Draco: Phoenix Rising

Chapter Ten - Broken Dreams

Harry awoke relatively early, but lay in bed thinking until he heard Ron stirring. There was no need to rush off to Hogwarts on an empty stomach. He could hear muffled activity from downstairs, no doubt Bill and Mr. Weasley preparing to hurry off to work. Harry wondered if Uncle Vernon planned to go to work today... Most likely he would flee as soon as possible, using his job as an excuse to escape. Harry felt a twinge of guilt about leaving the Dursleys here with poor Mrs. Weasley and Lupin to deal with.

Ron yawned and sat up right before Hermione knocked once and entered. Ron cried out and yanked the covers up to his chin.

"Hermione! What if we weren't decent?"

She rolled her eyes. "Like I've never seen you two in pajamas, before. Come on, then, before Ginny gets up and demands to come with us. You know how she is."

That galvanized Ron out of bed and he yanked on clothing as Hermione disappeared downstairs. Harry joined him at a slower pace until Ron said, "She's right. Better hurry. Ginny will set up a huge row and Mum will have our necks. We'll have to sneak out."

Harry nodded and stuffed his Invisibility Cloak into a large pouch that he slung over his shoulder. Ron threw some Chocolate Frogs on top of it and shrugged when Harry grinned.

"We might get hungry."

They trooped downstairs, trying to look innocent. Mrs. Weasley didn't notice, as she was talking to Professor McGonagall.

"Professor!" Harry said happily and sat at the table next to Hermione. Lupin joined them a moment later and Mrs. Weasley bustled around filling plates and mugs with short flicks of her wand.

"Hello, Harry," McGonagall said. "It's good to see you."

"You, too, Professor."

"Well, I've got some good news, I suppose. I received word yesterday from the governors. They have decided to allow the school to reopen. I'm not certain how many parents will feel it is safe enough to send their students... but Hogwarts will be open, nonetheless." She sighed. "Now I have the difficult task of locating suitable new teachers. I can continue to teach Transfiguration, if necessary, although I'd rather not spare the time. This could prove to be a dangerous year and I'm not... well, I'm not Albus Dumbledore, am I? Who can I possibly find to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts? This year, especially, when it could be the most important thing the students learn."

Harry was quiet. Not only did he have no input whatsoever in response to teacher selection, but the since he wasn't returning to school in September, he also wasn't terribly interested. He didn't intend to divulge that tidbit of knowledge quite yet, though.

"Actually, Professor, are you returning to Hogwarts today?"

"Yes. There are many preparations to make, and letters to be sent. Heavens, the letters should have gone out to several First Years already!"

"Can I... we come with you?"

Molly made a protesting noise, but McGonagall was already speaking.

"Yes, Remus informed me that you wished to use Albus's Pensieve, although what good it might be to you, I've no idea. I assume it has something to do with the... matter you refuse to divulge?"

Harry nodded.

She sighed. "Very well, then. I suppose Miss Granger and Mr. Weasley will be accompanying you?"

Ron glared at his mother so fiercely that she actually clamped her jaw shut and spun away to slam crockery about without speaking. Harry nodded again.

Hestia Jones entered the kitchen, giggling. Her pink cheeks were pinker than usual and she seemed somewhat breathless.

"My goodness, I have Harry Protection Duty today and I completely forgot he was here! I went all the way to Number Four, Privet Drive and hung about wondering why the house was dark at this hour. I had a brief chat with Arabella, who is keeping an eye on things there, just in case."

"Good, you can accompany us to Hogwarts," McGonagall decided. "Where is Mad-Eye this morning?"

"Spying on Malfoy Manor with Tonks," Lupin replied and cringed a bit. "They had better report back soon."

"They've only been gone three hours, Remus," said Sturgis Podmore, who had been dozing in the corner, unnoticed by Harry. Lupin scowled.

"Well, we'd better get going, then," McGonagall said. "I have much to do."

"Professor?" Harry asked tentatively. "Would you mind terribly if we stopped off first... at Godric's Hollow? You know where it is, don't you?"

There was shocked silence in the room, as Harry had only mentioned the idea to Ron and Hermione. Professor McGonagall looked taken aback.

"You've never been there?" Mrs. Weasley asked, sounding surprised. "Albus never took you?"

Harry shook his head.

Mrs. Weasley looked as though she might burst into tears. "Oh, you poor boy! If only I'd known! We should have... well, why didn't we ever think of it?" Harry hastened to reassure her.

"It's okay. I don't think I was quite ready, until now."

"Of course, Harry," McGonagall said quietly. "We'll take you."

