(A/N): sigh Well, I finally got around to posting this chapter. After all the delays, all the writers block, all the plot offshoots I've concocted, all the changed decisions about how this story should be portrayed, how I was going to make this story different, how to continue to write the chapters at a constant pace without losing the quality I want with my writing, and the insufferable perfectionism I force onto myself, I'm finally getting my fingers to strike keys and make sentences. I hope to update this as much as possible. I can't believe how long I've put it off. I'm going to go cry while I belittle myself for being too lazy.

I've changed the rating of this story from M to T. This story IS NOT going to be up to the rating of M by my hand. There is no chance it will get that descriptive or grotesque. See my profile for more in-depth info about this story.

Disclaimer: I own zero (0) rights to any of the Harry Potter books, characters, locations, and any other thing that I have decided to torture (fear not faint of heart, I merely mean this from a I'm-going-to-screw-up-'cause-I'm-human stand-point, it's not like I'm writing this just to torture Harry Potter characters) from the Harry Potter universe. Joanne K. Rowling owns those rights.

:Rectitude:

:Chapter Two:

:To The Burrow:

Voldemort was growing impatient. Wormtail had been gone for nearly two weeks.

After his appearance at the Ministry of Magic, he had decided to lie low, not wanting to lose too many resources this early in the war. That is if you could call it a war. The Ministry had done next to nothing to hinder Voldemort's efforts. He, however, had planned his second coming ever since his failure to procure the Philosopher's Stone. The wheel had begun turning since he returned to his body, nearly as powerful as before. He then proceeded to gather his followers. He was disappointed with the outcome when he called the Death Eaters to the graveyard. But, now he had enough to begin open recruitment, even with those that were captured at the Department of Mysteries absent for the time being.

While Voldemort was pondering the progress he had made so far, there was a light knock on the door.

"Enter," said Voldemort.

"Master, I have returned."

"Good, Wormtail, very good."

Wormtail approached his master, handing him an ornate golden box.

"You best pray that you found the keys," said Voldemort in a tone that could chill even the most evil people to the bone.

"N-n-no, my lord, I h-h-h-have f-f-failed to find the keys," said Wormtail, apprehension in his voice.

"Crucio!" yelled Voldemort. Wormtail fell the the ground, convulsing and screaming.

"Did I not tell you to come back only if you had found the chest and the keys? Did I not warn you what the consequences would be?" roared Voldemort, still holding the curse to Wormtail.

After a few more seconds, Voldemort relented his hold on Wormtail. Wormtail was lying there, still convulsing, but the screaming had stopped.

"M-my lord, I know where they are! But I could not retrieve them. Dumbledore has one, the boy has one, and the other I could not touch, for it was guarded by a strong magic." squeaked Wormtail.

Releasing an audible growl, Voldemort turned his back to Wormtail.

"I will forgive you for now... you did acquire the chest, and that is good. Leave my presence before I change my mind. Do not fail me again, Wormtail."

"Y-y-yes, my lord," said Wormtail as he scampered out of the Dark Lord's chamber.

Voldemort began smiling toward the doorway Wormtail had just scampered through, though to an objective observer, it was only a small change in his lips.

"Soon I will have the keys. It is only a matter of time."

Harry was checking his school trunk to make sure he had packed everything. He couldn't hold back his excitement. He'd been like this for nearly two weeks. He even smiled when the Dursley's told him to do all of the chores. That had upset them even more than if he hadn't done the chores.

Even Harry's bad dreams hadn't deterred his happiness. In a strange way, they increased his happiness. He'd be able to see his friends; to see them safe. He hadn't wanted something this bad for a long time.

The last string of dreams had been horrible. His only comfort was the lack of scar pain. He had to hold onto that hope. It was the only way he was going to survive the time he had to wait.

He was to leave number 4 Privet Drive tonight. He had written to Ron and Hermione, and asked if they wanted to stay at the Burrow for the rest of the summer, but told them that he, Harry, had to stay four more weeks with his aunt, uncle, and nephew. He didn't know what they would say. He thought too many things had changed since that night at the Department of Mysteries. He feared that Hermione secretly despised him for jeopardizing her life, and that Ron would feel the same way as Hermione. Harry knew that the last blow to his mind would be to lose his friends, either through death, or through their revulsion of him.

