The next few weeks were enjoyable at Grimmauld Place. Most of the time was spent cleaning, although Hermione found a useful spell to get rid of difficult dirt, this sped up the cleaning process. Aunt Petunia also helped, Grimmauld Place looked nothing like they had ever seen, the house almost sparkled it was so clean. Fleur had charmed the room next to the wedding room into a forest. The room was filled with trees and grass and there was a little stream running the width of the back of the room. The Dursley's had finally stopped fearing magic and were actually talking to Mr and Mrs Weasley. Dudley was still terrified of Fred and George so he was always with his parents.
There was a week and a bit left before term started when the
letters from Hogwarts arrived. Ron found them sitting in the fire.
"Mum, why did our letters arrive by floo this year?" Ron
asked thickly while eating an eclair
"Because if 4 owls flew
into this house that no muggles can see from the outside, it would
look a bit suspicious wouldn't it?" Mrs Weasley replied
"Ahh."
Ron replied to show his mother he heard her.
"Ginny, how did
your OWLs go?" Mr Weasley asked her
"I.. What.. Wow... I
passed everything, including History of Magic," Ginny began, "but
im not prefect."
"YES!" Fred and George yelled in unison
"BOYS! That's alright Ginny, 12 OWLs, just like Bill, oh, lets
celebrate tonight!" Mrs Weasley said excitedly and ran off all
flustered
"Ah Ginny, I see - " Fred begun
" - you are
one of us, - " George continued
" - the more excitable - "
Fred added
" - genes in the Weasley family." George finished
"Boys, stop it, well done Ginny, im proud. Fred, George, do not
let your mother here you talking like that." Mr Weasley said
"When
did they decide about Hogwarts opening Mr Weasley?" Harry asked
curiously
"Well, it was a bit of a debacle really. Just about
all of the teachers wanted it open, Professor Slughorn was the only
opposing one. The council wanted to close Hogwarts down, but
Scrimgeour interfered and now Hogwarts is opening. They decided about
4 days ago. There are conditions though, Scrimgeour wants regular
updates about what is been taught, and the pupils progress. Oh yes,
and the last condition, he is the new defence against the dark arts
teacher." Mr Weasley concluded
"WHAT" Harry, Ron, Hermione
and Ginny cried in unison
"No way, he just wants to watch
Harry's every move!" Ron said angrily
"But, wait, Ron, maybe
he has given up on that idea, maybe, he wanted to teach because he
used to be an Auror.." Hermione tried explaining
"Hermione,
don't be thick, of course he wants to keep an eye on Harry and find
out... stuff." Ron retorted
"How do you know, have you ever
thought that he wants to teach us everything he knows to keep us
safe?"
Ron and Hermione kept this up for a while. Harry was
silently agreeing with both, Ron and Hermione, but he wasn't about
to let either know that.
"How is Scrimgeour going to be able to
do both his ministry position and teach?" Harry asked talking over
Ron and Hermione
"Fudge has been given extra duties and such so
Scrimgeour can teach." Mr Weasley said simply and left the room.
"Well, that gives us an even better reason not to go back to
Hogwarts now." Ron said bitterly
"And when were you going to
tell me you weren't going back to school!" Ginny said loudly as
she turned around to face her brother
"Ah, well, umm, umm..."
Ron struggled to answer this
"Ginny, we were going to tell you
next week," Harry interrupted Ron, "but we need you to go back to
school."
"No." She said flatly
"Look, Ginny, lets go
to the forest, all of us." Harry said quickly.
The four of them
quickly walked up onto the third floor, and went right to the back of
the room and sat next to the stream.
"Ginny, we all need you to
go back to school, your mum isn't going to be very happy when she
finds out Ron isn't going back, let alone you." Harry said
"So,
im not going to let my mothers happiness stop me." Ginny began
Harry sighed before he begun talking, he really didn't want to
have to tell Ron and Hermione what they were getting into yet, let
alone tell Ginny more then she had to know
"Ginny, let me
explain. The night I went off with Dumbledore was to help destroy
Voldemort. We had to go into this cave he went to as an orphan.
