Chapter Nine:
The newly reconciled family shared an emotional embrace when they stepped out of the fireplace at Sirius' house. Mooney watched them apprehensively.
"Alright, let's talk about what happened with Snivellus first," said Sirius.
"Snape?" asked Remus.
"Yes," Sirius growled. "He's the Potions professor. I told Albus I would find them a tutor. No way in Hell am I letting that evil prick interact with my children."
"Dumbledore left you to rot in prison while he employed a known Death Eater? To teach children?" Remus asked angrily.
"My thoughts exactly, Mooney," Sirius spat. "When Harry commented that he had been in a classroom with someone who could have been involved in his parents' murder, Snape visibly paled. I swear to Merlin, if that greasy haired bastard had anything to do with what happened…" he trailed off, pacing.
"Did something happen in your class with him today?" Remus asked the children tentatively.
"Will you be upset with us if we were less than courteous to him?" asked Harley quietly. She didn't want them to get upset again. They obviously didn't care for the man, but she didn't want to take any chances.
"Pup, I'd be upset if you were courteous to the bastard," Sirius answered cheekily. "So what happened. Was he treating you unfairly?"
Both men were intrigued by the children's smirks. "Well yes," said Harry. "He was belligerent and unprofessional from the moment we walked through the door. He mocked me, saying I was Hogwart's newest celebrity. Then he started asking us a bunch of questions. One question was about the difference between wolfsbane and monkswood. I wouldn't have gotten it if it weren't for you, Mooney. Harley and I were inspired to look up the potion when you told us about it." Sirius and Remus had explained Remus' lycanthropy to the two children. They were told that with the Wolfsbane potion Sirius was going to procure, Remus would be able to keep his mind during the transformation.
"But…that's not even a first year question!" Remus exclaimed.
"We know," said Harley. "He was most displeased that we were able to answer. He even took a point from each of us, for your cheek. After that treatment we decided to simply ignore him," she smirked. "Let me tell you, he did not like that. It seemed to enrage him to the point of near stroke."
Harry started laughing. "You should have seen his face! He was looming over us, screaming like a mad man, spittle flying from his mouth. Some of it landed in our boil cure potion. It started bubbling and turned and alarming shade of puce. Harley looked to Hermione, and deadpanned, 'Hey Hermione, do you know of anything that will counteract the spittle of a grown human male? Our potion seems to have been contaminated somehow.' When Hermione didn't answer she adopted a look of mock regret and said, 'Nothing? Oh, well. It was worth a shot.' It was bloody brilliant; I thought Snape's head was going to explode!"
Both Remus and Sirius were laughing along with the children. They'd always disliked Snape, even in school. Remus regretted being so awful to him, though. He sometimes wondered if their torment drove him to Voldemort. He didn't much care after hearing he may have had something to do with James and Lily's murders. Sirius had always loathed the man outright. The only regret he had was nearly causing Remus' worst nightmare to become a reality when he tricked Snape into following them down to the Willow on a full moon. So, needless to say, he was enjoying his children's story.
Harley was laughing as well as she finished the tale. "Since it seemed to make him so angry that we refused to acknowledge his existence, we decided to chatter inanely the entire way to the Headmaster's office. He was in a right state by the time we arrived."
"Do you hear that Mooney? The second generation Marauders are living up to their legacy!" stated Sirius proudly.
Remus smiled at Sirius before turning the conversation back to more serious matters. "I must say that was a brilliant way to handle Severus. I would caution you to steer clear of him in the future, and continue to ignore him if you are forced into his presence. He could be dangerous at worst and at best he could make things very difficult for you."
Both children nodded, but Sirius looked pensive. "I think I will contact Alberts about this. Perhaps we can legally demand that Severus refrain from interacting with them, leaving all punishments he may deem necessary to their head of house."
"Hmm…I don't know how that would work. He's a professor in the school they attend. Perhaps we could send a warning that charges will be filed for any harassment. Harry is the last scion of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Potter. He will be a Lord one day. Harley is the daughter of Lord Black of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black. I know you don't care for all the politics, Sirius, but you can use them to your advantage."
Sirius grumbled for a few moments before relenting. The other side used politics to advance their agenda. He would have to do the same. He'd do anything to protect his children.
"Alright. I'll contact Alberts about the warning. Now we need to discuss what happened the last few days. Why didn't you accept my owl?" Sirius asked, clearly pained.
Both Harry and Harley had been watching Sirius and Remus work out a solution to keep them safe from Snape. They were both very confused, yet hopeful. They didn't really understand how Sirius could yell at them and take McGonagall's side over theirs, and then turn around and try and protect them from Snape. Harley looked to her feet as she replied to her father. "Well, I…um….I thought you were going to tell us that you didn't want us anymore. I didn't want to read that so I just told Zeus I wouldn't take his letters."
Harry had Harley's hand in a vice like grip. He knew this was difficult for her, but it was difficult for him as well. Sirius and Remus were the only real links he had to his parents. He didn't want to lose that any more than he wanted Harley to lose her father.
"Will you please read my letter?" asked Sirius, moving the unopened letter into his daughter's line of sight.
She took it from him with shaking hands. She and Harry read the letter together, feeling both relieved and guilty at the same time. "I'm sorry, Daddy," said Harley.
