Finally Home by Weasley Mom
A/N: All of the characters contained herein are the property of Ms. Rowling.
"Harry!" Ginny exclaimed, instinctively reaching out to support him as he crumpled to the floor.
"Ron go get help!" Hermione ordered, as she too rushed to Harry's side. Ron was out the door before she had even fiished her sentence.
Harry lay on the ground, writhing in pain. He clutched desperately at his scar, which had opened and was dripping blood through his fingers and down his face. Hermione did her best to pry his hands away, trying to stop the bleeding with a corner of her robe. Ginny, meanwhile, held on to him, frantically calling his name in the hopes of bringing him back from whatever was happening.
The door to the classroom slammed open as Dumbledore, closely followed by Remus, Tonks, and Ron, burst in. The headmaster took in the scene at a glance and hurried over to Harry. Dropping to his knees, he placed long, cool fingers across Harry's forehead, murmuring words the others couldn't hear. A blue light flared briefly between them and Harry's painful thrashing stilled for a moment before he lurched upward with a sharp inhilation of breath. Turning abruptly away from Dumbledore, Hermione, and Ginny, he began vomitting helplessly onto the floor. Ginny reached out, gently rubbing his back until he got himself under control. Finally, pale and shaking, he raised his head to look at the others. A collective gasp echoed through the room at the sight of his blood covered face.
"Bloody hell," Ron breathed.
"What happened Harry?" a visibly pale Lupin asked. Harry saw Tonks comfortingly grabbing Remus' hand, as he fought to subdue the throbbing in his head enough to answer.
"Voldemort," Harry managed to choke out. Taking a deep steadying breath, he continued," He's sending Dementors and some death eaters to the Ministry. He wants to free the prisoners there. He knows that the aurors are spread too thin between there and Azkaban. I think... I think that he is also planning another attack in Diagon Alley as a distraction." Dumbledore rose smoothly, his blue eyes somber.
"Tonks, Remus... Summon as many Order members as you can raise and get them to my office as soon as possible. " They nodded and swiftly left the room.
"Harry, do you have your father's cloak with you?" Dumbledore asked. Harry mutely shook his head, sending a wave of dizziness through him.
"Dobby?" Dumbledore called. With a quiet pop, the house elf appeared.
"Yes, Professor Dumbledore sir? You is wanting Dobby?" the elf squeaked.
"Yes, Dobby. Could you please fetch Mr. Potter's invisibility cloak from his room for us? We need to get him to my office without anyone seeing him," Dumbledore explained. Dobby turned then, spying Harry for the first time. His tennis ball shaped eyes widened.
"What is happened to Harry Potter? Who is doing this to him? Dobby is not letting anyone hurt Harry Potter!" Dobby declared fiercly.
"It looks alot worse than it really is, Dobby. If you could just get my cloak, please," Harry reassured him.
Dobby nodded and disappeared with a pop, reappearing moments later with the cloak in hand. Harry took it from him with a quietly murmured thanks.
"Could you please ask Madame Pomfrey to come to my office Dobby?" Dumbledore said gently.
"Yes sir, Professor Dumbledore sir," Dobby squeaked, disappearing.
"Harry, I'd like you to sit in on the Order meeting today. We need to get you there without overly disturbing the other students, however, so I'm afraid you'll have to wear your cloak," the headmaster said.
"What about us professor?" Ginny asked.
"I'm sorry Miss Weasley, but your mother has refused to give either you or Mr. Weasley permission, as have Miss Granger's parents. You will have to return to Gryffindor Tower," he replied gently.
"Sorry guys," Harry said consolingly. "I'll tell you what happens when I get back." The others were obviously upset, but knew that they didn't have much choice but to agree. Ginny grabbed him, quickly kissing him before following Ron and Hermione out of the room.
Harry covered himself with his cloak, and he and Dumbledore quietly made their way to the headmaster's office. Several of the Order members, including Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Bill, and Charlie, were already waiting. A worried looking Mrs. Weasley stood up when they entered.
"Albus, Remus said it was an emergency meeting. It's not the children is it? They're allright aren't they?" she demanded. Sighing, Harry removed the cloak and braced himself for Mrs. Weasley's reaction. Yet again, a collective gasp was heard around the room.