Dumbledore did things I have never seen a wizard do before, it was
amazing. Anyway, in the middle of the cave was a lake and in the
middle of the lake was a horocrux. Ginny, Voldemort has split his
soul, into 7 pieces if Dumbledore is correct, and he has stored it in
an object. Dumbledore thinks these objects are Slytherins locket,
Hufflepuffs cup, his grandfathers ring, his snake, something of
Gryffindors or Ravenclaws. And his diary." Harry explained
"What,
the diary? The one that I had, that lead us to the Chamber of
Secrets?" Ginny said
"Yes, that diary. Now, I destroyed the
diary, and Dumbledore destroyed the ring."
"What is the
seventh piece?" Ginny asked
"The last piece of his soul is in
his body." Harry said
"Well, I want to help." Ginny said
strongly, standing up
"Ginny, sit down. You are not coming,"
Harry started, Ginny tried to interrupt but Harry kept talking "We
need you at Hogwarts, firstly to look out for Neville and Luna, they
are in as much danger us we are because they were at the ministry and
helped at the end of term. We need you to get as many people from the
DA back and teach them in the Room of Requirement. We also need a spy
at Hogwarts, no doubt Voldemort has one and I know there are members
of the Order there, but we need someone amongst the students. Ginny,
you have to listen into every conversation between students and with
teachers, any news you can find. And anyway, Ron, Hermione and I will
be coming back to school sometime, but not at right away."
Ron
and Hermione looked at Harry shocked. They didn't know about this
plan.
"Oh, right, ok, I can do that." Ginny said and she sat
down
"Harry, do you think that is wise? I mean, we have
McGonagall for that." Hermione asked
"Yes, but McGonagall
doesn't hear everything does she, she doesn't hear everything the
students say, and that is what we need. If someone's parents are
acting funny, they will talk about it amongst their friends, if
someone is been threatened, they talk with their friends before they
go to a teacher." Harry replied
Mrs Weasley walked into the
forest
"There you are, tonight we will celebrate next door.
Tomorrow we will go to Diagon Alley and get everyone's books." She
said and walked out
"So when are you going to tell mum you're
not going back Ronnikins?" Ginny asked smugly
Harry saw Rons
ears go red and quickly interjected "Lets go clean the attic, its
the only room that hasn't been done. Ginny, you should spend the
day with your mum. It'll make her extremely happy."
'The
attic must have been Sirius room' Harry thought
He looked
around and there were no photos of the Black family at all. All that
was in the room was a bed, a photo album and something in the corner
Harry couldn't quite make out.
"Hermione, could you just
perform your spell so we can have some lunch." Ron asked as his
stomach began making noises
"Tersus sursum ocius" Hermione
muttered and with a wave of her wand the 3 inches if settled dust
disappeared and the room looked cleaner then ever. The three left and
went down to the kitchen for lunch.
Ron was on his 10th club
sandwich when Fred and George apperated next to him, and Ron began to
choke.
"Ananpneo" Harry muttered pointing his wand at Rons
throat
"Thanks mate, and guys, don't do that!" Ron said
reaching out for 2 more sandwiches
Hermione looked at him with
disgust
"What?" Ron asked with his mouth full
"Tomorrow,
you little lovebirds have to get up early." George said
"You
are coming with us to Diagon Alley to get your school books." Fred
said
"Ginny, Ron, we are paying for yours to save our lovely
mother stress - " George began
" - And so you can appreciate
the joys of working." Fred finished
"Great, just great, will
we even need our books this year?" Ron muttered darkly
"I
think it will be a good idea if we have them, you know, in case a
spell comes in handy." Harry muttered back
"And why would you
not need your books this year Ron?" Fred asked, he apparently had
heard them
"Yeah Ron. Why would you not need your books?"
