Chapter 6: Chapter 6
A/N: I know it's been long time but I had my exams going on. And with that my Beta too cannot help me with my story as she too is very busy with her work. This story is not Beta read and if there are any mistakes please do inform me. Reviews are very much appreciated.
And in the mean time I am searching for a new Beta Reader too. R/R
Harry slowly opened his eyes, welcoming the sunlight which was coming into his room. Harry felt peaceful and warm; something he hadn't felt in quite a while he smiled and was reluctant to wake, very rarely did he feel such peace after sleep more often than not he was plagued with awful nightmares. Before he had come here whenever he would close his eyes he was confronted by the ghastly image of Sirius falling backward into the veil never to re-emerge. Harry blinked wearily looked went over to Hedwig's cage where she was sleeping peacefully."The bed is really soft." He thought as he pressed down his mattress with his hands and ran his hand over the silk sheets. He remembered everything The Weasley's, Dumbledore and then Sirius. He still couldn't believe that he was here. "It will take a long time to get used to it." He thought.
He gets up and gets ready to go downstairs for breakfast. He checks his wardrobe and finds it full with Dudley's old shirts and jeans. "So need a new wardrobe." He looks at "his" clothes and wrinkles his nose in distaste. Listening to his stomach demanding for food he quickly picks a shirt and jeans randomly and puts on without sparing thought towards it and ran down the stairs to the kitchen. He came to a stop when he saw all of them already present their doing something or the other. He saw Hermione sitting their reading Daily Prophet while nursing a cup of black coffee, Sirius with a goofy smile on his face was looking at a photo album which he had in his hand and drinking his favourite Pumpkin juice time to time, Tonks and Remus were sitting next to each other closer than one would stand next to each other if are "just friends" talking to each other quietly. Nobody had noticed him come into the kitchen. He slowly crept in the kitchen wanting to surprise everyone but before he could open his mouth and shout out loud, Hermione beat him to it "Good morning Harry." She said never looking up from the paper. Harry jostled at that, his heart starting to beat faster than before.
"Don't you ever do that again, ok?" He told Hermione as he pressed his left hand over the chest, the thumping of the heartbeats slowly decreasing, while she just smirked behind the paper.
He asked her once he sat on the chair next to her on the table "How did you know I was there?"
"You were not really that silent when you came down stairs, Harry. This house has pretty thin walls; I could hear your footsteps from the start."
"Oh!" he said feeling slightly foolish about the way he acted.
"Breakfast, Harry?" Sirius asked him keeping the album on the table.
"Yeah, I am famished. Felt as though I have not eaten for days." Harry said sitting down in between Hermione and Sirius to have his breakfast.
"It may be possible." Hermione mumbled under her breath.
"Did you say something Hermione?" Sirius inquired.
"Nothing." Harry spoke up before Hermione could, took her hand which was under the table and squeezed it and shaking his head slightly asking her not to continue the conversation. Understanding what he meant she nodded and got up to help Sirius with the breakfast nut not before she bends and said "later" to him in his ear, before getting a subtle nod from him and turning back and moving towards Sirius. The food was soon in front of him - a plate full of bacon, toast and eggs in front of him and he immediately started gulping it down.
Few minutes of silence then Harry asked "So what now?" to all of them there.
"What do you mean?" Tonks spoke up.
"Well what now- what do we do now?" he questioned again. "As in how are we going to defeat Voldemort with everyone wanting to control me?" He said
"Well before that you two should see this." Tonks said to Harry and Hermione as she took out a cut-out piece of paper from her pocket and placing it front of them.
He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named Targets Muggles, right under the nose of the Minister.
Minister of Magic Fudge had revealed yesterday late night that the increase in sudden temperature and collapsing of bridges are all because of Dark Forces. All these "accidents" are done by the death eaters and Dementors. It has also come into notice that the Dementors are no longer under the ministry's control which makes the situation much more. Even more shockingly, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's evasion of justice may also be the result of unwitting actions taken by none other than the Boy-Who-Lived-Harry Potter with his mentor all along with him- Late Albus Dumbledore. After that Minster Fudge refuse to say anything else. (Continued in page 12)
Harry opened and closed his mouth in shock as he stared at Remus. "You've…Got…To…Be…Kidding," he then exploded.
"What does Fudge think he's playing at?" Hermione sputtered hotly.
