Harry woke up in the bare room. Monsieur was sitting cross-legged on his cushion. Harry cleared his mind.
When had he fallen asleep?
Then he remembered. Monsieur had erased something from his memory.
"Er…" Harry said.
"I suppose you don't remember?" Monsieur asked simply.
"No," Harry said. "At least I don't think I do. I don't know what you were erasing from my memory."
"Some people you cared for very much," Monsieur said. "Now I'm guessing you're wondering why I'm telling you this?" Harry nodded. "Well, you still remember certain people don't you? Like Severus Snape?" Harry nodded again. "Well, their memory will help you, Élève. You see, Snape is a person you no doubt hate,. I could see that from all the memories you have of him. All the anger you feel towards him will help you to destroy your enemies, Élève."
Monsieur stopped there, as if that was enough explanation.
"But, Monsieur," Harry began, confused. "If I was supposed to forget everyone that ever mattered to me, how come I still remember Sirius, and Dumbledore, and – and my parents?"
"Ahh…" Monsieur smiled. "Élève, these people are dead. They are another source of power for you. When you think of them, I would expect you to want to avenge their deaths."
"Oh…"
"Well, Élève," Monsieur started, "I am afraid I have to erase this conversation from your mind."
Harry didn't look surprised. In fact, he seemed to have been expecting Monsieur to say this.
"We can't have you remembering that I erased people from your mind, Élève. I'm going to have to erase you memories of ever having your mind erased."
For the second time that day, Harry closed his eyes and allowed Monsieur into his mind.
-----
PresentHarry watched Ginny. A picture of her in scarlet quidditch robes flashed before his eyes. She looked a few years younger, and she was cheering because she'd just scored a goal.
That was weird, Harry thought, startled. I didn't even know Ginny before a few weeks ago. Or actually, I did only I don't remember her now… this is really starting to confuse me.
Ginny shivered slightly and Harry almost leaned over to wrap his cloak around her, but caught himself just in time.
"Uh… I guess we'd better get back," he said. "I reckon your mum will be wondering where we went."
"Yeah, I reckon so," Ginny agreed, standing up and wrapping her arms around herself. "I suppose more members of the Order will be there by now. Ron and Hermione, too, I expect. They went on a date together, obviously, but they wont admit it. "Ginny rolled her eyes. "At least Ron wont, that git!
Harry tried to understand what Ginny was talking about, but he just ended up nodding along to everything she said.
"And anyway…" They had reached number twelve. Ginny looked at Harry and said apologetically, "Oh… I'm really sorry about what I've been talking about all night, Harry. I kept on forgetting that you'd forgotten everything, and, well – this must be really hard for you huh?"
Harry looked down at his feet uncomfortably. Ginny knocked on the door of number twelve. Tonks opened the door after a few seconds, and put her finger to her lips, quieting them. She smiled at Harry and motioned him inside the house. It was very quiet. Someone must have helped Snape shut Mrs. Black's curtains.
Harry and Ginny followed Tonks down into the kitchen. Tonks accidentally knocked over a wooden stool, and Harry nearly didn't catch it in time. Tonks flashed him a thankful smile, pointed to the kitchen, and ran her hand across her throat. Apparently she meant that Mrs. Weasley would kill her if she woke up Mrs. Black again.
When Harry entered the kitchen, he was met by a sudden uproar. Mrs. Weasley started yelling at Ginny for leaving the house, and constantly kept on telling Harry that it wasn't his fault because he must be really confused now and everything, but he should know better than to go out in his wizard robes. Lupin came to greet Harry, followed by more witches and wizards. Harry was surprised when he was able to remember most of them.
Hermione and Ron had come as well, and each went up to greet Harry.
"Where have you two been?" Ron asked Ginny and Harry suspiciously when everyone had settled down and began doing their own thing.
"I would ask you the same thing, Ronald!" Ginny retorted.
Ron got really red in the face, and started going off about how his own baby sister didn't respect him anymore.
Fred and George suddenly came down the kitchen stairs. They bumped into Ron who was just climbing the stairs. The yelled something to him, and only barely missed being hit by a horde of cockroaches.
"That stupid git," Fred said, laughing. "Alright there, Harry?"
"Don't mind Ron," George added. "He thinks he's better than everyone else now because he got onto the Chudley Canons."
"Has he?" Harry asked.
"Oh, right," Hermione told Harry apologetically. "I forgot to mention it. But he's really excited."
"Yeah," Ginny added. She leaned in closer to Harry and whispered, "We heard they wanted you on the team, too, Harry. After you came back and everything…"
Harry smiled modestly. He knew he was good at quidditch, but he didn't think he wanted any more people staring at his forehead.
Hermione went off to go search for Ron, and Fred and George started after her, shouting things about their new products.
Harry didn't know what to do. He and Ginny were just standing there in awkward silence, and Harry felt he was going to blush to death, but Mrs. Weasley saved him.
"Harry, Ginny," she said, "would you two please go upstairs? The meetings about to start."
"But Mum!" Ginny pleaded. "I'm going to be in the Order soon. I should be able to stay at the meetings!"
"Absolutely not!" Mrs. Weasley screamed. "It hasn't been completely decided it, Ginevra Weasley! Ron and Hermione and Fred and George have all been considered as well, but you don't see them here trying to get into a meeting. Absolutely not! Dumbledore may think you are ready, but I am your mother! Good boy, Harry. I'm glad you're not trying to join the Order."
Harry looked startled by Mrs. Weasley's storm. She kept on mumbling about how Dumbledore must be getting delusional in his old age when Ginny interrupted.
