A/N ~This is my first fan fiction, so please tell me what you think. Please note that I do not own the most brilliant characters in this story, only the ones that I made up myself. :) Hope you enjoy!!!!! Oh, by the way, you know how at the end of HBP it said that Ron and Hermione were going with Harry to the Dursleys? Well, they're not. Not in this story anyways. ENJOY!!~


Harry Potter was lying on his bed staring at the ceiling, again. He was thinking about everything that had happened over the last couple of weeks, again. He’d been doing a lot of thinking lately. In a couple of days, it would be his seventeenth birthday, and he would be leaving the Dursleys forever. He had only returned to the Dursleys in the first place because it was what Dumbledore had wanted. He had been thinking a lot about Dumbledore, everything he never knew about him, everything he had never told him, and everything he would never hear from him again.

Harry had also thought a lot about Ginny. He wished more than anything that they were still together. Braking up with her had been one of the hardest things that he’d had to do that whole school year; harder than getting the horcrux (well, the would-have-been-if-it-had-not-been-for-that-mysterious-R.A.B.-person horcrux), harder than doing detentions with Snape every Saturday, even harder than watching Dumbledore die (well, equally hard anyways). It was even hard for Harry to think about Ginny. He tried not to, but his thoughts kept drifting to her, and that made him think about why he’d had to break up with her in the first place. He didn’t want to be who he was. He didn’t want to have to get the horcruxes. He didn’t want to have to kill Voldemort, because there was a very good chance that he would be the one to die instead.

Right now though, Harry happened to be thinking about something that he had not thought about much that summer. He was thinking about R.A.B., and all that this mysterious person had cost him. If R.A.B. had not gotten to the horcrux first, then Dumbledore would not have been weak for nothing. Or even if he had gotten there first, he could've left the note outside of the basin instead of inside the locket. Then Dumbledore would not have had to drink the potion, and he would not have been weak at all. If Dumbledore had not been weak, he might not have died. If Dumbledore had not died, Harry wouldn't have had any doubts about what he would have been doing the next year. He would have been going to school as usual of course, and there was hardly any risk in that with Dumbledore there.

But now there was a risk to everything. A risk to stepping outside the safety of one's own home. Now though, one's own home was not even safe. There was fear about falling asleep, because you might never wake up. There was even fear about seeing the people that you cared about, because there was always the thought that lingered in the back of your mind that it might be the last time you ever saw them.


While Harry was lying on his bed thinking, someone was outside waiting. Someone was pacing up and down next to the house of Number Four Privet Drive, hidden in the shadows. Someone was waiting till nightfall, when they could slip inside unnoticed. Someone stopped pacing just as Harry Potter sat up in his bed. Someone was waiting.

* * *
“RONALD WEASLEY, GET DOWN HERE RIGHT NOW!�

“But mum…�

“NO BUTS JUST GET DOWN HERE!�

“Fine.� Ron groaned. He hated de-gnoming the garden. Even though he was now seventeen and could use magic outside school, this took physical effort. He wished that Fred and George were here to help him, but they were at work. Ginny wasn’t there to help because she was in Romania with Charlie. Mrs. Weasley felt that it was safer there. She didn’t send Ron with her only because of Harry and Hermione coming. He wondered what Harry and Hermione were doing right at that very moment. Was whatever it was as bad as de-gnoming the garden?

Ron trudged downstairs looking gloomy. Mrs. Weasley was in the kitchen (which was where she was most of the time). She looked up as he entered the room.

“It’s about time. We have so much to do. I have laundry to do, and food to cook. Plus we have to get the house ready for Harry and Hermione for when they get here in a couple of days.�

“Mum, they don’t care if the house is messy. Actually, Harry likes it messy come to think of it,� he added as an afterthought. “Besides, we have two days, why are you in such a rush to get everything done today?�

“Because tomorrow I’m going with Fleur to pick out a wedding dress. Now here’s some toast. Take it outside with you because I don’t want crumbs all over the kitchen.� She handed him the toast, and pushed him toward the door.

“Couldn’t you just sweep the crumbs up with your wand?�

She gave him a look that clearly said the conversation was over. He headed outside with the toast in hand. As he walked outside, he saw something in the distance. As it drew closer, he could see that it was an owl. As it drew closer still, he could see that it was Fred and George’s new owl, Wheezy (named after “Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes�). He didn’t know why Fred and George would have a reason to write, since they could just apparate. Ron had expected Wheezy to fly inside to his mother, but instead it landed on his shoulder. Wheezy obediently held out his foot for Ron to untie the letter. It read:

Dear Ron,

Since we are too busy to leave the store right now, (“Well, that’s why they wrote,� Ron thought.) I am writing you a letter instead. George can handle the customers for a few minutes. I am writing because we had some customers who were talking earlier, and we just couldn’t help but overhear. Okay, we were eavesdropping, but it’s good that we did because they were talking about Hogwarts. The governors have decided to reopen the school! They haven’t put it in the Prophet yet, so these guys must have been pretty important to know already. I just thought you should know. Got to get back to the store. By the way, we will be dropping in sometime in the next couple of days because we want to see Harry. See you then little bro.

Love,

Fred

“I’ve got to tell mum!� Ron said aloud.

“Tell me what?� Mrs. Weasley suddenly appeared next to Ron. “I looked out of the window, and I saw you with an owl. I came out to see what you were up to. Isn’t that Wheezy?� she added after seeing the owl more closely.

“Yes. Here, read this.� He thrust the letter into her hands. She read it silently for a minute, and then looked up at Ron. “I thought for sure they would close it. I wonder why they decided to reopen it. Hmm…� She walked inside, leaving Ron standing there with Wheezy. Ron gave Wheezy his un-eaten toast, and then watched the owl fly off into the distance. Ron went inside to write to Harry and Hermione.

* * *
Hermione Granger was reading another book trying to find the initials R.A.B. She hadn’t found anything at all so far this summer that could possibly indicate someone who had had contact with Voldemort, had found out about his horcruxes, stolen the locket, and possibly been killed. Not that this would be stated in a book, but she hadn’t even found many witches and wizards with those initials. The ones that she had found were not significant, so she kept searching.

Hermione suddenly heard a soft pecking sound. She looked over at her cat, Crookshanks, expecting it to be him, but then noticed a gray owl with the Daily Prophet clutched in its beak right outside her window. She opened the window, and the owl flew over and landed on her desk. Hermione took the Daily Prophet, and put a small, bronze Knut in the owl’s pouch. The owl flew off, and Hermione closed the window. After reading the whole Daily Prophet in twenty minutes time (which was something not many could achieve), she set it down on the pile of her past Daily Prophets with a sigh. “Still nothing about the school,� she said aloud.

Hermione froze. She had heard something downstairs. Then she shook her head and said aloud, “I’m just paranoid. There’s no one there. Mom and Dad are at work, and Crookshanks is right here on my bed. Cut it out, Hermione.� And she hit herself on the head. She turned back to the book that lay open on her desk, but she heard a noise again, this time a creak on the stairs. She called out, “Who’s there?� Her voice was shaky, and her mouth was going dry. “I’m hearing things,� she tried to reassure herself. “There’s no one there. C’mon Hermione, stop imagining things.�

A girl appeared in the doorway of Hermione’s room. Hermione would have screamed, but she was too frozen with fear to make even the slightest sound. The girl looked just as scared as Hermione felt. They looked at each other in fear, both too scared to speak. Hermione thought the girl would have been very beautiful had it not been for the ghostly white of her skin, which was a sign of the girl’s fear. She had long, brown hair that fell to her waist. Her nose was the perfect size for her face, not too narrow or too wide. But the most beautiful thing about her was her eyes. They were blue, but not the shade of blue that most people had. It was a dark, periwinkle shade of blue. As the two stared at each other, Hermione also noticed that she looked about the seventeen, the same age as herself.

Then the girl suddenly looked pained, and collapsed onto Hermione’s bed. Hermione gasped, and ran over to her, and found that the girl was unconscious. Hermione stood there frozen, and felt Crookshanks, who had leapt off the bed as the girl fell, brush past her leg. She had no idea what to do.

A/N ~Oh my, I left yall a cliffie. So very sorry, but it had to be done. I’m writing the next chapter right now, and it’s really good if I do say so myself! Please give me compliments or constructive criticism or whatever you’d like to tell me. Thank you so very much for taking the time to read my fan fic!!!!!!~

A/N ~Wow. I amaze myself at my own brilliance sometimes. Just kidding, I’m not that vain. But I will tell you, I think it’s very good. Well, go on, read the story. What are you reading this boring part for??? Oh, by the way, obviously there’s an HBP spoiler warning, but if you haven’t read Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince yet, THEN WHY ARE YOU ON THE INTERNET READING FANFICTION????? Go read that first, all of you who are so oblivious to what a good book that you’re missing out on, or otherwise you really won’t get this story. To the rest of you, enjoy!~
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Harry Potter sat up in his bed for the first time that day. Hedwig had started “hooting� loudly. He looked around, as if expecting a cat to be on his windowsill, but he could see nothing that would make his owl this frantic. Actually, he saw nothing suspicious at all. Harry got up and tried to quiet her because otherwise… too late. He could hear the pounding footsteps on the stairs, they were coming down the hall, his door burst open, and then…

“HARRY POTTER! IF YOU DON’T MAKE THAT BLOODY BIRD SHUT UP THIS INSTANT, IT’S OUT! I WON'T PUT UP WITH ALL THIS RACKET!� Uncle Vernon gave Harry a look of purest loathing, and then slammed the door. Harry could hear him muttering to himself as he went down the hall. Harry distinctly heard “ruddy owl� and “only a few more days�. Harry smiled to himself. Yes, it was only a few more days, and then he’d never have to see the Dursleys again. Instead, he’d get to see Ron and Hermione. At the thought of them, Harry actually felt happy; a feeling he hadn’t had much that summer.

Then Harry’s thoughts wandered to why Hedwig had suddenly had an outburst of noise. Harry had sometimes thought that she could sense things that humans couldn’t. He knew that Hedwig was just as smart as most humans (and smarter than some he could think of), but he also thought that she could just tell when things were going to happen. Sometimes she had given Harry warning looks, or sympathetic looks, but she had never just started hooting like she had just a few minutes before. As he lay down to go to sleep, Harry glanced over at Hedwig (who had gone quite silent at the sight of Uncle Vernon), and wondered if she knew something. Maybe it’s something to do with Ron or Hermione, he thought. But little did he know, that was not quite the case.

* * *
Ron sent off Pigwidgeon with the two finished letters to Harry and Hermione. As he watched his owl fly off into the sunset, he thought about the school’s reopening. He knew it didn’t really affect him much because he was not going back. He, Harry, and Hermione were all going to Godric’s Hollow, where Harry’s parents had been killed by He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, and where Harry would probably still live if they had not been killed on that tragic night. After they had visited Godric’s Hollow, they were going to track down the remaining horcruxes, and then they would have to find and destroy the last part of Voldemort’s soul, which was the part that was still in his body.

Then something disrupted his thoughts; Ron heard his mother scream below. He sprinted down to her, but she was not alone when he got there. There was another person standing with her, a person with long, flaming red hair. Mrs. Weasley had stopped screaming, and was now hugging Ron’s sister, Ginny. A few seconds later, the fire burst into green flames, and another person with flaming red hair (though not nearly as long as Ginny’s) stepped out of the fireplace. Ron’s second-oldest brother, Charlie, beamed at the three; Ron, looking slightly confused and Ginny and Mrs. Weasley hugging each other. Mrs. Weasley let go of Ginny, who ran over to hug the still confused-looking Ron.

“CHARLIE!� Ron, Ginny, and Charlie all jumped. Mrs. Weasley ran over to Charlie, and embraced (or rather strangled) him in a hug.

“Geez, Mum. Will you please let me breath?� Charlie asked in a muffled sort of whisper. Mrs. Weasley let go rather reluctantly.

“You’re home! Oh, I’m so glad that you’re home.� Mrs. Weasley stopped, with a confused look on her face. “Why are you home?�

Charlie answered, “Because a dragon burned down the settlement that I was at, so my boss gave me some extra time off. After all, I was off for a month starting in two days because of the wedding, so I just thought we’d come a little early.� He smiled, looking innocent. “You don’t mind, do you Mum?� He knew that she didn’t.

“Of course not, Charlie dear.� Then she looked at Charlie, then at Ginny. “My gosh, you look so underfed. Let me make you something.� She bustled over to the pantry to look for something to make.

Charlie, Ron, and Ginny all smiled at each other. They all knew that she thought anyone and everyone looked underfed. They all went over and sat at the table for dinner.

* * *
Hermione was pacing up and down her living room. She could not believe what had happened to her. She checked her watch for the hundredth time that evening, and muttered to herself, “It’s seven thirty-one. They’re supposed to be home now. They always get home at seven thirty. Where are they?� Hermione looked up. She could hear the keys turning in the lock.

Just then, her parents walked through the door, talking to each other happily. Hermione stopped pacing, and looked up at her smiling parents.

“You’re late. Why are you late? I’ve been waiting and waiting and you pick today to be late. Why are you late?� Hermione glared at them.

Her parents, who had by now stopped smiling, looked at her in a concerned way. Mrs. Granger looked down at her watch. “Hermione, dear, it’s only seven thirty- two.� Then she added after seeing her daughter more closely, “Is there something wrong, honey? You look so pale.�

“Wrong? Wrong? Oh no, there’s nothing wrong. There’s just a strange girl upstairs that wandered into the house and scared me half out of my wits, and she just stared at me as if I was the one to walk into her bedroom. And then, when I was just working up the courage to say something, what does she do? She collapses! Yes, that’s right, collapses. Right on my bed and she’s still up there right now! But no, of course there’s nothing wrong!� Hermione replied exasperatedly.

Mr. and Mrs. Granger looked at their daughter, and then at each other. Then they both ran up to Hermione’s room to check that this strange girl was really there. Hermione sighed, and then ran after them. When she got there, her parents were staring at the still-unconscious mystery girl. Mrs. Granger’s face was very white, and Mr. Granger had a puzzled expression on his face. Mr. Granger walked over to the girl and felt her wrist, then put his cheek next to her face.

“Well, she’s got a pulse. And she’s breathing. She’s definitely not dead, whoever she is. Hermione, tell us exactly what happened.�

Hermione explained to them how she had been calmly reading her book when she heard a noise downstairs. She told them about how she had reassured herself that she was imagining things, but had then heard another noise. She called out, but no one had answered. Then the girl had just appeared in her doorway, and she collapsed on Hermione’s bed.

“That is so very strange,� Mrs. Granger said after Hermione had finished with her story. Then a very fearful look came onto her face. “You don’t think it has anything to do with Lord Volduhmart, do you?� she questioned her daughter.

“No, Mom. And it’s Voldemort, not Volduhmart.� Hermione glanced at the girl on her bed. “I highly doubt this girl is even a wizard. If she was, I’m sure she would go to Hogwarts, and I’ve never seen her before,� Hermione replied, rather calmly for the situation.

“But didn’t you say that he attacks people that can’t do magic also?� Mrs. Granger questioned.

“Yes, but I still doubt this has anything to do with Voldemort. Though he does like to kill people, he doesn’t often kill for the fun of it. He has a reason. What would be his reason for attacking her?� Hermione pointed her finger at the girl as she said this. “And besides,� she added, “she’s not dead. I highly doubt that anyone, especially non-magical, would have got away from Voldemort. Except for Harry, of course,� she added.

“I know honey, but it is suspicious.� Mrs. Granger looked at her husband, who had been strangely quiet all through the conversation. “What do you think, Tom?�

Mr. Granger looked up startled, remembering he was not the only one in the room. “Huh? I haven’t been listening.�

“Well, what were you doing then? Thinking?� Mr. Granger nodded.

“How about we go downstairs and eat? I for one am starved, and this girl doesn’t look as if she’s going to wake up anytime soon.� Mrs. Granger gestured over at the girl.

Mr. Granger and Hermione nodded in agreement, and they all set off downstairs with many things still running through their minds.

* * *
Harry Potter finally drifted off to sleep. The sky was dark outside his window. Hedwig had just left to go hunting about an hour ago, and the Dursleys were all asleep (as you could tell by their very loud snores). Downstairs, the door was opened quietly, and someone snuck into the house.

The person looked around in disgust, for they had never been inside there before. Then the person, remembering what they were there to do, snuck very quietly upstairs to Harry’s room. (They could tell which one it was because it was the only one from which there was no snores.) They creaked open the door, trying very carefully to be quiet. They didn’t want anyone to hear what they were doing.

“Petrificus totalus.� Harry Potter was frozen as a board. The person walked over and shook him awake, opening Harry’s eyelids for him since Harry, while under the spell, could not do so himself. They stood back to let Harry realize that he was awake, then they started talking.

“Sorry, Harry, but I had to put the spell on you or you would have screamed and woken up those Muggles.� The person shuddered at the thought of them. “I can’t imagine what you must be thinking right now, Harry, seeing me here. I wouldn’t believe it if I were you. I would be in total shock. Or maybe,� they added with a thoughtful look on their face, “I would have thought I was dreaming.� They chuckled at the thought of this.

Harry Potter was in total shock, but he somehow knew that he wasn’t dreaming. If he was dreaming, he wouldn’t have had the feeling that he was going totally and completely insane. He stared at the person in front of him; it just couldn’t be possible. He wouldn’t even get his hopes up that it was possible, because it just couldn’t be. Sirius Black couldn’t really be standing there; it just wasn’t possible at all. Sirius Black was dead, and Harry had watched him die. It just wasn’t possible.
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A/N ~ Oh, goodness me, I left yall another cliffie. I’m so bad, aren’t I? Yes, yes, very surprising. Either Sirius is back from the dead, or Harry is going insane. Hmmm... I really hope the next chapter gets put in quick! I’m already writing it, so it should be in soon. Please review, and tell me what you think. I may think about waiting until I have about ten reviews before I submit the next chapter, so REVIEW!!!

A/N ~Well, it’s up. I hope you all like it! This chapter will start to have just a teensy bit of Ginny/Harry in it. And I’m going to have Ginny’s POV also. (That’s where the teensy bit of Ginny/Harry comes in.) By the way, just thought I should warn you, this chapter is much longer than the other two, so I hope you like long chappies!!! I know I do, but please tell me in the reviews if you like long better than short. Thank you all so much, and I hope you enjoy!!!~ _______________________________________________________________________


Harry was wondering if he was having hallucinations when Sirius spoke again.


“Harry, I’ve been waiting for the day when I could see you again. I’ll tell you everything that happened to me in the last year as long as you promise me that you’ll tell me everything that’s happened to you.� Sirius was positively beaming at Harry. “Oh yeah, I guess I can lift the spell now that you’ve gotten over the shock.� He muttered the incantation, and Harry felt that he could move again, but he was by no means over the shock.

Then a terrible idea came to Harry. “How do I know that you’re not a Death Eater?� Harry asked tentatively.

“Well, you said that awfully calmly. If I was a Death Eater, I’d think you’d be more at least a little more afraid. Hmm, how can I prove that I’m not a Death Eater?� Sirius looked around Harry’s room, as if looking for inspiration, when his eyes lit up.

“I gave you that.� And as he said this, he pointed over at Harry’s firebolt that was lying next to his open trunk. “I gave you that before you even knew that I was innocent. I didn’t leave you a card or anything. I just sent it to you.� Sirius smiled at Harry after giving the proof that it was really him.

“And besides Harry, I just thought of another thing. I couldn’t be a Death Eater because the Death Eater would need one of these,� he plucked out one of his hairs, “to make the Polyjuice Potion.�

“Sirius, is it really you?�

“Yes, Harry, it’s really me.� They were both crying tears of joy, and neither cared. Neither would have cared if the whole world was watching them cry like babies. Both were happier than they had been in a very long time. They hugged each other like a father and son who had been separated for a long time. They finally broke apart after what felt like hours, but it was really only about a minute.

