Chapter 10: The Quidditch World Cup

'Good Christ, Potter. What the fuck?'

Harry tripped over the flailing limbs of Elizabeth Edwards as they both fell to the ground in a heap after their first portkey. The sounds of laughter and distant fireworks rang through the morning air as Sirius leaned down and hoisted Harry up onto his feet. Blinking away the dirt in his eyes, Harry took in the campground for the Quidditch World Cup. Elizabeth accepted Remus's hand and brushed herself off. She looked up at the many tents and wizards with awe. Hundreds, hell, maybe even thousands of tents lined the grounds. Many sported chimneys and extra floors, some seemed to be portable houses. Harry could hardly contain his glee either. A grin floating from ear to ear as he turned to his friend.

'I love magic.' she said, simply. Harry laughed at her and turned to Sirius, silently requesting a plan.

'Well, we got special access because of my ever-wonderful title of Lord Black, Senior Undersecretary to the head for the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, we got portkeyed straight into the grounds. This right here is our campsite.' He grinned at the pair before tossing a small bag to Harry. 'Tent's in there. Do us a favour and build it right. Thanks, kiddies!' and with that, he turned and walked away.

Remus shot them an apologetic smile. 'The Weasley's will be here any minute now. They've got a tent with them as well. That'll be the boys'. The one we brought is for Elizabeth, Ginny and Hermione. Thanks, you two!' he cried, before hurrying after Sirius.

'Ever built a tent before?' Harry asked.

Elizabeth gave him a reproachful look. 'You give me no credit.' she paused, eying the bag warily. 'Am I to assume the tent is in there?'

Harry lifted the bag up to his eye level. 'Probably fits in with magic.'

Elizabeth rolled her eyes. 'No shit. Is it in there?' Harry glared at her before opening the drawstring bag. He turned it over and watched as the disassembled parts of a tent shot out, followed by some muggle fizzy drinks and a bottle of firewhiskey.

'Best get building then.' Harry said rather gleefully. He always enjoyed stealing his cousin's Lego. How could this be any different?

Unfortunately, neither teen was particularly successful with the tent assembly. Elizabeth and Harry were both natural leaders, which is rather unfortunate when neither can decide on the correct way to assemble a tent. Add onto this predicament with the silent-to-all-but-Harry voice of Lily Potter, another natural born leader, and you get a disjointed mess full of both mental and verbal arguing among three parties. All of which would absolutely refuse to back down from an argument. On top of all of this, the proximity to the full moon, which lay not two days away, you get a fairly disgruntled Harry.

Finally giving in to his frustration, Harry threw his arms up into the air. 'Fine, Edwards. Fine. Build the tent your way.'

'For Merlin's sake, neither of you know how to build a damn tent!' Once again, the image of a fully assembled tent flashed before Harry's eyes as Lily forced her mind into Harry's. Stumbling slightly, Harry had a sudden thought.

'Take over my body. Build it yourself.'

Harry could hear the wheels turning inside the head within his head. 'Right, but you still need to do the talking. I wonder if this'll work.'

Harry stood up straight as he felt his magic react to the unfamiliar presence now inhabiting his body. Distantly, Harry wondered if this is what it felt like to be possessed, or under the imperius. Shaking himself mentally, Harry chastised himself for even thinking to comparing this to possession. His mother's presence was welcome, this was not Tom Riddle tearing through your very being. He watched, as though through a long tunnel as his body worked around the tent and put it together.

'I wonder if I could sleep like this, and you could do my homework for me while I rest.'

'Don't ever suggest that to me again, Harry.'

'Right, right… Sorry.'

Elizabeth watched as Harry suddenly turned silent and began to assemble the tent in what seemed to be a practiced hand. Believing that the only logical explanation for his sudden brilliance with tent building was magic, she brushed it off. Then, in the distance she heard the now familiar voice of Mr. Weasley. She stood upright and began waving in their direction. The large group of redheads spotted her and made a beeline for her and Harry.

They stopped as they watched Harry's uncomfortably perfect motions with the tent construction. His eyes were unfocused, but they were almost glowing.

'What's up with him?' one of the Weasleys asked. He had a ponytail and an earring. Elizabeth's attention was pulled from the wonderous world around her as she stared intently upon the man before her.

Shaking herself, she looked back to Harry. 'Yeah, I'm not sure. He sort of just, zoned out… Now he's a tent master, I guess.' she gestured to Harry's brisk movements.

Ginny snorted, understanding full well through her newfound understanding of Harry's condition, and the details he had further supplied through his letters, that this was most likely Harry testing out his theory on whether or not Lily Potter could control his body in close proximity to the full moons. 'He's obsessed with building things. He probably got an epiphany and decided it was time to take control of the situation.' Ginny said.

'Since when does Harry have an obsession with building things?' said Hermione, questioning her understanding of her best friend.

