Take My Advice
Harry woke up with a start. He had been packed and ready to go within an hour of finishing lunch. Aunt Petunia had suggested he take a nap to help pass the time, which seemed to be dragging endlessly. His dream had slightly disturbed him however. He had dreamt of Sirius, but this time he wasn’t reliving the death of his beloved godfather, he was having a conversation about life.
“Harry, don’t give up on having happiness in your life. Your parents wouldn’t have wanted that, and neither do I. You shouldn’t push away your family and friends. They can help you get through tough times.”
“But Sirius, I don’t want to put anyone into even more danger. Everyone I love has died or been severely hurt. I can’t put anyone else through that.”
“You mean you don’t want to get hurt yourself. That’s selfish, after what everyone has done for you. Harry, life is about taking chances, and making sure you live your life to the fullest will help you fight Voldemort. Your mother’s love helps protect you. By allowing yourself to love other people, you only strengthen your mother’s protection. Don’t give up on life just to avoid getting hurt.”
Harry wondered if Sirius was right. If he shared his life, and his love, with others, would he be stronger? He went downstairs to find his aunt. He knew she was nervous, and he felt she was going to need reassurance about life in the Wizarding world, even if was just for the next few days. Walking into the kitchen, he stopped when he saw what Aunt Petunia was doing.
“Oh hello Harry. I know tomorrow is your birthday, and I thought we would celebrate a bit early. I hope you like chocolate cake.”
She moved aside and Harry saw a cake that said “Happy Birthday Harry” on it. Surprised that she had even remembered it was his birthday, Harry said, “Aunt Petunia, you didn’t have to go through all this trouble, it’s really too much.”
“Harry, I am your aunt. If I want to make a cake for your birthday, I will. Besides, it wouldn’t do to go empty handed. A cake is the least I can do. I realize I have treated you horribly, but that is going to change. It will take some effort on both of our parts, but we are a family, and we will keep each other safe.”
Her words rang in Harry’s ears. He thought of what Sirius had said, and decided to take the next step, “Thank you. I know this has to be hard for you to adjust to, especially since Uncle Vernon hates me, and Dudley doesn’t think too fondly of me either. But I promise you, I am going to try.”
“Harry, I’m worried. I know that Professor Dumbledore said that as long as you can call my house your home, you will be safe. You know as well as I do that Vernon is none too pleased with that fact. However, he will learn to live with it. He will also learn that you are not to be treated like yesterday’s newspapers. You and Dudley will be treated equally by me from now on. I know that they will both take some time to come around, but I know I can shorten that time considerably. After all, who feeds them? You know as well as I do that they can’t tell a fry pan from a scouring brush. Now let’s eat.”
Harry swallowed a few times. Sirius was right. Knowing that his aunt was on his side made him feel stronger. “That wasn’t so bad now, was it? ” whispered Sirius in Harry’s head.
As ten o’clock loomed closer, Harry and Aunt Petunia couldn’t stop fidgeting. She kept glancing nervously at the fireplace, while Harry kept pacing back and forth between the windows.
“You’re sure we will be safe Harry?”
“Yes. Erm, maybe. Yes, definitely yes.”
Petunia paled.
“We are going to be just fine. I just don’t know how we are going to get there. We can’t fly, it’s too dangerous, and we definitely can’t apparate. It has to be the floo network, or they’ll send a ministry car.” Something clicked in Harry’s head. “Or a Portkey.” His eyes fell onto Fawkes’ feather.
“A what?” asked Aunt Petunia.
“A Portkey. It allows everyone who touches it to be magically transported to another place. I’m sure that since Dumbledore sent this feather with the letter that he enchanted it to become a Portkey. Quick, gather all of your things. It’s two minutes to ten, and we need to be touching the feather at precisely ten o’clock.” She nodded her understanding and quickly gathered her belongings. Harry did the same, and then said, “Touch the feather. It will feel like something tugging your navel.” As he said this, Harry felt the familiar pulling. As soon as it began, he landed with a thump on the kitchen table in the Burrow. Aunt Petunia managed to land in the chair that Mr. Weasley had just vacated. Hearing more thumps, their trunks landed on the floor. Harry steadied himself and opened his eyes but all he saw was a blur heading straight at him.
