End of Happiness and Starting Anew

    Harry sat in his room in unhappiness. The Dursley's had locked his door, and though Harry was confident that he could open it, the death of Black still played upon his mind. Played upon his conscious, and Harry could not deal with any more pain or torment. He stared at the wall, replaying the memory of Cedric's death, Sirius's being too hard for him to remember. He flinched as his memory brought him to the curse Voldemort had placed on Cedric. "Avada Kedavra".

Harry lowered his wand slightly and glanced sideways at Cedric. Cedric shot him a quizzical look. They both turned to watch the approaching figure.

    It stopped beside a towering marble headstone, only six feet from them. For a second, Harry and Cedric and the short figure simply looked at one another.

    And then, without warning, Harry's scar exploded with pain. It was agony such as he had never felt in all his life; his wand slipped from his fingers as he put his hands over his face; his knees buckled; he was on the ground and he could see nothing at all; his head was about to split open.

    From far away, above his head, he heard a high, cold voice say, "Kill the spare."

    A swishing noise and a second voice, which screeched the words to the night: "Avada Kedavra!"

    A blast of green light blazed through Harry's eyelids, and he heard something heavy fall to the ground beside him; the pain in his scar reached such a pitch that he retched, and then it diminished; terrified of what he was about to see, he opened his stinging eyes.

    Cedric was lying spread-eagled on the ground beside him. He was dead.

    Tears were slowly sliding down Harry's cheeks unheeded; Harry was too unhappy to do anything about it. His consciousness slipped away slowly. Suddenly, he awoke with a start, pulling out his wand and pointing it at the window as a few owls started rapping on it, and he almost cursed them into oblivion.

    "Discinta- Oh. Just owls," Harry muttered to himself. "I'm getting too jumpy. Must be the memories." He started thinking of them again, but quickly took them out of his mind. Harry walked over and opened the window. It was very close to midnight, on the thirtieth of July. Harry had forgotten that his birthday was only a few minutes away. The owls fluttered in and Pig swooped past Harry's ear, dropping a couple of packages on Harry's bed and settling himself on Hedwig's perch and grabbed some water. Hedwig was out sending a letter to Dumbledore. Harry had already forgotten what the letter said, and he ignored it. He walked over to the few owls that he did not recognize, and took off the packages. One stayed and demanded payment, and Harry fished through his stuff, inadvertently finding a few sickles in a pocket.

    "Here," Harry whispered to the owl. "Go back to wherever you came from. You've done your job." The owl looked at Harry in total bewilderment and Harry's face became quite pale when he realized what he said to the owl. He murmured a slight apology and the owl left. Harry walked over to his bed, which now had over half a dozen packages on it, all for Harry. He sighed and delved into the first gift.

    It was from Ron. He had a long, winded, un-Ron-like letter. Harry read it, noting that Mrs. Weasley was still attempting to get Harry to go to the Burrow for the month of August. Harry smiled the first true smile since he had returned to Privet Drive, and proceeded into the actual gift.

    "Wow, Ron..." Harry whispered, his voice trailing off farther than thought possible. Harry gingerly picked up the item that was inside. It was a box, about the size of a glasses case. Harry placed it on his bed and found an instruction manual in the wrappings. He looked at it, and gasped when he saw what it was. A Box of Holding. It was quite uncommon to have one, and Harry wondered how Ron had gotten one. Harry skimmed through the piece of paper, and looked at one section in particular. It was on what was supposed to go into the box. Harry looked at the paper in disbelief, and reread the section over five times. The box was credited to be the only one of its kind. The owner was supposed to place an object of great importance given to the owner from someone important. Harry stared at the box for a few seconds, then unwillingly placed it under the loose floor board, the instructions securely attached to the bottom of it.

    He found a letter with the Hogwarts symbol on it, though it was not addressed like the usual letters he got from them. Harry looked at it apprehensively, then turned it over and saw a name placed on the back of the envelope. Moony. Harry stared at the letter in shock. He slowly opened the envelope and looked at the letter.

Dear Harry,

    I know this must be a troubling time for you. We in the Order are, sorrowfully, still keeping tabs about you. Mad-Eye still thinks that you are in trouble, even though no one has even heard a single thing from Voldemort and all the Death Eaters have mysteriously disappeared. Not any of the children though, so you will still have to watch out for Draco when you get back. He should be quite disgruntled though, now that his father is gone.

    To cheer you up, perhaps, Dumbledore has recently recruited me for the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher once again, and he has informed me that I will have to teach an Advanced class, for very few students. You, Ron and Hermione are all included in this list, so I have been informed. There are a few others, but Dumbledore has surprisingly not picked any Slytherins.

    Now that I just, hopefully, brought up your dismal mood, I must now bring it crashing down. You must not go to Hogsmeade this year. There is a dreadful thing happening there, though only those who are currently aware of the Order are informed. We do not know what is happening down there, but we can't be too careful. Sorry.