"Are people actually buying that load of rubbish?" Hermione asked again when no one answered her the first time.
"I am very, very ashamed to say this but they do believe this." Remus replied with a grave voice.
"But it's only because they have nothing else to believe in." Sirius argued.
"And we have to do something about this." Tonks spoke up beside Remus.
"Well first things first, how do we prove that Dumbledore is still alive?" Harry questioned as he took a bit of his toast.
"Harry if you or Hermione even say remotely about Dumbledore being alive to anyone they will think that you both are lunatics."Sirius spoke up.
"Yes and the Weasley's too are involved with this; they will immediately know that we are up to something." Hermione added after giving what Sirius said a thought.
"Uuhh… then what can we do?" Harry asked hopelessness clearly masking his face banging his face on the table.
"Well I have given it a thought-"Hermione started and with that Harry sat up straight looking at her as though she was the only ray of hope he could find and the others giving her full attention.
"Well don't depend on it though I don't know how much will you all appreciate it, anyways I was thinking that after going back to Hogwarts we should still be friends with Ron and Ginny, you know acting." She said in a rush knowing what was coming next.
"What!" Harry shouted.
"How could you think that we both could still be friends after what they did to me and you?" Harry asked her feeling a little betrayed.
"Will you listen to me?" she pleaded him.
She got up and started working to and fro the length of the table and started "How could you think that I don't care about you! I do Harry, and if you will listen to me then you'll know why I'm saying this." She waited for harry to speak up if he wanted to be he just sat there and sulked looking at the table. "Well I thought that if we would still be with them we can you know investigate little with making them know that we are unto something and they are ought to slip sometime and meanwhile we can also start finding Dumbledore- you know where he is, what is he up to, what has he done in the past- stuff like that."
"I agree with your plan." Sirius spoke up after Hermione had finished.
"And I can help you with that." Tonks said excitedly.
"You can, how?' Harry asked not knowing what she is speaking about.
"Well you are looking at the new Defence against the Dark Arts teacher. I got the letter just before you came here." Tonks replied to Harry smiling.
"Nice." Harry spoke out loud.
"Yes all that is good but there is one problem."Remus interjected Harry.
"What, everything is set, we act as though we are friends with Ron and Ginny and the same time find Dumbledore then -Boom- expose them. That's it." Harry replied.
"It's not that easy Harry, the first problem is what will you tell the others about where were you the whole summer, then the other thing is the love potion they are using on both of you. And pardon me how the hell will you find Dumbledore?" Remus questioned.
"The love potion will not be a problem, we will neutralize ourselves there the same way we neutralized ourselves here, using the potion which you made Remus you can send us to Hogwarts by post or I could make it myself there." Hermione answered.
"Potion, What potion? I wasn't given one?" Harry turned and asked Hermione.
"Yes we gave it to you went you fainted Harry." Tonks said.
"Oh! OK, so what am I supposed to say about where I was in the holidays?" He asked.
"Well, we don't have to worry about that too." Hermione said as he cheeks turned rose coloured "when I oblivated your aunt I had also put a spell on the house which will make it look that you are still staying there and your uncle and aunt will think the same way too."
"Hermione-"Tonks started her eyes wide in awe.
"That's brilliant." Sirius completed his face stretched into happy smile.
"Which spell did you use?" Remus asked curiously.
"I made it myself." She admitted and looked away.
"Okay, well that is done. Now the other thing is that where do we search for Dumbledore?" Sirius diverted the attention from Hermione to Dumbledore. Hermione looked up and sent a grateful look at Sirius and he just bowed his head.
"Yes that will be a problem, I mean remember the time with Umbridge where she tried to find him and the whole ministry, they were unsuccessful- so where do we search for him." Hermione quickly spoke.
"Yeah, that is a problem." Harry agreed with her.
"Hermione, what about the notes of Dumbledore- May be has written something in it." Tonks suggested.
Deep in thought and nodding her head she said "Yah, I will go through them again and then note down all the names of places which is mentioned in all of them, then we will check them all those place one by one."
"Yah, at least it's a start." Remus said and with that the conversation came to an end.
"Ummm if we are over with it can I some more Bacon and some eggs will be great too." Harry asked Sirius as he had given him the breakfast which followed by laughing and Sirius getting up to get some more food. With a distinct "Boys" by Hermione which was covered by more laughter as they saw Harry jumping on his food and wolfing it all down.