The Disgraced of the House of Black - A Multi-Character Fanfiction - Part One

122. Anger Beyond All Understanding

Eliana instantly looked up as the door to the kitchen opened. Moody entered first, clunking his way to his seat as the other Order members who had gone for Harry followed after him. At the very back of the group, she caught sight of Remus, smiling at something Kingsley had said before he took his seat beside her, smiling in her direction. Eliana couldn't help but smile back as the same feeling she remembered feeling a thousand times before for him swelled in her chest.

Frowning slightly to herself, she nervously began fidgeting with her hands, a habit she shared with Althea. As she focused toward the front, however, she suddenly felt a warm hand over both of her own. Looking over in surprise, she saw Remus looking at her in concern. Smiling, she gently squeezed his hand back, answering his unasked question.

.

Althea had almost brought the letter out again when footsteps reached their ears. Hermione instantly set aside her book as Ron ceased his pacing. The moment the door opened, Hermione lunged forward to embrace Harry.

Althea smiled, slipping off her seat as Hermione shrieked, "HARRY! Ron, he's here, Harry's here! We didn't hear you arrive! Thea, you were supposed to be watching out the window. Oh, how are you? Are you all right? Have you been furious with us? I bet you have, I know our letters were useless - but we couldn't tell you anything, Dumbledore made us swear we wouldn't, oh, we've got so much to tell you, and you've got to tell us - the dementors! When we heard - and that Ministry hearing - it's just outrageous, I've looked it all up, they can't expel you, they just can't, there's provision in the Decree for the Restriction of Underage Sorcery for the use of magic in life-threatening situations-"

"Let him breathe, Hermione," Ron said with a grin, closing the door behind Harry as Hermione finally released him.

"Hi," Harry said, embracing Althea.

She smiled back at him reservedly but nonetheless looking pleased. She had missed Harry more than she'd realized. He was the most likely to listen to her ramblings. At least, he had been before...everything.

"Hi," she replied, hugging him tightly.

When she had pulled away, Hedwig, who had calmed down by the morning after her arrival, swooped toward Harry from her spot on top of the wardrobe.

"Hedwig!" he cried with a smile as she landed on his arm.

"She's been in a right state," Ron said. "Pecked us half to death when she brought your last letters. Look at this..."

Holding up his hands, he showed Harry the many markings from Hewig's beak.

"Oh yeah," Harry said. "Sorry about that, but I wanted answers, you know..."

"We wanted to give them to you, mate," Ron said. "Hermione was going spare, she kept saying you'd do something stupid if you were stuck all on your own without news, but Dumbledore made us-"

"-swear not to tell me," Harry cut in. "Yeah, Hermione's already said."

Any semblance of a smile Althea had managed instantly slipped from her face as she saw the warmth in Harry's expression quickly dissolve into nothing as he stroked Hedwig, refusing to look at any of them.

"He seemed to think it was best," Hermione said in a breathless voice, glancing nervously at Ron. "Dumbledore, I mean."

"Right," Harry muttered.

As he continued petting Hedwig, he noticed Hermione too bore marks from Hedwig's beak. He didn't find he particularly cared, though. In fact, he realized he wasn't in the least sorry.

"I think he thought you were safest with the muggles," Ron added.

"Yeah?" Harry replied, looking up at them as he raised his eyebrows. "Have any of you been attacked by dementors this summer?"

"Well, no - but that's why he's had people from the Order of the Phoenix tailing you all the time-" Hermione began.

Althea instantly knew that had been the wrong thing to say. With a small sigh, she sank down to sit on the floor, leaning back against the bedframe as he snapped, "Didn't work out that well, though, did it? Had to look after myself after all, didn't I?"

"He was so angry," Hermione said. "Dumbledore. We saw him. When he found out Mungungus had left before his shift had ended. He was scary."

"Well, I'm glad he left," Harry said coldly. "If he hadn't, I wouldn't have done magic and Dumbledore would probably have left me at Privet Drive all summer."

There was a stunned silence as Hermione and Ron shared worried looks. Hermione glanced at Althea, but she was sitting with her head in her hand, her eyes closed. Whether or not she was listening, Hermione couldn't tell anymore.

"Aren't you...aren't you worried about the Ministry of Magic hearing?" Hermione asked cautiously.

"No," Harry said defiantly.

Althea heard him walking past her but didn't look up as he crossed to the other side of the room, looking around him without much interest. As he passed Althea, however, he noticed the marks on her hands from Hedwig. He couldn't help but feel a small twinge of regret.

Turning back to face them, he asked in an oddly forced voice, "So why's Dumbledore so keen to keep me in the dark? Did you - er - bother to ask him at all?"

"We told Dumbledore we wanted to tell you what was going on," Ron said, exchanging a look of dread with Hermione. "We did, mate. But he's really busy now, we've only seen him twice since we came here and he didn't have much time, he just made us swear not to tell you important stuff when we wrote, he said the owls might be intercepted-"

"He could still've kept me informed if he's wanted to," Harry retorted shortly. "You're not telling me he doesn't know ways to send messages without owls."

Glancing hesitantly at Ron, Hermione replied, "I thought that too. But he didn't want you to know anything."

"Maybe he thinks I can't be trusted," Harry said coldly, watching their expressions.

"Don't be thick," Ron said, disconcerted.

"Or that I can't take care of myself," Harry added.

"Of course he doesn't think that!" Hermione cried.

"So how come I have to stay at the Dursleys' while you three get to join in on everything that's going on here?" Harry snapped, speaking very quickly, his voice growing louder and louder with each word. "How come you three are allowed to know everything that's going on-?"

"We're not!" Ron interrupted. "Mum won't let us near the meetings, she says we're too young. Even Madam Black wouldn't let-"

Before he could finish, Harry began shouting, causing Althea to flinch. She still hadn't looked up.

"SO YOU HABEM'T BEEN IN THE MEETING, BIG DEAL! YOU'VE STILL BEEN HERE, HADN'T YOU? YOU'VE STILL BEEN TOGETHER! ME, I'VE BEEN STUCK AT THE DURSLEYS FOR A MONTH! AND I'VE HANDLED MORE THAN YOU THREE'VE EVER MANAGED AND DUMBLEDORE KNOWS IT - WHO SAVED THE SORCERER'S STONE? WHO GOT RID OF RIDDLE? WHO SAVED BOTH YOUR SKINS FROM THE DEMENTORS?"