It was astonishing how fast a room could go from a seam busting loudness, to so silent you could hear a pin drop. The entire room was starring a Mr. Weasley with their mouths agape.
"I didn't mean to spoil Bill and Fleur's announcement, but this needed to be done tonight." He stopped and waited for some response, when there was none he continued.
"Re-election is at our doorstep, and the facts are that we cannot hope to defeat Vold- Voldemort without the cooperation of the Ministry, and Fudge is far from being cooperative" Again he paused.
"So it would be ideal if someone from the Order were on the inside. As grateful as we are for Tonks and Kingsley's help, it just isn't getting the job done, and if you need someone on the inside, who better than the Minister of Magic?
"Albus has asked me to do this for him, since obviously he cannot leave Hogwarts. Albus said he needed someone he could trust," Mr. Weasley blushed modestly, "and I was happy to oblige.
"I don't really start campaigning until spring; the election will be sometime in October. I won't go ahead with it unless you all agree; this is going to be a long road for us all and I'll need your support, so?" Mr. Weasley looked hopefully at them all.
"But, Arthur," Mrs. Weasley spoke up quietly, "What about your job? Your muggle things?"
"We are at war Molly; I'd rather be in a position to help, do what I can, to help who I can. We all have to make sacrifices." Mr. Weasley's eyes locked with Harry's own for a split second. Did he know?
"Of course we're behind you dad," Bill spoke up, "That's what we do."
This statement seemed to bread the ice and Mr. Weasley was quickly showered with hugs and congratulations. Harry followed Ginny's hug with a hand shake. Mr. Weasley looked at him keenly.
"I hope you know that you have my full support as well, sir," Harry said.
"I'm glad to hear you say that Harry," The balding man looked down, "because your support is going to mean a great deal before the end."
Harry sat starring blankly into the darkness of the drawing room. Ginny and the rest of the house had turned in early. All he knew was that he couldn't sleep in this house. There was an irritating prickle at his scar. It took all of Harry's strength to keep occluding, especially in his exhaustion.
"Harry?" He jumped slightly startled. Their was light steaming in from the hall. He tried to blink away the stark contrast of the darkness.
In the silhouette of the light Harry could make out someone with bushy hair and a shock of red.
"Harry?" Hermione called again.
"Yeah," Even he could tell his voice was raspy, "I'm here, shut the door will you?"
His eyes were able to quickly adjust back into the darkness.
"Merlin, mate," Ron said as he fumbled towards him, "have you gone blind and no longer need light? Ouch!" Ron yelped as he ran his shin into the table.
"Oh, this is ridiculous, Lumos." A soft light appeared at the tip of Hermione's wand. "What are you doing in here?"
"I couldn't sleep."
They sat in a companionable silence, Ron and Hermione on the floor. They looked at each other in the dim light; no words were spoken.
Ron automatically pulled out the chessboard and set up. Ron against Harry and Hermione. This was trio time, as Harry liked to think of it. Their had been too few of these recently.
Should I tell them? Harry looked at his friends. He didn't want to spoil this peaceful moment. How could he tell them when he'd barely come to accept it himself?
It wasn't long before they all ended up in a dead sleep on the couch. Harry and Hermione were next to one another, her head on his shoulder, and Ron sprawled across them, mouth hanging wide.
Harry awoke to a bright flash going off behind his close eyelids. He felt an immense relief in the amount of pressure on his legs.
Ron had sat up suddenly, awoken by the flashing light bulb. Harry blinked sleepily up at the two identical twin faces, each bursting with glee. The twin to the right was holding a smoking purple camera.
"Fred give me that camera now!" Ron yelled jumping off Hermione's lap. She groaned in pain. Ron's rampage was to no avail as the twins promptly ran out of the room.
"Urgh," Ron groaned miserably, "One day, I'm going to get those two."
Mrs. Weasley stuck her head in the door. "You lot better go get dressed, breakfast's nearly ready and then we'll open gifts."
"Whoa! Presents, come on let's eat." Ron ran up the stairs. Harry and Hermione sat there listening to his heavy footfalls on the stairs.
"I suppose we'd better get ready," Hermione smiled, "he'd never forgive us if we were late."
A half an hour later the household, or most of the household, was gathered in the drawing room. Bill and Fleur had somehow gotten preoccupied when they went up to get their presents and had yet to arrive.
Ron was complaining miserably and looking longingly at his pile of neatly wrapped gifts. "Can't we just start without them? What's taking so long?"