It was now his worst fear, loneliness. No, loneliness wasn't severe enough. It was deeper and more hurtful than something as meager as loneliness. It was sheer despair; inconsolable despondency. He was, for the first time in his life, alone. Wholly alone. He wanted to scream. He felt hopeless.

A shrill honk broke Harry out of his reverie. He dashed over to his window and glanced outside to the drive. His face broke into a gleaming smile. There was a dark green car in the drive, its windshield wipers flapping rhythmically back and forth.. Although Harry had never seen it before, he recognized with whom it belonged. As he was thinking this, the passenger side door opened to reveal a bushy haired girl. Harry instantly recognized the brown hair and brown eyes as Hermione.

After receiving the initial replies from his friends, Harry had become ecstatic. Ron said that it was okay for both of them to come over for the rest of the summer, and Hermione had replied back saying she would come, and to make it easier for Harry, would ask her parents to pick him up, then go to London and drop Hermione and Harry off at the Leaky Cauldron so they could floo to the Burrow. That would make the departure from the Dursley's easy, compared to the fiasco that happened when Harry was to go with the Weasley's to the Quidditch World Cup before his fourth year. Thinking of that incident brought another smile to his face as he gathered the rest of his things and stuffed them into his trunk.

He picked up Hedwig's cage, and hoisted his trunk up so he could carry it easier (he was glad he put that lightening charm on his trunk before he left Hogwarts). Taking as little time as possible, he marched down the stairs, his warm smile still plastered to his face. When he reached the step before the last, the door bell rang.

Aunt Petunia walked out of the kitchen towards the front door, holding her head up slightly, making her seem like a human giraffe. When she noticed Harry standing at the bottom of the stairs, she cast him a stony glare. She reached for the door and opened it to see a girl smiling at her.

"Is Harry here?" asked the girl, startling Aunt Petunia.

"Er... yes, he is here," replied Harry's aunt.

Harry emerged from the staircase and went to the door. He saw Hermione and smiled at her as she returned his gesture.

"I"m all packed up and ready to go, Hermione," Harry said, ignoring his aunt.

"Aunt Petunia, I'm going to be gone for the rest of the summer. I wont be back until school is out next year," Harry said to his aunt, "Have a good day," he concluded, turning around to face Hermione and promptly walked out the door.

"That went rather well, don't you think?" Harry asked Hermione, smirking mischievously as they walked to the Granger's car.

"Eh... sure," Hermione replied, trying to hide her amused grin.

As they reached the car, Hermione took Harry's hand and dragged him to the driver side.

"Harry, this is my mother," said Hermione, smiling.

"Hello, Mrs. Granger," Harry said, giving a healthy smile.

"Ah, you must be Harry. It's very nice to finally meet one of the boys that my daughter can't stop talking about," said Mrs. Granger, giving Harry a welcoming smile in return.

"I'm sure she's told you about how much trouble I get into," Harry said, his smile brightening.

"Honestly, Harry, you'd think that you're always in trouble. Most of the school year you're out of trouble, I'll have you know," said Hermione with faked indignation.

Harry laughed. Harry then thought that it was a good feeling to laugh. He had almost forgotten what it felt like.

"Well, err... I suppose that you know where we need to go now," Harry said to Mrs. Granger as his face began to redden, feeling a blush creeping its ugly head to Harry's own head. He wasn't really sure why he felt embarrassed, though.

Not waiting for a reply from Mrs. Granger, Harry went to go to the passenger side, then stopped suddenly, remembering his manners, then went and opened the back door for Hermione.

"Oh, Harry, you didn't have to open the door for me," she said, a slight flush creeping up her neck.

"I'd like to believe I have some manners," he said, giving a slight smile as Hermione got into the car. He shut the door, and strode to the other side, opening the back door.

"Oh, what am I supposed to do with my trunk, Mrs. Granger?" Harry asked, remembering he still hadn't put his stuff anywhere yet.

