Shattered Memories

Chapter Four

Return of the Weasley's

Both Harry and Ron looked bad in the morning; Harry had not been able to get back to sleep after waking Ron from his nightmare, and it didn't look like Ron had either. The two of them entered the kitchen that morning and greeted the worried faces of their friends.

"Are you two feeling okay? You both look ill," said Ginny when they sat down at the table.

"I'm fine, just tired," Harry sat, glancing at Ron who was looking pale.

"But you went to bed the same time as me, and you look like you haven't slept for more than an hour!" Ginny exclaimed, passing Harry a jug of water.

"I-er...couldn't sleep. I kept having dreams," Harry said, watching all faces turn to him. "They were normal dreams, don't worry," he said watching Ron's mouth open and close in confusion.

"And what's your excuse, Ron?" said Ginny, rounding on the red-haired boy. Ron's face went red and he mumbled something under is breath. "What was that?" she asked.

As Ron was about to answer, Harry said, "Oh, I kept him awake because I couldn't sleep. I kept tossing and turning," he said, thankful that she seemed to accept it.

Harry, somehow, did not think Ron wanted the others to know about his dreams, if it was he; he wouldn't want all of them asking about it. Harry smiled as Ron shot him a grateful look before accepting the plate of toast Remus passed him.

Harry was chewing slowly on a piece of toast, his mind on his dream from the other night. He still hadn't figured it out and his scar had begun throbbing faintly. There hadn't been any news on Voldemort or his Death Eaters and the lack of action left Harry worrying. If Voldemort hadn't been making his presence known openly in the Wizarding World than he was more than likely planning something big.

"Harry," he lifted his head to see Remus Lupin watching him closely.

"Hmm..." Harry said, acknowledging he had heard.

"Albus has just sent word that he will be by later this afternoon, if you would like to meet with him?" Harry felt a small pang of anger shoot through him but he nodded none the less, trying to keep his emotions in check. He couldn't afford letting his anger for the headmaster surface, there was too much at stake. He had been lucky the past few weeks that Voldemort hadn't been able to penetrate his mind when he was highly emotional.

Harry wasn't about to risk the lives of his friends by letting down his guard, the way he had done the previous year when Voldemort had been able to plant a fake vision in his mind. He wasn't going to let the Dark Lord trick him again as he had done with Sirius.

Just thinking about his godfather brought pain and sorrow tugging at his heart and he briskly pushed it away.

The morning was spent in the company of Remus, Ron and Ginny in the Drawing Room, sorting through the many possessions still remaining in the glass cabinet. They had to watch what they were touching, as some of the items were dangerous, as Ginny had found out when she had picked up a rusty dagger before it turned on her and almost lunged into her throat before Harry wrestled it from her and quickly clamped it under his foot.

"Thanks, Harry," she had grinned, rubbing her neck mildly.

"Don't mention it," Harry answered, inspecting a silver ring with slight interest. He found it hard to be sorting through Sirius's old stuff when his godfather was not longer with them. It made it feel as if his death was final and Harry did not want to believe it just yet.

He had also caught Remus staring off into space on more than one occasion, a sad smile on his face and his eyes glistening. Harry knew it was hard for both of them being back here when everything reminded them of Sirius. But they had to move on, even if they didn't want to.

Ron suddenly yelped, flinging a dead spider through the air with a look of utter disgust on his face. "I hate spiders!" he groaned while the others chuckled. It was dreary work, going through all of the old Black Family Heirlooms, throwing most of it out without a second glance. Harry briefly wondered where Kreacher was, before deciding he wouldn't care if the disgusting house-elf were rotting beneath the boiler in the kitchen.

The four of them went downstairs for lunch, having resigned for the day. Harry devoured the ham and cheese sandwiches as if he hadn't eaten in days, while Ron was consuming them as if he hadn't eaten in his whole life. At around three that afternoon, Tonks came back, having just finished her work for the day at the Ministry.

