The journey from the train station back to Privet Drive passed in silence. Harry was squashed into the back of the car with Dudley, who never mentioned being attacked by the dementors once. Harry wondered how long it would be before his aunt and uncle questioned him about it. He was glad of the silent journey, his feelings were too confused and he needed time to think. He was also wondering what Ron had meant when he had said that they would see him again soon. Would they invite him back to the burrow for the summer or would he be returning yet again to Grimuld Place, the latter worried him the most, there would be too many memories of his godfather Sirius Black. Every time Harry thought about Sirius his stomach turned and he felt the pain and anger rising up in him that he had been feeling ever since he broke down in Dumbledores office a few days ago.
He stared out of the window at the rows of houses as they passed them by, wondering if they were full of happy families, mothers and fathers watching television with their children, or perhaps playing a family board game. Why had Voldemort cheated him out of so many people close to him? Why did Sirius have to die? The prospect of spending another summer with the Dursley's wasn't so bad now for Harry though. He spent so much time on his own there, that he knew it would give him time to grieve, and after all Mad Eye Moody had warned his Uncle that if they gave Harry a hard time then they would be back to sort it out. He had been told to contact them every three days so that they would know that he was ok. He knew he would miss his two best friends, Ron and Hermoine and could only hope that they would all be reunited soon.
After a while the Dursley's car turned into Privet Drive. Harry hauled his trunk and Hedwigs cage up into the bedroom he had been allowed to use. It was previously Dudley's second bedroom; Harry had been sleeping in the cupboard under the stairs until 4 years ago. At least this was a place where he could go and spend time with his Hogwarts items. Although at times the room felt more like a prison Harry knew that this summer some how things would be different. As he placed Hedwig's cage on top of the wardrobe, he felt a slight prickle from his scar, but Harry knew that Lord Voldemort could not hurt him here.
Thinking back to his journey home on the Hogwarts Express Harry was sure that Cho would understand his reasons for things not working out between them. Deep down he knew that it had just been a schoolboy crush, and there was no room for silly crushes in his life anymore, just thinking about it made him feel like it had been from a different time and place. His emotions were telling him that what he needed now was the security that only his true friends could give him.
It was approaching 15 years since Voldemort had killed Harry's parents, James and Lily Potter. Their deaths had shaken the whole wizarding world, yet it was also a cause for celebration, Harry Potter their baby son had lived. Not only had he lived but also he had been the cause of Voldemort loosing some of his power. The power that had made him the most feared and hated wizard in the world so feared that witches and wizards young and old didn't even dare to mention his name. Since then Voldemort had been trying to get his power back and a year ago he had been successful and gained his full strength. Although in order for him to do this, their had to be deaths. The latest and most painful for Harry had been the loss of Sirius.
The war had finally begun. Again Harry felt like he was being excluded. He kept thinking to himself that there was no point in being kept away for his own safety, when he knew that he would eventually have to face Voldemort, and kill him or be killed by him. What was the point in waiting any longer? He wished he knew what was happening, and was getting tempted to send Hedwig with a note to Dumbledore straight away. But what could Dumbledore tell him, when he had seen him only a few days earlier. Harry was getting frustrated now, so he decided to have a lay down on his bed. After all it had been an exhausting few days and the tiredness was catching up on him.
When Harry awoke it was the middle of the night and he was feeling very hungry. He had had a restless sleep, with images of Sirius dancing around his head almost like a kaleidoscope. He decided to try to sneak down into the kitchen and get something to eat. Before he could even get out of bed though, a familiar figure appeared, Dobby the Hogwarts house elf.
"Dobby must speak to Harry Potter Sir, straightaway." Said Dobby with a worried look on his face.
"What is it Dobby? What's happened?" Harry asked in an urgent tone.
"Oh Harry Potter Sir, Dobby doesn't know how to tell you this, but it is of utmost importance!" Dobby cried, as he quickly paced the floor, throwing his hands to his face with woo.
"For you to have come all this way it must be something important, so why don't you just tell me," Harry said, starting to feel angry at the house elf, "has something happened?"
"Oh no Harry Potter Sir, nothings happened yet, that is why Dobby has come to warn you, Professor Snape is in grave danger, I overheard him talking to Professor Dumbledore last night and he is planning on doing a most dangerous thing. Oh Harry Potter Sir, he is doing it for you and putting his life at risk with the deatheaters."
Harry immediately thought of Neville's parents, and what the deatheaters had done to them, and what about his own parents who had died partly because of their resistance to the deatheaters. Some of them had been captured and sent to Azkaban, like Lucius Malfoy, but there could be a lot more deatheaters waiting in the shadows, Harry thought to himself.
"What is Snape planning Dobby?" Questioned Harry.
"He is planning on seeking out the deatheaters and turning them over to Azkaban, or even worse, Harry Potter Sir." Answered Dobby. "No-one must ever know I have told you this Harry Potter Sir, for no-one knows I overheard it, and Dobby will be in trouble with Professor Dumbledore, and after he has been so kind to Dobby and Winky Sir, he would be so upset and might ask us to leave Hogwarts Castle, then what would Dobby do with no master, how could I look after Winky then? Harry Potter Sir."
Harry thought about this for a moment, and then replied, "I promise that I won't say that you told me Dobby, but am I the only one who knows this information apart from you Professor Dumbledore and Professor Snape?"
"Nobody else knows this Harry Potter Sir, I came straight to you. I waited while Winky was sleeping off her butterbear before I came, then she wasn't asking me questions, she worries about me Harry Potter Sir." Winky said this with a sigh and a smile on his face. With a quick crack Dobby was then gone.
Why would Snape of all people want to help him? Harry thought to himself. How could this be when all he had ever done was belittle him at every turn? All right he had given him Occlumency classes, but this was under great duress, and Professor Dumbledore had already said that he should have taught Harry himself. What had brought about this change in Snape? Was there something that he had never noticed, what if Snape had always been there for him? Afterall Snape had always seemed to be around when ever he was in danger. What was the reason for this? Harry decided he had to find out.
The only person who could tell him was gone; he longed to be able to ask Sirius more about when they were all younger, James, Sirius and Remus. Why did his mother Lily hate his father so much, when they were young? What had made them finally fall in love? Could Snape have been involved in this? But how could he find out? It suddenly occurred to Harry what he must do. He must contact Ron and Hermione, and encourage them to go back in time with him. But first he had to get the time turner that Professor Dumbledore had given them to use, when they had helped Sirius and Buckbeak escape. With all these questions Harry's head was swimming.
He decided to wait till the morning before having something to eat, because if he disturbed the Dursley's they wouldn't be very happy with him, and the last thing Harry needed at the minute was his Uncle Vernon breathing down his neck. Instead he sat down and took out some parchment and his quill and started to write letters to both Ron and Hermione. He hardly knew where to start. How could he explain the need to go back 20 years ago, to a time before any of them were born. Just to spy on Professor Snape? He knew though that once he explained the situation fully to them, and told them what Dobby had overheard, then they would be behind him and agreeable to his plan.
He wrote the letters in no time at all; once he had started the words just seemed to pour from his quill onto the parchment. After sealing them he got Hedwig out of her cage, tied the letters to her leg and released her through the open window. The night was very still and Harry decided to sit by the open window for a while, as the warm night air gently blew against his face he could feel himself starting to relax a little, but this also made him feel guilty because there were people out there in the wizarding world who he cared deeply about, and they were putting themselves at risk with Voldemort and the deatheaters just so that they could protect him.
