The Twiffairy

CHAPTER : 2

Finally pushing aside his feelings of remorse, Harry got up and dressed into his baggy jeans and shirt, which too, like all his other clothes, had once belonged to Dudley. After dressing up, he checked his appearance in the mirror hanging in his cupboard. His appearance looked fine, but his eyes, he noticed were still retaining a painful look, which, he could easily predict, was because of the disturbing dream he had had. He straightened up himself and walked out of the room to the kitchen. Aunt Petunia was, as usual, bustling here and there in the early morning hours. When Harry entered she glanced up at him, starting to say " So finally your majesty.." But she stopped in mid sentence, " What 's the matter with you....never mind, " she said as her voice suddenly took a imperious tone. " Arrange the table"

Harry stood there, totally in surprise. He had been so sure that his appearance didn't give away his feelings, and here was his aunt, HIS AUNT PETUNIA, who never bothered in the least about him, pointing out at him about it. Perhaps his parents..his mother...NO! It was just a dream, nothing else. And for the thousandth time that morning, Harry tried to wrestle with his thoughts. To keep himself occupied, he started arranging the breakfast on the table. He was wondering where his uncle and cousin were when he heard a loud hoot echoing from his room, and, at the same time, heard something clatter on the ground behind him. He turned to find his aunt staring at him with menace dancing in her eyes. "That creature is worth so much trouble already" she snarled "Now can't you keep it shut, because if it doesn't then Vernon wouldn't mind taking care of it!"

Without wasting much more time, Harry sprinted across the kitchen heading up towards his room. He was wondering why Hedwig had suddenly screeched, as she seldom did that, when he reached his room and found out the reason of Hedwig's unusual behaviour. An enormous black bird with shades of golden, was sitting on his bed, with a small letter tied to it's leg. Harry recognized the bird at once, and for the first time in the whole morning he felt himself cheering up a bit. He smiled gratefully at the bird and walked towards it, fully aware of the disapproving look Hedwig was giving him. Harry knew that she didn't approve of the bird, as she didn't approve of it's owner. Why Hedwig disliked Belinda, was a mystery to him.

Yes, our Harry was now in the clutches of love. He had met Belinda Morrison , an Australian beauty, who had come to Britain to further her studies. "Met" would be an underestimation, as Harry had literally crashed into her in the very first week of his return from Hogwarts. His first week at the Dursleys had been agonizing, his sleep was constantly disturbed by nightmares about the night of the third task. Cedric's sudden death had thrown Harry into feelings of guilt. Hardly a minute passed in which Harry didn't find himself cursing and blaming himself for being the cause of Cedric's death. It was such feelings which led Harry to force himself to go out for a stroll. But the stroll hadn't seemed to help him, so he had broken into a fierce run. He had been running hard when he had bumped into Belinda, making them both fall hard on the ground. Harry had never seen her in the neighbourhood before and she struck him as extremely beautiful. They had gotten up, after which a session of peculiar stares followed, when Harry had realized that she had dropped some books too. He picked them up for her and as he was handing them to her, an envelope slipped from between the pages of one book. Bending for the second time to pick the envelope, Harry noticed that it was addressed in green ink. That had caught his attention, and when he handed it back to her, his eyes caught the Hogwarts crest. This led him to ask her whether she knew about Hogwarts or not, to which she smiled, a very sweet smile(Harry thought) and said "Yes of course, Mr. Potter, I know all about Hogwarts". Harry was so taken aback with being recognized that he had almost tripped again. This had led them into fits of laughter and, within moments, they found themselves in deep conversation.

As Harry got to know her, he was delighted to find that she would be joining Hogwarts as a transfer student. As they started meeting frequently, they realized that they had much in common and that each was falling hard for the other. From then onwards, their relationship had blossomed and they had gotten close to each other. Belinda had left Australia because she wanted to attend Hogwarts, which she clearly thought was the best school among all. She was staying with her aunt on the next block, which had been another best factor in bringing them together. Harry just couldn't find any flaw in Belinda, her perfect blonde hair, her sparkling black eyes, her attractive smile and absolutely dashing figure. She had also made Harry realize that Cedric's death wasn't his fault but a mere cruel game of fate. With her help Harry had been able to bring himself out of the emotional cobwebs he had built, not completely though, but it had helped him a great deal.

