J.K. Rowling owns everything in the known Potterverse. She has the rights to all the awesomeness, and I'm just playing in it. I hope she doesn't sue, because the court costs would probably bankrupt me...
A/N; Hello all! This chapter took a little longer than expected, life in the military rarely fits a schedule, but it's out within a week like promised! I want to give an incredible amount of credit and my thanks to my new beta HoneyBear0805. She definitely helped figure out my absurdity. You should all thank her, because this is a much better chapter with her than it was without her!
ALERT: In a review from Nymphadora, I found out that my title was incredibly over used and not even the slightest bit creative. Due to the bad experiences readers may have had with similarly named stories I will be changing the title starting with Chapter 5. The new title is Harry Potter and the Rising Tides, which I like better anyway. So for chapter 5, search that title, or go to my profile page. I hope you all keep reading! And let me know how I'm doing!
Chapter 4
Harry regained consciousness to the sound of many different voices. He recognized a few of them; Remus talking quietly with Tonks nearby, Dumbledore giving orders further away, the Weasley brothers talking and laughing behind him somewhere. It took Harry a few moments to realize where he was, but as he did his eyes shot open. "Remus," he turned to his left trying to stand up, but was unable as his legs were locked together.
"Easy, Harry. I'm breathing, barely." Harry could hear the weakness in the wizard's voice, and watched as he and Tonks moved closer but stopped a few paces away. "You're under the invisibility cloak. We can't risk the Aurors seeing you, hence the leg-locker curse. We both know you aren't the most cautious wizard in the world."
"Why can't they see me? It doesn't matter now, right? They didn't know that you got me out of there last night."
"True," Tonks appeared as if she were speaking to Remus, but allowed her voice to carry to Harry. "But Dumbledore is worried that if the Aurors see you they will attempt to bring you into the ministry."
"What? Why?"
Remus let out an angry growl. "'Questioning.'"
"Questioning? About what?"
"No idea, but that's what they're saying. Clearly neither you nor we want you to go to the ministry. So just shut your trap for a bit, until the Aurors remove the anti-portkey ward and we can get you out of here." Tonks turned to Remus. "Shite, here comes Dawlish."
Harry watched as Tonks walked into the street to meet the Auror further from where he was laying, immobile and invisible. Harry felt dead tired, and could not even come up with the energy to attempt to eavesdrop. He whispered to Remus, who had turned his back on Tonks and Dawlish in order to not appear as if he were talking to himself. "Professor Dumbledore said the Weasley's and the Granger's were at headquarters. What happened to the Burrow?"
"Nothing. But one of our sources tipped us off to multiple attempts on various Weasley's in the near future, so we decided it would be safest to move them to your house. I hope that's ok, I didn't think to ask your permission."
Harry mumbled something inaudible, and Remus quickly picked up on what was bothering the young man. "Harry, quit it. It's not your fault. The Weasley's have all entered this war voluntarily, of course there are going to be dangers. Don't blame yourself for things that you have no control over."
Harry's response was cut off as Tonks returned. "Dawlish wanted to know if I'd seen Harry. I didn't feel like it was necessary to tell him exactly how much of Harry I've seen. So I said no."
This snapped Harry out of his self-contemptuous state. "Tonks," he hissed. "You didn't… you weren't there… did you see…"
"I was there for almost twenty four hours," Tonks cut off his blathering. "Even I have to go to the bathroom every now and then!"
"B-but you could have… you didn't have to…"
Finally Remus took pity on the invisible young wizard. "Harry, she's kidding. Of course she changed back into herself to use the bathroom."
"Sure about that, old man?" Tonks grinned at Remus. "But don't worry, Harry, I can control everything about my appearance, and I was very… generous."
Remus laughed as Harry audibly choked on his own tongue. "Tonks! Quit that! Harry's had a rough day!"
"Yes, Dad." Tonks sent a wink to both Harry, then Remus and began to walk away. "Oh yeah," she called over her shoulder, tripping and nearly falling over the curb as she did. "The anti-portkey wards are gone. Time for you to leave Harry."
Harry reached his hand out from the invisibility cloak to grab the stray piece of mail that Remus had turned into a portkey. "When you get there, go to sleep Harry," Remus said, cancelling the leg-locker. "Let the Weasley's deal with your Aunt and Uncle."
Damn. Harry thought. The Dursley's. He felt the tug of the portkey pulling him away, toward both his least and most favorite families.
As Harry landed in the entrance way of Number 12 Grimmauld Place unsurprisingly falling to the floor, he barely missed the stairway railing. As he collected himself and removed his invisibility cloak, he heard the voices in the kitchen.
"Don't you dare speak to my mum like that!" Ron was yelling at the top of his voice, and Harry didn't have to guess at whom he was yelling.
"I'll speak to her however I bloody well please, boy. Until you freaks get me and my family back home, I will speak…"
Vernon Dursley was cut off by a voice Harry couldn't place, but guessed that it was Mr. Granger, Hermione's father. "Vernon, this won't help. Come into the sitting room with Mary and I. I have a cousin who has done business with Grunnings, perhaps you know him?"
Harry backed into the corner, wishing to avoid having Uncle Vernon see him and blow his top. Unfortunately, he backed into the portrait of Sirius' mother, causing her to shriek in Harry's ear. "TRAITORS! MUDBLOODS! MUGGLES! IN MY HOUSE! MUGGLES DEFILING THE NOBLE HOUSE OF BLACK! HOW DARE YOU!"
Harry rushed to pull the curtains over the portrait, muffling the shouts, but the damage was done. Vernon Dursley stormed into the entranceway having caught sight of Harry. "You! This is your fault, boy. I demand you get us out of here now or else!"
