An Unexpected Situation

The next day was a complete contrast to the rest of the summer. It was cooler and the rain was coming down steadily. The mood of the house was somber yet strong.

Harry had a bit of trouble waking up, but was wide-awake a few minutes later when he fully dressed and went downstairs. His scar hurt a bit, but it was not painful, so he ignored it and kept silent. Ron had already dressed and was sitting at the kitchen table eating breakfast along with the twins. They looked at each other, but didn't say anything as Harry sat next to Ron. As he fixed his plate, Mrs. Weasley sent Arthur off to work, then went upstairs to wash up. A few minutes later Bill Weasley walked through the door.

"Hello everyone," he said as he sat down next to Fred and George. His hair was still long and pulled into a ponytail and he still had the earring. When Mrs. Weasley came downstairs, she hugged her son and didn't say anything about his appearance. She was too busy getting ready to take Harry to see Cedric's grave.

"Hi Bill," said Harry. "Why are you home?"

"I got a few days off from work", replied Bill, who seemed thankful for the break. "Mom owled me and asked me to watch the house while you went into London with her."

Before leaving, there was a heated discussion between Mrs. Weasley and Ron.

Ron had decided that he wanted to go. His mother said no, but the argument continued until Harry intervened. He grabbed Ron's arm and pulled him upstairs to his room.

"Ron, I need to do this by myself," said Harry, closing the door behind him. "I know you think you need to be there for me, but let me do this alone. I want to discuss this with you, but I also want Hermione to be there. Just wait and I'll share everything. Ok?"

Ron looked angry, then calmed down when Harry finished. "All right. I think I understand. I just wanted to there in case you needed me."

Harry took Ron's hand and smiled. "You'll be here when I get back. Don't worry about it. I'll be ok. And if not, we'll have a good cry when I get back."

The two hugged each other, then went back downstairs. Ron tickled Ginny and ran outside. Ginny ran after him as Bill and the twins laughed. Mrs. Weasley was standing by the fireplace shaking her head.

"I talked to Ron," said Harry. "How are we getting to the cemetery?"

"We'll go by Floo Powder to the Leaky Cauldron," explained Mrs. Weasley, "then we'll catch the Knight Bus over to the cemetery. It will be the quickest way to go. Now take some powder and I'll meet you there."

Harry took the Floo Powder and yelled "The Leaky Cauldron!" as he threw it into the fire. Suddenly, green flames spread out and Harry walked into them. A moment later he stepped out of the fireplace and into the tavern. Mrs. Weasley stepped out soon after. They both brushed the soot off of themselves and looked around. Tom, the owner, waved at them as they came around.

"Hello Harry. Mrs. Weasley. You're a bit early. My book says you're not due until tomorrow."

"I know," said Mrs. Weasley. "We're running some errands around London today. We'll see you later."

"All right, then. See you, Harry."

Harry waved goodbye to Tom and stepped out onto the street with Mrs. Weasley. She stuck out her wand hand and the Knight Bus suddenly appeared. The doors opened and they stepped on board the purple triple-decker bus.

" 'Ello. Well bless me heart, it's 'Arry Potter" the driver said. Harry recognized Stan Shunpike at once. He had taken Harry to Diagon Alley the night he blew up Aunt Marge. "Where can I take you today?"

"Birmingham Cemetery" said Mrs. Weasley. "How much will it be?"

"Twelve Sickles" said Stan. Mrs. Weasley reached into her bag, but Harry stopped her. "I'll pay for this since it was my idea."

Mrs. Weasley smiled at Harry. "All right then." Harry paid Stan, then went and sat on one of the many beds on the Bus with Molly. Even though the ride did not take very long, it was still a noisy one. The Bus backfired several times before they reached their destination. Both of them stayed silent.

When they reached the cemetery, Harry and Molly stepped to the front and told Stan that they would be taking the Bus again in about an hour. Stan nodded as they stepped off. The Bus disappeared as suddenly as it had arrived.

