-1Disclaimer: I won Harry Potter in a poker game and than go so drunk I accidentally sold him and his friends to JKR and she just wont sell them back. Damn you Vodka. Damn you White Russians.
A/N Yes it's the return of my obsessive rambling. Don't worry people who talk to me in real life get it to. I want to say thank you to every one who has been reading this story and to all those who put it on an alert. It is so cool to be in demand lol. I just hope I don't disappoint. I hope some characters don't seem to OOC in this chapter, but to be honest like everyone I have characters I dislike and like it should be obvious, but if not I guess I'm doing better than I thought. I apologies for any grammar and spelling mistakes. I now proudly present chapter four. Okay rants done, (dodges arrows and bullets), on with the chapter
Chapter 4 Why do I need anyone, but my best friends and a bottle of butter beer?
Ron sat on his newly issued bed surrounded by books. Anyone that would have paid attention to the young man in the last six years would have asked who he was and where was Ronald Weasley. In truth he wasn't sure himself. After Harry had told Hermione and him that the newspaper was right he laughed. Hell it wasn't until Harry stormed out over the closeness of his family and the over protectiveness of his mother did he stop laughing. He swore his mother still saw him as a wide-eyed naive to the world and its horrors stepping on to the Hogwarts express for the first time. Yet he wasn't and he hadn't been since their first Halloween. For five years he had been brushing death only escaping by the skin of his teeth. And only than because she beat the stuff in to his head just enough to keep him a half step away from the reaper's blade. Yet after the whole Department of Mysteries fiasco it hit him. Sure he knew Voldemort had returned almost a year before now it felt real. They had lost and he no longer felt the invincibility he had the last five years. The Gryffindor golden trio had failed for the first they put their minds to anything. It was his fault. He should have been paying attention in class. He helped Harry shrug of Occulamy training. So Sirius's blood stained his hands. Harry felt that it was his fault, but Ron knew it was his. He even bet deep down that Harry blamed him. So he studied and never joined his family and friends for dinner. Hell he was lucky if he remembered go down for the leftovers. God old Hermione the den mother of the group made sure he ate and to know if he needed anyone to talk to she was there. Yet he didn't want to talk. And he knew Harry needed her and he would not take anything else from his mate. No he had already taken enough.
A knock on his door jerked him from his thoughts. Instinctively he grabbed his wand. The knocking continued, but Ron just sat there. "Come on Ron. You can't stay in there for the rest of the summer. Come on Son open up." With still no answer Arthur resorted to what Molly wanted. "Alohomora" The door unlocked leaving Arthur in a state of shock at the scene before him. Books littered the floor. Everything from The Art of War to Shield charms and How to Strengthen them The surprising fact was his son sitting there wand extended right at him or rather the doorway. He was ready to attack the intruder. "Whoa Ron. Your mom just wants you down for dinner. We even convinced Harry and Hermione to come."
Ron didn't even bother to respond. he just stood up and grabbed a knife he had laid on the bed earlier. He slipped it in to a sheath in his robes and walked past his father. His footsteps down the stairs finally waking up his father who had a feeling of dread about the coming weeks of summer. The children had grown up and he missed it.
Dinner was a spectacle. The table sat the whole Weasley family minus the three oldest siblings., Harry, Hermione, Tonks, and Remus. The members of the order drabbled in small talk. Fred and George kept trying to engage Ron into a quiddich discussion. Yet he sat there and ate. Lupin kept staring at Harry and Hermione until a slight elbow from Tonks brought his attention back to Molly and Arthur's points on why Hogwarts was going to need a lot of endorsement now that You-know-who had returned. Yet his gaze returned back to his best friend's only son and his friends. After making sure the duo was still at the table he looked towards Ron. Ron he decided had the aura of a man whose world had been turned upside-down. He could understand where he was coming from he had once felt the very same thing. Than it went to the youngest at the table. Ginny was in a constant state of confusion. She was proud of her actions just unsure if she could repeat them. The battle had caused such changes in the four. Than the sound of a plate being placed in the sink started the usual migration patterns of the four. The plate belonged to Ron and having not said a single thing to his family besides Ginny in a week walked back out the kitchen to the library much like he did when he could be bothered to make it down to dinner. All he did was research in the library and practice what he learned with Harry, Hermione and Tonks. To Remus that was the other surprise. Tonks had just bypassed the Order and started giving the three lessons she had learned in the academy and in the field. Dumbledore had told him to keep her under watch and make sure she didn't teach them any thing inappropriate. Yet he had never been allowed to see the sessions that were held only the aftermaths. The day Hermione had come out with a broken arm had spooked the whole house. She had not made a sound just waited till Tonks came in and reset the bone. Than went back in to the room slamming the door. It all came back to Harry and Tonks.