“Sirius, you died. I mean, I guess you obviously didn’t, but what happened? You fell through the veil after you got hit with the curse, and I tried to run after you, but Lupin held me back.�

“Well, good thing he held you back. You would have died if you had run after me.�

“But Sirius, I don’t understand. How come I would have died, but you aren’t dead?� Then another idea struck Harry. “You aren’t dead, are you?�

Sirius laughed. “Of course I’m not dead! I’m more alive than I have been in a long time, Harry.� Sirius smiled at the puzzled expression on Harry’s face. “I’ll explain everything that’s happened to me, but not yet. First, you have to tell me everything that’s been going on in the wizarding world, because I have absolutely no idea. I’m just going to fire a whole bunch of questions, the first being what happened at the Ministry, right after I fell through the veil?�

“Like I said before, I tried to get at the veil. I just wouldn’t believe that you were dead. But then it hit me, it hit me hard, that you weren’t coming back. An anger filled me that I’d never had before. I ran after Bellatrix-“ Harry stopped, because to his amazement, Sirius had started laughing. “Why are you laughing?� asked Harry, a little offended that his godfather found it funny that Harry ran after the person who had supposedly killed him. “It wasn’t funny. I could’ve died if Dumbledore hadn’t been there.�

“Oh, that’s why everyone stopped fighting. Dumbledore showed up. I wondered.�

“Yes, but why were you laughing when I said that I went after Bellatrix?�

“Because that is exactly what James would’ve done, Harry. Finish her off; make her pay for what she had done.�

“Oh,� said Harry, with a new feeling of great pride filling him because of what Sirius had said. “Well, that is what I tried to do, make her pay. Anyway, we both got up to the Atrium. We were dueling when Dumbledore came and stopped me. That’s when Voldemort came-“

Sirius gasped. “Voldemort was in the ministry of Magic itself?� asked Sirius amazed. “What happened?�

“Dumbledore put some kind of enchantment on a statue so that it would guard me, and he did it to Bellatrix too. Neither of us could move. Dumbledore and Voldemort were dueling, but then Voldemort disapparated. I thought that he was gone, but-" Harry faltered at this point, remembering what happened next, and he shuddered.

“What?� Sirius asked. “Did he come back with more Death Eaters?�

“No, he came back inside me.� Sirius gasped, but Harry went on. “I had never been in so much pain before. I thought that I was dying.� Then he added, “Come to think of it, I probably was.�

“But why? Why did he go inside of you? That part just doesn’t make sense.�

“I didn’t know either, but Dumbledore explained it to me afterward. Voldemort was hoping that Dumbledore would sacrifice me to try and get to him. When he saw that Dumbledore wasn’t going to kill me, he disapparated and took Bellatrix with him. The pain left me, but I was still really weak. About ten seconds after Voldemort and Bellatrix disapparated, Fudge and some Ministry workers showed up. Oh, by the way,� Harry added, “Fudge was sacked a couple of days after this happened.�

“I would hope so,� Sirius mumbled under his breath.

“Rufus Scrimgeour is the Minister now. He’s no better, “Harry added, rolling his eyes. “Anyways, Dumbledore sent me back to his office with a portkey, but he didn’t come for another half an hour. When he got there, he told me everything. About why he wouldn’t look me in the eye for a year, about why I had the urge to bite him when he did look me in the eye once, and all about the prophecy. You must know all about that from the Order, right?�

“Yeah, Dumbledore told all of the Order members about it. Bloody Snape was listening in for part of the original hearing of the prophecy; that’s why Voldemort even knew about it in the first place.�

“I know-“ Harry had just realized something that he was very surprised he hadn’t thought of before. Sirius didn’t know what Snape had done. He didn’t know that Dumbledore was…

“Sirius, there’s something you’ve got to know.� Harry paused wondering how to say it. “Snape did, Snape-“

“Snape what? What did Snape do?� asked Sirius looking very apprehensive.

Harry took a deep breath and answered, “He… he killed Dumbledore.�

There was a long pause in which neither of them spoke. Harry stared down at his feet. Sirius was trying to process this terrible piece of information, and then it sunk in. Dumbledore was dead. Snape, Sirius’s childhood enemy, had killed the most powerful sorcerer in the history of the world.

Sirius was the one to finally speak (or rather stutter). “But, he, Harry, how?� he asked.

“He used the Avada Ked-“

“No, I mean, what happened? How could Snape kill Dumbledore? It just couldn’t be possible.�

“Okay, I have to start from the beginning for it to make sense. Last summer, Dumbledore came to pick me up from here to take me to the Burrow. But first he took me to persuade this guy named Slughorn to teach again. He was our potions teacher this year; Dumbledore finally let Snape take Defense Against the Dark Arts.� Harry paused, and took a deep breath. Sirius’s face twitched and Harry went on, “Then he took me to the Burrow, and I stayed there until school started. In school, Dumbledore started giving me personal lessons. He took me inside people’s memories, and one house elf’s,� he added. “All the memories were about Voldemort’s past.�

Sirius interrupted, “That must have been really weird for you.�

“Yeah, it was kind of weird. Anyways, one of the memories showed the reason that Voldemort didn’t die the night he tried to kill me. He has these things called horcruxes. He has seven, which is the most any dark wizard has ever had. To get one, you would have to kill someone, and then you put a part of your soul into an object. I destroyed one of them in my second year; a diary. Dumbledore destroyed another one of them last year; a ring that belonged to Salazar Slytherin. Then Dumbledore found out where another one was, and he took me with him to get it. We apparated to a cave by the sea somewhere, and we had to go through all these obstacles to get to this island with a stone basin. And then-“ Harry stopped, and gulped down the lump that was forming in his throat.

“What happened, Harry?� Sirius asked, looking concerned.

“Dumbledore made me feed him the potion that was in the basin. It made him really weak, and he said that he wanted water. I got some from the sea that was surrounding the little island. As soon as I touched the water, inferi came out and tried to grab me. I panicked and couldn’t remember what Dumbledore had said to do, but all of a sudden he stood up. He made fire, and the inferi were afraid of the light and warmth. Dumbledore grabbed the locket that was lying in the bottom of the basin, and we apparated back to Hogsmead. Madam Rosmerta ran to us and pointed over at the school; the Dark Mark was there, over the Astronomy Tower. We got Rosmerta’s brooms, and flew there. When we got there, we could hear fighting below, and I ran over towards the door. But then I froze, literally. Dumbledore put the same spell on me as you did tonight. I was under the invisibility cloak, so no one knew I was there except Dumbledore. He froze me because Malfoy ran up to the Astronomy Tower. But because of the second it took to put the spell on me, he couldn’t save himself from the disarming spell that Malfoy shot at him.� Harry closed his eyes, remembering that terrible night.

“Harry?� Sirius asked apprehensively, disturbing Harry’s thoughts.

Harry took a deep breath, and continued, “Dumbledore just kept talking to Malfoy. He got a lot of information, such as that Malfoy had repaired the old vanishing cabinet that went to Borgin and Burkes. By getting the Death Eaters to go into the one in Borgin and Burkes, it took them to Hogwarts. As Malfoy was saying all this, some Death Eaters came up the stairs. They kept telling Malfoy to kill Dumbledore, but Malfoy just kind of stood there. Then Snape came bounding up the stairs, and… he did it. He killed him.� Harry looked up at his godfather, who had a sympathetic look on his face.

“That must have been really hard for you to tell,� Sirius said after a few moments of silence.

“Yeah, it was. But, you know, I think that I needed to tell it all and get it out of my system. But now Sirius, it’s your turn.�

Sirius looked out of the window at the now-rising sun. “Harry, we have to go.�

“What?� asked Harry, taken aback.

“We have to go. What do you think your aunt and uncle would say if they saw your dead godfather walking around their house?� Sirius asked with a smile.

“Oh, right. Okay then,� Harry said, looking around at his very cluttered room. “I guess I have to pack everything that I want to keep since I’m never coming back again.� Harry looked up, realizing what he had just said. “I’m never coming back, never, ever, coming back.�

“Um, Harry?� Sirius asked, waving a hand in front of Harry’s face. “Earth to Harry, we have to pack now.� Sirius shook his head, giving up. Harry was in a kind of trance, every now and then muttering “never coming back�. “Well, I’ll just pack then,� Sirius announced to the room. With a wave of his wand, all of Harry’s belongings flew into the trunk with a soft “thud�, which made Harry come out of his trance.

“Sirius, where are we going?� Harry asked as this thought struck him.

“Grimmauld Place. I mean, where else could we go? Not the Burrow since they all think I’m dead, remember? And not anywhere else, because everyone else thinks I’m dead too.� Sirius laughed, as if this were the most amusing thing in the world. (Although if you think about it, it is quite amusing.)

* * *
Ginny woke up earlier than she had hoped the next morning. She had wanted to sleep in, but she woke up to the rising sun. Ginny groaned, and stuffed a pillow over her face. Then, as she found she couldn’t breathe with the pillow over her face, she threw it right off again. She sat up, and swung her legs over the bed. She looked around her room at all the things she owned. There was Arnold on her desk, sleeping soundly and making small squeaking noises every once in a while. Next to Arnold were some of her school books, and a few quills.

Ginny went over to her desk and opened a drawer, searching for her mirror. She thought she might as well do her hair now that she was awake. She didn’t find her mirror, but instead found a small picture of Harry. She looked at it for a second, but then thrust it back into her drawer. She didn’t want to think about Harry. She didn’t want to look at Harry. She didn’t want to know Harry. She didn’t want to love Harry.

As she turned and went back to sit on her bed, the thought flooded into her mind about her last conversation with Harry, which was almost a month before. It wasn’t fair that he had to be the one to kill Voldemort, and it wasn’t fair that she had to worry about what would happen if he didn’t. Nothing seemed fair to her anymore.

And, she thought, Harry, Hermione, and Ron weren’t going back to Hogwarts (she had found out last night that it was going to reopen). Mrs. Weasley did not yet know that Ron wasn’t going back because he hadn’t told anyone, but she had listened in on their conversation at Hogwarts the month before. It wasn’t fair that she had to go back, but they weren’t going to.

All of a sudden, a thought came to Ginny. She knew what she had to do. She wasn’t going back to Hogwarts while they all risked their lives. She was going with them, and there wasn’t anything anyone could do to stop her.

* * *
“RON, GET UP!�

“Whazzgoinon?� he asked wearily. He rubbed his eyes as he yawned, and sat up. He wondered why his mother was waking him up so early, but a glance at the clock told him it was eleven o’clock. “Well, never mind then,� he thought to himself.

“RON, WAKE UP!!!�

“I’m up,� he answered, but it was too quietly for her to hear him. He threw on his jeans and a t-shirt, and walked down stairs. He walked to the table to find Charlie devouring a sandwich.

“Hullo,� Charlie managed to say, even though his mouth was very full.

“Hi,� Ron answered. “Where’s Ginny?�

“Dunno. In her room, if I had to make a guess.�

“Did Mum say when she was going with Fleur to get the wedding dress?�

Charlie opened his mouth to answer (or maybe just to take another bite, Ron couldn’t particularly tell), but Mrs. Weasley walked into the kitchen and answered herself, “In about ten minutes, if Fleur’s not late.�

Ron quickly ran his hands through his hair, and smoothed his shirt down. He ran to a mirror and smiled vainly at his reflection, who smiled vainly back. Then he went back over to the table and sat down, and expressed the obvious, “I’m hungry.�

“Yes, dear, you’re always hungry. I made you an egg sandwich. Here,� Mrs. Weasley replied while handing Ron a sandwich.

“Thanks, Mum,� Rom said gratefully.

“You’re welcome, dear. And when you’re done, could you go and check that your sister hasn’t died up there? I haven’t heard hide or hair of her all morning.�

“Sure, Mum.�

Just then, they all heard a loud “CRACK� as Fleur appeared beaming in the middle of the kitchen. “I am ready to go shopping weeth you, Meeses Weesley.�

“Oh, Fleur, do call me Mum. After all, the wedding is coming, so I will be your mother-in-law,� Mrs. Weasley said happily.

“Hi, Fleur,� Ron said as he jumped up, and sent his chair flying. “Oh, sorry,� he said blushing crimson. He got his chair and sat back down, avoiding looking at Fleur.

“Shall we go then?� Mrs. Weasley asked Fleur. Fleur nodded happily, and Mrs. Weasley said, “Be good, you two. If I come home and the house is messed up at all, you two will pay.�

“Mum, we’re not three-year-olds,� said Charlie, rolling his eyes.

Mrs. Weasley and Fleur disapparated with a loud “CRACK�, and Charlie got up to leave.

“Where are you going?� asked Ron.

“Weasleys Wizard Wheezes,� Charlie answered, and without another word, he too disapparated with a loud “CRACK�.

Ron looked around the kitchen expecting someone to be there, because it was very seldom there was only one person in the kitchen. Seeing that there was no one, he ate what was left of his sandwich and got up to go see what Ginny was up to.

* * *
Hermione woke up, instantly groaning in pain. She had a major cramp in her neck from sleeping on the couch, and sat up massaging it vigorously. In the room next to her, which just happened to be the kitchen, she could hear her mother frying up eggs, and her father slurping coffee.

Hermione got up, and walked into the kitchen. She looked over at the clock, and was surprised to find that it was eleven o’clock. She usually got up earlier than this, and her parents were usually just now getting up. Hermione walked over to the table and sat next to her father, who was reading the paper.

“’Morning,� she said to them both.

“Good morning, honey. You slept in,� Mrs. Granger replied.

“I know. And you woke up early. You’re usually just now getting up,� Hermione said.

“We got up about half an hour ago,� Mr. Granger replied, with another slurp of coffee.

Hermione just realized that her parents should actually be at work. Since they weren’t, she had forgotten that it was a Friday. “Why aren’t you at work? I just remembered that it’s not Saturday.�

Mr. and Mrs. Granger looked at each other. “We took the day off. We didn’t really want you alone with that girl,� Mr. Granger answered.

“Why? She’s unconscious, and I can do magic. Even if she were to wake up, I could take care of it.�

“We know, honey, but we’d just feel safer knowing that we were here with you,� Mrs. Granger replied.

“Okay,� Hermione said simply, knowing it would be useless to argue. “I’m really hungry, are you almost done with the eggs?�

“I’m done,� Mrs. Granger announced, and brought three plates of eggs to the table. All three ate and talked, and ate and talked, and ate and talked, until they all finished. Hermione got up to go get dressed.

When she got up to her room, she found two owls outside her window, pecking to get in. She went over and opened the window so they could fly over to her desk. One owl did, but the other flew around her ceiling excitedly.

“Pigwidgeon!� Hermione exclaimed, realizing who the owl was. She let him fly around as she went over to the other owl and took the Daily Prophet from its beak. She deposited a Knut in its small, brown pouch, and it flew off. She looked at the front page’s big headline: GOVERNERS DECIDE TO REOPEN HOGWARTS. “Finally,� she thought to herself. She set the Prophet aside, and told Pigwidgeon to come down. She took the letter, and immediately recognized Ron’s messy handwriting. As she read the letter, she laughed to herself. The letter was telling her that the school had been reopened, but she had obviously just found that out.

Hermione decided it was useless to write back to Ron since she was going to see him tomorrow. As she got up to throw the letter away, she froze. The girl was stirring. All of a sudden, she sat up. At the sight of Hermione, she started screaming, which caused Hermione to start screaming, which caused Mr. and Mrs. Granger to run up to Hermione’s room, which caused the girl to scream even more at the sight of them. (Do you see the importance of cause and effect here?) Then the girl flopped back on the bed. Hermione and her parents all ran over to her, but she was once again unconscious.

“Oh, for heaven’s sake, not again!� Hermione groaned.

“I think she’s just fainted,� said Mr. Granger. “Why don’t you stay in here and call for us when she comes around?�

“Okay,� Hermione answered, and her parents went back to whatever they were doing before. Hermione realized that Pigwidgeon was still fluttering around her ceiling, but he had a letter still tied around his ankle. Hermione realized it must be for Harry, and she sent him on his way.

__________________________________________________________________________
A/N~ So, how’d I do? Please tell me in the reviews, or I’ll feel really lonely, Boo-hoo. Poor me, I’m lonely. Anyways, how’d yall like the really long chappie? I like long chappies, so that’s why I wrote one. Just kidding. It’s long because Harry had to tell his story, as you can tell by the chapter title, but I can make them all long if that’s what you want. PLEASE TELL ME!!!!!!!!!!!!~

A/N~ So, here’s the next brilliant chapter of my awesome fan fiction. Okay, okay, I was just kidding. But really, I really hope you enjoy it, and please review afterwards and tell me what you think of the chapter. By the way, if you’ve reviewed one of my past chapters, you might want to check it because I ALWAYS respond back. Okay, now you can read the chapter. ~

Harry and Sirius Apparated to Grimmauld Place with a loud “CRACK� (which just so happened to wake up the Dursleys, but Harry and Sirius had no way of knowing that). As they got there, Sirius remarked, “Home sweet home, eh?� Sirius looked around in disgust, remembering all of the bad memories his old house held. Then a thought occurred to him. “Hey, I just realized something, Harry. I’m not sure which one of us actually owns this place now. Technically, you do since I left it to you, but then again, I’m not dead so I don’t know if the will still counts. Funny how that works out, isn’t it?�

Harry looked around, thinking about what Sirius had said, and then remembered something very important. “Sirius, I said that the Order could still use this as headquarters. That means…� They both exchanged a fearful glance, and then looked around. Both were completely silent, listening ever so carefully for the slightest trace of movement.

“I think we’re safe for now Harry, but what are we going to do when they get here? There’s always someone from the Order here sometime during the day. Probably Remus,� Sirius added,� because he’s here almost all the time, or at least at night. Actually, maybe not since he might’ve been here all alone. I wouldn’t know,� Sirius said casually with a smile.

“I don’t know, but what am I going to tell them? Obviously, I’ll have to face whoever it is alone. I mean, you can’t just be here without warning. I’ll have to tell them that you’re back from the dead before they actually see you, or else they’ll think that they’re going insane. That’s what I thought anyways,� Harry said rather guiltily.

“Wow, that’ll be an interesting conversation,� Sirius remarked, finding the whole situation quite funny. “I might have to listen in from the pantry or something. I can just see you saying, ‘But Professor Lupin, he really is back! You have to believe me!’ And then Remus would say, ‘Harry, I think you need to get to bed. Lack of sleep must have gotten to you.’ They won’t think that they’re going insane, but they will think you are,� Sirius said, trying not to laugh as he pictured the conversation.

“Sirius, this is not funny. They really are going to think that I’m going insane! I had no problems believing it myself, so why should they?� Harry said exasperatedly.

“Come on Harry, they’re only going to think that you’re insane for a few minutes. Then I’ll just pop out of no where, and then they’ll have to believe you.�

Harry groaned. This was not going to be easy. Then he remembered that Sirius still hadn’t told him… “Sirius, you still haven’t told me how, well, how you’re not dead,� Harry said awkwardly.

“Oh yeah, very interesting actually, but we might want to do this little get-together upstairs. How about Buckbeak’s room? Oh my gosh!� Sirius added. “What happened to Buckbeak? Is he getting taken care of? Is he still here? Has he gotten food and water? Has he had exercise? Is he-’’

“SIRIUS!� Harry yelled, trying to stop the rambling on of questions. “Buckbeak is fine. He’s with Hagrid now. We changed his name of course. It’s, um,� Harry said, as he tried to remember. “Oh yeah, it’s Witherwings!�

“Oh, okay then,� Sirius said, becoming much calmer instantly. “Well anyways, we should go up to the room where I kept Buckbeak, er, Witherwings. We can hear what’s going on outside from there, so we’ll know if someone’s coming.�

“Okay,� Harry replied, getting anxious. He was very interested to hear how his godfather had miraculously returned from the dead.

The two climbed upstairs to room that had once been the home of a gigantic birdlike creature. There were bloodstains on the floor and walls from all the dead ferrets. They each went and sat in the only clean part of the room, which was where Sirius used to sit when he was up there with Buckbeak.

“Alright. Now you must first understand that I don’t know exactly why everything happened, but I’ve got pretty good guesses. I do know some things for sure though, so it won’t all be guesses.� Sirius paused to make sure Harry understood, and then went on, “Well, first, right after I fell through the veil, something very strange happened. I-“ Sirius stopped and perked his head up, much like a dog does (what a coincidence, eh?). He could hear something outside. Someone was coming.

* * *
Ginny was pacing up and down her room, trying to think of a plan. She knew she couldn’t just come out and say plain as day, “Oh, by the way, I’m going with you to Godric’s Hollow.� They weren’t going to be happy that and she knew it. She had to be secretive about it, and she had to think of something soon.

Then, as she was pacing along over and over again, there was a knock on her door. “Oh great,� she thought, “Mum’s coming to check on me.� She strode over to her door, but hesitated. Maybe if she was just very quiet and didn’t do anything, Mrs. Weasley would go away. She stood there, wondering if she should just open the door and get it over with, when the door was opened for her. She was surprised to find not Mrs. Weasley, but-

“Ron? I figured it was Mum coming to check on me.�

“Well, you were close enough. Mum sent me up here for her. But we’re the only two in the house right now. Mum left with Fleur (Ginny rolled her eyes), Charlie is at Fred and George’s shop, and obviously Dad’s at work. So, what’re you doing?� Ron asked looking around the room curiously, as if Ginny was doing dangerous experiments secretly like Fred and George used to do.

