the press, there were many reporters present at the time and they all rushed to print the story. Dumbledore was terribly angry that it had been she who had ordered that attack."
Harry could well imagine what everybody had thought about that report.
"And they're are not done with her yet. After the press reported about the attack, many Hogwarts students came forward complaining about cruel punishments and restrictions she used during her time at the school. There are a lot of angry parents out there." Tonks continued.
Harry nodded his understanding, he himself had suffered through Professor Umbridge's detentions and restrictions and was happy to know that the Ministry was taking the reports against her seriously.
"That didn't help Fudge any. Even though it was clear from the interrogation that he didn't know about her orders for the attack it was clear that he was only too eager to punish you without cause, that only made him seem like some sort of collaborator. She even mentioned that she almost used one of the Unforgivable Curses on one of the students." Tonks whispered, she was clearly scandalized that a member of the Ministry had tried to so such a thing.
Harry remembered that very clearly, it had happed the night of the attack when he and the others had been caught using the Floo Network from Professor Umbridge's office. She was trying to make him tell her his reasons for breaking into her office and he wasn't talking, if Hermione hadn't stopped her, she would've used the Cruciatus Curse on him.
"It was me." Harry said. "She was going to use the Cruciatus Curse, but Hermione stopped her."
"Really? I bet the Ministry is going to ask you to appear before the court to testify then." Tonks said.
Harry nodded. He wouldn't mind appearing in front of the court this time. He would gladly tell the Ministry everything Professor Umbridge had done at the school.
"Was that reported too?" He asked.
"Not that you had been the student she threatened. But they did report that she had confessed to almost using it." Tonks said. "There are a lot of people who were angered at the thought that the Minister had appointed her to Hogwarts. You should've seen the members of the Wizengamont who were presiding at the time. Amelia Bones almost lost control of the whole things. So many people yelling in anger."
"What about the other members of Fudge's staff? Have they said anything against him?" Harry asked.
"Not really, they have only proved that he is a fool." Tonks exclaimed. "But they are asking a lot of questions about his behavior. I think they are afraid that the Minister had been acting under the Imperius Curse. But of course everything is pointing out that he was acting on his own, and that is making it even worse for him. I think people would've been more understanding if it was proven that he had been under the curse, he would've been innocent of any wrong doing, but now that everybody is sure he was acting on his own accord, nobody wants him to keep his job."
"What does he say?" Harry was curious, he hadn't liked when the press were telling lies about him and he imagined the Minister didn't like the bad reports, especially since he seemed to enjoy the power his job allowed him.
"Nothing. He hasn't appeared before the press to defend himself, but people who have seen him say that he has lost some weight and that he looks old and tired with worry." Tonks reported. "I don't think he's going to last long."
There was some noise outside and both Harry and Tonks jumped from their seats. They heard voices and they both listened carefully.
"My parents are not home." Somebody was saying. "We can watch TV if we want."
"It's Dudley and his friends." Harry whispered.
Tonks nodded and quickly pulled the invisibility cloak over her while Harry turned off the TV and threw away the apple cores they had left on the table.
Moments later, Dudley led his friends into the house.
"Stay here, I'll get some sodas." Dudley ordered to his friends. "What are you doing here?" He asked the moment he saw Harry in the kitchen.
"Eating." Said Harry as he tied the top of the full bag of trash and pulled it from the bin.
Dudley snorted but didn't say anymore. He opened the fridge and took out several cans of soda before returning to the sitting room.
Harry put an empty bag into the trash bin and opened the back door to take out the trash.
"Thanks." He heard Tonks whisper into his ear before hearing a loud pop that signified her disapparating from the vicinity.
Harry returned to the house and made his way silently to his room, he didn't want to run into Dudley's gang.
He lay on his bed, thinking about everything that Tonks had told him. It seemed that the Ministry would have a long summer this year. But he couldn't help but think that all of it only make it easier for Voldemort to act undetected by the rest of the world.
*~*~*~*
Other members of the Order made their appearance before him to keep him company whenever the Durseys weren't around. It was a week before his birthday and he was sure that he was up to date with the latest news from the Ministry.
Mundungus had told him about Percy's appearance before the court and how he was questioned not only about his work with the Minister but also about his year working with Mr. Crouch. It was very clear by the end of the interrogation that Percy had lost his standing in the Ministry and he was most likely to become only a junior clerk in one of the obscure offices of the Ministry.
Harry was saddened for Mrs. Weasley's sake; in his opinion, Percy deserved what he got. Because of his ambitions, he had aligned himself with people who did foolish things to keep their jobs and in the process ruined them.
He received many more letters from Hermione and Ron, telling him all about the latest news appearing in the Daily Prophet, Hermione even included cuttings from the reports of the interrogations. It was very clear that things were not going any better for the Minister. And several readers had written declaiming against the Minister's actions. As one reader had written on an editorial page that Hermione had sent him, ".the foolish actions of our present Minister have made more than obvious that he is not the right person to hold such distinguished position. We need somebody with the courage and open mind to be able to stand against the evil that is blackening our world. The old-fashioned mind of Mr. Fudge is not what we need. There is only one thing that I need to say to our Minister: Step down Mr. Fudge, step down!"
Harry read every clipping with eager curiosity. He could now understand how it must have been during the time his parents were alive and Voldemort had been at the height of his terrorizing days.
It was after reading the latest clippings from Hermione that Harry found himself in the kitchen helping Aunt Petunia to prepare their midday meal. Uncle Vernon was expected to return home early from work and planned to stay at home the rest of the day to help Aunt Petunia prepare for the dinner party, which was planned to take place in two days time.
"Wash the potatoes and place them in the pan. The oven should be hot enough now to start putting them in." Aunt Petunia said a little distracted, she was busily watching over the window at their next door neighbor's house.
Harry did as he was bid. He had just finished placing the potatoes into the oven when they heard the sound of an engine driving down the street.
"Vernon is here." Aunt Petunia said as she hurried to finish with the salad she had been working on.
Harry turned to clear the table, it would soon be time for the meal to be served and he was sure that Dudley would soon return from his perambulations around the neighborhood with his friends.
He was right. No sooner had he put away the things from the table that he heard Uncle Vernon's voice call to Dudley. "Well met son, been with your friends?"
"Yes. They're helping me train so I can be on shape when I return to school." Harry heard Dudley say. He snorted with disbelief. How could his aunt and uncle be so blind to the kind of person Dudley was becoming, he asked himself.
Uncle Vernon and Dudley were soon in the kitchen. The potatoes were baking in the oven, the salad was waiting in the fridge and Aunt Petunia was cutting the smoked ham she had prepared.
"Afternoon, my dear." Uncle Vernon greeted his wife jovially.
Aunt Petunia turned her cheek to receive her husband's kiss. "How was you day?" She asked.
"Great. Mentioned our little party to Mr. Deacon, you remember him? He is the one with that big construction company in London. He has one house in town, one in Wales and one in the continent. A very important client. Said that he might pop up this weekend at the party, if we play our cards correctly, a lot of new clients will come our way and that extra set of rooms you want will be ours." Uncle Vernon said gleefully rubbing his hands together.
"Can I have a bigger room then?" Asked Dudley looking at his parents.
