Harry Potter and the Return to Godric's Hollow by Erin10.
Spoiler Warning: - This fiction contains spoilers from HPB. If you haven't read HBP, don't read my fic! It won't make sense and I don't want to spoil HBP for anyone! Consider yourself warned! I won't be held responsible if you read this and then complain that I spoilt the book for you!
Disclaimer: - Everything belongs to J.K Rowling! I own nothing! This is written purely for my own enjoyment, and after the last book my sanity depends on it!
Chapter Five: - Birthday Bedlam.
The wedding had been a beautiful distraction from the horror and darkness of war which surrounded them. Harry was glad that he had taken the effort to fit it into his schedule. It was however he had decided, time to take stock of his life and begin the journey to his ultimate goal, to avenge his parent's deaths and wipe Voldermort from the face of the earth. Only when this was done, Harry realised would he be able to begin his life the way he wished. If, by that time she still waited for him.
That was the hardest thing, he reckoned, he had broken things off between himself and Ginny to protect her, and for her sake he hadn't asked her to wait for him. He didn't even know if he would survive, therefore asking her to wait would have been a cruel thing to do.
He stuffed a shirt into his trunk quite forcefully. Even thinking about her was hard. He resolved to do so as little as possible. Instead he doused the monster which had risen once again within his chest with a bucket of icy water and concentrated on his task.
Various items of clothing were littered around his trunk, he knew that in reality he could do with buying some new clothes but decided that he would muddle along with Dudley's cast-offs until he really needed to purchase some new ones. Hermione had insisted that he and Ron packed their trunks properly, instead of the half hazard way in which they usual shoved everything (including empty sweet rappers) into it, apparently you never knew when you might need something quickly, and it was better to be organised. Harry for once had bowed to Hermione superior intellect knowing that she was probably right.
He heard a meow from the doorway and he turned to look at a tabby cat that looked at him intently. The cat had long hair, and Harry had never before seen the cat in his life. He frowned puzzled.
"Ron. Err… do you know that cat?" He asked Ron who was busy packing his trunk from the other side of the room.
"Ay? What cat Harry?"
Harry looked back to where the cathad stood. It had vanished, he began towipe his eyes, blinking, and begundebating the issue of his sanity.
"I…Never mind." He said quietly.
"…happy birthday dear Harry! Happy birthday to you!" The crowed sang together, making Harry blush. Never before had he had a birthday party, and it left him feeling slightly euphoric. He blew the candles out on top of his cake (all seventeen of them), and the small crowed cheered slightly.
He looked around at his friends and smiled. All the Weasley's bar Bill, Fleur and Percy were sitting around the table with Tonks, Remus, Moody and McGonagall. Presents were becoming piled in front of Harry and he blushed slightly, feeling quite awkward.
"Come on Harry! Open them then!" Ron said buoyantly, Hermione looked at the pair of them fondly smiling at Ron's antics. "Mine first!" he looked like a child in haste to make sure his best friend was having a good time, and Harry had no doubt that if it had been his birthday, Ron would have opened all of the presents already.
He took the present Ron offered him with a small smile of thanks. It was decorated in bright orange Chudley Cannon's paper; he smiled again realising that some things never change. Carefully peeling the rapping paper away he noticed that whatever Ron had brought him, it was in a box.
The box was plain; he looked in the box to see what he believed to be several old Muggle TV aerials. Harry's first reaction was to laugh thinking Ron was playing a trick on him, but after lifting them out he realised what he had not before, these were no ordinary television aerials, the aerials were rambled together to make a secrecy sensor. A secrecy sensor was an instrument designed to pick up the vibrations of evil approaching. Harry smiled then, widely.
"Thanks Ron. I think we all know these will come in handy." He smiled again. Hermione was beaming at Ron, probably because his choice of gift was so practical for once. She looked ready to kiss him, but instead she passed Harry two parcels, that had the distinct feeling of being books. Harry smiled knowing that books were defiantly a Hermione gift.
He opened them to see one entitled, Stealthy Silence by A.J Fletcher and Defending the Mind by Eileen Prince. Harry looked at Hermione after reading the authors name on the last one. Ron looked at it and then back to Hermione. "Are you trying to be funny Hermione?" Ron snarled. She looked at them both with wide eyes.
"No. No… really you have to read the preface to the book, it was a natural talent to them both, that's probably why he was never good at teachingyou Harry! That's the best book on the subject and …" Ron however had, had enough.
"He didn't teach Harry properly because he's a Death Eater Hermione!" He said fiercely, slamming his palm into the wooden table. Everyone looked at the three aghast, they had no idea what had made Ron cause the scene.
"That's really insensitive! Especially on his birthday!" Ron carried on looking at Hermione although she was the three headed dog fluffy. Harry shook his head and placed the books down on the floor by his chair.