'More of a recent development. I like taking stuff apart. Bit of a hobby for the summer.' Harry said. His lips moved and his voice sounded normal, even friendly, but his face remained expressionless.

'Mate you look like you've been possessed.' Ron quipped. Ginny bristled at the reminder and watched as Harry continued to assemble the tent.

'Yeah well, in the heat of passion I suppose.' Harry replied. Elizabeth snorted and the rest of the Weasleys couldn't help but smile.

Soon, the girls' tent was built, and Harry began to erect the boys' tent. Mr. Weasley cut in and told Harry to take a break. His emotionless features left, and Harry stumbled back a bit before nodding his head and gesturing for Elizabeth to come towards the Weasleys.

'Bill Weasley, it's nice to meet you.' said the tall man with the ponytail. Harry shook his hand and leaned in to Ginny's ear.

'I understand why he's your favourite brother.' he whispered. Harry could not find any world to describe Bill other than "Cool". Ginny giggled and pointed to a shorter, stockier man.

'Oh! I'm Charlie. It's good to finally meet you, Harry.' Charlie grinned and shook Harry's hand.

'You too! Hey, what happened to that dragon we send to Romania back in our first year?' Harry asked Charlie, keen on discovering the fate of Norbert.

Charlie seemed to find comfort in the familiarity of the topic. 'Norberta is doing great. One of my favourites, I must say.'

Harry cocked his head. 'Norberta? I thought his name was Norbert.'

Charlie laughed. 'Yeah, Hagrid isn't great at distinguishing genders.'

None of the younger Weasleys, nor Hermione, Harry or Elizabeth understood what Charlie meant. Bill certainly did, and neither he nor Charlie seemed intent on explaining their private joke. Mr. Weasley eventually asked if the kids would like to walk around before the match. Seeing as they had hours until the game, Fred and George split off from Hermione, Ron, Elizabeth, Harry, and Ginny to go and find their friend, Lee Jordan.

The group ran into plenty of their classmates while meandering around the campground. Everyone gave Elizabeth some curious glances but only Seamus pointed anything out.

'Who's this?' he said, gesturing towards Elizabeth.

'Oh, this is my friend. Elizabeth Edwards.' said Harry, somewhat taken aback by the question. He was used to people ignoring her so far.

Elizabeth struck out her hand and gave Seamus a firm handshake 'Potter already filled you in. What's your name?'

Seamus smiled. 'Seamus Finnigan. Didn't know Potter had the balls to get a girlfriend!' he exclaimed. Releasing Elizabeth's hand and slapping Harry on the shoulder.

Harry was about to open his mouth to make sure that Seamus understood that there was absolutely nothing between he and Elizabeth when she elbowed him in the ribs. 'Yes well, Harry's good enough in other areas.' she smirked as Seamus stuttered and Dean roared with laughter from beside him. The group waved goodbye and continued onwards.

'The hell was that Edwards?' Harry hissed once they were out of earshot. He could see Hermione frowning at Elizabeth out of the corner of his eye.

'Making sure you don't look like a fool once you go back to school. A boy with a bit of a reputation is respected more than one who stumbles around.' Elizabeth replied.

Harry stopped and the rest of the group stopped with him. 'You know what I don't get? Why is it that you understand all of these things when you're the only kid in the village, and you aren't even allowed to go out with people?'

Ginny answered for him. 'Harry… sometimes people just know things. This is all just logic.'

Harry and Ron gaped at the pair before shaking themselves and once again continuing their walk. After meandering around for a fair few hours, being introduced to many foreign wizards, and purchasing quite the sum of treats, the group made their way back to their tents. Just before rounding the final corner, a girl with elegantly cut white, blonde hair, dressed in fine deep blue robes slammed into Ron. The group stopped to help Ron and the girl up while Ron began to apologize.

'Shit, sorry miss, I didn't see you around the corner…' However Ron was going to continue his blurted apology, none would ever know. He was suddenly transfixed to the girl's dark grey eyes.

She stared at him intently for a moment, she had an almost quizzical expression on her face before she smiled in an almost professional manner. 'It's alright, the fault is all mine.' Then, the girl turned away from them and strode in a completely different direction than the one she came.

Ron stared after her and Harry wondered if he should tell Ron about who he had just visibly fawned over. Ginny had no such misgivings, she said it straight to his face.

'I wonder if you'd still look at her like that if you knew who she was.' she said, eyes shining mischievously.

Ron didn't seem to hear her. He still stared after her retreating figure. Eventually she disappeared from sight and he turned to Ginny. 'What?' he asked, somewhat dazed.

Harry stifled a snort. Wondering whether or not Ginny or Hermione would shatter Ron's worldview in a single sentence. He groaned when Hermione took the reins. 'That was Daphne Greengrass. You know, the Slytherin girl.'

Ron's awed expression vanished in a heartbeat as his ears turned pink and he rubbed the back of his neck in an obvious show of discomfort. 'Oh, right. I wonder why I didn't recognize her.'

