chapter 22

Harry fell asleep soon after Molly left the room again. He woke up from a voice talking quietly right by his ear, "Time to wake up, Harry dear." Harry felt chills run through his whole body from the breath on his ear, and not the good kind. Harry sprang out of bed before the voice could say, or breath, anything more.

Molly was sitting on the edge of his bed, she smiled at him, saying "Good morning." Harry looked around, seeing that the rest of the room was still sleeping. His attention was replaced on Molly when she began talking again. "Harry, I know I'm not your mother, but I care for you as if you were my own. I have to ask you, is everything okay at home? I heard you aunt left your uncle, why?" she asked in a small voice. She's a better actor than I thought she would be…

"What do you mean? Aunt Petunia left Vernon because he was abusive, and she couldn't handle it anymore," Harry said, having his "innocent three-year-old"-mask ready for action. Molly's face twitched slightly at Harry's response. Harry could see that his response irked Molly. Okay, maybe not that good…

Even in her irked state, with a permanent twitch in her left eye – she probably didn't believe him – she asked another question, "Then, what about now? Where are you guys living now?" Her voice had gained some strain, but overall was still "motherly".

Harry was cornered, he couldn't just not answer. Just as he was about to lie his way out of her question, they both heard Ginny's voice. "MUM!" was yelled, probably from the ground floor, and Molly was out the bedroom door before the ringing in Harry's ears subsided.

With a relived sigh, Harry raised his right hand to massage his right ear. It had hurt, but at least it had gotten him out of the situation, so Harry would tolerate Ginny for the day. Harry looked around again and saw that the three red-heads were still sound asleep. Here I am bursting an eardrum and they are sleeping? Harry thought in outrage. Harry reached out his left hand towards Ron and manipulated to air to cast the blanket off of him. when that didn't wake him up, Harry made a jet of air blow straight in his face.

"Waaah!?" Ron yelped as the small wind made contact with his face. Harry smirked as Ron darted out of his bed, "What was that?" he whined as he saw Harry was awake. Harry didn't answer, only turned to Fred and George. He did the same with them. First, blowing their blankets away, then firing off a jet of air straight in their faces. "Cool, mate. But couldn't you have woken us up like normal?" Ron whined at him again.

Harry just smiled the sweetest smile he could manage while still blowing air in Fred's face – he just wouldn't wake up as fast as George – and said "No."

After Fred finally woke up, they all got ready, and took turns using the bathroom on their way down. Fred and George took turns leaning on Harry as they waited for the other to finish before they all went all the way down to the kitchen.

"Where are Bill, Charlie, and Percy?" George asked after looking around the kitchen for a few seconds. They didn't ask anyone in particular, but it was Molly that answered.

"Well, they are Apparating, of course," she said, "So they can afford to sleep in." All the boys shuffled uncomfortably around as they sat down. The way Molly had said it was like she thought it was a stupid question, like she thinks they are dumb.

They ate their porridge in silence, only saying something when Arthur came into the kitchen, and that was mostly just greetings. When they finally finished eating, Arthur took charge and began herding everyone towards the door. They were out the door in no time and soon the Burrow was far behind them and the hill they were walking towards came closer and closer.

As they began walking up the hill some people began falling behind. "Where are we going?" Hermione heaved from behind. She was probably the least fit person and was out of breath already. Harry turned to see her and Ginny walking all the way in the back, probably 3 meter behind the rest of them.

"This is Stoatshead hill, we have a portkey at the top to get to," Arthur explained. He took out his pocket watch to look at the time before saying "We can probably take a little break here. We have enough time for everyone to catch their breaths."

As soon as the Hermione had caught her breath, she began ranting about portkeys like no one knew what they were. Worst part was that she was giving pointed stares at Harry. Does she think I don't know?

Harry had learned the strangest things after moving to the Potter Manor, part of it was because of Dudley. Turns out, Dudley isn't dumb at all, and it was only because of compulsions that his IQ was on the floor. The last few weeks Dudley has inhaled books from the Potter library and the public muggle library a few streets over. Dudley had quickly began researching about what magic squibs could use and Harry had become sort of a soundboard for him. Dudley had talked about everything a squib could do that was remotely magical, potions and arithmancy to magical transportation was a few of the things Dudley had info dumped on Harry. So Harry knew what a portkey was, he even knew how to make one.

They had begun walking again as Hermione continued talking, Harry had, of course, tuned her out after the first sentence. They had finally arrived at their "spot", where an old worn boot was laying by the path. "Looks like we're the first ones here," Arthur said as he stopped by the boot.

"There are other people coming?" Ginny asked loudly from the back.

"Ooh, yes there is!" a voice came from further down the path, past a bent. Everyone watched as two people came around the bent, a man around Arthur's age and another was a few years older than Harry.

"Cedric?" Harry asked, recognizing the younger of the two. Cedric Diggory was the Seeker for Hufflepuff at Hogwarts and was in the same year as Fred and George.

Before Cedric could answer the man beside him, who Harry guessed is his father, interrupted. "Arthur!" he said loudly, "How are you?"

"Amos, it's good to see you. I'm fine, thank you," Arthur answered in kind. "I see you brought your son?" Arthur asked.

"Why yes, yes I did! This is Cedric, as your children pointed out," Mr. Diggory said as he clasped an arm over Cedric's shoulders.

"Not all of them are mine, mind you. that's Hermione," Arthur pointed at Hermione beside Ginny, "and that's Harry," he directed the attention to Harry. "They're friends," he explained.

"Harry? As in Harry Potter?" Mr. Diggory asked, now staring at Harry, making obvious glances at his forehead.

"Why yes, actually. How did you know?" Harry asked in the most sarcastic voice he could muster. The reaction must have surprised Mr. Diggory because his face began to sweat. Harry could hear Fred, George, and Ron hold back laughter.

Before the silence that had just fallen over the group could continue for too long Arthur took out his watch and announced, "Look at the time, we have to get ready!"

Everyone crowded around the boot, reaching to have even the tiniest of contact with it. Harry may know theoretically how a portkey works, from making it to actually using it, but experiencing it himself was something else. Harry did not like it. it felt as though a hook just behind his navel had been suddenly jerked irresistibly forward. His feet left the ground; he could feel Fred and George on either side of him, their shoulders banging into his; they were all speeding forward in a howl of wind and swirling color; his forefinger was stuck to the boot as though it was pulling him magnetically onward.

Harry felt the air around him and he saw the ground and saw giant areas with tents stretching for miles below. The landing was anything but graceful, but at least Harry had eased the landing. He stopped the momentum right before impact, making it look like they fell all the way, but saving their asses the pain. He didn't cushion the fall for Hermione or Ginny, though.