Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of it's characters, plots, or settings. Have I really been reduced to the point where my disclaimers aren't even funny?

There have been some issues with the poll, so I redid it and replaced it on my profile. Right now, I am going to be doing the entire book in third person limited to Harry and Alaina. If you don't like this, you can pick any combination of the following point of views and content.

First Person, Alaina Only

First Person, Harry Only

First Person, Switching Between Harry and Alaina

Third Person Limited, Alaina Only

Third Person Limited, Alaina and Harry

Third Person

All of books six and seven

Important Parts of book six + all of book seven

Important Parts of both books

Chapter Twelve

Harry and Alaina were so excited that they ran really fast. Alaina, in the lead, could barely slow down and she ran right into the door with a thud. Harry couldn't help, but laugh at her and even Dumbledore was able to crack a smile.

"Those bloody gnomes!" They heard Mrs. Weasley shout from inside. They saw the curtains draw back and the door opened at once. There stood Mrs. Weasley, short and plump, and wearing an old green dressing gown.

"Alaina, dear! And Harry! Gracious, Albus you gave me a fright, you said not to expect you by morning!"

"We were lucky," said Dumbledore, ushering the teenagers over the threshold. "Slughorn proved much more persuadable than I had expected. Harry's doing of course. Ah, hello, Nymphadora!"

Alaina and Harry looked around and saw that Mrs. Weasley was not alone. Nymphadora Tonks, instead of her usual short pink hair and jolly, round face had changed her appearance. She was a special kind of witch called a metamorphmagus. The young witch sported a pale, heart-shaped face and scraggly mousy-brown hair.

She sat at the table clutching a large mug between her hands.

"Hello, Professor," she smiled grimly, "Wotcher, Harry. Alaina."

"Hi Tonks," Harry said with a grin and Alaina smiled and nodded. Harry must not have noticed that she looked drawn, even ill. Alaina could tell there was something forced in her smile.

Alaina's brow furrowed in curiousity and sympathy and was about to ask what was wrong when Tonks announced, "I'd better be off."

"Thanks for the tea and sympathy, Molly," she said as she pulled her cloak over her shoulders and stood up.

"Now, now, you really don't have to leave on my account," said Dumbledore courteously, "I cannot stay, I have urgent matters to discuss with Rufus Scrimgeour."

"No, no, I need to get going," muttered Tonks, not meeting Dumbledore's eyes, "'Night."

"Dear, why don't you come to dinner at the weekend, Remus and Mad-Eye are coming - ?"

"No, really, Molly… thanks anyway… Good night, everyone."

Harry, whose mind was on the fact that he would be seeing Remus Lupin and Mad-Eye Moody that weekend, was quick to sit down at the table in front of a bowl of onion soup. Alaina, whose face mimicked that of the troubled look on Mrs. Weasley's, instead, turned to the door and hurried out after Tonks.

"Tonks! Wait!" She cried and for a second believed she was too late.

"I'm sorry, Alaina, but I must be going!"

"What's wrong Tonks? You look ill."

"No, I'm fine, really. Thank you for worrying about me, but there isn't anything you can do to help."

"It's about Sirius, isn't it?" Alaina didn't mean to blurt the words out, but she knew she was right. The blow of hearing Sirius's name must've triggered something in Tonks. The woman's forced smile faded and her eyes drooped.

"No one else has been brave enough to talk about my cousin with me. I appreciate that, Alaina. It's nice to hear his name."

Tonks turned on the spot and vanished into thin air. Alaina felt a knot in her throat. One of the things she hated was seeing other people upset.

"Come inside, dear! It's not safe to be out at this time of morning," Mrs. Weasley shouted out to her. Alaina hesitated for a moment, still staring at the spot where Tonks had vanished, before turning back to the Burrow.

Harry's soup bowl was empty and there were crumbs on the table where his bread had been. Mrs. Weasley looked less worried and Harry's look meant that he had explained the events of tonight to Mrs. Weasley.

Dumbledore, was also gone, so he must have left out of the front door. Alaina sat down at the chair opposite of Harry and Mrs. Weasley placed a bowl of soup in front of her.

"Is Hermione- oh," Her own question had been answered by the large ginger cat with a squashed face.

"Go on, dearie eat up," Mrs. Weasley encouraged from her spot by the sink where she was observing the dishes that were washing themselves.

Alaina still did not pick up the spoon. She turned to the clock on the wall with the nine hands. The only one that didn't point at 'Home' was Arthur Weasley's. It pointed at 'Work'.

"Mr. Weasley, still working at this hour?" She asked with a puzzled look on her face.

"Oh, yes! He's been very busy with his job lately. Hasn't Ron mentioned it? Arthur's been promoted!"

"That's wonderful!" Alaina smiled and for the first time took a swallow of her now cold soup.