"Me too, Sirius," chimed Harry. "We should have read it, but we were scared. We didn't want to be sent away." Neither child liked to admit such a weakness, but Sirius had been very open with his feelings since he stepped through the fireplace in Dumbledore's office. He hadn't tried to be stoic. They both felt they owed it to him to do the same.
Sirius again knelt before his children, taking one of their hands in his. "I understand. However, I need you to understand that we are a family, and that won't change. There will be times when I'll have to discipline you. There will be times when we'll disagree. There will be times when I'll be unhappy with you. There will never be a time when I won't need the both of you in my life, when I don't love you. Communication is very important in a family. Promise me you'll never shut me out again and I'll promise you you'll never open a letter sending you away. Deal?"
Both children looked to Sirius with a smile. "Deal," they intoned simultaneously.
"Wonderful. Now, about Minerva. She's a very stern woman, and I can see how that would adversely affect two children who've never put much store by authority figures. The reason I feel so protective over her is because of the war. Harry, she was on a mission with your mum before she became pregnant with you. She saved Lily's life. Truthfully we all saved each other's lives many times over during the war. It's given us a certain bond." Sirius said.
Harley was thinking that the bond obviously wasn't strong enough for McGonagall or anyone else to object to her father's unlawful imprisonment, but she couldn't say that in front of Remus. He already felt terribly guilty about the whole thing. Harry was also torn. He also thought it was unfair that Sirius defended McGonagall when she didn't stand up for him, but it went deeper. It had been McGonagall's name signed at the bottom of his Hogwarts letter. The letter addressed to the Cupboard Under the Stairs. He hardly thought his mum would thank the woman for allowing her child to suffer that fate.
Both children just nodded, silently agreeing to never speak their true feelings about one Minerva McGonagall in front of Sirius.
Sirius eyed them warily. They obviously weren't swayed. They'd just have to agree to disagree at this point. "I say we floo back to the London apartment and spend some time at Namco and maybe Alton this weekend. Have some fun and put all this behind us? What do you say?" asked Sirius.
"Yes!" Harry exclaimed.
"Excellent!" Harley shouted, jumping up from the couch.
"I'm in!" Remus said just as excited.
Sirius stood, pulling his children into another embrace. "Just give me a few minutes to send off some letters. I'll be ready shortly." Sirius then left for the study where he penned a letter to Mr. Alberts and one Horace Slughorn.
The group stayed at the London apartment Friday night. Not one of them had gotten any truly peaceful sleep since the incident Wednesday night, and all were exhausted. They decided to buy some pizza ingredients and make homemade pizzas for dinner. Afterward they watched movies and ate popcorn, just enjoying each other's company. They all retired to their rooms relatively early, and Harley felt contentment surge through her veins when she woke up snuggled into Padfoot. She still had her father. He still loved her.
They spent nearly their entire Saturday at Alton, riding all the rides and playing all the games. Sunday was spent at Namco doing the same. They returned to Hogsmeade feeling much closer. They'd gotten through their first bump as a family, and laid the groundwork for less traumatic disagreements in the future.
Sirius had received an owl Saturday evening from Slughorn agreeing to teach the children potions. He was very excited to meet Harry, and most pleased by the offer. Mr. Alberts had also sent confirmation of the notices to both Dumbledore and Snape that harassment of the children would be dealt with by the Ministry, completely bypassing the school's administration. Oh how Sirius wished he could transform into a fly so he could perch himself on the wall when the two read their notices. It would be a sight to see, of that he was sure.
Sirius and Remus walked the kids back to the castle early Sunday evening. They couldn't floo directly back to Gryffindor Tower since they didn't leave from there, and neither child wanted to re-enter directly into Dumbledore's office.
The quartet hugged their goodbyes before the children trotted off to Gryffindor Tower. They were immediately pounced upon by an overly emotional Hermione Granger as soon as they stepped through the portrait.
"Oh! I've been so worried! I thought you'd been expelled!" she nearly screeched.
Harley hugged her friend, laughing. "No, Hermione. I told you we were spending every other weekend with my dad. We left straight from Dumbledore's office. I should have owled you after what happened in Snape's class. I'm sorry about that."
Hermione had let go of Harley and pulled Harry into a hug during the middle of Harley's response. Both children had a bit of a soft spot for the bushy haired witch. Sure, she was a little manic about her studies, but both understood why. She was a muggleborn, and wanted to show that she deserved her place in Hogwarts. She had a need to prove herself worthy.
Harry felt this keenly as well. His parents had been brilliant students during their time. Head Boy and Head Girl. Harry was desperate to make them proud. To live up to their legacy. To hell with The Boy Who Lived nonsense, he just wanted to follow in his parents' footsteps.
Harley also felt this to a lesser degree. Her parents were no slouches in school, but she was mostly concerned about Harry's safety. Everyone kept talking about how people wanted to hurt him and how he needed to be protected. By God, she would learn every little bit of magic she could to do just that. In her opinion, slacking at school and failure to take advantage of learning every type of new magic was a betrayal to her best friend. She would soak up every bit of information she could. Those damn Death Eaters would get to Harry over her dead body.
Their ambition seemed to bother Ron, who was standing awkwardly by Hermione as she hugged the pair in turn. "Bloody hell, mate," he said. "I'm glad Snape didn't murder you two." Harley was unsure about her feelings toward the redhead. For the most part he seemed okay, but sometimes she saw a petty jealous boy leaking through his demeanor, and she didn't like it.
