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Summer Begins
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'Gah!' thought Harry to himself. 'Was it 1389 or 1398?' He mentally flipped a coin, and scribbled down what he thought was the answer to the last question.
Just moments later, the proctor of the exam called out "TIME! Quills down, and please place all your papers flat on your desk. We will gather them up after you have left the classroom. Congratulations, you have just completed your OWL for History of Magic, and your OWL exams are finished. Have a good summer!"
As they shuffled out the door, Ron leaned over to Harry. "Is it just me, or is it just a little odd to have to deal with History of magic and not be able to see the blackboard behind the teacher?"
The Boy Who Lived snorted. "Yeah, that's true. It'd be like going to Divination class and not have to wear nose plugs from the smell of the incense."
Hermione, on the other hand, clutched at Ron's arm. "Common Room. Now. Please," she said, and the two of them noticed she was shaking rather hard.
Popping through the portrait hole, after exchanging pleasantries with the Fat lady, the Trio flopped down on their favorite seats. Harry instinctively reached over to put his arm around the seat next to him, but quickly remembered Ginny was taking her own end of term exams at the time. Meanwhile the other gryffindor Fifth Years drifted to other parts of the Common Room, chattering away.
Hermione practically collapsed into Ron's lap. "Over... it's over..." she mumbled.
The gangly redhead started toying with her hair with one hand. "You know, you really let these things get to you a bit much," he chided. "I mean, come on, they're just exams."
The bushy-haired witch bolted upright. "JUST exams? Ron, the OWLs are among the most important..."
"Hold it, Hermione," interrupted Harry. "We know how important the OWLs are. We just think that you worry too much about them. You're the top student in our class, and if anyone can get into any class she wants, it's you. Now since there's nothing more we can do about them, let's just spend from now until we get our results just relaxing, and doing nothing. Besides having fun, that is."
Hermione opened and closed her mouth, trying to think of a retort, but apparantly failed. She was spared any further attempts at rationalizing by the sound of the portrait hole opening and the Fourth Years entering. "DONE!" declared Ginny triumphantly, as she flopped down into Harry's lap rather forcefully.
"OOF! Ginny, you're a lightweight, but sometimes even a lightweight can flop onto the wrong spot!" groaned Harry, as he started to fold up into himself.
"You mean she landed on..." started Hermione.
Ginny hastily stood up, and Harry slumped almost bonelessly to the floor. "You mean I... I..." she stammered, turning as brilliantly red as her hair.
"Apparantly," noted Hermione.
Ron by now was sitting with his legs crossed, and a wince imbedded on his face. "And that was an accident, Harry. Think of what it would have been like if it was on purpose!"
"Rather not, thank you," squeaked the black-haired young wizard.
This caused Ginny to choke back a giggle. "Luv, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to... well, do what I wish would happen to Fudge," she managed to breathe out.
Harry slowly dragged himself back up on the loveseat, and let out a huge breath. "No, no, if you do it to him," he gasped, "use your foot instead."
"And use steel toed boots," added Ron.
Hermione humphed. "Honestly, the man may not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but he is STILL the Minister."
Ron rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, we know..." he began.
"Use a gold-plated boot. It's more dignified," she continued.
"MIONE?" squawked Ron.
"Not to mention a lot heavier... more momentum," mused Ginny. "Might even break te pelvic bone."
The sound of collective groans and several thuds caught their attention, as the male half of those gryffindors present clutched at the target of this discussion and winced, some even falling to the floor.
"Well, now we know how to get their attention," noted Parvati from across the room.
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The train ride back from Hogwarts was relatively quiet, as everyone simply collapsed into their compartments. But, unlike the trip there several months earlier, this one DID feature a visit from Draco Malfoy.
Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Harry, Parvati, and Cho were lounging around. The Fifth Years were complaining about their OWL exams, Cho was telling them they were nothing compared to the actual NEWT courses, and Ginny sat with growing fear of the coming year. In the midst of this, a single, loud knock was heard from the door.
Being the closest to the door, Harry got up and opened it. There, on the other side, stood Draco. "Afternoon, Potter," he said with a curt nod of his head.
Harry stiffened slightly and his hand crept to be close enough to draw his wand if need be. "Afternoon, Malfoy."
The platinum blonde Slytherin pretended not to notice. "I thought I should give you the news directly. "Slytherin will be a non-entity in the war. Thanks to ... Professor Snape, all but the most recalcitrant members of my House have come to see reason."
Harry noticed a bit of a quaver in the young man's voice when he mentioned Professor Snape. It wasn't entirely unexpected - Snape had treated him like a Golden Boy from day one, and they might have had a very close relationship, with Snape being almost a father figure. "That was something I had pretty much already figured out, Malfoy, but thanks for the confirmation. Was there anything else?"
Draco paused for a moment, then nodded. "Actually, yes. Thanks to McGonegall, I am now the head of House Malfoy, with all that entails. Remember that should we ever come to opposition again."
Harry nodded. "And I am head of House Potter, with all that entails. Look it up if you don't know what that means," he added. "Good day, Malfoy."
