The Meeting
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters; I’m just using the Imperius Curse to control them until JKR comes home.
Harry walked behind the Weasleys with Aunt Petunia, joining the short queue that had formed outside the meeting room. He nodded to Moody, who was standing outside the door, grilling parents before allowing them to enter. Moody returned the nod and went back to questioning Mr. and Mrs. Creevey. Satisfied with their answers, he let them through the door.
“It’s you lot eh? Well, Harry, this must be your aunt.” Moody’s magical eye swiveled ominously, taking in Petunia.
“Aunt Petunia, this is Alastor Moody. He is a retired Auror and is good friends with Dumbledore,” Harry explained.
“It’s nice to meet you Mr. Moody,” replied Petunia.
Opening the door, Moody ushered them into the room, which had been magically expanded to hold the parents and students. Harry followed Mrs. Weasley to a seat near the front of the room and gestured for his aunt to sit down. Looking around, he spotted Remus and Tonks in a corner and waved to them. Remus smiled and returned the gesture. Tonks waved so enthusiastically she knocked over a chart in the process. Smiling at her antics, Harry took his seat. The room buzzed with conversation, and Harry caught snippets of Muggle parents questioning their children about the obvious enchantments. Silence fell as Dumbledore approached the podium and cleared his throat.
“Good evening ladies and gentlemen. I am Professor Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts. I welcome you all here tonight to learn about the Wizarding world’s most dangerous wizard and to inform you of the steps Hogwarts will take to keep your children safe. Several Hogwarts professors, past, and present will also be speaking tonight. And if time permits, I would ask that the few students that have participated in the fight against Voldemort share how their education has enabled them to do so.” Dumbledore paused, as a frightened whisper ran through the crowd at Voldemort’s name.
“Let me begin by saying that Hogwarts has always been the safest place for your children in dark times. We have heightened security since the return of Voldemort, and we will continue to do so until the threat has passed. I do not fear an attack on the school, as it would be next to impossible.” Dumbledore paused watching the mix of reactions ranging from fear to relaxation. But no one seemed willing to interrupt the obviously powerful old wizard, so Dumbledore pressed on.
“Voldemort has regained his powers and has been back for just over a year. The Minister of Magic initially denied all claims that Voldemort was indeed back until he nearly destroyed the atrium of the Ministry of Magic. With the backing of the Daily Prophet, the Minister claimed that Voldemort coming back to life was a lie. You may ask why the Minister denied the facts, but I fear those are questions I cannot answer. However, he has now acknowledged Voldemort’s return and has resigned from his post. We have a new Minister of Magic, Amelia Bones, who has given me her full cooperation to ensure your children are safe at school.
Harry listened to every word that came out of Dumbledore’s mouth, wondering when he would be summoned to speak in front of everyone. He was dreading having to face the packed room. It was one thing to tell your friends what had happened, it was quite another to tell their parents. Nerves had Harry on the edge of his seat as Professor McGonnagall, Lupin, and finally Moody spoke. Dumbledore returned to the podium, and Harry knew this was it; he was doomed to relive Sirius’ death in front of everyone.
Dumbledore swept a piercing gaze around the room, his eyes resting briefly on Harry before he spoke. “It appears that we no longer have enough time for the students to speak, but I would like to introduce six students who bravely fought along fully grown wizards in the Department of Mysteries against the Death Eaters. Would you please stand as I call your name?”
Relief surged through Harry as he realized he would not have to talk before the crowd.
Smiling kindly, Dumbledore continued, “These students have been rewarded for their brave efforts, and I would proudly fight beside them again. Neville Longbottom, Gryffindor! Luna Lovegood, Ravenclaw prefect! Ginny Weasley, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger, all Gryffindor prefects! And lastly, Harry Potter, Gryffindor Quidditch captain!” Dumbledore began applauding, and soon there was a thunderous roar of clapping hands in the hall.
Mrs. Weasley was sobbing happily as she tried to hug Ron and Ginny at the same time, who were both a deep shade of red.
Hermione was sandwiched between her parents, who looked at their daughter proudly.
Neville’s round face was beaming as his grandmother congratulated him on being up to scratch. Luna was standing serenely next to her father, looking as though she had just captured a Crumple-Horned Snorkack for him.
Aunt Petunia tittered, “Captain! Well that’s something to be proud of! What exactly is Squidditch?”
“It’s a game played on brooms. Ron can explain everything about it to you later. I need to talk to Dumbledore. Wait here with the Weasleys.” Harry took off running towards his headmaster and breathlessly exclaimed, “Do you mean it? Captain of the Quidditch team?”
Dumbledore nodded, and Harry pumped his fist into the air in celebration. It was quickly decided that a celebration was in order. He was joined by the Weasley men, Remus, Dumbledore, and Moody. They left for the common room of the Leaky Cauldron, and the women exchanged glances.