As Harry eagerly untied the letter from the bird's leg, his heart pounded with delight. He almost tore open the envelope and smiled as he read her letter, loving every word of her petite handwriting.

Dear Harry,

Hope that you are well and fit. I am fine too. Don't get yourself worried or something after getting my letter. Everything is fine. Anyways, my real reason for writing this letter to you is to make a request, as I won't be able to meet you today because I have some work to take care of. I was planning to go shopping tomorrow as I am running out of several things. If you like, I would love to have your company and. if possible, please ask Ron and Hermione, too. I am dying to meet the other two heroes. There is this superb shopping mall I have heard of near River Thames, so I was planning to head there. Though it is a Muggle mall but you know I prefer Muggle things over ours. Inform me soon if you approve of my plan and please try your best to convince Ron and Hermione.I will wait for your reply. Beauty won't return until you tie your reply to her leg, so don't mind her if she doesn't budge.

Your Belinda.

Harry folded the letter after reading it for the third time and looked down at the huge bird sitting on his bed. Belinda had indeed named her correctly,she was surely a beauty. Harry took out a parchment from his desk and scribbled his reply quickly.

Dearest Belinda,

I would surely love to accompany you tomorrow. I haven't yet asked Ron and Hermione but I will soon ask them out today itself, so that they can arrange for the transport. I think , otherwise, they will have no problem. I am sad that i wouldn't be able to meet you today but anyway, I really don't want to take you away from your work. I know it must be difficult for you to adjust here but I can assure you, everything will be fine at Hogwarts. And don't you ever forget.. I love you.

Love,

Harry.

He folded his letter, a smile still dancing on his lips, enveloped it and tied it to Beauty's leg. She sat still until Harry finished tying it, and after the errand was over, spread her wings wide and was out the window within moments. Harry stared at the flying bird for a moment, and then got up again to write another letter to Ron. He wouldn't need to write to Hermione, as she was already at Ron's place. Her parents were on a trip to France and, as she had already visited the country in the summer holidays before starting her third year at Hogwarts, she had decided to stay home. And besides that, Harry suspected, she wanted to prepare for the OWLs, that were to take place at the end of this year.

Harry finished writing his letter to Ron, explaining him about the programme and asking him, or rather begging him, to come in Ministry cars if possible , because he didn't want Uncle Vernon to create a scene if they arrived by any other means. Uncle Vernon had strictly forbidden Harry to let any of his weird friends to enter the threshold of his house, after the incident that had taken place last year. Harry had consented because he didn't want his uncle to insult any of his friends or their families. He sealed the envelope and walked towards Hedwig who had fixed him with a piercing stare. He opened her cage and pulled her out. "Come on Hedwig, time for another delivery," he said as he tied the letter to her leg "Go straight to Ron and come back with his reply as soon as possible " he said, patting her gently. She just gave him another of her cold stares and didn't nip his fingers as was her usual manner. After Hedwig had gone out of his sight, Harry was started by the sudden growl of his stomach. He realized that the time for breakfast had long been over and since he would have to wait till lunch to get some food, he decided that he would better go out for a sunny stroll. But his mind was still occupied by Hedwig. It was beyond his understanding, but since the time he had once secretly sneaked Belinda into his room to show her some of his books, Hedwig had been acting strangely. She had immediately taken a dislike to Belinda when she had tried to pat her gently. Harry couldn't see any reason for Hedwig to behave this way, after all she was just a bird, he thought. There is nothing wrong with Belinda, he thought firmly and went downstairs.

