Disclaimer- J.K. Rowling/Warner Bros. own all things Potter. This story is in no way intended as an infringement of that copyright.
A/N- A longer chapter. For those of you wondering when the action will begin, take heart. It's coming and soon.
Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to read this. If you could also take a wee moment to pen a short review- I'd be grateful. Thanks!
Chapter 14
Harry went to bed that night with a lot on his mind. The last couple days had been very turbulent. Being cursed and then talked to by Ginny, Ron, and Hermione didn't stop him from wanting to protect them. However it did give him a much deeper appreciation for their loyalty to him. It also helped him to realize how much help they contributed to what had to be done.
Thinking back on it, Harry was a little saddened now that he hadn't noticed Ginny earlier to let her be involved sooner. She was proving to be an invaluable part of what he'd shared with Ron and Hermione. She was smart, intuitive, and a very capable witch. She didn't like a lot of drama and wasn't afraid to make her opinions known. He resolved to not let that past mistake repeat itself. She was a part of this now too.
After they finished making and then refining their plans for leaving again, the group broke up to go to bed. Harry went to his room while Ginny and Hermione went to theirs. Ron, who was already in his room, was already rolling over to go to sleep as everyone else left.
Lying awake in Sirius' old bedroom, he had his arms clasped behind his head and stared at the ceiling looking at nothing. The thought forefront on his mind was the fact that he was returning to Privet Drive. He had barely said good-bye to that forsaken place and now he was already going back.
What other choice was there really? The Burrow was gone. Grimmauld Place wasn't any good now since Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had moved in. Not that Harry minded, they needed a place to stay and he wasn't about to ask them to leave. Hogwarts was out. Though they could use the tent stored in Hermione's bag but Harry really wasn't keen to do that unless they really had to. He hoped that it wouldn't come to that. Not with autumn approaching quickly and winter right behind it.
The Horcrux and the idea of being so close to destroying another one excited Harry. He was one step closer to ending something that he had been a part of his entire life. It took only a moment for his mind to drift to a topic that he didn't often let himself think about. What would he do when it really was over?
Harry thought about that for a minute. He still wanted to be an Auror. It also stood to reason that there might be Death Eaters that would need to be apprehended after Voldemort was gone too.
But what about after that? His mind turned back to Ginny. It wasn't lost on Harry that she'd gone to a lot of effort not just to join them but to make sure that she stayed with them. They both really liked and cared for each other. Harry fell asleep thinking about those possibilities...
The next morning Harry woke up a little early. His stomach felt a little tight and his nerves seemed to be a little more on edge. It wasn't unlike the way he'd felt right before a Quidditch game. They were leaving tomorrow.
Quickly Harry dressed and went down to breakfast. Dobby looked at Harry as he entered the kitchen and greeted him warmly, "Harry Potter, sir. Good Morning! What would Harry Potter like for his breakfast?"
Looking at the pocket watch Mrs. Weasley had given him for his seventeenth birthday, Harry saw the time. It was just coming on five o'clock. He'd only slept for about four hours.
"It's alright, Dobby," Harry smiled at the diminutive elf, "I'll wait to eat until everyone else is up."
"Does Harry Potter want some tea? Or Pumpkin Juice?"
"Pumpkin Juice would be fine," Harry acquiesced.
Moments later Harry was sitting at the kitchen table in Grimmauld Place with a glass of cold pumpkin juice in his hand. He was sipping it absentmindedly as his mind turned towards the things that he'd hoped to accomplish that day.
They couldn't let Mr. and Mrs. Weasley know what their plans were. If anyone else showed up, like Remus or Bill and Fleur or the twins, they would have to be kept in the dark too. Harry hated leaving everyone behind like this again, but there really wasn't any way around it. Mrs. Weasley's questioning of him after he'd escaped from Hogwarts proved that.
This time when they left they would be sure to be a little better prepared. Which would include making sure that they had some food with them. They would also take what they could of the medicines, clothing, and he was sure that Hermione would want to add some of their recently acquired books to their supplies as well.
At some point today he'd make sure that he had his own things ready. The Marauder's Map would go with him. The fragment of mirror, the Snitch from Dumbledore, the half letter from his mother to Sirius and the accompanying picture, his wand of course, Harry wished suddenly he still had Hedwig and his Firebolt. He was sure that they both might come in very useful, and he really missed his friend.
She had been with him during those long summers when Harry had been cooped up at his Aunt and Uncles. She'd dutifully taken letters and packages back and forth between Harry and his friends while he'd suffered whatever indignities and abuses that had been heaped upon him by the ones he lived with.
Truthfully, Harry had mixed feelings about going back to Number Four, Privet Drive. When he'd left there just a few weeks ago, he had honestly thought that it would be for the last time and he'd been glad of it. That house held very few memories that were pleasant and many, many more that were not.
His mind turned momentarily to his cousin, Aunt, and Uncle. Harry wondered idly how they were doing. Were they getting used to being in the wizarding world after hating it for so long?
The sound of footsteps on the stairs alerted him that he and Dobby were no longer the only ones in the house who were awake. Moments later Hermione came walking into the kitchen. She stopped for a moment when she saw Harry sitting alone at the table.
"You couldn't sleep either?" Hermione asked casually.
"Not very well," Harry admitted reluctantly.
"Me either. Ginny..." Hermione caught herself and stopped with a little shake of her head.
Harry's ears had caught enough however. His head perked up and he looked at Hermione, curiosity burning in his eyes, "Ginny what?"
Looking back at Harry, Hermione tried to stifle a sad smile, "She's...a little excited,"
"What? Why? Doesn't she realize what we're doing will mean?" Harry exclaimed.
"I don't think that's it," Hermione qualified.
