Disclaimer: The talented JK Rowling created the HP world. I am just a mere obsessed fan.
A/N: I hope that everyone is enjoying reading the story as much as I am enjoying writing it. A special thank you to all of my reviewers: Dumbledore13, Black's Phoenix, Shaw18, Strider, shannyauburn, nicky12330.
Sweets2: Your questions about Sirius are answered in this chapter.
saiyanwizardgurl: Your question about Dumbledore's house is answered in this chapter.
stranger you don't know: This story won't have any romance in it. I don't think that I would be very good at writing romance.
ERMonkey Burner of Cookies: The prophecy won't be mentioned in this story. And since when has Harry ever stayed out of trouble?
Since they had arrived in the living room, Harry examined it first. The walls were painted in a dark, forest green. A soft, comfortable couch sat in the room, and two matching chairs stood opposite it. The fireplace was made of a black marble, and a fluffy rug lay on the hardwood floor in front of it. Two tables, filled with many strange wizarding gadgets, were placed around the room. The living room seemed very cozy and inviting to Harry.
The next room that they entered was the kitchen. Cabinets ran all around the walls of the room. There was a refrigerator and freezer which Dumbledore said was charmed to keep the food cold and fresh. A small, round table sat on one side of the room. The kitchen countertops were very clean and shiny. An oven and stove were the only other appliances that Harry saw.
"I don't have a house-elf," Dumbledore said. "I do all of the cooking myself with magic. If I get really busy with work, however, you will have to fix yourself something to eat. Do you know how to cook?"
"Sure. I've been cooking for the Durselys ever since I was tall enough to see over the top of the stove," Harry replied nonchalantly.
A dark look passed over Dumbledore's face. His mouth turned down into a frown, and something flashed briefly through his eyes. The angry look on the Headmaster's face quickly disappeared. He tried to force a small smile before he spoke his next words.
"How about we finish going through the rest of the house?" Dumbledore asked.
"Alright," Harry answered while giving the Headmaster a strange look.
They entered the dining room next. It had an unused feel about it. A thin layer of dust coated the top of the table. There was room to seat eight people comfortably. An elaborate chandelier, dull from the years, hung from the ceiling. Even with the lights on, the room still appeared dark.
"I used to have some of my friends and family over for dinner many years ago. We would eat in here. They have all passed on since then, so I haven't bothered to keep the room as neat and tidy as the rest of the house," Dumbledore said to Harry's unasked question. "Whenever you and I will eat together, we will do so in the kitchen. I prefer it that way. It's more pleasant."
They walked out of the dining room, down the hallway, and entered the Headmaster's office. Bookshelves, which were overflowing with books, covered the four walls from top to bottom. A large desk sat in the center of the room with parchment littered on its surface. There was a cushioned chair facing the desk. Looking around the room, Harry was reminded of the Headmaster's office at Hogwarts.
'Hermione would be so jealous if she knew that I had access to all of these books for the summer,' Harry thought while inwardly smirking.
"My office is open to you at any time, Harry. You can borrow any books that you would like to read. I may even have some of the school books that you will need for next year. If you ever want to talk, I will make time for you. Don't worry about bothering me," Dumbledore said seriously.
Harry nodded, although inside himself he wasn't too sure about accepting the open invitation to talk. Some part of him felt glad that Dumbledore would be there for him, but another part of him felt guilty for taking up the man's time. He definitely knew that it wasn't part of the Headmaster's job description to take care of students during the summer. He didn't want to be a burden.
Dumbledore must have sensed some of Harry's hesitancy. He gave a loud sigh before putting both of his hands on Harry's shoulders and looking him straight in the eyes.
"Harry, listen closely to what I am about to say." Dumbledore paused in order to determine if he had Harry's full attention or not. "You will never be a burden to me. I enjoy talking to you and spending time with you. You can come to me if you are having a problem with homework, if you have a nightmare, or if you are just lonely. It will be nice having another person living here with me for the summer. I like having company."
Harry began to nod again, but he stopped when he realized that the Headmaster was waiting for him to actually say something.
"I'll try, sir. It's just that I'm not used to talking about my problems or having someone to go to. The Dursleys always preferred it when I was out of their sight."
Dumbledore's eyes narrowed, and he gritted his teeth after hearing Harry's last statement. The grip that he had on Harry's shoulders tightened a little bit, and Harry wondered if it had been wise to bring the topic of the Dursleys up.