When he returned that day later, he found Aunt Petunia in a rather nasty mood. She gave him an enormous amount of work to do, and by the time he had finished doing his errands, it was time for lunch. After the tiring work and on top of that without breakfast, Harry felt he couldn't move and had a sickening feeling in his stomach. But fortunately it was lunch time by the time he stepped back into the house. Gratefully he wolfed down his lunch with great speed. Though the food wasn't much to convince his hunger, Harry felt content. He returned to his room feeling completely exhausted and at peace. He was getting ready to lie down for a short nap, when he caught site of Hedwig tapping at the window sill. Forgetting bout the nap completely, he jumped up from his bed and opened the window, letting Hedwig fly in. She dropped the letter she had been carrying on his bed and flew into her cage. Harry picked up his letter, knowing already that it was from Ron, and tore it open to find his best friend's untidy scrawl scribbled on the parchment.

Dear Harry,

I will be extremely delighted to come and visit you. Not only me, Hermione is excited as well. We are really looking forward to meet Belinda, the girl who trapped our Harry. Anyways , as for the transport, it can be arranged easily. As you know, this year, after You-Know-Who's return, the work at the ministry have increased a great deal. Although they are still stubbornly insisting that it has nothing to do with You-Know-Who, but trouble for Muggles have already started. There have been many attacks on Muggles and probably few of them have been killed. Since dad cannot Apparate directly on Muggle places, he is going through a tough time. So the ministry have provided us with a car and a driver. It will be with him that we will arrive at your place. The driver have understood the address and will take us to your place tomorrow by 5 o' clock in the evening. I don't want to cause any trouble for you, so i think it will be better that we wait for you outside your uncle's house. You can come out and check on us at five tomorrow and also lead us to Belinda's house. Thumbs up to your great work with Belinda. Keep it up. See you tomorrow.

Your Friend,

Ron.

Harry placed the letter on his desk and stood there, staring outside the window. He was feeling elated, tomorrow they all will be together, spending some memorable time with each other, and now Belinda would also be there with him. He couldn't suppress the wide smile that was slowly appearing on his face. Now only thing left was to inform his uncle and aunt, he wouldn't be asking them, he would just merely inform them, he thought. He wouldn't let them spoil his fun and with that he turned around, heading for the living room. He found Uncle Vernon there, his nose stuck into the newspaper, as usual. He cleared his throat to let him know that he was there. Uncle Vernon glanced at him once and then got busy with his newspaper again. Considering it as an encouragement, Harry said "Uncle Vernon, me and my friends have to go somewhere tomorrow at five."

His uncle threw him one of his dirty looks and got up " You are asking me? Well you can't go" he smirked.

" I was not asking you, I was just informing you," Harry said coolly. " And mind you, my godfather is going to get very upset if he finds out that I was not allowed to go with my friends."

This did the trick. The smirk was wiped off clean from his Uncle's face ." He..he..wouldn't come here?" he stammered.

" Of course not" replied Harry, loving every moment of this conversation." I just told him that my Uncle and Aunt are very generous and loving relatives, they wouldn't mind my going with my friends"

Harry found it very hard to prevent himself from bursting out with laughter, as he watched his Uncle's colour change. Aware that what a dangerous godfather Harry had, Vernon didn't utter anything else sounding rude and just gave up with a disgruntled "Okay".

Harry watched his Uncle take his seat, before muttering " Thank you" and was out the other instant. The remaining day passed uneventfully.

Next morning found Harry in high spirits. He was thinking about the evening when they all will be together and enjoying, when suddenly his mind drifted to the dream he had had the night before. His mood got clouded and he felt the terrible ache spreading all over his body once again. If they had only met Belinda, they might have been so proud of me, he thought. But it would never happen, Belinda would never meet them, all because of just one person, Voldemort. Who was to be blamed for the melancholy emotions he was going through now. Voldemort. All his feelings got diverged into a kind of hatred he had never felt before in his life. He clenched his fists tightly, trying to calm himself before he got out of control. And as though his mind responding to it, he suddenly felt completely drained, his anger ebbing away, again leaving behind intolerable sadness. He sighed heavily " My parents are dead. It's a cruel fact but it is the truth. I have to learn to face it." he firmly told himself. Forcing the thoughts about his parents out of his mind, he went down attend the breakfast, or rather arrange the breakfast. When he reached the kitchen, he was surprised to find it empty. "Maybe she decided to sleep in today" he thought. So he decided to go out for a morning walk. Just as he was about to reach the door, he heard footsteps behind him and he turned. Aunt Petunia was standing, with her hands resting on her hips, glaring at him. " So you are up early today eh?" she said " Miracle! Now get back here and help me with the breakfast." And with that she disappeared into the kitchen. With heaved shoulders, Harry traced his steps back to the kitchen. " So much for the morning walk!" he muttered as he entered the kitchen. Soon afterwards, they were joined by Uncle Vernon and Dudley. Uncle Vernon, as usual was busy with his morning newspaper, while Dudley was staring at his breakfast with distaste. Although Aunt Petunia had relaxed his diet, excusing that Dudley looked pale and weak, but still her son wasn't happy with it. The breakfast passed in silence. Finishing his breakfast, Harry was about to get up, when Uncle Vernon placed his beefy hand on his shoulder and pushed him back on his seat roughly. Harry stumbled back onto his chair, staring at his uncle.