"What is it then?"
"She's excited to finally get to see your house. Where you grew up,"
"What?" Harry was taken aback. Clearly this was the last thing that he had expected to hear.
"Don't you get it?" Hermione sat down at the table and smiled at Dobby sweetly as he brought her a glass of pumpkin juice, "Ron, Fred, George, Mr. Weasley, even me, we've all been to your house. She was feeling a little left out,"
"What is there to feel left out about? It's nothing special. Its just a house..."
"Where you grew up. That's where baby Harry was taken by Professor Dumbledore when...well you know. That's where you lived when she first met you and all that too. She's heard about the house enough I'm sure from you, Ron, Fred, George, and I'm sure from others as well. She's curious to see where you were raised." Hermione explained.
Harry thought about this for a minute, "There's nothing much to see,"
Hermione only smiled a little at Harry's statement before she shook her head briefly and moved on to her next thought; "I wanted to talk to you about something else,"
Harry just looked at her expectantly, waiting for her to go on. She sipped at her pumpkin juice before taking doing so.
"The most powerful of the defenses on your old house disappeared when you turned seventeen,"
"I know that. Dumbledore said so himself to my Aunt and Uncle the night when he came to fetch me," He remembered this well.
Harry would never forget that night for many reasons. To his knowledge it was also the first time Dumbledore had set foot near that house since the day Harry had been left there years before.
"But that doesn't mean that it doesn't still have some defenses that are on it," Hermione continued.
"Like what, Hermione?"
"I'm sure that Dumbledore, Mad-Eye, Kingsley, and everyone else in the order would have thrown everything they could at your house just to keep them away...but to answer your question; I think maybe a muggle repelling charm for one. They could have made it unplottable too, given that no Death Eater attacks occurred anywhere near your house..."
"You're forgetting the Dementors that attacked me just before fifth year," Harry interrupted her bluntly.
"No, I'm not. The Dementors were only in the vicinity of your house. They didn't actually come anywhere near it. And it wasn't until you actually used magic that anything happened. Even then you weren't at home,"
"But I was in second year when Dobby tried to keep me from going back to Hogwarts. The Ministry found me easily enough then. They sent me that warning letter..." Harry argued again.
"True, but that doesn't mean that your house wasn't made unplottable. It only means that if it was made unplottable it happened after fifth year. Anyway, that's not my point,"
Harry looked at Hermione and smiled half in affection, half in frustration; "What is your point then?"
"My point is, we need to find some way to increase the protection we have while we're there. Here we have the Fidelius Charm that protects us but once we leave that protection is gone. I think we need to see about setting up the Fidelius Charm at your house on Privet Drive. With only us four and the elves as Secret Keepers,"
There was no argument against that suggestion. The fact that there were Death Eaters who remained camped outside, but who had not yet come storming into the house looking for him was proof enough of that.
"How do we do it? I know Dumbledore asked my parents to use that charm to protect their house when word got out that Voldemort wanted them,"
"I'm not sure, Harry. What I would really like to do is to speak to Professor Lupin, but I'm not sure how I could do that without him tumbling to what we're doing,"
"Is he going to be around?" Harry asked hopefully. He really wanted to see Remus again before they left.
"I don't know," Hermione shrugged, "It would be nice to speak to him though,"
"Speak to whom about what?" Mr. Weasley said opening the kitchen door now.
Harry and Hermione glanced at each other and Harry shrugged, "Professor Lupin,"
Mr. Weasley smiled and nodded an acknowledgement to Dobby who had just set a hot cup of coffee in front of him.
"Remus should be back in a day or two," The man said as he absently stirred his coffee, "The two of you are up early today, what gives?"
"Couldn't sleep," Harry and Hermione said almost as one.
"I understand that, I had difficulties sleeping myself," Mr. Weasley said sadly.
Instantly Harry thought he knew what Ron's dad was referring to. The deaths of two of his sons would have weighed heavily on him. It had to be. But there was little he could do against it. Unlike me, Harry thought.
"So what were you guys wanting to see Remus for anyway?" Mr. Weasley asked as he leaned back in the kitchen chair to relax for a moment.
Thinking fast, Harry had an idea. One that he hoped would work. There couldn't be any harm in trying it anyway; "Well, we were wondering..."
Harry waved his arms at Hermione when her eyebrows shot up and saw her bite her tongue.
"Yes? Wondering what?"
"Well, we all stay here because we're under the protection of the Fidelius Charm, right?"
"Yes, that's true. Only those who are in possession of the secret can gain entry. That's why no Death Eaters have come storming in. Though it doesn't explain why they keep lurking around outside..." Mr. Weasley shook his head.
"And Dumbledore told me once that he encouraged my parents to use the charm to protect them when Voldemort was looking for them," Harry went on.
Mr. Weasley winced at hearing the name, but otherwise kept his eyes on Harry's face and let him finish speaking.
"What is the Fidelius Charm? How does it work? It seems really powerful, is it difficult to perform?" Harry said all of this in a rush.
Mr. Weasley smiled at Harry upon hearing the question. He didn't look suspicious at all. Maybe this might work, Harry thought happily.
"And as your old Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor, you thought you'd ask Remus, is that it?" There was a kind, fatherly quality in Mr. Weasley's smile.
"Yes, we thought he'd know," Hermione added before finishing her pumpkin juice.
Mr. Weasley smiled at her as his hand rubbed absently against the old wooden table. He peered down his long nose at the two young adults in front of him and began answering their questions.
