Vernon Thanks Harry The English Edition
As chapters be up here they also be up at google doc se my profile for a link,
and there you can make coments to.
Co-work by Smargden & bbmc
Smargden u/923931/
bbmc u/6211258/
The story was written by Smargden in summer 2009 with a lot of edits for spelling errors and to some lesser grammatical error was corrected, over the years (that's the swedish edition) none of the events was ever changed.
Well my english isn't much for someone that has a story to tell - but hey - I don't do that good in my native language of Swedish either, must have what is equalized with 'troll in writing both spelling, grammar and handling the quill, they wasn't bird's feather but wooden shaft and a steel tip, and ink in glass bottles. Years later the fountain pen was allowed, in school, yes I'm that old.
Well - this was my little story it's quite different, from most of the the FF I have read.
2017-08-13 is the date for the beginning of the english edition and as it's a translation it needs a little re-writing, the main plot will remain the same, it's my try to pay back for all I have read. And I got a positive reply to be supported by bbmc )
As this edition of the story now have four hands and two quills, and do not forget, two minds. Some things can still be a little missed - or messed up - and I can tell, now it's not just translated - it's completely re-written - but still the story be kept as close to the swedish one - with lots of improvements, and all that credit to that goes to bbmc. I add, and bbmc make it readable.
If - there are still some misspellings remaining, it must have been me that did some last edit before published, without asking for help.
The storyline is by smargden -
The new wording and writing is by bbmc.
Disclaimer by Smargden: The Harry Potter universe belongs to JK Rowling, and some companies. I do not own JKR's world, if I did, Snape would never ever be allowed inside a school, heck, neither would Umbitch! And R. W. would die as an fat old bachelor, and D.M. would not live past the teenages.
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Oh - by the way, this is FF, hence it's not canon. If you prefer HP book 1 - 7, please read them, and not flame this little development of the books. The writings are Swedish and American mixed. I have gotten some reviews that they can't read as it's too much wrong, spellings grammar and way of writing. Well I'm no pro, no - we are no pro. We do it for fun. I and the world have a lot of ways to talk and write, if you read - try to see the story, not finding all errors. If you think you do it better, I do have more stories that can be handled.
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There are death/killings and foul mouth - but there be no 'lemons' in the story, ratings to be safe.
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As I said this piece of work is a form of payback for all good stories I have been enjoying to read.
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Summary:
After the 5'th year at Hogwarts, Harry is at Number 4, and bad things happen. During a home invasion Harry kills two intruders to save his relatives and himself. With Harry performing magic both the aurors and Dumbledore's club of the flaming chicken received alerts. The main people are Harry, Nymphadora T., Amelia B. and of course Albus can't stay away. Of course, during the story, Harry will kill Voldemort with his own hands - but indirectly.
What's being added to this english version are Director Regnok at Gringotts telling old family secrets to Harry and a long talk there ends up with Harry with Tonks taking advantage of some time compressed training at Gringotts. Small visits here and there plus small visits to time in between. There will be a Will reading/hearing, Harry taking down DE's in Diagon Alley. and Snape, and later Albus steps in. To tell more is to drop spoilers, not doing that.
Chapter I Intruders.
The train ride home from Hogwarts had been a time of sorrow, this year had seen friends injured and family lost. The reception at King's Cross and the order threatening Vernon and Petunia was not a success either. He did get The Prophet and it was out in the open that Voldie had been around and active for a year.
Now it was as if the ministry was building the-boy-who-lived to be the Savior of The World. Fudge had been ousted with a vote of no confidence, no surprise there, and Harry could read between the lines, as the saying goes, that his successor was not trustworthy either. It seems as if the new minister was same old story line but a new face.
It did look as if, he, The Chosen One, was the poster child they would use to build hope around. If the Daily Prophet was to be believed, he also lost the only one in the ministry staff he felt he could trust as well.
Harry was in a bad mood, he was once again forced back to his summer jail. His godfather Sirius had disappeared through the veil just a few weeks ago and he couldn't sleep so he was just lying there with his eyes closed. He listened to Vernon getting up and walked down the stairs, but suddenly he hears Vernon stop and start screaming at someone before he suddenly it went quiet again.
Harry could tell that Vernon had been both angry and frightened by the tone of his voice, but also that something must have happened due to the silence that followed . . . something serious. He then hears Petunia rush to the stairs and after a moment he hears her begin screaming words he had never thought to hear from her mouth.
By now Harry was at his door, having forgotten about all the locks Vernon had previously installed and was religious about locking each night, and without a conscious thought - he was out of his room before registering what, or how, he was able to - he then passed Petunia standing in the middle of the stairs - with his wand at the ready.
Allowing the Dursley's to take care of themselves when threatened was not Harry's way. When he had stepped down the stairs he placed himself in front of Petunia and he saw two young men. The first had a bloody knife, the second a gun. The assailant with the gun had pointed his weapon at Petunia, but with Harry in front of her he was now the target.
He did not stop to think - "Reducto, Reducto" he cried out. The midriff of the first man exploded into a bloody mess as he was thrown against the wall behind him. Almost simultaneously Harry saw the second intruder fall to the same fate as the second reducto he fired found its target.
Looking down the steps to the landing Harry sees Vernon lying on the floor in a pool of blood . . . Harry's mind while normally quick to process situations now went into warp speed. He can hear Petunia still screaming in the background but ignores it. He quickly assesses Vernon and while he had no knowledge of healing magic, he had learned that his intentions and will played a major role in all magic. A quick glance back at Petunia confirmed she appeared unhurt but Vernon looked to be in desperate need of medical help. Harry quickly went down the stairs and put his left hand on Vernon's chest near the worst of the injuries and tried to feel with his magic how bad it was. He tried to understand what his magic was telling him about the injuries. It only took a matter of seconds to get a mental picture of Vernon's injuries internal and external - that would have to be enough. He now began to direct all his magic to save Vernon.
