The Family Album

"Why would my mood be any better?" Harry thought sourly as he unloaded his trunk to spend the rest of the summer at the Burrow. "I've had the worst year of my life."

He looked around at the now guest room that once belonged to Percy. It was clean and tidy and there wasn't the slightest sign that someone had occupied this room.

Percy was still being Percy. An utter and complete prat.

Harry was glad though that he wasn't at the Dursleys and he was also glad that he wasn't having to undergo treatment from that psycho-analyst at St. Mungo's anymore, either.

He felt that nutters like Gilderoy Lockhart should be getting their brain picked. Not him. Not Harry.

"I'm not crazy," Harry said aloud.

It had been ordered by the previous Minister of Magic, Cornelius 'Flop' as Ron and Ginny had begun to call him. Only when Fudge had suddenly resigned did Harry have to stop his meetings with the ever-annoying Healer Brain-Picker. Harry was sure Brain-Picker was not the Healer's name, but he definitely didn't care to remember it either.

"Harry?" Nymphadora Tonks' voice called calmly, patiently on the either side of the door.

Harry groaned. He didn't want to talk about Sirius. He didn't need to talk this out. And now wasn't the time anyway. He was too busy unpacking.

A whole month to get those sympathetic looks, Harry thought with annoyance. Tonks being on the other side of the door did not improve his mood.

"I have something to give you," she said rather patiently. "It's something my mum had."

Harry snorted. Yeah because that's all I really want, something belonging to the sister of Bellatrix Lestrange.

Bellatrix.

If Harry ever known what hate really was, he hated her. And he didn't care to hide it. Anger flashed through him quickly and he gave in.

"You can come in." He said it quite reluctant though.

The gold on the doorknob had begun to chip away with age and it made a strange howl as it turned. The door creaked open and Tonks slowly walked in, a small smile on her face.

What are you smiling for? Harry thought, suddenly angry. There's nothing to be smiling about!

Tonks walked over to Harry, obviously hiding something behind her back. Her smiled faded though, when she saw the angry look on Harry's face.

"My mum, she had these old photos... I thought you- you'd like them. It's a bunch of... Well, you can see for yourself."

She handed Harry a wine-red, glossy, thick book that had the words "Family Photos" engraved in bullion and cursive writing. Harry looked up at Tonks and said, "What's this?"

"Well, what does it say?" Tonks exclaimed and she motioned to the album. She stood there for a while, expecting Harry to say 'thank you' or at least open it, but when he didn't she shrugged and left out.

Harry stared at the door for a while and then decided to open the album.

It felt as if it weighed a ton. And Harry's hands ached to open it.

But he couldn't. He couldn't do this now. It was just too soon.

Harry sat the album down and began to unpack more of his things. This room was so... lonely. It was strange being at the Burrow and not sharing a room with Ron. And Hedwig's empty cage sat deserted in the corner by Percy's old desk. '

Harry glanced at the album and gulped.

Truth be told, he was afraid to open that album. And he wasn't afraid of the album or the pictures in it, he was afraid of how he would react to the pictures.

The last time Harry had even seen his godfather was when he fell through the...

Harry sat down and opened the album to the first page.

Smiling up at him was Sirius and his father. Both of them were looking as if the world couldn't be any more perfect that day. In fact, Sirius and James were in... Probably James' bedroom covered in mud.

Harry's stomach gave a slight jolt.

He turned the page to see Sirius holding a baby. A baby with little to none hair, though he could see that it was black and that photo had a title.

"New Godfather!"

Harry gulped and flipped the page. The next one showed Sirius with Tonks and she couldn't have been more than two, Tonks' parents (or at least Harry thought it was), his father, and his own grandparents.

That picture had a title as well.

"My real family"

Harry absentmindedly sniffed and flipped the next page. The next page showed Sirius and some very attractive witch with dark hair dressed like they were headed to a Yule Ball. There was no title, but Sirius had drawn what appeared to be a very happy face.

Harry wiped his eyes.

He turned to the next page and the next, still sniffling until he reached the last.

It was a picture of Sirius, his father and mother, himself, and Remus, all smiling at the camera.

This one was titled, "Love".

Harry had let the book stay open on that page, weighing heavily in his hands and he was suddenly angry with Tonks.

Why had she given him this? Had it not been hard enough?!

Harry's vision became blurry and he wiped a tear away quickly, angry with himself for letting it fall.

He didn't notice Ron coming in and saying politely, "Mum says dinner is ready."

He didn't bother to look up either.

Ron stood there and finally asked, "Harry, are you all right, mate?"

Harry didn't move. He only stared at the picture, his heart hurting and burning all at the same time.

Ron looked out in the call and closed the door behind him.

He sat down on the bed next to Harry and looked at the picture. "Wow," he said with a small laugh, "I've never seen a baby with such messy hair before."

It was then that Harry broke down. He dropped the album to the floor with a heavy thump and buried his face in his hands, crying like he had never cried before in his life.

Sure, he had cried many times when he was a small child and living with the Dursleys, but it had never been this bad.

Harry felt an arm slowly wrap around his shoulder.

"Well go on then, just let it all out." Ron was red with embarrassment. And he wasn't quite sure if this would be the right thing to say. Instead of saying anything else, he cleared his throat and patted Harry on the shoulder.

"Make it go away!" Harry began to say. "Just make it all go away!" By now his head was on Ron's shoulder. And in the future they would never talk of this incident, but it was happening now. And no matter how Harry tried, he couldn't stop crying.

"It's not fair! It's just not fair!" He said between sobs. "I've been through..." His sob won out and he could no longer finish his sentence.

Ron quickly wiped away his own tears that managed to escape and he patted Harry once again.

If there was ever an uncomfortable time in one's life, for Ron, this was it.

"I'm... tired of this," Harry said from behind his hands.

"I want it too!" He added on, not hinting at what 'it' was. But Ron knew perfectly well.

"You've got it," he suddenly said quietly. "It may not be too noticeable, but you've got it."

Harry cried harder and Ron sat there patting him.