"The Fidelius Charm is a charm that is particularly useful when you want to hide something especially something you want to keep secret that might otherwise be rather easy to find out. It's a fairly difficult charm to perform and the success of it depends mainly on the number of people who are aware of the secret. Essentially the Fidelius Charm hides a secret in the soul of a secret keeper. Only the one with the secret can reveal it, which is why it was Dumbledore who told you the location of this place. He either told you directly, like Molly and I, or he wrote it down in his own hand to be read by another, rather like what he did for you, Harry."
Mr. Weasley was warming to his subject now and seemed to be enjoying himself. As he spoke Harry and Hermione exchanged a knowing glance. This was perfect and it answered their questions. Mr. Weasley went on;
"For example, the charm that is protecting us here is weakened each time the knowledge of this place passes from one person to the next. The reason for that is simple; all it takes is for the wrong person to make mention of the secret and the secret is gone. There are several people who know about the secret that guards us here.."
"Like Snape," Harry interjected angrily.
Mr. Weasley nodded his head in acknowledgment of Harry's statement; "Yes it's true. He does know the secret of this house. For whatever reason, Professor Snape has seen fit to not divulge the secret he carries of the existence of this place to the Death Eaters. If he had, we wouldn't be here. Whether this is deliberate or not is something else. He may not even realize that it's somewhere we would go. Or he may not think it important enough to bring to the attention of You-Know-Who.
For all that it's difficult to perform, it's also neigh impossible to break except by having someone reveal the secret. No curse, charm, hex, spell, or other form of magic can break the charm and for that I am very thankful,"
When Mr. Weasley stopped talking to take a long sip from his cup, Harry turned to smile smugly at Hermione. She returned the smile and then stood up.
"Well, I think I'm going to go freshen up. Everyone will be awake soon," Hermione said.
As she left, Harry saw her deftly grab a couple things from off the trunk on her way out the door. Since Mr. Weasley's back was to her, he had no clue. He just kept sipping at his cup of coffee.
"So, Harry, do you three have anything interesting planned for today?" He asked.
It was later that same day when Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny were gathered together in the attic. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were taking a nap, snoozing contentedly in the sitting room. This is what prompted the afternoon meeting upstairs so far from where they were napping.
The four of them had been doing everything they could to keep Mr. and Mrs. Weasley from finding out their plans. Hermione had spent most of the day with her nose in various books, trying to learn what she could about the Fidelius Charm. When Ron and Ginny were advised of their plans to put the charm on Harry's house, they quickly agreed.
"It's worked for this place, hasn't it?" Ron asked as he looked around.
"It has. We'll have to make sure that no one knows about it but us..." Harry acknowledged.
"What about the elves?" Ginny asked.
"Them too," Hermione added, "They'll have to be brought in on the secret too."
"That's something I don't get, come to think of it," Ron mentioned off hand.
"Only one thing?" Ginny quipped.
Looking daggers at his sister, Ron voiced his concern; "What about Kreacher? Did someone show him the secret? Or was he told and then ordered to keep it?"
"Rather the latter I would think," Hermione answered.
"That means that you'll have to order him to keep your house a secret too," Ron said to Harry glancing fearfully at Hermione.
While she didn't appear to like Ron's statement, Harry was surprised to hear her agree with it, "I think Ron's right. That's the only way to be sure that he won't divulge it to someone he shouldn't,"
"Like Miss Bella or Miss Cissy," Ginny grumbled.
"Or Draco or anyone else that might ask him," Hermione added.
"What about Dobby? He can't say anything to Mum or Dad, they'll go mental!" Ginny looked expectantly at Harry.
"I'll talk to him," he replied with a sigh, "I think he'll be alright with it,"
"That's assuming I can do the spell right," Hermione said doubtfully.
Ron looked at her and said off hand, "You're brilliant. Everyone knows that you're the best in our year. You'll do it right,"
Hermione's cheeks flushed and her eyes turned glassy as she turned her gaze on Ron. Harry turned to Ginny and they shared a smile between them. It was clear that Ron was trying a little harder to get Hermione to notice him. It was nice to see that his efforts were paying off a little.
"That's really nice, Ron. Thank you!" Hermione kissed him quickly on the cheek and they both turned scarlet.
Harry thought it best to intervene now. They would hopefully have more time for this kind of thing later; "So are we ready then?"
It took her a moment to realize Harry had said something to her. Hermione took an extra second to turn back to Harry and remember what it was that he had said.
"Err..well yes. Very nearly anyway. I have all our clothes and most of the other supplies. Harry, your Invisibility Cloak is already packed as well. I want to try to get some more books and some of the potions and other stuff that was sent to us in those boxes that Remus and Bill sent before everything else happened,"
"Why?" Ron asked looking puzzled, "We're going to be staying at Harry's old house, aren't we?"
"Yes Ron, but what if the Fidelius Charm isn't done right? What if something else happens?"
"We won't be coming back here," Harry said blatantly.
Ginny and Ron just looked at him. Hermione just nodded, "We can't. It would be way too dangerous. Harry's right,"
"So, when do we leave?" Ginny asked looking from Harry to Hermione to Harry again.
"Tomorrow morning. We'll leave early. Before anyone else is up," Harry answered.
"You should probably write notes for your parents," Hermione said quietly.
Ginny's face clouded over as she nodded her agreement.
"You don't have to do..." Harry began but Ginny's glare cut him short.
"Yes Harry, I do. We're not going over this again!"
That was enough to cut short Harry's argument. Ginny looked at him for a long minute before turning to leave the attic.
"Where are you going?" Ron asked her as she walked away.
"Downstairs Ron. I have a letter to write,"
"Not your brightest move, mate," Ron told him when the attic door was shut.
Harry chose not to say anything but he agreed with Ron. It wouldn't be good to start this out with Ginny mad at him. They would probably have enough problems on their hands without adding that.
A few short hours after their meeting had broken up, Hermione had caught Harry on his way to use the loo and told him that she was ready.