His magic started healing Vernon's injuries beginning with the biggest and deepest. For what felt like hours, but would have only been seconds, Harry's magic worked at closing the wounds. As he worked he felt the darkness creep upon him signaling magical exhaustion, but before he lost consciousness completely he heard a voice as if from a distance, a voice he recognized, Remus was here. It was as if hearing Remus's voice was all he needed to be able to relax, to let go of the magic and let the darkness consume him.
:-:-:-:-:
As Harry slowly regained consciousness he heard voices. Voices that sounded like both Petunia and Poppy. "I think he's starting to wake up now." said Petunia.
"With his magical exhaustion, I thought he would be unconscious for at least three days." Poppy stated.
Harry, without opening his eyes, took stock of the sensations from his body and of his surroundings. He felt fine physically, tired but alert, but his body told him he was laying on something soft. It was then he realized he was laying in a bed. He breathed deep but didn't smell the disinfectant smell he associated the infirmary. He wasn't at Hogwarts, but then again why would he hear Petunia's voice at Hogwarts? No, he wasn't at Hogwarts, but he had heard Poppy's voice - at the Dursley's?
"Harry, can you hear me." Asked Poppy.
"Yeah, I can. How is Vernon? How long have I been unconscious? Am I still at the Dursley's?" Harry had just realized that it could be good thing if his first thoughts and words were about Vernon.
"Vernon survived and is doing well thanks to you and yes you are still at the Dursley's. I will be speaking with you later about how you healed him but right now..how do you feel?"
"Tired. . . and my arms hurt. What happened? I know I killed the intruders who attacked Vernon and were about to shoot my aunt."
"You were shot in your right shoulder but I healed that. Now on your left arm there is a burn caused by channeling raw magic so you will need to rest it for a few days. I will need to keep on it to make sure it heals with no lasting damage right now I have it bandaged but I will also need to change the dressing periodically. You may want to get comfortable as you will be my 'guest' for a little while. I will get you some bruise salve and a pain potion in just a few minutes. I also wanted to let you know I completed a diagnostic scan of Vernon to heal any remaining injuries and I must say what you did, saved his life, what you did saved all their lives"said Poppy quietly.
Poppy then tucked the blankets up around Harry and had just moved away to get the salve and potion when there was a knock at the bedroom door. While Poppy moved quickly to answer the door and a low murmur of voices could be heard Harry took a moment to look around and found that he was in the guest room that Marge normally used when she visited.
A few moments later he heard Poppy say "Yes you can but no more than a few minutes." Poppy then opened the door and the headmaster walked in.
As soon as Harry saw the headmaster he blurted out "I did magic outside school and killed the two intruders. Has the Ministry sent notices to expel me from Hogwarts yet? Have they sent the Aurors to arrest me? Remember . . they tried to last summer because of the dementors". As soon as Harry saw the headmaster his thoughts became frantic. He started to get a mental picture of all of it. They would come arrest him for murdering the intruders and then there would be a trial. The headmaster's presence startled Harry causing him to become alert, even though he was just barely conscious.
The Ministry, of course, didn't care about a couple of dead muggles, if they were indeed muggles, but they must always been seen to be doing something and Harry knew that the boy-who -lived killing two muggles would be huge! Rita would be in her element writing the article for the The Daily Prophet. Again he would be portrayed as an insane attention seeker that needs to be locked up for everyone's safety. All he could think was Azkaban here I come. He then thinks maybe if I move fast enough I can get out of the country before they can catch me. Where could I go…. France, Australia, the United States?
Albus upon seeing Harry's face said
"Now, Harry you need to calm down before Poppy asks me to leave. I can see the first thing I need to tell you is that Amelia Bones . . . "
"Bones? Amelia? Susan's aunt? A ghost? The papers said she was killed by Voldie . . . " Interrupts a very surprised Harry.
"I will leave it to her to explain, if she so chooses, but she and three aurors have already been here, completed their initial investigation and have left. When the aurors' arrived they moved quickly to secure the scene. Poppy had already treated your uncle, yourself and your aunt for injuries and shock by this time.
"When it was requested by Amelia Poppy gave a report about the medical issues she treated. She stated that after her diagnostic scan of Vernon she discovered he had been critically injured but she detected healing magic had recently been used and while not fully healed he was no longer critical by the time she arrived.
"She stated that after scanning both Vernon and you she could definitely state that it was your magic had been used to heal the majority of Vernon's injuries based on the magical signature. Poppy wasn't sure how you healed Vernon just that you had and were now magically exhausted by your efforts to save his life.
"She went on to say in addition to the magical exhaustion and burns you were suffering from you had been shot as well. Amelia then spoke with Remus, then to your aunt about the incident and they expressed how you saved them from certain death. After the all the statements were taken and their scans were completed Amelia made the decision to not file any charges, but she will need to speak with you to get your statement as well."
"Thank you." Harry released a relieved breath.
"Everyone is also extremely interested in learning how you were able to heal Vernon. According to Poppy's scans of Vernon's injuries she doesn't think you should have been able to heal him and definitely not as fully as you did before she arrived" continued Albus.
Harry listened to Albus he was extremely surprised to hear him speak with a tone he never had heard from him before. It was a gentle tone, almost friendly, yes friendly, not friendly like you would use when talking with an acquaintance, but truly friendly. After their last meeting, it should have been. . . well, lets just say he definitely wasn't expecting it to be truly friendly. Harry also realized that he had closed his eyes while Albus was speaking so quickly opened them and looked at him.
"I have no idea what I did Professor, I acted on instinct to what I first heard and then later saw when I came down the stairs. When I passed Petunia and saw the intruder with the gun pointing at her then at me, I just knew that he was about to shoot. It didn't even register as a thought. I had to stop him!
