Ch.3 Return to Grimmauld Place
Harry woke with a jerk, the dream still fogging his brain. Sirius had fallen through the curtain again. Harry had seen this before in his dreams, but this time it was different. It was more vivid than it had ever been before, this time Sirius had called out Harry's name. His cry was like a cry for help. What did this mean?
Harry shook his head as if to shake the dream from his mind. What did it mean? Harry sat up in bed; he could apparate now, what was stopping him from going to Grimmauld place. He could be where Sirius spent his last days, and maybe, maybe be able to feel Sirius again.
He made up his mind; he would go to Grimmauld Place before he went to the burrow tonight.
He got out of bed, gathered his things, and then looked at Hedwig's empty cage and thought, "she will be able to find me."
Harry walked down stairs paid for his room and thanked Tom the innkeeper. Then Harry walked out to the ally behind the Leakey Caldron. Harry closed his eyes and thought of Grimmauld Place and when he opened his eyes he was staring at where number twelve should be. He remembered that he had to think of Number Twelve Grimmauld Place and as he thought about it the house seemed to push the other two houses aside. Harry walked up and thought about how to open the door. Harry pulled out his wand and cast Alohomora charm a clicking sound came from the door and it slowly opened.
As Harry walked in his heart seemed to jump and break at the same time. The foyer was dark and the house seemed to be empty. Harry sat down his trunk, and decided to go up to the room where Sirius had kept Buckbeak. As Harry walked passed the room where he and Ron had stayed two summers ago he thought he heard a noise, kind of like a sigh or maybe a whimper. He opened the door but the room was pitch black. Like a black sheet flung over Harry's eyes.
He held up his wand "lumose" and a light came out of the tip of his wand.
Alook of surprise was now on Harry's face. He stared at the bed he had slept in. It should have been empty yet there was some one in it, a GIRL was in his bed.
He managed to mutter "nox" and the light went out and the girl disappeared into the darkness again.
Harry backed out of the room and pulled the door closed quietly. He leaned against the closed door for a moment to gather his now scattered thoughts.
He opened the door as quietly as he had closed it held up his wand "lumose."
He had to check and see if what he saw was real. She was!
He whispered "nox" once again and closed the door.
If she was here someone else had to be here. Harry walked downstairs pondering what he had just seen.
"There is a girl in my bed!" Harry muttered to himself.
This thought kept running through his head as he headed in to the kitchen. Harry looked up and saw Lupin sitting in front of the fire, Lupin stood up as Harry entered the kitchen.
"Harry!" Lupin exclaimed "what are you doing here, are you alright?"
"There is a girl in my bed," Harry said with an odd look on his face.
"Yes, well, you see it's complicated" Lupin stammered.
Harry looked at Lupin for a moment, "I have a small question, two actually, who is the GIRL in my bed, and why is there a GIRL in my bed?"
"I think I can answer your questions Harry."
A voice said quietly from the doorway. Harry spun to see Hogwarts headmaster and leader of the Order of the Phoenix Albus Dumbledore standing there. Harry and Lupin both looked surprised to see him.
"Remus please go up stairs and wake our young guest, see if she would like to come down please." Dumbledore asked, before looking at Harry.
"I think it would best to explain this only once so if you don't mind, I will answer your questions when she comes down."
Harry nodded, how odd this night was becoming.
Dumbledore set about making tea and biscuits appear on the table. Harry absently looked at the time, looked like he wouldn't be making it to the burrow this night; Harry sat heavily in a chair by the fire to wait for the "Guest". A few minutes past and there were footsteps on the stairs and Harry stood as Lupin and the young girl walked in. She stood slightly behind Lupin so Harry could not see her clearly, but he got the impression she was fairly short. Dumbledore walk slowly toward the girl as if not to frighten her, Harry thought this very odd; Dumbledore would not hurt a child. Dumbledore held out a hand and the girl took it gently. He eased her out from behind Lupin and Harry got a good look.
She was fairly small as he thought, and as he looked at her he realized she was also very pretty. Her hair looked to be as dark as his own, but looked like she kept it cut in a short almost boyish style. As she stepped further in to the light and turned her head to look around the room he realized her hair wasn't short it was braided and the braid ended below a rather nice bottom. Her face wasn't classically pretty, but it had an exotic almost feline look to it, smooth forehead, down to dark eyebrows and lower still to high cheekbones. She had a very pretty mouth that looked like it didn't smile often enough, a small slightly pointed chin, but what Harry caught himself staring at was her eyes. Harry had never seen eyes quite that color, they were the color of galleons and they seemed almost too large for her face.
"Very pretty eyes," Harry thought to himself. Those same eyes had started to glare at him the longer he stared.
"Harry I would like you to meet Aria Sinclair, Aria this is Harry Potter," Dumbledore introduced quietly.
Harry held out his hand and waited for her to take it, he also waited for those pretty eyes to flick up wards, and they did not.
She took his hand and shook it "nice to meet you…"
"Harry" he said wanting be sure she knew who he was"Harry Potter."
Aria in a slightly sleep roughened voice said, "yes, I know, Harry Potter."
Harry waited again for the eye flick again it didn't happen.
Harry had to be sure"I'm the boy who lived," he said off handily as he could.
"The boy who lived through what?" She asked with a blank look on her face.
Harry's eyes snapped back to Dumbledore who had a peculiar sort of smile on his face. Harry was a little puzzled by this. He felt a slight tug on his hand and realized he was still holding hers.
"I am going to need that back now," Aria said.
