Harry Potter and the War of Souls

Chapter 8

The Grim Old Home

"Harry!" Mrs. Weasley called from downstairs. "There's someone to see you."

He had been laying on his bed by Ron's, going through his parents' photo album again. He'd learned to avoid the picture with Snape in it because it inevitably made him angry. But he couldn't seem to see the rest of his parents' photos often enough.

"Coming," he said.

He came down the stairs expecting to see Lupin or a friend from school. He did not expect to see Professor McGonagall, who barely tilted her head at him as they saw each other.

"Mr. Potter, is there someplace private we might speak?"

He looked around. Although Fred and George had returned to their business and Arthur was at work, the house still felt crowded. "It's okay, Harry dear. We'll clear out." Molly made brushing motions with her hand and shushed Ron, Hermione, and Ginny upstairs.

"Is there something wrong, Professor?" Harry asked.

"Nothing more than usual. Now, Mr. Potter, I wonder if you've given any more consideration to returning to school this year?"

"Yes. I'm coming back. But I won't take a full load of classes, and I'm not playing Quidditch this year."

She sighed sympathetically. "I suppose that's better than nothing, although I do hope you're planning on sitting for N.E.W.T.'s at the end of this year?"

"They don't matter to me, if that's what you're asking. If I'm still around, I'll sit for them though."

She pressed her lips together. "Then see that you're still around. The Wizarding World needs good Aurors, and for that, you must pass your N.E.W.T.'s." With that, she handed him an envelope. "I took the liberty of enrolling you in classes. Drop those you don't want and gather your supplies for those classes you'll be remaining in."

He opened the envelope and a silver badge fell into his hand. He turned it over and saw "Head Boy" printed on it. Harry studied the badge for a moment, wondering why she had put it in his envelope. He hadn't been a prefect, and he hadn't been a very good example for the other students to follow. Did she mean for him to give it to someone, to Ron perhaps?

"Of course it's for you," McGonagall told him as if reading his thoughts.

"I don't understand, Professor."

"It's simple. Hogwarts has never been through more difficult times than we have now. They need a Head Boy to rally around, someone who gives them hope for a better tomorrow." She folded her arms and her voice cracked a little. "That's you, Potter. It must be you."

"Who's Head Girl?"

"Miss Granger, of course. No other seventh year girl even came close in our considerations."

Harry wondered how long Hermione had known. She hadn't said a word about it, at least to him.

"I'd have to give up being Quidditch Captain."

"A logical decision, seeing as you've already told me you're quitting Quidditch this year. Besides, a replacement will be taken care of."

Harry squinted. "Is it Ron?"

"Actually, it is not. I offered it to him, but he said he wasn't going to play Quidditch this year either. He said any spare time he had was for helping you. I'll say one thing for Mr. Weasley. He's as loyal a friend as they come."

"Then who will it be?"

McGonagall shook her head. "When I find a captain, I'll let you know. In the meantime, I look forward to seeing you back at school." She nodded curtly at him, then left through the door.

Harry stuffed the envelope and badge into his pocket and ran upstairs. He burst in on Ron, Hermione, and Ginny who were all laying on the floor talking about something that looked rather serious, but when he walked in, they all stopped immediately.

"What did McGonagall want?" Ron asked.

"She wanted to know about school. I told her I'd come back." Harry turned to Hermione. "You were right before. A lot of what I have to do would work better if I was at Hogwarts. But I don't want you to bother me about homework. I don't care if I pass my classes and I don't care about the N.E.W.T.'s."

Hermione looked at him as if she didn't understand how he couldn't care about passing his classes. But she shrugged and said lightly, "I don't have time to bother you about homework anyway. I plan on focusing all my nagging power on Ron."

Ron made a face and gave Hermione a playful push. Ginny giggled. "And you thought Mom was rough on you, Ron."

Harry sat between Ron and Ginny and after a moment said, "McGonagall told me she's made a lot of changes at school this year."

"Oh yeah?" Ron said, slightly disinterested.

"Yeah. For instance, she told me she's never liked the Head Boy, Head Girl system. She's done away with it."

Hermione's head popped up. "What? No, she hasn't. I'm-"

"Head Girl?" Harry finished with a grin. "I heard. Why didn't you say something?"

Realizing she had been caught, Hermione smirked at Harry, then said, "When would I have told you? Why bring that up now?"

Harry pulled out his badge and flung it on the floor. "I'd think they'd have learned a lesson about making any Potter a Head Boy," he said, still smiling. "But if they thought my dad was difficult, they haven't seen anything yet."

Everyone laughed and Ginny gave Harry's arm a congratulatory squeeze.

"By the way, Ron," Harry said. "I know what you gave up for me this year. Thanks."

"We're together 'til the end," Ron said. "Besides, if you're not on the team then we don't have much of a chance anyway. I don't want to be known as the captain who ruined Gryffindor's winning streak."

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The next morning, Harry, Hermione, and most of the Weasleys moved back to No. 12 Grimmauld Place. Through the use of loud tears and louder lectures, Mrs. Weasley even persuaded Fred and George to come there when they weren't at work. With a sentimental goodbye, Charlie announced he was returning to Romania for his work with the dragons. Bill had not yet returned from his time with Fleur's family and no one seemed sure when he'd be back. Mr. Weasley even asked Percy to come, but his request was met with a firm, "He-who-must-not-be-named couldn't get to me. I'm protected by the Ministry."