"Of course you can Duddy dear." Aunt Petunia said happily. She didn't notice Dudley wince at his mother's pet name for him, but Harry did and smiled. He knew his cousin didn't like those names, but he was never going to say that to his mother.
Fifteen minutes later, they were all sitting around the table, the smoked ham in place of pride in the middle of the table, the salad and potatoes around it.
Harry ate silently as Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia started to discuss the dinner party. Dudley was too busy eating to pay any attention to what was happening around him. It was during a lull in the conversation that a sound surprised them all.
Harry was finishing his meal while Aunt Petunia drank her tea and Dudley and Uncle Vernon were dividing the last of the ham, when a loud pop was heard in the next room.
Aunt Petunia gasped in fright, Uncle Vernon looked aghast at Harry and Dudley for once forgot about his food.
Harry had come to his feet in an instant and had taken his wand from his socks. Since his return to Privet Drive he had hidden it there every morning.
"What was that? What is happening?" Asked a frightened Uncle Vernon.
"Someone apparated in the other room." Harry whispered.
"What? What is that?" Dudley whimpered.
"It's the sound when somebody appears magically." Harry explained.
"Wh-wh-what?" Aunt Petunia was clearly scared.
"Shhh! I don't hear any movement, but that doesn't mean there is nobody there." Said Harry. "Call Mrs. Figg and tell her what we just heard."
"Mrs. Figg? What does she have to do with this?" Uncle Vernon asked in confusion.
"The Order will come if they hear about the call." Was all Harry said.
The Dudleys didn't understand anything about the Order and its connection to Mrs. Figg. But they figured that help would be needed and they did as Harry asked.
Harry walked slowly to the door. He opened it silently and looked out to the next room. He couldn't see anybody and was beginning to relax when he noticed a shadow move from one of the corners.
"Ok." He murmured. "Here I go." He lifted his wand higher and clasped it tightly. The Dursleys followed a few feet behind.
"If I take them by surprise, it will give me an advantage." He said softly and jumped through the open doorway with a "Ahh!"
He didn't see anything but heard a high pitched squeak. He frowned, he recognized that sound, but before he continued with the thought something had wrapped itself around his legs.
He looked down in horror thinking to find a serpent trying to immobilize him, to his consternation he saw instead a small figure with its arms wrapped tightly around him.
"Master Harry, Master Harry, Minnie thought she would never see you, Master Harry." The small creature cried and looked up at Harry.
Harry recognized the bat-like eared creature as a house-elf, but he didn't recognized this particular house-elf.
"What? Who are you?" Harry asked in surprise.
To his horror, the elf started to cry.
"Master Harry knows not his Minnie! Minnie has looked and looked and Master Harry knows not his Minnie!" It sobbed.
Harry was confused. He couldn't understand why a house elf would cry because he didn't know who it was. There had only been one elf who had come to Privet Drive looking to find him, and that had been Dobby who was trying to warn him about trouble at Hogwarts. But why would another elf be looking for him?
Several pops sounded in the kitchen. Aunt Petunia screamed and started running up the stairs, Dudley and Uncle Vernon followed soon and followed her. Minutes later, Harry heard the sound of a door snapping shut in the upper floor.
The elf was still clasping his legs tightly and he was afraid to move in case he lost his balance and fell upon one of the tables nearby full with expensive decorative knick-knacks he knew his Aunt would never forgive him for breaking.
He heard hurried steps from the kitchen as the elf sobbed wildly against his legs. He looked to the doorway and saw Lupin, Moody and Tonks appear with worried expressions.
Professor Lupin stopped abruptly and looked aghast at the elf.
"Minnie? What are you doing here?" He asked quickly.
The elf loosened its grasp from Harry and looked at Lupin with happy surprise.
"Master Remus!" She yelled happily. "Minnie found Master Harry, Minnie found him."
"I can see that." Lupin said with surprise.
"What is this then? What is that house-elf doing here?" Moody exclaimed rather abruptly.
The elf looked frightened at the sight of him and hid behind Harry's legs.
Harry could see Tonks trying to look from behind Moody's shoulder with curiosity down at the elf.
Lupin motioned them to keep quiet and walked further into the room. He kneeled on the floor and looked around Harry's legs to talk to the elf.
"Minnie, you shouldn't be here. Dumbledore will not be happy." Lupin said.
The elf's ears drooped around her face. "But Master Harry needed his Minnie." She said.
Lupin looked down at the elf with understanding. Harry couldn't understand what was happening, why was the elf calling herself his Minnie?
"Minnie, how did you get here, you are not supposed to be able to leave the Manor, Dumbledore made sure of that years ago." Lupin said.
"Minnie cried and cried, Master Harry was here without his Minnie and she couldn't leave the Manor, but then Minnie found that she could leave the house and with practice she could apparate out of the village. Minnie has been working for years, Master Remus, Master Harry needed his Minnie." The elf replied.
Harry sighed with exasperation, this was making no sense to him. "Professor?" He asked down at Lupin.
Lupin looked up at Harry.
"What is going on?" Asked Harry.
Lupin sighed in resignation. He looked down at the elf and looked up to Harry. He sighed again. It was clear to Harry that he didn't want to tell him about the elf, that it might be information he wasn't supposed to know, and he was trying to think things through whether to tell him or not.
Finally, Lupin stood up. "Come Minnie, come in front of me." He urged to the elf.
The elf looked hopefully at him and at Harry before stepping in front of Lupin.
"Harry." Lupin said looking kindly at the elf. "This is Minnie, your personal elf."
"My what?" Asked Harry aghast.
"Your personal elf. Minnie here is one of three personal elves belonging to the House of Potter. She served your father when he was your age and he served you when you were born. Minnie here was your nursery maid during the first year of your life." Lupin said.
Harry looked down at the elf with surprise. This was the first time he ever heard about his family having elves. "Hermione is not going to like this." Was all he could think of saying.
Lupin smiled. "No she won't, but tell her not to give her any clothes. It would only serve to alienate Minnie and the other elves."
"Other elves?" Harry asked with apprehension.
Lupin had turned to look at Moody and Tonks. "Dumbledore has to know about this. With Minnie breaking through his spell, it will not be longer before the other elves start apparating here to join her."
Moody nodded. "Right. I'll go. You stay here and help if any more appear." He said abruptly to Tonks before disapparating.
"Professor? What do you mean the other elves, how many are there?" Harry asked rather worriedly. He looked down at the elf who was happily cleaning his shoes with one side of her toga, which he noticed was very similar to the ones the Hogwarts elves had, white towels draped as a toga with a crest on a corner. But the crest on Minnie's towel was that of a rampant stag, with a red background.
"Well, I don't remember the correct number, but the house-elves won't come, only the personal elves. There are three of them, Minnie, Lotty and Otty." Remus said looking up to the ceiling as if trying to remember.
"Personal elves? I always thought there was only one kind of elves." Asked Tonks as she looked at Minnie with curiosity.
"There are two kinds. The house-elves are the most common and they generally come with the house, large houses mostly, and they served the master of the house, that means that even if a house changes hands, the house-elves will serve whoever lives as the current master. Personal elves are a little different. Personal elves are magically connected to their masters and they pass down from father to son, mother to daughter, the family can lose all its money, even the house and the house-elves, but the Personal elf will continue serving his master until death." Remus said.
