(A/N) Thank you everyone for the encouraging words and reviews. I have tried to take them all into consideration at every place, unless they go against my storyline.
(A/N)Wow, Thanks to everyone who has reviewed the last chapter. My ears are still ringing with "No Dursleys". A few reviews, really did touch my heart and I have decided to never break up the twins, nor the Potter family for "greater good" – I swear on the pain of my writing finger… :-) I even remodeled the storyline to never pull them apart.
Chapter 9: Christmas Gatherings and Training
Even after returning home, it took James a long time to calm down. He seemed quiet and collected a minute, then suddenly, his face would darken, and he would pace around the living room in spitting rage. One look at his father, and Harry seemed to realize something was not right. He took his sisters out to Sirius' house.
"Dad needs you" he said quietly to Sirius and Remus, who were lazing in the living room at that time. Frowning at this, Sirius looked over to Abby, who was also unnaturally subdued. She just shrugged in response to Sirius' unasked question. The friends immediately jumped to their feet, and along with Amy, bolted across the street to the Potters' house. The Kids remained at the Black residence until Lily came over to collect them… long after their usual dinner time.
When Sirius and Remus reached the Potters' living room, they saw James pacing the floor like an angry cat, while Lily sat in one of the couches with a red face and dazed expression.
They knew James and Lily had gone to meet the Headmaster at Hogwarts that day. But what could have happened at the benevolent leader's office? Cautiously, Remus opened his mouth, "James?"
"How can Dumbledore even suggest that?" James blurted out.
"Suggest what?" Sirius asked taking the seat on Lily's side. "Lily?" he urged his friend.
With a deep breath, Lily launched into their conversation with Dumbledore, and his suggestions. Even Amy's face darkened as Lily mentioned Dumbledore's description of Harry as a "distraction".
"How can Dumbledore even suggest that?" James asked for a hundredth time while his friends sat around, "Besides, does he expect us to give away our son just because he thinks it's a good idea?"
"James, calm down. He just gave us his opinion. But that does not mean we should act on it" Remus said trying to cool his friend's temper.
Sirius laughed bitterly and said, "Here I was thinking only the dark families entertained the ideas like that. Really does make us rethink what we know about the light side, doesn't it?"
"Well, to a certain extent, I can understand why Dumbledore suggested such an extreme idea" Amy said thinking deeply, "I mean, he is the man the entire wizarding nation of Great Britain turns to, for the fight against Dark Lord. Add to that, he did defeat a dark lord at the height of his power. But, in all honesty, he does not know a thing about bringing up a child. No less, a child with special needs."
"He is a headmaster of a goddamn school full of children, Amy. How can he not know about children? Can't he see that breaking up the twins would probably be the worst thing that one can do? Especially to Harry?" Sirius argued.
"Headmaster of a school, yes, Sirius. But of a school full of normal children. You have to admit, Harry is nothing but ordinary" Amy answered, with a fond smile.
"That he is" Lily said with a chuckle. "Every day is almost like a new adventure that is both exciting, as well as frightening at the same time. But I would not give it up for anything in the world." She finished with a frown
"I understand. But don't do anything rash about Dumbledore" Amy warned in a serious voice.
Over the years, all the friends could easily see what Sirius found attractive about Amy. It was not just the skin deep beauty, but also her shrewd mind. As she grew closer to everyone, she showed startling intelligence in understanding, gauging the personality of people and situations. And almost nine out of ten cases, her judgment was right on the mark. She admitted that she had always wanted to be a healer, and could not pursue her dream due to financial reasons. But with the backing of her husband and encouragement from her friends, she not just finished her graduation in general healing, but also finished her specialization in the most difficult of specialties – Spell Damage from Unknown Magiks.
"What do you mean, Amy?" James asked with a frown.
"James, you have to admit that, in light of the Prophecy, Dumbledore is the only one who can prepare Abby for what is in store for her. He will definitely do everything in his power to ensure she gets out of this mess unharmed. But if you show too much resistance to his ideas, he may find other ways that may not be in your best interest"
Lily and James frowned at that, not really understanding what Amy was going at.
"Understand this. James. Dumbledore may look like a benign leader, with a grandfatherly warmth around him. But he is a very powerful mage, and an equally shrewd strategist. You had encountered his warm headmaster persona up until now. But when it comes to planning the future of the wizarding world, he is a war general. And for a general, to win a war is the primary goal. Not the safety of a few minor foot soldiers. He must already have prepared a grand scheme for this war, and have already gotten prepared to make a few sacrifices to ensure that Abby succeeds in fulfilling the prophecy", Amy finished, leaving the others in a daze.
"Taking that into consideration, he seems to already think of Harry as a hurdle in Abby's path to destiny" Remus said with realization.
"Necessary sacrifice?" Lily said with her face red. But even as she felt angered at this deduction, she remembered Dumbledore's words.
"It is stupidity to place one boy's happiness for a short while ahead of the good of an entire world"
"But what do you mean about not doing anything rash?" James asked.
"Don't go on picking fight with him, or make him believe in anyway you show resistance to his grand scheme. At the same time, don't play by his rules, or lose sight of our priorities. After all, we need Dumbledore as much as he needs us. He is the best person to keep Abby safe, and prepare her" Amy finished grimly.
Both the Potters knew that was one hundred percent true. They knew that the Dark Lord was not gone. As soon as he gets enough power, he would first come after Abby. His ego would not ask for anything less than the complete destruction of the one who caused him the worst damage.
"So what do we do?"
"Nothing, I suppose. But you need to be more careful about your dealings. Your position is one of walking on the edge of a sword. You can not afford missteps. You do not want to be part of collateral damage"
"And how do we do that?"
Indeed that was the question. How?
ooo000ooo
The weeks leading to the Christmas were as busy as they were stressful for everyone. James and Lily sat down with the twins and explained to them about Abby's special magical training. Also, that she no longer need to attend the magical primary school anymore. At the mention of special magical training for Abby, she could barely contain her excitement, but the mention of getting pulled out of primary school got the mood down.
