As soon as they drove away from the King’s Cross train station, Uncle Vernon started yelling, “You listen to me, boy. I won’t have any of your usual lip or that snippy attitude. How long do we have to put up with you this time?”
Harry stared stonily at his uncle, biting back the words he wanted to say. He finally replied, “I’m not sure. I don’t think I need to stay until my birthday. That’s July 31st in case you forgot.”
His uncle’s face immediately turned puce. “That’s exactly what I was talking about . . .”
“Vernon, let him finish.” Petunia’s voice was so soft Harry barely heard her, even though he sat only a few feet from his aunt.
Vernon looked at his wife, then blustered, “Finish whatever you need to say. Then, that’s the last thing I want to hear from you.”
Harry was tempted to say nothing. Then, he thought something outrageous would be preferable. Finally, he said quietly, “I probably won’t be staying long this time. I don’t think it takes long to renew the protection. Then, I’ll stay with those friends of mine.”
Dudley looked at him, a surprisingly fearful expression on his face. “Th-th-the red haired people?”
“Right in one.” Harry bit his tongue. He knew Dudley was thinking of the pranks the Weasley twins had played on him. Wanting to maintain the calm environment in the car, Harry decided it made no sense to wind up his cousin, even if it would be fun.
Aunt Petunia turned around and stared at Harry, with the most neutral look he’d ever received from her. “You won’t need to return after this time?” Her voice again was soft, almost as if she didn’t want her husband to hear her talking with their nephew.
Harry shook his head. “The protection only needs to be renewed until I become an adult . . .”
A light flickered in his aunt’s eyes. “Isn’t that 17 for . . . ah . . . you?” Vernon glanced at his wife.
Harry tried to hide the feeling of curiosity that came over him. “That’s right. I’ll let you know when I find out how long I need to stay this time.” His aunt just nodded and turned around, and the trip continued in silence.
The mental image of Snape killing Dumbledore immediately returned. Harry tried to focus on the passing scenery, the other cars, anything else, but it didn’t help. Whenever he wasn’t actively involved in something, the memory would roar back, almost as if it were happening again. The numbness crept through every pore in his body, leaving Harry feeling like he was under a Dementor attack. He knew he should have talked with Ron, Hermione, or especially Ginny, until the poison in his soul had been released.
But the memory “ the pain “ was still too raw, the wound too deep, the guilt too profound, to discuss it with anyone in any meaningful detail. Despite his friends repeated assertions that he was never responsible for anything that happened, Harry knew he had contributed to his mentor’s death. He had fed the poisonous liquid to his Headmaster, even though he could see the devastation it caused.
And for what purpose?
To get a substitute locket and a note that didn’t make any sense? The damage the potion caused directly led to Dumbledore’s downfall, and even worse, his death came at the hands of Snape, the man he trusted when no one else would.
Harry knew there was nothing anyone could say that would relieve his feelings of guilt over Albus Dumbledore’s death. And those thoughts led him to one inescapable conclusion. He would not let Ginny back into his life. It frustrated him that Ron and Hermione would be involved with finding and destroying the horcruxes and whatever else came after that. But Ginny? His feelings for her were unlike any he had experienced before, even toward his two best friends.
Ron and Hermione didn’t make him rage with jealousy, as he had toward Dean Thomas, when Dean was with Ginny. His stomach tightened into a knot, just at the thought of them together.
They couldn’t calm him, understand what he was feeling without a word being said, like Ginny could, as if he and she had some type of celestial connection.
Neither could make him feel like lightning bolts were coursing through his body, just by touching him. Sometimes, just the thought of Ginny sent shivers down his spine.
And they certainly couldn’t make his heart soar like it was racing to the heavens on his Firebolt, as the mere sight of her did.
He could never, ever, put Ginny in harm’s way, even though it would nearly kill him not to have her by his side.
“Oh, James, this is tearing me apart.” Lily turned from the mortal mirror, where they had been watching Harry, listening to his thoughts. Anguish was etched on her face, as tears spilled down her cheeks. “He doesn’t understand how much Ginny can help him.”
James put his arms around his wife, running his hand lightly up and down her back. “As much as we want to help, you know we’re not allowed to intervene.”
James smiled as he watched the fire ignite in Lily’s emerald eyes. “There’s got to be a way,” and she started pacing back and forth, her brow furrowed in thought.
James looked over at Sirius, who had watched the exchange, and raised his eyebrows. Sirius walked over and roughly patted his friend on the shoulder. “You know she’s going to wrestle this problem until she finds an answer.”
“Do you think I don’t know that?” James laughed, “She’s like a bulldog and won’t let go until she’s examined every possibility.” He paused, then smiled again, “Accio Regulations.”
