I'm glad you all like my story. Thank you all for your reviews. Due to popular demand I have decided to post this chapter a few Days early. enjoy!
They were all seated at the table eating breakfast when Harry took a seat next to Hermione.
Mrs. Weasley placed nine sausages, ten pieces of bacon, and four pieces of toast on his plate before sitting down to eat her own. That was a good thing about the Weasley household; you never went hungry.
"I thought Ginny, Hermione and Ron already got their school supplies." Sirius said, starting off the conversation as he glanced at Harry every ten seconds.
"They did," Mrs. Weasley agreed, "But Fred and George don't have their supplies and I thought it best to take the whole family out today. "Harry dear, have you gotten your supplies?"
Harry nodded, "Yes, I picked everything up when I was in London."
When breakfast was finished Harry, Mrs. Weasley, Fred, George, Hermione, Ginny and Ron gathered around the fireplace.
Harry grabbed some floo powder, out of the leather pouch he wore attached to his belt, and stepped into the fireplace. Throwing the floo powder down he said "Diagon Alley" and disappeared.
One by one, the others followed and soon the whole group was in the Leaky cauldron.
After a quick stop to Gringotts Fred, George, Mrs. Weasley and Ginny went on their way, leaving the trio to themselves.
"Where shall we go first?" Hermione asked casting an yet another anxious glance at Harry.
"Nowhere if you keep looking at me like that." Harry snapped rolling his eyes, "I'm not about to burst into flames anytime soon, Hermione."
"Sorry, you just look so different." She retaliated lamely; she had really been thinking about the time when Harry had been missing, she wanted all the answers he wouldn't give. Where he was? What or who had hurt him like that? Why had he disappeared?
"How about we go to Quality Quidditch supplies and check out the latest brooms?" Suggested Ron already dragging his friends toward the shop. When they arrived, Ron was a little disappointed that the Firebolt was still the fastest and newest broom.
But he quickly recovered from that disappointment when he saw that Chudley cannons supplies were on sale and he could finally afford the Chudley Cannons pajama's he had always wanted.
Harry was busy checking out the snitch's when a hand grabbed his shoulder and spun him around.
"My god, it really is you, Potter," Draco Malfoy drawled grinning like a child at Christmas, "I will have so much more ammo when I make fun of you now. What in gods name happened to your hair, a potion gone wrong?" he laughed.
"Shove off Malfoy," Harry snapped glaring at his rival.
"Yea, get lost you great sod." Ron said taking his rightful place next to Harry. "I like it and so does everyone else, that's all that matters to him."
"Actually," Harry began murderous eyes still fixed on Draco, "I like my hair, and that's what counts."
"Good on you, Harry." Hermione smiled joining her friends, "That's all that should matter, you should like it."
Draco laughed cruelly, "Enjoy your day, because who knows it might be your last. Just ask Cedric Diggory." He turned and left the shop laughing.
Harry couldn't believe anybody could be that cruel, Draco's words had hit him like a three ton truck. They were almost enough to knock him off his feet. His insides turned to ice and his skin turned as white as Hedwig's feathers.
No one said anything, since they were all too shocked. Finally after what seemed like hours but was merely seconds Ron spoke.
"That stupid git, imagine anyone being so cruel as to say a thing like that. Don't worry about it Harry, we all know you did nothing wrong and that's what matters." He sighed when Harry said nothing, then trying to lighten the mood he added, "Why don't we get some ice cream from Florean Fortescue's ice cream parlor."
Hermione nodded and she and Harry followed Ron to Florean Fortescue's parlor where they all had chocolate sundaes.
After an hour or two of wandering around Diagon Alley Hermione, Ron and Harry went back to the Leaky Cauldron grabbed a couple of butterbeers and waited for the rest of the group to show up.
When Mrs. Weasley, Fred, George, Ginny, Hermione, Ron and Harry returned back to the burrow Dumbledore was waiting.
"Ah, Harry. I am pleased to see you are alright." He said standing from the chair; he had been seated in. "I wonder if we could take a walk and talk?"
Harry groaned inwardly, now it was Dumbledore's turn to grill him on his whereabouts. "Sure, why not."
Dumbledore led Harry outside and it was a few moments before either spoke.
"Harry." the old wizard began rubbing his chin, "I know that you cannot say where you were these last few weeks, or what you were doing. But I do believe I have uncovered some of the truth myself, I however am not going to reveal what I have learned but would like to ask you one thing. May I?"
Harry nodded, he hadn't expected anyone to have inkling as to what was going on, but if Dumbledore thought he knew then he should humor him.
"If my suspicions are correct you should be able to answer this question rather easily. Harry do you know anything about a man named Greg Talon?"
Harry's face remained expressionless as he stared at his headmaster, "No, sir I have never heard of such a man. Why do you ask?"
Dumbledore smiled, "Just curiosity my boy. Well carry on with your day, I have to run." With that he apparated away.
Once Dumbledore had gone Harry headed back to the house, 'how did he know about Greg?' he asked himself stopping on the porch and falling into the chair that was there. 'Greg assured me that no one knew his name. That's why his name wasn't mentioned in the history books. Dumbledore is getting too close to the truth, I have to tell Greg.'
"Harry, is everything alright?" Ron asked coming onto the porch followed closely by Hermione. "You look like you saw a ghost or something."
"Everything's alright Ron, I'm just tired." Harry said standing and giving his friends a smile. "Is dinner ready yet?"
Ron smiled happy to see that Harry was alright, "Mom said it should be done in a few minutes. What did Dumbledore want?"