Ginny asked trying to sound innocent
"Of course Ron needs his
books, what will he learn off at school this year?" Mrs Weasley
said absent mindedly
Harry, Ron and Hermione looked at each other
and silently agreed
"Well Mum, the thing is, is, is that.
Wearentgoingbacktoschoolthisyear." Ron finished quickly
"MMhmm...
WHAT of course you are going back to school, this year is your NEWT
year, your final year, no you are going back to school!" Mrs
weasley screamed, totally outraged at the thought of her youngest son
dropping out.
"Mrs Weasley, you see the thing is, is that,
well, umm, we are doing more important things." Hermione tried to
explain quietly
"What is more important than your NEWTs?" Mrs
Weasley screeched
"Stopping Lord Voldemort." Harry said as
Ron chocked again, Mrs Weasley dropped a plate and most others
flinched at the sound of his name
"Mrs Weasley, Dumbledore
would not have wanted me to stop what he started, if he did want me
top stop he wouldn't have told me what he did, and no I cannot tell
you because what if Voldemort found you and tortured you. We aren't
going back to school so everyone can go back to having a normal
life." Harry said shortly. He grabbed a few sand wiches and left
the room.
It had been a while since Harry had lost his
temper, but he was sick of people questioning him. Harry suddenly
stopped in front of a door. He opened it and walked inside. He was
back in the attic. Harry sat down on his dead godfathers bed, picked
up the photo album and started looking at the moving pictures inside.
There were pictures of Sirius with Harrys father and Lupin. Many
photos of those three in fact. There was a photo of Lily and James'
wedding, and of Harry's christening. Harry kept looking through
until he came across a photo of Sirius and someone who looked like
Sirius but younger. Harry pulled the photo out. On the back was
written Sirius P. Black and Regulus A. Black. Harry thought nothing
of it and put the photo back. On the next page was a photo of James,
Lupin, Sirius and Peter. Harry could feel the anger and rage filling
him again so he slammed the album shut, put it down on the bed and
looked around. HIs eyes fell on the package he saw when they were
cleaning. He walked over and picked it up. It was a top and
underneath the top was a small hand mirror. Harry picked the mirror
up and suddenly remembered the one he had. Harry apperated into his
room and searched through his trunk until he found what he was
looking for; an identical hand mirror. He turned them both over and
Harry saw a note still stuck onto the back of his 'If you ever need
to speak to me just call my name into the mirror and I will appear.
Your father and I used to use these when we were in separate
detentions.' Harry thought for a moment and could hear footsteps on
the other side of his door. He flung it open and saw Ron, Hermione
and Ginny.
"Hey, come in here quick." Harry said making all 3
people jump.
They hurried into the room and shut the door behind
them.
"Here, Ginny take this." Harry said excitedly and
disapperated out of the room leaving Ron, Hermione and Ginny feeling
very confused.
Harry was back in the attic. He pulled out his
wand, placed the tip on the handle of the mirror right below the
frame and said clearly "Ginny"
The mirror heated up for a
moment, his reflection disappeared and Ginny came into view. She
looked shocked.
"What, Harry, how did you do that?" Ginny
asked
"Sirius gave me one a few years back, I found the other
one in his room. Now you can talk to me whenever you have something
important to tell me. When you are at Hogwarts, go to the Room of
Requirement, think for a sound proof room with no interruptions. When
you are in just place your wand tip on the handle, just below the
mirror frame and say my name! I think to make it back into a mirror
all you have to do is put your wand back on the handle and say your
name, here let me try. Harry." Harry explained and the mirror went
back to normal.
Harry quickly apperated back into his room.
"Wow
Harry, thank you." Ginny said and kissed him on the cheek.
Harry
noticed Ron and Hermione quickly look at each other then look away
going red. He smiled to himself and was happy inside again.