    I'll see you when term starts. Oh, and I think that Dumbledore has suggested that you stay at the Leaky Cauldron for the next month. There should be a Port-Key in the envelope that will activate at 3:00 PM on the first of August. See you in Hogwarts!

Professor Remus Lupin

Order of the Phoenix

    Harry looked at the letter in astonishment. Lupin was going to be a professor again at Hogwarts. He could barely contain his excitement at this new overturned card, but it was muffled by the annoyance at not being allowed to Hogsmeade. He looked again in the envelope and pulled out a small ring. It was a golden band with indecipherable writing on it and after a few minutes of looking at the words, Harry then moved to letter two of three from Hogwarts. It looked exactly the same as Lupin's envelope, except that it was addressed to Harry Potter, ATTN:Animagi Training.

    Harry stared at the front of the envelope for a couple of seconds. He shakily turned it over and slit the envelope open. He pulled out the letter and read it, ignoring his shaking hands.

Mr. Harry Potter,

    As Head of Gryffindor House and the Transfiguration teacher at Hogwarts, I would like to ask you to take the specific course of Animagi Training. You have done well with your career at Hogwarts in Transfiguration - (at this, Harry choked) - and have been accepted into this fine art. We are not positive that you will have a form, however, so do not expect to become an Animagus. You are to acquire The Animagus: Beginnings, along with the rest of the required sixth-year books.

    See you September 1^st, and I hope to see you in Animagi Training.

Professor Minerva McGonagall

Head of Gryffindor House

    Harry looked at the letter like his birthday had come early, though it was really his birthday by now. He was shaking as he placed the letter down and moved on to the normal letter from Hogwarts, detailing the requirements for a sixth year taking N.E.W.T. level Transfiguration, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Potions, and Charms. He skimmed the letter's contents, and then proceeded to Hermione's gift.

    He read the letter she had written, wondering how the owl had even been able to fly with the five parchment, double-sided novel. Harry smiled again, the second real smile he had made since the activities of the previous year, and opened the carefully wrapped package. There was a distinct fluttering feeling in his stomach as he slowly unsealed the paper, and he looked at the object with curiosity.

    It was a curiously designed ring, made of what Harry guessed was platinum and was carefully engraved on the inner portion of the band with an inscription. The Wielder of this Ring will have access to many unforetold peculiarities. Harry inspected it closer, and saw inside the blood red gem a carving of a phoenix. Hermione did not explain the gift in her letter, and he looked at it thoroughly before sliding it on his right ring finger. He felt a flare of power and something he could not put his finger on slide up his arm and to the left side of his chest, over his heart. This, however did not occur to him to be where his heart was, and he saw another wrapped package inside of the already small one Hermione had given him.

    He gasped and held the small item in his hand. It was an intricately designed statuette of a phoenix and a lion standing beside one another. It also had an engravement that Harry could clearly read, though it was too small to be logically read.

    He unconsciously opened the Box that Ron had given him and placed the statuette inside of it. He closed the box and all of a sudden felt something inside him, as if some living creature was attuning itself to him, so that he could be invaded. But it did not feel like an invasion at all. Harry had a feeling that the Box was designed to connect the owner and the giver of the object, but it was a fleeting thought, one that was quickly forgotten as he looked to the other gifts.

    He received a gruff apology from Percy about what he had told Ron to do the previous year, and the many things he had previously done. Harry smiled as he read the letter, but pointedly ignored writing a response. Ginny had gotten him a book on ancient magic and the Weasley parents sent Harry a couple of sweets. But not so many so that you become sick. Molly and I had an argument over that, and she won, was what Mr. Weasley said apologetically in his letter. Harry smiled at his gifts, and replaced the Box under the loose floor board, along with the other gifts Harry got, excluding the ring he had received.

    Harry slid into bed, and for the first time since his fourth year, he slept peacefully, and was quite awake the next morning.

    Hermione sat awake in her room. She would normally have been asleep except for two things. One, an owl had delivered three letters from Hogwarts, almost the same ones Harry had gotten, coincidentally. Two, she couldn't seem to fall back into the comfort of the covers and pillow on which she was used to sleeping. Something strange had happened, and she was curious as to what had created the awkward feeling. It was curiously like she was bonding with someone, but she couldn't tell with whom she was bonding. She secretly hoped it was Harry, but she would never have told anyone. She did not think that he could possibly like her in that way. It was depressing, thinking that you could never tell your best friend your deepest secrets and feelings, but Hermione felt as if with whomever she now shared this curious link could detect her every feeling.

    Suddenly, she was flooded with a warm feeling, one that must have been happiness, love and contentedness all in one. She smiled feebly, and she slowly drifted off into the land of sleep.

