The damp grass pressed into the back of Harry's shirt, but he didn't mind. He relished the feeling of relaxation for no real reason, just because he could. Ron and Hermione were still out on their first official date, leaving Harry to wile away his hours in peace. The rush of Ginny's broom was barely audible in the distance and a few bangs broke through the silence from George's window with occasional smoke spewing out into the hazy sky. Harry stared at the dismal clouds, relieved that he didn't have to lay in a bush of flowers to find a mere moment of peace like he used to. Finally learning to control his thoughts (a little late for that, he thought to himself), Harry pushed away any dark image that still haunted his every move and focused instead on the blissful relative quiet.
"Harry, dear!" Mrs. Weasley's voice shattered his clouded thoughts. "She's here!" Harry forced himself to his elbows and checked the watch from his seventeenth birthday that Weasley's gave him.
"It's not even two yet!" He called back over his shoulder. When he heard no response, he flipped to his stomach to see that Mrs. Weasley was long gone from the doorframe. With a heavy sigh, he pushed himself to his feet, brushed off the grass, and walked heavily into the Burrow.
"She's waiting for you in the sitting room, dear," Mrs. Weasley informed him. He nodded and walked through the hallway into the small room. He barely had time to open the door before someone had grasped his hand and shook it heartily.
"Mr. Potter! I am honored to meet you! Simply honored," a short witch beamed up at him. She had straight black hair that fell just past her shoulders and matching bangs with dark brown eyes. She wore clean pale blue rubes and was currently gazing at Harry expectantly and in awe.
"Er… hi. Nice to meet you too," he responded politely, fully aware that he didn't even know the witch's name yet.
"I'm Malinda Huang and I'm here to read Mr. Remus Lupin's will," she let go of his hand and took a step back, but her gaze never faltered. It flickered between Harry's eyes and his lightning bolt scar, but it never faltered. "And I know that I'm dreadfully early, but another meeting of mine was cut short and I must admit, I was quite ecstatic to meet you. Hopefully I didn't interrupt anything important."
"That's all right, I'm not busy," Harry conceded and turned towards the couch, mostly to get his scar out of her line of sight. He sank into the forest green cushions and was forcefully reminded of the last time he was read a will on this very couch.
"Well, then I suppose we can get started!" she said, much too cheerfully for a reading of a will. "I already spoke with an Andromeda Tonks, who a significant portion of his and his wife's belongings were left too since she currently has custody over his son." She cocked her head and looked up from the document she had just pulled out of her briefcase. Harry nodded at her, guessing she wanted a confirmation that he was listening.
"Good, good. Let me just find you here," she ran a finger along the page until it stopped a little more than halfway down. "Here we are! Okay, 'To Harry James Potter,'" she began to read with no pause or preemptive measures. "'I bequeath a vial of memories, marked 'For Harry J. Potter' to be used in a pensieve, which I know he has experience with.'" Harry could practically see Lupin's knowing smirk at Harry's frequent and unallowed falls into its silvery depths. "'With them, I hope he can see his parents' true and remarkable characters that he has regretfully never known.'" Again, Malinda Huang dug through her briefcase and dumped the single vial onto the table in between them, unaware of its importance. Harry leaned forward slowly and picked it up; it was warm to the touch and filled with a silvery-blue substance that danced under the light. He clasped the glass eagerly, desperately wishing to delve into memories of his parents that weren't from Snape, yet also somehow desperately wanting to save them for later. Seeing them needed a special and private moment for sure, but what if the anticipation exceeded the reality? What if his expectations were already too high? He should wait, he decided quickly, to lower his expectations drastically. But then again, when had Remus let him down? The familiar rock of guilt settled into his stomach as he recalled fond memories with his ex-professor and how he had died, all because of him.
"May I?" Malinda's voice shattered his inner monologue and he jumped, forgetting for an instant that someone else was in the room. He nodded hastily and carefully set the glass vial on the couch next to him. She cleared her throat and raised the paper again. "'I also leave to Harry James Potter, my box of saved letters for him to read through at his pleasure.'" She set a brown cardboard box on the table absentmindedly with one hand. "'I urge him to read through them in the order that I have left them in and hope that he can forgive me for not giving them to him sooner. My poor excuse is that I often like to read through them too as an escape into my Hogwarts years.'" Malinda looked up from her sheet and carefully folded it, her eyes still eager and absorbing everything about Harry.
"I am also supposed to make an apology for the delay in the reading of the will. I hope that you will understand that it took longer than usual given the influx in recent deaths as well as a backlog of mishandled wills during the past year," she recited without having to think.