The parents paid a very close attention to how Harry reacted to this news. They tried to figure out if he was happy or disappointed or jealous (like their old teachers had suggested). But they could really not get a read of what was happening inside his mind. His face remained as expressionless as ever, except for a bit of surprise upon hearing that the twins would be spending their day training at different places.
"But, Mum! Harry needs me at school. You know how it is for him" Abby insisted.
"I know, sweetie. But your training is just as important as well. I promise we can go drop him in the morning and pick him up in the afternoon everyday" Lily said quietly.
"Still, what about the daytime?" Abby asked, "I don't like it" she finished with a pout and hands folded across her chest.
Harry looked between his parents and his sister, took a deep breath and said, "At least it's not immediate. Besides, Luna will be there…"
It was not clear if he was telling that to himself, or to reassure his sister, or her parents. But, nonetheless, he seemed to think the new setup would begin the next schooling year. His parents did not have the heart to say it immediately that the new setup is planned to begin next term, right after the New Year.
ooo000ooo
The Christmas morning dawned bright and sunny. With light reflecting off the fresh powder snow, it was a sight of happiness and life. Inside the house, various Christmas decorations littered across many walls. A good six foot pine tree was charmed to stand at one corner of the living room.
The family had spent almost three hours previous evening, decorating the tree to their personal preferences. Little Hope decorated the low hanging branches around the tree with enough ribbons, baubles, and confetti that one could not even see a single green pine needle through the decorations. Harry and Abby hung their decorations around the middle of the tree in a way that they thought looked pretty. The weekend before, they had visited a muggle mall for Christmas shopping, and saw a huge Christmas tree in the middle of an arena. They tried to reproduce that effect. But their hangings were a little misaligned in color as well as geometry. Considering their age and experience, James told them, it was a great effort. The adults hung a few tastefully placed decorations on the top branches of the tree and the golden spire. In all, the tree was a big jumble of decorations, and rather ugly. But it was a very accurate representation of the closely knit Potter family.
Unlike the other days, on Christmas morning, Hope woke up before the rest of the family. She ran into her brother's room, and jumped on his bed between the twins.
"Happy Christmas!! Abby! Harry! Wake UP! Its Christmas already! Wake Up!! We hafta open our PRESENTS!!"
Harry grunted in his sleep and turned over, while Abby opened one sleepy eye at her sister.
"Wassa time?" she croaked.
"It's Presents time!" Hope said excitedly, and giggled at her own wit.
Abby gave a glance to the clock on the bedside and groaned. "No, you dolt! It's still six. Go back to bed" She tried to pull the sheets up and turn to go right back to sleep.
"Aww, Come on Abbyyyy. I wanna see what I got for presents" Hope whined shaking her sisters shoulder.
Abby sighed and turned to her overactive sister. She gave a short glower at her brother who was sleeping undisturbed, and said to Hope. "How about we sleep for another hour, and when its time to open presents, you get to go first"
Hope scrunched her nose in deep thought, and quickly decided it's a great deal. "OK" she said lying down between her siblings. Abby gave another short irritated glower at her sister, and pulled up the covers so Hope could wiggle in under them. She turned towards her, put an arm over her waist and went back to blissful sleep.
That is how Lily found her children an hour later when she came over to wake them up. She couldn't help but smile at the scene. At the same time, she couldn't help but worry about what their future would be like, or if their mutual affection remains the same through the bitter times that were sure to come.
ooo000ooo
The Family enjoyed the Christmas morning with a hearty breakfast and a healthy dose of goofing around while opening their presents. It took almost until the lunch time for them to open all of them. As every year, Abby received a number of presents from many unknown but grateful and stupid people of wizarding world. Even after a number of interviews and public discussion forums, people seem to not understand that whatever happened that Halloween night has got nothing to do with Abby or Harry. Coupled with it, the whisperings of Abby being the "chosen one" made people lift her status up to a pedestal of a celebrity. It did not matter that the people who called her a "Chosen One" do not seem to know what she was "Chosen" to do. The family eventually got tired of trying to correct the stigma, and just tried to live with it. Abby however, like any seven year kid, loved getting the extra presents and affection showered on her at every public gathering.
After lunch, the kids went to their rooms to get ready for the party to follow. That year, the Potters agreed to host the Christmas party for all the children and their friends. It was an occasion all of them were eagerly looking forward to for many weeks.
At two O'clock sharp, the front door banged open and the Black family walked in.
"Uncle Sirius, Auntie Amy, uncle Remus, Adrian, Happy Christmas" Hope ran over, jumping over the living room furniture.
"Hope! Watch where you are going" shrieked Lily, while the twins followed their sister in a more sedate pace.
"There's my favorite Goddaughter. Happy Christmas to you too kiddo" Sirius said lifting Hope off her feet and twirling around.
"She is your only goddaughter, uncle" Abby said giggling.
"So? Who said I can't pick favorites just because I have only one goddaughter?" Sirius argued back, now hugging Abby.
"That's called 'Logic de Sirius'. Don't try to understand it unless you want a headache" Remus joked from the side.
Hope Let go of Sirius and turned to Adrian, but he shrieked, "Don't!! Don't touch me so much. You girls have cooties. I don't want to get them" He said as Hope was trying to hug him.
"Really Adrian?" Abby said with a devilish grin. She ran over and hugged him tightly. The boy's face was twisted in absolute disgust, as he tried to push her away but Abby was not having any of it. "Happy Christmas, ickle Aidy-moo" she wished him and finished it off with a kiss on his cheek, to which Adrian made gagging noises.
"I didn't see you resisting when Ginny hugged you yesterday" Abby replied coyly.
Adrian blushed and looked down saying, "Yeah, well. Ginny is not a regular girl"
"RRRRReeeaally? I'll hafta remember that and mention it to her when she comes here" Abby said, as Adrian's face took a horrified expression.
"Children. Behave!" Amy warned with a grin.
Sirius opened his mouth to say something, but Amy beat him to it as she added with a mock serious look, "That includes you too, Sirius" causing him to scowl.
That got another round of laughs as they made it into the living room. As the adults met James and Lily exchanging pleasantries, the fireplace turned green. They turned towards it to find the Longbottom family spilling out.
