Chapter 40 - First Years End and Summer
Lewis started to wake up, he blinked.
The smiling face of Albus Dumbledore swam
into view above him. It was not the Snitch at all,
it was a pair of glasses, in his hand.
How strange. He blinked again.
"Good afternoon, Lewis," said Dumbledore. "Can I have my glasses back please." Then he gave them back.
"Sorry did not know I grabbed them." Apologize Lewis.
Harry was sitting on the other side steering mad at Lewis,
Lewis stared at him. Then he said, "Sir! The Stone!
It was Quirrell! He has got the Stone! Sir, quick."
"Calm yourself, dear boy, you are a little behind the times,"
said Dumbledore. "Quirrell does not have the Stone.
Remember you teleported to my pocket."
"I forgot." Said Lewis.
Lewis realized he must be in the hospital wing.
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 candy shop. "Tokens from your friends and admirers,"
said Dumbledore, beaming.
"What happened down in the dungeons between you and Professor Quirrell is a complete secret, so, naturally, the whole school knows. I believe your brothers Fred and George Weasley were responsible for trying to send you a toilet seat.
No doubt they thought it would amuse you.
Doctor Robert, however, felt it might not be very hygienic,
and confiscated it." Said Albus.
"How long have I been in here?" Said Lewis.
"Three days. The Brotherhood have spent time here by your bed and will be most relieved you have come round,
they have been extremely worried." Said Albus.
"But sur, the Stone." Said Lewis.
"I see you are not to be distracted.
Very well, the Stone was delivered to my pocket.
I arrived in time to prevent your death." Said Albus.
"You got there? You got Harry's owl?" Asked Lewis.
"We must have crossed in midair. 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." Said Albus.
"It was you." Said Lewis.
"I feared I might be too late." Said Albus.
"You nearly were, I couldn't have kept him there
munch longer…" Said Lewis.
"Boy, you the effort involved nearly killed you.
For one terrible moment there, I was afraid it had.
As for the Stone, it has been destroyed." Said Albus.
"Destroyed?" said Harry blankly. "But your friend Nicolas Flamel, our uncle."
"Oh, you know about Nicolas?" said Dumbledore,
sounding quite delighted. "You did do the thing properly,
didn't you? Well, Nicolas and I have had a little chat,
and agreed it's all for the best."
"But that means Uncle Nick, won't he?" Said Ron.
"We would like to meet him at least once, please." Said Lewis.
"They have enough Elixir stored to set their affairs in order and then, yes, they will die." Said Albus.
Ron started crying. "NO, NO, NO," Said Ron.
"Ron, are you ok?" Asked Lewis. "Last I remember you got hit,
and you laid crumpled on the ground, I through I lost you."
"I am fine now." Said Ron, Laying down next to Lewis.
"Also you now know how I fell."
"I do and I hate it so munch, never want to be in this spot again,"
Said Lewis, "seeing you on the ground like that,
scared me then made me mad because I could not go to you,
I wanted to check on you so much."
"But you stayed and stop the stone from getting away."
Said Ron, "you did the right thang."
Right at that second Rob ran in, ran up and landed on Lewis saying, "You up finally." Hugging him.
"You know that the spot he been in every time he was in here.
He only left to eat." Said Ron.
"Out side of eating you have spent every hour there to."
Said Ron.
Lewis hugged Rob. "Yes, I am, my Mini-Ron," Said Lewis,
"I assume our Ron and Harry was taking care of you?"
"Yes, but mainly been laying on you hugging you." Said Rob.
"Sir?" said Harry. "I've been thinking... sir - even if the Stone's gone, Vol-, I mean, You-Know- Who -"
"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?" Asked Harry.
"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." Said Lewis.
"He left Quirrell to die; he shows just as little mercy to his followers as his enemies. Lewis, 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, he may never return to power."
"His end will come." Said Lewis. "I will make sure of this."
Harry nodded, but stopped quickly, because it made his head hurt. Then he said, "Sir, there are some other things I'd like to know, if you can tell me things,
I want to know the truth about."
"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'll forgive me.
I shall not, of course, lie."
"You two have not answered this yet,
Voldemort only killed my mother because she tried to stop him from killing us. But why would he want to kill
us in the first place?"
"Harry…" Started Albus.
