I do not own Harry Potter nor any of its characters. They belong to the lovely JK Rowling
Chapter 37: Honesty
"Did you hear about what happened yesterday?" Rose asked quietly later that morning before breakfast.
"You mean about the article in the Daily Prophet? I tried, but Grandmum went and burned it almost the moment it arrived!" James huffed.
"I heard there were even more attacks. Uncle Harry's mum and dad were talking about it upstairs." Fred said conspiratorially, joining the group at the stairs as they waited to be called in by Molly to eat.
"Yeah, I think Lily was really upset."
"No, I wasn't." Said a petulant voice behind the steadily growing group as the auburn haired, green-eyed 8-year-old descended the stairs and sat beside Albus.
"Not you, Lily. Dad's mum!"
"I don't know why you can't just call them grandmum and granddad Potter like we do grandmum and granddad Weasley." Fred said again.
"I dunno, it's just…. weird. They're younger than our parents! They're closer to Teddy's age then mum and dad's age! They could be like our cousins! Or maybe an aunt and uncle." Albus replied heatedly.
"Well, who cares? They're still your grandparents no matter their age!" Rose answered.
"I like them. They played exploding snap with me when James was being mean yesterday." Lily said, a big smile on her face.
"Yeah, they've been trying to hang out and get to know us, which is fine of course, but also… weird… there's just no better word for it." James trailed off as if unsure how to continue that thought. "I dunno why. It just is. And I think dad thinks it's weird, too."
"Maybe you just need more time." Scorpius said.
"Yeah, maybe Uncle Harry does, too." Rose finished.
"He seems to have gotten over it to me." Lily said.
"BREAKFAST!" Molly called from the kitchen, breaking their train of thought. The children all rose from the steps excitedly, all except Scorpius. He watched as the group walked into the dining room. Waiting a moment to make sure no one re-emerged, he quickly stole upstairs, dodging the creakier steps, until he arrived at Harry and Ginny's bedroom. Harry had left early that morning for work, along with the majority of the Weasleys. Even George had returned to work at the joke shop now that the clean-up was finished at the ministry. Others, like Charlie, had joined some members of the Order to add extra protection for Hogwarts due to the attack from yesterday. Only Ginny, Angelina, and Molly remained at home all the time now. Angelina was to pregnant, and George didn't want to risk anything, and Ginny's job as Quidditch correspondent required her to go to Quidditch matches. Harry felt it was too much in the open, and not enough security. So she'd only gone into the office once or twice since Voldemort's return, and that was only to be of help editing the layout pages. Otherwise, she had all her work mailed to her and worked from home.
It was a daily argument between Molly and her family about what the point of a fidelius charm was if everyone just decided to "wander around" and go out and about regardless, but the family's response was always the same: if they didn't keep working and moving on with their lives, they would go insane. It seemed none of them were eager to repeat the horrible cabin-fever-like atmosphere that accompanied the last war when they were all cooped up at Muriel's, waiting for Harry to face Voldemort for the last time.
But not everyone left the house every day, and with so many spouses and cousins about, Scorpius definitely had to be on his guard. Astoria had assured him she would keep Ginny busy so as to give him enough time to sneak into the bedroom and find the cloak, but one couldn't possibly predict everything. In her words, it would be much less suspicious if he were found than her. He opened the door slowly, peering in. His heart beat erratically and he gulped audibly.
"What are you doing?"
Scorpius yelped and jumped, hitting his head on the door frame. He turned around with wide eyes, stammers already on his lips.
"I – Albus, James! Merlin, you scared me!" The two Potter boys looked at Scorpius, the air thick with suspicion.
"What are you doing trying to get into my parent's bedroom?" James asked. Scorpius thought fast.
"I – uh, actually I need your help with something. I heard your dad has an invisibility cloak…?" he asked. Now it was James' and Albus' turn to look surprised.
"What? How do you even know about that?"
"Oh, come one. Everyone knows the famous Harry Potter has an invisibility cloak."
"No they don't. Do they?" Albus asked, confused. Suddenly a light seemed to turn on in Albus' mind. "Wait, Scorp. Does this have to do with…"
"The prank? Yes, it definitely does." Scorpius cut him off, knowing where Albus' thoughts were taking him at that moment – to two nights ago, with the necklace.
"Prank? What prank?" James asked, a touch of excitement now.
"Yeah… why don't you explain the prank, Scorpius…" Albus added, his suspicion thick now, though James didn't seem to notice.
