Key of Darkness: good morning!

Justin/waves/. You have a meeting with Hermione Granger next chapter KOD. Shall I write it on your calendar?

Key of Darkness: My God! You sound like Alfred from Batman!

Justin: is that a good thing?

Key of Darkness/thinks/. Let me think about that.

HD

It was an odd feeling, being two places at once. It came and went in a split second and he crashed to the floor on top of someone. Instantly he on his feet and we spun looking for a door a place to run, or something he could get under until his head stopped spinning.

Another bang and the dog was back, voices started yelling, most of them directed at him. Someone grabbed his arm; he threw them off and backed away, bumping into someone else.

He spun again, and tried to focus on something, anything, but everything was blurred and he realized that he had lost his glasses somewhere along the line. Someone else tried to reach out to him but he moved away again.

"Stop that dog barking!"

"Everyone quiet!"

"..He's lost his glasses; he can't see anything properly…"

"Someone shut that dog up!"

"Harry…"

"…Harry calm down…"

Yet another person tried to grab him and this time he lashed out, connecting but he couldn't tell where.

"Guys! GUYS! Just leave him be. He's frightened enough as it is! Just let him calm down."

Harry was panting, his heart beating wildly, his vision distorted down to shadowy figures and objects leering out at him.

A figure stepped forward and he backed away.

"Harry, its Remus. It's alright." Harry tried to focus on him, but without his glasses, his vision was still too blurred to see if the figure was telling the truth. A hand slowly reached out towards him, but stopped when he took another half step back.

"Harry, listen to me. Listen to my voice. You're safe. Calm down. It's alright now." The hand moved forward again and Harry reached out his own, through the fear, recognising the voice of a friend.

The hand took his and he knew he was safe. The Remus moved toward him and warped his other arm around the frighten boys shoulders, leading him out through the door.

The dog barked again and it leapt forward to pad along beside them. Harry pulled away from it, and Remus pulled him closer to him. "It's okay. The dog's a friend."

Harry's heart still hadn't returned to normal and he was hyper alert, every sound making him jump, and every time Remus comforted him. They reached a flight of stairs and slowly they climbed upwards, Harry depending on his former teacher to lead to way, almost completely blind without his glasses.

As they slowly made their way up the stairs, Harry heard a cat meow. He tried to look round, forgetting about not having his glasses. He stopped, forcing Remus to stop too.

"Harry?"

Something rubbed against his legs and he looked down. A blurred silvery shape greeted him. Harry bent down and picked the cat up. It shifted in his arms then settled.

"Looks like you've found a friend." Harry nodded and they started moving again.

"Where are we going?" he asked softly.

Remus turned to him. "Somewhere safe. I can't tell you where exactly. But then it's on to HQ."

"Where are we now?"

"Somewhere safe, too dangerous to tell you exactly."

Harry fell silent again.

The cat purred.

The dog padded along quietly.

The stairs ended and the four walked, correction, three walked and one was carried, down a corridor. Harry started to get jittery again. It was dark and everything seemed more frightening without his glasses. Remus opened a door and they walked through into an even darker room. Against one wall, something moved, like a curtain blown by an invisible breeze.

Harry pulled back slightly, but Remus kept his grip firm and pulled him towards it. Remus reached out and caught the edge of the moving thing and, pulling Harry after him, stepped through.

HD

The light stung Harrys' eyes and he clamped them shut. The dog started barking again and the cat in his arms hissed slightly at the noise. He could hear the sound of pots and pans clanging together and it was far warmer here than it had been before.

"Harry!" it was Ron's voice and Harry turned to where it came from. He heard footsteps running towards him. Not one set, but many.

He opened his eyes. A red blur raced over to him, quickly followed by three others.

"Ron?"

"Yeah mate. Where are your glasses?" the cat started hissing louder as Ron got closer to him. Someone took it out of his arms and it gave a loud, mournful meow.

"I'll go and see if I can find your glasses for you." Remus whispered in his ear. "You're safe here. You're at headquarters."

