Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling deserves all credit

When Nightmares Are A Good Thing

Chapter 10: Dinner at Headquarters

Harry's feet slammed into the floor of the entryway in the "Most Noble and Ancient House of Black". The arm of Remus Lupin stopped him from toppling over face first. Mrs. Black's screaming reached his ears just as his port key disorientation started ebbing away.

It was blatantly obvious that some of the color had been restored to Grimmauld 12, but to Harry, it seemed that it still retained some of its eeriness. Though, he assumed that was due mostly to the absence of his Godfather.

After only a moment of looking around at the changes, Harry was nearly bulldozed over by a large mother hen going with the name of Molly.

"Oh, Harry dear! How are you? It must have been dreadful with those muggles. You're so thin! You must be hungry, not to worry though, we're going to get some food in you now!"

Once he had extracted himself from her embrace, and lost the blue tinting in his face due to lack of air supply, Harry was immediately swept up into another embrace. Although this time, the attacker was in possession of a mass quantity of sleek brown hair.

Harry was quite used to sympathy hugs, as they were the only kind he had been given, subjected himself to the arms tightening around his neck, pinning his arms straight at his side. It took a few seconds for Harry to do a double take at the person who had him wrapped up. Gently, he pulled an arm up and pushed the second party away.

"Hermione?"

She most certainly had changed! Her hair, while it was still very thick, no longer bore resemblance to the way it used to look. Before it had been large, thick, bushy, and very frizzy. Now, it was completely straight, longer, shiny, sleek, and was very volumized. A true smile was beaming off of his best friend's face showing off the corrections that had been made by Madame Pomfrey, unintentionally of course, in fourth year.

It was hard for Harry to believe that the girl in front of him was the same that he had seen in June.

"Wow, Hermy, you look great!" Harry spoke softly.

"Thank you, Harry. You proved my theory wrong. Boys are capable of noticing significant changes in appearance!"

He was about to reply that whoever did not notice needed a reality check when he realized that it must have been Ron that she was referring to.

With a shrug of his shoulders, Harry tilted his head and said, "Well, it's really hard to not notice that you are even more beautiful than when I saw you last."

He felt a little odd telling Hermione that, as it was usually the sort of things he thought but never commented on, but decided to do start saying them more often as the result was another engulfing hug from the female before him and a red faced Ron, that he saw from the corner of his eye.

Hermione hugged Harry for as long as a friendly hug was allowed to be before pulling back. On her way back she must have grazed the side of Harry's face because she instantly grabbed her own soft looking cheek and muttered an, "OW!"

Confused as to what he could have possibly done to hurt Hermione but simply standing and allowing her to hug him, Harry lifted a hand to rub across his chin in thought. It was met by prickly stubble.

"Sorry, Mione. My time in the loo was cut short tonight by an impromptu gathering of wizards and witches in the Dursley's sitting room," Harry explained getting a laugh from Tonks, Remus, Molly, Hermione, and even a short chuckle from Moody that sounded more like an improperly tuned piano.

After she withdrew her arms from Harry's neck, she too rubbed her hand across the slight shadow that had taken over Harry's face due to lack of shaving for a couple of days. Hermione grinned at him before stepping back to let someone else greet the new visitor.

A red-faced Ron came forward to wring Harry's hand.

"Good to have you back, Mate!" Ron smiled.

Harry nodded his answer as it was good to see Ron but not good to be back.

An awkward silence fell over the group gathered in the entrance hall of headquarters. Harry was about to ask Ron to carry Hedwig's cage to their room while he lugged his trunk, but was interrupted by the arrival of two more.

There in front of him stood the two people who he had respected and trusted, now known to him as his Grandparents. The two people, who had kept their relation to him a secret as he suffered in a home that was rich of a never-ending supply of neglectful treatment for him, were now gazing at him in the void.

Dumbledore was going to try to talk to him Harry just knew it. Desperate for something to delay the uncomfortable conversation, Harry spied Ginny standing across from him, next to Hermione.

The feelings that rose in Harry were so new and fresh. It seemed Hermione was not the only one who had changed over the Holidays. The difference in Ginny's appearance were all-natural, while he suspected Hermione had been bullied into one of those hair salons that women like Aunt Petunia often went to. In place of angles were curves, and it seemed that even though Ginny had always been petite, she had a very slender look to her.

Taking a tentative step towards Ginny, Harry did two things he that he couldn't remember the last time he had done it. Harry's face broke into a real smile. Ginny returned the smile as Harry slowly made his way towards her in the silence.

He couldn't believe that this was Ginny Weasley. How much she had changed! Why hadn't he noticed before?

Wrapping his arms tightly around her small waist, Harry embraced her tightly, efficiently lifting her an inch off the ground.

"It's good to see you, "Ginny said.

Harry whispered softly in her ear as not to be heard by the crowd watching, "This is the first time I have ever done this before."

Ginny was obviously confused as to what he was talking about. She took a moment to consider before she spoke back, "I've seen you smile before Harry. It may seem like forever, but you have done it before."

Harry, with his arms still encircling her waist, pulled back enough to see her face.

"No, I meant I've never given a hug before," he whispered gently.

Ginny beamed brightly at him before replying, "Glad to be a first!"

The patented Potter lopsided grin took possessed Harry's lips, retrieving a sharp in take of breath from Ginny.

It was then that Harry realized that the gathered crowd had witnessed the display between Ginny and himself. He released her and glanced at the people that were in his line of view.

