Summary: Harry's Aunt and Cousin have drastically changed. He notices that Ginny is no longer a little girl, and see his two best friends finally admit thier feelings for eachother. And the summer is just beginning!!!
Chapter 18 is up, 19 is in the Queue!!!
Categories: Ron/Hermione AND Harry/Ginny Characters: None
Warnings: Alternate Universe
Challenges: Series: None
Chapters: 19
Completed: Yes
Word count: 56645
Read: 86777
Published: 05/10/05
Updated: 07/20/06
1. Revelations by Katastrophe
2. Explanations by Katastrophe
3. Tales to Tell by Katastrophe
4. Friendships, News and Observations...Oh My! by Katastrophe
5. Let Me Go by Katastrophe
6. Tears and Fears by Katastrophe
7. Collide by Katastrophe
8. Revelations by Katastrophe
9. A Test of Wills by Katastrophe
10. Confessions and Lessons by Katastrophe
11. Perceptions by Katastrophe
12. Potter Manor by Katastrophe
13. Time for a Change by Katastrophe
14. Trials and Tribulations by Katastrophe
15. Animals Within by Katastrophe
16. Coming Together by Katastrophe
17. Down Memory Lane by Katastrophe
18. Shopping and Battles, Is There Really A Difference? by Katastrophe
19. Fighting, Healing, and Romance by Katastrophe
Revelations by Katastrophe
Prophecy’s Child
Chapter 1: Revelations
Harry sighed and leaned against the door. His aunt and uncle were fighting again. It was such a surprise at first, he had never heard them argue, much less his aunt standing up to his uncle. This was the ninth fight in as many days.
His cousin Dudley came knocking at his bedroom door. “Harry, are you there?” He said as quietly as he could.
Harry opened the door without speaking, wondering what his cousin was up to.
“What do you want Dudley?” Harry asked after a few moments of the two of them just staring at eachother.
“It’s you they are fighting about, you know,” said Dudley. “They’ve been going at it all year, ever since the attack by the dementors last year. Mum has been writing to that Dumbledore guy.”
This took Harry by surprise. His aunt had never had anything to do with what she called “his type”, meaning wizards in general.
“Oh? And I suppose this is my fault?” Harry said with a great deal of sarcasm.
“According to Father, yes. But I think it was inevitable. We had to find out sometime what was going on in that world of yours.”
“What do you mean? You and you parents have never cared for me one way or the other,” said Harry.
The boys heard stomping and a door slamming downstairs, but paid little attention to the noise.
“I’ve changed a lot since last year Harry. I don’t expect you to believe it. But Mum and I both have changed. It took me realizing that you had saved me, and not tried to harm me to bring about that change. I mean, all I had ever done was pick on you, and get my friends to pick on you as well. When things had calmed down after you left last summer, I started to question Mum about things. It seems that the incident that night brought back a lot of memories about Aunt Lily that Mum had thought were long buried.”
“Why should I believe or trust you?” Harry asked incredulously.
“Because he is telling the truth. We have much to discuss and much to apologize for Harry. I let childish jealousy get in the way. I also let the prejudices of my husband rub off on me. I lost the time I could have had left with my sister before she died. I treated you abysmally out of anger, and for that I apologize. I don’t expect your forgiveness, but I had to apologize,” said Petunia as she walked in the door.
Harry’s jaw dropped open as he stared at his Aunt and Cousin as if they had grown two heads.
“I was jealous of Lily. I never received a letter from Hogwarts. Lily was always the beautiful one, the gifted one, and when she for her letter and I didn’t, it was just too much. I completely rejected the life she had chosen. I took that out on you for so many years,” Petunia said as she wrung her hands in the doorway. “After the dementors attacked you and Dudley last summer, I began corresponding with your headmaster. He had quite a lot to tell me. You are a remarkable young man Harry, no thanks to Vernon or me. I may not be able to make amends for all the wrongs done in the past, but I would like a chance to make a difference from here on out.”
“Somehow I don’t see Uncle Vernon agreeing with this,” said Harry with a sardonic smile.
“Vernon has decided to leave. Dudley and I have talked about this possibility for months. I knew Vernon’s patience would not last much longer, but I had not expected him to blow his top so soon. He has given the three of us two weeks to get out.”
Harry’s face fell as the guilt hit him. He had broken up his aunt’s family. How was he going to live with this on top of Sirius’s death?
“I see that look Harry Potter, and you can get it off your face right this very moment. I knew the chance I was taking by talking to Professor Dumbledore. Albus made me realize the mistakes and misconceptions I had made over the years. I was planning on leaving Vernon, I had just counted on more time to get things ready. Vernon has given me a week to get out and take you with me. I had even given Dudley the option to stay with his father or come with me. He chose to come with me….with us if you will have us.”
Harry sat down heavily on his bed. He wondered if he had slipped into some sort of muggle telly show where everything was turned topsy turvy as a joke. He was still staring dumbly at his aunt when he heard the pops that accompany apparition.
Tonks, Lupin, and Moody rushed into the room, tripping over Petunia in the doorway.
“We have to get out of here NOW!” yelled Tonks as she picked herself up off the floor.
“What is the meaning of this?” asked Petunia, almost forgetting her promise to herself and her nephew to change her ways.
“Because of you throwing Harry out, the wards around this house are crashing as we sit here and argue. I have orders from Dumbledore to remove you all from the premises,” exclaimed Moody as his magical eye kept scanning the area.
“It was my uncle, not my Aunt, Moody. I will explain it all later,” said Harry as he snapped back to reality. “We need to make sure Aunt Petunia and Dudley are safe as well.”
“I have a portkey here, set for headquarters. I am not sure about taking these two,” Moody pointed to Petunia and Dudley. “But if you are sure Harry…”
“I’m positive. Now let’s go, this is going to be a long night of explanations. They can start when we are settled,” said Harry with a sigh.
Lupin escorted a very frightened Dudley to his room to pack while Tonks went with Petunia. Moody waved his wand and Harry’s items flew into his trunk. Luckily Hedwig was out hunting, so they shrunk her cage to fit in the trunk.
The six met in the hallway, touched the teacup that had been enchanted as a portkey, and left Privet Drive .
Explanations by Katastrophe
Explanations
A/N I know Dudley and Petunia seem OOC, I will explain the changes next chapter. Thanks to everyone who has read and given me a chance with my first fanfic!!!
A/N JK Rowling owns the world of Harry Potter. Many thanks to her for letting us play in her world.
Molly Weasley was trying to keep her hands busy in the kitchen. Her family had moved to headquarters only three days earlier, and there was still a lot to do to get the place in shape. She had been contacted by Albus Dumbledore and informed that the wards at 4 Privet Drive were falling. More than likely Harry’s vile relatives have thrown him out, the fools, she thought to herself. She had never held much respect for the relatives that always sent Harry back underfed and overworked. Who could see a boy that had been through so very much and not want to take care of him? What kind of monsters were these people?
Molly was debating on calling Ron and Ginny down to let them know that Harry was on his way. She did not want to alarm them. In the middle of her ponderings, her youngest and only daughter Ginny walked softly into the kitchen.
“Hi Mum,” Ginny said reaching up to give her mum a kiss on the cheek. “Just wanted to get something to drink.” She finally looked at her mother’s face and froze in her tracks. “What is it Mum? What’s going on?” Ginny was beginning to panic at the worried look on her mother’s face.
Molly debated telling her the truth, and finally decided that the truth was the best option. “They have gone to get Harry. Something has happened and the wards on Privet Drive are falling. Tonks, Moody, and Lupin went to get Harry right after the alarm sounded at Hogwarts. We’re hoping with advanced warning and quick reactions that we can get him out of there before the Death Eaters even know what hit them.”
Ginny listened calmly, boiling inside at Harry’s relatives. The only explanation she could figure out was that they had thrown him out. The wards around Privet Drive were very old and very strong magic, and would stand up against everything except Harry’s family telling him he had to leave and not come back. She took a deep breath to calm herself, nodded at her mother and went to tell her brother Ron that his best friend would be arriving soon.
She had taken no more than four steps out of the kitchen when chaos broke loose and she was forced to turn back to the kitchen to see what was going on. Instead of seeing the four people in the kitchen that she expected, there were six.
Petunia tried to catch her breath, her balance and her son at the same time. She had never traveled in such a peculiar way before. After a few seconds of trying to balance herself and Dudley, they both fell to the ground.
Harry reached down to help up his aunt and his cousin. Smiling wryly he said, “Takes a bit of getting used to. The landing is the hardest part.”
Harry was still in a bit of shock by all that had been revealed and all that had happened this evening. His aunt and uncle had split up. His aunt was actually being NICE toward him. This had to be some sort of bizarre dream. His mind was spinning with possibilities, each more unlikely than the next.
Molly stepped forward and pulled Harry into one of her bone crushing hugs, warily eyeing the two unknown arrivals. Harry hugged her back, and taking a deep breath turned to make the introductions.
“Everyone, this is my Aunt Petunia and my cousin Dudley. Aunt Petunia and Dudley, you have sort of met Remus Lupin, Tonks, and Alastor Moody. This is Molly and Ginny Weasley. Ron should be coming downstairs soon to find out what all the ruckus is about.” Harry watched Mrs. Weasley and Ginny as their mouths fell open and identical redheaded tempers took over. He quickly added, “It seems that a lot has changed in a very short time. If we can all sit down for a few, perhaps we can get some of this mess straightened out before we let tempers fly.” On the last part he looked directly into Ginny’s blazing eyes, begging her to be patient. She looked away, a little ashamed, but still feeling indignant that Petunia and Dudley had been brought along.
Kingsley Shacklebolt’s face appeared in the fireplace, startling Petunia who was looking around trying to take in her new surroundings. She jumped, bumped into Dudley, who in turn bumped into Tonks, knocking her forward in to Lupin. Lupin’s enhanced reflexes kept everyone from falling into a heap on the ground, but he found himself holding onto and staring at Tonks.
“Sorry to startle everyone, but the house on Privet Drive is under attack. Looks like you guys got everyone out in time, but we need some help out here to keep innocent bystanders from getting hurt. It looks like the Death Eaters are out in force this evening.”
Petunia gasped, her house was being attacked? Molly saw the frightened look on her face and said, “Let the others handle it Petunia. Muggles are no match for Death Eaters. Let’s fix something to eat and hear what happened to start this entire mess. Better for us to stay out of the way and make sure the children are settled. Ginny, go get your brother,” she said in her no-nonsense voice.
Tonks, Lupin, and Moody disappeared with pops, once again startling Petunia. Dudley just looked on in silence, still in a bit of shock.
Molly started making herself busy in the kitchen getting the sandwiches ready for everyone. Petunia shyly asked if she could help, trying to busy her own hands while she mentally tried to come to terms with everything that had happened this evening.
Molly looked Petunia up and down and decided there would be a time for anger later. For now, they needed to try and make things as normal as possible for the boys. “The pot is on the stove to make the tea. The tea itself is in the sideboard,” she said to Petunia.
Petunia looked at the stove for the knobs to get the flame started. Seeing none, she turned back to Molly.
Molly sighed, “I forgot, my fault.” She waved her wand and the stove flames leapt to life.
Petunia stifled a gasp, knowing there would be much to get used to over the next few days. She turned to the stove and started to prepare the tea.
Ginny walked quietly out of the kitchen, not believing what she had just seen. Harry’s muggle relatives were here at the headquarters for the Order. She ran up the stairs as quickly as she could. At the open door to Ron’s room, she stopped to catch her breath before speaking.
“Oi, Ginny! What’s the rush?” Ron asked, watching his sister as she panted in the doorway.
“Harry’s…….muggles……here……get……kitchen…..now,” she said trying to catch her breath.
Ron barely understood her, but realizing there were muggles and Harry in the kitchen, he followed his sister down the steps almost as quickly as she had come up them.
They stopped outside of the door to the kitchen, looking in to see their mum and Petunia working together to get tea and sandwiches made. As their mouths dropped open in shock at seeing the two women working together, Harry turned to see his friends standing in the doorway. Chuckling, he grabbed both their arms and pulled them along with him as he exited the kitchen. Still pulling them along, he stopped by the dining room table.
“Well I guess I have some explaining to do. I still don’t know everything myself, but I can catch you up to where I am, so we can all be partially clueless together. We probably will not be able to get anything else cleared up until the others get back anyway.” So he sat down and told his friends everything that he could remember from the past few days and especially the past few hours. He looked up once to Ginny’s face go from shocked to absolutely amazed as he explained that his Aunt and Uncle had split up and why. It was as if he was seeing her for the first time. When had she gone from a little girl into a young woman? He found himself looking at her long legs, her shapely figure (When had THAT happened?) her waist length red hair, and her gorgeous russet brown eyes. He was losing his train of thought here, staring at his best mate’s younger sister. Shaking his head a little, he tried to bring himself back to the matter at hand.
A few minutes later they heard many pops and two screams coming from the kitchen. Harry, Ginny and Ron ran to the kitchen to see Petunia and Dudley both blushing.
“My apologies, we are not accustomed to seeing people appear like that,” Petunia exclaimed hastily.
“Get used to it,” Harry heard Moody mutter under his breath. Harry tried not to laugh out loud.
“We got there as the Death Eaters were exiting the house. They looked disappointed that no one was home. Looks like we got you out of there just in time. But we got back in time to make sure your home was not destroyed, they only blasted a few of the flower beds. Reminded me of small children not getting their way actually.” said Remus to Petunia. He turned to Molly and the children and continued, “Aurors are still there guarding the place for the next day or two. To ensure no further attacks.”
Petunia seemed to take everything rather well given the circumstances. She looked over at Molly who was now holding a plate of sandwiches.
“Well now, I think it is time to eat. And after we eat,” said Molly as she cut a look at Petunia, “I am sure we are all interested to learn why we should be extending our hospitality to Petunia and Dudley instead of blasting them into next week.” She swept out of the kitchen and into the dining room without another glance at anyone.
Petunia gulped, trying not to choke. She calmly picked up the pot of tea and pitcher of pumpkin juice from the counter, and followed Molly into the dining room.
The others in the kitchen were in shock, not quite believing that Molly had just said what she did. Knowing that they should not leave the two women alone until something had been resolved, followed quickly. Molly could, in most cases, be counted on to be hospitable, but it was best not to push the issue.
The group ate in and uncomfortable silence, only broken by an occasional movement of a plate or chair. No one wanted to be the first to break the silence.
Petunia very nervously spoke up, “I supposed I owe everyone an explanation. If you’ll all be patient with me, this has been years in the making, it may take a few minutes to explain.”
Dudley shifted a bit uncomfortably. He was very aware of the glares coming from Ginny and Ron. He knew they did not believe things had changed. He looked around the table and could almost touch the tension in the air. Everyone seemed to be on heightened alert, as if expecting an explosion at any moment. Dudley sincerely hoped that explosion was not directed at him or his mother.
Every one at the table turned toward Petunia. She knew this was not going to be easy. She could only hope that these people believed her. She couldn’t believe that after so many years of looking down her nose at the magical world and the people involved in that world, here she was needing not only hospitality from that world, but acceptance. With all eyes on her, she began to let her story unfold.
Tales to Tell by Katastrophe
Tales to Tell
A/N: Thanks to everyone for continuing to read my little project here. Here is the chapter with the full explanation of the change in Petunia and Dudley. From my twisted mind, to my keyboard, to you. Hope you all enjoy.
Warning: This chapter does contain a bit of domestic violence. If you find something of that nature offensive, please skip this chapter.
A/N: Ms. Rowling owns it all, I just play here.
Petunia took a deep breath and looked at everyone around the table. How was she going to get everyone to understand what had happened? She had turned into such a monster where her nephew was concerned, would they all continue to hate her after her tale was told?
Her eyes fell on Harry. The poor boy had said so little since he had returned from school. Albus had told her what happened at the Department of Mysteries and the events that had transpired afterwards. She had wept when she heard about Sirius dying. She would never admit it to anyone, but as a young girl she had quite the crush on the bad boy Sirius was at the time. She had to figure out a way to make up for so many things with Harry. She only hoped that he would find it in his heart to forgive her. The only way that would happen though was for him to know the truth, all of it.
“This all started so very many years ago. About a year after Lily got her letter from Hogwarts. I was so excited. I thought I would be next, that it was my turn to join her at this amazing school. But my letter never came. I was upset, naturally, but I went on with my regular schooling. I saw Lily when she came home on holidays. Believe it or not Harry, your mother and I were very close as children. We stayed close, until Vernon that is.”
Harry’s head jerked up at the sound of his Aunt actually speaking his mother’s name. She had only addressed his mother as “Her” for as long as he could remember.
Dudley’s eyes rested on his mother. He knew how hard the next part was going to be for her, she had told him all of this last September. He wondered how everyone else at the table would take what was to come. Would they still think him and his mother evil?
“I had been receiving letters from Lily from her school for years, so I knew all about James and the relentless pursuit he waged on Lily from the first time he saw her. She brought him home to meet the family during the Christmas Holidays of their final year of school. I had hoped to find someone that would be that devoted to me one day,” she said blushing. “I met Vernon the year before I graduated from school. He was not the best looking guy in my year, but after falling so short in the beauty department compared to Lily, I thought he was the best I could do. I’ve already told Dudley all this, so it is no shock to him Molly.”
Molly blushed. She had been caught. The mother in her just could not be quelled when Petunia was so openly bashing Dudley’s father right in front of the boy. She turned her attention back to Petunia as she continued her story.
“When Vernon and I became engaged, I talked to Lily and my parents. We all decided it would be best to tell Vernon about Lily and James. We had him over for a Sunday dinner and broke the news to him. He seemed to take it well at first, after the initial shock and disbelief wore off. In fact, it was not until halfway through my pregnancy that his prejudice began to show through. Lily and I were so excited. We were going to raise our children together to be the best of friends.”
Petunia’s eyes began to tear up as she looked at her nephew who had a look of disbelief on his face. The only ones in the room that did not look shocked were Dudley and Remus Lupin. Dudley had heard the story so many months before. Petunia remembered Remus Lupin and knew that Lily had probably told him what transpired when the two women stopped speaking to each other, or at least the part she knew.
Petunia knew the next part of her story was not going to be easy, it was horrid the first time she spoke it aloud to Dudley. She took a deep breath and continued, “It started with Vernon making snide remarks about the ‘un-naturalness of it all’ whenever I would mention Lily and James. The remarks became more frequent and more cutting as time went by. One day I was upset that Vernon had out right interfered when I was scheduled to go visit Lily. We were both pregnant and due about the same time. When I protested Vernon’s obstruction of my visit, he…h..h..he hit me,” she wiped the tear that was working it’s way slowly down her cheek. She found she could not look up at the cluster of people listening so intently to her. Her shame was a bitter taste in her mouth, shame that she had been so weak against her husband.
“I was in shock after that. Any time I would mention Lily’s name after that, he would hit me again. Oh never in places that anyone would see, that would be unseemly. I began to cancel engagements with Lily. She became suspicious of course, but I could not tell her what was going on. Her suspicions and my wariness drove a wedge between us, and one day finally lead to a massive row. We argued for over an hour. I knew I could not tell her what was going on, so I used Vernon’s words against her. I told her that she was a freak, and the life that she had chosen was unnatural. I told her that I wanted nothing else to do with her or her family.” The tears were falling unchecked now. Petunia could not have stopped them if she had wanted to. She looked at her nephew, still with the look of disbelief and shock on his face. She knew all he had been through and hated to burden him with this now, but he had to know. She also knew the he would never begin to trust her until he knew the truth, and that meant all of the truth. It did not matter how much it pained her to tell it in front of all of these virtual strangers.
Molly wiped at her own tears that were slipping down her cheeks. She chanced a glance at her children, Ginny was crying as badly as she was. Ron was looking confused and still shooting dirty looks at Dudley. She looked over at Harry, and wondered how he was taking all of this. She knew that he was still hurting from the death of Sirius, and now to have this dumped on him so soon, she worried about him so. She took out her wand and conjured a few handkerchiefs in the center of the table. It looked like she was not the only one who was going to need something to wipe her tears.
Unbeknownst to anyone else in the house, Albus Dumbledore had used the floo network to come to headquarters. When he heard Petunia speaking, he had to admit he was a bit shocked. Despite their conversations and letters over the past few years, he had not expected this. He knew she wanted to tell Harry the entire situation, but to stand there and recite it to a room of virtual strangers; she was stronger than he had given her credit for.
He walked softly to the doorway of the dining room and barely cracked the door. He smiled as he saw the kerchiefs appear on the table, knowing Molly had conjured them. He stayed in the shadows and listened as more of the story was told.
Everyone was looking at Petunia, waiting for her to go on. She knew she had to go on or she would never be able to finish. She took what seemed to be her thousandth deep breath of the evening and continued.
“At first it was so hard to stay away from my sister. It became easier with time. One day late in my pregnancy, I regressed. I was scared. I wanted to talk to my sister. I had written a note and was attaching it to the leg of the owl that Lily had given me for my birthday when Vernon walked in. He threw a fit of epic proportions. He reached into the broom closet and pulled out a pistol. Before I could even let go of the owl to let it fly away to safety, he shot it. He kept screaming that I was not to have anything to do with Lily anymore, with any of my family. He even pointed the gun at me. I was so terrified that it sent me into labor.” She chanced a look at her nephew. The look of horror and anger had crossed his face was almost identical to the look that Dudley had when he heard the story.
“After that episode, I knew it was safer for me and for Dudley if I just went along with Vernon. Lily sent me a birth announcement for Harry. I kept it hidden from Vernon. Everything was semi peaceful for a little over a year. Then came that fateful morning. We found you on our doorstep Harry. I was so deeply wounded by your parents’ death. Vernon was just livid that you were coming to live with us. I knew I had to put aside my inner agony. I had two little boys to raise. As time went on, Vernon’s words echoed in my head over and over. It was easier to believe what he was saying than fight it and take the punishments. I let him treat you absolutely terribly Harry, and after a while I began to believe that agreeing with Vernon was the only way I could keep Dudley and myself safe. I poured all of my time and attention into Dudley. After a while, I almost started believing the rubbish that Vernon had spouted so often. It became like a mantra, almost as if I had been brain-washed.”
She knew she had to finish her story; she had made it this far after all. She took a deep breath and continued. “When Mr. Dumbledore told me what happened before the end of school, and everything else that has happened over the past few years, I knew I had to make a change. I started standing up to Vernon. He only tried to hit me once, and Dudley let him know that behavior was not going to continue. Well tonight, he told me that he could no longer tolerate this in his household. He was throwing all three of us out. Harry for what he perceived as his abnormality, and Dudley and me for supporting him. Vernon gave us two weeks to get out. I guess that is what caused all the mess earlier this evening.”
Petunia stepped closer to Harry, grabbed his hands and got down on her knees in front of him.
“My dear boy, your mother told me of the prophecy before your birth. Over the years I put it off as so much rubbish, even after I saw your scar. I know I was horrible to you, we all were. I only hope you can find it in your heart to forgive Dudley and me. I should not have been so weak. I should have stood up to him years ago. Please forgive an old woman for her failings,” she openly wept as she was pleading with her nephew for his forgiveness.
Harry did not know what to do. He was in complete shock. Sirius had just died a little over a week ago, and now all this new information about his Aunt. Oh my, she had spoken of the prophecy. He was not ready to divulge that little bit of information to everyone yet. What was he going to do? He thought of his parents, and the way they would handle the situation.
Albus watched the display of emotions across Harry’s face. He too, like everyone else in the room, seemed to be holding his breath. No one knew exactly how Harry was going to react.
He pulled his Aunt to her feet and looked her straight in the eye. His eyes were so much like her Lily’s, it almost seemed the words were coming from him and Lily’s spirit simultaneously.
“You took me in. You didn’t have to. Knowing what danger you were putting yourself and your family in, you still took me in. The past cannot be changed. We can’t get back the years that were wasted with Uncle Vernon’s hatred over-shadowing us, but we can move forward and away from that shadow. Trust will take time. But I am willing to work on that if you are,” Harry said with a steady voice. He leaned forward and pulled Petunia into the first hug he could remember ever sharing with her.
Dudley stepped forward, almost shyly. He was not going to be as eloquent as his mother had been, but still he said, “When Mum told me all of this last year, after you had been taken away to wherever you went last year, it made me realize what a spoiled rotten prat I have been. Can you find it in you to forgive my stupidity? I should have known the difference between right and wrong.”
Harry said not a word. He looked at Dudley with his head tilted to the side and slowly reached out his right hand. The two teenagers, trying to look adult and proper shook hands, and with that, started anew.
There was not a dry eye in the room. Even Mad-Eye Moody’s eyes were suspiciously bright. Molly decided to put aside her anger and offered Petunia one of the kerchiefs from the pile in the middle of the table.
Albus Dumbledore stepped slowly out of the shadows. He didn’t know exactly what to expect from Harry. When he had seen him just nine days ago, Harry had destroyed almost everything in his office. He met Harry’s eyes with a mixture of dread and hopefulness. Harry nodded slowly in Dumbledore’s direction, acknowledging that his headmaster had heard everything, and that it was time to move on. When had the boy become such a man? thought Dumbledore. Yes, trust would take time, and they would work at it.
A/N I apologize if this chapter seemed boring or too long, but I had to explain the change at least in Petunia. More to come soon! And for those waiting for some shipping action, it’s coming, just be patient.
This is a fictional story, but abuse is far too real for a lot of people in the world. If you, or someone you know is being abused, there are ways to find help, ways to escape. For years, after I got out of my own situation that resembled this, I volunteered at a shelter.
Friendships, News and Observations...Oh My! by Katastrophe
Chapter 4
Friendships, News, and Observations…Oh my!
A/N Ms. Rowling owns everything. Why couldn’t I have thought of it first??
Harry knew that Dumbledore wanted to speak to him. He watched quietly as the headmaster asked for a bit of privacy with Harry, Mrs. Weasley, Remus Lupin, and Tonks.
“Ron and Ginny, please show Dudley to one of the empty rooms. Show him to one of the ones that has been cleaned and made ready. Make sure another empty one is next door to it for Petunia. And children, BE NICE!!!” Molly said, trying to stress her point to her two youngest children.
Ron rolled his eyes at the last part of his mother’s command, while Ginny just grinned mischievously. They led Dudley from the room acting very proper, until they got upstairs. As they were getting Dudley settled in his room, Ginny suddenly turned on Dudley.
“Harry may be ready to forgive all the terrible and cruel things your family has done to him in the past, but I’m not sure my brother nor I am ready to just forgive and forget. I will tell you this once, and only once. If I see you step one toe out of line where Harry is concerned I will hex you into next month. Underage Restriction on Magic or not, you will rue the day that you ever thought to mess with him. Am I making myself perfectly clear?” Ginny said, her eyes blazing and her hair gently swaying as if caught by a breeze.
“I wouldn’t want to be in your shoes mate. That’s not an idle threat. Believe me, with six brothers, this girl can definitely take care of herself,” Ron said with a slight chuckle.
Dudley looked at both the Weasleys and told them, “I know I have a lot of work to do, and a lot to make up for. I give you my promise that I will be on my best behavior.”
Ron walked away first, deciding to leave Ginny to her staring contest if that was what she wanted. When Ron was out of earshot Dudley asked Ginny, “Does he know you love him?”
“Who? What?” Ginny asked, very perplexed. She was looking down the hall to make sure Ron had not heard. She knew good and well who Dudley meant.
“Harry, does he know you love him?” said Dudley without batting an eye.
Ginny blushed all the way to her ears turned on her heel and started to walk off. She suddenly turned back around, her russet eyes almost pleading with Dudley and said, “Please don’t say anything to him about that. He thinks I’ve gotten over him.”
“Despite all he’s got working against him, he’s a lucky guy to have your attention like this Ginny. I wonder if he will ever figure that out?” Dudley said, shocking Ginny and causing her to blush again.
“Don’t think that just because you are being nice I will forget my threat, I mean it Dudley.”
“Yes ma’am,” Dudley said with all seriousness.
Ginny walked away hoping to herself that Dudley would not tell Harry his observations. She suddenly stopped in her tracks, wondering if her brother had figured it out as well. No, she thought, Ron’s a bit too thick to figure out something like that. Just look at how he had ignored all the signs that Hermione was in love with him. Her secret should be safe for now.
Ron barely got to the door of his room, got it opened, inside and closed again before the laughter bubbled out of him. He knew that Ginny was full of it last year when she said she was over Harry, and tonight proved it! Now to get in touch with Hermione and see what they could do about getting Harry and Ginny together. Harry was the only one he would trust with Ginny.
He rubbed his hands together and wondered if he should get the twins in on this as well.
Downstairs in the dining room Dumbledore was very solemn. He knew that Harry was nowhere near the end of the healing process, but there were legal matters to be handled.
“Harry, I know the timing on this could not be much worse. But I have news for you that cannot wait,” said Professor Dumbledore said softly.
Harry just looked at him expectantly, not trusting himself to speak at the moment.
“The day after tomorrow, at 1:00 p.m., we will need to head to Gringotts for the reading of Sirius’ will. I am very sorry to be putting this on you right now. But we cannot delay the appointment any longer.”
“It’s okay Professor, I can handle it,” said Harry, not entirely sure how much more he COULD handle, especially in one evening.
Professor Dumbledore looked at Molly Weasley, Tonks, and Remus Lupin, “You three will need to be there as well. Molly, can you notify the twins, Ginny, and Ron? Arthur might want to see if he can get time off for this as well.”
Molly was confused, and more than a bit worried about Harry, but she nodded all the same.
“Is there anything else you need of me tonight Professor? If not, I think I would like to go on to bed. It has been a very long evening,” Harry said, not quite meeting Dumbledore’s eyes.
“Not tonight Harry. But I will need a few minutes of your time tomorrow if you don’t mind. Say, in the afternoon?”
“That’s fine Professor. Goodnight everyone,” Harry said in almost a monotone voice.
As he walked away Molly turned to Professor Dumbledore and whispered, “I’m really afraid for him Albus. How much more can he take? It’s all so much at once.”
“I know dear lady, believe me, I know. We’ll just have to do our best to support him, even if he tries to push us all away,” the kindly headmaster said knowingly.
Tonks walked away leaving the professor to speak to Molly and Remus. She quietly walked into the kitchen where she discovered Petunia washing the dishes and trying to figure out where to put them.
“I guess we should have had someone show you to your room as well. I’m sorry if it seems as if we just forgot about you. It has been a very strange evening,” Tonks said trying to strike up a conversation with the still somewhat shaky other woman.
“Its no problem, it gave me the chance to wash the dishes. Now if I can figure out where they go,” Petunia said with a bit of a forced laugh.
“Petunia, just stop a moment. Sit down and relax before you fall over. I know that was not easy for you earlier. But I wanted to let you know that you did the right thing by letting the rest of us in on the conversation. We’ve become like a second family to Harry, and we care for him a great deal. I knew something had to be a bit wonky at Privet Drive. He’s a good kid, and very hard not to like,” Tonks said with a grin.
“He’s got so much of his parents in him; so much of Lily. I’m just afraid that after all these years, he won’t be able to forgive me, no matter what the circumstances were,” Petunia said quietly, her eyes tearing up for the hundredth time that evening.