Dawn was breaking over No.4 Privet drive, Harry had been staring out of the window for what seemed like an age, the milkman had just delivered the milk, so Harry knew that is aunt and uncle and his cousin Dudley would not be long before they were getting up. He hated mornings, for as long as Harry could remember he had had to get up before the rest of the house and go down into the kitchen to make breakfast for them. Then he had to sit and watch precious Dudley stuff his face with all the food he had prepared. As well as sitting through this, his uncle Vernon usually found breakfast time an ideal opportunity to remind Harry how lucky he was to actually be staying with them at all, and how grateful he should be for them taking him in following the death of his parents. Even though Harry knew the truth surrounding his parent's death, his aunt and uncle still insisted on saying that they had died in a car crash.
Harry decided that after breakfast he would go back into his room and unpack his trunk. He needed to wash his robes and prepare things for his return to Hogwarts on the 1st of September. He went downstairs into the kitchen and started the breakfast, preparing the food and laying the table. The smell of the cooking food wafted around the house and in no time at all Dudley was stomping down the stairs. Barely even looking at Harry he said,
"Extra portions for me, Mummy says that I'm a growing boy and I need to keep my strength up. No more Museli for me, now that I'm on my training programme."
"What training programme?" Grunted Harry, he really didn't want to hear about Dudley's latest craze.
"Well actually it's all your fault, bringing those, er those things to come and attack me, I haven't been able to sleep properly for months." Dudley added
Harry had been waiting for one of the Dursley's to mention Dudleys attack by the dementors ever since they had met him at the train station yesterday. He wondered what his Uncle Vernon would have to say. They were moving around up stairs so he knew that he wouldn't have long to wait. His Aunt Petunia arrived in the kitchen first, followed shortly after by his Uncle Vernon. As usual his Uncle Vernon read the newspaper while eating his breakfast, and his Aunt Petunia slowly ate her museli. It was not long before the silence was broken after a small cough to clear his throat, his Uncle Vernon boomed,
"We need to speak to you boy, about that, how can I put it, 'incident' last summer."
"It wasn't my fault, it was Voldemort. He's back and there isn't anything we can do about it, not yet anyway, you know that. So stop trying to pretend that my parents died in a car crash, you know they didn't and I know they didn't. Why do you keep avoiding talking about it? You of all people Aunt Petunia, you should know what I am trying to say." Harry replied, he could feel the anger in him starting to grow; he had wanted to put off this confrontation for as long as possible. Now he knew that he couldn't."
His Aunt Petunia was eyeing him now with a look that Harry couldn't decipher; it looked almost as if she was relieved to have the manner of his parent's death out in the open. Sighing deeply she said;
"Harry you must know that I loved your mother very much, she was my sister and until she started that school of yours we were very close. Of course she was younger and prettier than me, but I was the one with the brains, academically speaking I was much more forward than her. So for her to have this so called 'talent', how was I supposed to feel? I was pushed out from the moment our parents received that stupid letter. It felt like the whole world had started to revolve around precious Lily Evans."
Harry had noticed that his Aunt had harboured some kind of resentment towards his mother for some time; he listened intently as she carried on;
"When she started going out with your father, I knew that there was no chance of us ever being close again. She married into a world we know very little about, I did not want to be a part of that world. I prefer a world where strange things rarely happen, a conventional world with normal people in it."
So this was why his Aunt Petunia hated his father so much, simply because he had married his mother and found them a home and jobs in the wizarding world. Harry couldn't believe what he was hearing, petty jealousy on his aunt's part had caused a rift so deep that his aunt hadn't seen or spoken to her own sister in years. But just as he was about to open his mouth and tell her how he felt about what she had just said, Hedwig came flying in through the open kitchen window and landed on the table, right in front of his Uncle Vernon. Who immediately shouted,
"What in the blazes, get that owl out of here now! How many times do I have to tell you to keep it in its cage? What if any of the neighbours would have seen? How could I explain away an owl with three letters tied to its leg?"
Harry carefully untied the letters from Hedwig's leg and stuffed them into the back pocket of his jeans. After giving her a piece of toast he took her upstairs and put her back into her cage. He knew that he must go back downstairs and face whatever else his aunt and uncle wanted to say to him, getting the confrontation out of the way felt like the best course of action. He hoped that it wouldn't take too long though, because he wanted to read the replies to his letters and he also wondered whom the third one could possibly be from.
When Harry arrived back down stairs into the kitchen the Dursleys were still sat at the table more or less as he had left them. He could tell by the anxious looks on their faces that the matter hadn't ended yet and he would have to endure a massive lecture about how both him, and his father before him are a pair of good for nothings. And that he would never amount to anything while ever he persisted on attending 'that' school.
He slowly sat back down at the table and waited for the lecture to begin. His Uncle Vernon was now staring at him, which made Harry all the more uncomfortable. Silence prevailed, until his uncle suddenly stood up from the table and started the conversation once more by saying,
"Now Harry, we know all about Sirius Black, your er Godfathers death. But that's no excuse for moping around all summer with an attitude. As for what happened to Dudley, you say it was these Dementor's whatever they are. But it's your fault that they attacked my son, and I will not stand for it, do you hear me. Now we've got that bloody owl flying around. It has to stop and it has to stop now. You are not going back to 'that' school. As your guardians we have the final say, so don't even think about arguing with us about it."
Harry didn't want to argue, but there was no way that his Uncle Vernon could stop him going back to Hogwarts in September. It would soon be his 16th birthday, and besides Professor Dumbledore would ensure his return to the school. So he decided not to argue back. What did upset Harry though was the fact that his aunt and uncle obviously knew about the death of Sirius, and they hadn't offered him any kind of sympathy. He decided to question them about this, how dare they act as if nothing has happened, when obviously they did. He naturally assumed that Dumbledore had been keeping the Dursley's informed of the events at Hogwarts following Dudley's attack by the dementors.
"So how do you know about Sirius?" Questioned Harry, who was now pacing the kitchen floor. "Has Professor Dumbledore been writing to you?"
His Aunt Petunia looking rather sheepish replied, "It was in fact a Professor Snape who wrote and told us, he wrote a rather eloquent letter detailing what happened at the Ministry of Magic, and how you stole the school Thestrals. He also told us that he thinks it would be best for you not to return to the school either. Besides the apparent danger, you are becoming a liability to the safety of the other students. He says that you are selfish, and don't care who you put at risk. You led a good many people on a wild goose chase that day, claiming your Godfather was in danger, when actually he was safe in his own home."
"What?" Harry shouted. The fact that it was Professor Snape who had written to his aunt and uncle was even more confusing for Harry, especially after what Dobby had warned him about last night.
"Don't you dare shout at your aunt boy." His uncle Vernon bellowed at him, do you know the sacrifices we've had to make just to have you here?"
"Oh yeah, some sacrifice having me sleep in a cupboard for 10 years and using me as your slave, house elves get a better deal than me." Harry was clearly starting to loose his temper now, with a great flood of emotion he said, "and if Sirius wouldn't have died I would have been going to live with him, so you should be sad that his gone, cos you would have got your wish and been rid of me, seeing as I'm such a burden." And with this he stormed out of the kitchen and ran up to his bedroom.
Slamming the door behind him, he sat down on his bed. He couldn't hold out any longer, large tears sprang from his eyes and splashed onto his jeans. Taking off his glasses Harry wiped his eyes with his hand; he was shaking from head to toe. His emotions were completely mixed up and he still had questions that remained unanswered. Suddenly Harry remembered the letters that he had stuffed inside his jeans pocket. He stood up and took them out. Sitting back down on the bed again, he put his glasses back on and unrolled the first piece of parchment. It was from Ron. It read;
Hi there Harry,
So what's all this then about travelling back in time? How the bloody hell are we meant to do that, and spying on Snape are you sure? I suppose Hermione will know what to do, she'll find a way, she knows everything. Let me know then when you want to do it. You know me mate, always there for you. Mum says take care and don't be getting into trouble at the Dursley's, trust her! Oh by the way Hermione is coming to stay with us tomorrow, her parent's have to leave the country on some dentist convention or something.
See you soon,
Ron.
