I own nothing. J.K.R Owns everything :(
Chapter 25: First Year (Part 14)
6th, August, 1998. 9.30pm...
"Okay this is the next one and were almost at the end there's only one more memory after this one." Harry explained sitting down next to Ginny again.
It was Quirrell.
"Hah! I knew it!" Remus yelled in delight. Teddy who had been in his playpen looked over.
"Dada wolf?" he asked.
Harry paused the memory and Remus went over and lifted him out of the playpen.
"Yes Teddy?" he asked his son.
Teddy looked at the paused picture above the pensive. "Who dat?" he asked pointing at Quirrell.
"That's a very bad man Teddy." Harry said. "He's gone now."
Teddy looked at the image again frowning then he turned back to Remus and put his head on his father's shoulder. "Bad." he said sleepily before promptly falling asleep.
"He shouldn't wake up until the memories are finished." Andromeda said smiling as she watched her son-in-law put her grandson carefully back into his playpen.
"Let's continue." Harry said, feeling rather tense knowing what was to come and knowing no one would like it.
I'm here for you Harry, Ginny sent silently cuddling into his side, I can feel your tense, I know your worried about everyone's reactions but just try to relax.
Thanks Gin, he sent back.
"You!" gasped Harry.
Quirrell smiled. His face wasn't twitching at all.
"Me," he said calmly. "I wondered whether I'd be meeting you here, Potter."
"But I thought - Snape -"
"Severus?" Quirrell laughed and it wasn't his usual quivering treble, either, but cold and sharp. "Yes, Severus does seem the type, doesn't he? So useful to have him swooping around like an overgrown bat. Next to him, who would suspect p-p-poor st-stuttering P-Professor Quirrell?"
"He faked a stutter?" Sirius said, appalled. "Man, this guy is low!"
Harry couldn't take this in. This couldn't be true, it couldn't.
"But Snape tried to kill me!"
"No! He did! Can't you see it?" Sirius asked.
"Apparently not." Harry shrugged. "We had seen a lot of evidence against Snape and almost none against Quirrell, to us it seemed Snape was the logical choice."
"We got it wrong." Hermione shrugged. "It's happened once or twice."
"No, no, no. I tried to kill you. Your friend Miss Granger accidentally knocked me over as she rushed to set fire to Snape at the Quidditch match. She broke my eye contact with you."
"Thank Merlin for that!" James grinned.
"Otherwise Harry'd be dead!"
"Sirius!" Lily cried. "Don't even say such things!"
"It's true though Mum." Harry soothed.
"Another few seconds and I'd have got you off that broom."
"Why that filthy little -" James trailed off furiously.
"I'd have managed it before then if Snape hadn't been muttering a counter-curse, trying to save you."
"Snape was trying to save me?"
"Of course," said Quirrell coolly. "Why do you think he wanted to referee your next match? He was trying to make sure I didn't do it again. Funny, really... he needn't have bothered. I couldn't do anything with Dumbledore watching."
"That's true." Cissy sighed, "Even he isn't dumb enough to try and pull that off with Dumbledore watching."
"All the other teachers thought Snape was trying to stop Gryffindor winning, he did make himself unpopular... and what a waste of time, when after all that, I'm going to kill you tonight."
"Like hell you are!" James growled furiously as Lily clung to his arm.
Quirrell snapped his fingers. Ropes sprang out of thin air and wrapped themselves tightly around Harry.
"Hey! That's cheating!" Sirius yelled.
"No, Siri," sighed Regulus, "its magic!"
"Oh, yeah. Right. It's still not very fair." he huffed.
"I learned earlier than most that life isn't fair. If it was I wouldn't have been stuck with a stupid hyphenated name." Harry muttered, "I've only had it said to me once." he added, "But my point still stands."
"You're too nosy to live, Potter. Scurrying around the school at Halloween like that, for all I knew you'd seen me coming to look at what was guarding the Stone."
"And he let the troll in, then." James said.
"Yes, we already figured that out." Astoria rolled her eyes.
"You let the troll in?"
"Certainly. I have a special gift with trolls - you must have seen what I did to the one in the chamber back there? Unfortunately, while everyone else was running about looking for it, Snape, who already suspected me, went straight to the third floor to head me off - and not only did my troll fail to beat you to death,"
"As if a troll could kill a Potter!" James said.
"that three-headed dog didn't even manage to bite Snape's leg off properly. Now, wait quietly, Potter. I need to examine this interesting mirror."
"Not going to happen!" Ron, Hermione and Ginny said grinning.
"Let the inner Potter in you shine and scream as loud as you can!" Sirius said.
"Sing an annoying song!" Fred yelled.
"Start saying random words!" George said.
"Keep repeating one word over and over!" said James.
"Merlin, you lot sure know how to be annoying!" Lily laughed.
"Well, of course we do!" James said matter-of-factly.
"If we didn't, who would?" asked Sirius.
"What would the world have come to if the Marauders can't be annoying!" James said dramatically.
"I'm sure that would be tragic!" Minerva said sarcastically. "Imagine not having the Marauders be annoying and actually getting some peace."
"And imagine what would happen if we weren't annoying." the twins grinned.
"It would be awful wouldn't it." Remus said cheekily.
Everyone laughed, removing some of the tension.
It was only then that Harry realized what was standing behind Quirrell. It was the Mirror of Erised.
"How'd that get there?" asked Astoria.
"Dumbledore did said he was moving it." said Ginny thoughtfully. "This must be where he put it."
"This mirror is the key to finding the Stone," Quirrell murmured, tapping his way around the frame. "Trust Dumbledore to come up with something like this..."
"I'll bet it's made so only Dumbledore can get it or something." Sirius said.
"Nope." Harry said popping the 'p'.
"but he's in London... I'll be far away by the time he gets back..."
"No you won't!" James and Lily yelled.
"Harry'll stop you!" Dora and Remus yelled.
All Harry could think of doing was to keep Quirrell talking and stop him concentrating on the Mirror.
"Yeah. Distract him." George grinned.
"I saw you and Snape in the Forest -" he blurted out.
"Oh, come up with something better, son!" James said.
"He's under a lot of pressure, James!" Lily scolded him. "Leave him be."
"Yes," said Quirrell idly, walking around the Mirror to look at the back. "He was on to me by that time, trying to find out how far I'd got. He suspected me all along. Tried to frighten me - as though he could, when I had Lord Voldemort on my side..."
Quirrell came back out from behind the Mirror and stared hungrily into it.
"I see the Stone... I'm presenting it to my master... but where is it?"
Harry struggled against the ropes binding him,
"They won't give." Bill sighed.
"Unless you're me, and you have a special talent for wriggling out." Sirius grinned. "I learned how to escape them." he added.
"Yeah after I tied you up about 100 times for being annoying." Remus frowned.
but they didn't give. He had to keep Quirrell from giving his whole attention to the Mirror.
"But Snape always seemed to hate me so much."
"He does." James said. "Because of me."
"Oh, he does," said Quirrell casually, "Heavens, yes. He was at Hogwarts with your father, didn't you know? They loathed each other. But he never wanted you dead."
"But I heard you a few days ago, sobbing - I thought Snape was threatening you..."
For the first time, a spasm of fear flitted across Quirrell's face.