"And my family had three?" Asked Harry.
Remus nodded. "Otty is the cook, he is in charge of all the meals eaten by the master and his family, Lotty is the Senior Elf, he serves the master, and in some cases his wife. Minnie here is the Junior Elf, she serves the master's son, if there is no son then the master's mother, or any other person her master decrees. She served James until Old Mr. Potter died, James then inherited Lotty as his personal elf and Minnie here served other members of the family, including Lily before they married. After they married, Lotty served both of them and Minnie served other members of the family until you were born."
"But why is she here now, why didn't she appear before?" Asked Tonks.
"When they went into hiding, Dumbledore placed a charm on the personal elves severing their connection to the family. They worried that if anybody got a look of the elves at Godric Hollow their hiding place would be in danger. The spell was supposed to work as long as the family was in danger from Voldemort." Remus said.
"How is it that she is here then?" Tonks exclaimed.
Remus shook his head. "Don't know. Elves have their own special brand of magic, and personal elves' magic is more evolved than those of a regular house elf. I don't know how she got around Dumbledore's spell, but you might be sure that the others are soon going to sense that the spell has been broken and they can now join their master."
"What is going to happen now?" Harry asked.
"I don't know. Dumbledore will know what is best." Remus said.
Minnie was still sitting on the floor, she had finished with Harry's shoes and was now hugging one of his legs tightly. She was obviously happy to stay as she was.
*~*~*~*
A/N: What do you think Dumbledore will do now that Minnie has found Harry? I hope you enjoyed this chapter. The title for the Sixth Year is tentative still, so don't think of it by that title, I'm just thinking of it by the Sixth Year, I might change the title of it later, Harry Potter and something-something-something. Don't forget to review.
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Disclaimer: HP and relevant characters, places and words belong to JK Rowling, not to me.
*~*~*~*
~ Legacy of Two Generations ~ ~Year Six: Harry Potter and the Lady of the Isle ~
*~*~*~*
Chapter 1 ~ Master Harry
Summer was starting, and it looked to be as warm as the previous year. The fans were on and the windows open in every home of Privet Drive. Children were playing in the street, taking care not to get anywhere near Dudley Dursley's path.
Harry lay on his bed. The window open and Hedwig in her cage eating some owl treats that Harry had brought with him from Hogwarts.
It was the week after his return from school and he hadn't been allowed to go out.
"You'll stay in your room." Uncle Vernon had said after they returned from the station. "I'll not have you running around when those monsters can find you."
Harry was surprised that his uncle cared what happened to him.
"I'll not have you bringing danger to this family." Uncle Vernon continued.
Of course, Harry thought, it's his family he cares about.
"If the only place that it's safe for you it's inside this house, you will stay inside this house." Uncle Vernon roared. "You will not leave your room, except for meals."
"Fine." Harry had exclaimed before taking his trunk and Hedwig's cage to his room. He hadn't really cared.
Nothing really mattered now, Harry thought as he lay on his bed on this warm night. The sky looked darker than usual and his thoughts were just as dark.
He couldn't sleep. His nightmares had become harder to deal then last year's. Last summer he only had to worry about Voldemort, but he had Sirius on his side. This year, he didn't even have his godfather with him anymore.
He groaned and rolled on his side. He didn't want to remember what had happened at the end of the school year. He didn't want to see his godfather's death all over again. It was a memory that returned to him every night.
For once, he was glad to be at the Dursleys than with his friends. There was nobody here to pity him or commiserate with him. He hated it when Ron and Hermione tried to make him feel better, somehow, they only made him feel worse and he lost his temper. At least, the Dursleys didn't bother to say anything to him.
Although, life with the Dursleys was somewhat different this year.
The night news had become a daily ritual. Uncle Vernon would call him to sit with them during the show and every time a report about something strange appeared he would turn to Harry and ask "Well?" Until now, Harry had shook his head, it had nothing to do with Voldemort.
Strangely enough, Harry felt a sort of camaraderie with the Dursleys. Last year, he waited alone to hear about Voldemort. That feeling of agitation had been his alone. Now, there were others waiting with him. He wasn't alone waiting to hear from Voldemort.
It didn't matter that the Durlseys never asked about things by name, they were only vague, but he understood. For the first time in his memory, they cared about what was happening in the Magical World.
Harry sighed in the darkness of his room. Somehow, the night looked darker. He just hoped it was his imagination and not a sign that Voldemort had made his move. Eventually, he fell asleep.
Images started flashing before him. Cedric falling beside him. Wormtail cutting his hand over a cauldron. Voldemort, rising from before him. And worst of all, Sirius falling through the veil.
"NO! SIRIUS!" His own voice woke him up. He was shaking and sweating. The sheets were tangled at his feet and Hedwig was hooting madly in her cage. "Sorry." He said.
He groaned and fell back on his bed.
Great, he thought, this is just great. At least the Dursleys were not pounding on the wall to silence he.
"That's something." Sighed Harry and looked out the window. It was open, as he usually kept it during the summer, that way Hedwig could come and go as she pleased and the air cooled his room after a hot day.
He looked out the window, he knew it would be a while before he fell asleep once more and he was sure that even then his dreams would not be happy ones.
He sensed, rather than saw, Hedwig fly out of her cage and soar through the open window. Harry said nothing.
Ron and Hermione had not written. And he hoped it would continue to be so. For the first time since he turned eleven, he honestly wished that nobody thought of him. He didn't want to read through sympathetic mail that tried to make him feel better when the only thing that came out of it was sadness and memories that he wished would go away.
He sighed once more and turned letting his eyes close for a little while.
Perhaps he should try to sleep once more, it did no good to think of things that he couldn't change. If he could, he would've done so long ago.
*~*~*~*
The rays of the shining sun hit Harry's eyes. Harry groaned and covered his eyes with his arm, but it was too late to go back to sleep. He was awake now.
He put down his arm and looked around. The repaired clock showed that it was near noon. He groaned. Aunt Petunia was sure to be angry that he hadn't been awake to cook breakfast for Uncle Vernon and Dudley.
He frowned. Why hadn't they knocked on his door? Usually, he was awoken by the pounding on his door when Aunt Petunia wanted him up to cook breakfast. Even though Uncle Vernon had said he was to remain inside the house at all times and he had stayed within his room most of the time, he was still waken up early by Aunt Petunia. But this time it was different, and he wondered what made it so.
He left the bed and dressed. He looked stranger than ever wearing Dudley's old clothes. They were no longer short, but baggy. He hadn't noticed that he had grown a few inches during the year, then again, there were other things in his mind than how many inches he had grown. But the fact remained that even though he and Dudley now seemed to be of the same height, Dudley still retained more fat than Harry would ever accumulate for the rest of his life.
If he could use his wand, he would shrink it a bit. But after the hearing last year, he didn't dare do anything that would take him back to the Ministry once more.
He tied the belt as tight as he could and open the door. He peered into the corridor, but nobody was nearby. He slipped out the door and shut it behind him and started walking to the stairs as quietly as he could.