“You listen to me right now Petunia. That’s a very special boy we’ve got there. He has a heart as big as a continent. Now that he knows the truth, he will make the room in that heart for you and your son. As for your husband, it might be better if he stayed far away for a while. He’s liable to be blown to smithereens and not just by Harry. There are very few in our world or yours that tolerate violence against a woman and children,” Tonks said. She could be very convincing when she wanted to be. “But Harry has been through an awful lot in the past few weeks. He just needs some time to process it all. My cousin meant a lot to him, I don’t think he was over that loss before we put all of this on him tonight. With the reading of the will being the day after tomorrow, we are going to have to watch Harry carefully.”
“Sirius was your cousin?” Petunia asked, genuinely curious.
“Second cousin actually. Did you know him?”
“I met him at Lily’s wedding. He was a wild one, but such a heartbreaker,” Petunia said blushing.
“He would have loved to hear that. He always prided himself on being a ladies man,” Tonks said, chuckling.
The two women sat at the kitchen table beginning a friendship. Molly walked in on them laughing together a little later. She led Petunia to her room and said goodnight. Tomorrow would be soon enough to find out the information that her mind was itching to know.
Chapter 5
Let Me Go
A/N Characters and settings are not my own, they belong to JK Rowling.
I dreamed ahead to what I hoped for
And I turned my back on loving you
How can this love be a good thing?
When I know what I’m going through.
~~Let Me Go~~3 Doors Down
Harry walked into the room he shared with Ron. Ron looked up expectantly, clearly wanting to talk.
“Tomorrow Ron, I promise anything you want to know I will answer tomorrow. It’s just been a really long day, a long few weeks actually, and right now sleep sounds like heaven,” Harry said to his friend.
“No worries mate. You just get some rest, take as long as you need.” Harry knew that Ron was chomping at the bit trying not to demand answers. He smiled wanly at his best friend, changed into his nightclothes and then lay down to go to sleep.
Ginny turned over for what seemed to be the thousandth time. She could not seem to get comfortable. What was she going to do if Dudley told Harry of her feelings? How did the overgrown oaf figure it out in the first place? This was going to be a strange few days.
Dudley was right though. There was no use in pretending that she was over Harry anymore. She knew that he saw her as nothing but Ron’s little sister. What if he saw her as a sisterly type as well? Eeww. That was just too sick to even think about, but it would also be just her luck.
Ginny really wished Hermione were around. It would be nice to have another female around, especially as Hermione was one of her best friends. Merlin, she needed someone to talk to, she thought rolling over yet again and trying to get to sleep.
~*~*~*~*
Dawn found Harry sitting on the couch in the library alone. He had so very much to think about. There was so much going on, so much to work through. Where would he begin?
Sirius is dead…not coming back…I may as well have cast the killing curse myself.
Yeah right. You went to the Department of Mysteries because you thought he was in mortal danger. Did you forget that the original purpose of going there was to save Sirius? Voldemort was just messing with your mind. That’s what he is good at you prat. Do you honestly think that Sirius would put up with you pouting and moping about like this?
But the prophecy, how can I deny that? I’m marked, and that marks anyone that is near me. I should pull away from my friends, from my, oh this is so weird to think, my family. It may upset everyone, but it will keep them safe.
That’ll work about as well as you snogging a dragon. Do you honestly think that they will let you get away with that? It’s your funeral man, but I would not want to be you when you try to draw away from everyone. I’ll be willing to wager that Hermione is the first to figure out what you are doing, but Ginny will be the one to blast you for it. And I agree, this new family thing is really a weird change, but weird can be good. Petunia knows about the prophecy. Shouldn’t you tell the others before they hear it from somewhere else?
I guess so. I just don’t know if I can take the pity looks. What if they cringe or pull away. Hey wait! That would keep Ginny from blasting me.
Ginny…when did she become such a beauty? Those legs, they seem to go on forever. She has such beautiful hair, down to her waist, the slight curls at the end. And Merlin, her figure…when did that happen? What am I doing? I can’t think this way about my best friend’s sister this way. Ron would shoot me.
You’re on your own with this one mate. She has definitely turned into a treat for the eyes. Didn’t she give up on you though? I mean, come on, she had boyfriends last year. That definitely sounds like moving on to me.
Oh yeah, right. I had forgotten about that. I need my arse kicked for waiting so long. Oh well.
Harry snapped out of his semi-dazed state and looked around. He had heard that talking to oneself was a sign of going completely bonkers. Funny though, the voice that was answering his thoughts was entirely too sarcastic. He shook his head and smiled. He still had not figured out what to do, but it did seem like it was time to spill the beans about the prophecy. Now if he could just figure out when and where to do so.
He uncurled his legs and rose from the couch to head to the kitchen to find something to eat. He was looking around as he walked toward his destination. The place was shaping up kind of nicely. He happened to glance at the stairs during his musings, and felt like his heart had stopped in his chest. There she was, coming down the stairs. Merlin, she had gotten so beautiful. She was still ruffled from sleep and looked so adorable.
Hey, watch those thoughts buster! She can see you. Please make sure you are not drooling. This could be embarrassing.
“Hi Harry,” Ginny said around a yawn.
Harry jumped as if he had been goosed. He really needed to get his nerves under control.
“Morning Ginny,” he said, blushing furiously.
Ginny did not seem to notice the blush though, thank Merlin. She continued down the steps and walked sleepily toward the kitchen.
It was definitely a night for lack of sleep. Petunia had found Molly pacing in the kitchen hours earlier. They had talked since the discovery and were forming a sort of tentative friendship. Molly wanted to trust Petunia, but she was very leery of seemingly sudden changes of heart.
“So,” Petunia said to try and fill another period of silence, “Mr. Dumbledore, Professor Dumbledore rather, was telling me that your family has been very close to Harry over the years.”
“Well yes, someone had to. Oh Merlin, forgive me for that Petunia. I am trying very hard to get used to being nice to you and actually thinking of you as a pleasant person. After so many years of seeing Harry come back to us in bad shape, I have had many years of disliking you. He was often underfed, had deep circles under his eyes. We had worried about some sort of abuse. Little did we know that you were being abused too. But I do have to warn you; it may take some time for the other Order members accept you. Please do not be put off if you receive a frosty reception.”
“What is this ‘Order’ if I may ask?” Petunia asked cautiously.
“I think that is a question better suited for Professor Dumbledore,” Molly replied, not sure how much she was actually at liberty to divulge.
“Everyone seems to like Harry so much here,” Petunia exclaimed. “I never knew…” she trailed off into silence.
“He’s a very loveable boy Petunia. That is why we were all perplexed at the fact that you and your family appeared to hate him so much. He is also a boy that has been through so very much. He’s strong though; all he’s been through would have broken most men by now. His biggest strength is friends. My husband and I love him like he was one of our own. With seven children, what is one more? Two more actually. You will meet Hermione in a few days. She will probably be coming back here after the reading of the will. Such a bright girl.” Molly was as proud of Hermione and Harry as she was of her own. She was also proud of herself for keeping her temper in check.
“This reading of the will…. it’s for Sirius isn’t it?” Molly nodded. Petunia continued, “What exactly happened? Do you know? All Professor Dumbledore would tell me in his letter was that Sirius was Harry’s godfather, and that he had died. I don’t know anything else except that it is affecting Harry rather badly. He hasn’t said much of anything for days. He won’t eat, won’t talk to anyone. Well not that I am the one he’d actually be opening up to.”
“I can answer that Aunt Petunia, all you had to do was ask,” said Harry as he walked through the kitchen door behind Ginny. This was the first time he had really felt like talking about it since it happened. This brought Ginny to full consciousness rather quickly. She knew how reserved Harry could be and how little he liked talking about what was bothering him. She looked at Harry as her mouth dropped open.
Molly reached up gently and closed her daughter’s mouth with a smile. She had a suspicion that Ginny still had a thing for Harry.
“It was all my fault. Voldemort fooled me. He led me to the Department of Mysteries thinking that Sirius was being tortured. I was arrogant enough to think I could save him. It was all a farce. He wasn’t there at first when we got there. He showed up later to save me,” Harry said bitterly. “Here he was trying to save me while I thought I was trying to save him. Then, his cousin, the lunatic otherwise known as Bellatrix Lestrange, shot a spell at him and sent him flying backwards through the veil. There was more after that….an almost epic battle with Dumbledore and Voldemort, Voldemort possessing me and trying to get Dumbledore to kill me….the rest doesn’t matter. What matters is that now he is gone; and I can’t get him back,” Harry said quietly before he left the room.
Harry ran all the way up the stairs to Buckbeak’s room. He didn’t mean to slam the door, but guessed he did when he heard the bang. He leaned up against the cool wall and slid to the floor. He finally let the tears he had been holding in for weeks, fall.
Ginny met up with a very sleepy Ron on the way up the stairs. She filled him in quickly on what had gone on in the kitchen. He followed her up the stairs to the room they suspected Harry would be in. Outside of the door they stopped, trying to figure out if they should intrude. Ginny was tired of walking on tiptoes around Harry. Someone needed to tell him how wrong he was, and she was just the girl to do it. Ignoring Ron’s comment about knocking, Ginny opened the door and walked hastily into the room.
“Harry, what you said in the kitchen, it was not your fault. I can’t believe that you would blame yourself this way,” said Ginny.
“But it was my fault Ginny. Even then Hermione said I had a ‘saving people thing.’ I’m a danger to anyone who is around me. I supposed you two ought to be heading for the door now. I don’t want anything happening to you.”
“What are you on about Harry?” Ginny asked, getting angrier by the moment. “Why would we be heading for the door?”
Ron wisely decided to stay quiet, he could see the anger building in Ginny and knew she was going to explode soon. This was not going to be pretty.
“What part of ‘I am a danger’ was not clear? It all comes down to Voldemort and me. I have to kill or be killed. Don’t you get it? I don’t want any of you in the line of fire when this all comes to a head. I don’t want to be responsible for getting anyone else killed. Just please go,” Harry said sadly as he bowed his head back down.
“What are you babbling on about Harry? Why does it have to be you and Voldemort? The adults will handle Voldemort when the time comes,” reasoned Ron.
“They can’t ‘handle him’. It’s all in the wonderful prophecy that Professor Dumbledore showed me before school ended this past year,” Harry spit out sarcastically, his eyes blazing. He had to make them see reason. “The prophecy was about me. It said that I was the only one that could kill him. I won’t see anyone else hurt, so GO. The best thing you three can do is to get away from me. Merlin, it would have been better if I never came back to the wizarding world.”
“That does it! Harry James Potter, you are an arrogant, obnoxious prat. You have to have lost your mind completely if you think this rubbish is going to wash. I honestly cannot understand you. You think you have to do everything alone. Well you don’t, so get used to it,” Ginny said getting louder as she went. “You have friends, people that truly love you. That is something that Voldemort cannot even fathom. Yet you are willing to throw it all away because of some misplaced sense of honor? Well think again, it’s not happening in this lifetime. We’re not going anywhere, and you may as well get used to it. Even if you have to fight Voldemort, there is nothing that says you have to fight him alone.”
Ginny was working up quite a head of steam now. Ron was almost hiding behind Ginny to keep out of the range of her anger.
“I have loved you for so many years Harry and now I am wondering why,” Ginny continued before she knew what she was saying, pacing back and forth and throwing her arms around almost wildly. “I’d stand at your side against anything, not that you would ask or even let me volunteer without a fight. You saved my life down in the Chamber of Secrets. If you had never come back to the wizarding world, there would have been no one there to save me. And who is to say that Tom’s diary never would have gotten into my hands. The Malfoys have always hated my family. But I guess my life doesn’t matter. You’d rather throw away love and friendships instead of leaning on someone else every once in a while. We all miss Sirius. I know it was a very poignant loss for you, but have you thought about Professor Lupin or anyone else for that matter? Have you thought about anyone but yourself? No, you’re too busy pushing people away!” Ginny threw her hands in the air and stormed out of the room.
The two boys sat in stunned silence for a few moments before Ron said, “Brutal, that one, but spot on. Never let it be said that Ginny doesn’t have a way with words. I guess I’ll give you some time to think things over. By the way mate, be glad we can’t do spells during the holidays, in this mood, she would have viciously hexed you.” With that Ron crossed the room, walked through the open door, and closed it very quietly behind him.
After he closed the door, Ron grinned almost wickedly. Did Ginny know that she just revealed to Harry that she loves him? Is Harry too much of a dunderhead to figure out that she said it? Would Harry get the clue and quit pushing his friends away? Ron walked down the hall with a small bounce to his step, chuckling to himself at this new turn of events. If anyone could pull Harry out of this, it was Ginny.
~*~*~*
Ginny had just barely gotten to her room before it hit her. She had just told Harry that she loved him. Oh Merlin, what was she going to do now? She couldn’t believe she had let her temper go so far that those words had come out of her mouth. She was just going to have to stay in her room or out of Harry’s way for the rest of the holiday and hope she did not die of boredom or terminal embarrassment. Way to go Gin, way to play it cool. She hid her head under her pillow and tried to pretend that the morning was just a bad dream. Somehow, this time, she was able to drift off quickly to sleep.
~*~*~*~*
Arrogant, how dare she call me arrogant. That’s what I get for trying to protect her; for trying to protect all of them. I get called an arrogant prat and told that I am ignoring everyone else’s feelings. Ok, so I haven’t asked Professor Lupin how he is doing with all this. I haven’t asked anyone. Why haven’t I asked anyone?
His inner voice or conscience or whatever it was that way talking to him earlier was not even speaking to him now. Just bloody great.
Wait…did she just say she loved me?
~*~*~*~*
Molly and Petunia were still reeling after Harry’s revelation.
“I can’t believe he blames himself. There was no way that this was his fault was there?” Petunia asked Molly with eyes almost pleading.
“No. But it seems he was raised to feel that everything is his fault. He did this last year after Cedric died. You may have had your own problems at the time Petunia, but you and your husband damaged one of the sweetest and most humble boys I know. That is going to take a long time to forgive, and I doubt it will ever be forgotten. Not everyone in this household or group that holds Harry so dear will accept what you said last night. You are really going to have to prove yourself if you want to be accepted here. And know this, we do NOT tolerate any type of prejudice in this household. If I so much as hear one adverse remark from you about anyone or even the Wizarding World as a whole, I will make it so you can’t speak that kind of filth again,” Molly’s eyes were blazing dangerously. Anyone who knew her would have been telling Petunia to duck by now.
“Don’t hurt Harry anymore, Petunia. I think of that boy as one of my own, and would lay my life on the line to protect him. Don’t think that the rest here will not back me with that either. You may have some tentative friendships started. But you hurt that boy any further and in any way, and we will tear you apart.” Molly said with her best withering look. She had had enough. She had seen the effects of Harry being with his relatives. Petunia made a choice to stay with Vernon and let herself be abused. But when she let Vernon take it out on Harry, and turn her into a monster against her sister’s child, she crossed the line.
“You want to make a new life Petunia? You want to start over in my world? Then start proving yourself. You’ll have to prove that you are no longer the prejudiced twit that raised that boy upstairs,” Molly watched tears fall from Petunia’s eyes as she finished speaking. She just calmly shook her head and walked from the room to find something to keep her busy before her temper went any further out of control.
A/N Again, I want to stress that abuse is not always easy to walk away from. Molly’s words are from one whom has never had a hand raised to her in anger by a loved one. Most would not, or could not, understand. I won’t be going into exactly what Vernon put Harry through in his childhood. I am not trying to gloss over anything, that is just not something that I would be able to write clearly, and I wouldn’t want to do it anything less than justice.
Thanks so much for reading and reviewing. Thanks also for putting up with my public service-type announcements at the end of this chapter and chapter three.
Tears and Fears by Katastrophe
Tears and Fears
A/N Jo Rowling owns the Harry Potter world. I am doing this purely for pleasure and not for profit.
The tension at Grimmauld Place was so thick that it was almost stifling. All of the arguments had raised the levels so high that Professor Dumbledore felt the anxiety in the air. He sighed deeply, knowing that his conversation with Harry could either alleviate some of the stress, or increase it threefold. It could not be avoided. They had to discuss what had happened at the end of the school year, and all that had transpired since. It was also time to get Harry ready for the reading of the will.
It was with a very heavy heart that Albus Dumbledore began roaming the house looking for Harry or anyone who would know where he could be found. Figuring the kitchen would be the logical place to start looking, Dumbledore headed that way. As he neared the door to the kitchen he could hear someone crying on the other side. The sobs were heart wrenching. Dumbledore wondered for a moment if he should interrupt before he pushed open the door and stepped softly into the kitchen.
Jumping as if she had been hit with volts of electricity, Petunia almost fell off her chair when Dumbledore walked into the room. He helped her to right herself, which made her cry all the more.
“What is it, dear sweet lady?” Dumbledore asked almost panicked at this woman who appeared to be melting down in front of him.
“I’ve been so terrible for so many years. I’ve been horrible to him. How can anyone forgive me? How do I think I am going to start over in this world with no powers, no friends, nothing? And now I hear this Voldemort person is back. That monster took my parents, my sister, everything I knew except for the monster my husband became, away from me.” Petunia was working herself up into a mild case of hysterics by now. Dumbledore was unsure whether to touch her shoulder or what.
“Harry will be fine. He is remarkably resilient for a boy who has been through so much and who still has the world on his shoulders. I’m afraid that I have made my own mistakes with him as well. As for Voldemort, that’s what the Order of the Phoenix is about Petunia. We fight for the side of the Light. We, with the strong help of your nephew will stop Voldemort. But Petunia, tell me why you did not call me or someone when Vernon started hitting you?” asked Dumbledore. This was something that had been puzzling him since the night before.
“I had turned my back on Lily. How could you not still be upset with me for that. I was completely alone. I figured you and your friends would be angry with me as well for my actions to my sister. To be honest, I never fit in with this world. I guess it is the lack of magic in me. So I let Vernon run over me, and in the process ended up hurting my sister’s child. I don’t deserve forgiveness, but I had no idea what I could do to stop it all from happening,” Petunia cried filled with anguish.
Molly, listening at the doorway, was almost ashamed of herself. She knew how she would react in the same situation, but protective or not did she have the right to be so hard on Petunia? Merlin help Vernon Dursley if she ever saw him face to face. She now had a new target for her anger.
“Petunia, self pity will get you no where. We cannot change the past, but we can change how we are perceived in the future. You have to make the decision to start that change though. Does you berating yourself actually help Harry or Dudley in any way, shape, or form? What you need to do is start rebuilding your self-esteem so nothing like this ever happens again. You need to be strong for those boys; they both have much to face in the next few months, as do you. Take a page from Molly’s book. I have never seen a stronger or more protective mother in my life,” said the headmaster, trying not to lose his patience with Petunia and encourage her at the same time.
Molly blushed fiercely at the compliment from Professor Dumbledore. She knew she should not be eavesdropping, but could not tear herself away from the door. Maybe she had misjudged Petunia.
“I think I have figured that out. She just flamed me, and my mothering skills. All of this is so hard to explain to someone who has never been in that position. The terror, the pain, I know it seems the coward’s way out. But honestly, after a while you either go along, or live in fear. Molly may never understand that. I can’t see her letting anyone push her around for long,” Petunia said with a watery smile.
“Give her time, and have patience dear lady. She will come around. We all have our weaknesses, some just hide them better than others,” Professor Dumbledore said with a smile while surreptitiously glancing at the door.
He knows I am here. I guess I should go in and apologize. Does he realize how hard this is going to be? Molly swallowed her pride with a gulp and stepped into the kitchen.
“My apologies for losing my temper Petunia. I heard what you said to the Headmaster here, and I may have been wrong on some things about you,” Molly said with a resigned sigh.
“I understand better than you think Molly, and your apology is accepted. Do you think we might be able to start over?” asked Petunia with a very hopeful look on her face.
“I think I might like that,” Molly replied with a smile.
Albus Dumbledore watched as a delicate new friendship formed between the two women.
As much as I would love to stay here and chat, I am actually looking for Harry. Do either of you know where he is?” Albus asked them both.
The two women looked at each other and Molly said to Professor Dumbledore, “He left the kitchen a little while ago, after telling us about Sirius and the Department of Mysteries. Professor, I am worried about him, he is blaming himself for Sirius’ death. It is horrible, you can almost see it tearing him apart.” Molly was beginning to worry in full force again. “I’d check in Sirius’ room, or in the room where the hippogriff is. That’s most likely the two places he would be.”
“Thank you,” Professor Dumbledore said with a meaningful look at Molly. She knew he was thanking her for more than the locations to find Harry. She nodded at him as he walked off.
Harry was still brooding over the earlier row with Ginny when Professor Dumbledore walked through the door. Right off the bat Harry was not happy to see the headmaster, but not wanting a repeat of the incident a few weeks ago, he reigned in his emotions.
“Hello Harry,” Professor Dumbledore said as he walked closer to bow to Buckbeak. Buckbeak startled Harry when he got up to return the bow and then sat back down to be pet some more.
“Hello Professor,” Harry sullenly replied.
“I wanted to talk to you about the reading of the will tomorrow. I know part of what is in it, and we need to discuss your plans,” Dumbledore started out gently. “I know from talking to Sirius that he left most of his estate to you. That includes this place. I need to know if you plan to let the order continue to use the house as headquarters. I’ll give you a few days to think about this, but if you decide against letting us use it, then we need to make other arrangements. I also know that Sirius was left as executor of the Potter estate as well. That includes the house in Godric’s Hollow and Potter Manor. So, as you see, you have no shortage of places to live. Of course, Godric’s Hollow will need some work done to restore it, but I daresay you will have more than enough funds to do so in the very near future.”
“Potter estate? Sirius was executor of the estate? Why is this the first I have heard of the matter?” Harry asked, carefully controlling his temper and the volume of his voice. He wanted to scream, yell, and destroy things again. But he had grown up a bit over the past few weeks, and decided it was time he acted like it.
“Once again Harry, we thought it was…” the professor began.
“For my own good,” Harry interrupted. “Do you know how sick and tired I am of hearing that phrase? Especially as a less than acceptable excuse for once again keeping me in the dark? Professor, I really thought you would have learned by our last encounter that keeping things from me is not really the best option.” Harry got up and walked across the room.
“This is why I came to you now Harry. In all honesty, I had forgotten about all the matters of the estates until the day before yesterday when I received this by owl. Sirius had sent letters to Gringotts to be issued to different people in the case of his death. Gringotts sent me yours as well,” Dumbledore said, somewhat chagrined. He pulled a sealed scroll of parchment from a pocket in his robe.
“I’ll be waiting outside while you read it, in case you need anything,” the professor said quietly as Harry stared at the letter in his hands with reverence.
Harry broke the wax seal on the letter. He vaguely recognized the Black family crest as the seal.
Dear Harry,
If you are reading this, then I am gone. Hopefully I went down fighting and am now with your mother and father watching over you from beyond. That is unless I died of boredom, in which case I will be ecstatic that the misery is over.
I know you Harry, and how you try to take the weight of the world on your shoulders. No matter how I died or what happened, it is not your fault. Do I need to say it again? It is not your fault. You still no doubt don’t believe me. IT IS NOT YOUR FAULT! I am a stubborn old dog, I’ve been so all my life. I’ve done what I pleased and damn the consequences. My one regret will be leaving you. Having the chance to get to know you, not just as James and Lily’s son, but as you; Harry, was the best thing that ever happened to me.
Please Harry, one last favor for this obstinate old dog, Please keep an eye on Remus. He so needs someone to look after him, and with me not there to do it, I am afraid he will fall apart. Let him lean on you Harry, just as you should lean on him. Make him go shopping, go out to a movie, teach him to enjoy life. He needs the instruction in that area. Also let him into your heart. Think of him not as just a professor, but the marauder he still is at heart. I’d like for him to take over for me as your godfather if you would let him Harry. It would mean the world to him and me.
Last but not least Harry, take care of yourself. Live. Laugh. Love. Especially love. Without laughter and love in the world, you have to wonder what you are fighting for. And if you start to wonder, Voldemort begins to win. Don’t push your friends away right now Harry, draw them to you. You may be the Child of the Prophecy, but there are others with their destinies so tangled in yours it is hard to see where one ends and the others begin. (If you do not know of the prophecy, make sure you irritate Dumbledore until he tells you the entire thing. I hated keeping things from you, but he insisted.) A man needs love to carry on Harry. That’s a lesson I learned entirely to late for it to do any good for me. But there is still time for you and for Remus.
You’re strong Harry. I have all the faith in the world in you, enough faith to make you your own man. Dumbledore will explain more, I told him to make sure you read the letter before talking to you about it. I will be watching from the other side with your parents. Know that we are never far from your side.
Much love,
Your Godfather,
Sirius Black
P.S. IT IS NOT YOUR FAULT! So quit thinking that way.
Harry chuckled lightly at the postscript and did not even notice the tears falling down his face until he finished the letter. He clumsily wiped at his face before opening the door and finding that the headmaster was where he said he would be.
Professor Dumbledore said not a word for a few moments, but silently held open his arms for Harry to step into. Harry stumbled forward, falling gently into Dumbledore’s hug and just stayed there a moment. He was no longer crying when he stepped back and looked into his headmaster’s very sad eyes.
“He knew about the prophecy,” Harry stated very quietly. Dumbledore just quietly nodded. “What did he mean by ‘make you your own man’ in my letter?”
“I have not read your letter Harry, but I would presume it is the emancipation he spoke of in my letter. A situation that may have been objected to before more recent developments. I have a feeling he wanted you to be able to come in to your fortunes without having to wait for the age of seventeen. The only thing I ask of you Harry, is please make sure your aunt and cousin are taken care of. I know how horrible they have been to you, some I am just finding out now, but you are not the type to leave them to their own devices. Your Aunt has been a housewife for so long, it will take her a while to find a job to support Dudley and herself. I will make sure Petunia does not fight the emancipation,” the headmaster said, the twinkle returning to his eyes.
“I know we have had our differences in the past Harry. I especially remember the incident a few weeks ago in my office,” he said with a wry smile. “But not is not the time to be pushing people away. It is the time to draw your friends and family close to you. Love is a very powerful weapon Harry, and that is something you have in abundance.”
“I just tried pushing some of my friends away. It failed miserably as Ginny was ready to hex me into oblivion if not for the prohibition of underage magic. I don’t think I have ever seen her so mad. I don’t think I ever want to see it again,” Harry said with a very thoughtful look.
“If Miss Weasley is anything like her mother, I cannot say I blame you dear boy. Molly can be a force to be reckoned with,” the headmaster exclaimed with a chuckle. “Now, is there anything else I can do for you before I leave? I will be back tomorrow to pick you and the others up around noontime for the reading of the will. I want you to know Harry, you are not, nor do you have to be, alone in all of this.”
“No thank you professor, I don’t need anything. This is just a lot to absorb in such a very short time. Sir, I do have one question though. Won’t pulling people close to me just put them in danger?” Harry asked with great trepidation.
“That may be so Harry. But better to have them close to you, than trying to secretly follow you. That way you can keep a closer eye on them.” With that the headmaster winked at Harry and gracefully exited the room.
Harry wandered about the house for a little while. Lost in thought he did not realize where his feet had taken him until he was looking at Ginny’s door.
Go on now. You know you need to apologize. You were an absolute troll earlier and she deserves better than that, especially from you.
But…
Knock already before I do the knocking for you.
“All right already,” Harry accidentally said aloud.
Ginny’s door suddenly opened. Wand in hand, she looked ready to defend herself against anything. She noticed Harry and began to blush.
“Oh, it’s you,” she said with a sarcastic smile. “What does the boy wonder want with little ole me?”
Harry was completely crestfallen. She DID think him arrogant. He didn’t blame her for her attitude; he WAS being a prat earlier.
“Never mind Ginny,” Harry said dejectedly as he turned to walk away.
“Now how am I supposed to stay angry at you when you get that lost puppy look in those emerald eyes?” Ginny said. Harry turned back toward her hopefully. “were you needing me for something Harry?”
I need you to love me. Forgive me. Holding me would fulfill a need too.
“Earth to Harry. Come in Harry. Are you okay?” Ginny asked beginning to get concerned.
“Er…ummmm….” Harry stammered. “I just wanted to apologize for being a prat earlier. I thought I was doing what was best for you guys. I didn’t realize how much it would hurt you and Ron. Please forgive me?”
“What’s the catch?” Ginny questioned Harry very suspicious of sudden apologies.
“No catch. I’ve just spoken to Dumbledore and he gave me a letter from Sirius. You can read it if you would like. It just opened my eyes a bit,” Harry said honestly as he handed over the letter. He watched Ginny’s facial features soften, and then tears begin to fall silently from her eyes. He wanted to step forward and hold her, but kept his arms by his side and his feet planted.
“He’s right you know. No man survives well alone. And just so you know, even if you try to leave us behind, we will only follow a bit behind. Hermione, Ron and I are not going to let you run off alone,” Ginny said, drying the tears from her face.
“I realize that now Ginny. I may be a little thick at times, but I do generally catch on,” Harry said with a crooked smile.
Ginny laughed and said, “Sirius was right about something else too. You need to learn to live and laugh. You don’t seem to do enough of either; especially lately.”
“And love? He said I needed to live, laugh, and love,” Harry said very slowly.
Oh what the heck. All she can do is slap me. I’ll deal with Ron later.
Harry leaned forward ever so slowly, his eyes on Ginny’s lips. He tore his glance away from her lips and looked into her beautiful eyes. He was close enough to see the amber flecks that made her eyes shine so much. He closed his eyes as his lips caressed hers. Softly he kissed her, until the world felt like it was spinning. Her lips were so soft and sweet. Reluctantly, he pulled back slowly and looked in her eyes.
Ginny’s expression was full of shock. As he looked at her, Harry thought that she did not share the same feelings with him.
“Ginny,” he said, embarrassed enough that he wanted the world to open up and swallow him whole. “I am so sorry. I thought….”
Ginny reached up, put her hand on his neck and pulled his face gently back down to hers. Her look had softened, her eyes were practically on fire as she closed them and lowered his head to hers.
Harry and Ginny were still kissing a few minutes later as Ron and Dudley rounded the corner.
Collide
Even the best fall down sometimes
Even the stars refuse to shine
Out of the back you fall in time
We somehow find
That you and I collide.
Collide~~Howie Day
Ron stopped in his tracks as he saw his best mate and his baby sister snogging in the doorway to her bedroom. Inside he was jumping for joy; he had wanted them to get together ever since Ginny started having bad taste in men. He knew that Harry was perfect for his sister; he also knew that Harry would never hurt her. Those other guys could not be trusted.
On the exterior however, Ron had to look a bit put out, and very wary. He would not keep the charade going long. Just long enough to not look too suspicious. This could be fun.
“Potter, would you mind removing your hands and especially your lips from my little sister please,” Ron said, trying to look like he was building up a steam of anger.
Harry and Ginny both whipped their heads around to look dumbfounded at Ron.
“R…R….Ron…wait mate, I swear I can explain,” Harry stuttered, slowly pushing Ginny behind him.
