Harry woke the next morning feeling better than he had all summer. It was the best, most peaceful, sleep he had had in a long time. He really doubted that he had even moved all night. His muscles were stiff, but in a good way.
After a trip to the bathroom, he showered and started to get dressed. While he was doing so, he looked in the mirror. He realized that he looked very different than he did just a few days earlier. There was life back in his eyes, and the bags were gone from under them. He was still skinnier than normal, but not as bad.
He took a moment to reflect on the past few days. Ever since the night his aunt had come to his room, he had been feeling better. Maybe it was the fact that he was eating better, but he did not think so. That he had let out some of the emotion that night had probably helped, but he did not think that was the biggest reason.
The best way he could describe it was he felt people cared, AND he was starting to be able to accept that support. He always knew there were those that cared, like the Weasleys and Hermione, but he was getting better at letting them. He also felt the change in Petunia was a key in this. He knew he may never really think of her a surrogate mother, but the peace that seemed to be forming between them was nice. He also wasn’t quite ready to forgive her for the years of abuse and neglect. He just wasn’t sure if he was ready to open himself up that much to her so soon.
After Harry heard Dudley leave for the morning, he walked down stairs. As he had become accustomed to, Petunia was sitting at the table. Some muffins and fruit were on the table waiting for him. She smiled as he walked in and sat down.
“How was your night?” she inquired.
“Best night sleep I’ve had in a long time,” he replied.
“Did you read the letters?”
He could only nod as his mouth was full of muffin.
“Did you write back?”
Nod
“Was there a letter from Ginny?”
His face flamed, “Yes.”
“And?”
“She told me off.”
“What?”
“If it could have been a howler, it would have been. She basically told me to stop pushing them away and let them be there for me. You’ve met her mom once or twice; she definitely gets her temper from that side of the family.”
Petunia couldn’t help the laugh that escaped her. “It sounds like she knows you pretty well.”
“Yes, she, more than most people, seems to know how to get through my thick head.”
“I would say there is still hope then,” she said with a knowing look.
“In what?”
“You and her.”
He sat there for a while without saying anything. After a few minutes he looked at his aunt and said, “I hope so.” He sat there for a while longer think of how to say what he wanted to say next.
“Aunt Petunia? I know that we are in a different place than we were even a week ago, and I want you to know that I really appreciate it. I like the relationship we are starting to have, but I wanted to ask if you would not mind if I wrote to Professor Dumbledore and asked if I could stay with the Weasleys the rest of the summer. I would still like to spend time with you, and could come visit, but I think I need to be around them.”
She smiled sadly at this. “Harry, I, too, have liked getting to know you this summer. We would both be fooling ourselves, however, if we thought the past could be wiped away with a mere week of … friendship. I understand about you wanting to be with them. But let’s talk about it some more this afternoon before we decide. Okay? I have to run to the grocer’s and pick up some things. We are having company for lunch; you are welcome to join us.”
Harry nodded. He got up put his dishes in the sink and started to head back upstairs. As he got to the door, he turned and hesitated for a moment.
“Is there something else, Harry?”
“Um… yeah. I know I said the other night that it would take some time to …well…you know… forgive.” She nodded slightly. “I think that I am almost there. In fact, I am sure of it.”
She smiled warmly at him, and he could not be sure, but he thought he saw her eyes get misty.
* * *
Harry spent the morning working on his summer reading list from school. It was hard to concentrate, though. First, it was History of Magic, and a dryer subject did not exist. Second, because he kept thinking about this morning’s conversation.
The thought could not leave his mind that his aunt thought he still had a chance with Ginny. This idea made his stomach flutter a little. He was positive he was, at least, in like with her. The idea frightened him.
What if he told her? What if she said yes? What if Ron got mad? What if she didn’t like him that way? What if she did? What if they got together then broke up? What if…What if…WHAT IF?
He knew himself well enough to know that he would rather take a bludger to the head, and then try to figure out relationships. But then, wasn’t that the point of love? To have relationships? To have people in your life you cared about?
After a while he heard his aunt come home and could hear her working in the kitchen. Just before noon, he heard the doorbell ring and his aunt answer it. It seemed her lunch guest had arrived. He could barely hear their voices as they went into the kitchen. He went down to join them for lunch.
What he saw when he got there stopped him dead in his tracks. At the table with Petunia was…Mrs. Weasley??
As soon as she saw him walk in and freeze, Mrs. Weasley jumped out of her chair and gave him one of her bone crushing hugs. Harry was too stunned to speak.
“Harry, my goodness it’s good to see you. I have been so worried about you. Let me look at you. My, my, my…you look better than you did at the station. It looks like you are eating okay, though you could still stand to gain a few pounds.” She rambled on like this for a couple of minutes as she alternated gushing and hugging him. He looked at his aunt and thought he saw a look of humor mixed with a touch of envy.
After Mrs. Weasley settled down, Harry was finally able to speak. “Mrs. Weasley, it’s so good to see you. How did you get here? Why the surprise visit?”
“Well, Albus told me about your letter to him yesterday, and I thought I would call your aunt and thank her for taking such good care of you this summer. I called her on the fellytone…I mean, telephone, last night and she asked me to lunch today.”
