A/N: Chapter two and I still don't own them, damn! Anyhow, there's a little bit of Draco bashing in this chapter, but for all you ferret people, don't worry,he'll come good. A reviewer mentioned something about Kreacher and the portrait of Mrs. Black, and I must admit that I didn't even think of them since their unpleasantness is something I try to block from my memory. Let's just assume that the portrait was hack sawedoff the wall, trod on and then set alight. And as for Kreacher, I like to think the creepy little bugga got what he deserved. Another reviewer also mentioned Ginny and I'll agree that I feel the same way about her, she was cool before HBP when she attempted to sink this ship, so I write her as I would had none of that happened, she's a good character to play with and I liked her before book 6.
Enough of my 5am ramblings, on with the story!
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CHAPTER TWO: OWLS AND FIST FIGHTS
~~~~~August 1st, 1996. Grimmauld Place~~~~~
Albus Dumbledore arrived the next morning with a large smile on his face and three envelopes in his hand. Hermione walked out of the kitchen and into the living room to see the old wizard standing there. Neither of them said anything while Hermione looked from Dumbledores smile to the envelopes and back again about four or five times.
Then with a loud squeel she ran to him prepared to crash tackle him and wrestle the letters out of his hands. Dumbledore chuckled and simply held them out before she hurt him.
Her cry had attracted a few others in the house, Harry and Ron included. Dumbledore looked at their confused faces and simply said, "OWLs have arrived."
The two boys gathered around Hermione as she stared at the envelopes with shaky hands. Harry put his hands over hers and she was shocked to see both he and Ron behind her.
"Why don't we sit down?" Harry said gently. Hermione just nodded so he led her to the couch. Ron sat down in the chair across from them and waited patiently until Harry passed his envelope over.
"We'll open them together, okay?"
Very carefully and with a held breath the three opened them and pulled out the parchment inside. They flipped past the booklists and such and silently read over their results while Dumbledore, Ginny and Mrs Weasley watched.
"Well, at least I passed most things." Ron said with a small smile. He looked over at his mother, "I only failed Divination and History of Magic."
"Oh, Ron, that's much better than Fred and George, although, Bill, Percy and Charlie did - -"
"I know, Mum, much better than that."
"Alright, I'm proud of you, anyway, let me have those book lists." Mrs Weasley said, bustling over. Ron and Harry both passed their booklists to her but when Harry looked over he saw Hermione still staring at her OWLs. He picked up her booklist and passed it to Mrs Weasley.
Ron looked over at Harry, "Here, swap."
They switched and Harry read over Rons results. He hadn't gotten any O's but for Ron the results were pretty good. Ron grinned after reading Harrys results. "Bloody good mate, you only failed the same as I did. And you even got an O in Defense, knew you would though."
Harry was happy with his results, except potions. He only got an E and Professor Snape would only accept those with an O into his class, which Harry needed if he was to become an Auror.
He turned to Hermione and saw tears in her eyes. "Hermione?" She didn't move or look up, so he slid over closer to her and put one hand on her shoulder while he gently took her results out of her hand.
She looked up at him with the same expression on her face. He read over her results and a big smile formed on his face. He passed them over to Ron who jumped out of his seat and let out a big "Whoop!"
Ron settled and said, "Bloody hell, Hermione, eleven out of eleven Outstandings! Never again will I make fun of you for studying."
Neither Hermione nor Harry seemed to hear him as they were looking too intently at eachother. The small smile on her face was broken by her biting her lip. Harry grinned and nodded at her, "You did it." he said quietly. She nodded back and he wiped away the tear that ran down her face and took her into a big hug whispering, "All your hard work paid off, Mione."
He held her until Mrs Weasley announced that a trip to Diagon Alley would be in order and that they should all go and get ready and Dumbledore asked Harry if they could talk in private. Harry nodded and followed Dumbledore into the study.
"Sir, I'd like to apologize for my behaviour after the Ministry incident. I was angry but that's still no excuse." Harry immediately said once the door had been closed.
"Your apology is accepted Harry, as I hope you will do with mine."
"What are you apologizing for, Sir?" Harry asked, confused, as they both took a seat.
"It is my own mistakes that led to that night. I should've told you of the prophecy sooner, I should have taught you occlumency myself, and I shouldn't have distanced myself from you during the last school year."
"You were trying to protect me, Sir, and I appreciate that."
"Harry, I'd like to make a promise that I will no longer keep anything from you unless I would be breaking someone else's trust by doing so. You will no longer be kept in the dark, Harry. If there's something going on in the Order, you will be informed. That's why I can tell you now that there isn't much happening."
"What do you mean?"
"Our usual spies and eyes are doing their rounds, but there is no sign of Voldemort and has been very little death eater activity recently. Although we lost Sirius in the incident, it was more a victory for us then them."
"How so, Sir?"
"The actions of you and your friends prevented Tom from getting hold of the prophecy. It also forced him to come out in the open. Before that night nobody believed that he was back and he was using that to his advantage, now the Ministry is aware of his presence and can use their power to assist us."
"That's good, I suppose."