"Fudge has got us all on patrolling duty around Diagon Alley and is raving on about 'now that You-Know-Who's back we have to take extra precautions-!' We've been telling him that you-know-who was back for the past year and a half, and does he listen? Of course not, he needs to see the Dark Lord with his own little eyes before even considering it real!" she said, sinking into a kitchen chair, gulping down a bottle of Butterbeer.

"Have there been any attacks or anything?" Harry asked quietly, dreading the answer. Tonks looked to him and shook her head, licking her lips.

"Nope, nothing! It's really strange though; there haven't even been any Death Eater sightings and not even any moves to break into Azkaban! It's as if they don't even exist!" she said, clicking her fingers together as if to make her point clear. Harry felt his stomach clench tightly. Voldemort must be making plans to break into Azkaban!

"How is Azkaban being guarded now? With just Aurors?" Harry asked nervously.

"Yeh, we've got Aurors and even a dragon stationed around the prison, we can't be too prepared!" Tonks said, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. Her hair was long and black today and she had dark eyes that went well with her heart-shaped face. Harry was about to ask how many Aurors were there when three loud knocks echoed down from upstairs.

Remus immediately stood, his hand going for his wand. Tonks watched him go as did Harry and the others, up the stairs. They could hear his heavy steps walking across the thin Entrance Hall. They stopped soon and they heard the many clicks of the locks on the front door being opened. There was a lot of chattering and many footsteps as the front door shut and then was locked once more. A moment later a whole mob of redheads spilled into the underground kitchen.

Molly Weasley immediately wrapped Harry in a hug, saying, "Oh, dear, are you okay? I mean, you look so thin and tired! Do you want me to make you something to eat? Or perhaps you would like to go upstairs for a short nap?" Harry couldn't contain his happy grin and shook his head.

"No, thank you, Mrs Weasley, I'm fine." Harry said. The woman gave him a stern but loving stare before grabbing both her younger children in tight hugs.

"All right there, Harry?" said Bill Weasley, clapping him on the shoulder in a brotherly way.

Harry smiled up at him. "Yeah, I'm good. What are you doing here?" he couldn't help but say. The longhaired Weasley grinned and Harry spotted the white fang earring still hanging from his ear.

"I was transferred down to the London Branch at Gringotts for a desk job, so I could be closer to headquarters and the family," said Bill. Harry nodded and grinned.

"Ok, not much compared to your old job though, hey?"

Bill laughed and shook his head, "No! No comparison there!"

"Good afternoon, Mr Potter!" said Fred Weasley, or was it George?

"Yes, Good day, Mr Potter!" said George. The twins were both dressed in their green dragon hide suits with matching boots and wallets. Harry grinned at them.

"Hey, Fred, George, how's business?" Harry asked, admiring their clothes.

"Oh, the first time you have seen us in over two months and the first thing you ask of is concerning money!" said George, looking scandalized.

"I though we meant more to you than that!" said Fred, pretending to wipe away a tear. Harry smiled goofily.

"Okay then, how's after-school life treating you?" he said humorously.

"Oh, brilliant!" said George grinning broadly. "And business is booming!" said Fred, "Not that you would care of course!" he said as an after thought. Harry chuckled as the twins both wore identical grins.

"So, the shop is good?" he asked.

"Oh, the shop is great! We've opened up in Diagon Alley and we are looking for some property in Hogsmeade so we can supply Hogwarts with never-ending pranks!" said one twin.

"We're already putting Zonko's out of business because of the holidays with everyone going to Diagon Alley to get their school supplies. We also have a long list of Mail Orders and such. We can't thank you enough, mate!" said Fred, shaking his head and grinning ecstatically.

"If it weren't for you we would still be experimenting in our rooms instead of owning our own shop and apartment in London!" said George, clapping him hard on the back.

"Don't mention it; people need to laugh at times like these!" Harry said unable to keep the smile from his face.

"Still, Harry, its not every day someone gives you a thousand Galleons from the goodness of their hearts!" said Fred in barely a whisper, looking at him in awe and joy. Harry laughed.

"Well, I suppose not, but I didn't need it! You two have more use for it than me!" he said truthfully.

"Barking mad that one," said George, elbowing his brother and nodding his head at Harry. "Never met one as loony as him."