He house seemed eerily quiet. He couldn't hear the voices of Aunt Petunia or Dudley, he knew that Uncle Vernon would be at work and wasn't expected for lunch today. He couldn't even hear the TV.
He climbed down the stairs and walked toward the kitchen. Nobody was inside. The table was cleared and the sink was clean.
He frowned, where could they have gone.
"They went shopping." A voice said behind him.
Harry turned quickly, his wand clasped tightly in his hand.
"Put that away! You might hurt somebody." Moody said as he pulled the invisibility cloak from himself.
"You shouldn't sneak up on people like that." Said Harry, slipping his wand back into his pocket where he had slipped it from a few moments ago.
Moody grunted but said nothing.
"How do you know Aunt Petunia and Dudley went shopping anyways?" Asked Harry as he turned to the refrigerator in search for something to eat.
"Heard them myself. Was standing by the door when the woman said they were going to buy things for the house and that they would eat out as a treat." Moody said as he watched Harry pull some meat and salad from the cooler.
Harry nodded and walked to the stove to prepare his meal.
"I thought that you would stop watching me." Harry said and turned to look at Moody, who was now sitting on a chair, the invisibility cloak was folded on the table.
"Voldemort still out there, isn't he? And after what happened a few weeks ago, he will be more angry." Moody said, his normal eye was looking around the kitchen but his magical eye remained on Harry.
"He hasn't done anything yet, has he?" Harry asked cautiously. He hadn't heard of any suspicious attacks but that didn't mean Voldemort hadn't done anything.
"Not yet. He must be waiting to recoup. After the capture of many of his Death Eaters, he will need to think carefully before continuing." Moody said.
Harry looked at Moody with surprise, he hadn't really expected that Moody would answer him, after all they had all been reticent about their activities last year. He thought that maybe now things had changed after what had happened a couple of weeks ago.
"I see. And what will happen to them?" Harry asked, hoping that Moody would continue answering his questions.
"Don't know. Ministry's in quite a mess right now." Moody said.
"Why?" Harry asked with surprise. He had stopped receiving the Daily Prophet this summer. He hadn't really expected to find much among its pages after all the lies it published during the past year.
"Ministry's under investigation." Spat Moody. "After the mess of the past month, people want to know why it happened."
"Why what happened?" Harry asked in confusion. Maybe he should reinstate his subscription to the Daily Prophet.
"Well, several of the Death Eaters captured had escaped from Azkaban and then there were quite a few that were regular members of the Ministry or friends of the Minister himself. Not to mention the fact that Voldemort himself was inside the Ministry, only somebody close to the Minister could have led such and attack. They think." Moody said as he watched Harry place the hot food on a plate and walk to the table.
"Malfoy?" Harry asked. He knew that Mr. Malfoy had been a constant visitor to the Ministry, he himself had seen him in company of the Minister.
"He's one." Moody said.
"What are they going to do now?" Harry asked.
"Those old ladies of the Ministry haven't decided yet, and people are not happy." Moody replied.
Harry nodded. He could understand that, he wasn't happy about it all either.
"How long do you think they will take in fixing everything?" Harry asked.
"Months, maybe a year. Wouldn't be surprised if Dumbledore had to step in and make things right." Moody sneered.
Harry thought he might be right. Dumbledore seemed like the perfect solution to take care of the problems that the Ministry now faced.
"Do you think he will leave Hogwarts to go the Ministry?" Harry wanted to know.
"Don't think so. Dumbledore doesn't care much for the Ministry." Moody scoffed. "Loves Hogwarts too much."
"Good." Harry exclaimed and finished his meal.
The clock marked one.
"Have to go. Someone should come and take my place in a moment." Moody said.
Harry saw Moody disappear underneath the invisibility cloak.
"Don't go anywhere." Moody's disembodied voice said.
"Ok." Said Harry and waited for the pop that he was sure to hear at the moment Mood disapparated. A second pop was heard a minute later.
"Who is it this time?" Harry asked as he washed the dishes.
"Me." Remus said with a smile.
Harry turned and smiled in return, he liked Professor Lupin more than Moody, he was a lot friendlier than the taciturn old man.
"How are you doing?" Remus asked as he peered closely at Harry.
Harry sighed silently. He knew Remus was worried about him, they all were, he reckoned. But even though he understood, it didn't mean he had to like it.
"I'm fine." He answered.
Harry dried the dishes and put them in their place.
Remus settled in his chair and conjured a cup of tea.
The Order had decided that Harry was in more danger than ever. Voldemort was surely to be very angry that Harry, and not to mention Dumbledore, had been able to thwart him one more time from his objective. They had continued keeping an eye on Harry, but this time it seemed a waste of time to keep hidden from him, as he already knew what they were doing. And perhaps this way, there would not be a repeat of what had happened last year. The only reason they bothered with the invisibility cloak was to hide from the muggles, but as Harry didn't seem to leave the house much since his return from Hogwarts, that didn't seem to be a problem.
"Moody was telling me there is some trouble in the Ministry." Harry said.
Remus looked surprised as he looked at Harry. After a moment, he nodded.
"Things are not good for the Minister right now." He responded.
Harry nodded. "I'm glad." He said and looked around the kitchen. He might as well do something, if he started thinking about what had happened weeks before he would only get depressed.
"You don't mean that." Exclaimed Remus. "It's true that he has not been wise in the last couple of years, but that doesn't mean that he is not a good man."
Harry shrugged. "He is a fool."
Remus chuckled. "Nobody will argue with that."
"He could have done a lot to prevent what happened." Harry said angrily. "But he was an idiot and ignored everything I and Dumbledore told him. If he is having trouble now, good. He deserves it."
Remus sighed silently. "I know what you're feeling Harry. He was my friend too and I miss him. But nothing we do can bring him back. We can only work and do what we can to keep others from going through the same thing we are."
Harry didn't want to hear what Remus was saying. He didn't want to let go of his anger, it was the only thing that kept him from shedding tears at the thought of Sirius' death.
"Sirius knew what could happen when we first joined Dumbledore. So did your father years ago. If we became bitter every time we lose one of our own, then we couldn't perform our duty and we would be no better than Voldemort and his Death Eaters. Don't let grief do that to you Harry. Sirius wouldn't like it, neither would your parents." Remus said.
"I will never be able to know that now, will I? If Fudge hadn't been such an idiot and had listened to us, Sirius would still be here." Harry exclaimed.
"He was scared to believe, Harry. Many people were. That's why it was so easy to discredit Dumbledore and make you seem some sort of liar. Those of us who joined the order this time always believed that the night of your parents' death was not the end of Voldemort. We all knew that all he needed was a little help and he could return to his old self. But many people didn't want to believe that it could've been possible. They preferred to think that Voldemort was gone and he wasn't coming back. You must have noticed when your interview appeared in The Quibbler. Ron and Hermione have mentioned how discouraging it was to find that some people didn't want to accept the truth. It wasn't that they didn't want to accept it, they just didn't want to believe that it was possible for it to be the truth. Unfortunately, the Minister was one of those people, and you're right, he lost a lot of time trying to discredit Dumbledore and you that he left the field wide open for Voldemort. But now he knows the truth, along with everybody else. That's the one right thing to have come out of the attack on the Ministry. And we must not forget it, there are a lot of people out there that depend on us." Remus said kindly.