"Completely?" Harry asked mildly surprised.
"Completely," Hermione confirmed with a grin, "Dobby said he'll bring us some food once we get set up at your Aunt and Uncle's. That saves me loads to do,"
Smiling his thanks at her, Harry turned to leave when she asked another question; "Have you written your letters?"
That stopped him in his tracks, "My letters?"
"Don't you think you should at least say something to them?" Hermione leveled a piercing gaze at Harry.
"Like what, Hermione? I'm sorry to keep leaving on you and taking your kids with me. I'll try not to let them get killed but it will probably happen anyway?"
"You don't have to be snide," She sniffed, tears welling in her eyes.
Great, thought Harry, this was all he needed. He wasn't doing well with either of the girls today. "Er...Um...I'm sorry," He faltered.
Hermione just rolled her eyes and looked at him.
"I'll write the letters. Two of them. I'll write to Remus too," Harry said sidling towards his destination. He really did need the facilities.
"What we're going to do won't be easy on them. It's only fitting that we do something to help make it right,"
Nodding his head, Harry sighed; "I know,"
This seemed to be enough to pacify Hermione. She turned and left the hallway without saying another word.
It was no small matter writing the letters Harry promised Hermione that he would write. How do you tell the parents of your best mate and girlfriend that you're sorry for dragging them along, again, on some fool-hardy crusade that may not work in an effort to destroy the darkest wizard to have lived in centuries?
It was no small feat to put quill to parchment and to put his thoughts and feelings down. Something that surprised Harry was that this writing was in many ways more difficult than when he'd attempted to do the same thing just a couple short days ago.
In the end he kept it short and brief. He told them how much he loved them and how much he appreciated all of their efforts on his behalf. He expressed his desire for things to end quickly and promised to do everything he possibly could to keep Ron, Ginny, and Hermione safe. He sealed the letter in wax and then moved on to his letter to Remus.
To Remus he said much the same thing. Harry thanked him for the memories of his parents, Sirius, and for all of his guidance. He further told him, briefly, that they were going to carry on with the task that they had been given. This letter was shorter than the other Harry had written. It wasn't that Harry didn't care, he did. He just wasn't sure how to express all of the things that he wanted to say. Even more, he didn't want to leave anything unsaid if something bad should happen to either of them.
The next morning, early, everyone was up and dressed. They all donned their cloaks and made sure they had their wands. Hermione was carrying her small beaded bag with the Undetectable Extension Charm on it. Harry noticed that all three of them looked as nervous as he felt.
Dobby entered the cloak room and Harry told him quietly, "Right, Dobby, are you going to be able to help us?"
"Dobby will help Harry Potter and his friends," The elf replied solemnly, his eyes wide and shining with hero worship for Harry.
"You're a free elf, Dobby. I can't give you an order. But will you do me a favor as if I had given you one?"
Dobby's eyes widened and he gave a sweeping low bow. His ears quivering as his nose just brushed the floor, "Dobby would be happy to take an order from Harry Potter,"
"Er..thanks, Dobby. It's really very simple. Where we'll be, back at my Aunt and Uncle's house, you can't tell anyone we're there. Not even if someone, anyone, I don't care who it is, asks you directly. It could mean our lives if you do," Harry placed his hand gently on the house elf's shoulder.
"Dobby is happy to keep his friend's secrets. Dobby is happy to call Harry Potter his friend," He looked proud to be trusted with something so important.
"Thanks Dobby, you're a good friend," Hermione told him sweetly.
"She's right, Dobby. Harry's lucky he has you," Ron added.
Ginny's jaw dropped open as she looked at her brother in surprise.
"What?" Ron asked defensively.
There was no answer from Ginny who ignored her brother now and turned to Harry, "So how is this going to work?"
"I've been thinking about that," Harry said quickly, "We'll disillusion ourselves and step outside. That way the Death Eaters out there won't realize that we're coming out. We'll go on down the street a ways and then we'll have to Apparate,"
"Apparate?" Ron asked, "To your house? Wouldn't the Ministry or the Order have put up anti apparation charms?"
"We aren't Apparating directly to my Aunt and Uncle's house. We'll Apparate to the park nearby. That way if there's any Death Eaters there that are watching that place we'll know about it,"
"That's a great plan, Harry. But what if the Death Eaters are disillusioned too?" Ron reasoned.
"Homonim Revelio will answer that quickly enough," Hermione said confidently.
"Are you more confident about doing the Fidelius Charm?" Ginny asked her looking worried.
"It will either work or it won't. If it doesn't though, we'll have to get out of there very fast,"
"It will work, Hermione. You worry too much," Harry told her.
They quickly disillusioned each other and then opened the door. With a last look over his shoulder, Harry saw Dobby watching them with tears in his eyes. Even though he knew the elf couldn't see him, Harry smiled. He truly hoped that he would see his little friend again.
Once they were outside, Harry reached out and felt until he found someone.
"Who is that?" Ginny whispered.
"Its me," Harry answered softly, "Take my hand. We'll all have to hold hands until we get to the park at least,"
He quickly felt her hand find his and then enjoyed her firm grip. There was a second's wait until he heard Ron ask in a harsh whisper, "Well, are we leaving or not?"
Harry grinned at Ron's comment and they carefully made their way down the steps and then silently the walked several blocks up the busy street. When they came to a deserted alleyway, Harry turned down it and took several paces.
"Okay, is everyone ready?" He asked.
"Are we apparating now?" Ginny wondered.
"Yes, it will be over soon so don't worry," Harry affirmed.
Turning on the spot Harry felt the effects of Apparating. The feeling of being squeezed through a tube was something you never truly got used to, he thought.
