Hogsmeade
Harry arrived at the village with Susan in tow. They had decided that they would keep the day for themselves. Most of the time there were others around or Harry was busy with his own plans and as such they never had much time to spend together.
To his surprise, Harry found Tracy going to the village with one of the twins (he presumed Fred) and they were talking happily. Fred was saying something to her and she was listening to him and would occasionally nod in agreement. Harry was pleasantly surprised with this new development. He presumed that she had succeeded in getting Fred for herself.
Some other couples had been formed in the last few weeks as he saw. Hannah and Neville were a given as they spent all their time together. As he knew, Ron and Hermione were seeing each other though they were yet to come clean about their relationship to everyone else. Ernie Macmillan who had become a good friend and was loyal to Harry in his own way was often seen around with Lilith Moon. Harry did not even know that they knew each other before this year. As it was, there were more broom cupboard busts this year than previous years with the fifth years. Or maybe, he had just started to see things this way. Luna Turpin was buzzing around Terry Boot and if Seamus was to be believed, those two were going to find a broom cupboard any day now. Seamus himself was quite besotted with Lavender Brown who did not reciprocate his feelings with equal enthusiasm. Dean Thomas was seen in the company of Fay Dunbar often. Parvati Patil was the only one who was yet aloof of any romance which might have been happening.
As they arrived at the Three Broom Sticks, Harry found Sirius sitting at the bar with Emmeline Vance, a silver haired witch who was employed as a Hit-witch at the Ministry of Magic and was a member of the Order of the Phoenix. The surprising thing was that Sirius was dressed in what looked like robes worn by Aurors who are on duty. As Sirius saw him, he rose from his seat and embraced him tightly grinning at the expression on his face.
After the pleasantries were over, Harry asked him, "What are you doing here? I thought you would be at the Townhouse".
Sirius barked a laugh, "Here is an update, pup. As of a week ago, I was appointed as Senior Auror at the Ministry of Magic by Minister Longbottom. Today I asked my superior Alastor Moody for field duty and Moody assigned me to patrol Hogsmeade with Emmeline Vance".
Harry wanted to whip his wand out and hex the marauder. He clenched his teeth. "So, you are appointed as an Auror and do not see fit to tell me? Thought I would be happy to suddenly see you here springing this surprise on me?"
Sirius laughed, "Hardly. I wanted to see the look on your face when you heard the news though. Sometimes, it feels good to be able to surprise you".
Harry scowled, "Just you wait until I am home for the Winter break".
Susan swatted him on the arm, "Enough with your posturing, Peverell. Why do you have to behave like this?"
Harry immediately cooled down. Sirius started snickering, "I can see who pulls the strings in this relationship. Imagine a war mage being controlled by a charming lady like Miss Bones here. Bards will write songs about it".
Emmeline swatted him, "Hush you. Woman will always control man".
Sirius obediently said, "Yes dear".
Harry raised an eye-brow, "Why do I feel like I am missing something here?"
Susan swatted him on the head this time, "That's because you are an idiot". She turned to Emmeline, "I swear I do my best to try and train this one but he refuses to learn".
Emmeline started laughing and Harry noticed that she had beautiful laughter but he still did not know what he was missing. For the fear of being swatted again, he kept his mouth shut anyway.
Susan saw his expression and said to him, "Don't be a cry baby, Harry. It is not hard to see that these two are seeing each other".
Harry's grin went ear to ear, "That's wonderful news, Sirius. Why didn't you tell me? Are you two officially dating each other yet?"
"Why else would I leave the recruits in Moody's hands and take field duty to meet you here with her? And to answer your other question, I am not yet dating her but we are seeing each other. Let's see where it goes from here".
Harry laughed at that. He was genuinely happy that Sirius had found someone who was interested in him. His laughter did not seem as hollow as Harry remembered from last year. Nor were his eyes as cold now. He looked happy and full of life. Emmeline was good for Sirius, he thought. They moved to the back of the inn where they took a table. He genuinely wanted to talk to Sirius and Emmeline but Susan had other plans.
Susan asked Sirius "Is it ok if I borrow this one for the rest of the day? He is very slippery and I hardly get any time with him".
Sirius guffawed. "I knew there was a reason I liked you, Susan. You know how to look after him. By all means, I release this one to your care. Do not hurt him… much".
Harry sighed while Susan just grinned at Sirius and dragged Harry away by his arm. As they stumbled out of the inn, Harry noticed that the other shops were quite full already and as he could not think of another place in Hogsmeade to go. They did not want to go where they would meet more people and be forced to spend time with them so he asked Susan, "How about we head to Diagon Alley?"
She widened her eyes in surprise, "And how do you think we will achieve that, Peverell?"
He smirked, "I have a few options, Sue. There is my Hippogriff, I have the fastest broom in the world, I can apparate you alongside or the simplest thing would be to take the floo from the Cottage on the Hill to the Leaky Cauldron".
She giggled, "You make good suggestions, Peverell. Let's take the floo and go to Diagon Alley".
After liberally applying Glamour Charms, they took the floo from the Cottage to the Leaky Cauldron. They were visiting one of the restaurants located in the alley and entering, one of them asked for a private parlor.
As they were sitting for lunch, Susan asked him, "Harry, have you been to Godric's Hollow?"
Harry arched an eye-brow, "Godric's Hollow? I have heard it is one of the wizarding villages and Godric Gryffindor lived there and that my parents hid there but other than that, I do not know if there is anything of significance there".
She said to him softly, "Has anyone yet told you that your parents were buried in the graveyard in Godric's Hollow?"
Harry was speechless. Not once in his life had he thought about where his parents had been buried nor had he asked anyone. Sure he remembered them and loved them but this aspect of their lives had been unknown to him. It also made him wonder if everyone around him had his best interests at heart because no one took a moment to inform him as to where his parents had been laid to rest. Of course every witch and wizard knew that the Potters had been killed in Godric's Hollow so it was logical that they would have been buried in the graveyard there considering the crypts of his family were in Peverell Castle and no one except him could open it. He was angry that no one had ever told him this. Sure they could not go to Godric's Hollow during the year because the school rules never allowed that but at least someone could have taken him sometime during his holidays. He would have to ask them why no one ever thought about it or offered to take him and the list of people who owed an answer to him was long. That could wait however because right now he was on a date with Susan and she deserved his attention.
He looked at her and shook his head, not trusting his voice to not break down. It took him a few moments to control his emotions. "No one ever told me Sue. I never thought about it either. Before this year, I did not even know that there was a place called Godric's Hollow. I suppose there are many people who owe me answers".
Her tone was still soft, "I know, Harry. Godric's Hollow is a rather famous landmark for having been one of the earliest settlements for the wizarding families in Avalon. In fact, many families were settled there before they started spreading out later. In the graveyard, you would find most of the names of the old wizarding families on the grave stones. As to no one telling you before, I don't claim to know their reasons but I suppose that they had your best interests in their hearts. Speaking of interests, I would be interested in seeing your home."
He said, "Sue, you have seen Black Townhouse. That is my home".
She shook her head, "No, Harry. That is the townhouse of the Ancient and Most Noble House of Black. I mean your family home like Potter Manor or the fabled Peverell Castle".