Harry silently figured that the reason he didn't recognize her is because for the most part, Greengrass wasn't around much. She didn't take either of the electives Ron took and had always remained silent among Pansy Parkinson's gang. All Harry really knew about her was that she was silent, respected, and according to general rumour, had no true friends despite her part in Parkinson's group of hags.

Ginny was surprised at the lack of an outburst from Ron. He was more embarrassed than anything. She figured he'd be beating himself up over his obvious brief infatuation with a Slytherin.

Elizabeth continued walking to the tent and the rest followed. Ron surprised Harry by holding back to slide into step next to Harry and whisper 'Well you can't blame me. She's bloody gorgeous.' Harry snorted and patted Ron on the back.

'Not all Slytherins are evil.' Lily thought.

'Not all Slytherin's are evil, mate.' Harry muttered, repeating his mother's words. Ron nodded absently. If Harry hadn't known better, he'd think his best mate had been confunded.

Once the twins had returned, Bill began telling tall tales about curse-breaking. Ginny noticed that Harry was holding on to every word. Not in the way Elizabeth was, she was listening in for any more information she could gather on the Wizarding World. Harry was listening avidly out of genuine interest. His lips were parted slightly, and his eyes were shining with that odd magical glow they always seemed to give off when harry was passionate about something. His lean muscular forearms rested on his knees and his hands, 'His beautiful hands…' were clasped together. The fire they were sat around let the shadows dance around his fine features. From where Ginny sat, his nose and jawline were seen from the side. She had to agree with Harry's gentle brag over his side profile. Harry's being bitten had aged him slightly. If Ginny hadn't known better, she would suspect he'd be approaching sixteen, if not already that age. The strange looks he had been receiving all morning and afternoon were a mixed bag. Many of his and Ginny's classmates didn't recognize him at first until taking in who the tall black haired young man was accompanied with. Essentially, for the first time in a long time, Harry Potter was unrecognizable. The other looks he was garnering were from various witches, and even a few wizards. She took private enjoyment in the fact that Harry didn't seem to notice, and if he did, he paid them no mind like most blokes would. She couldn't blame the stares, however. Harry truly was incredibly attractive. He was tall, athletic and without the piece of Tom's soul, constantly smiling. Every movement he made was eye-catching to Ginny. The way the tendons flexed on the underside of his wrist as he reached for the muggle fizzy drink that made her nose hurt. The way his veins ran from his hands to his bicep and beyond. How his Adam's apple bobbed when he talked and laughed. How his eyes showed so much emotion in a single stare. His hair was long and unruly, but it suited him perfectly. He could pass for Sirius's son if not for the eyes and face shape. And his lips, currently parted as Bill talked about Egypt, were just so damn fine. Ginny subconsciously licked her lips before feeling an elbow stick her in the ribs. She turned to her left and looked up at Elizabeth who was smiling knowingly.

'You're a goner.' she whispered. Ginny nodded and grimaced.

'Am I really that obvious?' she asked quietly, a pleading tone in her voice.

Elizabeth giggled. 'I'm pretty sure only your brother Charlie and Hermione can see it. He'll come around. I'm rooting for you.' she nudged Ginny's shoulder in an affectionate manner and Ginny smiled.

'I know what I want.' Ginny whispered. 'What I mean by that is, I'm not going to dance around other guys and wait for him to notice me. I'm just going to stick with it.' she stuck her can down firmly in a quiet sign of determination.

Elizabeth nodded to her. 'Respect. Don't try and make him jealous either, he's not gonna understand it. I'd give him a bit. He may not notice you like that for a while, and even if he does, he probably won't act on it straight away. Just get close to him. I'm pretty sure it's safe to say that every great relationship comes from a solid friendship.'

Suddenly, the two girls were pulled from their conversation from a slight gasp on Harry's end. 'Wait, Bill, go back. What did you say you found up near Galway?' Harry asked.

Bill paused. 'The Peverell Chamber, yeah. A few years ago, Gringotts called me up from Egypt to look into it. Whatever object that was kept there had been long gone but it had radiated power. Ancient magic. Much older than anything I've ever seen. Older than Hogwarts I expect.' Ginny noticed Harry's eyes shine over as he descended into his mother's thoughts. Then, they locked back into focus as he stared into the flames. Suddenly, Sirius came up from behind Harry and grabbed him by the shoulders.

'Prongs-Two it's a pleasure to see you around this lovely camp. Say, did you do this all by yourself? Start a fire and everything? I'm so proud.' He gushed and fanned his face with his hand. Harry elbowed him in the stomach and got to his feet.

'Where've you been Pads? And where's Moony?' Harry looked around for Remus. Ginny couldn't help but smile at Harry's ease around his new guardians. It was strange to see Harry best friends with what are essentially, his new parents.