Quickly, to avoid the start of a conversation from Dumbledore, who was most certainly standing behind him, Harry said, "Want to help me get my things up to our room, mate?"

Molly Weasley interrupted Ron's answer by interjecting, "Actually, Harry dear, you won't be in that room anymore. Come, I'll show you."

So, he bent over and heaved his trunk up in one arm and grasped Hedwig's cage with the other. Walking up the stairs proved to be a challenge, but Harry's willpower and determination to not show weakness in front of the crowd allowed him to manage.

By the time Molly had stopped outside his room, Harry was sure he would pass out. He felt lightheaded and slightly sick at his stomach, but he did not show it.

"We thought it would be best if you and Ron were allowed your own rooms. Growing boys need space, you know," Mrs. Weasley said. "Dinner will be ready in about ten minuets, dear."

Having said that, Mrs. Weasley pushed the door open for Harry before leaving him to settle in.

The first thing Harry noticed was the room's color scheme was Gryffindor's red and gold. There was a slight layer of dust in the room, as it probably hadn't been slept in since an order member had used it. Harry set his trunk at the end of the bed that was resting in the center of the room. There was a night table to it's right and a chest of drawers to it's left. One of the adjoining walls held a desk and the other a wardrobe. In the far right corner of the room was an ancient full-length mirror.

With a sigh Harry sat down on the bed and ran his finger through his still damp hair. The room was giving off an odd comfortable/safe feeling. Then, with a tremendous pang, Harry realized why. This had been Sirius's room. Going with his instinct, he assumed it had been his childhood room. The familiar burning sensation behind his eyes explained that he needed to cry, but Harry simply reminded himself that he was at headquarters with practically the entire Order and Weasley family, not to mention Hermione.

He stood up and walked over to the mirror. In front of him stood a stranger, rarely seen his own eyes. The wood around the mirror seemed to be old and worn. The teenager walked over to the desk and ran his fingertips over the matching wood softly.

Shaking his head to wake himself from drifting deeper into thoughts and from drowning in sorrow, Harry trudged out of the room and back down the steps.

When Harry reached the kitchen he noticed that everyone had started eating. There was a seat open next Dumbledore and one open in-between Ron and Hermione as well. Harry hastily took the seat with his friends, purposefully keeping his eyes downcast so that the Headmaster would not catch his eye or try to lure him into a conversation.

There was much conversation taking place when Harry sat down. It seemed that he had intruded upon another of Ron and Hermione's meaningless arguments. The boy used this to his advantage as he piled very small helping of food onto his plate and spread them out to look like more. Only when there was a bite on his fork did Harry tune in to their voices.

"Honestly, Ron! Astronomy is a very useful subject! It's vital that we do good on that owl!"

With a snicker, Harry interjected, "What are you going to do if you turn out to have an exceeds expectations for it on your owls, Herm? Demand a retest due to wicked toads attempted to put fear into a half giant and the headmistress?"

Ron roared with laughter while Ginny, who was sitting across from them chuckled. Hermione, however, looked thoughtful.

"You know, that is not a bad idea! It WAS a very distracting display of mutiny. I could start a petition getting all the signatures from those who were distracted and want another chance to earn their proper test score!"

With a slow smile, Harry teased, "Whatever you say...RAVENCLAW!"

The comment did not go by unnoticed by the rest of the table. Silence rang while Hermione's face distorted into shock, anger, hurt, and slight disgust.

"Oh yeah? Look who talking...SLYTHERIN!" Hermione retorted.

Ron could not hold back his gale of laughter that broke the void.

Hermione and Harry turned to look at Ron who was laughing so hard, his face and ears were camouflaged with his hair.

It was Hermione who spoke next by saying, "Why are you laughing, Ron? I'm sure you had to talk the sorting hat out of placing you in Hufflepuff."

This time the entire table laughed as Ron's ears turned even redder.

"Well, at least I would have been in a house where they're allowed to have fun, unlike you two," Ron sneered.

"So you DID have to talk it out of Hufflepuff?" Harry questioned.

Feelings as if he'd incriminated himself enough already, Ron started shoveling food into his mouth with renewed gusto.

Laughing at his friends antics, Harry quietly went back to making it appear as if he were hungry and eating all the while, the sharp burning in his stomach was intensifying.

Harry pondered for a moment how to get out of dinner without being forced to eat too much as well as it going by unnoticed. In the end he decided he'd have to sacrifice some part of himself, therefore in the middle of the meal he put his right elbow on the table and propped his head in his hand.

Precisely five seconds after this display, Mrs. Weasley prompted, "Harry, dear, are you all right?"

Harry purposefully delayed his response the correct amount of time a person who was sleepy would have and answered, "Hmmm?"

The messy haired boy let his eyes flutter a few times as if trying to awaken himself from a daydream.

Molly Weasley smiled motherly at him before suggesting, "Why don't you head on up to bed, dear? You must be tired."

Figuring he'd do the rouse right, Harry replied, "Oh, no. I'm not tired Mrs. Weasley. I'm fine!"

A frown over came the matron's face as she pointed a finger in Harry's direction and said, "I'll have none of that, young man! You get yourself upstairs and sleep!"

Harry tried not to smile as he slowly walked "sleepily" up to his new room. He had gotten the exact behavior that he had hoped for. Maybe the sorting hat had a point with him and Slytherin.