"Stop it." He said with quiet authority, his temples were beginning to throb unpleasantly. "Ron, when have you ever known Hermione to be deliberately malicious? You haven't bothered to hear her full explanation, and I'm sure there's a good one! If Hermionetells you thatit's the best book on the subject then it is. We've been through enough sticky situations to know not to question her intellect." Ron started to look somewhat embarrassed. "Anyway, it's not the time to be discussing this." Harry looked around the table to the numerous guests, "Well discuss it later alright? But for the record Hermione, is the other writer related to Dung?" She nodded. "Thank you. I know these will probably come in handy for all of us as well." She nodded and spoke quietly.
"That's what I though when I brought them." He winced at the hurt tone of her voice. Ron had some serious making up to do with her.
"That blue one's ours Harry, from myself and Tonks." Lupin told him trying to break the tension. Harry smiled in thanks and picked the gift up, from the feel of it, he though it had to be more books. This was not however, necessarily a bad thing. It was a compendium of books, three books to help Aurors survive and fight the Dark Arts.
The first was entitled, 'The Dark Arts Outsmarted.' The second was entitled 'Jinxes for the Jinxed,' and finally 'A Compendium of Common Curses and Their Counter-Actions.' Harry smiled and looked at them both.
"Thank you very much. That was very kind of you." He saw Hermione inching forward to see what books he had received, he laughed slightly and passed them to her. She looked at all three and then smiled.
"Would you look at that! These are the books we used from the Room of Requirement for the DA!" She asked looking at Ron, Ginny, Harry and finally Fred and George. They all smiled remembering the group Harry had lead, Dumbledore's Army. Harry laughed.
"I thought they were familiar. Do you think the room took them from the library?" He asked looking at Hermione thumb through them.
"I don't think so. I think people would have noticed them disappearing and notified someone." Hermione mumbled busy devouring the books.
"You were a brilliant teacher Harry. We learned loads, didn't we Fred? More than we did in any other lesson really. Dead useful, the stuff you taught us, one of the reason we thought up of 'Defence,' line, wasn't it Fred?" George said whilst eating a piece of Harry's birthday cake.
Harry blushed slightly, knowing that Fred and George rarely praised a person without doing it in a back-handed way, which was always amusing and humorous to watch.
"I wouldn't go that far, you would have learnt it all if we'd had a decent teacher that year in Defence but it was a good distraction that year." Harry said, the others smiled at his modesty.
"It was more than that and you know it Harry!" Harry looked up to see Ginny's bright brown eyes boring into him. "You gave people like Luna and Neville the chance to feel like they were a part of a group and not friendless. They were the ones who missed the group the most last year, and you know Neville thrived under your teaching him, you saw the difference in him last year, better spell work, more confidence. In fact I think you were a role model for quite a few of the group after that, and most importantly, many of them turned up to help fight in the siege of the castle last month. They would have been goners if they hadn't had all that practice! Stop selling yourself short!"
"It was Neville's new wand that made the difference in his spell work, he was using his dads before, andit wasn't a good match for him and as for none of you in the DA getting hurt in the siege, well… that was the potion, wasn't it? Yougot lucky." Harry said patiently. Ginny made a noise in her throat like a strangled cat.
"There wasn't enough of the potion to go around and to last Harry! Ron, Hermione, Luna, Neville and I. Well we were the only ones who had it! I wish it had been you who took it with you!" She told him loudly.
"Well, I'm glad that it was you." He told her softly. She looked at him; he could see theguilt shiningplainly for himto seein her eyes.
"He was more important Harry."
"So you mean that I should have sacrificed five lives for his? Do you think he would have wanted that? Do you think he could have lived with himself? Five students of his dead, that would have killed him, Gin, and I had to do something, he wouldn't listen to me when I told him Malfoy and Snape were up to something that night! Do you think I could have lived with myself if I had taken the potion, and you… you died?" He said angrily, "I've already told you that Ginny! Remember that day, the conversation we had? If anything happened to you, well, you know exactly how I feel."
"You never gave me the choice Harry, and it was my choice to make, just like Hermione and Ron have chosen to go with you. Just like Neville and Luna would like to choose too. Stop shutting me out!" She stomped her foot when saying the last sentence, she looked at him fiercely. "…And stop thinking you're the only one with a score to settle with Voldermort or have you already forgotten my first year at Hogwarts?" She laughed angrily, "He was teaching you all about his life, but the one thing he forgot was that he was in my head for most of the year, and I know him inside out. I know what makes him tick, what makes him happy, and why he is what he is! I could help you if you'd get over yourself and stop making my decisions for me!"
"You're underage." He said coolly, Ginny shook her head in defiance.
"That never stopped you before so why should I let it stop me?" She looked like a mother lion trying to protect her pride, he though suddenly.
