Disclaimer I do not own Harry Potter
Acceptance
Chapter 7 - End of Term
Owlery
Fred and George studied the owls owned by the school. They couldn't decide which owls would be best because they didn't know where their letters would be going. Harry had offered Hedwig, she had just returned from delivering letters for Harry and Hermione, and she loved being busy.
"Hedwig, could you come down here?" asked Fred.
"We're probably going to need another owl or two depending on how this goes." Fred hoped the other owls would understand.
"Alright, Hedwig. We are trying to find some people and ask them about something they invented but we don't know their real names."
"We also don't know if they are alive. Can you help us?"
The snowy owl looked at them, the look clearly said they were stupid for doubting her. Hedwig was a scarily smart owl.
"Right, will you know if they are alive when we hand you the letter?"
Hedwig blinked slowly and nodded her head.
"Okay," George didn't know what to think about an owl essentially having a conversation with them. He pulled one of the letters from his pocket, "Hedwig, this letter is addressed to Mister Prongs."
Hedwig plucked the letter from his fingers and paused. She blinked a moment later then laid the letter down on the ledge next to her. The twins would have sworn she looked sad.
"He isn't alive, is he?"
The white owl gave a sad little shake.
"How about this one?" Fred held out another letter, "can you find Mister Padfoot?"
Once again Hedwig plucked the letter from the fingers of the twin holding it out to her. Just like the time before, she concentrated for a moment before laying the letter on the ledge; this one she placed on the other side of her.
"He's dead too I take it?" Fred sighed.
Hedwig shook her head with a sqwak.
"He isn't dead?"
Hedwig shook her head again.
Fred and George exchanged confused looks. "Mail redirect ward?" George guessed. They turned when the white owl gave a slightly happier chirp. "I guess he isn't receiving mail, at least no mail addressed to Mister Padfoot."
"Which one should we try next?" Fred wondered.
"Try Moony."
"Because it is a cooler name than Wormtail."
George held out the third letter. Hedwig took the letter from him only to place it back in his hands a moment later. She held out her leg in invitation.
"George, Moony is alive and Harry's beautiful, genius owl can find him."
Hedwig preened at the praise. George tied the letter to her leg securely. "Thank you, Hedwig. If you wouldn't mind could you wait for a reply? Unless he doesn't plan to reply that is."
The white owl bobbed her head before turning toward the open skies and launching herself into the air. Within moments she was only a speck in the distance.
"Would anyone else be willing to try to take a letter?"
A brown owl swooped down to land in the spot Hedwig had just vacated. "Thank you," Fred smiled at the owl. "Will you know if you can deliver the letter?"
The owl only blinked at him before extending its leg toward him. This one was not as intelligent as Hedwig.
Fred shrugged and tied the letter to the owl's leg. It turned and flew off into the air.
"Well, we got 2 out of 4 out."
"Yeah, lets head to breakfast. I'm starving."
Fred and George sat down at the Gryffindor table, sitting on either side of their younger brother Ron. They watched in fascination as their brother shoveled food into his mouth at unprecedented speeds, his rat was sleeping on the table. All in all, it made for a rather disgusting picture.
"Breathe, Ronnie. If you don't stop to breathe you may just kill yourself with food."
"It would be a rather sad way to die, don't you think?"
"Agreed, brother mine. Of all the fascinating ways to die out there, choking on one's breakfast has to be the most mundane."
"It would probably be worse if his rat was somehow the reason for his death."
"Ah, yes, the rat."
"Do you really need,"
"to place your rat,"
"on the table while,"
"you eat."
"It is rather,"
"unappetizing,"
"to eat with your rat,"
"sitting so close,"
"to the food."
Ron finished chewing the ridiculously large bit of food that was in his mouth before turning to face whichever of his brothers finished speaking last. It was George, but he didn't know that. "I will take Scabbers wherever I please. What I find irritating is that you have to talk like that. No one likes it when you talk back and forth like that. It is really annoying."
"Tell you what," the twin on the other side of him said. "We will talk normally, if you learn some manners."
"Stop eating like your food is about to disappear."
"No rats at the table."
"No talking with food in your mouth."
"You get the picture, right?"
Ron scowled. "Since when do you care about my table manners?"
