Harry Potter and the Blood of Merlin.

Chapter 4 - Dreaming of Dudley

Quickly now, come on they will be here soon.' A woman's voice called over to him. He couldn't quite see her but Harry knew she was only a few feet away. The room had filled with smoke and it was making it very hard to see anything. It smelt like a mixture of steam from a potion and something burning, wood or paper maybe?

'You must come quickly we need to hide it, they must not find it.' The woman's voice again but more urgently now.

He saw his own hand rise and a sharp dagger pricked his finger. He marveled at the fact he couldn't feel any pain. It seemed so real yet so distant. He watched as a single drop of blood gathered on his finger then fell landing on something laying on the table in front of him, something he could quite see.

'You finished with that' a gruff voice called to him and he turned to his left to see his cousin Dudley sat next to him. He wore his Smelting's hat and reached out to grab a chicken leg which was now on a plate in front of him.

Harry awoke with a start. It had been late when he had reached the Burrow and Mrs. Weasley had insisted he go straight to bed. He looked over and could see the crop of bright red hair sticking out from Ron's covers were he lay still snoring away.

What had that dream been all about? Why was that woman in such a rush? What had the drop of blood been for? And why had Dudley been there? He had very rarely dreamed about Dudley and not in a magical context anyway. He supposed with everything that had happened he wasn't surprised he was having weird dreams. He climbed out of bed to write a letter to Sirius about the dream when the thought hit him. He couldn't write to Sirius. The sight of his godfather falling back through the archway hit him like a punch to the stomach, one of Dudley's right hooks knocking the wind out of him. He sat on the edge of the camp bed in Ron's room staring at his own feet. He wouldn't be able to send him anymore letters. He wouldn't be able to visit him at Grimmauld Place, he would be able to speak to him anymore. Sirius had been the only person Harry could talk to about his father and now he was another person who had left him. Someone else who was supposed to look after him and they had left him.

A bang shook the room and Ron sat bolt upright, his hair sticking out at all angles.

'Huh, w, what' he called out sleepily.

The Chudley Cannons poster above Ron's bed was now shouldering slightly from one corner and the two watched as the players scrambled to get away from the smoking edge. Ron threw his pillow at the poster putting out the small flames.

'Morning Harry' he grinned 'Bad dream' he chuckled. 'You could just punched me if you don't like my snoring you know'

Before Harry could reply the door burst open and Mrs. Weasley came in and looked to the poster, the bottom right corner now gone. Her face full of thunder and she rounded on Ron

'It wasn't me' Ron burst out, 'Harry had a bad dream.'

Instantaneously her face smoothed into one of complete calm, 'Don't worry Harry dear, its fixable' and with a flourish of her wand the poster mended itself.

Ron mumbled under his breath as he pulled a t shirt over his head.

'Wouldda been war if I had done it' he murmured.

'Well you didn't, now get downstairs and help Ginny with breakfast, I want a word with Harry' she told him sternly.

They both looked at her, 'what do you want me for Mrs. Weasley.'' Harry asked but she didn't answer him, she just stared at Ron until he left the room and shut the door behind him. She sat in silence until she was sure Ron had gone downstairs.

'I had two brothers you know Harry' She told him in a quiet voice 'Gideon and Fabian, Twins like my Fred and George.' She stood and walked over to the window looking out over the garden. He could see her face, slightly smiling yet sad. Harry couldn't see where she was going with this but he could tell by the look on her face that it was something serious.

'Just like Fred and George they were growing up, oh they didn't half wind me up, but I loved them dearly. I guess that's where I get my patience for Fred and George.' She stopped and came back to sit beside Harry. She placed her hand over Harrys with such care.

'They died fighting he who must not be named Harry, did you know that, he killed them personally'

Harry froze, he had been expecting this kind of conversation off someone but not Mrs. Weasley, Dumbledore or Hermione maybe but not her.

'From what we were told they put up a bloody good fight but I guess they were no match for him. This is why I'm so scared for you, all of you I can't lose anyone else Harry.'

A small tear fell from the corner of her eye, Harry moved to wipe it but she took out a hanky and dabbed at her eyes.

'It's not healthy to bottle everything up you know' she looked at him with such intensity.

'I know, I'm not, I mean' Harry stuttered out, and she looked over to the now repaired Poster.

'I know what it's like Harry, I know you lost your parents, and please don't react but you didn't really know them, but Sirius'

The sound of his name burst something inside of him and the books on the table flew to the floor with a thud.

'Harry please you need to grieve, you don't need to be strong no one is expecting that. When my brothers died I kept it all in, I pushed everyone away, even Arthur.' She placed her arms around Harry now. He could feel the sobs coming and felt his shoulders twitch. He relaxed into her embrace and allowed the tears to fall over him.

'But if it wasn't for Arthur I would have been in a very dark place Harry and that is not somewhere you want to be' she whispered to him. 'Remember there are more of us than you think that love you Harry.'

She gave him one last squeeze before standing up. 'Breakfast will be ready in ten minutes she said standing smoothing out her apron, she handed him her hanky and left the room.

He looked down at the square of cloth she had handed him. Then he looked over to the poster and the books on the floor. He felt so angry, so alone but Mrs. Weasley had recognized that in him. Although he knew he wouldn't go to a dark place he just wanted to lash out at someone, anyone. He dabbed his eyes with the hanky and noticed the initials in the corner. G.P, he guessed that it had once belonged to Gideon.