"Hah! Feel the fear!" James cried.
"Sometimes," he said, "I find it hard to follow my master's instructions - he is a great wizard"
"No he's not!" they all yelled.
"and I am weak -"
"Well, that's for sure." snorted Lily.
"Definitely." James grinned.
"You mean he was there in the classroom with you?" Harry gasped.
"He is with me wherever I go," said Quirrell quietly. "I met him when I travelled around the world. A foolish young man I was then,"
"Still are, you slimy git." James growled.
"full of ridiculous ideas about good and evil. Lord Voldemort showed me how wrong I was. There is no good and evil,"
"Oh, I have to hear this." Sirius scoffed.
"there is only power, and those too weak to seek it..."
"That's wrong." Luna frowned.
"There is too good and evil!" Astoria exclaimed.
"And Voldemort is just pure evil!" Ginny yelled.
"Since then, I have served him faithfully, although I have let him down many times."
"Not particularly surprising." snorted Draco.
"He has had to be very hard on me." Quirrell shivered suddenly.
"Let's hope it really hurt that git." James muttered.
"He does not forgive mistakes easily."
"He doesn't." shuddered Regulus.
"So why does he have followers? I just don't get it!" Dora cried.
"Well, they all want power." Draco explained. "And Voldemort... he can give that to them, I guess."
"Well, that doesn't make any sense at all!" Andy frowned.
"Figured that out soon enough." Draco shuddered, "He was often vicious to his followers, definatley not the forgiving type unless he could use your mistake to his advantage."
"When I failed to steal the Stone from Gringotts,"
"So that was him too." nodded James.
"I'm surprised he managed to get in and out without getting caught!" Bill exclaimed.
"Yeah 'zat one was guarded heavily according to the big book of protections at Gringotts." Fluer added frowning.
"Anything is possible if you put your mind to it." Sirius put in. "It was meant to be impossible to escape Azkaban and I did that."
"And think about all the times we've escaped from tight spots." Ron added, "Sure it was hard but we managed to get out alive."
"he was most displeased. He punished me... decided he would have to keep a closer watch on me..."
They shuddered.
Quirrell's voice tailed away. Harry was remembering his trip to Diagon Alley - how could he have been so stupid? He'd seen Quirrell there that very day, shaken hands with him in the Leaky Cauldron.
"Can't believe he touched that piece of vermin!" James snarled.
Quirrell cursed under his breath.
"I don't understand... is the Stone inside the Mirror? Should I break it?"
"That won't do any good." Remus snorted.
"That way no one would ever get it!" James exclaimed.
"So break it!" Sirius yelled. "Then Voldemort won't be able to get it!"
"But then what would happen to Nicholas Flamel?" asked Dora.
"Oh yeah. He needs the stone."
"I'm sure there's got to be another way to get it." Lily said reasonably.
Harry's mind was racing.
What I want more than anything else in the world at the moment, he thought, is to find the Stone before Quirrell does.
"Really?" asked an impressed Remus. "Good for you."
"Why?" asked Dora.
"Because he wants it, but not to use it. To stop Quirrell from getting it. That's something." Remus said.
James and Lily beamed with pride as Harry blushed.
So if I look in the Mirror, I should see myself finding it - which means I'll see where it's hidden!
"I can see logic in that." nodded Hermione.
"My boy's a genius!" James yelled in delight.
"Get's that from Lily." coughed Sirius.
"What did you say there?" James asked him.
"Nothing."
James scowled.
But how can I look without Quirrell realizing what I'm up to?
"Hmmm. That's a good question." Lily commented.
He tried to edge to the left, to get in front of the glass without Quirrell noticing, but the ropes round his ankles were too tight: he tripped and fell over.
"Damn it." breathed Lily. "Now what?"
Quirrell ignored him. He was still talking to himself.
"What does this mirror do? How does it work? Help me, Master!"
And to Harry's horror, a voice answered, and the voice seemed to come from Quirrell himself.
They all shuddered.
"Use the boy... use the boy..."
"NO!" Lily cried, getting up with James.
"LEAVE HIM ALONE!" James snarled furiously.
Quirrell rounded on Harry. "Yes - Potter - come here."
He clapped his hands once and the ropes binding Harry fell off. Harry got slowly to his feet.
"Come here," Quirrell repeated. "Look in the Mirror and tell me what you see."
Harry walked towards him.
I must lie, he thought desperately. I must look and lie about what I see, that's all.
"Yes. Do that." Fred said.
Quirrell moved close behind him. Harry breathed in the funny smell that seemed to come from Quirrell's turban.
He closed his eyes, stepped in front of the Mirror and opened them again.
He saw his reflection, pale and scared-looking at first. But a moment later, the reflection smiled at him.
It put its hand into its pocket and pulled out a blood-red stone.
"He's got the Stone!" cried Sirius.
"Don't be daft!" James almost laughed. "He can't have gotten the Stone by just seeing it in the Mirror. Otherwise Quirrell would've had it ages ago!"
It winked and put the Stone back in its pocket - and as it did so, Harry felt something heavy drop into his real pocket.
They all gasped collectively.
"He's got the Stone!" Sirius yelled again. "I told you!"
"Wow!" James breathed.
"That is a really weird, weird Mirror." Draco said slowly.
"Yup. That's for sure." nodded Regulus.
"But... how?" asked Molly.
"Maybe you need to want the Stone, but not use it for your own good or something?" Bill guessed. "It seem's like something Dumbledore would do."
"That's ridiculous." snorted Sirius.
"Makes no sense at all!" James scoffed.
"He's closer than you'd think." Harry whispered to his two best friends and Ginny.
Somehow - incredibly - he'd got the Stone.
"Yes! Yes! Now just run away!" Dora cried.
"He can't! There's still fire around them." Astoria pointed out.
"Well?" said Quirrell impatiently. "What do you see?"
Harry screwed up his courage.
"I see myself shaking hands with Dumbledore," he invented. "I - I've won the House Cup for Gryffindor."
"Oh, come on!" James cried. "You can do so much better than that! You've got Marauder blood, boy!"
"I was under a lot of pressure!" Harry protested. "It's difficult when you've never been in that kind of situation before."
Quirrell cursed again.
"Get out of the way," he said. As Harry moved aside he felt the Philosopher's Stone against his leg. Dare he make a break for it?
"YES!" they all yelled.
"RUN! RUN! RUN!" James cried.
"RUN LIKE THE WIND!" the twins yelled.
"GO! GET OUT OF THERE!" yelled Sirius.
They were all bouncing in their seats.
But he hadn't walked five paces before a high voice spoke, though Quirrell wasn't moving his lips.
"He lies... He lies..."
"Damn!" yelled Dora.
"Voldemort must know Legilimency!" moaned James.
"Potter, come back here!" Quirrell shouted. "Tell the truth! What did you just see?"
"He's not gonna tell you!" Ron crowed.
The high voice spoke again.
"Let me speak to him... face to face..."
"NO!" yelled Lily.
"Master, you are not strong enough!"
"Yes! Make excuses! Don't let him!" Lily cried.
"I have strength enough... for this..."
Harry felt as if the Devil's Snare was rooting him to the spot. He couldn't move a muscle.
"No! Run Harry, run!" sobbed Lily. "Get out of there!"
