"He likes sherbet?" Ginny asked softly, reading the note over Harry's shoulder, her face full of confusion.
"It's the password for the stone gargoyle outside his office," Harry explained.
"Blimey!" Ron let out an excited shout. "Professor Dumbledore's private tutoring… mate, not just anyone gets that kind of privilege!"
"What do you think Professor Dumbledore will teach you?" Ginny asked curiously.
"Probably… some really advanced Defense Against the Dark Arts," Ron guessed, ticking ideas off on his fingers. "Or special spells and magic that even the Death Eaters don't know…"
"I'm actually looking forward to going back to Hogwarts," Harry admitted, sounding excited as well. "Apparition lessons… and Professor Dumbledore's private tutoring… every bit of it sounds brilliant!"
"When we get back, we should ask Hermione about it too," Ron said thoughtfully. "That Christopher Patrick bloke… he seems to know a lot, and he hasn't told us everything…"
Their conversation was abruptly cut short by Mrs. Weasley's untimely entrance.
"Harry, dear—and Ron…" she said with a warm smile. "Would you mind going back to your rooms? I'm about to start dinner… Ginny, come along and help me get the bread oven going…"
Harry and Ron had no choice but to shuffle out of the kitchen. Ginny shot Harry a quick look before following her mother.
...
A few minutes later, Harry made his way down into the pitch-dark basement of the Burrow and stopped in front of his cramped little room.
If one could even call it a room.
He turned the rusty lock—apparently untouched for decades before he moved in—covered his nose against the heavy musty smell, and stepped inside, settling down at the small table.
Hedwig glared at him from inside her cage. Judging by her expression, she was just as displeased with the surroundings as he was.
"Sorry, I'll let you out for some fresh air," Harry said quickly, hurrying over to open the cage.
Hedwig gave his hand a sharp peck before beating her wings and flying out of the room.
"Ow!" Harry muttered, rubbing his hand. He placed Professor Albus Dumbledore's note on the table, then set the Half-Blood Prince's copy of Advanced Potion-Making on top of it.
He glanced at the calendar. Six days remained before the end of the Christmas holiday.
Just then, a loud thump sounded behind him, making him jump.
Harry instantly grabbed his wand and spun toward the source of the noise.
"Squeak… squeak… squeak…"
A small, swift shape darted into a crack in the wall.
"Just a rat." Harry let out a breath. It wasn't the first time he'd seen one in this room. In a place that hadn't been lived in for decades and was crammed full of old junk, finding the occasional animal wasn't surprising.
The rat had toppled an old trunk.
Harry held his breath and edged closer.
Since he wasn't allowed to use magic outside school, he had to pick up the fallen items by hand and put them back.
A silver snuffbox…
A battered wizard's hat…
Several crystal bottles filled with strange liquids…
The stale, mouldy smell was so strong Harry felt slightly sick. Fortunately, not much had fallen out. Soon, only one small box remained on the floor.
It looked like a gift—an unopened one.
He brushed off the dust and could just make out a line of writing on the top.
"To Gideon Prewett!"
The signature beneath it had faded beyond recognition.
Gideon Prewett… if Harry remembered correctly, he was Mrs. Weasley's brother. Hagrid and Moody had mentioned that he was one of the original members of the Order of the Phoenix. During Voldemort's previous reign of terror, Gideon Prewett and his brother Fabian Prewett had been killed by a group of Death Eaters. They had died bravely.
The box was filthy, reeking of mould, yet for some reason, Harry felt a strange sense of familiarity when he looked at it.
"Well… Mr. Prewett's gone," Harry murmured to himself. "Maybe I should open it for him… see what's inside."
As he thought this over, Harry Potter reached out and began tugging at the ribbon tied around the box.
...
While Harry Potter was "tidying up" in his room, a small commotion arose at the entrance to the Burrow.
"It's Professor Dumbledore!" Bill Weasley, who had been standing guard by the door, was the first to get up. He called out in a low voice, "Mum, Professor Dumbledore's here!"
Mrs. Weasley hurried out at once, still wearing her apron.
"Professor Dumbledore, what a surprise!" she said excitedly, steadying him by the arm. "Arthur's still at the Ministry, but he should be back in about fifteen minutes… Will you stay for dinner?"
"My apologies, Molly. I fear I've put you to some inconvenience these past few days," Dumbledore said with a faint, apologetic smile.
"No trouble at all—none at all," Mrs. Weasley insisted, shaking her head. "It's only right we do our part for the Order of the Phoenix. Mad-Eye and Remus are in the sitting room holding a meeting. Would you like to join them?"
"No, that won't be necessary," Professor Dumbledore replied, shaking his head gently. "Remus keeps me informed with daily summaries. I'm on my way to the Ministry to attend to a matter and merely stopped by. How are Hestia, Sturgis, and Emmeline?"
"They're quite all right. Their injuries aren't serious—they should recover in a week or two. Someone's taking care of them."
Sturgis Podmore, Hestia Jones, and Emmeline Vance had suffered minor injuries during the fighting at Grimmauld Place and the defense of Hogwarts. To avoid drawing suspicion, they were currently recuperating at the Burrow.
"May I visit them, Molly?" Albus Dumbledore asked kindly.
"Of course, Professor. This way, please." Mrs. Weasley nodded without hesitation.