Comprehension dawned on him, "Oh! I have not lifted the stasis charms from them yet, Sue. Since I was in no urgent need for accommodation, I did not bother with that. I think there was a clause about my coming of age before I could lift those charms though Griphook would know better".
She brightened, "Then what are we waiting for? Gringotts is a stone's throw away. Let's meet him and ask if it is possible for you. I must say I want to see the castle".
Harry smiled at her antics. She had a knack for brightening his days and she knew it. She never missed an opportunity to try and make him smile. He liked her company and felt that there was something between them, something inexplicable but it was there. The way his heart would start thumping faster when she was around, the way he was delighted when he did something for her and her simplicity kind of charmed him every time, making him bereft of his senses.
He responded to her, "Well I think we have a bit of time before we have to go back to school. A quick visit would not hurt us".
They arrived at Gringotts and he went to a teller and flashed his Lord Ring of House Peverell in his face, "I am here to see Griphook".
The Goblin closed his register, jumped from his stool and said, "Follow me, Lord Peverell".
When they arrived at Griphook's office, Harry entered with Susan trying to follow him inside but the teller stopped her, "She is not related to you, Lord Peverell. She is not allowed inside the office of your Personal Account Manager".
Harry calmly entered the office and dragged Griphook out with him, "This one is not allowing my friend to enter your office, Griphook".
Griphook glared at the young goblin, "what were you thinking?"
The goblin muttered, "Those are the rules, Account Manager. Only the account holder is allowed to go in or those who are related to him or are in his employ. Heiress Bones is none of those".
Griphook bared his teeth at him, "This is not a random interloper. This is the heir of House Bones and Lord Peverell's guest. I am astonished at your audacity. You know that he is our most important client and she is heiress to an equally important house and yet you tried to stop them? Do you not love your head on your shoulders? Do you want to see it rolling on the ground? Because that is what Lord Ragnok will do when I tell him that you stopped our ally Harold James Peverell and his guest. Now be gone, your fate will be decided later".
The young teller ran back to the lobby while Griphook ushered them in, "I apologize Lord Peverell and Heiress Bones. I hope you will not hold his conduct against the Bank".
As they sat, he started, "Now I would have thought that the two of you would have come to the bank years ago. Have you finally come to see a copy of the marriage contract?"
Harry looked puzzled, "Did you say 'Marriage contract'? What are you talking about?"
The goblin eyed him suspiciously, "Are you trying to take the mickey out of me, Lord Peverell? I am talking about the marriage contract that your father drew up with Edgar Bones. Surely in your over four years of studying together at Hogwarts, Heiress Bones must have mentioned that the two of you are betrothed?
Harry's mind reeled in shock. A strange sense of unreality came over him. Was this a dream? Was this some sort of joke? He pinched himself to make sure that he was awake. He looked at Griphook's face. The Goblin didn't look like he was joking. He turned to look at Susan sitting beside him. The look of stupefaction on her face and a brief touch of passive Legilimency told him that there was no deceit there. It was true and she knew it.
When Rachael had told him about Marriage Contracts, he had dearly wished that there was no contract like that for him. Surely his parents would not have done such a thing, but Griphook had yet to be wrong about anything he said. And to think that Susan knew about it and never told him. She had 4 years to tell him about it but she had not gathered her courage to tell him! He wanted to rage over it and as it was, he was barely controlling his anger. He clenched his teeth and turned to the Goblin, "Send me a copy of the contract at Grimmauld Place and arrange a port-key for Miss Bones to take her back to Hogwarts".
Susan wanted to say something, calm him down but he was in no mood to listen. She tried to grab his arm and he jerked it away from her and glared hard at her making her shiver with fright. Without another word, he simply vanished, leaving behind one very surprised goblin and one very unhappy witch.
Griphook and Susan sat in silence for 10 minutes after Harry's abrupt departure. Griphook because he could see that the young witch was hurt and in shock. It would take her some time to recover sufficiently to even react to his words at all. He was also shocked with the way Harry Potter disapparated from the Bank. No wizards could do it because the bank's anti-apparition wards were superior to those of wizards. It should not have been possible unless... No, Harold Peverell could not be one of them. The thought itself filled him with fright. But then Harold Peverell had come with one of them during the summer. While it was another issue altogether, what needed his attention at the moment was the young witch in front of him. Susan had hid her face in her hands and with the shaking of her body, it was clear that she was crying.
He called for a goblin and sent him to fetch some hot chocolate from one of the bakeries down Knockturn Alley to elevate Susan's mood. He knew that wizards and muggles equally preferred the dark brew. This one which he had sent to be fetched would also be laced with calming draught meaning it would help her calm down.
After waiting for 5 minutes, he asked her, "Heiress Bones, would you like us to contact Madam Bones at the ministry and inform her of your whereabouts?"
She shook her head and said hoarsely, "No. I think I will manage. Can you get me a port-key to Hogwarts? That will be all".
"I will get a portkey to you in 20 minutes. Is there any other way I can serve you?"
"No, Account Manager Griphook. That will be all. Thank you for your services".
He nodded curtly, "Gringotts at your service".
30 minutes later after the hot chocolate had been consumed, Susan returned to the school by the portkey. It was just about time for dinner and she walked towards the Great Hall to talk with Harry and to mend their differences. She had made a mistake and she was witch enough to accept it.
Hogwarts
In the Great Hall, with a wavering gaze, she saw her friends sitting at the Gryffindor Table as usual but Harry was conspicuous by his absence. Her eyes were still blotchy, her charming smile was absent and she did not want to face any questions, so she skipped dinner in the Great Hall and went to the kitchens where the elves served her with relish.
She returned to her dormitory and went to sleep before Hannah returned. Good thing that she was a Prefect because that meant Susan could use the excuse of being so tired that she straight away went to sleep.
The next morning, Harry was not there to greet her at the entrance to the Badger's Hole. Rather she was met by an agitated looking party composed of Hermione, Ron, Neville and Hannah. As she emerged, Hermione asked her, "Susan, Harry did not return to the school yesterday. You two went to the village together. Where is he?"
She tried to look indifferent and snapped, "Do I look like his keeper to you, Granger? He is a free man who can do as he wishes. He abandoned me in London and I have not heard from him since".
Ron ferociously asked her, "London? What were you doing in London? What did you do with Harry? He does not abandon people".
After being brought up by her Auntie, Susan was not intimidated by him but she had been hurt by the way Harry disappeared without saying a word or hearing her side of the story. She morosely said, "He found out about the marriage contract".
Hermione kindly asked her, "Do you mean to say that you had not told him of the contract yet? This is really bad. He's going to think you were keeping secrets from him. What's more is none of us told him either because it was your secret to tell. He's going to think that we are all in it together".
This time it was Ron who interceded, "Give her a break, Hermione. She was just a child like us when she came to know about it. She tried many times to get close to him before telling him but my idiocy impeded that. What is more important right now is to find where Harry is. Also it is equally important to keep this news away from others that he is missing. We will have to talk to the headmaster though. He should be able to come up with some suitable excuse. He must be informed anyway because he is the only one who can find him". The decision was made to go see the Head Master in his office right away, before breakfast, before the entire school noticed that Harry was missing.