"Frank! Alice! It's so nice to meet you again" Lily ran over to greet her best friend from school. Behind them, the short boy with a bit round face stood with a smile.
"Hello Lily. Thanks for inviting us" they replied
"Neville! It's so nice to see you again. Look how much you grew up. You are almost your mother's height now" Lily greeted the boy, who was blushing under the praise. "Not that it's much to begin with" Lily added slyly, causing Alice to go, "Hey! I heard that"
Neville walked over to the children, and greeted each one of them.
"Hello Abby, Hope. Happy Christmas", he greeted them with a hug. He shook Adrian's hand, and stuck out his hand at Harry with, "Hey Harry. Happy Christmas"
Harry just looked at his hand curiously for a few seconds, and then looked up at the smiling boy's face. He held his gaze long enough that the other boy broke the eye contact, pulled his hand back and began squirming a bit on his feet.
Abby put a comforting hand on Harry's shoulder and turned to Neville saying, "Don't mind him, he's a bit grumpy that he did not get that new Martin Migg's comic book today." She continued, "So how far are you in Ms. Belshire's essay on geography of England? I am so behind, I am not sure if I will ever pass the class"
"Yeah! Tell me about it. I hate all the social studies classes. I mean, who would use that or math once we go to Hogwarts. I think Ron had the best idea when he stopped attending the primary school last term" Neville replied with a good natured whining.
Soon, they were joined by the Weasleys. The Weasley matriarch Molly came out of the fireplace holding a big package that immediately filled the room with the most delicious aroma of fresh baked pies and puddings.
"Hello Arthur, Molly. It's nice to see you again" Lily greeted them, and smelling the Weasley sweet delights, she added, "I would have said 'you didn't have to, Molly', but having tasted your cooking before, all I can think of is, 'I hope there is Molly's famous chocolate pudding in there'"
Molly blushed a bit but took it in a stride, "Oh! It's just a matter of time, Lily. Add another five years and a couple of more kids to your family, especially boys; your skill would be as good as mine"
That got a devilish grin on James face and an ashen expression on Lily. "Don't joke about it Molly. Three is more than I can handle. I get enough heart attacks as it is with the girls; and don't even start about Harry!" That caused another round of laughs.
"Lily, who else is yet to come?" James asked curiously looking around the party.
"Hmm.. lets see, the Bones and the Changs said they couldn't make it. Albus may drop by sometime. I think Harry's new friend Luna and her family hasn't come yet." Lily said with a frown.
"I hope they make it. I am curious to meet them. Especially the girl who has enough … I don't know, courage?… to befriend Harry" James chuckled.
The men, women and children soon formed separate groups as they began chatting about whatever suited them.
"Well, hello there little ones. You do not happen to know where the grown ups are sitting do you?" One red haired boy about nine years of age, standing beside his obvious twin asked the assembled children. The other children had long since given up trying to distinguish who was Fred, and who was George of them.
"Why? Do you need to get your diapers changed?" Ron immediately asked causing the rest to laugh out.
"Why, our little brother finally is growing up into his own." The other twin said with a smile.
"I know, dear brother. He is finally learning to be sarcastic without seeming constipated" the first replied wiping an imaginary tear off.
"We gotta help him however we can" the other said ruffling Ron's hair.
"Oi! Gerroff me" Ron said disgruntled. The others watching the siblings' antics could no longer contain their laughter as they all broke out into loud guffaws.
"Well, hello everyone" Ron said sitting down along with the others once everyone let go of their stomachs, they were laughing so hard.
All the red heads shook hands with everyone, getting the same reaction from Harry as Neville. But the twins were the only ones who were bold enough to ruffle his hair as they wished him Happy Christmas. Harry scowled at this deeply and replied, "Yeah! Yeah! Happy Christmas to you too… Bookends"
"Why, thank you, m'boy" Fred replied, and added "Been picking any more fights at the school lately?"
Harry shrugged and said, "No one important"
"Yeah, no one important. Just the Head teacher's son, Luc something-or-other" Adrian said.
"Well, I didn't do anything. He just happened to trip on my walking stick…" Harry trailed off.
"…the walking stick that Harry reported the day before to be lost" Ginny added
"…that found its way in front of the classroom door" Adrian added
"… through which the rest of the class had just passed, without tripping or even noticing anything, by the way" Abby added.
"… and did we mention that the class just happened to include young Harry also." Neville finished.
"Yes, well. It is my favorite walking stick. I am glad I got it back." Harry said with absolute seriousness.
"The best part was, Luc also concluded that Harry was behind it and picked a fight with him… in front of the entire assembly. The headmaster gave him two weeks of detention, and extra homework for the Christmas break." Neville said with a giggle, and then added, "I can bet my Herbology book that it was Harry's doing. But, for the life of me, I can not figure out how he positioned the walking stick so perfectly at that exact moment"
The twins and Ron looked at Harry's face with varying amounts of astonishment, as they never expected such a devious behavior from the quiet and goody Harry Potter.
"Well, dear brother. I think we have a new prankster amongst us. We should do our best to share our knowledge of the precious art to him too" the twins said with a laugh.
"Why do you think its Harry though?" Ron asked curiously.
"Well, Luc made fun of Harry's friend Luna the day before. He pulled her hair, called her rude names and even made her cry. The head teacher was right there, but won't punish him because he's her son. I think he deserved whatever he got" Abby finished with a sniff.
"Luna? Who's that?" Ron asked curiously.
At that time, the fireplace behind them turned green, and the last guests of the afternoon party arrived.
"Selena? What are you doing here?" Lily cried out.
Unspeakable known to Lily as Selena Gosworth turned to her one time colleague with a smile.
"Lily! I thought so! When Luna told me her new friend is a Potter, I immediately thought he must somehow be related to you." She came over to give a quick hug to Lily. "Oh! Hello James" she greeted and turned to introduce her family.
