Disclaimer- The brilliant idea for a boy wizard who has to defeat the most powerful, evil wizard in the world is, alas, not mine. It had to fall into J.K. Rowling's mind….

Author's note- Yeah, I know I haven't updated this in ages. HBP distracted me. Anyway, thanks to all reviewers! (You know, all, what, five of you?) Anyway, thank you for reviewing, it is always appreciated. Hopefully this chapter goes well; the story should be completed within the next couple of chapters. Oh, and from here on out there will be some minor book six spoilers, so beware if you haven't read it yet. Of course, this meaning no offence, but if you haven't then let's just say that that's a little odd and I feel sorry for you. Cheers!

This chapter dedicated to MariaCarmen for spurring me to finally write it. I know it's a little short, but it's here, so thank you.

Summer '96

Chapter 10

"My mum is going to kill me," Harry heard Ron mutter almost inaudibly. Lupin still hadn't said a word so far; he simply gazed at them in expectant fury as if silently demanding an explanation.

Harry was the first to move. He edged forward slowly to face his former Professor, a nervous fear knotting in his stomach. He remembered the first and only time Lupin had ever been angry with him. Somehow, he thought, this would probably outstrip that.

Lupin looked over at the others, wordlessly beckoning them to follow. Ginny moved to stand firmly at Harry's side, as did Ron and Hermione, with accompanying nods of reassurance. Harry did not know where to begin … 'Hello,' perhaps or, 'I'm sorry?' He was spared the agony of this, however, as Lupin finally broke his silence.

"You forgot to write, Harry," he said coldly, answering the unasked question of why he was there. Harry felt his stomach drop as he realized what Lupin was referring to. For the past few weeks of summer, he'd been writing to the Order every three days or so as Moody had instructed that day at King's Cross. In all the plotting and planning for their recent excursion, however, he'd cleanly forgotten to write a letter that should have been sent a couple of days ago.

Lupin stood and paced slowly back and forth, finally stopping to face them as he began to speak once more.

"I can't say that your aunt and uncle were too pleased when I was sent to your home to see what the problem was," he said. "Apparently I should have known that you were out 'doing something useful for society.'" Harry winced as Lupin shot him a venomous glare. "By the time they practically threw me from the house, I was in utter panic. Conditions have been getting worse everyday, Dumbledore is out on a mission, and I had no idea where you were. But then, of course," he said, shifting his gaze from Harry to Ron and Hermione, both of whom seeming to melt under his stare, "I remembered that Molly had mentioned you two going to visit Fred and George for a few days.

"I've spent quite enough time around antics like those of your brothers, Ron, to know when something is up. From the minute they saw me enter their shop they knew that I had found out, and they didn't deny it when I asked them."

Ron gulped. Ginny, however, stood with a strange look of defiance on her face, as though challenging Lupin's words. She burned with a radiant sort of fury. Harry thought she looked beautiful.

"What were you thinking?" asked Lupin, interrupting this brief but blissful escape from the reality of the situation. "You could have been caught, even killed! What's more, just about everyone in the Order has been called off of their regular duties for the task of bringing you all back! And with the recent murders-."

"Murders?" said Harry, unable to contain himself as his face suddenly paled.

Lupin must have sensed his panic because he dropped his furious tone ever so slightly as he explained, "Your families are all fine. A-Amelia Bones from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement was killed, presumably by Voldemort himself, and Emmeline Vance was captured and murdered by a group of Death Eaters just around the corner from the Prime Minister's office."

Harry glanced over at the others. Hermione's eyes were brimming with tears. Ginny had both hands pressed to her mouth. Ron's freckles seem to have vanished in the paleness of his complexion.

"What you four did was unbelievably selfish-."

"Selfish?" Harry was startled to see Hermione as she addressed Lupin, fiercely wiping the tears from her eyes. "Of course it was selfish. But then, we've spent the last five years of our lives being anything but selfish, haven't we? You say we could have died, but we could have died in the Ministry. Harry could have been killed the night Voldemort returned, the time he defended us against a hundred dementors, or slayed the Basilisk, or retrieved the Sorcerer's Stone."

"I understand that you've all been through a lot," Lupin began, becoming, if possible, even more frustrated, "but to leave like that in the middle of a war was just reckless."

"So it's okay to be reckless when we're saving everyone else, but not when we're doing something for ourselves, saving ourselves?" asked Ron quietly. "Is that all we are, all Harry is; 'the Chosen One,' savior of the wizarding world?"

"Of course not," spat Lupin, "that's not what I'm saying. We all care for you. Do you think we automatically expect you to keep saving the day? We've tried to keep you out of these matters, but you never listen. I want you to be happy, but now is not the right time to be making trips half-way across the world without telling anyone but the two lunatics that helped you."

Ron surveyed him for a moment, seemingly deciding on how exactly to word his thoughts. Then, evidently reaching a decision, he began slowly, "Listen, the end of this year at Hogwarts was completely and utterly screwed up. Sirius died, Harry has had to deal with this damn prophecy, and the marks left by a slimy brain's tentacles of thought don't readily fade very quickly. Basically, we were all pretty scared. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering, which inevitably leads to the Dark Side. So, you see, we had to take this vacation-."

"Erm, Ron," Harry muttered, nudging his best friend, "this is kinda serious, maybe you shouldn't be quoting 'Star Wars' just now."

"Oh, er, right," said Ron as he spotted Lupin's still infuriated, and now a little confused, expression.

"Whatever," said Lupin in exasperation, "we can't talk about this now; I've got to get you all home. Hermione, we can take you to your parents' house, and Harry, you'll be staying at the Burrow for the remainder of the summer."

"Er," began Ron awkwardly, "I-Is my Mum, I mean, does she-."

"Know?" Lupin supplied. "Yeah, she knows. I convinced her to stay at home while we came to get you. I imagine she's ripping Fred and George limb from limb right about now."

Harry wasn't sure, but he thought he could see Ron shudder slightly before Ginny asked, "How are we going?"

"There's a guard waiting out front. Since none of you has passed your Apparition tests yet, you will have to be assisted as we apparate back into the country."

Even through the disappointment weighing on him from Lupin's words, Harry found himself vaguely excited. They would be apparating…. He could tell that Hermione was having a hard time containing her curiosity as well, though Lupin seemed to have noticed nothing. His eyes betrayed his weariness, which was only to be highlighted by the streaks of grey in his light brown hair and the lines etched into his young face.

Harry was suddenly seized by a spasm of guilt. While he did believe that their trip was certainly justified in a way, he also remembered Lupin's expression in the Department of Mysteries in the moments following Sirius' death. It was a look of such despair and loss. He, Harry, had caused him to worry, to even fear for his life. He needed to say something.

"Lupin, I-."

"Don't, Harry, not now," Lupin interrupted with a sigh. "Just get your stuff together; I'll wait by the door."