Since no one's heart was in it, practices were abandoned. The students were told that Harry was away from the castle and therefore the sessions would not be happening that day however if any of them wanted they could do their exercises as they had been doing. Daphne had guessed that something was not right and waited for the right moment to grab hold of one of them to know where Harold Peverell was.
Head Master's office
Albus Dumbledore was in his office tending to some paperwork when the Gargoyle alerted him to the arrival of some visitors. As the sound of the staircase ascending stopped, he opened the door with a flick of his wand. Hermione Granger, Ronald Weasley, Susan Bones, Neville Longbottom and Hannah Abbott stood on the threshold. He waved all of them inside his office and offered seats to them. After they had been seated, he asked them, "What brings you all here at this hour of the morning?"
Hermione started, "Professor, it's about Harry. Harry is missing".
Dumbledore was confused, "What do you mean Harry is missing? Please tell me what you know".
Susan started telling him everything that had happened the previous day and how they had gone to Gringotts where he had come to know about the contract and had left without sparing a glance at her. Her entire narration was coherent but she had to stop many times during her narration to calm her breath or control her emotions.
After she ended her narration, Dumbledore said calmly, "Miss Bones, I would say that you should have told him of the contract when you got the opportunity but that is water under the bridge now. Harry does not easily trust people and does not open up to them. It takes a lot to make him trust anyone and when he does, he would do anything for them. He is hurt because he thinks you deceived him but I believe he will come around eventually. I have no idea where he is but I believe that he is safe wherever he is. Now you all go to your classes and other routines as if everything is normal. I will try to find where he is. If anyone asks you where Harry is, tell them that he is suffering from Spattergroit and is admitted at St. Mungo's".
As the students were dismissed, he sent a patronus to Vikram who arrived promptly, "What is the matter, Albus?"
Albus Dumbledore was agitated now. He had tried to remain calm before the students because he did not want them to worry but he had come to love Harry as the grandson he would never have and was worried for him, even if he knew that Harry was powerful. The mere thought of Harry coming to harm ate at his conscience. He agitatedly said, "Harry is missing. He was last seen at Gringotts going inside with Miss Bones but no one saw them leaving the bank".
Vikram gave him a smirk, "I know where he is, Albus. We can find him whenever we want. He is perfectly safe but in emotional turmoil. He needs to come to terms with his emotions and that his life has changed in a second. In a few days, he would be fine. However you would do well to inform others in your Order that he has taken a leave of absence and that they should not worry".
Weasley Manor, Unknown location
On the day of the Hogsmeade weekend Molly Weasley was in the kitchen preparing dinner for her and Arthur. While the children were at school, usually only she and Arthur were at home and they always had their dinner together. Bill was living in Wizarding Britain now but he seldom stayed at the manor house and preferred The Burrow. She knew the real reason for his insistence on staying at the Burrow though. He was seeing the French girl who was part Veela. Something about the girl grated on Molly's nerves.
There was no denying that the girl was attractive, but she was snobby and fussy. She constantly complained about how 'eavy Molly's cooking was and no matter how lovely or good things were, the girl constantly compared them to everything in her life that was better. Molly was worried that her Bill was getting involved with a girl that was shallow, self-centred and that she would end up breaking his heart. Billy did not want any problems between Fleur and his family so he generally avoided the manor. And that, was the real reason he continued to live at the Burrow.
Charlie was also in Wizarding Britain but he chose to live in a cottage in Wales near the Dragon Reserve because it made it easy for him to commute to work every day or so he said. Molly had asked him to take residence in the Prewett Manor but he claimed that it was too big for him alone and may be when he was married, he would raise his family in the manor.
Molly also missed the Burrow because it had always given her the aura of home. The manor was too bloody big. It had so many rooms that she could not clean them all. The kitchen was twice the size of the one at the Burrow and the counters were made of some precious stone. She knew that the manor was one of many which belonged to the Rosier Family in the past and it looked like they had a taste for extravagance. While Molly could work as she wished at The Burrow, here she unconsciously tried not to dirty the floors, the counters and devoted much time to cleaning the house. She wished that she had a house elf because that would have been useful where she was the only one to work.
She felt the wards flare, signalling an apparition in the manor and she immediately pulled her wand out and carefully went towards the entrance chamber. What had made her cautious was the fact that she was the only one in the house at this moment and the Manor had anti-apparition wards which were up all the time.
She stood in a dark corner facing the door of the entrance hall and pointing her wand outwards she said, "Who are you, identify yourself".
The voice which answered her was one that she had heard many times and the owner of the said voice was as dear as any of her sons. However she knew of the duplicity and deception that the death eaters could resort to and anyway Harry was supposed to be at the Hogwarts castle. She did not lower her wand and shouted, "How did Harry Potter arrive at my house in his first year of Hogwarts education?"
Harry answered as if amused by the question, "It was not first year Mrs. Weasley but the summer before second year and Ron, Fred and George had rescued me from the Dursley's in the flying car".
Molly's fear vanished and she stepped in light and hugged the teen, "What are you doing here, Harry? How are you away from school like this?"
She could see in his eyes that he had cried recently and was feeling hurt. Someone had hurt her boy and she decided that she would make that person pay for it. No one messed with her son and escaped without consequences.
Harry guessed her thoughts and mollified her, "I was out of the school because it is a Hogsmeade Weekend today. No one has hurt me Mrs. Weasley but I feel like I have been deceived by someone who I thought was a good friend to me. They kept something from me for many years and acted as my friend".
She kissed his forehead and asked him kindly, "What happened, Harry dear? Please tell me".
Harry started, "Since it was Hogsmeade weekend today, I was in Diagon Alley with Susan and we decided to go to Gringotts to see my Account Manager for some business and..."
Before he could finish his words, she asked him, "And you found that there was a marriage contract for both of you written by your parents?"
He tensed, "You knew about it? Why did you not tell me?"
"We just came to know about it at the end of last year. It was her secret to tell so we left it up to her. When you returned from your journey and she started to visit the Townhouse, we assumed she had told you about it".
Harry slumped in a chair, "She did not, Mrs. Weasley. She was pretending to be my friend but told me nothing about it".
Mrs. Weasley said kindly, "No, Harry dear. She was trying to get to know you and let you become comfortable with her before she told you. She is not one to deceive anyone especially you".
Harry waved her aside, "I am not in any condition to be rational at this time, Mrs. Weasley. Would you mind if I stayed here for a few days? I do not want to see anyone right now because there are a lot of people who owe me answers for keeping things from me".
She said to him kindly, "You do not need to ask, Harry. You know you always have a place at our hearth being an honorary son to us. Would you mind if I told Arthur about you though because he lives here, you know? He can keep a secret if he needs to".
She had said the last lines in such a way that made him laugh despite his grim mood. She sent him away to the one of the rooms on the first floor of the Manor which was vacant because they had more space than they needed right now.
Harry took up residence in that room and summoned Dobby asking him to bring him some clothes from the Townhouse and not to tell anyone about him at the present and also to watch his mail and any letter from Gringotts was to be brought to him directly.