"This is my husband Xenophilius Lovegood" She pointed to the man in bright red robes, who had stumbled out of the fireplace and was dusting himself off. He had a wild mane of black and white peppered hair that seemed to have been held in place with great difficulty. When he looked up, it was quite obvious that one of his eyes was pointed a bit inwards, giving him a cross eyed deranged look.
He offered a nod to the assembled witches and wizards and turned to the fireplace looking at it quite intently. He gave a happy gasp and walked towards the fireplace as soon as the fire turned green.
A short petite girl with long blonde mane stepped out of the fireplace quite gracefully as though it were a portal, not the magical floo network that spins the traveler wildly inside. Xenophilius immediately was on the side of his daughter, brushing off the stray ash off her shoulder and robes. He then led her to his wife with a hand on her shoulder and a smile on his face.
"Hello Messrs. Potter! Charming house here, although you might need to think about your squimknowles infestation" he greeted the hosts.
"Huh? What?" James asked with a flummoxed expression on his face, causing Lily to slap lightly on his shoulder.
"The squimknowles are the tiny microscopic creatures that eat at dust mites wherever they encounter them. The result is overtly clean surroundings. Daddy is doing a short article about squimknowles in this month's issue" Luna replied, causing her dad to give a proud pat on her back.
"Well I would love to have a lot of that in my house then" Molly was heard muttering.
Selena watched her family with a fond expression and added excitedly, "Xenophilius has finally got his dream come true. He started his own periodical magazine. It's called 'The Quibbler'".
Sirius immediately recognized it, and began, "Oh! I read the first issue last month. It was fun to read. I tell you, the articles were absolutely a load of … er, of interesting ideas… er, explored from a new perspective" he finished looking around, but not meeting any Lovegood's gaze.
While the others squirmed at the awkward situation, none of the Lovegoods seem to realize anything amiss.
Luna came over to the Potters, and wished them, "Happy Christmas, Mr., and Mrs. Potter. Thank you for inviting us" in a melodic voice. To the Potters' surprise, she walked up and gave a hug to Lily with a kind of familiarity that would not have suggested this as their very first meeting.
The Potters got their first real look at their son's friend. She had a pretty face, and pale skin that seemed even paler under her straight blonde hair that fell down loosely behind her – almost reaching he knees. Her wide protuberant blue-grey eyes and slightly upturned faint eyebrows gave her a kind of perpetual look of surprise. But what caught their attention was that while talking, she seemed to have a dreamy, far away expression in her eyes, as if she was watching something unknown to others that took much of her attention away from the moment.
"Happy Christmas to you too, Luna. It's really nice to meet you finally. I hear so much about you from Abby and Harry" Lily said returning the hug.
"Harry talks? I would have thought Abby to be the chatty one" Luna answered with a direct bluntness.
"Er. Sometimes" was all Lily could reply with a frown.
Luna stared intently at Lily for a few seconds, before saying, "The feeling of familial bond has meaning only when it is mutual. It just causes pain otherwise"
Before Lily could grasp the meaning of the statement completely, there was a cry behind her.
"Luna!" Abby cried out. She ran over and greeted her with a hug. Behind her, Harry walked over at a more sedate pace.
Luna let go of Abby after a short greeting. Noticing Harry, she broke into a smile and walked up to him. Before any adult could react, she grabbed him into a hug with a "Happy Christmas, Harry"
To the surprise of the on looking adults, Harry did not respond badly to the physical contact. On the contrary, he smiled back at Luna, and returned the hug. That was not something one would see everyday.
Harry pulled Luna over to the place where all the kids assembled.
"Weird" Sirius muttered, while the others just nodded watching the kids walk away.
Abby proceeded to introduce everyone to Luna.
"Hey, I think I have seen you a couple of times around the Ottery St. Catchpole, didn't I?" Ron asked Luna.
"Yes, Ronald" Luna replied focusing on a point just above Ron's head, "Daddy found this wonderful place to house his press and machinery near that village. Mummy and I did a lot of shopping in the village to stock up the place. I saw you and your family there a number of times" She answered turning to the other Weasleys. She turned to Ron again and added, "Last time I saw you, your mother was rubbing dirt off your nose".
That got the others snickering, while Ron's ears turned red. "Yeah, well. That was just one time…" he muttered turning away.
ooo000ooo
As the afternoon gave way to the evening, the various members of the party intermingled, some making new friendships and others remembering old times. The kids were engaged in fun activities in the front foyer, so there wasn't a need to keep a close eye on them at all times. Lily and Serena found time to sit together in Potters bedroom chatting about when they worked together at Department of Mysteries. More specifically, griping about the boss they had mutual dislike for.
"I swear, I felt he was about to fire me that time. And for what? I did not fill my time card properly. I mean, I understand being stickler for rules is appreciated, what with all the experimental magic we work around. But about timecard?" Lily said with an exasperated sigh.
"Yeah, Wilson turned very different from what I thought he would be. He was such a stickler for rules while we were in school too, but not like this. It's almost like the power went straight to his head or something" Selena said snacking on the trail mix Lily had prepared.
"You would know a lot of details about Wilson, wouldn't you? The way I remember, you two were quite a pair, those days" Lily commented quite casually, that caused Selena to choke on her snack.
"Wh-What do you m-mean?" Selena asked between coughs.
"I was in my second year when you were in sixth, Selena. You were my idol for the first few years. Let me get you a glass of water" Lily rose from her seat with a teasing smile. But before she could take two steps, she saw Luna walk towards them with a glass in hand. She smiled at Lily, and handed the glass to her mother. Selena took it with a thankful expression and emptied the glass in two quick gulps.
"How did you –" Lily started with a bewildered expression looking at Luna. Lily and Selena were sitting at the Potters bedroom, while the kids were in the front foyer.
Luna just shrugged and replied in a soft melodic voice, "I saw". She did not elaborate much on what, where or how she got there so quickly, leaving Lily even more bewildered about the little girl.
"Don't worry, Lily. There are a lot of things about this little bundle of joy that even I can not figure out. And I am her mother:" Selena said pulling the girl into her lap and placing a fond kiss on her cheek. This caused the girl to giggle lightly.