"Yes Uncle Vernon, just calm down and we'll get…"
"Calm down! You kidnap me and my family from our home, and bring us to this unnatural place with these freaks you call friends, and tell me to calm down! HOW DARE YOU!" Vernon stepped towards Harry, face purple, arms outstretched.
Before he could take his third step, however, his eyes glazed over and he fell slowly to the ground face first. Harry stepped to his right, to avoid be smashed under the weight of his Uncle, and finally got a view of Ron Weasley, wand outstretched. "All right, Harry?" Ron's face of loathing turned into a grin as he looked at his best mate.
"All right." Harry returned the grin. "Nice one," he said, nudging Vernon's beefy hand with his foot.
"S'nothin. He was starting to sound a lot like Sirius' mum." Ron flattened himself to the wall as Petunia and Dudley Dursley rushed past him and flung themselves on the still form of Vernon. "Kitchen?"
Harry stepped around his hysterical 'family,' and hugged his best friend, then followed Ron down the hallway to the kitchen. "I don't know why he keeps doing that," Harry said, flicking his head back towards his Uncle. "The past three times he's yelled at me he's been cursed. Pavlov is rolling over in his grave."
"Who?" Ron had clearly never heard of the muggle scientist.
"Nobody," Harry laughed. "Good to see you, mate."
"Yeah," Ron hesitated. "But it would have been nice to hear from you too, Harry."
Harry was saved from responding by Molly Weasley catching sight of him as they entered the kitchen. "Harry! Oh thank heavens. We were so worried!" Harry smiled as he was wrapped in a bone-crushing hug, reveling briefly in her mothering, before pulling away.
"I'm fine, Mrs. Weasley. It's good to see you." Harry looked around and saw that the twins had beaten him back from the battle.
"All right, Harry?"
"Fine. You?"
"We're both fine."
"Not even a scratch."
"To anyone actually…"
"Quite strange, wouldn't you say?"
"Now boys, I'm sure Harry is tired. Let him relax." Molly Weasley set a bowl of soup at the table and forced Harry into a seat. He smiled across the table, at who could have only been Hermione's mother.
Dr. Mary Granger shared her daughter's bushy brown hair, though hers was cut shorter and pulled back. Harry couldn't help but notice she had remarkably white teeth, though her front two were slightly larger than the others. Harry stood and extended his hand. "Hello, I'm Harry Potter."
"Well of course you are! I'm Mary Granger, this is my husband Robert." Harry shook hands with the man beside Mrs. Granger, who had a smile on his face.
Robert Granger was large, easily a foot taller than Harry. He had the build of a muscular man gone slightly to seed, but gave off an impressive aura none the less. He had thinning brown hair, and light brown eyes behind wire-rimmed glasses. Dr. Granger also had impeccable teeth, and showed each one with his smile. "Hello, Harry. We've heard so much about you from Hermione. It's a pleasure to finally meet you."
"You as well, sir. Hermione thinks the world of you both."
"Well of course I do! They're my parents!" Hermione was standing in the doorway, wand behind ear, book in hand. Harry grinned as he rushed to greet her, enveloping her in a hug so fierce it surprised them both. "Hello, Harry. We've missed you!"
"I've missed you too, Hermione." As they stepped apart Harry noticed the youngest Weasley standing behind Hermione on the other side of the doorframe. She seemed nervous, and reluctant to enter the room. Harry, however, solved this problem for her, grabbing her into a hug as well. "Ginny. It's great to see you."
Harry noticed as her cheeks blushed prettily, and she brushed the hair out of her face. "Sorry 'bout the Howler, Harry."
Harry laughed out loud, a laugh of pure happiness as he was thrilled to be back with his family. "Don't worry about it Gin, it was exactly what I needed." Ginny blushed again, but smiled at Harry before sitting down at the table and helping herself to Harry's bowl of soup.
"Ginevra! Harry has just been through a fight with Death Eaters, he should not have to fight for his food as well!" Mrs. Weasley's reprimand was softened with a smile, as she poured another bowl and set it down next to Ginny. "Here you are, Harry dear."
"Thanks Mrs. Weasley." As Harry moved to take a seat, feeling very tired now, he made a quick decision. "Mrs. Weasley, Dr.'s Granger, I need to apologize."
"For what, son?" The confusion evident in Robert Granger's eyes.
"For being a terrible friend to your daughter," he lowered his eyes, legitimately ashamed. "And your entire family, Mrs. Weasley. I was in a dark place this summer… well, to be honest I'm not sure I'm out of it, and I never responded to their letters. I tried to push them away, to protect them, and I've only just recently realized how inconsiderate I was being." Harry looked to Ginny at this, who had decided her soup required her entire concentration, avoiding Harry's gaze.
"A very smart witch let me know that you don't push family away, and I feel terrible for it, and I hope that you can forgive me for treating your children that way." Harry finished staring at his own bowl of soup, slightly embarrassed by his speech.
"We all make mistakes," Harry looked up to see the understanding on Mrs. Granger's face. "Just make sure you learn from them, or you will repeat them." Harry looked to Mr. Granger who was nodding his agreement, and Mrs. Weasley who was smiling despite her watery eyes, embarrassing Harry further.
"Ron, Ginny, Hermione, Fred, George," Harry began, intent on making all of his apologies now. "I'm…"
"Shut it, Harry." Ginny interrupted him.
"Indeed, Harry…" One of the twins picked up where Ginny left off.
"After living with Ron for so long…"
"We're used to dealing with prats."
"No apology necessary."
"Like you said, Harry," Ron interrupted. "We're family. Brothers don't apologize."
The room was silent for a moment, and Harry could almost feel the love around him. The moment, however, was interrupted as Hermione let out a frustrated sob. "Boys!" She hugged each of them, causing the tension in the room to ease into laughter.