But Lewis interrupted, "I know why he tried to kill me,
he did not try and kill you, but not telling you yet." Said Lewis.
"If you know why…" Lewis stalled out.
And Harry knew it would be no good to argue.
"If you know why Quirrell couldn't touch me?" Asked Lewis.
"Your mother died to save you. If there is one thing Voldemort cannot understand, it is love. He didn't realize that love as powerful as your mothers for you leaves its own 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.
It is in your very skin. Quirrell, full of hatred, greed,
and ambition, sharing his soul with Voldemort,
could not touch you for this reason. He was agony to touch a person marked by something so good." Said Albus.
Dumbledore now became very interested in a bird out on the windowsill, which gave Lewis' time to dry his eyes on the sheet
Harry then started to.
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."
"Harry, I told you who left us our family's part of
The Deathly Hollows." Said Lewis.
"You know of the Deathly Hollows?" Asked Albus.
"We are Weasleys, as Wizards for the past five years."
Said Lewis. "I also know about our family connection
to Tom Riddle, what we have going through our blood.
I mean I murdered someone today."
"You and Tom Riddle are not the same he always had hate,
You don't have any in you, you risk ever thang for you family,
friends, and school mates." Said Albus.
"You did not want to kill him, but he gave you no choice."
"Sweety, I told you that as will." Said Ron.
"And there's something else..." Asked Lewis.
"Fire away." Said Albus.
"Quirrell said Snape, said he hates us because he
hated my father. Is that true?" Asked Lewis.
"Well, they did rather detest each other.
Not unlike yourself and Mr. Malfoy. And then, your father did something Snape could never forgive." Said Albus.
"What?" Asked the Twins.
"He saved his life." Said Albus.
"You are talking about where Serius tricked him into going to see Lupin in his cabin hideout." Said Lewis.
"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 even. Then he could go back to hating your father's memory in peace..." Said Albus. Lewis tried to understand this, but it made his head pound, so he stopped.
"Professor, you are wrong about one thang." Said Lewis.
"What is that?" Asked Albus.
"I don't hate Draco, he not my friend yet,
not sure what the future will bring, but don't hate him,
he is to childish to hate." Said Lewis,
"but he is a student at this school, and have made him a project to fix into a better person."
"Glad you view it that way." Said Albus.
"And sir, there's one more thing..." Asked Lewis.
"Just the one?" Said Albus.
"How did I get the Stone out of the mirror?" Asked Lewis.
"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. You see, only one who wanted to find the Stone - find it, but not use it - would be able to get it, otherwise they'd just see themselves making gold or drinking Elixir of Life. My brain surprises even me sometimes..."
"Now, enough questions. I suggest you make a start on these sweets. Ah! Bettie Bott's Every Flavor Beans!
I was unfortunate enough in my youth to come across a vomit flavored one, 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. Then he choked and said, "Alas! Ear wax!"
Robert was a good man strict.
"Just five minutes," Harry pleaded.
"Absolutely not." Said the Doctor.
"You let Professor Dumbledore in..." Said Lewis.
"Well, of course, that was the headmaster, quite different.
You need rest." Said the Doctor.
"I am resting, fully relaxed, look, lying down and everything." Said Lewis.
"Oh, go on, Doctor..." Said Albus.
"Oh, very well," Said The Doctor said. "But five minutes only."
And he let The Brotherhood in.
"Lewis." they said.
"Lewis, we were sure you were going to… Dumbledore was so worried." Said Neville.
"The whole school's talking about it," said Ron.
"What really happened?" It was one of those rare occasions when the true story is even more strange and exciting than the wild rumors. Lewis told them everything: Quirrell; the mirror; the Stone; and Voldemort. The Brotherhood was very good audience; they gasped in all the right places,
and when Lewis told them what was under Quirrell's turban.
"So, what happened to you two?" said Harry.
"Well, I got back all right to the HQ," said Harry.
"Neville was just getting Ron round that took a while and we were went to send one of our owls to contact Dumbledore when we met him in the HQ he already knew – he just said,
'Lewis's gone after him, hasn't he?'
and hurtled off to the third floor."
"Do you think he meant you to do it?" said Ron.
"Sending you your father's cloak and everything?"
"Well, " Harry exploded, "if he did, I mean to say that's terrible, you could have been killed."
"I think he sort of wanted to give me a chance.