"Mum," she sighed. "Harry is an auror. He does more dangerous things than you people do here. I mean, I should know. That first auror lesson was completely…" Ginny trailed off when she saw the furious looks on Mrs. Weasley's face.
"Just what were you doing that day?" Mrs. Weasley asked. She turned on Harry. It looked like the first time that day that she was truly angry with him. "Harry James Potter!" Harry was backing away, afraid of what Mrs. Weasley would do. "I would have thought you of all people would have more sense than to expose Ginny to something dangerous! What has happened to you? No more! No more auror lessons! I've had it!"
Mrs. Weasley stomped up to the stove and fixed her eyes on the many pots, constantly jabbing whatever was in her reach with her wand.
Harry stared guiltily at Ginny.
"I didn't mean to..." He started. "I thought… I mean…"
"Don't worry about it," Ginny consoled. "She gets like this all the time. You should have seen her the time Fred and George tried to force Percy to open a cursed music box."
Ginny grabbed Harry's hand and lead him up the stairs. Harry didn't know why, but he felt chills run up his arm.
"Who's Percy?" Harry whispered once they had reached the hallway.
"Oh…" Ginny contorted her face into a disgusted face, as if she had just realized what she had said. "He's my bigger brother. At least – he used to be."
"Uh… is he – is he dead?" Harry asked Ginny.
"Oh, no!" Ginny laughed. "He's just the stupidest prat ever! When you were trying to convince everybody that you-know-who was back – "
"You mean Voldemort?" Harry interrupted.
"Right," Ginny said. "I just can't forget about when he was still alive, but yeah. When you were trying to convince everyone that Voldemort was back, Percy kept on saying how the Ministry were right and you and Dumbledore and me and my whole family were just fools. Of course he wouldn't admit he was wrong when the Ministry officially announced that 'He-who-must-not-be-named' had returned…"
Someone ringed the doorbell, and Mrs. Black started screaming her head off.
Mrs. Weasley started in as well. "Oh, for goodness sake! How many times have I told them not to ring that damn doorbell! Would someone please shut that foul woman's mouth?"
Ginny gave Harry a "what did I tell you?" look and went off to open the door.
"Ahh…" she said. "Mundungus. Mum's furious with you. You better watch out."
Mundungus dismissed Ginny's comment and dumped a pile of cauldrons in a closet by the door. "Mind if I leave these here? Thanks. What's all that screaming, anyway? Is it Sirius's mother? What's got her started, anyway? Oh, hello there Potter," Mundungus said, noticing Harry for the first time. "Long time no see. Would you mind shutting that woman's curtains? Her screams are getting annoying, really…"
Harry stared at Mundungus. "Mundungus Fletcher," he said. He spoke so quietly, it was almost impossible to hear him over Mrs. Blacks screams.
"That's right, Potter. Now would you please shut those woman's curtains?" He started heading down to the kitchen but Snape, who was walking down the steps from upstairs, stopped him in his tracks.
"Fletcher…" He sneered evilly. "I wouldn't think you'd show your face here again. You must know Dumbledore's considering kicking you out of the Order?"
"For you're information, Snape," Mundungus said, his voice faltering only slightly, "Dumbledore personally invited me to this meeting."
"You better watch what you say, Fletcher," Snape said cruelly, getting down to the point. "After all of Black's things you stole, I can't believe you still come here."
Harry and Ginny looked at each other startled. They never thought they'd see the day when Snape defended Sirius.
Apparently Mundungus thought the same, because he said, "Why are you defending Sirius? I never thought you two were on the friendly side."
Snape sneered again. "As you will have noticed, Fletcher, Black is dead. So I think it would be much more useful to take his side against yours. Now somebody better close that mad woman's curtains, because I'm not doing it!"
Snape stormed down into the kitchen and slammed the door in Mundungus's face. Mundungus took great pleasure into charming the door to slam against Snape's back. Harry could still hear Mrs. Weasley's screams at Mundungus when he went off to attempt to shut the curtains on Mrs. Black, who was screaming, "…FILTHY BLOOD AND I WILL NOT HAVE IT… NO! NO! NO! ABSOLUTELY NOT…"
Harry gritted his teeth and tried to pull the curtains together. Ginny asked him why he remembered Mundungus and most of the other members of the Order as she tried to give him a helping hand, but only succeed in knocking herself to the floor. Harry quickly helped her up, and then screamed, "The hell with it!"
He grabbed his wand from inside his cloak and performed a series of confusing wand movements. He jabbed his want at Mrs. Black's portrait, and her screams were cut off as the curtains shut.
Ginny, who was huffing, said in between breath, "How …did you… do that? I thought … no spell could… break… the one… Mrs. Black… put on it."
Harry smiled and slipped his wand back in his cloak. "Oh, just a few tricks I learned here and there…"
Ginny finally regained her breath and said, "Are you ever going to teach me anything?"
Harry smiled. "Of course, next – " He suddenly stopped smiling as Mrs. Weasley's words rang in his ears. "Oh wait. Your mum won't let you have anymore lessons from me…"
"Oh don't be silly, Harry," Ginny laughed. "Mum doesn't want anybody but you to give me lessons, if anybody at all. She's just way over protective."
"Yeah," Harry agreed. "You're right. I'm definitely looking forward to the next lesson."
Ginny stared deep into Harry's beautiful green eyes, and for the first time since he'd gotten back from France, she the twinkle in them.
She smiled. "Me too, Harry. Me too."
Harry's heart skipped a beat. H couldn't place what was happening. But just the way Ginny smiled at him made him feel goosebumps ride up his arms.
He felt dazed. What was happening to him?