“Nothing,� Ginny replied innocently.

“Oh come on, you can’t be doing nothing. You’ve been up here all day. You just can’t do NOTHING for a whole day,� Ron said, looking at Ginny suspiciously.

“Yes you can, because I have been,� Ginny replied simply.

Ron narrowed his eyes at her, searching for a trace of guilt in her eyes. He found none, so he shrugged in defeat and he left her without another word. Ginny watched his retreating figure down the hall, then closed the door and sighed.

* * *
Ron walked up to his room, wondering what Ginny could possibly be doing in there. He hadn’t seen anything suspicious, and she didn’t look guilty. Then again, Ginny was very good at not looking guilty when she was up to something. Yes, Ginny was definitely up to something. That much Ron could tell, but he wanted to know what. That’s when he got an idea.

He ran to Fred and George’s old room, and started throwing things all over the place. He threw clothes, paper, remains of their old experiments, etcetera. He was looking for some long, peach-colored string. Some very special long, peach-colored string. And then he saw some. The Extendable Ears.

Ron grabbed the string and ran to insert it under Ginny’s door. It was long enough that he could reach it under the door, and then he could go back to his room. The Extendable Ears were the perfect thing to find out what Ginny was doing. If she was writing something, he would hear the scratching of the quill. If she was simply reading a book, he would hear the turning of pages. If she was talking to herself (which was very out-of-character for Ginny, so it would be a sure sign that something was wrong), he would hear what she was saying. Whatever she was doing, he would hear it.

Ron carefully and quietly slipped one end of the string under Ginny’s door, and then walked carefully and quietly back to his room. He sat on his bed, and listened, and waited for a few seconds, and then he heard something. It was …footsteps? Ginny was just walking? Then a thought came to Ron. She must have been reading something while she was walking! A letter would have fit nicely in the category of what she was reading. Yes, that was it, Ginny was reading a letter, Ron concluded in his mind.

Then another thought came to Ron (wow, two in a day, that’s a record). If Ginny was reading a letter, it had to be from someone. But who would send Ginny a letter? Ron’s eyebrows wrinkled in frustration. Why couldn’t Ginny just tell him what she was doing?

Then there was a knock on his door. He went over and opened it to find Ginny, looking concerned.

“There’s someone downstairs to see you. And he’s in a right state,� Ginny said.

“Who is it?� Ron asked, wondering who would be there to see him. Harry and Hermione weren’t coming until tomorrow, and there was no one else he could think of that would be there for him.

“You’ll see,� Ginny replied, again leaving Ron frustrated with her. Why didn’t she tell him anything anymore?

Ginny moved aside to let him pass, so he walked downstairs, feeling apprehensive for some reason. He heard Ginny close her door a floor above him. Ron walked into the kitchen to find… Neville Longbottom.

“Neville?� Ron asked incredulously. “What are you doing here?�

“Sorry, but I had to come because I thought at first to go to Harry’s house, but then I remembered that he lived with his aunt and uncle, and they’re muggles so they probably didn’t have the Flew Network and I don’t have my license to Apparate, so I couldn’t do that either, so then I thought of you and I came here and-“

“NEVILLE!� Ron yelled, making Neville go silent. “I’ll ask you again. What exactly are you doing here?� Then Ron went over to Neville (who was sitting in a chair at the kitchen table). As he sat down next to Neville, he could see that he was shaking. “Neville, has something happened?�

“Ron, my grandmother’s gone missing!� Neville exclaimed, turning ghostly white.

“She just went missing? Are you sure she didn’t leave you a note somewhere, or mention that she was going anywhere?� Ron asked, knowing Neville to forget things.

“No, she never said anything, and she would never just leave me a note because… she’d know I probably wouldn’t find it,� Neville said, blushing. Ron looked at Neville sadly. He knew that Neville’s parents were in St. Mungo’s, so he lived with his grandmother. What would Neville do without her there?

“Mum will let you stay here, Neville. Harry and Hermione are both coming here tomorrow, and we will all do something to find your grandma. Don’t worry, it’ll all be fine,� Ron said comfortingly to Neville. “Have you ever been here before?� he added, trying to change the subject.

“No,� Neville replied.

“C’mon, I’ll show you my room.� Neville followed Ron up the stairs, wondering what exactly tomorrow would bring.

* * *
Hermione watched the girl lying on her bed, waiting for her to wake up. Hermione sat at her desk, drumming her fingers impatiently. She found that staring at the girl could get quite dull, and watching Crookshanks play with his tail wasn’t as exciting as it sounds, so she decided to look out the window. It was a beautiful day, and sunshine was streaming into the room. Hermione saw a family of birds in a tree right outside her windowsill. There was a baby bird with its parent birds feeding it newfound worms. “That’s nice,� Hermione thought, “I wish life was that predictable.�

Just then, Crookshanks jumped up on the windowsill, and tried to jump at the glass. Obviously, he didn’t get through a solid material, but he scared the poor birds, who flew away from their supposedly-safe home. Hermione looked accusingly at Crookshanks, who had landed on the floor, and thought that life wasn’t always as it seemed after all.

Reluctantly, Hermione looked back over at the girl, and jumped about a foot in the air, literally. The girl was sitting up, gazing around at her surroundings. Her eyes rested on Hermione, and they just looked at each other, the same way they had looked at each other the first time they met; only this time there wasn’t nearly as much fear in either of their eyes. Out of no where, the girl said happily, “Hello.�

“Um, hi,� Hermione said uncertainly. “And, um, who are you exactly?�

“Oh, my name is Ella, Ella Jerrica. Hermione, do you know who I am?�

“No,� Hermione replied with uncertainty in her voice again. “I don’t mean to be rude, but why in the world would I know who you are? And how do you know who I am?�

All of a sudden, the girl looked very sad for no reason whatsoever. “They haven’t told you, have they?� she asked.

Hermione went from looking confused to looking concerned. “Who? Who didn’t tell me what? Sorry if I’m being rude again, but YOU’RE MAKING ABSOLUTELY NO SENSE!� Hermione screamed as she became frustrated. Her yelling brought Mr. and Mrs. Granger running into the room. They looked from the girl on the bed to their very red-in-the-face daughter.

“Hello,� Mrs. Granger said politely and rather more calmly than would have been expected. “I’m Mrs. Granger. What is your name dear, and where are you from?� she asked, as though the girl were a foreign exchange student.

The girl looked Mrs. Granger in the eye, and replied simply, “I’m Ella.� Mrs. Granger’s face went very, very white. She exchanged a fearful glance with her husband, who had gone stock-still.

“Ella?� Mrs. Granger asked as she began to cry. Whether it was tears of joy or tears of sadness, Hermione couldn’t tell. “Oh my gosh! How in the world did you find us?� Mrs. Granger added.

“I’ll tell you everything, but first I think we should tell Hermione who I am. Why didn’t you two ever tell her?� the girl named Ella asked.

Mr. and Mrs. Granger looked at each other. Mr. Granger answered, “We thought it would be safer if she never knew about you. If she went looking for you, something could have happened to her. And for all we had known, you might have been dead, so we just figured it was better for all of us if she never knew.�

“Well, it’s not better for her. She has a right to know everything. And I’m going to tell her. You’ve had your chances, so now it’s my turn,� Ella replied defiantly.

“Wait a second!� Hermione exclaimed. “You know her?� she shot at her parents. “Why didn’t you tell me you knew who it was when she was unconscious?�

“We didn’t know it was Ella because we haven’t seen her since she was a baby. We had absolutely no idea that it was her,� Mrs. Granger explained.

“Will someone please tell me what’s going on?� Hermione asked exasperatedly.

“I will,� Ella said. She took a deep breath, and said, “Hermione, you’re my sister. My twin sister.�

Hermione’s mouth fell to the floor, and her eyes bugged out. "What...she...you...but this...huh?� she managed to stutter. When Hermione stuttered, and it certainly wasn’t often, it was a sure sign of confusion.

“Hermione, we aren’t your real parents. You were adopted. Of course, we love you as if you were our own,� Mrs. Granger added quickly. “I couldn’t have children, so we decided to adopt a baby. We went to the orphanage, and we looked at all the poor little children there that had no family. We absolutely adored the both of you, but so did another family. We wanted both of you, and they wanted both of you, so we decided to each take one of you. We got you, Hermione, and they got Ella.�

“The people at the orphanage said that your parents had died mysteriously, and the doctors couldn’t find any trace of what had happened. They also said that the both of you were dropped off at the orphanage right before that happened. It was like your parents knew they were going to die, but they wanted you two to be safe. We were amazed at this information. This was all they had to say, so we took you home, and said a sad goodbye to Ella, thinking we would never see her again,� Mr. Granger said.

Mrs. Granger continued, “We raised you as if you were our own, and we never told you that you were adopted. Then, around your eleventh birthday, you got your Hogwarts letter. We found out about magic for the first time, and were amazed once again. We realized how special you really were, and why all the strange things happened to you when you were a baby. After a while, we realized how your parents had died. They were murdered by magic which left no trace. That’s why the doctors couldn’t find anything. That’s also why they must have known something bad was going to happen. They were working against, um, what’s his name again dear?� Mrs. Granger said, turning towards Hermione.

“Voldemort,� Ella said for her.

“Oh, yes, thank you. Lord Voldemort. They were working against him. So he must have killed them. It was all very sad when we realized what must have happened, but it was all the more reason not to tell you,� Mrs. Granger said sadly.

“Hermione, we weren’t muggle-born,� Ella said, and this hit Hermione hard (along with all of the other information she had just learned). If Hermione would have just thought about it, she would have realized that her parents would have to have been magic to be working against Voldemort. But since the ability to think seemed to have escaped Hermione at the moment, this thought never occurred to her. “We are the last of a long generation of witches and wizards. I learned all about our parents and who we are. My family told me because they thought the opposite of what you two thought,� Ella said to Mr. and Mrs. Granger. “They actually thought it was safer that I know who I am. Hermione, do you need some time alone to think this all out?� she added.

“Ella, you stay. We need to talk,� Hermione said.

“Before we go, I have one last question,� Mr. Granger said. “What happened to your family? Why are you here?�

Ella got the pained look that she had before she collapsed the first time. “They’re, they’re dead,� Ella said sadly, looking down at her feet. “He, and you know who I mean, found out who I am, and he killed them to try to get to me,� she said, sadness filling her voice. Mr. and Mrs. Granger looked at her sympathetically, and left the room as Hermione wished.

Hermione and Ella sat in silence for a minute, and then Hermione spoke. “This is unbelievable. Literally. I wouldn’t have believed you if my parents hadn’t gone along with it all.� She looked at Ella, and said, “This is really true? You really are my sister?�

Ella nodded, and Hermione flung her arms around Ella’s neck. “Ella, I’m so sorry that your family died. But why would Voldemort want to ‘get to you’? And how did you know where to find me?�

“I still don’t know how it all happened. It was a long, hard journey, but somehow I found you,� Ella said, ignoring the first question.

“Ella, I’ve never heard of the name Jerrica. I’ve read a lot of books, and I’m sure I would have found the name somewhere.�

“Well, not everything is in books you know. Like I said, we’re the last of our family, and our parents died seventeen years ago. There wouldn’t be a record of anything really, except their deaths,� Ella finished sadly.

“Why?� Hermione asked.

“Well, I guess they just didn’t feel the need to keep a record of everything,� Ella said smiling. “Oh, by the way, you don’t happen to be super-smart, do you?�

Hermione blushed, and said, “Well, I won’t say that, but I did get very good grades, and I got a fair bit of OWL’s, and-�

“Okay, yeah, you’re super-smart. That means our parents were right about us!�

“What do you mean?� Hermione asked confused.

“They gave you the name ‘Hermione’, which is a modification of the Greek god ‘Hermes’ who was the messenger of all the gods. Supposedly, he was super-smart. So anyways, they gave me the name ‘Ella’, which means ‘supernatural beauty’. I don’t mean to sound snotty like ‘Oh, I’m so perfect and beautiful’, because trust me, I’m not perfect at all. But I do have looks. No offense of course, because I think that you’re pretty too,� Ella said truthfully.

“Why thank you,� Hermione said. “Actually, I remember thinking that you were pretty when I first saw you. I loved your eyes,� Hermione said.

“Thank you,� Ella replied, smiling.

“Well, it’s true,� Hermione replied matter-of-factly.

“Well anyways, what’s it like?� Ella asked simply.

“What’s what like?� Hermione asked, confused for about the five hundredth time that day.

“Going to a huge, famous, magic school. I only went to a very small one that only had about fifty people,� Ella replied.

“Only fifty?� Hermione asked amazed. “But I thought that the only magic schools were Hogwarts, Durmstrang, and Beaubatons. Those are the only ones ever mentioned in books.�

“Those are the three major schools, but there are a bunch of really little ones,� Ella explained.

“Oh,� Hermione said simply.

“So, who are your best friends?� Ella asked conversationally.

“Well, Ron Weasley, but you wouldn’t know him. And my other best friend is Harry Potter-“

Ella gasped. “Harry Potter? No way, you are not seriously best friends with … Harry Potter! Oh, I’m so jealous! Oh my gosh! I have to meet him!�

“You can meet him tomorrow actually. I was going over to Ron’s house for the rest of the summer, and so is Harry. You can come with.�

“Oh yay!!!� Ella exclaimed very excitedly. She looked around Hermione’s room. “Well, I guess we’ll have to get packing then!� Ella bent down to pick up a book off the floor, but Hermione packed everything neatly in her trunk with a wave of the wand. Ella looked up at Hermione smiling and said, “Well, we’re done.�

Then Hermione gasped. “Oh, you must be positively starved!� she exclaimed.

Ella looked down at her stomach. “Yes, I am starved. And I just love food!� she added.

“Okay then. Let’s go downstairs and get you something to eat,� Hermione said, leading the way to the door. Both girls walked downstairs, chatting happily.
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A/N ~So, how’d I do? I didn’t really leave any cliffies this time. Okay, yes I did, but not at the end. Please review!!!!!!!!! I might wait till I have a certain amount of reviews before submitting the next chapter, probably ten or something like that. SO THAT MEANS REVIEW! Oh yeah, I’m really sorry this took so long to get up, but things kept going wrong and it got rejected, so I’ll try and get the next chapter up quicker.~

A/N ~Here’s the next chapter. I’m really sorry it took so long to get up, but I’ve been really busy with school and the holidays and stuff. Anyways, I really hope you all like it!!! This is the chapter where the points of view start to interact. It happened in the last chapter a little bit when Ginny and Ron were together, but this one is bringing all four POV’s together. Again, hope everyone likes it! Oh yeah, I should probably warn you that this is a REALLY long chapter. Enjoy!!!~
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Harry got up and looked out of the window. “It’s Kingsley Shacklebolt and Professor Lupin,� he said to Sirius.

“You know Harry, you don’t have to call him ‘Professor’ anymore. He’s not your teacher,� Sirius said thoughtfully. “You know-“

“Sirius, this is no time for a lecture. What am I going to do?� Harry asked anxiously.

“Well, if I were you, I would Apparate somewhere else,� Sirius said.

Harry looked at him with a puzzled expression on his face. “Sirius, why in the world would I do that? It’s not like I can just leave you here with them.�

“Well, you would Apparate somewhere else, and then Apparate back here. Then they wouldn’t know that you were already here, and it would be much less of a shock. Think about it, it would be much easier for them to see you coming after they are already here.�

“I guess so,� Harry said, and he Disapparated, leaving Sirius alone.

A few minutes later, Sirius heard a knock on the door downstairs, after Kingsley and Remus had already come in. He heard either Lupin or Kingsley walk over to it, and open it up. Then, he heard, “Harry!� in Lupin’s voice. And then, he heard Harry say, “Hello Professor Lupin.� Sirius smiled to himself; this was going to be a very interesting conversation.

“Very nice to see you Harry, but what are you doing here?� Lupin asked. “Aren’t you supposed to be going to the Burrow tomorrow for your birthday?�

“Yeah, but how did you know about that?� Harry asked rather rudely.

“Molly in invited me to come too, along with Kingsley, Mad-Eye, and Tonks,� Lupin answered him.

“Oh, hi Kingsley,� Harry said, pretending to just realize he was there.

“Hi Harry,� Kingsley replied in his deep voice. “Is something wrong? You look a bit nervous.�

“Oh no, nothing wrong,� Harry said a bit too quickly. “There’s just something I really have to tell you. I probably look nervous because, well, I’m afraid you won’t believe me,� Harry admitted.

“Well of course we’ll believe you. Why wouldn’t we?� Lupin asked concernedly.

“It’s just that it’s so far fetched and unbelievable that I didn’t believe it at first either, and I had it coming to me first hand,� Harry rambled. “I mean, he was standing right in front of me.�

“Harry, what are you talking about? Who was standing right in front of you?� Kingsley asked.

Harry took a deep breath and closed his eyes. “Sirius.� When he opened his eyes, both men were looking at him as if he were crazy. “See? I said you wouldn’t believe me.�

“Harry, are you sure you’re feeling okay? Are you having hallucinations?� Lupin asked, looking very concerned for Harry’s sanity.

“NO!� Harry yelled at them. “He’s upstairs right now, and I can show you.�

“Alright then, show us,� Lupin said, playing along.

“Wait a second,� Kingsley said suspiciously, “what if it was a Death Eater in disguise?�

“I thought of that too,� Harry replied. “I asked Sirius, ‘How do I know that you’re not a Death Eater?’ And he looked around my room, and gave the evidence that he knew he had given me my Firebolt. And then he pointed out the fact that a Death Eater would need his hair to make the Polyjuice Potion anyways. Now follow me,� Harry finished. Lupin and Kingsley looked at each other, and Kingsley just shrugged. They got up and followed Harry up the stairs.

Harry led them up the stairs and down some hallways, and they came to the door of Buckbeak’s old room. Harry reached out to turn the door handle, but it was turning by itself. Harry stood back as Lupin and Kinsley watched in amazement. The door opened, and there stood a beaming Sirius Black.

“Remus!� he exclaimed, and he threw his arms around him. Lupin just stood there with his mouth hanging open, still as a board. Sirius let go of him, and said, “Shacklebolt, long time no see.� He grabbed Kingsley’s hand, and forced it to shake.

“S-Sirius?� Lupin asked in an awed whisper. “Is it really you? I’m not going insane or having hallucinations or-“

“No, you’re perfectly fine,� Sirius said.

“I told you they wouldn’t believe me,� Harry interrupted matter-of-factly.

“And I never doubted that for a second,� Sirius replied, smiling broadly.

Lupin started laughing joyously, and shouting, �HE’S NOT DEAD! HE’S ALIVE! HE’S REALLY NOT DEAD!�

Sirius laughed, and said, “No, by all means, I am not dead.�

Then Lupin stopped, and said, “Why not?�

“Why am I not dead?� Sirius asked, making sure he understood. Lupin nodded. “Very interesting little account actually, and I was just telling Harry when you two came.�

“Wait, if you were with Harry, and Harry just came a few minutes ago, how were you already here?� Kingsley asked. (He was very observant that day apparently.)

“Oh, I told Harry to go somewhere else and come back so it wouldn’t be so much of a shock to you. It would have been weird if he was already here when you came,� Sirius explained.

“Who’s up for some early dinner?� Lupin asked beaming.

The other three agreed, so they all went downstairs, happier than any of them had been for a long, long time.

* * *

A couple of hours later, Ginny heard a loud “CRACK� downstairs, meaning that someone was home. Then she heard her stomach rumble, and she looked down at it in surprise. “Wow. I’m hungry,� she said aloud to herself, pointing out the obvious. She decided that since she wasn’t getting anywhere with her planning, she might as well get some food to settle her stomach.

She walked downstairs to find Fleur and her mother talking happily. Ginny found it annoying that they had gotten much friendlier towards each other ever since Bill’s attack. She cleared her throat to announce her arrival. Both women looked at her surprised.

“Hello dear,� Mrs. Weasley said happily. “What have you been up to all day?�

“Nothing. Why does everyone care so much?� Ginny snapped grumpily as she pulled up a chair and sat down.

Mrs. Weasley raised her eyebrows. “Because you’ve been up in that room of yours all day, and you haven’t once come down for food. You’re a growing girl, and you need your nutrition.�

Ginny rolled her eyes. “Don’t roll your eyes at me, young lady!� Mrs. Weasley exclaimed angrily. “I am not particularly fond of your attitude right now.�

“Well, I’m not particularly fond of everyone sticking their overly large noses in my business,� Ginny snapped. (Ginny obviously didn’t know, but the ‘overly large noses in other people’s business’ statement was much like what the Marauders Map had said to Snape five years previously.) She got up without looking at either Fleur or her mother, and left the room deciding that she would sneak down for some food later.