Two squeaking chairs brought him from his thoughts and he noticed Harry and Hermione exit the tension heavy atmosphere of the kitchen. He knew they would be going back to Hermione's bedroom and not be seen till tomorrow. "When did those two get so close?" Remus appeared shocked at the question till he realized he was the one who had spoken out load. "Not that they weren't close before I just seems that they never separate anymore."
The rest of the kitchen arrangement nodded in agreement. Remus watched as Ginny quickly dropped her plate in to the sink as if she knew not to be around for the discussion. Allowing her to escape in the direction of her youngest brother Remus remained quit for a few minutes. "So what do you think is going through their heads right now?" Remus waited for an answer, but nobody else at the table seemed to what to acknowledge he had spoken. In fact the only movement was when Tonks got up and excused herself. She however left the house. He stared at Molly to see if she was finally allowing the images of the little eleven year olds to leave the picture she had ingrained into her head for so long. "They are preparing to do something. You can feel it about them."
Molly took his words and thought back to the last week and a half at the house. "Yes I can and they shouldn't. They are not old enough to be caring on this way. And your girlfriend is not help the matters." Though her face was void of emotions on the subject her voice carried the poison that indicated her current displeasure for Tonks.
"She may be my girlfriend Molly, but that does not mean that I run her life. So don't take it out on me." The older werewolf let his thoughts be carried out in his tone.
"Maybe we should talk to them. I'm sure if we can just get them back down here for a moment we can figure out the whole reason that they feel that this, this training is necessary. Do they honestly think that if they take on the tasks of adult wizards we will allow them to help?" The twins got up at there mother's comment and left the room. Molly just watched them and knew they were hiding something. "Why is it that the only people that seem to know anything that is going on is under the age of twenty five? I hope they don't think that they are going to try and get us to let them into the order and fight do they. They just barely past there OWLS."
"They seem to have become completely different people. I had hoped that the whole disaster in the department of mysteries would not have effected them s much as it has." Lupin ran his hands through his hair just to calm himself.
"It didn't. They didn't get this way until Harry came. Know my youngest son who until three weeks ago could not shut up about the Canons seems to hardly eat and With that Molly seemed to shut down for a second. Than when she got done rebooting she spoke again. "Lupin would you do me a favor and go and get my two children from that curse library. Arthur and I are going to get Harry and Hermione we all need to have a talk."
Up stairs a conversation unlike the one in the kitchen was beginning. "Harry do you think we are going to be ready for this?" When she was alone with him was the only time she ever let her façade of know-it-all and strength down. He held he and heard her worries shudder out her body. His hand slowly weaved in and out of her hair. He let out a few sh's when her sobs wouldn't come out in a regular order. He knew it was her turn to break down. He had broken down a few days after Grimmauld Place. It wasn't long before she brought herself down, but she kept her head in his shoulder. A sense of peace slowly filled the air.
Than it came crashing down with the sounds of a fist beating in the door. "Harry. Hermione. We all need to talk. Come down the kitchen please."
Harry felt Hermione wrap her arms around his waist. He just lowered his head in anticipation for the coming talk. They had expected Molly would blow here soon it was just sad to see the older witch be unable to come to terms with the world around her. They got off the bed and grabbed a set of robes that was thrown on the back of a chair and placed them on. They jerked the door open and ran into Ginny. See just looked at them trying to figure out what was going on. Together they all walked to the kitchen. There sat as expected Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Remus, Bill, Fleur, and the twins. As Harry and Hermione sat down Ron came in and gave them a look to make sure everything was okay. He sat next to his friends and waited for the conversation to start, much the same way he did all those years ago as his mother's howler ripped into him for crashing the car. Harry felt Hermione grip his hand reminding him to not lose his temper at the oncoming assault.