“Harry!” it bellowed, “You’re really here!”
“Hi Hermione. Get off me, I can’t breathe.” Harry gasped, “Dumbledore makes sure we get here safely, and the first thing you do is crush my ribs.”
“Oh sorry. I’m just glad you made it here safely.” Hermione said while releasing her death grip. “We were worried about you.” A look of confusion crossed Hermione’s face, “Wait a minute, did you just say we?”
“Yes, I brought my aunt with me. She is going to come to the meeting at the Leaky Cauldron. Aunt Petunia, let me introduce everyone.” Gesturing towards each person, Harry said,” This is Mr. Weasley, and Mrs. Weasley. That’s Fred and George over there, or maybe George and Fred. Ginny is there on the bottom step, and Ron is next to her, and this is Hermione Granger.”
“It’s nice to meet you all.” Aunt Petunia nodded at the crowd.
Ron sneered, “You didn’t seem too happy to see us last time. In fact, I don’t believe…” but Ron was cut off by a new arrival.
Dumbledore appeared with a loud pop.
“I trust you made it here all right Harry? I took extra precautions making sure you arrived safely. I assume you noticed the feather is from Fawkes? A bit of extra protection never hurts. Did you manage the trip all right, Mrs. Dursley?” the headmaster asked, turning towards her.
“Yes, but I think Harry’s birthday cake may have gotten a bit smashed.”
“I can fix that.” Mrs. Weasley took the box out of Aunt Petunia’s hands. “I am surprised to see you here. From what Harry said, you belong firmly in the world of Muggles.”
Aunt Petunia stammered, “I’m grateful that you’re letting me stay here, and for taking care of Harry. I know you think I’ve been horrible to him since he came to my house.” She flushed, and inched closer to Harry.
Harry could sense the tension in the room. Mrs. Weasley might have said that Aunt Petunia was welcome in her home, but her demeanor said differently. As he glanced around the room, the only person not looking at his aunt hostilely was Dumbledore. Harry cleared his throat, and announced, “Erm, everyone, my aunt and I have started over from scratch. She is going to try her hardest to understand, but being launched into the Wizarding world takes some time to get used to everything.”
Aunt Petunia looked at Harry gratefully. Addressing the rest of the group she began her explanation, “I feel like I owe everyone an explanation. Jealously, ignorance, and then compliance kept me from caring for Harry like I should have.” Aunt Petunia looked into the disbelieving faces of the Weasley family, she took a deep breath and continued, “When my older sister Lily received her letter from Hogwarts, my parents were ecstatic. I looked forward to the next year when my letter would come, but it never did. I felt like I had disappointed my parents by not being magical.
“I was terribly jealous of Lily, and of how lucky she was. I began to lie to myself, saying she was a freak, and I never even gave James a chance. She tried to keep in touch with me, but I stopped talking to her after she got married. My parents weren’t happy about this, but I overlooked it as I was now married to Vernon. I didn’t tell him about Lily and James until after we were married. He was scared of them really, and I was jealous, so we agreed to distance ourselves from them. He said they were “unnatural” so many times that I started cutting off contact with my sister.
“My parents passed away suddenly, and left their house to Lily. I received money, but Vernon controlled it, giving me an allowance. Vernon became more and more controlling as time went by. It was so gradual that I didn’t even realize how little I thought for myself or how little control I had over my own life until recently. When Lily sent me your birth announcement Harry, it brought a spark of hope into my life. I really did miss my sister, even if my actions said otherwise. However, Vernon saw it and destroyed it. He said the only baby I was to worry about was our son.