"You can set it down on the front seat, dear," replied Mrs. Granger.

After he heard this, he opened the passenger side door and plopped his trunk onto the seat, making sure not to damage the fine leather that the seat was covered in. He made sure that it wouldn't fall over or slide around, then closed the door, and returned to the back seat, holding Hedwig's cage with Hedwig hooting quietly inside.

"All ready?" Mrs. Granger asked Harry. He nodded to her.

"Alright, let's get a move on then," she said as she took the car out of park and began driving down the lane.

After half an hour of what Harry would call an uncomfortable conversation with Hermione and her mother, they finally arrived in London. A few minutes later, Mrs. Granger stopped the car where she remembered the Leaky Cauldron was at. She asked Harry and Hermione if this was the right place, and they both nodded.

"Well, I know you two will be fine from here. I have to get back home. I've got some early appointments at the practice tomorrow. Not easy appointments, either," said Mrs. Granger.

"Get your stuff and I hope to see you both after school is out," she said, looking slightly sad. "In fact, why don't you come home with us for Christmas break, Harry. My husband and I would love to have you over, and I'm sure Hermione would enjoy having a friend with her during the holidays," she said as her face started to brighten.

"Well--uh--I... don't know what to say," Harry said, his voice lit with surprise. "I'll... um... Sure. I'll do just that," he said, then added, "Unless my plans... change," startling even himself with how cold his voice sounded.

"Well, good. I hope to see you then, Harry. It was very nice meeting you," she said as she smiled even brighter. Harry could almost see Hermione smiling him at him like that. 'Probably really smart, too,' thought Harry.

"You two be good at school. Remember to write us, honey. You too, Harry," she said, waving goodbye before she drove off into London's streets.

"I like your mum," Harry said, looking at Hermione with a simper look.

"I think she likes you, too," she replied, smiling back at him. Harry could still see the pain behind her eyes. He didn't know what pain it was. He didn't dare ask. He was too scared of the answer.

"Come on, we should go in. Mr. Weasley is probably waiting for us."

Doing as he was told, Harry took up his trunk and Hedwig's cage, and walked into the Leaky Cauldron with Hermione. They didn't have to look very long to see that Mr. Weasley had not arrived yet.

"Well, let's get something to drink while we wait. I think food would be good too, but Mrs. Weasley probably prepared a feast for us," Harry suggested, walking up to Tom, with Hermione in tow.

"Ah, Harry Potter! What can I get you and your friend on this stormy evening?" said Tom as he noticed Harry and Hermione.

"Two butterbeers, please," said Harry as he gave a small smile to Tom. "On my tab, if you don't mind," he added.

"Not a problem, Mr. Potter," replied Tom as he went to go get two mugs from the bar.

Hermione eyed him strangely, then said, "You have a tab?"

Harry broke a smile, then started chuckling. He looked at her with a strange glint in his eyes and replied, "I do now. Being the famous Boy-Who-Lived has its perks. And I bet Tom likes me, anyway."

"Don't tell Ron. If there is anything he would be jealous of you it would be free food," supplied Hermione, starting to catch the contagious chuckles from Harry.

"Two butterbeers," chimed in Tom, who had just appeared next to the now laughing pair. He shot them a playful smile, then left to go back to the bar.

"Ah, nothing like a butterbeer to calm the nerves. I really need to have some on me at all times," said Harry after taking a hearty gulp from his mug.

"But then you'd be sticky all the time," said Hermione as she lifted her mug to her mouth.

"I know even you aren't that robotic, Hermy," retorted Harry, taking a second gulp from his mug. Harry took on a look of satisfaction when Hermione gave a huff of frustration and her skin tone reddened slightly.

While Harry and Hermione were sitting down, enjoying their butterbeers, another witch and wizard were sitting a few tables away, watching them.

"They look like they're okay," said the man.

"Looks can be deceiving, my darling Mr. Shacklebolt," beamed the woman.

"Yes, yes, I know, Tonks," Kingsley Shacklebolt said as he looked at the outrageous getup the woman was currently adorning.

"Any news about Arthur?" asked Tonks.