Ron could no longer keep the act going and promptly dissolved in laughter and slipped to the floor. Dudley took in the entire scene and just said, “I guess he knows now.”
Ginny blushed. Harry looked at Dudley in a very confused manner. Ron could not stop laughing long enough to even hear what Dudley said until Dudley spoke up again. “Mother and Mrs. Weasley sent us to get you two, it is tea time. Best not to dawdle. They are getting along, but I don’t want to leave them alone too long.”
Harry looked at his cousin with a new bit of respect and said, “Dudley, you’re not so bad after all.”
Dudley looked at the floor and said, “I was given a second chance at life by my cousin. You might say he even saved my soul.” Dudley looked up on the last line and looked Harry straight in the eye.
Harry blushed, picked up his best friend off the floor, looked at Ginny and blushed again.
I’d better get past this blushing thing or Mrs. Weasley and Aunt Petunia are going to want to know what is going on. How the heck would I explain my way out of this one?
Dudley was trying to help Ron to calm down by explaining to Ron that hysterical laughter might frighten both of their mothers. Ron tried to catch his breath as he went down the stairs followed by Dudley. Ginny and Harry brought up the rear, hands barely touching, pinky fingers entwined.
Walking into the kitchen, the children found the two women actually getting along. To their surprise, the women were actually talking of going to get some of Petunia and Dudley’s things from Privet Drive.
“Do you think Vernon will be there Petunia? We’ll be taking a few members of the order just as a precaution. With the wards down, it’s not exactly a safe location,” Molly was exclaiming as the kids walked in.
“I would like to go Mum, to make sure you are safe,” Dudley inserted into the conversation. Harry was once again amazed at his cousin and the change in him.
“That’s sweet of you Dudders, but this is something that I really must do on my own…er…well maybe with a few adults with me,” Petunia said after Molly gave her a don’t-argue-about-this look. “I’ll get everything we need. Yes, Vernon will probably be there. He was talking about taking a week or two off of work. Probably to make sure that nothing he wanted to keep was taken from the house. He can keep the majority of it for all I care. I just want my clothes and Dudley’s things. If we are starting over in a new life, I may as well make a clean break, right?” Petunia looked at Molly for confirmation.
She glanced around the room after seeing a nod from Molly, and noticed Harry and Ginny’s hands. Her eyebrows went up for a second, and then she winked at Harry.
Wait; did she just wink at me? Harry’s brain was trying to process this as well as everything else that had happened so fat that day. He had a feeling that his brain was heading for overload.
Molly, oblivious to what Petunia was winking at, just smiled as she thought a private moment was passing between aunt and nephew. She was a bit worried about the trip to Privet Drive. What if Vernon demanded his son, or demanded that his wife was taking nothing with her. She knew what she would like to do, but that didn’t mean she COULD do it.
The talk of Privet Drive was put aside in favor of tea. Ron had to not look at Harry at all for fear that he would dissolve into laughter again. He still could not believe the look of shock on his best mate’s face when he caught the two of them together, and the look of amazement when he could not hold in his laughter anymore. Hermione was going to get such a kick out of all of this. He couldn’t wait to see her the next day. He just wished it were under happier circumstances. Ron was getting nervous about the reading of the will and how everyone was going to take it. He was especially worried about Harry and Remus. At least Harry now had Ginny to lean on, at least privately. Remus had no one.
Harry was thinking along the same lines as Ron about Remus. He remembered what the letter from Sirius said about letting Remus in and leaning on each other. Maybe he would have a chance to talk to Remus tonight or tomorrow before the reading of the will.
As if conjured by the thoughts of him, Remus stepped out of the fireplace and into the kitchen of Grimmauld Place. He felt for his wand, grabbed it, and cast a cleaning spell on himself. He then looked up and smiled at everyone. Harry, Ginny, and Ron all noticed that the smile did not reach his eyes.
“I hope I am not interrupting,” said Remus said with a grin.
“Come and Join us Remus. I must say, you are too skinny these days. Tea will do you some good,” Molly replied. She had a thing about feeding people, especially if they were any thinner than she thought they should be.
“Are you busy after lunch Remus? Petunia and I have an errand to run, and are in need of an escort,” Molly said very innocently to Remus, her brown eyes shining.
“Hmm…Escort. Where is it exactly that you ladies want to go and do we need more reinforcements?” Remus asked with a true Marauder grin.
“Privet Drive” was all Molly needed to say for Remus to lose his grin and understand the full weight of the situation.
“Is HE going to be there?”
“We suspect so, now you see the need for an escort,” Molly proclaimed with her lips pursed, getting a bit irritated.
“I have and idea of the perfect team to take along. Moody and Shackleford should do. Tonks if she is not busy. Does that sound good to you?” asked Remus before he turned to go back to the fireplace.
“That sounds like the perfect mixture of intimidation. Let me guess, Tonks is our comic relief?” Molly laughed.
“I’ll also get us cleared with the Improper use of Magic office just in case. I don’t know how well tempers are going to go,” Remus suggested very smartly. If Vernon tried anything, they didn’t need to get in trouble for protecting Petunia or themselves.
“We’ll want to leave here about 6pm Remus. Can you have everyone gathered by then?”
“I’m sure it will be no problem. Until then, Molly, Petunia,” He nodded his head in both their directions.
“Somehow I don’t think Uncle Vernon will ever be the same again,” said Harry, just loud enough for Ron, Dudley, and Ginny to hear.
The four teenagers finished their tea rather quickly and left the kitchen. As they headed to the library, Dudley asked, “They won’t hurt him too badly will they?”
“Not anymore than he deserves,” snickered Harry. “Seriously, they won’t do anything unless he starts something.”
“Oh, well then, he is in a right proper mess isn’t he? He couldn’t keep his mouth shut if his entire life depended on it. Oh well, payback for all the pain he caused you and Mum over the years,” Dudley said. Harry was having a hard time picking his jaw up off the ground from the shock in the change in Dudley.
The evening came early that night as the crew for the visit to Privet Drive met in the headquarters kitchen.
Remus had secured a portkey from Dumbledore with the explanation that the ministry need not know of the portkey’s existence. It was the quickest way in and out of Privet Drive at the moment.
“Everyone please touch the portkey, one finger will do,” Remus instructed. Everyone except Petunia had known how to use portkeys for a very long time, but he did not want Petunia to feel put out.
Everyone felt the familiar pull behind the naval as they left one kitchen and ended up in the one in Privet Drive. Petunia, of course, fell over as they landed causing a small ruckus and Vernon to come running.
“What is the meaning of this?” Vernon blustered when he saw his wife. He quieted down when he saw who was with her. He seemed to get really tense when he spotted Mad-eye Moody, remember the conversation from the train.
“The meaning of this, Vernon, is to get some of Dudley and my things. We will not take long and will let you get back to your evening as soon as we are done,” replied Petunia in a very matter of fact tone. Molly was quite proud of her.
“Well be quick about it. I want you and these freaks out of my house as soon as possible,” Vernon said, making his first mistake.
“I’d be careful if I were you Dursley. Some of the curses these days are most uncomfortable,” Moody replied to Vernon’s rudeness.
“You aren’t allowed to do that in front of non-magical people. I know that for a fact!” Vernon exclaimed, getting more nervous by the moment.
“I wouldn’t be so sure of that Dursley. You see, for you, we got special permission,” Remus interjected very calmly and with a smile on his face.
Vernon followed Petunia all over the house. He was frustrated that he could not get her alone even for a moment. She saw his frustration mounting and secretly smiled. When she had finished getting her clothes and a few things of Dudley’s together, she, Molly, and Tonks headed down the stairs to the kitchen. Petunia had accidentally fallen to the back of the group when Vernon grabbed her arm.
“I want to see my son Petunia, and you are not going anywhere until these people bring him to me,” said Vernon, turning purple with rage.
“He doesn’t want to see you Vernon. Why do you even want to see him, so you can try to brainwash him as you did me for so many years?” Petunia spit back out at Vernon.
“Brainwash? I did no such thing! I was the perfect husband to you. Now admit it to everyone right this moment!” Vernon screamed, his fingers bruising Petunia’s arm. He did not have a good enough hold on her arm, so he pulled her closer and put his arm across her neck.
Bright lights were everywhere as the curses came flying. Petunia was not worried about the witches and wizards hurting her, she was just very angry that the lout could not even keep his temper for 30 minutes.
When Vernon was laying on the floor, almost unconscious and in full body binds, Petunia reached down and slapped him.
“That was for my sister and the pain you made me cause her at the end of her short life,” She slapped him again. “That was for Harry, and the way you and your bullying made me treat him.
She backed up a step and kicked her foot directly into his groin, “And that is for hitting me and thinking you could ever keep a hold of me again. Goodbye Vernon. Never try to contact me again.”
All of the other men in the room were cringing and crouching to cover their private parts.
Petunia turned back to her escort, and let out the first full laugh that she had experienced in years. “Are we ready to go now?” she asked. Everyone nodded and reached for the portkey.
“Really dear, did you HAVE to kick him THERE?” Molly asked Petunia as they were reaching for the portkey.
“As a matter of fact, yes,” Petunia said with a giggle. “Yes I did.”
A/N Thanks to everyone who has been reviewing! I don't demand them for more chapters. But I do enjoy reading and responding to them! Thanks again guys!
Revelations by Katastrophe
Reflections
A/N I get nothing, except the enjoyment of reading occasional reviews, from writing this. JKR owns the Potterverse; I just like to play there. The characters may not be mine, but the adventures are all from my own twisted mind.
The group got back from Privet with the men still cringing and the women still laughing. The kids, who were waiting for them in the kitchen, looked at them questioningly. When everything was explained, there was much laughter to be shared.
All too soon it was time to go to bed. There was much to do the next day, and a will reading that most were dreading. With the reading of the will would have to come the full acceptance of the death of Sirius Black. This was something Harry in particular was not looking forward to. But for tonight, he needed to talk to Ginny and Ron, separately.
He walked Ginny to her room. When they got to the door he pulled away a little bit.
“Harry, what is it?” Ginny asked, concerned.
“I have to know. Are you still going out with Dean?” Harry asked, afraid of the answer. He would not be the ‘other man’ in the picture.
“That was a joke Harry. I was trying to get back at Ron for always harping on the guys I chose to date,” she said with a short laugh. “I’m a free woman, unless of course you want to change that status,” she looked up at him through her eyelashes as she said.
“Can you give me a day or two? As much as you hate Ron’s interference, he is my best mate, and I want to make sure he is ok with this before I go any further. I really do like you Ginny, but I want to do this right,” Harry said, half afraid that she would explode at him for involving Ron.
“I think that is about the sweetest thing a guy has done for me. I also think that you have nothing to worry about. But if you want to talk to him first, then I will let you go so you can catch him before bed.” She reached up to give him a passionate kiss, followed by a hug. “Sweet dreams Harry,” Ginny smiled knowingly and stepped into her room, closing the door softly behind her.
Harry leaned against the wall for a moment. He could still feel the kiss on his lips. He took a second to clear his mind before he went to face Ron. Facing the dragon during the Tri-Wizard Tournament was less stressful.
What if Ron says that I cannot date her? What if this ruins our friendship? Is this a chance I am willing to take? Ginny’s kiss crossed his mind again, and all of his questions were answered. She was definitely worth the risk.
It was with great trepidation that Harry walked back to the room that he shared with Ron. He had spent the time it took him to walk down the hall and up the stairs thinking of what to say. He reached for the doorknob and opened the door slowly. He peaked in the room and saw Ron, already in his pajamas and sitting on the edge of his bed, obviously waiting for Harry to return.
Harry walked into the room, grabbed his nightclothes out of his trunk, and began to change his clothes. The silence was getting stifling. Neither of them wanted to be the one to start this conversation. As much as Ron wanted to see the two of them get together, the reality of it was quite a different story and his over-protectiveness was beginning to kick in.
“So,” Harry began. “Mate, I don’t want you to get any wrong ideas from what you saw earlier. I really care about Ginny. I don’t know. After she yelled at me earlier, and then I read Sirius’ note, I went to apologize to her and the world just seemed to stop when she opened the door. It was like nothing existed but her and me. I will admit. I kissed her first. When I pulled away and started to apologize to her, she kissed me instead of accepting the apology,” the words tumbled from Harry’s mouth.
Through all of this Ron was looking extremely interested in his hands. He looked up and saw Harry’s green eyes shining like he had not seen since first year. Harry was happy, or at least on the verge of it.
“And I wanted to make sure with you that if I started to see your sister it was not going to cause any problems with our friends. Your friendship means the world to me mate, but I think I am falling for your sister, and I can’t seem to help myself. I haven’t asked her to go out with me or anything, not yet. I wanted to talk to you first.”
Ron stopped in mid-movement. Their friendship meant that much to Harry? What a quandary. Could he stand seeing his sister with his best mate? Probably, even though it might leave him out in the cold and bored. Could he live with their misery if he said no? Definitely not, he couldn’t be the cause of both of them being sad or depressed.
Ron noticed Harry begin to squirm during the silence. He decided to give him a break and said, “It’s fine with me mate, and long as you keep any details to yourself. And know that if you ever hurt her, I am not the only one you will have to deal with. I have four other brothers that actually count. Percy is just a git, so ignore him. But if you hurt her, Charley, Bill, the twins and I will tear you apart. Let me handle telling them, but you and Ginny need to handle Mum. I’ll take on my brothers for you two, but Mum and Dad are an entirely different story.” Ron stepped across the room and gave Harry a pat on the back. “Don’t worry too much, Mum already thinks of you as one of her own. You have my blessing, now to get it from the rest of the family,” Ron said with a laugh.
Harry had never been so relieved in his life. Ron was okay with it all. Now all he had to do is talk to Mrs. Weasley. He wondered if she was still awake.
“I’ll be right back. And Ron,” Harry said and waited until Ron looked up at him. “Thanks mate.” That was all that needed to be said.
Harry ran down the steps so quickly he was lucky he had not tripped. He sped through the dining room and stopped short as he came to the door to the kitchen. He had to catch his breath before he went in to the kitchen. He could hear his aunt and Mrs. Weasley talking on the other side of the door. It looked like he had made it in time before Mrs. Weasley went to bed.
He opened the door slowly and stepped into the kitchen. Both women were shocked to see him there and looking so flushed.
“What is it Harry? Is your scar hurting? It’s too soon for you to have gone to sleep and been woken by a nightmare. What’s wrong dear?” Mrs. Weasley was firing questions at him as fast as they came to her mind.
“Nothing is wrong Mrs. Weasley, I just needed to speak to you and it’s kind of important, at least to me,” Harry said before he lost his nerve completely.
“Would you like me to leave Harry?” Petunia asked, already half standing and ready to go.
“No Aunt Petunia, you can stay. It is important, but won’t be private for long if Mrs. Weasley agrees. And if she doesn’t agree, I can hide behind you,” Harry replied, attempting a joke.
Mrs. Weasley’s eyebrows lifted almost to her hairline at hearing the last remark. With that one comment he had given himself away. Harry had finally noticed her little girl.
She’s not such a little girl anymore. She’s grown up so much as of late.
Harry began explaining to Mrs. Weasley all that had transpired, leaving out the fact that Ginny kissed him. He could see her eyes sparkling with unshed tears.
“All I am asking for Mrs. Weasley, is a chance with Ginny. I won’t hurt her. I didn’t want you or Mr. Weasley to think I was going around behind your back or anything. I went to apologize to her for trying to chase her and Ron away earlier, and it…it seemed…” Harry sighed. “The world just stopped. There wasn’t anything else but the two of us. I know it has taken me forever to notice her. I’ve been a fool. Please say yes Mrs. Weasley. I am so sure this will work out with everyone’s blessings. I talked to Ron already and got his blessing, now I am talking to you for yours. I will go through every member of the family if that’s what you think I should do.” Harry was almost pleading with Mrs. Weasley. He was holding both of her hands and had knelt down in front of her.
“How can I say no? I’ve watched her watch you for years. It is about time you noticed young man!” Molly said jokingly scolding him. “I will handle Mr. Weasley. I cannot guarantee how he will react, but I will keep him away from you until he is calm enough to behave. I have to compliment you on wanting to talk to us before you asked her out. Most boys would not have taken a girl’s family into consideration,” Molly was so proud of Harry and the way he was going about this.
He grew up so well without me, thought Petunia. I’m glad he let me stay for this though.
Harry took a relieved breath and stepped up to hug Mrs. Weasley. She was shocked, but she returned the hug nonetheless.
“Thank you Mrs. Weasley. I’ll keep her safe, I promise you that,” he said, his eyes shining.
“I know you will. Now go on to bed. There is much to do tomorrow and you need your rest,” Mrs. Weasley ordered.
“G’night. Again,” Harry said with a smile. Before he walked out of the kitchen, he leaned down and kissed his Aunt Petunia on the cheek. “Thank you for staying for moral support Aunt Petunia,” he said with a grin as we walked out the door.
Harry floated up the stairs and fell into his bed. “She said yes Ron. She approves. Now tomorrow I get to ask Ginny,” he said dreamily.
Ron just laughed and said, “Was there ever a doubt? Night mate.” Ron rolled over and got comfortable to fall asleep.
Harry drifted off to sleep, feeling like he was floating on a cloud. It was not until about 6 hours later that his sleep would be interrupted.
Harry woke to the feeling that his scar was erupting. The pain was so intense that he screamed out and brought Ron running. He could hear people running in the hallway, he knew he had woken most of the house.
He put both hands to his head. Maybe if he held it together it would not feel like something was trying to crawl out of his head.
“It’s Voldemort. He was very happy, then he got very angry. I can’t see at what though,” Harry said to the roomful of people that had gathered.
“Shall I go get Professor Dumbledore?” Petunia asked, wanting to be helpful. “Or a wet cloth, maybe some ice for his head?”
“I have already been summoned Petunia dear, but some tea, and maybe a cool cloth for Harry would be good,” said the headmaster, making Petunia and Molly both jump. Both women scrambled to the kitchen to fulfill the Headmaster’s order.
“Hello Harry. Are you having another rough night?” asked the headmaster, his face full of worry and blue eyes not sparkling at all.
“Yes sir, it would seem so. Voldemort is at it again. All I felt was the emotions this time though. He was very happy, and then a few moments later he was very angry at something entirely different,” the pain was beginning to subside. Harry reached for his glasses to bring the world into focus. He saw that Ginny was sitting on the edge of his bed, holding his left hand. Professor Dumbledore had been holding his right hand and was now looking very closely at it.
“What are these scars Harry?” Dumbledore asked, still closely examining Harry’s hand. “They seem to spell out something. I…will not tell…lies? What is the meaning of this?”
Harry had almost forgotten the scars caused by the punishments of Professor Umbridge. Obviously Ron had not though.
“Those are from that toad faced Umbridge. Whenever he would argue with her about V…V… Voldemort last year, she would give him lines to do. But the lines would not be on paper. He would come back with his hand a bloody mess. We, Hermione and I, kept telling him to come to you or Professor McGonagall about this…but he refused. He said that it would just get the both of you in more trouble,” Ron said as he ran out of breath. It was a testament to how fast he was trying to get all of this out and to how angry he was that he used Voldemort's name.
Harry looked down at his hands and avoided everyone’s eyes. He wished that Ron had not said anything. He also wished that he had not forgotten to tell Dumbledore about all of this.
Once Ron caught his breath he opened his mouth and more came tumbling out, “She threatened to use the Crustacius Curse on him when he would not tell her where you and Sirius were too.”
“And she sent the Dementors after him last summer too,” Ginny said quietly. “She admitted it in front of all of us in her office. Neville and Luna were there too, as well as Hermione.”
“Is all of this correct Harry?” Dumbledore asked, keeping a tight reign on his temper.
“Yes sir Professor. What they are saying is true. Even down to my reason for not coming to you when all of this started,” Harry said, looking up for the first time.
“You are an extraordinary boy Harry, but sometimes you must let others help you. The other professors and I are there to protect you and to make sure no harm comes to you. I will deal with Professor Umbridge. She will be in Ministry custody within the hour if I can help it. Now,” he said, standing up, “if you will please extend my apologies to Molly and Petunia, I must be going. There is much to be done and very little time in which to do it. It’s time to start and old-fashioned witch-hunt, if you will pardon the pun. I will see you all at the reading of the will later today.” With that, he apparrated away, a pop as the only sound.
Big thanks to all my faithful reviewers. You guys mean the world to me!
A Test of Wills by Katastrophe
A Test of Wills
A/N I didn’t create this world or these characters, only the adventure they are on. Thank you Jo for letting me play in your world.
A/N I corrected the area with the results of the will in it. Thanks to TiffanyRuth for pointing out the errors in that. It now correctly states Galleons instead of Pounds. Sorry for the confusion everyone!
A few hours later found everyone showered, dressed, and in the kitchen having breakfast. Petunia and Molly had been brought up to date on everything that happened, after they left Harry’s room earlier, by Remus. It had taken Remus another 30 minutes to calm down the women. He knew Molly’s temper was bad and her protectiveness high, but he had never expected it from Petunia. His body was still sore from trying to hold both women back as they tried to leave the building to go find Umbridge. Merlin knows, Dumbledore had better have this under control by the time of the reading of the will or there would be hell to pay.
A non-descript owl flew through the window, delivering the Daily Prophet. Remus was shocked to see the two headlines in huge, bold print on the front page.
DEMENTOR DEFECTION
THE DEMENTORS LEAVE AZKABAN UNPROTECTED / SUSPICIONS THEY HAVE JOINED YOU-KNOW-WHO!
And…
FUDGE RESIGNS IN SHADOW OF SCANDAL
Amelia Bones Temporary Minister of Magic
Official Election to be held in two months
Harry walked in to find Remus Lupin deep into reading the prophet. Not wanting to interrupt him, Harry just made himself a plate quietly, and sat down to eat.
A few minutes later, Remus noticed Harry sitting at the table withhim, eating.
“Well I think I have found the explanation for this morning’s events with you and Voldemort,” Remus said with a wry smile.
Harry looked at the paper Remus was holding for him. He read the first headline and then took the paper from Remus’ hands. By the time he got to the second article, he was in shock. One article referenced page five for the rest of the print so Harry turned the pages. On that page the headline read:
DOLORES UMBRIDGE, UNDER INVESTIGATION!!!
Dark Magic, harming children, threatening of unforgivable curses!
Former High Inquisitor of Hogwarts in BIG Trouble!
This article, combined with the one about Fudge just about made Harry’s day. But then he remembered the dementors.
“You’re right Professor,” Harry said with a grimace. “He was happy that the dementors had left Azkaban. But why is he angry about Fudge retiring? Was Fudge a Death Eater?”
“No, just a very malleable minister. He liked power and money and was blinded by them. Perhaps he is worried that a more competent person will be put in the office of Minister now,” replied Remus with a grimace. “And Harry, I have not been your Professor for years. Please, call me Remus or Moony.”
Harry blushed a bit and said, “ I’ll try Prof… er Moony. It will take some getting used to. I have meant to ask you sir, how are you doing? I got so wrapped up in how I was handling things that I forgot to ask. For that I am really sorry. It wasn’t until Ginny blasted me about it yesterday that I realized I had been self-centered.”
“It’s okay Harry. We all mourn in our own ways. I am… as well as can be expected. It is harder than I thought being the last of the Marauders. Peter’s betrayal disqualified him from being a Marauder anymore. Losing your father was very hard. Losing Sirius, when we had just gotten him back, it’s a bit harder. But I’ll be okay, with time.”
“Professor Dumbledore gave me a letter from Sirius yesterday. I’d like you to read it. I think it might help you. He mentioned you in it.”
“Really? What did the old mutt have to say about me?” asked Remus with a smile.
“He said I should look to you as my new godfather. He said for me to take care of you. He implied you have a tendency of forgetting about yourself,” Harry said with a hidden smile.
“I would like that you know Moony. I would really like for you to be my new godfather. But I have to tell you something first. There is this prophecy…” Harry said, dreading his next words.
“I already know of the prophecy Harry. I have known about it since your birth. That won’t stop me. Are you sure you want a werewolf as your godfather though? It doesn’t exactly make me a person who is readily available at all times,” Remus replied, ready to accept that Harry would not want a werewolf as his godfather.
“Do you seriously think I would let something as small as you being a werewolf stand in the way? If so Moony, you don’t know me at all,” Harry tried to sound mollified but ended up laughing instead. “On a more serious note, we can both look out for each other.
Sometimes we all forget about ourselves at times.”
Harry took a moment to read the article about Umbridge a little further. “They are asking parents to question their children and report any claims of abuse to the ministry at once. Do you think they will get her?” Harry asked.
“I think they have a really good chance. You can’t be the only one she gave that punishment to, or be the only one she had issues with. Blood quills are very dark magic Harry, you really should have said something sooner,” Remus scolded Harry.
“I didn’t want to cause any more problems. All those stupid decrees last year, including my lifelong ban from quidditch, do you think they will be upheld?” Harry asked anxiously. He had truly missed his Firebolt and the game itself.
“I doubt it. Especially after she goes to trial. I wonder if Fudge knew about all of this. That would explain him resigning so quickly,” Remus was trying to reassure Harry.
“I always knew his backbone was made of jelly,” Harry laughed.
The two sat at the table talking and laughing until everyone else came down for breakfast. They were getting some very strange looks as the morning went on, after all they were supposed to still be in mourning.
When Ginny walked into the room, Harry went utterly still. He could swear he forgot how to breathe. She was dressed in a short but modest black dress. Her hair looked as if it were alight with flames as her curls bounced. Russet eyes met emerald eyes, and both parties smiled.
She could tell by looking at him that he was feeling better. A shower and some food had done him worlds of wonder. She looked to see who he was talking to and saw Remus sitting there, more relaxed than she had seen him in weeks. It looks like Harry had finally listened to her and talked to Remus.
Harry stood and slowly walked toward her. “May I speak to you privately for a moment Miss Weasley?” he asked her with a sparkle in his eye.
She looked him directly in the eye, a bit suspiciously, but followed him out into the entry hall.
He took both her hands in his, “Ginny, I know I don’t deserve you, I have been blind for far too long. I didn’t see what was right in front of me. But my eyes are open now, and I see that I am falling for you. Would you do me the honour of being my girlfriend? I have already gotten the permission and blessing from not only your brother, but your mother as well,” he tried so hard not to rush his words in his anxiety to get them out.
“My mother? My brother? You said to give you a few days. You’ve been hard at work here. You got all this done last night?” Ginny questioned him incredulously, flattered that he had gone to so much trouble for her.
“I saw something I wanted, so I went after it. You’re killing me here Gin. Can I get some sort of answer?” Harry was ready to scream. She was avoiding the question.
Ginny looked as if she were in deep thought for a moment. After so many years of adoring him from afar, she was going to let him suffer, but only for a few moments. When she saw that he was actually breaking out in a light sweat on his forehead and the very worried look in his emerald eyes she leaned forward and pulled him, by his collar, into a deep kiss.
When she let him come up for air she asked, “Does that answer your question? Or do you want a more detailed answer?”
She was teasing him, the little minx. He deserved it after being so thick for so long.
“We need to get back in there before they send out a search party. Thank you for being so patient with me Ginny. You won’t regret it,” Harry said as he quickly kissed her again and then still holding her hand walked into the kitchen.
Hermione stepped from the fireplace, trying to brush some of the soot off of her clothes. Ron walked up to her excitedly wanting to talk to her somewhat privately. She turned to go with Ron when she saw the kitchen door open.
“They’re holding hands,” she loudly exclaimed.
“Brilliant,” said Ron, rolling his eyes at all three of them. He had wanted to be the one to tell Hermione of the developments. Instead she told the entire room at once.
“Any other great observations you’d like to share with everyone Hermione?” Harry asked somewhat sarcastically, but grinning from ear to ear. He was a bit embarrassed with everyone looking at him and Ginny, but he was very happy. Even though the rest of the afternoon might be unpleasant, the morning had turned out pretty well, all things considered.
Hermione stepped over to Harry and Ginny and gave them both a hug. While she was hugging them both at once she had only one word to say, “Details!” she whispered to them.
Harry and Ginny laughed and promised to tell her everything later. Or at least to fill in the blanks that Ron left in the story.
The reading of the will went smoothly, all things considered. Sirius had put a great deal of thought into who was getting what. To Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, he left 100,000 galleons with the promise that the kids would get new books and robes this year. To each of the Weasley children he left 50,000 galleons, extracting a promise from them all to live a little. To Hermione, he left 50,000 galleons as well. His library was to be split between Hermione and Ginny. To Tonks and Lupin he left 250,000 galleons each, reminding them that they both needed to remember to live, laugh, and love (just as he had said to Harry in the personal letter). The remainder of the estate he left to Harry with the promise that Remus Lupin would always have a place to stay. One of the surprises of the day was that Godric’s Hollow had been fully restored and redecorated. It was going to be a gift for Harry’s seventeenth birthday, but was now his in full.
Harry also found out that the vault he thought was his was only a trust fund for school. The Potter estate was much more vast than he had ever imagined. It would take him a while to compile a full list of everything in the vault, including the stocks and bonds.
The last part of Sirius’ will gave Harry full emancipation. He was now a man in the eyes of the law, muggle and wizard alike. There was no way for Sirius to know the changes in Harry’s legal guardian. Harry was touched that Sirius would have thought of this as a way to rescue Harry, although rescuing was no longer needed.
The first thing he did as a legal adult was to pull Dumbledore into relative privacy and ask to join the Order. If he was stuck being the savior of the world and the key to winning the war, then he should not be left in the dark any longer. Dumbledore knew that there would be some protests to Harry’s request, but with the revealing of the prophecy things should smooth out rather quickly. There was going to have to be a meeting of the Order that evening, there was no way around it. He discussed this idea with Harry and got a reluctant agreement. Harry was not sure he was ready for all the stares or looks of pity from those that did not know.
After all the papers were signed, and Harry made a substantial withdrawal, converting some of the galleons into muggle money, the group left Gringotts. Harry had requested to do a bit of shopping to get some clothes that actually fit. He asked Tonks if she would go back and get Dudley and Petunia from headquarters. He figured they might enjoy at least a short shopping trip.
A few hours later, burdened with bags from Madam Malkin’s Robes p, as well as other stores in Diagon Alley, they stepped back onto the street. He had bought robes for his aunt and his cousin so they could fit in the wizarding world a bit better. The group then went to lunch at a restaurant in Diagon Alley, then split into smaller groups, each going its own way.
The last stop that Harry’s small group made was at a muggle clothing store. Ginny sent Harry to a dressing room and insisted that he try on everything she brought him. It was lucky for him that he had gotten some wizarding money exchanged for muggle money earlier in the day. He had four more bags that were overflowing by the time he left the store.
Harry had also made sure that Moony was one of the ‘guard’ in his group so that he could force him to do some shopping as well. Moony now had four new sets of robes, and Harry had even talked him into some jeans and collared shirts for casual wear.