"Indeed. I also wanted to talk to you about the upcoming year. I understand you didn't get the Potions result you would have liked." Dumbledore asked with a smile Harry couldn't see.
"No, Sir. I only got an E and I need an O to become an auror."
"As slight repayment for all the mistakes I have made, perhaps I will have to talk to Professor Snape about accepting a few whom show promise into his class."
Harry grinned at his Headmaster, "Sir, you have no idea how much I would appreciate that."
"Of course, Harry, you'd have to do your best at all times."
"Yes, Sir."
"And I have something to ask of you. I would like you to continue with your occlumency."
Harry had a stricken look on his face, even though he knew how important it was. He still didn't see Dumbledore smile as the older wizard continued, "Of course since I am well aware of Professor Snape and your mutual dislike of eachother I would never dream of forcing either of you to spend more time together than necessary. Your new Defence Against The Arts teacher is well trained in Occlumency and Legilemency and therefore he will be teaching you and I will as well on occassion."
Harry breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. "Thankyou so much, Sir. Who is our new DADA teacher?"
"Do not worry, Harry, he is a good man whom I trust entirely. His name is Professor Brodsky and I have known him his entire life. I'm sure, if you'd like he would also be happy to give you extra Defence lessons as well."
"I would Sir. Since it's me versus Voldemort I think it best if I was to get as much training as possible."
"Good, good. There is also the matter of Sirius' will Harry. Shortly after you and Hermione rescued him in your third year he contacted me to change his will naming you as his only heir. This house and the Black fortune are all yours Harry."
"I'd rather him than his money." Harry whispered.
"I understand. I must ask if the Order be allowed to use the house as Headquarters."
"Of course, Sir." Harry responded without even needing to think.
"He loved you very much, Harry."
"I know and the feeling was mutual. Sir, may I ask you something about the prophecy? It's just that, well what is this power that I have that Voldemort doesn't?" Harry anxiously asked.
Dumbledore sighed and removed his glasses to rub his eyes. "I have thought about that since I first heard the prophecy Harry and I have come to no absolute certainies. I have theories however. I have been thinking for a long time about what you could possibly possess that Tom Riddle does not. He is a very powerful wizard as you are also capable of being, however that would simply put you on equal footing you would not surpass him. I thought about many other things and was only able to come to one conclusion, however I do not know for sure that it is correct."
"What is it?" Harry hastily asked.
"Love Harry. Love is one of the most powerful magics there is. It can give those who are weary strength, it can make those who are lost found. You have more love than you can possibly know and Tom Riddle has none. Those who will stand beside you when the time comes will do it because they love you, they love their families and they love their way of life. The death eaters will only be there in fear of their master and to fufill their thirst for power. I believe that is what will win it for us at the end of the day. There is also another reason I believe this, but as I told you before I cannot betray someone elses trust and I would be doing so if I revealed that information. As I said, I am not certain that my theory is correct, but I am rather confident." Dumbledore explained.
Harry thought about that for a moment. "So I shouldn't push anyone away?" He asked quietly.
"Certainly not, Harry. Pushing away those who care for you would be the worst thing you could do, although I doubt they would leave even if you told them to. In fact you should embrace love at any chance you get." Dumbledore told him with a look that said he knew who'd been on Harrys mind lately. "She's quite a girl, Harry."
Harry looked at him in complete shock. "I only just figured it out for myself, how is it that everyone knows already?"
"I am unsure how others know but I have been watching you closely since you first stepped foot into Hogwarts and I have seen the signs over the years. Do not fear she will be harmed Harry, the risk is there whether you two take the next step or not."
"Yes, Sir."
"Very well. I must be getting back to Hogwarts." The two stood and walked back to the door. "Do not forget what I said Harry, love is very important to you, you may just need it to survive so please don't push anyone away."
"I won't, thankyou, Sir."
They left the room and Dumbledore said his goodbyes and left while Harry ran upstairs to get ready to go to Diagon Alley.
~~~~~Diagon Alley~~~~~
Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Mrs Weasley, Tonks, Lupin and Mad-Eye all took the Knight Bus to the Leaky Cauldron and once in Diagon Alley Mrs Weasley and Mad-Eye took Ginny and Ron to get their things while Tonks and Lupin took Harry and Hermione to Gringotts. Hermione had her money exchanged and then the four went to Harrys vault.
Lupin and Tonks stayed in the carriage waiting for Harry and Hermione. Tentatively Harry entered the vault after the goblin had opened it, Hermione close behind. The pile of money had increased substantially since his last visit.
"My God, Harry. I knew you had a fair amount but this is a bit overboard."
"I was Sirius' heir, Dumbledore told me last night. Can you not tell Ron about this? You know how he is."
"Yeah, if he knew you had all of this he wouldn't be happy. What are these?" She asked as she made her way over to the shelves lining the walls.
"I don't know, they weren't there when I was last here." He said making her way over to the small boxes she was referring to.
One was a shoebox that Harry lifted the lid off to find it full of photos of his mother and father, Sirius, Remus and a few others. Flipping through a few though he noticed that where Pettigrew should have been he'd been taken out. He put the lid back on the box and went to the other, much smaller box. He gently lifted the lid back. Hermione gasped when she saw the beautiful ring inside of it.
Lupin had came in to see what the two were doing just as Harry had picked up the box. He walked up behind Harry and put his hand on his shoulder, "Your mothers engagement ring. Sirius was able to get it before Hagrid arrived."
Harry closed the lid and put it back on the shelf. He picked up the box of photos and put it under his arm while he filled a small bag with some money from his pile.
They left Gringotts and on Hermiones insistance they went straight to the bookstore. She immediately lost herself in the shelves of books while Harry went to the counter to give the attendant their lists. He then turned and caught up with Hermione while she was trailing down a stack with one finger running over the spines. He couldn't help but smile at the interest that burned in her eyes since he knew she could gladly read every book in the entire store.
She didn't even notice his approach and it wasn't until he grabbed her by the waist and made her jump a foot in the air that she knew he was there. Both tried to ignore the lightning that flashed through their bodies at the contact.
"Harry, don't do that! You scared the hell out of me!"
"Sorry, but you're so cute when you're surrounded by books."
"Shutup." She said then turned back to her books.
"Let me buy you one."
"What?"
"Let me buy you a book. Pick one that you want and let me buy it for you."
"Harry I have plenty of money you don't need to buy my books for me."
Harry just smiled, "But I want to."
"No."
"You know I'll buy you one anyway, this way you can pick which one you want. And besides what else am I supposed to do with all that money I've got."
"Give it to charity."
"Mione." Harry whined. "Please."
Hermione huffed and turned back to Harry attempting to glare at him but failing when she saw his puppy-dog eyes. How am I supposed to say no to those eyes?ran through her head. She smiled and shook her head, "Fine."
Harry got a huge grin and then followed her around the store simply watching her as she picked a book. Once she had one they returned to the counter to pay for their books.
"I should have known you'd be in here, Mudblood. You know it alls just can't stay away from the bookstores." A cold voice came from behind them.
They spun around, hands on their wands to see the sneering face of Draco Malfoy. Harry looked around for Tonks and Lupin but remembered that they stayed outside.
"No we can't Malfoy, but that's something you'll never experience since you know nothing." Hermione said back and Harry marveled at how she'd said it while staying completely calm.
"How dare you speak to me like that?!"
Harry couldn't believe that Malfoy still hadn't come off his high horse even though his father was in Azkaban and he was without his bodygaurds, Crabbe and Goyle.
"Are you just looking to get hit, Malfoy?" Harry asked in disbelief.
"Shut it Potter. You and your filthy - -" Malfoy never got a chance to complete that sentence as Harrys fist crashed into his nose.
"You finish that sentence and I'll kick your ass, Malfoy." Harry threatened as he towered over the fallen Malfoy.
Malfoy jumped up and ran at Harry tackling him to the ground and laying a punch to his jaw. Harry grabbed Malfoy by the throat and flipped him over to give himself the upper hand, his fist once more connecting with Malfoys face.
He barely heard Hermione saying, "I'm really sorry about this, Harry, but you both deserve it. Stupify!"
Lupin and Tonks burst through the door the moment after Hermione had stunned both the fighting boys. "What happened?" Lupin demanded.
"They got into a fight, I stunned them."
"You stunned Harry?" Tonks asked.
"It was for his own good. Can one of you take Malfoy outside, wake him and tell him to get lost?"
Lupin nodded and moved forward picking up the unconcious Malfoy by the scruff of the collar and dragged him outside the store.
"I didn't think you'd stun Harry." Tonks murmered as they both leaned down over him.
"Why not?"
"Well....I....nevermind."
Hermione turned to her, "Why not? Tonks?"
"It's just that I was talking to Ginny."
"And she told you I've got a thing for him."
"Yeah."
"If the guy you liked, oh let's say Moony," Hermione said with a knowing smirk causing Tonks to blush, "was going to get himself in an awful lot of trouble for almost beating someone to death and you weren't strong enough to pull him away, wouldn't you stun him?"
"Yeah, I suppose. How did you know about...you know?"
"That you were hot for Lupin? Please Tonks even I'm not that ignorant to things, actually I think the only one that is is Lupin himself." Hermione told her. "Ennervate. Why don't you just tell him?"
Harry slowly opened his eyes as the girls kept talking, "Why don't you just tell him?" Tonks countered.
"He has too much to worry about, he doesn't need me as well."
They helped Harry sit up and he blinked a few times and looked around. Hermione handed him his glasses, which had come off during the scuffle. Putting them on he asked, "What happened?"
"I stunned you."
"You stunned me? Why did you do that?"
"Because you were going to beat the hell out of Malfoy."
Harry groaned as he put a hand to his head, "He deserved it."
"You over-reacted, Harry, there was no reason to hit him."
"He called you a mudblood and he was about to say it again."
Hermione sighed, "He's been calling me a mudblood for years now Harry, I'm used to it."
"You shouldn't have to be used to it and maybe now he'll think twice before he opens his big mouth because I'm more than happy to close it for him." Harry fumed.
Hermione helped him off the ground and he leaned heavily on her as his head spun a bit. "I think we should just get everything else you guys need and head home." Tonks advised.
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