"Bloody hell!" Charlie gasped, uknowingly echoing Ron. Feeling a curious sense of deja vu, Harry rubbed his still throbbing scar. Mrs. Weasley put a protective arm around Harry and glared at the headmaster.
"What happened to him Professor? Why exactly is he not in the hospital wing and where are the others? " she demanded.
"They're fine, Mrs. Weasley. I am too," he hastened to reassure her. "My scar just opened up is all. It's already closed again, though. See?" Harry lifted his bangs. Indeed, the scar had resealed itself, although it was looking angry and red.
"Molly, if you'll please sit down, all will be explained. I've sent for Poppy as a precaution. She should be here any moment. Lemon drop?" Dumbledore asked with a smile, despite the gravity of the situation. Molly shook her head before forcing Harry to sit and proceeded to fuss over him mercilessly. A short time later, the office door opened and Professor Snape swept into the room accompanied by Madame Pomfrey. A slight widening of his eyes was the only sign that he acknowledged Harry's prescence. Madame Pomfrey clicked her tongue and shook her head.
"Potter. I should've known. What did you do this time?" she said, reaching into a large bag she had carried in with her. Harry quietly told her what had happened. Muttering under her breath, she waved her wand cleansing the blood off of his face, though his shirt was still covered with it. Looking closely at his scar, she retrieved a jar of salve from her bag and liberally applied it to the jagged, lightning bolt shaped mark on his forehead. When she was satisfied, she covered it with a clean, white bandage.
"Does your head still hurt Potter?" she asked.
"No miss. Not much," he murmured, embarassed at the attention he was receiving. Everyone in the room was silently watching as Madame Pomfrey treated him. She nodded handing him two potions, which he obediantly drank.
"It seems to have healed itself, Headmaster. I put some salve on it, just in case. I also gave him a blood replenshing potion and something for his headache," she, rather unecessarily in Harry's opinion, reported. Dumbledore was after all sitting in the room watching, along with everyone else.
"Thank you, Poppy," Dumbledore smiled as the door to his office opened, admitting Remus, Tonks, Kingsley, and Mad-Eye. Remus gave Harry a quick, assessing look before turning to the headmaster.
"This is all we could rouse Albus," Remus said. "Fred and George stayed behind in Diagon Alley. They're going to alert us if anything happens."
"Very well, let us start then. As I'm sure many of you have surmised, Harry has had another visit from Voldemort, this one a little more violent then previous ones. Although, I believe it was not his intention to allow it, Harry was able to get a glimpse of his plans. As we speak, dementors and death eaters are being sent against the Ministry to release the prisoners being held there. Furthermore, a second attack is being unleashed upon Diagon Alley," Dumbledore said.
"Albus, the aurors are spread too thin. We'll never be able to hold them off at the Ministry and defend the people in Diagon Alley," Kingsley said in his deep voice
"Headmaster, how do we know Potter's information is correct? He's been misled before," Snape said, sending a glare in Harry's direction. Harry saw the Weasley's and Remus tense, ready to jump to his defense.
"You're right, Professor. I have been, but in this instance I'm not," Harry said quietly.
"How can you know that, Potter?" Snape hissed with the special contempt he reserved just for Harry.
"Because he was so focused on doing as much damage to me as he could, that he didn't put up his guards as well as he should have. He also didn't expect Professor Dumbledore to come to my aid as quickly as he did, so I was able to get a glimpse into his mind. Diagon Alley is to distract the aurors. He intended to do enough damage to me to distract the Order," Harry said glaring at the potion's master. They really did not have time to be discussing this when an attack was eminent.
The fire in the office flared green as Harry finished speaking, and Fred (or possibly George) Weasley's head appeared in the flames.
"It's started, Professor. There's probably ten death eaters here. They've brought dementors with them," the twin reported.
"Thank you, Mr. Weasley," Dumbledore said. "We'll be there shortly. It would appear, Severus, that Mr. Potter's information was indeed accurate. Alastor, Nymphadora, Kingsley, Arthur, Bill, Charlie and I will go to the Ministry. Molly, Minerva, Hagrid, Mundungus, Remus, and Harry, you go to Diagon Alley and meet up with the twins. Severus, as you can not be seen fighting with us, you will stay here and monitor communications."
"Absolutely not," Mrs. Weasley protested. "You cannot be serious about sending Harry with us. He's just a child. A child, I might add, who has just been injured."