As the small group was making its way back to Diagon Alley to meet up with his Aunt Petunia and her group Hermione was just full of questions. She was still a bit shocked seeing Harry and Ginny holding hands, seeing Ginny choosing clothes for Harry, and witnessing a few stolen kisses during the shopping excursion. Ron, Harry, and Ginny all told her different parts of what had occurred in the past few days. Harry and Ginny were both amazed to hear that Ron had been planning to push them together if they had not come together on their own.
Hermione was also very curious about Petunia and Dudley. After all the bad she had heard about them, there they were, hanging out with the Order at headquarters. Moony hung back with her a bit from the rest of the group trying to fill her in on everything that had transpired.
He kept noticing Hermione watching Ginny and Harry holding hands, talking and laughing. She would then look at Ron with a serious longing in her eyes. How long has this been going on? Remus wondered. He made a mental note to talk to Harry about this later.
Harry and his group met up with the rest in Diagon Alley. They were ushered by Tom to a private dining room where they used the portkey to get back to headquarters.
Once back at Grimmauld Place, Dumbledore said, “I have some things to do that will take the rest of the afternoon. I would like to have a meeting of the order tonight though. Perhaps we can have the meeting after dinner so as not to impose on Molly and Petunia overly much. I will notify the rest of the Order.”
Both women spoke up at once to tell him it was no trouble at all. He overruled them gently and said that the meeting would be around 7:30 pm. With that taken care of, he waved to everyone and disapparated with a pop.
A/N This is not my favorite chapter, but a necessary one. I apologize if it was a bit slow.
Confessions and Lessons by Katastrophe
Confessions and Lessons
A/N I am not getting anything from writing this except the pleasure of reading reviews. Jo Rowling owns all the characters; I am just sending them on a little adventure of my own.
Harry knew that he had to get a few things straightened out before the meeting of the Order. He did not want Ginny’s parents to think he had deceived them or that he was trying to hide the prophecy from them. He was taking a risk, something he was fully aware of; but honesty was the policy he tried to live by.
He was mulling this over in the library when Mrs. Weasley walked in to tell him that tea was ready.
“Mrs. Weasley, have you spoken to Mr. Weasley yet? About me that is,” Harry asked very cautiously.
“Yes Harry I have. I don’t keep much of anything from Arthur for too long. Harry, quit worrying. You’re fine. Arthur was ecstatic that Ginny had finally gotten through to you. Although he probably will play the Dad card and lecture you about hurting his daughter,” Mrs. Weasley said with a chuckle.
“I need to talk to both of you. This is important. It’s something you need to hear from me before it is brought out in the Order meeting this evening. How soon will Mr. Weasley be here?”
“He should be here at any moment now. Things at the Ministry have been in chaos, but there is not much that can be done at the moment to straighten everything out. I’ll go check, but he should be apparating in shortly. Where would you like to meet us?” asked Mrs. Weasley, getting a bit worried at the look of seriousness in Harry’s sparkling emerald eyes.
“Let’s meet in here please. I will go get Ginny; she has a right to be here as well,” Harry exclaimed as he was walking out of the room. “We’ll be waiting for you in here when you find Mr. Weasley.”
Harry found Ginny in her room putting things away from their shopping trip. He watched her from the doorway, just enjoying her movements. He knew that in the next hour it could all be over for the two of them. Harry could not believe that he had forgotten to tell Mrs. Weasley about the prophecy. He was mentally kicking himself now, but there was only one choice now. He had to come clean to the Weasleys and respect their decision if they told him not to see their daughter anymore.
He broke out of the deep thought when Ginny noticed his presence and stepped in front of him to give him a kiss. They lingered in the kiss for a few moments, and ended it with a tight embrace.
“What’s wrong Harry?” Ginny asked, noticing the tension in her new boyfriend.
“There was something I forgot to explain to your mother last night. It’s about the prophecy. She may not want her daughter involved with the guy slated to do battle with Voldemort himself,” Harry tried to sound like he was joking about the matter. Ginny, however, knew differently.
“When are you talking to them about it?” Ginny enquired.
“In just a few minutes. I need to let them know before the Order meeting tonight. Professor Dumbledore is going to reveal the prophecy to everyone tonight. I’m not sure I am ready for everyone to know. I guess I’ll have to be; I’ll be there at the meeting tonight. I joined the Order today.” Harry said, looking at Ginny out from under his lashes.
He expected her to explode. Surprisingly enough, she didn’t. She looked rather proud. This was getting really confusing.
“I figured you would. I mean, the only thing holding Ron, Hermione, and me back is the fact that we are not emancipated. Our parents would rather keep us sheltered than let us in on what is going on,” Ginny said while rolling her eyes.
“Well, if your parents let us stay together, that might change tonight. What I came up here to ask is if you want to be there when I talk to your parents. If so, we need to get to the library quickly. Your mother had gone looking for your father when I came up here.” Harry was starting to get nervous.
“You think I would LET you handle this alone? We’re in this together, and we will face whatever comes, together; even if that means facing my parents, TOGETHER. Do you understand me? Come on, let’s go.” Ginny leaned up and gave him a kiss for courage, not waiting for an answer to her question, and followed Harry downstairs to the library.
“Hello Harry, you wanted to speak to me?” Mr. Weasley said even before Harry and Ginny had completely gotten into the room. “If this is about you dating Ginny, Molly and I have already discussed it, and I am fine with it. But I will tell you now, if you hurt my daughter….”
“Sir, forgive the interruption. But that is not the reason for this,” Harry began, not quite sure where to go next. “I found something out a few weeks ago. There was a prophecy. Well to condense it, I am going to be the one that has to kill Voldemort. I know I should have said something when I asked for your blessing to date Ginny, but honestly Mrs. Weasley, last night was the first time since I heard the prophecy that it was not in the forefront of my mind. Ginny knows about it, so does Ron. I was trying to push them out of my lives for their own safety. That plan failed pretty miserably. Do you know how stubborn your two youngest are?”
Mr. Weasley gave a small laugh; Mrs. Weasley was still too shocked to do much of anything yet.
“And while I am telling you all here, I might as well add that today, after I signed the emancipation papers, I asked Professor Dumbledore if I could join the order. If I have to be the one to kill Voldemort, then I need to be kept in the know. He agreed, so I am to be at tonight’s meeting. The prophecy will be one of the first topics discussed. I didn’t want either of you to think I had deceived you,” Harry said seeing Mr. and Mrs. Weasley both shudder at the use of Voldemort’s name.
The Weasleys exchanged looks that seemed to contain a conversation. Mrs’ Weasley was worried, Mr. Weasley comforting. Harry was on pins and needles waiting for their answer, knowing that they held the key to his happiness in their hands.
“Mum, Dad…I know you want to protect me. I fully understand that, but I am not a child anymore. Neither Ron, nor Hermione, nor I am going to let Harry handle this alone. Our destinies are just as entwined in his as Voldemort’s is. My place is at his side,” Ginny explained to her parents with a pleading to her tone. “I know you still think that Ron and I are too young to be in the Order; but if we are going to be with Harry, then we need to know what is going on as well. And we will be with him.” Ginny set her chin firmly with her last statement.
Molly looked at Arthur with tears in her eyes. She sniffled and said, “This is what war does; and make no mistake we ARE at War. It robs children of their childhood and pressures them into growing up far too fast.” She looked at Arthur again, and he gave a slight nod. “Harry, if we tried to tell Ginny not to see you, that would cause more problems than it would fix. We believe that you were not trying to deceive us; you just don’t have much deception in you. Keep our little girl safe Harry. That’s all we ask.”
Arthur’s eyes were suspiciously moist as he cleared his throat. “As for Ron and Ginny being in the Order, I see no harm in it anymore. Now that we know that Harry is going to be in the final battle with you-know-who, we really cannot keep information from the children any longer. I guess we have to let Hermione in as well. With Harry, Ron and Ginny in the Order, they would just tell her everything anyway,” he said with a resigned chuckle. “You’re sure it has to come down to you and Him Harry? No other choices there eh?”
Harry sadly shook his head and said, “I wish there was another choice sir. You will see why it has to be me tonight. I am presuming that Professor Dumbledore will bring his pensieve and show the actual memory of the prophecy being given. That’s how I was told about it.”
He walked over to the Weasleys and gave Molly a hug, shook Arthur’s hand, and said, “Thank you both for not taking the light out of my life. Ginny means the world to me. I will do everything in my power to keep her safe and make sure she feels loved.” He looked over at Ginny as he finished to see her blushing intensely.
Harry and Ginny left the library to tell Ron and Hermione what was going on. They were going to be so excited to be actual Order members. They ran up the stairs to share the news.
Ginny came close to running straight into Harry when he came to a dead stop in the middle of the hall. Her eyes almost popped out of her head at what she saw not 10 feet in front of them. Ron and Hermione…were KISSING! Finally, the dunderhead had gotten a clue and admitted his feelings. She loved her brother and her new boyfriend, but they were both so thick at times. As she was finally able to close her mouth, she looked over at Harry to see him place one finger against her lips so she wouldn’t make any noise.
He had to get the wording just right. After all, Hermione was like a sister to him. How was it that Ron had put it again? Oh yeah.
“Weasley, would you mind removing your hands and especially your lips from my psuedo-sister please,” Harry said, trying his best not to laugh.
Ginny could not hold it in when she heard that line come from her boyfriend. That was so close to the line that Ron had used when he caught Harry kissing her.
Ron and Hermione flew apart as if they had both been slapped. Ron grinned and blushed all the way to his ears. Hermione was giving everyone a very confused look.
“But Harry, I am not your sister. And just who do you think you are to be scolding us?” Hermione asked indignantly.
“Close enough Mione. That’s the line Ron used on me last night when he caught me kissing Ginny. Enough about that, guess what?” Harry said, knowing there was no way they were going to be able to guess this one.
Ron and Hermione looked at Harry like he was an idiot when he made them wait for a full minute before continuing, “You both are new members of the Order. That is, if you want to be. Ginny and I have already gotten approval.” Harry beamed.
“Do I even want to know how all this came to be? Or would it be better not to ask?” enquired Hermione, amazed at the news.
“Harry got my our parents to agree Ron, and Hermione, they figured if the rest of us were going to be in, you might as well be. We were going to tell you everything anyway. This way you get the information first hand. Besides, we are going to need your phenomenal research abilities to help find a spell for Harry to use to defeat V..Voldemort,” Ginny replied, shuddering at the last part of the comment.
“Harry…Voldemort…the Order…You miss two weeks around here and you miss out on everything. Will someone please start explaining at the beginning? Maybe someone could also let me know what is up with Harry’s muggles being here. You know I hate being left out.” Hermione let out an exasperated sigh.
Ron, Ginny and Harry filled her in on everything that had happened in the past few days, including the headlines in the Daily Prophet. All within the space of about ten minutes, Hermione had gone through a myriad of emotions. Confusion, happiness, laughing, distress at the prophecy, laughter again at the headlines, she was not sure which emotion she would actually land on.
“So let me see if I have this straight. Harry’s muggles decided to act like human beings. He tried to push you both away. Ginny of course told him he was mental. Dementors leave Azkaban and Voldy is ecstatic, Fudge leaves office and he gets angry. Sirius leaves a letter that seems to make things all better with Harry and Ginny. And somehow, Ron has gotten a clue about his feelings for me. Have I missed anything?” Hermione asked with a sarcastic laugh.
Ron, Ginny, and Harry all broke out laughing. Watching Hermione count these things off on her fingers was hilarious. They were still giggling a bit later when Mr. Weasley called them down for dinner.
After the dinner dishes were cleared, people started apparrating in for the meeting. The dining area was soon getting a bit crowded so Professor Dumbledore cast an expanding spell on the dinging area to make more room for everyone.
Seats were taken and the meeting was ready to start. Harry, Hermione, Ginny and Ron were getting their share of strange looks for not leaving the room. Ginny held Harry’s hand for moral support. She knew that if the headmaster were going to show the prophecy again, Harry would definitely need the support.
“If everyone would please quiet down, we can get started. We have a few new members I would like to introduce to everyone. First, Madam Amelia Bones, acting Minister, had joined the Order a few weeks ago, but this is the first opportunity she has had to make it to a meeting. She has some good news concerning prisoners and an excellent surprise for our newest and youngest members of the Order,” stated Professor Dumbledore, his look encompassing Ron, Harry, Ginny, and Hermione.
“Surely you are joking Headmaster. The Potter brat and his groupies are now going to be in on Order business?” Severus Snape sneered at Harry the entire time he was speaking.
Harry stood up. “Professor Dumbledore, if I may, I think we need to clear the air a bit here to make things a bit more productive.” Albus Dumbledore gave a slight nod and Harry continued, “Professor Snape, I don’t know what I personally I have done over the years to make you so venomous toward me, but I will give a blanket apology right this moment to try and make it better. If, however, this hostility you have toward me and my friends is somehow related to the infantile grudge that you have held against my father for so many years, all I have to say is GET OVER IT. I, contrary to your belief, am NOT my father. I can only hope to be as great of a wizard as he was. I am by no means the arrogant soul you make me out to be, nor do I step on anyone that gets in my way. You’ll find out shortly, but it is going to come down to me to make sure we defeat Voldemort. Know this Professor Snape, I will not tolerate the sniping, cutting remarks from you or anyone else any longer. Grow up, get over your grudge, and get on with your life. We have bigger things to worry about at the moment, and have no time for your tantrums and sarcasm,” Harry said as he took a deep breath, let it out slowly and reclaimed his seat.
“Very well put Harry. Now if everyone would please take notice of the pensieve in the center of the table,” Dumbledore began his explanation.
Ginny was mentally applauding Harry for his maturity. She was trying to keep her attention on what the headmaster was saying, but her thoughts and her eyes kept straying back to Harry.
After Dumbledore had shown everyone the prophecy, and explained the significance, he turned the floor over to Madam Bones. Harry was shocked at the lack of surprised faces at the table. Sure, there were a few, but more people had known about this than he had figured.
“I’ve taken a few steps that I hope will meet with everyone’s approval. Two years ago, when Sirius Black escaped Azkaban, I started to think that maybe the Dementors were not as effective as we had thought they were. I started a branch of training, similar to the Auror trainer, but a bit more intense. These trained wizards are our Special Task Force. The Death Eaters that were captured a few ago in the Department of Mysteries have been in the care of the STF. They were not in the population of Azkaban when the Dementors defected and therefore are still in Ministry custody,” Madam Bones paused for the whispering to stop.
“As you can see, I have been preparing for Fudge’s actions and those of the Dementors for a while now. Also, Mr. Potter, now that you are emancipated, the Underage Magic laws no longer apply to you. But to avoid any red tape, and to give you someone to practice with, I have waivers for you and your three friends. There are those of us that think the world might be a bit safer if you were able to train over the holiday. You will also be training to apparate. Just in cast you should need to escape quickly from any situation. Now, is there anything I forgot?” Madam Bones asked with a very amused look on her face. There were many mouths hanging wide open at what she had just said.
She guessed not all members came bearing such good news.
Perceptions by Katastrophe
Perceptions
A/N If you don’t know by now that I get no money or fame from this fic, then you have not been paying attention!
When the mouths around the room finally closed, they immediately opened again. Everyone seemed to start talking at once. There were so many questions being fired around the room. Harry just watched on, still in a bit of shock. He noticed that Professor Snape was the only other one not moving or talking, he was just staring at Harry as if he had never seen him before.
Maybe my little speech finally sunk through all that grease in his hair and into his brain. Of course, it could be the shock of what Madame Bones just told us. I can’t believe that she has been working behind Fudge’s back for so long. Well… ok… I can believe it. She was so willing to hear the truth from me last year. She also stood up for me during the trial, even though she had to try to be impartial. At least she did not treat me like I was mental. Now, to be able to practice magic all summer, and learning to Apparate early; this summer just kept getting better. Stranger, but definitely better.
Harry was yanked from his inner revelry by the sudden and absolute silence. He looked up to see Professor Dumbledore holding up his hand for quiet. Professor Dumbledore caught Harry’s eye and winked. He had known what Amelia Bones was taking steps to do. Dumbledore was one of the only ones in the table who was not shocked at the announcements.
“If everyone will please settle down, we still have a lot to do. First I would like to say thank you to Madam Bones. First, for believing in Harry and me when so many around her were trying to prove we were both a bit on the mental side. Secondly, for pulling the strings she has to get things moving and to keep everyone safe from the Death Eaters that were captured. Now, I’m sure you all know our newest members, Harry Potter, Ginny Weasley, Ronald Weasley, and Hermione Granger. I know we had age restrictions in our charter before, and that they were placed there for very good reason. However, with the unveiling of the prophecy, I feel it is necessary that these young people be in on our meetings,” said Professor Dumbledore, giving Snape a look that would silence any objection if there had been any. “Many times, our destiny is not ours alone. Destinies intertwine as easily as loose strings in the wind. At times we may not particularly like a person with whom we are so entwined, but must show tolerance and grace to get the job done, together,” this time Professor Dumbledore looked straight at Harry. Harry knew that he needed to try harder with Professor Snape. But honestly, Snape had started all of this.
“We need to work as a group. The support and love felt for Harry by most in this room may turn out to be our strongest weapon. Are there any questions?” Professor Dumbledore looked around the room and saw that there were none. He then went on, “In the spirit of cooperation, I would like to welcome Petunia Dursley, our first official Muggle, to the Order of the Phoenix.”
A smattering of light applause, and Petunia blushing a crimson red followed this introduction. She was stunned when Professor Dumbledore had asked her earlier if she would be supportive to the Order and if she would like to be the first Muggle member. She was still not sure what she could do to help the cause, but accepted nonetheless.
When Dumbledore had continued talking and had taken the spotlight off her, she surreptitiously looked around the room. Her eyes first fell on Ginny. Petunia had not failed to notice how much this girl looked like Lily. Seeing Ginny with Harry was almost like looking at Lily and James all those years ago. They were so smitten with each other. Young love could be so grand. While thinking of young love, she turned her gaze to Ron and Hermione. That was so much a match of opposites. He was so laid back, and Hermione was… well a bit pushy, but in a good way. Petunia sincerely hoped it would all work out for both of the couples. They had a hard road in front of them but they had each other to lean on. She then wondered if Dudley would be so lucky.
Tonks was also looking at the new couples. She was not at all surprised at either of them. Tonka had talked to both Hermione and Ginny last year. She had tried to tell them both to be a bit more aggressive, to no avail. Her gray eyes sparkled as she thought that Harry was definitely going to have his hands full these days. She gave a sigh, wishing that she could take her own advice and be a bit more aggressive. The man that she had dared to fall for was a bit older than she, and somewhat of a recluse by nature. She was afraid to even admit aloud that she had feelings for him. What if he rejected her? She knew that he was a werewolf, and that rabble about half-breeds and all did not mean a thing to her. Despite being part of the Black family by blood, she was raised with none of the prejudices that most of the Blacks tried to instill in their children.
Thinking of prejudices, Tonks was happy to see that Petunia seemed to be getting on a bit better, especially with Molly. She knew Molly would come around after a while. When Professor Dumbledore made the announcement of Petunia being the first Muggle and such, Tonks watched everyone’s reaction closely. Most of the people in the room did not change expression much at all, maybe to happiness at the progress. However there was one that was a dramatic change, Snape. Of course, Snape WOULD turn up his nose at a full Muggle in the Order. He had better hope he does not step out of line. Harry just might go off again.
Tonks turned her attention back into the meeting, just as it was coming to a close. She looked at Remus out of the corner of her eye and just sighed. That would teach her to watch the kids as they hold hands and give each other affectionate pecks. Seeing that was putting silly thoughts in her head; thoughts of love and happiness with a certain werewolf. She sighed a second time and got ready to leave the room. Just as she was turning to go, Hermione’s cat Crookshanks ran under Tonks’ feet and tripped her. Lacking some of the natural grace bestowed on some by nature, Tonks began to fall to the floor. Remus was at her side in a flash, catching her seconds before she made painful contact with the floor. Tonks blushed about ten shades of red, her hair and eyes changed color multiple times before they settled on her natural colors of rich brown hair and light gray eyes. During times of extreme embarrassment Metamorphmagi could lose control of their powers.
Remus stood there for a moment, Tonks in his arms. He had never realized just how beautiful she was. He wondered if this was her natural coloring, it was so very similar to Sirius’. He didn’t know how long he stood there with her in his arms, but he suddenly snapped back to reality and made sure she was steady on her feet before he released her.
He wondered at his momentary lapse. He was actually beginning to see Tonks as a woman, instead of just an Order member. He felt he had to push aside the thoughts though, as a werewolf, there could be no love life for him.
“Thank you for catching me. You have wonderful reflexes. Sometimes I wonder if all the natural grace in the gene pool was used up before it got to me,” she laughed, trying to cover her embarrassment and discomfort with a joke.
Remus laughed along with her. “Don’t be so hard on yourself. We all have our moments. You just seem to have a few more moments than usual,” he said with a slight wink. With a small bow he turned and walked away.
Tonks sighed again, looked around to make sure she would not trip over the cat, and walked toward the kitchen to find something to do to get her mind off Remus.
Molly quietly watched the exchange between Remus and Tonks. She had known that Tonks had a crush on the poor loner werewolf. This was the first time though that she had seen a reaction out of him. He looked absolutely besotted for a few moments there, before he put his walls back up and made his face expressionless. This was an interesting development. She wondered to herself what she could do to help push things along.
Professor Dumbledore stopped Harry and the others as they were leaving the dining room. They turned to him with expectation on their faces as he said, “I will have a schedule set up within the next few days for studying and which person will be helping you in which area. I also want all four of you tested to see if you can become animagus. For now, we can avoid the registration process… in the name of secrecy against Voldemort that is. We don’t want to lose the element of surprise we can gain if any of you are able to transform. I do apologize for seemingly cutting your vacation short, but with war at hand, we need to be prepared. Do you have any questions?”
The four looked at each other for a moment and then shook their heads; there were no questions. They were dismissed and started upstairs. They all had things they wanted to discuss. Much had been learned at their first Order meeting.
“I cannot believe you Harry. You, going off on Professor Snape like that. Now he will just make all of our lives miserable,” Hermione said with a slight whine.
“I think it was brilliant! It was about four years overdue, but brilliant. It’s about time someone set that dungeon crawler back in his place. I’m tired of him insulting Harry,” said Ginny, jumping to Harry’s defense.
“Everyone is Ginny, but do you think he is going to take that laying down?”
Ron, who had been quiet through the entire exchange, suddenly stopped in his tracks, almost pulling Hermione off her feet.
“Hey, what is the big deal here?” Hermione asked, exasperated.
“I have to go ask Dumbledore something. Something has been weighing on my mind since the reading of the will, but I could not place my finger on it,” Ron said as he turned and ran down the steps to catch the headmaster before he left. The others followed, their curiosity getting the better of them.
They caught up to Professor Dumbledore, as he was just about to go into the kitchen. Ron once again quickly stopped, Hermione running into him. She was huffing in disgust with him when he said, “Professor, you asked if we had any further questions earlier. I came up with one that had been tickling the back of my mind since the reading of the will today. How is the will legal if Sirius was still a fugitive when he died? Wouldn’t that make everything that was given invalid?”
“This is a question I was hoping no one would figure out until tomorrow,” the kindly old professor said. “However, since it has been asked, I will spoil the surprise. It seems that some of the Death Eaters began talking under interrogation by the Special Task Force. They were mentioning names of other Death Eaters. Peter Pettigrew’s name came up so frequently that the officers decided to test the Death Eater testimony by giving Veritaserum to Lucius Malfoy. Alas, Lucius not only gave them Peter’s name, but he also laughed about the fact that Peter had fooled everyone by pretending to be dead and throwing the blame off on Sirius. Sirius has been cleared of all charges. This was to be in the Daily Prophet in the morning.”
All four children just stared at the headmaster with their mouths open.
“Cleared… Sirius has been cleared? Why didn’t anyone tell me? Didn’t anyone think I would want to know of this immediately, especially as his heir?” Harry was almost yelling, getting more agitated by the moment.
“I only wanted to surprised you Harry. There seems to be so much going on these days, I wanted you to be able to start tomorrow off with a bit of good news. I knew you’d want to know, but that you would also want the world to know; tomorrow, they will. It will be on the front page of the Daily Prophet. I arranged it to where he would get as big of an article as he did when he escaped from Azkaban,” Professor Dumbledore said, not looking at Harry. He could not stand for Harry to go back to being mistrusting again because of yet another of his own actions. “You have to understand Harry, they just finished questioning Lucius yesterday. The Wizengamot only decided and hour before the will was read to clear his name.”
Harry appeared to think this over for a moment. “You were really just trying to keep this as a surprise? You weren’t trying to keep anything from me today?” Harry asked incredulously.
“Wizard’s honor Harry. I did promise you that I would start treating you like the adult you legally are now,” Dumbledore said, the twinkle back in his eye.
“Okay then. Now, when can I see these properties I own? I presume some sort of guard will be going along. And why was I not told that Potter Manor still existed?” Harry was still in a demanding mood with his questions. The other three looked at him in total shock for talking to the headmaster this way.
“You were not told because we did not know. That information was divulged to Sirius only I presume,” Professor Dumbledore confessed. “As for venturing to the manor itself, I will see what I can arrange for tomorrow. For tonight, I will bid adieu. Sweetest of dreams to you all.” With a small pop, the headmaster disappeared from the house.
A/N A very big thanks to all that have read and reviewed. Special thanks to CraftySlythern for all her words of support…please check out her fanfic Caves of Consealment!
Potter Manor by Katastrophe
Potter Manor
A/N Pay attention, I get nothing from writing this except my own pleasure from reading reviews. JKR owns it all!
The next morning, Harry could barely contain himself long enough to change out of his pajamas into his regular clothes. He was anxious to get to a copy of The Daily Prophet to see the story they were supposed to do on Sirius.
“’Mione,” mumbled Ron, rolling over and cuddling with his pillow. Harry had to hold his laughter as to not wake his best friend and roommate. He closed the door softly behind him as he left the room.
Once he had cleared the door to his room, Harry ran down the steps and towards the kitchen. He was in such a hurry that he almost knocked Molly off her feet as he burst through the kitchen door.
“Sorry, Mrs. Weasley,” he said with a sheepish grin. “Has anyone seen a copy of The Daily Prophet today?”
“On the table, Harry. Sirius got top billing today,” Molly said, happy to see that Harry’s face was alight with anticipation. She was so used to seeing him subdued. Seeing him with all this energy and an abundance of smiles was an absolute joy to her.
Harry read the article in the Prophet quickly, and then went back to read it more slowly. It was as if he was trying to memorize every word of the article which announced to the world that Sirius Black was not the murderer everyone had thought him to be.
“Mrs. Weasley? After everyone is done with this, do you think I could cut out this article and save it? It may be too late to give him any freedom, but I think this would have meant a lot to Sirius. I’d like to keep it so I can always remember how it felt to see his name finally cleared,” Harry said, sounding so much like a small boy.
“Take it, Harry. I got extra copies just for you and Remus. Professor Dumbledore let me know that the article was going to be in there today,” Molly said with a smile. “Sirius and I may not have agreed on everything, but we both had your best interest at heart. I almost miss the verbal sparring; it reminded me so of my brother Gabriel and the spats we used to have. I lost him during the first war with You-Know-Who.” Molly got a look of nostalgia in her eyes. She had not thought of her long dead brothers for some time now. The memories were quick, but she refused to shed a tear. This was supposed to be a happy day, and she was not going to ruin it by blubbering over events that were in the past.
Remus walked slowly into the kitchen, not quite fully awake. He mumbled what sounded like a hello to everyone in the room, and proceeded to pour himself a cup of tea. He sat down at the worn kitchen table, picked up the newspaper, and began to read as he took his first sip of morning tea. As he read the headline, he almost spit out his tea into the newspaper and ended up choking on it instead.
“Merlin! Why didn’t anyone tell me about this? Sirius has been cleared. Do you hear me? CLEARED! This is such great news,” he exclaimed. Almost magically gone was the sleepy man that had entered the kitchen just moments before. Remus had gotten up and was dancing in the kitchen, twirling Molly around no matter how much she tried to slap his hands away.
Tonks entered the kitchen just in time to be grabbed and twirled around the room by Remus. “He was cleared! He was cleared!” was all that she could understand out of him. Remus was so caught up in his celebration that he kissed Tonks as he was twirling her. When he realized what he had done, he stopped in his tracks, dropped her on the floor, and blushed furiously.
Tonks was not prepared for the kiss, and even less prepared to be dropped to the floor. She landed in an ungraceful heap, her hair changing colors again from embarassment. Harry reached out a hand to help her up off the ground, amazed at what he had just witnessed. He had never seen Remus so jubilant.
“Oh my, Nympha,” he paused as she shot him a withering look. “…er…Tonks, I am so very sorry. I got a bit carried away. I was just so excited! Sirius was cleared!”
“So I gathered,” Tonks said, trying not to sound disappointed. “That is very good news indeed. So,” she said, turning to Harry, “what time are we leaving to go explore this Manor of yours?”
“You’re going to Potter Manor today?” Remus said, shocked that he had been left out of so much.
“Yes Remus, and you would have known if you had not run off so quickly last night after the meeting,” admonished Molly. “I even get to go along on this one. But we do need more for the guard if you are interested. We leave in three hours,” Molly said in her best motherly tone. Tonks shot her a look of gratitude. She had not quite gained her composure back enough from the kiss to think coherently, much less form too many sentences. Tonks suspected that Molly knew exactly how she was feeling and was trying to help cover for her.
“Mrs. Weasley, have you seen my aunt this morning? I would really like to invite her to come along, if no one minds. Dudley too. I’m sure they have been feeling a bit left out over the past few days,” Harry said thoughtfully. “I’m still not sure exactly what their plans are. Where they are going to stay and what they are going to do. I do feel bad for ignoring them, but there has been so much happening.”
All three adults were amazed at the thoughtfulness Harry was exhibiting. There was such a capacity for forgiveness and love within this teenager, it was staggering.
“We’ll think of something by summer’s end Harry. You know they won’t be left out in the cold,” said Remus with a small smile. “And I think asking them to come along would be a grand idea.”
“You go and get cleaned up. I will stay here and watch for Petunia and tell her of our plans for the day. If you could dear, would you wake up Ron and the girls? We need to get breakfast done and get everyone moving if we are all to be ready when the headmaster gets here with the Portkey,” Molly said, walking across the kitchen to get the pans started heating for cooking.
“Yes ma’am,” Harry said as he left the kitchen. This had the possibility of being a really great day. It was already off to a fantastic start. Harry took the steps at a run, two at a time. He felt as if the weight of the world had been lifted off of his shoulders, if only for a short time.
*~*~*~
A few hours later, everyone was ready to go. Dumbledore had shown up with Kingsley and Moody in tow as extra guard.
The party gathered in the entry hall of Grimmauld Place in a circle around the enlarged key chain that Professor Dumbledore had turned into a Portkey. As everyone touched the Portkey, they felt the now familiar pulling sensation behind their navels.
When everything stopped spinning, and Petunia and Dudley were picked up off the ground, all that could be heard were gasps of wonder. They were in another entry hall, but this one was very different.