"You should never have had to live with the Dursleys. They were never adequate guardians, and I wish that I had done something about it before now. I'm sorry that all of this happened. You will never have to go back to the Dursleys again. I promise. I will take care of you now."
Harry felt his breath hitch a bit in his chest. He knew that it wasn't safe for him to stay with the Dursleys anymore, but he had never really thought about where he would stay after this summer. He was grateful that the Headmaster had put some thought into his future and wasn't just taking him in because it was convenient. It felt nice to be wanted by someone instead of being pushed away.
Harry felt his eyes starting to tear up, so he looked away from the Headmaster's kind gaze. He tried to rapidly blink away the tears without looking too obvious. Dumbledore seemed to understand Harry's predicament because he gave Harry a gentle squeeze on his shoulders before speaking.
"We still have a couple more rooms to go through before our tour of the house is finished. When we're done, you will have some free time to unpack before lunch," Dumbledore said.
The next room that they entered was the Headmaster's bedroom. There was a big king-sized bed covered in elegant, sapphire sheets. There was an attached bathroom and walk-in closet. A mahogany dresser stood against one wall, and a bookcase took up the opposite wall. Around the room, a couple wizarding photos moved about their picture frames. Harry and Dumbledore took a quick look around the room before heading to their last stop.
"Here is your bedroom, Harry," Dumbledore said as he opened the last room in the house.
Harry looked around the room in amazement. Everything looked perfect to him. The huge bed had rich, red and gold sheets on top of it. Harry's feet sank into the thick, white carpet on the floor. There was a writing desk on one side of the room. Various quidditch posters adorned the walls with the characters zooming across the picture. The bedroom also had its own bathroom and closet connected to it. Harry took a quick peek into the bathroom. There was a big, marble tub with several faucets attached to the rim. A large mirror was fastened to the wall above the vanity. There was a white porcelain toilet set into the corner of the room.
When Harry walked back into his bedroom, he noticed the big bay window with a red cushioned window seat. Bright sunlight beamed through the window and lit up the room. He went over to it and looked outside. There was a large backyard which would be perfect for flying on his broom. A dense forest loomed beyond the borders of the yard. When Harry turned back around to see the Headmaster, his face was glowing with happiness.
"Sir, I don't know what to say in order to thank you for what you have done. This is more than I expected," Harry exclaimed.
Dumbledore smiled broadly. "You are welcome, Harry. You deserve all of this. You can change the room however you like to suit your tastes. I wasn't sure what you would want, so I just decided to go for Gryffindor colors and Quidditch. I thought that that would be safe."
"The room is wonderful, Professor. I love it. When did you find the time to decorate it?"
"I've been going back and forth from Hogwarts to my house trying to get everything ready for you ever since I decided to take you in. It wasn't any trouble."
"Will I be able to go outside and fly my broom?" Harry asked.
"Yes, but I would like to know when you do. The house is in the middle of the woods, and the nearest town is several miles away. No one will bother us here, but I would still like to know where you are. I will have to leave the house every now and then in order to get food and do some work. Whenever I'm not here, you will have to stay inside."
After Harry gave his nod of affirmation, Dumbledore continued speaking.
"Before I forget, I have something for you," Dumbledore said while rummaging through his robes. He pulled out a small mirror and handed it to Harry. Harry gave the Headmaster a quizzical look.
"Sirius told me to pass it along to you. All that you have to do is look into the mirror and say his name. You will be able to see him and talk to him because Sirius has the other mirror. Keep it with you always. I will leave you alone now. You can unpack and talk to your godfather before we sit down for lunch. Just so you know, Sirius thought that you would be receiving this mirror before you left Hogwarts. He does not know that you have left the Dursleys, and I don't want you to mention it to him. He is working on a mission for me, and you never know who could be around him listening."
Harry didn't argue with the Headmaster; he was too excited at the prospect of being able to talk with his godfather. He gave Dumbledore a quick thank you before the Headmaster walked out of the room. Once Dumbledore was gone, Harry walked over to his bed, kicked off his shoes, and flung himself on top of the comforter. He lay back against the thick, fluffy pillows with a sigh and brought the mirror to his face.
"Sirius Black," Harry said anxiously.
Sirius's face filled the mirror after a few seconds. Harry and Sirius beamed at one another before they began to talk.
