A/N- Things in this story are really starting to move now. More of the differences from that one little choice of Ginny's will start to come to light. I would love to hear from you who read this story, either by PM or by review, and to know your thoughts on it. This has definitely been a difficult, though delightful, task to undertake. I want to thank you in advance for taking some of your time to read it.
Disclaimer- J.K. Rowling/Warner Bros. own all things Potter. This story is in no way intended as an infringement of that copyright.
Chapter 4
Harry knew he was dreaming. He knew it on a fundamental level. Yet he couldn't make himself wake up. It was the strangest of dreams. He knew that he wasn't lying in his bed. In his dream he was at Hogwarts. He was flying through the school but there was no one inside it. The halls were empty. Looking at his surroundings, Harry realized that the appearance of the school matched they way it looked in his fourth year.
As he moved within the dream and outside of the castle, Harry could clearly see the great ship from Durmstrang. He remembered that the ship. It had carried their selected delegation. One of whom would compete in the Tri-Wizard tournament. The vessel sat calmly on the still, black waters of the lake. There were barely any ripples from the ship as it bobbed gently on the waves.
The stately Beauxbatons Carriage sat regally parked within site of Hagrid's home. The twelve great winged palominos were eating calmly in a paddock that had been made for them. Every now and then one of the elephant sized horses would lift it's head regally and give its wings a flap or two and then return nonchalantly to it's dinner. Harry even heard the roar of a crowd from over by the Quidditch pitch.
The Quidditch Pitch, Harry thought, site of the third task in the tri wizard cup. In the way of dreams it only took a moment for Harry to fly over the grounds towards the pitch. Harry immediately recognized in the middle of the pitch the hedgerow maze that had been the site of the third and final task of the Tri-Wizard-Tournament. Harry passed over the crowd that was roaring loudly as the four contestants entered the maze.
It was with a great feeling of dread that Harry entered that maze again. This time he easily breezed through the hedges. He blew past the obstacles all the way to the very center of the maze in less than a second, and then he was there.
Harry watched the surreal scene as it happened before him. He watched himself as he and Cedric came rushing together into the center of the maze in a race for the cup. As one they both reached out and touched the cup where it sat. With a flash of bright blue light and a sudden jerk he was moving through space and time. Harry knew where they were going. He was filled with a sense of dread as they appeared suddenly in the graveyard of Little Hangleton. Harry knew what was coming next.
"CEDRIC RUN!" Harry screamed, though he knew it would do no good, "RUN AWAY CEDRIC, PLEASE YOU HAVE TO RUN NOW!"
Harry was there in his dream watching over himself and Cedric as they stood up from where they had landed in the graveyard. Harry felt a great agony at knowing that Cedric's death was fast approaching and there was nothing that could be done about it. He watched in horror as his younger self discussed with Cedric the wisdom of having their wands at the ready.
When Wormtail appeared, Harry knew that it was getting close. He watched again helplessly as the traitorous man entered the graveyard carrying what Harry now knew to be what was then all that had been left of Lord Voldemort. All that was left before...
It was no use. The voice came out of the darkness, that voice he could recognize above almost any other. And then he heard that voice speaking in a high pitched rasp like a snake's hiss that belonged to him. It gave the order that ended Cedric's life
"Kill the spare!" it had said viciously.
"CEDRIC NO!" Harry screamed as the blast of green light hit Cedric square in his chest. Cedric Diggory was dead at Harry's feet. Even in his dreams Harry felt all over again the devastation at seeing Cedric killed a second time.
"Cedric I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," Harry sobbed in his dream. His chest constricted and his breathing hitched.
He watched as Harry was forcibly taken to the large headstone that belonged to Tom Riddle, Voldemort's muggle father. He watched this time and remembered as the ropes bound him in place, holding him tightly. Wormtail was efficient as he worked making sure first that Harry was bound and then turning towards that thing in the bundle of cloth.
"NO, DON'T DO IT!" Harry screamed, "They trusted you. You turned your back on them! How could you!"
Harry's knew that his words fell on deaf ears. There was no way Pettigrew could hear him. He was dreaming and he was fully aware of that. The fact that he was dreaming still did not dampen the pain he felt when he watched Cedric die or the agony of watching Lord Voldemort reappear out of the fire where Wormtail had cast the components to work the spell that restored his body to him.