She stomped up to her room and slammed the door. She went and sat moodily on her bed, crossing her arms and glaring out of the window. Then a war started in Ginny’s head. It went something like this:

“Why am I so mad all of a sudden? Maybe I was too hard on Mum.�

“No you were not! They don’t have to know what you’re doing every second of every day!�

“But she was probably just being a little overly-protective.�

“No, she was being flat-out nosy.�

“But it was a good sort of nosy. She was being protective.�

“No sort of nosy is good. It’s just nosy!�

“Maybe I should go down and apologize.�

“No!�

“Why not?�

“Because you didn’t do anything!�

Ginny was becoming more and more frustrated with herself. She didn’t want to be so mean to her mother, but she didn’t want to be treated like a three-year-old who has to be watched every second. She decided that maybe some sleep would do her good.

“Maybe my dreams will give me an idea about what to do when the others find out I’m going to Godric’s Hollow,� Ginny thought to herself. “Probably not,� she thought again realistically.

* * *
The next morning, Ron woke to his mother screaming. He opened one eye curiously, but immediately shut it again because the sunlight from his window was blinding. Ron groaned. He thought that he should probably go down and help his mother with whatever had made her scream.

Ron sat up, and jumped in surprise. There was a large lump on his floor, and he couldn’t remember what it was. Then he realized that it was Neville, and he groaned again. He stood up, stepped over Neville, and walked out of his room. As he got near the stairs he heard, “I’m really sorry Mrs. Weasley. I didn’t mean to scare you like that.�

“Oh, of course it’s all right, Harry dear and happy birthday! Now sit down, and I’ll make you some eggs benedict for breakfast.�

“That sounds great!�

Ron jumped down the stairs, and ran into the kitchen to find his mother at the stove, and his best friend at the table. “Harry! Happy birthday, mate!� he exclaimed.

Harry looked at Ron, and stifled a laugh. Ron’s hair was an absolute mess, his eyes looked sort of droopy, and he only had pajama bottoms on. “Thanks, Ron,� he said cheerfully. “Hungry?�

“Of course I’m hungry,� Ron said, almost sounding offended. “Since when do you ask stupid questions?� he added jokingly.

“Since your hair started looking like that,� Harry replied, this time not being able to hold back the laugh.

“Oh, shut up Harry, I just got up,� Ron said, trying to vigorously flatten his hair, but failing.

“Breakfast’s ready,� Mrs. Weasley announced, handing both boys large plates of eggs benedict, toast with marmalade, sausage links, and pancakes.

“Thanks, Mrs. Weasley,� Harry said.

“Yeah, thanks Mum. This looks so good,� Ron said, looking longingly at his food.

“Oh, you’re welcome boys. Now dig in before it gets cold,� Mrs. Weasley replied.

As both boys began to eat, Harry thought it was a good time to mention that he was bringing someone by later. Ron asked, “Who?� through a mouthful of eggs, and Harry replied, “I’ll let it be a surprise. It’s a good surprise,� he added.

When they were finished, which wasn’t very long considering the amount of food they had consumed, Ron said that Neville was upstairs.

“Why is he here?� Harry asked curiously.

“He says his grandmother’s gone missing. I bet she went on vacation or something, and Neville just forgot. But of course, I didn’t exactly say that to Neville,� Ron said.

“I don’t know, Ron. That’s kind of a big thing to forget. Even Neville couldn’t possibly forget that, could he?� Harry asked, looking doubtful.

Ron shrugged. “You never know.�

As the boys started walking up to Ron’s room, Harry added, “And besides, these days, she might have been taken by a Death Eater or something.�

Ron looked at Harry disbelievingly and said, “Why would a Death Eater want her?�

“I don’t know. But you’ve got to admit, it’s possible,� Harry replied.

“Yeah, I guess,� Ron said, though still unconvinced. He slowly opened the door to his room, and saw that Neville was still sleeping. “Should I wake him?� he whispered to Harry.

“Go ahead,� Harry whispered back. Ron knelt down and started shaking Neville saying, “Neville, time to wake up!�

“Please Gran, just five more minutes,� a very groggy Neville replied, not even half awake. At the mention of his grandmother, even though it was by himself, he shot up. Ron jumped back in surprise.

“Gran! She’s still missing!� he exclaimed. Then noticing Harry, he said, “Harry! When did you get here?�

“About an hour ago,� Harry answered.

Neville stood up, stretched, and announced to the room, “I’m hungry.�

“C’mon Neville, Mum will make you something to eat,� Ron said leading the way downstairs, with Harry and Neville following closely behind.

* * *
“Ella, wake up! We have to go,� Hermione said while trying to shake Ella awake.

“Ella sat up and mumbled through a yawn, “Go where?�

“To the Burrow,� Hermione replied. “Remember?� Then Hermione smiled as she got an idea, “Harry will be there…�

“Oh, let’s hurry,� Ella said, suddenly jumping up and seemingly wide awake. This made Hermione laugh.

“Let’s go downstairs and eat breakfast, and then we can get ready to go,� Hermione said.

Ella practically ran downstairs, and she jumped right into her chair. “I’ll have cereal please,� she said.

“Okay. That’s an easy request,� Mrs. Granger replied, getting out the bowl, spoon, cereal, and milk.

Hermione calmly sat down next to Ella, and asked to have cereal also. Both girls ate rather quickly, and ran upstairs to get ready to leave. They got dressed, threw on a little makeup, did their hair, and were, amazingly, ready to leave in about ten minutes.

“Okay. Let’s go,� Ella said anxiously. She grabbed Hermione’s trunk, and the two girls Apparated to the Burrow.

When they got there, they found Harry, Ron, and Neville sitting at the table. Harry and Ron were talking while Neville ate. Ella froze and said in awed voice, “Oh my gosh, Hermione, it’s him.�

“Yes, it is,� Hermione replied. Then she said to the boys, “Hi guys! There’s someone I’d like you to meet: this is Ella.� Then Hermione turned back to Ella and said, “Ella, this is Ron Weasley.� Ron stuck out his hand, blushing, and Ella shook it, smiling. “This is Harry Potter, but I think you know that already,� Hermione went on, laughing at Ella’s beaming face. Harry stuck out his hand, smiling, and Ella shook it, blushing.

“Oh, hi Neville!� Hermione exclaimed, noticing that he was there too. She turned to Ella and said, “Ella, this is Neville Longbottom.� Ella and Neville shook hands.

“How did you two meet?� Harry asked.

Both girls glanced at each other, and Hermione nodded. “Well,� Ella said, “it’s kind of a complicated story actually. Um, Hermione?�

“Okay. I’ll cut straight to the point because I know you’ll find out somehow anyways,� Hermione said. “Look, Ella is, well, okay I’ll just tell you.� Hermione took a deep breath and said, “Ella is… my twin sister.�

All three boys stared at Hermione for a few seconds, and then Ron burst out laughing. “Very funny Hermione. Now really, where did you guys meet?�

“First of all,� Ella said forcefully, “we’re girls, not guys. And second of all, nothing is funny. I really am her twin sister.�

Ron looked from Ella to Hermione in disbelief, and then said, “Seriously? You’re twins?�

“Yes Ronald,� Hermione said, sounding impatient. “Okay, maybe I should tell you the whole story. Firstly, I’m not muggle-born.�

Harry’s mouth dropped open, Ron looked a bit dazed, and Neville’s eyes got wider than they had ever been before. Hermione felt it was best to wait a few seconds to let her words sink in.

“I was adopted by my parents. Well not my real parents, but the only parents I’ve ever known,� Hermione went on. “My, or I guess I should say ‘our’ parents, were murdered by Voldemort and Death Eat- Oh, will you give it up Ron!� she broke off. Ron had flinched violently when Hermione said ‘Voldemort’. Neville had also flinched mildly, but not nearly as bad as Ron had.

“Anyways, they were murdered right after they dropped us off at the orphanage. One family wanted Ella, and the Granger’s wanted me. So, any questions?� Hermione finished, smiling.

“You’re serious, aren’t you?� Ron asked stupidly.

“Yes, Ronald, I am serious, but that wasn’t quite the question I was referring to,� Hermione replied.

“Well then, yeah, I have a whole bunch of questions!� Ron exclaimed. “When did you find all this out? Why is Ella just now showing up? Why-“

“You know,� Ella said, “I am standing right here. You could ask me why I’m just now showing up.�

“Oh yeah,� Ron said, looking at Ella as if he had just realized she was there. “Why are you just now showing up?�

“Because my parents are, they’re, they were,� Ella tried to say. She stopped, took a deep breath, and said, “They were murdered by Voldemort.� (Of course, Ron flinched again at the sound of ‘Voldemort’.)

“I’m really sorry,� Harry said, speaking for the first time since finding out that Hermione had a twin sister.

“Thanks Harry,� Ella said, trying to smile at him. “Anyways, that’s why I’m ‘just now showing up’. I tried to find Hermione, because unlike her, I knew I had a twin sister. My parents told me.�

“Wow,� Neville mumbled.

“When did you find out, Hermione?’ Ron asked.

“Yesterday, actually,� Hermione said. “And believe me, I was quite shocked.�

“Quite shocked? You were a bit more than quite shocked, Hermione. You should have seen your face,� Ella said, smiling at Hermione.

“Okay fine, I was really shocked. But you would have been too,� Hermione replied, defending herself.

“Um, excuse me?� Harry said. Everyone looked at him and saw that he looked a bit nervous, and Ron pointed that fact out for everyone:

“Harry, mate, you look a bit peaky.�

“Yeah, well I have someone for you to, um, meet,� Harry said, wondering if that was the right way to word it.

“Okay,� Ron said. “Where are they?�

“I’ll go get him,� Harry said, and with a loud CRACK, he was gone.

“Wonder who it is,� Ron mumbled.

“Done!� Neville announced suddenly, handing Ron his empty plate.

“Um, thanks,� Ron said, putting the plate in the sink.

“You’re welcome,� Neville said, smiling.

Just then, Harry walked in the door. “That was quick,� Ron said.

“Yeah,� Harry replied absentmindedly. “Okay, he’s outside. But I should warn you all that this is going to come as a shock. A major shock. Good thing Mrs. Weasley left or she might have a heart attack,� Harry added. “Where’s Ginny? Maybe she should come out too. It might lessen the shock if she’s with people or something or-“

“Oh stop stalling, mate! Ginny can come later,� Ron said.

“But Harry,� Hermione said, “why would it be a shock if we’re just meeting him?�

“You’ll see,� Harry replied. “Just follow me.� Harry led them out to the shed in which he talked with Dumbledore almost exactly a year before. He stopped right in front of it and turned to the others, saying, “Ready?� Everyone nodded curiously. Harry pushed open the door… to reveal a large black dog. Hermione and Ron froze. Hermione started to say, “He looks uncannily like…� but her voice trailed off. Neville and Ella just looked at the dog curiously.

“Meet Snuffles,� Harry said, wondering how the others, particularly Ron and Hermione, would take this.

“Oh, I get it!� Ron said excitedly. “You got a dog that looks like him, and so you named it after him too. Very cool, mate.�

“No Ron,� Harry said. He took a deep breath and said, “I didn’t name the dog after him, it IS him.� Harry looked at Ron, and then at Hermione. Was he mistaken, or were they looking at him… sadly?

“Harry,� Hermione said, sympathy filling her voice, “I know you miss him, but you shouldn’t try and believe it is him. It will just make you miss him more.�

“Excuse me,� Ella said, “but who exactly is the ‘him’?�

“That’s what I was wondering,� Neville said.

“The ‘him’ is, well, him,� Harry said, pointing at the dog. Then he turned towards the dog and said, “Go ahead. It’s okay now.�

Before their eyes, the large black dog disappeared, and a man with scraggly black hair stood in the shed. Hermione and Ella both screamed, and then fainted, although it was for different reasons. Ron stood stock-still, and lost all color in his face. Neville, however, smiled obliviously and said, “Er, hello.�

“Hi,� the man replied.

“This may sound a bit rude,� Neville said, “but who are you?�

“I don’t think I should tell you just yet,� the man replied. “It’s going to come as a bit of a shock.�

“But I’ve never seen you before in my life, so why would it come as a shock?� Neville asked incredulously.

“Actually, you have seen me before. You’ve seen me in person at least once. And I know you’ve seen my picture many a time,� the man said, winking at Harry.

“I have?� Neville asked, looking as if he were trying to remember when he had seen this man’s picture before.

“Oh yes,� the man said. “Now let’s take the ladies inside, shall we?� He knelt down and picked up Ella. Then he turned to Harry and said, “You can get Hermione, can’t you?�

Harry nodded, and picked up Hermione. Then both of them walked inside, and Neville followed, leaving Ron frozen alone outside.

“Let’s lay them on the couch,� Sirius said, setting Ella down. Harry laid Hermione down on the other side of Ella. Then Harry turned to Neville.

“You can tell me, Harry, I can take it,� Neville said.

“Oh, what’s the point keeping him in suspense?� Harry said sarcastically. “Oh well. Tell him,� he said to the man.

The man looked doubtful for a second, but then shrugged. “Okay, I’ll tell you. But I’ll warn you, you might faint.� Neville raised an eyebrow, but the man said, “I’m Sirius Black. Nice to formally meet you,� he added, extending his hand.

Neville’s eyes got very wide, and his mouth dropped open slightly. He began backing away fearfully as he stuttered, “N-no your n-not. H-he’s dead. Who are y-you r-really?� It was obvious that Neville had suddenly seen the resemblance between the man standing in front of him, and the man he had seen in the pictures when Sirius was a wanted mass-murderer.

“It’s him Neville,� Harry said simply, and Neville fainted, sure enough.

Just as Neville hit the ground, Ron walked in the door stiffly. He was still white as a ghost, and seemed to have lost the ability to communicate. He stared at Sirius for a second, and then glanced at Neville. He muttered, “Bloody hell.�

“Ron? You okay?� Harry asked.

Ron looked at Harry a second before shaking his head. Then he paused, nodded, and then shook his head again.

“Okay. Just sit down then,� Harry said, leading Ron over to a chair. “And then Sirius can tell us about what he’s been doing for the last year,� Harry added. Ron looked over at Sirius, and groaned.

“Alright, I’ll tell you. But you do know that I’ll have to tell it again later, don’t you? Can’t you just wait until then?� Sirius asked.

Harry looked as if he were considering it for a second, but then, surprisingly, Ron spoke up. “No. Tell us first.�

Sirius looked at Ron curiously, took a deep breath, and repeated, “Alright. Well the first thing is, you know how my idiot-of-a-cousin hit me with a Stunner? And that’s how I fell through the veil in the first place?� Harry and Ron nodded. “Well, that made something really, er, strange happen,� Sirius went on. “Did either of you go near the veil at all?�

“I did,� Harry said. “It kind of, er, pulled me towards it. I know it sounds weird, but that’s what it felt like. It gave me a, a… a desire to go through it, I guess,� he added awkwardly.

“Yes. That’s exactly right Harry,� Sirius said.

“It is?� asked a very bewildered Harry.

“Yes. It makes people want to go through it. I have absolutely no idea why the ministry has it in the first place, but that’s what it does,� Sirius said. “Anyways, when I got hit with the Stunner, it kind of, I don’t exactly know the right way to explain it. Well, it kind of reversed the effects. I was aware of my surroundings, and I was aware that I was, shall we say, inside the veil.� Sirius paused, watching the boys’ expressions. Both looked utterly perplexed.

“So then if someone just walked through the veil, they wouldn’t know where they were?� Ron asked finally.

“They wouldn’t know anything. That’s how it was. I was aware of my surroundings, but my surroundings were not a pretty sight at all,� Sirius said, his face looking pained as he recalled the sight. “There were people everywhere, but they all looked as if… as if they had been kissed by a dementor. They were walking, all of them. Just walking over the vast wasteland. Well actually, they weren’t just walking,� Sirius corrected himself. “They were all whispering also, but they weren’t whispering words. They were just whispering. I stepped in front of one once to see if he would go around me or say something, but he just walked right through me.� Sirius paused, and shuddered. “It felt a lot like a ghost went through me, but he wasn’t a ghost. He wasn’t a human either anymore. I really don’t know the right way to explain,� Sirius said.

“Were you the only one that was, um, sane?� Harry asked.

“Yeah. And at first, I just kind of stayed there and watched everyone who walked by me. But then I realized I needed to do something. The problem was, I had absolutely no idea what that something was,� Sirius said. “The whole place where I was, like I said, was a vast wasteland. It looked like it stretched on forever.� Sirius paused, and laughed. “At one point, I got so desperate that I actually asked one of those people if it did go on forever. Of course, she didn’t answer me.�

“What did she do?� Ron asked.

“She just kept on walking,� Sirius answered. “I was beginning to feel depressed, as you might imagine. That’s really the reason I was down there so long. If I had just thought about it, I could have been out of there a lot sooner.�

“Did you blow the whole place up or something?� Ron asked, looking excited.

“No, Ron, I didn’t blow the whole place up,� Sirius replied, smirking at the thought of it. “If I blew the whole place up, I would have been blown up with it.�

“Oh yeah,� Ron said. “I knew that.�

“Sure you did,� Sirius replied, looking doubtful. “Anyways, I was thinking for a long time. Reflecting would actually be a better word. I was reflecting on my life, because when I was depressed, I started to think that I would never get out. I was thinking about all of the things I would have done if I knew that that day would have been my last one on Earth. Pretty sad, huh?� Sirius added.

“Yeah it is,� Harry said. “But what made you realize that it was possible to get out?�

“I saw someone. Someone I knew from a long time ago, at Hogwarts. He wasn’t a friend really, so I wasn’t exactly sad to see him. He was two years younger than me, and he was in Hufflepuff. Not the brightest chap in the world, I’ll tell you that,� Sirius said. “That was probably the reason he was in there in the first lace. Poor guy probably wandered into the wrong hallway one day, and decided to see what was behind that big door or something. Then he probably got lost in there, came across the veil, and got sucked in by its power.�

“But how did he make you realize you could get out?� Ron asked.

“He didn’t exactly make me realize that I could get out. He just made me see that I didn’t want to end up like that, and so I had to do something.�

“But didn’t you already know that you didn’t want to end up like that?� Harry asked.

“Well, to tell you the truth, I hadn’t really thought about it,� Sirius answered. “But then, seeing someone I had known, I thought about it. And so I thought that I had to get out of there, and I thought about how.� Sirius stopped, and for some reason had a mysterious look in his eye.

“What?� Ron asked. “Why are you looking at me like that?�

“I’m not looking at you. I’m remembering, my, er, idea,� Sirius said.

“Well?� Harry urged. “What did you do?�

“I thought about a lot of things I could have done. And maybe that I should have done, but I didn’t. What I did was, well,� Sirius started laughing. This made Harry laugh, which made Ron laugh.

“Wait. What’s so funny?� Ron asked after a few seconds.

Sirius smiled, rather mischievously, and said, “Alright, I’ll tell you.� Harry and Ron looked curious. Sirius went on, “First, I started following one of the, er, lost souls. That was kind of pointless, actually, because they just walked on and on to no-where-ville. Then I stopped, and began walking the other way again. You see, it was so very pointless and a total waste of time. So then I stopped, again, and the idea hit me-“ Sirius paused, and laughed again.

“Oh, tell us all ready!� Ron exclaimed exasperatedly. “What’d you do?�

Sirius grinned and proclaimed, “I Apparated. Simple as that.� Harry and Ron looked at Sirius for a second, and then burst out laughing. Then Sirius joined in.

After a while, Harry asked, “What did you mean then when you said you thought about the things that you should have done? Wasn’t that easy enough?�

“Well, yeah,� Sirius said. “But I was referring to the things I should have done for those people. I should have at least tried to help them before I Apparated, don’t you think?�

“But what could you have done?� Ron asked.

“Something. Anything was better than leaving them there. If anything, I could have Apparated while holding onto a few of them, and then I could have brought them to St. Mungo's to see if they could be helped,� Sirius said.

“Well, wait,� Harry said. “If you could Apparate out, couldn’t you Apparate back in?�

“I thought about that actually,� Sirius replied. “But I don’t know if I would end up, well, like them. I wouldn’t have been Stunned.�

“Oh. Oh yeah,� Harry said.