When he came downstairs after an hour, Arthur had arrived home and was sitting at the dining table. He greeted Harry jovially before they started on dinner and during dinner Molly filled him in on everything that had happened during the day.
As dinner was winding up, Harry asked Molly, "Mrs. Weasley how do you manage to keep the place clean and tend to your awesome cooking?"
She sighed, "I manage as best as I can. This manor is too big to be managed by myself alone. I could do with an elf though they are hard to come by".
Harry asked her, "Would you mind if I procured one for you?"
She gave him a reluctant smile, "If that does not cause you any trouble, Harry dear".
Harry summoned Dobby who arrived with a faint pop, "Did master call for Dobby?"
"Yes Dobby. I want you to find a house elf who would be interested in serving the Ancient and Noble House of Weasley".
"Dobby be bringing you an elf, Master. There is one be willing to be bonded to a family". With that, Dobby popped away.
Dobby returned a few minutes later with a female elf that was considerably younger, had big brown eyes and her ears flapped back and forth as she spoke, "I's be Roxxy. Will master be wanting me as house-elf?"
Harry addressed her, "Roxxy, Lord Weasley is in need of the services of a house-elf to tend to his household and would happily bond you with his family. Do you agree to it?"
She eagerly agreed.
With that, Mr. Weasley bonded her to his house. Molly showed her to her quarters. The Rosiers had constructed living quarters for their elves. They were simply little rooms sufficient for them complete with small beds and quilts upon them. Since she was the chief elf and the only elf to the Weasley Family, she needed no instructions but knew of her duties by virtue of her position.
A Few Days later
The last few days had been hard for Harry's friends. The morning sessions were not as intense and cheery as they were when Harry was around. The students still ran. Neville and Ronald cast at them but the two of them were entirely predictable and the students could dodge them easily. They had been plagued with requests from other students to know where Harry was but they kept their lips sealed.
The only one who was not affected by the predicament was Luna. A day after his disappearance, Luna joined his friends at the Gryffindor table. Most of them were getting used to having Luna around but this was the first time that she sat with them for dinner. They kept quiet and only answered when necessary as many students inundated them with requests to know Harry's whereabouts. After the 30th student had asked about him and was turned away, Luna spoke up, "Do not worry. Harry is safe where he is. The current predicament came as a shock to him. When he is comfortable with it, he will be back. Just be honest with him and you will have his trust again. If you try to make excuses, you will lose him".
Hermione asked her, "How do you know about it? You did not even know Harry before this year. How can you know him better than us?"
Parvati, who was sitting nearby snapped at her, "Leave her be, Hermione. She knows things about him which you do not and I would not go poking a sleeping dragon, if I were you".
That had shut her up and Luna had drifted away too.
Serpent's Pit
Daphne was having a tough week. The other Slytherins kept on asking her about Harry. She got tired of coming up with answers that made it sound like she knew anything but wasn't telling. She got so frustrated with them that she gave serious thought to hexing each one of them. She hated not knowing things about Harold Peverell being missing. She hated even worse admitting it to anyone. She had been able to obtain a little information.
She had cornered Hermione Granger after Arithmancy classes on Monday after the other students were gone. "Granger, I want to have a word with you".
Hermione was surprised to say the least, "What is it, Daphne?"
Daphne realized her mistake. She had called her Granger as if she were addressing a stranger while Hermione called her by her name as she would address a friend.
"Hermione, where is Harry?"
Hermione fretted a little, biting her lip before she answered. "He is suffering from Spattergroit and is recuperating at St. Mungo's".
Daphne scowled, "Pull the other one. It has bells on it and everything, Hermione. I know he is not in St. Mungo's. I checked. Nor is it likely that he is suffering from Spattergroit".
Hermione tensed, "What do you mean?"
Daphne smirked, "You see, being in Slytherin we learn many things. One of those is to tell if someone is lying. I must say that you can't lie to save your life. You have all the tell-tale signs that you are lying to me- Nervousness, no eye-contact, fretting".
Hermione sighed. Daphne was too perceptive. "This is Harry's secret to tell so I will not sell him out but what I can tell you is that he is currently inaccessible and no one knows where he is. The head master is confident that he will return soon. The Spattergroit story has been created as a cover for him".
She refused to say more and Daphne had to be content with that. She had parried off the serpents who questioned her about it. She also missed Tracy's company who spent most of her time beside Fred Weasley now who according to her, was a charming bloke, always made her laugh and tried to keep her priorities above his own. She had gone to the village with him and otherwise was busy in researching charms for the contraption that Harry wanted them to make while the twins worked on different metals. She still made time for Daphne but not as much as she would have liked.
Tracy had also asked her if Harry was alright because she thought she could smell a rat. Daphne had confided in her what Hermione had told her though forbade her from telling it to anyone else.
Sometime during the last week, she had been approached by Astoria when she was returning to her dorms from the library. She had heard someone calling her and turned to find Astoria who looked scared of her and hesitantly asked, "Can you spare a minute for your sister, Daph?"
Daphne was horrified. She had not realized how much her sister had been affected by her cold attitude in the last week. She had also been told by Harry about how she was scared of Daphne and wanted to apologize to her. She loved her sister more than anything and to think she had caused her troubles made her heart ache. She hugged her sister gently, "Come here, you trouble maker. I am not angry with you at all. I was just a bit irritated that you told him about my feelings when I wanted it to happen in its own time. Next time, please talk to me before you get up to any such antics again".
Astoria had smiled and hugged her sister even tighter. After a moment she let go and asked, "Where is Harry? I have not seen him for 3 days in the castle".
Daphne shrugged, "As far as I know, strapped to a bed in St. Mungo's suffering with Spattergroit. It was a mild case which was discovered before it got too bad. He will be as good as new in a few days".
Daphne could see that Astoria did not buy her story but chose to let go in favor of the new found peace with her sister.
Other than that, the week had been agonizing. The members of the Order still had met for their weekly session and this time, their training had been taken over by Neville Longbottom who was very good and showed them the ropes of Selvio Hexa. He had followed the pattern laid down by Harry and did not divert from it.
She just wished that Harold Peverell would return from wherever he had disappeared to. Since he had come into her life, she had buried the ice-queen that she was called prior to this year and now it was hard to stay aloof when almost half of the serpents wanted to be in her good graces. Since she was the only one seen with any real power in the Serpent's pit, it was hard to pretend to be above them. That would be detrimental to their plans. The only other person who could have been a serious contender was Malfoy. Since he had returned to the Serpent's pit after the duel, he had stopped straying out of the dormitories unless he was going to classes or Quidditch practice. Everyone knew that he had bought his place on the team but it was also true that he was the best seeker that Slytherin had to offer. They were not ready to give up on him. Besides as they said, everything was fair in Quidditch and war.
Lion's den
Life was not the same without Harold Peverell in the common room. While they may not have professed their undying loyalty to him, it was clear that the House always stood behind him. He was their champion, the embodiment of a true Gryffindor and the one who had won them renown as they had not seen for years before he arrived. Sure the house had produced its share of brilliant wizards and witches but the limelight had shifted to Slytherin in the years following the war. Harold Peverell with his friends had changed all that by winning them the house cup in his first year and on the side had defeated Voldemort, repeated the feat in his second year with killing a Basilisk, in third year he had won the Quidditch cup from the snakes and chased away a hundred dementors, and the last year he had won the tournament and escaped Voldemort again. This year, he was everywhere from the Wizengamot to the pages of magazines and news papers, not to mention, he was reckoned by some as one of the moving forces in the Wizarding World.