"That's enough of this talk. Ginny you're not going anywhere and neither for that matter is Harry. You're all going to Hogwarts on September the first like usual. You're only children, you need to finish your education." Mrs Weasley intervened looking at Ginny and Harry as though trying to solve a puzzle. It was only then that Harry realised that everyone apart from McGonagall (possibly), and Ron and Hermione had no clue that he and Ginny had been dating. Lupin however looked at him shrewdly, and Harry knew that the intelligent man had probably pieced it all together.
"That's where you're wrong Mrs. Weasley; I think I've learnt all that Hogwarts has to teach me." Harry told her forcefully because no one was going to stop him in his task. He had, had this conversation with Mrs. Weasley on his first night at the Burrow, and he had thought that she had come round to his point of view, but she obviously hadn't realised that he, Ron and Hermione never intended to finish Hogwarts.
"Do you mean to tell me that I am losing two Gryffindor prefects and my Quidditch Captain?" McGonagall asked sounding very shocked. Harry bowed his head slightly, "Yes, I had meant to tell you earlier."
"But Miss Granger, you know what you are giving up?" She asked still looking shocked. Harry realised that there was something amiss here; something Hermione hadn't told him, or Ron judging by the look he was giving her.
"So, you do not wish to be Head Girl?" She asked sounding surprised. Everyone looked at Hermione in shock.
"It's not a big deal." She shrugged modestly. Harry looked at her gravely.
"To you it is Hermione. I have to do this, you and Ron… you don't." He looked at them, and McGonagall looked at Harry.
"And what about you Potter?" She asked, her features returning somewhat to normal, as the shock of loosing her most prized pupil began to leave her.
"What about me?"
"He never opened his letter Professor." Hermione supplied McGonagall. McGonagall looked at Harry sternly. "Well, go on then Potter. Open it." He looked at her in surprise and pulled the crumpled paper out of his pocket. He opened the letter, and a badge fell into his palm. It had the initial HB engraved on it.
He frowned. "Another Big-Head boy!" The twins crowed together. Harry shook his head.
"Not me." He smiled slightly. At the beginning of his fifth year he had felt jealous that Ron had gotten to be the Gryffindor fifth year prefect, and he had though when seeing this badge that he would feel the loss, knowing that he had to sacrificeanother thing he wanted for his mission. He was surprised because he felt neither. It didn't matter anymore because he knew that his mission was his choice to stand andfight, and to keep fighting. He knew that, that was more important than being Head Boy.
"I'm honoured that you think thatI'm up to thistask Professor, but you already know that I can't accept this." He smiled and handed the badge back to her, "Even if I was going back to Hogwarts I don't think I would have accepted it. I'm a confirmed rule breaker, and I get too much attention for being me as it is without having to help take care of the other students." He laughed at the look the twins gave him. They looked immensely proud of him.
"Well I say Fred. Our little Harrikins has grown up."
"Yeah George, our little marauder isn't he,'ickle Prongs juniorhaving too much fun fighting the big bad Dark arse….." Fred was interrupted by his mother, Mrs. Weasley who looked at them severely.
"The Dark Lord isn't someone you should be taking the Mickey out of!" She screeched but Harry had started laughing loudly.
"You should know Harry that it was at Professor Dumbledore's recommendation. He picked the new prefects and Head Girl and Boy before he died. He felt that he had done you a great disservice." He nodded, knowing that she was talking aboutDumbledore not making him a prefect in his fifth year, and that she was also trying to sway him into staying at Hogwarts.
"I don't think Professor Dumbledore knew he was going to die that soon Professor, although he knew it was apossibility. If he was still alive then I would stay at Hogwarts, no disrespect to you intended Professor, but as I am Dumbledore's heir, I do intent to finish the job he began." He took a deep breath, "You should also know that I plan to leave tonight. Today my mothers sacrifice, my protection, it has run out. I am a danger to everyone, and I'm living on borrowed time,especially by staying in the same place for more than a few days."
"Tonight?" Lupin asked quietly, and Harry nodded.
"As Dumbledore would say, we leave in the cloak of darkness. It's safer that way, and Ron and I passed our apparition test earlier today, so, that will be our mode of transport. We only need to know our apparation point, which I am relying on you to tell me Professor Lupin, and I am relying on you not to tell anyone where that is."
Remus Lupin looked at Harry intently.
"I'll tell you, and you can trust me not to breath a word of it to anyone else." He told him firmly, apparently making his decision with far more ease than Harry would have believed.
End Of Ch5.
Excuse the lateness of this chapter. I had to re-write it after getting a Virus which corrupted my word files, add on the fact that I've moved home and you get the idea that I've had precious free time.
Review Responses to come with the next chapter, you'll have to excuses me when I beg off writing them tonight. I'm way too tired. It's 3.43am! Damn, another late night for me!
Please review, it'll make my day!
Erin10