Chapter 14: Confrontations and Disappearances
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the below characters. They all belong to the world of Harry Potter so cleverly created by JK Rowling
A/N: Hey guys, I am really sorry that I didn't update over the weekend. Last week my two nieces came home from school with a cold and passed it along to the entire household (their parents and nana and papa) and me and my boyfriend. I was the last one to get it, and it hit me over the weekend. I'm still not 100% but I'm doing better. Anyway, I hope you all had a very happy Christmas and I hope that you also have a very happy and safe New Year!! Here is the next chapter, enjoy!!
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Harry watched Hermione and Remus as they walked out of his front lawn and down the street. He was still slightly curious as to why Remus had left him out, however he knew that
there had to be a good reason and he had a feeling it had to do with the same reason he had refused to give Hermione any further reason regarding the prophecy. Harry knew that he
just had to trust him. Harry also had other matters on his mind. He was determined to find out what was going on with his Aunt. Not only had she stood up to Vernon for him when
Hermione had arrived, but she had been civil to him and she had even talked to Remus without completely freaking out. He didn't understand what was going on. The only time he
remembered anything remotely similar to this happening was in that brief moment after he had revealed to her that Voldemort was back. Even then it had only lasted for a few brief
moments and had not happened since. Turning back into the house, Harry went straight into the kitchen, where he could hear his aunt moving around.
"Aunt Petunia?" he said getting her attention. When she turned around to face him, Harry was slightly caught off guard by her expression. She looked almost as if she knew what was
coming. He recovered quickly though and set his mind to stay on track until he got the answers he had come for. "What is going on?" he demanded. He had so many different thoughts
and ideas running through his head that he had know idea how he felt about his aunts knew behavior. "I don't get it. For sixteen years you have treated me as if I was the bane of
your existence. You have gone to every effort to make absolutely certain I didn't feel like family. You and your husband have made it quite clear you are ashamed to even be associated
to me. So why is it, that ever since Hermione arrived you have been civil, almost even nice. I want to know what happened last night as well, and don't try to lie to me. I know
something happened, I can tell by the way Hermione changed the subject every time I tried to bring it up, and I also want to know why you were talking to Professor Lupin before they
left and why he looked so surprised and confused. I find it extremely difficult to believe that you have suddenly changed your opinion of me and "my kind" as you so often refer to us. So
that leads me to two conclusions. Either Hermione did or said something to you that has you scared and on your best behavior, or you aren't really my aunt." Harry wasn't entirely sure
he was prepared for the answer, but he needed to know. His aunt's behavior was driving him insane, and he wanted answers.
Petunia had known the second Harry had walked in the kitchen what he wanted. She had a feeling that he knew something was up last night, and any hopes of avoiding this
conversation were lost when he had walked downstairs and seen her talking to Remus. She wasn't quite sure where to begin with Harry. It had been a lot easier telling Hermione her
story because she didn't have Lily's green eyes staring back at her.
"Well, I suppose I should start by telling you everything I told Hermione last night. I guess you could almost say the conversation I had with her was a practice run." When Petunia saw
that her nephew neither laughed nor smiled at her comment, she knew that he meant business. So she indicated for him to sit down and retold Harry the same story that she had told
Hermione that night before. This time however, she was not able to look at the listener as she told it. As her story came to a close, she finally found the courage to chance a look at him,
and she immediately wished she hadn't. As she looked at Harry, she saw that a war was raging behind his eyes as he tried to find the words to respond. She knew what was about to
come, and she knew she deserved it so all she could do was brace herself.
Petunia's observation had been very much correct. A war was raging behind Harry's eyes as he tried to put into words exactly what he thought of her story. Harry's anger however, was
not entirely over how his aunt had treated him all those years though. He had long ago accepted how things worked in the Dursley household and he didn't expect them to change.
Sure it annoyed him and made him mad from time to time, but that wasn't what had him so furious. What had his anger threatening to boil over was the part about his mother.
"Unbelievable," was all he could get out at first. "Unbelievable. She adored you, she worshipped you! What you did to her almost rivals what Pettigrew did to my parents," he hissed.