Hermione was frustrated with not having answers. Since Harry had returned from wherever he had gone during the summer, he had turned elusive. He kept information away from her and when he chose to answer, he would answer cryptically. Now he was missing and there was nothing that she could do to find him. She was also a bit angry with him. He obviously had forgot or was oblivious to how Ronald had kept Susan away from approaching him all these years or that Susan stayed by him when no one else did. She was determined to give him an earful when he returned.
Ronald was also worried but not as much as anyone else. He knew about his best mate. The bloke had been hit with the killing curse twice and lived to tell the tale and with all the skills that he had been demonstrating lately, there was no one except Tom Riddle who could hurt his friend. And there was some question about even that.
Neville was worried about his god-brother but there was no one who could give him answers. He had asked Dumbledore and the old wizard told him that they were looking but could not find him. The Head Master also confided to him that Harry's friends knew where he was and were keeping an eye on him and not telling anyone. As far as Neville was concerned, he did not care about his friends but Harry and wanted his god-brother to return.
Ginny Weasley had seen people around her worried for Harry and was a bit baffled. Spattergroit was a nasty disease but it was not as if it could not be cured anymore. In fact Harry had discovered his ailment in the early stages meaning he could get well quickly. Why then, were others so worried? The healers would have him as good as new in no time. But there was something that she sensed was not right. Something about Harry that no one was telling her. To find peace for her inner turmoil, she had caught up with Hermione one day in the Common Room.
"Hermione" she called and Hermione perhaps did not hear her or purposefully ignored her. She sped up until she was beside Hermione and caught her by the shoulder, "Hermione, I have been calling you for a few minutes now".
Hermione looked like she just woke up from a trance, "Oh sorry, Ginny. I did not hear you".
"Of course you didn't. What is it that has been troubling you all? I know that Harry is ill but he will get better in no time. Why are you all acting like you are waiting for an explosion?"
Hermione sighed, "Because I fear that is what will happen when Harry comes back".
"Please don't talk to me in riddles. Save those for your own red-head and give me a straight answer".
Hermione decided that it was time that she shared her concerns with her best friend, "Ginny, what do you know about Susan?"
Ginny thought for a few seconds, gathering everything that she knew about the strawberry blond before she started speaking, "She is the model of how a Hufflepuff should be- loyal and hard-working. Other than that, she seems to follow Harry more than anyone else does in my opinion. While I would not brand her as a fangirl, she seems to be very possessive of him. I have heard over the years how she defended him in his absence before others. Even last year, she defied her house mates for him. What I don't understand is why she would do so much for Harry who before this year, didn't even know that she existed?"
Hermione gave her a sad smile, "What I am about to tell you can go no further. Last year when Harry was in the hospital wing, Madam Bones had visited him there when he was in magical coma".
-Flash Back-
Madam Bones entered the hospital wing behind Dumbledore and Mr. Weasley and took a seat on one of the chairs arranged around Harry's bed. After everyone was seated and Dumbledore had informed Madam Pomphrey that they would not be long, she retired to her office.
Albus addressed Hermione and Mrs. Weasley, who were in the hospital wing, "What I am going to say here should not be known outside this room. There are things of a sensitive nature which need to be kept secret for the time being".
Hermione was alert now, curious about anything that the Head Master was willing to tell them. "Molly.", he said to Mrs. Weasley, "You may not like this, but I feel it is best if this does not find its way to Harry's ears for now".
When Mrs. Weasley acquiesced, he started speaking again, "Shortly before James and Lily died in the first war, they had met Edgar and Ellie Bones, who had been blessed with a daughter only a few months before. Since both sets of parents were very active in the war and fighting for the Order, they did not know if they would survive the war and see their children grow up to be the fine wizard and witch that they are. They also had concerns about the future of their children if something were to happen to them. You must remember that Charlus and Dorea Potter were dead and James had no other family who could take Harry in if something were to happen to him. Lily had her muggle sister and her husband, but they were not their choice of Guardians. Likewise Edgar had Amelia who was an Auror and no one knew if she would survive to see the end of the war either. To ensure that their children would at least have someone to call family and to protect them they decided to enter into a marriage contract".
"Marriage Contract?" Hermione blurted, "Are they still a thing? The muggles don't do them anymore".
Dumbledore replied to her, "Miss Granger, please be quiet till I am done. Just to answer your question, marriage contracts have not been common practice in the wizarding world for over a century now, but they are still done under extraordinary circumstances. In place of the Marriage Contracts, they now do the pre-nuptial agreements mostly. Something which I think is also done by the muggles".
After Hermione was sufficiently chastised by his words, he started speaking again, "Soon after the marriage contract was written, both sets of parents perished. Due to some unforeseen circumstances, copies of the agreements which existed outside of Gringotts were also destroyed. The only copy which existed was the one with the Contracts and Agreements department of the Bank which was also the original copy. I was not in the know about it, so I had no option other than to take Harry to the muggles after the Potters were killed. Madam Bones decided not to let him know about it before he and Susan could become good friends but that has not been possible due to young Ronald's interference all these years. If you all could rein in young Ronald, it would be helpful to everyone".
-Flash back ends-
Ginny was shocked and it took quite a long time before she started to speak, "Do you mean to say he is betrothed to her? He is all hers- signed, sealed and delivered?"
Hermione snorted, "You did not have to be so crude about it. But, yes, the crux is that he is hers. Until last Saturday, he just didn't know yet".
"And did you tell anyone about it after that day?"
Hermione shook her head, "No. I didn't. Shortly before Ron and I started dating this summer, he told me this secret saying he wanted to unload it to someone and I am the one he could trust. Your father had some tough words with him. He had chewed Ron out for making trouble for the family by interfering and stopping others from befriending Harry Potter. That is one of the reasons that Susan has been around him so much more this year".
Ginny smiled ruefully, "Oh! I never had a chance with him then".
Hermione arched an eye-brow, "Are you still interested in him? I thought you were over him by your own admission".
Ginny smiled, "Oh yes, I got over my teenage crush on him. I had realized that I could not stand to see him getting mortally injured so often when all my life I had thought that he was invulnerable. Once I was over my crush, I did some honest soul searching and I found that I was never after the boy Harry but the legend of the boy-who-lived".
Hermione asked her, "When did you get so wise?"
Ginny stuck out her tongue showing her maturity and asked, "While I am sure I enjoyed this little secret but that does not explain how this is connected to Harry's illness?"
"You know how he went to the village with Susan last weekend?"
"Yes, I saw them in the Three Broom Sticks with Sirius and Emmeline, why?"
"Turns out that they got bored of Hogsmeade and flooed to Diagon Alley. One thing lead to another and the two of them ended up visiting Gringotts together. His Account Manager assumed that Harry knew about the marriage contract and asked Harry if they had come to view a copy of it. The goblin also told him that Susan has known about it for the last 4 years. Harry ordered the goblin to arrange a port-key for Susan back to Hogwarts and disappeared. Nobody has seen him since".