Harry just grinned. "Nah, we're actually not taking his class anymore. Sirius hired us a tutor."
"Oh that's great for you," said Hermione enthusiastically while Ron seemed to grumble incoherently. "He was just so awful! I've never seen a teacher treat students that way. It was so unprofessional!"
Hermione seemed completely dumbfounded, as if an adult being an asshole to a child was completely out of the realm of possibility. "Meh, we're pretty much used to adults treating us poorly, although Snape definitely takes the cake. I think he was even worse than Mrs. Phillips, eh Harry?"
Harry laughed. "Definitely, even if she did go spare when you refused to use the word present while reading The Christmas Story." Harley joined his laughter. She did get rather miffed.
They explained the story to their friends, and Hermione seemed to become more and more disillusioned as the stories went on. "It's been my experience that adults are helpful. I was bullied in my school, and the only people to help me would be the teachers."
"Your parents are dentists, Hermione," explained Harry. "They make a decent living, I'm sure. And they care about you. Your teachers wouldn't want to answer to two angry doctors if they allowed something to happen to their child. We didn't have parents. We only had each other and our friend Mary, who could only do so much. Most adults couldn't care less about what happened to us."
Hermione seemed to mull over what her friends were telling her. It went against everything she'd ever experienced, but logically she could see their point. They hadn't had adults in their lives willing to stand up for them, and were treated poorly by most people. Also, the display by Professor Snape was jarring. It shook the foundations of her blind faith in authority figures. Honestly, at one point she thought the man was going to actually hit Harley.
Harley could sense Hermione's confliction. "Look, Hermione. All we're saying is that you shouldn't follow someone blindly just because they're in a position of authority. You should question, use your own observations of a person's actions to judge them, not some title. I mean, just look at my dad. The Director of the DMLE sent my father to prison without so much as an interrogation. He completely abused his position and an innocent man was sent to Azkaban for twelve years. Two children were left without their parent or guardian. We're not saying that all adults are untrustworthy, we're just saying that they should have to earn your trust before you give it to them."
Harry nodded his agreement. "We've learned to be cautious, but Mary proved beyond any doubt that there are truly good people in this world. We may be wary of people at first, but we try to give people a chance."
Hermione was blushing. "I feel foolish, really. I've always prided myself on being highly logical, but blind faith is rather illogical."
"Don't feel foolish, Hermione. Feel lucky that you haven't had to learn that lesson the way we did," Harley said solemnly. Hermione gave her a grateful smile in return.
Ron had listened to their conversation feeling very uncomfortable. He didn't really get what Harry and Hermione were talking about. "Hey, Harry, wanna play some chess?"
"Can't, mate. Harley and I didn't get to work on any homework this weekend, so we need to catch up on our assignments before tomorrow," Harry replied.
"But we've hardly been assigned any homework!" Ron exclaimed.
"We've gotten a Transfiguration essay due tomorrow, Ron, and I want to go over the material for tomorrow's classes."
"Why?"
"Because I want to do well. It's important to me."
"Fine," Ron responded petulantly before challenging Dean to a game. Harry rolled his eyes and joined Harley and Hermione, who'd already set up their books at a free table.
Harry and Harley started their lessons with Katherine the next afternoon. The woman had gone to speak to Mary, so she knew Harley's routines and the approach she needed to take with the younger girl. Both Sirius and Remus joined the two children during the workout portion. The exercise would help Sirius recover, and any physical conditioning would be useful if war were to rise up in the world again. The three males then sat and watched Harley's lesson. Remus had never seen her dance, and was astonished by her talent.
"Amazing, it's she Mooney?" asked Sirius. Remus nodded his agreement. It wasn't just the technique, which was superb. It was the emotion she put into her movement. He now understood Sirius' determination in finding a suitable instructor. This outlet was important for the girl as it helped her express herself.
Harley had been nervous about learning from someone besides Mary, but Katherine made her feel very comfortable. She seemed to understand Harley's approach to dance, which was a huge relief. If someone had come in and tried to change everything around, Harley would not have been pleased.
As the children were preparing to floo back to the castle Sirius asked, "What did you think, pup?"
"No one can ever replace Mary, of course, but I like Katherine. She seems to know what she's talking about and I like her teaching style," Harley replied smiling. "Thanks for finding her, Daddy."
Sirius smiled and hugged his daughter. "I'd do anything for you, love."
The pair made their way back to the common room and off to dinner. When they returned they saw a notice about their first flying lesson that Thursday. Harry and Harley were ecstatic. They'd been very excited to start flying. Sirius had even promised to buy them each a broom so they could fly together after their first lesson.
Thursday arrived quickly. Unfortunately the Gryffindors were paired with the Slytherins for this lesson. Honestly, who makes up these schedules? How could they think that grouping the two houses with the most vicious rivalry would be a good idea?
Both children were cursing this, as they didn't like the idea of being in this lesson with Malfoy. They boy had droned on ad nauseam about his flying skills while neither of them had ever even mounted a broom before. They didn't relish the idea of making a fool of themselves in front of the vile cretin.
They needn't have worried. Madame Hooch, their flying instructor, corrected Malfoy's grip, telling him he'd been doing it wrong for years. Unfortunately, Neville had some issues with his broom and it took off like it was possessed. He ended up falling and breaking his wrist.