The room had vaulted ceilings and black marble tile flooring that sparkled with their reflections. The walls were painted in the same very light silver color that was the marbling in the floor tiles. There was a staircase off to the left that wound its way up to the second floor. They could see a hallway leading off to the back of the house just past the stairs. To the left and right were huge oaken doors leading into other rooms.
“M…M…Master James? You is not Master James. What is you doing in Potter Manor looking like Master James?” said a very distraught house-elf dressed in a miniature suit.
“I am Harry. James was my father,” Harry very gently tried to explain to the upset house-elf.
“Master Harry? It has been a long time. Last time I’s seeing you, you was a baby. I am Idget, house-elf of Potter Manor,” the house-elf said bowing very low. “Will Master James and Missus Lily be coming home soon too?” Idget’s face lit up with so much expectancy that it almost broke Harry’s heart to tell him that his parents were gone, but it had to be done.
Idget handled the news well. He told Harry and company that all the rest of the house-elves had left many years before. Idget had known that someone would come back to Potter Manor one day, so he had stayed, even though Master Harold (Harry’s Grandfather) had freed him years ago. Idget took it upon himself to make sure someone was there when the Potters came home. Now he had a family to take care of again, he could barely contain his excitement.
Hermione was beside herself. She was not the first one to believe in freedom for house-elves. Or maybe Harry’s grandparents and parents knew they would not be back, and that’s why the freed Idget. Either way, she was very impressed with the Potters. She looked around the room and peaked through the open doorways. She gasped as she looked through the doorway to the left. The library she saw beyond that door HAD to be the size of the one at Hogwarts, if not bigger.
Hermione’s gasp seemed to break everyone out of his or her reverie. They all looked around for the enemy, laughing when they saw that the reason for Hermione’s gasp was a massive amount of books.
“Master Harry, you and friends go look around Manor. Idget will be in the kitchen starting the evening feast,” Idget said, bouncing on his toes. “Idget is still working on the upstairs. Idget apologizes if it is not good yet. It takes Idget a month to get the Manor clean from top to bottom. Yous just be calling Idget if you need him.” With that he gave a small bow and bounced out of the room.
Harry was in shock at this news. Clearly the Manor was too big for Idget to handle alone. Harry looked at Professor Dumbledore, knowing the perfect house-elf to help out.
“If you ask Dobby, you will have to take Winky as well Harry. They have bonded,” said Professor Dumbledore. At Harry’s confused look he continued, “that is the house-elf form of marriage.”
“Oh. Both of them would be fine. Do you think they would agree to help out here and at Grimmauld Place? Or would they be too missed at Hogwarts? Should we talk to Idget about it first?” Harry asked, not wanting to inconvenience anyone.
“We have hundreds of house-elves at Hogwarts, Harry. Let’s talk to Idget first, let him know you are not replacing him. Then we can ask Dobby and Winky and see what they say,” Professor Dumbledore said, impressed that Harry cared so much about the feelings of others.
Mrs. Weasley, who was not used to having house-elves around at all, was shocked and amazed that Harry was about to have three. She had seen how most witches and wizards treated their house-elves, and it was nowhere near the kindness that Harry was displaying. Harry was already one of her favorite people, but he went up a few steps in her book simply for being himself.
After being told of the new house-elves, Idget was in hysterics. Once Idget was comforted by the assurance that the new house-elves weren't because of his doing a terrible job, Dobby and Winky were called to Potter Manor. Once they got over their initial fear that Dumbledore was firing them, and their excitement at seeing Harry and his Wheezies (including Ginny and Hermione of course),; they accepted the job willingly. They were going to go back and forth between Potter Manor and Grimmauld Place, helping out at both locations. They would not take more than 3 Galleons a week, and had to be talked into taking one day off a week. All in all, the meeting went well with all the house-elves getting right to work.
Harry, Ginny, Hermione, Ron, Remus and Tonks stayed in one group and headed directly up the stairs to see what they could find. Everyone in the group had to promise Hermione that she could come back and look at all the books for a while a little later.
Petunia, Molly, and the rest went to explore the downstairs first. When they got to the kitchen, their mouths hit the floor. The kitchen was a homemaker’s dream! One area of the wall was taken up with a triple oven, double chrome sink, and full sized pantry. The refrigerator looked like something that would be used in a restaurant; that didn’t include the walk in freezer. The hunter green tile flooring actually sparkled, as did the matching countertops. There was enough counter space for at least four people to be working at once.
Idget was definitely in his element in the beautiful kitchen. Petunia and Molly both noticed him humming. He seemed genuinely happy that he now had a family to look after. Petunia stepped forward as if to ask Idget if he needed any help when Molly stopped her. The poor house-elf would take it as an insult. Molly may not have had much experience with house-elves, but she did know proper etiquette for the situation.
The ladies sighed once more at the kitchen, and moved along with the rest of the group to continue exploring the first floor. The living room, formal dining room, den, study, family room, and library were almost as impressive as the kitchen. It seemed the Potters had excellent taste and put it to good use. Petunia quickly fell in love with each and every room she explored. It was almost like stepping into one of the magazines that she so loved to peruse.
*~*~*~
Upstairs Hermione and Ron were walking a little bit ahead of the rest of the group. Harry was listening to Remus give a few facts about the house itself. He had been there as a teenager many different times with Sirius and James. As far as he could remember, Peter had never made it to Potter Manor.
“I remember twelve bathrooms upstairs and fourteen bedrooms. Each room had it’s own motif, although they were all very beautiful. Your grandmother had impeccable taste,” Remus said, as he wandered through the maze of halls until he found the room he was looking for. He stopped at the closed door, took a deep breath, and opened the door slowly. “This was your father’s room. After he got married, it was his and Lily’s bedroom.”
In the room there was a king-sized, mahogany canopy bed. The bed had hangings on it just as the ones at Hogwarts did. The bedclothes were a deep burgundy color, accented with dark gold trim and throw pillows. The room itself looked fit for royalty.
Looking above the fireplace, Harry saw a portrait of his mother and father. His mother had a baby in her arms in the picture that he presumed was his younger self. But to his disappointment this was not a wizarding portrait. All of the characters in the picture were absolutely still and lifeless.
He did, however, see many framed smaller wizarding pictures around the room. Remus followed Harry’s eyes and laughed, “Your father was always wanting our picture taken. He loved to have pictures done at every opportunity. It was almost as if he was trying to make a record of time.”
“Seems like he succeeded,” replied Harry with a sardonic smile. “In most of these I see you, Sirius, and my parents. Pettigrew is not in even one of them. Isn’t that odd?”
“Most likely, Peter went into hiding and took himself out of the pictures,” Remus replied with a sneer. “He may have finally figured out he was not wanted.”
Remus went back to looking up at the large portrait of Lily, James, and baby Harry. His eyes began to mist over. He truly missed his friends. A single tear rolled down his cheek as Tonks stepped up beside him. She knew how upset Remus was, so she threw caution to the wind and reached for his hand.
Seeing this, Harry quietly grabbed Ginny and left the room to give the adults some privacy. He knew that Remus was upset but was not sure how to comfort him. There were many more rooms in the upstairs level of the Manor to explore.
Remus felt a hand lightly touch his. He looked over at Tonks, and saw such understanding in her eyes that he broke down and let the tears flow. He had opened the gates and was letting it all out. Sobbing, he told her how he missed his friends and how lonely it was to be the last one left.
Tonks thought about this for a moment and then pulled his chin up so he would look her in the eye. “You don’t HAVE to be lonely or alone Remus. You choose to shut everyone out. You’re just lucky that I am too obstinate to listen to the rubbish. You have to let people in at some point Remus. Why not start with me?” Tonks said, her hair and eyes changing multiple colors due to embarrassment, yet again. She could not believe she had been that bold. Whatever had come over her?
She began to turn to walk away when she felt a tug on her hand. Remus was holding it tight. She looked up from their entwined hands to his face, a face that was coming closer to hers. She opened her mouth to apologize for stepping out of bounds. He silenced her with a deep and passionate kiss.
A/N A very special thanks and big hug to CraftySlythern who has been a very wonderful beta! Check out her story Caves of Consealment when you have the chance. Big thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed. Reviews mean a lot, especially in first fanfics! If you haven't checked it out already, also check out Remembering Sirius by Dumblydoor. Til next time....
Time for a Change by Katastrophe
Time for a Change
A/N I don’t own this playground, I just play here.
As Harry and Ginny backed out of the door of what was formerly his parents’ room, they heard Hermione exclaim, “Oh Merlin, just look at this!”
Ginny grabbed Harry’s hand and pulled him quickly into the room across the hall. Once she got through the doorway, she stopped so quickly that Harry bumped into her back. Startled, he looked up and his mouth just dropped open.
In the middle of the room was a very ornate crib. Upon closer examination, Harry saw that his name was carved into the headboard of the small crib. The blankets and bumper pads were a very pale green and blue.
Harry tore his eyes away from the crib to look around the rest of the room. In each corner of the room a small talisman was hung from the ceiling, presumably for protection. The walls were enchanted to look like a beautiful sky, with small perfect clouds moving slowly around the room. On the walls were many pictures, looking like they were suspended in mid air. Some of the pictures he could recognize and some he could not. There were pictures of his parents, Sirius, Remus and two sets of pictures of some older people he assumed were his grandparents. There was also a blank background picture. Harry could only assume that it was a picture of Peter at one time. It seemed Peter had vacated all of his pictures here at Potter Manor. All but two of the pictures were Wizarding photos. Harry came to the conclusion that the two Muggle pictures must be his maternal grandparents. This was such a strange experience for a boy who had never known his parents or most of his family.
“This must be your nursery, Harry. This is where you used to sleep as a baby,” Ginny said, running her hands softly over the blankets.
The room began to dim as soon as Ginny finished talking. The walls were changing from a clear day to a celestial scene of a night sky with planets and twinkling stars.
“Your mother charmed the walls,” Remus said, stepping quietly into the room. Tonks followed him in, her hair and eyes still changing colors, although the changes were beginning to come a little more infrequently. “They are word activated. The word ‘sleep’ turns it into a nighttime scene. The word ‘wake’,” Remus paused as the walls went back to the blue sky, “turns it into a daytime scene. Quite brilliant work actually. She wanted this room to be perfect for you. If I remember correctly, she started working on the nursery right after she found out she was pregnant. The pictures were your father’s idea. He wanted you surrounded by people who love you.”
Harry was listening and nodded his head, but his eyes were darting all over the room trying to take it all in at once.
“Harry, look at this,” said Ginny, standing next to what looked like a changing table.
Harry walked across the room to stand closer to the changing table and saw that there was a small shelf above the table. On that shelf were three rings. Two of the rings were obviously a wedding set. The third was a heart shaped emerald ring. Harry turned around with the rings in his hand showing them to Remus.
“So that’s where those were. Lily would always take off her rings when she changed you, so she wouldn’t scratch you. She cried for a week when the rings could not be found before they had to go into hiding. She could not remember where she had put them,” Remus said with a far off look on his face.
“These were my mother’s?” Harry asked incredulously. “You mean I finally have some things of theirs that I can actually hold onto. Well, besides the Invisibility Coak that is,” Harry finished with a grin.
“The rings are beautiful, Harry,” Ginny said with a smile. She was ecstatic to see him so happy.
“Do you think I could take these with me, Remus?” Harry asked.
“Harry, have you forgotten that this house and everything in it is now yours?” Remus asked, chuckling at Harry.
“Oh, yeah…I guess I had forgotten,” Harry replied, blushing.
“Great room, Harry. My mother, as talented as she was with the homey type of spells, never did anything like this for me as a child,” Tonks said with the slightest hint of jealousy. “This gives me ideas for my child’s room one day.”
Tonks hair and eyes started rapidly changing color again. I cannot believe I just said that in front of Remus. Right after our first, ok well second, kiss. He’s going to think I am rushing things. Not that I wouldn’t LOVE to have kids with him… oh, here I go again. Stop thinking on that line Tonks. Back to business.
Remus had to hide a smile. He knew the way Tonks’ mind worked. He was not so sure about the idea of children. He was, however, becoming a bit more secure in his ideas about Tonks. Maybe he didn’t have to be alone after all. Just maybe, he did deserve attention and love from someone.
The group slowly explored the rest of the upstairs. Harry saw his grandparents’ room and many guest rooms.
Once they were done with their individual floors, the two groups switched places for the explorations. Ginny was in absolute awe at the kitchen area and also at the stately looking living room. Hermione of course was so in love with the library that after 30 minutes, Harry and the others left her behind to go explore further. She would eventually catch up with them. If not, at least they knew where to find her.
~*~*~*~
A few hours later everyone was gathering around the dinner table in the formal dining room. It had taken some work, but Idget, Dobby, and Winky had been convinced to join them as well.
“Harry, I never knew your father’s family had such a beautiful home. This place is right out of the magazines I used to read in the Muggle world,” Petunia said, her voice and face filled with admiration.
Harry smiled at his aunt in response to her comments, but it was clear that he was lost in thought. Professor Dumbledore was quick to pick up on Harry’s mood, and had a deep suspicion he knew what it was concerning.
“Harry, the wards and protections on this house are in very good shape, very strong as well. If you would allow it, we could put the Fidelus Charm on the house and you and your family could stay here if you would like,” said Professor Dumbledore, watching Harry’s face light up.
Harry tried to keep his face neutral as he turned to Mrs. Weasley and asked, “Would you and the rest of the Weasleys come too?”
“Well Professor, is there any reason we have to stay at headquarters? With Portkeys and alert systems, we could all be there in seconds if a situation arose,” Molly said with a great deal of practicality. “Besides, this place is not as dreary as Grimmauld Place. No offense intended, Harry. We’d be happy to come. That is, if it would be okay with Petunia.”
Everyone turned to look at Petunia at once as she said quietly, “Whatever would please Harry would please me.” She went back to staring at her plate and pushing food around it.
“I think I could arrange the Portkeys. I also may be able to get Potter Manor secretly hooked to the Floo Network in case of needing to communicate in a non-emergent situation. It does help to have the Minister of Magic as part of the Order these days,” Professor Dumbledore said with a twinkle in his eye. “Remus, after this wonderful dinner would you be willing to help me with the Fidelus Charm? We just need to find someone to be the Secret Keeper.”
“Why not Remus? I know he’d never let the information into the wrong hands,” said Harry.
Remus blushed furiously, but sat up a little straighter at Harry’s comment. He was truly touched that Harry had that much faith in him.
“Excellent idea, Harry. After dessert, I propose we get to work on the spell,” Professor Dumbledore replied, watching Idget quickly run into the kitchen for the cake he had prepared that afternoon. It was a large, two layered, sheet cake with the message WELCOME HOME written on it. Petunia took one look at the cake and had silent tears running down her face.
Dudley helped his mother out of her chair, quietly excusing them both, and took her into the sitting room. He was still sitting with her when Harry walked in, knocking gently on the frame of the door.
“Is it okay if I come in?” Harry asked with trepidation.
“Sure, Harry. Come on in,” said Dudley, only taking his eyes off his mother for a second.
“What’s wrong, Aunt Petunia? What is it that has you so upset?” Harry asked, sitting down across the coffee table from Petunia.
“I am so happy for you, Harry. Everything seems to finally be going the right way for you,” Petunia said, tears still rolling down her face.
Harry reached up and gently caught one of her tears on his finger and said, “Then what is this for? I don’t think these are tears of happiness.”
Petunia was silent for a moment and looked at Dudley. Dudley was the one to answer. “She is worried about what we are going to do, Harry. We are both very happy for you with your inheritance. Although, it still leaves the question of where we are going to go. What am I going to do when school starts? Mum has been worried about getting a job. She’s never worked before, you know. I promise you she did not mean to ruin your celebration. These are just things that have been weighing heavily on her,” Dudley said never taking his eyes off his mother.
“You can stay here. You can stay at Grimmauld Place if you’d like; although, it will be very hectic around there at times. Petunia, you can even stay at the house in Godric’s Hollow. I will sign it over to you. It has been recently rebuilt, so there is very little, if any decorating done. As for a job, you don’t need one. You took care of me for the first part of my life, the least I can do is take care of you and Dudley,” Harry said, reaching for Petunia’s hand.
Petunia’s mouth opened and closed like the mouth of a fish for a few minutes before she said, “But we were so horrible to you Harry. Why on earth would you be willing to help us? Dudley bullied you, I was a complete b… well let’s just say I was not a very nice person. I cannot expect you to take care of us Harry. All we did was make your life miserable. We don’t deserve it.”
Harry just smiled. He looked at his cousin who had hung his head in shame. He watched a few more tears fall down his Aunt’s face. He cleared his throat so they would both look up at him and said, “You took me in when I had no where else to go. It may have taken you 15 years, but you stood up to the bully that made everyone’s life miserable. I’ve thought about this for the past few days. I will understand if you two want a place of your own. But I would really like to get to know both of you. We’ve been together almost 15 years, and I still do not know either of you well. We’re a family. We may be a bit… how do the yanks say it… dysfunctional…that’s the word. We may be a bit dysfunctional, but we ARE a family. I only have one request.”
“What’s that,” Dudley asked suspiciously.
“Well one for each of you. Dudley, please do not try to bully my friends or me. You’ll really hate the reactions you would get,” Harry and Dudley were both laughing at this. “Aunt Petunia, if being married to Vernon is making you so miserable, you’ve already left, file the papers to divorce him. Give yourself a chance at happiness.”
“I was thinking about doing just that, Harry, but I cannot afford a barrister at the moment to get the proceedings moving. That is why I have been thinking of what type of job I can get,” said Petunia, wiping the tears from her face. “I’ve been a housewife for the past 17 years. I don’t know what else I am qualified to do.”
“Aunt Petunia, I will pay for the barrister. As for a job, we’ll see what we can find if you still feel you need one. I’m also going to set you up an account at Gringotts. You are going to need toiletries and other necessities. I don’t want any arguing out of you. Let me do this for you. It looks like you will also need to get Dudley some clothes. Dudley, have you lost weight?” Harry asked, looking a bit closer at his cousin.
“Well, actually, yes. I lost about fourteen kilos while I was at school this year. I am hoping to lose some more this summer,” Dudley replied, going a bit pink in the face.
“It looks nice on you, keep up the good work. Now, Aunt Petunia, are you feeling better? We have a cake waiting for us in the formal dining room,” said Harry, getting to his feet. “If they’ve left us any that is.”
All three of them were laughing softly as they walked into the dining room. Every eye in the room was on them as they took their seats. So many questions that individuals wanted to ask, but did not out of respect for the three that had been absent from the room. They could see that Petunia had stopped crying, and for the moment, and that was the important thing.
~*~*~*~
The next day was rather chaotic with everyone moving their things to Potter Manor. Idget was having a small meltdown because as soon as he would get one box or trunk unpacked, another would be dropped off. Dobby and Winky tried to help Idget until they got tired of being pushed out of the way. They then went to Grimmauld Place and began the after-move cleaning there. Within two hours, they had Grimmauld Place spotless and ready for the next Order meeting.
Buckbeak had taken some convincing to move. Once he saw the pastures and woods behind Potter Manor though, he took off at what could only be described as a trot and began to frolic in the high grass. The lake off to the left was a lake that Buckbeak could swim in, drag his claws through as he flew over, or use to help clean his feathers. Harry and the others had gathered straw and hay and gotten a nesting area ready for Buckbeak. To Buckbeak, this was paradise. He was finally home.
Ginny took a moment in all the craziness to stand back and watch everyone handle the chaos. Harry and his cousin we joking with each other as they were carrying boxes. Petunia and Mrs. Weasley were busy changing the linens in the bedrooms and trying to not let Idget see what they were doing. Even Ron and Hermione were too busy to argue. Ginny had caught Tonks and Remus kissing at least twice, not that they noticed. She thought it was rather sweet that they were finally getting together.
When everything was finally moved in and unpacked, everyone met in the family room and collapsed onto the couches and chairs, and when they ran out of room, some even sat on the floor. They were all very tired, but felt satisfied. They were away from the gloominess of Grimmauld Place, and in to some place that was absolutely beautiful.
The evening had gotten quite cool. Before anyone could think to verbalize the idea of a fire, Idget had popped in, lit the fire, smiled at Harry with a slight bow and left the room.
“That’s going to take a bit of getting used to. It is almost as if Idget read my mind,” Harry said with a smile. “Speaking of scary house-elves, what ever happened to Kreacher?” Harry asked with his smile fading.
“When Dobby heard what Kreacher had done, betraying his master and all, he took Kreacher to face a type of council of elders among the house-elves. We have not seen him since the day Dobby took him. All we can get out of Dobby is that ‘he’s been taken care of’. It’s all a bit wonky if you ask me,” Ron said, stretching and yawning.
“At least I do not have to see him again. Don’t look at me like that, ‘Mione. Kreacher was just as responsible as Bellatrix for the death of Sirius. I’m glad I don’t have to see him, then I will not have to try to be civil to him,” Harry exclaimed in response to a glare from Hermione.
Hermione looked away. She had to admit Harry was right. As much as she liked and believe in the principles of S.P.E.W., she also knew that Kreacher had purposefully mislead Harry to the Department of Mysteries. But that was not truly his fault, was it? That was an answer she would probably never know.
~*~*~*~
That night before bed Remus handed Harry an old and worn box. Harry was not sure about opening the box. Moony WAS the last remaining Marauder.
Harry cautiously opened the box and saw all sorts of trinkets inside. He saw at least two men’s rings, one beautiful man’s watch, three more woman’s rings, and two gorgeous necklaces.
Harry hugged Remus tightly and then ran upstairs to get ready for bed. After so many years of having nothing to even remind him of his parents, he now had so many new mementos, his nursery, his mother’s rings, and now the shared jewelry box that his parents had used. He couldn’t believe how things had changed.
A/N I so deeply apologize for taking so long with this chapter. I injured my back pretty badly and spent all of last week flat on my back in bed. As usual, so many thanks to my beta CraftySlythern….check out her new story Harry Potter and the Year of the Dragon (sequel to Caves of Concealment) and her new multi-chaptered fic, Yessir, That’s My Baby. Also check out Just Married…Kinda by Color of Angels. Until next time……
Trials and Tribulations by Katastrophe
A/N First, my apologies for such a long period between chapters. I will explain more below. Second, I would like to thank everyone for their patience.
A/N I do not own the World of Potter. It belongs to JKR. I’m just playing here for a while.
Harry awoke the next morning with the sun shining in his face. He stretched and opened his eyes and was startled to find himself in a strange room. He shook his head as if to clear it and remembered that he had taken over what was once his parents’ room.
He looked around the room once more and his eyes landed on the jewelry box. He threw the covers off and jumped out of bed, crossing the room in a flash, and reverently touched the box. Harry opened the box and started to take the jewelry out of it ever so gently. The necklaces of his mother’s were beautiful, but what really caught his eye was the signet ring in the lower right corner of the box. The ring had a garnet setting with an inlaid, ornate P in the center of it.
Harry took the ring out of the box and brought it more into the light. It looked like it had been in his family for quite some time. He put the ring on his finger and was a bit disappointed when it was too large for him to wear. He was about to take it off to put it back in the box when it began to change sizes. It seemed the ring was shrinking to fit his finger. He held his hand away from him so he could look at the ring on his finger, and decided he liked the way it looked.
Harry had showered and was wrapped in a towel when Ginny walked into the room.
“Harry, it’s time for…you’re not dressed,” Ginny said as she squealed. She turned away, blushed, and ran through the door and letting it slam behind her. “Oh Merlin, I am so sorry Harry. I thought you would still be asleep or would be up and dressed by now,” she said through the closed door. “Mum sent me to tell you breakfast is ready.”
Harry was trying very hard not to laugh at Ginny’s discomfort, “Well I would be if you had given me about 2 more minutes,” he yelled through the closed door.
Harry thought he could understand something about breakfast being ready. He chuckled and turned back toward his clothes to put them on when there was another person bursting into his room.
“What are you doing to my sister?” Ron yelled, holding the poker to the fireplace in his hands like a weapon.
“I need to remember to lock the door,” Harry exclaimed wryly.
“Have you gone mental? I asked you a question! What are you doing to my sister in here? Why are you in a TOWEL? You two haven’t been…”
“Ron, wait. I had just gotten out of the shower when Ginny burst in here, not unlike you just did. I swear, that is all that happened. Now, if you don’t mind, put the weapon down. Your sister’s virtue is still intact. I’d like to get dressed in peace. Or is there anyone else that would like to interrupt?”
Ron’s ears turned bright red; his face was quickly following. He turned even redder when Hermione also burst through the door.
“What is all the commotion in h…?” Hermione abruptly stopped in the doorway when she saw Harry’s state of undress. She promptly turned around and left the room, blushing fiercely and not saying another word.
“Merlin, I had to ask didn’t I? Get out Ron. And watch the door to make sure no one else can come through it until I am at least dressed. What does a gent have to do around here to get some privacy?” Harry grumbled as he started to pull on his shirt.
As Ron stood outside of Harry’s door, much like a guard, the hilarity of the situation hit him. He doubled over in laughter, seemingly unable to stop himself. This is how Harry found him a few minutes later as he emerged from his room, now fully dressed.
“The look on ‘Mione’s face was classic! I don’t think she could have timed that better if she had tried,” Ron said between gasps and giggles.
“I’ve never seen her speechless before,” Harry said, laughing and holding his sides.
Ron looked at Harry for a few seconds as if he had lost his mind, and then he joined in on the laughter. Harry took the poker out of Ron’s limp grasp and returned it to the room that Ron had chosen to be his own yesterday afternoon. The two boys were still laughing when they entered the kitchen.
~*~*~*~
Ginny and Hermione were sitting in the kitchen trying to get their embarrassment under control when Mrs. Weasley walked in to put the finishing touches on breakfast. She did not even spare a glance towards the girls until the boys came in to the kitchen still laughing.
“What is going on with the two of you this morning,” Mrs. Weasley said to the boys. The boys sobered very quickly. Knowing they were not going to get away with anything less than the truth, they explained what had happened. By the end of the explanation, Mrs. Weasley was laughing right along with them.
“Something similar happened on my first visit to your grandparents’ house,” she exclaimed between giggles, looking at her children. “The entire experience taught me the usefulness of knocking on doors.” Mrs. Weasley gave Hermione and Ginny a very knowing look.
The girls had been horrified when the explanation began. Now they found themselves laughing right along with the rest of them.
“Ms. Wheezy will be needing Idget for anything else? Or may Idget start cleaning upstairs?” Idget asked as he popped up behind Mrs. Weasley.
Mrs. Weasley was so startled by Idget’s appearance that she knocked over her morning tea. This poor little house-elf jumped at her sudden movement, stepping on Harry’s toes. Harry then bumped into Ron, who fell into an empty chair.
“Oh! Master Harry Potter, sir, Idget is so very sorry. Please accept Idget’s most sincere apology,” Idget stammered when he stepped on Harry’s foot. Is Master Harry Potter, sir, injured?”
Harry was taken aback at the seriousness of Idget’s statement and apology. “I am fine, Idget. Please call me Harry. I am really not comfortable with this Master-Harry-Potter-sir business. I am just Harry,” Harry said, leaning down on one knee to look Idget straight in the eye.
“Idget will try, Master Harry Pot…..Master Harry, sir,” Idget said while blushing. “May Idget get started with his cleaning now? Idget does not want Dobby and Winky to think him lazy!” Idget said with a determined look on his face.
“Well, that’s a start. You can do whatever you need to do Idget, on two conditions,” Harry said as he looked over at Ginny and winked. “First, try not to sneak up on people. It has a tendency to make them jumpy. And second, you must take a break every hour. You rest for at least 10 minutes for each hour of work. Dobby and Winky have been given the same instructions. I don’t want the three of you so tired that you cannot join us for dinner.”
“But Master Harry, sir, we is only house-elves. We cannot eat at a table with so many great wizards,” Idget said as he hung his head.
“Idget…you, Dobby, and Winky are now part of my family, and family eats together. I won’t take no for an answer,” Harry said with a stern look on his face.
“F….family? We is part of your family, sir?” Idget said as a tear fell down his face and his lip began to quiver. The small house-elf ran forward, hugging Harry’s knees. “Idget thought that when elder master Potter died, and young Master James never came back, that Idget would never have a family again. Master Harry is truly a great wizard, he has made Idget very happy. Idget is going to go clean now. Idget will only be a pop away if you need Idget’s assistance.” Idget gave Harry one more hug around the knees looked at the others around the table, and bowed deeply before he popped out of the room.
Harry looked at the faces around the table and saw that Hermione’s mouth was hanging open in a look of shock.
“Hermione, you must close your mouth before a fly lands in there,” Harry said with a laugh. “For someone who had very little family for so many years, my family just keeps growing now. So, what’s for breakfast? All this excitement and laughter has given me an appetite,” Harry said to change the subject quickly.
Laughter filled the room. Harry noticed that there had been a lot more laughter in the past few days.
~*~*~*
The extra training started that very afternoon. Harry and the others were kept so busy that the days seemed to melt into one another until it was time for the trial of Delores Umbridge.
Harry was not looking forward to seeing Professor Umbridge, but he knew that he ha to go to the trial. Even if he was the only one speaking out, something had to be done.
As usual, a full guard escorted Harry and his friends to the Ministry. Harry remembered his walk down these same halls last summer and the trepidation he had felt at the time. This time was much different, he was not the one on trial.
Harry slowed as they passed the Hall of Mysteries on the way to the arena-type room that the Wizengamot held it’s trials. His expression was that of great sadness for just a moment.
“He will always be with us Harry. We have other matters to attend to today,” Remus whispered close to his ear.
Harry squared his shoulders, squeezed Ginny’s hand, and moved on toward the courtroom.
As they entered the large room, Harry noticed how many people had actually shown up for this case. It appeared that someone had expanded the room to fit over two hundred Hogwarts students and their families.
The murmuring increased when Harry and his party entered the room. It seemed as if every eye in the room were on him. Some of the members of the Wizengamot were actually leaning forward and stretching to get a look at him.
Just as the stares and whispers were getting to Harry, the room went completely silent, except for the shuffling of people trying to get a look as the guards brought the prisoner in. Umbridge was brought in and placed in the main chair in the center of the room. She seemed so resigned to her fate that the guards did not even chain her to the chair.
Amelia Bones stood to read a long roll of parchment with all of the charges on it. There were over two hundred sixty different charges brought against Delores Umbridge. Umbridge sat quietly looking around the room as the charges against her were being read. When her eyes fell on Harry, she bolted from the chair and seemed to fly at him.
“This is all your fault you little monster! Dumbledore is too soft on all of you! Liar! He lied saying that You-know-who is back. LIES! The blood quill was not a fit punishment for you! There should have been beatings! I’d still be running Hogwarts if it were not for you! I wish the Dementors I had sent after you had done you in! CRUCIO!” Umbridge screamed as she lunged for him, apparently forgetting she had no wand. Her eyes were completely wild as he reached her hands forward as if to strangle Harry once she reached him. She never made it that far. All at once, there were stun spells flying from the guards, from the adults that came with Harry, and even a few from the Wizengamot level.
Delores Umbridge was hit in mid-flight by no less than ten stun spells. She fell to the floor like a sack of bricks. Oddly enough, no one seemed in much of a hurry to revive her or to move her.