Badger's Den
Life was hard for Susan. She had sent a letter to Amelia who had sympathized with her but had also chewed her out for going to Gringotts in the first place. She told her that Harry would eventually come around and she just had to be patient for a time. She told her niece that Harold Peverell was crazily in love with her and just didn't know it yet. Amelia had also failed to locate him. She was relying on the information that she had received from the Order of the Phoenix that he was well.
People asked her how Harry was or if she had visited him at the hospital and she had given them the excuse of it being a contagious disease which shut them up.
Hannah was also worried. She knew that there was a marriage contract between Susan and Harry. She also knew that Susan had not told him about it. She had hoped that the way Susan had stood by him all these years and defended him, going as far as to risk the wrath of her house mates, would say a lot about Susan's loyalty and her dedication to Harold Peverell and he would think everything through.
Since he had disappeared, Susan had lost her drive to do anything. She was monotonously following the daily routines like going to classes, or the practice sessions in the Room of Requirement or sparring with Neville with a sword. It was like someone had taken her will away. She was also angry with Harry and wanted to give him a dressing down for his treatment of her friend. She had heard her friend crying in the dead of night when others were sleeping and almost every day of the past week, she had seemed fatigued as if she was not sleeping properly. She had tried to talk to her about it but every time Susan just said that she should have told him about the contract sooner. It was not right for her to keep it to herself when he was going to be equally affected by it.
She would have words with Harold Peverell once he returned from wherever he was. There was no way that he could hurt her friend and get away with it.
Black Townhouse
Dumbledore was presiding over a meeting of the Order. In the last week, this was the second meeting that he had to hold. The Order members were worried for Harry and his safety and he had assuaged their concerns as best as he could but each time one of them would bring in some news which would have them clamoring for him to address those concerns again.
The marauders were inexplicably calm despite Harry's absence. Sure they were worried but they did not show it. Sirius still went about his job and so did Remus who had so many things on his hands that it was a wonder that he could find time for the Order meetings. Remus had already helped Dumbledore as much as he could with making 70 werewolves agree to stay neutral in the war and giving them respectable jobs. Remus might not have known it but Dumbledore had gathered from his sources that there were at least 40 more werewolves who were working for other Lords and Ladies of the Wizengamot and making a decent living all due to the fact that Harold Peverell had employed so many of them. Perhaps after this war, life would be better for the werewolves in general with the hatred against them diminishing. That was however in the future and for now, he wanted Harold Peverell back.
Vikram Rana had also taken his leave a day after Harry had disappeared and had returned the next morning. When he had enquired as to where he had gone, Vikram told him that he had gone to meet one person whose advice could help Harry out of his broodiness. He had given a sealed letter to Albus to be delivered to Harry whenever his position was known and said that it was important that Harry read this letter.
Weasley Manor
Molly Weasley was worried. Harry had been living in the manor for three days now and she had seen very little of him. Since she had more time on her hands after the Weasley family had acquired an elf, Molly tried to spend every spare minute with Harry. She had been baffled when she could not get past the threshold of his room because Harry had put some wards on the door. However after she had told him that he was not going to be attacked in this manor, he had stopped using them. As it was, he rarely came out of his room and almost spent the entire day in there. She knew that he was communicating with people as she had seen Hedwig fly in and out of the manor but she did not know with whom.
He would come out of the room for an hour or so, take food with them and then return to his room. He would sit by her sometimes making small talk but talking nothing of significance.
One evening she had stopped him and made him sit at the dining table. She asked him, "Harry, dear. You have had three days to think things over. I would like to know what you have decided".
"I have not yet decided anything Mrs. Weasley. I still cannot understand why she did not tell me about it. I mean that way Madam Bones could have taken me in and raised me as her own ward. I would have been able to get away from the Dursley's years ago. I don't even know if I can trust her again".
She patted his hand and said, "Harry, I want you to consider this. She was only 11 when she learned about the marriage contract. Think what a surprise that must have been to her. Instead of blurting it out the moment she saw you, four years ago, she tried to get to know you, the boy instead of the legend in the books. She approached you several times, but our Ronald kept chasing her away. She has been nothing but loyal and kind to you. Now, I can't say that I know why she put off telling you, but I'm sure that she is a good girl and would not intentionally do anything to hurt you. On the contrary, she would stand between you and You-Know-Who if it came down to it. I would only advise you to please listen to her before you make any decision".
Harry stood up from the table to go to his room, "Mrs. Weasley, I will think about what you have said".
That had been 4 days ago and since then Harry had not broached the topic again. In fact the most he did was to come to the dining table and then retire to his room again. She did not know what to do to bring him out of his funk because there was nothing she could say that would appeal to his sense of righteousness. That was when she decided to send a letter to those she thought could help him- Alice Longbottom and Amelia Bones. Alice because she was his god mother and Amelia because she owed him some answers. The letters had been delivered to them by Arthur with the Fidelius secret to the manor and right now, she was waiting in the entrance hall for them to arrive.
There was a copse of trees outside the manor at some distance where the apparition point had been set and Amelia and Alice appeared in that copse from where Roxxy took them inside to Molly.
When they entered, the first thing Alice wanted was to see Harry. Molly dutifully pointed her to the room on the first floor.
Alice pounded on the door, "Harold Peverell, open this door now".
There was no answer from inside and Alice shouted again, "I know you are inside and if you do not open this door right now, I swear by Merlin that I will blast it out of the way".
To show that she was serious about what she said, she whipped out her wand and pointed it at the door, "I will wait for 10 seconds and at the eleventh second, I am storming this room".
However, the door had opened before 10 seconds had passed and Harry stood there his face looking gaunt, his hair uncombed and his expression was like he was carrying an unbearable burden. It looked like Harry Potter had returned in place of Harold Peverell.
Alice wrinkled her nose, "What have you done to yourself? I came here expecting to see the teen Lord and not some street urchin. Tidy up and come down to the dining table".
Harry arrived after about 10 minutes and took a seat at the table. Amelia and Alice had forbidden him from ever bowing to them so there was no need to show his manners.
Amelia opened the conversation, "Before we say anything or you ask your questions, I want you to read this letter. Dumbledore gave this letter to me this morning to hand it over to you telling me that it has come from some special person".
Harry took the envelope from her and gave a cursory glance to the seal on the letter. It was a Snidget! In anticipation, he tore the envelope open. As he had expected, the letter was from Rachael.
"Dear Lord Peverell,
Firstly I must offer my heartfelt thanks to you for making the offer of sanctuary to Terrence and saving him from being branded by that abomination. I am grateful that you granted me the boon I asked of you.
Secondly I have been informed that you found there was a marriage contract between yourself and Heiress Bones written during the last war by your parents and that you left that poor girl stranded in Goblin territory when your emotions got the better of you.
I must confess that I am ashamed of your conduct and feel that all the training I imparted to you was in vain. It is easy to maintain your manners when you are in charge of things but the real test is to maintain them when you are not feeling like it.
Harry, I cannot make your decisions for you but remember that she is as affected by this contract as much as you are. She might have had different plans for her life but with the contract, that may have changed. I beseech you to please hear her side and ask all your questions before you decide upon your next course of action. I am waiting to hear from you as to how you will conduct yourself in this situation which will be a test of your character.