The Death Eaters poured in to stand as one before their newly risen master. They cowered before him as Voldemort chastised them for deserting him and made clear his disappointment in all of them. Harry watched and heard as they begged forgiveness. It made him sick to think of what it really meant when they asked to be allowed to serve him and make amends for their lack of faith in him.
Harry watched himself do battle against that newly risen Voldemort. He watched as the Death Eaters surrounded them and were ordered to let Harry and Voldemort fight alone.
He remembered again as he dreamed the horrific pain as Voldemort cast the Cruciatus curse at him in that graveyard. Harry relived the raw emotion of seeing his dead parents as they reappeared in front of him. He heard their words in his dreams and saw the look of first disbelief and then hope on his own face in those final, frantic moments. He watched and remembered as his parents, as well as Bertha Jorkins, Cedric , and an old muggle helped him to get away from Voldemort, touch the Tri-Wizard-Cup, and return with it and Cedric's lifeless body back to the school.
Harry returned to the scene in front of the maze and watched as he and Cedric suddenly appeared. He felt as much as he remembered the sensation of slamming into the ground with Cedric at his side. Then things started to change. What played out in front of him this time felt different.
When Harry looked up from the sight of he and Cedric lying prostrate on the ground he found himself not surrounded by a cheering crowd of onlookers, but being watched by a person who was sitting just outside of his line of sight.
It turned out that the person who was there waiting for Harry in his dreams was none other than Professor Dumbledore. "Hello Harry, we meet again."
"Professor Dumbledore?" Harry asked, completely flabbergasted at what had just happened, "Where are we?"
The bright blue eyes beneath the half moon spectacles regarded Harry with equal parts joy and wonder. Harry got the impression, as he often did, that those eyes could see right through him.
"I was rather hoping you could tell me," Dumbledore replied simply.
"I don't know sir. I think I'm dreaming, or at least I was. I was in that graveyard again where Cedric died. I saw Voldemort being reborn. When I took the Portkey with Cedric back, I ended up here," Harry explained.
"I see," said Dumbledore still looking at Harry, "and why do you think that is?"
"I'm afraid I don't know, sir."
Dumbledore stood up. He was wearing the same robes he was in as when Harry last saw him, but his features were a little changed. They were as strong as Harry remembered when he had first seen him on that Chocolate Frog card so long ago. Gone were the effects of the potion he drank that night in the seaside cave. Gone too were any effects of the Horcrux on his right hand, which now looked as normal as ever it was.
Dumbledore raised his hand and smiled. "Yes, I am whole again. Or as whole as one can be when one dies at my age,"
"So you're not really here? I really am dreaming all this?" Harry asked fearfully.
"You are dreaming, yes. But why should that mean that I'm not here?"
Harry stared at Dumbledore dumbfounded. Seeming to sense Harry's confusion, Dumbledore went on; "Harry, there is an untapped magic that is often present when we dream. Our souls are free to wander to places past and present where our bodies may not often go. We see things, events, even people who are or who were dear to us in our dreams. Sometimes they speak to us and if we are wise and pay attention, we might learn something. Often times that something can be a thing of great importance. So it behooves us to pay attention and to remember."
"Is that why you're here now?" Harry asked, "Sir?"
"Very astute, Harry. Well done. Yes, that is, in the main, why I am here," Dumbledore confirmed.
"I'm sorry you died, sir," Harry admitted.
Looking at Harry kindly, Dumbledore said, "Harry, there is nothing to fear in death. To the wise and educated mind, death is nothing but the next great adventure."
"Am I...you know...dead?" Harry couldn't help but wonder.
"Dear me, no. This is, as I say, only a dream, and from what I understand a rather educational one for you," Dumbledore said. Then, Dumbledore looked at something that was over Harry's shoulder.
The graveyard Harry had so recently left was no longer there. In it's place now was the scene that had occurred just the night before. It was when Ginny and Ron were bickering and she had shouted out her love for Harry and then ran crying upstairs.
"Ah young love," Dumbledore sighed, "How would it be to be young again? To have so much to look forward to?"
"Sir?" Harry was confused.
"Forgive me, Harry. I am reminiscing on the past. You see, love, in all it's forms, never ceases to amaze me. This is another wonderful example of that," Dumbledore explained with a twinkle in his eye.