The letter was typically Ron, short and to the point thought Harry. He also noticed that Hermione was going to be staying with the Weasleys again. Why couldn't it be him? Instead of being stuck here with the Dursleys. More tears started to well up in his eyes; he'd never felt more confused and alone. He wished Sirius was still around; he missed him so much, why hadn't they had more time? Time to get to know each other better, and for them to talk about the Marauders and their time at Hogwarts. He felt like he needed air, he couldn't breath properly, taking deep steadying breaths Harry took his glasses off and wiped his stinging eyes once more, after replacing his glasses he then proceeded to undo the second letter, his hands were trembling as he did so, opening up the piece of parchment revealed handwriting that he knew he recognised but he couldn't remember where. After a few minutes Harry put the letter down and walked over to the open window, he was breathing very deeply now. The letter had been from Remus Lupin and it had said;
Harry,
You must understand how dangerous it is to meddle with time. You are still underage and if you get caught you will be expelled from Hogwarts, you have had all the chances you are going to get. Of course I will help you if you want my help, I wasn't a Marauder for nothing. Please forgive Ron for telling me, he didn't know what else to do. I am also staying at the Weasleys so that Molly can keep and eye on me. I will try to get the time turner from Hogwarts when I go there to see Professors Dumbledore and Snape tomorrow. By the way did you know that Hermione is coming to stay tomorrow? She's such a clever young witch, you ought to listen to her more often Harry. So wise for one so young. I'll be in touch as soon I get the time turner, take care of yourself.
Remus Lupin
The air coming in from the open window was heavy and humid, and thick with the scent of flowers. The residents of Privet Drive were very proud of their gardens, Vernon Dursley included. Harry was nearly always made to cut the lawns at the front and rear of the house, apart from when the Dursley's were entering their garden for the annual best-kept garden competition. He stood there for a little while longer, and started to calm down. He knew that his third letter would be from Hermione, and hoped that she would tell him what he needed to hear. Hermione had always had a calming influence on Harry for as long as he could remember; he longed to hear her voice telling him that everything was going to be all right. Recognising the neat handwriting as soon as he had received the letters, Harry had saved this letter till last.
Dear Harry,
I know that it is only a short while since I saw you, but I wish we could all be back together again, Ron may have told you that I am going to be staying with them from tomorrow, I should be on my way to the Burrow by the time you read this letter. But Harry, don't feel bad about it, because there is nothing I would love more than for you to here with us as well. It won't be the same without you. Now down to business, there is one problem, how can we all get together to be able to use the time turner? You are going to have to cause a distraction at the Dursleys so that when Mad eye Moody finds out, he should be able to get you out of there. You have two more days before you are due to get in contact with us. So don't forget, make sure that the order has no other choice than to rescue you. Look after yourself Harry, it won't be long before we will all be back together.
Your friend,
Hermione.
Harry held onto this letter for longer than he had held onto the previous two; this letter gave him hope, and eased the pain in his heavy heart. He wondered if it would be worth unpacking his trunk now. Because if Hermione's plan worked he would be leaving No.4 Privet Drive in two days. After a while Harry decided to just sort through his trunk. He grabbed the other two letters and stuffed them into his back pocket along with Hermiones.
The rest of the day passed in a daze for Harry, he sorted through his trunk and washed his robes. Carefully folded them back into his trunk, and worked out a list of the things he would need to buy from Diagon Alley. Keeping busy helped take his mind off Sirius, and at least he was now prepared to leave at short notice if everything worked out as planned. At teatime they all sat and ate their salad in peace, the only conversation was small talk between his aunt and uncle. They seemed more settled now they had made their decision not to allow him back to Hogwarts. Harry had no intentions of causing a scene for the time being, he decided that he would sit tight and wait while tomorrow, the day he was due to contact the order. He was enjoying the calmness for now and wanted to wait until the last minute before causing a disruption. Anyway he need time to think about exactly what to do for the best effect.
Harry woke the next morning after a reasonably good nights sleep. Today was the day. Before he went to sleep last night he had formulated a good plan to cause maximum disruption with the Dursley's. He knew that whatever he did could not include the use of magic, as he was an underage wizard. But he also knew that it didn't take very much for the Dursley's to become irritated with him. Taking into account the fact that the Dursley's treasured their precious garden above and beyond most other things, Harry decided to offer to mow the lawn for them after they had finished their breakfast.
With a wry smile on his face Harry turned to his uncle and said, "Uncle Vernon would you like me to mow the grass for you? I think a bit of gardening will help me to mend my ways."
All his Uncle Vernon could do was stand and stare at him with his mouth wide open. Harry knew that this must be a shock to him, as he had never once offered to do anything in the garden, he was usually ordered to do the work. Coming out of his trance his uncle replied, "Ah good to see that you are coming to your senses Harry, of course you can mow the lawn."
Harry knew that his plan was working, his Uncle Vernon very rarely called him by his name, he was usually referred to as 'boy'. This meant that his uncle would be lured into a false sense of security, and that he would be even more shocked by his actions. Just for added effect he added, "thank you Uncle Vernon, I won't let you down, I know how much you prize your garden especially the beautiful flowers," and then with a grin on his face he walked out of the back door and into the garden.
He cut the front lawn with perfect precision, his Uncle Vernon kept looking out of the window, smiling and giving the thumbs up. Aunt Petunia even sent Dudley out with an icy cold glass of home made lemonade for him. He was enjoying this immensely. After a while his uncle came out and said that he and his aunt would be going out visiting for about an hour, and that Dudley was going to a friends house. Harry knew that this was a perfect excuse to execute his plan for the back garden. When they got back, his plan would be complete and all he had to do then was wait for the backlash. As soon as they'd pulled out of the drive, and disappeared down the street, Harry got to work. He went into the back garden and with the lawn edger he knocked all the heads off the Dursley's prize-winning flowers. Sitting back and admiring his handiwork Harry smiled to himself, that had felt good. Now all he had to do was wait for the Dursley's return.
He decided to go up to his bedroom and wait. Checking his trunk and his belongings at least twice over passed the time. It was not long before the Dursley's car pulled back up the drive. Harry waited; he knew it wouldn't be long. Suddenly there was a thunderous roar, his uncle crashed through the house and charged up the stairs barging into Harry's bedroom, he shouted, "What is the meaning of that? What has got into you boy? You've got some explaining to do, now!"
Harry jumped up off the bed and exclaimed, "The lawnmower lost control, and ran into all the flowers, it was an accident it really was."
His Uncle Vernon was towering over him now, he looked really angry, his face had gone a bright red and when he shouted the veins in his neck started bulging out. Harry started to shake again, all he had to do was keep denying it and he knew that his Uncle Vernon would get even angrier. The situation carried on for some time, Uncle Vernon accusing and Harry denying. All the time both was getting more and more frustrated with the other. After a while Harry heard the telephone ringing in the distance. He hoped it was one of the order checking up on why he hadn't contacted them. The sound of the telephone seemed to jolt Uncle Vernon out of his rage, and he bounced downstairs to answer it. Harry followed.
"Who is it?" Boomed Uncle Vernon into the telephone receiver, "what do you want? Of course the boys alright, it's my flowers that aren't." He paused while the person on the other end of the phone was speaking, the voice was very loud. Whoever it was must be shouting, thought Harry. Then much to his surprise his Uncle Vernon handed Harry the phone.