"He said he'd be here within the next ten minutes," replied Shacklebolt.

"Well, how are the plans at the Burrow going? I haven't been able to see it since they started decorating."

"They got done an hour ago. Now they're waiting for the last few guests to arrive, then for the star of the day to show up. Does Miss Granger know about the plans?"

"Yes. Remus and I told her last week when we visited the Grangers with Dumbledore," cooed Tonks.

"So... what'd you get him?" asked Shacklebolt.

"A framed page from last months Teen Witch Weekly showcasing Harry as the most sought after underage man in the wizarding world. And a protection ring," said Tonks, trying to hide her grin.

"I'm sure he'll appreciate the frame," said Shacklebolt laughing, then adding, "what kind of precious?"

"I found emerald to be appropriate," replied Tonks, smiling.

"Quite," said Shacklebolt.

"What'd you get him?" asked Tonks.

"A nice pair of dragonhide boots and a dragonhide wand holster," said Shacklebolt.

"Ever the practical one, eh, Kingsley?" laughed Tonks.

"Being in Voldemort's physical presence three different times in his life, I thought that the boy could use some security, if only just a little," said Shacklebolt quite seriously.

"I see you've started saying Voldemort's name," said Tonks coolly.

"As have you, Tonks," replied Shacklebolt, sighing. "I thought I'd dare a venture and indulge with risk taking. Turns out there is no risk in saying his name aloud," supplied Shacklebolt with an almost disappointed frown.

"Same," replied Tonks.

As soon as she said that, both she and Shacklebolt saw Arthur Weasley appear in a burst of green flames out of the public floo of the Leaky Cauldron.

"There he is. Let's hurry up and go," exclaimed Tonks as she stood up from her chair and strode to the fireplace.

"Always lets someone else pay the bill," mumbled Shacklebolt as he took four sickles out and placed them on the table, then turned and walked to the fireplace.

"The Burrow," Tonks and Shacklebolt said in unison; their forms were engulfed in a fluorescent green flame.

"Harry! Hermione!" said Arthur Weasley as he approached the table that they were consuming their second butterbeers on.

"Mr. Weasley!" they both squealed simultaneously.

"Now, Harry, no need to squeal," said Mr. Weasley playfully. Harry gave a small smile then had a sudden fascination with his shoelaces.

"Mr. Weasley! Have you been taking joke lessons from the twins?" said Hermione, feeling a little sympathetic for Harry. Only a little, though. That 'Hermy' comment would have plenty of retribution.

"Maybe," Mr. Weasley said, giving both of them a brilliant smile, which Harry missed since he was now staring down the enchanted cuckoo clock on the wall behind Hermione and sporting a brilliant blush.

Harry went up behind Hermione and whispered into her ear, "Something's up. He's too happy," said Harry.

"You're just being paranoid, Harry," she whispered back. He shot her a glare.

"Ready to go, you two?" asked Mr. Weasley.

They both checked their trunks, nodded, and proceeded to follow Mr. Weasley to the fireplace.

"Alright, Hermione, you go first. I'll go after you, and you, Harry, can go after both of us. Remember to enunciate clearly," said Mr. Weasley in a authoritative voice.

Hermione stepped toward the fireplace, took a pinch of floo powder from a pot on the right hand side of the mantle, then threw the powder into the fireplace saying, "The Burrow!"

She disappeared in a column of billowing, green flames.

"Okay, me next," said Mr. Weasley as he stepped forward. He did the same as Hermione had done just prior and disappeared in a rush of green flames.

"Here goes," Harry said to himself. He stepped up to the mantle, took his pinch of floo powder, threw it into the fireplace, and said, "The Burrow" clearly and was whisked away by the torrent of green flames.

End (A/N): Well, I've finally got this chapter done, and along with it I've taken out a large wall of writer's block. Yay! Now, I have to write more chapters. Yay! I really enjoy writing this. It's very fun.

Also, I feel obligated to update my profile. I really need to. I did a horrible job the first time.

I hope anyone who starts reading my story can get ready, because I plan to make this a worthwhile ride. Go to my profile for some more info.