"How so, sir?" Harry wondered.
"You are familiar already with the love your parents had for you that night they died. You know that your mother, by sacrificing herself for you, gave you a protection that served you and protected you for a long time, even still to this day," Nodding his head towards Harry, Ron, Ginny, and Hermione as they silently talked in the drawing room just before they went to bed, Dumbledore went on, "Your friends love you, Harry. They too are willing to sacrifice their lives to help you to complete those tasks ahead of you. This is something that they have proven to you again and again. Even Miss Weasley, who has so recently demonstrated the true depth of her love for you, has shown her willingness to sacrifice herself, for you."
Harry was dumbfounded again. He had never really stopped to think about any of this before, yet he knew as soon as Dumbledore's words reached his ears that they were true.
Harry looked at Dumbledore and nodded his head. Dumbledore smiled sadly at Harry now and he gestured towards Ginny, who Harry saw was sitting curled in his arms.
"You do her a great disservice by not confiding in her. In not trusting her. She has risked her life to join you. She has a right to know what it is that she is facing by doing so."
"But sir, you said that I could only tell Ron and Hermione," Harry replied.
"I did indeed, Harry. But like anyone else, I am human. I am an old man and as such I am as equally prone to making mistakes. I would even go so far as to say that being smarter and wiser than a goodly number of men, my mistakes are often correspondingly greater. No matter how much I might try to avoid them.
Also I rather think that Miss Weasley, no matter how much you might want to protect her from harm, has earned the right to know what it is you are doing and why it is so greatly important. She may very well have something of value to contribute. I see no reason, none at all, as to why you should not be able to trust her. I think she has proven herself worthy to bear the load, don't you?"
"Yes, sir. I guess I do."
"Then carry on, Harry. And good luck. If all goes well, maybe we shall see each other again," Dumbledore said with his eyes smiling behind those half moon spectacles and he dissolved away. To Harry it felt like he was losing Professor Dumbledore all over again.
Harry blinked his eyes in his dream and felt tears welling up in them. The scene now changed again before him. Gone were the maze and the Quidditch Pitch. What replaced it now was the Hospital Wing of Hogwarts.
Harry recognized the time he was dreaming about too. It was just after he and Sirius had come up to the Hospital wing. He had recounted the events of the graveyard to Dumbledore. Sirius had accompanied him up to the Hospital Wing so Harry could get some rest after the horrific events that he'd a part of. Present in the Hospital Wing were Ron, Hermione, Madam Pomphrey, and Mrs. Weasley who were loudly demanding to see Harry.
Harry observed as Sirius, himself and Professor Dumbledore approached the doors to the Hospital Wing and his younger, injured self was ushered inside. He was able to also observe the sleeping potion as it was given to him and then watch as his friends sat down around him, to watch over him as he slept.
Harry could not help but be touched by this gesture of loyalty and friendship. He was reminded as he watched them of Dumbledore's recent words when he was talking about faith, love, and loyalty. They were demonstrating those very things in that moment.
When, Fudge demanded to see Harry he saw his friends rise to his defense. And after the commotion had ended and Dumbledore and Fudge had their parting of the ways, Harry observed Dumbledore from his dreams as he started making plans and giving orders; to Remus, to Sirius, Professor McGonagall and even to Mrs. Weasley. He felt the pain of loss even as he watched Sirius as he turned to leave.
"Sirius, no. Don't go," Harry said, his voice cracking. Harry felt again all of the emotions he'd buried in watching Cedric and Professor Dumbledore die. At seeing his parents again, however briefly. In his dreams Harry let the tears fall freely while he mourned those who died and felt the enduring love of his friends.
He could only watch as everyone left the hospital wing. A sense of foreboding as well as an overwhelming sense of guilt which, when coupled with all of the unresolved emotions of that day and everything that had happened since, Harry was overcame in that moment. He started crying even harder while those emotions were being released.
Harry cried out their names as each one of their faces passed before his eyes; "Sirius! Cedric! Professor Moody! Professor Dumbledore. No, please, don't go!"
Harry knew and understood what Dumbledore said about death being an adventure, but that didn't soften his pain. It didn't lessen his guilt. He felt that none of them should have had to die. Every one of them had died trying to help him.