When Madame Hooch left to take the boy to the hospital wing Malfoy picked up the Remembrall Neville's Gran had sent him. Despite Hooch's threats of expulsion, Malfoy flew into the air to hide the item in a tree. Harry had followed, defending Neville. Harry taunted a nervous Malfoy, who was a lot less brave without his goons. He ended up throwing the small orb, sending Harry speeding after it. Harry managed to catch it just before it crashed into the ground, pulling the broom back up to keep himself from crashing as well.
All was well until the kids realized McGonagall was approaching. "HARRY POTTER!" she screeched. "Never – in all my time at Hogwarts – how dare you – might have broken your neck – "
Malfoy smirked triumphantly as McGonagall silenced Parvati and Ron's attempts to explain the situation. Typical, never willing to listen to the voice of children, both Harry and Harley thought bitterly. They both worried about how Sirius would respond since it was McGonagall doing the accusing. Individually they both decided to trust in Sirius' claim that he would love them no matter what. Harley sent him an encouraging smile, mouthing 'Together' as he passed.
He was beyond shocked to find that he wasn't in trouble at all. In fact, McGonagall wanted him to be on the Quidditch team as Seeker. She had merely taken him to meet the captain, Oliver Wood. He was relieved, sure, but one of her comments irked him. "I want to hear you're training hard, Potter, or I may change my mind about punishing you."
Sure she'd gone on to say that his father would be proud, but he was still bothered. Harley immediately understood when he relayed the story to her, Ron and Hermione later that afternoon.
"This is brilliant, Harry!" Ron exclaimed happily.
"Yeah, I thought for sure McGonagall was going to expel you. Aren't you pleased?" asked Hermione.
"Yeah, I'm excited to play and I'm definitely glad I wasn't expelled," responded Harry.
"Doesn't this also put your mind at ease about McGonagall a little? I mean, perhaps she can be trusted a bit?" Hermione asked tentatively.
"Not really," Harry responded.
"Why not? Mate, she could have gotten you kicked out of the school." Ron said slowly, like he was talking to a particularly dense child.
"Yeah, but she didn't really do it for Harry, did she?" Harley said. "She did it because she wants to win the Quidditch Cup. If the exact same situation occurred but Harry had failed to catch the Remembrall, Harry would have been punished, possibly expelled. She even threatened to punish him if he didn't do well!"
Harry nodded his head, "Exactly."
Ron looked at the couple incredulously. "Harry, what does it matter? You've got to be the youngest house player in – "
"A century. Yes, I know. And I am excited to play, but Ron, it matters because if I hadn't wanted to play, I probably would have been either forced to or punished." Harry explained.
Ron was still sputtering. He clearly couldn't see why it mattered. Harry was going to be a first year Quidditch player! Hermione, ever logical, could see their argument quite plainly. "She's basically forced you to play, whether you wanted to or not. The fact that you do want to play is irrelevant. To McGonagall as well, it would seem."
"You're all barking," Ron said before trotting off to challenge Seamus to a game of chess.
Sirius was very excited about the news as well. He was very proud of his godson, indeed. "Minerva's right, Harry. James would have been so proud. I'll speak to Albus about providing you with a broom. You can't use those crappy school ones."
Harry smiled at his godfather. It was a bit bittersweet. Because of the team's practices he wouldn't be able to visit with Harley during the week as much. Harley was happy for him, though, despite her issues with McGonagall. Sure, he liked to watch her lessons, but dancing was mostly her thing. She was happy he would have something to be his thing.
Sirius came through spectacularly on his promise to speak to the Headmaster about a broom. A brand new Numbus 2000 arrived the very next day. Much to Malfoy's chagrin. He tried to goad Harry into a Midnight Wizard's Duel, but Harry just laughed in his face.
Time began to pass more routinely. Harry and Harley spent their time shuffling back and forth from Sirius' house and the school, Harley visiting more than Harry due to his Quidditch practices. They had their first game against Slytherin in November and Oliver continually increased practices as the weeks went on.
Ron and Hermione constantly bickered, and it was starting to grate on Harry and Harley's nerves. Hermione came across as bossy a lot of the time, and confessed to Harley that she'd never had any friends and simply didn't know how to read social cues sometimes. She didn't mean to be bossy or a know-it-all. She was just so desperate to prove herself, and wanted to help her friends succeed as well.
Ron always reacted poorly to Hermione. It got to a point where she couldn't say anything without him taking offense in some manner. Harry didn't like the way Ron spoke to the girl. He had become nearly as good of friends with her as Harley. Harry tried to explain his objections to Ron's behavior, but the boy wouldn't listen. The more time passed, the more Ron seemed to remind Harry of Dudley, which wasn't a very pleasant observation. He was unsure how long his friendship with the boy could continue.
Halloween quickly arrived, and the entire school was very excited. The Great Hall was decorated festively and the children were looking forward to the annual feast. Harry and Harley, however, were somber. As were Sirius and Remus, because it was on Halloween exactly ten years prior that Lily and James Potter were murdered in their home.
Harry's mind kept drifting back to the dreams he'd had occasionally for as long as he could remember. His mother begging for his life. A cruel, high pitched laughter. Green light. Darkness. Pain. Loneliness. It was always the same. He never understood the dream until the day Hagrid and Harley turned up at the hut-on-the-rock a few months prior. Now he knew what he was seeing in the dream. His mother's death.
His heart would never be able to completely heal from the loss of the parents he couldn't remember. They had died for him. Loved him enough to sacrifice their lives so he could live. There would never be a moment in his life where he didn't miss them. Didn't wish to see them again. Hug them. Hear their voices.