“Brilliant, Prongs.”
“Thanks, you hairy, overgrown mutt.” Sirius quickly looked at his friend. James smiled back at him. “C’mon, let’s get out of here,” and he carried the huge Regulations book over to this wife.
“Lily, this might be helpful. At least, you’ll know what you can’t do.”
She stretched up on her toes and kissed her husband’s cheek, “And maybe that will give me some ideas how to get around the rules.”
James chuckled, knowing it was best to leave Lily alone. Like Hermione, Lily treated problems like this as a personal affront and took great pride in breaking them down, seeing what made them tick, then finding the best possible solution.
As he and Sirius made their way over to the Quidditch stadium, James thought about the redheaded females in his life. His mother’s hair had been red, a lustrous auburn that showed golden highlights when the sun hit it at just the right angle. He wondered if his love for his mother influenced his choice of Lily. All he knew was that the first time he saw Lily he knew she was the one. It took him nearly six years to convince her, but Lily finally went out with him. They discovered there was so much more to the other and quickly fell in love. Now, his son was experiencing the same feelings for Ginny, and Harry was handling them as poorly as he had initially.
“Sirius, I’ve got it.”
“Does it itch? Is it contagious?” Sirius was his own best audience, and he started laughing at what he thought were his witty remarks.
James shook his head but smiled, nevertheless. The comments had been pretty funny. “I have an idea that may help Lily. Give me a second to contact her.”
James pictured where Lily had been when Sirius and he left for the match and opened his mind to hers.
“James? What’s up?” Her mental response was as clear as if she were standing in front of him.
“I have an idea that may help you.”
“Great! What is it?” she asked.
“We need Harry to understand he’s going through the same situations and worries we did.”
Silence.
James began to wonder if he shouldn’t have made the suggestion. Finally, Lily laughed, and it sounded like church bells ringing to James. “Now I remember why I married you. It wasn’t just your devilishly good looks. Then her voice turned serious, “Unfortunately, there are parallels. Harry is the third generation of Potters that sodding Voldemort is trying to eliminate. We need to figure out how to get around the regulations and help Harry. Thanks for the suggestion. I’ll talk with you later,” and she broke their connection.
Later, a familiar voice greeted the two friends as they watched the Quidditch match. “Ah, James, Sirius, I’m surprised you’re not playing.”
“Hello, Headmaster. We play tomorrow,” James replied.
Sirius smiled, “Join us, Professor.”
As Albus Dumbledore sat down, he laughed softly, “How many times do I have to ask you to call me Albus? We’re not at Hogwarts any longer.”
Both men smiled ruefully, and James said, “It’s hard to think of you as anything other than the Headmaster or Professor . . .”
Sirius interrupted, “More to the point, why did you let that slimy git Snivellus kill you?”
Dumbledore smiled but his blue eyes clouded over, “Sirius, you know it was part of the plan . . .”
James shook his head, “We’d hoped you would be able to stay with Harry until the final confrontation.”
Albus sadly shook his head, “Alas, I couldn’t kill Tom, only Harry can “ the Prophecy states that very clearly. But to do that Harry needs the power derived from our sacrifices for him, plus his love for his friends and they for him. Without those, he won’t be powerful enough to defeat Tom.”
All three men sat there, lost in their thoughts and totally oblivious to the match swirling around them. Suddenly, the light returned to James’s eyes, “Al-Albus, you said Harry needs to both receive love from his friends and to give it.”
The wizard looked curiously at James. “That’s right. It’s the key to his strength.”
“The power the Dark Lord knows not,” Sirius murmured the words almost as if he were thinking out loud.
Albus continued, “Harry’s magical power is directly related to his ability to accept and return the positive feelings his friends have for him. We up here have done all we can, and Harry has been strengthened by our sacrifices on his behalf. Now, it’s up to him to complete the process. Then, if I’ve figured correctly, the strength of the emotions flowing to and from him should enable Harry to defeat Tom.”
James looked at Sirius, with an expression that bordered on alarm. Then he turned to the Headmaster, “What if Harry won’t allow a certain person to get close to him, to express her feelings for him?”
“You’re referring to Ginny?”
Both James and Sirius nodded.
Albus sighed, “I was afraid of that. Have you seen something?”
“Earlier today, while he was returning to the Dursleys’ house, Lily, Sirius and I listened to Harry’s thoughts. He’s resigned to Hermione and Ron helping him, even though he’d prefer that they stayed far away from the action. He realizes he needs them to eliminate the horcruxes. But you know he broke up with Ginny after . . . uh . . . you arrived here.”