"I know that you all want to help and get ready for what is happening." She paused to consider her words. "You four need to remember that you are children still write now and that you might not even have to deal with." Molly's eyes scanned everyone at the table and settled on Harry.
"I understand your worry Mrs. Weasley. In fact I really have no plans of messing around with the war until I have to unless I have to." Harry just stared back the Weasley matron.
"Than what is with all the training. All you three seem to do is be in that room with Tonks and practicing spells. Which I might add is not very responsible of your three. What would have happened if your wards had not been working right and the ministry would have detected your underage magic?"
"I know what I am doing Mrs. Weasley. I want to be an Auror when I graduate. And I figure that what better time to get ready for it that with an Auror who is willing to train me for the future than right now. I'm sure you know and as Hermione has reminded us that this is the start of the NEWT years and I haven't exact ally been the best student up to this point. " Harry tried to keep a silly styled smile on his face as he gave half truths to the closest thing he had ever had to a mother in his life.
"Its just that if you look at it form our point of view it looks like you are training to take on the whole Death Eater camp. It seems to us that you are trying to prove yourselves to at least one member of the Order to let you join. And I want you to know that we will not allow you to join until you have finished school and are of age." She didn't bother to even to take her eyes off of Harry to look at the other people she was suppose to be lecturing as well. She knew that all she had to do is convince Harry that his idea was foolish.
What scared her however was the twinkle that played in his eyes much like the one that Albus had. "I can only speak for myself, but I will swear on my magic that I have no plans of joining in the Order at this time. I just trying to get ready for my future and hang out with my friends while I can." His tone and smile all were dropped at his proclamation. Molly finally looked at her youngest children and Hermione. She could see Ron nodding his head saying he was agreeing with Harry. Ginny still had a look on her face showing she really didn't not know why she was even being told this. Than Hermione had the beast back again. Molly felt herself tense. It was obvious that while Ron and Ginny didn't know everything Harry and Hermione had planned something.
"I just want to make sure that you remember that you are still children and that childhood is something that you can never have back Harry. We just want you to be happy. You know that right dear." Molly could swear that she saw the same beast that Hermione had in her eyes dance in Harry's, However his beast felt much more dangerous in its particular position. "Well why don't you all go than." She stopped than spoke quick enough that the group was not our of the room yet. "Harry. Hermione. Are you both sure that you didn't want me to get your things from Diagon Alley for you?"
"Yes Mrs. Weasley. We want to get out on our own for a bit and don't want to trouble you." Harry spoke from the door jam.
"It would be no trouble."
"All the same we want to do it. Just tell us when we can go and we will be ready."
"I'll talk with the rest of the Order and we will set up a day so we can get a group of guards to watch you." Harry nodded and the group left. "So out of the mouth of babes. What do you thinking they really have planned?" Molly pondered loud enough after the group left.
"Mom if they are not hurting anyone I suggest that you leave them alone. They can take care of themselves. Besides Hermione would never allow them to get into much trouble." Fred gave a smirk at some memories that were crossing his mind as he spoke.
"Still I worry about them. They never seem to be doing normal things for children their ages." Her forehead scrunched at the statement.
"Your right Mom. They never do anything normal because he is Harry bloody Potter. Nothing comes normal to him. Hell from what I've seen the boy can't even walk normally. Don't you agree Fred." Both the twins had a look of amusement on their faces. "Just let it go. They aren't stupid. And unlike our dear brother Harry and Hermione learn from their mistakes." For once George had a serious look on his face.
"Will you two at least keep an eye on them." She half pleaded to her trouble makers. "I just don't want them to get hurt doing something they should not have to yet." She filled her hands with her head.
Around the corner Harry reached into his pocket and pulled out a galleon. Slowly rubbing his hand around the coin he felt a set of arms wrap around his waist. He watched the hands clasp together as the coin in his hand glow slightly. He was not making an announcement since the wards on the house would block any signal the message device could release. Harry just smirked as the coin stopped glowing and leaned back into the arms holding him. Turning around he grasped Hermione's hands and gently got them to release each other. He interlaced her right and with his left and pulled her closer than she was before. He bent down and placed a chaste kiss on her lips. After the kiss he slid his lips to her ear and whispered, " Thanks for helping me stay calm in their. I really wish she would go home. I mean I don't mind Ron here, but Molly and Arthur need to go. She is driving me nuts. And And. I'm ranting again aren't I?" Hermione just nodded her head and smiled. "So how do you think school is going to be with us together in the open?" He let out to change the subject.