Great racking sobs overtook Harry. He felt again the arms of Mrs. Weasley as they wrapped around him. He felt her arms pulling him into her chest and hugging him, crooning to him, stroking his hair and softly talking to him, as they had started to do that night when Cedric died. He continued to cry out his shame and hurt until, with a great start, he realized that the interruption came before he could really break down. Harry awoke quickly.
"Oh!" Harry said, sitting up suddenly.
That was when he realized that it wasn't Mrs. Weasley who had been holding him and comforting him, it was Ginny. Her eyes were as wet as his. Harry looked away to rub his eyes when he noticed in the dimly lit room that Hermione and Ron were also awake, and that Hermione's eyes too, had tears in them.
"Oh, Harry...," Hermione said as she reached out for him and enveloped him in a great hug. When she let go, Ginny took Harry back into her arms and held onto him again tightly.
Harry felt greatly embarrassed. Ron was watching him, his eyes grave with concern. His face was white in stark contrast with the darkened room giving him a bit of a ghostly glow.
"You gave us quite a scare there, mate. You alright?"
Harry nodded, "I guess I was dreaming,"
"You were talking in your sleep," Ginny said quietly.
Harry understood. They probably heard a lot of things that would have made them very nervous. He was still shaken up about it, himself. Seeing as how everyone was already awake, Harry, from the comfort of Ginny's arms, recounted his dreams. He watched their faces as he told them about the graveyard scene, about seeing Professor Dumbledore again, and about his conversation with him.
Through it all, they nodded and commented like they had heard it all before. He realized that they probably had. Or at least heard most of it. He knew he probably said a lot of things in his sleep. He was only tying together the loose ends
"I can't believe you talked to Professor Dumbledore," Ron said in awe.
Harry, unsure of what to say, only nodded his head slowly. It had been a very enlightening dream, of that he was sure.
Sitting up he gently freed himself from Ginny's arms. He turned a little and taking her hands in his, he looked at Ron and Hermione first then back at her.
"He said I should trust you. Professor Dumbledore said that in his opinion, that you, through your sacrifice in joining us, have proven yourself worthy of helping with the tasks ahead."
Harry looked back at his two closest friends. Hermione nodded her agreement. Ron did as well adding sagely, "I don't like it. She's underage, still got the trace on her and not to mention that she is my sister. This is your show, mate. I'll go with whatever you decide."
Even though it was quite late already, since everyone was already very wide awake, Harry slowly, patiently, and in excruciating detail, told Ginny everything. He explained to her about the Prophecy and why the Death Eaters had been sent out after it. He went on to explain it's importance and how it was that prophecy that had given Voldemort cause to mark Harry and come after him when he was a baby.
Ginny nodded her head in understanding. This was something that she knew a little bit about having been a part of the events that occurred in the Department of Mysteries. This part at least was no surprise to her. Harry went on to tell her about his scar and the significance it carried as far as his ties to Voldemort.
Lastly came the subject of the Horcruxes. Harry explained, with the help of Hermione, what a Horcrux was and the purpose behind making them. He went into detail about his lessons with Dumbledore and how they were about discovering his Horcruxes and they were responsible for his coming back after that night in Godric's Hollow when Harry was just a year old.
It was the mention of the Horcruxes, particularly Riddle's diary that most seemed to get Ginny's attention.
"So that damned diary was a Horcrux?" Ginny was aghast.
"Yes," Harry confirmed.
"And he was using it, and me, to regain his body?"
"Yes, that's what Professor Dumbledore believed. I can't see where he would have been wrong," Harry confirmed again.
Ginny was quiet for a moment and looked almost sick to her stomach. Harry could see the anger in her eyes. He couldn't blame her for feeling about them the way that she did. When Ginny spoke next, it was with great conviction.
"That's why you're not any of you going back to school, isn't it? It's because you're hunting Horcruxes?"
"Yes, that's correct. The other thing that it's important that you understand is that this will be very, very dangerous. You and I were both nearly killed by the one in the diary. Another one nearly killed Professor Dumbledore when he destroyed it. It had a curse of some kind on it. That's why his hand was black and useless all last year."
"And what about that night he died?" Ginny asked, "What happened then?"
Harry sighed heavily. He withdrew the pouch Hagrid had given him from around his neck and took from inside of it the locket that was a fake Horcrux. He opened it up and handed it to her, along with the note that had been inside it.