"Since Angelina and Alicia decided to take your poor manners out on us."
"Angie says she can't eat near you, and if she sees you she loses her appetite. An Angie that misses a meal is not fun to be around."
"Alicia is just plain disgusted. She leaves when you sit down. I don't like the fact that she has been eating at the Hufflepuff table with Diggory."
"The rat at the table thing, however,"
"Really is just gross."
The three Weasley children turned as one when a brown owl landed in front of them. "Plus, owls eat rats."
Ron snatched up Scabbers, holding him close to his chest. "Get that bloody bird away from Scabbers."
Fred reached for the letter, as the owl was holding out its leg. The letter said Mister Wormtail, in his brother's hand writing. The owl took off the moment the letter was removed from its leg.
"Looks like he couldn't deliver the letter after all."
"Well, I guess that's okay. We can trust Hedwig to finish the job."
"Yeah, I just hope he isn't the dumb one in the group."
"I hope he is the funny one."
"It would be better if he was the leader."
"Or the smart one, if the smart one is different from the leader."
"So we are in agreement?"
"Yes, we are."
"It better be the smart one."
"But I thought we were hoping for the leader?"
Letters
Dear Aunt Petunia,
Wow, I can't believe my first term is almost over. I don't think I can leave this behind. The last few weeks have been great. I have a new favorite class, Defense is really great when the teacher doesn't stutter and knows what they are doing. I kind of wish Professor Flitwick would teach it all year every year but I know that isn't his specialty so I guess I will have to live with having him as the teacher of this class until they find a full time replacement. I really hope they get someone good.
Quidditch is really great. Watching is a lot different than playing. Ravenclaw beat Hufflepuff, but only because our chaser line is so much better. Their seeker, my friend Cedric, caught the snitch but they were more than 200 points behind when he finally ended the match so my house still got the win. Liam says he thinks I should just play for the rest of the year because he thinks I'm better than him; he is in his NEWT year so he could use the extra study time anyway. To be honest, I think we will have a better chance of getting the Quidditch Cup if I play too. Slytherin and Gryffindor have stronger teams than Hufflepuff. Cedric is basically the Hufflepuff team, but Slytherin are all big and brutal, well except the new seeker; they had to have a new tryout after Higgs died and a first year just happened to be the best. His name is Draco Malfoy and he doesn't seem like a bad bloke; he keeps himself neutral. Gryffindor has probably the best players in the school, save the seeker, he is average at best. The rest of Gryffindor are incredible though; the chaser line is so in sync it's unbelievable. Then there's the twins, they play beater, and, well they're twins so they KNOW what the other is thinking. Wood, the keeper is out of this world good; if we were on the football field he would be my biggest challenge, he is everywhere and makes it look easy.
Huh, what else can I say? Oh, do you remember when I mentioned how boring history was because the ghost teacher is so dull? Well we decided to write a petition to get the teacher changed, we got nearly every student to sign the petition. We gave it to the Headmaster but he didn't do anything with it so Neville sent it to his Gran. You remember Augusta right? She is on the board of Governors and she presented the petition to the rest of the board.
Drum roll please:
The board is currently looking for a new professor for History of Magic! I personally can't wait.
This might sound funny but I really want to share it with you. Neville and I were talking; I don't know how we got into such a depressing topic but we got really serious. We ended up discussing our parents. Neville's parents aren't dead they are just mentally incapable of normal human interaction. They are permanent patients as the wizarding hospital and don't know who Neville is. He lost them not long after Mum and Dad were killed. During this conversation we wondered what it would be like to have them with us. We both agreed we wished we had siblings. To make a long, emotional story short, Neville and I have decided that we are brothers. We have a lot in common and we get along so well it just made sense. I now have a 'twin brother.' Neville and I are going to look out for each other, like real brothers do.
I have a question; request of sorts. Neville invited me to attend his family's annual Yule Ball. It is held on Christmas Eve. I know that is when Aunt Marge comes for her visit but I would really love to go to Neville's. Please consider it. It would mean a lot to me to attend my 'brother's' party.
Can I invite Neville over one night?
Well, I should really get to studying; exams are coming up. (I know why Hermione is always the top of our grade. She has a crazy revision schedule).