Harry was relieved to have that burden off his chest, and was glad he had his family with him for the rest of his recovery. Harry hated these awkward situations, and hated talking about feelings even more, but he was determined to set things right with those he cared the most about. The conversation eventually shifted back to the battle that took place on Privet Drive, with Ginny and Ron needling the twins for information as Harry devoured his soup.
"No, Ron, everyone is fine," George began. "Any of the curses that seemed to be headed our way either died before they reached us, or changed angles."
"Yeah, it was very surreal. Almost like we had some sort of protection," continued Fred, causing Harry to remember something.
"You did! Dumbledore. He shielded me as we left the Dursley's. He must have done the same to you. Didn't you feel it?"
The twins shared a quick look. "No, Harry, I didn't feel anything…"
"But then, we were quite busy."
"Isn't that just like Dumbledore," Mrs. Weasley added, for once not stopping the talk of war. The fact that her family was alive an unharmed probably didn't hurt. "He is always looking out for us. I don't know what we would do without him."
"Probably be much better off, with terribly boring lives, enjoying a terribly boring summer vacation doing whatever you please." Dumbledore stood in the doorway, and Harry wondered why everyone seemed to have perfect timing with their entrances today.
"Nonsense, Albus. Can I offer you some soup?"
"No thank you, Molly. I really must be off. I just wanted to stop in and check on everyone." His eyes cast around the room and settled on Harry. "We have re-warded the Dursley residence, and set up an around-the-clock guard. It is as safe as I can make it, Harry, and as your Uncle seemed so adamant in not wanting to be here I decided to go ahead and send them back. I'm sorry if I deprived you of a heart-felt farewell…" Dumbledore trailed off, blue eyes twinkling.
Harry smiled in return. "No sir, we had our goodbye earlier."
"I noticed. Mr. Weasley, I see you got you wish," the Headmaster's gaze fell on Ron, who blushed. "I would expect nothing less from such a loyal friend," Dumbledore finished, easing Ron's discomfort. "Harry, Remus would like you to know he will be by in a few hours. He wanted to stop and get some pain reliever potion and I believe he is seeing Miss Tonks home safely."
"Thank you, sir." Harry could not contain his grin, happy for his friend. Dumbledore said his goodbyes, and left Headquarters just as the rest of the Weasley's entered.
Harry, feeling quite tired now decided to go upstairs for a quick nap. He thought about going to Sirius' old room, but decided he could not deal with that right now and entered his familiar room instead. As he shut his eyes, his last thought was that being at this house wasn't as hard as he thought it would be. And he couldn't tell if he was happy or ashamed by that.
Harry was woken gently from his nap by Mrs. Weasley's voice. "Harry, dear. Professor Dumbledore and Remus are here and would like to speak to you if you're feeling up to it."
The last part was said as more of a question, and Harry, sensing a challenge, grudgingly swung his legs off the bed. "Of course, Mrs. Weasley. Tell them I'll be right there."
"Alright," Mrs. Weasley sighed, clearly thinking he could use a bit more sleep. "They're in the kitchen when you're ready."
Of course they are, Harry thought as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. He was startled out of his grogginess by an unexpected voice from the corner of the room. "Feel like some company, mate?"
Harry looked to Ron, who was sitting at a nearby table with Hermione who Harry was not surprised to see had her nose buried in a book. "No thanks, I'll tell you all the boring stuff later."
Harry grinned as he heard a derisive snort and stepped out of the room making his way to the kitchen. As he reached the bottom of the stairwell he almost ran into Ginny, who seemed to be wandering aimlessly around the house, looking for something to do.
"Hi, Harry! You feeling better?"
"Oh yeah. Short nap refilled the tank."
"Short? Try three hours, silly."
"Yeah," Harry tried to play it off. "Short enough that I don't sleep the day away, long enough so I don't have to deal with your pack of brothers."
"No kidding," the redhead giggled as she headed into the family room. Harry stepped through the open doorway of the kitchen, and seeing its sole occupants were his headmaster and Remus, decided to close the door.
"Thank you, Harry." Dumbledore was looking very drawn. "Tea?"
"Yes please. Is everything ok Professor?"
Dumbledore looked up from his own cup of tea and gave a small smile. "Of course it is. Well as ok as things can be with competent Death Eaters and incompetent ministry officials running around."
"If it were any different, it just wouldn't be the same," Harry said with a grin.
Remus chuckled from his seat at the table. "Sounds like a Padfoot-ism."
"Seriously?" Harry pasted an innocent look on his face as Remus groaned.
"Stop it."
"What's got your hackles raised, Moony?"
"Ugh. You've got one more before I curse you."
"Sorry. I can see I'm barking up the wrong tree."
"Aaaand… you're done. Congratulations Harry. Those were nearly as bad his would have been."
"Seriously?"
"I hate you."
Harry could see the mirth in Remus' eyes despite his act of annoyance. It felt good to be able to joke about Sirius without feeling like his insides were tearing apart. This, as Ginny had suggested was what Sirius would have wanted. To be remembered fondly but not painfully. Harry, though rarely certain about anything, had no doubts about that.
"Anyway," Dumbledore intervened, smiling and twinkling away. "We've come by to ask you a few questions and to answer any of yours that we can, Harry."
"Sounds good, sir. You first?"
"Alrighty!" Dumbledore clapped his hands together and shifted in his seat, looking every bit the schoolboy about to hear a good story. "I overheard that you told the Weasley's that you felt my shield as we left the Dursley's residence. Is this true?"
"Yes professor. I felt it the minute it went up. A sort of electrically charged tingling. Why?"
"It's just not very common, that's all," Remus explained. "Surprise, surprise. Harry Potter breaking the realm of the conventional."
Harry grinned as Dumbledore continued. "I would guess the number of people that can feel magic that closely can be counted on two hands and maybe a couple toes. It represents a unique and close bond with magic, and I think it is something on which we should get you some instruction."