Love
Rachael"
Harry read the letter carefully and then slipped it into his robes. He had yearned for some advice from her for days and now he had it. What she was advising him was not too far from what he had been thinking anyway. He knew that others would be going spare with worry without him or any news of him and he could not stay here while everyone was worried. He had sent letters to Moony and Padfoot telling them that he was fine but had not disclosed his location. He had also not expected to find Alice and Amelia before him.
Amelia started, "Now I know you have a lot of questions for me, Harry. I will try to answer all of them. First, you must promise me that you will listen to me with an open mind and will not jump to conclusions before I have finished speaking".
Alice who had not yet stowed her wand back into her wand holster and was twirling it between her fingers, said, "Oh, he would not dare to interrupt when you are speaking. He is a very good boy. Aren't you, Harry?" She finished showing a very toothy grin.
With the menacing expression that Alice had on her face, Harry knew what was good for him. "I promise I will not interrupt her but why are you here?"
Alice sighed, "My godson goes missing for a week without a word about his whereabouts and when I find him he asks why I am here. Of course I am here to keep my wayward son on track so that he doesn't do something stupid. Lily had told me once that if she was not around and I was to raise you, then I was at liberty to use any means necessary to make you tow the line".
Molly smiled inwardly. She loved Harry so much that she could not even take the demeanor as Alice had done and he looked like he was quaking with fear before her. Perhaps it was a good decision to let these witches know about his whereabouts.
Amelia was saying, "We are digressing here. Please ask your questions, Harry".
Harry asked the first thing that was on his mind, "Why? Why didn't you or Susan tell me that she was my betrothed? I don't know how long she has known it but she could have let me know about it as soon as she came to know. Why did my parents have this contract written?"
"I came to know of the contract on the day Susie turned 11. Your parents and her parents had made the contract sometime after Sybill had made that wretched prophecy and your parents were going into hiding. I think they wanted to ensure that you would have a family to go to in case something happened to them. Before Susie's 11th birthday, I did not know about the existence of the contract because it was done a week before Edgar and Ellie were killed by Voldemort. Their copy of the contract was with their solicitors who coincidentally were the same as the Potters- Tonks and Vaughan and their copies were destroyed in the office fire. In the wake of their death, I was occupied with arranging for their funerals and other details so I could not contact them or the bank. Your parents had gone into hiding to protect you and James had briefly appeared to attend the funeral but had to leave so he was not caught by the death eaters. He perhaps assumed that I knew about the contract and since I was alive, Susan was my ward so there was no reason for him to say anything. In the next decade, I seldom visited my account manager. Most of my business with the Bank was when I had to draw out some Galleons. Not once did I take Susan to the bank with me. Since it concerned her, the goblins did not tell me without her being present".
"The day Susan turned 11 I took her to Gringotts to get her trust vault opened which had been set up by Edgar before he died in the war. It was then that the goblins informed me that a marriage contract had been registered in their 'Contracts and Agreements' department in the name of Susan Bones and Harry Potter. I did not know your whereabouts and there was only one person who did but I knew he would not let me take your guardianship so easily. Susie was a child then and she did not understand the full implications of the contract except that she was to marry you when you both had reached the age of 18. I knew that dropping the news on you like that would be catastrophic and may ruin any chance of a happy life that you both could have. So, I asked her to befriend you first. Your friend Ronald stopped her at every step and even made her cry a few times with his behaviour. Your friends were over-protective of you and did not let anyone else near you. She stayed dedicated to you though. Every year she begged me to approach Dumbledore and make a move to make you my ward but I hesitated thinking it was too early to let you know about the contract. I had decided that if she failed to befriend you by your fifth year, I would take matters into my own hands and tell you myself. You know what happened afterwards".
Harry was silent for a few moments before he started speaking again, "Auntie, do you know how different my life could have been if you had taken my guardianship in my first year? I would not have been forced to return to the muggles every year. They treated me worse than a house-elf. I could have had happiness under your roof. I spent 12 years thinking that I was truly an orphan with no one to call my own till Sirius Black escaped from Azkaban and Remus Lupin told me that they were my father's best mates. There were moments when I could have done with a guardian around but there was no one".
It was Alice who spoke this time, "Harry, I know your complaints are just and valid but is there any reason to cry over spilt milk? Things could have been different in many ways but it cannot be changed now. If we could get something by brooding over missed opportunity, I would have brooded over the time that I had to spend away from Neville because I was stuck in my mindscape and had no way to return to consciousness. I know that you feel that people have let you down but we are humans. We all make mistakes. I know that you are more miffed that your parents wrote a contract for you thereby taking away your right to choose. But instead of telling you that, Susan chose to try and show you what an amazing person she is so that you could choose her for yourself. If it is any consolation to you, Frank and I had thought about writing a contract between Neville and Fay Dunbar but mother had convinced us otherwise saying that we had sufficient people in our family to take care of him if something were to happen to me and Frank. Would you estrange someone for making an honest mistake with no deceit or ill will in their heart? Can you look me in the eye and say that Susan is not someone you would like to spend your entire life with?"
Harry's jaw hung open. He had grown up without knowing the love of his mother and here were three witches, any one of which would have been proud to call him son and loved him as much as any mother could. The words of his God-Mother struck home. She was right, of course, Susan was an amazing person. He closed his mouth and began to pull himself together. When he thought about the time he had spent chasing Cho around, it felt like it wasn't even his own memories. This wasn't hard. He realized that he had been throwing a week-long tantrum and it was high time he grew up. If Rachel had seen him acting like this, she would have made him stand under the glacier melt-off the entire night to smarten him up. She had been right in her letter that he had disappointed her. Also, he had felt that Susan was the kind of person he needed in his life to keep him grounded and to make him happy. Amelia was taking the responsibility for her actions which had nothing to do with Susan. If she had her way, she would have tried to tell him in the first year itself despite what Ronald did to stop her.
Molly who had been sitting silently hearing everything that was said finally opened her mouth to speak, "Harry dear, I know it is not my place or anyone else's to tell you what to do but I would say that Amelia and Alice are right. Maybe they should have told you sooner that you are betrothed to Susan but at the same time, may be then you would have seen it as a burden and not tried at all to get to know Susan as you do now. I have seen you with that girl and she brings happiness to you, you smile more often in her presence and she can always calm you down no matter whatever has worked you up. And I swear that I will have words with Ronald Weasley when he is home during the winter vacation".
Harry hung his head. "I know and I apologize for my conduct. I know that I should have talked with her but my emotions got the better of me. I will return to the school tomorrow and apologize to her".
Molly whipped her wand out and shot a stinging hex at him, "Not tomorrow but today. Be gone with you and I want a letter as soon as you can manage detailing everything that has happened between you two after she is done giving you an earful about your stupidity".
Hastily saying his good-byes Harry scrambled out of the manor and apparated to Black Townhouse. He had no wish to return to the Gryffindor tower and face an inquisition squad just yet.
Black Townhouse
Harry entered the Townhouse to find it empty except for Tonks who was sitting in the kitchen, sipping tea and looking as if she was lost in thought. He tapped her on the shoulder, "Nymphadora".