"After the fiasco at the Ministry, I realized that while this is a battle that was forced upon me, I can't hesitate to use the most powerful tools I have. I didn't stop to think, I just reacted and sent two spells. Once the intruders were neutralized I then concentrated on Vernon and tried whatever I could to heal him. The last thing I heard before I passed out was Remus's voice" stated Harry.
In the background there was a subtle noise, the clinking of glass bottles, Harry looked toward the sound and realized that sometime after Albus walked into the room Poppy must have left to get the promised potions but was now back.
"Alright Albus - visiting hours are over! I want to run another diagnostic scan on Harry, give him his potions and then he needs rest." With this Poppy started to gently force Albus out of the room.
"Wait Madame Pomfrey, Poppy, please! I still have a few questions. Please just a few minutes more?" pleaded Albus. But Poppy wasn't going to allow any more questioning of her patient presently and continued to gently push Albus to the door before closing it gently but firmly behind him.
Harry had initially been surprised that Dumbledore was there, but now that it was just Poppy left the adrenaline began to fade and he slowly let his eyes close.
"Not yet Mr. Potter. You need to stay awake just a few minutes longer. I need to complete a diagnostic scan on you and then I have the potions I promised you earlier" Poppy said. Seeing that Harry's previous energy was quickly fading, Poppy quickly completed her scan before gently prompting Harry to swallow the potions she had brought.
The last thoughts that flitted through Harry's mind as he drifted off to sleep was that there were magical people (other than him) inside of the Dursleys home and Petunia apparently tolerated them . . . if the lack of screaming was any indication … surely something must be wrong. It certainly couldn't be right - he was either dreaming, or he was dead. With that last hazy thought he let himself disappear into the dark again.
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As the darkness receded and Harry started to wake, he again felt pain in his arms. He realized that the pain was not necessarily due to the injuries, though they still hurt, but instead due to the position his arm was in. He gently and slowly changed the position his arms were in to alleviate the pain and heard "MOM - he moved, I think he may be waking up." Harry heard Dudley call out.
Quick steps were heard approaching the bed. "I think you're right Mr. Dursley, I think he's going to wake up completely now." It was Poppy again.
"How are you feeling Harry?" she asked.
"I really haven't had time to feel anything beyond my arms yet. I think I am better. The pain is probably still there and it hurt when I first started to wake but I changed the position my arms were in and it feels better" responded Harry.
"That's good but I will still give a dose of a mild pain potion to further help with the pain. Now there are a few things we need to cover about your care. You may experience some dizziness so take it easy until at least tomorrow. I have here a list of the potions with instructions, that you will need to take. You must take the potions as instructed and with a full meal. Mr. Potter these potions can make you nauseous so remember to eat prior to taking them. The instructions are rather simple you take a teaspoon after your morning, midday and evening meals for one week. Furthermore, as I have explained why you need to eat a full meal, I expect you to follow those instructions so do not cut any corners with the meals. Eat, even if you are not hungry, I will be back in two days, if you need anything before then owl me" Poppy said.
"Potions Miss Pomphrey?" queried Petunia while Dudley watched on with a questioning look on his face.
"Potions are our kind of medicines Aunt Petunia" Harry replies.
"Madame Pomphrey can I ask why am I so tired . . . I mean what happened to me?" Harry asked.
"Near total magical exhaustion coupled with burns on your hand from channeling a large amount of raw you woke up the first day is almost a miracle and now that have you slept an additional two days you have recovered about a tenth of your strength. You did some serious healing to Vernon . . . a lot. . way more than I initially thought."
Harry saw that Poppy was looking around before she continued. "I checked Vernon before he could speak up, well, I did a full magical scan on him. Apart from the stab wounds you healed, where the knife had gone deep enough to damage his heart, and the other injuries from the attack, you have cleared his coronary arteries. With the fat that mans' body carries and the clogging in his arteries he was heading for a heart attack. I found traces of your magic there when I scanned him. His arteries are clear and his heart is healthier than a twenty year old athlete now.
"I discussed this with him as well. He knows that you have saved his life initially by healing the stab wounds. Now he also understands that you have given him at least twenty extra years by fully repairing his heart. Now, enough questions Mr. Potter. I want you to take a dose of the pain potion before I leave." says Poppy. She quickly retrieves the potion from the bedside table where she previously placed it, and measures out a dose. Harry obediently swallows the potion and hears Poppy say "Take care of yourself now and remember to rest, eat full meals and owl me if you need anything before I return two days from now."
"Yes. Thank you Poppy."
"You're welcome Harry."
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Before Harry even had time to think about getting up his next visitor walked in, well visitors he supposed, Amelia Bones and Tonks had just come to number 4.
"Mr. Potter, my name is Amelia Bones and this is Auror Tonks. We are here to conduct an official interview to get your statement as to what occurred here the night between first and second of July. With this statement you need to be prepared to either take an oath that you have spoken the truth or we will need to complete the interview with veritaserum. Now, I do also need to make you aware that your nurse had some objections to the serum due to the potions you are currently taking. So if you choose to not give the oath we will need to, at minimum, have Madame Pomphrey or another certified healer present during the interview. Do you understand and what is your decision Mr. Potter?"
"Sorry Madame Bones, but the papers that you were deceased. May I ask what happened? And what about Susan is she ok as well?"
"Well, someone in my position might become a little paranoid over time. Maybe make some preparations ahead of time and, without going into great detail, I did transfigure an animal to look like I was in bed sleeping. Once that was done I may have then chose to sleep at an alternate location. As for Susan, she was not at home, we had made arrangements for her to stay elsewhere for the summer therefor she is fine. But now enough about that, it's time to talk about what you did. How and why, okay?"