"All because you couldn't handle not being the spotlight; all because you didn't feel needed. That is the most childish, and selfish thing I have ever heard." Harry was so mad that he
was having trouble getting the words out. Suddenly he stood up and sent the chair flying. He was about to storm out of the kitchen when he suddenly turned around and faced Petunia
once more. "HOW DARE YOU SAY THAT YOU CAN'T LOOK AT ME BECAUSE IT'S A REMINDER THAT YOU WONT EVER SEE HER AGAIN. YOU DON'T DESERVE TO SEE HER AGAIN. YOU DON'T
EVEN DERSERVE TO BE CALLED HER SISTER. SHE DID EVERYTHING, EVERYTHING TO TRY TO MAKE YOU LOVE HER AND ACCEPT HER. SHE NEARLY GAVE UP HER OWN LIFE AT THE AGE OF
THIRTEEN TO SAVE YOUR PATHETIC ONE AND YOU STILL COULDN'T WELCOME HER BACK WITH OPEN ARMS." Harry took a deep breath trying to calm himself down. He didn't want to
cause such a commotion that someone from the Order came bursting in. "Then, you turn around and treat me worse than a pet all because you feel like it's my fault that she's dead?
How do you think I feel!? I lost my parents to some psychopathic murder and then get shipped off to you! Did you know that I had a godfather? I could have lived with him except for
the fact that he was framed for betraying them and murdering 13 others by their other supposed best friend, Pettigrew!? Even still, Dumbledore would have sent me here, and made me
return even after he knew how horrible you treated me. You and your family did an excellent job of ruining any childhood I might have had before Hogwarts and Voldemort has done a
pretty good job of keeping me on edge at Hogwarts. If it weren't for Ron and Hermione and some of my other friends, my life would be miserable. So don't you dare try to come up with
excuses for what you did to me or my mother!" He took a deep breath before saying in a deathly whisper, "You are no better Pettigrew or any other of Voldemort's supports, or any of
the other pureblood extremists." With one more scathing look at her, Harry stormed out of the kitchen and out of the front door. He knew that she probably didn't understand some of
those references, but he didn't care, it had made him feel a little bit better. He heard some of the Order members trying to get his attention to stop them, but he didn't care about them
either. All he knew was that he needed to get away from his aunt and away from that house. Without thinking twice, he apparated out of the front yard.
When Harry opened his eyes, he found himself in the reptile room at the zoo. The truth was, when Harry had apparated, he had not been thinking of a destination. He knew there
would be hell to pay later for ditching the Order, but he honestly couldn't care less. Looking around he was glad to see that the only other two people in the room seemed to be too
wrapped up in a disagreement they were having to notice Harry's sudden appearance out of thin air. As Harry walked in front of the glass enclosure that had entrapped his cousin six
years ago, he briefly wondered what had become of the snake that he had unintentionally set free.
Harry began to walk aimlessly throughout the zoo, wandering from one exhibit to the next trying to process his thoughts, and make sense of the story his aunt had just told him. He
didn't understand how his mother could tolerate all that Petunia had put her through and still forgive her and even try to work out a relationship with her. As Harry thought about it
though, he knew why. He knew the reason plain and simple, that was just the kind of person his mother was. He knew, from all the stories people had told him about her over the
years that she was the kind of person that saw good in everyone, no matter how evil they were. Harry sat down heavily on a bench and put his head in his hands. His mother may have
been able to look past all that her so called sister had put her through, but he couldn't. He supposed he was more like his father in that respect. Sure, he was mad at the way that he
had been treated all those years, but it was the way Petunia admitted to treating his mother that had him the most upset. Harry sat there for hours reflecting on everything Petunia told
him. It wasn't until he had calmed down enough to think a little more clearly though, that something came to mind.
His mother had gone all that time, almost two years without contacting Petunia face to face. What had made her come see Petunia just a week before she died? Harry thought about it
for a while. The timing just didn't seem right to Harry for it to be a coincidence. Harry knew that his parents were aware that Voldemort was after them and they had already gone into
hiding. What could have possibly possessed her to risk everything to talk someone she hadn't had contact with for over a year, someone who for all she knew really didn't care what
happened to her? In the end though, Harry decided that he was reading way too far into it, and it could have very well been his mum wanting to say good-bye.