"Yeah, er… no worries," he responded and stood from the couch. He shoved his hands in his pockets and watched the shorter witch rise from her seat and grab the handle of her briefcase. When she straightened, she turned abruptly towards Harry with a smile and blurted out matter-of-factly, "My nephew simply idolizes you, you know." No, Harry thought cheekily, I did not know nor do I plan on knowing your nephew. Instead, he attempted to respond with as much civility as he could manage.
"Really…," he muttered awkwardly.
"Oh yes," she said, taking his statement as a question. "He's starting Hogwarts this year and I reckon he'll come straight home if he's not in Gryffindor." She looked at Harry and nodded her head, as if this was the most obvious thing in the world. The fact that they had met just moments ago did not seem to cross her mind.
"Maybe I'll see him, then. I'm going to be teaching a few classes this year," Harry responded, accepting that the news would get out at some point anyhow.
"Really! How wonderful! Alex will be so pleased- that's his name, Alex. You know, he practically wants to be you- of course, don't tell him I said that- but, I will tell him that we met. I'll be seeing him next week actually!" How anyone could want to be him was beyond Harry. Why would someone voluntarily have their parents murdered and be targeted by the most evil wizard in Britain's history? Why would anyone voluntarily give up a doting family for the Dursleys? Why would-
"Again, it was an honor to meet you, Mr. Potter," she said, ending his spiraling thoughts. She held out a hand towards him, and regretfully he withdrew his own hand from his pocket to shake hers.
"Thank you for coming," he replied politely. She stole a final look at Harry and made her exit out the front door before apparating off of the doorstep. After hearing the faint pop, Harry returned to the couch and his new belongings. Carefully, he lifted off the lid from the small box, and took the first piece of parchment that sat on top.
Dear Harry,
If you're reading this, it means I did not survive the war. But it also means that you survived, so it was all worth it. Now, I know what you're thinking because I have had the immense pleasure of getting to know you. You're probably feeling guilty that somehow, my death or anyone else's death is your fault. I need you to understand that it is not. Consider it a parting gift to me that you release yourself from any guilt. As Dumbeldore said, you are the best hope we have. If I died during battle, it would be because I was fighting for a better world. Something I believe in and chose to do. I just hope that you get to enjoy the new world considering the large part you had in creating it.
I am aware that I am about to sound like a complete hypocrite, but I have some guilt of my own weighing me down that I desperately want to get off my chest. I am terribly sorry for letting you grow up with the Dursleys in your childhood. Even though I am not your godfather, nor did I ever have a stable income, I wish I had not let Dumbeldore persuade me that you would be safer with them. I am also terribly sorry for not staying in touch with you more, especially after Sirius' death. I was probably the only person who could relate to how you felt after losing yet another loved one, and I should have been there for you.
Speaking as your Ex-Defense Against the Dark Art Professor, I am extraordinarily proud of everything that you have accomplished. Even if I don't know what you've been up to this past year, I do know what you have done in the past and it is more than any witch or wizard can say for a lifetime. Speaking as your parents' close friend, I am so proud to have gotten to know you. You are an exceptionally bright and kind person, unwaveringly loyal, and (much like your father) a keen trouble-maker (which, I will admit, is always needed at Hogwarts). Basically, you are a true Gryffindor and a near-perfect combination of your two parents. Speaking for your parents' whom I've known for years, they love you and are even more proud than I can ever put into words. You were our joy in the midst of the first war, and you were our hope in the midst of the second.
It's tragic that you never got to know your parents personally, but hopefully these letters and the memories that I will eventually bottle up will allow you to meet them in some form.
Much love,
Remus Lupin (aka Messr Moony)
He reached the end of the letter and didn't realize his eyes were suddenly quite moist. The heavy guilt settling in his stomach lessened slightly, and Harry shook his head in disbelief at how well Remus knew him. He skimmed through the writing again, and felt his chest swell at the compliments. After setting the letter to the side carefully, he greedily withdrew the next in line, eager to meet his parents like Remus had suggested.
Ignoring the noise growing inside the house as more of the Weasleys returned home, Harry tore through letter after letter until the box was empty. He read James' frantic letters about what if they ran into Evans at Diagon Alley that summer? What should he do? ("Probably say hello, you sodding idiot" was Remus' reply) And Lily excitedly asking Remus if he was made head boy so they could work together ("I wasn't, and you probably won't like who was"). Lily begging Remus not to tell his friends that she may or may not have feelings for one James Potter ("I won't, but can I be there when you do tell him? Someone should catch him when he faints"). James incessantly asking Remus to come 'save him' from the horrible Christmas party his parents were having ("My Mum dragged me out of my room to socialize with a bunch of the elderly elite, Moony! Although, I suppose some of it's my fault; I really should have locked my door."). Feeling completely inappropriate for after just hearing a will be read, Harry couldn't help a grin come across his face as he read through their last years of Hogwarts together.