Harry merely shrugged, too mentally drained to appreciate the fact that he was once again set apart from the collective. He looked at Remus as the werewolf cleared his throat. "Harry, we were also wondering what spell it was that you used when I was under the Cruciatus. Thanks for that by the way."
"The first was a banishing curse at the leader, and I just put all the strength I had into it. The second at the larger group was a blasting curse that I just spread out to take down as many as possible." Harry frowned as Remus chuckled and Dumbledore tried to hide a smile. "I'm not going to like the explanations to the amusement, am I?"
"Harry, you have no idea how many theories on magic you disproved today, do you?" Remus replied shaking his head.
"What? How did I disprove any theories?"
"Well, hypothetically speaking, you shouldn't be able to make a curse more or less powerful by will alone," said Dumbledore, his eyes twinkling. "A spell is a spell. It's the same for every wizard, and is believed to be unchanging."
"Yeah, but a banishing curse from you will clearly be more powerful than from a first year, so I don't see how that's any different."
"Correct, Harry. But that has to do with my levels of magic, not the spell itself. Yes, spells from different wizards will have different levels of power, but a properly fired curse should always have the same power when cast by the same wizard. So technically, what you did was impossible."
Harry frowned at his headmaster's playful tone. "Of course it was. Why wouldn't it be?"
"Also, Harry, the blasting curse being changed to fit your will is also thought to be impossible. There are different variations of spells, but to bend a spell to fit a specific purpose without using a different incantation also fits into the realm of impossibility."
"You really piled it on today, Harry," Remus interjected with a comforting smile.
"But I didn't mean to! I didn't know those things shouldn't work! Why am I always the bloody exception?" Harry cast a quick look to his headmaster, who seemed unconcerned by his outburst or his language.
"I have ideas, Harry. But that is all they are at the moment."
"Any you wouldn't mind sharing with the person whom they are about, professor?" Harry couldn't help hiding the icy tone in his voice, realizing he was about to be kept in the dark again.
Dumbledore covered a brief look of guilt and replied. "My apologies, Harry. I promised you I would not do that to you anymore, but old dogs, you know." Remus snapped a look at the headmaster, trying to figure out if that was another Sirius pun, but decided it wasn't and relaxed. "If I had to guess I would say it is a combination of two things," Dumbledore continued.
"The first being the same closer relationship that you seem to have with magic itself. Magic is not necessarily sentient, but neither is it inanimate. It can pick and choose when and how to appear, and in your case who to work closer with. I believe that your ability to bend magic may simply be a product of magic allowing you to do things many others can't.
"The second is something that I would rather think about before discussing it, if that is agreeable with you, Harry. I do not mean to keep things from you, but this is a very new idea to me and I would ask the time to study it more before voicing it if you don't mind."
Harry thought about this, and realized secrets were still being kept from him, but at least this time Dumbledore was acknowledging that there were secrets. Not a huge step for progress, but Harry figured any movement in the right direction is a good thing. "That's fine, professor," Harry finally replied, but decided he would at least get something out of it. "As long as you answer my next two questions."
"My boy, if the answers are in my power they will be yours."
"Why did you let me fight?"
Dumbledore blinked at the bluntness and sincerity in the boy in front of him, and once again mentally cringed at the mistakes he had made that led to the insecurity in Harry. "Because, Harry, you are a smart young man, with enormous magical potential. Also you've proven how helpful you can be in a good fight." Dumbledore tried to keep his tone light hearted, as he realized this topic could quickly become very emotional for all parties.
"But why now? After almost 15 years of trying to protect me, why let me fight now?"
Dumbledore sighed, trying to figure out where to begin. "This summer has been incredibly tough on you so far, Harry. And though I do not dare claim to know how you are feeling, I will admit it has been a tough one for me as well. I did not want you locked up at the Dursley's, but I was stuck trying to appease the ministry and keep you safe. During the past month or so I've realized just how much you offer to our world, but trying to keep you hidden away and safe will only hinder your growth.
"That, and Vernon Dursley did remind me how much of your parents you have inside of you, and I would have hated to see the reaction if I had asked either James or Lily to sit out from what promised to be a good scrap."
Remus smiled at this, remembering his friends' fire well. "Chances are you would have had two fights on your hands, Albus."
"No doubt," Dumbledore nodded. "And it's not a hard decision of who I'd rather fight if it was between James and Lily or fifty Death Eaters…" Harry smiled as Dumbledore visibly cringed, and felt pride growing inside himself knowing that his parents were that intimidating.
"My second question is for you, Moony."
Remus smiled at the sudden use of the nickname. "Fire away, Harry."
"Who was that Death Eater?"
"Yes, I was wondering that myself," Dumbledore agreed.
Remus leaned back in his chair and rubbed his face. Harry, who had been under the Cruciatus before, realized his friend must still be feeling its effects.
"Shaun Witten."
Dumbledore sat up straighter. "I was wondering if he would surface."
"Oh ok," Harry replied. "Shaun Witten. That explains everything."
Remus sighed, but knew he needed to explain himself. "Harry after your parents died, and Sirius went to Azkaban, I was in a bad place. I struggled to find things to occupy my time, couldn't hold down a job, and basically sunk into a very deep depression. When I was at my lowest Shaun Witten showed up at my door.
"I knew Shaun from Hogwarts, he was a year younger. A few years after we graduated I heard he had been bitten by a werewolf while camping with some of his friends. After I invited him in we talked about his brief experience as a werewolf, and I learned he eventually fully accepted it. He sought out the largest pack in Britain and quickly entrenched himself as one of its leaders. Shaun talked with me for a long time that day, and eventually convinced me to join his pack.