Love,
Harry
P.S. I'm not kidding about that crazy revision schedule. She has a chart all planned out for end of year exams already mapped out. We start revision in March. I think I need to teach her how to let go and have some fun.
P.P.S. I want to get something magical for Dudley for Christmas, not something that requires a wand to work, but something that is about magic or is magic. Do you have any ideas? The twins want to meet up to go shopping in Diagon Alley the first week of break.
Harry,
I am so glad that you are loving school again. I love you and miss you terribly but I knew Hogwarts was where you belonged. Your mother loved magic, your father loved magic, it is a way of life that I didn't want you to miss out on. That said had you decided to come home, I would have been equally happy, just in a different, more selfish way.
Has the Headmaster been any better? I know you said you didn't trust him much and he did odd things that were really unsafe, but do you still feel that way? Are the other professors making things feel more safe for you?
Your quidditch stuff confuses me but I am glad you enjoy the biggest wizarding sport. It sounds to me, like your teammate, Liam, thinks you are the best seeker in the school. I'm proud of you Harry. Just remember, to be truly great at any sport you need to work at it, you need to train. You also need to keep in prospective that someday you might not be the best. It is always best to be humble, that way no one can ever use an over inflated ego against you.
Great job with the History issue. The best way to fix something that isn't right is to take action. I am glad you went through the proper channels to make your schooling better. It is a sign of a great student to want to make a class more accurate, more meaningful.
I would love to meet your new 'brother.' Yes, you may invite him over during the break. I am sorry he all but lost his parents, but at least you have found each other. I think you will be good for each other. A strong friendship formed for the right reasons can be the most important friendship in a life time.
Yes, you can go to Neville's ball. It might make the horror that is Marge Dursley more manageable if she has less to complain about; of course I could be wrong. I would much rather one of us enjoy Christmas Eve this year. How will you get there? I won't be able to take you because of Marge. Is there a wizarding way to get there?
Study hard, Harry.
All my Love,
Aunt Petunia
P.S. As for the gift. You know your cousin; he isn't too fond of books but he might like a fiction book. He would love something that flew or hovered. Like I said, you know Dudley. I trust you to make a responsible decision. (Try not to get something too crazy though. You know your Uncle too).
Mummy and Daddy,
I hope things are going well at home. I know I haven't written in a while but I was busy studying. You know how I get. Sorry.
Things have improved greatly since the Defense Professor went crazy and tried to kill Harry. It all seems normal now, or as normal as a magical school can be for a girl who grew up in Kensington, that is. I like the lessons; I am learning so much. Thank you for sending me the lesson plans for my year at regular school. Harry and I are keeping up as best we can. He would like to take the end of year exam too.
We have fixed the History issue, or at least it will be fixed soon. The Board of Governors are on it.
I was invited to attend a Yule celebration on Christmas Eve. Would it be alright if I attended? I know that is your annual dinner but I never have anyone to talk to so I thought it would be alright. I would love to learn about their holiday traditions so I think this is a great opportunity for me.
I know I usually write more, pages more, but I have already spent too much time on this letter, it is cutting into my revision time. (My roommates were being rather loud earlier and distracted me). You know how important my grades are to me.
I will see you soon.
With Love,
Hermione
P.S. The owl belongs to Harry. Her name is Hedwig. Please give her some water and she is also rather fond of bacon if you happen to make any.
Hermione,
As always, life is good in Kensington. Work is interesting, your father had to help out the Wilton boy when his girlfriend's lip ring got caught in his braces, his parents did not know he was dating the girl, it was quite a scandal. Do you know a Kay Downing? Your father said she had purple hair! Imagine a Wilton dating someone with lip piercings and purple hair. I, of course spend most of my time at the surgery. People really need to learn to take care of their teeth, of course the fact that they don't keeps me employed so I suppose I shouldn't complain.
Edna has been insufferable. Mrs. Pritchard, Edna's neighbor, got two puppies. The things are loud and undisciplined. They bark at all hours of the night and a leave their droppings everywhere. I may not appreciate the added noise to the neighborhood but I really don't need to listen to Edna prattle on about it for hours every week.
