Chapter 13: Another Dream

The utter shock of Krum’s death subsided quickly, but it felt like it lasted quite a while. After Hermione and Ginny’s departure to Hogwarts, Ron continued to snub Harry.

Jeremy, on the other hand, seemed quite cheerful and positively talkative. Whenever he was with Harry, he could not stop talking. However, a few times during the week, Jeremy left the Burrow for some “important matters”, as he called them.

Meanwhile, Harry, Ron, and Jeremy passed the time by playing Quidditch in the backyard. Harry was surprised to witness Jeremy’s quite shocking performance in agility, far greater than Harry’s. While watching Jeremy, Harry began to recognize some similarities between Jeremy and Snape, but apparently, the only feature worth noting was the hooked nose.

One day, while Harry, Ron, and Jeremy were gearing up for a Quidditch game again, Harry asked, “Hey, Jeremy! You never told me where you work. So, where do you actually work?”

Jeremy grinned, “Well, I have a Quidditch shop in Diagon Alley. I sell all sorts of Quidditch equipment and other memorabilia.”

Harry nodded and said, “But why don’t you ever go there anymore?”

Jeremy laughed and replied, “Well, I’m actually the owner of the shop, so I can visit once or twice a week, just to check that everything is running smoothly. Sometimes when one of my employees gets sick or has to leave for some reason, then I take charge of it.”

“Where is it in Diagon Alley?” asked Harry.

“It’s besides Zonko’s Joke shop. Fred used to know me, and he told me about you,” replied Jeremy.

Harry, mouth gaping, said, “Fred knew you all along?”

Jeremy nodded and said, “He knew me alright, but only as Jeremy. He never knew about my true identity. However, I haven’t seen him in a while. I wonder where he’s been?”

Harry, gulping, replied, "Fred died a couple months ago, Jeremy.”

After playing Quidditch for most of the day, Harry felt tired and went straight to bed without even changing out of his clothes. As soon as he laid on his bed, he entered his dreams:

Harry could see something swirling in the distance: it was coming closer. He could see its tiny wings, flapping vigorously, but it was inside a room he never saw before.

“Touch it!” whispered a soft voice in his ear.

Harry tried to stretch out his hand, but another voice said, “You’ll need a challenger! Otherwise, it will be out of your reach!