Sirius sighed. 'No clue, he said something about-'

'About making sure our tickets in the top box were legitimate and getting them looked at by the ticket officer. Yeah.' came the voice of Remus Lupin from behind Ginny. She whirleld around and smiled up at him. 'We're all set, by the way. Figured I'd make sure you weren't scammed.'

Sirius glared at his friend before clapping his hands together and smiling at the group. 'Game's gonna start any minute-' Sirius was once again interrupted by a deep booming gong that sounded somewhere beyond the woods, and, at once, green and red lanterns blazed into life in the trees, lighting a path to the pitch.

'It's time!' said Mr. Weasley, looking as excited as any of them. 'Come on, let's go!'

Harry's eyes were alight with excitement as he once again recited the ruled of Quidditch, with the help of Ron, to Elizabeth. Ginny watched as he gestured with his hands to describe some Seeker move he was hoping to see, and watched as he bought Omnioculars for each of them. Ginny thanked him profusely, but he just smiled at her. The "Harry Blush" came on with a vengeance as she cast her eyes down to the ground and continued to follow her friends. Though she would never admit it, the fact that Harry had only ever sent letter to her felt so good it made her heart burst with happiness. She still did not know why Harry chose her to confide in, but for the moment, she'd accepted that as a mystery to be solved later. It just felt so good to have Harry care about her as more than his friend's sister.

The group climbed the many steps up the beautifully designed Quidditch stadium. They arrived in the top box and realized that they were the first to enter. The soft leather seats were able to incline so as to watch the match without having to stand. The floor was charmed to be transparent, and the front of the room was open to the pitch, and consequently, cool English breeze. Sirius took the end seat, followed by Remus, Harry, Elizabeth, Ginny, Hermione, Ron, Fred, George, Charlie, Bill, Percy, and finally, Arthur. Together, they formed a completed row.

Then, Minister Fudge arrived. He paled when he saw Sirius and averted his eyes straight away, using the arrival of the Bulgarian Minister as safe reasoning. Sirius stifled a snort at the Minister's behaviour. Ever since Sirius had marched into his office demanding a high-ranking position in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, (to which the minister had kindly and rapidly indulged) Fudge had been absolutely terrified that Black would lead a campaign against him.

Before the match started, the team mascots came out onto the pitch. For Bulgaria, nearly a hundred of the most beautiful women Ginny had ever seen strode onto the pitch, then she watched in horror as all of her brothers, save Bill, were on their feet at once and walking towards the edge of the top box. They weren't alone. Nearly every man in the box was on their feet waving and singing their praises.

Elizabeth's eyes widened at the behaviour, but Ginny and Hermione frowned.

'Veela.' They said together. Elizabeth turned towards them. 'What?' she asked.

'Veela, they're magical creatures. Humanoid.' Hermione supplied. 'They have this effect on men… it makes them want to perform incredible feats to impress the veela. It's very rare for men to be able to… suppress… their feelings… Ginny what's wrong with Harry?'

Ginny didn't even bother to turn around, surely Harry was fawning over them like the rest of the men in the room. 'Probably bragging about how good he is at seeking.' She rolled her eyes.

Hermione frowned. 'No…no, look at him.'

Scowling, Ginny turned around. What she saw was somewhat shocking. Harry was squirming in his seat. His hands were covering his ears and he had his eyes tightly shut. His skin was covered in gooseflesh, and it looked as though he was trying to sink into his chair. 'Wha…' she trailed off as she watched in horror as Harry's nose began to bleed. He clenched his jaw.

She got to her feet and rushed over to Harry. Sirius and Remus were both trying to comfort him as well, although Ginny noted Sirius's somewhat dazed expression. She smirked. Clearly Sirius was not able to throw off the veela charm. Remus took stock in who had approached Harry and felt it was safe to whisper. 'Veela can incapacitate werewolves.' Ginny paled. 'They're dancing and singing, using all of their veela charm. I've learned to ignore it but Harry's just a pup.' It said a lot about Harry's current state that he didn't complain about being referred to as pup. She watched as Remus ran a calming hand through Harry's unruly hair. How Sirius was whispering to him, cracking lighthearted jokes about veela and how, 'At least you aren't making a fool of yourself like Ron!' But Harry heard none of it. Ginny put a hand over top of his and she felt the tendons move from beneath her palm. She squeezed his hand tightly and he nodded.

After what felt like an eternity, the veela finally finished, much to the disappointment of the rest of the crowd. The Irish mascots came out and performed, and the game began before Ginny let go of Harry's hand and returned to her seat. She looked up at Hermione and saw the calculating gaze she was throwing Harry. Ginny would wager that there was an excellent chance that the veela's effect on werewolves was most likely known to Hermione. Silently pleading to whatever higher power, she could think of off the top of her head that Harry will have told Hermione about his condition before she figured it out on her own, Ginny relaxed and watched the game.

Many hours later, the group had settled in around the living area in the boys' tent. Sirius, Remus, Bill, Charlie and Arthur were all deep in discussion on some irrelevant adult topic that no one present had any interest in taking part in.