"I'm up for a prank. This place needs a little humor as it is. What does this prank involve? Can Fred join in? And why do you need my dad's cloak?"
"Uh, well…" Scorpius was at a loss.
Albus sighed heavily. "The one about Great-great-auntie Muriel, right?" he said, his tone a mix of exasperation, humor, and surrender.
"Yeah… right!" Scorpius said, catching on, grateful for Albus' help and quick thinking. Albus just rolled his eyes.
"We thought it would be funny to fake a haunting or something." Albus said, eyeing Scorpius while Scorpius eyed James. James' face broke into a grin.
"Ah, brilliant! Nothing would freak out Grandmum more! She hated that woman! Oh, this is going to be great!" James leapt past them into his parent's room, his voice getting more excited as he began to think of all the possibilities.
Albus met Scorpius' eyes again, as if to say, "you will explain later," and he followed his older brother into the room. James was looking in his father's closet, checking the robe's pockets. Scorpius, feeling more and more uneasy, went straight for the dresser and began opening the drawers. His mum had told him it would be in one of these… there!
"I got it!" he said jubilantly. The cloak was shimmery and felt a bit like solid water, or perhaps it was just really light. He rolled it up, stuffing it under his sweater. He closed the drawer, James closed the closet, and the three boys quickly left the room, closing the door behind them.
"I'll take it to my room, in case your dad notices it's missing. He'd never suspect me to have taken it." Scorpius said, and James nodded enthusiastically.
"Ok, perfect! We'll talk details after breakfast. I'm sure grandmum is wondering where we are by now." Scorpius hurried to his room as the Potter boys rushed back to the main floor. Now, his mother just had to somehow get the locket from Ginny, and when Harry got home, his mum would have the last thing she needed to save his dad.
…
Harry hissed in pain as he rubbed more salve on his burnt hands. The smell of smoke and the sound of screams still echoed in his head and nostrils. The look of the man on fire whom Harry had grabbed and hauled to safety before performing an extinguishing charm swam into view, and he knew it would haunt his dreams tonight. The man had been taken directly to St. Mungos, but it was unsure if he would survive.
Since the demands of three days ago, the violence had increased ten-fold. The aurors had captured and imprisoned no less than two dozen offenders, including Bulstrode, Mulciber, and Carrow, which was a significant achievement considering their position in Voldemort's inner circle. The attacks continued, however, each with a message left behind, taunting Harry to surrender.
He had lost another auror today, and three more were in St. Mungos. He rolled up his sleeves to examine any other damage to his wrists or arms, sighing in relief when he saw nothing but soot and grime. He checked his watch, which read 11 o'clock. It was late, and he was exhausted. He had placed himself on the interchanging shifts along with the rest of the aurors, and he could hear the night shift preparing their reports on the events thus far. He himself was already two hours past when his shift should have ended, but he couldn't allow himself to go home when the emergency call came that a shop owner's store had been set upon by Risen Followers, and the fire was now reaching the neighboring buildings.
A knock sounded at his office door. "Enter." He called, rolling his sleeves back down and adjusting his glasses.
"Sir, have you checked the time?" Alan Turner asked, one of his newer employees, and besides the interns, was the youngest in the office. Harry looked up at him, noting the concern the young man seemed to have in his eyes. Concern for him, his boss.
"Yes. It's a bit late, isn't it?" Harry replied nonchalantly.
"Aye, sir. Well, the night shift is well under-way. I expect we should be clear for the rest o' the night, if you want to return home. Just thought I'd, uh…" he trailed off, self-consciously. Harry let out a low and short chuckle, amused by the man and his motherly attitude.
Harry nodded silently in assent, his throat still raw from yelling orders and breathing in smoke. "Contact me should anything happen in the night." He said by way of dismissal. Harry gathered his things, pondering on the past few days. He had known there would be a serious comeuppance for refusing the Dark Lord's demands – not that he'd ever planned on accepting them, but even he was surprised by the amount of civil unrest that had resulted along with the terrorist's actions. The Howlers had increased, though as had many letters of support and encouragement. Reporters continued to try to sneak in, but now had to fight through their own co-workers to reach the auror department. Many reporters felt it wrong to distract Harry and the aurors, when they should be fighting Voldemort's supporters, not journalists.
The Daily Prophet and other publications and tabloids were at war, and not as one would expect. It wasn't publication against publication, but individual journalist against fellow journalist, who were fighting tooth and nail, each choosing a side on where they stood concerning Harry Potter.