He didn't know how he would have survived the last six years without Harley. She'd been such a beacon of hope, joy and love in his life. How they ended up in the same primary school was beyond him. She and Sirius had been living in the London apartment. He'd left her with a muggle babysitter when he went to check on Peter that fateful Halloween night. He'd never returned. The girl had waited for him, but she was just a college student. She didn't know what to do with a seventeen month old baby. She'd panicked and anonymously dropped the girl off at a local London hospital. Somehow child services placed her in the Surrey orphanage.
It was all too much of a coincidence and Harry began to wonder if his parents had somehow orchestrated it from the beyond. Or maybe Harley's magic had influenced the social workers somehow. They'd known each other since Harry was born, and according to Sirius were quite close as small children. James and Sirius had even made bets on when they'd get together in the future, Sirius claiming that it better be far in the future while James predicted early teens. "She's not going to be single until she's thirty, Sirius, no matter how desperately you wish it," James had said. Harry of course had made his move much sooner than even his father predicted. They were nine when he asked her to marry him, after all. Luckily Sirius seemed to be okay with their relationship. Granted it was very innocent, even if they were secretly engaged.
Halloween fell on a Thursday, so the pair would be in the castle. Harry was almost glad. He knew Sirius would be dealing with his own demons that night, and he didn't know if he could handle that on top of his own morose thoughts. He was just glad Harley stuck to his side all day, providing as much comfort as she could. He knew she was sad, too. The Potters were her godparents, her fiancé's parents and her father and Mooney's best friends. They took a piece of all four members of their little family with them the night they were murdered. A piece of each of their hearts that would only ever belong to Lily and James Potter.
The second to last class of the day was Charms. They were learning Wingardium Leviosa, the levitation charm. Harry and Harley had already been taught the charm, having learned it in a Fidelius protected room in Sirius' house. The room provided a safe haven if the house was ever attacked, as well as a place the two underage wizards could practice without alerting the Ministry. Their magic is hidden from the trace just as assuredly as their person is hidden from anyone outside the room.
Because of their prior knowledge the two sat beside Ron and Hermione, who had been paired together, much to Ron's displeasure, lost in their own thoughts. Flitwick knew the significance of the day and left the two children to their pensive thoughts. They were brought out of their musings by their friends.
"It's Wing-gar-dium Levi-o-sa, make the 'gar' nice and long," explained Hermione. She sounded more helpful than bossy to both Harry and Harley, and the pair smiled at their friend. The girl had really put an effort into speaking to people in a less abrupt manner.
Ron seemed sour about her advice, regardless of the manner in which she'd delivered it. "You do it, then, if you're so clever," he snarled.
She did. He scowled.
Flitwick was very excited. "Oh well, done! Everyone see here, Miss Granger's done it!" he squeaked, clapping. Ron was in a very bad mood by the end of the class.
Hermione, Harry and Harley were walking behind Ron and Seamus as they made their way to Herbology. As they entered the courtyard the trio heard Ron say, "Harry can't possibly be friends with her. The only reason he even puts up with her is because of some weird thing he has going on with Harley. The girl's a nightmare, honestly. I don't see what he likes about Harley, either, to be honest."
Harry sucked in a breath and narrowed his eyes at the redhead in front of him. Who the hell did he think he was, speaking for him that way? And how dare he say a single word against Harley? He looked to his girl to see her reaction. Her face was an angry red and she was staring at something just ahead. He followed her line of sight to see a tearful Hermione Granger bump into Seamus as she headed for the castle.
He then heard Seamus say, "I think she heard you."
"Who cares? She must have noticed she has no friends besides Harley. I mean, no one else even talks to her," Ron stated callously.
Harry grabbed his arm and swung the boy around. "Ron! Where do you get off? Hermione is my friend because she's a nice and caring person. I've told you time and again that I don't appreciate the way you treat her. You just made her cry! And any friend of mine would know not to question my relationship with Harley. She's off limits."
"What are you saying, mate?" asked Ron, who was quickly turning an alarming shade of red.
"I'm saying that we aren't mates. You are constantly bullying others and you only have negative things to say about people. I've tried to be understanding. I don't expect my friends to be perfect, but I will not associate with a common schoolyard bully," Harry stated vehemently, pulling Harley away from his former friend.
Harry was upset. It wasn't like he had friends to spare, but in the end he couldn't be friends with someone who was so rude and downright cruel at times. He honestly felt ashamed that he'd overlooked it so long in his desire to have a male friend. Ron always seemed to know exactly what needed to be said in order to cut the deepest. He suspected this came from the inferiority complex he gained by having five talented older brothers. He wanted to be as successful as them, but whenever they tried to get him to join in their studying he'd make a snide comment and run off to play chess or exploding snap with one of the other boys. It seems instead of working toward his own betterment he chooses to bring others down to his level through scathing comments and put downs.
He shook his head woefully. This was the last thing he needed to deal with on the anniversary of his parents' death. The only thing keeping him sane was the small girl firmly attached to his side. Honestly, all these people make such a big deal about him being 'The-Boy-Who-Lived', but no one seems to give a damn that his parents were murdered. Other than Harley, no one had even acknowledged that a decade ago today two heroes in the war against Voldemort were brutally slain in their own home. Not even Sirius' precious McGonagall.