"Hello." Harry spoke into the receiver questioningly. "Oh hello Mr.Weasley." He was so relieved to hear a friendly voice. "You don't have to speak so loudly Mr. Weasley," Harry calmly added. "I'm ok I suppose, except I'm being blamed for something that wasn't entirely my fault, I think if I'm left here any longer my Uncle Vernon could end up doing something to me, like lock me in the cupboard again." Harry took a deep breath and then carried on, "He's been shouting at me most of the time since I arrived back here, can't anyone come and sort him out for me? Oh and did you know that Professor Snape has been writing to my aunt and uncle. He says he doesn't want me to return to Hogwarts because I keep putting everyone in danger. Uncle Vernon doesn't want me to go back either. So it looks like I'm stuck here forever." Harry was now laying it on pretty thick with Mr.Weasley. He paused for a few seconds while Mr.Weasley spoke to him, and then replied, "So you're coming straight away, by the Floo Network? Ok then I'll be waiting. Goodbye." He clicked the receiver back down into place and turned towards the Dursley's who were all standing around him. Dudley must have got back from his friends while he was upstairs arguing with his Uncle Vernon. Looking at them he coolly said;
"Some members of the Order of the Pheonix are going to be coming to see you, they will be here almost immediately, and they will be coming through the fireplace, I am leaving with them, I don't expect you to object or try to stop me. I will also be returning to Hogwarts, and as I will be over the age of 16 by then there's nothing you can do to stop me, so don't even try." And with this he went upstairs to get his trunk and Hedwigs cage.
Almost as soon as he had got back downstairs and into the living room, Arthur Weasley, Molly Weasley and Mad Eye Moody all started to come out of the fireplace one by one. The fireplace had been left opened up ever since the Weasley's last visit by Floo network two years previously, when Harry had been invited to attend the quidditch world cup with Ron and Mr.Weasley. On this occasion, they had blown a hole straight through the front of the fireplace, which had been blocked off from use. Much to Aunt Petunia's dismay they dusted the soot off their clothes in the middle of the living room carpet. Aunt Petunia looked as if she was going to have a kitten. Molly approached her and said, "Do you get much pleasure out of bullying your own sisters son?" She then rounded on Uncle Vernon and added, "and you well your nothing but a big ugly brute."
Turning to Harry she soothingly said, "It's alright now Harry, have you got your trunk and Hedwig? Your coming back to the Burrow with us dear."
Harry was so relieved to hear these words, he looked round at everyone in the room, Arthur Weasley winked at him, Mad Eyed Moody was staring at his Uncle Vernon who seemed captivated by his magical eye, his Aunt Petunia was looked angrily towards Molly Weasley and Dudley was slumped down on the settee with a smug expression on his face. After a few minutes the silence was broken by his Aunt Petunia, who said irritably, " how dare you come here and accuse us, I've always tried to do the best I can by my sisters boy. Of course we have had to make sacrifices for him and all we want is a little respect in return. It is after all not too much to ask, when we took the boy in, and have fed and clothed him for the last 14 years, we have also always tried to do our best to protect him from your dangerous world, we hoped he would turn out differently from his mother and father but apparently he hasn't."
Molly still staring at Aunt Petunia said nothing in answer to this, she instead turned to her husband and said, "Arthur get Harry's trunk, he's not staying here a minute longer, Alastor can you stay till last to make sure they don't do anything silly to try and stop us?"
Alastor Moody, who was commonly known as Mad Eye due to his magical eye, looked at Molly and replied, "course I will Molly it would be a pleasure, you get Harry safely to the Burrow and me and Arthur will follow you on." He had been staring at Uncle Vernon fiercely until Molly spoke to him, his gnarled hands clutching onto the cane that he always carried around with him, he looked a spectacular sight in his old worn wizarding robes, infact he looked the total opposite to Vernon Dursley who didn't like to wear anything other than a formal shirt and trousers.
Turning to Harry he then added, "we told you we'd be back if they didn't treat you right didn't we?" His magical eye seemed to settle down while he spoke to Harry. He then looked back at Uncle Vernon and said, "we warned you three days ago Dursley, to expect someone if you gave Potter any trouble and here we are," his eye was now revolving around in it's socket again. "So let the boy come with us and we'll have nothing more to say about it."
Uncle Vernon gave a grunt and a nod, then proceeded to sit down his face was ashen infact he was looking rather ill, it appeared to Harry that his Uncle Vernon was quite scared of Mad Eyed Moody. He was glad about this, because there weren't many people out there that his Uncle Vernon was scared of, and he was glad he had one of these people on his side.
Molly Weasley then walked over to Harry took his hand gently in hers and said "Harry were using the Floo Network again, you know what to do now don't you, grab Hedwig and follow me, there's someone waiting for you when we get to the Burrow, she's rather worried about you."
These words made Harry beam, in his mind there was only one person that this could mean, Hermione must have arrived, his heart gave a leap, he was so pleased and couldn't wait to see her and Ron again. He looked round the room for one last time before he took a pinch of the Floo powder that Arthur Weasley was holding he then walked into the grate that Molly Weasley had just disappeared from and in a clear voice he said, "The Burrow," the familiar warm feeling swept over Harry and in a haze of green flames he was gone.
* * * *
At the Burrow Ron and Hermione stood by the large stone fireplace with expectant looks on their faces. With a sudden jolt Harry appeared in the exact spot that they had been staring at.
"Whoa Harry mate, how did you pull it off? Good to see you, I can't believe you're here!" Ron exclaimed.
"Hello Harry, I knew you'd make it," Hermione walked over to where Harry was dusting the soot from his clothes and gave him a quick hug.
"Don't expect that from me," said Ron as he eyed the pair suspiciously, "I'm not into those girly hugs." He then smiled at Harry and the suspicion seemed to melt away, "come here mate," and as Harry walked towards him he grabbed his hand and started vigorously shaking it.
Mrs.Weasley then proclaimed, "Harry dear you must be starving, I'll make you something to eat." She then added, "Hermione would you like to come and help me?"
Just as they walked off to prepare Harry's food, Arthur Weasley appeared in the fireplace, after stepping out he was shortly followed by Alastor Moody. They quickly dusted themselves off and went to find Harry who had gone out into the garden with Ron.
"Now Harry, we need to have a little talk," started Arthur Weasley, "you can stay in Ron's room with him like you did last time you were here, Hermione is staying in Ginny's room with her." He paused for a moment and then went on to say, "we never intended leaving you with your aunt and uncle for long Harry, Professor Dumbledore said to give it at least three days though, strange really I wouldn't have sent you back there at all, but Albus Dumbledore has always known what is best for everybody, so I trust his judgement without question," then as an afterthought he said, "how did I do on the telephone Harry? It was a wonderful experience for me to be able to use one."
Harry smiled at this comment; he knew that Mr.Weasley wouldn't be able to resist the use of a muggle artefact. They continued to walk round the garden, which was immensely different from the Dursley's neat and tidy grass and borders, this garden was full of wild flowers, trees and grass that was allowed to grow wild with plenty of space to walk freely around in. The sun was warm and the sky was blue, Harry felt at home here, more so than at the Dursley's. Wondering what was going to happen to him next he asked,
"Will I be staying here with you for the rest of the summer Mr.Weasley? I haven't got anywhere else to go now, because I don't think my aunt and uncle are going to allow me to go back there in too much of a hurry."
Arthur Weasley looked at Harry with a strained expression on his face and replied, "Harry there is nothing we would like more than for you to stay with us, but first we need to speak to Professor Dumbledore, you are still young and this may be a burden for you but, your Godfather Sirius left instructions with Professor Dumbledore that in the event of his death you should take over the running of Grimuld Place. But personally I think that you are too young for such a responsibility so I shall speak to Dumbledore and ask him to allow you to remain in mine and Mrs.Weasley's care for the rest of the summer until your return to Hogwarts in September. After that I don't know, because of the war you could be in great danger wherever you are in the wizarding world. Now enjoy the rest of the summer Harry, you've got people here who care about you so much, so just relax and have some fun." And with this he walked back into the house with Moody and left Harry and Ron alone.
