A/N: Thank you for the wonderful reviews - but so you know, I JUST finished the final chapter of the story (Chapter Seventy) - so if you're suggesting ideas for the story or requesting that I focus on certain plot points... err... well, um - there's not much I can do about that. :x
Enjoy it!
Chapter 59: A Familiar Face
“Ron, what happened with my dad?” Hermione asked Ron as he met her, Harry and Katie in his room.
“Oh, it wasn’t bad “ mind you I was terrified, but he didn’t threaten me or anything,” Ron told them. “Unless of course, I hurt you…”
“Well, what did you say?” Hermione asked.
“I told him that not only would I never hurt you, but I’d die before letting you come to any harm,” Ron told her, blushing as he averted his eyes from Harry and Katie. Hermione just beamed and hugged him.
“Well, everything’s out in the open now…” Hermione said. “Wasn’t as bad as I expected…Oh Ron, I told Harry we’d go with him to Headquarters tomorrow…”
“What? I thought you refused to go to that place, mate…”
“Yeah, well Katie’s dad changed my mind… I mean I’m not looking forward to it, but it’s something I have to do, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, suppose you’re right,” Ron said. “Well, yeah of course I’ll come…”
“I’m coming, too,” Katie told him. “My dad and sister are joining the Order… because of Mum.”
“How old is your sister, then?” Hermione asked.
“Twenty-three…” Katie said. “And she’s a trainee Healer. Dumbledore said he’s really pleased to have Healers in the Order, apparently they’ll be quite useful.”
“Well, I can see how,” Hermione said thoughtfully. “I mean, now we have contacts with St. Mungo’s, not to mention convenient contacts if someone’s injured without Death Eaters finding out…”
The door opened at Mr. Granger entered.
“Hermione, Katie “ we’re all leaving now, but the two of you can stay if you like…”
“No,” said Katie. “I have to study for my N.E.W.T’s so I think I’ll go home…”
“And I have an essay for Arithmancy I haven’t finished yet…” Hermione said.
“Alright then, bye…” Harry said, kissing Katie on the cheek. “See both of you tomorrow…”
“Yeah, see you Hermione,” Ron said, giving her an awkward pat on the back.
“I don’t mind if you kiss her, son…” Mr. Granger laughed and closed the door to leave. Hermione stared at Ron, whose ears turned red.
“Did he just call you son?”
---
Harry woke up the next morning feeling slightly sick. He knew he would be going to Grimmauld Place in a matter of hours, and he still wasn’t looking forward to it whatsoever.
Have to get it over with, he told himself.
He came downstairs into the kitchen to find that Katie and Hermione were back at the Burrow.
“What are the two of you doing back here?” he asked as Mrs. Weasley put bacon and toast down in front of him.
“Well, it’s lovely to see you, too,” Katie said.
“No, not what I meant,” Harry said groggily.
“Well, we’re going to Grimmauld Place with you," Hermione told him."Katie’s dad and sister can Apparate there, but you, Ron, Ginny and I can’t, and it’s not connected to the Floo Network, so Bill and Charlie are going to drive us.”
“And I just thought I’d travel with you,” added Katie, who had already passed her Apparition test.
Harry just nodded, and began to eat. Neville and Ron were at the end of the table playing chess; Ron was, of course, slaughtering Neville’s pieces. Ginny was watching them.
“What are you doing today, Neville?” Harry asked, trying not to think of Grimmauld Place until he was forced to.
“I’m meeting Susan in Ottery St. Catchpole…” he said distractedly as he looked desperately across the board for a way to lengthen his stand against Ron’s vicious queen.
The kitchen door opened, and Charlotte entered. As soon as she saw Ron and Neville she squealed excitedly and rushed over, picking up a goblet of pumpkin juice from the counter, and taking a seat next to them
“Ooh, I love to watch Ronald play chess!” she said. “You are so brilliant, Ronald…”
“Uh, thanks,” Ron said, blushing.
“Excuse me,” Hermione said coldly. “Would you mind not sitting on top of my boyfriend?”
“Oh… I did not see you zair…” Charlotte said, but did not move.
“I believe I asked you to move,” Hermione said.
“And I don’t see myself moving…” Charlotte replied.
Hermione glared at her, Charlotte stared back unblinkingly.
“Who do you think you are?” Hermione snapped, standing up.
“I’m ze girl who eez going to make Ronald realize ‘ow much better zan you ‘e can do…”
“You cow!” Hermione spat, drawing her wand and moving towards Charlotte, who drew her own and moved towards Hermione; they stopped each of their wands an inch from the other’s face. Ron stared at the two of them, horrified. Neville, too, was transfixed.
“What are you going to do to me?” Charlotte asked Hermione mockingly.
“Hermione can perform magic that you can’t even imagine doing, Charlotte,” Katie said coldly. “So if I were you, I’d back off “ of both her and Ron…”
“Perhaps she’s powerful, but I doubt she ‘az ‘ze nerve to do anyzing to me,” Charlotte said, shooting Hermione a daring look.
SMACK!