When they arrived at the park in Little Whinging, Harry had his wand in his left hand as he looked around. The park was empty except for a group of birds that had been in a tree and were now flying away in panic at the sudden popping sound that accompanied their arrival.
"Is everyone alright?" Harry asked nervously while catching his breath.
"Fine," Ginny said quickly. She too sounded like she was catching her breath.
"I've been better, but I'll be fine in a moment," Ron quipped.
"Me too," Hermione added, "I really don't like Apparating while being disillusioned,"
"At least no one got splinched!" Harry heard Ron say.
He couldn't agree more. That would have been a very bad way to start things off. The sun was just coming up over the horizon now. With the dark clouds to the west, it made the houses and trees glow brightly. Harry took this as a good sign.
"Alright then, this way," He said and then he started leading the group towards his Aunt and Uncle's house on Privet Drive.
Even that early in the morning they had to walk carefully. There were some people out and about already doing things like putting out the cat, picking up milk crates, or collecting the morning paper.
The group was quiet as they walked along but Harry got the sense from Ginny that her eyes were taking everything in. When they turned the corner on to Privet Drive, they got the first hint of trouble.
Two voices could be heard talking quietly. That wouldn't have been an issue but where they were talking from didn't look to have anyone standing there. Thinking quickly, Harry pulled his wand and with his left hand pointed it at the source of the noise.
"Homonim Revelio!" He whispered.
A faint glow surrounded three human figures that looked like they were wearing robes.
"Confundus," Harry whispered then followed that immediately with, "Obliviate!"
Finished with the step of dealing with the Death Eaters, Harry turned in the direction he knew Hermione to be and said, "Go ahead Hermione, but we don't have long,"
There were several tense moments of near silence. Harry could hear Hermione whispering rapidly under her breath. He was beginning to get nervous when suddenly Hermione whispered loudly, "Our new location is Number Four, Privet Drive,"
He heard her moving and then felt Ginny's tug on his arm. A half second later, Hermione's voice said very quietly, "Come on,"
They walked together up to the front door and stopped. It took several minutes while Hermione remembered which spells and jinxes were still on the house and then even longer to disarm them so that they could get inside.
Once the door was shut behind them, Hermione said in her regular voice, "That should do it,"
Everyone heaved a great sigh of relief as they removed the charm that disillusioned them and stood in the entry way of Harry's house. Hermione took a few more minutes to reinstate the charms that had been taken down and then smiled, "Well Harry, we're here,"
For Harry it was a little awkward. This wasn't the first time that Ron or Hermione had been here, but it would be the first time that anyone spent any real time in this house. He remembered as a child when he wanted friends and to be able to have them come over and stay with him. It struck him as ironic that he was finally, in a very off hand way, getting that wish.
"We need to make sure we're safe," Ginny said glancing at Harry who had thus far been quiet since confunding and obiviating the Death Eaters outside.
"Which reminds me," Hermione said looking back outside towards where she knew the Death Eaters to be, "We don't have long. Harry, may I use your Invisibility Cloak for a minute or two?"
Harry nodded and watched as Hermione threw the cloak over herself and then disappeared outside for a few minutes. Ron and Ginny watched with him looking where they knew the Death Eaters to be though they were still disillusioned.
They were still watching when the door closed, seemingly by itself and Hermione pulled the Invisibility Cloak off with a self satisfied smile. "I planted a memory that the three of them had fallen asleep after too many nights up late and not getting much rest,"
"Hermione, that was..." Harry began
"Bloody brilliant!" Ron exclaimed.
"Are we safe then?" Ginny asked looking around.
"Safe as we can be anyway," Hermione said with confidence.
Smiling at little at Hermione's comment, Harry couldn't help but feel a little trepidation now that everyone was here. Still, seeing as how this was to all intents and purposes his house, he figured he better show them around.
"Hermione, you can put your bag there for now. We can hang our cloaks here in this closet," Harry began.
Everyone started moving at Harry's invitation. They hung their cloaks and Hermione set her beaded bag on the table with a loud clunk. He then led them through the sitting room with the T.V. where Ron exclaimed;
"I remember this room! This is where we came to get you for the Quidditch Cup and Fred and George dropped one of their candies that your idiot cousin ate!" Ron chortled at the memory.
"Ron! That was a terrible thing for them to do!" Hermione chided him.
"Yeah but it was worth it. His tongue swelled up all huge and his parents started wigging out. My poor Dad had a devil of a time sorting it out,"
For Harry, this room carried many different memories. Most recently it was Dumbledore himself who had sat in the chair by the fireplace. It was from the couch that the drinks of Madam Rosemerta's finest Mead had been provided for everyone and which Harry's family had steadfastly ignored.
He led them through the sitting room past the closet under the stairs and was part way to the kitchen when Ginny asked almost reverently;
"Harry, is that it?"
"Is what it?" He replied turning around.
His face fell slightly when he saw where Ginny was looking. Her eyes were wide and the expression on her face was frankly curious.
"Yes, that's the cupboard where I stayed until I received my Hogwarts letter," Harry walked forward and opened the door.
Inside the little closet under the stairs were a lot of dust, cobwebs, a couple dead spiders, and a few little tin soldiers. Harry reached in and picked one up. His coat was faded and his rifle was bent.
"I used to play with this when I was a lot younger..." He explained.
Shutting the door to the cupboard door and avoiding everyone's eyes, he turned and led them through to the kitchen. He showed them the fridge and the stove and oven.
"Dad would love this," Ron observed, "Staying in a house with all this muggle stuff?"
"He'd be in heaven and mum would go mad trying to reign him in," Ginny smiled.
"This is the room we were in when we came to get you this summer, isn't it Harry?" Ron asked.