"Molly, Potter is just as capable as the rest of us, more than some. We don't have the time to argue or the resources to coddle him. We need him. Now let's move," Moody barked. Mrs. Weasley, though still obviously upset, ceased arguing. Dumbledore quickly made two portkeys, handing one to Remus.
"Everyone be careful," Mrs. Weasley said, shooting a concerned look at her husband and sons.
"Constant vigilence!" Moody added, as Harry felt the tug of the portkey activating.
With a lurch, he was standing at the entrance to Diagon Alley. Chaos reigned in the place where Harry had gotten his first glimpse into the wizarding world. Terrified witches and wizards were running everywhere, as three groups of dementors glided through the crowds. Further down, Harry could see two red heads pinned into the doorway of a shop. A loud explosion rocked the street and several death eaters fell, victims to one of the twin's dark bombs. Mrs. Weasley, 'Dung, and Hagrid charged in the direction Fred and George were hiding, leaving Harry, Remus, and Professor McGonnagall to deal with the dementors.
"Expecto Patronum!" Harry heard Remus cry. He saw a large, silver wolf streak off towards a group of dementors that were surrounding a young witch. Two tiny children were clinging, terrified, to her robes as she tried desperately to conjure a patronus.
"Expecto Patronum!" Harry shouted, watching his patronus tear through the second cluster of dementors.
"Expecto Patronum!" rent the air a third time, as Professor McGonnagall sent her patronus to deal with the last group. The dementors scattered and fled under the force of the combined patroni. Harry, Remus, and McGonnagall in pursuit.
"Mum! No!" Harry heard one of the twins cry, as he directed his patronus after the dementors. Turning he saw, as if in slow motion, a jet of purple light catch Mrs. Weasley in the side. She crumpled to the ground, blood pouring from the long gash left by the spell. He saw Fred and George take up a protective stance over their mum, their expressions more fierce than anything Harry had ever seen. Desperately they shot spell after spell at the death eaters, heedless of the danger to themselves.
Harry found himself running for them. He noticed that several of the death eaters, who had fallen, had begun to shake off the effects of the bomb the twins had set off earlier and were starting to rejoin the fight. Harry could feel the power and fire rising in him again, as it had when Ginny had been attacked. His family was in danger, and he would protect it whatever the cost. One of the newly risen death eaters raised their wand, aiming at the twins.
"Avada..." the death eater began.
"No!" Harry shouted, drawing a ball of pure energy from the air around him, much how he had that night in the room of requirement when he had told Neville about the prophecy. With a flick of his hand, he sent the ball hurtling at the death eater, incinerating him before he could finish his curse. Dimly, he felt part of his mind recoil at the knowledge that he had just taken a life. He did not have time to dwell on it, however. Almost as one, the remaining death eaters turned spotting Harry.
"It's the Potter boy," one of them snarled.
Harry suddenly found himself surrounded and fighting for his life. He allowed the flames around him to form a shield, and began to shoot spell after spell at the hapless attackers, not even bothering to use his wand. Hagrid and 'Dung raced to his aid. Grabbing the two closest death eaters, Hagrid banged their heads together with a dull thump, sending them collapsing to the ground. 'Dung, meanwhile, was furiously sending spells back forth with two more.
"Avada kedavra!" one of the death eaters cried. His spell slammed into a barrel of pickled newts Harry had summoned into it's path, exploding it into splinters.
"I really dislike that spell," Harry growled, flicking his hand again and sending the death eater head first into a nearby wall. 'Dung had finally dispatched with his two and was looking somewhat awed at Harry. Spotting the last of the death eaters still fighting with the Weasley twins, Harry strode down the street towards them. With a startled glance in his direction, the robed figures disapperated quickly.
Both twins dropped to their knees beside their fallen Mum, whom Harry had not seen move since she had gone down. He raced to join them, his heart hammering in his chest.
"Is she..." he said, unable to finish the sentence as Fred raised his devestated eyes to him.
Please do not hate me for this evil cliffie. I promise to put the next chapter up as soon as this one gets posted. Thanks go out as always to Danielle my fantabulous moderator. I also wish to thank my son William, my beta, who is ready to strangle me because I refuse to tell him if Mrs. Weasley is dead or not. Thanks also go out to all of you wonderful, wonderful people who take the time to not only read this story, but review it.