Other members of the Order came and stayed often, and Harry was glad for it. He saw Tonks and Lupin several times, and there were frequent visits from Mad-Eye Moody and Kingsley Shacklebolt, among others. For the most part, they kept their business to themselves and Harry found he didn't want to know the details of what they were doing. He heard enough tidbits to know the war was not going well, that there was discouragement over lack of strong leadership from Scrimgeour, and that there were far too many wizards and witches who were dying for no greater crime than having been in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Harry spent much of his days going through each room of the house as carefully as he could. This had been the home of a family who prided themselves on their association with Voldemort. If there was anything, anything at all that could help him, he hoped to find it. But each day's search produced nothing more than a growing frustration and an increasing sense that he would never be able to find the horcruxes.

The only real bright spot came after they had been at Grimmauld Place for a little over a week. Hermione came running to him with a book named Unmasking the Old Mysteries she had found in the library. "We never cleaned much of this out because it wasn't attacking us, remember?" she exclaimed, somewhat breathlessly. "Anyway, I thought it looked interesting, then I wasn't going to read it because it became obvious early on this was a Dark Arts book. But then I thought it might have something about horcruxes, and it does!"

Harry leaned in to see the book. "What does it say?"

"Well it starts out with the things we already know, how horcruxes are created and how tricky they can be. I guess other wizards have experimented with them and ended up destroying their entire soul. An unintentional suicide, you know?"
"Anything on destroying horcruxes?"

"Not really. I mean, this book is trying to help dark wizards, not stop them. But-" Hermione added, seeing Harry's exasperated expression, "-it does say something interesting. I've been thinking about how Dumbledore destroyed the ring and it hurt his hand. Yet you destroyed the diary and nothing bad happened to you because of it." She turned the page and ran her finger down a column. "It only mentions this, 'He who creates the Horcrux controls it.'"

Harry read the words with her then looked up at Hermione. "What does that mean?"

She shrugged. "I think the ring fought Dumbledore, in a way. It resisted destruction. But you said it yourself back at Godric's Hollow. When Voldemort tried to kill you sixteen years ago, he put a piece of himself in you. Maybe, just maybe, the diary didn't consider you an enemy because the piece of Voldemort's soul within it sensed the bit of Voldemort in you."

Harry sat back and ran Hermione's words through his mind. Maybe she was right. It was just a theory, but it was the best they had so far.

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were highly insistent that none of them venture out of the house unless absolutely necessary, and took the precaution of having Fred and George pick up their school books for them since they were in Diagon Alley anyway. Harry resented being treated as a child and obeyed only because he feared others might try to follow him if he left, and because he really wasn't sure where he'd go anyway. The only really bright spot was when they did bring the books, they tucked one in with Ron's titled, Romance for Wizard Dummies. Even Hermione laughed at that.

The days continued to pass and everyone found themselves becoming increasingly restless. Few comments were made without sarcastic responses and Harry found he preferred any quiet room of the house to the alternative of having to share it with somebody who he'd end up snapping at.

He found his best moments were found in reading his mother's diary. Picking up where he'd left off before, he smiled as he read her account of his parents' early courtship.

"It was a quiet wedding, but James and I didn't mind," his mother wrote. "Those we cared about most were there, although I was disappointed Petunia and her new husband refused to attend. She hasn't really introduced us and I had hoped we could make a new start as sisters now that we're both married. Maybe it's for the best, though. They shouldn't have to hear about the dark times facing the wizarding world."

Two pages later, Harry read, "We talked to Dumbledore tonight about increasing our activity within the Order of the Phoenix. Naturally because of my work, there is little I can do out in the open, but James runs headfirst into every battle."

His mother's work? Harry had never given a great deal of thought to any occupation his mother might have had. And what work could she have had that prevented her from being too much in the open? He made a point of asking Lupin next time they spoke.

Harry turned the page and continued. "Voldemort was there last night when we fought to protect those muggles. I wasn't sure we'd make it through, but once Dumbledore joined us, He left fairly quickly. For someone who claims to be the most powerful wizard of history, He certainly seems to fear Dumbledore."

Harry read the following pages, which described increasing numbers of battles against the death eaters his father in particular fought. He read another account where both of his parents battled Voldemort in Hogsmeade, and then a third where they fought Him and tried in vain to stop His torture of some orphaned muggle children.

"Born to those who have thrice defied Him," the prophecy said.

And in the same entry where she detailed their last fight against Voldemort, Harry's mother wrote, "I'm so glad we made it through. I haven't told James yet, but I'm pregnant. The baby should be due sometime in late July or early August. This only makes my work at the Ministry more important. I think they sense this too. I've been given my own key."

She worked at the Ministry? Harry wished again that Lupin was here so he could ask about his mother's work. Whatever she did there, she seemed to believe it was important in the fight against Voldemort.

Harry didn't get a chance to read any further that night, however, before he was interrupted by Ron, Hermione, and Ginny, who wanted a game of Exploding Snap. With the prospect of returning to Hogwarts in another few days, everyone seemed to have cheered up and before he knew it, is was time to return.

Three days later, with a promise to the Weasleys to be careful and a plan to see them again at Christmas, he boarded the Hogwarts Express. Another school year was about to begin.