Harry Potter and the Forest of Shadows

Harry Potter and the

Forest of Shadows

*chapter 9*

Harry nervously walked through the corridors of Mullins Mansion as the small child from his nightmare clung at his hand.

"I wanted to thank you," she said quietly, giving his hand a squeeze.

"It wasn't really me," he muttered sheepishly, looking down at her.

She was quite small for an eight year old but she had the face and wisdom of those three or four times her age. Her light brown hair was freshly washed and pulled back from her bruised and battered face; yet she smiled as she walked with him.

On her behalf she had grown up practically knowing him.

"So? You saw it and you told them. You know Aunt Rosy just risked her life actually coming into the castle and taking down most of the Death Eaters..."

She trailed off, staring at him, smirking.

"You're kidding me, right?" he asked, laughing.

"Of course," she said, still smiling straight ahead.

"You're eight, right?"

"Mmmhmm."

"So you've got a few years until Hogwarts."

"My sister's going to go there. She's in your year, but she's transferring from Salem Academy in the United States where the moved when she was one."

She said all this as though it were one sentence without taking a breath.

Harry smiled with her as the completed the circle on the ground floor and arrived back at the kitchen doors.

"I hope I see you again before you go to Hogwarts," she said, turning to face him.

"Why wouldn't you?" he asked.

"We're moving back into our old house in Wales. But you're not staying here either."

She had a sly smile on her face.

Harry's heart dropped to the bottom of his stomach. "What?" he asked hoarsely.

"Oh, nothing," she said quietly and walked back into the kitchen. If he wasn't staying here than....where was he going?

Slowly he walked back into the entry hall and climbed the stairs. As he passed through the hall where Remus' study was, he stopped at the sound of voices from behind the door.

"...Well he can't stay here with us," said Sirius. "He's just too much trouble."

"And what's going to happen when we move? Someone's going to have to deal with him." That was Remus.

"I'm not taking him. He's a nuisance. Just let him go to Hogwarts," Kammy said.

Harry's heart froze. Were they talking about him? He listened more carefully.

"Harry's going to Hogwarts anyways, so why not just take him earlier? So he won't get in the way."

Without a second thought at being caught eavesdropping, he muttered, "Well I'm sorry I got in your way."

Everyone on the other side of the door froze. Sirius quickly got up and threw the door open to find Harry tearing down the hall.

"What did we say?" he asked. Reminiscing on what they had said and putting himself in Harry's shoes, he gasped and ran off.

Rosy shook her head and slowly walked after him.

Sirius slowed to a stop outside of Harry's door. Harry was angrily throwing things into his trunk and totally ignored his godfather.

"Harry?"

Silence.

"Harry, can I please explain?"

He continued to throw things into his trunk and started on making his bed.

Sirius put a gentle hand on Harry's arm. As if it was a reflex, Harry tried to pull away, but Sirius tightened his grip.

Harry jerked more and was helplessly calling out, "Let me go!"

Rosy heard the commotion from down the hall and ran the rest of the way. Sirius was fighting Harry to the bed, trying to calm him.

She climbed onto the bed and held his face still. He quieted and looked up at her with such a heart-wrenching trustful look.

"Look at where you are," she whispered, still holding his face to look at hers but wiping the tears away from his cheeks.

Harry closed his eyes and struggled to sit up. Rosy helped him, but he wouldn't look at either of them.

"Harry," Sirius said, "we would never, ever want to just get rid of you."

"Yea," Rosy said, sitting back and smiling. "You are stuck with us twisted adults for a long time."

Harry smiled a little at this.

"And plus we are two overprotective godparents. Nothing's gonna be happening to you for a while."

He was now wearing a full-fledged grin.

"Go to sleep for a little while," Sirius said.

"But I got up a few hours ago."

"Catch up on your missed sleep," Rosy said with raised eyebrows.

"What missed sleep?" Sirius asked.

"And when you wake up we'll go somewhere."

"What missed sleep?"

"Where?"

"What missed sleep?"

"You'll see. It's a surprise."

"What missed sleep?"

She pulled the covers over him and placed his glasses on the table. As she dragged Sirius from the room, Harry was already sliding into sleep. Just before he totally left, he smiled as Sirius asked, "What missed sleep?"

***

Harry felt someone gently running a hand on his cheek. He sighed contentedly and heard a small laugh.

"Wake up," Ginny whispered.

He lethargically reached up for his glasses and set them on his face.

"How long was I asleep for?" he asked through a yawn.

"A couple of hours."

"Oh, sorry. I didn't know how tired I was."

"It's okay. Come here. I want to show you something," she said taking his hand and pulling him out of bed.

The first thing he noticed was that the only things in the room was the furniture.

"What happened?" he asked, yawning again.

"You'll see. Come on."

They walked down the hall in silence for a few minutes before she led him into one of the studies and took down a vase from the mantelpiece. Harry saw that Floo Powder was inside and groaned disagreeably making Ginny laugh.

"Oh, don't be such a baby," she muttered, pulling him into the fireplace and threw the powder down.

"Did you just call me a baby?"

"Harry's bedroom," Ginny said as emerald flames burst up around them.

"A baby!" Ginny heard him scoff as they spun.

She laughed as they tumbled out of the fireplace and onto a warm and fluffed carpet.

"Lovely to see you two."

Harry wiped the soot from his glasses and shook his head. He spun around with a smile but it faded and was replaced by an expression of awe.

They were standing in a room that was about as large as the Gryffindor common room so messy that he couldn't even see the floor. In one corner were two trunks and books stacked upon them. The corner diagonal to it had to broomsticks, posters of quidditch players, and another trunk. The other two corners had CDs, records, players for both, video tapes, drums, and guitars.

Clothes were strewn over the floor with a top layer of blankets and sheets. There were two dressers, drawers open and clothes coming out.

"Needs a little cleaning, don't you think?"

Harry quickly turned around and found Sirius grinning.

"Where are we?"

"This is the old Potter Mansion. It belonged to your grandparents. This was your father's. I thought you would like to have it."

He looked around in awe, smiling. "I love it."

"Can I show him?"

Harry turned back to Ginny who was smiling with a look of anticipation. Sirius nodded. Ginny grabbed Harry's hand and dragged him from the room.

They walked down long hallways with plush carpet feeling amazing under his bare feet. Doors were lined up every twenty or so feet, some open and some closed. When they came to the entry hall, Harry wanted to stand still for a moment and imagine what it was like when his father was a teenager, living there, but Ginny kept on walking until they came outside.

A warm summer breeze was blowing. He found himself standing in tall grasses that reached above his ankles and trees a good distance away. But Ginny left no time to stop as she started to run.

Harry got a good view of what the house looked like, as they raced around three sides of it until they came around the back.

Finally, she stopped. Harry's mouth parted in amazement. The setting sun hit the cool blue water in front of them. He walked forward slightly and felt the ground meld into sand that he dug his toes into. The air had a salty smell to it that he welcomed openly.

"I've never been to the beach," he whispered as the stood at the ocean's edge, the water lapping over their feet. The statement sounded more like a question.

"I didn't think so," she said, linking her arm through hers.

He looked down at her smiling. "How did you fall in love with me?"

She smiled ahead and asked, "Who said I was in love with you?"

"What?"

"I'm joking Harry. I love you."

He rested his chin on her head and said in to her hair, "I love you too."