Lily was ever so curious about the girl who was not just able to befriend her unsociable son, but seemed to have a close affectionate relation with him. She wanted to ask her about herself, about how she became Harry's friend, how she was able to maintain it, how she reacts to his little quarks, and so many more. More so, Lily wanted to ensure the relationship did not hurt Harry, knowingly, or unknowingly. Without even realizing, Lily's body tensed up trying to understand the girl in front of her. She observed the petite girl for a few moments and then asked, "Can I ask you a question, Luna?"
"You just did." Luna answered serenely, but turned to face the older woman with a smile. Lily chuckled at the response, but suddenly found that the simple comment broke the tension in her.
"Luna, what do you think of Harry?" Lily asked
Luna looked curiously at Lily not quite understanding the older woman.
"Well, what I mean is, Harry is not like other boys in your school. He doesn't have many friends, and doesn't like to play like normal boys do. What I want to know is, how is he at school, and what you two do or play -" She trailed off.
Luna got a dreamy expression on her face as she thought about the question. She replied, "Harry is my first friend. Then Abby. For some reason, the other kids in school don't like to spend time with me either, and they always make fun of me. But Harry is not like that. He helps me when I need, and tells me if I am doing something others will make fun of later"
Selena took over and said, "Luna looks at the world in a different way than other kids her age. We never could figure out what she 'sees', as she puts it, but is always an easy target for bullies. It got so bad that we were thinking of pulling her out of the school. But then, she befriended Harry, and suddenly things were different. I am ever so glad of their friendship" Then she added, "I worry how it would be in future though when they change schools"
Birds of a feather, Lily thought with a smile. She turned to Luna and asked, "Helps you? How?"
"Well, I don't like math and numbers, but Harry gets it very easily. So he explains it to me when I don't understand something. Besides, he remembers everything from every class, so doing homework is easy when I am with him" Luna said with a smile.
"Oh. I didn't know he was so good" Lily said as if in a daze. Truth be told, she never really saw her son working on any school related subjects. He always said he finished his work during the play time after the school. The school allows an hour and a half of play time after regular hours, at which time Abby was known to play with her other friends. Since there were no complaints from the teachers at school, Lily assumed he did his work to their satisfaction, and thus did not need further scrutiny.
Luna shrugged her shoulders and replied, "Harry doesn't care about being too good. Besides, he only helps when I ask"
Lily smiled at Selena, then the little girl and said, "I am glad you are with him, Luna. I am always worried about him"
Luna turned a serious face to the older woman and said, "He wouldn't like the school next term when both Abby and I won't attend it with him"
"W-What? How do -? And what do you mean you won't attend too?"
"Huh? Why is Abby not going to attend?" Selena asked.
"Abby has been having trouble controlling her magical outbursts these days, so we thought of starting some basic magical training to stabilize her magic." Lily replied without giving out too much information. "But why would Luna not attend the school?"
"Well, we thought it would be nice for Luna to have education from muggle perspective too, so we enrolled her in a muggle elementary school starting next term. Besides, the quality of education in the primary school is truly dismal. It is more of a day care center than a school, I think. Just a place for kids to meet and spend time until they turn eleven. I want Luna to have a good education, even before she goes to, hopefully, Hogwarts" Selena replied, then added, "But I worry she may have trouble at new school, as she did before Harry"
"Oh" was all the bewildered mother could say. A sense of cold dread trickled into her stomach, as she thought about her son's future. "That's wonderful idea, Selena." Lily said slowly.
"So, Abby won't be attending the school with Harry for real?" Luna asked in a small voice.
Lily shook her head, "We thought you would be there to keep him company. If you do not attend the school, there is no reason for him to attend a magical primary school. But I am not sure which muggle school to send him to."
"So he really does not have magic?" Selena asked
Lily shook her head, while palming her face.
Selena took a deep breath, and said, "Well, what about Luna's muggle school?"
"I am not sure if Harry would make it through the Entrance process. Like I said, Harry is not what people would call normal"
Luna giggled at that. Hearing it, Lily looked up sharply with a retort on the tip of her tongue. But before she got it out, Luna said in a calmest voice, "If I could make it, Harry would not have a smallest problem at passing the Entrance exam"
"From everything Luna told about Harry, I have to agree, Lily" Selena supported. "Also, from what the Headmaster of the school told me, Luna was placed in the top 2 percent of the school. I think Harry may be placed even higher than Luna, if properly motivated"
ooo000ooo
The very next day, Lily, James and Harry left Abby with her new magical instructor, and visited the muggle school, St. Paul's Primary school. Selena also came along to introduce the Potters to the Headmaster.
"Well, what is your name, young man?" Headmaster Mr. Wordsworth asked in a gruff voice.
"Harry Potter" he replied looking around the office curiously. The office had a collection of many trophies and shields proudly displayed.
Harry wore a casual slacks and a button up shirt, leaning over his favorite red wood walking stick as he stood in front of the Headmaster's desk.
"A walking stick?" Mr. Wordsworth looked down at his bio-data form, adding, "At the age of seven?" he posed the question to the parents.
"Yes. Um.. well, you see," James stammered trying not to steadily meet the sharp gaze of the headmaster, "Harry was involved in an accident when he was very young. The healers.. er. doctors.. said it's nerve damage. Most probably permanent"
James, who stood toe-to-toe with even the headmaster of Hogwarts, found the muggle quite intimidating. His gaze had a piercing quality that put the others on edge.
"Not suited for sports, then" Mr. Wordsworth muttered, more to himself.
"Average grades, no social or extra curricular activities" he muttered more looking down the bio-data form, finally he said, "Tell me, Mr. Potter, why should we offer a seat in our prestigious institution? As you can see," he waved his hand around his office, "Our school looks for only the best. We further their growth and ready them to take distinguished roles in our society. I do not see anything impressive about your ward, which inspires me to allow him to even attempt our Entrance examination. Quite frankly, I am not even sure if he will qualify in it"
Hearing those words, the Potters hearts fell. "Well, Harry is a good student. He is full of surprises. Given a chance to prove, he would excel in any examination posed to him." Lily responded. "Besides, his best friend Ms. Luna Lovegood is already in attendance at this school"
"Ah. Yes. Charming young lady. High IQ score. She also scored very high in our exam. With right nurturing, I have no doubt she will be a great addition to our community." Mr. Wordsworth then added, "I have seen friendships between such dissimilar individuals before. They do not last for long."