They walked through the gates into the cemetery. Gravestones lined the many grassy areas of the site. They walked along the pathway silently, looking around at the various tombstones. Harry saw a few familiar names on some he had heard on the muggle news, but most he did not know.

After walking for several minutes, they came to their destination. Mrs. Weasley looked around and pulled out her wand. She conjured up a wreath of flowers and handed it to Harry. He took it and went up to the gravestone as Mrs. Weasley looked on from a distance.

Harry placed the flowers around the stone and knelt down. A single tear rolled down his face as he looked at the grey stone.

"I'm so sorry, Cedric," said Harry sadly, "if I had known what was going to happen, I would have taken the cup myself. You should not have been involved. But I will redeem myself for you... and my parents... and everyone else who suffered because of him."

He knelt by the headstone for a while longer then stood up. As he turned, he could see that he was not alone. A tall boy stood a few steps away looking at the grave. He was a few inches taller than Harry was but looked to be about the same age. He had golden blonde hair that went past the middle of his back. He was thin but had a bit more muscle than Harry did. He wore black jeans and a black button up shirt with a long black coat. Harry thought at first he was a muggle, but he then saw the battered handle of a wand sticking out of the pocket of the coat.

"I'm sorry," said Harry, as the boy turned, "I didn't know you were standing there."

"That's all right. I just arrived." The boy reached out his hand and Harry shook it. "I'm Alex Latham. You must be Harry Potter. You are famous everywhere, even in America where I'm from. However, I imagine you dread hearing that so I won't dwell on it."

Harry was a bit startled. It was not the reaction he had expected. Strangers usually gawked at him when they found out who he was. He smiled slightly and turned to the grave.

"Did you know Cedric?" asked Harry.

"Yes I did. I met him when he came to America after his first year at school. He wrote me a lot and we saw each other as often as we could. The headmaster of your school wrote to my father when Cedric died. I was... shattered."

Harry knew how he felt. He looked over and saw two people talking to Mrs. Weasley. "Must be his parents," thought Harry. They too were blonde and dressed in black. They talked with Molly and seemed to hit it off well. Harry felt very envious but shook it off.

"It was nice to meet you. Maybe I'll see you again someday."

Alex turned and smiled. "I hope so. Hopefully we'll meet under better circumstances."

"Goodbye then." Harry walked away towards Mrs. Weasley, who had just finished her conversation with the Latham family. They nodded at Harry as he passed by and walked out of the cemetery.

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"Come on Harry, wake up!"

Harry blinked his eyes open and saw Ron standing over him. He smiled and nodded his head as Ron went back to packing his trunk. Harry put on his glasses and got out of bed. After shaking the cobwebs from his head, he also started packing. He wondered how they were all going to get to the Leaky Cauldron, but he knew someone would come up with something.

After getting dressed, he carried his trunk down the stairs. Ron and Ginny followed close behind. The twins came soon after. Mrs. Weasley made a quick breakfast and encouraged everyone to eat quickly. They had just finished when the door opened. Mr. Weasley walked in and smiled.

"Is everyone ready to go?" said Mr. Weasley.

"Just about," said Mrs. Weasley.

"How are we getting there?" asked Ginny pointedly.

"The Ministry loaned a car for us to use. They owed me another favor."

Harry smiled and could only imagine what that meant. Soon they went outside and packed everything into the magically altered trunk of the car. They all climbed inside the car, which had also been charmed so that everyone could fit inside. In what seemed like no time at all, they were standing outside The Leaky Cauldron.

"All right everyone, inside," yelled Mr. Weasley over their heads. They grabbed their belongings and went through the door. Tom was waiting for them.

"Ah, there you are. Just leave your things by the door. I will have them sent up to your rooms shortly. Have you all had breakfast?"

"Yes we have," said Mrs. Weasley, "but I think we could all like a drink. Could you bring us some tea please?"

"Certainly," replied Tom, disappearing around a corner.