“It seems as though we have a confession. This calls for no less than a fifty-year sentence for magical and physical damage done to minors while in a position of authority, misuse of magical creatures in the control of the Ministry, and use of an unforgivable curse in the presence of many witnesses. Ms. Umbridge will have to spend some time in St. Mungos’ to make sure there was no permanent damage done by the stun spells, and to ensure that she is mentally sane to carry out her sentence. After which, she will be moved to the Ministry’s new prison facility. I apologize on behalf of the Wizengamot for Ms. Umbridge’s theatrics. This case is now closed,” said Amelia Bones with a definite authority.
The room sat in silence for a moment, trying to absorb all that had happened. Then everyone was speaking at once. The children were almost disappointed that they were not able to testify. The parents were in shock that Umbridge had gone so mental. Dumbledore just looked at Harry with twinkling eyes and smiled.
Harry had been so worried, but Umbridge had buried herself. Her outburst and mad dash had cost her freedom.
As people began to exit the courtroom, Seamus Finnegan stepped out of the mob, with his mother in tow. Harry braced himself for yet another confrontation.
“Hello Harry. This is me mum. Mum, this is Harry Potter. You had something to say to him,” said Seamus, with a mischievous grin on his face.
“Ummm…well yes,” Mrs. Finnegan cleared her throat and shifted her feet. “I wanted to apologize. I should not have believed everything I read. It’s just when you hear things like that coming from a child…” she broke off, looking at the adults around her.
“Sometimes the greatest words of wisdom come from the mouths of children, Mrs. Finnegan. I hear you thought I was a nutter too,” Professor Dumbledore said and winked down at Harry.
“You can’t always believe what you read Mrs. Finnegan, especially when it comes from the mouth of former Minister Fudge. But I don’t blame you. If I had not seen Voldemort come back to life myself, I never would have believed it,” Harry said, wincing at the gasps all around him for using Voldemort’s name. Harry sighed, “If we can’t call him by his name, how are we ever going to win this war? Worry not, Ms Finnegan, I hold no ill will to you or your son. Glad to have you back, mate” Harry said, shaking Seamus’ hand before turning to walk away.
“Very well done Harry,” said Remus, clapping him on the back. “I never really liked Laurel Finnegan, she was so uppity at school. It was nice to see you put her in her place.”
Harry turned to look at Remus and burst out laughing.
“Let’s go home. I’ll cook a big meal and we can celebrate,” Harry heard from behind. At first he thought this was coming from Mrs. Weasley, but as he turned to look, he saw Petunia’s eyes light up. “That is if Molly will help me,” she said almost sheepishly.
The entire group left the Ministry of Magic laughing and smiling. None of them noticed the figure with the light blonde hair standing in the shadows watching as they went by.
A/N I know…I know….too long between chapters. The injury I sustained to my back was a bit more serious than first thought. I sincerely apologize for the delay, but it was not until recently that I was able to concentrate enough to write. I will definitely try to do better on the time frame. Please let me know what you guys think of the chapter!
Animals Within by Katastrophe
Animals Within
A/N I own none of this. JRK owns it all.
A very disheveled and bitter Narcissa Malfoy stepped from the shadows as the Potter brat's party passed. She knew there was no going after him for the moment. He was too well-protected, and she could not afford to make the same mistake her husband had and try to capture him on Ministry property.
The Potter brat was responsible for it all. The Ministry had seized the accounts at Gringotts, the house, everything. It was as if they were trying to put her and Draco out in the streets. Narcissa had turned to the Dark Lord for help, but grudgingly.
Her sister, Bellatrix, had been throwing that little tidbit of information up in her face every chance that she got. Bella had always been like that, even as a child. She had been a spiteful child and had gotten worse as she grew older. The spitefulness had turned into absolute cruelty, which had made Bella a perfect weapon for the Dark Lord. That's all any of them were to the Dark Lord, weapons…. and weapons were expendable.
Lucius had been a faithful servant to the Dark Lord, but once he had been captured, it was as if he were yesterday's news, to be taken to the curb with the rest of the rubbish.
The Dark Lord had forbidden any action against the Potter Brat by anyone other than himself. Narcissa could not see any reason why they could not just remove the little monster from the face of the Earth. She would be more than happy to do the job herself, if only the Dark Lord had not claimed the "honor" himself. What is so honorable about killing a snot-nosed child?
Narcissa knew she could not touch Potter without incurring certain wrath. But no one had said anything about those around him. If she could not kill him for what he had done to Lucius, she could at least make him miserable by touching those closest to him. She left the Ministry of Magic with a twisted, sadistic smile on her face. Those she passed thought she was just overly happy about the outcome of the Umbridge trial.
~*~*~*~*~
The weeks began to fly by. There was very little time for relaxing or just enjoying the summer. After all, they were at war, and there was still so much to learn.
The foursome were walking into the library at Potter Manor and were surprised to see the table that Professor McGonagall had set up for them, complete with cauldrons and ingredients.
"Professor, it isn't time for potions, is it?" Hermione asked, very confused.
"No, Miss Granger, it is not. But there are uses for potions even in Transfiguration. Today, we are going to begin studying human to animal transformation. The potions you will be making are to test the four of you for Animagus abilities. You will work together to create the potion, and then you will all add a piece of your hair to the potions after they are complete," Professor McGonagall explained.
Hermione gasped. Harry and Ginny broke out into big grins. Ron let out a whoop that startled Professor McGonagall and caused them all to laugh.
"We all have an animal inside of us. But not all of us can find the balance or the power to become that animal. In fact, there are not as many Animagi, registered or unregistered, walking around as you may think," Professor McGonagall explained to them as she slowly paced in front of them. "Human to animal transfiguration is one of the most difficult feats one will encounter in this course. And for some, the most difficult they will encounter in a lifetime.
"The potions we will be concocting today will tell us the animal inside each of you, but only if you have the inherent ability needed to make the actual change from human to animal completely. In other words, it will only show if you are gifted to be an Animagi. As we start, please remember that this is not a common gift. If you should not have the gift and someone else does, please do not hold it against them. On the same note, no bragging will be tolerated. Are we ready to begin?" Professor McGonagall looked at them expectantly. When she received affirmative nods from all four, she set about helping them to brew the potions.
Many hours later, the foursome were pouring their potions into small bottles, awaiting the sign from Professor McGonagall to insert the piece of hair that would activate and personalize the potions. When the signal was given, the four plucked one hair from each of their heads and carefully inserted it into their respective vials. Immediately tufts of smoke began to rise from the vials in front of Harry, Ginny, and Ron. Hermione's potion had still not reacted.
While the children were watching for the reactions from their potions, Professor Dumbledore walked softly into the room. He observed the delighted reactions from Harry, Ron, and Ginny. He then looked at Hermione who had tears forming in her eyes.
The smoke above Ron's vial began to take shape. It was forming into that of a miniature lion. Ginny's was next and formed into a miniature tiger. Harry's took the form of a strange shaped bird.
"It would seem that feline forms would run with the Weasley line," said Dumbledore, startling the four children. They had not heard him come in. "This is not uncommon when family members find that they have Animagus forms."
Hermione blushed furiously with a feeling of failure in front of her headmaster and a single tear found it's way down her cheek.
"Not all things have immediate reactions Miss Granger. And not all witches and wizards can become Animagi. It is not seen as a failure in any form," Professor Dumbledore tried to comfort Hermione. Just as he finished saying this, her potion began to slowly spurt puffs of smoke.
Dumbledore's gaze fell to Harry's potion, and what he saw there amazed him. It could not be! There had been no one with a magical Animagus form since Godric Gryffindor. But there it was, in the smoke there before his eyes. Harry's Animagus form was a phoenix.
After Dumbledore exchanged a shocked glance with Professor McGonagall, he walked over to the table. "Ronald, it seems you have a lion within you. Lions have for many centuries been known as symbols of strength and courage," he said as he moved down the table. "Ginevra, you seem to have a tiger before you. Tigers have always been the more passionate of the feline family, always ready for a fight, even if they are not sure they can win," he said to Ginny with a wink before he moved over in front of Harry. "I don't know why I should be surprised Harry," Dumbledore said with a chuckle and a small shake of his head.
"What is it, sir?" Harry asked. "It looks like it is still forming to me."
"Oh no, Harry. It is quite formed. And for the first time since Godric Gryffindor it seems we will have someone with a magical Animagus form. Yours is a phoenix, Harry. Do you not see it rising from the flames?" Harry's face lit up as Dumbledore continued speaking. "I should have known," he said with a laugh. "You've risen from ruin, time and time again, since you were a small child."
Harry blushed at this and looked over at his friends. Ron and Ginny were beaming. Hermione was trying her hardest to look happy for them, while she glanced at her own potion, almost willing it to form anything at this point.
"I think it is time to take a break for tea. We will have it here in the library so that we can see if Hermione's potion forms to an animal for her," Dumbledore said with a gentle smile, leading Hermione away from the table as Dobby popped into the room with tea and sandwiches for everyone.
Conversation was strained as they nibbled on their sandwiches. Ron, Harry, and Ginny were so happy about their results of the Animagus test, but they were also worried for Hermione who looked like she would burst into tears at the slightest provocation.
About halfway through the meal, Professor Dumbledore looked in the direction of the table with the potions on it. He smiled as he saw that the smoke from Hermione's potion had begun to take shape. He gently tapped Hermione's hand to get her attention. Hermione looked at him and then followed his gaze.
She ran over to the table, the others not far behind. The professors came along at a more leisurely pace. Professor McGonagall gave a sigh of relief as she saw an owl formed in the smoke above Hermione's potion.
"It would seem, Hermione, that you have an owl in you. Owls have always been the sign of wisdom.," Dumbledore said softly. A realization struck him. "Strength, Wisdom, Passion, and Magic. It would seem the four of you are well matched," he said with a smile and a twinkle in his eye.
"I think we are done for today," Professor McGonagall said with a relieved smile. She had been very tense during the development of Hermione's potion. Hermione had always been one of her favorite students, -- not that she would let anyone else know that, of course. "Tomorrow you will have off; the day after, we will resume working."
All four students groaned until they saw her eyebrows rise. They then accepted her statement, gathered their things and ran from the room before she could assign any homework.
The professors laughed at the antics of the four children.
"I have to admit, Albus," said Professor McGonagall, "I was most worried about Hermione. If her potion had not formed, that could have been a setback from which she might not have recovered."
"She is stronger than you think, Minerva. Each of them is. Excellent choice on doing this today. It was a wonderful birthday present to Harry," Dumbledore said with a smile.
"My worry was that of ruining his day if nothing formed for him or the others. But they had to be tested. This may turn out to be an advantage for them in this war," Professor McGonagall said as she cleaned up the mess the children had left behind. "Shall we go prepare for the party? Do you think he will be surprised?"
"I doubt if he even remembers what today is. But I have learned that he has never had a birthday party before, much less a surprise party. We'll make sure this is a day he always remembers," said Dumbledore as he held out his arm to Professor McGonagall. She took his arm, and together they left the library.
~*~*~*~
The foursome ran up the stairs and separated to go to their rooms to drop off their books. Ginny was the first one back out in the hall. She impatiently tapped her foot while waiting for the others to emerge from their rooms.
Ginny began to wander a bit down the hall and found herself in front of the nursery. She gingerly stepped into the room, watching the clouds roll by on the far wall. Ginny turned and gave a closer look at the pictures on the walls. The pictures of Harry's paternal grandparents smiled at her and waved. Ginny looked closely at Harry's grandfather. He had the same dark, unruly hair that Harry did, interspersed with gray. Ginny realized that this is what Harry would look like in about 30 years.
Her eyes searched the room until she found the picture of Lily. Lily looked so young in the picture, smiling and waving in the direction of the crib. She tore her eyes away from the picture and continued to look around the room.
Lily and James had put so much love and care into the decorating of this room. They had truly adored their son and had wanted him surrounded by that love. Ginny's eyes fell on the crib. Even this seemed to be made just for Harry. The light green bedding would have brought out the startling emerald color of his eyes so perfectly. She reached for the cream-colored teddy bear and held it to her chest. She turned to the picture of Lily, wiped a tear that had rolled down her cheek and said, "I think you would be so proud of him, Mrs. Potter."
She walked back into the hall, still carrying the teddy bear in her arm.
"Ginny, what's that you've got there?" Harry said as he walked up behind her. She turned slowly, and he saw the bear in her arms. He looked up into her eyes to see the unshed tears there. "Hey, what's wrong, love?"
"I was just thinking how different things could have been for you. I was thinking how proud your parents must be looking down and watching you," said Ginny, another tears finding its way slowly down her cheek.
He hugged her close and then lifted her chin to kiss her gently. He lost himself in that kiss, holding on to the love and fire he felt emanating from her. He reluctantly broke away and looked into the amber depths of her eyes. "I adore you, Ginny," he whispered, his eyes never leaving hers.
"Well you had better, Harry. Especially after a kiss like that," Ginny replied, the twinkle back in her eyes.
"Oi, mate! Do that somewhere else! On second thought, I don't want to think about you two doing that anywh...OOOF," Ron exclaimed as Hermione's elbow jabbed him in the ribs.
"Hi, you two!" Hermione said with a small giggle.
Harry and Ginny laughed and turned toward Ron and Hermione. "OH! What an adorable bear," Hermione said.
Ginny looked down at the bear in her arms and apologetically up at Harry.
"It's okay, Gin. It may have been mine once, but it is yours now if you want it," Harry told her quietly, locking eyes with her once more. Ginny just smiled, turned, and ran to her room to put the bear gently on her pillows.
"Why can't you ever do something romantic like that Ron?" Hermione said as she stormed off down the hall towards the steps.
Ron gave a confused look to Harry and ran off after Hermione. Harry laughed until Ginny came back from her room. After telling her what happened, they both laughed a little harder as they walked down the hall to catch up the other two.
They followed the sounds of Hermione and Ron arguing into the backyard and spent the afternoon enjoying a bit of sunshine and laughter, with only a few arguments from Ron and Hermione.
*~*~*~*
Two hours later, they heard Mrs. Weasley calling them in for dinner. The foursome had worked up an appetite, with tickle fights, running, and playing in the back yard. They raced toward the doors, laughing as they went.
As they burst through the doors they startled poor Idget who popped from the room in agitation. They thought it strange that Mrs. Weasley was not in the kitchen supervising dinner being moved to the table. They quickly washed their hands and went in search of everyone.
Harry started to get nervous at the silence in the house. As they went through the dark and silent living room he drew his wand. He began to move slower as they approached the dining room. The others walked in ahead of him, not noticing his wariness.
Harry felt a movement to his left as he entered the room. The lights went on, "Surprise," was yelled, and a red flash of light from a stunner went off at the same time.
Everything was silent for a moment, and then everyone began talking at once. Harry looked and saw that he had stunned Kingsley Shacklebolt. He quickly walked over as Kingsley was being brought back to consciousness.
"Sorry, Sir. Guess I still get a little nervous," Harry said sheepishly.
"Excellent reflexes, Harry. Remind me not to come up behind you in a dark alley," Kingsley said with a short laugh as Petunia was helping him up off the ground.
"We just wanted to surprise you, Harry. It is, after all, your birthday," said Professor Dumbledore said. "I suppose we should have thought this through a little more. We did not realize that you would still be so jumpy."
"Sorry, Professor. I guess the thing at the Department of Mysteries still has me a little spooked," Harry said with a very apologetic look on his face.
"Guess I should be glad that his reflexes only called for a stunner. That could have been painful," Kingsley said with a laugh.
The rest of the room joined in, tentatively laughing at first, and the laughter becoming more robust after that. Soon everyone was talking and joking. The mood had gone back to that of a party.
"They had the best of intentions, Harry. They just wanted you to enjoy your birthday," Ginny said as she came to his side, kissed his cheek, and let her fingers trail down his arm until they became entwined with his. He looked down at their hands, raised her fingers to his lips, and kissed her hands gently.
Ron watched as this was going on, knowing that Hermione was still miffed at his lack of romance earlier. He grabbed her hand quickly, thought about his next step. When his mind came up blank, he suddenly turned Hermione around, dipped her back slightly, and kissed her.
A/N Thanks to my readers for their patience with me. I am still dealing with issues with my back, but am trying to get the chapters out as quickly as possible. I would like to give special thanks to Wolfs_Scream and CraftySlythern for their wonderful beta work. Thanks also goes to my husband for letting me bounce ideas off of him. Hope you all enjoyed!
Coming Together by Katastrophe
Author's Notes:
Please forgive the overly horrid delay. It is explained in the A/N at the bottom.
The party was in full swing and Harry’s embarrassment was beginning to fade. He looked over at Ron and Hermione and had to smile. Ron may be a klutz, but when all else failed he knew how to capture Hermione’s full attention. Harry laughed, realizing that Hermione had not looked anyone in the eye after that kiss.
Harry saw Tonks sitting by herself and wandered over to talk to her. She looked a little down, and that was worrying him.
"Hi, Tonks. Great party. But why aren’t you out enjoying it?" asked Harry as he walked up to her.
"Because your uncle is a complete git," she spat out before she realized it. She began to blush yet again, her hair and eyes flickering in different colors.
"No need to be embarrassed. I have been accused of being a complete git at times too," Harry said with a wink.
"I’m not embarrassed," Tonks exclaimed, very flustered. She looked up at Harry, her eyes blazing. She then noticed that he was pointing towards her hair. She looked up at one lock of it and blushed all the more. "I can’t control this mess anymore. It seems I am always embarrassing myself these days."
"So what’s the problem? Maybe I can help."
"He thinks I am too young for him. He thinks I don’t need to be saddled with the problems of dating a werewolf. He thinks he needs to be alone in the world and bear the entire burden by himself. How I wish he would just stop thinking!" Tonks’ voice got softer with each exclamation. "I know he likes me. I could feel it in his kiss. But he refuses to let himself love me." A single tear found it’s way down her cheek.
Harry covered her hand with his own and said softly, "Do you want me to talk to him? If he doesn’t listen, I’ll kick him in the shins to get his attention and try again." He had such a look of mischief in his eyes that she had to laugh.
"I’m sorry to have spilled all this on you. Here it is, your birthday, your party, and here I am blubbering like a schoolgirl because a crush won’t pay attention to me," Tonks said, wiping her tears with a napkin.
"Do you love him?"
"What?" Tonks asked, sure she could not be hearing right.
"Do you love him? Are you willing to deal with everything werewolf and not look at him any differently? Are you willing to be there for him?" Harry asked, looking her in the eye.
"Yes! I have for about a year now, not that he knew I existed," she said with a sniffle.
"Oh he knew. Maybe he needs the same wake-up I needed. Do you know how Ginny got my attention? She tore into me one night, so angry that I was trying to push her away. Got a fiery temper, that one. She told me what a prat I was being, and let it slip that she loved me. It didn’t truly hit me until after she left the room. The next day I got the letter from Sirius," Harry said with a smile, remembering his godfather’s letter. "He told me I needed to live, laugh, and most of all love, or Voldemort wins. I’m sure he said the same to Remus. Maybe Remus just needs a reminder." Harry winked at Tonks.
"When did you grow up so much?" Tonks said as she gave him a hug. Harry gave her a squeeze a let her turn to walk away.
"Tonks?" Harry said softly to get her to turn back around. She looked at him expectantly. "When you two do get together, does this mean I can call you Aunt Nymphy?" Harry laughed and ducked as her napkin came flying in his direction. "Go talk to him. I’ll be here to celebrate if he is smart, or as a shoulder for you if he turns out more of a prat than I was." She laughed and waved at him as she went off to find Remus.
~*~*~*
Molly saw Remus sitting alone across the room. She made her way to him slowly, pausing here and there to say hello to people and make sure they didn’t need anything.
"Remus? Is everything okay?" Molly asked tentatively, a little afraid of his reaction. He had been pulling away from everyone for the past few weeks. For a while Molly had thought he was actually on the verge of being happy, and then came the day the explored Potter Manor. Ever since then he had gone back to his loner ways.
"Hi, Molly. Yeah, everything is fine," Remus said as he lowered his eyes.
"I’ve never known you to lie to me, Remus. I would hate to think that you are starting to now," Molly said as her eyebrows lifted. Remus looked at her, shocked. "I’ve raised seven children. You don’t get this far without being able to read eyes and expressions."
Remus laughed softly. "No, I guess you don’t," he said with a small chuckle.
"Want to tell me about it? Or would you rather I guessed again? I can get quite creative," Molly said with a gleam in her eye.
"It’s really nothing. I mean, it could have been something, if I wasn’t a werewolf. It’s just hard to face the fact that I am better off alone. I’m not complaining, mind you. I just can’t see putting someone I love in danger," Remus said with a sigh.
"So you DO love her."
"Who?" Remus asked, incredulously.
Molly gave him another knowing look instead of an answer. "Are you still taking your Wolfsbane potions?" She asked instead of giving him an answer.
"Religiously," he replied with a sardonic smile.
"And you have found a safe place for the transformations?"
"In the cellar. The Potters made me a safe room here in case I was visiting near a full moon. They were always so good about not judging. They treated me a lot like you and Arthur treat Harry “ as one of their own," he said with a nostalgic look in his eye.
Molly let him reminisce for a moment before saying, "Did you ever stop to think that maybe she doesn’t care if you are a werewolf or not. Maybe she is just stubborn and strong enough to deal with that fact and everything that comes with it. It takes a lot of gumption to become an Auror, after all. I’ve watched her when you are in the room, one look from you and she lights up. Her clumsiness increases, her hair changes colors. She must have been ever so charming as a teenager," Molly said with a smile, thinking of her daughter and a certain elbow in the butter dish incident when Harry was around. "Love and relationships are never a sure thing, Remus. Sometimes you have to make a leap of faith, and know that if you fall, you have friends to help you up. But if you never jump, you’ll never know." Molly patted his hand gently and stood up to leave.
"Molly?" Remus said as she turned to leave.
"Yes?" she said turning back to him.
"Have you ever thought of writing a manual so poor lost males like myself might actually become a little less clueless?" Remus asked with a sardonic smile.
"Now what would be the fun in that?" Molly laughed as she walked away.
~*~*~*~
The stack of gifts was massive. It seemed everyone at the party had brought something for Harry and Neville to celebrate their sixteenth birthday.
Neville was standing over near the gifts, trying to blend in with the wall. He had never liked parties, but there was no way he could turn down this invitation, as he was also a guest of honor. He knew that he and Harry were not close friends, but part of him knew that Harry at least considered him a friend on the fringe. He only hoped that Harry did not mind sharing his birthday party.
Neville thought back to the events of a few weeks ago, when they had all ended up at the Ministry. He had never had any delusions of being a great wizard. He was really just happy that he had not turned out to be a squib like his family had thought for so long. He had grown up hearing how much of a disappointment he was to his family. It wasn’t bad enough that his parents may as well be zombies, for all they could react to anything.
He loved his parents, but he could not help wondering how differently things would have turned out if the Lestranges had never gotten to them. He often wished his grandmother would soften up a bit and just accept him for who he was, and not who she thought he should be.
His grandmother had been shocked to hear of the part he played at the Ministry of Magic. He had thought she was going to be so angry that he had broken his father’s wand. Surprisingly, she went to him and gave him a hug. Not like the hugs in the past where everything was so stiff. This was a real hug. A few days later, she went with him to see his parents. He had gone to get some tea and was coming back into the room. He stood at the doorway and listened as she told his parents how proud she was of their son, how much he had learned and that some day he would be a great wizard.
"Well maybe not great, but at least a fair one," Neville had chuckled.
Things had been going really well between them ever since. Mrs. Longbottom had taken him to Olivander’s earlier this week and had gotten him a new wand. It seemed that she had finally seen her grandson as more than an extension of his father.
"Hi, Neville! Great to see you mate," Harry said, walking up to Neville, pulling him away from the wall.
"Happy Birthday, Harry," Neville said, pulling out of his musings.
"Same to you. I’m glad to see they included you in the birthday party here. But tell me, why didn’t you have to go through the surprise part?" Harry teased. The birthday party had been for both of them. When Molly had realized that their birthdays were so close, she made it a double party.
"Who said they didn’t? My entrance wasn’t nearly as grand as yours was though. I only tripped over my grandmother," he said chuckling. "I hope you don’t mind that they combined the parties. I know we are not that close, but Mrs. Weasley insisted."
"Neville, you have been a great friend. I hope you will continue to be so. I was very honored to have you standing next to me at the Ministry, and I am honored to share this party with you. I know I’ve been a prat, not letting too many people get close over the years. Ginny has made me realize what a mistake that is. I hope I can make amends for all the years I have pushed people aside," Harry said with his honesty showing brightly in his eyes. "Besides, who better to share my birthday with? You were amazing at the Department of Mysteries, mate."
Neville blushed and laughed at Harry. He was still not accustomed to compliments. He was opening his mouth to deny what Harry had said when another voice spoke up.
"So, you are the one my grandson followed into the Department of Mysteries. I’ve wanted to talk to you , get the chance to know you. Our last meeting, at St. Mugo's was cut quite short, Mr. Potter."
Harry turned to see Neville’s grandmother standing behind him. "Hello, Mrs. Longbottom. Very nice to see you," said Harry, extending his hand.
"So formal! Not at all the brat they tried to portray you as this past year. Just so you know, I never believed that rubbish. Cornelius Fudge always has been an idiotic lump of a man. Disturbing to hear that Voldemort is back, but ever so nice to see Fudge with his knickers in a twist," Mrs. Longbottom laughed. The look of amazement on Harry’s face made her laugh all the harder. "Not quite the dower old codger you expected? You’ve helped my grandson come out of his shell, young man. Although I would have preferred a much safer way, I can’t fault the results. Now, if you two are finished hiding over here behind the presents, I have a few people I would like to introduce Neville to."
Harry, still reeling from Mrs. Longbottom’s statements, just nodded his head. "Very nice to see you again, ma’am. Neville, I do have something to talk to you about, not in the middle of the party though. Can you come over one day next week?" Harry asked.
"Sure, Harry. I’ll try for Monday if that is alright with you," Neville replied, beaming. Harry smiled and nodded, watching the Longbottoms walking away.
~*~*~*~
Everyone had gathered in the dining room for a fantastic dinner. As people were seating themselves around the table, they noticed three empty chairs. The room went absolutely silent as Dobby, Winky, and Idget came shyly into the room and took the three empty chairs.
Harry looked up at the silence, figured out what had shocked everyone, and smiled as he stood up.
"Everyone, I’d like to introduce Dobby, Winky and Idget. I know it may be strange for some of you, but these three are part of my family, and have every right to be here. If anyone has any objections, then I would like to thank you for coming and I will be more than happy to show you to the door. I mean no offense, but I will not have my family snubbed," Harry stated. He was watching the faces of those around the table for signs of anyone getting up to leave. He noticed tears in the eyes of the three house-elves. When no one got up to leave, Harry gave a relieved sigh and sat back down in his chair.
"Winky, if you would do the honors please," Mrs. Weasley said softly.
Winky sat up straighter in her chair, gave a watery smile and snapped her fingers. At once the table filled up with food. A sumptuous meal, including all of Harry and Neville’s favorites, was presented.
Idget stood up and squeaked, "Tuck in!" He sat back down quickly with a very pleased look on his face, receiving a wink and nod from Mrs. Weasley.
Laughter filled the room as people began to eat. Harry guessed that Mrs. Weasley had coached him all afternoon on that one line. He was grateful. It had definitely eased the tension in the room.
~*~*~*~
After dinner Tonks slipped from the dining room and into the kitchen. A few minutes later Remus walked in, carrying a stack of dishes. He noticed Tonks standing at the sink.
"Thought I would never convince the house-elves to let me take the dishes off the table," he said with a mildly embarrassed laugh.
Tonks watched him quietly, moving out of the way of the sink so Remus could deposit the dishes. When he had put the dishes down, she lit into him.
"Remus Lupin, you are the biggest, most adorable, and most difficult prat I have ever met!" Tonks exclaimed. "Somehow, through it all, I can’t stop loving you." Tonks turned to walk out of the room. She got about three steps toward the kitchen door when she tripped over the chair and began to fall to the ground. Remus’ lightning reflexes took over and, once again, Remus caught her before she hit the floor.
"I’m beginning to like having you in my arms," he chuckled.
Tonks was blushing furiously, hair changing colors as she did. They finally settled on dark hair and the most startling blue-gray eyes.
"I’ve been a fool, Dora," he said as he helped her get her feet back under her. "I tried to keep you safe by pushing you away. It took a very wise woman to make me see the errors of my ways. Can you forgive a stubborn werewolf for his mistakes? Can you love that werewolf as much as he loves you?"
Tonks just stood silently for a few moments, trying to absorb what Remus was really saying. Her heart soared once it sank in. She closed the distance between them in a single step, reaching up to move a stray lock of hair from his forehead.
"You’ve finally come to realize that you aren’t the Big Bad Wolf?" Remus looked at her questioningly. "Muggle fairy tale Dad used to read me before bed. Remus, I have loved you with all my heart for years. Nothing can change that. As for forgiving, we’ll have to see how many other mistakes you make. But there will be time for that later," she replied impishly. She then tilted her head up toward his and kissed him. Softly at first, then gaining intensity as the moments passed. As their kiss grew more passionate, they swore they could hear applause. They quickly broke apart and saw Molly, Harry, and Ginny standing in the doorway.
"You called him a git, didn’t you?" Harry asked.
"Actually she called me a prat," Remus answered for her.
Everyone in the kitchen laughed and then smiled as Remus bent to give her a light kiss on the forehead.
"Now, Neville and Harry have presents to open. That is, if you two are done snogging in the kitchen. Merlin, you would have scared the house-elves half to death. It’s time to go into the parlor to open the gifts," Molly exclaimed, taking command of the situation.
*~*~*
Two hours, and a mountain of wrapping paper later, the gifts we spread out before each of the teens. They had both received mounds of sweets, books, and the latest Weasley’s Wizarding Wheezes products; all in all, a very good haul for both birthday boys.
The party was breaking up, and people were heading to the doors to go to their own homes. Professor Dumbledore pulled Harry aside before he departed.
"Your present is on your bed, Harry. It is one I thought you might prefer to open in private. Monday will be a holiday for you and the others. Tuesday it will be back to work for all of you. I shall see you then," Dumbledore said with a very fond look at Harry.
"Thank you, sir. For everything," Harry said.
Dumbledore winked, and after saying goodnight to all of the Weasleys, left to go back to Hogwarts.
Soon there was only Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Harry left in the parlor.
"So, Harry, did you enjoy your party?" Ginny murmured sleepily.
"After I got over the shock I did. I can’t believe you guys kept this from me," he replied with a surprised look on his face.
"Mum threatened us on penalty of death if we told you, and your Aunt Petunia was in the kitchen with a rolling pin in her hand while mum was telling us about the party. I don’t know about you mate, but she scares me," Ron chuckled.
"What was Professor Dumbledore was saying to you before he left?" Hermione inquired.
"Oh! Come with me. He left my present on my bed," Harry said, jumping to his feet and helping Ginny up from the ground.