They grinned at each other knowingly; little did Arthur Weasley know that they were planning on doing a lot more than having fun, Harry thought to himself. Firstly though they must wait until Remus returned with the time turner later that night. He also knew that he must try to get Hermione and Ron alone with him, as they had to come up with a plan that would be used for sneaking into Hogwarts un-noticed. Harry had already come up with the idea that they could use the Floo Network to get to the fireplace in Hagrids hut from the Weasley's large brick fireplace, he thought of that while he was on his way here using the Network from the Dursley's. With all this in mind he said to Ron,
"We need to get Hermione on her own, after I've eaten we'll go up to your room, just make sure that Ginny doesn't follow us, the least people who know what we are doing the better it will be."
They carried on walking, and as they made steady progress around the garden Ron pondered Harry's suggestion for a moment and then replied,
"Bloody hell! That's gonna be hard keeping her out of the way, you know she wants to be involved in everything we do lately, haven't you noticed. I mean I don't think she fancies you anymore I think she's proved that with the amount of boys she's gone out with this last year, but she still thinks she can hang around with us, and which guy would want their kid sister hanging around with them?"
"Yeah I know what you mean," said Harry in reply to this statement, "Hermione's a girl but somehow she's different, she's pretty cool, infact things wouldn't be the same without her, remember when she got petrified in year two, I really missed her it just was, well to but it bluntly it was quiet." And with this Harry turned to walk back to the house.
* * * *
In the kitchen Hermione and Mrs.Weasley were sat at the large wooden table. They looked quite contented in each other's company. Harry felt blessed to be surrounded by so many people that he cared about. He sat down and Mrs.Weasley passed him his sandwich, which looked more like a mountain that had to be scaled, it contained thickly sliced Ham straight off the bone, large slices of extra mature Cheddar cheese, red onions, lettuce and tomatoes, which were straight from the greenhouse, all on fresh home made bread that was still warm from the oven. He was hungry though and it didn't take him long to devour it. He swallowed this down with a large mug of pumpkin juice. Ron sat and stared at him and said,
"Bloody hell Harry, didn't the Dursley's feed you while you were there?"
Everyone laughed at this comment. Including Harry. His life was tinted with so much pain and sadness these days though that the smile soon faded from his face. Mrs.Weasley noticed this and said,
"It's OK Harry I understand, why don't you three go up to Ron's room and have some time together."
Harry was glad that Mrs.Weasley had said this, as it was the perfect excuse for them to spend some time alone. And therefore would be able to discuss the finer details of their plan. The three of them all seemed to stand up at the same time, and walked off in the direction of the staircase. Three flights of stairs later, they arrived at the top of the house where Ron's room was situated. The room still had the familiar quidditch posters hung on the walls around the room; they were of Ron's favourite team, the Chudley Cannon's. The members of the team were whizzing and whirling in and out of the various posters, Harry had to avert his eyes, as he was getting rather dizzy. They sat down on the beds, and for a few moments silence surrounded them, until eventually Hermione commented;
"I wonder what time Lupin will return from Hogwarts? Does anyone know what he actually went to see Professor Dumbledore about? All I know is that he's gone to have a meeting with him as well as going to see Snape."
It was Ron who replied to this, he said; "I think he's due to be back by ten o'clock tonight, I overheard mum telling dad that he would be wanting a late supper. Oh and he's gone to discuss your welfare apparently Harry. Dunno why though, your alright aren't you mate?"
Harry didn't know quite how to reply to this, it was obvious that Ron hadn't noticed just how badly he was taking Sirius's death. He wanted to talk to him about it, but somehow he just couldn't find the right moment or words to express his feelings. So he kept putting it off. Hermiones voice cut into his thoughts, she was saying;
"Harry are you alright? You seem distant. If you want to talk about it, Ron and I are always here for you. I wouldn't worry about what Lupin is saying to Dumbledore though, I'm sure that they won't send you back to the Dursley's."
"They're not sending me back anyway, I can stay here until we go back to school. Mr.Weasley just told me when we were out in the garden." Harry replied.
"Oh Harry, that's fantastic news, I just wish that I could stay till the end of the holidays, but I'm only here for ten days. Until my parent's convention is over with.†Hermione said this with a disappointed tone in her voice, but then she added, "we can always send owls to one and other though can't we?"
Ron was now the one with a disappointed expression on his face, he looked pensive until Hermione said, "but we could always ask if I can stay here, for the remainder of the holidays, you know, so that we can both cheer Harry up."
"Whoa that's a brilliant idea!" Ron was now beaming.
Harry who had been sat listening to this commented, "we ought to think about how to sneak from Hagrids hut into Hogwarts without getting noticed, there's only just over an hour before Lupin's due back." He was happy that there was a chance that Hermione might be able to stay longer at the Burrow, but he still had a lot of things on his mind, and he couldn't seem to muster up the same enthusiasm as Ron. Infact at the moment he couldn't seem to feel much enthusiasm for anything. He was determined not to let this show though and as an after thought he added, "after we've thought about this we can think about what to say to your Mum and Dad, Ron. It would be great to have Hermione here with us for the rest of the holidays."
"It's obvious how we can get around Hogwarts un-noticed Harry, are you forgetting? Your dad's old invisibility cloak. Now all we have to do is sit and wait. Hopefully Lupin will have got the time turner, we'll then wait while everyone's gone to bed, use the Floo network to get to Hagrids hut, sneak into Hogwarts and then use the time turner to go back to when your parents were young. After that it's down to chance if we can find out any answers. But at least we'll have tried. We should be able to achieve it all tonight, but if not we can always try again tomorrow." Said Hermione.
Harry had forgot about the cloak, he felt a bit stupid now, but well he couldn't be expected to remember everything, he thought to himself. Now that they all knew what they were doing he felt a little bit better about things. And with this he said, "right then while we are waiting who wants a game of wizarding chess?"
Ron looked up and said, "definitely me, I never get to play much now in the holidays because Ginny's useless and Fred and George are always too busy these days."
"I was just about to say I'll go and talk to Ginny for a while before Lupin gets back," said Hermione, "so you two play and I'll see you later." She got up off the bed and walked over to the door, but just before she left the room she added, "I'll listen out for when he returns and come and let you two know straight away, right so I'll see you later." They both nodded to her and then she opened the door walked through it and with a soft click closed the door behind her.
Ron set the board up and he and Harry began to play. Wizarding chess was not the same as ordinary chess; in this game if a piece is taken they get smashed into bits by the opposing piece. Ron was a much more accomplished player than Harry, and won most of the games that they played. Harry didn't mind though as he was just happy to be doing something normal with Ron again.
The time soon passed and it was not long before they heard a soft knock on the bedroom door and Hermione's head peered round, she whispered, "he's back."
"Come in then." Said Ron in a hushed tone. Hermione then entered the room and sat down once more on the bed.
"Ginny was just starting to fall asleep, when I heard him arrive so that's a relief or she might have wanted to come with us." Hermione said with a relieved look on her face.
Harry was also relieved about this too. The less people who were involved the better it would be. He didn't know what he was going to find out, or even if it was going to be something that he wanted anyone else to know. He just hoped that he could find out anything at all. The need for the truth about his parents was gnawing away at him. He also wanted to find out more about Professor Snape and the reasons behind his behaviour towards Harry. Now was his chance and he didn't want to waste another moment, so he said, "How long shall we give it before we go down? We need to know if he's got the time turner."
Hermione turned to him and replied, "we'll give it a little while longer, let him eat his supper, Mrs.Weasley was telling me that after he's eaten at night he likes to take a walk around the garden, so we can try to talk to him then. That's the reason why he's here, so that they can keep an eye on whether he's taken his potion before he goes out for his moonlight stroll. I know that Lupin wanted to see Snape so that he could get more supplies of it from him." She then turned to Ron and added, "Your mum's great Ron, she tells me everything."
They all sat and chatted a little while longer, then Harry said, "I think we should go down to the kitchen now, and get this over with, I think I just heard your dad going up to bed Ron, you can't mistake those footsteps."