The way this headmaster was talking about their son was quite painful to the parents. The only reason James or Lily had not lost their temper and began shouting was because, it was important for Harry to get admitted into the school along with his only friend, Luna. They knew that St. Paul's Primary school was a very reputed educational institution that had the best pass percentages at every grade. But to comment on the future of their son seemed a little too much. James opened his mouth to say just that, when a soft voice carried over from their side,
"Depth of friendship, Mr. Wordsworth does not depend on length of acquaintance, but on the breadth of friends' heart"
All the occupants of the room turned towards the voice and found, to their surprise, the still form of seven year old Harry Potter. Much unlike other times, Harry held his body stiffly, his walking stick held in front of his slightly parted legs, with both hands grasped firmly on the top. His facial expression was one of tightness, and his eyes seem to have an unnatural glow; the gaze held an intensity never seen before – zero'ed on Mr. Wordsworth's face. The Potters watched in amazement at their son's – first display of magic? Well, they did not know what to call it, if not magic. Or they hoped.
The headmaster turned his sharp gaze to the young boy and regarded him for a few moments. Much to his surprise, the boy never broke his gaze, and the challenge in his eyes was clear.
"It is a wonderful outlook, Mr. Potter, but such sentiments are meaningless unless all who are involved share it"
"Thus proving that you do not know all who are involved, and as such not in a position to opiniate" came a quick reply.
"And, I suppose you expect me to allow your admission based on your 'breadth of heart', do you, Mr. Potter?"
"Of course not, Headmaster. After all, the entrance examination set by your school board serves that very purpose. What I do expect, is to be allowed to take the examination your school board has not put any prerequisites for"
The Potters who were watching the exchange with interest started at the boy's last comment. Very effectively, Harry has told the headmaster that he is but an employee, and as such does not have authority to stop him from taking the test.
"It is disrespectful for a young boy to talk back to a figure of authority, Mr. Potter. Such unruly behavior does not have place in our institution" Mr. Wordsworth all but growled back to Harry, who never wavered his gaze.
"Is it any more disrespectful than a headmaster of a primary school belittling a child in front of his parents? Knowing full well that the words hurt?"
At that moment, Harry did not seem a seven year old boy, but a much older and mature person, who was ready to defend his honor in face of unknown odds. The Potters could not believe what was happening in front of their eyes. They could not believe that their quiet son, with no magic, thought to be autistic, was so brilliant. He has practically broken all their presumptions.
At those words, Mr. Wordsworth also seemed to have realized that he was talking to a seven year old – and a very precocious one too, as it seems. He chuckled, making light of the situation, and informed the Potters, "Feisty one, the boy is. I would love to see what he is capable of. Messrs. Potter, I will allow your ward to take the Entrance examination, and if he passes with an above average grade, he shall be admitted." When the parents began protesting about 'above average' comment, Mr. Wordsworth cut in saying, "You are late, Messrs. Potter. New admissions are usually honored only at the beginning of new school year. Ms. Lovegood was an exception due to her IQ test score. If your ward meets those same criteria, he shall be allowed admission. Otherwise, you are welcome to wait till the beginning of the school year" he said with finality.
The Potters nodded. Mr. Wordsworth told them, "You have one week to take the examination. Let us know when your ward will be ready for it"
The Potters turned to their son, to find him staring at the trophies dreamily. The previous stiffness in his body and the magical glow in his eyes was not present anymore. He just seemed like the Harry Potter they were used to for the last seven years.
"How about right now?" he asked almost serenely.
ooo000ooo
The Potters, still in daze, reached home that evening. Harry had taken the exam, and for the first time in over a century of school's history, according to Mr. Wordsworth, a candidate had passed the Entrance examination with 100 percent marks. All his previous hostility forgotten, Mr. Wordsworth seemed ready to bend over backwards to have Harry in his school immediately.
As soon as they reached home, James pulled out his wand, handed it to Harry, and asked him to wave it. But with any number of waves, or touches, there were no magical sparks emitting out of the wand. As a ditch attempt, James got behind Harry, while he was not paying attention, and cried loudly into his ear. Higher emotions like fear and danger normally causes magical outbursts in normal wizards. James expected magical sparks to shoot out of the wand when Harry was startled. Well, Harry did get startled, but instead of getting sparks, he almost took James' eye out with the wand. That settled them down for the time being and the family sat for dinner.
After dinner, James took Abby's Bacillum and stuck it into Harry's hand. James had him try it out for so long, yet with no result that even Harry got tired of it. Finally, Harry just dropped the Bacillum into James' lap and went over to his sisters to play gobstones.
ooo000ooo
As the new year rolled in and the new term at St. Paul's started, the Potter household fell into a tentative routine. The Mornings and evenings, the family made sure to spent time together. After breakfast, Emmeline Vance arrived to take over Abby's magical training. With the training and regular use of magic, Abby did not suffer from as many accidental magic incidents as she did before. In the beginning, the one point of contention between Abby and her parents was that, Abby wanted Harry also to get the magical training. It took her a long time to understand and accept the fact that Harry may never accompany her in such training. The incident in Mr. Wordsworth's office had given the Potters hope that Harry may not be a squib. But any number of experiments yielded no positive results, and they had to grudgingly accept that the situation did not change.
Once Abby had gotten over the fact that Harry would not be accompanying her, she became a good student and took in everything Vance taught her with zeal.
Harry, on the other hand, attended St. Paul's with just as much zeal as he had in his magical primary school. He never put in extra effort Mr. Wordsworth had hoped for, but put in only enough work to satisfy his teachers without catching their attention. Unlike Harry, Luna maintained her position in the top 2 percent of the class since her very first exam.
Their Math and Science teacher Ms. Lee quickly became Luna's favorite, as she had a knack of explaining the subject Luna had most trouble with. The tips she gave helped Luna greatly improve.