Ginny sat next to Harry, who was staring off into space with a slight smile on his face. 'Knut for your thoughts?' she asked, tentatively.

Harry started at the sound of her voice and turned towards her. 'Oh, erm… Just thinking about what Bill said about curse-breaking.'

'What about it?'

Harr sighed and leaned back into his armchair. 'I don't know. It's just appealing. It's like… it's the kind of adventure I would have dreamed about as a kid. Not the ones I've had.' Ginny continued to stare at him questioningly. 'Like, I've lived these nightmares… What Bill does, it's his career, his passion. He gets to explore the world and learn all sorts of new magic. It's brilliant. I just…' he paused and stared at her intently. 'Don't judge me but… I don't know. Maybe once I'm done with Hogwarts I'll go out and do what he does.' he smiled sheepishly at her and rubbed the back of his neck.

Ginny donned a broad smile. 'Why the hell would I judge you for that! I think it sounds brilliant!' she paused and stared at her fingers. 'I've always wanted to do what he does too, you know… if Quidditch doesn't pan out.'

'You want to play professional Quidditch?' Harry asked, awe evident in his voice.

Ginny nodded. 'I don't know if I really want too though… I mean, it would be cool, but I don't know if I'd want all the attention. Plus, I've never gotten a chance to play at school, so I don't even know if I'll like playing proper.'

Harry nudged her affectionately. 'Well, I've been thinking about Quidditch too… Maybe we could be on the same team.' he turned away and looked up at the canvas roof. Ginny felt a blush crawling up around her face.

'That would be fun.' She whispered. Out of the corner of her eye she could have sworn she'd seen Harry turn to her and smile.

Suddenly, screams and cries of pain sounded from beyond the tent walls. Everyone was on their feet at once. Arthur was shouting orders and they all left the tent as a group.

Chaos. That was the only word one could use to describe the scene before them. A group of maybe a dozen masked wizards were parading around the campground. There were suspended bodies flying high above their hooded figures. They were bending and screaming in ways Harry could never have come up with in his worst nightmares. The group remained intact, however, and eventually awaited a signal from an adult while hiding in a cluster of trees on the edge of the forest.

Suddenly, a cried spell and an enormous green skull shined brilliantly in the sky. A snake exited its mouth and writhed around in the air.

A mental cry of concern rang through Harry's head. He clutched his hands over his ears to sort through his mother's thoughts. Ginny rushed forward and started shaking him by the shoulders. Harry couldn't concentrate. Visions of dead bodies and that green spell rocketed through his mind. Friends… no, his mum's friends, dead under… 'The Dark Mark, Harry! It's what Voldemort's followers used whenever they'd killed someone. It's the mark they leave behind.'

'Someone's died.' Harry said once he'd recovered from his mother's unintentional mental assault.

'What!' cried Hermione from somewhere to his left.

Harry could not supply an answer, however, for a group of Ministry men came, demanding answers. A house elf was found with Hermione's wand. Apparently, the house-elf-Winky- had cast the Dark Mark. Percy's Boss-Mr. Crouch- fired his elf at once. Then, a somewhat familiar witch came out of the group of Aurors.

'Hey, Harry? I don't know if you remember me. I was at the trial. I think I can find Sirius for you.' The woman said.

Harry nodded and gestured for the rest to follow. The group made their way through the trees and back out into the deserted campground. Fires were still burning but for the most part everything had been put out. Eventually, the auror proved true to her word because she waved down Sirius and Remus, who were both extinguishing flames with their wands.

'Sirius! I've got your missing kids!' Sirius turned towards them and let out a sigh of relief. Remus acted much the same. Together, they ran Harry and his friends.

'Thank you so much, Tonks. If you don't mind my asking, and I know this might be too much, but could you take them back to Potter Manor and watch over them for a minute? Remus will be there too… but, well… you know how Molly would react.' Sirius was speaking in a quiet tone, but Harry picked up every word. He was somewhat taken aback at the fact that Tonks was evidently aware of Remus's furry little problem. He knew Sirius would never tell her about his own condition, but it was still a shock. The fact that Sirius was trusting her with Potter Manor was also rather shocking.

Tonks eyed Sirius for a moment before nodding. 'Alright, but you owe me Sirius.' Sirius chuckled and waved his thanks before running back into the fray to help with the rest of the Ministry. Remus had picked up a discarded boot and tapped it with hid wand. 'Portus'

Tonks glared at Remus for the illegal portkey, but he didn't seem to notice. The group arrived on the front drive leading to Potter manor. Harry repeated the address to Tonks, who didn't seem at all surprised at the fact that Potter Manor was under fidelius.

'Come on you lot, let's get inside.' said Tonks as she took the rear of the group while Remus led them into the grounds. Once everyone was inside the house and gathered around the kitchen table, an uneasy silence enveloped them all. Harry's eyes slid out of focus and into a mental conversation.