The foursome walked up the stairs and filed into Harry’s room. The box on Harry’s bed was wrapped in paper that had birthday hats and streamers dancing and moving around the box itself. He moved it over to the table and opened it. Inside was a beautiful malachite bowl and vials of a silvery substance.
"Harry! That’s a Pensieve! Wicked!" Ron blurted.
Ginny picked up the card that came with the gift and quickly read it. "These are memories that Dumbledore thought you would be interested in. He says to just pour the vial into the bowl, and that you know what to do from there."
"Anyone up for a stroll down Dumbledore’s memory lane?" Harry asked with a laugh. When the other three nodded, he chose the vial marked with the number one and poured it into the bowl. He explained to the others that all they had to do was touch the substance with their wands and they would go into the memory.
"Ready?" he asked them with a look of anticipation on his face. Together they touched their wands to the shimmering matter, and all four fell into the memory.
A/N I am so sorry for the huge delay in this story. I am still having severe issues with my back from an injury I sustained last year. I seem to be slowly but surely losing control and some use of my legs. Worry not, I've overcome worse. I did not explain this for sympathy, but in hopes that you, my wonderful readers, would understand why sometimes I cannot get the chapters in. I do have help with some of the typing now, so hopefully I will be able to get chapters out more frequently than 7 or 8 months apart. Hope you all enjoyed.
Down Memory Lane by Katastrophe
Author's Notes:
Please let Ravensgryff Mod this chapter. If that is not possible, I ask the mod handling this to either read the rest of the story, or contact me for a bit of information before rejecting the chapter on reason of Canon. Thank you
Down Memory Lane
They fell for what seemed like ages. When the world stopped spinning, all they could see was the lightning and the torrential downpour around them. Forgetting that they were in a memory and could not get wet, they ran toward the people that seemed to be dry gathered in the middle of a small field. What were they doing out in the middle of this mess? How were they managing to stay so dry?
When the four entered the dry area, they were amazed at the sight before them. There was a small group of about twenty people, gathered in what appeared to be a dome. Decorations were everywhere. It was bright and happy in here compared to the storm raging outside.
“Whoa,” Ron exclaimed softly.
“I think you mean ‘Wow” more likely,” Hermione supplied.
Ginny was so engrossed in a man across the room that she had not even heard what her brother and Hermione just said.
“Harry, that man… by the steps. He looks so much like you. It’s eerie. I don’t remember this taking place,” Ginny murmured to Harry.
Harry looked at the man intensely. He was dressed in midnight blue dress robes and was fidgeting and trying to calm his uncooperative hair. Realization was just dawning on Harry as everyone inside of the dome went silent and began to part so someone could move through. Harry broke his eyes away from the man at the step and turned around to see what had caused everyone to fall silent.
“Merlin, Ginny, is that you?” Ron asked, bewildered.
“It’s my mum,” Harry whispered in awe. “We must be at their wedding.”
Lily seemed to float into the small crowd. Her dress was full length, a soft cream creation. The lines of the dress caressed her body like a lover’s touch. There was no veil to cover the soft, red curls floating down her back to her waist. In those curls, her sister had strategically placed small flowers. The only jewelry was a chain that had a charm of a small lily on it, and her engagement ring. Lily held a single sterling rose in her hand, her angel sleeves flowing gracefully to her sides. She was truly a vision. She could not take her eyes off the man by the steps as she made her way toward him.
Harry’s eyes went back to his father. James had such an awestruck look on his face that Harry had to smile. James had eyes for no one else in the room. Lily was the only one that existed for him at the moment. All his nervousness appeared to melt away at the sight of his angel slowly making her way toward him. She captivated him. She looked like a goddess and he knew he would worship her for eternity.
The other members of the party quietly moved out of the center of the dome to form a circle around the couple and an older man. Harry took a moment to look at the older man. There was no mistaking, it was Dumbledore. He had a few auburn hairs mixed in with all the white, but the twinkling eyes were exactly the same.
“I am humbled by the sight of such beauty and the strength of the love in front of me. James and Lily have shown us that even in the darkest of times, love can not only survive, but thrive. I have watched these two grow from children. I watched as Lily rebuffed James for many years, only to see him try again and again to win her heart. In the end, he triumphed and gave his heart as well. Today we are here for the affirmation of that love and the ceremony that will bind them as husband and wife.”
Dumbledore made a small gesture and Sirius and Petunia stepped out of the crowd and walked softly into the center of the circle. The others moved soundlessly to fill the vacancies left in the circle.
“Petunia and Sirius, are you here today to stand with this couple in support of their choice?” Dumbledore asked with a smile.
“We are,” they replied in unison.
“Then let us begin. Lily, you have your own vows?” Dumbledore asked. Lily nodded. “Normally, I would ask that you join hands, but it seems as if you have beaten me there. But you might want to give your flower to Petunia so it does not get crushed.”
The small crowd laughed softly as Lily and James finally broke eye contact. She looked down at the rose in her hand and blushed as she handed it to Petunia. Petunia was lovely in her dress that was the same shade of purple as the sterling rose she now held in her hand. She smiled warmly at her sister and then turned back to man in front of her.
Lily took James’ hand in hers again and looked thoughtful for a moment. “You were such a prat when I first met you,” she began, looking up at James and blushing. Giggles and chuckles could be heard from all of the guests. “We were only eleven the first time you told me that I was going to be the one lucky enough to be your girlfriend. You tried to take my books out of my hands and instead they dropped, scattering across the hallway. You apologized and helped me pick them up, even though I was glaring at you with all the anger I felt inside. You didn’t let that deter you though. For years after that you kept trying, and I kept refusing. I was astounded by your arrogance, the way you picked on others. Then I realized it was not everyone you picked on, only ones that were bullies or thought themselves to be better than everyone else. I watched you. I saw you helping out the smaller children with their flying, or their homework. You wouldn’t even take their thanks. You didn’t realize how much a small amount of attention meant to a little boy who was homesick, or a little girl that had just experienced her first broken heart.” Lily had not realized that she was crying until James gently wiped the tear from her cheek.
“The more I tried to dislike you, the more I saw the good things. The loyalty to your friends astounded me. You couldn’t let them get in trouble without you, even if you were no where near them when they got caught at a prank. The more I watched the more you made me laugh, made me sigh, and made me fall in love with you. When we started dating I fell even more. The little things, the notes, holding my books, your jokes when things got tense, those all meant the world to me. Even though our world is shrouded in darkness at this time…today I promise my heart, my love, and my soul to you. I am always and forever yours, James,” Lily finished with a smile.
There was not a dry eye in the place. Lily had touched everyone in the room with her words. Even the four that were visiting the memory had their eyes misted in tears.
“Lily, I had my vows all worked out before the ceremony started. But how can I compete with that?” Everyone gave slight chuckles and giggles as James continued, “I stand here and look into the beautiful emerald eyes that have had me captivated since our first ride on the Hogwarts Express and fall more in love with you with each passing moment. I remember picking arguments with you when we were younger, just so I could see the flash in your eyes. You are so beautiful when you are angry. But even that pales to the vision that is before me now.
“Life is so uncertain. We don’t know what tomorrow will bring. But I do know this… I want to be your warmth when you are cold, your reason to laugh instead of cry. I will be your shelter from the storms of life,” James continued. At that moment, as if on cue, lightning flashed followed closely by the roar of the thunder. It was as if Nature, herself, was participating in the ceremony.
“I promise my heart, my soul, and my love to you. I am always and forever yours, Lily,” James said, his eyes glistening.
“Dora, come on dear. They need the rings!” Sirius whispered. A girl of about five stepped forward out of the circle. She had on a dress that matched Petunia’s. Her long dark hair stayed perfectly coifed until she realized that everyone was watching her. As she got more embarrassed, her hair began to rapidly change colors and lengths. As she got closer to the couple, she tripped on her own foot. A young man with intense blue-gray eyes jumped forward with lightning reflexes and caught her before she hit the ground.
Ginny giggled as she figured it out.
“Tonks,” she said. “Looks like Moony has been there to catch her longer than she knows.”
Hermione leaned over to Harry and whispered, “They look so much like you and Ginny. If I didn’t know any better, I would swear that I was watching the two of you exchange vows.”
Harry nodded slowly, a far off look in his eyes as he watched his parents. It was almost as if he had stepped into one of his dreams. He knew that his and Ginny’s relationship was too new to be thinking this way, but his dreams were a different story. This was what he saw when he dreamt of his future.
He was pulled back to the situation at hand by Dumbledore’s exclamation of, “You may now kiss the bride!”
As Lily and James’ lips touched, a ring of pure white light formed around them. It grew in intensity until it seemed to explode, knocking everyone within the dome off their feet, with the exception of the two kissing in the center. When they broke the kiss, everyone was astounded to see their hands wrapped in a stream of light, forming a figure eight on its side, the symbol of infinity.
There were gasps and mutterings of excitement.
“What’s wrong?” asked Harry.
“Well, the circle around the couple getting married represents the strength of the love present,” Hermione began explaining. “The more perfect the circle, and bright the light it emits, the stronger the love.”
“I’ve never seen one explode like that. It knocked everyone off their feet!” Ron added.
“If that wasn’t unusual enough, the infinity sign binding their hands sure is,” Ginny murmured, almost to herself. When she saw the look of confusion on Harry’s face she continued, “There is supposed to be a second ring of light around their hands, showing that the two are bound in marriage. The infinity symbol…they are bound for eternity. That’s very rare.”
“I always knew you two were soul-mates. You were both just too stubborn to see what everyone else did,” Sirius’ barking laughter could be heard all throughout the small dome.
As the memory began to fade, Ginny grabbed Harry’s hand. “You can come back any time you want now. You have the memory in the Pensieve,” she said quietly.
Harry nodded as everything around them began to lose it’s color. The teens were unceremoniously dumped into the floor of Harry’s room. They were back in the present and back at Potter Manor. They were still on the floor as Mrs. Weasley walked past the room.
“Good heavens! What happed here? Is that a Pensieve? What have you four been up to?” she was asking as she came into the room and began to help them up off the ground.
“Watching Harry’s parents getting married,” Ron mumbled.
Petunia chose this moment to follow Molly into the room. Harry explained about the Pensieve and the memories Dumbledore had given to go along with it.
“I remember. It was such a beautiful ceremony, wasn’t it Molly?” she asked as she looked over at Mrs. Weasley.
“You were there, Mum?” Ginny asked, looking at her mother.
“Oh yes, I was there. Fabian and Gideon had introduced your father and I to Harry’s parents. We all became quick friends. I was about eight months pregnant with the twins if I remember correctly. Not in any shape to be knocked off my feet by the light, I can assure you that!” she said with a giggle. She stepped over to the pensieve and peeked in. “They were so in love. And when you came along, Harry, you were the center of their world.”
“We were all so young then,” Petunia mused as she, too, looked into the bowl.
Molly shook herself from her memories and said, “Off to bed, all of you. We have a big day tomorrow, and I want you all well-rested.”
The four teens grumbled for a moment. Ron and Hermione followed Petunia and Mrs. Weasley from the room with choruses of “Goodnight” and “Happy Birthday.”
“Are you okay, Harry?” Ginny asked as she watched her boyfriend.
‘I’m fine,” he said, looking into her cinnamon eyes. ‘I’m just a bit overwhelmed. I kept picturing…I kept thinking it was…”
“Us?” she supplied, getting lost in his emerald eyes.
“Yes,” he said, letting out the breath he didn’t know he was holding.
“Someday it will be,” she stated as she kissed Harry goodnight and left him alone in his room.
Harry stood in the center of his room for a moment, a bit disoriented from all that had happened this evening. He then began to move about and get ready for bed.
His last thought before he slipped off into his dreams was, “I’m going to marry Ginny Weasley someday!”
A/N Part of the credit for the wedding scene goes to Ashwinder. After reading the wedding scene in one of her stories, I found I could not resist my own version of the same. If you have not read her stories, go, now, and read every single one of them.
A HUGE thanks to my Beta, CraftySlytherin. She has been great with the editing even though she and her family were struck by the flu last week! Thank you Heather!
This chapter is my baby. While it is shorter than some of my other chapters, I worked very hard to get the imagery just right. Please let me know that you think! For those that do not know: A sterling rose is a light purple rose that is absolutely gorgeous. They are not as rare as the used to be, but still…. I couldn’t resist them.
I am looking for a 2nd beta. Someone to help with editing, and possibly some ideas or corrections to current ideas. If you are interested, please contact me through the link on my bio. Must be strong in spelling and grammar. Thanks for reading.
Shopping and Battles, Is There Really A Difference? by Katastrophe
Author's Notes:
Blah blah blah.....it all belongs to JKR!
The next few days after Harry’s birthday seemed to fly by in a flurry of activity. That Sunday they had played Quidditch until they were almost exhausted. Harry had fallen into bed but had trouble falling asleep with all the thoughts that were running through his head.
I have to tell her.
What are you going to tell her?
That I l…lo…love her.
Oh that’s brilliant. You can barely say the word. Are you sure it is how you really feel? It’s not very convincing when you stutter over the L word.
I won’t stutter when it counts. But what if she doesn’t feel that way about me?
Have you lost your ever-loving mind? Were you not here last night when she said that some day it would be the two of you getting married? Even Ron’s not THAT thick. Now go to sleep. You have to talk to Neville tomorrow. Best be prepared, there is no telling what his reaction will be.
~*~*~*~
Monday had gone smoother than he thought it would. Neville had listened quietly to the prophecy. He was stunned at first, which was expected. After asking many questions, he sat back with a new resolve. Harry, Ginny, Ron, and Hermione were all amazed at the changes that followed.
Not only was Neville determined to help, but he also was resolute about standing beside Harry in his fight. Neville knew that but for a single choice of Voldemort’s, it could have been him that had to stand up to Voldemort when the final battle came. Besides, he wanted to be trained well enough to at least take on Bellatrix Lestrange. That was a personal debt. She had to be stopped, and he was in the mind-set that he would be the one to stop her.
~*~*~*~*
When Mrs. Longbottom came by that evening to pick up Neville she was promptly invited to stay for dinner. Harry and Neville figured that having a few adults around when they asked if Neville could stay would definitely be to their benefit. Halfway through the entrée, Mrs. Longbottom turned to Harry.
“I have always believed that you could tell what was in a person’s heart by looking at the ones who work for him. I was a bit shocked when you announced that Idget, Winky, and Dobby would be joining us at your birthday dinner. But now I see that they are truly part of your family. Their love for you and yours shows, and speaks volumes about you,” Mrs. Longbottom said, taking a sip of her wine.
“Thank you, Mrs. Longbottom,” he answered, blushing profusely. He took a deep breath and said, “Mrs. Longbottom, I was wondering if Neville might be able to join us for the rest of the holiday. The invitation is actually open to both of you. I could have portkeys arranged to get the two of you to and back from St. Mungo’s to visit his parents.”
“Oh no. Dear boy, we could not impose on you like that. Besides, Neville still has most of his summer homework to finish. He won’t want to work when he has so many distractions,” she replied, giving Neville a ‘I-know-better’ look.
“Augusta, if the two of you decided to stay here, Neville would be studying more, and learning more for that matter. This could actually put him ahead in his studies,” Molly stated before Harry had a chance to answer.
“I don’t think I am following you, Molly. How could staying here advance him in his studies?” Mrs. Longbottom asked, her curiosity piqued.
“Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall come by during the week to hold classes with Harry, Hermione, Ron, and even Ginny. At the rate they are currently going, Professor Dumbledore is positive that Ginny will be able to go into sixth year courses. They are preparing her to take her owls in two weeks,” Molly beamed.
“Harry has a big task ahead of him, Gran. I plan to be right beside him when the time comes. I could use the extra help so I am prepared,” Neville said softly.
“What kind of task are you talking about?”
Neville opened his mouth a few times, trying to speak, but looking more like a fish out of water. Harry rescued him by saying, “I will be going after Voldemort.”
“What? But you are only a boy!” Mrs. Longbottom said, jumping out of her seat.
“Neville told you about the prophecy that broke in the Department of Mysteries?” Harry inquired. When she nodded he continued, “That was not the only copy, so to speak. Professor Dumbledore was the one who originally heard the prophecy. He told me about it after we got back from the Ministry that night.” Harry took a sip of his water. He felt Ginny’s hand slip into his and squeeze. He took a deep breath and explained everything. How Voldemort had marked him as an equal. How easily it could have been Neville. He even explained that either he or Voldemort must die at the end.
Mrs. Longbottom shrank back in her chair as she took it all in. “So all that talk of you being ‘The Chosen One’, it was true? How do you fit into this Neville?” she asked, looking at her grandson.
“It could have easily been me, Gran. I want to help Harry in any way I can. I also want my shot at Bellatrix Lestrange. She tore our family apart. I can’t let her do that to anyone else,” he said with an imploring look in his eyes.
Mrs. Longbottom stared at her grandson intently. She looked into his eyes and saw that he was becoming a man. Gone was the clumsy stuttering youth, and in his place was a young man with a mission. “You’re sure it would not be an imposition?” she asked, looking first at Harry, then at Petunia and Molly.
“Not at all. This just expands my family even more,” Harry said with a grin.
“We’ll head home tonight to get packed and get the house closed up. We will be back tomorrow afternoon. That is, if you are positive about this,” she said in a very business-like tone.
“We’ll pick out your rooms after we finish pudding,” Harry said with a nod.
As conversation turned to other topics, Harry saw Mrs. Longbottom reach over and give Neville a hug. He could just barely hear her whisper to him how proud she was.
~*~*~*~*
Harry sent notes to Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall explaining the situation. Professor Dumbledore sent Fawkes back with a message that classes would resume on Wednesday, and they were delighted that Neville would be joining the others.
The rest of the week had been spent reviewing and catching Neville up to speed with the others. Neville caught on rather quickly, which was a surprise to all present, including Neville himself. His only disappointment is that he would not be joining in the Animagus training. His potion had come up with nothing except a small puff of smoke, no shape was present. It was decided that since Neville wanted to be a healer, while the others were working on their Animagus studies, he would be working with Madame Pomfrey learning the art of healing.
~*~*~*~
The training had been intense, but they still managed to have a bit of fun on the few days off they had, playing Quidditch, chess, and Exploding Snap. All except Hermione, who could be found reading or practicing in the off hours.
All of them were shocked at how far they had come during the summer. Neville was especially pleased with himself. Without Professor Snape hovering over him, he had done really well in potions. Lupin had given him a strategy for the coming school year to help conquer his fear of Professor Snape. Moony had reminded Neville of the boggart in third year. If Neville could remember Snape in his grandmother’s clothes, he would be much less intimidating. If that did not work, he told Neville to picture Snape in his underwear. After a moment he retracted that, saying, “No one should have to deal with that visual.”
Hermione was getting more and more frustrated with the Animagus attempts. So far she had not even managed to transform a single claw or feather. She watched almost resentfully as Harry transformed into a phoenix with a human head. She was brought to tears as Ron and Ginny transfigured their arms and legs to form paws and had covered themselves in fur. None of them gloated or celebrated much, out of respect for Hermione.
Professor McGonagall was astonished to see the coloring of both Harry and Ginny’s Animagus forms. Harry, as a phoenix, had black and purple feathers. Ginny was transforming into a white tiger. Ron had the normal tawny appearance of a lion when he worked to change forms. She was most disturbed at her favorite student’s lack of progress. She made the decision to keep Hermione after class to talk to her about this.
While everyone was packing up to go, Professor McGonagall said, “Miss Granger, would you please stay for a few moments?”
“O…Of course Professor,” Hermione replied as her stomach tied itself in knots. She waved to the others, saying that she would catch up to them later.
Professor McGonagall conjured a platter with tea and scones on it and prompted Hermione to serve herself.
“Miss Granger, I know what you are going through. I had the same problem with my Animagus form that you are having,” Professor McGonagall stated.
“I just don’t understand. I swear, I have been practicing daily. I even stay up later than the others trying to get it right. I don’t know what I am doing wrong,” Hermione said. Tears began to trickle slowly down her cheeks as she stared at her feet.
“Miss Gra…Hermione, look at me,” Professor McGonagall said softly. Hermione’s head popped up at the use of her first name. “I went through the same thing. It was not until one of my professors told me to lighten up that I was actually able to succeed. I, too, pushed myself, wanting to excel in everything. I kept trying, kept practicing, stayed atop my homework and my extra time practicing. I saw my failure in things to be very personal. The more I pushed though, the less results I had,” she paused and chuckled at the look of disbelief on Hermione’s face. “My professor at the time told me to loosen up and not take myself so seriously. I was shocked of course. He explained that by trying to force it to happen, I was trapping the animal inside of me. I followed his advice and, within a month, I could fully become the tabby cat that my potion had said was inside of me. Tell me, have you joined the others when you have days off from training?”
“No, I have been studying and practicing. I am not fond of Quidditch, and it seems pointless to waste time! I find Wizard’s Chess a bit too barbaric for my tastes, and Exploding Snap is entirely too loud,” Hermione said, astonished that her teacher was asking such a question.
“Have you ever really given the sport, or anything else that the others try to get you into, a chance?” McGonagall said with a smile.
“Well, no…. But…”
“Hermione, you must leave yourself with time to have fun. You have to leave time to actually have a life. Training is important, especially to you and the other four. But if all you do is study and train, completely forgetting to have fun and enjoy yourself occasionally, then Voldemort wins, and he’s taken your life away from you. But, if you take time to enjoy yourself, along with using time to study and prepare, then that is one less life he has taken over. Do you understand?” McGonagall said softly, marveling at the similarity of her young self to Hermione’s present self.
“I think so, Professor. I will work on it,” Hermione replied. “Er…well, not work on it, as the case may be.”
They both laughed at her correction of her wording. Hermione looked at McGonagall and asked, “Professor, who was your transfiguration teacher?”
“Why, Professor Dumbledore, of course! This was back when Professor Armando Dippet was the headmaster of Hogwarts. It was because of him that I joined the fight during the war with Grindewald. When the first war with Voldemort started, I helped Professor Dumbledore to form the order.”
Hermione was taken aback at this news. She knew that Dumbledore and McGonagall had been teaching at Hogwarts for many years together. She had no idea that Dumbledore was that old.
“Professor, how old is Professor Dumbledore anyway?” Hermione queried, hoping she had not over-stepped her bounds.
“Somewhere around 150 I would guess. I asked him once, he said he had lost count. Can you imagine?” she replied with a hearty chuckle.
“Well, Minerva, after so many birthdays, it IS rather hard to keep track,” Dumbledore said with a laugh as he watched the shocked reactions of the two ladies in the room. “I’ve always thought age to be just a number. Our thoughts and actions define us, as do our choices. If I have interrupted a private conference, I will leave. From what I smell, Molly’s been baking her wonderful biscuits. I am sure I can sneak in and, how is it they say it these days, ‘nick a few?’” Hermione and McGonagall were laughing openly now as Dumbledore was wagging his eyebrows at them.
“No, Professor, you stay. We were done. I’ll go to the kitchen and get the two of you some tea and biscuits,” Hermione offered.
“No need, Miss Granger. I’ll get it. By the way,” Dumbledore stated as he turned his full attention on Hermione. “I hear you are having trouble with the Animagus lessons. I once had a student who was quite brilliant, but was also a late bloomer in the Animagus area. Try loosening up a bit Miss Granger. You are far too young to deny yourself some downtime. Even the ‘brightest witch of her age’ needs time for recreation and relaxation. If you take things too seriously all the time it will, to quote Mr. Weasley, ‘make you mental’!”
“Yes sir,” Hermione answered with a blush. “If you will excuse me, I am going to try to catch up with the others. I’m afraid I haven’t been a very nice person as of late. I have a lot of apologies to make.” She turned around and walked softly out of the room.
*~*~*~*
Two days before Ginny’s birthday Harry began to panic. Not only had he not gotten the chance to tell her he loved her, but he also had no present for her. He ran to Remus as the day was getting closer.
“Remus, you have to help me,” Harry begged, as he ran up to the older man.
“Whoa, take a breath and tell me what is going on,” Remus said, worriedly.
“Two days…birthday…present…must,” Harry replied, out of breath.
“I get the idea,” Remus said with a chuckle. “Let me ask Tonks if she fancies a trip to Diagon Alley. Maybe we can put a glamour on you so we don’t attract too much attention. I’ll also see if Moody would like to go along under the invisibility cloak.”
“Thank you! I’ve got to find something perfect for her, and Tonks would definitely be a help. I’m rubbish when it comes to buying gifts. Especially really special ones,” Harry said, having finally caught his breath.
“Sounds like love,” Remus said with a chuckle.
“Remus, how do you know when it IS love? I’m afraid I don’t have a clue when it comes to girls. I’ve never told anyone that I love them.,” Harry blushed.
Remus looked at his young charge and asked, “I presume that you are thinking of Ginny? Does she know?”
“No. Do you know how hard it is to get anyone alone in this house? I haven’t had time to tell her. Should I tell her? What if she doesn’t love me back? What if…” Harry stammered while running his fingers through his hair.
“Harry. Harry! Slow down a moment. Merlin, you remind me of James when he first told your mum he loved her. He even tried to bring Sirius and I along for moral support. It’s not that difficult. Believe me, I have seen the way she looks at you. She does love you, Harry, and has for quite a while now,” Remus said trying to calm Harry down.
“It’s just… We saw my parents’ wedding in the pensieve the night of my birthday. They looked so much like the two of us. I’ve gone back a few times by myself and I can see marrying her. Not right away of course. But that may never happen if I can’t even tell her that I love her.” Harry finished while looking down at his feet.
“It is completely understandable to be nervous, Harry. But you need to make certain that what you feel is love,” Remus replied.
“When I am with her, everything seems brighter. I have actually been happy. When we kiss, the world just stops for me. Holding her in my arms, I feel like I can conquer anything. The problem is, I have never told ANYONE that I love them. I am not even sure what signs or feelings to look for. That’s it, I’ve gone completely mental,” Harry sighed.
“Sounds like love to me Harry. Also sounds very familiar. Don’t we make a pair?” Remus chuckled. “Both in love with truly wonderful women, both unsure of how to tell them. But I do have a plan. Can you ask one of the house-elves to get Ron and Neville to join us? And please, tell them to be discreet. After he hears my plan, he might want in for good points with Hermione.“
Harry looked at Remus with confusion and skepticism written all over his face. He called Dobby and asked him to find Ron and Neville.
About 5 minutes later, Ron and Neville walked into the room, and the planning began. With help from Dobby and Idget and Winky, Ginny’s birthday would be a night to remember.
*~*~*~*~*
The next day, Ron, Neville, and Harry left for Diagon Alley with a small guard of Tonks, Remus, and Moody. They went from shop to shop, trying to find the perfect gift. They stopped in Quality Quidditch Supplies and bought a Quidditch Deluxe set. It had the bludgers, quaffle, and a professional grade snitch that was somewhat faster than the ones at school. While they were in the shop, Harry checked on the newest brooms. He saw Ron practically drooling over the new broom in the window. The Flame-Strike boasted faster speeds than the Firebolt, tighter handling, and a semi-sticking charm for the safety of the riders.
“What do you think, Ron? The Quidditch pitch in the backyard would be a great place for some practicing,” Harry said with a grin.
“Yeah, we could work out new game plans and strategies for kicking some Slytherin arse. One of these days, I’ll be able to get a top-of-the-line broom,” Ron sighed.
“I’ve been thinking-“ Harry began.
“Did it hurt?” Ron laughed, trying to lighten his mood.
“I know, it’s always a bad sign when I start thinking,” Harry chuckled. “Back to what I was saying, I need to get a new broom. I want to keep the Firebolt for the memories connected to Sirius. I’m really afraid that one of these day, something might happen to it,” Harry watched as Ron’s face fell. “I’ve got to talk to the sales clerk. I’ll be right back.”
Harry went to the counter and placed his order for five of the new brooms. The sales clerk summoned the Flame-Strikes from the storage rooms to complete the transaction. Harry quickly shrunk the brooms to fit in his pocket. This was going to be some surprise. But he had to be careful with his wording when he sprung it on the others.
Lupin stood beside him as a look out to make sure that Ron was not watching. He relaxed a bit when he saw Tonks and Neville pulling Ron’s attention to the other side of the store. He looked at Harry’s face and could tell he was buying the brooms for his friends. He was amazed that despite the years with the Dursleys, Harry was a very loving and giving person. Harry reminded Lupin of James and Lily. It was as if a part of them was still there with him.
Thirty minutes, and 3 stores later, Harry found the perfect gift for Ginny, or at least PART of the gift. He had it wrapped and shrunk to also fit in his pocket. Harry wondered if he would be able to contain himself until the next day. Ginny’s birthday is going to be such a surprise.
One more stop had to be made on the way to the apparition point. The Magical Menagerie was as loud as ever. While Ron, Neville, and Remus wandered around the store, Harry and Tonks went straight to the row of cages in the back of the store.
Tonks looked through the bars on the cages, sad for the animals there. She hoped they would all find homes soon. She heard Harry gasp and turned quickly to see what was the matter.
Harry was lifting a small white kitten with ginger patterns on its back and head and very bright green eyes. The kitten looked too tiny to be away from it’s mother. Suddenly a loud purr came from the kitten.
“I was hoping he would find a home soon. I will warn you though, he has to be bottle fed for about two more weeks,” said the beautiful brunette woman that had walked up behind them. “I found him and his littermates on the way to work a few days ago, he was the smallest one, but he’s definitely got spunk. It’s been a mess with trying to feed 7 kittens by bottle every three to four hours. But I couldn’t leave them there. Their mother either abandoned them or something had happened to her. It is not like a mother cat to abandon her kittens. Listen to me, rambling away. My name is Kiley Cohen, can I help you with anything today?” she said, extending her hand to Harry.
Harry shook the woman’s hand and asked, “How many of the seven are left?”
“Just him. The little purr-box you have in your hands is quite a little scrapper,” she replied.
The kitten was small enough to fit in the palm of his hand. He started playing with the little guy. The kitten was purring and pawing at Harry’s hand. At one point, the kitten bit Harry lightly, and then licked the space where he had just bitten. The confusion was plain to see on his face.
“That’s his way of telling you that he is only playing. He’s adorable. I’d keep him myself, but my husband barred me from bringing home another animal,” Kiley explained. “For some reason he thinks that ten cats, five dogs, three crups and a kneazle is a good place to stop. That’s the hard thing about owning a pet store, you want to take them all home with you.”
Tonks and Harry laughed and said they would take the kitten. Kiley gathered up the formula, bottles, kitten food, and a warming blanket and put it all in a large shopping bag. After she told Harry his total bill he looked shocked.
“Mrs. Cohen, you must have miscalculated. The total should be much more than that,” Harry said with a bewildered look on his face.
“I’m just happy he found a good home. With them out of the store, I will be able to pay more attention to the other animals here. Take the rest as a gift to the kitten and his new owner,” Kiley answered. “All I ask is that you come by some time and give me an update on them.”
The tabby was still playing at attacking Harry’s fingers. He crouched down like he was about to attack and let out a tiny half-growl and an attempt and a spit. The noise that came out of him sounded like “Grrf.”