Hermione slapped Charlotte hard across the face, leaving a red-handprint. Charlotte took a second to recover, then clasped her hand to the place where Hermione had hit her. She just stared back at Hermione, speechless. Hermione turned on her heel and left the kitchen, Harry thought he saw her tap her wand against Charlotte’s goblet, but paid no attention as he followed her, along with Ron, Ginny, Neville and Katie. The four of them stopped in the stairway.
“Hermione, that was fantastic!” Katie said.
“Yes, but I don’t think it was necessary…” Ron said.
“She’s trying to steal you from me, Ron “ or would you like it if she succeeded?”
“She was only sitting next to me,” Ron replied.
“You didn’t answer my question!”
“Hermione, why in the world would I be interested in Charlotte?”
“Well, she’s gorgeous, for one…”
“And so are you! Why are you so paranoid?”
“My fortune.”
“What about your fortune?”
“It said I’d have to fight for you or you’d be taken from me forever!”
“The fortunes were rubbish! You said it yourself, Hermione…”
“Your fortune came true, and so did yours, Neville!”
“Hermione, what happened to Viktor and Neville’s gran is not the result of those stupid fortune cookies “ we’re at war, people get hurt! It’s just a horrible coincidence… Hermione, you don’t have to fight for me…”
Suddenly, they heard a shriek from the kitchen below. Harry turned to run down the stairs, but Hermione stopped him.
“It’s just Charlotte,” she said.
“What did you do to her?” Katie asked eagerly.
“I put a charm on her pumpkin juice; she must have drank it…” Hermione said, mischievously.
The four of them ran quickly to the kitchen, Harry was first through the door. Standing there was Charlotte, with a stunning raven-colored, floor length beard.
---
“Alright,” Mrs. Weasley said at about two o’clock. “It’s time to go to Grimmauld Place…”
Harry felt as though an ominous cloud had formed over his head as he walked outside with Ron, Hermione, Katie, and Ginny to the car where Bill was waiting to drive them.
“Where’s Charlie?” asked Ginny.
“He apparated early to meet Libby,” Bill said, grinning. “You know... help her get aquainted with Headquarters…”
“Hermione,” Mrs. Weasley said, before they all got into the car. “I know that you’re the one responsible for Charlotte’s beard…”
“Oh, I’m so sorry Mrs. Weasley “”
“Good job,” Mrs. Weasley whispered, giving Hermione a pat on the shoulder. She then turned and went back inside the Burrow. Everyone got into the car and they set off for London. It was a long drive, and Harry quietly stone-faced. Ginny decided to talk to Bill about the wedding to relieve the uncomfortable silence. The girls had talked in detail about flowers, music, hair, and robe colors (“The maid of honor’s dress should be a really horrible orange,” Hermione suggested) before they arrived at the Grimmauld Place. They filed out of the car, and stopped outside the house that was the Order Headquarters. Harry glowered at it for a moment, but than he realized they had stopped, and turned to ask Bill what they were waiting for when he saw him show a slip of parchment to Katie. Katie read the note, and then looked to the house; a few moments later, her eyes opened it surprise. She took in the appearance of Twelve Grimmauld Place, before they all approached the door and rang the doorbell.
It was Lupin who opened the door.
“So they finally got you to come?” he asked, smiling solemly. Harry just looked at him, unable to find words, and Lupin moved aside and let them all in. Harry looked around; it was much cleaner; there were no longer cobwebs, and it wasn’t dusty. It also appeared a remedy had been found for the Permanent Sticking Charms, because Harry did not see Mrs. Black’s covered portrait, or the heads of Kreacher’s ancestors that had formerly lined the wall. Nothing, however, could remove the gloom that Harry still felt inside the house. He felt both despair and anger just walking through the hall.
“Perhaps the rest of you should go the kitchen for a few minutes, I need to talk to Harry alone,” Lupin told the others. They nodded and walked away silently. “Charlie, Libby and Christopher are in the drawing room,” Lupin added to Bill, who nodded and left as well.
“So, why’s it so important that I come here again?” Harry asked bitterly.
“Harry, you own this house.”
“I’m aware of that…”
“And you need to move past this. You didn’t have a proper chance to grieve for Sirius, because of Occlumency, and everything else…”
“So, what? I’m supposed to come here and wallow in Sirius’s despair so I can heal properly…”
“Well, when you put it like that, I admit it doesn’t make a lot of sense. But Harry you have to face this…”
“So where should I start my wallowing?” Harry asked.
“Well, actually “ there really is something I have to show you, so that’s probably where we should start…”
Lupin turned and walked down to the end of the corridor, Harry followed him silently. Lupin came to an abrupt stop, and turned to face the wall; he gestured towards the wall with a nod of his head, Harry turned and looked at it. There was nothing there.
“What, we’re starting with this wall?” he asked impatiently. “I wasn’t aware the healing process was so thorough…”
“Harry, just look at the wall…” Lupin said softly.
Harry gritted his teeth and looked at the blank wall. He just glared for a few moments, thinking how incredibly absurd it all was. Then, as though it had been there all along and he just hadn’t noticed, there was a large painting in front of him.
But it wasn’t just any painting, it was a portrait.
“Hello, Harry,” its subject said warmly.
It was Sirius.