'Why are the death eater's attacking now? I don't understand. Is it because of his recent activity? I mean, first there's the Philosopher's Stone, then the Chamber of Secrets… But no, that doesn't make sense. The Stone was sort of isolated to Quirrell and Voldemort. Same with the Chamber. That was just petty revenge by one of his past followers.'

'I wish I could offer you some form of insight, Harry, but the fact is, I'm as knowledgeable as you when it comes to this sort of thing. I haven't been around or involved the past thirteen years.'

'I'll ask Remus.'

Harry cleared his throat, and everyone snapped out of their reverie to look up at him. 'Why now? Why make this big statement after thirteen years of nothing.'

Remus and Tonks were the only ones who seemed to understand the question. 'I don't know Harry.' Remus spoke softly, almost apologetically. As though his lack of insight was a great failure.

'I mean, he disappears because of his own spell when I'm only a year old. Then, he waits around for nearly ten years before possessing a teacher and attempting to steal the Philosopher's Stone… The Chamber doesn't count because I don't even think Voldemort knows about that yet… SHIT!' Harry threw his hands up into his hair and began pacing. 'I didn't even think about that! When I got Lucy locked up, the whole story was published in The Prophet! Voldemort knows about the Chamber now! And he knows about-' He turned and looked at Ginny, horror-struck. 'He knows about you.'

Ginny paled. The rest of her brothers didn't seem to understand what Harry was implying. 'I know it was awful and everything, but why is it so catastrophic that You-Know-Who knows about Ginny's possession?' said Fred.

Harry didn't turn to them, his eyes still locked on Ginny. 'He knows she can fight him.'

Ron and Hermione's eyes widened as understanding flooded through their minds. Fred and George remained slow on the uptake. 'What?' George asked, head turning from Ginny to Harry and back again.

'Ginny fought off a piece of Voldemort's…' He trailed off, realizing that he really shouldn't share that information. 'She fought off Voldemort for an entire year. Even when she was supposedly under total control, she still managed to command the Basilisk in a way that avoided any deaths.'

Fred was growing impatient. 'I get that, Harry, but surely loads of people have been able to defy him before? I mean-'

'Harry and Ginny are both children, and have both not only fought Voldemort, but have won against him as well. Yes, Ginny would have died without Harry's arrival, but she had still never allowed Voldemort total control.' interrupted Remus. He had caught on to what Harry was freaking out about and was shooting furtive glances towards Tonks, who seemed thoroughly enveloped in the conversation. 'Besides Dumbledore, Harry and Ginny are the only two people alive who have defied Voldemort and have both firmly come out on top. Now Voldemort knows about Ginny, and I'd reckon it's safe to say he's going to try and eliminate any possible threat, no matter her age.'

Ginny, though pale, scowled at the implication. 'He's not going to get anywhere near me. And besides, he hasn't even got a body.'

Tonks furrowed her brow. 'I thought Voldemort was dead?' Harry was pleased to note the lack of a stutter when saying the name.

Remus shook his head. 'Harry weakened him to a point so close to death that it's a near miracle he's still alive. He lives a cursed life, possessing animals and fellow wizards and witches to survive. Most hosts aren't strong enough to hold him. That's another reason Ginny's existence is remarkable.' Remus smiled ruefully when Ginny raised her chin defiantly. 'Ginny lived with Voldemort in her head for an entire year and still refused to do his bidding correctly. Quirrell must have had him for what… ten months? That's around the same as Ginny and he was fully possessed.'

Tonks stared at Ginny in awe. 'How powerful was Quirrell?' she asked Remus.

Remus frowned. 'I'd say he was magically powerful… He could contain Voldemort's power, but his mind was weak. For Ginny, not only was she magically powerful enough at age eleven to contain him, but her mind was defiant enough to resist him. That's one in a million I'd say.'

Fred and George seemed too stunned to speak. Ron threw his arm around his sister's shoulder. 'Looks like all those years of lies and deceit, blaming all of us for your mistakes, and constantly fighting with mum paid off.' he said with a chuckle. Ginny gave a weak smile, but everyone was in the same headspace.

Ginny was a target.

'I think it's happening.' Harry said, finally. 'The second war.'

Tonks bit her lip. 'I know the Ministry is going to play this off as an isolated incident, but from what I've heard from you lot… I know it isn't. If there is going to be a second war, and we aren't ready… I can't even imagine-'

'Then we'll put an end to it before it begins.' Sirius's voice came from behind Harry, and everyone turned to look at him. 'We're going to end him properly this time. And Tonks, you're right. The Ministry is already playing this off as some practical joke gone wrong. It's pathetic. Not to mention the fact that the Aurors were too busy interrogating you lot to capture anyone. It's a total shitshow. We need to talk to Dumbledore, get the Order back up and running.'