He knows everything that goes on here, you know.
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 us find out how the mirror worked. It's almost like he thought I had the right to face Voldemort if I could..." Said Lewis.
"Yeah, Dumbledore's off his rocker, all right," said Ron proudly.
"Listen, you've got to be up for the end-of-year feast tomorrow. The points are all in and Slytherin won, of course you missed the last Quidditch match, we were steamrollered by Ravenclaw without you – but the food will be good."
At that moment, The Doctor bustled over.
"You've had nearly fifteen minutes, now OUT" he said firmly.
"Let Harry, Ron, Rob, and Neville Stay.
You know I sneak out otherwise." Said Lewis.
"Fine as long as you stay." Said the Doctor.
Lewis laid back and Rob turned over and hugged him lying on his side, now attached to him with Lewis' arm around his back.
Then Ron laid on the other side, now Lewis hugging him to.
Then Lewis kissed them both. "I love my matched set."
Said Lewis, then fell asleep between both.
Harry and Nev got into the next bed.
After a good night's sleep, Lewis felt nearly back to normal.
Lewis was still in between his matching set.
"I want to go to the feast," he told Doctor as he straightened his many candy boxes. "I can, can't I?"
"You know there more than one bed?" Asked The Doctor.
"I know, but this is nice." Said Lewis.
"You need some food in you, and you have another visitor."
"Oh, good," said Lewis. "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 Lewis and looked at the three, took one look at him, and burst into tears.
"You three look cute." Said Hagrid.
"Thank You." Said Lewis. "Wish I could get a picture of this."
Then the Doctor, did take a picture.
"I want a copy." Said Lewis.
"It's - all - my - ruddy - fault!" he sobbed,
his face in his hands. I told the evil git how to get past Fluffy! I told him! It was the only thing he didn't know,
and I told him! Yeh could've died! All fer a dragon egg!
I'll never drink again! I should be chucked out
and made to live as a Muggle!"
Lewis then carefully got out of bed, then walked up hugged him,
"Hagrid!" said Lewis, 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."
"Yeh could've died!" sobbed Hagrid. "And don' say the name!"
"VOLDEMORT! VOLDEMORT! VOLDEMORT!" Lewis bellowed, and Hagrid was so shocked, he stopped crying.
"See he did not show up. 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 two a present."
"It's a chicken leg, is it?" said Lewis anxiously and at last Hagrid gave a weak chuckle.
"Nah. Dumbledore gave me the day off yesterday ter fix it. 'Course, he should sacked me instead - anyway, got yeh this..."
"They are smart enough to know the school would go on strike if they got rid of you." Said Lewis. "I would have led it."
It seemed to be a handsome, leather-covered book.
Harry now by Lewis side was opening it with him with curiously and looked at it. It was full of wizard photographs.
Smiling and waving at him from every page were his
mother and father.
"Sent owls off to all you parents' old school friends, asking for
photos... knew yeh did not have any... do you like it?"
Said Hagrid, the Twins couldn't speak, but Hagrid understood.
Lewis connected to Hagrid thoughts,
'Do you want something important to do this summer,
taking care of someone who is very important?
Think and I can hear it, you are to tell no one other than Dumbledore, Merlin, or Charley. You will get to meet someone important to Me and Harry survive.' Asked Lewis.
'Yes, yes I do." Said Hagrid.
'You are now part of the Brotherhood.
The members love you like an uncle anyway.' Through Lewis.
'Do you know where my dorm is?'
'I do.' Said Hagrid.
'There a Gryffindor Shield by the door,
put you hand flat on it, it will bring you to the HQ of the Brotherhood of the owl. Saphera is in there to.' Through Lewis.
'He is still here why. Through he had to go." Through Hagrid.
'Do you know what a dragon rider is?' Asked Lewis.
'Yes.' Through Hagrid.
'Me and Harry are now bonded with Saphira,
we are now dragon ridders. We are both bonded with Saphira,
this is a first.' Through Lewis. 'So do you want to spend time with Saphera this summer, but you still have to keep up with your grounds work.'
'YES, YES, YES!' Through Hagrid.
Lewis trained Hagrid how to secure his mind completely,
'Hagrid I trained you how to secure your mind completely.
I needed to make sure you could, the security of the brotherhood safety important." Said Lewis.