Draco nodded, a curious look on his face. "Potter." He then turned, and walked away.
Harry closed the door, and the others looked almost relieved. "Wow," said Ron. "A train-side confrontation with Malfoy that didn't include wands being drawn."
Ginny, meanwhile, sent a sidelong glance to Harry. "Why did you bring up 'with all that entails', Harry? I thought you wanted that bit kept secret," she whispered.
"They'll be finding out soon enough," he grumbled. "And I might as well learn to use it while I can."
Another knock came on the door of their cabin. Harry once again opened it, and smiled broadly. "Uncle Vernon! Aunt Petunia!" He embraced them both, while Cho muttered an enlargement charm to make the compartment large enough to fit the extra people.
"Harry, how has your ride been so far?" asked Uncle Vernon.
"Pretty quiet. A bit of an odd visit from Malfoy, but no trouble, just information." He filled them in. "So why are the two of you coming to visit a bunch of students?" he asked with a grin.
Petunia smiled. "Well, we happened to run into a pair of friends of yours, and thought they might enjoy riding with you - especially since one of them claims to be your 'adopted sister'."
From behind the considerable girth of Uncle Vernon popped two tiny forms - Gabrielle and Euan Abercrombie. "'Arry!" cried Gabrielle who gave him a hug worthy of Molly Weasley, then began passing out hugs to the other occupants of the compartment.
Euan, meanwhile, stared at the older kids nervously. Harry fixed him with a mock glare. "So... are you treating my 'sister' right?" he growled.
"Harry!" protested Ginny, slapping him on the shoulder.
"Umm, it's not like that, sir," protested Euan. "We-we're just friends, is all."
Smirks and knowing looks passed around the room. "Of course you are," demurred Harry, "but are you taking care of her?"
This time it was Gabrielle's turn to lightly swipe at his shoulder, though she had to reach up to do so. "'Arry!" she protested. "'E's a gentleman, and 'as helped me make some friends my own age!" she insisted, grabbing Euan's arm and making the poor boy blush.
Harry broke out into a grin. "Good for you, Euan. We can wait 'till you're older to plan the wedding," he teased.
It wasn't the cushions that the other girls threw at him for that that threw him off his game, it was the chocolate frog tossed by Ginny that managed to fall inside his robes and start squirming about that did it.
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Summer was one of Harry's favorite times of year. While he may not be at Hogwarts, he could usually be found either at the Burrow, or at privet Drive, two of his favorite places in the world. And on top of that, his cousin Dudley was coming back from Smeltings that day, just a day after Harry had gotten back. "Come on, we'll be late," he insisted, practically dragging Uncle Vernon to the car.
The heavyset man just laughed. "Calm down, Harry. We have plenty of time to make it to the Station." He then sighed. "You do realize that in two years/both/ of you will be graduating, right?"
This gave the young wizard pause for a moment. Sure enough, even though Dudley was a year older, they would be graduating together. But Harry would then be continuing his education, and moving on to college, while Harry would begin training directly for his chosen career. Shortly after the Battle of Hogwarts, still celebrated as a great victory in the Daily Prophet, he had been given a Career Counseling meeting with Professor McGonegall, where he had decided he liked the idea of becoming an Auror. She had been so proud of this decision she had promised to move Heaven and Earth to help him achieve this goal. And from her expression he was convinced that, if she could find the right incantation, she would do just that.
"I... I know, Uncle Vernon. But we haven't graduated yet!" he reminded him. "And we never will if we just leave Dudley on the platform, so let's go!"
Aunt Petunia laughed. No one would ever say she had a pretty laugh, but it was warm and came from the heart. "I swear, Harry, you would think you hadn't seen your cousin in ten years the way you're acting."
"Well, it feels like it," he admitted, "especially since the two of you were at school with me. Without him it felt... odd. Like I was trying to take you away from him or something."
A beefy hand rested itself gently on his shoulder. "Now, Harry, I'm sure he knows you'd never do anything like that. Besides, how could you take us away? We love you both very much."
He grinned. "I know. Now come on, time's a-wasting!"
At the station, they watched as the train pulled in, and Dudley stepped off, dragging his trunk. His eyes lit up at the sight of his family, and he waved goodbye to his friends and headed their way. "Harry, have I got news for you!" he grinned.
"Oh?" asked Harry. "What is it?"
"Remember Mark Evans, the kid down the street we rescued from Polkiss and his crowd last summer?"
"Yeah, sandy hair, small for his age?" He barely remembered the kid, but remembered the incident quite distinctly.
"Well, his older brother goes to Smeltings, and he's in a few of my classes. Turns out little Mark is going to be going to Smeltings next year!"
"Cool!" Harry said. "With you there, he'll have at least his first two years pretty darn safe then, won't he?"
"Right! Now come on you git, help me get this trunk to the car."
Harry lightly punched Dudley on the shoulder, noting to himself that it felt like punching a brick wall. "You're the muscle of this operation, I'm the speed, remember?"
"Then who's the brains?" chuckled his cousin.
"I am," interrupted Aunt Petunia. "Now both of you stop the banter until we get the car loaded up. Molly and I are making a special dinner for the families, and we need to get to the Burrow as soon as we stop off at home and clean up."