"Yes, it looks a little different in the daytime," Harry said as the light from the rising sun shone brightly on the spotless counters.
Sharing a look with Hermione, who seemed to be watching Harry carefully, they moved on with the tour. "Upstairs is the loo and the bedrooms,"
Together they all climbed the stairs. At the top Harry paused for a moment. He hadn't been back up these stairs since he left. The last time he'd held Hedwig was in his room just down the...
"Harry?" Ginny asked, "What's that room with all of the locks on the door and the cat-flap at the bottom?"
"That's where I slept. That was my room," Harry said leading the way down the hall.
"Why all the locks and the cat-flap then? Were they trying to keep you prisoner?"
"Sometimes I was locked in there. The cat-flap was how food was passed to me. The door was unlocked twice a day so I could go to the bathroom or occasionally shower," Harry explained casually. He still refused to meet their eyes.
When Harry moved down the hall to show them the bathroom he noticed that no one was following him. Turning around he stopped and looked at the stunned faces of his friends.
"So it was true?" Hermione was shocked, "I always thought you exaggerated things a bit when you were talking about your Aunt and Uncle,"
"No, it's true. All of it. They would lock me up here sometimes if I did something wrong or if I used magic, or threatened to use magic on them. That's why Ron, Fred and George had to come rescue me for second year. Dobby did magic and my Uncle got really mad because he thought it was me.
You should have seen my Uncle when my Hogwarts letter arrived," Harry remembered now with a smile, "The first one that came was what got me moved out of my cupboard under the stairs and up here. This used to be my cousin Dudley's second bedroom. He didn't like it much when it was given to me, but my Aunt and Uncle were more worried about how whoever the person was who was sending the letters knew that I stayed in that cupboard. It was the first time I really ever saw them put their foot down with my cousin,"
"Harry, that's horrible," Hermione said in a tiny voice, "we never knew,"
"It's not like I really told anyone now, is it?" Harry muttered with a humorless smile.
When no one said anything, Harry continued, "It's all in the past now anyway. Besides, I'm not sure how long we'll be able to stay here. Once we've destroyed the locket, we'll still have the rest of them to find."
"Harry," Hermione persisted, "To be treated like this..."
"Like what, Hermione? Like someone who wasn't wanted? They made sure I knew I wasn't wanted from the time I was left on their doorstep," Harry was frustrated and exasperated; this was a sore subject for him right now.
"If only you would have told someone. Professor Dumbledore maybe..."
"Hermione," Harry explained now looking at her directly, "He knew. I know for a fact he knew at least part of what was going on here. He..."
"He what?" Ginny prompted her eyes wide with concern at what she was hearing.
"He...mentioned a few things last summer. When he came to pick me up. He told them off a bit for the way they treated me and how they could have made a choice to do things differently," Harry answered quietly. He sighed heavily and went on, "It wasn't just that though. There's also Mrs. Figg..."
"Who?" Ron asked as he leaned up against the wall.
"Mrs. Figg. She's a squib who lives just down the road a bit. Dumbledore stationed her there to kind of watch over things. She must have known how to contact him. She testified at my trial last year when Fudge wanted to have me tossed out of Azkaban for using magic in front of my cousin..."
No one moved or spoke for several moments. Feeling more and more uncomfortable with things, Harry decided that it was time to move on with the little tour. He started walking down the hall again. He stopped at his Aunt and Uncle's bedroom.
There was a large bed against the wall between two windows that overlooked the back yard. A night stand with a lamp stood on either side of the bed. Every thing was neatly made up and spotlessly clean. The way Harry's aunt would have wanted it.
"Ginny, you and Hermione can sleep in here if you like," Harry said quietly as he opened a door that was on the same wall as the entry to the room, "There's a bathroom here if you need it,"
"Thank you, Harry," Hermione said as she traded looks with Ron and Ginny.
Harry noticed this and felt a momentary flare in his temper. He swallowed hard and pretended not to see it. What happened in this house wasn't their fault.
"Ron, you and I can share my cousin's room," Harry said faking a nonchalant tone.
"Don't you want to sleep in your...OW!" Ron said at Ginny's elbow which had suddenly made hard contact with his ribs.
Ignoring this, Harry turned and went back downstairs. He went into the kitchen where he'd cooked so many meals and checked the icebox and cupboards. The power was still on. Harry wasn't sure how or why since no one had lived here for over a month, but he was grateful for this.
Inside the fridge he found all the kinds of things you would expect to find in a muggle icebox that had been suddenly left untended for almost two months; sour milk in a carton, some cheese that was surprisingly still good. Eggs, bacon, ham, some other meats that Harry didn't like the looks of and things like mustard, pickles, and the like.
Upon checking the cupboards he found tins of meats, vegetables, fruits, and milk. There were boxes of cereal, two loaves of bread, and some cured meats like sausage, ham, and bacon as well as onions and potatoes in the dry goods cupboard along with several bottles of Dudley's favorite soda and Uncle Vernon's favorite beer.
He never heard whether or not the others had come down the stairs and privately Harry was grateful. He needed some time with his thoughts to sort things out a bit.
Moving with a speed born from years of practice, he started making breakfast. He got out the things to make it with as he vanished the sour milk and bad meats with a simple wave of his wand.
When Ron, Ginny, and Hermione finally did make their way downstairs, Ginny turned into the kitchen. Harry had bacon and sausage frying on the stove, eggs ready to go right behind them and toast in the toaster.
When he turned around to set some plates on the table, he was surprised to see Ginny watching him carefully.
"You alright?" She asked voice full of concern.
"Never better," Harry answered automatically.
She pulled a face at hearing this but let it slide for now. Harry was setting the pan on the stove now to start the eggs cooking. The toast popped out of the toaster and he grabbed the slices and buttered them quickly and proficiently before adding more bread to the toaster and returning to the eggs.