Harry looks at both Amelia Bones and Auror Tonks as if he is taking their measure. It is a look that seems to almost judge their souls. He had met Amelia Bones before. She had been at his trial for the use of underage magic last year. At the time she seemed to be someone that followed the letter of the law. He decided to trust his guts and put his faith in her to follow the law. "Yes. I have nothing to hide, I killed two intruders, after they attacked my uncle and I am ready to take responsibility for it. I will make the oath that my testimony will be truthful."
Amelia heard Harry but continued on as if she hadn't.
"Interview of one Harry James Potter, minor. Today's date is Saturday July 13, 1996. Present for the interview are Amelia Bones, Auror Nymphadora Tonks, and one Harry James Potter. Not present at this interview is one Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, magical guardian, by the order of the Wizengamot. Transcript of this interview is being recorded by a legal grade dictation quill and recorded on parchment soaked in veritaserum."
"Mr. Potter, you have the right to have a lawyer present if you wish, at this time do you wish to pause this interview until such time as your lawyer arrives?"
"Not if it's about what happened in this house."
"That is your choice and if you change your mind at any point just say so. Now to begin I need you to tell me in your own words what happened three nights ago."
:-:-: Harry began telling Amelia of that night :-:-:
"It was late, but I am unsure of the time since I didn't look at the clock. It might have been been around midnight or so. I was trying to sleep but couldn't, actually fall asleep, so I was just lying on the bed with my eyes closed resting and listening to my uncle walk up and down the steps. The next thing I know, I hear my uncle yelling at someone he sounded angry and a little afraid. He continued yelling for a few minutes then it went really quiet. Next I hear my Aunt as she went to the stairs, I heard her start down the steps and then I heard her yelling too. I never thought I would hear my Aunt use some of the words she did.
"By now I knew something was wrong so I got up and went to my Aunt. I saw her on the steps, the staircase is a little narrow, so I went down and stood in front her to see what was going on and if I could help her. When I stood in front of her the first thing I see is a man holding a gun. I then see my uncle at the base of the steps just off the landing, he was very quiet and still. I could see that he was laying in a growing pool of red liquid and there was a man standing above him. The second man I saw had a knife and it had blood on it. I could see the first man out of the corner of my eye, the man with the gun, move a little."Harry paused a moment to gather his thoughts and focus on that night.
"I could tell he was going to shoot me and Aunt Petunia, I don't know how I knew just that it was going to happen if I didn't stop it. I didn't stop and think I just fired the first spell that came to mind. The spell I used was the Reducto curse. I fired twice and saw both intruders go down. I could still hear my Aunt screaming hysterically but when I looked at her she didn't appear hurt. Then I went to check on my uncle. I went down to the landing and put my hand on chest to see if I could feel him breathing or if his heart beating.
"Once I knew he was still alive, because I could just feel his heart, I knew I had to do something. His heartbeat was getting fainter. I didn't know any healing spells and I didn't know of any potions that would help, even if I would have them." Harry paused a moment and closed his eyes. He could feel the emotion from that night, from when Uncle Vernon was hurt, start to overwhelm him. They have never had the best relationship but he never wanted his uncle to be hurt like that.
"What I did know, from the magical theory we read in classes, was that magic was about will and intent. So, with my hand still on Uncle Vernon, I pushed my magic as hard as I could into him with the intent to heal him. I knew that even if I or Aunt Petunia had called for help, magical or not, they wouldn't arrive in time. I figured that I couldn't hurt him anymore then he was and I needed to try something, I just couldn't let him die. The last thing that I think I remember, before passing out, was hearing Remus Lupin coming in" recited Harry calmly.
"Do you have anything to add?"
"No, thats everything till I fainted, after that you know more than I do. But, when I think about it one thing seems to hit me, they looked like regular burglar. I thought that then and now but then I also started to think they might have been out for me, on someone's order, and just trying to kill as many people around me as possible."
"Ok Mr. Potter thank you for your statement. I just have a few questions I would like to ask just for clarification" began Amelia Bones.
"First, do you always carry your wand with you during the summer? It is still against the law to use magic during the summer until you're 17."
"Yes Madame Bones since the issues I had with the Dementors last summer I keep it with me always."
"Fair enough Mr. Potter. Can't say I blame you either. Now the second question. Why did you use the Reducto curse? Why not a disarming charm, like the Expelliarmus spell, or some other spell that may not have been as lethal?
"Well" begins Harry "the intruders already proved they were going to use lethal force, I could see that because my Uncle was already down and bleeding by the time I got to my Aunt. Plus, with everything that this past year, I wasn't going to take the chance that they would get free if they were just restrained. I had already decided that, if I had to fight someone, I wanted to at least make sure they didn't get back up to come hurt someone I cared about. What is the point of knocking them out or disarming them if their buddies just wake them or untie them and they continue to attack?"
"Mr. Potter, I will say again that, I can't say I find fault with that statement. If I was protecting family and I was the only thing between them and almost certain death, well, I would take the attackers down hard myself. Now the last question I had for you was in your description of what happened you didn't mention anything about your being hit with that Muggle weapon. When did it happen?"
"I can honestly say that I don't remember feeling that I was hit. I don't really remember the gun being fired either. Do you have a pensive? If you do then we can look at what happened. "
"Yes Mr. Potter, we have a pensive, we need just a moment to retrieve it and have it prepared to show your memories. Auror Tonks please go to my office and retrieve the pensive." Once Auror Tonks heard the request from Madame Bones she formally acknowledged the order before she moved quickly to the door. She was proud that she only tripped once before exiting the room, on the edge of the rug. Once she was through door Harry could hear the faint thumps of her steps down the steps, followed by a thud and some hurried apologies before he heard the backdoor open and shut and then a faint popping noise was heard.
"Now Mr. Potter while we wait I just need to let you know a few things about the pensive we will use. It is what is called a Solicitors pensive. Unlike a 'normal' pensive, this pensive while it allows you to go inside the pensive, it will also project the memory on the wall for all to view freely. When Auror Tonks returns and go to we retrieve the memory remember to focus on the memory so that get the full and right memory" Madame Bones explained.
