Disclaimer: Most of the events and dialogue in this chapter you will understand what I mean when you get to it belong to J. K. Rowling. The rest of the events and the dialogue that is not associated with said J. K. Rowling, belong to me)
Chapter Three After a Funeral
The funeral was a long one. Most of Harry's teachers (though not, Harry noticed, Snape) had talked about Sirius. Pictures of Sirius hung around the church including one of him at the Potter's wedding. Lupin was the last to talk. He told one of his favorite stories about the Marauders, mentioning Peter only slightly. By the time he had finished, he and most of the congregation were shedding a few tears.
They all went to Grimmuald Place afterwards. Mrs. Weasley had, despite all the sadness, whipped up a great assortment of things to eat. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny all gathered up plates and walked upstairs to Ron and Harry's room, their now unofficial meeting point.
Ron and Hermione sat on either side of Harry both putting a comforting arm around Harry. Ginny pulled a chair from one of the desks and positioned herself across from Harry. They all sat in silence for a few minutes, taking small bites of the food they had brought.
"Harry, Ginny told me she gave you her remedy last night." Hermione said after a short period of time.
"What?" Harry and Ron exclaimed, both looking at Ginny oddly.
Ginny laughed at the looks on their faces. "Whenever someone can't sleep, I always seem to know and I'm always waiting for the person with a sandwich. All my family have had one, Hermione, and Tonks, and now you Harry."
Harry smiled, his first all day. "Aww, and here I thought I was special. Thanks, though, for being there. The sandwich made me feel better and I got to talk to Lupin."
"Really?" Ron asked. "What did you talk about?"
"The Marauders, Peter, him and my mum."
"Was it hard for him to talk about?" Hermione wondered.
"I think it was a little, but I also think he was honored that I asked. I always went to Sirius for answers before."
Ginny all of a sudden got up out of her chair and walked to the window, pulling it open and standing back.
"Ginny, what are you-" Harry started to ask, but a Great Horned Owl came in that answered his question. There was a letter attached to its leg, and when Harry took the letter off it took flight out the window quickly.
"Who is it from?" Ron asked.
"Luna."
"She's writing to you? Why?" Ron asked incredulously.
Harry, however, had a feeling he knew:
Harry,
Ginny wrote me a few days ago and told me that that man Sirius' funeral was coming up. I'm sending this now because I figure you'll get it the day of or after the funeral. I'm sorry that he died. Don't forget though, Harry, they're just waiting for us. Just beyond that veil.
I'm having a great time in Sweden. My dad is sure we'll see some Crumple-Horned Snorkack's soon! Keep your chin up and eyes open Harry!
Always,
Luna Lovegood
Harry read this to himself, and folded it back up. Ron looked as though he were about to ask or say something, but thought better of it. Ginny gave him an odd look-Harry knew it had something to do with his feelings, even though he couldn't figure out what he was feeling. It was definitely different.
Hermione tried to cheer things up. "So, what did she say?"
Harry shook his head to get himself back together. "She was just wondering how my summer is going. She still hasn't found that Crumpled-Horned Snorkack thing yet."
Hermione laughed. "I'm not sure if she'll find it. Ginny, do you still talk to her, too?"
"Yeah, I've written her a few times. She seems to be having fun with her dad. She never talks about her mom, though."
"Her mom's dead. She told me the last night at Hogwarts." Harry answered quietly.
"Wow. That has to be hard, being a teenage girl with only a dad." Hermione said, thoughtfully.
"She talks about her aunt a lot. I think her aunt helps her where her father can't." Ginny interjected.
The door opened just then, before the guys had to bear hearing any girl things. Unfortunately Percy was standing there.
"Can we help you Perce?" Ron asked, trying to look as though he were upset about the interruption.
Percy walked over to Harry and sat next to him.
"Harry," he began, clearing his throat. "I would like to, well, apologize. For the way I've been treating you. You've always been an honest and good guy, and I never should have doubted you or Dumbledore. I now know where my true loyalties lie. Do you forgive me?"
Harry started laughing. He honestly couldn't help it, Percy's apology sounded so formal, it almost sounded fake. Harry knew, though, that Percy's apology was sincere. The Death Eater attack on one of his brother's and his only sister, and the Ministry finally backing Dumbledore up made Percy seem like a real idiot, which he probably was.
"Yes, Percy, I forgive you." Harry said through little bursts of laughter.
