Chapter Five
Wafting through the kitchen was the mouth-watering scent of potatoes and steak. “Mrs. Weasley, that smells great!” Harry complimented.
“It’s nice to know someone appreciates my cooking!” she huffed. She was still miffed about the stinking "gravy" incident.
Mr. Weasley sought to console her. “Molly, Darling, you’re a wonderful cook. We all appreciate the things you do for us.”
She rewarded him with a warm smile as she set the food on the table. Fred and George were back, and hungry, if the greedy looks on their faces were anything to go by. Lupin said, “Accio Butterbeer!” and a steamy, hot cup of the brew flew to the front of each plate. As soon as Molly was settled into her seat everyone started to eat.
Harry suddenly felt more at home than he had in quite some time. He looked at his family- his real family- as they gracelessly shovelled food into their mouths. Moody’s magical eye was on him and he suddenly felt uncomfortable. Harry tucked into his food and didn’t come up for air until half an hour later.
Tonks asked Molly what the unusual spice on the potatoes was. “A great chef never tells her secrets,” she boasted, and with a wave of her wand said a charm to refill everyone’s glasses.
Fred leaned towards Harry. “We were experimenting with dragon claw, hoping to get some burn. It didn’t combust very well but it turned out to have a nutty taste, so we gave it to Mum.”
“But we told her it was Bungledek weed,” winked George, and resumed his gorging.
“So business is good?” Harry asked.
“Very good. We have to supply the demand and the demand is great, my friend.”
“Yeah,” said George, “and we found that our little brother’s wardrobe demanded an update, so we gave him a load of new clothes.”
“That was very generous of you,” smiled Harry.
“Now you can go out and impress the ladies, eh, Ronny?”
Ron blushed. “Shut up.”
“Watch out! Hormones raging!”
The Weasley’s had never had much money through the years. Arthur Weasley’s job at the Ministry of Magic never paid too well. Since the twins started up Weasley’s Wizard Weezes in Diagon Alley a bit more money was available to them. Contrary to what they always said about Ron, and their incessant teasing, they liked him. Enough, apparently, to buy him more new clothes. The hand-me-downs he usually wore were nearly three inches too short. Fortunately for Ron, old, grungy t-shirts were now in style, so he didn’t have any need for more.
An occasional loud burp punctured the contented air around Grimmauld Place. The house looked nothing like it did when Harry first arrived there last year. It looked like a home, and he felt quite safe thanks to all of the protective spells cast on the house. Just then, Harry noticed something. “Where is Kreacher?”
Fred spoke up first. “He was so excited about-“
Arthur interrupted with, “He’s gone.”
“Where did he go?” asked Harry, though Kreacher’s absence was no loss, really.
“He died. Heart attack,” said Arthur, just as quickly.
Everyone looked at Mr. Weasley and looked down. It was a lie. Harry didn’t care much. The house elf was the most foul creature of his kind that Harry had the misfortune to meet. Instead of helping Sirius while he was living there the last school year, he only made life more miserable for Harry’s godfather. Kreacher didn’t have anything nice to say to the rest of the house’s occupants either.
“So, what’s new?” asked Harry.
Everyone visibly relaxed with the subject change. Ginny talked about Dean Thomas, her current boyfriend. He was in Harry’s year, sharing a room with him and Ron at Hogwarts. It was bound to be an uncomfortable year in their quarters, as Ron was slightly overprotective of his little sister. Ron had only heard they were going out after they left Hogwarts for the summer. When her youngest brother was looking quite red in the face, Ginny paused. “So Harry, do you want to practice with Ron and me tomorrow afternoon?”
Harry was trying not to laugh at Ron. “Wait, Ginny, I’m not on the team anymore, remember?”
“Oh, don’t be ridiculous. You know Professor McGonagall will put you back on the team.”
“Yeah, probably. All right. We can practice.”
“Ginny, please help me do the dishes,” said Mrs. Weasley.
“Mum, they wash themselves!”
“Don’t you take that tone of voice with me. Come!” Grudgingly, Ginny followed her mother.
“Let’s go up to our room,” said Ron, and the two began to walk upstairs. They soon noticed Tonks, Arthur, Kingsley, and Moody following them.
“I- uh- don’t need everyone to come up here. I could do it on my own. I don’t need a guard to get to my room, you know,” said Harry, perturbed.
“You don’t take a hint, do you Boy?” said Moody, “We’re coming up to talk.”
“We didn’t want to involve Ginny,” sighed Tonks,” but I suppose she’ll soon find out anyway. Between her tricks and her friends telling her everything they know, it’s a wonder we keep anything secret!”
“Little cow. She's too clever for her own good,” said Ron.
“Ron,” said Mr. Weasley warningly. He then focused on Harry in an unsettling way. This couldn’t be good news. “He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named has begun-“
“Killing a lot, I know,” said Harry with a bitter edge.
“Yes. But some of his Death Eaters are focusing specifically on targeting members of the Order. There have been instances of direct battle. We want you to be prepared for the fact that some of us may come to some harm. Also, Dementors have been hovering in Muggle neighbourhoods. In some instances they have been found to be administering the kiss.”
Harry thought about the dark, hooded figures looming over him and Dudley last summer. The cold, unhappy air sucking at every happy memory he ever had. “I know that this is war. I know bad stuff has been happening, and will happen,” Harry felt a pang of regret. “I have been reading the Prophet and know who’s been getting hurt and dying. Tell me something I don’t know.”
“Well,” began Arthur, looking uncomfortable, “we think Voldemort knows the prophecy-“
“What? How?” Harry interjected, genuinely shocked.
“Well . . . we know you never learned Occlumency, and V- he had plenty of time to access your brain while you were sleeping. As that probably has been at the forefront of your mind, it was probably something he learned on your first night at home.”
Harry felt a little guilty. “So this means . . .”
“Two things. For one, you are in more danger now than ever before, because you are the only danger to him. Secondly, he knows he can do anything because no one else can kill him. Not even Dumbledore.”
The repercussions quickly filtered through his mind. How many people would be hurt because he wanted to know what was in the Department of Mysteries? How many atrocities would be committed? In how much danger were the people he cared about?
"So, what is he going to do? Barge right up to the castle and knock?"
"Of course not. Dumbledore can't kill him, but he can certainly protect you," said Tonks.
The adults all glanced at each other, and shared the same thought. Then they stood. “Well, Harry, we should be going,” said Arthur.
“Important business to intend to,” said Moody gruffly.
Harry just stared at the floor. He knew that wasn’t all the news. There would always be a lot going on behind the scenes that he wasn’t privy to. It was probably better that way. What he heard was enough knowledge for one night. Everyone had left the gloomy room to Ron and Harry.
“Er- Harry?”
“Not now. I don’t want to talk. Can we just go to bed?”
“Sure, Mate,” came Ron’s simple reply. He could wait to talk with Harry, but he wasn’t keen on going to bed so early.