Family

Ch. 1: Realizations

"Sirius!" Harry yelled, running down the stone steps in the Death Room in the Department of Mysteries at the Ministry of Magic. He leapt down from the stone benches and rushed towards the dais where his godfather had just fallen through the veil. Suddenly he felt someone grab him around the middle and hold him back. It was Remus Lupin

"No, Harry, it's too late. There's nothing you can do for him, he's-" Suddenly Lupin changed into Bellatrix Lestrange, taunting him in a mock baby voice.

"Gone. My poor, poor cousin is gone and now widdwe iddy biddy ickle Harry-poo wants to get me. Never used an Unforgivable, eh, Potter? You're supposed to want them to suffer, or else it'll have no effect whatsoever." Suddenly he was surrounded by people with there faces shadowed, except one. Harry saw himself laying in the center, cringing in a nightmare. Then he realized he was in his bed but people were surrounding the bed. Three of them stepped out,two hooded while the other was not. One of the hooded ones reached out in comfort like that of a grandmother.

"Do not be afraid, Harry. It'll be alright," said the unhooded one. He realized it was Sirius.

“Sirius!" Harry cried hoarsely as he woke. He sighed, running a hand through his hair. Just another dream, he told himself soothingly. He turned to his calendar, trying to get his mind of the image of Sirius' face, then checked his clock. He was leaving today. Tonks and Moody were coming to pick him up to take him to Hogwarts early. Harry yawned and went back to sleep knowing he was finally rid of Privet Drive. After one month of torture at Privet Drive,he would be going back to Hogwarts. He lay in bed silently drifting to sleep.

     In the morning, Harry made sure he had packed everything. He had gotten the Dursleys to drop him off in London to get his school things. He had gotten his letter earlier as did most of the people going back to Hogwarts early, reminding them that he would be out of their hair a month earlier than usual. At 5 o'clock, as Dumbledore told him, Tonks, whom once again sported gray hair and had the look of a kind elderly woman, and Mad Eye Moody rang the doorbell of number 4 Privet Drive to escort Harry on the Knight Bus, which was standing outside, to Hogwarts.

"Okay then, Potter?" said Mad Eye in his usual growl of a voice. "The Muggles treating you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm okay," Harry responded.

"Good, well come on then," said Tonks gingerly as she nodded to the Knight Bus.

As they climbed aboard the Knight Bus, Harry was surprised that he didn't see Ron, Hermione, or anyone else from Hogwarts with their families since Dumbledore had made Hogwarts and the village of Hogsmeade a safe house of sorts for both wizard and Muggle alike.

"They went a couple of weeks ago," Tonks replied, reading his mind and expression as they sat down in a couple of seats in the front of the bus. Most of the ride they didn't talk. When the Knight Bus rumbled to the edge of Hogsmeade and they exited the bus, Harry felt at home straight away. Then he felt a sudden pang of guilt as he saw Professors Dumbledore and Lupin approaching.

"Well we'll just leave you off here. Goodbye, Harry ,and remember- Constant Vigilance," Mad Eye said.

"Bye, Harry, and keep on your toes," Tonks said, changed into her normal form, a young woman with bubble gum pink hair and walked towards the Three Broomsticks with Mad Eye, stopping first to talk to Dumbledore and Lupin for a few minutes.

Good so far, awesome job as of now.

"Hello Professor Dumbledore, Professor Lupin," said Harry, his voice shaky and cracking as he spoke.

"It's alright, Harry," Lupin said comfortingly, "I know."

Then someone does feel the same way, I should have realized before. Professor Lupin lost his best friends to Voldemort. Mum, Dad, Peter, and now Sirius, he thought. Harry would hate himself if this ever happened to someone he cared about.

"Professor?"

"Yes, Harry?" replied Dumbledore looking at him with his soft blue as they walked towards Hogwarts, Harry's trunk and Hedwig's cage floating behind them.

"I want to know something. Have you found anything new on Voldemort?" Harry asked.

