Chapter 20

April 1990

Harry sighed while staring at the many luggage which was standing all over his room. It seemed that he had packed everything in what had been standing here. He looked around to see if he had forgotten something but when seeing that he obviously had indeed thought of everything he slightly waved his hand and the countless things began to shrink. After he had started to learn wand-less magic he would always perform magic without a wand whenever it was possible and he was utterly fascinated that this worked as well as with a wand.

Of course so far he could only do minor spells but he was determined to master more difficult and powerful charms and curses soon. As now everything was stowed away he began to stare nervously at the door. Caro and he had agreed to leave very early in the morning so that it would take a while for anyone to notice their disappearance. While waiting Harry rocked impatiently up and down and wondered if it was really such a good idea to leave the castle.

As he had made his decision almost two weeks ago he and his friends had begun to carefully plan and to think thoroughly about everything. They had searched for useful spells and curses, had pondered what they would definitely need and had counted their pocket money. Nevertheless he still had only a rather vague imagination how their new life would be and his uneasy worried feeling had somehow increased as his eyes had been riveted on the door, as he assumed, already endless minutes. Then he finally heard a soft tapping and Caro stepped in.

"Did everything go right?" Harry asked.

"Yes, luckily my mother didn't notice anything. I've used the silencing charm. As a precaution, it wouldn't have been so terrific if she would have heard me." Caro said and clutching onto her broom she took a deep breath.

"So, then we'll be leaving soon, I suppose?"

Harry nodded.

"Yes."

They cast a quick glance at each other and turned their attention to the door. Although Draco would stay in the castle he had wanted to say goodbye to them. So they waited. Both had the sensation that the minutes passed like an eternity.

"What is taking him so long?" Caro asked more to herself than to Harry.

"No idea. But he should have been here long ago. Hopefully nothing has happen." Harry nervously responded.

Suddenly the door burst open and their silver- blond friend stormed in. He looked dreadful. His face was pale and under his eyes he had dark shadows.

"Draco, what the hell happen to you?" Harry exclaimed worried.

"Sorry, I'm late. I'll come with you." Draco said in a flatly voice, ignoring the question he had been asked. Only now Harry and Caro noticed the broom he was holding in his hand. Harry stared bewildered at Draco. He knew with absolutely certainty that something wasn't right in the slightest with his friend.

"Draco, what happened? Why did you so suddenly decide otherwise?"

"I come with you, okay? But don't ask me anything. I don't want to talk about this." He replied harshly.

Harry looked into the pained grey eyes while wondering what on earth had caused Draco's state. Since he didn't want to press Draco into telling he nodded reluctantly but he promised himself that he would find out what had startled Draco so much.

Furthermore there wasn't time anyway to lead a discussion now so that everything had to wait until they had reached their destination. The faster they got away off this place the better.

"Then come. Let's leave. Nell!" Harry shouted and seconds later the small house- elf appeared who was carrying some packages which contained, as Harry assumed, a delicious variety of food. He took them from Nell and picked her up. They went to the window and after charming themselves invisible they mounted their brooms. Moments later they flew out into the clear, cold air. In front of them they could make out the beginning of the sunrise. It promised to become a beautiful sunny day.

Harry couldn't help as to smile happily. Finally he was flying again. Since the fight in Diagon Alley last September he hadn't flown anymore. As the icy wind was blowing against his face he just felt wonderful and his worries disappeared as well. He rose higher and higher while flying curves and loops. He felt Nell's tiny hands grasping his waist tighter. The angry frightened hissing of Diamond caused him however to slow down again. So he flew lower and looked out for his friends.

Although invisible every one of them had charmed their wand in such a way that it was spreading a dim blue light, so that they couldn't lose each other or crash together, like it had nearly happened on their former trips. He spotted them and flew next to one of his friends. Since it seemed that no one of them was willing to speak they made their way in silence while Harry was thinking about what happening could have occurred that Draco had changed his decision to stay in the castle. All of a sudden Harry could see the ruins of Godric's Hollow under him and he felt how the excitement and the uneasy feelings returned to him. Shortly afterwards the three friends landed carefully in the knee-high grass. After charming themselves visible again, Caro looked at them and asked:

"And now? I think, it would be best to take care first of the wards, wouldn't it?"