Again a faint popping noise was heard, the back door was opened and closed, a thud with the apologies following, then the faint thumps as a person walks up the steps before the bedroom door opens and Auror Tonks steps in carrying the pensive. She hurried inside the room and placed the stone basin on top of the bedside table. A quick check of the pensive by Madame Bones insured the pensive was in working order and that it had not been tampered with. They were ready now to withdraw the memories.
:-:-:
Harry thought back to when the headmaster had withdrawn memories with his wand. Harry had thought it was fascinating and asked the headmaster about it later and had the process described to him. He also had it explained to him, with detail, how it was done, when he was shown the memory of Trelawney that had sealed his fate. 'Damn that bitch', Harry thought. But, with effort, he did focus on the present.
He started by holding his wand to his temple. He felt something, like images - yes - images, like on the tele and they were leaving him. It was like water poured into a bottle - but the bottle was his wand. However, unlike water being poured from a bottle he still retained the memories he had removed. So while the sensation felt like he was pouring the memories into a bottle, he supposed, it was more like making a copy for others to see.
As soon as he had all the memories that Madame Bones had requested to see he cut the pull from his memories and moved the wand to the basin. Now he when he viewed the pensive he saw the silvery jelly-liquid substance leaving the wand and it was as if it was sucked into the basin.
:-:-:
The three then went into memory and, at the flick of Madame Bones wand, the memory began.
They watched as Harry had lain on his bed, they saw his questioning looks to the door when he heard his Uncle. They saw his determination, when he heard his Aunt, as he made his way through the unopened door. It was as if it wasn't even there, then down the stairs and in front of Petunia. They then saw the spark and heard the blast from the gun being fired.
"There, he shot at you before you had done a single spell. Did you not notice that Harry? You didn't feel the bullet hit?" Tonks was upset to see Harry being shot at.
"No - but now that I see what happened, I realize that maybe that was what caused the adrenalin rush I felt. Perhaps it was also what made me feel as if I was in tune with my magic."
"Harry, did you also not see where the second Reducto came from?" Amelia questioned seeming very surprised.
"No. I used it twice, I know I did."
"Yes the spell was used twice, but you only have one wand Mr. Potter. Wait one moment Mr. Potter let me pause the memory and back it up a little. Then we can watch it again and see where the second spell came from" said Amelia.
"You can do that?"questioned Harry.
"Oh yes quite easily with the pensive. It makes the review of crime scenes very easy. We can see everything and not miss details or, if a detail was missed, to go back and see that which may have been overlooked. Now, see here , the spells were in the air simultaneously, one spell fired from your right side, the second spell on your left. Ahhhh! Now we can see it, you did these spells simultaneously Mr. Potter and wandless magic on that level takes a lot of effort. This is a surprise to me. Everything here suggested TWO Reductos, but the Improper Use of Underage Magic Office only received record of one of them. Now I have the explanation for that."
"Oh, I didn't know that" said a very confused Harry.
"We are aware of one Reducto, and after that it was an unknown. We had come to the conclusion that the last was your healing magic. The use of your magic was self-defense, we already knew, but to follow the letter of the law we must have a hearing. We will not let it be known that you fired two Reductos, as the ministry has just one on record. It is better and easier, for all, to explain that it was split because the two were so close together." Amelia explained.
"Also, as I watched I saw that the magic was used from your left hand when you healed Vernon." added Tonks. Amelia rewound the memory once more and viewed it through completely, checking for any other minute details, before telling them "Now we are done here."
Only once they were out of the pensive, and Harry had his memory returned, did Amelia continue. "That memory should be left without mention. I feel it contains things you should be careful and not mention to others just for your safety. Continue to work and develop your wandless magic it could be useful to you or even save your life again. Now, I have a few documents to give to you. First this is a document from the Ministry that states you can use magic with the same conditions an adult does. I had it signed yesterday but I waited to give it to you till I decided, after speaking with you, whether I would actually give it to you or not.
"Next, this is a permit form giving consent to learn to apparate. Make sure you take the time and learn how to apparate don't try to rush through the process. Once you have the process down then come to the ministry and demonstrate you can apparate correctly and you will get a license to apparate. Without this it would be a lot of extra parchment to fill out and file before you get the permit or to do the test.
"Use them responsibly Mr. Potter. Now none of this will do you any good until Madam Pomfrey gives you permission to do magic again. As your injuries were caused during the commission of a crime she was allowed to discuss your condition with the DMLE.
"I can say that without her experience, you would not being doing half as well. What she can see is where you are now compared to your maximum. From the day to day diagnostic scans she can see your recovery and as she told me your recovery rate is not wrong it's what must be considered an enigma. This, as a generalized estimate, was your full capacity before you left Hogwarts."
After making that statement Amelia holds her thumb and index finger about an inch apart. "Okay so this" holding both hands as measurement a good distance from each other, "is your estimated full capacity now. This is where we have a secondary crime. She has scanned you regularly at Hogwarts, during the course of her work, and then you were nothing extra-ordinary but now…. Well you're an enigma."
"Are you sure the scans are right? What does that mean for me? Did I mess something up in me magically? Like break it or something?" Asked Harry sounding confused and a little scared.
"We can't or I should say she can't do a deeper scan at this time. She did state though, that if she was a betting woman, she would put down a year's pay that you had your magic blocked to a certain amount. She suspects about seven eighths of your total ability was blocked. Now, if you have had that block for a number of years and can perform magic the likes of what my Susan has described, well let's just say be careful next time you do magic. The next time there will be no blocks to stem the flow of your output if she is correct."
"How can I have that much now if I didn't have it before - it make no sense to me" asked Harry now very confused.