"I'll come along," Sturgis said and rose from his chair. "I doubt He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is watching the place, but one never knows, eh?"

They appeared in what was once a back yard. The grass was knee high and still wet with morning dew. Hedgerows surrounded the yard, overgrown and tangled. A graveled path was nearly invisible due to the weeds choking it. A gnarled apple tree in one corner showed the beginnings of apples peering among the twisted branches.

Harry barely noticed his surroundings--his eyes were fixed on the crumbling foundation visible in the center of the greenery. A single chimney, intact but for a few missing bricks at the top, jutted into the air like an ancient obelisk. He walked forward, ignoring the grasses that slapped wetly against his legs. There really wasn't much to see. A few burnt out, broken timbers lay at the center of the ruins, almost invisible due to a mass of vines that had reclaimed the grounds.

Harry felt a lump rise in his throat. This was where it had all begun for him--and ended for his parents. He looked around at the idyllic countryside that surrounded the remains of the cottage. The cottage had been relatively isolated, like most wizard houses. A quaint country lane meandered past the broken front fence and through a gap between the hills. For a moment, Harry imagined growing up in this place. He would have climbed the tree, played in the dirt of the road, slid down the snowy hillsides in winter, and run home to comforting kisses whenever he banged his knee. He would have grown up knowing about magic, playing Quidditch, and waited expectantly for his invitation letter from Hogwarts... Amidst a rush of overwhelming sadness, he felt a terrible resolve. Voldemort had stolen more than his parents. He had taken away his chance for a happy childhood. He had eradicated picnics and birthdays and joy-filled Christmases.

Ron and Hermione were suddenly beside him. Tears streamed down Hermione's cheeks. She always seemed to know what Harry was feeling. He glanced at Ron's stricken face and realized that although he had lost so much on that horrible October night, the circumstances had gained him the two greatest friends anyone could ever know. If he had grown up peaceful, sheltered, and loved, he would have been a different person. Even if he had met Ron and Hermione, they would never have faced the challenges thrown at them over the past six years. They would never have been as close to him as they were right now.

The tears Harry had held back began to fall at last and he put an arm around his friends. They held him tightly, bolstering him before the ruins of what might have been as they did through every situation in his abnormal life.

They stood together in silence for a long time and then McGonagall stepped forward and cleared her throat.

"Walk this way," she said quietly and pushed a path through the wet stalks and around the foundation. The group walked silently up the deserted road. They passed no other houses on the gravel lane that wound through a copse of trees and over a small bridge that spanned a burbling brook. At the top of a small rise, they came to a wrought-iron fence partially covered in old-fashioned pink roses. The heady scent filled the air and already bees were busy gathering nectar. It seemed very peaceful.

The gate looked rusted open and it dangled slightly. Professor McGonagall led the way into the small cemetery. They passed several groups of gravestones with names Harry did not recognize and stopped at last before two white marble headstones, simply inscribed.

James Alaric Potter - 1958 - 1981 Beloved Husband and Father

Lily Evans Potter - 1958 - 1981 Beloved Wife and Mother

McGonagall knelt and removed the stems of dead flora that rested upon the graves. She conjured two huge bouquets of fresh flowers in vibrant colors and placed a bundle before each headstone. Then she withdrew with the others and left Harry alone.

Now that he was here, Harry wasn't certain what to do. He had felt closer to his parents looking into the Mirror of Erised--it seemed as though their spirits had been present there. Here, he felt nothing. He was strangely comforted by the thought. His parents were not in this place, in this cold bit of earth. Luna was right--they were beyond the veil, reunited with Sirius once more. He smiled softly at the thought.

Hermione watched Harry carefully. She wasn't completely certain this visit had been a good idea. She read the headstones, which gleamed white and free of dirt. Someone, it seemed, tended the graves regularly. Lupin? McGonagall? All of the Order members, most likely.

Hermione saw something odd and stepped forward to look more closely at Lily's grave. She gasped suddenly as the medallion on her chest went hot. She walked slightly away from the others and yanked it out.

Another attack. It's that odd Ravenclaw girl. The blonde. Better hurry.

Hermione felt the blood drain from her face. She spun back to the others.

"The Death Eaters are after Luna!" she cried. "We have to go now! Professor, do you know where she lives?"

"Yes, but--" McGonagall stared at her, but there was no time to explain how she knew.

"I'll take Ron through, then. You take Harry. Someone should alert Lupin!"

"I will," Hestia offered.

"I'll go to the office of the Quibbler to tell her father--he's likely at work by now. We'll meet you there," said Sturgis Podmore.

Without further conversation, they Disapparated.