*****************************
In the meantime the entire Order of the Phoenix was going absolutely insane. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU LOST HIM!?" Alastor had shouted at the members who had been on patrol. As
soon as Harry had apparated without so much as a warning, the patrolling members had contacted Alastor immediately. It was currently taking him every ounce of restraint he had not
to hex the wizard in front of him. He couldn't believe it. He couldn't believe the fact that four members had let Harry get away and he couldn't believe that Harry had been stupid enough
to get away. To make matters worse, he had no idea whatsoever where Lupin had gone with Hermione that morning, so he had no idea how to get a hold of him. Even Tonks wasn't
sure. She had come back from their place saying that there was no sign of Remus or Herimone. To say that Alastor Mad-Eye Moody was absolutely livid was without a doubt the
understatement of the century.
It was over half an hour later before a very timid Brian Edwards came forward and told Mad-Eye that he had heard Harry shouting at his aunt right before he stormed out of the house.
Alastor groaned in frustration at the (in his opinion very incompetent) young wizard before him and started to take off toward the house, when suddenly an arm blocked his path. He
turned to see a very stony faced Arthur Weasely looking at him.
"Alastor, I think that it is probably best if I go talk to her." Arthur was as equally upset as Mad-Eye, but he knew that if they were going to get anything out of Petunia, Alastor really
wasn't the one for the job.
"Fine," Moody agreed in frustration. He watched as Arthur approached the house and knocked on the door. As much as he wanted to go blast the door in and demand an answer, he
knew that Arthur was right.
When Petunia answered the door, she was surprised to see a man that she vaguely recognized standing there looking extremely concerned. It took her a moment to place him, but
when she did she realized that he was one of the ones that had approached her and Vernon about taking better care of Harry. She inwardly groaned, but did her best to remain polite.
"Is everything alright?" She asked. She had a feeling that he was here to reprimand her for getting Harry so upset and she knew she had it coming. What she didn't expect, was what
he said instead.
"No Mrs. Dursley, its not." All of Arthur's usual good nature and cheer was gone. Instead he was extremely formal and stiff. He had thought Harry would have had better sense than to
storm off like that; however he also knew what Harry had been forced to endure over the last sixteen years. "I am afraid that your nephew has disappeared and we cannot currently
locate him. He is in serious danger and we are unable to protect him. One of our members on patrol heard him yelling at you minutes before he disappeared. I need to know what that
was about."
Petunia closed her eyes and took a steadying breath. She had expected him shout at her which is why she didn't look away from him as he had yelled at her. She wasn't going to deny
that every word he had said to her cut through her like a knife, but she had expected it and she knew she deserved it. She had expected him to storm off like. She hadn't expected him
to be more upset about the way she'd treated his mum than the way she treated him. And she definitely hadn't expected him storming off to result in him being in danger. "I finally told
him everything. I told him about my relationship with his mother and told him what led me to act the way I have."
Arthur looked at her skeptically. "That's all?" He questioned not believing her.
"Yes," she responded. "Look, I know that don't believe me because of the way Harry has been treated and that's fine, I don't expect you to. I deserved every word that he said to me,
but I didn't expect him to end up in danger as a result. I simply wanted and needed to come clean with him." Petunia stopped. She knew that it would take more than words to get
anyone to believe her. Her own stupidity and childishness had insured that it would be years before anyone believed a word she said. So, instead of trying to explain herself any
further, she simply asked, "Is there anything I can do to help locate him. It is my fault that he stormed out, please let me help find him."
Arthur sighed. He had no reason whatsoever to believe this woman however they didn't have anything else to go on. "The only way you can help us find him is if you know where he
went."
Petunia looked at the floor in shame, "No, I don't."
"In that case, then no, there isn't anything you can do. Besides, I think that it would be an extremely fair guess that you are the last person Harry would want to see right now." Arthur
quickly turned and walked away from the door back over to Alastor. While he didn't go into the same hysterics that his wife did when it came to their children, Arthur still cared about
them just as much, and right now, he was extremely concerned about Harry. The one thing that Arthur hated more than anything was feeling helpless when it came to protecting his
children, and right now that was exactly how he felt.
To make matters worse, no one seemed to know where Hermione was either. He had been very surprised to learn from Mad-Eye that Hermione had been staying with Harry the last
couple of days. He had been extremely worried about her as well, but his anxiety had lessened when they were informed that Remus was with her.
As the minutes turned into hours, all any of the order members could do was wait anxiously and hope for the best. It had been three hours since Harry had disappeared and four hours
since Remus and Hermione had left and no one knew where any of them where.
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
A/N: As always, please, please review. Sorry I made you guys wait another chapter for the locket, but that will be next chapter I promise!!