Harry nodded and fetched something out of his pockets. As he had amplified it Draco and Caro could see that it were some sheets of lineated paper.

"That would be probably really the best since the current ones are very weak and partially totally destroyed. Here I've written down some spells, we could use. "

Draco took his wand and said vigorously:

"Let's get going then. Let's begin to make out of this place a secure spot."

While saying his friends what charms they should perform Harry felt how fear rose in him. Wouldn't it been better to stay at the castle? How would they survive? Wouldn't they find them here? Then he shook fiercely his head. Whatever difficulties would appear, he would think about them, when they would occur and together they would master them all right. For now it was first important to surround Godric's Hollow with protection charms and curses, so that they would be safe here.

Charlotte Black who was currently occupied with making breakfast and simultaneously correcting the homework of her students shook enervated her head as her quill fell to the ground and rolled under the table. As she had finally found it and had just turned back to the essays, she was interrupted by a giggling happy voice.

"Mummy!"

She spun around and smiled at her son who would soon have his second birthday and who momentarily was trying to knock over his high chair by flinging himself back and forth. She went to Jamie, bent down and kissed him on his soft hair while wondering, if she would ever see Jamie's Daddy again. Two days had already passed since she had got a message of Sirius and now she was waiting with terrible impatience which she nearly couldn't bear for a new letter which would tell her that her husband was still alive. While embracing her little son she felt tears forming in her eyes.

Since she had discovered that her aunt and uncle had been killed, it happened often that she wasn't able to hold back her tears. Nearly two weeks ago the Dark Lord had gone to France, together with thousands of his Death Eaters to defeat the resistance which had been led by her uncle. He and her aunt had been among the first ones who had been killed.

She still couldn't believe it that those two people who had taken her and her sister in after their parents had been murdered, who had raised them and had given them all the love they had possessed, were now dead. They had given them a home, after their world had caved in overnight, and yet she would never see them again.

Charlotte remembered the little house in France where they had lived, the small garden with the old oak, on which she and Emily had always climbed as children to play there or to hide. She thought back at her last visit two years ago, as she had been expecting Jamie. It had been so lovely, peaceful days, which she had spent with them both. But the last time where she had seen her aunt and uncle had been last August, as little Meggie had been born. Charlotte closed pained her eyes. Sirius was now there; in the country where she had spent a part of her childhood and her entire youth. Dumbledore had sent many Order members there to help the desperately fighting resistance. Sirius and Remus were among them and the certainty that her husband was in middle of the danger zone was weighing heavily on her.

Without any warning she began to sob, while she was still hugging Jamie to her.

"Charlotte? Did something happen!" The scared voice startled Charlotte. She turned around and shook her head.

"No, nothing has happen, Hermione." Charlotte stepped to the girl who looked still rather alarmed, and pulled her close.

"Nothing has happen, honey. I only had to think of my aunt and uncle." She said softly and stroked Hermione's head. Charlotte felt ashamed that she had lost her composure and thus had so scared Hermione. As Sirius had announced to her that he wanted to adopt Hermione two years ago she would have never believed it possible that she would someday love the girl so much. But meanwhile she loved Hermione like her own child. Hermione clung to her and whispered.

"Will it never stop? Why are they doing such things to us? Can't they leave us alone? I hate them, they destroy everything. I hate them!"

Charlotte shuddered as she heard the hate in Hermione's voice. It was awful when children were brought to hate.

But she couldn't blame her for it, she knew that Hermione had witnessed the murder of her parents; a horror that she would never forget. Apart from this there was a merciless hate seething in herself, which terrified her at times.

"I don't know Hermione. I don't know." She said sadly while desperation rose in her.

Lately she increasingly had the feeling that she couldn't take it any longer. The war destroyed them more and more, every day a bit further. Ceaseless and she couldn't do the slightest thing against it. Then she straightened up.

