Chapter 1

Small Accidents

Harry sat next to Ron, who was very busy staring at Fluer.

"You'all right, Ron?" asked Harry, helping himself to a waffle.

Ron tore his gaze away from Fluer, who was miming the music, and looked at Harry.

"Yeah I'm ok, y'know. Hermione's just been really bugging me lately."

"At least you know where your girlfriend is though," said Harry, meaning it to sound like a joke but it came out sarcastic and humourless. How could he joke about Roxanne's disappearance? He missed her so much…it was nothing to joke about.

Ron didn't reply. He had given up on trying to cheer Harry up, because even he felt down. Roxanne was his friend too. Her not being here had affected everyone. Not only because they were missing a friend, but also because it meant Voldemort had something else he wanted. If the prophecy were to come true it would make him even more immortal. Harry and the Order had decided he didn't want a heir for when he died, for it was clear Voldemort did not think he was going to die, but he wanted people he could really trust. Two people he could give special powers to so he had help, and then just in case he did die, his control and power would carry on. They had even considered maybe he would steal Malfoy's body, as it was possible. Perhaps when Malfoy was eligible he would destroy his soul and inhabit his body like it was just a shell. Harry had decided anything was possible, especially since he had discovered about horcruxes. A pang of guilt hit his chest as he thought of Dumbledore's pointless death.

"Harry, do you think Ginny looks better with 'er 'air up or down?" asked Fluer, interrupting Harry's thinking. He glanced over while Fluer placed Ginny's hair on top of her head, and then let it fall back down again.

"Er…up," he said, a baffled expression on his face. Ginny grinned at him and turned back to Fluer to discuss how her hair should be.

"Why ask me about hair? I can't even control my own," Harry muttered to Ron, who laughed.

"Ees Charlie going to make it?" Fluer asked Mrs Weasley. "We have chosen 'im to be ze best man and-"

"Yes, he can make it," Mrs Weasley cut in, forcing a smile. She had not yet grown to like Fluer like Ginny had, but definitely felt warmer towards her since she had shown she truly did love her son.

"He said he'd give me a dragon egg for a wedding gift," said Bill, his voice deeper and harbouring a growl.

"What?" gasped Fluer, turning around quickly.

"He was only joking, it'd be illegal," assured Bill.

Fluer smiled and batted her long eyelashes. "Do not worry me like zat! You know how much I 'ate dragons."

Harry looked away from that side of the kitchen, the talk of dragons reminding him of Roxanne and how she had told him about her ability to communicate with them. Much like his own Parselmouth, she had Dracotongue. He found whenever someone mentioned the name of that ability he shuddered angrily. Typical for Malfoy to have a name meaning dragon, it had probably been purposeful. It seemed it was another thing that gave Harry that horrible feeling that the prophecy was to come true. Roxanne had a special gift with dragons and Draco happened to be Latin for dragon. It wasn't a coincidence.

"You gonna eat that, Harry?" asked Tonks, leaning over.

Harry looked down at his waffle, which he had buttered but not touched.

"Oh, no, you can have it."

Tonks took the plate and went back to talking to Remus. Lupin and Bill had become very good friends, for obvious reasons. It made everyone feel better knowing Bill had someone who knew about being a werewolf and had it worse than him. It had been a full moon more than a week ago, the night everyone was dreading. Bill had decided, against everyone's wish, not to take the potion that prevented him from fully changing like Lupin did, but to find out exactly what he was like during full moons. He had been worse than Lupin had predicted and from what Harry had heard, quite a threat without the potion. He had not been as strong or as vicious but had sprouted short hair, ears and a small muzzle, still more human than wolf. Bill had explained how he felt like he was fighting with another person in his mind. He wanted to stay put and wait for the morning but this other monster in him wanted to run free and attack anyone who came near. Bill had won in the end and no one had been harmed, but at least they knew what he was to be every month. Lupin told him the fact that he had a choice over what he wanted to be was a blessing. Every month Lupin had no control whatsoever, only the potion prevented him from attacking people.

A loud knock came from the door and instantly Sirius' mother started screaming.

"More filth to enter my pure blood house! Creatures of mud - traitors!"

"Someone shut her up before I do something I regret," grumbled Bill. Mr Weasley went to the door while Lupin and Tonks went to shut the screaming portrait up.

"Disgusting half breeds! None worthy to live in MY home!"

Kingsley entered the kitchen, frowning at the racket from upstairs. He nodded to everyone in the kitchen and then followed Mr Weasley and Bill into another room.