Meanwhile, Aunt Petunia had returned to her room after the meeting ended. To learn the danger that everyone was in had come as a shock, even though she knew that Voldemort had killed her sister. She walked towards the comfortable chintz chair, only to hear the door close with a bang. Petunia had been surrounded by several angry witches. Unsure of what to do, she backed up, only to run into her chair.
“Sit down Mrs. Dursley. We’ve been meaning to have a nice chat with you.” Professor McGonnagall said menacingly.
Hermione added, “We need to talk to you about how Harry has been treated. It’s an utter disgrace.”
Petunia stuttered, “I know I treated him badly, but I’ve changed!”
Ginny cracked her knuckles, “That’s not good enough for us. We love Harry, and you’ve treated him terribly. We want you to promise it will never happen again.”
“Baking a cake and giving him his mother’s locket was a start, but you need to show the boy love. I have yet to see that happen!” stated Mrs. Weasley.
“When I left Harry on your doorstep, I knew in my heart you would not treat him as an equal. It pains me to see I was right. You have caused the boy enough pain in his life, and it is time to start giving him love and respect.” McGonnagall admonished.
Petunia burst into tears but was unable to utter a word.
“You treated him like an animal, locking him in his room, not letting him go to Hogsmead…” Tonks started, cut off by an irate Hermione.
“Not to mention making him live in the spider-infested cupboard beneath the stairs!” Hermione gave an involuntary shudder.
“You never gave him anything for himself. Just his wretched cousin’s castoffs. I know how it feels to get something brand new when you’ve gotten hand-me-downs your whole life. Harry never got anything new from you! No toys, no clothes, no love! My parents may not have been able to afford new things for me and my brothers, but at least they gave us their hearts.” Hot tears slid down Ginny’s face. She turned away in disgust, no longer able to look at Petunia.
“Mrs. Dursley, you have been nothing but a hindrance to Harry. How the boy has succeeded, demonstrating bravery and loyalty, is beyond me. These are certainly not traits he learned from your example. Obviously he inherited them from his parents.” McGonnagall was building up a head of steam Mrs. Weasley could be proud of.
“The boy is genuinely surprised whenever someone demonstrates any kind of love or affection for him!” Mrs. Weasley burst. “As if he doesn’t expect it or deserve it! A child should never be in want of love!”
“We are here as a reminder that if things don’t improve, we aren’t responsible for what happens.” McGonnagall threatened.
“Mrs. Dursley, do you know what Aurors do?” Tonks stepped forward obviously wanting to get her two knuts in. Petunia shook her head. “Aurors are specially trained witches and wizards who can take care of unsavory characters with little notice. You might consider that if you or your husband lay a hand anywhere NEAR Harry.”
“I didn’t know Harry meant so much to all of you. I am going to try my hardest to show him love, I promise!” Petunia swore through sobs.
“I believe there was mention of a celebration downstairs?” Molly formally announced, looking satisfied.
“You’re right Mum,” Ginny said, turning to hug her mother. “I have to go congratulate my boyfriend for making Quidditch Captain.” Ginny linked arms with Hermione, and they led the army of protective witches out the door.
As the women entered the common room, they were greeted by a very unexpected sight. Dumbledore was standing on a table, juggling flaming batons. Fred and George each held another lit baton cheering enthusiastically. Although, most surprising of all, the typically reserved Remus was leading Ron and Harry in song.
”A Galleon for a gallon of firewhiskey,
Drink your cup, there’s nothing like it!”
“That is quite enough! You should all be ashamed of yourselves!” Molly shouted staring disapprovingly at the scene. “Singing drinking songs and endangering children! We can’t leave you alone for ten minutes!”
Dumbledore vanished the batons and apologized, “So sorry Molly. We just got caught up in the celebration.”
Molly raised her eyebrows, clearly wanting to say more.
“Molly dear, we were just having fun with the boys. After all, we have a lot to celebrate tonight!” Arthur exclaimed waving enthusiastically at Harry and Ron.
“Oh all right, but no more drinking songs!”
“Mum!” Ron complained. “We were only singing the song, they wouldn’t give us anything but butterbeer.”
Mrs. Weasley scowled at her son’s response, but obviously pleased that the men had shown at least some restraint.
The bartender brought drinks to the table, and soon everyone was joking and telling stories. No one noticed Petunia slipping down the stairs then going out the front door.
Several hours later, Harry returned to his room to find a letter shoved underneath his door. The neat handwriting looked familiar, and he opened the envelope.
Dear Harry,
I am sorry to have left without saying goodbye. This evening has given me a lot to think about. I will be returning home as I do not think your friends want me here. Please come back before you leave for school. We could talk about your mum, if you like. Some things shouldn’t be buried in the past. You know where to find me.
Love,
Aunt Petunia
Harry ran down the hallway and banged on a door. It opened slowly, and Harry thrust the letter forward, “Did you know she left?”
A/N: It’s an interactive cliffie! Who did Harry ask if they knew Aunt Petunia left? Leave your vote in your review. I would like to thank my beta pandafan81 for all the extra help she gave me on this chapter. Yay Amanda! Now go read "Power of the Prophecy" until my next chapter comes out!