She bared her teeth at him, "Do not call me Nymphadora". After she was done baring her teeth at him, she did a double take when she realized that it was Harry who had addressed her. "Where have you been? Do you know how much trouble you have caused? The minister has deployed a team of 10 Aurors to search for you. Dumbledore is going spare with worry. Mother has been morose for the last week since she heard that you were missing. You are so irresponsible and in so much trouble. You will pay for this, Harry. I am going to line up the firing squad and enjoy it while they take shots at you".
Harry raised his hands in surrender, "Calm down Nymphadora. I did not do it on purpose. Why has the minister launched a manhunt? Am I a wanted criminal? Sirius knew I was safe wherever I was. I had sent him and Moony a letter a day after I disappeared. Why did you tell Aunt Andromeda? I'll bet that she is part worried and part angry with me waiting for some news so that she can hex me out of existence the moment she learns that I have been found".
Tonks smirked, "Oh yes. She has vowed to curse you so bad that you will never ever do anything like that again. I must send a message to her before I forget".
Gleefully Nymphadora sent a patronus to Andromeda while Harry mirror called the Marauders to come to the Townhouse as soon as they could manage it.
In 10 minutes, there were many Order members in the Townhouse which included Dumbledore, Sirius, Remus, Bill, Amelia, Frank, Augusta, Arthur, Moody, Andromeda, Ted and to his surprise Fleur Delacour among others. After Harry had assured every one that he was fine, most of them left except for those who wanted to get their hands on him to teach him a lesson.
Dumbledore opened the inquisition, "Where were you Harry and why did you disappear like that?"
"Head Master, I had just learned that day that I have a marriage contract with Susan Bones and that she never sought to let me know despite knowing about it since she turned 11".
Moody barked, "So you left without any message to anyone about your whereabouts and made us all comb through the wizarding world, employing the ministry's resources to search for you? Is that what your friends taught you? To run away from your problems thinking they would disappear?"
"Master Auror, I had sent a letter to Sirius and Remus that I was fine wherever I was. I was in no mood to talk to any of you. Everyone at this table knew about the existence of the contract but not one of you saw fit to tell me about it did you". It was not a question but an accusation.
Sirius said, "You know pup, it was not our secret to tell. It was for her to tell and if she did not choose to let you know then she had her reasons no matter how ridiculous they may sound to you. I just wish that you had listened to her side of the story".
Andromeda growled, "Pull anything like that again Harold and I will let you know why Blacks are feared. Do you have any idea how worried we were?"
Ted put his two knuts in, "Lad, she has not been her usual charming self even for one moment in the last week. At times, I thought that someone else had replaced her. I urge you to never do anything like that again at least for my sake, if not yours".
Everyone chuckled while Tonks pouted, "You got off very easily Harry. If I had done something like that I would have been grounded for a week no matter that I am an Auror".
Frank said to him, "Harry you know I thought that you would have stood your ground but you chose to abandon a lady who was with you? That was not chivalry. However that is water under the bridge now". He turned to Dumbledore, "Head Master, can I call off the manhunt now?"
Dumbledore nodded, "Of course Minister. There is no need for it to continue".
After everyone had told him what they thought of his antics and Harry was feeling suitably chastised, the elves produced dinner for everyone. Most of the order members took their leave including Dumbledore saying their own tables were waiting for them leaving behind just those he considered family.
He sat at the position of the head of table with Remus on his left and Sirius on his right. Andromeda sat beside Sirius with Nymphadora beside her and Ted sat with Remus. Harry had persuaded Bill and Fleur to stay because he wanted to talk to them.
He asked Fleur, "What are you doing here, Fleur?"
"I 'ad 'eard that you had disappeared and I was worried. This evening after Bill was told by Dumbledore that you are back to your 'ome, I chose to tag along".
"That is all good, Fleur but what I meant is what are you doing with Bill?"
Sirius snorted, "Miss Bones is right about you, Harry. You are dense. It is clear to everyone else in the room that these two are dating".
Tonks who was eyeing Remus, said, "Speaking of dense, Harry is not the only one".
Harry asked her, "What do you mean?"
She shook her head and refused to say anything more.
Hogwarts
Harry arrived at the school through a portkey given by Dumbledore which deposited him in the entrance hall. He tiptoed to the Gryffindor Tower and crept into his dormitory to find it empty. He realized that they must be in the dungeons at their morning practices. He wanted to go down and mix with them but hesitated. He was afraid of facing Susan because he was ashamed of his conduct in the bank. He knew that he would have to talk to her eventually but he wanted to avoid that for now.
He picked up a book to read occupying a seat in front of the fire in the common room while he waited for his friends to return. After about an hour, the lions started coming in. Most of them cheerfully hailed him and asked how his health was now. While he was confused as to why they asked this question, he told everyone who would ask that he was fit as a bull.
His friends came into the tower and he stood to greet them happily but they all ignored him as if he was not present. He followed the boys to their dorm all the while calling their names but none of them paid any attention to him. After a long time, Neville asked Ron, "Ron, can you hear some mosquitoes buzzing around?"
Ron guffawed, "could have sworn that I heard something like that too. Aren't there wards around the place to keep them out?"
Other than that, none of them said a word to him. When he arrived at the Hufflepuff dorm to escort Susan to the Great Hall, she was not there. On the Marauder's map, he found her in the great hall already. He was surprised at the hostile reaction of his friends towards him. They were all behaving as if he didn't exist.
In the great hall, Susan was sitting with Hermione, Neville, Hannah, Ron and some others but they had not kept a place vacant among them for him. He was flabbergasted at their conduct. They were treating him as if he did not exist at all.
He sat alone at the Gryffindor table with no one around him until Daphne came and slipped into a seat across from him, "So, recovered from Spattergroit, Peverell?"
"Who is suffering from Spattergroit?", he asked her, baffled.
She raised her eye-brow, "Didn't your friends tell you? This is the cover story that they thought up for your absence for the last week. They told everyone that you were diagnosed with Spattergroit and were recovering at St. Mungo's".
"I'll keep that in mind, Daphne. Can you tell me why they are giving me the cold shoulder and treating me as if I do not exist?"
"Oh they have decided to give you the silent treatment", she said gleefully.
"What?" he sputtered. "Why would they do that to me?"
"Because word is that you left abruptly without letting anyone know your whereabouts and your friends have decided to have a reckoning from you for your behavior. I am the neutral one so they sent me as a messenger that they want to see you on the fourth floor after class sans me".
With that, she took off to sit at the Slytherin table leaving him frowning at the behavior of his friends.
A/N- Hi, guys. I cannot even begin to tell you all how elated I am with all the lovely reviews that I received for the last chapter. I was over-whelmed that people think so kindly of this fic.
I have decided to not to redo the starting chapters because as many of you pointed out, it shows my evolution from amateur writer that I was to someone who makes a little sense now. I hope this fic will keep entertaining you all the way it has been doing.
This chapter was in my mind for a long time and I wanted to find a suitable time to make the big reveal. I know some of you may not like the way I handled this. I hope you would express your pleasure or dissatisfaction with your awesome reviews.