" Well, as you have this little outing of your's today, I would like to know whether you told your friends that I won't be allowing any weird people under my roof. So it would be better if none of them turn up on my doorstep" he said.

" For your information, No, they are not going to enter this house because they know what kind of treatment to expect from my only relatives" answered Harry and without another word, he got up and walked out. He was still fuming when he returned to his room. He didn't know why, but the very sight of his relatives these days irritated him. And also he had never answered his uncle in that tone before. He ran a hand through his hair and sighed " What has gotten into me?" Shaking his head, he walked towards his trunk and kicked it open. He took out his favourite book ' Quidditch through the ages' , which always helped him to clear his thoughts and relax. He sat on his bed and began reading it. The time passed, lunch time came and went, and soon Harry found himself getting ready. It was nearly 5'o clock when Harry stepped out of the Dursley's household, sighing with relief. He squinted his eyes in search of a familiar face or a peculiar car until his eyes rested on the smiling face of Ron, leaning against the car and waving at him. With long strides, Harry went forward, greeting his friend with a slap on his back.

"Hey!" said Ron " Finally we are going to meet Miss Charming soon"

Harry smiled and said " She lives right in the next block. Come, we should not waste any more time, I don't want her to get late because of me. Hey! Hermione!" he exclaimed when he saw her sitting in the car, and as per her habit, reading a book. "This is fun time, remember? No reading allowed"

She glanced up at him and smiled " Hi Harry! Sorry, but it's a long way from Ron's house to your place, so I thought I would bring a book with me," and then her smile widened " Don't worry, I won't let you down in front of Miss Perfect."

Harry raised his eyes and then got in the back seat with Hermione, while Ron took the front seat. They chatted happily, while Harry led the way to Belinda's house. When they reached their destination, Harry got out of the car and strode forward to ring the bell. Within moments Belinda was out and hugging Harry, while she shook hands with Ron and Hermione. Ron was completely awe struck and Hermione was staring at her with open admiration.

No wonder Harry has fallen so hard for her, she thought. I would never have stood a chance against her. Since the third year, Hermione had found herself developing a crush on Harry but she had never considered it seriously. But last year her feelings had undergone a change, now she found herself thinking day and night about Harry. When the news about Belinda's acquaintance with Harry had reached her, what ever little courage she had about hinting Harry, had completely gone down the drain. It was a tough time but she had told herself firmly that she would never tell Harry about her feelings, she had decided that it was better to at least have his friendship rather then losing him completely. And now she thought how stupid she had been to even think that Harry would ever fall for her. Belinda was truly a Miss Perfect. She silently nodded at Harry and gave him a thumbs up sign. Harry beamed down at Belinda, and then all four of them got inside the car. Ron had explained Belinda in a whisper that this car was given to them as a security measure, and that it was all done to assure Harry's safety, but Harry wasn't aware of it. So Belinda had called off her driver without further argument and agreed with Ron to take their car. Ron seemed excited about going to a Muggle shopping mall, reminding Harry strongly of Mr Weasley. The journey was time consuming but it passed pleasantly, as none of them was able to keep their mouths shut. Hermione's admiration of Belinda wavered a bit when she noticed the artificial smile that Belinda kept passing at Harry. But her polite manners forced Hermione to look over that small fact. When they got out of the car, they all were breathless, and were gratefully breathing in the fresh air. The wind rippled their hair, and the fresh fragrance of flowers coming from the nursery nearby, raised their spirits. The Shopping Mall was a huge building with colorful spotlights dancing on it's walls. It was situated away from the city centre and was surrounded with greenery.The Atmosphere was quiet and pleasant, only a small lane of shops down the road reflected a noisy section, otherwise the locality was perfect. Feeling cheerful the four friends headed towards the mall. To Harry, Belinda and Hermione, the mall didn't affect much, but Ron was still in awe when he blurted out" Wow! Diagon Alley is nothing compared to this" At this exclamation both Hermione and Belinda burst out laughing.