Harry refused to let go of Harley's hand throughout the entire Herbology lesson. They ended up working as one person, seeing as how they only had two available hands between them. Ron joined Seamus and Dean on the other side of the greenhouse, and Hermione didn't show up. Both children were worried about their friend as they worked through their lesson. Luckily, Neville had joined their group and was extremely helpful in their repotting efforts.
After the class the pair went off in search of Hermione. They needed her to know they were her friend because they like her, not because they pity her. They were walking passed the Great Hall when they heard Parvati Patil tell Lavender Brown that Hermione had been in the girl's bathroom all afternoon, crying.
Harry and Harley quickly made their way to the bathroom after hearing Lavender's proclamation. Sure enough, they found their friend locked in a stall, audibly sniffling. Harry didn't care that it was a girl's bathroom. His friend needed him.
"Hermione," Harley said tentatively. "Please come out."
"No. Just go away. I want to be alone," she responded brokenly.
"Hermione, you can't listen to Ron. He's a git. I've told him I don't want to be his friend anymore. Please believe me when I say that we are your friends," Harry said sincerely.
"You're just saying that because you pity me," Hermione argued.
"Oh come on, Hermione," Harley said snappily. "How can you believe what Ron says but not us? I for one am rather offended. I don't think I've ever given you a reason to treat me this way." She was getting annoyed. This day was supposed to be about Harry. He didn't need all this drama.
"I'm sorry, I just really need some time to myself. Please just go to the feast," she said, crying anew.
Harley huffed, but Harry responded before she could reprimand the distraught girl any further. "No, Hermione. We weren't planning to go to the feast anyway. Just wanted some quiet time tonight. We'll just sit here with you."
Harry tugged Harley down to the floor with him, tucking her tightly into his side with his arm wrapped around her. She snuggled into him, resting her head on his shoulder while he rested his head on hers.
The room was silent for a long while, save Hermione's sniffles.
Suddenly she spoke in a very small voice. "I'm sorry. I've never had friends before. Everyone back home told me I was just an ugly bookworm with frizzy hair and buck teeth; that no one would ever want to be friends with the likes of me. The kids were….cruel. I had so hoped it would be different here, but most people saw me in exactly the same light as the kids I've known my whole life. Everyone but you two. I guess Ron's words just struck the insecurity I was already feeling," she admitted sadly.
Harry sighed. "It's okay, Hermione. We had to deal with our own bullies before we came here, too. We only had each other growing up. No one else wanted to be friends with us, either because we were orphans or because my cousin, Dudley, bullied everyone into shunning us."
"Really?" she asked, opening her stall door. She then made her way to the wall across from them and slid to the ground.
"Yes," affirmed Harley. "Hermione, we don't expect you to be exactly like us, agree with us on everything, or be some perfect automaton. You're human. Being friends with someone is about accepting the whole person, warts and all. From what we've seen of you, you're loyal, dedicated, kind, generous and hard-working. All of those qualities draw us to you and make use value you as a friend. Can you be bossy sometimes? Sure. But we know it comes from a good place. You're trying to help, but people misconstrue it because of their own insecurities sometimes."
Harry nodded his agreement. "Exactly. They're also intimidated by your intelligence. Lord knows you're smarter than the pair of us. We're comfortable with our own abilities, though, and we work hard to do well and learn as much as we can. Others don't, so they have no business getting upset with you for excelling. And I'm not perfect, either. I won't say that about Harley, as I think she's perfection personified," he said, smiling down at his girlfriend.
She smiled and pecked his lips. "You flatter me, Mr. Potter. But I know I'm not perfect, either. I'm suspicious and wary. I don't open myself up easily to others and shrink back to Harry whenever I'm upset, not letting others in. In fact, I snapped at you earlier for doing the same thing. Whereas I shrink back to Harry, you shrank back into yourself because it's what you've always known. I'm sorry for being short with you. Forgive me?"
Hermione smiled, feeling a large piece of her insecurity melt away. She had true friends. Intelligent friends who actually cared about her and didn't judge her. She felt it would be much easier to face people who weren't so accepting, knowing she had Harry and Harley to turn to. "Of course. What are friends for?"
Harry and Harley both smiled at her response. "Thanks, Hermione."
The girl looked down shyly. "No, thank you. Now, why were you two planning on skipping the feast? You have both been lost in your own world today."
The pair shifted uncomfortably and Harley looked to Harry. It was his story to tell, so he'd be the one to decide what to disclose. In light of their discussion on friendships, he decided to tell Hermione what was on their minds. "Well, it's just that today is the tenth anniversary of my parents' murder. Don't really feel like celebrating."
Hermione's face was horrified. "Oh no! I'm so sorry, Harry! Here I've been feeling sorry for myself all afternoon because Ronald Weasley said something unpleasant and you've had to comfort me while you've got much more important things on your mind!"
Harry actually chuckled. "It's alright Hermione. What are friends for, after all? It's actually helped to take my mind off things."
Before Hermione could respond the trio's attention was drawn to a loud stomping approaching their location, combined with a foul smell. Three pairs of eyes widened, horrified, when a fully grown mountain troll entered the bathroom and took notice of the three children immediately.
Harry and Harley sprung to their feet quickly, pulling a frozen Hermione with them. The frightened girl was pulled out of her stupor when she realized she almost got Harley killed because of her inability to move. She then mimicked her two friends' movements as they deftly avoided the troll's club. She was quite surprised by the grace in which they moved dodged the troll's assaults.