"Yes, he is the head of the Office for the Detection and Confiscation of Counterfeit Defensive Spells and Protective Objects. It's a big job and he's got ten people reporting to him.

"What exactly - ?" Harry began to ask,

"Well, you see, in all the panic about You-Know-Who, odd things have been cropping up for sale everywhere, things that are supposed to guard against You-Know-Who and the Death Eaters. You can imagine the kind of thing – so-called protective potions that are really gravy with a bit of bubotuber pus added, or instructions for defensive jinxes that actually make your ears fall off…. Well, in the main the perpetrators are just people like Mundungus Fletcher, who've never done an honest day's work in their lives and are taking advantage of how frightened everybody is, but every now and then, something really nasty comes up. The other day Arthur confiscated a box of cursed Sneakoscopes that were almost certainly planted by a Death Eater. So you see, it's a very important job, and I tell him it's just silly to miss dealing with spark plugs and toasters and all the rest of that muggle rubbish." Mrs. Weasley ended her speech with a stern look at the kids as if it had been their fault that Mr. Weasley was so obsessed with Muggle artifacts.

She glanced back over at the clock and noticed that the nine hands kept switching between 'mortal peril' and their regular locations.

"It's been like that for a while now," said Mrs. Weasley with a sigh, "Ever since You-Know-Who came back into the open. I suppose everyone is in mortal danger now… It can't just be our family… but seeing as I don't know another family with a clock like this, I can't check. Oh!"

With a sudden exclamation she pointed at the clock's face. Mr. Weasley's hand had switched to 'traveling' then 'mortal peril' than 'home.'

Sure enough, they heard a knock on the door and Mrs. Weasley went to open it. With her hand resting on the doorknob, she whispered, "Arthur? Is that you?"

"Yes," was the reply in Mr. Weasley's voice, "But I would say that even if I was a Death Eater. Ask the question!"

"Oh all right!" Mrs. Weasley hissed, then she asked him, "What is your dearest ambition?"

"To find out how airplanes stay up. Now let me ask you yours."

"Arthur please, this is just silly!"

"What do you like me to call you when we're alone together?"

Almost immediately, Mrs. Weasley turned a shade of bright red and as Harry and Alaina looked at each other they too felt a little warm.

"Mollywobbles," whispered a mortified Mrs. Weasley. She opened the door at once and Mr. Weasley came clambering in. He too, grew red in the face when he saw the unexpected visitors.

"Harry! Alaina! We didn't expect you until morning!" Arthur Weasley shook their hands and then sat down at the table next to Harry. Mrs. Weasley put a bowl of onion soup in front of him and he began to hastily lap it up.

"Sorry I'm late, Molly, but we got wind of a nasty backfiring jinx down in Elephant and Castle, but luckily the Magical Law Enforcement Squad had sorted it out by the time we got there…."

Alaina stifled a yawn behind her hand. She had been asleep all day at Harry's, yet apparating must've taken the energy out of her.

"Bed," said an undeceived Mrs. Weasley at once. "I've got Fred and George's room cleaned up for you."

"Why? Where are they?" Harry asked buying Alaina more time to finish her soup.

"Oh, they're in Diagon Alley, sleeping in the little flat over their joke shop. That's enough chatter for tonight. Come on, dears, your things are already up there."

"'Night, Mr. Weasley," said Harry, pushing back his chair. Alaina followed suit and said her good nights to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. Alaina saw Mrs. Weasley glance at the clock as they left the kitchen. All hands were back onto 'mortal peril'.

Fred and George's bedroom was on the second floor. And though a large vase of flowers was on the windowsill, their perfume could not disguise the lingering smell of gunpowder. A considerable amount of floorspace was dedicated to stacks of unmarked boxes among which stood their trunks. The room gave the feel of a warehouse. Hedwig hooted happily when she saw the familiar faces, and Archimedes just fluttered his wings.

Alaina walked over to the cages and opened them both. The two owls flew out of the window and glided in different directions to collect food. After getting prepared for bed, they slipped under the covers. Alaina, feeling something hard in her pillowcase, reached in and groped until she pulled out an orange and purple sweet, that she recognized instantly as a Puking Pastille. She tossed at Harry who brushed it aside and smiled her. Instantly, they both closed their eyes and fell into a dreamless sleep.

Again, this is a split up chapter. I'm glad this got some length into it anyway, though. Umm, yeah, so they're at the burrow and they got all caught up with the Weasley family! Umm, sorry for the slow update, but I'm gonna work EXTRA hard to update soon! So, I'll see you in another year! Haha, just kidding, my goal is to get it up by next Saturday, so we'll just see what happens!

Hope you liked it, and I'll see you in part two!

Oh, and don't forget to tell me how you want to read the stories, you can vote on my profile or you can leave a review or PM. Also, if you read Stockholm Syndrom, please enter the bacon contest!