Just then, Ella sat up slowly. “You look uncannily like Sirius Black,� she blurted out suddenly, looking at Sirius. “Has any one ever told you that before?� Then she paused, looking as if she had regretted saying that. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to compare you to a dead man.�

“Oh, it’s quite alright,� Sirius said, finding this very amusing. “Does your head hurt at all? You fell, in case you don’t remember.�

“I remember. And I’m sorry about that too. I was just shocked that you turned from a dog to a man. I wasn’t expecting you to be an Animagus,� Ella said. “But, no, my head doesn’t hurt. I feel fine, actually.�

“Good,� Sirius replied smiling.

“I’m hungry,� Ron announced to the room.

“You just ate two hours ago,� Harry said.

“Exactly, so now I’m hungry,� Ron replied, getting up to get himself a snack.

“I’m a bit hungry too. Would you mind getting me something?� Ella said.

“No problem,� Ron replied, bringing back an extra egg sandwich.

“Thank you,� Ella said, gazing at the sandwich hungrily. She took the sandwich from Ron, and was about to take a bite of it when…

“Harry!� A girl with flaming red hair appeared suddenly in the room. “And Hermione too! Is she asleep?� The girl didn’t wait for an answer, but kept rambling, “Why is Neville on the floor? He looks as if he’s passed out, and-Oh my gosh!�

“Hi Ginny,� Ron said unenthusiastically.

“Oh, hi Ron,� Ginny replied. She wasn’t looking at him though, but at Sirius. “Do I know you? You look familiar to me,� she said to him at last.

“Yes. You know me, and I would hope that I would look familiar. It’s only been about a year since I’ve seen you,� Sirius said. Ginny’s expression became very curious.

“Hi. I’m Ella,� Ella said out of nowhere, extending her hand to Ginny.

“Oh, hello. I’m Ginny,� Ginny replied, shaking Ella’s hand. “I really don’t mean to sound rude, but why are you here?�

“I came with Hermione. Are you a Weasley too? You have the same hair as Ron.�

“Yes. I’m a year younger than Ron though. There’s a lot of Weasleys, just so you know,� Ginny said, smiling. “Bill’s the oldest. Then there’s Charlie, but he lives in Romania. Then Fred and George. Their twins. Then Ron, and then me. And of course, Mum and Dad. Hey, where is Mum?� Ginny added, turning to Ron.

“She went to Diagon Alley to get a new robe for her to wear to the wedding,� Ron answered. “Don’t know where she got the money though.�

“I thing Fleur’s mum gave it to her,� Ginny said. “And by the way, no one answered me about why Hermione’s sleeping, and Neville’s passed out.�

“Uh, later,� Sirius said. “For now, why don’t we tell you who I am since you obviously don’t know?�

“Okay,� Ginny said, curiosity in her voice.

“Does the name Sirius Black ring a bell at all?� he asked jokingly.

Ginny gasped, and stepped back in alarm. “S-Sirius?� she stuttered. “Oh my God…� But before Ginny had time to say anything more, there were a whole bunch of loud cracking noises as the living room suddenly became a great deal more crowded.
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A/N~ Told you it was long! Did you like it? I hope so. I liked it personally, but maybe that’s just me. I’ll probably have some much less impatient reviews now that I’ve told how Sirius got out of the veil. But that still doesn’t mean you’re off the hook to review… the less reviews I get, the longer I’ll wait to get the next chapter up. I’ll try to get the next chapter up really quickly though to make up for the last two chapters taking soooo long!!!~

A/N~ Oh good, now you all can see who the people are. How exciting! I’m just kidding; it’s not all that exciting. And I was a bit surprised that no one remembered something I had put in the story earlier that would have hinted at who the people are. Oh well, now you can find out. And then you can review, right? Right! By the way, I’m really sorry this took so long, again, but it wasn’t completely my fault this time. My computer was down for a while. Anyways, I’m done now, obviously, so you can read the next chapter. Enjoy! ~
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Everyone silently looked at each other for just a second before both Tonks and Ella said, “Hello.�

“I didn’t know you all were coming,� Sirius said, which made Tonks and Moody go rigid. The new arrivals had been Lupin, Kingsley, Tonks, and Moody, but Lupin and Kingsley had already seen Sirius of course. They glanced at each other, and both smiled at the look of fear on Tonks’s face, and the apprehensive look on Moody’s.

“Come here,� Moody growled, speaking to Sirius. Without a word, Sirius smiled at Harry as if this was a joke, and got up and walked over to Moody. Moody looked Sirius up and down, with both eyes, and then began walking in a circle around him.

“Don’t mean to be rude or anything, but what exactly are you doing?� Sirius asked.

Without answering the question, Moody asked the room, “Anyone have some Veritaserum on them by chance?�

“Oh, that’s what you’re doing,� Sirius said. “But I assume that Remus and Kingsley have already told you-"

“Yes, but we need to make sure it’s really you. Never can be too careful,� Moody growled. “Now, anyone have some Veritaserum?� he repeated. No one said anything, so Moody added, “Well we’ll just have to do it the old-fashioned way then.�

“But Mad- Eye, they already asked me, and I already gave evidence,’ Sirius said. “Besides, Death Eaters would need my hair to make the Polyjuice Potion, and they obviously couldn’t have gotten it. I already mentioned that also,� Sirius added.

“Yes, well, you could have gotten out of the veil, but then had gotten captured,� Moody said.

“You think of everything, don’t you?� Ron asked.

“Pretty much,� Moody replied, the corners of his mouth twitching. “Now, what creatures’ heads are mounted on the wall in the Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix?�

“Oh, that’s a tough one,� Sirius said, very sarcastically. “I do believe its house elves’ heads, but I may be mistaken.� Ron, Harry, and Lupin laughed.

“Alright then, good to have you back,� Moody said very seriously. Sirius raised an eyebrow. He had expected a bit more of a welcome back from ‘the dead’. Then he looked over at Tonks, who was still rigid. Her hair was long, straight, and jet black today, but her face had gone very white. The black of her hair made her face look even paler. She gazed at Sirius as if she wasn’t really seeing him, but was thinking. Her expression remained rather scared looking.

“Tonks?� Sirius asked. “Are you okay?�

Then, very suddenly, Tonks ran at Sirius and threw her arms around him. “Oh my gosh, Sirius, it’s you! You’re alive! You’re okay! I thought it was partly my fault because I was fighting Bellatrix before she got to you, and if I had just finished her off all this never would have happened! Oh I’m so sorry, and I’ll never ever do anything like that ever again!�

Sirius’s eyes were very wide, and he burst out laughing. Everyone else in the room was silent, still very surprised at what had just occurred. When Sirius stopped laughing, he said, “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t laugh. It’s just that that was completely unexpected. And I doubt you’ll ever be quite in that situation again, so I’m pretty sure you’ll never do it. And don’t apologize or I’ll jinx you. It was not, and is not, and is never going to be your fault that that happened,� Sirius added sternly. “It was my fault that I lost my guard.�

“It’s not your fault either, Sirius,� Lupin said. He walked over and put his arm around Tonks’s shoulders, and added, “It’s neither of your faults. It’s all Bellatrix’s fault.�

Sirius’s mouth had dropped slightly, and he said, “Are, are you two, er, together?� Lupin and Tonks both smiled. Sirius started beaming, and said to Lupin, “If you two get married, we’ll be related!�

Lupin laughed. “Not so fast Sirius. We’re taking things slowly right now.� Tonks nodded.

“Damn,� Sirius muttered under his breath. Harry and Ron were the only two that heard, and both started laughing. Lupin glanced at them questioningly, and they both stopped.

Then Harry glanced at Ginny, who hadn’t said anything since finding out it was Sirius. She was sitting cross-legged in an armchair, and looked distracted. Harry also noticed that she looked tired, but he didn’t know why that would be. “Ginny?� he said.

Everyone’s eyes turned to Harry as he spoke, but then to Ginny. Ginny shook her head, and then looked at Harry. “Huh?�

“You never said anything about Sirius. You didn’t really do anything, and you didn’t even recognize him. Is something wrong?� Harry asked.

“I don’t know,� Ginny said in a rather dreamy voice, sounding uncannily like Luna Lovegood. “I guess I didn’t recognize him because I was up all night last night thinking about-“ Ginny stopped, gasped, and clamped a hand over her mouth. “Never mind,� she said hurriedly.

“What?� Harry and Ron said simultaneously. Ginny sat silent, but then her head shot over towards the couch. Everyone else’s gaze followed hers. Hermione had just sat up, and was wide-eyed.

“I didn’t know you all were here,� she mumbled. “I feel rather strange. I don’t remember why I’m on the couch.� Hermione looked around at the others for an explanation, but her eyes rested on Sirius. “Oh,� she muttered in a very small voice. “I just recovered the memory of why I’m on the couch.�

Ginny, feeling this was the perfect moment to slip away unnoticed, slipped away unnoticed. Everyone was turning their attention to Hermione for the moment, so she went back up to her room. “That was close,� she thought to herself, referring to almost letting slip that she had been up all night thinking of a way to get to Godric’s Hollow. Then Ginny remembered why she had said that in the first place: as an excuse as to why she hadn’t recognized Sirius. Why hadn’t she recognized Sirius? And how was he here, alive and healthy? It didn’t make any sense at all.

As Ginny pondered all this upstairs in her room, Neville was just ‘awakening’ downstairs. “AAAARGH!� he yelled at the sight of four new faces in the room, especially Mad-Eye Moody, who could look quite scary when you’re not expecting him to be there.

“Calm yourself, Longbottom,� Moody said. “You’ll give yourself a heart attack.�

“I’m okay,� Neville said breathlessly.

“And get yourself up off the floor,� Moody added.

Neville stood up, and plopped himself down on the vacant chair that had been Ginny’s. This drew attention to the fact that Ginny wasn’t there, obviously. “Where’s Ginny?� Tonks asked to no one in particular.

“Dunno,� Ron said. “She was here a minute ago.�

“Does anyone else reckon there’s something wrong with her?� Harry asked. “She’s acting, er, strange. She didn’t even recognize Sirius.�

“Yeah, it was weird,� Ron agreed. “She just said he looked ‘familiar’.�

“But she did say she had been up late,� Tonks said.

“Yeah, but that was just an excuse, I’ll bet you anything,� Harry said. “Staying up late couldn’t make her not recognize Sirius when she had seen him only about a year ago. But that was strange too. Why didn’t she tell us what she was thinking about? I bet she actually was up late, because she looked really tired, but I doubt that was the real reason she didn’t know it was Sirius,� Harry added.

“I don’t know. She’s been like that lately. I went up to her room yesterday to see what she was doing, and she just attacked me,� Ron said. “She wouldn’t tell me anything.�

“That’s weird. Really weird,� Hermione said. She seemed to have accepted the fact that it was Sirius, and was now calmly sitting cross-legged on the couch, her hands clasped in her lap.

“Do you reckon-" Harry started, but was interrupted by a loud cracking sound. Mrs. Weasley had just Apparated into the kitchen. She had a bag in her hand, which she set down on the table. Then she turned to everyone else, a large smile on her face.

“Oh, I wondered if you’d be here yet,� Mrs. Weasley said to Lupin, Tonks, Moody, and Kingsley. “I’m going to start on the stew and spaghetti. And what else would you like, Harry, dear?� she added, turning to Harry.

“I don’t care. Anything’s fine,� Harry said. Then, quite suddenly changing his mind, he said, “On second thought, could you make treacle tart? It’s my favorite dessert.�

“Of course, Harry, dear,� Mrs. Weasley said, smiling at the request. “Would anyone else like anything different?�

“No, we’re all fine,� Kingsley said, speaking for the rest of the room.

“No, one of you, at least, must want something different,� Mrs. Weasley insisted, looking around at each person almost pleadingly. But then, as could be expected, her eyes rested on Sirius. Her face became a little alarmed at first, but then she quickly covered it up, saying, “Oh, hello. I…� Mrs. Weasley’s voice trailed off. It was clear to the rest of the room that Mrs. Weasley, unlike Ginny, recognized Sirius.

“Molly, sit down,� Lupin said calmly.

“No, I’m fine, it’s just…� again, Mrs. Weasley’s voice trailed off, and her eyes never left Sirius. A silence hung in the room, and Harry’s thoughts were racing. Would everyone act this way? All the people in the wizarding world, he expected, probably knew about Sirius Black, who had been incorrectly accused of murdering twelve people with a single curse, and was killed by a Death Eater, who just so happened to be his own cousin, in the Ministry of Magic. So again, Sirius may not be able to go out in public, at least for a while. Someone would have to warn people that he was alive, or everyone would go crazy at the sight of him. Some people may even still be afraid of him. For though the Ministry did mention after he ‘died’ that Sirius was innocent, seeing someone they had thought for years to be a mass murderer might be just a little intimidating.

Then Ron’s voice broke the silence. “He’s right Mum, you better sit down.�

“Oh, really, I’m perfectly fine,� Mrs. Weasley said, looking a bit flustered. “I just had a flashback, that’s all. I am getting on in my years, after all.�

“Mum, you are not. And, you weren’t having a flashback,� Ron said. “Sit. Then you won’t faint. At least, I don’t think so. Can people faint when they’re sitting down?�

“Yes, Ron, you great, stupid prat,� Fred said. Everyone’s eyes, Mrs. Weasley included, were now on he and George, who had just Apparated to the already-overly crowded living room with two loud cracks.

“Closed the shop for the day,� George announced. “Mum told us that you were here, Harry, and we took some time off for the wedding too. And Charlie and Bill dropped by earlier to say they were coming by around five for dinner,� he added, turning to Mrs. Weasley.

“Oh, yes, thank you boys,� Mrs. Weasley said, turning back to the stove. It was quite obvious that she was avoiding everyone’s eyes, and ignoring the fact that she knew perfectly well that Sirius Black was sitting in her living room.

“So how is everyone?� George said, sitting on the floor since there was no room anywhere on the couches or chairs.

Fred sat down next to George and said in a rather surprised voice, “Oh, hello, Sirius. Didn’t know you were coming. And I…� Fred’s voice trailed off just as Mrs. Weasley’s had. Fred and George both looked at Sirius curiously for a second, and then Fred burst out, “Blimey, I can’t believe I said that. Sorry, mate, you just look a lot like a, er, friend of ours. Don’t believe we’ve met,� he added, extending his hand to Sirius while still sitting on the floor.

Sirius shook Fred’s hand enthusiastically, beaming. He glanced at Harry, and both found this quite funny. In fact, Sirius could no longer hold back a laugh that sounded a lot like a bark, which made both Fred and George jump. Their eyes became extremely wide, and they glanced at each other before looking back at Sirius, clearly alarmed.

Ron was very happy at this point, because it was a rare occasion that he knew something that Fred and George didn’t. Harry knew this would be the case, and glanced at his best friend. Ron looked as if he was struggling to blurt out that it was Sirius, or to keep Fred and George in suspense even longer. He decided on the latter apparently, and sat with a large grin on his face.

“Be right back,� George muttered, and he and Fred got up and walked towards the stairs. They walked up to their rooms, which was clearly a sign of their shock since they usually Apparated every chance they got.

Then, quite suddenly, Mrs. Weasley flung around and ran at Sirius, crying frantically. She flung herself at him, and he patted her back. As she sobbed into Sirius’s shoulder, she managed to say, “Oh, Sirius, I thought it was you, but then I thought that it couldn’t be possible. And it still isn’t possible, but I’m sure it’s you. Your laugh just sounds so much like a bark, and I don’t know how it could possibly anyone else, and I’m just so confused…� It sounded as if she was still talking, but her words were too muffled to distinguish what she was saying. Sirius looked rather surprised, since she had said all of this in about a time span of ten seconds.

“Well, she didn’t faint,� Ron said to the rest of the room.

“Excuse me,� Ella said. She hadn’t spoken for a long time, and everyone else had sort of forgotten she was there. “I’m a little confused. I know that she’s Mrs. Weasley,� Ella said, nodding her head towards the still sobbing Mrs. Weasley. “And I know Ginny, and Ron, but who were those other two that left the room? Were they Fred and George? Ginny mentioned that two people named Fred and George were twins, and those two people seemed like twins. And didn’t Ginny also say that Charlie lives in Romania, but the twins said he was coming with Bill at five for dinner?�

“You have a good memory,� Ron said.

“Um, thanks,� Ella said.

“But yes, that was Fred and George. The one that called Ron a great stupid prat was Fred,� Hermione said, smiling at Ron. “And Charlie’s here right now because there’s a wedding very soon. Bill’s wedding.�

“Oh. Okay then,� Ella said, smiling. “Glad we got that straightened out.�

Mrs. Weasley broke away from Sirius, and looked at the others, her eyes looking very red and puffy. She sniffled, and said, “I’m sorry everyone. I- it’s just so-so hard to believe.� She sniffed, and then added, “How are you here Sirius?�

Sirius took a deep breath as everyone’s heads turned towards him with questioning looks on their faces. Then he got an idea. “How about I write the whole ordeal down so I won’t have to keep telling the story over and over again? Then you can all take turns reading it, and ask me any questions you might have after you’re done.� Sirius beamed around at them all.

“I think it’s a very good idea,� Hermione said approvingly.

“But I can’t read,� Ella said suddenly. Everyone stared at her, shocked. She laughed. “I’m just kidding.�

Then Sirius laughed. “I actually believed you, and I’m really not very gullible at all.� Ella laughed because she knew he was being serious. “Alright, I’m off to write my-er- memoir, I guess you could call it.� Sirius walked to the stairs and then turned around. “Molly? Is there a place that I wouldn’t be disturbed?�

“Oh, yes Sirius, there’s the backyard. I always go out there when I need to clear my head a bit. The fresh air will help you think too.� Then Mrs. Weasley paused, and looked as if she was debating whether to say something or not. “Sirius? Would you like some food to take out with you? You’re all skin and bones! You really must stuff yourself to get back to the way you used to be.�

“Are you saying I used to be fat?� Sirius asked sarcastically, knowing perfectly well what she had meant. She gave him a look that said she knew that he knew perfectly well what she had meant. “Actually, I would like some food if it’s not too much trouble,� he added.

“Oh not at all, Sirius. Don’t be silly,� Mrs. Weasley said as she hurried over the kitchen to fix him something. Harry smiled in spite of himself. Sirius being back was the greatest thing that had happened in a long time. He smiled warmly at his godfather, who returned the smile instantly.

All of a sudden, Fred and George came down the stairs, each grinning sheepishly. George announced, “We have concluded that you are indeed Sirius Black, although we have absolutely no idea how it came to be so.� Ella giggled at their beaming faces. Fred winked at her, which caused her to giggle even more.

“For once, it seems you have come to the right conclusion,� Moody said. His small beady eye rested on the twins, but his magical eye was focused on Sirius.

“You’ll find out everything you need to know when I’m done with- oh, I guess I should explain,� Sirius said to Fred and George. “Instead of explaining what happened to everyone, I’m going to write it all down. Then, once you’ve read it, you can ask me any questions that you may have. Any questions?� Sirius finished with a smile.

“Nope,� Fred and George said simultaneously.

“Good, because I’m not really in the mood to answer any at the moment,� Sirius said, grinning. Mrs. Weasley rushed over and handed Sirius a plate full of food. “Molly, I didn’t need a whole meal,� Sirius said, looking at the full plate in his hand. “You didn’t have to go to all the trouble.�

“Oh, it’s quite alright Sirius. You need nourishment.�

Sirius shrugged. He waved his wand, and there appeared parchment, a quill, a bottle of black ink, and a small desk floating in mid air. With another wave of his wand, the chair he had been sitting in and the plate of food were also in the air and floating slowly towards the back door with the other four items. Sirius smiled, and followed them. Once to the door, which was only a matter of seconds, Sirius opened the door, and all his floating objects floated through the door and out into the yard. He gave a sort of half-wave to the others, and walked out the door, closing it behind him with a soft ‘click.’

“I look forward to reading that story,� Tonks said, looking out the window at her cousin. Everyone else nodded, including Ron and Harry. Even though they already heard the full account of the story first-hand, they were both interested to see how Sirius would put it all into writing.

Just then, Ginny traipsed down the stairs, not looking at anyone except Mrs. Weasley. Harry noticed that she looked like a whole different person than she had before. Her hair was done up, she was wearing robes instead of jeans and a t-shirt, and she didn’t look nearly as tired. Harry guessed that was because she had make-up on, but he didn’t really know about that kind of thing, so it might have been something else for all he knew. “I’m going outside,� Ginny said simply. Without looking at the others still, she walked over to the door and let herself out before anyone could say anything.