"For a few months it was great. Not being an outcast or abnormal, it was nice fitting in again. In the first three months I was shown nothing but hospitality, and did not see any of the bloodthirst werewolves are famous for. At the end of my third month, Shaun invited me to join the upper echelon for the transformation. It was then that I saw what a monster he was.
"Shaun led us to a village he had found, and a family that had six young children. Before I could even attempt to intervene, Shaun had killed the father, and the rest of the group was rounding up the children. Even as a werewolf I knew this was pure evil, but it was hard to resist the urge to join them. I was finally able to break out of the hunger that had overtaken me, but I was too late. The group had bitten every single one of the children. Horrified, I turned and ran into the woods.
"I spent three weeks hiding from Shaun and his pack, and eventually escaped to Hogwarts, and Albus."
Remus had a tortured look on his face, but managed to keep himself together. "That was the last time I ever saw Shaun, and it was the moment that I decided I would never become a monster again."
"Moony," Harry struggled to find the right words. "I… I had no idea."
Remus gave a brief smile. "How could you have? It's ok, Harry. It haunts me every day, but like many things, I've learned to deal with it. Once again, I have to thank you for intervening today, Harry. If Shaun had managed to capture me, I can't even imagine what he would have forced me to do."
Harry didn't know what to say, but vowed to always be there for his father and godfather's best friend. "Of course, Moony. You would have done the same for me."
There was a long moment of silence, had all three wizards were lost in their own thoughts. Eventually, Dumbledore realizing it was getting late, turned to Harry.
"Harry, I've been thinking about this coming school year."
"And have you come to any conclusions, sir?"
"A few," Dumbledore smiled. "One is that I want you to continue the DA."
"I was hoping to do that anyway, Professor. You're not going to do anything like ask for Snape to sit in are you?"
"Professor Snape would undoubtedly jump at the opportunity, but no, I realize that you would never agree to it. I believe the DA is important for the students, even with the chances of an upgrade at the Defense professor slot."
"Won't take much, sir."
"Indeed," Dumbledore seemed lost in a memory, and had a very disgusted look on his face. "Also, Harry, I was wondering if you wouldn't mind a little extra training on top of the DA."
"With you, Professor?" Harry's immediate reaction was to jump at the chance, and he had a hard time keeping the excitement out of his voice.
"For some of it, yes. And I'm sure Remus here would like the opportunity as well."
"Damn straight, Albus."
"But my main thought was bringing in an old friend. I believe you could learn a lot from him, and he owes me a favor."
"I'm up for it, Professor. On one condition."
"Which is?"
"I don't have to quit the quidditch team."
Dumbledore's eyes snapped open in surprise. "Of course not, Harry! I believe James would find a way to haunt me for the rest of my days if I asked you to quit playing quidditch." Harry visibly relaxed as Dumbledore continued. "I was thinking more of lessening your class load to the essentials to free up some time."
Harry grinned at the thought of Hermione's face when he told her he was dropping some classes. "I love the idea, sir."
"Thought you would," Dumbledore said, eyes twinkling. "Now I really must be off. I'm an old man, and I'm tired."
Harry doubted very much that his headmaster was done for the day, but said his goodbyes without arguing. Remus had yet to move from his seat at the table, and Harry took this to mean he had more he wanted to talk about. He refilled his cup of tea and sat back, waiting for Remus to speak first.
"There's something we need to talk about, Harry," he began, but Remus seemed to change his mind halfway through the sentence. "But I don't think I feel up for it tonight."
"Well thanks for the teaser, Moony," Harry laughed. "Can you at least tell me what it's about?"
"It's about why the ministry was keeping such close tabs on you. It's nothing to worry about, but it's something we're going to have to act on soon. So let's go get some lunch tomorrow and talk about it. Sound good?"
Harry nodded, slightly confused. "Sure. I might be awake by lunch time."
Remus smiled and stood up. "Great. Let's go to Diagon Alley. I have a craving for a sundae."
Harry moved to help Remus, as he was clearly very sore from the battle. "I'm always up for ice cream, Moony. Maybe I'll invite the gang to join us after lunch?"
"Fine with me," Remus smiled. He looked at the boy who supported him and realized he didn't have to look as far down as he thought he would. "Moony, eh?"
"Less weird than Remus," Harry explained. He helped Remus to the fireplace and grabbed the pot of floo powder. "You don't mind?"
"Not at all, Harry," Remus smiled. "Not at all."
"Here you are, sir." Harry took his hot fudge sundae from the girl working the register at Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor. He couldn't help notice that she was very cute. She had long blonde hair, bright blue eyes, and was obviously flirting with Harry.
"Thank you," he replied with a smile, which the girl returned. He stepped out of the very crowded shop onto the patio that overlooked the busiest part of Diagon Alley. Gringotts was in front of him and to the left and most of the traffic was converging in that direction. Harry found a table in the corner of the patio and sat down. Remus joined a moment later with a sundae piled so high and with so many toppings Harry was trying to decide how many seconds he would give it before it toppled.
"Fifteen seconds."
Remus, at first confused and the random exclamation, quickly caught on when he saw Harry staring at his sundae. "No way. Half of it will be gone by then."
Harry laughed and dug into his own sundae, enjoying the cold dessert as it was getting quite warm out. Neither wizard spoke for a few minutes, as they were both concerned with eating as much as they could before the heat turned the ice cream into a puddle at the bottom of the bowl. Eventually they conceded defeat to the sun and dropped their spoons.
"We should do this more often," Harry said, glad to be back in the wizarding world.
"Is twice daily too often?" Remus clearly enjoyed his sundae, and was looking through one of the menus placed on the table.
"Eat here twice daily, Moony, and you'll be the size of Uncle Vernon in three weeks. But I guess that would make transformations fun. I doubt your legs would even reach the ground."
"Yeah, I guess you're right. Nobody likes an obese werewolf."
