- Chapter 2 -
- Have you heard of the news? --
- Yes, I
have! -
- Oh my God, that's incredible! --
- In my opinion,
he is not here .-
- Oh yes! The Headmaster has decided to adopt
him! --
- Are you sure about that? -
-
At one hundred percent!-
- The baby will grow here, in the
school! -
- They said that he has incredible powers -
- He
defeated the Avada Kedavra Curse! -
- That's why I think
Dumbledore has adopted him and wants him to grow up in the school!
-
- I'm looking forward to seeing him! –
Ever
since the voice that little Harry Potter had been adopted by the old
Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, every student in the school just wished
to see the small "prodigy child".
Journalists, thanks to the
spells of the Headmaster and the surveillance of the professors,
hadn't managed to enter the castle yet.
Throughout the magical
world, no one had an idea about the appearance of the "boy who
lived", as he was called now: Albus Dumbledore didn't want to
show the child in public. Ten days have passed since that unholy or
happy night – it depended from the point of view - and the baby has
been only seen by some professors the Headmaster trusted completely.
During the first days of November the nurse, Madam Pomfrey ,
spent almost all her time in the Headmaster's office.
According
to what it was said, the battle hadn't left the little baby
completely unscathed, but he had reported only a thin scar on the
forehead.
Every newspapers around Great Britain and throughout
the world was talking about this baby and the non common power that
he was said to have.
Passing by on the seventh floor, just before
the stony guardian gargoyle at the entrance of the Headmaster's
office, occasionally you could hear a little laughter or the screams
of a baby.
It was night now.
Little Harry had been officially
adopted only two days before, but the baby was living in the
Headmaster's apartments for twelve days now.
Finally the scar
on his forehead had stopped burning continuously, the major cause of
the screams and cries of the baby.
Madam Pomfrey had assured that
now the child was perfectly healthy there was no need to stay closed
in that office.
-
Thank you, Poppy, - Dumbledore smiled. - Thanks a lot .-
- Duty,
Headmaster. I have only done my job, - the nurse smiled back.
-
Will you show him to the world, Albus? – Minerva asked, holding the
baby in her arms.
The wizard nodded: - I believe that now the
world is ready to see his rescuer. But be clear! I do not want him to
be turned into some phenomenon. Journalists won't enter this
school! Only the students will have the privilege of seeing the boy
who lived.-
- So it's the case to tell Mr Filch to warn the
kitchens that from today on Harry will eat with us in the Great Hall,
- Minerva smiled.
She stand up and put the baby into Albus'
arms.
- I go immediately – she said with a huge smile.
Just
before the sound of the bell, Albus stand up from his chair and
looked at Harry.
The little on was sitting on a carpet in the
middle of the floor, surrounded by all his toys.
Many of these
were fluctuating undisturbed all around the room and the little child
was really enjoying it.
Albus
stared at him for a long while and he suddenly saw the little baby
taking flight from the ground, like his toys.
The Headmaster let
him do so without worrying and saw the little Potter had approached
the closed windows and was looking with curiosity at the park of the
castle.
-
Grandpa! – He screamed pointing at the lake.
- What's the
matter, Harry? – The Headmaster asked standing up and going near
him.
He stretched his arms and took the child into them, thus
avoiding the risk of getting him injured.
- Ouide! – The child
said happily, indicating the park.
- What? - Albus asked,
smiling, but failing to understand what the little one meant.
-
Ouide, ouide! – He continued.
The Headmaster continued to stare at him, thoughtful.
When
Harry began to beat insistently the little fist onto the glass
indicating the courtyard, the wizard finally came to some
comprehension.
- Oh, you would like to go outside – He stated,
smiling.
- Yep, - Harry nodded, happy that his grandfather had
understood.
- Today I'll bring you outside, - Albus promised.
With the baby in his arms, Dumbledore started towards the door of
his office and exited.
- Ohh, - whispered the baby, seeing the
enormous griffon-shaped handle, and its excitement increased
incredibly when the mobile stairs were revealed.
Dumbledore
smiled broadly seeing the expressions painted on Harry's small
face.
When they began to walk down the corridor, all portraits
turned to watch them and their interest in the baby was returned
openly with the interest that the baby hold for them.
Then, when
the little baby then saw the ghosts… well, Albus had to exert a
considerable effort on the child to prevent him from flying too close
to them and risking to get injured.