"All the things on our shoulders and that's what your worried about." As she said that sternly it only made her failure that much harder as she started to laugh. "Well I guess they will have to deal with it. I am more worried about Tom myself."
"Tom will come no matter what. He's just a stat like that. And to be honest I want him to come. I what this who thing to be over." His voice lowered with his next words. "I want to kill him so I can be positive that its over." He stopped to get the anger to subside. "But I don't want anybody to hurt you. Remember what fourth year was like with the howlers and other tainted messages. I don't want you to have to deal with that again." He bent down and gave her lips a quick kiss than started walking to the library.
Once inside he heard fumbling around in a shelf in the back. "Bloody Hell! Why would you cram the books in so they all come out at the same time?" "Just be lucky they didn't fall on your head you don't have enough brain cells to take the blow." Harry just rolled his eyes as he listened to the siblings fight.
"Will you two quit arguing. I swear you sound like siblings." He waited for the pair to come back into view. "Or a least when Ron's being chased by Hermione at finals time." With that Hermione gave him a slight elbow to the stomach.
Ron came back into full view of his best friends as they flirted with each other. He wanted to be jealous, but instead a seriousness set back into his face. He looked at his feet than back at Harry. "Bloody hell." he mumbled under his breath. Finally getting up his courage he stood in front of the duo. "Mate, even if you don't think its true I want you to know I'm sorry I got Sirius." He took a deep breath when he said Harry's godfather's name and saw Harry shudder and Hermione nonverbally calm him. "I'm sorry I got Sirius killed. I know I was being a prat last year. And the year before. I just was being selfish wanting my best mate to not forget me. I should have been right along with Hermione pushing you the to learn everything last year. I'm sorry." He stopped talking as if having an emotional overload.
Harry just stood there with a blank look. He walked towards his friend and stopped right in front of him. Ron just stood there as if ready to take the blow to come to his face. Instead Harry wrapped his arm around his friend. Than in a tone he hadn't used in four weeks he spoke to Ron. "Your not to blame for anything that happened. Hell not matter how much I blame myself it still is only partly mine to lay on my shoulders. If that's how you feel and some of the blame you have is an enormously smaller fraction that lays on you." The melancholy tone verily made it to the four sets of ears in the room. Harry didn't let the silence linger more than a few seconds. "Yet with even what little blame any of us have use it as a focus. Nobody wants us to do anything. Yet we have been the ones fighting the fight the most recently. We've done the most damage. I wasn't lying earlier I have no desire to join the Order. I never said anything about stopping my own hunt. Hell I doubt Dumbledore will get that far if what he said is true."
Ginny looked at the withdrawn looks on her brother and friends. "What are you talking about Harry?" They all looked at her and realized she didn't know. Or more to the fact they hadn't old her. Ginny got a look on her face that showed her displeasure at being left out. "What are you guys not telling me?"
Harry glanced around the room and pulled out the galleon from earlier. "We are not telling you a lot of things Ginny, but I think you deserve to know this one. Wither you want to know it or not I'm not sure." He took a breath before continuing. "I was told the prophesy that got smashed in the fight. I told Ron and Hermione at your house and that is why we are here. I want to make sure that we are never are caught off guard like that ever again." He let his hand feel the inscriptions on the coin again.
"What did the prophesy say Harry?" He looked at the freckled young girl in front of him the strain of the question dancing on his face. "If you can't tell me its okay. I just don't like seeing you three this way. Ever since that night everyone has been on edge like they didn't know he was back all ready." He let his hang for a second than brought it back to look her straight in the eyes.