"It turns out that the one he and I were searching for was gone long before we got there. Whoever took it left this in it's place,"
Ginny took the proffered locket and note. She looked carefully at the locket with an expression of great distaste. Like she was holding something repulsive and offensive. However her expression turned to one of questioning concern when she read the note.
"Who is R.A.B.?" she asked.
"We have no idea," Ron answered her.
"Which also brings up the question," Hermione added, "Was this R.A.B. person successful in their task? Did they destroy the real Horcrux? These are things we need to find out,"
Harry nodded his agreement. He was looking at Ginny earnestly, like he was willing her to understand the monumental enormity of the task they had undertaken.
For all of the explaining of everything and then discussing the questions, concerns, and now the newer issues of Ginny's inclusion into the group and the problems that came with that took some time. When the group decided to take a break for a little while, Harry, Hermione, and Ron moved into the kitchen. Ginny had to use the loo.
She was only gone for a few minutes. Then, with an air of sudden excitement and discovery, Ginny could be heard calling out from the floor above; "Hey! Come here, quickly, have a look at this!"
Almost as one the other three shoved away from the old wooden table, shot out of the kitchen and went running up the stairs.
When they came upon Ginny, she was standing in front of one of the bedroom doors. This particular door had a name plate on it that said Regulus.
"Look!" Ginny said when they joined her. She was pointing to the little name plate on the door. It was written in a fancy golden script on black metal. Harry saw right away what Ginny was pointing at but it was Hermione who made the connection out loud.
"R.A.B.," she breathed.
"Could it really be him?" Ron asked doubtfully.
"I don't know why not," Harry said thinking the matter through, "It's no secret that the Blacks were into dark magic, remember all that stuff we cleaned out of here?"
"But was any of the Blacks a Death Eater?" Ron asked.
"Sirius told me that his brother was. This must be him..."
Hermione said the name thoughtfully, "Regulus Black...hmm..."
"Well, let's not just stand here, go on," Harry nudged.
Hermione tried the door only to find it was locked. She took out her wand and touched it to the door knob. The lock clicked and the door opened slowly.
"What happened to Sirius' brother anyway?" Ron asked.
"He got cold feet. He tried to leave the Death Eaters and they killed him for it," Harry replied thoughtfully.
Could this be it? He thought. Could it be this easy? They entered the room ready to find out. The room was clearly a bedroom of a devoted Slytherin. The walls were covered in Slytherin Emerald and Silver. The bed and windows were draped with it. The Black Family Crest of "Toujours Pur" was neatly and carefully marked over the bed.
"Wow," Ron said, "He really had a lot of pride in his House, didn't he?"
Harry and Ginny were nodding slowly as they looked around the room.
"What's this?" Hermione asked. She had found a jumbled stack of newspaper clippings from the Daily Prophet, "They're all about Voldemort."
"That fits, doesn't it?" Ginny asked looking at the others in the room.
"It does," Harry said feeling even more confident that maybe they had stumbled upon R.A.B. after all.
"Harry," Ron asked, "Is it me, or was Regulus a regular slob? Look at this mess!"
Struck by Ron's comment, Harry looked around. Ron was right. There were bits of papers, books, and other accumulated things all over the room.
"He wasn't very neat, was he?" Harry agreed.
"Harry," Hermione said, "I don't think this is the mess from someone being untidy, this room looks like it's been searched."
Harry suddenly remembered the tipped over troll leg umbrella stand in the entryway downstairs. The general condition of the drawing room, even the kitchen, had that same general look. There were little bits of clutter everywhere they looked.
"You might be right," Harry replied.
"Who would do such a thing?" Ginny asked, horrified.
"Mundungus would, and he did. I caught him selling some of Sirius' stuff last year," Harry said.
"Do you think it was really him?" Ron wanted to know.
"It might have been I guess but it really could have been anyone, couldn't it? I mean Snape was in the order, wasn't he?" Ginny asked.
Harry's blood ran cold at the thought of Snape coming to this house, Sirius' house, after everything that had happened last year. He still remembered the look on his face when he killed Professor Dumbledore. When he yelled at Harry and admitted to being the Half Blood Prince.
"But the door was locked," Ron said interrupting Harry's thoughts.
"True, but if someone was here searching the room, they could easily have locked it again after they left," Hermione replied back patiently.
