Chapter 2
It's almost the end of term and everyone is so excited. All four of us have had a really hard term here, especially seeing as we're learning muggle things and wizarding things as well. Attending two schools is really hard, though I guess it's all that can be done. Everything's been going pretty fine here. We've had no incidents with death eaters or anything else like that. Come to think of it Voldemort and his crew have been pretty quiet lately - Since school went back actually. I wonder why that is. He must be planning something big. Hopefully it doesn't involve this school. I haven't been having any of those dreams and my scar doesn't hurt, though it didn't hurt at all during all those attacks in the holidays either.
I met up with everyone in the Gryffindor Common Room after I returned from my classes at Hogwarts (Magical). We all headed up to mine and Ron's room to talk about the events of this week. We talked about all the usual stuff like any events in the wizarding world, and explained any muggle stuff to Ron and Ginny, especially with all the schoolwork from here. I guess being here is harder for them then me and Hermione - at least we've lived in the muggle world before. I guess Dumbledore felt it was better to send a group of friends. Eventually the topic came up about Voldemort and the lack of activity. We all thought it was strange that nothing had happened yet, but surely that must mean he's planning something big.
"Harry have you been having any dreams lately?" Hermione inquired, as we all tried to figure out what he could be planning.
"No, I haven't," I replied. "I haven't been having those dreams for a while now. Not since the Department of Mysteries one come to think of it," I added.
"That's strange Harry. You didn't even have the dreams when all those attacks occurred at the start of the holidays?"
"No I didn't. None at all, the holidays were much less worrying. I figured it had something to do with being in at the Dursleys, you know with all the blood protection and stuff, maybe it extends to sleep as well. Or maybe Dumbledore did something. I don't know. Is it really that important?"
"No, I guess not, I was just wondering," Hermione sighed.
"What about your scar?" Ginny asked.
"What do you mean Ginny?" I responded.
"Well you've had that all your life and it always hurts when you-know-who is around. So maybe the dreams have gone, but you didn't always have those, but your scar, that's always been there, ever since it all happened. Have you had any trouble with it during the holidays?"
"No I haven't, not since Department of Mysteries. I've had no connection with him at all since then," I answered plainly. Everyone seemed so shocked by all this, I didn't think it was that important.
"Have you told anyone about this Harry?" Hermione questioned.
"Well no, but I don't see why it's so important."
"Harry, if you've lost all your connections with Voldemort then that could mean that you've lost the
protection that you have had all your life from your mother. That's what's kept you alive from all of his
attacks on you. If that's gone
then you're not protected and he's just battling with an average sixth year wizard. Harry we have to tell
Dumbledore," Hermione explained.
"Hold on a second, how do you know I've lost my connection with Voldemort completely? It wasn't just my scar and the dreams you know. Plus how does that mean I've lost the protection from my mother?"
"Yeah he's a parselmouth too remember and Voldemort was one too," Ron
chimed in.
"Oh yes I'd forgotten about that, back in second year. Well we can check that. Mr. Hayes has a pet snake we can go see him and explain. He's a squib so it's alright to tell him stuff like this."
"He's a squib, how do you know that?" Ron asked.
"He told us on the train remember. Anyway it's not important we have to check if Harry's connection is still there. If it's not we'll have to go to Hogwarts."
***
We all raced down to Mr. Hayes office on the second floor. Mr. Hayes was in his office thankfully.
"Hello you four, what can I do for you?" Mr. Hayes asked as the four of us entered his office.
"We need to see if Harry can talk to your snake?" Hermione burst out.
Mr. Hayes glanced at them strangely. "My snake?"
"Yes your snake. Can Harry try to talk to it? We need to know if he still has his connection with 'the threat'," Hermione briefly explained.
"Okay," he agreed. "She's over there in the corner." I headed over to the snake and attempted to speak to her. "Will you be needing to return to Hogwarts?" he inquired.
"Maybe, if Harry can't speak to your snake it means his connection with 'the threat' is broken and most likely the protection he's had all his life from his mother's side. We need to let Dumbledore know about it."
"Hello, what's your name... Can you hear me?" I attempted to ask the snake. After many minutes of failed communication I turned to the others. "I can't do it. It won't work. I don't know what's wrong," I finally acknowledged.
"Hogwarts?" Mr. Hayes asked. Hermione nodded. "Okay I'll set up the fire and you can talk there. It'll take about five minutes."
***
"Professor Dumbledore, are you there?" Hermione called over the floo network as her face appeared in the Headmasters office at Hogwarts.
Dumbledore turned towards his fireplace and saw young Hermione Granger. "Oh, Hermione, yes, what can I do for you today?" he inquired.
"Well we we're just talking about what's happening in the wizarding world and Harry mentioned that he hadn't had any strange dreams and his scar hadn't been bothering him at all since the events at the Department of Mysteries," Hermione summarised.