"Hi, Harry. I'm glad that you got my present. I didn't want to have to leave you so soon after the Triwizard Tournament; however, now we will be able to talk to each other face-to-face all summer."
"This mirror is brilliant, Sirius. Where did you get it, and how did you deliver it to Professor Dumbledore?"
"Your father and I would use them when we were in separate detentions at Hogwarts. I stopped by my old house before going on my mission. After I picked up some supplies, I went to Remus's house to stay for a few days. He told me that he would be going to Hogwarts before school let out and that he would bring it to you. He went to Hogwarts in order to find out if there were any missions that the Headmaster wanted him to go on."
"I didn't see Remus," Harry said disappointedly, "but Professor Dumbledore did give the mirror to me."
"I'm sure that Remus wanted to see you," Sirius said reassuringly. "He sounded excited about it when I last saw him. He may have visited Hogwarts while you were in class."
"How is your mission going? Can you tell me what you are doing?" Harry asked.
"I haven't done much yet, but it's going good so far. All I can tell you is that I'm rounding up people to help in the fight against Voldemort. They were people that fought him in the first war. Albus was the founder and leader of the group, and they were called the Order of the Phoenix. Before you ask, no, you can't join. You have to be out of Hogwarts."
"Sirius, I've missed you. I hope that we can see each other soon," Harry said.
"I've missed you too, but you will be able to talk to me whenever you feel like it. If I am in a situation where I can't talk, I can charm my mirror to heat up but not say my name. I will be aware that you want to talk to me, and I will get back to you as soon as I can. If you try to get a hold of me but I don't answer, wait. I have to continue traveling right now, but we will talk soon. Bye, Harry. Take care."
"Bye, Sirius. Be careful," Harry answered.
The rest of the day went by uneventfully. Harry and Dumbledore ate their meals together and made small talk. After they ate, they played a few games of wizard's chess, which Harry lost, and they both read. As it got closer and closer to bedtime, Harry's heart kept sinking. He dreaded going to sleep because he knew that he would have another nightmare, and he didn't want the Headmaster to find out. When the clock chimed eleven, Harry reluctantly bid Dumbledore good night and then went to his room.
Harry tried to stay awake, but his eyelids kept dropping closed. He knew that he couldn't stay up forever, but he wanted to postpone the nightmares as long as he could. At one o'clock in the morning, Harry realized that he couldn't make it anymore. He knew that it was time to face his doom. He allowed his eyes to drift shut.
His dream started the same way that it had the night before. He saw Cedric, Ron, and Hermione get murdered by the Killing Curse; however, his nightmare didn't stop there. Another figure walked towards Harry through the thick fog. Harry gasped when he saw who it was, and he started to shake his head while moaning.
"Harry, I'm so disappointed in you. I can't believe that I took you in for the summer. I didn't really want you, but you are the Boy-Who-Lived, and you must be kept safe. If I can come up with another solution to ensure your safety which doesn't involve me, rest assured I will take it," Dumbledore said. His eyes were cold like steel, and his face had a look of disgust on it. He started to walk away from Harry once he had finished speaking.
Harry stood frozen in shock. He could not believe what he had heard. The Headmaster had always been very kind to him. Tremors shook Harry's body, and tears silently flooded down his face.
"Please, Professor," Harry pleaded. "Don't leave me here alone."
The dream world started to fade, and Harry became aware of someone frantically calling his name. He could feel his shoulders being lightly shook. A hand was running through his hair trying to calm him down. Harry opened his eyes and spotted Dumbledore sitting next to him on the bed. Before Harry could even think about what he was doing, he threw himself against the Headmaster and clung to him. Arms wrapped around his body, and one hand rubbed circles onto his back.
Harry was beyond feeling embarrassed at this point; he just wanted to be comforted. His body shook with sobs, and tears soaked the front of the Headmaster's robes. Dumbledore murmured soothing words into Harry's ear, but Harry couldn't make out what was being said. They sat this way for about an hour before Harry's crying slowed down, and his sobs quieted.
Too exhausted to move, Harry fell back asleep in Dumbledore's arms. The Headmaster knew that Harry had fallen asleep, but he continued to rock him back and forth for a little while longer. After a several minutes had gone by, Dumbledore gently placed Harry back onto the bed and tucked the covers around him. He stood by the bed for a few more moments gazing sadly at Harry before he turned around and left the room.