Harry turned away from him. He knew Remus was right. But he couldn't help thinking that thanks to Voldemort and his Death Eaters he would never know what his parents or Sirius expected from him.
He slammed his hand against the counter and walked out of the kitchen. He heard Remus call after him and the sound of the chair scraping on the floor as if Remus had stood abruptly. But Harry didn't turn back. He ran up the stairs and snapped shut the door behind him as he entered into his room.
He slumped on the bed.
He didn't hear Remus anymore, perhaps he had gone, he thought. It didn't matter to Harry, and tears started to slide down his face.
*~*~*~*
He didn't leave his room for the rest of the day. He heard his aunt return a couple of hours after his talk with Remus, but he didn't bother to move from his bed. He was sure he wouldn't be missed. He could hear his aunt and cousin talking in the kitchen. The deep rumbles of his cousin's voice intermingled with the sharp tone of his aunt. Harry listened to the droning voices and eventually fell asleep.
He didn't stay so for long. He was awoken abruptly by his cousin, who was knocking smartly on his bedroom door.
"Mom wants you!" Dudley was yelling on the other side of the door.
Harry groaned and stood up.
He heard Dudley continuing on to his own bedroom. Since their return from school, Dudley had tried to avoid Harry at all costs. Harry didn't mind, he just wished that it was possible for them both to avoid meeting at all. But they would never dare miss any of the meals with Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon. Even then, Dudley tried to ignore Harry.
Harry only shrugged it off. Dudley ignoring him was much better than Dudley bothering him.
Harry left his bedroom and climbed down the stairs. He could hear Aunt Petunia gathering pots and pans to prepare their afternoon meal.
Aunt Petunia turned sharply around when she heard Harry enter the kitchen. She frowned. "Have you been sleeping the whole morning?" She snapped as she turned back to her pots.
"No." Harry said. He went to the grocery bags in the middle of the table and started to pull the shopping from them.
"Humph!" Snorted Aunt Petunia, it was clear that she didn't believe him and thought he had been sleeping.
Harry didn't say anything to contradict her.
"Leave the vegetables and the meat out, you can put the rest away." Ordered Aunt Petunia.
"All right." Said Harry and started to put things away, leaving the vegetables and meat on top of the table.
"Put the vegetables in the sink, and wash them while I prepare the meat." Harry heard Aunt Petunia say as he put the shopping bags away.
Harry nodded and took the vegetables to the sink. He could hear Aunt Petunia pulling spices from the pantry to prepare the meat.
Harry looked out to the garden. It was a sunny day. July had barely started and kids were trying to enjoy their summer as much as possible. Harry sighed and looked down on the vegetables. He wished he could be like a normal boy his age, things would be a lot easier if he was.
*~*~*~*
The days continued to get hotter as July was nearing its end. Harry's birthday was only a couple of weeks away and he hadn't received many letters from his friends.
A few notes had made their way to him, but Harry had ignored them and left him upon his desk. On this warm afternoon he decided to open them.
Hedwig was out flying around the neighborhood. He could hear Dudley playing music very loudly in his bedroom and knew that Aunt Petunia was happily watching her soaps in the kitchen TV.
The first note he opened was from Ron.
As he expected, it didn't contained much news that he didn't know already. "Dad says that the Ministry is under so much pressure that there are rumors that a committee will be formed to investigate all of those working directly under Mr. Fudge." Ron wrote. "Mum was upset to find out that Percy was one of those people under investigation. Dad doesn't talk about it, of course, but we know he is sad about it too."
Harry was sorry that Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were saddened and worried about what was happening to Percy, but in his point of view, Percy deserved it. He should've known better than to take a stand against his family. Know it seemed that his career in the Ministry was on the line and might very well lose it. But the worst thing, Harry thought, was that Percy was going to deal with it on his own, he didn't even had the safe knowledge that no matter what happened during the investigation his family was behind him. He had lost his family and now he stood alone.
Unlike Ron's letter, which contained news about the latest in the Ministry investigation, Hermione's made it clear that she worried about him. "We haven't heard from you in days!" Harry read. "I'm sure that Ron is as worried about you as I am. Please don't be angry Harry. You know that we will always be with you if you need us."
There were a few notes from Hagrid. They were full of news about some preparations going on at Hogwarts and about the continual health of his giant brother. The notes seemed to be cheerful and optimistic. And made Harry smile with Hagrid's accounts of his continuing efforts to help his brother.
No news were relayed about the Order's activities, but Harry didn't expect any. It had been very clear in the past year that Dumbledore and others were rather worried of allowing him to know much about what they did. It was easier for Harry to accept their silence than he had last summer. Now he knew how dangerous his bond with Voldemort was and Harry wasn't too keen in giving him any more weapons to hurt him with.
His scar had continued to twinge since his return from Hogwarts and there were times when he slept that he was aware of being somewhere he shouldn't be. But most of the images didn't make any sense to him, but he tried to keep the memories of such images fresh in his mind. The same thing had happened to him last year and he was sure that the memories of the images that had invaded his mind then, had saved them from serious harm when they found themselves in the Department of Mysteries a few weeks ago.
He put away the notes and lay back on his bed. He knew his friends worried, but he couldn't help but feel what he did. It was worse this summer than the last, he thought, this time he had lost somebody who very close to his heart.
He turned and twisted on his bed as he tried to keep the images of Sirius' death from his mind, those were images that he didn't wish to remember.
*~*~*~*
He stayed in his room for several days. The Dursleys didn't seem to notice him missing, and were clearly happy that he kept himself apart from them. The only time Harry left his room was to go to the bathroom and to eat his meals with the rest of the family. Even Dudley was keeping close to home.
Unlike the last summer, this summer he seemed to have decided to spend all his time in his bedroom, playing with his computer, watching TV, or listening to his stereo system at full volume. Harry was sure that Dudley still remembered the last time he found himself alone late at night, and he was sure that it was for that reason that he tried to be home early. Harry himself still remembered that night, it was something that had brought several revelations about life at Privet Drive. Because of the Dementors' attack last summer, Harry found out about Mrs. Figg and the Order of the Phoenix much sooner than he would've had. Of course it lead to a series of events that he wished at the time he wouldn't had to.
He also started to notice that Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia were rather nervous, he didn't know the reason why, but he was sure it had something to do with him.
During his self-imposed retirement Harry didn't see any member of the Order in the house again. He knew they still kept an eye on the house, but he wished they would apparate in his room to keep him company. But he thought it was likely that Professor Lupin had told them to keep away from him for a while. But now, Harry wanted news and wanted to know what was happening in the various investigations the Ministry had begun as result of the Death Eater attack on the Ministry last June. He hadn't continued with his subscription with the Daily Prophet and he still didn't want to take it up again, he wasn't sure if it was safe to trust it, not after the false news it imparted for the last year.
It was about a week after his talk with Professor Lupin that Harry found himself leaving his room for no reason at all.
The house was silent. He knew Uncle Vernon had gone to work early and Aunt Petunia had gone with him to shop in London for a dinner they planned to throw for some important people in the neighborhood. They thought it was time for them to show off to the neighbors the new furniture that Aunt Petunia had bought a few weeks ago, before Harry and Dudley had returned from school. Dudley, Harry knew, wasn't at home either. He had heard Dudley leave the house an hour after his parents' departure.
Harry left his room and climbed down the stairs. He looked into the parlor before he entered the kitchen, making sure that the house was indeed empty.
In the kitchen, he grabbed some fruit from the bowl Aunt Petunia had bought for the purpose a few days ago. Harry knew that her reason for buying the bowl and the fruit was for decoration not for them to eat. The bowl was made of expensive crystal, the golden rim glinted in the light streaming through the window. Harry looked around, there was really nothing for him to do. He knew that his Aunt Petunia would've had thought of something, but to him, the house looked perfectly clean and he didn't feel like doing chores he knew would not be appreciated.
He shrugged and turned on the TV, there was nobody that could deny him the pleasure of watching whatever he wanted. He pulled out a chair and sat by the table watching the screen as he switched channels looking for something to watch.
"Turn it to channel 2, they show a soap I've been wanting to see for so long." Somebody said behind him.
Harry turned to find Tonks smiling brightly.
"Do you mind if I sit and stay with you a while? It's boring keeping watch on the house." She said as she pulled out a chair.
"Of course." Said Harry, he was only too happy to have somebody friendly to speak to.
"Thanks." Murmured Tonks as she reached for an apple from the fruit bowl.
"How are things at the Ministry?" Harry asked. He had been very curious about what was happening in the investigation of Mr. Fudge.
"Bad. I don't think Fudge will stay as Minister for long." Tonks said.
"Really? Why?" Harry asked. He didn't like Mr. Fudge, in his opinion he deserved whatever he got, but he didn't know what could happen to Mr. Fudge, he always thought that as Minister of Magic, there was nobody in a higher position than him.
"People want him out. A petition has been started asking for Fudge's resignation and the investigation started on his people is not making him look good to the public. In fact, the press seemed to have a field trip with him. Not that the press is high on the public's esteem to begin with. Especially the Daily Prophet. People have started to pull their subscriptions from the Prophet and sign up with other less known publications. In fact, The Quibbler has doubled their subscriptions in the last two weeks." Tonks reported with a smile.
"It has? Why are people not happy with the Prophet?" Harry asked curiously.
"There are many people that are angry that the truth about You-Know-Who's return was kept from them and that it was reported only after the attack on the Ministry. They think that the press should be kept out of politics and be impartial in their reporting, the fact that the Ministry used the Prophet to feed false reports to the public and used it to discredit those who knew the truth - you and Dumbledore of course - it all makes the public weary of believing a publication that is clearly run by the Ministry and not by impartial members of the press." Tonks said.
"What is the Prophet doing about it?" Harry asked.
"Well, for starters, the Head Editors and reporters have been replaced. Most of the new staff are new members of the press under the direction of known reporters hired from other well-known publications. Even the Witch Weekly has suffered. It is owned by the same people who owned the Prophet you know." Tonks said eagerly, Harry shook his head, he didn't know anything about how the Prophet or the magazine were ran, but it would explain how Rita Skeeter had been able to publish her writing in both publications so easily. "It has all been big news in the last days."
Harry nodded his understanding, hadn't he stopped his subscription to the Prophet as well? But he had never thought to take his subscription elsewhere, not that he knew of any other newspaper in the Magical World.
"So who is reporting truthfully about what is happening at the Ministry?" Harry asked. Maybe he could get a subscription from one of those other publications.
"Well, they all are really." Said Tonks thoughtfully. "Even the Prophet, they are all trying to keep the public happy with their reports and are staying within the true reports coming out of the Ministry."
"Is the investigation over yet?" Harry asked.
"Oh no, it's barely starting!" Tonks exclaimed. "The later reports say that all members of the staff have been asked to appear before the Wizengamont. Well, at least in front of the remaining members of the Wizengamont." Harry looked confused, so Tonks explained. "There were some members who were asked to step down from their seats because of their close ties to the Minister and their acceptance to all the radical changes that the Minister has done in the past year."
"Oh." Exclaimed Harry. He could understand why they would be asked to leave the Wizengamont.
"They have been asked to appear before the court as well. They are being questioned about the Minister and the orders they have received from him lately. They have been asked to take Veritaserum during questioning." Tonks said with glee. "No way they can lie about what the Minister planned and ordered in the last months."
Harry was surprised at the tactics the Ministry was willing to take to reach a conclusion to their investigation. He never thought that he would live at a time when trust was a valuable trait.
"There are a lot of things that the public is aware of that had been kept from them a year ago." Tonks said.
"Like what?" Harry asked.
"Well, like that dementor attack on you last summer." Whispered Tonks.
"What? Why?" Harry was surprised. He knew that the attack had been hushed, and had not been reported. Harry had thought at the time that it had been the Minister who had kept the press from reporting it, but now he knew it had been Professor Umbridge who had ordered the attack and had kept it from everybody else.
"Dolores Umbridge, the Senior Undersecretary to the Minister, was one of the first persons to appear before the court. She confessed to have been the one to order the attack." Tonks whispered. "Can't tell you the uproar that created. She was even sentenced to spend six months at Azkaban. But it was late for the Ministry to keep that from the press, there were many reporters present at the time and they all rushed to print the story. Dumbledore was terribly angry that it had been she who had ordered that attack."
Harry could well imagine what everybody had thought about that report.
"And they're are not done with her yet. After the press reported about the attack, many Hogwarts students came forward complaining about cruel punishments and restrictions she used during her time at the school. There are a lot of angry parents out there." Tonks continued.
Harry nodded his understanding, he himself had suffered through Professor Umbridge's detentions and restrictions and was happy to know that the Ministry was taking the reports against her seriously.
"That didn't help Fudge any. Even though it was clear from the interrogation that he didn't know about her orders for the attack it was clear that he was only too eager to punish you without cause, that only made him seem like some sort of collaborator. She even mentioned that she almost used one of the Unforgivable Curses on one of the students." Tonks whispered, she was clearly scandalized that a member of the Ministry had tried to so such a thing.
Harry remembered that very clearly, it had happed the night of the attack when he and the others had been caught using the Floo Network from Professor Umbridge's office. She was trying to make him tell her his reasons for breaking into her office and he wasn't talking, if Hermione hadn't stopped her, she would've used the Cruciatus Curse on him.
"It was me." Harry said. "She was going to use the Cruciatus Curse, but Hermione stopped her."
"Really? I bet the Ministry is going to ask you to appear before the court to testify then." Tonks said.
Harry nodded. He wouldn't mind appearing in front of the court this time. He would gladly tell the Ministry everything Professor Umbridge had done at the school.
"Was that reported too?" He asked.
"Not that you had been the student she threatened. But they did report that she had confessed to almost using it." Tonks said. "There are a lot of people who were angered at the thought that the Minister had appointed her to Hogwarts. You should've seen the members of the Wizengamont who were presiding at the time. Amelia Bones almost lost control of the whole things. So many people yelling in anger."
"What about the other members of Fudge's staff? Have they said anything against him?" Harry asked.
"Not really, they have only proved that he is a fool." Tonks exclaimed. "But they are asking a lot of questions about his behavior. I think they are afraid that the Minister had been acting under the Imperius Curse. But of course everything is pointing out that he was acting on his own, and that is making it even worse for him. I think people would've been more understanding if it was proven that he had been under the curse, he would've been innocent of any wrong doing, but now that everybody is sure he was acting on his own accord, nobody wants him to keep his job."
"What does he say?" Harry was curious, he hadn't liked when the press were telling lies about him and he imagined the Minister didn't like the bad reports, especially since he seemed to enjoy the power his job allowed him.
"Nothing. He hasn't appeared before the press to defend himself, but people who have seen him say that he has lost some weight and that he looks old and tired with worry." Tonks reported. "I don't think he's going to last long."
There was some noise outside and both Harry and Tonks jumped from their seats. They heard voices and they both listened carefully.
"My parents are not home." Somebody was saying. "We can watch TV if we want."
"It's Dudley and his friends." Harry whispered.
Tonks nodded and quickly pulled the invisibility cloak over her while Harry turned off the TV and threw away the apple cores they had left on the table.
Moments later, Dudley led his friends into the house.
"Stay here, I'll get some sodas." Dudley ordered to his friends. "What are you doing here?" He asked the moment he saw Harry in the kitchen.
"Eating." Said Harry as he tied the top of the full bag of trash and pulled it from the bin.
Dudley snorted but didn't say anymore. He opened the fridge and took out several cans of soda before returning to the sitting room.
Harry put an empty bag into the trash bin and opened the back door to take out the trash.
"Thanks." He heard Tonks whisper into his ear before hearing a loud pop that signified her disapparating from the vicinity.
Harry returned to the house and made his way silently to his room, he didn't want to run into Dudley's gang.
He lay on his bed, thinking about everything that Tonks had told him. It seemed that the Ministry would have a long summer this year. But he couldn't help but think that all of it only make it easier for Voldemort to act undetected by the rest of the world.
*~*~*~*
Other members of the Order made their appearance before him to keep him company whenever the Durseys weren't around. It was a week before his birthday and he was sure that he was up to date with the latest news from the Ministry.
Mundungus had told him about Percy's appearance before the court and how he was questioned not only about his work with the Minister but also about his year working with Mr. Crouch. It was very clear by the end of the interrogation that Percy had lost his standing in the Ministry and he was most likely to become only a junior clerk in one of the obscure offices of the Ministry.
Harry was saddened for Mrs. Weasley's sake; in his opinion, Percy deserved what he got. Because of his ambitions, he had aligned himself with people who did foolish things to keep their jobs and in the process ruined them.
He received many more letters from Hermione and Ron, telling him all about the latest news appearing in the Daily Prophet, Hermione even included cuttings from the reports of the interrogations. It was very clear that things were not going any better for the Minister. And several readers had written declaiming against the Minister's actions. As one reader had written on an editorial page that Hermione had sent him, ".the foolish actions of our present Minister have made more than obvious that he is not the right person to hold such distinguished position. We need somebody with the courage and open mind to be able to stand against the evil that is blackening our world. The old-fashioned mind of Mr. Fudge is not what we need. There is only one thing that I need to say to our Minister: Step down Mr. Fudge, step down!"
Harry read every clipping with eager curiosity. He could now understand how it must have been during the time his parents were alive and Voldemort had been at the height of his terrorizing days.
It was after reading the latest clippings from Hermione that Harry found himself in the kitchen helping Aunt Petunia to prepare their midday meal. Uncle Vernon was expected to return home early from work and planned to stay at home the rest of the day to help Aunt Petunia prepare for the dinner party, which was planned to take place in two days time.
"Wash the potatoes and place them in the pan. The oven should be hot enough now to start putting them in." Aunt Petunia said a little distracted, she was busily watching over the window at their next door neighbor's house.
Harry did as he was bid. He had just finished placing the potatoes into the oven when they heard the sound of an engine driving down the street.
"Vernon is here." Aunt Petunia said as she hurried to finish with the salad she had been working on.
Harry turned to clear the table, it would soon be time for the meal to be served and he was sure that Dudley would soon return from his perambulations around the neighborhood with his friends.
He was right. No sooner had he put away the things from the table that he heard Uncle Vernon's voice call to Dudley. "Well met son, been with your friends?"
"Yes. They're helping me train so I can be on shape when I return to school." Harry heard Dudley say. He snorted with disbelief. How could his aunt and uncle be so blind to the kind of person Dudley was becoming, he asked himself.
Uncle Vernon and Dudley were soon in the kitchen. The potatoes were baking in the oven, the salad was waiting in the fridge and Aunt Petunia was cutting the smoked ham she had prepared.
"Afternoon, my dear." Uncle Vernon greeted his wife jovially.
Aunt Petunia turned her cheek to receive her husband's kiss. "How was you day?" She asked.
"Great. Mentioned our little party to Mr. Deacon, you remember him? He is the one with that big construction company in London. He has one house in town, one in Wales and one in the continent. A very important client. Said that he might pop up this weekend at the party, if we play our cards correctly, a lot of new clients will come our way and that extra set of rooms you want will be ours." Uncle Vernon said gleefully rubbing his hands together.
"Can I have a bigger room then?" Asked Dudley looking at his parents.
"Of course you can Duddy dear." Aunt Petunia said happily. She didn't notice Dudley wince at his mother's pet name for him, but Harry did and smiled. He knew his cousin didn't like those names, but he was never going to say that to his mother.
Fifteen minutes later, they were all sitting around the table, the smoked ham in place of pride in the middle of the table, the salad and potatoes around it.
Harry ate silently as Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia started to discuss the dinner party. Dudley was too busy eating to pay any attention to what was happening around him. It was during a lull in the conversation that a sound surprised them all.
Harry was finishing his meal while Aunt Petunia drank her tea and Dudley and Uncle Vernon were dividing the last of the ham, when a loud pop was heard in the next room.
Aunt Petunia gasped in fright, Uncle Vernon looked aghast at Harry and Dudley for once forgot about his food.
Harry had come to his feet in an instant and had taken his wand from his socks. Since his return to Privet Drive he had hidden it there every morning.
"What was that? What is happening?" Asked a frightened Uncle Vernon.
"Someone apparated in the other room." Harry whispered.
"What? What is that?" Dudley whimpered.
"It's the sound when somebody appears magically." Harry explained.
"Wh-wh-what?" Aunt Petunia was clearly scared.
"Shhh! I don't hear any movement, but that doesn't mean there is nobody there." Said Harry. "Call Mrs. Figg and tell her what we just heard."
"Mrs. Figg? What does she have to do with this?" Uncle Vernon asked in confusion.
"The Order will come if they hear about the call." Was all Harry said.
The Dudleys didn't understand anything about the Order and its connection to Mrs. Figg. But they figured that help would be needed and they did as Harry asked.
Harry walked slowly to the door. He opened it silently and looked out to the next room. He couldn't see anybody and was beginning to relax when he noticed a shadow move from one of the corners.
"Ok." He murmured. "Here I go." He lifted his wand higher and clasped it tightly. The Dursleys followed a few feet behind.
"If I take them by surprise, it will give me an advantage." He said softly and jumped through the open doorway with a "Ahh!"
He didn't see anything but heard a high pitched squeak. He frowned, he recognized that sound, but before he continued with the thought something had wrapped itself around his legs.
He looked down in horror thinking to find a serpent trying to immobilize him, to his consternation he saw instead a small figure with its arms wrapped tightly around him.
"Master Harry, Master Harry, Minnie thought she would never see you, Master Harry." The small creature cried and looked up at Harry.
Harry recognized the bat-like eared creature as a house-elf, but he didn't recognized this particular house-elf.
"What? Who are you?" Harry asked in surprise.
To his horror, the elf started to cry.
"Master Harry knows not his Minnie! Minnie has looked and looked and Master Harry knows not his Minnie!" It sobbed.
Harry was confused. He couldn't understand why a house elf would cry because he didn't know who it was. There had only been one elf who had come to Privet Drive looking to find him, and that had been Dobby who was trying to warn him about trouble at Hogwarts. But why would another elf be looking for him?
Several pops sounded in the kitchen. Aunt Petunia screamed and started running up the stairs, Dudley and Uncle Vernon followed soon and followed her. Minutes later, Harry heard the sound of a door snapping shut in the upper floor.
The elf was still clasping his legs tightly and he was afraid to move in case he lost his balance and fell upon one of the tables nearby full with expensive decorative knick-knacks he knew his Aunt would never forgive him for breaking.
He heard hurried steps from the kitchen as the elf sobbed wildly against his legs. He looked to the doorway and saw Lupin, Moody and Tonks appear with worried expressions.
Professor Lupin stopped abruptly and looked aghast at the elf.
"Minnie? What are you doing here?" He asked quickly.
The elf loosened its grasp from Harry and looked at Lupin with happy surprise.
"Master Remus!" She yelled happily. "Minnie found Master Harry, Minnie found him."
"I can see that." Lupin said with surprise.
"What is this then? What is that house-elf doing here?" Moody exclaimed rather abruptly.
The elf looked frightened at the sight of him and hid behind Harry's legs.
Harry could see Tonks trying to look from behind Moody's shoulder with curiosity down at the elf.
Lupin motioned them to keep quiet and walked further into the room. He kneeled on the floor and looked around Harry's legs to talk to the elf.
"Minnie, you shouldn't be here. Dumbledore will not be happy." Lupin said.
The elf's ears drooped around her face. "But Master Harry needed his Minnie." She said.
Lupin looked down at the elf with understanding. Harry couldn't understand what was happening, why was the elf calling herself his Minnie?
"Minnie, how did you get here, you are not supposed to be able to leave the Manor, Dumbledore made sure of that years ago." Lupin said.
"Minnie cried and cried, Master Harry was here without his Minnie and she couldn't leave the Manor, but then Minnie found that she could leave the house and with practice she could apparate out of the village. Minnie has been working for years, Master Remus, Master Harry needed his Minnie." The elf replied.
Harry sighed with exasperation, this was making no sense to him. "Professor?" He asked down at Lupin.
Lupin looked up at Harry.
"What is going on?" Asked Harry.
Lupin sighed in resignation. He looked down at the elf and looked up to Harry. He sighed again. It was clear to Harry that he didn't want to tell him about the elf, that it might be information he wasn't supposed to know, and he was trying to think things through whether to tell him or not.
Finally, Lupin stood up. "Come Minnie, come in front of me." He urged to the elf.
The elf looked hopefully at him and at Harry before stepping in front of Lupin.
"Harry." Lupin said looking kindly at the elf. "This is Minnie, your personal elf."
"My what?" Asked Harry aghast.
"Your personal elf. Minnie here is one of three personal elves belonging to the House of Potter. She served your father when he was your age and he served you when you were born. Minnie here was your nursery maid during the first year of your life." Lupin said.
Harry looked down at the elf with surprise. This was the first time he ever heard about his family having elves. "Hermione is not going to like this." Was all he could think of saying.
Lupin smiled. "No she won't, but tell her not to give her any clothes. It would only serve to alienate Minnie and the other elves."
"Other elves?" Harry asked with apprehension.
Lupin had turned to look at Moody and Tonks. "Dumbledore has to know about this. With Minnie breaking through his spell, it will not be longer before the other elves start apparating here to join her."
Moody nodded. "Right. I'll go. You stay here and help if any more appear." He said abruptly to Tonks before disapparating.
"Professor? What do you mean the other elves, how many are there?" Harry asked rather worriedly. He looked down at the elf who was happily cleaning his shoes with one side of her toga, which he noticed was very similar to the ones the Hogwarts elves had, white towels draped as a toga with a crest on a corner. But the crest on Minnie's towel was that of a rampant stag, with a red background.
"Well, I don't remember the correct number, but the house-elves won't come, only the personal elves. There are three of them, Minnie, Lotty and Otty." Remus said looking up to the ceiling as if trying to remember.
"Personal elves? I always thought there was only one kind of elves." Asked Tonks as she looked at Minnie with curiosity.
"There are two kinds. The house-elves are the most common and they generally come with the house, large houses mostly, and they served the master of the house, that means that even if a house changes hands, the house-elves will serve whoever lives as the current master. Personal elves are a little different. Personal elves are magically connected to their masters and they pass down from father to son, mother to daughter, the family can lose all its money, even the house and the house-elves, but the Personal elf will continue serving his master until death." Remus said.
"And my family had three?" Asked Harry.
Remus nodded. "Otty is the cook, he is in charge of all the meals eaten by the master and his family, Lotty is the Senior Elf, he serves the master, and in some cases his wife. Minnie here is the Junior Elf, she serves the master's son, if there is no son then the master's mother, or any other person her master decrees. She served James until Old Mr. Potter died, James then inherited Lotty as his personal elf and Minnie here served other members of the family, including Lily before they married. After they married, Lotty served both of them and Minnie served other members of the family until you were born."
"But why is she here now, why didn't she appear before?" Asked Tonks.
"When they went into hiding, Dumbledore placed a charm on the personal elves severing their connection to the family. They worried that if anybody got a look of the elves at Godric Hollow their hiding place would be in danger. The spell was supposed to work as long as the family was in danger from Voldemort." Remus said.
"How is it that she is here then?" Tonks exclaimed.
Remus shook his head. "Don't know. Elves have their own special brand of magic, and personal elves' magic is more evolved than those of a regular house elf. I don't know how she got around Dumbledore's spell, but you might be sure that the others are soon going to sense that the spell has been broken and they can now join their master."
"What is going to happen now?" Harry asked.
"I don't know. Dumbledore will know what is best." Remus said.
Minnie was still sitting on the floor, she had finished with Harry's shoes and was now hugging one of his legs tightly. She was obviously happy to stay as she was.
*~*~*~*
A/N: What do you think Dumbledore will do now that Minnie has found Harry? I hope you enjoyed this chapter. The title for the Sixth Year is tentative still, so don't think of it by that title, I'm just thinking of it by the Sixth Year, I might change the title of it later, Harry Potter and something-something-something. Don't forget to review.