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Harry finished toweling off his hair in his room as he thought about the Burrow. Ginny and Ron would be there, of course, but Hermione's parents had taken her to Aruba almost as soon as they had gotten home, so she wouldn't be there. He grinned, knowing Ron would be moping about without admitting why, even though the two had been dating for some time now.
A rap on his door interrupted his thoughts. He hastily pulled on his trousers, and called out, "Come in!"
The door opened, and Dudley came walking in. He had gotten first crack at the shower since he had been on the train most of the afternoon, and was already in fesh clothes. "Dad showed me the Prophet," he said quietly. "The potions teacher actually did what they say?"
Harry nodded, and picked up his shirt. It was a red short-sleeved collared shirt, the kind called a 'polo' shirt even if it wasn't the 'Polo' brand. "Yeah... he did. I was there, and saw it with my own eyes."
Dudley whistled. "He saved Grampa Albus' life. He's a hero."
Tears began to form in Harry's eyes. "He was a hero, no doubt. But... he didn't exactly save Grampa's life," admitted the smaller boy.
"What?"
"He... he's dying, Dudders. Poisoned from within by a curse that's burning his body from the inside out, one that hit him shortly after the Christmas hols."
Stunned, the larger boy dropped onto Harry's bed. "H... how long?" he choked out.
Harry shrugged, and let a tear or two trickle down his cheek as he pulled the shirt over his head. "He said six months, maybe a year left. And he's stepping down as Headmaster, letting Professor McGonegall take over."
They sat in silence as Harry finished dressing, and made a half-hearted attempt to tame his unruly hair. Finally, Dudley spoke again as they both stood and prepared to leave the room. "At least... at least we'll be able to say goodbye," he gulped.
Harry only nodded, because he didn't trust himself to speak. He put one arm over the shoulderof his slightly older cousin, and together they walked down to the car.
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As usual, the Burrow was virtually ablaze with life and activity. The merging of muggle cooking techniques from Molly Weasley and Petunia Dursley seemed to be a syncopated symphony, and the two House Elves who witnessed their smooth and easy teamwork could only gape in awe. The fact that they had been ordered not to help with dinner, and that they had finished all their other chores, meant that they were doing the only thing they could do at this time - they were taking notes.
Though still downcast from their thoughts about Dumbledore, Harry and Dudley soon found themselves caught up in the infectious exuberance the redheads exuded. Even Ron, who kept glancing around and sighing dramatically, couldn't resist the urge to tease Harry about Ginny. He then turned to Dudley. "So, you meet anyone at school we can tease you about?" he asked.
This caused harry to suddenly fall to the floor, belly laughing so hard his sides hurt and he found it hard to breathe. Dudley, on the other hand, turned beet red, and started stammering. "I couldn't! No, you don't understand, I'm not like that!"
This confused Ron. "Huh? You don't like girls?"
Finally managing to control himself for a second, Harry managed to gasp out, "He goes to Smeltings - an all-boys school!" before flopping on the floor again, cackling like a madman.
This pronouncement immediately started the twins and Ginny laughing, while Ron's ears turned red. "Err, sorry, mate. Didn't know that, umm..."
"What's all the fuss in here?" demanded Percy, who had come home for the feast. He had recently been promoted and was an assistant to the Minister, but still kept in touch and visited.
"You... don't wanna... know," wheezed Fred, or maybe George. The two were sprawled out in comfortable chairs, alternately laughing, and whispering joke ideas to each other.
Ron blushed even deeper. "I... I sorta said the wrong thing, not knowing, and I accidentally, um, cast aspersions on Dudley's... character. That's it, his character. And I already apologized, too," he added.
"Yeah, he did," hastily added Dudley.
Percy blinked. "Oh. Alright then." He turned to walk out, then paused. "His character?"
"Yep. My character," said Dudley with a blush and wide eyes.
"Right then. I'll... I'll just be in the other room. With a silencing charm up. And earmuffs on." And Percy left the room.
After a few minutes, Harry finalle managed to catch his breath on a more permanent basis. Taking his glasses off, he wiped his eyes. "Oh, I GOTTA tell Uncle Sirius THAT one," he chortled.
"NO!" cried Dudley, eyes wide. "Anything but that!"
"Anything?" said George, or maybe Fred. "Well, we DO happen to have some new inventions that need testing..."
"On second thought... ALMOST anything but that," admitted Dudley.
"Boys, Ginny, supper's ready!" came Molly Weasley's voice from the kitchen. And as usual with teenage appetites, all thought of misstatements and retributions vanished in the face of a good home cooked meal.
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End Of Chapter
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A/N: Okay, I have to admit, it was downright WEIRD writing about how eager Harry was to see Dudley again. I mean, think about it, they were brothers for all intents and purposes, and closer than most, in this timeline. Definitely a healthier relationship than Canon Harry and Dudley's. On the other hand, Dudley now knows about Dumbledore's impending demise... By the way, this fic now has topped 120,000 hits and 380 reviews, WOO-HOO!