"You leave Mistress alone!" came the angry shouts of Kreacher, only barely heard above Mrs Black's raucous.

There was a loud muffled shout, a bang, and suddenly the upstairs became very quiet.

"What ees 'appening up zer?" asked Fluer, marching out of the kitchen.

A bemused Harry followed and reached where the portrait was just as Kreacher ran past, sobbing and crying.

"Filthy creatures – how d-dare they! My prettyful Mistress!" and he disappeared out of sight.

Sirius' mother's portrait was in a bit of a mess. Tonks – or Lupin – had clearly lost their temper and blown a hole right in the middle and through the wall. Mrs Black had clearly fled the scene, no doubt in a portrait elsewhere in the house.

"Sorry, I got carried away," said Tonks, rubbing the back of her neck.

"No loss," said Harry, trying to keep a smile from his face.

"This won't bode well with the house…" murmured Mrs Weasley, her face pale.

"The house?"

"Oh yes, its got plenty of spells that would be set off if the portrait were to be damaged…"

"Now we don't know that for sure, Molly," said Mr Weasley, coming up the stairs with Bill and Kingsley.

"Well you just wait and see! I've seen things in this house while cleaning that you wouldn't have even seen at work!" exclaimed Mrs Weasley, her cheeks reddening. She then went back to the kitchen to prepare their lunch. Ron muttered something that sounded distinctly like 'paranoid' and Hermione came to the scene.

"What's happened here?"

"I rather lost my temper…" said Tonks, blushing apologetically.

"Oh dear," said Hermione, gazing at the foot long hole that was still smoking.

"It's only a portrait. Mrs Black will be somewhere else in the house, ready to scream her head off," muttered Ron darkly. "Most likely that one in our room, Harry."

"I wouldn't mind blowing that one up," he said, smirking. Ron laughed, causing Hermione to scowl disapprovingly, which just made Ron laugh even harder.

"You don't want to be destroying the house from inside out – where else have the Order got to stay?" she snapped.

Ron stopped laughing and covered it up with a cough.

"The Forbidden Forest?" he suggested.

Hermione let out an exasperated sound and went back into her room.

The rest of the Order had gone back downstairs but Harry didn't feel like joining them. He and Ron went into their room, glad to find the portrait empty. Ron kicked a rolled up pair of socks across the room in a bored fashion.

"I wanna get out of this house and do something worthwhile and helpful," he muttered, more to himself than anyone else.

"At least you've been out a few times," replied Harry, lying back on his bed. On the bedpost next to his head and near the window dangled two necklaces. One was adorned with a key, of which Roxanne had the one with the lock. They were charmed so the two could communicate through them, but either the charm had worn off or Roxanne didn't have hers with her, because Harry had tried countless times with no luck. The second necklace was a locket, in which there was a note from R.A.B, whoever he was. The locket was supposed to have been a horcrux, but had been a fake…

"I guess, but we were constantly surrounded by Aurors or Hagrid, and no offence to Hagrid, but he's a bit…embarrassing," said Ron, sitting at the end of his bed.

"Must'a been, with all those girls chasing after you," said Harry, grinning up at his friend.

Ron grinned and his ears went red. "Yeah well, I didn't ask them to follow or nothin'."

Harry smirked and rolled over on his side so he was looking out of the window, which showed the side of the block of flats next to them. Though Harry had only woken up two hours ago, he already felt tired. For the past three weeks of holiday he hadn't been doing a lot and it made him constantly lazy and sluggish. From behind him, Ron sighed, and the creaking of his bed told him he was also lying down on it.

"I just wanna talk to her once, you know? Just to make sure she's ok…" said Harry, flicking the gold necklace with his fingers.

"She is ok, he can't…he can't harm her," replied Ron, breathing deeply.

"I know I always seem like I'm trying to control her, but it's not like that. She's so easily persuaded and… well to be honest, she's quite gullible. If Voldemort were to lie to her about something, I'd bet she'd risk believing it so as not to get anyone around her hurt."

"I get ya, mate. Just trying to protect her-"

"Not that she does need protecting, she can stick up for herself," cut in Harry, "but she's been known to just give in to things." Like last year when she was being bullied, instead of fighting back she just let them taunt her. And during the fight against Slytherin, Harry had been told she couldn't take it and instead of trying to help, she had just fallen to the ground.

"She could just cave in and let it happen-"

"She's a good actor, she'll most likely pretend to go along with it…" said Ron, trying to reassure his friend.

"Maybe," replied Harry, and then they were silent. A few minutes later, loud snores told him Ron had fallen asleep. Harry soon drifted off.