Harry nodded and let Ron lead him to a seat.

"So what are you doing here Harry?" the voice sounded like Fred or George's. He felt a warm cup being pressed into his hands and suddenly Mrs. Weasley was there.

"All right! All right! Give him a bit of space you lot. Leave him be. Have you had breakfast dear?" she asked kindly. The gang around him backed off a bit.

Harry shook his head, and she bustled off muttering something about over worked and under feed. As soon as she turned her back, he was surrounded again.

"So… what are you doing here?"

"I, I don't really know…"

"You just appeared out of no where…"

"What happened to your face…"

"Did you come from the legacy?"

"Where have you been?"

"…why didn't you answer any…"

"…did they do to you?"

"QUIET!" Mrs Weasley had returned. "All of you OUT!"

"But mum…" the twins whined in unison.

"But mum nothing. Out!"

Harry felt a warm hand on his shoulder and someone pressed something into his hands. It was his glasses. Gratefully he put them on and once again, his vision was clear. Mrs Weasley stood in front of his, her hair tied up in a bun and a large wooden spoon in her hands. Remus was beside him, a hand still on his shoulder. He looked even older and even tiered than Harry had ever seen him. His face was pale and his hair was starting to go greyer. Beside his old teacher stood a shaggy black dog.

Harry's heart almost skipped a beat. It looked exactly like Sirius. The dog barked quietly and put its head in his lap. Harry patted his head and tears started to form the corners of his eyes.

"He's not, Harry. Sirius is gone." Harry nodded.

"What's his name?" he whispered.

"Snuffs, short for Snuffles. But a lot of us call him Padfoot." Harry nodded again.

"Harry dear," Mrs Weasley said gently, "what happened to your face."

"The basterd hit him." Harry turned. The red headed girl walked into the room and flopped down on the seat next to him. "With fists like his, I wouldn't be surprised if he fractured your cheek bone. He's really given you a shiner."

Snuffles flopped down at her feet and she bent down a scratched his ears. "Have you been formally introduced to my dog yet?"

"Yeah. Where did you get him?"

"Turned put on my door step not long ago and before you start…"

"We have already been through the whole Sirius thing." Remus interrupted politely.

"I was going to say he's house trained, but that too…"

The cat jumped up on the table and almost instantly was thrown off again by Mrs Weasley. "You know you're not allowed up there!"

The cat stalked off sulkily and walked out the door.

"And that's Ignis."

"Bloody tornado on four paws. He can be worse than the twins some times."

The two red heads shot through the door and mock bowed to their mother. "You called?" they had obviously been standing with their ears pressed to the door, waiting for a reason to butt in.

Ron poked his head round the door and was quickly swatted with a dish towel. "Ow!"

"I told you to stay out of the kitchen!"

"But we wanted to be the ones to break the news about Dr…"

"OUT!" three voice shouted. The twins scarpered.

Harry put his head down on the table and sighed. There was just to much happening. "They wanted to break the news about what?" he asked, knowing the answer wasn't going to be to his liking.

"DRACOSERE!" the girl got up and slammed the door and Harry could hear people falling over and complaining.

"I really don't like the sound of that."

Remus sighed. "Take this as good news or bad news, we have a resident."

"So I gathered. Why?" Harry rubbed his hands over his face. This day was really not going well.

"He's not as bad as you think Harry." The girl said quietly.

"OH YEAH?HE BULLIED ME, HE TORMENTED ME, HE WAS DOWN RIGHT CRULE TO ME FROM DAY ONE, AND YOU'RE TELLING ME THAT HE ISN'T ALL THAT BAD?" Harry was on his feet, the chair lying on its side on the floor. "HOW THE HELL DO YOU KNOW WHAT HE'S LIKE?"

"I'm his cousin, Angel Malfoy-Black. Pleased to make your aquantience."

HD

Key of Darkness: dun, dun, dun…

Justin: hee, hee!