It wouldn't be of use for anyone, if she let herself go. She had to be strong, for her husband, Jamie and for Hermione, who needed her and Sirius, for her sister and all the others who meant something to her. She had to be strong but sometimes this was more than she could handle.

"Mummy, hungwy!" Jamie cooed all of a sudden and thus reminded his mother of the still half finished breakfast.

Hermione smiled, stepped to Jamie and picked him up.

"Do you know that if you'll continue to grow so fast, you will soon be too heavy for me to carry you?"

She said while swinging the baby through the air. Jamie reached for her with his tiny hands and began to laugh while his eyes seemed to beam.

After they had eaten breakfast Hermione said good-bye to Jamie and Charlotte, fetched her wand and began to run through the castle. Since she was already a bit late for the lessons she had to hurry. When finally reaching the right classroom she knocked and went in. She wasn't surprised that everyone was present already.

"Sorry, that I am late, Bill." She said struggling for breath.

"It's alright, Hermione." Bill Weasley answered in a good mood and smiled at her.

She grinned back and took her seat next to Ron. A half year ago the adults had out of the sky decided that the younger children who weren't yet eleven should be taught as well in Defence against the Dark Arts. Hermione didn't know what the reason for this had been; the adults had only said that it would be necessary that they could also defend themselves. Since then a seventh year would teach them every day for one or two hours and Hermione had therefore got infinitely proud her first wand. As they didn't receive any marks, the lessons were great fun but nevertheless they learned a lot. As soon as she had recovered her breath, she raised her head begun to listen attentively what Bill had planned for today's lessons.

Meanwhile Bella stared astonished at the empty room which extended itself in front of her. Where for God's sake were the children? As Carolina hadn't appeared at breakfast today and since she also hadn't found her daughter in her room which strangely had been blank, she had cursing begun to search for her daughter. But when seeing now that the room of the young Lord was in the exact same condition as of her daughter, and that here as well were no sign of any furniture, slowly a suspicion was rising in her. But that couldn't be. Could it? Bellatrix spun angrily around and collided with Lucius Malfoy.

"Bella, have you seen Draco? He didn't show up for breakfast today."

"No, but I saw neither the young Lord nor my daughter today. They have disappeared! And apparently they have run away!"

"Run away? Such a nonsense, Bellatrix. Probably they are in the park and play Quidditch. "

"If they are in the park, Lucius, then how do you want to explain that all the stuff in Harry's and Carolina's rooms has vanished into thin air?" She asked in a sarcastically sweet voice.

Lucius eyes widened surprised, he pushed passed her and looked in the room.

"No, that can't be true. Draco would never run away," He answered with deep conviction.

Bella raised unbelievingly an eye brow.

"So, wouldn't he? And where on earth then are they, if they didn't run away?"

"Draco would never do such a thing, Bella. After the fight in Diagon Alley I led a serious discussion with him and he promised me not to do such a foolish thing again. They have to be somewhere in the castle. It would be the best, if we would search the castle from top to bottom. "

Bella turned her eyes heavenwards and replied snappily,

"Please, do that. But you'll see that I am right. "

Lucius cast a venomous glance at her and apparated.

After Bella had waited a quarter- hour and had pondered, where the children could have gone to and what they should do now, she begun to look for Lucius and found him finally in Draco's room where he was standing rooted to the spot and staring at the mess in front of him. Various cupboards and drawers were half open. Some capes and robes lay carelessly on the ground. Apart from these pieces of clothing and a few other things the room was empty as well. All books, personal things had disappeared. Bella looked at Lucius,

"Do you believe me now that the children have run away?"

Lucius however shook confused his head.

"Draco wouldn't do that. Perhaps they've been kidnapped."

"Kidnapped?"

"Yes, why not? Pettigrew has disappeared as well and till now he hasn't turned up again. He could have done it."

Bella stared at him.