"Oh, I can think of a few things they could be doing," George smirked.
Fred laughed, "Bill's probably unwrapping his gift, if you know what I mean."
"Fred!" Mrs. Weasley admonished, "I will not have-"
"Sorry we're late all," Bill and Fleur rushed in looking flushed. They set down their bags of packages. "Are we ready to get started then?"
Harry was sure Fred and George would waist no time in teasing Bill more when the excitement of the gifts was over.
He spotted an unusually shaped parcel; it looked very long and not very solid. Harry tore into the wrapping and then dropped it in surprise.
"Hey!" George yelped, "Be careful with it. Go on, look at the engraving."
Harry read the engraving that was embedded into the fur of the fake ferret. Their were three large orange M's, flowing downward from the lettering was the inscription: Mastering the Malfoy Mischief.
"It's a boat load of pranks especially designed for the little ferret back at Hogwarts," Fred explained.
Harry continued his opening of gifts while imagining the sort of things the twins had created just for Malfoy; whatever it was, Harry was sure he would love it. Ron had given him a leather holster to carry his wand in, which would no doubt prove very useful. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had given him the usual sweater and box of muffins.
He opened a small box from Bill next. It was incased in leather and looked something like an oversized ring box. Harry pried the lid open and found a glass ball, a centre. Harry smiled at Bill in his thanks.
The next box was extremely heavy. Their was a note attached to the top and in loopy scroll that could be none other than Dumbledore's it read: Use it well. Harry's lip quirked at the irony the old professor seemed so fond of.
He pulled back the flaps of the old cardboard box, and found what was unmistakably a pensive. Harry pulled it out of the box and observed it. It was similar to Dumbledore's but not identical. The runes around the rim were different and it was more of a green than a blue.
Harry knew it must have been very expensive, so much so that Snape didn't even have his own, and had used Dumbledore's last year during Occlumency. He put it back in the box.
Hermione gave him a package that was most obviously a book, he prayed to Merlin it wasn't another planner. He peeled back the wrapping staring at the aged cover of a book that seemed to have seen many years. It read:
Ancient Curses and Counter Curses
Beware to all that enter into these pages….
Only those who are worthy should succeed….
Harry quirked his eyebrow at the ominous title and message that followed-- rather unusual gift. He set the book aside and thought maybe he could use it for homework or something.
He looked at the text again and something made him replace in carefully in the box it came in, best keep it in good condition, just in case.
The next package appeared to be a shoe box wrapped in bits of the Daily Prophet. Harry pulled off the lid and saw nothing but hundreds of photos. They looked to be of various times in the Marauder's and his own life. He needed no card to tell this was from Remus.
Harry shut the lid; he didn't know if he could handle looking at all those in front of everyone. He looked over at Remus and saw him give Tonks a sly kiss on the cheek, oblivious to his observer.
"Harry?" Ginny smiled up at him, "Are you going to open mine now?"
He blinked at her his mind blank for a moment. "Oh!" Harry smiled, "Yeah I was saving the best for last." She kissed him on the cheek. It paid to be charming.
Ginny scooted a box large enough for perhaps a human head. He pulled off the lid. It took him a moment to realize what exactly he was looking at, and then it moved.
It appeared to be a white furry snowball with little brown fleshy ears. It blinked up at him with wide blue eyes. Harry moved in to rub a finger down what he assumed would be a spine and it seemed to giggle merrily.
This seemed to start it off. The thing began to bounce like a rubber ball, rocking its crate. Harry began to think it was fleeing for escape.
"Hold her," Ginny giggled, "It'll calm her down."
With his seeker reflexes Harry caught her in his hand. He looked down at it to make sure he hadn't hurt her, but she was purring merrily into his hand.
"It's a Kneazle," Ginny said.
"Yeah I recognize it. How come you didn't leave any air holes for her?"
"Harry, am I a witch or not?"
He smiled, "Right."
He continued to cradle the furry creature in his lap. "Well go on then, open up my gift."
Ginny smiled at him seeming merely ecstatic to receive a gift from him at all. She took the small box in her hands. It opened much like the box for Bill's centre, thought much flatter.
"Oh Harry," Ginny whispered, "It's beautiful." She pulled out a golden locket. It hung on a delicate string which had been reinforced with strengthening charms. The locket had a Gryffindor lion engraved on the face.