"Harry," Ginny began again.
She had moved closer to him. Her voice was quieter and all the more clearly he could hear the concern that colored it. He didn't stop moving, even to look at her.
"You know that none of us think any less of you, right? That you had to deal with all of...this?"
Turning the bacon and sausages now, Harry deftly cracked the eggs with one hand into a pan and spooned a little of the bacon grease into the pan to help flavor them.
"Harry?" Ginny asked again; standing right behind him now.
Turning around he looked at her. She was so beautiful, he thought. She was smart, pretty, and fast on her feet. She shouldn't be here with us, he further thought, she should be enjoying the last days of summer and preparing for school. She should be thinking about classes and getting ready for Hogsmeade weekends, Quidditch games, and late nights spent in the common room.
Yet here she was. Here, now, with him. She was willingly giving up everything that she should be looking forward to, to accompany him on this quest to find and destroy the Horcruxes. To end the nightmare brought on by the return of Voldemort. Harry's heart swelled thinking of this.
"I know," He said quietly.
He returned to his cooking and felt Ginny's arms slide around his waist and her head on his back; "It wasn't easy for you to come back here, was it?"
"Not really, no," Harry said flipping the eggs and removing the bacon and sausages from the pan now to drain.
"Then why do it? Why come here?" Ginny asked quietly.
"Because we needed someplace to stay that they won't think to look for us. Either Voldemort and his lot or anyone from the Order. Whether or not its easy to be here doesn't matter. What matters is that we can hide here. At least for awhile anyway,"
Harry finished getting the eggs out of the pan and onto a serving plate. Turning off the stove he turned around and returned Ginny's embrace.
"I'll be alright, Ginny," Harry reassured her with a confidence he didn't really feel.
"If you say so," she replied evenly as she kissed him on the cheek, "I'll go get Ron and Hermione for breakfast."
Over breakfast the mood lightened considerably. Hermione teasingly told of how she had had to show Ron all of the muggle contraptions that he'd found in Dudley's room. The radio, computer, T.V., remote control car, various assorted games, all held endless fascination for him.
Ron's ears and his long nose reddened as she told them all about how he reacted when the T.V. came on and a program started playing.
"You know Harry, those Muggles I tell you they really have some funny ideas about how to do things," Ron said around a mouthful of bacon.
Ginny pulled out her wand and tapped it gently on the tea cup next to her plate to reheat the contents. Everyone jumped as the light bulbs above the table popped.
"What was that?" Ron exclaimed wand in hand.
"Of course!" Hermione nearly shouted, "I forgot! How stupid of me!"
Everyone's eyes turned expectantly towards Hermione.
"Are you going to share?" Ron's eyes never left the chandelier above the table.
"It's the magic. That's why things like Muggle radios won't work at Hogwarts. The magic interferes with the electricity,"
"So when I reheated my tea..."
"You were using magic, Ginny. It disrupted the flow of electricity and the bulbs blew out,"
"Is it safe to be here?" Ron asked fearfully.
"It's fine, we just should be careful of how much magic we use while we're here,"
"Why didn't my magic affect anything when I was living here?" Harry was curious despite his mood.
"It's likely that even when you used magic, like when you blew up your Aunt that time, it wasn't enough to disrupt the power just by yourself. All of us here though are magical beings. I bet those bulbs were probably near the end of their lifespan anyway. Ginny's use of magic just now likely was just enough to finish them off,"
"So what does that mean?" Ron wanted to know.
"We should be fine to continue to use magic and the appliances here, at least for now. But if something is going to breakdown, I suspect our using magic will only make it happen faster. If there were more of us here for any length of time, we'd see much more of an interruption I expect."
"Interruption! That reminds me!" Harry said suddenly as he whipped out his wand and silently flipped it towards the window.
A bright silvery blue pulse of magical energy flew out of the kitchen, through the window and to wherever it was that Harry had sent it.
"What was that about?" Ron asked.
"Sending a message to your parents that we're alright," Harry explained as he returned to his breakfast.
"Thanks for the warning, mate," Ron was shaking his head.
Breakfast was finished not long after the Patronus was sent back to Grimmauld Place. Hermione and Ginny offered to do the dishes while Ron and Harry went upstairs to take the bed from Harry's old room and move it into Dudley's room. The two friends spent the time they were working talking about various things.
"Remember when we came in my Dad's car to get you?" Ron asked.
"Hmm," Harry said as he struggled to lift the mattress off of the bed.
Ron started chortling now, "I remember watching your Uncle trying to come after you. He didn't want you to leave,"
"And if he'd have succeeded..."
"Professor Dumbledore would probably have just sent Hagrid for you again," Ron shrugged.
"But that would have been after my Uncle got his hands on me,"
Not knowing what to say to this, Ron was silent as he and Harry were finally able to get the mattress moved out of the way. Together they lifted the frame of the bed and managed to start moving it towards the door of the room.
Ron's foot caught on something on the floor. It was a loose floor board. Stooping down, he picked up the board to find a small sheaf of old parchment stacked underneath. There were stale old crumbs from where Harry had stashed food when his Aunt and Uncle were trying to help Dudley with his diet, and what looked like a broken quill.
Lifting out the old pieces of parchment, Ron flipped through them absently. His eyes caught on one parchment from a person whose handwriting he recognized; "You kept this?"
Turning now to see what Ron was talking about, Harry's eyes narrowed for a moment while he studied the parchment Ron held.