“Our ignorance and distance only deepened our hatred of the Wizarding world. When Harry showed up on our doorstep, I knew in my heart he should be told the truth. Vernon told me that was nonsense, and he wouldn’t have any funny business in his house. The sad thing is that even if I had not gone along with Vernon, I’m not sure I would have treated Harry any better. I was walking around with blinders on, not wanting to admit to my mistakes. I saw him as a burden, and only recognized him as another family member this year. Even though we treated him so badly he still saved Dudley last summer. I came to realize that we were scared of a boy that had never done anything to us… well, except for Aunt Marge, but she deserved that.” Petunia looked into Harry’s eyes and they both shared a quick smile. It had been rather funny actually. “The point is, he didn’t deserve how we treated him and yet he still helped us.
“If I had known what Harry was going through, things might have been different. I have been given a second chance with my nephew, and I’m going to take it. We’re all very lucky Vernon is on a business trip right now, and that he took Dudley with him. I left him a letter telling him I went on vacation with my friend Yvonne, and would be back in a week. I will have a lot of explaining to do when I get back to Privet Drive, but I need to get to know Harry away from there.” She was done speaking, and looked around the room expectedly, her eyes moist with tears.
Molly was the first to react. She simply walked around the table and drew Petunia into a hug. Then she motioned for Harry to do the same. “There now dear. Tears never hurt anyone.” She summoned a hanky from the laundry basket and handed it to Petunia. She still had a look of disbelief, but her face was softer somehow.
Harry stood up, and then walked over to his aunt. “I never knew all that stuff. What’s going to happen if you can’t persuade Uncle Vernon to listen to reason?”
“I don’t know Harry. I really don’t know.”
“Perhaps I can shed some light on the situation then.” Everyone turned to look at Dumbledore. He continued, “The house on Privet Drive provides Harry with protection as long as he can call it his home. As long as he spends time there each year, his mother’s love is renewed. Some of you may know this already, but there is a catch. Simply put, if Petunia were to move to a new home, as long as there was a place for Harry there, he would remain protected. This brings me to my next point. Harry, you were named as Sirius’s heir. He has left you the house on Grimmauld Place. Since his name has not been cleared in public, there will be a small wait before you may legally claim it. In the meantime, it has been left in the care of Remus Lupin. Sirius had arranged that prior to his arrest, and therefore it will not be contested. There are certain other additions to the will that may take some time to happen, but happen they will.”
“Sir, how can Sirius’s name be cleared? We are in the same situation as after my third year. No one is going to believe me.”
“Ahh, that’s where you’re wrong Harry. You will need to read tomorrow’s Daily Prophet to find out why. I will say no more on the subject until then.” Looking at his watch, Dumbledore nodded, “The hour has grown late. I believe hot cocoa and bed, in that order are needed.” With a flick of his wand, steaming mugs of hot cocoa appeared in front of everyone. “Good night.” He dissapparated with a pop.
Harry and Ron looked at each other uneasily. What if the paper brought bad news. Ron looked at his mother to ask a question, then quickly shut his mouth when he saw the look on her face.
“Umm, Mrs. Weasley, am I rooming with Ginny again this summer?” asked Hermione.
Molly jumped, having forgotten who was in the room. “Yes dear. I’ll show Mrs. Dursley to her room, and you lot will be going to bed. We’ve had quite an ordeal here tonight, and any talking can wait until morning.”
Hermione mouthed, “Invisibility cloak!” at Harry.
He nodded understanding, then mouthed back, “One hour.”
Everyone headed up the staircase, Mrs. Weasley sweeping past to lead the way. Ginny’s hand brushed Harry’s as she passed, and he felt a strange feeling in his stomach. He shook off the feeling, and continued to Ron’s bedroom.
An hour later, Ron and Harry donned the invisibility cloak. They stealthily crept down the stairs to Ginny’s room. Harry turned the knob slowly, and pushed the door open into the room. The girls were feigning sleep. He pushed the door closed behind them whispering, “It’s us, but we have to be quiet so we don’t wake anyone.”