"Run!" James said worriedly.
Petrified, he watched as Quirrell reached up and began to unwrap his turban.
"Don't just stand there!" Fred yelled.
"You haven't been Petrified!" Draco yelled. "Get out of there!"
"Move, Harry!" Dora yelled.
Harry just watched them all amusedly.
What was going on? The turban fell away. Quirrell's head looked strangely small without it. Then he turned slowly on the spot.
Lily hid her face in James' shoulder.
Harry would have screamed, but he couldn't make a sound. Where there should have been a back to Quirrell's head, there was a face,
"Oh, God!" Hermione moaned. "You never told us how gross it was."
Harry shrugged, "I thought I'd spare you the details."
the most terrible face Harry had ever seen. It was chalk white with glaring red eyes and slits for nostrils, like a snake.
"So you faced Voldemort at 11 and lived?" Regulus asked in shock.
Harry nodded.
"Harry Potter..." it whispered.
"DON'T YOU DARE SAY HIS NAME!" Lily roared furiously, no longer crying.
Harry tried to take a step backwards but his legs wouldn't move.
"See what I have become?" the face said. "Mere shadow and vapour... I have form only when I can share another's body... but there have always been those willing to let me into their hearts and minds... Unicorn blood has strengthened me, these past weeks... you saw faithful Quirrell drinking it for me in the Forest... and once I have the Elixir of Life, I will be able to create a body of my own..."
They all listened and stared, transfixed, as the memory continued.
"You'll never get it!" James yelled.
"Now... why don't you give me that Stone in your pocket?"
So he knew.
"Yes." Ron said.
"So you should run." Ginny yelled, her protective instincts kicking in.
The feeling suddenly surged back into Harry's legs.
"Good. Now run!" Remus said.
He stumbled backwards.
"Don't be a fool," snarled the face. "Better save your own life and join me..."
"I would NEVER!" roared Harry.
"or you'll meet the same end as you parents... they died begging me for mercy..."
"WHY THAT LYING LITTLE ASS! LIKE HELL WE BEGGED FOR MERCY FROM HIM!" Lily bellowed.
"LIAR!" Harry shouted suddenly.
Everyone's eyes widened in fear.
"Wh-what did he j-just -" began Sirius, but James cut across him.
"He stood up to him!" James said. "Atta boy, Harry!"
Quirrell was walking backwards at him, so that Voldemort could still see him. The evil face was now smiling.
"So punch him and wipe off that smile!" Sirius cried.
"How touching..." it hissed. "I always value bravery... Yes, boy, you're parents were brave... I killed your father first and he put up a courageous fight..."
"You bet I did!" James nodded fiercely.
"but your mother needn't have died..."
"THEN WHY THE BLOODY HELL DID YOU KILL HER!" Remus yelled.
"she was trying to protect you..."
"Well of course I was!" Lily sobbed.
"Now give me the Stone, unless you want her to have died in vain."
"My death would never have been in vain as long as Harry lived." Lily said firmly.
"NEVER!"
Harry sprang towards the flame door, but Voldemort screamed, "SEIZE HIM!" and, next second, Harry felt Quirrell's hands close on his wrist.
"NO!" Lily yelled hysterically.
At once, a needle-sharp pain seared scross Harry's scar; his head felt as though it was about to split in two; he yelled, struggling with all his might, and to his surprise, Quirrell let go of him.
"You had better let go!" James spat. "If you know what's good for you, you won't touch him again!"
"Wait - why'd he let go?" frowned Draco.
The pain in his head lessened - he looked around wildly to see where Quirrell had gone and saw him hunched in pain, looking at his fingers - they were blistering before his eyes.
"Now that is freaky!" Sirius shuddered.
"How did that happen?" frowned Regulus.
"Who cares? As long as it got him off Harry!" Fred cheered.
"Probably wandless magic." Remus said.
"Cool! Mini-Prongs can do wandless magic!" Sirius exclaimed.
"Er - Paddy... everyone can do wandless magic. What do you think you do as a child?" said James. "And I could learn it if I wanted to." he smirked, "Anyone can really it's just no-one really thinks to do it."
"It wasnt wandless magic." Harry smirked, "You'll know within the next 20 minutes." he promised.
"Seize him! SEIZE HIM!" shrieked Voldemort again and Quirrell lunged, knocking Harry clean off his feet,
"I'm gonna murder him! I'm gonna murder him!" James said matter-of-factly. "I'll just have to murder him!"
landing on top of him, both hands round Harry's neck -
"Get off my son!" Lily yelled.
Harry's scar was almost blinding him with pain, yet he could see Quirrell howling in agony.
"Excellent!" Fred cried.
"Now get off!" cried George.
"Master, I cannot hold him - my hands - my hands!"
"Harry is doing some serious damage!" Charlie grinned.
And Quirrell, though pinning Harry to the ground with his knees, let go of his neck and stared, bewildered, at his own palms - Harry could see they looked burnt, raw, red and shiny.
"That's really weird." said Percy.
"How d'you suppose Harry's doing that?" asked Bill.
"I honestly have no clue." Remus said slowly.
"Amazing! This has to be the first time that Moony - Mr. Know-It-All - doesn't know something!" exclaimed Sirius.
"Well I'm not telling but it is explained." Harry said, still feeling a little tense.
Quirrell raised his hand to perform a deadly curse,
They all gasped.
"The Avada Kedavra!" whispered a horrified Lily.
"NO!" roared James.
but Harry, by instinct, reached up and grabbed Quirrell's face - "AAARGH!"
"Yes! Good thinking, Harry!" Arthur commented putting an arm around his crying wife.
Quirrell rolled off him, his face blistering, too, and then Harry knew: Quirrell couldn't touch his bare skin, not without suffering terrible pain - his only chance was to keep hold of Quirrell, keep him in enough pain to stop him doing a curse.
"Yes! Touch him everywhere you can see skin!" Sirius yelled. "Keep him in pain!"
Harry jumped to his feet, caught Quirrell by the arm and hung on as tight as he could.
Quirrell screamed and tried to throw Harry off - the pain in Harry's head was building - he couldn't see - he could only hear Quirrell's terrible shrieks and Voldemort's yells of "KILL HIM! KILL HIM!" and other voices, maybe in Harry's own head, crying, "Harry! Harry!"
"Must be myself and Albus." Minerva said.
"Thank god." Lily breathed.
He felt Quirrell's arm wrenched from his grasp, knew all was lost, and fell into blackness,
"WHAT?" yelled Lily. "No!"
"No!" moaned James. "Get up! Get UP!"
"Don't go there! No!" Molly shrieked.
down... down... down...
"You were dying!?" Hermione demanded before rounding on Minerva, "You told us he was okay, that he had just been knocked unconscious!"
"We didn't want to worry you." Minerva looked apologetic. "I'm sorry but it was Albus's idea he didn't think it was wise to tell you."
"We should have been told." Ron frowned.
"Well I didn't know I thought you had been told or I would have told you myself as soon as I found out." Harry told them.
"When did you find out?" Hermione asked.
"When I woke up." he shrugged.
Something gold was glinting just above him.
The Snitch!
"The Snitch?" they all asked curiously.
"Imagination world." Harry chuckled, "It was Dumbledore's glasses."
"Oh." they all laughed a little.