Smiling mischievously now, Ron read aloud, "His eyes are as green as a fresh pickled toad, his hair is as dark as a blackboard. I wish he was mine, he's really divine, The hero who conquered the Dark Lord,"
Harry felt his cheeks coloring as Ron read the parchment. He remembered well the events that had led up to him receiving that and he'd thought he'd gotten rid of those things when he was cleaning through his room.
"Ginny's going to love this!" Ron exclaimed with a glint in his eye.
"You wouldn't!" Harry said,
"Ginny!" Ron shouted.
Harry wanted to slug Ron. He couldn't believe this.
"What?" Ginny called from downstairs.
"Come up here! You've got to see this!" Ron yelled while grinning wickedly at Harry.
"Ron, I'm going to kill you!" Harry grumbled. He was trapped in the room behind the bed frame.
The noise of two sets of feet climbing the stairs sounded loudly. Ginny came into the room slightly out of breath from her fast climb up the stairs, Hermione was right behind her.
Harry put his face in the palm of his hand, powerless to stop what was happening in front of him.
He didn't see the looks on Ginny or Hermione's faces as they squeezed into the room.
"What is it?" She asked.
"See what I found? Harry saved it!"
Harry wanted to melt into the floor all over again.
He heard Ginny reading the poem under her breath and heard her gasp.
"You saved this?" Her voice was tender and disbelieving.
Deliberately not looking at anyone now, Harry only nodded his head. He didn't have the heart to tell her that he'd thought he'd thrown it out.
"That's really sweet, Harry," Hermione said obviously touched.
He just shrugged his shoulders.
"I guess that poem meant more to him than he let on," Ron was obviously delighted with himself. Harry wanted to smack him.
He would decide later he was glad he didn't. In what could only be described as an emotional moment, Ginny very deliberately moved over in front of Harry lifted his face gently between her hands and kissed him with deep feeling. It only took a second for Harry to respond.
His arms unfolded from his chest. One hand found it's way up into her hair while the other went around her back and pulled her close. The fact that there were other people in the room was lost on them in that moment.
"Hey you two, I've just eaten!" Ron grumbled now.
"Ronald, sometimes you can be so thick," Hermione sighed.
"What do you mean?"
"Didn't you stop to think for just a moment that this was the first thing that Ginny ever gave Harry? Don't you think that it means the world to her to find out he still had that poem even now after everything that's happened? Come on,"
It ended up being Ron and Hermione who moved Harry's bed into Dudley's room along with his mattress, blankets, and other things. Harry and Ginny were oblivious to everything but each other for a while.
It was early afternoon when they all gathered together in the living room. Ron and Hermione were sitting together on the couch while Harry and Ginny sat squeezed together in a big poofy easy chair.
They had been discussing exactly how they wanted to take the next step now that they were settled into their new hiding place.
"I think we should call on Dobby first," Ron said, "Let him know what we need or could use and let him start working on getting things together,"
"That's not a bad idea and we could get some fresh stuff in here; Milk, eggs, and I'd love to have some butterbeer," Ginny added.
Hermione wore a frustrated, martyred expression and had her face turned towards the window.
"We need to call Kreacher too," Harry said thoughtfully, "The sooner we can destroy that locket, the better I'll feel."
"So, start with Kreacher then. It doesn't really matter which order you call them in, does it?" Ron asked.
Harry smiled and then called out; "Kreacher! I need you!"
Not even a second later, there was a kind of muffled 'crack' sound and the grizzled old house elf appeared.
He looked much more personable since last they saw him. He gave Harry and Ginny as low, sweeping bow and croaked out; "Master? You have need of Kreacher?"
His voice sounded different too. Like he was happier to be called to service for Harry.
"Er..Um...Hi Kreacher. Thank you for coming," Harry fumbled.
Hermione was watching them now and she smiled at Harry's ongoing attempts to be nice to the old house elf.
"Master called upon Kreacher and Kreacher has come. Does Master need Kreacher to perform the task previously discussed?"
To hear such a willing and polite tone coming from him was unnerving. Harry kept glancing at Hermione who was nodding vigorously now.
"Yes please, Kreacher. I need you to find Mundungus Fletcher and bring him here. This is an order, and I would appreciate it if you could do it as quickly as you can," Harry managed to say.
Ron's eyes widened as Harry spoke and Hermione was grinning. Ginny just sat quietly next to Harry as he gave the orders to his elf that would start them on this task.
"Better talk to him about visiting anyone too," Ron advised wisely.
"Um..right. Kreacher, I'm sorry to have to order you to do this, but from today on I am ordering you not to have any contact with anyone from the Malfoy, Lestrange, or Black families, except for myself. Oh, and the Weasley's."
"Us?" Ginny said quizzically.
"Sirius once told me that he and your Mom are related distantly. I wanted to cover that," Harry turned towards her for a moment.
"Oh, that makes sense,"
"Anyway Kreacher, I need to make this clear. You are not to talk to them, take messages to or from them, or contact them directly or indirectly. If they see you and ask to speak to you or otherwise try to contact you, you are to refuse that request and deny them in their attempts. Is this clear?"
"Master is wise and has thought of everything," Kreacher answered, "Kreacher will serve his master and his friends. He will not betray his master or his master's secrets." He sounded slightly crestfallen.
Thinking on his feet, Harry added, "I'll keep my promise to you, Kreacher. Find me Mundungus Fletcher and bring him here. Help me find that locket and I'll make sure you get to keep the other one. I'll help you follow Regulus' orders to destroy the locket,"
This had the effect of causing the house elf to perk up visibly. Sweeping another bow to Harry and Ginny, then turning to bow towards Ron and even roughly jerking his head towards Hermione, the elf disapparated with a nearly silent pop.
"That went well, didn't it?" Harry asked.
"You were brilliant, Harry!" Hermione enthused as she got up and kissed him on the cheek.