“Oh, Harry! We were so worried about you. You didn’t answer the letters from Ron, Hermione, and Ginny, and after what happened we were at a loss. We were so glad you wrote back. I am glad to see you are well.”
Harry looked down at his plate. He knew he had hurt them by not writing back, and the thought hurt his heart. Molly could see this.
As gently as she could, she said, “Harry, don’t blame yourself, you were having a tough time. Anyone would have. I just hope that you will let us be there for you.”
Harry had to grin. “Yeah, Ginny said that in her letter, too. Although she was a little more…forceful…about it.”
Both Mrs. Weasley and Petunia laughed at this. Mrs. Weasley said, “Ginny asked me how to make it a howler, but I wouldn’t tell her how. Maybe when she learns to control her temper a little better I will, but not yet.”
Harry had to smirk, “You mean when she’s thirty?” They all laughed at that. But Petunia also winked at him.
Petunia cleared her throat, “Mrs. Weasley…may I call you Molly?” She nodded. “Harry has asked me if he could stay with you the rest of the summer. I have no objections but would like to see him some more this year, would that be alright?”
“Of course that would be fine. Albus has already said he could join us anytime this year. He and Bill have worked to put up some extra protection around the place, and he thinks that it would be completely safe. Hermione will be joining us day after tomorrow, and I know both of my youngest would like have Harry around.”
Harry couldn’t be sure, but he thought she had put a little too much emphasis on the word both. He looked at Petunia and she smiled and winked at him again.
They spent the rest of the lunch just chatting and catching up. Petunia and Mrs. Weasley seemed to be okay with each other, if a little guarded. Mrs. Weasley told him that both Ron and Ginny had been helping the twins with their store, and were both there today.
As lunch came to an end, the ladies said their goodbyes, and Harry walked Mrs. Weasley to the door. When they got there, she turned and gave Harry another big hug. “Do take care of yourself, Harry.”
“Mrs. Weasley…”
“Harry, I think the time has come for you to call me Molly.”
“Um…okay…Molly, if it’s okay, could I invite Professor Dumbledore and Professor Lupin to dinner night after next? I have something to tell everyone, and would rather tell everyone at the same time. I will help with dinner and cleaning up.”
“Of course it’s fine, dear. Although, you should be careful about volunteering like that, I may start expecting it.”
He smiled sheepishly. “I would like that, actually. You can ask me to do anything.”
She smiled kindly back at him and touched his cheek. “I’ll see you tomorrow afternoon, Harry. Just floo from Mrs. Figg’s house.”
“Goodbye, Mrs. Weas…Molly.”
After she left, Harry went back to the kitchen. He walked over to his aunt, wrapped her up in a big hug, and whispered in her ear, “Thank you.”
She looked at him with tears in her eyes, “Just remember to visit me some this summer. Okay?”
“I will. We have too much to catch up on.”
With that he went back up to his room.
* * *
After a short nap, Harry awoke feeling good. Tomorrow he would be going to the Weasley’s house. The Burrow was one of his favorite places to be. While the Weasleys did not have much money, the house was full of love and warmth. It was a place where, if you were hungry, Molly would find you something to eat; if you needed an ear to listen to you, it was handy. While Mr. and Mrs. Weasley did not let their kids get away with anything, they still let them be kids.
For a few minutes, he lay there looking at the ceiling, a slight smile on his face. Then he got up, went to the desk, and pulled out two pieces of parchment. One letter he addressed to Remus Lupin, the other to Professor Dumbledore. He invited both to dinner the night after next. It would not be a full moon, so he knew Remus would be in condition to join them.
After sending Hedwig on her way, he thought about what he was going to say to everyone. He wanted, first and foremost, to let each person there know how he felt about them. He had never done that with Sirius, and he now regretted that. He had decided he would not let that happen to him again. His best thought was to try to get each of them alone for a few minutes, knowing this would be hard at The Burrow, but it would be easier to tell them something like that in a one-on-one setting.
The reason he had wanted to invite the professors to dinner was quite different. Though. Harry had decided to inform them of the prophesy concerning himself and Voldemort. He knew that he could not do this alone, but he could not let them put themselves in danger by being close to him without telling them the truth.
He half hoped they would decide to distance themselves from him. He did not want them to be anymore of a target than they already were. They were all fighting against Voldemort and his followers as it was, and that alone put a bull’s eye on each of their cloaks. Being close to Harry would just make it that much easier for the Dark Lord to take aim.
If they decided to stand by him, he wanted it to be their choice, not because they were kept in the dark. He had been kept in the dark for too long about all of this for him to wish that on anyone. He still harbored some anger toward Dumledore even though he knew the Headmaster was just doing what he thought was best. He knew that Dumbledore might not agree with this, but he intended to go ahead with his plan and had told the Professor about it in his letter.
Harry smiled when he thought the next couple of days would be pretty full, and quite difficult to go through. He knew he had a hard time relating his feeling toward anyone. Going up in this house had not really prepared him for that. The past week not withstanding, it had been like growing up in an emotional vacuum. Harry knew he would have to summon all of his Gryffindor courage to make it though.
With that he went downstairs to make himself a sandwich before Vernon and Dudley showed up.
His Greatest Power by deej
Chapter Notes: Harry has an interesting lunch. He spends time thinking about what he has learned and comes to some conclusions concerning the people he cares about.
* * *