"Did you lose your mind? Harry has protection charms on his door and his rooms. Any stranger who tried to break in there would immediately alarm the whole castle. My house is also protected. If someone had tried to break in there tonight, I would have noticed it. And you so have secured your house that not even a mouse could sneak in unnoticed. No, Lucius, your theory is just absurd."

A moment Lucius looked silently at Bella. He didn't want to believe it, it couldn't be true. Draco would never break his promise towards him. But then he reluctantly admitted that Draco had done exactly this. The children had run away. There wasn't another explanation.

"You're right, Bella. But I just don't understand it. Why should the children run away? They've not the slightest reason therefore. And what, damn it, have they in mind? Where they want to go at all then?"

"I've not the faintest idea, Lucius, but we've to find them as soon as possible; before they fall into Dumbledore's hands."

"When I've found Draco then he'll get house arrest for the rest of his life." Lucius Malfoy hissed who slowly begun to seethe with rage as he realized what not all could happen. Then he groaned.

"Goodness, when Narcissa discovers that, then…"

"Narcissa? You are worrying about your wife? And what is with our master! Can you imagine what he'll do with us if he learns that we've lost his son? Already last time, he wasn't very delighted, when the children appeared right into the fight in Diagon Alley, if you remember."

Lucius' eyes widened startled and finally he began to think straight again, as he slowly overcame the disappointment Draco had caused him.

"We've to find him, before the Dark Lord returns. Otherwise we are dead!"

Bella nodded grimly.

"There for once you're right, Lucius."

In the evening Severus Snape sat comfortably in one of his armchairs and looked pleasantly relaxed into the dancing fire while his almost two year old daughter was sleeping peacefully on his chest. In their rooms it was nearly impossible that someone would find out his secret marriage and so for Severus there was the only place where he could enjoy his family- life without having to fear that he would be discovered.

As he gazed down at his daughter a radiant smile appeared on his slender face. A sight you could see rather rarely. Very carefully he ran his hand over Lizzie's soft black curls. Her long eyelashes fluttered slightly and Severus held his breath while praying that she wouldn't wake up. To get Lizzie to sleep was always extremely nerve-racking since Lizzie didn't think the slightest of it and rather wanted to play. As Lizzie didn't make any move to open her eyes however, Severus sighed relieved and closed also his eyes while listening to his daughter's softly breathing.

A loud tapping against the windowpane startled Severus up. He ripped open his eyes and Lizzie opened her blue ones as well while her little face abridged and she began to cry.

"Oh, no. Schhh Lizzie, don't cry my sweetheart. Everything's alright. It's okay my little one."

Severus murmured as he gently rocked his daughter but Lizzie seemed to pay no attention at all to her father's soothing words.

"Mummy, Lizzie wat Mummy!" She squealed and Severus sighed.

Alison had gone to Charlotte and Emily a little while ago and how he knew his wife she wouldn't return so quickly.

The volume of the tapping had meanwhile increased considerably. Annoyed and angrily Severus set his still crying daughter in the armchair, marched to the window and tore it fiercely open. When seeing the unknown black phoenix he whipped out his wand. The magical bird dropped a letter to the floor and flew into the room.

Severus spun around and saw how the phoenix settled next to Lizzie and begun softly to trill. Lizzie instantly stopped crying, stared astonished at the phoenix and reached out for him with her tiny hands. As soon as Severus was sure that the phoenix hadn't the intention to do something to Lizzie, he studied the letter and started to check, if it hadn't been cursed with any spells. When he couldn't find anything he picked up the letter and opened it curiously.

Snape

Send me as soon as possible a vial of Veritaserum.

Harry Riddle

Severus glanced at the one sentence while he wondered for what on earth the heir of Voldemort needed Veritaserum. He had not the faintest idea but basically it absolutely didn't play a role. After all he knew that he had to do whatever the child demanded from him since he could unfortunately inform the Dark Lord at any time that he was a spy.