After hours that slipped by like minutes, Ron poked his head into the room. "There you are! Come on, Mum's mad thinking we're going to be late."
"Oh, right," Harry started at hearing another person's voice, having been submerged in the past. "Let me just-"
"WE'RE COMING MUM!" Ron shouted over him. He shook his head and muttered darkly to himself. Harry hastily replaced the letters into the box and carefully set the memories on the table next to it where it couldn't roll off and followed Ron into the living room where the rest were already assembled. Mr. Weasley was already standing in the fireplace and just as Harry slipped through the doorway, he disappeared into swirling flames. One by one, they filed into the bricks and with identical destinations in mind, were coughed back up into the Gryffindor Common Room.
Before the Gryffindors had any time to appreciate the novelty of being back in their second home, Mrs. Weasley stepped out onto the fading carpet and immediately clapped her hands and marched to the door. Harry trudged in the back of the procession, shuffling his feet while gazing around the castles and noticing the distinct lack of holes and rubble of the walls. In fact, it looked relatively similar to how he remembered it- except for less suits of armor lining the halls. Ron and Hermione walked just slightly ahead of him, both dazed at the drastic difference that had taken place within the past month and a half. Without realizing it, they had fallen considerably behind and Mrs. Weasley regained their attention with a sharp clap of the hands. Their heads snapped forward instantly and they hurried down the steps towards her as she led their way into the Great Hall.
The familiar candles floated above them, illuminating the room with their white flickering lights dotted among the first stars that had appeared in the sky. The house tables were nowhere in sight and had been replaced by one large oval table which witches and wizards were already standing around it, chatting amicably.
"Sorry we're late," Mrs. Weasley called to announce their arrival. "Someone apparently did not hear me screaming his name for five minutes." Harry grinned as Ron elbowed him in the stomach, leaving no doubt as to who her not-so-subtle hint was for.
"Not to worry, Molly! Kinglsley only just arrived himself!" McGonagall responded cheerfully, embracing the much shorter witch. "Have a seat," she briskly commanded. Harry followed behind his two friends towards the far side of the table where empty chairs waited for them. As Harry passed the witches and wizards, he waved and nodded his greetings to those he recognized. Bill and Fleur were already sitting, as well as Charlie, Percy, Kingsley, Flitwick, Hagrid, Sprout, Madame Pomfrey, and a few others that he did not recognize.
"Mr. Potter, how excellent to meet you!" One of those select few said as he sat down across from him. He was getting rather tired of that seemingly common phrase and he forced himself to not roll his eyes dramatically. "I'm Drissel Albright, new Potions Professor," he announced.
Er… hi," Harry responded uncertainly. These eager introductions were getting no easier. "This is Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger," he said motioning to them.
"Of course I know them!" he replied, astounded that Harry could accuse him of such a thing. Harry couldn't quite tell if he was joking or not, though. But, as his thin frame leaned back in his chair slightly and he shook his head, showing off a small bald patch, Harry decided that he was, in fact, astounded at the allegation.
"Nice to meet you," Hermione said politely with a smile. She was determined to make a good impression on any and all new professors; after all, she would be a student this year.
"Miss Granger, I hear you're returning to Hogwarts," another unknown witch commented.
"Yes, I am," she confirmed.
"Well then, I'm sure we'll get to know each other as well. I'm Laranya Khatri, new Ancient Runes professor."
"Oh, what happened to Professor Babbling?"
"She decided to retire after the war," she inclined her head respectfully, and her thick dark hair fell over her shoulder which she quickly flicked away. "I must admit, I was very pleased to hear you'd be returning. I presume you're continuing Ancient Runes?"
"Definitely, I find the subject fascinating!" Hermione engaged in a lengthy conversation with her, while Harry and Ron were content to listen occasionally and talk amongst themselves with Ginny and George. From the few quick sentences he caught, Harry learned that Professor Khatri is the new Head of Slytherin, which he never would have guessed given her warm brown eyes and charming smile.
Professor Khatri eventually excused herself to use the loo and meticulously laid her silverware beside her plate. Kingsley watched her turn out of the doors before excusing himself from his own seat and briskly filling Khatri's.