Ron nodded and replied, "Yeah I think I heard him too, mum should follow him up soon, let's just give it a little bit longer, cos the last thing I want is for mum to start asking us questions, she probably thinks that we are in bed as we speak. Anyway it's pretty good of Snape to keep making him the potion isn't it? You know I can't understand him at all, helpful one minute and sneering at us all the next. I'd still like to know why Dumbledore trusts him so much."
Just as he had finished saying this they all looked towards the door, they had heard a sound outside of it. Slowly the door handle started to turn and gently the door started creaking open. Remus Lupin then quietly entered the room and whispered, "I've got the time turner, Ron your mums just gone up to bed, so what's the plan?"
They told Remus what they had discussed about using the Floo network to get to Hagrids hut and the invisibility cloak to get into the school. He seemed pleased with this. After everything had been explained the four of them crept down the three flights of stairs and back into the kitchen, walked into the fireplace, and one by one they disappeared into the green flames that were to transfer them to the fireplace in Hagrids Hut.
Hagrid was asleep on his large wooden bed, his snores rattled through the hut and vibrated against the windows. They all stood silently hoping not to wake him up. Tiptoeing across the room they found the door, which Hagrid nearly always left unlocked, outside they found a private and sheltered spot. Hermione placed the time turner round all of their necks as they huddled together, she started it turning, somehow it seemed to know how many times to turn, time and space quickly rushed past them, it was going in reverse, soon everything slowed down to a stop, and they found that they had gone back just over 20 years. Hogwarts still looked the same, silhouetted against the night sky. Harry shuddered at its beauty; this place always affected him like this. He took the invisibility cloak and swept it over their heads ensuring that everyone was covered.
They swiftly and silently made their way from Hagrids hut up to Hogwarts. Harry had brought the Marauders map so that he could see the whereabouts of his parents, Lily and James, as well as Sirius and Snape. It would also prove useful for them to find a hiding place to wait until morning. As they approached the castle they found one of the secret passages, they entered it and waited. Harry thought it felt strange being back at Hogwarts, it took all the tenacity he had to stop himself from going up to the dormitories to see his parents. He was shaking with the anxiety of knowing just how close he was to them. Hermione noticed this and reached for his hand, looking into his eyes she said, "are you sure about all this Harry? It's not too late to go back."
"I'm OK, it's just knowing how close I am to my parents, and I want to see them so much." Harry replied.
Hermiones fingers tightened around Harry's and this made him feel reassured. It felt good to have the comfort of a close friend. He needed her and Ron so much, that sometimes the feeling was overwhelming. Having had no real family to call his own, he regarded them as his family. Sirius had been the closest thing to family he had known, but at least he still had his two best friends.
Looking even deeper into his eyes Hermione then said, "I can't begin to understand how you must be feeling at this moment Harry, but I'm here for you so don't forget it."
Suddenly, in the distance there was the sound of voices, they were getting closer. Harry started to panic. Remus looked round at them and said,
"Oh no, I can hear myself. We must be on one of our nightly prowls round the castle, we used to do this all the time."
They all looked at Remus, who also had a look of panic on his face. He then added, "I can't remember where we were going, but it must be out into the grounds because that's where we have just come from. Well there's only one thing for it, we are going to have to follow me, erm them I mean. That's what we've come to do."
The Marauders got closer until they were level with Harry and the others in the passage. Harry could see his father's face clearly. He found that he had a lump in his throat he could hardly breathe.
Even stranger still was the fact that James also had the map in his hands just like Harry. Harry now noticed just how alike they were, but yes everyone was right he did have his mother's eyes. James's eyes were almost black; where as Harry's were a deep green. Harry found that he was scrutinising his father, it was a strange feeling.
The group moved on, when they were a safe enough distance away, Harry, Remus, Ron and Hermione nervously followed. They pursued them out into the grounds and down towards the lake. At the edge of the lake a dark and lonely figure stood looking out onto the water. Harry gasped, he immediately recognised the figure to be Snape. He remembered what he had looked like as a young man from when he had seen him previously. This was during his Occlumency classes when he had entered into Snapes pensive and seen how badly his father and Sirius had treat Snape, when they were all at Hogwarts together. This had angered Harry at the time, and he would still like to find out why Snape was such a target for his father's ridicule. His mother had obviously not appreciated James's behaviour toward Snape. Had the young Lily Evans actually had a soft spot for the young Severus Snape? Or was it just that she didn't like to see anyone being bullied and cajoled? After all Remus Lupin had told Harry that his mother was one of the kindest people he had ever met.
As they reached the lake Harry could hear his father and the other's speaking to Severus. The night was so still that their voice's sounded crisp and clear, and Harry could make out every word. What he heard chilled Harry to the bone, he couldn't believe his ears, James was asking Severus to prepare him a love potion to be used on Lily, in return for leaving him alone. It was obvious that they had all heard this because Ron looked straight at Remus in astonishment and said, "You must have known about this all along, how could you keep this from Harry?"
Looking defensively back at Ron, Remus replied, "Yes I knew, I admit it, but I couldn't do anything about it, Severus was already making me my potion, he knew about my," he paused for a moment and then added, "er my condition, and I didn't want him spreading it around the whole school. So even though I didn't entirely agree with what James was asking from Severus, my hands were tied. As for whether to tell Harry or not, well how could I tell him what his father had asked of Snape?"
Harry who was intently listening to this conversation said, "You could have still told me, I'm beginning to realise I don't know my own parents at all. Everyone had them down as the perfect couple, but it's all so false, it must be if my mother had to have a love potion before even looking at my father. And what does that make me, I wasn't born from true love, how can I have been?"
"You don't understand Harry," Remus replied, "your father didn't need to use the love potion, it was enough for your mother that James left Snape alone, it was his constant teasing of him and his overall big-headedness that she didn't like. Once your father started to calm down, then things changed and she saw him in a different light. So you see there's no need to worry about the circumstances surrounding your birth, you were born out of true love Harry, so don't believe anything different than that. As for me, well you know that I am still relying on the potion, I am ashamed to say that you know what happens to me if I don't take it."
Hermione who had been unusually quiet throughout this exchange, looked at Harry and said, "we all knew that there was a chance of hearing something that we don't necessarily want to hear, but this is awful Harry. But at least you know that your father didn't need to use the potion. Although I would still like to know why Snape treats you the way he does. Also don't be too hard on Remus, because don't forget that Sirius also knew what your father had asked of Snape and he didn't tell you either."
Harry nodded at her in agreement and said, "yes I suppose your right, but I still can't help feeling cheated. How am I supposed to feel? I've never known my parents, I only know the things that people who I trust have told me about them, so when I find out that some of these people haven't been entirely honest with me, well I'm bound to feel betrayed."
"It was a difficult decision that had to made by Sirius and myself Harry," Remus interrupted, "we only had a short time to discuss it, but I stand by what was decided, and that was not to tell you until we thought you were ready to hear it, and that may have been never."
Harry was trying to digest everything that he had found out that night; his thoughts were racing around in his head, he suddenly thought to himself, what if Snape had never known that his father hadn't needed to use the potion? Could this be the reason he treat Harry in the way he did? He decided to ask Remus,
"Did Snape ever find out that my dad didn't need to use the potion?" said Harry.
"I'm not sure," replied Remus, "I don't think James ever told him, and I can't really see how he can have found out. So it is of course possible that Severus believes that your mother was bewitched into falling in love with your father."
Ron looked as if he had just found a thousand galleons, he suddenly said, "I knew there must be a reason why he's so pompous towards Harry, he sometimes looks at him as though he shouldn't even exist."
Hermione added to this by saying, "well if you think about it, in Snapes eyes if it took a love potion for Lily to fall in love with James, then technically, as Snape would see it, without it, Harry would never have existed."
"So what your trying to say is that to Snape I'm a non-being then." Snapped Harry, who was getting very annoyed with this conversation now.
Hermione looked at him aghast and said in a consoling voice, "no Harry don't think like that, it doesn't matter what Snape thinks of you. Remus has told you that you were born out of love, and that's what counts. After all you can't be such a non-being if Voldemort is constantly trying to kill you can you? There's obviously something special about you."
Harry suddenly remembered the prophecy. Hermione was right yet again, there was something special about him. He still hadn't told Ron or Hermione what Dumbledore had told him that day in his office, he wondered if he should tell them, but then decided that it would be best if he didn't say anything. How could he tell his two best friends that one day he might have to kill someone or be killed by them?
Over by the lake, Severus Snape had just begrudgingly agreed to brew the love potion for James. Harry, Remus, Ron and Hermione turned to listen to them once more. Neither the young Sirius nor Remus looked happy about what they had just witnessed. So Remus had been right when he had said that he didn't agree with it, thought Harry. He also realised that Snape must have been an accomplished potion's maker even back then. So why had he been so keen to teach the defence against the dark arts class in the past? Severus agreed to begin the potion the next day, and James agreed that from that moment on he would leave Snape alone. Sirius and Remus witnessed both parties shake on it. So the agreement was binding. A short time later the group left Severus Snape once more standing by the lake alone.
James, Sirius and Remus began walking back up to the secret passage. Harry and the others stayed where they were. They didn't want to follow too closely behind the others. As they waited Harry looked over at Snape, he was standing unusually still, why wasn't he going back up to the castle yet? Harry thought to himself. Severus's head was facing downwards, and Harry could have sworn he saw him shudder; it looked to Harry as if he was crying. He wondered why this could be when his father had just made a deal to leave him alone. Ever so quietly in the distance, Harry could hear Snape snivelling the words, "she should have been mine, why not me? I love her so much." These words chilled Harry even more than hearing his father ask Snape to prepare him a love potion.
"Bloody Hell! Did you hear that?" exclaimed Ron.
"I can't believe what I have just heard." Replied Hermione.
"Mmm, well I had my suspicions all along," added Remus.
Harry was speechless. This was all getting too much for him, he knew that there was something that he didn't know, and that no-one had bothered to tell him, but this of all things. A love triangle between his mother, father and Snape, no wonder the Professor looked at him in the way he did, he must be a constant reminder of his father to Snape, Harry thought. He would never be able to see Snape in the same light again. It was now clear to Harry the reason why Severus Snape seemed to be there to protect Harry when he was in danger, it must be because of the lost love he had for his mother. But not only that, Snape needed to protect Harry until he was strong enough and powerful enough to defeat Voldemort, and only then would Lily's death be avenged. This revelation seemed to have a calming effect on Harry, he felt that he could accept Snapes attitude towards him now, with a little more compassion. Although he wished that he still wasn't as pompous towards him in front of Malfoy and his two sidekicks Crabbe and Goyle. What Harry couldn't understand though was the fact that the more Snape pushed him, then the more of a powerful wizard he would become. Harry thought why couldn't he just be left to learn in his own time?
Severus Snape stood by the lake a while longer, looking over the calm clear water that was gently lapping onto the shore. The night was still and the sky was full of brightly twinkling stars. He drew in a long deep breath and gently exhaled. Then he slowly turned, took out his wand said, "Lumos", a soft light came from it's tip, using this to light his way he walked back up to the castle.
Harry and the others followed. They were all still huddled together under his father's old invisibility cloak, and this made walking difficult, in spite of this they carried on and quietly followed. They had decided to go back to the passage and wait until the morning. As they entered the passage they could hear Snapes footsteps dying away into the distance. Presumably he was going back to the Slytherin dormitories. Harry had barely spoken a word since he had heard what Snape had said down at the lake. He kept thinking that it was foolish of himself to be feeling so downhearted about it. After all his mother had been a very beautiful woman, and he was sure she would have had more than her fair share of suitors. It was, he supposed a shock finding out that Snape had ever had tender feelings toward any other human being; he always struck Harry as being so cold and heartless. Yet here he had been acting the complete opposite. Was it this that had turned him into the man he was today? Empty and void of all emotion. Harry had always believed that it was how his father had treat him and his mother that was the influencing factor to his current day emotional state. But it must be a combination of both, he thought to himself.
Suddenly Remus interrupted his thoughts by saying, "It can't be long now until morning, we can sit on the floor and wait. Although I'm not sure what we are waiting to find out now, I think Harry has found quite enough out for one night."
"I just want to see my mother," Harry replied, "I've seen my father and Sirius, so at least let me catch a glimpse of my mother before we return to our time."
"Yes Harry alright, I understand," answered Remus.
"Yeah," interrupted Ron, "at least let him see his mum."
So with that they sat down onto the cold hard floor of the passage and waited until the morning. They continued to huddle together as they patiently waited. It wasn't cold as it was still early summer, and the nights were warm and sometimes muggy.
The morning arrived bright and clear. Harry could hear the students start to move around the castle, their footsteps echoing along the long stone corridors. He knew it wouldn't be long before breakfast. This would be a good opportunity to see his mother. So he said, "I don't think it would a good idea for us all to go into to the great hall, Hermione will you come with me?"
"Yes Harry of course I will," Hermione answered. She then turned to Ron and Remus and added, "You two don't mind do you?"
"No, you go ahead with Harry," replied Remus, "We're alright waiting here aren't we Ron?"
"Yeah, OK then," said Ron.
With the invisibility cloak covering them, Harry and Hermione made their way to the great hall, where breakfast would be taking place. As they were passing the bottom of the large staircase, Harry saw a familiar figure walking serenely down the stairs. The sight brought a lump to his throat. Without thinking he grabbed onto Hermione to steady himself, he felt quite dizzy. Hermione nudged Harry in the ribs and whispered, "Look at the side of you."
Standing beside Harry was Severus Snape, he looked paler than usual, his dark lank hair framed his face. In his hand was a potions bottle, swiftly he walked over to Lily and gave it to her. She weakly smiled and said, "What is this Severus, a potion for me?"
"No," he replied, "it's a perfume that I have been brewing for you, it is made from the essence of freshly chopped Lily flowers mixed with morning dew. I just thought you might like to try it." He looked rather shifty now, and a little embarrassed.
"Oh, erm thank you Severus," Lily looked stunned, "I don't know what to say, no ones ever brewed me my own perfume before, I will treasure this." She looked at him for a moment longer then made her way into the great hall for breakfast. Severus watched silently as she walked away from him, and then let out a hefty sigh.
Harry and Hermione quickly followed Lily into the great hall. Taking her place at the Griffyndor table, she sat quite close to where his father, Sirius and Remus were sitting. She said a quick hello to them and proceeded to eat her breakfast. When they had all finished their breakfasts, they made their way out into the corridors that would take them to their first lesson of the morning. When they had left the hall and were stood out on the busy corridor, Lily pulled James to one side and showed him the potion bottle, Harry couldn't quite make out what they were saying to each other, but then James started laughing, so he guessed that it would be something funny about Snapes attempt at wooing his mother. He felt glad that his mother and father were now getting along with each other, and he realised that Remus was right when he had told Harry that they did fall in love without the need for the love potion.
Suddenly Harry felt a hand firmly gripping his shoulder, he quickly spun round to face Dumbledore, who looked just as old then as he did today. He remembered that Dumbledore had the power to see beneath the invisibility cloak. His heart started racing. How could he explain his and Hermione's presence in Hogwarts? And how could he tell Dumbledore that they had come from the future using his very own time turner? He knew that there could be very grave consequences for wizards who meddled with time. He held onto Hermione's hand, which he had grabbed hold of as soon as he had felt the hand on his shoulder.
Professor Albus Dumbledore beckoned them forward towards the direction of his office. They slowly followed. As they reached the entrance Dumbledore calmly said "Sherbet Lemon," and they followed him up the winding steps that lead to his office and living quarters. Once inside, Harry closed the door, then he and Hermione removed the invisibility cloak, and completely revealed themselves to the professor, who was watching them with a guarded expression on his face, and a distinct twinkle in his eye.
"Come here young man" he said, looking very curiously at Harry now, "let me see you more closely."
Harry walked towards Dumbledore, his legs were like jelly, his heart was beating and he was shaking all over. He stood before this great wizard and felt very small indeed, even though he was nearly as tall as Dumbledore now.
"Ah I see who you are now, the likeness is uncanny," Dumbledore softly spoke these words to Harry. "Tell me Harry Potter, why are you here? And do I know that you have come?"
Harry was stunned at this; he knew that Dumbledore was one of the most wise and powerful wizards to have lived. But hearing him speak and know his name, in a time that he didn't even exist in, this was just amazing. "This may be a silly question professor, but how do you know who I am?" Harry asked, inquisitively.
Dumbledore smiled at this remark and as he smiled his eyes twinkled even more brightly. "But Harry, surely you must know that I am everywhere and know everything, those wizarding cards you collect from the chocolate frogs were one of my better inventions don't you think?"
"So do you know everything about me?" Harry asked.
"Ah dear, dear Harry, there are things that I wish I didn't know. It is not an easy life I have, knowing things, and not being able to alter their course. But alas, meddling is not in my nature and I have to let things follow through to their natural conclusion. It is a sad fact. "Replied Dumbledore, "I know all about you young man, and it is with a heavy heart that I confess to that." He then placed his hand gently on Harry's shoulder, and continued, "I do know that you are here, and that Remus managed to get the time turner out of my office, I just wanted you to admit that you have sneaked here. But Harry you must know that it will not benefit you pining after those who have been taken from us." He then turned to Hermione and said, "Miss Granger, you haven't lived up to my expectations of you my dear, otherwise Harry would not be here. I thought that you of all people would have deterred him. But alas, Harry can be very persuasive, I'm sure of that."
Hermione looked nervously at Professor Dumbledore and replied, "well I did try to tell him of the consequences, but you are right in saying that he is very persuasive, I told him that it is not always a good idea to meddle with time."
"Very well Miss Granger, I accept that you tried. And please don't look so worried, you aren't on trial you know." As professor Dumbledore said this he winked at Hermione, and she seemed to relax a little.
"Now Miss Granger, I wonder if you could do me a little favour and go and fetch Remus and Ronald to my office, use the invisibility cloak and hurry before you are seen by anyone." Dumbledore said this with a gentle air of authority.
"Yes Professor, I'll go straight away." Hermione replied.
Hermione swiftly placed the cloak around herself and made her way out of the room, gently clicking the door closed behind her as she went.
Dumbledore then turned to Harry and said with a smile on his face, "Hermione is shaping up to be a very clever witch, but I see that she still hasn't learnt to keep you grounded Harry. I hoped that she would, but alas you have a keen spirit and a very strong determination, and may I add, a sometimes annoying and dangerous disregard for the rules, infact you rather remind me of myself when I was a young wizard."
"But Professor you don't understand, I didn't come back just to pine after my parents and Sirius, I came because of something important that I have recently found out" Harry interrupted, "Professor Snape is putting himself at risk for me, and I had to find out why, I thought that by coming back to when they were all young that I would be able to find some answers, and I have but they aren't exactly what I was looking for. How could my father ask that of Snape? Did you know that he asked for a love potion to be brewed to use on my mother?"
Dumbledore answered this by saying, "Harry you must know this, you were born out of one of the truest of loves that I have ever encountered. James and Lily grew to love each other very much. What your father asked of Snape of course was wrong, yet at the time he would have done almost anything to get your mother to notice how he was feeling about her. I think they all loved your mother in their own way, but none so much as James. Severus has never fully gotten over his love for your mother, and alas that is why he behaves in the manner that he does around you. You are his blessing and his curse."
Harry pondered this for a moment, and while he did Professor Dumbledore walked towards his desk and sat down, he also beckoned Harry to do the same. As he sat down in the large comfortable leather chair that was facing Professor Dumbledores desk Harry looked around the room, it looked as it always did, Fawkes was sitting on his perch, intently watching the scene before him. The sorting hat was in the same place on the shelves, which surrounded the office. All the mechanical implements were in place. Harry remembered the last time he had been in this office; it had been immediately following Sirius's death. With a tide of emotion the memories came flooding back to him, it had felt like an age since those events, when actually it had only been a couple of weeks. Even though it was the beginning of summer outside, a large fire crackled in the grate, and the most wonderful smell of burning pine filled the room.
"I can't help who I am though Professor Dumbledore," said Harry, "I am not my father or my mother, I am their son. So how can Professor Snape have so many mixed feelings towards me? I never asked to be born, I never asked for the prophecy and I certainly never would have wanted my mother to die trying to save me from Voldemort. " He could feel the emotions starting to build up inside him, just like the last time he and Professor Dumbledore had had an exchange of words inside this very office. "I do not want another person to risk their lives for me, how can I carry such a burden around with me, he may feel that he is avenging my mothers death, but no one can help me now, the prophecy says so. It is going to be Voldemort or me; it will be a duel to the death. No one else should be involved in that, or more innocent lives will be lost."
Professor Dumbledore looked very impressed by Harry's speech, and with this he said, "As I have already told you Harry, it is not in my nature to meddle with what others have decided to do, I can only advise them against it, and believe me I have tried. But Severus Snape is also a determined individual and of course he has got your best interests at heart. Consider this Harry, why do you think he is so hard on you in your lessons?"
"Well I thought that was pretty obvious," Harry retorted, "he hates my guts and wants to see me humiliated in front of the class."
"How wrong you are, Harry," Dumbledore replied, "he is hard on you because he never wants you to fail, especially when it comes to facing Voldemort. He believes that you should be pushed into getting it right. One mistake from you could prove extremely costly. You see none of knows what it will take to defeat Voldemort, it could be a duel, but on the other hand it may take a potent potion or even a simple charm. That is why we are all pushing you so hard Harry. You must not fail, because if you do it will result in your death and Voldemorts reign of terror will never come to an end."
"So I have to put up with his sarcasm and his punishments then, in order to make me a more powerful wizard? I do try hard in my potions classes, but it isn't easy when I know he's just going to carry on failing my efforts," Harry was getting angry now, he didn't want another argument with Dumbledore, but how could he avoid it, when it felt like Dumbledore didn't understand his point of view at all. He quickly added, "I will try harder though."
"Very well, I will take your word on that," Said Dumbledore, and then went on to say, "Remus and your friends will be returning shortly, when they arrive I will be transporting you all back to your own time, and I want you to promise me Harry that you will not return to this time again, it will serve you no good. The past is past, you have an important future facing you, and coming back here won't help that." Just as he spoke these words the office door gently creaked open and Remus, Ron and Hermione all entered the room. As they approached the desk, Professor Dumbledore rose from his seat, took out his wand and with a quick swish of it said, "Tempus Returnus!"
The same feeling came over Harry as when they had been using the time turner, time and space were once again whirling around him. Suddenly with a quick jolt, he seemed to land on his bed in Ron's bedroom in the sitting position. He looked around and saw Remus, Ron and Hermione all sat on the beds as well. They all looked at each other, and said, "Wow what did you think to that?" Harry was the one to reply and said, "I don't know, but please don't ask me to go and find out, I think I've done enough time travel now to last me a life time. I now know I need to look to the future not to the past, and concentrate on getting stronger for whatever is facing me."
The others nodded in agreement, and after a moment Ron said, "all right then Harry while we are waiting for the future, do you fancy a game of wizarding chess?" And they all laughed at this.
The End.