I am glad you are liking school. We expect great things from you and know you will do your best. Why doesn't your school have courses in writing, mathematics or science? I would think they would want their students to be able to function in society. Well, I suppose your potions is a bit like chemistry and Herbology is essentially botany but where are the math, writing and language courses? We are happy to send you all you want to learn. Did you decide on a language? Your French is good; you really just need to practice with someone French. I would suggest Italian; I have always loved Italy.
We would be happy to allow you to attend a Wizarding Yule celebration. I just have some questions. Is this going to be chaperoned? How will you get there? What time would you be home? Do you need to bring anything? Might I be able to speak with this boy's parents? Is there anything pertinent I need to know? Please let us know what you can.
Do not worry, love. We don't mind the short letter. Study hard and do your best.
Love,
Mother
P.S. Don't forget to bring pictures of your friends and school back, we didn't get you that camera for nothing.
Love,
Dad
P.P.S. Tell Harry his owl is lovely. She is the sweetest thing, and so beautiful.
Library
It was the last week of term and students were halfway through their end of term exams. Harry, Hermione, Neville, Blaise and Daphne were studying for their final three exams. They had taken their History exam on Monday; surprise, it was on the Goblin wars. Monday had also been the day for their Herbology exam. Neville said it was easy, the others thought they had done well but did not have Neville's confidence on the subject. Tuesday was the day for their Defense exam. The students were thankful that Professor Flitwick had taken over the class after Quirrell's demise; they had learned so much from the charms master on the subject. Harry thought Defense might be his favorite class, as long as someone competent was teaching it that is.
That morning, Wednesday, they had taken their Transfiguration exam. It was the most challenging exam by far, but the group of 5 thought they had done well enough. Hermione was lamenting that there might have been a trace of the original material's design in the ending product for the particle portion; the others thought she was crazy. They would be taking their Astronomy exam that night; they still hated the late night class despite having been in the class for nearly three months.
Thursday would be their Charms exam; Friday, their Potions exams.
The group was focusing on their Astronomy and Potions notes. Astronomy was that night, hence it being a focus. Potions on the other hand, they guessed would surpass the Transfiguration exam in difficulty. They spent an hour or two on Potions every day that week, making sure they had every potion down. The group planned to study for their Charms exam the following morning as the Charms exam was after lunch.
"Oh, hey," Neville said between a lull in their group quizzes. "Before I forget, my Gran sent the Portkeys for you so you could get to our annual Yule ball." He pulled thick cards with recessed lettering out of his bag and handed one to Harry and one to Hermione. "Daphne, you and your family come every year so I didn't ask for anything additional for you. Blaise, you just needed the Floo address, right?"
Daphne and Blaise both nodded along. "Mother is actually quite pleased with my being invited. She always attends a dinner with a 'friend,' but I am usually alone." Blaise had shared a bit about his mother's almost constant company. The group didn't really want to know any more.
"Mother and Father say that your Grandmother's parties are always the most polished. For them, that is a complement." Daphne flipped he hair behind her shoulder, "I look forward to it because I'm not expected to stand in a corner and look pretty without speaking. Thank you for that."
"Did you invite anyone else? Like the twins or Cedric?"
Neville smiled at Harry, "Cedric and his family come every year. Amos Diggory has similar ideals as my grandmother in terms of politics, so they are on my gran's short list." He shrugged, "I don't know how to invite the twins without inviting Ron. The polite way to do it would be to invite the whole family which would mean their parents, which isn't really a problem, but it would also mean Ron and Percy and I think they have a younger sister too. Percy isn't bad, just pompous. Ron is just kind of loud. We really don't get along."
"I see your point," Harry scratched his head. "Is there any way to get them there though? That is if you want them there."
"I'll have to think about it."
"Are you missing anything by joining a wizarding celebration, Hermione?"
Hermione shook her head, "My parents have their annual dental friend dinner that night. There are half a dozen couples and everyone brings their kids but, age wise, I'm the odd one out. Four of the kids are 4 or 5 years older than I am so want nothing to do with me despite the fact they are intellectually more my speed. The other seven are between the ages of 2 and 7, so I end up watching them when their parents get tipsy. It really isn't a fun evening for me."
"What about you, Harry?" Blaise wanted to know.