So Severus turned around, went to his daughter who, with a bright smile on her tiny face, still was occupied to stroke the black shimmering feathers of the phoenix. He bent down and picked Lizzie up. This however turned out to be a mistake since he had hardly taken her up she set off to scream again. Taken aback he set her down again and instantly she fell silent while cuddling against the phoenix.

After cursing the bird and reassuring himself that nothing could happen to Lizzie he left his room and hurried down to his dungeons. There he searched in the many shelves for the potion and at a face pace he set off to return, where to his relief he found everything as he had left it. The phoenix trilled shortly and seconds later he flew with the vial out into the night. Amazingly Lizzie didn't begin to cry though but raised her little hand and began to wave.

Severus closed the window and made himself and Lizzie comfortable in the armchair again. But now Lizzie looked up at him with her bright blue eyes which reminded him so much of Alison, expectantly and wide-awake and had presumably not the slightest intention to fall asleep once again. Severus sighed. This would be once more a long evening.

Harry leaned against the window and stared out into the darkness. The faint light of the moon had dipped the garden in eerie shadows which seemed to dance in the wind. He felt totally exhausted but that was hardly astonishing since they had worked the whole day. They had set up the wards and had built up Godric's Hollow again.

Although they still had to take care of a vast amount of things and to look after the garden they had managed however to change the ruins into a comfortable little house. As Harry turned around and gazed at the living room he felt pride. Caro was lying on the settee and had apparently fallen asleep. Next to her, on one of the pillows, Nell had nestled down. The little house-elf had spoiled them today with incredible tasty meals and had also helped them energetically with her elves- magic.

His gaze wandered further and his smile disappeared when looking at Draco who sat in his armchair like a marble statue and was staring with an expressionlessly face into the fire. Although he and Caro had tried to persuade Draco to tell them what had happened they could have had talked just as well to a brick wall. Harry was worried but as so long he didn't know what troubled his friend he couldn't do anything to help him. A rustling caused him to gaze at the table. There Diamond was currently busy to make herself a sleeping-place out of the letters Draco's parents and Bella had sent them.

The letters had reached them a few hours after they had left the castle and had been port-keys. Harry still couldn't believe that he had been so stupid. Draco had hindered him at the last minute to pick up one of the letters and had said that his father had surely cursed them. After a while they had detect that they had been indeed enchanted and namely in port-keys. Thereupon they had angrily destroyed the letters, but Harry couldn't still apprehend that he had been so carelessly.

You could have believed that in all the years he had been taught by his adoptive father he had learned not the slightest. It was of course clear that Bella, Lucius and Narcissa would try everything to find them.

Pressing his nose against the cold glass he tried to spot his phoenix whom he had sent to Severus Snape, some time ago. Hopefully he would transmit him the Veritaserum soon. He was so anxious to finally discover what Pettigrew had had to do with his parents. Currently the rat was residing in a large wooden box with antiapparating spells placed on it, so that he wouldn't be able to escape. Harry sighed; somehow it was a strange feeling to know that he was standing in the house of his parents.

As they had built it up today again he couldn't have prevent to imagine how his parents had died here, murdered by his adoptive father. A loud tapping caused Harry to flinch. He had been so absorbed in his thoughts that he hadn't noticed Rainbow landing on the window ledge. He opened the window and detected delighted the little vial which was bound to one of her legs. Smiling he took it while Rainbow trilled shortly and flew into the room.

"Harry, what's this?" Caro asked who meanwhile had sat up and was now drowsily rubbing her eyes.

"That's Veritaserum."

Caro blinked unbelievingly and Harry noticed that Draco who had turned away from the fire, was also looking rather astonished.

"Where on earth did you get this from?" Caro wanted to know.

"As I first attended a Death Eater assembly I figured out that one of them is a spy. Since I thought that it is more likely for him to get the potion, I wrote him earlier that he should send me a vial."

"A spy? And you let him off?" Draco inquired angrily.

Harry looked at his friend and said quietly,

"I didn't want to be guilty of his death."

In Draco's eyes flickered something and he nodded.

"I see."

His voice sounded strangely defeated and Harry and Caro cast at each other helpless and rather clueless looks.