Harry laughed and looked into the alley, seeing a few familiar faces here and there in the crowd. "I think it's just that nobody likes a werewolf."
"Yeah I guess you're right. Or obesity in general for that matter…"
Harry burst out laughing as a heavy witch at the table next to them overheard Remus and shot them a very disapproving look. Remus also let out a short laugh, clearly not very concerned that in lasting emotion damage was done to the witch.
"So what did you need to talk to me about, Moony?"
Remus shifted his weight in his chair, unsure of where to begin. "How much do you know of the wizarding government, Harry?"
"Enough to know that the current one is inept and corrupt," Harry spat, not bothering to hide his disgust with the current ministry.
"Good, then you wouldn't mind trying to fix it, right?"
Harry, confused as to what his old teacher sat up straighter. "What are you saying, Moony? Does this have to do with why they felt the need to watch me for the past three weeks?"
"It does," the werewolf replied. "But also much more than that."
Harry sat silent, waiting for Remus to continue, as he knew something important was coming. As much as he would love to see the ministry reformed, he was still unsure how it had anything to do with him.
"The Ministry of Magic was founded based on two ideas. The first is that any of age witch or wizard should be able to vote for the minister, and any important legislation that arises. The second," Remus paused looking out at the passersby in the alley. "Is the idea that the main legislative and judicial body is made up of the heads of the largest and most influential wizarding families.
"Depending on how large the family, the number of seats will vary. For instance, if my family was part of the Wizengamot I would get one vote, or seat. If I have fifteen sons, and each of those has fifteen sons, then the number of Lupin seats would be increased. So the larger the family, the higher number of seats."
"That doesn't seem right," Harry interrupted. "All someone would have to do to gain the majority is have a ton of kids."
"True, but you have to remember that wizards are much more free thinking than most muggles in their respective governments. Very seldom do alliances form, even between family members, based on the sole fact that each person is allowed his or her own voice and has the power to back it up. The Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot is elected by the general population, not the Wizengamot itself, and any legislation written also has to go through a general vote. So it would be much more work and trouble than it is worth to try and form an effective majority within the Wizengamot when there is still a very slim chance unfair legislation will be passed."
"But unfair legislation is passed every day! Think of Umbridge."
"Time of war, Harry. The minister has the ability to declare a state of emergency if the Wizengamot deems it necessary, basically granting himself the power to write his own laws. As much as I hate to say it, it seems the mistakes of the past few years have been based on the stupidity of one man alone."
"That's not very comforting."
"Not at all. And this isn't to say that unjust legislation is never passed. Wizards, just like muggles are very fearful people. If you prey on a group's fears, chances are they will side however you want them to."
"Is that how the magical creatures laws got put into place?"
"The more idiotic ones? Yes."
"Ok, I've got the foundation of the ministry, but what does it have to do with me?"
"Well, Harry, being a direct descendent of one of the oldest families in the country, you already have the rights to one seat in the Wizengamot. The Potter seat has been empty since your parents died, but when you turn sixteen it will reopen. Not to say you have to use it, but it is there."
"Why sixteen? Wizards come of age at seventeen."
"Holdover from earlier times. Wizards used to come of age at sixteen, and if they were given the opportunity of going to school it usually only lasted for four years, from the ages of twelve to sixteen."
"Ok," Harry replied, finally understanding how he fit into all of this. "That makes sense. So I have one seat at the Wizengamot."
"Well, not exactly," Remus paused, again trying to find the right words. "The House of Black is also part of the Wizengamot, historically, and as Sirius legally left everything to you in his will, you are the head of that family, too."
"So I have two seats?"
"Five."
"Five!" Harry's confusion came through in his voice. "The Black family has four seats?"
"Think about it, Harry. There are more Black's running around than Bellatrix. Narcissa Malfoy for instance, which also brings in Draco. Also, Tonks and her entire family. Just because their names are no longer Black doesn't mean they are no longer part of the family."
"So I have seats for people that married into other families?"
"Yes. The Malfoy's do not get credit for Narcissa as she married into the family. She is still, at least primarily, in the government's eyes a Black."
"Awesome. I have a family consisting of mostly Death Eaters. I should have a family reunion."
"You could," Remus laughed. "But for some reason I think it would be very awkward at best."
"So I'm the head of two families and have five seats in the Wizengamot. Five out of how many?"
"Right now there are a total of fifty-seven seats on the Wizengamot, and in a few weeks' time you will control nearly ten percent of them."
"Yikes. That doesn't seem like enough, overall."
"There are many that would agree with you. There hasn't been any new families allowed into the Wizengamot for nearly three centuries, and that is a very hot topic in those interested in governmental policy. For instance, the Weasley's do not have a single seat, as Arthur's grandparents were not from the area. The Prewitt's are also a relatively new family, so for as many crazy red-heads as there are, no seats."
"That's dumb."
"I agree, Harry. But unlike you, my opinion on the subject doesn't matter." Remus paused, allowing the gravity of the situation to settle on the boy in front of him. "It is definitely something we are going to have to think about, and plan for in the coming weeks."
"Of course. But I still don't understand why that would mean the ministry would be watching me."
"Some could call it protecting their interests, but not in the traditional way."
Harry could not hide the confusion on his face, so Remus quickly continued. "Fudge knows you won't support him, and he knows once you have seats in the Wizengamot people will get to know you, and realize you aren't quite the spawn of evil he has made you out to be. I'm not saying he was hoping you would get attacked, but it would have definitely made it easier on him, and he was hoping to get a head start on reorganizing if you did."
"Reorganizing?"
"That's right. In a state of emergency, if the head of a family with seats in the Wizengamot is killed, the minister has the right to pass on those seats to anyone, as opposed to letting them disappear. And you, and what you represent, would mean quite a swing in support for Fudge."