As the first few months rolled on, it was not an uncommon for Ms. Lee to find the two friends together. They spent almost all their time together. Truth be told, she and the other teachers were very doubtful about this particular pair of students. She admitted that if not for their above average marks in all subjects, Harry especially, and Luna at many times, seemed potential students for a school for kids with special needs. But their persistent deposal of such presumptions through their intelligence endeared them to the level that Ms. Lee began taking special interest in trying to improve their academics. But, like the others teachers in teaching primary school, she found it very difficult to even understand them, let alone help them. But that makes it so much challenging, she thought.
Knowing Luna's and Harry's relative positions in the class, she subtly suggested that Luna help Harry in improving his academics. One day during the study hour, she noticed the friends together stooped over some books. She walked over to them, feeling very glad that they were implementing her suggestion.
"Afternoon, Luna, Harry." She greeted them.
Luna looked up from her books and greeted in a rather dreamy voice, "Hello Ms. Lee"
"I am glad to see you two applying yourselves constructively in your studies" she commented looking down at their books. "Oh! Math and Sciences. Boy, do I feel lucky" she said with a smile.
Luna just shrugged her shoulders, while Harry gazed at her with his haunting green eyes. Lee broke the gaze with difficulty, and commented, "I am glad to see you helping your friend, Luna."
"Oh! I am not helping him, Ms. Lee. Harry is helping me understand these L.C.F and G.C.D things. I have so much difficulty with them", Luna replied.
Huh? That's new, Lee thought. "Do you understand them, Harry?" she asked curiously.
Harry just shrugged in response, while Luna replied for him with a smile, "He knows it, Ms. Lee. He already solved the big ones at the end of chapter 24 as well"
That's next grade Math! Lee all but shouted inside her mind. "That's nice, Harry. You must be really good at math, then" She fully expected him to blush at the complement, like every kid she had ever taught. But this one just gazed on. "How come you don't show that in your regular class?" she asked.
Harry frowned at this, and seemed to mull over the question for a bit. His reply came back, "I pass the exams"
"Well, you can be much better than that. You can get good grades, and if you do exceptionally well you may even win prizes"
Harry's brow made a frown as he thought deeper. "Does that mean if I do better in class I don't have to take exams?"
"Oh no, Harry. You have to take the exams. Maybe a few more to correctly gauge your aptitude"
"Will I not have to pass?"
"No. You do have to pass, Harry. You can't escape that" Ms. Lee replied with a teasing smile.
"So, if I do better in the class, I have to take same exams and I still need to pass them?" Harry asked, and Ms Lee nodded.
"But, I do that already" Harry asked with a curious frown on his face.
Lee almost fell out of her chair at the display of logic. It was one of the rarest moments in her life when she was left amused and proud at being outwitted by a seven year old.
Deep in thought, as she made to get up from the kids' table, Luna's melodic voice broke in, "Ms. Lee", she turned to Luna, "The distance from you to your father is just the same as the distance from him to you", with a frown, she added, "And it is the same path that leads one to the other"
Completely bewildered, Lee left the study room.
ooo000ooo
The only trouble the pair faced at school was from the bullies. Harry and Luna were called many rude names like "dummy duo", dorks, dweeps, etc. To a major extant, Harry and Luna completely ignored their jabs or hurtful words. The few times Harry did get into a fight with them were when the bullies got physical with Luna or made her cry. Such fights usually took a teacher to break them up. Unlike the bullies who immediately pushed the blame on the others, Harry would simply take Luna's hand, and walk away.
After one particularly big fight, in which surprisingly even Luna participated, a Parent-teacher conference was called. Lily and Selena met up with Ms. Lee to discuss the incident. Upon explaining what had happened, Selena commented with a smile, "This is the reason I feel glad that Harry is on Luna's side all the time"
"She is quite smart for her age. I have to admit, she made me see the truth and mend things with my father. I don't know how she knew about my personal life, but she did give me a sound advice"
"Well, you are not the only one she gives such advice to." Lily replied with a smile. "They make quite a pair, Harry and Luna, don't they?"
"Personally, this meeting is much of an obligation from the school's point of view. One look at those involved, and I can tell where the blame lies. But I want to take this opportunity to try understanding your children. They are quite unlike anyone I ever met. And I had been a primary school teacher for over a decade" Ms. Lee answered.
Lily and Selena looked at each other. That was a loaded question. Finally Lily replied, "Well, that is something we had been trying to figure out since their birth, actually. And we are no where near finding out. As far as we can tell, Harry is very protective of those he cares about, and Luna is one of those outrageously smart girls. They each keep the other grounded"
Selena nodded, "Luna used to have a lot of nightmares when she was little. About things she should not even know about. As the time passed, she stopped complaining. we thought the nightmares stopped. But I realized she just stopped complaining. She has always been very mature for her age"
Ms. Lee looked down for a moment. She asked in a quiet voice, "I may know a man who can help them both"
"Who?"
Lee said, "My father. He is one of the most prominent martial art experts in the whole world, and I believe he can help them achieve stability of consciousness. With the type of intelligence Harry and Luna display at times, I think they are just too confused about themselves. My father might help"
"But a fighting master?" Selena asked curiously.
"My father is one of the very few who holds the title 'Master' in over ten arts. His control on his chi is legendry, and I think that is what the kids need."
The mothers looked at each other and nodded. Maybe it's worth a shot, Lily thought.
Ms. Lee continued, "But he is very selective who he imparts his knowledge to. Despite me being his daughter, he thought I was not worthy enough. So don't get your hopes up too high. Oh, by the way, If it is of any importance, you can talk to the Changs about my father. They are, I believe, quite prominent in your world?"
Both Lily and Selena startled at this. "What? How-"
"Chunhou Chang and my father's acquaintance go way back. I had known you were magic users the minute you walked into my room. My father taught me enough to identify the chi difference between normal people and magic users. But don't worry, your secret is safe with me" she winked.
"So, if your father's power is legendry, how come he lives here?"