For a moment they were silent. Finally Caro asked,
"How do we actually want to question Pettigrew? We'll have to somehow ensure that he won't escape us."

Harry nodded energetically.

"Yes, of course." He said and put the flacon with the potion on the table.

Then he went to the hall and fetched the wooden box in which the rat was captured. When returning to the living room he opened the bin, took his wand and forced Pettigrew to change back into a human being. To prevent him to flee Harry chained him with his magic. Pettigrew struggled against the bonds and looked frantically around. As his eyes fell on Harry he turned ashen and began to stutter:

"Harry, you won't kill me, will you? I did never want to do it! Harry, please, I beg you, don't kill me!"

The last part was a desperate scream and Harry, by now a bit irritated, put a silencing charm on him.

Meanwhile Caro had taken up the Veritaserum and Draco had stood up as well.

"Shall we use the Imperius- Curse to bring him to drink this?" Draco asked and pointed at the small vial in Caro's hand. Harry bit thoughtfully his lip and nodded then.

"Yes, I think this would be the best. But you'll have to help me. Currently I'm too exhausted to do it alone. Furthermore I don't think I would manage it alone." Harry answered.

Since the Dark Lord had gone to France Bella and Draco's parents had already started to teach Draco and Caro the Unforgivable Curses. Although both his friends hadn't manage to break the Imperius- Curse yet they could help him however to curse Pettigrew. Harry pointed his wand at the animagus, nodded to his friends, counted loudly to three and then they shouted together:

"Imperio!"

Harry gave Pettigrew the potion and ordered him to take a sip. When Pettigrew's eyes became glassily and they saw that the potion started to show effect, they finally could exhaustedly lift the curse. Harry noticed that his hand trembled and knew that he had magically overexerted himself today. It might have been wiser if they had waited till tomorrow to question Peter. But after all he had waited already so long and to wait any longer he wouldn't bear.

So he let himself fall on a chair. Excited he begun to ask question after question and he learned more about his parents than he had ever dreamed. He discovered that his dad had also been an animagus that he together with his best friends Sirius Black, Remus Lupin and unfortunately Peter Pettigrew had wandered often over the grounds of Hogwarts and that they had invented and carried out countless pranks during their school days. He learned that they had been called the Marauders. His mother however had always tried to stop the four friends.

She had played the piano and had loved to read books while sitting next to the Hogwarts Lake in the soft grass. He learned that he had a godmother and a godfather and countless other things, which meant so incredible much to him; told by a traitor as he now knew. Suddenly the glassy absently gaze disappeared and Peter's eyes became clear again. Obviously the potion had lost its effect. He blinked, raised abruptly his head and looked straight into Harry's eyes while tears were streaming down his face.

"I am so sorry, Harry. I didn't want to do it. But I didn't have a choice. "

Harry stared wordlessly at the traitor pf his parents and when speaking his voice wavered a bit,

"Why didn't you tell my parents that you were forced to be a spy by Voldemort before they made you their Secret keeper? You could have gone into hiding together with my parents. If you had told surely the Order of the Phoenix would have found a solution!"

Peter opened his mouth but closed it a moment later. Apparently he didn't know what to say. He lowered his gaze to the floor and whispered nearly inaudible,

"I was so scared; so scared that he would find out." Harry didn't need to ask whom Pettigrew meant with 'he'.

"What'll you do with him, Harry?" Caro threw in, while eyeing Peter disdainfully.

While staring at the broken man Harry realised that he felt pity for him. Although Peter had betrayed his parents he knew very well that another had murdered them, and namely his adoptive father.

Confused Harry shook his head.

"I don't know. I think he could stay here. He could run errands for us." He said yawning and noticed only now how incredible tired and worn out he was.

Peter lifted jerkily his head and looked dazed and hopefully at him.

"You won't kill me, Harry?"

"No, Peter. But don't you dare to betray us and to tell Voldemort where we are. Otherwise I could still change my mind."

Peter flinched, looked around and seemed to register his surroundings for the first time. His eyes widened.