He tried to catch it, but his arms were too heavy.
"What's wrong?" Lily asked worriedly.
He blinked. It wasn't the Snitch at all. It was a pair of glasses. How strange.
He blinked again. The smiling face of Albus Dumbledore swam into view above him.
"YES!" they all cheered.
"He's safe!" sobbed Lily.
"Lily, it's okay now. He's safe." James said, putting his arm around her.
"I know. Thank Merlin." she said softly, resting her head on his shoulder again.
"That's the end of the danger all that's left is a few explanations and then us getting the train home." Harry put in making everyone relax.
"Good afternoon, Harry," said Dumbledore.
"That's what he says?" laughed Dora. "Harry's been through so much, and all he says is "Good afternoon? What's with that?"
"Well, Dumbledore will always be Dumbledore." grinned Harry.
Harry stared at him. Then he remembered.
"Sir! The Stone! It was Quirrell! he's got the Stone! Sir, quick -"
"Calm yourself, dear boy, you are a little behind the times," said Dumbledore.
"Behind the time?" Lily said worriedly. "How long were you unconscious?"
"A few days."
"Quirrell does not have the Stone."
"YES!" they all cheered.
"Then who does? Sir, I -"
"Harry, please relax, or Madame Pomfrey will have me thrown out."
"Hmm. I don't think she's ever thrown out Dumbledore." Sirius said thoughtfully.
"Would be interesting to see, though." Dora said.
Harry swallowed and looked around him. He realised he must be in the hospital wing.
"Duh!" snorted Sirius. "Where else would he be?"
"Well, he's in shock now. It'll take him some time to get back to normal." James said, defending his son.
He was lying in a bed with white linen sheets and next to him was a table piled high with what looked like half the sweet-shop.
"Nice!" James grinned.
"Tokens from your friends and admirers," said Dumbledore, beaming.
"We got the rest of the quidditch team and most of the Gryffindor's, Hufflepuff's and Ravenclaw's together and we all got you something." Fred explained.
"The Slytherins were the only ones who didn't." George said.
"We never got the whole story plus we were never nice to Gryffindor's, ever." Draco said.
"What happened down in the dungeons between you and Professor Quirrell is a complete secret,"
Sirius raised his eyebrows. "What? How is that possible?"
"so, naturally, the whole school knows."
"That's more like it!" he grinned as everyone else laughed.
"I believe your friends Misters Fred and George Weasley were responsible for trying to send you a lavatory seat."
They all burst out laughing again.
"You didn't?" Molly rounded on the twins.
"We did!" they grinned.
"Thank you for the idea Mum." Fred said.
"No doubt they thought it would amuse you. Madame Pomfrey, however, felt it might not be very hygenic, and confiscated it."
"Awwww." Sirius moaned.
"Darn shame, that," sighed Fred.
"That would've been cool to keep!" George agreed.
"How long have I been here?"
"Three days. Mr Ronald Weasley and Miss Granger will be most relieved you have come round, they have been extremely worried."
"Understatement." Hermione coughed as Ron nodded in agreement.
"But sir, the Stone -"
"I see you are not to be distracted. Very well, the Stone. Professor Quirrell did not manage to take it from you. I arrived in time to prevent that, although you were doing very well on your own, I must say."
"You bet he was!" James said with a great deal of pride. "He's the best! He was fighting a full grown adult! And Voldemort. And he lived! And he saved the Stone!"
"That's our son," beamed Lily.
Harry smiled at that, even though he was blushing a little.
"You got there? You got Hermione's owl?"
"We must have crossed in mid-air. No sooner had I reached London than it became clear to me that the place I should be was the one I had just left. I arrived just in time to pull Quirrell off you -"
"It was you."
"I feared I might be too late."
"Nope. Right on time," Sirius grinned.
"But a bit earlier wouldn't have hurt!" James muttered.
"You nearly were, I couldn't have kept him off the Stone much longer -"
"Not the Stone, boy, you - the effort involved nearly killed you."
Lily gasped.
"What? It - He - nearly - no - dead - killed - effort - what?" she stuttered.
"You're making no sense, Lily." James laughed.
"Shut up!" she snapped.
"For one terrible moment there, I was afraid it had. As for the Stone, it has been destroyed."
"Destroyed?" said Harry blankly. "But your friend Nicolas Flamel -"
"Oh you know about Nicolas?" said Dumbledore, sounding quite delighted "You did do the thing properly didn't you?"
"Do it properly?" said Percy. "Do what properly?"
"Does that mean he meant for Harry to find out?" asked James, confused.
"No!" gasped Lily. "He's only a first year!"
"I assume he meant my reasearch, that I knew what I was tying to save and it's history." Harry smiled.
"Well, Nicolas and I have had a little chat and agreed it's all for the best."
"But that means he and his wife will die, won't they?"
"They have enough Elixir stored to set their affairs in order and then, yes, they will die."
"Really big sacrifice." Minerva whispered sadly.
Dumbledore smiled at the look of amazement on Harry's face.
"To one as young as you, I'm sure it seems incredible, but to Nicolas and Perenelle, it really is like going to bed after a very, very long day."
"A freaking six-hundred-year-long day!" exclaimed Sirius.
"After all, to the well-organised mind, death is but the next great adventure."
"That's an interesting way to put it." said James, smiling.
"You know, the Stone was really not a wonderful thing. As much money and life as you could want! The two things most human beings would choose above all - the trouble is, humans do have a knack of choosing precisely those things which are worse for them."
"Well, if I think about it, I'm good as long as I'm with Lily!" James grinned, hugging her with one arm. She smiled and rested her head on his shoulder.
Harry lay there, lost for words. Dumbledore hummed a little and smiled at the ceiling.
"Sir?" said Harry. "I've been thinking... Sir - even if the Stone's gone, Vol -... I mean, You-Know-Who-"
"Oh, say the name, Harry!" James urged. "Call him Voldemort."
"Call him Voldemort, Harry. Always use the proper name for things. Fear of a name increases fear of the thing itself."
"Yes, sir. Well, Voldemort's going to try other ways of coming back, isn't he? I mean, he hasn't gone, has he?"
They all sighed.
"Nope unfortunatly he dose return." Harry said sadly.
"No, Harry, he has not. He is still out there somewhere, perhaps looking for another body to share... not being truly alive, he cannot be killed. He left Quirrell to die; he shows just as little mercy to his followers as his enemies. Nevertheless, Harry, while you may only have delayed his return to power, it will merely take someone else who is prepared to fight what seems a losing battle next time - and if he is delayed again, and again, why, he may never return to power."
Lily smiled. "I like that train of thought."
Harry nodded, but stopped quickly, because it made his head hurt.
"It was just a side effect of being knocked out for 3 days." Harry said at the concerned looks he was getting.
Then he said, "Sir, there are some things I'd like to know, if you can tell me... things I want to know the truth about..."
"This ought to be good." said Draco.
"Assuming he answers the questions." Minerva added.
"The truth." Dumbledore sighed. "It is a beautiful and terrible thing, and should therefore be treated with great caution. However, I shall answer your questions unless I have a very good reason not to, in which case I beg you forgive me. I shall not, of course, lie."
"Of course not!" Fluer said.