They made their way down to the end-of-year feast alone that night. He had been held up by The Doctors fussing about, insisting on giving him one last checkup,
so the Great Hall was already full. It was decked out in the Slytherin colors of green and silver to celebrate Slytherin's
winning the house cup for the seventh year in a row.
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.
They slipped into empty seats 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 all a little fuller than they were... you have the whole summer ahead to get
them nice and empty before next year starts...
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;
in third, Hufflepuff, with three hundred and fifty-two; Ravenclaw has 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, recent events must be taken into account."
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 went purple in the face; he looked like a radish with a bad sunburn. "...for the best-played game of chess Hogwarts has seen in many years, I award Gryffindor house fifty points."
Gryffindor cheers nearly raised the bewitched ceiling;
the stars overhead seemed to quiver.
Percy could be heard telling the other prefects,
"My brother, you know! My brother! Got past McGonagall's giant chess set!" At last, there was silence again.
"Second – Mr. Harry Potter ... for the use of cool logic in the face of fire, I award Gryffindor house fifty points."
Gryffindors up and down the table were beside themselves - they were a hundred points up.
"Third to Mr. Lewis Potter." said Dumbledore.
The room went deadly quiet, "for pure nerve and outstanding courage; I award Gryffindor house sixty points."
Then 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.
They had tied for the house cup – if only Dumbledore had given just one more point. Dumbledore raised his hand.
The room gradually fell silent.
"There are all kinds of courage," said Dumbledore, smiling.
"For getting friend out of danger and keeping his cool in the face of danger I therefore award fifty to Mr. Neville Longbottom." Said Albus.
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.
The Brotherhood stood up to yell and cheer as Neville,
white with shock, disappeared under a pile of people hugging him. He had never won so much as a point for Gryffindor before.
Harry, still cheering, nudged Ron in the ribs and pointed at Malfoy, 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, "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.
Sirius Black was shaking Professor McGonagall's hand smiling.
It was the best evening of the twin's life,
better than winning at Quidditch, or Christmas, or knocking out mountain trolls... he would never, ever forget tonight.
The twins had almost forgotten that the exam results were still to come but come they did. To their great surprise,
but not to Lewis' they all passed at the top fore first years,
and across the hole school.
"Told you I was not going let you two stay behind." Said Lewis.
Lewis found Albus in his office, and asked,
"When you found me did you see my wand by chance?"
"No, I did not, but I know you have a second wand use it."
Said Albus. "It might be wise."
"But what happened to my phoenix wand? If was a feather in it from your friend." Said Lewis.
"Use the new one." Said Albus.
"OK." Said Lewis.
And suddenly, their wardrobes were empty, their trunks were packed, 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 countryside became greener and tidier; eating Bettie Bott's Every Flavor 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, where Lewis and Harry where the last to leave and Lewis said, "We need a hear color update."
"What do you mean?" Asked Harry.
"We need to become Weasley red heads." Said Lewis.
"Sure, why not." Said Harry.
Then Lewis did a spell making there hear the same color red as the Weasleys. It took quite 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 twos and threes so they didn't attract attention by all bursting out of a solid wall at once and alarming the Muggles.
The Weasleys where all standing together,
when the Potter twins walked up with their new hear color.
"Bye, Lewis and Harry!"
"See you, Potters!"
"Still famous," said Ron, grinning at him.
Harry, Ron, Rob, and Lewis passed through the gateway together.
"Mum, look the twins now match us." Said Rob.
Molly looked at them, "Lewis, what did you do this time?"
"All my brother have red hear, we wanted to match."
Said Lewis. "We love being with our family,
we just wanted to fit in instead of standing out."
"Ok, if that makes you two happy, but you are going have to keep dying your hair to keep that color."
"Nope changed it permanently." Said Lewis and smiled.
"You did," Said Molly, "Busy year?"
"Very," said the Twins. "Thanks for the fudge and the sweater, Mom." Perfectly at the same time.
"Oh, it was nothing, dear." Said Molly.
"See you soon guys." Said Neville.
"Dad can Nev here come over to the house this
summer to please." Asked Harry. "Assuming Ron and Rob are ok with one more in our room."
"It ok with me." Said Rob.
"Also ok with me to." Said Ron.
"Sure." Said Arthur.
The Weasleys all got in the car and went home.
pg. 18