"So he was watching me so he could know when I died. How lovely."
"He is one of a kind, Harry."
"Well I'm sorry to disappoint him. I just don't understand how he's still the minister."
"Well there are rumors that many in the Wizengamot is looking for a way to kick him out of office, but as of now they haven't found one. He has become incredibly tight with the agencies and committees he is in charge of, so many people are nervous to go head-to-head with him and risk their job, or that of members of their family."
"Speaking of which, why did Tonks, Kingsley, and Moody fight with us yesterday if they would be risking their jobs?"
"Because they know what's at stake, and they are all hard to replace, besides Moody. Alastor Moody is long retired, so Fudge can't really do a damn thing to him. Kingsley is the second in command of the entire auror force, and is so well liked that if he were fired, many of the aurors would follow him out. Tonks, however, is somewhat of an enigma." Remus smiled fondly, as did Harry, thinking of the fiery witch.
"The aurors can't really stand to do without her and her abilities, but she's made it pretty hard for herself to get promoted. We believe Fudge would rather have her for part of the time, than have Dumbledore have her for all of it.
"Also, Fudge doesn't want to be seen directly acting against the headmaster, just as Dumbledore fears being seen acting against the ministry. No matter how much those two detest each other, Fudge knows how much support Dumbledore has, and Dumbledore respects the role of Minister too much to downright oppose it. Not to say he isn't trying every day within the Wizengamot. But there is only so much that can be said with reporters waiting for a headline.
"Fudge is content allowing Dumbledore to have the Order, especially as long as we keep producing results. So in essence, it's a power struggle stalemate."
"No, it's just frustrating," Harry replied. "I wish Dumbledore would just force him out, take over as minister, and be done with it."
"That would make things incredibly easier, but Dumbledore is doing too much as it is. I just wish we had anyone competent in the office."
Harry and Remus, realizing the political talk was coming to a close, stood and cleaned their table. "It's almost time for the others to get here," Remus said, looking at his watch. "Shall we?" He gestured towards The Leaky Cauldron where they were supposed to meet their friends.
Ten minutes later Harry and Remus sat at the bar talking to Tom the barman and enjoying a butterbeer. Harry couldn't help but notice the pub was much emptier, and the patrons were much more reserved. Even his arrival didn't cause too much of an uproar, as people seemed content to gawk from the privacy of their own booth.
Suddenly the pub got much louder as Weasley's began piling out of the fireplace, having floo-ed in. Bill Weasley came first, followed by Ron, Hermione, Ginny and finally Charlie. At almost the same moment, Tonks stepped through the front door followed by Mad-Eye Moody.
"Well it looks like we won't have any trouble today," Remus remarked. "Voldemort himself would hesitate to take on this group."
Harry laughed as he watched Bill jokingly try to shove Charlie back in the fire, and Tonks trip over the nearest bar stool. "I hope not, because there's definitely not going to be any sneaking around with this lot."
"Hey there, Harry. It's been a while," Bill said, approaching with an outstretched hand that Harry shook. "Besides yesterday, of course."
"Yeah it has. Good to see you, Bill." Harry turned to the Weasley brother he had never actually met and shook his hand. "Charlie, it's nice to officially meet you!"
"You too, Harry. It's nice to put a face with the headlines," Charlie smiled as he said it, and Harry knew he was much more like the twins than Ron. He had, of course, seen Charlie just before the first event of the Triwizard Tournament two years ago, but didn't get a chance to really meet him.
"Well I hope the headlines were prettier," he replied with a smile. "Or at least wouldn't attempt to curse you if you mentioned them."
"Watch out, little bro," interrupted Bill. "Someone that high on the Death Eater hit list has to be there for a reason. I would hate for you to look like our youngest sister Chelsea for the rest of the day."
Charlie cringed, obviously remembering some prior prank. "Good point. Harry, I promise to not mention the headlines," he said. "As long as you're in earshot," he added lowering his voice.
"And I promise not to mention the fact that everyone is wondering why you've never brought a girl home…"
Charlie's face quickly went from shock to amusement as he realized he would really like this kid. "Deal! But it's not what you think," he said lowering his voice to a whisper. "The girls I know just aren't the type that you bring home to the family, if you know what I mean. Ittle-lay anky-skay."
"Oh very good, Charlie," interrupted Ginny. "Just want a young, impressionable sister wants to hear."
"Geez, when did you learn pig-latin? I didn't begin studying until well after I graduated," Charlie said to a grin, which he quickly tried to suppress. "I still can't believe you blamed the extendable ears on me!" Charlie turned on his sister, accusatory finger stretched. "I'm in the bloody order! Why would I need to eavesdrop?"
"No idea," Ginny muttered. "Why don't you ask Mom?"
"You'll get yours, little one." Charlie turned to Remus, whom he clearly knew well. "Remus! How's it going? Any major changes in your life?"
"Just an addition of a few annoying red-heads," he replied. "Come on. Let's go enjoy the stifling heat."
Harry followed Remus and the elder Weasley's out of the pub, walking with his two best friends and Ginny. "Hey guys, sorry I didn't say goodbye last night."
"It's ok, Harry," replied Ginny. "We saw how rough Remus was looking. Besides, I doubt these two even noticed…"
Harry watched suspiciously as Hermione shot Ron a quick look, which he returned innocently. "Yeah, they were reading all day and well into my beauty sleep hours," Ginny finished with a ghost of a wink to Harry.
"Ouch, mate," Harry said, turning towards Ron. "Must have been terrible."
"It wasn't that bad…" Ron said, subconsciously looking towards Hermione, who blushed lightly.
"Well good," Harry responded. "You'll have to let me in on it next time."
Harry laughed as Hermione obviously missed the joke, and flew into a frenzy of excitement. "Of course, Harry! In fact, let's do it at Potter Manor to use the library there! Remus told me all about it and it sounds fascinating and thoroughly useful!"