Mrs. Weasley turned towards the living room. Everyone was silent, thinking. Mrs. Weasley seemed at a loss for words. She turned back around, and looked out the window; Ginny was walking towards the back of the house, where Sirius was. He was looking up at her, and saying something. Ginny sat on the ground next to him. Suddenly, and quite unexpectedly, she burst into tears.

Mrs. Weasley ran towards the door, but Lupin yelled, “Molly!� and she stopped. “Let her be. Sirius can handle it,� he added. Mrs. Weasley looked out of the window, and then walked back to the stove.

“I’ll be right back,� Harry said, breaking the silence. He gave a meaningful glance at Ron and Hermione, and then walked towards the stairs.

“Uh, I need to use the bathroom,� Ron said, and got up and followed Harry. Hermione just got up and followed the boys without saying anything.

When all three had reached Ron’s room, Hermione said, “It’s no use saying stuff as excuses. They all know what we’re doing.�

“Oh well,� Harry said, sitting on Ron’s bed. “What’s up with Ginny? There’s seriously something wrong with her.� Hermione and Ron looked back at him sadly; it was definitely true. Ginny was not acting normally.

Hermione walked over to the window. From there, Sirius and Ginny were on the other side of the house, so she wasn’t able to see them. “Maybe she’s afraid,� Hermione said at last. She turned to Harry. “You’re in a lot of danger, Harry, and she really cares about you. It might be coming down hard on her.�

Harry looked at Hermione’s sad face for a second, and then looked down at his feet. He didn’t want her to care about him, not the way she did. It wasn’t fair to her.
________________________________________________________________________A/N~ Well, that was pretty long. Was it worth the wait? I hope so. And again, I’m really sorry that it took so long. Please review, and give me ideas if you want to. I would appreciate it! ~

A/N~ OK. That was a little bit quicker than the last two chapters I think. I really am sorry, and I know I keep saying it, but the next chapter is going to be super quick to make up for these last three. I hope you like this chapter. There’s a lot going on, but I’m trying to bring it all together. Please review after you’re done reading. The more reviews, the quicker the next chapter comes, seriously. Enjoy!
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All three sat in silence, pondering their own thoughts. Hermione gazed out of the window, not really seeing anything, her eyes glazed looking. Ron stood leaning against the wall with his arms folded, thinking about his sister’s actions. Harry was sitting on Ron’s bed, staring at his feet.

The room had a gloomy feel to it, despite all the good things that had been happening. Sirius was alive and well, Bill and Fleur were getting married in about a week, Hermione had found out about her twin sister, and everyone was gathered together for Harry’s seventeenth birthday. But then again, a lot of bad things were happening too. Neville’s grandmother had gone missing, Ginny was acting so strange lately, and all the time Voldemort was gaining followers, and there was no telling what his next move would be.

Harry thought about what he had to do soon. He was going to Godric’s Hollow, along with Hermione and Ron. But things seemed to be getting in the way of his plans lately. They had to do something about Neville’s grandmother, Hermione probably wouldn’t want to leave Ella anytime soon, and Harry didn’t really want to leave Ginny. There was always the option that she could go with them, but that would put her in so much danger, and Harry couldn’t bear the thought of that.

“Do you reckon she’s sick or something?� Ron asked, breaking the silence.

“No. What would she be sick with?� Hermione replied, turning away from the window to look questioningly at Ron, who shrugged. “I think we should go back downstairs with the others. We’re obviously not getting anything accomplished by being up here by ourselves,� Hermione added, looking at Ron and Harry for approval.

Before they could leave the room, the door opened and Neville and Ella walked in. “Hi,� Ella said brightly. “Didn’t mean to disturb your little meeting thing, but Mrs. Weasley said to tell you that dinner will be ready in about five minutes,� Ella said. Neville nodded.

“Okay, thanks. We were just going downstairs anyway, right?� Hermione asked, not really expecting an answer. She got up, and briskly walked out of the room, followed by Harry, Ron, Ella, and then Neville.

When they got downstairs, all five of them went to sit in the crowded living room once again. Neville sat by Harry this time, looking grave. He leaned in and whispered to Harry, “Harry, I’m worried about my grandmother. I don’t know where she could be. She just- disappeared. When are we going to find her?�

Harry looked at Neville’s face, and knew in an instant that Neville’s grandmother was indeed missing. Neville hadn’t forgotten something or not read a note, she was missing. “Neville, don’t worry. I’m sure she’s fine. We’ll find her.� Harry truly did believe she was fine. After all, what would Death Eaters want with her?

Apparently, the fact that these were words of truth, not just words of comfort, showed on Harry’s face, because Neville relaxed a bit and even smiled in a nervous sort of way. “Thanks Harry,� he muttered, and then he turned to everyone else. It seemed that Tonks had noticed a new face, and was asking Ella who she was. Ella told them her name was Ella Jerrica, and she was Hermione's twin sister. This caused an uproar of conversation, but nobody really got any information out of her, except that she and Hermione were separated at a young age. Then, Ella changed the subject, and asked how things were going at the Ministry, which got Kingsley and Tonks telling everyone about what the Ministry had been up to lately.

Soon, dinner was ready, and they carried the conversation to the table. Mrs. Weasley too joined in. It was only about ten minutes after they had begun eating that two loud cracking noises filled the room, and Bill and Charlie were there too. “Hello everyone. I’m starved,� Charlie said, conjuring up two more chairs. “Me too,� Bill agreed, eyeing the spaghetti hungrily. Both of them heaped large amounts of food onto their plates. “Oh, by the way, happy birthday Harry,� Bill added. Charlie nodded smiling.

The discussion about the Ministry then continued and went on for a surprisingly long time, until finally Bill said, “Where’s Ginny? I’ve just noticed she’s not here.�

“Oh yeah,� Charlie said, scanning the table.

Everyone else glanced around nervously at each other. “She’s outside,� Mrs. Weasley said finally. “She wanted a bit of fresh air.�

“Yeah,� Fred, George, and Ron said at the same time.

Bill and Charlie looked around at the others curiously, and then at each other. “Okay,� Charlie said. “Whatever.�

The rest of the meal went smoothly, and Ginny and Sirius stayed outside the entire time…

* * *
“But Sirius, I’m just so afraid,� Ginny said through tears. “They’re never going to let me go, and I can’t stand the thought of any of them getting hurt.�

Sirius’s brow furrowed in thought, and he patted Ginny on the back comfortingly. “Why don’t we sneak away then?� he asked finally. Ginny looked up at him in surprise. “The problem was really the fact that you couldn’t Apparate. So if they didn’t let you come, you couldn’t do Side-Along Apparition. Therefore, you’d have no way of getting there in the first place, correct? Except of course via broom, but that would take ages.� Ginny nodded curiously. Sirius went on, “Well, I’ll go with you. You can do Side-Along with me, and they’ll never even know until we're there. They can’t stop us once we’re there, right? So we just won’t tell them. That’ll be a right nasty shock,� he added with a grin.

“But Sirius, something is bound to go wrong,� Ginny said with a sniffle. “It just seems so- reckless.� She sat cross-legged on the ground, leaning her head on her hands, which were supported by her knees.

Sirius looked down at Ginny pitifully, as if she were a kid without money in front of a candy shop window. “You really do worry too much-"

“Don’t say that!� Ginny cut Sirius off suddenly, looking horrorstricken. “It makes it seem like I’m turning into my mother.� Ginny shuddered, which made Sirius laugh. “It’s not funny!� she snapped at him. “How would you like it if I compared you to your mother?� Sirius immediately stopped laughing, and Ginny smirked triumphantly. “Okay then,� she said, sounding satisfied with herself.

Sirius shook his head. “Well anyways, nothing is going to go wrong. Take a little risk.�

“I’ve taken plenty of risks thank you very much, but this seems like it’s just asking for trouble,� Ginny said, looking doubtful.

Sirius beamed. “That’s the fun part.�

Ginny closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. “Look Sirius, I know you’re really happy to finally be able to go out in the open and stuff, and I’m really happy for you, but…� Ginny’s voice trailed off for a moment, and she opened her eyes. “But, you still shouldn’t be reckless. Yeah, people know you’re innocent now, but they still think you’re dead! They think you’re dead, Sirius,� Ginny said exasperatedly. “Close your eyes and think about that for a second.�

Sirius frowned, but closed his eyes anyways. He was silent for a few moments, but then he burst out laughing. He opened his eyes again, and smiled. “Ginny, you are taking this way too seriously. It will be alright. If I can handle hiding from the entire wizarding world, manage to stay cooped up in one of my least favorite places for an entire year, and still manage to think that the fact that people think I’m dead funny, then I think we can handle this. Trust me, I’ve heard of-and done- worse.� Sirius smirked. “Much worse.�

Ginny looked at Sirius skeptically, and then suddenly wondered why she did think this was such a reckless thing to do. This really wasn’t that bad, considering some of the things Sirius could have suggested. Ginny sighed. “Alright. But we have to talk it through first. It can’t just be a spur-of-the-moment type thing, okay? It has to be planned out perfectly.�

Sirius nodded. “Okay.�

“One problem,� Ginny said frowning. “We can’t talk in private too much because then it’ll make it look like we’re up to something. It can’t seem suspicious.�

Sirius’s brow furrowed as he entered the world of thought. “Hmmm… well, we could use some kind of code message instead of actually talking. And it shouldn't use magic because that would be too obvious.�

Ginny waited, thinking Sirius would say something more, but when he didn’t, she prompted, “Like what?�

“Well, there was one me and James used at Hogwarts one time. It was where we had a book, and we’d underline the letter before the letter that we wanted to say. Like if we were saying ‘hat’, and the word ‘the’ was in the book, we’d underline the‘t’ to signify that we meant ‘h’. And we’d do the same for the ‘a’ and the ‘t’, so we’d have the word ‘hat’. Then, if someone found the book, they’d just see a bunch of randomly underlined letters.� Sirius beamed, and then laughed at the extremely confused look on Ginny’s face. “Okay, I’ll show you,� he said, conjuring up a book out of thin air. Sirius opened the book randomly, and said, “Okay. Here’s the word ‘the’, and I would underline the‘t’, and here’s the word ‘sat’, so I’d underline the‘s’. And so on.�

“Oh, I get it now,� Ginny said smiling. “But how would you signify a space between words?�

“Easy,� Sirius said. “You would just underline the last letter in a word. And to signify a period, you’d underline the last letter of a word at the end of a sentence. It’s really a very simple code.�

“Okay. Let’s use it then,� Ginny said. Sirius vanished the book with a wave of his wand. “Should we go inside now? I’m pretty hungry,� Ginny added.

“You can go,� Sirius said, glancing down at the small desk with his blank piece of paper, quill, and ink bottle on it. Then he looked back up at Ginny. “You probably weren’t in the room when I said it, but the reason I’m out here in the first place is because I’m writing down the story of what has happened to me in the last year or so.�

Ginny raised her eyebrows. “That’ll be interesting.� Then she paused, and cocked her head to the side. She sat in silence for a moment, and her eyes got a distant look in them. “I’ll be right back. I gotta get something,� she mumbled, and she dashed off around the corner of the house. Whether Ginny was going inside or not, Sirius couldn’t tell.

* * *
The group had now been moved back into the living room, with the exception of Bill, Charlie, and Mrs. Weasley, who wouldn’t have been able to fit in the already overly-crowded living room. The three sat in kitchen chairs that were turned towards the living room. Everyone was relaxing, their stomachs fit to bursting with all of the delicious food they had just consumed. Harry was beginning to wish he hadn’t had that second helping of treacle tart.

Charlie was telling everyone about how a dragon burned down the area he had been working in, and that’s why he was home earlier than expected. Then Ron had posed the question that since they were wizards and were fully capable of repairing things via magic, why hadn’t they just repaired it right then and there? Charlie’s face turned a slightly deeper shade of red, and he answered briskly, “Because it was a very large area, and it would take a good deal of time to repair.� Harry, though, sensed that Charlie could have indeed repaired it rather quickly, and he had just used it as an excuse to come home. He didn’t, however, voice his opinion out loud.

Then, coincidentally, Charlie decided to change the subject, and he began talking about a new kind of dragon that the experimentalists in Romania were trying to breed. Even though Harry really was interested in dragons, his mind began to wander. It could naturally be expected that Harry would have been thinking about one of three things: Ginny, Sirius, or where in the world Neville’s grandmother could be. However, Harry was thinking about Dumbledore, and what he owed to him. Harry thought about the night Dumbledore had died, the night that Harry had been trying not to think about for over two months now. And, he thought about the Horcruxes that were still to find and destroy, along with everything else Harry had to do.

Harry recalled the image of Dumbledore’s face as he pleaded with Snape. He had looked so sad and betrayed, and Harry tried to get the image out of his mind. He couldn’t though, and it loomed there, sad and distressed.

Soon though, the image was shaken from Harry’s mind, literally. “Harry,� Hermione said, her face serious. She had grabbed onto his shoulders and was shaking them violently. Hermione stopped when she had his attention. “Bill just said your name about five times,� she hissed. Harry looked around at the many eyes on him.

“Oh. Right. Sorry,� he mumbled. Everyone still eyed him curiously. He shook his head. “Blimey,� he muttered to himself. Hermione looked at Harry concernedly. “I’m okay,� he said. “I was just… my mind just wandered off a bit,� he explained to the room. They seemed to accept this. After all, it was the truth.

* * *
Ginny snuck into the house unnoticed. She could be very quiet when she wanted to be, and no one was looking her way. Once in her room, she grabbed the thing she had come for, but her eyes then rested on something else. She smiled, grabbed it too, and ran out of her room. Soon, she was back out with Sirius, holding the things behind her back. “What is it?� Sirius asked curiously. Ginny smiled.
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A/N~ Was it good? I rather liked it I think actually. It took me an awfully long time, I know. Much longer than I meant. But I should have some free time in the next few weeks, so I’ll try to get a few chapters up then. Please, please, please review. It means a lot to me to know if my chapters are liked or not. Thank you to all those who have reviewed in previous chapters by the way! ~

A/N ~ I’m very proud of myself now that I’ve actually gotten a chapter up pretty quickly like I said I would! Anyways, this chapter is interesting, to put it lightly. You’ll see what I mean. And, it’s got romance finally! This is supposed to be a romance fic, and I haven’t had very much romance in it. Oh well. Please read AND review. Thank you! ~
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Ginny pulled from behind her back a long black quill with an extra sharp point. She beamed at Sirius, laying it down on his desk. “Ginny?� he said after a moment of gazing suspiciously at the quill as if it would jump up and start doing back flips at any moment. “I already have a quill.�

Ginny rolled her eyes, as if anyone would have known that this was a special quill just by looking at it. “This is a Quick-Quotes Quill,� she said happily. Sirius’s eyebrows rose. “Hermione sort of stole it from Rita Skeeter so that if she did start writing lies again, she couldn’t say that the quill had done it without her knowing or something like that. I don’t know, Hermione told me why,� Ginny said impatiently. “Anyways, Hermione found out that Rita had put a spell on it so it would write exaggeratedly instead of what was actually said. Hermione did the counter-jinx, so now it’ll write down exactly what you say.� Ginny smiled.

“Wow,� Sirius said, picking up the quill, and examining it in the fading sunlight. He looked up at Ginny with an impressed smile on his face. “Thanks. This will definitely save me a lot of time.�

“You’re welcome,� Ginny replied. That’s when Sirius noticed that Ginny still held something behind her back. It must have been fairly small because Ginny held it with only one hand. Ginny smiled, noticing where Sirius’s eyes were looking. “Yes, I have something else,� she said, making Sirius look up at her.

“Well, are you going to show me?� Sirius asked after Ginny just stood there smiling for a few moments. After he said that, Ginny continued to stand there smiling. “What, is it some kind of special paper now?� Sirius added sarcastically. Ginny’s smile became bigger, and she shook her head. “Oh, now I’m really intrigued,� Sirius said, again, sarcastically, though he really was curious as to what it was. And Ginny just kept on smiling.

* * *
After Harry was snapped back to reality, he was informed about what the conversation had turned to- the reopening of Hogwarts. Bill had been asking Harry if he had thought they would reopen it. Harry just shook his head, not saying a word. He chanced a glance at Ron and Hermione, who both looked a bit uneasy, although Hermione was disguising it better.

“Well, I for one am very surprised that they’ve decided to reopen it,� Mrs. Weasley said. “Of course, the safety issue was a big one, but I think that Hogwarts is safer then staying at home personally. Even without Albus, it’s still a great deal more wizards to defend each other than if an attack occurred at someone’s home. But the governors didn’t think so. They thought there’d be a higher risk of an attack at the school, so it would just be putting more wizards in danger.�

Harry thought he could sense Moody’s magical eye swivel in his direction when Mrs. Weasley had mentioned a ‘higher risk of an attack at the school’, but he didn’t look over at Moody to see. There wouldn’t be a higher risk of an attack of Hogwarts because of him this year anyways. Of course, the only people that knew that were himself, Ron, and Hermione, but all the same, it was still true.

“Well, I guess it makes sense,� Lupin said thoughtfully. “Both your point, Molly, and the governors’. I wonder why they changed their mind though.�

“Well, maybe they were planning on reopening it all along,� Kingsley said. “The safety issue is of course the biggest, but maybe there were other things. Like, of course, the education issue. All of the kids that are young and barely educated, especially those that are Muggle-Born, would be in a magical world that’s on the brink of war, but they wouldn’t have any experience. Unless, of course, their parents decided they would go to Durmstrang or Beauxbatons instead, but that’s their only choices.�

“No, that’s not true,� Ella said, speaking for the first time in a while. Everyone looked over at her surprisingly, as if they forgot she was there. “There are other schools. Smaller ones like the one I went to.�

“Who’re you?� Bill and Charlie said at the same time, rather rudely as it sounded. They hadn’t actually noticed she was there until that moment.

Ella held her head high. “I am Ella Jerrica, Hermione’s twin sister.� This took a second to sink in. When it did, Bill and Charlie’s mouths dropped open so much that they looked like they would fall off if they stretched any further. Both men looked from Ella to Hermione, shocked.

“What the bloody hell-is this some kind of prank?� Charlie asked.

Ella giggled. “No.�

“You know, we really know nothing about you,� Ron said. Ella looked at him curiously. “Maybe you should do what Sirius-’’ Hermione clamped a hand over his mouth violently. Bill and Charlie looked at Ron in a strange way. But everyone else was rigid. Ron took Hermione’s hand off his face. “Uh, do a serious explaining,� he said awkwardly.

“Everyone’s acting really weird,� Bill said. “You suddenly have a twin,� he said, cocking his head at Hermione, “Ginny isn’t here, and she wouldn’t be outside this long if she was just ‘getting some fresh air’, and you all just went rigid when Ron screwed up what he was trying to say. Is there something we should know?� Charlie nodded anxiously in agreement.

“Sirius is back from the dead!� Neville blurted out, unable to contain himself any longer. Everyone shot him accusatory glances, and then they looked fearfully at Charlie and Bill.

“Serious is back from the dead?� Charlie repeated, only meaning it in a different, even more confusing way. “You’re serious that who is back from the dead?�

“No. Not serious, Sirius,� Neville said, not helping at all. “Sirius Black is back from the dead. Well he was never dead I guess, but he’s here. He’s outside with Ginny.� Neville smiled, feeling he had accomplished something.

Bill and Charlie looked around at everyone as if someone would contradict what Neville had just said, but no one did. Charlie let out a sort of nervous laugh. “Is this some kind of nut house?� He looked around the room at all of the faces that seemed to have an almost guilty expression. “Sirius can’t really be alive, and here.�

“Yeah,� Bill agreed, looking at everyone as if they were crazy. No one said anything. Bill massaged his temples violently. “This cannot be happening,� he mumbled.

“Look,� Harry said, “none of us believed it at first either. But it’s really him, and you’ll believe it once you see him.�

“Oh yeah?� Charlie asked. “Well, let’s see him then. Didn’t you say he’s outside?�

“Yeah, but we shouldn’t go out there yet. He’s writing down all that happened to him inside the veil so he doesn’t have to keep telling the story over and over again,� Hermione said, glancing at the window.

“Fine. We’ll wait,� Charlie said, sitting back and folding his arms.

The conversation kept changing from there, but everyone tried to keep it away from Sirius. Eventually, Bill said, “So you two are really twins? You look nothing alike.� Obviously, this was aimed at Hermione and Ella.

“Yes, we’re really twins, and I’m not Muggle-Born. The Grangers aren’t my real parents, they adopted me,� Hermione said.