Remus scratched his chin. 'I don't know if that's the right approach, but we'll talk about this later, Pads.' He paused and added in a hushed whisper, 'You know we shouldn't talk about this in front of them.' He indicated the students and Elizabeth gathered around the kitchen.

'So that bloke who terrorized your world when you were all in school, 'she pointed at Remus and Sirius. 'isn't really dead, and there's a war on the horizon?'

George had his face in his hands. 'That about sums it up.' He said, muffled by his palms.

'You're all-' she paused and bit her lip. 'We're all kids! There's no way this fight has anything to do with us. You lot,' she indicated the adults in the room. 'have got to take proper initiative.'

Harry smiled for the first time since the dark mark went up. Elizabeth had included herself in that statement. He was pleased with how well she had taken to the Wizarding World. Absently, he wondered if she'd ever get the chance to visit Hogwarts.

'You're right, Miss Edwards. This isn't a children's crusade.' said Remus. His face was grave, and for the first time that summer, Harry saw the werewolf shine through his features.

The Floo chimed and Mrs. Weasley came running into the kitchen. 'WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN! OH, I WAS SO WORRIED!' then, in what to Harry was rather unusual, Molly ran to the twins and hugged them. 'Oh Fred! George! I could have lost you and the last memory I'd have with you would be an argument.' She dissolved into tears as she nearly crushed her twin boys. Harry was still staring at Ginny. Her focus was on her mother, so he was inspecting her face from the side. He was horrified and guilty that his actions in that courtroom had likely led to Ginny's becoming a target. A small part of his mind, however, was secretly pleased that he wasn't alone in this. He wouldn't be the only child hunted by Voldemort. Then, he felt guilty over that sentiment as well.

Sirius walked over to Molly and laid a hand on her shoulder. 'I'm sorry I couldn't send my Patronus out earlier, I only wanted to get the kids safe. Bill, Charlie, Percy and Arthur all know that they're safe and that you've been notified of where they're being kept.' he paused as she turned to face him. 'They should be back at the burrow by now but if you wish to stay here, we'd be happy to help you. The wards around Potter Manor are ancient and powerful.'

Molly gave Sirius a tight smile and thanked him before taking in the other occupants of the kitchen. Her eyes roamed over Ron, Hermione, the twins, Elizabeth, and finally settled on a grim-faced Harry, who was eyeing Ginny with a strange expression on his face. He almost looked… sad. 'Harry, what's wrong dear?'

Harry turned to look up at her. Now that his face was directly in the light she took in his appearance in full. He was exceedingly pale, and his eyes had an almost haunted look about them. 'It's nothing. The twins and Ginny can explain.'

Molly frowned and continued her raking over the room. She recognized Tonks, Charlie's ex and final girlfriend, and then Remus. She bit her lip and turned to Sirius. 'Is it really safe to have everyone here with such close proximity to the… you know.'

Harry's short fuse, due to the full moon, and his mother's frustration at the way Molly had been acting all month boiled over. 'Yes, Mrs. Weasley, it's bloody well safe!' Everyone stared wide-eyed at Harry as magic pooled off him in waves. Everyone could feel it. 'The full moon is the day after tomorrow. We won't transform until the twenty-first. You, and everyone else here, is safe.'

Ginny cringed at Harry's slip. 'We' instead of 'He' was not an easy mistake to cover-up.

'What do you mean, 'We'.' Hermione, ever observant.

Harry glared at her. 'Me, Padfoot and Moony transform. Me and Pads are animagi. It's not complex, Hermione.'

Hermione visually recoiled at Harry's anger. 'But how? It takes years to become an Animagus. Surely you couldn't have-'

'Surely? Surely, Hermione? Surely there are some things that aren't always written in books.'

Ginny, Elizabeth, Fred and George all pressed their lips into a thin line in obvious discomfort. They had never seen Harry act this way. He was never rude to his friends.

Hermione gaped at Harry, hurt plain for all to see in her eyes. 'Well… Yes, of course, but-'

Sirius cut her off. 'Hermione, I'm sorry but if you'd like to know how Harry's managed the transformation so fast, you'll have to be sworn to secrecy by the Department of Mysteries. And Harry, don't treat your friends like that.' he glared at his godson who stared back defiantly. Harry was furious. Every little thing anyone did was multiplied by ten on the annoyance scale. Hermione's constant obsession with being right was mildly frustrating on a normal day, but so close to the full moon and it did nothing but pour oil on the fire. Molly's treatment of Remus all month had been a form of growing resentment since Harry's birthday but now it was even worse.

When Sirius spoke again, it was in a calm voice. 'And don't ask Harry to transform for you. He isn't allowed to do it on any day other than the full moon, and with me and Remus present. It's Ministry sanctioned.'

Everyone at the table nodded. Elizabeth figured she might as well ask her questions later this summer to Harry in private.

