Disclaimer: So not mine. So unfair.

Privet Drive

Uncle Vernon was not exactly pleased to hear that Harry would be home early this summer. He had mumbled and complained the entire ride home from the Train Station. "Why it is, that my dear wife thinks we have a responsibility to keep you, is beyond me, boy." He said in agitation. "And now it is not only for the summer, but part of the school year also. Why were you sent home anyway?"

"Nothing too important. The school was just attacked by Death Eaters. They need time to repair the damage that was done to the structure." Harry mumbled as if he was talking about the weather.

Uncle Vernon turned his plump face to look at Harry. "And these Death Eater's are?"

"Lord Voldemort's followers." Harry answered, expecting to see a flinch at the mention of the Dark Lord's name. But he had forgotten that these muggles knew very little concerning the wizarding world.

"Hmm. Sounds to me as if this school isn't as well protected as it should be." For a moment Harry wondered what the comment meant, but Uncle Vernon said nothing else.

They had just pulled into #4 Privet Drive, and Uncle Vernon ordered Harry to get inside quickly, before he drew the neighbor's attention. Harry did as he was told.

Time passed at a crawl for Harry that summer. It seemed as if his birthday would never come. The Dursley's in their normal fashion acted as if Harry was not even present in their house for the most part, which did not phase Harry in the least. He knew he would never have to see them again after his birthday, and it was a comforting thought. But then again, it was also terrifying. Even though the Dursley's had never showed him an ounce of compassion, or even a smidge of fondness, they had always been a part of his life. Now the uncertainties of his own future weighed heavily upon his mind.

It had taken him hours of arguing with Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia to convince them that they must leave their home the night before his birthday, but finally his blunt assurances that if they stayed, they most assuredly would be killed for their stubbornness, finally convinced them to take Dudley and leave.

Harry watched the clock impatiently for any sign of Dumbledore, and was slightly surprised when the old wizard apparated in the Dursley's living room at precisely 11:30pm. "Professor. You gave me a fright."

"Sorry, Harry. I didn't think it a good idea to use the front door. There are bound to be Death Eaters watching, waiting for midnight, when my enchantment disappears." Dumbledore explained.

"I understand. Umm. Where are we going, Professor?" Harry asked hesitantly.

"Harry, I know you will not be pleased with this, but the safest place for you is Grimmauld Place." Dumbledore said calmly. Harry had known that it was a possibility, but still it was hard to hide his look of disappointment. "Now, Harry. It won't be so bad. The Order has started using the Black mansion again. You will not be alone."

Harry knew the next couple of months would be hard on him. He knew everywhere he looked in the Black mansion would remind him of Sirius and the fact that they had, had so little time together, but even in that short time period they had forged a strong connection. Sirius had been the fatherly figure that he had longed to have his entire life, but just as his own parents had been taken from him so had his Godfather. He wasn't sure if he was ready to confront those feelings of loss again.

"Harry, you are a man now. You have faced horrors that most people your age could never imagine. But there is one thing you have been so far unwilling to face." Harry was surprised by Dumbledore's words. What could Dumbledore be referring to? Hadn't he faced Voldemort on several occasions? Hadn't he prevailed during the Tri-Wizard Tournament, when all the odds were against him? Hadn't he risked everything time and again to protect others? He began to open his mouth to deny the words, but Dumbledore interrupted him. "Harry, you must face the pain that is in your heart. You will never be whole until you do."

Harry felt as if he had been drenched in ice-cold water. Was the pain he felt so obvious to others? He had thought he was doing a fairly decent job of hiding it, but here was Dumbledore telling him to face that pain. "Professor, I…." But he knew not what to say.

"It will eat you alive from inside, Harry. I told you that the one thing you possessed that Voldemort never could, the one thing that made you stronger than him was your capacity for love. The pain in your heart is killing that, Harry. If you continue on the road you are upon now, you will steadily become more and more bitter, until your one advantage is gone." Dumbledore warned him. Harry opened his mouth again, unable to force a sound from it. "Don't speak now. Think about it. You will understand."

With that Dumbledore laid one hand upon Harry's arm and Harry began to feel that queasy feeling he associated with disapparating. With a loud pop they apparated directly in front of #12 Grimmauld Place, and Dumbledore went about slipping them through all of the defensive wards that had been placed on the Headquarters of the Order of the Pheonix.

As they stepped through the open front door, the hall clock struck midnight, and Harry officially became an adult. The next moment he heard several calls of "Happy Birthday, Harry." There waiting for him were most of the members of the Orders inner circle, along with Ron, Hermione and Ginny. Dumbledore's words forgotten for the moment he received hugs from Hermione, Ginny and Molly Weasley, and several handshakes, and congratulations from Ron, Remus Lupin, Arthur Weasley, and Mad-eye Moody.

"Dumbledore didn't say you were here." Harry said after he had gotten away from the adults and was speaking to Ron and Hermione alone.

"We wouldn't have missed it for the world, Harry." Ron said as the three of them sat in the family room together.

"I'm glad you're here." Harry said smiling for the first time in months. "Where'd Ginny go?" He added looking around and seeing that she hadn't followed them.