“What?� Tonks asked. “You didn’t tell us that. You just told us you two were twins.�

“Well, we were separated at birth,� Ella said. ‘Or at least at a young age. Our parents were killed by Voldemort-“

Ron flinched violently, again, and Hermione slapped him. “Knock it off Ron,� she said exasperatedly. “Other people say it, why don’t you?� Ron didn’t answer.

“Anyways,� Ella went on, “We were put into an orphanage, a Muggle orphanage actually. One family, the Mayorsons, adopted me, and the Grangers adopted Hermione. My family, though they were non-magical, told me about everything, but the Grangers, also non-magical obviously, didn’t tell Hermione anything. My family was killed recently,� Ella finished sadly.

“Blimey,� Fred and George mumbled simultaneously under their breaths.

“Oh, I’m so sorry!� Tonks exclaimed. “What happened?�

“Ella looked around at everyone, and once again took a deep breath. Even though she had already said it, it was still hard to say. “Voldemort killed them to get to me because he somehow found out who I am. He probably would’ve done the same to Hermione, but he doesn’t know who she really is.�

“Oh my gosh,� Tonks whispered, but everyone else was silent.

“Why would he try to get to you though? Who were your parents?� Kingsley asked.

“Ed and Sabrina Jerrica,� Ella said. “We’re the last two in the long line of our family.�

“They were a fine couple,� Moody growled, speaking for the first time in a long time. “Very powerful.�

Ella and Hermione gasped. “You knew our parents?� Hermione asked.

“Sure did,� Moody growled. “Weren’t in the Order, but they worked on our side. Undercover, and not many people knew about their work. One found out, a spy. He told Voldemort, and they were, I’m afraid to say, killed shortly thereafter.�

“What were they like?� Ella asked. “I don’t even know what they looked like.�

“Me neither obviously,� Hermione said.

“Well,� Moody said, “Your dad, Ed, he was tall, six-foot something. He had dark brown hair, a prominent nose, and hazel eyes. Your mom had reddish-brown frizzy hair,� Hermione squealed in delight, finally knowing where she got her hair from, “and dark blue eyes. They were a great couple, very strong willed.�

“Wow,� Ella mumbled. “I can’t believe you knew them.� She smiled sadly. “I wish I could have.� No one knew what to say to that.

“Anyways, why are you here now? Did you come because of your-um-family?� Lupin asked awkwardly.

“Yes. Hermione is the only family I have now,� Ella answered. “But of course, the Grangers will take me in, and I guess I can go to Hogwarts now. My other school was on the other side of England, so there’s no point going there. And besides, I only have one year left.� Hermione stared fixedly down at her feet. She wouldn’t be going back to Hogwarts, so would Ella still want to? What would be the point?

“Well, we’re glad you’re here, and you’re most certainly welcome to stay for the rest of the summer with Hermione,� Mrs. Weasley said, smiling warmly.

“Thank you Mrs. Weasley,� Ella replied politely.

“So, when are we going to see Sirius?� Charlie asked, glancing at his watch impatiently.

“Oh, be patient,� Mrs. Weasley said. “You’ll see him when he’s done with his document.� She said this in a flustered, yet formal sort of way.

“I’ll be right back,� Harry said suddenly, and everyone looked over at him in a surprised way. The distracted expression on his face told them that he had probably not been listening to the conversation again, and had just thought of something. This was, indeed, correct. Harry got up, and walked upstairs.

Ron and Hermione glanced at each other, and then got up and followed. Though Harry didn’t look at them like before to signal that he wanted them to follow, they could feel that something was up. They went upstairs, and found Harry in Ron’s room, as could be expected.

“Harry, mate, what’s up?� Ron asked. Hermione too looked at Harry expectantly.

Harry looked from Ron to Hermione. He opened his mouth to answer, but Fred and George suddenly burst into the room. “We’d like to help,� they said simultaneously.

“With what?� Hermione shot.

George looked pityingly down at Hermione. “With Neville’s grandmother, of course.�

Harry looked at the twins, amazed. “How did you know that’s what I was doing? Thinking up a plan.�

“Well, because, Harry, mate,� Fred said casually, “what else could you have been thinking about?�

“Ginny-“ George started.

“Sirius-“ Fred continued.

“Ella-“

“Dumbledore-“

“Ron-“

“Hermione-“

“Or us!� they finished simultaneously, beaming.

“Who’re you kidding?� Ron asked seriously. “That’s a fair bit of choices.�

“Ron, you great, stupid prat,� Fred repeated, “We were kidding.�

“Well then how’d you know?� Ron asked suspiciously.

“Because all of our years with pranking experience gave us good practice in knowing what people are thinking about,� George said. “You have to know what people are thinking so you can plan how to get around it.� He smiled. “All in a day’s work, little bro.�

“Whatever,� Harry said, cutting Ron off who had opened his mouth to reply. “We’re getting off the subject.�

“Okay, but one more question,� Ron said. “How’d you even know that Neville’s grandmother is missing in the first place?� he questioned the twins.

“Because Neville and Harry were having a heated discussion, and we couldn’t help but overhear,� Fred answered shrugging. “Another reason we ‘guessed’ what he was thinking about.�

Harry shook his head, clearly annoyed. “Can we please stop with all the questions now?� Everyone nodded, looking at Harry attentively. “Okay. But actually Fred, George, I think you can help. Don’t you have a whole bunch of weird stuff at the shop that could possibly be used in finding someone?� Harry asked, turning towards the twins. They looked at each other, smiled, looked back at Harry, and nodded. “Good,� Harry said. “Let’s go. We need to find something, and I’ll tell you what I was thinking.� Then, three loud ‘cracks’ filled the room with noise, and Hermione and Ron were alone before they even knew what happened.

“Well, should we go too?� Hermione asked Ron.

Ron considered. “No,� he said finally. Hermione shrugged, sitting down on Ron’s bed. Ron went over and sat next to her. They sat in an awkward silence for a few moments before Ron said, “What a day, eh? And he lay back on the bed.

Hermione smiled. “Yeah. Maybe tomorrow will be less… hectic.� Then she paused before adding, “Nah.�

Ron looked up at Hermione. He noticed that she looked rather pretty sitting there, looking out the window innocently. Then she looked back at him, and Ron turned crimson.

They sat in silence for minutes at a time, every now and then glancing at each other, smiling, and looking away. The sky was getting dark outside the window, and no one came up to disturb their little ‘quality time’ as some might call it. Sometimes they’d hear laughter coming from downstairs, or a bird outside, but other than that, nothing disturbed the silence either.

Then, finally, Ron mustered up enough courage, and looked up at Hermione without looking away. She noticed, and looked down at him. “What?� she asked. Hermione didn’t sound mad or accusatory, but more interested to know what he was thinking.

Ron turned a red to match his hair. He took a deep breath, and said-or rather stuttered- “Do you want- would you- do want to?� He sort of ended it there, not quite being able to finish the sentence, or sentences as it turned out.

Hermione cocked her head to one side. “What?� she asked again.

“Do you want to-er- you know, when Harry’s…� Ron groaned in frustration, and mentally told himself to just get it over with. “When we’re in Godric’s Hollow, after the wedding, and Harry’s off by himself doing whatever he’s going to do, because at some point he’s going to want us to stay behind somewhere for a little bit so he can go off on his own and-“

“Ron?� Hermione asked. “What are you trying to say? You’re sort of, erm, rambling on a bit.�

Ron was fighting the urge to punch himself violently. “Well, when we’re on our own sometime, do you want to- do you want to do something together?� Ron squeezed his eyes shut, afraid of Hermione’s answer. Finally, he opened them cautiously, and… Hermione was looking a bit- was it confused?

“Do mean, like a date?� Hermione asked.

Ron tried to remain calm. This was a lot harder than it was supposed to be. “Well-er- yeah?� It came out as more of a question than the strong reply Ron was going for.

Hermione smiled, and blushed. “Well, I- erm- okay,� she said. “That sounds nice.�

Ron was trying desperately to look casual about this. But, he couldn’t help beaming. At least he succeeded in fighting another urge, this time to jump up and down and scream in delight. But, he supposed, that was a bit much. After all, it was just a date… a date! With Hermione!

Then Hermione blushed again, grabbed Ron’s hand, squeezed it, jumped up, and ran out of the room briskly. This all happened so fast, Ron was left lying there confused for a moment. Then, he smiled to himself in triumph. “Piece of cake, once you get down to it,� Ron thought.
* * *
Ginny decided that it was now okay to hand Sirius the other thing she was holding. There was really no point keeping him in suspense any longer. And besides, it was getting dark out. Very dark, actually. Like, almost pitch-black. “So much for Sirius getting to write anything now, even with the Quick-Quotes Quill,� Ginny thought.

Sirius looked at Ginny curiously. “Well?� he asked. “Just show me already. Then we have to go inside. I’ll just do this later,� he added, gesturing at the desk.

“Okay, okay,� Ginny said at last. But, before she could show Sirius what she was holding, there was a loud ‘crack’ in the distance, but it was to dark now to see what, or who, had made the sound. Both Sirius and Ginny were looking in the direction of the sound, but no further sound came for a few moments. Then, they heard footsteps, and a silhouette of someone came into view. Ginny and Sirius glanced at each other without saying anything, but then looked back at the person who was drawing closer with each step. But, the person then noticed Ginny and Sirius, and stopped in their tracks. All three stared at each other, not saying a word.

* * *
Hermione pranced happily into Ginny’s room, where her suitcase sat on the floor. She plopped down on the bed, and rested her head on her hands. A date with Ron. Who would’ve thought? But, they had almost gone on a date sort of last year, if Slughorn’s Christmas party counted anyways. Lavender had gotten in the way then, but now there were no obstacles. It would be rather awkward though, without Harry there. Weren’t she and Ron supposed to be best friends? What if they started going out, but then they broke up? What would happen to their friendship? Who would Harry side with?

“I’m worrying too much,� Hermione thought to herself. “It’ll be fine. It’s just one date.�

Then, Ella walked into the room suddenly, disturbing Hermione’s thoughts. She didn’t knock. Ella just walked in smiling, and sat down next to Hermione on the bed. “Hi,� she said. “What’cha thinking about?�

Hermione glanced at Ella. She could tell her sister anything, right? Even if they hardly knew each other… oh well. “I’m going on a date with Ron,� Hermione answered. Her voice came out surprisingly confident, Hermione was happy to note.

Ella beamed. “Good for you.� Then Ella just looked at Hermione for a second. “You like him, I can tell.�

“Well of course I like him,� Hermione replied laughing. “We’ve been best friends since I was eleven. Ron and Harry of course.�

“I don’t mean like that silly,� Ella said, teasing Hermione, who blushed at this comment.

“So, why are you up here?� Hermione asked, remembering that Ella had just walked in about a minute ago.

“The adults were getting so boring,� Ella said. “I just kind of got up and left, but I don’t think anyone noticed really, except Neville. He followed me, but he went to find Ron, Harry, Fred, and- what’s the other twin’s name again? It slipped my mind,� Ella added.

“George,� Hermione said.

“Oh yeah, him,� Ella went on. “I saw you sitting here since the door is open, so I just walked in.� Ella brought her legs up onto the bed, and sat cross-legged. “I like these people,� she added randomly. “They’re nice and friendly. And Mrs. Weasley makes good food.�

Hermione laughed. “She loves to cook.� Then she remembered something. “Harry and George and Fred are all gone, just so you know. In case you went looking for them or something.�

“Oh, okay,� Ella said. “Where’d they go?�

Hermione sighed. This was going to turn into a long story, she could just feel it. “Okay, first of all, you know Neville? Of course you know Neville, anyways, he lives with his grandmother. Have you ever heard of Bellatrix Black?�

Ella cocked her head to one side, and glanced at the ceiling in thought. “She’s a Death Eater, but I don’t remember why I would remember that.�

“Yeah, she’s a Death Eater. And she’s also-“

Ella gasped. “She’s Sirius’s cousin, isn’t she?� Ella asked suddenly. “It said that in the newspaper two years ago. Oh,� Ella added, “that’s why I remember her. She was one of the ten Death Eaters to break out of Azkaban two years ago, when Fudge was still Minister.�

“Well, yeah,� Hermione said, even though that wasn’t what she had been about to say. “She is Sirius’s cousin, and she’s the one who forced Sirius through the veil in the first place. That’s a long story,� Hermione added at the curious look on Ella’s face. After all, Ella didn’t even know about the veil, did she? Oh well. “Anyways, Bellatrix Black was sent to Azkaban because she tortured Alice and Frank Longbottom into insanity by means of the Cruciatis Curse.�

Ella gasped again, looking horrorstricken. “It said that in the paper too, but I hadn’t known who the Longbottoms were. Were – were they Neville’s parents?� she asked in a whisper.

“They are Neville’s parents,� Hermione said. “They’re still alive. They’re in St. Mungo’s. But that’s why Neville lives with his grandmother.� Hermione paused, and took a deep breath. This was hard to say, especially because she had seen Alice Longbottom two years ago in St. Mungo’s. And Frank had been there too, behind a curtain. It was really not fair how good people had to suffer like that when the bad, like Bellatrix, lived free.

“Hermione? What does all this have to do with where Fred, George, and Harry are?� Ella asked cautiously.

“Neville’s grandmother is missing,� Hermione answered. “They went to Fred and George’s shop to see if there was anything there that could be helpful in finding her.�

Ella clasped a hand to her mouth. “Oh, poor Neville,� she said. “I feel so bad. Maybe I can help find her in some way,� she said hopefully.

Hermione frowned. “I doubt it,� she said sadly. “She could be anywhere.� This left the two sitting in silence, thinking.

* * *
“Hey Neville,� Ron said, as Neville walked into his room.

“Hello,� Neville replied, sitting down on the floor. “All the adults downstairs were saying stuff that I really didn’t care about. And Ella left, so I did too. That’s why I’m here,� Neville added unnecessarily. “Oh, by the way, your dad’s home from work. In case you wanted to go down and say hi to him or something.�

“Okay,� Ron said simply. He hadn’t really paid any attention to what Neville had just said. His mind was still on Hermione. She said yes!

“Where’s Harry, and Fred and George?� Neville asked, looking around the room as if they were hiding behind a chair.

“They-uh- went to Fred and George’s shop for a little bit,� Ron answered. He had actually listened that time. Ron didn’t really know why he hadn’t told Neville that they were looking for things that could be helpful in finding his grandmother, but Ron didn’t really want to bring it up at the moment.

Neville looked at Ron for a second. “I’m kind of tired,� he said. “I think I’ll go to bed now. You don’t have to leave or anything though. Could you just turn off the light?�

“Um, sure,� Ron said, glancing at his watch. It was only nine o’clock. Oh well. Maybe Neville always went to bed early in the summer. Ron got up, turned the light off, and walked out of the room, closing the door quietly behind him. There was really no point staying if he was just going to be sitting there in the dark, doing nothing. He decided to go find Hermione, who he already knew was in Ginny’s room.

He walked down the hall, but stopped short of Ginny’s door. Ella was in there too. He didn’t want to walk in there when they were probably talking ‘girl-talk’. Ron shuddered at the thought of it. Instead, he turned the other way, and went downstairs. No one seemed to notice when he sat down on the floor, and listened in on the conversation as if he had been there the entire time.

* * *
“Hello?� came a shaky voice that Ginny vaguely recognized. It was a woman’s voice, and it sounded more apprehensive than anything.

“Hello,� Sirius replied. He glanced at Ginny, but it was now so dark that he could barely see her, even though they were only about five feet apart. Then, Sirius looked back in the direction of the woman, whoever it was.

Then Sirius had just a purely brilliant idea, and he picked up his wand while muttering, “Lumos.� Finally, the three could all see each other.

Ginny gasped. She knew this woman. The woman knew her too apparently, for she had smiled in relief. “Mrs. Longbottom?� Ginny asked disbelievingly. “Is-is that you?� Ginny knew perfectly well it was her, even though she wasn’t quite the same without her stuffed-vulture hat. Mrs. Longbottom’s face was very white, and her hair had become grayer since Ginny had last seen her. Her clothes looked almost dirty, and there was a small red spot on her left arm that Ginny thought might be blood.

“You’re a Weasley, aren’t you?� Mrs. Longbottom answered, though she didn’t actually answer Ginny’s question. But, she didn’t really need to.

“Yes,� Ginny said. “I’m Ginny.�

“Excuse me,� Sirius said, and the two women looked over at him. Sirius looked a bit confused, Ginny couldn’t help noticing. “Uh, what’s going on?� he asked. “You-“

“Is Neville here?� Mrs. Longbottom cut him off. “Please, tell me he’s here.� She seemed so intent on finding Neville that the sight of Sirius, whether she thought it was him or not, didn’t seem to have any effect on her.

“He is,� Ginny answered, and Mrs. Longbottom seemed to relax a bit. “C’mon, let’s go inside,� Ginny said. “You can tell us where you’ve been then. Neville’s been worried sick.� Ginny walked over to Mrs. Longbottom and took her arm, guiding her towards the door. Sirius, still looking confused, got up and followed them, leaving the desk and its contents behind.

Ginny kept the ‘mysterious object’ tightly in her grasp in the hand that was not guiding Mrs. Longbottom as she led the way into the house. As she walked in, followed by Sirius and then by Mrs. Longbottom, every head in the room turned her way. For a moment, everyone just stared numbly at the three, and then Ron burst out, “Mrs. Longbottom?�

Mrs. Longbottom looked distractedly in Ron’s direction, studying him for a moment. Then she looked around the room. “Where’s Neville?� she asked, turning to Ginny. Ginny turned to everyone else. “Where’s Neville?� she demanded of the room.

“He’s upstairs,� Ron answered. “I’ll go wake him up. He said he was going to sleep.� He got up, walked over to the stairs, glanced back at Ginny and Sirius questioningly, glanced at Mrs. Longbottom, quickly looked away, and then went up the stairs.

“Here, Mrs. Longbottom, have a seat,� Tonks said, getting up and offering her the now-empty seat. Mrs. Longbottom almost collapsed into the chair, and then smiled up at Tonks gratefully. Her smile seemed as if it took effort.

“No, here Tonks, take my seat,� Lupin said, getting up. “Sit. I insist.�

Tonks smiled, and sat down. “Thank you, Remus,� she replied.

Then they all sat in an awkward silence. Mrs. Longbottom sat with her head leaning back, her eyes closed. Everyone kept glancing her way, and then at Ginny questioningly, but no one said anything until Ron appeared at the foot of the stairs with a groggy-looking Neville.

“Gran!� he exclaimed suddenly, and Mrs. Longbottom’s eyes shot open suddenly. Neville ran at her, bent down, and gave her a hug. After they broke apart, they looked each other up and down. “What happened, Gran?� Neville asked, his eyes wide.

Everyone silently awaited an answer. ________________________________________________________________________
A/N ~ Still a cliff- hanger. And still, you don’t know what Ginny’s holding. I’m really keeping you in suspense on that one. *Laughs evilly* Oh well. Please review, people, or I might just have to wait until the chapter after the next one to say what Ginny’s got, and where Neville’s grandmother has been too. You know, I’ll find something else to talk about if I don’t get enough reviews. Oh yeah, I hope you liked the chapter. It was nice and long, just like a lot of you like it. Now you can review. ~

Mrs. Longbottom looked around the room at everyone’s expectant faces. “A lot of things happened, Neville,� she said wearily, answering Neville’s question. “Can this wait until tomorrow? I’m very tired.�

“Of course, Gran,� Neville said, helping his grandmother up out of the chair. “Come upstairs. You can sleep…� Neville’s voice trailed off. He looked questioningly at Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. “Would-would it be alright if we stayed the night?� he asked hopefully.

“Oh, of course, Neville dear,� Mrs. Weasley said, jumping up and going over towards the stairs. Neville guided his grandmother as they followed Mrs. Weasley up the stairs. Everyone else could vaguely hear Mrs. Weasley saying, “You both can sleep in Fred and George’s room if you’d like. They can go back to their apartment above the shop.�

Then Ron realized that he should probably go and get them. They’d been gone a while, and there was no use now for what they were doing. He had just gotten up when there was a commotion upstairs. Everyone in the living room glanced up at the ceiling. Then they heard Mrs. Weasley’s shrill voice saying frantically, “Where in heaven’s name have you been? I thought you were up here!� Ron sat back down. He seemed to be the only one to know what was going on.

None of them however went up to actually see. It was a few minutes before Harry, Fred, and George, followed by Mrs. Weasley, walked down the stairs and into the living room. The boys seemed thoroughly confused.

Once they were down the stairs, Mrs. Weasley rounded on the three. “Where were you?� she demanded.

“At the shop,� George said. “We were getting things to help find, well, Mrs. Longbottom, but I guess we won’t need them after all.� He shrugged.

