A Change of Heart

Chapter Fourteen

Being in the Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix was definitely less interesting than Harry had expected. Being underage and still in school, Harry and his friends were not allowed to be anywhere near the Order meetings. The only job they were given was to clean up the Headquarters. Cleaning up Grimmauld Place was not at all easy. And in spite of their best attempts, most of the house remained as uninhabitable as ever.

But staying busy kept him from thinking of Tom. He wondered if Tom had come to visit him in Privet Drive after he'd left. He hadn't had time to leave a message either. Tonks had been with him as he was packing, and even if she wasn't, he had not wanted to leave a note for Tom where the Dursleys could see it.

He'd contemplated sending a note with Hedwig, but in the first excitement of being here and seeing Ron and Hermione and Sirius, he'd forgotten. What was there to write anyway? Which also reminded him that he was yet to tell Ron and Hermione about Tom.

Of course, in all the bustle he had forgotten about his hearing too. It was scheduled for the next day. He wished he felt confident of being vindicated. But he could not be certain. He wondered if Dumbledore was going to be there. If he saw Dumbledore, would he get a chance to tell him about Tom?

Harry sighed. What was he going to tell them? He felt certain that whatever Tom wanted, it was not to harm Harry. But that did not mean that he was not plotting extermination of muggles and muggle-borns. What if Tom was trying to win Harry's trust so that he could undermine Dumbledore's influence over him? If that was Tom's plan, thought he sourly, it was working fairly well, since Dumbledore's continued neglect was already affecting Harry.

He got up from the bed and went to Hedwig. He was feeling slightly reckless. He took a parchment, dipped his quill in ink and wrote, "Hi Tom, my hearing is tomorrow. Just thought I'd let you know. I am with my friends and quite fine. Nervous about the hearing.
Harry.
P.S: Are you sure you didn't send the Dementors?"

Harry read the note once again. He grimaced and struck off the postscript. Tom had already said he didn't send the Dementors and somehow Harry believed him. He sealed the note, wrote Tom Marvolo Riddle on top and stroked Hedwig.

"Please get it to him before morning," he murmured as he watched her go with the note.

Sleep was a long time coming and then he kept dreaming of locked doors and brightly lit halls.