Hermione took out her wand and whispered, “Impervius ascoltius.” She turned around, then said in a normal tone, “No one will be able to overhear us now. I charmed the door to block out eavesdroppers.”
Twin pops sounded, and Fred and George appeared. “Did you honestly think we didn’t know you two would be here?” asked George.
“You shouldn’t apparate!” scolded Ginny, “What if Mum hears and comes to investigate?”
“We’ve got that covered,” replied George. Holding out his hand, he showed everyone a tiny box. “Sleepwalking Wakers. Guaranteed to alert the dreaming wizard he has left the comfort of his bead. Also good to place across doorways to detect unwanted wizards from entering.” He waggled his eyebrows, and then sat on the floor. Fred joined him.
“We put one around Mum’s door so we’ll know if she leaves her room,” Said Fred with a grin.
Harry sighed, and sat down next to Ginny.
Ron looked around, an odd look on his face, and sat down next to Hermione. “Erm, Harry, why is your aunt really here? I thought you didn’t like her at all.”
“Well, she seems to have changed. I guess after Dudley and I were attacked by Dementors she realized that she can’t ignore the fact that wizards exist. She has been acting even nicer to me though ever since she got that letter. Wait a minute! She never told me what was in the letter! All I know is that it was from Hogwarts, had the official seal and everything. I wonder what it said.” Harry pondered.
“She got a letter from Hogwarts? Mum didn’t get a letter from Hogwarts. She would have told us. I mean, I think she would have told us. But with all this Order business, she may not be telling us.” Ron looked at his sister. “Ginny, did any letter come?”
“No, just our regular letters. There was a notice about the meeting, but nothing else.”
“I called my parents when I arrived here. I took the Knight bus, and they were concerned with its reliability. They got a letter, but they said it was just an invitation to the meeting. They’re coming just for the meeting though, because things have been hectic at work. One of the girls quit, and another is on maternity leave, so no one is answering the phone, and Mum and Dad have been running between patients and phones. I helped out for a few days before I came here.” Hermione looked back at Harry. “Maybe only students with Muggle families got letters.”
Everyone seemed to accept her explanation, but doubt still invaded Harry’s brain. He still thought his aunt was acting odd. He realized everyone was looking at him expectedly. Lost in his thoughts, he had stopped paying attention to the continuing conversation. “Erm, sorry, I wasn’t paying attention.”
“Well, we were just wondering if you had been feeling ok. You know, about Sirius?” Ron asked.
Harry was out of sorts. He hadn’t been expecting that question. What was he supposed to say, that he had been having conversations with his dead godfather in his head? “Umm, I’m not really ready to talk about him right now. But I will let you guys know when I am.” He added when he saw disappointed faces.
“Oh no! Mum’s out of bed! Quick! Get back to your rooms!” Fred cried.
The twins disappeared with two pops, and Ron and Harry threw the cloak over their heads. It was an even tighter fit since Ron and Harry had both grown taller. They rushed out the door, and crept up the stairs. Bursting into Ron’s room, they collapsed onto their beds.
Ron looked at Harry, then shut his eyes when he heard his mother’s footsteps pause outside the door. Apparently satisfied they weren’t up to no good, she went back downstairs.
“Phew! That was close! Good thing Fred and George had that thing on her bedroom door. We would have been subjected to a tirade for sure!” Ron glanced at Harry, then asked, “Did you notice anything funny about Hermione?”
“No, not really. Why, did she grow horns or something?”
“No, she just seemed odd tonight,” replied Ron with a faraway look, “I hope she’s okay.”
“I’m sure she is. Goodnight Ron.” With that being said, Harry rolled over and went to sleep.
A/N: I want to thank my beta pandafan81 for some changes with Petunia’s confession. Please be sure to read her story Healing Harry
A/N: Please R&R! This is my first fanfic, so it would be appreciated. Plus, I will review your story if you review mine!