" Oh Ron, you should get out more often," said Hermione " You should visit some Muggle places besides magical ones." But as soon as the words were out, Hermione clapped her hands hard on her mouth.

" What ever is the matter, Herm?" asked Harry glancing at her.

" We are not supposed to be talking about...you know..our world" she replied, feeling a bit tense.

" Oh yeah," Harry whispered " Well, I guess you are right again, Herm"

Harry's calling her 'Herm', didn't go unnoticed by her. She felt a chill pass down her spine.

They strolled the Mall for one and a half hour, Belinda and Hermione, both dragging Harry and Ron to different shops. Coming out of one of the shops, Hermione looked down at her shopping bags, exclaiming loudly " Oh Good God, I've never spent so much, Mum and Dad are going to kill me"

"Well for once, I have spent a lot too, but I guess I was in need of these things." said Belinda smiling at her. Then she turned to Harry, smiling one of her too-sweet smiles and said " I am really thankful to you Harry, I know boys get bored when girls are shopping."

" Oh it was nothing," Harry said feeling sheepish " I really enjoyed it," he continued slipping his arm around Belinda " And as far as Ron is concerned, I don't think he is bored at all, Do you?" He grinned widely watching Ron point out at the cold drink machine, with great interest. They passed a pay phone on which Ron exclaimed loudly " Amazing!" earning stares from the people around them. They were enjoying an ice-cream scoop and chatting cheerfully, when the lights of the entire building went off suddenly. For a few moments every one went quiet, but after some minutes ticked by, a loud buzz of whispering began. Every one seemed confused.

"What's going on?" said Harry looking around. But no one seemed to know the answer, and feeling a bit uneasy, they decided to head for the exit. But no sooner had they stepped out, when they were greeted by a sudden explosion followed by a stampede of screaming people. They craned their necks in search of the spot of disturbance, when their eyes rested on a huge bonfire, flickering from the street of shops that was located a little distance away. Harry was standing still, trying to get a better look when he suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned and saw Hermione looking at him with worry in her eyes.

" Harry, let's go," she said in a quavering voice " I don't think we should stay here any longer."

" But.." Harry began but was quieted when the darkness was lighted by a sudden burst of green light high up in the air, confirming the very fear Hermione had been suspecting. They all looked up at the sky with frightened eyes, recognizing the dreadful skull.

" Oh my God!" exclaimed Belinda " The Dark Mark!"

Without wasting anytime further, Hermione caught Harry by his arm and pulled him in the opposite direction, heading for the parking lot. Ron clearly understanding Hermione's point, pulled Belinda with him.

"But someone might have been killed or hurt," Harry began glancing back, but letting Hermione steer him." We just can't run away, we should do something." he said, tension creeping into his voice " and then suddenly stopped in his tracks.Hermione turned sharply and stared at him.

" Harry, there is nothing we can do, we don't even have our wands. For God sake, be sensible," she said looking a bit annoyed "And besides that, it is not necessary that some one have been killed, remember the world cup?"

"At least we could try to contact the ministry or something." said Harry stubbornly and then felt a hand clasp on his shoulder. He turned to see Ron looking at him furiously.

"How Harry? Tell me, how ?" he said " Talk sense."

Feeling a bit ashamed, Harry nodded and stepped forward. People around them were running to and fro, screaming loudly. At intervals, they heard loud sounds of explosion but didn't dare to stop and look. It was hard for them to proceed quickly, people kept shoving them aside, trying to run away. They were still struggling their way out, when they got caught among a huge crowd of people, moving swiftly in the other direction. Harry felt Hermione's grip on his shoulder loosen and he staggered backwards along with the crowd. Soon the crowd had carried him away quite far and he lost sight of his friends. He was still caught in the pool of people, when getting irritated, he pushed hard against some of them, moving in the left direction, and losing his balance he fell flat on the ground. Getting up immediately, fearing that if he didn't, he was likely to get get stamped on by the people. He pulled himself away completely to the left so as to prevent himself getting hit by the people. He looked around in the darkness, feeling people run hither and thither to save themselves from the fire. He turned around to look at the huge fire that was spreading quickly over a large area. Out of curiosity, Harry felt himself moving towards the source of disturbance, getting hit constantly on both sides. Spotting a tree on higher elevation then the ground just near enough the bonfire, Harry strode towards it. Settling himself behind it, he peeped. The site which met his eyes sent an all to familiar shiver down his spine. He felt his legs going numb, and his hands trembled. Here he was, without a wand, staring at the last person he wanted confront in such a situation. Unlike the Worldcup, the chaos this time was created by the Dark Lord himself. He was standing erect over a limp body lying motionless on the ground. Behind him stood the ring of death eaters. Harry noticed that Voldemort's lips were animatedly moving and his eyes were not fixed on the body lying on the ground in front of him, but on another bent figure. Catching a glance at the body, Harry saw that it was a man with pure white hair. His eyes drifted on the bent figure, which he realized, belonged to a women, who also seemed old judging by her white hair. She was crying but also shaking her head, as if denying something. In another instance, Harry's eyes were resting on Voldemort's wand which was slowly rising, and the next moment Harry knew what was coming. Before he could prevent himself from the dreadful scene, he saw the green beam emerge from Voldemort's wand and hit the lady. Just the way he had killed my mother..was the thought that struck Harry with full force. He felt a wave of extreme hatred and anger engulf him and with out thinking he got up muttering "Murderer"

He had hardly gotten up, when he noticed the wand of a Death Eater being pointed straight at him. Suddenly, jerking back to his senses, Harry jumped back behind the tree, and as he did so, he felt a red beam of light brush past him. The only wise thing to do at the moment, appeared to him, was to run. So without pausing to think, he broke into a run at top speed. He kept running without looking behind, praying that the darkness and chaos would save him. He was out of breath but he didn't dare to stop, and then without warning, he bumped hard against someone. They rolled over to one side, their legs and arms entwined. Panicking, Harry looked down at the frightened face of the person he had crashed into. It was a girl staring at him with fearful eyes, her hands resting against his chest, and her cheeks were wet, indicating the fact that she was crying. Harry staid in that position, without making any movement. He looked down into those hazel eyes which were captivating him. They were filled with tears but still Harry could make out the sadness in them, a terrible emptiness. Realizing that, with the position they were in, Harry might crush her, he got up and held his hand out to her. She took it and helped herself to stand up.

" I..I am..I am ..extremely ..sorry." she stammered, tears, still, silently pouring down.

"It's okay," replied Harry, his heart reaching out to her. She looked devastated. "I wasn't looking where i was heading either." But he couldn't take his eyes off her. He couldn't see her face in the dark but her eyes stood out clearly, as though holding a sad mystery inside them. While Harry was still staring at her, they heard another sudden loud explosion. He turned and saw that an entire shop was on fire, and it was near..very near, he thought. Just as he was about to turn back and run, he felt the girl rush past him screaming " Grandmama!" Harry reached out to stop her, but before he could, she disappeared into the darkness. Harry took a step forward but for the third time that night,he felt a hand on his shoulder, which made him turn around. To his relief, he found Mr Weasley looking at him.

"Mr Weasley!" Harry cried " Thank God you are here, so that means the ministry too...well are you people going to do something about it? Please, quick, there is this girl, she.."