"Maybe, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't have a look does it?" Ron asked indicating the room at large.
"It couldn't hurt," Ginny said looking at Harry who only nodded his agreement.
So for the next several minutes the four of them went about the task of searching Regulus' room for the locket as well as for proof that Regulus Black and R.A.B were the same person.
They looked under the bed, in the wardrobe, through the desk, dresser, and the closest. They went through the pockets and cuffs of pants and shirts, checked along shelves and in the sheets, blankets, and mattresses, and all to no avail. They turned up nothing more than more newspaper clippings, Slytherin hangings, and to Harry's great surprise, a team photo showing a Slytherin House Quidditch team.
"Which one is he?" Ginny asked as she looked at the photo.
"That one," Harry said indicating the small, slightly built young man in the center. He bore a strong resemblance to Sirius.
"He was a Seeker," Ron indicated looking over their shoulders.
"Looks like it," Harry agreed.
They finished going through Regulus' bedroom not long after that feeling satisfied that it had been thoroughly searched. There was nothing to find in that room. So it was with grim determination that they moved on to the room across the hall. The one that had belonged to Sirius.
By unspoken agreement it was Harry who opened the door and was the first to enter Sirius' bedroom. It stood out in stark contrast to the rest of the house and immediately all four of the people to walk inside it felt a lot more at home.
Banners of Gryffindor Crimson and Gold were strewn everywhere throughout the room. The Windows were covered with them, the closet, even the bed. It was clear that Sirius was making his affiliation known in the same way that Regulus had in his room.
Where the walls weren't covered in Gryffindor banners, there were pictures of motorcycles and bikini clad muggle women who stared with empty, soul-less eyes off into space. Harry's smile at seeing this and admiration of Sirius' cheek quickly turned into a grin of embarrassment when he was caught by Ginny who was watching him with a raised eyebrow.
"They don't hold a candle to you," Harry told her quickly.
Ginny bit her lower lip and turned away with a half smile on her face. Hermione smiled at the interaction between them and Ron just rolled his eyes but otherwise kept quiet.
One thing that was made immediately clear upon entering the room however was that it had been gone through. There were bits of paper and torn books strewn about everywhere.
"Bloody Hell, what a mess!" Ron exclaimed.
Harry nodded with a sick feeling in his stomach. He had a hunch that they wouldn't find what they were looking for in here. However that didn't mean that he didn't want to look around anyway. This was a chance for him to see a part of Sirius he hadn't known existed. He was curious to see what they would find.
"Harry, take a look at this," Ginny said handing him a picture.
In the photo were four young people about the same age as Harry was now. He immediately recognized them. It was his dad, Sirius, Remus, and Peter Pettigrew.
Sirius stood out clearly. He had that look of coolness and arrogance that Harry had noticed the other times he'd seen a memory of Sirius at this age. He was much younger than Harry had ever seen him and seemed much happier; more carefree.
Remus Lupin had a kind of surprised smile on his face. Like he hadn't expected to be included in the photo and was added late. He too was much younger, more filled out and looked healthier. His manner of dress was shabby and worn. His robes had frayed edges, faded coloring, and even a patch or two.
Peter Pettigrew was looking up at the other three with simpering, adoring eyes. He too looked surprised to be included in the group. He was a full head shorter than the others in the picture and a little heavier. Still his smile was a happy one.
"Is that your dad?" Ginny asked pointing to the final figure in the group. He bore a strong resemblance to Harry right down to his glasses and untidy hair.
"Yes, that's him," Harry confirmed looking closer at the picture. It was nice to see his dad like this. He was happy. There was no hint of any darkness in this picture. The biggest things on his mind were Quidditch, school, and maybe girls. Harry nodded at Ginny and tucked the picture into his pocket.
"He looks a lot like you," Ginny ventured.
"So I've been told," Harry said with a smile. He was happy that he resembled his father. It was one of the few things that his father had ever been able to give him.
Continuing with the search of the room, it was Harry who found another picture. This one was ripped unceremoniously in half. With it there was a letter that had also been torn in half. He looked at the picture first. There was a baby flying around on a toy broomstick. The child zoomed gleefully in and out of the picture and was chased by a pair of legs that followed him around back and forth. Harry smiled, the baby had black hair and a wide grin and was clearly having the time of his life. He wasn't sure who it was in the picture but thought that maybe it might be him.