"That…can't be true. Where…are…we?"

"In Godric's Hollow. We ran away and have almost built it up again. My adoptive father has not the faintest idea that I know Godric's Hollow. Here he won't find us."

"Adoptive father?"

"Yes, the Dark Lord has raised me."

"He has …raised…Harry, he'll find you! Believe me, you can't hide from him. That's impossible."

Harry swallowed.

"If you don't tell him, he won't figure it out."

Peter looked at him and in his eyes a strange expression appeared.

"I won't betray you, Harry. Not once again." He said softly.

"But the Dark Lord has ways and means, which you can't even imagine. Believe me, he'll find you."

"What a lot of rubbish! No one will find us here! And you won't betray us!" Draco screamed who pointed with a trembling hand his wand at Pettigrew.
"Avada Ked…"

"Draco!"

"No!"

Horrified and frightened Caro and Harry grabbed Draco's arms.

"Draco, what the hell was all this about? What's wrong with you?" Harry who sensed how his friends was quivering had suddenly enough of Draco's strange behaviour which he had displayed all day. Resolutely he took him by his arm and led him to the settee.

"Draco, now tell us finally what has happened this morning! We're your friends, you can trust us, you know that."

Draco slumped down and mumbled,

"They killed them. They just killed them!"

Caro, who had set down next to Draco's other side, hugged him comfortingly and asked quietly:

"Who killed whom?"

When Draco didn't answer, she whispered:

"Tell us, please, we only want to help you."

"Yesterday I couldn't sleep. I had always to think about you wanting to leave the castle. Sometime I got thirsty. So I stood up and went to the kitchen to fetch me something. On my way back I noticed my Dad. He stood in front of the fireplace and via floo powder he went to the dungeons. And I…goodness, I don't even know why, but I followed him. I think I was just curious." Draco said bitterly and broke off.

In Harry rose a dreadful thought and for a moment he closed his eyes. He could imagine, what would come next. He had heard the terrible screams, which were echoing from the dungeons, often enough. He had to force himself to ask:

"What… what happened there?"

"They didn't see me. But I could observe everything. There were a woman and a little girl. My Dad…they tortured them and the…girl, Caro, she looked similar to you. She held a teddy bear in her arms, like the one you had always in the past. They just, just killed them!" Draco sobbed while Caro hugged him close to her.

"Oh, Draco."

After they had calmed down Draco to a degree they said goodnight to each other, left Pettigrew, guarded by Diamond, Rainbow and Nell, behind in the living room and went silently to their own rooms. As Harry was creeping in his bed a while later and dropping his head on the soft pillow, he sighed relieved. He felt as he was hurting everywhere. His head ached terribly.

It had been just too much what had happened today. The flight, the need to perform so many charms at once, the stories Peter had told them, the awful things Draco had witnessed. But he noticed very quickly that he absolutely couldn't come to rest. Images of his parents spun around his head, he remembered the frightened face of his mum that he had seen as the Dementor had come close to him. He saw his Dad sneaking over the grounds of Hogwarts with his friends, his mum sitting near the lake and reading a book. Some time he threw the blanket aside, jumped off the bed and ran to the window that he ripped open. He was so hot.

As the cold air caused him to shiver he closed it again, turned around and looked for his photo album. Back in bed he slowly leafed through it. Now he recognized as well a few other persons and for the first time he paid real attention to the other people who were portrayed there. So far he had registered them only marginally.

He looked at Sirius Black, his godfather, at Remus Lupin and the woman who was holding him as he had been a baby must be his godmother, Minerva MacGonagall, as he presumed.

As he continued to turn the pages over his gaze fell on one of his favourite photos. His parents stood next to each other and his mum was holding him. He stared at the beaming faces of his parents and suddenly he began to cry. The stories Peter had told him had brought his parents close to him and had made him realize unmistakably what he had lost. So he cried for that what could have been when his parents hadn't been killed on that one Halloween so many years. It took long before Harry finally sobbed himself into a restless sleep.