"Two words: Aunt Marge." Blaise and Daphne were confused by this but Hermione and Neville flinched slightly. Harry had shared his feelings about the woman with them. "My Uncle's sister, Marge, comes over on Christmas Eve. She dotes on Vernon and Dudley but is downright awful to my aunt Petunia and I. She complains about everything. The house smells like the wrong cleaner; the food has too many vegetables. We have the wrong brand of Brandy, despite the fact that we buy the same brand every time she visits." He shuddered. "She thinks Dudley needs fattening up when I personally know he is trying to tone up. He isn't happy with his weight, he struggles. I feel bad leaving my aunt alone in that situation but she insisted that I go and have fun with people who like me and don't want their dog to bite me."
"Your Aunt Marge sounds horrid." Daphne sounded disgusted.
"She is. The worst part is her dogs. She breeds bulldogs and they are mean little blighters. I think she intentionally trains them to attack my scent. Aunt Petunia has banned the dogs from the house but they still freak me out. When Aunt Petunia decided to let Dudley get a dog Aunt Marge offered up one of her dogs but Petunia's only rule was no bulldogs. I generally like dogs but bulldogs freak me out."
There was a moment of silence, "Alright," Hermione breathed, "how is everyone feeling about Astronomy?" They each indicated that they would pass with little trouble. "I think it is time to move on to potions."
Blaise groaned, potions was not his class. "I really wish I could drop this class."
"Just be glad you don't blow up your cauldron regularly like Weasley does," Neville shuddered. Ron Weasley blew up his cauldron every few weeks all because he didn't read the directions. He always ended up doing the one thing in the entire list of instructions that could cause an explosion.
"There is that."
"Did I hear you say you were going to start working on potions?" The group looked up to find Draco Malfoy standing at their table.
"Yes, we are. Would you like to join us, Draco?" Daphne asked kindly.
"That would be great. Theo doesn't study ahead and I am really sick and tired of teaching Greg and Vince when I should be studying."
"Then take a seat," Harry smiled, "I'll go grab Susan." Susan Bones struggled with potions in the same way Blaise did and had begged to join their study group.
A few moments later, Susan plopped down in the remaining seat. "Woo hoo, another potions genius. Help me Malfoy, you are my only hope."
"Hey," Harry whined, "I thought I was your only hope?"
"Fine, help me, Harry and Draco, you are my only hope of passing potions. Are you happy now?"
Hermione snorted.
Harry grinned, "The best part is, she doesn't even get the reference."
"Are you going to teach them the ways of the Force, Jedi Master Potter?" Hermione smirked.
"Of course, Jedi Granger. It is the responsibility of a Jedi Master to instruct his Padawan in the ways of the Force."
"Is anyone else confused?" asked Draco, he was new to the group after all.
"I am," Neville scratched his head.
"As am I," Blaise sighed. Daphne and Susan nodded.
Harry snorted, which caused Hermione to laugh. Hermione's laughter opened the flood gates and Harry couldn't hold it in any longer. Harry and Hermione only stopped laughing when Madam Pince threatened to kick them out of the library.
Neither could laugh when faced with such a harsh punishment.
Germany
He was tired. This was not a surprised considering the night he had had. His body hurt, again, not a surprise. Sleep escaped him, this was an irritation more than anything. Why did he decide to take a room near a farm with a blasted rooster that didn't know the difference between morning, noon, or night? Not to mention the cows. Why were the cows so loud?
Of course, who could sleep with the tapping at the window. He opened his eyes. Why was there tapping on the window? He was on the second floor of the small bed and breakfast and there was nothing below his window. Nothing to climb, no tree to block the view, no roots. There was no way someone could be tapping at his window.
He groaned as he stood, his muscles screaming in protest. The bird was doing to die. There was no other explanation, it had to be an owl, and the owl was going to die. He would feel bad about it eventually, but right then and there the only thing that would make him feel better would be killing the owl that was tapping at his window.
Pulling the curtains back he saw the most beautiful owl flapping outside the window. Okay, maybe he wouldn't kill her. He could see she was majestic and intelligent, those eyes held wisdom that was rare among men, unheard of in owls.
When he opened the window she fluttered in gracefully, landing on the back of a chair. She tilted her head and he was sure she was apologizing for waking him.
"It's alright, beautiful. I am sure you didn't mean to." She bobbed her head sagely. "You are one intelligent owl aren't you?" She preened.
Chuckling he walked toward the small bathroom and picked up a glass, filling it with cool water from the tap. "Here, I can get you something to eat later if you would like."
She seemed to shake her head but ducked down to drink. When she had her fill she extended her leg toward him.
"Thank you. Would you like to stay and rest a while?" She nodded and watched him with her big, inquisitive, golden eyes. "Were you instructed to wait for a reply?" Again she nodded, this time she tucked he head under her wing and started to snooze.
The tired man smiled at the white owl before dropping his gaze to the letter. He started at the address on the envelope. Who would send a letter to Mister Moony? Everyone who called him that was dead or in prison.
Shaking himself he opened the letter and began to read.
Mister Moony,
First of all, we would like to applaud you on your sheer brilliance and say we bow to the Marauders. We can only assume you were pranksters extraordinaire.
We are, in essence, your protégés. In our first year of Hogwarts we found a certain map in the possession of a surly caretaker. Through trial, error and sheer luck we managed to discover the secret to said parchment. How we came up with saying, "I solemnly swear I am up to no good," we will never know.
Recent events have worried us, though. One of our professors was possessed by a truly vile shade that tried to kill our honorary little brother, he is far cooler than our actual little brother. While doing this, he actually threatened the entire house of Ravenclaw and a number of the other professors, and we really like Flitwick, so seriously, not cool. The professors managed to dispel the spirit but that killed the man he was possessing. The spirit then entered the school, it couldn't get to the students nearby thanks to some of the professors, and possessed a passing student. We didn't like Higgs, he was on a rival quidditch team, but that doesn't mean he deserved to die, which he did.
It was these events that lead to us writing you. We would like to know more about the map. Did the map somehow influence our thinking? Is it possible that the map could control us? Were the Marauders, purveyors of mischief-makers, really only about pranks and mischief? How did we discover the password? Is there anything we should know?
Normally, these sorts of questions would not concern us; we are fairly easygoing individuals, but it has been a very strange year. We met a really great first year, seriously our 'little brother' is awesome. Then, with said first year, we investigated the out of bounds corridor and found a Cerberus. Not joking here, there was really a giant Cerberus living on the third floor. And then, like we said above, the Defense teacher tried to kill our 'little brother.'
We were hoping to share the map with our new brother and his best friend, but if it has some sort of controlling factor then we can't do that. We love the map, it has aided up in a number of truly epic pranks, at least by our standard, but we find we need to know more about it. Any information you could give us would be appreciated. You don't have to tell us how you made it, we would really just like to know what it could do to us. Limitations, if it is benign, would be awesome too.
Please write back, we will be awaiting your reply.
Yours,
The Terrible-Two (as dubbed by out new brother's best friend)
P.S. If this letter is delivered by a lovely snowy owl, then her name is Hedwig. Treat her well, she belongs to our little brother and we would not want anything to happen to her.
P.P.S. She is really smart so don't treat her like any other owl, it will offend her
Mister Moony smiled after reading the letter a third time. He hadn't had anything to smile about in a long time. The 'Terrible-Two' seemed like good kids. The fact that they approached him not for themselves but in concern for someone they cared about gave him a high opinion of them. He did not think certain other members of the Marauders would have had the same caution.
The events at Hogwarts concerned him. They concerned him on a number of reasons but most of all because HE started school that year. Mister Moony hopped he was okay; a small, determined part of him feared that he might have been involved in the trouble the Two talked about.
A soft hoot drew his attention. Hedwig was awake and studying him.
"Well, it seems you weren't that tired after all. Don't worry, I plan to write them back. I do have one question." She blinked at him. He took this as an invitation, "is your master's name Harry Potter?" She blinked again, this time it seemed harder, as if she was asking his intentions. "If it is, I mean him no harm. I knew his parents and held him as a baby. He was the light of all of our lives back then."
Slowly she nodded.
"Thank you, wise, Hedwig." He stroked her feathers. "I'll write my letter immediately so that you can get back to Harry. When you see him, would you give him my love?"
She hooted softly and settled in to wait. He seemed to be a good two legged one. Hedwig approved, for now.
I hope you enjoy chapter 7. Today, that is all I have to say, it's been a long week...
Thank you Eirlys1, I really appreciate the editing help.
***Edited 8/8/18