Many reporters who had previously been on Harry's side now turned against him, angry and explosive. Harry didn't know how they had gotten their information, but suddenly it was as if his whole life had been laid out for the world to see. It was disconcerting, as he honestly didn't know how they had gotten their information.
Articles concerning his actions during the last year of the war had stirred up quite the reaction. Especially those including his use of the imperious curse on a goblin, and his many other illegal, and some considered immoral, actions. His hate for his muggle relatives, his rule-breaking and thievery (though to be fair, it was Hermione and Dobby who had actually stolen the objects listed in that particular article), his horrible attack on a fellow classmate his sixth year (though Draco's name was redacted), his attempt at the cruciatus curse on Bellatrix Lestrange after the battle of the Department of Mysteries, and his subsequent possession by Voldemort himself were written in a particularly gruesome light, filled with exaggeration.
Articles were even written concerning himself and Albus Dumbledore – articles that put Rita Skeeter's book on Dumbledore to shame. Assumptions and allegations of a strange, but otherwise innocent, relationship between a student and professor quickly turned nasty and morbid, making Harry's stomach churn, sickened.
But not all the articles were negative. In fact, numerous reporters that worked for the Daily Prophet, such as Cho Chang, Zacharias Smith, and Alicia Spinnet, refused to write such trash, and instead wrote glowingly positive reviews of Harry and his department, stating the many successes and triumphs they'd had in the last 17 years. They shared their own personal experiences regarding the D.A., and spoke of his moral standings, and his leadership and valuable teachings that had saved so many lives during the war.
As a result, for the past two days it was like a battle on every page, each telling a different story about Harry Potter, varying from almost unbelievably positive to appallingly negative. The real news of what was happening concerning the attacks and the war with Voldemort was only covered lightly, with heavy accents on Harry's abilities to handle the situation.
Harry looked at his watch, and groaned again. It was very late, and even Ron and Hermione had already left for home. He rose from his seat at his desk and gathered his things. He inclined his head at those he passed on his way to the apparition point, and appeared at the doorway with a small pop!
He opened the door silently, hoping not to wake anyone as he hung up his cloak. Suddenly, he stilled as he heard voices coming from the dining room. He had assumed everyone would be asleep already, and was wary to see light streaming into the hallway. He opened the door and the voices ceased immediately, and all eyes turned on him.
"Harry! I wondered when you'd get home." Ginny gasped, drawing out a chair for him and stepping into the kitchen to make him some tea. Harry was slightly anxious to see not only Ginny, but Ron and Hermione, Molly and Arthur, and his parents were all still awake, each with empty cups of tea in their hands. They seemed to have been in deep discussion before Harry had interrupted.
"What's going on?" he asked curiously.
"Hermione apparently has something important to tell us, but refused to talk until you got home. She also refused to wait until tomorrow, so we've been drinking tea and staving off sleep until you arrived." Ron yawned, grumpily. "It's about bloody time." Hermione just rolled her eyes, though she seemed to be nervous and she paled slightly.
"Well, what is it then? If it's so urgent it couldn't wait until morning, why didn't you tell me before you left the office?" Harry asked, exasperated. Hermione only gulped, and took another sip of tea, inclining her head in the direction of an open chair inviting him to take a seat. He did so, thanking Ginny as she handed him a fresh cup, and they waited while she passed out more tea to the rest of them.
"Well, go on then dear. It's obvious you've been wanting to say something for a while now, though why right this moment and not any other is beyond me." Molly said, sounding very much like her youngest son as she tried to hide her grumpiness. Lily and James just looked perplexed, like they were unsure as to why they were included in this little meeting. Hermione cast a quick silencing charm on the door, and began.
"Alright, now that everyone it concerns is here, I do have some news that I need to share. I wasn't sure how to tell you, and I wasn't sure if I even wanted to, but I've been holding it in for days now and I just can't anymore." Hermione said stiffly, not meeting anyone's eyes.
"Harry, I met with Professors Dumbledore and Snape the day of the demands. That's why I wasn't with Kingsley at Gringotts. I wanted to speak with them about…" At this, she finally raised her gaze and looked Harry in the eyes. "About your parents. I had a theory, and I was afraid I was right." Her eyes filled with tears, but she sniffed and refused to let them fall.
"I'm so sorry, Harry. I'm sorry, Lily, James. There's something you have to know…"