"Well go on," He smiled, "open it."
She did. Ginny stared at the small mirror embedded on the inside of the charm. She looked up at him curiously.
"It's a charm," He explained, "I have a mirror just like it. We can communicate with each other through it, no matter where we are. I had Remus pick it up for me at wherever my dad and Sirius got theirs, but he doesn't seem inclined to tell me just how he managed to get a hold of another one."
She beamed at him and caressed the locket once more before she gently shut it and placed it around her neck. Ginny reached up and kissed him soundly on the lips.
The rest of the day had consisted of nothing more than lazy frolicking. They had spent most of their time testing out their new gifts and just enjoying the holiday merriment. Fred and George seemed to take particular enjoyment in taking pictures of everyone at unexpected moments.
Yet all good things must come to an end, Harry mused. He was currently sitting in the dark again, but not somewhere as obvious as the Drawing Room this time. Harry had no wish to be found.
He fingered through the various photos of his family and himself. As interested as Harry was in the photographs of his family he wasn't nearly as enthralled with them as the ones of him and Sirius.
All of the pictures depicted Harry and Sirius in some sort of play. An annoying voice kept ringing in his head; It does not do to dwell on dreams Harry and forget to live. But I thought my dream was to be with my family? Maybe it's changed; Maybe Sirius was my family, my only family.
Well, you've lost that too, didn't you Potter? Now you're alone and you deserve it. Harry looked back down at the smiling face of his Godfather, oblivious to the hurt that would soon befall him.
"Damn you," He whispered.
"Sorry, didn't realize I had anything to be damned about." Harry jumped and turned to look at the shadowy figure of Remus Lupin.
"I didn't know anyone was there." Harry quickly stuffed the shoebox behind him.
"Only for a moment. What are you doing down here anyway?" Remus looked at the scattered hay and droppings. The ex-professor went to pet a sleeping Buckbeak.
"Couldn't sleep," Harry replied.
"I've been hearing you've been doing a lot of that lately." Remus kept petting Buckbeak, but his voice betrayed his worry.
"I could ask you the same question," He snapped.
"You need to take better care of yourself, Harry."
"I don't need to be babied, I never was, and I don't need to be." Harry could hear the bitterness in his voice.
Remus looked as if he'd been struck. "I would have been there for you Harry, but the laws…"
He starred at the man astonished. "Why would you want to be there for me? I've destroyed everything in your life, every damn thing."
"Sirius made his own mistake in going there," Remus' voice was harsh, "he was a fool, when he was alive and in the grave."
"I hate him for it," Harry whispered "I hate myself for letting him."
"Of course you hate him; I hate him just as much for all his sodding chivalry." Harry had never seen the werewolf's eyes so bitter. His scorn soon turned to a smile of irony. "It's amazing, the fine line between love and hate."
Harry sat on his bed many hours later. He and Remus had reached a sense of peace, however warped it was. Who knew how long it would last?
There was a pale light rising from the horizon, the moon was beginning to set and the darkness was quickly fading from his thoughts and mind.
Harry sighed; he looked over his shoulder at the occupied bed of Ronald Weasley. It was time and Harry knew it. He couldn't take it much longer, not alone at least.
He stood and walked to his wardrobe; inside sat the stone basin. Harry took the tip of his was to his head, just as he had seen Dumbledore do so many times before, and concentrated on the night that had changed his life and his destiny…
The students of Hogwarts stood in the front entry hall of number twelve Grimwauld Place, each saying their goodbyes to the ones who would be left behind.
Mrs. Weasley was smothering her two youngest children in hugs and kisses, desperate to keep them just a little while longer. Hermione was chatting admirably with Tonks.
Harry felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to see Remus smiling warmly at him. They said not one word to each other, just pulled one another into a warm embrace. Harry realized how much he didn't want to leave.
"Great Scott," Remus chuckled as he pulled away. "You're taller than I am anymore. You're a man now." Harry patted his friend on the back in thanks
"You notice she never got that weepy over us when we left for school," George nudged Harry in the ribs. He was nodding to the still emotional Mrs.Weasley. "Well we got some film developed."
Fred handed Harry the picture of his, Hermione, and Ron's nighttime nap. "Give a copy to Ron and 'Mione as well," Fred said.
"Though I suppose you don't have too-" George smirked.
"As there'll be plenty posted around Hogwarts for them to grab a few extras,"
Fred continued. They gave him a wicked grin and left.