The group pulled two tables together and sat down. Tom soon returned with their drinks and served them. They drank happily and talked about the upcoming school year. Harry even told them about meeting Alex at the graveyard. They seemed a bit surprised that Cedric had a friend from America. Harry wondered if he would ever see him again.

After a few minutes, Tom came in and announced that their belongings were in their rooms. Harry and Ron would share a room, as would Fred and George. Ginny wondered which room she would get, when a voice answered her.

"You'll be bunking with me."

Harry and Ron turned their heads. "Hermione!" they shouted, running over to see her. They each gave her a hug and invited her to sit at the table. Harry finally felt complete with Hermione there.

"How was your trip?" asked Ron.

"Oh, it was wonderful," said Hermione. She explained some of the sights and a bit of the magical history of the country. "Germany has a lot to see. It used to be known for some very dark wizards, but things have changed since the Berlin Wall came down."

"What's the Berlin Wall?" asked Ron with a puzzled look.

"It was an actual wall used to separate the city of Berlin a long time ago. It was torn down in 1989." The answer came from Harry, which surprised Ron.

"Good to see that someone else knows a bit about muggle history," said Hermione. "Anyways, I think we should go to our rooms. Our Hogwarts' letters have arrived."

They all smiled and went upstairs to their rooms. As they walked upstairs, Harry whispered to Hermione that he and Ron needed to talk to her in private later. She nodded and went into the room she shared with Ginny.

Harry noticed his letter was sitting on his pillow. He opened the envelope and took out the letter. There was a list of books he needed for the new term and the usual note about Hogsmeade. There was also another note in the envelope. He unfolded it and read it.

Harry,

Hermione Granger informed me that she bought you a copy of 'Animagi: a Detailed History and How to Become an Animagus' for your birthday. I am delighted beyond words at this news. I was hoping that you consider following in your father's footsteps, and I now feel that way more than ever. I feel that becoming an Animagus would be a good weapon in your arsenal should our worst fears come true.

Becoming an Animagus does take a good deal of time and energy. If you feel you cannot put forth the effort to do it this year, I suggest you do it next year. But I would advise you to start as soon as possible. As I said, it could help you tremendously in the coming months.

See you in one week,

Albus Dumbledore

Harry smiled thoughtfully. He only looked through the book a few times since he received it, but now thought it would be a good idea to study it. He then remembered that he had not thanked Hermione for the book. He was about to walk out of the room when Ron and Hermione walked in.

"I was just coming to find you," said Harry as Ron shut the door. "Thank you for the book. Dumbledore wants me to start training when I get to school."

"I'm not surprised," said Hermione as she sat on Ron's bed. Ron plopped himself down next to Harry. "Well, Ron tells me that you have a lot to talk about. Why don't you get started."

Harry took a deep breath and began to tell Hermione everything that had happened in the past few weeks. The strange dream he had, letting out his emotions, the visit to Cedric's grave and meeting Alex. She too seemed surprised about the boy, but decided it was a good thing.

When she finished, Harry and Ron looked at each other, then turned to Hermione. "There's something else that Ron and I need to talk to you about." He was about to continue when a knock at the door broke the mood.

"Come on you guys," said Ginny from behind the door, "I want to do some shopping!"

"We'll be right out," said Ron. Turning to the others, he said, "Let's talk about it later."

Harry and Hermione agreed. The three left the room and joined Ginny by the backdoor of the tavern. As they stepped into the courtyard, Harry tapped the third brick on the left with his wand and the wall opened to reveal Diagon Alley. It was filled with witches and wizards doing their shopping.

Their first stop was Gringott's, the wizard bank where their money was stored. After everyone had their money, they went to the various shops to buy supplies. Ginny saw Neville Longbottom and went to talk to him, leaving the trio to shop by themselves. They got all the new books they needed for the year (Hermione got three extra), then Harry treated everyone to a sundae at Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor. As they headed back, they passed by Ollivander's, the place where they had all bought their wands.

"You guys go ahead," said Harry, "I need to get one last thing."

"All right, but don't take too long," said Hermione. She looked at Harry with a curious gaze then went back to the Leaky Cauldron with Ron.