When he turned and looked at the letter, Harry was shocked and the color drained from his face. It was from his mother! She had written Sirius and the letter confirmed that he was indeed the baby in the picture. It read:
Dear Padfoot,
Thank you, thank you, for Harry's birthday present! It was his favorite by far. One year old and already zooming along on a toy broomstick, he looked so pleased with himself, I'm enclosing a picture so you can see. You know it only rises about two feet off the ground, but he nearly killed the cat and he smashed a horrible vase Petunia sent me for Christmas (no complaints there). Of course, James thought it was so funny, he says he's going to be a great Quidditch player, but we've had to pack away all the ornaments and make sure we don't take our eyes off him when he gets going.
We had a very quiet birthday tea, just us and old Bathilda, who has always been sweet to us and who dotes on Harry. We were so sorry you couldn't come, but the Order's got to come first, and Harry's not old enough to know it's his birthday anyway! James is getting a bit frustrated shut up here, he tries not to show it but I can tell- also, Dumbledore's still got his Invisibility Cloak, so no chance of little excursions. If you could visit, it would cheer him up so much. Wormy was here last weekend, I thought he seemed down, but that was probably the news about the McKinnons; I cried all evening when I heard.
Bathilda drops in most days, she's a fascinating old thing with the most amazing stories about Dumbledore, I'm not sure he'd be pleased if he knew! I don't know how much to believe, actually, because it seems incredible that Dumbledore
And that was the end of the letter. Harry sat there, numb, on Sirius' bed staring at the parchment and photograph in his slightly shaking hands.
His mother had written to Sirius to tell him about his, Harry's, first birthday. This was written not long before they died. Harry felt a cold surge run down his arms and through his fingers as he sat breathing. He swallowed hard and tried casually to wipe his eyes. They had become wet as he read. He thought about the letter and the significance of it. Then Ginny sat down next to him and gently placed her arm around his shoulders.
"Hey, you alright?" She asked quietly. There was concern in her eyes. Ron and Hermione stopped their search to turn and look at him.
"She wrote this," Harry said in a voice barely above a whisper.
"Who did, Harry?"
"My mother. She wrote to Sirius to tell him about my first birthday. Sirius bought me my first broomstick," Harry offered her the picture and the letter.
Ginny carefully took the items and spent a moment looking at the picture. Harry watched her quietly. She gave a tender smile at the picture of the baby zooming in and out of the photograph.
Turning her attention to the letter, she took a moment to read it. He watched her eyes as they moved back and forth across the page. The look of tenderness she had while looking at the picture was magnified while she read. Then as she finished she handed them back to Harry and he could see the affection Ginny carried for him in her eyes.
"May I see?" Hermione asked quietly. Harry nodded and passed the items to her.
She looked first at the picture and then she too read the letter. Like Ginny, Hermione's face became a picture of tenderness as she read, then concern. Ron, who was reading over her shoulder asked, "I wonder what she meant by that bit about Dumbledore?"
"I don't know," Harry answered in a monotone, "But this seems to fit in with what Rita Skeeter is writing about, at least according to your Aunt anyway."
"What do you mean?" Ron inquired.
Harry stood up and began searching the room again. He explained as he was searching about the conversation he'd had with Elphias Doge and Auntie Muriel about Professor Dumbledore. The others stared at him as he spent a little more time than necessary looking under the bed.
"So Dumbledore's sister was a squib?" Ron asked.
"I didn't know he was from Godric's Hollow," Hermione mused, thinking.
"I didn't either," Harry said quietly.
In all the time that they had spent together, during all of their conversations, Dumbledore had never mentioned anything to him about being from Godric's Hollow or having family there. Was it on purpose? Or did Professor Dumbledore just not think it was important enough to mention it? And Dumbledore had known his parents! What about that? He'd had the Invisibility Cloak at the time that his dad had died! Didn't that mean anything?
Finally Harry stood up again. The room had been thoroughly searched now. There was no sign of not only the locket, but the other half of either the letter or the picture. Harry raised these concerns with the others.
"Do you think that whoever searched the house thought that they might be significant?" Ron wondered.
"I don't know," Harry admitted.
"Well this proves one thing anyway..." Hermione said confidently.
"What's that?" Ginny asked.