"Well ok let's try this, imagine there is a reservoir, let's say it's water. The water is inside and there is a pipe from it, passing through your hand, to your wand. If the water from the reservoir is level with your wand then there is no pressure from it so it trickles out. Now, if the level in the reservoir goes higher, the water will have the power to spray out of the pipe. So with the water lower it makes the reservoir look smaller, the water is still there, but you can't reach most of it. The other way to block or slow the flow of water is to put constraints on the pipe. The constraints can be lots small blocks, just tighter constraints, or both. Actually, both types of blocks can, and I think were used on you.
"The bullet that hit you may have been what triggered your magic to lift your reservoir way high up, widen your magical channels, and blast the constraints.
"After that you did all the magic you did, the two Reductos, one with a wand AND one without a wand. Had I performed that kind of magic I would have been dizzy you weren't. Auror Tonks since you also viewed Mr. Potter's memory I wanted to get your input about a few things. Ok Tonks, so both you and I know that a bullet, even if something like a muggle .22 cal pistol is used, it will penetrate the soft tissue of a body. Now, after viewing his memory of the event, what don't we see? The moment that Mr. Potter was shot at, it looks as if, the bullet was slowed. Obviously the bullet still struck Mr. Potter but why did it look as if it slowed down? Any thoughts on that or possible explanations?"
"Weeeellll… Madame Bones it is possible that since Mr. Potter was in a, potentially, highly emotional state of mind that his magic reacted without conscious direction on his part to protect him. Or, another possible theory is, that the wards that surround the property reacted in a way to protect Mr. Potter…. The only other theory that I can offer, at this point, has been ruled out." replied Tonks.
"Ok so I will bite. What is this other alternate theory you have?" queried Amelia.
"Ok so we, as a routine part of the investigation, scan the area to record the magical signatures that have been in the area and to get a general timeline for when they were there right?"
"Yes" replied Amelia.
"Ok, so this is a little out there but, what if someone has found a new way to mask or erase their magical signature so that when we scan it doesn't show up?" asked Tonks.
"Well with magic anything is possible but, yeah, that is a little out there. I also think that, if someone had discovered a new way to mask or erase their magical signatures, they wouldn't be using the spell to play guardian to a 15 year old wizard and his muggle family. I think, possibly a little negatively here, that if they had the ability we would have seen it as part of a larger crime like a robbery or a murder. I hate to say this Tonks but usually something like that comes about because someone is breaking the law and trying to hide, not because someone is altruistic." states Amelia.
"I hate to agree with you Ma'am but you are correct usually, with that type of new spell, we do first discover it when dealing with a robbery or murder. At least that is what I have discovered by studying old case files."
"Well I guess at this point it really doesn't matter for you Mr. Potter. I am sorry if we kind of ignored you a little but, call it the investigator in me, that was just a little something that bothered me and I wanted to try and solve it." states Amelia.
"Oh that's quite alright Madam Bones I found it fascinating and I learned a little something too." replies Harry. "May I also ask… do you know the caliber of the bullet used to shoot me?"
"Honestly Mr. Potter Muggle weaponry such as guns are not my strong suit. I have been working to correct this deficit however, it is slow going. The gun was recovered during the investigation and I could probably tell you that information once all the reports are in. In the Auror office we do have a group that specializes in having knowledge of muggle weaponry and they received the gun. They will submit a report about the weapon to complete and close out the investigation. I can owl you a letter with the information at a later date."
"No that is alright Madam Bones, I know that you are busy. It was just a thought but if you don't know then don't worry about it. I don't want to make extra work for you, even if it is only a letter owled to me." said Harry.
"Ok now the last thing I wanted to say to both you Auror Tonks and you Lord Potter is that nothing of this is to leave this room."
"Lord?- no I'm not."
"Yes you are. This is part of what I do when it comes to criminal investigations, I make sure I know as much as possible about the crime and those involved. You were NOT told this by me, but as soon you can, go see someone at Gringotts and let them tell of your lineage. What fools in power do can make big changes. The Headmasters of three school's, headmasters that included Albus Dumbledore who has two positions of power within the magical government and claims to be your magical guardian, then add to that two more from the Ministry declared you of age to be in that tournament. Later Fudge as minister of - no scratch the of, minister for magic used his power to change the hearing for underage magic last year to a full trial. What I know now is he changed the start time in an illegal way so that you would not to be able to be present. That he also changed it to a full sitting - that Harry - is used to try adults. Hence, you have been legally of age from the time you set foot to meet that dragon. But - I would advise to keep quiet about that to for as long as you can, knowledge is power in some cases, and this could be beneficial for you to know and for others not to realize you know. This is also why I can give you the permission to perform magic during the summer."
"WHAT ? And no one has thought to tell me before now."
"If the information was not publically known then I had that knowledge to use if it was needed - if shown some could have had it up to the Wizengamot and started a movement to have them revoke it. Now I know you are going to be a good boy and stay here for as long you are told by your nurse, right?"
"Yes and thank you for telling me, and thank you also for giving me the opportunity to see how everything happened that night."
"The non magical authorities have identified the two dead, they were notorious criminals. They are suspected to have killed before, so now we looking for ways to explain what happened? In non magical ways. Their deaths, and the current states of their bodies, resemble something like an automobile accident. Damages to the house have already been taken care of so if you didn't know that their had been an issue you wouldn't know now. Nothing will associate their tragic death with you, or the house here."
"Thanks, may I ask how have Vernon and Petunia been treating you? I only ask because I know them and they are not the friendliest people to people with magic?" Asked Harry thankful for the information - but more confused.
"No, they are polite every time and cooperating very well."
"Then there is something wrong with them, they always screamed and shouted as soon as some of our kind come here."
"It may be because you saved their lives with magic when regular people like themselves attacked them. They have also been told not to tell the neighbors. When told this they all agreed that since we have cleared the bodies away, made it so it can not be linked to them, and repaired the damages they will not mention it to anyone."Amelia explained.