"Ah, right, well that can mean two things, first of all that we'll have no advance warning of attacks from Harry. That's not too big a problem, we managed throughout the summer and the Order are reasonably efficient with obtaining information. The second thing is probably of more concern and that is that Harry has lost the protection he received from his mother when Voldemort attempted to kill him. This is of great concern and I hope that this hasn't happened," Dumbledore explained to the four of them.
"We think it might of. The only other power that we know Harry has that links him to Voldemort is that he's a parselmouth. Mr. Hayes has a pet snake and Harry tried to talk to it but he can't."
Dumbledore let out a sigh. "Okay it seems like the worst might've happened. The fact that Harry's connection to Voldemort is gone doesn't necessarily mean that the protection of his mother is also gone too. I do have a way in which we can check, but I'll need Harry to come back to Hogwarts so I can see if I'm correct," Dumbledore told them. Harry looked slightly uncomfortable. "You can use Mr. Hayes fire to return here Harry," he indicated.
***
"Hello Harry, take a seat," Dumbledore greeted Harry as he stumbled out of the fireplace.
Harry slowly walked over and took a seat by Dumbledore's desk. "Sorry I'm still not used to travelling on the floo network," Harry said as he dusted the soot off himself.
"That's quite alright Harry. Now we need to work out whether the connection with you and your mother is broken as well as that between you and Voldemort."
"How are you going to do that?" Harry asked.
"Well I think it may have something to do with Sirius death. I know that affected you a great deal, and also he was the last surviving wizarding link to your family. Though he wasn't a very strong one, and not even a blood relative. Anyway I'll need to do some research to find out if that may be why the link is broken. In the meantime I want you to use this," he said as he handed him a small silver rod. Harry looked at him strangely. "It's a portkey. It will take you to Godric Hollows and back here. I want to see if you can feel any connection with your parents there," he quickly explained. Harry took the portkey and within a split second found himself at Godric Hollows. Meanwhile Dumbledore set to work researching the cause for the loss in Harry's connection.
***
Harry found himself at the entrance to his parents house - Godric Hollows. The silver gates were broken and lay on the ground at his feet. On the sandstone walls that supposedly spread across the whole of their land was carved the words 'Godric Hollows, Home of the Potters'. While this should've been an emotional experience for Harry he found he didn't feel anything at all.
Harry walked down the path and headed towards the burnt and shattered remains of his parents house. He still didn't
feel any sort of connection to his parents while he stood, amongst the remains of his original house. He sat down on
the ground and noticed something shining in the sunlight. He reached over
and picked it up. It was a beautifully carved lion doorknocker. He put it in his pocket and returned to wandering
around the perimeter of the house. Still nothing, why can't I feel anything, he thought. The portkey beeped and
Harry realised Dumbledore had put a timer on it. He touched the portkey and shortly found himself back in
Dumbledore's office.
***
"Nothing," Harry said feeling downcast as he sat back down. "I don't know why.
I should've, shouldn't I? I found this," Harry asked him as he pulled out the lion doorknocker.
Dumbledore nodded. "Yes it's beautifully carved isn't it? Anyway as you've probably guessed by now
this means that your connection with your mother is gone. I've discovered that this probably occurred because of
Sirius death," Dumbledore told Harry. "What I think may have happened is that the bond was kept through the
magical side of your family, and it only lasted until your final link to your family (Sirius) died. This means that
you're no longer protected by your
family, which will put you at great risk. We need to prevent Voldemort from finding out that this has happened, so that
nothing happens to you just yet."
Harry was feeling rather depressed about all this, especially now that he'd learnt that he'd lost all of his connection to his family. "Um, okay, how do we do that?" he sighed.
"Well you can stay here tonight and then we'll probably set you up in Grimmauld Place," he began to explain. "We can't have you around our muggle counterpart now, if Voldemort discovers this then you're a great risk at the school." Noticing Harry's downcast look he poured a glass of water and handed it to him. "I'm sorry I have to bring all this up for you. I know it must be hard for you to take all at once." Harry nodded. "Anyway Sirius left Grimmauld Place to you in his will so you can stay there, all the protection charms are still intact. So everything should be fine there, at least for a while." Harry nodded once more.
"Okay, so am I staying in the Gryffindor common room?"
"Yes the password is Chocolate Frogs," Dumbledore informed. Harry nodded and headed for the common room.
***
"Hermione's gone!" Ginny yelled at Ron as she ran into his room.
Ron stared bleary eyed at her. Rubbing his eyes he asked sleepily, "Huh? What do you mean, Hermione's gone?"
"She's gone! She's run away! Look!" Ginny cried, shoving the short letter she'd found on Hermione's bed this morning.
Ron slowly read through it slowly, and his eyes widened as it sunk in what had happened. "What? Why would she do this? I don't understand, what could've possibly happened that she's left us?"
"I don't know. I don't understand either, but we have to find her," Ginny managed to get out before she burst into tears.
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