Harry wasn't done. 'Listen, Mrs. Weasley, I'm sorry.' and he seemed genuinely apologetic. 'I shouldn't have been short with you. But you need to stop this blatant prejudice.' Molly opened her mouth to retort but Harry spoke over her. 'There is a war coming, Molly.' Harry had never used her first name, but his respect for the woman who had cared for him so dearly had fallen off a cliff recently. 'There is a war coming and me and your daughter are at the center of it.'

'What? Why Ginny? She's never asked for any of this!'

'Neither did I.' Harry spoke in that cold, confidently calm voice he had used at the trial. 'But Ginny is a target now. Therefore, you all are. If we aren't all fighting together, we won't stand a chance.'

Molly seemed unable to hold back her next comment. 'And what about him!' she pointed an accusing finger towards Remus. 'How can we really trust him? Truly? What happens when You-Know-Who recruits the werewolves like last time?'

Harry threw his arms up in anger. 'THEN DON'T FIGHT!' he roared. 'Don't fight if you can't trust him.' Harry was walking towards the door that led out onto the grounds from the kitchen. 'Everything comes down to trust. Everything.' and with that, Harry turned and left the manor.

Sirius looked around the room, taking in the shocked expressions. 'Harry's…' he didn't know how to explain his godson's actions without fully letting everything out. 'He's got a lot on his shoulders at the moment. I think it would be best if you leave. As long as the Burrow is secure.'

'Bill did the wards, sir. I think we'll be alright.' said Ginny, standing from the table and walking out the kitchen to the sitting room. Slowly, the Weasleys all made their way out to the fireplace.

Sirius bid them all farewell while Remus escorted Elizabeth to the gates.

'I don't care, you know.' said Elizabeth. 'About you being a werewolf.'

Remus gave a wry smile. 'I know, but you haven't been around long enough to understand why wizards hate my kind. Generally, we truly are monsters.'

Elizabeth nodded and suddenly grew pensive. 'I think Harry's sick.' Remus stilled. How could a squib have already noticed? Harry's friends would surely connect the dots sooner rather than later. 'he's really pale. Please look after him?'

Remus nodded and bit the inside of his cheek. 'I will. Thank you. And yes, he is sick. It's nothing a bit of magic can't fix though.' He opened the gate for her and watched her retreating figure for a moment before turning back to the house. Somehow, he knew that Albus wouldn't believe that action would have to be taken immediately on the war front. But Remus knew that with the help of Sirius and maybe that Auror, Tonks, there'd be a partially formulated plan for the worst-case scenario.

Notes: Ten chapters! That's a milestone so I want you all to read this. Or don't. I don't really care but thanks for reading anyway. R/R

Writing fanfiction is strange because it starts as this sort of mini passion project but when you write enough of it you grow incredibly attached to the story you've begun to tell. I don't know when it happened but this story exploded in its complexity really quickly and I had to sort it all out properly. I wanted to leave this note just to explain some stuff and where this fic is headed.

Sirius and Remus are both main characters and will be incredibly prominent with their own side chapters and subplots. There is stuff here that is pulled completely out of my ass. There is new magic and challenges that only they will have to overcome. They will bring along other characters, naturally, Tonks is one of them. But others will follow.

Elizabeth's role: Right now, it's blatantly obvious that this random squib character I've made seems pretty unimportant. This is simply because she has no real pace in this story until further down the line. She eventually becomes one of the main characters and is paired with someone I think you'll all enjoy.

Ginny's importance. I wanted to address this separately because I'm sure many people will read this and think, 'Wow, that's contrived as hell.' I am a firm believer in the fact that I truly think Rowling had more planned for Ginny than what eventually ended up happening. This isn't like canon-Remus where she forgot about the character, this is a situation where she set stuff up and left breadcrumbs that didn't come to fruition. I genuinely believe that the repercussions of the diary would have been more prominent if the books had room to harbor such a heavy subplot. I don't believe that Rowling had everything planned out, I don't care what she says. But some things were. I think we can all agree that the prophecy, love is the power, Horcruxes (or at least, Harry and the Diary being a part of Voldemort), and Neville's hero arc were all planned early on. Rowing loves hinny, but by the time she got around to writing it, it was sort of too late. She started developing Ginny as a character too far into the series to implement any importance for Ginny and the diary. I wanted to bring this up, because Ginny is sort of our secondary character, and she shares a lot of spotlight with Harry once GOF is done. Voldemort has marked two children now, and I'm going to run with that concept.

IMPORTANT NOTE: This does not mean that Ginny will be a Horcrux. In my opinion, that is a lame copout to the change I've already made where Harry doesn't have the Horcrux in his head anymore. This change was made for a reason. It means that Harry will not have any information about what Voldemort is doing. This will affect the war, and having Ginny take his place would be lazy writing on my part.

Speaking of lazy writing; this is not a canon retread AU story. After the events of Goblet of Fire (Which is completely different in its own right), this story goes completely and fully AU.

I hope you enjoy the future of this fic. Thanks to those who have read it so far.

-Reed