Thinking quickly, the girl brandished her wand with a swish and flick just as the troll raised his club above his head. "Wingardium Leviosa!" she shouted. The troll looked up dumbly as Hermione dropped the spell and let the club crash into the troll's skull with a loud crack. The large beast promptly fell face first into the floor, surrounded by debris from the destroyed bathroom.
The shocked trio stared at the troll for a few seconds. "That. Was. Brilliant. Hermione, you're my new hero." Harley stated seriously.
"Do you…Do you think it's dead?" she asked, slightly horrified by what she'd done, but more than a little pleased by Harley's words.
Harry shook his head, both to shake off his stupor and answer Hermione's question. "I don't think so, but I don't want to wait around to find out. Let's get the hell out of here."
Harley and Hermione agreed wholeheartedly, and began to make their way through the destroyed bathroom. They froze in place when, before they could reach the door, Professors McGonagall, Snape and Quirrell came crashing through the door. Quirrell took one look at the troll and nearly passed out from the shock. Honestly. He's the DADA professor?
Snape approached the troll, bending over it to examine its state. Professor McGonagall was looking at the trio. They had never seen her look so angry. Her lips were in a thin white line. "What on earth were you thinking of?" she said with cold fury in her voice. Harry and Harley shared a glance. What the hell was this woman's problem, exactly? It's not like they didn't send the bloody troll an invitation to tea in the girl's bathroom. "You're lucky you weren't killed. Why aren't you in your dormitory?"
Snape was glaring at Harry and Harley, but they refused to look at the man. He wasn't even supposed to be near them, so they decided to continue on pretending he doesn't exist. Harley responded for the group. "We didn't realize it was past curfew, Professor," she said, knowing it wasn't, in fact, past curfew.
McGonagall's face began turning red in her anger, her lips inexplicably thinning even further. "You were told to go to your dormitories when the troll was discovered!" she stated angrily.
Both Harry and Harley were about to respond when Hermione broke in. "Please, Professor McGonagall – they were looking for me."
"Miss Granger!"
"I went looking for the troll because I – I thought I could deal with it on my own – you know, because I've read about them."
Both Harry and Harley looked to Hermione in a mixture of shock and anger. Shock because Hermione was lying to a teacher and anger because she shouldn't have to. They'd done nothing wrong. "If they hadn't found me, I'd be dead now. They didn't have time to come and fetch anyone. It was about to finish me off when they arrived."
Harley was having none of this self-sacrificial bullshit. "Hermione, that's not true and you know it. I appreciate you trying to take any of the Professors ire off us, but we've done nothing wrong. Unless, of course, the Professor considers surviving a troll attack to be a punishable offense."
Hermione nodded miserably. She knew they hadn't done anything wrong, but she wanted to be able to protect her friends. It was something she'd never had the opportunity to do before, since she'd never actually had friends to protect.
McGonagall looked like her head would explode. "Do not cheek me, Miss Black! You were supposed to go directly from the Great Hall to your dormitories. There wasn't to be any pit stops!"
"We weren't in the Great Hall, Professor," Harley replied unflinchingly. She wasn't the least bit intimidated by the Scottish woman in front of her.
"And why not?" she asked, her anger in danger of boiling over.
Harley looked to Harry. She wouldn't tell them the reason without his permission, no matter how harsh the punishment. Harry smiled lovingly at his girlfriend. Even though they were in risk of severe punishment, if not expulsion, she wasn't willing to betray his confidence. He would tell the woman why they'd avoided a celebration. Sirius seemed to think the woman was great friends with his parents, but he couldn't see it from where he stood. Shouldn't the woman know why he wouldn't feel like celebrating? He'd just have to remind her of her dead so-called friends, then.
"Professor," he began, eyes hard. "Today is October 31st. You may have forgotten what happened on this day ten years ago, but I have not. Forgive me if I didn't feel like celebrating the anniversary of my parents' murder." He eyed the woman unapologetically as she practically flinched in pain before the anger drained from her countenance.
When he saw the fight leave her eyes, he continued unrelentingly. "Hermione was having a difficult day and didn't feel like celebrating, either. We found her here and decided to stay in an attempt to avoid everyone else. We did not know that a troll had been loosed in the castle, nor that we were supposed to be retreating to our dormitory. Don't you have some kind of loud speaker here so all students can receive important announcements? We could have died just because all the adults in the castle simply assumed every student was in the Great Hall. If there is a guilty part here, it isn't us. We won't apologize for defending ourselves, and you should be thanking Hermione, not reprimanding her. She, a first year student, knocked the troll out and saved all our lives."
Harley looked at Harry in awe. That was amazing and made her stomach do little excited flips. She didn't really know what to make of her reaction. She just knew that she liked it.
Hermione seemed to get over her fear and was nodding her head in agreement. Harry was absolutely right. They hadn't done anything wrong. Why should they apologize or face punishment? She also felt a bubble of pride swell up inside her belly. She had saved her friends! They had stood up for her and refused to let her take the blame for something that wasn't her fault. It was definitely nice to have friends.