"Same thing as everyone else; he wanted to know where I was before I arrived at your house. I told him the same thing I told everyone else; I can't say." Harry answered entering the burrow and into the living room. He plopped down on the couch leaned back and closed his eyes.
Ron sat next to Harry; Hermione took the seat across from him. They sat in silence for a minute or so before Mrs. Weasley came in.
"Come on dears," she smiled, "its dinner time. We're having roast beef tonight in order to celebrate your leaving for Hogwarts tomorrow." With that said she went back into the kitchen and started filling everyone's plates.
"Are you coming, Harry?" Ron asked as he watched Hermione walk into the kitchen.
"Yeah, give me a minute." His best friend answered making his way to the stairs. On his way up to Ron's room, he ran into Fred and George. "Hi guy's, I've been meaning to ask you how your joke shop idea is working out. Good I hope?"
Fred beamed and threw an arm around Harry's shoulders leading him back downstairs, "It's going great Harry, thanks to the money you gave us. Think you'll ever enter another Triwizard tournament? We could use more of the prize money."
George elbowed Fred hard when he saw Harry's face drop and then harden, it was obvious that Harry would probably never talk about the Triwizard tournament again, or Cedric. It was also obvious he didn't want to have anyone mention it either.
Freed realizing what he had done quickly apologized, "Sorry Harry, I didn't mean to remind you of Cedric and what happened at school last year."
Harry shrugged, "That's in the past it doesn't bother me any more. You don't have to apologize Fred." He removed Fred's arm from his shoulders and turned to head back up the stairs, "Tell your mom I'll be right down."
George shook his head at Fred while they watched Harry disappear into Ron's room. "Nice work genius. You had to mention that didn't you, of all the things we could have talked about you chose that."
A short while later Harry entered the kitchen. He had been writing a quick letter to Greg letting him know of his conversation with Dumbledore. After sending it off with Hedwig he had realized it was almost a half hour in to dinner so quickly headed downstairs.
When he arrived in the kitchen, it was empty, only a plate of food was left on the table. Sounds of laughter and talking floated into the kitchen from the living room. Harry figured they must have retreated there after eating.
Harry sat at the table and ate in silence, the silence didn't last long as Ron and Hermione burst into the kitchen laughing.
"I told you I heard him come down the stairs." Ron crowed sitting across from Harry and sticking his tongue out at Hermione.
Hermione rolled her eyes and sat next to Harry, "Your sooo mature Ron. How are you feeling Harry? Are you feeling any better?"
"Excuse me?" He asked confused.
"Fred and George said that you said you weren't feeling very good, they said you were pale." Ron responded, glancing quickly at Hermione.
"Oh? I mean, OH! Yes, I wasn't feeling well; I just had a little lie down. I'm feeling better now, thanks." Harry said. 'They must have mistaken my fatigue for illness. At least they gave me an excuse.'
Ron nodded with a small smile; you could tell he thought there was more to the story. They sat in silence again.
"Oh, this is ridiculous!" Hermione blurted out suddenly. "Harry, we want the truth. No Ron I will not be quiet," she snapped waving off Ron's attempts to silence her.
"What are you...?" Harry began a little surprised at Hermione's out burst. He glanced nervously at Ron who was glaring at Hermione.
"Hermione, mom said we were to leave Harry be." Ron growled clenching his fists under the table.
"I'm sick of it Ron!" she yelled back standing so fast she knocked over her chair. This caused everyone from the living room to walk in to see what was going on. "Harry, your our best friend so I'm going to tell you this. You have been acting weird ever since you got here, you lie, and you're always tired. You sneak off into the woods very early in the morning which is probably why you're tired. You've changed, and not for the better. You hardly talk to anyone anymore, your keeping secrets from me and Ron. We're your best friends, or at least we used to be."
Now Harry was angry, "What the hell do you mean by that? Are you saying you don't want to be my friends anymore?"
"We aren't the ones ruining the friendship. You are. We don't know who you are anymore. Ever since the Triwizard tournament and Cedric..."Hermione argued.
"Don't go there," Harry interrupted fiercely, "This had nothing to do with him. So I've changed, big deal. I'm growing up, everyone does it. And when have I lied to you?"
"Just now for one, Fred and George never said you said you weren't feeling well. You lied about that." Hermione sniffed.
"Well geez, warm up the electric chair for me then."
"What's an electric chair?" Ginny asked her dad quietly. She didn't say anything else when her father shushed her.
"You also lied and said your uncle beat you up. We all knew that wasn't true. What really did happen, uh Harry? What really injured you that badly? And don't lie this time."
Harry shook his head, 'this is ridiculous, and I don't have to take this.' He glanced around the room they all looked a little angry, at Hermione no doubt, but they also seemed interested in his answer.
"What do you want me to say? You want to know where I have been, what happened to me, well I already told you I can't tell you. You guys are my family and I would tell you all of my secrets anytime, but this time, well this time it would be best if I didn't. So I'm sorry, but if your going to ignore me for the rest of my life if I don't tell you, then, that's a chance I have to take." Casting one last glance at his 'family' Harry shook his head and crossed to the backdoor; throwing it open, he strode into the moon filled yard and headed toward the forest for some time alone. He had to think, god how he wanted to tell them everything. But it was too dangerous, for them, Jessica, Greg and even all of mankind. A great evil was coming, and the world needed Jessica and him to defeat it, or die trying.
What do you think, should I keep going? What do you readers think of a Jessica/Harry coupling? Please review.