"Good." Harry gratefully said. He had seen all blood on the walls and floor before he passed out. He was thankful that the mess had been cleaned with magic and he didn't have to scrub to remove the stains.
"Mr. Potter if I was to speculate, and only speculate Mr. Potter, then I would say the magic you performed was intended to help your uncle. Now let's say, or let's speculate that is, what if Vernon had previously been spelled to be in foul mood at hearing the word magic or when he saw you. Ok, so now he is dying and you heal him using magic. The magic that heals Vernon knows that he must NOT be upset because of the use of magic and clears away that block or compulsion. Remember, again, this is just a speculation. If - this was a compulsion - it can be one of many explanations as to the change in your uncle's behavior."
"Is there anything I need to remember not to or that I shouldn't tell them ?"
"No, but it could improve things with them if you talked about what you were worried about them, it doesn't seem to have been a lie either."
:-:-:
When Madame Bones and Auror Tonks had left Vernon entered. It scared Harry to the core.
"Harry, can you forgive us for what we did to you over the years?"
"Uncle Vernon, we can consider it water under the bridge. Today can be the start of something new."
"Thank you! Thanks to you, I and my Petunia, are alive and only God knows what would have happened to our Dudley. Your nurse has shown me how she took the bullet out of your body. Petunia said how it was aimed at her, but that you stepped in the way and protected her with your body. As we have treated you so badly, it feels unreal that you would help, protect, or save us. You then. . . you then. . . what you did to them. . . it does not change the FACT that you also saved our lives. I had already lost so much blood and was in and out of consciousness before he shot at you, I heard the blast of gunfire and thought I was only moments from joining Petunia in the afterlife. After saving Petunia you helped me. . . not that I would normally accept your help. . . but I know that I am alive now thanks to what you did it's as if I am living a new life. Please forgive an old man Harry. Petunia and I have discussed this and we have, with your friends help, moved your stuff over to this room. We asked them to do it. This room is yours now, also, you have free access to the kitchen to eat whenever you want. We were wrong to force you into that smaller room and lock you in. We should have, when we gave you the other room, at least cleaned it and gotten new furniture for you. We also decided that you do not have to do chores other than what you want to."
"Why is it that you are tolerating them, the magicals, here?"
"It's the least we can do, plus they came here without drawing the attention of our neighbors. You needed the care. If you had not done what you did, the magic, and I do not fully comprehend what you did, but I will say without it, without the magic, I would be dead. I, most certainly my wife, and Dudley would be dead. You did it your way. I can not get over that 'that way' saved my life - and prevented them from killing Petunia and Dudley, too."
"Okay Uncle Vernon, and as I said before, the previous actions and words are just that, in the past. The actions and words of yesterday cannot be undone, however, the future can only be what we make of it."
"She, your police chief, told me that you have nothing to fear from them. She seemed to like you, like you're famous, but she also seemed to feel you are almost like royalty. I can't get over that, it really affected me - she is, after all, your chief of police."
"She is honest and fair, I like her too. Would it strain our new relationship if a dentist's daughter came over to visit? She goes to the same school as me, but she knows how to act outside of school in the non magical world."
"She can come over. Will she want to stay for dinner if you call her to come over?"
"I honestly don't know if she would like to stay for dinner but I would like to talk with her for a little while, if only by using the telephone."
"She can come over. You may have some of your friends come in now as well, they have been waiting a long time but your nurse gave us the opportunity to speak with you first."
"Okay, and thanks."
"You're welcome Harry. See, I have learned your correct first name, too."
"I see - and I'll be honest - until I have time to get used to it - it scares me a lot."
"Get used to it. You might see in the hallway, right near the door, there is a framed bullet. That is what your nurse took out of you and if it wasn't for you it otherwise would have met Petunia. She says, if you had not been in front of her it would have hit her in the middle of the chest, most certainly in her heart. It is a reminder to us of why we are alive."
:-:-:
With that Vernon went out, Harry realized that the experience had shaken Vernon deeply. Then to Harry's surprise Tonks came back in.
"Harry, how are you - really?"
"You mean concerning what happened to Sirius?" - she nodded. "In pain but, now with all that has happened here, I have not really thought much about."
"I understand, he was my cousin. I can tell you that Remus went right around the twist when he came in and saw you down and all that blood. He was outside standing guard but was off to the side and didn't see them enter. He did hear Vernon's yelling but didn't react immediately because your uncle yells a lot. By the time he realized their was an issue, you know besides the normal, and started to come in it was all over. When he came in the house it wasn't long before he saw the two corpses, he did smell the blood before he saw them though. At Petunias first shout he sent the alert to the rest of us. He opened the channel on his phoenix badge to give the alert and to offer further details but, as he saw you slumped in all that blood, he screamed into his badge and then he broke down."said Tonks.
"Wow! I didn't realize. I mean yeah, anyone walking into that wouldn't be happy, but I didn't know he had totally broke down." said Harry.
"Yeah, it was bad. He is doing better but he is not normal yet. He knows that you're alive, and you saved the others here. But, he has gone in a deep depression and I don't think he should come here yet. Is there anyone special you would want to visit you?"
"I asked Vernon, while he was in a good mood, if I could speak with Hermione. I didn't say her name but 'the dentist's daughter' and asked if she could come to visit. He agreed so if you can ask Hermione if she is in mood to a visit that would be great. If she is, tell her what happened here first. But - what about yourself how are you doing?" Harry saw that Tonks looked hurt when he asked for Hermione, so he did some quick thinking.
"It's okay Harry, Amelia has assigned me as your bodyguard for a bit of time, if you're ok with that?"