Snape, however, was not impressed by Harry's stance. At first he'd been startled by the boy's proclamation that today was the tenth anniversary of Lily's death. He'd felt the familiar wave of guilt crash through him at the thought before it was replaced by the anger Potter provoked with his impudence. He desperately wanted to put the little brat in his place, but was unable. Black would undoubtedly press harassment charges if he stepped over the insufferable little ingrates' Head of House to give them the harsh reprimand and punishment they deserved. He was forced to swallow back every scathing insult eager to be released and stormed from the bathroom without waiting for Minerva's reply.
For her part, McGonagall was horrified. The three brightest first years the school had seen in quite some time had just managed to not only knock out a fully grown mountain troll, but they'd also managed to completely shame her. How could she have overlooked the fact that Lily and James had been murdered exactly one decade prior? She hadn't even given Harry's feelings a second thought today. Of course he wouldn't want to celebrate. Of course he'd want quiet time away from all the happy faces. She'd not only failed the children, but she'd failed her friends, too. Lily and James. Merlin, she missed them. And now their child and goddaughter were looking at her like she was dirt on the bottom of their shoes. She was loath to admit that they had every right to feel that way.
"I'm sorry," she finally choked out. "I should have considered the implications of this day, Mr. Potter. Ten points to Gryffindor for taking up for your friend, Miss Black, and twenty points for knocking out the troll, Miss Granger. You may go to your dormitories now."
The three children breezed past their professor. Harry and Harley both felt tired. They wanted the day to be over. They were, however, pleased with Hermione's reactions. She seemed to have made some progress in her naiveté and self-confidence issues. For her part, Hermione was feeling many things. She felt happy about having such good friends. Proud for being able to stop the troll and earning points for their house. And most importantly, more and more disillusioned about her professors and the school in general. She was beginning to see, quite plainly, that Hogwarts and her professors in general weren't as perfect as she thought they were.
A/N:
First let me thank my lovely reviewers!
fire1, AcaciaRoseMasen, nokeyunderscore, Ariauna, amongthestarsx, Dark Void Princess 21, Dracoisalooker76, LightningStar 0.o, jafr86, darkplayer35, Kami no Kage, Naginator, StPhoenix, and Angel JJK
Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review. Also Dark Void Princess 21 mentioned that Harley and Draco are second cousins. I'm not exactly sure about the structure of families in other cultures, as where I'm from they would be third cousins while Harley and Narcissa would be second cousins. Maybe I'm just a hick, but we don't use all that "first cousin once removed" stuff. We are straight up first, second, third, etc… Anyway, I looked it up, and in England, they would in fact be second cousins, so I changed it. Thank you for pointing that out!
Now, on to the chapter. I am a bit frightened about the reviews, actually. I've included my reasons for severing Ron's friendship with Harry at the bottom of this epically long A/N. If you have no issues with his ousting, feel free to ignore. If you're planning on flaming me for it, please read my rationalization before you do so. I'm quite sensitive.
Alright, now that I've created a new trio, I want to hear your suggestions. Should we give Harry another male friend? I almost want it to be someone from another house (but as Harry says, Not Slytherin), and someone who could be an eventual romantic interest for Hermione. I've been toying with the idea of Cedric. I know he's two years older than her, but their romantic relationship wouldn't start until later anyway. I've also considered having the Weasley twins fill Ron's spot. I've always liked them. One of them could end up with Hermione. Or not. I'm not terribly concerned with her love life. It's not going to matter in the end, really, what with the time travel aspect. Just something to weave in the story until we get there, and it would also give Harry a relationship with the Weasley family. Let me know your thoughts and suggestions. It's not going to be a Slytherin, so if there are any Dramione fans out there, just no.
I also want to get your opinion on the Philosopher's Stone issue. I've been toying with the idea of sending them down there. They won't handle the tasks the same way as canon, but they'd still end up facing Quirrellmort. I stopped this chapter here in order to get your opinion on this issue. I could also have them remain oblivious. I keep going back and forth back and forth. I need some help! Let me know what you think!
Le sigh. On to Ron:
Ron is a very polarizing character in the fandom. Some people loath him and some people love him. I thought long and hard about what to do with his character. It's what took this chapter so long to finish. I just couldn't see my Harry staying friends with him in the end. Honestly, he's not very pleasant a lot of the time. Now, as I said in the chapter, friends accept each other for who they are. No one is perfect, and with Harry and Harley's background they don't expect that at all. It's why they're so patient with Hermione's neurotic tendencies. She's never malicious. Ron is. He is really cruel sometimes. Granted, I don't think it comes from a truly hateful place, more from his own insecurities, but it doesn't lessen the impact his actions have on the people who receive the verbal abuse. Namely Hermione. How those two ended up together is beyond me.
Now, at first I tried to make him see the error of his ways, but it just seemed incredibly unrealistic. He hasn't had the drastic changes to his pre-Hogwarts years that Harry had. He's still the same person canon Harry met on the train. To have an immature, eleven year old Ronald Weasley see how abysmal his behavior truly is would be more fiction than even the Harry Potter world is capable of supporting. I mean, he's not even able to see it during the beginning of his fourth year. Harry explained that he had no use for eternal glory, and anyone who truly knew Harry would understand that. Yet Ron still couldn't get past his own jealousy in order to support his supposed best mate.
Now, I'm not going to be bashing him. He just won't be a major character. If you can't continue to read the story because he's not in it, then we'll have to part ways here. I'd like to thank you for giving the story a shot and reading up to this point. I hope it's been enjoyable and please don't leave a nasty review on your way out. Everyone has different tastes, after all. :)