"Hermione," he said quietly, drawing the attention of all three of them. "I have good news." Hermione's eyes widened and filled with hope. "The Australian minister informed me this morning that they located your parents so-"
"Really?" Hermione shrieked and her hands jumped to cover her mouth, but her eyes never left the minister. He nodded, smiling himself. "Thank you, thank you, thank you! When can we go? And how are we returning because-"
"I assumed you wanted a few days to get ready, so I'll set up a long-distance portkey to leave in three days. I'll send it along to the Burrow tomorrow along with all the information that the Australian minister gave me," Hermione nodded mutely, drinking in every word he said. "As for how to return, I presume you know how to make a portkey, Hermione?"
"I know the theory, but I've never actually done it," she said quickly.
"Well, if you use the same object it will be much easier so just do that for whenever you want to return." Hermione nodded fervently.
"Thank you so much, Kingsley. Really, it-"
"Of course, Hermione. It was the least I could do." He smiled at the three of them before walking back to his own seat for when Khatri returned. Hermione grabbed Ron's arm and the two of them began quietly planning for their trip, their excited whispers carrying to Harry.
Somehow the topic of the Daily Prophet arose somewhere in their second course, and just as they began to fill their plates with delicious food that had appeared in front of them, Ron smirked knowingly and asked Harry, "Did you ever read that article about us in the Prophet?"
His mouth full, Harry shook his head before swallowing.
"Probably for your own good," Ron mentioned off hand.
"Why?" his eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
"Knowing you, you'd hate it," he hinted again, being as evasive as possible. At this point, Ginny broke off her conversation with George and they both joined theirs.
"Why?" He asked with an edge of annoyance.
"'Cause you're a noble git."
"Can you two tell me what this is about?" Harry asked, rolling his eyes and instead focusing on Ginny and George.
"They published a... er…. A very dramatized story of what happened," Ginny said carefully. Harry raised his eyebrows and cocked his head. "Well, they just made you sound like the absolute hero rather than a stubborn prat."
"Fantastic," Harry managed through gritted teeth. "And I presume they didn't talk about you two that way?"
"No, they lost their flowery writing with us, thank Merlin. But, they did downplay the Ministry's or Prophet's role in everything," Ron answered.
"Naturally," his voice dripped in sarcasm.
"Oh!" Ginny interrupted and practically jumped out of her seat and her fork clattered loudly, drawing more attention to their side of the table. "Say the prophecy again. The part about dying and surviving," she commanded Harry.
"And either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives," he recited easily from memory, but still clearly confused as to where Ginny was going with this.
"Well…" she said slowly, a grin spreading across her cheeks and ignoring the fact that the majority of the table was staring at her. "If the only way you can die is at the hands of Voldemort" (the professors jumped at the name) "then does that mean you're immortal?" Silence rebounded around the room; no one was sure if she was being serious. Except for Harry and Ron who both began to laugh.
"How did we not think of this Ron!?" Harry asked after his laughter had died down considerably.
"I don't know, but I reckon we should test this theory," Ron grinned.
"Oh, definitely," Harry responded mirthfully.
"Wait a moment, you two don't actually believe this, do you?" Hermione interrupted worriedly.
"Won't know until we find out," Ron said cheerfully, causing Harry to choke on his pumpkin juice. She eyed them suspiciously. "Just joking 'Mione," he conceded, although disappointment was etched across his face.
"Good. You two need to keep an eye on Harry when we're in Australia, then," she commanded Ginny and George.
"Yeah, we will," George responded with a small mischievous glint.
"Yeah, we have to make sure there's witnesses when he tests it," Ginny said quietly after the adults of the room had returned to their own conversations. Again, Harry choked on his pumpkin juice and Hermione threw another disapproving glance at them.
"I read the Prophet article about you three," Albright said leaning towards them dramatically, not noticing his sleeve brushing the top of his food. Regretfully, Harry turned away from Ginny to face him and what he was evidently going to say no matter if they cared to hear it. "I enjoyed it immensely and saw that you also did another small interview with Mr. Weasley here, but I rather think you ought to do more."
"More of what exactly?" Harry asked to fill the awkward silence that persisted after his statement.
"More interviews, of course! You must know that everyone is dying to know every little thing about you at the moment. It is prime time to capitalise on this publicity! Make some money off a book or-"
"I don't need money," Harry interrupted, no longer caring how rude he came off as, because unlike Hermione, he did not have to make good impressions with any professors.
