Blood Ties

Chapter 2 Ghostly Echoes

Harry returned to the house while his aunt stayed at the hospital with Dudley. His cousin was out of immediate danger but his condition was still precarious. His footsteps echoed through the house, which now resembled a museum. Every picture, every piece of furniture was a reminder of the man whose presence had filled the house like a choking fog used by an exterminator.

"Shut that bloody bird up!"

"I warn you, boy, any funny business and you won't eat for a week!"

"Clean up this house, boy. Do you think your aunt was put here to be your slave?"

The harsh words of his uncle echoed through Harry's mind. Running his hand through his hair, he imitated his father in a perfect fashion. He also recalled the arguments that his aunt and uncle had had when they didn't think he could hear.

"Vernon, don't you think you're being too hard on Harry? He can't help what he is."

"Petunia, are you saying that he has a right to do what he does? Must I remind you of the time that he bloody well blew up my sister?"

"No, I'm not saying that. I'm just saying that punishing him isn't going to make things better, it will only make them worse."

Sometimes these arguments were followed by a slap, other times they were followed by sobbing. The words were not verbatim each time, but their context was the same.

Chimes from the grandfather clock in the hall alerted Harry that it was 9 in the evening. A loud growl from his stomach reminded Harry that he had not eaten since lunchtime and that before he sent Hedwig with messages to his friends he needed to eat.

Stepping into unknown territory, Harry went to the refrigerator and realized that he could take anything he wanted to eat without the fear of repercussions from his uncle. He saw that the refrigerator was getting low on food, that must have been where Vernon and Dudley were headed when they met with their fate.

He found meat, cheese and bread and made himself a sandwich, then took it upstairs to his room. His footsteps echoed on the staircase, sounding much like the reports of a canon in the empty house.

Opening the door of Hedwig's cage with a squeak, Harry sat down on his bed to write Ron a letter, not sure what he was going to say. He decided that he wasn't going to tell him the whole story, that he would save that for when he saw him.

Dear Ron,

I realize that it's late, but since we're on holidays still I'm figuring you are still awake. I will be a bit late getting to The Burrow. I can't explain now, but we have had a family emergency and I need to stay here for another week. I'll let you know when I am coming and we can all go to Diagon Alley together as we planned.

Thanks for understanding,

Harry

Harry sent the letter off with Hedwig, then sat for several minutes with his head in his hand, not knowing what to say or do. He felt curiously numb inside; one of the people who had been the bane of his existence ever since he had come to live at 4 Privet Drive was dead, and the other one was in the hospital badly injured. A sane person would be rejoicing, but Harry was neither insane nor rejoicing. He hadn't realized that the death of his uncle would make him feel this way.

A soft hooting captured his attention and snapped him out of his thoughts. Lines of confusion creased his face as he looked up in time to see Hermes fly into his open window and drop a parchment into his lap. Recognizing the writing as Arthur Weasley's, he opened the letter and his jaw nearly hit his stomach as he read it.

Dear Harry,

I am very sorry to hear of your uncle's passing. I am sure you are wondering how I know of this, and the reason is simple. Your uncle's 'accident' was no accident but rather the work of Death Eaters. You must warn your aunt that they may come after her next.

Advise her that if she so wishes the Ministry will help her with the arrangements for your uncle so that she can be kept safe. More details to follow. Please once again accept our sympathy for your uncle's death.

Sincerely,

Arthur Weasley

It felt as though time had stood still. Harry's gaze was fixed upon the parchment, his hand holding it up to his eyes so that he could read it properly. He didn't know how long he sat there that way, but after a fashion the words became blurry and unreadable, one word melting into the next.

With a shake of his head he cleared his vision and turned his attention to the sandwich he had made. The bread had taken on an unpleasant texture while his attention had been diverted, which told him that he had been zoned out for at least a half an hour.

Answering his stomach's rumbling protests of emptiness, he ate his sandwich without tasting it. His uncle had been murdered by Death Eaters, and they would more than likely go after his aunt next, if they first didn't attempt to finish the job on Dudley.

Standing up, he paced restlessly around the room. He knew that he had to warn his aunt, but he didn't know when she would be home or how he could warn her without raising suspicions at the hospital...

The telephone! He could call the hospital and ask to be patched through to Dudley's room. Racing downstairs, he found the number in the phone book and dialed it, asking to be put through to Dudley Dursley's room. It wasn't long before his aunt's weary voice came on the other end.

"Aunt Petunia, it's Harry. I don't have a lot of time to explain, but you need to listen to me carefully. You remember Arthur Weasley, right? He and some of his children came to get me for the Tri Wizard tournament a few years ago," Waiting impatiently for her answer, Harry nodded, "Right, the guy with the red hair. I got an owl from him tonight and Aunt Petunia? It wasn't a normal accident. It was the work of some of HIS followers."

Harry could hear her gasp of astonishment and waited to speak some more until she could hear him, "I want you to stay at the hospital. I don't care what you tell them but they need to get security in Dudley's room. Do NOT let anyone but doctors and nurses you know go in there. I'm going to Ron's and see what I can do about getting you some help."

Petunia's sobs were heart wrenching to Harry, and he wished that he could do more but he knew that the best way to help her was to see what he could do on his end. Saying goodbye to his aunt, he hung up and tried to figure out what he should do next.

Remembering the trip he had made on the Knight bus years ago, he grabbed his wand and opened his Hogwarts trunk, making sure that he had a bit of wizard money to pay for his ride.

Securely latching his trunk, he left the house and went out on Privet Drive, sticking out his right arm. Out of nowhere a purple triple decker bus appeared. Knowing there was no time to lose, he hurriedly told Ernie The Burrow.

A/N Thank you Jonathan for the suggestion about the Death Eaters.