"Except maybe that friend of Ginny's, the one with those weird eyes!" added Fred, pretending to shiver in fear. Harry laughed having a fair idea of the loony girl they were talking about. If it was the same one that wore Butterbeer corks as a necklace and radishes for earrings.

Harry turned his attention to Bill Weasley who was talking to Lupin about the Goblin situation at Gringotts. "They don't seem to want to pick a side to fight on. They don't want to join you-know-who because of the first war when he murdered all those goblin families in Scotland, and they don't want to join us because they don't like the rules the Ministry has on half-breeds and magical creatures. They'll need heaps of negotiating to and a lot of time to think of what we are offering them. Because at the moment, you-know-who is offering them more things that they want than we are!"

"It's the same with the Lunabane Group; I have contacted them and tried to convince them that it's our side that is worth fighting for. But they don't believe me because of that ridiculous rule on werewolves and half-breeds saying we don't have equal rights! Voldemort is offering them the rights the Ministry has kept from us all our lives! I have to tell you, Voldemort's ideals for a better world are hitting home with the werewolves, I just hope I can get a few of them to see the better side to fight on before it's too late!" Remus said, a strange light glowing in his sad brown eyes.

Harry was struck with the changes happening in the world. If Voldemort was able to get the werewolves on his side as well as the giants, who were already siding with the dark, than it would be a terrible blow to their side. It looked as if Voldemort was keeping his major attacks for later while, at this point, he was searching out for more allies to build up his army. It didn't look good for the Light Side so far, with a blind minister who only just begun believing the Dark Lord was back, and a Wizarding community unprepared for war.

Harry decided, at that exact moment, that he would do whatever he could do to prepare his friends and himself for the battle that was drawing ever closer. He would continue Dumbledore's Army that year at Hogwarts, and teach the students how to properly defend themselves, even if they had a better Defence Professor.

Someone calling his name took him away from his thoughts. "Harry? Are you okay, dear?" It was Mrs Weasley, and she was watching him with her loving eyes.

Harry shook his head and said, "Yes, I'm fine, Mrs Weasley," he said. He noticed a few other pairs of eyes on him but when he caught their gaze, they would look away.

Ron was watching him closely as he talked to Fred and George about something, and his steady gaze made Harry slightly uncomfortable. Why was everyone always watching him? He wondered briefly, catching Remus's eyes on him once more. He sighed and looked around the stone kitchen, spotting a few bottles of Butterbeer on the bench. He got up and grabbed one, asking if anyone else wanted one.

"Yeah, swing one over this way, Harry!" said Ron.

"Me too!" said Tonks. So Harry grabbed an extra two bottles and passed them to his friends. When he uncorked the bottle and took a sip of the sweet substance, he couldn't think of any other drink that tasted this good. From the first time he had tried the Wizarding drink, he had loved it. It had something in it that made your whole body warm with just one sip.

Harry was just savouring another swallow when someone appeared at the bottom of the kitchen stairs. "Oh, Albus, I didn't hear you arrive!" said Mrs Weasley. The old man was looking more worn than ever; Harry was startled to find that the headmaster's eyes were dull and only faintly twinkling. He suddenly felt guilty for having destroyed Dumbledore's office the previous year and for being angry with him all summer.

"I suspect not with all the happy chatter going on in here!" Albus Dumbledore said, stepping into the light of the low roofed kitchen. His wizened blue eyes made their way to Harry who shifted slightly under that all-knowing gaze.

"Hello, Harry, I hope your stay here has been a happy one?" the man said, his eyes holding a faint hope of a twinkle.

Harry smiled, "Hi, sir, yeah, it's been fun here," Harry said, watching with relief and amazement as that trademark twinkle began to glitter once more.

"That is good news, my boy!" Dumbledore said, years immediately lifted from his powerful face. "But, I have to ask you to meet me in the Drawing Room, if you could, when you're ready?" the old man asked lightly. Harry nodded and watched as the headmaster disappeared back up the stairs. Harry waited a few minutes before downing the rest of his drink and following after Albus Dumbledore, feeling all eyes boring into his back.