“That’s what I have been calling him, ‘Gurf.’ He’s definitely a feisty one. By the size of those paws, he’s going to be a big one too. He was the runt of the litter, and the only male out of seven.” Harry knew that this would be the perfect kitten for Ginny.
Harry and Tonks gathered up the kitten and supplies and found Remus and Ron standing outside the door. They had only taken a few steps when there was a shout and Ron was hit in the leg with a blue light that only comes from spells. Harry dragged him to safety. His leg was bloody and had a piece of bone poking through the skin. Ron’s leg had been broken. Harry handed off the kitten and peaked around the corner to see where the spells were coming from.
Narcissa was firing spells left and right. She had three people with her, their identities hidden behind their masks. Narcissa was the only one without a mask on. It was almost as if she wanted Harry to know exactly who she was.
Harry looked around frantically for Remus, Tonks and Neville. He was relieved to see them hiding behind a delivery crate near the entrance to the pet store. Tonks had just sent what looked like her patronus off in the other direction. Within seconds, five order members Apparated into Diagon Alley. Harry checked once more on Ron, and turned to join in the fight.
A/N A HUGE, wonderful thanks to my new idea man, Sorn, who also permitted me to use the name Flame-Strike for the new broom. If you haven't read his fic The Fight for Ginny go do so now! Thanks to all the lovely readers that have read my story so far.
Fighting, Healing, and Romance by Katastrophe
Author's Notes:
It's JKR's world. I just play on the playground.
PLEASE SEE BIO FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON THIS STORY!
Harry and Tonks gathered up the kitten and supplies and found Remus and Ron standing outside the door. They had only taken a few steps when there was a shout and Ron was hit in the leg with a blue light that only comes from spells. Harry dragged him to safety. His leg was bloody and had a piece of bone poking through the skin. Ron’s leg had been broken. Harry handed off the kitten and peaked around the corner to see where the spells were coming from.
Narcissa was firing spells left and right. She had three people with her, their identities hidden behind their masks. Narcissa was the only one without a mask on. It was almost as if she wanted Harry to know exactly who she was.
Harry looked around frantically for Remus, Tonks and Neville. He was relieved to see them hiding behind a delivery crate near the entrance to the pet store. Tonks had just sent what looked like her patronus off in the other direction. Within seconds, five order members Apparated into Diagon Alley. Harry checked once more on Ron, and turned to join in the fight.
Harry looked out from behind the barrel that had been hiding him. He saw Narcissa in the fray, seemingly hiding behind one of the larger Death Eaters.
He shook away his thoughts in time to see a red stream of light headed straight for Neville. Harry quickly cast a shield charm on Neville, just in time to deflect the spell. Neville nodded his thanks and went back to firing off spells of his own.
Curses flew back and forth for what seemed like hours, but was likely no more than a few seconds. Harry saw Remus fall to the ground, Tonks trying to cover him as she revived him. He saw Neville’s face bleeding and his arm looked broken. There were two other wizards that Harry did not recognize that had fallen to various spells. Ron was trying to lean out from behind the barrel to cast a few spells of his own
Harry heard someone shout, “Diffindo,” just before a sharp pain sliced through his left arm. The spell had cut his robes and his flesh. Quickly checking his arm, Harry was sure he would be ok.
“You idiot! Not Potter. We are not to touch him!” Narcissa yelled.
Not to touch me? Then that would mean … No, even Narcissa is not batty enough to plan an attack on my friends and family and not expect me to fight back. But then again, what do we actually know of her? Maybe she WAS completely mental.
Mental or not, no one had the right to hurt his friends. He continued to cast at the death eaters, taking a spare moment here and there to see if his friends and fellow Order members were ok. Every time he looked around, it seemed that new injuries had appeared. Each injury was a rip to his control.
Just who do they think they are? What right do they have to attack my friends and family?
Harry saw another of the Order members fall to the ground. Since they were fighting in a narrow part of Diagon Alley, most of the order members were somewhat close together. Another Order member fell to a stunner, taking Harry’s control with him. Without even thinking, Harry raised his left hand and a silver shield covered the group. The spells dissipated upon hitting the shield.
Harry walked forward toward all the fighting. Ron yelled for Harry to stop, but Harry was beyond listening.
“No! NO! NO! NO! NO NO NO!” Harry screamed over and over as he shot spell after spell from his wand. Some of the spells even seemed to be coming from his raised left hand.
Narcissa gathered her robes around her, and Apparated from the spot, two of her fellow Death Eaters, both injured, but not severely, followed her lead. The last Death Eater was not so lucky. He had been on the receiving end of the Body-Bind curse that was only a part of the barrage of spells that Harry had unleashed.
Harry kept walking until he was standing over the remaining Death Eater. He promptly relieved the man of his wand, stood him on his feet. After casting a strange spell that had vines growing up from the ground and encasing the prisoner, Harry took the body bind spell off.
“I guess I should have an Auror present while I ask you a few questions,” Harry said as he turned away from the nervous man. The man started to yell and scream. With a wave of his hand, Harry had the vines that were incasing the prisoner also cover his mouth. He let down the shield that was protecting the others. “Tonks, could you come here for just a moment?” he said loudly. Once she got to his side, she looked at the man encased in vines and started to laugh.
“If we are going to get anything out of this one, Harry, he’s going to need his ability to speak back,” Tonks said with a giggle.
“Oh… I suppose he will. Sorry about that,” Harry blushed. He raised his wand and the vines covering the man’s mouth were gone.
“I… I was u… under the Imperious Curse. I don’t know why I was brought here,” the man sputtered, trying to cover his own arse.
“I’m sure you were,” Tonks said in a very innocent voice. The man began to smile tentatively. He paled to almost a gray shade when she said, “Luckily, there is a spell to detect that these days. Hold still. This won’t hurt a bit. Well, won’t hurt if you have had the Imperious Curse cast on you recently. Probatur Magia!”
The prisoner squirmed at first, and then began to scream.
“You see, Harry,” she said as she removed the spell, “the spell burns itself out on the Imperious Curse… Or rather, the energy it leaves behind.” Tonks turned to the prisoner and lifted the spell. “When the curse is not present, this nasty little spell keeps searching. It feels like insects under the skin. Not a feeling of pain actually, more of extreme annoyance. This spell was shown to, and used on, all the Aurors. That way we knew what the prisoner was feeling and how long to keep the spell on. The Ministry has been researching and developing this spell since the end of the first war. So many got off the hook by stating that they were under the Imperious Curse.”
“Now, would you care to tell us the truth? Or should we keep testing?” Harry said, deceptively calm.
“I told…,” the prisoner started. When he saw Tonks raise her wand and point it at him again, he figured the truth was the best route. “It was all Narcissa’s doing. We weren’t to cast at Potter, but anyone who was with him was fair game. No one was to be killed, just hurt.”
“What do you mean? Why was I off “limits?” Harry asked with barely contained anger.
“The Dark Lord wants you for himself,” the man said with a sneer. “He’s told everyone that they are forbidden to touch you. Narcissa wanted you to hurt as payback for putting Lucius in prison. So we were to attack anyone with you.”
Tonks turned slightly away and what looked like a phoenix of fire flashed once and then was gone. When she turned back, Harry looked at her questioningly. She shook her head letting him know that this was not the time or the place for an explanation.
“Harry, though I am quite impressed with the restricting vines, would you remind releasing them after I cast my own spell to incarcerate?” she asked Harry with a wink. She turned back to the prisoner and warned, “You have an Anti-Apparating spell on you already, so don’t even think of trying it, unless of course, you fancy splinching yourself.”
Harry waved his wand toward the man, and the vines disappeared back into the ground.. “If you don’t need anything else from me, I will go check on the others,” he said to Tonks as he turned toward his friends.
“Bloody hell!” Ron yelled from behind the barrel. This was followed by a kitten kissing and spitting. Harry looked over the barrel and saw the kitten, hackles raised, bouncing almost sideways.
“Letting a kitten kick your arse, mate?” Harry said with a laugh.
“He BIT me!” Ron exclaimed.
“Told you he was a scrapper,” Kiley said, emerging from the Magical Menagerie. “Sorry I am late. I was doctoring up a crup that fell out of its cage right after you all left. By the time I heard the noise it was all over. Is everyone okay?”
“We have a few that we need to get over to St. Mungo’s,” Harry replied as he bent down to pick up the kitten. “Can you stay with Ron for a moment while I go check the others, please?”
“Of course, that is if he doesn’t mind,” Kiley said as she turned to Ron.
“As long as you quit talking about me as if I am not here,” Ron said, grumpily.
Harry laughed and took the few steps to get to Remus. Fortunately he had only been hit by a stunning curse. After being revived, he found his only injury was from a small bump on his head, probably caused by the fall.
After the prisoner was hauled off by a member of the Special Task Force, Harry, Remus, and Tonks gathered the injured around a portkey to St. Mungo’s. Tonks stayed behind to gather the packages, shrink them, and place them in her pocket. When this task was done, she Apparated to just outside the grounds of Potter Manor.
~*~*~*~*
“What is keeping them so long? Surely they are not STILL shopping,” Molly mumbled as she paced the floor.
“Calm down, Mum. They probably just lost track of the time,” said Ginny with what she hoped was a convincing tone. Truth be told, she was worried as well.
Ginny looked up when she heard her mother gasp. Directly in front of Molly, a shape made entirely of flame was hovering, flashed once, and then disappeared.
“Mum, what was that? You aren’t hurt, are you?” Ginny had stopped her mother from pacing and was holding her arms looking for burns of any sort.
“Ginny, stop,” Molly sighed. “Ginny, I am fine. That was just a message from Tonks, calling for back up. We’d best go get our cloaks, Tonks should be here for us soon. Could you please ask Hermione, Petunia and Dudley to join us? I’ll get the portkey ready”
“Who’s hurt? How did Tonks get in touch with you? Where are we going?” asked Ginny, in rapid-fire succession.
“Ginevra! Focus please. I need you to get the others and meet me in the kitchen. I’ll answer your questions as soon as I can get some answers myself. Now off with you!” Molly said, stomping her foot for emphasis.
Ginny was running up the stairs, two at a time as Petunia was coming down them. She stopped so abruptly that she almost knocked Petunia over.
“Ginny, dear. What is it?” Petunia asked as she tried to steady the young woman and herself before they both fell over.
“Meet Mum in the kitchen please. Do you know where Dudley is? There has been an attack; Mum wants us ready to go as soon as we can. That’s all I know so far,” Ginny panted her words out.
“I’ll get Dudley. I think I saw him in the game room last,” Petunia was getting herself worked up just watching Ginny.
“That’s on the way back to the kitchen, we can get him, stop by the library to pick up Hermione, and then meet mum in the kitchen,” Ginny mumbled as she flew down the stairs. Petunia followed at a slightly safer speed.
Hermione popped her head out of the library, investigating all the noise on the steps. Ginny quickly brought her up to speed, grabbed her hand and proceeded to drag her toward the game room.
They retrieved Dudley, and met Molly in the kitchen. Within seconds, Tonks stumbled into the room. She looked up to find five sets of eyes looking to her for an explanation.
“No serious injuries, just a few broken bones. We’re meeting everyone at St. Mungo’s. Molly, do you have the portkey ready? Petunia, Dudley, do you two remember how to use one? Good, let’s grab on and go!” Tonks was speaking so quickly that it was amazing that everyone was able to keep up. They grabbed onto the Portkey and disappeared from the kitchen.
~*~*~*~*
At the hospital, Neville, Ron, and Remus were taken to a ward-style Emergent Care room. The room itself was spacious and had four beds, two on each side. Since their injuries were not serious in nature, they were patched up before the others got to the hospital. Ron would be on crutches for a day or two, just until the bone set properly. Neville was in a sling for the same reasons with his left arm.
“It’s a good thing I am right handed. I’d hate to start classes without being able to use my wand. Even if it were only for a day or two. Remus, why did they usher you in here?” Neville asked, looking across the room at the older man.
“SOMEONE mentioned the bump on my head,” he replied with a pointed look at Ron. “The healers just want to be sure I didn’t scramble myself too badly.”
“Hey, would you rather deal with the healers here, or mum after she found out you didn’t get it looked at?” Ron replied with a shudder.
“Point taken. Your mum is a bit scary at times,” Remus said with a laugh.
“No need to tell me. I know from experience,” Ron chuckled.
“Where is Harry anyway? I thought he would be waiting in here with us,” Neville wondered, half to himself.
“Probably trying to lessen the panic my mother should be in about now. I don’t envy him, being the first to see her,” Ron chuckled.
The door to the room burst open. Molly and Ginny came bursting into the room with Petunia, Dudley, and Harry in their wake. Tonks strolled in behind the rest.
“Mum, Ginny, they’re fine. The healers have already patched them up and just went to get the potions to send them home,” Harry said, as he was trying to calm them down.
“Yeah, Mum. We’re okay. It was just a few broken bones and a bump on the head,” Ron added, trying to squirm out of his mother’s grasp.
Ginny turned to Harry, patting him down to make sure there were no injuries. She had just come across the cut on his arm when a squeaking sound filled the room.
“Harry, why are your robes squeaking?” asked Ginny with a horrified look on her face.
“Oh Merlin, the kitten!” he gently lifted the kitten from his robes. The kitten squinted in the bright light and squeaked again to show displeasure.
“It’s adorable!” exclaimed Hermione stepping away from Ron’s bedside.
“Not so cute when he bites you,” Ron mumbled.
“He was supposed to be part of your birthday present, Ginny. He’s the youngest of seven kittens, and the only male,” Harry explained. Ginny was staring intently at the kitten. He stretched himself toward her and bumped his pink nose against hers.
“He’s so tiny,” she said, gingerly petting the tiny creature. She opened the hand that was not petting him and he stepped onto it. He curled up in her hand and began to purr. The sound should have been somewhat quiet, but seemed to reverberate off the walls of the entire room.
“It seems he likes you,” Harry said with a chuckle. Everyone else in the room laughed quietly. “According to the witch at the pet store, he will need to be bottle-fed for the next two weeks. Then we can wean him to wet food.”
At the mention of food, the kitten started mewling loudly.
“There’s formula and bottles in the bag… Oh no, the bags!” Harry panicked for a moment.
“I’ve got them right here. He’ll be okay for a few minutes until we can get him home,” said Tonks.
Ginny walked over to show the kitten to her mother, who also got a favorable nose-pat from the kitten. Mrs. Weasley cooed at the kitten and again, he changed hands. Ginny went over and enthusiastically hugged Harry. Harry flinched as she hit the cut on his arm.
“You’re hurt! Has a healer looked at this?” Ginny asked, mortified at the thought of hurting her boyfriend.
“Erm… Well, no. In all the excitement, I had forgotten about it until you touched my arm,” Harry said sheepishly.
Petunia rushed over to inspect his arm. Forgetting that she was in a wizarding hospital said, “This looks like it will need stitches.”
“Steeches? What is that? Hang on. Is that what Arthur tried with that Healer when he was in here for the bite from the snake?” Mrs. Weasley asked.
Petunia looked very confused.
“I can heal cuts. With seven children, you learn very quickly,” she laughed as she got out her wand and pointed it at the wound on Harry’s arm. “Just so we don’t have to wait for the healer to get to you,” she continued with a wink. “There, all healed. How does it feel?”
“Good as new,” Harry said giving Mrs. Weasley a hug. He did not notice Petunia shrink back to get out of the way, but Remus and Tonks did.
The healer walked back into the room with the crutches, sling, and potions floating along behind her. “So, how are my patients doing? Ready to go home I presume?” she asked handing out the items to Ron, Remus and Neville.
Augusta Longbottom burst into the room, startling everyone and causing the kitten to make his “Grrf” sound.
“I’m happy you found my note, Augusta. I tried to floo you, but there was no answer,” Mrs. Weasley explained as Mrs. Longbottom walked over to Neville. Petunia was helping him into his sling.
“I was packing the last of my things and getting them ready to bring to the manor. Neville, dear, how are you?” she asked, patting her grandson on the leg.
“Fine, Gran. Healer Weston healed my arm. I only have to wear the sling for a day or two,” Neville answered as Petunia finished tying it behind his head. “Thank you Mrs. Dursley.”
“It’s nice to be needed, Neville. I’m glad I could help,” Petunia said. Harry noticed the tinge of sadness in her voice. He would speak to her about it later.
“Augusta Longbottom? Is that really you? I haven’t seen you in ages!” Healer Weston said as she was crossing the room.
“Audra Weston. It is so nice to see you. It’s been so very long,” said Mrs. Longbottom. “Audra and I were roommates and best of friends at Hogwarts. Our husbands were also friends,” Mrs. Longbottom said, turning to Neville. “Do you remember her? She’s the one that used to baby-sit you while I came to visit your parents.”
“I didn’t make the connection. You, young man, are getting a bit famous around here. An Auror by the name of Dawlish had been singing your praises to anyone that will listen. Says you jumped in front of him after he had been hurt. He is certain that the spell that broke your arm was meant for him. He claims that even with your arm broken, you pulled him to safety. Jumping in front of him that way was a very brave thing to do. You just might have saved his life,” Healer Weston exclaimed.
“I … er, that is…” Neville stammered while blushing profusely.
Mrs. Longbottom stepped over to her grandson and pulled up his chin so he would meet her eyes. “I am very proud of you, dear. That took true courage and grace under fire,” she said with a tear rolling down her cheek. “Your parents would be so proud.”
“Well I think everyone here is ready to go. Mr. Lupin, the potion I gave you is for headaches. Take it easy this afternoon and evening. Mr. Longbottom, the blue potion I gave you is a bone-strengthening potion. The green one is for pain, as necessary. Keep the sling on until tomorrow evening. If you still have weakness in the arm, leave it for one more day. Mr. Weasley, the potions are the same for you, as are the instructions, on the crutches until tomorrow evening at the very earliest. Yours will hurt a bit this evening as the bone broke through the skin. Any questions?” Healer Weston looked a bit winded after giving three sets of instructions at once.
~*~*~*~*
Back at the manor, while dinner was being prepared, Harry pulled Fred and George aside. They were the inventors, so if anyone could do it, they could.
“How can we humble servants,” said George.
“Help our most beloved benefactor?” finished Fred.
“Can spells be stored in a wand, and then called forth by a muggle or a squib, at a later time? Simple spells, cleaning, cooking, sewing or knitting, a shielding spell, communications spell… that sort of thing. My Aunt and Cousin are feeling out of place. I want to see if we can find anything to help them feel more at home,” Harry said.
“Excellent idea that is, Harry” George said, patting Harry on the back.
“So excellent in fact, that we started on them two weeks ago,” Fred guffawed.
Harry’s mouth fell open in shock. Then he felt ashamed of himself for not thinking of it sooner.
“In fact, if you would permit us,” said George with an exaggerated sweep of his arm.
“We can show you, Dudley and your aunt how to use them,” said Fred, pulling out two wands.
Harry looked closely at the wands. One could only be mahogany, it was made thicker and had a dragon carved into the handle. The other was a longer, thinner wand, made out of beautiful cherry wood that seems to have an opal-esque finish to it. The handle of this wand had a petunia carved into it.
George reached into his pockets and pulled out two wand holsters. “No need to worry about tricks on these, Mate. We have seen how restless Petunia feels. We just wanted to help. She and Dudley are now part of our family too.”
“Shall we go turn our new family members into test subjects?” Fred laughed.
The three walked back into the kitchen to see everyone there. They were standing propped against the wall, sitting at the table, or cooking. He noticed that Ginny was feeding the kitten at the table. He was eating like a bottomless pit!
“Could we have your attention please?” Harry said with a smile. “Our troublesome twosome here has a new invention. Aunt Petunia, you and Dudley were the inspiration. Would you like to try them out?” Harry said, looking back and forth between the two of them. “I have been promised that there is no danger of a prank with the items. This is something that might make you feel more at home.”
Petunia stepped forward first. Fred walked up to her and gave her the wand.
“We’ve discovered a way to store spells within a special type of wand. You just say the proper command word, with a little flick and a puff, you have cast the spell. None of the spells are particularly difficult ones. But they will help out in cooking, knitting or sewing (if you please), and cleaning. It has a warming charm and a drying charm, for those rainy days. On the more serious side, it has a communication spell, to reach the nearest Order member if you should need help,” Fred said seriously.
“We have also brought some of our shielding cloaks for the two of you. You know, to have on hand in case you run into a raving lunatic or two,” George supplied.
“Aunt Petunia, we are not trying to single you out here. I know you have felt a bit out of place. We thought that just maybe this would make you feel more at home, more a part of the family,” Harry said. Tears were streaming down Petunia’s face.
Molly stepped closer to Petunia to hand her something to wipe the tears. “Care to give it a try, dear?” she asked, gently prodding Petunia to give it a try.
Petunia nodded and looked through the little booklet at all the spells. The wording for the spells was not at all what she had heard the others use. She came upon the warming spell. Petunia stepped over to where Ginny was just putting the kitten into his little blanket for a nap. She pointed at the blanket and said, “Warm.” The kitten immediately started to purr loudly, his new bed was now warm and comfortable. Petunia reached out to touch the blanket and was shocked when it was actually quite a bit warmer than before.
“I don’t know how to thank you. This has to be the most thoughtful gift anyone has ever given me. It is so beautiful,” Petunia cried.
“Almost forgot, you can strap this on your wrist, around your waist, or even your ankle to hold your wand when you are out or even just around the house,” said George. Petunia ran over to the boys and gave them a hug that would rival one of Mrs. Weasley. When she let them go, she turned to Harry.
“Were you behind this?” she asked with a watery smile.
“They were working on it before I could talk to them about it. I just didn’t want you to feel left out anymore,” Harry said honestly. “This is all Fred and George. They had the wands and holders done by the time I got around to asking them. I should have asked sooner.”
Dudley came up to the front of the group and got his wand as well. Fred was going over some of the spells with him while Harry and Petunia were talking. He was excited about being able to borrow magic, even if he was not a wizard.
“How can I ever repay you?” Petunia asked, looking once again at the twins.
“Ahhh, it’s a steep price indeed,” said George.
“But only the best for family,” said Fred.
“You have to join the Weasley clan and let all of us call you Aunt Petunia,” Fred and George said together.
“That would make Dudley our cousin as well,” Fred finished.
Petunia looked at Dudley for a moment before answering. He looked happier than she had seen him in a while. He caught her eye, and nodded. He wanted to be part of this eccentric, but full of love, family.
She then looked over at Molly. Admittedly, they had gotten off to a rough start, but she wanted to be sure, before she accepted the terms, that Molly was agreeable to them.
“Molly, is it okay with you?” Petunia asked.
“The children have never had an aunt. Lots of uncles, but never an aunt. I think it would be wonderful to have you as a sister. Don’t you agree children?” Molly said as she looked around at her family. All the boys were nodding their acceptance. The only one not nodding was Ginny.
“Does this mean that Harry will be my cousin? Not sure I’d want to date a cousin,” Ginny said with a mischievous grin. Everyone joined in the laughter as she said she would love having an aunt.
“It’s a deal, but only if I can make you some cookies as well. My White Chocolate Raspberry cookies are really very good. I’ve won a few prizes with them,” she said with a giggle.
“You drive a hard bargain,” Fred began.
“But, it’s a deal,” finished George.
Petunia gave both the boys another hug. She turned to her son and said, “How are you with all of this?”
“Well, it’s a bit of a shock having so many new family members. But this lot grows on you after a while,” he chuckled. And everyone joined in the laughter.
Things were starting to calm down, so Ginny reached for her butterbeer on the table, not paying attention. The kitten pounced on her hand before it ever got to the bottle.
“Oh, you little devil. Play time, is it?” She turned the kitten over on his back to play with his paws and rub his tummy. After a few moments of play, the kitten let out his personal “Grrf” sound. “He thinks he’s viscous too!” She played with him for a few more minutes, until he fell asleep in her hands.
“The woman at the store was calling him Gurf because of that sound he makes when he plays,” said Harry. He came up behind Ginny and started playing with her hair.
“We’ll find something better. We just have to give it a few days to see what his personality is like. He’ll tell us his name,” she cooed at the sleeping kitten.
~*~*~*~*
After dinner, Petunia and Dudley were in the kitchen doing the dishes and trying out their new wands. Molly was sitting at the kitchen table talking to Mrs. Longbottom when Harry walked in.
“Mrs. Weasley, I was wondering if we could stay up a bit later tonight. I had planned something earlier for Ginny’s birthday, but with all the excitement, it got put off. I’d really like to give her presents to her at midnight, under the stars. I think Ron had something planned as well. Please?” said Harry, turning on the charm.
“That look. Augusta, how can I say no to that?” Molly and Mrs. Longbottom both laughed. “Let’s not make a habit of this. Tonight will be fine. I’ll be waiting to see her presents by one o’clock,” she said with a wink.
Harry thanked her, gave her a hug, and with a wave to Mrs. Longbottom, left to get the final preparations done.
“He’s such a dear. Your Ginny has chosen very well”
“I already love him as one of my own. He’s so generous and loving, despite the way his uncle treated him. I’m just happy to see Petunia and Dudley come around and not put up with the abuse anymore,” Molly sighed.
“It all works out in time. You just have to have faith,” Mrs. Longbottom said, sipping her tea.
~*~*~*~*
Neville, knowing Ron and Harry’s plans for the evening, volunteered to take the watch with the kitten. It was almost as if he were babysitting. His main duty this evening would be the final feeding of the evening, and making sure Crookshanks did not terrorize the kitten. He took the kitten into the family room, and turned on the television. Harry had explained that although it was a muggle television, it had a special adapter to work in the wizarding world. He chose a comedy, and lay on the floor with the kitten.
In the back yard there were three separate tables spaced meters apart and hidden by hedges. Dobby had talked to some of the fairies and got them to stay, providing the lighting for both scenes.
Harry check to make sure everything was ready, and then ran up to his room to retrieve the presents. He met Remus and Ron in the backyard. When everything was ready, Harry called Idget, Dobby, and Winky and asked them to please go and get the girls.
The men wished each other luck and went to their own tables.
Ginny walked cautiously toward the hedge, peering around the corner, and readjusting her hunter green halter-dress for the tenth time in the last five minutes. When she saw Harry, she began to walk faster. She grabbed him in a hug and said, “Hello.”
She looked at the table setting. This was so very romantic. She gasped as he pulled out her chair and guided her into by placing his warm hand on her bare back. He lifted her hair gently and kissed her on her bare shoulder, causing her to gasp again.
“Happy Birthday, love,” he whispered next to her ear, sending chills down her back.
“Thank you,” she said softly. He kissed her once more and then walked over to his seat.
Once he was seated, he took the packages out of his pocket and laid them gently on the table. Dobby popped in for a moment to leave the Glasses of Butterbeer and a small snack on the table.
“Thank you, Dobby, for all your help,” Harry said, shaking hands with the house-elf as he bowed. Dobby nodded his head and disappeared with a small pop.
“What is all this, Harry? Not that I am complaining, I’m just curious,” Ginny said with a laugh.
“This, my love, is the beginning of your birthday. Do you want your presents now, or shall we eat first?” Harry asked, grinning from ear to ear.
“Harry, you already got me the kitten. You shouldn’t have gotten anything else,” Ginny said, embarrassed.
“What good is money if people won’t let me buy gifts for my girlfriend and my friends? I didn’t grow up with luxuries in my life. Hell, the broom cupboard was my bedroom for ten years. Now that I do have it, I’m going to spoil my friends and family. Just get used to it Ms. Weasley,” Harry said with a grin as he handed her the first present.
Ginny tore off the paper and opened the box. Inside was a beautiful heart shaped emerald pendant. The chain and the setting for the emerald were of pewter. The piece was so dazzling that it took her breath away and brought a tear to her eye.
“I’m giving you my heart, Ginny. Will you take it, keep it safe and close to yours?” Harry said softly, looking into her cinnamon eyes and wiping the tear off her face.
“Of course I will,” she replied, tilting her head slightly to the side.
“I’m not very good with words or emotions. Until recently, I didn’t think I would ever know what it felt like or meant to be in love. My world stops when you walk into a room. The rest just seems to melt away. When you kiss me, I feel like I could take on the world. When you are sad, my heart shatters with every tear that falls. And when you smile, it lights up the room. I don’t take love lightly. Some may say it, never meaning a word of it. I’ve never told anyone that I love them, at least not that I can remember. I waited until I was absolutely sure. I love you, Ginny,” Harry was watching her eyes for a reaction, any reaction at all.
“I love you too, Harry,” she said with a smile, then after a moment asked, “Would you help me put this on, so I can put your heart next to mine?”
Harry got up out of his chair and stepped up behind Ginny. She handed him the necklace and raised her hair so it would not get caught in the clasp.
“If you ever need me, just rub the pendant and say my name. I will be at your side as quickly as I can get there,” Harry said as he fastened the clasp.
Ginny turned into his arms and kissed him passionately.
“You still have one more gift to open. Before you claim that it is too much, this one I did not buy,” Harry chuckled.
Ginny opened the next box with trepidation. Inside, she found a beautiful emerald ring. The emerald was again heart-shaped and had 2 hands holding the heart with a crown on top of the heart. She noticed the paper in the box and picked it up to read it.
The Claddagh Ring
1--On the right hand, crown in heart out, the wearer is free as the birds in the sky.
2--On the right hand, crown out heart in, the lass is spoken for.
3--On the left hand, place of choice, heart in crown out, she is happily married for evermore
“According to Remus, this ring has been passed down for generations. It is given to the eldest son when it is time. I know it is way too soon to ask you to wear it on your left hand. But would you do me the honor of wearing it on your right hand with the heart in?” Harry asked softly.
“Only if you do me the honor of putting it on my finger,” Ginny replied, just as softly, looking at Harry very coyly.
“My pleasure,” Harry smiled as he pulled the ring from the box. “As I said before, this is still too new for this to be an engagement ring. Shall we call it a promise ring? I promise that my heart belongs to you.” Harry slipped the ring onto the ring finger of her right hand, with the heart in and the crown out.
As he and Ginny hugged and kissed, and settled down into their newly expressed feelings, Harry could have sworn he heard laughter on the wind.
The laughter went on until a voice that sounded remarkably like his conscience said “Mischief managed.”
A/N: The kitten does really exist. I came by him on a trip to the local Humane Society to find a puppy for my sister. He was too young to be there and they did not have the staff for the extra feedings. Now, I’ll leave it to you all, shall we leave his name Gurf? The other name I had picked out was Develin, to reflect his devious nature. You all decide which to use. (The real one is called Rebel, for his rebellious side)
It always disturbed me that so many used the excuse that they were under the Imperious curse after the first fall of Voldemort. The spell Probatur Magia loosely translates into To test magic. My ultimately twisted mind needed a way to make the liars known. Hope you all don't mind.
Thanks to both of my Betas…Sorn and DumbleFanNo1 for their wonderful help with this chapter! I couldn’t have gotten it straightened out without you guys!
The rest of this story can be found on SIYE. Chapters 1-19 have been re-edited and new content added. Chapter 20 is also poisted there. Hope to see you all there.
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters and settings are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended.