Immortal Magic (Book 1)

Chapter Thirty-Five

Allison's Point of View.

Over the course of the week following the Quidditch World Cup, everyone kept themselves busy in different ways.

Most afternoons, Harry, Ron, Fred, George, Bill, and Charlie would head outside to play Quidditch in the paddock behind the Burrow. Their shouts and laughter could usually be heard from inside the house.

Meanwhile, Hermione and I spent most of our time reading through our schoolbooks and comparing schedules for the upcoming year.

When we weren't reading, we were usually either with Ginny or sitting with Harry and Ron somewhere around the Burrow. Dad and Percy, however, were hardly around at all. They left for the Ministry early every morning and usually didn't return until late at night.

At the moment, I was stretched out in the grass outside the Burrow, writing a letter to Carlisle, Esme, and the rest of the Cullens.

"Hey, what are you doing?"I glanced up to see Harry dropping down beside me on the ground. I tried not to focus on how close he suddenly was and instead looked back down at the parchment in front of me.

"Just writing to Carlisle, Esme, and everyone else," I explained. Harry leaned onto one elbow beside me. "About the World Cup?" I nodded.

"They get the Daily Prophet sent to them, and I don't exactly trust Rita Skeeter to tell the truth." I shook my head slightly. "She twists everything." Harry snorted softly in agreement.

I smiled a little before looking back at him. "Still no sign of Hedwig?" His expression immediately dimmed. "No," he admitted quietly before lying back against the grass and staring up at the sky.

I studied him for a moment. The dark circles beneath his eyes had become more noticeable over the last few days.

Without really thinking about it, I reached over and took his hand, making him turn his head toward me.

"Don't worry," I told him softly. "I'm sure Sirius' letter will arrive soon." Harry gave me a small smile, though it didn't fully reach his eyes. "Have you been having the dream again?" I asked quietly.

He shook his head. "No, but I can't stop thinking about it." He hesitated briefly. "I woke up three days before the Cup after having that dream, and my scar hurt."

My stomach tightened immediately. "The last time that happened," I trailed off. "Voldemort was near me," Harry finished quietly. We looked at each other silently for a moment before Harry nodded.

"And then three days later the Death Eaters showed up at the World Cup," he muttered. I tightened my grip on his hand slightly.

"Harry," I said softly, "you told me Voldemort and Wormtail were planning to kill someone in the dream." Harry looked away from me and back toward the sky. After a long silence, he finally nodded.

"Yeah." I swallowed hard before squeezing his hand again. "Whatever happens," I told him firmly, "I'll be there for you." Harry looked back at me.

"Always and forever." A soft smile spread across Harry's face before he leaned over and pressed a gentle kiss to my forehead. Heat rushed to my cheeks immediately.

I quickly busied myself by neatly stacking my finished letters beside me before lying back against the grass beside him. For a while, we simply lay there together in comfortable silence.

"I wish I could come here more often," Harry admitted after several quiet minutes. I rolled onto my side so I was facing him. "And why's that?" I asked teasingly.

Harry smiled back at me. "Well, other than you, Ron, and your family," he began, "everything here just feels peaceful." He glanced up toward the Burrow.