Mrs. Weasley shook her head. “Well this certainly has been an interesting day,� she said.

“To put it lightly,� Tonks added smiling.

“Well, I suggest we all go to bed,� Mrs. Weasley said. She narrowed her eyes at the room, as if daring them to contradict her.

“Alright. Well I guess we’d better get going,� Lupin said, and Tonks, Kingsley, and Mad-Eye stood up to leave also. “Tell us what she says,� he added quietly with a glance at Mrs. Longbottom, speaking to Mr. Weasley.

“Wotcher Harry,� Tonks whispered in Harry’s ear, and he smiled. She winked, and the four Disapparated.

It was then that Charlie and Bill remembered that Sirius too was now in the room. They had been distracted by Mrs. Longbottom’s appearance. After all, they hadn’t even known she was missing in the first place. “What-he-what? No,� Charlie stuttered. Bill just stood looking at Sirius, his mouth slightly open and his eyes wide.

“Hello Charlie, Bill,� Sirius said, striding over and shaking both their hands. “Congratulations. I hear you’re getting married,� he added to Bill. Then Sirius yawned quite exaggeratedly and stretched his arms. “I think I’ll go to bed now. Oh yeah, and I didn’t get anything done.� He glanced at Ginny, shrugged, and walked towards the door. “I think I fancy sleeping beneath the stars tonight,� he said. He opened the door, went outside, and closed it again.

Everyone walked over to the kitchen window and looked out. A big, black dog was lying near the garden. “I don’t believe it,� Bill mumbled, looking a bit dumbstruck.

“But-how?� Charlie asked.

“Time for bed,� Mrs. Weasley said, ushering everyone towards the stairs. “All will be explained tomorrow,� she added. Everyone had no choice but to go upstairs to bed, except for Fred and George who Disapparated with two loud ‘cracks’.

* * *
Ginny set her possession down on her bedside table, promising herself she’d give it to Sirius the next day. She was very tired, very tired indeed…

* * *
The next day, everyone ate breakfast very quickly, eagerly awaiting Mrs. Longbottom’s account of what had happened. Right on cue, Fred and George also showed up. Since it was a Saturday they didn’t have work, because with them being the bosses, Fred and George had decided they didn’t want to work on Saturdays. So, they didn’t, and that was the end of that.

When everyone was seated in the living room, everyone being Ella, Hermione, Harry, Ron, Ginny, Sirius, Mrs. Weasley, Fred, George, Bill, Charlie, Mr. Weasley, Neville, and Mrs. Longbottom, Mrs. Longbottom began her account. Or, she was going to, but she noticed something that simply had to go first. “Aren’t you Sirius Black?� she questioned Sirius.

Sirius looked a bit surprised at the bluntness of this question, but then he replied, “Yes I am in fact.�

Mrs. Longbottom’s eyebrows furrowed. “I was fully expecting you to say ‘no’, young man. You’re dead. Or you’re supposed to be dead. You don’t look very dead to me,� she added matter-of-factly, giving Sirius the one-up.

Sirius laughed. “You are correct in assuming that I am by no means dead,� he said.

“Hmm,� Mrs. Longbottom said, eyeing Sirius curiously.

“Well, please go on with you’re story. Mine can wait,� Sirius said. “I’m writing it down anyways.�

Mrs. Longbottom waved the matter away, and then began, “Well, I was home alone. I don’t know where you were Neville, or I knew and don’t remember.� Everyone looked over at Neville.

Neville blushed, and looked up at the ceiling as if asking God to spare him from this terrible plight. “I was at Abbey’s house. The girl next door.�

Ron whistled. “Good for you, mate,� he said, clapping Neville on the back.

Neville threw a hurtful look at Ron and rubbed the spot on his back where Ron had hit him. “She’s six. We were having a tea party. She asked me to because for some reason she-she seems to have taken a liking to me.� Neville blushed. His round face rather resembled a ripe tomato.

Ron laughed, and Harry struggled to hold a laugh back. Before Ron could say anything, Mrs. Longbottom came to Neville’s rescue and went on, “Well, that doesn’t matter. Back to my story.� (She seemed to be enjoying this, if only a little bit.) All eyes went back to her, and she smiled satisfied. “Anyways, being by myself was getting rather dull, so I decided to go to the market. We needed fresh greens anyway. While I was there, a man in a cloak said that he knew me from somewhere. I didn’t recognize him, but people do change over the years, and I am losing a bit of memory with old age and what-not. So, he offered to buy me a cup of coffee and chat about where I’ve been all the years since he’s seen me, and how could I turn that down?�

Everyone groaned. How could you not turn down an offer like that these days? Not smart, not smart at all. Mrs. Longbottom carried on, “The man took me to a small place, but it was dark and not at all like normal coffee shops, but I didn’t question it. We sat down, but then he got up again to go get the coffee. When he came back, I drank the coffee, and I was out cold almost before he started talking. And when I woke up, I had no idea where I was. Another dark room, but different, and with many voices. Mostly men’s, but there were, I believe, two women also.

“I didn’t say anything, just listened. The men were discussing things, and one of the women was too, but the other didn’t say much. The people were saying…. terrible things. Harry, your name came up also.� Everyone turned to look at Harry, who had a very bewildered and slightly frightened expression on his face. “Terrible things,� Mrs. Longbottom repeated with a shudder. “Dying people, imperiused people, it was all just so… gruesome.� Everyone looked back at Mrs. Longbottom.

“Well anyways, all of the people decided to go into some other room, except for one who was left to watch me. He still thought I was asleep or unconscious or whatever I had been before. Not the brightest chap in the world, didn’t even look over at me once to see if I was awake yet or not. I got away easily. I just Disapparated.�

“How did you know I was here, Gran?� Neville asked.

“Well, I went home first and you weren’t there, and I didn’t have any clue as how to get to either Harry or Hermione’s houses, but I had a vague idea of where this was.� Mrs. Longbottom waved a hand around to show that she meant ‘this’ to be the Burrow, obviously.

“Did you have any idea of who any of the people in the room were?� Mr. Weasley asked.

Mrs. Longbottom frowned slightly. “No, I’m sorry I don’t. But of course, I was a bit woozy at the time, and my vision wasn’t at its height of seeing ability. Nevertheless, I feel that these people were up to trouble, based on what they were saying.� Mrs. Longbottom nodded curtly, emphasizing her point.

Harry was pretty sure he knew who these people had been. Death Eaters. There was no other explanation. Who else would say ‘terrible things’? Who else would mention his name? Who else would capture Mrs. Longbottom? But, why did they capture Mrs. Longbottom?

“We’ll be upstairs,� Hermione said, getting up and looking intently at Harry and Ron. The two boys both got up and followed, and then Ella walked after them too. The four went up to Ron’s room, and shut the door behind them.

“That was weird,� Ron said immediately. “It’s Death Eaters, isn’t it?� he added solemnly.

“Well, there’s almost no doubt about that,� Hermione said matter-of-factly. “I mean, who else would be? But why would they take Mrs. Longbottom of all people?� she added, glancing out the window as if the answer were written across the sky.

“That’s what I was thinking,� Harry said.

“Maybe…� Ella started, but her voice trailed off. She stood in the middle of the room for a moment thinking, and then she turned to Harry. “Harry, do you know Mrs. Longbottom well?� she asked.

Harry was a bit surprised at this question. Why would it matter if he knew her well or not? “I don’t know. I know her, and she’s a nice enough lady and all, but I don’t know if you could say I know her well or-“

“I think they must’ve taken her to question her about you,� Ella said suddenly. She let this sink in for a moment before going on. “I mean, it’s not like Death Eaters would take someone you know really well or anything, like Ron or Hermione. It would be too obvious. They would take someone who knows quite a lot about you, but that wouldn’t be obvious that, well, you know, they took them. I’m sure Neville’s told his grandmother all about you. You’re the boy who lived, famous among all wizard kind! Who wouldn’t tell their grandmothers about you?� Ella asked, and then she blushed. “Sorry, that’s a bit extreme. But Neville likes you Harry. You’re his friend, aren’t you?�

“Well, yeah,� Harry said. “Sure.�

“Okay then. So the Death Eaters would’ve taken her to get information about you, but you wouldn’t have known right away about it.� Ella smiled. “Make sense?�

“Uh, yeah I guess,� Harry said. And he knew Ella was probably right. Come to think of it, it made perfect sense. It would all fit. He just didn’t like it.

“I wish Death Eaters were stupider,� Ron said. “It would make things a lot easier.� Ella laughed, Hermione rolled her eyes, and Harry was still lost in thought.

* * *
Later that day, things were settling down. Mrs. Longbottom and Neville had gone back to their house. Bill, Charlie, Harry, and Ron were outside playing Quidditch, and Mrs. Weasley was in the kitchen cleaning. Mr. Weasley had gone to help with a keyhole that had tried to bite a Muggle lady’s finger off, and Fred and George had gone to work. Hermione and Ella had gone shopping. Sirius was outside, writing his story. And Ginny thought it would be the perfect time to give him the ‘other thing’.

Ginny walked outside to where Sirius was sitting a little back from his desk, devouring a meatball sub and watching the Quidditch mini-match off in the distance. She glanced at his desk and saw three pages full of skinny, very neat, Quick-Quotes writing. “Hello Ginny,� Sirius said with a mouth full of meatball. “Nice day, isn’t it? Perfect for Quidditch.� He smiled off into the distance, and then glared over at the house. “I was going to play, but Molly ‘thought it wise’ that I write the account instead.� Sirius rolled his eyes. “Mothers,� he grumbled.

“Tell me about it,� Ginny said. “Well, I came out to give you-remember I had something else last night that I was going to give you?�

“Oh yeah, the special paper!� Sirius said sarcastically. “Just kidding. Yes, I remember.�

“Well, here,� she said, dropping a small box onto his lap. Sirius laid the half-eaten meatball sub onto his desk, and was about to open the box when… “Hey, I was going to eat that still!� Sirius yelled, for exactly six birds had swooped down immediately and had each taken a share of the meatball sub. They all flew off with macho amounts of meatball subs filling their small beaks. “Fine! Take it!� Sirius yelled after the birds, and Ginny laughed. “I’ll just make another one,� Sirius said. “Humph.�

“Oh, Sirius,� Ginny said laughing.

“Okay, I’ll open the box now,� Sirius said. “Drum role please.� Ginny just stood there. “Fine, be that way,� Sirius said, and he opened the box dramatically, taking much more time than was needed to pop a small lid off of a small box. Inside laid a small object that looked rather like a calculator. Sirius picked up the gadget and examined it in the light, and then he turned to Ginny. “What exactly is this?� he asked her.

“It’s sort of like an Invisibility Cloak, only it’s not a cloak, and it can hold a whole bunch of people. It could be really useful I’m sure.� Ginny frowned. “I found it in Fred and George’s room, and I asked them about it one day when they came over after work. They said they hadn’t worked all the kinks out, and it was taking too long, so they gave up on it. But I thought maybe… maybe I could do something about it. I haven’t really though.� Ginny sighed. “I’m not like Fred and George. I can’t invent or fix things very well. That’s why I gave it to you. I thought you might be good at that kind of thing.� Ginny paused, gazing at Sirius a moment before adding, “Besides, you would need to be invisible more than I would be. I’m not the one who’s supposed to be dead.� Ginny smirked.

Sirius looked from the invisibility-calculator to Ginny, and laughed. “Maybe we could work together on it,� he said. “But first, how do you work it, if it worked that is?�

Ginny bit her lower lip. “I remember Fred told me that you have to press in the number of people needing to be invisible, and then press that purplish button.� Ginny pointed to a large purple button below the numbers zero through nine. “Then the thing will detect the closest people of that number and make them invisible. So if both of us wanted to be invisible, you would type in ‘2’, press the purple button, and it would find the two closest people. So we’d have to be close together, I guess.�

“Does it have a name?� Sirius asked.

“No,� Ginny replied shrugging. “Fred and George never gave it one because it never got finished.�

Sirius turned the thing over, and then turned it back face up. “What’s wrong with it?� he asked Ginny.

Ginny smiled. “It turns you green.�

* * *
A few days later, Bill and Fleur’s wedding went very smoothly, and everyone had a lot of fun. Of course, Harry secretly believed that Ginny looked far better in the golden bridesmaid dress than Gabrielle did, but he didn’t voice this aloud. They both looked ‘stunning’ as they kept being told by various people they had never met before. And of course, Fleur looked very pretty too, as Harry kept being reminded of by Ron.

Before everyone knew it, the day ended, and it was time for Fleur and Bill to go on their honeymoon in France. With many goodbyes, the couple Disapparated with Bill’s one bag and Fleur’s close to fifty purses, suitcases, handbags, makeup bags, ect. In a few days, Charlie would be going back to Romania, and Fred and George would resume work in London.

Time was going by very fast, and Harry, Hermione, and Ron decided it was time to start making plans about going to Godric’s Hollow. They soon came to the decision that they would be leaving on July fifteenth, one month from that day. They would pack lightly, and they would have to stay in a lowly hotel since they couldn’t afford to spend much money on room and board. (And besides, Harry was really the only one with money in the first place.) And of course, there was still the task of breaking the news that they wouldn’t be going back to school to Mr. and Mrs. Granger and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. And, they had to decide what Ella would do while they were gone. They certainly couldn’t bring her with, even Hermione agreed with that. She would have to stay with either the Grangers or the Weasleys, but Ella would probably put up a fight and want to come with. So even though the trio did get some things accomplished, there was still much to be done.

Meanwhile, Sirius and Ginny were using their code to make plans of their own. While Sirius was still working on his story, Ginny had the task of listening in on Harry, Hermione, and Ron’s conversations with the Extendable Ears. Actually, Ginny was now very skilled with the Extendable Ears, and she had made it so that she could even get through doors that Hermione had sealed. Ginny got much-needed information about what the three were planning, and she messaged it all to Sirius via ‘Magical Me’ by Lockhart. Soon, Sirius and Ginny had it all planned out perfectly, more perfectly in fact than the other three did.

It seemed that time was going faster and faster each day. Harry was getting more apprehensive about going to Godric’s Hollow, but his real worry was telling the Weasleys, especially Mrs. Weasley. Harry was afraid that she wouldn’t let Ron go, and she might even try to stop Harry from going. Of course, Sirius might have some say in that, but then Sirius might want to come with, and the whole thing could get more complicated by the second. And what would she say when they told her they wouldn’t be going back to Hogwarts? That may turn out to be an even bigger issue.

Eventually, Harry, Ron, and Hermione came to the decision that they must tell the parents. It was now June twenty-ninth, and the time was drawing ever closer when they would be leaving. Hermione decided she would tell her parents first, and she would also ask them if Ella could stay with them for the time being. Of course they would say yes, Hermione had calmly explained to Ron and Harry, but it was still polite to ask. And that was that.

The next morning after breakfast, Hermione told Mrs. Weasley that she needed new robes from Madame Malkins, and she Disapparated. The boys waited for a few hours, playing wizards chess (Ron won two games, but Harry finally managed to win the last one). But when Hermione arrived back at the Burrow, they weren’t all that happy to see her.

Hermione said that her parents were fine with everything for the most part. They had indeed agreed to take Ella, and they were perfectly fine with Hermione going to Godric’s Hollow since she would not be alone, but they were rather apprehensive about her not going back to school. Eventually though, Hermione had explained to them that the wizard world was on the brink of war, and school wouldn’t be any safer than other places with Dumbledore gone. And besides, with only one year left, how much more could she learn anyway as far as education goes? So, in the end, the Grangers would support Hermione with her decisions, and they were okay with it all.

But now the task at hand was to tell the Weasleys, and this was the reason that neither Harry nor Ron was happy to see Hermione. The three had agreed that it would be both Harry and Ron’s job to tell them since Hermione had to tell her parents. And since the Grangers were now fully informed, the time had come… Well, maybe one more day. Harry and Ron both begged Hermione to allow them one more day until they had to tell the Weasley family, particularly Mrs. Weasley, and Hermione agreed on just one more day. One- more- day…

* * *
The next morning, Harry and Ron were awoken by the sound of shouting coming from downstairs. They sat up groggily, glanced at each other, and both got up and stretched. “Sounds like Mum and Ginny,� Ron muttered, craning his head at the doorway. “Big surprise,� he added sarcastically. “Let’s go see what Ginny’s done,� he said happily, and they walked out the door towards the stairs.

When they got down to the last step, the two poked their heads around the corner and saw that it was Mrs. Weasley and Ginny, like Ron had thought. “C’mon,� Ron said to Harry, and he stepped down the last step. Harry stepped down after him, and the yelling immediately stopped. “Ask them then,� Ginny said bitterly, and she folded her arms stubbornly.

Mrs. Weasley turned to the two boys, who had both stopped after Ginny told Mrs. Weasley to ask them something. “Your book lists are here, boys,� Mrs. Weasley said, as if she had not just been yelling at Ginny and all was as it should be. She handed them each an envelope. “Oh yes Harry, I almost forgot, you were made Quidditch captain again. But I’m sure you were expecting-“

“Mum,� Ron interrupted Mrs. Weasley. He glanced at Harry apprehensively and asked his mother, “What exactly were you and Ginny yelling about?�

“Nothing. You don’t need to worry about it,� Mrs. Weasley said with a weary smile, but Ron was not satisfied with that answer. Neither was Harry for that matter, but he didn’t say anything. Ron glanced at Ginny, who was smiling sheepishly. This was a sign that whatever they were yelling about was not ‘nothing’.

“Fine, Ginny, you tell me,� Ron said, folding his arms gruffly.

Ginny looked from her mother, to Harry, to Ron and said, “I just told her you weren’t going back to school, but she seemed to think it was rubbish.� Both Ron and Harry’s eyes widened, and they glanced at each other. Then they both looked at Mrs. Weasley, who was staring blankly at her daughter while clearing crumbs off the kitchen table with her wand.

“Mum?� Ron said. He glanced at Harry and paused, then apparently decided to just tell Mrs. Weasley. They were going to have to tell her anyway. “Oh, what’s the use…Ginny’s right. We aren’t going back to school.� Ron closed his eyes tightly, afraid of the blow that was coming, but then nothing happened. After opening his eyes, he found that Mrs. Weasley’s face seemed to be fighting with her emotions. She frowned, then looked mad, then looked extremely sad.

Ron took this opportunity to add that not only would he, Hermione, and Harry not be returning to Hogwarts, they would also be going to Godric’s Hollow in about two weeks time. Harry didn’t feel that that had been the perfect moment to tell Mrs. Weasley that, but it was too late now. That seemed to be the last straw, and Ron and Mrs. Weasley began to yell at each other much as Ginny and Mrs. Weasley had done earlier. They argued for a good ten minutes, in which time Harry and Ginny watched the argument with amusement playing on their faces. But, in the back of his mind, Harry was rather guilty that he hadn’t done anything whatsoever to help Ron tell Mrs. Weasley what they were doing. He could at least tell her that it was his fault in the first place, and Ron and Hermione were just being good friends by coming with him.

A few times, Harry opened his mouth to say something, but Ron and Mrs. Weasley just kept yelling. Eventually, Harry gave up and just stopped trying.

After a while, Mrs. Weasley sat down at the kitchen table and put her head in her hands. “I’m a man now Mum, I’m seventeen, and I can make my own decisions,� Ron said to her.

Mrs. Weasley looked up at him with sadness in her eyes. “You are still my son, and I am perfectly capable of forbidding you to make certain decisions.� Ron opened his mouth to argue the point, but Mrs. Weasley put a hand up to stop him. “Just go upstairs for a while. I need some time to think.�

Ron glanced at Harry, cocked his head in the direction of the stairwell, and the two went upstairs to Ron’s room and shut the door. Ron walked over and flopped on the bed. “Well, that went well,� Harry said sarcastically.

Ron crossed his arms and frowned at Harry. “What were you playing at? You could’ve backed me up. You didn’t even say anything.�

“Sorry mate, but you seemed to be handling it well enough on your own,� Harry said shrugging. He thought briefly about telling Ron that he had actually tried to say something a few times but couldn’t get a word in edgewise, but Ron, being the person that he is, probably wouldn’t believe him.

“Oh yeah, just great,� Ron said sarcastically, and he threw his pillow at Harry. This was practically an invitation for Harry to throw it back, and this soon turned into a raucous pillow fight. An hour later, when Hermione and Ella walked into the room, it was to find two slap-happy boys and a room full of feathers.
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A/N~ I hope everyone liked the chapter. I’m not sure that it was actually worth the wait, but I’ll try to get the next couple of chapters up very quickly to make up for it. Please review! ~