Albus nodded, a brief smile flickering then fading from his face.
James continued, “Harry was thinking he’d never experienced the types of feelings he gets from Ginny and has for her. It’s probably overwhelming him. His first and strongest reaction is to protect her. He thinks her loving him, him loving her, is a death sentence for Ginny. The thought of losing her is more than he could bear. So, he won’t allow her to get close to him or to have anything to do with the final confrontation. He’d rather die than risk her life.” James laughed bitterly, “The irony is that is exactly what could happen, if we can’t help him.”
Surprisingly, Albus chuckled, “Harry’s reaction doesn’t surprise me. As we know, he is very protective of his friends. Of course, he is not taking Miss Weasley’s feelings into consideration. I very much doubt she will meekly accept what he has to say and fade into the background.” Then, Dumbledore turned serious, “The love shared by Ginny and Harry is perhaps the most important component of Harry’s potential strength. It represents the romantic aspect of love and is the core of the strength he needs. Without it, he most likely will not have the power necessary to defeat Tom.”
“And that’s why Lily’s trying to find a way around the regulations, so we can help Harry understand he can trust his feelings and those he loves,” Sirius said.
A smile spread across Dumbledore’s face and an eyebrow arched, “That would be a challenge I would love to be involved in.” He looked around and lowered his voice, “It can get almost too nice up here. It’s not quite the adventure I had anticipated.”
Both younger men exploded with laughter, and Sirius said, “You’re telling us?”
Returning to the Potters’ residence, Albus conjured three more copies of the Book of Regulations and handed one each to James and Sirius.
Turning to Lily, he said, “It might be quicker if we divide the book, and each take a quarter.”
Lily smiled, “Thank you, Albus. I heard what you were saying to the boys. Thanks for linking me to your conversation.” She shook her head, her concern apparent, “I hadn’t realized how crucial this is. Do you think there’s any way we can help him and not violate the rules?”
Albus smiled in almost a fatherly manner, “With the four of us working together, if there’s a way, we’ll find it.”
Lily stretched up on her tiptoes and placed a small kiss on his cheek, “I’m still trying to figure how we had such a headstrong son.”
Albus laughed when he saw Lily’s knowing smile.
The research went well into the evening, with occasional discussions when one of them would identify a potential loophole. Nothing worked out, though, and they finally took a break for dinner.
Sitting around the table, they were still immersed in their thoughts, just picking at the food in front of them, when James said, “From what I’ve read, all the prohibitions have to do with direct intervention.” The other three nodded. “So, we need to find an indirect way to get our message to Harry.”
The room immediately crackled with renewed energy, as ideas began to form. Lily spoke first, “James, you mentioned how our lives paralleled what Harry and Ginny are going through now. Is there a way we can get our memories of what we felt, the decisions we made, to Harry so he can see what we did?”
Continuing Lily’s thoughts, James added, “So he can open up to Ginny and let their feelings for each other flow both ways. But how can we do that?”
The four friends fell silent, as each tried to come up with a way to convey the information without directly interfering. Albus got up and started pacing, followed minutes later by Lily. James sat still, staring at the ceiling, while Sirius silently gestured and moved his head around like he was debating with himself.
Albus stopped pacing, his eyes lighting up. Lily bumped into him, then she started smiling. James lowered his eyes to his wife and nodded his head, and Sirius jumped up, shouting, “I’ve got it!”
The other three turned to him, “We can direct his dreams. At least, I think we can do that.”
Lily smiled, nodding her head, “I wrote letters to Petunia, describing the turmoil James and I were going through and eventually what we decided. She keeps those letters in a box hidden under that squeaky stair. If we can somehow get her to make those letters available to Harry, he could see the similarities.”
James nodded, “Remus . . .”
Sirius exclaimed, “Of course! He knew exactly what you were going through.”
They all turned to Albus, who smiled broadly, “All excellent ideas. If I may add my thought?” All three leaned forward in anticipation. “My pensieve belongs to Harry now. He can visit the memories I have of you as you went through the same challenges and decisions he and Miss Weasley are facing. Shall we check with the Department of Regulations to see if we can implement any of these brilliant ideas?”
They did, and they could. Each of the ideas barely fell within the allowable limits of intervention. The Chief Regulator told them they were as close to being direct as he’d ever seen, but given the situation, he approved their use.
Returning from the meeting, Lily said, “Now, we have to figure out how to put our plans in motion.”
After hours of discussing each plan and refining what they would do, the four friends smiled at each other. Albus said, “I think we’re set.”
Lily added, “Harry doesn’t stand a chance.”
James smiled at his wife, “There was never any doubt, once you got involved.”