Harry stepped inside the shop. It was just has it had been when he bought his wand five years ago. Boxes of wands were still piled neatly up to the ceiling. There was a single wand on a pillow in the window. Harry smiled as he looked around.

"Good to see you again, Mr. Potter."

Harry turned and saw Mr. Ollivander, the curator of the shop, standing on a ladder. He was an older wizard and still had the sparkle in his wide eyes. He stepped off his ladder and walked over to Harry.

"I had a feeling I might see you today. Still have your wand? Holly and phoenix feather, eleven inches I believe."

Harry took out his wand and handed it to Mr. Ollivander. The curator looked it over and over, carefully balancing it in his hand. He then handed the wand back to Harry.

"Yes, it is in fine shape. But I would recommend a cleaning kit for it, Mr. Potter."

Harry smiled. "That's why I came in. I want to keep my wand in top shape."

Mr. Ollivander also smiled. "I'm glad you feel that way. We are living in troubled times, as you know. It is best to be on constant guard," he said as he knelt behind the counter. He came up a moment later with a small box. He opened the box, which contained everything Harry needed to keep his wand as good as new.

Harry noticed that Mr. Ollivander had a look of wonder on his face. "Is something wrong, sir?"

"Oh no, Mr. Potter," said the old man. "I just had a curious thought. This is second cleaning kit I have sold in two days. The gentleman that bought it also bought a wand from me. His old wand was broken and was not very good to begin with. The wand he bought yesterday is very similar to yours: Holly, eleven inches, and very supple. The only difference is that the core of his wand is the heartstring of a Hungarian Horntail dragon. It is not a typical core, as you might imagine. In fact, it is the first of its kind I have ever sold."

"What do you think it means, sir?" asked Harry, remembering his experience with the Horntail last year.

"I'm not sure, Mr. Potter," said Mr. Ollivander plainly, "but it could mean that you have a powerfully ally with you at Hogwarts this year. If this is so, I would recommend that you befriend him. He could help you and your friends turn the tide away from the Dark Lord. Keep it in mind, Mr. Potter."

Harry nodded and paid for the cleaning kit. He went back to the Leaky Cauldron, remembering everything Mr. Ollivander had told him.

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Later that evening, everyone ate a hearty dinner. It seemed that Dumbledore was good as his word, making sure everything was taken care of. The Weasleys didn't have to pay for anything, a luxury Harry felt they deserved.

After dinner, Harry treated himself to a butterbeer. As he finished, he noticed that Ron and Hermione were talking at the end of the bar. He was about to go over and join them when he saw Hermione's head droop slightly. He smiled and walked over to them.

"I think it's time for bed, Hermione."

She looked at Harry sleepily. "Yes it is. Goodnight, you two. Sleep well."

She kissed Ron on the cheek, then did the same to Harry. Ginny came over and walked up with Hermione. The boys looked at each other.

"Did she just...."

Harry smiled. "Yes she did. Come on."

The two walked upstairs to their bedroom. Harry closed the door and sat on his bed across from Ron.

"It's too bad she had to go to bed," said Ron. "I was hoping we'd get to talk to her about... us."

"I know," said Harry. "I've been thinking about that. I think we should wait for a bit. At least until we get back into the routine of school. She'll be more upset if we do it now."

Ron thought it over. "I suppose you're right. I just hate wondering what she's going to think about this."

"I am too," replied Harry, "but I want to see where this takes you and I." Ron looked at him, puzzled. "I'm starting to understand why you feel the way you do. And I may feel the same way. It's just not coming through as strong. But I promise that I'll talk to you about when we get time. I don't want to keep you in the dark about it."

"Thanks, Harry. I appreciate that so much." Ron reached over and hugged Harry tightly. When he let him go, Ron ran a finger down Harry's cheek before going to get ready for bed. Harry touched his face. "That felt so strange," he thought, "But yet it was so...right. It doesn't feel wrong. Maybe there is something to this after all..." He continued to think about it until he went to sleep.