    Harry awoke the next morning to being happy and expectant. It was his birthday. He knew that the Dursley's would not celebrate it with him, but he was happy nonetheless. He unconsciously rubbed the new ring with his left hand, his fingers slowly sliding over its perfect quality. He felt a rush of energy, as if he had just woken up, or as if he had just gotten an adrenaline rush, and then a warm feeling, not so far away from the feeling Hermione had felt just that morning.

    He dressed and slid down to the kitchen, where Petunia looked at Harry.

    "Sit," she commanded, her tone leaving no room for argument. "Alright, Boy. Vernon and I have been talking. You are to be treated as a member of our family. But, you will still have special... jobs. This Albus person has informed me that you will be leaving tomorrow for some apartment. He has also informed me that you will be taking extra classes and the like. We will attempt our best at being civil to you for the rest of the few awfully long hours that we must spend together. Breakfast is on the counter. Eat." She walked briskly out of the room and away from a perfectly happy Harry.

    Harry figured that the comments made by Moody and the Weasleys were the reasons that the Dursley's were doing this, but Harry didn't care. He could now come and go as he pleased, and not worry about it. He grabbed his breakfast and ate it. It was probably the worst food that Petunia had ever cooked, but Harry seemed not to notice. His mind was elsewhere, not at the house. There were floods of pure emotion that seemed to overwhelm him, and he was starting to wonder from where they were coming. He knew that it was because of the object that he placed in the Box, but he was avoiding the idea that it was Hermione to whom he was connected. He stayed in his room for most of the day, looking at all of his books, writing thank you letters to Ron, Hermione and the few others and doing his summer work, essays and other things needed for his high leveled classes.

    Hermione awoke late, as a wave of pure happiness assaulted her mind and she couldn't stay asleep for any longer. Something was happening, and Hermione was no longer worried about it, her unnatural curiosity had taken over. She decided to try to think a thought to the person to whom she was connected. Hello? she thought animatedly. Is anyone there? Nothing happened. She looked a little unhappy, but not at all discouraged. She then concentrated on an emotion, and became quite serene. A feeling of questioning returned, and she tried to find a feeling with which to send to the person. She finally got quite annoyed, not finding a suitable emotion, and unconsciously thought of a picture of herself, from which she got a response of shock.

    Hermione was confused for a second, until a picture overtook her sight, leaving her quite blind except for the picture. She gasped and almost fell off of her chair as she saw a picture of Harry, his emerald eyes flashing with an inner light. She unconsciously clutched at her heart and waves of love protruded from her mind, flowing into Harry's mind. She tried to stop them, tried to not tell Harry what she was hoping that he would not know, not yet. Her attempts went futile, as the picture of Harry was burned into her mind and she could not stop thinking of him.

    A feeling of pure happiness overtook her, and she wondered for half a second from where the feeling had come. Then she closed her eyes and saw a peaceful color with a distinct attachment of Harry. She then did fall, and expected to hit the ground. She kept her eyes closed and braced herself for the impact.

    Harry was not surprised that he had a bond with Hermione, however new it was. He felt a pang of fear come from her, and then clearly saw her fall out of her chair. She was not falling at a good angle, and if she would be allowed to hit the ground, she would easily injure herself severely. However, Harry would not have this, and he struggled for a second to try to stop her.

    Suddenly, Harry caught Hermione in his arms, and realized that he was in her room, and that she was just under a half a centimeter from cracking open her skull on the ground. He felt Hermione jump in shock, and she looked up at him, right into his eyes. Something happened to them, and the sat there for a few seconds just looking at each other lovingly. She was about to move closer and hug him, but she was slowly lowered to the ground as Harry faded away.

    Harry looked around, confused. He had just been next to Hermione, and he had gotten lost in her deep brown eyes. He shook his head and growled ferally, but kept his head level. He walked downstairs for dinner, the last one he would have to eat with the Dursleys.

    Hermione looked around in shock. Harry had just faded from her room. She could sense confusion from him, then a twinge of anger as his feelings slowly dispersed. She sighed. She hadn't been imagining it as she had thought. She sat on the floor of her room, contemplating what happened as her mother called her down to lunch. She would have to contact Harry soon about this, perhaps they could figure something out.

    She saw Hedwig glide softly into her room, and she untied the letter that was obviously from Harry. She opened it, and read the words he had written earlier that day.

Hermione,

    How's your summer? I'm having an exceptional time here at the Dursleys. They are for once acting civilly to me! Lupin wrote to me about an Advanced class. I think I'm going to take that, along with Animagi Training. Did you get a letter about that? I hope so, I don't really want to take the class without you. I'll be going to the Leaky Cauldron for August, so maybe we could meet to go to Diagon Alley? You can just drop me a line, I'll probably wander around anyway. Come visit maybe, if you have time. Write back soon!

Love,

Harry

    Hermione's heart fluttered at reading the letter. She felt a pleasurable feeling slide through her spine, and she went down to her kitchen to get breakfast.