But Mr Weasley cut him off " Harry' come on let's get going," he said sternly " What are you doing here? You know you shouldn't have...never mind. Come on." He sounded a bit angry and tense, pulling Harry to his side, his hand still resting on Harry's shoulder, he stepped forward. They walked quickly away from there, and when they reached the parking lot, they found Ron, Hermione and Belinda waiting for them. Belinda gave a loud cry and came running towards Harry. She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly.

"Oh Harry!" she exclaimed "I was so worried, are you alright? I was afraid.."

"Alright!" Mr Weasley cut in. He pointed towards a car on the opposite side of the road and said " I want you all to get inside that car immediately. Stevens will fly you all safely to our home. Harry, Belinda, you both will be spending the night with Ron today. And I am not listening to anything else" he said raising his voice at the last sentence, when both Harry and Belinda started protesting." Now, go all of you" he said.

Without another word, the four of them started towards the car. Harry was still in midway, when he heard loud cries, which made him to turn around immediately,and see the same girl he had crashed into a few minutes before. But she was accompanied by three other ladies. Two of them seemed young, but the third one, who was dressed in a sparkling white gown, seemed a little older. He noticed that the girl was struggling, trying to free herself and crying loudly " Please let me go, grandmama needs me...please." But to no avail. The other three ladies held her firmly and carried her to a black car, parked just a little distance away. Within moments the girls were inside the car and with a single blink of the eyes, the car simply vanished out of Harry's sight. Harry stood there, staring at the place where just a moment ago the black car had been.

" Harry! Come on," shouted Hermione from behind.Returning to his senses, Harry reached the car and got inside. The other three glanced at him worriedly, but he didn't seem to notice. He wasn't even aware that the car he was in, had suddenly taken off in midair. He was only thinking about the girl. Was it her grandmother whose murder he had just witnessed? This thought brought a heavy wait onto his heart. He couldn't forget the look in those hazel eyes, the sadness, the mystery. He didn't know when he reached Ron's house, but when his senses returned, he found himself holding a mug of coffee, sitting on a sofa in Ron's living room. The other three were sitting across him looking at Harry and waiting for him to say something, but in vain. Harry just sat there, staring at the carpet without uttering a single word. When they had arrived, Mrs Weasley had taken both Harry's and Belinda's phone number, and made a call to their houses from a nearby phone booth, informing them that due to a certain problem, Harry and Belinda would spend the night at her house.

Hermione sat there, staring at Harry, lost in thoughts. What's the matter with him? she thought. Why does he looks so unfocused? Unable to take more, she got up , went to him, and sat beside him. She placed a hand on his shoulder and said softly " Harry, What's wrong? Why do you look so upset, I mean, we all are upset, but you look as though...as though someone just told you that Santa Clause cancelled his trip to you this Christmas." She smiled at her last sentence but then she became grave again." Harry, speak up. It will help you, I promise" she said quietly.

"I ..I am sorry," he looked at her " I am fine." and then dropped his gaze " No, I am not fine. Not fine at all." And with that he dropped his head in his hands. Hermione enfolded him into a hug and he staid in her arms for several minutes until he broke apart slowly." I just don't know" he muttered.

Both Ron and Belinda came up to him this time. Ron came and sat on the other side of him and Belinda kneeled down in front of him, taking his hands in her's.

" Harry," she began " Hermione is right. How will we be able to help you if you don't tell us what's wrong? Come on Harry, you are so brave." she smiled, searching his eyes.

With a heavy sigh, Harry told them all that he had seen happen, Voldemort killing the women, the girl he had crashed into, the way she had been crying out for her grandmother.

"I just don't know, but realizing that I had just witnessed the death of that girl's grandmother, made me remember something else, something similar," he said, his voice hoarse." It reminded me of Cedric. And besides that, she reminded me of my loss. The sadness in her eyes told everything, as though she had been suffering from a very long time. Anyways, lately, I have been feeling out of place, so it just depressed me. But thanks to you all, now I do feel a bit light-hearted" he looked up at all of them and smiled gratefully.

They staid awake for another two hours discussing that night's events. Finally, when Ron gave a huge yawn, they all got up stretching and yawning, and went upstairs to get some sleep.