"That whomever it was that searched this house, it clearly wasn't Mundungus Fletcher. There's no way to make a profit off of either the letter or the picture so they wouldn't have had any worth to him," Hermione finished.
From Sirius' bedroom they expanded their search to the entire house. They dedicated their efforts to look for the locket that matched the one in Harry's pocket. Hermione decided, and Harry agreed, it was unlikely that whoever had ripped the pictures would have left them anywhere within the house.
It was in the room with the Black family tree that it was all but confirmed that Regulus was the person they were looking for. His name, unlike that of his brother Sirius, was still present and prominent on the tree. It seemed like for as anxious as his mother was to obliterate any trace of Sirius from the tree, the branch for Regulus was made to stand out all the more. Hermione gave a smug grin at her suspicions being confirmed.
Harry, who was beginning to get a bit of a headache from all of the thinking, searching, explaining, and lost sleep sighed. Then he felt his stomach rumbling.
"Is anyone hungry?" Harry asked the room at large.
"I reckon I am," Ron affirmed.
"Me too," Ginny sighed.
"I guess we break for something to eat then," Hermione said.
They left the room with the Black family tree and went on into the kitchen. Hermione and Ginny immediately started prowling around the cupboards looking for something to eat. Ron and Harry sat down heavily at the table and sighed. Neither of them wanted to admit defeat.
"You know," Ron said, "I was thinking. Remember when we were all cleaning and making this place livable before fifth year?"
Harry nodded so Ron went on, "Well, remember how every time we threw something away, how that nutter house elf kept trying to steal it all back?"
Hermione turned and looked at Ron reproachfully, "Are you referring to Kreacher, that horribly mistreated house elf?"
"Yeah him," Ron nodded.
"What about him?" Hermione asked glaring at Ron.
"Don't you think it's possible that maybe he grabbed it? That locket, if it was here at all, would have been something that would be sure to catch his eye, don't you think?"
Harry was watching the interaction between Hermione and Ron and was considering what Ron had said. He knew that Hermione was defensive about the elf, but Harry thought that Ron might be on to something.
However before he could say anything, there came a muffled crack, then the sound of the front door opening and closing quickly.
"Hello?" called a familiar voice.
Almost as one the four of them grabbed their wands and headed into the hall from the kitchen. As they were opening the door, Mad-Eye's voice could be heard saying harshly; "Severus Snape?"
They pushed open the kitchen door to see the horrific figure of Professor Dumbledore rising up out of the dust, it's finger raising accusingly.
"It was not we who killed you, Albus." Said a second, equally familiar voice.
Adding to the chaos of the moment, the curtains covering the portrait of Mrs. Black flew open in a great cloud of dust, "Mudbloods! Filth! Stains of dishonor in my house!"
One of the figures took out their wand and gave a casual flick which caused the curtains to close thereby silencing the angry woman in the portrait.
"DON'T MOVE!" Harry ordered.
Two figures stepped into the light where they could more clearly be seen.
"Bill!" Ron and Ginny shouted together starting forward.
"Professor Lupin!" Hermione shrieked in surprise.
Both men carefully raised their hands with their wands inside them. Ron and Ginny started to move forward in a rush but Harry held them back with reflexes born of years of dodging and darting around his abusive cousin, "Hold it!" He told them.
Then to the two figures in the entryway Harry said, "How do we know you are who you appear to be?"
Bill nodded at Harry and said, "At the Tri-Wizard cup, it was my mother, Molly Weasley, and myself who came to represent your family for the third task. You showed us around the grounds and we ate lunch with you. That is where I first met Fleur DeLacour, who just recently became my wife."
Professor Lupin stepped forward and added, "I am Remus John Lupin. I was your Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor in your third year. It was I who taught you Harry how to produce the Patronus charm, and your Patronus takes the form of a stag. And, I am a werewolf, affectionately known as Mooney. Your dad was Prongs, and Sirius, who owned this house before you, was known as Padfoot."
Harry slowly lowered his wand, "Sorry,"
"You had to check, Harry. Quite understandable," Lupin said nodding.
"Which by the way is something you three should have been more quick to think of," Bill added gravely as he nodded towards the others.
Ron and Ginny ran forward to hug their brother. Lupin came forward to shake hands with Harry and Hermione. Then he said gravely; "Maybe we should move this into the kitchen? We have a lot to talk about."