"Thank you." Percy said, and he stood up and left.
"Do you think we'll another High Inquisitor this year?" Ginny asked.
"I hope not. I don't think that Umbridge is coming back anytime soon." Hermione added.
They had a good laugh remembering how she had reacted to even a noise that sounded like a centaur's hooves . . .
Harry was in the Department of Mysteries.
"Keep going!"
"This is it. It's through here-"
'Sirius isn't dead.' Harry thought to himself. Luna, Ginny, Hermione, Ron and Neville were all following him. 'We're going to find him. He'll be okay.'
Harry saw a glass orb. It looked so familiar, why did it look so familiar? There's a label:
S. P. T.
To A. P. W. B. D.
Dark Lord And Harry Potter (?)
"Harry, I don't think you should touch it," Hermione said as he reached out his hand.
"Why not?" Harry snapped back. "It's something to do with me, isn't it?"
He picked it up, almost defiantly. Luna shook her head.
"Harry," she said. "Don't trust your mind. It can play tricks."
The Death Eaters surrounded them all of a sudden.
"I know you've got him!" Harry yelled at them.
"It's time you learned the difference between life and dreams, Potter." Malfoy sneered. "Give me the prophecy."
He listened to them mock him while he tried to figure out what they were saying. Finally he ordered the others to attack the Death Eaters. They were wasting his time. Sirius was safe at Grimmuald Place.
They ran through the rooms. He looked behind him. Where were Ron Ginny and Luna?
He and Hermione were cornered. He froze a Death Eater. They were going to make it!
"Well done Ha-" Hermione started to say, but got hit by a spell.
"Hermione? Hermione, please get up!"
"Whatever you do Harry, don't give them the prophecy!" Neville yelled, picking Hermione up.
They walked out of the office they had been in.
"Harry. There you are . . . Haha . . . You look funny, Harry . . . You're all messed up . . ." Ron said, sounding as though HE were a little messed up.
"Ron got hit by a spell that I think messed with his mind. Ginny's ankle is broken, I think. I definitely heard something crack." Luna replied to the look on Harry's face.
"We've got to get out of here." Harry said firmly. "Luna, can you help Ginny?"
"Yes," Luna said, sticking her wand behind her ear for safekeeping, putting an arm around Ginny's waist, and pulling her up.
Bellatrix came in with three Death Eaters.
"There they are!"
Luna was hit by a Stunning Charm. Harry ran to her, a sinking feeling starting in the pit of his stomach.
"Get Potter!"
Why was he still holding the prophecy? It was causing too much trouble!
All of a sudden, people from the Order were there. Sirius was here! Just when he needed him.
"I want you to get out-" Sirius said, but was cut off, trying to lead Harry away.
"Luna, the others, we have to help them!" Harry yelled, worried about his friends.
"Dumbledore!" Neville called.
Harry turned to his side. Sirius was gone. "What are you talking about?"
"Dumbledore!"
Dumbledore was here! He was going to create order. Everything was going to be okay. But wait-two people were still fighting. Bellatrix and Sirius.
"Come on, you can do better than that!" He yelled at her. She shot a green light out of her wand. "Oh!" He murmured, and fell behind the veil.
"SIRIUS!" Harry was sitting straight up in bed. Ron was standing next to him, and Hermione and Ginny came running into the room.
"Where is he?" Harry asked.
"Harry," Hermione said patiently. "Sirius is dead."
Harry got up, grabbed her, and shook her shoulders. "Don't lie to me! He can't be dead! He only just fell!"
"No, Harry." Ginny said firmly. More firm, in fact, then he had ever heard her talk. "He's gone."
Harry felt himself collapse inside. He sat down on his bed and began to cry, for the first time, over Sirius' death. Ginny sat down, knees tucked under her, next to him and pulled him into a hug. He felt himself go limp on her, letting the tears flow unstopped.
"It's okay Harry. It's gonna be okay." She whispered, as Ron sat down on Harry's other side and Hermione knelt on the floor in front of the bed. " You just need to cry."
(waves little white flag from behind the barricade that author has built to protect self from raging fans don't be mad! Please tell me you're not mad for that nightmare! I only did it to show Harry coming to the reality of Sirius' death! I'm sooooo sorry! apologizes and bows down to readers Forgive me. I cried when I wrote it. It wasn't pleasurable for me, believe me.)