"Yes, I have no problem with you around. And bringing Hermione, and not Luna, Ginny, Ron or Neville, it might give the wrong signals… to some, then have to explain that it was because Hermione is the only one of those in my immediate group that is accustomed to the muggle world. She would not jeopardize Vernon's new attitude. When I asked, I mentioned the phone too. Maybe I should just write a letter to her or call.
"On a side note, since Madam Bones mentioned it, can we go to Gringotts? As you will be guarding my body I know I will be safe and I can get some new clothes while Vernon is in such a good mood."
"It's your decision Harry. MY job is as a security guard, this is not a prison and I will not be keeping you prisoner just watching out for you. That isn't what my job here is all about. I know it was more or less that way when Albus ruled but now Amelia has taken the reins from him. She has banned Dumbledore from coming here and if he even tries to change the procedures she has enacted here, she will delight in arresting him."
"Oh. What really happened?"
"The day after the attack Dumbledore tried to control what happened here. Just after Poppy had kicked him out of your room. Then Amelia came, wellll …. let's just say, they had to put up a Muffliato charm around them, when they did….SPEAK. The end result was Albus was banned from entering as long she saw this as a crime scene.
"When the Office for Underage Magic at Ministry recorded your Reducto and a few seconds later that unknown magical surge, and then nothing they forwarded the information to the Auror office.
"We realized that something was wrong here and realized you might be in extreme danger, it was late at night, and an attack was likely. Added to that I heard Remus - cry for help but as that was part of my duties with the Order of the Phoenix, and not as part of my auror duties, I could not say anything about it officially. However, I was on duty along with a few others but I did tell them that you wouldn't use the magic if it wasn't needed. From there we launched a response.
"We came with fifteen battle ready aurors, heyyyy... don't laugh, and we had the order to be on alert, hence thats for the fast response at you using magic. This was happening at the 'change of shift'. Ten aurors were just coming on duty to relieve ten aurors that had been on duty since six o'clock. We had twenty aurors total so we had five stay and the rest of us were here about forty-five seconds after your magic was recorded. It was only seconds later that Poppy 'flamed' in with Fawkes. By then the aurors had already secured the scene.
"Then came the headmaster with another eight people. It was close to becoming battle royal. It was only Poppy's exclamation about them being friends that averted a full-scale riot. From there we spoke to Petunia, she explained what had happened, and then we had Poppy calm her down.
"Aurors took the names of all the people Albus had brought in and we had Poppy go on with what she was doing. Healing the wounded, you first, then Vernon. She then checked Petunia's vitals just in case. Our own healer on the Auror team did later confirm what Poppy found through her scans and healed. We let it stand, and as all medical care is from Poppy, your medical records will not be on file in the ministry."
"Thank you, that explains a lot, who did Dumbledore have with him?"
"Snape, Minerva, Felix, Diggory, Alastor Moody, Arthur Weasley and the twins. Arthur and the twins did not return home until Poppy had me tell them that you were out of danger. The others, except Albus, disappeared as soon aurors had there names.
"Albus was not happy that the Ministry was involved, and that fast as well, but when it dawned him that there were two dead and if he wasn't backing away, he would be arrested, he disapparated too. He tried to take control again by having Poppy on stay on here. But was informed by Amelia either we replaced Poppy with our healer and all medical journals would be at the ministry or he needed to back off.
"I was here as auror and I can say that I was completely beside myself with worry for you too, but forced myself to do my job. Now my job is to be your bodyguard. This means that if you, I should say if we, are attacked then I am to sound the alarm and let the ministry know.
"The Ministry will still record the magic you use but will no longer react to your wand if you use magic with it because now you are on the 'ok list'. This means that I have a twenty-four hour job. I am to guard you, but it requires that you also allow me to be, otherwise other Aurors will be assigned, on a rotating schedule. Are you okay with me being your guard Harry?"
Harry noticed that she looked worried about his response. "Well Tonks, I'm ok with you around, as I mentioned earlier. But I have a question for you and I want an absolutely honest answer. I need you to answer and not just ignore the question or pretend I didn't ask you."
"OK - I'll try."
"Tonks - I like you as a friend and possibly as more but I have no experience of hugging and kissing or more. I like a lot of other girls too, Hermione is the big sister I never had. Ginny is at most, a little sister. Luna I have barely spoken to, but she seems to be ok with me, after all… she was at the ministry with us not that long ago. I'm younger than you but I'll be sixteen soon. I know you're a little older but over time, say a few years, it may not matter much. How do you see me? Am I the boy-who-took-out Voldemort, the boy-who-lived. Or is it Harry, the young slightly timid boy? Or do you see me as the task you find increasingly unpleasant but have to seek out?"
"Wow! Harry that was a declaration. You said it yourself there are years separating us. I feel younger than I really am and often can appear younger. You are mentally and behaviorally more of an adult than I am, in any case, and appear to be more adult than most. I may not see you as more than friend right now, but later on, I hope that you are still free."
"Okay Tonks, I can accept that. I also need all the support I can get. What many don't know is… immediately after the ministry fiasco, Dumbledore showed me the prophecy. It's about Voldemort and me. It's kill or be killed. One of us must die by the other's hand. This is why I can not have a girlfriend. I'd rather have you Tonks close to me than any of the other aurors. But what scares me, is that by being close to me, I expose you to danger."
"We'll talk more about it and try to plan for possible scenarios together later. Right now I think Petunia is preparing food for us." Replyed a slightly surprised jung auror.
:-:-:-:
To see and experience Petunia and Vernon invite any of his kind to eat at their table was like stepping into a whole new world for Harry. Vernon and Petunia even spoke politely to them. Can we say Twilight Zone anyone? Dudley had not yet fully comprehended what had happened that was plain to see. He had certainly heard what everyone had said. But to understand it, was hard for him, to understand most things, well… this was not Dudley's best ability. But he obeyed Vernon and Petunia's orders to treat Harry and his friends, with respect.
:-:-:-: EOC :-:-:-: