Chapter 7: Rings and Things
The clock chimed midnight as I stared out the window at the bright full moon. How long ago had I arrived here? Did all that really happen in a matter of hours? It seemed unbelievable, but was undeniably true. However, I didn't have much longer to reflect once Hermione began ranting.
"Harry, I told you the rules about Time Turners-"
"I didn't use a Time Turner."
"-You could change the future-"
"I think just being here already did that."
"-You still shouldn't have told them-"
"And I suppose you wouldn't have said a word in my position."
Dad leaned over to Ron and asked, "Do they usually do that?"
"Not usually. But they really get at it when they do," he replied, "It's best not to interfere."
But Mum didn't heed Ron's words, "Alright, enough! What's done is done. Stop bickering before I ground you."
I couldn't help it; I laughed. The Dursleys had punished me, but had never used the word 'grounded.' Call me crazy, but I almost wanted her to ground me. God knows I'm always uptight these days and could use a good laugh.
"That's better," Mum said.
"Perhaps you should tell us what you know," began Hermione, indicating Mum and Dad, "so that Ron and I don't say something we shouldn't."
"Dumbledore told us the prophecy, which he would've done anyway," Mum told them sternly. I gave her a grateful smile for defending me.
"Sirius was there, too," added Dad. Ron blanched and Hermione groaned.
"Anyone else present we should know about?" she asked, exasperated.
"No, just Dumbledore, Lily, Sirius, and me."
Ron winced, "You have to admit that's a hard situation to be in."
"We figured as much," said Mum, nodding, "once he told us how he got that scar and that all four of us died."
"Anything else?"
"He told me about Quidditch," Dad offered. He got a far away look in his eyes and they glinted mischievously. His fingers twitched, as if they longed to grab a broom.
So I told Mum some of my Quidditch stories, leaving out the dangerous parts of course. That could lead to other things about the future they shouldn't know. No, I haven't told them the one fact that could save their lives, but I don't want them to figure it out on their own.
"Enough about us," I said suddenly, "I want to hear about you."
Mum blinked, "Well...what do you want to know?"
"Anything, everything. Remus and Sirius are the only ones who have told me anything besides that I look like Dad."
"Have they told you how we got together?"
"Just that it was in your Seventh Year."
Chuckling, Dad said, "Now that's a good story. You see, Lily was always an enigmatic figure. Talent, looks, and a kind personality with retractable claws. Everyone admired her and she never let it go to her head."
As Mum was listening, she took all the compliments without embarrassment. In fact, her face showed traces of annoyance, as if she was told this on a regular basis. I was reminded of how many times I'd been told I look like Dad, except for Mum's eyes.
"I will admit that in my Hogwarts days, I was always a bit of an egoist..."
"A bit?" Mum scoffed.
"...alright, a lot. So, naturally, I thought of myself as king of the school and who better to be my queen than the school saint who everyone loved? She was also a curiosity to me. I could never understand how she ignored all the attention. I tried to be the one who would finally get it."
"You sure got it. Too bad all of it was negative. It was hard to miss, since you asked me out with every sentence you breathed."
"Hey! It was only every other sentence," he said, getting a giggle from Mum, "but it became almost a game to me...until the summer before my Seventh Year. I realized how annoyingly egotistical I was and that I cared about Lily enough to change."
"He didn't ask me out once that year. James Potter had finally given up on me, finally stopped giving me all that attention. Anyone who knew me would think I would be relieved. But I wasn't. I kept hoping he would ask me once more, because I had fallen for him. Strange how things work like that, isn't it?"
"Eventually she got tired of waiting and asked me to go to Hogsmeade with her during Potions. It made quite a piece of gossip for Slughorn."
"I'm sure it did," I chuckled.
"What about you?" Mum asked, "Do you have a special girl?"
"Not at the moment, but I went out with Ron's sister a few months ago," I said, glancing at Ron. His face didn't show any trace of being uncomfortable anymore, which made it more comfortable for me to talk about what happened. That doesn't mean I'm comfortable talking about what I want to happen. I know I'm a bit young to say this, but I think I'm in love with Ginny. My night visions of Voldemort have been replaced with dreams of her, dreams that I like a lot, if you catch my drift. I just haven't worked up the nerve to tell Ron yet.
Dad turned to Ron, "That must've been an odd relationship for you."
"It was, at first," he replied, "but I'd rather have Harry than some of the other gits she's gone out with."
"What are you going to do when she gets married?" Mum chuckled.
Ron held up his hands, "Nothing illegal." That got a laugh around the table, albeit a weak one from me.
After the laughter died down, Dad got up from the table and put his plate in the sink. "Wonderful meal, darling." He kissed Mum's cheek. "Now, if no one objects, I would like to have a little chat with my son."
He led me down a hallway and down a set of stairs to an unfinished basement. Grinning at me excitedly, he said, "Your mother doesn't even know about this. Traditionally, I should show you this...should have shown you this-bloody time travel-on your seventeenth birthday."
He placed his hand on the wall to his right. The cinder blocks grated aside, like in Diagon Alley, to reveal a small room. The shelves on the walls were littered with various magical artifacts and other valuables. The back wall, however, had only one shelf. The single occupant of this shelf was an ornate silver box studded with rubies. Something in the back of my mind registered that it looked like Gryffindor's sword.
It was this box that Dad removed carefully, almost reverently. Even more carefully, he undid the clasp and lifted the lid. Resting on a bed of red velvet was a dagger, a smaller version of the sword, and a gold ring.
"The only known relics of Gryffindor," he whispered, "I've heard rumors about a sword, too, but no proof that it exists."
"It does," I muttered. The dagger and ring held my attention. My hand was reaching for the ring without me realizing. It drew me. Unlike the dagger and box, the ring was gold. It was shaped like the profile of a lion, wrapping around until the tail met the mouth. One small ruby sat in the pupil of its eye. My fingers traced over every surface. It was warm to the touch, like a wand. Even a Muggle would be able to feel the buzz of magic coming from it.
"As you can tell," said Dad, "it's a powerful magical object. But Gryffindor put a spell on it so that only those in his direct bloodline could use it."
I almost sagged from disappointment. It's magic had felt so friendly under my fingers. Even if I couldn't use it, I just wanted to slip it on. The minute I did, my magical senses exploded. The magic I was feeling in the room became clearer, more distinct, and I felt it all with a greater sensitivity. It was like the ring was enhancing my magical senses. But, I must've been imagining it. Only the heirs of Gryffindor can use the ring.
"Who is the heir of Gryffindor?" I asked.
He took my shoulders, looked me in the eye, and said, "You."
I laughed. Me? The heir of Gryffindor? I knew it was true, somehow, but imagining myself as the last of the great Godric Gryffindor's bloodline had an irony in it that made the prospect sound ridiculous. I mean, I'm a Parselmouth, for crying out loud! But, it makes sense. My arch enemy is the heir of Slytherin and I'm destined to stop him. Who else could that be besides the heir of Gryffindor?
"It's true," he frowned.
"I know," I reassured him, not caring to explain. Luckily, he didn't press it.
Dad continued, "Traditionally, you're not supposed to tell anyone about this except your own children. Gryffindor didn't want his heirs to tarnish his name by becoming big-headed just because they are his heirs. He also didn't want a feud between his heirs and Slytherin's."
"It didn't work," I muttered darkly.
Dad sighed, "No, it didn't. You've managed to completely destroy the family traditions," He winked, "So it wouldn't matter if you broke a few more."
I took that to mean I could tell Ron and Hermione. They'll get a kick out of it, that's for sure. "Is this all?"
"No." He took a simple gold ring off his left hand and dropped it into my palm. It wasn't magical, it was just...a ring.
"What's this?"
"My wedding ring."
I put Gryffindor's ring on my right ring finger and Dad's ring on my left. Seeing both on my fingers, I knew that Dad's ring was the greater gift. Tears formed in the corners of my eyes as I hugged him.
"James! Harry!"