Harry felt his face flush as he dropped her hand. Dumbledore and Harry went to sit down at the table and Dumbledore asked Aria to join them.
She stood there for a moment and then said, "thank you for saving me and taking care of me, but what am I still doing here?"
"Come, sit down and I will explain the best I can." Dumbledore said.
Aria looked at them both for a moment longer and then walked to the table and sat down. Harry and Dumbledore sat down as well.
"A thousand years ago, Godric Gryffindor, Salazar Slytherin, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Helga Huffelpuff started Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."
Harry sighed and thought to himself "I know this."
As if Dumbledore had read Harry's thoughts he said "This is standard knowledge in the wizarding world, however few people know there was a fifth person that helped form Hogwarts. She was neither witch nor wizard, but she had phenomenal abilities. She was a consort to the four of them, giving advice and direction. She was known as the "Oracle of the age" and her name was Latonia Sinclair. One night she had a terrible vision showing a fierce struggle for power at Hogwarts. She went to Godric Gryffindor and told him of what she had seen, and her fears. For although she was counsel to the four, she was uneasy around Salazar Slytherin. His thirst for power and purity had always disturbed her, and now her vision had set forth her fears. When confronted by Godric and Latonia about his plans for the future of Hogwarts, Salazar lashed out at Godric about his plan to dilute the wizarding world by allowing unworthy "mudbloods" to attend Hogwarts. He then turned his wrath on Latonia questioning her presence among the four. Stating that she was a charlatan and that she did not belong at Hogwarts, she was not even a witch, no better than a muggle. Thus we have the beginning of the dividing of Hogwarts."
Dumbledore paused for a moment as if to wait for questions. None came so he went on. "It is said in some books that there was a stronger connection between Godric and Latonia that went beyond Hogwarts but it was never confirmed. This would however explain why Latonia stood behind Godric in the battle."
Dumbledore continued, "After the battle was over Salazar left Hogwarts. Latonia lived well into her eighties before she died in her sleep. She did have a daughter but never married and the father of her child is still unknown. The bloodline of the oracle continued for centuries and was not called upon again until there was a shift in power between good and evil. This happened in 1970 with Voldemort. Myra Sinclair became the oracle of time when she was 25; she was given the name oracle of time because of her ability to see past, present and future. In 1980 she had a daughter. She sent the child into hiding to protect her from Voldemort and his followers. On October 31 1981 she had a terrible vision. She saw Voldemort killing the Potters that very night. She sent me an owl telling me of her vision, but she feared that I would not receive the owl in time so she went to confront Voldemort herself. Even though she had limited power over the elements, she proved no match for the dark lord. We believe he killed her with the killing curse Avada Kedavra. The same curse he used on your parents and tried to use on you Harry.This brings us to the here and now. I have been looking for Myra's daughter for the past two years, because when the dark lord returned for the second time I knew that the next oracle would be coming into her power."
Dumbledore turned and looked at Aria and said " I am only sorry that I was not able to get to you before the death eaters did."
"Um, um what's a deatheater? Are they the ones that attacked me, who is Voldemort, do you think I'm the oracle, I can't be the oracle, I'm just plain Aria, my mother can't be this Myra person, my mother died in childbirth, that's what the orphanage told me. I've always been on my own; if I had special powers don't you think I would change that! Harry noticed that Aria was getting more and more agitated."
"Don't you think that's enough news for one night professor?" Harry asked Dumbledore.
"Perhaps your right Harry too much news at one time can hurt instead of help," Dumbledore murmured.
He looked at Aria and noticed the confused and worried look on her face, maybe he had said too much already.
"I'm sorry if this all seems like to much at one time, but time you see is of the essence. Voldemort already knows about you if he sent his deatheaters, he will put things together and realize that the order is protecting you. He will then attack in earnest," He said quietly.
"However he has no knowledge of this place so as long as you stay here you will be safe."
"So," Aria began slowly "as long as I stay put the big bad man won't hurt me, but will I be safe with you! Witches, wizards and things that go bump in the night; those are things in fairy tales, not real life, and yet all of you believe it, how, How!"
Dumbledore stood and walk to the now hysterical girl and wrapped his arms around her as she wept. He met Harry's worried eyes over her head" Can you show her that we are real and that she can feel safe with us?" Dumbledore asked.
Aria turned slightly in Dumbledore's arms to look at him. Harry's mouth went dry, in that moment she looked so lost that Harry would have produced the moon to prove that not all wizards were bad. Instead he swallowed hard and thought about how to do what he was asked. Harry's mind flew from one spell to another, trying to decide on a spell that would comfort and confirm. He looked around the room for something, anything to help.
His eyes rested on the blanket she had brought down stairs over her arms, it now sat hung on the back of her chair. He slowly pulled out his wand, she flinched slightly, he looked over at her and gave his wand a little swish, nothing happened.
"See it's not so bad" Harry said gently.
He then turned toward the blanket "Winggardium Leviosa" the blanket rose slowly into the air Harry turned slowly directing the blanket toward Aria. Dumbledore stepped back to let the blanket by. Aria stood stiffly not believing her eyes, this was not some parlor trick, she her self had brought the blanket so it wasn't rigged. It really was floating toward her, she looked at Harry, and his face was set in concentration, he was focused on the blanket .It slid around her shoulders and tied loosely in a knot, so it would not fall off. She reached up and grasped the knot, and looked at Harry. Her face still looked tear stained but most of the wariness had slipped away.
She gave him a little smile, "I imagine that comes in handy for those hard to reach places."