Thanks to the pictures and the ghosts, the whole school knew that Albus had brought the child out of his office even before the lunch bell rang.
All
the students drove out of the classrooms to be able to have a look at
the most famous child in the world. And their curiosity was
fulfilled.
When they crossed the door of the enormous Great Hall,
they immediately saw the child sitting in a high chair to the right
of Dumbledore, while the Headmaster was trying to make Harry eat his
meal.
- Open your mouth, Harry, - Dumbledore smiled, filling the
spoon to feed the little one.
Harry
smiled happily and open up his mouth without keeping his eyes off the
precious object that Dumbledore hold in his hand and ready to eat all
his meals without complaining.
- Why does he eat so quietly
today? – Minerva asked, sitting next to the baby and staring at
him. - Usually it takes an eternity to make him eat and sleep.-
-
I promised I would take him outside in the park, if he eats all his
food – the old wizard smiled, guilty.
-
Ouide! Ouide! – The child laughed happily, Happy the small rise,
swallowing his food.
- Albus, this is called blackmail, - Minerva
said laughing too and started to eat.
Dumbledore laughed along
with the witch.
In
the meantime, all the students were not able to stop to stare at the
little baby that eating joyfully his meal.
They exchanged
comments of all kinds and many of them had not even begun eating in
order to look at every little movement of the boy who lived.
-
Now, Harry, - Dumbledore smiled, when the dish of small Harry was
finally empty. – Just stay here while I eat something and then we
will go outside, right? -
Harry smiled seeing the face of his
grandfather.
The wizard looked at that smile.
It reminded him
strangely of something… or someone.
It was not just a smile: it
was the same smug James wear when he was prevented from doing
something he wanted to do and he was ready to do it, anyway.
Dumbledore decided to ignore the problem for the moment and he started eating his meal… better not ignore such a smile!
In the same moment Dumbledore had kept his eyes off the child, Harry, with that smart smug on his small face, just took flight, freeing himself – no one knows how – from the highchair which was keeping him imprisoned.
When
Dumbledore noticed it, Harry had already flown over half the Great
Hall.
- Albus, do something! – Minerva shouted hysterically. -
The child could get hurt!-
Dumbledore continued to stare at
Harry, as everyone else in the Great Hall.
Harry's laugh was so loud that it was the only sound that could be heard in the Great Hall.
Dumbledore
watched him flying over the table of Gryffindor and then landing
slowly into the arms of one of them.
The Headmaster looked at the
boy that, unexpectedly, found Harry in his arms.
Hair red… some
freckles scattered on the face… Albus smiled, recognizing the first
of the children of Arthur and Molly Weasley, Bill, attending his
first year at Hogwarts.
- Hey, little one –Bill smiled, a bit
shocked but happy that the baby had landed in his arms.
All his
neighbors leaned to have a closer look at the baby.
- He is
beautiful, - smiled sweetly Olivia Toore, on of Bill's classmates.
Harry smiled, happy to get all those attention. He smiled even
more broadly when he stand up on Bill's legs and began to pass his
hands through the red fire hair of the young Weasly.
He laughed while putting the hair in disorder: it was really a great fun!
-
Harry, what do you think of me eating a little as I'm starving? –
Bill laughed, busy with the baby while his stomach was beginning to
reclaim food.
It seemed like Harry understood that the boy was
hungry because he let Bill help him to sit down in on the boy's
legs.
Harry was so short that his face just arrived at the wooden surface of the table.
He put up an annoyed expression and he was so loving that many girls were just melting in front of him.
-
Wait, - Bill said.
He took the child into his arms and he let him
seat on the table, after making some space.
-
Here you are. Happy now? -
- Yep, - the baby smiled.
Bill
smiled too. He stretched his hand to take a fork and eat something,
but the fork began to fly before he could take it.
Little Harry sprang open his mouth laughing.
The
meat cut into small pieces without any knife and, one at a time,
Harry made them arrive in flight in his little mouth, chewing and
swallowing them diligently, one by one.
Bill broke out laughing.
- Professor, - he said to the Headmaster. - I think Harry no
longer wishes of the homogenized, but prefers grilled meat! --
The
whole Great Hall exploded into a sound laugh.
- So, that's why
he always did so many whims whenever he had to eat, - Dumbledore
laughed.
