Disclaimer * Harry Potter and all related characters and elements are the property of J.K. Rowling, Scholastic, and Warner Bros.
 
 
 

arry was careful not to bolt his lunch down this time and didn't get sick again.  Now that his hunger was temporarily out of the way he sat at the desk again.  All of the letters and packages were neatly arranged there and on his bed.  It was overwhelming to see it all laid out.  On the top of the left-most stack was a package with a envelope tied to it.  On the envelope his name was written in a cursive that--though neater--he recognized to be Ginny's.  He opened the letter slowly and took a deep breath.

Dear Harry,

    I hope you don't mind me writing you, but I thought that after what happened at the Ministry...  Look, I know you probably don't want to talk to anyone about what happened that night (I felt the same way after you saved me in the Chamber), but you really do need to talk to someone about it instead of holding it all in like you did after Cedric died.  It doesn't have to be me--go ahead and talk to Ron or Hermione or Professor Lupin if that's what you want--but talk to someone.

    I thought this gift might help you; it helped me after what happened my first year.  Promise me you'll take care of yourself, Harry, or I just may have to hex you as soon as Dumbledore lets you out of that dreadful house you have to call "home".

your friend,
Ginny

    Harry opened this package with less enthusiasm than the one from Mrs. Weasley.  Ginny had never given him a gift and he wasn't sure what to expect from her now.  She had written that it had helped her after the Chamber:  he couldn't fathom what could help him feel any better.  It must be a very important object if such was the case, because Ginny had seemed more whole than he would have ever expected at the end of that summer... had he taken the time to think about it at the time.

    Inside the box Harry found a book.  There were no words on its cover or spine, and as he held it in his hands Harry could feel its power pulsing in his hands.  He'd never experienced that with a book before.  The sensation felt familliar somehow, but he couldn't place it.  He opened the front cover and found an inscription in red ink:

for Ginevra Weasley:

    Hide these words in your heart, and no matter how hard the darkness tries, it will trouble you no more.

Professor Dumbledore

 
 
* * * * * *
 
 
 
    Harry made an appearance at dinner.  His uncle was extremely unhappy to see Harry's new look.  Aunt Petunia tried to use Vernon's electric shaver on Harry's head after dinner but oddly enough they didn't work.  Neither did Dudley's state-of-the-art swimmer's shaver that he had never used because he neither swam nor needed to shave.  Upon discovering that none of the contraptions available to them were the slightest bit effective Uncle Vernon had taken a swing at Harry but instead fell on his rather large rear and missed Harry's face entirely.  Harry took the opportunity to bolt for the door before Aunt Petunia could find a crane to lift his uncle off the floor but unfortunately Dudley blocked his escape:  he had found some old scissors to use instead.

    Harry once again turned to his correspondence and worked late into the night.  He found that things were not good.  The Weasleys were no longer staying at headquarters for reasons that were unclear.  Death Eaters were making appearances in both magical areas and muggle communities.  So far they had largely been unsuccessful missions that inflicted little damage.  Hermione theorized that Voldemort was regrouping, and though his numbers were slowly growing, he was laying low after his fight against Dumbledore at the Ministry.  Ron reported that he had overheard (before Mum confiscated the Extendable Ears) Snape report that Voldemort was far more drained by his encounter with Dumbledore and Harry than he thought he should be and as such was extremely put out.

    Many classmates had written Harry saying they had heard what had happened at the Ministry and apologizing for not believing him before.  Several members of the D.A. wrote thanking him for what he had taught him over the past year:  there had been several run ins with Death Eaters and they hoped that he would continue the group next year.  He felt guilty that he was putting so many people in danger, but one of Ginny's letters soon pointed out:

    "Do not think for one moment that your starting the D.A. has anything to do with the attacks, Harry.  The membership of Dumbledore's Army is still a secret.  You have not put people in danger but helped them survive."

    Hermione agreed:  "This really is so incredibly frightening, Harry.  To think what would happen if you hadn't been teaching so many students last year!  It would have been worse then simply receiving a bad Defense O.W.L....  I know what you're thinking Harry, but a matter of life and death is so much more important than getting good grades.  I'm sorry that I accused you of having a "saving people thing," for without your hard work there would be even fewer people standing up to Voldemort than there are now.  We really should think about opening up membership to more students next semester..."

    Several members of the D.A. seemed to agree with Hermione on this point.  Neville had taken up his quill a number of times thanking him for teaching him what kept him alive and brave at the Ministry.  He also mentioned Sirius' death once ("I hope you're doing better, though I think I can imagine how hard it would be to deal with the loss of a loved one") and the fact the additional members would benefit from his tutelage were they to extend their ranks.  Not one person questioned that they would have a D.A. next year, it was assumed and hoped for.  Neville was only one of those who sent Harry books--Curses and Countercurses by Vindictis Viridian in this case--so he could start planning lessons over the summer.  ("I hope to start working on some of these soon with my new wand.")

 
 
 

* * * * * *
 
 
 
    Harry had finally fallen asleep just as the sun was starting to make its presence known on the horizon.  When he woke up his hair was back to its new length.  At breakfast his relatives were obviously not pleased.  Upon returning to his room, Harry found that he did not know how to respond to the deluge of mail he had received.  He quickly wrote a letter to Mrs. Weasley assuring her that though he was still mourning Sirius' death he did appreciate all she had done for him and was starting to recover.

    Recover:  is that what this was?  Even the thought of continuing the D.A. made Harry's thoughts turn to Sirius and it pierced him to the heart.  He focused on the letters because they helped keep his mind off his loss and instead on how much his celebrity status had suddenly been renewed (much to his chagrin).  He no longer had the oblivion of sleep to turn to.  He found that he could hardly sleep at all.  Instead he tossed and turned all night, unable to think of anything else.  Sirius' mirror lay in pieces on his desk.  Tears never came.  Sleep was fleeting.  He could hardly bring himself to look at the defense books because he had already led others into danger with disastrous results, he couldn't imagine doing so again in the future.

    And then there was the prophecy.  He turned it around in his mind day by day, hour by hour.  It became like a mantra to him, one that brought bad luck rather than good.  There was no way he could defeat Voldemort, no way at all.  The only wizard Voldemort had ever feared was Dumbledore; he had defeated Grindelwald, he should be the one to kill Voldemort.  How could he, a boy, kill anyone?  How could he, a half-blood, defeat an evil Lord of unfathomable power?  What did he, an orphan, have as defense against that?

    Harry read from the book Ginny sent him mostly.  He had randomly opened it near the middle, hoping to catch a glimpse of the book's contents, and found himself drawn in.  There was poetry that spoke to him in a way that was more real than any of the letters he was reading.  It helped somehow.  Some of the stuff it said was so off base that it was laughable.  How could she expect him to surrender to this nameless Lord?  How could he be a defender of orphans as he promised if this book was written thousands of years ago?  The Dursleys had never gone to church, had always scoffed at the existance of a higher power, and at the moment Harry was inclined to agree with them.  If there was a god as this book claimed then he sure had some words to exchange with him much in the same way he had with Dumbledore.  Besides, such a god would surely hate him for all that he was just as the Dursleys did. 
 
 

* * * * * *
 
 
 
    The only girl Harry had ever written to was Hermione...  Somehow she just didn't count.  Even though this letter was just for Ginny, Harry found that he had a hard time starting it.  Should he try to sound casual? Friendly?  Distant?  Grateful?  How much should he share with her?  He could hardly bring himself to start it at all, but for some reason he felt that he owed it to her.  The poems did help somehow.  At last he decided to just suck it up and get it over with:

Dear "Ginevra,"

It's hard to believe i never new what your first name is.  I've got to admit that I've never heard that name before.

First off, i guess i should apologize for taking so long to get back to you.  I was surprised to hear from you.  Truth be told i didn't realize you were writing me until yesterday.  I've been kind of out of it.

Things have been better with the Dursleys this summer.  They're still as unpleasant as ever but they aren't bossing me around as much.  Plus i've grown a bit and they all seem too intimidated to do anything to make me use magic or call in some backup.

At first all I could do was sleep, but lately I've hardly been able to sleep at all.  When i do fall asleep i wake up with bad dreams.  I'm sure you know what that feels like.  Oddly enough, Voldemort's been pretty quiet in my head, though.  Hermione seems to think that he's weak because he fought Dumbledore at the Ministry, but i think it also has something to do with the fact that he tried to possess me.  It was awful Ginny, I don't know how you could stand it for months on end, it hurt worse than anything I've ever experienced.  He was taunting me about Sirius and then he left.  He couldn't stay in my mind:  Dumbledore said something about there being something in me that he detests.  I don't know what he was talking about really.  Anyways, he's been quiet since then.

I've been reading some of this book you sent me.  I'm not really sure how it's supposed to help, but i've been reading some of the Psalms.  Did you read it from the beginning?  Cuz it's really long and i still have homework to do (provided I passed any of my O.W.L. exams, that is).  Where exactly should I start reading?

write back soon,

Harry