"Well... Voldemort said that he only killed my mother because she tried to stop him killing me. But why would he want to kill me in the first place?"
"He's not going to tell you." James sighed.
Dumbledore sighed very deeply this time.
"Alas, the first thing you ask me, I cannot tell you."
"Damn," cursed Sirius. "He was right."
"Told you so." James grinned.
"Not today. Not now."
"So he'll tell him later?" James said hopefully. He didnt get an awnser.
"You will know, one day... put it from your mind for now, Harry. When you are older... I know you hate to hear this... when you are ready, you will know."
"He told me a little late, he should have told me when Voldemort returned." Harry scowled. "If he had told me..."
"I probably wouldn't have died when I did." Sirius finished frowning. "I did tell him that he'd be better off telling you."
"What are you talking about?" Dora asked.
"The Prophesy about me and Voldemort." Harry told her.
"Oh." she said.
"Wait is that the one we had to guard when you were in 5th year?" Arthur asked.
Harry nodded. "I'll tell you what it says when we get to the start of my 5th year."
And Harry knew it was no good to argue.
"But why couldn't Quirrell touch me?"
"Ah, another good question," grinned James. "You know what to ask!"
"Your mother died to save you."
Everyone immediately frowned. "What's that got to do with -"
"Just shush," Lily whispered to James, listening to Dumbledore.
"If there is one thing Voldemort cannot understand, it is love. He didn't realise that love as powerful as your mother's for you leaves its own mark"
Lily was amazed. "Re-really? What mark?"
"Not a scar, no visible sign... to have been loved so deeply, even though the person who loved us is gone, will give us some protection forever."
"Wow. That's - that's -" Lily was, for perhaps the first time ever, at a loss for words.
"It is in your very skin."
Lily and James smiled at each other.
"Quirrell, full of hatred, greed and ambition, sharing his soul with Voldemort, could not touch you for this reason."
"So it's because of... because of me?" Lily said quietly. "I gave him a sort of protection?"
"You saved me Mum." Harry smiled sadly. "I got blood protection from you thats why I had to go to live with Aunt Petunia no one could cause me harm there as long as she was there. Exept the Dursley's themselves." he added hesitantly.
"It was agony to touch a person marked by something so good."
Dumbledore now became very interested in a bird out on the window-sill, which gave Harry time to dry his eyes on the sheet.
"He knows when to give someone a private second," grinned James.
When he had found his voice again, Harry said, "And the Invisibility Cloak - do you know who sent it to me?"
"Ah - your father happened to leave it in my possession and I thought you might like it."
Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "Useful things... your father used it mainly for sneaking off to the kitchens to steal food when he was here."
The others laughed.
James looked insulted. "I do not only use it for that! We get up to way more stuff than that! And it's not just me!"
"Well, he didn't know that, did he?" Sirius grinned.
"Oh yeah, we've only been caught going to that area, now that I think about it, because it's always harder to get back with all the food. Yeah, that'll explain it!" grinned James.
"And there's something else ..."
"Fire away."
"Quirrell said Snape -"
"Professor Snape, Harry."
"Yes, him -"
They all laughed.
"Quirrell said he hates me because he hated my father. Is that true?"
"Well, they did rather detest each other."
"Understatement." James said.
"Not unlike yourself and Mr. Malfoy..."
"Hey, that's different! Potters have hated Malfoys for generations! My dad hated Abraxas, or whatever his name was, just as much as I hate Lucius!" James said.
"Well I for one am kind of glad that we changed that." Draco said.
"It is better to have friends than enemies." Luna commented, "My daddy always said 'Why be enemies when you can be friends.' I think he's right." she added.
"You know that's pretty true but sometimes it's harder to be friends when two people are activley hating each other." Neville frowned.
"It takes effort on both sides." Harry nodded, "At first we decided to be civil to each other and once we'd gotten to know more about each other we became friends." he smiled at Draco who nodded and smiled back.
"And then, your father did something Snape could never forgive."
"What?"
"He saved his life."
"What?"
"Yes..." said Dumbledore dreamily. "Funny, the way people's minds work, isn't it? Professor Snape couldn't bear being in your father's debt... I do believe he worked so hard to protect you this year because he felt that would make him and your father quits."
"Must have been that time I stopped him going into the Whomping Willow." James said.
"It was his own fault." Sirius said firmly. "I was drunk and he was provoking me."
"You still shouldn't have done it Paddy." Remus said softly. Sirius just nodded.
"Then he could go back to hating your father's memory in peace..."
They all laughed at that.
Harry tried to understand this but it made his head pound, so he stopped.
"Definitely got James' brains, then." Lily confirmed.
"And, sir, there's one more thing..."
"Just the one?"
"How did I get the Stone out of the Mirror?"
"Ah, now, I'm glad you asked me that. It was one of my more brilliant ideas, and between you and me, that's saying something."
"Really, really modest." Minerva shook her head fondly.
"You see, only one who wanted to find the Stone - find it, but not use it - would be able to get it,"
"HAH! I was right! I knew it!" exclaimed Bill.
"otherwise they'd just see themselves making gold or drinking Elixir of Life. My brain surprises even me sometimes..."
They all chuckled a bit.
"Now, enough questions. I suggest you make a start on these sweets. Ah! Bertie Bott's Every-Flavour Beans! I was unfortunate enough in my youth to come across a vomit flavoured one,"
"Ugh. I've had that one before." Sirius shuddered.
"Me too." Fred grimaced.
"I've had a booger flavoured one before." George put in.
"and since then I'm afraid I've rather lost my liking for them - but I think I'll be safe with a nice toffee, don't you?"
He smiled and popped the golden-brown bean into his mouth.
James began cracking up.
"What?" asked Remus.
"That - that's Earwax flavor!" he laughed.
Then he choked and said, "Alas! Earwax!"
They all laughed.
"I told you! I've had that at least ten times!" James laughed
"Why would you eat it again and again?" asked Dora.
"Dares." James said simply.
Madame Pomfrey, the nurse, was a nice woman, but very strict.
"Just five minutes," Harry pleaded.
"Absolutely not."
"You let Professor Dumbledore in..."
"Well, of course, that was the Headmaster, quite different."
"Oooh, who wants to see Harry?" asked Sirius.
"We do." Hermione said pointing at Ron and herself.
"You need rest."
"I am resting, look, lying down and everything."
They laughed some more.
"Oh, go on, Madam Pomfrey ..."
"Oh, very well," she said. "But five minutes only."
"She always caves if you ask nice enough." James grinned.
And she let Ron and Hermione in.
"Harry!"
Hermione looked ready to fling her arms around him again, but Harry was glad she held herself in as his head was still very sore.
"You did still look quite sore." Hermione said.
"Poor Harry." Lily sighed.
"Oh, Harry, we were sure you were going to - Dumbledore was so worried -"
"The whole school's talking about it,"
"Well, of course they are!" exclaimed Fred.
"This is big news!" Sirius cried.
"Huge news!" James said.
"Giant news!"
"Humungous!"
"Enormous!"
"We get it!" Lily said irritably. "Back to the memory."
said Ron. "What really happened?"
"What didn't happen?" Minerva sighed.
It was one of those rare occasions when the true story is even more strange and exciting than the wild rumours.
They all grinned.
"It's almost always like that with our stories!" Sirius exclaimed.