"Well, no, but you must consider the public!" He persisted, leaning even more into his food. "Don't you think they deserve to learn your full story? That you have a responsibility as a leader in the public eye to comply with what the public wants?" Harry glanced at the others and saw mostly confusion matching his own at how on Earth this man, who they had just met, decided to tell him what he really should be doing. Ginny crossed her arms resolutely and Hermione gave him the patented Granger glare.
"No, I don't," Harry finally responded bluntly. "I think I've done enough for the public and I'm rather tired of any responsibilities that people seem to think that I have." Albright seemed to realize that he had crossed a line and hurriedly responded, leaning back in his chair again with his hands up.
"Oh no, no, no. I apologize, I clearly came off too strong. Of course you've done so much for the Wizarding World," he paused, clearly waiting for Harry to accept his apology. "I was very pleased when I read you were awarded the Order of Merlin- all of you, that is. You definitely deserved it. You know I was awarded an award for services to the school at one point, too, but of course…" he trailed off, clearly hoping for a compliment or gratification of sorts- all of which they refused to comply with.
"Er… right," Harry said blandly and filled his mouth with delicious food to give him an excuse not to respond further.
"I did have one question actually," Albright persisted, quite unaware of the uncomfort he was causing. "When you were inside the Lestrange's vault, looking for the horcrux, why didn't you consider- I'm sure it was probably just the heat of the moment and such- but why didn't you consider the glacius charm to counteract the flagrante curse?" He cocked his head in feigned curiosity at the trio, clearly expecting them to be stunned at the revelation, yet he had clearly never met Hermione Granger.
"Well we certainly considered it, Professor. But, that charm would hardly prove useful whatsoever," she brushed her thick hair behind her ear and leaned forward to see past Ron and Harry. "Sure it might make the objects less hot in the surrounding area, but how would that counteract the flagrante curse that burns to the touch? And would it not just set off the gemino charm even earlier than it did before?" She stared at him determinedly and the rest of the Gryffindors shoved their knuckles to their mouths to bite back the laughter and Albright's astounded expression.
"Well… that is certainly a good point, Miss Granger," he conceded resentfully. "Did I hear correctly that you're returning to Hogwarts this year as a student?" She nodded briskly. "And may I inquire as to which house you are in?" He asked coldly.
"Gryffindor." Clearly he did not read that article too closely, she thought since her background and house were mentioned in just the second paragraph.
"Really? I would have guessed Ravenclaw, like myself. You see, Ravenclaws tend to think critically about these sorts of things rather than Gryffindors who-"
"The Sorting Hat did consider putting me in Ravenclaw, but it clearly decided Gryffindor was a better choice," Hermione cut him off promptly, earning a few hastily hidden snorts and chuckles. Professor Albright fell silent and abruptly turned to his other side to engage in another conversation, leaving the Gryffindors to chat amongst themselves eagerly.
When the dessert course ended and the sky above them was filled with twinkling stars, they rose from their seats to say their goodbyes. Hermione instantly hurried to Kingsley to offer her immense gratitude once more, and Harry and Ron followed behind her awkwardly, standing slightly to the side.
"It was a pleasure getting to know you all, and I look forward to class with you this coming year, Miss Granger," Professor Khatria said kindly, her hands clasped properly in front of her. Hermione blushed a fierce scarlet and muttered her response before the Professor turned to Ron and Harry (who still stood near the wall with their hands in their pockets) as Mr. and Mrs. Weasley approached to march them back to the fireplace. "I suppose I'll be seeing you again soon as well, Mr. Potter, since Professor McGonagall informed me that you are teaching weekly. Hopefully we'll meet again at some point, Mr. Weasley." She nodded to each of them and her golden earring swung forward. Mrs. Weasley watched her leave, her eyes slowly growing thinner. Once she was sure that any new professors or relative strangers had left, she rounded on the two boys.
"I still don't like you not finishing Hogwarts, Ronald." Her arms were crossed and her glare was reminiscent of the morning after the twins drove the flying car back in second year.
"I already have a job, Mum. A good one, at that," he answered rolling his eyes.
"Honestly, you'd think she'd be happy for me. I am a head auror," he said mutinously under his breath.
"Co head auror," Harry chided back, following the group back to the Common Room.
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever."
Thank you so much to everyone who has reviewed my story! I absolutely love reading them, so please keep 'em coming! To the anonymous reviewer who requested some Dumbledore bashing, I'm planning on having some in chapter 19, so stay tuned! And to all of the other anonymous reviewers, thanks for reading and please review more chapters, it really makes my day.