"Lets just say that Voldemort and I are destined to fight. It will be a all or nothing fight and than life will go on depending on which way it falls." His words had a bitterness in them as he spoke. Ginny just stood there motionless. To tell the truth she was still in shock over Hermione and him being together. She had figured Harry would chase Voldemort no matter what. More as a macho revenge kick, but now it was a actual prophesy. Her first crush was destined to go toe to toe with the most feared wizard in a hundred years. She felt like she could piss herself when those words sunk into her mind. Ginny just stood there and realized that Voldemort had and would always come after Harry. She would along with the rest of them in the room be seeing the monster sometime in person. She would be facing the man who possessed her again if she stayed with them in person.
"Ginny are you okay?" Hermione walked up to the younger girl. Gently laying her hand on Ginny. The touch caused the younger girl to jump as if she was being attacked. "Its okay it's a lot to take in. Just let it settle for a few. It took all of us awhile." With that Hermione bought the girl into a crushing embrace.
"So this is why you all have been so strange this summer. I guess I can handle this. But why are you not getting along with the Order?" She directed her face to Harry. "And what is Tonks whole deal with this?"
This time Harry started rather quickly. "They didn't trust me or at least he didn't. I've grown tired of good intentions and greater goods. They want us to act like timid little school children. Well I'm through with it. They are afraid to say his name let alone face him up front and personal. We all know he that he is a mortal not some dark god they have pedestaled him as. They want me to go about as normal well they forget this is normal for us." Harry stopped to get himself under control. "Since day one this has been normal for me. I've always been on the run. You all have been in this since your first day at Hogwarts. They want us to stop. They told us that this isn't are fight for now, but it will be no matter if they like it or not." He let a smile come back to his face. "Just relax until it does come to us. I'm not going to make a move until I have to. I know that we are not ready. So we are going to train and try to have a peaceful time till it comes draft time. Tonks is the only one willing to see this and help us. She just wants us to come out of it alive. So she is training us to be able defend ourselves better than we did the night Sirius died. If you want we can start helping you as well? I know since you were there Voldemort will see you as a target just as much as me."
The room get's quiet while they all let Harry's words sink in. Harry got tired of standing and lead Hermione over to a couch and pulled her down next to him. "I think that I need to start if Tonks and you guys will help me. To be honest I need something to keep my mind occupied around here." Harry shock his head yes and than his action got the other two to start moving and they both sat down in some of the chairs next to the couch. "Harry are we gong to bring Neville and Luna into this?" They have just as much of a right." Ginny was going to defend her words, but Harry cut her off.
"They do and I plan on telling them. I just don't think right now is a good time to tell them to be honest. I can't make sure they are safe with the info. I'll tell them on the train. Face it the Death Eaters are going to start intercepting owls. If they haven't already." He felt Hermione snuggle into his chest and open a book.
"What happened to not being paranoid Harry?" Ginny pointed in to lighten the mood.
"I'm not. This is something Sirius has been stressing to me since the end of my third year." Harry stopped when he realized he spoke like his godfather was still alive. "Now there was a paranoid person. Different owl every time. No names, not details, ect.. The only people more paranoid are Snape and Moody."
The room let the silence engulf them again with the slight shuffles of pages from Ron's chair. They all were trying to think of anything other than the conversations that had just happened. The only one not reading was Ginny. She was staring at the position that Hermione was in with Harry. She was scowling she knew it. It was just the whole idea of Harry with out her seemed to perturb her more than she wanted it to. She heard Ron put the book he was reading down and she dropped her gaze from the two in front of her. She just sat there not bothering to look at anyone else. And without Ron's shuffling of pages the silence engulfed them with its loving embrace.
A/N Okay I know this took a while to get written. Well not really just to get typed. I think it might need work, but I need to get this chapter done to move on with the story. I'm letting everyone know that I am looking for a beta and will announce it here as well. If you think you can put up with a moody and procrastinator writer please apply. I going to try and go through the older chapters as well and edit them for mistakes. I have a lot of this story mapped out and would love run ideas with someone else if not more. If for nothing else other than to tell me I'm being stupid and stop with that line of thought. With that said I have almost all of chapter seven written so I just need to find time to type up to it just to let everyone know I not going to be typing this as the inspiration hits me. What else was I going to say. I would also like to find somebody for my other story "The boy who vanished". Any way as usual review, flame, or just move on to another story. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Later everyone and thanks for all the support this story has gotten so far I hope to keep up with your expectations.