"That's because we did strange things." grinned James.
Harry told them everything; Quirrell; the Mirror; the Stone and Voldemort. Ron and Hermione were a very good audience; they gasped in all the right places and, when Harry told them what was under Quirrell's turban, Hermione screamed out loud.
"So the Stone's gone?" said Ron finally. "Flamel's just going to die?"
"That's what Harry said!" laughed James.
"That's what I said,"
James grinned.
"but Dumbledore thinks that - what was it? - 'to the well organised mind, death is but the next great adventure'."
"I always said he was off his rocker," said Ron,
"It's true." Minerva said chuckling, "But he was a brilliant man." Everyone nodded.
looking quite impressed at how mad his hero was.
"So what happened to you two?" said Harry.
"Well I got back all right," said Hermione. "I brought Ron round - that took a while - and we were dashing up to the owlery to contact Dumbledore when we met him in the Entrance Hall. He already knew - he just said, 'Harry's gone after him, hasn't he?' and hurtled off to the third floor."
"So he did expect Harry to go!" James exclaimed.
"Obviously." Lily frowned.
"D'you think he meant you to do it?" said Ron. "Sending you your father's Cloak and everything?"
"Yeah! For sure!" Fred nodded.
"Probably." Harry said.
"Well," Hermione exploded, "if he did - I mean to say - that's terrible - you could have been killed."
"No, it isn't," said Harry thoughtfully. "He's a funny man, Dumbledore. I think he sort of wanted to give me a chance. I think he knows more or less everything that goes on here, you know."
"Yeah, he does." Sirius nodded wisely.
"I reckon he had a pretty good idea we were going to try, and instead of stopping us, he just taught us enough to help. I don't think it was an accident he let me find out how the Mirror worked.It's almost like he thought I had the right to face Voldemort if I could..."
"Even Dumbledore thinks Harry can face Voldemort!" James said proudly. Lily, on the other hand, looked down right pissed.
"How could he - he's only a First year - dangerous - He's the headmaster - He's a first year! - Voldemort - Three first years! - what right? - stupid ideas - dangerous!" Lily rambled angrily.
James smiled at her. "Lily, I think it's safe to say that Dumbledore knows more than you," he grinned. Lily smiled sheepishly. James continued, "If he thinks Harry was capable of it, who are we to question him? And besides, Harry did it! He's still alive, and Voldemort isn't back yet!"
Lily smiled and nodded.
"Yeah, Dumbledore's barking, all right," said Ron proudly. "Listen, you've got to be up for the end-of-year feast tomorrow."
"That's the best feast!" Ron exclaimed.
"Except for the Start of Term Feast." Sirius added.
"And Christmas, if you stay there." James said.
"of course - you missed the last Quidditch match, we were steamrollered by Ravenclaw without you - but the food'll be good."
"Always is." Sirius breathed.
At that moment, Madam Pomfrey bustled over.
"You've had nearly fifteen minutes, now OUT!" she said firmly.
After a good night's sleep, Harry felt nearly back to normal.
"That's good." said Lily.
"I want to go to the feast," he told Madam Pomfrey as she straightened his many sweet-boxes. "I can, can't I?
"He has to go!" exclaimed James immediately. "He can't not go to his first End of Year Feast!"
"Professor Dumbledore says you are allowed to go," she said sniffily,
"Thank Merlin." he breathed.
"Hah, that means she doesn't agree." Sirius laughed.
"Why? What does she think'll happen at the feast?" scoffed Astoria. "Someone will spill Pumpkin juice on him at the most!"
as though in her opinion Professor Dumbledore didn't realise how risky feasts could be. "And you have another visitor."
"Oh good," said Harry. "Who is it?"
Hagrid sidled through the door as he spoke. As usual when he was indoors, Hagrid looked too big to be allowed. He sat down next to Harry, took one look at him and burst into tears.
"He's so sweet," Lily smiled.
"Probably because he must blame himself a bit." James said.
"It's - all - my - ruddy - fault!" he sobbed, his face in his hands. "I told the evil git how ter get past Fluffy! I told him! It was the only thing he didn't know an' I told him!"
"Aw, come on, Hagrid!" Sirius said. "It's not your fault! He got you drunk and offered you a dragon!"
"Yeh could've died! All fer a dragon egg! I'll never drink again!"
The boys snorted.
"Like that's gonna happen." said Sirius disbelievingly.
"I should be chucked out an' made ter live as a Muggle!"
"That's a bit too harsh, Hagrid!" James complained.
"Hagrid!" said Harry, shocked to see Hagrid shaking with grief and remorse, great tears leaking down into his beard.
"Hagrid, he'd have found out somehow, this is Voldemort we're talking about, he'd have found out even if you hadn't told him."
"Exactly!" James grinned.
"Yeh could've died!" sobbed Hagrid. "An' don' say the name!"
"VOLDEMORT!" Harry bellowed, and Hagrid was so shocked, he stopped crying.
"Heh, that worked with the DA too." Hermione smirked, "Remember?" she asked Harry and Ron.
"Oh yeah... Last time we saw them most of them were still terrified of the name." Harry explained, "So all three of us started yelling 'Voldemort' until every single one of them joined in."
"Some of them joined from the start too." Ron nodded, "Like Neville, Luna and Ginny."
"We'd been able to say it before." Neville shrugged.
"What's -"
"Later Mum. It's too early for us to explain it just yet." Harry cut her off.
"I've met him and I'm calling him by his name. Please cheer up, Hagrid, we saved the Stone, it's gone, he can't use it. Have a Chocolate Frog, I've got loads ..."
Hagrid wiped his nose on the back of his hand and said, "That reminds me. I've got yeh a present."
"That's nice of Hagrid." said Lily.
"It's not a stoat sandwich, is it?" said Harry anxiously
They all chuckled.
and at last Hagrid gave a weak chuckle.
"'Nah. Dumbledore gave me the day off yesterday ter fix it. 'Course, he shoulda sacked me instead -"
"He'd never! Not in a million years!" Sirius said.
"anyway, got yeh this..."
It seemed to be a handsome, leather-covered book.
"A book?" James asked incredulously. "Does he honestly think Harry wants to read right now?"
"Some people like to read!" Lily said irritably.
"It's not a normal book." Harry smiled.
Harry opened it curiously. It was full of wizard photographs. Smiling and waving at him from every page were his mother and father.
Lily and James beamed, yet somehow... they looked sad. Sad, yet happy.
"That's - that's wonderful." choked James, fighting back tears.
"So thoughtful!" Lily sniffed.
"Sent owls off ter all yer parents' old school friends,"
"Yup he did." Remus said, "I was abroad at that time and it's actually a miracle his owl found me."
"How?" Minerva asked.
"I was well hidden." he shrugged, "I was in Ireland at the time, doing some odd jobs for an old wizard who had a 13 year old grandson who was also a werewolf so I gave the grandson lessons and helped with yard work and such." he explained, "I would've rushed to Hogwarts if I thought it'd do any good for Harry. Remembering he wouldnt know me, kept me where I was." he admitted.
"Too painful?" Sirius guessed, Remus nodded, "I was the same way after Azkaban, it's part of the reason I didnt approach sooner than I did, even as Padfoot."