Ron looked down frowning slightly. "She's upstairs with Bill. She's been watching over him like a mother hen ever since it happened. She always was closer to him than any of the rest of us."

"I'm worried about her." Hermione said. "I heard her arguing with your Mum yesterday. She says she's not going back to school this year. She's staying with Bill."

"What." Harry was shocked to hear that Ginny might not go back to Hogwarts. "What does Bill think about all of this?"

"He doesn't know. Mum doesn't want to upset him, and he likes having Ginny around. He's still not adapting well to what's going on. Sometimes I don't think he even knows who he is." Ron admitted sighing loudly. "But anyway, lets not talk about that now. It's your birthday, Harry. This is supposed to be a party." Ron said standing and retrieving a present from the mantel over the fireplace. "Here. It's from both of us."

Harry opened the package, and found a leather bound photo album. When he opened the first page he saw a picture of the three of them standing in the Main Hall at Hogwarts. It was from their first year at Hogwarts and it was hard for Harry to believe that they had ever looked that young and naïve. As he flipped through the pages he saw pictures of all of his friends from both the Order and Hogwarts. "How did you get all these pictures?"

"Well a lot of the ones from Hogwarts were taken by Colin Creevey, and some were from the school annuals. I asked him to send them to me, and Ron's mom took the pictures of the Order for us." Hermione answered.

Harry couldn't stop the smile that crossed his lips as he saw a picture of Ron coughing up slugs, after a spell he was trying to cast on Draco Malfoy backfired on him, because of a broken wand. "Mione. I told you not to put that one in." Ron said seeing the horrible picture.

"Sorry. I guess I didn't hear you." Hermione said winking at Harry.

"These are great, you two. I've been meaning to get some pictures of us, but I didn't think the Dursley's would let me keep…" But Harry's words faded as he turned to the last page of the Album. It was a picture of he and Sirius. Harry was laughing so hard in the picture that he had started coughing. Sirius was slapping him on the back, and had a rare smile on his own face. Harry remembered the day the picture had been taken. Lupin had just told Harry of one of the many pranks Sirius and his father had played while attending Hogwarts. Harry had forgotten that Tonks had been snapping pictures that day. Harry sat watching himself. He had been so happy that day. The pressures of the world seemed a million miles away.

"Harry, are you okay?" Hermione asked sliding a little closer to Harry on the overstuffed couch. "We thought you'd like a picture of Sirius."

"I told you we shouldn't put that in there." Ron said sitting down on the other side of Harry.

"It's okay." Harry said, his voice sounding rough to his own ears. "Thanks, for the album. I like it." He said closing the album and standing. "You know. I'm sort of tired. I think I'll go to bed now." He didn't wait for them to say anything else as he left the room, and started up the stairs.

Remus Lupin had just stepped out of the kitchen and saw Harry heading up. "Harry."

"I'm tired, Remus. I'll talk to you tomorrow." Harry said hastily as he picked up his speed on the steps.

He slammed the door to the room he would share with Ron. His trunk was already there and he immediately opened the lid gingerly placing the album inside, and then closed the trunk, knowing he would not be able to look at the album again. Then he lay down on the bed staring up at the ceiling.

He wouldn't let the tears fall again. It had been over a year since he had cried for Sirius, but it had been easier to forget while staying at Hogwarts. But here in Sirius' home, with the memories surrounding him, it was impossible to forget what he had lost. He could feel the tears threatening, but refused to let them go. "I won't do this again." He said bitterly, letting his anger flow instead.

He thought instead about the ones he blamed for Sirius' death. The face of Bellatrix Lestrange floated in his vision first. She had killed Sirius, her own blood. But to her that had meant nothing. And then there was Severus Snape. Snape who was supposed to be one of them; one of the Order. He had goaded Sirius every time they saw each other, going as far as to imply that Sirius was a coward for remaining hidden in this house. Voldemort, who had tricked Harry into going to the Ministry of Magic that night, using Sirius as bait. But most of all Harry blamed himself for not seeing through Voldemort's tricks. Sirius had come to save him, and he had died in doing so.

Harry stood up feeling his anger boiling to the surface again. He paced around the room looking for an outlet for his anger. He saw the photo frame that belonged to Phineas Nigellus. Phineas Nigellus was Sirius' great, great, grandfather, and had also once been a headmaster at Hogwarts. He wasn't in the picture frame at the moment though. He was bound to be sleeping in the frame that was in Dumbledore's office. But even he was not left out of Harry's anger. He remembered the times that the portrait had called Sirius a good for nothing. Before he realized what he was doing Harry balled his fist and punched the glass frame, shattering it into a million pieces. The pain in his hand was enough to cool Harry's temper immediately. He grasped his aching hand as he plopped back on his bed. He could see the blood slipping through his fingers and landing on the carpet. He grabbed a sheet from the bed and wrapped the hand quickly then chided himself. "Would serve me right if I bled to death."

At that moment the door swung open, and Ron entered with a wide-eyed expression on his face. "What the bloody hell was that?"

Author's Note: I know, I know. Evil cliffie. I'll probably post the next chapter right after this so I don't get too many death threats.