"His power on his chi was so uncanny that he could move things around him just by its power. Before you jump to any conclusion, he is not a magic user. Chunhou and my father studied it for long time to conclude that. In fact, Chunhou called him, 'The first Muggle to do Magic' whatever that means. But, the temple he lived in thought he has some dark power, and banished him. My father however believes that fate has a reason for his banishment, and came here waiting for that reason to fructify"
ooo000ooo
Three hours later, Ms. Lee, the two parents and the two kids were standing in a very distinctly Asian stylized garden. In the center of the garden was a large patch of flat ground, and a medium sized house. The loud noises of the busy town just outside the garden were strangely absent in the middle. The house had its roof slanting, forming a patio in front of the front door.
A man sat with his legs crossed Indian style in the patio with his eyes closed and deep in meditation. He was dressed in Chinese suit, and had his long white hair tied into a knot on top of his head. His mustache and beard was long enough to reach his chest. But the white facial hair only seemed to grow around his mouth and chin, leaving his cheeks clean. Ms. Lee led the others to the man and stood silently.
She finally bowed with her arms held up in front of her in an obvious Chinese greeting, "Sifu Zhao".
"As many times as I teach you how to bow daughter, you never learn that you should not take your eyes off the person in front of you" He said in a gruff squeaky voice without even opening his eyes. Yet the voice had a certain power in it that truly demanded respect for the man.
"As you say Sifu, I am a slow learner." Ms Lee said in an equally strong voice.
"A slow learner daughter, is a dead learner" he answered.
They both regarded each other for a few moments, causing the others to shift on their feet feeling uncomfortable. Ms. Lee was the first to break the gaze and with a smile she kissed the man on his cheek.
The man, Master Zhao returned the smile and said, "Yeifei, what brings you here so soon"
"I have come to ask for your help, Father" she pointed to the two kids, and beckoned them.
"This is Luna. The girl who showed me the way back to you" she said quietly. The man immediately turned to the girl and regarded her in new light. With a nod, he turned to his daughter, who continued, "She has many personal demons that hold her true worth from being known"
Yeifei pointed to Harry, and said, "This is Harry. The boy –"
Before she could continue, Master Zhao raised his hand. "I saw the boy fight three others seven days ago." He added quite conversationally, "He fights poorly"
He then turned to the parents, and asked with arms spread, "What do you expect an old man like me to help you with"
Lily shuffled on her legs, "Er. We are not really sure. Ms. Lee said you could somehow help them, teach them –"
"I have not taken any new students for the last seventeen years. I have not found any worthy to take on" he said
He turned to Luna, "Tell me child. Are your demons with you even now?"
Luna frowned at this and replied, "The ones that caused me nightmares? They are always with me"
"How is it that you do not get affected now?"
"I am trying to learn to live with them"
"And, did you succeed?"
Luna shook her head. "But I must learn to live, lest I live no more"
Master Zhao nodded his head and turned to Harry.
"I have seen you fight seven days ago, in front of my house"
Harry simply nodded.
"There were three against you"
Another nod.
"Why did you fight?"
"They were hurting my friend"
"Was it their first time?"
"First time they were about to hit her"
"Was it your first time?"
"No"
"What happened earlier?"
"Some others were about to hit my sister"
"You could have ran away"
"Luna couldn't"
"You could have gotten some adults"
"It would be too late"
"Did you hit them?"
"I do not know"
"Did they hit you?"
"Yes"
Lily wanted to add on to it, and started, "He-" but never got to finish, as Master Zhao, without even turning to Lily, raised a stiff hand up. The message was clear, "Shut Up, I am not talking to you"
"How did you feel when you fought?"
Harry shrugged.
"Did you feel fear?"
"No"
"Why not?"
"Luna needed me"
"Did you feel powerful?"
Harry frowned as if it was ridiculous, "No!"
"Did you like hitting the other boys?"
"No"
"Do you feel bad for hitting them?
"No"
"Did you see how many attacked you?"
"Four"
"I counted three"
"Fourth went for Luna"
"Were you hurt after the fight?"
"Yes. They hit me on my right leg, because it hurts"
"Did you stop the fight when you were hurt on your right leg?"
"No"
"Because your friend needed you?"
Nod.
"Would you do it again?"
"Yes"
"If there were five next time?"
"Still"
"If they were hurting someone else on the road?"
"No"
"Why not?
"I don't know them"
"If your friend asks you to?"
"Then I will"
Master Zhao turned to the parents and regarded them for a few moments.
"I will take the two children and teach them what they need. For the girl, Tai Chi to center her consciousness, and Baguazhang to defend herself. For the boy, I believe a combination of Kalaripayattu to condition his mind and body, and Hung gar to fight and defend"
He simply turned to his house with, "I expect my students to be here at six tomorrow morning"
Lily suddenly felt overwhelmed by all this. They just came to Master Zhao to find if he can help. But the Asian master was now talking about teaching the kids how to fight. That was completely unexpected.
"Umm.. Master Zhao, sir, Harry has a problem. His right leg is weak and needs a walking stick to walk properly. I am not sure if he –"
Master Zhao, who had his arms held behind his back, was walking over to his house. He stopped hearing Lily's comment, half turned to her and said, "If his right leg is weak, we shall begin with making it stronger"
(A/N) you may have noticed that at times, Harry and Luna do not seem like seven year olds, but rather more mature individuals. Well, there is a reason for that. Parts of it are explained in this chapter, and a few can be gleaned from previous chapters. But the actual reasons will be revealed in future. I hope! ducks head.
(A/N2) is it just me or did Harry seem like in "Avatar State" while talking to Mr. Wordsworth? I swear, I thought up this scene long before I watched that show! Really!
(A/N3) if you are curious about the martial art called Kalaripayattu, you can get more info about it from the links in my profile. The way Kalari warrior moves is exactly how I envisioned Harry in the future… oops too much info. Ye the reader, I order thee to forget that! :-)
(A/N4) Are so many author notes becoming annoying? Ok! I will stop now
Please Read and Review! I love hearing your opinion. Or in the words of one author whose name I can't remember, "My ego needs stroking and my conceits need slapping. Please review":-)
Enjoy!