"I'm not really sure how it would be useful for that…" Harry couldn't contain his smile, loving the fact that Hermione still hadn't caught on.
"Of course it would be useful! There's so much we could study in there!"
"Fine," Harry conceded with a laugh, trying to ignore Ron's laughter and Ginny's giggles. "We'll use the library!"
"Good!" Hermione stopped and looked at the two Weasley's on either side of her. "What are you two laughing at?"
"Nothing," Ron quickly replied.
"Sorry, Hermione," Ginny added. "I was doing my Harry Potter impression behind you."
"Harry Potter impression? I didn't know you had one, too," Hermione said, quickly being distracted from the subject of studying. "I'd love to see it."
"Yeah, so would I," interrupted Tonks, who must have been eavesdropping. "Girls, how do you feel about helping me out in Madam Malkin's? I need some new dress robes, and I know absolutely nothing about fashion."
Ginny and Hermione both jumped at the chance to have girl time and took off with Tonks towards the clothing shop. Meanwhile, Charlie was leading the way to the twins' brand new store, 'Weasley's Wizard Wheezes,' which had opened only a few weeks before.
"'Had one, too'?" Harry asked, as he and Ron maneuvered between the crowd toward the entrance of the twins' shop. "'Too' isn't a good word in that phrase."
"No idea," Ron laughed. I've never seen one, but I did hear that Lavender Brown does really good impressions of faculty, so maybe…"
"That's just weird."
"Yeah it must be terrible to have all the girls talking about you in their dormitories," Ron replied with a smile.
"Well sixth year is when the talk usually moves out of the dorms and into the open," interrupted Charlie from in front of them. "Hopefully the talk will keep up."
Harry, a little scared of more interactions with the girls of Hogwarts after his fiasco shuddered. "Maybe it's best if it stays in private."
"Nah," Charlie laughed. "Girls talking is a good thing. Even if it's not the girls you want. Nothing makes it easier to pick up a girl than when they start competing for you."
"The Harry Potter sweepstakes," Remus added. "You'll have to keep me updated."
The group made their way into the twins' shop laughing and joking, all except for Moody, who was constantly vigilant to no one's surprise. As Harry walked into the shop he felt his jaw drop. What looked like a normal Diagon Alley shop from the outside was completely different on the other side of the entrance. It was a student's greatest fantasy.
Rows upon rows of pranks, ranging from the famous Puking Pastille's to gadgets that created all sorts of diversions, were teeming with customers, a few of whom Harry knew from Hogwarts and greeted casually. Eventually Fred and George caught up to the group and gave them a tour, telling Harry that anything he wanted was free of charge. This made Ron upset as they told him family would pay full price, and dared him to share the secrets he had obviously been holding as blackmail.
"It's tough for Mum to punish us now that we've moved out," was George's response.
"But she may not appreciate if she knew the extent and nature of the magazine collection you're hiding in your mattress," added Fred.
Ron, conceding defeat, graciously accepted Harry's offer to grab a few things for him as they patrolled the shelves. After what seemed like a few minutes, but was actually closer to an hour, the group said goodbye to the twins, left, and began wandering the alley waiting on the girls.
Harry picked up some owl treats for Hedwig, some polish for his wand and Firebolt, and asked if they could go over to Madam Malkin's as well for some new school robes. When they entered the store, a saleswoman immediately approached, eager to help Harry with not only school robes, but a new set of dress robes to along with them. Harry waited, bemused, as the girl that was clearly not far removed from graduation herself grabbed armloads of robes for Harry to try on and ushered him to a changing room.
"Make sure you show us how they look, Harry," called Bill. "We'd just love to give our opinions, especially on the purple ones."
Harry shook his head and suppressed a grin as the Weasley's and Remus laughed and sent jibes his way as he walked towards the dressing room. As he was about to enter, he saw the door to a nearby stall open, and Hermione come out carrying a robe that must have been the wrong size. In the brief moment the door to the girl's room was open, Harry caught a glimpse of Ginny in only her bra and a pair of shorts speaking to Tonks.
Harry froze, seeming to lose all control of his body, taking in the site of Ginny in far less clothing than he'd ever seen. Once again he thought that wizarding robes do absolutely nothing to benefit a girl's figure, and wondered how he had failed to notice that Ginny was absolutely stunning. He noticed how her golden red hair fell casually over one shoulder, and how pretty her smile was when Tonks made a joke.
Just before the door closed, Harry started as he looked into Ginny's eyes and found them looking directly back into his. She didn't say a word, and seemed too shocked to attempt to cover her body, just held his gaze as the door closed, and Harry had to physically shake himself to regain control.
Shaken by the sight of his best friend's sister, Harry tried the robes on as quickly as he could, and purchased a complete set of school robes, forgetting to even try on the dress robes. He made his way back out to his friends, and waited silently for the girls to finish.
"You alright, Harry? You look like you've seen the Grim," Remus asked with a grin.
"Yeah," he replied, his voice breaking. "I'm fine."
Ron noticed his best friend's discomfort, and sent him a questioning look. Harry shook his head, thanking his lucky stars that Ron didn't have Snape's power of legilimency.
Eventually, the girls finished up in the dressing rooms, each carrying a package, and the group made their way back to the Leaky Cauldron. He and Remus said goodbye to the Weasley's, and to Tonks and Moody, and stepped into the green flames saying 'Potter Manor.' When they arrived in the family room fireplace, Harry quickly made his way to his room, ignoring the confused expression on Remus' face.
It's going to be an interesting year, he thought, as he made his way to the bathroom for a nice, cold shower.
A/N; Reminder! New title! Harry Potter and the Rising Tides. Starting with Chapter 5! Hope you all find it easily! Should be up within a week.