Freedom
Sunday night: 11: 45. The clock was slowing down. Harry was sure of it, just to spite him it was slowing down. He was planning to stay awake till midnight, considering the awkward timing of most of the members of the order it was very very likely that somebody would show up at midnight. Harry sat on the bed and waited for midnight to come. Around midnight Harry heard a popping noise. He swung around and found George looking very uncomfortable on Harry's dresser.
"Um…. Hi there Harry!"
"What are you doing on my dresser?"
"Well I would like to know that as well. I apparated in here and instead of on the floor, here I am on the dresser." He rolled off and landed hard on the floor with an assuring thump. He got up and brushed himself off. "Well," he said, " how are you Harry?"
"Well thanks."
George nodded and walked to the center of the room he placed a key on the ground and pulled a note out of his pocket. He read a few words off of the note and the key glowed for several seconds then dimmed back. Satisfied with himself George turned to Harry.
"Right then, this will take you to the order."
"Portkey?"
"Yup. Once you go I'll take the spell off and apparate back."
With nothing more to say Harry walked over and reached out for the key. As soon as he touched it he was transported to the order. He found himself in a musty room. There was a blood red carpet and a dim light was coming in through heavy velvet window shades. There was a desk with a chair made out of dark wood. Behind him a voice rang out.
"I know the carpet is very comfortable Harry, but feel free to get up at any time."
Harry jumped up and turned around. "Dumbledore! You scared me."
"Did I? Sorry, but I would have expected you to know we would have somebody in the room."
"Do I need a body guard or something?"
A smile danced across Dumbledore's lips. "Perhaps," he stated, his eyes sparkling.
Unsure how to respond to this Harry changed the subject. "Is this uh… the Black Manor?"
The smile on his lips faded as Dumbledore responded, "Yes Harry, it is."
All he could manage is a nod. Harry had spent the whole summer dealing with Sirius's death. A death isn't an easy thing to get over, and one summer hadn't done the trick. Harry would never be over his death but being in the manor re-opened all the wounds that were beginning to heal. Dumbledore quickly brought up something else.
"Hermione and Ron are waiting for you, and Mrs. Weasley seems to think that George is incapable of making the portkey so check in with her and make sure she knows you're not in Mexico. Goodbye Harry."
With that Dumbledore apparated out. Harry turned and walked out the door. He found that he had been on a top floor which had only the room the he had come out of. The stairs looked dusty and unused. Harry had a creeping fear that he would fall through the stairs. Cautiously he took a first step and there was an immensely loud creek; he jumped back off the step but the step held. He stepped back and stayed through the creek this time. Eventually he got all the way down the steps and found himself in a hallway. He was unsure where he was supposed to go when there was a reassuring pop next to him. It was George. He looked positively triumphant.
"HA! And she thought I couldn't do it! Hello again Harry. Come on I'll show you were to go."
With that he led Harry down the hall way to the staircase on the other side. They went down the stairs and through the second door on the left. They were in a bedroom that George explained would be Harry's until it was time to leave for Hogwarts. Harry's trunk which had been floating alongside them landed with a thump on the floor. At the same time the door swung back and revealed a grinning Ron and Hermione.
"Hi Harry!" Exclaimed Hermione lunging herself forward and giving him a hug.
"Hey Hermione." Harry said returning the hug.
"Hey mate!" Ron said.
"Hey Ron," said Harry.
"How was your summer?" Hermione inquired.
"Boring, stuffy, boring, boring, except for…" Harry though about it, had his experience with Sam really been all that interesting? It was strange, but although he only knew her for a short while he felt so glad that he had meet her, she was a relief from the immense boredom that was his summer.
"Except for…" prodded Ron
"Oh I um meet this really interesting girl, Sam."
A huge grin took over Ron. "A girl? Was she cute?"
"Ron! Really!"
"What I just wanna know," he wined.
"No really it's fine," put in Harry. He turned to Ron, "yeah I guess she was pretty, she's a dancer and she had an amazing voice."
"What kind of dancer?" asked Hermione.
"Street, but she's good enough to be professional."
Hermione smiled and Ron suppressed a laugh.
"So what happened with you guys?"
"Not much, I visited Fred and George's shop, its coming along well."
"I forgot," he turned to George. "How's that going?"
"Very good! Which reminds me I'd better be getting back." With a poof he was gone.
"Show off," muttered Ron.
"HARRY DEAR!" came an extremely loud voice that caused the dear in question to jump. Mrs. Weasley then gave Harry the biggest hug imaginable. That left Harry murmuring something along the lines of.
"AIR AIR NEED AIR. CAN'T BREATH!"
A week passed by quickly when the students of the manor had to go and get their supplies at Diagon Ally. They traveled by floo-powder, and Harry was a little nervous since the last time he did this, he mispronounced the words. He took the powder and managed to say the words right. After a while of walking from store to store getting the necessary supplies the three friends broke away from the others and started to go around on their own. They entered the quidditch shop and looked around but didn't find much. Ron purchased a small book to help a keeper. After walking around some more they decided to go to a smallish café that had outside seats. Hermione sat outside while the boys went inside to see if there was any good food. Hermione only wanted a drink. Harry and Ron ended up only buying drinks and some chocolate frogs. As they walked back out to rejoin Hermione Harry saw Sam walking. It looked like she was leaving from their table. But by the time he thought to call out she was out of earshot. When he reached the table he questioned Hermione.
"Do you know who that was?"
"No, she just bumped into the table."
"That was Sam, the dancer I told you about."
"Really? She was very nice. She got pushed in the crowd and bumped into the table. She was really nice about it."
Ron seemed somewhat peeved that he didn't meet her. They soon had to leave to meet up with Mrs. Weasley. They made a last minute check of their list before they prepared to go home. They went to the fireplace and prepared to go home. Mr. Weasley went first, followed by Ron. Harry went next. He said the words and threw down the powder but then as he was traveling he paused somewhere as if the magic was unsure where to take him. Although he could not see anything he heard these words:
"The serris is formidable, that is most certain… he will be almost untouchable is the serris is around." A deep voice stated.
Before he had a chance to hear more he found himself standing in the manor's fireplace.
"Harry, you're ok!" exclaimed Mrs. Weasley, "We got nervous when Hermione got here before you… are you ok Harry, you look white as a ghost!"
"I'm… fine…" but he wasn't really sure that he was.