"It probably wouldnt had phased me." Harry chuckled, "Not much dose. Sure I would've been shocked, or confused, but I would've accepted it the way it was."
"I know you were wary the first time you met me." Remus smirked, "You hid it well but I saw your hesitance."
"It wasnt you per say, more like the past DADA teachers we'd had." Harry shuddered, "I didnt get along with any exept you Remus, and you were the first that didnt try to harm or humiliate me in some way." he shrugged.
"Oh good." Remus frowned, "Who'd you have the year before me?"
"A useless git." Fred supplied, "More intrested in his own looks than anything else."
"And a right coward to boot." George added. "I'd bet anything he was a fake."
"Whatever gave you that idea." Ron asked sarcastically. "We're not going to tell you who but their right, he was nothing more than a useless git."
"And we're off track again." Harry mused, they all turned back to the penseive.
"askin' fer photos... Knew yeh didn' have any... D'yeh like it?"
Harry couldn't speak, but Hagrid understood.
"We should thank him for that." James smiled.
"Yes, we should." Lily smiled.
Harry made his way down to the end-of-year feast alone that night. He had been held up by Madam Pomfrey's fussing-about, insisting on giving him one last check-up,
"Typical Madam Pomfrey Though she didn't do that with us that much. Just the beginning of First year, really." James commented.
"She always done it with me." Remus pouted.
"You didnt complain as much, or drive her crazy." Minerva chuckled, "Those two on the other hand..."
"We get it." Sirius smirked, "We annoyed her hugely so she couldnt wait to get rid of us."
so the Great Hall was already full. It was decked out in the Slytherin colours of green and silver to celebrate Slytherin's winning the House Cup for the seventh year in a row.
James groaned. "Gryffindor has to win at least once in all of Harry's years at Hogwarts!"
"We will, don't worry." grinned Ron.
A huge banner showing the Slytherin serpent covered the wall behind the High Table.
When Harry walked in there was a sudden hush and then everybody started talking loudly at once.
"That has got to be embarrassing," Andromeda shuddered. "I'd hate to have to go through that!"
"It got to the point that I was expecting it though it was always uncomfortable." Harry explained with a grimmace, "Rumors were always flying around and it never helped when I dissapeared and reappeared after time in the hospital wing."
"True." Ron nodded, "It only enocouraged more rumors."
"Which we usually set right." Hermione added, "If we could without revealing too much that is."
"Didnt work all that well." Ginny sighed, "I know almost every rumor that went around, correcting them seemed to make it worse because people want to know everything about how you knew and if it really was true."
"It was worth a try." Harry shrugged, "With the title there was always going to be rumors anyway."
"True enough. It was like that for the Maruaders at times." James smiled, "Our reputation caused a lot of rumors to go around, especially when we did a big prank or one of us had a date or something."
"What was the most ridiculus one again?" Lily asked.
"6th year at christmas." Sirius chuckled, "After Peeves locked the three of us in a broom cubbord all day. Thank's again for that Prongs."
"I didnt start it!" James protested, "Peeves had it coming to him."
"Explain later." Remus advised him, "I suspect everyone wants to know that one."
Everone nodded looking very curious.
He slipped into a seat between Ron and Hermione at the Gryffindor table and tried to ignore the fact that people were standing up to look at him.
Fortunately, Dumbledore arrived moments later. The babble died away.
"Another year gone!" Dumbledore said cheerfully. "And I must trouble you with an old man's wheezing waffle before we sink our teeth into our delicious feast. What a year it has been! Hopefully your heads are a little fuller than they were... you have the whole summer ahead to get them nice and empty before the next year starts..."
"Ah, he always said something like that!" James laughed.
"And our heads always went empty." grinned Sirius.
"Now, as I understand it, the House Cup here needs awarding and the points stand thus: in fourth place, Gryffindor, with three hundred and twelve points;"
"That's disgraceful!" James yelled. "Even when we lost a hundred and fifty points it wasn't that bad! We were still in the four hundreds! And third!"
"in third, Hufflepuff, with three hundred and fifty-two; Ravenclaw have four hundred and twenty-six and Slytherin, four hundred and seventy-two."
A storm of cheering and stamping broke out from the Slytherin table. Harry could see Draco Malfoy banging his goblet on the table. It was a sickening sight.
"Yes, yes, well done, Slytherin," said Dumbledore. "However,"
"However?" James said hopefully.
"recent events must be taken into account."
"YES! Please tell me he's going to award a bunch of point to Harry for bravery or something!"
The room went very still. The Slytherins' smiles faded a little.
"Ahem," said Dumbledore. "I have a few last-minute points to dish out. Let me see. Yes... First - to Mr Ronald Weasley..."
"Ron?" frowned Sirius. "Why?"
"For defeating the chess set." Minerva put in.
Ron went purple in the face; he looked like a radish with bad sunburn.
"... for the best-played game of chess Hogwarts has seen in many years, I award Gryffindor house fifty points."
Gryffindor cheers nearly reached the bewitched ceiling; the stars overhead seemed to quiver.
They grinned.
"We done that a few times." James smiled.
Percy could be heard telling the other Prefects, "My brother, you know! My youngest brother! Got past McGonagall's giant chess set!"
They all snickered as Percy grinned at his little brother who grinned back.
"I was increadbly proud of you at that time Ron." he admitted.
"We all were when we found out. Perce just boasted about it more." George smirked.
Ron blushed a little at the praise.
At last there was silence again. "Second - to Miss Hermione Granger... for the use of cool logic in the face of fire, I award Gryffindor house fifty points."
There were more cheers.
"Weird reason, though." Remus said.
"Who cares?" James said again. "It's still fifty more points to Gryffindor!"
Hermione buried her face in her arms; Harry strongly suspected she had burst into tears.
Sirius and James shared a look that plainly said, 'girls!'
"I hadnt, I just didnt like the attention." Hermione explained.
Gryffindors up and down the table were beside themselves - they were a hundred points up.
"Third - to Mr. Harry Potter..."
"YES!" yelled James so loud that Lily thought she might be going deaf. Harry, Remus and Ginny winced, "Oop's sorry." he said sheepishly.
"It's fine, just try watch the volume a little." Remus sighed rubbing his ears. James nodded.
said Dumbledore. "... for pure nerve and outstanding courage, I award Gryffindor house sixty points."
"YEAH!" they all thundered. Well, except the Slytherin's in the room.
The din was deafening. Those who could add up while yelling themselves hoarse knew that Gryffindor now had four hundred and seventy-two points - exactly the same as Slytherin.
"Argh! Why couldn't Dumbledore have given them just one more damn point?" Sirius moaned.
They had drawn for the House Cup - if only Dumbledore had given Harry just one more point.
Dumbledore raised his hand.
The room gradually fell silent.
"There are all kinds of courage," said Dumbledore, smiling. "It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends. I therefore award ten points"
They all (except Sirius) held their breath.
"to Mr. Neville Longbottom."
The room erupted with deafening cheers.
Someone standing outside the Great Hall might well have thought some sort of explosion had taken place, so loud was the noise that erupted from the Gryffindor table.
Harry, Ron and Hermione stood up to yell and cheer and Neville, white with shock, disappeared under a pile of people hugging him.
"I wasn't expecting that. It was the first time I had won any points at all." Neville chuckled.