"I'm afraid so. Somehow Lucius Malfoy, Augustus Rookwood, Rodolphus Lestrange, and Antonin Dolohov have escaped Azkaban, which leaves us with six Death Eaters in hiding," Dumbledore sighed as they approached the gates at Hogwarts.

"At least it isn't more, Albus," Lupin told him in a confident reassuring voice.

"Yeah, Professor and thank you for telling me," Harry said stepping up the sloping grounds.

"You're welcome, Harry," Dumbledore said as they stepped into the Entrance Hall, "Now how about you head up to Gryffindor Tower? Your friends have been asking about you."

    With that Harry and Lupin bid Dumbledore goodbye and set off for Gryffindor Tower. Harry was quiet for a little while before Lupin interrupted the silence.

"Are you all right, Harry?" Lupin asked looking a bit worried. Harry nodded.

"Just thinking," Harry said. "Professor Lupin?"

"Remus, Harry. What were you thinking about?"

"Nothing. It's not important."

"Doxy drops."

"Huh?" Harry interjected, confused until he realized that they had reached Gryffindor Tower. "Oh."

When he stepped into the common room, he was greeted by Mrs. Weasley and five of the seven Weasley children.

"Hi, Mrs. Weasley, how are you?"

"We're all fine, did Ron tell you?" Mrs. Weasley asked excitedly. "Bill's engaged."

"Really? To who?"

"Fleur Delacour, you remember her, she's very nice once you get to know her," Ginny chirped in. "Oh God, here they come."

Ginny was referring to Fred and George who were walking over with Charlie, Ron, and Hermione.

"Harry! Smashing to see you again, old bean," said Fred.

"Yes, absolutely delighted to see you once again, chap," replied George shaking Harry's hand enthusiastically.

"Knock it off you two," Ron said. "Hi Harry, how are you?"

"Good. How about you guys?" Harry asked.

"We're good," Hermione said, looking around, then lowered her voice. "Can we talk to you? Not now, later, we'll meet you upstairs in the Boy's Dormitory. Harry, are you okay? You look bothered by something."

Harry shook his head.

"I'm fine, I'll meet you upstairs," Harry whispered to Ron and Hermione.

"Er, I'm going to go to bed it was a long bus ride, good night," Harry said to the rest of the Weasleys, who wished him goodnight.

Once upstairs, Lupin left Harry to unpack. When he finished, Harry got the photo album out that Hagrid had given him in his first year, climbed into his bed, closed the curtains halfway , and waited for Ron and Hermione to slip away upstairs.

"Lumos," Harry whispered as he started to look at the moving photographs. Harry opened the album to the photo of his parents' wedding. He felt a pang of guilt as he saw his (Godfather? Dad? Mum?) smiling at him. Harry looked at the next photo. It was of his dad and Sirius with their arms around each others shoulder. He was interrupted by someone whispering his name.

"Harry?" It was Hermione. Harry reached around his curtains and pulled them back.

"I'm over here, Hermione," Harry said, closing the photo album. "What was it you two wanted to tell me?"

"Er... well I don't know how to say this so I'll just tell you outright mate," Ron said. "Hermione and I are... sort of a... a couple. You aren't mad, are you?" Harry laughed so hard he almost fell off the bed. When he looked up his eyes were welled up with tears.

"Mad? Why would I be mad? I'm happy you finally realized it or I would have gone off the deep end," Harry said, still laughing, wiping away the tears of laughter. Hermione smiled.

"Alright, it's late I'm going to bed. I'm so glad you're not mad, Harry."

"Me, too. 'Night Harry."

"'Night Ron, 'Night Hermione" Harry said and pulled his curtains closed. Then he flipped the photo album open one more time. The first picture he saw was of his mum, dad, Sirius, and a woman Harry didn't know. Harry wondered who she was, and then it hit him.

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Somewhere on the outskirts of Salem, Massachusetts, a girl tosses and turns in her bed.

She is watching as a girl with jet black hair holds a boy in her arms. She's crying, the girl thinks. Suddenly, an arm is put around her. She looks into the face of a young man. The girl looks into the face of the Cryer.

"Oh my God!" she screams as she awakes.

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