He had never won so much as a point for Gryffindor before.
Harry, still cheering, nudged Ron in the ribs and pointed at Malfoy,
"It was kind of mean of him." Draco pouted, "If he was going to award points he should he done it before he announced that Slytherin won."
"I did tell Albus that it wasn't fair on the Slytherin's, Severus did too." Minerva told him. "He usually didnt do that."
who couldn't have looked more stunned and horrified if he'd just had the Body-Bind curse put on him.
"Which means," Dumbledore called over the storm of applause, for even Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff were celebrating the downfall of Slytherin,
They grinned.
"I guess everyone hated Slytherin. Sorry you lot." James shrugged.
"I think were all used to everyone hating us because of our house." Regulus said and Cissy, Draco, Andy and Astoria nodded. "It's pratically un-avoidable. The moment the hat shout Slythering your branded as evil and everyone hates you." he added sighing.
"I'll be trying to change that." Minerva smiled.
"we need a little change of decoration."
He clapped his hands. In an instant, the green hangings became scarlet and the silver became gold; the huge Slytherin serpent vanished and a towering Gryffindor lion took its place. Snape was shaking Professor McGonagall's hand,
"He took it surprisingly well." Minerva muttered, sounding amused.
with a horrible forced smile.
He caught Harry's eye and Harry knew at once that Snape's feelings towards him hadn't changed one jot.
This didn't worry Harry. It seemed as though life would be back to normal next year,
"Not a chance." grinned Ron.
"What fun would normal be?" laughed Hermione.
"We'd be nothing in a normal world!" Harry said dramatically. "I don't think we'd survive more than 10 minutes."
The Golden and Silver Trio's burst into laughter but everyone else looked worried.
or as normal as it ever was at Hogwarts.
It was the best evening of Harry's life, better than winning at Quidditch or Christmas or knocking out mountain trolls... he would never, ever forget tonight.
"It's a damn good memory to keep." James exclaimed.
Harry had almost forgotten that the exam results were still to come, but come they did. To their great surprise, both he and Ron passed with good marks;
"Good for you." Lily beamed.
Hermione, of course, came top of the year.
"No real shock there." snorted Sirius.
Even Neville scraped through, his good Herbology mark making up for his abysmal Potions one.
"It's my best subject." Neville announced proudly. "Herbology, not Potions." he added with a chuckle, "Even by 5th year I still melted a cauldron at least twice a year."
They had hoped that Goyle, who was almost as stupid as he was mean, might be thrown out,
"Nope." sighed Sirius.
but he had passed, too.
"What a shame." said James.
It was a shame, but as Ron said, you couldn't have everything in life.
They all smiled.
And suddenly, their wardrobes were empty, their trunks were packed, Neville's toad was found lurking in a corner of the toilets;
Most laughed.
notes were handed out to all students, warning them not to use magic over the holidays (I always hope they'll forget to give us these," said Fred Weasley sadly); Hagrid was there to take them down to the fleet of boats that sailed across the lake; they were boarding the Hogwarts Express; talking and laughing as the country-side became greener and tidier; eating Bertie Bott's Every-Flavour Beans as they sped past Muggle towns; pulling off their wizard robes and putting on jackets and coats; pulling into platform nine and three-quarters at King's Cross Station.
"Aww. Now he has to go back to those damn Dursleys." moaned James.
"Well, they'll be less mean to him now that he knows he's a wizard." Sirius said.
"Hopefully." added Lily.
"You got that partly right." Harry admitted, "They were nicer but they were still horrible."
It took a while for them all to get off the platform. A wizened old guard was up by the ticket barrier, letting them go through the gate in two's and three's so they didn't attract attention by all bursting out of a solid wall at once and alarming the Muggles.
"You must come and stay this summer," said Ron, "both of you - I'll send you an owl."
"Thank god. This way he can get away from the Dursleys as soon as possible!" James said, relieved.
"Thanks," said Harry. "I'll need something to look forward to."
People jostled them as they moved forwards towards the gate-way back to the Muggle world. Some of them called:
"Bye, Harry!"
"See you, Potter!"
"Nice that you have so many friends." Lily smiled.
"Not friends, Mum, admirers." Harry joked.
Lily rolled her eyes.
"Still famous," said Ron grinning at him.
"Not where I'm going, I promise you," said Harry.
They all groaned.
He, Ron and Hermione passed through the gateway together.
"There he is, Mum, there he is, look!"
It was Ginny Weasley, Ron's younger sister, but she wasn't pointing at Ron.
Ginny blushed and glared at Harry.
"Sorry Gin." he said putting his hands up in surrender. "You expect me to remember that was in there?"
"It's your memory." she snapped.
"Dosnt mean I remember it all." he huffed, "I remember the time and place, not everything that was said."
"Harry Potter!" she squealed. "Look, Mum! I can see -"
"Be quiet, Ginny, and it's rude to point."
Mrs. Weasley smiled down at them.
"Busy year?" she said.
"Very," said Harry. "Thanks for the fudge and the jumper, Mrs. Weasley."
"Good, you didn't forget your manners." Lily smiled proudly.
"Oh, it was nothing, dear."
"It's a heck of a lot more than anything those greedy Dursleys gave you!" Molly said bitterly.
"Ready, are you?"
It was Uncle Vernon, still purple-faced, still mustached, still looking furious at the nerve of Harry, carrying an owl in a cage in a station full of ordinary people.
Behind him stood Aunt Petunia and Dudley, looking terrified at the very sight of Harry.
James grinned. "It'll be better that way, probably." he smirked.
"You must be Harry's family!" said Mrs Weasley.
"Well, this should be... interesting," said Andy uncertainly.
"They'd better not be rude!" Lily scowled.
"In a manner of speaking," said Uncle Vernon. "Hurry up, boy, we haven't got all day." He walked away.
"I was quite shocked at how they treated you." Molly admitted.
Harry hung back for a last word with Ron and Hermione.
"See you over the summer, then."
"Hope you have - er - a good holiday," said Hermione,
"Nothing good about where I'm headed." sighed Harry.
"Only annoying your fat cousin, Uncle and weird, long-necked aunt." Fred joked. "No offence Lily." he added.
"None taken." she replied, "If I ever see her again she better have a good reason why I shouldnt hex her." she growled.
looking uncertainly after Uncle Vernon, shocked that anyone could be so unpleasant.
"If anyone can, it's the Dursley's." Remus said, shaking his head.
"Oh, I will," said Harry, and they were surprised at the grin that was spreading over his face.
"What've you got to grin about?" Dora asked curiously.
"They don't know we're not allowed to use magic at home."
"That's brilliant! Inspired! Pure genius!" James exclaimed happily.
"I'm going to have a lot of fun with Dudley this summer..."
They all laughed or chuckled at that one.
"Good one Harry." James said through his laughter.
"Pure genius." Sirius added chuckling.
"Thank you. Anyway that was my first year." Harry said looking at his watch. "It's 10.30 so I think we should all go up to bed and continue in the morning around noon."
Everyone nodded and went up to bed Astoria and Luna joining Hermione and Ginny in Ginny's room and Neville joining Harry, Ron and Draco in Ron's room. Bill and Fleur went home for the night and Minerva back to Hogwarts.